Bass-playing singer Billy Kinsley is one of the last surviving stalwarts from the Merseybeat era when Liverpool bands were topping the charts on a regular basis.He started playing in bands at the age of 14 and in the Sixties went on to form The Merseybeats and The Merseys. 

In the Seventies, he founded Liverpool Express, went on tour with Rod Stewart and played alongside Chuck Berry – neither experience he remembers with any joy whatsoever!

Paul McCartney cited "You Are My Love" as one of his favourite love songs and Billy performed to massive crowds in Brazil where they were hugely popular.

Billy looks back with his customary scouse humour on a sparklingcareer spanning 60 years, with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord, in episode 19 of this really special Misadventures in Music podcast.

 Enjoy.

Here's a link to the playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Fn0GyotpWKV4ZIcMDAVMg?si=c282854fffc84be7

Rory Taylor runs the Positive Vibration Festival, regular Reggae Socials at District and represents international reggae artists at home and abroad.  He is on a mission with Positive Vibration to bring reggae to a wider audience.

Rory came to Liverpool to study law in 2003.  He is an intellectual property lawyer who is also passionate about raising the profile of reggae in Liverpool and beyond. In 2013, as part of a collective, Rory began Positive Vibration with a small event in the Kazimer gardens featuring local DJs and a couple of bands.

Rory and Positive Vibration have brought a range of acts to its Baltic-based festival include Lee Scratch Perry, Roni Size, Sister Nancy and many others. 

Rory also works with the Jamaican High Commission and tourist board, linking up with organisations and charities as well as artists and musicians. For an example of Rory’s close working relationship with the Jamaican High Commission, Rory was contacted to look at ways of promoting the Jamaican netball team whilst based in Liverpool:

Tracks

Baba Brooks Band - Teenage Ska

Toots & The Maytals - Do the Reggay.

Bob Marley - Concrete Jungle.

King Tubby & Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown

Madness - Night Boat to Cairo

Sister Nancy - Bam Bam

Prince Fatty ft. Shniece and Horseman - The Model.

Kirkby's finest, China Crisis, are the guests in this month's Misadventures in Music podcast with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord. 

Eddie Lundon and Gary Daly founded the band in 1979 and notched up a string of hits in the album and singles charts in the 1980's.

They're still going as strong as ever and regularly touring the UK and Europe. 

Their candid tales of working with Walter Becker of Steely Dan and supporting and 'socialising' with David Bowie are the stuff of legend.

Their musical influences might raise a few eyebrows (and smiles) as well.

Oh yes, their sense of humour is as sharp as it ever was as you'll discover when you listen to this episode of Misadventures in Music.

Paul Simpson's band The Wild Swans burned briefly and brightly in the flourishing Merseyside music scene of the early eighties.  They had one celebrated single in the indie charts but disbanded acrimoniously having failed to replicate the commercial success of their contemporaries like Teardrop Explodes, Echo and the Bunnymen, OMD, China Crisis, Dead Or Alive and  Wah! .

They say the best stories can always be found in the corners and around the edges of life and Paul's book 'Revolutionary Spirit - A Post-Punk Exorcism' is a case in point. It's a classic of its kind...highly praised by book critics and musicians such as Will Sergent and Bill Drummond. Which won't come as a surprise to people who know him because Paul's a born storyteller.

 'Revolutionary Spirit' tells us what it's really like to be in a band, but it's also an authentic slice of social history of life from a vibrant music scene with a seemingly endless list of larger-than-life characters.

And plenty of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. Paul's tells his story in the new episode of the Misadventures in Music podcast with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord.

There can't be too many songwriters who've released albums which have been so universally praised by the critics and yet have had to wait 40 years for the equivalent commercial success but then Mick Head has never been one to follow a predictable career path.

His previous bands The Pale Fountains and Shack certainly had a strong "cult" following (admittedly including the likes of Noel Gallagher) but it was only with last year's "Dear Scott" that Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band converted critical to commercial success with such aplomb.

At times it's been a rocky road for Mick Head but the future certainly looks bright with the release of his new album 'Loophole' in May and a long awaited autobiography 'Ciao,Ciao Bambino' out in 2025.

Ian Prowse and Mick Ord met up with Mick Head in the Liverpool Podcafe for a long-awaited and much anticipated 'Misadventures in Music'

Our guest in Episode 27 is the musician, artistic director and all-round Liverpool legend, Jayne Casey. 

She formed the short-lived but influential 70's band Big In Japan which boasted Ian Brodie, Holly Johnson, Bill Drummond and Budgie in its ranks.

Then she founded Pink Military and Pink Industry before finding herself at the epicentre of the dance music explosion of the 90's as part of the CREAM empire. 

Her two-volume autobiography is out in 2025 and if it's anything like this episode of Misadventure in Music with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord it will be a real firecracker.

Enjoy

He interviewed everyone from Paul McCartney to Willie Nelson for his long-running radio show, and he has written more than 50 books on the likes of Bob Dylan, Little Richard, and the Beatles.

Now Spencer Leigh has written HIS autobiography, ' 80 @ 80 - A Liverpool Life', after more than 50 years throwing the spotlight on other people. He's our extra special guest in episode #32 of "Misadventures in Music" with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord..

Get ready for tales of Dylan being booed in Liverpool and X-rated stories of Freddie Starr's wild antics at the Cavern before he was famous. Indeed, no other writer probably knows more about the Merseybeat era of the sixties than Spencer.

Once more, he's still going strong and enjoying music and its larger-than-life personalities more than ever.

🎙️ Misadventures in Music presents an unforgettable festive episode featuring legendary musician and producer Clive Langer!

A co-founder of 70s Liverpool favorites Deaf School, Clive went on to shape the UK's music history, collaborating with Alan Winstanley on iconic hits for Madness, Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Teardrop Explodes, and Morrissey.

He also co-wrote "Shipbuilding" with Elvis Costello and produced classics like Bowie and Jagger's "Dancing in the Street."

Discover Clive’s incredible stories and his latest music with The Clang Group, including the new single "Page One" and an upcoming 2025 album.

Tune in as Ian Prowse and Mick Ord delve into Clive's fascinating career and the enduring magic of Liverpool’s music scene.

🎧 Listen now and celebrate music history!

In this month's episode, Ian and Mick meet the Scottish film director Grant McPhee who's making a three-part documentary series on the untold story of Liverpool's arts and music underground scene from 1964 to 1984 - "Revolutionary Spirit".

Contrary to popular belief, the Merseyside music scene didn't collapse after the Beatles left the city in the 60's. There was a thriving underground scene before,during and after the Fab Four which paved the way for the 2nd Mersey Music explosion in the early 80's.

Grant discusses his first documentary in the series, 'The Pool of Life', which tells the story of the legendary Liverpool School of Language, Music, Dream and Pun - how it started and what it led to ; with some incredible archive footage from the 70's that has never been seen publicly before.Grant describes it as 'The Greatest Story Never Told'

Brian "Nasher" Nash was the guitarist for one of the most explosive and unforgettable bands of the 1980s – Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The Liverpool legends burst onto the scene with the banned-but-brilliant Relax, and quickly followed it up with two more chart-topping hits that defined a generation.

In this episode of Misadventures in Music, Nasher shares a treasure trove of wild stories from his time at the top – from tax exile antics and surreal studio sessions to near-misses with Eddie Van Halen and the chaos of life on tour. It's a candid, hilarious, and at times emotional conversation with a man who's seen it all and come out the other side with his humour and heart intact.

Tune in for tales of rebellion, resilience, and rock 'n' roll excess – Frankie-style.