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.

Harle and Almond’s essence to fore in The Tyburn Tree

Posted on March 3, 2014 by writewyattuk

I know I’m getting older, I don’t really need reminding. But can it really be 33 years this coming summer since I first heard Soft Cell tackling Northern Soul classic Tainted Love? It was a while before I properly took … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Annie Hogan, Billy McGee, Dave Ball, Gloria Jones, John Harle, John Peel, London, Marc Almond, Marc Bolan, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Soft Cell, Southport, Tainted Love, The Tyburn Tree | Leave a comment

Reverend and the Makers / Liberty Ship – Preston 53 Degrees

Posted on March 1, 2014 by writewyattuk

While we seem to have a surfeit of young pretenders to the throne when it comes to junior troubadours, I’ll gladly add a writewyattuk thumbs-up to Sheffield’s Liberty Ship. If you’re off to see Reverend and the Makers promoting new … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged 32, 53 Degrees, Heavyweight Champion of the World, Jon McClure, Liberty Ship, Lisa McClure, Preston, Reverend and The Makers, Sheffield, Silence is Talking, The State of Things | 1 Comment

The Age of Chance resonates with the Reverend – the Jon McClure interview

Posted on March 1, 2014 by writewyattuk

Remember Adele’s first multi-million selling LPs, 19 and 21? Well, Jon McClure has just recorded 32, confirming not just his current age but also a sense of pride at his band’s comparative longevity in a fickle industry. It’s about more … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Charlatans, John Cooper Clarke, Jon McClure, Lisa McClure, Oasis, Paul Heaton, Reverend and The Makers, Sheffield, Specials | 2 Comments

Face Time approaches for comedy’s Wonder Woman – the Kerry Godliman interview

Posted on February 24, 2014 by writewyattuk

With her latest stand-up show, Face Time, set for a 20-date tour from early March until mid-April, actor and comic Kerry Godliman will soon be juggling domestic goddess duties with life as a gigging performer. And there’s no doubting that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre | Tagged Ben Abell, Bridget Christie, comedy, Derek, Kerry Godliman, Kerry's List, Lauren Child, Live at the Apollo, Miranda, ose Bruford College, Ricky Gervais, Shappi Khorsandi | Leave a comment

Scotch and water, claret and blues – The Spin Doctors at Burnley Mechanics

Posted on February 21, 2014 by writewyattuk

I remember a lad from Detroit that I met on my travels who genuinely seemed to think Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a documentary, believing all Brits wore bowler hats and probably had ludicrous walks to match. In no way am … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Aaron Comess, Burnley, Chris Barron, Dr Who, Eric Schenkman, If The River Was Whiskey, Mark White, Pocket Full of Kryptonite, Spin Doctors, The Goodies, Two Princes | Leave a comment

Flying above the clouds with Neil Finn

Posted on February 18, 2014 by writewyattuk

In which writewyattuk goes to work on Dizzy Heights, the new album by Neil Finn. I’m not one for snap judgements on albums. I often feel the more immediate ones are those you tire of, while the harder-to-realise stay with … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Crowded House, Dizzy Heights, Finn, Finn Brothers, Neil Finn, Pajama Club, Tim Finn | 8 Comments

A life in denim, leather and spandex – the Biff Byford interview

Posted on February 14, 2014 by writewyattuk

With heavy metal survivors Saxon’s wheels of steel set to grind to a temporary halt at Preston’s 53 Degrees on Saturday, February 15, I managed to lure lead singer Biff Byford away from the studio to talk heavy metal. Quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged 53 Degrees, 747 (Strangers in the Night), Barnsley, Biff Byford, Doug Scarratt, Heavy Metal Thunder, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Justin Lee Collins, Lemmy, Motorhead, New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Nibbs Carter, Nigel Glockler, Paul Quinn, Preston, Saxon, Wheels of Steel | 1 Comment

Spin (and) the bottle – the Chris Barron interview

Posted on February 7, 2014 by writewyattuk

AMID a harsh stateside winter, MALCOLM WYATT spoke to a housebound Chris Barron to talk about the Spin Doctors’ past and present, ahead of a three-date UK visit which includes a brief trip to Lancashire. If you reckon the Spin … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Blues Traveler, Burnley Mechanics, Chris Barron, Croydon, If The River Was Whiskey, Islington, New York City, Pocket Full of Kryptonite, Spin Doctors, Two Princes | 1 Comment

Mixing it up with an alternative jazz statesman – the Stuart McCallum interview

Posted on February 1, 2014 by writewyattuk

A RISING star on the alternative jazz scene is back on his old patch, teaming up with his former guitar tutor for five dates as a duo in the North. Here, writewyattuk catches up with Stuart McCallum to talk about … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Cinematic Orchestra, Jazz, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Leeds College of Music, Leyland, Linder Sterling, Manchester Jazz Festival, Matt & Phred's, Mike Walker, Northern Ballet, Preston, Richard Spaven, Stuart McCallum, The Continental, University of Salford | Leave a comment

Helen Dunmore – The Lie

Posted on January 29, 2014 by writewyattuk

We’re already seeing a surfeit of news stories and TV documentaries marking the centenary of the First World War, with the library and bookshop shelves full of related publications. Some are already established classics, some are new spins on past … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio | Tagged Birdsong, Coleridge, Cornwall, First World War, Helen Dunmore, Poldark, Sebastian Faulks, The Betrayal, The Greatcoat, The Lie, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Siege, Winston Graham, Zennor in Darkness | 1 Comment