lovelondonscenes 121 – Tate Modern

Posted on February 13, 2017 by John S

Went to the Tate Modern yesterday to see The “Radical Eye” (Elton John’s early C20 collection of modernist photos) and Rauschenberg exhibitions. Liked the photos – Man Ray the highlight. Rauschenberg a mixed bag – liked the collages; the rest didn’t do much for me. But interesting. All art is interesting, if only to imagine what the artist is trying to achieve.

It was a chance to take a look around the new building, Switch House, including the viewing gallery on the 10th floor. That is pretty stunning, even on a grey day like yesterday.  In fact, the grey light brings a softness and beauty to the city landscape, I find.

Took a few photos and played around with a few in black and white. (Inspired by Elton’s collection? Maybe.) See what you think.

Version 2

Version 2

Version 2

Version 2

Version 2

Version 2

Version 2

Version 2

 

Posted in London, Photos, Photos - lovelondonscenes | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The glory of Prague

Posted on February 12, 2017 by John S

“As a concept of cultural history, Eastern Europe is Russia, with its quite specific history anchored in the Byzantine world. Bohemia, Poland, Hungary, just like Austria, have never been part of Eastern Europe. From the very beginning they have taken part in the great adventure of Western civilization, with its Gothic, its Renaissance, its Reformation – a movement which has its cradle in precisely this region…”

Milan Kundera, in conversation with Philip Roth, in 1978, in an Afterword to Kundera’s brilliant novel, “The Book of Laughter and Forgetting”.

Kundera goes on to talk of the region as a source of Western Europe’s modern culture too, and how the Soviet invasion caused western culture to lose a vital centre of gravity. It was, in Kundera’s pessimistic vision, possibly the beginning of the end of Europe as a whole. This was of course 11 years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Revolution”. Little could he imagine that Wenceslaus Square, rather than being overrun by Soviet tanks, would now be overrun by shoppers, sampling the delights of Nike and Marks and Spencer.

And this is what Prague is all about. The story of Western Europe. From the start to the present day. A place, which, in the 70s, as a teenager, I simply thought of as part of the Soviet bloc, with quite a decent football team.

This was my first trip to Prague. The third limb of my Austro-Hungarian empire tour – after Vienna and Budapest – made over the past 25 years! It was the tail end of January and absolutely freezing – about minus five, which is colder than cold for us Londoners. But the culture, the beauty, the food, the beer, the night music, was warm (well not the beer), alive. Truly exciting. I’d like to share a few photos of the city’s architecture here; in a later blog I’ll say more about the culture Kath and I experienced while we were there.

Where to start but the Old Town Square? With the double spire of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn looming large.

img_1584

The clock tower is the other main landmark.

img_1579

img_1586

Then on to another of the great landmarks, the Charles Bridge, with its rather spooky statues all the way along. And splendid views of the Castle area and St Vitus cathedral rising in the background.

img_1597

img_1592

img_1598

img_1601

Looking down the steps from the Castle grounds.

img_1607

And over Prague.

img_1610

St Vitus from the side.

img_1619

Darkness falls…

img_1635

img_1637

The statue of Jan Hus and his followers in the Old Town Square. Day 2 so the sun had gone. The Hussites, 15th century religious reformers, are central to the history of Bohemia and Prague.  But the bird knows nothing of this!

img_1642

Scenes from the Old Town.

img_1643

img_1647

img_1662

img_1668

Wenceslaus Square from the top. Imagine the crowds for the Velvet Revolution…

img_1650

On the Castle side, the Little Quarter, on the way to the Kampa Czech modern art museum – which is superb. See future blog.

img_1674

img_1676

Outside the Kampa museum. An important message, especially in a country that has endured Nazi and Soviet occupation in the last century.

img_1679

A special city, and one to which I really want to return.

img_1581

 

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Duke Garwood at the Bodega, Nottingham, 9 February 2017

Posted on February 11, 2017 by John S

Unusually, on Thursday, I went up to Nottingham to a concert – the guitarist Duke Garwood, whom I’d first caught at Latitude in 2015 (see my piece on the Sunday shows). I really enjoyed his show then – those slowly rumbling songs, embellished by a warm, expressive guitar. Nothing flash, but some searing solos that reminded me of the sounds that Robin Tower ekes out of his guitar to this day. Both indebted to Jimi Hendrix, though in different ways. Duke Garwood’s take on the blues is a rolling, creeping thing, which evokes the atmosphere of the Louisiana swamp (or my image of it – I’ve never been there). On record, you hear the sound of JJ Cale and things can be quite subdued. Live the guitar really comes to life.

img_0824

Duke has a short UK tour to promote his new record, “Garden of Ashes”, which has been well-received. His date in London, at Oslo in Hackney, is on 16 February, and I’d commend it to you. I can’t make it as I’m seeing Emily Barker that night. But I didn’t want to miss this rare chance to see the man play that guitar. Nottingham suited me because it’s also where my son is at University, so we had dinner before I went on to the Bodega. He declined the opportunity to come to the concert!

