Here comes the sun (duh duh duh duhhh)

 Played a set at TERNS to celebrate it not being terrible grey weather anymore. Cheery Sunday afternoon stuff.

Big John K - Poor Souls

Ramsey Lewis Trio - John Henry

Black Merda - Take A Little Time

The Exotics - I Don't Want Nobody To Lead me On

Alèmayèhu Eshèté & Hirut Bèqèlè – Tèmèlès

Amon Düül II - Fly United

Paul Ritchie & The Cryin' Shames - Come On Back

Clemon Smith - Brother Man, Sister Ann

Roger Fakhr - Had To Come Back Wet

Huey 'Piano' Smith & His Clowns - Just A Lonely Clown

Harvey Averne - I Feel Fine

Lee Dorsey - People Gonna Talk

Lowell Fulson - Mellow Together

Eddie Bo - (Ooh, Wee Baby) What You Gonna Do

The Mar-Keys - Gonna Work Out Fine

Derrick Harriott - Reach Out I'll Be There

The Human Beinz - Dance On Through

Sidan - Ar Goll

Gift - Drugs

Indian Ropeman - Sunshine of Your Love

Calypso Rose feat Manu Chao - Leave Me Alone

Pierre Henry & Michel Colombier - Psyche Rock (Fatboy Slim malpaso edit)

Clue J And His Blues Blasters - Pine Juice

Loose Ends - Taxman

The Detroit Cobras - Putty (In Your Hands)

Irma Thomas - Somebody Told You

Nina Simone - Save Me

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Bag Of Bones

Tacocat - Hologram

The Dave Pike Set - Mathar (The Frank Popp Ensemble mix)

The Rose Garden - Next Plane To London

Professor Longhair - Who's Been Foolin'

Ray Charles - Don't You Know

Ray Sharpe - Help Me (Get The Feeling) pt 2

Camille 'Lil' Bob - Stop

Joe Simon - Come On And Get It

The Budos Band - The Sticks

Brian Auger & The Trinity - Tiger

Betty Harris - There's A Break In The Road

Amanaz - Khala My Friend

Sugarman Three - Pull My Cart

St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Call Me

Brenton Wood - The Oogum Boogum Song

The Barbarians - Moulty

Bo Diddley - Road Runner

Jerry & The Medicine Men - The Medicine Man pt 2

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages - Cape May Diamond

The Village Callers - Hector

Carla & Rufus - Cause I Love you

Bobby Franklin's Insanity - Bring It On Down To Me (part 1)

The Chapters - If You Can't Love Me - Pity Me

Dave Bartholomew - Yeah Yeah

Crystal Mansion - Somebody Oughta' Turn Your Head Around

Fuzzy Haskins - The Fuz And Da Boog

Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop feat Sara Bourgeois - The Mexican (radio version)

Youngblood Brass Band - Ain't Nobody

MC5 - The American Ruse

Rusty Harness - Goodbye

Aaron Neville - Let's Live

Alexi LaGoon's favourite mashups of 2025

 Haven't done this for ages, but, as a long-term mashup enthusiast, I feel it's nice to highlight some of the instances of this most postmodern and superficially trashy but actually sometimes transcendently beautiful craft that I really enjoyed in 2025.

In no particular order:

LeeDM101 - Sunday Apologies (Sinéad O'Connor vs Marsheaux)

Sinéad's cover of Nirvana is full of delicate melancholy, setting it drifting over a kind of harsh but lush synth landscape makes something really beautiful and moving.

Dunproofin' - Lonely GOATherd (Julie Andrews vs LL Cool J)

I think there's a specific art to a comedy mash, and this is probably the silliest of the year that I really enjoyed - great high concept, wildly mismatched sources, tremendous fun, almost danceable.

Titus Jones - Entertain Us (Charli XCX vs Blur vs Britney vs Nirvana)

Probably the most straight-up banger mashup here, taking several already incredibly catchy elements and scrunching them together slickly to make something even more dancefloor-centric.

fnogg - Subway Situation (Chappell Roan vs Weezer)

One of several great mashes from fnogg's Roan vs Weezer 'Cheezer' album (the other highlights, for me, being Red Wine Photonova and Undone After Midnight). I reckon this one has the edge as the anthemic heaviness of the instrumental brings out the frazzled emotion of the vocals better than the original (even if it ends up sounding a bit like that Keane song).

McClintock Mashups - I'll Be A Disciple For You (Slayer vs The Rembrandts) 

Are Slayer bad? I'm not metal enough to know, but a superficial skim of the internet suggests their more dubious imagery and lyrics are for provocation rather than actually being representative of a racist worldview, and the lyrics here seem to be asserting a general hatred of EVERYONE, which I can kind of get behind - particularly when expertly intertwined with the 'Friends' theme tune! Comedically mismatched but really well integrated (love a back-and-forth vocal), great.

DoM - Everybody Needs To Go Home (Boney M vs Fatboy Slim)

Fatboy Slim's Everybody Needs A Carnival  is itself an alternate version of his Everybody Needs a 303, with added calypso carnival party vibes. Throwing in Boney M's Gotta Go Home (perhaps better recognised as the sample for Duck Sauce Barbara Streisand) creates incredible energy. At times it sounds like a great mix (i.e. two records playing in sync) more than a comprehensively integrated mash, but it's so good, just draaaaags you inexorably to the dancefloor.

ah! - Lumnpch (Billie Eilish vs Presidents of the United States of America)

Eilish's breathy ethereal vocals over the Presidents' bouncy grungy riffs is an unusual dynamic, but it all fits together delightfully. Perhaps even more than any other mashup this year, I listened to this one over and over and over.

