Culture

May

Infinite Kusama – Tate Modern

Hello cube

Wow! I was entirely unfamiliar with Kusama Yayoi’s work until seeing the reviews of the exhibition; but what a discovery. Apparently she sees (always? sometimes?) the world with dots everywhere and, as above, her art manifests this. She also has a penchant for penises, disturbingly dominant and a legacy of patriarchy in Japan (she was born in 1929). It’s clear from the exhibition that she predated Warhol’s ‘pop art’ in the ’60s, when she worked in New York. No doubt the patriarchal art scene wasn’t going to let a woman, Japanese at that, take the credit. However, these works are the least interesting to me.

Her early stuff is beautiful and exquisite; like the detail of the Chinese prints seen below. The later stuff, on a grander scale, is quite over-powering in its use of colour. She’s had a fascinating 60 years plus as an artist.

The Printed Image in China: From the 8th to the 21st Century – British Museum

The definition of exquisite

I don’t the techniques involved in many of these prints: paint brush using ink? Whatever, the detail and beauty was sufficient.

Picasso Print: The Vollard Suite – British Museum

Thrilling creativity

The great thing about Picasso is that he never disappoints. I guess that makes him a genius; a much abused word.

Babel, Wildworks – Caledonian Park, Islington

This was meant to be the main event of our trip to London but it was an undigested mishmash and mush that I can’t even be bothered to write about. However… when the ‘fascist security’ suddenly switched sides to join ‘the people’ the plot was clearly, even if there had been one, lost.

Louise Bourgeois: The Return of the Repressed, Freud Museum, Hampstead

Where to look?

I visited Freud’s place in Vienna nearly 30 years ago and remember experiencing a frisson on seeing his couch. I think Freud’s work is bonkers, based as it is on neurotic middle class Viennese, however it also can give us great insights into the ‘human condition’. The frisson was dimmed, slightly, in his London house; but that’s probably my age. However, it was interesting to see Freud’s front room as it was 60-odd years ago. Why did Anna, his daughter who outlived him by 40 years, keep it the same? It’s clearly a shrine.

The Bourgeois was a disappointment. The ‘maman’ (spider) in the garden looked like it was made of tentpoles (if probably was). Age hasn’t been kind to the sculptures on show here and it all looked a bit shabby.

An Intimate Evening with The Unthanks, Holmfirth Picturedrome

More bliss

I love The Unthanks: I love the way they sing and how they sing about ordinary folk.  The arrangements are fabulous (take a bow Adrian McNally) and the musicianship of the highest order. The focus of ordinary folk’s troubles, often from the past, emphasises that the working classes have always been at the bottom of the heap. So it is now, giving the lie to the ConDem’s contention that ‘we’re all in this together’. At least after the budget only fools believe this mantra.

The ‘intimacy’ of this gig was in the stripped down instrumentation, piano, guitar and viola, and, during the second half, each of the group did their own ‘thing’ offering great variety. This part included the support, Lucy Farrell and Johnny Kearney, whose seeming shyness failed to hide their artistry.

Never seen them? Go!

Playlist
Frank Turner, England Keep My Bones
Gravenhurst, Fires in Distant Buildings

April

Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks, Square Chapel, Halifax

I needn’t have remembered this

I remember the wrestling on ITV’s World of Sport in the ’70s because it was on before the racing and football results. Enjoyed Les Kellett, in particular; I taught his grandson once. The Foundry Group’s production does a decent job of creating a theatrical biopic in this two-hander but, really, I don’t care.

Andrew Lawrence, Square Chapel, Halifax

Not quite as funny as he thinks he is

It’s a tough gig for a comedian doing two sets and while Lawrence’s first was pretty good, there wasn’t enough variety for him to sustain another 45-odd minutes. He seemed to realise this with his parting shot that if we didn’t give him a standing ovation he’d shit in his hand. Now I thought he was going down pretty well with the audience but evidently he didn’t and it was a sour way to end.

I think he relied upon audience banter too much and his material was spread rather thinly. At his best, the ridiculousness of  the ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ chant for example, he was good. There just wasn’t enough.

Playlist
Mozart: String quartets 4, 17 & 22, Jerusalem Qt
Vasks: Plainscapes Latvian Radio Choir
Grimes, Visions
Paul Weller, Sonik Kicks
The Civil Wars, Barton Hollow
Spoek Mathambo, Father Creeper
Gregory Porter, Be Good

Books
Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, Owen Jones. Brilliant analysis; a ‘must-read’.

March

O’Hooley and Tidow, 1:22 Club, Huddersfield

No nonsense wimmin

A new venue for me and a bit bamboozling as if you book online you don’t get a ticket (not even an e-ticket). Not a problem except then you have to go searching for when it starts. Doors 20.00; so, we guess, start 21.00? No; as we walk in at 20.30, the show begins. Needs refining that I think. Nice place though.

Good(ish) show too. Loved some of the songs, off The Fragile, and O’Hooley and Tidow almost pull off ‘comic duo’ banter between songs but something was lacking. Or maybe it was too much; finishing at 23.00 with an interval. O’Hooley’s piano is pretty terrific; Listzian, at times, in its fervour.

A Doll’s House, Theatr Clywd, Mold

Man thinking he is dominant

Caryl Morgan is excellent as Nora Helmer, a woman who realises that the idea her husband is the man she thinks he is nonsense. It’s a tough role, there’s barely a scene without her. All the cast are excellent and the play works well in the intimate Emlyn Williams theatre.

Top Girls, Caryl Churchill, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

Still having to battle

This is a superb play about the malicious influence of Thatcherism as well as dramatically daring as it features a meal for (mostly forgotten) women from history and overlapping dialogue. Unfortunately it hasn’t dated at all, since 1982, as the forces of reaction (men) are still trying to chain women in the virgin:mother:whore archetypes.

An all female cast, an empowering event in itself, disport themselves with bravura acting aided by fantastic make up and costume; and we shouldn’t forget Max Stafford-Clark’s direction.

Lucian Freud Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, London

Picturing decrepitude

There’s no doubt that Freud was a remarkable artist; an antidote to the Photoshop age were unblemished perfection infects representations. Freud saw the aging process, in his subjects, before they felt it. I can only imagine that this must have been a projection of his own anxieties. The exhibition covers his whole career and, if you can get to see the pics amongst the crowds, it’s quite an experience.

Bingo, Edward Bond, Young Vic, London

Lear like fumblings

Went to see this primarily as an opportunity to watch Patrick Stewart, and he didn’t disappoint. The play did somewhat: it’s myth-puncturing presentation of Shakespeare was good but could have been done in a less tangential fashion.

Hayward Gallery, London:

Brain Activity, David Shrigley

We know

Shrigley’s playfulness ranges from funny to banal, and that’s not a bad thing. As he says: ‘It’s a matter of making fun of the things you could get depressed about.’ So he works like many comedians.

Joy in People, Jeremy Deller

Tea with your art

Had gone to see the Shrigley but this was far more interesting. Deller’s art is as much about making things happen, as making things; for example, he recreated the Battle of Orgreave in 2001. The political engagement showed up Shrigley’s show (which is worth seeing), and Stewart Lee (below), as it gives a meaning to the art suggesting that we should make life better for yourself and others by engaging with those who abuse their power.

Stewart Lee, Carpet Remnant Tour, St George’s Hall, Bradford

It’s the way I tell about tellin’ ‘em

Stewart Lee’s an excellent comedian who effortless delivers his lines and stories and he’s even honest enough to say, as he’s kids to look after, he’s run out of material. Cue a story about not having any material. It’s brilliantly done but his postmodern take on comedy really has nothing to say, which is disappointing from an overtly political comic.

Playlist
Shostakovich: Piano concerto 2 etc,  Melnikov, Mahler CO – Currentzis
Boy and Bear, Moonfire
Schubert: Winterreise, Florian Boesch, Malcolm Martineau
Thea Gilmore, John Wesley Harding, This is outstanding; one of my favourite singers singing my favourite songwriter. Hope Thea tours this; it’s stunning.
Dirty Three, Toward the Low Sun
O’Hooley & Tidow, The Fragile. Don’t like the first three tracks, but then excellent.

Books
A Doll’s House, Ibsen

February

Mark Maier, Tudur Owen, Harriet Dyer, Calderdale Comedy Club, The Works, Sowerby Bridge

Stop! No more! Please!!

The first time we attended the club, a drunken group at the front soured proceedings. This time there was no such problem and all the acts were good culminating in Mark Maier who made me laugh so much I was desperate for him to stop.

Stomp, Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Crash, bang

This is breathtakingly brilliant theatre. Street dance with a dollop of music hall, resolutely working class in its use of whatever’s available and the worker personas of the performers.

Chicago, Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

All right jazz

The Yorkshire Evening Post complained that this was full of soap stars/hasbeens in the leads who were, mainly, not very good. Their presence, no doubt, was to sell tickets and I agree with the reviewer that we’re better off with unknowns who can do a better job. However, I really enjoyed the job they did. The music is great (John Kander), superbly played by the onstage band, as are the lyrics (Fred Ebb). The production is excellent, it oozed cynicism suggesting times (as the musical is based on true stories from the 1920s) haven’t changed.

