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Writing content and copy for the things I care the most about.
Contributor to various publications in music and sports, writing features, opinion pieces and reviews.
Manchester Punk Festival Content
You don't need to know my life story, but as a disabled kid and teen I didn't exactly know what a social life was for a long time. When I finally found my social feet in my 20s, it was through my then-thriving stand up comedy career - and it brought me, a lad from [...]
We talk to Kel and Giz from The Empty Page ahead of their first appearance at Manchester Punk Festival. Catch them at Yes Basement.
We speak to 5 piece post punk/post hardcore/garage outfit Onlooker ahead of their debut appearance at Manchester Punk Festival.
We talk to Jodie Faster as they prep for the new release of their new album Saint Lundi and their appearance at Manchester Punk Festival.
We talk to Period Drama - self-styled 'spooky queer emo punks' from Sheffield - ahead of their appearance at MPF2025.
If there's one thing that seems to draw people back to Manchester Punk Festival, even in its tenth year, it'd probably be the variety. One of the enduring wonderful things about the festival is that in the space of half an hour, you can go from watching straight-ahead pop-punk in the Union to bouncing around [...]
We talk to Filthy Militia ahead of their first Manchester Punk Festival. They discuss their MPF memories and what to expect at MPF2025.
As we approach 10 years of Manchester Punk Festival we speak to MPF veterans to relative newcomers about their festival memories.
Introducing the MPF accessibility coordinator and announce the changes to the accessibility arrangements for this year's punk festival.
Sports - San Francisco 49ers
Eleven picks gives you a lot of options. Here are the best, worst, and weirdest of the 49ers' 2025 NFL Draft.
George Kittle has made it more likely than ever that he'll end his career with the San Francisco 49ers. Per ESPN and multiple outlets, the star tight end has ag
The NFL moves fast, and the 49ers presented a great example of that with their first pick in the fifth round during Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft. With the 9th pi
The 49ers have actually been quite lucky in this NFL Draft, but that luck ran out early on Sunday's Day 3. After the board fell nicely for them to pick defensiv
The 49ers closed out their 2nd day of the NFL draft, and their final pick in the top 100, by adding a small, spiky piece to their revamped defense. With the 100
At least one draftnik is behind the 49ers' first pick in Round 3 of the NFL Draft.
The 49ers seem to be back to playing big-boy football in the trenches, on the defensive line at least. To open Day 2, the 49ers doubled down on Thursday night's
There is, understandably, some frustration at the 49ers not moving back into the first round of the NFL Draft. Having already selected versatile defensive linem
It's becoming clearer why Mykel Williams got the nod for the 49ers at No. 11.
Let's go back almost four decades and put ourselves in 49ers legendary head coach (and GM) Bill Walsh's shoes as the 1986 NFL Draft neared.
Opinions about the 49ers' first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft are, frankly, all over the shop.
Five key predictions for what the 49ers might do with the 11th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft-from trade-up scenarios to surprise first-round picks.
Dre Greenlaw's replacement could already be on the Niners roster.
Let's start with a mea culpa. I got it wrong: It was, in fact, The Last Dance for that 49ers team. You can blame many things for that completely errant...
Just a few days after his release caused consternation to the fanbase, fullback Kyle Juszczyk is returning to San Francisco.
There's an interesting commonality among the free agents the 49ers have signed so far.
It didn't take long for the first 'former' 49ers player to depart via free agency.
It appears as if the rumors surrounding Joey Bosa joining forces with his brother to play with the 49ers are picking up steam.
The 49ers continue to rapidly reshape their roster ahead of free agency. This time, they're undoing a move they made last offseason.
49ers fans can't help but sit back and smile as the Seahawks' implosion continues, this time with quarterback Geno Smith.
As logical as it might seem, the 49ers shouldn't try replacing Deebo Samuel by drafting a player in his mold.
Two brothers on the same team wouldn't exactly be new to the 49ers.
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the San Francisco 49ers have traded WR Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for the 2025 fifth-round pick.
Welcome back, Robert. You and the 49ers have some things to do.
If any 49ers fans are feeling down about the team's poor season, you only need to look at a prominent rival team's offseason choice.
I'm already sorry for the therapy this might send San Francisco 49ers fans back into.
The more things change for the 49ers, the more they... stay the same?
The more data points we see, the more obvious the 49ers' quarterback decision gets.
One of the most irritating things about the discourse surrounding the San Francisco 49ers this season has been the constant bashing of head coach Kyle Shanahan
Did you feel that? I think the past is knocking at the door for 49ers fans.
