There are lots of locations around the world where singing in a particular language has historically been an act of defiance or protest as well as claiming an identity.
Since 1990, the event has been held at Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada, a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert about 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Reno.
Those who take part in the event are called 'Burners'.
It has made the news a few times because of weather or other issues which have caused issues for festival goers and the landscape within which the festival takes place.
Unlike most festivals, the organisers have had to provide a 20 page Survival Guidewhich provides guidance on preparations and staying safe in what is an extreme - dry, hot and dusty environment.
Downloadable as a PDF.
Accompanying text:
Black Rock City has a way of bringing about once-in-a-lifetime experiences. While the big, flashy moments make the headlines and become the clickbait, many of the most memorable encounters come from small, personal, and whimsical interactions. This year, I challenge you to do something personal that fosters interaction and connection. Think of traveling the backstreets, sharing your gifts with new friends, or sparking a moment of serendipity beneath a small art piece. These moments of self-expression and open-hearted connection are truly the ones that resonate, creating ripples in the dust and in our lives. Joining a crew or communal effort is a great way to get involved. There are so many possibilities; find one that matches your interests and energy levels. However you choose to participate — organizing a camp, building art or a vehicle, helping with civic infrastructure or making the city run — know you are contributing to something bigger than yourself. I am sure your time here will open new horizons and you’ll meet some amazing people. Ask anyone on a Burning Man crew or volunteer team what they love most about it, and they will tell you it’s about the work, and the friendships.
Imagine who you could meet — someone who could change your life, not just in Black Rock City, but forever. Whether this is your first, or twenty-first Burn, I can’t wait to share this experience with you. Charlie Dolman, Director of Event Operations
Via LinkedIn and a piece by Amanda Shendruk: a visual journalist.
Each year, 70,000 people gather on a dry lakebed in Nevada to build a city from scratch. This is Black Rock City, home to the infamous Burning Man event. Eight days later, it's gone.
But 150 people remain. They line up — side by side, an arms width apart — and slowly walk the 3,800 acres (15.4 km²) of dusty playa. They're looking for MOOP: Matter Out of Place. A screw, a sequin, a cigarette butt.
This forensic-style sweep takes weeks; everything they find is removed and logged. At the end, they're left with a remarkable accounting of what 70,000 people left behind: The MOOP Map. And I'm obsessed.
This is an intriguing concept album from the late musician Hector Zazou. He produced a number of eclectic albums.
Songs from the Cold Seas was released in 1994.
The theme is that all of the songs are about the Arctic (and feature musicians from that part of the world or close to it.)
He travelled three years for the record. He was accompanied by cameraman Philippe Roméo as he recorded traditional folk songs in and from Alaska, Canada (Newfoundland), Greenland, Iceland, Japan, Scandinavia and Scotland. He incorporated the shamanic incantations and lullabies of aboriginal people such as the Ainu, Inuit, Nanai, and Yakuts.
"I didn't want to work like an ethnomusicologist and just go to Sweden and come back with a song." Zazou explained the process at the time of the album's release. "I was more interested in giving a poetic image of the North, which means that some elements are true; some are not true. It's my portrait of the cold seas."
Source: Wikipedia
I have a copy. It's not very easy to find this release now.
Here's one of the songs from the album. Oran na Maighdean Mhara features the voice of Catherine-Ann Macphee.
Growing up in the 60s and 70s was an interesting time to be a young person. There weren't many TV channels... and not much programming aimed at young people.
In the summer holidays there were some programmes for children. Many of them were bought in from other countries rather than being made in the UK. We had our own examples of course.
The Banana Splits are up first.
They had several short cartoons including 'The Arabian Nights'.
Robinson Crusoe - a French / German co-production in black and white.
The theme tune was excellent and instantly takes me back to a time when Lucozade bottles were wrapped in orange plastic film.
White Horses
Another French co-production.
Hair Bear Bunch
Which of these do you remember and which other programmes are part of your childhood?
Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things marks what would have been the singer's 80th birthday by showcasing some of his looks from the 1970s-80s, spanning both his time in Queen and his solo career. the display is spread throughout the building.
