I believe this is the first time I’ve met Paolo’s lovely partner Nadège - and it’s her birthday today when this article goes live - so let’s all wish her well!

Nadége was on the door for most of the two days, and missed out on Sunday Roast - which Paolo and I had on the second day. I decided that Nadège and Paolo deserved to be this year’s covers stars - they put so much work into this event - to make sure it runs flawlessly smoothly - and the easy ambience and vibe of the event is a ...

I’m sorry I’m a little late with this preview - I’ve been waiting for the roster to be finalised - which it mostly is now - there’s just a few brands requiring further clarification - while the roster is mostly there now!

This show takes place at my favourite canal-side location - and is particularly spectacular on a sunny day. Hackney Wick is essentially an artist community now - with around 250 Artis’s ateliers, studios and workshops - leading to a lot of wall art in the area.

We are ...

I’m sorry I’m a little late with this preview - I’ve been waiting for the roster to be finalised - which it mostly is now - there’s just a few brands requiring further clarification - while the roster is mostly there now!

This show takes place at my favourite canal-side location - and is particularly spectacular on a sunny day. Hackney Wick is essentially an artist community now - with around 250 Artis’s ateliers, studios and workshops - leading to a lot of wall art in the area.

We are ...

One month after The Guitar Show we’re back in ’Birmingham’ again for a brand new venture at a brilliant venue - within walking distance of Birmingham’s New Street Station - while I will probably take a taxi - depending on prevailing weather conditions of course.

Noise Maker Market is at Centrala, Unit 4 Minverva Works, 158 Fazeley Street. Birmingham, B5 5RT.

It takes place on Sunday March 29th, and runs from 11:00 to 18:00 - with the show taking place on the first floor, where there is ...

Hearty congratulations to showrunner Jason Hunt for the most successful show day to date - with 3,000 visitors through the doors on the Saturday alone! The queue was already massive and nearly the whole length of the building when I arrived at 09:30.

It’s always good to attend on the first day - especially if you want to be sure of grabbing the best looking of the new releases - and particularly the one-offs on the Hello Sailor Effects stand!

This was another great show for me - with ...

My now good friend Jason has done an exceptional job here with pedalxchange.com - a great deal of care and thought has gone into making this the smartest, safest and most secure trading platform. 

When Jason first contacted me mid-November last year - there were barely a dozen pedals on the site - and I said we needed closer to 100 pedals to be able to properly launch this new platform. So in the intervening couple of months or so - Jason has really worked Reddit communities and other key ...

This is my first post of 2026 - Note that this is a kind of bonus round - as I’m not officially back on duty / back from holiday - until Friday the 9th of January!

So during my Christmas Holidays I took it upon myself to check out the 2 main Pedal Emporiums in Reykjavík - just to take the pulse on the scene and see how alive and kicking it was!

Generally those two spots - Tónastöðin (Skipholt 50D, 105) and Hljóðfærahúsið (Síðumúli 20, 108) are where the vast majority of musicians in the...

So it was about time that Doug Tolley, the Chase Bliss UK Ambassador got the cover slot for his own party! It was a momentous occasion in many ways - including the final concert later that evening for his ’Nine is the Level’ band project. Where he gave away the 4 key albums from that project at the show - and I of course picked up a full set. [Oscillations, Crumbs, Remnants, and Traces].

I also picked up a Witney Pedal Party 4 T-Shirt, and 2 pedals on the day, and the unsung heroes for the day ...

So - quite the anomaly of an event for me.

The day didn’t start off well - as at Waterloo - I was unable to see any trains for Kempton Park on the board. A National Rail staff member then informed me there were no direct trains to Kempton Park on the day - owing to works and diversions.

I was advised to catch a train to New Malden and then swap onto the Kempton Park train. Only upon arrival in New Malden the duty staffer there told me there were no trains to Kempton Park - but there might be a ...