Dec
26
Linwood : Most Dismal town in Scotland?
December 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment
One of the stranger news items of 2011 was in December when Linwood in Renfrewshire, Scotland was awarded most dismal town in Scotland in the annual Carbuncle Awards. The awards were set up by a magazine (Urban Realm) to draw attention to the poor development in some of the UK’s towns. A local Jeanette Anderson agreed with the […]
Nov
26
Mick Carney OBE
November 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Today at Fitzroy Lodge boxing gym we had a 2 minute silence for Mick Carney who died a week ago at home in Bromley. Much has been said about the London legend that he was (click here for Steve Bunce’s tribute on the BBC London boxing hour). It was about as unsentimental a silence as […]
Nov
3
Timber Timbre at Union Chapel 1st Nov ’11
November 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment
You will not see a mosh pit at the Union Chapel. The support act for tonight’s show was “evening hymns” which indicates the true leanings of this wonderful gothic church bang in the middle of Islington. Tones of reverence continued once Timber Timbre took the stage amidst hushed pews and bathed in a soft red […]
Oct
18
Steve Jobs’ real legacy — Papa Knows Best
October 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment
I was going to wait a respectful period before opining on the late Steve Jobs’ legacy but barely had the dust settled before a cackling Richard Stallman sucked up every last particle, flicked the switch on his Dyson to blow and turned the nozzle on a world still mourning the Apple co-founder’s life and legacy. […]
Sep
7
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Rrakala
September 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Australia’s Aborigines can be proud to have a ambassador like Gurrumul. The blind musician from way up north doesn’t give many interviews, preferring instead to let the music do the talking. The press release says this album – his second – is about “longing”, “beautiful places” and “whispering trees”; I’ll have to take their word […]
Aug
24
We Were Promised JetPacks, In the Pit of the Stomach
August 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Sounding like they’ve plugged their guitars straight into a bunch of Marshall amps with nowt in between We Were Promised Jetpacks’ second album gets off to a rollicking start with Circles and Squares – a plaintive ode to confronting inner demons. The no-frills approach endures throughout with the four-piece making up for an occasional lack […]
Aug
11
UK riots and the baseball bat
August 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Lots of talk recently about baseball bats fuelled mainly by some articles suggesting there’d been a huge increase in online sales following the recent riots in England. I haven’t delved into it — it could be rubbish — Â but if we accept these reports at face value then Slate’s articles here about the baseball bat […]
Jul
5
Rediscovered track of the month: Jul ’11
July 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment