Simon Smith
@simonsmith.bsky.social
Journalist. Ex-Trinity Mirror, Manchester Evening News, etc. ‘I don’t know the sort of people who know the date’
MDANT in Madrid. Pop music mainly.
MDANT in Madrid. Pop music mainly.
#THETEN5X
Day 9.
FKA Twigs - Two Weeks (UK 2014)
Great song. An excellent avant-garde soul ballad.
(Really enjoying listening back to this icy production style. So many early 10s tracks *sound* so good, in the wake of that first The xx album.)
youtu.be/psOGsFGQsH8?...
Day 9.
FKA Twigs - Two Weeks (UK 2014)
Great song. An excellent avant-garde soul ballad.
(Really enjoying listening back to this icy production style. So many early 10s tracks *sound* so good, in the wake of that first The xx album.)
youtu.be/psOGsFGQsH8?...
February 9, 2026 at 1:07 PM
#THETEN5X
Day 9.
FKA Twigs - Two Weeks (UK 2014)
Great song. An excellent avant-garde soul ballad.
(Really enjoying listening back to this icy production style. So many early 10s tracks *sound* so good, in the wake of that first The xx album.)
youtu.be/psOGsFGQsH8?...
Day 9.
FKA Twigs - Two Weeks (UK 2014)
Great song. An excellent avant-garde soul ballad.
(Really enjoying listening back to this icy production style. So many early 10s tracks *sound* so good, in the wake of that first The xx album.)
youtu.be/psOGsFGQsH8?...
Pescatarian Starmer would do a better job, with his Orange Juice albums. Why the fuck are we always listening to the macho bullies?
Alakeson, alongside Jill Cuthbertson, will now share the chief of staff role
Meanwhile Starmer was described as ‘a pescatarian forced to eat dog meat’
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Meanwhile Starmer was described as ‘a pescatarian forced to eat dog meat’
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
‘A pescatarian forced to eat dog meat’: the Starmer-McSwe...
Starmer’s former aide Morgan McSweeney saw the prime minister as his creation. Now that McSweeney is gone, so too has the imbalanced relationship between chief of staff and PM
observer.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Pescatarian Starmer would do a better job, with his Orange Juice albums. Why the fuck are we always listening to the macho bullies?
Who's the Super Bowl halftime performer?
*wrong answers only*
Finland’s finest.
youtu.be/AbnHG3f6ZuI?...
*wrong answers only*
Finland’s finest.
youtu.be/AbnHG3f6ZuI?...
February 8, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Who's the Super Bowl halftime performer?
*wrong answers only*
Finland’s finest.
youtu.be/AbnHG3f6ZuI?...
*wrong answers only*
Finland’s finest.
youtu.be/AbnHG3f6ZuI?...
Reposted by Simon Smith
Don’t know who needs to hear this but one of the puppies on the Puppy Bowl this year is named Chappell Bone
February 8, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Don’t know who needs to hear this but one of the puppies on the Puppy Bowl this year is named Chappell Bone
Reposted by Simon Smith
#THETENX5
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
February 8, 2026 at 4:46 PM
#THETENX5
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
#THETENX5
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
February 8, 2026 at 4:46 PM
#THETENX5
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
Day 8.
Clairo - Pretty Girl (US 2017)
When I was her age some of my favourite pop songs sounded like they’d been knocked out in a garage in an hour… so no surprise that I now love something that sounds like it was knocked out on GarageBand in half that time.
youtu.be/mngtcfcaVrI?...
Christ, ‘graphic content warning’ my arse.
#THETENX5
Day 7
Sampha - Blood On Me (UK 2016)
He’s definitely at the ‘Mercury judge-friendly’ end of black British music - but that just happens to be what pushes my buttons so often. And yet another 10s single with an amazing sound.
youtu.be/_oM1DFL43Lk?...
Day 7
Sampha - Blood On Me (UK 2016)
He’s definitely at the ‘Mercury judge-friendly’ end of black British music - but that just happens to be what pushes my buttons so often. And yet another 10s single with an amazing sound.
youtu.be/_oM1DFL43Lk?...
