It’s a bit late, this one – which is ironic considering that, on the night (Friday), it was early: an 8.50pm start and a 9.45pm finish. Tara and I only just made it to the venue on time, due to a fire at London Bridge that knocked a chunk of South Eastern trains’ timetable severely out of whack.

It was the second time that Jackdaw4 had played the Soho Revue Bar, halfway up ‘adult entertainment alley’ in London’s West End. Drink prices aside, it’s actually a decent venue, with a snug but comfortable dancefloor and good lights and sound. I suspect that the latter was an important factor in the band choosing to return. For justice to be done, their sound requires a clean separation of instruments and voices – and that’s precisely what we got.

Read more →

As I write this, I’m being force-fed a banner advertising The X Factor. Dannii Minogue, Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh are staring at me – an act of intimidation to which I refuse to succumb. Give up. I ain’t buying, folks. To steal and twist a line from rock poet Jon Bon Jovi, you give a pop a bad name.

‘Course, in my day, it were all fields ’round ‘ere and pop music was tummy-turning, rather than stomach-churning, which is why I’ve found the recent commercial success of artists such as Scissor Sisters and Mika most cheering. The kids, it seems, are appreciating That Seventies Thing once again.

Read more →