Hottest May temp recorded at Weston Park weather station in Sheffield (running since the 1880s) is 27.8C on 23rd May 2010. Will beat that on Monday and probably by a fair distance. 🌞

Edging into the 1990s in Daniel Dylan Wray's comprehensive history of independent music in Sheffield. Cracking stuff but of course it is but a selection & my Sheffield of music in the 80s was a bit different from that set out here. But still a triumph from Daniel.

Today on the World of Music blog @drcarllee.bsky.social on BTS and the K-pop wave worldlymusic.blogspot.com/2026/05/may-...

If you live in Sheffield this is important. Woodhouse Ward - a decent w/class area - elected Nathaniel Menday (35% turnout) with a 1097 majority. A man who hangs a Nazi flag in his bedroom & talks of a 'sub-human underclass'. A fascist represents Woodhouse. No words www.thestar.co.uk/news/politic...

My latest (14th) post for the World of Music 365 blog. Inspired by a Arabic house mix tape played on the rooftop of a riad in Marrakech.

An interesting - and as far as I remember accurate ramble through the early 00's Sheffield indie music scene. The Long Blondes drummer Mark was an admin assistant at Sheff College - always at the bus stop drum sticks in hand.

It isn't just Reform whose information about their candidates is lacking in these local elections. Everything is pitched to national/interenational issues. Am I alone wishing each candidate should supply a CV to see what skills they might have to do the job www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/nazi-tweets-...

Very sad to hear of the death of pioneering horticulturalist Professor Nigel Dunnett @sheffielduni.bsky.social whose work has made a significant impact on the streets, roofs and open spaces of Sheffield and elsewhere. Thanks for the flowers Nigel. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yesterday on the World of Music blog @drcarllee.bsky.social was talking about the ambient albums of Brian Eno worldlymusic.blogspot.com/2026/01/gues...

Anyone know anymore about Berlin based Siba? This is one righteously angry song that just dropped into my vision. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdFl...

Its good to be reminded that with Trump, MAGA and the World Cup that the USA is still a place of talent and innovation. Aged 73 David Byrne and his brilliant band at Coachella. As he stated " "Love and Kindness are a form of resistance". www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn1v...

Went past the new Sheffield Forgemasters machining factory earlier. It is huge. A nationalised company investing doing what the private sector could not, investing in high tech manufacturing. A project that Nick Clegg & the Lib Dems in the coalition gov in 2010 -15 sank as "unaffordable".

Does the Mersey Beat? Is Seattle grungy? Now that the Arctic Monkey's are more New York than Rotherham are the Reyton's the authentic sound of South Yorkshire? Can a city have a sound? My latest blog on the 365 geography and music project.

Avarice, corruption, greed, rapacious, grafting, payola, venality, malfeasance, lying, mendacious, perfidious. Yes I think FIFA have got all the bases covered Love football, hate FIFA.

BREAKING: Andrew Milne has been arrested. A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police told The Tribune: "Detectives investigating allegations linked to the purchase and sale of freeholds in Sheffield have arrested a man on suspicion of fraud and blackmail."

I've become ground down by the arrogant exceptionalism and unbridled hate of US MAGA & Trump that I was beginning to forget that there remains so much that is good, great even, about the USA - thank you Bruce Springsteen for the timely reminder. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-5...

I've been in hospital recently & a nurse who looked after me told me about her access to HE course at Sheffield Col' that opened doors for her. In a long career teaching in schools, FE & HE (u-g &p-g) the Sheff Col' adult access to HE course was the most enjoyable & satisfying thing I taught.

The USA co-hosting the World Cup is a global disgrace which FIFA has enabled. It takes some doing to be even less attractive than Russia and Qatar(TBF I thought they did a good job). If only it could be moved just to Cnada & Mexico. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Today on the World of Music blog @drcarllee.bsky.social explores baile funk worldlymusic.blogspot.com/2026/03/mar-...

1.As somebody pro PR it is worth having a look at Denmark's election results from yesterday to see challenges of such a situation. Unsurprisingly it is complicated and it will take days/weeks to settle down. I've used (maybe incorrectly) UK party comparisons to attempt some clarity of understanding

My ex-colleague Paul Hobson always put a huge amount of planning and thought into his wildlife photography and has produced a portfoilo of stunning work over decades. This is some reward for all that time & ability. Well done Paul - well deserved. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Brian Jackson's reworkings of his and Gil Scott Heron's classics is absolutely dominating my play lists at the moment. This one dropped yesterday ' Home is Where The Hatred Is' with Lisa Fischer one time backing singer with Luther Vandross and the Rolling Stones. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lkI...

