Released on the 9th June 1978, “Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds” went on to sell an estimated 15 million copies. As you likely know, the album features an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi story, narrated by actor Richard Burton set to music, with vocal performances from the likes of David Essex, Justin Hayward, Phil Lynott, Chris Thompson, and Julie Covington. A single, “Forever Autumn”, reached number 5 on the UK singles chart, and has become an enduring classic. In 2006, the album was brought to life as a touring stage show. It’s has had several revival tours since, including a London West End run in 2016. Jeff Wayne is picking up the baton again for the 2025 arena tour featuring Max George and Maisie Smith. Jeff Wayne was born in 1943 and wrote around 3000 advertising jingles which appeared on TV in the 1970s, as well as various television themes. He’s also been a professional tennis player. He joined me from his home studio in Hertfordshire for our chat. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

The last time Genesis keyboard player extraordinaire Tony Banks came on the show was a few years ago, and we discussed a box set of his solo albums. Since then there has been a final Genesis tour, “The Last Domino?”, which I got to see the opening and closing nights of, and Tony now has a new boxset compiling his three classical albums “7”, “6”, and “5”. The first half of the interview we take a deep dive into that process which I hope you’ll find interesting. Creating classical music isn’t something we’ve really explored on the podcast before. In the second half of the interview Tony shares details of an upcoming boxset of “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”, and he also confirms details of a reissue of their 60’s debut album “From Genesis To Revelation”, which in the past has been ignored from official Genesis reissue campaigns. We talk about how he feels he is perceived by Genesis fans, and whether he’s tempted to emulate the very successful touring approach of former Genesis bandmate Steve Hackett, who incidentally he also clarifies his feeling about during our chat. I think this conversation is quite something. Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Gemma Hayes is a singer-songwriter from Ireland, and after a 10 year gap she is about to release her 7th album “Blind Faith” and, spoiler alert, it’s really, really good. We discuss the album’s long gestation, balancing motherhood and creativity, and I was also keen to dig into her debut album, the Dave Friedman produced “Night On My Side” from 2002, which made such a deep impression on me as a teenager. It was such a lovely, unhurried conversation, and I hope you enjoy it. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Steve Howe is a guitarist best known for his work with Yes, who of course are a cornerstone of progressive rock. The albums “Close To The Edge”, “Fragile”, and “The Yes Album” are essential listening, as far as I’m concerned. Steve had a period of time out of Yes in the 80s and early 90s but had success with another band, Asia, before rejoining Yes and sticking with them up to the present day. Last year they released their 23rd album “Mirror To The Sky”. They’ve been out on tour this year too. But Steve is about to release a new solo instrumental album called “Guitarscape”, and he joined me on to tell me about the process of making it, why Yes shelved their advertised “Relayer” tour, and whether the massive success of Yes without him in the mid-80s was difficult for him. Hope you enjoy. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

