BMX Bandits in Bellshill

"I create beauty out of pain." Duglas T Stewart

Last night (Friday 30th May), Duglas T Stewart and his beloved BMX Bandits made a triumphant return to Bellshill, marking Stewart’s first hometown show in over 30 years.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen Duglas perform over the years. There have been memorable gigs of all shapes and sizes—from intimate shows in bars like The Lismore to festival slots at T in the Park and Wickerman, and headline sets at venues like King Tut’s and Oran Mor. But (and maybe it’s just because it’s so fresh in my memory), last night might just have been the best of them all.

Photo by Paul Quinn

Why?

Well, I could put it down to the venue, location and significance. Bellshill Cultural Centre is tucked away just a 2-minute walk from the station. Duglas mentioned how he was born and raised in Bellshill, how he lived just a few streets away, formed BMX Bandits 40-years ago in 1985 and wrote many, many songs nearby. His friend Paul Quinn, formerly of Teenage Fanclub, was promoting the show. The Bellshill connection brought out the best in Stewart and subsequently his band. 

"There was a bunch of us in Bellshill with the same dreams." Duglas T Stewart

Speaking of which, is this the best BMX Bandits band?! How about that for a pub debate among fans?! Andrew Pattie (guitar), Amanda Nizic (bass) and Liam Chapman (drums) are super tight and totally get Duglas in 2025 and Duglas from 1985. Of course, not to do past members a dis-service, that could be said for all previous participants in Stewart's vision for his music. But I was exceptionally impressed last night.

"You never really leave the band completely." Norman Blake

"Being in BMX Bandits is like being wrapped in your favourite chocolate bar with everybody you love all around you hugging you at the same time." Sean Dickson

BMX Bandits family tree (from circa 2011)

Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder. I missed the last couple of Bandits shows in Glasgow. And with Duglas now living out on the west coast, they don't come around as frequently as they once did. It had been a while since I basked in the warmth of Stewart's songs and charm. I still have a Readybrek glow from the show.

Of course, the wonderful songs were central to last night. Opener Setting Sun set the tone for a night of melodic, heartfelt and soulful pop music. Then we had an incredible trilogy of The Sailor's Song, Little Hands and Serious Drugs. Three absolute classics! We were being spoiled.

"My favourite Bandits composition has to be The Sailor's Song. In a little over 3.5 minutes it unravels like a movie in minature. Love conquers all." Sushil K Dade

Duglas and the Bandits played songs from across the Bandits 40-years. The aforementioned Setting Sun opens most recent album Dreamers On The Run,  Time To Get Away is also taken from that LP and it is a real gem. I appreciate it all the more after the introduction Duglas made at the start regarding how he wrote it for a friend he was concerned about. 

Stewart told a number of stories, of writing songs with his great friend Norman at 3am. Of seeing a shop called Razorblades & Honey while in Berlin and then writing and recording a song of the same name with Anton Newcombe in his studio in the city. That was one of many highlights, the dirty groove is delicious.

Amanda sang a glorious I Wanna Fall In Love, Foggy was absolutely beautiful, Disco Girl was super fun and an acapella Your Class had us all clapping and singing, the melody lifting and carrying us all.

And what you do, what you do

Is breaking my heart in two

And I'll never get too tired of you 

Duglas told of Dan Treacy of Television Personalities sending him a cassette of Girl At The Bus Stop with instructions to destruct the tape after recording a Bandits version - Mission Impossible style. As Duglas said, it is possibly more BMX Bandits than any song he has written!

Beloved debut single E102 might run that close, with the glorious refrain of I'm so happy, that love has come around being sung wholeheartedly on stage and off. 

Closing with the gorgeous Spinning Through Time from their Music for the Film "Dreaded Light" album, this was a truly wonderful and heartwarming show.

Support on the night was by The Cords who I first blogged about HERE. The sisters must have blitzed through a dozen songs in a 30-minute set that bodes well for their debut album, due out later this year via the excellent Slumberland Records. Eva's vocals are naturally melodic and beautiful, her guitar playing is feisty and firesome, and her songwriting feels unforced and pure. I can't wait to hear the album and look forward to them playing some launch shows later in the year.

"If I could be in any other band, it would be BMX Bandits." Kurt Cobain

Check a couple of old blogs below, including a podcast I recorded with Duglas on the 30th anniversary of BMX Bandits.

