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.

Family Entertainment, part one – celebrating 40 years of The Undertones’ debut LP with John O’Neill

Posted on May 7, 2019 by writewyattuk

May 13th marks the 40th anniversary of the self-named debut LP by The Undertones, as good a reason as any to track down two of my guitar heroes, brothers Damian and John O’Neill. I don’t tend to do double interviews, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Billy Doherty, Damian O'Neill, Derry, Derry Girls, Eden Studios, Elvis Costello, Feargal Sharkey, Hypnotised, John O'Neill, Lene Lovich, Locky Morris, Mickey Bradley, Mike Hedges, Neville Staple, New York Dolls, Paul McLoone, Rare, Roger Bechirian, That Petrol Emotion, The Clash, The Specials, The Undertones, Wisseloord | 2 Comments

Nouvelle Vague – Manchester Gorilla

Posted on May 5, 2019 by writewyattuk

I’ve witnessed some effective starts to live shows lately, with the arrival of Mélanie Pain and Phoebe Killdeer to the stage at The Gorilla particularly jaw-dropping. The price of the drinks already had me a little dazed, but this was … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division, Manchester, Marc Collin, Mélanie Pain, New Order, Nouvelle Vague, Olivier Libaux, OMD, Pete Shelley, Phoebe Killdeer, Ramones, The Smiths, The Specials, The Undertones, Tuxedomoon, Violent Femmes, Visage | Leave a comment

Mott the Hoople ’74 – Manchester Academy

Posted on April 26, 2019 by writewyattuk

Five decades after his initial Mott the Hoople recordings, it’s fair to say Ian Hunter knows a fair bit about live presence and was certainly on sparkling form in Manchester for this Class of ‘74 reunion. What’s more, fellow survivors … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged All the Way From Memphis, All the Young Dudes, Ariel Bender, David Bowie, Ian Hunter, Manchester, Manchester Academy, Morgan Fisher, Rant Band, Roll Away The Stone, The Golden Age Of Rock’n’Roll | 2 Comments

A walk on la Rive Gauche – talking Nouvelle Vague with Mélanie Pain

Posted on April 26, 2019 by writewyattuk

Mélanie Pain was working for a Paris design agency when the stars realigned and she ended up swapping careers in 2004, a favour for a friend happening to alert producer Marc Collin. And you could say the rest is … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Aix en Provence, Bande A Part, Camille Dalmais, Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnymen, Elodie Frégé, France, Ian McCulloch, Manchester, Marc Collin, Martin Gore, Mélanie Pain, Nouvelle Vague, Olivier Libaux, Paris, Phoebe Killdeer, PiL, The Undertones, Tuxedomoon, Whyte Horses | Leave a comment

Fontaines D.C. – Blitz, Preston

Posted on April 17, 2019 by writewyattuk

‘My childhood was small, but I’m gonna be big.’ Those great ‘I was there’ moments in music history don’t come along often, and admittedly I’ve occasionally been proved wrong in the past when calling them. But this was one such … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Action Records, Big, Blitz, Boys in the Better Land, Dogrel, Dublin, Fat White Family, Fontaines D.C., Grian Chatten, Idles, Preston, the Pogues, Too Real | 2 Comments

Mott’s Class of ’74 revisited – back in touch with Ian Hunter

Posted on April 16, 2019 by writewyattuk

I only turned seven in the month Mott the Hoople released their final single with Ian Hunter, and it was another dozen years or so before I became aware of ‘Saturday Gigs’. Sure, I knew the David Bowie-penned ‘All the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged All the Young Dudes, Ariel Bender, Broadway, Campbell Devine, Connecticut, David Bowie, Ian Hunter, Morgan Fisher, Mott the Hoople, New York, Rant Band, Roll Away The Stone, Saturday Gigs, The Golden Age Of Rock’n’Roll | 1 Comment

Steve Harley Acoustic Trio – The Platform, Morecambe

Posted on April 5, 2019 by writewyattuk

You can get complacent when a venue announces ‘doors 7.30pm’, not least when your designated driver has to beat Saturday night football traffic before we can get anywhere near. We were locked in by circumstances to a just before eight … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Barry Wickens, Best Years of our Lives, Cockney Rebel, Duran Duran, James Lascelles, Make Me Smile, Morecambe, Mr Raffles, Mr Soft, Poetic Justice, Scott Walker, Sebastian, Steve Harley, Stranger Comes to Town, The Platform, The Wedding Present, Viagra, Vince Clarke | Leave a comment

Tales from the Rocking Chair songsmith – in conversation with Dean Friedman

Posted on April 5, 2019 by writewyattuk

While four decades have passed since Dean Friedman’s biggest UK hits, admittance of a liking for him in trendy circles often remains reserved to cautious whispers here and there. But Dean’s hip stock rose with the inclusion in 1987 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Ariel, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five, Boo Hewerdine, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Difford, Dean Friedman, Edinburgh Fringe, Epstein Theatre, Gilbert O'sullivan, Half Man half Biscuit, Johnny Fingers, Lucky Stars, Monkees, New Jersey, New York, Nigel Blackwell, Old Courts Wigan, Peter Tork, Richard Digance, SongFest, The Blenders, Well Well said the Rocking Chair | Leave a comment

A Message from our Rude Boy – the Neville Staple interview

Posted on March 28, 2019 by writewyattuk

It will be 40 years in May since debut Special AKA single ‘Gangsters’ thrilled a nation, the first single on 2 Tone Records a fine example of all that followed from that ground-breaking independent label. Before 1979 was out, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged 2 Tone, Bernie Rhodes, Coventry, Fidel Glasgow, Fun Boy Three, Gangsters, Ghost Town, Jamaica, Neville Staple, Pauline Black, Pete Waterman, punk, Put Away Your Knives, Ranking Roger, Rat Scabies, Roddy Radiation, Rude Rebels, ska, Terry Hall, The Beat, The Clash, The Specials, The Undertones | 1 Comment

London Calling to the faraway towns – the Gary Crowley interview

Posted on March 22, 2019 by writewyattuk

Behind every successful career you tend to find a mix of good fortune and hard work, but you’re unlikely to hear any gripes about the latter from highly-affable broadcaster, TV presenter and DJ Gary Crowley. His on-air charm and warm … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Capital Radio, Clibe Banks, Demon, Edsel, Gary Crowley, Jack Lemmon, Joe Strummer, Lisson Green, London, Mick Jones, Mono Media Films, Paul McCartney, paul weller, Postcard, Punk and New Wave, Radio London, Sex Pistols, Sian philipps, Soho Radio, The Beatles, The Clash, The Jam | 1 Comment