Anatomy Of A Classic: Strawberry Switchblade

Everyone adored their hit single, ‘Since Yesterday’, but Strawberry Switchblade’s eponymous album had many more beautiful songs. In their aesthetic and musical DNA lies a plethora of influences. Sixties icons Brigitte Bardot and The Shangri-Las. Their look is the first obvious jumping -off point. There’s a strong goth look in the Siouxsie-esque make-up and corsets,Continue reading “Anatomy Of A Classic: Strawberry Switchblade”

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 8: Update

Mama Ru’s latest batch of UK queens: bloody hell, they’re a shady lot and no mistake. Don’t hold back, bitches! No sooner had the dust settled on the KY Kelly v Paris Baby furore, than there were yet more kerfuffles. Even the brilliantly named Anita Piss (pictured below) was getting in on the in-fights, andContinue reading “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 8: Update”

Film Review: The Rolling Stones:Stones In Exile

Talk about first world problems. This insightful documentary from Stephen Kijak follows the (in)famous moment in rock history when The Stones were living as tax exiles in France in 1972, recording the classic, frankly brilliant ‘Exile On Main Street’ . Baked…and then there’s BAKED. Keef, chilling in the sun. In their fabulous interior at VilleContinue reading “Film Review: The Rolling Stones:Stones In Exile”

Anatomy of A Classic: Siouxsie and The Banshees- Peepshow

The apotheosis of everything they’d done up to that point, Siouxsie and The Banshees’ ninth album ‘Peepshow’ released in 1988, was arguably the best of their work, next to ‘JuJu’. Influenced by the flickering expressionist shadows of early German cinema, the Weimar Republic and torch songs, the album saw Siouxsie take off her signature CleopatraContinue reading “Anatomy of A Classic: Siouxsie and The Banshees- Peepshow”

Goodbye Dr. Bonnie Greer

Bonnie Greer, who has passed away after a short illness at seventy seven years old, was a courageous writer, playwright and broadcaster. She could often be found on ‘Question Time’ squaring up to right-wing bigots like Lawrence Fox and Nick Griffin. She was never bolshy, quiet and measured but outspoken. We are lesser without thisContinue reading “Goodbye Dr. Bonnie Greer”

T Shirt Day 2026

Do the Kardashian family or Justin Bieber really like metal? I can’t imagine either Kim, Justin or many of these other vain, moneyed celebs actually listening to metal, let alone going to their gigs, but at the risk of sounding like a gatekeeper, I will say it’s up to them. This led to Steve Lamacq,Continue reading “T Shirt Day 2026”

Five Perfect Pavement Songs

I woke up with Spit On A Stranger this morning as an earworm and it’s both caustic and beautiful, so here’s that very song along with four other beauties. Don’t say I’m not good to you.

Skeleton Tree Is A Decade Old

How is it possible? Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ ‘Skeleton Tree’s a decade old. An overwhelming album scrutinising appalling loss, grief and coping through love, it was arguably the most personal album Cave had ever created at that pont. Andrew Dominik’s film, ‘One More Time With Feeling’ that came out to accompany the album,Continue reading “Skeleton Tree Is A Decade Old”

Film Review : Tar (2022)

Cate Blanchett gives an Oscar nominated performance as Lydia Tar, an *EGOT winning composer and conductor who is starting to spiral in real time. Written and directed by Todd Field,the film is an intense and claustrophobic study of genius, identity, cancel culture and the corrosive effects of social media. The camera acts effectively as aContinue reading “Film Review : Tar (2022)”

That Mitchell and Webb Look- Series 1(2006)

The first series of ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’ is by far the best. It came along at exactly the right time, 2006, when sketch comedy shows seemed moribund. Melding their contrasting ‘Peep Show’ personas with outright absurdism, it was very silly and often inspired. There was ‘Numberwang’, the quiz show with no discernible rules;Continue reading “That Mitchell and Webb Look- Series 1(2006)”