A double header treat focused on writing the biographies of Talk Talk and Prefab Sprout - both with infamously private, reclusive front men.

Join us for this treat of a music writing double-header during which authors NIGE TASSELL and GRAEME THOMSON will focus on writing the biographies of PREFAB SPROUT and TALK TALK - two bands, both with infamously private, reclusive front men.

Paddy McAloon is undoubtedly one of the great songwriters of the last half-century. As the leader of Prefab Sprout, he’s overseen ten heavily praised albums, including the classic Steve McQueen, along with a trail of hit singles, among them ‘When Love Breaks Down’ and ‘The King of Rock ’n’ Roll’. His songs have been sung by Kylie and Cher. Others were written for Madonna, Sinatra and Streisand.

But despite the commercial success and abundant critical acclaim, McAloon remains an enigmatic figure within the bright, brash world of pop. The semi-reclusive Prefab Sprout have seldom followed paths trod by others. They rarely toured. They took their time to make records. They always danced to their own drum.

A lifelong fan of the band, acclaimed writer Nige Tassell attempts to illuminate the mystery, to uncloak the enigma. Truly Gifted Kids is the deepest dive ever made into McAloon’s craft, exploring the motivations and methods of a man who, thirteen years since the band’s last album, still obsessively marries melody to words on a daily basis, in the process building up an enormous stockpile of songs that no one will hear.

Occasionally esoteric and freeform, and always original, Truly Gifted Kids pulls together stories, interviews, analysis, history and travelogue to fashion a fulsome portrait of the band, with its chief creative force at the very centre. During his investigations, Tassell both acts as an ad-hoc roadie for solo Sprout Martin McAloon and goes undercover in search of pop music’s most famous motorbike.

An elegant, erudite and insightful study of a unique and exceptional group, In Another World explores the full creative lifespan of Talk Talk and Mark Hollis while focusing on four remarkable records: The Colour of Spring, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, alongside Hollis’s eponymous solo album, released in 1998.

A quartet of timeless, uncategorisable masterpieces, these works grow in stature with each passing year. Separately, each one is a towering achievement in its own right. Taken together, they become a self-contained universe sculpted in sound.

In Another World mixes close critical analysis of the music, its recurring themes, prevailing moods, unique qualities and ever-growing influence, with informed artist biography, personal reflection, and a vivid reconstruction of the painstaking working methodologies from which these albums emerged.

The book draws on scores of in-depth interviews with original band members and many of the core group of musicians, producers and engineers who helped create the music, as well as record label executives, friends and admiring fellow artists.

Lyrical and impressionistic, engaging and revelatory, the result is a deep and informed immersion in a singular musical world which has fascinated listeners for more than three decades.

‘It is a story of the disturbance of sound in space, the upending of expectations, the meeting of spontaneous accident and laborious design. A mad kind of science to it all’

Copies of Nige's and Graeme's books will be available to purchase at the Festival and there'll be a dedicated book signing after the event.

About the Authors:

Nige Tassell is the critically acclaimed author of a dozen music and sport books. His

Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids? (Nine Eight, 2022) and Searching for Dexys Midnight Runners (Nine Eight, 2025) were both Penderyn Prize-nominated.

Over the past twenty-five years, Nige has written for a range of titles, including the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the Independent, The Word, Q, Esquire, GQ and the New Statesman. He lives in south-west England.

Graeme Thomson is the author of several acclaimed books on music, including Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush; Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds; and Behind the Locked Door, the definitive biography of George Harrison. Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn was a book of the year in the Sunday Times, FT, Telegraph, Mojo and Uncut. Graeme lives in Edinburgh and writes on music, literature and popular culture for a number of publications.

Description supplied by the event organiser.