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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: Fleetwood Mac “Oh Diane”

June 19, 2020 Paul Villers 2

There has been much talk, and indeed action, of late regarding an improving cultural awareness of the plight/circumstances/experience of certain members of our communities. This is very good and something the residents of Americana-UK Towers would […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Iron and Wine “Love Vigilantes”

June 12, 2020 Paul Villers 0

Down here in The People’s Republic of Liverpudlia we are a fairly peaceful lot. At Americana-UK Towers we employ our own security staff but down in the village and the surrounding hamlets matters of policing the […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Bob Dylan “Only a Pawn In Their Game”

June 5, 2020 Paul Villers 1

The pejorative term ‘Fascist’ has been bandied about a lot recently particularly in the direction of certain people and their governments. This week we thought we’d take a little look at what the word means. Historically […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Robbie Robertson “Breaking The Rules”

May 29, 2020 Paul Villers 0

We are all good at Americana-UK Towers. The weather has been nice, none of the writers have (recently) slaughtered each other during the night in our communal dormitory and we discovered that our favourite chi-chi little […]

Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Ryan Adams “Political Scientist”

May 22, 2020 Paul Villers 0

Americana-UK Towers is situated, as you know, in The People’s Republic of Liverpudlia and we thought it might be nice for you folks to know how we have handled the present travails and what we are […]

Posts pagination

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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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  • Peter Thompson: Hi Matt, Thanks for taking the time to comment. You make some good points and you make them well. I…
  • 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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Features

Pick of the Political Pops: Hank Williams Jr. “Stock Market Blues”

February 5, 2021 0

This week were amused by the news that some plucky amateurs had taken on the hedge funds and stuck it to them causing a couple to actually get into considerable financial difficulty. An in-depth discussion of […]

Live Reviews

Cambridge Folk Festival, Cherry Hinton Hall, 27-30 July 2017

August 7, 2017 1

Every festival, everywhere, delivers a special moment or two, things that it will be remembered for in years to come.  This year’s Cambridge Folk Festival was no different, with two hugely significant moments. The first was […]

Ryan Law artwork for album
Album Reviews

Ryan Law and the Shelter “Ryan Law and the Shelter”

June 7, 2022 0

Hard hitting, big hearted, dynamic Southern-esque rock of the kind that never dates. One thing that strikes you instantly about Ryan Law and the Shelter’s second, eponymous, album is that they certainly know how to write […]

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