Andy Potts
Bio
Community focused sports fan from Northeast England. Tends to root for the little guy. Look out for Talking Northeast, my new project coming soon.
Stories (95/0)
Playlist: More than a stone's throw
Vice Killer – The Dark Side of the Railway Forty years after the Miners’ Strike, the scars are still keenly felt in northern England. Although the members of this County Durham band wasn’t even born back then, the atmosphere of the former coal-mining communities around their native Peterlee pervades their “Keep on Fighting On” EP. The title track is the most explicitly political cut, an angry swipe at Thatcherite politics that taps into a deep seam of resentment over a government that stripped communities of work and identity while bringing nothing in return.
By Andy Pottsa day ago in Beat
Walking on wheels
I’m not sure Dad knows what he’s doing this time. He seems to want to strap something onto my feet. He calls them skates, and he’s convinced that I saw someone else with them and wanted to try. Doesn’t he know I’m only four? Has he forgotten all the time I spent learning to walk?
By Andy Potts2 days ago in Fiction
Remembering the rink
If you were there, you’ll never forget it. For decades, Durham Ice Rink was at the heart of the city’s social life. From Friday night ice discos to crowds roaring on the Wasps every Sunday, not to mention a proud history of figure skating and speed skating, the riverside rink was the place to be.
By Andy Potts3 days ago in Art
Playlist: Safe hands throwing stones
Jodie Nicholson – Another Frequency One of the most exciting things about following the emergence of young musicians is hearing how their music evolves and matures. Jodie Nicholson, whose new album is out on today and gets a gala launch at the Glasshouse in Gateshead on May 18, is a great example. A talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, her debut album, "Golden Hour", was a relatively restrained, largely acoustic effort. Its obvious qualities got a bit lost in the Covid carnage – no chance to put on any gigs in support of the release – and much of what she could do online had to be stripped back to voice and guitar or keyboards.
By Andy Potts9 days ago in Beat
Gig review: Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand
Why should anyone care about small music venues? This is why. It’s a Tuesday evening in Durham, and the “sold out” signs are up. The Holy GrAle, one of the city’s classier bars, is welcoming Kathryn Williams and Withered Hand (Dan Willson’s stage name) as they promote their recent joint album. Both have played bigger venues than this, both have headlined on the folk festival circuit, so tonight is a rare chance to explore some new music in a different ambience.
By Andy Potts11 days ago in Beat
Not pints & parkruns: Riverside junior
This was a big achievement. We decided to switch our usual junior parkrun in Durham for a different event in Chester-le-Street and made an immediate breakthrough. For the first time, daughter managed to keep running for the whole 2km! Definitely a ‘proud daddy’ moment, watching her step up and do something she hadn’t really thought she could manage.
By Andy Potts14 days ago in Longevity
Playlist: part #8
Kathryn Williams and Withered Hand - Weekend A couple of weeks ago I was looking forward to the release of Kathryn Williams and Withered Hand’s collaboration album Willson Williams. And it was worth the wait. To listen to these two sublime voices blending beautifully together, you’d think they’d been making music together for decades rather than recording as a duo for the first time.
By Andy Potts17 days ago in Beat
Big Bad Wolf
In the beginning was the wolf. A fearsome combination of ferocious vanity and utter incompetence, he was only ever a cypher. Existing to embody our unspoken fears while simultaneously assuaging them. He turned out to be a simpleton, bested by a schoolgirl, outwitted by those three giggling piglets.
By Andy Potts19 days ago in Fiction
Playlist: Border crossings
Bubamara – Sheikhs of Mallow I got a happy update this morning, with news that Bubamara has a new album coming out soon. If you’re not familiar, this is the exotic sound of Darlington via the Med. It’s a border-bashing brew of folk traditions from Italy, the Balkans and beyond, and well worth a few minutes of your time. If you’re a fan of the likes of The Ukrainians, Gogol Bordello or even Goran Bregovic, you’ll probably find something to enjoy.
By Andy Potts25 days ago in Beat
- Top Story - April 2024
Pints & Parkruns: Jubilee, SpennymoorTop Story - April 2024
If MC Escher created a parkrun, it might look a bit like Jubilee. Based in a compact – but surprisingly lovely – park in the small County Durham town of Spennymoor, it twists and turns its way up repeated hills. Although basic physics says it must come down again, somehow this route never feels like it gives runners a proper descent.
By Andy Potts29 days ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Carlisle Park, Morpeth
This week’s run was a late decision. How late? Well, I was already on the A1, heading towards Scotland, and decided to see how far I could get by about quarter-to-parkrun. The answer turned out to be Morpeth, where Carlisle Park was completely new to me.
By Andy Pottsabout a month ago in Longevity
Playlist: part #6
The Girl with the Replaceable Head – Shangri La Yeah, I’m an 80s kid. That comes with certain conditions. In particular, there’s a twang of a guitar that jets me back to my carefree, younger days when life was simple and the Cocteau Twins catered for most of my musical needs. Which brings us neatly to The Girl with the Replaceable Head. Not just a great name for a band, this lot also have a neat line in jangly, shoe-gazey indie that would surely have bagged a deal with 4AD in about 1990.
By Andy Pottsabout a month ago in Beat