Equal pay for women costs council £23.4m

Click here to read a story about a Scots council who had to pay more than £23.4million in equal pay compensation to women. It was published in the Daily Mail.

Dive team flushes out U-boat that was lost for 70 years

Click here to read a story I wrote about a team of divers who discovered a U-boat that was scuttled in the final weeks of World War Two because of a toilet problem. It was published in the Daily Mail.

Scot saves trapped climber on Everest

Click here to read a story I wrote about Neil McDonald who saved the life of a stricken man on Mount Everest. It was published in the Daily Mail.

Vandal gang destroy 300 years of history

Click here (print version) or here (online version) to read a story I wrote about a gang of vandals who destroyed a 300-year-old lion statue and a six-foot £20,000 sculpture. It was published in the Daily Record.

Kiddie crooks aged 3

Click here to read a story I wrote about kids as young as three, who have been caught committing crimes. It was published in the Daily Record.

Our little miracle

Click here (print version) or here (online version) to read a story I write about little Millie Stephen who has beaten a condition which made her have up to 225 seizures a day. It was published in the Daily Record.

Scorch missed

Click here to read a story I wrote about Katie and Hannah Swan who suffer from a rare disease which means they have to wear sun cream every day. It was published in the Daily Record.

Is this proof that pumas are on the loose in Scotland?

Click here (print version) or here (online version) to read a story I wrote about a dog walker who stumbled across the remains of what is thought to be a big cat. It was published in The Scotsman.

The Gossip - Perfect World [Song Review]

Click here or scroll down for my review of The Gossip's new single, "Perfect World". It was published on Pure Grain Audio.

Rating 5/10

Some might call it "maturing", but rumour has it, Gossip have ditched their rough, feisty sound and employed a much slicker sound. Sadly, it's all true. While Beth Ditto and co. will always find a way to make a melody that sticks with the listener, now, there is no edge.

It's all rather nice and comfortable, which is exactly what Gossip shouldn't be. A glance at the moody accompanying video for "Perfect World", confirms that the once in-your-face and controversial band have begun to take themselves a little too seriously or started pretending to be something they're not.

Can we have the old Gossip back please?

Run Time: 3:50
Release Date: Match 13, 2012

Check out the song: "Perfect World"

Do you think we should have stuck with the bus pass, dear?

Click here (Daily Mail version), here (Scotsman version) or here (Mail Online version) to read a story I wrote about two biking-mad pensioners who will be racing at this year's TT races on the Isle of Man.

Champion the one gear horse

Click here to read a story I wrote about a curious horse who leapt over a fence to join a group of startled cyclists. It was published in The Sun.

Teenage driver killed in seafront car crash horror

Click here to read a tribute story I wrote about Conor Donald who died in a car crash on Saturday morning. It was published in the Daily Mail.

Feeder - "Children Of The Sun" [Song Review]

Click here or read below for my review of Feeder's new single "Children Of The Sun". It was published on Pure Grain Audio.

Rating: 3/10

Feeder's 34th career single "Children Of The Sun", despite the title, possesses approximately zero feelings of youthfulness. Eyebrows should always be raised when an album-ending song is released as a single. If it was any good, it'd be nearer the start of the record, right?

While that's not always the case, it appears true this time around. "Children Of The Sun" is a slow unassuming track, adequate for finishing another below-par Feeder record, but to release it as a single – the type of which are usually released to drive interest in a band – is madness.

Stop the boredom Feeder, stop the boredom!

Run Time: 4:22
Release Date: April 30, 2012

Check out the song: "Children Of The Sun"

Oil tycoon in plea to save plan for city garden

Click here (print version) or here (online version) to read a story I wrote about Sir Ian Wood's desperate plea for Aberdeen City Councillors to abandon their plan to scrap the Union Terrace Gardens. It was published in The Herald.

Mum dies in house fire terror

Click here (print version) or here (online version) to read a story I wrote about a mother who died when a fire ripped through her home. It was published in The Sun.

Glider pilot's micro-fright

Click here (print version) or here (online version) to read a story I wrote about a crash between a microlight plane and a glider. It was published in The Sun.

Scot shot in the head by Taliban to take part in 510 mile charity bike ride

Click here to read a story I wrote about Craig Paterson, who continued to defend his mates after being shot in the head by a Taliban soldier. It was published in The Herald.

Labour gains create joint Aberdeen administration

Click here to read my coverage of the 2012 Aberdeen City Council elections. It was published in The Herald.

Skint NHS opt for iPads over the wee

Click here (print version) or here (online version) to read a story I wrote about NHS Fife spending nearly £17,000 on iPads, while cutting back on incontinence pads for the elderly.

                                             

Hey Rosetta! - Welcome [Song Review]

Click here or scroll down to read my review of the song "Welcome" by Hey Rosetta! It was published on Pure Grain Audio.

Rating: 5/10

It's wrong, but it can't be helped. Hey Rosetta! are an indie folk-rock band from Canada and therefore a comparison with The Weakerthans is inevitable in my mind. But although "Welcome" is a journey that begins with a Weakerthans-esq spontaneous bang, there is an air of banality throughout the whole song.

The tempo is static and despite a 60 second break to build the final chorus, the track doesn't hook the ear. It's all just a bit too pleasant. If this single is the best on offer from the Newfoundland rockers, the easily distracted among us may just not bother with new album Seeds.

Run Time: 4:03
Release Date: February 14, 2012

Check out the song: "Welcome"