Sometimes music is more than just music. Sometimes it’s the unifying force that moves mountains and changes people’s lives.
That’s the aim behind the Love Music Hate Racism gig next week.
Pete Bentham – of Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies is playing at the gig, alongside The Beat, Hot Club de Paris, and the Sense of Sound choir.
I caught up with him to find out more about the music that is inspiring him.
“What’s on my iPod?” he laughs. “Well this is what would be on my iPod if I had one. This is on my portable cassette player this week.”
Kirsty McColl – There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis
“I just started playing this again after forgetting about it for a while. I love Kirsty McColl. Everyone goes on about her voice, which is great but I think her writing was really witty and with some proper social comment.”
Moldy Peaches – New York City’s Like A Graveyard
“They are proof that Malcolm McLaren was right when he said that bands that can’t play are much more glamorous than those than can. I hope so or me and the Dinner Ladies are knackered!”
Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Roadrunner
“The perfect three-minute pop single...but it still sounds really raw because his words are very innocent, the guitars are clean but the keyboards are really distorted. You can tell he really loves rock and roll.”
The Specials – It Doesn’t Make It Alright
“Edwyn Collins sang in that song A Girl Like You: “There’s too many protest singers and not enough protest songs”, and that’s true about now. Not enough people are singing about stuff that really important like these did. The perfect group in look, sound and attitude.’
Zombina & The Skeletones – Nobody Likes You When You’re Dead
“The most underrated Liverpool band. I like a lot of new bands whilst I don’t think what they do is really rock and roll but these are a classic band with a great show. Take my word for it rock and roll is the new rock and roll!”
The gig takes place at The Magnet on January 31. For more information, see www.myspace.com/petebenthamandthedinnerladies