Coventry City promoted to the Premier League. Glad for one man - the club paid tribute to him thus.

Coventry City should absolutely be back in the top flight because my brain is still in the late eighties/early nineties.

All the stuff about vetting, advisers and process misses the point that everyone knew who Peter Mandelson was, what he had done and who he had associated with for literally years before Keir Starmer made him ambassador and lots of people pointed it out at the time. He appointed him anyway

Really sad, and totally avoidable.

There's quite a story here for any journalist willing and able to do some digging, as far as I can tell.

Meades, Where the Other Half Lives, 1994 YouTube video by Godburn

Watching this old Jonathan Meades documentary on beer, pubs etc from 1994 and interesting how his point that the industry is rooted in nostalgia has become less of a thing in recent years, yet is creeping back with Boddingtons, Bass etc
youtu.be/UCMlh0VV2xk?...

Calling it early...the new Wendy Eisenberg is album of the year.

it's really grim how the media gleefully goes along with the line that the economy is being killed by trans/autistic/disabled people rather than confronting the blatant reality that it's been fucked up by staggering greed and corruption, across a broad spectrum of political incompetence

News, nuggets and longreads 28 March 2026: Vigil Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we’ve got Bass, barley wine, and bambini.

GOOD MORNING! Here's our regular round-up of good writing about beer and pubs with notes on the popularity of Bass, a very special barley wine, and the ever-controversial topic of kids in pubs. 🍺🍻

boakandbailey.com/2026/03/news...

A small, colourful paper cup of coffee on a wooden table. A cafe counter is in the distance.

Coffee

I think the key to craft beer's success was putting "Drink fresh" on cans and bottles. The early days were full of hoarders and it encouraged them to drink and buy more rather than keeping hold of what they had. The booze equivalent of "repeat if necessary" on shampoo bottles.

Pub Thoughts #9 (Queen Charlotte, Fitzrovia) The Queen Charlotte is a former Brewdog pub, which in some ways is the least interesting thing about it, but also something that probably needs addressing at some point, if only to acknowledge both…

Pub Thoughts #9 (The Queen Charlotte, Fitzrovia)
waituntilnextyear.com/2026/03/27/p...

The Associates - 18 Carat Love Affair - TOTP - 12 August 1982 YouTube video by Shadow TV Network

To honour what would have been Billy Mackenzie's birthday, 18 Carat Love Affair on TOTP, because the song mentions Evelyn Home and Avon girls and because they distribute pieces of chocolate guitar to the audience.

youtube.com/watch?v=13dV...

Brilliant segment on the Robert Elms show on the slum landlord Peter Rachman. A timely antidote to all that rose-tinted London nostalgia.

Funny how Labour's fiscal rules don't apply to joining illegal wars that will tank the economy.

Pub Thoughts #8 (Pubs as homes from home, and the Bird and Barrel) I’ve been thinking a bit about pubs as second homes, surrogate homes – public houses as public homes. That sometimes you are away and need to sit somewhere familiar, homely, rather than a ste…

Pub Thoughts #8
waituntilnextyear.com/2026/03/20/p...

The second number would make for a lovely gift for someone special.

I hate knowing that I would be respected more at work if I had a slightly posher accent, and knowing they will happily spend a load of money bringing in a Oxbridge-y type just to tell them what I have told them already.

Liza Tarbuck leaves Radio 2 Saturday show after 14 years Shaun Keaveny, host of The Rock Show, will stand in for her until the end of the end of the month.

Gutted about this, Liza Tarbuck's show was the best thing on the radio, not just great music but a joyful and human presence - what broadcasting can and should be
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Absolutely love my thermal print camera, probably my favourite piece of tech and the one thing that has built my confidence in taking photographs.

Yep, that's the one! Not confirmed that it's down to licensing issues, but is what I've heard.

Pub Thoughts #7 Monday, a day off and finally some sunshine, so I spent the day working in the garden, doing some good honest manual labour for once. By late afternoon my body was creaking and it was clear I neede…

Pub Thoughts #7
waituntilnextyear.com/2026/03/06/p...

The river Tweed seen through a ruined window: half the image is black; the rest includes blue sea and yellow/green banks.

Tweed/Frame.

Reading Ian Nairn's Outrage and I can't believe there's anyone else who has been that talented yet that grumpy at the age of 24.

Local campaigning in Bexley seems focused entirely on roads (including key wards suddenly getting major resurfacing right before the election), with very little interest in anything else, like the major social care costs in the borough...all just playing into Reform's hands.

No surprise with Bexley, but things are going to get bleak!

Capital Letters - Joshua Ray Walker (Official Visualizer) YouTube video by Joshua Ray Walker

New Joshua Ray Walker track is excellent. One of the great songwriters and great voices that we have.
youtu.be/nC8b0vApg9k?...

Thank you for sharing!

Popped in the pub and Cuddly Toy by Roachford started playing, so I think things are looking up.

It is grotesque that the UK is joining in with far-right aggressors to extend war in the Middle East and ignore all international law. We are in a very bad place, with a totally immoral and incapable government.

Today would be a good day for Labour MPs to discover some principles.