At the beginning of last year I started compiling a monthly public playlist on Spotify. My interest in new music and artists has been renewed in the first half of this decade and I felt inspired to share the songs that have been soundtracking my life, much like I did over two decades ago. All that’s reallyContinueContinue reading “20 months and a lifetime of mixtapes”
Author Archives: Liam
The mad merchandise of The Phantom Menace
25+ years later I’m still finding and buying items from one of Star Wars biggest merchandising campaigns. Let’s explore why.
Beer Tours: Southampton
Belgium and Blues, 184 Above Bar Street, Southampton, SO14 7DW The Bookshop Alehouse, 21 Portswood Road, Southampton, SO17 2ES Bottle & Stoat, 45 Bedford Place, Southampton, SO15 2DG The Butcher’s Hook Alehouse, 7 Manor Farm Road, Southampton, SO18 1NN Clockwork, 323 Shirley Road, Shirley, Southampton, SO15 3HW Dirty Barrel (Beards & Boards), 33 Bedford Place,ContinueContinue reading “Beer Tours: Southampton”
Dorset Business Focus EO article
The press has a way of capturing the cultural zeitgeist. Select magazine coined the phrase ‘Britpop’ in 1993, Top of The Pops magazine gave the Spice Girls their iconic nicknames. Let’s not wait 30 years to credit Caroline Sharp and the Dorset Chamber team for documenting a new emerging scene in the August edition ofContinueContinue reading “Dorset Business Focus EO article”
August 2024 Mixtape
Tracklisting: 01. PRONOUN – i like lizzy (but she doesn’t like me)02. The Beaches – Takes One To Know One03. Alice Merton – pick me up04. The Greeting Committee – Tell Me I’m Wrong05. Distant Matter, Transviolet – Keep You06. Chicane – Watching Over Me07. Holiday87, Betsy – Something Bout You08. Couch Prints – JustContinueContinue reading “August 2024 Mixtape”
Get Cape returns with a novel new NFC release format
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly is one of the many monikers of musician and producer, Sam Duckworth. I’ve been a fan since his breakthrough GCWCF album, 2006’s Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager. His latest release, the Monopolies EP is available now in an unusual physical format; oversized monopoly pieces with NFC technology baked in. Two years ago this month I wroteContinueContinue reading “Get Cape returns with a novel new NFC release format”
Calling time on my CD / DVD collection
I have a lot of things I collect. I like to put these things on display. When the pandemic hit and we began spending a lot more time at home, there came a need to reclaim some space in the house and I was faced with the dilemma of deciding which shelving unit would need toContinueContinue reading “Calling time on my CD / DVD collection”
20 years of Less Than Jake’s ‘B is for B-Sides’
A lot changed in my life during the 14 months between the release of Anthem and its companion record B is for B-Sides, which turns 20 today. I was in my first proper relationship, I’d left school and was getting ready to start college in the Autumn. My friends were going through similar developments in their lives andContinueContinue reading “20 years of Less Than Jake’s ‘B is for B-Sides’”
How two Pez dispensers led to a collection of over a thousand
Although my first collection was the set of NatWest piggy banks in the late 1980s (I wrote about those here), the one I’m probably known best for is my two decade long haul of Pez. You know, the character topped sweet dispensers. As the years go by, what becomes removed from the story told toContinueContinue reading “How two Pez dispensers led to a collection of over a thousand”
Hanging up the shirt
For the past three years I’ve been donning this referee shirt for You Are The Media Game Nite and our world record attempts. It all started in the spirit of ‘joining in’, which I spoke about at Creator Day in April.It’s only possible to encourage others joining in, if you know when to make theContinueContinue reading “Hanging up the shirt”
July 2024 Mixtape
Tracklisting: 01. Dagny – Heartbreak In The Making02. Justice, Tame Impala – Neverender03. Brothertiger – The Garden04. Kids In Glass Houses – Theme from Pink Flamingo05. Pale Waves – Perfume06. The Japanese House – :)07. Lewis OfMan – Flowers In The Car08. Bullion, Panda Bear – A City’s Never09. Charli xcx – Apple10. Shygirl, EmpressContinueContinue reading “July 2024 Mixtape”
The NatWest pigs may have made me a collector for life
I’ve been a collector for as far back as I can remember. With a little extra time on my hands in the past few years to lean into some retrospective thinking, I’ve become interested in where the collecting mindset is born from. Being a child of the 90’s I barely stood a chance against theContinueContinue reading “The NatWest pigs may have made me a collector for life”
Liam Toms 