Kris Drever is another of Salut! Live's neglected artists, a man I have long admired but all too rarely written about. Barbara Dickson gave him a little shout-out when she was interviewed for these pages in 2020 and, much more... Read more →
I've been meaning to post something about Lindisfarne for some time. They've had mentions, for sure, but their achievements deserve more. My first encounter with this brilliant Newcastle band was, appropriately since my childhood beat was County Durham and my... Read more →
To reach the little music venue I love most of all from, say, Piccadilly Circus, there’s a choice to be made. It’s a short walk but this part of central London is invariably busy. Accept that reality and just weave... Read more →
As years go by, acquaintance with death is unavoidable. Friends, relatives, former colleagues and people you know a little or a lot succumb to nature's way of doing things. The certainty of mortality hardly makes it easier when loved or... Read more →
It is hard to think that it was as long ago as 2009 that I sat in front of my laptop in Abu Dhabi - where I was then working - and sent Rachel Unthank a stream of questions which... Read more →
As I struggle to digest news of the death of Colin Irwin, an outstanding journalist but more importantly a man it was impossible to dislike, images of that kind, intelligent, impish and slightly quizzical face of his stream into my... Read more →
For most professional musicians, some gigs stick in the memory and for all sorts of reasons. In the final year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and life, Steve Ashley turned up, as long planned, for a performance in Kent. It... Read more →
This is a hugely welcome piece, published in some haste as I am preparing for my annual return from France to the UK, a 1,400km slog that may be tricky given some tiresome problems at petrol pumps (I reckon I've... Read more →
