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.

BOB / The Beer Snobs – Leeds, Wharf Chambers

Posted on December 9, 2019 by writewyattuk

It would be too easy to start this review with, ‘What a Performance!’ But it was, even if the BOB of 2019 were some way removed from that experienced three decades earlier. That’s not a dig. I was impressed then … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged 100 Club, Arthur Tapp, BOB, Convenience, Dean Leggett, Hamburg, John Peel Centre, Leave the Straight Life Behind, Leeds, Richard Blackborow, Simon Armstrong, The Beer Snobs, Wharf Chambers, Yorkshire | 4 Comments

Erland Cooper / AVA – Band on the Wall, Manchester

Posted on December 6, 2019 by writewyattuk

Having entered Erland Cooper’s world via The Magnetic North, then retrospectively discovering original band venture, Erland & the Carnival, it was a small step from there to ensconce myself in his solo project, exploring this creative composer’s further sonic tribute … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Aisling Brouwer, Anna Phoebe, AVA, Band on the Wall, Erland Cooper, Jacob Downs, Kalliopi Mitropoulou, Klara Schumann, London Grammar, Manchester, Mary Anne Hobbs, Orkney, Solan Goose, Sule Skerry | Leave a comment

Ignore Alien Orders – talking The Clash with Tony Beesley

Posted on November 30, 2019 by writewyattuk

As the 40th anniversary of The Clash’s acclaimed London Calling double-LP approaches, it’s time to not only remind you that a few copies remain of my biography of the band, This Day in Music’s Guide to The Clash (subtle hints, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Anthony Davie, Gary Crowley, Ignore Alien Orders, Joe Strummer, London Calling, Marc Bolan, Mescaleros, Mick Jones, Neil Sheasby, Our Generation, Paul Simonon, paul weller, Rawmarsh, Ray Gange, Sex Pistols, Sheffield, The Clash, The Jam, This Day in Music's Guide to The Clash, Tony Beesley, Topper Headon, Tracie Young, Walker | 4 Comments

The Wedding Present – back at the Boileroom, Guildford

Posted on November 24, 2019 by writewyattuk

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …’ Three Wedding Present shows in less than three years in my hometown after 30-plus years without a single visit, and again all unfolding at the Boileroom, Stoke … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Boileroom, Brassneck, Charlie Layton, Danielle Wadey, David Gedge, Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft, Festive Fifty, George Best, guildford, Köln, Kennedy, Magazine, Melanie Howard, My Favourite Dress, Something Left Behind, The Wedding Present | 3 Comments

The Selecter – Guildford G Live

Posted on November 23, 2019 by writewyattuk

As regular readers of this website know, Guildford and I go way back, and it was as a 13-year-old that I saw my first band at the Civic Hall, catching The Undertones on the Positive Touch tour, a mile and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson, Boileroom, Boys Dreaming Soul, Coventry, Emily Capell, G Live, guildford, Guildford Civic Hall, paul weller, Pauline Black, Ranking Roger, Rhoda Dakar, ska, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter, The Specials, Too Much Pressure, Winston Marche | 1 Comment

The continuing adventures of Babybird – the Stephen Jones interview

Posted on November 21, 2019 by writewyattuk

Fresh from dates in Bristol and Minehead, Babybird return to the road this coming week, London and Leeds dates followed by Liverpool and Manchester visits sandwiching a trip to Birmingham on a mini-tour publicising new LP Photosynthesis, a cohesive collection … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Babybird, Blancmange, Cool Britannia, Dodgy, Hale, Happy Stupid Nothing, John Pedder, Johnny Depp, Joy Division, Nottingham, Peter Hook, Photosynthesis, Sheffield, Stephen Jones, You're Gorgeous | Leave a comment

Local hero at home among Orcadian soundscapes – the Erland Cooper interview

Posted on November 14, 2019 by writewyattuk

Erland Cooper was getting ready to head to the studio to continue work on his latest record when I called, but happy to hang back and discuss another hectic year. This talented singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer from Scotland’s Northern Isles … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Donegal, Erland and the Carnival, Erland Cooper, Game of Thrones, Hannah Peel, Jackson C. Frank, King Creosote, Lancaster Library, Leo Abrahams, Local Hero, London, Nest, Norman Ackroyd, Orkney, paul weller, Portia Coughlan, Public Service Broadcasting, Simon Tong, Solan Goose, Sule Skerry, The Good The Bad and The Queen, The Magnetic North, William Doyle, Youth | 2 Comments

Lights still turn green at their convenience – talking BOB with Dean Leggett

Posted on November 14, 2019 by writewyattuk

Cast your mind back three decades or so. My diaries suggest I saw 148 gigs in the last three years of the 1980s, so inevitably recollections of some are cloudy. But many stick in the memory, not least those documented … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Arthur Tapp, BOB, Captains Log, Convenience, Cornwall, Dean Leggett, Highbury Corner, Jem Morris, John Peel, London, One Eyed Wayne, Optic Nerve, Paul Thompson, Penny Candles, reading, Richard Blackborow, Simon Armstrong, Sombrero, Stephen Hersom, The Beautiful South, The Old Trout, The Smiths, The Wedding Present, Windsor | 2 Comments

Three decades beyond 10 – having words with Hugh Cornwell

Posted on November 7, 2019 by writewyattuk

Almost 30 years after leaving The Stranglers, the legendary punk band with whom he made his name and managed more than 20 UK Top-40 singles and 14 Top-20 LPs over barely a dozen years, Hugh Cornwell remains a force to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged A Multitude of Sins, Alan Winstanley, Alexandra Palace, Beyond Elysian Fields, Clitheroe, Golden Brown, guildford, Hugh Cornwell, Jet Black, Lou Reed, Meninblack, Monster, Pat Hughes, Robert Williams, The Raven, The Star, The Stranglers, Totem and Taboo, Windsor McGilvray | 1 Comment

Understanding Vinny Peculiar – in conversation with Alan Wilkes

Posted on November 5, 2019 by writewyattuk

It would be all too easy to point out that Alan Wilkes, the inspiration behind Vinny Peculiar, has flirted with indie stardom but never quite attained that elusive crossover fame. But don’t think for one moment this Worcestershire-born and bred … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Alan Wilkes, Bonehead, Bromsgrove, Che Beresford, David Bowie, Duke Special, Elbow, glam rock, Manchester, Parlour Flames, Return of the Native, Rob Steadman, Silver Meadows, The Smiths, The Wedding Present, Vinny Peculiar, While You Still Can, Wishbone Ash | 1 Comment