Jane Weaver by Rebecca Lupton

This month's guest on the Low Culture podcast is none other than Jane Weaver, a musician from the north west of England who is rarely out of this site's end of year album charts and playlists.

We've collectively been big fans of Jane since her 2011 album The Fallen By Watchbird and particularly liked her last album for Fire, Flock which came out in 2021.

We caught her just as she was contemplating a return to touring – all being well – later this year. She embraced the idea of 'low culture' and chose the very rarely discussed album Can I Have My Money Back? by Gerry Rafferty.

The album was a surprise hit with presenter John Doran and producer Alannah Chance but behind the breezy, Celtic folk-influenced AOR grooves, it turned out there was a darker story... one with mutterings of chronic alcoholism, kidnapping, trashed hotel rooms and wasted opportunity.

Jane filled us in on Billy Connelly's tip for smoking grass using the Bible, what it means to be a working class songwriter and who the secret network of Gerry Rafferty fans include.

This left just enough time for John and Alannah to discuss their cultural picks for the month, which are, respectively, Iceboy Violet's The Vanity Project and Ahmed Al Kelani's Majazz Project.

This responsibly produced and socially distanced podcast was recorded by Alannah Chance in accordance with the latest COVID-19 guidelines, 100% remotely.

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