![[Martin Belam with a beer, as ever]](https://martinbelam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/600_stalbans_beer-150x150.jpg)
My first First Thing
After a very enjoyable six months as one of the main writers for First Edition at the Guardian, I am heading off to pastures new as Libby Brooks and Hettie O’Brien become the permanent dream team there. From today I…
Friday Reading S14E19
A weekly round-up of what I’ve read and enjoyed from around the web. I’m interested in journalism, media, technology, and nerdy things found down the back of the world wide web’s sofa. Most weeks I publish a handful of things…
Friday Reading S14E18
A weekly round-up of what I’ve read and enjoyed from around the web. I’m interested in journalism, media, technology, and nerdy things found down the back of the world wide web’s sofa. Most weeks I publish a handful of things…
Oh Vienna! My first Eurovision adventure
My view from Vienna of Eurovision 2026 – where technical brilliance and a beautiful city met the ugly reality of 21st-century geopolitics. I’ve spent the last few days in Vienna where I was attending the Grand Final of the Eurovision…
Friday Reading S14E17 – Vienna calling edition
A weekly round-up of what I’ve read and enjoyed from around the web. I’m interested in journalism, media, technology, and nerdy things found down the back of the world wide web’s sofa. Most weeks I publish a handful of things…
Friday Reading S14E16
A weekly round-up of what I’ve read and enjoyed from around the web. I’m interested in journalism, media, technology and nerdy things found down the back of the World Wide Web’s sofa. Most weeks I publish a handful of things…
One-line gig reviews for (mostly) April 2026
This month featuring: a wodge of 80s nostalgia, a trip to Manchester to see one of my very favourites, and a last minute chance to see one of the rarest shows in town. Princess Julia, Electric Ballroom, Camden, 7 Apr – It…
One-line spoiler-free movie reviews for April 2026
This month featuring: a dreamlike internet horror, a ragequit at the BFI, a gleefully trashy Satanic romp, and a 4K anime masterpiece (plus some truly baffling nonsense). Arco (2025), Ugo Bienvenu & Gilles Cazaux – This was quite slow-burn and…
Friday Reading S14E15
A weekly round-up of what I’ve read and enjoyed from around the web. I’m interested in journalism, media, technology, and nerdy things found down the back of the world wide web’s sofa. Most weeks I publish a handful of things…
Friday Reading S14E14
A weekly round-up of what I’ve read and enjoyed from around the web. I’m interested in journalism, media, technology, and nerdy things found down the back of the world wide web’s sofa. Most weeks I publish a handful of things…