Category Archives: Article

A lot changed in my life during the 14 months between the release of Anthem and its companion record B is for B-Sides. 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 and collectively we were veeringContinueContinue reading “Celebrating 20 years of Less Than Jake’s ‘B is for B-Sides’”

For this year’s You Are The Media ‘Creator Day’, event organiser and programme curator, Mark Masters asked if I would be up for talking on the theme of ‘joining in’.  This invitation follows a few years of me stepping up to host the YATM Game Nite and world record attempt segment of the regular YATM Lunch ClubContinueContinue reading “The value of joining in and the positive impact it’s had on my life”

In Summer 2023, I welcomed subscribers to my mailing list by asking them “what’s a favourite song of yours and what are you reminded of when you hear it?”. Here’s a compilation of the responses I received. https://youtu.be/sBW8Vnp8BzU?si=e9fovAUoX9JwwPCb Alan Stevenson: “My favourite song is The Waterboys – The Whole of the Moon. It was originally releasedContinueContinue reading “Subscriber Series: Music + Memories (Volume One)”

Had things played out differently, we would have been in cinemas this month for Star Wars’ return to the big screen, with director Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron. It’s fair to say we were living in an uncertain climate when the announcement of this film was made in December 2020. The project is currently dormant and wasn’tContinueContinue reading “My ‘Twin Suns’ moment”

In 2018 I put together the following photo gallery and memories of the first UK tour with our band, Canada Water for the 10th anniversary (I just reposted my tour diaries, written back in 2008). Most of these were taken by me, with a Sony DSC-T20 point and shoot camera. 15 years on, I’m stillContinueContinue reading “Tour Memories: 2008”

At a pub quiz in spring 2019, I stood confidently as I answered “28th August 1993” to a solo question our team had been asked. The question was, “when did ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ first air?”. Our team got the points and I got some bewildered stares. How the hell did I know that? I amContinueContinue reading “Mighty Morphin: Multicoloured, multicultural, millennial superheroes”

On 22nd February 2023 it was announced, to little fanfare, that ITV’s home video show You’ve Been Framed! would be cancelled after 33 years. Perhaps the lack of remorse is because we’ve lived with TV for so many decades now we know we’ll likely see once axed shows come back around (Both Big Brother and Deal or No Deal are setContinueContinue reading “Amateur Half Hour: The shows that preceded an era of user content”

In Summer 2022, I welcomed subscribers to mailing list by asking them the question “what was the first chart single you bought?”. Here’s a compilation of the responses I received.  https://youtu.be/86URGgqONvA?si=Ef4L9OgxFaVu3Lv8 Claire Norman: “The first single I bought for myself was Iron Maiden – Run To The Hills, 12 inch picture disc (vinyl), in the early 1980s.ContinueContinue reading “Subscriber Series: First Chart Singles”

As I write I’m surrounded by boxes. The same boxes that materialise in my lounge every year as November becomes December, then once again as December becomes January before disappearing out of sight and far out of mind for another 11 months. I’m talking of course about Christmas decorations. The belongings that have been withContinueContinue reading “What is Christmas?: Attempting to make sense of a cult we’ve all accepted into”

I grew up without satellite or cable. The limitation of terrestrial TV inspired some odd viewing choices. Perhaps none as strange as the BBC’s viewer opinion show Points of View.  For some context, I’ve looked into the dates.  I can remember watching Anne Robinson present the show. According to the ever reliable source Wikipedia, Anne presented PointsContinueContinue reading “The inconvenience of opinion in the 21st century”