In my role as the sage of Battersea Arts Centre, the Yoda of Lavender Hill, the eye candy of Burgess Hill and the once and future King of Rochdale, I necessarily wear many hats. Especially on sunny days. So it's a given that many people read this blog in order to be on point with the issues and slightly ahead of the curve about what to think.

I get that. So let me direct to you to some songs that aren't famous but, maybe, should be. It's that Shazam moment where you frantically point your phone towards some tinny speaker in the pub when a weird and wonderful track comes on. "Wow! What's that!"

You Can't Win Them All Mum - Lost Soul Band (1993)

Ever tumbling, ever dying, You Can't Win Them All Mum, was my favourite song of 1993. A bit like Theresa May's favourite sexual position, who cares? Well, I have taste and this is a beautiful song. Led by Gordon Grahame, this Scots band had about 10 seconds of fame in the early 90's but - like a Celtic Achilles, they burned bright and then left. I had this single in three formats (7', 12' and cassette) back in the day. This is always on my Desert island Discs playlist. It's a private song from my youth, means something personal and shows that people who sound like Tim Robson can make it - albeit only briefly!

Sucker - Kevin Tihista (about 2001 /2 I reckon - Google is a bit silent on this)

Shit man! Beautiful, wistful, the alternative world's national anthem. For every loser out there who has been duped by an unfaithful parter. Call yourself a 'sucker' and then move on. Hold the moral high ground, it's their fault not yours. Also speaks forcefully about asymmetrical attractiveness within a relationship. Never happened to me, of course! Though all my girlfriends have been pretty stunning. Heart rending vocals, great acoustic guitar. Makes you weep. Makes you strong. Sucker!

Yohanna - Funny Thing Is

She sings like the best female singer you're ever gonna hear, she beautiful as hell, she writes great songs. Big in Iceland... If there was any justice in the world, Yohanna would be fucking huge all over the world, and you'd all be saying that you got on the Robson hipster train before she was famous, before she was the pin up of female vocalists, the Icelandic Aretha Franklin. Yeah, so she and I swapped a few Facebook messages a couple of years ago. Doesn't mean I'm smitten (I am! I am!). Of all the artists here - she's the one you need to check out and go - 'why the hell don't I know her?' Join the secret club of the righteous.

Forever J - Terry Hall - 1994

Wow! Another of my Desert Island discs. Got nowhere in the charts back when I had hair and my girlfriends were plentiful and ridiculously attractive. A stunning song with a French feel, great melody, vivid memories. Once heard, never forgotten. Well forgotten by everyone except me and a few others who can also recognise this diamond in the dirt. BTW - doesn't Terry Hall look like that nob Ed Milliband here in the video?

That's it for now. I guess I'm easing my way back into blog writing as I seem to have slept through the last couple of months. When inspiration dies. It dies. You can't fake it. And I've been uninspired recently. There's no alchemy and I can't give you base metal.

But now I can. It's back. I'm back and this time, it's for real. Man.

Britain is great for many reasons: Parliamentary democracy, inventor of team sports, abolition of slavery, religious tolerance, war-like but fair-minded; these are sterling attributes. But that is not the subject of today's ramble through the back waters of my memory - no, today we're gonna talk about Britain and pop / rock music.

Any small land that produced - off the top of my head, it's not hard - The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, The Sex Pistols, Duran Duran, Wham, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Coldplay can't be all bad (aside - are we shit now? Take That were all right but One Direction?)...

No other country except the USA - infinitely larger - can go toe-to-toe with us. (I haven't even mentioned my own musical career.) That's the embarrassment of riches we have here.

England : Stones, Beatles, Led Zep, Oasis, The Smiths, Lisa Stansfield (Rochdale reference)

Wales: Tom Jones, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers

Scotland: Teenage Fanclub, Del Amitri, The Lost Soul Band, Rod Stewart (by his own definition)

Northern Ireland: Van Morrison, The Undertones

All right. England and Scotland punch above their weight. Wales and Northern Ireland less so. I might return to this. Certainly an article on Jock Rock is overdue and why 'You Can't Win Them All Mum' is just about the best song you've never heard of ever...

But here are some great Brexit songs from lesser known bands, that sum up the UK for me:-

Sham 69 - If The Kids Are United

Any group who have a chorus, ‘We’re going down the pub!’ is both bold and just right. Sham 69 were, for about five minutes in the late 70’s, famous for their very English, very football terraces sing-a-long tunes. Hersham Boys, Hurry up Harry, and If The Kids are United. These may not be great art – I don’t think Jimmy Pursey ever intended them to be – but they do go for the balls like all the best songs. They represent an English white working class culture that is often ignored, often derided but still exists if you look for it. These guys manned the squares at Assaye and Waterloo, fought in the trenches and battled fascism saving Europe (not the EU) with their spirit, banter and patriotism.

The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

Before Ray Davies tumbled up his own arse in the 70’s, he was a damn fine song-writer. Addressing English type subjects in See My Friends, Days, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, The Kinks were a very English band (once they’d got over playing souped up versions of Louie Louie). Stuff like The Village Green Preservation Society I can take or leave, but a song like Victoria will always be greeted with a smile. There’s a great line in it: “Land of Hope and Gloria, Land of my Victoria.” Doesn’t get much better than that! But for pop genius, observational subtlety, the summation of ordinary life, this story of young lovers meeting after work in London has to be top. Yes, Waterloo Sunset is that strange thing, a perfect pop song. From the distinctive guitar lick, to the plaintive but catchy melody to the ordinary but so special lyrics “Terry meets Julie every Friday at five o’clock.” A moment of sunshine on a cloudy day.

The La's - There She Goes

The gods offered Achilles the choice of a short and marvellous life or a long and boring one. Some shit like that anyway. He chose, of course, short and famous. Some rock god must have come down to Lee Mavers in Liverpool the 80’s and, after paying a quid to mind his car, offered young Lee the same bargain; one hit wonder or a long career of mediocrity. Luckily for us Lee chose, one hit wonder. The La’s There She Goes is a wonderful thing; the chiming Byrds like guitar@, the infectious tune, the ambiguous lyrics. This Scouse pop rings out - even thirty years later - as fresh as a 17-year boy pissed on cider in a room full of scantily clad girls. I love by the way, the setting of this song in the 90’s remake of the film Parent Trap as the American Lynsey Lohan is driven around the sights of London in a Rolls Royce. Clichéd perhaps but countries are defined in broad brush strokes, not detail. This song, complete with Lee Mavers, should have been played at 2012 Olympics.

Why is it that Britain is so good at this stuff? Why is it - after years of French bitching - not only does everyone at the Eurovision sing in English but the presenters now don't even bother with their home language anymore (let alone French). Possibly it's down to the (historically disputed) vote in the US after independence to vote for English as the official language and not German. Whatever; the talent of Beatles to write catchy songs, the Stones to write brilliant riffs and Led Zep to turn poor black blues into heavy rock gold - would have won out anyway.

We should celebrate our artists more. And we don't need the fucking EU to - as Pete says - 'Pick up our guitar and play, just like yesterday, and get on our knees and pray, WE DON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN.' (yes, spurious 1975 reference alert).

Vote leave.

Tim

Great Songs You've Never Heard

Terry Meets Julie