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Stuart Bailie

Stuart Bailie

Stuart Bailie is a music writer and broadcaster, based in Belfast. His work has appeared in NME, Mojo, Uncut, Q, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Mirror, The Irish Times, Classic Rock and Hot Press. He was Assistant Editor of NME, 1992-96. He was offered out for a fight by Paul Weller, has been called "the wanker who started Blur versus Oasis" by Noel Gallagher and "a tough Nordie c**t" by Bono. 

Stuart's books include:  

Trouble Songs: Music and Conflict in Northern Ireland (Bloomfield, 2018)

We Hope You Will Enjoy The Show: British Music Since 1945 (British Music Experience, 2017) 

The Ballad of the Thin Man: the authorised story of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy (Boxtree, 1997).

Stuart has presented a weekly BBC Radio Ulster show since 1999. He has researched and scripted BBC radio documentaries on U2, Elvis Costello, Glen Campbell and Thin Lizzy. In 2007 he was Associate Producer, author and narrator of So Hard To Beat (BBC NI) – a two part documentary on the story of music from Northern Ireland. It was also shown on BBC 4.

Stuart has presented a weekly BBC Radio Ulster show since 1999. He blogs at www.digwithit.com

Stuart's blog

32 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

Anne Pigalle: Everything Could Be So Perfect (ZTT)

Review by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 26 October 1985

ANNE PIGALLE has a pout that would stop a tank at 50 yards, and a dodgy French accent. ZTT have billed her as one of ...

Sting, The Apollo, Manchester

Live Review by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 25 January 1986

I WAS ALL for getting snotty about Sting's past, and his current pretensions. I wanted to grouse about the megastar menopause. You know, when our ...

Big Audio Dynamite: Porchester Hall, London

Live Review by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 22 February 1986

THE BEST thing that ever happened to Big Audio Dynamite was the Clash releasing Cut The Crap last autumn. Compared with the retarded yelpings of ...

Audrey Hall: One Hit Won't Do!

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 26 July 1986

Yup, it's get out your history books time again. This here is the story of how Audrey Hall became the first female reggae singer to ...

Smiley Culture: Confessions of a Reformed Used Car Salesman

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 23 August 1986

SMILEY CULTURE is still one of the flyest blokes south of the Thames... But he's got a bit serious with it as well ...

Art of Noise, The Fountainhead: The Art Of Noise, Fountainhead: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 30 August 1986

FOUNTAINHEAD ARE having a problem selling themselves. They don't want to wear poncey clothes, or go for all that 'Hammersmith, howya doin'?' blarney. But there's ...

Cutting Crew: Cutting The Crap?

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 6 September 1986

Well, would you trust a man in pink plastic trousers singing saucy songs about orgasms? The Cutting Crew blush nicely. Sartorial eloquence: Stuart Bailie ...

Freddie McGregor: "The ladies tend to have a very close relationship with my love songs"

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 8 November 1986

That's Freddie McGregor speaking. You probably haven't heard of him, but at the moment he's the sweetest crooner on the reggae scene. And he's something ...

Lone Justice: Shelter (Geffen WX73)

Review by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 8 November 1986

THERE'S STILL some mileage to be gotten from those old traditions of rock and country music, all it takes is a little imagination and instinct. ...

Stump: Quirk Out (Stuff STUF/U2)

Review by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 8 November 1986

LISTEN ONCE, and perhaps you'll disregard this as a dreadful racket. Listen again though, and you might well become enamoured with the inspired, intelligent mayhem ...

The The: Infected (Epic EPC 26770)

Review by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 22 November 1986

WITH ALL the ballyhoo surrounding the return of Matt Johnson, and the grand claims that are made about his artistic standing, coming to any judgement ...

The Judds: a family affair

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 21 February 1987

From a back porch in East Kentucky to the top of the US country charts, mother and daughter duo Naomi and Wynona Judd have come ...

Simply Red: The Life and Loves of a Red Devil

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 23 May 1987

Mick 'footloose' Hucknall has done his fair share of living in the fast lane, but don't underestimate him; he can be a sensitive young man ...

Mel & Kim: The Eliza Doolittles of Pop

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 4 July 1987

Only there ain't no Professor 'iggins needed for Mel & Kim; fings is well and truly goin' like the clappers, they're looking forward to their ...

