As a podcast enthusiast, attending UniPodFest at Birmingham City University and immersing myself in the world of storytelling was a particularly enjoyable experience and one that will continue to inspire me throughout my journalistic career.

The UniPodFest first took place at Birmingham City University in 2023 after founder of Soundtruism Productions Nina Robinson thought there needed to be more inspiration around the podcasting community in the West Midlands and that’s how the idea was born.

UniPodFest has lived up to its name by emphasising the university community, at the event, attendees included students not only from Birmingham City University but universities and colleges from around the West Midlands which created a dynamic range of perspectives for students who might want to take a leap into podcasting in the future.

This year included panels and workshops from audio professionals such as BBC radio presenter Adrian Goldberg and Jon Gill, podcast lead producer for Goalhanger Podcasts, alongside Sal Ahmad, executive producer of the Zero Ducks Given Podcast. On the day, I was volunteering at the podcast festival as head of desk registration but when I got the chance, I popped into watch this discussion and particularly enjoyed it as the panel delved into the future of sports podcasting, whether there is a market for it anymore and the importance of women in football.

Other workshops included, a pod-trepeneurs panel with Journalist and Good Morning Britain Presenter Marverine Cole as the chair, alongside guests, Emma Conway, Taylor James and Julie Anna Needham.

At the end of the event, a touching tribute was held by Dr Martin Glynn, lecturer at Birmingham City University to Handsworth-based poet, activist, and spoken word artist Benjamin Zephaniah who sadly passed away in December 2023. Truth be told, I did not know a lot about him before the podcast festival but after reading up on him and reading his poetry I was inspired by how he opened the door for other poets of colour to follow in his footsteps.

Benjamin Zephaniah – Photograph: David Morris Creative Commons

Before attending UniPodFest I had always had an interest in podcasting, as audio is my favourite medium to work with. On a daily basis I listen to a variety of podcasts but mainly ones that focus on people’s lives, as a journalist I love to find out what makes someone ‘them’. As a podcast listener, my preference is to actually watch a podcast on social media such as YouTube rather than listen as I like to gauge people’s reactions.

After the event, I felt I learnt a lot about the diversity of the podcasting industry and how we can use the platform to create a bigger voice for those who feel underrepresented. Hearing from professionals who have been in the industry a long time was compelling and I was inspired to continue with future projects.

The post REVIEW // UniPodFest 2024 appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Sheffield’s brand new podcast festival, Crossed Wires, has had an excellent inaugural outing. Sheffield’s strong track record with events like DocFest, the Children’s Media Conference, and Tramlines made me hopeful for a weekend that combined great shows, industry conversations, and a laid-back vibe… and that’s exactly what I got. I look forward to its growth in the coming years.

Disclaimer, I’m a frequent podcast guest and radio interviewee when someone needs a period education expert (which is not never!). I’m also an avid podcast listener, with my particular tastes leaning toward the nerdy and topical (current faves: Lateral with Tom Scott, The Allusionist with Helen Austwick-Zaltman and No Such Thing as a Fish with the QI team, and, due to my Brooklyn beginnings, I’m a long-time fan of NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!)

I was initially unsure whether my adopted hometown had space for another festival in general or could draw audiences for podcasts specifically. Like many locals, I studied here and loved it so much I stayed, and we are fiercely loyal. Was this truly a homegrown festival? I agreed to come along, attend a few shows and give it a review for Pod Bible. An offer to pay my train fare up to Sheffield was slightly alarming – even the PR team thought I was from The South and needed remuneration to convince me to visit The North. I reassured them that I was so local I would be cycling over, but wouldn’t say no to an invite to the launch party.

Festival posters in the Bethel Chapel space – Photograph: Chella Quint

The opening speeches at the brand new city centre food hall, the Cambridge Street Collective, quickly allayed my fears. It turned out I actually knew several members of the wider team. I recognised some former BBC Sheffield broadcasters and bumped into the Lord Mayor, the Chief Exec of the council, and the South Yorkshire Mayor. Turns out the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority (SYMCA) and Sheffield City Council have both pledged three years of funding to help the festival get off the ground. I headed to my first show.

Off Air with Jane and Fi at the Crucible Theatre attracted an audience of primarily older women (although Jane and Fi praised the mum who’d brought her daughter and thanked the husband who’d been brought along by his wife for his patience) and included attendees who’d travelled from as far as Wales and South Africa. Jane and Fi’s relaxed performance, with lights up in the room, felt intimate and welcoming. They answered audience questions, chatted, and discussed their transition from the BBC to Times Radio with refreshing honesty, touching on the challenges of accepting advertising but standing firm against gambling and credit ads. The chance to hear these familiar voices in a more candid setting would become a consistent theme of the festival.

Off Air with Jane and Fi at the Crucible Theatre – Photograph: Chella Quint

I headed back to the opening night party which featured outstanding local choir Neighbourhood Voices and a guest DJ set by local legend Self Esteem. (Serious props to Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who consistently lent her time and talents to the festival all weekend long, starting with the opening party and concluding with her session on Sunday with Adam Buxton.)

The next afternoon, I went along to Talk Art at Sheffield City Hall. Held in the smaller basement ballroom, Talk Art featured an engaging interview with local-artist-gone-London Corbin Shaw. Hosts Russell Tovey and Robert Diament asked the questions, and despite not being familiar with the podcast, I found their approach enjoyable and informative. Shaw’s work, which explores themes of toxic masculinity in football fandom and his sense of place and family, was super resonant. I left with a newfound appreciation for his art and the podcast itself. I even got to meet Russell Tovey, whose television work I’ve always loved.

Talk Art with hosts Robert Diament and Russell Tovey plus guest Corbin Shaw – Photograph: Chella Quint

After a brief visit to Kelham Pride, I came back to the city centre to catch Brown Girls Do It Too at the newly renovated Bethel Chapel (all the fringe events were held in a pop-up black box theatre space here). Hosts Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani captivated the full house with their humour and astute advice about sex and relationships. Their ability to blend serious topics with knowing observational nods to their families’ reactions to talking about (or catching them at) various intimate encounters was appreciated by the most diverse audience I’d seen yet. Their show concluded – as some of their previous live appearances have – with a sharp and triumphant musical number addressing the exoticisation of Asian women, earning them a standing ovation. The atmosphere was electric, and the energy was infectious.

