8000 words about who owns the biggest record label in the world, what that means for music, and why the tiktok boycott of 2024 actually happened open.substack.com/pub/jaimebro...

And was also fun to get stuck into the story and history of bassline and how it's gone from a genre that police once outlawed to a celebratory and family-friendly part of Bradford City of Culture. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/m...

you know I wouldn't say I had high hopes for "the Spectator interviews the Tate brothers" anyway but somehow the piece is worse than I thought it would be

Cannot find a better hit of pure cringe than British comedy DVDs from about fifteen years ago. This has got a really rough start where ten minutes in Whitehall reverts to a Russell Howard rip-off somehow more agonising than the real thing youtu.be/AkjlKdIIHxA?...

I feel like i'm losing my mind. Feels like "Pulse" (2001 J-horror) where isolated internet users start dissolving IRL. ChatGPT triggers paranoid episode in a tech VC. @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social clocks that ChatGPT is just cribbing from a communal fan fic proj. www.garbageday.email/p/the-tech-b...

RIP Rear of the Year

my Tribune review of Liz Pelly’s Mood Machine now free to read. Is Spotify evil? Yes! But is this also very convenient cover for the three major labels consolidating power and sucking money out of the industry? Yes!

Absolutely. Remember this: labourlist.org/2009/04/euro...

Shut up and make Don Jon 2

wish they'd done this back when eric dier was trying to force culture onto harry kane and matt doherty www.nytimes.com/athletic/346...

Parody song idea "The First American Pope" set to the tune of that Mitski song

Me and Mick got to explain jelqing to our girlfriends at dinner last night

A friend who is a trans woman and who plays women’s football received an email from the FA about the decision which contains this paragraph. Free therapy to cope with the fact you’ve been transphobic bigots, fucking brilliant.

Jack Kinney’s Get Rich Quick (1951) is an urbane parable about the perils of gambling that also presents it as the coolest thing you could possibly be doing with your money

This is the absolute nuts

Took this photo half cut last night and genuinely at the time I was like, this is the most beautiful piece of photography ever taken

The Alvin Show is so, so good

Watching Girls and thinking it would be fun to start chronicling fake twitter accounts from film and tv. Realising that wouldn’t be fun (in any real sense) at all but posting this anyway

'Starmer’s approach to government... has its own historical occasion and character... an attempt to develop a more effective form of crisis management for a nation in decline' Great to have Oliver Eagleton back in the @newstatesman.com today: www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Droopy gun is one of the ultimate gags. This bit from Mickey Plays Papa is an exceptionally striking example, charged with meaning

Every Khruangbin song on a tv or film soundtrack is a failure in the music supervision department. That music is for adverts, bad bars and (in recent personal experience) Big Tesco’s.

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't live your dreams

We asked AI to make a Cliff Richard song in the style of Kate Bush… you won’t believe what it came up with!! youtu.be/fhw2HBojIHk?...

Getting really into reels about how living in China is better than the uk

Bromley locals have expressed their 'outrage' at a scheme from the council to introduce parking charges for Blue Badge holders - as a petition opposing the plan passes 3,000 signatures.

#Methodism youtu.be/4iF47M3YDlg?...

For the past six months, I’ve been reporting on the highly controversial plan to open ‘Europe’s largest lithium mine’ in Serbia. You can read the resulting long read here if you’d like www.newstatesman.com/internationa...

Midwinter was ages ago. What’s up with these crazy early sunsets? Is someone looking into this? Labour can return a sense of optimism to this country by ending daylight savings today

Several ticket inspectors at my overground station all wearing Axon bodycameras. Weird how you can’t point your phone camera back at them without seeming confrontational. With market saturation of public services they could easily sell them to the public as “personal protection” [My Ins for 2025]

Haven’t really been tuned into the discourse recently but this has genuinely knocked me for six. The media wonders why they’re losing public trust and yet this is who they choose to award? The scary ghost pokemon. We are truly fucked

I think it’s actually really cool that my girlfriend is 29 (much older than me) but she watches squids games. She’s an honorary gen z and every day is a joy

youtu.be/0ij1oWlhwRw this is soooo good what a great video and at 2:20 we hear one of the most beautiful sounds ever, which is a French person saying "Michael Jackson"

Christmas is always my most millennial time of year because why am I feeling productivity guilty on Boxing Day?! 😭 Is this imposter syndrome or is it my adult ADHD 🤪 and why God have you made me only to suffer 😫

Every year the best part of Christmas is when the church organist gets completely crazy

#MerryChristmas to all my fellow blueps who celebrate. I’ve been thinking a lot about the asymmetrics on here who won’t follow me back. To those that do, don’t worry - you will be spared.

Anyone who does their Christmas shopping a month in advance is really missing out on the sense of gleeful hysteria you get in the town shopping centre around now. Today I discovered they’re selling Brat for £42 in Waterstones. It feels perverse to see something so explicitly digital in this context

Fully lost my Bluesky daily posting streak yesterday from hanging out with my girlfriend. Lesson learned. Come to the George Tavern at 8pm on New Year’s Eve to watch me sing with my friends

It’s only 5 days till Christmas and even though I’m saying Merry Christmas to everyone I know every time I see them I’m still not feeling the magic yet. Should I redouble my efforts or just give up? These feelings soundtracked by:

Fuck I forgot to post today. Fuck. This an incredible stereophonics remix that I’m excited to play out on New Year’s Eve youtu.be/NOObs7kz0Uk?...

Got this outrageous lamp from Pre-Loved Stuff in Sydenham for a tenner! because I told them that was my limit for secret santa. Lovely shop, not worried about giving myself away because this app is a wasteland

It’s honestly like the goddamn Truman Show in here. Seeing this on my feed makes me want to drive my family sedan around town in alarming and unpredictable ways

In HONEYMOON HOTEL (1934), two honeymooning lovebugs are tormented by voyeurs and perverts in their efforts to consumate the wedding. The fires of their passion finally manifest themselves and consume the building. 8/10

Hell yes Amanda