Author Archives: Simon

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About Simon

Simon Ashberry has been playing the best of local music on Bradford Beat for almost a quarter of a century . He was music columnist for the Telegraph & Argus for several years, covering local acts such as Embrace, Terrorvision, Tasmin Archer and New Model Army, and has played bass in several bands himself. He was previously part of Bradford-based Loom with John Rigby from Trip and Stumble and currently plays with innovative blues trio West Yorkshire Noblemen's Society.

Festival season approaching

This week’s Bradford Beat included a look ahead to the line-up at Glastonbury and Bingley Music Live.

Don’t forget I’m one of the BCB presenters doing DJ sets at the Bradford International Film Festival. My stint has been moved to 8.15pm this Sunday (April 21).

Here’s the tracklisting in full:

Fratellis – Flathead
New Model Army – Bittersweet
Billy Bragg – There Will Be a Reckoning
Billy Delines – Will You Miss Me?
Steve Mason – Oh My Lord
Imani Hekima – Just Beneath The Dub
Swim Deep – The Sea
The Invaders – Girl’s In Action
Bastille – Pompeii
Chutzpah – Shine
Frank Turner – Wessex Boy
Pigeon Detectives – I Won’t Come Back
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down – Holy Roller
Fossil Collective – Wolves

Click here to listen again

Billy DeLines in session

For breathtaking blues, don’t miss the latest edition of Bradford Beat.

West Yorkshire harmonica player Billy DeLines played three live session tracks and talked about his love for the blues with Simon Ashberry.

The full track listing for the show was:

The Selecter – On My Radio
Blues Beaten Redshaw – Prisoner’s Home
Billy DeLines – Walkin’ After Midnight (live in session)
Billy DeLines – Will You Miss Me? (live in session)
Billy DeLines – Everybody Gotta Make A Change (live in session)
The Clash – Wrong ‘Em Boyo

and you can listen again by clicking here

Shamrock ‘n’ roll

There was an Irish flavour to this week’s edition of Bradford Beat.

The full tracklisting for the St Patrick’s Day show was:

Bluesbeaten Redshaw – Prisoner’s Home
Steve Mason – Oh My Lord
Roger Davies – Stephanie
Ricky Skaggs, Paddy Glackin and Mark O’Connor – St Ann’s Reel
Chutzpah – Tell
Billy Bragg- Handyman Blues
Figurehead – Comfortable Prison
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim and Sleep Like A Shark
The Dubliners – Woman From Wexford
Latch Bermany – Running Out Of Legs
Swim Deep – The Sea
Downdime – In Space
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down – Holy Roller
Marxman – Sad Affair

You can listen again by clicking here

Post-Wembley…

Still recovering from the rigours of the League Cup Final, this week’s edition of Bradford Beat was a repeat of our punk rock special.

Tracks played were:

Latch Bermany – I See Through You
Swim Deep – The Sea
Chutzpah – Feel
The Adverts – Gary Gilmore’s Eyes
The Ruts – Love In Vain
Spizzenergi – Where’s Captain Kirk?
The Selecter – On My Radio
I Am Kloot- These Days Are Mine
Sentimentalists – Poppa’s Stoned On Chemicals Again
Tim Burgess – The Doors of Then
Lidwine – Duet For Ghosts
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down – Holly Roller
Teleman – Cristina
Figurehead – Comfortable Prison

and you can listen again by clicking here

Come on you Bantams!

If you need any more pre-Wembley excitment, then listen again to this week’s cup final special edition of Bradford Beat.

It features a host of Bradford City tunes to get you in the mood for Sunday.

The full track listing is:

James – Sit Down
Hanson – Where’s The Love?
Simon Crabtree – The Spirit of Bradford City
Peculiar Disco Moves – Wembley Way
Tom and Dom – Let’s Get Ready For Wembley
Bantams Wonder featuring Live Lounge – Living For The City
Venusian Plow – Ed Canaveral
I Am Kloot – These Days Are Mine
Roger Davies – Stephanie
Chutzpah – Feel
Mark Heslop aka The Ginger Bantam – Cap One Story
Martin Josephson – I’ll Always Be A Bantam
Anita Madigan – The Dalai Lama Loves You All

and you can listen again by clicking here

Wembley Fever

Bradford Beat will be celebrating the Bantams’ appearance in the Capital One Cup Final with a special football-themed show.

There will be something by James and something by Hanson. Oh yes.

