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The Herald Scotland
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Classic Scottish 1984 album is still, decades later, young at heart
A week ago, they played Glastonbury for the very first time, playing the Acoustic Stage in a bill that also featured Nick Lowe and the Hothouse Flowers. Their much-lauded debut album, Sisters, released in 1984, has now been accorded the expanded box-set treatment. In February this year they entertained fans old and new at the Barrowland. And two years ago they released The Bluebells in the 21st Century, their first studio album since the debut. 'The Bluebells are on a really great trajectory at the moment', Hodgens – Bobby Bluebell, as was – told Ellen and Hepworth. 'We've just finished our [next] album. We've had a real kind of Indian Summer, renaissance, in the last few years. I don't know why, to be honest. But all of a sudden, people like Stephen Pastel and [critic] Pete Paphides are all beginning to reassess us'. He brought up Young at Heart, perhaps the Bluebells' best-known song, which hit number one in the UK charts in 1993, seven years after the band's demise, thanks to its exposure in a TV car advertisement. 'When you have a hit like [that], you kind of get put in that Marmalade category" he said, referring to the Scots pop band whose hits included Reflections Of My Life and Radancer. "And now you begin to realise that Marmalade were a fantastic band, with really fantastic songs and great singers, and I think we're getting a little bit of that again now'. To revisit Sisters, that splendid album they released back in 1984 – the year, lest we forget, of such colossal albums as Springsteen's Born in the USA, Prince's Purple Rain soundtrack, and Madonna's Like a Virgin – is to recall just how good a band the Bluebells were. The hits are all there – Cath, Young at Heart, I'm Falling – but there are also some sharply political songs, a reflection of those turbulent times: the Falklands war, the early 1980s recession, the miners' strike, and widespread revulsion at the policies of Margaret Thatcher. The album is now part of a three-CD, one DVD boxset, The Bluebells: Sisters, which blends the original record with bonus tracks, B-sides, single mixes, BBC sessions, live versions, promo videos and footage of the band appearing on Top of the Pops and the Old Grey Whistle Test. (As the band posted on Facebook recently, they played Young at Heart on ToTP on no fewer than seven occasions between 1984 and 1993 - a record beaten only by their fellow Scots, Wet Wet Wet, who performed their single 'Love Is All Around' eight times). In his introductory liner notes to the boxset, the music journalist Will Hodgkinson has this to say: 'Rooted in classic song craft, exuding cheerfulness even when dealing with loneliness, heartbreak and other lachrymose staples, the Bluebells were the very essence of indie — they helped define its jangling, guitar-led sound — while maintaining an accessibility that went to the heart of their working-class roots. 'It was all captured in Sisters, a classic album of upbeat pop that in 1984 delivered the band something contemporaries like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera only ever managed intermittently: actual massive hits. They rang out from the speakers of fairground dodgems, youth club discos and concert halls across the land for one glorious summer of 1984'. He surely speaks for many people who were into the Bluebells at the time when he ventures: 'Returning not just to the album but a wealth of radio sessions, singles versions and live recordings all these years later, what amazed me is how contemporary and relevant they sound. The essence of youth, it seems, changes less than we might imagine'. Read more: The band revolved around Hodgens, a Govan shipyard worker's son in thrall to classic Sixties songwriting, and the McCluskey brothers, Ken and Dave, who had been in a schoolboy punk band, Raw Deal. Hodgens, who had founded a music fanzine, Ten Commandments, in 1980, initially played his own songs in a band called The Oxfam Warriors, who undertook a handful of shows supporting Altered Images. At the last one, at Glasgow School of Art, Alan Horne, of Postcard Records, Orange Juice's Edwyn Collins and a friend named Robert Sharp held up Juke Box Jury-type 'hit' and 'miss' cards. Horne told Hodgens that songs were good, unlike the band, and that if a new group could be put together he would try to put them on Postcard. The Bluebells came together when Hodgens ran into the McCluskey brothers - Ken on vocals, David on drums - and they were joined by Lawrence Donegan, on bass, and Russell Irvine, on guitar. Glasgow had a small and very close-knit music scene then, and the Bluebells received a lot of encouragement, while Collins himself 'was something of a mentor' for Hodgens at the outset. The new band made rapid progress. 