He Calls Himself Margaret, Michele Howarth Rashman, Linden Mill, Hebden Bridge

Gis a kiss

This small exhibition of Michele Howarth Rashman’s micro-stitched mixed media sculptures is terrific; it’s on ’til 26th. The slightly larger-than-life busts are incredibly life-like, not in how they look, but in the individuality of the ‘skin’ that gives a ‘warts and all’ texture that we all have (assuming we’re still real).

As You Like It, Shakespeare, Theatre Clywd, Mold

I liked it

Terry Hands is Theatre Clywd’s artistic director and I remember, from 25 years ago?, headlines of ‘Hands Off!’ when he was at the RSC. I can’t imagine anyone complaining about this production of Shakespeare’s play about love and age. Simply staged, with lovely costumes, the staging was notable for the brio of its cast. I was particularly impressed by Philip Bretherton’s melancholy Jaques, he delivered the ‘All the world’s a stage’ speech quite brilliantly.

Playlist
Diagrams, Black Light
Ravel: Piano Works for Four Hands, Louis Lorte, Hélène Mercier
Eleanor Friedburger, Last Summer
Borodin: String quartets, Borodin Qt
Django Django, Django Django

Books
School Wars, Melissa Benn. Should be read by anyone who cares about education; clearly Gove won’t be reading it.

January 2012

The Unthanks Singing Weekend, Seahouses

Singing together

The Unthanks are currently my favourite live band so an invite (well you have to pay) to spend a weekend singing with them was irresistible. Another 40-odd folk found themselves similarly tempted and what a wonderful time we had.

Learning the songs with Rachel and Becky, and then singing on the beach followed by, most memorably, with the Keelers in the Olde Ship Inn (I wonder what unsuspecting patrons thought of us).

Ordinary folk

Adrian McNally, the band’s pianist and arranger, was responsible for the ace food; and thanks to Becky for serving me breakfast on Sunday morning. I came away with a real sense of community, evidenced in the folk songs, from the bond formed by singing together.

Invisible, Tena Stivicic, Laurence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield

Us and the Other

I was attracted to this play as it was billed to be about the immigrant experience in the UK. Theatre is able to counter the prejudices of the mass media, who relish the opportunity to portray migrants as an Other to distract people from who is really causing their problems (the same elite that run the mass media). But that doesn’t mean it will be any good.

Not that Invisible is bad; far from it. A committed cast take on the difficult task of showing a multitude of experiences. However, I found the multitude too much and theatre should not have to rely upon a voice over to tell us what’s going on. Ambitious, and important, but Invisible fails as drama.

Small Words, Arden Social Club, Halifax

Going places?

It’s unusual to find a riff riffing through your head ( a mindworm!) from a band of teenagers appearing at a showcase for new talent (Doghouse’s ‘Bright Young Things’) but this band are that good! I’m told ’90210′ have picked up the synch rights (that’s where the money is!) to ‘Nice‘, the title track of their debut album, due in April.

The band are all excellent and benefit from the front man’s, Patrick McCallion, confidence. It was a short and varied set with not a weak link; it’s rare to have so much good material at this stage of a career. I hope they go on to make an impact.

Playlist
1982, Pintura
Liszt: Harmonies du Soir, Nelson Freire
Tom Waits, Glitter and Doom, Live

Reading list
They Shoot Horses Don’t They, Horace McCoy
Time’s Arrow, Martin Amis
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchins

December

The Unthanks, Hebden Bridge Picturehouse

Supreme artistry

This was the third time I’d seen The Unthanks this year and I’ve already booked for their tour next May. In March they were promoting their new album; in Sept. it was with the Brighouse and Raistrick Brass Bank; today they were singing the songs of Anthony and the Johnsons and Robert Wyatt. It was linked to an album recorded live last year which, in truth, verged on the dirge too much for me. However, in performance the songs were rendered beautifully.

In addition to the sheer beauty of the Unthank sisters’ voices there were the terrific arrangements for string quartet, piano, bass and drums; plus an assortment of other instrumentation including a saw and squeezebox. As ever there’s the unsophisticated relationship with the audience (which took some warming up tonight) that is delightful; we might have been in their front room. At one point the chief arranger, and pianist, Adrian McNally, asked his wife, Rachel, ‘Are you ready dear?’ as she had appeared to have gone into a reverie.

The Unthanks are consistently brilliant.

Festival of Light, Huddersfield

Fantasy in Yorkshire

Dropped into the weekend long festival for a couple of hours coinciding with the arrival of winter rain. Unfortunate but it didn’t detract too much from the magical  atmosphere. Urban Angels acrobatics were particularly impressive.

Salsa Celtica, Victoria Hall, Saltaire

Cuba meets Scotland in harmony

The fourth time Salsa Celtica have visited Saltaire and, when they come back, I’m sure I’ll be wanting to see them again. Great fun and there was a particularly magical moment when lead singer and violinist, Holly ?, sang a capella to an eventually hushed hall.

Playlist
Jake Cogan and The Liberty Roses, Jake Cogan and The Liberty Roses
Jake Cogan, Parcel of Rogues
Michael Garrick (RIP), Martin Hathaway, Paul Moylan and Alan Jackson, The New Quartet
Lucien Ban, Enescu Reimagined
The Black Keys, El Camino
Music for a Time of War, Oregon SO – Carlos Kalmar (Pentatone)
Shabazz Palaces Black Up (sounds like Tricky’s back but even better!)

November

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize – National Portrait Gallery

Captured perfectly

Some fascinating portraits beautifully shot. It’s interesting to compare the photographs with the BP art portrait prize. Photos, by their nature, tend to be more naturalistic and, in capturing an actual moment, may be less contrived than paintings. This might seem obvious, but I emphasise the ‘may’.

Broken Glass by Arthur Miller, Vaudeville Theatre – London

Without identity

Last time I went to the theatre in London it was Miller’s All My Sons; brilliant as that was this version of Broken Glass almost trumped it. Central to Iqbal Khan’s production is Antony Sher’s quite stunning performance as the businessman who tries to avoid his Jewish identity. The rest of the cast are terrific too; as is the solo cellist accompanying scene changes. Well, at £50 a pop it better had be!

Miller’s brilliance is his ability to dramatise psychological states in recognisable human beings. So, although it focuses upon Jewish identity, the problems dealt with relate to all.

Art by Offenders and Secure Patients: The Koestler Exhbition – Royal Festival Hall

Entrapped

This was extremely interesting: art by prisoners or those in secure units due to their mental health. Some of it was terrific; some of it scary; none of it boring.

Hidden Heroes – the genius of everyday things, British Science Museum

Interesting? Nein!

I resented paying six quid for this German exhibition on the genius of everyday objects. The Germanic perspective was irrelevant it just wasn’t that interesting! The film of how paper clips are made was good though.

World Press Photo Awards, Royal Festival Hall

1st Prize General News Stories: Olivier Laban-Mattei, France, Agence France-Presse. Haiti earthquake aftermath, 15-26 January. A man throws a dead body at the morgue of the general hospital, Port-au-Prince, 15 January

This is a literally stunning exhibition and many beautiful photographs showing many instances of hell on Earth.

The Unilever Series: Tacita Dean

Watching film on a big wall

This ‘turbine hall’ piece is meant to be a lament for 35mm film but I’m afraid I lost the plot within 1440 frames (aka one minute).

Rumer, City Hall, Sheffield

Lost in the mix

I must be getting old; this is the first time I’ve been to a concert (you certainly couldn’t call it a gig) where the audience claps at the start of a song. What does that mean?! ‘Hey, I recognise and like this one!’ I must be in Radio 2 land with Rumer’s easy listening but her voice is so beautiful that her debut album was one of my favourites from last year. However… her voice was lost in the mix. It was as if someone had turned the bass to full and so the drone dominated instead of supported. It improved slightly when the bassist went to the stand-up version but there was also the raucous sax (sounding as if it were out of Spandau Ballet) to contend with.

Rumer’s been doing the rounds for years but she’s only been a star for a year and her stagecraft is lacking. She is relaxed but her engagement with the audience is weak at best (in stark contrast to KT Tunstall). A major (and expensive) disappointment; nice hall though.

KT Tunstall, The Picturedrome, Holmfirth

Solo rock

Whilst this show might not have topped her Feb gig – see below – with her band, it still emphasised what a brilliant musician Tunstall is. Playing solo, which included creating the loop for each song at the start, Tunstall had the crowd (in this excellent venue) in her grasp from the beginning. She’s a total show-woman that plays the crowd as well as her instruments.

Playlist
Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials
June Tabor and Oysterband, Ragged Kingdom
Kate Bush  50 Words for Snow

October

Florence and the Machine, Hackney Empire webcast

Forceful performance

Will have to see her live as this came across as a fantastic performance despite some glitches in the webcast (not bad for £4 given Florence’s brilliance). Watching live on the laptop is less than idea but it was clear that she was giving a terrific performance (as well as the band of course) and the fact that this was live added to the excitement.

