As one would expect with a singer songwriter with a busy and compromised social agenda ‘Banga’ is an album replete with quotes, dedications and references: 'Amerigo' deals with none other than Américo Vespucio, 'This is the girl' is an eulogy to the memory of Amy Winehouse, 'Nine' is a birthday song composed specially for Johnny Depp, 'Fuji-san' is about the Japanese post-Tsunami nuclear disaster, 'María', the disappearance of María Schneider, there’s a cover of a Neil Young track, a song about Séneca, we could go on like this with each of the 12 songs that make up the album, which was produced by Patti herself with the help of the usual band of collaborators: Tony Shanahan, Jay Dee Daugherty and his ever faithful guitar, loyal band-mate Lenny Kaye; other guest performers include an old friend from her CBGB days, Tom Verlaine, of Television, as well as her own sons Jackson and Jesse Smith.

Seeing Patti live is highly recommended; she has never stopped personifying her liberal philosophy and when challenged by her audience she becomes a whirlwind of emotion, adrenalin, charisma and courage that brings us right back to a time when the world could still be changed, when it was more human, not as mean as it is today; it’s as if the years had stood still and she’s still the 20 something rocker that revolutionised the New York music scene more than forty years ago. Luckily she is still out there, continues to write, create and perform. Long live the Poetess of Rock.