February 7, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Christ, ‘graphic content warning’ my arse.
#THETENX5
Day 7
Sampha - Blood On Me (UK 2016)
He’s definitely at the ‘Mercury judge-friendly’ end of black British music - but that just happens to be what pushes my buttons so often. And yet another 10s single with an amazing sound.
youtu.be/_oM1DFL43Lk?...
Day 7
Sampha - Blood On Me (UK 2016)
He’s definitely at the ‘Mercury judge-friendly’ end of black British music - but that just happens to be what pushes my buttons so often. And yet another 10s single with an amazing sound.
youtu.be/_oM1DFL43Lk?...
February 7, 2026 at 3:40 PM
#THETENX5
Day 7
Sampha - Blood On Me (UK 2016)
He’s definitely at the ‘Mercury judge-friendly’ end of black British music - but that just happens to be what pushes my buttons so often. And yet another 10s single with an amazing sound.
youtu.be/_oM1DFL43Lk?...
Day 7
Sampha - Blood On Me (UK 2016)
He’s definitely at the ‘Mercury judge-friendly’ end of black British music - but that just happens to be what pushes my buttons so often. And yet another 10s single with an amazing sound.
youtu.be/_oM1DFL43Lk?...
Niche corners of the internet/Japan will be very excited.
Taylor Swift looks incredible with dark hair in the “Opalite” music video.
February 6, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Niche corners of the internet/Japan will be very excited.
#THETENX5
Day 6.
Frank Ocean - Ivy (USA 2016)
Blond stands as highlight (see what I did there) of a ‘meh’ year. And - apologies for being an obvious indie kid - but it’s the tracks that lean in hardest to the guitar sound of Felt on Cherry Red that do it for me.
youtu.be/AE005nZeF-A?...
Day 6.
Frank Ocean - Ivy (USA 2016)
Blond stands as highlight (see what I did there) of a ‘meh’ year. And - apologies for being an obvious indie kid - but it’s the tracks that lean in hardest to the guitar sound of Felt on Cherry Red that do it for me.
youtu.be/AE005nZeF-A?...
February 6, 2026 at 10:22 AM
#THETENX5
Day 6.
Frank Ocean - Ivy (USA 2016)
Blond stands as highlight (see what I did there) of a ‘meh’ year. And - apologies for being an obvious indie kid - but it’s the tracks that lean in hardest to the guitar sound of Felt on Cherry Red that do it for me.
youtu.be/AE005nZeF-A?...
Day 6.
Frank Ocean - Ivy (USA 2016)
Blond stands as highlight (see what I did there) of a ‘meh’ year. And - apologies for being an obvious indie kid - but it’s the tracks that lean in hardest to the guitar sound of Felt on Cherry Red that do it for me.
youtu.be/AE005nZeF-A?...
#THETENX5
Day 5.
Fun. feat Janelle Monáe - We Are Young (US 2011)
Jack Antonoff’s first Grammy. I always love songs that slow down or halve the beat at the climactic moment. It’s a very dramatic trick.
youtu.be/Sv6dMFF_yts?...
Day 5.
Fun. feat Janelle Monáe - We Are Young (US 2011)
Jack Antonoff’s first Grammy. I always love songs that slow down or halve the beat at the climactic moment. It’s a very dramatic trick.
youtu.be/Sv6dMFF_yts?...
February 5, 2026 at 1:59 PM
#THETENX5
Day 5.
Fun. feat Janelle Monáe - We Are Young (US 2011)
Jack Antonoff’s first Grammy. I always love songs that slow down or halve the beat at the climactic moment. It’s a very dramatic trick.
youtu.be/Sv6dMFF_yts?...
Day 5.
Fun. feat Janelle Monáe - We Are Young (US 2011)
Jack Antonoff’s first Grammy. I always love songs that slow down or halve the beat at the climactic moment. It’s a very dramatic trick.
youtu.be/Sv6dMFF_yts?...
