Glastonbury 2025 has finished for another year, but vapour trails of outrage remain in the air. Sir Keir Starmer, our UK prime minister, is currently embroiled in a row about the broadcast of Bob Vylan, the punk duo and their chants of ” Death to the IDF”. Politically incendiary playlists? Not on his watch. AsContinue reading “Peace, Love and Keir Starmer”
Tag Archives: Lorna Irvine
Glasto Queen: Self Esteem at Glastonbury Festival, BBC
It ‘s official now: Self Esteem performed one of the best ever sets at Glastonbury, televised by the BBC. Rebecca Lucy Taylor is now a bona fide pop star, from the moment she sashayed onto the stage with her anti- Handmaids to the euphoric finale with everyone in a conga line, kitted out in SheffieldContinue reading “Glasto Queen: Self Esteem at Glastonbury Festival, BBC”
Overlooked Classics: Amiina- Puzzle (2011)
Puzzle from 2011 saw the genre blurring Icelandic band Amiina experiment and expand even more, having started out as an all -female string quartet in Reykjavik. They looked like some kind of mad fin de siecle inventors catapulted into the twenty first century on the front cover, which seems entirely apposite: vintage and contemporary coexisting.Continue reading “Overlooked Classics: Amiina- Puzzle (2011)”
Album Review: Frankie Cosmos- Different Talking
For over a decade, Greta Kline with her band Frankie Cosmos has been making her own brand of sweetly introspective indie pop, full of wry observations and a melancholic undertow. There’s more of this on her sixth studio album, but with some nice experimentation thrown in. Call it ‘Sad Girl Summer’ if you like. IContinue reading “Album Review: Frankie Cosmos- Different Talking”
Film Review: A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg has often beautifully portrayed assholes (The Squid and the Whale, The Double, The Social Network) so it’s lovely to see him playing against type here, as well as writing and directing the film. It’s seriously impressive. He portrays uptight, neurotic but still empathic David Kaplan, a family man, who is thrown together withContinue reading “Film Review: A Real Pain”
Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche
It ‘s tough at the top, and it’s far from easy being the offspring of a punk legend, either. That’s the overarching theme of Celeste Bell and Paul Sing’s critically acclaimed documentary about X Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene. Narrated by Bell herself, who shares a similarly sleepy, childlike drawl with her late mother, thisContinue reading “Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche”
A M3gan Franchise?-No, Thanks
I finally succumbed to the hype surrounding M3gan last night and watched the British TV premiere on Channel 4. Really, I wish I hadn’t. On paper, it sounded perfect for this old goth: a scathing satire/ horror of Artificial Intelligence gone wrong through the actions of a cutesie doll prototype, initially designed as a kindContinue reading “A M3gan Franchise?-No, Thanks”
Not Coming Soon To A Multiplex Near You…
Ex-Bros. The latest episode in the Top Gun franchise focuses on two plucky young pilots and their narcissistic attempts at decimating the entire planet in a myriad of nefarious ways… Errr… I mean, the breakdown of a wholesome and utterly genuine friendship between Maverick and Goose. What went oh so wrong with the bros? TrulyContinue reading “Not Coming Soon To A Multiplex Near You…”
Lost In Music: The Beach Boys- Good Vibrations
Another sad day. Yet again, we lose another musical visionary. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys has passed away at the age of eighty two. His story is legendary, full of battles with an overbearing,abusive father and manager Murry, mental health issues and the family association with one Charlie Manson. In spite of this- indeedContinue reading “Lost In Music: The Beach Boys- Good Vibrations”
Goodbye Sly
Sly Stone, aka Sylvester Stewart, has passed away at eighty two. Raise a glass to a true icon, whose multiracial, mixed gender band Sly And the Family Stone influenced everyone from Prince to Primal Scream. Even Pee Wee Herman covered ‘Stand’! Having formed the band with his family in San Francisco, he expanded the line-upContinue reading “Goodbye Sly”
Hit The North 