Entertainment

Zane Lowe

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As much as I hate leaving work late - it inevitably means that I'll miss putting my son to bed and spending time with my wife - it usually means I'll get the chance to hear Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show. I've written about this before, only last time Zane wasn't in the hot seat.

Tonight, he was in full-on-boogie mode with Mike Skinner on co-host duties. I've never really heard Mike talk beyond his performances as The Streets, and was curious to see how he would come across. I'm pleased to say he sounds like a pretty decent bloke! Not at all big headed or too intent on playing up the so-called Chav persona he'd created for himself; he gave some insightful answers, and was likable and intelligent on air. Zane Lowe is a credit to Radio 1 - asking some great questions with an enthusiasm that manages to stay comfortably on the right side of embarrassing grovelling: Zane is clearly a fan, but is capable of shelving fanboy slobbering and being objective during an interview. I managed to hear two new tracks from The Streets - Two Nations (a brilliantly written attack on the US) and Pranging Out which comes across as the darker side of Blinded By The Lights. Two great tracks, which make me all the more interested in the new album.

On a Monday night, Zane airs a feature called Freshmeat: Three tracks, three new artists. The audience and guest are invited to rate the three tracks, and the winner stays on until next week. It was during Freshmeat that I came across Tunng, and I've subsequently ordered their first album from Play. They appear to be a chilled-out acoustic trance-folk outfit, and I love the way they sound (have a listen to Tale From Black). Surprisingly, Skinner rated them the highest of the three tracks. Sadly, the audience didn't. I'll write about the album when it arrives.

© 2006 Is there food?.