The Lure Of The East - British Orientalist Painting at Tate Britain

I squeezed in a trip to Tate Britain earlier this week to see this exhibition before it closes at the end of the month. It is a selection of paintings from British artists who travelled around the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East throughout the nineteenth century capturing the landscapes, religious places and local traditions of the area.

I particularly enjoyed the beautiful landscapes in there, which captured the hazy beauty of the land really well.

Radical Light at The National Gallery

The National Gallery currently is currently showing an exhibition by the name of 'Radical Light' featuring a group of Italian painters who worked in Milan towards the end of the 19^th century. I went along after work on Wednesday evening to investigate.

The exhibition apparently marks a change in direction for the NG, focusing on a smaller, lesser well know movement - Italian Divisionism - rather than opt for a big name ‘blockbuster’. Time will tell how successful this will be but my own opinion was that it is a move that should be celebrated.

It was a fairly small show - only 6 rooms. It began with a selection of landscapes showcasing the painting technique which has given rise to their name - the Divisionists. The paintings definitely have a distinct luminosity to them and the sense of light emanating from the canvas is immediately tangible. The exhibition makes quite a lot of this stylistic innovation and whereas it is undoubtedly effective the real merit for me lay in the political and social themes that were represented in the artists’ work.

The show moves on to feature images of Italy’s poor in scenes of social hardship - women working without respite in the rice fields or old men taking refuge in the church (one of highlights for me was the stark ‘The Christmas Of Those Left Behind’ by Morbelli).

Room 4 is arguably the strongest of the exhibition. It is dominated by Giuseppe Pellizza’s ‘The Living Torrent’, a powerful piece depicting a faceless, amorphous, concentrated crowd of workers in pursuit of justice. It is an imposing piece and I found it almost cinematic in certain ways. It has been called socialism’s greatest painting and it is easy to see why.

There are a few other pieces which also incorporate some of these social issues. The politicisation of these artists was what I will take from the exhibition - if you look at Italian history around the period it certainly was an eventful time - social unrest followed by government repression, assassination of the reigning monarch and eventual trade union legislation. It seems quite appropriate how the art of the Divisionists reflected these slightly turbulent times.

On a separate point while I was at the NG I took the opportunity to check out some of the paintings by Canaletto, Claude & Turner - some of the most beautiful art you will ever see!

Caramel

Just got back from seeing Caramel at the PCC. It is a movie set in Beirut and follows the lives of a number of women who work in and around a beauty salon. The events unfurl at a modest, reflective pace as the circumstances of each of the characters are slowly revealed. Throughout the film we witness moments of sadness, humour, disappointment, happiness and poignancy.



The director Nadine Labaki also features in the film as Layale, a young Lebanese woman who works in 'Si Belle', the small beauty salon. The movie shows that despite the troubled political situation of Lebanon its citizens still lead lives which contain the kind of small preoccupations and personal concerns that affect us all. The themes of love, marriage, tradition, sexuality and family all appear. The fact that no mention is made to the recent war with Israel ensures this message is carried through with quiet strength. The dedication at the end of the film adds a nice, silently moving touch.

Overall I enjoyed the film very much. It is very easy to watch, is beautifully shot and falls into the category of film that carries a message without ever overstating its case.

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis at Pure Groove Records

I have just got back from Pure Groove Records in Farringdon where the very excellent, all-singing, multi-instrumentalist, über-cool Kitty, Daisy & Lewis were playing a show to support the release of their debut album.

They play a swinging, bluesy rock'n'roll- rockabilly hybrid, taken straight from the 1950s and dragged into the 21st century. The fact that they are all teenagers (sporting the finest haircuts this side of the war, incidentally) makes their music all the more special.

Their line up changes for each song as they swap instruments and vocals - tonight we saw guitar, banjo, ukelele, pedal steel guitar, accordian, harmonica & various percussion passed around freely (and played with confidence). With Mum and Dad on double bass and guitar respectively they played a selection from their just-released eponymous album. They look like they are loving every minute and judging by the jubilant reaction of the crowd gathered in the shop they were not alone.

Photos to be added soon.

