DAVID BOWIE: Aladdin Sane (Parlophone)
Bowie’s always been an important part of my life. Most rooms in my house have a Bowie picture.
I discovered him when the cover of Ziggy Stardust jumped out at me in a record shop.
That led me to discover early Bowie and this is my favourite. It’s Ziggy goes to America.
GO-KART MOZART: Mozart’s Mini Mart (West Midlands)
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This band is fronted by a genius musician called Lawrence.
I’ve followed everything he’s done since the 1980s. The music is glam pop with synths and it’s an absurdist take on the banality of our lives.
The play I’m doing is set in Birmingham so I find it useful to tune into Lawrence’s dry Brummie wit and accent.
LOVE: Forever Changes (Elektra)
A dark take on the 1960s counterculture which I love. It was a fascinating period with an explosion of creativity.
This has all the romance, idealism and friction yet it’s beautifully melodic. I discovered it in my 20s and still listen to it now.
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: The Velvet Underground & Nico (UMC/Polydor)
The best album ever, probably.
I saw a picture of Lou Reed, Nico and Andy Warhol in an old teenage magazine at Brownies and became transfixed.
They looked like the most interesting people in the world. Later, I saved up for this album. It was the most exciting thing I’d heard. I loved its edge.
PENTANGLE: Basket of Light (Castle/Sanctuary)
I’ve got loads of folk albums from the 1970s and this is almost baroque, with weird time signatures and an incredible rhythm section.
It’s complicated but beautiful and I love Jacqui McShee’s vocals. I sang in a band in the 1990s and this was our biggest influence.
AMANAZ: Africa (Now Again)
A comparatively recent discovery.
They’re a Zambian band from the 1970s.
It’s psychedelic African music, incredibly beautiful with amazing fuzzy basslines.
I was thrilled when it was re-released.
I found it on holiday in Los Angeles last summer and listened in the car on our road trip.