The Afterword

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An Evening Of Radiohead – coming to a cathedral near you?

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Just a quickie. A few weeks ago my wife and I went to Guildford Cathedral to see Let Me In Presents An Evening Of Radiohead. Not the real Radiohead of course. But a band of about 10 fans of the band including a string section who have been touring cathedrals with their show. It was celebrating the 10th anniversary of A Moon Shaped Pool. They did almost all the album plus a lot of OK Computer, and an eclectic selection from Kid A, In Rainbows, The Bends etc plus Spectre. It was absolutely fabulous, stunningly good and if you’re a fan of Radiohead then they are still touring the UK (St Albans and Beverley) and touring widely again in early 2027. Go see them, you won’t be disappointed.

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Life’s little gripes

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Someone I sort of vaguely know through someone else has launched Quibble, a website calling for the public to list their first-world problems. His first thought: the cookie acceptance pop-up.

My first thought: the “Made in the Czech republic” sticker on the back of a new LP, which means it was pressed at GZ and is going to need a deep clean before I can even play it.

I’m sure the AW hive mind can think of many, many, more.

https://www.quibble.org.uk/

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Scotland – the home of the rain song?

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Is there another nation that has produced as many rain songs per head of population?

Garbage – Happy When It Rains; Jesus and Mary Chain – Happy When It Rains, 9 Million Rainy Days; Travis – Why Does It Always Rain On Me?; The Eurythmics – Here Comes The Rain Again; The Beta Band – Dry The Rain; The KLF – Make It Rain; Fairground Attraction – Moon On The Rain; Jackie Leven – Another Man’s Rain; John Martyn – Acid Rain, Hole In The Rain, Patterns In The Rain.

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Spare tickets for Scarlet Rivera and Rob Stoner playing ‘Desire’

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Knowing there are those among you who would appreciate this, I have two spare tickets for the show being put on this Wednesday night at Dingwalls in Camden. Rob Stoner, Dylan’s musical director on the Rolling Thunder Revue tours, and violinist Scarlet Rivera, are to perform Dylan’s masterpiece with a stellar band featuring Michele Stodart from The Magic Numbers, drummer Darren Beckett and an array of special guest performers, hosted by actor and Word Podcast announcer Kerry Shale.

Message me if you’re interested.

https://londonnewsdesk.co.uk/2026/05/29/david-ford-scarlet-rivera-rob-stoner-celebrate-50-years-of-bob-dylans-desire-in-camden/

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It’s Time The Tale Were Told – A People’s History Of The Smiths

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Author:Iain Key & Richard Houghton

Another stash of memories from the People’s History book thread. The basis of these books is fans, band members (sadly absent here), their entourage sharing the moments that formed, defined, and (possibly) broke the band. And give an insight to the enduring legacy, influence and reverence. And it is that legacy, influence and reverence that is important in these books – A People’s History of The Thompson Twins would unlikely (a) make the grade, or (b) sell that much if it did.

The Smiths were indeed a moment in time marking a point in the early 80s when “Indie” moved from being “small audience material on minor record labels” to a crossover into the mainstream. This is not intended to be a definitive history but a history across 300 pages told by those who were involved, were there, bear the scars, and still hold the highest esteem for an outspoken (some would say odd-ball) singer, musical partner in crime and tune, plus backing from a solid if un-noticed (until the court case) rhythm section. The stories range from their fist gig at The Hacienda when Morrissey got annoyed with the crowd and the poster stating » Continue Reading.

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Temu 250

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What you ordered – “to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence”

What you got – Vanilla Ice (natch), Milli Vanilli (actually only one of them because the other ones dipped out), Flo Rida and Young MC (the Bust A Move hitmaker from 37 years ago).

