Some California chilled vibes, a dash of The Bard and a cinematic action classic...

14th August - 20th August 2017

Allah-Las - Electric Ballroom

King Lear - Shakespeare's Globe

Point Break - The Prince Charles Cinema

a smattering of several different activities this week with some music, theatre and cinema...

Allah-Las

On Wednesday night we hit Camden and the Electric Ballroom for their only UK date apart from their appearance at the Green Man Festival that weekend, and it had sold out.

We've been to the Electric Ballroom a few times in the last year and the sound is always pretty good which is always a major bonus.

This was our third time seeing the band, and the venues have steadily increased in size each time, along with their popularity which is a bit of a double edged sword as it's great to see them in an intimate venue, however thankfully the Electric Ballroom isn't too large.

When it comes to delivering a chilled Californian surf garage vibe they never disappoint.

From the off they tore through a set with a good mic of songs from all three of their studio albums and a couple of obscure covers thrown in for good measure.

Particular highlights included '200 South La Brea', 'Autumn Dawn', 'Sandy' and 'Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)'.

Their mix of The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds all coupled with the stripped back surf garage vibe is perfectly coupled to their obvious knack for a melody, and their evolution in their sound is evident as their incorporate new instruments and sounds.

With a new covers EP due in November hopefully it won't be long until they're back on our shores, they've been over pretty often in recent years so it's a good bet it won't be long before you get the chance to catch them live again.

The full set list was as follows:

Ferus Gallery

Busman's Holiday

Artefact

200 South La Brea

501-415

Autumn Dawn

Sandy

Warmed Kippers

No Werewolf

Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)

Had It All

Sacred Sands

Strange Heat

Satisfied

Could Be You

Catalina

Calm Me Down

No Voodoo

Catamaran 

Encore :

Long Journey

Every Girl

King Lear

On Saturday we headed over to our first visit of the year to Shakespeare's Globe on the Southbank.

This was Mr C's first time experiencing 'King Lear', however Mrs C is a fan and being such a perennially performed play was sure not to disappoint as a Shakespeare play.

The staging of the set initially evoked an abandoned building with hoarding and tarpaulins covering doors and windows, however these were gradually removed throughout the play, although the setting didn't seem to affect the play itself as the look of the costumes and props for the main was quite neutral and seemed to fit with the material.

The basic plot involves King Lear proposing to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters depending on how much their pledge their devotion to him, one daughter doesn't please him with her obvious fawning and is cast out and the kingdom is then split equally amongst the remaining two.

The cast out daughter is married off to a French prince and moves away whilst the two greedy daughters then turn on their father and take control of the kingdom for themselves at any cost.

The performances were all round great, the whole cast managing to project the text well and with conviction, holding the interest for a nigh on three hours and in between the inevitable planes flying over which is a common occurrence at the open air Globe. Kevin R McNally was particularly entertaining as the commanding presence of Lear, also exhibiting his surprising vulnerabilities.

The mood is also quite light with quite a few laughs, despite the overarching dark mood, and the play culminates in the traditional musical finale synonymous with the traditional stagings of Shakespeare's plays.

It's on until the 14th of October and is well worth catching as the material is made all the more accessible by the lively performances here.

Point Break

We followed King Lear that evening with a trip to the fantastic The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square for a very rare screening of the classic 'Point Break' on 35mm.

The rights for the movie have changed hands numerous times and the exact holders had to be tracked down over several years to allow the screening to become a reality and this one off event was a sell out as a testament to the desire to see the film presented this way.

After a intro by the woman responsible for all the hard work in getting the film to the screen, (sorry don't know your name!) we were also treated to surprise video introduction from Keanu Reeves himself recorded for this event.

And then it was on to the show...

The plot revolves around a rookie cop Johnny Utah, (Keanu Reeves), and his new partner Angelo Pappas, (Gary Busey), investigating a gang of surfer bank robbers known as the ex-presidents, led by Bodhi, (Patrick Swayze), and Utah's attempts to ingratiate himself within the gang to take them down, whilst falling for a fellow surfer Tyler, (Lori Petty).

