Category Archives: Books Films, TV & Radio

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

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Drawing from experience – the Michael Foreman interview

  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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Magnetic North – Liverpool Central Library

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Waiting for The Vapors’ return – the Dave Fenton interview

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Teenage Fanclub – Here (PeMa/Merge, 2016)

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 , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Going, Going … The Wedding Present (Scopitones, 2016)

A new Wedding Present album after a four-and-a-half year break, and we’re into uncharted territory again. It involves some journey too – a North American East-West road-trip (and a half) from Kittery to Santa Monica via various points, initially suggesting … Continue reading

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Introducing the Islandman – the Elliott Morris interview

There’s a song on The Waterboys’ 1990 album Room to Roam that appears particularly apt in describing the career journey of inventive guitarist and singer-songwriter Elliott Morris. In Islandman, Mike Scott cites England as his ‘spine, the backbone and the … Continue reading

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fortune favours Lonely the Brave – the Mark Trotter interview

Two top-40 albums into their career, and with a fervent fan-base at home and overseas, Lonely the Brave are proving a major draw on the live circuit. Their debut album, The Day’s War, peaked at No.14 in the UK charts, … Continue reading

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Here’s where the story continues – tracking down Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake

From the moment I first heard those searing guitars on debut single Everything Flows, I was sold on Teenage Fanclub. And although I find it difficult to comprehend this, it’s now been a quarter of a century since their first … Continue reading

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments