On 6 September 2007 I was at home in Norwich feeling depressed. I had recently come back from the worst Edinburgh run of my life. I was thousands of pounds in debt and I felt my career was spinning out of control. In desperate need to cheering up and forgetting about work for [...]

The following is the blurb on Girls Aloud’s Myspace. Not since Elizabeth I rallied her fleets at Plymouth has a manifesto of pure bloody-minded British gusto been uttered. Read this:

They call it manufactured pop, as if that were something to be ashamed of - but we are a manufacturing country. Down [...]

I’m in the diner on Curtain Road in Shoreditch. It’s impossible to maintain my diet when I’m in London for a few days. Mmmm chilli fries.

It’s been a weird morning. I was the guest poet on Saturday Live again, which was great. It’s such a honour to be able to rub [...]

I’ve relented and joined a health club. It think it may have brain damaged me. All I can think about is my next cardio session. I’ve even had my hair cut really short so it doesn’t bother me with I’m ‘working out.’ It’s only been a week but already I’ve been every day that I’ve [...]

So back to Loddon, and despite the kooky songsmiths, my arse was not enjoying the cold village hall floor. Proceedings were also left to run about 45 mins late, which meant by the time I got on stage it was 7pm and the small but faithful audience had dwindled to about 25 die-harders. I wasn’t holding much hope for the gig. Which is probably why I had such a good time.