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Our latest posts
  • [ May 29, 2026 ] Something for the weekend: Icarus Phoenix “Oh, The Joy of Life!” Tracks
  • [ May 29, 2026 ] Live Review: Kiefer Sutherland + Colin Andrew, The Adrian Flux Waterfront, Norwich – 13th May 2026 Live Reviews
  • [ May 29, 2026 ] Jim Keller releases first ever European vinyl retrospective called “Vinylly!” News
  • [ May 29, 2026 ] Interview: Ben Vaughn on being true to yourself and the joys of recording an album in your car Interviews
  • [ May 29, 2026 ] Paperback Riders: Johnny Rogan “The Byrds Timeless Flight” and “Timeless Flight Revisited” Book Reviews
HomeColumnsPolitical Pops

Political Pops

AUK’s Paul Villers has a weekly look at the news with an accompanying Americana song

Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: Billy Bragg “The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie”

May 21, 2021 Mark Whitfield 3
The Israel-Palestine issue is often presented as something complex, and undoubtedly there are complexities to it, but presenting it as almost unsolvably complex conveniently makes people think there’s nothing they can do about it and so […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: Drive By Truckers “Surrender Under Protest”

March 19, 2021 Paul Villers 0
Well it’s been a slow week for news (said no one this week with access to a wireless/newspaper/laptop/television). We quite thought that we would have nothing to write about in our usual snarky way (we didn’t […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: k.d. lang “Big Boned Gal”

March 12, 2021 Paul Villers 0
This week at Americana-UK Towers we have been in full celebration mode in respect of International Women’s Day. The slight fly in the ointment is that in the twenty-first century we still need to have such […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: Willie Nelson “If You’ve Got The Money I’ve Got The Time”

March 5, 2021 Paul Villers 0
This week we had what grown-ups call The Budget which is essentially where important people in London scribble down a few sums on the back of a fag packet (fags didn’t go up you’ll recall so […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: The Raconteurs “You Don’t Understand Me”

February 26, 2021 Paul Villers 1
This week we were (once again) amused that Facebook was in the news this time in a face-off with the Australian government. The argument was pitched by the vast majority of the mainstream media worldwide as […]

Posts pagination

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Recent Forum Posts

  • RE: What are you listening to at the moment?

    The Clash know what they were doing bringing Joe Ely to...

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  • RE: What are you listening to at the moment?

    Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Long After Dark

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    John Mellencamp - The Lonesome Jubilee

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    RE: What are you watching at the moment?

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    Radio Paradise's Mellow Mix whilst on a bit of a drive

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our latest posts

Something for the weekend: Icarus Phoenix “Oh, The Joy of Life!”

Tracks
May 29, 2026 0

Live Review: Kiefer Sutherland + Colin Andrew, The Adrian Flux Waterfront, Norwich – 13th May 2026

Live Reviews
May 29, 2026 0

Jim Keller releases first ever European vinyl retrospective called “Vinylly!”

News
May 29, 2026 0

Interview: Ben Vaughn on being true to yourself and the joys of recording an album in your car

Interviews
May 29, 2026 0

Paperback Riders: Johnny Rogan “The Byrds Timeless Flight” and “Timeless Flight Revisited”

Book Reviews
May 29, 2026 0
Tracks

Something for the weekend: Icarus Phoenix “Oh, The Joy of Life!”

May 29, 2026 0
Well that’s it from us for this sweltering week, and we leave you dear reader with a brand new track from Drew Danburry’s Icarus Phoenix outfit which he describes as “an upbeat fiendishly danceable song about […]
Live Reviews

Live Review: Kiefer Sutherland + Colin Andrew, The Adrian Flux Waterfront, Norwich – 13th May 2026

May 29, 2026 0
When Kiefer Sutherland strode onto the stage at Norwich’s Adrian Flux Waterfront, the response from the packed crowd was immediate and thunderous. There was no slow build into the evening: Sutherland and his outstanding band launched […]
News

Jim Keller releases first ever European vinyl retrospective called “Vinylly!”

May 29, 2026 0
You see what he did there? Multi-talented singer, songwriter, and musician Jim Keller is to release Vinylly!, a collection of 14 of his finest songs from the last 15 years, and his first-ever European vinyl release. […]

  • Something for the weekend: Icarus Phoenix “Oh, The Joy of Life!”
  • Live Review: Kiefer Sutherland + Colin Andrew, The Adrian Flux Waterfront, Norwich – 13th May 2026
  • Jim Keller releases first ever European vinyl retrospective called “Vinylly!”
  • Interview: Ben Vaughn on being true to yourself and the joys of recording an album in your car
  • Paperback Riders: Johnny Rogan “The Byrds Timeless Flight” and “Timeless Flight Revisited”
  • Classic Clips: Richmond Fontaine and Amy Boone “Post to Wire” – Live in-store at Rough Trade East, London – 14th September 2011
  • Great Lake Swimmers “Caught Light”
  • Live Review: Sweet Sounds of the South, Riverside Studios, London – 16th May 2026
  • Lewis Pugh “Heretics & Heritage”
  • The latest AUK podcast is now available featuring Ella Spencer on Maverick and Jim Keller on Vinylly
Billy Bragg Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen Chuck Prophet Courtney Marie Andrews Dean Owens Drive By Truckers Emmylou Harris Jason Isbell Johnny Cash John Prine Lucinda Williams Margo Price Neil Young Peter Bruntnell Robert Vincent Ryan Adams Steve Earle Sturgill Simpson The Band The Byrds The Delines Tom Petty Wilco Willie Nelson
  • keith hargreaves: Great song and sentiment !
  • Jed Cairns: A fine review of one of the very best bands. Saw them live a couple of years ago and they…
  • alan wear: Great Review Jon, I had no idea that her lyrics were so personal and intimate.Her voice spoke to our generation…

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: Ben Vaughn on being true to yourself and the joys of recording an album in your car

May 29, 2026 0
To say Ben Vaughn has had an eclectic musical career would be a gross understatement. He grew up in the Philadelphia area, and his journey into music began when a kind uncle gave him a Duane […]
Interviews

Interview: Beau Jennings – In Tribute to Will Rogers and the Verdigris

May 27, 2026 0
If History was your favourite class in school, raise your digital hand. Only two? Come on, the subject is not that dull. Now pay attention. Today, we are going to learn about a river called the […]
Interviews

Interview: Truman Sinclair – “it’s hope or die pretty much”

May 26, 2026 3
Chicago-born and LA-based singer-songwriter Truman Sinclair will be a new name to many AUK readers, although the more observant of you will have noticed his song Joel Roberts topped my top tracks of 2025 list published […]

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Tracks

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss “It Don’t Bother Me” – Lord, did we ever deserve such riches?

November 8, 2021 0
‘Raising Sand‘ is a fine album – we all know that, from its sales most of us must have 2 or 3 copies at least.  Well, this preview, the last and final preview before the release […]
Album Reviews

Eric Ambel “Lakeside” (Last Chance Records / At The Helm Records, 2017)

May 23, 2017 0
Serial collaborator and producer Eric Ambel returns with his first solo record in over a decade. “Lakeside”, supposedly named after Ambel’s favourite former boozer, delivers ten tracks that would feel right at home in any dive […]
Interviews

Interview: The Lonesome River Band’s Sammy Shelor on “The Winning Hand”

November 19, 2024 1
Keeping bluegrass fresh but also keeping an eye on tradition. Bluegrass’s popularity has ebbed and flowed over the years, but whatever has driven any of the particular peaks such as the ‘60s folk revival, the rise […]

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