It was my first visit to Pure Groove and I have to say I was impressed - quite minimal with a different layout to your regular record store, it doubled up as a great live music venue also. They also have various music related art on display which stands out as another point of difference. If you happen to find yourself in Farringdon with time to spare go check them out.

My Top 30 Albums

OK - I have had a couple of weeks away from concerts, exhibitions etc so I decided to keep my blog going by making some kind of record of my favourite albums.

Being male and interested in music I frequently find myself compiling mental lists of favourite artists, tracks, gigs etc. Usually when lost in my iPod or stuck on a tube etc. Listening to 'I Trawl The Megahertz' a lot recently (see below post) led me to think about recording and organising these random thoughts.

I was only going to do the top 10 but this quickly progressed to 20 and then to 30. I haven't included any jazz or classical albums as that would have complicated it too much - I will list those separately on another occasion. It has to be said that a lot of these are interchangeable depending on my mood and what I have been listening to at the time (even the number one position).

So, after much deliberation, here goes:

1) ‘Pet Sounds’ The Beach Boys
2) ‘Deserter’s Songs’ Mercury Rev
3) ‘And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out’ Yo La Tengo
4) ‘The Boatman's Call’ Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
5) ‘Bandwagonesque’ Teenage Fanclub
6) ‘I Trawl The Megahertz’ Paddy McAloon
7) 'Tindersticks II’ Tindersticks
8) ‘Either/Or’ Elliott Smith
9) ‘Spirit Of Eden’ Talk Talk
10) ‘Grand Prix’ Teenage Fanclub
11) ‘Treasure’ The Cocteau Twins
12) ‘Trust’ Low
13) ‘Ocean Songs’ Dirty Three
14) ‘Union Café’ The Penguin Café Orchestra
15) ‘Judee Sill’ Judee Sill
16) ‘Hawaii’ The High Llamas
17) ‘Meat Is Murder’ The Smiths
18) ‘Aw C’mon / No You C’mon’ Lambchop
19) ‘Lazer Guided Melodies’ Spiritualized
20) ‘Barafundle’ Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
21) ‘Bryter Layter’ Nick Drake
22) ‘True Love And High Adventure’ Grand Drive
23) ‘Emperor Tomato Ketchup’ Stereolab
24) ‘Hats’ The Blue Nile
25) ‘Music Has The Right To Children’ Boards Of Canada
26) ‘The Soft Bulletin’ The Flaming Lips
27) ‘Penguin Eggs’ Nic Jones
28) ‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’ Pavement
29) ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ Pink Floyd
30) ‘Gold’ Ryan Adams

I tried to keep it one album per artists but couldn't help include two albums by Teenage Fanclub. I could have easily included two albums by Low and Elliott Smith also.

Albums by Laura Cantrell, Sigur Ros, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Vashti Bunyan, Midlake, Sufjan Stevens & Johann Johannson all closely missed out being included in the top 30.

Not a bad selection overall!

'I Trawl The Megahertz' by Paddy McAloon

I have been listening to this album quite a lot lately. It really is one of the most beautiful and emotionally-affecting albums I have heard.

The story behind how and why the album was created is obviously central to its impact.

In the early 1990s McAloon was left nearly blinded after eye surgery. This led him to listen more to radio talk show programmes and change the way he worked as a musician/writer.

The end result was 'I Trawl The Megahertz', a beautiful orchestral, largely instrumental, late-night, melancholy piece of music. It is easy to view the album as a meditation on loss, isolation, solitude and the therapeutic qualities of music.

The title track is the album's centrepiece (although it actually opens the album) and features a female voice (actress Yvonne Connors) reading a collection of lines written by McAloon alongside statements that he heard on late night radio phone-in programmes. When these are combined and set to the lush, orchestral backdrop it results in an absorbing, powerful listen. You can find the full lyrics through a search engine but below are some of my favourites:

"Hers is the wingspan of the quotidian angel"

"I am tying a shoelace, or finding the pavement fascinating while the comet thrills the sky"

"I am jangling along to some song of the moment, suffering it's sweetness, luxuriating in it's feeble approximation of starlight"

"In the chamber of my heart sits an accountant. He is frowning and waving red paper at me"

"In the subterranean world of anaesthetics sad white canoes are forever sailing downstream in the early hours of the morning"

Certain musical motifs and themes appear throughout the album which allow it to sit comfortably as a piece of work.

