Derek Shulman and John Weathers never looked back, and maybe that’s why Gentle Giant’s music still stares you down, especially in the reimagined version of Playing the Fool. In this extensive conversation, Derek and John revisit their time in one of prog rock’s greatest groups with more laughter than lament, and a quiet sense, that they got it exactly right.

Gentle Giant: Playing The Fool, The Complete Live Experience (2025 Dan Bornemark Mix)

Podcasts also available: Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, Steve Howe (2023), Tony Banks (2024)

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all usual platforms

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The post Gentle Giant’s Derek Shulman and John Weathers appeared first on The Strange Brew .

Jon King reflects on his memoir, To Hell with Poverty, and the tumultuous birth of Gang of Four. King reflects on the curious dichotomy of his privileged schooling and working-class heritage, his fateful arrival in Leeds, and the catalytic jolt of a New York trip that sent him and Andy Gill hurtling toward musical revolution.

From the incendiary early gigs to their courtship by EMI and Warner Brothers, King dissects the group’s confrontational ethos, the razor-edged brilliance of Entertainment!, and the seismic impact of tracks like ‘Love Like Anthrax.’ Along the way, he tells us of their Top of the Pops skirmish, their uncompromising political stance, and what the future holds for Gang of Four’s final tour.

To Hell with Poverty!: A Class Act: Inside the Gang of Four

gangoffour7781.com

Jon King podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Andy Gill – Gang of Four, Steve Diggle – Buzzcocks, Rat Scabies – The Damned, Glen Matlock

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Jon King – Gang of Four appeared first on The Strange Brew .

The Primitives crashed into pop history with their 1988 anthem, and four decades later, Paul Court and Tracy Tracy are still making records with the same effortless cool. They recall their indie origins, highlights from their time in the spotlight, the bittersweet catalyst for their return, and how their second wave is better than ever. And as for ‘Crash’? It wasn’t just a breakthrough, it was a declaration that indie pop could be as sharp as it was sweet.

The Primitives

Let’s Go Round Again: Second Wave Singles & Rarities 2011-2025

The Primitives podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Clem Burke – Blondie, Lynval Golding – The Specials, Stephen Duffy – The Lilac Time, Kimberley Rew – The Soft Boys & Katrina and The Waves

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

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Wolfgang Flür, Kraftwerk’s rhythm architect back when their beats still had human fingerprints, revisits his journey from sticks to circuits. He trades nostalgia for momentum, reflecting on his early days, his enduring bond with Emil Schult, and the evolution of his music from Kraftwerk to new album Times. A mechanical man with a pulse, then and now.

Wolfgang Flür – Times

Wolfgang Flür podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: The Making of The Human League’s Dare, Ian Burden – The Human League, Dave Ball – Soft Cell, Georg Kajanus – Sailor and DATA

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Wolfgang Flür – Ex Kraftwerk appeared first on The Strange Brew .

Ashley Hutchings, the man who helped to write the British folk-rock playbook, hits 80, and instead of slowing down, he’s throwing a bash. The Million Dollar Bash, no less, at Birmingham Town Hall, pulling together a dream team of Fairport alumni, Albion veterans, and folk royalty. Enter Blair Dunlop, his son and a formidable talent in his own right, orchestrating events. In this podcast, we hit the big milestones, Fairport Convention’s folk-rock awakening, Liege & Lief, Steeleye Span, The Albion Band, Gloucester Docks, and Dylan calling him “Million Dollar Ash.”

Ashley Hutchings 80th Birthday Celebration, 18 April 2025

ashleyhutchings.com

Ashley Hutchings podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol (2023), Martin Carthy, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Ashley Hutchings appeared first on The Strange Brew .

Over decades in rock promotion, Paul Rappaport was both a champion and a confidant to artists, witnessing their rise, fall, and occasional reanimation. In this conversation, Rap, spills about hustling airplay for a then-unknown Springsteen, navigating Pink Floyd’s civil war, and watching Keith Richards defy the laws of human endurance. His book, Gliders Over Hollywood, is a love letter to an era where music was king, excess was currency, and the business was equal parts genius and madness. If rock and roll was a circus, Rappaport wasn’t just selling records, he was in the ring with the lions.

Gliders Over Hollywood: Airships, Airplay, And The Art Of Rock Promotion

Podcasts also available: Paul Sexton on Charlie Watts, Alan Parsons, Elliott Murphy

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Promoting Pink Floyd, Springsteen and the Stones: Paul Rappaport Remembers appeared first on The Strange Brew .

Founding member of The Specials, Lynval Golding, traces his journey from Jamaica to Coventry, reflecting on the racism he faced, the politics he fought, and the legacy he helped build. His words are heavy with loss, Terry Hall, John Bradbury, and others loom large, but the fight isn’t over. With a new single, When A Light Goes Out, and a mission to educate, Golding keeps the flame alive, proving that ska is more than music, it’s a movement.

The Specials Family single When A Light Goes Out – all proceeds go to The Specialized Project & Tonic Music

Lynval Golding podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Steve Cradock, Neville Staple, Derv Gordon – The Equals, Eddy Grant, Alan Warner – The Foundations

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all usual platforms

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Four decades after Turning Japanese burned its way into pop history, The Vapors prove they’re more than a one-hit wonder. With new album ‘Wasp In A Jar’, they channel that same sharp melodic instinct into something richer, think power pop with the wisdom of experience. Dave Fenton and Steve Smith reflect on their unexpected second act, and why making music now is more fun than ever.

thevapors.co.uk

The Vapors podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Glen Matlock, Rat Scabies, Peter Perrett

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

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Parthenon Huxley’s career has made him a guitar slinger, hitmaker, and survivor of rock’s revolving door. From the bar-band trenches to ELO Part Two, from near-misses to crafting pop perfection, his life reads like a jukebox spinning between triumph and heartbreak. Now, he’s written it all down. Electric Light Odyssey skips the usual rock-star mythmaking, no nostalgia, just the ride. And Hux? He’s still playing with The Orchestra, still proving there’s life after the encore.

parthenonhuxley.com

theorchestraband.com

Parthenon Huxley podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Bev Bevan, Dave Scott Morgan, Lou Gramm, Thomas Walsh – Pugwash, Brumrock 1966-1974

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Parthenon Huxley’s Electric Light Odyssey appeared first on The Strange Brew .