Mugyenko Taiko Drummers, The Spa Centre Scarborough

Stunning drumming

I enjoyed these even more than last year with the climactic ‘Phoenix’ being mesmerising and exciting in equal fashion. The group were augmented by flautist Miyazaki Nobuku whose beautiful tone was, annoying, often lost in the wash of sound from the Northern Soul weekend that was also going on in the venue (they shouldn’t schedule shows like this).

The Billy Pearce Big Night Out Celebrating 30 years of Overgate Hospice, Victoria Theatre, Halifax

Old school humour

This misogynist, and homophobic, old fashioned humour is still popular beneath the broadcasters’ radar. So this was a slightly uncomfortable experience that reminded me of Les Dawsons’ ‘mother-in-law’ jokes: often funnily told but what are we colluding with by laughing? Fortunately not all laughs are dependent upon reinforcing discrimination and there was plenty of slapstick and The Stardust Dancers were very good, the best of Pearce’s supporting acts.

Pearce is a fixture at the Bradford panto and he is brilliant at what he does. I particularly liked the running gag of him ‘performing’ magic tricks (‘we’re saving up for a magician’) badly and the ‘Morecombe & Wise’ sketch of the workman bashing his hammer during a song was excellent.

Marsden Jazz Festival

Billed as ‘the finest jazz in the beautiful Pennine hills of West Yorkshire’ and I’m sure it is but the afternoon we were there any beauty was obscured by horizontal rain. I also had to put my foot into the Conservative club; I didn’t burst into flame but expected to. We saw The Dizzy Band: two excellent sets.

Playlist
Snakefarm My Halo at Half Light
Wilco The Whole Love
Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler Greatest Hits
Lisa Hannigan Passenger
Berlioz Grande Messe de Mort, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Paul McCreesh

Books
The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes (excellent except I’m not sure I liked the ending)

September

The Unthanks and Brighouse & Raistrick Brass Band – Leeds Town Hall

Brass necks

The delicate folk of the Unthanks and the brass of one of the country’s premiere bands? Had to give it a go and if it didn’t offer the transcendence of the Unthanks ‘trad’ concerts then it was still worth a listen. The Unthanks don’t stand still – driven by McNally’s arrangements – and some of the ideas came off very well.

Less successful was the brass band Father’s Suite but percussionist’s vocal performance of Queen of Hearts as a swing piece was a show stopper.

We Are Three Sisters by Blake Morrison, Northern Broadsides – Halifax

Sisters are doin’ it

An enjoyable play that didn’t quite gel for me; however that was probably due to my ignorance. I didn’t realise how Morrison drew so closely on actual events in the Brontes’ lives. Reading Chekov’s Three Sisters just before the opening night of this premiere probably wasn’t a good idea either as I ended up straining too much for parallels.

Good production, though I find Dean Clough’s Viaduct Theatre stage distracting (audiences sit either side), and well performed. It was good to see a play about Yorkshire in Yorkshire and be reminded what remarkable sisters they were.

Po Girl, Trades Club, Hebden Bridge

Girls at the front

Unfamiliar with these but took a punt based upon a YouTube listen and well worth the chance they were. If they’re slightly too chatty, their banter is mellow and engaging. An extremely talented duo (with a great drummer in support) take the lead; they played guitar, ukelele, banjo, gutbucket bass, accordion and, best of all, clarinet. Allison Russell is a real presence and it was terrific when she jumped off the stage to dance. She also has a great voice and, for a moment, during their cover of Put the Blame on Mame I thought I was listening to Nina Simone! Her mellifluous clarinet gives the band a very distinctive sound.

Urban roots probably best describes their music; in other words very wide influences and a folky texture. Well worth catching; they made an appearance on Radio 4′s Loose Tubes on Sat. 3rd.

Rushbearing, Ripponden

On parade

Something to do with laying the rushes in churches as Autumn begins. Also an excuse for a ‘piss up’. There’s a lot on offer from incongruous belly dancers to short medieval (style?) plays. And the sun shone at the end.

Scarecrow Festival, Norland

One of the bears

Although the theme of this year’s festival appeared to be pop music this was the first scarecrow we came across; very fine it is too.

Elton

This was the best we saw; there was music too.

Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield

Hepworth Gallery

It’s great to have such a superb gallery locally rather than having everything crunched into London. This has some great stuff in it and the space is marvelous, if a little utilitarian looking for me. It’s also difficult to resist touching Hepworth’s work but I managed it. This is my favourite:

Playlist
Po Girls Follow Your Bliss
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony 1; arr. Brahms Piano Quartet – BPO – Rattle
Laura Marling A Creature I Don’t Know
Tinie Tempah Disc-Overy

August

Roddy Woomble, Trades Club, Hebden Bridge

Folky harmony

Great gig. I struggle to comprehend why such interesting music, with plenty of hooks, isn’t more popular. Not, I suspect, that Woomble is bothered; he came across as extremely affable. His band are great; his songs are great. The gig was great.

The War Horse, New London Theatre – London

Convincing stylisation

This is a brilliant production of Michael Morpurgo’s novel however I was emotionally unengaged. I don’t think that was simply because the source material was aimed at children. Having just read Faulke’s devastating Birdsong made this seem rather trivial. Don’t let me put you off it is brilliant theatre.

Playlist
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Four Last Songs, Dorothea Röschmann, Rotterdam PO – Nezet-Sezuin
Britten: Cello Symphony etc. Paul Watkins, BBC PO – Gardner
Jim White Drill a Hole in That Substrate and Tell Me What You See
Britten: Phaedra etc. Rysanov, Connolley, BBC SO – Gardner
Lucy Ward Adelphi Has to Fly

Books
Birdsong Sebastian Faulkes
Small Wars Sadie Jones

July

The American Four Tops, Ritz Brighouse

The eyes deceive

I’d never had a desire to see a tribute band and was never a particular fan of the Four Tops so it was definitely a punt to turn up at this gig. I friend recently, to her regret, paid £80 to see Rain on Broadway which was little more than a Beatles tribute band; clearly there is a market.

Walter Benjamin suggested that the original work of art had an ‘aura’ that copies could not mimic. That’s true for music too, however when the audience ‘make believe’ it’s real (and that wasn’t hard given the sound and performance of this excellent gig) and share the facsimile’s fantasy then it might as well be the genuine article.

Northern Soul Weekend, Whitby Pavilion

The dance goes on

I’ve listened to Northern Soul but was too young for its flowering in the 60s-70s. I didn’t realise that the subculture is still thriving, mostly with the original participants, so I was amongst the youngest. Indeed, I think I’ve found my metier on the dance floor: as you don’t dance with anyone else, the fact that I’m always out of synch doesn’t matter!

Hours of dancing, showing off and drinking; can’t be many better ways of spending a weekend.

Playlist
Shostakovich: Symphony 11, Netherlands Radio PO – Wigglesworth
Rachmaninov: Piano concertos 2 & 3, Trpceski, RLPO – Petrenko
The New Gary Burton Quartet, Common Ground
Schumann: Symphonies, Staatskapelle Dresden – Sawallisch
Couperin: Leçons de Ténèbres, William Christie & Les Arts Florissants
Beastie Boys, Hello Nasty (deluxe ed.)
Gillian Welch, The Harrow and the Harvest
Jill Scott, The Light of the Sun
Roddy Woomble, Impossible Songs and Other Songs
Mahler Symphonies, James Levine

Books
Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to its Own Past, Simon Reynolds,
Niche: Why the Market No Longer Favours the Mainstream, James Harkin
Both these books combine a cultural analysis with their subject. Excellent books that cast light on the nature of 21st century society.
Delusions of Gender, Cordelia Fine
Brilliant dissection of the sexism inherent in much of neuroscience. Funny too.
Estates: An Intimate History, Lynsey Hanley, superb social history and rage against class exploitation

June

Jon Allen, Brudenell Social Club – Leeds

More like Dylan than Rod

Despite a short 60 minute set, Jon Allen did enough to make me wonder why the Brudenell wasn’t fuller. A comfortable stage presence matched by excellent songs that, while obviously influenced by Bob Dylan, are distinctive enough to be his own. As he said, having gigged for five consecutive nights, his voice was sounding more like Rod Stewart’s than usual; not something that would sell a singer to me normally but with Allen it didn’t matter.

