Putting last week behind us, this was genuinely one of my favourite conversations I’ve had for the show. Like many, I was first aware of Isobel as member of Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian. I found her such a compelling figure. She looked like she had stepped out of a French new wave movie. She was a cello player in an indie rock band. And when she sang, she had this enigmatic, whisper-quiet vocal style. While still a member of Belle and Sebastian she made a couple of solo albums...

Chris Difford is having a very busy year. There’s a new Squeeze album in the works, they are supporting Heart on their forthcoming arena tour, and there’s also the matter of an enormous UK tour in hour of Squeeze’s 50th anniversary. Chris also hosts the podcast “I Never Thought It Would Happen” which is currently on Season 4. Seems like a good time to have a chat, right?

Roll up! Roll up! This episode I’m joined from across the Atlantic by singer-songwriter Jade Bird, who has just released a new EP, “Burn The Hard Drive”, which chronicles the breakdown of her relationship and engagement to a former bandmate. It’s the first significant release from Jade since 2021’s very excellent “Different Kinds Of Light” album. We take a deep dive into her creative process and the ethics of mining your personal life, and the lives of others in your orbit, for songwriting...

Phillip Ingram is one of the founding members of Motown band Switch who formed in late 1976, and after a chance encounter, were championed by Jermaine Jackson. Motown chief Berry Gordy heard the band’s tape and signed them to his subsidiary Gordy label. Switch were a a consistent presence on the R’n’B charts in the last 1970s. Switch sort of imploded in the early 80s, although one member tried to carry on with new musicians, and Phillip began working more behind the scenes, recording...

It seems like a good time to take a deep dive into Best Picture nominee, and more importantly, my favourite film of last year, “Past Lives”. This episode I’m joined by the film’s Assistant Director Ben Kahn to discuss his personal impact on the film, creating the remarkable chemistry between the cast, evoking an older digital landscape, and the profound effect the movie is having on people. Hope you enjoy!

This Friday, March 1st Bruce Hornsby releases a new album in collaboration with chamber ensemble yMusic. The record is entitled “Deep Sea Vents”. It straddles the line between contemporary songwriting and modern classical, and the album has an aquatic theme with all the songs dealing with the ocean, or at least water in some way. The album is emblematic of much of Hornsby’s career in that it veers from the strange to the beautiful to the funny to the challenging. He doesn’t like the easy...

Welcome. My guest this episode is artist and photographer Lynn Goldsmith. Her career as a photographer has brought her into the orbit of rock n roll legends like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and notably Bruce Springsteen with whom she had a romantic relationship in the 70s as he was still working his way up, with his blistering live shows, and the relentlessly determined creative drive which produced the album Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Her document of this era forms...

I’m listening! Hopefully you are too, as this week is incredibly fun. I’m joined by “Frasier” writer and consulting producer Bob Daily. Bob was on the writing staff for several seasons of the original run of “Frasier” and he’s back on board for the new revival series out now on Paramount+. If you’re at all interested in how TV shows like this get made, you’re going to find this fascinating. We dig into the world of show development, writers rooms, table reads, and more. Bob is very...

Hey. It’s a special one this week. Juliana Hatfield is a singer-songwriter based in Massachusetts. She was a member of the Lemonheads in the early 90s, as well as bands like Blake Babies in the late 80s and Some Girls in the early 00s. She’s made albums with Matthew Caws from Nada Surf and Paul Westerberg from The Replacements. She’s also released around 20 albums under her own name, sometimes as the Juliana Hatfield Three. Although a prolific songwriter, in recent years she occasionally...

This week I’m joined by drummer Chester Thompson. Chester is perhaps best known for his live work with Genesis and Phil Collins, but he has also worked with Frank Zappa, Weather Report, The Bee Gees, and The Pointer Sisters. He has a new jazz album out called “Wake-Up Call” and he joins me from Nashville to discuss it’s “genesis” (see what I did there?). Anyway, Chester schools me in the ways of jazz, talks about his career, and indulges my Genesis fan-boy questions. Hope you enjoy.

Breathe deep the gathering gloom. This episode I welcome back John Lodge of The Moody Blues to the show! John has recently released his re-working of The Moody Blues 1967 opus “Days Of Future Passed”. I think it’s fair to wonder whether it’s a good idea when artist take on projects like this, and I want to ask John about the possible disconnect between fan expectations and artist perspectives. I was also naturally curious about the current state of relationships between John and his former...

Waddup? I’m joined this episode by Jonathan Higgs from the excellent Everything Everything. The band are from Manchester and formed in 2007. They’ve so far released 6 albums, 2 of which were nominated for the Mercury Music Award. They’ve also had 5 Ivor Novello nominations. Their most recent album 2022s “Raw Data Feel” saw the band experiment with the use of AI to create the album artwork as well as some of the lyrics for the album. Mark Hanslip, a researcher from the Unversity of York,...

