What sets the late night BBC music show ‘Later…with Jools Holland’ apart from the rest?
The clue is in the name! Jools Holland is not just another presenter, he is a talented Jazz musician and for the last 30 years, he has created an environment where other musicians can feel understood and supported; sometimes literally, as he often accompanies them on the piano.
I also love the mix of established artists with new pretenders – each musician encouraged to stay on in the audience to watch the others perform.
Despite being a British musical institution, there is still always an edge of unpredictability, as the singer Nick Cave observed: ’You never knew what you were going to be confronted with when you went on Later…’
Here, I have chosen to showcase the American singer songwriter Cat Power. Many viewers have rated her performance of ‘I Don’t Blame You’ as one of their top five ‘Later’ highlights. However, here I have chosen another magic moment – ‘The Greatest’.
Almost shadow boxing the demons her lyrics conjure, there is something about her delivery of this haunting song that gets me every time.
