US CULTURE is going down the drain along with human rights, democracy and any semblance of justice. At one musical extreme Trump’s lackeys have taken over the Kennedy Center, home of prestigious and progressive classical concerts and other “high culture” events. 

At the other, the country which gave us the Velvet Underground, MC5, Dead Kennedys and Rancid has just denied access to three quarters of England’s legendary punk band UK Subs despite their having the correct paperwork - the only logical conclusion being that it’s because of their social media postings about Trump. 
 
UK musicians are already having problems getting into Europe because of Brexit, now it looks as though we’re going to be increasingly shut out of the US because of Agent Orange. Everything is turning bollocks, stuff which was already bollocks is turning even more bollocks, and we need to give Trump, Vance and Putin the sack before things get hairier still. 
 
Charging around again last week: four gigs in three days in the north-west and a very creditable 2-2 draw for Brighton away at Man City. The highlight was a return to The Station in Ashton Under Lyne for another fundraiser in support of landlady Pauline Town and her team’s brilliant community self-help project We Shall Overcome.