iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Bought a fridge magnet at the Anish Kapoor show at the Hayward and it turned out to be double sided #HaywardGallery #Artjokes

The magnet on the back of a fridge magnet looking like a Kapoor black hole

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Richard Shaw @richards7370.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Hi folks, for the last time (apart from the year end poll 😉) it’s time to vote, it’s the big one, #5DebutAlbumsFinal We’ve whittled the albums down to a final 100 (see list to follow), a veritable treat to the eardrums each and every one. Your task, pick your top 5 in order of preference, mine are..

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

#5DebutAlbumsFinal One of the challenges of selecting the best debut album is putting the rest of the artist's career out of the mind. It's almost easier to pick those who never came close to their debut ever again. Kate Bush probably bettered The Kick Inside but it is still an astonishing record

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Emma Westcott @ecwestcott.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Readers

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Going to see the Bayeux Tapestry later this week. Really hope I can avoid spoilers. #BayeuxTapestry

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Gail Myerscough @gailmyerscough.co.uk · 06/09/2026

If you want me, I'll be over in my own shop gailmyerscough.co.uk

A photo of Gail with the text ‘Goodbye Etsy. Hello to doing things my own way.’

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

It's a very rare alignment of voting in @richards7370.bsky.social Debut Albums poll and #FallFriday. Apparently this won't happen again in the UK for another 80 years. Live At The Witch Trials is in the running Get your protective specs ready and vote #5DebutAlbumsSF3

youtube.com

Futures and Pasts

YouTube video by The Fall - Topic

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Heard Richard discussing Stiff at recent Norwich Festival and can confirm it will be a good session

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Big Bearded Spookseller @bigbeardedbookseller.com · 29/07/2026

Not sure if anyone cares but I really needed that three months away from social media and constant blogging, I've had a rethink of everything I do/did and I'm returning to the fold as nothing more than a book blogger If people still want I'll restart #MondayReads this coming Monday

a man with a big white beard and glasses standing against a white wall, inside he's smiling, honest

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Bluesky engineers are working hard to fix the image loading issue but unfortunately the levels of sarcasm and smart-arsery are slowing the whole site down

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I'm liking photos of cats anyway even if images are down #cats

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Some great authors in this series: @jamesclarkewriter.bsky.social tomorrow (1 July), then Derek Owusu, CL Taylor, Marsha O Mahoney, Liz John and @lucindahawksley.bsky.social #Booksky

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The WEA @weaadulted.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Public events, talks and lectures have been part of the WEA story for generations. With our new Purpose to Pen series, we’re building on that legacy in a fresh way. Learn more: www.eventbrite.com/cc/purpose-t...

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Laughed hard at this juxtaposition until I remembered I'm going to both of them

An advert for tickets to Wilco and Count Arthur Strong tours

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Great when local industrial history coincides with my record collection

A sign saying Gothic Works on a brick wall

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

#FallFriday has come round again and this one has to be one more thank you to everyone involved in last weekend's brilliant Futures & Pasts festival. I took hardly any photos so it's been great looking at everyone else's this week. #Alwaysbuythemerch

Merch from the Futures & Pasts Festival - the tee shirt with the name of the festival in white on black; Paul Hanley's book Das Gruppe On The Wall and the programme stroke fanzine Load o Bloody Nowt with Stanley Chow's illustration of Mark E Smith flicking a V

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Tracy King @tracyking.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Was just walking to the station and saw a woman stop outside a house window and take a photo, then walk off looking at her phone, smiling. I thought hehe bet there’s a cat in that window. There was. I was not expecting this.

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Union Chapel @unionchapeluk.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Our 200+ year archive of Union Chapel & local history is brought back to the public for the 1st time! Discover the people & events that shaped our church & award-winning cultural venue at unionchapel.org.uk/projects/eve... 🕰 Interactive Timeline 📰 Stories by theme/period 📓 Catalogue ⛪ Book a visit

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

#5DebutAlbums2026 @richards7370.bsky.social reveals how many different albums have been nominated Must admit, with two days to go before voting, my list is getting longer not shorter

static.klipy.com

SpongeBob's Long List - Sulliholic Sstridor

ALT: SpongeBob's Long List - Sulliholic Sstridor

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Sounds Management have an impressive roster with at least three contenders for #5DebutAlbums2026 At Home - Dog Unit Sugar, Daddy - Scrounge Earth-Sized Worlds - Mandrake Handshake

The cover of Scrounge's Sugar, Daddy - showing an action figure of a man with some paints for colouring him in and a few accessories including a hat

The cover of Dog Unit's At Home - an atmospheric photograph of two blurred figures walking across an urban development site of cranes and scaffolding and tower blocks

The cover of Mandrake Handshake's album Earth-Sized Worlds showing a day glo abstract psychedelic design of plants and celestial figures

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

In Manchester for Fall Futures & Pasts Festival and lucked into @traveloguer.bsky.social talking about his Lancashire book at the lovely House of Books & Friends. By chance a perfect intro to a weekend of MES #HittheNorth

Sign for House of Books and Friends showing a joyful leaping figure

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

#FallFriday See you at the Band on the Wall Futures and Pasts Image by @stanchow.bsky.social

Illustration of Mark E Smith looking belligerent while smoking a cigarette and flicking a V sign

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Molly Tie @mollytie.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

It's a cringe video of me to remind you all that my punk book Rebel Grrrls is out SOON and I really wanna see as many people as possible at the release events on 8th and 11th. If this vid won't convince you, what will???

