Weekend DJs with a laid-back, late-night feel are invaluable – especially if you've got a hangover
*Mary Anne Hobbs* (6 Music) | iPlayer
*Gilles Peterson* (6 Music) | iPlayer
*The Feeling Good Show* (Point Blank FM)
Because this column comes out on a Sunday, it's always a bit tricky to review weekend shows – in these faddish times, seven days can seem an age. Was it only one short week ago that we thought that inviting a rude fellow air traveller to chow down on your peanut was a funny thing to do? Or that a living hero could last forever? A week is a long time in everything now; politics seems pretty slow, when it comes to news.
Anyway. There are several radio weekend delights that I regularly enjoy but don't give the column inches: Garry Richardson's Sportsweek on 5Live on Sunday mornings, Broadcasting House on Radio 4, Danny Baker on 5Live, Loose Ends followed by Saturday Review on Radio 4 of a Saturday afternoon-into-evening. And *Mary Anne Hobbs* and Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music.
Hobbs, who I always think of as a late-night broadcaster, can seem rather mellow for a bright Saturday morning, but, you know, some people have hangovers, and on Sundays her easy, low-key style fits right in. Her choice of music is excellent, from spoken word through classical to broken beats and off-beat indie, and I have no doubt that she programmes the show herself. She's a woman who prepares, who makes sure she's on top of what she's doing. This carefulness, along with her gratitude – to her listeners, to her interviewees, to those who make the music she's playing – can make the tone a little too even. It would be refreshing to hear what Hobbs doesn't like, to have a more spontaneous, stumbly, spiky reaction to what's going on.
But, given the quality, this is a minor quibble. Especially last weekend, when she hosted an "Art Is Everywhere" couple of days. I listened in on Sunday, and she talked live to electronic artist Mira Calix, who created a soundscape in response to the programme, plus there were prerecorded interviews with BBC arts editor Will Gompertz and artist Jeremy Deller. I could have done without the on-the-nose sounds behind these – do we really need the noise of a toilet flushing to represent Duchamp's urinal? This isn't CBBC – and I would have liked more in-depth questioning, but that's because art interests and frustrates me quite a lot, so I kept wanting to shout queries of my own. Deller was as stimulating as ever – he's always interesting because he's interested in everything – but what I really liked about Sunday's show was actually off-air: the work created by the 6Music listeners in response to the programme. Most of it was painted or created by hand, but that homemade component was what made the work so direct.
Adam and Joe, back in the day, often had a Blue Peter element to their 6Music show. Their fans would contribute artwork, or songs, or pop videos, some of which were properly excellent. Their show, like Hobbs's, was an endearingly old-fashioned take on what the BBC is obsessed with – getting people to join in – and the results had far more heart than a silly tweet or ranting email.
What to say about *Gilles Peterson*? A stalwart of the jazz-soul scene since the late 80s, I have never listened to a Gilles show and not heard something that made me go, Ooh, what's that? His Worldwide programme is syndicated weekly to radio stations across the world, and his 6 Music show, on from 3-6pm on Saturdays, has a global feel too. Although last Saturday he opened with a track called Dingwalls: which, for those of us old enough to remember, was a nice reference to his old London club session Talkin' Loud Sayin' Something.
Peterson, like Hobbs, brings a laid-back, late-night feel to his Saturday afternoon show, but the mood is enlivened by the summery sounds. Peterson's music always has the sun shining on and through it; there's no room for rainy industrial city noise in Gillesville. Like Hobbs, too, he's an enthusiast, ignoring the stuff he doesn't like, which makes for a smooth presentation style without peaks and troughs. (Maybe it's perverse of me to look for sharp edges: specialist shows are about introducing fans to interesting tracks rather than showcasing the presenter.)
And for those who like Peterson, may I recommend DJ Harv's Tuesday-morning *The Feeling Good Show* on Point Blank FM? You have to listen live, as there's no catch-up, though he has a couple of shows up on Mixcloud. But anyway, Harv has an easy style and a great variety of tracks, everything from Sun Ra to Mos Def. He's gaining fans, judging by his Facebook page, so get him while he's hot. Reported by guardian.co.uk 17 hours ago.
