In The Booth

In January I found myself reaching for psychedelic records, a genre I have never felt the need to listen to and yet for some reason was suddenly craving. Part of this I think is to do with the need to escape from the bleakness of January, as well as the bleakness of the news cycle at the moment. And so if you are also craving some musical escapism then tune in to learn about: - A brief history of psychedelic music of the 60s - The iconic music events that defined the decade - What subsequent genres psychedelic music inspired (and how that differed across the US, UK and Germany) Happy listening!

2026 is the year of PUNK. Or so I claim. Join me for this topic episode where I explain why I think we should all be a little more Punk this year, including: - That the age of AI is making is crave authenticity (spoiler: Punk will give that to us) - How covid made us lose our communities, and how punk will bring that back. - Can Punk be adaptable? - And why Punk is the answer to the political and economic state of the world. Disclaimer: I am not a punk rocker (unfortunately) but I do like punk rock music. I’m commenting on punk as someone removed from the scene and hope that can encourage other non-punk rockers to enjoy punk rock. Happy listening!

To wrap up Series 1, join me as I reflect on all the challenges, successes, and lessons of the series.  Confronting perfectionism, listening to Mask Off and exploring the role of live performances for emerging musicians, this episode has it all in an attempt to encapsulate all that Series 1 offered!  Over and out - see you back for Series 2 soon xxx

For the penultimate episode of series 1, I'm joined by 3 piece indie-folk and rock group jeanine. Tune in to hear us chat about the evolution of their band, how their songwriting and sound is changing, and why they prioritise gigs over releasing music. Also stream the episode to hear the band perform their first single Baby Jean and an unreleased track!

For episode 10, neo-rnb singer-songwriting Alex Fay joins us in the booth. Chatting with Alex we discuss her various songwriting projects, how finding her band changed her songwriting approach, and her experience as an independent artist. Tune in to be the first to hear two unreleased songs!  

Sydney Syrianna tunes in all the way from the USA for episode 7. The indie-pop singer-songwriter discusses her industry inspirations, how she turns her experiences into lyrics, and how she is evolving as a musician at Berklee College. Listen along to hear two unreleased tracks, La Lune and Pacifist!

Surprise! For this episode I'm not joined by a guest, instead, I wanted to explore the debate 'should music be political?'  There has been lots of outrage following Glastonbury 2025, particularly the performances of Bob Vylan and Kneecap, which made me think more broadly about the role politics plays in music and the role music plays in politics (you can read my article about that here).  Tune in if you fancy hearing my take on this debate!

Dennis Jones (aka my tadcu - welsh for grandfather) kickstarts the last month of In The Booth Series 1 with a bang! A successful singer and double bassist as a child, Dennis chats us through how attending chapel introduced him to music, why he chose to do his Grade 8 singing exam at 81, and his favourite classical composers. Listen to the end to hear a snippet of one of his incredible performances!

For episode 6, we are joined by dance music DJ and producer Balestra.  We discuss the evolution of his unreleased track from its early phases to its current stage, the story behind his DJ name, and learn about how he co-founded an events company.  Tune in and be the first to hear his unnamed, unreleased project!    

This week's episode is brought to you from the Boogaloo Radio Station (so any background noise heard is from those enjoying the Boogaloo's wonderful pub garden!)  Dj Asali chats to us about her musical journey from drumming to DJ-ing, how she prepares for a show, and how she plans to bring Kenya to the UK through her DJ sets.  Listen to the end to hear a snippet of Asali's Tapes: Volume 1 - the entire set can be found on soundcloud.