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Paul Cole - Writer
@paulcolewriter.bsky.social
61 followers 52 following 140 posts
UK based writer and journalist covering travel, music and books at news and reviews blog paulcoletravels.com
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 1d
Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival named Event of the Year
#jazz #blues #music
Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival named Event of the Year
BIRMINGHAM’S long-running Jazz & Blues Festival has been named the city’s best event at a prestigious awards ceremony – only months after local government funding cuts threatened its very exist…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 1d
First look at stunning new Orient Express carriages set to debut in 2027. #orientexpress #luxurytraintravel
#railtravel #travel #holidays
First look at new Orient Express carriages for luxury 2027 revamp
THIS is the Orient Express – but not as you know it. The world’s most iconic rail travel experience is undergoing a transformation, with a new look due to pull in at the platform in 2027. The first…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 2d
Great read, and already one of my books of the year …
Book Review: Body of blogger found at Cotswolds Tory conference
THE PROOF OF MY INNOCENCE by Jonathan Coe (Viking) ***** WHEN an investigative news blogger is found brutally murdered at a Cotswolds country house conference of far-right movers and shakers, there…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 6d
Ghost town visitor wins wildlife photographer of the year award #wildlife #WildlifePhotographeroftheYear #photography #wildlifephotography #nature
Ghost town visitor wins wildlife photographer of the year award
IT is a haunting image – the world’s rarest hyena stalks through the mist as night falls on an abandoned diamond mine. Little wonder that it has won a double award in the Wildlife Photographer of t…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 6d
90,000 expected at festival in honour of cold beetroot soup. Yes, really. #PinkSoupFestival #Vilnius #Lithuania
90,000 expected at festival in honour of cold beetroot soup
THEY’LL be in the pink in Lithuania next Spring as they celebrate one of the oddest events in Europe – a three-day festival in honour of … cold beetroot soup. Yes, you read that right. Cold. Beetro…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 14d
Well, time flies! Today is the fifth birthday of the Paul Cole Writes blog, which started life in the depths of Covid lockdown as a travel site but has since widened scope to include my love of music, books and entertainment. Thanks for your support!
Five years since we met, these are the stories you’ve liked most
THANKS for popping in! The Paul Cole Writes blog is five years old today and I’m still having a ball, bringing you news and reviews, tips and trivia related to the things I love in life. It s…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 18d
Black Sabbath legend Geezer Butler set for all-star stage return #BlackSabbath #GeezerButler #rockmusic
Black Sabbath legend Geezer Butler set for all-star stage return
BLACK Sabbath legend Geezer Butler is to return to the stage in an all-star A-list band expected to include former Free and Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers and Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum. I…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 21d
Rare #JimiHendrix memorabilia going under the hammer at the London hotel listed as his home address on the rock legend's death certificate. #rockmusic #rock #music
Jimi Hendrix lyrics up for auction at hotel on his death certificate
HANDWRITTEN lyrics penned by rock legend Jimi Hendrix are to go under the hammer at the London hotel where he stayed during his final months, and which is the address listed on his death certificat…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 23d
Thanks @brookmyre.bsky.social
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 23d
@brookmyre.bsky.social Catching up on back catalogue Be My Enemy and just discovered Ger and Alison’s love of The Mutton Birds. One of my favourite bands, and the first time I’ve ever seen them referenced in a novel. They appear in my all-time gigs list

paulcoletravels.com/2025/08/25/r...
Revealed: My 20 favourite rock gigs and pop shows of all time
AFTER more than 50 years of reviewing rock and roll gigs, pop shows and festivals, I’m often asked what my favourites have been, the nights that have made the most impact on me as a writer an…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · 29d
Iconic seaside poster at centre of animal cruelty row wins heritage honour
#Skegness
#Lincolnshire
#travelart
#travelposters
#railposters
Iconic seaside poster at centre of cruelty row wins heritage honour
IT is one of the iconic images of the Great British seaside – the jolly fisherman jumping for joy on the golden sands of Skegness. Now, more than a century since its debut, the poster has won an aw…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 21
The Hobbit was published this day in 1937. To mark the day here’s a revisit of my visit to the home of Bilbo Baggins …

#thehobbit #lordoftherings #tolkien #middle-earth #newzealand #LOTR
Getting into good hobbits in Lord of the Rings country
THERE and back again. It’s every traveller’s tale but immortalised in the journal of Bilbo Baggins, the humble Hobbit hero of The Lord Of The Rings saga. “It’s a dangerous business, going out…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 19
Black Sabbath guitar hero Tony Iommi returned to the stage last night in hometown Birmingham… paulcoletravels.com/2025/09/19/s...
