The CAT Club presents a classic vinyl album:

THE WEDDING PRESENT – GEORGE BEST

with special guest

DAVID GEDGE

We were absolutely delighted to welcome Wedding Present songwriter and singer, David Gedge to talk about one of the great debut albums, 'George Best.'

“George Best triumphantly confirms that unique standing, being both a surprise and a thing of beauty” (NME 1987).

“The boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the rock ‘n’ roll era. You may dispute this, but I’m right and you’re wrong!” – John Peel

In the interviewer’s chair was AMANDA COOK.

“I had a really enjoyable time at the CAT Club. Everyone was very friendly and the event was meticulously planned. The amount of research and preparation that had been put into my appearance by Amanda, Rev and the CAT Club team was staggering!” David Gedge.

This event took place on 26th June in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

Happy Trails.

The CAT Club presents a classic vinyl album:

MAGAZINE – REAL LIFE

with special guest

HELEN CHASE

Magazine’s strength lay in their ability to marry together punk roots, a vision of the future and a keen literary mind. This can be a fine line to walk without falling off to one side or the other, but Magazine walked it superbly with ‘Real Life.’

Helen Chase’s revised and updated edition of ‘Magazine: The Biography' tells the story of the iconic band formed by Howard Devoto after he left Buzzcocks. It’s a riveting insight into a greatly respected and hugely influential band whose music remains fresh and relevant today.

In the interviewer’s chair was JASON BARNARD.

This event took place on 29th May in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

Happy Trails.

A CAT Club presentation

AN AUDIENCE WITH JOHN ALTMAN

John Altman has four Lifetime Achievement Awards and four Grammy Participation Certificates. He has composed music for over fifty movies – winning, and being nominated for BAFTAS, Golden Globes, Golden Reels and Emmy Awards long the way for Titanic, Monty Python’s Life Of Brian, Goldeneye, Hear My Song, Sheltering Sky, Léon: The Professional, RKO281, The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone, Little Voice and No Time To Die.

A gifted arranger, John has worked on 19 platinum albums, including George Michael's 1989 album Faith, which won several Grammys (he was also nominated for The Rutles film, All You Need Is Cash).

Some of the artists he has written for include Simple Minds, Barry White, Tina Turner, Björk, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Pretenders, Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson.

As an in-demand woodwind player, he has played with artists as diverse as Prince, Nick Drake, Muddy Waters, Peter Green, Kevin Ayers, Amy Winehouse (whom he mentored) and he was also musical director for Hot Chocolate and Van Morrison. As a jazz musician and band leader John has played with Chet Baker, Slim Gaillard, Quincy Jones, Bud Freeman, Les McCann and many others.

A renowned raconteur, Altman’s acclaimed autobiography, Hidden Man was published in 2022 by Equinox.

This terrific CAT Club gathering saw JASON BARNARD in the interviewer’s chair doing a splendid job opposite the truly wonderful JOHN ALTMAN.

Please note: John was also our guest for George Michael’s Faith album. Podcast also available and well worth a listen!

Happy Trails

This event took place on 24th April 2025 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

Happy Trails.

OH MERCY – BOB DYLAN with special guest Michael Gray

In 1989 Bob Dylan appeared to be a busted flush, the God bothering had faded and the glory decades were long gone but with Daniel Lanois at the helm ‘Oh Mercy’ smashed any preconceptions of creative malaise and delivered his most vital work for years. For many ‘Oh Mercy' was a gateway drug to both Dylan and the genre of Americana. It is a genuine classic album that stands up to repeated listens.” (Rolling Stone).

MICHAEL GRAY was the man who in 1972 wrote the first critical study of Bob Dylan’s work – the first to take him seriously as an artist and to discuss his work alongside that of the literary majors – all this more than 40 years before Dylan received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Michael has remained at the forefront of Dylan Studies and his books are widely used in colleges and libraries on both sides of the Atlantic.

We were delighted to welcome the author of ‘Song & Dance Man,’ ‘The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia’ and ‘Outtakes On Bob Dylan’ for what proved to be a memorable evening – Dr. Michael Gray.

This event took place on 26th September 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

Happy Trails.

The CAT Club presents a classic vinyl album:

COMBAT ROCK – THE CLASH

Released in 1982, ‘Combat Rock’ covers old ground with almost gleeful energy, stakes out new territory with confidence, and delivers more than enough timeless classics to make it stand proudly next to any of their earlier work.

With special guest CHRIS SALEWICZ

The author of Redemption Song: 'The Definitive Biography Of Joe Strummer,' Chris Salewicz was an intimate friend with Joe Strummer for over 25 years. An NME golden era veteran, he has written seventeen books, including acclaimed biographies of Paul McCartney, Bob Marley and Jimmy Page. The first group that Chris saw was the Beatles.

CHRIS MADDEN was in the interviewer’s chair.

This event took place on 16th January 2025 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

Happy Trails.

The CAT Club presents a classic vinyl album:

THE CURE – THE HEAD ON THE DOOR

with special guest

DAVID M ALLEN

Released in 1985, 'The Head On The Door' was The Cure’s first real international success. At the helm during the recording of this terrific classic album was producer David M Allen.

David is also an engineer and mixer. He has worked with The Sisters Of Mercy, The Chameleons, Depeche Mode, The Mission, The Associates, The Human League, Wire, Clan Of Xymox, Gianna Nannini, Shelleyan Orphan, Neneh Cherry, The Psychedelic Furs, Richard Strange and The Damned.

AMANDA COOK was in the interviewer’s chair opposite the delightful David M Allen and a splendid time was had by all.

This event took place on 27th March 2025 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

Happy Trails.

The CAT Club presents a classic vinyl album:

GRACE JONES – SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM

with special guest

BRUCE WOOLLEY

Bruce Woolley co-wrote all the songs on Grace Jones’ classic album from 1985, 'Slave To The Rhythm' and he plays guitar, bass and keyboards on the album, as well as singing background vocals.

His band, Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club, recorded 'Video Killed The Radio Star' first, a song Woolley co-wrote with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes.

Woolley’s songs have been recorded by Cher, Erasure, Tori Amos, John Farnham, Donna Summer, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Dusty Springfield.

He is also the co-founder of The Radio Science Orchestra that composes for major films, television and radio. Bruce Woolley has worked with Brian Eno, Sly & Robbie, Nile Rodgers, Thomas Dolby and many others.

JASON BARNARD was in the interviewer’s chair opposite the delightful Mr Bruce Woolley and a splendid time was had by all.

This event took place on 27th February 2025 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

Happy Trails.

The CAT Club presents a classic vinyl album:

LIVE AT THE WITCH TRIALS – THE FALL

with special guests

MARK HOYLE & PAUL HANLEY

An incendiary debut album, Live At The Witch Trials introduces The Fall as 'northern white crap that talks back'. And so it was for the next four decades: abrasive, non-conformist, literate, witty, rhythmic.

It was a sound and attitude obsessed over by two teenage Mancunians, Paul Hanley and Mark Hoyle. Mark took great inspiration from the album when fronting his own band, Dub Sex, and Paul would later join The Fall himself on drums. Both will talk about the music scene in Manchester around the time, and the impact this record and The Fall had on it.

This event took place on 30th January 2025 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

Special thanks to our good friends at Route publishing for all their help with making this gathering a special one for so many people.

To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk

This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

Happy Trails.