Author Archives: writewyattuk

About writewyattuk

This is the online home of author, writer and editor Malcolm Wyatt, who has books on The Jam, Slade and The Clash under his belt and many more writing projects on the go, as well as regularly uploading feature-interviews and reviews right here. These days he's living his best life with his better half in West Cornwall after their three decades together in Lancashire, this Surrey born and bred scribe initially heading north after five years of 500-mile round-trips on the back of a Turkish holiday romance in 1989. Extremely proud of his two grown-up daughters, he's also a foster carer and a dog lover, spending any spare time outside all that catching up with other family and friends, supporting Woking FC, planning adventures and travels, further discovering his adopted county, and seeing as much of this big old world as time allows. He can be contacted at thedayiwasthere@gmail.com and various social media online portals, mostly involving that @writewyattuk handle.

Blessed is the Greek – the Tony Michaelides interview

Posted on July 2, 2022 by writewyattuk

It was barely 7am in Florida when I caught up with broadcaster and former music industry promotions high-flier Tony Michaelides. But he’d already walked his dog, still seemingly functioning on Manchester time, 18 years after leaving the North West for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Blue Monday, Florida, Island, Led Zeppelin, Magic Leap, Manchester, Mark Radcliffe, Moments That Rock, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Peter Hook, Piccadilly Radio, Ray Cooper, REM, Steve Winwood, The Stone Roses, Tony Michaelides, Tony the greek, U2 | Leave a comment

Examining the Pleasure principle – the enduring appeal of Girls at our Best!

Posted on June 26, 2022 by writewyattuk

‘We’re not looking forward and we are not looking backWe’ve lost the warranty, we’ll never get our money backMy baby’s buying me another life, getting nowhere fast.’ One of the most influential bands to emerge in the early 1980s, Girls … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Adrian Thrills, Carl Harper, Cherry Red, Geoff Travis, Gerard Swift, Getting Nowhere Fast, Girls at our Best, Happy Birthday Records, james alan, Jez Pritchatt, Jo Gaffney, John Peel, Judy Evans, Leeds, Leeds Arts Unversity, Leeds Conservatoire, New York City, Pleasure, Rough Trade, Sexbeat, The Butterflies, The Gang of Four, The Mekons, The Wedding Present, Thomas Dolby | Leave a comment

Raising the roof for refugees – with The Amber List, Red Moon Joe, West on Colfax … plus Jah Wobble and The Ukrainians

Posted on June 15, 2022 by writewyattuk

Three Lancashire bands offering their own individual twists on Americana are uniting for Ukrainian relief efforts two weekends from now, hosting a charity fundraiser at a Preston riverside music venue. Meanwhile, across the Pennines, a stalwart Leeds post-punk outfit putting … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Learning new things with the passing of time – revisiting Never Loved Elvis and The Wonder Stuff with Miles Hunt

Posted on June 11, 2022 by writewyattuk

You can’t measure a band’s success on chart positions alone, but three decades ago The Wonder Stuff were still on the crest of a mighty wave that had been building since the release of their 1988 debut LP, The Eight-Legged … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bill Hunt, Birmingham, Black Country, Cities in the Park, Erica Nockalls, Fuzz Townshend, James Taylor, John Cooper Clarke, Malc Treese, Mark Gemini-Thwaite, Mark Radcliffe, Martin Gilks, Martin Hannett, Mega City 4, Miles Hunt, Morgan Nicholls, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Never Loved Elvis, Pete Howard, Preston Guild Hall, Senseless Things, Slade, Stourbridge, The Clash, The Move, The Wonder Stuff, Tim Sewell, Vent 414, Vic Reeves | Leave a comment

