Song of the year, number 1: Self Esteem - I Do This All The Time (Official Video)

Part modern day take on Baz Luhrman's cult classic 'Sunscreen', part diary entry, part eloquent riposte to casual sexism and Rebecca Lucy Taylor's critics, part life affirming uplifting anthem, 'I Do This All The Time' is the perfect sound of 2021. It features Taylor's trademark bracingly honest lyrics and deadpan South Yorkshire delivery and combines it with the Self Esteem signature sound of uplifting harmonies, rousing choruses and clever pop. An odd hit in some ways, but a very timely one. 

Song of the year, number 2: LOUD WOMEN – Reclaim These Streets (Official video)

Written by a furiously angry Cassie Fox in the wake of the murders of Sarah Everard and Blessing Olusegun, 'Reclaim These Streets' was released as a fundraiser for Women's Aid and featured the talents of 64 vocalists. It was soon dubbed "The feminist Band Aid", a nod to the 1984 fundraiser, and to the fact that Siobhan Fahey (as one third of Bananarama) featured on both 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and on 'Reclaim These Streets'. Given that the song was essentially a DIY release, it did remarkably well, picking up a decent amount of both radio play and media interest in the first couple of weeks after its release and reaching number 57 in the iTunes chart in its first week. While clearly a snapshot of a very specific moment in time, the song is catchy enough to transcend the moment and punk enough to endure as a song in its own right. 

Song of the year, number 3: Penfriend - Black Car [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

The video for 'Black Car' was filmed in Bristol during lockdown three, and the single was released as the UK began to emerge, once again, from lockdown in March 2021. 'Black Car' has proved to be a very honest, atmospheric and considered mediation on the pandemic that will endure long beyond its end. It was released just ahead of Laura Kidd's debut album as Penfriend, Exotic Monsters, itself a reference to Margaret Attwood, and while there's an aspect of the apocalyptic to 'Black Car', it's really more like a diary entry than a dystopian future. A dystopian now if you will. Kidd has made a number of public statements about why she had no plans to return to playing live in 2021, and 'Black Car' reinforces her feelings. 

Song of the year, number 4: Cults - Shoulders To My Feet (Official Video)

Taken from 2020's Host album, the understated masterpiece that is 'Shoulders To My Feet' was released at the start of December 2020 (as mentioned in earlier posts: My song of the year timescale runs from November to November each year, allowing me to scoop up any end of the year treasures I didn't clock in time in the following years list...) Anthemic, stylish, sophisticated, measured and hypnotic in equal measure it has proved itself to be a particularly stubborn ear worm as the year has progressed and, as such, I couldn't not include it this year. 

Song of the year, number 5: Florence + the Machine - Call me Cruella (From "Cruella"/Official Lyric ...

The end credits track to that most un-Disney of films, Cruella, 'Call Me Cruella' afforded Florence Welch the opportunity (which she clearly relished) to pen a sort of mission statement for an anti heroine who was both posh and evil, and who had been unleashed to wreak havoc in the staid couture world of 1970s London. The striking resemblance between Emma Stone's pre-transformation Cruella and Welch circa 2008 did not go unnoticed any more than the references to Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen did. A match made in heaven clearly. 

Songs of the year, number 6: Sabiyha - Lullaby (Lyric Video)

Released back in February, 'Lullaby' is a salute to Sabiyha's grandmother, who regularly looked after Sabiyha, her siblings, and their cousins on a regular basis when they were children. It's an impassioned track with a strong sense of narrative voice and character in which the stark instrumentation contrasts with crowd noise and appearances at the beginning and end of Sabiyha's grandmother, making it highly atmospheric as well as powerful. 

Song of the year, number 7 - Noname - Rainforest

When I first heard this incredible earworm in a context that wasn't the 6Music playlist, I realised that it had been edited for language to such an extent that the uncensored version was almost like listening to another song entirely. The radio edit kept the essential melodic quality but cut most of the political bite, which you can hear to full - albeit brief - effect here. It's like listening to a stream of consciousness diary entry; occasionally poetic, often angry and overflowing with references to everything from deforestation to deep thinking vs happiness to power structures and exploitation. While still being incredibly catchy. A reflection on revolutionary thought, but one you can dance to. 

Song of the year, number 8: Overcoats - Blame It On Me feat. Lawrence Rothman (Official Music Video)

Released as part of their EP of collaborations, Used To Be Scared Of The Dark, 'Blame It On Me' is a straightforward synth pop ballad in which the trademark impeccable harmonies of Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell are entwined with those of LA singer/songwriter Lawrence Rothman to beautiful effect. As has been the case with many of the music videos on my Song of the year list, the video represents an ingenious and very effective way of transcending Covid restrictions by using minimal casting and crew in a secluded setting and manages to be incredibly affecting. Absolute perfection. 

Song of the year, number 9: Zuzu - Timing (Official Video)

The opening calling card from Liverpool singer/songwriter ZuZu, and taken from her debut album Queensway Tunnel, 'Timing' was the perfect summer indie rock anthem; energetic, sun drenched, atmospheric and immediate. The video was a clever take on Tomb Raider while at the same time showcasing the beloved underground Merseyside tunnels that inspired the albums title. Tremendous and timeless. 

Song of the year, number 10: Lucky Iris - Coffee Shop

Leeds synth pop duo Lucky Iris released 'Coffee Shop' back in October. It's a wistful nod to the once commonplace experience of people watching in coffee shops, possibly in-between working, while questioning your own life and decisions. Beautifully evocative. 

Song of the year, number 11: Noga Erez - End of the Road (Official Video)

Noga Erez is at her best when she's skewering internet fashions and social media mores. Here she takes on the whole scope of fame with her typically keen eye and sharp tongue and channels the visual message through a video that suggests a never ending fashion show as a kind of survivalist audition video for life. It's a brutal world out there. 

Song of the year, number 12: Iraina Mancini - Deep End

A solid salute to the French yé yé sound, 'Deep End' is blissful escapism right down to its vintage themed video. Like Pearl Charles' 'Only For Tonight', 'Deep End' was released during lockdown three in the UK and was playlisted by BBC 6Music at a time when a lot of the population was working from home and wanted some good ear candy. None of this detracts in any way from 'Deep End', or indeed 'Only For Tonight', but I think it's fair to say that they are both stylish pastiches of existing past sounds that were loved both because of how well they were done, but also because there was something vaguely comforting about them in those dark months at the beginning of 2021. 

Song of the year, number 13: The Anchoress - Unravel

The whirlpool of grief, sonic layering and sophisticated instrumentation that is 'Unravel' comes from the critically acclaimed album The Art of Losing, Catherine Anne Davies second album as The Anchoress. Released in March 2021, the albums central theme of loss combined with the raw and complex soundscapes contained within marked it as a strong album of the year contender. While it didn't make my personal list in the end, 'Unravel' is a great introduction to the album and both album and 'Unravel' are certainly well worth a listen. 

