Re. 6Music

Spoke a bit soon there didn't I?

According to the Times, the BBC Trust will be axing 6Music to forestall bloody incursions into the licence fee, by the future Tory government; either it's just too  much of a minority to be worried over, or it's the case that 6Music is actually eating into the share of commercial radio -  to quote Chris Addison, BBC bashers should "pick a fucking line".


The Trust has yet to decide, but it doesn't hurt to be part of a furore, so wave your hands, add a twitter ribbon, but most of all write a strongly worded letter to the Trust, patiently explaining that most radio stations are so awful that they actually cause ears to bleed; indeed, the first vacuous garbled utterance from Fearn Cotton's mewling twitish mouth makes me want to eat bricks... or pelt her with some. 6Music is quite simply a gem of a station, where interesting people play good music  - amazing how rare that is today, eh?

#save6music, damn.. another hashtag is more popular - #saveBBC6Music. Save it!

Put on your Red Shoes and Dance to the Blues: Fun Thing # 192

 These Ones. Yes, they do hurt - thanks for asking.

One upon a time I used to write about fun things to do in Aberystwyth, the highlights of which included: getting covered in flour then managing to burn the bloody bread I'd been making, visiting Spar late at night... and er... no, that really is about it. If you go do be sure to visit the Camera Obscura - the largest in the world; sadly it overlooks Aberystwyth so there's nothing to see, apart from decaying Victorian architecture and students puking.

Then I moved (temporarily) to South Wales, to embrace a form of civilisation where public transport doesn't involve donkeys, carts, or the investment of a great deal of time and energy weeping. You'd think I'd be happier, more outgoing... full of joie de vivre, no end of interesting pleasures to throw myself into.

This is not the case. I still live in a stupid place, but as I said the saving grace is the regular trains out.

As for fun things to do- almost every Tuesday I allow myself to associate with 'Creepy Man', 'Scary Woman with the Shark Eyes', occasionally 'Stripey Man', 'Snooty Man' and 'Nice Guy' who goes out with 'Curly Haired Girl'. I have no idea of their names.

Yes, my nicknames suck, but there's no time to think of better ones as I try to avoid stepping on toes, twisting in the wrong direction, or falling out of time; also, in the case of 'Creepy Man' I desperately try to avoid eye contact (or any kind of contact). I salsa. That's what I'm trying to say. Step one, two, three... forward one, two three... collapse in a dishevelled heap and eat the free olives, two, three.

Salsa annoys me: it isn't helping me lose any weight (see free olives as mentioned above) and that was the intital impetus for going. There's also a distinct lack of  sleek latin types that I'd hoped to be schmoozed by - though it is Cardiff after all:  home of the short, round and sweaty. Mostly it annoys me because I'm no good. In fact not only can I not dance, I probably shouldn't even attempting rhythm, due to a dangerously placed balcony and my own inability to walk without tripping.  I'm persevering though, albeit with a bitter commitment commonly known as sheer stubborn idiocy. All because I'm determined that some swan-like transformation will surely allow me to heap scorn on the 'Scary Woman', with her strange black irises and snotty comments of "can you do this one, hmmm?"

I will show them all!

Anyway, there you have it: a fun thing, one that is driving me absolutely bloody crackers.

• Goldfrapp - Yes, Sir I Can Boogie - The b-side to Twist; a live, low key, synth-enthusing, throbbing little cover.

How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Six Music

Raindrops on roses? Whiskers on kittens? No, sorry, neither of these feature on a list of my favourite things - not that I'd want to see any unwhiskered kittens- but BBC 6Music is on there however, and I've been worried about it.

What's to like about 6Music? Obviously Adam and Joe, though they're currently on hiatus, getting on with their careers, damn them- but the holiday cover is Collins and Herring, so that's okay. Then there's Lauren Laverne's weekday show; which is just cracking, and dry wit on a Sunday courtesy of Jarvis Cocker. Jarvis Cocker! Soon Cerys Matthews will be back too, and of course there's the ever reliable stints from both Steve Lamaqc at drive time, and Stuart Marconi's 'Freak Zone'.