10 from BMX Bandits

30th anniversary podcast 

So You Say You Lost Your Baby

Cover version of the month #111

Death in Vegas w/ Paul Weller cover Gene Clark w/ The Gosdin Brothers

Gene Clark w/ The Gosdin Brothers version

Death in Vegas w/ Paul Weller version

Gene Clark departed The Byrds in 1966 after a whirlwind period of recording, releasing, and touring. In just a few years, the band had blazed a trail—three albums, a string of hits (including two number-one singles), and pioneering sounds that reshaped the landscape of guitar music. From the chiming 12-string perfection of Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn, Turn, Turn to the psychedelic folk-jazz brilliance of Eight Miles High, The Byrds (pardon the pun) were in full flight.

Clark was at the heart of it all, including penning the pure adrenaline rush of I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better—one of favourite songs by The Byrds. Gene, as well as writing songs, playing guitar and singing, was effortlessly cool with a tambourine in hand.

The Byrds had soared, but what goes up must come down. With a lineup brimming with talent and strong-willed songwriters, creative tensions were inevitable. Clashes ensued, departures followed. Clark was the first to leave, with David Crosby not far behind. 

Clark didn't hang around, releasing his debut album Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers (later reissued as Echoes) in January 1967. Clark wrote 8 songs and co-wrote another couple. 

One of those songs was So You Say You Lost Your Baby, 2-minutes 7 seconds of utter bliss. In that short time there is driving rhythms, beautiful orchestration, a dreamy melancholic melody and emotional vocals, mixed effortlessly with stunning harmonies.

Riding in on an electric guitar riff that sends tingles down your spine, So You Say You Lost Your Baby is performed, arranged and produced absolutely perfectly. Strings float in behind Gene Clark as he begins to sing;

Well you're smolderin' with fly words

Catch the moment on the run

The Gosdin Brothers harmonise effortlessly;

And you stand inside your wind stilts

Watch the sentence act begun

There's a brief pause before a gorgeous little lift in the strings after the second verse and chorus, Clark and the Gosdin Brothers sound sublime together, the beat drives things to conclusion

So you say you lost you're baby

Do you know that you're the one?

Almost 40-years down the line, Death in Vegas, Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes, were forging a reputation for fantastic taste in music, production and ambition. Psychedelia was in their hearts; taste, knowledge and appreciation of great songs from 60's, mixed and matched with passion for electronic music and all the possibilities it brought.

2003's Scorpio Rising album saw them collaborate with Liam Gallagher on a sprawling title track, Hope Sandoval on the heart melting Killing Smile, Dot Allison on the dreamy wonder Diving Horses and Paul Weller on their version of So You Say You Lost Your Baby.

That Death in Vegas stay very true to Clark's original is testament to the band and Weller's love and affection for the song. The main difference is probably the fact that Weller is singing on his own with no harmonies. Death in Vegas also play a little with the aforementioned string lift after the second verse and chorus. Weller's voice, as I witnessed first hand at the Barrowland last November, is exceptionally strong, perfect for this slice of psychedelic pop. 

Noel Gallagher was so taken with the album that he approached Death in Vegas to produce Don't Believe The Truth. The sessions collapsed after 3-4 weeks with Gallagher reflecting that Fearless and Holmes were trying to polish a turd. An honest assessment. If the songs had been up with Gallagher's best then it is tantalising to think of the string arrangements and effects that DiV could have introduced. But that's potentially another blog for another time. 

The Gene Clark original and the cover by Death in Vegas and Paul Weller of So You Say You Lost Your Baby are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Previous covers of the month blogs

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt

14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine

16. California Soul

18. Wonder wall 

19. Dancing In The Dark

20. Always On My Mind

21. Ceremony

22. Heroes

23. Different Drum

24. Wild Horses

25. Respect

26. Mr Tambourine Man

27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

28. Superstar

29. Twist and Shout

30. Purple Rain

31. Baker Street

32. Not Fade Away

33. Stop Your Sobbing

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down 
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday 
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

