First Impressions

First Impressions – Douglas Berman – Episode 14 (re-edit) Apr 26, 2026 01:14:10 *Originally released 20 January 2022*Literature helped the New York-based writer and academic Douglas Berman escape from his troubled early years but he struggled to find the confidence to write. Success as a teacher and lawyer waylaid him further but now – helped by his extensive reading and dazzling wordsmithery – he is fully focused on poetry and prose, and the pandemic diary that has helped hi

First Impressions minis – ‘Royal Response’ – from Episode 6 – From Argentina with Love Apr 2, 2026 00:00:49 Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like an

First Impressions minis – ‘Alan Bennett x The Casio song’ – from Episodes 3 and 17 – Time and Soundscape Mar 31, 2026 00:04:26 Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like an

First Impressions minis – ‘Confession’ – from Episode 9 – Mixtape Mar 27, 2026 00:00:44 Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like a

First Impressions minis – ‘Friend’ – from Episode 17 – Soundscape Mar 27, 2026 00:01:28 Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like an

First Impressions minis – ‘Chez Longue’ – from Episode 12 – Humour Burger Mar 26, 2026 00:02:15 Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like an

First Impressions minis - 'Old School Rave' - from Episode 19 - Chincast Mar 25, 2026 00:01:54 Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like an

First Impressions - Trevor Shepherd (of Aigars & The Eel) - Episode 32 Mar 3, 2026 00:58:26 Based in Kendal, where he works in mental health, Trevor Shepherd (aka Trev) has been playing guitar and composing music since he was a teenager. Currently helping propel contemporary indie-rock outfit Aigars and the Eel to new heights alongside singer-songwriter Sean Moore, and long-time collaborator, bassist Richard (aka Rich) Wilson, Trev was previously the frontman and leading force behind The

First Impressions - The Workmanship Demonstration Pavilion (feat. Guy Zeek) - Episode 31 Nov 26, 2025 00:49:44 Episode 31 of First Impressions is based around a transatlantic chat with Guy Zeek of Decaying Leather as the family band look forward to the release of their latest LP in December. As well as snippets of songs such as the Mikey Mandolin co-write ‘Remedy’, drummer Gus’s beautiful rendition of ‘Blackbird’ and bassist Bulduzzi’s Spanish language debut (okay, only in the chorus) ‘Tan humana q' duele’

First Impressions - Northern Textures - Episode 30 Oct 18, 2025 00:29:21 The first First Impressions of 2025 is a northern soundscape interwoven with spoken word pieces from me and original music from Bonbon Experiment and Ocean in a Bottle. It takes its title from Lancaster Textures, a photo-poetry collab from Brad Cheek launched at Assembly Arts earlier this year. Most field recordings were made around the city or on counter-demonstrations elsewhere. It was good to d

First Impressions – Poetry Special #1 – Episode 15 (re-edit) Apr 30, 2025 01:31:13 *Originally released 24 March 2022*Put away your preconceptions, open your ears, plug in your headphones, and get ready for the first of two poetry-themed episode of the podcast. To established poet Jacqueline Saphra, a driving force behind the fundraising project Poets for Ukraine, poetry is a form of prayer; moreover ‘poems can’t lie’. Jacqueline recalls Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (18:15) and r

First Impressions – Humour Burger – Episode 12 (re-edit) Apr 30, 2025 01:06:43 *Originally released 9 September 2021*Go on, have a nibble on Episode 12 of First Impressions, boldly entitled Humour Burger. It’s your last serving for a while and features an array of experimental dishes to suit all tastes, particularly if you like your comedy medium rare (i.e. weird and wonderful). Most sketches are 2-3 minutes long so you can either listen in bite-sized chunks or dive straight

First Impressions - Gareth Stevens - Episode 7 Apr 14, 2025 00:53:00 Episode 7 of First Impressions features the writer and musical maven Gareth Stevens. Based in Saint Leonards on the sunny south coast of the UK, Gareth writes for Hastings Independent Press and in 2019 covered both the increasingly violent protests in Hong Kong (8:36) and climate justice in Mozambique (17:00) for Perfect Bound magazine. He is also a skilled conga player and drummer who has played

