The Plashing Vole

Yesterday I went to the Grapes in Stafford to see my friends The Nightingales do a warm-up for their tour , supported by The Courtesy Group...

If you're a new reader, you won't know that one of my friends, with whom I share an office, is an on-off rock star. By which I mean ...

I see NME's music photography competition is up and running again. I was going to enter but discovered that the file and shot size rest...

If you're not going to see The Nightingales at Gulliver's in Manchester tonight, tune in to Marc Riley's BBC 6Music show: they...

What an odd weekend: a funeral followed by a gig. After my grandmother's send-off (I delivered a reading as though it were a lecture t...

If you're bored this weekend, how about seeing The Nightingales ? They're not just three superannuated Brummies with a couple of p...

Post-punk heroes and mates of mine The Nightingales played a gig in London, at the behest of Phil Jupitu s, substantial supporter of lost m...

My friend and colleague Alan Apperley (of Prefects and Nightingales fame) has a novel out, Indeterminate Creatures (launched 25th March b...

I mourned, a while ago, the death of angry music journalist Swells , formerly known as Seething Wells the communist poet and officially know...

I've been listening to a lot of Christy and Emily recently - they've supported The Nightingales and sometimes play with them. They...

Management aren't the only things preying on us: kestrels are breeding on the art department building. I'll take some photos sometim...

For a change in the summer months, I'm not alone in the office. It's rather pleasant - we're all quite relaxed, the place is in ...

Happy Monday you lot! There used to be a tradition called St. Monday in Northern cities, including Stoke. A heavy weekend required a day off...

Hello again? Did you all cope with the searing heat this weekend? I found it quite difficult. Anything above 23% makes me feel like a polar ...

Full Glastonbury lineup has been announced - it's a humdinger. Of particular interest to Black Country post-punks is The Nightingales: ...

The Nightingales are playing Glastonbury (at 11 a.m. on the Saturday). They will be brilliant. Especially if the American half of the band...

They're on the iPlayer for a few more days. This is the four-piece shorn of bassoonist and extra guitarist, doing a session on Marc Ril...

OK, last night, seeing as my critical judgement is demanded by faithful readers. The background to the 'Gales' homecoming gig was di...

… The Nightingales will be on stage. But before them, Violet Violet will perform - they're very good. Inbetween: Ted Chippington - the...

My friends the Nightingales returned from their European tour last night, playing what was meant to be a triumphant gig at the 100 Club bef...