Drunk on funk

Thundercat's album 'Drunk' is energetic, creative and a funky force to be reckoned with. But Thundercat live is all of that and more.

Touring in the UK now, this Grammy-winning singer and bassist you may never have heard of puts on more of a show by standing still between keyboards and drums than most bands manage with more space and more gizmos.

The electronics are used to enhance rather than crowd out the musicianship of these three performers. They all sing and produce a BIG sound.

'Drunk' is Thundercat's third album and if you listen to BBC 6 Music or JazzFM, you may have heard 'Them Changes' and wondered where it came from. This is it. And when he played it early in the set yesterday in his London show at Heaven, the crowd went wild. Already a sell-out show, even the front door security were bouncing to it under the arches, where they were turning away touts and Heaven regulars.

The Fender Rhodes balances with Thundercat's bass and those drums! Jazz can sometimes feel chaotic, but at its best that chaos resolves into something like this. Three guys on stage. Doing their thing. And doing it well. The sax on 'Them Changes' was sadly missing, but you can't have everything.

There's a touch of Gil Scott-Heron about Thundercat - the songs are from the heart and this is not just music outside the box. That box is invisible, somewhere in the distance.

A bad day - but at least the sun shone

 Not the best day of my life.

It started so well, with beautiful blue skies and sunshine.

And got worse.

But ended with a sense of positivity and heading into the future.

'How to Stand Out' by Dr Rob Yeung

Many of us are torn between wanting to stand out and wanting to hide. This is a great book for helping apply the skills of getting noticed in the right way.

The most interesting chapter for me was the one debunking the confidence con. Often, the people who appear the most confident do just that - APPEAR confident. We all have self-doubt and our biggest failings are often invisible to those around us.

So, I'll be appearing more confident. Despite still feeling exactly the same inside.

A useful book - flick through and pick out the bits that appeal.

The Family Silver - live at 229 The Venue

It's always a strange sensation when you watch friends play on stage, alongside other friends you've played in bands with.

There's a sense of pride and familiarity. With The Family Silver, there's always a delight at the creativity and skill of the trio.

Always a pleasure and this gig had a very real energy.

Walls - are you building them or breaking them down?

This beautiful wall is bathed in sunshine. Sometimes, when you're around people who are largely being positive, the person who is - instead - building walls stands out even more clearly.

Creativity is mostly about breaking down walls, although they're usually metaphorical. And not often bathed in sunshine.

Are walls ever a good thing? Unless they're supporting a roof that offers protection. More often, walls are created to divide and sometimes creating them is completely accidental. On other occasions, people are building them without even realising it.

Regardless of the metaphor, this wall looks stunning.

Stationery porn

Am I the only person who needs three notebooks at a time?

One is for a specific client, one is for my daily notes for everything else and the the third is one I carry around even in the tiniest handbag.

Of course, there is also a bookshelf of archived notebooks. And yes, I do refer back to them.

Only this week, I referred to past notes of an interview for a current job. Part of the skill is in knowing where those notes might be. And immediately recognising them when flicking through an old notebook.

When I'm the one paying, it'll always be a Moleskine. With one of my collection of Mont Blanc pens. Using better tools might just help me be a better writer.