This is the film the original 'The Fast And The Furious' ripped off but could only dream of being.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this is a testosterone filled ride and an absolute stone cold classic of action cinema alongside 'Die Hard' and 'Speed'.

Needless to say check it out. This was a one off event but keep an eye out for further showings as it's well worth catching on the big screen in all it's 35mm glory.

Next week sees plenty of music, until then get inspired...

A modern classic of the theatre, some theatrical Hitchcock action and a touch of the Renaissance...

7th August - 13th August 2017

Angels In America - Part Two - Perestroika - National Theatre

North By Northwest - Theatre Royal, Bath

Raphael - The Drawings - Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

A theatre heavy week this one with a smattering of Renaissance art, although a little further afield with most of this week's adventures being further afield than London, so on wards and upwards we go...

Angels In America - Part Two - Perestroika

On Tuesday night we returned to the National Theatre for the concluding half of modern classic Angels In America, the second half being a four hour behemoth, bringing the total for both parts to a whopping seven and a half hours, although don't let that put you off.

Picking up from where part one left off, it continues to stories of our main protagonist Prior, (Andrew Garfield in career best form), continuing with his haunting hallucinations of the angel, interwoven further with the initially unrelated continuing stories of Belize his friend and nurse, (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett in a more expanded part here, and absolutely superb throughout), Nathan Lane's sleazy lawyer Roy Cohn, Joseph and Harper Pitt, (Russell Tovey and a sensational Denise Gough), Prior's ex-boyfriend turned Joseph's lover Louis played by James McArdle, Joseph's mother Hannah, (the fantastic Susan Brown, who also plays the spectral Ethel Rosenberg), and the titular Angel played by Amanda Lawrence, (an amazing piece of design with shadowy figures operating the steampunk-esque wings).

Tony Kushner's sprawling epic has been rightfully acclaimed as a modern classic of theatre, an indisputable claim given how mesmerising the entire saga has been, coupled with imaginative but simple staging and flawless performances from all concerned, a tall order having to be rehearsed and ready for both parts as they run together, alternating over different nights.

The continuation of the exploration of themes such as sexuality, mental health, religion, desire and discrimination are further explored, but these only scrape the surface of the themes that the play delves into, evoking starkly the atmosphere of fear and lack of understanding during the AIDS crisis of the eighties, and it's wide reaching consequences as a result of the ignorance and panic that ensued.

This instalment takes a far more existential approach, however was never less than an exhilarating piece of theatre which will linger long in the memory.

It's due to finish on the 19th of August.

North By Northwest

On Saturday we took a short trip to Bath to catch the closing night of another piece of exciting theatre, however this time with more of an action packed tongue in cheek effort.

Being great admirers of Alfred Hitchcock the opportunity to see an adaptation on the stage was irresistible, especially as we had enjoyed a previous effort in 'The 39 Steps' immensely so had high hopes for this too.

It didn't disappoint.

The entire play is presented on a simple plain set comprising a grid like back wall, evoking the Saul Bass opening graphics from the film, which made up a whole wall of a screen which provided the back drop to the scenes.

However the backdrops were not just pictures or static graphical scenery, but were actually live animated backings being produced by the cast with the aid of a small camera, blue/red screens and a variety of props, miniatures and other practical effects at the sides of stage whilst the main action took place centre stage.

Train rides, the infamous crop duster scene, close ups of vital clues and most imaginatively the Mount Rushmore finale were all recreated with a variety of creative approaches and made the show something truly special to witness.

Jonathan Watton acquits himself well in the shadow of Cary Grant and Olivia Fines is also well cast as the surrogate Eva Marie Saint, both lofty shoes to fill which they do with aplomb with deft comic timing and plenty of enthusiasm.

The ensemble around them inhabit the many roles very well, quite like the aforementioned 'The 39 Steps', the fast paced humour never descending into farce and keeping on the right side of thrilling.

As Hitchcock fans we loved it, however prior knowledge of the material is not essential, although the crop duster scene alone is one of those scenes which people are acutely aware of despite having never seen the film.