Song of the year, number 14: Molchat Doma - Zvezdy (Official Music Video) Молчат Дома - Звёзды

The second Belarusian band to feature in this years Songs of the year list, Molchat Doma released 'Zvezdy' at the very end of 2020 (I think I already explained my November - November philosophy when it comes to compiling the songs of the year list...) just ahead of releasing their most recent album Monument. Like earlier Song of the year entrants Dlina Volny, the band hail from Minsk and, like Dlina Volny, identify as a post punk band (albeit with synth pop leanings). In both cases, there is a sense of an underlying societal discontent in their work, both musically and visually, a yearning for something better. On this track there is a wistful longing for romanticism and escape into the imagination, away from the crushing, soul destroying mundanity of everyday life and the overall result is that of a more cheerful Joy Division. Well worth keeping an eye on. 

Songs of the year, number 15: Pearl Charles - Only For Tonight

This delectable disco pastiche arrived fully formed in January 2021 at the start of lockdown three, courtesy of the 6Music playlist. If anything was going to relieve the bleakness of working from home and endless sodding Teams meetings, it was surely 'Only For Tonight', that strangely comforting lovechild of Abba and Tina Charles. It might not have been high concept, but it was infectious as hell and upliftingly sparkly and, sometimes, that's all you need. 

Song of the year, number 16: Indigo De Souza - Hold U [Official Music Video]

The leading single from her new album Any Shape You Take, 'Hold U' shows De Souza in uncharacteristically hedonistic mood, providing listeners with a sly dance floor banger that skips and scampers its way into your evening playlist, utterly charming the pants off you in the process. Irresistible. 

Song of the year, number 17: Pom Pom Squad - Crimson + Clover

An alluring punk girl take on the Tommy James and the Shondells classic, the Pom Pom Squad version of 'Crimson and Clover' serves as a flawless update of the original that sits well alongside tracks such as the angsty thrash of 'Crying' or upbeat odd-girl-out punk pop of 'Head Cheerleader'. It almost sounds as though it was made for them. 

Song of the year, number 18: Olivia Rodrigo - favorite crime (Live Performance) | Vevo LIFT

An understated slice of acoustic pop from the girl of the year Olivia Rodrigo. Debut album SOUR has bite but it also has its tender moments, as 'favourite crime' and 'hope that ur OK' testify. She makes it seem easy and effortless, but there is craft there as well as guileless. 

Song of the year, number 19: I, Doris – It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – 2...

This irresistible, not to mention timely, update of the REM classic clearly kept London's premier 'mummycore' band busy this year. Bar staff waiting to be sacked ahead of lockdown one last year were playing the original version to customers as they waited for the plaguey apocalypse to happen and, for that reason alone, the song is due a considered, intelligent, not to mention very funny update. Dorises, we salute you. 

Songs of the year, number 20: Lana Del Rey - Dealer (Official Audio)

The impressively prolific Lana Del Rey has proved, once again, with her album Blue Bannisters that she has the propensity to surprise. This almost horizontal, lounging, loping stoner of a track starts like a slightly depressed Prince, goes full on wrath and self loathing fuelled exasperation, then spins back to brooding and sulking like an extra in a David Lynch serial. Absolute perfection. 

Songs of the year, number 21: Desire Marea - Tavern Kween [Single Mix] (Official Video)

A euphoric, soaring, almost otherworldly slice of mesmerising disco, this single also serves as an elegant salute on the part of Marea to his aunts, who would haunt the male dominated taverns of Amandawe in pursuit of good times and empowerment. It is a gorgeously atmospheric piece, timeless and stylish. 

Songs of the year, number 22: Moon Kissed - Saturday Night [Official Music Video]

Coming across strong, and with all the pent up energy and yearning of a age group who've been hit particularly hard by successive Covid lockdowns, 'Saturday Night' sees synth pop band Moon Kissed passionately missing the hedonistic rush of Saturday nights of yore. It's a stylish, sophisticated slice of pure pop energy that harks back to both the hedonism of the 1980s and more recent headrush pop acts such as Icona Pop. Time will tell if it stands the test of time, but at the moment it's a handy sonic postcard from 2021 that may well endure. 

Songs of the year, number 23: Courtney Barnett - Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To (Official V...

'Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To' is Courtney Barnett at her laconic best. In this case, trying to be philosophical in the face of a global pandemic and celebrating the small things in life. The song's themes are beautifully illustrated by the video, which celebrates the joy and anticipation of a prolonged postal fuelled friendship.

Songs of the year, number 24: ROSÉ - 'On The Ground' M/V

The debut solo single for BLACKPINK singer Rosé, 'On The Ground' demonstrated a more stripped down, reflective tone suggesting a change of direction away from the turbo charged high energy pop numbers the K Pop band are known for. 'On The Ground' has acoustic pop and electro pop elements, but there's a lack of bombast here and what you have instead is an elegant salute to the simple life. Which might seem odd, given the context, but it really, really works. A classic stylish pop piece that should age well. 

Songs of the year, number 25: Promise And The Monster - Beating Heart (Official Music Video)

Stockholm's Promise And The Monster (aka Billie Lindahl) has been releasing material since 2007. The  mesmerisingly pretty soundscape that is 'Beating Heart' was released as part of the Chewing Gum EP in early 2021. Comparisons to Kate Bush and early Grimes might spring to mind on the first listen, but it really is the track that keeps on giving, one that has created an entire sonic world around itself that you can inhabit blissfully for the almost 5 minutes of this most siren of songs. Breathtakingly gorgeous. 

Songs of the year, number 26: Das Beat - "Ariadne" (Official Video)

A lockdown project created in Berlin in 2020 by Agor (Blue Hawaii) and theatre actress Eddie Rabenberger, Das Beat released their EP Identität in May 2021. The title is presumed to be a reference to Ariadne of Naxos who, having provided Theseus with the ball of twine needed to escape the Minotaur's labyrinth, is then unceremoniously abandoned by him on the nearest convenient island. The video to this moody and atmospheric slice of electro pop includes a beguiling choreographed modern dance sequence between Agor and Rabenberger that is absorbing and apt given the themes of love and abandonment. 

Songs of the year, number 27: Billy Nomates - Heels

Coming on like a snarling, nihilistic scuffed electro punk version of Bette Davis, Nomates was tagged as One To Watch in summer 2020 by The Guardian's Laura Snapes (who definitely knows her musical onions). 'Heels', which was released in early 2021, became something of a musical calling card for Billy, serving as her ticket onto the 6Music playlist and ensuring that she was all packed and ready to go when gigs began to start up again. It remains a banging slice of attitude filled electro punk, and should endure well beyond this year as Billy Nomates star continues to rise. 

