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Our latest posts
  • [ August 6, 2026 ] Live Review: Joshua Ray Walker + Malin Pettersen, The Lower Third, London – 28th July 2026 Live Reviews
  • [ August 6, 2026 ] Phil Odgers & John Kettle “The War is Over – The Songs of Phil Ochs Vol 2” Album Reviews
  • [ August 6, 2026 ] Freddy Trujillo takes flight with his fifth solo album News
  • [ August 6, 2026 ] Railcard “Unstable Neighbour” – let’s get on, ok? Tracks
  • [ August 6, 2026 ] Video: Karl Bray “Marianne” Videos
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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our latest posts

Live Review: Joshua Ray Walker + Malin Pettersen, The Lower Third, London – 28th July 2026

Live Reviews
August 6, 2026 0

Phil Odgers & John Kettle “The War is Over – The Songs of Phil Ochs Vol 2”

Album Reviews
August 6, 2026 0

Freddy Trujillo takes flight with his fifth solo album

News
August 6, 2026 0

Railcard “Unstable Neighbour” – let’s get on, ok?

Tracks
August 6, 2026 0

Video: Karl Bray “Marianne”

Videos
August 6, 2026 0
Live Reviews

Live Review: Joshua Ray Walker + Malin Pettersen, The Lower Third, London – 28th July 2026

August 6, 2026 0
It was a hot night in the West End, but thankfully the air conditioning was cool at Denmark Street’s Lower Third. This was Joshua Ray Walker’s first show in London since recovering from stage 3 bowel […]
Album Reviews

Phil Odgers & John Kettle “The War is Over – The Songs of Phil Ochs Vol 2”

August 6, 2026 0
A respectful and traditional tribute to Phil Ochs. Volume 1 of this collaborative tribute by Phil Odgers of The Men They Couldn’t Hang and John Kettle of Merry Hell was birthed in the dark days of […]
News

Freddy Trujillo takes flight with his fifth solo album

August 6, 2026 0
For more than two decades, Freddy Trujillo has quietly built one of the most distinctive careers in American roots music. Whether anchoring the rhythm section as bassist for Richmond Fontaine and The Delines or as a […]

  • Live Review: Joshua Ray Walker + Malin Pettersen, The Lower Third, London – 28th July 2026
  • Phil Odgers & John Kettle “The War is Over – The Songs of Phil Ochs Vol 2”
  • Freddy Trujillo takes flight with his fifth solo album
  • Railcard “Unstable Neighbour” – let’s get on, ok?
  • Video: Karl Bray “Marianne”
  • Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It: Tom Waits
  • Paul McClure “The Good And The Bad Of It”
  • Artists with Hearts of Gold contribute to two more albums of Neil Young covers
  • Greg Freeman announces new album and UK dates
  • All-star line-up for Bob Harris event announced for Royal Albert Hall in December
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
  • Graeme Tait: Lol. Sorry, Alan, I knew as soon as I'd chosen to cover Tom Waits for this feature you'd be a…
  • Alan Peatfield: OK, Graeme - just one observation ... the obvious one. "As a songwriter he is right up there; on the…
  • Graeme Tait: Hi Alan. Glad you approve. It was an excellent gig.

Latest interviews

Interviews

Video Interview: Aaron Lee Tasjan on “Get Over It, Underdog” and Todd Snider

August 4, 2026 0
Nashville East resident Aaron Lee Tasjan has long been a favourite of Americana UK, and with 12 albums to his name, including his latest Get Over It, Underdog, and approaching 40, he is no longer the […]
Interviews

Video Interview: American Aquarium’s BJ Barham finds “New Ways To Lose”

July 29, 2026 0
American Aquarium appear to be on a creative roll with their latest album, New Ways To Lose, getting great reviews even though it is their twentieth album in as many years. Added to this is the […]
Interviews

Interview: David Keenan on inspiration, optimism and telling stories

July 28, 2026 0
“Radiate a smile if we’re only here for a short while / no we don’t want to miss a day / cus there’s so much we must do,” sings David Keenan on Radiate a Smile, four […]

You may have missed…

Features

Small Venue Heroes: Bill Kirchen

November 30, 2021 2
David Jarman pays tribute to the tireless ‘Titan of the Telecaster’ Bill Kirchen will be well known to Americana UK readers as a trailblazer of the genre through his work with Commander Cody and the Lost […]
Album Reviews

Joe Troop “Borrowed Time”

August 20, 2021 0
A wonderful quirky and eclectic debut album from singer/activist Joe Troop ‘Borrowed Time’ is the first solo album from Joe Troop whose band Che Apalache were nominated for Folk Album Of The Year in 2020. The […]
Videos

Video: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band “Merry Christmas Baby”

December 23, 2016 0
More videos from Monday 9 January but for now a Merry Christmas to all our viewers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi9kvO2zL2E

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