Hopefully this production will transfer to the West End as it'd be great to catch it again, and if it does don't miss it!

Raphael - The Drawings

On Sunday on our way home from Bath we took a detour to Oxford to visit the latest exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum showcasing a large collection of drawings by Raphael, many of which were equally as dramatic as our theatre excursions though in a wholly different way.

The works in the show are all sketches and drawings carried out by Raphael either as studies for larger paintings or etchings, or glimpses at Raphael's practice sketches to perfect different elements of his work, whether it be faces, bodies, hands or everyday objects such as fabrics.

The show is separated into three main timescales and then broken down into particular groups of studies of certain motifs, themes of more specifically anatomical features.

The first section focuses on Raphael's various works exploring the nature of the mother and the child, specifically The Virgin Mother and baby, also including works depicting various approaches to children.

There is also a look at his works depicting male nudes and warriors in battle, also mainly nudes in response to his contemporaries' work such as Michelangelo and DaVinci.

The skill and deftness of hand evident in these works is something to truly behold, even the less polished drawings which still bear the marks of the metal point stylus used or the rougher outline marks used to scale and position the subjects have a natural ethereal quality to them which coupled with the fact that these were created over five hundred years ago is truly astonishing.

The works continue with a section devoted to various studies which culminated in his work 'The Slaughter Of The Innocents', the completed etching also on show to show the evolution from idea to completion.

The gallery given over to the works of religious figures which were all ideas and suggestions for commissioned decoration of rooms at the Vatican show the evolution of his craft barely a decade on, however the works just get better and better. The perfectionist within Raphael is clearly evident just be seeing the number of works where he has work shopped, perfecting the draping of fabrics alone.

The final room shows some of his later works before his premature death at the age of thirty seven.

The fact that these are works seldom seen, let alone together and in this quantity is reason enough to catch the show which is on until the 3rd of September.

Next week sees some California surf inspired rock, some classic Shakespeare and an action classic on the big screen. Until then, get inspired...

Some fantastic theatrical drama, comedy and music, plus some live music from a 70s legend's new project...

15th May - 21st May 2017

Our Ladies Of Perpetual Succour - Duke Of York's Theatre

The Play That Goes Wrong - Duchess Theatre

Those Pretty Wrongs - Thousand Island (Previously Upstairs At The Garage)

Unfortunately we were unable to get to a couple of our planned exploits due to 'circumstances beyond our control', however there was till plenty to enjoy, so...

Our Ladies Of Perpetual Succour

To read the description of this play, it may sound a little bizarre...

A group of Scottish Catholic school girls take a school trip to Edinburgh to take part in a choir competition, however they plan to sneak out and explore the nightlife whilst there, involving many strange characters, lots of alcohol, sex and much hilarious profanity, all performed by six hugely talented actresses who play all the roles... Oh and are prone to break into pop songs, mainly by ELO throughout, backed by a three piece band...

Trust us though, it's brilliant...

We had front row tickets in the upper circle and as the Duke of York's Theatre is quite small they were great, you could all the stage and never felt too far away from the action, bargain priced too!

The action plays out on a single set, which comprises a dance floor type area with a stage at the back, which the band inhabit and is sometimes used by the cast, and there is on stage seating available for some audience members at the sides at bar tables.

Although there's singing and songs in the show it's not really a musical, more a play with some songs, and great songs at that. The six girls' voices complement each other very well and the harmonies are superb.

The chemistry between the cast is also evident, you really get the sense of camaraderie between them and they interactions are very natural and just as you'd expect some teenage girls to be, with plenty of crude language and talk about sex and drinking. That's not to say there isn't any drama too, as the characters back stories are explored and it all adds to the richness of the piece as the various lots in life that the girls have been dealt shape their attitudes, behaviours and interactions with each other.

It runs about one hour and forty five minutes with no interval but flies by.

It's overall a touching, frequently hilarious and uplifting evening and well worth seeing, breathing a breath of fresh air into the current theatre landscape. It's on until the 2nd of September.

