Trading the Spreadsheet for the Setlist
I live in a quiet corner of the Yorkshire Dales with my partner Katie and our dog, Jasper. For years, my world was dictated by the rigid, sterile rows of corporate spreadsheets—a world of optimisation, tracking, and arbitrary metrics.
Then came a major career shift. It was the kind of "I wouldn't start from here" dilemma that forces a total, “artistic differences'“ rethink. I realised you cannot audit your soul on an Excel spreadsheet, and the things that truly make the needle move in life’s Second Act don't come with a corporate health warning.
I decided to stop over-analysing and start acting. North of Here is the result.
A Compass for the Musically Curious
This isn’t a personal diary, and it’s no longer just a blog. North of Here has evolved into an independent digital magazine and information portal for the evolving self—built specifically for those navigating life's Second Stage.
Call it my "Dylan going electric" moment. The acoustic diary is packed away; the amplifiers are plugged in, and the volume is turned up.
I believe that a three-minute song, a heavy gatefold vinyl, or a rain-streaked journey to an independent venue can alter your entire perspective. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know that many of us are standing at our own illogical starting points, looking for a heading that feels real.
The magazine documents that search through four distinct editorial pillars:
FIELD NOTES: The sweat and noise of live gigs. Raw dispatches from the barrier of independent venues.
THE TURNTABLE SPINS: Deep cuts, vinyl culture, and independent music. Celebrating the physical artefacts, the liner notes, and the books that demand our undivided attention.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The travel, the places, and the gear. Mapping the geography of a music obsessive, from independent record shop crawls to the mechanical tech that plays the soundtrack.
LIFE BACKSTAGE: The Second Stage insights to life through music and beyond. Navigating life’s "difficult second album" with the philosophical soundcheck required to explore the broader transitions, disciplines, and note-perfect clarity of life’s next chapter.
The final destination might be unknown, but the jukebox is loaded.
Welcome to North of Here. The spreadsheets are closed. The needle is on the record.