Author Archives: writewyattuk

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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.

Punchlines, headlines, good times and hard lines – the Dave Spikey interview

I go a few years back with Dave Spikey, first meeting this ever-entertaining Lancastrian when he dropped in at my old workplace, the Chorley Guardian, with fellow comedian Peter Kay in early 2000. At that point the pair had already … Continue reading

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Back to The Icicle Works – the Ian McNabb interview

  I don’t pretend to be the greatest aficionado on the life and times of Ian McNabb, the esteemed Liverpudlian singer-songwriter and leader of The Icicle Works. But I know a fair bit about the Merseybeast’s story, not least his considerable … Continue reading

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Time to Breathe Again, in the company of Midge Ure

If you were to condense the history of popular music from the mid-’70s to the turn of the ’90s into a few pages, Midge Ure would still get a pretty impressive showing. Not just in the footnotes either, despite being … Continue reading

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Living it up in Limboland – the Bill Bailey interview

Apparently, Bill Bailey’s current tour involves tales of the comic finding himself in a halfway place, railing against a world that doesn’t match up to expectations, while contemplating the true nature of happiness. He’ll no doubt touch on his countless … Continue reading

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Squeeze / John Cooper Clarke – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Dr John Cooper Clarke was already halfway down Beasley Street by the time I rocked up at the Liverpool Phil on Monday night. The legendary wordsmith is as much a stand-up comic these days, his one-liners and winning anecdotes soon … Continue reading

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Heaven 17, plus 35 – the Martyn Ware interview

It was 35 years ago that Martyn Ware left The Human League, what began as a creative non-band project soon evolving into Heaven 17. Big times followed for both Sheffield outfits, and while Heaven 17’s ground-breaking debut LP Penthouse and … Continue reading

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Celebrating Little Victories – the Alan Davies interview

Following the success of his 55-date Little Victories UK tour in 2014, and having already added extra dates this year, Alan Davies is set for a final 15-date autumn leg. That includes a date at Preston Guild Hall in early … Continue reading

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Squeeze – Cradle to the Grave – a writewyattuk review

Squeeze are back, some 17 years after the rather disappointing Domino, with a brand new set of songs. And they’re everything I might have hoped for. In the same sense that I wish The Beatles’ Let It Be hadn’t followed Abbey Road … Continue reading

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Beyond the sex and drugs – the Shaun Ryder interview

Madchester legend Shaun Ryder is in a great mood, despite being part-way through a rash of interviews as rave culture icons Happy Mondays gear up for their latest anniversary tour. If you’re expecting the unpredictable character that left interviewers like … Continue reading

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Taking the Big Red Bus to town – celebrating Tuff Life Boogie’s autumn return

If you follow the alternative and indie music scene and you’re based in the North West, you may know a little about Tuff Life Boogie. Then again, this is hardly a story of self-aggrandisement or any of that self-serving twaddle. … Continue reading

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