The trail has six stops, each showcasing a different high of Mercury's career within a dramatic setting in the museum's galleries — specially-placed mannequins posed to channel Mercury's stage presence.
The outfits on display — seven of which have been loaned by Mary Austin, Mercury's former fiancée and confidante of 20 years — include:
A monochrome outfit which Queen fans may recognise from the cover of the band's 1973 debut album. Mercury also wore it at an early Queen gig at Imperial College here in London.
The Mercury Wing catsuit, designed by Wendy de Smet, made famous in the Bohemian Rhapsody video, also worn by Mercury during the 1975-6 Night At The Opera tour.
The crown and cloak designed by Diana Moseley, worn on the Magic tour, including Mercury's last appearance with Queen, on stage at Knebworth in 1986.
The costume worn by Mercury in the Made in Heaven music video during his solo career away from Queen.
Accessories and items from Mercury's personal wardrobe are also on display, offering an insight into the man he was off stage, and away from the spotlight.
Here are some more suggestions for songs that remind readers (and those who filled in the Google Form down the right hand column of the blog.
Goodness, so many!
90's indie music still takes me back to Uni. The strongest and earliest connections are Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Happy, Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit and Metallica - Enter Sandman.
All three make me think of sixth form, so I'm guessing they were out around 1992.
I have many songs from earlier than I just can't listen to as I associate them with my childhood, which wasn't particularly happy. I think the 1992 (ish) ones are so memorable as that's the time in my life when I started to feel like I had some control.
I was very pleased to hear last night that David Byrne's current tour has been filmed. It continues the tradition when Jonathan Demme made 'Stop Making Sense' and Spike Lee filmed his 'American Utopia' tour.
This concert, that I saw in March at the Hammersmith Apollo was the best of the year (so far) and a tremendous visual spectacle.
‘A concert is an event where songs come back to life. That's why this album is called “Live! It's both a statement of fact (it's a recording of a live band) & a challenge (come on! Everyone come alive!).”
Jarvis
The final track on a newly released Pulp live album is 'It's a Sunset'...
Please share your best sunset pictures and I'll add them here...
Here's one of mine from 2018 at Wells next the Sea.
The work is in eight sections which were narrated by actress Juliet Stevenson:
1. Natural wonders every child should know
2. He dreamed of machines
3. The Enigma
4. Other ranks
5. The memory and the control
6. The trial
7. Only in his death
8. A man from the future
The voice of former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was heard in the last section, recorded especially for this performance.
Juliet Stevenson narrated from within a specially constructed booth to ensure vocal clarity over the music. The BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers were conducted by Dominic Wheeler.
Neil Tennant sang alongside the BBC Singers while Chris Lowe played keyboards and electronics behind him and next to PSB programmer Pete Gleadall.
The band has now revised the piece.
BBC Radio 6 Music will broadcast the 2026 edition of “A man from the future” on Sunday 4th October within Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone (8-10pm), and Stuart will also hear from Neil and Chris and Andrew Hodges about the creative process behind the reworking, and their interest in blending electronic and orchestral music.
The piece will then be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 later that evening within Unclassified (11.30pm-12.30am) as the Pet Shop Boys and Andrew Hodges join presenter Elizabeth Alker in the studio to reflect on the original performance and its 2026 evolution.
Both programmes will be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days after transmission.
Folk, Avant-garde, Experimental Indie, Jazz, Field Recordings, Electro-acoustic, Minimalist, Ambient, songwriters and sonic explorers pushing boundaries in niche communities around the world – we cover music with the same depth and reverence the mainstream reserves for its tired canon.
There’s something really beautiful about using your life as raw material and making it into something that, if you do it right, it’s like a thing that’s there for ever and people can access it and it will do something for them.
Jarvis Cocker
I met Jarvis a few years ago in St. Pancras Station. I've seen him quite a few times heading to or from the Eurostar check-in with guitars and other luggage over the years.
Jarvis' excellent book here is about his start in music and the influences of the everyday. It is similar to some of the work of Jonathan Meades.
This takes Jarvis back to his early days and is an inventory of some of the objects that remind him of different stages in his career.
