Hokusai At Durham Oriental Museum

If you're thinking of visiting the new Hokusai exhibition at Durham's Oriental Museum, be warned that it is rather small in scale. Contrary to popular belief though, size isn't everything and it does compensate with the quality of the rare Hokusai prints on display and some interesting information on how these exquisite Japanese artworks from the 19th Century were actually produced. There's also an amusing selection of 'shobungo' to be savoured, including the legendary print of a young lady in flagrante with a steamed-up cephalopod. Suddenly, your visit looks essential!

As well as the Hokusai exhibition, this museum is one of Durham City's hidden treasures, with a truly fabulous collection of ceramics, furniture and art in its Chinese galleries. And if that's not enough, there's also some splendid Indian artefacts and a room or two of finds from the desert sands of Ancient Egypt, including the splendid funerary mask below. Thanks to Jo for the pic.

Electric Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers Vols 1-5

After years of collecting 'Nuggets, 'Pebbles', 'Boulders', 'Rubble' and all those other great compilations of obscure 60s psychedelia, the last thing I was expecting to find was a five CD gold-mine of stuff I'd never heard before. So, I was delighted to come across this amazing new box-set in all its electric, psychedelic, sitaric and indeed headswirlic glory. You'll find none of the well-known sitar hits here from the likes of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Donovan etc; instead, you will voyage to a wondrous, incense-reeking underworld of Z-grade sitarsploitation. The sleeve-notes give brief information on the likes of Saffron, The Frederic, Kahli Bahlu et al, but who cares really, as it all seamlessly blends into one glorious droning freak-out (which is hardly surprising, when the modally-tuned sitar only has two melody strings and never changes key). Even when the bands here are known from other contexts e.g. Them, Lemon Pipers and The Strawberry Alarm Clock, the track chosen will be an obscure one, or by some unfamiliar line-up of the group. Some are camp, some are early fusion records and some are recent revisitings of this classic 60s sound. There is even music here (like 'Flowers In The Air' by Golden Dawn member Sally Eaton) that offers something genuinely ecstatic. Best of all, there are another five albums available in the series and more in the pipeline. All the more reason to drone on, tune up and joss out...

Durham Open Mic - 2011 Annual Report

2011 was a vintage year for Durham City's open mic scene, due mainly to the rescheduled mid-week session at the Market Tavern. After a long period with several competing nights, everyone finally knew the one place to go for a pub music thrill. At the Tav, there was proper beer, a decent bunch of musicians and - best of all - a crowd who came to listen. Sadly, all things must pass and it's all over now (for the moment at least) so here's a shot of Fishburn Mafia from the final bash just before Christmas to remember it by. Rumour is that the session may be restarting in the spring, so here's hoping...

UFO Flap Over DC

I spotted this Unidentified Flying Object hovering over the A167 just west of Durham in January. I didn't get abducted, hypnotized, probed, or anything unpleasant like that (which was a relief) so it seemed to be fairly benign. Keep watching the skies!

Lines Of Flight @ The Laing Gallery

Mervyn Peake (1911-68) is best known today for his 'Gormenghast' fantasy novels, but during his own lifetime he was probably much better known for his remarkable skill as an illustrator. To celebrate his 100th anniversary, the Laing Gallery has assembled a spectacular exhibition of artwork from the many different stages of his career.

Book illustration has always been an underrated art that demands the highest levels of technical skill on work that might be glanced over in a moment by the casual reader. Peake was a master of the form and his title page to 'Household Tales' for example still astonishes with its detailed lines and character sketches. There are also some exquisite illustrations here for 'Treasure Island', 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde' and 'Snow White', including a particularly memorable image of Snow White herself that looks remarkably like Kate Bush in all her 'Wuthering Heights' pomp.

Most of the work in the first gallery is in black & white, so it comes as something of a revelation to encounter his spectacular colour plates for 'Rhymes Without Reason' (1949) in the second room. It is however his own 'Gormenghast' books that provide some of the most inspired work here and for me the stand-out piece in the whole exhibition is the pen, ink & wash illustration of his character 'Steerpike': a hauntingly life-like image that would not look out of place in a portrait gallery. Even if you don't like Peake the writer, Peake the illustrator is well worth investigating.

Healey Windows Win ACE Award

We're pleased to report that the Healey Church windows we were championing all last year won the Art & Christian Enquiry 'Award for Art in a Religious Context' for 2011. They beat stiff competition at the national level from the likes of Antony Gormley and Thomas Denny (whose entry was the new 'Transfiguration Window' at Durham Cathedral). Congratulations to all concerned. More info at: 


http://acetrust.org/art-and-christianity-enquiry-ace

James Hugonin At Healey

Seeing the Hugonin print ‘Three Fluctuations In Contrary Rhythm’ at this year’s International Print Biennale reminded me of his wonderful new window design at Healey Church in Northumberland. Like the print, ‘Contrary Rhythm (Glass)’ contrasts colour values within a mosaic-like pattern, but with the added impact of light shining through it rather than upon it. In total, the window uses 2,160 pieces of glass in 28 different colours, all set between two clear sheets in a precise pattern determined by the artist. Thanks to Jamie WA for pic. For more information on Hugonin's work, see http://www.seriousart.org/artists/hugonin.html

The Fall At Fibbers, York 5/11/11

In an era when rock & roll is just another branch of the service industry, going to see a band is usually about as predictable an experience as opening a box of Mr Kipling Cherry Bakewells. You know there’ll be six in the box and they’re all going to have a cherry on the top. Except with The Fall that is. If they were a box of Bakewells, you’d only get two misshapen ones, no cherries and someone would have probably stamped on them with a large army boot.

The Fall have always been a maverick experience live, but these days they’ve got it down to a fine art. Will they arrive on time? Which band member will be sacked next? Will legendary front man Mark E Smith manage more than three songs before popping out for a tab break? Part of the excitement of a Fall gig is the sense of a journey into the random that makes every performance an event and a rare manifestation of genuine Post-Punk spirit. A Dada installation even.

Tonight we were lucky. The band came on at ten and Mark E Smith was looking match-fit in smart suit and attitude. The new line-up has a tight garage rock sound and plenty of new material to play from their forthcoming CD ‘Ersatz GB’, all spiced up with an incendiary ‘Psykick Dancehall’ (from 1979's 'Dragnet') and a rousing cover of The Big Bopper’s ‘White Lightning’.

It was all over in about 40 odd – extremely odd - minutes, or so it seemed. Stragglers were treated to an encore of ‘Mr Pharmacist’ after most people had headed off home. Knowing the band, they probably wouldn’t have played again if there’d been anyone there. Who needs professionalism? With The Fall, it’s as much about the mayhem as the music. Catch up with their latest live antics on the forum pages of Fall Online at http://www.visi.com/fall/

Find An Open Mic Website

I've just discovered an excellent new website called 'Find An Open Mic'. It's the brainchild of open mic enthusiast Matt Coston and aims to provide a central resource for both promoters and musicians. There's some sound advice for rookie performers too. Give it a spin at: http://www.findanopenmic.com

DC Terror Cell Caught On Camera

Check out the paramilitary chic in this surveillance shot from the City Theatre, courtesy of Janiece Spence. Open mic regulars may well spot one of The Brulee Brothers amongst the 'Plan C' plotters.