What to say about REM? It might actually be hard for teenagers today, or even 20-somethings, to appreciate how big R.E.M. were in the 90s. For a while, even when they were reinventing themselves, or tackling themes not especially conducive to pop hits, they just seemed to keep getting bigger. They signed the most expensive record deal in history in 1996. They are one of the biggest selling bands of all time, having shifted something like 90 million albums.  Formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia, they released 15 studio albums (only one of which I don’t like), before retiring with dignity in 2011. I respect them for their decision, but as a fan, would I love them to tour again? Yeah, of course I would. They have been, and still are, adamant it won’t happen, but they recently reunited to perform one song for the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, which they were inducted into earlier this year. I of course ask Mike about that decision and whether they may have talked themselves into a corner over the band’s future prospects.  I also wanted to ask about the status of the band’s reissue campaign. They’ve gradually been reissuing their back-catalogue with additional material. 1997’s “Up” was the latest to get the anniversary treatment, and I was curious if 2001’s “Reveal” was going to be next up. Anyway, R.E.M. are one of my favourite bands and I’m so glad this happened. In addition to R.E.M. stuff we touch on Mike’s recent tour with The Baseball Project, a band in which he plays alongside last episode’s guest, Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate. Mike also tours with Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, another previous guest, and so we talk about their plans to perform Big Star’s incredible second album “Radio City”. Let me know what you think. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Steve Wynn is a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, a key band in the so-called Paisley Underground scene of the early 1980’s. Their debut album “The Days Of Wine And Roses” was recorded in three overnight sessions and released in 1982. It’s one of the great indie-rock touchstones and a phenomenal debut. The band had high-profile support slots with the likes of U2 and REM, but the rest of the 1980’s saw them struggling to capitalise on their potential, and by the end of the decade they had disbanded. Steve continued to have a prolific solo career, as well as side-projects such as The Baseball Project, a supergroup featuring Mike Mills and Peter Buck of REM, who only write and perform songs about baseball. The Dream Syndicate reformed and released the first of several comeback albums in 2017. They remain an ongoing concern, but for now Steve is about to release an autobiography, charting his fascinating childhood in California, and the rise and fall of The Dream Syndicate. It’s a story of record stores, college radio, tour buses, major label shenanigans, told with warmth, humour and honesty. It’s also accompanied by a new solo album entitled “Make It Right”, released on the same day as, and intrinsically linked to, the book. I’ve probably said this a lot, but this was genuinely one of my favourite conversations I’ve had for the podcast. I really hope you enjoy it. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Paul Carrack is a singer, songwriter, and musician, and he’s heading out on tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary of classic song “How Long”, a hit he had with his band Ace. Paul has had an incredibly varied career since then. He was a member of Squeeze replacing Jools Holland on keyboards, and playing on their much-loved album “East Side Story”, even providing lead vocals for one of the bands most enduring songs, “Tempted”. He was a songwriter and vocalist in Mike Rutherford’s band Mike + The Mechanics from 1985 to 2004, and has been a session player for Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, and The Smiths amongst others, as well as building up a considerable solo back catalogue.   I hope you enjoy our wide-ranging chat! Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Bill Oakley, along with his best friend and writing partner Josh Weinstein, wrote various episodes of The Simpsons during it’s glory days including “Marge Gets A Job”, “Bart vs Australia”, and the legendary 2-part season-straddling “Who Shot Mr Burns”, and they were appointed executive producers and showrunners for the 7th and 8th seasons of the show, where they continued to push the envelope of what the show could be, bowing out while the show was still on a high. One of Bill’s greatest claims to fame is having written the “Steamed Hams” scene from the 1996 episode “22 Short Films About Springfield”. The scene has taken on a life of its own with various memes and recontextualizing videos springing up on the internet. Bill and Josh also created the short lived Mission Hill, and were consulting producers on Futurama. Bill has also worked on shows like Portlandia and The Cleveland Show. In 2018 Bill started to produce short Instagram videos of himself reviewing fast food items from American outlets. These videos have become a serious concern for Oakley, and he created the annual Steamie Awards, in reference to the steamed hams sketch of course. If you’re a big Simpsons fan I hope you get something out of this, but if you’re more of a casual viewer I hope you’ll find it interesting to learn how a show like this gets made. X: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

It’s been five years! Yes, it’s 5th anniversary extravaganza episode of Sending Signals! I’m delighted that Dan Wilson agreed to come back on for a catch-up. He’s one of my favourite ever guests on the show and he didn’t disappoint. We talk about his recent Grammy win, the role of embarrassment in songwriter, as well as the story behind the Semisonic classic “Singing In My Sleep”. Chris has written songs with the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele, Mitski, Chris Stapleton and on and on… British singer-songwriter Sheila Lord also joins me for a chat and a heart-stopping live performance. I’m also happy that Rhys Edwards, AKA Astrel K, joined me from Stockholm to talk about his new album “The Foreign Department”, which is one of the loveliest albums of the year. As if that wasn’t enough, I’m joined by my friend, podcaster Luke Bligh who co-hosts “Star Wars Sessions” amongst other things. You can hear some of our conversation peppered throughout the episode. Wow. What a packed episode! It was a lot to put together, and I really hope you enjoy it. Thanks to all the guests on this episode, and indeed, over the past 5 years, and thank YOU for listening. It really means a lot. MattX: @signalspodcastInsta: @sendingsignalspodcast 

