Tag Archives: music

The She Street Band at the Scala, Kings Cross, 4 October 2018

Posted on October 5, 2018 by John S

The She Street Band are an all-female Bruce Springsteen covers band. They played a short session at Latitude this year at the Guilty Pleasures dance night on Friday/Saturday. That one was a greatest hits selection; the show at the Scala … Continue reading →

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

Muncie Girls at the Borderline, Soho, 1 October 2018

Posted on October 3, 2018 by John S

Muncie Girls are a punk band from Exeter, fronted by Lande Hekt, whose songs power the band. They recently released their second album, “Fixed Ideals”. It’s an excellent album, which will be in my top ten for 2018, no doubt. … Continue reading →

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

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