John Grant

I'm at the album launch for John Grant's new album, Pale Green Ghosts. We've been handed "access all areas" passes and it's all a little surreal. Ah! The joys of arriving with the album's strings arranger. For the record, that particular acolade belongs to my best friend, Fiona Brice. Name check important as no one buys physical albums anymore.

The gig was brilliant. John is such a clever song writer. He's also an über ABBA-fan. I once stayed up all night with him watching "ABBA in Japan" on an endless DVD loop.

John plays with an Icelandic band and at the after show party I met the drummer from my favourite Eurovision song of all time; Is it True by Johanna. Star struck.

Speaking of all things camp and European, I've now heard quite a number of this year's batch of Eurovision songs and am ready to make  an early doors prediction; a win for Russia, second place for Germany and third place for Denmark. Depending on how Bonnie Tyler sings live, I reckon we might be talking about 10th place for the UK. It's not a bad song. It lacks a bit of punch and a money note, but it has a pleasant whiff of simplicity in a year when everyone's filling every sonic layer with sequins of sounds.

Another day spent in White City. This time I had the great privilege of attending the "Extra Time" club at Queen's Park Rangers football club, where a group of old timers get to do aerobics classes and sit at tables with bottomless mugs of tea nattering about the old days. 

I love the White City Estate. It's genuinely a community which seems to work. There's a real sense of people looking out for one another and I'm thrilled that even the local football club seems to be doing its bit to promote community spirit.