Two Years of Live Gigs, Comebacks and Questionable Pint Spending Read all the reviews and see what’s in store in 2026 – REVIEWS I’ve been to a lot of gigs. Not a sensible number. Not a tidy, spreadsheet-friendly total. Just a lot. The first one is still under review and would need a panel of experts and possibly… Read More »
Released on 10th February 1971. While the rest of the world was discovering one of the greatest albums ever made, I was busy being a baby and contributing nothing except noise and laundry. My chart analysis at the time was weak. I didn’t get to it until the late 80s, which is proof that great albums don’t expire.… Read More »
January leaned heavily towards crime and murder. That was very much on purpose. Murder is my thing. In books, obviously. So, it probably won’t shock anyone that most of what I read involved somebody not making it to the final chapter. On paper, it was a decent start to the year: six books, 1,880 pages, which works out… Read More »
There’s always a theme. This month it was Favourite 90’s Album. The club was still at Bryn’s, but this time in his new record room. Same people, same arguments, just different seats. The decade did the heavy lifting and the opinions did the rest. Coxy – Ill Communication by Beastie Boys (1994)Coxy opened proceedings with noise and intent.… Read More »
Exactly one year to the day since I last saw them, back when Neil, Hammy and myself did the 100 Club. Great for my numbers OCD. This time it was Colchester Arts Centre, which is a former church. Always a good sign. High ceilings, echoey walls and that faint feeling you’re about to be judged by someone who’s… Read More »
Talking About It vs Doing It Before anything else, I should say this. Once again, my wife Katie has been fully supportive of this madness. Her only concern is my weak knee, the one I smashed up a few years back when I came off my bike because the Port of Felixstowe forgot to put salt down when… Read More »
ON THIS DAY – 5 January 1976Bob Dylan – Desire Released fifty years ago today, Desire still feels like one of Bob Dylan’s more reckless decisions. And I mean that as a compliment. This was Dylan swerving hard when most people would have played it safe. No easing you in. No gradual transition. Just a sharp turn and… Read More »
ON THIS DAY – 23 November 1970Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman Fifty-five years ago today, Cat Stevens released Tea for the Tillerman. I was seven months old at the time, so my biggest achievement that year was probably not being sick on anyone. Meanwhile, Cat quietly put out one of the most enduring albums of the… Read More »
Some years slide by without leaving anything except a couple of receipts and a hangover. 2025 was not one of those years. This was a year of gigs, chaos, rail disasters, pints that tasted like regret and friends and family who turned every trip into something worth remembering. Music mattered, but the cast around me mattered more. As… Read More »
Norwich UEA – Saturday November 15th Another gig with Jimmy, another adventure derailed by public transport. Tickets were booked, trains booked, plans made… and then the dreaded Rail Replacement announcement. The rattler from Felixstowe rolled into Ipswich a full ten minutes after the coach to Norwich had departed, which meant only one thing: two pints in The Station… Read More »