First Impressions - The Writing Journey (feat. Douglas Berman) - Episode 29 Sep 24, 2024 00:59:37 The second of two special episodes based around the craft of writing, Ep. 29 of First Impressions features more chat with Brooklyn-based author Douglas Berman as we turn to travel writing, both of us having lived in the Far East and written about our experiences there to some degree. We discuss the risks and benefits of bearing witness to a place as outsiders and how well-known authors like DH La

First Impressions - Lasting Impressions (feat. Douglas Berman) - Episode 28 Sep 10, 2024 00:49:54 The first of two special episodes loosely based around the craft of writing, Episode 28 of First Impressions features a wide-ranging, relaxed but insightful conversation with Brooklyn-based author Douglas Berman recorded in July. We reflect on what’s changed in the world and in our writing lives since we last spoke for the podcast back in December 2021. We also talk about the reading that’s inspi

First Impressions - Reading, Writing and Rhythmetic (feat. Andy N and Amanda Nicholson) - Episode 27 Feb 27, 2024 00:24:14 The first First Impressions of 2024 features reflections on catching (and keeping) Spanish Covid (02:00), a duo of daft poems – Anti-Algorithm Technique (11:15) and Running Backwards (16:50) recently performed at Spoken Word (Manchester) and Wordarium (Lancaster); extracts from Andy N’s debut novel Birth (07:35 and 19:20), plus some Conversations with my Unicorn (13:57) courtesy of Amanda Nicholso

First Impressions - 50 Burger (feat. Guy Humphreys) - Episode 26 Nov 21, 2023 00:59:28 Here’s a bit of a belated birthday banquet (with an emphasis on veggie burgers) for those who missed the buffet in the Borough – and those who didn’t. A few bits and bobs that I hope will be of interest to your ears including (surprise surprise) readings, music, chat and impressions. The undoubted highlight is a conversation with my brother, Guy, about his life as a teacher and dad in Canada, and

First Impressions - Lancelot Schaubert (Part 2) - Episode 25 May 4, 2023 01:09:16 In Episode 25 of First Impressions, I welcome back novelist Lancelot Schaubert for the second part of our chat. Now living in Brooklyn but hailing from Southern Illinois, where his excellent debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’ is set, Lance has kindly shared some more extracts from the freshly minted audiobook to punctuate our conversation (find them at 00:00, 13:48, 39:

First Impressions - Lancelot Schaubert - Episode 24 Apr 19, 2023 00:59:29 Novelist, poet, essayist, singer-storyteller and host of 12-hour marathon Brooklyn brunches Lancelot Schaubert joined me from New York for this episode of First Impressions. Lance also kindly shared some extracts from his widely praised, picaresque debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’, which while bitingly contemporary in a number of its themes has already been compared t

First Impressions - Mike Teague (Part 2) - Episode 23 Mar 26, 2023 00:56:59 In Episode 23 of First Impressions I resume my conversation with musician/songwriter, adventurer, woodworker, sustainable architect and organic farmer Mike Teague. In this, the second of two episodes to feature him, Mike reflects on being part of the Liverpool music scene in the early 2000s where he played with Guy and Karim as Pig’s Breakfast (rehearsing below a chippy), lent his guitar to The Co

First Impressions - Mike Teague - Episode 22 Mar 19, 2023 00:59:57 Episode 22 of First Impressions features musician, adventurer, woodworker, long-distance cyclist and organic farmer Mike Teague. Growing up on the Wirral with classical musician parents, it wasn’t until he met a Slash lookalike at school and started listening to Guns n’ Roses and Nirvana that Mike discovered his love of guitar music and began performing in a succession of bands – entering the Live

First Impressions - Mary F*cking Poppins - Episode 21 Mar 12, 2023 00:54:21 Mary F*cking Poppins is a poet, performer, zine creator/publisher and musician based in Liverpool. In Episode 21 of First Impressions we talk about how she switched from writing lyrics as a member of fast hardcore/anarcho punk band Falaun to creating poetry during lockdown and the journey that followed, which now sees her producing the seminal Word Vomit zine – a regular collection of themed ‘ther

