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Part 1 of Interview with Micko Westmoreland (Micko & The Mellotronics)

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Meeting Micko Westmoreland: Part 1 Doing A Proper Job It’s been a fascinating couple of weeks at SpideWriter.com Towers, what with a Hollywood actor hitting town with his band, Norwich’s first Zero BPM drone festival featuring various bits of electronica tech and the Embers choir, then having to get out to La Securité’s gig at Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom on Wednesday.      Then to top it all, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting up with Micko Westmoreland, of Micko & The Mellotronics to talk about the launch of his third album, Trinity , which is available as a CD and in all streaming formats from 12 th   June 2026. Micko & The Mellotronics first came to my attention with the single ‘Proper Job’ earlier this year.  It struck a chord with me, following my recent visit to the Play Produce Promote youth project in Great Yarmouth, and given the crisis in youth employment, the defenestration of entry level work by A.I., and the obligation of older workers to ...
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Quick, Get La Securité!

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La Securité / The Aide / Decent Wrestlers Voodoo Daddy's Showroom, Norwich  27th June 2026 Music lovers of Norwich always appreciate it when a band makes the effort to travel to the Viking market place that was Norvic.   La Securité came all the way from Montreal, Canada, which is a good effort and they were duly rewarded by a solid turnout at Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom on a Wednesday night.  Those who turned up to catch the band were rewarded too, as the band produced an excellent performance, amply led by the theatrically coquettish Éliane Viens-Synnott.  La Securité is a product of pandemic lockdowns and play what they describe as ‘dance-punk’ (or is it 'punk-dance?).   The Punk genre was always an attitude, not a sound.  The angry Sex Pistols , the social commentary of  The Clash , Pete Shelley’s love songs in Buzzcocks , the comedic Jilted John , the rather silly rapid-fire Ramones , the theatrical Talking Heads , even the quirky keybo...
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No, don’t stop…I still feel a pulse

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Zero BPM (Beats Per Minute) Drone Festival The Church Piano Bar, Redwell Street, Norwich NR1 This was less festival, more celebration.  There was the popping of corks for the ‘soft opening’ of Norwich’s latest live music venue, converting St Michael at Plea, smack in the heart of the city, from an evangelical tea, cake and event venue into a dedicated ‘quality’ jazz and blues venue.  There was also champagne metaphorically cracked open on the hull of Zero BPM (Zero Beats Per Minute) to launch an enthralling drone music mini-festival, which I hope can be expanded to be run over a couple of days in the not too distant future, whether in St Michael at Plea, or any other setting. The Zero BPM concept is excellent.  Stimulating, challenging, provocative and food for thought and subsequent conversation.  It would be fun to have more time to talk with performers, organisers and other audience members about what has been played and heard.  The i...
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Sutherland Pitches It Perfectly

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Kiefer Sutherland Live at The Adrian Flux Waterfront, Norwich Wednesday 13 th  May 2026 Kiefer Sutherland sets The Adrian Flux Waterfront a Quiver    This crowd loved Kiefer and his band.  As the set progressed, country turned to rock and songs, expressing sincere concern for East Coast neighbours, family-owned, small-scale farmers, turned to celebrating raunchy Friday night feelings that love is crayoned in the diary, despite this being Wednesday.  The crowd, many of whom would most likely have attended Sutherland’s previous visit to Norwich in this role in July 2023, lapped it up.   Sutherland was close to selling out this gig at one of the country’s legendary regional music venues, in a city famous for its love of all things musical.  Is the country facing a cost-of-living squeeze, when a man rich beyond his wildest dreams, is able to ride into town and charge £42.00 a ticket for 90 minutes work?  To be fair, Norwich City s...
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Bigger Badder Louder Bolder

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Vieira and The Silvers Headline Show at The Waterfront Studio, Norwich   Rock'n'Roll Brothers and Sisters, Rock'n'Roll! Friday 12 th  June 2026 It’s been a while since I saw Diogo Vieira take on a crowd, toss and hurl them around a venue, wipe the floor with them, then put them all through the rock’n’roll mangle to complete the job.     That was when Vieira and The Silvers blew away the Red Rooster Festival from the main stage in June 2024.     Sadly, Red Rooster has had to pack up the big tent for good, but a lot further down the A11, Vieira and his band have continued to blaze a trail on stages round London and south, reinforcing their reputation as one of the most exciting live bands in the land.   The Silvers have always existed with a fluid line up, with Vieira working with various combinations, adding, then taking out, then adding a saxophone, a duo of backing singers, then a trio, then none, more guitars, fewer guitars and a changing cast. ...
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