The Whistler of the West

Film scores and themes don’t come much more iconic than Ennio Morricone’s "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", a soundtrack so legendary that even those unfortunate few who have never seen the Clint Eastwood film are still well aware of its main theme, and the whistling that goes along with it. 

A theme so perfect in evoking images of Wild West shoot-outs, duels, and lonely cowboys riding through the canyons that you could be forgiven for imagining Billy the Kid himself whistling along while rustling cattle in the Old West, Morricone’s work on the film helped to define his career among the most prolific composers in the history of film. In fact, the film’s score was unique for the time in that it directly helped to influence the rhythm of the narrative itself, rather than the other way around. 

Although it is Morricone’s genius that shines through on the soundtrack, and its iconic main theme in particular, the Italian composer did not work entirely in isolation. 

If there is one part of that theme that sticks in the mind of the audience, it is the coyote-esque howling and the accompanying whistling, capturing the quiet stoicism and Wild West surroundings of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name’. However, it wasn’t Morricone (right) who was responsible for that whistling. 

Nor, in fact, was the whistling the result of some obscure session performer whose namelessness rivals Eastwood’s. Instead, the composer recruited his childhood friend from back in Rome, Alessandro Alessandroni, and he was the one who gave the main theme its warbling guitar riff and, of course, the whistling.

 

Alessandroni (right), in addition to being a friend of Morricone’s, was a composer in his own right, although his work never quite reached the same notoriety as the latter. Looking across the films that he provided music for in his own right, none are afforded the same popularity nor the longevity of Morricone’s finest, with most being obscure Italian films like "Lady Frankenstein", "Seven Hours of Violence", and the 1978 nunsploitation film "Killer Nun". 

It is fair to say, then, that the bulk of Alessandroni’s works was far more obscure than his work with Morricone in 1966, at least outside of Italy and the presumably niche appreciators of nunsploitation films. As such, his name is often omitted from the conversation when it comes to cinema’s most important composers, which is rather unjust. 

Not only did he aid in the creation of Morricone’s score, not just for "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", but on the entirety of the Dollars trilogy, too. Even if the extent of his life’s work was just whistling on the main theme from that Clint Eastwood classic, though, the importance of that score should have been enough to cement his name in the history of film. 

It is true, of course, that Morricone could quite easily have hired somebody else to provide whistling and guitar-playing for the theme, but there is also the possibility that, without the influence of his childhood comrade, the theme might be devoid of those elements altogether, and the entire world of film scores would be much worse off as a result. 

Unplugged Medley Tribute to the Beatles

Before they dominated the late-70s dance floors with their iconic falsettos and flashing disco lights, Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb were a band trying to find their footing. 

By August 10, 1973, the Bee Gees' career had hit a temporary, lackluster lull following a string of lukewarm releases. To shake things up, the brothers stepped onto the stage of NBC's The Midnight Special, cast aside their massive studio productions, and delivered a raw, unplugged tribute to their idols – The Beatles. 

Through pure, unfiltered family harmony and just a pair of acoustic guitars, the trio transformed upbeat, high-energy pop anthems into intimate, melancholic folk-rock gems. It was a stunning demonstration of vocal arrangement and a pivotal moment in pop history that deserves a closer look. 

Instead of relying on predictable covers, the Bee Gees hand-picked five early-to-mid-'60s tracks from the Fab Four, entirely altering their DNA by slowing down the tempo and magnifying the vocal layers:

• "If I Fell": The medley opens softly with Barry’s solo vocals and a single acoustic guitar before Robin and Maurice join in, weaving a seamless three-part harmony over the gentle acoustic strumming.
• "I Need You": A delicate, driving continuation where the tight spacing of their voices gives George Harrison's original a distinct, early-70s singer-songwriter warmth.
• "I'll Be Back": Stripped of its driving jangle-pop rhythm, the brothers lean into the track's inherent melancholia, shaping it into a rootsy, acoustic lament.
• "This Boy": The undisputed emotional core of the performance. The intricate chord progressions become the backdrop for a heartbreaking, show-stopping lead vocal by Robin Gibb.
• "She Loves You": The most daring reinvention of the set. The Gibbs took the quintessential, explosive "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" pop anthem and completely decelerated it, turning it into a vulnerable, breathtaking harmonic exercise.

What makes this entire performance brilliant is how deliberately the Bee Gees subverted the energy of the British Invasion. By replacing the brisk, electric bounce of the Beatles' early catalog with spacious acoustic arrangements and dragging tempos, they uncovered a dark, folk-rock melancholia hidden beneath the familiar pop hooks. 