Would you like some toast? Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Putting last week behind us, this was genuinely one of my favourite conversations I’ve had for the show. Like many, I was first aware of Isobel as member of Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian. I found her such a compelling figure. She looked like she had stepped out of a French new wave movie. She was a cello player in an indie rock band. And when she sang, she had this enigmatic, whisper-quiet vocal style. While still a member of Belle and Sebastian she made a couple of solo albums under the name The Gentle Waves, the second of which, “Swansong For You”, is particularly lovely and one I listened to a lot when I was younger. It was recently reissued for Record Store Day. She left Belle and Sebastian in the middle of a US tour in 2002. Things were somewhat complicated by her romantic entanglement with the bands frontman Stuart Murdoch, and the unravelling of that relationship clearly ramped up the tension for Isobel. We get into it in our chat, and I reference some comments she made in a recent Uncut magazine feature, I think it was in the December 2023 issue. If you have access to it, it’s definitely worth reading in the light of our conversation. It was a reminder to me, that for as much as we can get fascinated and a degree of entertainment out of the interpersonal relationships and fallouts in the history of bands we love, on the other side of it are real people and real feelings, and I was certainly reminded of that during out chat. Isobel also made 3 well-received albums with the late Mark Lanegan, and clearly Mark’s well-documented erratic behaviour also took a toll on Isobel, and that bleeds into our chat as well. We also talk about her recent single 4316. We delve into her fascinating childhood. It’s a “life, the universe and everything” chat this week. I hope you enjoy it. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Chris Difford is having a very busy year. There’s a new Squeeze album in the works, they are supporting Heart on their forthcoming arena tour, and there’s also the matter of an enormous UK tour in hour of Squeeze’s 50th anniversary. Chris also hosts the podcast “I Never Thought It Would Happen” which is currently on Season 4. Seems like a good time to have a chat, right? Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Roll up! Roll up! This episode I’m joined from across the Atlantic by singer-songwriter Jade Bird, who has just released a new EP, “Burn The Hard Drive”, which chronicles the breakdown of her relationship and engagement to a former bandmate. It’s the first significant release from Jade since 2021’s very excellent “Different Kinds Of Light” album. We take a deep dive into her creative process and the ethics of mining your personal life, and the lives of others in your orbit, for songwriting content. Enjoy! Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast 

Phillip Ingram is one of the founding members of Motown band Switch who formed in late 1976, and after a chance encounter, were championed by Jermaine Jackson. Motown chief Berry Gordy heard the band’s tape and signed them to his subsidiary Gordy label. Switch were a a consistent presence on the R’n’B charts in the last 1970s. Switch sort of imploded in the early 80s, although one member tried to carry on with new musicians, and Phillip began working more behind the scenes, recording vocals for commercials, and also backing vocals for the likes of Donna Summer amongst others. He’s also known for his work in film. You can hear him on backing vocals on several songs in the Disney classic, “The Little Mermaid”. He also appears as the wedding singer in the Julia Roberts movie “My Best Friend’s Wedding”. He still plays shows with the current incarnation of Switch which features a few original members in fact. Phil is also the younger brother of the late singer James Ingram, who you may have heard of. He was lovely company, and I hope you enjoy our chat. Let me know what you think. Instagram @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

It seems like a good time to take a deep dive into Best Picture nominee, and more importantly, my favourite film of 2023, “Past Lives”. This episode I’m joined by the film’s Assistant Director Ben Kahn to discuss his personal impact on the film, creating the remarkable chemistry between the cast, evoking an older digital landscape, and the profound effect the movie is having on people. Hope you enjoy! Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

This Friday, March 1st Bruce Hornsby releases a new album in collaboration with chamber ensemble yMusic. The record is entitled “Deep Sea Vents”. It straddles the line between contemporary songwriting and modern classical, and the album has an aquatic theme with all the songs dealing with the ocean, or at least water in some way. The album is emblematic of much of Hornsby’s career in that it veers from the strange to the beautiful to the funny to the challenging. He doesn’t like the easy route. If you know anything about Bruce’s career you’ll know his mid-80s smash “The Way It Is”, released by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, a powerful piece of social commentary inspired by his life growing up in Virginia, and featuring two piano solos. It’s a song that’s hung around, being sampled by rappers like 2Pac and Polo G. Bruce seems to have a conflicted relationship with the song. He often stills play it live but in a re-worked way, and he seems keen to be seen as a forward-thinking artist, not wishing to be defined by the past. He was a live member of the Grateful Dead in the early 90s playing over a hundred shows with them. In recent years, he’s collaborated often with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and you’ll see like the likes of Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig or The Staves or Blake Mills pop up on his album credits. I was a big admirer of his 2019 album “Absolutely Zero” which is well worth your time. Bruce was fantastic company when we spoke, and I hope you enjoy our chat!X: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Welcome. My guest this episode is artist and photographer Lynn Goldsmith. Her career as a photographer has brought her into the orbit of rock n roll legends like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and notably Bruce Springsteen with whom she had a romantic relationship in the 70s as he was still working his way up, with his blistering live shows, and the relentlessly determined creative drive which produced the album Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Her document of this era forms the basis of a new coffee table book published by Taschen entitled “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Darkness on the Edge of Town”. She’s had an incredible life: working with Elektra Records in the late 60s, co-managing Grand Funk Railroad in the early 70s, and releasing music under the name of Will Powers in the early 80s. She’s also worked in other mediums of art and her photographs have graced album and magazine covers. Lynn joined me from Nashville to talk about her new book and her career in general. We had a great chat. Hope you enjoy it.  Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

