Playlist 02.04.08

The week started with Bjork live and unfettered in Belfast and it tailed off last night with Yachts from Portland, Oregon, stomping around in a rather preppy manner. In the middle of this tumult was the chance to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Rock Against Racism rally at Victoria Park London.

To mark the occasion, the Equality Commission in Belfast had delivered a day of music and workshops, involving the Motion Project, some original old punks (Shame Academy) and myself, talking about songs with social commentary. That took us from Civil War slavery tunes via Curtis Mayfield and then Billy Bragg and Wilco bellowing out 'You Fascists Are Bound To Lose'. I enjoyed it.

Best bit was a chance to see the 1978 documentary film, 'Who Shot The Sherriff?'. It put the anti-Nazi movement into context and plotted the rise of the National Front in England. In response, the reggae acts and the punks united, and at Victoria Park, more than 50 000 people got the message. It was a marvel to remember Steel Pulse, rastas from Handsworth, singing Ku Klux Klan with their white hoods on. And there were a few shots of The Clash, hurtling through 'White Riot' with Jimmy Pursey from Sham 69, mugging along gamely.

The nostalgia is good enough, but the ultimate point is that as Northern Ireland should never trade sectarianism to racism, and that we've seen too many rivers of blood to start scaremongering about that kind of a future.

Back in the day, there was a short-lived attempt to establish Rock Against Sectarianism over here. It didn't catch on, but in memory of those years, I played a Stiff Little Fingers recording on my show last night. 'Johnny Was' was the work of Bob and Rita Marley, the story of a stray bullet that left a dead boy and a grieving mother. SLF transplanted the song from Trenchtown to Belfast and launched it on their debut album. Back in 1978 I thought that it sounded forced, a bad copy of The Clash and 'Police and Thieves'. But actually, it's all heart.

PLAYLIST 02.05.08

STUART BAILIE

BBC Radio Ulster, 92-95 FM, 1341 MW

Online: www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster

Fridays, ten - midnight

The Aces Of Spade - The Honeydripper Lounge (Rhino)

Elbow - One Day Like This (Fiction)

Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood (Bella Union)

Foy Vance - Shed A Little Light (Wurdamouth)

Otis Redding - I'm Depending On You (Rhino/Atco)

Joan As Police Woman - To Be Loved (Reveal)

Lord Large and Dean Parrish - Left Right And Centre (Acid Jazz)

Paul Weller - Have You Made Up Your Mind (Island)

Sarabeth - Nobody Cares (Echo)

Robert Forster - Let Your Light In, Babe (Tag5)

CSS - Rat Is Dead (Warner)

Iron & Wine - Lovesong Of The Buzzard (Sub Pop)

Stiff Little Fingers - Johnny Was (Rough Trade)

Bjork - Joga (One Little Indian)

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (Bella Union)

The Charlatans - Oh Vanity (CV)

Joseph Arthur - In The Sun (Real World)

Noah and The Wall - Shape Of My Heart (Vertigo)

T Bone Burnett - Kill Zone (Nonesuch)

Lemonheads -Confetti (Atlantic/Rhino)

The Henry Girls - Mean Old Wind (white)

Bon Iver - For Emma (4ad)

Ruth Brown - Things About Coming My Way (Rhino)

Portishead - Deep Water (Island)

Robert Forster - The Evangelist (Tag5)