There have been some great versions of the Steve Winwood/Eric Clapton penned ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ over the years, not least of all Clapton’s own live version from 1975 with Yvonne Elliman and Joe Cocker’s 1991 recording, well suited to his aching vocal style.
After a long period of radio silence, Tom Waits reappeared in July 2026 with ‘Boots On The Ground’, a track which, despite being a collaboration with Massive Attack, still retained some of the musical and tonal hallmarks of a later period Waits recording.
For a band rooted within the northeastern US, The Northern Line adopt a very British sound on parts of their debut EP. The crashy opening of ‘Lightning Strikes’ makes no secret of a love of The Who, and occasionally the number slips into a riff or two that’s reminiscent of early Dodgy. It isn’t a straight up homage to old mod or mod adjacent Britpop sounds, though: the swirling organs and crashing beats that run through the centre of this energised number carry more than a faint echo of old Northern Soul bangers, and a reverbed vocal leans a little more into a garage rock sound. If you’re going to borrow, it might as well be from good stock, of course, and what The Northern Line manage with their spoils here has a genuine spark throughout. With a slight echo applied, the lead vocal takes on a retro sound that is genuinely great, but is soon outshone by a world of lead guitar courtesy of Pete Kitchener, a man clearly able to redress a couple of Dave Davies inspired runs with the power of 90s Britpop to give the track an extra feeling of gusto. It’s all very familiar to say the least, but what this menagerie of sound represents feels far greater than the actual outcome. This is the sound of a band with a lot of energy and a band who are able to recycle bits of the past in a way that feels genuinely exciting.
According to Joan Wasser – aka Joan As Police Woman – “songs live beyond their creators” and “settle into themselves over time”. With this in mind, the whole of 2007’s ‘Real Life’ album has been not just re-recorded, but re-imagined.
This trip to the Singles Bar promises a proper mixed bag. We’ve got indie rock, pop punk from one of Cornwall’s finest exports, some well crafted electronica with ambient undercurrents, a hugely radio friendly track from Northern Ireland, and even a guest spot from a genuine legend. And that’s just for starters! As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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