What The Folk - Micheal Chapman returns to Southend tonight

From postcards from Pellicci's to postcards from Southend and Scarborough

Rewind backawhiles, to January 2010... and you'll find me getting into a wide eyed (boy from freecloud) froth over Michael Chapman and the proto Bowie-tone colouring the sound of his 1970 album Fully Qualified Survivor - a tone brought to the FQS sessions by the recording debut of Mick Ronson..

The result of some stealthy info-digging since first hearing FQS - reveals an entire web threading the Chapman-first/Bowie-later connection together, with a repertory of Chapman's accomplices and session men being absorbed into Bowie's orbit.  From 69 and Jon Kane covering Chapman's Soulful Lady (produced by Tony Visconti)  to Gus Dudgeon of Rainmaker and FQS (later of Space Oddity, MWSTW, Ziggy), Paul Buckmaster of Rainmaker and FQS ( also Space Oddity, unreleased Man Who Fell to Earth OST) to Chapman's drummer Richie Dharma later appearing on Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side - and of  course - Mick Ronson's The Rats (from Hull), becoming Bowie's Spiders (from Mars).

So what's the point of this see-saw style, name-spotting? Well, Chapman returns to Southend for an appearance as part of the 2013 Leigh Folk Festival, which I believe, is his first live outing in this area since playing two local gigs with Bowie in 1970...

The tickets are booked, the bikes have been readied for a cycle to the venue - and who knows I may even try and grab a quick natter with Pal Chapman to get his take on the push-me—pull-you tale.

If you haven't backtracked to the original Chappers/Ronson post - lend a quizical ear below

Click here for this year's full-folk breakdown

60 Minute Man: Jukebox Jimmy's postcard from Pellicci's.....

Artwork by Eleanor Crow  first found at the always excellent Spitalfields Life site

With the theme for our June edition of Radio Podrophenia being summer/holidays/seaside - Piley and I are having ourselves a staycation. As in, we're still banging about with the usual natter and chat this Thursday from 9, but are having a beano to Southend's newest radio station Shipful of Bombs, and asking our Podrophonic listening pals to choose the tracks and tunes.

Pitched into the playlist is a new to me treat, and hit in August 68 from Robert John - hand picked by Pellicci legend Jukebox Jimmy.



In fact, Jim has kindly recorded a 60 minute podcast pulling into play a stunning run of summer sounds from The Mamas and the papas to the Goffin and King songbook, and dropping in sixties soul and perfect seventies. pop

Fill your boots below. And then backtrack to the JBJ's exclusive musical overview here

Jukebox Jimmy - a Podrophonic Postcard from Pellicci's



And behold as Our Man in The North - John Medd, nips in for a nibble at London's most classic cafe..

For more recommend reading - try and earn yourself a spotter's badge. seeing who you can spy in this set of Pellicci portraits....

So, if you're free this Thursday at nine come and pipe yourselves aboard at Radio Podrophenia anchored up for one month only at Shipful of Bombs

Maybe just for the weekend, we could get out of Southend - take in a change of view...

So what's been bubbling up over at the House of Blow Up? Long haul PM favourites Baltic Fleet were on the bill for the opening night of Yoko Ono's Meltdown last Friday. Playing two sessions - an early ambient/downtempo drift from 6pm, with a bulkier, beatier, bruiser of a do at around 9:30

A rotation of roaring performances that pulled in a playlist from both albums and had Bloomberg describing the Baltics as 'the psychedelic mid-point between Joy Division and Daft Punk'

Personally, I can't wait to see them belting out their unique brand of electrickery to a field full of festival-heads bouncing about to those Baltic beats.

On Tuesday the 18th June - Dave Woodock a Southender you may have read about on this blog first (or perhaps heard on our Podrophenia outings) released his debut single Same Things on the Blow Up label. An absolute stomper of a song, which two years back was my intro to the Boy Wonder that is - Dave Woodcock. But don't just take my word for what a walloper of a tune it is - behold the review from swish-hipsters at Brandish who claim...

Same Things reinvents Brit Pop, but in a good way, a wonderful distillation of everything that is great about quirky English pop music.

Same Things can be downloaded for free right here (and listen out for the line where this blog heading is lifted from)



Hang on a mo' - who's this ol' schmoozer hanging off of Sean Lennon

Art Rocks

Doodle a red ring around next Monday! As, in the tradition of Mighty Marvel Team-Ups we unite the Pouch of Douglas and Podrophenia to bring you ..... Pouchophenia.

A mixed medium of drinking, dancing and doodling and one of many events gathering together to form the Leigh Art Trail -

Come on down for sketching, shaking. sipping and special guests at The Ship - it's all free...details and
doings are hereabouts

How in the name of Major Tom did Podrophenia become featured on David Bowie's official Facebook and Twitter pages

We are the D.Js, we are what we play.

There *are* three steps to heaven - God, Elvis and David Bowie. Although only one of them is still putting out new material

Last Sunday, Podrophenia placed a Converse-clad foot on the first step, as your Podrophonic pals were featured on David Bowie's official FB and Twitter pages *faints* - *faints again*

We've been told before by someone in the know that Podrophenia would be right up Bowie's street - and while broadcasting live last Thursday, as well as Mr Bowie net listening in - we discover one mystery listener in New York (it couldn't have been - could it?)

We've never been so chuffed. We're happy - hope you're happy too.

A huge thank you is due to the ol' Starman himself and the Grand Master of Bowie Net for their support and shouts - so why not zip on over and take a look here....or here . Then grab yourself the Podrophenia Bowie Special - a Ziggy Podcast you could say right here - or in iTunes. 

We've got five exclusive cover versions from Andy J Gallagher (and guests including Roman Jugg of The Damned ), Silvery, The Millipede Engine, The Wolfmen and Hannah, live Bowie covers from David Woodock (joined by Wendy Solomon for one) - and the first play of Eight Rounds Rapid new single - due soon on Podrophenia Records...

In fact why not pop on over to Millipede Engine HQ and grab their Bowie cover while it's online for a limited period

The Bowie Podrophenia Special can be streamed below or downloaded here

And if you haven't yet - grab the new album - it's all beauty, no beast