Roy Harper (84!) amazing last night at Manchester Bridgewater Hall. Played the set list of my dreams. Wonderful accompaniment from son Nick. @harperspace.bsky.social

Our first taste of the music press…and it was a good one (it couldn’t last 😉)

Love that last line….

August 31 1977, Yachts support XTC at London’s Hope & Anchor…

Continuing the nearly unanimous run of 8/10 (or 4/5) reviews from virtually all the printed monthly magazines (+Guardian/Observer), here's review of the "new" Yachts LP 'Missing in Action - The Lost Tapes 1980-81', in latest Vive Le Rock mag. available from www.henrypriestman.com/merchandise-2/

An early line-up of Swing Out Sister? No, me and my girlfriend Jackie ( #stilltogether ) on a jaunt to West Kirby with the late Con McConville c1985. Pic by Rupert Flindt

Yet more It's Immaterial...just been sent this (thanks Stephen Watson), from Sounds, November 5th 1983...

Re my last post, on the LP release of all the It’s Immaterial Peel sessions, I thought I’d better clarify whether I was actually ON the final session (by which time I’d left Itsy, & was writing songs for what would become 1st Christians album) Found my diary from ‘85, entry for April 21st: [7 am!!!]

Been enjoying listening to this album. It’s a new It's Immaterial album, all the four John Peel sessions that we did between 1981 and 1985…great to hear the development of the band from the first session (early days) to the final one (after “Driving Away from Home…” and first album had come out)…

Had a great few days in Liverpool this last week; belated birthday meet-up with school/college friends (even a bit of an Albert Dock/Yachts reunion), & a photo session with John Hollingsworth that was a joy...notice I brought along my rather photogenic vintage Farfisa as a prop.

Spotted this on photographer Mick Mercer’s FB page; OTD in 1979 I was playing keyboards as a member of Bette Bright & The Illuminations, at London’s Music Machine. Bette/vocals, Glen Matlock on bass, Clive Langer on guitar, Paul Pilnick on guitar, and Rusty Egan on drums. What a band!

OTD in 2020…

3rd (& final) of my vaguely retrospective “Evening With” gigs, looking back & celebrating having made it to 70. Anglesey/Ynys Mon, Saturday October 25th, in Cemaes‘ Llanbadric Church (Eglwys Llanbadric)…the church by the roundabout at end of Cemaes high street. Tickets £10 call Gaynor: 07796 306163

I took this photo in the kitchen the other day…so as long as my next album is called “Rhubarb”, I’m sorted for cover artwork

Love these plectrums that my pal Les Glover got me the other week for my birthday…our “Six of One…” album cover artwork, with our motto ”how long have we got?” emblazoned across it.

…a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. #37YearsAgoToday

Said it before. I will say it again…

Suddenly, just 45 years too late (😉), Yachts are flavour of the month…great reviews for the ‘new’ “Missing in Action” album, a single still hanging around The Heritage Chart (reaching #26), now this excellent “Rough Guide to Yachts” in latest issue of ‘Vive le Rock’. Still, better late than never. 😊

“I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.“ Sunday June 22, 2pm, Talking Pictures TV

Saturday night, a gig to celebrate my upcoming 70th, 3 members of Yachts in the same room for the 1st time since 1981. Managed to persuade Mick Shiner to play a couple of tunes with us off the new "Missing in Action" LP. Love this clip of Mick realising he can't read the chords with shades on!

Me, 1980, Sounds magazine.

70th Celebration gig #2 tomorrow...drinkers, take note, NO BAR...see small print at bottom: "bring own drink/glasses!"... Don't want a lot of grumbling from the punters 🙂

The Yachts' album 'Yachts' reviewed by Hugh Fielder and Pic by Paul Slattery in Sounds 9th, June 1979. @henrypriestman.bsky.social

The Yachts album 'Yachts' and UK Tour advert in Sounds 9th, June 1979. @henrypriestman.bsky.social

My Grandfather gave me this wheelbarrow for my 11th birthday in June 1966... Last day of May 2025, and it's just given up the ghost.

Today I discovered that my face briefly appeared in an episode of Brookside in 1988...

Set list from Saturday's "70th Birthday Bash #1" gig (spanning songs from 1977-2024), detailing who was coming on for what song (not conclusive, by the end everyone was up!)...potential logistical nighmare: 11 musicians, where would they all stand, would they all fit on stage? They did...just.