It wasn't just a cover medley; it was a structural translation that shifted the focus entirely onto the emotional weight of the lyrics and the flawless precision of their three-part vocal stack.

A masterclass in vocal arrangement and a fascinating piece of pop history.

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Celtic faced St Johnstone yesterday at the latter's home ground in a league match, which they won 1-0. 

The first half was keenly contested but ultimately goalless. However, midfielder Mika Baur found the back of the net in the 52nd minute when he met Haissem Hassan's sharp, low cross. 

That single goal was enough to maintain a 100% Scottish Premiership record for Celtic.

I Drank Too Much

Flo & Joan (sisters Nicola and Rosie Dempsey) perform one of their best loved songs describing a debaucherous bender! 

This fan-favourite track hilariously chronicles a "perfect night out" that quickly devolves into chaotic, alcohol-fueled mishaps. 

From Rob Delaney's Stand Up Central.

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The brilliant irony of this song lies in its structure. They pair pristine, church-choir-style vocal harmonies with an increasingly chaotic narrative about getting blackout drunk and falling off a bar.

Nicola’s stone-faced keyboard playing perfectly balances Rosie’s manic, wide-eyed energy as the lyrics devolve from a "sophisticated glass of vino" into utter public devastation.

It succeeds because it is deeply relatable but structurally flawless. The relentless, escalating rhythm mimics the exact feeling of a night out spiralling out of control. 

A sharp observational comedy song that has become my favourite!

Liverpool had hoped for their first win of the season at newly promoted Ipswich Town yesterday. 

After all, the Reds have won their last four Premier League games against the Tractor Boys across the 2001-02 and 2024-25 seasons, scoring 17 goals and conceding just once.

And they got the job done with a smooth 2-0 victory, giving new boss Andoni Iraola his very first Premier League victory in charge of the Merseysiders. 

The opening goal came when Cody Gakpo picked up the ball 40 yards out and in the 6th minute, threaded a beautiful pass to Alexander Isak, who buried a powerful finish from a tight angle. 

Just three minutes later, Gakpo pulled off a ridiculous trivela pass, setting up Isak to round the keeper and slide in his second.

Back on Track

July's book sales saw a slump and it was a bit of a scare, to be honest. But August really saved the day. 

We saw a more-than-decent rebound in numbers, and it’s a huge relief to see our momentum picking up again. 

Here is a breakdown of our todate sales:

Interestingly, I've just learned about Prince’s 1991 blockbuster music album "Diamonds and Pearls" shifted over 4.4 million copies. Comparing our two books to a record like that is certainly a humbling thought! 

Of course, the music and publishing industries are worlds apart – and while we are ambitious, we are also realistic.

Reaching major Malaysian retailers like MPHOnline, Kinokuniya Malaysia, and Gerakbudaya is a testament to the quality and relevance of our books. 

For us, our mission, as always, is to expand our readership base and deliver real value to readers! Wherever and whenever we can!

Tom Waits "The Fly"

Parade's Rylan Fischer on July 31, 2026 introduced a superb new spoken-word piece "The Fly" by Tom Waits. It serves as the B-side to his stellar collaboration with Massive Attack, "Boots on the Ground". 

And this is what he wrote on Tom Waits. "...He is one of the most singular American artists of all time. He is a potent and sardonic songwriter who utilizes sounds and styles from the most unlikely places to create songs and stories that sound nothing like anything you'll ever hear. With instrumentation as down-and-out as the people he depicts in his music, Waits captures all corners of the idiosyncratic, deranged, depressed, and authentic that makes up America", as noted by Parade. 

And so, "The Fly" is already available digitally on July 31 and the physical eco-conscious vinyl scheduled for September 04.

A satirical, comically wry ode to the common housefly (Musca domestica), written out of a "begrudging admiration for the brief, unsung life of the insect", that's what it it!

 

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I’ve become a big fan of the new song. I'm fascinated by how he trains his singular focus on something as uncommonly common as the common housefly. And I find him to be such a fascinating voice to listen to, and his writing has a way of commanding my attention. 

The fact that Waits relies entirely on the gravel and rhythmic cadence of his own voice to build the tension, turning simple, stark spoken words into a percussive, theatrical performance, proves he doesn't need a band to create a brooding atmosphere.

Overall, the song is packed with all of Waits’ dark wit and gritty honesty. For sure, the choice to forego any instrumentation works brilliantly as well, putting me right in the room with Waits and making me feel like I’m staring right at the eponymous fly. 

