August 2008 (Volume 1 Issue 80)

Our cover artist this month is Irma Thomas, who has a new album out called Simply Grand. This is a collection of piano led songs on which the soul diva is accompanied by a stellar group of pianists. She was in London to receive a Soul Legend Award and hopes to be back, on tour, in the Autumn.

This issue brings us the second of Oliver Carpenter's articles about the Wichenford Festival. It seems that the festival fans showed intrepid spirit and turned up despite the rain. I was equally stoical at the Cornbury Festival and it was worth the effort. There are lots of festivals and outdoor gigs happening at the moment. Take wellies and brollies and wrap up in woolies and waterproofs, just in case. Later, you will remember the music with pleasure and have recovered from the weather.

The Kingsize 5 are getting some deserved attention at the moment. There seems to be about nine of them but that may be because they keep moving around a lot. They have an album out called White Live Fever, which has lots of brass and is great to dance to; they write about it in their e-letter to Blues In Britain .

Also in this issue is my interview with rising star Oliver Darling who, at twenty-six, has already played in more bands than most people. He first came to notice in The Blue Tits and then more recently in various line-ups with Mike Sanchez and Al Gare. Oliver has formed a band called The Dirty Robbers and recorded an album of rocking r & b, called simply The Dirty Robbers.

I met up Jeff Lang, a son of Geelong in Victoria, Australia, who is touring at the moment, when he was here last year. He has many albums out, Half Seas Over is the current one, and he also recorded an album with Chris Whitley, called Dislocation Blues, just before Chris died. I have seen Jeff play; he is singer, songwriter and awesome musician. Read about him and go to see him play. Jeff is a great influence on other Australian musicians whom we know, such as Derrin Nauendorf. Thinking of Derrin, he is getting married this month. We wish him every happiness! The SPIKEdrivers are playing at the wedding, which is a very good start.

Fran Leslie ( )