![[Picture of Martin Belam in the crowd at Leyton Orient by @Calumbrofficial]](https://martinbelam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/leyton_orient_oldham_zoom_calumbrofficial-150x150.jpg)
Thoughts on … an absolutely mad FA Cup match between Leyton Orient and Oldham Athletic
Well I have been to A LOT of football over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever quite experienced anything like yesterday’s second round FA Cup match at Leyton Orient, against Oldham Athletic. Oldham used to be in the…
A Black Friday plea from a small independent retail business
In the past on Black Friday™ I used to live blog it for the Guardian, initially as a pseudo-affiliate marketing link ploy, and in later years with a view to promoting small sustainable businesses in the UK that got in…
Blake’s 7 and the rare occasion of the internet being lovely
The other day a very rare thing happened, which is I posted something on social media, had a little moan, and then somebody replied politely and changed my mind. I think the last time anybody had a nice interaction like…
![[Waiting for The Hills Have Eyes in Hackney Wick]](https://martinbelam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/600_hackney_wick-150x150.jpg)
Lovely Token Homo cult movie screenings in London
Over the last few weeks I’ve been to a handful of cinema screenings by Token Homo, who bills himself as putting on “queer, cult, and curious cinema events at venues across London”, and they have been great. Not only have…
Riba’s ‘Difficult Sites’ exhibition in London is worth 20 minutes of your time
At the weekend I went to see a new exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) at their HQ near Great Portland Street called Difficult Sites: Architecture Against the Odds. It isn’t a big show – you can…
I’ve been reading 2000AD again and Thistlebone and Brink are great!
Borag Thungg! When things like Woolworths go bust, people who haven’t been to Woolworths for years feel sad and say “Why can’t the old things I liked survive?”. So at the start of the pandemic I worried about things going…
A one-line review of every gig I’ve been to in October 2024
This monthly series is probably more for my benefit than yours, but maybe your interest will be piqued by one of the reviews. Maybe you’ll scroll straight past. Maybe you’ll unsubscribe thinking what did I see in this blog in…
![[Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux]](https://martinbelam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/600_joker2-150x150.jpg)
A one-line spoiler-free review of everything I watched in the cinema in October 2024
I’ve ditched the usual blurb about “not being a movies person, but anyway…” because since I started going to the cinema regularly in 2022 I’ve turned into the kind of guy who downloads the London Film Festival brochure and meticulously…
The Tegan and Sara internet culture and fandom documentary is worth 100 minutes of your time
I didn’t watch this in the cinema, and I had a bit more to say about it than my usual one-line movie review format, so it didn’t fit into my monthly round-up, but I do want to wholeheartedly recommend you…
Listen to a spooky Halloween electronic music show tonight – that obvs features me
If you are home alone tonight on Halloween and fancy something spooky and electronic to listen to, please allow me to direct you to the annual Homebrew Electronica horrorthon! Promising “spooky bangers, creepy electronica and twisted soundscapes for Halloween night”,…