Nostalgia has a strong pull. Look around you. The world's full of sequels, remakes, and reboots, and most of them do well. It's comforting to remember a time
From a one-time hot head coaching candidate to the NFL scrap heap, the league's coaching churn has claimed this former 49ers quarterback.
In the annual fan-favourite contest (stylised by the NFL as the Pro Bowl), the 49ers, despite having a poor season, actually did quite well. in terms of represe
After being activated and making his first start of the season, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw made an immediate impact, putting on a show in only one half.
The San Francisco 49ers have waited long enough, but it finally looks like their top linebacker trio is back together again.
As Javon Hargrave appears to head for the exit door, perhaps he'll take a failed 49ers free-agent strategy with him.
Not much has gone right, from coaching to on-field play, for the 2024 San Francisco 49ers. Here are five people who ought to pay the price.
After showing signs of atrophy last year, the 49ers' 2024 season has proven that you can't shop in the discount aisle forever and expect to succeed.
Talk is cheap, and no one proves that more than the 2024 San Francisco 49ers.
If you're feeling nervous, that's because the next three Sundays are huge for the 49ers.
Per Adam Schefter, tight end George Kittle will miss today's vital game against the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury.
You can once again copy and paste the same introduction, as the 49ers special teams causes issues again, despite redeeming itself late.
The 49ers' second-year pro cornerback could pay the price for the team's special teams struggles.
The 49ers continued a pattern at the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, swinging another trade with a former ally.
Aside from obvious outliers like Nick Bosa or to an extent Brandon Aiyuk, it's not often that 49ers fans find themselves evaluating their rookie class'...
Wow. The 49ers were badly in need of some big plays to spark the team in the second half of Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. Malik Mustapha tri
While all around him threatens to burn, the 49ers rookie safety is making an impression.
If you have been watching 49ers football for long enough, you've seen this movie before. A 49ers team coming off a soul-destroying playoff loss (or Super Bowl...
The 49ers have swung some big midseason trades in years past. Lets speculate on a couple more that might happen.
The good news is, the 49ers seem to have unearthed an All-Pro cornerback. The bad news is, he might not be here for much longer.
The 49ers rookie class stepped up in Thursday's must-win game against the Seahawks.
If you're not feeling fired up for tonight's game, it might be time to get there because if the 49ers don't win, they're in serious trouble.
It's been a bit of a wait, but the 49ers might finally have one of their key weapons back firing on full cylinders.
If you've been a 49ers fan for long enough, you can probably remember the good to great linebackers that have worn the red and gold throughout their careers. Fr
When it rains, it pours. As the Cardinals game approaches, the 49ers get one defensive lineman back, but lose another in the process.
The 49ers have some well -documented injury issues, but if they hand more playing time to these players, they might be able to weather the storm.
Noticed something different about Brock Purdy this year? Us, too. And it's a key 49ers absence that's brought it about.
Enough is enough, and changes need to be made before it's too late. The 49ers can start by making some quick changes at linebacker.
Unfortunately, the old axiom of 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all' doesn't apply to sports writing, because there wasn't much g
It's the week of overreactions, so while we're still happy about the result of the Niners' Week 1 win, let's have some.
Former Colts and Broncos legend Peyton Manning had some blunt advice for Brandon Aiyuk during Monday Night Football.
So, another NFL season is upon us. For me, this is year nineteen, over here in the UK, putting my life and sleeping pattern on hold for four months to...
According to multiple reports, 49ers first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall was shot in the Union Square area of San Francisco on Saturday afternoon. The news or
The preseason is finally over. Who's got the golden ticket to the 49ers' final 53-man roster?
For the 49ers, 53-man cutdown time is almost upon us. Here are four players who have flashed enough to earn a spot, but might just find themselves lost in the shuffle.
Preseason means battles up and down the 49ers roster. But this position might just hold the closest and toughest battles of them all.
With the dog days of camp leaving a few players missing for Week 2 of the NFL preseason, one 49ers veteran stepped up at a crowded roster position.
A lack of starters allows younger players to put down a marker in the preseason, and these two 49ers certainly did that.
With training camp almost upon us, the roster looks set for some youth versus experience battles at various key positions. Where might youth win out?
Between the noise - again - about Brandon Aiyuk requesting a trade, and presumed replacement first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall going on the non-football...
While the entire NFL world seems to be focused on Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers are in danger of missing the wood for the trees.
As the traditional dead period until the start of training camp dawns, here are some questions that will keep the 49ers busy in the meantime.