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New rules for World Cup 2026

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I really hope these changes are implemented in domestic football, next season:

When a substitution is being made, a player will have 10 seconds to leave the field of play. Failure to comply will mean that the ongoing substitute will be held by the 4th official for one minute. In a friendly last night, Iceland made an 84th minute double-substitution. One player beat the clock but the second one didn’t. His sub was held on the sideline and Iceland had to play with 10 men for a minute. During that time, Japan scored what turned out to be the winner.

If a goalkeeper goes down with an injury, players will be told to stay where they are on the field. This prevents the current spate of fake injuries by goalkeepers to allow his teammates to go to the sidelines for a tactical chat from the manager.

There will be timed restarts for throw-ins and goal kicks. Failure to restart within 5 seconds will result in a throw-in being given to the opposition and a corner-kick to the opposition, in the case of a delayed goal kick.

Any player receiving on-field treatment for an injury, (except for the goalkeeper,) will have » Continue Reading.

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The Boys Of Dungeon Lane

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What does it sound like?:

You may not have noticed, but a new Paul McCartney album has been quietly released – The Boys of Dungeon Lane – his first for five years or so.

I am a big fan, but not an uncritical one. Recent releases have come and gone….Egypt Station sits on the shelf unvisited for years – McCartney 111 was apparently his last one and I can’t name a song on it without dusting it off – New…a good title but nothing else memorable about it. Is this any different? Well, I got it on Friday and I can’t stop playing it…something about it has wormed into my brain and won’t let go.

Sonically it is very varied – a touch of Chaos and Creation in the Backyard here, a nod to Flaming Pie there – and the sheer contrast between the various songs is refreshing in itself. One has to mention his voice of course – you will probably have heard Days We Left Behind where his voice is old and vulnerable, but the surprise is that that isn’t the voice you hear throughout the LP. As signalled by the title and the hype, a lot of » Continue Reading.

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Macca’s new one

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I totally get it. Everyone wants the meister’s album to be a ‘meisterwerk’ because (in the UK at least) we love artists who are old and still around doing things. Like Hockney. Or Alan Bennett. We are kind in reviews of recent doodling and scribbles because we appreciate how good they once were, the pleasure they all brought us and- crucially perhaps- the awareness that they will die soon and no one wants hem to go out on a bummer two star review. So everyone is loving the new Paul album and that’s really nice. But, after a few listens, surely someone has to own up to the fact that there’s nothing on it that could possibly have made it past an A&R person if it hadn’t been by…you know…(whisper it) the Chief Beatle. He used to be able to toss off mini masterpieces like Step Inside Love or Come and Get It without a moment’s apparent effort. Those were the days my friend. We thought they’d never end. But, sadly, they have. It’ll probably go to number one.

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The Who – Live At The Eden Project 25/07/2023

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What does it sound like?:

The Who are currently a very professional eight piece band: Jody Linscott percussion, Simon Townshend guitar, vocals, mandolin, Loren Gold keyboards, backing vocals, Scott Devours drums, Jon Button bass, John Hogg backing vocals, percussion, plus, of course, octogenarians Pete Townshend guitar, vocals and Roger Daltrey vocals. The two original members are acutely aware of the passing of time and the diminution of their powers. Townshend’s energy is not what it was and his fingers are less dexterous over the guitar strings but the support of his younger brother, aged just 65, enables him to recreate the sound of a power trio. Daltrey’s vocal chords require a special care regime and with particular attention to pacing himself, he can hit the high notes. This is a polished and precise Who, very far from the wild excesses of the past, but it still plays songs of high emotion and inner turmoil that cannot be contained.

Townshend has been critical of The Rolling Stones failure to evolve since their heyday but it’s fifty years since The Who attempted anything innovative. Live, there is zero chance of them recapturing the stunning dynamism of their sixties singles but, here in Cornwall, » Continue Reading.

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Things I have only just discovered, PSA for left-handers – AI edition

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I was expelled from the Dull Men’s Club for not being dull enough, so my only recourse is to post here.