I very much appreciate this particular track because I myself have given speeches on the cockroach and the frog! 

As with the housefly ditty, the speeches have stood out!

Pop Music's Bias Towards English is Diminishing

English language music is losing its stranglehold on the charts, according to new data from music streaming giant Spotify. 

The company say songs in 16 different languages, including Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish, Indonesian and Arabic, appeared in their Global Top 50 last year. That's more than double the figure from 2020. 

Bad Bunny, who sings exclusively in Spanish, was the most-streamed artist in the world. And Brit Award winner Rosalía sings in 14 dialects on her latest album, Lux. 

Spotify said Brazilian Funk was the fastest-growing genre in the world, with audiences up by 36%. K-Pop saw a 31% increase, and Trap Latino was up by 29%. 

All of those genres earned more than $100m in royalties from Spotify last year, the company said. English still dominates the charts, with 14 of last year's Top 20 best-selling albums sung exclusively in the language, according to the music industry body the IFPI. 

But South Korean bands such as Stray Kids, Enhypen and Seventeen all featured in the list, as did Japanese rock group Mrs Green Apple, as fans increasingly explore music outside the typical paradigms of rock and pop. 

According to a 2021 analysis of listening behaviour published in the journal Nature, this trend has been accelerating since 2017. Not coincidentally, that's the same year that streaming overtook CDs and vinyl as the music industry's biggest source of income.

Last week, Spotify's most-played chart included songs from Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro (Puerto Rico), Nadhif Basalamah (Indonesia), Tyla (South Africa), Tems (Nigeria), Ryan Castro (Colombia), El Bogueto, Peso Pluma, Neton Vega and Fuerza Regida (Mexico), Blackpink, Jung Kook and Jin (South Korea). 

Spotify's data was revealed as they announced their annual Loud And Clear report, which breaks down the global streaming economy. The streaming giant said they had paid $11bn in royalties to the music industry last year, up from $10bn in 2024. The figure makes it the highest-paying retailer globally, the company claimed. 

It is worth noting, however, that royalties distributed by Spotify don't necessarily go directly to musicians, with record labels, distributors, publishers, managers and songwriters often taking a cut.

At the Squash Australian Open semi-final yesterday, Sivasangari Subramaniam got the better of world No. 12 Nele Gilis, beating her 3-0: 11-8, 13-11, 11-4. 

And Malaysia's world No. 6 is just one match away from ending a 13-month title drought after storming into the final! 

CNY Rap Gets Nonstop Views

Check out these students in Johor, Malaysia who found themselves in the spotlight after their Chinese New Year music video went viral on social media. 

The 3-minute-5-second video has 40 pupils from SJK(C) Pandan in Johor Bahru – boys and girls alike from Years Four to Six – rapping to a song titled "Nonstop CNY":

 

Ku Chong Sin, chairperson of the school's parent-teacher association, said the video was part of an annual school project involving six teachers. He added that the project took about a week to complete, including composing the song and using artificial intelligence software for recording and post-production. 

The music video features Year Four pupil Oswald Chong Bang Qin as one of its main characters, rapping in sunglasses and casual streetwear. In one scene, Chong appears alongside schoolmates Wong Yu Han and Tan Sze Qi, with the trio performing in a slow-moving car driven by teacher Guok Wei Loon, in a style reminiscent of hip-hop music videos. 

Chong’s role added to the ­video’s appeal, as his name was incorporated into the rap lyrics, giving the song a catchy and playful element. 

The upbeat, family-oriented song focuses on Chinese New Year traditions such as reuniting with loved ones, wearing new clothes and spending time with relatives. 

Uploaded to the school’s Facebook page [新山班兰国民型华文小学（班兰华小） (@official.sjkcpandan)] on January 29, the said video has since garnered more than 1.7 million views and over 60,000 likes as of noon today.

The Cost of Everyday Things in China versus US

This visual, by Julie Peasley, compares the cost of 20+ common items in China and the United States using data from Numbeo, the world’s largest crowdsourced cost-of-living database. 

The chart offers a direct side-by-side view of consumer prices in US dollars, giving insight into which country is more affordable across key spending categories. While the US boasts higher average salaries, China’s everyday living expenses are very low. 

The two biggest things to rock the villagers of Auchinleck in East Ayrshire, Scotland were in 1969 when The Who (their notable hits include “I Can See For Miles”, “Happy Jack”, “My Generation”, “Substitute”) performed there as a warm-up for their historic appearance at the Woodstock music festival, and this year, when the non-league footballers of Auchinleck Talbot played against Celtic in the Scottish Cup fourth round. 