Songs of the year, number 28: Lauran Hibberd - How Am I Still Alive? (with Lydia Night)

In years to come, the Media Studies students of the future will look at the music videos of 2020 and 2021 and discern a specific aesthetic trend: The Lockdown Music Video.

A collaboration between Isle of Wight punk pop singer/songwriter and The Regrettes singer/guitarist, Lydia Night, this rousing slice of energetic punk pop sarcasm and sass appears to be taking as its subject matter the toxic relationship. Rather than have some kind of 'romance gone wrong' themed video however, Hibberd and Night have elected to collaborate on a video via video conferencing software and have, perhaps inadvertently, also managed to capture the stasis, boredom and repetitive nature of lockdown on both sides of the Atlantic in the process. Start listening for the guitar hooks and attitude, stay for the camera in the fridge, the cute animations and Hibberd attempting to mirror her dog's forlorn expression. 

Songs of the year, number 29: DLINA VOLNY "TOMORROW" (Official Video)

Belarus has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2021. Following the disputed election result of 2020, the mass protests and accompanying crackdowns and arrests, and in 2021 a couple of suspicious deaths of activists who fled to Ukraine, it looks as though the country is going to end the year with an ongoing proxy war with Poland and the EU, using refugees as pawns.

It is, it seems fair to surmise, probably not a great time to be making music in Minsk.

Dlina Volny's darkly sinister sounding synth pop acknowledges this state of affairs with their video for 'Tomorrow', albeit obliquely, and there is also something quite Cold War about the sense of unease situated at the heart of the video. The song itself is an absorbing, soaring slice of dark electro that hooks you in and doesn't let go until the very last utterly absorbing note. 

Songs of the year, Number 30: Ruby Fields - Bottle'o (Official Music Video)

Ruby Fields debut album Been Doin' It For A Bit was released back in September, and this self-lacerating stripped down piece of introspection was the standout track. The Australian singer/songwriter shares the same laconic lyricism as Courtney Barnett, but her sound is rooted in punk, 'Bottle O' being the quietest track on the album. She's consolidated the sound and good will built up by her earlier EP's with a strong album and it will be interesting to see what she does next. 

The Big End Of Year Roundup Post: 2021

Hello and welcome to my annual end of the year roundup post!

I'm sticking to the format I used last year as it seemed to work well and seemed a good structure to use when trying to sum up what had been a mind boggling year. 

Needless to say, 2021 has been similarly mind boggling, hence clinging to the security blanket provided by my 2020 end of year roundup post structure.

Hopefully you will discover in these lists some interesting reads and listens, and some food for thought. 

As has been the case in previous years, I will be running a countdown of my favourite songs of the year on a one track per day basis, starting on the 2nd of December and continuing until the 31st of December. For those of you who use Spotify, a playlist of my Top 30 songs will also be compiled in real time. As usual, a disclaimer: For me, when it comes to compiling the Songs of the Year list, the year runs from November to November. This means I can include any songs I just missed out on including on the previous years list.

Albums of the year

12) Delilah Bon, Delilah Bon

11) Courtney Barnett, Things Take Time Take Time

10) Lana Del Rey, Blue Bannisters

9) Self Esteem, Prioritise Pleasure

8) Noga Erez, KIDS

7) Ruby Fields, Been Doin' It For A Bit

6) Sleater-Kinney, Path of Wellness

5) Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR

4) Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever

3) Penfriend, Exotic Monsters

2) Albertine Sarges, The Sticky Fingers

1) Pom Pom Squad, Death of a Cheerleader

12 books I've read and loved this year 

Philip Pullman, La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust vol 1)

Elizabeth Gilbert, City of Girls

Emma Glass, Rest and be thankful

Anthony Horowitz, The House of Silk

Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Mother Country: Real stories of the Windrush children

Dr. Phil Hammond, Dr Hammond's Covid Casebook

Helen Reddington, She's At The Controls

Elif Shafak, 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world

Kiley Reid, Such a fun age

Sosuke Natsukawa, The Cat Who Saved Books

Ellis Peters, A Morbid Taste For Bones

Adam MacQueen, The Prime Minister's Ironing Board

Podcasts and Radio from 2021

To be honest, I haven't listened to as many podcasts this year as I have in the past. Over in radio land, the highlight of the year was definitely the ninth series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, which treated the restrictions of lockdown as a chance to experiment with form and, in doing so, created something very special indeed. 

Long term film podcast Best Pick reached the end of its initial odyssey and, having survived both the project itself and the confines of lockdown, elected to carry on with a different and evolving film related mission. The exit interview episode is worth a listen, as is the (fairly) recent episode on The Taking of Pelham 123.

I hadn't expected to enjoy (and 'enjoy' is perhaps the wrong word anyway for this podcast...) Pandora Sykes' most recent project Pieces of Britney, but I found myself getting sucked in despite myself. The final episode raises some intelligent and thought provoking points about the nature of fame in the late 90s and early 2000's, and now, and has the advantage of being less reliant on the dramatised scenes used in earlier episodes. 

One of the highlights of the Private Eye calendar is the magazines annual Paul Foot Award, which is awarded for high quality investigative journalism work. Every year the Private Eye Podcast, Page 94, introduces listeners to the journalists nominated and their investigations before announcing the winner. It's always a really interesting, inspiring and thought provoking listen that leaves you feeling positive about the future of investigative journalism. You can listen to this years episode here. 

12 articles I've found interesting/enjoyable this year [Non Covid articles] 

The Masked Vigilantes Coming for Your Horrible Boss (Alessio Perrone, Narratively)

Writers are scared. How could they not be? (Eleanor Halls, Pass The Aux)

The country rejecting throwaway culture (Peter Yeung, BBC)

Meet the womxn bus driver baddies of TikTok (Ashley Tan, ID)

Young, male and anti-feminist - The Gen-Z Boys Who Hate Women (Hannah Ewens, Vice)

Bristol bus stop to nowhere installed as a joke 15 years ago is still there (Tristan Cork, Bristol Live)

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme might just be a work of radio genius (Jonn Elledge, The Big Issue)

This will end with President Tucker Carlson (Helen Lewis, The Atlantic)

What I learned working in a public library (Sam Parker, Penguin Books blog)

A place to sit down (Tom Taylor, Salt)

Life after the bomb (Susan Griffin, The Big Issue North)

How two BBC journalists risked their jobs to reveal the truth about Jimmy Savile (Poppy Sebag-Montefiore, The Guardian)

8 articles I've found interesting/enjoyable this year [Covid articles]

Would you climb a mountain for internet access? (Alizah Kohari, Rest of World)

Dr Feel Good? The NHS DJ helping lift Covid gloom for millions (Jessica Murray, The Guardian)

Pandemic lessons from the North (Jennifer Williams, Manchester Evening News)

'I've learned the importance of hope' - how North Manchester General's Victorian infirmary got through a 21st Century pandemic (Jennifer Williams, Manchester Evening News)

