Back Again with Reviews and Regrets

Before I start posting on all the amazing London happenings that have gone on in the past week, I'm going to have to start out with some regrets.

If anyone's been to the following gigs, let me know how they were. (And if they were really amazing, pity me and undersell them...I had the flu and couldn't go!)

The Zombies @ Millfield Arts Centre
Tim Finn (Crowded House) @ Scala
Boy Kill Boy @ Astoria
Silvery @ Club NME
Royal Treatment Plant @ Borderline
Long Blondes @ Mean Fiddler

Now on to happier thoughts, upcoming posts in the next day or so on:

1. Saturday - The incredible Night of the Vaguely Dead Halloween party at the Coronet Theatre in Elephant and Castle.
2. Sunday - The fabulous celebration of composer Carl Davis' 70th Birthday at Queen Elizabeth Hall, where he conducted the London Philharmonic through Charlie Chaplin's "The Fireman" and Buster Keaton's "Our Hospitality."
3. Monday - The extremely thought-provoking even if headache-producing film from philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek, "The Pervert's Guide To Cinema."
4. Finally, just returned from tonight's London screening of "Before the Music Dies" - a film which might not be totally groundbreaking (but will still be entertaining and nod-inducing) to your avid blog reader and indie scenester but which could make an impact on the American music industry if pushed in the cinemas to your average audience.


Right, getting to work now....

'Turn back ere ye perish!': Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Opera House

Still recovering from the uber-cool experience of seeing Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden tonight. Thats right - eminent composer Carl Davis (who wrote soundtracks for movies such as "Napoleon" and the BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice") composed a brand new score for the 1925 classic silent horror film, "Phantom of the Opera."



This is the original movie version, and quite a far cry from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It was fascinating to watch - both frightening and hilarious at the same time. Apparently this was the most famous horror movie of its time. Funny.



Anyhow, was pleasantly surprised to see something new and interesting coming from the Royal Opera House, even saw a few punks in the crowd! (Although to be fair they were being stared out indignantly by dozens of snobs at any given minute.) Tickets ranged from £5 (restricted view) to £40 (pricey for a 90 minute movie, even if accompanied by a live orchestra.) But I have to say it was an absolutely unique experience, and that I was extremely impressed with the new musical score.



Look out for more random events from the Royal Opera House ("ROH2" hosted this event.) Actually, the ads for "Sleeping Beauty" at the end of the month looked pretty cool, anyone up for that?



I'll leave you with my favorite pieces from the 2004 Phantom of the Opera soundtrack, having failed to find any relevant music to the 1925 film online (if you know/have any, please comment, I'd love to know!)

Download:

The Point of No Return (Chandelier Crash) - 2004 Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack

The Phantom of the Opera - 2004 Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack

Masquerade (Why So Silent?) - 2004 Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack

Buy:

Phantom of the Opera - Soundtrack from the Musical (Michael Crawford, etc.) (Amazon.co.uk)

Phantom of the Opera - Soundtrack from the 2004 Movie (Amazon.co.uk)

Feature: Jacaranda's "Museum of Sorrow"

As I step into Union Chapel, the first thing that occurs to me is "Why the hell am I in a Church at all - never mind on a random Friday night?" This thought is quickly replaced by a much pleasanter one - "Well, whatever reason I'm here, you absolutely cannot say this place lacks atmosphere!"

The sorrowful beauty of the place was silently stunning. But not silent for long as a sound check began with some experimental electronica...

This was the "Museum of Sorrow", an evening put together by the artistic collaborative Jacaranda Pictures, "curating a programme in various acts of quiet melancholy and joy" - a combination of music, film and performance, being webcast live all over the world. What can I say - when it comes to good arts and music, when it rains it pours. It was the purely eccentric nature of the event which motivated me to go, and I was already glad I had.

With small tea candles glowing and flickering on the ledges of the balcony level of the beautiful and imposing Union Chapel, and well-orchestrated lighting gently illuminating the columns and arches, a spooky stage was set for something truly unique. And I do mean unique - how often do you see horse-headed men, exotic costumed ushers, trance/techno music, folk songwriters, puppet shows, tap dancing to the Smiths, and a bar serving alcoholic drinks in one place - forget about in a beautiful Medieval-style church?

The evening came in a Prologue and Three Acts. The Prologue of interesting thought-provoking films was quite good. Papa November, the experimental electronica band, were (I'm sure) quite good, but that stuff REALLY just is not my cup of tea, and it went on for ages.



There was a both comical and awe-inspiring magic act, then a performance by Lucienne Cole - a single woman who tap-danced to "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by the Smiths, then a puppet show explaining the concept behind the Museum of Sorrow. The latter was really clever, witty, funny, and impressive. While I won't go into great detail, and run the risk of misinterpreting the entire idea - it seems like the Museum of Sorrow is the place where things that might be dead in the real world (in our mass media society) go to be preserved for the future - ie. a way of saving our dying arts and culture!!! Great stuff.

A tiny clip of the tap-dancing to the Smiths:

As for the other bands/acts:

While I might not be the "folk" type, I was wholly entranced by Ginger Lee, the adorable experimental folk singer also of the highly regarded Bat For Lashes.

