Some reflections on the year: in 2025 I outgrew my parents; found myself making decisions (with my wife obvs) in a small, torn, labile family (renewing at one end, expiring at the other ). Hard hard hard - & who am I, anyway? Work was frequently stressful but I worked on some wonderful books.

Honestly, there have just been SO many good records this year. These have been the standouts for me! The 12 albums which Jonathan has unilaterally given the Assistant stamp of approval! Thank you for your music, all.

Honestly, there have just been SO many good records this year. These have been the standouts for me! The 12 albums which Jonathan has unilaterally given the Assistant stamp of approval! Thank you for your music, all.

Now with electric guitars on.soundcloud.com/xGiuJmmdgQtj...

Should the next Assistant record be a 10”? I really love this format.

Should the next Assistant record be a 10”? I really love this format.

Assistant are gradually pulling together their end of year lists, as tis the season. Here’s Pete’s.

Here's a link to playback of my last radio show of the year: songs from @thesuncharms.bsky.social, The Go-Betweens, Julian Cope, @europeansunmusic.bsky.social, Hen Ogledd and @robertrotifer.bsky.social - and lots more (quite. few from Australia here). Happy Xmas BTW www.mixcloud.com/jonathanship...

Some of favourite albums of 2025. If you see your cover art you've given me great pleasure and joy this year. Thanks to all of you 🩷🙏🩷

We are KNOCKED OUT by this fantastic review of Lowlands by @assistant.bandcamp.com in the latest edition of his astonishing fanzine In The April Sun. A thoughtful, passionate labour of love, it's unsurprisingly nearly sold out; get your copy now!

2025 is the year of the Octopus!!! Couldn’t they have told us sooner?? I have 9 days in which to squeeze in a whole year of octopus related activities! Can’t they make 2026 the year of the octopus? I think I’ve only eaten octopus once this year!!!

The remainder of the show is fully Antipodean: songs from Piggietails (Melbourne), Bongjorno (Melbourne), The Salad Boys (Christchurch) and The Go-Betweens (Brisbane). Hope you enjoy this lot!! And thanks for listening x x

Somehow I totally missed this new single by @thesuncharms.bsky.social at the end of October. Playing it now on #freshingredients and excited that a new LP is imminent. This one is great. thesuncharms.bandcamp.com/album/monste...

This is the Svetlana Boym book I was just quoting on #freshingredients. It's a academic book but v readable and fascinating on nostalgia; it's uses and abuses. www.amazon.co.uk/Future-Nosta...

Really fab this: the 2nd song I've played tonight from @polaroidblog.bsky.social's Xmas compilation. Great lyrics too: "27 dicembre: It’s insane to decide in advance wether you’ll be taking drugs on New Years’ Eve or not. How can you possibly have fun when you’re supposed to have fun?"

The next two songs are magnificent; similar and different. First the lead-in single from @europeansunmusic.bsky.social's forthcoming LP on @skepwax.bsky.social; then this song by David Westlake from his unusual, out-of-time 2022 LP My Beautiful England.

🎶"Sometimes London don't seem that appealing / maybe your lover is living in Deptford"🎶

Love the eccentric historical sweep of the lyrics to that one by Hen Ogledd. It segues into a few songs by or about English eccentricities, sins and ommissions. The next song is by David Devant & His Spirit Wife! Thanks to @spacemenp.bsky.social for helping me broadcast this one!

This song now on #freshingredients: v much my favourite song at the mo. Discovered thanks to @wcba.bsky.social’s excellent radio show!

This is a new song by Assistant! Not our newest (we're on a roll) but the most-recently released, and it's our Xmas number. Everything in it is true, to the best of my memory. "For Xmas last year, Santa sent round the plague / The workings of life are just so very vague". #freshingredients

If I could hear music properly by ear, I'd be able to tell you if the next two songs (Robert Mitchum by Julian Cope and How 'Bout You by Henry-Joe) are in the same key etc. They might not be! But I think they sound good next to one another. Two great songs: the Henry Joe track is from this:

Running slightly behind, this is now playing on untidyradio.com

Kicking off my #freshingredients radio show with The Frankfurt Kitchen by @robertrotifer.bsky.social. Brilliant song. And true story: not long after I met my wife I woke her mumbling in my sleep about Grete Schütte-Lihotzky (who designed the first fitted kithen). Listener, she (still) married me.

I'm on the radio in a an hour; roughly half of the songs on tonight's show are interested in the chequered history of Britain. Roughly the other half are from Australia or New Zealand. Maybe a slightly quieter, more acoustic show than usual? Do tune in!

Assistant are gradually pulling together their end of year lists, as tis the season. Here’s Pete’s.

Charity shop booty for reading in the pub! Four people’s idea of fun

Oh go on then... 😎

Totally delighted to encounter these zines finding happy homes! And particularly glad to see a copy in the hands of @thelovelybasement.bsky.social, who made my fave LP this year.

It’s a happy fact that even one small discovery makes me very happy!

Some good stuff to investigate here!

This Assistant video has accrued 57 views on YouTube in two years which strikes me as reasonably pathetic. It has some nice shots of the moon in it for god’s sake!

My son just asked me out of nowhere “daddy, who is your favourite punk band” (not out of the blue - there was context). And I did not have an answer ready!!! What’s wrong with me? Been waiting my whole life for that question. I don’t KNOW who my favourite punk band is! All I could think of was XTC!

The last FRESH INGREDIENTS this year goes out on untidyradio.com on Sunday at 7pm. Songs by @europeansunmusic.bsky.social, @robertrotifer.bsky.social, @thesuncharms.bsky.social, Julian Cope, David Westlake and a bunch of music from Australia and New Zealand. You can visit but you cannot stay.

Does anyone have an mp3 of the original single version of Pimlico by David Devant & His Spirit Wife? If not I'm going to have to go and scrabble around in my loft looking for it

Taking this down again shortly as about to have another run at a mix!

If anyone with experience of mixing fast songs wants to give me some tips re the below demo, please do. I have figured out how to mix mid-tempo jangle, not 160bpm splurges.

My Brain Is Like A Bike Lock (working demo) soundcloud.com/assistantbri...

A massive Merci! to Philippe of the Lollypop show on Radio Curieuse in Rennes for playing 'Throwaway Friend'... Impeccable, m'sieur. Again, lots of great new music, highly recommended show. canalb.fr/lollypop/8677 Some up and coming outfit called @shopfiresmusic.bsky.social in there, too.

Been digging @lovejoy-official.bsky.social this week, courtesy of @assistant.bandcamp.com and his lovely, warming radio show Fresh Ingredients. Top stuff all round!

My sense is that the “male loneliness crisis” is not really about addressing men’s emotional needs but rather the relatively newfound absence of having someone to perform domestic labor for you quietly in the background now that there is a longer gap between your mother and your wife doing it

This is the best thing I've heard in ages; medieval folk paegant theatre, sax solos, rapping, anti-capitalist rap. Funny, anarchic, and surreal. Clearly made by archaeology graduates, or Bulgakov. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGMO...

Tune in if you haven't already to @wcba.bsky.social's excellent THE SUGAR & LUST RADIO SHOW on noiseboxradio.com tonight. Brilliant stuff so far!

Welcome to THE SUGAR & LUST RADIO SHOW and my second BEST OF 2025 show! There'll be some you know and some that are hopefully new to you and you'll dig! If you missed the first you can still catch it - and all of our shows - on mixcloud.com/noiseboxradio - but let's get things started...

A massive thank you to @dickaltavista.bsky.social at @ckcufm.bsky.social 🍁for playing "Charmtrap" on his show last night - alongside heavenly pop hits from @lovejoy-official.bsky.social and the TVPs! Insane company for us to be in, absolutely mad. We are very grateful 😍

There are 5 radio shows here, presented by me, which have a absolute ton of good songs. If I was gonna recommend one I'd probably say, er, I dunno, maybe the fourth or fifth episodes? I thiiiink its getting better. #indiepop #learnthroughdoing www.mixcloud.com/jonathanship...

In light of this lovely review (which means a lot from the magnificent @unspunheroes.com) I am duty bound to report that I have 15 copies of this left! assistant.bandcamp.com/merch/in-the...

I’ve adored all the issues of this, but in the third instalment Jonathan has surpassed himself. It’s like a sad lamp in that it brings light to these dark December days. Also, it contains a review of The Felt Tips’ debut which came out on vinyl in October. (Copies available!)

I reposted without saying the necessary ... this is excellent !

A series of chilly pop songs and winter splinters; tunes to wriggle under the blanket with - show 5 of #freshingredients features @lovejoy-official.bsky.social, an amazing new Xmas compilation which is raising funds for food in Gaza, @dreamcoasterband.bsky.social, the Goon Sax and loads more x x x

Here is Assistant's new song, from the excellent A Polaroid for Christmas 2025 compilation album by @polaroidblog.bsky.social. This cheery number is called 'Thank God We're Alive' and today your Assistant lead vocalist is Pete. polaroidblog.bandcamp.com/track/thank-...