Mistakes were made.
Oliver Burgin-Plews
I was born in October 1998 in Ilford, Essex. My father, Simon, was a guitarist for two bands called The Green Ray and Slithey Tove. I’ll happily admit that the one and only vinyl I own is one of the Green Ray’s EPs, Sighs, Whales and Trees. Unfortunately, I can’t say I got to know him that well as he passed away around the time of my second birthday. The only memories I have of him are a few pictures, the aforementioned vinyl, and his old acoustic guitar. I keep telling myself I need to learn to play it one day.
Me and my Mum moved to the North East in 2002 and have been here ever since. I turned into a sci-fi nerd in 2005 after Doctor Who came back to TV screens and have been a fan of the show ever since. The man I am proud to call my Dad, Colin, came into our lives the following year.
But I never did try getting into music. Not for a long time. Dad tried to get me to learn sing once; Whole Lotta Rosie by AC/DC. Let’s just say I was in orbit around the right notes.
I’ve always had an interest in the media, hence why I ended up at Sunderland Uni doing Media Studies & Creative Writing (and passing with a first, which still baffles me). During that time my main ambition was radio so I joined Spark Sunderland. While there, I slowly began to realise I did enjoy listening to music, but not the modern stuff from Stormzy, Lizzo, Harry Styles, and Ed Sheeran. All credit to them, they’re good musicians, just not my cup of tea. I felt more of a connection with indie music from the 90s, from bands like Blur and Pulp, and the psychedelia of Madchester acts like the Happy Mondays.
October 2019 was when I bought my first album; Different Class, Pulp. Things spiralled out of control from there. Nearly 4 years later, I’ve got over 200 of the things. And I bought Spotify Premium. Lockdown had a lot to answer for.
But yes, that’s me. An indie sci-fi nerd with a blog. As I said on the homepage, I may very well be talking out of my arse during these entries but I just want to document my thoughts and feelings as I continue to experience music for the first time. I may be a few decades late to the party, but I’m still here for it!
A-Side Glance 