Copywriter, editor, and author of Music Top 10s (Bounty), Barney is a music fanatic. He is the former host of Back and to the Left, his radio show on boxfrequency.fm, and is a surprisingly capable barman.

Gavin Dixon is a writer, journalist and editor based in Hertfordshire, UK. He has a PhD on the symphonies of Alfred Schnittke and is a member of the editorial team for the Alfred Schnittke Collected Works Edition, currently being published in St Petersburg. Gavin is also a Curator of Musical Instruments at the Horniman Museum in London and Music Editor of Fanfare Magazine.

Christopher Lambton writes about music when he is not looking after woodland or chopping firewood

Mark is the author of Titian, the Last Days. He writes on art and music for the Daily Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday and The Observer. His other books include the award-winning Our Grandmothers' Drums, Coming Back Brockens and The Music in my Head.

Peter has written about music ever since completing his studies in the Classics. He contributes regularly to Gramophone, the Catholic Herald and The Strad, as well as writing for the Salzburg Festival, Warner Classics, Opera and Pianist magazines, among others. He also made significant contributions to Help your Kids with Music (Dorling Kindersley, 2015) and 1001 Classical Recordings (Cassell, rev 2016).

Sam trained as an actor, and began her writing career as a critic and features writer for What's On In London magazine. She later became the magazine's theatre editor, before going on to work at The Independent, where she regularly contributed arts features. She is now a freelance arts journalist and regular theatre critic for The Times, Metro and the Chicago Tribune, and a judge for Theatre Awards UK.

Howard has written on music for the Independent, Songlines, The Word and other publications. He is also a musician and has just completed his first novel, Etc Etc Amen.

Lis Ferla is a hyperbolic, Springsteen-loving feminist buzzkill, who has been blogging for longer than you. She’s the new music columnist for The Scots Magazine; regularly has opinions about Taylor Swift for money for print, TV and radio; and has recently expanded her informal role as the internet’s big sister into a culture and advice podcast, From Your Big Sister. Find her online at lastyearsgirl.pixlet.net (@lastyearsgirl_)