The Bodega had a good atmosphere to it – quite small and with a friendly feel. It’s a popular place for clubbing, I’m told. There were probably about 200 people there, maybe a few more. The wonders of Duke Garwood are still known only to a few. He played unaccompanied: mostly songs from the new album, but others thrown in, apparently at random. I couldn’t quite tell whether Duke was still a bit unprepared for the tour – he has a wry sense of humour, which leaves you not knowing whether he really did forget to play certain tracks off the new album until right at the end. He also mentioned his drummer going off to India to join Hare Krishna. I did wonder whether this was actually true, as the two guys who played short support sets were, I think, part of his band. Second on was John J Presley who shared the same approach to the guitar as Duke – with just a bit more of a howl in the solos, and, indeed, his singing. I’d have happily watched a bit more of him.

img_0821

I’m no expert in the Duke Garwood catalogue, even having bought a couple of the earlier albums. So I can’t tell you exactly what he played, except that it was an hour or so of that slowly rumbling groove, hypnotic and uplifting, when the guitar began to echo and sway. The sound was less Troweresque this time – maybe because he didn’t have the band anchoring his runs. Or maybe the slightly more subdued groove fitted the new album. This is music that locks you into a dream, immerses you. One song ends, another begins, the groove slides on. Slide is a good word – the guitar runs often sound like they are coming from a slide guitar, with emphasis on the bass strings. But they aren’t – it’s a combination of Duke’s technique and the distortion pedals.

The show got a great reception from the people there and Duke seemed pretty chuffed about it. He seems a modest guy: maybe used to playing in the shadows, in other people’s bands (he’s worked a lot with Mark Lanegan in recent years). He quipped during the show about being way out of his comfort zone. And maybe it was true. A man of great talent who is a bit uncomfortable being in the spotlight.

img_0826

Yeah, I loved this show. It wouldn’t be for everyone, but it was worth the trip up to the East Midlands. Another artist I hope we’ll see at the summer festivals. Enveloping us in his slow-burning, gliding, sliding blues.

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Sportsthoughts (156) – Dimitri Payet and West Ham: love turns to betrayal

Posted on February 4, 2017 by John S

In January, Dimitri Payet, West Ham’s one time hero, refused to play for the club. This is a man apparently on £125,000 a week – football persists in describing salaries as a weekly amount. £6.5 million a year. Refusing to play for the club because he wanted to leave and the management wouldn’t play ball.

Of course West Ham relented and ended up selling him back to Marseille, for £25m. Not bad business when he cost just under £11m in the summer of 2015. The profits covered the purchase of a couple of decent Premiership players, defender Jose Fonte from Southampton and midfielder Robert Snodgrass from Hull. But what a shame it turned out like this.

In the 2015-16 season Dimi was a revelation. I wrote an only slightly jokey tribute to his genius. He was the most skilful, unpredictable, exciting player to wear the West Ham shirt since Paolo di Canio and Joe Cole in the early 2000s. He inspired West Ham to their best season in ages, as Slaven Bilic took over as manager and released us all from the yoke of Sam Allardyce’s depressing football. After a faltering end to the season we came 8th, but there was a lot of optimism at the beginning of this season.

And that was after Dimi played a starring role for France at the European Championships in the summer of 2016, when Les Bleus got to the final and lost to Portugal on home soil. I say starring role – it was a couple of stunning trademark Payet goals and some outrageous skills that won the hearts of the French public. I got the impression he hadn’t fully integrated into the team. I remember Pogba, for example, not letting him take a couple of in-range free kicks – did the established players resent his sudden elevation?

So the future looked bright. But of course it all went wrong at the start of the season. It’s West Ham. The team didn’t settle at the new stadium and key players like Noble, Kouyate, Lanzini and Payet himself seemed to have lost their lustre. In the autumn we were hovering just above the relegation places. The nadir was the 5-1 home defeat to Arsenal in early December, which was just embarrassing.

