Youtube festival

Stockholm Monsters - Party Line
Played live, this – and I don’t use the word lightly – classic loses something of its statuesque, anthemic quality, but gains more in added spectrality. New Order would have loved to have written this song. Not saying they could have mind, but any NO album – most albums by anyone, in fact - would sound better with Party Line (Peter Hook produced nearly all SM records, by the way, under the name ‘Be Music’). There’s something in the Stockholm Monsters’ sound that prefigures Pulp as well.

Television -- Tom Verlaine teaching Richard Hell "Venus"

Tom Verlaine teaching Richard Hell "Venus" Part 2
Civilisation has probably advanced to a point where we are all wise enough, sophisticated enough and cultural enough to be in accord that Marquee Moon is one of the towering giants of human artistic endeavour.

Here we have truculence, frayed tempers, frustration and lassitude to the fore in this snapshot of master and apprentice. A bit like Michaelangelo having Tracey Emin in his studio.

You Made Me Realise - My Bloody Valentine
It still sounds monumental and intense. Nobody else has ever written them quite like this, before or since. Probably not enough footage of drummer Colm O’Ciosoig for my liking, but we all have our crosses to bear.

Harvey Williams – You Should All Be Murdered
In anticipation of Harvey taking to the London stage on August 10 ably supporting Rose Melberg, here’s the fellow at April’s popfest in NYC. Buy tickets for the gig here.

I Started A Joke – The Bee Gees
Robin at his most trembling, vulnerable, lovesick and remorseful, this surely stands as testament to the Gibbs’ songwriting magic and an example of why Idea is one of the greatest albums of the 1960s.

For those of you based in London, JBs in Hanway St have the Bee Gees Rhino box set for £25, at least £20 cheaper than anywhere else. It makes sense, it really does.