Playlist
Dennehy Elastic Harmonic, Joanne MacGregor et al
Cage the Elephant, Thank You Happy Birthday
David Binney, Graylen Centre
Tommy Smith, Karma
Eliza Carthy, Neptune
Boris Berezovsky, Russian Music (Teldec)
Jacqueline du Pre, Les Introuvables (EMI)
Nielsen Symphonies 4 & 5, LSO – Colin Davis
Geri Allen Geri Allen & Timeline Live
Fink, Perfect Darkness
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What
Courtney Pine, Europa
Battles, Mirrored

May

Halle Orch, St George’s Hall, Bradford

100 years since he pegged

This was the stand out orchestral concert in Bradford in this season: Halle + Elder + Mahler. It’s Mahler’s centenary, but there’s no need to have excuses to play him (there’s a fascinating blog here recreating his last days). The Halle played his fourth symphony, with the finale beautifully sung by… (well, I didn’t buy a programme). That movement and the third worked well, but I found the french horn far too dominating in the first two movements (probably caused by where I was sitting) and this spoiled the cohesion of the symphony for me.

The first part had two beautifully played rarities: Sibelius’ Scenes historiques, which sounded like bits of the symphonies he was yet to write, and Delius’ Idylle Printemps.

Ken Dodd’s Happiness Show, Victoria Hall, Halifax

Mad!

Ken Dodd’s shows are renowned for their length; and he’s 83. So the interval was two and three quarter hours in and when we baled, just short of five hours after the start, he was still going strong. He’s also brilliant and if it wasn’t for the dreadful support (alright Andy Eastwood is talented but not to my taste) this would have been one of the best comedy gigs I’ve attended.

Dodd’s act is out of the musical hall, as is his support: a woman who murdered songs and Eastwood’s playing a ukulele behind his head. A series of rapid fire obvious jokes, I felt I’d heard many of them, but delivered with genius. He can’t be around for much longer so catch him; remember to take a thermos and sandwiches though.

Playlist
Beethoven: Piano sonatas (the named), Alfred Brendel (Phillips)
Gregory Porter, Water
Dvorak: String quartets 12 & 13, Pavel Hass Qt
Pina soundtrack
Kasbian Empire
Brahms: Symphony 3, Tchaikovsky: Symphony 6, New Moscow SO – Bashmet
Sublime and Yun Miyake LUDIC
Beethoven: Symphony 7, Chicago SO – Reiner
Schoenberg: Verklate Nacht etc, COE – Holliger
Wild Beatss Smother
Reich Kuniko plays Reich, Kuniko Kato
James Blake James Blake
Friendly Fires Pala
Jon Allen Sweet Defeat
Birtwistle Night’s Blackbird etc. Halle Orch – Wigglesworth

April

Villagers, Brudenell Social Club, Burley

From a capella to psychedelia

Leader Conor J O’Brien started off the gig a capella and the excellent Brudenell audience listened rapt. However I’d managed to position myself behind two lads who then decided to talk throughout the whole of one song; my polite request to them to be quiet was greeted with ‘are you serious?’. I was: all talkers at gigs go to the back!

Anyway, they did shut up enabling us to enjoy the great Villagers narrative songs; though the stories they tell are often vignettes of (maybe) larger narratives. Satisfyingly the band didn’t simply retread the album versions but indulged in some screaming psychedelic guitars – great stuff.

Support Sam Airey sounded promising; his first song (something about the sea) was exceptional.

Eddi Reader, Laurence Batley Theatre – Huddersfield

Top class

Eddi Reader has a sensational voice and sings some sensational song; often courtesy of Boo Hewerdine also pictured above. I liked the idea of not going through the ‘encore’ ritual and so squeezing another song in.

Playlist
Poulenc: Gloria; Stabat Mater – Hendricks, French National Orch – Pretre
REM Collapse Into Now
Dan Mangan Nice Nice Very Nice
Stravinsky conducted by Boulez (DG)
Orpheus in England Emma Kirby and Jakob Lindberg
Bruckner: Motets, Choir Of St. Bride’s Church – Robert Jones

Books
Big Short Micheal Lewis, brilliant dissection of what caused the financial crisis; ie the subprime meltdown not the Lab. Gov! Capitalism in all it’s glory. A friend said he’d seen on the BBC that the reason hedge fund managers are paid so much is that there’s a shortage. Bullshit! They pay themselves so much because we let them get away with it. Read this book.

The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires Tim Wu – a must read for anyone who’s interested in the media and believes the internet is inherently free from censorship. A quite brilliant history.

March

The Unthanks, support Trembling Bells, Howard Assembly Rooms – Leeds

The Unthanks’ concert in Oct 2008 – in Halifax – was brilliant and I was slightly anxious about whether they could match it. Tonight was even better. Anxious because the first had been so good and their new album is, well even by folk standards, pretty miserablist. Though most of the set was from this album, Lost, the melancholy that suffused the air was hypnotic not sad. The sounds were beautiful, whether it was the sisters’ voices or the instrumentation, and I can only describe my state of mind as being enraptured.

The arrangements are influenced by Steve Reich which encourages the hypnotic rhythms and the playing is absolutely magnificent. The stocky (and I mean that absolutely positively) northern lasses’ relaxed banter no doubt helped and this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever experienced.

A voice with a fantastic range

Up-an-coming Trembling Bells offered marvellous support with Lavinia Blackwall’s amazing voice added to some screaming guitar solos. They’re labelled psych-folk, though none of the songs on their new album, is trad.; it’s clear that they’re influenced by ’60s psychedelia. A great palette clearer.

Simon Armitage, Huddersfield Literature Festival

I loved Armitage’s first collection, Zoom, but didn’t get on with his second and hated his novel, Little Green Man. So it’s been a while but after his reading I shall be buying his latest collection, Seeing Stars. I often find listening to poets hard because of the tone poetry seems to demand – melancholic-profound – however a broad accent solves that problem, particularly if the imagery is as rich, and witty, as Armitage’s.

As an aside, an attempt to have a pint afterwards in The Sportsman was thwarted by the barmaid’s inability to serve me. When I pointed out she’d served three others, who’d arrived at the bar after, before me she told me where the doors was and to ‘piss off!’. Don’t go there!

Cinderella, Matthew Bourne, Alhambra – Bradford

Bourne’s Swan Lake was my cultural highlight of last year and it was asking too much for his production of Cinderella to match it. However there were moments, particularly in Act2, that were magical. The coup de theatre at the start of the act consisted of a reverse explosion where the dancers, and props, reconstituted themselves in slow motion; the show’s set during the Blitz. Brilliant design by Lez Brotherston.

On the down side I found some of the story confusing; but maybe I was forgetting the fairly tale. Other highlights included Cinders dancing with five men, at the same time and the arrival of the train.

Holly Taymar and Edwina Hayes, Square Chapel – Halifax

This was an interminable concert. Both artists have good voices but the songs were, mostly, only passable and rather ‘one note’. Their banter, they alternated songs but never sang together, consisted of bemoaning the success of non singer-songwriters like Kate Melua. All rather bitter.

Playlist
Beethoven: Piano sonatas, 30-2, Alexei Lubimov
Bruckner: Symphony 8, Suisse Romande Orch – Janowski
Bartok: Piano concerti, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, BBCPO – Noseda
Baaba Maal Television

February

KT Tunstall, O2 Academy, Leeds

A terrific concert that both demonstrated the Tunstall can rock and sing songs softly; particularly the debut of The Punk, beautifully sung with only her guitar accompanying. Pretty hushed audience except for a couple of women at the back who were roundly shhhhed!

Imbolc, Marsden

The annual imbolc (a pagan ceremony where Jack Frost is beaten back by Green Giant) took place in biblical rain this year. Having spent three Saturday’s training with the fire clubs it was a bit disappointing to drown on the night. It was also difficult to see anything before the fire buckets were lit – a trick in itself – but I understand it’s usually better organised.

I not sure how accurate my fire patterns were, but it was worth trying out. There were some truly dramatic scenes, when the fireworks went off, with smoke and shadow but, unfortunately, I’ve misplaced my camera.

Playlist
The Decemberists The King is Dead
PJ Harvey Let England Shake
Kit Holmes Driving Into the Blue
Rubbra String Quartets 1, 3 & 4, Maggini Qt
Verneri Pohjola Aurora

Books
Hello Everybody: One Journalist’s Search for Truth in the Middle East, Joris Luyendijk – brilliant expose of the total inadequacy of news reporting.

January

Annabelle Weir, Square Chapel – Halifax

I suspected that the pop psychology of Weir would irritate me. However, I didn’t know it would so went along… to be irritated. She promoted her latest book to a packed out, mostly female, audience. I think she was saying that women shouldn’t get hung up on their bodies but this sort of tripe reinforces the belief that they should.

Thea Gilmore, The Met – Bury

I’ve become a massive fan of Gilmore but this was the first time I’ve seen her (first time at Bury’s The Met too – great venue but don’t sit down). Brilliant but not great; why? Possibly because the arrangements of her songs aren’t quite as good as they are on the albums; no doubt due to economics. However, great voice, great musicianship (from all three), great songs.

Kevin Precious, Square Chapel – Halifax

There’s plenty to laugh about in the classroom (after the event usually, ruefully) – I should know – but Kevin Precious doesn’t exploit the possibilities. The best stand-ups are stories that run on and on, a flow of funnies that gel; too much of Precious’ routine stops just as it gets started. He also suffers from the bad habit of laughing at his own jokes, which you can only get away with when they are funny. The support, Chris Stokes, however, looks to have a future.

Snake Davis, Square Chapel – Halifax

Jazz for all

Snake Davis’ set was, essentially, jazz though the ‘j’ word can put a lot of people off. The concert was marketed as ‘soul and funk’, funky it certainly was with a 6-string bass guitarist riffing away. Soulful? Maybe but I wonder how many in the packed house would say they liked jazz?

They certainly liked Snake Davis as he cleverly mixed pop favourites (Michael Jackson), and a brilliant version of Purple Rain, with his own compositions. Accessible jazz then, but then lots of jazz is accessible. I guess some people think jazz is when they ‘go off noodling on one’. Snake Davis is for fans of music; and his music is jazz.

Playlist
British Sea Power Valhalla Dancehall
Cee-Lo Green The Lady Killer
Mercedes Peon SOS

2011

December

Playlist
Cheikh Lo Jam
Kroke, Out of Sight

November

Bellowhead, St George’s Hall, Bradford

Spot the band

One of the best live bands on any circuit; they regularly win Radio 2′s ‘best live folk’ award. Good to hear them branching out with Brel’s Amsterdam but the punky Little Sally Racket was a, er, racket; but then they know that.

Lysistrata, Aristophanes, Actors of Dionysus – Square Chapel, Halifax

Great production that satisfyingly updated this Greek classic. The five actors, playing several roles, gave it everything. There was a Brechtian street theatre feel to the performances (enhanced by the songs) though I still don’t understand the ‘assassination of the Remembrance parade’ prologue.

Playlist
Rumer, Seasons of My Soul
Brahms: Symphony 4 etc. Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique & The Monteverdi Choir – Gardiner
The final album in Gardiner’s fine Brahms cycle as interesting for the accompanying pieces as the symphonies.
Brahms: Piano concerto 1 & 2, Tirimo, LPO – Levi (CFP)
Byrd: Infelix Ego, Cardinall’s Musick – Carwood
Dar Williams: Many Great Companions
Neil Diamond, Dreams

Books
The Madman of Freedom Square, Hassan Blasim

October

A Mother’s Love: Music for Mary, The Sixteen, Christophers – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

The Sixteen are no doubt one of the world’s top vocal ensembles and I enjoyed the beauty of their singing but the programme, ranging from Plainchant to James MacMillan including a lot in between, didn’t work for me. I guess it was an attempt to offer variety but the overall effect was bitty.

I was also confused by the fact that during one organ interlude no one clapped. So I started the clapping, or meant to, but failed as no one joined in. Did I miss something? The last classical concert I went to featured Mark Elder explaining the music; Harry Christophers should seriously consider letting audiences into the ‘know’ or the sea of grey and bald heads will never be replaced by younger people.

Bizarrely at the bar, before the start, people were queuing. Okay, very civilised, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but why then did one of the bar staff keep serving people who were pushing in despite being asked not to? Might be a riot next time.

Shappi Khorsandi, Burnley Mechanics

Clearly Khorsandi is well known (Radio 4, Have I Got News…?) but was new to me. Having enjoyed comedians at The International, in Dublin, during the summer, I resolved to watch a female comedian soon. It’s a form that’s even more male dominated than most; but, of course, you can’t draw conclusions from one female comedian.

The support (Neil somebody? – we arrived late – and apparently not the guy advertised) was brilliant. In the vein of the Dublin comics we’d seen in the summer: aggressive-self deprecating; crude; and using the audience brilliantly. In contrast I found Khorsandi stilted; her patter was often stuttering – but I assume that was part of the act – and, for me, it didn’t gel.

Playlist
Elgar: Violin concerto, Zehetmair, Halle – Elder
Kila, Mind the Gap
Santiago a cappella, Monteverdi Choir – Gardiner
Plan B, The Defamation of Strickland Banks
Lou Reed, Transformer
Phantom Band, The Wants
Fay Claasen, Sing!
Tiken Jah Fakoly, African Revolution

September

Playlist
Talking Heads Remain in Light
KT Tunstall, Tiger Suit
Antonio Sanchez, Antonio Sanchez Live
Robert Plant, Band of Joy
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Grinderman, Grinderman 2
Madeleine Peyroux, Careless Love – this must be one of the best albums on the last 10 years
Thea Gilmore, Murphy’s Heart

August

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Thrills but no spills

Why do people pay money to queue for hours for a few seconds of thrills? I guess it’s for the ‘out of body’ experience: the body is screaming that ‘this is not good’, as it is hurled off a precipice and spun around several times at an unreasonable speed, but, having survived the experience (the ride not the queuing) decides it was life affirming.

It has been suggested that those who live cosseted lives seek thrills, in films as well as theme parks, in order to experience life as it might have been in, say, the Stone Age. Then there was the thrill of finding something to eat and avoiding big things like er mammoths.

What makes Blackpool’s theme park special is the historic resonance of a working class resort doing its best to survive cheap air travel. The magnificent promenade, and tower, make it a special place to visit.

The Reasoning, Mayflower, Warley

In harmony

Whilst The Reasoning are (almost) unreasonably retro (Marillion anyone?) they are a set of superb musicians led by Rachel Jones (Phd). As you can see from the pic, they play in very small venues and are constantly worried about punters tripping over their five grand speakers on the way to the bog. We had to get so close as the acoustics in the pub were terrible, seeming to favour the raucous locals over the music.

There was an expectation that the lead guitarist would take his shirt off; he did (not pictured). This was an acoustic set and you’re into ‘melodic rock’ then I’d recommend The Reasoning.

Jacqui Wicks, Square Chapel, Halifax

Singing them straight

Jacqui Wicks certainly has a powerful voice that can belt and be wistful. Her set consisted of narrative songs mixing standards and the lesser known, such as a couple of numbers from On the Town omitted from the film. She has an engaging stage presence and a highlight was an interlude where she played banjo to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face.

When she did belt it out, however, it was a bit much; her tone gained too much of a hard edge. Kevin James was the terrific accompanist and starred in a fabulous self-penned song based on the works of a Chinese poet. His Keith Jarrett-like dense chords and his  gentle tenor gave a hint that the musical he’s working on could be great.

Playlist
Venables At Midnight Dante Qt, Andrew Kennedy
Sviatoslav Richter – the terrific Icon set
Holmboe: Symphonic Metamorphosis, Aalborg SO – Hughes
Poulenc Figure Humaine, Tenebrae – Short
The Soundcarriers Celeste
Dhafer Youssef, Electric Sufi
Bloc Party, Intimacy
Chausson: Concerto in D Major for Violin, Piano and String Quartet, Op. 21, Itzhak Perlman, Jorge Bolet, Juilliard String Quartet

July

Charles Mackerras (1925-2010)

Mackerras impinged upon my radar in the late ’70s with his recordings of Janacek’s operas; mostly with Elisabeth Soderstrom. I still love these recordings and Mackerras went on working until the end – he was due to conduct two Prom concerts. A great conductor.

Dharorhar Project, Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons, St George’s Hall, Bradford

Sensational sounds from Rajasthan

One of the great gigs because it’s (likely) to be unrepeated. Well it was on in London last week but, according to The Guardian, it had a crap audience; unlike here where it was brilliant because of the respect they paid to artists.

Few would have been there for the folk musicians from Rajasthan, who had the first set, but they were greeted with warmth and genuinely enthusiastic applause.

Folkies rock!

Music is probably the most cosmopolitan of artforms. In classical music, multi-national combination are the norm, and it’s great to see folky rockers, Mumford & Sons, and (also folky) Laura Marling embrace difference. The climax of the concert, where each group had a set, was all on stage for four collaborative songs. It was truly thrilling to here the energetic bombast of Mumford infused with SE Asian vocals that cut through the wall of music. Heartwarming to see different cultures creating music together and fantastic to see it embraced by a predominantly young audience there to see, primarily, the other acts.

Exquisite power

Marling requires a quiet audience for her exquisite singing; Mumford simply requires an audience willing to rock. Whilst their song structures might be a little formulaic (quietish start will massive climactic waves of chorus) it is fabulous. Hope they can vary it for the second album.

Give us more!

A tremendous concert offering four sets, in more than three hours, of great variety and a very high standard of musicianship. Can that be beaten?

Benoit Viellefon & His Orchestra, Old Duke Inn, Bristol

Benoit: Charmingly Gallic

Stumbled into the last 25 mins of Benoit and his Orchestra’s gig on a crawl of Bristol. Terrific band and even if Benoit’s voice isn’t top dog, he was: ‘I affter stop at eeeeleven or the police come. I like it when poleeeece come as they pack up my equipment.’ His, 10 minutes late, finale was Dick Dale’s Misirlou which had the (small) pub rocking. Beauregard from Brussels was on accordion; we could have been anywhere in Europe. Brilliant!

