It all started in 2010; and by 'it' I mean this blog
It matters not a jot if you're red or blue, United or City, Oasis or Blur. Or none of the above. Like I say, that's not what this is all about. Please indulge me: if you can spare 57 seconds out of your busy schedule then I urge, nay, beseech you to listen to this Liam Gallagher story about Eric Cantona - you'll be thanking me later. Upon getting Oasis back together Noel Gallagher said he'd forgotten just how funny his brother was. So had I.
I may have mentioned before my love of all thing philatelic. Some of my stamps and first day covers sit in numerous albums collecting dust, others are in dinky little frames dotted all over the house. Many more exist merely as torn off envelopes with said stamp still attached to them (removing them being a job for another day; there's always another day). I mentioned first day covers - will the new Duran Duran commemorative issue be gaining admittance to Medd Towers I hear you ask? Er, no. Whilst I do have a number of musically themed specimens, I draw the line at Le Bon and his mates. Nothing personal, Simon. But it all just looks a bit tacky to me. A bit gawdy; I'll let you join the dots...
However, I will leave you with the magnificent Grade II listed Art Deco Cinema situated opposite my hotel in Dalston E8 a couple of weeks ago. I'd seen countless photographs of her but never in the flesh. Her name is Rio.
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| Ian Prowse and Amsterdam , The Bodega, 2 October 2026 |
Sometimes I'll hear a line in a song that will stop me in my tracks; after which it'll then be committed to memory where it's then (more often than not) afforded mantra status. There's a couplet in Stand Your Ground, taken from Ian Prowse's joyous new album, No Names, that resonates with me every time I hear it. To the point that I'll be making it a new resolution.
If there's a choice to be made of staying in or going out
Then get your coat on, hit the town...
At a time in my life when it could be quite easy to say no and not do something, I hear this as a clarion call to reach out. Make that phone call. Meet that friend. Go to that gig. You're a long time dead. I know, I'm a little ray of fucking sunshine aren't I?
Ian Prowse - Stand Your Ground (2026)
I feel proud to be associated with the two cities that between them host the oldest and largest travelling funfairs in Europe, namely Nottingham Goose Fair and Hull Fair. They've been in existence since the late 13th Century and now will regularly pull in over half a million punters. After leaving Nottingham at the end of the first week in October the caravans literally roll from one to the other, pitching up at Walton Street in Hull where they do it all over again. These days I just pop along for an hour to take some snaps and, most importantly, have my annual fix of the world famous mushy peas. Don't judge me.
Johnny Marr recently trousered a cool £3.65M after selling 80 of his iconic guitars plus associated amplifiers and memorabilia. The 111 lots massively exceeded Christie's initial guide price of £1.2M. And it won't surprise you to learn that Marr donated the entire proceeds of 31 selective lots to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the National Autistic Society; showing yet again what an all round good egg he is. Here's Johnny with his old friend Noel Gallagher previewing the sale a couple of days before his beloved collection - including a Cherry Red Gibson ES-355 and 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo (both used by Marr when writing and recording with the Smiths) - went under the hammer.