Brown Girls Do It Too – on stage & surrounded by fans – Photograph: Chella Quint

The next day I headed over to The Naked Podcast, another free fringe show in Bethel Chapel, a former homegrown BBC Radio Sheffield production which came back for one night only as an independent outing. For a Naked Podcast, it was all very chaste. Starting in glamorous dressing gowns and then posing coyly in front of some strategically placed foliage, hosts Kat Harbourne and Jenny Elles interviewed Doncaster-born, Burmese-British actress, model and reality TV star Chrissie Wunna in a playful yet empowering session. Their usual openness and Wunna’s frank stories took everyone from giggles to guffaws. The session ended on a particularly heartwarming note, with a shout-out to former Naked Podcast guests in the audience – and a special thanks and birthday singalong to disability activist, former broadcaster (and, full disclosure, good friend of mine) Sam Cleasby. The warmth in the room was real and not just because of the lights keeping the ferns from wilting and revealing and the audience had a lot of affection for this show. I hope it will come back in another incarnation again one day soon.

Kat and Jenny of the Naked Podcast, clothed then hidden by ferns and foliage – Photograph: Chella Quint

Most of the audience went straight from there to The Adam Buxton Podcast at a sold-out Sheffield City Hall. I am on the periphery of Adam and Joe fandom, I caught them on Channel 4 on a visit to the UK as a teen and didn’t quite know what I was watching, but enjoyed it. Although I’m not a regular listener to his podcast, every time I do hear it or see something he’s done I enjoy it, and I’ll be adding it into my rotation. I wasn’t surprised it was sold out: a combination of him and Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) who’s also a fan, were a huge crowd draw, and it was an absolutely amazing show. Wild juxtapositions abounded. After some Buxton-style scathing silliness with AI and a quality interview with Self Esteem, the show ended with her singing a heart-wrenching acapella arrangement of I Do This All The Time with her backup singers… leaving much of the audience of us ‘good sturdy girls’ openly crying… followed immediately by all four women on stage doing a conga line into the wings with not even a wave to the audience, and Adam Buxton shouting goodbye and thanks, and playing a looped video outro sequence where a screenful of cartoon likenesses repeatedly dive into his bottom and are regurgitated to some wacky music. It was all perplexingly wonderful. We were all invited back to Bethel Chapel for a breather.

Adam Buxton on stage and Self Esteem and her singers – Photograph: Ellie Eagle-Skinner

The final show, Katherine Ryan Telling Everybody Everything back at the City Hall, began with her short comedy set followed by an ‘in conversation’ with author and broadcaster Emily Dean. I did actually ask for a plus one for this one to get the full experience of being able to share Katherine Ryan’s ‘can’t unhear that’ moments with a friend, but although we had an extra chuckle over Emily Dean’s obsession with Henry VIII, really the whole room felt like one big hangout, complete with Katherine Ryan herself reminding folks when to get the last train home (even though the show was going longer), and Emily Dean’s adorable dog Raymond roaming the stage (apparently Sheffielders left a good impression on Emily Dean – we are more dog-friendly than Londoners).

Katherine Ryan and Emily Dean (and her dog) thanking the audience – Photograph: Chella Quint

And then, for those who didn’t have to worry about the last train, the festival ended. The verdict? Sceptical at first, but completely won over. Crossed Wires had Big DocFest Energy for me, and that is an excellent thing. The three-year commitment from both the council and SYMCA means there’s a plan for the future. The curation ticked a lot of boxes for me, and clearly even more for everyone else – there were a bunch of sold-out events in both the paid and fringe programmes.

My only critique would be the costs of the paid shows. My experience of having comps for the shows I wanted was unique, and I might not have spent that cash otherwise, but the ‘feel’ of being welcome everywhere was too good not to share with other festival goers in future. I hope next year it’s possible to offer a festival pass, allowing access to all shows for one price (perhaps supplemented by external sales to big draws). Actually, here is my full wishlist as the festival grows: more indie and emerging podcasts, offering an even bigger platform for local voices, improving access by including live captions, and programming in more themed strands, such as my own nerdy faves, plus other popular categories like true crime and politics.

My weekend was filled with laughter, learning, and a strong sense of community, leaving me eager for next year’s event. The festival’s organisation, venues, and overall execution were commendable, and the staff were attentive and ensured accessibility throughout. It has the potential to become a staple in both the podcasting calendar and the Sheffield festival diary. Roll on, Crossed Wires 2025!

Were you at Crossed Wires Festival 2024? What did you enjoy? What would you like to see more of? Let us know in the comments or on social media!

The post REVIEW // Crossed Wires Festival 2024 appeared first on POD BIBLE.

As I’ve gotten older and my friends have started going out less, we’ve begun to swap boozy nights out for increasingly bizarre murder mystery parties. Usually, an industrious volunteer will choose a theme (space cowboys, the set of a 1970s porn film, a 1950s office party, that sort of thing…) and proceed to write a murder mystery plot line so nutty and so ridiculous that the group will spend the evening in fits of laughter. At the start of the night, we’ll usually gather in one room as the writer reads out a painstakingly detailed opening narrative as the rest of us wait in giddy anticipation for the clues that will form the night’s plotline.

I had that same feeling – of giddy anticipation – when I listened to the first episode of COLD TAPES: Winter Over from Free Turn. A murder mystery set against the backdrop of Antarctica’s six-month Winter Over, COLD TAPES centres around the suspicious death of a 33-year-old behavioural scientist Andrew Fairfield. The story is told through a series of ‘found’ tapes including phone calls, police interviews and personal recordings. We start with the moment DCI Tessa McCallister of the Met Police is invited to investigate a murder 9,000 miles away due to the ‘jurisdictional nightmare’ created by The Arctic Treaty. As the story unfolds, the listener becomes privy to the intertwined lives of a small group of international scientists and crew stationed on a remote research base, Bowers Wilson.

A nice idea for a fictional true crime podcast, sure. But what makes this show all the more interesting is the chance for audience participation. Inquisitive listeners are given the chance to win a £10,000 cash prize as well as earning the esteemed title of British Super Sleuth 2024 at Crime Con London 2024, described as ‘the ultimate True Crime event.’

To win the prize, participating detectives will need to explore up to 20 hours of audio content including the victim’s audio diaries, police interviews and other evidence. They’ll also need to demonstrate their ability to notice subtle clues, discrepancies and anomalies as well as showing their critical thinking skills. At a time when internet sleuthing is at an all time high (to a point where it’s even begun to hamper the investigation of real murders) COLD TAPES: Winter Over seems like the perfect outlet for a population hooked on true crime.

