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.

Turning up the Voltage – the Jeffrey Lewis interview

Posted on October 2, 2019 by writewyattuk

I’m guessing cult US indie singer-songwriter and comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis is back home in New York right now, after a recent run of UK dates with his band, The Voltage. And again, he picked up plenty of new … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged bad wiring, Ben Ayres, Cornershop, Daniel Johnston, Geoff Travis, Jeffrey Lewis, Jonathan Richman, LPs, Moshi Moshi, New York, Preston, Rough Trade, The Ferret, Violent Femmes | Leave a comment

Reverend and the Makers – Action Records, Preston

Posted on September 27, 2019 by writewyattuk

Half past six it said on the advert, so there I was – unfashionably early – going twice round the block to find a space, sheepishly passing a long queue outside the shop. Having checked parking restrictions several times, convinced … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged A French Kiss in the Chaos, Action Records, Ed Cosens, Heavyweight Champion of the World, Jon McClure, Preston, Reverend and The Makers, Sheffield, The La's, The Sherlocks, The State of Things, Thom Yorke | Leave a comment

What the Butlers saw – the welcome return of the Psychedelic Furs

Posted on September 26, 2019 by writewyattuk

It’s been 36 years since The Psychedelic Furs relocated to America, but you wouldn’t know it, listening to bass player and founder member Tim Butler. Tim, the younger brother of lead singer Richard in a post-punk outfit best known for … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged 100 Club, Bolton-by-Bowland, Book of Days, Call Me By My Name, Electric Lady Studios, Forever Now, Iggy pop, John Ashton, Kentucky, Love My Way, Meltdown Festival, Muswell Hill, New York, Pretty in Pink, Richard Butler, Ripon, Robert Smith, Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Stranger Things, The Clash, The Ghost in You, The Psychedelic Furs, Tim Butler | 2 Comments

The Best of Times with the Right Reverend – back in touch with Jon McClure

Posted on September 19, 2019 by writewyattuk

Reverend and the Makers’ frontman Jon McClure was enjoying a little home time in South Yorkshire ahead of his band’s latest UK jaunt when I called. And Sheffield is clearly still at the epicentre of his universe, a dozen years … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Action Records, Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me the Horizon, Damon Albarn, Ed Cosens, Heavyweight Champion of the World, Joe Strummer, Jon McClure, Martyn Ware, Mick Jones, Paul Carrack, Preston, Pulp, Reverend and The Makers, Richard Hawley, Sheffield, Sophie and the Giants, Stocksbridge, The Boardwalk, The Specials, The State of Things, University of Sheffield | Leave a comment

Next Train From Yeovil – The Return of The Chesterfields

Posted on September 12, 2019 by writewyattuk

Thirty-five years after taking their first tentative steps into the world of independent pop fame, The Chesterfields are back for a string of UK dates this September. Founder member Simon Barber (bass, vocals) will be joined on the road by … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Adrian Gent, Adrian Gibson, AGMP, Amanda Wallwork, Andy Strickland, Blue Aeroplanes, Brilliant Corners, Davey Goldsworthy, Design, Evolver, Helen Stickland, Johnny Dee, Kettle, NYC Popfest, Rob Parry, Rodney Allen, Sherborne, Simon Barber, Subway Organisation, Terrible Hildas, The Chesterfields, Yeovil | Leave a comment

Edwyn Collins / Gabi Garbutt and the Illuminations – Manchester Gorilla

Posted on September 11, 2019 by writewyattuk

Amid the post-summer holiday trudge back to work, I reckon we all need pick-me-ups, familiar despondency at days getting shorter and temperatures dropping – irrespective of global warming crises – taking its toll. Meanwhile the Government and UK itself is … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Andy Hackett, Badbea, Carwyn Ellis, Dennis Bovell, Edwyn Collins, Gabi Garbutt, Glasgow School, Gorilla, Home Again, Little Barrie, Manchester, Orange Juice, Rip It Up, Sean Read | 2 Comments

Space: the vinyl frontier – back in touch with Ian McNabb

Posted on August 30, 2019 by writewyattuk

It was the morning after the night before when I called Ian McNabb, and it was just sinking in that it wasn’t just a bad dream. Boris Johnson really was the new Prime Minister, as the Cold Shoulder and Icicle … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged 2001: A Space Odyssey, Andy Lord-Ashton, Apollo 11, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Layhe, Chris Shorrock, Christopher Kearney, Cold Shoulder, Crazy Horse, Eric's, Ian Broudie, Ian McNabb, Icicle Works, Kieron Bell, Liverpool, Mathew Priest, Merseybeast, Neil Young, Nicholas Kilroe, Our Future in Space, Ralph Molina, Steve Barnard | 1 Comment

Glasgow to London … to Helmsdale – the Edwyn Collins interview

Posted on August 15, 2019 by writewyattuk

Badbea is Edwyn Collins’ ninth solo album, and the first since he moved home and studio from North London back to Scotland in 2014. More to the point, it’s Edwyn’s fourth LP since two major strokes in 2005 that wiped … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged A Girl Like You, Badbea, Carl Hunter, Carwyn Ellis, Edwyn Collins, Grace Maxwell, Helmsdale, James Kirk, Madness, Norman Blake, Orange Juice, Paul Cook, Scotland, Sean Read, Sometimes Always Never, Steven Daly, Sutherland, Teenage Fanclub, Vic Godard | 4 Comments

Intergalactic Sonic Trio: the Further Adventures of Ash – in conversation with Rick McMurray

Posted on August 14, 2019 by writewyattuk

Rick McMurray was at home in Edinburgh when I called, all set for the next run of live appearances with Ash, the following fortnight alone including outdoor festivals in Devon, Lancashire, Hampshire and Warwickshire, and club dates in Reading and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged 1977, A Life Less Ordinary, Ash, Belfast, Charlotte Hatherley, Cotton Clouds, County Down, David Trimble, Downpatrick, Islands, Jack Names the Planets, John Hume, Johnny Marr, Mark Hamilton, Northern Ireland, Peter Hook and the Light, Rick McMurray, Saddleworth, Snow Patrol, The Undertones, The Wedding Present, Tim Wheeler, U2 | Leave a comment

Introducing The Amber List – in conversation with Mick Shepherd

Posted on August 14, 2019 by writewyattuk

In the 1980s, several independent bands based around Lancashire played a part in an emerging regional scene that ultimately brought wider success for a few North West acts. Of course, not every act involved would end up on the front … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Action Records, Big Red Bus, Big Star, Birmingham, Boo Radleys, Dandelion Adventure, Gene, John Kettle, lancashire, Lancaster Music Co-Op, Merry Hell, Mick Shepherd, Paul Cookson, Pemberton, Preston, Simon Dewhurst, Teenage Fanclub, The Amber List, The Ever Present Elephant, The La's, The Stone Roses, The Teardrop Explodes, Tim Kelly, Tony Cornwell | 1 Comment