Author Archives: John S

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About John S

I'm blogging about the things I love: music, sport, culture, London, with some photos to illustrate aspects of our wonderful city. I’ve written a novel called “The Decision”, a futuristic political thriller, and first of a trilogy. I’m also the author of a book on music since the 1970s called “ I Was There - A Musical Journey” and a volume of poetry about youth, “Growin’ Up - Snapshots/ Fragments”. All available on Amazon and Kindle.

RIP Aretha Franklin

Posted on August 16, 2018 by John S

Aretha Franklin died today, aged 76. She’d been ill for some time. She had quite possibly the most soulful voice of all time. A total inspiration. Of course I wrote about her in my music book, “I Was There – … Continue reading →

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Have You Heard? – (88) “Talk of this Town” by Catherine McGrath

Posted on August 13, 2018 by John S

Catherine McGrath is a 20 year old country singer from Northern Ireland. She has recently released her debut album “Talk of this Town”. Regular readers of this blog will have seen all the reviews I have written about her concerts … Continue reading →

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Sportsthoughts (163) – Premier League predictions 2018-19

Posted on August 9, 2018 by John S

So, less than a month after the World Cup final, the Premier League is back! Starting with Man Utd v Leicester tomorrow. And I’m more excited than usual. That’s because West Ham have bought well this summer and things just … Continue reading →

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Latitude 2018

Posted on July 19, 2018 by John S

  Latitude No 7. Sunshine forecast. Quite a crowd of us going. The anticipation was building all week. Did a little bit of homework beforehand, listening to the excellent Latitude Spotify playlist on shuffle. Made a note to look out … Continue reading →

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Faye Webster at the Slaughtered Lamb, Clerkenwell, 5 July 2018

Posted on July 8, 2018 by John S

Faye Webster is a singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. Her music is a lovely mix of country and 70s soft rock (think Fleetwood Mac or even the Eagles) with a dose of indie in the attitude. Faye is also a photographer … Continue reading →

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Bruce Springsteen on Broadway, 30 June 2018

Posted on July 2, 2018 by John S

Bruce Springsteen has made the music which has been the most important to me over the course of my adult life. Not always the thing I listen to most, especially these days, but the music I always come back to. … Continue reading →

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Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium, 22 June 2018

Posted on June 23, 2018 by John S

Last night I took a break from my usual musical fare of indie, country and old favourites and went for a pure pop experience – Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium. Why, you may ask. Why not, I might reply. Actually, … Continue reading →

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Lindi Ortega at Komedia, Brighton and The Garage, London, 12 and 14 June 2018

Posted on June 16, 2018 by John S

Lindi Ortega, as regular readers of this blog will know, is my favourite country artist. She doesn’t come to the UK all that often, so I decided to go to  a couple of the shows on her latest tour, which … Continue reading →

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Jehnny Beth and Simon Armitage at King’s Place, 9 June 2018

Posted on June 14, 2018 by John S

Last Saturday Kath and I went up to King’s Place, near King’s Cross, to hear a fascinating discussion between Jehnny Beth, the singer with the band Savages, and the poet Simon Armitage. It was facilitated by Radio 4’s John Wilson, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, books, theatre, cinema, Music - concerts, lists, reflections, Poems | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

All Points East Festival, Victoria Park, 2 June 2018

Posted on June 10, 2018 by John S

Saturday before last, I went over to Victoria Park with Jon G and his son Louis to the All Points East festival. All Points East has usurped Field Day and a number of other festivals from the park this summer … Continue reading →

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