The Desert Boot

£79. A (questionable) range of colours available.

A surprising amount of people seem to have quite hard feelings concerning the desert boot. I never really understood why - they look pretty neat and the thick sole ensure they won't fall apart after a few months of running back and forth from A to B. That was until I ventured into Clarks' sale and came across such monstrosities as the Union Jack version, the rhinestone version and whatever these are supposed to be. No wonder the thought of the classic boots can bring expressions of such disgust into fashion conscious faces. I think the lesson to be learnt here is that desert boots have the potential to be a brilliant pair of everyday shoes, as long as you wear them the right way. Traditional sand, brown or black paired with a pair of 501s and a decent polo shirt? Wonderful. A pair of Union-Jack-plastered boots with a suit? Not quite so.

King L

King L, Free Entry, Jacob's Ladder (Falmouth).

If you happen to be in the South West and are a fan of ska and reggae, you might fancy giving King L a listen. Just as I was beginning to lose faith in the Cornish music scene, I came across the band as they filled the intimate venue Jacob's Ladder to the brim. A range of songs, from classics such as 54-46 (Toots & the Maytals) to the less expected Brimful of Asha by 90s band Cornershop, kept the crowd happy throughout the entire set. They already have a small following, with lyrics to the band's own single Caroline being yelled back to them and, as you can see from the video, they don't take themselves too seriously - pretty refreshing in a group of young, talented guys. Worth keeping an eye on, we'll be hearing a lot more about them once they start writing more of their own material.

Teenage Cancer Trust 2013

19th - 25th March. The Royal Albert Hall (London). 

Every year a range of musicians and comedians head to the Royal Albert Hall to support Teenage Cancer Trust - a charity devoted to improving the lives of teenagers with cancer, notably treating them as "young people first, cancer patients second". Usually the events are organised by The Who's Roger Daltrey, however seeing as the band are currently out on tour, the responsibility has been passed on to Noel Gallagher. As anticipated, there's an amazing line up of guests, including Gallagher himself, Russell Brand and Noel Fielding, Primal Scream, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon. Headlining the final night will be Paul Weller (a long term supporter of the charity) with support from up and coming Londoners the Palma Violets.

Tickets go on sale this Friday.

Quadrophenia Tour 2013

Quadrophenia European Tour. £60-£70.

JUNE - 8th Dublin: The O2, 10th Belfast: Odyssey, 12th Glasgow: SECC, 15th London: The O2, 18th Sheffield: Motorpoint Arena, 20th Newcastle: Metro Arena, 23rd Manchester: Arena, 25th Cardiff: Motorpoint Arena, 28th Birmingham: LG Arena, 30th Liverpool: Echo Arena

JULY - 3rd Paris: Bercy, 5th Amsterdam: Ziggo Dome


Just as they're approaching the end of their US tour, The Who have announced an eleven date European tour with their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will be joined by Simon Townshend, Pino Palladino, Zak Starkey, Loren Gold and Frank Simes to deliver the album's 17 songs along with a selection of Who classics.

£60-£70 may seem steep, but previous performances by both Daltrey and Townshend at the 2012 Teenage Cancer Trust show of Tommy prove that they still have it in them to put on a show worth the price.

The Exploding Bubble Club #2

The Exploding Bubble Club is back at Bar 78 (The Custard Factory) on the 9th March, bringing a second night of psych, freakbeat, garage, R&B and northern soul. Advance tickets £4 (online or in store at Urban Village and Huckleberry Menswear). £6 OTD.

FP60

60 years of Fred Perry. Auctions in late 2013.

Fred Perry is celebrating it's 60th birthday by handing over 1952 reproduction shirts to some of their most loyal celebrity fans to customise. I was fairly naive to the fact that a Fred Perry could actually look bad and was shocked to see some of the shirts have been made absolute monstrosities. However, some are quite nice and they're all pretty interesting to look at. They can be found here and will go up for auction later in 2013, with all proceeds going to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

Bite Your Lip & Take A Trip

Since it first reached my ears, Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up has been my favourite feel-good soul record. Both music and lyrics, to me, are positivity incarnate. It's inspired some impressive covers including a mellow version from The Dynamics and Weller's contrasting 3:54 turbulent outburst. However, Mayfield's will remain top of my list until someone can deliver it with equal conviction and animation, which I can't see happening for quite a while yet.