The Argument for Everyone Taking This Entire Summer Off (Amelia Tait, Vice)

Life on the door (Jack Dulhanty, The Mill)

London council worker's bus odyssey sparks Twitter storm (Sam Francis, BBC)

She was studying during lockdown. Then she fell into a virtual world (Jack Dulhanty, The Mill)

Image one by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Image two by Shunya Koide on Unsplash

Image three by Catalin Pop on Unsplash

Image four by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

Image five by CDC on Unsplash

Helen Reddington at Louder Than Words festival

Today I went to see Helen Reddington (neé McCookerybook) being interviewed by the excellent Roisin Dwyer about her new book, She's At The Controls, at Louder Than Words festival. She was on fine form: Articulate, intelligent, funny and self-depreciating. After the Q&A she played a few songs on her guitar ('A Good Life With A Bad Apple', 'Mad Bicycle Song' and one about Barcelona I'm not 100% sure of the title of), which seemed to go down well. It wasn't a huge crowd but, given that she was scheduled against a bloke from Dire Straits and his memoir, it was a respectable number of attendees and the audience seemed to be a nice variety of people who listened and asked intelligent questions. Helen was considerate enough to ask the audience to applaud Roisin and the sound engineer at the end too, which doesn't happen enough.

Normally I'd pay to attend all three days of Louder Than Words but the ticket price has gone up this year and my finances haven't sufficiently recovered from last year to take the hit. Similarly, I couldn't find enough events on the schedule that I wanted to attend to justify paying the ticket price. 

Last year Louder Than Words did go ahead, but as an online only event that attempted to make the best of things during the second Covid lockdown. I didn't attend because I was even poorer then than I am now, plus I doubted that the event would go ahead given that it was announced either just before or during the Greater Manchester local lockdown. 

It was odd being in Manchester for the first time in a year. I haven't needed to go into the city since last November when I was doing exam invigilation work for Manchester College and you forget how enclosed and claustrophobic the ever increasing density of really tall buildings makes you feel. We don't have that in Stockport because we have less tall buildings and those that we do have tend to be both shorter and more generously spaced, meaning the sky gets more of a chance and you don't feel hemmed in in the same way.

After Helen's event a gentleman called Darren from Bolton, who Helen knows through an online art club they both attend, and I adjourned with Helen to HOME next door where we had hot drinks and pizza and talked about music, art, Louder Than Words, work and lots of other things. It was nice though I do feel guilty that I didn't get a round of hot drinks in. 

It was a bit of a day for old friends actually as I'm sure I saw Pascale from Better Buses For Greater Manchester sitting outside Trove with a friend as I went past on the bus into Manchester. On the way home one of my sixth formers from last year said hello to me before heading for the back of the top deck where he proceeded to do the gangster thing with one of his mates.

I was a little apprehensive about travelling into Manchester on the 192 but, if anything, more people are wearing masks at weekends and keeping the bus windows open than they are during the rush hour to work in Stockport during the week. I suspect that weekend bus users may not be commuting to work by bus during the week whereas many weekday bus commuters have quite probably been commuting in large numbers into Stockport throughout all the lockdowns and have become fatalistic and nihilistic re Covid, hence over 90% of them not wearing masks on every bus I catch during the week.

Today was also a day for arsey bus drivers: There was the driver of the 201 outside Piccadilly train station, who shouted at the man who asked him if the bus was going to Stockport 'DOES IT SAY STOCKPORT ON THE FRONT OF THE BUS? NO IT SAYS HATTERSLEY!'. I think he must have felt guilty afterwards because when he had to re-open the door to let someone else on, he did at least shout that the hapless gentleman who'd made this mildly voice enquiry should be getting on the 203 though, in the end, he got on the 192 with me instead. The driver on that bus nearly missed my stop on the basis that he felt I was taking too long to come down the stairs, conveniently forgetting how close the bus stops are together on that part of the route and that it takes a finite amount of time to get from nearly the back of the top deck and down the stairs. I see that the recent pay rise after threat of strike action hasn't improved the temperament of Stagecoach Manchester drivers. Mind you, the driver shortage seems to be getting worse so I expect the remaining drivers are probably wishing they were on strike, increased pay offer or not.

Thank God It's Bandcamp Friday!

The pandemic has laid bare the extent to which artists have become dependent on touring and merchandise deals for income. It's also assisted in highlighting the pitiful royalties artists receive from streaming. It was perhaps with this in mind that the "online record store and community" Bandcamp, which provides streaming, downloading and physical sales services direct from artists to fans, decided to launch Bandcamp Friday in March 2020.

As they say on their website, every sale on Bandcamp generates "an average of 82% of the money" for the artist in question. Which compares very favourably to streaming services, and to the average royalty payment received via record companies for physical sales of music. With Bandcamp Fridays, the idea was to have one day of the month where Bandcamp would waive their "revenue share" of sales on the site, meaning "an average of 93% of the money" would go to artists on sales made on Bandcamp Friday.

Originally only intended as a short term aid to help musicians during the pandemic, Bandcamp extended the scheme a number of times during 2020 and, in August, announced that they would be continuing Bandcamp Fridays until the end of 2021.

Today is Bandcamp Friday, and it's very reassuring for me to know that by buying downloads on Bandcamp today I will be directly contributing in a meaningful way to the incomes of artists. What's also nice is that the availability on Bandcamp of tracks I wish to buy has increased over the past year, meaning I can buy a wider range of music from a greater number of artists than I could in 2020.

For those of you in the UK, it's worth bearing in mind that Bandcamp Friday runs from midnight to midnight, Pacific Time, and that the UK is 7 hours ahead of the US (I've allowed for the clocks going back at the end of October in this calculation) but, even if you do miscalculate by a couple of hours, the artists you buy from will still see a good return on the sale.

Today I intend to purchase downloads by Lydmor (two tracks in her case), Jacknife Lee, Blue Hawaii, Jess Williamson, Cults, Molchat Doma, Noga Erez and Lucky Iris. 

Photo by FPVmat A on Unsplash

I, Doris – It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – 2...

I can't believe I missed this when it came out in August. 

Bring back live music but don't bring back sexual harassment at gigs - Revisited

When I began researching the topic of sexual harassment at gigs back in 2018, I couldn't have known that there was going to be a pandemic in 2020, or that it would turn the once thriving and lucrative world of live music into a smoking ruin. 

For a long time in 2020, when I was ready to actually write the piece, I held off because I knew it wasn't the right time. There was a moment in late summer/early autumn when it looked like it might be a good moment, but that moment suddenly passed and I was forced to put it back on the shelf again.

The piece was eventually finished in March 2021, and it was published at the beginning of April in the wake of the Sarah Everard murder and revelations about rampant sexual harassment and abuse in UK schools. Ideally I'd rather these events hadn't happened and that my piece had felt less timely as a result of that, but, given the sense of rage and injustice both events inspired, it really did feel like the best moment to publish it. 

