What are you listening to right now?

[Blackleaf]

The Hollies - "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (1969)

In 1969, when British pop and rock dominated the world, the Manchester band The Hollies had a Top 10 hit in Britain, America and other countries with this global megahit.

The year after - 1970 - American musician Neil Diamond had a hit with his cover of the song.

In his 1884 book The Parables of Jesus, James Wells, Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland, tells the story of a little girl carrying a big baby boy. Seeing her struggling, someone asked if she was tired. With surprise she replied: "No, he's not heavy; he's my brother."

It's thought that the boy had polio and had leg braces. In the decades that followed, the true story of a young girl displaying immense love to her brother became legendary in the United Kingdom.

 

[Blackleaf]

The Tremeloes - "Here Comes My Baby" (1967)

In the decade that post-war Britain was swinging, the London band had a hit with this written by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens

 

[Blackleaf]

Jamiroquai - "Deeper Underground" (1998)

The London acid jazz band scored a huge hit around the world with their soundtrack to the 1998 American movie "Godzilla"...

 

[Blackleaf]

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich - "Bend It" (1966)

The Salisbury rockers scored a No2 hit with this in September 1966, just after England won the World Cup and postwar Britain was swinging and feeling good after several years of hardship...

 

[Blackleaf]

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - "Fire" (1968)

Another video of the hit song from the London rockers, which can be considered a forerunner of heavy metal.

Like The Rolling Stones, the masked band are still performing today, seemingly living forever.

Nowadays, most people wouldn't bat an eyelid to such a such and such a video. But in 1968 both were shocking...

 

[Blackleaf]

Skindred - "You Got This" (2025)

Hailing from Newport, near Cardiff, the reggae metallers are back with a new single...

Ninth studio album "You Got This" is released 17th April 2026...

 

[Blackleaf]

Muse - "Unravelling" (2025)

The new single from the Teignmouth, Devon, heavy alternative rockers, who are about to start work on a new album

 

[Blackleaf]

Lacuna Coil - "In Nomine Patris" (2025)

Hailing from Milan, this is the new single from the Italian gothic metallers

 

[Blackleaf]

Cat Stevens - "Moonshadow" (1970)

The London folk singer and songwriter had a big UK and US hit with this. He is still making music and releasing singles and albums to this day.

 

[Blackleaf]

Arctic Monkeys - "Red Lights Indicate Doors Are Secure" (2006)

In 2006 four young Yorkshire lads turned up on the music scene with a debut album which topped the charts in several countries. They were one of the first artists to come to public attention through the internet. Instantly making a huge impact, the rockers rapidly became one of the world's most successful bands, having sold 30 million records in the US alone. Lead singer and co-guitarist Alex Turner famously sings in his Sheffield accent.

This song from their huge UK No1debut album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" seems to be about youthful nights out in their native Sheffield, Britain's fourth-biggest city.

 

[Blackleaf]

Madness - "Mr Apples" (2025)

The latest single from the veteran London ska band

 

[Blackleaf]

Dragonforce ft Alyssa White-Gluz - "Burning Heart" (2025)

The fivesome London power metal band collaborated with the Canadian heavy metal singer for their latest single...

 

[Blackleaf]

Mel C - "Sweat" (2025)

The brand new single from the 51-year-old former Spice Girl (remember them?)

New album "Sweat" is released 1st May 2026...

 

[Blackleaf]

Andy Bell ft Tim Rice-Oxley - "The Chance Won't Come Again" (2025)

Andy Bell, lead singer of London electropoppers Erasure - famous for big hits in the 80s - and Tim Rice-Oxley, lead singer of rockers Keane, who are from Battle, East Sussex (where the Normans arrived from Normandy in 1066 to conduct their successful invasion of England), have formed an unlikely partnership to release this new single.

It does sound very Erasure-esque...

 

[Blackleaf]

My mistake: Tim Rice-Oxley plays the synthesisers in Keane, so he plays the synthesisers in this song.

 

[Blackleaf]

Alestorm - "Hyperion Omniriff" (2025)

The new single from the Scottish pirate rockers...

 

[Blackleaf]

The Rasmus - "Banksy" (2025)

The new single from the Finnish rockers which pays tribute to the anonymous British street artist known only as Banksy.

Banksy's works have been inspirations for the band...

 

[Blackleaf]

The Pogues - "Fairytale of New York" (1987)

It's that time of year and I'm going to have to do it again.

In 1987 - the year Margaret Thatcher won a third consecutive British General Election and Coventry City won the FA Cup - the London Celtic punk rockers teamed up with the London songstress to make what is arguably the greatest Christmas pop song in history...

 

[Blackleaf]

Jona Lewie - "Stop The Cavalry" (1980)

The Southampton singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist scored a UK Christmas No3 hit with this emotional song about a young British soldier who, understandably, wanted to leave the bitter cold of his trench and enemy shellfire to spend Christmas with the woman he loves, so reminiscent of millions of British soldiers in World War I.

 

[Blackleaf]

The Scaffold - "Lily the Pink" (1968)

The Scaffold were a British comedy band consisting of Roger McGough - a poet and children's author I was a fan of as a kid - comedian and entertainer John Gorman, who co-presented the children's show "Tiswas" from 1978 to 1981, and musician and photographer Mike McCartney, Paul McCartney's brother.

This hit was UK No1 for four weeks..