Playlist
Tomasz Stanko Quintet Dark Eyes
Villagers Becoming a Jackel
Foals Total Life Forever
Harvey: Speakings, BBC Scottish SO – Volkov
The Sound of Wonder! Pop from the Lollywood Vaults
Adele, 19
Sounds of the World Presents: Anywhere on the Road
Necessarily the last of Charlie Gillett’s fantastic world music compilations.

June

David Nash, YSP, Wakefield

Sensory sculpture

Nash’s work on display at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a bit like Cirque du soleil – see below – in that it has to be experienced to be understood. Sculpting from trees (and coal, but mainly trees) Nash’s work is overwhelmingly sensuous and a wonderful use of natural material – in terms of its shapes and the quality of the wood. On ’til February so if you live in Britain there’s no excuse not to experience it.

Spirit of St John + Sabrina Piggott, Cookies Bar, Halifax

Sabrina Piggott had a lovely voice and excellent accompaniment from percussion and cello; she needs some stronger material though.

Punk rockabilly?

The vocalist brought a raw intensity, reminiscent of punk, and the bassist propelled the music along at a great lick. Stunning stuff if a little one-note.

Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco, MEN, Manchester

Seeing is believing

Readers of the film pages will know of my boredom with CGI and it’s shows like this that explain why. I don’t think my jaw has dropped, or my lips said ‘wow’, as often since… well, forever, so brilliant are the stunts. And it’s extremely funny; the mime artist is Buster Keaton reincarnated. Cirque du soleil have to be seen to understand their genius.

Germaine Greer, Square Chapel, Halifax

Still making sense

Greer spoke for over an hour, without notes, rarely losing the thread and always interesting. The answers to the following questions tended to be a little long. The woman who suggested that Greer was anti-motherhood received a benign answer; the questioner had obviously been reading too much Daily Mail-like material. I asked Greer what the ‘female eunuch’ would look like now, she suggested that things are worse than they were in the ’60s. Time for a Greer of the 21st century to make herself known.

The Acorn, Hoxton Bar and Kitchen

Canadian Americana

They were good, interesting with two drum kits, but lacked the slower melancholy that infused their first album.

Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera, Tate Modern

Implicit looking

Interesting premise but, with a few exceptions, this exhibition didn’t really grab. The candid photos were the most interesting  but I didn’t feel I learned anything about our surveilled society.

All My Sons, Arthur Miller, Apollo Theatre, London

Justly lauded production of Miller’s great play; stunning design, sound, lighting and performances.

Playlist
Scissor Sisters, Nightwork
James Yuill, Movement in a Storm
Jonathan Bratoeff Quartet, Mindscapes
Jean Toussaint, Live in Paris & London
Mumford & Sons Sigh No More
Gillian Welch, Hell Amongst the Yearlings
The Acorn,  No Ghost
Megson, The Long Shot
Stéphane Kerecki Trio, Tony Malaby, Houria
Stornaway, Beachcomber’s Windowsill

Books
Steig Larsson The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest

May

Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller, West Yorkshire Playhouse – Leeds

Thoroughly enjoyable production that is graced by a true coup de theatre when the final scene reveals the road to nowhere. I wonder about Miller’s play’s relevance to now; I’m sure the American Dream still holds sway for many/most in the States, but what does it tell us? What phony dreams do we have in Britain? Presumably JD Salinger’s ‘catcher in the rye’ derived his ‘phony’ from Miller.

Salsa Celtica, Victoria Hall – Saltaire
Usual terrific set from Saltairelive regulars.

Salsa tappin

Playlist:
Stornoway Beachcomber’s Windowsill
Tracey Thorn Love and Its Opposite
Sumera: Cello concerto, David Geringas, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra – Paavo Järvi – This composer’s new to me and will enjoy investigating further
The National High Violet
Martha Tilston Martha and the Wolves
Goran Bregovic Alkohol
Lutoslawski conducts Lutoslawski (EMI)

Books
The Death of Grass John Christopher

April

Between Kismet and Karma – Leeds Art Gallery

A dress for all bodies

Interesting collection of women’s art for SE Asia. The dress – pictured – was extraordinary. It’s designed to fit any body rather than having bodies fit the dress.

Playlist
Trembling Bells, Abandoned Love
Caribou, Swim
Dusapin 7 Solos for Orchestra Liege PO – Rophe
Paul Weller Wake Up the Nation
Ligeti, Piano Music, Fredrik Ullen
Elgar Dream of Gerontius, the classic Boult recording
Love Forever Changes
Norgard Symphonies 3 & 7 Danish National Radio SO – Dausgaard
Kathryn Williams The Quickening

March

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Alhambra, Bradford

Fantastic version of Tchaikovsky’s ballet. My previous experiences of ballet had been less than thrilling; this was totally so. Funny and a night club scene to rival the Girl Hunt Ballet in Band Wagon. At the curtain call for the corps de ballet there was an extra rich oestrogen laced cheer; well deserved too.

Medea, Northern Broadsides – Halifax

Dont cross me!

Nina ­Kristofferson as Medea is great; the play is great; Tom Paulin’s version is good but… why was the production  so static and what’s New Orleans blues got to do with it? It was my first Northern Broadsides production so I can’t comment on them from one play but Barrie Rutter cannot act!

Playlist
Laura Marling I Speak Because I Can
Bartok by Simon Rattle
Brahms Symphonies BPO – Rattle
Both above under a fiver on Amazon – bonkers!
Skalkottas: Violin concerto etc, Georgios Demertzis, Malmo SO – Nikos Christodoulou
Jesca Hoop Hunting My Dress
Tunng …And Then We Saw Land
Britten Peter Grimes
The classic 1958 recording conducted by the composer of one of the great 20th century operas available legally for one Euro at http://www.classicalmusicmobile.com/catalog/

Books
One Day David Nicholls
Fantastic novel, perfect for fortysomethings who want to consider the last 20 years.
Hearts and Minds Amanda Craig
Brilliant ‘state of the nation/London’ novel.

February

Don McCullen exhibition at Imperial War Museum – Manchester

Dont look and you wont see

McCullen’s responsible for many iconic photos of war – the above is from the Biafran Civil War, caused by oil companies in Nigeria. A week after Blair’s self-serving testimony it’s tempting to think that politicians wouldn’t declare war so readily if they absorbed McCullen’s photographs; however, that’s probably not true.

Playlist:
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances etc, Royal Liverpool PO – Petrenko (Avie)
Petrenko has revitalised the Liverpool orchestra and these performances are stunning.

Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate, Ali and Toumani
Fantastic swansong of the fantastic Toure.

Marina and the Diamonds, The Family Jewels

Ceremony and Devotion – Music for the Tudors, The Sixteen
John Sheppard’s Media vita in morte sumus is gorgeous

Mahler: Symphony 9, Bamburg SO – Nott
Andriessen: Die Materie ASKO Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir Reinbert de Leeuw
Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain / Lutoslawski: Cello concerto. Poltera, ORF Radio SO – van Steen (Bis)
Maxwell Davies Taverner, BBC S) – Knussen (NMC)
Michael Berkeley Or Shall We Die?/Patterson Missa Brevis, LSO- Hickox/London Phil – Hughes
Daniel Barenboim’s Beethoven-Schoenberg on Radio 3

Books
The Rapture, Liz Jensen

January 2010

La Boheme – Opera North, Leeds Grand
Terrific production updating the narrative to the 1950s.

Rare comic moment

Playlist:
Nneka No Longer At Ease
These New Puritans Hidden
Lindstrom and Christabel, Real Life is No Cool
Fire on Fire The Orchard
Thierry Lang Lyoba Revisited
Schnittke: 10 Symphonies (BIS)
The Imagined Village Empire & Land
Vampire Weekend Contra
Amandine Solace in Sore Hands

Books
One Dimensional Woman, Nina Power
Granta 108: Chicago
Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil, Peter Maas

November 2009

Damien Jurado, John Vanderslice, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Great gig with John Vanderslice almost upstaging Jurado with a terrific set of Americana ranging from full-on rock to the humour of their last, acoustic, song (see below). Why isn’t this guy better known? I’d heard a couple of songs on his MySpace page but found them too jokey. However, with a wurlitzer and moog keyboard and full drum kit they blasted out a brilliant set.

Jurado, on the other hand, relied upon his voice and guitar alone; that’s all he needed. Jurado is probably the gloomiest songwriter I know, after John Dowland, and his ‘What Are the Chances?’ is (probably) my ‘break up’ song: what did he start with?! While it lost something without the female voice mirroring his thoughts, it was still terrific.

After half an hour of (brilliant) gloom Michael and I (and no doubt most of the attentive audience) were worrying about the guy’s sanity; all we’d got our applause were a grunted ‘thank you’. Then he opened eyes and apologised for the songs being so ‘heavy’, and stated he never listened to this stuff himself (he prefers ’80s rap). Brilliant!

He also said he only ever plays songs he remembers as he never rehearses; that’s a new one for me. Great set; great gig.

October 2009

Green Day, MEN Arena

Billy Joe can work a crowd; he had 16000-odd in his hand within 30 seconds of this gig starting. Some achievement. Maybe he peaked too early…? Not for the fans but as a disinterested bystander I enjoyed the first 30 mins; but there was two hours more. Value for money.