I'm still really proud of this piece, and it has been reasonably well read, generating a small amount of positive feedback. But it was hard work, and it was emotionally draining, so I was pleased when I could eventually hit publish and Let It Go. 

Photo by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash

Save Our Ladies - Revisited

I had a bit of a break from writing for Medium during 2020, what with the pandemic and everything, so I basically had a year off from the platform before I wrote this little, imperfect, ode to one of the many, many films lost to Covid cinema closures. 

Our Ladies is the film adaptation of Alan Warner's much loved novel The Sopranos, and it will be a tragedy if it never sees the light of day. Why? You'll have to read the piece to find out. 

Photo by Adam Wilson on Unsplash

Florence + The Punk Women - Revisited

The catalyst for this most unusual of pieces (for me, anyway) was British Summer Time festival 2019, when I travelled to London to see Florence + The Machine headline a festival with a 70% female lineup, and at which Florence's book club - Between Two Books - met and discussed Lavinia Greenlaw's memoir The Importance of Music To Girls. 

I don't really go in for personal essays but I had returned home with a sense that my two once very separate musical worlds (UK punk of the 1970s and early 1980s and Florence + The Machine) had collided well and truly at this event.

It was my inability to describe this feeling when I tried to speak about it to Between Two Books co-founder Leah Moloney at the event that inspired me to write this piece which, as I recall, was more of a hit with the Flows than it was with the punks, though I did receive some really nice feedback from both sides. 

Photo by Urel Landetne on Unsplash

You do have the power - Revisited

The interview I did with activist and musician Shawna Potter in 2019 was always going to be used for two different articles. Most importantly, she was an interviewee for a piece I was working on about sexual harassment at gigs, but I also wanted to write a profile piece to coincide with the publication of her book, Making Spaces Safer. 

Originally, I was going to pitch it to The F-Word but, because Shawna was at pains to explain that the strategies in her book were designed to be used to tackle all forms of harassment, not purely harassment against women, I ended up pitching it to FourGoods instead. Who were interested but who then went quiet on me, leading me to retrieve my submission from them and publish it on Medium instead.

The article has never performed well on the platform, which is a shame, so I hope that by drawing your attention to it here it will get a bit more love. 

Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash

Black Marble - Somewhere (Official Music Video)

Such a sweet, cute video

Why achieving gender equality at music festivals means looking beyond the main stage - Revisited

Todays piece from the Medium archive was a follow up to a piece I wrote for The F-Word in 2017 about the lack of female headliners at festivals. I hadn't planned on re-visiting the issue but, as regular readers will know, the rage I felt at the really weak, patronising arguments being put forward by the live music industry as to why they weren't booking women to play festivals went deep.

In this piece, I turned my attention away from festival headliners and focused instead on the ratio of male:female artists across a number of festival bills in the summer of 2019. 

It's a long piece, with a lot of data in it, but I think it was worth it. It didn't perform well on Medium at the time but it has, since, been regularly viewed and read - both pre pandemic and during the pandemic - which suggests the issue is very much a live one. 

Photo by Aranxa Esteve on Unsplash

Cinema's women and music problem - Revisited

I think what, ultimately, inspired me to write a piece about how cinema has, over the years, depicted women musicians in fictional narratives was the number of films I watched as part of my research into women and punk. 

There are some good ones, both from the punk era and beyond, but there's also some absolute shockers and - ultimately - I have yet to encounter one that feels both accurate and positive enough to serve as a celluloid inspiration for would be female musicians. 

What followed were a series of slightly untidy musings on the topic, which became this piece. I've never been entirely happy with the resulting piece, although I know it was the best I could make it at the time. It hasn't had a lot of love so if you do fancy taking a look at it, I'd be very happy. 

Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash

How I unwittingly made an analogue podcast in 1996 - Revisited

Today's piece from the Medium archive is the one that has, consistently, performed the best for me on the platform. That is; the ratio of views to actual reads is the highest of all the pieces I've published on Medium, and I'm not sure why. Possibly it is the one that came the closest to the kind of pieces that tend to be published on the platform, possibly its just a bit of a quirk that I benefitted from in some way. Given the modest origins of the piece, I'm actually quite happy about that. 

It was inspired by the same 1990s analogue nostalgia that fuelled my earlier piece about my collection of 7" singles, and maybe people just really like a bit of quirky nostalgia? I don't know. 

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Zuzu - Timing (Official Video)

Rising star ZuZu had the unique experience of being the first person to play to a live audience in the UK in 2021 when she was the opening act at a Blossoms gigs that was the first live music event to be included in the UK's Covid test event programme.

This video is a neat salute to Tomb Raider but it also gives the resourceful Liverpudlian an excuse to explore Queensway tunnels, which connect her native Liverpool with Birkenhead, and which serve as an imaginative and atmospheric backdrop to this surging, guitar driven catchy slice of indie pop. A strong contender for song of the year this one. 

Sleater-Kinney - Worry With You (Official Video)

I just really love the idea that Sleater-Kinney have reached a point in their career where they can basically do whatever they want now. That ease and confidence is all over this initial single from the Path of Wellness album, and it is all the better for it. 

Desire Marea - Tavern Kween [Single Mix] (Official Video)

I can't remember exactly what the story is behind this track but, if I remember rightly, it's an elegant salute to  Desire Marea's aunts and their boldness is going out, having a good time, and entering and enjoying themselves in very male dominated social spaces, such as taverns. It has an evocative urgency that feels very summer 2021. 

All the things you can buy for the cost of a train fare to London - Revisited

In late 2018, I got thinking about how extortionate the train fare from Manchester to London is. It was on my mind because I knew that the new fares would come into play on the 1st January 2019, and I thought that I could have a lot of fun writing a listicle about all the various fun, frivolous, useful and un-useful things you could spend the money on instead.

I had a lot of fun with this piece, and it's one of the few that actually got some interaction and feedback within the Medium community itself. 

I've since used it a few times to get paid work writing about public transport in the UK. 

Photo by William McCue on Unsplash

Marlena Shaw - Touch Me In The Morning (Disco Mix).wmv

Notching up the drama of the Diana Ross original, and adding a disco beat. This is a work of art, and you can thank the breakfast show on 6Music and Lauren Laverne for introducing me to it earlier this year. 

Overcoats - Blame It On Me feat. Lawrence Rothman (Official Music Video)

One day, someone will write, if not a Phd thesis then at least an undergraduate essay on the impact of COVID-19 on music videos. About how artists, unable to get together with large casts and crews to film videos, used a variety of innovative techniques and approaches to nonetheless make memorable video art. Overcoats and Lawrence Rothman's 'Blame It On Me' is an exemplary take on this. It takes a very simple setting and a minimal cast to create something that matches the spirit of the song while at the same time being beautiful for its own sake. 

