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.

Caster in limelight for Joe’s Ghost Prison launch

Posted on September 13, 2013 by writewyattuk

BOOK launches are strange animals, and these days you might expect something more akin to an evangelical Apple-type extravaganza, with plenty of hype, free booze and canapes on offer. While the food and drink were certainly there at the Shire … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio | Tagged Andersen Press, Ben Barnes, Ghost Prison, Jeff Bridges, Joseph Delaney, Julianne Moore, lancashire, Lancaster Castle, Spook's Apprentice, Spooks, The Seventh Son | Leave a comment

Still hip after all these years: Deacon Blue – Preston Guild Hall

Posted on September 8, 2013 by writewyattuk

THERE’S something about seated gigs that unnerves me, and I instinctively felt uneasy pulling up a pew at Deacon Blue’s official tour opener at Preston Guild Hall. Granted, this was a more senior audience than when Ricky Ross and co … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Deacon Blue, Dignity, Dougie Vipond, Fergus Sings The Blues, Lorraine McIntosh, Preston, Raintown, ricky ross, Scotland, The Beatles, The Hipsters, Woody Guthrie | 12 Comments

Dignity still key for Ricky’s Raintown collective

Posted on September 3, 2013 by writewyattuk

WHEN I finally moved in with my better half in 1994, there were very few LPs we had doubles of, but one was Deacon Blue’s Raintown. It was quietly acknowledged as part of our personal soundtrack by then – five … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Deacon Blue, Dundee, glasgow, Raintown, ricky ross, Scotland, The Hipsters, When the World Knows Your Name | 1 Comment

Blogging Like Wire

Posted on August 20, 2013 by writewyattuk

I’M NOT quite old enough to remember Wire’s first incarnation, their fabled 1976/80 period. They came to light a few years later for me, when I was about to turn 16 and – thanks to John Peel’s patronage – discovered … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged 12XU, Bruce Gilbert, Chairs Missing, Change Becomes Us, Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, New Continental, Pink Flag, Preston, Robert Gotobed, Robert Grey, Serious Drinking, Wire | 2 Comments

Eardrums buzzing on a sweltering Preston night

Posted on August 18, 2013 by writewyattuk

Wire/Stranger Son – The New Continental, Preston THERE was a sense of life in the early 1980s on Friday night at happening Preston pub venue the New Continental. I’m not talking about some lame chart-busting tribute night, but the underground … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Change Becomes Us, Colin Newman, Manchester, New Continental, Pink Flag, Preston, strange rSon, Wire | 2 Comments

Rec recollections as Shots ring out again

Posted on July 31, 2013 by writewyattuk

HARDLY a few days go by at present without updates from troubled Aldershot Town FC. And it’s not just diehard Shots fans drawn by these worrying developments. A shadow still appeared to hang over Andy Scott’s side as July ended, just … Continue reading →

Posted in Football, sport | Tagged Aldershot, aldershot Town, Alex McGregor, Bobby Barnes, Chris Ingram, Conference Premier, guildford, Joe Jopling, John Dungworth, Len Walker, reading, Tom McAnearney, Tottenham, Woking | 1 Comment

Hugh Cornwell – Preston 53 Degrees

Posted on July 7, 2013 by writewyattuk

HE’s still got it, you know, and more than 20 years after leaving the band with whom he made his name, there’s still plenty of fire in Hugh Cornwell. The former Stranglers front-man doesn’t look any older than when Golden … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged 53 Degrees, Caroline Campbell, Chris Bell, Duchess, God Is a Woman, Golden Brown, Hugh Cornwell, No More Heroes, Preston, Stranglers, Totem and Taboo, Walk On By | Leave a comment

From Kentish Town to Chicago, via Shalford – the Hugh Cornwell interview

Posted on July 5, 2013 by writewyattuk

THEY’RE the stuff of legend in my old neck of the woods – the days The Stranglers rehearsed in our village scout hut. I was there myself within a couple of years with my first band – the 1st Shalford … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Chicago, Chris Bell, guildford, Hooverdam, Hugh Cornwell, London, Madonna, Shalford, Steve Albini, Steve Fishman, Stranglers, Totem and Taboo | 8 Comments

More books about chocolate and girls – the Cathy Cassidy feature

Posted on July 4, 2013 by writewyattuk

WHEN best-selling children’s author Cathy Cassidy called at the University of Central Lancashire recently, writewyattuk’s chief blogger was there to meet her – albeit hiding behind his eldest daughter (who adds her own footnote). I FELT a bit of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio | Tagged author, books, Cathy Cassidy, Cherry Crush, Coco Caramel, Coventry, Merseyside, Scotland, Somerset, University of Central Lancashire, Watership Down | 3 Comments

Hugh Cornwell – Totem and Taboo

Posted on June 29, 2013 by writewyattuk

In which Malcolm Wyatt swaps notes with Hugh Cornwell on the former Stranglers frontman’s latest album, Totem and Taboo, a surefire winner as far as both are concerned. Following rave reviews in the UK, Hugh Cornwell’s new studio album Totem and Taboo … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged Chicago, Chris Bell, Chris Goulstone, Hooverdam, Hugh Cornwell, London, Madonna, Steve Albini, Steve Fishman, Stranglers, Totem and Taboo | 2 Comments