Was it actually a gig, though? More like theatre with the props of melodrama: flames, lights, water pistols, cannons, Billy Joe’s mincing walk etc. There was even a Benny Hill riff; nearer Music Hall than a gig. And getting members of the audience on stage to sing! Brilliant; especially if they were as good as the lass.

Even in an uber-loud rock gig I did manage the spend half the encores next to blokes who insisted on talking. Didn’t say anything though… And Northern Rail excelled themselves with a two-carriage last-train to Huddersfield which couldn’t move due to the bulk of people. Amazingly, I’ve never seen this before, they found a three-carriage one! Well done someone however didn’t they know there was a gig on that night?

The Unthanks, Halifax Paris Church

This has to be one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. I’ve got the new album and Rachel Unthanks’ previous one; like them, some great tracks but live… Maybe it was a mixture of the Unthank sisters’ gorgeous harmonies and the very reverberant acoustic of the church or maybe they’re always like that but the music was spine chillingly good. The support acts seem to struggle with the acoustic but the Unthanks exploited it and Annachie Gordon, with its Steve Reich-like accompaniment on marimba(?), was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.

Not sure I like the venue though. Impressive as the church is, didn’t sit in the pews (originally designed to stop people dancing in church), it did distance the group from the audience. Despite the stunning beauty of the sound some people where there only to talk: they should go down the pub! And to be accused of bullying, and asked outside to ‘continue the discussion’, having asked one (at first pretty politely) to shut  up… Well it didn’t spoil the concert!

Sisters in harmony

Bellowhead, St George’s Hall – Bradford

Third time I’ve seen this brilliant group, lead by the charismatic John Boden. He is so cool that the flop of the high octane start (‘nothing like good timing ladies and gentlemen’) didn’t fluster him. Adding a horn section to a folk group gives the band a massive sound that never threatens to overwhelm the virtuoso subtlety of the players.

They’re not promoting a new album but some of their earlier stuff has been reworked, keeping the gig fresh. There can’t be many folk gigs where in front of the stage resembles a, very polite, most pit as everyone joins in the Rochdale Coconut dance. Fantastic.

It is a folk group ladies and gentlemen

Halle Orchestra, Mark Elder, St George’s Hall – Bradford

The top orchestral date of the season in Bradford with Shostakovich’s 5th as the highlight. Mark Elder explained current research into the symphony, explaining that while it might be a ‘Soviet artist’s response to just criticism’ it was also a howl of lost love. The (unhearable) Carmen quotations refer to a lover who’d left him for Spain and the repeated A at the end of the symphony also referred to her. I’ve always found this symphony overwhelming but the knowledge that the climax is an expression of his pain at losing a lover…

Mark Elder has made the Halle a top outfit and although I didn’t find the intensity of the first and last movements in the middle two, it was still a terrific performance. He was unable to convince me of Strauss’ Horn Concerto 2 though; but the opener, Dvorak’s Noonday Witch, was brilliant.

Dmitris despair

September 2009

Richmond Fontaine, New Roscoe, Leeds
A great band in such a small venue?! Packed with everyone melting with sweat? Could have been somewhere else but you can’t beat the intimacy of a small place for music though Richmond Fontaine’s brand of Americana has a rock sound that could fill a field.

Five nondescript looking guys playing music about losers in small town America; brilliant. They came across as really nice guys too, bandying banter with the crows and infusing their musicianship with great enjoyment.

What is it with some people though? Why go to a gig, stand near the front, and talk during the support act?

Willy Vlautin, of Richmond Fontaine, outside a venue similar to the New Roscoe

Bingley Music Festival
Well done to Bradford Council for getting a good line up at very reasonable prices (£25 for the weekend). I caught most of Sunday starting with VV Brown, who was obviously starstruck… by herself. Her celebratory ‘we’ve sold the sync rights to this song in America and we’re so excited’ probably didn’t mean a lot to the audience. However, she can sing, though I’m not a big fan of her rock ‘n’ roll pastiche.

Maybe the only thing I can say about The Qemists is that they were loud. No, to be fair, they also had a few excellent heavy rock riffs. Their lead singer thought it was cool that the mosh pit was full of youngsters while the parents were far away, as she put, thinking ‘what the  hell is this?’. I’ll have you know, Ms. Whateveryournameis, we parents were head banging 30-years ago and had heard it all before.

Reverend and the Makers upped the macho ante and the invite for us to join them in the ‘up yours’ gesture to the BNP was very welcome. They sounded like a mixture of Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, which is not a bad thing. He tried his acoustic set, something he normally does in the carpark, near the stage but seemed more keen to upstage Calvin Harris, the next act…

…which I didn’t like…

I was primarily there for The Editors; their post-Joy Division rock has a melancholy strain that appeals to me. Good as most of the previous sets had been, The Editors cranked up the rock voltage. Lead singer Tom Smith doesn’t exactly twitch like Ian Curtis used to, but his bendy gyrations do suggestion a slightly unhinged mind. Despite the melancholy that infuses the music, Smith’s seemed to be enjoying himself; leaning  out from the stage and looking up as if checking out the rain. The big guitar sound of U2 is also evident, ideal for a festival venue, rounding off a cracking gig.

June 2009

The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga (Atlantic Books, 2008)
I’ve tended to steer clear of Booker books in recent years as I rarely enjoy them. I made an exception to this due to its ‘state of the nation’ theme. As India and China grow in dominance it would be daft not to engage with those countries’ cultures.

If the book had been written by a westerner I might have found the portrayal of Indians (big-headed or kowtowing) dubious. However, unless Adiga was simply pandering to an international market (doubtful), we should take his representations at face value (which, of course, doesn’t mean they’re accurate).

An excellent read that critiques Capitalism in a way that Slumdog Millionnaire didn’t (not a criticism); together the texts make an interesting portrayal of (new) India.

May 2009

Uncut, July
This month’s issue of Uncut has a terrific CD from the Honest Jon label; it’s hooked onto the Blur cover as Damon Albarn is involved with the label. For many years the Uncut CD was full of crap but recently there’s usually been a lot of good stuff. I don’t rate the magazine very highly, I much prefer Word, but it’s worth buying this issue for the Honest Jon sampler. Stand out is Abdel Hadi Halo & the El Gusto Orchestra of Algiers.

Seth Lakeman, Victoria Hall – Saltaire
After the less than wonderful sonic experience of Dylan in Sheffield, last month, I was alarmed to hear I couldn’t understand Lakeman’s words here either. Usually the sound at SaltaireLive is excellent so ‘it must be me!’. Decrepitude may be advancing but those with me confirmed his vocals weren’t clear at all.

So that spoiled it. However, the second half was much better – though I still couldn’t make out the words. The music was terrific with Ben Nichols, bass, particularly shining. The pre-encore finale was Lakeman playing Kitty Jay: fabulous virtuosity; though the drum machine, played with his foot, was a peculiar hybrid: folk-techno.

Stonephace, Stonephace (Tru Thoughts)
John L Walters described this best, in The Guardian: ‘bring(s) Brit-jazz muscle to the world of beats and blips.’. It’s a fantastic mix of stuff.

Let the Right One In, Jonas Ajvide Lindqvist (Quercus, 2007)
Politics less to the fore, in this Swedish genre novel, than Larsson’s below, but nevertheless left wing values are still in evident. Lindqvist adapted this for the terrific movie and it’s fascinating to see how faithful the film is, until the final 100 pages or so where the novel goes far more vampire than the film. An excellent read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, Stieg Larsson (Quercus, 2008)
If it sags a bit after 100 pages that’s a minor criticism of what is mostly a page turner; no surprise as it’s been a worldwide bestseller. What a particularly liked was the political edge; the book’s disgust with financial shenanigans shows that there really should have been no surprise when everything went ‘belly up’ last year.

April 2009

Berg, Orchestral Music, Gothenburg SO – Venzago
Fabulous double CD offering the Violin Concerto (withIsabelle van Keulen) and the Lulu Suite, plus a lot more. Best performances of Berg I’ve heard in a long time.

Bob Dylan, Sheffield Arena
This should have been the year’s highlight for me: I’ve been a Dylan fan for 40 years but have never seen him live (a contradiction in terms you might think). I know Dylan’s reputation for mangling/reinterpreting his songs, so that wasn’t problem, and I know arenas are soulless venues… but I wasn’t prepared for the terrible sound. It wasn’t Dylan’s voice, which is knackered; I still love Dylan’s voice. It wasn’t the the volume: loud but tolerable; it was the brashness of the sound – it was extremely ugly.

The set was very ‘rock n roll’, guitar and drum-led, so that didn’t help with subtleties of sound but after the first song (which I enjoyed) I just couldn’t get into the performance. Only during the final song Like a Rolling Stone (didn’t stay for the encores) did the genius of Dylan shine through.

Incidentally Bob did play guitar on one piece and it was great to see him rocking on the keyboard.

