Why Shoegazing Endures

It’s funny, but shoegazing in the late eighties and early nineties was supposed to be a fad in British music, something that lasted as long as a teen crush. Taking as its sonic template sixties psychedelia, Goth, Cocteau Twins dreaminess and the melding of noise and beauty you could find in Sonic Youth’s ground-breaking midContinue reading “Why Shoegazing Endures”

The Surprise Hit of 2022: Justin Hawkins Rides Again

Who would -a thunk it? Justin Hawkins, lead singer of The Darkness, has become the YouTuber of 2022. With his brilliant comic timing, sense of irony and vast musical knowledge, he’s a louche, irreverent delight. Erudite and self deprecating, the stylish frontman also has an extremely eclectic taste in music.Essentially, he knows his Arca fromContinue reading “The Surprise Hit of 2022: Justin Hawkins Rides Again”

Film Review: Moonage Daydream

There is a shot of David Bowie travelling on an escalator in Japan which seems to sum up the otherworldly aesthetic of this unique film – he seems to float like an angel. Eschewing the usual cliches of talking heads, song clips and cultural commentary, Brett Morgen’s vibrant visual patchwork is more like a PopContinue reading “Film Review: Moonage Daydream”

Review: Sonic Symbolism Podcast

Bjork has never been one for indulging in nostalgia, so this podcast, alongside friends, writer and philosopher Oddny Eir and music historian Asi Jonsson, is a welcome deep dive into the influences and creative process behind each of her solo albums. From the shy newcomer of Debut, who had to get the songs bursting outContinue reading “Review: Sonic Symbolism Podcast”

Just Step Sideways: Dogging Tales

Like a fever dream taken directly from the pages of Viz comic but created by Chris Morris, Dogging Tales from 2013, remains one of the most unforgettable TV documentaries of the last twenty years. Screened as part of Channel 4’s True Stories strand, and in actual fact directed by Leo Maguire, it was more JeremyContinue reading “Just Step Sideways: Dogging Tales”

Overlooked Classics:Summer Camp- Welcome To Condale

Ninety nine red balloons burst in the air. Polaroids are taken, curfews rejected and the Veronicas have taken over the prom, armed with little more than Harmony hairspray and sarcasm . If you recognise these references, chances are you’re in your forties and fifties. Married pop duo Summer Camp and their 2011 album Welcome toContinue reading “Overlooked Classics:Summer Camp- Welcome To Condale”

Edinburgh Festival Preview: Sense Of Centre

Having seen Jack Webb perform many times over the years, I can confirm that he’s definitely one of Scotland’s finest contemporary dancers. Webb, who is based in Edinburgh, creates work that is knotty, elegant and angular, often interrogating what Bjork once sang about, the complexities of “emotional landscapes “. His new work for the EdinburghContinue reading “Edinburgh Festival Preview: Sense Of Centre”

Edinburgh Festival Review: Agaxart- Future Temple

This beautiful short film follows Butoh performer Emiko Agatsuma as she crawls like a little sprite of the afterlife clad in a white bodystocking and white wig, through bustling streets, eventually entangling in a billowing pile of plastic. At once a dance and ritual, Agatsuma is a capricious figure, with human and animalistic characteristics. SheContinue reading “Edinburgh Festival Review: Agaxart- Future Temple”

Edinburgh Festival Review: Pain and I (Audio)

Sarah Hopfinger’s Pain and I is an incredible piece, accessible to all, as it’s both a live dance performance and online auditory piece. Hopfinger’s audio piece, featuring gorgeous string arrangements from Alicia Jane Turner, is at once personal tone poem and mantra. Charting her long struggle with neurological pain and back pain, Hopfinger’s words areContinue reading “Edinburgh Festival Review: Pain and I (Audio)”