
E226: A Liverpool special with Penny Kiley and Paul Du Noyer
From Rock's Backpages by Barney Hoskyns, Mark Pringle, Jasper Murison-Bowie
April 13, 2026 · 1h 14m · Episode 226
About this episode
The episode features discussions with Penny Kiley and Paul Du Noyer about Liverpool's rich music history and notable artists.
For this episode we're joined by not one but two very special guests to talk about one of the great music cities. Penny Kiley is the former pop columnist for the Liverpool Echo, contributed regularly to Melody Maker and has just published the superb memoir Atypical Girl. Paul Du Noyer, meanwhile, wrote beautifully for the NME in its glory years and edited both Q and MOJO; he is also the author of 2002's exceptional Liverpool: Wondrous Place. We ask our guests about everything from the Beatles to Frankie Goes to Hollywood via Eric's, the Real Thing and the "crucial three" of Pete Wylie, Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch. We also hear riveting clips from Simon Garfield's 1999 audio interview with (Sir) Paul McCartney. After paying tribute to NME legend Keith Altham, Mark quotes from interviews with Miami soul star Betty Wright (1977) and Southern country-rocker Charlie Daniels (1979). Finally, Jasper rounds things off with his thoughts on Terris – apparently "the best new band in Britain" (2000). Many thanks to special guests Penny Kiley and Paul Du Noyer. You can find Penny's music writing on her Substack at pennykiley.substack.com; Atypical Girl is published by Polygon and available…
People in this episode
Hosts: Barney Hoskyns, Mark Pringle, Jasper Murison-Bowie
Guests: Penny Kiley, Paul Du Noyer
Topics covered
- Liverpool music scene
- Beatles
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- music memoirs
- NME history
- interviews
Keywords
- Liverpool
- music
- Beatles
- NME
- memoir
- interview
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Penny Kiley
- Paul Du Noyer
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Atypical Girl, Liverpool: Wondrous Place, Find Show Biz Isn't All Fun, The Real Thing haven't souled out, Liverpool's Cream: Bag Company, The Teardrop Explodes: Teardrops
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