What does it sound like?: Paul Kelly carries the burden of being regarded as a national treasure in Australia. Why is that? Well, his songs are empathetic, everyman stories of … [Read More...]
Musings on the byways of popular culture
Nights In
Graeme Park Presents Long Live House Volume 1: The 1980s
What does it sound like?: House represents the democratisation of Disco. We have to thank The Roland Corporation, a Japanese electronics company, whose relatively inexpensive … [Read More...]
Paul McCartney and Wings – Wild Life & Red Rose Speedway 2CD Deluxe Editions
What does it sound like?: Paul McCartney was sore and licking wounds when he made these two records in 1971 and 1973 respectively. The film, Let It Be, had shown him in a poor … [Read More...]
Greenslade – Bedside Manners Are Extra (expanded)
What does it sound like?: Resplendent in its Roger Dean artwork, this was Greenslade’s second album and indeed their second release of that proggiest of years 1973. It’s now … [Read More...]
Nights Out
11-piece cover band Stanley Dee perform Steely Dan’s “Can’t Buy A Thrill” in it’s entirety, plus sundry other ‘Dan selections.
Venue: The Horns, Watford. WD17 3RL Date: 29/11/2018 Stanley Dee comprise Cavan as frontman and principal vocalist with Amelia, Katy and Jen backing singers with their own … [Read More...]
Hawkwind plus the Docklands Orchestra
Venue: Birmingham Symphony Hall Date: 25/11/2018 Concerns had been raised that given the horrible album and unhappiness in Captain Brock's starship, these orchestra concerts … [Read More...]
A Night Out with The Men They Couldn’t Hang
Venue: 02 Institute3, Brum Date: 23/11/2018 Well this was a treat, a full 28 years from the last time around. And just down the road from where I saw 'em last time, the long gone … [Read More...]
Israel Nash
Venue: The Scala, King's Cross, London Date: 22/11/2018 One of the preconditions for a great gig is that the artist/band are actually enjoying themselves on stage. Israel Nash … [Read More...]
Films
Bohemian Rhapsody
Year: 2018 Director: Bryan Singer/Dexter Fletcher Remember the line in Wayne’s World that goes "Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive. If you lived in the suburbs you … [Read More...]
Steven Wilson – “Home Invasion”
Year: 2018 Director: James Russell, Andy Derbyshire To the Everyman in Kings Cross for the premiere of Steven Wilson's film "Home Invasion", filmed at the Albert Hall earlier … [Read More...]
A Star Is Born
Year: 2001 Director: Bradley Cooper I can’t believe that a significant proportion of our membership has not been or thought about going to see this blockbuster, even if prodded … [Read More...]
Eden
Year: 1961 Director: Mia Hanson-Love Films about clubbing. If great films about making music are in short supply, great films about clubbing are even shorter. John Simm gurning … [Read More...]
Reads
The Silent Guides
Author:Professor Steve Peters Professor Steve Peters is probably best known for his previous work, the mind management guide The Chimp Paradox, as well as his work with various … [Read More...]
How To Be Invisible
Author:Kate Bush Collections of lyrics are often somewhat strange affairs. Reading the lyrics as poetry or verse, without the familiar musical accompaniment can be an odd … [Read More...]
Heroes
Author:Stephen Fry This is a companion to last year’s Mythos, in which Stephen Fry recounted and explained in modern language the myths and fables of Ancient Greece. Where Mythos … [Read More...]
The 10 Commandments
Author:Q I suspect many of us were at one time or another devotees of Q. Launched in 1986, for a good time it was the best music monthly around, and I was certainly one of the … [Read More...]
Games
Destiny 2
Platform:Playstation Age Rating:16+ Year of Release:2017 Review:In 22 Jump Street - possibly apart from Aliens and T2 the best ever sequel - Ice Cube greets the returning cops … [Read More...]
Frankie Goes To Hollywood: The Game
Platform:C64 Age Rating:3+ Year of Release:1985 Review:It's hard to explain how flipping massive FGTH were in 1983-5 and how much they milked that cash cow. I still recall that … [Read More...]
Noticeboard
My new single is now live on iTunes / Apple Music (any soon many others)
24/11/2018 I've been quietly recording songs in my home studio for a number of years now. It's about time there was an end product so I am in the process of investigating … [Read More...]
Re-Play Papworth: Neil Young’s Harvest
25/11/2018 Musician, producer, author and Neil Young expert Sam Inglis reads from his 33 & 1/3 book on Harvest. I play the recent Archive remaster of Harvest on 180g vinyl, … [Read More...]
Tom Adams & Alexander Carson – Waterbeach Baptist Chapel
17/11/2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6VDQaiXp2s&fbclid=IwAR1vq_eLNfL-MROHdYvq3ZrTMh0XIbdR7o8INie0mEE3uc7-lN9x_ZxLAIE "Berlin-based songwriter and singer performs … [Read More...]
Barmcake magazine
Hello. I thought readers might be interested in Barmcake, a magazine partly inspired by Word. Barmcake offers northern entertainment for the middle-aged and the latest issue (No. … [Read More...]
“Surbiton – are you ready?!” Sarah McQuaid rocks Britain
The always excellent Sarah McQuaid is currently touring Britain. A string of dates over the next three weeks or so, with Surbiton tomorrow. Highly … [Read More...]
‘Smash the System’ – Colin H’s futile gesture to clean up Northern Irish politics
Debuting online this Wednesday, November 7, at 9.30am - the video for 'Smash the System' by Colin Harper's Bourgeois Fury featuring Petesy Burns. A double A-side with 'Steppin' … [Read More...]
