Musings on the byways of popular culture
Obituary
Genuinely shocked by this news – the 2009 reunion gig at the Brixton Academy was in my top 3 gigs of all time. So many great memories of The Specials, then the Fun Boy 3 soundtracking my adolescence. Terry was an essential part of that movement, that sound, that zeitgeist.
No, not an early review (I wish!), just a heads up that there is finally a publication date for this, and that it will be 3 books, not just one. I’m not a huge fiction reader, and usually steer well clear of fantasy, but the His Dark Materials trilogy is my favourite book (particularly volumes 1 & 3). Often classified as children’s books, but I read them in my thirties – magical, one-of-a-kind tales by a master storyteller (his Sally Lockheart books are great too). Worth checking out the audiobooks – Pullman has a great speaking voice. This is being announced as an “equel”, not a sequel or a prequel, but with some of the characters from the original trilogy making an appearance. On top of this, a BBC adaptation of HDM is in the works, and will hopefully eradicate memories of the, at best mediocre, film. So time to batten down the hatches and try to avoid spoilers for the next 9 months. Any other fans out there, or will this one go the way of my recent, hugely popular, Jamiroquai thread?
https://www.penguin.co.uk/content/dam/prh-consumer/penguin/articles/features/2017/feb/the-book-of-dust-volume-1-final.jpg http://www.philip-pullman.com/newsitem?newsItemID=21
This Sunday (not the usual Friday night music doc) on BBC4 at 9pm.
He get’s a bad press (prat in the hat, etc.), some of which may be deserved, but I think this new single’s a cracker – much better than anything off his last album. More than a hint of Daft Punk about it, and that’s no bad thing. So any love for the Space Cowboy out there, or just a shameless Stevie Wonder copyist with a bizarre penchant for didgeridoos?
Year: 2016 Director: John Carney
Us folks in Ireland (North & South) had the opportunity of seeing “Sing Street” a couple of months before everyone else. The director, John Carney, has previously proved to have a knack of making music work on screen in a way no-one else quite seems to have been able to, from his features “Once” and the hugely underrated “Begin Again”, so could he pull it off a third time?
The answer for me, having seen it twice now, is an overwhelming yes. My favourite film of the year so far, this manages to combine “Gregory’s Girl” “The Commitments” and a dash of “Submarine”, yet come out feeling entirely fresh. The cast is uniformly excellent, with Ferdia Walsh-Peelo in the lead in what is unbelievably his first screen role, perfectly capturing that mix of teenage awkwardness mixed with an “anything is possible” innocence. Lucy Boynton, as our hero’s object of desire, channels Claire Grogan , but gets to flesh out her character with more screen time, and Jack Reynor, so good in “What Richard Did”, frankly steals every scene he’s in – you hope Carney might go and make a film about his character next. But, » Continue Reading.
In case you’re not aware, the Van Morrison Cyprus Avenue gig this Friday is going out on Radio Ulster, with a TV screening on BBC NI – all should be easily available on the iPlayer. Here’s a bit from the Radio Ulster website:
Van Morrison Live On Cyprus Avenue: On Monday 31 August, the day of Van’s birthday – BBC Radio Ulster will exclusively broadcast Van Morrison’s full 70th birthday concert live from Cyprus Avenue – the street which famously inspired the Astral Weeks track of the same name. Broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle from 2.45pm, this is a unique opportunity for Van Morrison lovers to hear the artist in all his live glory as he performs his sold-out matinee concert as part of the Eastside Arts Festival. Prior to the concert starting, Ralph McLean will be setting the scene for listeners as he takes in his surroundings at the Cyprus Avenue concert and chatting to fans lucky enough to get tickets for the event.
BBC Northern Ireland viewers will also have the chance to witness Van Morrison in action and relive the concert when it receives its exclusive television broadcast on BBC One NI on » Continue Reading.
