Kate Bush’s Influences

Pics of Kate Bush: John Parder Bush J W Waterhouse, ‘The Lady of Shallot’. Kate Bush was always upfront in her literary and artistic influences. She essayed The Brontes of course, but also Tennyson, Shakespeare and John William Waterhouse. Her Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic was unique in a time of punk, prog and so on, but theContinue reading “Kate Bush’s Influences”

Roll Up! Roll Up! It’s Fringe Time

Roll up! Roll Up! It’s Edinburgh Fringe time. Quick, hide the addicts and the homeless. Slap on your rouge and your lipstick and get in that doorway, bitch. Entice them in. Shake yer moneymaker. Show them yer wares. A tartan tart in tat, that’s what you are. By god, it’s pure radge but we willContinue reading “Roll Up! Roll Up! It’s Fringe Time”

Film Review: Gene Kelly-An American In Hollywood

Claudia Collao’s exuberant documentary on the great actor, dancer and film maker Gene Kelly looks at his rise to stardom, quest for innovation in all that he did, and above all, his egalitarian attitude that dance should be accessible to everyone, no matter where they came from. As someone who had grown up in hard-scrabbleContinue reading “Film Review: Gene Kelly-An American In Hollywood”

From Across the Arts Archive: Liz Aggiss-The English Channel

Arts:Blog Festival Review: Liz Aggiss–The English Channel ***** Posted by Across the Arts on August 27, 2015, at 11.27pm Lorna Irvine reviews a production with a woman who’s ‘hilarious and badass’. That Liz Aggiss is not a daily part of the school curriculum, along with free dinners, free speech and any kind of hope whatsoever is aContinue reading “From Across the Arts Archive: Liz Aggiss-The English Channel”

It’s All A Bit Rainbow Rhythms

‘Peep Show’ created by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, was always brilliant for capturing the zeitgeist. Now, looking back, it’s an accurate time capsule, and we can remember exactly where we were when Mark and Jez were making total dicks of themselves with their latest unsuitable crush, or ridiculous scheme. One episode, though, remains goldContinue reading “It’s All A Bit Rainbow Rhythms”

Five Of The Best: Marilyn Monroe Songs

Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 years old yesterday… Imagine! A whole century of MM.I think she’d have been a brilliant old lady, laughing at how far she’d come. Sadly, she passed away at thirty six. Her legacy remains though, she’s still adored to this day: a reminder of the real triple threat performers ofContinue reading “Five Of The Best: Marilyn Monroe Songs”

Mary Wigman- Hexentanz

Mary Wigman may not be as well known as other dancers of the twentieth century- partially because there is of course little surviving footage of her, and her reputation was somewhat tarnished by creating work to help propagate Nazi ideology . But we know even the greats can be problematic (for every good man likeContinue reading “Mary Wigman- Hexentanz”

Film Review : Becoming Madonna

Madonna has always been resolutely Madonna, bitch. From 2024, this documentary directed by Michael Ogden follows her early career trajectory like a tracking pigeon. It’s extremely insightful, like a scrapbook bursting to life, full of interviews with those who knew her back in the day, like late brother Christopher who became one of her backingContinue reading “Film Review : Becoming Madonna”

Overlooked Classic: Von Sudenfed- Tromatic Reflexxions

Or rather, MES and Mouse On Mars’ gnarly side project. Mark E Smith never liked to be second -guessed, and he had of course worked with Coldcut, so his collab with electronic pioneers Jan St Werner and Andi Toma was another delightful surprise. Smith added his addled poetry to their thick, distorted beats and itContinue reading “Overlooked Classic: Von Sudenfed- Tromatic Reflexxions”

Lost In Music: Maceo and The Macks- Cross The Tracks

Maceo is the real deal, funkier than the funkiest cat. A sax player with James Brown, this is his signature tune in his own right. If you don’t wiggle to this, what’s feckin’ wrong with you? Parker is still going strong at eighty three years old, bless him. It’s the weekend so treat yourself toContinue reading “Lost In Music: Maceo and The Macks- Cross The Tracks”