Category Archives: Music

After the pills ‘n’ thrills and bellyaches – the Rowetta interview

Legendary Madchester trailblazers Happy Mondays are set to return later this year for a 25-date UK and Irish tour, their Twenty Four Hour Party People Greatest Hits Show, with those November and December appearances marking the 30th anniversary of the … Continue reading

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From Weller to the Moon – in conversation with music writer Ian Snowball

Ian Snowball was writing the foreword for a book on a Merseyside football casual turned Para when I called, having also recently co-authored Beatles-related novel A Hard Day’s Month with his friend Mark Baxter. There are many more publications out there … Continue reading

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The Wedding Present / The Catenary Wires / Miles Salisbury – The Continental, Preston

When Un-Peeled promoter Tuff Life Boogie broke the news that The Wedding Present were coming to my favourite Lancashire riverside locale in early March, there was much excitement from the North West indie fraternity, with one date soon not enough. … Continue reading

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Sunshine, moonlight, good times, boogie – the Tito Jackson interview

It’s not even 9am in California, but it’s already Tito Time, with the third eldest Jackson sibling more than happy to share a few stories from his impressive career. Guitarist and vocalist Tito – real name Toriano Adaryll Jackson – … Continue reading

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Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley

I’ve mentioned on these pages before a love of archive documentary films, the British Film Institute restoring, reissuing and reminding us of so many inspirational cinematic moments in recent years, not least treasures from the pioneering GPO Film Unit and … Continue reading

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Calling Captain Summertime – the Nick Heyward interview

While Woodland Echoes is Nick Heyward’s seventh solo album, it’s his 10th in total, going right back to 1981’s Haircut 100 debut Pelican West. And this highly personable Beckenham-born singer/songwriter, guitarist and pianist is rightly proud of his latest offering, telling us, … Continue reading

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Never Gonna Say Goodbye – the Pete Waterman interview

Perhaps you know him best these days for the countless TV appearances as presenter, judge or pundit, from his shows on regional radio in the Midlands, or – going back a bit further – as a club DJ. Alternatively, you … Continue reading

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Remembering Rick and Status Quo – the John Coghlan interview

In the BBC documentary Hello Quo, there’s revealing footage of a jam session at Shepperton Studios featuring the original members of Status Quo, for the first time since drummer John Coghlan left 31 years earlier. That 2012 meeting led to … Continue reading

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The enduring appeal of Sparks – in conversation with Ron Mael

  Many of us of a certain age will recall the first time we heard American art-pop-rockers Sparks, a band that properly appeared on the UK chart radar around the time of the glam movement, sitting pretty comfortably amid an … Continue reading

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Championing a little respect, to the sky and back – the Vince Clarke interview

When World Be Gone, the 17th studio album from Erasure, crashed into the UK album chart at No. 6 this month, it proved to be this established synth-pop duo’s highest new entry since 1994’s I Say I Say I Say, which … Continue reading

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