SCARED TO DANCE

Welcome to the Scared To Dance Podcast, a weekly show where host Paul Richards sits down for hour-long, in-depth conversations with musicians, writers and cultural figures about their musical passions past and present – from formative influences and the stories behind their best-known work, to songwriting, touring and what they’re working on now.

This season he will be talking to guests including Nation of Language, Jon Ronson, Mark Jenkin, Matilda Mann, The Tubs, Nish Kumar, Julia Jacklin, The Cardigans, Lime Garden, Buck Meek and more.

In episode 1, host Paul Richards talks to Ian Devaney and Aidan Noell from Nation of Language. They discuss their European tour, their latest album Dance Called Memory and the band’s beginnings. They also cover writing through depression, embracing unpredictability in the studio, the influence of Kraftwerk and Brian Eno and what it means to be a band navigating social media and creative pressure in 2026.

In episode 2, host Paul Richards talks to author and journalist Jon Ronson about his new book, The Castle. They discuss growing up in Cardiff and finding his way into writing, and seeing The Specials play live as a teenager. They also cover how music helped shape his identity and outsider perspective growing up, his time playing in Frank Sidebottom’s band and adapting his book The Men Who Stare at Goats for the big screen.

In episode 3, host Paul Richards talks to filmmaker Mark Jenkin about his latest film, Rose of Nevada. They discuss working with George MacKay and Callum Turner, shooting in Cornwall, and how Mark came to score the film himself, and why music matters so much to his work. They also cover his path into directing, the 17-year journey to make his first feature Bait, and the challenges of staying independent as a filmmaker.

In episode 4, host Paul Richards talks to singer-songwriter Matilda Mann about growing up in Shepherd’s Bush, attending the BRIT School, and the rise that followed – from viral moments on TikTok to a Glastonbury Emerging Talent runner-up spot and support slots with Arlo Parks, Tom Odell and Wallows. They discuss her new album Kismet, self-released on her own label and written from a place of hard-won peace, drawing on the sounds of Al Green, Carole King and The Carpenters.

In episode 5, host Paul Richards talks to Owen Williams from The Tubs – guitarist, songwriter and one of the most prolific figures in British indie music over the past decade and a half. They discuss growing up in a musical household with his mother, the folk musician and novelist Charlotte Greig, and his path from founding member of Joanna Gruesome to Ex-Vöid and now The Tubs. Owen also talks about his new book, Atrocity Exhibitions: Grieving in the TikTok Underworld, out now.

In episode 6, host Paul Richards talks to comedian and broadcaster Nish Kumar about his new stand-up show, Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy. They discuss the strange economics of the Edinburgh Fringe, his entry point into music at eighteen, and how he thinks we’ve all become far too reliant on big tech. They also cover DJing at Scared To Dance and at Glastonbury alongside James Acaster, his taste in music – from TV on the Radio, Outkast and Big Thief to what he calls existential bangers – and his long-standing obsession with Bob Dylan.

In episode 7, host Paul Richards talks to singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin about her new album, The Gem. They discuss the Melbourne pub it’s named after, trusting her gut in the studio, and wrestling her own sense of self back from the public idea of her. They also cover her earliest steps into music, including learning guitar in six weeks, before looking back on her debut album, Don’t Let the Kids Win, inspired by Aldous Harding, and Crushing, the record that made her feel like she’d finally earned her place.

In episode 8, host Paul Richards talks to Nina Persson, frontwoman of The Cardigans, about the band’s breakthrough with First Band on the Moon. They discuss songs like “Lovefool,” the strange experience of navigating sudden fame, and her childhood and early years at art school. They also talk about the band’s evolution from their early, melodic pop sound to the darker Gran Turismo and the more reflective, Americana-tinged Long Gone Before Daylight, whether there might be another Cardigans album, and her plans to one day write a book about the band.

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Catch up on season 1 of the Scared To Dance Podcast.