'We played with Orange Juice and Aztec Camera', Hodgens told Scots music historian Brian Hogg in 1993, 'and because of this Postcard connection we were in Sounds [magazine] straightaway. There was even a picture of us in New Musical Express after our second concert. Nick Heyward saw it and because he liked my guitar he phoned up and gave us a support slot with Haircut 100'. In 1981 Radio One presenter Kid Jensen invited the band to record the first of a number of sessions for his show, which gave them invaluable exposure. In July 1982 Smash Hits said of the Bluebells that they were 'vendors of sturdy guitar-driven pop music with a distinctive ringing tone which, once heard, isn't easily forgotten'. Melody Maker went even further: 'Bobby Bluebell doesn't look like a pop star. He's tall, gangling, wears glasses and should be advertising Charles Atlas bodybuilding courses – as the seven-stone weakling. By the end of this year, Bobby Bluebell will probably be a pop star and the heart-throb of millions. That's where the smart money is'. It was all happening for the Bluebells. They graced the cover of Melody Maker, and shortly afterwards came a live appearance on the Old Grey Whistle Test in October 1982, when they were as yet unsigned. The gig brought them to the attention of a wide audience. Elvis Costello had already reached out to them, and offered to produce some of their material. Their Costello-produced debut single, Everybody's Somebody's Fool, which had been tentatively been lined up by Postcard, came out, instead, on London Records, the band's eventual home. Two singles, Cath and Sugar Bridge, had made it to the lower reaches of the Top 100 in 1983. The following year, I'm Falling reached number 11; then Young at Heart peaked at number eight. The cheerful promo video (included in the box set) featured Stratford Johns, the actor best-known for his tough-cop roles in Z-Cars and Softly, Softly, as the owner of a greasy-spoon cafe, as well as Molly Kelly and Clare Grogan. The album, Sisters, had numerous highlights, aside from the hit singles: the poignant, string-laden Will She Always Be Waiting, on which they had originally worked with Costello; Aim in Life, written by Ken McCluskey at the age of 15 and 'about a lonely reclusive lady that I delivered newspapers to'; and a moving love song, H.O.L.L.A.N.D., There was a cover of Dominic Behan's most famous song, The Patriot Game. Behan was a friend of the McCluskey brothers' parents, and the brothers knew him well. 'When we started performing as The Bluebells we asked Dominic to update some of the verses so that it could become more of a universal message for young folk and the futility of war', Ken told the Record Store Day UK website recently. The brothers also worked with Behan on South Atlantic Way, a clear-eyed look at the Falklands War. It begins: 'I was a raw recruit fresh out of school/and we set sail South Atlantic Way', it begins. Later: 'Well, I've got shrapnel running through my mind/I've glory in my head/Love of country has made me blind/to the living and the dead…' Among those who reviewed Sisters favourably was Sounds magazine, which said that it contained 'more beauty and fear than most albums you'll hear this year'. Read more On the Record: "We were in a really fantastic location called Highland Studios up near Culloden in the north of Scotland", Hodgens recalled last month when asked by Classic Pop magazine about the making of Sisters. "It was a kind of residential studio and we just had the best time doing the album. "I'd say there's no greater experience being in a band than recording your first album in a residential analogue studio playing live together, concentrating, the whole buzz. The whole tingle down your spine thing when you hear it all back through the mixing desk on those giant speakers for the first time. It's something that we're trying to recreate with our new album, which we're currently recording in a very similar way up in here Scotland at the moment". Asked about the political content on some of the songs, he said: "I think in The Bluebells, without sounding too clichéd, most of our parents had been brought up really influenced by their working-class roots. My father worked in a shipyard. Ken and David's father was very affiliated with Dominic Behan and people like that. "So we were very up in our politics, and very aware of what was going on. I'd just moved down to London and there was a bombing campaign going on there, so it was quite a tense situation. The Falklands War came, and obviously we weren't afraid to bring it up. We would write about anything in the songs, but we didn't really ever do it deliberately, or as a policy. It just came out in a lot of the songs". Four decades after its release, Sisters fully deserves its remastered and expanded second life. It remains a compelling listen, and one that has no dated in the slightest. * The Bluebells: Sisters boxset is released by London Records.
