A typical Antifa demonstrator’s protest experience as told through a Spotify playlist “Come out and Play” – The Offspring . “I Wanna Be Heard” – Social Unrest “Fuck the USA” – The Exploited “Resisting Tyrannical Government” – Propagandhi “Kill the President” – The Offspring “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” – Dead Kennedys “And We Fight” –…
Tag: writer
When Eddie Van Halen met Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth: 1946-2017 Since I have been somewhat under the radar over the last few days, I am a little behind on the news. Sadly, I discovered this morning that one of my all time favourite guitar players, Allan Holdsworth, passed away over the weekend. You will not find an obituary for Allan in any of the popular newspapers, and I…
There is no such thing as revenge
George Orwell: A Literary Life – Peter Davison (1996) It is said that everybody needs a hobby, but that is not to say you should be limited to only one. While some of my hobbies could be described as practical in their scope, such as learning a new language or exercising, over the last few…
When we get going
Forget 2016. It’s gone. Done. C’est fini. A dead parrot. It’s 2017 now and things are going to change around here. For starters, we won’t be taking any grumbling from any of you lot. It’s time to knuckle down and get a move, especially you at the back. I can see you. Heads down, we’re going to…
I was not designed to make you laugh
In a recent post I discussed wanting to make a change to my life and, sure enough , I went and took the plunge. I no longer work with VICE News (the three hour daily commute was steadily eroding my will to live), but have instead taken a post with the BBC. Since I was…
Mistress May won’t take a nay
I posted yesterday, but since my new job is taking up nearly every moment of my day, I’ve decided to make a point of posting whenever I have even so much as a spare second. Even now I’m juggling this post with dinner in the oven, a blocked kitchen sink, and a stack of laundry to…
How are ya getting’ on?
A lot has been going on since my lachrymose little article from last week. At the time, I was rather on the despondent side, fearing I would no longer have time or opportunity to hunt-down and photograph London’s ever-changing street art offerings. As it happens, my sorrows were somewhat unfounded as I started a new job in East London’s Shoreditch area…
Blogging is great craic altogether
One of the satisfying upsides to having a blog is that you get to share the cool stuff that’s going on in your life with the world. I caught up with an old friend recently. Richard Needham is his name and his family were my next door neighbours when I was growing up in the West of Ireland. We…
Be genuine with questionable haircuts
As my stretch of employment in Camden Town comes to a close, I can’t help but get a little reflective about my time spent here. When I first started working in this famously rowdy district three years ago, it would not be a stretch to say that I was far from keen on the area. However, as I’ve…
Destroy
I will be leaving my job in Camden in a few weeks, and, as a result, I see significantly less street art featuring on this site in future – a great shame. Until then, I’m trying to photograph as much new work as possible. We’re experiencing somewhat of a “heatwave” in London at the moment…
Be careful! Got it!
Things move fast in this town and I was made sure of that when I went for a walk before lunch and stumbled across a whole heap of street art pieces that seem to have materialized out of thin air over the weekend. I had to move a few bins and jump a few walls…
Everything is awesome
Strange though it may seem, the only thing I enjoy more than going on some wild and drunken travel adventure is the returning home. No matter how brief the journey, I get a real kick out of seeing what’s changed in my absence and I’m certain that this partiality can be traced back to my…
This blog needs you!
Critical Dispatches has made it onto the shortlist for the Blog Awards Ireland 2016 and now I need your help! If you have enjoyed any of my work on this blog, could I please ask that you click on the image below and vote for Critical Dispatches. Frustratingly, there looks to be a requirement that you create an…
The story of last night
“Maybe we’ll find a little adventure,” joked Herself as we headed out for a walk in the neighbourhood after dinner last night. We live in one of London’s quieter districts and the evenings tend to be tame on this side of town. We’re low-key people. We like it that way. Nearing the end of our…
What we did at the oyster festival
One of the upsides to spending my weekends and summer holidays washing pots and dishes in a seafood restaurant on the Irish Coast as a teenager was that I was able to sample and acquire a taste for a wide range of strange and exotic foods whose very mention – almost without exception – induced…