READ: Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley
LISTEN: London Conversation by John Martyn
WATCH: The Small World Of Sammy Lee
Thursday 25th June 2026
📖 Book: Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley
Overall Sentiment: Disappointed overall, with a shared feeling that it was an over-convoluted or fragmented ensemble piece that didn't live up to its potential, despite one higher score.
Individual Reviews & Ratings
Keith (8/10): Thought it was "mad but all serves a purpose". Noted that Soho is a melting pot, liked the political dimension, but felt the chapters were too short and perhaps too fragmented. He did also observe it contained "extreme characters & improbable narratives".
Tristan (6/10): Saw both positive elements and potential, but felt that potential was mainly unrealised. He noted that the characters were underdeveloped, and while there were some good observations and it was an easy read, there were too many quick changes. He questioned the genre ("What was it? Realism or Magic Realism? Choose a lane & stick to it"), called it "chick lit adjacent?", but overall enjoyed it.
Hamish (6/10): Went into it feeling positive because he liked Fiona Mozley's first book, Elmet . However, he noted it had "limited characters," he found it very varied, and ultimately concluded, "Didn't get much out of it"
Nick (5/10): Stated, "I like books like this," but remarked that an author needs to be skilled to successfully pull off this type of ensemble piece. He felt all the characters had potential.
Nigel (5/10): Disappointed and called it an unnecessarily convoluted mess and a missed opportunity. Critiqued the anachronistic 2020s setting for a walk-up brothel/squat, character overload (around 20 disparate characters), tonal misfires regarding sex work, and a "very silly" ending.
Roland (4/10): Noted a "motley cast of characters," highlighting the leads Agatha, Precious, and Tabitha. He called the journey down the M1 "one of the worst scenes in the book". He felt it had echoes of Mythago Wood and admitted he "felt guilty about inflicting it on the group, despite it being not quite that bad". While he liked the Soho setting, he concluded that it didn't deliver on its promise and suffered from underdeveloped characters.
Robin (3/10): "Doesn't have much to say" but fondly recalled his own infrequent "visits to Soho strip shows". Read only 81 pages and so did not finish it, but still noted that he "enjoyed" what he read
🎵 Album: London Conversation by John Martyn
Overall Sentiment: Largely dismissed as a basic, overly simple, or dated acoustic debut, with the notable exception of Nick, who loved it until the instrumentation changed.
Individual Reviews & Ratings
Nick (10/10): Thought it was "Great! Until the sitar"
Roland (7/10): Loves John Martyn and has seen him live. Described his music as an innovative fusion. Regarding this debut, he liked it and thought the talent was obvious, though it wasn't exceptional.
Nigel (5/10): An enjoyable if "folk-by-numbers" debut. Noted great guitar picking but found it basic compared to his masterpiece, Solid Air.
Robin (4/10): Found it a "bit samey".
Hamish (3/10): Terse review: "Blokes with acoustic guitars? No thanks"
Keith (3/10): Criticised it for repetitive vocals, using the same chords, and being "too earnest". Concluded that it was "dull" and he "don't connect with it"
Tristan (0/10): Only managed to hear half a song until Tamar told him to turn this fucking shit off now. He dismissed it outright as "twiddly folky shite"
🎬 Film: The Small World of Sammy Lee
Overall Sentiment: A massive hit with the group, highly praised for its evocative period accuracy, grime, and atmosphere, though Tristan found it dropped off heavily.
Individual Reviews & Ratings
Nick (10/10): Noted there were lots of clichés (e.g. horse race radio commentary) but found it very evocative, watchable, and beautifully "melancholy"
Nigel (8/10): A "little gem." Loved the opening sequence, the jazz soundtrack, Anthony Newley's manic energy, and Wolfgang Suschitzky’s striking black-and-white cinematography. Noted it perfectly captured a raw, pre-pop-explosion Soho underbelly of stale tobacco and spilt beer
Roland (8/10): Thought it gave "great insights into the area, the era, and the milieu". He loved it, calling it "top notch" and describing the character of Sammy as "charming but flawed"
Robin (8/10): Pronounced it "the best of the three choices" and found it amusing
Keith (7/10): Found it to have "loads of period detail," calling it very enjoyable and a "great watch"
Tristan (4.5/10): Liked the "great opening" and loved the period detail, but felt the film "went rapidly downhill" and left him feeling bored and irritated
Hamish (No Score): WTF! Didn't watch!
Summary of Ratings At-A-Glance
| Member | Hot Stew (Book) | London Conversation (Album) | The Small World of Sammy Lee (Film) |
| Nick | 5/10 | 10/10 (pre-sitar) | 10/10 |
| Keith | 8/10 | 3/10 | 7/10 |
| Nigel | 5/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Roland | 4/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Robin | 3/10 (DNF) | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Tristan | 6/10 | 0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Hamish | 6/10 | 3/10 | Did not watch |
ENDORSE IT
HBG endorse it: 29 May 2026-25 June 2026
MUSIC
Little Wide Open by Kevin Morby
BOOKS
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
FILM
Bring Them Down (BBC iPlayer)
TV
Jon Snow: A Last Big Story (Channel 4)