As I begin to make my way through the ‘found’ tapes, I find myself wanting to scribble down clues in a tiny policeman’s notebook. The victim’s finger appears to be fractured, there’s an untranslated tattoo written in Chinese script on the victim’s body, an inkling of a love triangle between crew mates… I’m in. To make the series, Free Turn worked with police officers, polar adventurers, and researchers to ensure the experience was as authentic as possible. And, even a casual listener would be able to tell they’ve taken the same meticulous approach to all elements of the show, including the immersive sound design. We hear phone calls cut in and out due to the poor Antarctic internet signal, latex gloves rustle their way through the autopsy and a body bag shuffle as the victim’s body is moved onto a gurney.

Also helping to bolster the show’s believability is an incredible performance from the actor behind DCI Tessa McCallister. Her persistent yet firm approach helps guide the listener through a number of difficult conversations with begrudging scientists, each with an acute case of cabin fever and many of whom are growing increasingly suspicious of the ominous sounding ‘Keony Industries’ funding the entire Antarctic mission. This story, which dances between unexplained mysterious psychotic events, interpersonal drama and strange global conspiracy theories clearly wants to be more than your average fiction podcast.

In fact, Gemma Batterby, COO and Founder of Free Turn, describes COLD TAPES as ‘a cerebral challenge and an intricate puzzle’ and that’s definitely what this is. So much so that the lengthier episodes, made to sound unedited, occasionally leave too much room for the listener to lose the thread. 20 hours of content will no doubt prove too much of an undertaking for some. But, then again, there’s nothing like the promise of £10,000 to keep people listening. A truly creative way to increase your listen-through rate.

Even more innovative than the £10k prize pot, though, is the podcast’s exclusivity model. A £5 ticket to enter the competition gives listeners the chance to binge the series ad-free, as well as giving them access to exclusive additional content. The only question that remains is how many listeners will actually be hooked enough to pay the £5 entry fee?

No matter what the outcome, Free Turn is clearly thinking of creative ways to incentivise listeners to pay for podcasting. Which, in such a turbulent time for industry, feels desperately needed.

COLD TAPES: Winter Over is out April 15th. The competition to solve the case closes on Friday 6th September, 2024. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

—

Beth Watson is a freelance writer and full-time podcast enthusiast, currently working as a Content Discovery Manager for BBC Sounds. Prior to the BBC, she was Marketing Lead at Message Heard where she worked on launching and growing impactful podcasts such as Conflicted, Power Lines and Who Robs a Banksy.

The post REVIEW // COLD TAPES: Winter Over appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Before the show, I managed to chat with producer Annie Brown about the process of making the live show and what they wanted to achieve. “Listeners had such strong feelings about the evidence it was hard to just leave it as it was.” She shared that the overwhelmingly positive reception to the podcast made it obvious they had to involve the audience and give them the chance to play the jury in real time. “It’s just fun to be able to interact and engage with the people that gave the show such life.”

The show was split into three acts:

• Act 1 – A podcast recap with host Elizabeth Day with enough context and details for audience members that might not have listened to the whole podcast. Bonus behind the scenes audio outtakes and pictures of Tristan and Annie’s process kept it freshtoo.
• Act 2 – Feyther on trial. A stern telling off from detectives Jackie Malton and Hamish Campbell to focus on the evidence; a live reenactment of a suspicious phone call from the police file; an animated floor plan of the sequence of events from the night of the murder; and audience voting using a virtual polling app.
• Act 3 – A live Q&A for audience members to ask their questions to Tristan, Annie and Kate Dancy directly.

So what worked? Firstly, Elizabeth Day was the best person to host this show. When I asked Annie why they chose Elizabeth, she said “She’s an amazing stand-in for an enthusiastic audience member. She’s such a deep listener, a deep thinker and pokes and prods at the story as our audience members have been.” That’s exactly what she did on stage, guiding the evening and reminding us of all details we’d overlooked.

The visual elements were helpful too. I have to admit that at times, listening to the podcast was confusing because of the multiple versions of events and the sheer number of important details. The animations of the house and the chain of events were the perfect illustration – even if it did feel a bit like VAR with the audience playing the referee.

I wasn’t a fan of the live voting. Although I understand the intention, I think phones and theatres aren’t compatible. The light, the risk of technical error (of which there was only one, thankfully), and people checking their notifications instantly sucks you out of the world that’s been carefully built around you.

Finally, the story. Ghost Story is so successful because there’s something for everyone: hauntings, murder mystery, true crime, family drama. But at the heart of it is a tragedy. Whether it was a murder-suicide or a double homicide, these deaths are personal to the Dancy family. Ghost Story is not unscathed from criticism of sensationalising a personal family trauma, most vocally by one member of the Dancy family, Tash Cutts. Her open letter condemning the show was handed out outside the theatre. This criticism fits into a wider conversation in the podcast industry about the ethics of seeking out, dramatising and profiting from vulnerable individuals and their stories.

True crime makes great content because you have the thrill of someone’s messy and exciting reality while watching from a distance. But at what cost?

Ghost Story Live was made for the fans who loved the story, loved the characters and those who wanted to dive into the details together. The newly shared pictures and testimonials, particularly of Naomi Dancy, were a wonderful addition to an already vivid podcast, and served as a reminder of the central themes of legacy and reckoning with reality. Even after seven episodes, a bonus episode and a live show, I was still debating who could have committed the crimes! So, as we drop the final curtain on season 1, the ghosts of Feyther, Naomi and Maurice certainly live on…and I’m confident the legacy of Ghost Story will remain with us for a long time.

Listen to Ghost Story on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other popular podcast apps >>

—

Katie Stokes is a freelance writer, editor and podcast producer. Her work explores mental health, social relationships and identity. She is the host of Re:Mind the Podcast, unpacking how small behaviours have a big impact on our mental health. She is also an educator, creating audio and video resources for migrants looking to learn English.

The post REVIEW // Ghost Story – Live appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Described as a ‘sonic scrapbook and a passport to roam’ Lowlines follows Petra Barran as she travels solo through the Americas. What pulled me to listen to the series was the production process – the original audio was recorded on the fly by Petra, who’s described as a ‘novice presenter and producer… without an itinerary to record’. It was only in post-production that Social Broadcasts and Scenery Studios used the (sometimes very) raw tape to pull together a narrative.

