Before this thread goes to bed (shame - some points here are worth developing....)

Rifleman - on comment from you:

"Your anti anything if it's not English is REALLY beginning to get up my nose"
comment on earlier posting from Walkabouts Verse: -

"my only criticism being that they themselves have Americanised a tad with their acoustic mix."......... hope this isn't too convoluted!!

A bit OTT I think. Walkabout's view was politely expressed and a valid comment as I understand.

I'm not really familiar with Show of Hands but Paul Downes dropped in to our Brighton Sunday singaround sometimes a few years back and sung songs I understand were written by Steve Knightley.

If the song he sung about English people rejecting (too strong a word?) their culture was from SK. then - a bit ironic if SoH are victims of the very phenomenon.

There seems to be a weak mindedness amongst a lot of English singers right across popular music, that, if you open your mouth to sing you have to immediately adopt an American accent.

If you're an Elvis impersonator then it's understandable - but a folky style singer singing an own composition about London - that gets really pathetic!

An American observer was quite bemused.

There's a debate to be had about the cultural inferiority suffered by a lot of (the vast majority of?) English popular music singers. I'm not starting it but will happily contribute if someone else gets it going.

Ian Fyvie