29 July 2013 - The Yorkshire edition

Liverpool's had a few scenes, including one semi-popular four-piece beat combo they do like to mention a bit, as has Manchester, Bristol and of course London. Well it's high time Yorkshire's music scene was celebrated and with this being the week in which Yorkshire Day falls - it's on Thursday, August 1 - what better time?

Pulp - Do You Remember The First Time?
John: I remember the first time I heard this. From way back in 1994 and their breakthrough album 'His n Hers'. I'm conscious that Sheffield will feature a lot in this selection tonight...

Wedding Present - The Girl From The DDR
John: Up the M1 to Leeds now. From last year's 'Valentina' which I haven't listened to enough, a take of holiday romance behind the iron curtain.

Fila Brazillia - Neanderthal
John: Take the M62, A63 and Clive Sullivan Way and it's to Hull. Doesn't that dreamy, summery track evoke memories of a stroll along the gentle, lapping waters of the Humber? That came out in 2007.

Cover Version Corner
The Human League/Heaven 17 - Being Boiled
John: Back down the M18 to Sheffield, and this works as a cover version and our other format section, One Degree of Separation what with Heaven 17 being formed by ex-Human Leaguers Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh. I think you can hear the musical difference that caused that split. The Human League version, from 1978 originally and the album 'Reproduction', is really stripped back, bare, experimental. Heaven 17 tart it up, make it more grandiose, maybe a little bit pompous. That's off the 2008 album 'Naked As Advertised'.

Gang Of Four - I Love A Man In Uniform
John: Back to Leeds and everyone's favourite agit-punk rockers with an avowedly anti-war song from 1982 off the album 'Songs Of The Free'.

The Crookes - Afterglow
John: Love that. Punchy, lively and a woah-oh-oh-oh bit.
Carolyn: I like that. I love a good chorus.
John: Thought it's be up your street. That's off last year's album 'Hold Fast'.


High Hazels - Hearts Are Breaking
John: We've had these before too, still relatively fresh. That's jolly pleasant.

Hey, Rube! - Bali Hai
John: Another laid back, dreamy comfort blanket of a track from Hull. Must be something in the water... That's off last year's album 'Can You Hear Me Mutha?'

Chanteuse and The Crippled Claw - You're A Freak
John: Back to Sheffield for this and they've still got electro-pop covered down there. The Crippled Claw is Adrian Flanagan of show favourites the Eccentronic Research Council and Chanteuse is singer Candie Payne. I'm not sure how a leopard dances on the floor, but that's just lovely and verges on the 1980s Doctor Who score at times which is never a bad thing. More please.

LFO - LFO
John: And that's how Leeds used to do it. You've no idea how much pleasure it gives me to play that on the radio and really test the bass in the headphones.
Carolyn: Were you getting a bit of a dance on there?
John: A little bit. Man, that takes me back. 1990, that came out in, off the album 'Frequencies'. Low-frequency oscillator, before you ask.

Comsat Angels - Independence Day
John: Another band I've been trying to squeeze in for ages, but no excuse today. That's just a great record. From 1980 and the album 'Waiting For A Miracle'.

One Degree of Separation
Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair
The Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made For You
John: There's this band called The Arctic Monkeys, right. You might not have heard of them, but I reckon they're going to be big. Obviously your link here is Alex Turner. I love the guitar on that Last Shadow Puppets track which is off the 2008 album 'The Age Of The Understatement. The Arctic Monkeys record comes off 2011's 'Suck It And See'.

Terrorvision - Tequila
John: Breaking the Sheffield/Leeds/Hull hegemony we've built up here, it's a big hello to Bradford for our last track. From 1999, this, off the album 'Shaving Peaches'. Do drink sensibly, folks...


Here's all that in a YouTube playlist apart from the High Hazels, Hey, Rube! and Chanteuse and The Crippled Claw tracks, links to which are in the relevant sections.
So much more that I wanted to play. Babybird (not THAT one), Longpigs, Utah Saints, Richard Hawley, The Ukrainians, Cabaret Voltaire, Spectrals, Menace Beach, The Mekons.... I'm going to expand the playlist out to include a load more stuff and you feel free to use that in your Yorkshire Day celebration parties.

Happy Yorkshire Day everyone!