I'm told that the Israeli rave scene is still alive and kicking in Goa but I first saw it back in the late 1980s and it was...intriguing. My memories of first encountering four to floor rave on Goan beaches in 1988 and its lineage to last year's John Lewis Christmas advert.

@ianlee23.bsky.social check this out worldlymusic.blogspot.com

A major Kelham Island development of 100 studio flats and shared amenities including a gym, yoga studio, co-working hub and roof terrace. £24m construction cost. The Hive, Bowling Green Road.

The @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social has done fair, even-handed reporting on this issue that created so much froth in Sheffield. Looking forward to getting to Electric Studios sometime.

This should be an interesting talk and book. I figure it'll be v different from the late Martin Lilleker's two books on 'the story of popular music in Sheffield 1955-1975 - 'Not Like A Proper Job'(2001 with John Firminger) & 'Beats Working For A Living'(2005) Both came with a free CD.

A few 'new' Sheffield views courtesy of True Student.

Yes indeed a two day yomp to catch the mighty Led Zeppelin. I think I spotted them off in the distance with the sound swirling around. 😀

'Did the Boomers eat all the pies' John Lanchester lends some nuance to inter-generational divisions in the UK. As he suggests inter-generational equity transfer may accelerate intra-generational in the decades to come. He is also bang on about hitch-hiking. www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...

Today, in a busy week for the World of Music blog, Carl Lee takes us to the Tremé district of New Orleans worldlymusic.blogspot.com/2026/03/mar-...

Recently read this excellent family history meets pyschogeographical flaneuring of a book from Sheffield's own Nick Smillie. Worth hunting down. m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71a...

Sheffield stone masons Steve Roche and Lily Marsh based in John Street's Stag Works win at the Woirld Snow Sculpting competition in Switzerland www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Just got an e-mail from about The Leadmill relocation crowd funder. Given it is possible to see on Companies House how much money Phil Mills made over the years from the Leadmill the idea that he is now grifting cash for a relaunch(somewhere, sometime - unstated) sticks in my craw.

The best of central Sheffield's residential developments under construction might be Sky House on Copper Street.14 2 to 3 bed homes built with a nod to the areas 'back-back heritage' sky-house.co

On Nursery Street the 268 apartment (1, 2 & 3 bedroomed) residential development 'One Riverside' now under construction. 12 floor height. Developer is Brickland. It is a build to rent developer and now probably looking for a finnacial owner such as an insurance or pension company.

Code's reapplication for their 27 floor residential block on Wellington street was refused by SCC planning who described it as "1,100 sub-standard studio apartments". Code are now threatening to pull out of the development leaving it unfinished. Will go to appeal but blackmail doesn't seem to harsh

Also on the blog check out the Noise from Iceland project and Bandcamp page worldlymusic.blogspot.com/2026/02/feb-...

Always surprised me that more British & European bands didn't play in China - I know Sheffield's 'Sixty Days of Static' have on 3 occasions. Huge market and a real interest in all sorts of music from jazz to grime. This article sets out the possibilities. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/f...

We’re launching a new independent newspaper for Leeds - funded by readers. If you want better local journalism in Leeds, this is how it starts. 👉 Pledge your support: leeds.ghost.io

Spanish is having a momento what with Bad Bunny getting up Donald's nariz. So this wonderful performance of La Perla by Rosalía at her recent Barcelona concert in support of Palestianian medical charities is an absolute treat. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovMv...

An observation Yesterday Liverpool vs Man City had a global live TV viewership of 700 million. The Super Bowl 127 million peaking at half-time with Bad Bunny at 142 million.

Also on the World of Music blog today is the latest post by @drcarllee.bsky.social - this one on Greensleeves Records worldlymusic.blogspot.com/2026/02/feb-...

PhD fully funded opportunity in History at University of Sheffield: To work on women’s political engagement in West Africa from the end of the Second World War through decolonisation. For more info go to sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate... and type Dr Sarah Frank into the search box for supervisor.

Gil Scott Heron's 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' reworked for today by his long-term colloborator Brian Jackson & The Roots Black Thought. On London based BBE label. "You will not be able to block, unfollow, mute or swipe left to disengage". www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oQU...

The 2nd of Carl Lee’s guest posts is now up on the World of Music blog and we’ve gone through 1000 page views - lots of opportunities to participate worldlymusic.blogspot.com

Hamnet - worthy of the hype. Structurally different from the book and obviously without its nuanced detail but Jessie Buckley puts in an astonishing performance. Well worth going to see at the cinema to wallow in its intensity.

'Galang and the Shefffield clank'. @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social worldlymusic.blogspot.com