21st Century North

Having just finished Paul Hanley’s excellent book “sixteen again“, I was lying in bed last night thinking about Buzzcocks and regrets. When Buzzcocks recorded Spiral Scratch, I was nine; tooContinue readingBuzzcocks: oui, je regrette un peu

I’ve spent the last four months, on and off, photographing the Cross Green/East End Park/Richmond Hill area of Leeds LS9, and am now preparing my exhibition, of which a smallContinue readingExhibition 2024: Cross Green/East End Park/Richmond Hill LS9

My association with the Cross Green/East End Park/Richmond Hill area of LS9 (Leeds) goes back to about 1988, when I started doing voluntary work in the area and got toContinue readingLS9: Cross Green/East End Park/Richmond Hill

I visited the Middleton Fishing Cabins again in August 2023, mainly to photograph Asher in his cabin. This is the man who I was told wouldn’t want his photograph taken,Continue readingMiddleton Fishing Cabins, Hartlepool, August 2023

The Lofthouse Colliery Disaster cost seven lives and took place on 21 March 1973. I was privileged to attend the 50th anniversary commemoration on 19 March 2023, organised by TonyContinue readingLofthouse Colliery Disaster 50th Anniversary

I have written a very small number of blog posts about Charles Mingus and here they are: “East Coasting,” 1957. Mingus in 1957. “Mingus Three,” featuring Hampton Hawes. The 1964Continue readingCharles Mingus

I took a walk from Hunslet into Leeds city centre, along the river, and met this graffiti artist at work under the A61 bridge. He was happy to be photographedContinue readingLeeds graffiti artist

Mick would not have approved of this. Before Mick died in December 2018, he made it clear that he wanted to slip away quietly, which is more or less whatContinue readingMick Parkin, 1957 – 2018

The wonderful Platform 1 organisation recently won a retired Pacer train carriage. Getting the carriage onsite wasn’t a trouble-free exercise: the first attempt had to be aborted at the lastContinue readingPlatform 1, Huddersfield

Platform 1 in Huddersfield is a brilliant organisation: initially, it was founded as a men’s mental health project, along the lines of the men’s shed movement (which is why itContinue readingPlatform 1, Huddersfield