This podcast is only temporary

Andy White
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Music Commentary
  • Weekly

Irish songwriter and producer Andy White’s fourth series of This podcast is only temporary tells the story of the writing and recording of his live album 'The night is approaching through some would say it was morning', recorded at Abbey Road with producer John Leckie. Progressing through the day from morning to night, Andy tells the stories of the songs along the way - as in previous Series 3 in which he looked at his spoken word album 'Good Luck I Hope You Make It', and the first two series which go track by track through solo album ‘This garden is only temporary’ and the 'AT' album co-written with Tim Finn.

  1. Season 6, Episode 1 Trailer

    This trailer is only temporary - Series 6

    Andy White is back to tell us the story of the writing and recording of his debut album Rave on. 40 years since its first release and the songs still smash their way out of the speakers in as unavoidable a manner as possible. This was the 1980s, the Troubles in Northern Ireland nearing the end of their second decade and Stock Aitken and Waterman and 'Rio' providing the soundtrack for Thatcher's Britain.  Cue Rave on Andy White, recorded in a field in County Antrim. On the cover, the Belfast songwriter sat on the back seat of a Volkswagen Beetle with an acoustic guitar on his knees. It looked like a Bob Dylan album and sounded like nothing else sounded like at the time. It was rocking, intense, punk, folk and country. It was Irish but it was Northern Irish. This is the sixth series of This podcast is only temporary and Episode 1 is published on Monday September 28. Andy is on tour in 2027 starting January 10 at the Black Box in Belfast. More dates here. Andy's albums are available on Bandcamp or www.andywhite.com The white vinyl version of Rave on is available on Andy's Bandcamp or from LNFG Podcast artwork: Sebi White

    This trailer is only temporary - Series 6

  2. Episode 1

    Rave on - The Soldier's Sash

    The new series of This podcast is only temporary tells the story of the writing and recording of Rave on Andy White, released on 10 October 1986. "Early this year I was asked to come in to the BBC in Belfast to record an interview about Rave on. I got off the train at Botanic, put on my headphones and found the album online. Turned the volume to maximum and pressed play. Wow. We made this? It was raining as I crossed Botanic Avenue with its same-as-it-ever-was tombstone charity-shop chic & new-style international fast-food glamour. The rain got harder as the chorus to The Soldier's Sash started with the kids voices yelling "wheee" and I dodged the lights, jay-walking Shaftesbury Square where the stone angels have been relocated and past where the Good Vibrations record store used to be. Reaching the BBC I stood on Ormeau Avenue listening to the sound of us leaning on the tape machine at the end of The Soldier's Sash and then Vision of You starting up. Thought I needed to tell you the story of how this album came together.  Skip to today. Recording this first episode I tried to set the scene. It's Ireland and there is history involved. It's Belfast, so everything is even more complicated. Knowing I may have got facts wrong I finished recording and phoned Dad who told me to check the news. Right there in 2026. A protest about an Orange march. A stand-off. Plus ça change. Fasten your seatbelts for the Rave on ride and, always, thanks for coming."  AW 27 September 2026 Andy is on tour in 2027 starting January 10 at the Black Box in Belfast. More dates here. Andy's albums are available on Bandcamp or www.andywhite.com The white vinyl version of Rave on is available on Andy's Bandcamp or from LNFG Podcast artwork: Sebi White

    Rave on - The Soldier's Sash

  3. Episode 2

    Rave on - Things start to unwind

    The new series of This podcast is only temporary tells the story of the writing and recording of Rave on Andy White, released on 10 October 1986. "The stream of consciousness continues, starting off on Great Victoria Street again and this time talking about first albums and origin stories. A lot of bands meet at school or they live in the next street. Rod McVey and I met in the school band and yes he lived in the next street.  I was on spoken word, bass and drum machine but soon an acoustic guitar flew out of a window and we were off. The poems turned into songs and this was the Religious Persuasion EP, the first four songs that started the Rave on recording sessions.  If you'd like to see Randalstown there's a tiny bit in the Religious Persuasion video: https://youtu.be/nZCO0W05nCU?si=_QJNet52t7X7sDgE BBC Northern Ireland took me to where the acoustic guitar flew out of a window: https://youtu.be/1JDq0F2Pwqk?si=EblFIn6shXF7n0nO I'll try to tell you who was there and some of the background to the sessions. We were recording an album in the era of Duran Duran. Thatcher was in Number 10. We were using 80s gear but we didn't want it to be an 80s pop record. We were recording in a field in County Antrim not a West London studio with the record company calling in to say hi. Now listen on & thanks for being here." AW 5 October 2026 Andy is on tour in 2027 starting January 10 at the Black Box in Belfast. More dates here. Andy's albums are available on Bandcamp or www.andywhite.com The white vinyl version of Rave on is available on Andy's Bandcamp or from LNFG Podcast artwork: Sebi White

