What are you listening to right now?

[Blackleaf]

The Divine Comedy: "Achilles" (2025)

Formed in 1989 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, The Divine Comedy are a Britpop/Baroque pop band fronted by Neil Hannon.

Their brand new single "Achilles", which sounds more like it's from 1965 than 2025, is taken from their 13th studio album "Rainy Sunday Afternoon", to be released in September...

 

[Blackleaf]

The Bluebells - "Young at Heart" (1984)

The Scottish band has a No8 UK hit with this in the year that Brunei gained its independence from Britain; Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso; Indira Gandhi is assassinated; a Russian cosmonaut is the first woman to do a spacewalk; and a transit of Earth from Mars takes place, with the next one not happening until 2084...

 

[Blackleaf]

Sash! ft Rodriguez - "Ecuador" (1998)

The two Germans - Rodriguez being adept at singing in Spanish - teamed up to have a global hit with this in the year France won its first World Cup by beating Brazil 3-0; Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family are buried in St Petersburg 80 years after their assassination; and Google is founded in Menlo Park, California

 

[Blackleaf]

Lana Del Rey: "Henry, Come On" (2025)

The new single from the 39-year old New York City songstress

 

[Blackleaf]

Depeche Mode - "People Are People" (1984)

39 years after World War II, the mighty Essex synthesiser geniuses who have sold over 100 million albums globally reached No4 in the UK with this anti-war song

 

[Blackleaf]

Spandau Ballet - "Lifeline" (1982)

The London New Wave band reached No7 in the UK with this.

Bassist Martin Kemp - brother of guitarist Gary - went on to become an actor and played Steve Owen in BBC soap opera EastEnders for many years. He is married to Shirlie Kemp who was a member of Wham! with George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley and Helen DeMacque. In turn, Shirlie and Helen went on to form the pop duo Pepsi & Sherlie.

 

[Blackleaf]

Seona Dancing - "Bitter Heart" (1983)

The London electropop duo reached No79 in the UK with this in 1983.

Whilst the song and video were very contemporary, they somehow didn't make it to the big time.

Not long after, the band split and lead singer Ricky Gervais ended up becoming a successful stand up comedian, comedy actor, comedy writer and director, writing and directing The Office amongst other comedy series. He now has his own YouTube channel and often attacks woke culture.

 

[Blackleaf]

The Troggs - "Sunny Afternoon" (1966)

Black Sabbath invented heavy metal.

The Troggs invented punk.

The Andover, Hampshire, band - surely one of the best bands of the 1960s - were banned in America in the late Sixties.

In 1966, however, they reached No1 in Britain with this...

 

[Blackleaf]

Duran Duran - "A View to a Kill" (1985)

The London band performed the theme tune to the bond movie "A View to a Kill", the 14th movie in the mighty British spy movie series which is still going today with the movies being renowned for their extravagant opening credits and song performed by a famous artist, and it reached No2 in Britain.

In 1985, it was Roger Moore who played Bond.

Here's the opening sequence to the movie...

 

[Blackleaf]

Kraftwerk - "The Model" (1978)

Hailing from West Germany , the electronic band - whose name means "power plant" - had a No1 UK hit with this

 

[Taxslave2]

The Supreme Commander whine about something. Wasn't paying attention, so I don't know what it's about.

 

[Blackleaf]

Billy Idol ft. Avril Lavigne - "77" (2025)

The British and Canadian rockers have teamed up for a brand new single.

Idol, 69, is famous for his 1983 hit "Rebel Yell", and Lavigne, 40, is famous for her 2002 hit "Sk8er Boi".

 

[Blackleaf]

Roxy Music - "Virginia Plain" (1972)

The London glam rockers - famously fronted by Bryan Ferry - had a UK No4 hit with this.

The band's first single, it takes its name from a painting by former art student Ferry of a Virginia Plain cigarette.

Phil Manzanera's guitar solo was improvised. He later claimed he played the first thing that came into his head.

 

[Blackleaf]

Sleep Token - "Damocles" (2025)

The London rockers' new single, the third from their brand new studio album

New album "Even In Arcadia" is out now...

 

[Blackleaf]

Yungblud - "Lovesick Lullaby" (2025)

The new single from the 27-year-old Doncaster, South Yorkshire, rocker whose real name is Dominic Harrison

 

[Blackleaf]

Ghost - "Peacefield" (2025)

The Swedish heavy metallers have released yet another new single.

Fronted by 44-year-old Tobias Forge, they are rapidly gaining popularity

[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY, 28/04/25]

We wish to inform you that the release of Skeletá and the launch of Skeletour has been as bright as the starlight. An inception point for much more to come. Come together, together as one congregation for the premiere of the "Peacefield" music video tomorrow.

 

[Blackleaf]

Urban Cookie Collective - "The Key the Secret" (1993)

The British dance band fronted by Diane Charlemagne reached No2 in the UK with this, being kept off the top spot by the brilliant "Living On My Own" by Freddie Mercury. It was also a big hit across the rest of Europe.

The 1990s was a decade of big club dance hits and this was one of them.

 

[Blackleaf]

Aqua - "Roses Are Red" (1996)

The Danish electropoppers reached No1 in their native land with this.