Songs in the Key of...

Welcome to Songs in the Key Of… - a podcast about songs. These might be old songs, new songs or middle-aged songs. Anything that takes my fancy really.

Sometimes these shows will be themed around an idea, a person, a genre or some other concept. Other times they will simply reflect my latest obsessions. My new favourite bands. Those songs I can’t get out of my head.

This time round, there’s no particular theme, no grand plan, no great desire to compile a decalogue of songs about trees, Henry IV or the merits of owning a Kawasaki Ninja H2. It’s just ten songs that have been keeping me occupied of late. If you like what you hear, make sure you head over to Spotify to hear six of those songs in full.

So. Let’s get on with it.

A couple of months ago you'd have been hard-pressed to go on social media and not see people waxing lyrical about all the wonderful things they were doing ten years ago, when life was so much...simpler.

It's been a while, but I've finally been able to finish adding my two pennies worth into the debate with an episode celebrating the merits of music from 2016.

Don't forget, if you like what you hear, head over to Spotify to find a playlist of the songs in their glorious fullness.

(A small - and - to be bluntly honest - non-existent prize is available to anyone who can guess the significance of the artwork for this particular episode).

An episode with a difference - in which Stephen Morris explores ten versions of the same song. Different melodies, sometimes different words, but all rooted in a folk song originating from around 1400.

It's been given treatments by folk artists, prog rockers and darkwavers and plenty of others.

Welcome, then to Songs in the Key of...An Unquiet Grave.

And now the end is near it's time to...

take a good hard listen to the things we've been listening to in 2025. In my case the songs I liked were so good I made a podcast about it. You can listen to it right here.

And when you're done, hop on over to Spotify to hear all the songs in full.

Happy New Year one and all!!!

It's been a while - again - but here's a new podcast episode filled to the brim with music that's been keeping me occupied of late. From The Divine Comedy through to A. A. Williams and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, there's plenty to get your teeth into.

A week after "Songs in the Key of...Live" went...live, a return to business as usual with a selection of ten songs that have been keeping me occupied of late.

There's a tune from a Canterbury scene band that sounds nothing like the Canterbury scene, there's a song in English from someone who normally sings in Cornish and there's a song called 'Emily' which isn't really about Emily at all.

Confused? You soon won't be.

Welcome to a very special edition of 'Songs in the Key of...'

It's the first ever like recording of the show.

Recorded on 26 July 2025 at the Medway Little Theatre, I was joined by Glenn Prangnell, Rachel Lowrie and Lupen Crook to talk about their lives in music. On top of this, we heard music from Rachel's band South Shore and Lupen Crook.

It was a fantastic night. If you weren't able to attend, this is for you.

The evening was brought together by Medwayish to celebrate ten years since the publication of my book, Do It Yourself: a History of Music in Medway by Cultured Llama. I'm currently working on a second edition of the book - to be published by Medwayish - which will fill in details of what's been happening over the last decade.

Keep your eyes open for more book related news by following @songsinthekeyof on Instagram. In the meantime enjoy this first ever live recording of the show.

A short podcast to tell you all about an event happening in Rochester on 26 July 2025!

You thought I'd forgotten about you, didn't you!

Here, after far too long an absence, is a new episode of Songs in the Key of... featuring another selection of ten songs to keep you entertained.

Happy (belated) new year!

Don't forget to head over to Spotify (if you're not already there) to hear all the songs in full.

For the eighth installment of Songs in the Key of...Christmas we have indie songs about awkward family Christmases, folk songs about the harshness of winter and singer-songwriter songs about meeting an international treasure.

Don't forget to head over to Spotify to hear the songs in full on the playlist accompanying the episode.