

FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: IS THIS THE REAL LIFE
One of the pleasures of writing this column is that scarcely a week goes by when I am not entranced by an artiste or two entirely new to...
Nov 27, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: A CHRISTMAS COMMERCIAL
It’s that time of year again. The Christmas TV ad is back in abundance offering nice warm feelings in exchange for shifting stock....
Nov 20, 2020


A TRIBUTE TO SOPHIE MCGEORGE: A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE SPIRIT
I came across Sophie McGeorge when she entered the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition in January this year. The annual contest...
Nov 15, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBIC? ME?
So, Friday the Thirteenth: a seemingly endless horror franchise from the 80s or just plain unlucky for some? Not one for the...
Nov 13, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT
So, is love but a second-hand emotion? It goes without saying that without love a deep seam would be missing from the songwriting mine....
Nov 6, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: PARTY LIKE IT’S 2018
How the years do roll on. I think back to 2018, the first year I properly attempted a ‘Best of…’ Spotify playlist as opposed to a...
Oct 30, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: KEEPING UP
How faithful are you? Keeping up with musicians whose work you love is always the intention but less often the reality. The ephemeral...
Oct 23, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: NICE TO SEE YOU
While it is undoubtedly uplifting to uncover new music from artistes often entirely new to you each week, it is equally a pleasure to...
Oct 16, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: GET HAPPY
Forget your troubles, come on get happy. So goes the song from the 1930’s made famous by Judy Garland in the fifties while David Cassidy...
Oct 9, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: A WHOLE NEW SLANT
Fashions and styles in music come and go. Some you’d love to see the back of and some you’d love to see back. This week’s Fifty3 Fridays...
Oct 2, 2020


YES: CLOSE TO THE EDGE 48 YEARS ON
Taking a break from regular Fifty3 Fridays, new music and three-minutes singles, this week we revisit an album from the glory days of...
Sep 27, 2020


FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: AND THEN THERE WERE SIX
Isn’t it ironic, Alanis? The new limit of six people able to meet socially – at least in England; don’t get me started on Scotland, Wales an
Sep 18, 2020