Music Venue Trust 2024 Report Launched At The Senedd With A Performance From The Anchoress - God Is In The TV Music Venue Trust (MVT), which represents hundreds of UK grassroots music venues (GMVs) launched its 2024 Annual Report in the Senedd in

A piece on the launch of the
@musicvenuetrust.bsky.social
report in Cardiff I attended with @lucykbennett.bsky.social featuring @theanchoress.bsky.social
& James Dean Bradfield. www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2025/02/05/m...

So happy Wales Goes Pop is back next year!!

The special issue of Critical Studies in Television on the 40th anniversary of EastEnders that I edited with the fantastic Christine Geraghty is now officially out!

6 great articles & an Editorial, all open access!

journals.sagepub.com/toc/CST/curr...

NEW CFP ALERT 📣 Check out the details of our upcoming special issue on Music Fandom guest edited by @jenessawilliams.bsky.social & @lucykbennett.bsky.social at the follow link: buff.ly/YDOflaI...! Deadline is 01/01/2026!

Thursday briefing: How Taylor Swift, the ​ultimate pop ​star, ​turned ​her story into our own In today’s newsletter: ​Her songs have soundtracked first loves, heartbreaks and coming-of-age moments for millions,​ and fostered a rare kind of intimacy between artist and audience

Yn ddiweddar, cafodd @lucykbennett.bsky.social ei chyfweld am allu digamsyniol Taylor Swift i gysylltu merched a menywod o bob oedran.

Darllenwch ragor am hyn ⤵️
tinyurl.com/mw28ty6x

Thursday briefing: How Taylor Swift, the ​ultimate pop ​star, ​turned ​her story into our own In today’s newsletter: ​Her songs have soundtracked first loves, heartbreaks and coming-of-age moments for millions,​ and fostered a rare kind of intimacy between artist and audience

@lucykbennett.bsky.social was recently interviewed about Taylor Swift’s enduring ability to connect to girls and women of all ages.

Read more on this⤵️
tinyurl.com/mw28ty6x

‘I became obsessed’: New Labour psychodrama grips TikTok teenagers Nostalgic social media videos detailing Blair-Brown rivalry elicit cult following among young political fans

Featuring comments from @lucykbennett.bsky.social

#FanStudies

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

NEW CFP ALERT 📣 Check out the details of our upcoming special issue on Music Fandom guest edited by @jenessawilliams.bsky.social & @lucykbennett.bsky.social at the follow link: buff.ly/YDOflaI...! Deadline is 01/01/2026!

Feather boas and bald caps: the wacky world of concert fashion Why dressing up is now an essential part of the live music experience

@lucykbennett.bsky.social was recently interviewed about music fandom and fashion at concerts.

Read the article ⤵️
tinyurl.com/nrwnmxbb

Calling all music fandom researchers; hit us with your best ideas!

NEW CFP ALERT 📣 Check out the details of our upcoming special issue on Music Fandom guest edited by @jenessawilliams.bsky.social & ‪@lucykbennett.bsky.social at the follow link: journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/tw...! Deadline is 01/01/2026!

I love this! I remember buying that very issue too - I still have it!!

Thank you to The Swiftie who gave me the “Fight the Power” bracelet. I been wearing it every day and every show. But today a little Swiftie gave me a “flavor flav” bracelet,,, so imma gonna have to trade with her 🫶🏾

Points of View - 2025: 06/07/2025 Viewers have their say on the BBC’s television shows. Email your thoughts to pov@bbc.co.uk

@lucykbennett.bsky.social recently appeared on BBC One's Points of View programme to talk about Glastonbury.

Watch the episode ⤵️
tinyurl.com/y9wwbbdx

Points of View - 2025: 06/07/2025 Viewers have their say on the BBC’s television shows. Email your thoughts to pov@bbc.co.uk

Yn ddiweddar bu @lucykbennett.bsky.social yn siarad am Glastonbury ar raglen Points of View BBC One.

Gwyliwch y bennod ⤵️
tinyurl.com/y9wwbbdx

Catatonia. Manic Street Preachers. Super Furry Animals....

Author @neilcollins1986.bsky.social joins us on 17th July to discuss International Velvet: How Wales Conquered the '90s Charts, alongside special guest, music writer Bill Cummings.

Tickets are free! 🔗 tinyurl.com/yrcxyc5e

Mark, I hope you have such a great time here in Cardiff!

Finding the fangirlscape: understanding ‘fangirl’ as a gendered transfandom category. Abstract: Despite the field’s growth, a limited portion of audience studies work considers the way ‘fangirl’ categories create their own milieu distinct from ‘fandom’ or ‘girlhood’ individually. This entails the way particular media sites are designed for fangirls, an assumption of who these fans are and their beliefs, and a consideration for how we might best research these communities. This article theorises the ‘fangirl’, drawing on focus groups with pop music fans and TikTok videos sourced from participants to define and complicate the term. Beyond the popular stereotype, ‘fangirl’ functions as a complicated, intense, and expansive identity. I argue that exploring the fangirl as a distinct category allows us to better tackle topics in ‘transfandom’ dynamics, gendered fandom, discourses of age within fandom, and nuances to the negotiation of fan stereotypes. Keywords: Fangirl, Popular music, TikTok, Focus groups, Girlhood studies Participations, journal of audience and reception studies. Volume 21 issue 1 may 2025

I have a new open access article out in Participations “Girlscape” themed issue! It was a lot of work to get it right but I’m so pleased with how it’s turned out and I can’t wait to read the other articles 🥰

www.participations.org/21-01-05-buc...

