The Top 5: The Rebirth of Cool While the corporate spreadsheets are busy recycling 2014’s "Safe Indie" for the summer festivals, the real ROI is happening on the fringes. No fleece. No filler. Just the sounds of the resistance. 1. Hannah Robinson – Ruining The Moment The Vibe: Grunge-rock Natalie Dormer. The Audit: A visceral, … Continue reading MARCH 2026: THE AUDITOR’S CHOICE
Month: Mar 2026
The Spreadsheet Vs The Soul
"It’s Friday night, March 27, 2026. The tour buses are cooling down, the variant-sellers are counting their plastic trophies, and the audit is officially closed. This week, we’ve tracked the 32-variant 'fleece' and the 72-place chart drops. But tonight, we look at the real ROI: Integrity. While the corporate giants syndicate the 'Summer of Sameness,' … Continue reading The Spreadsheet Vs The Soul
How to Fleece Fans and Win a Vanity Trophy
The KLF once released a book about it: The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way). It was a step-by-step guide on how to hijack the charts with no money and no musical skills. It worked. Now, it seems our favorite new bands—the ones who have scaled the uppermost positions in the … Continue reading How to Fleece Fans and Win a Vanity Trophy
The Crossroads: What are you prepared to do for your art?
I’ve been sitting on a draft for two years. I called it Privilege. I wrote it because I was tired of the 'Shortcut' culture—the bands with the label connections and the backgrounds that get 'glossed over' to create a fake grit. Looking at the landscape in 2026, I realize that privilege was just the entry … Continue reading The Crossroads: What are you prepared to do for your art?
Why Average is just Small Talk (And the Death of the Parka pantomime)
I once called a band called Small Talk 'average.' The sky fell in. I got piled on by fans who had cosied up to celebrity endorsements rather than actual songwriting. I told them they’d regret charging £15 a pop to see them with no real fanbase, and I was right. Where are they now? We’ve … Continue reading Why Average is just Small Talk (And the Death of the Parka pantomime)
The Rebirth of Cool: Five Years Later
The Voice is Far From Strangled. I’ve been silent for a while. Real life—the kind with clocks to punch, bills to pay, and the daily grind—has a habit of taking over. But while I’ve been away, I’ve been watching. I’ve seen great artists, truly talented people who have given everything to their craft, finally chuck … Continue reading The Rebirth of Cool: Five Years Later