Niia - Not Up For Discussion (Official Video)

A collaboration with Khruangbin's Laura Lee, this slinky track is taken from Niia's 2021 album If I Should Die, and it's a deceptive ear worm of a song. Niia has always been good at world weary smooth soul but she has excelled herself on this one. 

Olivia Rodrigo - drivers license (Official Video)

Olivia Rodrigo looks set to be the Girl of The Year and, to be honest, she's earned it. 'Drivers License' was her calling card and with its overwrought, often sweary, take on the demise of first love she stamped her mark on the music world of 2021. Her album is out now and has gained critical and public acclaim so her star seems set and she will be well worth keeping an eye on over the next year or so. 

Shirley Bassey - Where Do I Begin (LOVE STORY) (1973 TV Special)

Shirley Bassey doing what she does best... Being Shirley Bassey. 

A lyrical history of Girl Power - Revisited

I have, over the years, written about the origins of the Spice Girls "Girl Power!" slogan a number of times (it tends to crop up whenever I'm writing about Riot Grrrl) but I hadn't specifically written about the lyrical origins of the phrase before. 

I decided to do so in 2018 because the Spice Girls were reforming at the time and, while it might seem mean spirited of me, I can never resist the urge to take a few shots at the myth that they were "The first girl band ever!" (Um, The Shirelles?, The Supremes? Bananarama? The fricking Nolans? I could go on...) or "They were the most ground breaking girl band ever" (I think there's a few earlier bands - The Go-Go's for one - who could make a more convincing claim for that...) 

Funnily enough, no one has ever (to my knowledge) made any great claims about the quality of their music or lyrics, so a discussion about the lyrical origins of Girl Power seemed overdue really. 

Photo by Valentina Conde on Unsplash

A 1990s teenage soundtrack, on vinyl - Revisited

 

The second piece I wrote for Medium came out of a series of unusual circumstances. 

Around the time that I began writing for Medium, my laptop (the same laptop I'm typing this on...) was having a few problems and needed to spend some time at the laptop hospital. This meant that I was without a computer for 7 days.

I decided to take advantage of the situation by having a decidedly analogue week, which included extensive re-visiting of my collection of 7" singles.

The resulting piece was basically an ode to that box of 7"'s...

An ode to home taping for Cassette Store Day back in 2018

"During the 1980s, record companies (who, thanks to the launch of the CD, were hardly short of cash at the time) ran an aggressive anti piracy campaign featuring a cassette skull and crossbones logo which claimed, in big, stern letters that Home Taping Is Killing Music.

If the intention was to scare people into not doing it, it didn’t work.

Years before downloading and torrenting, taping off the radio was both illegal and normal: You never heard of anyone being prosecuted for it and the idea of the police descending on eight year old bootleggers seemed, not only unthinkable, but also ridiculous."

The short extract above is taken from the first piece that I wrote for Medium, back in 2018. I was being very cautious, just trying it out to see what happened and was pleased to find that the piece was well received at the time, and continues to get a bit of a surge in readers whenever Cassette Store Day rolls around each year. 

I have just released all my Medium posts into the wild

I've had a fairly mixed experience of the Medium platform since I signed up for it in 2018. I had it recommended to me by a friend of mine who knew I wanted to monetise my writing. She'd tried it and found it useful, though she did warn me that I probably wouldn't earn very much money from it. Given that I was trying to get more freelance journalism work at the time, it seemed worth a go.

On the whole, I would say that the process of actually using Medium has been a positive one: It's an easy to use interface, very intuitive, with a nice clean design. It looks good when included in portfolios and some of the pieces I've published on the platform have, I know, directly led to paid work commissions. So it was definitely worth doing. 

On the downside, I haven't made very much money from it's Partner Programme and I realised quite quickly that this is because the kind of pieces I want to write are, on the whole, not the kind of pieces Medium members especially want to read. The majority of people who read my stories on Medium, in fact, tend to come from referrals from (My, Other People's) Twitter and (Other People's) Facebook posts, meaning I can get respectable views and OK ish read figures, but I don't earn much income from them.

On Wednesday, Medium sent an email out - as they often do - detailing improvements and changes that they are making to the platform in the coming weeks and months. One of the changes they announced was a gradual phase in of changes to the Medium Partner Programme, which previously hadn't had an eligibility criteria (unless you count the steps and checks you need to go through in order to set up digital payments) but which will now require those applying to have 1) Published at least one story on Medium previously 2) Have at least 100 followers on Medium 3) Post at least one post every six months.

Now, personally, I think rules 1 and 3 are fair enough, and you can make a case for 2 as well, given that Medium is essentially a longform version of social media.

Still, 2 presents a crucial barrier to me: I only have 27 followers on Medium.

Which is really my own fault for not interacting and engaging with people on the platform very much. Oh, and the aforementioned problem of not writing the kind of stories Medium members want to read - that obviously hasn't helped either.

You can use Medium and not be part of the Partner Programme so, knowing that I basically had until the 31st December to gain (and keep) 73 extra followers or else be booted off the programme, I decided it would be better all round if I just reverted to the basic, non monetised form of membership.

When you join the Partner Programme, you have the option of monetising your stories, but to do so you have to put your stories behind a paywall. This obviously limits the access that readers who aren't members of Medium have to your stories. You can mitigate those limits, to an extent, by posting your stories to social media, newsletters etc using your friend link, which allows those who click on it to bypass the paywall, but it does still potentially mean that there will be people clicking on the story outside of Medium who won't be able to read it. For a lot of authors, this trade off will be a price worth paying but, because most of my readers aren't members of Medium, it has been a bit of an arse in my case.

Now that I've left the Partner Programme, all of my stories have been released back into the wild again. That is, they are no longer behind the paywall and anyone with an internet connection is now able to view them in their entirety. Similarly, any future stories I publish on Medium will also not be behind the paywall and anyone will be able to view them. 

This is good news for those of you reading this who may have been prevented from reading some of my stories before and, as such, I intend to post the links to each of my 11 stories (so far) from Medium over the coming days and weeks, with a little bit of info on how I came to write each one.

I hope you enjoy them.

Photo by hannah grace on Unsplash

True Love Will Find You In the End - Priscilla Ahn (Lyrics)

A subtle, understated cover of a modern classic. 

Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive - The Old Grey Whistle Test (1984)

I think what I like the most about this live clip of Thomas Dolby and his band is the way that absolutely everyone involved on stage looks like they should be in a different band from everyone else. 

This never happens anymore. 

Indigo De Souza - Hold U [Official Music Video]

Taken from Indigo's upcoming album, 'Hold U' is a sweet, understated, moving song with an absolutely irresistible video. The upswing from understated minimalism to understated minimalism with danceable vibes suggests the album could be a good late summer listen. Looking forward to it. 