We also plan to play a couple of the several tracks written and recorded to mark the occasion – these include Cap One Story by Mark Heslop aka The Ginger Bantam and The Spirit of Bradford City by Simon Crabtree aka The Bradford City Food & Beverage Sub Committee.

The Wembley special will be broadcast on BCB 106.6FM from 8pm – 9pm on Thursday 21 February.

Meanwhile the tracklisting for this week’s show was as follows:

Roger Davies – Stephanie
Swim Deep – The Sea
Great White Underground – Memory Loss and Sleep
Chutzpah – Doctor
Phoenix Foundation – The Captain
Sentimentalists – I’m Beat
Blueveils – Quiet Riot
Lidwine – Duet For Ghosts
Cave Painting – Leaf
Latch Bermany – Running Out Of Legs
Dinosaur Pile-Up – Arizona Waiting
Talk To Angels – Lead Balloon
Little Ones – Argonauts
Richard Marriott – Join The Dance

And you can click here to listen to the whole show again.

RIP Reg

Bradford Beat has paid tribute to the Troggs frontman Reg Presley.

We played one classic Troggs track plus a punk cover of another.

The full tracklisting was:

The Troggs – With a Girl Like You
Venusian Plow – Ed Canaveral
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim and Sleep (Like A Shark)
Latch Bermany – Undivided Love
Lurkers _ Ain’t Got A Clue
Chutzpah – Cannonball
Parma Violets – Best of Friends
Nick Toczek – A Bratfud Life
Everything Everything – Kemosabe
John Parkes – My Hit Song
Vibrators – You Broke My Heart
The Chevin – Champion
Swim Deep – The Sea
Great White Underground – Eyeball Cafe
Buzzcocks – Can’t Control Myself
Ra Ra Riot – Beta Love

You can listen again by clicking here

Old and new

Some of the most promising bands of 2013 stood alongside punk and post-punk classics in the latest episode of Bradford Beat.

Hotly tipped among the current crop of new names are Swim Deep and Teleman. Also on this week’s playlist were The Ruts, Spizzenergi and The Adverts – full tracklisting was:

Latch Bermany – I See Through You
Swim Deep – The Sea
Chutzpah – Feel
The Adverts – Gary Gilmore’s Eyes
The Ruts – Love In Vain
Spizzenergi – Where’s Captain Kirk?
The Selecter – On My Radio
I Am Kloot- These Days Are Mine
Sentimentalists – Poppa’s Stoned On Chemicals Again
Tim Burgess – The Doors of Then
Lidwine – Duet For Ghosts
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down – Holly Roller
Teleman – Cristina
Figurehead – Comfortable Prison

You can listen again by clicking here

Punk bonanza

We’re planning a celebration of all things punk on Bradford Beat.

It’s all to mark the fact that several lesser known bands of that era are playing in West Yorkshire in the near future – so you can to hear from the likes of The Ruts, Spizzenergi and TV Smith plus more besides.

In the meantime, you can listen again to last week’s show by clicking here – the full tracklisting was:

Chutzpah – Eyes
Animal Collective – Applesauce
Sentimentalists – Poppa’s Stoned On Chemicals Again
Two Door Cinema Club – Sun
Post War Glamour Girls – Tremor
The 1975 – Sex
Spin Doctors – Two Princes
Figurehead – Comfortable Prison
Everything Everything – Cough Cough
Latch Bermany – Jagged Jigsaw Puzzle
Art Brut – Alcoholics Unanimous
Wind Up Birds – The Mild Awards

And don’t forget to listen to Pete Chapman’s Punk Show!

New music for 2013

Local band Figurehead were a new name on the playlist in this week’s edition of Bradford Beat.

They are yet another recommendation from the Sound Shack stable.

The full tracklisting for the January 10 show was:

Kaiser Chiefs – On The Run
Eugene McGuinness – In The Bleak Midwinter
Day One – Saturday Siren
The Wind-Up Birds – Two Ambulance Day
Beth Orton – Call Me The Breeze
Figurehead – Comfortable Prison
Dinosaur Jr – Watch The Corners
The Chevin – Blue Eyes
Scars on 45 – Heart’s On Fire
The Maccabees – Feel To Follow
Sentimentalists – My Mad Mind
Orange Juice – Rip It Up
The Seven Inches – A Letter
The Blackout – Running Scared

You can listen again by clicking here