    Rave on - Things start to unwind

  4. Episode 3

    Rave on - Vision of You

    The new series of This podcast is only temporary tells the story of the writing and recording of Rave on Andy White, released on 10 October 1986. In the third episode Andy tells the story of what he calls "sort of love songs that might not be love songs and are pretending not to be love songs but really are",  Vision of You, Tuesday Apocalypse #13, I Will Wait and Rembrandt Hat. Though mostly Vision of You. It's a freewheeling journey as we hear about an 80s remix, a river in summer, Alice in Wonderland, fairytales & a sampled saxophone band, as well as Andy's thoughts on two manifestations of a song,  "There is the song that lives in the air, grows and changes and often repeats itself in your life while simultaneously having its own life and going off to become friends with other people – and then there is the recording of the song which is a snapshot of the song at that time and in that place. This one gets to live on an album forever, travelling the world to turn up in more places than the writer could ever imagine. And when people write and tell you their stories about the song, it gets even more interesting. Oh, and then there's the Liverpool boat ... Thanks for coming down the road and onto the ferry with me in this series. There will be another next week, see you then." AW 12 October 2026 Andy is on tour in 2027 starting January 10 at the Black Box in Belfast. More dates here. Andy's albums are available on Bandcamp or www.andywhite.com The white vinyl version of Rave on is available on Andy's Bandcamp or from LNFG Podcast artwork: Sebi White

    Rave on - Vision of You

  5. Episode 4

    Rave on - Reality Row

    The new series of This podcast is only temporary tells the story of the writing and recording of Rave on Andy White, released on 10 October 1986. Episode 4 is all about Reality Row. Andy is brainstorming how it came together and this involves more on the lost counties of Ulster, how to play country bass, the immanence of nuclear war in the mid-80s, Thatcher, Reagan, Spitting Image, Bob Dylan, T.S. Eliot and the Crown Bar.  He tells the story of the Reality Row video directed by Charles McDougall and you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/NL_oqlh-5jo?si=YbvKOZmCMuuvQHev You can see Caramel Crunch's designs on Andy's Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/andyohyeah The band show mentioned is in the Black Box, Belfast, 10 January, 2027. It will be announced this Friday here and it would be great if you could come. "I hope you are enjoying this series. There are digressions. There are mistakes. I am not leaning on that Stop sign. I am bluffing about Venn diagrams. There are diversions. Roadblocks, checkpoints and, all the time, the enchanted way on which Rave on happened. In my head, in that field and, in the case of Reality Row, a wild borderline town. AW 19 October 2026. Andy is on tour in 2027 starting January 10 at the Black Box in Belfast. More dates here. Andy's albums are available on Bandcamp or www.andywhite.com The white vinyl version of Rave on is available on Andy's Bandcamp or from LNFG Podcast artwork: Sebi White

    Rave on - Reality Row

  6. Episode 5

    Rave on - The Big Rain

    The new series of This podcast is only temporary tells the story of the writing and recording of Rave on Andy White, released on 10 October 1986. In the final episode Andy takes an instant diversion around 'debut' and 'sophomore' albums and dives into 80s Belfast with 'The Walking Wounded', written as a poem along with the initial Religious Persuasion EP tracks.  He explains what happens when recording and mixing is finished. Mostly, mastering and design. Choosing a name and a style. If you have a look at Andy's Instagram you can see some of Pennie Smith's photos and Caramel Crunch's designs.  People are marching on the streets of Paris again. The French word Andy mentions is "détournement" and the artists who repurposed art were called the Situationists. The Sex Pistols cover is by Jamie Reid. The Clash album is London Calling and the Elvis Presley album is his debut (!) "Thanks for coming with me through this story and apologies where I repeated myself, went off topic, or said the word 'journey'. I tried so hard not to say it but it slipped out right at the end – because that's what this series was. Every note is present for me, listening to the album. I am in the studio with the lights down and the cigarette smoke. The Hammond organ and the acoustic guitar. An Akai samples and pages and pages of words. Whiskey too.  Rod remembers more than me. Maybe we will get to hear him tell the story some time and I will keep collecting your stories of how where and why you found the album.  I hope we get to do this again. Meanwhile, have a look at the photos & designs online and eternal respect and thanks to: Rod McVey: co-producer, keyboards, sax Brendan McGarrity: drums Ivan Gilliland: banjo Cathy White and Fiona Mettam: vocals Mudd Wallace: engineer and legendary guitar Enda Walsh: assistant engineer Rave on." AW 28.10.26 Andy is on tour in 2027 starting January 10 at the Black Box in Belfast. More dates here. Andy's albums are available on Bandcamp or www.andywhite.com The white vinyl version of Rave on is available on Andy's Bandcamp or from LNFG Podcast artwork: Sebi White

    Rave on - The Big Rain
See All Season 6 (6)

Trailers

About

Irish songwriter and producer Andy White’s fourth series of This podcast is only temporary tells the story of the writing and recording of his live album 'The night is approaching through some would say it was morning', recorded at Abbey Road with producer John Leckie. Progressing through the day from morning to night, Andy tells the stories of the songs along the way - as in previous Series 3 in which he looked at his spoken word album 'Good Luck I Hope You Make It', and the first two series which go track by track through solo album ‘This garden is only temporary’ and the 'AT' album co-written with Tim Finn.

Information

You Might Also Like