Halloweentown © Lotte Fisher

Oranges and Ladybirds – part one

With their allusions to town and country, chalkhills and steam trains, XTC have deep Swindon roots. But how well do their references travel?

In the first of two episodes of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast exploring XTC’s Wiltshire worldview, we look at the influence of British nursery rhymes on songs ranging from Ladybird to We’re All Light, Ballet for a Rainy Day and Brainiac’s Daughter.

Sharing their UK expertise are Belinda Blanchard and Peter Mills, while our American cousins Sandy Leffew and Ami Parkerson talk about British invasions and exotic accents. Mark Fisher is the host.

The fabulous musical soundtrack comes courtesy of Sarah Palmer and Lotte Fisher who also provides the episode illustration.

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from the Limelight shop

If you’ve enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who’ve done the same.

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About the author

MARK FISHER is a freelance theatre critic and feature writer based in Edinburgh and has written about theatre in Scotland since the late-1980s. He is a theatre critic for The Guardian, a former editor of The List magazine and a frequent contributor to the Scotsman and other publications. He is the co-editor of the play anthology Made in Scotland (1995), and the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide (2012) and How to Write About Theatre (2015) – all Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. While at school, he set up the XTC fanzine Limelight, which he republished as The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls (2017). He followed that with What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book (2019). In 2020, he launched What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast.

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