Highly recommended.

(It actually got me thinking - it certainly would make my top 10 favourite albums and may even sneak into the top 5 possibly. More of that to follow soon.....)

The High Llamas at Whitechapel Art Gallery

I was at the Whitechapel Art Gallery last night to see one of my favourite bands, The High Llamas.

It was my first time visiting the Whitechapel Art Gallery. I had heard the capacity was going to be 140 but didn't quite know what to expect. My initial reaction wasn't great. The room was small (which is normally a real positive for me) but stage seemed to be tucked away in the corner and a growing number of people were already sitting down on the floor, making for a slightly claustrophobic beginning. However, later in the evening, once everyone was standing I realised that it actually worked well as a gig venue and was enjoying being there.

Support band Ladywoodsman eventually come on and they were pretty good with their percussive, lo-fi, alt-blues sound.

The High Llamas were playing their annual London show (why only annual?). Last time I saw them was in 2000 at Camden Dingwalls.

They pretty much played a greatest hits set, spanning their entire career - 'Leaf And Lime', 'Harper's Romo', 'Triads', 'Bach Ze', 'The Old Spring Town', 'Nomads', 'The Sun Beats Down', 'Hi-Ball Nova Scotia', 'Campers In Control' were all played finishing with a glorious 'Checking In, Checking Out'.

See below for some photos (not great quality admittedly).

Their songs have brilliant harmonies, beautifully simple melodies, and great lyrics. I don't think it is overstating things to say that Sean O'Hagan is one of the finest songwriters of recent times.

BBC Singers at St Giles Cripplegate

I went along to St Giles Cripplegate to see the BBC Singers perform three choral works as part of the City Of London Festival.

The concert featured 'Cinq Rechants' by Olivier Messiaen sandwiched in between two new pieces by Jonathan Harvey and Param Vir. The evening tried to combine western choral music with elements of Indian spiritualism.

Messiaen's piece was quite dynamic and full of energy. The other works had more of a distinct Hindu influence. It all added up to quite a powerful experience.

Cy Twombly at Tate Modern

Earlier in the week I went to see the new Cy Twombly exhibtion at Tate Modern. They have been promoting him as one of the most significant contemporary artitsts so I was looking forward to the visit.

I thought the show got off to a fairly slow start. His early work didn't really do a great deal for me, especially the cold, minimalistic scrawling pieces. Twombly is generally categorized as post-abstract and a lot of his earlier work would confuse the casual observer.

However, as I progressed through the show I began to enjoy his paintings more. The introduction of colour seemed to bring the exhibition to life and the themes of nature, water and seasons, although never obvious, broke through the fog of earlier abstractism.

His brand of minimalism seemed to revert to a more conventional form as the exhibition progressed. The highlight for me was 'Untitled (A Painting In Nine Parts)' which provided a much needed glimpse of aesthetic beauty. This was something I could not locate in his earlier work.

So, my thoughts on leaving were that the second half of the show generally made up for the earlier disappointments.

On a separate issue the soundtrack to my visit was 'Hawaii' by The High Llamas. Has there ever been a more consistently brilliant album over 29 tracks I thought to myself as I walked back to Bank tube station??

More on the High Llamas in my next post.....

Massive Attack BUG Special at the BFI

I went along to the BFI on Thursday last week to see the Massive Attack BUG video special.

See my first post for more information on what BUG is all about. It was another excellent show with the sound problems of BUG07 a distant memory. I hadn't seen any Massive Attack videos prior to going but suspected they may be mostly dark, claustrophobic affairs. This certainly was the case with the videos for tracks from their 3rd and 4th albums. However, the videos for their earlier work reflect the lighter mood of the music. In particular the video by Bailie Walsh for 'Unfinished Sympathy' is a classic, featuring Shara Nelson walking through downtown Los Angeles.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the evening was just hearing the tracks at loud volume - especially the evocative, widescreen, layered opacity of the tracks from 1998's Mezzanine.