Producer Lucia Scazzocchio, Host Petra Barran and Executive producer Lina Prestwood

This style of production was sold as unusual, but it’s something a lot of novice presenters/producers – myself included – will recognise, particularly when it comes to travelling through your headphones. The resulting mix of musings, field recordings, original music and conversation is a style we find in a lot of travel podcasts. But if I draw comparisons to a more intentionally crafted production – such as QCODE’s Thru series, which has a similar ‘journey of discovery’ premise – Lowlines feels more like a reflection on a trip rather than a story of a trip. Whilst thru-hiker, Cody Hofmockel, went into his journey as a journalist wanting a narrative, Petra set out to find a narrative after her journey.

I recognise this need to seek understanding after the process, rather than letting the recording process add a shape to your trip itself. The result with Lowlines is that Petra’s recordings do invite escapism to the Americas, but not the type of escapism that allows the listener to forget the world. Instead, it asks us to imagine ourselves in the location as a whole: in the first episode ‘Second Line’ we don’t just get the tourist view of New Orleans with the Jazz parades, we get the reminder from a resident that this is a funeral procession. We get to really hear the heart of the city with a conversation in someones’ living room.

Despite the focus on soundscapes, the moments that stick in my mind are the parts with very little noise: it is Petra’s description of New Orleans from the air as ‘a mass of tiny little scabs’ – something that could be offensive but paints the image perfectly; it is the man working on a Louisiana levee who sounds slightly defeated as the almost unspoken threat of a Katrina-level disaster lingers in the conversation.

It’s the weight to these kinds of conversations that stops the listener from sinking into the soundscapes too deeply. Host Petra does acknowledge this heaviness to the content: at the end of the second episode, she ends an audio diary by going to watch The Kardashians in her hotel room. It’s a needed moment, because I found certain layers of sound and conversation quite intense.

Overall, the description of a sonic scrapbook feels like an apt one – listening to the series as a whole could be a bombardment of too much to take in, and there’s pieces that I found more interesting that others. But we get a collage of moments that are important to Petra. Listeners might not find resonance in everything they are offered, but everyone would be able to take something away.

The first episode of Lowlines, ‘Second Line (New Orleans)’, is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other popular podcast apps >> 

The post REVIEW // Lowlines appeared first on POD BIBLE.

In the spirit of bringing together different perspectives, we thought it would be good to try and get two reviews: One from a writer that can relate to Clive, and one from a writer that can relate to Laura.

Read on to find out what Laviea Thomas and Mimi Jones thought of the Heirs of Enslavement podcast…

“A sentimental and riveting listen with honest story-telling.”

Heirs of Enslavement tells the story of the bloodline of the oppressed via Labour MP Clive Lewis, and the bloodline of the oppressors, via British-American journalist Laura Trevelyan.

It’s a burningly honest and surreal conversation that gives an insight into the story of Grenadian slaves from all angles, with facts and statistics provided by Grenadian historian and author, Nicole Phillip Dowe.

For Black people tuning in, especially those of West Indian descent, Clive’s perspective is an open book that allows you to feel like your voices have been heard. When discussing the importance of this conversation, Nicole emphasises that: “It’s history that has to be talked about, history that has to be spoken about, history that has to be discussed.” This is a really remarkable and important statement to hold onto, as it acknowledges the fact these stories are retold not to imprison ourselves in the trauma of our ancestral history, but to stay knowing.

Clive’s return to his home town to reconnect with his roots and his father, Tony Lewis, “a famed trade unionist,” is a powerful moment. You can feel the overwhelming sensation of emotions from the audio. Having spent a long period away from his ancestral home, Clive’s return is a cathartic moment that a lot of Black people and people of colour can relate to.

It’s important to see a British member of parliament be involved in something like this. Especially following King Charles’ recent half-empty ‘apology,’ to Kenya after they asked for an ‘unequivocal apology‘ from the British monarchy in relation to years of colonialism and enslavement. As a representative member of British politics, Clive’s involvement in this podcast is something that could, arguably, cost him his job. Nevertheless, this level of honesty across British media is not only refreshing to see, but is an essential for those who can relate to Clive.

In just the first episode this podcast offers Black listeners a space to feel emotions they might have pushed aside. It’s often for us to subside our emotions, in fear of the reactions of our white peers. More often than not, we aren’t allowed to feel emotions of deep sadness, or anger about our historical timeline. Heirs of Enslavement allows you to tap into those without second-guessing how it may affect others.

A brilliant and insightful first episode, to say the least.

Laviea Thomas is an experienced freelance music and culture journalist and creative copywriter based in north London. With a knack for writing, Laviea’s journalism can be seen across print and digital publications with current bylines spread across Metal Hammer, NME, Skiddle, WhyNow, Rock Sound, The Forty-Five, The Quietus and Overblown.

“Heirs of Enslavement is not an easy listen, but I am certain it will help”

Slavery remains an awkward subject for many British people. Even without knowing our full family histories, if we are white it’s likely at least one ancestor participated in trades connected to slavery.

That truth is uncomfortable. I get it.

Yet the open dialogue in Heirs of Enslavement demonstrates why we must reckon with slavery’s enduring impact.

Like many Northern Irish Christians, my great-grandparents devoted themselves to spreading the gospel. Most of their missionary work occurred in Africa’s British occupied colonies.

Only after both great-grandparents died did I grasp the missionaries’ reality. Sorting through their belongings, my grandfather casually mentioned the “help” in his childhood home- the cleaning woman, the cooks and so on. When pressed on whether the workers were paid, he muttered about his mother helping with their schooling – and that was all we ever discussed on the matter.

My grandfather seemed oblivious to our shock over this revelation. Perhaps it’s not surprising given the way we’ve whitewashed our history. It’s unfortunate but a single Heirs of Enslavement episode taught me more about slavery’s legacy than any textbook or family conversation ever has.

This invitation to address the trauma that the slave trade has left, and the shame many British people have, let’s us hear Laura and Clive discuss incredibly important aspects of our past, and answer questions we may not have known we had.

Within only the first episode, this show gives us such a diverse range of experiences within Grenada’s history. With Clive Lewis MP whose family were enslaved on the island; Laura Trevelyan whose family owned around six plantations; Clive’s dad, Tony Lewis, and teacher/historian Niccole Phillip-Dowe who helped Laura with her family’s public apology, they bring personal stories of the real impact slavery had.