There's a strong element of everyday geographies here too, and the ephemera that we collect. He shares images of items, and the design is nice as it changes from format to format throughout the book with lots of pictures e.g. early posters from familiar Sheffield venues such as the Leadmill, Hallamshire Hotel and the 1980s 'fun pubs' that I remember (avoiding).
Jarvis has been the frontman for Pulp for decades. My friend Simon saw him in New Zealand with Pulp playing live and said it was one of his favourite concerts - and he's seen Led Zeppelin and all the greats play live.
He has also worked on a couple of films with Wes Anderson.
I have a signed copy of the hardback first edition of the book and am going to get deeper into it to add something more substantial as a response to the book. I liked the memories of the hole in t' road.
Alongside the recent passing of the legendary Dolly Parton, we also had the announcement of the passing of Tim Curry. He played the Lord of Darkness in the 1985 Ridley Scott film Legend and was also in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which features a few well known songs on the soundtrack.
Initial audience reaction was not what they expected...
A new version of the film was edited with a new soundtrack.
To give the movie a score that might resonate more closely with younger viewers, the production brought in German New Age synth band Tangerine Dream. The band had previously scored movies including Firestarter, and even Risky Business, using their signature ethereal synths. Unlike Goldsmith’s score, which was tightly tied to each beat of the film, Tangerine Dream’s score was more rangy, and loosely atmospheric. The Tangerine Dream soundtrack sounded quite clearly like a Tangerine Dream soundtrack.
European viewers generally saw the film with the Jerry Goldsmith score. American audiences mostly saw the Tangerine Dream version.
This is a much copied image. The article mentions some other bands which have created their own versions for album covers.
For locals it is also a source of frustration as they are held up by lots of tourists recreating the scene for a picture. Caveat: I've done that myself...
Abbey Road is my son's favourite Beatles album. We listened to it recently while on a Kent road trip.
Believed to have been recorded as a bit of a wink and a nod by Vaughan and lyricist Geoff Morrow, a songwriter and businessman from London, the tune came about as a response to an article by the Mail on Sunday which essentially dragged Stockport’s name through the dirt.
While the details surrounding exactly how that article led to this collaboration are equally muddy, it’s thought that the Mail set up a competition for someone to write about how great the area was as a kind of apology — i.e. giving the locals a chance to paint it in a better light like no one else could.
It was recorded by a studio that worked with other Manchester bands: Strawberry Studios.
This reminds me of the radio series 'In Town' by Mark Steel, where he visits a place and crafts a stand-up routine referencing familiar landmarks and people which get a cheer of recognition from the local people. He always does a good job.
Songs with volcanic themes are in today's post....
First up, Genesis are "Dancing on a volcano"... I just missed seeing this tour, and the live performances from this period are always good to see. So powerful and tight as a band...
There's also the track 'Lava', from the Pixar Short film.
Then Alison Goldfrapp's track 'Magma' - the name for lava before it reaches the surface.
What other volcano related songs would you add to this list?
In November 2024 I went down to the Barbican Hall to see Tangerine Dream perform their album 'Phaedra' live.
Or did I?
The band was founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese.
The best-known lineup of the group was its mid-1970s trio of Froese, Christopher Franke, and Peter Baumann (who later formed the record label Private Music.) Froese has passed away, and the other two original members don't perform with the band.
I'm seeing them play in Norwich next year too.
How about Kraftwerk?
They have been touring all summer, but only Ralf Hütter is from the original band.
They were formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Wolfgang Flür joined in 1973 and Karl Bartos in 1975. Schneider passed away in 2020.
And Steve Howe's version of Yes is basically just him from the classic line-up from the 1970s - and they released a new album recently called Aurora - meanwhile, I have tickets to see Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks at the London Palladium - the closest you will get to seeing Yes today? I'm lucky to have seen the classic line up several times, plus the Union tour and various solo tours and other incarnations.
Here's Anderson and the Band Geeks playing "Counties and Countries".
How about Pink Floyd without Roger Waters?
They reunited for Live 8 in 2005, but Richard Wright has since passed away.
Genesis without Anthony Phillips or Hackett or Gabriel? Well, there's still a chance they might get together again I guess...