The Play That Goes Wrong

On Thursday night we decided to take in a play that's been on for several months in the West End now, but we'd never got round to seeing.

Having heard comparisons to 'The 39 Steps' which resided at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus, (currently home to 'Comedy About A Bank Robbery' by the same theatre group as this show), and it's madcap brand of slapstick farcical comedy we were intrigued, as we'd really enjoyed that one.

One of the signs outside the theatre...

This show was at the Duchess Theatre just off Strand, another of the older London theatres which still has a lot of the original features, including the box seats we'd booked for the performance, which were at the back of the circle, however not being a large theatre meant it didn't impede the view at all.

The show kind of starts before it actually starts with 'stage hands' trying to get the set ready with a variety of mishaps and disasters occurring, which at one point involved a member of the audience to be roped in to help much to their dismay!

The premise of the play is that it is a amateur dramatic performance of an Agatha Christie style murder mystery, however cast tensions, hammy acting and a death trap of a set all conspire to make the production a disaster from the off, which just snowballs...

The physical comedy is as much a part of proceedings as the verbal exchanges and it's all executed with gusto by all concerned, in the fine tradition of British stiff upper-lip-ness and carrying on regardless...

If things like 'Fawlty Towers' or 'One Man Two Guvnors' and slapstick comedy floats your boat then you'll get a kick out of this, we do so found it very entertaining.

Those Pretty Wrongs

So on Friday night we headed over to Islington and the newly refurbished Upstairs At The Garage, now known as Thousand Island, (after a cracking dinner at Meat Liquor down the road), to see ex-Big Star drummer Jody Stephens and singer-songwriter/producer Luther Russell in their latest project Those Pretty Wrongs.

The support for this show was by Ned Roberts a British folk singer who p[layed a quite captivating set, and we'll definitely be checking out his stuff in due course.

Although the debut album has a full band sound, these shows are just Stephens and Russell on vocals, with Russell playing acoustic guitar, however the quality of the songs and performance mean that in a way these are the perfect showcase for the material.

During Stephens' time in Big Star he obviously showed he had a knack for harmonies and his songwriting contributions were always strong, something he again showed during the Big Star reunion era and in his brief time with Golden Smog, (a 'supergroup' featuring members of Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks and Wilco to name but a few). In fact they even played a Golden Smog song at this show, for those that care, yeah I know, pretty awesome...

The bulk of the show was a performance of the whole of the album in order, plus the b-side to their initial 7" release, they also squeezed in an Andy Hummel song, (another member of Big Star), and some Big Star tunes too, in fact they played both of Mr C's favourites, 'Ballad Of El Goodo' and the superb 'Thirteen', (Roberts joined in on Harmonica and vocals for the last couple of songs which was great).

Particular stand outs from the album are the tracks 'Lucky Guy', 'Thrown Away' and 'Never Goodbye', and hearing them live with Jody Stephens' emotive vocals and Luther Russell's backing was a real treat.

We even got to meet them and got a copy of the album signed.

Next week sees a smattering of film talk and some live music, till then, get inspired...

Cinema chat, some awesome live music of the rock and classical kind, some mind-bending science and a lot of Testosterone...

27th March - 2nd April 2017

Mark Kermode In 3D - BFI Southbank

The Lemon Twigs - KOKO

Trinity Laban Wind Orchestra with Karl Lutchmeyer - Blackheath Halls

Bragg Lecture 2017 : The Wondrous World Of Perovskites - Royal Institution

Europe's Strongest Man - First Direct Arena, Leeds

A VERY varied week this one, with a quite wide ranging spectrum of activities, so let's begin...

Mark Kermode In 3D

After having to skip last month's instalment as we were double booked with 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?' we were back on a Monday night for the latest round of movie discussion, news and guests from the world of film for a very entertaining evening.

The guests for this one, three in total, were also all great which made it all the more great.

Kermode's trademark style of reviewing and discussing film, (honed on his Radio 5 show, co-hosted with Simon Mayo), suits the format of these events perfectly as he answers audiences questions and offers his opinion on recent news and happenings in film, clearly displaying his passion for all things celluloid.

