Following our visit to TUC Congress House, my MU colleague Jane Austin and I arranged to be shown around Kings Place in London’s NW1.
Tag: News
Greg’s studio
Another very productive day at Greg Fitzgerald’s studio in Canterbury. Just a day trip this time, with a focus on vocals and guitar.
John Smith OBE
John Smith, my former colleague at the MU and currently PPL Chair, has today been awarded an OBE for services to music in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. A richly deserved honour, John served as the Union’s General Secretary from the winter of 2002 through to the summer of 2017.
National Album Day
A fun event this afternoon with the BPI who were anticipating National Album Day this Saturday by hosting an online quiz.
Back to Bromley
A good day for The Warren Junior Football Club as they exacted revenge for their loss in March to Bromley Solis with a resounding 5-1 win this morning.
Media coverage
Following the Union’s media launch on Tuesday publicising the results of our recent members’ survey, a total of over 100 pieces were generated.
MU in The Guardian
The MU’s recent survey of musicians has a prominent feature in The Guardian this morning. This follows our media campaign launch produced in conjunction with the team at our excellent PR agency, Kindred.
Beer masterclass
This evening I met up with Jonathan Stewart at the Brewhouse and Kitchen in Hoxton for a beer masterclass.
The Musician (autumn)
The autumn 2020 issue of The Musician magazine is set to be dispatched this evening via the DotDigital system to all members.
Video recording
Video film maker William Ambler-Shaw visited Beckenham this afternoon to record my contribution to his documentary.
The Warren returns
Finally, a football match for The Warren JFC, the under-15s team for which my son Ben plays.
Studio session
Part two of a summer break from MU commitments, saw my travelling down by train from Bromley South to Canterbury East and Greg Fitzgerald’s studio.
Pembrokeshire
Julie, Ben and I have spent a relaxing week in west Wales in the company of long-term friends, Roger and Brenda Farley.
Surrey National
The Hayes family golf day, which should have taken place in the spring, found a home post-lockdown at the Surrey National Golf Club today in scorching sunshine.
Twitter walkout
The Musicians’ Union has joined the 48-hour Twitter ‘walkout’ against Twitter’s inaction this weekend.
Rox Network
My thanks to Roxie for the valuable opportunity to put across the issues currently facing musicians and the industry, plus outline how the MU is working to address the unprecedented situation resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak and government lockdown.
Summer of Live 2
Musicians’ Union and British Underground presented the second Summer of Live Festival broadcast in aid of the MU Hardship Fund for musicians this evening.
Summer of Live
The MU is launching its Summer of Live Online Festival today, with the inaugural event being hosted by Shell Zenner, radio presenter, producer and DJ, and featuring the talents of Eliza Shaddad, Jack Curley, Prima and Kinkai.
Spitfire Session
Kent Cricket captain Sam Billings, batsmen Joe Denly and Zak Crawley, plus coach Matt Walker appeared in the County’s latest online webinar this evening, which was hosted once more by Beckenham resident Steve Watts.
The Musician (summer)
The latest issue of The Musician (summer 2020) has been dispatched via DotMailer in digital format to all MU members and the magazine can be accessed via the ISSUU facility and pdf on the Union’s website.
Keep Music Alive
Keep Music Alive and #FixStreaming is a joint campaign by the MU and the Ivors Academy.
Love on a summer’s day
My thanks to Greg Fitzgerald for his superb production of “Love on a summer’s day”, a track I wrote with my profoundly deaf stepdaughter Lisa in mind.
She reminds me of you
The first track for my new album has been signed off today, with mix 6 proving a winner. My heartfelt thanks to Greg Fitzgerald, Abdelkader Saadoun in Maidstone for the various north African instruments and violinist Chris Haigh in Forest Gate, E7.
Riverside Radio
I was interviewed by Alice Amel today for a broadcast on Riverside Radio scheduled for airing at 9pm next Tuesday (21st). Alice was looking to record a short phone interview with an MU representative for the specialist music show she produces and presents for the station based in SW London.
Hardship Fund media
The MU commissioned a poll following lockdown in mid-March of its members, with the aim of quantifying the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the industry in the UK. This returned that musicians have lost an estimated £13.9 million in earnings in the first few days due to cancellations.
The Musician (spring)
The spring 2020 issue of The Musician is being dispatched in print format to members today. In this edition the contents include profile interviews with cover star singer-songwriter Eleanor VS, Manchester-based string ensemble the Levaré Quartet, and rising Scottish jazz musician Fergus McCreadie.
