Jools Holland hosts another musical melange in his theatre of dreams, aka Maidstone Studios, featuring Florence + The Machine, Femi Kuti, Lily Allen, Lady Leshurr, Young Fathers and Starcrawler.
Florence Welch comes to the studio some three years after conquering the world, breaking her foot and headlining Glastonbury, with the fourth Florence + The Machine album High As Hope, which finds her in typically expansive form on new songs including Hunger and Sky Full of Song. Femi Kuti brings his afrobeat band The Positive Force live and direct from Lagos with massed brass, energetic dancers and uplifting anthems from his latest album One People One World, which maintains and honours the political consciousness and danceability of his legendary father Fela Kuti's vision.
Lily Allen pops up with the poignant Three from her fourth album No Shame, a ballad looking at life through her young daughter's perspective, accompanied by Jools. Step up Birmingham's Lady Leshurr with her latest freestyle Black Panther, and perhaps a track from her forthcoming major label debut. Edinburgh's Young Fathers finally make it to the studio with songs from their brilliantly charged third album Cocoa Sugar, hot from touring the UK and the rest of the world.
Introducing LA's Starcrawler - a primal teenage garage band from the West Coast performing songs from their Ryan Adams-produced and self-titled album which finds lead singer Arrow de Wilde and guitarist Henri Cash kicking up a classic rock n roll storm that's a canny blend of rock classicism and bratty teenage attitude. Show less