“A Teenage Dream’s So Hard To Beat”

I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that it’s just over twenty years since we lost the great John Peel. For anyone at all interested in music beyond the mainstream- from glam to punk to drum ‘n’ bass, Peel championed all of it. It’s hard to imagine the musical landscape without his legacyContinue reading ““A Teenage Dream’s So Hard To Beat””

Podcast Review: Young Again

It’s lovely to have Kirsty Young back on the radio again, after her recent battle with illnesses. She’s a wonderful interviewer, letting her guests speak, asking intelligent questions, and very witty. She also has a warm, honey tone to her voice. Her Radio 4 podcast Young Again, is fascinating, but of course, as with DesertContinue reading “Podcast Review: Young Again”

The Peel Sessions- The Slits

“We were like a gang”, Viv Abertine said in her brilliant memoir, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music,Music,Music,Boys,Boys,Boys. “We’d shout over to each other…OI!” It’s this uninhibited spirit that marks The Slits as unique, fearless and badass, even decades later. The sessions for John Peel reflect this. From the sarcastic sex kitten cries and faux orgasms ofContinue reading “The Peel Sessions- The Slits”

Podcast Review: Things Fell Apart

In this time of noise, overload and division, it’s easy to get deep into doomscrolling and overwhelm. So it’s wonderful that writers and broadcasters like Jon Ronson exist in the world. As with his brilliant books (he’s tackled everything from social !media cancellation, to the roots of psychopathy) his podcast Things Fell Apart, takes on theContinue reading “Podcast Review: Things Fell Apart”

That 6Music Shake- Up

Working as a freelance writer, I’m always working from home these days, which means a constant soundtrack from my favourite radio station, 6Music. My favourite DJ is Mary Anne Hobbs, the mellow techno earth mother. She’s wonderfully eclectic, playing everything from Shygirl to Queens Of The Stone Age. I’m also really chuffed that Deb GrantContinue reading “That 6Music Shake- Up”

The Peel Sessions: PJ Harvey

John Peel was the first DJ (as was so often the case) to play PJ Harvey, and she recorded some of his favourite sessions for him over the years. The compilation -from 1991, to his untimely passing in 2004- has some of her best work, completely raw and unadorned. There’s a cheeky cover of theContinue reading “The Peel Sessions: PJ Harvey”