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.

Remembering a Stupid Boy made good – a tribute to Jimmy Perry

Posted on October 24, 2016 by writewyattuk

The following tribute started out as a re-write of my respectful nod to Clive Dunn on these pages in November 2012, Permission to Pay a Tribute, Sir. But today I’ve adapted it to mark the passing of the man who created … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre | Tagged Arnold Ridley, Arthur Lowe, Bill Pertwee, Clive Dunn, Colin Bean, Dad's Army, David Croft, Frank Williams, Hi-de-Hi!, Ian Lavender, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, James Beck, Janet Davies, Jimmy Perry, John Laurie, John Le Mesurier, M'lord?, Michael Bates, Pamela Cundell, Will Hay, Windsor Davies, You Rang | Leave a comment

Drawing from experience – the Michael Foreman interview

Posted on October 20, 2016 by writewyattuk

It’s been 55 years since Michael Foreman’s first book was published, yet this genial, engaging septuagenarian author and illustrator retains a major passion for his creative endeavours. Perhaps best known for his evocative drawings in works by former children’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Football, Music | Tagged A Life in Pictures, Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Charlie Watts, Cornwall, Daphne du Maurier, Edward Ardizzone, Harris Museum & Gallery, Michael Foreman, Michael Morpurgo, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Norwich City, Pakefield, Preston, Roald Dahl, Seven Stories, St Ives, Suffolk, Terry Jones, War Boy, War Game | 2 Comments

The Magnetic North – Liverpool Central Library

Posted on October 17, 2016 by writewyattuk

You’ve got to love the kind of concert where the band puts a bottle of whisky at the front of the stage for their sell-out audience to share. Now that’s what I call intimate. What’s more, at around half past … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Erland Cooper, Frank Cottrell Boyce, George Harrison, Get it Loud in Libraries, Hannah Peel, Libraries, Liverpool, McCoy Wynne, Orkney, Simon Tong, Skelmersdale, The Magnetic North, The Unforgotten Coat, The Verve | 5 Comments

Beyond The Beautiful South – in conversation with Alison Wheeler

Posted on October 13, 2016 by writewyattuk

After a successful few years revisiting a classic song catalogue while spreading the word about 2012 LP Sweet Refrains across Europe and the UK, The South are ready for a three-week autumn tour and are keen to talk about a … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Alison Wheeler, Briana Corrigan, Cambridge, Dave Hemingway, Dave Stead, Jacqui Abbott, Nick Heyward, Paul Heaton, Phil Barton, The Beautiful South, The South, The Topers, Virginia | 2 Comments

Kodiak Island –The Golden Section (Musical Bear Records, 2016)

Posted on October 7, 2016 by writewyattuk

The digital version of the debut long player from Kodiak Island is set to sweep in on the web-surf this weekend. And as befits the album’s title, those shelling out should quickly get the bigger, aesthetically-pleasing picture. The Golden Section … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Alaska, Bluetrain, Gareth Palmer, It's Jo and Danny, Jo Bartlett, Kodiak Island, Mike Muggeridge, Musical Bear Records, Richard Handyside, The Golden Section | Leave a comment

Present company accepted – having words with UB40’s Jimmy Brown

Posted on October 7, 2016 by writewyattuk

You probably know about the legal dispute rocking reggae behemoths UB40, two factions of the band at odds with each other over the use of the name. But while all that rumbles on, the show goes on for the five remaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Ali Campbell, Astro, Birmingham, Bob Marley, Brian Travers, Duncan Campbell, Earl Falconer, Jeremy Corbyn, Jimmy Brown, Mickey Virtue, Moseley School of Art, Norman Hassan, One in Ten, Present Arms, Robin Campbell, Rock Against Racism, Steel Pulse, UB40 | 1 Comment

Dreams stay with you – in conversation with Mark Brzezicki

Posted on September 29, 2016 by writewyattuk

Four shows into Big Country’s latest anniversary tour, Mark Brzezicki was back home this week, between dates at Holmfirth’s Picturedrome and The Warehouse, Falkirk. And three decades after his primary band’s commercial peak, he can confirm there’s still plenty of love … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Abba, Big Country, Bruce Foxton, Bruce Watson, Dunfermline, ESP, From The Jam, Kate Bush, Marcus Hummon, Mark Brzezicki, Midge Ure, Mike Peters, Pete Townshend, Phil Collins, Prince's Trust, Procol Harum, Queen, Scott Whitley, Simon Hough, Simon Townshend, Skids, Steve Lillywhite, Stuart Adamson, The Cult, The Seer, Tom Chaplin, Tony Butler, Tony Lowe | 6 Comments

Beyond the Dandelion Adventure – having words with Ajay Saggar and Marcus Parnell

Posted on September 22, 2016 by writewyattuk

This story starts with The Membranes, because without that Lancashire post-punk band a singer known as Fat Mark and a lanky Asian indie kid called Ajay might never have met. That initial meeting came sometime in the mid-‘80s amid an … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Action Records, Amsterdam, Blackpool, Blur, Cornershop, Dandelion Adventure, Deutsche Ashram, John Peel, John Robb, Kevin Shields, King Champion Sounds, Mark E Smith, My Bloody Valentine, Preston, The Bent Moustache, The Boo Radleys, The Continental, The Fall, The Membranes, The Stranglers, Thurston Moore, Tuff Life Boogie | 8 Comments

Waiting for The Vapors’ return – the Dave Fenton interview

Posted on September 15, 2016 by writewyattuk

I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, you remember The Vapors. I also realise that many of you will now have the song Turning Japanese lodged in your head, and a few of you will think that was the whole story. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Bruce Foxton, Dave Fenton, Ed Bazalgette, Howard Smith, Jimmie Jones, John Weller, Magnets, Michael Bowes, New Clear Days, paul weller, Shoot! Dispute, Steve Smith, The Jam, The Members, The Stranglers, The Vapors, Turning Japanese, Waiting for the Weekend | 30 Comments

Teenage Fanclub – Here (PeMa/Merge, 2016)

Posted on September 12, 2016 by writewyattuk

I’m not quite sure it was a good thing to come to this review on the back of penning my thoughts on the latest album from The Wedding Present. I love both bands, but they’ve taken radically different paths since … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged A Catholic Education, Dave McGowan, David Henderson, Francis MacDonald, Gerard Love, Here, Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Shadows, Teenage Fanclub | 2 Comments