I was born in 1983 so am just about the correct age for all things Britpop. At the time, like a lot of my peers I was into Oasis & loved their debut album (or akcbum as we say in these parts). I enjoyed the power of songs like Columbia, the mournfulness of Slide Away & the sheer daftness of Married With Children.

At the time i already played the guitar, working my way through Nirvana chord books & the like, but at some point in the mid nineties a lot more friends started playing & we formed the obligatory teenage bands with gigs playing a selection of covers, of which Oasis loomed heavy in the setlist. However, it was the bands like James, Gene, Blur & Pulp which were on my CD player at the time.

For me, Oasis are a part of the jigsaw of that time. A large piece admittedly, but there was a lot of good stuff around, some of which has aged brilliantly & some which hasn’t. However, I find myself a little bemused at the outpouring of joy about them returning, first in 2025 & then again next summer. There is no » Continue Reading.

Occasionally, an album will just grab you from the off & get better with each listen. These are usually the albums that move in & take up residence in your brain. Sometimes these albums are a flash in the pan & 6 months to a year down the line, they are gathering dust on the shelf with the rest. However, sometimes you hear something that you know is here to stay & 2026 has served up a belter with the 15th album by Tricky called Different When It’s Silent.

The last couple of times i have had this feeling, i have been rewarded with albums which are now nestled in my all time top 20 (the last albums by Bill Ryder Jones, CMAT, Fred Again.. & SOAK immediately jump to mind) & I can’t help feel that this is one to add to the list. It is a really lovely album & each listen is revelaing another layer of brilliance.

What are your 2026 albums which are contenders for the end of year list? I hope that each of you have found one that has grabbed me like this wonderful album has

I know there are some fans of HMHB that frequent this site & I have just seen that there is an upcoming book written by Steve Hill as below:

Inside The Cult Of Half Man Half Biscuit

Half Man Half Biscuit occupy a unique place in British culture. Existing largely outside the music business, this idiosyncratic Birkenhead band has flown under the radar for over four decades, skewering societal mores through a surrealist lens with laugh-out-loud lyrics and acutely observed satire.

Without embarking on anything that could realistically be described as a tour, they have nevertheless garnered an army of adoring followers. Biscuit gigs are supremely joyous occasions, with fans often travelling huge distances to far-flung locations.

United by their love of the band, many disparate devotees never miss a show. Following the enforced pandemic hiatus, author Steve Hill made the life changing decision to join these Ultras and go full-time.

Round Britain in a Dukla Prague Away Kit – from Somerset to Scotland and all points in between – Friday Night Fever is a raucous road trip. But beyond the jocularity and Joy Division Oven Gloves, there is a poignant exploration of the lives touched by this most beloved » Continue Reading.

Very very sad to read this on the news. When ever anyone asks who is the best singer you have ever seen in the flesh, this is the answer. He was wonderful live & I was always blown away by the sheer power he had

The debut album by DUG (Conor Lorkin & Jonny Pickett) is out today & I think it may be to the taste of some on this fine forum who like some Irish Americana.

We saw them support Divorce earlier on this year & have been eagerly awaiting this album & some tour dates as they are a superb live band (as the video below attests). Unfortunately they are playing Manchester the same night I am at House Of All so I will miss their show, but I would recommend.

As per the title. Has anyone seen this yet?

I went last night & have to say I hugely enjoyed it. Ray is the benchmark for all music biopics for me & this was quite close to hitting those heights. I should note I am a big Dylan fan, so have to switch off from some of the the inaccuracies of the film (i.e. Johnny Cash playing Newport, the shout of ‘Judas’ at Newport – which as any fule kno, actually happened on 17th May 1966 in Manchester, the numerous meetings with Woody etc.). However, the film told it’s story & was a great watch.

Timothee Chalamet & Ed Norton as Dylan & Seeger respectively are both fantastic & I don’t think anyone will grumble when they rightly win a lot of awards for their portrayals. My one gripe (& it is a very minor one), was the portrayal of Albert Grossman. I have always seen him as a really imposing figure & quite menacing, whereas in the film he did not quite capture that. As I say, very minor & did not detract too much. A quick aside here to say that the actor playing Alan Lomax » Continue Reading.