Welcome. Dave Pegg is the longest serving member of Fairport Convention. Fairport are one of those bands who are a subculture unto themselves. They were formed in 1967 with Dave joining the band in 1969. Fairport split in 1979 but reformed in 1985 and have been active since then. They’re still a very hardworking touring band here in the UK. They came through my hometown of Southend earlier this year and I saw my first Fairport show. Frankly, I was shocked how good it was. The band on...

Good dawning to thee, friends. My guest this episode tv producer and Daria co-creator Susie Lewis. Susie Lewis was an intern at MTV when she began working on the show Beavis and Butthead. That show featured a sardonic character names Daria, and feeling that MTV needed more content for girls, Susie was drafted in alongside Glenn Eichler to create a spin-off series called Daria. Daria is not just a great animated series, it’s a great TV series, full stop. It still stands up really well. It’s...

Hullo! This week I’m joined by Dougie Payne of Travis. He was lovely company. Travis have recently been revisiting their 2001 album “The Invisible Band” with a series of live shows, reissues, and a live album. It’s a fascinating era to talk about, as the band had found themselves thrust into the spotlight after the unexpected runaway success of previous album “The Man Who”. I was in my late teens in this era, so it was interesting for me to reminisce on that time period too. I hope you enjoy.

Listen up! Andy McCluskey is the frontman of Merseyside electronic legends Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark or OMD as they’re often known. OMD was formed in 1978 out of the ashes of another band The ID, to which I have a little family connection, which you’ll hear about in the episode. Their 1980 song Ebola Gay earned them widespread popularity throughout Europe, and their 1981 album “Architecture and Morality” which would sell over 4 million copies and spawn hit singles like “Souvenir”...

Sorry it’s been a while. Delighted to have Robert Forster as my guest for this episode. Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, raised in Brisbane, where he currently resides. He’s perhaps best known as one of the co-founders and leaders of indie-rock royalty The Go-betweens. The Go-betweens were formed in 1977 and had an initial run that lasted until 1989, before a reunion run from 2000 until 2006 when co frontman Grant McLennan died of a heart attack aged just 48. As well as a...

Listen up! This week we take a trip to St. Petersburg to speak to shoegaze merchants Blankenberge whose latest album “Everything” is very good indeed. Also, Steve Hackett returns again! We discuss his forthcoming “Foxtrot at 50” tour, progress on the next album, and of course, Jack Hawkins. Enjoy!

Friends, Romans, Countryman! Join me this week as I hang out with Bernard Butler. We discuss topics ranging from walking the Estuary coast, to why you shouldn’t buy his new reissue*. Bernard was fantastic company and had a lot to say about being an artist; he was engaged, honest, and forthcoming. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think! *there’s a bit more to it than that, but you’ll see. PS: Apparently the release date for the “People Move On” reissue has been pushed back by a...

Top of the morning. Thought I’d try something different. Here’s myself and my friend Jason Booth, from the band Last Tourist, discussing our favourite music of 2021. I’m largely insufferable throughout but Jason is very nice, and you get to hear a Last Tourist song at the end of the show! Normal service will resume shortly.

It’s the last episode of the current series, and I’m joined by David Gedge frontman and only constant member of indie-rockers, and John Peel favourites, The Wedding Present. We talk about David’s plan to release a new 7” single every month in 2022, a project The Wedding Present pulled off back in 1992. We also talk about taking third album “Seamonsters” back on the road, working with Steve Albini, writing songs as you get older, and more! My other guest is author Jon Miles, who has just...

How’s it goin’? This week I’m joined with Roddy Woomble. Idlewild are about to make their 25th anniversary with a tour and the first vinyl release of their 4th album “Warnings/Promises”. Roddy tells me about his approach to writing lyrics, the metamorphosis this band underwent around the time of “Warnings/Promises”, and what it’s like to be the support act for a huge band. Also on the show, rising blues guitarist Danny Bryant tells me about his new album “The Rage To Survive”, how you create...

Come on in. This episode I’m joined by the delightful Midge Ure. We had a great conversation encompassing his forthcoming “Voice and Visions” tour, the 3 (three!!!) albums he has in the works, his new photography book “In A Picture Frame”, his radio show for Scala Radio, his friendship Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott, and more. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I’ve been expecting you. This week The Connells are releasing their first proper new album in 23 years! The record is called “Steadman’s Wake” and it’s a triumphant return. I’m joined by previous guest Mike Connell, along with frontman Doug MacMillan, as they guide us track-by-track through the album. Boy did we have fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.