61. Take Me To The River

62. We Can Work It Out 

63. Talking In My Sleep

64. Lola

65. Lost In Music

66. My Little Red Book

67. Isn't It A Pity

68. Walk On By

69. Walk Away Renee

70. Tainted Love

71. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

72. Listen The Snow Is Falling

73. Mrs Robinson

74. He's Gonna Step On You Again

75. In My Life

76. Caravan Of Love

77. The Only Way Is Up

78. Dancin' Round & Round

79. With A Little Help From My Friends

80. Killing Me Softly

81. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

82. Drop

83. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

84. Sympathy For The Devil

85. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

86. Love Will Tear Us Apart

87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire

88. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

89. Love The One You're With

90. Cum On Feel The Noize

91. Addicted To Love

92. Valerie

93. Ride On Time

94. Let's Dance

95. It Must Be Love

96. I Fought The Law

97. For What It's Worth

98. Do Your Thing

99. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

100. Don't Leave Me This Way

101. Shout!

102. God Only Knows

103. The Last Time

104. Bridge Over Troubled Water

105. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

106. Louie Louie

107. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

108-110. I'm A Loser, Yesterday and Beware of Darkness 

Common People and headlining Glastonbury 1995

Trust me #96
Common People by Pulp

The Stone Roses were scheduled to headline Glastonbury 1995 on the back of the late 94 release of The Second Coming. After years of inactivity with the Roses, there was now a lot going on - notably the departure of Reni just 2-weeks before their European spring tour.

Soldiering on with the recruitment of Robbie Maddix, the Roses turned in some tight performances and were riding high as they entered summer, with all directions pointing towards a Saturday night headline slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.

Just a week prior to Glastonbury, set to be the bands first UK performance in 5-years, John Squire came off his bike in San Francisco and dislocated his collarbone. The Roses actually took out an advert in the NME with the X-ray of Squire's broken collarbone to confirm that the band could no longer play.

Step forward ... Pulp.

Now, in June 1995, Pulp had not supplied any substantial evidence that they were Saturday night headline material - no offence to the band! Jarvis Cocker's band had made roads with their His'n'Hers album the previous year, their first on a major label (Island) especially with the singles Do You Remember The First Time?, Babies and Lipgloss, but only one of those songs (only just) broke the top 20. Razmattaz, their final single for Gift Records in 1993 reached the heady heights of number 80.

Then, in May 95, Pulp released the absolutely magnificent Common People as a single, capturing the times, the colour, humour, possibilities and the pop essence of Britpop all at once. Their album Different Class was still months away from release.

Undeterred and rising to the challenge, Pulp played a 12-song set, taking in 11-songs from His'n'Hers, Different Class and then Razmattaz. Not one single song from pre-1993, quite remarkable considering the fact that they has been releasing records since 1983.

Cocker was brave but honest. Pulp's earlier material just wasn't good enough for a Glastonbury headline slot. Their were live debuts for 3-songs; Sorted for E's & Whizz (utterly perfect for the festival!), Disco 2000 and Mis-Shapes.

Common People closed their set and the main stage. Pulp, and Jarvis, had finally arrived.

"It's sad, funny, ironic and all dressed up in pop music that's so melodramatically camp it could open a boy scout's jamboree." Tony Cross, Smash Hits

Common People is everything that is brilliant about pop music. The riff is catchy, immediately locking you in, the lyrics are a story, beautifully delivered by Jarvis Cocker - an incredible mix of humour and social commentary, the chorus is anthemic and euphoric.

Cocker has often spoken about the real-life inspiration behind the song, the lyrics were reportedly inspired by a conversation he had while studying at Central Saint Martins art college in London in the late 1980s. He met a wealthy Greek art student who told him she wanted to “live like common people.”

 She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge

She studied sculpture at Saint Martin's College

That's where I, caught her eye

She told me that her Dad was loaded

I said in that case I'll have rum and cola

She said fine, and then in 30-seconds time, she said

I wanna live like common people

I wanna do whatever common people do ...

The build is slow, menacing even. Then, after the second verse and chorus, it erupts. Controlled chaos. Anger wrapped in disco. Social poetry delivered as pop. 

But she didn't, understand

She just smiled and held my hand

Jarvis goes off on one. Pulp connected in a different way to Oasis or Blur. Pulp did something braver. They pointed a finger. And Common People was the hand that flicked the Vs.