We Are Lady Parts | “Bashir With the Good Beard” Punk Anthem Jam Session

I don't have a TV or a streaming subscription but, if I did, I'd be watching We Are Lady Parts. 

The Linda Lindas - "Racist, Sexist Boy" (Live at LA Public Library)

The video that got them the love, and got them signed to Epitaph. And possibly the best ever gig in a library. 

Florence + the Machine - Call me Cruella (From "Cruella"/Official Lyric ...

It definitely feels as though Florence Welch had a lot of fun with this end of film, roll the credits song for Disney's take on the imagined backstory of the 101 Dalmations villain. While I'm not sure as to how Dodie Smith would have felt about this most un-Disney of tales, a story in which our young anti-heroine enters the world of 1970s haute couture at the bottom and ends up being... well, Vivienne Westwood essentially, but Smith was a woman who knew how to write transgressive female characters, so I'd like to think she'd approve. 

This Florence + The Machine track sits on a soundtrack album made up of discerningly picked tracks from the late 1960s and early-mid 1970s, and definitely comes across as the kind of music Welch would have inhaled as a youngster, so it seems most apt that she has penned a track that not only sits very nicely alongside them but also neatly summarises the film she's soundtracking, while also referencing briefly the original Disney 101 Dalmations. 

Noga Erez - Cipi (Official Video)

The latest single from Erez's muscular electro pop album with edges, KIDS, 'Cipi' feels slightly subdued when set against high octane tracks such as 'End of the road', 'VIEWS' or 'Story', but it's a subtle and effective ear worm that stays with you. Well worth a listen. 

Self Esteem - I Do This All The Time

Perhaps THE song of the year, Rebecca Lucy Taylor's opening shot from her soon to arrive second album, Prioritise Pleasure, takes it's inspiration from Baz Luhrman's 'Sunscreen' but takes the whole 'advice to a younger self' starting point in a completely different direction. Self laceration? Check Brooding introspection? Check Catchy hooks and uplifting chorus? Check. Perfect. 

Billy Nomates - Heels

One of this years stand out singles, 'Heels' came out at the start of 2021 and, I swear to God, on first listen it was like listening to Bette Davis fronting an electro punk band. There will be comparisons to artists such as Sleaford Mods but, with 'Heels', Billy Nomates is stamping her calling card good and hard. Long may she rein. 

Caroline Polachek - Bunny is a Rider (Official Video)

Chairlift singer Caroline Polachek has been everywhere these past couple of years. 'Bunny Is A Rider' is a new track released ahead of a huge tour the singer will be embarking on in autumn. I'd expect an album to be incoming as well and, if this clipped, sophisticated slice of electro is anything to go by, it should be good.

MØ - Way Down (Audio)

Taken from MØ's 2018 album, Forever Neverland, we find the Danish singer/songwriter and producer in sweary hedonistic mode here as she takes us on a dizzying tour of classic class of 2018 lyrical tropes and left of field musical flourishes. A stylish piece, and good for summer. 

Blue Hawaii - I Felt Love (Official Video)

A perfect slice of exuberant- but - achingly - cool electro pop from summer 2020, which is well worth a second go one year on. 

Iraina Mancini - Deep End

A salute to the heroine's of 1960s yé yé, this exuberant slice of pop from British singer/songwriter Iraina Mancini stands out as a highlight of what we might now refer to as "the lockdown three period" of 2021. We might not have been able to dance on dance floors, but we could definitely give the kitchen lino a good work out. 

The Anchoress - Unravel

The second single from the critically acclaimed The Art of Losing album, which was released earlier this year, 'Unravel' showcases the intricacy and sophistication of craft displayed by Catherine Anne Davies. There is so much going on in this song and it fits seamlessly into an album that really feels as though it was crafted and constructed to be listened to as an album, rather than a series of unconnected songs. It feels more like a symphony than an album, with bridging tracks between songs and a forbidding, brooding atmosphere that showcases the dark beauty forged from grief. Expect to see it featured prominently in the 2021 end of year lists. 

Das Beat - "Ariadne" (Official Video)

Featuring what is possibly a strong lyrical nod to the crucial role played by Ariadne in the story of Theseus, 'Ariadne' has a wistful, yearning quality that suits the maligned Minoan heroine. Das Beat are comprised of Agor from Blue Hawaii and theatre actress Eddie Rabenberger, they were born during Berlin's 2020 lockdown and have released an EP and a number of other tracks since. While nodding heavily to electro pop,  and Rabenberger's vocals oft compared to Nico, they have proved surprisingly versatile so far. It will be interesting to see what they do next. 

Sabiyha - Lullaby (Lyric Video)

A salute to Sabiyha's grandmother, and her role in bringing up Sabiyha, her siblings and cousins, this is a moving take on family tributes and female solidarity. The most recent track from an artist who has been making continuous strides over the past year, and who definitely bears watching. 

Lauran Hibberd - How Am I Still Alive? (with Lydia Night)

There's an air of lockdown cabin fever in the overall vibe of this collaboration between Lauran Hibberd and The Regrette's Lydia Night. It provides an element of humour to what could be read as quite a bleak song considering how upbeat it sounds, sonically. In this dissection of annoying/toxic relationships the line 'How am I still alive?' feels oddly chilling at times. 

Molly Burman - Fool Me With Flattery (Official Video)

Molly Burman is a comparatively new artist but her songwriting is so assured that it feels like she's been around for years. This might, in part, be down to her having grown up in a musical family (mum has worked with Shane McGowan, amongst others, dad was in a supergroup with former members of Bow Wow Wow and the Sex Pistols), but I'd guess that her sanguine world weariness is all her own. 'Fool Me With Flattery' was her debut calling card, but there have been two more singles since and an album is eagerly anticipated. 

Ibeyi - Away Away (Official Video)

The Diaz sisters at their harmonic best, 'Away Away' features on Ibeyi's 2017 album, Ash. I really love the way that this video captures the energy of their live peformances. 

Emmy The Great - Swimming Pool

The languid, shimmering majesty of 'Swimming Pool' feels perfect for a summer heatwave, doesn't it? This is Emmy The Great at her best, and it's always worth a revisit. 

Celina Sharma - We Are One (Official Bharat Army Cricket Anthem) ft. Bha...

Given that the Olympics starts today and we're not that far away from the joy followed by horrific racist fallout that was Euro 2020, it seems weirdly apt to introduce you to Celina Sharma's cricket anthem from 2019. Yes, you heard me: Cricket anthem. Not since Ini Kamoze decided to pen a song to spur on the Jamaican football team (which google, alas, appears to have no record of) have I been so enamoured of a song about a sport, and team, that I would generally have little to no interest in. But if sport songs do anything well it's to inspire a sense of oneness and community, to which end Celina Sharma and 'We Are One' succeed beautifully. I think I first encountered it on the Asian Network, no doubt at the height of the international cricket season in 2019, but it has transcended that moment and works just as well two years on as it did then. 