George Kittle is probably pretty happy the 49ers added a new partner in crime for him at the tight end position. Two other current 49ers shouldn't be.
When it comes to the 49ers roster-building methodology, offensive line coach Chris Foerster seems to have explained a peculiar strategy at a key position.
In the current lull between the NFL Draft and the start of training camp, most people's focus with regard to the San Francisco 49ers seems to be around the...
It's never too early to think what the 49ers roster might look like going into the 2024 season. With the NFL Draft smog clearing, let's take a look at what the 53 might look like.
There was some conventional wisdom heading into the NFL Draft that the 49ers would potentially package some of their ten picks to move up at various times,...
With their final pick in the NFL Draft, the 49ers grabbed themselves some potential insurance against Dre Greenlaw's injury.
With their compensatory sixth-round selection, the 49ers added some more depth to their offensive line, taking a local favourite in the process.
With the final draft pick in the fourth round, the 49ers added a very different type of receiver to their weaponry.
After trading for the No. 129 overall pick from the Jets, the Niners grabbed a tough, speedy running back out of Louisville.
The 49ers opened Day 3 of the NFL Draft by adding yet more depth to the defensive backfield, following on from last night's pick of CB Renardo Green. With their
Part of the fun of the NFL Draft is imagining some hypotheticals that are, at best, unlikely to take place. Could the 49ers pull one or more off? Let's get crazy.
The NFL Draft's fire and pizzazz is usually reserved for primetime, but history shows successful teams are often built in the middle and late rounds. Let's take a look at the best moments the 49ers have had there in the last decade.
The 49ers started the new NFL league year with a flurry of activity, but some questions still remain. Here's a look at where the roster could still be improved as the free agency frenzy calms down.
The game starts in the trenches, and here's how the 49ers might be able to make theirs stronger in the upcoming NFL Draft.
A 49ers team, coming off a heartbreaking, close Super Bowl loss to a Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, faces several tough salary cap decisions,...
Since the last pass of Super Bowl LVIII (I couldn't even tell you what happened in the aftermath, nor who caught the pass, I turned off as soon as the ball...
Music Features
REAL BANDS...WELL, THEY PLAY MUSIC AND THEY RECORD ALBUMS A CONVERSATION WITH JOEY SANTIAGO & DAVID LOVERING OF THE PIXIES It feels strangely surreal to still be interviewing the Pixies about new music in 2024 - it's a credit to them that, long after their original run ended, and 20 years-plus into their reuniting, they're still [...]
PLUNGING INTO THE UNKNOWN WITH A SMILE A CONVERSATION WITH NECK DEEP As openers go, it could be a motto for any pop-punk band looking to launch itself into the stratosphere. "If Blink-182 can do it, why can't we?" smiles Ben Barlow, just seconds into his chat with us here at Spill Magazine.
Interview + Feature with Preacher Stone
Interview + Feature with South of Salem
Interview + Feature with Meryl Streek
Music Reviews
MANCHESTER PUNK FESTIVAL 2025 @ MANCHESTER (UK) APRIL 18-20, 2025 Manchester Punk Festival continues to thrive. Now in its 10th year, the Easter weekend institution remains atop most UK punks' calendars, and with good reason. Recently voted the UK's best small festival by the UK Festival Awards, Manchester Punk Festival certainly had a heavy reputation [...]
Anything Craig Finn touches will have plaintive, honest, songwriting, verbose lyrics and some acoustic tearjerkers, and this is no exception.
SAM FENDER PEOPLE WATCHING POLYDOR With People Watching, his first album since his 2022 breakthrough Seventeen Going Under, Sam Fender landed a big coup in hiring Adam Granduciel of The War On Drugs as his producer and collaborator. That influence is stamped all over this from the get-go; while Fender's songwriting remains as grounded as [...]
40 WATTS FROM NOWHERE SUSAN CARPENTER/SLAMDANCE FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 23, 2025 What do you do with a bunch of burning ambition, a love for music, and a boredom with early 90's commercial radio? For most people, the obvious answer wouldn't be 'start a radio station in your bedroom', but 40 Watts From Nowhere serves as one [...]
CIRCA WAVES DEATH & LOVE PT. 1 LOWER THIRD There's immediate joy in Circa Waves' new album; "American Dream" opens in a blaze of sound and classic indie pop, an explosion of euphoria after trauma, which is probably not that far from the truth given lead singer Kieran Shudall's recent well-documented health issues.