Pulp connected cause they cut, they called it out;

Rent a flat above a shop

Cut you hair and get a job

Smoke some fags and play some pool

Pretend you never went to school

Still you'll never get it right

Cause when you're laying in bed at night

Watching roaches climb the wall

If you called your Dad he could stop it all

Jarvis, in full flight, criticising the pretence, highlighting that they have a 'get out' option, and then the beautiful kiss off;

You'll never live like common people

You'll never do whatever common people do

He continues, enraged and almost spitting;

You'll never fail like common people

You'll never watch your life slide out of view

And then dance and drink and screw

Because there's nothing else to do

The instrumental leads to another chorus that feels even bigger. It's a chorus you could chant it in a club or study it in a classroom.  

Check the iconic video below and the truly sensational Glastonbury performance from June 1995. The way Jarvis ans his band builds up to the finale is incredible. Pop brilliance. Pop genius.

Common People - official video

Glastonbury 1995

The full length version of Common People is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE 

Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura

76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

77. The Rat by The Walkmen

78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer

79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack

80. Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys

81. Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros

82. 69 Police by David Holmes

83. Hey Lisa by David Holmes

84. I Am A Rock by Simon & Garfunkel

85. Kung Fu by Ash

86. Kids by MGMT

87. Slight Return by The Bluetones

88. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

89. Cut Your Hair by Pavement

90. Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

91. Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips

92. Acquiesce by Oasis

93. This Is Music by The Verve

94. Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery

95. Sparky's Dream by Teenage Fanclub

Sparky's Dream

Trust me #95
Sparky's Dream by Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Fanclub released the pure sunshine bubblegum power-pop rush of Sparky's Dream 30-years ago, in May 1995. Perfect timing ahead of what was a lovely, warm and hazy summer. I wonder how many times I've listened to the song, how many times I've sung along at concerts, or while playing air guitar in in front of the mirror! 

Sparky's Dream was the lead single from the Fanclub's Grand Prix album. Penned and sung by bassist Gerard Love, the song bursts with a vibrant energy from the playful opening riff to the closing chord. 

Gerry sounds like he is head over heels and I love the way he portrays his love, desire and affection in the lyrics. Dig a little deeper and he is pining for a love that he lost after possibly falling too hard and too fast.

If she lived in space, man, I'd build a plane

Out of luck so beam me up to hear her talking again

She painted pictures, that never dried

Always try and keep the feeling alive

Love has a beautiful way with words, weaving vivid imagery in an honest and dreamy way. This continues through the chorus and I appreciate the line magic eyes to read between the lines so much more after typing it out. The lyric seems so simple, the melody is so catchy and I must have sung it hundreds of times, yet I think I've only just appreciated how clever and deep it is. The power of pop!

Need a crystal ball to see her in the morning

And magic eyes to read between the lines

I took a wrong direction

From a shooting star

In a love dimension

Fading fast from taking this too far

Teenage Fanclub use the chorus as a springboard into a short 15-second instrumental that just keeps the groove going, leading into a short verse/bridge. The opening line is pure Gerry Love, encapsulating a feeling in just 6 words and then there is an immediate gorgeous follow up - he is going to hang on to this love, possibly forever. He won't forget.

That summer feeling, is gonna fly

Always try to keep the feeling inside

Sparky's Dream lifts you up from the off and keeps you there with an unrelenting momentum, we're straight back into another chorus and then an outro of magic balls to see her in the morning and crystal eyes to read between the lines. Timeless pop!

Sparky's Dream is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE. Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Official video

I asked the Teenage Fanclub Fanclub for their memories of hearing the song for the first time.

Shona McAllister - 30-years ago I was living in France and one of my very best friends sent me Sparky's Dream. I wasn't having the best time, but that was a ray of sunshine bursting through. It still feels magical.

Richard Miles - I remember hearing it being played on Radio 1 when they did the Radio 1 roadshow! 

Kevin Robertson - It reminded me of Pictures Of Lily at the chorus but the guitar sounds on this and the whole of Grand Prix are about as sweet an overdriven tone as you could find.

Craig Tilstone - I first heard it on Jo Wiley and Steve Lamaq's Evening Session - essential mid-90's listening and a huge shaper of my teenage music tastes. It would have been the second TFC song I ever heard, with them playing Mellow Doubt a few weeks earlier. Sparky's Dream fizzed and jangled and chimed and blew my mind. A 30-year infatuation was born!

