Mental Health - The Ginger Quiff

Back, like a bad penny…

December 9, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

I’m back. Like a bad penny.

I’ve been away from the Ginger Quiff for a short while, but still probably longer than I had initially hoped or intended. Like many others, balancing work and life is sometimes a challenge. Occasionally, that constant juggling of commitments ends up in us dropping a ball.

At times though, it must be a conscious decision to juggle with less balls to make it easier on yourself.

Take a break

Initially, it wasn’t a conscious decision to step away from my blog, I just lacked the free time and head space to give it the quality time I wanted to.… Read the rest

Mental Health Awareness Day 2019

October 10, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Once again, Mental Health Awareness Day/Week has crept up us. It is still a shame that we have a focus like this on Mental Health, that it isn’t yet something that is fully accepted into society and people can speak openly in social or work situations without others judging, outwardly or inwardly, or experiencing feelings of guilt or embarrassment. Having said that, I know there are inroads being made and the more people that do feel they can speak up, the better. More and more organisations are seeing the benefit of having policies around Mental Health and making workplaces safe spaces where people get the support they require rather than being judged or labelled as lazy, or an absence statistic that needs dealt with.… Read the rest

Adventures of Salvador – Welcome to Our Village – album review

July 28, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Do you miss The Fall, those undeniable grumbling vocals from the late and much loved curmudgeon Mark E Smith? If so, you could do a lot worse than get yer lugs round Adventures of Salvador, a band doing a sterling job of filling the void.

Welcome to their world…

In the space of the 3 minutes 40 seconds of opening track, Girl With the Broken Face on their Welcome to Our Village album I am dragged in several directions, the song appearing to draw on the jangly guitar sound of early Happy Mondays, through the weird genius of Eat to the twisted acerbic Manc drawl of everyone’s favourite miserable bastard the aforementioned Mark E Smith.… Read the rest

How Could Anyone Love Him?

June 24, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

How could anyone love him?

He looked in the mirror above the sink knowing the resultant reflection should scare him but reacting with complete indifference. He knew the person looking back at him only too well these days. Nothing shocked him. He didn’t think he had the ability to feel shock any longer.

A soulless gaunt face stared back at him. Ghostly hollow sunken eyes, ghastly pale sallow skin that looked as if it would break and fall away if anyone breathed near him let alone had the inclination to touch his cheek fondly.

Three weeks or so – maybe more, maybe less, he had forgotten – time was inconsequential – growth of facial hair was populating his face.… Read the rest

Southern Approach – Insurrection – album review

June 5, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Now is the time for Insurrection

The title of the new offering from Southern Approach is timely in its title. The dis-United Kingdom is at breaking point – literally, with the shambolic Brexit debacle exacerbating the divides between the people and those in power and that is before we stray outwith these shores…

Southern Approach was the first band to feature on the Ginger Quiff blog and I’m pleased to say that, despite all the shite going on, the band continues to go from strength to strength with the release of their latest rabble-rousing digital album Insurrection.

Beautiful Inside and Out

In a further act of kismet, there is also a mental health link.… Read the rest

Mental Health Awareness Week 2019

May 13, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

This week (Monday 13^th to Sunday 19^th May) marks this year’s Mental Health Awareness week.

I am conscious that I haven’t specifically written about mental health, either my own or in general for some time, other than referencing it in the music I write about. It makes sense then that I throw down a few thoughts to play a small part in raising awareness of this important week.

I do believe we have come a long way as a society in being able to confront social issues often thought of in the past as taboo subjects, including Mental Health, but we still have a long way to go.… Read the rest

Hard Rock Renaissance – Psychobabylon & The Wildhearts

May 9, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

I read an article recently claiming that heavy rock/metal was on the rise again and is currently one of the most popular music genres in the UK.

One of the key proponents of heavy punk influenced rock/metal in the UK for the last 30 years, The Wildhearts, have just released their first album of new material in ten years in the acclaimed Renaissance Men, featuring their classic line up of Ginger, CJ, Danny McCormack and Rich Battersby. In a tenuous attempt to link the two bands, Psychobabylon, who feature Danny’s bandmate JJ Watt from The Main Grains, also have a new 4 tracks EP out in Is This All There Is?… Read the rest

DELINQUENTS – Sober on Sunday EP – review

April 20, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Dundee’s DELINQUENTS released one of my favourite albums of 2017 in the eminently listenable About Last Night, a raucous selection of punk rock tunes.

This four track E.P. is a step progression from their debut, if anything the four tracks here are a cut above, strong musically and lyrically and a sign of greater things to come. This is the sound of David Hennessey and the band making headway, and signalling their future intent. If About Last Night was Saturday, today it is Sunday, and we know what that means…

The band announce their arrival with full throttle pedal to the metal punk riffing and an ode to drinking too much.… Read the rest

Pop Life – Tom Kirkham Interview

November 28, 2018 By neilho27@sky.com

I have recently finished reading, and thoroughly enjoying, “Pop Life, The Story of a Minor Musical Expedition” by Tom Kirkham and reviewed the book for Louder Than War. Fortunately, I also had the opportunity to ask Tom a few questions. I could see a lot of parallels between him and I, so that was where I started.

TGQ: We sound quite similar in many ways. We are music fans with eclectic taste (although I can’t stand Oasis). We’ve been impacted by periods of poor mental health and we use writing as a way of dealing with and overcoming mental health issues.… Read the rest

Developing Resilience

August 11, 2018 By neilho27@sky.com

I haven’t written directly about mental health unrelated to music for a while. It isn’t that this is something that is no longer important to me, or something that I’ve forgotten about. On the contrary, forgetting is not an option. In fact this blog is about just how much mental health has been to the fore in my mind and the way I deal with it has been put in the spotlight in recent weeks.

Dealing daily with your Mental Health

When you are someone who lives with anxiety and depression, every day brings its challenges. Every day. There is no end as such, there is no miracle cure.… Read the rest