I saw 61 but that includes 18 free ones. Of the 43 ticketed gigs here’s my top 20 1. Aoife O’Donovan with Orchestra & Girls Choir – The Barbican 2. Ranagri – Costa Portugal 3. The Eagles – Co-op Live, […]

I bought 23 released this year. 3 are by mates so don’t really count. Of the remaining 20, I only just bought the Chuck Prophet and John Smith albums a few days ago after seeing them in somebody else’s list in […]

I didn’t know John Smith had an album out in 2024. Nobody tells me anything! Is it much of a departure from his previous work?

All in the last 10 days. I’m on a gig roll! The Dodgers – Irwell Brewery, Ramsbottom Sunny Sweeney – Bury Met Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Apollo, Manchester Douglas & Moss – Irwell Brewery, Ramsbottom Bonny […]

She’s been unlucky recently. Her gig at Bury Met last Friday was cancelled due to burst watermain.

Great review Niall. I have a ticket to see them at new-to-me venue New Century Hall in Manchester on Saturday. I’m assuming it’s a standing gig but I’m always prepared to suffer for my art. On the basis of that […]

Niall B’s always interesting Studios of London blog featured him in depth in the episode about the Studio where Tommy was recorded. From memory it said that as a result of the court case against the Who after […]

I think October has been the shortest month since records began, gone in a flash. Although I packed quite a lot in. *GIGS* Started the month at the Costa Festival in Albufeira, Portugal which was great. 26 or […]

I think we should start a national fundraiser to by the lady a photocopier. Or perhaps a new-fangled mobile phone that would allow her to photograph the pages of the books.

A fine bass player with a very recognisable style. He was also a big fan of unheralded, and in some cases unrecorded British Classical composers and helped some of them financially through the Dead’s Rex Foundation.

A very impressive CV. This is the bloke who wrote “near, far, wherever you are, I know that the hotdogs go on”

I saw Wizz for the first time at Costa Del Folk Portugal in 2015 and throught he was terrific. It was very old-school guitar picking and every now and then he’d just give it a good shake to add some sustain to his […]

There’s a small version of this in the Astropark beside Armagh Planetarium, as I discovered last year when I went back to show Mrs Black my first Primary School. It’s a nice park with free entry.

That’s free in a 5USD kind of way

I listened today and enjoyed it greatly. As well as RT’s obvious love and musical appraciation of the classical pieces he chose, he revealed 2 things that I found particularly interesting. Firstly he confirmed […]

“walking football (injured myself on my first run out)”. Steve, do I really need to tell you where you’re going wrong? There’s a clue in the name of the activity.

Seen: a busy month with 6 gigs. I saw Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand at a new-to-me venue , the Horse & Bamboo in Waterfoot, a couple of miles from Rawtenstall towards Bacup. Nice venue with a small audience. […]

I saw the RT Band tour at The Glasshouse in Gateshead on Thursday 30th May. On the morning of the previous day Mrs B and I went to our local Post Office cafe for the first time since we’ve lived in the village. We […]