Drowned in Sound

Picking up where Part 1 left off, DiS returns to its conversation with Giles Bidder. Not to talk about how musicians survive, but about how stories travel, how listeners connect and what it really takes to build a music podcast in 2026.

In this second instalment, Sean Adams turns the lens on the medium itself (yes, we’ve gone meta). Drawing on nearly 600 episodes of 101 Part Time Jobs, Giles reflects on the craft of interviewing, the ethics of editing, and why the best conversations often need space to breathe. This is less about hustle and more about care: how to hold people well, how to listen properly, and how to build trust over time.

The conversation ranges from standout episodes and “slow-burn” storytelling to what it feels like to make work that actually helps people navigate their lives. Giles speaks openly about bad bosses, fear-based workplaces, and the quiet anger that fuels his show (as well as the small, human moments that make it worthwhile).

A love for radio runs through this episode: Giles describes producing Shaun Keaveny’s Community Garden Radio as a lesson in warmth, humour, and emotional intelligence on air. From there, the pair broaden out into why podcasts have become such a powerful space for connection, especially for people stuck in boring jobs, long commutes, or lonely routines.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - Standout episodes and “slow-burn” editing
03:20 - When to cut vs when to let a story breathe
05:10 - What makes a “good” episode in hindsight
07:00 - Work gaffs, embarrassment, and shared vulnerability
12:00 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces
14:00 - Why people are quietly quitting
18:00 - Why podcasts work on boring journeys
21:00 - Community Garden Radio and the art of warmth
22:30 - What great broadcasting feels like
24:00 - Power, responsibility, and attention
25:30 - Why trust matters more than reach
27:00 - Outro

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today.

In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive.

Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.

What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro 

01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host

04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you

07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability

08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists

11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs

13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke

16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies

18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact

19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life

20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect)

23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity

25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit

29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces

31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting

44:07 - The importance of having your own project and taking the time

46:55 - Outro

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources:

101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder) 

Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny) 

Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues 

Gilla Band 

Lambrini Girls 

Soho Radio

Reading Festival

From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today.

In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive.

Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.”

What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro 

01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host

04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you

07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability

08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists

11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs

13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke

16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies

18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact

19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life

20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect)

23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity

25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit

29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces

31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources

101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder) 

Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny) 

Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues 

Gilla Band 

Lambrini Girls 

Soho Radio

Reading Festival

Fresh from touring stadiums with Depeche Mode, DiS meets electronic music pioneer to discuss her past, the present, and the future of music.

This is part of Drowned in Sound’s 25th anniversary series in which Sean Adams continues the anniversary series by sits down with some of our favourite acts of the past quarter century. Kelly Lee Owens is very much one of those artists, who has featured in DiS year end lists and awards and playlists since releasing her debut EP.

The episode starts on the education that comes from working in record shops and becomes a wide-ranging conversation about how music communities form, fracture, and sometimes regenerate. Moving across North Wales to London basements, from pressing white labels by hand to playing for 75,000 people with Depeche Mode, Kelly Lee Owens traces a path through all corners of music: the shops, venues, teachers, collectives, community centres, and accidental mentors that shaped her, her music, and her career.

Sean and Kelly chat about their working class roots, the discipline of DJing as storytelling, and the economics of grassroots music. Kelly Lee Owens reflects on why she now deliberately plays shows in places artists rarely go, why she sees music as a form of healing as much as entertainment and why community matters more than scale.

If there’s a thread running through it all…it’s this: music isn’t a product or a pipeline. It’s a relationship. And like any relationship, it needs time, space, and care to survive.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction

02:00 - Record shops as education and community

05:05 - Obsession, discovery, and how taste is formed

10:00 - The early 2010s shift: risk, hedonism, and electronic culture

13:05 - DIY culture, SoundCloud, and pressing your own records

15:00 - Human curation vs automation and playlists

22:10 - Playing huge rooms: Depeche Mode, confidence, and scale

26:05 - Returning to small places: community shows and access

29:00 - Grassroots collapse, class, and structural inequality

32:10 - What £500 million could fix in music culture

42:05 - Music as healing, frequency, and emotional space

48:25 - The future: rebuilding value, community, and care

50:15 - Outro

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources:

Music Venue Trust — protecting grassroots venues
https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

David Byrne — How Music Works
https://davidbyrne.com/books/how-music-works

Fabric London — venue history and cultural importance
https://www.fabriclondon.com

Piccadilly Records (Manchester)
https://www.piccadillyrecords.com

Pure Groove Records (London)
https://puregroove.co.uk

Kelly Lee Owens
https://kellyleeowens.com

Stop Making Sense — Talking Heads
https://www.talkingheadsofficial.com

Cocteau Twins
https://cocteautwins.com

The Knife — Silent Shout
https://theknife.net

Warehouse Project (Manchester)
https://www.thewarehouseproject.com

Neuadd Ogwen / Bethesda community venue
https://neuaddogwen.com

So what will 2026 sound like?

