Mandy Williams

@larkette27.bsky.social

Socialist socialite, here for the arts and music. But Free Palestine, always 🇵🇸

Neneh Cherry's book is about her bohemian life. Music, identity, friendship, and motherhood. Central to the story is her Swedish avant-garde artist mother Moki Karlsson, and her jazz musician stepfather Don Cherry. Exploring her African roots with her biological father. A work of love and loss.

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Some gigs aren't just about the music but about the friendship that accompanies them. Great memories of Rock City from living in Nottingham BITD. We are bonded by music, and love this album. The Hour of Bewilderbeast is 25 years old Badly Drawn Boy playing his Mercury winning debut.

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Antony Szmierek plays new album Service station at the end of the Universe and jumps into the the mosher. We attend Angies wedding and hope she made it. We reset to the Words to Auld Lang Syne. He makes me proud to be Northern

Latest watches. The Breakthrough and the Are Murders are Swedish crime dramas on Netflix. Cleddau involves a murder investigation in a Welsh seaside town. In Toxic Town, babies in Corby are born with disabilities and their mothers battle for justice.

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Mercury Rev, Arts Club. Playing mainly new album, Born Horses and nineties classic, Deserters Song The set was jaw droppingly beautiful, epic without being overblown. A band so effortlessly cool and appreciative of our collective moment, they finished with "The Dark is Rising." There were tears.

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Recommend Jack Irish streaming on Channel 4. Guy Pearce is a Melbourne based ex lawyer turned gumshoe, who slings back whisky as he gets involved with a cult and uncovers a government-toppling conspiracy. With barfly confidantes, ill-fated love interests, and gentrification of his home turf.

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St Michael's Live, Friday. An all Irish bill. Lemoncello, a singer songwriter and cellist with quirky folk observations. The Mercury nominated Fionn Regan who has been compared to a young Bob Dylan. A chillingly pure voice. Ending he sang alone without a microphone and then he was gone. #giglife

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Saw Shirley Valentine at the EV. Laughed all through Helen Carter's hilarious one woman show. She talks to the wall, you visualise the characters. Willy Russell's writing hasn't dated. The story of a woman taking charge of her own life still rings true. One for a Mother's Day outing, I reckon.

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I saw Doves at the Academy. The new album and crowdpleasers. Shout outs to Liverpool's Parr Street studios. Here it comes and then Pounding and Black and White Town. The encore ended with Sub Sub's Space Face. I danced sober on a Tuesday in a rave. Manchester and Liverpool together.

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Went to see this queen last night in Manchester. So impressed with Mercury nominee Nubya GarciA at Aviva Studios. The Gilles Peterson favourite, saxophonist, and afro jazz bandleader played tunes from her recent album and earlier cuts. I would love to see her on a sunny day in a field. #giglife

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Gerry Love, ex Teenage Fanclub at the Philharmonic. I was enjoying the Lightships stuff. But then Star Sign rang out and Sparky's Dream and I was in jangly indie heaven with a load of other ageing arm wavers. Moments of joy like this are why we keep turning up. #giglife

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Saw her recently and latest read. P.P Arnold. Soul Survivor. From church gospel to becoming an Ikette. London 1966 with the Stones. Solo career, work with everyone from the Small Faces to Barry Gibb. Honest reflection on hard times and personal loss make this memoir irrestible like Pat herself.

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