Further to my brief post about Numero Group's "Early Emo: 1985-1995" Spotify playlist, I thought I'd highlight some names that were notable by their absence from that selection. Their omission is likely for a variety of reasons. A lack of any material available on Spotify would be one. The catalogues of some groups of this … Continue reading Highlighting some notable omissions from Numero Group’s “Early Emo: 1985-1995” playlist. #1: The Hated →

I'm currently engaged in a bit of hobbyist research around the IRA on Tyneside during the War of Independence. There's already a good amount of research on this subject from both amateur and academic historians, with a decent archive of local and regional press available to cross reference dates and some details of actions carried … Continue reading The IRA on Tyneside during the War of Independence →

"Lynn + Lucy" is a study in violence that hinges on a disputed, unseen tragedy, with consequences that unearth long held resentments and desires. The cruelties of childhood and the injustices of schooling linger and simmer in an unnamed, post-Fordist new town. Contempt, mistrust and regrets that have remained without closure for decades become grafted … Continue reading Lynn, Lucy and Internalised Neoliberalism →

The uprisings in the US and the tandem solidarity actions worldwide over the past two weeks feel like some of the most emphatic, militant and transformative moments of historical rupture I’ve yet lived through. In the unnamed interregnum that constitutes the end of the End Of History, we’ve seen a cumulative number of these, the … Continue reading Learning history during the End of History (thoughts on decolonisation and imperialism). →

I've just submitted my first piece for inclusion in New Socialist, a lengthy interview with Daniel Finn on his recent Verso publication "One Man's Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA". Daniel was incredibly kind and giving of his time and we ended up speaking for the best part of 3 hours, covering a range … Continue reading The English Irish Rebel and the Protestant Republican →

Over on Facebook I've been posting about moustaches. I had these posts to be of little consequence whatsoever, little more than an excuse to write in an overly florid manner about some of my minor pop cultural obsessions and engage in some coarse and unseemly flights of fancy/fantasy. It's gone down surprisingly well amongst friends, … Continue reading The Cookie Duster Canon (1-5) →

Originally published May 2nd 2020 Given I’m working from home for the foreseeable future, and feeling very lucky in that regard, especially in relation to my friends, family and flatmates on zero hours contract left at the mercy of their employers to decide on the status of employment and pay during the looming Covid19 lockdown, … Continue reading This isn’t socialism… →

Gabriela Cartol as Eve One of the core social currencies of late capitalism is tempered invisibility. Workplace and community atomisation, as well as a dispiriting inclination to designate class based purely on culture and aesthetics, has made social divisions slippery and diffuse. But they remain constant and unyielding. The processes that produce this invisibilisation and … Continue reading Notes on The Chambermaid →