ALBUMS ’24 | 11-20

The next batch of albums from this year has left me mostly reflecting on how weird reviewers are in 2024. I remember using NME as gospel for what I should give a listen – by and large it steered you in a decent direction. Reviewers meant something. Zane was a must listen for years. But, […]

Wear and Tear

9th September 2023, White Belt Diaries IV The scream was unlike anything I’d heard in a long time. It rang out across the mats with a guttural agony. Everyone in the room froze immediately, our heads whipping towards the sound of the wail. The scream seemed to go on and on and on – it was […]

Some Thoughts: Dune 2

I don’t want to repeat the reviews you’ve already read. It’s a superb film. If you enjoyed the first, certainly see the second. Performances, cinematography, soundtrack – all sublime. It’s a masterpiece. But I do have some thoughts on the structure. Spoilers ahead. My only criticism of Villeneuve is that he occasionally goes too long […]

Earn Your Stripes

1st June 2023, White Belt Diaries III My instructor wraps a piece of tape around the end of my belt. It’s only a thin strip of finger tape, but I’m utterly chuffed. I feel like a kid again getting that 50m swimming badge. My first ‘promotion’ in the sport. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there are practically speaking only five […]

ALBUMS ’24 | 1-10

I don’t want to be the person who only listens to the music they discovered at 15. In a vain attempt to not become that particular cliche at least, I try to listen to a newly-released album each week so I end up on around 50 each year. Don’t get me wrong – I still […]

Albums ’23

Distinctly average year for albums: Top 5 Left Me Cold *yeah, I know. I KNOW. Sorry, that was the rating I gave it.

Albums ’22

Killer year for albums, here’s the ratings: Top 5 Left Me Cold Best of the Rest Full list

Total Ranker

27 May 2023, White Belt Diaries II In 2024, we’ve become slightly uncomfortable with outward displays of hierarchy and largely we’ve lost deferential attitudes and reverence towards authority. On the whole – great – I don’t want to have to tip my hat to some posh boy. But a baby of some sort was thrown […]

The Politics of Vibe

As a young man, I would occasionally (read: always) bore people at parties with political chat. I’d see glazed-over expressions as I espoused on the economic inefficacy of austerity, at least before mercifully being cut-off as someone suggested a game of beer-pong or ‘chin your pan’. By 22 I was a card-carrying member of the […]

White Belt Diaries

19 April 2023 It’s a pleasant sunny afternoon. I could be enjoying a coffee in the spring sunshine. I could be strolling through the park listening to a gentile podcast hosted by irrelevant former politicos or comedians quizzing someone on a fantasy three course meal. I could be bingeing *insert whichever Netflix series was in […]