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NO-HEADLINE

Angela Lewis
Saturday 09 November 1996 00:02 GMT
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ONE FM's Soho Live: Fluke and Kemistry and Storm, 10 Nov LA2; John Parish and PJ Harvey, Baby Bird 11 Nov, LA2; Super Furry Animals 12 Nov LA2; Tiger and Divine Comedy, 13 Nov LA2

One FM's obsession with appearing cutting-edge continues apace this week, with yet another of its live-gig, outside-broadcast jaunts. After barely catching its breath following the recent visit to Glasgow, it's laying siege to a central London that's barely emerged from the Camden Mix series of gigs. If you wanted to be cruel and foolish, you could get nostalgic for the days when ye olde Radio One only stepped outside Broadcasting House for summer roadshows with Bruno Brookes, or superstar royalty like Tina Turner at Wembley. This year, after all, has seen One FM sprint frantically in its Doc Martens from one music festival to the next - they're not special events anymore.

But then, maybe that's the point. Perhaps the station wants to make this look a normal part of the process of reinventing itself. It sees its listener as a hip student, into Oasis, Mark Morisson and Baby Bird simultaneously, who drags himself away from Shooting Stars on a Friday night to go to a jungle club. And, putting aside the fact that the station avoided jungle until every 13-year-old in the country was wise to it, One FM's metamorphosis has been a big success. The only problem about Soho Live is that the line- up of acts is spectacular enough to be excellent advertising for the station, but not that fab for the punter trying to get tickets. PJ Harvey and Baby Bird playing on the same bill? Tiger and Divine Comedy thrown together?

But Fluke and DJs Kemistry and Storm are around to satisfy techno and drum and bass tastes. The fact that John Peel has the latter gig on his show is fitting, considering that he more than any other Radio One DJ made a stand against the Smashie and Nicey types that clogged up the airwaves throughout the 1980s. In 1996 One FM has found its feet, dancing or not.

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