Give to Gain

Happy International Women's Day.

International Women’s Day is more than a moment in the calendar. It is a yearly pause to celebrate achievements, recognise progress, and remind ourselves that the journey toward equality is still very much in motion.

The theme for International Women’s Day 2026 is “Give to Gain.” At first glance it sounds simple, almost like a neat slogan. But inside those three words is a powerful idea: progress grows when people invest in one another.

Giving does not always mean money or grand gestures. Sometimes it is time, mentorship, encouragement, or the decision to open a door that might otherwise remain closed. When someone shares knowledge, supports a colleague, or lifts another voice into the spotlight, they create opportunity that ripples far beyond a single moment.

And that is where the “gain” appears.

Communities gain stronger leaders. Workplaces gain broader perspectives. Young women gain role models who prove that ambition has no fixed boundaries. Society gains when talent is recognised and supported regardless of gender.

Of course, progress is not something that builds itself and then quietly stands forever like a finished monument. It behaves more like a garden that needs constant attention. Seeds must be planted, growth must be supported, and barriers must occasionally be pulled out by the roots.

International Women’s Day is a reminder to keep doing that work.

Riffs, Rydell & Rock ’n’ Roll

Last night felt like opening a loot box at a rock show...

Felicia Black and her band Black Soul have been quietly tearing up a string of intimate venues on their recent mini tour. Small stages, big sound, the kind of gigs where the amps hum like they’re alive and the crowd becomes a single, sweaty heartbeat. Sadly, life kept me from jumping into the crowd for the earlier dates. This one, at Abnormal, was the first one I could actually make.

Worth. The. Wait.

Black Soul were in full throttle mode, serving nu metal grit with hard rock swagger. Riffs like thunderclaps. Vocals that could sandblast doubt off your bones. The room was already buzzing when suddenly the bodies on stage… multiplied.

In stormed a flash-mob fantasia of Pink Ladies and T-birds, leather jackets gleaming under the lights like rebellious disco balls. 

Grease was certainly the word with this reveal that it will be the next big offering from Broadway Productions, and while I’ve been sitting on that nugget of knowledge for a few weeks, I was absolutely not prepared for this high-octane announcement. Instead of a social media post or a banner drop, we got a full-blown 1950s invasion. 

The cast didn’t just wave and leave. They became backing dancers for several of Black Soul’s tracks. Picture greased-back hair headbanging in perfect sync. Picture Pink Ladies throwing shapes to down-tuned riffs. It was like someone spliced a jukebox with a distortion pedal and said, “Let’s see what happens.”

What happened was chaos. The joyful, theatrical, completely unhinged kind that is a delight to bear witness to. And the contrast worked brilliantly. The sweetness of Grease’s retro aesthetic colliding with Black Soul’s darker, crunchier sound created a kind of cultural time warp. It shouldn’t have worked. It absolutely did.

So my reward for finally making it to a show? Not just killer live music, but a surprise genre mash-up that turned a regular gig into an event. If this is how Broadway Productions plan to promote Grease, I can only imagine what opening night has in store. We'll have to wait until April to find out...

Another Valentine's Day Muscial Massacre

How many times do we have to go over this.... generic EDM bullshit is not the sort of music that should be spun at a Valentine's Day event! 

Seasonal events like Christmas, Halloween and Valentines each offer the opportunity for themed music that perfectly encapsulates the theme of the event to provide a suitable ambience. It should be so fucking easy to get right. But, instead, we get the same EDM trash every... single... time...

It's genuinely exhausting to be subjected to this time after time for every single community event. And it convinces me that the organisers simply don't care for guest experience. Those involved in putting these events on are more interested in treating them as vanity projects. As long as their names go up in lights, who cares whether they are actually delivering an enjoyable or memorable experience.

After all, for many, this is one of the most special nights of the evening so, if they are choosing to spend it at one of these events, make it about the guests, not the fucking egos of the DJs and whoever the fuck else wants to have their name on a bloody poster.

Like, how hard is it to play some romantic love songs with a sprinkling of some lewd and sexy songs in there as well for good measure? I'll let you... not hard at all! It is literally the simplest assignment possible! Aaaaargggghhh, just thinking about it makes me mad.

It's fucking depressing that this is once again what I'm having to speak out about. How many times is this now? I've honestly lost count...

