MUSIC NEWS: HITCHCOCK, ARMATRADING, COODER

Caught Robyn Hitchcock on top form live in Brighton’s  Komedia. Saw him last time round with Venus 3 featuring two members of REM. I’m a late adopter and now think RH is the bees knees. Live he intersperses each song with a discursive ramble about protozoa, or surrealistic ramblings about some random thought. Don’t be fooled. he’s sharp as mustard. The songs are rich and quirky, highly varied, interesting instrumentation, unusual rhythms. On stage, he’s constantly on the move, flicking back his droop of silver hair, watching like a hawk. Plays guitar like a demon too. Strong distinctive voice. A true  original. New album is Propellor Time which features Johnny Marr, Nick Lowe, John Paul Jones et al.  Huge back catalogue to explore. Masses of videos on YouTube. RH just keeps on coming and his audience just keeps on growing. Get involved. Check out The Museum of Robyn Hitchcock.

Friend Barry E, is road managing Joan Armatrading’s World Tour so freebie ticket to the show. Joan rocks let me tell you and plays the blues like a demon. What a guitarist. And that voice – powerful, rich, deeply moving. Dressed in black, she holds the stage with beautiful versions of her earlier famous songs but the show is very much guitar led, supported by a first-class band, featuring tracks from her latest release This Charming Life. A beautiful real class act. Touring UK this coming month, then Europe, then US and Canada, then Far East. Catch her. See: www.joanarmatrading.com/

I’m a longtime fan of Ry Cooder’s musical adventures and collaborations. For my money this is one of his best, a wonderful album which integrates Irish and Mexican music in a way that touches your heart one moment and has you dancing round your kitchen the next. The album is lengthy and captures many moods. Captivating, inspiring and uplifting by turns. There’s a wonderful video on YouTube about the making of the whole project which is how I first came across it. My soundtrack of the moment.