I managed to return my wife's favour after she introduced me to Kill Karl a couple of weeks back by introducing her to The Scratch. A dark indie band from Ireland that blends traditional Irish music with heavy metal in a way that sounds quite a bit like Tool but also Iron Maiden, Cave In, and The Mary Wallopers....

30th March - 5th April The clocks did that thing they do each Spring but I didn't really notice. The wall clock in the bedroom had needed a new battery for about a week, my phone updated automatically, weirdly my wristwatch died at 00:55, and the clock on the oven hasn't worked for months since a powercut reset it...

This sequel to "Children of Blood and Bone" follows all the sequel rules; much action! bigger plot! such characters! wow! In all seriousness, it's a rollicking good fantasy. It feels like a classic "middle book" — a stopgap between the rush of the first book and the sweet climax. There's is absolutely nothing wrong...

Happy April! Here are a few photos from my phone from the last month with neither rhyme nor reason to the theme. Thanks for reading this post via RSS! Let me know your thoughts by sending me an email: rss@thomasrigby.com.

Julia Donaldson is one of the most prolific authors of children's books ever. She writes poems for kids using the same "bouncy" anapestic meter as Dr Seuss and collaborates with artists to bring these tales to life. One of the most popular collaborations is with Axel Scheffler; a partnership that has seen their work...

23rd March - 29th March Unhinged behaviour from the British weather (more than usual, tbh) hasn't dampened the spirits of tree blossom. Several many trees around are in riotous bloom in defiance of the snow and rain. Gorgeous. My friend, Ellie, is currently enjoying Sakura season in Tokyo though and I'm not jealous....

Sol Seppy has a fucken cool name and, on debut album "The Bells of 1 2", sounds a bit like Jenny Lewis crossed with Lily Allen singing on dark and moody trip hop beats with slow hoover rave. "Listen to this" demanded my wife handing me an earphone. It was Kill Karl; Mindless Self Indulgence-style heavy alternative...

I have a dilemma; I wholeheartedly object to companies scraping my website for content to train their generative engines. I also firmly believe that, if a person wants to use a Large Language Model to synthesise my content, that's their right. Who am I to dictate how you "consume"1 it? I write in a very particular...

16th March - 22nd March 6:11am. The birds are having full blown conversations. The weather says Spring but the cold dew under my bare feet reminds me Winter is not that long ago. I pad back to the house to put shoes on leaving wet footprints on the flagstones. Common Name Scientific Name European Robin Erithacus...

SpoilersMinor backstory spoilers in the first paragraph Our heroine, Zélie, has suffered immensely; her mother is dead, killed by the tyrant king's soldiers for the crime of having magic, her father beaten for the crime of being married to her mother, and her own latent magic stripped away leaving only the...

I didn't really follow Brendon's career post-Buffy but he made a lasting impact on me as Xander. The role of the only non-magic member of the "Scooby Gang" allowed for some amazing storylines ably acted by a young man in an acclaimed breakthrough; from the hyena mind meld to abandoning his fiancée at the altar,...

"Eurythmics meet Chappell Roan in a Big Top" is my pithy one-liner to describe Haute and Freddy, the LA clown duo making some amazingly nostalgic synth pop. Their debut, "Big Disgrace", is an entire album of bangers from this Probably Sane Clown Posse; my only gripe being I wish some of the songs were longer so...