“All I ask, is remember me and forget my fate,” intoned Morrissey as he emerged on stage for his encore at the packed O2 Arena in London last night. This quote from “Dido’s Lament”, a staple of funerals seems poignant in the light of the star’s recent cancer treatment, especially as he immediately launched into a rare rendition of “Asleep”. “There is another world, there is … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2014
Mark Farrelly: Actor-Writer & Performer of One-Man Shows
We saw Mark Farrelly’s solo depiction of Patrick Hamilton in Silence of Snow, at the Old Red Lion theatre pub in north London, back in October and were hugely impressed. Few people would be able to write this piece, let alone perform it... and he managed both. And perhaps more laudable still, he even ran another one-man show, based on the life of Quentin Crisp, at the Edinburgh … [Read more...]
Episode 4: The Party Anthem
Song: Say No Say no, say no No immigration, border is closed No, me say no, me say no, me say no, me say no, me say no-o No immigration, border is closed No more soft touch from Great Britain No immigration, border is closed We’ll send you back to your Calais slums No immigration, border is closed What Mr Bureaucrat, Brussels won't allow it? We don't care and … [Read more...]
A Thai Farm Girl & The Man from Hemel Hempstead
Peering out from the corner of the stage, Padchai surveyed the clientele. Mainly western, over 60, and all looking decidedly grabby. No matter how many times she saw it, there was always something eerily creepy about this many old men in brilliant white vests and multicoloured trainers. As the music switched from a fast paced beat to a slow bluesy rhythm, Padchai hunkered down … [Read more...]
Cream in the Soup: Greg Escapes the Chateau
Monday 13th October 2008 - 18.01 (CET) This afternoon I received an omen so abundantly clear I was almost hurled sideways, Victoria’s words still ringing in my ears, “The chateau is our home, Greg. I refuse to sanction a swarm of insects which could sting our kids to death in their beds.” The line was delivered with Olympian heartlessness. I was extremely shaken, and about … [Read more...]
Last Night in Benidorm
It was 6.30pm. The sky was still bright blue and the terrace of the Queens Hotel still bathed in neon sunshine. With chairs curving together and chunky calves brushing, Martyn and Diane gazed across the hotel skyscrapers towards the dazzlingly clear Mediterranean Sea. “Once more with feeling…” said Diane lifting her cocktail, putting the straw to her lips and taking a lovely … [Read more...]
The Room: Art Versus the American Dream
“Bullshit! This is fucking bullshit!” he yelled, slurping from a Coke can and stomping up and down the line. “Front row. Front row. But no.” He rhymed aggressively. No response - unable to find anyone to engage with his mad ranting, the bonkers chap joined the queue directly behind us and continued his loud conversation with himself. We had all just been kicked out of the … [Read more...]
Brum Brum Baree: A Decidedly Odd Arts Documentary
When we set out to make this documentary in the spring of 2014, we had a pretty good idea how it was going to go. But by the time we finished in autumn, it had turned into something completely different. Instead of making a thought provoking piece on the complex relationship between the arts and the political left… we accidentally made a documentary about Birmingham. This … [Read more...]
Spoz: Brummie Poetry & Alternative Forms of Education
Giovanni Esposito, more commonly known as Spoz, is much more down to earth than any preconceived image of a ‘poet’ you might have. Dressed in a vest and jeans and sporting a dark Mohican, he is an extremely friendly chap with a ready Brummie wit and constant stream of chatty opinion. This is partly because Spoz is a normal bloke, not some lofty artist. Back in 1980, aged 16, … [Read more...]
Oozing Brie Song: Why Won’t He Join My Yearly Cheese Holiday?
Our resident protest singer doesn’t always write songs with a political edge. Stella recently picketed her cheese-dunce of a husband for refusing to join her annual cheese constitutional in France. After five years of refusal, you’d think he might relent and join her for some seeping Reblochon and gum-tingling Saint-Maure de Touraine. Alas no… and Stella is not … [Read more...]