Dance to the radio

Last week saw a slew of radio shows featuring The Distractions. On Monday, Dave Hammond, founder of The Distractions UK facebook group, introduced Cambridge 105's IndieStagger presenters to the delights of a classic forgotten album. In an Antiques Roadshow style, the team then "value" the record after absorbing it for the first time. It was, of course, Nobody's Perfect that featured, and 'Waiting For Lorraine', 'Leave You To Dream' and 'Looking For A Ghost' were played (the first ever radio play for most of these songs?). Hear what the team thought: www.mixcloud.com/staggerindie/stagger-show-2nd-march-2015-ft-dave-hammond.

Next, Dave himself hosted Steve Perrin (from Australia via Skype) and Neil Storey from HiddenMasters on his Smelly Flowerpot show. A mouthwatering selection of unheard versions of tracks were played as a taster to the forthcoming Parabolically Yours boxset. Fans will particularly intrigued by 'Sick & Tired' which, as Steve explained, comes from a lost EP which recorded before 'You're Not Going Out Dressed Like That' was released. It sounds fantastic, having been digitised directly from the "baked" 1/4-inch tape that we unearthed during deep research, and bears little similarity to the version found on Nobody's Perfect. Listen to the show here: www.mixcloud.com/daveyhammond.

Finally, on Friday, Mike Finney guested on Mick Middles' show on FAB International Radio. We'll provide the "listen again" link as soon as it goes live.