Host Adam Buxton was very funny as usual (and brought the usual selection of amusing youtube comments). Check out his youtube page for some of his recent stuff (including parts of 'Meebox' his pilot for the Big British Castle, which is funny - especially if you are a fan of A. Buxton).

Sadly BUG08 is sold out but I will aim to get back on board for BUG09 later in the year.

'Psycho Buildings' at The Hayward Gallery

I went along to the Hayward Gallery this afternoon to see their Psycho Buildings exhibition.

The exhibition features the work of artists who have tackled the subject of architecture, producing works that are meant to challenge, confound and inspire.

The Hayward Gallery has always been one of the more architecturally unusual buildings in central London so I guess it is appropriate that architecture is taking a prominent role in their main exhibition of the summer as the gallery turns 40. I have always enjoyed wandering around the different levels and different shaped rooms of the Hayward and today was no exception.

The highlights for me were the contributions by Rachel Whiteread, Mike Nelson and Do Ho Suh.

Whiteread's visually stunning 'Place' , a collection of 200 small houses all internally illuminated is the most striking piece. My immediate reaction was how warm and welcoming the piece was but on further exploration it reveals itself to have a slightly eerie quality as all houses are devoid of human life.

Mike Nelson's 'To The Memory Of H.P.Lovecraft' is a dark, brooding, slightly menacing affair, the slashed walls and scattered debris suggesting some kind of dreadful event has just taken place. The ambiguity of the cause only serves to increase its impact.

Do Ho Suh's 'Fallen Star 1/5' is another interesting piece - inspired by his decision to leave Korea in the 1960s to live in New York, it is a model of his home in Korea crashing into the flat he lived in in NY. The real highlight is the detail - nothing is overlooked.

The interactive pieces, although fun, were less effective for me personally. However, the Hayward must be saluted - one of the few galleries who would consider turning part of the building into a mini lake in the name of art. There is also a small cinema showing short films that tie into the artists-doing-architecture theme.

So - another excellent exhibition by the Hayward Gallery. Should we have expected anything else?

Fleet Foxes & Beach House at ULU

I went along to ULU to see two of the best new bands around on Wednesday 11th. Seattle band Fleet Foxes specialise in harmony-laden, baroque alt-folk whilst Beach House hail from Maryland and purvey a more textured, shimmering, hazy guitar pop.

First up were Beach House. Victoria Legrand's slightly raw, arresting voice comes across even better live than on record. They played from both of their excellent albums and also included a nice Daniel Johnston cover ('Some Things Last A Long Time'). They remind me a little bit of Broadcast which is not a bad thing.

Headliners Fleet Foxes are amazingly accomplished for such a young band. What they do is not fantastically original but they have brilliant songs and do all the good things really, really well. Beautiful melodies, note-perfect harmonies, nice lyrics and proficient playing. They played mostly from their new eponymous album but also threw in some from their debut EP 'Sun Giant'. Prolonged applause followed almost every song which seemed to surprise them a little.

'White Winter Hymnal' is being relaesed as their next single and you really should try to listen to it. They are playing Shepherd's Bush Empire in November and I may well be going along.

As an aside they also covered 'Crayon Angels' by the brilliant Judee Sill (if you don't know her music please try to listen - she was a genius and has arguably one of the most interesting stories in the history of folk music).

All in all - a great gig. My first trip to ULU for over 4 years as well which reminded me what a great little venue it is.

The American Scene at The British Museum

After leaving the PCC (see post below) I decided to head down to the Hayward Gallery, hoping to catch the recently opened 'Psycho Buildings' exhibition. When I got there I was confronted with a massive queue. So, I opted for a change of plan and set off towards the British Museum. The 59 bus took me up Kingsway and Southampton Row before I disembarked next to Bloomsbury Square Gardens (possibly one of the nicest squares in central London?).

I was going to the British Museum to check out one of their exhibitions, 'The American Scene' which features a selection of prints from modern Amercian artists. Talk of prints by Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollock and Joan Mitchell had attracted me to the exhibition but when I got there, for me, it was other artists that seemed to stand out.

