Bournemouth’s Bowl of music magic

Unlike many a fondly remembered music venue – tiny, tight and wont to overheating – Bournemouth’s Chelsea Village was the bee’s knees, the height of sophistication. When it opened in 1970 it was like nothing the town had seen before and within weeks it became a magnet for revellers from miles around. ‘We thought we Read More…

The Vinyl Say 018: The Jam

The Jam – England I Miss You Now (Bulldog, 1991) Ever done something you probably shouldn’t have…? It was 1980 and with Going Underground entering the charts at number one The Jam couldn’t put a foot wrong. This song exists to prove they – well Paul Weller (happy 60th birthday by the way!) – at Read More…

Paul Weller 18:02:2018

Windsor Hall, BIC Assured, like a writer and performer of his calibre has every right to be, Paul Weller returned to Bournemouth as he has done for more than 40 years and once again confounded expectations by making it all even better than the faithful might have hoped. Of course he ended with Town Called Read More…

The Vinyl Say 001: The Jam

In every collection there are records that get played all the time, many of them for years, decades even. Then there are those that, while no less treasured, somehow fall by the wayside to lie in wait, ripe for rediscovery. In the first of an occasional series designed to chronicle a few nuggets as they resurface Read More…

Bruce Foxton 2010

Funny old game, life. One minute you’re up, the next you’re down. One minute you’re in, the next you’re out. The trick is not to worry about it too much – certainly not the things you can’t change anyway. That’s the gist of the half-hour chat I had with one of my boyhood idols – former Read More…

Paul Weller

He’s the changing man… Things come and go in our lives, others stick around, keeping us company on rocky roads and high trails. The fleeting charms of some new source of admiration may be sweet, but nothing rewards quite like the tale that unravels over time. And so it is with me and Paul Weller. Read More…