Meditating Upon the KLF

2017-12-10: In August 2017, electro pioneers The KLF reunited to stage a festival in Liverpool. Jarvis performed there and shares some of his roving reporter-style recordings. Plus, today there are plans for a nationwide mass meditation session. Jarvis explains the concept and encourages us to practise meditating along to some calming music. Director David Lynch talks about how transcendental meditation has transformed his life and made him happier. Birthdays: Meg White, Ken Campbell and Paul Hardcastle.

COMING SOON 

From Manchester with Love

2017-07-02: Jarvis broadcasts live from the Manchester International Festival. Featuring:

• Music for a Busy City: site-specific sound installations created for six spaces around Manchester.

• Left over from last week: two newlyweds share their first dance at Glastonbury; the murmur of the Pyramid Stage crowd listening to politician Jeremy Corbyn. Also, born on this day: Peter Kay.

• Artist Phil Collins discusses his work Ceremony, about Friedrich Engels and his 20 years in Manchester. Phil retrieved an abandoned Soviet-era statue of Karl Marx's collaborator and took it on tour, allowing workers here and abroad to 'meet' him before installing it in Manchester.

• Factory Records graphic designer Peter Saville talks about the True Faith exhibition, which explores the visual identity of New Order and Joy Division and the wealth of art their music has inspired.

• Also at MIF 2017: No End to Enderby, a celebration of the work of writer Anthony Burgess; dance production Available Light; and Ride.

• Karl Hyde of Underworld describes his involvement in theatre performance Fatherland, which is about the expectations and experience of fatherhood.

(Jarvis announced that he will be taking another sabbatical...)

Roving Around Glastonbury

2017-06-25: It's time to head southwest to Avalon, or the Isle of Glass, for some Glastonbury magic. First we're immersed in some of the history and mythology surrounding the site and the festival. Then we grab our wet wipes, wellies and cagoules and embark on an audio ramble around Worthy Farm. Jarvis conveys some of the atmosphere and chats with happy, glittery festival-goers in the fields and backstage. Then he leads us to the Stone Circle and a pop-up peace garden for a mellow moment. Throughout, we get to hear plenty of music from lesser-known acts playing the festival this year. Birthdays: Carly Simon (linking her stammer and creativity), George Michael (on the event that unlocked his love of music), Peter Blake (long-time beard-sporter) and Ricky Gervais (remembering when his teen rebellion was thwarted by his mum).

A Virtual Primavera

2017-06-04: Jarvis treats us to a virtual tour of Primavera Sound. Jetting over to Barcelona, we get right into the festival vibe, exploring the concrete wonderland of Parc del Fòrum and enjoying bands playing Primavera this year. We learn a little about the city: Jarvis tells us about their football team, and muses on Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and the Spanish Civil War. He also contemplates Sagrada Família and visits his favourite Barceloní music shop, Wah Wah Records. Plus: an eyewitness remembers Emily Davison's notorious suffragette protest on this day in 1913; a landmark concert for The Clash; and listeners are asked for stories of discovering records on holiday. Birthdays: Russell Brand (on sampling the atmosphere pre-performance), David Yip (reading a poem) and Morgana King.

The Sundaze Service

2016-12-04: Are you feeling it? As the BBC's My Generation season reaches 1989, Jarvis takes us on a trip to a virtual acid house rave. We travel there by car following dubious directions, climb up a hill to join the party, avoid throwing a whitey, and feel bliss in the chillout zone. The whole adventure is tied together with evocative extracts from Fierce Dancing by CJ Stone. There's also a clip about the aftermath of a party, acted out by Jarvis and Padgett Powell. And we consider the legacy of this innovative producer-led music and its influence on the electronic music of today.

6 Music Festival 2016

2016-02-14: No Sunday Service this week. Instead, Steve Lamacq presents coverage of the 6 Music Festival in Bristol.

Glastonbury of the Mind

2015-06-28: A virtual tour of the Glastonbury Festival, with all the features of the festival experience. We encounter rainy and sunny weather, make a campsite, eat dodgy falafel, stay up all night long, open our minds and freak out a bit after dancing to some dark house. The next day we chill out in the craft fields before cheering the weekend headliner. All the way through, there are songs by acts playing at this year's Festival. Plus, contributions from imaginary guest Stephen Hawking, an insight into the inner life of a Portaloo, and perfect numbers.

September 1, 2013

Jarvis returns with tales of his summer adventures! Including surviving the absolutely boiling weather; the Venice Biennale; the Big Melt in Sheffield; the End of the Road Festival; a Beck-inspired concert at the Barbican; the Despacio project in Manchester; the Rory McEwen exhibition at Kew; and at a lakeside cocktail bar, an entertainer making a surprising song choice. Today in history, World War II began — Stephen Fry recites WH Auden's poem about that day — Martha the last Passenger Pigeon died, the Cod Wars started, and Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea was published. Plus, what could replace The A-Z of Peel: perhaps recipes for Sunday lunch? Birthdays: Edgar Rice Burroughs (we learn Tarzan's language), AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (founder of Krishna Consciousness), Johann Pachelbel, Violet Carson (in character as Ena Sharples), Barry Gibb (recalling the Saturday Night Fever premiere), Bruce Foxton (on lyric-writing), Gloria Estefan and Armi Aavikko (video).

