First Live Section - Playmusic August 2006

My first live section in Playmusic. A pretty diverse selection of bands. Kudos to some of the photographers - they were easily the best thing about Playmusic at times, especially when we had Playmusic (the new commercial mag) and Playmusic Pickup (the free gear mag which Playmusic had been for four years) - some of the cover and feature shots were brilliant. But live photography always seemed to be exemplary - kudos to Kelda Hole and Annabel Staff in particular; two of the best photographers around and really underrated.

First Reviews Section - Playmusic August 2006

My FIRST reviews section in Playmusic. Having chosen the pick of that month's albums, I commissioned the ones that needed commissioning and wrote the rest. I sourced artwork and any other records I felt needed space. There's a page missing here, but that's mainly because the lead review does not reflect my actual viewpoint. I was pretty angry at the time that I was asked to compromise, but understood the reasons that my opinion had to be hijacked; mainly commerical concerns. I actually stand by the review in question - because it's not overly positive - but out of principle, and a sense of shame, I'm not reproducing it here. Once is enough.

Foals live - Playmusic Issue 8

Mastodon live - Playmusic May 2007