I’m listening! Hopefully you are too, as this week is incredibly fun. I’m joined by “Frasier” writer and consulting producer Bob Daily. Bob was on the writing staff for several seasons of the original run of “Frasier” and he’s back on board for the new revival series out now on Paramount+. If you’re at all interested in how TV shows like this get made, you’re going to find this fascinating. We dig into the world of show development, writers rooms, table reads, and more. Bob is very articulate about his craft but incredibly personable too, and I had a blast hanging with him. Let me know what you think! This will likely be the last show of the year, but I’ve already got things in the pipeline for next year, so I’ll be back soon. Thanks so much for listening. If you want to help the show, please keep listening, leave a nice review or rating, tell your friends about the show, and/or follow me on the socials; it’s all appreciated. X: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Hey. It’s a special one this week. Juliana Hatfield is a singer-songwriter based in Massachusetts. She was a member of the Lemonheads in the early 90s, as well as bands like Blake Babies in the late 80s and Some Girls in the early 00s. She’s made albums with Matthew Caws from Nada Surf and Paul Westerberg from The Replacements. She’s also released around 20 albums under her own name, sometimes as the Juliana Hatfield Three. Although a prolific songwriter, in recent years she occasionally releases an album of covers by a specific artist. Her latest one, “Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO”, follows her albums of songs by Olivia Newton John and The Police. Being a big ELO fan myself, it seemed like a great time to talk with her. She had a particular rough time in the press in the 90s and he experience with working with a major label has clearly left it’s scars. Stick with this one, after a lot of ELO geek talk we go deep. It was genuinely one of my favourite conversations I’ve had for the show. Sometimes you have a guest where you feel you’re really chasing down some kind of epiphany. I’m not sure we reached one, but you decide. Insta: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

This week I’m joined by drummer Chester Thompson. Chester is perhaps best known for his live work with Genesis and Phil Collins, but he has also worked with Frank Zappa, Weather Report, The Bee Gees, and The Pointer Sisters. He has a new jazz album out called “Wake-Up Call” and he joins me from Nashville to discuss it’s “genesis” (see what I did there?). Anyway, Chester schools me in the ways of jazz, talks about his career, and indulges my Genesis fan-boy questions. Hope you enjoy. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX: @signalspodcast

Breathe deep the gathering gloom. This episode I welcome back John Lodge of The Moody Blues to the show! John has recently released his re-working of The Moody Blues 1967 opus “Days Of Future Passed”. I think it’s fair to wonder whether it’s a good idea when artist take on projects like this, and I want to ask John about the possible disconnect between fan expectations and artist perspectives. I was also naturally curious about the current state of relationships between John and his former bandleader Justin Heywood. John was really good company and I had a great time talking with him. Hope you enjoy it too! Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastX (Twitter): @signalspodcast

