TV Review: The Traitors US (SERIES 3)

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes”, purrs the ever-iconic Alan Cumming, with that famously impish smirk. Good to see that theatre training be put to good use, the Shakespeare quotes coming thick and fast as the host sashays around Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands. This is where he presides,Continue reading “TV Review: The Traitors US (SERIES 3)”

Film Review: Queendom

Times are truly appalling. With the Orange Menace having been sworn in as president of the United States yesterday, cosying up to tech billionaires and hellbent on promoting “only two genders”, this fascinating, deeply moving documentary film from Agniya Galdanova is a reminder of how art can flourish in the wake of capitalist greed andContinue reading “Film Review: Queendom”

TV Review: Video Nasty

This dark comedy drama series arrives at an interesting time, in the wake of eighties nostalgia franchises like ‘Stranger Things’ and more recently Tim Burton’s underwhelming sequel, ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’. Written by Hugh Travers and directed by Christopher Smith and Megan K Fox, it’s steeped in the pop culture of that decade, right down to MaryContinue reading “TV Review: Video Nasty”

Album Review: Soap & Skin- TORSO

Anya Plaschg, the Austrian artist who records as Soap & Skin, has been doing her own thing since the mid-noughties, but this new album pays tribute to her diverse influences over the years. There’s a pretty faithful cover of Bowie’s dark, dense ‘Girl Loves Me’, and a sweet cover of Sufjan Steven’ ‘Mystery of Love’,Continue reading “Album Review: Soap & Skin- TORSO”

Album Review: Geordie Greep- The New Sound

Trust Geordie Greep , former lead singer of the endlessly inventive Black Midi, to blend a huge cocktail of genres for this, his debut solo album. Much of his work is all about pulling together genres to create something unique and wilfully bonkers. Take the first single to be lifted from the album, ‘Holy Holy’.Continue reading “Album Review: Geordie Greep- The New Sound”

Album Review: Nubya Garcia – Odyssey

It’s hard to believe that this is only the second studio album from tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia, such is her effortless sounding, voluptuous playing and compositional skill. The range of moods here, too, often takes others a lifetime to perfect. ‘Clarity’ for example, is a slow-burning dreamscape with a hypnotic melody line. The shimmering ‘Solstice’Continue reading “Album Review: Nubya Garcia – Odyssey”

Album Review: Masayoshi Fujita- Migratory

Inspired by the endless wonders of nature, and in particular the flight paths of birds, Japanese vibraphonist and marimba player Masayoshi Fujita has created a beautiful, meditative album here, with enough left turns to stop it fading into the background. In that sense, it’s a post-ambient work. ‘Tower Of Cloud’ is hypnotic and dreamy, butContinue reading “Album Review: Masayoshi Fujita- Migratory”

Album Review: Lili Holland-Fricke and Sean Rogan- Dear Alien

This debut is a glorious thing indeed, bringing some much needed sunshine as days get colder. The duo, both based in Manchester, recorded the album in Greenwich, and it’s both melodic and full of improvised energy. Sleepy, feline cellos mesh with tape loops and it’s Holland -Fricke’s unique approach to cello playing that feels soContinue reading “Album Review: Lili Holland-Fricke and Sean Rogan- Dear Alien”

(From Across The Arts Archive) GFF Review: Burroughs -The Movie

Arts:Blog POSTED BY ACROSS THE ARTS ON FEBRUARY 28, 2015, AT 7.44AM Lorna Irvine reviews ‘an excellent portrait of a contrarian and genius’. William S Burroughs, one of the most influential writers of all time, has been on screen before–notably in Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy as Tom the Priest–but this lesser-seen documentary by Howard Brookner predates it byContinue reading “(From Across The Arts Archive) GFF Review: Burroughs -The Movie”

(From Across The Arts Archive) Theatre Review: A Respectable Widow Takes To Vulgarity at Oran Mor,Glasgow

Arts:BlogTheatre Review: A Respectable Widow Takes to VulgarityPOSTED BY ACROSS THE ARTS ON FEBRUARY 26, 2013, AT 10.09AMLorna Irvine is charmed by a comedic parade of profanities. Like Pygmalion in reverse, Douglas Maxwell’s new play for Oran Mor and the Traverse upends familiar theatre troupes and tickles them into submission. The delightful duo of JoannaContinue reading “(From Across The Arts Archive) Theatre Review: A Respectable Widow Takes To Vulgarity at Oran Mor,Glasgow”