At age thirteen, back in 1988, I asked my mother “Do you think I should join Friends of The Earth mum? I can pay £5 every month that goes towards them saving the environment. Will it work if I join? Because we need to save the environment.” This came at a time when, living in…
If you, like me, are fortunate to know a little about London’s Soho, then you will know that The Coach and Horses pub on the corner of Greek Street is a precious jewel of London town. If it’s just a pub you happened to have visited and enjoyed, then let me tell you why, without…
In the hours following the news that Lindsay had died, I have never felt more loneliness in my life. It is hard to understand how only two months ago we performed on stage to a crowd with all the abandon of children playing to parents in a playground, without a single thought that it might not last…
Ben Pelchat is always doing something new. When he first started in music, it was not a skin-deep desire to emulate the latest or greatest craze. Pelchat is about the music and the pursuit of creating sound that connects on a deep and lasting level. I know, it sounds alien by today’s standards, since that…
The news that Eddi passed came to me via my friend Steve Furst, who also told me the news last year that Bernie Katz had passed. I’m staying at a friend’s apartment in the east end of Toronto, looking out the window at the unwelcome cocktail of hail, ice and snow falling from the sky…
Without doubt, Midge Ure is the reason I chose, at the tender age of 10, to live the rest of my life writing songs and singing quite often about love and/or social activism. I recognise the importance of celebrating great musicians when they have shuffled off this mortal coil, but I think it’s equally, if…
The extraordinary thing about entering Soho after a long time between drinks is that you forget how long it is since you were away. The embrace of being at home once more erases all memory that you haven’t been back in a long time. The draw on this occasion is of course, the very same…
Wednesday 25th October Kathy’s fundraiser has reach £2500! Her story was covered in a Canadian newspaper and rather sweetly, the journalist mentioned that ‘even a Brit has written a song for her’. I found this quite lovely as I never think of myself as a Brit. I’ve broken into The Brits a few times, but…
Wednesday 18th October It’s three days since I was at the Isle of Wight. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Dwayne about the drone footage but I think he must have been very busy as there was no answer. I’ll leave it to fate. If I’m meant to have the drone footage, he…
Sunday 15th October We stayed in a hotel which was very sweet but very Fawlty Towers too. I actually liked it, lots of 70s wallpaper everywhere and it felt family run. We had something to eat in the hotel restaurant and halfway through my risotto (Nim had vegetable soup), there was a power cut. We…
Saturday 14th October The East Finchley Arts Festival was amazing. It was such an uplifting gig. I loved playing the new songs with Graeme. Somehow the simple piano accompaniment without any of the drums or vast instrumentation from the albums makes me fill more of the songs up with more of my voice. Can’t explain…
Tuesday 10th October, My head has been in too many different places today. Excited to be rehearsing with the girls tonight. Still trying to decide what to play at the arts festival for the two-album show. And still not sure if I will manage to shave off my goatee and moustache in the interval to…
Sunday 8th October. Weird day today. After Michael and Katie lost their home a few weeks ago in a fire, the same thing has now happened to my friend Kathy and her mum Neva. In fact all the apartments in their block have burnt down, related to an attack on one of the Syrian families…
At least once a month for the last 3 years someone has always asked me “Is that the final nail in the coffin for Soho?”. First it was Madame Jojo’s (before it was saved), then the working girl’s flats in Walker’s Court, Berwick Street market, The Stockpot, The Colony. The list is endless. I have…
David Byrne recently published a brilliant article on technologyreview.com detailing the current changes we’re all facing regarding technology’s role in removing human contact. Automated services from Facebook to Sky, Apple and beyond have become so advanced that many of us interact with algorithms more than actual real actions. Having worked at Apple, I have witnessed…