Skip to content

Blogs

First Kiss Lips – my music blog from March 2011 – September 2015.

In September 2010 I was on a train from Brussels to Antwerp for the second time that day, as you do, when it hit me that I should start a music blog.  I quite liked the idea as I quite like finding out about good music from other people’s blogs.  I planned the first post out, about my absolute favourite songs, and then half-forgetting about it, I also kept putting it off.  I had wanted to call it “sugarpopkisses”, but it seems that name is already taken.  I also toyed with “Down By The Sports Hall In The Rain” (from Pulp’s magnificent “Stacks”,  2minutes 43 seconds, YES!).  But then I thought it should really be ‘First Kiss Lips’ as I’ve always said that there’s something about a really great pop song that is akin to the feeling you have after you’ve first kissed someone you’ve fancied for quite a while.  And then I went to a gig last night that completely blew me away, and so I’ve decided to start this blog today.

On Thursday night I got an email from Pennyblackmusic announcing a gig with Nick Garrie on Saturday night.  I thought, “WOW!, Nick Garrie , I had no idea he’d even be playing, that record came out 40 years ago”.  I bought the remaster of that psychfolkpop classic, “The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas” when it came out in 2005, and loved it.  Trouble was I had 3 events I had already agreed to go to on Saturday night.  But then I started checking out the other bands on the bill.  And completely fell in love with The Hall Of Mirrors , esp. the utterly utterly lovely pop masterpiece, ‘Springtime’ .  I knew I needed to attend this gig.

So I headed down to The Half Moon in Herne Hill last night, a quite lovely area of South London I had never before visited.  And it turned into one of those magical evenings that make you realize how wonderful it is to live in London, just that things like Nick Garrie would be playing along with a fantastic new pop find.

The show was so good I started the blog immediately afterwards. And a short time later Bill Cummings from God Is In The TV zine  would offer ‘if you ever wanna write anything for us, just let me know’ and that’s how it all started. Soon I’d be writing for The Quietus and beyond.

 

Everything’s Gone Green – my blog from 2014 about my favourite gluten-free vegan restaurants. Lengthy entries on Cambridge, MA’s Life Alive, and Jennifer’s Way and Quintessence in Manhattan.

css.php