The year is 2002. BBC 6 Music takes its first steps into the musical cosmos. In this cosmos, a star ceases to sparkle as we mourn the passing of Joe Strummer. Demonstrating the unpredictable aspects […]
When you review an album, you usually get a bit of spiel from the PR company telling you a bit about the background of the artist and some details about their new release. The second […]
I recall watching an interview with Madness frontman Suggs in 2009 as he discussed their 9th studio album (10th if you count The Madness), The Liberty of Norton Folgate. He remarked how if you had […]
Micky Dolenz has been there and done that. From massive success with The Monkees to being a star of stage and screen (actor, writer, director, producer), he has earned his right to a relaxing retirement. […]
We are coming up to that time of year when the beautiful and distinctive voice of Kirsty MacColl will be blasting out in bars and shops and being played regularly on radio and TV music […]
My first encounter with Ash may be similar to many folks. I heard “Girl from Mars” in 1995 and thought, “What a fine-sounding bunch of minstrels these are. I must go away to my local […]
It is not every day you get to review an album by someone who is a musician, author, actor, director, producer and horse breeder. You see… I bet you didn’t know William Shatner was an […]
Leave your television on for an hour, and you will be greeted with a barrage of world issues. Whether it’s climate change, war, extreme weather, the uprising of fascism, pollution, or the existence of ITVBe […]
I still recall when Dexys Midnight Runners appeared on Tiswas in 1980. The much-loved Sally James asked where the band got their name from. When Kevin Rowland said, “You know what Dexys are?”. James sheepishly […]
Reinvented. It’s an irritating word often thrown around like a dog’s old tennis ball. Your coffee reinvented. Booking your holiday reinvented. The smartphone was reinvented. Driving reinvented. You get the general idea. In reality, it […]
“Hey, batter, batter, batter, batter, batter! Swing, batter!”. Those of a certain age will know this line from John Hughes’ 1986 classic movie ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’. For many in the UK, that is about […]
I wish to register a complaint. This is not about a dead parrot but concerning the passage of time. It is moving far too quickly, and I’m unhappy. How on earth can it be that […]
In 2022, Dropkick Murphys released the album This Machine Still Kills Fascists. The album contained the lyrics of Woody Guthrie, with the band creating original musical scores. It saw a change of direction for Dropkick […]
The term’ hard-working band’ is thrown about quite often. It’s become quite the cliché. The Lottery Winners frequently get this label attached to them as they are no strangers to touring and playing live at […]
The 2 Tone Ska revival was short and sweet and left a long-lasting mark on the UK music scene, with the issues being tackled sadly being as relevant today as they were in the 1970s/80s. […]
Lankum cannot be accused of rapidly spitting out their recorded output. Originally known as Lynched (named after the brothers Ian and Daragh Lynch who formed the band), the band in its current manifestation was formed […]
You know you are in for an interesting evening when the last song playing before the band’s intro music kicks in is ‘You’re the One That I Want’ by Hylda Baker & Arthur Mullard. This […]
The 24th of April 1991 will be a day I’ll never forget. It was my first-ever gig. The band? Inspiral Carpets. I was chuffed to little bits that they were playing in my home town. […]
2023 is still relatively young, yet already it is proving to be a year of challenges. Ongoing war. Crippling inflation. Food bank dependency. Austerity hangover. Unparalleled energy prices. A rigid and unresponsive political class. Enduring […]
There are not many bands who have a career so prolonged they can release twenty-two studio albums. There are even fewer that have been performing for 42 years. That number shrinks further if you only […]