Even Butterflies Make A Sound
The debut lp by Black Grove, A New Wilderness, is thrilling, emotional, euphoric, didactic, and cinematic. It charts an odyssey through, on the face of it, the physical landscape. But, as a piece, the record poses questions about the human condition in the natural world. (While reading this feature, you’ll be surprised when nature swoops […]
Jo Bartlett and Danny Hagan, who together comprise the much-loved, sorely missed duo It’s Jo and Danny, announced details of the second edition of The Wake, the festival they launched last year. The one-day event is on Saturday, 23 August 2025. As if not busy enough, Jo is also releasing new sounds through her IndieThroughTheLookingGlass […]
Paolo Morena has been one of the leading lights in Chelmsford’s music scene for years. Now, he is taking the opportunity to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of songwriters. Further details below. So, Paolo and I go back a long way. My first memory of him was when he arranged a beach […]
I was delighted to interview Johnny Echols at the start of Love’s 2024 UK tour. A link is included in the article. Robert Hampson, of UK psych rockers Loop, explains why he loves the band so much.
Jo Bartlett, one half of legendary electronic/folk duo, It’s Jo and Danny, has released her first solo LP – the spookily titled Ghost Tapes 1 to 9.* A life in music: Jo Bartlett Jo and I chatted as part of Paul Dupree’s show on City Sound Radio. Please listen here to our discussion about the […]
SMC Radio launched recently and is growing quickly. Owner and founder, Chris Ciniglio, is a man on a mission, and is determined to keep up the momentum. I asked Chris how it was all going. He quoted, with a smile, Douglas Adams: “Don’t panic!” The station is mostly dedicated to dance music. Dub, soul, disco, […]
While on a city break to Venice, the family and I visited the Queen of the Adriatic’s Lido. Lo and behold, while there we chanced upon Jessie Smith strumming her trademark National Reso-Phonic. We became firm friends. Now, with her partner, Nathan & Jessie are jetting in for a whirlwind tour of London. And St Albans.
This year’s edition of the annual, nationwide, Record Store Day takes place this Saturday (April 20). In Chelmsford, the play hole will be Intense Records #2, in Meadows Shopping centre. Music of all genres John Shuffle, Intense Records head honcho, said: “Record Store Day is the celebration of vinyl and record stores once a year […]
Silver Moth was hatched after a Twitter exchange between several musicians about the Isle of Lewis. This led to them convening at Great Bernera’s Black Bay Studios on the Outer Hebrides island. Some of the players knew each previously; others met each other for the first time on the island. Furthermore, none of the album […]
Hot Box was the venue when, in January 2020, this blog* took the plunge into gig promotion and set up a headline show for Giant Drag. This was back in the day when COVID-19 was mostly in the news as a problem in other countries. Just a few weeks later the UK was in lockdown. […]