Author Archives: writewyattuk

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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.

All the way from Detroit, destined for success – celebrating Duke Fakir’s I’ll Be There: My Life with The Four Tops

Picture the scene. It’s the second Sunday of November, 1966, barely three months after England’s World Cup triumph, The Four Tops riding high in the UK charts, their fourth hit on this side of the Atlantic rather fittingly retaining the … Continue reading

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Salutations, serenades, savoured situations – Phil Odgers on Cush, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, and Ghosts of Rock’n’Roll

Phil Odgers was working with bandmate Paul Simmonds over the bank holiday weekend, the pair back on track after a difficult year following the devastating loss of The Men They Couldn’t Hang co-frontman Stefan Cush to a heart attack in … Continue reading

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Singing for those I know – talking Ocean Colour Scene acoustic side-shows with Simon Fowler

Last time I chatted to Simon Fowler, four years ago, he was walking Cooper, his cockapoo, by the river near his home in Stratford-upon-Avon, not long before heading up to my adopted neck of the woods with Ocean Colour Scene … Continue reading

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Outside status, inside track – celebrating the continuing rise of Stone Foundation, with Neil Sheasby

For a fourth straight album release, Stone Foundation managed to score a top-40 hit last weekend, despite no major label backing, this eight-piece Midlands-based soul band entering the UK charts at No.27 with Outside Looking In, following similar success for … Continue reading

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Following The Country Line – from The Farmer’s Boys to The McGuilty Brothers with Mark Kingston

Whatever happened to The Farmer’s Boys? Those early ‘80s, Norwich-based, unlikely pop stars who found affinity with influential broadcaster John Peel, scoring three indie hits before signing for EMI Records and having a somewhat unexpected crack at the big time. … Continue reading

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The Undertones / Hugh Cornwell – Manchester Academy 2

How I’ve missed this. My 13th live outing since last July’s return following the pandemic shutdown, and the biggest venue faced so far. And while until now I’ve stuck to smaller, trusted venues, this was a blast from beginning to … Continue reading

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Return of The It Girl: talking Sleeper & more with Louise Wener – yesterday, today and This Time Tomorrow

It seems rather apt that a future Britpop star was born on the day of England’s sole World Cup Final triumph in the Summer of ’66. And yet, it’s fair to say Louise Wener was always about far more than … Continue reading

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The Woodentops /Uhr/ The Amber List – Preston, The Ferret

I can’t quite believe this was my first Woodentops sighting in 35 years. Last time was at 1987’s Glastonbury Festival, me a mere 19-year-old (still am in some respects, I know). Truth be told, I’d seen far too many bands … Continue reading

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Killing Joke: Beyond the Chaos – the Jaz Coleman interview

Uncompromising post-punk legends Killing Joke are on the cusp of releasing their first new material in seven years and embarking on a series of Spring tour dates, their first UK run in more than three years. The ‘Lord of Chaos’ EP, … Continue reading

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Taking more Hits to the Head with Franz Ferdinand – the Bob Hardy interview

With more than 10 million albums sold, 1.2 billion streams, 14 platinum albums, Brit, Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize award wins, Grammy nominations and six million tickets sold for live shows worldwide, it’s fair to say it’s been a busy … Continue reading

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