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Our latest posts
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted” Tracks
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026 Live Reviews
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras Anniversary Cheers
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD AUK Mini-Gigs
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992 Classic Clips
HomeColumnsPolitical Pops

Political Pops

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

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Ben Harper “Black Rain”

October 18, 2019 Mark Whitfield 0

Ellen DeGeneres is happy to call George Bush a friend as “sometimes you have to be kind to people you don’t agree with.” But what if it’s not so much their beliefs but the things they’ve […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Quiet Loner “The Captain’s Diseased”

October 11, 2019 Mark Whitfield 0

It’s funny to think that when Quiet Loner recorded this song back in 2013 that we’d have had another two captains by the end of the decade but both essentially steering the same course, and each […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pop: Paul Rodgers “China Blue”

October 4, 2019 Paul Villers 0

This week sees the 70th anniversary of the founding of The People’s Republic of China and we here in The People’s Republic of Liverpudlia thought we would celebrate our fellow People’s Republic’s birthday with lanterns, some […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: The Bobby Fuller Four “I Fought The Law”

September 27, 2019 Paul Villers 0

Boris Johnson, holder of the highest political office in the land, is a liar and a lawbreaker. We’d quite like to come up with our usual smart-arse funny stuff but on this occasion we think we’ll […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Suzi Quattro “If You Can’t Give Me Love”

September 13, 2019 Paul Villers 0

We have a strict hierarchical structure here at Americana-UK Towers (actually we don’t but this is for illustrative purposes). At the top sits The Editor – a surly cove if crossed and a great believer in […]

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our latest posts

Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted”

Tracks
February 20, 2026 1

Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026

Live Reviews
February 20, 2026 0
Slim Dunlap at The Mad Riplle Hootenanny 27thNovember 2007

Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras

Anniversary Cheers
February 20, 2026 0

Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD

AUK Mini-Gigs
February 20, 2026 0
Chris Whitley from a 1990s benefit concert in New York City

Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992

Classic Clips
February 20, 2026 1

  • Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted”
  • Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026
  • Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras
  • Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD
  • Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992
  • Rose’s Pawn Shop “American Seams”
  • Charley Crockett makes it a hat trick of albums in a year with “Age of the Ram”
  • The latest AUK podcast is available now featuring Katherine Priddy and Band of Heathens
  • Awolk “Into The Void” – sometimes the void looks back
  • Video: Tenderness “The Salt Flats” – living in the moment of gentle panic
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  • Matt: Peter, The songs are good, and I respect your opinion, but I really question first, your definition of "Americana" and…
  • David Walker: I've been listening to John Hiatt since I encountered him in Nashville back when "Bring the Family" was fresh and…

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: Mean Mary answers six of one and half a dozen of the other

February 18, 2026 0

The banjo is a glorious instrument that can do a lot of ill in the wrong hands. It’s not easy to proudly, confidently pluck out some hot licks and really hard to play it with the […]

Behind the Songs

Behind the Songs: Polite Company “Please Go Wild”

February 17, 2026 0

Alan Gregg is a native Kiwi transplanted to North London with a spotty resumé to his credit. Not intending to be impolite, but prospective employers might be taken aback, curious as to what he has been […]

Interviews

Interview: Jim White on Trey Blake and the backstory of “Precious Bane”

February 12, 2026 2

If you’ve heard anything about Jim White, you’ve probably heard about the surfing, the modeling, the cab driving, and the unlikely way David Byrne changed his life with a record deal. You’ve heard about the junk […]

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Album Reviews

The King Heat Ensemble “Songs” (Independent, 2018)

August 24, 2018 0

The King Heat Ensemble released their debut EP, simply entitled ‘Songs’ back in March of this year. An interesting choice of title as it gives nothing away – a title allowing whoever might stumble upon them […]

Videos

Video Premiere: Hannah Rose Platt “Chanel & Cigarettes”

August 23, 2019 0

Hannah Rose Platt has a new album, ‘Letters Under Floorboards‘, out on October 25th.  This is the first single from it and very good it is, the ideal way to start your weekend.  The video’s good […]

Tracks

Pinewood “Riverbank” – Listen

April 3, 2020 0

The self-release of ‘All Things With Symmetry‘ on May 1st will see Sam Kempe (Pinewood) move from bass duties in various Athens, Georgia, indie-rock bands coupled with audio production for the same to sending his own […]

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