Joe Volk was also quite excellent, another singer-songwriter from Bristol who sat there with his guitar and quietly worked his way into our subconscious. Highly recommended.

Bela Emerson, a one woman act, improvised on cello some of the most amazing, winding, trance-like melodies I've ever heard. I found it so soothing that I began involuntarily meditating during this! It was quite relaxing.



Finally, the Third Act, which was Circulus, a Medieval-tinged acid-folk/prog-rock group. A beautiful sunny singer and band, all dressed in full Medieval regalia took the stage and played both modern (but Medieval-inspired) music and actual Medieval folk tunes - like an Italian folk song from the 14th century. Whatever it was, it was fabulous. I applaud them:



a) For taking the stage with confidence. Frontman Michael Tyack seems to favour slim-fitting kaftans and writing songs such as "Power to the Pixies" and "Dragon's Dance, while cueing fellow bandmates to raise their arms to the sky before beginning their act, which includes various medieval instruments. They also claim to believe in fairies and pixies. Need I say more?

b) For the originality of the music - I wasn't sure at first but by the end of the set I was absolutely sold, and even proceeded to invest in buying their album (which I will review at a later date.)

A short snippet (ignore sound as its recorded via camerphone so you can't make out anything) of the Circulus performance to give you the idea:

Note: To the drunken idiots in front of me who tried to repeatedly heckle and make fun of what they perceived as a dorky "Lord of the Rings" band: You were not funny. You are not cool. This is not high school. Go get some self-confidence, talent, and personality so you can do your own thing instead of trying to take others (who are doing so) down.

Glad to have gotten that out of my system.

Well, what more can I say?

Damn splendid way to spend an evening!


Jacaranda's Museum of Sorrow was one in a series of live webcasts - to see what you've missed, check out this link here. Unfortunately, not sure you can see the shows after they've been broadcasted live! (Feel free to correct me on this...)

Oh and my apologies for not having better video and pictures on this but I showed up completely unprepared. Next time I swear!

Finally Inspired: The Last Man Standing

I'll be fair - I've been more than a tad lazy. Yes, I've been out to gigs, theatre, London nightlife, and fashions shows (more on that later... esp. Boy George's new line, B-Rude.) But then, while much of it was decent, enjoyable, good stuff - well - nothing really hit me. Mediocrity is the theme of most of the bands being hyped at the moment, and while I could always bandwagon and push yet another group that has one or two catchy hooks and a some loud guitar to nod your head to - eh, I just didn't feel like it.

But then, in a moment of randomness, I stumbled upon The Last Man Standing. It hit - finally - something worth getting off my a** and writing about. So here it is.

The Last Man Standing is a fantastic blend of eclectic styles. Londonist wrote a review citing the Last Man Standing as "a smokey bar room band, put together by Nick Cave, influenced by a strange mixture of jazz, soul, ragtime, glam, Bowie, good old rock'n'roll and Beatles-esque pop led by a man who may or may not have spent a large part of his youth watching Marc Bolan and Frank Zappa, whilst possibly having dabbled in the odd metal album or two." And I'd have to agree. I would add in an interesting almost circus-like influence, a subtle but always there classical baroque feel, and put extra emphasis on the ragtime, Bowie, and Bolan references. Whatever that adds up to - its fabulous. (Read the entire Londonist review and interview here.)

I'll risk sounding overly enthused and say that the last time something struck me in this particular way was that first encounter with Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" in my early teenage years. The Last Man Standing are refreshingly original and well orchestrated. They have a style thats their own, are lyrically interesting, and don't fit in a box. There are so many good bands out there that I've reported on - all of which can be put down as indie, pop, etc etc and usually described easily by citing 2 or 3 strong influences. This isn't one of them. The only consistency here is the dramatic, rich, lush sound and feel of their songs.

Lets go quickly through them:

Theme For The Last Man Standing - Fantastic opening theme. A real cool cat showman intro that even develops elements of 70s prog rock during some parts - eventually morphing into a slow jazz piece and finally a quick but poetic acoustic lament. Somehow it works.

Waiting So Long - Plunges headlong into the heart of a catchy, engaging tune that could be a more fully orchestrated track off of "Hunky Dory" delivered by the lead singer of Arcade Fire, and given a slight powerpop touch.

Dean Street Stumble - Groovy song whose piano, funk, and choral elements prevent it from being anything too straightforward. A teasing melody with circus influence in the verses, then a bluesy chorus during which Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane somehow make their presence known.

Schpilkus - Starts out like a quickly paced striptease, then a Dylan-esque vocal comes through strong, with the aid of a big band sound.

An honest appeal. Just listen.

You can catch The Last Man Standing at the Halloween event for Lost Vagueness at the Coronet Theatre in Elephant and Castle (London.) I know I'm making the trek down - not only because Lost Vagueness hosts notoriously good parties, but because it will be interesting to see how The Last Man Standing will carry off these fabulously complex songs live!

Download:

Theme for the Last Man Standing - The Last Man Standing

Waiting So Long - Last Man Standing

Dean Street Stumble - The Last Man Standing

Schpilkus - The Last Man Standing

Buy:

Nothing yet, but watch this space!