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.

The Resurrection of Giant Drag – in conversation with Annie Hardy

Posted on January 29, 2020 by writewyattuk

‘Is that the good doctor?’ There’s my opening question. Not to my interviewee though, but Dr Kiko, the London-based Italian tour-managing a quickfire UK and Dutch jaunt by cult US indie rock duo Giant Drag. He very quickly hands over … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Ajay Saggar, Annie Hardy, Colin Deatherage, Deutsche Ashram, Dr Kiko, Giant Drag, Los Angeles, Micah Calabrese, Netherlands | 3 Comments

Wild Wood Wonders and Wanders, via Seattle and South London – catching up with Smoke Fairies

Posted on January 23, 2020 by writewyattuk

It’s bang on seven in the evening, and Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire are at their South London gaff, doing a little further prep work for a 10-date homeland tour. Jessica: “We’re signing a huge pile of records … … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Black Angels, Bryan Ferry, Chichester, Darkness Brings the Wonders Home, FleetFoxes, Full Time Hobby, Hebden Bridge Trades Club, Jack Endino, Jessica Davies, Katherine Blamire, Manchester, Margate, Phil Ek, Richard Hawley, Seattle, Smoke Fairies, Soup Kitchen, South London, Sylvia plath, Wild Winter | 1 Comment

Taking the Continental approach to live entertainment – in conversation with Rob Talbot

Posted on January 16, 2020 by writewyattuk

Rob Talbot reached his 10th anniversary as events organiser at The Continental in Preston, Lancashire, in 2019, and clearly still retains his initial passion for that role, long after a second career switch. “I was working as a teacher, thoroughly … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Acid Mothers Temple, Anti-Nowhere League, Anti-Pasti, Attila the Stockbroker, Discharge, Hawkwind, John Peel, lancashire, Neil Innes, Nik Turner, Preston, Rae Morris, Rico La Rocca, Rob Talbot, Scream! The Horror, Tenpole Tudor, The Continental, The Damned, The Members, The Rutles, The Vibrators, TV Smith, UK Subs | Leave a comment

Aspirations wrapped up in books – talking Get It Loud in Libraries with Stewart Parsons

Posted on January 9, 2020 by writewyattuk

It’ll be 15 years ago this coming May that a pilot show featuring Natascha Sohl lured the BBC’s North West Tonight cameras to Lancaster Central Library, for what turned out to be the debut event of the innovative Get It … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Adele, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Belle and Sebastian, BODEGA, British Sea Power, Franz Ferdinand, Get it Loud in Libraries, Hot Chip, Idles, Lancaster, Leyland, Libraries, Morecambe, Penwortham, Preston, Robert Forster, Stewart Parsons, The Long Blondes, The Thrills, Wigan | 1 Comment

In the footsteps of Morrissey and Marr – talking The Smiths with Richard Houghton

Posted on January 8, 2020 by writewyattuk

By day a manager for a regional housing association, Richard Houghton still sees himself as ‘a frustrated journalist/author’, something he first made assured moves towards remedying five years ago, collating fans’ first-hand memories of the Rolling Stones’ live shows for … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Andy Rourke, Bee Gees, Billy Bragg, Craig Gannon, Grant Showbiz, Hatful of Hollow, Johnny Marr, Manchester, Mike Joyce, Morrissey, Queen, Richard Houghton, Simon Wolstencroft, The Day I Was There, The Smiths, The Wedding Present | 1 Comment

Another year over … a new one just begun – WriteWyattUK’s live story of 2019

Posted on January 1, 2020 by writewyattuk

As December 30th became December 31st, we slipped into Ramones Night apparently, the seminal NYC punk outfit’s ’20-20-24 hours to go’ from 1978’s ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ neatly reinterpreted. And that, subliminally – as is the case with a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged AVA, Beabadoobee, Big Country, BOB, Buzzcocks, Edwyn Collins, Fisherman's Friends, Fontaines D.C., Geno Washington, Glenn Tilbrook, Icicle Works, London Calling, Mott the Hoople, Neil Innes, Neville Staple, Nouvelle Vague, Penetration, Pete Shelley, Pip Blom, Ramones, Reverend and The Makers, Richard Hawley, Robert Forster, Rutles, Skids, Steve Harley, Stone Foundation, The Amber List, The Chesterfields, The Clash, The Selecter, The Sha La La's, The Suncharms, The Undertones, The Wedding Present, Vinny Peculiar, Wilko Johnson | Leave a comment