Amongst discussing the Trevelyan’s reparations, they suggest the possibility of the British Government finally apologising and paying our own reparations. It was particularly interesting to hear the joy from Niccole and Tony if such a thing could happen. What seems like an obvious gesture to many would mean funding for hospitals, schools, books, and finally making a change for the better after our centuries of horrific treatment to people across the globe.

Our families and country are more complicit in slavery’s history than we like to believe. Confronting that truth may be the only way to mend its persisting wounds. Heirs of Enslavement is not an easy listen, but I am certain it will help us start addressing the atrocities our ancestors committed.

Mimi Jones is a poet and playwright, exploring autism, queerness and disability through their work. They run QueerOutLoud, the South Wests Queer Creatives Network, and have spent 2023 as Young City Laureate, helping nurture the diverse voices in Plymouth’s poetry scene. Follow them on socials @MimiJMedia and @QueerOutLoud.

—

The second episode of Heirs of Enslavement, ‘Our Shared Legacy’ was released on 17th November. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

The post REVIEW // Heirs of Enslavement appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Podcasts based on scandals are so ubiquitous that it takes a juicy story to stand out nowadays. Thankfully, Wondery has really upped the ante with Hooked on Freddie, the true story of a dolphin sex scandal set in a sleepy English town in the late 1980s.

The podcast tells the story of animal rights activist Alan Cooper, who developed a close friendship with a wild bottlenose dolphin (nicknamed Freddie by locals) when the mammal appeared in Amble Harbour in Northumberland. The quiet town was concrete and grey before Freddie turned up but soon became a vibrant tourist trap, with B&Bs selling out for the first time in years and everyone from New Age digeridoo players to the Blue Peter team turning up to get a look at Freddie.

As well as the friendship with Freddie, we hear about Cooper’s rivalry with Peter Bloom, dolphinarium manager and head trainer at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire. Both men claim to be animal lovers, but Cooper rails against the idea of exotic animals in captivity and hates everything Bloom stands for. The feud will threaten one of the men’s livelihoods and destroy the other’s life.

The six-part podcast series is hosted by Becky Milligan, who first covered Freddie’s appearance in the North Sea as a student journalist. Milligan, who once reluctantly swam with Freddie herself, draws on original interviews from the late 1980s and early 1990s and new reporting — including interviews with Cooper and the Bloom — to tell the tale.

I had family local to Northumberland who lived through the scandal, so I’d heard about the “man who loved a dolphin a little too much”, as my older cousin tried to describe the story. However, I knew little beyond the tabloid headlines and nothing of what happened next. Hooked on Freddie is a podcast that benefits from knowing as little as possible, so I suggest you don’t Google the case before diving in.

But it is worth saying that Cooper became the subject of nasty rumours about potentially inappropriate behaviour with Freddie in 1990. Cooper laughed these off, but by 1991, the animal rights activist faced criminal charges of sexually assaulting a dolphin — setting off a tabloid storm.

The first unfounded accusation changed the course of Cooper’s life, and the series details the aftermath of his arrest for, as a police officer couldn’t bring himself to say without laughing, “wanking off a dolphin.”

The accusation seems barely credible to Cooper’s friends, but the case goes to the crown court, where the animal lover faces a deeply humiliating trial. The charges could hardly be more disgusting for a vegan animal rights activist. And however unbelievable the accusations are, they cause other activists to distance themselves for fear of guilt by association.

Wondery is known for its incredible range of true crime podcasts, including Dirty John, Dr. Death, and The Shrink Next Door, and Hooked on Freddie features the same levels of suspense, intrigue and twists we’ve come to expect from the network. With vivid soundscapes scoring the story and Milligan’s excellent reporting, the episodes (clocking in at under 40 minutes) whiz by. I greedily gobbled up the first three episodes and now face the prospect of waiting weeks for the story’s conclusion.

It’s a ridiculous story that you wouldn’t imagine having lifetime consequences, but the ripple effect on Cooper’s life after the accusations add a layer of tragedy. The episodes may have a heavy subject matter but feature real moments of genuine levity to break the tension. Milligan gets some great quotes from her interviewees, and her delivery is full of wit. Hooked on Freddie is a great and sometimes tragic story of love and rivalry, truth and rumour and the relationship between humans and the natural world. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

Listen to Hooked On Freddie on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

—

Catherine Renton is a freelance journalist specialising in lifestyle and culture. Her work has been featured in the likes of The Guardian, the i, Metro, Vogue, Refinery29, PodPod and Empire Magazine. She regularly appears on live radio and as a guest on BBC Radio podcasts, including Woman’s Hour and the Digital Human. When she’s not writing, she will likely be walking her dog while listening to one of the hundreds of podcast episodes she refuses to delete from her phone. Find out more about Catherine >>

The post REVIEW // Hooked On Freddie appeared first on POD BIBLE.

The concept of the Nomono Sound Capsule is undeniably innovative. When I first tried it out, the ease of recording blew me away but I’ve been using a demo model for just under a month (I will be returning it to the company) and can now identify more clearly the features that I love and those that didn’t quite work like the site said they would.

The design is clean, the microphones look smart on camera, and the case is light and compact. It’s perfect if you record in different locations and need portable gear without the faff of multiple mics in different cases and recorders and cables and extra batteries and SD cards.

The Sound Capsule includes four wireless lavalier microphones and a spatial recorder with a big red button on it. Hit that button, and a few seconds later you’re recording. It detects which microphones you’re using and you don’t need to set any levels. Generally the Nomono was reliable and delivered as expected, however once or twice it wouldn’t register that I was only using one microphone and kept recording all of them which was frustrating.

The Nomono team were quick to look into it when this issue was raised, and explained that it could be caused by the outer carrying case being too low on power (despite all microphones and the central spatial recorder being fully charged), so it couldn’t recognise which microphones had been removed. This isn’t obvious to users, so Nomono have said they will include a note in the user manual to highlight this and are looking at ways to solve it in the next gen, which I think would be a great idea as there will be times when producers let the charge in the outer case get low or find themselves in the field with it out of battery.

The microphones are omnidirectional so you’re obviously not going to get the same vocal richness and warmth as you would from a traditional VO mic but the quality is good and I didn’t have any problems with peaking or distortion so the device set the levels well. I noticed occasional popping in the audio when the microphone was positioned in the centre of my shirt as specified by the instructions, but when the microphone was positioned off-centre this was no longer as much of a problem.

