The Listening Club - 21st June 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Yep, the warms are here, and I'm pleased, as is Hype Cat, although he's looking rather melted right now. Not much else needs to be said really... *sips iced drink* ... apart from a couple of PSAs - (1) as mentioned I'll be away first weekend in July so if you feel like helping out and filling in here, let me know, and (2) end of the month is coming up next week so it's vortex time again. Customarily at this time of year we have a #SummerVortex consisting of some of your favourite live / concert performances, but as always open to suggestion so if you have ideas, bring 'em on down to the hashtag later today.

Last Sunday we had @room2skank in the chair, getting everyone rocking out in complex time with "All Hail Bright Futures" from And So I Watch You From Afar, which did the trick, I'd say. Thanks extended for the pick, and for flipping the frisb over to Wales, where @holette is waiting with today's intro...

"It was watching this artist perform at Glastonbury this time last year (sadly I only saw it on TV) that turned me onto this album.

Me and a mate watched mesmerised as a nerdy looking bloke twiddled knobs on banks of gadgetry while an artist painted with light on a somewhat temperamental overhead projector. Maybe some of you were there?

This is electronic music which, like the artist who has an extraordinary range of other projects, resists pigeonholing.

This sophisticated producer and polymath really knows how to conjure a narrative of sound that pushes your buttons of sensation and mood.

So, let's see, how does this album make you actually feel?

I have little understanding but huge respect for the technical bobbins behind the music.  But I'm always up for knowing more about the nerdy stuff from you Listening Clubbers with production know how.

Drinking club: A Black Dragon cider on ice for me."

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) later on.

The Listening Club - 14th June 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing okay. Still cool, grey and wet for the most part in Amsterdam, as summer refuses to get itself into gear for a decent spell, which will no doubt please those of you who are not fans of the season. I realise it really depends where you are in the world, but right here, right now, I'd rather be thinking about making bowls of coleslaw and long iced drinks, not be wearing a jumper and thinking about putting the heating on as we head towards the summer solstice, sigh.

Hoping it does pick up, as I'll be off on a little break in a couple of weeks, meaning I'm looking for someone to run things here on Sunday 5th July - If you can help out, let me know!

Last Sunday saw @EmmaPrice in the chair, getting everyone bouncing with her pick of Los Campesinos! debut album from 2008, "Hold On Now, Youngster". Thanks to Emma for the pick and for sailing the frisb an enormous distance to @room2skank, who's right here with today's intro...

"So this was one of those bands that you heard once on a demo CD, become obsessed with one track and then for whatever reason promptly forget about.  Fast forward a rather large chunk of time and you put a few musical jigsaw pieces together and spot a cool festival line up and see them on a bill and decide to go. The rest of the festival was great, lots of heavy, frenetic and sometimes down right sludgey. Then right at the end of the night, they arrive.  Done away with the aggression and sometimes trite existentialism of their contemporaries, you are exposed to energetic, bright soaring riffs and the world just does not seem so dull anymore.

Alas, that festival has recently succumbed to the ongoing plight of rising costs, but it will always be remembered.

Sidebar for the evening: To lost festivals, which ones have people been to that are no longer around

Drinking notes: That upteenth can of ever warming cider, the fruiter and stronger the better"

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

Hope to see you on the 'ol hashtag at 20:00 BST (GMT+1).

The Listening Club - 7th June 2026

Salutations, folks.

Hope you're doing okay. June not really feeling like June right now here as it's been cool, showery and overcast for much of the week (and more to come). The odd patch of sun, but already pining for the lovely warms of a while ago (ymmv, natch). Despite the weather I'm feeling culturally and musically enriched after grabbing a cheap last-minute ticket to see a matinee performance of Philip Glass' "Akhnaten" yesterday, which was really rather excellent indeed, even if I did feel a little out-of-place surrounded by the smoked-salmon-sandwich-munching hoardes of older, classier Dutch opera-goers. Plus ça change for me, indeed, as always.

Last Sunday, as was end-of month, saw us undertake an oddball #vortex journey in the shape of the #DoYouKnowWhereYoureGoingToVortex, which presented a splendid multitude of options - thanks to everyone who chipped in one or two, and to @JimMcCauley for the fine assemblage. Checking my notes, we find @EmmaPrice right here with today's intro...

"Evening all. Hope you're having a good start to the summer and are successfully navigating the oh god I'm melting/monsoon season we seem to be having of late.

Way back many, many moons ago, there was a boy, he was not to put too fine a point on it a gaslighting ****. It also turns out there was another girl. She is a lot like me, a lover of music and whimsy and art in all it's forms. She's also one of my favourite people on the planet and I am forever thankful that circumstances brought us together.

Turns out this exceptional girl loves this band. So much so that she's travelled 6500km to visit me and see them play in London. Not once but twice so far. Listening back to this album today has reminded me of those awesome gigs and how a love of music and friendship can transcend thousands of miles. Just look at us today tuning in from across the continents. 

There's quite a few interesting things this band does when they tour. I'll fill you in during the playback

Drinking club - something with a lot of ice in and possibly enough fruit garnish to cover your 5 a day.

Here's an opening question for you all. What's the furthest you've travelled to see an artist and who was it?"

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

Hope to see you on the ol' hashtag at 20:00 BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 31st May 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Another fine week of weather here in Amsterdam, dotted with thunder and lightning, not as boiling as some folks seem to have had, which is a relief, although it can't ever be warm enough for Hype Cat, he's in his element dozing in the undergrowth in the hottest spot he can find, crazy mog that he is.

Last Sunday saw @giflian in the chair, delivering a fine debut pick in the shape of Claude Léveillée's 1978 album "Black Sun", which seemed to go down quite splendidly with the assembled. Thanks extended for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @EmmaPrice, who has an extra week to ponder because...

