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.

From Bombay to Sala Apolo, o’er the hills and far away – the Norman Watt-Roy interview

Posted on February 14, 2019 by writewyattuk

I should warn you before you get any further that there’s an underlying current of adulation in this here feature/interview. Another day and another musical hero brought to book (or the WonderWeb in this case), as I spend an all-too-quick … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Blow Your Mind, Bombay, Charlie Charles, Derek Hussey, Dylan Howe, Gilad Atzmon, Glencoe, Glenn Tilbrook, Ian Dury, John Turnbull, Living Daylights, London, loving Awareness, Madness, Mickey Gallagher, Norman Watt-Roy, Roger Daltrey, Spike Milligan, Stiff Records, The Blockheads, The Clash, The Greatest Show on Earth, Vic Sweeney, Wilko Johnson | 3 Comments

Finding Gold in a Brass Age – the David Gray interview

Posted on February 9, 2019 by writewyattuk

David Gray is no stranger to success, but sometimes it’s been a waiting game for the 50-year-old Sale-born singer-songwriter. He’s topped the UK album charts three times during a recording career of more than 25 years, first in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Altrincham, Babylon, Ben de Vries, David Gray, Gold in a Brass Age, London, Marius de Vries, Marvin Gaye, Neil Finn, Prince, Raymond Carver, Sale, Solva, The Sapling, Vangelis, White Ladder | 1 Comment

Penetration / The Mardigras Bombers / Vukovar – Preston, The Continental

Posted on February 5, 2019 by writewyattuk

After a slow start to the year, gig-wise, in the space of a fortnight I’ve witnessed two fine acknowledgements to the songwriting of Pete Shelley. First, a fitting rendition at Preston Guild Hall of the wondrous ‘What Do I Get’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Bianca Kinane-Ewart, Buzzcocks, Ike and Tina Turner Revue, Mardigras Bombers, Moving Targets, Pauline Murray, Penetration, Pete Shelley, Preston, Robert Blamire, Skids, The Continental, The Tubes, They Eat Culture, Vukovar | 2 Comments

Away from the Odditorium with The Dandy Warhols – the Peter Holmström interview

Posted on February 1, 2019 by writewyattuk

This week marked the return of The Dandy Warhols to British shores, a quarter of a century after singer/guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström first joined forces, a couple of friends who decided they ‘needed music to drink to’. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged AC/DC, Angus Young, Antwerp, Bohemian Like You, Brent DeBoer, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Dandy Warhols, Jessica Paré, Kevin Moyer, Odditorium, Oregon, Peter Holmström, Pink Floyd, Portland, The Decemberists, The Shins, Veronica Mars, We Used To Be Friends, Why You So Crazy, Zia McCabe | Leave a comment

A Manchester love affair on record – the C.P. Lee interview

Posted on January 25, 2019 by writewyattuk

It wouldn’t be right to call C.P. Lee an unsung hero of the North West music scene. He’s sung a fair bit in his time and those who truly know the Manchester scene know full well who he is. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Ace Records, Ady Croasdell, Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias, Blue Monday, Bob Dylan, Buzzcocks, C.P. Lee, Capital Radio, Eric Haydock, Greasy Bear, John Cooper Clarke, John Scott, Manchester, Martin Hannett, New Order, Northern Soul, Pete Shelley, Sex Pistols, Stiff Records, Teach Yourself Gibberish, The Hollies, Tony Wilson | 4 Comments

Skids / Big Country – Preston Guild Hall

Posted on January 22, 2019 by writewyattuk

As the years pass, it’s natural to have doubts about what lies ahead. But seeing Richard Jobson and Bruce Watson work a stage, I’d like to think – as a rather prominent rock’n’roller once put it – we’ve all still … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Big Country, Bruce Watson, Buzzcocks, Fife, Glasgow St Pauli, Jamie Watson, Mark Brzezicki, Mike Baillie, Pete Shelley, Preston Guild Hall, Richard Jobson, Scott Whitley, Simon Hough, Skids, Stuart Adamson, The Crossing | Leave a comment

The Leader of The Pack, Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny … the Kirk Brandon interview

Posted on January 17, 2019 by writewyattuk

When I got through to Kirk Brandon, there was an uneasy silence at the other end of the line, his approach similar to mine – if you don’t know a number, let the caller do the hard graft and explain … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Adrian Portas, Billy Duffy, Clapham, Craig Adams, Dead Men Walking, Jake Burns, John Werner, Kirk Brandon, Mick Jones, Simon Werner, Spear of Destiny, Steve Allan Jones, The Alarm, The Pack, Theatre of Hate, Westworld | Leave a comment

The enduring appeal of Penetration and the Invisible Girls – the Pauline Murray interview

Posted on January 10, 2019 by writewyattuk

While Pauline Murray is now four decades down her chosen career path, it’s worth noting that the first incarnation of the band she co-founded as a teenager, County Durham’s pioneering punk outfit Penetration, was rather short-lived. It was certainly a happening … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Buzzcocks, Byker, Coming Up For Air, David Bowie, Don't Dictate, Electric Circus, Ferryhill, Gary Chapman, Gary Smallman, Generation X, Howard Devoto, Invisible Girls, John Maher, John Peel, Ken Goodinson, Moving Targets, Newcastle, Paul Harvey, Pauline Murray, Penetration, Pete Shelley, Polestar Studios, Preston, Resolution, Rob Blamire, Roxy Music, Steve Wallace, The Clash, The Continental, The Roxy, The Stranglers, Transfigure | 2 Comments

If the Skids are United – the Mike Baillie interview

Posted on January 4, 2019 by writewyattuk

Mike Baillie was a Skids fan from the start, and as a drummer with fellow Fife outfit Insect Bites, he proved the perfect candidate to join the band when the opportunity arose in 1979. They formed two years earlier in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Big Country, Bill Simpson, Bruce Watson, Burning Cities, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Fife, Jamie Watson, John Peel, Kenny McDonald, Mike Baillie, Preston Guild Hall, Richard Jobson, Rusty Egan, Scotland, Skids, Stuart Adamson, The Absolute Game, The Clash, The Proclaimers, Tom Kellichan | 1 Comment

Looking back at 2018. Part two – the second six months

Posted on December 31, 2018 by writewyattuk

In which WriteWyattUK scans the archives to cull a few choice quotes from the last six months of 2018’s feature/interviews on this site, taking a leaf out of Dr Feelgood’s books, following Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s lead, ‘Looking back to see if … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Andy Kershaw, Andy Scott, Bianca Kinane-Ewart, Blancmange, Charlie Reid, Colin Meloy, Cornershop, Dave Hill, David Bowie, Eleanor Friedberger, Fay Fife, Fiery Furnaces, Goat Girl, Gruff Rhys, Hazel O'Connor, Hugh Cornwell, I Am Kloot, Ian Broudie, James, Jim lea, Joe Strummer, John Bramwell, John Peel, John Walters, Lightning Seeds, Lucinda Mellor, Neil Arthur, Neil Cossar, Nick Power, Nina Persson, Phil Odgers, Robert Gordon McHarg III, Rosy Bones, Saul Davies, Slade, Stuart Bailie, Super Furry Animals, Sweet, The Cardigans, The Coral, The Decemberists, The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Proclaimers, The Rezillos, Tjinder Singh, Trouble Songs | Leave a comment