Wales Online
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Everything you need to know about Barry Pride 2025
Everything you need to know about Barry Pride 2025 The Barry Pride is back next weekend with performances from some of Wales' best drag acts The celebration takes place on Saturday, June 14 (Image: Mark Lewis ) Barry Pride is back and better than ever bringing LGBTQ celebrations to the seaside town for a fifth year. You can expect to see a sea of fabulousness with a parade and live performances from some of Wales' most famous drag performers. Set for Saturday, June 14, the festivities will take place at the same location as last year, King's Square and Central Park with hundreds expected to attend the free event. The colourful parade will trail through the town's streets leading back to an array of performances from RuPaul's Drag Race UK stars, Victoria Scone and Marmalade as well as outstanding tribute acts of everyone's favourite pop acts. Welsh rugby legend, Nigel Owens has even shared his support for Barry Pride sharing a message on Instagram. He said: "I just want to wish you all the very best for Barry Pride coming up on the 14th of June in Central Park, just a few days before my birthday actually - I won't say how old I am. "Well done all of you that have organised it, it is hugely important that we have events like this. Not just to celebrate who we are and a day of enjoyment but also an important message. As well that there has been a lot of great progress over the last decades in equality, diversity and inclusion and the LGBTQ+ community are a part of that but also to highlight that there are still some stigma issues out there that we need people to be educated on and to overcome." Content cannot be displayed without consent Whilst fun, joy and celebration is welcomed to the Barry Pride next weekend, they have made the decision that political parties will not invited to this year's event due to "the lack of support" from the major political parties, including those in government in Westminster, Cardiff Bay and locally. Article continues below Barry Pride released a statement in May saying: "At Barry Pride, we believe in the power of unity, solidarity, and the importance of true representation – from the most visible to the most marginalised. "In the light of the challenges faced by sections of the community and the lack of support from the major political parties, including those in government in Westminster, Cardiff Bay and locally, Barry Pride has made the decision that political parties will not be invited to participate in our 2025 parade. "This will remain the case until political parties can demonstrate an unwavering commitment to supporting our community and this means every member of our community. Please note that this is not a blanket ban on members of political organisations, however, political paraphernalia will not be welcomed. Individual members may attend the parade, either with other organisations or as members of the general public. "We will, however, welcome the opportunity to engage in constructive conversations and would be happy to arrange individual meetings to platform discussion and encourage our community to engage with political parties in constructive ways." Here is all the information you need to know about Barry Pride: Who is performing? Victoria Scone performed at The Welsh Variety Extravaganza (Image: John Myers ) There are plenty of acts performing throughout the day and evening at Barry Pride on Saturday, June 14. The big name acts include RuPaul's Drag Race UK stars, Victoria Scone and Cardiff drag queen Marmalade. Local drag acts will also be performing including Venus Flytrap, Chae With a C, House of Deviant, and Justin Drag. X Factor and The Voice contestant, Amrich Channa will also be singing at the event with music by DJ Kel. When is the parade? The parade takes place at King Square in the town centre of Barry, commencing at 12pm on Saturday, June 14. The glitter filled parade will head back around to Central Square where the fun filled day will continue. What else is happening? You won't complain about being bored when you visit Barry Pride as there are plenty of things to keep you entertained. Article continues below Along with live performances from a great line-up of acts, there will also be stalls, food and drink and an outstanding sense of community at the event on Saturday.
Edinburgh Live
03-06-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Live
'I own three' - Next shoppers keep buying £42 heels that are 'great for walking'
Next customers are smitten with a £42 pair of sandals that have become a repeat purchase for many. The Lipsy Elastic Low Wedge Espadrille Sandals have been praised by reviewers for being "very comfortable." Some shoppers were so taken with the sandals that they've bought several pairs, with one saying: "I have purchased these 3 times as I absolutely love them." Yet, another shopper noted: "There could be slightly more padding under the foot," and others reported some sizing issues. Available in a standard, wide, or extra wide fit, shoppers can choose from the six different colours. However, not all colours are available in every size. The standard fit sandals offer the most variety, with black, brown, gold, navy, nude, and rose gold options. Meanwhile, the wide fit sandals come in four colours, and the extra wide fit sandals come in two colours. For those seeking alternatives, ASOS offers the £35 South Beach Espadrille Wedge with Orchid in Gold, while Boden has the £120 Chunky Flatform Sandals. New Look's £29.99 Wide Fit White Faux Leather Stitch Trim Wedge Sandals and Office's £59.99 Marmalade Ankle Tie Espadrille Wedges are also options, reports the Mirror. Before deciding on Next's sandals, shoppers might want to weigh up the reviews, as opinions vary for the Lipsy Black Standard Fit Elastic Low Wedge Espadrille Sandals. One customer reviewing the standard-fit option said: "Good fit true to size, very comfortable great to walk in. (Image: Next) "Wore them for my flight to