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

At the "Town & Country Club" Kentish Town to see Sugar. This was the first indoor London venue I ever went to - Gil Scott Heron around 85/86. Nice to have a little bit of continuity in my life

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Ten acts you’ve seen, female lead singer edition: Stick In The Wheel Throwing Muses Pretenders Pentangle Drugstore Shop Assistants Broadcast Amyl & The Sniffers Fleetwood Mac The Lovely Eggs

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Ali Catterall @alicatterall.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

My and Jane's little film SCALA!!! is now FREE to watch for 14 days via this link, thanks to our lovely distributors, the BFI. And it has a terrific intro by Kermode too. player.bfi.org.uk/subscription... But do consider taking out a BFI player subscription too!

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Lovely stuff from @stanchow.bsky.social. I've "improved" the envelope.

Poster for the forthcoming Futures and Pasts Festival. An image of Mark E Smith smoking a cigarette and flicking a V side. I've childishly added the word Sinister in biro to the wording on the envelope that reads Do Not Bend

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Thanks @johnrobbofficial.bsky.social , I don't often merit an exclamation mark. Looking forward to reading this

Front cover of John Robb's new memoir, Punk Rock Ruined My Life. Title in pinky red running down one half of the front with a photo of John looking sharp on the right of the cover. Trademark upstanding hair, eyes staring down the camera, pinstripe jacket with shirt open at top two buttons

Signed inside cover: Chris ! John Robb x and a little cartoon face

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footprintsoflondon.com @footprintsoflondon.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

In 1897 a medical officer said Chingford was ‘cut off to a great extent from the rest of the world’. It's obviously not cut off now but it has a very different history to its neighbour Walthamstow. @westminsterwalks.bsky.social explores #Chingford on Monday. Book at footprintsoflondon.com

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Will the Pre-Fab 4 make my top 5 in #5debutalbums7579? Maybe not but I'll have some more tea and think about it

The front cover of The Rutles aka Meet The Rutles. A collage of four covers spoofing Meet The Beatles, Magical History Tour, Sgt Pepper and Let It Be with the Rutles in place of the Beatles and titles changed.

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Sussex Wildlife Trust @sussexwildlife.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Spring flower spotter!

Grid of ten labelled spring wildflowers with photos and names (e.g., snowdrop, daffodil, bluebell, primrose).

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Daniel Dylan Wray @danieldylanwray.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Happy to announce the companion fanzine to my upcoming book. Features 25 + new stories from Cabaret Voltaire, Pulp, Clock DVA, I Monster etc about their musical memories in Sheffield. From post-punk supergroups to Russian enema artists via recording Phil Oakey in the bog. @whiterabbitbks.bsky.social

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I was in a sleeping dream When a policeman brought my mother home #5DebutAlbums7579 #FallFriday And not many sleeping dreams now until the Futures & Pasts Festival in June (though slightly puzzled by the Eventbrite algorithm telling me I might also like the Wellness Weekender)

youtube.com

Futures and Pasts

YouTube video by The Fall - Topic

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

#5DebutAlbums7579 So this is a contender for my top 5? You're telling me And everything is where it ought to be (well it will be by voting day)

The front cover of Real Life, the debut album by Magazine. Four disembodied white heads with distorted features and garish lipstick and eye shadow float on a dirty grey background. The band name and album title in bright red.

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Great that Paddington Bear and Into The Woods have won big at the Oliviers but let's hope nobody pitches a show that brings those two together

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The Wire Magazine @thewiremagazine.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

An annual message from The Wire Publishing an independent music magazine is tougher than ever. We need your continuing support www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/e...

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

#5DebutAlbums1519 Electronica/classical - cross over appeal aplenty from Anna Meredith with Varmints

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

#5DebutAlbums1519 A fantastic live band and their debut captures all their energy Dream Wife - self titled

The three members of Dream Wife huddled together in a black and white photograph at a slanted angle with one band member upside down

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Chris Butcher @chrisbutcher.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

6Music playing the peerless Shangri-La's Train From Kansas City which leads me to this rec for #5DebutAlbums8589 which has a brilliant cover version of it. The self-titled debut by Shop Assistants

Front cover of the one and only Shop Assistants album - four strips of low qual photos of each of the band members arranged in a grid

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