Oh, this. Please. There is no such thing as “jaywalking” in the UK. We call it “crossing the road.”
not the main point, but can we not use the American word "jaywalking" about UK pedestrians? It literally doesn't exist as we don't have laws against crossing on red or at points other than an actual crossing. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Self-driving taxis are coming to London – should we be worried? | Jack Stilgoe
Waymo’s cars were first rolled out in San Francisco, but the English capital’s old roads, pelican crossings and jaywalkers may pose issues for AI, says science and technology professor Jack Stilgoe
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Oh, this. Please. There is no such thing as “jaywalking” in the UK. We call it “crossing the road.”
#THETENX5
Day 4.
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe (Canada 2011)
Here we go. A certified banger. Obviously we’re living in the best of all possible times for witty, clever female Pop stars. But they had them in the olden days too.
Great song, and an amazing sound.
youtu.be/fWNaR-rxAic?...
Day 4.
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe (Canada 2011)
Here we go. A certified banger. Obviously we’re living in the best of all possible times for witty, clever female Pop stars. But they had them in the olden days too.
Great song, and an amazing sound.
youtu.be/fWNaR-rxAic?...
February 4, 2026 at 12:39 PM
#THETENX5
Day 4.
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe (Canada 2011)
Here we go. A certified banger. Obviously we’re living in the best of all possible times for witty, clever female Pop stars. But they had them in the olden days too.
Great song, and an amazing sound.
youtu.be/fWNaR-rxAic?...
Day 4.
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe (Canada 2011)
Here we go. A certified banger. Obviously we’re living in the best of all possible times for witty, clever female Pop stars. But they had them in the olden days too.
Great song, and an amazing sound.
youtu.be/fWNaR-rxAic?...
#THETENX5
Day 3.
Solange - Cranes In The Sky (US 2016)
I’m not having a very upbeat start to my 2010s here, but it was that kind of a decade. There will be pop bangers to come.
Meanwhile… time for some self-reflection.
youtu.be/S0qrinhNnOM?...
Day 3.
Solange - Cranes In The Sky (US 2016)
I’m not having a very upbeat start to my 2010s here, but it was that kind of a decade. There will be pop bangers to come.
Meanwhile… time for some self-reflection.
youtu.be/S0qrinhNnOM?...
February 3, 2026 at 10:20 AM
#THETENX5
Day 3.
Solange - Cranes In The Sky (US 2016)
I’m not having a very upbeat start to my 2010s here, but it was that kind of a decade. There will be pop bangers to come.
Meanwhile… time for some self-reflection.
youtu.be/S0qrinhNnOM?...
Day 3.
Solange - Cranes In The Sky (US 2016)
I’m not having a very upbeat start to my 2010s here, but it was that kind of a decade. There will be pop bangers to come.
Meanwhile… time for some self-reflection.
youtu.be/S0qrinhNnOM?...
Watch out Putin. Here I… errr… come.
Look, let’s not diss “I once banged someone from there”. If a strong centrist party emerges from the UK’s realignment, then this spurious connection gives me an “in” in six of what would likely be their safest seats.
Sunday Times interview: Goodwin does set out his family connections to Manchester, which include grandparents, his Dad going to work there, studying & working there + meeting his ex-wife there too
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
February 2, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Watch out Putin. Here I… errr… come.
#THETENX5
Day 2.
Sade - The Big Unknown
Nigeria/UK 2018
As good as Sault. And that isn’t said lightly on this place.
youtu.be/HH3SwPe5Zhw?...
Day 2.
Sade - The Big Unknown
Nigeria/UK 2018
As good as Sault. And that isn’t said lightly on this place.
youtu.be/HH3SwPe5Zhw?...
February 2, 2026 at 9:37 PM
#THETENX5
Day 2.
Sade - The Big Unknown
Nigeria/UK 2018
As good as Sault. And that isn’t said lightly on this place.
youtu.be/HH3SwPe5Zhw?...
Day 2.
Sade - The Big Unknown
Nigeria/UK 2018
As good as Sault. And that isn’t said lightly on this place.
youtu.be/HH3SwPe5Zhw?...
