Steve’s Mix Tapes

This week's show is, sadly, another memorial to a much missed friend... Harry was a stalwart member of The Wedding Present forum and was much loved by everyone on there for his humour, generosity and knack of recommending just the right music for his friends. You can read his TWP friends' tributes here . He wanted to come on the podcast, and went as far as selecting his song choices - but we never...

My guest this week is Jeffrey Lewis  Jeffrey is a singer-songwriter from New York who has perfected a scuzzy, urban style of indie-folk... a mighty 21st Century mash-up of folksy spiel and artsy garage, like Pete Seeger meeting Sonic Youth . I spoke to Jeffrey in September 2026, in the green room of Swansea' Bunkhouse , between the soundcheck and the peformance (hence the slightly dodgy sound qual...

My guest this week is Hue Williams Hue was the vocalist in Welsh indie legends The Pooh Sticks , and now plays alongside previous guest Rob Pursey and (hopefully!) future guest Amelia Fletcher in Swansea Sound . Turns out we were both at a recent Jeffrey Lewis gig (next week's guest) but didn't realise!

My guest this week is Bobby Townson Bobby is the singer, guitarist and songwriter in British Birds , a Chorley based band who - to quote the website of the Skep Wax label - 'combine the garage-punk energy of Billy Childish, the wry English sophistication of XTC and the witty pop inventiveness of The Lovely Eggs.' Their new album Murmurate, Oscillate was released yesterday. Bobby is a top chap and...

My guest this week is Andrew Brown Andrew - who I was put in touch with by previous guest Joe Rolls - was the bass player in 80s indie band The Siddeleys , who recorded a couple of sessions for John Peel in 1988-89.

My guest this week is Knox Chandler Knox - who I was put in touch with by previous guest Craig Walker - has an impressive CV. He has collaborated with Depeche Mode, The Psychedelic Furs, Ultra Vivid Scene, R.E.M., Siouxsie and the Banshees, Grace Jones, Marianne Faithful, Natalie Merchant, Tricky and Cyndi Lauper, to name but a few. He recently released a solo LP and book called The Sound .

My guest this week is Paul Hiraga Paul is a Seattle-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who is the man behind the band Downpilot. Their sound has been described as 'graceful, languid music… informed by elements of folk, slowcore, and modern psychedelia, with Hiraga's personal but impressionistic lyrics reinforced by calm yet powerful soundscapes.'

My guest this week is Steve Hodgkins If you listened to the John Doran episode , you may remember Steve being mentioned, as he curated a Scott Walker playlist for me (of which John heartily approved). Anyone who takes the time to do such a thing is obviously due an invitation to come and choose a mix of their own...

My guest this week is Astrid Williamson Astrid was the singer and guitarist in Goya Dress (which also featured previous guest Terry de Castro on bass) whose 1996 album Rooms was produced by John Cale.  Since then, she has released nine solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists such as Arthur Baker, Dead Can Dance, Electronic and The Stereophonics.  Astrid was - as Terry suggested she woul...

My guest this week is John Doran John  is a writer, journalist and occasional DJ who, in 2008, along with Luke Turner founded the online music and culture magazine The Quietus . He has also published a (highly recommended) book about his life, career and struggles with alcoholism, Jolly Lad . John, like me, likes an expansive tune, so because his was a lengthy playlist (over an hour and a half), s...

My guest this week is Rob Pursey In a 2023 Guardian article , Rob (along with his wife Amelia Fletcher) were described as ‘British indie royalty’. A founder member of indie legends Talulah Gosh and Heavenly, he has gone on to form several other bands, including The Catenary Wires, who released a 2025 album called Sounds Made By Humans ,  featured vocals from Brian Bilston , one of the UK’s most po...

My guest this week is Martin Stephenson I was particularly delighted to have Martin on the show, not least because Gladsome, Humour and Blue is one of my favourite albums of all time. Martin is, like me, a native of Durham, and so you might find my accent a little more prominent than usual! Martin's playlist is focused on artists that are up and coming / not yet well known, so make sure you check...

