THE FRIDAY FIVE – 5.1.2018

1. Anteros – Bonnie
2. Manic Street Preachers – International Blue
3. Vic and Bob – Trousers
4. Simple Minds – Magic
5. U2 – What’s Going On?

It’s cold, it’s wet, people are moaning about FA Cup ties not being shown on TV and grief junkieing over David Bowie. That can only mean one thing ……… it’s January.

At this time of year, there is one question we all ask, and this year, the answer is once again yes. If you haven’t worked it out yet, BBC Four’s Top Of The Pops repeats will continue into 1985.

You will be glad to know that The Story Of 1985 will be on BBC Four at 9pm. It’ll be a lot more entertaining that Liverpool 0-0 Everton on BBC 1.

To commemorate this, here’s a 1985 chart for you

FIVE SONGS FROM 1985

1. A-Ha – Take On Me
2. Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me)
3. Stephen Duffy – Kiss Me
4. Kate Bush – Cloudbusting
5. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy

THE FIRIDAY FIVE – 17.3.2017

1. Erasure – Love You To The Sky
2. John Hassall and the April Rainers – Intercity 125
3. Amy MacDonald – Automatic
4. Sister Sledge – Frankie
5. Sheppard – Keep Me Crazy

You may have noticed that today is St Patrick’s Day. So, i’m doing a couple of themed charts. One for Northern Ireland, one for Republic Of Ireland, and one for the musical Patricks (and Paddys and Pats) out there.

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

1. Wonder Villains – TV
2. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy
3. Silhouette – Can’t Keep Up
4. Snow Patrol – Signal Fire
5. Two Door Cinema Club – What You Know

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

1. U2 – The Fly
2. Phil Lynott – Yellow Pearl
3. Heathers – Remember When
4. Sinead Lohan – Whatever It Takes
5. Kodaline – High Hopes

FIVE SONGS BY BANDS WITH SOMEONE CALLED PAT, PATRICK OR PADDY

1. Prefab Sprout – King Of Rock n Roll
2. Train – Drops Of Jupiter
3. Foo Fighters – Saint Cecilia
4. Hue and Cry – Labour Of Love
5. Fall Out Boy – Sugar, We’re Going Down

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 10.6.2016 (A EURO 2016 SPECIAL)

1. Tame Impala – The Less I Know The Better
2. Birdy – Keeping You Head Up
3. Tom Odell – Magnetised
4. Biffy Clyro – Wolves Of Winter
5. Johnny Lloyd – Pilgrims

Today is the start of Euro 2016. Sounds like a good excuse for a chart, or a series of charts.

SONGS BY ACTS FROM COUNTRIES IN GROUP A

1. Yello – Oh Yeah
2. Desireless – Voyage Voyage
3. Phoenix – Entertainment
4. Air – Sexy Boy
5. Alexandra Stan – Lemonade

SONGS BY ACTS FROM COUNTRIES IN GROUP B

1. Tatu – All The Things She Said
2. Mansun – Wind Open Space
3. Stereophonics – Dakota
4. Manic Street Preachers – Motorcycle Emptiness
5. The Cure – Close To Me

SONGS BY ACTS FROM COUNTRIES IN GROUP C

1. Wonder Villains – TV
2. Nena – 99 Red Balloons
3. Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F
4. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy
5. Ruslana – Wild Dance

SONGS BY ACTS FROM COUNTRIES IN GROUP D

1. Enrique Iglesias – Do You Know?
2. Can Bonomo – Love Me Back
3. Jan Hammer – Crockett’s Theme
4. Karel Fialka – Hey Matthew
5. Baccara – Yes Sir I Can Boogie

SONGS BY ACTS FROM COUNTRIES IN GROUP E

1. Gala – Freed From Desire
2. Phil Lynott – Yellow Pearl
3. Roxette – Joyride
4. Spagna – Call Me
5. Ace Of Base – The Sign

SONGS BY ACTS FROM COUNTRIES IN GROUP F

1. Falco – Rock Me Amadeus
2. Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
3. Bjork – Play Dead
4. Christina Strumer – Fieber
5. Bjork – It’s Oh So Quiet

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 18.3.2016

1. The 1975 – The Sound
2. Jake Bugg – Gimme The Love
3. James – Nothing But Love
4. The Last Shadow Puppets – Aviation
5. Gwen Stefani – Misery

First of all, apologies for not doing a St Paddy’s Day chart for you last week. I forgot. Too busy doing a Red Hot Chilli Peppers one.

Still, here’s some songs for you to get through your hangover today.

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

1. Wonder Villains – TV
2. Ash – A Life Less Ordinary
3. The Adventures – Broken Land
4. The Divine Comedy – The Pop Singer’s Fear Of The Pollen Count
5. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

1. U2 – The Fly
2. Heathers – Remember When
3. Phil Lynott – Yellow Pearl
4. The Cranberries – Dream
5. Kodaline – High Hopes

Meanwhile, this week saw the latest Belsonic headliner announced – Chemical Brothers. I love Chemical Brothers, but live dance music doesn’t do it for me. Anyway, i’ll be in France when they are in Belfast.

I saw them live at T In The Park once, so if you are going, you’ll probably have a good night.

Now, if Belsonic could hurry up and get Noel Gallagher, The 1975, Chvrches and Madness to do headline gigs, that would be nice. I’m not asking for much.

Anyway, here’s a Chemical Brothers chart for you.

