From 6pm on Soho Radio: a fresh look at the decade of electroclash, landfill indie, the Cowellisation of pop & the post-Britney wave of Swedish popsmiths with Sam Spencer of the 2000s Chart Show pod + Simon Le Bon shares the story behind Duran Duran's Ordinary World + the usual mix of ace records.

From 6pm on Soho Radio: a fresh look at the decade of electroclash, landfill indie, the Cowellisation of pop & the post-Britney wave of Swedish popsmiths with Sam Spencer of the 2000s Chart Show pod + Simon Le Bon shares the story behind Duran Duran's Ordinary World + the usual mix of ace records.

Don't really get the critical circumspection. I thought SNL Live UK had a much higher hit ratio than almost any sketch show I've seen for at least 10 years and to have done it live is even more impressive. Also it's great that, outside of sport, the live TV event can still be A Thing in 2026.

A few hours after the final episode of Small Prophets aired, I found myself pondering the quiet intensity of the response to it. Like it was sating a thirst that we didn't know was there. So I tried to put it into words. www.thetimes.com/life-style/s...

After the first series of Small Prophets ended last night, I awoke at 3.30am with some thoughts about why it's made such a connection, especially with a certain sort of man you don't often hear about. Here they are. www.thetimes.com/life-style/s...

Dear capitalism, At least 25% of the time, all you want when you’re hungry is beans on toast & yet much less than 25% of the cafes where I live do beans on toast. Can you fix that please? And while you’re at it can you also bring mugs of non-specific frothy coffee back from the verge of extinction?

And lovely to see Care shoulder-to-shoulder with all of Ian Wade's other impeccable selections in his ever indispensable Music OMH reissues audit. www.musicomh.com/features/spo...

Similarly blown away by this rave review from Shaun Curran over at Record Collector: "Amazing how well Care have held up 40 years on: this is melodic ornate pop given a strange tenor with Simpson’s cryptically doomed lyricism and romantic baritone, both of their time and transcendent of it."

"Well this is where things get exciting as I genuinely think that the lesser heard ones are the better tracks on the collection." I was touched to read Clinton's heartfelt eulogy here. We spend so long trying to get every detail right on these releases. When people notice, it's hugely gratifying.

Sitting in the car in the EV charging bay at my local petrol station, re-watching Max Dowman’s winning goal for Arsenal on my phone and not entirely understanding why it’s making me quite so emotional is a slightly more visceral start to the day than I expected.

Having the news end with the football results just before the start of Match Of The Day is like

Ultra-niche reggae/indie crossover observation. The Boo Radleys' Kingsize, but done by The Mighty Diamonds with the full Channel 1 in-house ensemble in the style of I Need A Roof. Would work so well it pains me that it doesn't exist. open.spotify.com/track/5hrQ5R...

What a delivery from @burningshed.com (well packaged) Care - Love Crowns & Crucifies (Double CD & Vinyl) + rare 7" Demo Single @paulsimpson.bsky.social @lightningseeds.bsky.social @x9zero.bsky.social @punkandnewwave.bsky.social @scotspostpunk.bsky.social @wallytbm.bsky.social @philk282.bsky.social

REISSUE OF THE WEEK: ‘Love Crowns and Crucifies’ by Care The complete recorded works from Paul Simpson and Ian Broudie’s jangle pop and new wave duo are united by Needle Mythology. @needlemythology.bsky.social www.normanrecords.com/features/bes...

Over 40 years on, the mythical "lost" album by Ian Broudie and Paul Simpson's art-pop duo Care finally emerges! It definitely took a village to raise this child. Thank you to everyone helped make this happen, but especially Ian and Paul, whose brief but beautiful alliance yielded such riches.

I wish there were a love equivalent of fundraiser pages for situations like the one in which Antonin Kinsky found himself last night. Imagine going to bed feeling broken and humiliated, but then waking up to a million messages of support, all echoing the words of fellow keeper David De Gea...

Until this week - until this post came across my timeline - I'd somehow never heard of Care. Have spent the last 24hrs listening to Diamonds & Emeralds and feeling grateful that, after 40 years, I've finally encountered all its beauty and wonder. What a band.

It’s here and it looks and sounds amazing! 💙 @paulsimpson.bsky.social @petepaphides.bsky.social @needlemythology.bsky.social

I’m down to 3% schadenfreude so will have to hold off on the Igor Tudor updates until I get home.

And so it begins!

Looking forward to this.