Barbados to join a cruise and had them on over 12 hours so very pleased with them. A second fan wrote: "Some of the most comfortable wedges ever worn!! Love them and now have in three different colours!" Another put: "I bought the navy lipsy sandals and they are so comfortable to wear, I decided to get the nude ones as they will go with any outfit. Great price too." Unfortunately, not everyone was impressed, with one customer claiming: "Complete rubbish for the money. Sent them back." A second reviewer added: "I bought these sandals last year in a couple of colours. They go really nice with jeans, and are really comfortable. The quality of this pair doesn't seem as sturdy. I don't think they are going to last as long." Someone else said: "I was a bit disappointed with these. One of the shoes fit better than the other which feels a bit loose." Elsewhere, reviewing the wide-fit version of the sandals, a buyer said: "Such lovely comfortable sandals with a lightweight wedge heel. Being elasticated at front they don't hurt your feet. Quite expensive but worth it for comfort." (Image: ASOS) A shopper agreed: "I have purchased these 3 times as I absolutely love them. Very comfortable and look lovely. Good fit. Excellent delivery service." Another person liked the sandals but thought there was room for improvement, saying: "So pleased to find wide foot sandals with a decent wedge heel." They added: "My only criticism is that there could be slightly more padding under the foot, however I don't intend doing long treks in them so they'll be fine for what I'll be using them for. Bought two pairs one black one navy, size 5 UK, foot is a little long there's a bit of a gap at the heel." A different response read: "Perhaps I shouldn't have ordered wide fit, although I usually need these, but the straps were too loose and I had to return these sandals." Elsewhere, a reviewer praised: "I bought a pair last year they were so comfy I brought another pair but in a different colour. Highly recommend especially if you have wide feet."
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wildlife trust's call to protect hoverfly 'heroes'
A wildlife trust has called on gardeners to help protect and save hoverflies. The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said hoverflies are the second most significant pollinator after bees. They are also food for birds and help break down gardens' organic matter but intensive agriculture, pesticides and climate change have meant their population has declined, BBOWT and the RHS said. In 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added hoverflies to its Red List of threatened species. "Hoverflies are a tiny but essential part of the natural world," Andy Coulson-Phillips, BBOWT's principal ecologist, said. "They are vital for pollinating both wildflowers and garden plants alike, so we'd love everyone across our three counties to invite them into their gardens or outside space." Stingless hoverflies are often mistaken for wasps, bees or hornets. Common species include Batman, Footballer and Marmalade, named after their distinctive markings and colours. Hoverflies have only one pair of flight wings but bees and wasps have two. They can be easily identified by their behaviour, rather than the way they look, because they hover or zigzag around plants. Vicki Hird, strategic agriculture lead for The Wildlife Trusts, said hoverflies are the "hidden heroes of our gardens and countryside". "Whatever their shape, size or disguise, they are critical for our food security," she added. The RHS's senior wildlife specialist, Helen Bostock, said the gardening charity wants people to "open their garden gates to hoverflies this summer". She said: "Gardeners can help attract them by planting open, easily accessible flowers. "In spring, they'll be drawn to aubretia. In summer, they'll love blackberry flowers, oxeye daisy, marigolds, fennel, cow parsley and poppies. Come autumn, they can be seen on heather, aster and even common ivy." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. City hopes to become 'pollinator capital' In pictures: High hopes for Cairngorms hoverflies Thousands of rare fly grubs released in Cairngorms Hopes for record breeding season of rare hoverfly Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) Royal Horticultural Society
BBC News
20-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
BBWOT and RHS call for help to save threatened hoverflies
A wildlife trust has called on gardeners to help protect and save Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said hoverflies are the second most significant pollinator after are also food for birds and help break down gardens' organic matter but intensive agriculture, pesticides and climate change have meant their population has declined, BBOWT and the RHS 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added hoverflies to its Red List of threatened species. "Hoverflies are a tiny but essential part of the natural world," Andy Coulson-Phillips, BBOWT's principal ecologist, said."They are vital for pollinating both wildflowers and garden plants alike, so we'd love everyone across our three counties to invite them into their gardens or outside space."Stingless hoverflies are often mistaken for wasps, bees or hornets. Common species include Batman, Footballer and Marmalade, named after their distinctive markings and colours. Hoverflies have only one pair of flight wings but bees and wasps have can be easily identified by their behaviour, rather than the way they look, because they hover or zigzag around plants. "We'd like people to open their garden gates to hoverflies this summer. Gardeners can help attract them by planting open, easily accessible flowers," Helen Bostock, the RHS's senior wildlife specialist, said."In spring, they'll be drawn to aubretia. In summer, they'll love blackberry flowers, oxeye daisy, marigolds, fennel, cow parsley and poppies. Come autumn, they can be seen on heather, aster and even common ivy." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