Please check out the new History of Fandom website, part of a transnational initiative to foster greater connection between researchers and projects focused on fandom’s past. More updates soon! #fanstudies #historicalfandom #historyoffandom #fanhistoryinitiative

www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/nor...

New interactive digital map shows Britain’s ‘most inspiring’ place for hit songs The results are in – and the London borough of Camden is featured in more hit songs than any other place in the UK. Find out how your area compares with this interactive map

I’m quoted in this article about a great new project on music tourism & fandom I’ve been collaborating on 🤩www.dailystar.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-interac...

FanLIS 2025: Five Years of FanLIS An interdisciplinary symposium exploring the intersections between between fandom, fan studies and library and information science.

There's still time to register!
This Thursday is #FanLIS2025! If you're interested in #libraries, information science and #fandom, check out our 5th anniversary symposium!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fanlis-202...

#FanLIS #FanStudies

Targeted CFP: Pikachu’s Transmedia Adventures: The Continuing Adaptability of the Pokémon Franchise Abstract deadline: June 10th 2025 In 2025 the Pokémon franchise will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its debut in Japan and the fifth anniversary of its popular worldwide AR cell phone game Pokém…

I'm joining @drrossgarner.bsky.social and @direjackalope.bsky.social for an edited collection on the Pokémon franchise. We already have many great chapters but are seeking some more in specific areas. Check out the targeted CFP below & pls share widely!

rebeccawilliams.org/2025/05/17/1...

#Runningupthathill, revival and popular music fandom on TikTok The fourth season of Stranger Things (2022) used Kate Bush’s 1985 single ‘Running up that Hill’ for a key narrative moment, propelling the song back into the charts. This resurgence also inspired n...

New article in Continuum ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Zaborowski, R., & Bennett, L. (2025). #Runningupthathill, revival and popular music fandom on TikTok. Continuum, 39(3), 450–461.

#FanStudies

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Llongyfarchiadau / Congratulations
@lucykbennett.bsky.social 👏

Image of a hand holding a pair of chopsticks. At the end of the chopsticks is a small disco ball. The words “Easy Asian Pop Culture: 30 Years of Transformation” is at the bottom left. On the top left are the words: “Call for Papers; deadline 23 May 2025”. On the top right are the dates for the event: 18-19 September.

One more week to submit your abstracts for the East Asian pop culture workshop happening at NUS, Singapore, this September! Hit the link for details on abstract submission!
ari.nus.edu.sg/events/east-...

NEWS: Music Fans’ Voice survey results revealed! Enthusiasm high, concerns around dynamic pricing, cancellations and venue closures The results of the Music Fans’ Voice survey have been released providing a unique insight into the behaviours, perceptions, concerns, motivations and opinions of the UK’s live music concert goers. The results show support and enthusiasm for live music remains high but big concerns were expressed around ticketing policies, event cancellations, venue closures and the rising cost of living. This wide ranging initiative builds on…

NEWS: Music Fans’ Voice survey results revealed! Enthusiasm high, concerns around dynamic pricing, cancellations and venue closures

The results of the Music Fans’ Voice survey have been released providing a unique insight into the behaviours, perceptions, concerns, motivations and opinions of the…

Music Fans’ Voice survey offers encouragement for live music A survey of more than 8,100 live-music fans in the UK forms the basis for a ‘Music Fans’ Voice’ report published this morning.

Music Fans’ Voice survey offers encouragement for live music

A survey of more than 8,100 live-music fans in the UK forms the basis for a ‘Music Fans’ Voice’ report published this morning.

Saying goodbye to D'Vinyl Records - a Cardiff institution Seb Cooke When you approach D’Vinyl Records, the first thing you see is not expensive, neatly arranged vinyl. Instead, adorning the entrance to one of Wales’ best loved record shops, is an unassuming ...

'Ultimately, this is is a place built of real things. Things you can touch and smell. Things you can hold in your hand and wonder who else once held it in theirs.'

We went behind the scenes of one of Wales' much loved record shops as it shuts its doors for the final time

Photo of an academic book titled The Nightmare Before Christmas edited by Filipa Antunes, Brittany Eldridge and Rebecca Williams

My latest book is out in the world! An edited collection with two fantastic co-editors on one of my favourite films 🎄🎃🎄🎃

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/nightmare...

#nightmarebeforechristmas #academia #thisacademiclife #newbook #bloomsburypublishing

40. Fandom - Bertha Chin Bertha Chin is a Senior Lecturer in Communications And New Media at the National University of Singapore.

Probably the most fun I had recording a podcast! Thanks to @giagia.co.uk and Tim Vermeulen for inviting me to come on and ramble about #fandoms and #fancultures!

40. Fandom - Bertha Chin open.substack.com/pub/theclust...