NIGEL HAS HIS PHOTO taken with Suggs

In a rare showbiz outing, Frank swanked along to the Madness album launch party last Thursday at the Light Bar (in The Liberty of Norton Folgate of course). In our typically low-key style we did some celeb-spotting... which included two people from Eastenders (Gary and Billy, apparently), that portly bloke who gets picked on by Marjorie Dawes in Little Britain, Gaz Mayall (John's son), the harp player from Alabama 3, Billy Childish, and architectural historian Dan Cruickshank (who Rick drunkenly spoke to)... a real happening party crowd!
Anyway, a few drinks later, the band came on and did a stirring set of numbers from the new album including their magnum opus (the 9 minute title track), and some foot-stomping hits of yesteryear. All in all, it was a jolly good show indeed. Well done lads!

Got Folk?

Frank has just splashed out on the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Anthology of American Folk Music edited by Harry Smith. 84 tracks across six discs, and a huge influence on the folk-boom of the 50s and 60s. It's a lovely big box set with various marvellously wonky documents reproduced from Harry's originals, plus some more up-to-date cultural overview stuff from the likes of Greil Marcus. Should hopefully keep us entertained for a while.

London to Brighton

Frankie next to Hollywood

Sam Taylor Wood's debut feature film, the controversial John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy came to Hanbury Street last week. The Duke of Uke was all kitted out with old Hofner guitars and basses, and various 50s throwback extras with duck's arse quiffery were spotted mooching about the espresso shop combing their oily hair.