I’ve never signed up to the theory that cover versions are rubbish. They’re rubbish if they’re just a cheap attempt to fill an album slot or add five minutes to your live set. But taking a song from one genre into another has provided unexpected delights. Until now, my favourite was The Ramones’ version of Baby I Love You (although most Ramones fans despise it). From last week, my favourite is Madeleine Peyroux’s version of Dylan’s You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go. Remarkably she is sometimes criticised for sounding too much like Billie Holiday. I didn’t realise that was a bad thing…

The Guardian put together a great interactive map of Britain a couple of years ago showing the location of different ethnic minorities. I’d love to know why Greeks were attracted to Guildford. The Irish in Cheltenham is pretty obvious. And then there’s the Somalis in Cardiff. They first arrived there to work on the docks in the 1880s and now number as many as 10,000. What I love is the way that it reminds me of so many trips to Somalia. They rave about Welsh lamb and every question prompts a heated disagreement and rapid discussion. I’d love to know the origins of Minnesota’s Somali community too…