That's right! Yesterday, the sixth-tier minnows did themselves proud when they made the Scottish champions toil before the latter secured a hard-fought 2-0 win. 

Despite Martin O'Neill making 10 changes from the midweek win at Falkirk, it was still a strong Celtic team who took the field. But it took them 33 minutes to open the scoring through Johnny Kenny and then saw the tie over the line after substitute Sebastian Tounekti’s 85th-minute strike. 

Celtic travel to Bologna, Italy on Thursday to play in the Europa League, before facing Hearts at Tynecastle next Sunday.

Sinéad O'Connor Dismantles the Myth of the Irish "Famine"

The late Shuhada' Sadaqat, née Sinéad O'Connor (left), Irish singer-songwriter, record producer and activist did not shy away from speaking the truth, to the detriment of her career, but without regret. 

She called out the abuse in the Catholic church long before anyone was ready to hear about it. 

And in her song "Famine", she breaks down the myth of the Irish Potato Famine. In Irish, the famine is called an Gorta Mór, or the Great Hunger. As Sinéad explains: 

Okay, I want to talk about Ireland 
Specifically, I want to talk about the famine 
About the fact that there never really was one 

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While there was a blight in the 1840s that decimated the potato crop, there was no famine. There was plenty of food in Ireland, just not for the Irish people. Absentee British landlords sold food for export and even controlled fishing from "their" streams. 

The highly nutritious potato was the only crop that could be grown on the small plots of land where the Irish, who were essentially sharecroppers, were allowed to grow their own food. 

British "relief" measures were led by Charles Trevelyan, who said that starvation was "a punishment from God for an idle, ungrateful, and rebellious country; an indolent and un-self-reliant people. The Irish are suffering from an affliction of God's providence". He took a laissez-faire approach and shut down programs that would have sent aid. He was later knighted for his efforts. 

The Great Hunger was the beginning of an exodus of the Irish people to the United States. The Irish population has never recovered. Today, there are eight times as many Irish-Americans as there are Irish in Ireland.

Music Created to Make Chocolate Tastes Even Better

Sweet tune, sweeter bite. 

A University of Bristol brainiac has created a song designed to amplify your chocolate experience!  

After doing 60 years of research, which found that music’s pitch, speed and key can trick the brain into thinking something, particularly sweet treats taste more decadent than they already do, as per SWNS – Dr. Natalie Hyacinth (right), a composer and sound expert, created a musical track meant to be listened to while eating a sweet treat to make the experience that much better. 

Hyacinth discovered that the brain does a party trick called “multisensory integration”, where senses start to mingle. 

Pair chocolate or sweet fruit with a tune, and the brain turns dessert into a full-blown orchestration. Think of it as your senses having a jam session. 

Her research found that silky, more lush tunes in a major key make chocolate taste creamier and sweeter, while sharp notes crank up the bitter bite – and fast beats are best left to fast food. 

Galaxy Chocolate put the science to work with the scientist commissioned 90-second track, “Sweetest Melody” – a 78-BPM track designed to melt in your ears during the same amount of time that the chocolate melts on your tongue. 

Think piano for sweetness, strings for silkiness and a harp to make it all go down smoothly. The song is now streaming on YouTube and Spotify. 

Here's that tune:

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Hyacinth noted that this initiative demonstrates how “enjoying chocolate can be a multisensory experience that goes beyond taste to engage all senses”. 

Of course, I experimented and got myself a 135g bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. 

To be honest, I really can't tell! 😐😐😐

Harimau Malaya’s Official Anthem "Demi Lencana Di Dada"

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), in collaboration with Warner Music Malaysia (WMM), on Saturday, launched the official Harimau Malaya song titled "Demi Lencana Di Dada", performed by the Malaysian indie rock band Hujan.

 

According to Hujan’s vocalist Noh Salleh, the project was initiated in February this year to ensure the quality of the music, lyrics and message truly resonates with the hearts of Malaysians. 

“We feel very honoured and proud to be given the opportunity to perform the official Harimau Malaya song. As Malaysians, football has always been part of our soul. When we sing this song, it is not just a song, but a spirit that unites the whole nation behind our pride and joy, the national team”, he was quoted as saying in the statement.

 

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The song is available for streaming on all platforms from Saturday, while the lyric video has premiered on WMM’s YouTube channel.

