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.

Testing the Big Band theory – the Jools Holland interview

Posted on June 11, 2015 by writewyattuk

It’s difficult to write about Jools Holland without going down the retro route. He is after all a man who carved out a career celebrating the best in popular music from the past century. His long-running BBC television show Later … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged BB King, Big Bands, Blackpool, Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, Gilson Lavis, Jools Holland, London, Preston, Ruby Turner, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Squeeze, The Prisoner, The Tube | 5 Comments

Rediscovering Alice’s Wonderland – a 150th anniversary celebration

Posted on June 9, 2015 by writewyattuk

To heed the King’s advice to the White Rabbit, I should begin at the beginning and go on till I come to the end, then stop. But I’m not so sure any appreciation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland books … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Charles Dodgson, Edwin Russell, Fiona Fullerton, guildford, Jeanne Argent, Lewis Carroll, Lost in Space. The Beatles, Macmillan, Mia Wasikowska, Star Trek, Surrey, Through the Looking Glass, Tim Burton | 2 Comments

Beyond Talent with the Classical Dark Angel – the Lucy Kay interview

Posted on June 4, 2015 by writewyattuk

What’s this? Talk of talent show contestants on the writewyattuk blog? Surely not. Well, yes actually, because there’s much more to the story of Lucy Kay than all that, as your humble scribe found out. Forget for a minute – … Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, Blake, Britain's Got Talent, Collabro, glasgow, Hoghton Tower, Katherine Jenkins, lancashire, Lucy Kay, Nessun Dorma, Nottingham, Simon Cowell, Susan Boyle, Symphony at the Tower | 6 Comments

Living the genre non-specific rock dream with Polly and the Billets Doux

Posted on May 28, 2015 by writewyattuk

Polly Perry, lead singer of Polly and the Billets Doux, is on a train somewhere between Devon and Hampshire, heading back from a weekend of fossil hunting. Yes, fossil hunting. Not very rock’n’roll? Well, there’s plenty more of that deviant … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Carys Matthews, Charmouth, Fleetwood Mac, Fylde Folk Festival, Glastonbury, Half-Truths & Downright Lies, iction, Loopallu, Money Tree, Mumford and Sons, Norah Jones, Polly and the Billets Doux, Polly Perry, Preston, Terry Wogan, Winchester | 1 Comment

Band of brothers’ friendly fire – The Cribs interview

Posted on May 21, 2015 by writewyattuk

When it comes to loyalty, it’s an ethos built on brotherhood for indie favourites The Cribs. While the West Yorkshire outfit complemented their sense of cool by recruiting Manchester guitar legend Johnny Marr between 2008 and 2011, the brothers Jarman … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Exuma, For All My Sisters, Gary Jarman, Hey Scenesters, Jarman, Johnny Marr, Leeds, Liverpool Sound City, Ric Ocasek, Ross Jarman, Ryan Jarman, Sonic Youth, The Cribs, Wakefield, Weezer | 1 Comment

In from the rain again – doubling up with Inspiral Carpets and The Rainkings

Posted on May 21, 2015 by writewyattuk

It’s a busy life for Stephen Holt, his day job in North Manchester supplemented by roles as the singer in two acclaimed bands. As well as Inspiral Carpets, the outfit he co-formed in 1983 and rejoined in 2011 after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Another Time, Clint Boon, Dave Swift, Dub Sex, Fiveways, Husker Du, Inspiral Carpets, Manchester, REM, Stephen Holt, Sugar, The Bodines, The Rainkings | 1 Comment

Looking Glass Girl by Cathy Cassidy – a writewyattuk review

Posted on May 16, 2015 by writewyattuk

In the year Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland turns 150, we can expect a number of events set around that influential work and all it led to. Alice is a little too Marmite for some tastes, and I totally … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio | Tagged Alice in Wonderland, books, Cathy Cassidy, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Lewis Carroll, Libraries, looking Glass Girl, Macmillan, Puffin, young adult fiction | 6 Comments

Taking the Long Road home – the Milltown Brothers interview

Posted on May 15, 2015 by writewyattuk

Matt Nelson is on his way home from work to Burnley, having moved back to the North-West around a dozen years ago. Milltown Brothers’ chief singer-songwriter is a family man these days, a dad-of-three who runs a visual effects film … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Burnley, Colne, Gigantic, Here I Stand, lancashire, Long Road, Manchester Academy, Matt Nelson, Milltown Brothers, Nian Brindle, Preston Front, Simon Nelson, Slinky, The La's | 5 Comments

Experiencing eclipses and supersonic flight – the Smoke Fairies interview

Posted on May 8, 2015 by writewyattuk

Katherine Blamire was roaming around rural Yorkshire with fellow members of the band Smoke Fairies when I called her, enjoying a day off from a UK tour supporting Public Service Broadcasting. To add to 13 shared dates, the band headlined … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Bryan Ferry, Chichester, Hebden Bridge Trades Club, Heptonstall, Jack White, Jessica Davies, Katherine Blamire, Laura Marling, London, PJ Harvey, Richard Hawley, Smoke Fairies, Sylvia plath, Valentina | 2 Comments

The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce – a writewyattuk review

Posted on May 4, 2015 by writewyattuk

Frank Cottrell Boyce has a lot to live up to when it comes to publication time, not least considering the quality of his first three children’s novels, Millions, Framed and Cosmic. I also enjoyed the Merseyside author’s re-imaginings of Ian … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio | Tagged Birmingham, Cosmic, danny boyle, Framed, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Grim Komissky, London, Merseyside, Millions, Rory Rooney, The Astounding Broccoli Boy | Leave a comment