TV Jools
Look, making a music TV show is easy. You get a band or bands. You get a camera or cameras. You point one at the other. You press a red button (is there some reason why the record button is always red?) and away you go.
Yet, time after time after time, music TV ends up looking like a dog’s dinner. It usually happens when you add stupid presenters or you decide to have groovy features or you begin to get post-modern about the whole thing. There was a reason why The Tube worked, you know.
Thank heavens then for Later With Jools and the return of former Tube presenter Jools Holland for the show’s 29th season. Yes, that’s 29.
Sure, Jools is a TV presenter and sure, there’s the odd zany feature (no sign of the Orchestra thus far or his tendency to play boogie-woogie piano) but Later With Jools works because it adheres to the idea of bands playing and cameras recording them.
Last Friday, Cansei de Ser Sexy, The Hold Steady, Arctic Monkeys, Henri Salvador and Tinariwen were on the show. Jools also had Bryan Ferry on, but maybe he got him free with his groceries at Marks & Spencer.
Next Friday night, Later will have Dizzee Rascal, Joanna Newsom, the mega Candie Payne and Grinderman on the show. It will also feature Travis, but you can go out to the kitchen and get a packet of biscuits when they’re on. I recommend Fox’s Classic.
It may be colourful, but the new Suzuki Splash causes few ripples
11:19 pm
Love ‘Later With…’. There may not be a lot of music TV competition, but it’s quality stuff. I’m especially fond of the weird, diversionary interviews a la “Look here, it’s Lionel Blair” (ok, not really but you know what I mean).
The other great thing about Jools’ show is if you’re too a) lazy or b) pregnant to go out on New Year’s Eve, his Hootenanny beats standing all night in an over-priced crap club. I usually tape it but got to see it last year.
PS
Comment by SinéadI thought you said you were laying off the biccies?