“Music comes to me more readily than words.” – Ludwig Van Beethoven

Hello all

Going to start with a bit of news that interested me this week, Jack White’s Third Man Records To Open London Record Shop.

From Third Man Website: Jack White and Third Man Records today announce the opening of their first-ever Third Man Records Store outside the USA. Situated on Marshall Street in the heart of London’s historic Soho – an area renowned for its rich musical history – the London store will complete a trio of Third Man physical spaces that includes buildings in Nashville, Tennessee and Detroit, Michigan.

Third Man Records London will be multi-functional, tripling up as a two-level retail space, an intimate live music venue named “The Blue Basement,” and a European headquarters for Third Man Records. It will feature a host of the kind of quirks, details and idiosyncrasies Third Man have become renowned around the world for.

Furthermore, in celebration of the opening, Third Man Records approached some of their favourites ever UK artists (as well as some Motown contributions from Detroit!) – Paul Weller, David Ruffin, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Cornershop, Gina Birch of The Raincoats and the great, lost Manchester group The Magic Roundabout – to record something brand new or contribute something previously unheard to the Third Man catalogue. These exclusive releases will be available to buy on black vinyl on 25th September from the Third Man Webstore (soon to be expanding to the UK/EU), at all three Third Man Records stores, and independent record shops everywhere, and on very limited edition yellow vinyl in the Third Man London store only.

Tony Smith has no need to worry Sounds of the Suburbs will still be my number 1 record shop, but knowing me I will go visit Third Man Records London. The bit that interests me is that the Third Man Webstore will soon be expanding to the UK/EU, which should mean cheaper postage, instead of paying postage from the US, which is one thing that has held me back from buying anything from Third Man in the past.

Also this week a video was sent to me that was filmed on Portobello Road, an area I grew up not far from. I really like the way it’s been done.

‘Rockaway’ is about love, connection, community, the cycle of new beginnings and emotions we all feel – embodying the universal human experience.

Written and performed by Alessana, ‘Rockaway’ is her debut single and the fifth of her DIY Art EP, which she made in lockdown. Rockaway was filmed by her home on Portobello Road with the help of her friends, family and the community. It was directed by multi-award-winning filmmaker, Penny Woolcock and filmed by BAFTA-winning Leo Regan.

Music-wise the week started with Garbage ‎– Garbage, it’s one of the albums I brought for one song, “Milk”, and ended up quite liking the album.

Had to do a bit of record cleaning this week, while performing this task, I listened to Coldplay ‎– A Rush Of Blood To The Head, I did have to let all know that I was not drinking pure alcohol yet. I also enjoyed a Mango Ice Tea while listening to The Gyrators – Real Rock / Love Land, Peter Hogan thinks I am off my rocker, but Robert Dunoyer thinks Long Island ice tea would be better and he enjoyed the tune. While I am here a little big up to an old mate, keep on posting them tines.

Friday night listening, and it was listening, next door are away, I had the house to myself, so I may of turn it up a notch too far, but the speakers were singing in the man cave with Easy Star All-Stars ‎– Radiodread, had it so loud I didn’t hear the wife come home, well that’s me in trouble again.

During the week I pondered about all the different rock genres there are, and whether I was a rock fan in A Frankie View – Rock Vibe 1. One of the bands I mention was Dirt Royal, I am a fan of their album Great Expectations. I went to see them play in Harrow on Saturday night with Tony Smith. The band had actually done me a favour, as they are from Brighton, and they have been playing some gigs there, I was going to have a chat with Fred my brother in law who lives in Brighton, to see if he fancied it. But then this gig in Harrow turned up, may still do the Brighton thing, as my nieces and nephew have not seen uncle Frank for over 18 months.

Anyway, it was a great set which I enjoyed, they entertained the crowd, I thought they were very tight together. They played a mix of old stuff that I knew, and I think there was a new song thrown in there. It was good to meet up with Charlie Russell from the band, they even dedicated “Great Expectations”  to me.

I recently read Steve for the Deaf post Fountain and Fairfax – The Afghan Whigs, and something must of lodge in my mind. Let me explain, I popped into Sounds of the Suburbs on Friday, when I go into there I do not know what I am going to come out with. Well to my surprise I spotted a copy of Afghan Whigs ‎– Up In It and something just clicked inside my head and memory came back to me that I was listening to these the other day, and I think I enjoyed them, Tony actually commented that it was not the sort of thing I normally buy. I will be giving my thoughts on this in the near future.

It’s now been 5 years since Sounds of the Suburbs opened, where the hell has that gone. Well, something to look forward to is SOTS 5th Anniversary Show, Friday 20th August, these have been brilliant in the past.

It is a show to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Sounds of the Suburbs record shop, come join us at the Suburbs at the Holroyd in Guildford once more as we enjoy 4 too class live bands, opening the show, High Wycombe’s finest punk and rollers Public Service Announcement, next up, joint main support the full-on energy unit, the self-proclaimed loudest band in the land, The Aim, then, co-joint support, a band that SOTS followers need no introduction to, Plague Uk, to top of the night, the true Sound of the Suburbs, veterans of the 1977 punk explosion, TOTP chart stars, with one of the most defining tunes of the new wave, it gave our shop, and our venue its name The Members.

Stay safe all, and have a good week.

Oh, I have been listening to this on my daily commute.

I have always been putting together these playlists, I normally make up a playlist from a variety of different music genres and see if they fit together. So lately I have restricted myself to the albums I have posted about and have decided to share them with you, as we did in the old days with tapes

The only way I can think of sharing playlists these days is with something like Spotify, so above is some of what I have been listening to this week.

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