I'm worried about what Spurs will be like when this new manager bounce wears off.

Pure Pop Genius.

Heartfelt thanks to Shaun Curran & Record Collector for this two-page rave of mythical "lost" album Love Crowns And Crucifies by Care – the short-lived alliance of Mersey mavericks Paul Simpson & Ian Broudie. "Amazing how well Care have held up 40 years on", beams Shaun. Isn't it just? Out Friday!

Halfway through Season 1 of The Bridge, the hitherto adorable Martin Rohde's sudden lapse into infidelity means that, unlike Tina Turner, I now need another hero.

You could watch the news at 6pm today. Or…

I let this beauty lie fallow for far too long, but it’s been an absolute joy to reacquaint myself with it this weekend.

From 6pm on Soho Radio tomorrow, I'm be joined by two of my very favourite humans. Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor will be here to talk about his beautiful new solo album Paris In The Spring and we'll also have primo curator of a zillion comps Dean Rudland talking about his new Charles Stepney anthology.

This morning I woke up thinking about John Grant and The Czars. www.patreon.com/posts/152514...

I wonder how much longer the BBC will continue with the Wayne-Rooney-as-new-star-pundit experiment when they have so many other far less used ex-footballers who seem to be so much better suited to that role. Of the more recent arrivals, Theo Walcott, Ellen White and Troy Deeney all spring to mind.

Pressing thoughts upon watching two old TOTPs while on the treadmill earlier 1. David Essex's Imperial Wizard was begging to be covered by a post-Black Celebration Depeche Mode 2. After watching The Buggles do The Plastic Age, what exactly did 14yo me find surprising about Trevor Horn joining Yes?

Sorry I know the world is in a terrible fix but I've been laughing at this for ten minutes now

Alexis Taylor's Paris In The Spring (out a week on Friday) is a deep comforting hug of a record from which I am in absolutely no hurry to release myself.

Royals by Lorde playing at my local grocery. So similar to the theme song to Morons From Outer Space. Yet so different.

Oh, that is fabulous. I had good chats with both Ed and Jane back in summer 2021, and it's one of the strangest but loveliest little things I've worked on. Genuine eccentrics, but the nicest people. It's all here: hauntedgeneration.co.uk/2021/08/13/e...

Technically 2025 (though only just, 11th Dec) it was stunning. The evening was billed as an Edward Barton retrospective featuring him and guests. She was sitting to our right during the opening acts, looking like any of us (about 120 people all aged 50-70) and then she stood up and blew our minds!

I went to this gig, with about 50 people in all, and it was about the most magical thing that happened in 2025. I would really like to talk about Edward Barton and Jane every day.

Been listening to a lot of Sharon Jones and to the Daptone Gold album lately, so coming across this by @petepaphides.bsky.social is a nice heartwarmer. (It's also good to hear the Naturally instrumentals album released fairly recently.) www.patreon.com/posts/among-...

This is why I follow @petepaphides.bsky.social. Not afraid to confess that I'd never (knowingly) heard the original. Now I have. And this amazing present-day performance, too. In a world of doom-scrolling, a wholly positive post like this is the day's unexpected joy.

Have just gone and bought the Jane and Barton EP on the strength of this, so my ears say thank you while my wallet quietly curses. Thanks for finding and sharing. It's joyful.

Oh my goodness.

Why am I sitting here in tears on a Tuesday morning after watching this? It’s a fine day indeed. Thanks, Pete

This is wonderful!

Here she is in 2026! This neatly bobbed, elegantly coutured lady in her 60s, steps forward in the manner of someone who might just as easily address an international conference held to improve the efficacy of PPE rollouts in future pandemics. And then she sings: “It’s a fine day/People open windows”

I play a game on social media I say something nice about U2 and then count the minutes until someone pops up to tell me Bono is a dick or mention something about their taxes etc. Pete eloquently discusses much the same issue here.

“Anyway, at the risk of sounding cheesy and mawkish, you really can’t underestimate the importance of gratitude, can you?” @petepaphides.bsky.social

You may have heard it (but some of your followers may not have), but his was such a good episode of This Cultural Life and sent me straight to his book. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

#THIS. 🙏 (While I'm thinking of the Dap-Kings, good luck finding a better Xmas record than the one Sharon Jones made with them, "It's A Holiday Soul Party".)

I found myself inordinately touched by Mark Ronson's decision to place The Dap-Kings right at the centre of his big Brits moment, so I wrote a few words to explain why (to myself as much as anyone else).