Glastonbury 2011

I wrote a review of Glastonbury for the webzine http://www.rokbun.com, but the review has not been publicly available until now. So here it is, enjoy the pics and enjoy the read.

A piper performs on the stone henge at the Park.

It was a return to form at Glastonbury this year, with the rivers of mud in full flow by the Thursday afternoon. And with nearly 100,000 pairs of feet helping to churn it up, it was a messy weekend. Nestled between the golden fields of the Somerset countryside, the site sprawled like a great glittering tented city, bigger and better than ever before. Next year the fields will be left by organizer Michael Eavis to “recover” from the ultimate hangover of X years of rock, roll, and all that mud. So, how was the last Glastonbury until 2013?

TO BE CONTINUED….AT

http://www.rokbun.com/

Mosaico Flamenco

Mosaico Flamenco

4 Stars

22nd – 28th August, Alba Flamenca, 6.00 pm, £12.00 (£10.00).

http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/music/mosaico-flamenco
Crammed into the tiny dance floor of Alba Flamenca, you would be forgiven for thinking that the evening would hold little promise. But despite the intimate surroundings, Mosaico Flamenco is a performance of passion, fantastic technical ability and moving flamenco music that transcends its humble surroundings. Transporting the imagination to an elegant plaza under sunnier climes, Mosaico Flamenco weaves traditional flamenco styles with a slight jazz undercurrent, bringing an exciting edge to the music. Led by the acclaimed flamenco guitarist Andrew Robinson, the four musicians ability and talents shine as they play together with an instinctive rhythm that is a pleasure to watch. The performance features the excellent flamenco singer Danielo Olivera, whose powerful voice resonates through the music, creating an atmospheric and intense sound that can raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Audience members are also rewarded by the talented box drum player Carmen Alvarez with a short but intense dance, bringing the show to a climactic close. With styles ranging from the fast-paced Buleria to the Tango, Robinson mixes compositions from flamenco masters such as the celebrated Paco de Lucia alongside some experimental and contemporary pieces to create an excellent showcase of flamenco for first time listeners, and an accomplished performance for the veteran lovers of this beautiful music. Highly recommended, and an excellent way to spend that hour before dinner where there is nothing worth doing. It is a real shame that the performance does not take place outside. For me, flamenco is something that either happens inside a tiny bar late at night, or else out in the evening air, though perhaps that is the Romantic coming out in me. Inside or not, Mosaico Flamenco really is an excellent performance, and more than worth the money. All you really need to complete the experience is an ice cold glass of amontillado and a bowl of salted almendres.

Alasdair Gray – A Life in Words and Pictures: Book Festival Review | Informed Edinburgh

Alasdair Gray – A Life in Words and Pictures: Book Festival Review | Informed Edinburgh.

 

And Alasdair review up also. Quick preview note: go and see Fleck!

Alasdair Gray @ Edinburgh Book Festival

The heavy ink style has become an iconic symbol of Glasgow's contemporary art scene

Shuffling on to the stage, you would be forgiven for thinking Alasdair Gray was a mere harmless old gent gone a little loopy. With braces pulled up and a scraggly beard, the celebrated Scottish author does not cut an imposing figure. But when Gray begins to speak – reminiscing of times past shaking the Glasgow art scene to its core, love affairs, communists and sniffy critics proven wrong – you realise that you are in the presence of one of the great artists of our time. Once hailed as the rising star of Scottish writing by the godfather of Scottish modern literature Hugh MacDiarmid, Alasdair Gray has become one of the most revered and celebrated authors in the country. His first and most critically acclaimed novel, Lanark, celebrates it’s 30th anniversary this year, making the coming premier of Fleck, Gray’s latest play, an apt celebration of a long and glorious career. Opening the Book Festival with a presentation of his latest book, A Life in Words and Pictures, Gray’s speech was delivered as a series of anecdotes, each concerning one particular illustration or mural with a private significance and personal story. Each print is heavily stylised, reminiscent of the post-impressionist work of Gaugin and Van Gogh. Hearing Gray speak of his early years as an artist and illustrator, it is difficult to believe that such a gifted man was side-lined by the Scottish art establishment for being too experimental. Now, despite being one of the great rebels of Scottish literature and art, Gray’s presence at the Book Festival is a testament to his talents and a gift to all those who appreciate art that pushes the boundaries of acceptability and taste in order to create a masterpiece. Let us hope that Fleck, due to premier on the final day of the Festival, will be yet another extraordinary offering from this old, but unbeaten, and unconventional artist.

Lili La Scala @ Assembly George Square

With the voice of an angel and fabulous retro red curls, Lili La Scala seems to fit the bill for an evening of old Hollywood glamour and

Sweet as pie, but not much to get your teeth into.

glitz. But however delightful to look at, she doesn’t quite hit the high notes of delicious and de-lovely. With a set of tunes that should transport the listener to better times past, the show is charming to hear and not much fun to see. Lili’s voice may be beautiful to listen to, but the words falling from her ruby lips are spoken with little energy and no sense of timing. Cabaret stars are famed for their big and jazzy vocals, but also for their witty banter with the audience, an element that is severely lacking in Lili’s performance. Following the vintage trend of last year’s show, War Notes, the selection for Songs… is again full of little retro gems from Ivor Novello to Cole Porter. Some of the songs are quite moving and beautiful, and it is a testament to her passion for her art the lengths Lili has gone to source her material, including one song never before sung by anyone other than Grace Fields herself. If only there was a little more glitz to Lili’s glamour, the show would surely be delicious and de-lovely, but as it is it is just a little di-sappointing.