Rush without Neil?
Well, there's one that has plenty of fans talking... but the tour seems to be going very well with some epic shows, and they are heading for the O2 and Manchester next year.
Which other bands are still going despite having very few (or no) members from the original line-up?
This pile of chalk is ready to be used to re-chalk the figure and keep it white and visible from a distance.
The Uffington White Horse sits below Dragon Hill.
This was the scene for the video of 'Cloudbusting'.
The music video, directed by Julian Doyle, was conceived by Terry Gilliam and Kate Bush.
The video features Canadian actor Donald Sutherland playing the role of Wilhelm Reich, and Bush playing the part of his young son, Peter, wearing a short wig.
In the book, King explains how the video features imagery of rural England
a blue sky over a green hill
a Fair Isle cardigan worn by Bush
Sutherland's tweed jacket
a vintage car
It's inspired by Peter Reich's book 'A Book of Dreams'. He built a house in Oregon called Organon in 1948, named after his discovery of 'orgone': a universal libidinal life force. He built instruments to try to capture this force. He believed orgone was responsible for drought and started to build a rain making / stopping machine. Reich was worried that in the wrong hands this could become a weapon. A model features in the video.
By the mid-1950s, Reich linked orgone with the presence of UFOs.
He was arrested and his work destroyed. The authorities are present in the video.
The book mentions her use of the Fairlight (also used by Peter Gabriel). This was particularly evident on her suite of songs: 'The Ninth Wave' on the 'Hounds of Love' album.
In the summer of 2023, I went to the Sandringham Estate to see 'The Who' performing tracks from 'Tommy' with an orchestra along with other classics.
My son was particularly keen to go as 'Tommy' is his favourite film. They did a few dates like this that year, and it ended up being their final UK tour as their final tour of all was only available for people in the US to watch. It was great to see all their classic tracks performed live to a large crowd on a warm summer night not far from home.
The concert they did at the Eden Project just a month earlier was recorded and was recently made available as a live album. It's a great memory of a great night...
Set within one of the UK’s most sustainable and visually striking venues – a breathtaking network of biomes nestled in the Cornish countryside – the concert stands as a testament not only to The Who’s musical evolution but also to their enduring cultural relevance. Backed by the Heart of England Philharmonic Orchestra, founding members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey delivered a performance that fused classic rock intensity with orchestral grandeur. The Eden Project’s natural acoustics and enclosed structures created a warm, detailed sonic environment that offered a clarity and intimacy unmatched by traditional stadium settings.
The recording reflects this unique atmosphere. Fans have long cherished The Who’s “special location” shows, and Eden stands among the most memorable – a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of music, environment, and artistic vision. The smaller capacity fostered a deeper connection between the band and audience, allowing for heightened interaction, greater emotional resonance, and a sense of being inside the performance rather than observing it from afar. This intimacy, combined with the band’s refined orchestral approach, captures The Who at a defining moment in their modern era.
Here's the closing track from the concert - the classic Baba o' Riley.
Some more contributions from people via the Google Form.
James:
Hundred Reasons at Newcastle University in November 2002. I remember being very confused when the band started playing as they were clearly not Hundred Reasons. I was completely unaware that bands had support acts that played first.
Chantal:
Elton John at the NEC at some point in the 1980s (I was more interested in meeting our family friend… we did this every year they toured so his music became the sound track to my family growing up and forever reminds me of my parents).
Access all area pass - Chantal M H
My Dad at the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour 2023… the last concert we got to take him to before he passed in 2024 - image Chantal M H
Helen Young:
Roxette at the NEC with my older sister. I bet I was only about 16 as my older sister had not long learned to drive. I don't remember much about that one.
A few months ago, I posted about Desert Island Discs and invited people to share their choices. One person has responded to the request so far - thanks!
I've been thinking of my music choices. These are subject to change of course, but at the time of posting, I reckon I would take the following:
Piece 1: Ommadawn Part One, Mike Oldfield - the GOAT
Tubular Bells is the one that people always talk about when considering the work of Mike Oldfield, and his debut certainly had an impact, and launched the Virgin empire. This, his third album involved working with a wider range of musicians, and once again lots of overdubs and multi-instrumental virtuosity from Oldfield. There are also guests such as Paddy Moloney from the Chieftains who played the uillean pipes, and Les Penning.
