The Listening Club - 26th April 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing OK. Yeah, I'm feeling pretty sad that this weekend has not turned out the way we'd hoped, but trying hard not to dwell. Next yeat we can make up for it. Being consoled by my good friend Stagger Lee, who's been doing a 24-hour DJ set here (finishes at 7pm BST), and has kept the air filled with a ton and a half of excellent tunes.

Also in related news, and possibly of interest to #LC folks is an online event next Saturday, the return of The Peoples Republic Of Disco, a club night that Lee co-helmed and I had the honour of guest-DJing at the last one, 9 years ago. In their words, "We swore we’d never do it again. But when the going gets weird, the weird get online." The essence of PROD is, basically, you give them a tune or two, and they play them all back at you (or as many as they can get through) whilst everyone gets drunk and has a boogie. Sound familiar-ish? Well, the invite's here, if you fancy joining would be great to have you along.

Last week chez #LC, @zbendr was in the chair, firing off a double bill of  "Dusty Trails" eponymous album, followed by The Josephine Wiggs Experience "Bon Bon Lifestyle", both of which went down very well indeed. Thanks to Ben for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @emmaprice, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"Evening all. So this weekend I was due to be at an epic party. (cue an 'I'm not even supposed to be here today' whinge)  But the 'rona has put things on ice for a little while, so I reckon it's time to revist a party from times past. Right now we're all looking for something to make us smile and distract us from the goings on outside our windows. So I'm taking us back a while to simpler times where the sun is shining, the beer is flowing and people are chilling on the grass somewhere in a field in Hampshire/Somerset. This band have brought an awful lot of joy to me over the years and so I'm sharing it with you lovely lot.

It's a long one - But the best parties often are, I mean it's not like you had other plans for tonight. No sneakily eying up the bleach bottle while my back is turned! 

Talking of #Drinkingclub I am going to make the first Pimms jug of the year - What's everyone having?"

Direct download is here, and the stream's below.


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1) tonight!

The Listening Club - 19th April 2020

Greetings folks,

Hope you and yours are all doing okay. Still bright and sunny here in Amsterdam, which is very pleasant, but the days and weeks are starting to blur together more than a little, to be honest. Happy to have Lockdown Radio to keep me occupied, last night's raveathon will be available for downloading here some point this evening, once I've ironed out the stream glitches. Thanks to everyone who's been tuning in so far, and @JimMcCauley for adding his lovely spacey visuals again last night also!

Last week on the regular, wor @nessiest was in the chair with a bona fide Icelandic classic in the shape of The Sugarcubes debut from 1988, "Life's Too Good", which was well received by the attendant posse. Many thanks to Vanessa for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @zbendr, who is right here with tonight's intro....

"Nobody is sure of anything, at the moment, and that’s okay. Lack of clarity gives us time to settle down in the autumn sun with a tall drink and relax. 

What? It’s not Autumn? Sure it is, this album says so. No, really, stop messing around: I’m just hanging out with a big, mixed, group of friends here, and I alternate between chatting together and wistfully listening alone.

In Listening Club, you’re not alone: we're together, apart. Relax and float, fly, sink, lose yourself.

And…………there’s a small afterparty……"

Okay, direct download here, in Flac or MP3, and stream is below....

And the afterparty, in Flac or MP3, and stream below!


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)

The Listening Club - 12th April 2020

Greetings, folks.

... and on it goes. Hope you and yours are doing OK. Still warm and sunny here in Amsterdam, which is bringing folks out of their homes in droves, although most of them do seem to be keeping a respectful distance from each other...ish. No new lockdown radio this week, partially as I haven't really been in the right mood, and partially due to the amount of other entertainment that has been pouring out and grabbing my attention (like Jarvis Cocker's Saturday night Domestic Disco, which is a haphazard delight if you haven't seen it - highly recommended).

Last Sunday @samquitter was in the chair, bringing an interesting Liverpool beat combo to #LC for the first time, in the shape of The Beatles' "Abbey Road", which brought some quality repartee and the occasional teardrop. Thanks to Sam for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across the sea to @nessiest, who is right here with tonight's intro...

"Trying to pick an album for this week went all over the place, and all the times. I struggled, finding the right sound and feel is not the easiest. Especially as I love me some yearning and angsty bits in my music but honestly, after my last pick I couldn’t do that to you again.

Fittingly this album is all over the place too, gleeful, off-kilter but never out of control and never trite. I don’t want to say any more because I want you to experience it rather than be told about it - even if you’ve heard it before hopefully you’ll enjoy listening together. 

One advisory though, especially for those on headphones - don’t up the volume at the start whatever you do. I love you guys and don’t want anyone to blow an eardrum or a speaker."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the stream's below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1).

The Listening Club - 5th April 2020

Greetings folks.

Hope you're surviving OK. Warm and sunny in Amsterdam, which is just fucking typical, so perching on the stoop with a beer or a wine and keeping a safe distance has been the order of the day, not just for us, but for most of the neighbourhood. Not much else we can do right now. Still entertaining myself, and hopefully a few other people, with the Lockdown Radio transmissions, which should continue this week if all goes well. Thanks extended to those tuning in, and if anyone else fancies doing a show / set in any form, let me know, always good to have company!

Last week chez #LC, the dynamic duo of @rougeforever and @mrhig managed to agree on something and delivered REM's 1998 opus "Up", which brought forth a fair assortment of opinions, as you'd expect. Thanks to them for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @samquitter, who has this to say by introduction to tonight's pick...

"OK folks, keeping it simple this week. Normally I have a little mental list of possible clever listening club picks, but having tried to listen to them this week they all did my head in due to our strange and unnerving times, and I did not wish to inflict the same on you fine people. So I've gone with an all time favourite that to this day makes me smile when I hear it. 

The group and the album won't be any mystery to anyone. To me its the sound of sunshine rather than summer, and for some reason, and appropriately enough for our current predicament, it reminds me of being indoors in sunny weather, with sun streaking through the windows.

When I was a toddler I used to drive my parents mad by pulling records off the shelves. Then I liked to look at the covers, spread out on the floor. For that reason the cover of this album is even more imprinted on my mind than it is on the tourists who in normal times attempt to recreate it on a daily basis. I rediscovered the album as a student when I bought a CD of it, then recently went back to vinyl when one of my own kids made me a gift of it on special new heavy vinyl, whatever that is. And it still sounds great to me. 

Anyway, enough of my yakkin... hope you find it suitable! Sam x "

Direct download is here, and the stream's below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1).