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
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Friday, 11 November 2011
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/
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
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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.
Durham Pays Tribute To Bert Jansch
The Tav was rocking until well after the witching hour tonight, with entertaining sets from Honest Jack, Nick G, Carol, Ross and Chris. The highlight though was Alan's moving tribute to recently deceased folk magus Bert Jansch. Slipping into 'Dropped D' tuning, he merged 'Reynardine' with 'Blackwaterside' to great effect in an extended folk-raga excursion. Suddenly, the spirit of Bert was in the house! I felt inspired myself to chuck in Syd Barrett's 'The Gnome' and to finish the night later on with 'Sweet Jane'. A grand night all round, although the Everard's Tiger may well have helped. This new date on Tuesday has all the potential to become a happening scene.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Kokoschka's Doll
The Austrian Expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) was a real eccentric. When his girlfriend Alma Mahler dumped him, he decided to continue the relationship with a life-size replica made by the celebrated Munich doll-maker Hermine Moos. Kokoschka dressed his doll in the finest fashions and wheeled her round town to be his constant escort at the opera, the theatre and the best restaurants. Polite society was, of course, outraged.
Sadly, the relationship cooled in time and Kokoschka's doll was ceremonially beheaded after a riotous all-night party at his gaff. But her memory lives on as the name of a local Durham electro-acoustic project, the brainchild of composer Bob Wieck of Brancepeth Castle. I used to be in band with Bob back in the 90's and though Britpop (or Goth-Psych in our case) is now but a memory, Bob's synthesizer frenzies are still going from strength to strength. You can check out his gear at http://soundcloud.com/kokoschkas-doll
Sadly, the relationship cooled in time and Kokoschka's doll was ceremonially beheaded after a riotous all-night party at his gaff. But her memory lives on as the name of a local Durham electro-acoustic project, the brainchild of composer Bob Wieck of Brancepeth Castle. I used to be in band with Bob back in the 90's and though Britpop (or Goth-Psych in our case) is now but a memory, Bob's synthesizer frenzies are still going from strength to strength. You can check out his gear at http://soundcloud.com/kokoschkas-doll
Monday, 24 October 2011
Open Mic Moves To Tuesday
The Market Tavern sesh has now moved from Monday to Tuesday nights, starting at about 9.30 pm. This is good news all round, as you’ve got to be pretty desperate to want to go out for a drink on a Monday. I went down with Nick to do a set this week and met up with most of the usual suspects. The audience was small but appreciative and unlike the usual Wednesday mob, they do seem to want to listen to the acts. Given time, I think this could build up a good word of mouth scene, so why not give it a spin?
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh fhtagn !!!
Last weekend, I met up with some friends in Newcastle for an art crawl. I missed the first half due to sloth, but eventually caught up with everyone at The Old George Inn, just off the Bigg Market. This is the oldest pub in Newcastle and was once a favourite of King Charles I back in the 17th century. It now does a very good pint of Bass and a rather less exciting chicken baguette and chips. One of the party did however have a Toffee Apple Meltdown, which sounds more like a 60s psychedelic group than a dessert but still looked pretty tasty to me.
After lunch, it was off to the Hatton Gallery to see Kurt Schwitters' 'Merz Barn'. This is the largest surviving Dada artwork in the world and was moved here by Richard Hamilton (who sadly died recently) back in 1965. Personally, I prefer Schwitters' Merz pictures, but the barn is an impressive artefact in its own right, consisting of (you guessed it) a barn with added detritus. The Hatton is also one of the hosts for this year's International Print Biennale 2011 Print Awards and had some intriguing works on show, though for me, the real juice was the display of old 50s and 60s exhibition posters from the Hatton Archive. There's an energy to these works, which all benefit from being hand-printed posters with a Situationist vibe produced on a shoestring.
We finished off with an extended trip around Newcastle's surviving record shops. I find these places a bit dreary to be honest, as they just feel like museums to former glories rather than nerve centres of a happening scene, but maybe I'm just getting old. We did however see the most impressive work of the day, a signed poster of George Best going for a mere £350. Now that's what I call art!
