thefreethinkingmovementAs one of the initial signings to Factory Records, ACR were contemporaries of Joy Division. Their output is often overlooked but is hugely influential across genres. Electronic, post-punk, funk. They defy easy categorisation.
Well, that was an emotional ride. I didn’t make it to Glastonbury – boo! I did see loads of live music – yay! And, I wasn’t prepared for the impact of ‘Now and Then’, the final song by The Beatles. It knocked me for six. Sleaford Mods released a version of ‘West End Girls’ which […]
As we entered 2020, I expected the year to be overshadowed by political uncertainty; Brexit turmoil on this side of the Atlantic, and a nation taking a long, hard look at the socio-political fabric falling apart over in the US. And, while this was a fairly bleak view, I was longing for musicians to respond […]
It’s good to be back. I missed writing these pages. More to the point, I missed drinking music in at every possible opportunity. I’d become lazy. I was waiting for music to move me, as opposed to hunting it down. Maybe it’s that I no longer live around the corner from Rough Trade NYC. Maybe […]
Look, I know it’s nearly the end of January. But, hands up if you’ve just spent the last few weeks moving house. I hope that you’ll give me a break in this being possibly the latest ‘best of 2018’ list out there, but I didn’t want to ignore an entire year’s worth of music. While […]
It’s been a quiet year for the freethinking movement; relocating from the US to the UK has knocked the arse out of any free time, and has put a serious dent in my ability to sit and write. It’s a shame, as 2015 has been jammed with outstanding music. This, the sixth compilation of my […]
In these days of global warming, political and economic turmoil, Orwellian government surveillance and the very real threat of a new Coldplay album, there’s one issue that has crept onto my radar today, and which stands head and shoulders above all else in terms of importance. Let me explain… The World Cup is drawing closer. […]
Picture the scene: I’ve only recently moved to a new neighbourhood. There’s been a huge change in my family life – all for the better. My knowledge of the area is really only that of an infrequent interloper, ‘trekking’ from Manhattan to a Brooklyn ‘hood. Discovering new places requires legwork – and I’m not shy […]
My last post was about The Stone Roses: a Manchester band which left a mark so deep on our cultural landscape that you can probably see it from space. At the other end of the scale, a band which made barely a dent, but one from the same time and same place as The Stone […]
My daily commute takes me from Manhattan out to deepest, darkest New Jersey, taking in the industrial wasteland bordering Newark airport, before finally landing in the greenery of ‘The Garden State’. The journey takes me through East Orange. And so, as I sat in my car last week, surrounded by SUVs, pick-up trucks, and knackered […]
So, come on then, time to own up. Raise your hand in the air if you’ve been checking out Jez Kerr’s solo material. No? Shame on you, if you haven’t. You’ve missed out on a couple of peaches – two singles to give a taster of what’s in store on Jez’s debut album. At the […]
The Brand New Heavies were bloody great, weren’t they? Seriously, before they essentially became purveyors of pop, they were a fine, fine funk outfit. ‘Midnight at the Oasis’, ‘Dream On Dreamer’ and ‘Brother Sister’ were all good tunes – but they targeted the masses. Roll it back a few years, and you’ve got an entirely […]
A post from earlier in the week, about DJing in Berlin, was ostensibly about the enduring love that people of a certain age, and born in a certain geographic location, have for the music of Manchester. Anyone who has been a semi-regular visitor to this site, or who has ever set foot near to one […]