Show of Hands, with Miranda Sykes; Victoria Hall – Saltaire
There can’t be many groups who can get the audience happily singing along with the first piece but Show of Hands effortlessly had the sell-out crowd doing their bidding. The best was the political stuff Santiago and a new song about corrupt bankers. Classy stuff.

What Would Google Do?, Jeff Jarvis (Collins Business, 2009)
Google evangelist Jarvis argues persuasively how the search engine has changed everything (except lawyers and PR). Well worth reading.

Tracing Arcs, Fin LP (Dusted Wax Kingdom)
If you fancy some laid back, trippy jazz influenced music got to http://dustedwax.org/dwk030.html and you’ll find an album to tickle your and not set you back a sou.

March 2009

Jon Boden, Brudenell Social Club (Leeds)
Jon Boden’s touring his new album, Songs from the Floodplain, and what a treat his  set was. As the fantastic photography, in and on the CD, suggests the song cycle (that may sound pretentious but that’s what it is and to call it a concept album connates it’s crap which it isn’t) is set in a post-Apocalyptic world. Like in a JG Ballard novel, we don’t know what’s caused the breakdown of society (the title suggests environmental catastrophe) and Boden focuses on how the ‘everyday’ of boy-meeting-girl would continue; it’s grim and great.

Among the support was John Smith whose opening song, about an axe murderer, had the intenstity of Nick Cave and the melancholy of Damien Jurado.

February 2009

Courtney Pine, Transition in Tradition
Wonderful jazz album that has is a tribute to Sidney Bechet and so resounds with the aural melting pot of New Orleans. Anyone who thinks they don’t like jazz needs to listen to this!

Bright Shiny Morning, James Frey (John Murray, 2008)
This was the geezer who made up his life in the well-received ‘autobiographical’ A Million Little Pieces. Bright Shiny Morning shows how well suited he is to fiction; this is a brilliant portrait of the hell that is Los Angeles. The characters may by ‘flat’ types but this doesn’t detract from caring for them. Th city’s portrayed on a broad canvass, mixing fact, history and several narrative strands. LA is obviously a unique place brilliantly ‘served’ by this book.

The Big Nowhere, James Ellroy (1988) (Arrow, 1994)
Noir writ long – a plot so convoluted that there is a several-page coda explaining how everything actually fitted together! I struggled in patches but other sections flew by with cracking dialogue and hard bitten (literally) men.

Emma, Jane Austen (1815)
Failed to complete for a second time. I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE!

Bodies, Susie Orbach (Profile, 2009)
Absolutely terrific book. Orbach (of ‘fat is a feminist issue’) unpicks the ideological basis of society’s obsession with bodies and the panic about obesity. As she notes, the massive growth in diet products proves one thing: they don’t work. Although she doesn’t state as much, it’s clear that our relationship with food, and our bodies, is a political device ‘designed’ to take attention away from the way we are exploited. It’s not a conspiracy but the nature of capitalism.

Netherland, Joseph O’Neill (4th Estate, 2008)
Terrific almost ‘stream of consciousness’ – it is written in sentences but meanders with the narrator’s thoughts – novel about personal crisis (mid life and marital) and a New York we rarely see based around emigre cricket. This was amongst the most-mentioned in critics’ ‘best of year’ lists and that’s an accurate assessment.

Alela Diane, Every Path (Uncut, March 2009)
The current Uncut magazine CD has a pile of Neil Young covers. Standout is Alela Diane whose track has been haunting me all week. So her new album, out on the 16th, will be a ‘must’.

January 2009

McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime, Misha Glenny (Vintage, 2008)
Absolutely brilliant expose of how globalisation has stimulated the rise of organised crime. Glenny’s epilogue, when he calls for greater regulation of financial markets, was of course spot on; and he wasn’t writing retrospectively. If you want to know how the world works then read this book.

Fresh, Mark McNay (Canongate, 2007)
Wonderful slice (of chicken – much of it is in a chicken factory) of proletarian, Scottish life that convincing portrays how social circumstance can be completely entrapping.

Granta 104: Fathers (Granta, 2008)
The usual intriguing mix best of which are Siri Hustvedt’s, Ruchir Joshi’s and Francesca Sagan’s investigation into their relationships with their fathers. The photo essay, ‘Wrestlers’, is disappointingly prosaic (better if it’d been shot in the gym). If you don’t then you should… subscribe.

Oliver James, The Selfish Capitalist (Vermillion, 2007 )
Tremendous analysis of the malaise caused by free market economics. Using research from Psychology James shows how, in the English-speaking world, we are afflicted by stupid materialism.

Richard T Kelly, Crusaders (Faber & Faber, 2008)
Brilliant ‘state of the nation’ novel set in Newcastle mostly on the cusp of the arrival of the pathetic New Labour.

Joe Sacco, Palestine (Jonathan Cape, 2003)
Brilliantly conveys the misery inflicted upon Palestinians by the Israeli government. Sacco’s funny and portrays the situation with muted anger. He is also conscious of his own role as a reporter who’s seeking a good story and as a westerner who’s, necessarily, an outsider. Needs reading by anyone who wants to know what’s going on in the world. It is a comic and the visuals both accompany and elucidates the story.

Salsa Celtica, Victoria Hall, Saltaire
Caught these here a couple years ago and they were good. Tonight they were terrific. Not sure what the difference was but their two-set performance mixed irresistible (except to those sitting down) rhythms, virtuosity and showmanship (they started part two in the audience – a street performance for a few minutes). There was also a bagpipe solo that sounded more Free Jazz than tartan; extraordinary.

Amadou and Mariam, Welcome to Mali
‘Poppier’ than their previous album but that’s not a criticism as the sound’s infectious from the Damon Albarn produced opening track through to the end.

Pixieguts, Walking on Mercury
There’s no excuse not to listen to this healthy dose of trip hop because it’s terrific and free: http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/26686.

December 2008
Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip (John Murray, 2006)
Ultimately frustrating as the politics are never clearly delineated (1990s war in Papua New Guinea).

John Gray, Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia (Penguin, 2007)
Fascinating, and convincing, thesis about why our politics are a mess. Religion is at the root of our trouble but, as Gray, suggests it is probably integral to humanity. Grim that.

David Peace, The Damned United (Faber & Faber, 2006)
Was the great Brian Clough such a ‘piss-head’? Apparently. Love the description of the football but there must’ve been more to Clough than we see here.

Portishead, Third
The first Portishead album was a landmark – it didn’t appear to sound like anything else and it came from nowhere. The extreme melancholy that infused it heightened the emotional experience of listening. I never got into the second album and it seemed as if they would be a Stone Rose-like one-album wonder. Now Third.

Although it’s been out for months I resisted it buying it; what is the point being disappointed by the group again? Well I’ve only listened to it once but it’s like hearing the first one again. Not that it’s the same, though Beth Gibbons plaintive vocals are characteristic; however, like the first it invites the listener into a stunning sound world. There are echoes of other bands (‘We Carry On’ – Joy Division) but combined in a wholly original fashion. Could be album of the year.<

Beethoven, Symphonies, Berlin PO – Abbado (DG)
Do I need another cycle of Beethoven symphonies? After: Haitink; Harnoncourt; Karajan; Klemperer; Norrington; Toscanini. Well on first listening… yes.

Tchaikovsky, Manfred Symphony, Voyevoda, Royal Liverpool PO – Petrenko (Naxos)
I first started concert-going at the Liverpool Phil over 30 years ago; I have no idea whether they – under Charles Groves – were any good in those days but reports suggests the Vasily Petrenko has reinvigorated the orchestra. This recording certainly suggests so: terrific drama.

November 2008
EL Doctorow, The March (Abacus, 2006)
Terrific evocation of the American Civil War switching between a panoply of characters; mixes the horrific with the hilarious.

Nick Lacey, Image and Representation (Palgrave, 2nd edition, 2009)
You might think it sad, reading your own book, but I had to for the index. It’s a peculiar experience as I find things I (thought I) didn’t know. That’s memory for you. For the record I think it’s good – out in March.

Brahms, Symphony No. 1 and Schicksalslied; John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir (SDG)
Whilst the performance of the symphony is excellent, the choral works are fabulous too and rarely recorded.

Their Finest Hour compilations @ http://phlow-magazine.com/
Free downloads and a wonderfully eclectic mix of indie-avant garde sounds.

Vikki Carr, The Way of Today (1966)
I stumbled across this on a dodgy download blog and I remembered loving her song ‘It Must Be Him’; I must have been six at the time! Carr (born Florencia Bisenta de Casillas Martinez Cardona) has a terrific voice: more like a ‘flame thrower’ than a torch singer.

Huw Warren/Maria Pia de Vito, Dialektos (2008)
I struggled with this initially, I’m not a great fan of skat, but once I ‘tuned in/the tracks got better’ this proved a jazz delight.

Henry Flynt, Purified by Fire
I don’t know where I got this from; it popped up on my shuffle. A 45 min. drone or wonderful combination of disparate sounds? The latter – see here.