After lunch, it was off to the Hatton Gallery to see Kurt Schwitters' 'Merz Barn'. This is the largest surviving Dada artwork in the world and was moved here by Richard Hamilton (who sadly died recently) back in 1965. Personally, I prefer Schwitters' Merz pictures, but the barn is an impressive artefact in its own right, consisting of (you guessed it) a barn with added detritus. The Hatton is also one of the hosts for this year's International Print Biennale 2011 Print Awards and had some intriguing works on show, though for me, the real juice was the display of old 50s and 60s exhibition posters from the Hatton Archive. There's an energy to these works, which all benefit from being hand-printed posters with a Situationist vibe produced on a shoestring.
We finished off with an extended trip around Newcastle's surviving record shops. I find these places a bit dreary to be honest, as they just feel like museums to former glories rather than nerve centres of a happening scene, but maybe I'm just getting old. We did however see the most impressive work of the day, a signed poster of George Best going for a mere £350. Now that's what I call art!
Friday, 14 October 2011
Durham New Writing Festival 2011
One of Durham's best-kept secrets is the City Theatre, a tiny 100-seater venue hidden away behind the market place. The City is home to the Durham Dramatic Society who perform at least five plays a year here, many featuring certain well-known faces from the local open mic scene. This year's New Writing Festival showcased three brand-new plays and offered a welcome alternative to the usual Thug Pub Babylon available elsewhere on a Friday night.
First up was 'Plan C', a gripping play by Alan Godfrey about a bungled Irish terror plot. This was a great idea for a drama and featured some interesting merging of music and acting, with the singing of the old Irish ballad 'Reynardine' every time someone was preparing to go out on a mission. On the downside, the mixing of comedy elements detracted from the seriousness of the theme, but with an expansion of the claustrophobic central scenes, this could be a real runner. And of course, black berets and mirror shades always look good on stage.
Chris Neville Smith's 'First Sign Of Madness' was the meat in the sandwich and featured the best performance of the night, from Nicki Doyle (portrait below by Janiece Spence) as the bereaved girlfriend reflecting on her lost love. It was written in the Alan Bennett monologue style and had some excellent observation and good use of sound effects. Those tweeting birds certainly gave me the first signs of madness after 20-odd minutes.
Last up was Chris Joby's 'Crossing The Line', a high-brow comedy about obsessive Dutch Modernist Piet Mondrian. For me, this was the best-written piece of the night, with some amusing exchanges between Mondrian and the other 'De Stijl' artists Theo van Doesburg and George Vantongerloo. Like the previous play, it was ultimately a bit of shaggy dog story, but the punch-line was a killer.
Three entertaining plays for a fiver means great value and with a bar in the venue, where you can meet the cast and writers afterwards, the City provides a much more involving experience than the offerings at the Gala. The next performance will be Dennis Potter's 'Blue Remembered Hills' starting November 27th and running until December 3rd. Make a date in your diary and be sure to support your local luvvies.
First up was 'Plan C', a gripping play by Alan Godfrey about a bungled Irish terror plot. This was a great idea for a drama and featured some interesting merging of music and acting, with the singing of the old Irish ballad 'Reynardine' every time someone was preparing to go out on a mission. On the downside, the mixing of comedy elements detracted from the seriousness of the theme, but with an expansion of the claustrophobic central scenes, this could be a real runner. And of course, black berets and mirror shades always look good on stage.
Chris Neville Smith's 'First Sign Of Madness' was the meat in the sandwich and featured the best performance of the night, from Nicki Doyle (portrait below by Janiece Spence) as the bereaved girlfriend reflecting on her lost love. It was written in the Alan Bennett monologue style and had some excellent observation and good use of sound effects. Those tweeting birds certainly gave me the first signs of madness after 20-odd minutes.
Last up was Chris Joby's 'Crossing The Line', a high-brow comedy about obsessive Dutch Modernist Piet Mondrian. For me, this was the best-written piece of the night, with some amusing exchanges between Mondrian and the other 'De Stijl' artists Theo van Doesburg and George Vantongerloo. Like the previous play, it was ultimately a bit of shaggy dog story, but the punch-line was a killer.
Three entertaining plays for a fiver means great value and with a bar in the venue, where you can meet the cast and writers afterwards, the City provides a much more involving experience than the offerings at the Gala. The next performance will be Dennis Potter's 'Blue Remembered Hills' starting November 27th and running until December 3rd. Make a date in your diary and be sure to support your local luvvies.
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