I know there are fans of The Fall who frequent this lovely corner of the web, so I thought I should share the latest news from House Of All, the band made up of ex members.

They have just announced the addition of a third (yes, that’s right) drummer in the guise of post punks very own Scarlet Pimpernel, Karl Burns!

A new track for the upcoming album is on Bandcamp & the album can be preordered. The new track is superb

https://x.com/theFALLthings/status/1857353965660184917

Hello, hope that everyone is well & all is good.

I have been a little quiet on here recently due to life being busy & time flying by at an alarming rate! However, I thought I would drop a quick post to see if anyone is interested in receiving some free books. I am having a clear out & tying to stop books taking over the house seeing as I currently buy more than I manage to read! Most have gone to the charity shop or the lovely book box we have at the end of our street, but there are a few I thought were Afterword friendly so I wanted to offer up here first.

If you fancy any of these then either comment below or send me a DM with your address & I will get it posted to you. If any ar enot claimed I will drop them at the local charity shop next weekend (14th Sept).

I know there are some fans of Mr Hitchcock on this site so thought there will likely be some interest in this – an announcement of his memoir 1967.

Below is lifted from Pitchfork;

n a press release, Hitchcock says, “1967 is the point when I and the world went through the change. It was all just blissful synchronicity as I grew nine inches in 15 months, just as Dylan was electrified and pop groups turned into rock bands. Arguably as much was lost as was gained, but at the same time, you had Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd and others producing music that couldn’t have even been described three years earlier. You had the Beatles wearing suits and ties producing inaudible shows with tiny amplifiers, in many ways playing to the old rules of showbiz, and then suddenly up came Dylan with his thousand-watt PA and Jimi Hendrix with his Marshall stacks, and the whole thing erupted.”

We are not even 2 weeks in yet, but from a day of solid listening I predict that Bill Ryder-Jones’ new offering ‘lechyd Da’ will feature prominently on end of year lists. There will likely be much bigger fans of his work than I on this blog, but I have always enjoyed his output though would not be able to class myself as an avid follower. I popped his album on whilst working this morning & am very very impressed. It is full of gorgeous songs with lush orchestration & flows perfectly. I think a trip into town to purchase the vinyl will be on the cards this weekend

I am not a fan of him (or his party) in any way, but I do agree with the proposal to phase out smoking laid out in Rishi Sunaks speech at conference yesterday. It seems like a step forward for public health & is a good move. The cynic in me does think that this is exactly the sort of announcement used to divert attention away from the fact that they are failing badly on poverty & that foodbanks are now widely used etc., but I am still for it.

There is a wider issue here & that is should a PM be able to enact whatever new laws he/she wants without it being part of a manifesto etc?. It is quite indicative of how much of a mess politics is at the moment.

Anyway, to try & put a bit of a lighter note on this (& following on from a conversation me & my partner had about this), what law would you bring in if you were in charge?

Some rules to keep this light (and civil, I promise i have not raised this to start an angry thread!). How about just sticking to the » Continue Reading.

Word Alumni Jude Rogers book ‘The Sound of Being Human’ is on the Kindle deal so available at £0.99.

I loved this book when I read it so would heartily recommend

As a bit of an accompaniment to @RigidDigit thread Song NOT to play at the Guitar StoreI thought it would be good to know what song/riff is your go to when handed a guitar/bass/oboe etc.

I tend to like most music, or at the very least appreciate it & look on it kindly. Some things might not be for me (Dua Lipa, Busted, Van Morrison* for example), but I do get why others would be enamoured with it & thus show it the respect deserved.

