Richard H Kirk (right) and Stephen Mallinder in 1982.

Terrible news today that Richard H Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire has died. I first got into their stuff with the Code LP in 1987, which I think many people regard as past-their-prime, but for me, with Adrian Sherwood at the…

Spoiler-free review of Sparks and Leos Carax musical Annette

I’ve been to see the Sparks / Leos Carax musical Annette twice now, and here are my spoiler-free reckons … I went for a second time because, essentially, I wasn’t sure if I’d liked it the first time, but then…

Clive Sinclair (1940-2021)

It’s 2021 and this is the desktop photo I put on every computer I own and that’s all you need to know about how I feel about the news that Clive Sinclair has died.

Come to my party: Fireside Favourites at Walthamstow Trades Hall on 14 October

There’s a month to go. To celebrate my birthday on 5 October I am putting on a night of brilliant music at Walthamstow Trades Hall on Thursday 14 October. It’s free to get in and the Trades Hall has super-cheap…

Thoughts on … Doctor Who: Respond to All Calls (2021)

[This is the fourth in an occasional series where I ramble at length and without much focus about an old episode of Doctor Who what I have just watched on my tellybox or in this case a new one I…

TVAM live at the Lexington

Nobody has asked for this. It is more for my benefit than yours. It’s a monthly series. I’ve marked LPs that I’d never heard the whole way through before with a 🆕 icon. The links (mostly) go to the album…

It’s #Sparkstember!

Today I’ve been made aware of the idea of #Sparkstember. You listen to every Sparks album in order each day during September, which very, very nearly takes you to the end of the month. It seems churlish not to. There’s…

Zonic

Nobody has asked for this. It is more for my benefit than yours, I guess. It’s a monthly series now too, sort of. Links go to the artist website. Maybe your interest will be piqued by one of the reviews….

Thoughts on … Doctor Who: The Web of Fear (1968 and 2021)

[This is the third in an occasional series where I ramble at length and without much focus about an old episode of Doctor Who what I have just watched on my tellybox. Lucky, lucky you. Previously: The Invasion and Dragonfire]…

(L-R) Julia Chan, Lilly Allen and Jake Wood in 2.22

I went to see 2.22 last night at the Noël Coward theatre. It’s by Danny Robins, who was behind Radio 4’s recent Battersea Poltergeist podcast, and features Lily Allen making her stage debut. Long story short, it’s a very good…