Category Archives: Music – concerts, lists, reflections

The Staves at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 11 October 2021

Posted on October 13, 2021 by John S

On Tuesday I went along to Shepherd’s Bush Empire with my friends Jon and Shane to see the Staves. It was my first non-festival concert since March 2020. And it was the Staves’ first tour promoting their new album Good … Continue reading →

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Latitude 2021

Posted on July 29, 2021 by John S

  Hey boy, hey girl,                                                                        … Continue reading →

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Reflections on Bob Dylan as he turns 80

Posted on May 24, 2021 by John S

Today is Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday. The troubadour, the poet – with his Nobel Prize – the spokesman for a generation, even if he didn’t see himself that way. And now one of the great survivors, still playing, touring and … Continue reading →

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My Top Twenty Albums of 2020

Posted on December 24, 2020 by John S

2020… A year to forget in so many respects. But a year in which the music didn’t die, despite all the restrictions put on it. Quite the opposite in fact – without the solace and inspiration of music all the … Continue reading →

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The Last Track

Posted on October 14, 2020 by John S

I was listening to Mary Anne Hobbs’ show on BBC 6 Music the other day. She was about to play an Autechre track, which will be the last piece on the forthcoming album. She said she often listens to the … Continue reading →

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“Everybody Hurts” – Two songs that resonated on a June day this year

Posted on September 27, 2020 by John S

I was looking through notes I’d made on my phone earlier today. I came across this piece I’d written on 16 June with the intention of posting it with some photos I’d taken of central London by the river on … Continue reading →

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50 Latitude moments, from 2012 to 2019

Posted on July 17, 2020 by John S

Yesterday we would have been crawling up the A12 to Henham Park in Suffolk, for the start of the latest Latitude festival. It would have been my ninth and Jon G’s tenth. But like so many things, it had to … Continue reading →

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40 from 2020

Posted on June 12, 2020 by John S

BBC 6 Music has just had a day where all the DJs played their favourite tracks of the first half of 2020. I listened to quite a lot and loved it. And, as ever, discovered a few new tunes I … Continue reading →

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Graceland – the Book and the Place

Posted on April 28, 2020 by John S

This is a blog I’ve been meaning to write since last year. One of the many pleasures of the End of the Road festival are the interviews that take place in the mornings and early afternoon in the literary tent, … Continue reading →

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Moses Boyd at the Electric Brixton, 12 March 2020

Posted on March 15, 2020 by John S

Moses Boyd is a leading member of the new generation of jazz artists who have been causing a bit of a sensation in recent times. His new solo album “Dark Matter” ventures far and wide in its musical influences, but … Continue reading →

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