#nowplaying Boxed by Hurrah! A recent find on a trip to Urban Village, I suspected it might be my sort of thing, and it is

Oh well. What matter that we lost. Roll on the Women’s T20 World Cup next year #thecricket

I fretted my keys and looked back at the city – skylights angled to catch wafers of falling snow. 'The Last Workday Before Christmas', Matthew Clegg westnortheast.wordpress.com/poems/the-la...

Now playing. The test pressing of the forthcoming debut album by Falling and Laughing!

It’s that time of the year when I confidently assert that this is a Christmas song because it has bells on it - on.soundcloud.com/Bn1X470sQa1j...

Given the forthcoming Falling and Laughing album early next year, we’ve recorded an interview with James Sandy for his show on Switch Radio. It goes out on Tuesday at 7pm and he’s also playing an exclusive track from the album: www.switchradio.co.uk/TUS

The cricket score.

Still getting my thoughts together from The Autumn Store on Friday, but a huge thank you to everyone who came down and all the bands. I enjoyed the night so much and hope everyone else did too. My phone was behind the sound desk most of the gig so only got a few pics

Birmingham UK we are are chuffed to bits to be playing this rad show - Friday Nov 7 don't miss it!

Excitingly, I’m supporting The Wave Pictures this Friday. It’s at The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath and we have a tidy set of songs from the new album and last EP to play.

Fantastic Autumn Store gig with Fightmilk and The Proctors last night. The room was full of people enjoying themselves - and that is why I put on gigs! Both bands on their way up to the Edinburgh Indiepop Alldayer who are in for a real treat.

Two weeks to go until @fightmilkband.bsky.social play their first Birmingham show, and hopefully the first of many!

Slightly diminish a book: Watership Downer

Gig news! Really excited to be putting on two Autumn Store gigs in October and November in Birmingham. 2nd October I’ve got Fightmilk and Wiiince at the Rock and Roll Brewhouse 7th November it’s Healees, The Leaking Machine and Kate Thompson & William William Rodgers at The Victoria. Plus dancing!

I don’t usually write anything personal having been advised early in my career that journalists shouldn’t really ever use the word “I”, so this is a bit of a deviation from my norm. But some personal reflections on the Test series. www.thetimes.com/article/fd7e...

If you see this, post a castle.

While I’m thinking about gigs, it’s only a week until the return of The Autumn Store - Friday 25th July in Birmingham. I’ve worked out how to DJ off a lap top especially.

On the train to That London to see a few days of the @skepwax.bsky.social weekender. Looking forward to seeing Heavenly and wondering who we’ll bump into there.

Looking forward to playing at Pop at the Lock next weekend. I’m doing a short solo acoustic set of a couple of Falling and Laughing classics at 5.15.

Wait until The Independent finds out about the rest of the music industry!

I finished watching Andor on Friday, then Rogue One last night and a New Hope tonight. I’m convinced that plus Empire and Jedi is the new order to watch Star Wars. Not sure what the rest really adds.

I woke up early and so I listened to the first mixes for the new Falling and Laughing album in track order for the first time. I can’t wait to share it!

Genuinely feel like there’s a lot of good music happening in Birmingham at the moment. More decent gigs on than I can feasibly go to, and that’s the way it should be.

Was a great set from The Leaking Machine (feat two members of Mighty Mighty) last night at the launch of Jenny’s Feather Factory records.

Main character energy is OUT, this summer we’re bringing NPC energy. We’re posted up at the bar dropping lore and suggesting side quests. We’re leaning casually near a locked door and saying “I don’t think you have the key for that” when someone tries the handle. We’re staring at a tree.

A fortnight tonight at the Rock n Roll Brewhouse in #Birmingham My label launch - and the launch of the new album by The Leaking Machine. Free CD on arrival OR upgrade to vinyl on the night for an extra tenner. Tickets selling fast... www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Bir...

Having a band admin day, and so it would be remiss of me to not share the charmingly DIY poster and link to our gig in July! It’s only £5 (plus booking fee) because in my head it’s still 2010 and I priced the gig accordingly. www.seetickets.com/event/cloud-...

@betharzy.bsky.social also Ill be bringing some flyers down for my indiepop night in Brum so it you end up speaking to anyone who might enjoy it feel free to point them in my direction too 😁

@betharzy.bsky.social looking forward to the JSP gig in Birmingham tomorrow! Do you know roughly what time you’ll be playing?

I once did a survey which proved that 100% of people respond to surveys. It was a large sample so it must be true!

Injury prevention is how I came into public health, the history is it was a long battle in the US to have it recognised as a field of public health and establish this work in the CDC. Now gone.

@jetstreampony.bsky.social hi Jet Stream Pony! Is the Birmingham gig in May confirmed now? Seem to remember it was tbc for a while.

Shinkansen!

So it turns out the new Jetstream Pony album is brilliant. Is Quiet Shoegaze a genre? Feels like it fits here.

I’m putting gigs on again! First one is on Friday the 25th July.

Off to see @mightymighty86.bsky.social and @proctors.bsky.social tonight and looking forward to it. Classic local indiepop.

The Outsiders Music Show have also included a Falling and Laughing song on their latest episode. Plenty of great bands on there and the show is well worth a follow on Mixcloud - www.mixcloud.com/OutsidersMus...

Falling and Laughing have got a gig on Saturday afternoon at the Rock and Roll Brewhouse in Birmingham. Free in, and we’re supporting Spincycle who are also great! Really looking forward to this one.

I think I’ve said this before, but I’m never sure about how to use social media to talk about different topics - music and public health are the two main things. Rather than post about neither I’m going to post about both and see how that works out.

@adamccresswell.bsky.social just going through old photos and found this! It was a great gig

@mightymighty86.bsky.social thanks for the follow - and I’ve just bought tickets for your gig at the Hare. Looking forward to it!

I don’t really talk about music on here but I probably should. Had lots of fun last night playing a gig in Cambridge, one of those nights where the room was full and friendly! Itching to play another gig now.

No, voice memo app, I appreciate you trying to transcribe but I don’t think that these are actually the lyrics to my new song

At its heart, Star Trek is a utopian fantasy about a society so advanced that they are capable of holding productive meetings that last no longer than three minutes

Glad to see this submission to #ChangeNHS from ADPH. Prevention needs investment, but a really critical point in here is that prevention needs a cultural change too.

I got distracted by my old pot of badges earlier. Here’s the Birmingham selection (with a few additions from Cov and Bearwood).

Just got on the train to London and looking forward to a good day at #ADPHConf24

Train announcement: if you see something that doesn't look right, report it to British Transport Police Me: *charged with wasting police time after reporting three decades of inconsistent branding and typography across a fragmented rail network since its privatisation in the 1990s*

Just seen Since Yesterday, a film about Scottish girl bands and highly recommend it. The way many bands were treated is unsurprisingly shocking, but a lot at the end that gives hope that music can (and should) become more inclusive: www.sinceyesterdayfilm.com