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John Earls
Earls in 2019
Born (1972-08-25) 25 August 1972 (age 52)
Milton Keynes, England
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Music critic, sports journalist
Years active1991–present

John Earls (born 25 August 1972) is an English music and sports journalist. He has been a regular contributor to music magazines such as the NME, Record Collector, Classic Pop, and Planet Sound, which he edited from 2001 until its closure in 2009. Earls is noted for helping to launch the careers of several future chart acts by featuring their demo tapes in Planet Sound's review section. He serves as a sporadic football critic for When Saturday Comes.

Earls' work has also appeared in outlets including Newsweek, The Guardian, Drowned in Sound and the Daily Star. For his music criticism, he was named "Best Writer – Specialist" at the 2022 British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) Talent Awards.

Childhood and early career

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Born on 25 August 1972, Earls grew up in Milton Keynes.[1][2] His writings were published by Doctor Who Magazine, and ORACLE's Blue Suede Views music magazine, during his teens.[3][4] Earls started writing professionally following a 1991 work experience placement at football magazine When Saturday Comes, continuing to cover the sport on an infrequent basis as he moved into the realm of entertainment journalism.[2][5] During the 1990s Earls worked as a showbiz reporter for The Sunday People; he left the newspaper in 1999, becoming a teen entertainment writer for Teletext (the successor to ORACLE).[4][5]

Planet Sound and beyond

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Earls became a critic for Teletext's music magazine, Planet Sound, some 18 months after joining the company.[4] He was named editor in 2001 and held this post until Teletext ceased broadcasting in December 2009.[2][6] Earls became synonymous with Planet Sound and his work was often cited by other outlets.[7] He gave early exposure to chart bands such as The Twilight Sad, Maxïmo Park and Hope of the States, by featuring their demo tapes in the magazine's review section. The Twilight Sad frontman James Graham expressed his affection for Earls: "I used to read Planet Sound every day... He's a nice guy and I really appreciate the support he gave us."[6][8]

Earls has interviewed many musicians throughout his career, and has regularly written for magazines such as the NME, Record Collector and Classic Pop.[2][9] His music and football commentary has also appeared in outlets including Newsweek, The Guardian, Drowned in Sound and the Daily Star.[9][10][11] Earls wrote the sleeve notes for the 40th anniversary edition of A Flock of Seagulls' 1982 self-titled debut album, as well as for the Fun Boy Three box set, The Complete Fun Boy Three (2023).[12][13] Record Collector identifies the 1980s as his specialist era.[14]

Spiked noted the "critical wisdom of John Earls", while remarking upon his "evident knowledge and enthusiasm" for music journalism.[15] He was recognised by Music Week as a "specialist media tastemaker",[16] and was listed by BBC News as an "influential and impartial UK-based music critic".[17] In 2022, Earls won "Best Writer – Specialist" at the BSME Talent Awards, receiving praise for his communication and interview skills.[18] Aside from his writing career, Earls lectures in journalism, and co-founded a record label, WET, in 2009.[4][5]

In 2009 Earls listed the following albums as ones that music fans should own, besides "the obvious great ones they'd already own":[4]

References

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  1. ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.
  2. ^ a b c d "John Earls". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  3. ^ Earls, John (April 1987). "To the Tardis: Competent Colin". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 123. pp. 4–5.
  4. ^ a b c d e Coster, Dean (24 July 2009). "Interview: Planet Sound's John Earls". Culturedeluxe. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  5. ^ a b c "Our Contributors: John Earls". Classic Pop. No. 18. August–September 2015. p. 6.
  6. ^ a b Renshaw, David (15 December 2009). "Why I'll Miss Teletext's Planet Sound". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  7. ^ "MCSC: In Case of Fire". Strabane Chronicle. 13 September 2007.
  8. ^ Donnellan, Jimmy (23 January 2015). "An Interview with The Twilight Sad: 'We Still Have a Lot to Say'". Cultured Vultures. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b Earls, John (28 June 2022). "People Want Music from Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar—Not Politics". Newsweek. Retrieved 25 July 2023. [Newsweek:] John Earls writes about music for national newspapers and magazines, including Record Collector, Classic Pop and NME.
  10. ^ Earls, John (13 May 2022). "Why Free-Kick Vanishing Spray Is Football's Great Modern Invention". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  11. ^ Earls, John (1 November 2014). "Tabloids, Young Fathers and The Mercury Prize's Future". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  12. ^ Major, Michael (8 December 2022). "A Flock of Seagulls Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Self-Titled Debut". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  13. ^ Key, Iain (31 July 2023). "Fun Boy Three: The Complete Fun Boy Three – Boxset Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  14. ^ "This Month's Contributors: John Earls". Record Collector. No. 517. April 2021. p. 7.
  15. ^ Bowden, David (20 April 2012). "So Long Ceefax, I Shall Miss You". Spiked. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  16. ^ "The Panel". Music Week. 14 June 2008. p. 18.
  17. ^ "Sound of 2008: The Pundits". BBC News. 31 December 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  18. ^ Harnell, Steve (29 June 2022). "John Earls Wins Top Industry Award". Classic Pop. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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