“You don't write about English anymore.”

That's what a guy said in the supermarket the other day and he was completely correct.

The thing is, the column has shrunk to match the recent smaller-sized print editions of The Weekend Sun. Hopefully this is temporary, and I figure it best to prioritise music over more tangential ramblings.

But it's been a quiet week so here's a piece of grammatical minutia you might not have previously considered: The Weather Verb.

Kiwis, particularly those of English heritage, talk not-infrequently about the weather. It does tend to pop up in conversation. So we should be grateful the English language has a special exception, just to make it easier to do so. It's one of those “hiding in plain sight” things we use every day when we say – as I could right now - “it is raining”. Or “it is freezing”.

You may not immediately spot anything odd with that statement until you ask the question: what is the mysterious “it” doing all this stuff? Well, “it” is not really anything.

It's called a Dummy Subject and you can only have one of those with a Weather Verb.

In any other similar statement, not about the weather, the “it” is actually something.

Check it out. But not here. Here ‘it’ is purely to make discussing weather easier. After all, does anyone seriously want to say “the sky is raining”?

And onto... music, and a new local song released at Easter which has been floating my boat. It's from an artist simply called Weston. 'Low Life' is her first single, a collaboration with producer Paulie, who as Paul Moran used to sing and play guitar with local quartet Somacaine, still active as a three-piece.

Weston.

Recorded partly at his home studio in Omokoroa and partly in Windemere, 'Low Life' combines grungy guitar riffs with synth bass and atmospheric effects while remaining an effective catchy rock song. Weston has a hint of the Gin Wigmores about her voice, just a hint, which is striking and attractive. There's even a false ending and reprise.

Now available in the usual places it's a promising “Bad Girl” introduction, with two more releases scheduled shortly and gigs in the pipeline.

Crooked Finger.

Crooked Finger also have two complementary new songs out, complete with videos. Both songs - “Set Her Mind Free” and its male parallel “Feeling So Raw” - focus on breaking the cycle of violence. They're impressively serious without being clichéd and Evan Pope at Mount Maunganui's 11b Studio has done a superb job with the sound, locking the band into complex modern-sounding feels that complement singer/songwriter Sandra Muir's vocals. “Feeling So Raw” also features splendid support shredding from guitarist Rawiri White.

Regan Perry.

OK. I'll finish with a couple of somewhat eclectic imminent gigs: at the Jam Factory, Sunday 21, a songwriters showcase with Regan Perry, Lucy Dibble, Whiskey Soho and Frances Ellen; at Totara Street, Sunday 26, three South American bands, Arakpachitas, Guitardeon, and Frente Sudaka. Tell them Winston sent you!

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