The Strange Brew - artist stories behind the greatest music ever recorded

About The Strange Brew - artist stories behind the greatest music ever recorded

Rock music from the mid 60s onwards - podcasts, features and much more

Publisher

Jason Barnard

Category

music · music · music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Jun 2018

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

28 of 444 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Simon Nicol – Fairport Convention’s Early Years

   Fairport Convention made a £5 profit from their first gig, at St Michael’s Church Hall in Golders Green on 27 May 1967. About 30 or 40 people turned up, and the band had printed the tickets and hired the hall themselves. Simon Nicol, whose house gave the group its name, was a professional musician at the age of 16. Here Simon talks as Fairport embark on their autumn 2026 UK tour, a seated acoustic run that includes village halls and social clubs, and for the 60th anniversary shows in May 2027. Nicol grew up in North London, where Ashley Hutchings lived just down the road and his father was Pete Quaife’s doctor. He saw the Kinks play their last gig as the Ravens and their first as the Kinks two weeks later. Fairport’s own break came when Joe Boyd watched them support Pink Floyd at UFO and signed them, though their debut single, “If I Had a Ribbon Bow”, sank without trace. Judy Dyble then left and Sandy Denny arrived, and Nicol says she “made a huge impression musically and personally”. The band made What We Did on Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking and Liege & Lief within 11 months, a stretch that also included the May 1969 motorway crash that killed Martin Lamble. Reflecting on those 60 years, Nicol explains why Fairport have remained active while “not a tribute band to ourselves”. Further information Tour dates and tickets from fairportconvention.com (https://www.fairportconvention.com/) Support The Strange Brew (https://ko-fi.com/strangebrewpod) Podcasts also available:  (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/martin-barre-jethro-tull/)Simon Nicol (2023) (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/ric-sanders-fairport-convention/), Ric Sanders (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/ric-sanders-fairport-convention/), Ashley Hutchings (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/ashley-hutchings/), Dave Mattacks (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/dave-mattacks/), Chris Leslie (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/chris-leslie-fairport/), Iain Matthews  (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/iain-matthews/) This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-strange-brew-artist-stories-behind-the-greatest/id335487744), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5G37hlvGSddjYEpRo7Fkzj), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@TheStrangeBrewPodcast), Google apps and all usual platforms The post Simon Nicol – Fairport Convention’s Early Years (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/simon-nicol-fairport-convention-early/) appeared first on The Strange Brew  (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk).

2. 

   12 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Downes Braide Association

   Geoff Downes and Chris Braide discuss their new album "Trauma," the evolution of their project, and the creative process behind their music in this interview.

3. 

   9 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Ian Gillan – Deep Purple

   Host Alex Green interviews legendary vocalist Ian Gillan about his iconic career with Deep Purple and his unique lyrical process.

Inside a recent episode

Downes Braide Association

Published 12 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] But how did things progress for you, Chris? I know that well before DBA, you had some solo albums as well. I've been doing music my whole life, so I started off as a solo artist. I was signed to Atlantic for a bit and I signed to Dave Stewart's label, Anxious, and did the whole solo thing for a few years. I quite enjoyed some of it, making videos and all that was good fun, but I never really believed in it. I couldn't really sort of believe in it. You know, I'd be at some TV show in Sweden at seven in the morning miming to a song I wrote two years ago. I'd already written 25 new songs that were better, but I'd still be promoting this. […]

Who has been a guest on The Strange Brew - artist stories behind the greatest music ever recorded

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Geoff Downes
• Chris Braide
• Ian Gillan
• Randy Edelman
• Youth

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.5 / 5

59 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

33 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 68 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

96

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

98

Contact The Strange Brew - artist stories behind the greatest music ever recorded

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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