FIFTY3FRIDAYS: YOU’RE GORGEOUS
It seems every band who had a reasonable hit or two in the past 50-odd years is finding it increasingly easy to come out of the woodwork, reform or reissue, or simply celebrate an anniversary. The cute ones then get to appear on The One Show, sell out their tour and get booked for a summer festival or two. This phenomenon appears to happen almost weekly and it is no surprise in that nostalgia is always in vogue. It may explain why boy bands of yore resurface with a brand-new
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FIFTY3FRIDAYS: A TRIUMPH OF FRAGILE CREATURES
Ever been to a gig where you can come away with a reading list? Wednesday night with Hannah Rose Platt at The Other Palace, London was as erudite as it was entertaining. The evening saw the return of the singer-songwriter and storyteller extraordinaire to the intimate space of the niche theatre’s studio, having made such an impression here with her full band in February 2024 . Tonight was more of a stripped-back affair as Hannah, accompanied by husband and bassist Freddie Dr
Jan 23
FIFTY3FRIDAYS: A MAD WORLD
Ever wished that lie-in you promised yourself for New Year’s Day had actually happened and that you’d then stayed in bed for the last 16 days? It seems that the already mad world we lived in during 2025 has taken a sharper turn towards insanity with geopolitical developments ramping up daily over the past two weeks. Internationally, a Trump dominated agenda: Venezuela, shadow vessels, Iran, Greenland, AI, while over here failed politicians rush to join Reform, political comme
Jan 16
FIFTY3FRIDAYS: SONNEN BLUME – TRACK BY TRACK
I came across the music of Sonnen Blume when the mysterious artist submitted “Satellite” to Fresh On The Net which went on to be voted as one the week’s Fresh Faves . I was very taken with the song and included it last month in a short round-up of some of my favourite tracks from 2025. “Satellite” is the lead track from a self-titled collection released by Sonnen in November, bringing together songs written over the past 10 years. It is as impressive a debut as I have hear
Jan 12
FIFTY3FRIDAYS: GLASTONBURY REVISITED
Oh dear, the year is flying by. This New Year’s Day joke is already out of date. The theme of our first Fifty3Friday of the brave new year is even less topical. As my voluntary hiatus got in the way of writing about my time at Glastonbury 2025, I thought it might be an idea to include some highlights today as a sign-off to 2025 [OK but 2 days late – Ed]. In truth I get anxious just thinking about writing about Glastonbury let alone actually getting around to doing it. I've h
Jan 2
FIFTY3FRIDAYS: BOXING DAY PLAYLIST
In last Friday’s column, I shared seven songs that stood out for me in 2025. I’ve added another 35 to create my Boxing Day Playlist 2025.
Dec 26, 2025
