Leeds Wire

My wife has gone to Glastonbury (white middle class festival) and I saw that Burning Spear were playing, so I suddenly became very jealous. Then I thought no, even if I got to see Burning Spear and the majestic Hothouse Flowers (saw them last week in that London ) I don't think I would last very long there. So I'm having a roots reggae evening on Spotify in honour of Burning Spear. I suppose I'll never get to see him or Israel Vibration live, but I'm proud that 2 of my 3 boys absolutely love Groundation. Maybe I'll get to see them...

Another absolute belter from Caamp's new album. Great tune!

What a great post

They put on an amazing show, every single time. My wife is going to Glastonbury again this year and the one band she will definitely not miss is the Hothouse Flowers.

The perfect song?

First band I ever saw live. Cricket club coach tour to Deeside Leisure Centre, 1985 I think. I was blown away. Later, I loved their older stuff like Telegraph Road etc. What a bloody great band they were, and so different from anything else at the time. Also saw the Eurythmics live that year, they were really good. But then the Icicle Works took over my life, until I saw the Hothouse Flowers in 1990. Got tickets to see them again in 2 weeks. The best live band ever, bar none.

My eldest son just texted from Newcastle Uni to say Groundation have released a new album. I couldn’t be more proud of him Anyway, they are back to their best. Proper roots. https://youtu.be/0Vjub55J_yw?si=x3S4Q-uKA4Gf4NeK

Strongest possible then.

One of the best live bands I've ever seen is the Decemberists. They put on such a good show. Here they are raw and acoustic. Love the lyrics. Shiny is not on any album, but they play it live every blue moon. They're a mystery. Amazing live though.

Oh, wow, this is peak Groundation.

The Waterboys, playing in Cork in front of 50 people, but behaving like it's Glastonbury.

Woodie Guthrie was also ahead of his time. Love the covers by Wilco and Billy Bragg.

How many white people would not only get away with covering that, but absolutely smash it too? RIP Joe, we need you now more than ever.

I was too young for The Clash live, but I did see Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros a few weeks before the great man died. It was an unforgettable gig, interspersing Clash songs with the criminally underrated Mescaleros samba tunes. I feel privileged to have seen him play. He said a great line after one of their encores: "We used to smash up hotel rooms and throw televisions out of windows. These days I tidy up before I leave." He was ahead of his time politically but what a bloody legend. "If you're after getting the honey, then you don't go killing all the bees". What a line. What a song. Also, this fantastic anti-racist tune all about food, with brilliant lyrics. "Welcome, stranger, to our humble neighbourhood" Such a bloody shame left us at just 50.