The first guest of the evening was director Allison Anders, who Kermode has asked along to talk about her criminally little seen movie 'Grace Of My Heart', (one of Mr C's favourites), a film focusing on the Brill Building songwriters of the late 50s/early 60s and is loosely based on Carole King. It stars Illeana Douglas, John Tuturro, Matt Dillon, Eric Stoltz and Patsy Kensit amongst others and has one of the best soundtracks every in my humble opinion, it was a project which saw established songwriters from the era paired with contemporary songwriters to pen homages to the music of the time, such as girl groups and Beach Boys-esque pop tunes.

It was a real treat to actually hear more about the film, its conception and behind the scenes info, and also to see a couple of scenes on the big screen, (especially the solo performance of 'God Give Me Strength'), Anders was a lively and interesting speaker and to hear how the film evolved with input from Martin Scorsese was a real surprise treat.

The film's available on DVD and is a must watch.

The next guest was the french director Julia Ducournau, who was there to talk about her new film 'Raw', a horror film of sorts which has been taking the film festivals by storm and is garnering great reviews.

Kermode spoke to her about how she got into making a film with such a dark subject matter and she spoke of her many influences, especially noteworthy was her recounting an incident when she was six and accidentally watched 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' on TV, which was a memorable moment in her childhood and formation as a genre director.

We were also treated to some clips of 'Raw' which looked well worth a watch so we'll hopefully track that down at some point.

Kermode's final guest was there in the capacity of presenting their Guilty Pleasure, (a regular segment of the show), a movie which they like but find is generally not known or unloved.

Tonight's guest was Bill Nighy, which was a pleasant surprise and made for an entertaining segment.

Nighy in full flow...

His film choice was 'Punch-Drunk Love', which might not tick every box of a guilty pleasure movie, but certainly is a divisive film nonetheless.

He spoke passionately about the film and his admiration for it and Adam Sandler's acting in the lead role, and was very eloquent and a joy to listen to.

Once again Kermode presented a great show, the calibre of guests seems to just keep getting better and better, and it all makes for a highly entertaining evening for film buffs.

The Lemon Twigs

On Wednesday we made our way over to KOKO in Camden for our second opportunity to see the awesome The Lemon Twigs.

We saw them towards the end of last year at the MOTH Club in Hackney, and they were back in the UK for a small tour at bigger venues.

KOKO is a funny venue, for club nights it's a great layout, however for gigs it's a little less ideal. It doesn't have a traditional seated circle or balconies, they're all standing and quite narrow and the first floor circle is also the floor into which you enter the venue, which means people moving back and forth to bars and smoking areas are constantly pushing by, the lack of a rake also means strategic placement is required to find places to see through.

The sound however was great and the venue isn't too big that it dwarfed the band.

Once again they brought their A game, and showed why they've become a favourite on the live circuit. Their debut album 'Do Hollywood' really showcases the brothers Brian and Michael's skills as multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, as well as their skill at writing mature fully formed songs with spectacular arrangements and playing throughout.

The fact that they pull all of this off live is a major achievement, backed with Megan Zeankowski on Bass and Danny Ayala on keyboards and backing vocals.

The Lemon Twigs, Brian obscured by a head!...

The brothers also switch places at half time, so the first half seas Brian on vocals and guitar and brother Michael on drums and vocals, and they swap over halfway through seamlessly. The more flamboyant Michael treated us all to his Leopard-skin jumpsuit which in itself was a wonder to behold, as he drummed furiously in a Keith Moon style or performed high kicks and jumps whilst playing a frantic guitar solo.

Michael complete with jumpsuit...

They played about half the album, 'These Words' being a highlight as always, along with a few new songs from their upcoming EP and a cover of one of their dad Ronnie D'Addario's songs, evidence of where their talent stems from.

As usual they ended with 'Queen Of My School' a full on glam rocker and a fitting end to the night.

They're back in November at the O2 Forum and we're already booked!!