Waddup? I’m joined this episode by Jonathan Higgs from the excellent Everything Everything. The band are from Manchester and formed in 2007. They’ve so far released 6 albums, 2 of which were nominated for the Mercury Music Award. They’ve also had 5 Ivor Novello nominations. Their most recent album 2022s “Raw Data Feel” saw the band experiment with the use of AI to create the album artwork as well as some of the lyrics for the album. Mark Hanslip, a researcher from the Unversity of York, helped Higgs develop an AI bot named Kevin which was fed 4 sources of information: LinkedIn’s terms and conditions, the classic poem Beowulf, 400,000 posts from controversial message board 4chan, and the sayings of the Confucius. The generated results were poured through and compiled into useable material. Jonathan has generally preferred to keep secret which lyrics are his and which were generated by AI, which accounts for about 5% of the albums lyrics. The band’s debut album 2010s “Man Alive” is about to get a deluxe reissue. It’s an album I really like, so it was a great opportunity to speak to Jonathan. Hope you enjoy it.Twitter (X): @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Welcome. Dave Pegg is the longest serving member of Fairport Convention. Fairport are one of those bands who are a subculture unto themselves. They were formed in 1967 with Dave joining the band in 1969. Fairport split in 1979 but reformed in 1985 and have been active since then. They’re still a very hardworking touring band here in the UK. They came through my hometown of Southend earlier this year and I saw my first Fairport show. Frankly, I was shocked how good it was. The band on record tend to be a bit defined by a run of albums they did in the late 60s when Richard Thompson and the late Sandy Denny were in the band. I think a bit of line-up snobbery had contributed to my not having seen them sooner, but alongside Dave, the band still features founding member Simon Nicol. Multi-instrumentalists Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie have been in the band since 1985 and 1996 respectively. The tour I caught them on also saw them reunite with drummer Dave Mattacks who originally joined in 1969 and has had several spells in the band.   A big part of the Fairport culture is their annual music festival Cropredy which is taking place in August this year, so we discuss preparations for this year’s event. In addition to Fairport Convention, Dave played with Jethro Tull for a long time, as well as working with Nick Drake on his wonderful “Bryter Later” album. Hope you enjoy our conversation. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcastTwitter: @signalspodcast

Good dawning to thee, friends. My guest this episode tv producer and Daria co-creator Susie Lewis. Susie Lewis was an intern at MTV when she began working on the show Beavis and Butthead. That show featured a sardonic character names Daria, and feeling that MTV needed more content for girls, Susie was drafted in alongside Glenn Eichler to create a spin-off series called Daria. Daria is not just a great animated series, it’s a great TV series, full stop. It still stands up really well. It’s smart and funny and warmly evocative of the late 90s and millennium era in which it was made. It’s one of my all-time favourite shows, so I was delighted Susie was willing to come on the show. She was lovely company, as you’ll hear. Thanks for listening. Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast 

Hullo! This week I’m joined by Dougie Payne of Travis. He was lovely company. Travis have recently been revisiting their 2001 album “The Invisible Band” with a series of live shows, reissues, and a live album. It’s a fascinating era to talk about, as the band had found themselves thrust into the spotlight after the unexpected runaway success of previous album “The Man Who”. I was in my late teens in this era, so it was interesting for me to reminisce on that time period too. I hope you enjoy.  Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Listen up! Andy McCluskey is the frontman of Merseyside electronic legends Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark or OMD as they’re often known. OMD was formed in 1978 out of the ashes of another band The ID, to which I have a little family connection, which you’ll hear about in the episode. Their 1980 song Ebola Gay earned them widespread popularity throughout Europe, and their 1981 album “Architecture and Morality” which would sell over 4 million copies and spawn hit singles like “Souvenir” and “Maid of New Orleans”. Their follow-up album “Dazzle Ships” has just turned 40 years old, and it’s history is somewhat complicated. The album embraced sound collage and shortwave radio recordings. It’s an album about technology and the Cold War. It sold just a fraction of it’s predecessor, but it seems to have enjoyed a reappraisal over the years. It was possibly just ahead of it’s time, and maybe it subverted expectations too. We get into it in the interview. After OMD fell apart Andy masterminded 90’s pop sensations Atomic Kitten, becoming a principal songwriter alongside former OMD band mate Stuart Kershaw. Andy’s profession relationship with band dissolved around their second album, but it strikes me as a somewhat surprising career path, and I was interested to hear Andy’s thoughts on that too. OMD reformed in 2006 and are a continuing concern. Their last album, the well-received “The Punishment of Luxury” came out in 2017, and Andy updates me with progress on the follow-up in our interview. Enjoy! Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Sorry it’s been a while. Delighted to have Robert Forster as my guest this episode. Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, raised in Brisbane, where he currently resides. He’s perhaps best known as one of the co-founders and leaders of indie-rock royalty The Go-betweens. The Go-betweens were formed in 1977 and had an initial run that lasted until 1989, before a reunion run from 2000 until 2006 when co frontman Grant McLennan died of a heart attack aged just 48. As well as a run of solo albums, Robert also ventured into musical journalism writing for Australian magazine The Monthly and sister publication The Saturday Paper. Some of his writings were collated together in the book The 10 Rules of Rock n Roll. On February 3rd 2023 Robert releases his 8th studio album The Candle and the Flame. The album was created during an incredibly difficult time for Robert and his family. His wife Karin, who plays violin on Robert’s albums, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and playing music in the evenings along with their son Louis was a much needed escape from the ravages of chemotherapy. You would imagine from looking at some of the lyrics, that this situation influenced Robert’s songwriting on this album, but remarkably, just one song, She’s A Fighter, was writing after Karin’s diagnosis. Robert was fantastic company and had a lot to say. I really hope you enjoy our conversation. Insta: @sendingsignalspodcastTwitter: @signalspodcast