Baby Shark Song Not Plagiarised

South Korea's Supreme Court have rejected a lawsuit from a US children's songwriter who alleged that the producers of the inescapably catchy children's song "Baby Shark" plagiarised his work, ending a six-year-long legal battle. 

The court upheld two lower court verdicts that favored Pinkfong, the South Korean company behind the tune with the "doo doo doo doo doo doo" refrain that has been streamed billions of times. 

Jonathan Wright, known as Johnny Only, recorded a version of the tune in 2011 based on a children's folk song. Pinkfong's version was released in 2016. 

Wright said he owned the copyright to the interpretation, but Pinkfong argued that their version was an arrangement of the same folk song, which is in the public domain. 

The court ruled Thursday that Wright's version "had not reached a level of substantial alteration" from the original folk song for it to be considered a separate work, which means it is not protected as a separate piece of work under copyright law. 

Pinkfong's "Baby Shark" went wildly viral after it was released on YouTube, in a clip that included hand gestures for children to dance along with. 

It became the most-viewed YouTube video of all time in November 2020, at the height of the pandemic, after raking up seven billion views. Just over a year later, it became the first YouTube video to reach 10 billion views.

After Pinkfong’s renditions captured the world’s attention, sparking social media moments like the #BabySharkChallenge and seeing the song hit No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Wright filed his plagiarism claim, seeking 30 million won ($21,600) in compensation. 

In fact, there are also international adaptations of Baby Shark before Pinkfong's interpretation, including the French "Bebe Requin" and the German "Kleiner Hai" (Little Shark), which became a viral hit in Europe in 2007. But none of these have reached the phenomenal success of Pinkfong's adaptation. 

Yesterday, the new Premier League season kicked off with the English champions triumphing 4-2 over AFC Bournemouth. 

Liverpool's £70m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, Hugo Ekitike broke the latter's stubborn resistance with a composed finish in the 37th minute before turning provider to set up Cody Gakpo for a second in the 49th minute. The Reds looked on course for a comfortable victory but the Cherries had other ideas, their winger striking back on two occasions in the 64th and 76th minutes to draw Bournemouth level. 

Federico Chiesa was brought in and it well and truly paid off – the Italian volleying in with 88 minutes on the clock to secure an unlikely late win. That wasn’t to be it, either, with Mohamed Salah adding a fourth in stoppage time, scoring for the eighth time in nine opening-day fixtures.

Citizenship of 3 Countries

I must admit this is the first time I've heard of someone with triple citizenship. Hit maker Dua Lipa now has citizenship for Britain, Albania and Kosovo.

Yes, I checked and it is possible to have triple citizenship. While some countries restrict dual citizenship, meaning a person can only have one other citizenship besides their own, there are countries that permit holding three or more citizenships. This is often referred to as multiple citizenship, and it's a status where a person is simultaneously recognized as a citizen by multiple countries.  

The 29-year-old pop star (right) was born in London, UK to Kosovan-Albanian parents, Anesa and Dukagjin Lipa, and moved to Pristina, Kosovo’s capital aged 11, when her family returned after it "gained" independence in 2008, before moving back to London aged 15. 

Since finding fame with hits like New Rules, Be The One, Don't Start Now and Levitating, the singer has made a point of honoring her heritage. 

In 2022, she was granted Albanian citizenship for promoting the country through her music and fame. On Friday, she was granted Kosovo citizenship. 

And Lipa reportedly said she "feels like my two sides are now one".  

Kosovo is a landlocked country bordered by Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the south, Albania to the west, and Montenegro to the northwest. 

International governments are divided on the issue of recognition of the independence of Kosovo from Serbia, which was declared in 2008. The Government of Serbia does not diplomatically recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state, although the two countries have enjoyed normalised economic relations since 2020. At least, that's what I've read. 

It has been claimed that Kosovo has received 116 diplomatic recognitions by UN member states; however disagreements have arisen regarding the exact number of countries recognising Kosovo. Kosovo claims that the number of countries recognising its independence is 119, whilst Serbia claims the number is 84, stating that some countries have withdrawn recognition. Third party sources give the number of recognising countries as around 110. FYI, Malaysia under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi officially recognized the Republic of Kosovo on October 30, 2008.

Ozzy Osbourne: There Won't Be Another Like Him

On Tuesday, Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic frontman of Black Sabbath, the man who helped birth heavy metal, has passed on. He was 76 years old.

His family announced the death in a statement, which did not say where he died or specify a cause. He had been treated in recent years for a variant of Parkinson's disease that he identified as Parkinsonism or Parkin 2, a condition exacerbated by his chronic drug abuse.

