The Listening Club - 23rd August 2026

Salutations folks,

Hope you're all doing okay. Another cool and wet week here in Amsterdam, which is not the best news for one of the biggest summer festival weekends of the year here (and the Grand Prix too), and has already got folks proclaiming Summer being "over". Fingers crossed it's not, for me and hype cat's sake at the very least...

Speaking of time passing, end-of-the-month is coming soon, which means time again for a #vortex, so if you have theme ideas, bring 'em to the hashtag later on and shout 'em out!

Last Sunday saw @das_ulicorn in the chair delivering Kae Tempest's most recent waxing, "Self-Titled", which hit the spot for many of the assembled. Thanks extended for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @SimonLandmine, who's right here with today's intro...

"Another quandary as to who to pick from my overlong 'shortlist', but I narrowed it down to two. Listening through the other album, it was quite 'samey', and I do like to provide a bit of a variety. So you're getting this, possibly partly as an odd kind of response to last week's pick. It's someone who I've seen live, although possibly not supporting an artist you'd necessarily expect them to (and I think it was equally surprising to some in the audience).

This was the artist's second album, and features some potentially unexpected guest appearances. Since this one, they've gone on to release several more, as well as apparently making their mark as an actor.

Warn the cats that this does involve the kind of language that would get it one of those 'PARENTAL ADVISORY' stickers, including some use of the 'n'-word.

Drinking club - gin and juice? Too-warm Red Stripe? Communion wine? Cheap venue lager in a too-thin plastic 'glass' that will spray the contents the moment someone collides with you? Who knows?"

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

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

The Listening Club - 16th August 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing okay - finally a decent rain shower and a bit of cooling off in Amsterdam, which is very much appreciated as the place was starting to pong a bit. Very quiet and gentle chez K as we're feeling the after effects of a friend's birthday party last night. A restorative curry is in order, I think...

Last Sunday we had @saucer in the chair, getting funky and conscious with his pick of "Voice Of The Revolution" by The Neighborhood Kids, which got the assembled bopping and pondering in equal measures. Thanks to Mr. S for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @das_ulicorn, who's back after having been away for a good long sabbatical and a change of moniker, and has this to say by way of introduction to today's pick...

"Happy Sunday, all of y'all, I hope you didn't collectively melt into puddles in the current temperature extravaganza.

Last week, Simon and I discussed how hip hop and spoken word art intersect, so maybe today is another data point in the lyrics-forward area of music. Discogs thinks today's album is both "Hip Hop" and

"Non-Music", supporting some people in the notion that Hip Hop is not music. (Personally, I'd say this album isn't very Hip Hop, but what do I know.)

Singer, writer, poet, Glastonbury regular, yet, I guess, not very widely known outside the UK, the artist has been on LC before, a looong time ago, long before my first time around here. (Y'all have been doing this for ages, haven't you?)  A lot has happened since, so it's time to catch up, catch a deep breath, pause and reflect.

And then open the floodgates, because this has the whole range of emotions, from rage and defiance to love and regret and hopelessness and heartbreaking sadness. I could say I didn't cry the first time I

listened to this all the way through, that I didn't sit stunned, but I'd be a liar.

LibationClub: a shot of tea. (Or pop some E, whichever way you're inclined.)"

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

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

The Listening Club - 9th August 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're doing okay. Hot one here today in Amsterdam, and it's a day of doing for me, so let's get this tapped out early and struck off the do list, eh?

Last Sunday saw @ThatNewSound in the chair, delivering some modern art rock in the shape of William Doyle's "Your Wilderness Revisited" from 2019, which went down very well indeed with many of the assembled. Thanks extended for the pick, and for sailing the frisb across to @saucer, who's got this to say by way of introduction to today's pick...

"Even though the world was/is/always-will-be rough (Buddha, Kierkegaard, Bernd das Brot), lately it's a bit much with all the geopolitical bullshit, deadly climate change, AI-pilled VC money, ....

The dark pushes me toward distraction or catharsis, and that was the direction this week's pick was headed. 

But there's an album that's been on my rotation that looks at the light... by facing, engaging, standing tall.

So here you go. I hope this gentle labor of love inspires you even half as much as it does me. 

Drinking suggestion: something hydrating and tasty."

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

Hope to see you at 20:00 BST later today.

The Listening Club - 2nd August 2026

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing okay - warm and sunny here in Amsterdam, but it's been a very quiet day, mainly due to a good chunk of the city being several shades of hungover following yesterday's Pride celebrations, which, being as Amsterdam is the city for this year's "World Pride", saw even more folks than usual decend on the city to party their asses off. And they certainly did. So today's a quiet day for most, myself included, apart from the folks over at Dekmantel, who are still bopping their way through the remainder of the weekend like the troopers they are (live stream of one of the stages here if you want a taste).

Last Sunday chez #LC, as it was the end of the month, therefore a #vortex, and this time a rather unusual #EarwormVortex was called for - could have been a painful listen, but many folks submitted some very pleasurable examples and the end result was highly enjoyable indeed. Thanks to all for submissions, and to @saucer for doing the expert assembly work.

Looking back, we see @ThatNewSound holding the frisb with this to say by way of introduction to today's pick...

"This one has been sitting in my back pocket for a few LC picks now and listening through my options for this time around it feels like just the right record to share. 

It comes from someone now recording under their own name after releasing a pretty banging series of records under a pseudonym. This stuff is decidedly less banging, in that their previous outfit was an occasionally pretty industrial electropop band and this is, well, not, though it certainly bangs in its own way. That said I think this album is incredibly tightly produced, a really great selection of sounds that you can tell have been diligently crafted. The track list flows really well and you'll also find a couple of surprise features. Ten points to the first person to shout it out. I hope you enjoy it. 

Drinking Club, get yourself a nice cup of tea or if you fancy something stronger maybe a nice Gin and Tonic."

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

See yoiu 20:00 BST (GMT+1) later today.