Reflections on yesterday’s brill #lgcnorth: - things are harder than ever but there is hope - everything is about people, not technology - finally a safe space to be cautious rather than evangelical about AI - collaboration as one public sector is key More: www.sarahlay.com/2025/11/week...

In Leeds today for LocalGovCamp North - first in a while for me & first as LocalGovDigital Chair! #lgcnorth

In Leeds today for LocalGovCamp North - first in a while for me & first as LocalGovDigital Chair! #lgcnorth

We are dead proud of this amazing review of Bringing Back The Humans by @sarahlay.bsky.social 🫶🤖 Check it out eh? 👇 popoptica.com/2025/10/14/p...

Me & Pete share our thoughts about each artist in our new compilation (spoiler: we think they are all great). Thanks to the ace @joyzineuk.bsky.social for the piece Among The Wildflowers is out now on vinyl, CD & digital!

Out tomorrow, but stream today! Thanks to @echoesanddust.bsky.social & @echoesanddan.bsky.social for hosting an exclusive stream of the @recklessyes.bsky.social compilation Among The Wildflowers Ten incredible artists, a whole range of genres. Vinyl & CD over on Bandcamp! #newmusicmonday

Time to bring my record label @recklessyes.bsky.social back with this ace (if I do say so) compilation It’s a privilege to celebrate the DIY music scene with these artists 💖 Pre-orders open now 👇🏻 out 7 October 2025

Latest #WeekNote: - pivoting content strategy to meet customers where they are, even though that’s not on your website anymore - surviving the corporate immune system as an innovator - finding happiness every day as the years go by fast www.sarahlay.com/2025/08/week... #LocalGovDigital

In my latest #weeknote: - culture is what we tolerate - transformation, content strategy, and experiences that aren’t digital by default - unexpected learning alongside formal study (and a well done to my eldest on his A Level results) www.sarahlay.com/2025/08/week... #localgovdigital

Feels like it’s time to get back into the record game… Look at some of our past releases, ain’t they beauts 😍

A post born of frustration: stop undermining the value of content in your product or services. Imagine all the content vanished - long-form, mid weight and microcopy all gone. Still think you have a product? I’m not so sure… www.sarahlay.com/2025/08/we-s... #contentdesign #localgovdigital

Second consecutive Weeknote! This week: - it’s time: empower us to say no to low value work - what to learn next (recommendations welcome) - being vulnerable, being resilient www.sarahlay.com/2025/08/week... #localgov #localgovdigital #productdesign #weeknote

Did a somewhat therapeutic blog post pondering on why decent digital basics are still the exception in local government. www.sarahlay.com/2025/08/is-i... #localgovdigital #digitaltransformation

As both of us at Reckless Yes have birthdays today we thought why not start teasing our return as a record label as part of the celebrations… So here we go…a sneak peek of something coming soon. Find us on Bandcamp, in the shops and all the usual music places to check out our (149) releases so far

Making a return to open working with a 3 thought Weeknote: - looking at the whole user experience across many touch points - finding a place in a system and nurturing communities to support and amplify - getting out of my own way to get back to open working www.sarahlay.com/2025/08/week...

Ten years have passed since I wrote the first draft of my novel The Winter Passing. I’ve since come close to publishing the second book in the series a few times but finally ready to fully commit and share more nonsense I made up in my head with anyone who cares to read it. Let’s go, I guess

Had a very good time at Hatch in Sheffield last night for lots of electronic noise pop from the wonderful Eilis Frawley, the ever brilliant Duck, and my new favourites @pinkopaque.co.uk This info but longer and with added pictures and sounds on Popoptica popoptica.com/2025/06/01/e...

I lost a dear friend, a most generous soul. We've all lost a fine blogger, podcaster and community builder. perfectpath.co.uk/2025/04/16/n...

Wrote a few lines about the new single from Electric Pets. Kowtow! captures the bittersweet moment between holding on and letting go then wraps it in a 60s girl pop meets modern indie rock sound popoptica.com/2025/03/03/e...

Great article about the real riot women musicians of Yorkshire featuring 2 brilliant Reckless Yes artists - Sarah of Duck & Erin of Nervous Twitch Looking forward to this show and also bringing Reckless Yes back to life as a label in 2025 www.bbc.com/news/article...

Great article about the real riot women musicians of Yorkshire featuring 2 brilliant Reckless Yes artists - Sarah of Duck & Erin of Nervous Twitch Looking forward to this show and also bringing Reckless Yes back to life as a label in 2025 www.bbc.com/news/article...

Intense emotions, intricate instrumentation, poetic lyrics - latest single A Hole In The Ground from Porridge Radio New album just a few weeks away now! 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/09/24/p...

Big riffs from thick guitars, melodic bass, and gauzy vocal harmonies - shoegaze to start the week 🎧 Ephemeral is the second single from Rain Cloud Nine popoptica.com/2024/09/23/r...

We’re not far off the second album (in 2 years) from Brighton power pop band ARXX. Latest single Swim is a joyous, uplifting, emotional statement of solidarity and love for those in a gender journey 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/09/20/a...

A stunning and emotional listen - keening vocals and soothing melody as pain and healing perfectly expressed 🎧 Single Koko from Dear Pariah out now with EP to follow popoptica.com/2024/09/19/d...

