Singing about insects (no change there then). Between arguments about military spending, banker’s bonuses and some UKIP idiot they slotted in Robyn plugging a mini-fest of music about insects. They do a better class of news on Radio 4.
Cool – thank you for that!
Is something “buggin’” you, Small Clanger?
Personally, I just adore RH and all his idiosyncratic thematic preoccupations – trains, dead wives, etc. – so an insect-themed festival timed to coincide with late summer sounds like what one might expect.
Just for the heck of it, here’s a short insect-themed song list:
“Buggin’” – The Flaming Lips
“Summer’s Cauldron” – XTC (lots of insects droning)
“Fly on the Wall” – XTC (song’s about a fly on the wall; with distorted guitar buzzing madly; lots of fun, this one)
“Hate This and I’ll Love You” (the Showbiz LP version) – Muse (recorded with cicadas droning throughout in the background)
“Butterflies & Hurricanes” – Muse (inspired by chaos theory) Yep, I’m still on a huge Muse kick… 
“Praying Mantis” – Don Dixon (or was it Dixon with Skid Roper?)
“Inchworm” – a pre-Muppet-Show Jim Henson song from circa 1972 or thereabouts? Wasn’t it on Sesame Street?
Hon. Mention: the Steely Dan LP Katy Lied.
On Edit: Sorry if you meant this ironically and light-heartedly, SC! If so, that’s a big whoosh on me… but it’s true that a lot of people (guys mostly?) can’t stand Robyn Hitchcock, and might well mock him for doing something like this. [color me embarrassed]
Blimey, it didn’t occur to me that anyone would think I was being negative, I have no problem with Robyn’s fixations. Prawns, crabs, insects all good 
He was his usual good value in the interview…
Q: How are tickets sales?
Robyn: Well the Titanic was over subscribed and that turned out to be a bit of a bummer. But at least we won’t sink. Probably.
You may be able to use the listen again option from here, I think Robyn was somewhere in the last half hour.
I can’t believe I missed this. I love RH. I love his quirky songs. I loved both concerts I’ve seen.
I hate Gene Hackman. 
I was at the gig last night at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Robyn was on his usual finely stoned form, and it was a good performance. The sound balance seemed a little off to me, but I was very close to the front and right over at one side, so maybe it was to do with that. I’ve never been to a gig there before, I don’t know what the acoustics are generally thought to be like. He had some excellent people with him. His themes, especially last night, do bring up some great tracks which otherwise might not get an airing or (in the case of originals) be written. My only complaint was the fuckwit behind me, who seemed to think that he needed to laugh very loudly and ostentatiously at every single thing Robyn said, to the point of obliterating half of the following part of what he said and also laughing at things which weren’t that kind of funny. But yeah, it was a good night. With a preponderance of ants.