Ken Plays Sylvia on Radio 2

Enjoyed hearing this on the radio earlier in the week

Radio surfing

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/pure-siesta-mi-series-2

I have a digital radio by my bed and a game I like to play is scanning the stations to find a track I like. I've done it a few times lately and although most of the time I've not found anything unusually brilliant (unless Baby, please don't go by Them counts) I did get two great strikes.

First, one night I found them playing Sylvia by Focus on Arrow. What was particularly good was that I tuned in right at the beginning. Love that track every time I hear it. Why hearing it on the radio gives a particular pleasure I don't really know.

I don't usually include Radio 2 in my surfs but this one time I did and what should I catch but the dying notes of Chariot Choogle, which was followed by all of Mystic Lady, both from the T Rex album The Slider. It was good to hear Mark Radcliffe praising the Slider album and its predecessor Electric Warrior to the skies, prompted by yet another re-issue of the albums.

The chances of someone my age finding something they like is quite high as digital stations available include Arrow, Kerrang, Planetrock, Gold and several versions of Absolute Rock as well as more mainstream stations such as Radios 1, 2, 6 and Heart, etc.

Akkerman at the Stables

Out at The Stables Milton Keynes last night to see Jan Akkerman and his band put in a sterling performance. I thought we'd get more of the new album but although he began with three numbers from it (Freewheelin', Minor Details and Blind baby - ie blues, jazz, bluies) and opened the second half with the superb Mena Muria (the Moluccan anthem) it was mostly the old stuff that we got and that was probably wisely judged.

So in the first half we had a curious version of the Zebra, a realtively short version of Tranquiliser and the well loved Paul Weller number You do something to me. The second half was pretty much given over to old Focus numbers - Answers Questions, Focus 2 (superb), Anonymous and a long version of Tommy, finishing off with the obligatory Hocus Pocus (still able to squeeze new life out of that somehow) and Sylvia. For the encore we had fine versions of Streetwalker and Pietons.

There is something slightly sterile about the Stables venue but this highly competent performance won through and certainly left the audience of around 250 very pleased. Copies of the new CD were available and, as you can see, the big man was obliging with his autograph. He was in hospital with a stroke recently and has finally given up tobacco after many warnings. Hopefully that will keep him perfroming into his seventies.

Sylvia