In an attempt to place a little more emphasis on things that happen in ‘real life’, rather than in the seemingly perpetual online world we all seem to spend so much time in, I’ve decided to start this short monthly roundup. The idea for this to be a record of musical experiences and adventures, as well as exciting discoveries and recommendations, mostly from outside my work as a mastering engineer, but not exclusively so as the line definitely blurs frequently!

This month I had the fortune to witness the incredible return to the live stage of Cardiacs, a band I have adored for well over half of my life. I admit to feeling a little apprehensive beforehand, I hadn’t seen Cardiacs play since 2007 and had avoided the various ‘Sing To Tim’ shows and the like over the years, simply because the sadness I felt for what befell Cardiacs’ mastermind Tim Smith, and I struggled with the idea of him not being present in his position as the band’s mischievous, genius ringleader.

The show at Manchester’s Albert Hall was little short of an absolute triumph however. An eight strong band comprised of both previous Cardiacs’ members (Bob Leith, Kavus Torabi and of course Tim’s brother Jim at front and centre) and close knit allies who rose to the not inconsiderable challenge (including Oceansize / Biffy Clyro’s Mike Vennart in an absolute star turn) played a genuinely life-affirming two hour set, peppered with big hitters, deep cuts and ‘new’ songs, and I can’t conceive a way it could have been any better. Massive kudos to everyone involved for pulling off something so many people thought they’d never experience again.

I made the trip along the M62 from Liverpool to Manchester again a week or so later, this time to see rap visionary Danny Brown at the Ritz. I think it’d only been a year or so since his last show there, which I was also at, and the set up was again very minimal - just stalwart DJ Skywlkr behind him, and a tight hour of career spanning bangers delivered without missing a single word. The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for when Danny announced the third anniversary of his sobriety, but every song seemed to be greeted like a classic from the devoted, and noticably diverse, crowd.

I love Danny Brown’s music not only because it’s brilliant and unique in itself, but he’s also incredibly good at drawing attention to other, lesser known artists, either through his sampling of super obscure stuff that very few rappers would even consider attempting to rhyme over (I’m not sure I’ve ever heard This Heat being sampled by anyone else), or his consistently surprising collaborations and guest spots (I have him to thank for introducing me to Underscores for example, whose incredible ‘Wallsocket’ album has become a firm favourite). It’s always so inspiring to see an artist so far into their career still making unexpected turns and pushing their creativity in different directions.

March was soundtracked by - Converge, Neurosis, Kate Bush, Super Furry Animals, Eftus Spectun.

Real Life Missives - March 2026