There were some issues when recording. He faced a serious technical issue several months in: having almost finished recording side one, the recording tape started to shed its oxide layer, causing irreparable damage. Virgin delivered a machine so that copies of the master tape could be made and Oldfield could carry on working, but the same problem recurred, leaving him with no choice but to start again using a new brand of tape. Pierre Moerlen also played on this album.
Piece 2: Ará Batur - Sigur Rós
This is one of those pieces that builds and builds to a huge crescendo and I was fortunate to have been in the Royal Albert Hall when it was played live for only the 2nd time (the first time had been the night before...) There are several recordings of this moment online.
Piece 3: Headlights on the Parade - The Blue Nile
From the classic album 'Hats'. They remain one of my favourite live memories.
Piece 4: The Road not Taken - Bruce Hornsby
Unrequited love in the Appalachians, with a nod to Robert Frost's poem.
Piece 5: Close to Home - Lyle Mays
The final track from Lyle Mays' first solo album, released in 1986.
Piece 6: Goodnight America - Mary Chapin Carpenter
An excellent version of this song from the 'Songs from the Movie' album which I first heard on the radio one evening driving back home. I saw Mary play this song live a few years after that.
Piece 7: The Lake - Mike Oldfield
No apologies for including a second long Mike Oldfield instrumental. This one was released in 1984, and later that year I made my first visit to Norway.
I had it on cassette on my Sony Walkman (remember those?), and listened to it while sat by a lake in the sun.
Piece 8: The Garden - Rush
The final track from their final album made with Neil Peart.
It's a perfect piece of music.
In terms of books, I am going to have to go with J. R. R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'. I have a special Deluxe edition of the book which I was given for a birthday present over well over 40 years and is worth anything up to £2000 apparently.... it dates from 1979 and has gold leaf on the front cover and came in a special box.
And my luxury of course will be a stash of single malt whisky, specifically this one:
Please let me know your own Desert Island Discs.
I will share more contributions later in the year hopefully.
And sort of up to date with the music of last year.
My Spotify Wrapped was dominated by Bob Mould whose 'Here we go Crazy' album I played a lot during that year, and it was also stuck in my car CD player (sometimes literally) for weeks on end for my work commute.
Musical highlights included gigs from Tangerine Dream, Yann Tiersen, Public Service Broadcasting and Sigur Ros - the latter featuring a live debut for Ara Batur... I blogged about that separately.
It was an interesting musical year for releases. Crown Lands were a key one...
Alison Goldfrapp released Flux and an extended version which featured this song...
What are your musical favourites from last year...?
Cold War Steve has produced a cultural collage representing the West Midlands. He has previously created work specific to Birmingham (I have a framed and signed copy of that one). This covers a broader area. Slade in pride of place at the top there.
A list of the artists featured is on the web page if you want to test how many you can identify.
On his website he says:
‘I’m a Brummie and I’ve created Birmingham works before (although not solely concentrating on music) and I was always a bit frustrated by the strict parameters I’d set myself. They had to be from Birmingham – even if they were just down the road in Walsall or Coventry they didn’t make the cut – which I was able to do, because Birmingham has been blessed with such a rich history of creative artists. However, I wondered how even more magnificent it would be if I just widened the net a little. The joy with my Manchester piece was the prefix of ‘Greater’ – with ‘Greater’ Manchester I wasn’t restricted to a self-imposed rigid geographical area. I could encompass not just the actual city of Manchester, but also Salford, Oldham, Stockport, Bury etc. So now I present to you my WEST MIDLANDS MAGNUS OPUS!"
From 808 State to Herman’s Hermits, via Georgie Fame, Marcus Intalex, Happy Mondays, DJ Paulette, Mark E Smith, Mr Scruff, Lonelady, Space Afrika, the Bee Gees, Demdike Stare and so many more.
