
10 Out of Office Spells, 2 August 2026
The New World, Buck Moons, seven hills, Helen of Troy, Blood Orange, beef ribs and a food-filled early holiday special
A weekly diary of ten things that cast their magic over my last seven days.
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The New World, Buck Moons, seven hills, Helen of Troy, Blood Orange, beef ribs and a food-filled early holiday special

Southbank summers, space disco barbecues, Mahler's massive hammer, Alan Shearer's snaps, two new singers I hope you love, Saints David, Ciara and Sinéad, and crabs in prefabs

Space Age symphonies, men softly singing, the ages of Empire, CMAT and Stephen Street, the magic of Max Porter and the summertime Malverns

Art that changed the world in audio, Skirrid in oils, rivers in sound, Valli on trombone, the greatest synthesiser of all time, Psycho punk and all hail the birthday boy

Barbie in space, Anna Maxwell Martin and Whitney, South Mimms book heaven, magical radio moments and the awesome Susan Wokoma

Multi-coloured Salford Lads Club madness, Radiophonic celebrations, Ballard's parables, Betjeman & TSE, Elis in NYC and feet like traction engines

Swansea and Essex, raver stepdads, Colleen and Cohen, support acts from the gods, a mam reaching 75 on the summer solstice and my napping boys (one of them in a Stormtrooper onesie)

Train hacks, the twists of Hockney, ghostly audio, psych-folk former Archbishops, pop stars loving Modern English and Brel, Oldham and Nicks revisited

Double thumbs-ups to Cave and Kylie, Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis, CMAT and Rodders, Macca, glorious audio and HAL 9000 as a pop-adjacent Eastender

Ten bolts of light that made my insane half-term bright, including great writing, daft drawing, startling painting, and life lessons from TV stars and children’s storytellers