All in all (in case you hadn't worked it out) there's plenty of good music, both new and old, without too much filler or any irritation - at least not now George Lamb's been relegated. 6Music is tackling remit no other mainstream station wants to fulfill: y'know, being interesting, diverse and...  consistently listenable. I just wish it still had Phil Jupitus on breakfasts.

So what's up? Well the BBC as a whole is facing mounting pressure- resources are tight, the Daily Mail is still stalking about in a rabid fashion ready to froth and scream about any mishap, and of course there's general concerns that the Tories will do something atrocious to the licence fee when they get in- probably bathe in it like sour faced, pasty Scrooge McDucks.

6Music's faced a bit of criticism in its own right too: whilst some has been justified (bloody George Lamb) other moans and groans have been petty and unfair. Radio Centre (independent radio's mouthpiece) had a pop back last August, complaining about the station's cost, how dare the fee paying alternative music lovers want/need their own service!

These past few months I've been afraid that 6Music - ray of sunshine though that it might be to me - would be pilloried by the upcoming service review. Or  worse, that maybe the BBC Trust wouldn't feel it was worth the hassle to its tiny listenership (though the listening figures have risen by 11.% this quarter). Worst of all I've been dreading the day that I'd be tearfully saying goodbye to all the live sessions, the interesting presenters and 6Music's distinctiveness.

Joy of joys, all seems to be healthy: the recent trust report says 6Music is doing just fine- apart from managing to successfully  retain its anonymity. Yes it does cost a lot, and some of those costs can be trimmed, and maybe there are improvements to be made in some areas (like documentaries), but the Trust also recognises that  it offers higher quality services  than most other independent competitors -i.e. the live shows, and that it needs to continue to ensure that its DJs are be credible guides to alternative tunes.

So, today, on St Skeletor's Day, I'm raising a glass to 6Music: a wonky little digital station, that really is doing quite a fantastic job.

Go on, give it a listen.

Jaw to the Floor.

Did you know Dolph Lundgren sings? Yup, that Dolph Lundgren. Honestly! The Dolph Lundgren who was awarded a Fulbright scholarship, the Dolph Lundgren who gets it in Rocky IV; you know him... he lived with Grace Jones for four years, speaks about seven languages, has a masters in chemical engineering: Universal Soldier, He Man- that Dolph Lundgren. No really, he sings, look;

I didn't say he sang well, but you just watched the highlight of my trip to Sweden: the star turn at Melodiefestivalen - the five part Swedish eurovision semifinal. If only the Swedes were sending Dolph to Eurovision....

The Boat that Rocked - Fanfarlo on the Thekla

Another picture of an unhappy indie band.

Ventured out to Brizzle last night to see Fanfarlo, with a quick stop off in the trendy Apple cider barge. In retrospect, that was a slight mistake: I'm fairly sure the mulled (not to mention amaretto spiked) cider (delicious) ate through my stomach lining, leaving me rather squiffy, slightly larcenous, and now the not-so proud owner of a liberated lemon.

How were Fanfarlo? Pretty bloody good. I think...

As I'm sure you know, Fanfarlo are a London based indie outfit, producing a panoramic sound that's heavy on trumpets, violins, clarinets, lions and tigers and bears - oh my. It's a little bit Arcade Fire, with crescendos ahoy, but that's not a bad thing. Their debut album 'Reservoir' took a while to grow on me, but I'm now of the opinion that it's pretty jim-swish with every tune hitting the right pace for pint swinging, or, er-hem, drunken swaying. Though if there's any criticism to be made it's that the songs can blur into each other at times, that and I can't understand a word that Simon Balthazar sings: it's all slurred, but after a few listens that becomes incidental.

The actual gig was beset with technical problems, but these didn't dampen any spirits. I enjoyed Fanfarlo -self conciously indie though they may be. I can't give a fuller review as I enjoyed the pre and post concert cider too. A wee bit too much. I highly recommend the Apple on Welsh Back.

• Fanfarlo - The Walls Are Coming Down