However, todays Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify has thrown up a doozy & I felt obliged to share as it could well be the worst song I have ever heard. The song in question is called ‘Everywhere Is War’ & is by a band called ‘The So So Glos featuring Conor Oberst’. I class myself as a bit of a fan of his band Bright Eyes so i was reasonably excited to here what a this would be

Before clicking on the link, just have a quick read of the bands bio on Spotify & see if you can marry this to the godawful song in any way: Influenced by the punk energy of the Clash, the garage rock of the Stooges, and the ’60s pop of the Kinks, the So So Glos are a politically charged punk outfit from Brooklyn, New York

*this is a joke. I am » Continue Reading.

An accompaniment to @dkhbrit post about being hopeless but with a different slant.

What mundane tasks are you really good at?

Warning – self indulgence alert!

Earlier this month I saw Pulp in Sheffield, which according to the little intro video before they came on stage, was their 532nd gig! Rather selfishly, I was more interested in the fact it was my 500th!

What started with a couple of failed attempts (see below) & has taken in some of the biggest names in music, it felt quite fitting that I celebrated this with Richard Hawley & Pulp (two artists I adore) in their hometown.

You may ask how do I know this is my 500th and the answer is that I am an absolute loser who keeps a spreadsheet of details for all concerts I’ve attended! However, this has meant that I have a log of every gig (with supports!) which is a great record to have & is great to look back on.

A few stats;

First – Bon Jovi (9th July 1996) with Skunk Anansie, Ricky Ross & a local band called Alone supporting. As I have mentioned on this site previously, I should have seen Nirvana (27th March 1994) but it was postponed for Cobains overdose in Rome & then ultimately cancelled for the obvious! » Continue Reading.

The band LYR released their latest album last Friday & I reckon I have listened to it about 50 times in the last 5 days! This is an exaggeration to make a point, but I’m probably not out by much. I think it is wonderful & will likely feature on a few end of year lists if there is any justice.

LYR are made up of Richard Walters, Patrick J Pearson & poet Simon Armitage, whose lyrics are as you would expect & are thankfully included as a sleeve with the record. I discovered them by way of the ‘Discover Weekly’ playlists on Spotify in 2021 & the track Cascade Theory was the one that tempted me to delve further.

I’ve enjoyed a lot of albums this year, but this is the most enamored I have been with a new album for a good few years. It has that brilliant thing where something new is jumping out with each listen and each track has a claim to be the best on the LP. Today it is the closing track ‘To The Fashion Industry In Crisis’, but when I had it on last night it was ‘Hockney Red’. On » Continue Reading.

Just posting this here in case it has been missed by anyone interested. This Cultural Life is a BBC Radio 4 show/podcast with John Wilson & is an ‘in-depth conversation with some of the worlds leading artists & creatives across theatre, visual arts, music, dance, film & more’.

I only stumbled across it this morning & have devoured the Nick Cave episode which I thought was wonderful. I have downloaded quite a few more episodes & think it will become a staple of my podcasts if the first one is anything to go by

We all know the format, so let’s share the 8 tracks, a book & a luxury item to keep us busy whilst marooned on a desert island. Also mark which track is the one you would save from the waves..

As a bonus, if you are a fan of the radio show then please share your favourite episode

1 – Tonight We Fly by The Divine Comedy 2 – Atmosphere by Joy Division 3 – Toluca Stars by Underworld 4 – Topaz by The B52’s 5 – Wandering Star by Portishead 6 – Just A Girl She Said by Dubstar 7 – Virile by The Blaze* 8 – On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz

Book – Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre

Luxury – A 1973 Fender Telecaster Deluxe & amp

Favourite Episode – Nick Park. He introduced me to Fleece The World by John Shuttleworth & if I remember this correctly, I felt that Kirsty Young seemed a little bit smitten with him

As we are now 25% of the way through 2023 (how the hell has that happened?!) I thought it would be grand to see what 2023 releases have wowed you so far.

For me it is this earworm from Iona Zajac called Rubbish Jubilee. I enjoyed it on first listen but it is one I keep going back to

Over to you

It was 60 years ago today that Sam Cooke played the Harlem Square Club & produced what I believe is one of the greatest live albums of all time.

I have it on now & suggest you all do the same.