I have some copies of Be Stiff: The Stiff Records Story available right now - large paperback edition at £15. Read the incredible story of the label that brought you Madness, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, The Pogues and so many more! ebay.us/m/ovcXIF #stiffrecords #book #punk

Happy St Patrick’s Day ☘️ Here’s The Pogues performing Sally MacLennane on YouTube in January 1985. #stpatricksday #thepogues youtu.be/ym-Oz0TMSb0?...

Did you know you all 3 of my books are now available? Biographies of Ian Dury and Shane MacGowan and the history of Stiff Records - the label celebrating its 50th anniversary year. Get the set 😉 Be Stiff is available here www.amazon.co.uk/Be-Stiff-Rec... #iandury #shanemacgowan #stiffrecords

Shane’s unique legacy goes on and the breadth of artists here speaks to the timeless nature of his songs and universal appeal of their truths. Congratulations to Victoria Clarke for overseeing this wonderful tribute which will help support the work of the Dublin Simon Community. #shanemacgowan

Absolutely love this song. So brooding and atmospheric and so completely Lene. The video was filmed at St Pancras Old Church on Pancras Road in London. youtu.be/maucjGIUzzo?... #lenelovich #stiffrecords

Nick Lowe performing Heart of the City on the ATV Revolver show and sending kids in jumpers mad! youtu.be/oZ7V-LGib1M?... #nicklowe #stiffrecords

This year Stiff Records marks its 50th year and I am going to be talking about the legendary label’s colourful history. 17 July - Norwich History Festival 14 August - Cromer Community Centre 4 October - Ipswich Book Festival If you would like to book me for your event or venue, let me know.

A huge thank you to everyone who turned out for my Portsmouth Book Festival event about Stiff Records last night, and to @princessclairina.bsky.social for such a brilliant conversation. Great to see a full room and so much love for the label. #portsmouth #bookfestival #stiffrecords

Hey Portsmouth 📢 The story of Stiff Records is heading down the tracks. Come and hear storied tales about the maverick British label and acts like Ian Dury, The Pogues, Madness, Elvis Costello and more at Portsmouth Central Library at 7pm tonight. wegottickets.com/event/683161/ #portsmouth

Remembering Mark E. Smith on his birthday. Here are The Fall performing Big New Prinz live on Tony Wilson's The Other Side of Midnight in 1988

Hey Portsmouth! 📢 Signed copies of all three of my books will be on sale tomorrow at my Portsmouth Book Festival event. Come and hear about Stiff Records, Ian Dury, Shane MacGowan and the first UK punk record. Tickets are available here wegottickets.com/event/683161/ #portsmouth #punk

Columbia Records really got behind Elvis Costello when it released My Aim Is True. This is a full-page advert from Billboard magazine, 4 February 1978. (How Alison wasn’t a hit over here is still a complete mystery to me - one of his finest songs). #elviscostello

So, how did Stiff Records announce its US distribution deal with Arista in February 1978? By taking out a full page advert in Billboard magazine showing America with an erection! No one did marketing like Stiff 😂 #stiffrecords #vinyl

Had a great catch-up with @princessclairina.bsky.social today to talk about our Stiff Records interview at the Portsmouth Book Festival, and I just know this is going to be a terrific event. Tickets are selling fast we’re told, so get in quick! #portsmouth #punk wegottickets.com/event/683161...

My Stiff Records event at Portsmouth Book Festival on Friday 6 March is proving popular and thanks to everyone who has booked tickets. I will be singing copies of Be Stiff: The Records Story - available for a special festival price of £12. wegottickets.com/event/683161/ #Portsmouth #books #punk

I’m so looking forward to seeing Elvis Costello at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in June playing songs from the early days of his career. I’ve seen Elvis more times live than any other artist and he never disappoints! #elviscostello #gigs

Madness bassist Mark Bedford shares his memories of Stiff Records to mark the 50th anniversary year of the maverick label. Be Stiff: The Stiff Records Story is available via Amazon. youtu.be/5yilmFXaOMU?...

So, Wuthering Heights was a bit of a curate’s egg. Some terrific performances and genuinely heartrending. However, Thrushcross Grange felt Disney-like and some of the scenes, particularly on the moor, were cliched and reminiscent of 80s pop videos. #wutheringheights

Totally chuffed to get an interviewing gig at Portsmouth bookfest. Friday March 6 I’m interviewing Richard Balls about Be Stiff: the story of Stiff Records. Tickets here: librariesandarchives.portsmouth.gov.uk/public-libra...

One of his finest records. Possibly even the finest.

Madness bassist Mark Bedford shares his memories of Stiff Records to mark the 50th anniversary year of the maverick label. Be Stiff: The Stiff Records Story is available via Amazon. youtu.be/5yilmFXaOMU?...

So sad to hear of the passing of Andrew ‘The Clobber’ Ranken. He was a terrific drummer who was absolutely integral to The Pogues raw, unconfined sound - his snare at the start of Sally MacLennane illustrating the point. Thinking of his friends and family. #RIPAndrew #ThePogues

Another Stiff record that got away. The song was written by Arthur Gunter in 1954 and recorded by Elvis Presley the following year. Rachel Sweet released this irresistible cover, full of rockabilly swagger, in 1979, although it flopped. She deserved so much more success. #vinyl #stiffrecords

Orange Juice performing Rip It Up, which they released as a single on this day in 1983. Watch the full recording from Switch, which also includes The Day I Went Down To Texas, here youtu.be/PpkHczKcwsQ

The video for Elvis Costello’s Accidents Will Happen features an image of him generated by a computer, believed to be the first of its kind in a music video. Co-produced by Annabel Jankel, sister of Blockhead Chaz, and her partner Rocky Morton, it’s a masterpiece. youtu.be/aU_zMvaX05Q?...

