Listening to Blood Orange's Essex Honey yet again and thinking obviously the only reason it isn't on the Mercury list is because of deadlines or something and so it will win next year's prize because I mean COME ON

Recovering from my birthday celebrations with the sweetly rueful vibe of this new Mac DeMarco album which I'm really enjoying open.spotify.com/track/66ALMW...

Our residency of gigs at the MOTH Club might look tiny - and yeah, the gigs ARE tiny - but to me it feels like a huge achievement. I’m proud of myself and also hugely grateful to the people who helped me get here. So peace and love to everyone. Life is surprising. Change is possible. On we go ❤️ 2/2

Happy Birthday to me. 63 years old today. This past year has been momentous for me, as I finally confronted and overcame a fear that has stood in my way for 25 years. Singing live again has been a joy these last few months. 1/2

Been in France for two days and you’ll be astonished to hear I’ve had too much to eat

In the last two days I have watched both The Sting and All The President's Men, out of RESPECT. They left me with two key thoughts. 1) I am a complete child of the 70s. 2)My god they don't make film stars like that any more.

Keep forgetting I’ve given up coffee and ordering affogato for pudding in a restaurant YES I’VE DONE IT AGAIN HELLO EVERYONE

The years go by and I’m STILL learning to play Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby. I’m getting better!

A HUNDRED??!! Dear god I only like about 4 of them 😄

I seem to have really convinced myself that if I move my desk into a different position in this room I will get a great idea for a new book

Lloyd Cole wants a word

Lovely night of song with Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt, son Blake & bassist at Moth Club, Hackney. Starting at start of partnership with ‘Night & Day’, set included EBTG classics, solo stuff & covers of Bowie, Lenker & Bridget St John. ‘Walking Wounded’ material a highlight, espesh moody pulsing ‘Single’

Update: gig was amazing and not least because the Pet Shop Boys came to see us, no YOU'RE screaming ❤️❤️ Anyway, doing it all again tonight hooray!

Back in my little home-from-home, the dressing room at the MOTH Club. Soundcheck in a minute. Then some hanging around. Then onstage again ❤️

Rehearsing again today for the next couple of dates in our MOTH Club residency. Excited again. Looking forward to it ❤️

So I finished the Kevin Rowland book, Bless Me Father and it is really amazing. What a character! What a life! Much more interesting and strange and gripping than a lot of music books.

Very much enjoying this morning's unexpected internet debate: did Patrica Routledge write this or not? Did not have that on my bingo card.

Finished Portrait of a Lady and it was so good my mind is slightly blown and I can't think what to read next, so I'm listening to the audiobook of Kevin Rowland's memoir which is unexpectedly blowing my mind in a different way. My god, the honesty and sincerity! Shouldn't be surprised really haha

Am 450 pages into Portrait of a Lady which I think we can agree is fucking genius

Oh I like this, what a good idea for a cover open.spotify.com/track/1MkSNJ...

Can't help wishing I had my own honky-tonk bar...

There She Goes is playing in the cafe and for the millionth time I have the unoriginal thought, what a perfect record. As it ends you just want it to start again.

I'm reading Colm Toibin's The Master which is incredibly good, and about Henry James, and it's making me wonder whether I should have yet another go at Henry James. Have never really succeeded but maybe now I'm old enough?

Oh no. Tom Lehrer gone. At his great age, it’s not a tragedy, I know, but it just does feel bad not having his genius in the world.

I had forgotten this Eden poster which comes complete with light-hearted pop-friendly quote from William Blake

Walked past three 15 year old boys, all of them in bucket hats and Oasis T-shirts, presumably on their way to Wembley, and man, the Kevin and Perry vibes were strong. Bless 'em.

Been reading Amis’s Experience again for, what, the THIRD time? God what a book

Loving the fact that Charli and George got married at Hackney Town Hall and not on a private beach in Bali. Proper. ❤️

This Blood Orange album shaping up to be amazing open.spotify.com/track/4gVsKM...

Loved the Singer Sergeant exhibition at Kenwood. Aside from the pictures, the potted biog of each woman goes: young American beauty, daughter of Texan multimillionaire, marries a duke with 3 castles, has numerous kids & affairs, flies a light aircraft etc www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-...

Went to see Ballad of Wallis Island which I thought was charming & sweet, but weren't the folk duo just a bit YOUNG? And their music career a bit too recent for such depths of nostalgia? I didn't quite buy into them poring over old front covers & album sleeves, when they would have been on Twitter.

Think that must be Stevie Wonder I can hear coming from Hyde Park

I wish this new series Too Much was better than it is because I just want to look at Will Sharpe for lots of episodes but sadly it is defeating me 🙁

Been down in the basement studio today with Ben and Blake and Rex, working on a couple of different songs for the next set of gigs. So enjoying myself doing this. Life is full of surprises ❤️

Really enjoyed this Dennis Morris exhibition at the Photographers Gallery - gorgeous shots of Bob Marley of course, but loads of great early work, Hackney in the 1970s, sound systems, choirboys, and blues dances, and a cast of fabulous characters thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/den...

Only just recovering from the extraordinary gig I saw last night. Two artists, reunited onstage after a long time apart, in a show many thought we'd never see. Kiki & Herb were spellbinding, hilarious, transgressive & inspiring. Justin Vivian Bond an all-time great performer. Love & power to them ❤️

Update on my belated viewing of The West Wing: I have reached series 5 and it seems to have fallen off a cliff. Does it ever recover or have I had the best of it?

Also, absolutely nobody will be surprised to hear that I love this open.spotify.com/track/5GVyBn...

Sometimes there's just a little perfect moment in a piece of music - I'm listening to the new Lorde album and on the song David she sings, "I don't belong to anyone, OOOH" - and that OOH is totally fantastic, my favourite moment on the whole album 😍

Been reading this brilliant Ian Penman book and trying to play Satie pieces on the piano. Got me thinking about gigs, and how my preferred home is the tiny nightclub, not the festival or the arena. Satie premiered the Gymnopedies in boho hang-out Le Chat Noir in Montmartre. In 1888 for fucks sake! ❤️

Ok that’s the highlight of the weekend for me. Soooo moving

Ooh very here for this Kae Tempest set on the Park Stage ❤️

😢😢😢 Should have seen me on the edge of my seat as Girl, So Confusing started up. My little face! 😢

Hey do we think Lorde will appear onstage with Charli tonight????😮😮😍😍😍

After 10 years, I'm finally leaving the New Statesman. Have loved writing my columns there but nothing can last forever. Time for a change. ❤️https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/life/2025/06/tracey-thorn-right-note-to-end-on

After 10 years, I'm finally leaving the New Statesman. Have loved writing my columns there but nothing can last forever. Time for a change. ❤️https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/life/2025/06/tracey-thorn-right-note-to-end-on

My brother, 10 years older than me, was a huge Rod Stewart fan when I was a kid, so I asked him if he’d be watching his Glastonbury set this weekend. Turns out he still hasn’t forgiven him for leaving The Faces. I like a proper rock grudge. Respect.

Update: so they DID sell out quickly and thanks for not shouting at me! Over on some of the other places there are a few people being unpleasant and it does my head in a bit.

I'm so looking forward to Glastonbury. Not that I'm going or anything but I enjoy the TV coverage. Ben said, Last year you just slagged everyone off! Yes, I said, that's what I enjoy. (Anyway it's not true, I remember loving Sugababes and The Streets, I'm sure this year there will be brilliance ❤️)