Glastonbury 2011

No Sunday Service this week, as BBC 6 Music continues its coverage of the Glastonbury Festival... where Jarvis is performing with Pulp.

ALAN VEGA at Primavera

An account of an anxiety dream starring Bruce Lee and a Yorkshire terrier kicks off the show. Jarvis has been at the Primavera Festival in Barcelona. Alan Vega of Suicide talks about how he keeps his performances spontaneous; his creative album names; how Suicide began and how their audiences have mellowed; and Bruce Springsteen covering his songs. He also gives Jarvis tips on coping with pre-show nerves and keeping the band upbeat afterwards. Then there’s a megamix of bands that played at Primavera. On This Day, Elvis scandalised America with his gyrations on the Milton Berle show. A listener recalls hanging out with Aphex Twin at Glastonbury. Birthdays: Spalding Gray (he performs a short monologue), Tony Richardson (there's a clip from the film Ned Kelly), Jacques Demy, Laurie Anderson and Federico García Lorca (Joan Baez recites one of his poems). Valete: Gil Scott-Heron.

Un-Convention

Jarvis broadcasts from Un-Convention in Salford, an international grassroots music event. British Sea Power discuss their live soundtrack for Man of Aran. On This Day, Dafydd ap Gruffydd was the first prominent person to be hung, drawn and quartered; and Iraq gained its independence. Organiser Ruth Daniel explains the origins and ethos of Un-Convention. Bill Drummond suggests recorded music is dying as an art form, and is attempting to re-engage with music in new ways, including a guerrilla choir called The 17. Naomi Kashiwagi and Matthew Krysko talk about their sound art collaboration in which they DJ with old gramophones. Birthdays: Gore Vidal, Chubby Checker, Lindsey Buckingham, Al Sharpton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tommy Lee, Clive Owen, Gwen Stefani, Tim Westwood (who's recorded a special shout-out to Jarvis) and Eddie Cochran. Valete: Tony Curtis.

Ted Hughes on Memorising Poetry

On This Day, oxygen was re-discovered, Regent's Canal in London opened, the first Brownsea Scout Camp was held (Arthur Smith investigates) and the Belgian Congo got a new name. Jarvis reads some TS Eliot. In the first of several recordings from Port Eliot, Jarvis chats to Gavin Pretor-Pinney from The Cloud Appreciation Society. Although clouds aren't popular, Gavin thinks we can all benefit from their beauty and drama. As it's Yorkshire Day, we're set a quiz about Yorkshire dialect. Jarvis reads from Ted Hughes's book By Heart and asks us to memorise a poem while he's away. Then Ted Hughes recites a poem. And Jarvis meets Robin & Partridge at The House of Fairytales, who improvise stories from children's suggestions. Birthdays: Joe Elliot, Lionel Bart, Yves Saint Laurent, David James, Jim Carroll (reading his poem Praying Mantis), Herman Melville, Sam Mendes and Michael Penn. Valete: Johnny Burnett and Calamity Jane.

Port Eliot

Jarvis is at the Port Eliot Festival with a live audience. He announces some oddities overheard from tents, then medieval troubadours Princes in the Tower entertain us. Marcus Coates is interested in where our world converges with the natural world. He plays recordings comparing birdsong to human sounds, and talks about getting people to sing bird calls. On This Day, Blériot flew the Channel, the first transatlantic two-way radio broadcast occurred, Bob Dylan went electric and it's the Inca festival of Ilyap'a. Bill Drummond dislikes rock heritage and warns Jarvis not to reform Pulp! He describes The 17, a choir which is never recorded and only exists for the moment. Here at the festival, he's busy building a bed. Jarvis recommends the Outdoor Swimming Society... Wilko Jonson is here for an Oil City Confidential screening and Q&A. He discusses his jug band, astronomy and the beautiful rings of Saturn. Sound recordist Chris Watson is fascinated by ambient sound and audio environments, and has created a soundscape for the Palm House at Kew. We hear two tracks from his Nature Disco, seals singing and Vulture Carcass. Birthdays: Rita Marley, Thurston Moore, Alain Robidoux. Valete: Hurricane Higgins and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Latitude

On This Day, the Vatican decided that the Pope could never be wrong, Hitler's Mein Kampf was published, Intel Corp was founded and Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci scored an unprecedented perfect 10. A record bought in Berlin makes Jarvis think about bad breakfast foods. And to cool us down after the recent hot weather, he reads an Icelandic legend called The Wizards of the Westman Islands. As Jarvis is planning to be at Latitude this weekend, he plays music by some bands playing at the festival. Plus, quirky records featuring a 'French James Brown' and a drug overdose. Birthdays: WG Grace, George Machine Gun Kelly, Nelson Mandela, Burt Kwouk, Hunter S Thompson (ranting an excerpt from Fear and Loathing), Yevgeny Yevtushenko (discussing reincarnation; Anthony Hopkins reads one of his poems), Dion, Henri Salvador, Jean Yanne, Martha Reeves, Lonnie Mack, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Bobby Susser. Valete: Bobby Fuller and Nico.

Glastonbury 2010

Instead of the Sunday Service, Jarvis continues 6 Music's last full day of Glastonbury coverage, live from Worthy Farm. He talks to Andrew Kerr, who helped set up the first ever festival at Glastonbury, and poet Ross Sutherland. Murray Lachlan-Young also joins Jarvis for poetry on the themes of Portaloos and thongs.