The Kane Gang: Watching The Wheels Go Round

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 4 July 1987

'Motortown' marks the return of Geordie outfit the Kane Gang after an absence of two years. During the interval, they've been reflective, have become more ...

Transvision Vamp: Children of the Revolution

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 5 September 1987

Yes, it's time to get into the sonic groove once more as glam terrorists Transvision Vamp get to bashing out their shiny, high-tech sounds. But ...

Hot House: Souled

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 12 September 1987

Hot House are only on their second single, yet they already possess a soulful maturity and an "emotionally intense" singer who's been compared to Aretha ...

Sinéad O'Connor: Skinéad

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 24 October 1987

From juvenile delinquent to writer, producer, performer and now mother, Sinéad O'Connor is about to become a name on everyone's lips. Stuart Bailie falls under ...

Maxi Priest: Priest of Love

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 7 November 1987

British reggae's freshest star, Maxi Priest, gets stylish with Stuart Bailie, and confesses that he wouldn't mind ending up in Phil Collins' shoes ...

The Pogues, Joe Strummer: The Pogues: "The first thing people think... is that we're a load of moronic drunk cartoon characters playing folk music"

Report and Interview by Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror, 19 December 1987

But no one thinks the Pogues are really like that, surely? To celebrate the hit status of 'A Fairytale In New York', Stuart Bailie legs ...

The Beatles, Black Grape, Boy George, Paul McCartney, Oasis, The Rolling Stones: ...And The Arrest is History: Great Rock'n'Roll Drug Busts Through the Ages

Retrospective by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 25 January 1997

Liam Gallagher's caution for possession of cocaine is the latest in a long line of rock'n'roll drug busts. STUART BAILIE remembers those other pop stars ...

Wilco: Being There (WEA/All formats)

Review by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 1 February 1997

THE UNBELIEVABLE MIGHTINESS OF BEING... ...

Wilco: Being There (WEA/All formats)

Review by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 1 February 1997

THE UNBELIEVABLE MIGHTINESS OF BEING... ...

Foo Fighters, Nirvana: Foo Fighters: Happy Dave Is Here Again

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Vox, June 1997

Dodgy facial furniture aside, Dave Grohl is, without doubt, the most well-adjusted man in rock as he prepares to lead Foo Fighters onto further glory ...

Radiohead: Viva La Megabytes!

Profile and Interview by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 21 June 1997

WHAAAH! SCREECH! Yakka yakka! They're incoming from all sides. Fierce noises from the right, altercations from behind. Just now there's a stormy advance on the ...

Ian Brown: "I'm Ian Brown. I used to be in a band called the Stone Roses."

Profile and Interview by Stuart Bailie, Hot Press, February 1998

It's re-introductions all round, as the Starman embarks on a hazardous solo mission. Stuart Bailie records him taking one giant leap for a man. ...

Snow Patrol: Licensed to Chill

Interview by Stuart Bailie, Hot Press, 3 February 1999

IT'S THE last song of the night. It's the final gig of the year one that has witnessed bizarre accidents, frustrations, some classic moments and ...

Barry Adamson: The Murky World of Barry Adamson (Mute)

Review by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 1 May 1999

TEN YEARS ago, Barry Adamson put out Moss Side Story to a bemused audience. While the Brit scene was hailing house and baggy acts, Barry ...

Tom Jones: Reload (Gut)

Review by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 25 September 1999

DUD ELVIS ...

Feeder: "Sixth-Form Poetry? We Didn't Even Get To Sixth Form."

Interview by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 9 October 1999

Ooh bloody hell, Feeder, eh? All they wanna do is big-boy rock...Text: Stuart Bailie ...

The Clash: Casbah Rock: A Death Threat against the Clash

Book Excerpt by Stuart Bailie, 'Trouble Songs' (Bloomfield), May 2018

Excerpted from Trouble Songs: Music and Conflict in Northern Ireland ...

John Peel, The Undertones: Terri Hooley: I Need Excitement

Book Excerpt by Stuart Bailie, Dig With It Books, November 2023

NOTE: This is an excerpt from Seventy-Five Revolutions, Stuart Bailie's book about the legendary owner of Belfast's Good Vibrations record store. Buy the book here. ...

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