Just as recently as July 05, he was on stage at the "Back to the Beginning" farewell concert in Birmingham, UK, the city where it all started. Surrounded by guest stars and reunited with the classic Sabbath line-up, he performed chained to a bat-shaped chair, singing with the wild, unrelenting force that defined his career. 

He left this world as he lived in it – on his own terms. A rock star until the end. 

Most who don’t follow rock know Ozzy only as the man who bit the head off a bat – a story that became a kind of curse. He grew tired of it in later years, annoyed that a moment of shock theater had come to overshadow a lifetime of art. Others remember him as a foul-mouthed, lovable old rocker – the Prince of Darkness turned reality TV grandpa. A man who swore like a sailor and laughed like a child. 

But there was more to him than the antics. He was outrageous, yes – he once threw raw meat into a crowd, and at Madame Tussauds, posed as a wax figure of himself, startling tourists for fun. He was devoted too. Even in a wheelchair, battling Parkinson’s, he kept making music. He once said he would perform until his last breath. And he nearly did. 

Osbourne’s final solo album, Ordinary Man (2020), was widely seen as a swan song – romantic, tragic, and defiantly honest. One of its standout tracks, "Under the Graveyard", plays like a hymn of regret. It’s an unflinching confession of the wildness and wreckage of his youth: the drinking, the drugs, the chaos. His treatment of his wife Sharon. His battles with himself. In that song, he sings: 

Don’t take care of me, be scared of me 
My misery owns me 
I don’t want to be my enemy 
My misery owns me now 

The man behind the myth emerges here – not Ozzy the bat-eater, but Ozzy the broken soul who somehow stitched himself back together. It must be said that he readily owned his flaws, every single one of them. And it was how he faced them that we find the heart of who he truly was. 

Despite the dark image – crosses, bats, devils, and all – Ozzy was a man of faith. He often said that Satanism frightened him. The symbols were theater, not creed. In truth, he hoped for the light. Not eternal party-in-hell nonsense, but peace. 

I fondly remembered listening to Black Sabbath's Paranoid album at full throttle while preparing for my final Strathclyde exams in Glasgow, Scotland in the late seventies. A whole week. It helped me study better.

And I’ll surely remember him as a person who stumbled, fell, and still staggered forward anyway. A man who clawed his way back from himself, through the mist of fame, the haze of addiction, and the fog of regret. 

Thanks for the Metal, Ozzy! Rest in peace!

Fresh Sounds Coming From Austria's Vegetable Orchestra

They’ve got the beet! 

For the last 27 years, the eleven members of the Vegetable Orchestra in Vienna, Austria, have been playing with their food. 

They're a touring orchestra and they've earned a Guinness World Record having performed 344 concerts on their veggies, and officially becoming the uncontested record holders for most concerts by a vegetable orchestra.

This unorthodox band prepare for their concerts by hollowing out carrots and celery, peeling onion skins and cutting aubergines (brinjals/eggplants), and piling up fresh produce onstage to create their distinctive sounds. 

Some of their classics include the carrot recorder, a cucumberphone, percussive pieces of aubergine or even a leek violin. The performers purchase all of the vegetables fresh the day of their performance, and the audience can see in live-time how the sounds of the instruments change as they break and dry out in the stage lights.

“We believe that we can produce sound that cannot be (easily) produced by other instruments. You can hear the difference. It sometimes sounds like animals, sometimes just like abstract sounds”, say the Orchestra. “You can say that the vegetables’ 'hidden' inside sound life is brought to the surface and made visual during the performance”.

The innovative group is constantly inventing new instruments — and they have to be prepared to improvise, since the vegetables can break or dry out while they are on stage.

Naturally, these instruments are pretty single-use, so the band have a chef that turns all the unused vegetables into a soup for the concert-goers to enjoy after the performance. 

The musicians – who come from backgrounds in genres like electronic, rock, punk and classical – hope to show audiences that music can be created from just about anything.

Celtic booked their place in the last four when they won 2-0 over Hibernian in a keenly contested Scottish Cup quarter-final yesterday. 

Daizen Maeda pounced on a rebound to net from close range in the 39th minute for his 14th goal in 13 matches, and 28th for the season. And fellow substitute Luke McCowan set up Adam Idah for a tidy finish from a tight angle in second-half stoppage time. 

And so, Celtic are on track for the domestic treble. They've already won the Scottish League Cup; they have an unassailable lead in the Scottish Premiership; and they've booked a semi-final spot in the Scottish Cup.