Jamie T on Radio 1

One of my absolute favourite artists is Jamie T, who I first heard on the radio about a year ago and it was one of those ’stop what your doing’ moments.

For me, he’s like a new Weller/Bragg/Skinner hybrid, with a little bit of ska mixed in to spice it. Some would say a new, urban Southern Artic Monkeys but played out to a more delicate touch. Sometimes he plays live with just acoustic bass, other times with a great band, but always sensational. And he’s only about 20.

He’s also getting plenty of mainstream recognition at the moment, and I’m gutted I’m missing out on all the new gigs. So I’ve got a request -

He’s hosting a show on Radio 1 on Monday January 15th, at 7pm. If anyone out there knows where I can get an MP3 of that, please let me know down below. Because somethings are worth spending a million hours in a sweaty Sylhetti internet cafe downloading.

Cheers.

Bangladesh’s Election – I’ll hold my breath

I’m leaving today to go to Cambodia, and will return to Bangladesh on the 22nd of January, the scheduled date of the national election. I fear that when I return it could be to a very different country.

With just over two weeks left to go, things are in turmoil. We’re all over the main news agencies; the BBC story is here. The main Awami League opposition and its allies have declared they will boycott the polls because the election won’t be free and fair. They’re staging huge blockades of Dhaka and other main towns until things change, demanding that the election is postponed.

The BNP and the allegedly pro-BNP President are insisting that the election must be held by the 25th, which is the 90 limit set by the Constitution. The army have been mobilised to ’secure’ the country and stop the protests which the opposition are staging, as they’re ‘protests against the democratic process’.