With its annual kaleidoscope of colourful blooms appearing much earlier this year, you had to be on your toes to catch them at their best. — Originally hailing from Turkey, tulips get their name from the Persian word for turban. Ever since the Tulipmania of the 17th century elevated them to collector status, tulips have created a special place among the flowers of the world. Not only do they come in almost every colour, but in…

Despite being billed as The Life Begins Again tour, time has finally caught up with Jeff Wayne’s ageing arena show — One of my all-time favourite quotes is from the US baseball coach Yogi Berra who came up with the brilliant line “It’s déjà vu, all over again.” That quip perfectly sums up both The War of the Worlds and this review. Like so many other tours, this one was delayed…

The fascinating story of a classic 1958 song that starts with Buddy Holly and was subsequently covered by a host of surprising artists. — Over the years I’ve enjoyed doing some deep dives into songs that for one reason or another I find interesting. Previously, I’ve written about These Foolish Things which was covered by Bryan Ferry, Ghost Town by The Specials, All The Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople and most recently, Still…

After a Covid-induced three-year absence, there was a noticeable buzz around Brighton. Britain’s best tattoo show was back and the women were out in force! — Having been to the Brighton Tattoo Convention every year since 2010 — when it was held at the Brighton Racecourse — it’s been a 36-month wait for the 13th show following various postponements and then ultimately cancellations. Signalling it was indeed back, the organisers did a great job with this…

The end of a year is always a good time for personal reflection. …

The story behind America’s newest supercar marque. — At this year’s Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, one entrant got my attention more than any other. It was a car I’d never seen before, by a marque I’d barely heard of. The car was the SCG 004S. The marque was Glickenhaus. With my curiosity aroused, I really…

Down to a quartet thanks to Covid, Steps drew on every trick in the book to put on a spectacle, but behind the smoke and mirrors an endless succession of pop bangers only served to expose their onstage limitations in a production that all too often verged on pantomime — I first saw Steps nine years ago when they played the Brighton Centre. My overriding memory of that show was the fact there was not a single musician onstage and Steps just sang along to a backing track. Despite this, no one in the audience seemed to either notice or…

Exactly forty years to the day that they first played Brighton, OMD were back for more. Dad dancing aside, they put on a dazzling show. — It’s November 16th in Brighton and Liverpool’s OMD are in town to promote their latest album Architecture & Morality. Fast forward forty years to the day and once again it’s November 16th and OMD are in town to promote that very same album. The American baseball coach Yogi Berra once…

The much-acclaimed south London songstress certainly lived up to her name, bringing a joyous energy to a sold out Concorde 2 — Sometimes you just instinctively know when something is special. My first exposure to Joy Crookes was on Spotify. I’d never heard her before, indeed I’d never even heard of her. …