Later with Jools Holland returns to BBC Two tonight for its 39th season. The next two months will see six different acts per week performing ‘live’ on the show. Each show will feature some emerging acts, a number of established ones, and a few in between. It gets off to an inauspicious start tonight as the six guests pushing new product are not so well known. This is illustrated by the fact that Northern Ireland’s Snow Patrol are the main band on the programme. I’ve never understood their popularity or success and yet they are about to release their sixth studio album, Fallen Empires. Their downbeat take on INXS’s New Sensation is taken from the Late Night Tales compilation that they compiled. The Duke Spirit from London should be a better proposition as they promote Bruiser, their third studio album. Their version of the Sham 69 anthem was part of a series of songs released by bands to celebrate 50 Years of Doc Martens. From Sweden, Little Dragon also release their third long player, Ritual Union. Looking Glass appears on Machine Dreams from 2009. Soulful Scottish singer Emeli Sandé is about to release her debut album, Our Version of Events. Trombone Shorty is from New Orleans and For True is his seventh studio album. On Your Way Down is from his previous effort, Backatown, and features Lenny Kravitz on vocals. Legendary cult figure Roy Harper is by far the most experienced musician on this week’s show. The 70-year-old English songwriter was immortalised in song in 1970 when Led Zeppelin included a track called Hats Off to (Roy) Harper on their third album. Five years later, Harper sang lead vocals on Have a Cigar from Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. He also released one of his most famous songs in 1975. When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease takes a nostalgic look back at a sportsman’s final moments. It’s a rather lengthy track and this may explain why he doesn’t appear on Songs of Love & Loss, a double set that combines 23 tracks from almost a dozen of his previous releases. A 30-minute Later Live will be broadcast every Tuesday at 10.00pm on BBC Two, with an extended show every Friday night
New Sensation (INXS cover) – Snow Patrol
If The Kids Are United (Sham 69 cover) – The Duke Spirit
When You Are Near – Emeli Sandé
On Your Way Down – Trombone Shorty
When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease – Roy Harper
Clockwise from top left: Roy Harper; Emeli Sandé; Trombone Shorty; Little Dragon; Snow Patrol; The Duke Spirit
Town Full of Losers 