... bien sur, #vortex time, and this time, possibly indicating holiday season's arrival on this side of the planet, a vortex of destinations was called for, begging the question, Do You Know Where You're Going To? Many have responded, and @JimMcCauley has blended the answers into a mighty travelogue...

...download's here, and the stream's below:

Hope to see you at 20:00 BST (GMT+1) 

The Listening Club - 24th May 2026

Hey folks,

Hope you're doing okay. Finally some decent warm weather comes the way of Amsterdam, meaning both myself and hype cat are more than happy with the current situation - feet up, squinting at a laptop screen in the sunshine, sipping a beer (me) and munching on snacks (me + cat). Simple pleasures. Hoorah!

Notwithstanding it's nearly the end of the month, which means next Sunday will be #Vortex time. Bring your theme ideas to the hashtag later on, please!

Last Sunday saw @corin_ja in the chair, delivering a funky dancefloor primer in the shape of the first half of David Mancuso's "The Loft Vol. 1" compilation, which got the assembled bopping aroud quite successfully. Or maybe it was the punch. Either ways, thanks to Corin for the pick and for sailing the frisbaton across to @giflian, who's right here with the introduction to their debut selection...

"As this is my first time presenting an album to #ListeningClub, I hope you will indulge me for my choice of a 38 minute instrumental prog rock album. My apologies/you’re welcome.

I discovered this album a year ago today, in the vinyl collection I inherited from my father. The cover art was too abstract to say anything about the contents, so I put it on the turntable. And it was weird, and I like weird. (I hope you also like weird.)

The artist was well-known in several countries, and prolific as a musician and collaborator, but this album is a departure from his usual genres and it probably confused his fans. Plenty of his other albums are on streaming, but not this one; so this imperfect recording-off-vinyl was the best version I could find.

While the album is labeled as prog rock it runs the gamut on 70s sounds. The 3rd track is psychedelic, the second-to-last is like library music. This was originally meant to be a ballet score, but when that didn’t happen the recorded parts were re-engineered and sprinkled with synthesizer and electric guitar. The liner notes have a literary quote for each track, but the music doesn’t take itself as seriously. "

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

Hope to see you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) later today.

The Listening Club - 17th May 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing okay. Back in Amsterdam again, just in time for a week of thoroughly crappy weather, both cold and wet, which is not pleasing either myself or Hype Cat one bit. No chance of an early summer, it seems. Being stuck inside means being productive musically tho, so it's not all bad, but I really am missing the balmy mood of a sunny stoop and cooling beverage combo, hopefully next week should bring the warms, if the weatherman is to be believed - we shall see, eh?...

Last Sunday saw @iamwahl in the chair, deliverying a rockin' slice of antipodean grooves courtesy of Yothu Yindi's 1991 album "Tribal Voice" which got the assembled bopping quite successfully. Thanks to Mr. W for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @corin_ja, who's here with today's intro...

"I wanted to choose something from a genre that I think is a bit under-represented in Listening Club, although I haven't done any real statistical analysis of the chosen styles so it could just be a misfired gut feeling. I think I probably lean to white rock so probably it's true for my picks at any rate. Anyhoo, the one problem here is that this is not an album-oriented genre. Sure, there are plenty of examples but I'm afraid to say many of them contain a handful of bangers, but often a lot of filler. This is a 12" vinyl dominated field. So what I've gone for is a bit of a bend of the LC rules. I hope I can be forgiven. Anyway, let me invite you for the next hour into a late-70s apartment off Broadway in New York's Greenwich Village. You slip in past a relaxed doorman, to a darkened space dominated by large speaker stacks, balloons and mood lighting. Help yourself to some of that punch over there, or grab a spot on the floor. Enjoy"

Right then, download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 10th May 2026

Greetings folks, direct from the quite windy, but still very much rolling Kentish hills. 

Yep, I'm back in the homeland for a week of seasonal family assistance, doing many outdoor jobs and sorting out house and garden affairs here and there. All very gentle and, for the most part, sunny and dry, so no complaints from me. Tapping this out early before heading off for another couple of traditional English activities, a large and tasty Sunday Lunch and a couple of pints of equally tasty local beer. Looking forward, natch!

Last Sunday saw @woj in the chair, getting tuneful in a decidedly indian-influenced style with his pick of Church Of Betty's "Comedy Of Animals", which went down pretty well, so it seemed. Thanks to Woj for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @iamwahl, who's right here with today's intro....

"Last week's delightful, if woefully too brief, cultural fusion offering from @woj that took us back to the later 90s set me to reflecting on the many musical twists and turns I followed through the years that closed the millennium. In the early years of that final decade I had relocated to Canada's west coast and found myself in a magical, if sleepy, little community that had me feeling like I was living in significant isolation, in spite of being about two hours travel from one of Canada's major cities. On the occasional work-related trips that saw me driving thither and yon across the communities that make up the "lower mainland" I would try to squeeze in some overnight stays that allowed me to take in shows at the wide variety of venues that existed then in Vancouver. I also used these trips to check out new releases at A&B Sound. And that leads us to the recording I'm sharing with the #ListeningClub today. Last week when I was invited to provide this week's program I immediately had an idea of what I would present. After listening to the album that first came to mind, I took the opportunity to re-listened to several other recordings I acquired in those years. After an extensive trip down memory lane, I hit upon this CD by a band who mix traditional and contemporary sounds from yet another corner of this amazing world. Hoping you will find it as intriguing as I did (and still do)…

For #DrinkingClub, something sparkling and refreshing for warmer climes (I'll be having a ginger ale, because, noon)…"

Right then, download's here, and the stream's below:

Hope to see you on the 'don later today at 20:00 BST (GMT+1).