#THETENX5
Day 1. (Unranked).
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Bright Horses
Australia/UK 2019
Remember crying in the kitchen to this? Then screaming at Boris F***ing Johnson on the telly? Of course you do.
A monumental piece of popular music.
youtu.be/qqoHWVJaxJY?...
Day 1. (Unranked).
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Bright Horses
Australia/UK 2019
Remember crying in the kitchen to this? Then screaming at Boris F***ing Johnson on the telly? Of course you do.
A monumental piece of popular music.
youtu.be/qqoHWVJaxJY?...
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis "Bright Horses" @ The Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles 03-10-2022
YouTube video by FleshCop
youtu.be
February 2, 2026 at 9:31 PM
#THETENX5
Day 1. (Unranked).
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Bright Horses
Australia/UK 2019
Remember crying in the kitchen to this? Then screaming at Boris F***ing Johnson on the telly? Of course you do.
A monumental piece of popular music.
youtu.be/qqoHWVJaxJY?...
Day 1. (Unranked).
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Bright Horses
Australia/UK 2019
Remember crying in the kitchen to this? Then screaming at Boris F***ing Johnson on the telly? Of course you do.
A monumental piece of popular music.
youtu.be/qqoHWVJaxJY?...
This is all excellent.
Except the dig at Nicki Minaj. Call out the politicians. Not other artists who disagree with you.
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/f...
Except the dig at Nicki Minaj. Call out the politicians. Not other artists who disagree with you.
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/f...
Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar win big in Grammys ceremony filled with anti-ICE sentiment
Musicians delivered impassioned speeches during a star-packed night that saw Lamar become the most awarded rapper of all time
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:05 AM
This is all excellent.
Except the dig at Nicki Minaj. Call out the politicians. Not other artists who disagree with you.
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/f...
Except the dig at Nicki Minaj. Call out the politicians. Not other artists who disagree with you.
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/f...
Watching late-era Djokovic is great fun. It’s someone who is (obviously) very, very, very good at what he does, but now has a touch of frailty that makes him more sympathetic… but STILL fights for everything.
February 1, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Watching late-era Djokovic is great fun. It’s someone who is (obviously) very, very, very good at what he does, but now has a touch of frailty that makes him more sympathetic… but STILL fights for everything.
Paging @pixel8foto.bsky.social :)
Long-shot appeal. Anyone know anything about capacitors? I assume these two should be joined together? Could they be replaced? It’s an Hitachi SDT-2480 music centre.
January 30, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Paging @pixel8foto.bsky.social :)
Long-shot appeal. Anyone know anything about capacitors? I assume these two should be joined together? Could they be replaced? It’s an Hitachi SDT-2480 music centre.
January 30, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Long-shot appeal. Anyone know anything about capacitors? I assume these two should be joined together? Could they be replaced? It’s an Hitachi SDT-2480 music centre.
Definitely swiping right.
Scrolling through the photos of Pam Bondi's "Minnesota rioters," it's just hero after hero. Every photo includes a cowardly DHS agent with their back to the camera.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
January 28, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Definitely swiping right.
I’m cooking chilli to Sultans Of Swing, the live Alchemy version. 30-year-old me would have been appalled. 15-year-old me would have thought I was living the greatest life. I now know which I prefer.
youtu.be/8Pa9x9fZBtY?...
youtu.be/8Pa9x9fZBtY?...
Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing (Alchemy Live)
YouTube video by DireStraitsVEVO
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 7:35 PM
I’m cooking chilli to Sultans Of Swing, the live Alchemy version. 30-year-old me would have been appalled. 15-year-old me would have thought I was living the greatest life. I now know which I prefer.
youtu.be/8Pa9x9fZBtY?...
youtu.be/8Pa9x9fZBtY?...
Can we give him some kind of honorary knighthood? I assume he’d refuse it. But still…
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Can we give him some kind of honorary knighthood? I assume he’d refuse it. But still…
January 27, 2026 at 10:43 PM