Festivals Are For Poshos

It’s 6 am and Jocasta and Crispian are out of their boutique yurt to participate in some salutations to the sun yoga with their pals Starla and Josh. Their kids Mungo, Timmy and Giselle are a tad fractious this morning, but that’s okay, they can be dispatched in the kids’ tent while they have someContinue reading “Festivals Are For Poshos”

That 6Music Shake- Up

Working as a freelance writer, I’m always working from home these days, which means a constant soundtrack from my favourite radio station, 6Music. My favourite DJ is Mary Anne Hobbs, the mellow techno earth mother. She’s wonderfully eclectic, playing everything from Shygirl to Queens Of The Stone Age. I’m also really chuffed that Deb GrantContinue reading “That 6Music Shake- Up”

Album Review: Creep Show- Yawning Abyss

John Grant’s side project with Stephen Mallinder, Phil Winter and Ben Edwards ( aka Wrangler) is more light than their gothic moniker may suggest. Full of bright eighties electronics, their second album mines favourites like Erasure and pop era Kraftwerk, playfully homaging these timeless sounds. Moneyback is more contemporary club though. Tracks like Bungalow andContinue reading “Album Review: Creep Show- Yawning Abyss”

Stay Beautiful: A Post For Richey Edwards

It was 1992, and I was immune to the charms of Manic Street Preachers. I thought they were just rock posturing. My partner at the time, A, loved them. So, since we both made a little fanzine, we managed to get an interview in Dundee with Richey Edwards. I was determined to give them aContinue reading “Stay Beautiful: A Post For Richey Edwards”

MALKA Is Back!

Glasgow based Tamara Schlesinger, who records as MALKA , is back with more gorgeous pristine avant -pop. Matriarch is the new single and there’s a kaleidoscopic new video to go along with it. A new album, Anatomy Of Sight, will be released in the autumn, and the album will be officially launched at the WaitingContinue reading “MALKA Is Back!”

No More Mr Nice Guy: How Hitch Turned Jimmy Stewart Nasty

In the forties and fifties , James Stewart, also known as Jimmy, was the epitome of “the salt of the earth,” a figure of decency and goodness in American culture. His film roles centred around standing up for the little guy, whether It’s A Wonderful Life, Harvey or Mr Smith Goes to Washington.He embodied theContinue reading “No More Mr Nice Guy: How Hitch Turned Jimmy Stewart Nasty”

Lost In Music: Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling- The Water

I was pretty mean about Johnny Flynn in Stardust recently, but to be fair, he wasn’t so bad: it was just a poor script, really. To redress this, I’d like to point out that he’s often a great songwriter and has a gorgeous husky voice. This beautiful song, penned by him, also features that goddessContinue reading “Lost In Music: Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling- The Water”

Her Master’s Voice: Nina Conti Says Goodbye

The brilliant, gifted ventriloquist Nina Conti may be better known these days for the ritual humiliation of audience members, as she gets people up onstage, slaps weird masks on them and makes them say ridiculous or filthy things, but back in the day, her act was much, much darker: a kind of psychological cleansing thatContinue reading “Her Master’s Voice: Nina Conti Says Goodbye”

Barbara Kruger’s Legacy

What a forward-looking lady. Barbara Kruger was, making huge scale graphics and photography when the YBAs were babies. She still is. You can’t ever dilute the spirit of people like Kruger. Having cut her teeth working with luminaries like Diane Arbus, inspired by the likes of Walter Benjamin, Kruger creates unflinching, anti- capitalism work inContinue reading “Barbara Kruger’s Legacy”

What ‘While We’re Young’ Got Right… About Gen Z Narcissists

*Contains spoilers* Who are the real cultural custodians? Generational discourse masquerading as rom-.com , While We’re Young, which was written and directed by Noah Baumbach, is a really intelligent, funny and thoughtful film. Josh and Cornelia (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) are a middle-aged couple, both working in film, whose marriage is getting moribund. EveryoneContinue reading “What ‘While We’re Young’ Got Right… About Gen Z Narcissists”