Discovering Tresor – the Gwenno feature/interview

Posted on June 2, 2022 by writewyattuk

It was on the last day of February that I first caught the quirky promo video of ‘An Stevel Nowydh’, the lead single from Tresor, the third full-length solo LP by Cardiff-based Gwenno Saunders, an album finally set to reach … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bait, Cardiff, Coastal Devon and Cornwall, Cornwall, Datblygu, Eden Ahbez, Edward Rowe, Elton John, Ennio Morricone, Europe, Gruff Rhys, Heavenly Recordings, Jackie lee, Jeff Barrett, John Barry, Kernewek, Le Kov, Manic Street Preachers, Mark Jenkin, Michael Portillo, Pinar Ögün, Rhys Edwards, St Ives, Suede, The pipettes, Tresor, Wales, Y Dydd Olaf | Leave a comment

Shine on Mellow Moon – the Alfie Templeman interview

Posted on May 27, 2022 by writewyattuk

It promises to be a memorable summer for rising indie pop star Alfie Templeman, this talented North Bedfordshire teen’s debut LP hitting the shops this weekend, with various in-store and live dates marking the occasion. The impressive Mellow Moon lands today … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alfie Templeman, Australia, Bedfordshire, Black Midi, Chess Club, Chloe Moriondo, Forever Isn’t Long Enough, Frank Zappa, Glenn Tilbrook, Hemispheres, Justin Young, Khruangbin, Leon Bridges, Mellow Moon, Rob Milton, Rush, Sports Team, Steve Lacy, Steve White, Sundara Karma, The Bootleg Beatles, The Questions, The Wombats, Todfd rundgren, Tom McFarland, Will Bloomfield | Leave a comment

Still Crazy after all these years – on the Long, Long Road with Arthur Brown

Posted on May 19, 2022 by writewyattuk

“I am the God of Hellfire, and I bring you …” If ever a first line of a song grabbed your attention, there was one. Frightening kids since 1968, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown only had that one hit, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alice Cooper, Arthur Brown, Bruce Dickinson, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Drachen Theaker, God of Hellfire, Hawkwind, Kingdom Come, Kit Lambert, Long Long Road, Nick Greenwood, prog rock, The Foundations, The Human Perspective, The Who, Tommy, Vincent Crane | Leave a comment

Right on track with The Goa Express – in conversation with James Douglas Clarke

Posted on May 12, 2022 by writewyattuk

Rising indie guitar band The Goa Express are the sort of outfit that give me hope for the future of live music. The Manchester-based Burnley and Todmorden five-piece’s most recent single, ‘Everybody in the UK’, their ‘call-to-arms for togetherness in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brian Jonestown Massacre, Brighton, Burnley, Carnforth, Close Lobsters, Everybody in the UK, Fat White Family, Fontaines D.C., Jack Saunders, James Donald Clarke, Joe Clarke, John Cooper Clarke, Kendal Calling, lancashire, Manchester, Mark Gardener, Milltown Brothers, Ride, Ross Orton, Spaceman 3, Steve Lamacq, The goa Express, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Todmorden, Zeitgeist | Leave a comment

Seeking out parallel worlds and channeling rocket science with Simon and the Astronauts – the Simon Wells interview

Posted on May 8, 2022 by writewyattuk

A collaborative project between two UK musicians and a producer initially put in touch by an acclaimed singer-songwriter has led to a sparkling new LP recorded with a California-based singer, one spending plenty of time on my sound system at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Ben Hewerdine, Boo Hewerdine, Cambridge, Chris Difford, Chris Pepper, Elvis Costello, Gorillaz, Gustaf Ljunggren, Rachel Haden, Simon and the Astronauts, Simon Wells, Weezer | Leave a comment

Pip Blom / San Lorenz – Preston, The Ferret

Posted on May 3, 2022 by writewyattuk

We waited a long time for this, but it was definitely worth the delay, Amsterdam visitors Pip Blom on fine form at The Ferret in Preston, Lancashire, more than seven months after they were first scheduled to visit. This four-piece … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amsterdam, Bex Denton, Boat, Darek Mercks, Eton Crop, Gini Cameron, Holland, John Peel, Kurt Vonnegut, Marc Riley, Pete Harrison, Pip Blom, Preston, Revive Live, San Lorenz, SpQR, Tender Blom, The Ferret, Welcome Break | Leave a comment