FRANZ FERDINAND THE HUMAN FEAR DOMINO RECORDS Franz Ferdinand's first studio album in seven years (Always Ascending being 2018's major effort) is instantly identifiable from its opening track "Audacious". Alex Kapranos's voice has lost none of that same impish quality that it had, and coupled with a classic Franz-like riff, it could easily be 2004 [...]
THE NATIONAL ROME 4AD The National have had a busy few years, encompassing two albums, a well-received Glastonbury headline slot, and a much-needed return to the top table of indie rock. This, then, doubles as a celebration of that re-ascension - it's a crystal clear, energetic document of The National's live set, encompassing cuts from [...]
KIM DEAL NOBODY LOVES YOU MORE 4AD When you hear the words "Kim Deal's first solo album", you'd be forgiven for expecting to hear more of the same clattering rhythms and incongruous lyricism that made her a behemoth of the alternative rock scene for the last three decades.
LESS THAN JAKE UNCHARTED PURE NOISE For an album named after discovering the unknown, it's amusing that it's incredibly obvious that this is a Less Than Jake album from the second you hit the play button. All the hallmarks of the best of the band are here: the loud, bouncing groove twinned with the rapid-fire [...]
THE CURE SONGS OF A LOST WORLD POLYDOR/UNIVERSAL MUSIC Barring a reformation, it's hard to imagine it ever being acceptable for most bands to take 16 years to release new music. However, this is The Cure. There's therefore an obvious sense of palpable expectation around this album, and the band plays with that almost instantly [...]
On her fourth album, Soccer Mommy maintains the plaintive indie-rock stylings, but with an achingly personal edge to it.
PIXIES THE NIGHT THE ZOMBIES CAME BMG Even over 20 years into their second act, on The Night The Zombies Came, the Pixies show no signs of being ready for a musical rapture. The album corkscrews around as expected. There's awesome predictability in the likes of "You're So Impatient" and "Johnny Good Man", which are [...]
THE WAR ON DRUGS LIVE DRUGS AGAIN SUPER HIGH QUALITY RECORDS Some bands often bemoan a record producer's lack of ability to record 'their live sound', but perhaps no band benefits more from being captured live than The War On Drugs. There's a peculiar majesty about The War On Drugs' live performances that is very [...]
DERYCK WHIBLEY - WALKING DISASTER: MY LIFE THROUGH HEAVEN AND HELL GALLERY BOOKS BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN PORTER It was something of a surprise when now-former Sum 41 band leader Deryck Whibley announced he was picking up the pen to write his life story, but that's not the last or the biggest surprise that Walking [...]
MAXÏMO PARK STREAM OF LIFE LOWER THIRD/[PIAS] Perhaps the late 2000s greatest indie survivors, Maxïmo Park return with their eighth album, and if there are any lingering doubts about their remaining power, they dispel it pretty quickly with punchy, Britpop-style opener "Your Own Worst Enemy", which is a rollicking start to the album.
The Meffs are ably supported by production from Frank Turner in delivering their first full-length album, 'What A Life.'
It's a suprise to discover that 'Toxic' is only Yours Truly's second full-length studio album following their 2020 release.
STEVIE VAN ZANDT: DISCIPLE HBO JUNE 22, 2024 When you're best known for being part of a cultural phenomenon like the E Street Band, it can be hard to get your individual story told. Disciple sets out to redress that balance by focussing on Steven Van Zandt's life beyond the well-known, and attempting to shine [...]
JOE GITTLEMAN HOLD UP BAD TIME RECORDS After many years being the backbone of many bands on the ska scene, not least the 'Bass Fiddleman' of the sadly-missed Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Joe Gittleman takes a step forward into the limelight himself. He did already take a turn in the spotlight, previously releasing a well-received split [...]
FRANK TURNER UNDEFEATED XTRA MILE RECORDINGS Frank Turner is famously prolific. This is now his tenth studio album, and it's a defiant and typically sing-a-long howl from Turner, particularly on songs like the opener "Do One", but perhaps best exemplified by "No Thank You For The Music" which mixes his musings on the musical scenes [...]
MANCHESTER PUNK FESTIVAL 2024 @ MANCHESTER (UK) MARCH 29-31, 2024 When Easter weekend rolls around, it means only one thing in my home town of Manchester - the punks are coming. Now in its ninth year of existence, the Manchester Punk Festival is a three-day extravaganza of punk music split across several venues in the city's [...]
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN GLASGOW EYES FUZZ CLUB After two recent releases, first the live album Sunset 666, then the anniversary release Munki, The Jesus and Mary Chain continue their unlikely resurrection with Glasgow Eyes, their first album of new material since 2017's Damage and Joy.
