PsychoSocial Media

First episode of Season 2!
Vicky Hungerford, band booker from Bloodstock Festival joins me on the podcast. 

Our first politician on the PsychoSocial Media Podcast! As Streatham MP and previous head of staff for Dianne Abbott, Bell has some fantastic reflections on the world of social media. 

This week we have Lucas from Holding Absence. 

Holding Absence are a relatively new band and Lucas discusses how the band have used and responded to social media in their career. 

After a short break over August, we're back with Episode 9 featuring Aiyana, who blogs about racial identity on her website, 'The Mixed Identity'. 

Aiyana started researching race when studying for her degree and decided to expand on her findings and views online. We discuss how she has found using social media to discuss complex issues and her thoughts on recent events. 

Check out her website at www.mixed-identity.co.uk.

This week's guest is the incredible Durga McBroom. A friend who was a huge fan tracked Durga down on Facebook 13 years ago and since then, their friendship has moved into the real world. As soon as I started my podcast, I knew she was a guest I wanted to have on and she did not disappoint. 

In this episode, Durga shares some funny stories around meeting fans online, making friends and dating. She also shares her thoughts on the current state of the USA and how social media has played its part.

Check out Durga's latest release here: https://sonicelements.bandcamp.com/album/black-floyd?fbclid=IwAR3C7JzSnEHcgNS0mEwm_mIYmlfxqOF8_uzcGdn8gc99_lQwm9O5xW7OmUY

After meeting Gecko at a 'virtual' performance we organised to surprise a friend (a nurse who is also a huge fan), Gecko kindly agreed to come on the podcast. We reflect on how social media has been for him as a person and musician. We also discuss how he has found using online crowdfunding campaigns and 'virtual' concerts. 

After a 30 year career, Michael shares his views on how the emergence of social media and the internet has impacted on the career of a cult band with a loyal following like Therapy?. 

This week our guest is Beans on Toast. We spoke the week following the Black Lives Matter marches. 

Beans is a performer who is very open about how much he loves face-to-face contact. However, since social distancing measured were implemented, Beans has started to perform using live streams and continued to release music. In this episode we reflect on how this has changed his job as a musician, but also how social media has and will continue to change the world. 

The idea for this podcast came about after a performance in the 'W stage' at 2000 Trees Festival in Cheltenham. Therefore it felt risk to get them on, to talk about their use of social media to support the festival, particularly in response to their 2021 cancellation due to COVID-19. 

After coming across Girli playing on a small stage at a festival (the Jagerhaus at All Points East, to be specific), I knew she was an artist who I wanted to know more about. Her mix of genres and song meanings continues to fascinate me - particularly how she can tackle serious issues (e.g. mental health), in a fun and accessible way that resonates with her legions of young fans. 

I feel like this interview felt a lot like Girli's best music; insightful, reflective, current, but most of all, fun.