Something a little different this week... This week's show is dedicated to the memory of my most excellent friend Chris McAvoy (star of episode #035 ). Regular listeners may recall me making frequent references to Chris in previous episodes as someone who provided me with a multitude of  mix tapes/CDs over the years.  Sadly, Chris died a couple of months ago, and this is a tribute to him.  It igno...

My guest this week is Craig Walker Craig is the singer, guitarist and songwriter of Dublin band Power of Dreams, whose 1989 debut release ‘ A Little Piece of God ’ was single of the week in both Melody Maker and Sounds and in the same year were named by the NME as one of their ‘stars of tomorrow’. He has released a single under the name Pharmacy , played with avant-garde/electronica group Archive...

My guest this week is Stephin Merritt Stephin  is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has, over the last 35 years, produced some truly remarkable music; in particular, he was the man behind what is, in my estimation, one of the greatest albums of the 20th century, 69 Love Songs. He has also recorded soundtracks under his own name, as well as producing music as the 6ths, the Gothic A...

My guest this week is Niall Quinn Niall was the drummer and main songwriter in The Hitchers - whose 1997 song ‘ Strachan ’ was a John Peel favourite and has regularly been voted as one of the best football-related songs of all time . You may also have heard it quite recently on this podcast, as Steve Hill chose it for his mix in episode #76 .

My guest this week is David Rose I was introduced to David via previous guest Paul Garrett . David describes himself as 'a punk/ post-punk/ indie music fan and inveterate gig-goer of 45 years standing, currently with over 1,400 gigs under my belt' and has blogged about his experiences at http://www.gigbook.blogspot.com/

My guest this week is Graeme Ramsey Graeme is not only an ex-member of The Wedding Present, but has been both the drummer (2006-09) and the guitarist (2009-12). He also, as we discussed, once told Steve Albini how to mic a drum kit!

My guest this week is Liam Fitzpatrick Liam hails from Birmingham, but now resides in Whitby and runs his own cafe, Beckett's . Like me, he has a background in education, and also like me is a fan of The Wedding Present and The Fall. He emailed me to say, “if ever you fancy another ordinary 'Joe Soap' on the show - just let me know”.  Well, I'm always delighted to have a music enthusiast on the sh...

My guest mixer this week is Steve Hill Steve is a journalist and author whose debut book, The Card , was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.  His third book - out later this year - is called Friday Night Fever: Inside The Cult Of Half Man Half Biscuit .

My guest this week is Mark Hex Mark is an author and musician who describes himself as “Scottish bred, London exiled. Deep fried in Glasgow” who writes, according to his Amazon page , “stories for people who don't like books.” He has written a series of books about growing up in Ayrshire in the 90s, including Nae Burds, Here We Go, Decks of Ten and Exploding Cans and Utter Bams. He has also releas...

My guest this week is Pinko Fowler Pinko, a fellow friend of Sombrero Fallout , was - along with Brenda Kelly - the founder of Snub TV, a no-frills cable show captured 80s and 90s bands at their most bonkers . He was also a photographer / cameraman who worked on  live gigs and promos for Rough Trade bands such as the Smiths and the Go-Betweens. Apologies for the occasionally dubious sound quality...

My guest this week is Joanna Burnett Long-time listeners may recall that my very first episode was a mix of my own devising, and whilst many people were very kindly positive about my choice of tracks, one correspondent did point out that my mix was made up entirely of male artists. Suitably chastised, my next solo episode ( show #006 ) was a female-only list named after my critic - and I’m delight...

My guest this week is Emma Pollock Emma was a founder member of The Delgados , who were simply one of the very best bands of the late 90s / early 00s. As part of the band, she set up the label Chemikal Underground , which has released music by Mogwai and Arab Strap. She has also enjoyed a successful solo career, her latest album being Begging The Night To Take Hold . I met Emma in Cardiff last yea...

My guest this week is Lindsay Boothman Lindsay is the first guest to compile a mix tape entirely based on one genre (reggae/dub), and whilst she did cheat a little with the 'something new' category (just as my wife did) I thought her selections made for a fantastic mix. There was no way I was going to be able to make a Spotify playlist, and even a YouTube playlist was going to be a challenge - so...