To mark the 50th anniversary of Stiff Records, I’m going to be in conversation with @princessclairina.bsky.social at this year’s Portsmouth Book Festival. Tickets are £8 (£5 Leisure Card) and are available here wegottickets.com/event/683161... #portsmouth #punk #stiffrecords

Stiff has a unique way of promoting its acts and this is a classic! ‘Where Quality Ain’t A Problem’! #iandury #stiffrecords

It’s going to be a great event - really looking forward to it. So many incredible records to talk about!

Quite simply a gigantic team performance. We had to really dig in for that one against a top quality side. But the players backed each other up all over the pitch and throughly deserved the win. The belief Clement has instilled in them is something to behold. #ncfc #norwich

Charity shop gold. A Dindisc compilation featuring Martha & The Muffins, @OfficialOMD, The Revillos, Monochrome Set and Dedringer for £4! Includes OMD’s cover of Waiting For The Man, 10” version of Messages and re-recorded version of Electricity. Oh, and Echo Beach! #vinyl #records

The Adverts’ incendiary single One Chord Wonders was released by Stiff Records as BUY 13 in April 1977 - a punk classic. You can read more about this iconic record and many more in this book, available exclusively here www.amazon.co.uk/Be-Stiff-Rec... #punk #vinyl #stiffrecords #book

I have a few signed copies of my Shane MacGowan biography available here. This is the fully updated paperback edition, with many previously unpublished pictures. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/19795329... #shanemacgowan #thepogues

Next year sees the 50th anniversary of Stiff Records, and I will be talking about my book about the maverick British label at the Portsmouth Book Festival on Friday 7 March. Tickets are now on sale - book now. wegottickets.com/event/683161 #portsmouth #punk #vinyl

An absolute treasure trove and a must for any Pogues or Shane MacGowan fan. Take a bow Uncut. #shanemacgowan #thepogues

Happy birthday to Sade. This may also be the coolest thing you see today. Watch the full recording at youtu.be/Ks9g5eYMahg

Next year sees the 50th anniversary of Stiff Records, and I will be talking about my book about the maverick British label at the Portsmouth Book Festival on Friday 7 March. Tickets are now on sale - book now. wegottickets.com/event/683161 #portsmouth #punk #vinyl

House of Fun by Madness reached the top spot in the @officialcharts.bsky.social on 23 May 1982, where it spent two weeks. The single was one of three number one hits enjoyed by Stiff Records. Read about this and other unforgettable records in this book. www.amazon.co.uk/Be-Stiff-Rec...

Sad to hear of the passing of Andrew Bodnar, the English bass player from The Rumour who played on records by Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders and others, and was an early supporter of Stiff Records. A great musician and collaborator. RIP Andrew. #elviscostello #stiffrecords

40 years ago we lost Philip Lynott. Behind the microphone for Thin Lizzy, he was a charismatic performer and the consummate frontman. His lyrics were original and often beautiful, and he was a powerful ambassador for his native Ireland. A huge loss to music and his country. #phillynott

Next year sees the 50th anniversary of Stiff Records, and I will be talking about my book about the maverick British label at the Portsmouth Book Festival on Friday 7 March. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 6 January wegottickets.com/event/683161 #portsmouth #books #punk #vinyl

I have so much respect for Dave Robinson, co-founder of Stiff Records. Now 82, he is still connecting people with music and, as always, it’s the music that’s at the heart of it all. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #stiffrecords #daverobinson #ukraine

J.P. Donleavy’s novel A Fairytale of New York, published in 1973, provided Shane MacGowan with the title for The Pogues’ timeless Christmas record. Shane later got to meet the revered Irish writer, and Donleavy went to see him perform in Dublin. #fairytaleofnewyork (Photo by Tony Gavin)

What I’ve been listening to in 2025, @cmatbaby.bsky.social @goldfrappmusic.bsky.social @sparksofficial.bsky.social @williamorbit.bsky.social Khruangbin, The Blue Nile, John Martyn, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Sade, Thin Lizzy, Erykah Badu, Love Unlimited. Art School Girlfriend, Air.

A Furious Devotion: The Life of Shane MacGowan - Fully Updated Paperback Signed by The Author. Just a few copies available, so snap them up! #shanemacgowan #book #biography www.ebay.co.uk/itm/19795329...

Did you know this photo of Sammy Davis Jnr looking out of a Manhattan window in 1959 was edited for the cover of The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York? Stiff replaced him with band member Spider Stacy on the sleeve of the iconic record released in 1987. #fairytaleofnewyork #stiffrecords

There is a real momentum with these players and a huge three points. Incredible to think after the horror start we made to this season, we have now won three successive home games and have a manager who is unbeaten at Carrow Road. In Clement we trust. #ncfc #Norwich

If you missed it, A Ghost Story for Christmas was a real spine chiller this year. An adaptation by Mark Gatiss of EF Benson’s The Room in the Tower, it builds brilliantly and becomes increasingly unsettling, delivering a ghastly ending. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... #ghoststory

Remembering Shane MacGowan on his birthday and thinking about Siobhan MacGowan and Victoria Clarke, and the rest of his family and friends. #ShaneMacGowan

This years’s Ghost Story for Christmas - always my festive TV highlight - is an adaptation of EF Benson’s The Room In The Tower. Tonight on BBC2 at 10pm. Be there, if you dare. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p... #ghoststory

Looking for last-minute gift ideas? A Furious Devotion tells the incredible story of Shane MacGowan, the man who gave us Fairytale of New York, made Irish music cool and influenced a plethora of exciting acts. Put it under the tree!🌲 #christmasbooks #shanemacgowan #thepogues