Still on cloud 9 after my sold out "70th Birthday Bash #1" concert at Future Yard, Birkenhead, on Saturday... So much love in the room, & plenty of love onstage too, with 11 (ELEVEN!) people joining me at various stages of the evening. Thanks to them all, and to all who attended. ♥️

Harmonies? Can’t get enough of the things. Lovely evening (pre)celebrating @henrypriestman.bsky.social ‘s birthday. (First time, for shame, that I’ve been to @futureyard.org - what a great venue.)

Bless yer! ‘Twas a wonderful night.

Unbelievable.My old band Yachts, with a demo recorded in 1981 (off cassette!) are now at #31 in The Heritage Charts, alongside some BIG hitters (see pic). What larks! Please vote, it takes 30 secs, & see if we can get any higher: uk.surveymonkey.com/r/522BLGP

Noswaith dda… Evening all…

YACHTS jump up to #33 in The Heritage Chart!... they even showed the video I made...don't go expecting anything good, it cost £0, and was my first attempt at a video, on iMovie. Huge thanks to anyone who voted, can it go higher? Surely not?...but then again. www.heritagechart.co.uk/hc-tv-shows/...

…and indeed, why not?

Being a patron of @thebraincharity.bsky.social, I was happy to oblige when they asked if they could use some of my music as the theme for their podcast Neurodiversity Matters. They chose a snippet of "Beautiful Dreamers", featuring Pete Riley's splendid slide guitar. open.spotify.com/show/6T7KwpE...

Woken up to discover I have not 1 but 2 songs in The Heritage Chart! Yachts' "A Fool Like You" straight in at #42 (from the new Missing in Action album), and Peter Coyle's "Sabotage" is at #84. If you've a mo, please consider giving a vote to the above. Here's the link uk.surveymonkey.com/r/522BLGP

The good reviews for Yachts' "new" album just keep on coming, and this one's fabulous. 4 stars in this month's Record Collector...(Dr Feelgood on cover) "...deserving of more than a footnote in the story of Scouse music" Available here: www.henrypriestman.com/merchandise-2/

Hilarious pic from 1979, after playing a Bette Bright & The Illuminations gig in Manchester. Enjoyed doing this podcast, but we recorded it last May, so no idea what we chatted about…usual nonsense, I suppose open.spotify.com/episode/4Xhd...

The press have caught up with this awful story of a violent police raid on a Quaker meeting house - front page of the Sunday Times today. Beautiful line from a Quaker Elder “The only resistance I could put up was to make tea and drink it in front of them without offering them any.” archive.ph/Ndh1z

Great to have a coffee/chinwag today with fellow ex-Yachts John J Campbell & Martin Dempsey (ailments high on the list, obvs 😉 ). We all first met up 50 years ago!!...would would I be doing with my life if I'd not hooked up with these 2? Love you, lads x Pic: Hope 'n' Anchor, London, 27 Sept 1977

Evening all!! Prynhawn dda.

Mick Shiner (bassist in Yachts for Missing in Action album) just revealed he'd recently come across the key for his room at Iroquois Hotel in New York, back when we toured the US in 1980. Iggy was in the same hotel (CLANG!); we shared a lift with him, must've come across like tongue-tied fanboys.

Hey, we's on TOTP!

Sorry to harp on, but they just keep on coming…(’twas never like this back in the day!). Another good review for Yachts’ “Missing in Action-The Lost Tapes 1980-81”, this time in online music mag At The Barrier:| atthebarrier.com/2025/03/04/y...

I have 2 tickets for @henrypriestman.bsky.social's 70th Birthday Bash in @futureyard.org on 17th April, for sale. Face value, £33.75, inclusive of all fees. We have a clash that night and have tickets for his Beverley bash in June.

Tickets went on sale yesterday, only 17 left…

Tickets now on sale for my second ‘70th birthday bash’ near Beverley, E Yorks on June 14th. Appear to be going quickly! wegottickets.com/event/651274

Nice to hear this old song by Canadian artist Esthero on Chris Currie’s show last night. Literally improvised in the studio. I started playing simple 4 bar chord sequence/melody. Esthero: “keep playing that, I’ve an idea, & press record”. She sung it all in one take. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exmt...

That Chris Currie is a corker; he’s only gone and picked TWENTY songs I’ve had an involvement in (be it writer, session player, producer, band member) for his Mersey Radio show tonight, all from different artists…even I had forgotten my involvement in some. No payola involved, honest

Saddened to hear we lost Bill Fay on Friday…he recorded some wonderful stuff, and great that he had a resurgence in his later years. ❤️