Listen up! This week we take a trip to St. Petersburg to speak to shoegaze merchants Blankenberge whose latest album “Everything” is very good indeed. Also,  Steve Hackett returns again! We discuss his forthcoming “Foxtrot at 50” tour, progress on the next album, and of course, Jack Hawkins. Enjoy! Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Friends, Romans, Countryman! Join me this week as I hang out with Bernard Butler. We discuss topics ranging from walking the Estuary coast, to being branded “difficult to work with”, and why you potentially shouldn’t buy his new reissue*. Bernard was fantastic company and had a lot to say about being an artist; he was engaged, honest, and forthcoming.  Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think! *please await context before making such a decision ;)PS: Apparently the release date for the “People Move On” reissue has been pushed back by a couple of weeks due to production issues, so I may mention a now incorrect date in the episode. Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Top of the morning. Thought I’d try something different. Here’s myself and my friend Jason Booth, from the band Last Tourist, discussing our favourite music of 2021. I’m largely insufferable throughout but Jason is very nice, and you get to hear a Last Tourist song at the end of the show! Normal service will resume shortly. Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcastlasttouristband.bandcamp.com 

It’s the last episode of the current series, and I’m joined by David Gedge frontman and only constant member of indie-rockers, and John Peel favourites, The Wedding Present. We talk about David’s plan to release a new 7” single every month in 2022, a project The Wedding Present pulled off back in 1992. We also talk about taking third album “Seamonsters” back on the road, working with Steve Albini, writing songs as you get older, and more! My other guest is author Jon Miles, who has just released his fun debut novel “The Ice Scream Factory”, aimed at junior/middle-schoolers. We talk about what it takes to write your first book, and Jon also reads a section of the book for the episode. “The Ice Scream Factory” by Jon Miles is available to order exclusively from Amazon. Thanks for listening this series. It’s been quite a ride. Twitter: @signalspodcast / @weddingpresentInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @weddingpresent / @jon_milesjw    

How’s it goin’? This week I’m joined with Roddy Woomble. Idlewild are about to make their 25th anniversary with a tour and the first vinyl release of their 4th album “Warnings/Promises”. Roddy tells me about his approach to writing lyrics, the metamorphosis this band underwent around the time of “Warnings/Promises”, and what it’s like to be the support act for a huge band. Also on the show, rising blues guitarist Danny Bryant tells me about his new album “The Rage To Survive”, how you create a unique identity as a guitarist, and whether it’s ever limiting to work within a specific musical form. Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcastidlewild.co.ukdannybryant.com

Come on in. This episode I’m joined by the delightful Midge Ure. We had a great conversation encompassing his forthcoming “Voice and Visions” tour, the 3 (three!!!) albums he has in the works, his new photography book “In A Picture Frame”, his radio show for Scala Radio, his friendship Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott, and more. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Twitter: @signalspodcast / @midgeure1Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @midge_ureMidgeure.co.uk

I’ve been expecting you. This week The Connells are releasing their first proper new album in 23 years! The record is called “Steadman’s Wake” and it’s a triumphant return. I’m joined by previous guest Mike Connell, along with frontman Doug MacMillan, as they guide us track-by-track through the album. Boy did we have fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Twitter: @signalspodcast / @connellsmusicInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @therealconnells 

Yello! This week Tom Baxter joins me to discuss fatherhood, the challenges of being a self-sustaining artist in the 21st century, and the time Boyzone covered one of his songs. I also talk to Tom and Joe from electro-pop merchants W.H. Lung about their forthcoming 2nd album “Vanities”.  Twitter: @signalspodcast / @whlungmusicInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @tombaxterofficial / @whlung 

