Thinking about these three bands, 48 hours on. Each has a singer with confidence and presence. It makes a difference when a singer can really sell the songs. I’ve seen hundreds of bands that had great sounds and good songs but were fronted by someone who wasn’t entirely comfortable in the spotlight.

Thunderball, Nobody Does It Better, You Know My Name

Australian crime fiction fans will enjoy these two new releases from Mark Smith & Inessa Jackson that traverse very different areas of the genre from political thriller to small town crime. #crimefiction #Downundercrime murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/australian-c...

📽 Beautiful shot from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958)

A cartoon about book festivals for @theguardian.com

The rest of my Saturday: rugby at Bruce Stadium – Brumbies vs Moana Pasifika (last match ever) in the #superrugbypacific final round; then Vietnamese dinner (with a Shaw 2024 Riscato ready in the chiller); then some rock action – Undermines + Kill City + Princess at Dissent Bar. Better get moving.

‘We have the results of the autism testing . . . you’re all on the Spectrum.’

Another delight from Tom.

Wilcox

#BookPromo 𝐌𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐲 Just after WW2, a young man travels to the frontier town of Darwin to discover what happened to his best friend during the Japanese bombing of the town. 🇦🇺🏳️‍🌈 mybook.to/ANIDs8a #historicalfiction #writeLGBTQ #novella

Pick a Bond villain from photos already on your phone.

Also just saw thr Thunderbirds episode City of Fire (1964) a couple of weeks after a rewatch of The Towering Inferno (1975) and both open with the same scene… A helicopter/helijet speeding along, right to left, in profile…

Nine reports formation of as yet unnamed party involving teal INDs may be imminent. archive.md/h5taB

We are so proud to make this announcement! None of this would've happened without the tireless work from our crew, editor @curtisippolito.bsky.social and all of the authors who contributed fantastic stories to bring awareness to this timely issue. #derringers2026 #crimefiction #climatechange

Join me at the charcuterie corpse, won’t you?

Ten acts you’ve seen, female lead singer edition: The Passengers Deadstar Rebecca’s Empire Skolars The Barbarellas Lighthouse Keepers The Sparklers Magic Dirt The Clouds Falling Joys

Died Pretty for Bluesky – the 1994 acoustic version of ‘Blue Sky Day’. #diedpretty youtu.be/-_w6fRvgflk

Join me at the charcuterie corpse, won’t you?

This week in the Canberra Weekly I reviewed 2 dark and thrilling new crime novels by Kiwi Gavin Strawhan, and thriller maestro John Connolly and a good non-crime book by Aust author Anna Johnston murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/canberra-wee...

I hope #deltagoodrem disappears again. Ages ago, there was mirth on Australian Twitter when some minor American celeb tweeted that he was at a concert in the VIP area and there was a white woman dancing beside him who had the worst sense of rhythm he had ever seen. He posted a pic – it was Delta.

It happens – but not to me.

Releases galore. The Oz publishers are still all-in on crime.

@michaelconnelly.bsky.social has a 2nd book in his Catalina Island series coming out next week & it is a good one! Detective Stilwell is back with a pair of intriguing cases & there is a good appearance by Renee Ballard &even a brief glimpse of Bosch! murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/ironwood-by-...

Slightly increase a band Stone Temple Episodes

Jim Chalmers wiped the floor with Sarah Ferguson on ABC’s budget coverage. Sorry if that sounds like domestic violence. She set out to confront and dominate him, and he countered every line of attack with calm reason, solid detail and a smile. She was flailing at the end. #auspol #budget

Here’s @andrewstafford.bsky.social on Died Pretty’s ‘Doughboy Hollow’. When I brought my LP home in 1991 and put it on my turntable (Rotel with a Grado cartridge, through a Sankei amp and out to Magnat Sonobull speakers), I was sure it would be a worldwide smash. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/m...

ThouTube! 🧡

There is a surprisingly long and extensive history of people blowing up helicopters by using motorcycles as projectiles. From NIPPU RAVVA (1993)

Not my business because I’m not a USian, but it seems like this would be an easy way for a reporter to become legendary in his field, write his name into history and maybe even get a few drinks bought by grateful women. At the negligible expense of getting bounced out of Trump’s presence. Man up!

49 years ago today The Cramps, Suicide, Blondie, Patti Smith and more played at CBGB for a Punk (magazine) benefit concert, New York City, May 4, 1977. #punk #punks #punkrock #cbgb #punklegends #history #punkrockhistory #otd

The Aboriginal flag was at half-mast today in Coronation Park in Yass.

SUBS OPEN THIS FRIDAY: We’re looking for stories set in the desert. For modern neo-westerns. No Louis L'Amour, though, savvy? This month, we’re looking for modern neo-westerns. Send us your <2k flash story: bit.ly/4fQLeGx

Isaac Hayes on his chopper. Ping @sulli864.bsky.social. Photos nabbed from @blovecraft on Instagram.

‘The American dream is a Norman Rockwell picture painted on the side of a cliff, Roadrunner-style, and they’re telling you to run into it, face-first at full speed. Hup, hup, hup. Splat.‘ – Eddie Cain

My dad Jack came up with the same design in the early 1990s.

This sounds like just my cup of tea. I love action heroines.

Almost Read the Greats @tomgauld.bsky.social

NEW REVIEW! I feel we have reached the point where calling Warwick Thornton the best Australian director working today is not a remotely controversial opinion. His exceptional Wolfram is in cinemas this Thursday. fictionmachine.com/2026/04/28/r...

I remember a high school teacher pointing out that while this movie was famous for showing a decapitation, when a character vomited, her head dipped out of the shot. It’s still rare to see a 🤮 in a movie, no matter how explicit the violence, sex, drug use and language.

“coded” “based” “pilled” . . . blocked.

“And by habit they shortened their thoughts so that they would not wander out into the darkness beyond tomorrow.” This month we are reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Grab a copy and get reading. #BookQuote #TGBC #SouthernGothic

A must-read takedown (with ground-and-pound and a choke-out).

Aubrey Plaza sounds like a shopping centre I do not want to visit. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Les français aiment un peu de fromage espion.

Bluesky inherited a bad post style from Twitter. Someone posts a challenge in the form ‘Name a film that . . . ‘ and people respond by posting stills or GIFs from a film without naming it. ‘Name’ means provide the name.

Fifty years ago this week, these were the late night films screening at the Gate and Paris Pullman cinemas... #1970s #film #films #GateNottingHill #ParisPullman #latefilms #latenightfilms

If you missed the announcement last week, this month we're reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers. Plenty of time to grab a copy and get reading.

Super Rugby Pacific Sad news. Moana Pasifika have confirmed they will disband at the end of the 2026 season. The club entered the competition in 2022. Statement MP: moanapasifika.co.nz/moana-pasifi... More info in this media article: www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360964... #SuperRugbyPacific #SRP2026

1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, parked at a hot rod show on Saturday.

Had me worried for a moment.