First Impressions - Hong Kong Audiobook Preview - Episode 20 Feb 17, 2023 00:18:43 Here’s a 20-minute mini-pod to celebrate the launch of the audiobook of Hong Kong Rocks (Proverse, 2023). Google Play seems to be the best place to buy all 9hrs 48 mins of it (currently at a bargain £7.99) In Episode 20 of First Impressions you’ll find a few choice extracts from the audiobook plus an extended, remixed version of my intro/outro music for the book (‘Nick’s Theme’) that I put togethe

First Impressions - Chincast - Episode 19 Dec 21, 2022 01:07:17 Tell most people that devoted ‘zaddy’ and football fan Graham Howe is also renowned wit and retired raver Chin Howe, and they will probably say ‘Oh yeah? Jimmy Hill’ or ‘Chinny reck-on’, which (coincidentally or not) are both possible sources of my guest’s infamous nickname. In this Christmas-ish episode of First Impressions (shout out to Adam & Joe, Paul & Bob, and our other imitators) Ch

First Impressions - Dancing to the Music of Time - Episode 18 Nov 25, 2022 00:42:28 Episode 18 of First Impressions mixes the usual beats and tunes with some reflections on the passing of the years and outtakes from my previous podcast conversation with the much-missed Richard Pye, in which we discuss our school days and transition from the Wirral peninsula to the big city. My oldest friend, Graham (aka Chin) Howe, joins me in the summerhouse for the latter part of the episode wh

First Impressions - Soundscape (feat. Disco Tree) - Episode 17 Jul 4, 2022 00:42:27 For Episode 17 of First Impressions we go off-script as the usual Q&A format is replaced by experimental tunes, found sounds, field recordings, and an introduction to the music of Disco Tree from band members Jude Edwin-Scott and George Beasley (who’ve kindly allowed me to include their wonderfully uplifting folk/triphop track ‘Waves’ in this episode). You’ll recognise a few familiar voices f

First Impressions - Poetry Special #2 - Episode 16 Apr 23, 2022 01:36:40 How can a few words on a page or read aloud affect us so profoundly? What compels poets to share their inner worlds? Time to renew your poetic license ready to enjoy the second of two special poetry-themed episodes of the First Impressions podcast, available on Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes et al. For Episode 16, I’m joined by poets Adrian Slatcher (from 04:37), Mike Humphreys (41:41) and Eoghan Wal

First Impressions - Preview - Poets for Ukraine Mar 22, 2022 00:18:06 In this one-off preview episode of First Impressions – ahead of two poetry-themed episodes of the podcast – I speak to London-based poet Jacqueline Saphra about Poets for Ukraine, a fundraising/awareness-raising/spirit-raising project for which she is a driving force. This Sunday (27th March 2022), Poets for Ukraine will be running ‘a hybrid gala event’ at London’s JW3 featuring an international a

First Impressions - Mancaster Rocks! - Episode 13 Nov 5, 2021 01:10:56 Well, I couldn’t stay away from podcasting until 2022 after all – the temptation to share a live recording of our literary event Mancaster Rocks was just too great. Why? Because this was the first opportunity in a couple of years to read on stage with my writing allies and for a supportive audience to mainline some offline literary performances supplemented with audio-visual invention. The readers

First Impressions - 王和平 PEACE WONG - Episode 11 Jul 10, 2021 00:56:46 王和平 PEACE WONG describes her music as dreamy, intimate, and atmospheric but like her influences Patti Smith and Leonard Cohen, Peace’s journey incorporates both music and writing; she also expresses her inner thoughts and feelings through spontaneous doodles – all merge into a unique artistic vision. Peace has moved from Hong Kong to Hualien, Taiwan, to study Creative Writing but this has not stop

First Impressions - Jude Edwin-Scott - Episode 10 Jun 22, 2021 01:00:06 This midsummer, what better company for Episode 10 of First Impressions than singer-songwriter and visual artist Jude Edwin-Scott? Jude’s work encompasses being at one with nature while never shying from the social issues at play in a world sharing the same heartbeat yet torn apart by social injustice. His highly original songbook is punctuated by traditional folk songs which he reinterprets with

