Editorial - January 2024

  by Admin

published: 19 / 1 / 2024

intro

Hello and welcome to the January 2024 edition of the Pennyvblackmusic Magazine. Several of our writers and photographers had a tough 2023. There are few of us under 40 now, and, with an average age

Hello and welcome to the January 2024 edition of the Pennyvblackmusic Magazine. Several of our writers and photographers had a tough 2023. There are few of us under 40 now, and, with an average age of 57/58, and some of us older still, a large number of us have had to contend with our own health problems, or those of i4ncreasingly frail parents. There have also unfortunately been some bereavements. Rather than do what we have always done, which is bang up a magazine just before Christmas and then move on as we have always done, we decided that we owed ourselves a break over Christmas. This magazine, therefore, looks back too 2023 with -somewhat late, but hopefully still relevant - our writers’ Albums of the Year, while Dave Goodwin in his ‘Vinyl Stories; column rounds up some of our writers to talk about their vinyl purchases of last year. We, however, also bring things to date with interviews with the Bathers and Steve Hackett, while John Andrew Fredrock from the black watch chats about the third and final volume in his ‘The King of Good Intentions’ series and writer Jane Duffus also talks about her new book on Sarah Records, ‘These Things Happen’.1 We also have a brand new series ‘Those Were the Days’ in which a different writer will be reminiscing about a gig which they could see all over again. Andrew Twambley kicks things off by reflecting on the infamous Rock Against Racism gig in Victoris Park in London with The Clash, X-Ray Spex, Tom Robinson Band and Steel Pulse in April 1978. As always this magazine has been brought together by the hard work of many people, Thank you to Kimberly Bright, Adam Coxon, Nicky Crewe, Julie Cruickshank, Nick Dent-Robinson, Dixie Ernill, Dave Goodwin, Zena Greig, Marie Hazelwood, Fiona Hutchings, Adrian Janes, Steve Kinrade, Richard Lewis, Eoghan Lyng, Nige Nudds, Philamonjaro, Maarten Schiethart. Helen Tipping, Lisa Torem, Andrew Twambley, Cila Warncke and Denzil Watson., all of whom contributed to this Special thanks to our webmaster Richard Banks without whom none of this would be possible, We will back towards the end of February with another full edition Thank you as always for reading Pennyblackmusic. John Clarkson Magazine Editor www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk