Described as “A titan of the Northern Ireland music scene” by the BBC’s Tom Robinson, Stuart Bailie is a renowned music journalist, broadcaster and author from Belfast. He has been an industry professional for well over three decades, his career taking in contributions to Mojo, Uncut, Q, Vox, The Irish Times and Hot Press. He spent eight years at NME – including a three-year stint as deputy editor – and was, from 2008 to 2016, CEO of his native city’s Oh Yeah Music Centre, the dedicated creative hub he co-founded in 2007.

In his conversation with Declan Lawn, Stuart discusses his regard for the kind of “slow culture” exemplified by his quarterly magazine, Dig With It. He also recalls the role he played in the nascent Blur-Oasis rivalry of the mid-90s and explains how the “Cut your own groove” mantra has helped shepherd him through tough times.