Alec Mansion, Tommy Mandel, Harvey Mantel, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Carl Marshall, Mariposa, Cotton Mather… these are just a few of the artists whose albums I took down from the shelves this morning.  I can see from the sticker I’ve put on the inner sleeve that there’s a couple of tracks I dig on the Mansion album, there’s (the definitive?) Christo Redentor on one of the two Mantel records but I only recognise one or two of the other titles on those, and sure, Mariposa is o

Back in 2020, when the world pressed pause, I was asking myself what role music could play in a moment of global stillness. Clubs were closed, dance floors silent, and the familiar rhythm of daily life was replaced with uncertainty and a strange, collective hush.

Phil Cooper reflects on how division and tribalism in music, football, and politics fuel extremism, shape narratives around immigration, and distract from the real concentration of power. A call for unity, dialogue, and communication to break through.