So here I am once more. Very excited to welcome Ninet Tayeb to the show this week. Ninet is an Israeli singer songwriter who shot to fame when she won the first series of “A Star Is Born”, a televised TV talent show in Israel. She became a celebrity fixation, with all the baggage and speculation that comes along with that. Her debut album “Barefoot” went platinum in a single day, but she felt that she wasn’t being authentic and worked on finding her own identity as an artist. The transition was not easy. When she previewed material from her forthcoming second album at the televised Arab Festival, the reaction was brutal and she found herself getting heckled from an agitated crowd.   Undeterred she has continued to forge her own path, carving out a continued career in music and twice winning MTV’s favourite Israeli artist award. Her most recent album 2017’s Paper Parachute has distinct shades of PJ Harvey and the noisy grunge Ninet loved as a teenager. Ninet is also a frequent collaborator with UK prog-legend Steven Wilson. Although she doesn’t self-identify as an actor, Ninet has various acting credits to her name, starring in a TV series based on her own life, and more recently the Netflix series “When Heroes Fly”. She apparently doesn’t often give interviews these days. I was thrilled she was willing to talk to me for the show. Our conversation is deep at times, but it feels honest; I felt an unexpected kinship with Ninet, and I hope you enjoy it. My other guest is responsible for probably my favourite release of the year; the debut EP by Flight Mode. The band is led by Norwegian musician Sjur Lyseid. The EP is called “Tx. ‘98” and you’ll hear how it was inspired by student exchange year Sjur spent in Texas as a 16 year old. We discuss truth vs fiction in songwriting, the pros and cons of nostalgia, and the future plans of the band. You’ll hear some clips from the EP too. Make sure you go and check out the EP. It’s currently only available digitally, but it’s pretty widely available. Enjoy. Twitter: @signalspodcast / @flightmodeosl Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @flightmodeosl / @n.tayeb 

Well hello! This week I chat to singer-songwriter Willy Mason (and producer Noel Heroux) about his excellent new album “Already Dead”, his first album for 9 years. My other guest is artist Miles Taverner, who makes stunning works of art from wood and other materials the tide happens to bring in. He has an exhibition in London in September 2021 as part of the Totally Thames Festival. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @wwilly.masonn / @milestavernerartTwitter: @signalspodcast / @wwilly_masonn  willymasonmusic.commilestavernerart.co.ukthamesfestivaltrust.orgseareconnection.co.uk 

Did you miss me? This week, I’m joined by actor, novelist, and musician David Duchovny. David is about to release his third album “Gestureland”, and was kind enough to talk to me about it. We discuss transferring skills across art forms, the energy of inexperience vs having learnt your craft, as well as the pros and cons of long-term creative partnerships. It’s a good one! Also on the show, I welcome my dear friend Peter Eden. Peter was an A&R guy in the 60’s who branched out into the role of producer. He played a pivotal part in the early career of Donovan, and went on to produce records by John Surman, Bill Fay and more. He was also the brains behind the 70’s children’s TV series “Animal Kwackers”. Enjoy!  Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

How ya doin? Very cool episode this week, as I welcome musician and actor Stevie Van Zandt AKA Little Steven to the show. We talk the Disciples of Soul, rubbish 70’s production values, and the potential existence of “Electric Nebraska”. Strap in. Also, I’m delighted to welcome Canadian actor Fred Ewanuick, who is one of the stars of Corner Gas/Corner Gas Animated. When I told Fred that Stevie was the other guest, Fred felt that would make him the B-side. Why don’t we call it a double A-side? Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram @sendingsignalspodcast

Boo! It’s me. This week I talk to the brains behind The Go! Team, Mr Ian Parton. There’s a new Go! Team record out this week, as I type, and it’s called “Get Up Sequences Part One” and it is fan-tactic! Ian tries to explain what The Go! Team sound like, how visual aesthetics can influence his approach to music, and discussed his recent diagnosis with debilitating Meniere’s disease. Also on the show, the very sweet, very mysterious Cinjun Tate, frontman of Remy Zero who were a band that meant a lot to me. Cinjun has got quite story to tell, but getting at it took some work :) Hope you enjoy!Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast 

It’s me! This week; Stephen Fretwell is my first guest. Stephen is back after disappearing from the music world for over 10 years. He’s released 3 new songs so far this year, and they’re very beautiful. I was curious to talk find out what it’s like to walk away from professional creativity and then find your way back. Stephen had a lot to say on the subject… My other guest is multi-instrumentalist and one-half of Morcheeba, Ross Godfrey. Morcheeba are back with a new album “Blackest Blue” and I spoke to Ross from his London home about the making of it, as well as having a broader conversation about the nature of genre. stephenfretwell.com@StephenFretwell morcheeba.uk@MorcheebaBand Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast 

