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Read the latest from Spidewriter, Spencer Ide

Such Charming Men, The Undertones deliver an Epic Show

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The Undertones and Ranking Roger Junior at Epic Studio, Norwich 15th October 2026 There is a scene in the Stanley Kubrick movie, The Shining when the supposed novel writer’s days of splendid isolation are revealed to be nothing more than a descent into darkness.  Day after day, he has repeatedly typed one line over hundreds of pages: "All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy." Well, I kind of understand where he was mentally, as all I want to type for this review is: SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB You get the idea. This is a picture of the set-list handed by an amiable security to a young lad being taken by his dad to see what his father was so excited about.  It made the boy’s day and it is a beautiful piece of memorabilia to be gifted. It may well be framed and displayed in mint condition for more than fifty years, which would see The Undertones being lovingly remembered in Norwich during 2076 and beyond. They deserve to be...

Viva La Underdog! - Micko & The Mellotronics New Single Plus other Norwich Music News

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Viva La  Underdog! Micko & The Mellotronics If you missed the release of the third album Trinity by 21st Century social-docu-pop-songster Micko Mellotronico and his band Micko & The Mellotronics earlier this year, take a moment to enjoy his latest single from the album. Released tomorrow, Friday 16th October , the single is accompanied by a typically quirky video. Viva Le Underdog is Micko’s take on the most unlikely cover star of modern days, a glove puppet called Sooty .  This TV character known to children of the 60s / 70s / 80s and early 90s had a look of permanent surprise, which anyone would if you had to go on TV with someone’s hand up your backside.  But that surprised look means a lot to Micko. It is the  bewilderment felt by us all at what complexity Life brings us, particularly how Life impacts on the innocent minds of children.  The Sooty look is the expression of an innocent child, the essence of innocence, he explained in an inte...

A Decent Theatre Set + Time to Sell Everything?

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Theatre and Sell Everything,  Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom Tuesday 13th October, 2026 Gig photos from Gordon @woolie6147 This is Theatre ’s first headline tour of the UK and they wanted to share the joy of the experience with fellow musicians from Ireland, so on the way to the ferry they pulled off the highway and picked up a bunch of lads from Dublin who were up for the ride. The name of this lucky band is Sell Everything .   But it is not entirely luck, because these five musicians are very much deserving of a place on Theatre’s tour, one that is attracting a lot of interest by dint of the broad appeal of the headline act.  Sell Everything have a bit of work to do yet to lead a UK tour in their own right, but as an opening act, they set a decent bar for their headlining compadres to straddle. The energy and enthusiasm of Jack Ussher  on guitar, stage left is quite a distraction, as he doubles himself up, stretches and adds his snarling to the vocals. He exudes a n...

Weekend with Sounds of Soviet Underground / Batsch / Karma Sheen / Mithila + Marline

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Sounds of London - September, 2026  I am going to have to work backwards through my weekend. It’s been a long one, with a few miles on the road, family and friends and football included, so I think it best to rewind from the end through to the beginning to give my memory a chance to trawl up the events of Friday evening, after clearing the frontal lobes of Saturday night's delights. St Paul’s cathedral, looming large behind the glass and concrete of Newgate Street, still has the capacity to draw a sharp intake of breath. Its huge structure and elegant lines stand in stark contrast to the Legoland simplicity of its contemporary surroundings.  How impressive it must have been to the  citizens of 18th Century London when the wooden scaffolding was finally removed, I cannot imagine. I had taken a 56 bus to the Central Line from outside Dalston Junction through the streets north of the city on Saturday night, my head still buzzing and my feet tapping out the rhythms of Sovi...