Sharon O'Connell
@messyectomorph.bsky.social
Music writer (dCS Audio, Electronic Sound, Metro, Uncut). Ex staffer at Melody Maker and Time Out. Coastal dweller. Art, film, books etc.
Magnífico.
Diego Rivera, El Pintor en Reposo (The Painter in Repose), 1916, from Rivera's early & lesser-known - but still stupendous - Cubist period. Now on view at the Museo Carrillo Gil in Mexico City
February 18, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Magnífico.
Almost enjoying “Song Of The Future” on the U2 EP. Punchy in a peak Garbage way but with swing. Given a pint of margarita in a sunny field, I could dance to it, easy. Am I having some kind of nervous collapse?
February 18, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Almost enjoying “Song Of The Future” on the U2 EP. Punchy in a peak Garbage way but with swing. Given a pint of margarita in a sunny field, I could dance to it, easy. Am I having some kind of nervous collapse?
This gorgeous song from ‘The Colour Of Spring’, released 40 years ago today, which saw them taking a singularly sublime left turn from pop. Still miss Mark Hollis more than I thought was possible. youtu.be/RQGAw43t20k
Chameleon Day (1997 Remaster)
YouTube video by Talk Talk - Topic
youtu.be
February 17, 2026 at 10:53 AM
This gorgeous song from ‘The Colour Of Spring’, released 40 years ago today, which saw them taking a singularly sublime left turn from pop. Still miss Mark Hollis more than I thought was possible. youtu.be/RQGAw43t20k
This is outstanding. [And for some reason reminds me that at a certain (high) level, mathematics becomes philosophy.]
My brother wanted a London pub crawl. The result? My new Substack post: "Britain Lost 14,000 Third Places. They were Called Pubs. Is Your Local Next?" How private equity reshaped the local, which pubs are most at risk and most importantly what to do about it.
open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
Britain Lost 14,000 Third Places. They Were Called Pubs. Is Your Local Next?
How private equity reshaped the local and the postcode tool that shows the pubs most at risk.
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 8:07 PM
This is outstanding. [And for some reason reminds me that at a certain (high) level, mathematics becomes philosophy.]
Oh, man. The original Boo Radley. What an extraordinarily long & wide-ranging career Duvall enjoyed. M*A*S*H, Tender Mercies & Apocalypse Now? That’s one heck of a reach. RIP. And thank you, sir.
February 16, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Oh, man. The original Boo Radley. What an extraordinarily long & wide-ranging career Duvall enjoyed. M*A*S*H, Tender Mercies & Apocalypse Now? That’s one heck of a reach. RIP. And thank you, sir.
Jill Scott’s new album is ridiculously good, right across its 58 mins. Number six & by far her most adventurous yet, with strong features (step up, Tierra Whack & Too Short), a big musical cast & plenty of joyously soulful, often cheeky cutting loose. Really, it’s the nuts.
February 16, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Jill Scott’s new album is ridiculously good, right across its 58 mins. Number six & by far her most adventurous yet, with strong features (step up, Tierra Whack & Too Short), a big musical cast & plenty of joyously soulful, often cheeky cutting loose. Really, it’s the nuts.
Hazza Styles as curator of this year’s Meltdown is a surprising & arguably bold choice. Imagine a load of protestation from festival old timers is incoming but personally, I can’t wait to see the programme. Frankly, the event could do with a shakeup.
February 16, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Hazza Styles as curator of this year’s Meltdown is a surprising & arguably bold choice. Imagine a load of protestation from festival old timers is incoming but personally, I can’t wait to see the programme. Frankly, the event could do with a shakeup.
An astonishing saga, in which the behaviour of Essex police seems questionable, to put it mildly. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
The Jeremy Bamber twist: does Britain’s most notorious murderer finally have an alibi?
This week, audio footage was released by the New Yorker magazine, which seemed to exonerate Bamber, who has been in prison for 40 years. Could this lead to his release?
