https://samueldraper.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Samuel DraperenTue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2025/2/17/live-review-james-blunt-the-o2-london-16022025Two songs into headlining The O2, James Blunt joked “it’s all downhill from here”, but the emotional slalom of ‘Back to Bedlam’ carried the crowd through a special Sunday night.Blunt, in his last week of being 50 years of age, marked the 20th anniversary of the debut album that put him on the map. “Do you know what that means?” he asked the audience. “I’m fucking old. And some of you are fucking old.” By opening his set with the record in full, those first two songs were ‘High’ and ‘You’re Beaut...Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2025/2/17/live-review-james-blunt-the-o2-london-16022025https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2023/2/17/long-read-its-tour-time-again-for-we-are-scientistsIt’s tour time for We Are Scientists yet again, and their joy for taking to the stage is as unbridled as ever.Keith Murray and Chris Cain are the front prongs of the triangle that is the WAS live experience, and they seem more prepared than ever to showcase their album ‘Lobes’, which came out in January.“We’re damn ready for it,” front man and lead lyricist Keith exclaimed.“We rehearsed, probably more than we’ve ever rehearsed for a tour,” bassist Chris said.Keith added: “We’re gonna be tighter...Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2023/2/17/long-read-its-tour-time-again-for-we-are-scientistshttps://www.music-news.com/review/UK/14281/Interview/ShingaiShingai is out to tell her own story for the first time with the imminent release of her debut solo album. ‘Life. Sound. Dimensions’, out June 26th, is an important step for the Noisettes singer setting out on her own path. “I’m truly independent now,” Shingai said. “I have a lot of love and reverence for my journey where I was plugged into a big machine, but I’m not sure I was able to tell my story at that point. I was scared to do that before because of what people will think.”Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.music-news.com/review/UK/14281/Interview/Shingaihttps://whenthehornblows.com/content/2023/3/31/long-read-mcfly-take-the-wheel-on-new-album-power-to-playMcFly’s first single from a new guitar-driven era, a healthy slab of driving rock, was in their own words “written on a steering wheel”.‘Where Did All The Guitars Go?’ The question is posed in the title of the track, the first release from June’s ‘Power to Play’, the band’s seventh album, but their first in a lifelong passion for harder rock, from the eighties and beyond. The song also answers the title’s own poser – they’re right here.Frontman Tom Fletcher wrote the track, which opens with a 15...Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2023/3/31/long-read-mcfly-take-the-wheel-on-new-album-power-to-playhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-11505251/The festive period is a fun time for classic movies, random trivia, and celebrating your favourite things while picking up something new along the way. TV schedules and streaming services are packed full of sports movies past and present this Christmas, for you to recall some of your favourite heroes, jeer your sporting villains, and perhaps learn some useless f...Sun, 25 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-11505251/https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11399093/How-Aston-Villas-Matty-Cash-represent-Poland-World-Cup-right-backs-route.htmlMatty Cash could play a pivotal part in the World Cup. While Aston Villa's right back was born in Slough, he won't be lining up with England on Monday November 21, but instead a day later, for Poland's opener against Mexico.It was an unusual route for the 25-year-old to take. By his own admission, he'd never been to Poland before deciding to adopt their nationality officially, qualifying...Fri, 11 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11399093/How-Aston-Villas-Matty-Cash-represent-Poland-World-Cup-right-backs-route.htmlhttps://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/13-reasons-emirates-air-line-17786198Yes, I can hear your cries from up here, 90 metres above the Thames, yelling that the cable car is not a real Tube line. It’s still one of the best things on the map, even if it is 100 per cent elevated and disobeys the very being of your precious London Underground. Part of Boris Johnson’s pre-London 2012 hype, it’s lasted way longer than the doubters wo...Tue, 14 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/13-reasons-emirates-air-line-17786198https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/10022020-its-personal-mayor-of-london-attends-streatham-vigil-after-terror-attackSadiq Khan gave a passionate speech praising community spirit at a vigil in Streatham on Saturday. The Mayor of London and Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy were among the speakers on Streatham High Road, six days after a terror attack in the area left three people in hospital. Mr Khan praised the Streatham community and the police for their reactions to the stabbing, and how local people have come together rather than letting a t...Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/10022020-its-personal-mayor-of-london-attends-streatham-vigil-after-terror-attackhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/life/07022020-sight-for-sore-eyes-kew-gardens-orchid-festival-delights-againBy Samuel DraperFebruary 7 2020, 13.25Follow @SW_Londoner The return of Kew Gardens’ Orchid Festival this weekend invites visitors on a sensuous botanical journey to Indonesia. Now in its 25th year, the festival showcases over 5,000 orchids in a month-long exhibit opening on Saturday (February 8). The display celebrates the rich natural environment of the country’s 17,500 islands which are home to some 300 million people. Kew has been collecting orchids since the 1770s, and Scott Tay...Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/life/07022020-sight-for-sore-eyes-kew-gardens-orchid-festival-delights-againhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/sport/04022020-were-competitive-were-aggressive-in-the-right-way-barnes-ladies-looking-for-new-recruits/Barnes Ladies make showing up to rugby training on a cold January evening look like fun – and now they’re welcoming new recruits to their tight-knit clan. Many start playing at university – 31% of the Barnes team is topped up with players from St George’s University and Imperial College London – but it’s never too late to get involved. Curious newbies can take part in the RFU’s Inner Warrior day at Barnes Rugby Club at 7pm on T...Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/sport/04022020-were-competitive-were-aggressive-in-the-right-way-barnes-ladies-looking-for-new-recruits/