Tag Archives: guildford

Celebrating the Sounds of the Street – Introducing Solid Bond in Your Heart: A People’s History of The Jam

‘What’re you trying to say that you haven’t tried to say before?’ Yep, it’s the ‘Time for Truth’. After spending much of 2023 working on Wild! Wild! Wild! A People’s History of Slade, I can reveal a few basic details … Continue reading

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Celebrating Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, 50 years on

I was barely six years old when ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ became Slade’s third single of 1973 to go straight in at the top of the UK charts. But I have vague memories from around then, and the Radio Times listings … Continue reading

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Far more than mere nostalgia: stepping forward with The Selecter – back in touch with Pauline Black

I was briefly reminded of 1969 European sightseeing comedy If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium when I spoke to Pauline Black, OBE, this week. On this occasion, en route to a date at Het Depot, Leuven after a big … Continue reading

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Getting the run down on The Higsons, four decades on – the Terry Edwards interview

Among this weekend’s 2023 Record Store Day releases, I was intrigued to hear word of the vinyl release of a mini-album featuring two cult early ‘80s 12” singles by post-punk/funk pioneers The Higsons, celebrating their brief liaison with 2 Tone … Continue reading

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Let me tell you about Sweden (and Denmark, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester …) – catching up with Hugh Cornwell

Early May sees the return of former Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell to the road for three more UK headline dates, celebrating last October’s acclaimed Moments of Madness LP. Following a 23-date nationwide tour late last year, he has shows in … Continue reading

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Treading Gently forward – beyond The Jam with Steve Brookes

When I spoke to Steve Brookes earlier this week, he was at home in Camberley, Surrey, having played Thames Side Brewery in Staines that weekend, this accomplished guitarist and singer-songwriter clearly enjoying gigging as much now as five decades ago, … Continue reading

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Looking back on The Jam, 1982 and all that – back in conversation with Rick Buckler

This time 40 years ago, Rick Buckler must have been wondering just what was next, Christmas and New Year behind him, the ultra-successful group that had been his life for the past decade disbanded, his future uncertain. But as the … Continue reading

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Stone Foundation / Steve Brookes – Guildford Boileroom

We’ve clearly still got some way to go with this bastard virus, and I’m not likely to go easy on preventative measures as we look for a continued safe return to the joy of live music and all that. But … Continue reading

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The Vapors / Chris Pope & Mic Stoner – Boileroom, Guildford

I waited a long time for this. How long? Take your pick – 54 years since my arrival, give or take a fortnight; 41 years since New Clear Days; 39 years since the original split; three years since my last … Continue reading

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Hand Built by Isolated Human – back in touch with Newton Faulkner

Newton Faulkner is extremely proud of his seventh LP in 14 years, a hands-on project like no other he’s previously crafted. Recorded in his East London studio, Newton ventures into new territory in what he sees as the beginning of … Continue reading

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