FIVE SONGS BY CHEMICAL BROTHERS

1. Go
2. Galvanize
3. Do It Again
4. The Test
5. Out Of Control

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 20.3.2015

1. Coasts – Modern Love
2. Modest Mouse – Lampshades On Fire
3. Muse – Psycho
4. Florence and the Machine – What Kind Of Man
5. Angry Anderson – Suddenly

For some reason, I totally forgot about it being St Patrick’s Day coming up and thus, forgot to do a chart. Consider that corrected, and a bonus chart

TOP FIVE PATRICKS

1. Starfish
2. Sharpin (more commonly known as Pat Sharp)
3. Stewart
4. Swayze
5. Duffy

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

1. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy
2. Wonder Villains – TV
3. Duke Special – Freewheel
4. Ash – Envy
5. Briana Corrigan – Love Me Now

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

1. Phil Lynott – Yellow Pearl
2. U2 – The Fly
3. Hozier – Take Me To Church
4. Kodaline – Honest
5. The Strypes – Blue Collar Jane

The line-up for Belsonic 2015 was announced last night. Stereophonics and Paloma Faith are the ones that appeal to me. Here’s five songs to look out for in August

FIVE SONGS BY BELSONIC PERFORMERS

1. Stereophonics – Dakota
2. Bastille – Pompeii
3. Stereophonics – Indian Summer
4. Rudimental – Free (ft Emeli Sande)
5. Paloma Faith – Thirty Minute Love Affair

And finally, The Charlatans have been announced to be coming to Belfast in May as part of Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. So, Charlatans Top Five anyone?

FIVE SONGS BY THE CHARLATANS

1. Love Is The Key
2. Blackened Blue Eyes
3. Forever
4. The Only One I Know
5. North Country Boy

50 YEARS OF TOP OF THE POPS : MAR 28 – APR 3

We begin this week with a would be birthday, as Jon Lee from Feeder would have been 46 this week. You’re best to ignore Jamie Theakston getting the name of the song wrong.

And now, for something completely different.

Terry Jacks turned 70 this week. I’d love to post a video of him, but there is none, so i’m posting a video of Westlife covering him. I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry.

Now, for Northern Ireland’s greatest musical talent. No, not Dana, but he comes from the same city (Well, if you want to be pedantic, not really, as she was born in London)

Sadly gone 19 years now.

Eric Clapton was 69 this week. This song is a forgotten classic.

I’ve spent all this week trying to remember who won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. Oh wait, it’s all coming back to me now.

In the history of Boybanders gone solo, this song is up there with the best.

New York, London, Paris, Munich. Everybody’s talking about this guy’s suit.

Hannah Spearritt from S Club 7 turns 33 this week. How old does that make you feel?

30 years ago this week since Marvin Gaye died. Scraping the barrel here, but here’s a Paul Young cover.

Back to this week’s birthdays ….. Karen Woodward of Bananarama, or, Mrs Ridgeley. What an A List couple that would have been in 1983.

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 22.3.2013

1. Bastille – Pompei
2. The 1975 – Chocolate
3. The Wonder Stuff ft Rankin Roger – Save It For Later
4. Biffy Clyro – Biblical
5. The Wonder Stuff – Oh No!

First of all, apologies for not having a Friday Five last week. It was due to “Technical Reasons*”

* Technical Reasons, being, I forgot, as I was busy getting ready to head to Manchester on Friday morning. I know.

As a result of “Technical Reasons”, I forgot to do a St Patrick’s Day chart. Better late than never I guess.

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM NORTHER IRELAND

1. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy
2. The Adventures – Broken Land
3. Relish – Rainbow Zephyr
4. The Undertones – Wednesday Week
5. Snow Patrol – How To Be Dead

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

1. U2 – The Fly
2. Aslan – Crazy World
3. Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays
4. JJ72 – Oxygen
5. The Thrills- Big Sur

So, anyone watching The Big Reunion on ITV2?

No, well, you’re missing out. Pity there’s an S Club 7 shaped hole in it.

FIVE (OR, 5IVE) SONGS BY ACTS ON THE BIG REUNION

1. Liberty X – Song 4 Lovers
2. 5ive – Got The Feelin
3. Honeyz – Finally Found
4. Blue – One Love
5. B*Witched – Cest La Vie

And finally, while The Big Reunion is on our TV screens, let’s take a moment to remember Girls Aloud, who sadly split up this week.

Don’t worry though, they will be appearing on the 2022 series of The Big Reunion, performing in Qatar at the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup, and go on a tour which includes a date at The Venue in Ebrington, which was renamed Nadine Coyle Hall in 2017

FIVE SONGS BY GIRLS ALOUD

1. The Promise
2. Biology
3. I’ll Stand By You
4. The Show
5. Life Got Cold

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 4.11.2011

1. The Feeling – A Hundred Sinners
2. U2 – Even Better Than The Real Thing (Jacques Lu Cont remix)
3. The Killers – Ultra Violet
4. Noel Gallagher’s high Flying Birds – AKA ……. What A Life
5. Florence and the Machine – Shake It Out

It’s been hard to escape, but the MTV EMA’s are only two days.

Really excited about this and proud to come from Belfast and Northern Ireland that we can host events of this scale. Just wish I had a ticket for it.

So, to commemorate this, behold five songs by Northern Ireland acts (and it was hard to leave songs out of this)

Enjoy

FIVE SONGS BY NORTHERN IRELAND ACTS

1. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy
2. Duke Special – Freewheel
3. Brianna Corrigan – Love Me Now
4. Relish – Rainbow Zephyr
5. Ash – Envy

As ever, a Top Five based on the previous week’s X-Factor theme. Last week’s theme was “Halloween”, which roughly translates as “Sing any aul shite dressed in fancy dress”

So, here’s a Halloween Top Five

FIVE HALLOWEEN SONGS

1. The Automatic – Monster
2. Ray Parker Jr – Ghostbusters
3. Boris Pickett – Monster Mash
4. The Cure – Lullaby
5. All Stars – Things That Go Bump In The Night