Aidan Nicholas - Takes me back to living in my first bought flat in the 90's and listening to the excellent GLR radio. 

Ian Palmer - I heard it first via my cousin having recorded it off Radio 1. I went and bought it the next day.

Matthew Tokley - THE perfect pop rock song.

Peter Rowe - First time I heard it was on their 'tour' of Glasgow at the Renfrew Ferry. Sounded great on first listen!

Mark Dinh - It's the sound of summer (95) for me. Hard to believe that's a lifetime ago. Just like Regret by New Order is for 93. What makes the song for me is the incredible background harmonies around the 2.5 minute mark /outro. Got a magic ball that (ahh ahh ahh ahh woo woo woo) bit.

Jamie Smith - When I saw them at Portsmouth Pyramids back in 95, Norman said it was Zig and Zag's favourite song!

Rob James - It reminds me of an amazing holiday my now wife and I had many years ago, driving through the Italian Lakes and Switzerland with Grand Prix almost on a loop in the car. Don't want to get too dark, but my kids have strict instructions to make sure it's the song I go out to. If you know what I mean ...

Elena Montana - I was late to the party = although technically I am never late, other people are just early! Have seen some people write that Gerry wrote this about Juliana Hatfield (with the caveat that it could just be apocryphal!). Only the writer knows the truth after all!

Graham Williamson - Reminds me of my sons birth in 1995.

John Inwood - Just the best song they have written.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura

76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

77. The Rat by The Walkmen

78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer

79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack

80. Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys

81. Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros

82. 69 Police by David Holmes

83. Hey Lisa by David Holmes

84. I Am A Rock by Simon & Garfunkel

85. Kung Fu by Ash

86. Kids by MGMT

87. Slight Return by The Bluetones

88. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

89. Cut Your Hair by Pavement

90. Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

91. Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips

92. Acquiesce by Oasis

93. This Is Music by The Verve

94. Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery

Ricky Ross and friends at FRETS

Ricky Ross & friends
FRETS at the Strathaven Hotel in aid of Simon Community Scotland

On Saturday 10th May I got to mix my passion for charity with my deep rooted love of music as Ricky Ross, alongside his great friends Gregor Philp from Deacon Blue and David Scott from The Pearlfishers, played an intimate show in the wonderful setting of the Strathaven Hotel.

Ricky and his wife Lorraine are fantastic supporters of Simon Community Scotland, the charity I work for, and have visited a number of our services across Glasgow over the years. 

Simon Community Scotland provide safe places, support and hope to hundreds of people experiencing homelessness every single week. We do this through our street teams, our hubs, 24-hour helplines, supported accommodation services, outreach support and our own SCS Homes. In 2024, we helped over 10,000 people.

The need for our support and experience is increasing every year. Ricky was determined to do something to help and very kindly, with the help of his friend Douglas MacIntyre who runs the excellent FRETS nights in Strathaven, arranged to play a show.

It was a scorching day and the Strathaven Hotel was looking absolutely stunning under the blue skies, with dozens of people basking in the beautiful beer garden when I arrived. 

Inside, the FRETS team had everything set up perfectly, soundcheck had gone well, and there was time to chat with Wesley who arranges production and Steve who has been doing sound for Ricky since the mid-80's. Two great guys.

Showtime came around quickly. Guests were super friendly and extremely generous, buying strips of raffle tickets for some wonderful prizes that included guests passes and a meet and greet with Deacon Blue at one of their Hydro shows this October.

Ricky came onstage at 8.30pm sharp, settled down at his piano and was straight into it. What a voice! Beautifully rich and soulful. Meanwhile, his fingers effortlessly danced across the piano. It was a real treat to sit mere feet from a master at work.

I've found myself going through Ricky's extensive back catalogue in the days since the show. Here are a few of my favourite moments from the set.

• The opening few songs with Ricky at his piano. Cavalry was lovely.
• Back Here In Beano Land - the mix of humour and grim reality - all things are real
• Ricky, Gregor and David all on seats with guitars playing the trilogy of Walls, She Gets Me Inside and Pale Rider. The harmonies on the latter were just gorgeous.
• A sublime stripped back Wages Day. 
• The story behind the song and the performance of London Comes Alive.
• Good Evening Philadelphia was possibly my favourite song of the night. Taken from Ricky's 1996 album What You Are, the trio played it with real zip and relish. A 3 chord gem, I immediately fell for the tumbling melody and the hook. I found out, I realise, I need you, More than you need me
• The closing cover of Magnetic Fields The Book Of Love

Thanks to everyone who made Saturday night a very special one. Over £8,000 was raised to help Simon Community Scotland provide safe places, support and hope for people experiencing homelessness.

