A date for your diary – The False Dots’ album launch party
Where to be:
The False Dots album launch party, Dublin Castle
Punk and ska masters The False Dots have a near 50-year history of making venues jump: they played the 100 Club earlier this year and the sell-out crowd just shows their ongoing attraction. Their new album, We Don’t Live In America, is a witty and fierce piece of political musicianship – and they’re doing an official launch party at the legendary Dublin Castle on August 23, 1.30pm. Stick it in your diary now – it’s bound to be a busy one for a band whose attitude reeks of Camden Town’s punk past.
Record of the week:
Junior Parker: Love Ain’t Nothing But A Business Going On
Historian Lloyd Bradley’s books on music are renowned for their diligent research, his storytelling ability and his in-the-know approach to covering topics. His easy wit deconstructs social movements without pretence and he has chronicled the social history of pop contemporary culture superbly – his tome, Sounds like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital, is the seminal book on the topic.
His latest – which this paper is due to feature in the coming weeks – is called Funk Is Its Own Reward, and is a history of, you’ve guessed it, funk. And one neat trick he pulls is a discography running through each chapter, prompting the reader to pause and head for the stereo as he describes landmark moments in the development of the genre.
As the story hits 1969, he references the album by Junior Parker, Love Ain’t Nothing But A Business Going On. It’s a reminder of how this old-time blues musician – who sings beautifully and plays a mean harmonica – took his music and modernised it for a late-60s audience: it’s a graceful collection that builds from the off, showing the roots of funk and referencing the giants of the blues tradition.
Al Green loved Parker so much he gave the musician a shout out in the introduction to his song Take Me To The River. This album explains why Parker was feted by his fellow musos.
Artist of the week: Jane Fitz
While not best known for her own productions, Jane Fitz is a DJ whose marathon sets can be considered a form of art in their own right.
Among the range of incredible music I heard at Houghton festival last weekend, once again it was Jane Fitz who stood out. Born and raised in London, her ability to control the crowd as she moves between deep, acid and progressive house and techno creates an experience where one can truly get lost in the music.
She joins Marco Shuttle for an all-day party in renowned club Gaffe on August 16 for a rare London appearance. If you haven’t seen her before, this would be the perfect introduction.