Things got better after that. We drew away to Liverpool and won a few games against bottom half teams and made it to the comfort zone in mid-table. No great thanks to Payet, who was peripheral. Antonio has been our best attacking player this year.

And then the strike action in the January window. What went wrong? A combination of factors I think. First, the traditional jadedness of players who have had an intense international tournament in the summer. Second, the head-turning surge of fame as the result of his success at the Euros. There was talk of a transfer to Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea. Agents’ talk, no doubt. Third, frustration at the poor form of the team, though as the star player, it was his job to inspire his colleagues to do better. And fourth, apparently, his family were homesick. Fair enough, the family matters most of all, though football players get paid huge amounts to ply their trade, which sets them up for life.

Anyway, the family got what they wanted and Dimi was transferred back to Marseille. And since he stopped playing West Ham have been playing well, apart from another home embarrassment last Wednesday, a 4-0 capitulation to Man City. Today we had a good away win at Southampton, 3-1. I wasn’t expecting that. Mid-table mediocrity is ours. And Slav’s job seems safe, after the November/early December wobble.

But it all leaves a sour taste. Payet isn’t the only player to refuse to play because he wants out. Diego Costa briefly seemed to be doing the same at Chelsea, with Chinese money calling (a new threat). There are others. We’ve long since stopped expecting players to stay loyal to clubs, but refusing to play is something else. Where is their honour, their sense of giving something in return for all that money? And their love of the game? Don’t they love football? Don’t they want to be on that pitch for every single minute? Don’t they realise how lucky they are?

Players refusing to play makes me ask, has football finally lost its soul?

Posted in Sportsthoughts | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cabbage at the Lexington, 2 February 2017

Posted on February 4, 2017 by John S

Yesterday I went with my friend Shane to see a band called Cabbage at the Lexington on the Pentonville Road. I’ve a soft spot for this place. It is a good pub on the ground floor, and the concert room above it is where I discovered Emily Barker. That’s enough to give it a place in my heart.

Cabbage. What kind of name is that? Well, the sort of name an arsey Manc indie band that doesn’t give a f*** would give itself. And that is Cabbage. It was an amazing gig, played by a band that knows it is good and going places .

img_3948

I didn’t know the band at all well. I’d heard a couple of songs on Marc Riley on 6 Music, but that was it.

But, really, from the moment they began, I thought they were awesome. Like I said, they knew they were good. They had a real swagger about them. 6 Music DJ, Steve Lamacq, introduced them and suggested it might be one of those I Was There moments. I think he was right.

They rocked in all sorts of ways. Given their Manchester heritage, I felt they were the latest in a long line of supreme indie bands. In particular I got the attitude of Oasis and the sound of a Happy Mondays combined with the Fall. With a dose of South London renegades, Fat White Family, thrown in. These are all strong recommendations – this band really made me smile. Lots of charisma, brilliant rock’n’roll, edgy riffs. Just made you feel good.

So watch out for Cabbage if you like indie and rock’n’roll. They are going to be big. How can they not be?

img_3951

On Friday I checked out their recently released album “Young, Dumb and Full Of…” which brings together three earlier EPs. It’s good, but not impactful in the way the live show is, where the rockers really rock. So try to see them in the real!

I’m hoping they’ll be at Latitude and/ or End of the Road this year.

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

“Lazarus”, by David Bowie and Enda Walsh, at the King’s Cross Theatre, 22 January 2017

Posted on January 22, 2017 by John S

Image result for lazarus bowie musical

This Sunday afternoon, Kath and I went to see the last performance of “Lazarus”, the musical created by David Bowie and playwright Enda Walsh. You probably know that this was first performed in New York in December 2015, not long before Bowie’s death. Along with the album “Blackstar” it was his parting gift to the world.

Bowie’s track record in drama – theatre and film – is interesting, but a bit mixed. It’s fair to say his iconic status in today’s culture is down to his music – and the theatricality that went with that. And “a bit mixed” is the best way to sum up the critics’ reaction to “Lazarus”, especially here in London, which is, perhaps, reluctant to give rave reviews to established artists of any sorts, especially those trying something different.

I hadn’t really bothered with the reviews, so I went along today with an open mind. And a positive one, for two reasons. First, the obvious – my love of Bowie’s music and the central place it occupies in my musical journey. Second, a recent BBC documentary about Bowie’s last five years had featured rehearsals for “Lazarus”, and they looked interesting and whetted the appetite.