Never Ending Mixtape part 100

Welcome to part 100 of my Never Ending Mixtape!

I started this blog/playlist/mixtape back in October 2016 with the simple intention of creating a playlist that I would add songs to on a regular basis and then blog about the latest additions every month.

There would be no thought to the structure of the playlist, unlike the mixtapes and CD's I would make in my younger days. I'd just add songs when I felt like it, depending on what I was listening to.

So here we are, blog 100! 

As a result, my Never Ending Mixtape jumps from 4,339 songs to 4,395 with the addition of Red Wine Supernova by Chappell Roan - glorious pop music!

It's an eclectic and eccentric mix that I regularly play on shuffle. But dive in from the start, midway through or scroll to the end for the latest additions. 

There is a heap of soul songs, a few from Peter Doherty's career after I read his remarkably frank autobiography. With his utterly chaotic lifetstyle, he really shouldn't have been around to tell it! I've also added the new Pulp single, a few from Frank Popp Ensemble's outstanding new album and an eclectic sprinkling from the likes of Orbital w/ Tilda Swinton, The J.B's, DNA w/ Suzanne Vega, Shack, Wilco, The Magnetic Fields and Pink Floyd. 

You'll find a few of the additions listed below.

Search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify or CLICK HERE

Recent discoveries

You Can't Go Where The Roses Go - Marianne Faithfull

Standing By Love - Eula Cooper

Stubborn Heart - Earnest Mosely

Lone Swordsman - Daniel Avery

Inner City Blues - Reuben Wilson

Pretty Brown Skin - Roy Ayers

New releases

Save - Frank Popp Ensemble w/ Gerry Love

Heartbreak (In A Really Good Way) - Frank Popp Ensemble w/ J Mahon

Spike Island - Pulp

Your Love - Death In Vegas

0.01 - Kerr Mercer

Old favourites/rediscovered

Tom's Diner - DNA & Suzanne Vega

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall & Oattes

Don't Look Back Into The Sun - The Libertines

Five-O - James

Lone Swordsman

Trust me #94
Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery

I always try to listen to 6music when I get the opportunity to work from home. More often than not, there will be a cool tune played that I've never heard before.

That happened on Friday when I heard a song on the Desert Island Disco that had me checking online to find out what it was and who it was by. It was Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery.

Avery released  Lone Swordsman on September 1st 2020 as a poignant tribute to the late DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall, who passed away in February of that year. The track was released via Phantasy Sound as the B-side to Avery's single Dusting For Smoke, from his album Love + Light.

"I was in my studio the morning I heard about Andrew Weatherall's passing. The track Lone Swordsman is what formed that day. Andrew was a hero, a friend and someone who regularly reminded us all how it should be done, not to mention the funniest fucker around." Daniel Avery

As I imagine many of you reading this blog will know/have guessed, the title Lone Swordsman references Weatherall's project Two Lone Swordsmen, a collaboration with Keith Tenniswood . 

Musically, Lone Swordsman is an dreamy instrumental, blending ambient textures with elements reminiscent of 90's club/rave culture. The emotive synths and understated rhythms had me (wrongly) guessing that it was an Orbital song when I first heard it. I love the feeling Avery has created.

The influence of Andrew Weatherall will be felt for decades to come. He was a true pioneer, fearless in his pursuit of different sounds, beats and textures. 

"If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room." Andrew Weatherall

Lone Swordsman is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE 

Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura

76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

77. The Rat by The Walkmen

78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer

79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack

80. Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys

81. Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros

82. 69 Police by David Holmes

83. Hey Lisa by David Holmes

84. I Am A Rock by Simon & Garfunkel

85. Kung Fu by Ash

86. Kids by MGMT

87. Slight Return by The Bluetones

88. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

89. Cut Your Hair by Pavement

90. Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

91. Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips

92. Acquiesce by Oasis

93. This Is Music by The Verve