In this episode, Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams and journalist Emma Wilkes look into their crystal balls (and the release schedules). 

Tips on which artists should break through and the corporate barriers they’ll need to navigate.

Beyond tipping season, we explore the strange absence of shared musical moments, the growing anxiety around AI-generated music, the slow unravelling of trust in big tech platforms, and whether changes to ticketing, touring, and grassroots funding might start to rebalance power (and money) back towards scenes.

There are also predictions - some cautious, some hopeful, some deliberately ridiculous. This episode tries to map the forces underneath the surface…the things that will shape what we hear, how we find it, and what it means to care about music in the first place.

The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction: What will music be like in 2026?
02:30 - New bands, tipping season, and who breaks through next
06:50 - Scenes, genres, and the collapse of old categories
12:00 - Cities as culture: Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton, Beirut
16:40 - Resilience, mental health, and sustaining music ecosystems
20:40 - Grassroots levies, touring economics, and venue survival
26:00 - Ticketing, regulation, and the slow response to abuse
28:20 - AI, platforms, and the erosion of trust
30:30 - Predictions: returns, collaborations, and surprise records
35:20 - Tech futures, headphones, and augmented concerts
38:50 - Hope, uncertainty, and what comes next

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources:

FanFair Alliance - ticketing transparency and anti-touting campaigning

Music Venue Trust - grassroots venue support and levy campaigning

UK Government - ticket resale reform & consultation

Action Fraud -  advice on ticket scams and resale fraud 

Subvert - artist / label-owned music platform

Bandcamp - direct-to-fan model and editorial writing

The Jump - Shirley Manson's podcast

Vespertine - Björk's podcast

Season 5, Episode 1: What if swifts sound like Slipknot? What are flying rivers? And how do you give water a voice? This New Year special takes you backstage at EarthSonic Live, where over 3,000 people gathered at Manchester Museum to explore how music and nature sounds can help us reconnect with the planet and drive real climate action.

Recorded across a single extraordinary day in November 2025, this episode captures conversations with conservationists protecting endangered species, climate activists working with Brian Eno and Billie Eilish, and Brazilian artists who travelled from Belém where the performed at COP30.

From sampling frogs in the museum's Vivarium with Japanese composer Hinako Omori to learning about the UK's temperate rainforests (yes, really!), EarthSonic Live had it all.

In the first episode of 2026, you'll hear from RSPB conservationists Annabel Rushton and Roshni Parmar-Hill about why swifts are disappearing and what red squirrels tell us about biodiversity loss. Climate activist Tori Tsui shares how music became central to her campaigning. Hannah Overton from Warp Records explains more about the event.

And we meet four members of FLOW, female artists from three continents to reflect on their journey to Belém for COP30, where they turned droughts, floods, and flying rivers into hip-hop, spoken word, and song.

The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.

Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at qobuz.com/dis.

Continue the Conversation: Join the discussion on the Drowned in Sound forums and share your thoughts on music, nature, and climate action.

Subscribe: Get the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly insights into music, culture, and building a fairer industry.

Links & Resources:

Tori Tsui - Climate activist and author of "It's Not Just You: How to Navigate Eco-Anxiety and the Climate Crisis"

EarthSonic Live - Event details and future dates

Takkuuk - Inside Bicep's Arctic Masterpiece (DiS article)

Full Tori Tsui Interview - Climate justice and music with Brian Eno & Billie Eilish

RSPB - Conservation and volunteering opportunities

Wildhoarse Water - RSPB nature reserve in the Lake District with UK temperate rainforest

In Place of War - Arts organization for social change

Manchester Museum Vivarium - Home to the frogs sampled during workshops

Sohini Alam - British-Bangladeshi composer and vocalist

Keila - Brazilian singer from Gang do Eletro, FLOW artist

Bebé Salvego - Brazilian jazz vocalist, FLOW artist

Jaloo - Brazilian gender-fluid artist and producer, FLOW artist

Hinako Omori - Japanese artist and composer

Wellcome Trust - Event partner

Arts Council England - Event partner

Ableton - Event partner and workshop provider

About the Host:

Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound, an independent music publication championing underground and independent artists since 2000. Through the DiS podcast, newsletter, and community, Sean explores how to build a fairer, more sustainable music industry while supporting the artists and fans who make it meaningful.

This episode was completely self-produced by Sean Adams, recorded on location at Manchester Museum. Thanks to Shure for providing the mics to record this special episode.