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB FANTASIES ARTS & CRAFTS Following the success of last year's My Big Day, Fantasies sees Bombay Bicycle Club linking up with indie-pop titans Matilda Mann, Liz Lawrence, Lucy Rose, and Rae Morris to produce a four-song EP. From the beginning, Bombay Bicycle Club maintains their unpredictable nature.
REAL ESTATE DANIEL DOMINO RECORDS Real Estate's sixth album aspires to be a radio-friendly pop record, and that much is obvious from the opening tracks of the album. "Haunted World" has a nice late-R.E.M quality to it, full of shimmering pop hooks and vulnerable vocals, while its followup, "Water Underground", is possibly even more radio-friendly, [...]
FUTURE ISLANDS PEOPLE WHO AREN'T THERE ANYMORE 4AD It's been a long wait for Future Islands' latest effort, with it being four years since their last release, the acclaimed As Long As You Are. Thankfully, it only takes a few bars of title track "King Of Sweden" to note the band is just as on [...]
'Big Sigh' marks Marika Hackman's first album in four years, so it's not surprising that she has a lot to say.
GEDDY LEE ASKS: ARE BASS PLAYERS HUMAN TOO? PARAMOUNT PLUS/BANGER FILMS/MTV ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS DECEMBER 5, 2023 Geddy Lee's amusingly titled Are Bass Players Human Too? is a fun romp through the unseen lives of that most unheralded of musicians - the bass player. As bass player (among many other things!)
Dune Pilot 'Magnetic' review - Eleven driving tracks of heavy stoner rock and roll that's released via Argonauta Records
PETER JESPERSON - EUPHORIC RECALL MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN PORTER If the old idiom that "we all have a book in us" is indeed true, then it must be truer for Peter Jesperson than most. Jesperson, after all, has spent half a century in the Minneapolis music scene, covering roles from [...]
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN MUNKI FUZZ CLUB Hot on the heels of surprise summer live release Sunset 666, Fuzz Club now bring us a 25th anniversary re-release of Munki, simultaneously The Jesus And Mary Chain's most powerful album and their epitaph all at once.
SIERRA PILOT PHANTOM PAINS INDEPENDENT Sierra Pilot makes its entry into their native Canada's alternative rock scene with this impressive, ballsy debut, Phantom Pains. Indeed, after the opening barrage by the trio of "Alive", "Adrenaline", and "Keys To The City", you'd be forgiven for thinking that they had been around forever, such are the nostalgic [...]
THE NATIONAL LAUGH TRACK 4AD You wait four years for a new album from The National, and two come along at once. Hot on the heels of the excellent First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, Laugh Track is a surprise release from the Brooklyn-based gloom rockers, and their latest attempt to reclaim their pedestal as the [...]
MUSTARD PLUG WHERE DID ALL MY FRIENDS GO? BAD TIME RECORDS At a time when ska goliaths like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish have disappeared into the ether, it's a welcome shot in the arm for the ska scene that Mustard Plug return with their own particular brand of horn-based fun.
JALEN NGONDA COME AROUND AND LOVE ME DAPTONE RECORDS Every once in a while, an album comes across a reviewer's desk that heralds the arrival of a significant new talent into the music scene. Come Around and Love Me is one such album, taking the soul revival largely vanguarded by the likes of Gregory Porter [...]
The Arrogants Brainwash Dirty Water Records There can't be many bands who start their second album cycle by opening for The Who and gaining an endorsement from Pete Townshend. When one puts on Brainwash, though, it's not hard to see why, as this album could've easily marked out The Arrogants as a contemporary of The [...]
DIZZY DIZZY ROYAL MOUNTAIN RECORDS Dizzy's third album, self-titled but with no hint of self-importance, would be easy to dismiss as simplistic pop, particularly when one hears the opener, "Birthmark". Indeed, lead singer Katie Munshaw's vocals bring to mind even such luminaries as Taylor Swift, and you'd be forgiven for thinking the album would continue [...]
The Jesus And Mary Chain Sunset 666 Fuzz Club Recorded while supporting Nine Inch Nails on tour, Sunset 666 credits its existence to the serendipity of a USB port on the mixing desk, and the unusual recording mechanism ultimately is what gives the album both its power and its flaws in equal measure.
The Aquadolls Charmed Enci Records Charmed is Los Angeles-based femme-punks The Aquadolls' third album, and from the start, it's noticeably more punk than their previous efforts. This album also marks the first time the trio have written as a collective, and it's apparent that this has allowed every member to shine as soon as one [...]