The BEST episodes of Later... with Jools Holland season 53

#1 - Muse, Laurel, Jon Cleary, John Grant, Easy Life, Hamzaa

Season 53 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/6/2018

Joining Jools on the second show of this series are Devon stadium rockers Muse, who return to the show three years after their global chart-topping album Drones, with songs from their upcoming release Simulation Theory, an LA-recorded science fiction based affair featuring production from Rich Costey and Timbaland. Making her TV debut on the show is Southampton-born, now London-based Laurel, who first caught attention with a series of chamber-pop EPs and mixtapes recorded solely in her bedroom. She performs a couple of tracks from her recently released full-length debut Dogviolet. Also on the show is New Orleans-based R&B and funk musician Jon Cleary, who was born not far from the Maidstone studios in neighbouring Cranbrook, and has worked with legends such as Dr John, BB King and Bonnie Raitt. He plays a couple of selections from his new Dyna-mite album. Making a welcome return to the studio is Michigan-born, now Iceland-based singer John Grant, who performs tracks from his upcoming fourth album Love Is Magic. Completing the line-up are two debut performances - Leicester's self-proclaimed 'best band ever' Easy Life, who all met at school two years ago and have since made waves with what the NME call 'the middle ground of hip-hop, indie and slacker-rock', and 19-year-old Londoner R&B soul singer Hamzaa, whose voice has been described as 'an intoxicating blend of old-soul sapience with a sensual edge'.

#2 - Neneh Cherry. The Lemon Twigs, Echo & The Bunnymen, Sam Fender, Toots Hibbert, Ashley McBride

Season 53 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/13/2018

#3 - Jess Glynne, IDLES, Soft Cell, Hak Baker, King Princess, Ralph McTell

Season 53 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/2018

Joining Jools on the first show of the series are five artists all making their own debuts on the show. From London, Jess Glynne, who this year became the first British female solo artist to have seven number one singles in the UK. She performs tracks from her upcoming second album Always In Between, which is the follow up to her massive selling 2015 debut I Cry When I Laugh. From Bristol, blistering intelligent punk from five-piece IDLES, whose social commentary and sparky live performances have earned them rave reviews and a top five slot for their second LP Joy As An Act of Resistance. Back together since their last record 16 years ago, synthpop duo and stars of the 1980s charts, Soft Cell. Singer Marc Almond and producer Dave Ball perform on the show in the week of their farewell concert at the O2 Arena and perform a new track as well as a classic or two from their haul of top 10 hits. Making her TV debut on the show is Brooklyn based 19-year-old songstress Mikaela Straus aka King Princess. The first signing to Mark Ronson's new Zelig label, one of the tracks she performs is 1950 which has been described as one of this year's political anthems and a beautiful homage to the LGBTQ+ community. Also making his debut is unsigned artist Hak Baker from the Isle of Dogs, a singer songwriter forming a genre of his very own - G-Folk - which consists of simple and soft melodies filled with tales of east London life, doomed romance and solitude. Completing the line-up is the prolific and gifted songwriter and one of the great storytellers Ralph McTell, who is now celebrating more than 50 years on the road. Known for his virtuoso guitar style, Ralph made his debut in 1968 with the album Eight Frames a Second and in 1974 his timeless track Streets of London earned him an Ivor Novello Award. He performs his track West 4th & Jones Street, which is based on the iconic cover of Bob Dylan's Freewheelin. Other artists set to perform during the series include Muse, Ju

#4 - Sigrid, Paul Weller, Jacob Banks, Villagers, Joe Bonamassa, Octavian, Rosalia

