Album | The Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band – Diversions vol. 2

The band is incredibly versatile, from march music offset with sparse, mournful arrangements on the beautiful ‘Trimdon Grange Explosion’, to near classical arrangements on the Prokofiev-reminiscent ‘My Lagan Love’ and the James Bond pyrotechnics in the new rendition of ‘Queen of Hearts’. In its tones and timbre, every track is as reassuringly traditional as logs on a fireplace, but they crackle with a new wit in combinations that, without contradiction, show British folk – and brass band music – at its most innovative.

Brian’s Mixtape | Ladies

Dear readers, You may have suspected that I would jump on the sporting bandwagon and create a playlist around the greatest of all competition anthems, Vangelis’ Chariots of Fire because of the ‘Games’ that people are getting all worked up…