Trinity Laban Wind Orchestra with Karl Lutchmeyer

Thursday night's excursion was sans Mrs C, so along with a workmate I headed to sunny Blackheath Halls for a classical evening featuring Trinity Laban Wind Orchestra featuring pianist Karl Lutchmeyer performing a new composition by composer Edwin Roxburgh in celebration of his 80th birthday.

The evening kicked off with an interview with Roxburgh, hosted by Lutchmeyer, discussing his career and this new piece which he had composed to be performed by a wind orchestra, (minus saxophones), with a soloist on piano. Roxburgh was keen to express his focus for the piece was on the piano and how he felt the concerto had evolved from it's origins.

The music then started with a performance by the orchestra alone of a piece called 'L'Homme Arme', conducted by Timothy Reynish, which was a commission by the conductor himself composed by Christopher Marshall.

This was a lively piece, according to the notes inspired by the hostilities in Iraq and the composer's feelings towards war.

This was followed by Lutchmeyer joining the orchestra for the centrepiece of the evening, the premiere of Roxburgh's new concerto.

Having only rehearsed the piece relatively recently, Lutchmeyer seemed completely at ease with the piece, and played passionately. The concerto itself had quite a cinematic feel to it and reminded me of some of the score by John Williams for Oliver Stone's 'JFK', with the kinetic piano weaving around the orchestra in a almost free form style.

Overall an entertaining programme.

Bragg Lecture 2017 : The Wondrous World Of Perovskites

Mrs C was also absent for Friday's event at the Royal Institution, one of their Friday evening discourses for RI members.

The subject for this one was about the crystalline material known as Perovskites, and concerned their uses, structures, and make-ups.

It was delivered by Mike Glazer a professor from the Oxford University Physics department.

Unfortunately this lecture was, (as they sometimes can be), a little too complicated for my tiny brain to fully comprehend, so there's not much I can report back, however it was delivered entertainingly enough just too complex for me! You win some you lose some I guess!

Europe's Strongest Man

On Saturday we ventured North from London to Leeds, and this year's Europe's Strongest Man contest at the First Direct Arena.

This is one of the vents leading up to the World's Strongest Man finals which air at Christmas on Channel 5 every year, of which we've always been fans since kids, so took the plunge and went along to see it in the flesh, and to cheer on British favourite Eddie 'The Best' Hall, who set the world record last year by lifting half a tonne in a dead lift.

Also competing were title defender Laurence Shahlaei, Icelandic giant Hafpor 'Thor' Bjornsson, (Of 'Game Of Thrones' fame), and British stalwarts Terry Hollands and Mark Felix.

Competing over six events, a Bus Pull, Max Axle, (an axle which is lifted like a traditional barbell with weights which increase until all contestants are eliminated), Tyre Flip, Dead Lift, Car Walk and finally the famous Atlas Stones.

The Bus Pull had been carried out the day before in an outside location so was shown on screen, then we were straight into the Max Axle, an event where the weight must be lifted overhead and the elbows locked to count as a lift. Newcomer Adam Bishop was eliminated first suffering a bicep tear during this event and most fell by the wayside by the time we had got to 180KG.

However those left persevered to 200KG, then decided to up it to 206KG to beat the current British record held by Shahlaei, which Hall and Thor did, at which point they then decided to go for a world record attempt of 216KG, which only Hall alone lifted triumphantly, and also led him to win that event.

The Beast's world record lift...

Hall also won the Dead Lift round completing ten reps of the bar in a minute, an event he's perfectly suited for.

Shahlaei by this point had left the competition due to illness and it became a two horse race between Hall and Thor, which Hall kept tight by unexpectedly winning the Car Walk, going into the last event just one point behind Thor and taking it down to the Atlas Stones.

The Atlas Stones...

Unfortunately a slight roll by one of Hall's stone and him having to steady it meant Thor just pipped him to the post, however The Beast definitely had the crowd behind him all the way and stated his focus is on his World's Strongest Man training for now.

So after an exhausting, diverse week we returned home to recharge the batteries for this week's shenanigans, which consists of some comedic and biographical theatre. Until then, get inspired...