Season 53 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/20/2018

Joining Jools on the fourth show of this series are five artists, all returning in triumph following debuts at earlier points in their now burgeoning careers. Norwegian singer and pop star Sigrid made her UK TV debut on the show in May 2017 with Don't Kill My Vibe at the piano and has since gone on to win the BBC Music Sound of 2018 accolade, enjoy a top ten hit with her track Strangers and become a must-see on the festival circuit. Now, to top it all, she returns to perform a new number or two with her band. No stranger to the show, or indeed our cultural life of the last 40 years, Paul Weller returns to perform in an acoustic vein with just regular cohort Steve Craddock and a string quartet. Paul and co are in the middle of the studio floor with a track from his recently released 14th solo album True Meanings, a collection of dreamily autumnal, wistful, even melancholy songs. Nigerian-born and London-based singer Jacob Banks made an impressive debut on the show back in 2013 and has gone on to captivate audiences around the world with his soulful voice and songs. Following a series of EPs, he is finally releasing his debut full-length album in November and on his return to the show performs a track at the piano with Jools. Dublin's indie folk outfit Villagers made their debut on the show back in 2010 just before the release of their much-acclaimed and Mercury Prize-nominated debut Becoming a Jackal. Lead by singer-songwriter Conor O'Brien, who recently collaborated with Paul Weller on his album, they return to the show with songs from their fifth album The Art of Pretending to Swim, which has been described as their most ambitious record to date. New York State-born blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa opened for BB King a number of times in the late 80s when he was 12 years old and knows a thing or two about the blues with the likes of Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton greatly inspiring him. He debuted on Later... back in 2009 and has gone on to amass Grammy

#5 - Interpol, Bugzy Malone feat. Rag'n'Bone Man, Fantastic Negrito, Another Sky, Fatoumata Diawara, Marc Almond, Olivia Chaney

Season 53 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/27/2018

Joining Jools in the theatre of dreams this week are New York modern rockers Interpol, premiering songs from Marauder, their sixth album, which expands on their iconic, menacing sound with some warmer colours on singles such as The Rover and If You Really Love Nothing. Manchester MC and grime star Bugzy Malone will be accompanied by Rag 'n' Bone Man on their contemporary anthem Run from Bugzy's top ten debut long player B Inspired. Introducing Oakland, California's eccentric bluesman Fantastic Negrito, with a song from his second album Please Don't Be Dead which confirms the mid-life flowering of his talent. London-based expansive guitar band Another Sky emerge from their shadowy beginnings to show off their compelling guitar figures, and the extraordinary vocals of singer Catrin Vincent. Also on the show is Malian star Fatoumata Diawara, who returns to the show with her four-piece band and songs from her second album Fenfo (Something to Say). The album showcases her particular brand of Afrofuturism, which sits squarely between the ancient and the modern with its mix of up-tempo blend of rock, pop and Afrobeat. Plus a swift return for Soft Cell frontman and solo star Marc Almond, who collaborates with Jools on a song they have written together. Completing the line-up is classically trained British folk singer Olivia Chaney, who over the years has collaborated with the likes of Robert Plant, The Decemberists, Eliza and Martin Carthy, to name a few. She performs a number or two, including the hauntingly beautiful title track Shelter from her latest solo offering written in her family cottage in the hills of the North Yorkshire moors.

#6 - Jungle, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Robyn, Mattiel, Terry Reid and Ghetts

Season 53 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/2018

Joining Jools on the final show of this run are south London's Jungle, the soul/funk collective formed around the nucleus of childhood friends Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson. They perform a couple of tracks from their recently released second album For Ever. The supergroup comprising of Paul Simonon, Tony Allen, Simon Tong and Damon Albarn, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, make a welcome return almost 12 years on from their self-titled debut album with songs from their long-awaited follow-up. Swedish pop queen Robyn is another artist who had been away too long, until breaking an eight-year silence with her aptly-named comeback single Missing U this summer. She makes her debut on the show with a couple of tracks from her brand new album Honey, along with one or two of the tunes which helpfully mapped out the sound of the next decade. Making her TV debut is Atlanta's Mattiel, who grew up as an only child and working on her mother's farm, and cites influences such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Andre 3000, Marc Bolan and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, which can all be found in her brand of fiery rock and soul. She brings a couple of belters from her eponymous debut album. One of British rock's greatest vocalists, Terry Reid's career is littered with a veritable who's who of legendary names he has performed with. Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin's loss is our gain when Superlungs joins the line-up on the show with a song. Completing the lineup is east London grime original and the scene's articulate conscience Ghetts, who perform a track from his recent album Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament.