I seem to have woken to the news that England have won a test match in Australia! This can’t be right? Shame it’s not a live game, but delighted for Jacob Bethell in particular

Much better performance, although did our best to chuck it away at the end. Always nice to get one over on Crewe though

Perfect Boxing Day football weather - sunny but freezing. Wish I’d bought a cap

The food’s been excellent, the wine plentiful, the washing-up relentless. And now apparently I’m ready for cheese & port

Belatedly catching up on #duvetknowitschristmas and this is an all-time great. So bleak

This afternoon definitely took a turn for the better. Few pints in the pub and on the way back @michellegrrr.bsky.social suggested a curry, and who was I to argue

Not a bad year that

And the laptop is finally away…

I’ve banged on about this record a lot this year, and here we go again. A massive leap forward from their (already excellent) previous albums, it could almost have been scientifically designed to appeal to me. One I’ll be listening to for a very long time #5albums25

While on the subject of old bands reforming, this is also pretty brilliant. Far better than I anticipated #5albums25

Probably the hip-hop album of the year, definitely the ‘old band reforming’ album of the year. Pharrell’s production is 👌 #5albums25

For some reason I am still working this week, and disgracefully people are still sending emails, booking meetings, and expecting me to know stuff.

Actually not too painful. No repeat of last year’s hour-long checkout queue

Big shop. Going in 😱

Well that was a game that happened. Not exactly a glowing advert for league 2

Made it! And the sun’s come out too

Yes!! First hearing of the year

Stupidly early to be setting off for an away game. But the combination of lunchtime kickoff, and having to go to Nottingham via Lichfield & Lincoln means it’s where we are

Oh Harry

“Pity the people who had too much dessert” #FallFriday

Got properly into the Hubro label this year, which happily coincided with a trip to Oslo. This is the best one they put out in 2025 #5albums25

Ducked out at the earliest possible opportunity. Another 3+ hour journey home but at least there’s beer this time

Wonderful record #5albums25

One of the least favourite days of the year - 3.5 hours on a train just to attend a work Xmas party

Credit to Snicko for deflecting everyone’s attention from the fact that England really should have been getting 500 on this flat pitch. #Ashes #AUSvENG

Just once, it’d be nice to wake up to positive news in the cricket

This one’s growing on me. Maybe a bit too long but he’s clearly immensely talented and large chunks of this are fantastic #5albums25

More @intlanthem.bsky.social excellence for #5albums25 intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/list-o...

So many great @intlanthem.bsky.social records this year, and this is right up there with the best #5albums25 intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/yowzers

Astoundingly lo-fi (the quietus review says “it sounds like it’s recorded onto a cassette subsequently ran over by a lorry”) but it works. Even better than last year’s ‘Folklore 1979’ and a definite contender #5albums25

Perfectly designed to brighten up a horrible damp December Monday morning #5albums25

Reduced the c.150 albums I’ve heard this year to a more manageable longlist of 50 for #5albums25 (which will no doubt be added to over the next few weeks). Starting off with this, the first of 2 excellent albums William Tyler put out this year

As if a disappointing home draw wasn’t bad enough, I’ve also got to go here on the way back

C’mon me babbies

One of my big bugbears -- the way Spotify playlists have, in just a handful of years, replaced British Xmas music (leery boozed-up Brummies with ridiculous facial hair) with American Xmas music (cardigans and expensive dentistry).

Rampant spamming of your timelines will commence shortly in anticipation of needing to get all of your votes in by this weekend. You know what to do (apart from blocking me). Top 10 tracks of 2025. In order. By Sunday night. Merci bien.

13

Went to the cellar to get the Xmas decorations, and someone followed me

#5debutalbums7074 ex-Velvets edition.

“I followed the colonel to the cheap hotel I tapped the beds, I wired the phones as well” #FallFriday

The Darts! #thedarts 🎯

More #5debutalbums7074 I like this Faust record but the Betty Davis is an impossible one to follow

This afternoon’s #5debutalbums7074 listening

This cat has just come inside, farted horrifically, and fallen asleep on my laptop. Not helping my productivity much

Been enjoying this one a lot lately. “A 40 minute suite of…drum improvisations” that’ll do for me

When they poured across the border I was cautioned to surrender This I could not do I took my energy snack and vanished.

Not one for the purists, but a really good win against a tough team. And a clean sheet despite almost an entire defence out injured

Top 6 gigs of 2025 (in date order) Field Lines Cartographer - Much Wenlock The Pogues - Birmingham Lisa O’Neill - Tramlines, Sheffield Funeral Folk - Supersonic, Birmingham Gwenifer Raymond - Shrewsbury The Unthanks - Bridgnorth

I can’t emphasize enough how much you need to watch this until the end