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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

THIS WEEKS MUST LISTEN:

 FINDING DRAGO

Investigative journalism is one of the most popular genres in the podcast world. Like great detective TV shows, the episodic nature allows for a gradual build-up of the case, the story of the investigation and (hopefully) ending with a satisfying resolution. If you are thirsting for more of the podcast stylings found in Serial and S-Town, you absolutely HAVE to listen to Finding Drago.

In a podcast reviewing 80’s favourite Rocky IV, comedians Alexei Toliopoulos and Cameron James discover a rare and unauthorised spin-off novel from the film. Drago: On Mountains We Stand is listed as one of the last great masterpieces of author Todd Noy and follows on from Drago’s defeat at the gloves of Rocky Balboa. In digging a little deeper, the pair discover that Noy seemingly has a huge cult following; readers often tell of how his books seek them out rather than they to them, despite his sudden disappearance in 1992. Alexei and Cam’s aim with this podcast? Find Todd Noy, or failing that, what happened to him.

Told over 7 episodes, each totalling less than one hour, this series is easily binged in one sitting and makes for compelling listening. The investigation never goes in a predictable direction and weaves a tale of mystery and intrigue, all while maintaining a light-hearted feel. This is where Finding Drago stands apart from Serial and S-Town, the latter shows explore dark topics including conspiracy, murder and suicide- where here, the investigation leads Alexei and Cam to interviewing documentary filmmakers, experts in fanfiction and die-hard fans of Noy’s writings. This podcast will make you laugh, but this in no way means that the exploration into the mythology and disappearance of the author’s work is any less gripping.

The show’s ending is hugely satisfying, tying up all loose ends in one of the most original and unpredictable denouements ever experienced in storytelling, let alone podcasting!

EPISODES WORTH A DOWNLOAD:

DAVID TENNANT DOES A PODCAST WITH… JON HAMM

Jon Hamm has one of the sexiest voices in the world. Throw in the fact that his host and counter-part in this conversation is David Tennant, owner of another sexy voice, and you’ve got yourself a podcast. In this actor-on-actor discussion, Hamm talks us through his early life, experiences of parental divorce, growing up in rural environments, his first role all the way up to becoming Don Draper in AMC’s Mad Men and onward. Hamm is refreshingly open and comes across as very grounded, recognising on a few occasions that his opinion comes from a position of extreme privilege. Tennant is, as ever, a charismatic delight and proves himself to be a dextrous interviewer- asking a mixture of trivial and heavier topics. A cracking listen. Listen on Spotify

TALK IS JERICHO: LIVING THE DREAM WITH SLASH

As a teenager, I was obsessed with Guns N Roses- I literally didn’t listen to anything other than Appetite for Destruction between the ages of 15-16. Hearing Slash discuss with Chris Jericho the reunion between himself, Axl Rose and Duff McKagan and then for that discussion to go on and include dinosaurs proves that the coolest people are utter nerds. An aspect of Jericho’s podcasts which I absolutely love is the method with which Chris sneaks his adverts into the conversation. In the middle of talking to his guest(s), Jericho will begin asking a question with a phrase such as “I wanna ask you about the reunion Slash and how you’ve recorded with a bunch of cool artists, but first I gotta talk to my people about DDP Yoga…” Every advert is an impassioned pitch, proving that if you want something sold, give it to a wrestler. Listen on Spotify

WALKING THE DOG WITH EMILY DEAN: MARK KERMODE

A podcast crossover for me, a devout Wittertainee for some ten years now, Kermode takes host Emily Dean out for a stroll in my neck of the woods- the New Forest. Emily’s interviewing style is wonderful, she seems to absolutely nail the characteristics of her guests and asks them where the foundations of those characteristics come from. It’s enjoyable refreshing to hear Kermode (someone whom I’ve exclusively listened to for opinions on films) discuss aspects of his life which aren’t necessarily film-related, including his faith. Listen on Spotify

Joe Ducarreaux is a podcast host, film enthusiast and gardener. For more of his ineffectual and disposable opinions, you can listen to him here or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

The post THE BOOK OF JOE – Recent Podcast Highlights #001 appeared first on POD BIBLE.