Paul Cole - Writer

I’m supporting the Sunday Times help #getbritainreading and you can too. Reading opens your mind, educates, entertains, and allows you to escape for a while. Spend at least 10 minutes a day reading to yourself or to someone else, just for the fun of it. link.thetimes.co.uk/join/74t/sig...

Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival named Event of the Year BIRMINGHAM’S long-running Jazz & Blues Festival has been named the city’s best event at a prestigious awards ceremony – only months after local government funding cuts threatened its very exist…

Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival named Event of the Year
#jazz #blues #music

First look at new Orient Express carriages for luxury 2027 revamp THIS is the Orient Express – but not as you know it. The world’s most iconic rail travel experience is undergoing a transformation, with a new look due to pull in at the platform in 2027. The first…

First look at stunning new Orient Express carriages set to debut in 2027. #orientexpress #luxurytraintravel
#railtravel #travel #holidays

Book Review: Body of blogger found at Cotswolds Tory conference THE PROOF OF MY INNOCENCE by Jonathan Coe (Viking) ***** WHEN an investigative news blogger is found brutally murdered at a Cotswolds country house conference of far-right movers and shakers, there…

Great read, and already one of my books of the year …

Ghost town visitor wins wildlife photographer of the year award IT is a haunting image – the world’s rarest hyena stalks through the mist as night falls on an abandoned diamond mine. Little wonder that it has won a double award in the Wildlife Photographer of t…

Ghost town visitor wins wildlife photographer of the year award #wildlife #WildlifePhotographeroftheYear #photography #wildlifephotography #nature

90,000 expected at festival in honour of cold beetroot soup THEY’LL be in the pink in Lithuania next Spring as they celebrate one of the oddest events in Europe – a three-day festival in honour of … cold beetroot soup. Yes, you read that right. Cold. Beetro…

90,000 expected at festival in honour of cold beetroot soup. Yes, really. #PinkSoupFestival #Vilnius #Lithuania

Five years since we met, these are the stories you’ve liked most THANKS for popping in! The Paul Cole Writes blog is five years old today and I’m still having a ball, bringing you news and reviews, tips and trivia related to the things I love in life. It s…

Well, time flies! Today is the fifth birthday of the Paul Cole Writes blog, which started life in the depths of Covid lockdown as a travel site but has since widened scope to include my love of music, books and entertainment. Thanks for your support!

Black Sabbath legend Geezer Butler set for all-star stage return BLACK Sabbath legend Geezer Butler is to return to the stage in an all-star A-list band expected to include former Free and Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers and Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum. I…

Black Sabbath legend Geezer Butler set for all-star stage return #BlackSabbath #GeezerButler #rockmusic

Jimi Hendrix lyrics up for auction at hotel on his death certificate HANDWRITTEN lyrics penned by rock legend Jimi Hendrix are to go under the hammer at the London hotel where he stayed during his final months, and which is the address listed on his death certificat…

Rare #JimiHendrix memorabilia going under the hammer at the London hotel listed as his home address on the rock legend's death certificate. #rockmusic #rock #music

Thanks @brookmyre.bsky.social

Revealed: My 20 favourite rock gigs and pop shows of all time AFTER more than 50 years of reviewing rock and roll gigs, pop shows and festivals, I’m often asked what my favourites have been, the nights that have made the most impact on me as a writer an…

@brookmyre.bsky.social Catching up on back catalogue Be My Enemy and just discovered Ger and Alison’s love of The Mutton Birds. One of my favourite bands, and the first time I’ve ever seen them referenced in a novel. They appear in my all-time gigs list

paulcoletravels.com/2025/08/25/r...

Iconic seaside poster at centre of cruelty row wins heritage honour IT is one of the iconic images of the Great British seaside – the jolly fisherman jumping for joy on the golden sands of Skegness. Now, more than a century since its debut, the poster has won an aw…

Iconic seaside poster at centre of animal cruelty row wins heritage honour
#Skegness
#Lincolnshire
#travelart
#travelposters
#railposters

Getting into good hobbits in Lord of the Rings country THERE and back again. It’s every traveller’s tale but immortalised in the journal of Bilbo Baggins, the humble Hobbit hero of The Lord Of The Rings saga. “It’s a dangerous business, going out…

The Hobbit was published this day in 1937. To mark the day here’s a revisit of my visit to the home of Bilbo Baggins …

#thehobbit #lordoftherings #tolkien #middle-earth #newzealand #LOTR

Black Sabbath icon Tony Iommi makes surprise return to the stage BLACK Sabbath guitar hero Tony Iommi last night made a surprise return to the stage, blasting out the iconic Paranoid riff, in his first live stage appearance since the death of his close friend an…

Black Sabbath guitar hero Tony Iommi returned to the stage last night in hometown Birmingham… paulcoletravels.com/2025/09/19/s...