Devastatingly heavy at times Emita Ox, the second album from Hello Mary, is a definite contender for album of the year 🎧 Melodic bass, scream to a sigh vocals, electronic details 💖 popoptica.com/2024/09/18/h...

We put the first couple of the EPs in this trilogy out on Reckless Yes (my record label) so great to see the final one released now (on No Distance) 🎧 Perfect for today’s full moon - the mystical Cosmic Upside Down EP from Piney Gir. A Country-jazz-60s pop fusion 💖 popoptica.com/2024/09/17/p...

Atmospheric grunge spiralling lyrically around the fear of losing control. Neurotic is the debut single from Brighton band Slung 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/09/16/s...

Raging noise punk from Berlin today. Five-track demo from Restless who feature the incredible Eilis Frawley - expect furious beats and catalysing riffs 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/09/13/r...

Gothic pop for a sunny but cold Autumn morning = perfect 💖 Latest single You Say You’re Lonely from Desperate Journalist with fifth album No Hero out later this month 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/09/12/d...

Usually it’s distorted guitars and raging rhythms from Berries so latest single Balance gives us another side: stripped bare acoustic and soft harmony indie-folk 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/09/11/b... A new album and tour dates in October 💖

A blast of emotionally driven high energy punk pop for a Tuesday morning 🎧 If you like Martha and Upset you are probably going to like bigfatbig. EP out now & live dates approaching popoptica.com/2024/09/10/b...

Dreampop to start the week - lovely debut single from London David Lynch-inspired band Mannequin Flowers 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/09/09/m...

Can recommend this indie rock album from @charleston51.bsky.social (who you might know from her work with the likes of Desperate Journalist, Salad & Sleeper among others) 🎧 “A sweet, scrappy, complex character of an album there is poignancy but so much joy” popoptica.com/2024/08/23/c...

Bit more music writing - a somewhat gushing piece about Jeff Buckley’s Grace as the album turns 30…anyone else love this album? 🎧 popoptica.com/2024/08/23/j...

A golden post on the GDS blog which @annieheath.bsky.social led me to as we reflected on ‘user needs before user wants’ today “People come to government to do important things. If they can’t get them done, it can cause significant problems…” userresearch.blog.gov.uk/2017/04/18/w...

“As brutal as it is beautiful there is unfathomable love, and crushing despair” A bit of music writing this week on Davey Macmanus’ autobiographical collection of poetry and writing - The Bluster Boy out 23 August Recommend as a read, and The Crimea back catalogue also great Sunday listening 🎧

This is a great story it’s been a pleasure to write about: After 10 years & with the effort of 10,000 lostwave community members a band is identified from only a 1 minute music clip recorded from French radio in 1993 Obscure indie band meets internet culture 🤝 popoptica.com/2024/08/19/i...

This is a great story it’s been a pleasure to write about: After 10 years & with the effort of 10,000 lostwave community members a band is identified from only a 1 minute music clip recorded from French radio in 1993 Obscure indie band meets internet culture 🤝 popoptica.com/2024/08/19/i...

#localgovcamp is the longest running and largest unconference for #localgov. This year it's at STEAMhouse in Birmingham on Thursday 26th September. Come and be part of one of the most collaborative and occasionally chaotic events for local government. digitaltransform.org.uk/2024/06/sept...

“As brutal as it is beautiful there is unfathomable love, and crushing despair” A bit of music writing this week on Davey Macmanus’ autobiographical collection of poetry and writing - The Bluster Boy out 23 August Recommend as a read, and The Crimea back catalogue also great Sunday listening 🎧

Just done some music (sort of) writing. This is as unexpected to me as it will be to new followers here based on my day job The Bluster Boy is a beautiful yet brutal autobiographical collection of poetry & other writing from Davey Macmanus (The Crimea, The Crocketts) popoptica.com/2024/08/16/b...

Just done some music (sort of) writing. This is as unexpected to me as it will be to new followers here based on my day job The Bluster Boy is a beautiful yet brutal autobiographical collection of poetry & other writing from Davey Macmanus (The Crimea, The Crocketts) popoptica.com/2024/08/16/b...

A starter pack for adding folks who work in, with, adjacent to etc.. local government digital and transformation go.bsky.app/4Dx5Coq

Notifications popping off due to sudden influx of followers. Hello 👋 Does this mean I am on some sort of list? If so, hope it’s the ‘they don’t say much’ list so expectations are correctly set

Got some stickers for coming to work today 👍🏻

A new website for LocalGovDigital! localgov.digital/2024/02/26/a...

In my latest weeknote: - affinity mapping as a team sport - competing information and advice content across local government - and a beautiful walk among the first signs of spring www.sarahlay.com/2024/02/week...

In my latest weeknote: - affinity mapping as a team sport - competing information and advice content across local government - and a beautiful walk among the first signs of spring www.sarahlay.com/2024/02/week...

A love letter to the crockery I am in obsessed with? Definitely. Inspiration for local government digital design? Possibly. Tenuously. Loosely. Still - great plates! A perfect union of function and form in one retro dinner service www.sarahlay.com/2024/02/simp...