FIFTY3FRIDAYS: BOXING DAY PLAYLIST
In last Friday’s column, I shared seven songs that stood out for me in 2025. I’ve added another 35 to create my Boxing Day Playlist 2025.
Dec 26, 2025
FIFTY3FRIDAYS: HERE ARE SOME I MISSED EARLIER
Why ‘tis the season of those ‘best of’ lists. Yet in a year when I hardly wrote anything, it seems a bit of catching up is required before making any pronouncements about favourite records of 2025. So, let’s chew over some of the songs I have not had the pleasure of bringing to your attention until now and see what lands. This process will continue and end beyond today's post with a Boxing Day Playlist. At least that’s the plan… Photo by Gerome Bruneau We’ll start with a nam
Dec 20, 2025
FIFTY3FRIDAYS: NOW ON INSTAGRAM
Ever the Johnny-come-lately, last week I thought it was about time I opened an Instagram account -@TonyHardyFifty3. That bit was easy. Working out what to do with it will take a bit more time but most if not all the artists I have ever written about have an Insta page so it is much easier to tag them to point out I have just said something nice about their new single. Doing so on X has become a complete pain and after a longer break from publishing this column than I had inte
Dec 5, 2025
FIFTY3FRIDAYS: A TRIUMPHANT RETURN
This might be the first edition of Fifty3Fridays since May but today’s headline is all about a return to the stage by a very special artist after a 13 year break. More of which soon, but before we get to it, where in the world are we, James? Well, Friday night found me at the mid nineteenth century Anglo-Catholic church of St Matthias in Stoke Newington, North London. This in itself presents a profound public transport challenge, especially when you have decamped to Haslemere
Nov 30, 2025
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: GLASTONBURY EMERGING TALENT 2025 RESULTS
All Glastonbury ETC Final photography kindly by Rick Mav After being offline since mid-November, other than two posts to support the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition 2025 , Fifty3Fridays is back with a resume of who made it through to the live final and who won. Readers may recall that I downed the music writing tools as we contemplated the enormity of a house move after almost 35 years in our Kingston home. The column made a brief return in January to announce ETC 202
May 2, 2025
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: GLASTONBURY ETC 2025 LONGLIST IS OUT
Fifty3Fridays on a Wednesday? From the many thousands who entered its prized Emerging Talent Competition 2025 in January, Glastonbury...
Mar 26, 2025
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: GLASTONBURY EMERGING TALENT COMPETITION 2025 ANNOUNCED
Glastonbury Festival’s EMERGING TALENT COMPETITION is back for 2025 , with supported from PRS for Music and PRS Foundation once more....
Jan 23, 2025
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: NOVEMBER SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
A brief return for Fifty3 Fridays today as I follow the time-honoured tradition of posting a playlist on the first Friday of the month...
Dec 6, 2024
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: TAKING A BREAK
Today’s Fifty3 Fridays is technically issue no 250. However, it coincides with a decision I have had to take regarding the remainder of...
Nov 15, 2024
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Searching for a theme to pull together disparate pieces of music is a habitual challenge for your writer. Mostly it does not work as the...
Nov 8, 2024
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: THE TICKING CLOCK
This may have to be a potted edition as the ticking clock may not stretch as far as I’d like today. Time will tell, as the adage goes....
Nov 1, 2024
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: LIVE AT THE BEDFORD
We focus today on one of my favourite things to cover - a live review. Last Tuesday found me once more in the homely surroundings of that...
Oct 25, 2024
