Hello, there. I’m Darren, and this is a collection of stuff I’ve written over the years, mainly about music but there’s some other stuff too, such as film, TV and merch. You’ll also find the odd bit of promo for videos and music I’ve made. Thanks for dropping by.
Emmylou Harris, dressed all in white to match her now trademark silvery mane of hair, is an elegant and charming hostess. Given the part she’s played in modern country music - from her early, revered duets with Gram Parsons, through critical and commercial success in the '70s and '80s, to her leading charge on the alt-country movement with 1995’s Wrecking Ball - she’d be forgiven for putting herself on a pedestal. But she appears to have come through four decades of a...
As an 11-year-old, my record collection was small but proud. It was funded largely by my pound-a-week pocket money, and deciding what to buy - mainly from Woolworths in Aldershot - was a serious business. One of the singles that found its way into my record box was The Race Is On by Dave Edmunds with the Stray Cats (as it was billed on the exciting picture sleeve). I had no idea who this Edmunds fella was but I knew that the Stray Cats rocked, as I’d bought their debut album...
The clock is ticking for everybody, even Time Lords. The Doctor Who exhibition at Earls Court has just three weeks left to run, so that trip I’ve been planning for months is suddenly urgent. The series four exhibits must all be in place by now, so Tara and I take a train over there on a drizzly Sunday afternoon.
The sign in the entrance says to allow an hour to see everything. We spend a...
There I was yesterday afternoon, sitting - well, almost lying - by the window with my legs stretched out and a copy of Dracula by Bram Stoker resting on my stomach, open at page 447. Of all the parts of the story, this, the ending, was the one I was most familiar with, or so I thought. Everybody knows what happened to the Count, don’t they? Van Helsing walloped a big ol’ stake into his heart, and he crumbled to dust. It’s basic folklore, isn’t it?
I must say, I’m feeling very festive. On the same day that Harrods opened its Christmas department, I learnt that Sony BMG is planning a Yuletide, er, treat for Elvis Presley fans: an album called Christmas Duets. The record features Presley ‘duetting’ with modern female country stars such as Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride and LeAnn Rimes. Priscilla Presley explains in the press release that “the most advanced and sophisticated audio technology available” has been used to create “exciting new...
Rising at 6am on Saturday wasn’t an ideal way to start the weekend, but at least it had purpose. This year’s London Film & Comic Con, held at Earls Court Two, had a 9am kick-off, and I didn’t want to be trailing behind the throng when the doors opened. After catching the 7.52am train to West Brompton, I arrived at about 8.10am and joined the queue, which was already snaking around...
Three good-time rock ‘n’ roll bands in a little over three hours: that’s the deal on this warm Sunday night at London’s Borderline. To make sure that everything fits, Sweden’s Diamond Dogs take to the stage at 7.20pm, catching even the earliest arrivals off-guard.
It’s been a fair few years since I last saw the band (in their Stevie Klasson days), and they’re just as much fun as I remember.
On Tuesday, Steven Moffat was announced as Doctor Who’s new showrunner - or, to give him his posh and proper title, lead writer / executive producer. The press release features a lovely, heartwarming quote from the lifelong Who fan: “My entire career has been a secret plan to get this job. I applied before but I got knocked back 'cos the BBC wanted someone else. Also I was seven.”
He’ll succeed Russell T Davies, who will be standing down once next year’s specials are in the can. I’ve...
It was 21 years ago this month that I attended my first gig: Stryper at Hammersmith Odeon. To celebrate, or perhaps by complete coincidence, I was back there last night. Of course, the Odeon is now the Apollo and I’m no longer a head-banging 17-year-old. As Willie Nelson sang, funny how time slips away.
Willie - for it was his show I saw last night - is 75 years old and appeared to be in rude health. Backed by his regular band, he did 100 minutes that seemed like 50, rattling off...
In today’s musical climate, where anything goes and the melting pot is regularly stirred, it’s easy to forget just how radical an effect Jason and the Scorchers had on the Nashville scene when they formed in the early '80s. Country rock might have been a well-established concept, but never before had the two musical styles blended with such force. The Scorchers fused country twang with white-hot rock ‘n’ roll, scaring the hell out of country purists. Hank Williams was...