*Mary Anne Hobbs* (6 Music) | iPlayer
*Gilles Peterson* (6 Music) | iPlayer
*The Feeling Good Show* (Point Blank FM)
Because this column comes out on a Sunday, it's always a bit tricky to review weekend shows – in these faddish times, seven days can seem an age. Was it only one short week ago that we thought that inviting a rude fellow air traveller to chow down on your peanut was a funny thing to do? Or that a living hero could last forever? A week is a long time in everything now; politics seems pretty slow, when it comes to news.
Anyway. There are several radio weekend delights that I regularly enjoy but don't give the column inches: Garry Richardson's Sportsweek on 5Live on Sunday mornings, Broadcasting House on Radio 4, Danny Baker on 5Live, Loose Ends followed by Saturday Review on Radio 4 of a Saturday afternoon-into-evening. And *Mary Anne Hobbs* and Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music.
Hobbs, who I always think of as a late-night broadcaster, can seem rather mellow for a bright Saturday morning, but, you know, some people have hangovers, and on Sundays her easy, low-key style fits right in. Her choice of music is excellent, from spoken word through classical to broken beats and off-beat indie, and I have no doubt that she programmes the show herself. She's a woman who prepares, who makes sure she's on top of what she's doing. This carefulness, along with her gratitude – to her listeners, to her interviewees, to those who make the music she's playing – can make the tone a little too even. It would be refreshing to hear what Hobbs doesn't like, to have a more spontaneous, stumbly, spiky reaction to what's going on.
But, given the quality, this is a minor quibble. Especially last weekend, when she hosted an "Art Is Everywhere" couple of days. I listened in on Sunday, and she talked live to electronic artist Mira Calix, who created a soundscape in response to the programme, plus there were prerecorded interviews with BBC arts editor Will Gompertz and artist Jeremy Deller. I could have done without the on-the-nose sounds behind these – do we really need the noise of a toilet flushing to represent Duchamp's urinal? This isn't CBBC – and I would have liked more in-depth questioning, but that's because art interests and frustrates me quite a lot, so I kept wanting to shout queries of my own. Deller was as stimulating as ever – he's always interesting because he's interested in everything – but what I really liked about Sunday's show was actually off-air: the work created by the 6Music listeners in response to the programme. Most of it was painted or created by hand, but that homemade component was what made the work so direct.
Adam and Joe, back in the day, often had a Blue Peter element to their 6Music show. Their fans would contribute artwork, or songs, or pop videos, some of which were properly excellent. Their show, like Hobbs's, was an endearingly old-fashioned take on what the BBC is obsessed with – getting people to join in – and the results had far more heart than a silly tweet or ranting email.
What to say about *Gilles Peterson*? A stalwart of the jazz-soul scene since the late 80s, I have never listened to a Gilles show and not heard something that made me go, Ooh, what's that? His Worldwide programme is syndicated weekly to radio stations across the world, and his 6 Music show, on from 3-6pm on Saturdays, has a global feel too. Although last Saturday he opened with a track called Dingwalls: which, for those of us old enough to remember, was a nice reference to his old London club session Talkin' Loud Sayin' Something.
Peterson, like Hobbs, brings a laid-back, late-night feel to his Saturday afternoon show, but the mood is enlivened by the summery sounds. Peterson's music always has the sun shining on and through it; there's no room for rainy industrial city noise in Gillesville. Like Hobbs, too, he's an enthusiast, ignoring the stuff he doesn't like, which makes for a smooth presentation style without peaks and troughs. (Maybe it's perverse of me to look for sharp edges: specialist shows are about introducing fans to interesting tracks rather than showcasing the presenter.)
And for those who like Peterson, may I recommend DJ Harv's Tuesday-morning *The Feeling Good Show* on Point Blank FM? You have to listen live, as there's no catch-up, though he has a couple of shows up on Mixcloud. But anyway, Harv has an easy style and a great variety of tracks, everything from Sun Ra to Mos Def. He's gaining fans, judging by his Facebook page, so get him while he's hot. Reported by guardian.co.uk 17 hours ago.