The production was on at the Kings Cross Theatre, which I think may be temporary, but was rather good. A decent bar and a big space, with plenty of leg room. I read afterwards that there were 960 seats – it would make a great concert venue. A short walk from the station; part of the growing development that has transformed the area from scuzz city to a cultural and dining/ drinking space really worth visiting.

And so to the play. Well, the plot was, shall we say, obscure, enigmatic? It centred on Thomas Newton, the alien from “The Man Who Fell to Earth”. Years on from where the film of the mid-70s left us, he is trapped in is New York apartment, subsisting on gin and Twinkies, and lamenting both his lost family and departed earthling lover Mary-Lou. Onto this scene comes a host of characters: some real, some inside his head. The distinction is never clear – deliberately not so, I would say. Quite possibly they are all a figment of his imagination.

The central figures are a girl who is clearly inside his head, and a young woman, Elly, who appears to be a maid or PA, but transforms herself into a version of his old lover, Mary-Lou, blue hair and all. The girl doesn’t even know her own name until the end. She offers hope about a return to his planet, but not really.  Elly is having marital problems and seems to wish to become Newton’s new Mary-Lou, but realises the futility of it as the drama unfolds. There is a confusing character called Valentine, who assumes importance, although I was never clear why. Again, was it in the head, or real?

So it is a plot about confusion, love, lost souls, alienation. All the things that informed Bowie’s music, of course. And it is the music, along with the powerful video imagery, that makes the show a truly captivating experience. There are 17 songs, plus a snippet of “Sound and Vision”, and they span Bowie’s career. The obvious spacey ones like “Starman” or “Space Oddity” are missing; instead this is a selection which Bowie must have felt reflected those themes I mentioned just now. They are brilliantly sung by the cast; and the band, which lurks, often in near-silhouette, behind a perspex screen, plays them beautifully.

They aren’t just recreations of the originals – they are re-imagined for the play and the characters who sing them. Michael.C.Hall, who plays Newton, looks nothing like Bowie, but he has got the voice nailed down. The two female leads, Sophia Anne Caruso (Girl) and Amy Lennox (Elly) take on “Life on Mars” and “Changes”, respectively, with a style of their own, which really works. There are so many great renditions of old, and obscure, favourites. “It’s no Game”, from “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps” encapsulates Newton’s turmoil brilliantly at the beginning. “Where Are We Now?” reeks with sadness and nostalgia. “Absolute Beginners” becomes a disorientated love song. “All the Young Dudes” is anthemic, but with a misplaced triumphalism. Elly laments her messed up life powerfully in “Always Crashing the Same Car”. And, of course, “Heroes”, played as a subdued and then anguished personal reflection by Newton and the Girl, as he fades from life (it seems), is a fitting and beautiful end to the play.

Maybe it was seeing it in the afternoon, but I came out feeling quite overwhelmed by the sensory experience. Discombobulated. The awesome music, the arresting visuals. The style.  Never mind the plot, this was an experience! And one I’m glad I didn’t miss – thank you to my work colleague Matthew for that. It took me a while to come down. Those sniffy reviews I read when I got home – well, I think they weren’t getting what this play is really about in the end.

Which, for me, is a message from David Bowie as he left this world. This is my music – and your music. Ever-changeable, ever-questioning. Designed to inspire feelings of so many kinds, to create so many meanings, and to allow people to shape those to their own lives and experiences.

The full setlist is here.  And there are some good photos on the official website.

Posted in Art, books, theatre, cinema, Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Amber Arcades at Oslo, Hackney, 18 January 2017

Posted on January 21, 2017 by John S

img_0812

Back to Hackney, to see Amber Arcades again. Jon and I saw them at the Moth Club in Hackney in October last year. There’s a bar/ restaurant on the ground floor which is very good – nice food and a good range of IPAs. It’s in a converted railway station and has an excellent vibe. This time we went upstairs for the gig, after a couple of beers.  A decent space – room for a few hundred.

I’ve written quite a lot about Amber Arcades before, not least because I made their album, Fading Lines, my No1 of 2016. I still love the record. It is always uplifting – just great, dreamy indie/pop, with some shimmering guitars and infectious beats.

