Steve Pafford

Eva Marie Saint, 4 July 1924 – 6 October 2026

“All the boys think she’s a spy…” The stars are going out. Farewell then the epitome of style, class and poise, Eva Marie Saint. I’ve been dreading this news ever since our mutual…

October 6, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Perfect 10: Sting has chosen some of his favourite songs

Music

October 2, 2026

Perfect 10: Trevor Horn beyond the 80s

With a rollcall of credits including ABC, Yes, and Grace Jones it goes without saying that Trevor Charles Horn’s impact as a song stylist and production powerhouse in the 1980s was as…

Music

September 25, 2026

byCatherine Walters

Fabulous Fourths: Chastity Belt unlock more than their sound on self-titled album

Music

September 20, 2026

Corrie Classic: Why Pat Phoenix will always be Queen of the Street

Screen

September 17, 2026

Random Jukebox: Neneh Cherry’s Manchild

September 6, 2026

Perfect 10: the Bee Gees

Music

September 1, 2026

Highlights

Düsseldorf, London, Paris, Tunbridge Wells: station to station with the Bowie-Kraftwerk connection

August 20, 2026

Turn around, Tyler: Bonnie’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart and one outrageously homoerotic video

August 17, 2026

Kiss in the mix: Prince in ’86

August 14, 2026

Perfect 10: Bauhaus

August 9, 2026

Neil Finn selects David Bowie’s Hunky Dory as one of his favourite albums

August 6, 2026

Put on the blue light: having a cryo facial at Purexpert

August 1, 2026

Record Collector Presents… Rolling Stones in the 70s: Some Girls and soul sisters, out now

July 22, 2026

Record Collector Presents… Rolling Stones in the 70s: Exile On Main St. at Nellcote, out now

Music

July 14, 2026

Random Jukebox

Random Jukebox: Jack White & Alicia Keys find Another Way To Die

July 12, 2026

Random Jukebox: Gil Scott-Heron’s Home Is Where The Hatred Is

May 27, 2026

Random Jukebox: U2’s Miss Sarajevo, One New Year’s Day

May 10, 2026

Random Jukebox: The Hotrats’ Turn Ons

October 3, 2025

Random Jukebox: Garbage say The World Is Not Enough

August 25, 2025

Random Jukebox: Cyndi Lauper’s Into The Nightlife

June 22, 2025

Random Jukebox: Duran Duran’s A View To A Kill + how they took over Bond from Bowie

May 12, 2025

Random Jukebox: The Belle Stars’ Sign Of The Times

April 30, 2025

Every night is Friday night: Obscure Pet Shop Boys fifth night review

Previewing Obskur Pet Shop Boys — PSB’s imminent Berlin two-nighter, what follows is a five-by eyewitness account detailing what happened back amid the temperate backdrop of April in Camden.…

July 10, 2026

bySteve Pafford

It’s Thursday night: Obscure Pet Shop Boys fourth night review

July 9, 2026

bySteve Pafford

It was a Wednesday night: Obscure Pet Shop Boys third night review

July 8, 2026

Late on Tuesday evening: Obscure Pet Shop Boys second night review

July 7, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Someone told me Monday: Obscure Pet Shop Boys first night review

July 6, 2026

bySteve Pafford

From London to Berlin: the Obscure Pet Shop Boys (p)review

July 5, 2026

Spawn In The USA: 250 reasons why I’m afraid of Americans

News

July 4, 2026

Record Collector Presents… Stevie Wonder: out now

Music

July 3, 2026

Say No Go: The surprise rehabilitation of Daryl Hall & John Oates (No Can Do)

July 2, 2026

Record Collector Presents… Blondie: out now

July 1, 2026

Music

You can stop the music: The trouble with the Village People

Let’s get this straight from the start. Pride Month may be drawing to a close, the lead singer on the band’s most famous songs has just died the day before his 75th birthday, but let nobody…

Music

June 30, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Trending Now

Assessing the Girl Power of the Spice Girls — 90s nostalgia or a lasting legacy?

It’s the ear worm that turned. If you want to divide the people in a room into lovers and haters, just put on the song that was released on my 27th birthday, no less: whaddya think about that?…

June 27, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Perfect 10: Spice Girls

June 26, 2026

byQuentin Harrison

David Bowie’s Underground + the merry Magic Dance of Labyrinth at 40

June 23, 2026

bySteve Pafford

More PMs than realities: why Britain is always going up the hill backwards

News

June 22, 2026

bySteve Pafford

What did you expect to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Devon, perhaps?

Did you know June 4 happens to be Devon Day? If you aren’t from British climes, it’s penultimate English county of ye olde South West corner, ie the one just before Cornwall, with both being…

News

June 4, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Perfect 10: Talking ’bout Marilyn Monroe in song

June 1, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Random Jukebox: Pondering Patti LaBelle’s big-haired Bond theme If You Asked Me To

May 24, 2026

bySteve Pafford

We shall overcome? Why Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is more relevant than ever

May 21, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Trending Now

Random Jukebox: Robert Wyatt’s Shipbuilding

“Is it worth it? A new winter coat and shoes for the wife And a bicycle on the boy’s birthday” Mournful and moving, Shipbuilding is one of Elvis Costello’s most touching compositions and was…

January 27, 2025

bySteve Pafford

Random Jukebox: Dinah Washington’s Mad About The Boy

August 28, 2024

bySteve Pafford

Random Jukebox: Goldfrapp’s Human

July 31, 2024

bySteve Pafford

Random Jukebox: Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name, from Casino Royale

July 19, 2024

bySteve Pafford

Random Jukebox

Age to the rhythm: Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Grace Jones (and why she’s younger than you think)

“The performer, out there, takes a risk. It’s a lonely place. But it’s a fascinating, lonely place.” That’s a signature moment from Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, the illuminating 2018…

Music

May 19, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Perfect 10: Produced by Brian Eno

Music

May 15, 2026

bySteve Pafford

The day Frank Sinatra met Manic Street Preachers in Golders Green

Music

May 14, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Angel or Legend? Assessing Bob Marley

May 11, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Happiness is a place called Richmond: my erstwhile neighbour David Attenborough at 100

Felicitations and very happy centenary celebrations to the educator par excellence and one of the most inspirational humans on Planet Earth, Mr David Attenborough (sorry, not sorry, but the…

May 8, 2026

bySteve Pafford

May The Fourth Be With You: How Margaret Thatcher launched the Star Wars ‘holiday’

May 4, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Alive at 45: The fabulous Father John Misty

May 3, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Mick Ronson on the wall: Heaven and Hell in Hull

April 29, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Events

Exclusive audio: Neil Tennant talks David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Take That

Three decades ago, on 25 April 1996 to be precise, I conducted my first official on the record interview with a pop star: Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys. That weekday afternoon the PSB…

April 25, 2026

bySteve Pafford

The murder of Stephen Lawrence 33 years on

News

April 22, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Prince’s regal gramophone: It was ten years ago today

April 21, 2026

bySteve Pafford

100 words for Windsor

News

April 21, 2026

bySteve Pafford

Elizabeth Sladen: forever our Sarah Jane Smith

“Journos with egos? Ooooh, I don’t like ‘em!” — Magda in Absolutely Fabulous, 1994 She was fierce, formidable and occasionally fearless. For three years in the mid 1970s — during the…

April 19, 2026

bySteve Pafford