Icons – Page 2 – Hit The North

Grace at 30

I remember the first time I heard Jeff Buckley singing. I was hanging out at my then boyfriend Paul ‘s flat. He’d just bought the album. I sat frozen in my seat, jaw dropping. I perused the album cover: the impossibly beautiful man in a sequinned coat, looking soulful and untouchable, clutching an old-fashioned microphone.Continue reading “Grace at 30”

The Swift Factor

As Taylor Swift continues on her all-conquering Eras tour, I was pondering her unique appeal. Personally, her insipid pop/country music leaves me cold. It’s cheery, radio friendly and catchy enough, but then as someone who’s more about alternative music, I’m not her demographic. She’s quite simply a global phenomenon. Her fans, the Swifties, are aContinue reading “The Swift Factor”

Film Review: Little Richard – King And Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll

As befits the legendary, lare pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll, Little Richard – King And Queen Of Rock ‘n’Roll is a wild ride.James House’s documentary for Arena is conventional in its linear structure- but Richard Penniman’s life was anything but. Born in Macon, Georgia in 1932, Penniman was moved by gospel singers he’d heard inContinue reading “Film Review: Little Richard – King And Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll”

Tina : Goddess

Born Anne May Bullock, in 1939, she’ll forever be the force of nature that is Tina Turner. A fiery fusion of soul, rock and blues, we all know how she survived the abuse of first husband Ike Turner, and had a second career as a solo artist in her own right, aged 44, but sheContinue reading “Tina : Goddess”

Preview: Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

Few designers epitomised the spirit of the sixties like Dame Mary Quant. The iconic British fashion designer, who passed away last month aged 93, heralded a new freedom from the stultifying previous generation, representing the UK as the new leaders of fashion. Her work was exciting, colourful, bold and youthful, symbolic of the young personContinue reading “Preview: Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow”

Bye, Bye B52s

With their wild wigs, wicked wig-outs and smarter than they seemed lyrics, the Athens, Georgia legends The B52s are doing their farewell tour (at least, for now). Rock lobsters are (possibly not) provided. But before we say “Ciao”, here are a few examples of what made them so great: those killer harmonies, sci-fi sirens, surfContinue reading “Bye, Bye B52s”