The name of the piece comes from the late Steve Mackey of Pulp, who once described how people in Sheffield downplay things compared to those in other cities. To describe something, you really love can simply be reflected as "alright".
The album features one of the most recognisable singles of the 1980s.
I hadn't realised (or had forgotten more likely) that L. Shankar played violin and added vocals to several tracks on the album. I saw him play live several times in Peter Gabriel's band and he has also worked with Jan Garbarek.
Here's a live performance from 1984 of 'Song for Everyone'.
Lakshminarayana Shankar - electric violin
Jan Garbarek - saxophones
Zakir Hussain - tabla, percussion
Trilok Gurtu - drums, percussion
I've seen Trilok play with Jan many times in the years since.
From my Spotify Wrapped for this year, there were a few albums which I listened to the most during this year. I had a busy year working on writing projects, and other related consultancy work.
This was the album I listened to the most. The band has created the best option for anyone wanting to listen to the music of Yes.
There are some lovely instrumentatal moments on this album.
The final track is particularly good and is a love story to Jon's wife, who has been his supporter for decades.
Also in 2024, there was the release of new material from Clannad's 'Legend' album linked to the Robin of Sherwood TV series. I've blogged about that separately.
Public Service Broadcasting released 'The Last Flight': an album that ended on Howland Island - the final destination which Amelia Earhart was heading for when she disappeared. Here's a remix of that final track. It was particularly good when I saw it being performed live at the Barbican Hall, with an orchestra....
I also liked this album from 'The Cure' - not my usual music choice, but this has a good overall feel and got a lot of plays this year...
What were your favourite pieces of music from 2024?
It features a piece of music themed around Bass Rock: a well known rock outcrop and seabird colony off the E coast of Scotland near Dunbar and North Berwick.
Here's my image taken in 2008 along the John Muir Way, with Bass Rock out to sea.
Image: Alan Parkinson
And here's the piece of music... relax and be carried along by it...
One of the albums I listened to the most in 2023 was the album i/o by Peter Gabriel.
This was released one track at a time on the day of the full moon through the year, which guaranteed lots of listens to the earlier tracks in particular.
2026 has seen the same strategy used for the o/i album.
I was also able to get a ticket to see the concert on the i/o tour, which was the most I've paid (to date) for a concert.
My favourite track from the album perhaps is this one....
My Spotify Wrapped told me that I was also listening to a lot of varied music.
Richard King's 2019 book explores British music and its link with the landscape of Britain. Here's the 4th post connected with the book.
There is a chapter on the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
This is the track most people will associate with the band.
The album this was from was released in 1978, and called 'Music from the Penguin Cafe Orchestra'. Credit was given to Simon Jeffes. He was an acolyte of the composer John Cage.
The front cover of the album features a painting by Emily Young.
The follow up also featured Emily Young art work.
She was the inspiration for the early Pink Floyd song 'See Emily Play'.
The second album featured the track 'Telephone and Rubber Band', used in TV advertising.
The book explores the story of the "found harmonium". In 1982, Jeffes found it abandoned in a Kyoto side street while in Japan collaborating with Ryuichi Sakamoto. He picked it up the following day and took it to his apartment and then back home to London. It was then taken across the world. This piece was to do with found objects (objets trouvés).
There were connections with the new age music released by Windham Hill, and Brian Eno and Michael Nyman's music.
The book is available from all the usual places and comes highly recommended.
I have a memory of purchasing this track when it came out in August 1982. This was the summer before I headed to start my undergraduate studies. The long summer when my future was ahead of me...
I brought it to
He's got to make his own mistakes And learn to mend the mess he makes He's old enough to know what's right And young enough not to choose it He's noble enough to win the world But weak enough to lose it
ZZ Top was founded in 1969 and the trio - Beard, Billy Gibbons and the late Dusty Hill - played their first live concert the following year. Together they released 15 studio and four live albums, with hit singles like Gimme All Your Lovin', Sleeping Bag, and Viva Las Vegas. When Hill died in 2021, the group carried on performing with Elwood Francis as its bassist.
They recorded various songs featuring their famous spinning furry guitars... and their custom car.
And of course ironically Frank's surname was Beard when the other two members were the ones with the famous beards.
