Music Sounds Better With Two

Hey guys! Welcome to Metalli-cast part 2. J & I are still all aboard the Metalli-train express! So hop on board and join the madness. 'Fuel' (ed) by alcohol(ica), we take a trip back into our own Metallica origin stories, the masculine sphere of Metal and how perhaps Metallica have always challenged that, whether it be through James Hetfield's songwriting or Lars Ulrich/Kirk Hammett's eye make-up in the 'Until It Sleeps' MV. We then discuss how Metallica managed to transition after the tragic death of forever bell-bottomed bassist, Cliff Burton, from pure thrash to perhaps being Metal's first pop girlies with the genre-redefining Black album? Our love for their more experimental albums Load/ReLoad/S&M era literally lasts to the ends of the earth, so if you're a Load hater, don't even bother hopping on board this particular Metalli-train. We then move on to move on and discuss the perfect push and pull dynamic of the reserved and emotionally complex James Hetfield and that always iconic diva, Lars Ulrich. In an absolute moment of 'Frayed Edges of Sanity ', I then compare Metallica to The Spice Girls. And in a final flourish, J & I discuss our Metallica Top of the Pops. If you've managed to stay with us this long without further ado, throw up those horns, fellow metalheads because 'Nothing Else Matters' besides the way Metallica makes you feel. Period. Exclamation point. Metal. Up. Your. Ass. Forever and ever. J & N x

Hey friends, this week join us for part 1/2 of our Metallica podcast!In part 1 we are joined by a very special guest, J's other half, John Aldred, a photographer and creative extraordinaire who got the opportunity to shoot a time-lapse of Metallica's M72 tour at Hampden.  He recounts his experience filming the time-lapse and the spectacle of Metallica's stage build. John also chats with us about his connection with Metallica and music in general. He also has some nostalgic and hilarious stories about growing up in Blackpool in the 80's/90's, beginning his photography journey and travelling the world 'wherever he may roam'.  Don't go looking for snakes; you might find them.' Unless you're John, who worked with venomous snakes as one of his many diverse and extremely interesting jobs. Please, listen and laugh along with us as we get a behind-the-scenes peek at Metallica's stage build and the super interesting life of a creative . J & N. x

Welcome back friends. Sorry we've been away so long. This week 'especially for you' we have an episode dedicated to the woman who still has us all 'spinning around'; Kylie. We present to you an episode based around the brand new Kylie documentary on Netflix. We analyse the main loves/losses in Kylie's life that are explored in the documentary. Giant clapperboard by giant clapperboard each character is slowly revealled to us. First up, we are introduced to Jason Donovan (awkwardly squeezed into the upper circle cheap seats) who seems to still hold a lot of love and hurt in his heart for Kylie. The next character that enters the chat is Michael Hutchence, the unexpected main love of Kylie's life who sends us on a bit of a "Pop Princess/Rock God" dynamic rant. Was Michael Hutchence Kylie's Phantom of the (P)opera? After Hutchence we encounter Pete Waterman who in a battle to the bottom actually doesn't come across as the most 'cancelled pop manager' of all time. Then next up we have Nick Cave (and his Bad Seeds) who sends me on a bit of a "pick me/5 songed" rant. Was he really given visual death threats by 15 year old TOTP fan girls? Then as we near the end of the documentary we get into the surface level sibling rivalry between Danni and Kylie and the real life sibling rivalry between J's rats Lucas and Michael. Lastly, the titular person herself, Kylie. Still guarded and cloaked in a little mystery the last episode covers her hotpant era, her difficult cancer journey, her relationship with the press and the absolutely mental moment Coldplay tried to cure her cancer and solve the fossil fuel crisis at Glastonbury. Enjoy guys. J & N x

**Moderate spoiler alert from 1:08:00 onwards for the new Steps Musical - Here and Now**This week we revisit Steps: On The Road Again (2012) and discover what we always knew to be true...they're in fact NOT Better Best Forgotten. We take an (unclean) tour bus back on the road where diversions and roadsigns we encounter are: Are Bucks Fizz or Steps the British ABBA? Will Lisa ever recover from leaving her kids in Dubai? Will Faye ever actually eat that kebab the cancelled photographer forces her to eat at the back of the bus? Will H and Claire ever be forgiven for their betrayal by Lee? Is this documentary actually Spinal Tap? Will a 70, 000 capacity stage fit inside a 6,000 capacity venue? Reduce your speed. Stay en route, last stop Manchester Arena.And in a B.O.G.O.F offer you simply cannot refuse we also cover the new Steps juke box Musical: Here and Now, that we both recently saw at the theatre. Without further ado, "Cleanup on aisles 5,6,7,8" in this absolute 'trashedy' of an episode.  J & N xMajor thanks go to Vicky Leigh for uploading the following parts of the doc in question on Youtube:-Part 1: https://youtu.be/q1J67fPFGV4?si=-4E9wsF4BoFMMTGsPart 2: https://youtu.be/0iWykp3qF84?si=CQoA-ML1XZvD6cS8Part 3: https://youtu.be/W9sioKSfbhE?si=Wey9zZWQC8V_Zz69Part 4: https://youtu.be/UIXYXRx9__g?si=fMsls5nvsNDd16PsPart 5: https://youtu.be/snxbGibtsnM?si=rg_NpvAWMX_F6HZ3P.S Pls listen with headphones if possible - J continues to experience mic difficulties **le sigh**

