Two Big Egos in a Small Car Graham Chalmers and Charles Hutchinson

Graham recounts interviewing Steve Howe of Yes about their forthcoming UK tour and York Barbican gig.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich live in Leeds? Yes please! Charles is captivated by a fascinating gig at Leeds' Brudenell Social Club.
Graham enters the crazy world of data retrieval as he reveals how he nearly lost his entire draft manuscript for a book on Magna Carta's Chris Simpson. Graham has been writing it for four years now so to lose it would be brutal. Just back from a trip to Scotland Graham is pleased to share that he has been able to advance the book and  is close to finishing his first draft.
The Spiegel Tent is back in Harrogate for the Festival. All praise the Spiegel Tent, there really is nothing else quite like it.
Meanwhile Graham previews a new exhibition The Beatles’ Mad Day Out at Harrogate's RedHouse Originals art gallery - which should be opening soon.

Finally, Graham sums up his enjoyment of a gig by the enchanting William Doyle.

Charles and Graham get heady with the quality of the new album from the Jesus and Mary Chain and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Glasgow band. Glasgow Eyes is their best album in over twenty years.
Monet in York. Monet’s ‘The Water-Lily Pond’ will be the central feature of a major new exhibition at York Art Gallery to mark the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery on 10 May 2024. Painted by one of the founders of the Impressionist movement Claude Monet (1840-1926), ‘The Water-Lily Pond’ (1899) will be the centrepiece of an exhibition which will bring together key loans from regional and national institutions alongside collection works, and a large-scale commission by contemporary artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan. 
Charles gets his laughs in An Evening With The Fast Show at Grand Opera House, York, 30 years on. Do sketches make for a sketchy live show? 

Graham reports on his recent stay in John Ruskin's house at  Brantwood in the Lake District- but is the Victorian art critic and social reformer really as relevant to the 21st century as his supporters claim?


Graham also talks about his recent pilgrimage to a secret rock n roll shrine in a York pub related to the Rolling Stones.


Charles talks about the real enjoyment to be found in Alexander Payne's Oscar winning film, The Holdovers.


For Graham, there is personal sadness at the death of 1970s musician Steve Harley whose enduring hit song Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile) still manages to overshadow a back catalogue of considerably underrated songs.

Graham and Charles take the opportunity to interview music journalist Dave Simpson as a followup to the previous episode looking at the grassroots music venue crisis sweeping the country. it so happens that Dave had just the other week written about this very subject in an in-depth article for The Guardian.

Dave Simpson is one of the UK's leading music journalists and writes on music, popular culture and regional issues for the Guardian, from a north of England base, and regularly appears on local and national radio programmes. He has previously written for the music press, having contributed to such titles as Melody Maker, Uncut and i_D. He is the author of The Fallen: Life In and Outside of Britain’s Most Insane Group (Canongate), which was included in the best music book of the year round-ups and voted in the Top 10 best music books ever by Neon Filler website.
His second book, The Last Champions: Leeds United and the Year Football Changed Forever was published by Bantam Press in 2012. 

Graham focuses on the extreme difficulties being faced by venues and music artists as yet more venues announce closure. If the decimation of the live music circuit continues what will this mean for the future?

Charles is thrilled by Emma Rice's version of Blue Beard for her company Wise Children, this remarkable piece of theatre is currently to be seen on tour which Charles caught at York's Theatre Royal.
Graham introduces the just released second album by Leeds band, Yard Act and then discussed the perplexing talent of William Doyle as evidenced on his new album Springs Eternal.

Graham calls for an emergency debate on arts funding and reports on working with Harrogate Community Radio at a music event last week at All Saints Church in Kirkby Overblow.


The perplexing talent of William Doyle as evidenced on his new album Springs Eternal.


Plus when is swearing funny in films?