Leonard Smalls

Stupid Cupid - Connie Francis

Love Gun - Rick James

Had our first rehearsal with "proper" drummer for out new jazz/blues thang last night. Still playing in the local church, which is kind of nice - but still had to wear earplugs. And it was good! Drummer is funky. And he listens, though he does tend toward speeding up a bit - but that could be because he hasn't played for a year. No songs as such yet, but a few good grooves. We'll see how it goes when we introduce the singer next week - not sure what the improvisational skills of a musical theatre graduate will be like but I'm kind of hoping for a bit of widdleyweebop skaddendoobendoo!

Whatever Happens Next? - Swell Maps

Putain Putain - Arno & Stromae

To be fair, people do still go to small venues and watch small bands.... However, many venues still have huge debts after covid - this has caused some to shut. Then there was the recent CossyLivsCrisis - venues couldn't charge much (or anything!) as folks couldn't afford to pay, meaning more venues fell by the wayside. We played a venue in Birmingham last year which had a mini festival with 10 bands playing an all-dayer. It was rammed. At the end of the night the promoter shared the money out (it was "donations on the door") - each band and the promoter got £19... Then there's the ridiculous nonsense of developers building next door to long-established venues, new neighbours complain to the council who revoke the venue's licence.

I've just seen a post from the Music Venue Trust that say less than half of the 34 venues Oasis played in on their first tour still exist. It's a proper shame that folks will throw their money at multi-millionaires playing venues that are so huge they have to wear their coats, instead of supporting the hopefully up and coming ones before all the venues disappear!

I'm not surprised they've reformed, what with £50million on offer! My problem is that folks will pay whatever the ticket price is, plus whatever drink prices are hiked too, plus whatever hotels have bumped up their prices to (heard a hotel in Cardiff was charging £555 for a normally £127 room). And the majority of those people will never go and see a grassroots band... Meanwhile, those little venues that made the likes of Oasis (and everybody else!) are slowly dying.

Git down - Gaye Bykers on Acid

Off The Rails - Choked

Bit of Gaz and the boys. Awesome groove once you get past the usual smear of fusion Keyboard Ook!

Walk this way - Run DMC/ Aerosmith

Birth Control 'N' Rock 'N' Roll - Crass

I've been enjoying The Last Dinner Party on the BBC Reading coverage... Not usually my sort of thing, but they play well, are musically interesting and have a proper theatrical show. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0jf3vm9/radio-1-at-reading-and-leeds-festival-2024-the-last-dinner-party-sinner

Space is the place - Jonzun Crew

If the kids are united - Sham 69

Surfin' Bird - The Cramps

I wouldn't want folks to think we're a jazz band as such because they'll expect elevator nice-ness... We're likely to be The Anti-Elevator Nice...

Parrot Polynesia - Shonen Knife

Wonder Wine - Shonen Knife

Splish Splash - Bobby Darin

As our guitarist is a huge Hendrix fan, and I'm currently introducing him to (and hopefully influencing him with) James Blood Ulmer and Marc Ribot, folks would probably have looked at us a bit funny if we'd been playing in the 1920s! Perhaps we should be Blues y Clawdd?

Go, Now! - Was not Was

I think we'll be Jazz Blues though! I did like the idea of vintage fag brands though to conjure up smokey clubs of yore, hence Craven Black Cat. Or The Gitanes.. Or The Gauloises. Or the Craven As. Or The Navy Cut. Or perhaps, The Roll Ups...

Pagan Lovesong - Virgin Prunes