Published by Steve Pringle
Celebrating the art of the mixtape. Ten songs, chosen to fit with nine categories (plus one wildcard). Some curated by me, but also featuring lots of guest mixers.
Listen on Apple PodcastsMy guest this week is Stephin Merritt Stephin is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has, over the last 35 years, produced some truly remarkable music; in particular, he was the man behind what is, in my estimation, one of the greatest albums of the 20th century, 69 Love Songs. He has also recorded soundtracks under his own name, as well as producing music as the 6ths, the Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes.
My guest this week is Niall Quinn Niall was the drummer and main songwriter in The Hitchers - whose 1997 song ‘ Strachan ’ was a John Peel favourite and has regularly been voted as one of the best football-related songs of all time . You may also have heard it quite recently on this podcast, as Steve Hill chose it for his mix in episode #76 .
My guest this week is David Rose I was introduced to David via previous guest Paul Garrett . David describes himself as 'a punk/ post-punk/ indie music fan and inveterate gig-goer of 45 years standing, currently with over 1,400 gigs under my belt' and has blogged about his experiences at http://www.gigbook.blogspot.com/
My guest this week is Graeme Ramsey Graeme is not only an ex-member of The Wedding Present, but has been both the drummer (2006-09) and the guitarist (2009-12). He also, as we discussed, once told Steve Albini how to mic a drum kit!
My guest this week is Liam Fitzpatrick Liam hails from Birmingham, but now resides in Whitby and runs his own cafe, Beckett's . Like me, he has a background in education, and also like me is a fan of The Wedding Present and The Fall. He emailed me to say, “if ever you fancy another ordinary 'Joe Soap' on the show - just let me know”. Well, I'm always delighted to have a music enthusiast on the show...
My guest mixer this week is Steve Hill Steve is a journalist and author whose debut book, The Card , was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. His third book - out later this year - is called Friday Night Fever: Inside The Cult Of Half Man Half Biscuit .
My guest this week is Mark Hex Mark is an author and musician who describes himself as “Scottish bred, London exiled. Deep fried in Glasgow” who writes, according to his Amazon page , “stories for people who don't like books.” He has written a series of books about growing up in Ayrshire in the 90s, including Nae Burds, Here We Go, Decks of Ten and Exploding Cans and Utter Bams. He has also released several albums on Bandcamp , including Edgelore of the Land of Nihilists, People Hate Glasgow and, most recently, Unique Results (New Adventures in Lo-fi) - an album that one website said “spits, seethes, and struts with unruly charm.”
My guest this week is Pinko Fowler Pinko, a fellow friend of Sombrero Fallout , was - along with Brenda Kelly - the founder of Snub TV, a no-frills cable show captured 80s and 90s bands at their most bonkers . He was also a photographer / cameraman who worked on live gigs and promos for Rough Trade bands such as the Smiths and the Go-Betweens. Apologies for the occasionally dubious sound quality - it's a long way from Powys to Sydney!
My guest this week is Joanna Burnett Long-time listeners may recall that my very first episode was a mix of my own devising, and whilst many people were very kindly positive about my choice of tracks, one correspondent did point out that my mix was made up entirely of male artists. Suitably chastised, my next solo episode ( show #006 ) was a female-only list named after my critic - and I’m delighted to say that that very person is this week’s guest.
My guest this week is Emma Pollock Emma was a founder member of The Delgados , who were simply one of the very best bands of the late 90s / early 00s. As part of the band, she set up the label Chemikal Underground , which has released music by Mogwai and Arab Strap. She has also enjoyed a successful solo career, her latest album being Begging The Night To Take Hold . I met Emma in Cardiff last year when she was supporting The Wedding Present which gave me the very welcome opportunity to set this up. Harry, a good friend of mine who is a big fan of her music told me that, "as well as being a supremely talented musician, she's just a genuinely lovely person", and he wasn't wrong. This episode is dedicated to Harry.
My guest this week is Lindsay Boothman Lindsay is the first guest to compile a mix tape entirely based on one genre (reggae/dub), and whilst she did cheat a little with the 'something new' category (just as my wife did) I thought her selections made for a fantastic mix. There was no way I was going to be able to make a Spotify playlist, and even a YouTube playlist was going to be a challenge - so at the bottom of the page you will find my mix of the whole thing. Lindsay has popped up on the show before (on episode #060 ) with her partner Angus, but it was a real pleasure to have the time to explore her love of reggae.
My guest this week is Jon Sutton It's a small world... Jon originally contacted me with a “nerdy Wedding Present request” after seeing some of the TWP videos I'd uploaded to YouTube - and then it turned out he is acquainted professionally with star of episode #033 Gavin Morgan. Jon is a Chartered Psychologist and Head of Science Communication. In his spare time he has contributed live reviews, interviews and photography to music fanzines including I n The April Sun and Zine Things Happen . Get ready for a bit of shoegaze; and - it had to happen sometime - the first appearance of New Order.
My guest this week is Tony Harris My guest back in episode #055 was Paul Howarth, one half of the duo that produce the estimable Twilight Turntable podcast ( on which I appeared recently ) and I'm delighted to complete my TT set this week. Tony, who currently resides in Manila, has a background in advertising and has published a book about his experiences: Advertising: More Fun in the Philippines .
My guest this week is David Pisker I was introduced to David by previous guest Ian Forth of Sombrero Fallout fame, who recommended him as an 'absolute authority on underground Melbourne music.' David - who describes himself as 'a music and film tragic' - is a DJ on Melbourne's PBS FM and has also had his photography featured in Clinton Walker’s seminal history of Australian Independent Music, Stranded .
My guest this week is Geoff Cox Geoff is a music lecturer and musician/composer himself, who you might remember was one of the multitude of Fall Online Forum guests on show #060 . There was quite a lot of our chat for show #060 that I didn't get to use, so it was a pleasure to meet up again and discuss, amongst other things, what actually constitutes music, the art of dub, and the insidious effects of AI...
My guest this week is Kilynn Lunsford Kilynn is a New Jersey based artist who has been recording experimental music and producing art that has been exhibited internationally for 25 years. A review of her most recent album, Promiscuous Genes, described it as “a mix of DIAMANDA GALAS, KATE BUSH, and The Munsters in the best way… as melodic and catchy as it is sinister and disturbing” I was put in touch with her by previous guest Brian Turner of East Village Radio, who recommended her "exquisite multifaceted music taste."
My guest this week is Bryan Thomas aka Buggy Jive A 'somewhat reclusive soul rock singer-songwriter', Bryan has been producing music under the Buggy Jive name since 2018. He has released seven albums, the latest of which is 2025's Icarus Ascending . I was introduced to Bryan's music by my good friend (and previous guest) Eric Smith, and so it seemed fitting that he should provide the intro to this show...
My guest this week is Mat Riches Mat is another one of those people that I’ve known forever on music forums, etc. but have only met in person once (possibly twice) and that was a long time ago… so it’s a real pleasure to reconnect with him. He currently works in market research and as ITV’s (unofficial) poet-in-residence, blogs about poetry at Wear The Fox Hat and has published a collection of poetry called Collecting the Data .
My guest this week is Joe Rolls Joe - who I was put in touch with by previous guest mixer Paul Howarth - is a drummer who currently plays in a pub rock covers band called Southside Five .
My guest mixer this week is Rachael Wood. A guitarist and composer with 20 years of live and recording experience. She has played with Sinead O’Connor and Skunk Anansie as well as being the musical director for Cirque du Soleil for 8 years. Most importantly - for me anyway, and I suspect most of my listeners - she is currently the guitarist in The Wedding Present.