Culture - June

Books Read:

William Shakespeare - 'The Tempest'
Iain Sinclair - 'Lights Out for the Territory' (non-fiction)
Ivan S. Turgenev - 'Fathers and Sons'
G.K. Chesterton - 'The Man Who Was Thursday'
Keith Richards - 'Life' (auto-biography)

The first book I read this month was ‘Lights Out For The Territory’ by Iain Sinclair; a writer who has steered psychogeography firmly into the public consciousness during his career, and is perhaps the movement’s foremost proponent. The book was weighty with fervid imagery but I often found that it drifted off into rambling sections of foggy mysticism and complex references to mythology that made it, at times, quite hard work. My perseverance was rewarded though with some of the best writing I’ve seen regarding London; in particular, the opening essay detailing his walk round Hackney noting all the ‘invisible artworks’ of the graffiti tags; and the perambulation of St Paul’s and the City following the old ruins of the Roman Wall.

To revive myself from Sinclair, I read two excellent shorter novels – Turgenev’s ‘Fathers and Sons’ – the richness of the language was so engrossing (no one can paint such startling vivid character portraits as those Russian novelists!) – and G.K. Chesterton’s espionage satire ‘The Man Who Was Thursday’ – a kind of madcap psychogeographic novel, and one that I found brilliantly entertaining.


Films Watched:

'Naked' (Mike Leigh)
'Behind the Candelabra' (Steven Soderburgh) (at the Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton)
'(500) Days of Summer' (Marc Webb)
'Solaris' (Andrei Tarkovsky) (rare 35mm print screening at the Renoir Curzon. Introduced by Will Self)
'Aguirre - Wrath of God' (Werner Herzog) (at the BFI Southbank)
'London' (Patrick Keiller)
'The Ballad of the Boy Soldier' (Werner Herzog)
'Dog Day Afternoon' (Sidney Lumet)


Mike Leigh’s film ‘Naked’ I found beguiling and yet, still now, I can’t quite make up my mind as to whether or not I liked it. The 10-12 minute section in which Johnny (a young nihilist in the vein of Bazarov from ‘Fathers & Sons’ transposed into Thatcher’s Britain) meets the security guard (who Johnny deduces has ‘the most boring job in the country’), and the heated existential debate they become embroiled in, has to be one of the most captivating cinematic sequences I think I’ve ever seen. Sadly, the rest of the film thereafter simply couldn’t match up to such a high standard and I was, overall, left feeling disappointed.

Steven Soderburgh’s ‘Behind the Candelabra’, I thoroughly enjoyed, mostly of course due to the flamboyant performances given by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. I thought the film was well-measured in every respect; an intricate blend of camp humour, kitsch, domestic drama and grief.


Albums Played:

The Stone Roses - 'The Stone Roses'
The Stone Roses - 'Second Coming'
Jon Hopkins - 'Immunity'
Disclosure - 'Settle'
The Rolling Stones - 'Stripped' (live)
The Rolling Stones - 'Bridges of Babylon'
The Rolling Stones - 'No Security' (live)
The Rolling Stones - 'Live Licks' (live)
The Rolling Stones - 'A Bigger Bang'
Sigur Ros - 'Kveikur'
Beady Eye - 'BE'
Queens of the Stone Age - '...Like Clockwork'

I have long enjoyed listening to the electronic artist Jon Hopkins. His debut album 'Opalescent' is an incredibly enchanting album; his soundtrack to the indie film 'Monsters' was similarly haunting and poetic; whilst 'Insides' saw him experimenting with new harder-edged, murkier sounds. After a gig I saw him play with King Creosote in a New York basement, I drunkenly approached and told him that I thought he was 'the new Brian Eno', to which he looked graciously abashed. Reading the reviews for his new album 'Immunity', lo and behold, the very same accolades are being thrown his way! I think he is one of the most promising and interesting musicians around at the moment; someone who I believe elevates electronica into the same 'high art' sphere as classical music.

Sigur Ros' 'Kveikur' is a bold step forward for them after their more navel-gazing, by-the-numbers efforts of late. I was actually eagerly awaiting Beady Eye's second album 'BE' after heaving the first single 'Second Bite of the Apple'; a song that struck me as being the most intriguing thing Liam Gallagher had appeared on since that Death in Vegas track 'Scorpio Rising'. The album though, I found as uninspiring as its name; and, despite being superficially inoffensive and perfectly listenable, just reinforced to me how far behind him Gallagher Jr's glory days now seem.

Theatre:

'The Tempest' at the Globe Theatre, London

See separate review.

Gigs Attended:

The Stone Roses at Finsbury Park, London
(supported by Public Image Ltd., Johnny Marr, Miles Kane)

One of the big gigs of 2013 for me was seeing the reunited Stone Roses, a band I'd been listening to since the age of 16, back when I was dreaming away in my own school band. At this time, any notion of a reformation was almost inconceivable considering the acrimony between members. Given that they've been on a global lap of honour, its taken them over a year to finally play in London; surely now reaching the very crest of the nostalgic wave that before very much longer has to break.

Despite my affection for the Roses, as a listener I'd always had my reservations about Ian Brown's worth as a frontman, believing that the unrivalled (for their time) musical chemistry between Mani, Reni and John Squire was somewhat hindered by his vocal deficiencies. The weak link, if you like, that prevented them from being the most electrifyingly accomplished musical ensemble since Led Zeppelin.

Watching them live though, Brown's charisma and swagger truly make sense of the hyperbole; despite the tunefulness of his vocals occasionally flatlining, his sheer presence holds the audience - who are more than willing to sing for him - in his sway. They played a mesmerising 10-minute rendition of 'Fool's Gold'; 'Love Spreads' was as stompingly exuburant as I hoped it would be, definitely the epic Zeppelin song that-never-was; and the closing number 'I Am The Resurrection' was truly sensational.

Despite the overwhelmingly nostalgic slant of the gig (which was already close to peak levels thanks to opening acts Johnny Marr and Public Image Ltd.), that all served to make me question whether any contemporary bands could ever again inspire such a passionate following, the Stone Roses triumphed. Now though, they need to prove themselves with that difficult third album.

Exhibitions:

Jeff Koons at Brighton Museum
Petrie Museum at UCL, London