Tag: music
Failed bands of my past: east London soul/funk hustlers, Apartment
Here’s another glimpse into one of the long and many ‘lean’ years of my music career. This time it’s June 1983, and I can be seen youthfully posing at the …
Read More
From the Valleys to the Roxy: Welsh punk rock dreams from the 1970s
Here’s the story of how the punk revolution changed everything for this Welsh boy living in Cardiff in the 1970s, and how the dreams of rock’n’roll stardom took a blow when …
Read More
London and the coronavirus crisis: Clampdown by The Clash
As London heads into an anticipated total lockdown with reports of the army being drafted in by the weekend, there’s only one song to play:
Read More
Early Hip Hop culture photographed: Beat Positive at the Getty Gallery, London
It’s quite a small exhibition, but there’s some cracking images to be seen at ‘Beat Positive,’ a photographic celebration of early hip hop culture at the Getty Gallery in central …
Read More
In photos: Ruin – an abandoned imaginary disco nightclub in the Store Studios, London
A collaboration between Ben Kelly – who was behind the legendary Manchester nightclub Hacienda – and architectural designer Virgil Abloh, Ruin is a large-scale installation that recreates a mythical abandoned nightclub.
Read More
In photos: The Crash art show in the Q Park underground car park, London
The Crash is a non-profit exhibition featuring over 100 international artists in the circular 20000 Sq ft multi-storey underground car park beneath Cavendish Square in the heart of central London.
Read More
Boomtown 2017: a wander around the chilled out Whistlers Green on the top of the hill
Almost hidden in the woods at the top of the hill, the Whistlers Green area provided a relaxing alternative to the madness below, offering live music, food stalls and over 100 …
Read More
Faces of Boomtown 2017: Seventy photos taken around the festival site
This year’s Boomtown Fair in Winchester, England, was once again a bloody amazing experience, and here’s the first batch of photos from the festival. Hopefully I’ve managed to document some …
Read More
Boomtown Fair festival sells out in record time
It’s long been urban75’s favourite festival of the year, and we’re not surprised to see that all 60,000 tickets have sold out this year in record time.
Read More
Boomtown releases first trailer for the 2017 festival
The organisers of the fabulous Boomtown festival have released their first video previewing this year’s festival, described as ‘Chapter 9: ‘Behind the Mask.’
Read More
The best 40 albums of 2016 according to urban75 – see them here
Once again, posters on the urban75 forums have been voting for their best albums of 2016, with a pretty interesting selection making the list. Nominations were invited at the beginning of …
Read More
Photos: In the magical woods of Boomtown Festival 2016
Boomtown has several stages and sound systems in the woods around the festival and they can make magical places to escape to after dark. Here’s some photos taken in the …
Read More
The Wild West at Boomtown: courtroom scenes, gunslingers and hoedowns
Located at the top end of the festival, the Wild West remains one of our favourite city districts, with no shortage of ad hoc street performances, bars and live venues to keep …
Read More
The Park Hotel at Boomtown 2016: bands, beer, pool, Eva Lazarus and ping pong debauchery
The Park Hotel in uptown Mayfair has always been one of urban75’s favourite parts of Boomtown, and this year we spent a fair bit of time checking out its many …
Read More
More faces of Boomtown Fair 2016 – in photos
Here’s our second instalment of photos taken around Boomtown Fair 2016. We’ve got loads more to come, so please check back regularly or visit our Boomtown home page for a …
Read More
Faces of Boomtown Fair 2016 – photos of people at the UK’s greatest festival!
Over four glorious days of August sunshine, Boomtown Fair delivered another wonderful, crazy, fascinating mix of music, art, performance and general mayhem.
Read More
The Fire Breathing Tuba of Tottenham Court Road – unique London busker in action
Recently, I’ve been methodically documenting the assortment of buskers seen on the streets of Brixton in south London, but this fella with a fire-breathing tuba surely trumps the lot.
Read More
Punk 1976-78: Sex Pistols and the rise of punk rock documented at the British Library
Opening tomorrow, Friday 13th May, Punk 1976-78 is a small exhibition at the British Library charting the emergence and influence of early punk rock. Launched on the 40th anniversary of punk, the …
Read More
Boomtown 2016 headline artists announced, more to come
BoomTown Fair is my favourite festival by a country mile, and already the line up for 2016 is serving up a tempting selection of artists.
Read More BoomTown Fair 2016 tickets are on sale now!
Boomtown Fair is – by a country mile – my favourite UK festival – and tickets have just gone on sale for ‘Chapter 8,’ with the 2016 festival being themed …
Read More
Rock’n’Roll in the streets with the Urban Voodoo Machine at the Clerkenwell Festival
There was rock and roll reverberating along the streets of east London last Sunday, as the Urban Voodoo Machine led a march to the Clerkenwell Festival after party.
Read More
Bash! Thwack! It’s a Dennis The Menace drum kit!
A while ago, I wrote a piece entitled, “Building and buying an extra small, super-portable drum kit for gigging drummers,” and it proved to be one of the most popular …
Read More
Top 30 albums of the year for 2013 as selected by urban75
The posters on the urban75 boards have voted in their top 30 albums of the year, and there’s a cracking selection on offer. Over 200 albums were nominated, and there’s …
Read More
Billy Fury remembered by Liverpool docks sculpture
Born Ronald Wycherley in Dingle, Liverpool in April 1940, Billy Fury worked as a deck hand on the Mersey tug boats while teaching himself to play guitar and write songs. …
Read More
Another West End record store bites the dust as JB’s, Hanway Street, London closes
I guess it was only a matter of time, but it was still sad to see that the long-serving JB’s record store in Hanway Street, central London has closed down.
Read More
Building and buying an extra small, super-portable drum kit for gigging drummers
There’s a lot to be said for using a modern small drum kit: they’re less hassle to move about, lighter to carry and can be put up and taken down …
Read More