The show begins with a lot of prints showing New York street life and architecture. I particularly liked the street scenes depicted by Martin Lewis and the buildings as portrayed by Louis Lozowick - especially the futurism/cubism feel of his 'New York' piece (see below).



The American Midwest also gets a look in with some nice prints of rural landscapes before the show concentrates on more abstract prints. Along the way some colour prints from Robert Gwathmey also stand out - as used in the sign outside the main entrance (see below).


If you like modern art and want to see some beautiful prints of New York & America I suggest a visit - it is showing until 7th September (and is free!).

If you do go, make sure you pass through the Great Court and enjoy the spectacular glass roof.

Son Of Rambow

I went along to the wonderful Prince Charles Cinema earlier today to catch Son Of Rambow, the new film by Garth Jennings. The plot revolves around the attempt of a couple of schoolkids to make their own movie.

On the whole it is very funny, especially if you grew up in the UK in the 1980s and can appreciate all of the little references (does anyone else remember the concept of "tracking" when trying to play video cassettes?). I didn't really expect it, but it turned out to be a resounding feelgood movie also.

Definitely worth watching!

London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican

I went to the Barbican last night to see the excellent LSO performing Mahler's 9th symphony.

It is a grand, vast, sweeping epic of a symphony. Quite demanding listening in some ways but ultimately very rewarding. The final movement is powerful stuff. Very sad and poignant. Click here for some background to the piece if you are unfamiliar.

I managed to quickly pop along to the Royal Festival Hall beforehand to catch a free concert by the Philharmonia Orchestra. I am happy to take advantage of any almost opportunity these days to sit inside the fantastic newly refurbished RFH. Since moving to London almost 9 years ago it has firmly become one of my favourite venues. I have had some great times there. Brian Wilson (6 times!), Yo La Tengo, Elliott Smith, Mercury Rev, Low, hearing Steve Reich's 'Music For 18 Musicians' live for the first time, the panoramic view across the Thames from the balcony during intervals, spending time in the member's area. Great memories!

See below for some pictures.

From the stalls:

From the stage:
From Golden Jubilee bridge at night:

eMusic

Following on from the last post - another great place to find excellent new music is the eMusic website.

It is a subscription based service, allowing you to download and keep MP3 files from artists on some of the best alternative record labels around. I have the 100 tracks per month download package. It can be very addictive.....

My downloads refreshed on Saturday and I have gone for the following:

Dirty Three 'Whatever You Love, You Are'
Spaghetti Western String Co. 'Lull And Clatter'
Devotchka 'A Mad And Faithful Telling'
Bon Iver 'For Emma, Forever Ago'
Beach House 'Devotion'
Tape 'Luminarium' (a real find - shades of late Talk Talk crossed with quiet electronica)
Vaughan Williams ‘Symphony No. 5’

Alan Hovhaness ‘Sympphonies No. 4, 20 & 53’

Edvard Grieg’s Sigurd Josalfar (after hearing it for the first time on Radio 3 earlier in the morning)

And I still have 27 downloads left.

Let the listening begin!

Alternative, esoteric, brilliant radio programmes

Two of my favourites radio programmes are Stuart Maconie's Freakzone on BBC 6 Music and Where's The Skill In That by Mark Russell & Robert Sandall, broadcast on Resonance FM.

Over the last couple of years I have discovered some tremendous music through these shows.

The music played is so brilliantly varied - modern classical, electronica, jazz, art-rock, leftfield indie, nu/pysch/alternative folk and all kinds of experimental stuff all get a look in (and that doesn't even get close to summarising it).

Whilst I am on the subject it would be slightly unfair not to mention Late Junction also, which is broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Another brilliant show, the only problem these days is that it is on too late in the evening (proof I am getting old I guess). They play a nice mix of classical, world, jazz and electronica. As soon as the sound comes back to my PC I will be using the Listen Again function.

Go check them all out!

Stuart Maconie's Freakzone is broadcast on Sundays 17:00-20:00 on BBC 6 Music
Where's The Skill In That is broadcast on Wednesdays 21:00-22:00 on Resonance FM.
Late Junction is broadcst on Tues-Thurs 23:15-01:00 on BBC Radio 3.