First Impressions - The Mixtape - Episode 9 May 7, 2021 00:41:15 Mixtape: a word that's music to the ears of anyone of a certain vintage and only a TDK90 in a cushioned envelope away from impressing those of all ages. Episode 9 of the First Impressions podcast pays tribute to audio old and new by ramming fresh tunage, brain-teasing readings and giddy comedy into your lugholes in a way that will leave you feeling like Russell Crowe after his bar brawl experience

First Impressions - Garth Simmons introduces Hole Punch - Episode 8 Apr 13, 2021 00:56:35 Strap yourselves in for a rollicking ride through the imagination of Manchester-based writer and artist Garth Simmons in Episode 8 of First Impressions as he introduces us to his highly original short story collection, Hole Punch.  As well as being a master of the dark arts when it comes to fiction – his tales first began to hypnotise readers as social media posts dreamt up while he was tempi

First Impressions - From Argentina with Love - Episode 6 Jan 31, 2021 00:36:03 Happy New Year!! From Frankfurt Airport to Frank Spencer via Argentine author Mariana Enriquez, Emily Dickinson and The Dead Letters, Episode 6 of the pod was recorded in Buenos Aires and Cipolletti, Patagonia, in December 2020 and January 2021, and features further chats with my wife Ana Rebodello (see Episode 3) and brother Guy Humphreys (see Episode 2). There are also special guest appearances

First Impressions - Richard Pye - Episode 5 Dec 4, 2020 01:00:29 This bumper episode of the pod is dedicated to friendship and features a chat with Peter’s lifelong pal Richard Pye. They talk about meeting at an all-boys school in the late ‘80s (2:00); helping organise the Wirral’s answer to Woodstock, ‘The Rut’ (8:30); Manchester before the skyscrapers (16:20), and Rich’s time as a getaway driver for the German FA during Euro ’96 (27:14). Poems this week are ‘

First Impressions - Maria Roberts - Episode 4 Nov 13, 2020 00:32:37 Curious about what it takes to be a writer? Manchester author Maria Roberts has come a long way since having her mouth sellotaped shut at school. Specialising in creative non-fiction she’s never waited for permission to express herself, and after writing a successful column for Manchester’s seminal City Life magazine, then setting up an equally frank and funny blog, was rewarded by a deal with Pen

First Impressions - Peter Humphreys - Trailer Nov 1, 2020 00:01:54 First Impressions blends storytelling, humour, interviews, music and more. It's a bit all over the place, but then so is its creator, award-winning writer and editor Peter Humphreys. He claims the aim of the podcast is ‘to accentuate the positive and spread a little mirth during these difficult times, with an emphasis on the arts and all things literary’, but it could just as easily be a case of b

First Impressions - Time - Episode 3 Oct 31, 2020 00:21:21 First impressions count – third time lucky? Join professional writer/editor and amateur impressionist Peter Humphreys for another surreal slice of literary cheesecake. Episode Three is all about time (about time!) and contains an appearance from ‘Big Al’ (AKA playwright Alan Bennett) who has been roped into promoting Lancaster’s premier supplier of digital watches. There are also snippets of conve

First Impressions - Peter and Guy Humphreys - Episode 2 Oct 31, 2020 00:27:02 First impressions count – how about second? Join professional writer/editor and amateur impressionist Peter Humphreys for another surreal slice of literary cheesecake. Episode two contains The Legend of Scrimshand, a short story about a prolific (and deeply unpopular) writer & part one of a conversation with guitar teacher and multi-instrumentalist Guy Humphreys, backed by music from the Humph

First Impressions - Peter Humphreys - Episode 1 Oct 31, 2020 00:20:05 Join professional writer/editor and amateur impressionist Peter Humphreys for a surreal slice of literary cheesecake. Peter reads from the start of his novel Hong Kong Rocks and shares a series of Covid lockdown-inspired poems/stories backed by beats and FX. Humour meets bathos, pathos, Aramis and Lynx for men (and women). Guests are promised for future episodes, but will they tear up their contra

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