Come on in! This week legendary bassist Tony Levin joins me from his place in New York State to discuss the new Liquid Tension Experiment album, as well as his work with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, pushing his limits, and his pioneering bass techniques. He’s great company. Also, sound artist Justin Wiggan joins me for a remarkable conversation that encompasses analogue astronauts, plant-based music, Salman Rushdie, Burnley building society, and dolphins taking photographs. It’s a wild ride.   LINKSTONY LEVINtonylevin.com@tonylevin (Twitter)JUSTIN WIGGANjustinwiggan.co.uk@justin_wiggan (Twitter)@glassedtwin (Intragram)SENDING SIGNALS@signalspodcast (Twitter)@sendingsignalspodcast (Instagram)

Good morning, afternoon, and/or evening! This week I’m joined by original Wings drummer Denny Seiwell to talk about his new project “Ram On”, which is a tribute to the classic McCartney album “Ram”, which Denny played on, and is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary at the moment. My other guest is M G Boulter, whose new album “Clifftown” is utterly brilliant. Matt grew up, and lives in the same area as me, and I’ve seen him play with his band The Lucky Strikes a lot over the years. He’s fantastic company; warm, eloquent, and very interesting. Matt gives us a track-by-track tour of “Clifftown” and we ponder what it means to grow up and stay put in a seaside town. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcastmgboulter.co.ukdennyseiwell.com

Another exciting instalment of Sending Signals is here! This week I talk to David Marks about his time in The Beach Boys. David was only about 12 when he joined the band, and grew up across the street from the Wilson brothers. I get David’s take on whether Brian Wilson is being exploited, whether Mike Love gets a bad rap, and the truth about the guitar stabs on “Don’t Worry Baby”. My other guest is David Brewis from one of Britain’s finest bands Field Music. I’ve loved this band for a long time, and David is such nice company. Their latest album “Flat White Moon” is out now and it’s predictably great. Unfortunately the circumstances that inspired the album were less than great, and David and I have a candid conversation about loss and the nature of memory. It’s a good one. davidleemarks.comfield-music.co.ukTwitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

What-ho! In this very special episode, David Crosby talks to me about the new 50th Anniversary box set of Crosby Stills Nash & Young’s masterpiece “Deja Vu”, as well as the future of the band, learning to control his temper, and how to die well. Also, I dig into the show’s archive to bring you a little bit of my interview with Bay City Rollers frontman Les McKeown who sadly passed away last week aged 65.  Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Whatcha. This week I’m joined by one of my teenage guitar heroes Steve Cradock. Steve is the guitarist in Ocean Colour Scene, as well as frequently working with Paul Weller, and more recently playing lead for The Specials. He’s just reissued his second solo record “Peace City West” with a new mix. Also joining me is Scott Milligan, the brains behind Burton prog-poppers Kitten Pyramid. There’s a new Kitten Pyramid album out now called “Koozy” and it’s a triumph over absurdity; funny, sad, and bizarre. Scott takes me through it, track by track.  Twitter @signalspodcastInstagram @sendingsignalspodcastkittenpyramid.co.ukstevecradock.com

Me again! This week I talk to screenwriter and director William Nicholson about his incredible movie “Hope Gap” and the personal experiences that fed into the project. Bill also has screenwriting credits on “Les Mis”, “Gladiator”, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”, and more, so it was fascinating to learn about his approach to projects that diverse.   Also on the show I talk to Halifax indie-disco merchants The Orielles about their brilliant new record “La Vita Olistica” and the accompanying short film. We discuss the relationship between different art forms, the benefits of returning to a project with some perspective, and much more.   Twitter @signalspodcastInstagram @sendingsignalspodcasttheorielles.co.ukwilliamnicholson.com 

Good morning/afternoon/evening! The 50th anniversary of “American Pie” is fast approaching and Don McLean is here, reflecting on how the song has affected his life and legacy, how he’s changed since he wrote it, and the album cover where it looks like a plane is flying up his nose. Also on the show, Spencer Zahn joins me from upstate New York to discuss his remarkable album “Sunday Painter”, one of the finest records of 2020.  Let me know what you think.Twitter: @signalspodcastInstagram: @sendingsignalspodcastspencerzahn.netdonmclean.com