Showing posts with label Antony Szmierek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Antony Szmierek. Show all posts

Wednesday, 26 August 2026

Panic attack in a park in Nottingham*

With August practically over I for one will not be shedding any tears to see the back of this month. Unfeasibly tropical weather (I wasn't built for these temperatures), a day in A&E (don't ask), and preparing for a showdown (ditto) have all played their part. Now, more than ever, my erstwhile reliable method of counting three good things that have happened each day before going to sleep has certainly been tested to its limits.

Though, in fairness, it hasn't always been dark at six: Luna came back; Notts County have had a decent start to the season, and I wrote a new song. Oh, and on Monday just gone I had a double header: Broadway were showing Tony - based on the chef and writer Anthony Bourdain's infamous memoir 'Kitchen Confidential' - a terrific film (even if you're not a foodie) starring Dominic Sessa and Antonio Banderas.  And then straight into Rough Trade for an intimate gig and album signing with Antony Szmierek - I predicted great things for Antony back in January and with this new album Decoding Birdsong (as you can see below I asked him to sign it for James) I think I've been proven right. He's coming back to Nottingham in October with his band as part of a UK/European tour. I'm there.


* Where today's post title came from (0:38) - Antony talked about it quite candidly mid-set...

Monday, 12 January 2026

Laureate in waiting?


As is traditional, James compiled his
Best of '25 for me just before Christmas and once again this year-end mashup is an eclectic musical smorgasbord which I'm finding most agreeable. I told James when he came up this weekend for his mum's birthday that I'm particularly taken with Antony Szmierek - so much so that I'm now also devouring his debut album Service Station at the End of the Universe which came out in February. It's an astonishing piece of work that ticks so many of my boxes, not least the artwork which depicts Forton Services in a snow globe!. I'm subsumed by his deft staccato vocal delivery - reminiscent of The Streets/Mike Skinner; imagine what Simon Armitage would sound like if only he'd got a beatbox for Christmas. 

Antony Szmierek - Service Station at the End of the Universe (2025)