Orkestra del Sol’s Top Trumps: Fringe Review | Informed Edinburgh

Orkestra del Sol’s Top Trumps: Fringe Review | Informed Edinburgh.

And the Orkestra as it went up. Seriously, go!

Orkestra del Sol Top Trumps @ Dans Paleis, Assembly George Square

Defying the wet weather, Orkestra del Sol bring their dazzling show to the Fringe once more to delight and entertain. Their joyous

Orkestra del Sol will brighten up the gloomiest of days

Balkan sound is guaranteed to move the feet and lift the spirits as you polka energetically around the dancefloor. A certain cure for any bad weather blues, the Orkestra are a pleasure to watch in action on their home turf. Originally from Edinburgh, the homecoming seems to have invigorated the band members to perform to the best of their talents. And what talents! Trumpet player Phil Philodopoulos shone throughout the set, capturing the hearts and ears of the audience with his skill and dexterity. Providing the banter was band leader Martello, and his interaction with the band and the crowd was spot on, involving everyone in the joy of the music and the ridiculous dance moves it can inspire.

The theme of this year’s show is Top Trumps: a competition to ‘trump’ the other players in a battle of size, range, and skill. Each audience member is given a Top Trumps card featuring one band member who they can support in their battle for dominance on the stage. With categories ranging from ‘lung capacity’ (the new album, incidentally), ‘range’ and ‘speed’, the competition style raises the music to dizzying heights as each band member attempts to best the other.With the audience whooping and cheering their chosen musician on, the show is audience participation at its best. There is a sense of joy and exuberance shared by the band and the crowd, creating a festival atmosphere that suits the music perfectly.

Playing a mixture of old favourites and new tunes from latest album Lung Capacity, the group prove their worth as an Edinburgh Festival staple. Bringing a bit of gypsy magic to an evening, Orkestra del Sol are one reliable Fringe act that it just doesn’t do to miss. Summer may not have managed to get up and running outside, but the Orkestra’s sound is the perfect antidote to any rainy day.

 

Standing up to the big boys: Captain America holds it’s own

The cult of the all-American superhero is a great thing to behold. A plucky, good and kind boy with no potential for greatness becomes a plucky, good and kind megaman with the potential to be mistaken for a shaved gorilla and a whole new jaw line. Our appetite for these Nazi busting, Soviet slapping men in tights is remarkable. The superhero: a direct product of the Second World War and the Cold War, and yet still so captivating even today.

Gotta love some jaw.

Captain America was born out of the fear of Nazi Germany and the growing Soviet threat – the idea that there could ever be something worse than Hitler – was terrifying. In this film, we have Hugo Weaving as Schmidt, or Red Skull: a bonkers megalomaniac with a rubber face mask and a penchant for the supernatural. Schmitt wants to access powers beyond his ken, namely Odin’s crystal cube, a source of what appears to be a kind of nuclear energy except it is of course bright blue and crackling. Captain America is little Stephen Rodgers: a boy from Brooklyn who wants nothing more than to serve his country if it wasn’t for his asthma. A chance encounter with an exiled German scientist gives Rodgers his chance, and with a few injections and ‘vita-ray’ therapies, he emerges a hero, destined to greatness, yet never losing sight of his all-American morality.

Of course, we all know what happens next. Captain America dons the scarlet boots and blue stockings and runs off into the wilderness to challenge Schmidt and his Hydra empire to stop him from taking Hitler’s place as the great evil of the world. He performs acts of bravery, valour and courage, all with a golden tan, perfect teeth and slicked back hair. Helpful, that regeneration gene or whatever it is that seems to prevent his locks from slipping.

And yet, Captain America is, dare I say it, a little different to the average superhero. He doesn’t have a moral dilemma – he really is just a NICE guy. There is a lady, Agent Carter, but there is no on-screen action bar one bittersweet kiss. The Captain leaves the lab not a crime-fighting extravaganza, but a theatrical one, consigned onto Broadway while they try to work out what the hell to do with him. The symbol that is Captain America is due to a large publicity tour, not due to legend and hearsay and great public acts. Even Schmidt’s power source: Odin, is a little off the beaten track of ancient Egyptian/Christian/Alien artifacts. And a happy ending? Well, that is for you to decide.

Tommy Lee Jones is his usual acerbic old man self, and Hugo Weaving does his doomsday best. Particularly enjoyable to see was Toby Jones, cast as the morally dubious scientist Zola. With his terrific ability in acting, he was suitably slimy and twitchy without rising to the great heights of Weaving’s ham. Dominic Cooper too proved his ability to be a smarmy git as Howard Stark (father of Ironman’s Tony). Into aviation, women, and trying his best to make things fly that really shouldn’t fly, Stark is a strange mix of Delboy and Q, complete with woeful little moustache.

Captain America is not a brilliant film. It will not change your life forever, nor make you want to rush out and buy the comic. But it is enjoyable. A good day out; a cinematic equivalent to a fairground. You don’t necessarily think you should go, or that you even want to, but once there you have a great time pretending your brain cells don’t really exist. It is the kind of film where there is really not that much fault to be found – a truly everyman film. Oh, and if you do stick it out to the end, you will be rewarded with an unexpected and wonderful surprise…