Music Matters: The soulful vibes keep on coming!

If you need a live music pick-me-up to help banish the winter blues, then Butlin’s Bognor Regis has a cracking Soul Weekender happening in November.

The line-up is stellar and features the legendary Boney M (a band I once saw at the much missed Chichester Real Ale and Jazz Festival that used to take place in Priory Park), plus Kenny Thomas, Jocelyn Brown and Alison Limerick.

Other acts performing include Janet Kay and Caroll Thompson, Odyssey and Junior Giscombe. It promises to be a top weekend of soulful vibes and musical sunshine so grab your tickets. The dates are 13 -16 November.

Gabrielle is one of the UK’s finest singer-songwriters and launched her career in 1993 with her debut single ‘Dreams’. She has had a stack of hits over the decades including her song ‘Out of Reach’ that featured in the film ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’.

Dates for her ‘The Hits UK Tour 2027’ have just been announced and she will be playing Portsmouth Guildhall on 29 March. Gabrielle has been a busy lady over the last few months as she has been touring with Rick Astley as part of his ‘Reflection’ tour across the UK.

My musical gem: This week in 1979 saw the release of a song that introduced the world to hip-hop. The Sugarhill Gang released their single ‘Rapper’s Delight’ that contains the joyful lyric “I said a hip-hop, the hippie, to the hippie/To the hip, hip-hop and you don’t stop the rockin”. Their track features a sample of ‘Good Times’ by the band Chic. Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards of Chic were not happy with the use of their tune and threatened legal action but eventually settled out of court with the pair being credited as co-writers of ‘Rapper’s Delight’. If you listen to the song today, it sounds as fresh and innovative as it did back in 1979!  

Listen to Duncan Barkes on Nation Easy Radio, Monday to Friday nights from 10pm. Nation Easy Radio can be heard on DAB digital radio, via the Nation Player app and on your smart speaker – just say “Play Nation Easy Radio.”