WriteWyattUK 2019, in quotes, part two – the final six months

Posted on December 30, 2019 by writewyattuk

With 2020 knocking at the door, us at WriteWyattUK Towers (OK … just me) thought it high time to deliver the second part of this site’s highlights from the last 12 months in quote form, covering from July to December. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Ash, Babybird, Beabadoobee, Bez, BOB, Buzzcocks, Carl Hunter, Chris Amoo, Craig Reid, Dave Fenton, Davey Goldsworthy, David Bowie, Dean Leggett, Debbie Horsfield, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Eddie Amoo, Edwyn Collins, Erland Cooper, Grace Maxwell, Happy Mondays, Hugh Cornwell, Hugh Harris, Ian McNabb, Jeffrey Lewis, Jon McClure, Kooks, Matteo Sedazzari, Mick Shepherd, Neil Sheasby, New York, Orkney, paul weller, Pauline Black, Pete Shelley, Poldark, Ranking Roger, Reverend and The Makers, Rick McMurray, Simon Barber, Sometimes Always Never, Stephen Jones, Steve Diggle, Stone Foundation, The Amber List, The Chesterfields, The Clash, The Farm, The Icicle Works, The Proclaimers, The Psychedelic Furs, The Real Thing, The Selecter, The Stranglers, The Vapors, Tim Butler, Tony Beesley, Vinny Peculiar | Leave a comment

WriteWyattUK 2019, in quotes – the first six months

Posted on December 29, 2019 by writewyattuk

As another busy year for the WriteWyattUK website draws towards a close, an annual opportunity arises to wander back through a few of our 2019 feature/ interview highlights, with a chance to click on each highlighted link and relive those … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged A Certain Ratio, Alan McGee, Brix and the Extricated, Buzzcocks, C.P. Lee, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, Chris Difford, Damian O'Neill, Dandy Warhols, David Gray, Dean Friedman, Eddi Reader, Eton Crop, Fisherman's Friends, Gary Crowley, Glenn Tilbrook, Gretchen Peters, Ian Hunter, Jeremy Brown, Jez Kerr, Jim Bob, Joe Strummer, John O'Neill, John Robb, Kirk Brandon, Manchester, Mark Radcliffe, Marvin Gaye, Mélanie Pain, Membranes, Mike Baillie, Mott the Hoople, Neville Staple, Norman Watt-Roy, North West Cancer Research, Nouvelle Vague, Pauil Hanley, Penetration, Peter Holmström, Pip Blom, Port Isaac, Skids. Pauline Murray, Squeeze, Steve Harley, The Clash, The Fall, The Pack, The Specials, The Undertones, Wilko Johnson | Leave a comment

Dirty Hit Tour Presents … Beabadoobee, No Rome, Oscar Lang – Gorilla, Manchester

Posted on December 24, 2019 by writewyattuk

My fifth visit to Whitworth Street West in 2019 and a second in five nights, with the clientele far younger under the Oxford Road railway arches this time. But in a similar manner to punk legends Buzzcocks on Sunday, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Beabadoobee, Dirty Hit Records, Gorilla, Manchester, No Rome, Oscar Lang, Philippines, She Plays Bass | 1 Comment

Buzzcocks / Shanghai Treason – Gorilla, Manchester

Posted on December 22, 2019 by writewyattuk

It made sense to start my final week of live shows in 2019 with the Buzzcocks, my first two having involved tributes to Pete Shelley, lost to the world a few weeks before. Back then, the headliners were the Skids … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Buzzcocks, Chris Remington, Danny Farrant, Gorilla, Harmony in my Head, Manchester, Mani Perazzoli, Penetration, Pete Shelley, Preston, Shanghai Treason, Skids, Steve Diggle | 2 Comments