So it was just a celebration, for me, of some of my favourite songs of the past year. We got a couple of new songs near the end, which I think are still works in progress. The first, with a working title of “Rock Song” was a bit pedestrian, as that title might suggest. The other had the trademark guitars and melody, which made it promising. I found a couple of the slower ones from the album, “Perpetuum Mobile”  and “Constant’s Dream” the most affecting tonight, with Annelotte singing beautifully, as ever.

img_0816

The wonderful “Come With Me” and “Fading Lines” were played early on; and “Turning Light” was the last song of the encore. No surprise, as it is their flagship song. It was rockier than before. Lead guitarist, Manuel, let rip at the end, and gave the song a new dimension. I think it might have been making a virtue of necessity, as keyboard player Ella was missing. So “Turning Light”, like a few of the other songs, was stripped down a bit. Still really good, but lacking just a bit of that swing, which is such an appealing part of their live sound.

img_0818

The sound quality was OK, but not the greatest. I thought maybe the speakers were a bit too powerful for the venue. But it was still another really enjoyable concert. Annelotte mentioned that they’ll be at the Roundhouse in April, supporting Grandaddy. Sounds like a good reason for another visit to Chalk Farm!

img_0819

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

lovelondonscenes 120 – Hammersmith by the river

Posted on January 21, 2017 by John S

I went for a cycle along the river this afternoon. At about 3pm this afternoon, the low sun was creating some interesting shade and colours.

First, as I stopped at the Old Ship for a pint of Youngs Special. Mmmm…

img_3901

Looking downstream, in contrast.

img_3900

From Chiswick Mall. The tide was out.

img_3903

 

img_3905

img_3904

 

Posted in Photos - lovelondonscenes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Reflections on the Trump inauguration

Posted on January 20, 2017 by John S

At work today we had a Trump inauguration party. I wouldn’t call it a celebration of Trump, but it was a celebration of America. We brought American food and drinks and watched with heavy hearts as the Obamas departed, and a mixture of incredulity and derision as Trump embarked on his speech. A string of clichés. Undoubtedly with an appeal to his core support; but speaking from the other side of the Atlantic, where we admire America, sometimes depend on it, and sometimes despair about it, it was worrying.

Let’s make America great. Yeah, well, it may surprise Americans, but most of us think it is great already. It has its problems, challenges, like all countries, but it is an inspiration to the world. The place that people aspire to move to, more than any other. It is the economic leader, the home of all the great innovators of recent times – Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  It is the cultural leader – film, music, literature, everything really.

America first. Of course this will appeal as a slogan, but what does it mean? Putting up tariff walls and causing world recession? Persecuting relatively poor countries like Mexico? Promoting the oil and gas industries and prolonging global warming, with deleterious effects around the world? Humankind has thrived most when it acts as a civilisation, cooperating, sharing. Life is not a zero sum game. If you approach it as if it is, fewer benefit in the end. Hitler put Germany first. Napoleon put France first. Islamic extremists put their beliefs first. Putting your own interests first does not help anyone in the long run. Putting the common good first does.

And what will Trump do as new technology like artificial intelligence transforms the world? It’s a fantastic opportunity to reduce the amount that people have to work. The challenge for governments, surely, is to find ways of guaranteeing people an income on which they can live well, not to preserve jobs that are obsolete, or can just be done hugely more cheaply in other parts of the world or by robots. Let people enjoy leisure. Give them reasons to enjoy leisure.  No politicians yet appear to be addressing this inevitability. All the talk – in America, Britain, the rest of Europe – is about preserving the status quo or going back to some imagined halcyon era. This is a dereliction of duty by the politicians. They should be thinking about how to help the people of their countries thrive in the new technological and economic era.

It’s a depressing thought that Trump, Brexit Britain and a lot of Europe seem to be hankering after an imagined past rather than trying to address and make the best of the challenges and opportunities of the future. Unfortunately, most politicians can only really think about the next election, as opposed to long term strategy. So we just have to hope that economic forces will push them in the right direction. Or that the people will beat them to the realisation about where we need to be. It can happen.

Fingers crossed, and in the meantime, listen to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and pray…

Posted in Random stuff | Tagged | 5 Comments

lovelondonscenes 119 – Sunrise over Turnham Green

Posted on January 5, 2017 by John S

On the District Line Tube, one of the seats you can look out of the window. Just after 8.30 this morning. A clear and very cold day. Commuting has few pleasures, but this was one of them.

Version 2

Posted in Photos - lovelondonscenes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment