Another week and another track from the Africa field trip, well kind of.
On the flight out in January, scrolling through the music section of the onboard entertainment I came across a Folk Playlist. It contained a dozen or so tracks but had no introduction or information about the various pieces of music and no indication of who played them, just a song title?
There was one I especially liked and I jotted down certain lines of the lyrics and hoped that 'google' would be able to find the track. 3 months later and after a concerted search I finally came up with the answer.
It's a little bit Ed Sheeran (vocally) and a lot Mumford & Sons. Voted Best Group in the 2018 BBC Radio Folk Awards this is Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys with 'Chasing Shadows'.

If any of you know the name Sam Kelly (I know it's a bit like John Smith, because 'google' will find plenty of Sam Kellys for you), or even recognise the face perhaps?

Then it might be because in 2012 he reached the final of Britain's Got Talent as a solo artist aged just 19. He actually won the public vote but lost out to the eventual winner Ashleigh and Pudsey a dancing dog act.

That's 'Show Biz', but I don't suppose he's to bothered.

I could kid you I've been away these past months on a musical mission to South Africa to find new and interesting tracks for the FMS. And while there was music and song a plenty, there wasn't always the possibility to actually find out who it was playing and take note for future reference. Which was a pity, but I did find a few, most notably this one.

This is unusual, like nothing you've ever seen before ...unless you've seen the work of this South African artist: William Kentridge. (See link). We saw it at the Cape Town Zeitz MOCAA exhibition, but it has been shown in places around the world.

8 screens depicting a strange dance macabre set to an original soundtrack: the Band leader is Johannes Serekeho, along with The African Immanuel Essemblies Brass Band and vocals by Bham Ntabeni & Moses Moeta: this is "More Sweetly Play the Dance".

It may not be to everyone's taste, so here's just a short 'extracts' video. If you like it, then see the whole 14 minute show on the link beneath.

The entire William Kentridge installation is on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA7uob5PIPw

After loading 4 tracks into the system, the last one on February 2nd, I'm back and raring to go, poised with many scribbled notes and a shortlist of songs, old and new, to play you.
Driving around the last few months we always listened to a Western Cape radio station called "Magic 828 AM" which while playing a lot of good driving music, often specialised in songs from the 80s.
In a blatant attempt to make up for the none appearance of the 'Friday Music Spot' and to get you back in the swing and following how the radio would do things, here's my 80s 'Triple Play'.
Names of tracks will appear at the end (also like the radio, so you don't know what's coming up next...?) though the video windows will (in this case) probably give the game away... hit it >

You just heard Whitesnake with 'Here I Go Again' the 1987 recording, proceeded by Bryan Adams 1984 release 'Summer of '69' and first up was Huey Lewis 'Stuck With You' from 1986.