Another review that’s dropped off the Nottingham Post website, my fourth (and probably final) time seeing the Pope of Rock (do they call him that?) Newly knighted Sir Roderick Stewart’s fourth visit to the arena comes in the midst of a short tour of parks and stadiums. He must like Nottingham. He’s coming back to the Motorpoint in December to give us his From Gasoline Alley to Another Country: Hits tour. When was the last time a megastar played Nottingham twice in a year? Tonight Gasoline Alley is performed by daughter Ruby Stewart and Alyssa Bonagura, who make up the enjoyable country support act Sisterhood. Ruby introduces ‘The Rodfather’. He tells us it’s a privilege to come indoors and be warm. Soon he’s thanking everybody…

Ezra Furman is exhausted. He’s been touring so long he can no longer remember who he was at the start of the tour, never mind before. He might get confessional, he tells us. That comes later. His first Nottingham appearance, a 42 minute in-store at Rough Trade in July this year, was a riveting, unforgettable gig. No surprise then, that tonight’s show has long been sold out. He’s dressed to kill, in pin stripe skirt, black vest and a long string of pearls. Perpetual Motion People is his sixth and best album, the second with the Boyfriends, who accompany him tonight and features heavily. Furman is twenty-nine, but looks younger, and plays raucous rock’n’roll with exciting hooks that recall doo wop, Lou Reed and early…

Less than a year after his Nottingham debut (which I also reviewed), Ryley Walker is back, in a larger venue, with a larger band, but a sparser audience. Whether that’s down to the heat-wave, the football final or the tragedy at Manchester Arena, I don’t know. It can’t be down to the music, for third album Golden Songs That Have Been Sung marked a big step forward for Walker, whose jazz-tinged, improvisatory gigs can be a thing of wonder. Jam band Health and Beauty are the support and backing group. Whereas last year’s accompanying jazz duo emulated Miles Davis, tonight’s guiding spirit is The Grateful Dead. The four take a while to gel. Two of the three opening numbers are a little clunky in places.…

Today’s archive review (no longer available online with the Nottingham Post, where it first appeared) is one of the handful I’ve done at the Playhouse, which is a great venue for music. I write about plays for the Post occasionally, but never at the Playhouse, as I’m one if its trustees. However, gigs are put on by outside promoters, so I feel free to write about them. Georgie Fame, 73, is having a welcome resurgence. 6CD set ‘Survival’ provoked positive reassessments of his key 60s work. He was a Nottingham regular back then, playing the Dungeon, Beachcomber and elsewhere. Younger fans will have seen him play with Van Morrison in the late 80s. He still tours extensively. A visit to the Playhouse eighteen months ago…

  This is an extended version of my Royal Concert Hall review for the Nottingham Post. It isn’t online, so I can’t nick their photos or link to it here. David Sedaris isn’t a household name unless your house is constantly tuned to Radio Four, but the 62-year-old humourist’s ascent is remarkable. He writes essays and diaries for the New Yorker and public radio. I’ve been reading his stuff for twenty odd years but hadn’t taken in how successful he’s become. His latest book has been number one on the New York Times bestseller list for six weeks and counting. From North Carolina, he now lives, with his husband, Hugh, in the South Downs, where his hobby is collecting litter (he has a refuse truck…