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 11:30 AM
An astonishing saga, in which the behaviour of Essex police seems questionable, to put it mildly. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
I’ll tell you what “can’t be right”, Nadhim Zahawi - it’s needing to keep the Big Light on in your flat at 11am.
February 15, 2026 at 10:59 AM
I’ll tell you what “can’t be right”, Nadhim Zahawi - it’s needing to keep the Big Light on in your flat at 11am.
Cinema round my way has scheduled between 4-6 screenings of Blethering Heights *every day* - for a solid week. Valentine’s w/e I can (kind of) understand but beyond that? Sod off. There are OTHER FILMS.
February 12, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Cinema round my way has scheduled between 4-6 screenings of Blethering Heights *every day* - for a solid week. Valentine’s w/e I can (kind of) understand but beyond that? Sod off. There are OTHER FILMS.
Loved this: a truly extraordinary story, about the kind of endurance that has nothing to do with macho ‘achievement’ or world records but is about the human spirit & how powerful acceptance & surrender can be. AG wasn’t cycling to “find” himself, even. He was, gloriously, cycling without purpose.
‘I lived the life I’ve always dreamed of’: the man who cycled around the world for four years
‘I lived the life I’ve always dreamed of’: the man who cycled around the world for four years
Andreas Graf lived without screens and no idea of the date or time. The conditions were often brutal – but he found kindness and friendship as he rode
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Loved this: a truly extraordinary story, about the kind of endurance that has nothing to do with macho ‘achievement’ or world records but is about the human spirit & how powerful acceptance & surrender can be. AG wasn’t cycling to “find” himself, even. He was, gloriously, cycling without purpose.
Bang on. This is sweet & comical magic in its purest form.
What's so amazing about Jim Henson as a puppeteer is that he could literally be explaining that Kermit is made out of felt and ping pong balls and yet Kermit still feels alive the whole time he's doing it
February 12, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Bang on. This is sweet & comical magic in its purest form.
Reposted by Sharon O'Connell
‘The intimate and the epic’: the best way to understand India is to travel by train
‘The intimate and the epic’: the best way to understand India is to travel by train
Being a passenger in this vast country is ‘a full-blooded immersion in the local’, says the novelist whose latest protagonist is lured by the romance of the rails
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:54 AM
‘The intimate and the epic’: the best way to understand India is to travel by train
Man, ‘Small Prophets’ is charm on a stick - sharp script, perfect pitch, terrific performances all round. Now rationing episodes to make it last. Fave visual gags to date: the bucket-selling denial & the rabbit-shaped oil stain.
February 11, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Man, ‘Small Prophets’ is charm on a stick - sharp script, perfect pitch, terrific performances all round. Now rationing episodes to make it last. Fave visual gags to date: the bucket-selling denial & the rabbit-shaped oil stain.
Midday has passed & it hasn’t rained yet. The apocalypse is clearly upon us.
February 10, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Midday has passed & it hasn’t rained yet. The apocalypse is clearly upon us.
Reminds me of the time I went to the doctors with tonsillitis & she ran through some routine questions first. When I told her my age - 34 - she said, “well, don’t leave it too late”. Took me a full minute to understand what she meant. All shades of astonishing.
France’s letters to 29-year-olds to remind them to have babies is a spectacular missing of the point | Zoe Williams
France’s letters to 29-year-olds to remind them to have babies is a spectacular missing of the point | Zoe Williams
A serious plan to tackle low birthrates could include addressing the fact that if people could afford to house themselves, they might be quicker to settle down, writes Zoe Williams
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Reminds me of the time I went to the doctors with tonsillitis & she ran through some routine questions first. When I told her my age - 34 - she said, “well, don’t leave it too late”. Took me a full minute to understand what she meant. All shades of astonishing.
