Steve’s Mix Tapes

My guest this week is Niall Quinn Niall was the drummer and main songwriter in The Hitchers - whose 1997 song ‘Strachan’ was a John Peel favourite and has regularly been voted as one of the best football-related songs of all time. You may also have heard it quite recently on this podcast, as Steve Hill chose it for his mix in episode #76.

My guest this week is David Rose I was introduced to David via previous guest Paul Garrett. David describes himself as 'a punk/ post-punk/ indie music fan and inveterate gig-goer of 45 years standing, currently with over 1,400 gigs under my belt' and has blogged about his experiences at http://www.gigbook.blogspot.com/

My guest this week is Graeme Ramsey Graeme is not only an ex-member of The Wedding Present, but has been both the drummer (2006-09) and the guitarist (2009-12). He also, as we discussed, once told Steve Albini how to mic a drum kit!

My guest this week is Liam Fitzpatrick Liam hails from Birmingham, but now resides in Whitby and runs his own cafe, Beckett's. Like me, he has a background in education, and also like me is a fan of The Wedding Present and The Fall. He emailed me to say, “if ever you fancy another ordinary 'Joe Soap' on the show - just let me know”.  Well, I'm always delighted to have a music enthusiast on the show...

My guest mixer this week is Steve Hill Steve is a journalist and author whose debut book, The Card, was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.  His third book - out later this year - is called Friday Night Fever: Inside The Cult Of Half Man Half Biscuit.

My guest this week is Mark Hex Mark is an author and musician who describes himself as “Scottish bred, London exiled. Deep fried in Glasgow” who writes, according to his Amazon page, “stories for people who don't like books.” He has written a series of books about growing up in Ayrshire in the 90s, including Nae Burds, Here We Go, Decks of Ten and Exploding Cans and Utter Bams. He has also released several albums on Bandcamp, including Edgelore of the Land of Nihilists, People Hate Glasgow and, most recently, Unique Results (New Adventures in Lo-fi) - an album that one website said “spits, seethes, and struts with unruly charm.”

My guest this week is Pinko Fowler Pinko, a fellow friend of Sombrero Fallout, was - along with Brenda Kelly - the founder of Snub TV, a no-frills cable show captured 80s and 90s bands at their most bonkers. He was also a photographer / cameraman who worked on  live gigs and promos for Rough Trade bands such as the Smiths and the Go-Betweens. Apologies for the occasionally dubious sound quality - it's a long way from Powys to Sydney!

My guest this week is Joanna Burnett Long-time listeners may recall that my very first episode was a mix of my own devising, and whilst many people were very kindly positive about my choice of tracks, one correspondent did point out that my mix was made up entirely of male artists. Suitably chastised, my next solo episode (show #006) was a female-only list named after my critic - and I’m delighted to say that that very person is this week’s guest.

My guest this week is Emma Pollock Emma was a founder member of The Delgados, who were simply one of the very best bands of the late 90s / early 00s. As part of the band, she set up the label Chemikal Underground, which has released music by Mogwai and Arab Strap. She has also enjoyed a successful solo career, her latest album being Begging The Night To Take Hold. I met Emma in Cardiff last year when she was supporting The Wedding Present which gave me the very welcome opportunity to set this up. Harry, a good friend of mine who is a big fan of her music told me that, "as well as being a supremely talented musician, she's just a genuinely lovely person", and he wasn't wrong. This episode is dedicated to Harry.

My guest this week is Lindsay Boothman Lindsay is the first guest to compile a mix tape entirely based on one genre (reggae/dub), and whilst she did cheat a little with the 'something new' category (just as my wife did) I thought her selections made for a fantastic mix. There was no way I was going to be able to make a Spotify playlist, and even a YouTube playlist was going to be a challenge - so at the bottom of the page you will find my mix of the whole thing. Lindsay has popped up on the show before (on episode #060) with her partner Angus, but it was a real pleasure to have the time to explore her love of reggae.

My guest this week is Jon Sutton It's a small world... Jon originally contacted me with a “nerdy Wedding Present request” after seeing some of the TWP videos I'd uploaded to YouTube - and then it turned out he is acquainted professionally with star of episode #033 Gavin Morgan. Jon is a Chartered Psychologist and Head of Science Communication. In his spare time he has contributed live reviews, interviews and photography to music fanzines including In The April Sun and Zine Things Happen. Get ready for a bit of shoegaze; and - it had to happen sometime - the first appearance of New Order.

My guest this week is Tony Harris My guest back in episode #055 was Paul Howarth, one half of the duo that produce the estimable Twilight Turntable podcast (on which I appeared recently) and I'm delighted to complete my TT set this week. Tony, who currently resides in Manila, has a background in advertising and has published a book about his experiences: Advertising: More Fun in the Philippines.

My guest this week is David Pisker I was introduced to David by previous guest Ian Forth of Sombrero Fallout fame, who recommended him as an 'absolute authority on underground Melbourne music.'  David - who describes himself as 'a music and film tragic' - is a DJ on Melbourne's PBS FM and has also had his photography featured in Clinton Walker’s seminal history of Australian Independent Music, Stranded.