Susan Alcorn played my favourite musical instrument – the pedal steel guitar – and took it to new places with her experimental approach.

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The Saints, who formed in Australia in 1973, were arguably the first punk band of all – but they always claimed not to be punks. Whatever they were, they were fantastic.

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Here’s my January playlist, kicking off and ending with something familiar, including some old blues-rock (Thin Lizzy, Jethro Tull), some old soul (Sam & Dave, Irma Thomas), some new stuff (Mogwai, Jim Jones) and some strange Irish folk (John Francis Flynn) that you’ve probably never heard. Plus some Iggy, some Neil Young, some Bowie and a banging tune by Leftfield… something for everyone there, I hope.

French vocal trio Belle Epoque had their biggest (and possibly only) hit single in 1977 with disco classic Black Is Black.

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It takes a bold and courageous artist to re-record her signature song after more than half a century, but Marianne Faithfull was nothing if not brave.

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This is the song that gave The Rolling Stones their first big US hit and helped make Irma Thomas the Soul Queen of New Orleans.

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I love a torch song as much as the next sentimental fool. So I was thrilled when this one made an appearance in The Brutalist.

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Sibling duo La Bionda were pioneers of the Italo-disco sound in the late Seventies. This was their biggest hit.

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The Jim Jones Allstars are the third iteration of the band that began life as the Jim Jones Revue and who I last saw as Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind.

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Sharon Van Etten is my favourite female singer and her latest release, Trouble, goes straight into her top ten for me. After delving deeply into electronica she has emerged with a new band and a new sound.

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