The moment you've all (probably not) been waiting for blink fans. TJulie has fixed her mic and the 'blinkisode' is back! In this instalment we cover the years 2007-2015 when Tom, Mark and Travis reunited after their break up...the first time. Join us as we stay 'Up All Night' to discuss: Travis Barker's flight simulator plane crash (that Tom potentially caused through "predictive programming"), Tom in his Alien investigator/Instagram live inventor mode and Mark somehow managing to interview the Gallagher brothers with dignity and charm (no easy feat). We are in the largely forgotten Neighbourhoods (2011) and Dogs Eating Dogs (2012) era. We witness men in their forties attempting to navigate the youthful waters of pop punk. Will their ageing knees be able to survive ollieing on skateboards? Will Tom and Mark's tempestuous friendship be repaired?  Will we ever recover from the cringe of their Grammy reunion announcement? Will our obsession/love for blink ever put a stop to the never ending saga of blinkisodes? Slip a wee insole into your vans and come along for the wild ride! J & N xAngels and Airwaves: Start the Machine - https://youtu.be/WhDlYno5Fr4?si=I7DmiL_ZYkPRywR72009 Grammy Awards (Blink present Coldplay the award for best Rock band - https://youtu.be/GgFWwQobjK4?si=2Tmp9SoAhs_BDIN7Mark gives us a BTS of the making of Neighbourhoods - https://youtu.be/QdsUMFM3waE?si=Njkks0NI2QAYOVZUBlink-182: Wishing Well - https://youtu.be/q4Vw77LMFPM?si=VeShSATLWzjxCdJ7Mark interviews Noel and Liam - https://youtu.be/vQkcVNn-lIE?si=8jjy2s_xA5em6lq4

Turns out we're all still 'mad fer it'. With their Oasis Live '25 tour, well under way , Oasis fever is currently sweeping the nation once more. What better way to celebrate their return than by revising their '97 documentary: Right Here, Right Now. Well...if you can call it a documentary, really. In a MÖTH alcohol fuelled haze, we discuss: the world's smallest plane, the world's longest wave from Noel, the world's biggest key from Bonehead, Liam and Noel's penchant for train conductor/Baker boy caps and crazy tabloid puns complete with a case of mistaken identity (apologies to Ricky Hatton/Wilson).For best results, enjoy listening to our nonsensical Oasis nostalgia trip with a cheeky wee bottle of hooch in a pool hall. Let there be love. J & N xNote from Julie: big sorry that my mic is still refusing to pick me up properly (who’s Mic?) - we’re working on it!Oasis: Right Here, Right Now is available now to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Didn't they say that we would make a mistake?" Well, 'No Matter What' we tried, this episode was extremely difficult to put out. This was our 2nd attempt at recording and there are still some audio issues. All we can ask is that "words don't come easily, but forgive us." If you haven't guessed from the puns by now; this week we bring you our thoughts on the Boyzone documentary, available on Now TV; No Matter What. As is standard for us we flip chaotically between the profound (Stephen Gateley's legacy) and the ridiculous (Are Boyzone and Louis Walsh an allegory for Phantom of the Opera?) We discuss the treatment of our vulnerable, young pop stars at the hands of the media and the brutal pop machine. We descend into the minutia of underground car parking for the Paparazzi and if Louis Walsh is actually the Wizard of Oz. Without further ado please listen and enjoy this week's episodes and as always contact us on the socials . J & N

Here's the second episode centred around Lou Pearlman that probably no one asked for. This time we cover Netflix's: Dirty Pop: The Boyband Scam. Prepare for an extremely (possibly unintentionally hilarious) episode. Special guest feature from Julie's other half: John Aldred who also contributed to our nonsense. On the journey into madness we encounter: AI Lou Pearlman, pensioners losing their nest eggs and making the BSB album Millenium (thankyou very much Ponzi scheme victims), "Catchphrase" style close ups of pixelated pop stars beards and Gold discs presented in German Dimaggio's . As always we try to make light of some very dark subject matter. Come in and enjoy this bumpy blimp ride as always with "no strings attached." Until next time friends we don't care who you are. Where you're from. As long as you love us. J & N.

Merry Christmas, you lovely lot. It's been a long time coming, and what better way for MSBWT to return than by celebrating 'The greatest night in pop' together. This season, J and I are going to be discussing (barely) some Netflix documentaries based around (you guessed it) music. Which, by the way, still sounds better with two. 'The Greatest Night In Pop' explores how the single 'We Are The World' USA for Africa was recorded. A chaotic ensemble of America's 80's icons assemble for one night only, and it is just as mental and hilarity filled as you could imagine. Featuring: Learning Swahili for no reason, Shiny jacketed Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie presenter and winner of every award at the AMA's, Bruce Springsteen desperate to get that first flight back to New Jersey as he quietly dies of the flu, Cyndi Lauper delivering obnoxious vocals and obnoxious points of view, Diana Ross never wanting the night to end, Bob Geldof telling everyone off and our favourite most memeable moment of the lot: Bob Dylan having absolutely no idea what's going on for the whole recording and barely being present. So, come back into our little, crazy world and rejoice because in '25 we, MSBWT, are planning to make the world a better place. Just J and me. (And sometimes John) More on that in episode 2, coming soon.

Hey guys! Well here we are with the 4th instalment of the blink story. The first of 2 instalments on life post blink. We're taking you back to 2006 where a freshly divorced blink-182 both find themselves in new relationships, +44 and Angels and Airwaves respectively. We dive into the debut, and to this day only, album by +44 "When Your Heart Stops Beating." We explore the dark, lyrical content of No, it isn't including an annotated spoken word performance from J and I as we slowly lose "our brains". We then compare and contrast it to the AvA debut "We Don't Need To Whisper". So come along and enjoy some blink chat as well as life updates, drinking alcohol and sex dream analysis apparently. This isn't just goodbye. This is we can't stand you. (Jokes jokes. We love you all). J & N xoxo Keep in touch here: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.commusicsoundsbetterwithtwo/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/musicsoundsbetterwithtwo?utm_medium=copy_link Twitter: @msbwtpod