Songwriter / music industry
A busy three days involving a visit to Glasgow on behalf of the Royal Society of Musicians (RSM), together with a fascinating morning at the MU official archive at Stirling University. I first joined the Society’s CEO Charlotte Penton Smith and Mark Brierley at City Halls as we collectively spoke to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra about the work of the RSM.
Julie, Ben and I drove to Wiltshire this week to support the annual charity event at Cumberwell Golf Club in aid of Dorothy House Hospice Care, in partnership with the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group. I am delighted to report that in a field of sixty golfers, on his 20th birthday, Ben finished tied for second with a lifetime best score of 42 Stableford points.
Mark Batchelor and I flew from Heathrow to Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport on Thursday and upon arrival caught the train to Berlin Hbf, which was conveniently very close to our base for the next four days – the Hotel Amano. After checking in, we walked south through the station, over the Spree River, passed the Reichstag Building and into the expanse of Tiergarten Park.
I was given ‘Rolling Stones 69’ by Patrick Humphries in February and having enjoyed the book, I sent an email to Patrick to acknowledge his engaging work. He kindly replied and we met up today at the Half Moon in Herne Hill as discovered we shared an in-depth knowledge of British music and numerous musicians. This made for a very entertaining afternoon, especially as we joined after a while by the equally interesting pair of Lon Goddard and his partner Claire.
A very worthwhile few hours spent supporting National Record Store Day, the event celebrating the community of independent record shops. This year I dropped into Spin Sounds in Dorking, which is a top-class vinyl outlet in the town’s South Street. Since its launch in 2008, Record Store Day has grown a global profile by bringing together retailers, distributors, musicians and fans for a day of exclusive releases, live performances, and special events.
A very enjoyable afternoon at the excellent Half Moon, Putney as my nephew Steve and I caught the melodic riffing rock of the current line up of The Vapors. The band had formed in Guildford in 1978 and I had originally seen them live at Poole Arts Centre (aka the Lighthouse) supporting The Jam on the classic ‘Setting Sons’ tour in November 1979.
Julie and I attended the 28th Jacqueline Du Pre Charity Concert at Wigmore Hall this evening. Roderick Williams and Susie Allan performed a rich and varied programme for voice and piano, featuring works by Schubert, Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. Profits from tickets sales and donations on the night supported the Royal Society of Musicians.
The Curzon Cinema in Mayfair proved the venue this evening for the London premiere of ‘McCartney: the hunt for the lost bass.’ This sweetly-produced documentary follows the story of the 1961 Höfner bass, the iconic violin-shaped guitar which the soon-to-be legendary Beatle bought at the age of 18 in 1961 for the equivalent of £30 in Hamburg.
I dropped into Sylvie’s monthly Jazz Bar in Warlingham, Surrey tonight for a selection of jazz, swing and blues with the Wee4. A relatively new quartet that features the engaging Megs Etherington (trumpet/vocals), the superb Zoe Lambeth (saxes/clarinet/vocals), a swinging Peter McCurrie (string bass/tuba) and my elder brother Ken (banjo/guitar/vocals).
I broke a lot of hearts
to get to yours,
looked through many windows
and walked through many doors.
I drew a blue fandango
on so many bedroom floors,
I threw a look and wrote the book
and settled many scores…
I visited Rich Mix in Bethnal Green Road this evening, which is an East End based venue that presents an impressive combination of live music, spoken word, theatre, dance, talks and visual art in their performance and exhibition spaces. My long-term contact Scanner was appearing in town, and it was a rare opportunity to catch his pioneering work in a live context.
Julie and I drove to Kings’ Cross tonight at the invitation of songwriter Rob Finlay to catch his band at the legendary Water Rats. I had reviewed Rob’s releases in The Musician (“He has the ability to weave unconventional elements into familiar genres”) and he had kindly remembered. We would also have a chance to hear the contemporary material of activist MIRI.
I made the short journey tonight to Sutton High Street and the wonderful grassroots venue, the Sound Lounge. Always guaranteed to deliver an enjoyable experience and the discovery of new and established folk and Americana. The evening saw two leading lights of US orientated country rock take to the stage, with performances by Sid Griffin and Peter Case.
Soho21 in the heart of London’s West End witnessed the launch tonight of Keith Jopling’s book ‘Body of Work’ which delves into how the album has outplayed the algorithm and survived playlist culture. Keith was joined by the Flyte duo of Will Taylor and Nick Hill for an intriguing hour of discussion into the evergreen quality of the long player.
I am delighted to report that I have been co-opted as a Governor of the Royal Society of Musicians and attended my first meeting of the twelve Governors at the organisation’s home in Fitzroy Square this afternoon. My thanks to everyone involved, especially CEO Charlotte Penton Smith and Chair George Caird for their warm welcome. I look forward to the coming months and hope to make a useful contribution to the Society’s valuable work.
I visited the KEF premises in Great Portland Street this evening for a panel event entitled ‘Why vinyl still matters’, arranged to celebrate the culture, community and enduring magic of vinyl in the company of Flashback Records. This brought together music lovers, record collectors and HiFi enthusiasts to explore why records still matter in a digital-first world.
An extremely productive session with photographer and long-term friend Jonathan Stewart today at the V8 Digital studio location in Norwood, south London. This had been booked to create a series of shots for PR work in 2026 and to bring my portfolio of portraits up to date. My thanks to the particularly helpful premises manager on site and to the services of Scouty for sourcing the venue.
Ben and I have spent a few rewarding days volunteering for Crisis over Christmas. He worked in the organisation’s main warehouse in Canning Town, helping to unload deliveries of the donated supplies and to load vans with the supplies required in the various guest centres across town. Whilst I was a driver delivering to Pimlico, Docklands, and Aldgate.
A marvellous evening at the Gielgud Theatre as Julie, Lisa, Ben and I made our annual pilgrimage to the West End for a dinner and show. On this occasion, the wonderful current production of Oliver! Arriving at Charing Cross, we walked through Covent Garden towards Soho, delighting in the range of Christmas lights on display in the streets.
Talentbanq presented a Christmas party titled ‘Big Bang Love’ at the Camden Club tonight featuring the multi-talented Hollie Rogers, Ed Blunt, Daisy Chute, Jonny Morgan, Eve Lesedi and band. Delivering a blend of their own original songs and festive classics, they entertained a packed and appreciative audience.
A busy pre-Christmas evening involving two events, one being an annual formal event in the West End and the second a brand networking gathering in Camden. Firstly, I attended the BBC yearly Christmas Drinks Reception, hosted by the Policy, Political and Corporate Stakeholder teams.
Following a kind invitation by former MU colleague and trombone session legend Pete Thoms, Julie and I attended a Christmas celebration at the Mildmay Club in Newington Green, London N16 featuring the Mojo Big Band. Mojo is a swinging, jazz and funk 17-piece big band who play regularly across town.
A delightful lunch date with musician, administrator and all-round good-guy Chris Hodgkins today at the Club for Acts and Actors in Covent Garden. Always a pleasure to exchange news and views with Chris, especially following his organising of the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in October.
The annual Council of Music Makers Christmas Party took place at The Editors’ Tap in Fetter Lane, London this evening and it was good to catch up with the MU’s Phil Kear, Jamie Pullman, Graham Jackson and Simeon Scheuber-Rush, plus Vincent Moss of UK Music, Mark Taylor of the Ivors, and artists Flora Finch and Kavalla.
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