Attic Lights, Wickerman Festival 2008 - by edinburgh photographer on flickr

A lot of up and coming bands come through our door.  A lot of those bands show a massive amount of talent. Naturally I prefer some bands sessions to others, but I have begun to start noticing a theme running through all my favourite sessions… they have all been well mannered bands who aren’t big headed and are genuinely appreciative of the support we’ve just given them.

Favourite sessions include The Little Kicks, Frank Turner, The Red Light Company, Mia Riddle and our most recent session… the Attic Lights.

Attic Lights are an up and coming indie band from Glasgow who have had a fantastic 2008 and by the looks of things are going to have an even better 2009. Their debut album “Friday Night Lights” is one of those albums that you can listen to from start to finish and not skip any track, something I find very rare these days.

When they came in on Sunday, Andrew spoke to them about the recent news that they had been asked by Channel Five to perform the theme tune for the newly recommissioned 80’s comedy drama Minder… they then performed the theme for us.

A bizarre but rather enjoyable session.

You can download the session (including an acoustic version of Wendy) and the interview on Episode 52 of the Sunday Showcase podcast.

It has taken me over two weeks to get round to posting this.  I’d like to think it’s because I am incredibly busy between work, studying and partying, but the real reason is because we’ve just got a Playstation and a new telly and between writing this blog and playing Grand Theft Auto in High Def, it’s clear which one is going to win.

That’s me meeting Noel Gallagher, all thanks to work.  It still seems like a bit of a dream.  I’m just a normal member of joe public and next thing I know I’m sitting in a room with one of the Gallagher brothers.

Thankfully my colleague Neil was doing the main part of the interview which meant I got to sit there enjoying the moment without getting too nervous.  You can hear the interview on episode 51 of the Sunday Showcase podcast.  I ask Noel about his favorite tv show, Seinfeld… a bizarre moment.

It was that night I realised I have one of the best jobs ever.

David

To an extent I’m quite interested and excited about this. Not as interested as I know I should be, and I don’t know as much about it as what I’d like to (I’m easily distracted).

I am contemplating pulling an all nighter and watching it… or at least listening to it on 5 Live. Richard Bacon and Rhod Sharp in America should be a good listen.

What I have been glued to most of the day though, is the Election 2008 minisite on Twitter.  Twitter is a social networking tool that allows users to follow other users and see what they are up to through text updates.  You may have occasionally seen posts on this blog that have come through my Twitter updates (or Tweets as they are known).  The folk behind Twitter have put together a minisite that follows all the users of Twitter who mention the American election, and it is very interesting to watch.

From being glued to it for a few hours, I’d say as far as the Twitter vote goes, Obama is in the lead.

I’m not qualified to properly speak about the whole Russel Brand/Jonathan Ross debarcle, but then neither is most people who seem to be giving their views on it.

One man who is qualified to speak is Noel Gallagher who appeared on Russel’s radio show nearly every week. Noel summed it up pretty well…

“It’s so typical of the English in general - 10,000 people get outraged, but only five days after it has happened.

“You know what? There’s now a massive divide. Them and us,” he added.

People like Conservative leader David Cameron, who waded into the row, were on one side and should not get “involved in something that doesn’t concern him”.

“Then there’s us.”

Once again Noel says it like it is.

I quite like Jonathan Ross. I’m not bothered that he gets £6 million a year (incidently he is making £16,000 a day of our money for doing nothing at the moment as he is suspended - thankyou Daily Mail). And while I quite like Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, I’m quite pleased to see it has been replaced this Friday by the film Speed.  What a fantastic if some what poorly written film.

That is all.

The Red Light Company were in for a session yesterday.  They’re a new band with hints of the Arcade Fire in them.  They’ve recently been added to the playlist at Radio 1 (which tends to be a sign that you’re getting recognised even if you don’t agree 100% with everything Radio 1 plays).

Really nice bunch of guys too.  Hear their session on the show this Sunday from 6pm, www.originalfm.com

They played Drummonds in Aberdeen last night. Would have gone had I not been up for work at 5am this morning.

They also performed at the Electric Proms recently, click here for more.

David

First off, apologies for a lack of posts recently.  I’ve been busy, very busy, I’ve also not got a lot to say.

Secondly, Oasis at the Electric Proms on BBC Two and Radio 1 last night, easily the best piece of broadcasting to come out of the BBC all year.  I’m going to see Oasis on Sunday night. I really wish they’d bring the Crouch End Festival choir with them.

You’ve got till next Sunday to watch the gig on the IPlayer here, or listen to it on Radio 1 here. If you listen to the Radio 1 version you’ll get the whole gig rather than just the highlights but being radio, naturally, you won’t see it!

David

There’s a track on the new Oasis album (Dig Out Your Soul) called The Turning, and it kind of sounds like Devil Woman by Cliff Richard….

I’ve been meaning to post this clip since it surfaced on the internet last Monday but over the course of the week it slowly got pushed down a list of things I needed to do… so now it is old news.

It’s an interview with Hardeep Singh Kohli on BBC Radio West Midlands.  The presenter doing the interview is a local legend called Les Ross.  It’s car crash radio at its best.

Hardeep is supposed to be answering questions on his new book but Les clearly hasn’t done much research, if any at all.

If you have a remote interest in this sort of thing then you’ve probably already heard the audio, but the reason I’m doing this post is to allow you to compare two interviews with Hardeep.  The interview with Les on BBC WM, and an interview my colleague Andrew did with Hardeep last week which went out on air on the Sunday Showcase (the show I produce).  The clip with Andrew is only small, you get the idea from it pretty quickly.

Les has won multiple Sony Awards… Andrew hasn’t… yet.

Les Ross meets Hardeep Singh Kohli:

Andrew meets Hardeep Singh Kohli:

Some people do sponsored runs. Some people do sponsored bungee jumps. Some people even go to Africa and work with the less fortunate which is very thoughtful and I’d imagine very rewarding. I on the other hand……

… bake cakes for charity!

Emma is going white water rafting for charity in a couple of weeks and needs to raise some money, and we decided that everyone loves cakes.  I used my skills from once working in a bakery to help Emma in the kitchen this evening. And before you all comment on how I probably just stood there while Emma made the cakes, I will have you know that I was single handily responsible for the chocolate crispies you see in the picture above.

I don’t like to boast. I don’t like to brag. I don’t even like to take credit for anything but I think you’ll agree that I’m basically the Bob Geldof of the cake world.

Don’t go to the pub tonight, buy some effing cakes instead.

David

Quite apt that Original 106’s Shetland correspondent (that’s me by the way) should be doing the travel reports on the breakfast show the morning that Shetland features in the news twice.

Firstly it has been claimed that Shetland is home to the fattest people in Britain.  Not so apt then that Original 106’s Shetland correspondent is probably Shetlands thinnest man (I weigh in at an impressive 8 and a half stone by the way).  I was having a think of people I know from Shetland who are obese and I can’t think of anyone. I’m sure that report can’t be right.

Secondly, Shetland has been the sunniest place in the UK this month. Not so apt then that Original 106’s Shetland correspondent hasn’t been on the island at all in August. In fact I’ve only been on the island twice this year (and both times the weather was questionable). I can’t help but think this report is slightly inaccurate as you’ve got to bear in mind that in the summer the sun rises in Shetland quite a bit before most other places.

Oh and by the way, the station don’t employ me because I’m their Shetland correspondent, they get that bit for for free.

David