My Opinel breadknife is the best breadknife I’ve ever owned. It goes through dense sourdough like a knife though, er, butter. Unfortunately, being of the sinister persuasion, my slicing always goes on the slant, the angle increasing the closer I get to the end. This drives Mrs thep nuts.

In an idle moment I asked Claude what the problem was, and he/she/it was right on top of it. Turns out that left-handers are at a disadvantage because breadknives are made for right-handers. Instead of two serrated edges as I’d always assumed, the knife has one bevelled edge and one flat edge. If you use the bevelled edge, as I had to, it’s almost impossible to slice vertically after the first one or two. That’s the purpose of the flat edge.

Colour me thunderstruck. I’m mildly ambidextrous, so I had a go at cutting right-handed. Since it’s such a good knife all I had to do was pull it backwards and down it went, vertical as anything. Magic. Felt a bit strange at first, but a bit of a domestic » Continue Reading.

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Along the Road Forever: Martin Carthy at the BBC 1965-2022

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17/07/2026

MARTIN CARTHY – ALONG THE ROAD FOREVER: LIVE AT THE BBC Released: 17th July 2026 MARTIN CARTHY – ALONG THE ROAD FOREVER: LIVE AT THE BBC

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE MARTIN CARTHY COLLECTION EVER ASSEMBLED – 20 CD SET WITH LIVE AND SESSION PERFORMANCES RECORDED FOR THE BBC OVER A 57 YEAR PERIOD

INCLUDES 80-PAGE HARDBACK BOOK WITH AN ESSAY BY CELEBRATED BIOGRAPHER CLINTON HEYLIN, COVERING MARTIN’S WHOLE LIFE IN MUSIC

WITH UNSEEN PHOTOS, MANY FROM MARTIN’S PERSONAL ARCHIVE, SEPARATE SESSION NOTES BY RENOWNED CARTHY CHRONICLER KEVIN BOYD AND A PHOTOGRAPH SIGNED BY MARTIN

The troubadour, the folk-rocker, the guitar hero, the acapella master, the champion of songs from the people, the voice of history, the wit and raconteur, Martin Carthy seemingly walked the road forever, never strayed far from the folk clubs and never sold out. This limited edition set – lovingly curated by Colin Harper – includes a lavishly illustrated 80-page hardback book with essays by Clinton Heylin and Kevin Boyd, a 1971 Keith Morris photograph signed by Martin and 20 discs of audio magic mastered by Pete Reynolds. With your hosts John Peel, Suzy Klein, Andy Kershaw, Jim Lloyd and further denizens of Broadcasting House, » Continue Reading.

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Martin Simpson leads the campaign to retrieve 22 albums for 12 folk legends

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28/05/2026

Help us get this music back to those who made it, and get it heard by a new generation

Almost the entire catalogues of Bill Leader’s twin Trailer and Leader imprints and also the Rubber Records label from the same era – catalogues all claimed currently by the same entity – have been unavailable for many years, most never available on CD let alone digitally.

These catalogues contain joyful, powerful, and beautiful music – but audiences have been unable to legally buy it other than through second-hand LPs on eBay, and artists and their heirs have been unable to earn royalties or see their work enjoyed by new generations.

Now, thanks to Cliff Richard (yes really!) some of the pioneering artists of the 1960s and 1970s have a clear-cut legal route to regain access to their work – including the rights to re-release it and to ensure session musicians get a share of the payment.

We’re fundraising, collectively, to cover the legal fees for a group of artists to hire the expert solicitor they need. To get more specific: if we raise the full target (outlined in more detail below) it will allow these artists active in the early » Continue Reading.

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A couple of book reviews available

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Both pdf copy’s….

Groovy Laidback and Nasty.. history of the independent music scene in Sheffield – ideal if you were around the area in the 80s and 90s in particular. Book has just recently been published so needs to be reviewed asap.

Gary Numan – a People’s History – fan memories with some input from the Man himself I believe. Not published until September so lots of time for this one.

If interested please let me know….