Heresy

We went along to Drill Hall on Thursday to see a recording of the excellent Radio 4 radio programme, Heresy. The show picks 3 perceived wisdoms and the panellists attempt to challenge them, occasionally with the help of the audience.

This show the 'wisdoms' we had were:

1) Radio 4 is aimed at middle class, middle aged people.

2) Rising sea levels spell disaster for mankind.

3) Men who go out with taller ladies end up looking silly.

I agree with point 2 and, on the whole with point 3 but point 1 is a little more complicated. Radio 4 may well be aimed at those kind of people but surely it has content for a wider demographic? Anyway, I like it, especially the Today programme (but then again at 31 I am close to, if not already middle aged I suppose).

The show is presented by Victoria Coren and the guests for this show were comedians David Mitchell and Arthur Smith, and journalist Michael Bywater. David Mitchell was very funny, Arthur Smith was quite funny (in a slightly rambling way) but the hack wasn't very funny at all. I guess that's why the first two are comedians huh?

On the whole - pretty amusing stuff. And free as well, which is always nice.

Heresy is currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Thursdays 18:30-19:00.

Fleet Foxes at Rough Trade East

Fleet Foxes are an excellent new band from Seattle.

I went along to Rough Trade East on Wednesday to see them do a DJ set in support of their forthcoming eponymous debut album.

I picked up a copy of their new CD (see below - signed!). I am generally a bit rubbish when it comes to meeting bands, never really knowing what to say. Anyway, the album sounds great - lots of nice harmony-laden baroque guitar pop. Check it out! I will be heading along to ULU on 11th June to see them play live.

Durham Concerto by Jon Lord

I have been listening to and enjoying Jon Lord's Durham Concerto very much recently.


Commissioned as part of the celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of the founding of Durham University it is a 6 movement piece performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. It is divided into 3 parts - Morning, Afternoon & Evening and is meant to represent a typical day in the city.

It is both a majestic and stirring piece, with moments of drama and colour. Appropriately it features some nice Northumbrian pipes played by Kathryn Tickell.

Overall, it is an excellent piece of music and I recommend it to anyone interested in accessible, contemporary classical music. It is available on the excellent emusic website (more of which to follow in another post).

Hopefully they will perform it in London at some point - I think it would sound great at the RFH or the Barbican!

Street Art at Tate Modern

I went along to Tate Modern on Sunday 25th to check out the Street Art exhibition which opened recently. They have used the facade of the building to present 6 large scale works by various international 'street' artists.

My first thought was that it was surprising they haven't done something like this before. Apparently it is the first major public museum display of street art in London.

Overall it worked pretty well I thought. One of the most impressive pieces (in my humble opinion) is by an artist from Barcelona that goes by the name of Sixeart (see his 'piece' below).

Another of my favourites was from Blu, an artist from Bolgna (see below). One of the key features of his art is his concentration on the internal workings of the human body, which was certainly evident in his piece in this exhibition. When you see it close up there is a lot of stuff going on it there....

Some more images.

There is a separate Street Art Walking Tour around the Bankside area, I didn't manage it this time but may come back to investigate. On a similar theme, at some point I will also try to check out The Cans Festival in Leake Street by Waterloo.

The Beginning

So here it is. My first blog entry. Exciting.


I decided it might be fun to join the blog-world, mainly to keep a record of what I get up to (mostly around London). If others end up reading it, cool. It will most probably end up including stuff on music, gigs, cinema, art and general London life.


On Thursday 22nd I went along to the BFI on the South Bank to see BUG07, the regular pop video showcase event hosted by Adam Buxton. Very good it was too, despite problems with the sound. A nice mix of funny, surreal, disturbing and beautiful pop videos. Check out the link above for which videos were shown. The videos for recent singles by Goldfrapp, Sia and Sebastien Tellier were all highlights for me.

I will be going to future BUG events for sure I am thinking, possibly the Massive Attack special as part of the Meltdown festival if other stuff allows (and I book tickets in time).




I also was able to enjoy a nice Hoegaarden with lemon on the tables in front of the BFI beforehand, which set my mind towards thinking about the joys of summer in London.