While the 90 acts remaining in this year’s Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition chew nails as they await news of the eight who will appear at the live final, it’s an opportune time to think back to some of the other entries that caught my ear while judging Round One. I had a list of over 170 acts to hear and wat...

The annual Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition offers unsigned artistes based in the UK or Ireland a more even playing field in their quest to reach a wider audience. Only a handful of the several thousand acts who compete to play on one of the main stages at the iconic festival in June will make it to the fina...

Albeit too late for Christmas, snow was coming to London. Without quite the intensity faced by The Night’s Watch, it came briefly towards the end of a bubbly set by New Zealand’s The Beths at the intriguingly named Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen. The venue name sounds foodie-friendly but, with the likes of Florence &...

Glastonbury Festival has launched its Emerging Talent Competition 2019, once again generously supported by PRS for Music and PRS Foundation. The free-to-enter contest offers new UK and ROI-based acts of any musical genre the opportunity to compete to play on one of the main stages at this summer’s Festival. The out...

Years ago, when major record labels were signing acts based on longer term potential rather than on the back of a ready-made social media universe, there was a tradition of bands getting it together in the country. A rented cottage away from the big city, time to write songs and refine arrangements, bond, go to the...

Ah, 1968. I remember it well… well, I recollect interviewing, if you can call it that, the Incredible String Band for our School Magazine. Not the actual School Magazine but, like, an alternative one, man. Archer was a rather pale version of Oz which all too briefly became the subversive vehicle of the Lower Sixth.

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However often you visit, you sense you’re taking a step back in time when you land on the Isle of Wight. The small, picturesque island harbours the gentle charm of British holiday resorts of yore, fundamentally with little change since the heady days of 1968 when it played host to its first rock festival. That year...

Sandy Denny died 40 years ago this day and the memory of her inspired me to dust off this short piece and share it with you. Some years back ConsequenceofSound ran a feature about suitable songs for a funeral. A number of writers dug deep and made their contributions. This was mine.

What song would you like to be pl...

I had an unexpected treat yesterday! I was interviewed on the Turkish television station TRT World about the Brit Awards, which I have to admit I watched on ITV rather than live (next year - PRs please note). Other than forgetting Ed Sheeran and much of what I was going to say, and blinking rather a lot, I did mana...

Outrageous in their time or just plain silly, this opening salvo of five infamous album covers might present a compelling argument for rebuilding your vinyl collection in themselves; mild apologies for anything that might be considered un-PC today. Readers are warmly invited to suggest further titles to extend this...