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.

Behold what she has done – back in touch with Hazel O’Connor

Posted on November 9, 2018 by writewyattuk

Hazel O’Connor was at home in County Wicklow when I caught up with her, after a long haul from a gig in Taunton, Somerset, including a late-night Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire ferry. “My boat got me in about half past midnight. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Andy Czezowski, Breaking Glass, Cabaret, Clare Hirst, County Wicklow, Coventry, David Bowie, Hazel O'Connor, Hugh Cornwell, Jonathan Pryce, Josh Blackmore, Phil Daniels, Quadrophenia, Sarah Fisher, The Photons, Tony Visconti | 1 Comment

Blancmange – Darwen Library Theatre, November 7th, 2018

Posted on November 8, 2018 by writewyattuk

If you’ve not yet caught up with Wanderlust, the latest album from Blancmange, you’re missing out. After several weeks’ rotation around the house and in the car, I put it to one side for a couple of weeks. But now … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Blancmange, Darwen, Fader, Happy Families, Liam Hutton, Library Theatre, Neil Arthur, Oogoo Maia, Unfurnished Rooms, Wanderlust | Leave a comment

Two Preston Nights to Remember, part two – Girls in Synthesis / Erskine Brown – Preston, The Ferret

Posted on November 6, 2018 by writewyattuk

You know you’re at an intimate gig when, stood by the bar with pint in hand, a manic bass player frantically threads his way past you, mid-song. I’d have happily paid the £3 on the door (three quid, I tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Bamber Bridge, Crass, Erskine Brown, Fan the Flames, Gang of Four, Girls in Synthesis, Graham Coxon, Jack Harkins, Jim Cubitt, John Linger, Marcus Parnell, Nicole Pinto, The Common Cold, We Might Not Make Tomorrow, Wire | 1 Comment

Two Preston nights to remember: part one – The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Preston Guild Hall

Posted on November 5, 2018 by writewyattuk

It seems a little arse about face to start a review with the opening encore, but it was Eric Bogle’s ‘The Green Fields of France (No Man’s Land’) that sent shivers up the spine on Saturday night. A song The … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Cock-a-Hoop, Eric Bogle, Ghosts of Cable Street, How Green is the Valley, Ironmasters, Night of a Thousand Candles, Paul Simmonds, Phil Odgers, Preston, Stefan Cush, The Defiant, The Green Fields of France (No Man's Land), The Men They Couldn't Hang, the Pogues, Waiting for Bonaparte | Leave a comment

From record shop pilgrimages to transatlantic discovery – talking The Decemberists with Colin Meloy

Posted on November 1, 2018 by writewyattuk

This weekend, The Decemberists leave Portland, Oregon for their latest UK and mainland European tour. But don’t expect them to have worked on the set these last couple of weeks. As vocalist/guitarist and occasional children’s author Colin Meloy explained, “We’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Autumn De Wilde, Capitol, Chris Funk, Colin Meloy, Fairport Convention, Hamilton, I’ll Be Your Girl, Jenny Conlee, John Moen, Montana, Nate Query, Once in My Life, Oregon, Parks and Recreation, Portland, R.E.M., Rough Trade, The Decemberists, The Simpsons, The Smiths, They Might Be Giants, XTC | 2 Comments

The Men They Couldn’t Hang, still on the loose, avoiding the noose – the Phil Odgers interview

Posted on October 26, 2018 by writewyattuk

Listen to Cock-a-Hoop, the new record by The Men They Couldn’t Hang, and you get an album by a band sounding as fresh today as when their first album was released in 1985. What’s more, the subject matter of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Boothill Foot Tappers, Cock-a-Hoop, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Ghosts of Cable Street, How Green is the Valley, Ironmasters, Joe Strummer, John Peel, Night of a Thousand Candles, Paul Simmonds, Phil Chevron, Phil Odgers, Ricky McGuire, Shanne Bradley, Shepherd's Bush, southampton, Spider Stacy, Stefan Cush, The Clash, The Defiant, The Men They Couldn't Hang, the Pogues, Tom Fletcher, Waiting for Bonaparte | 3 Comments

The Proclaimers / Jack Lukeman – Sheffield City Hall

Posted on October 23, 2018 by writewyattuk

There was a rather understated vibe as Craig and Charlie Reid first took to the stage on Sunday night alongside their bandmates in Sheffield. But with The Proclaimers it’s always been about the songs first and foremost. I’m not sure … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Angry Cyclist, Charlie Reid, City Hall, Craig Reid, et’s Hear it For the Dogs, Fife, Jack Lukeman, Scotland, Sheffield, Sunshine on Leith, The Proclaimers, This is the Story | Leave a comment

Open return to Guildford – Hugh Cornwell, back on the line

Posted on October 18, 2018 by writewyattuk

With a new LP out and an accompanying tour next month, Hugh Cornwell is commuting between his Somerset home and a few old Surrey haunts at present, getting his band truly match-fit. And it turns out that the former Stranglers … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Academy of Contemporary Music, Caroline Campbell, Chris Bell, Clitheroe, Dave Greenfield, guildford, Hugh Cornwell, Jet Black, JJ Burnel, John Cooper Clarke, Johnny Soxx, Monster, Pat Hughes, Ray Harryhausen, Restoration, Surrey, The Stranglers, Wilko Johnson, Windsor McGilvray | 3 Comments

In off the Rebound – the Eleanor Friedberger feature

Posted on October 12, 2018 by writewyattuk

Before I even ask Eleanor Friedberger a question, I’m being heckled by her Dad about cricket. I’d expect sledging from Australians, but not someone from Chicago, Illinois. Turns out he’s originally from Northamptonshire, picking up on where I was calling from, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Andy Warhol, Chicago, Eleanor Friedberger, Fiery Furnaces, Martin Rev, Matthew Friedberger, New York, Rebound, Super Furry Animals, Tom Verlaine, Ulster County | 1 Comment

Happy families seek Wanderlust – Neil Arthur’s continuing Blancmange adventure

Posted on October 4, 2018 by writewyattuk

At a time when international debate and key government policies are focused on borders and freedom of movement, it’s clear to see where Neil Arthur stands and draws his lines. High-ranking pop chart success may be behind the sole survivor … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Benge, Blancmange, Brexit, Darwen, David Bowie, David Rhodes, Distant Storm, Gloucestershire, Gruff Rhys, Hannah Peel, Jon Anderson, Kincaid, lancashire, Mary Casio, Neil Arthur, Neu, Sheffield, Stephen Luscombe, Wanderlust | 2 Comments