Film maker Adam Curtis has many detractors: his naysayers suggest he’s cynical, paranoid, unwatchable, a conspiracy theorist. I think this is all a tad unfair. He simply curates archive footage, patchwork style, adds ideas and weaves it all deftly together, both a satirist and retro-futurist. He lets the viewer go along with his non -linearContinue reading “TV Review: Shifty”
Tag Archives: Society
Goodbye Glesga… For a bit.
Glasgow is a glorious city, full of contrasts: it’s the “Dear Green Place”; yet struggles with violence and gangland beefs. It’s modern, yet can be reactionary as hell. People can be wonderful, and I lived there over two decades. The buzz, bands, dance and theatre on my doorstep and the multiculturalism were glorious. However, theContinue reading “Goodbye Glesga… For a bit.”
Preview: Women In Revolt! @ Tate Britain
This is an enormously exciting bit of news . Tate Britain has just announced a new exhibition, starting on November 8th, showing the seismic shift in female-led art, politics and culture in the UK. Because it’s not just about Thatcher, The Clash and The Sex Pistols. WOMEN IN REVOLT!ART AND ACTIVISM IN THE UK 1970-1990Continue reading “Preview: Women In Revolt! @ Tate Britain”
Film Review: #Unfit
Directed by Dan Partland, #Unfit :The Psychology of Donald Trump is a compelling, thoroughly absorbing and sobering documentary from 2020, which posits that the Orange Menace may in fact be, as many have long suspected, a malignant narcissist, who is not merely unfit for office, but a global threat. It does allude to The GoldwaterContinue reading “Film Review: #Unfit”
Watch With Mother?
I recently reviewed a gorgeous show at Tramway for Fjord Review, a lovely dance website I’ve been writing for since 2015. The show carried a trigger warning, which is fine by me. People have different sensitivities, and if you have kids, some material could be inappropriate or even offensive. Now, I’m not a pearl clutcherContinue reading “Watch With Mother?”
OK Computer Is 25
An unexpected alarm call. To be better. To try harder. To push further. Pre- mobile phones; smart devices, stupider voices. To rail against complacency, the government and mass consumption. Do you trust your leaders? The sleeping leading the half-asleep. Choices, barcodes, receipts. A graveyard of technology, rapid fire jump cuts. A need for something simpler,Continue reading “OK Computer Is 25”
Fluffy Easter Bunnies
I sincerely hope that the parents and caregivers of all involved could afford adequate therapy.Truly the stuff of nightmares…
Just Step Sideways: Gazelle Twin and NYX- Deep England
Gazelle Twin and NYX are fascinating artists in their own right. Together, they’re like matches and an effigy of Boris Johnson. Deep England is the flipside of welcoming Britain: the jingoistic, Union Jack waving, bigoted side where otherness isn’t just anathema – it’s enough to get you chased out of town. A companion piece toContinue reading “Just Step Sideways: Gazelle Twin and NYX- Deep England”
Interview: Carolyn Yates and Linda Duncan McLaughlin Talk ‘Gazing’
A powerful, challenging, provocative and funny new play, Gazing, looking at female representation and autonomy, has been inspired by Kim Ayres’ photography exhibition ‘Women over Fifty’. It starts on Saturday at Dumfries and Galloway’s DG Arts Festival. Ahead of its run this weekend, Lorna Irvine caught up with the creator, playwright Carolyn Yates, and castContinue reading “Interview: Carolyn Yates and Linda Duncan McLaughlin Talk ‘Gazing’”
Generic White Middle-Class Performance Poet
I’m getting so bored of this crap that I thought I’d homage them myself. Took me roughly three minutes. Ooh, it’s enough to make you spit out your flat white in Costa Coffee. Generic White Middle-Class Performance Poet I’m jabbing at you Jabbing with my ire With my flat tyre Flat out, tired Well-worn dropletsContinue reading “Generic White Middle-Class Performance Poet”
Hit The North 