POEMS & STORIES: STANDARD & DIALECT By Michael Higgins & Norman Warwick Michael Higgins tells of the reading and recording of The Queen Of The Well: a children´s talking-book. In September I took part in a recording of The Queen of the Well, a children´s talking book.The producer, David Chatton Barker, had heard my presentation […]
LITERATURE AND IDEAS IN ROCHDALE The title of the festival reflects the wishes of the benefactors who, a few years ago, left a significant bequest to the borough library services. It also reflects the fact that history reminds that at least one of the world´s greatest ideas emerged from the town. Visitors to this year´s […]
FESTIVALS I HAVE KNOWN AND LOVED I felt enormously privileged to serve as host of The Annual Literature and Ideas Festival in my home town of Rochdale during the first four years of the festival before I ´retired´ over here to Lanzarote. The strong line ups we enjoyed each year cemented the reputation of a […]
ACTING FOR THE COMMUNITY GOOD M6 Theatre http://www.m6theatre.co.uk/ has long been recognised as a top “theatre in education” company, creating work for young audiences, and has achieved Arts Council National Portfolio status. The organisation is committed to developing and delivering a wide variety of high quality, creative arts projects for young people living in the […]
PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS AN OLDER MAN The Five Bums At The Bar ask Steve Bewick, who, what, when, where and why The naming of his debut novel as A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, by James Joyce, and the references to his own age by today´s interviewee, perhaps enable us […]
RADIO JAZZ AND LIVE JIVE Crescent Community Radio broadcast all across the Rochdale borough. In a town where ethnic diversity was and is a well-managed yet nevertheless sensitive subject, the station is run by the Muslim community and aimed at the ‘stay at home mums and taxi drivers’ of that community. Station owner Faheem Chisti […]
JUXTAVOICES: JUST BRILLIANT There is a large number of Rochdale-based arts organisations providing a wide range of fantastic services all across the arts. These organisations not only provide entertainment but also boost the Borough’s sense of community and help the town stand steadfast against those who come in seeking to create racial tension. Whilst there […]
GREAT STUFF FROM AN IMPORTANT BAND The preview in the September edition of the Cultural And Arts Agenda for the month had suggested that Orquesta Catacumbia would rock but nothing could have prepared me for what I eventually saw and heard from this Tenerife band. Nevertheless on arrival at the venue we saw only three […]
PUSH BUTTON HEAVEN by Norman Warwick Track listing Is It A Monster? by The Automatic Listening to Leven by Marc Cohn You Turn Me On I´m A Radio by Joni Mitchel Listen To The Radio by Nanci Griffith Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles Satelite Radio by Steve Earle That´s Why God Made […]
A STRANGE THOUGHT JUST CROSSED MY MIND by Dave Espin When Norm asked me to put together some personal reminiscences of a band we both admire greatly, I agreed with trepidation. Partly because I didn’t want to let him down and partly because I hadn’t done anything like this before but mainly because the band […]
SIDETRACKS & DETOURS: 7 / 12 / 25 classical, jazz, folk, rock, americana; songwriters & invisible angels7th December 2025 - 7:00 am
SIDETRACKS & DETOURS Pass It On 2/11/2025 Jenny Bray, Nash and Asher, Opus 222nd November 2025 - 7:00 am
A LITTLE BUNDLE OF SUMMER. sidetracks & detours 3rd September 2025 featuring Jazz Artist, Jenny Bray. Broadcaster and writer, Steve Bewick, Expo Folk and Sound Roots3rd September 2025 - 7:00 am