Black Sabbath icon Tony Iommi makes surprise return to the stage
BLACK Sabbath guitar hero Tony Iommi last night made a surprise return to the stage, blasting out the iconic Paranoid riff, in his first live stage appearance since the death of his close friend an…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 18
Weird and wonderful weather captured in global #SCWPU photo contest #weather #photography
Weird and wonderful weather captured in global photo contest
EVERYWHERE you go, always take the weather with you… These are the stunning images that have made the final of the prestigious Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 competition. …
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 15
You might want to sleep on it – Brum's latest public sculpture… #Birmingham #sculpture #art #university
You might want to sleep on it – Brum’s latest public sculpture
THEY’RE seeing red at the University of Birmingham – after the unveiling today of a bold new sculpture that’s been dreamed up to add a dash of colour to the sleepily scenic campus calm. Red Stack, …
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 9
Historic cathedral city invaded by giant B-movie monsters #Lincoln #Lincolnshire #sci-fi #monsters #familyfun
Historic cathedral city invaded by giant B-movie monsters
SOMETHING monstrous is happening in the city of Lincoln. Historic buildings and landmarks are soon to be invaded by giant monsters straight out of a sci-fi fan’s fevered fantasy dream. The Lincoln …
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 9
Enjoy hugs from Johnny Vegas at Britain's big ceramics festival #BritishCeramicsBiennial #JohnnyVegas #pottery #sculpture #art
Enjoy hugs from Johnny Vegas at Britain’s big ceramics festival
EVERYBODY needs a hug from time to time, and funnyman Johnny Vegas, who lives with the challenges of ADHD, knows more than most. That’s why he’s created an entire avenue of them in a new art instal…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 4
Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts, Birmingham Rep review
Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts, Birmingham Rep review
HE is one of the most iconic figures in modern crime fiction. Detective Inspector Endeavour Morse won the hearts of the nation in the long-running TV drama series starring the late, great John Thaw…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 4
Late Motörhead legend Lemmy gets mugged in the Potteries #motorhead #lemmy #rockmusic
Late Motörhead legend Lemmy gets mugged in the Potteries
ROCK icon Lemmy was no mug when it came to redefining rock and roll. He took music back to basics, cranked up the volume and played as if his life depended on it. There were no airs and graces. But…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Sep 4
It's okay to sing the praises of a holiday that hits the right notes …
It’s okay to sing the praises of a holiday that hits the right notes
YOU know the feeling. You’re just back home after a holiday abroad and you’re singing its praises to friends and family. Sometimes it can be a bit much, and workmates wish you’d change your tune. W…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Aug 25
Yes. Lucinda in Leamington. Great gig!
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Aug 25
Revealed: My 20 favourite rock and pop gigs of all time
Revealed: My 20 favourite rock and pop gigs of all time
AFTER more than 50 years of reviewing rock and roll gigs, pop shows and festivals, I’m often asked what my favourites have been, the nights that have made the most impact on me as a writer an…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Aug 16
Legends and Lioness lead holiday hotspot football escapes
Legends and Lioness lead holiday hotspot football escapes
FOOTBALL’S new season may have only just kicked off – but competition is, quite literally, heating up as legends lead footy classes at holiday hotspots in Greece and Spain. Liverpool and England le…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Aug 16
Record-breaking karate day in Okinawa isn't just for kicks #karate #okinawa #japan #martialarts
Record-breaking karate day in Okinawa isn’t just for kicks
HERE’S one that’s not just for kicks. Japan’s subtropical southern islands are to stage Karate Day, the big annual event showcasing the legendary martial art beloved of movie makers this Autumn. Ok…
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Paul Cole - Writer @paulcolewriter.bsky.social · Aug 8
Book Review: Serial killer claims more victims at Stratford's RSC #booksky #shakespeare #stratforduponavon
Book Review: Serial killer claims more victims at Stratford’s RSC
PUT OUT THE LIGHT by Guy Hale (Bullington Press,£9.95) Rating: **** ALL the world’s a stage for a killer with a theatrical flourish, but nowhere more so than in Stratford-upon-Avon where murder mos…
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