

FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: 2022 AND ALL THAT
So, 2022 two weeks in. Will anything ever change? People seem as divided as ever and opinions become entrenched arguably before they even...
Jan 14, 2022


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
So, the decorations came down on Wednesday and it’s all over for another year. Time will tell whether we all caught Omicron and whether...
Jan 7, 2022


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: BYE, BYE 2021
Merlin is of course less troubled by the passing of another year than we humans. He doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene. He's got a...
Jan 1, 2022


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: COMETH THE ADVENT CALENDAR
It may not be an original idea but it is something I intend to do every year until we get to around 8 December and I realise it’s way too...
Dec 24, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: MY FAVOURITE MONKEE
Like your favourite Beatle, growing up in the sixties we all had our favourite Monkee. Mine was woolly-hatted guitarist Michael Nesmith...
Dec 17, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: IT’S CHRISTMAS!!
OK, Noddy, we hear. Shame we can’t get your Nuts in Sainsbury’s any more. It just ruins my fortnightly shopping experience. With the big...
Dec 10, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: THE ROADS WE TRAVEL
It has always struck me that songwriting is much like a journey. There’s a linear progression running through a song through which the...
Dec 3, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: STORMY WEATHER
As Britain braces itself for a weekend of inclement weather as Storm Arwen heads for the UK bringing with it 75mph gales and by...
Nov 26, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: ARE YOU AWAKE YET?
Are you awake yet? Then let us begin. On Tuesday night I was among an enthusiastic crowd at The Bedford in downtown Balham (gateway to...
Nov 19, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: COP OUT
Today marks the close of the COP26 climate summit; a COP being a Conference of the Parties and the parties being all nation states that...
Nov 12, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: 100 NOT OUT
Today marks the 100th post on this website. A small milestone maybe but one that still makes you think about how much good music is put...
Nov 5, 2021


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: THE CHALLENGE OF THE NEW
At the end of a month of Fifty3 Fridays largely devoted to live music, it’s back to the recorded variety today. Forgiving the ever so...
Oct 29, 2021