Am genuinely interested in the psychology of the tipping point: the moment when all these slimy, hold-out hopefuls realise that their lies, denial, deliberate obfuscation & the rest are exhausted & the only recourse is “apology” or resignation. Fatally flawed individuals. A fuqt system. On it goes…
February 8, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Am genuinely interested in the psychology of the tipping point: the moment when all these slimy, hold-out hopefuls realise that their lies, denial, deliberate obfuscation & the rest are exhausted & the only recourse is “apology” or resignation. Fatally flawed individuals. A fuqt system. On it goes…
The nature of human consciousness, interiority, selfness - this stuff is eternally mysterious & fascinating. And Michael Pollan - highly qualified, endlessly curious & very much not a crank - presents as a perfect investigator. I’m in.
‘I’m the psychedelic confessor’: the man who turned a generation on to hallucinogens returns with a head-spinning book about consciousness
‘I’m the psychedelic confessor’: the man who turned a generation on to hallucinogens returns with a head-spinning book about consciousness
With the Omnivore’s Dilemma and How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan transformed our understanding of food and drugs. Can he do the same for our sense of self?
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:59 AM
The nature of human consciousness, interiority, selfness - this stuff is eternally mysterious & fascinating. And Michael Pollan - highly qualified, endlessly curious & very much not a crank - presents as a perfect investigator. I’m in.
The newly independent Stealing Sheep were a revelation last night. Playing a kind of ravetastic, dirty, art-pop disco w intimations of Peggy Lee, Kraftwerk, Self Esteem, Laurie Anderson & Sugababes. Their obvious glee was contagious: best thing I’ve seen in yonks.
February 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM
The newly independent Stealing Sheep were a revelation last night. Playing a kind of ravetastic, dirty, art-pop disco w intimations of Peggy Lee, Kraftwerk, Self Esteem, Laurie Anderson & Sugababes. Their obvious glee was contagious: best thing I’ve seen in yonks.
Brilliant - TK to the Maxx.
February 7, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Brilliant - TK to the Maxx.
This feels weirdly like a personal rebuke from @oxfamgb.bsky.social for never having attempted either. (Side note: that ligature in ‘Infinite’ is making me twitch.)
February 7, 2026 at 11:35 AM
This feels weirdly like a personal rebuke from @oxfamgb.bsky.social for never having attempted either. (Side note: that ligature in ‘Infinite’ is making me twitch.)
Could? Gah - pure speculumation.
Menstrual blood test could offer alternative to cervical screening
Menstrual blood test could offer alternative to cervical screening
Researchers say blood sample strip, which can be used at home, can pick up virus that causes cervical cancer
A pioneering test of period blood for signs of cervical cancer could be a convenient, non-invasive and accurate way of screening for the disease, researchers have said.
A regular sanitary pad topped with a blood sample strip can pick up human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer, and could be used by women at home, the results of a study indicate. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Could? Gah - pure speculumation.
Dear god. You think Trump reached base level some time ago, yet he continues to astonish & horrify. No words, as we used to say.
Donald Trump prompts fury after posting racist video about Barack and Michelle Obama – US politics live
Donald Trump prompts fury after posting racist video about Barack and Michelle Obama – US politics live
The US president posted a racist video on Truth Social that included disproven allegations about ballot-counting
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage.
Donald Trump went on a massive social media spree overnight that included posting on Truth Social an election conspiracy video that ended with a clip depicting former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Dear god. You think Trump reached base level some time ago, yet he continues to astonish & horrify. No words, as we used to say.
“You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything”: the odious Gervais, failing to understand the difference betw lecturing & stating a personal opinion. Or acknowledge the fact that being onstage with a mic, at a globally broadcast event, is obvs the perfect “position”. He should know.
February 3, 2026 at 9:40 AM
“You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything”: the odious Gervais, failing to understand the difference betw lecturing & stating a personal opinion. Or acknowledge the fact that being onstage with a mic, at a globally broadcast event, is obvs the perfect “position”. He should know.
Strong Norfolk Holiday Inn vibes in both decor & dress [Lynn Benfield just out of shot].
Mandelson last week did a comeback/damage limitation interview with photographer for the Times magazine, which I'm guessing was planned to run at a future date but has been pushed out online on a Monday night because of events. Anyway yeah. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
February 2, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Strong Norfolk Holiday Inn vibes in both decor & dress [Lynn Benfield just out of shot].