When you’ve finished recording, you hit the big red button once again and the audio files automatically upload to the cloud. No SD cards needed. When you have Wi-Fi this upload is fast, but if you don’t have Wi-Fi the recorder will store ~15 hours of audio and upload it as soon as it connects to Wi-Fi. I have used the recorder a lot over the past month and I only had an issue once when I was recording without Wi-Fi. When I reconnected to Wi-Fi, the audio from only one microphone uploaded to the cloud and the other microphone’s audio disappeared.

By far, the most exciting feature of the Nomono Sound Capsule is its capacity for spatial audio. The Sound Capsule monitors where the microphones are in relation to each other, so you can hear the speakers moving around your headphones as if they’re in the room with you. It takes aural storytelling to another level.

The Sound Capsule is £2,190 (ex VAT) plus subscription costs for the Cloud. You can use the Nomono without the cloud or use the Free subscription tier, but the most useful tier is $29 a month. Weighing up the few issues I’ve had with the device, I couldn’t justify paying over £2,190. However, as someone who writes a column for Pod Bible on innovation in storytelling, I think the spatial audio element and portability is exciting.

Alternatives at a lower price point:

DJI Mic: https://www.dji.com/uk/mic 
Zoom F2: https://zoomcorp.com/en/gb/handheld-video-recorders/field-recorders/f2andf2-bt/

The post REVIEW // Nomono Sound Capsule appeared first on POD BIBLE.

The Podcast Show 2023 took place at The Business Design Centre, London from the 24th to 25th of May. This was my first Podcast Show and I managed to attend the last day coming down from the Midlands. When you walk into the venue, you’re greeted with a massive purple wall with the names, locations and time of panels and talks. Even though there was a handy app to help you plan your day, this wall did help as I have to admit I did feel overwhelmed with the choices, almost cautious that if you blinked you missed everything.

Nevertheless the app and wall were both a great opportunity to feed your curiosity, as well as filter out and focus on your aims. In between talks I visited some stalls and had some really insightful conversations with independent companies about their goals for the audio industry – each sharing their unique perspective for content. I loved hearing about Whistledown Productions and their process of making a documentary and making my way to Curly Media to discuss their reality TV approach to podcast production. Lastly, I finally met the Pod Bible team in person and attended their “Creating A Community” panel led by Francesca Turauskis. This panel highlighted the importance of collaboration and listening to your audience – Tom Dark (Monkey Tennis – The Alan Partridge Podcast) mentioned getting a Whatsapp number so the audience could send in voicenotes as an example of this.

The “Interviewing The Interviewer” panel on The Rise Up Stage was actually the first talk attended. Hosted by Sali Huges from the Guardian and the panel were Oloni (Laid Bare), Chian Reynolds (from YouTube podcast Grilling) and Char Ellesse (Founder & Director of Girls Will Be Boys). The main aim was to have a conversation regarding the interviewing process – all the way from the research, to the interview and post production. Members of the panel were adamant to point out their platforms were about championing marginalised voices – Char said on her podcast Say It With Your Chest her main concern is not necessarily about the biggest names, “It’s less about profile and more about who’s got something to say.” Oloni agrees that the profile of a guest is not important on Laid Bare. “What I truly wanted was someone who has a story to tell, I don’t care about visibility.”

These approaches can truly be admired considering the current state of the audio industry. Though at surface level it is truly a joy to see numerous independent companies push to welcome something different. And there is a plethora of freelancers connecting and showing a genuine curiosity regarding audio. However we cannot ignore the evidence showing how the diverse output is not matching the numbers.

Takudzwa Mudiwa – the writer – at the Podcast Show

At a session called “UKAN State of the Audio Industry 2023 – Time to give up on DE&I”, Content is Queen Founder Imriel Morgan launched an Open Letter calling on the audio industry to “Say Less Do More” before Head of UKAN (UK Audio Network), Laura Blake, announced findings of the UKAN State Of The Audio Industry Survey 2023, which included the average salaries of people working in audio. The conclusion was “If you are not white and not a man, you are earning less than you were in 2020.”

This is an even more disappointing finding if you note the promises that numerous companies made during the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd – to put diversity at the forefront of their decision making. As Content is Queen is no longer able to do the International Women’s Podcast Festival due to a lack of funding and support – you have to ask yourself where is the action? The Podcast Show showed the range of women hosting, producing and editing, so the issue is not a lack of talent. So as we reflect on these exciting two days and celebrate the moving and shaking of the podcast industry it will be redundant to not acknowledge its shortcomings – to echo Content Is Queen “Let’s value these voices for what they indeed are – not just diverse but essential contributors to the richness and growth of our shared audio landscape.”

Were you at The Podcast Show 2023? What did you enjoy? What would you like to see more of? Let us know in the comments!

The post REVIEW // The Podcast Show 2023 appeared first on POD BIBLE.

In Hauser & Wirth London, Axel Kacoutié and Lou Mensah sit in front of a Amy Sherald painting titled “For love, and for country” (2022). The piece is part of an exhibition called The World We Make and it’s Amy’s first solo show in Europe. The piece is also the subject of ‘Interludes: Dream Recurred’, the fourth episode in the new season of the Shade Podcast, which this live podcast experience is launching.

Interludes is a collaboration between multi award-winning sound artist Axel Kacoutié and Shade, where six contemporary artists answer the question: What does healing sound like?

Lou Mensh and Axel Kacoutie. Photo credit: Kid Circus

In previous seasons of the Shade Podcast, host Lou would hold interviews between artists and herself regarding how art has moved through their life. It would result in conversations about what art means personally, but also beyond one person. A particularly harrowing season of Shade was after the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020 – season four reflected on how the media responded to the uprising.

Speaking to Lou before the show, she told me that though those conversations were timely, she felt that after this response the audience needed a place where they could find some sort of solace. “I just thought next season I want it to be a gift to the audience and for people who are listening, something that can hold them, comfort them and acknowledge the need for everyone just to take a step back – to take some respite and some selfcare. I just wanted to create a small space through this series with Axel that would help people do that.”

This is evident through Axel’s sonic response. At the launch, they play us a snippet of the episode ‘Dream Recurred’ – Amy discusses the piece “For love, and for country”. Her images depict Black Americans in ordinary everyday situations and also reimagines them in historical moments: This piece in particular was a recreation of the photograph VJ Day in Times Square (1945). She fondly mentions friends she cares deeply about and wanting them to be represented, and it is followed by Axel using audio of Amy simply repeating the words “love is love” – the words linger in the air and the audience take them in. After sitting in comfortable silence for some seconds, Axel explains why the use of repetition not only emphasises the statement but reminds us how grounding the listening experience can be.

