After The Noise
Everything Is Equal
Friday 08 May 2026
The Rolling Stones – In The Stars (2026)
My bloody football team only went and did it.
Promotion to League One means trips to places like Hillsborough and the King Power next season. And yes, naturally, we did it the hard way. A gritty 0-0 draw at Crewe while Salford managed the same at Crawley. Fine margins and all that.
Most of the week has been a blur.
I’ve spent most of it recovering from the euphoric thrill of promotion. But life moves on, and Monday brought another reason to smile when Britain’s favourite pensioners unleashed a new tune.
I don’t know how they do it.
I adore The Stones and will happily defend even their dodgiest work. Hello, Undercover.
Ironically, of the three left breathing, the youngest, Ronnie Wood, looks the frailest. Like someone let out of a home for the afternoon and left to wander slightly confused.
Just japing.
The new track is a cracker and bodes well for the forthcoming album Foreign Tongues, due in July.
And to think people said they were finished in the nineties when Voodoo Lounge came out.
Kirsty Wark, Clive Myrie, Laura Kuenssberg and Various Bods – BBC Election 26 (2026)
I have to confess: I didn’t bother voting in the local elections yesterday.
Normally I would. But, to borrow a phrase I hear repeatedly at work, I simply couldn’t be arsed.
As an occasional left-wing socialist chap, I’ve become a little disillusioned with politics. Not that I was ever deeply invested in the first place.
A quiet afternoon at work, election coverage humming away in the background. The usual familiar faces endlessly talking without ever really saying much.
Still, it somehow suits the mood.
A quiet office. Nobody bothering me. After a hectic week of overeating, overdrinking and football-induced stress, the steady drone of political chatter feels strangely comforting.
I’m no political expert, but Sir Starmer has clearly taken a kicking. Though I’m sure he’ll recover somewhere abroad. He seems to spend more time away than here.
Meanwhile, Farage appears to be gaining ground again.
I’ve listened with mild fascination while simultaneously understanding almost none of it.
Politics often seems easiest when you’re in opposition.
Personally, I’m not entirely sure what to believe anymore.
END OF LISTENING LOG
The Listening Log 