Regina Spektor - "Us" [OFFICIAL Video]

From the Soviet Kitsch album, 'Us' has retained its charm and sharp wit amidst what has been a very different debate of late concerning statues. Contested legacies seem to have been Spektor's concern here too, albeit in a different way. If statues could talk, what would they say?

ROSÉ - 'On The Ground' M/V

The debut solo release by BLACKPINK singer Rosé, 'On The Ground' has proved itself to be a solid, understated pop classic of the life hangover variety. Regrets, you suspect, she's had a few but if so it's led to the creation of this self lacerating/self determination masterpiece. 

Half Waif - Party's Over

Released earlier this year ahead of the release of Nandi Rose's latest album, Mythopoetics, 'Party's Over' reflects the growing confidence and complexity of her songwriting. It's both poignant and exuberant, conflicted and confident. There's an incredible sense of relief and emotional release invoked by this song that suggests good things are coming for Rose, if not this year, then soon. 

Eartha Kitt - If I Love Ya, Then I Need Ya; If I Need Ya, Then I Want Ya Around

In a slight nod to what the BBC is calling "So-called Freedom Day" (I love the passive aggressive disapproval implied in that use of 'So-called'...) I thought I would include this fabulous slice of swing flavoured public health advice wrapped up in romance. Not one of Kitt's more well known pieces, it has a classy quality to it that is timeless and, in a world of hand sanitisers, masks and social distancing, feels very timely. 

Why I love writing about bus re-regulation campaigns

Image courtesy of Better Buses for Greater Manchester's Twitter feed

It's late April and, amidst working my day job as a Teaching Assistant and revising for GCSE Maths, I am - not for the first time - sitting down in front of my laptop to read and try and make sense of the Bus Services Act 2017. 

Not the most well known piece of recent England and Wales legislation (Scotland has it's own legislation: The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019), this slice of legislation is important because it's what allowed Greater Manchester's Mayor, Andy Burnham, to announce on the 25th March 2021 that he was planning to take the regions buses back into public control. As such, it's very important when writing about the Mayor's actions, and the Better Buses for Greater Manchester campaign of the past three years, to ensure that I definitely understand what the law does and does not allow, and how the Mayor intends to use it. As I remarked on Twitter at the time, tricksy though the legislation is, it's still much easier for me to get my head around than the GCSE Maths syllabus for 2020/21.

I love writing about bus re-regulation campaigns. 

I probably love writing about bus re-regulation campaigns even more than I love writing about music. 

Partly this is because the people I want to speak to about bus re-regulation want to talk to me (not often the case where music is concerned) but also because they are so joyously enthusiastic about their campaigns and I find their enthusiasm infectious and inspiring. As someone very interested in buses and bus re-regulation myself, and who has been involved with the Better Buses for Greater Manchester campaign, it's always nice to be in the company of people who are geeky about buses and re-regulation and who believe in the social good of buses, which is not always a given. 

My latest piece is a blog post for the Act Build Change site, which discusses the tactics used by the Better Buses for Greater Manchester campaign as well as talking to the legendary Ellie Harrison about Bus Regulation: The Musical! and to activists from BB4GM's sibling, Better Buses for Yorkshire. You can read it here.

Penfriend, Exotic Monsters or the triumphant return of Laura Kidd

Laura Kidd, photo courtesy of Wilful Publicity

In her first album under new moniker Penfriend Laura Kidd shows us how much she has grown as a songwriter and producer

It was in 2019 that Laura Kidd, having happily made music under the  name She Makes War for nine years, decided a change was due. When she started her musical career in 2010, she felt as though it was her - an aspiring DIY artist - against the world, hence She Makes War. But by the end of 2019 she had left the London music scene behind and was happily established in Bristol with a well respected, hard fought for reputation as a session musician as well as performer in her own right. She was no longer making war, she was simply making music, and doing so in a way that felt collaborative rather than combative: Reaching out to listeners, making friends with them. Hence, Penfriend.

Given that Penfriend launched in the dying days of 2019, just as the pandemic was poised to take hold in China, it's a testament to Kidd's adaptability and resilience that she's not only continued to write, record and produce (all from her home studio, The Launchpad) throughout 2020 and 2021, but that she's also launched a successful podcast, Attention Engineer.

This debut album as Penfriend was released on Friday 21st May, is named after a line from a Margaret Atwood novel, and - while nodding at times to Kidd's previous work as She Makes War - above all else demonstrates what an accomplished, assured and sophisticated songwriter/producer she has become.

The opening title track is a sparse, dystopian slice of minimalist electro that sounds like the soundtrack Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World never knew it needed. Kidd further experiments with the electro oevre on 'I used to know everything', a moogy synth pop piece which is slow, moody and very 1980s, 'I wasn't made for this world' she sings at one point. There's electro flourishes elsewhere too and one of the most innovative sonic experiments is 'Loving Echoes', which features eerie vocals stylings and rough, pared down synthetic percussion. It has the feel of an electro take on The Slits but the subject matter is digital dystopia, with Kidd singing about the horrors of being in thrall to technology during lockdown while simultaneously experiencing digital and emotional disconnections and alienation. The result is eerie, innovative, evocative and quietly savage. Very 2021. 

'Dispensable Body' fuses sunny electro with a style of indie pop that is reminiscent of the late 1980s and early 1990s indie only more intricate and delicate sounding. It's got a big swooping, swooning chorus and is eerie and anthemic in a delicate, summery kind of way. 'Seashaken' is also experimental, with a toy piano riff to start that gives way to banjo and gorgeous layered vocals. It's woozy and minimalist, pretty and childlike with a hint of strings, like a lullaby. 

Kidd hasn't abandoned her guitar however, as evidenced by the melodic grunge of 'Seventeen', some truly epic guitar riffs on 'Hell Together', and the anthemic 'I'll start a fire', which is reminiscent of mid period Hole. 'Cancel Your Hopes' is another surging slice of grunge rock, which is enhanced by nightmarish keyboard riffs, taking the listener into a sonic descent into a dark, claustrophobic garage rock hole. It has a fantastic freewheeling moshability quality, with excellent riff work and crisp percussion that nods to the best work of L7. 

The album closes with 'Black Car', a pandemic era anthem of dread, fear and death which is signified by the lyrical motif of the funereal black car. It is perhaps the most lyrically and musically sophisticated track on the album and is a strong contender for song of the year, evoking as it does the fear and dread of lockdown in the UK, and perhaps beyond. 'Keep your loved ones close, even on calm waters waves will rise' she sings bleakly. It is quiet, brooding and highly atmospheric, the darkest but also the most anthemic song on the album, and the one that stays with the listener the most. It is the perfect closing track for a clever, sophisticated and highly listenable album by a highly skilled, developing artist.