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Hootenanny 2003/2004

Jools Holland's long-established Hogmanay/New Year's Eve celebration Later … Hootenanny remains TV's definitive dad-rock haven after 11 years on air. Amusingly, the outing comes close to shooting itself in the foot by opening with Solomon Burke's rip-roaring "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", thus giving the following 31 turns a near-impossible act to follow. If in doubt, watch it at the end, as the everybody-up-on-stage version of Jeff Beck's "Hi Ho Silver Lining" that closes the show is unfortunately a shambles. Along the way, though, there are plenty of highlights, the best of which add up to a triumph for the Welsh contingent. Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones do their best smoochy version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" before it began to wear a bit thin, the strapping Matthews managing to come on like a cross between Bambi and that girl you fancied in the lower sixth. Immediately preceding this is a gloriously menacing performance from John Cale in which he turns Johnny Mercer's jazz classic "I Wanna Be Around" into a leering, spitting threat to the listener's personal safety. There's something for everyone here, though, so just enjoy the show.

English