That's it. Loads of others I enjoyed, but think those were the top of the pops. Go check out all the creators accounts for more quality stuff, etc etc.

They call me back door santa

Did another funky rhythm & blues / fuzzy garage night at the lovely Engine Room in North Shields, this time throwing in some CHRISTMAS-RELATED TRACKS. Probably ended up 50/50ish in the end, skating devilishly close to breaking the 'No Wham, no Carey' rule.

Here's what got played:

1 - Ella Fitzgerald - Sleigh Ride

2 - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - God Rest Ye Merry Gents

3 - Otis Redding - Merry Christmas Baby

4 - Donny Hathaway - This Christmas

5 - Foolish Relics - Christmas in Hollis

6 - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

7 - The Classic Brown - It's a Wrap

8 - The Not Fur Longs - Toys Don't Cry

9 - The Bakesys - Random Festive Words

10 - J.B. Summers - I Want A Present For Christmas

11 - Tom Dyer & His Queen's Pajamas - No Lou This Xmas

12 - Sugarman Three - Soul Donkey

13 - Olympic - Blasnivej Kiki

14 - Ill Boogs - Gypsy Rock

15 - Huey 'Piano' Smith & His Clowns - Second Line

16 - The Funk Brothers - Winter Wonderland (instrumental)

17 - Amos Milburn - Christmas Comes But Once A Year

18 - Santa's Little Helper - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

19 - Barrence Whitfield & The Savages - Hey Miss Glynis

20 - Bettye Swann - The Heartache Is Gone

21 - Tabby Thomas - I Don't Care

22 - Big Man and the Night People - Night Creeper

23 - The Detroit Cobras - Can't Do Without You

24 - The Yardbirds - Heartful of Soul

25 - The Swaggerlies - All I Want For Christmas (Is To Be Left Alone)

26 - Across 35th - Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?

27 - Louis Armstrong & The Commanders – ‘Zat You, Santa Claus?

28 - Bobby Smith - Bess's Boogie

29 - MC5 - Sister Anne

30 - Morning Reign - Can't Get Enough Of It

31 - The Kinks - Brainwashed

32 - The Dirtbombs - I'm Qualified To Satisfy You

33 - Clarence Carter - Backdoor Santa

34 - The Allergies - It's Almost Here

35 - Futureman feat Adam Montague - Father Christmas

36 - Betty James - I'm A Little Mixed Up

37 - Ike & Tina Turner - Why I Sing the Blues

38 - Les Cooper And His Soul Rockers - Wahoo

39 - We The They - Holiday Lines

40 - The Fleshtones - Champagne Christmas

41 - The Ronettes - Frosty The Snowman

42 - Patti Page - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

43 - Guns of Nevada - Liquor In My Stocking

44 - Flamin' Groovies - Golden Clouds

45 - Billy Preston - Steady Get'n It

46 - The Len Price 3 - If I Ain't Got You

47 - the Werewandas - I've Got A Great Big Christmas Tree

48 - Ego and the Appropriators - Christmas Wrapping

49 - Big Boss Man - Christmas Boogaloo

50 - Guts feat. Leron Thomas - Man Funk

51 - Arrested Development - People Everyday (metamorphosis mix)

52 - Buddy Guy - Man Of Many Words

53 - Bobnoxious - Police Nabbed My Dad

54 - The Wedding Present - Step Into Christmas

55 - Delakota - C'Mon Cincinnati (M Organs village mix)

56 - Back Chat Brass - All Star

57 - Lou Rawls - Good Time Christmas

58 - The Marshall Brothers - Mr Santa's Boogie

59 - Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)

60 - The Dollyrots - Santa Baby

61 - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - White Christmas

62 - Oscar McLollie & His Honey Jumpers - Dig That Crazy Santa Claus

63 - Champion Jack Dupree - Shim Sham Shimmy

64 - The Bacarrudas - Christmas Fun

65 - The Step Daughters feat WANK - Fairytale of New York

66 - El Vez - Feliz Navi-Nada

67 - Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run

68 - Andy B And The World - Santa Baby

69 - Vixoria Drift - All I Want For Christmas Is You Killing In The Name (RATM vs Mariah Carey mashup)

70 - Lucy Dacus - Last Christmas

71 - The Squirrels - Joy To The World

72 - The Discount Dandies - Silent Night

73 - Nolan Porter - Keep On Keepin' On

74 - The Beatstalkers - You Better Get A Better Hold On

75 - Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians Of The British Empire - He's Making A Tape

76 - Mark 'Porkchop' Holder - My Black Name

77 - Big Joe Turner - Christmas Date Boogie

78 - The Robins - The Turkey Hop

79 - The Weisstronauts - Jingle Bells

80 - MJ Hibbett & the Validators - Easy Christmas

81 - The Fastbacks - Oh Come All Ye Faithful

82 - The Vandals - Oi To The World (evening session session)

83 - Eels - Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas

84 - Half Man Half Biscuit - It's Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas

85 - Jimmy Witherspoon - How I Hate To See Christmas Come Around

86 - The Nic Nacs - Gonna Have A Merry Xmas

87 - Charles Brown - Merry Christmas Baby

Have a good one. FUNK LAGOON WILL RETURN IN 2026.