Weird and wonderful weather captured in global photo contest EVERYWHERE you go, always take the weather with you… These are the stunning images that have made the final of the prestigious Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 competition. …

Weird and wonderful weather captured in global #SCWPU photo contest #weather #photography

You might want to sleep on it – Brum’s latest public sculpture THEY’RE seeing red at the University of Birmingham – after the unveiling today of a bold new sculpture that’s been dreamed up to add a dash of colour to the sleepily scenic campus calm. Red Stack, …

You might want to sleep on it – Brum's latest public sculpture… #Birmingham #sculpture #art #university

Historic cathedral city invaded by giant B-movie monsters SOMETHING monstrous is happening in the city of Lincoln. Historic buildings and landmarks are soon to be invaded by giant monsters straight out of a sci-fi fan’s fevered fantasy dream. The Lincoln …

Historic cathedral city invaded by giant B-movie monsters #Lincoln #Lincolnshire #sci-fi #monsters #familyfun

Enjoy hugs from Johnny Vegas at Britain’s big ceramics festival EVERYBODY needs a hug from time to time, and funnyman Johnny Vegas, who lives with the challenges of ADHD, knows more than most. That’s why he’s created an entire avenue of them in a new art instal…

Enjoy hugs from Johnny Vegas at Britain's big ceramics festival #BritishCeramicsBiennial #JohnnyVegas #pottery #sculpture #art

Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts, Birmingham Rep review HE is one of the most iconic figures in modern crime fiction. Detective Inspector Endeavour Morse won the hearts of the nation in the long-running TV drama series starring the late, great John Thaw…

Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts, Birmingham Rep review

Late Motörhead legend Lemmy gets mugged in the Potteries ROCK icon Lemmy was no mug when it came to redefining rock and roll. He took music back to basics, cranked up the volume and played as if his life depended on it. There were no airs and graces. But…

Late Motörhead legend Lemmy gets mugged in the Potteries #motorhead #lemmy #rockmusic

It’s okay to sing the praises of a holiday that hits the right notes YOU know the feeling. You’re just back home after a holiday abroad and you’re singing its praises to friends and family. Sometimes it can be a bit much, and workmates wish you’d change your tune. W…

It's okay to sing the praises of a holiday that hits the right notes …

Yes. Lucinda in Leamington. Great gig!

Revealed: My 20 favourite rock and pop gigs of all time AFTER more than 50 years of reviewing rock and roll gigs, pop shows and festivals, I’m often asked what my favourites have been, the nights that have made the most impact on me as a writer an…

Revealed: My 20 favourite rock and pop gigs of all time

Legends and Lioness lead holiday hotspot football escapes FOOTBALL’S new season may have only just kicked off – but competition is, quite literally, heating up as legends lead footy classes at holiday hotspots in Greece and Spain. Liverpool and England le…

Legends and Lioness lead holiday hotspot football escapes

Record-breaking karate day in Okinawa isn’t just for kicks HERE’S one that’s not just for kicks. Japan’s subtropical southern islands are to stage Karate Day, the big annual event showcasing the legendary martial art beloved of movie makers this Autumn. Ok…

Record-breaking karate day in Okinawa isn't just for kicks #karate #okinawa #japan #martialarts

Book Review: Serial killer claims more victims at Stratford’s RSC PUT OUT THE LIGHT by Guy Hale (Bullington Press,£9.95) Rating: **** ALL the world’s a stage for a killer with a theatrical flourish, but nowhere more so than in Stratford-upon-Avon where murder mos…

Book Review: Serial killer claims more victims at Stratford's RSC #booksky #shakespeare #stratforduponavon

London is turning turtle with the help of a host of celebrity A-listers LONDON’S turning turtle – but in the best possible way. Life-sized turtle sculptures are surfacing all over the capital, designed and painted by A-listers from rock and roll, comedy, TV and art. Yo…

London is turning turtle with the help of a host of celebrity A-listers

Giant painting to mark Women’s Euros football is pitch perfect NOW that’s what I call making a pitch. Regular readers will know that I’m a fan of Swiss-French artist Saype, who is renowned for his huge artworks painted on all manner of landscapes with eco-frie…

Giant painting to mark Women's Euros football is pitch perfect #Saype #Switzerland #art

Geezer Butler: why our Sabbath farewell had to be at Villa Park THE roar of the crowd; the fans baying for more; thousands chanting the names of their heroes … it’s something that never fails to lift the heart of Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler.   But …

Geezer Butler: why our Black Sabbath farewell had to be at Villa Park #BlackSabbath #BacktotheBeginning #AstonVilla #VillaPark

Black Sabbath play the smallest, and shortest, gig of their lives HEAVY Metal legends Black Sabbath are playing the smallest gig of their lives as they prepare for this weekend’s star-studded reunion show at hometown Birmingham’s Villa Park football s…

Black Sabbath play the smallest, and shortest, gig of their lives #BlackSabbath