Credit : Amy Sherald ‘For love, and for country.’ 2022

“I feel like there’s a lot that the body and ear can do and need and I wanted to speak to that intuitive response,” they continue, “to follow how sound and music works to encourage and evoke a stillness,” a stillness that is often difficult to find in podcasting.

Lou talked briefly about how as the Producer she broke the housekeeping rules of podcasting – there is no traditional intro and outro, no break for ads and sponsors. Lou wanted all of that removed, “I wanted it to be an audio but also a physical and an emotional space to rest. For people to just relax. In audio there’s a lot of talk, a lot of chat, there’s a lot of fast energy. There’s a lot of slick audio making but I feel like it misses that capacity to hold people emotionally. I just felt like it was something I would try and do.” I felt like this approach of break in structure from Lou and these moments of quietness and minimalism for Axel worked well together – healing itself is such a nuanced and deeply personal topic; it is never linear therefore giving the listener a moment of reflection and breaking tradition feels just.

For those who have been listening to Shade for a while, you may remember the first glimpse of collaboration between Axel and Lou was the final episode of the 2021 four-part series of conversations exploring anti-racism in the arts, co-curated by Shade and Convergence. They’ve wanted to work together since, both confirming that it had been a year long process to get Interludes made. However, to add a timeline to projects like these is reductive. In some of the Interludes episodes, the sounds Axel used draw inspiration from projects that were made ten years ago, “It’s all part of the healing process that being able to give life to things that you thought would never see the light of day,” Lou adds, “I’ve been working in the arts for nearly 30 years so there is no way that all the things I’ve experienced and been a part of, have not been a part of this series because they have, so it’s a lifelong process of memories and inspirations.”

This project was as much for the creators as it is for the listener.

Listen to Interludes on The Shade Podcast now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post REVIEW // Shade Podcast LIVE – Interludes appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Rae shared anecdotes of what they don’t teach you at university. We followed her battle with both e-coli and imposter syndrome – I am not sure which was more crippling. And what do you do when you are the only female in an expedition in the jungle and you run out of period products? Listening to this regressed me straight back to my first field study in the wetlands of Guyana during rainy season, when I really wished someone had told me to cover my butt with mosquito spray too, as that particular snack would be very much on display when I visited the outdoor toilets.

Oddly, Rae highlights that it was when her work took her to Kenya, which was her first time in a predominantly black country, that she was the only female, black scientist in her team. Race was continually in the forefront of the discussion, and she constantly has to prove herself and explain herself before she could get on with just doing her job.

Rae very effectively compares the micro-aggressions she received to mosquito bites. One mosquito bite a day is tolerable, but one a day in the same place every day, over and over again, will drive you bananas. Outsiders, who haven’t had the daily dose of mosquito bites, and might not even have noticed that you have been bitten, will only see someone (female, of colour) kicking off for seemingly little or no reason.

The most offensive example she gives is the time she was walking up to a stage to receive an award and someone handed her a plate, thinking she was catering staff.

After bringing these inequalities to light in season one, the second season of Going Wild kicked off on 27th September with a question many women are forced to deliberate: “How will having children affect my career?”

Sure, Rae has a more extreme career path than many. Most of us do not spend three months at a time tracking bears in the wild… But getting married and having children still disproportionately changes the path of life for women. Rae wanted more than a desk job, she didn’t want to settle, and what her husband would have to sacrifice or compromise on never seems to have come into the equation.

Episode two features Christine Wilkinson, a hyena expert (I didn’t know that was a job, and now I want it) who echoes Rae’s experiences in the field. It was only when she arrived in Kenya that she was, for the first time, like Rae, the only female black scientist on the team. Being half black, she felt like the outsider regardless of who she was with. This feeling of lack of belonging will strike a chord in many.

Although the show addresses some big cultural topics, there is fun stuff in this podcast too. Listen to find out what a meat tree is, for example, and learn the endearing story of Smiley the hyena…

But the ultimate lesson is clear: let’s get more people of colour involved in science, so the next generation see more people like them in roles – such as ‘hyena expert’ – that they might want to achieve for themselves.

Listen to Going Wild on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post REVIEW // Scientists are people too: Going Wild with Dr Rae Wynn-Grant appeared first on POD BIBLE.

At the London Podcast Festival, the cast of Drunk Women Solving Crime (Hannah George, Catie Wilkins and Taylor Glenn) and RedHanded (Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala) head to the stage with bottles of Waitrose-branded Cava. This is the second time the shows have collaborated so there is already a deep familiarity with each other and their sense of humour. The ladies pour Cava into their glasses, ready to tackle some mysteries.

Since 2018, the three hosts of Drunk Women Solving Crime have gathered to solve true crimes that are a bit more lighthearted than the usual calibre of misdemeanours. Plus, every guest must present a personal crime that the team must solve together.

Tonight, they begin by inviting Suruthi Bala to share a story from her university days: the strange disappearance of her notebook with crucial notes from lectures, as well as a distinct pair of shoes she found at a stranger’s house… Suruthi’s story goes on for some time, with each extra detail making the case more intriguing. In the end, the team reckon it was the rival flat of girls below Suruthi as revenge for her disrupting their partying activities. It’s good fun and gets the audience warmed up to the true crime we are about to dissect.

The case is that of Helen Hullick, who was arrested for repeatedly wearing trousers when testifying in court. Host Taylor Glenn is fairly arbitrary in the rules of the game. She begins a sentence about the story but then leaves a pause for Team Drunk Women or Team Redhanded to guess what happened next. Most of the scores are dished out for who made the funniest quips rather than legitimate guessing (though the two sometimes came hand-in-hand).

This section of the show has a good balance of an intriguing story, whilst also having the air of a bunch of friends having fun and making each other laugh, which is infectious. The audience feel welcome to contribute their guesses, which is welcomed by the teams on stage, and we are even granted a point! When it comes to wrapping up this segment, Team Drunk Women and Team Redhanded call it a draw, because it doesn’t really matter who won, but instead it was about sharing this fascinating story.

Now it’s time for an audience member to share a story. The chosen storyteller is the sister of someone who previously submitted a ‘true crime’ for the team to solve (which if you hadn’t listened to the show you might not understand). This segment ends rather succinctly, as Taylor’s now keen to keep to time, but it leaves room for some extra jokes and funny misunderstandings.

