Listen: Bahamas – Caught Me Thinkin’

Bahamas first single, “Caught Me Thinkin’”. Go have a drink on the beach.

Video: Kurt and Courtney duet on unreleased track

Kurt and Courtney sketch out an acoustic song – ‘Stinking of You’ – footage from the documentary ‘Hit So Hard’.

Listen: Charles Bradley – The World (Is Going Up In Flames)

Charles Bradley put out his first album No Time For Dreaming last year, and, being born in 1948, you might not be blamed for wondering, “What took him so long?” . Some things are worth the wait.

Listen: The New British Invasion – 5 UK Acts to Watch

Okay, so the whole concept of “The British Invasion” is, lets face it, a bit naff, and really, in today’s modern world of connected music, pretty much laughable. Where exactly are these bands invading again? And where are they from? Okay, fine, I get it, my headline is completely nonsensical. I’m sticking with it, because I just have got a vibe of late that there are a whole host of amazingly talented youngsters from the UK that seem to be producing spectacular music.

When you look at the history of Rock, a lot of the big genre defining acts have come from the UK. Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles. In fact, I once got into a drunken argument with a bunch of US colleagues, when I made the assertion that there haven’t actually ever been any really massive original American Rock acts. Really, what have you got? Jimi Hendrix? (but he was pretty much unknown until he went to London) – Aerosmith?
Hmm… The point remains. I’m just gonna leave that there…

Here are 5 great new bands from The UK that are worth some quality ear-time.

The Wombats

From the same town as some other famous band I forget, Liverpool, England, The Wombats second album, This Modern Glitch, features a wide range of musical styles, ranging from new romantic 80s synth pop through to indy rock, and everything in between. Sporting lots of heartfelt and occasionally cringeworthy lyrical content, all delivered in Matthew Murphy’s northern accent, you can catch the band live this October at New Orleans’ Voodoo Experience. Check out the latest single from the new album, Jump into the Fog:

Arctic Monkeys
Hailing from Sheffield, the Arctic Monkeys have been a prominent band on the indie rock scene since their first album, Whatever People Say, That’s what I’m not was released in 2006. Their latest album, Suck it and See continues their straight ahead solid rock and roll approach to music – check out Brick By Brick:

The Kooks
The Kooks are a self described pop band from Brighton, East Sussex, and they make the most tasty, catchy pop tunes that may not change the world, but certainly have a way of making their way into your brain and imprinting on your day. Formed in 2001, this four-piece have released three albums, with the latest, Junk of the Heart released September 2010. From their 2006 Record Inside In/Inside Out, Check out Naive:

Two Door Cinema Club
From Bangor and Donaghadee in Northern Ireland, Two Door Cinema Club are a fresh and exuberant young band that seem to have a lot of fun, and it comes through clearly in their music. I saw these guys rock the Northern Hotel in Byron earlier this year, and they have a huge and friendly fanbase who completely adore them. After spending a little time with their only album to date – Tourist History, it’s pretty easy to see why. Check out Something Good Can Work:

Eliza Doolittle
Eliza often gets compared to her Parlophone Labelmate Lily Allen, but really, she’s quite a different artist. For starters, Lily would be a lousy girlfriend, with all her high maintenance and partying. Eliza on the other hand seems sensible, fresh, friendly, and kind – much better girlfriend material. She also writes beautifully crafted pop songs and sings with an impressive and powerful voice. Her first self titled album was a big favorite for me last year – you can’t get these tunes out of your head. Check out Pack Up:

Video: Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins on The Johnny Cash Show, 1971

You want to talk about classic? Now, this is classic. In 1971, Eric Clapton appeared on The Johnny Cash Show as a member of Derek and the Dominos, along with legendary guitarist/singer Carl Perkins. Johnny Cash’s show ran from 1969-1971 and he had an amazing amount of musical talent visit over that short, yet fertile, time period.  Derek and the Dominos performed “It’s Too Late” (a Chuck Willis cover) from Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, and Carl Perkins, Eric Clapton and Johnny Cash all played and sang together on “Matchbox,” which was one of several Perkins songs covered by The Beatles. Perkins, who wrote “Blue Suede Shoes,” is one of the great rockabilly performers of all time, and a huge star in the ‘50s and ‘60s whose career continued through the ‘90s. Perkins was also a part of the little-known Million Dollar Quartet along with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. This is a great moment in rock and roll history, with an iconic, yet short-lived band performing and three of the greatest singer/songwriters in the history of rock and roll showing their stuff.

Check out Derek and the Dominos’ blues-soaked “It’s Too Late,” and then see three legends playing together back in 1971.

Derek and The Dominos was: Eric Clapton on guitars and vocals, Bobby Whitlock on keyboards, Carl Radle on bass, and Jim Gordon on drums.

(In case you’re wondering, Duane Allman played on a number of songs on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, but he was never a full member of Derek and The Dominos, as he wanted to maintain a loyalty to the Allman Brothers, so unfortunately he did not appear for this performance.)