Wilfred Owen - still being read after a century

4 November 2018 marked the centenary of the death of poet Wilfred Owen. A new film about his life and death - The Burying Party - was screened at Genesis in London's East End to mark the day.

I was in illustrious company, including most of the cast and crew of this remarkable film, and Kenneth Branagh. Despite a technical hitch in the middle, this was a subdued audience for a stunning film that I certainly need to rewatch.

The film traces the last months of Owen's life - his meeting with Siegfried Sassoon and others who ultimately helped make him the poet he became. Without Sassoon, it is unlikely that his poetry would have been collected, published and championed. The film shows their relationship - as much as can be assumed from the letters and poetry they both left behind. Sassoon was one of the first to recognise the genius behind Owen's work: the work that was just beginning to be read more widely when he was killed in combat just one week before the end of World War One.

What the director of The Burying Party achieves effortlessly is blurring the lines between surmise and reality - many of the lines are taken directly from Owen and Sassoon's writings.

All in all, this is a glowing tribute to both men.

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Big Wade - 'Piano Man' out now

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36 years ago today, my alto sax was stolen

Actually, it wasn't so much stolen as taken in error. But at the time, we thought it had been removed from backstage at Amsterdam's De Meervaart venue, where I was on stage with The Style Council. Luckily, the gig was being broadcast on radio and the support act were listening as they drove away. They soon realised the mistake and returned my sax and all was well. It was the last gig of a great tour - Paul Weller's first European shows since breaking up The Jam. Another benefit of the radio broadcast is the recording that exists of that show. A good friend of mine - Iain Munn, author of the definitive history of The Style Council, Mr Cool's Dream - gave me a copy several years ago. Still a good story, after all these years.

Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

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