The audience members who were familiar with the shows had had the Drunk Women/Redhanded fix they wanted, and laughed alongside the cast. There were a number of people who had not listened to either podcast featured, but this felt like a show where it was not necessary to have done the research. The structure was clear, the story of Helen Hullick was engaging, and the comedy left the audience feeling satisfied, with their spirits lifted.

Before we leave, Taylor shares all the achievements Helen Hullick went on to do as a way to celebrate a fantastic woman who always advocated for fairness and equality. I think about how the show was a fun way to dissect the way the patriarchy can be needlessly inconvenient, and the fantastic ways women hit back with their stubbornness.

Listen to Drunk Women Solve Crime on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

Listen to RedHanded on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post REVIEW // A night with Drunk Women Caught RedHanded appeared first on POD BIBLE.

In the case of the live show I saw at the London Podcast Festival, the panel consisted of Sarah Bennetto and Njambi McGrath (Empire Strikes Back) vs Abigoliah Schamaun and Sharlin Jahan (The Right Side). The third team playing was the Hive Mind of the Audience.

I wasn’t expecting a show that has a theme tune with the words “we’re short, we’re round, we’re brown or we’re queer…” to keep very much off the table when it comes to comedy fodder, and host Deborah Francis-White came hot out of the gate to acknowledge the “change of staff at Buckingham Palace.” Luckily, the audience were receptive to the quip, because there were several of the same theme that followed, culminating in the recognition of the show taking place in King’s Place.

Seeing the recording of this panel show was a peak behind the curtain and, as someone who has attempted to control a panel conversation, it was reassuringly chaotic. It’s also great to see the amount of teamwork that goes into the episode you can hear – Deborah is the host, but questions are set by Ned Sedgwick. The panel brought their stories and jokes (some more loudly than others) and the little musical ditty was played live by Mark Hodge. Even the Producer (a job that often needs coaxing out into public) Tom Salinsky was present to rile up the audience at the start and wind down the comedians towards the end of time.

There were points that highlight we are all somewhat out of practice with live shows: several segues had to be read more than once, a few jokes didn’t quite land a laugh (although listening back to the episode, they seem funnier because of that). And as an audience we needed a lot of encouragement to get involved. The Global Pillage team were perhaps sorry they encouraged us because the first answer that was given appears to have been too rude for the podcast version!

But it was fun to feel the energy in the room, and be involved in the show.

Oh, and I completely forgot that I gave an answer for the Hive Mind at around 16mins. I do like a good pun…

Listen to Global Pillage Live at the London Podcast Festival 2022 now on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post REVIEW // Global Pillage LIVE at the London Podcast Festival appeared first on POD BIBLE.

For those of you who missed Root of Evil, this 2019 hit saw hosts and sisters Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile unravel their own family secrets. They set about exploring their grandfather Dr George Hodel’s involvement in the 1947 Elizabeth Short case, The Black Dahlia Murder. And now Pecoraro and Gentile are back with Facing Evil, delving into a different case each week with a touching affinity to families also hit by tragedy.

This podcast starts as an ode to Hawaii, where the hosts are from. And this is where the first case takes place. Lisa Au left her boyfriend’s sister’s house in Honolulu one night in 1982, and no spoilers, but it did not end well for her.

Pecoraro and Gentile go through the various suspects (it’s always the boyfriend, right?) and discuss the chilling possibility that it was someone posing as a police officer who pulled her over to the side of the road that night.

Episode 2 covers the 1998 murder of 21-year-old gay student Matthew Shepard. He was approached by two men at a bar and inexplicably left with them. He was found the next day tied to a fence, and died six days later as a result of his injuries.

Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were caught and charged, and this case brought hate crimes to the forefront of the public’s mind. The suspects even used homophobic slurs during their testimonies to the police.

Pecoraro is gay. Gentile is clearly an ally. Pecoraro came out at 30 (she is now 43), and says she would have come out sooner if not for this murder, which took place while she was in high school. The direct impact of this murder on these sisters is tangible.

The first two cases addressed by Facing Evil led to changes in US legislation. In the Lisa Au case, police officers are no longer allowed to use blue lights on top of civilian-appearing cars, because it is too easy to impersonate. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was introduced and signed into law by President Barack Obama. It aims to protect people from hate crimes at any time, and not just while partaking in protected activities like voting or going to school. Byrd was also murdered in 1998 and dragged for three miles behind a pickup truck because he was black.

This podcast series carries a higher message of promoting a better understanding on gender, race and homosexuality. This may be a bit intense at times – there is none of the light relief you get from a true crime comedy podcast such as Wine & Crime or Murder Most Irish – but remember, they are coming from a country that has just overturned abortion rights, and they’re coming for the gays next. And while there are still people out there scared to come out, or preferring to be dead, keeping these topics in the public eye is super important. Pecoraro and Gentile embody this message with sympathetic treatment of victims and stories and without being too preachy.

Listen to Facing Evil on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

Diana Safieh hosts We Knew The Moon podcast, on all things empath, spiritual, witchy, unexplained, creepy and spooky. She is a co-founder of The Goddess Temple, Twickenham, which holds guided meditations and workshops, like Tea & Tarot. And Make Your Own Smudge Sticks. She hosts a monthly webinar series on the situation in Palestine/Israel for The Balfour Project charity.

The post REVIEW // Facing Evil with Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile appeared first on POD BIBLE.

As we’re occasionally sent new bits of equipment to use for our shows, we thought we’d take the time to review some of them for the website in the hope that it may hep guide any future purchases you may be looking to make. First up, the RØDE PSA 1+ Professional Studio Arm…

A studio arm for a microphone is not something we’ve ever really spent much money on. In fact in the past we’ve tended to rely on basic extendable arms that have come as part of basic microphone packages and they’ve always seemed to do the job just fine. Having used the PSA 1+ however, there’s no going back.

This sturdy boom arm clamps to your desk and doesn’t budge whilst simultaneously offering an ultra-smooth gliding movement whenever you need to adjust the position of your mic. The internal dampened springs and neoprene arm also allow for quiet re-adjustment during recording, something that would often cause problems when using budget options previously.

All in all we’ve been very impressed with its ease of functionality and strength, not to mention the integrated cable management that not only looks good but also avoids any potential cable snagging during adjustment.

All in all it’s a big thumbs up from us in this instance. If you’re looking for an adjustable arm for your studio or home office then you cannot go wrong with the RØDE PSA 1+.

The post REVIEW // The RØDE PSA 1+ Professional Studio Arm appeared first on POD BIBLE.