Welp, at least this wasn't the worst offending Valentine's Day party that we've had. Thankfully the venue wasn't a self-indulgent cathedral to excess this time round. Actually, it was quite nice and, dare I say it, even looked like it had had a bit of thought put into supporting the theme of the party but providing an element of intimacy.

I mean, I have to question the logic of using a venue with so many obstacles and natural obstructions scattered around when 400 - 500 guests are expected to be in the house at one time but at least there was an attempt at creating an air of love and romance. If it was to just hold around 200 guests, it may even have been perfect. But we all know that far more than that will turn up when being bribed by the possibility of winning the various prizes draws held throughout the event.

And, as crazy as this may sound, they may even have listened to one of my regular complaints about every previous Valentine's Day event. Of course, I could be giving them too much credit but I'm really trying to not be entirely negative here. So what were the booths that were dotted around the parameter of the party area? Could they have actually been the kissing booths that I have been begging for for years? 

It's hard to tell because I didn't actually see any in use. In my head cannon though, I'm going say yes, someone finally listened about at least one thing that we've been asking for. And I need to do that, because it gives me a glimmer of hope that one day, they might listen to reason about playing thematically appropriate music. Only a glimmer, mind...

Actually, I want to note a few other positives about the venue, while I've distracted myself from my overwhelming annoyance at the music issue. Firstly, a distinct reduction in massive branding everywhere. Maybe that means I have to partially walk back my suggestion that there is too much vanity involved? I still stand by that but it was nice that the place had a more organic vibe instead of being one big advertising board.

Then, continuing that theme; no massive DJ stand as the focal point of an arena flanked by ridiculous dancer podiums that have enough capacity for triple digit numbers of dancers. I like that the DJ booth was much more humble than normal rather than dominating the entire space. So I suppose that is progress as well.

Finally, I appreciated that effort was made to layout plenty of spots for lovers to canoodle and be intimate together. Something that has been sorely missing from some past events.  The various cute little picnic spots and benched areas worked pretty well for me.

So, in summary, my initial positive thoughts of seeing a vice nice venue were quickly washed away by the rapid realisation that it was going to be yet another unbearable event due to the DJs once again failing to understand the assignment.

Too Real - Streaming Now!

The metaverse is not the escape from our problems that we dreamt it would be. Our flaws and failings are integral to our very being. Wherever we go, we bring them with us. We cannot escape from ourselves.

And so we find ourselves back at the very beginning of the writing sessions for what would ultimately. become my Too Much, Too Raw and Too Real EPs at a time when I was in a dark, dark headspace and found some solace through penning the most brutally raw and honest lyrics that I've ever written. Which is exactly why the first songs written are the last ones to be released - simply because I wasn't sure if I even wanted some of them to see the light of day, let alone be the public's introduction to this series of releases. 

But the songs found on Too Raw are undoubtably the ones that illicit the most powerful emotions within me when I listen to them so I desperately wanted to share them, warts and all, because I know I am not alone in struggling to talk openly about these sorts of ugly things. Depression, insecurities, self loathing - it is all here in abundance. This is my soul laid bare for all to see. This is my truth. 

Also, they represent a time when my musical direction was somewhat different, leading to this being the most eclectic sounding of these 3 sister EPs. Back when this batch of songs were conceived, the concept was for a single release that would be split in two - one half leaning more heavily towards metal and the other half leaning more heavily into electronic. It was only as I got further into later writing sessions that it became clearer that I was far more driven to go all in on the metal and industrial, so the more electronic flavoured songs never really materialised apart from those found on this EP (apart from Simulacrum on Too Real, of course).

Stream now: Soundcloud | YouTube

Fuck, Marry, Kill

Did you check out Jerome's teaser image for my single from upcoming Too Raw EP and figure out what it meant? One image hinting at some sexy times. Another of a wedding. And a final image of someone who has been murdered.

You know what that means, right? It's time to play that game that has been known by various names from location to location or by how explicit you want to be, but which ultimately comes down to you making 3 choices; who will you fuck, who will you marry and who will you kill?

Check out the video for Fuck, Marry, Kill (aka F.M.K.) below!

Or listen to the full single (both F.M.K. and its companion b-side on Soundcloud or YouTube.

Maybe even leave me a comment to let me know which of the three choices you would make for me. I am curious - would you fuck, marry or kill me?

And, whatever you do, don't forget to come back a week today for the release of the final EP in my trilogy of EPs - Too Raw!