Forty years ago today, I could be found at Chelsea Village in Bournemouth (soon to be become known as the Stateside Centre) rammed up against the stage as Blondie delivered an excellent set of their massively popular New York rock.
Category:News & events
New York Christmas
My wife Julie, my son Ben and I have just returned from an exhilarating short trip to New York, during which we stayed in the heart of Manhattan and sampled many of the festive delights the city offers in the run-up to Christmas.
The Musician (Dec)
The winter 2019 issue of The Musician is being dispatched in print format to members today and in this edition we lead with a pre-election feature focusing on why voting against Brexit is vital for musicians.
Friday bonanza
A particular busy but fun day courtesy of the MU Comms Dept Christmas lunch, the annual PPL & PRS for Music December drinks, plus in the evening to round off events, a Schroder reunion with former work colleagues in Belgravia.
Parliamentary jazz
Vocalist, pianist and MU Executive Committee member Andi Hopgood, Mark Batchelor and I attended the 2019 Parliamentary Jazz Awards tonight. The event, which was established in 2005, was once again organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group and staged downstairs at the PizzaExpress in Holborn.
Canterbury studio
I drove down to Canterbury this morning to spend a few enjoyable hours with producer and old friend Greg Fitzgerald at his superb rural retreat and studio.
Graham Parker
I met up with Nigel Kemp this evening in The Library pub in Islington, ahead of our crossing the road to see a solo performance by Graham Parker in the Union Chapel, an artist we saw play live many times in the early 1980s.
Jools Holland
My thanks to Chris Holland, keyboard player and songwriter, for guest tickets to his brother Jools’ big band concert at the Royal Albert Hall this evening.
Holloway photo shoot
I met up with photographer Jesse Wild in Holloway this morning, as we had arranged to met highly-respected guitarist Bernard Butler at Strummers Studios, Georges Road, Holloway, London N7 for a photo shoot.
AMA-UK launch
I visited the Old Queen’s Head in Essex Road, Islington, this evening for the launch of the 5th annual UK AmericanaFest, which will return to Hackney for three days at the end of January 2020.
BBC Introducing Live
This Year’s BBC Introducing Live event at Tobacco Dock built upon the foundations laid by last year’s successful expo, attracting an audience of around 18,000 rising artists and business representatives to the east London venue.
Events Forum
I was invited by the Events Industry Forum and James Heappey MP to attend the launch this afternoon, in the Churchill Room at the House of Commons, of the Forum’s report into the value of UK outdoor events to the economy.
MU in the media
In partnership with the team at Kindred PR, the MU yesterday launched its campaign to combat harassment in the music industry.
Addington Palace
I made the brief journey from Beckenham to Addington Palace Golf Club today to play in the autumn event in the Hayes’s Four Seasons competition.
UK Music Comms
I arranged with UK Music for the MU to host this month’s Comms Committee meeting at our Oval HQ today and so, at half past three this afternoon, I welcomed representatives from all the organisation’s members to 60-62 Clapham Road.
The future of food
My thanks go to Sailesh Mehta of accountants HW Fisher, who very kindly invited me to their event at the Victoria & Albert Museum this evening dedicated to sustainability and the future of food.
Venues Day
I could be found at Islington Assembly Hall early this morning, setting up the MU mini-stand at the Music Venues Trust ‘Venues Day’, which is an annual event for several hundred managers and proprietors of grassroots venues across the UK.
Beckenham CC
I attended the first meeting of the Beckenham Cricket Club Junior Section Committee this evening, in which we reviewed how the matches in the summer of 2019 were administered and how we could collectively improve the experience for players and parents, plus put plans in place for encouraging membership in 2020.
Conference season
The last two weeks have seen the MU raise its profile once more at both the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences, in Brighton and Manchester respectively.
The Musician (Sept)
I am pleased to report that the autumn issue of the MU’s award-winning magazine, The Musician, is being posted to UK based members in sustainably sourced and fully recyclable paper envelopes for the first time.
Ashridge GC
Last night I drove from MU HQ in Oval to Hemel Hempstead, where I stayed overnight, so that I could make an early start at Ashridge Golf Club, the venue for the annual PPL and PRS for Music Golf Day.
Kingston kicks
I spent an enjoyable afternoon visiting Kingston. Firstly dropping into Printstore where designer Steve Ames was ready to assist in creating “Musicians’ Passport” images for our promo materials ahead of the impending party political conferences.
Wembley sunshine
My son Ben and I caught the train from Marylebone out to Wembley Stadium this afternoon and, having enjoyed the England band playing the classics around the Bobby Moore statue, met up with my long-term England match friend Peter Brown before taking our seats in the F Section behind a goal (in what was once the home fan C Section at the old Wembley).
Upstairs at Ronnie’s
A fun evening in Soho in the company of Mark Batchelor as we shared a curry at the Delhi Brasserie and dropped in at Ronnie Scott’s following an invitation to the Cuban music night being held in the Upstairs’ bar.
