Tag Archives: music

Catherine McGrath at the Scala, Kings Cross, 18 September 2018

Posted on September 19, 2018 by John S

Catherine McGrath released her debut album “Talk of this Town” in July. It’s a great album, and I reviewed it in an earlier blog. It got to No 13 in the UK pop charts and No 1 in the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Reflections on retirement

Posted on September 15, 2018 by John S

Yesterday was my last day at IPSA – the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which regulates MPs’ expenses and decides their pay and pensions. I was the Director of Policy and Communications there. I’d been there since its creation in early … Continue reading →

Posted in Random stuff | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

End of the Road Festival 2018

Posted on September 5, 2018 by John S

As summer draws to an end, it must be time for End of the Road! Our third and year 13 for the festival itself.  Four of us went this year: me, Jon, his son Louis and Louis’ friend Tom. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

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 →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Music - Have You Heard? | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

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 →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment