James Chance passed away on June 18th ,and I wanted to pay tribute here with his trademark song. Part of the teenage No Wave scene in the late 70s in New York, alongside the likes of Lydia Lunch, DNA and Mars, he and The Contortions were a forward thinking squall of punk, funk and noise.Continue reading “A Contorted Tribute”
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Lambrini Girls Rule!
Who are Wet Leg anyway? The Last Dinner… what? Lambrini Girls are the real thing, spitting out home truths as their guitars buzz and drums clatter. It’s music as electric shocks, little pinches of reality that remind us that not all indie is made by PR -hyped, radio playlist seeking poshos. Iggy Pop is aContinue reading “Lambrini Girls Rule!”
Dreams
Dreams are porous; they leak out via the creases on the bed where my body lay, making a silhouette like a crime scene. You’re not part of this anymore, it’s purely a solo venture now. You used to be. Now thoughts of you have curdled. These nights, you are confined to the bottom of secretContinue reading “Dreams”
Film Review: Jonathan Miller’s Alice in Wonderland
One of the finest adaptations of the Lewis Carroll classic, Jonathan Miller’s Alice In Wonderland is singular, surreal and beautiful. A psychedelic phantasmagoria, this Alice feels like the epitome of sixties counterculture, evoking early Pink Floyd, Timothy Leary and Granny Takes A Trip vintage clothing. It’s all reinforced by Ravi Shankar’s lovely score, and theContinue reading “Film Review: Jonathan Miller’s Alice in Wonderland”
Film Review: Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched
Subtitled, A History of Folk Horror , Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, written and directed by Keir- La Janisse, is a pretty comprehensive documentary guide to films set in rural landscapes where terror lurks. Essentially, folk horror is defined as “the juxtaposition of the prosaic and the uncanny” . At over three hour long, itContinue reading “Film Review: Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched”
Lost In Music: Will Gregory Moog Ensemble
While his singing half treads a more commercial path these days, Will Gregory from Goldfrapp has a project that’s experimental, doffing a hat to pioneers like Stockhausen and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. It’s wonderfully out of step with current trends in modern music, like the recent jazz revival and hyperpop. Will Gregory Moog Ensemble isContinue reading “Lost In Music: Will Gregory Moog Ensemble”
Book Review: Kathleen Hanna- Rebel Girl
Artists currently making music like Caroline Polachek ,St Vincent and Big Joanie undoubtedly owe a debt of influence to the fearless trailblazer Kathleen Hanna. Her new memoir, Rebel Girl, is as expected, unflinching, affecting and lucid. She writes prose like lyrics, in short, sharp bursts. Nothing is spared, from navigating a difficult,abusive home, to survivingContinue reading “Book Review: Kathleen Hanna- Rebel Girl”
Reblog: Anna Secret Poet 🎉
Overlooked Classics: Marc Almond With The Willing Sinners- Mother Fist
Much more than just beautifully crafted filth, Marc Almond’s third studio album from April 1987, created with backing band The Willing Sinners, is a doozie. Taking inspiration from Jean Genet, Judy Garland and the Weimar republic, Almond ‘s musical palette was ever widening, full of left turns and his trademark bon mots- he’s always hadContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Marc Almond With The Willing Sinners- Mother Fist”
Are You Loathsome Tonight? Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla
There is a scene in Sofia Copola’s very fine film Priscilla which sums up her sad predicament: she’s about to give birth to her daughter, but rather than focusing on her breathing, she stands at a mirror and carefully, almost as if in a trance, puts on a full face of make-up. Cailee Spaeney portraysContinue reading “Are You Loathsome Tonight? Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla”