Shadows & Reflections for Caught By The River

Piece for Caught By The River about a much missed member of the clan. 

Guardian Perfect Pub Article

 

Wrote this piece about pubs for the Guardian – meant interviewing a load of folks including the utterly brilliant Ken Livingstone (in the Social aswell!). An honour.

Looking For The Moon Under Water

It was a long time coming but finally the new pub book is out… book of the week in Time Out this week, blogged everywhere from the Quietus to the Daily Mail to the Sun. A review in the Scotsman described it as a “rattling good yarn”, the FT (!) called “reading it very thirsty work” and the Reluctant Scooper said it’s a “very entertaining journey with plenty of input from the kinds of characters I’d love to spend a pint or three with. And I highly recommend you buy a copy. It’s the ideal book to make you think as you drink in that pub that you love on a wet afternoon in winter.” Can’t say any fairer than that!

Another Green World

“I’ve always felt more comfortable with the bad reviews than the good ones. Well, until I decided to stop reading them.”

Looking out over all of East London from a rooftop garden in Dalston on a muggy April afternoon, I interviewed the mighty Green Gartside for the best music website bar none, The Quietus. One of the nicest guys in music, bloody smart too, he’s also a Welsh.

Picture by Al Overdrive from the Quietus piece. 

A Design For Life

Also for the Q Best British Songs issue, I interviewed Nicky Wire and James Dean Bradfield about the mighty A Design For Life. Text after the jump. 

Camembert Electrique

More Q bits… first up, Karl Hyde on Born Slippy. I did press on the record when it was first released (’95) and its 750,000 selling reissue in ’97. Now I’m writing about it as the best British record made in the last 50 years. Karl is – and always has been – a total gent. Glad to still be in touch after such a long time. 

How to make protesting sexy on a Tuesday night

Interviewed the majestic British Sea Power on a skiff scooting up and down the Thames a few weeks back for Q. Free canapes, some old goat from the Tory party and The Great Skua chiming out just outside Parliament. Full piece after the jump. Quality of photo due to quality of free piss on board the boat. 

Libraries Gave Us Power

“We need to cherish these things while they still exist. Seek solace, seek knowledge. Seek power.”

Extremely proud to have been part of this piece - Nicky Wire on the plight of our libraries in today’s Guardian.

Roam on Film

There are a couple of Roam overviews online now. Am still ridiculously made up about what we achieved. Watch The Guardian film here and the BBC one here.

Postcards From A Young Man…

In a year that’s seen editing three different magazines, winning an art award and having a kid, here comes another strange addition to the CV. I was official photographer for the Manics album launch the other day. The band were ace (not that you’d know that from talking to them). The pics went on Twitter. The good people at The Quietus asked if they could use them. Eat your heart out Mick Rock.

Station Magazine

Wrote a piece for the latest edition of the beautiful Station magazine for the good people at Edge and Barrett .

Of Course It’s Going To Have A Massive Fucking Monster In It Too.

Did the first Postcards From A Young Man interview with Wire last month as part of their ongoing blogging-against-the-world web campaign. Click here to read on the band’s site. Very funny that it made everywhere from NME.com to the Sun. Last shot at mass communication indeed.

Taking Time Out

The very good folks at Time Out have featured me in this week’s issue. Very chuffed to say the least as it’s the only magazine I’ve bought weekly since I moved to London in 1990 (sorry NME, sorry Beano). Roam rolls out on Monday – come join us.

Lovebox Magazine

Edited the Lovebox magazine that went out this week – really brilliant fun – especially loved doing the 72 hours in East London piece without the aid of psychedelics…

Caribou “Swim” Q/Introducing, May ’10

“As mesmerising as it is innovative…”

John Sieco RIP

A Caught By The Reaper that I wrote for a South Walian legend. One of the busiest weeks for the reaper I’ve ever known.

The Daily Note

Been editing a daily newspaper for London town for good people of the Red Bull Music Academy. It’s been the biggest blast, 24 issues over five weeks, went from Krautrock to library recordings stopping at all points inbetween. Links to all issues after the jump

Tunng “…And Then We Saw Land” Q/Introducing, April ’10

“The band you’d most like to watch sunrise over the stone circle with.”

Four Tet “There Is Love In You” Q, February ’10

“The giddy result of years spent twisted and caressing orchestras of samples into a living, breathing organic whole…”

Everybody’s Beautiful

“A kiss-and-tell story from Australia’s Daily Telegraph by scorned lover Kate Costello gives a rare insight into the reclusive rocker’s Ibizian dream pad. It sounds like a Balearic version of the Brian Jonestown Massacre hovel in Dig! ‘He would go to sleep smashed and wake up and have a few hours before he got smashed again.””

In Praise Of James Blunt, The Guardian Dec 31st ’09