Tag Archives: Simon Tong

Exploring patterns and connections, riding the Fir Wave – back in touch with Hannah Peel

Mercury Prize shortlist nominee Hannah Peel was taking a brief rest from scoring when I called her. And I don’t mean she was watching the cricket from the pavilion at Old Trafford, notebook in hand. Had the phone rung off … Continue reading

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Return to Orkney – back in touch with Erland Cooper

We’ll have to wait a while before we see acclaimed Scottish singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Erland Cooper and his ensemble live again, but can at least transport ourselves to his spiritual neck of the woods in our imaginations through latest … Continue reading

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Local hero at home among Orcadian soundscapes – the Erland Cooper interview

Erland Cooper was getting ready to head to the studio to continue work on his latest record when I called, but happy to hang back and discuss another hectic year. This talented singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer from Scotland’s Northern Isles … Continue reading

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The writewyattuk quotes of 2016, part one – January to June

As a year probably remembered on a national and international level as one of big-name departures and alarming political shifts draws to a close, writewyattuk faces the music and dances (somewhat discordantly) in a retro style, looking back on the last … Continue reading

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All that matters is here – the Hannah Peel interview

Among the festive-themed adverts on our TV screens right now is a touching Aardman-animated tale made for the Alzheimer’s Research UK charity. The Santa Forgot story follows a little girl, Freya, who while preparing for Christmas realises much of the … Continue reading

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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

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Welcome to The Magnetic North – in conversation with Simon Tong

Simon Tong may still be best known in some quarters for his guitar and keyboard work with The Verve, but he’s certainly been a busy lad since leaving them in 1999. In fact, that period accounted for just three years … Continue reading

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