Simon Ricketts

Race Across The World but it's Flávio and Bibi on the run from Lula and the ICC

Top night tonight at the Mercury Music Prize in Newcastle. Every shortlisted album was great in my view, but probably a worthy winner, great piece of art.

Lime Garden at the Electric Brixton tonight

I’m one of the few people on this Piccadilly line train older than the carriage itself

The problems we have with Donald Trump are two-fold and escalate in severity. Firstly, he is without doubt the worst person ever to be President of the US. Secondly, America elected him twice. It is actually the latter that shatters the foundations of the postwar democratic world.

🎵 white light white cat 🎵

New blog post, What Will Happen If LPAs Miss The 31 Oct NSD Deadline? simonicity.com/2026/10/17/w...

If you had to come up with the fructal version of a horror movie, one of the main characters would surely be a dragon fruit.

Breaking news from Shaftesbury

In a hotel room, woken up by the alarm that the previous guest must have set on the clock radio. Who does that?! I do miss pre-iphone times: the check-in Qs whether sir wants an early morning alarm call & newspaper, & then seeing the papers outside each door in the corridor so we can judge everyone.

Time for US to get new president says civilised world.

Arkayla again, this time at Camden Dingwalls. Fantastic live band, every song a singalong. Support band The North too. There’s a scene again in Manchester it seems…

Dr John Cooper Clarke on the first night of his tour here in little Tring. Still got it. ❤️

👍👍👍

Nope me neither. There’s currently a plague of nonsense ads like this in the City.

“green” “party”

New blog post, NRL IRL simonicity.com/2026/10/04/n...

40 years old this month… purchased this morning for, yes, still £1.99. A very obedient charity shop.

First gig this year where I was I confess a bit teary eyed it was so good. First Aid Kit with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall.

New blog post, Old Wine In A New Bottle: Heritage Considerations In The New NPPF simonicity.com/2026/09/27/o...

🙂🙃🙂 enjoying yesterday’s rare chazza bargain buy.

🚨🚨🚨 Episode 183 of 50 Shades of Planning is available now via this link or from the usual podcast platforms. A Framework-Led Conversation. pod.co/50-shades-of...

Bunnymen tonight: 1. Trees in Regents Park reminded me of the cover of their 1st album. Crocodiles. Set kicked off with 1st track off that, Going Up. 3. Ever seen Will Sergeant & Andy Burnham in same room? 3. Ian McCulloch hides in the dark these days. But none of us look how we looked in 1980.

Matt just got clattered and is out for at least the rest of the season 😕 #saintsfc

I did first read this as AI. Need to get a life or new glasses.

surely someone has pointed this out

New blog post, Evidenced Unmet Need simonicity.com/2026/09/20/e...

This is indeed an extremely sober conversation on the AI existential risk question. Super-clear explanation. open.spotify.com/episode/1C41...

Bunnymen new album release day 🐰 A couple of tracks in and it’s like slipping on a replacement pair of your favourite comfy slippers. open.spotify.com/album/4IA176...

I'd not really paid much attention to the Piddington campaign till today, but looking at the official X material, with the far right-echoing AI slop visuals, and the group pic alongside Rupert Lowe, it's illustrative of how widely this sort of online-based anti-migrant sentiment has embedded.

Camped out this afternoon in some co-working space that is pumped through with constant low volume landfill indie muzak and I’m close to needing to find where the plug is and ripping it out with my bare teeth.

New blog post, A Problem With The Draft London Plan? simonicity.com/2026/09/13/a...

He has a tattoo of his ex #Cat #Caturday

Well this was the biggest news today in my little bubble. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The man who beat two female protesters with his cane at the Reform conference has been identified as Stephen Cooling - it’s actually there on his conference tag - former UKIP candidate for Erdington and now member of Reform’s Sutton Coldfield branch. Presumably West Mids Police have enough info now

This will not have been a quick get away, I have queued behind orders like this. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes”

New blog post, Developing Near Stations simonicity.com/2026/09/05/d...

“Channel 4 News on the blower, Nige”.

New blog post, Push The Button: The Pro-Development Presumptions, “Substantial Weight” & “Support” Policies In The New NPPF simonicity.com/2026/08/31/p...

Refreshing to read a rock biography where the excess that brings everything to a halt at the peak of the band’s success turns out to be an addiction to cycling.

New podcast focused on future facilities for woman’s football. Short snappy episodes and some interesting interviews planned. Interview here with Sue Day, director of woman’s football at the FA. www.townlegal.com/talk%20about...

New blog post, Planning Appeal Procedure Myth Busting: Statistics Do Not Show Hearings Procedure To Be Inherently More Advantageous For Appellants Than Written Representations simonicity.com/2026/08/29/p...

I hereby rename Washington DC “Trumpton”

it's possible to live a life where everyone grieves its end

New blog post, When Should Strategic Authority Mayors Be Able To Reverse Local Authority Planning Decisions? simonicity.com/2026/08/24/w...