Mr Bunnage…

Fun night out with Roger.  What could go wrong? 😂😂😂

Mr Ruffett…

 Nice catchup with Andy. 🦋

Pulp @ Royal Festival Hall…

Last Saturday night Stuart and I went to see Pulp at Royal Festival Hall on London’s glitzy South Bank. As part of Rough Trade 50 Jarvis Cocker @jarvisbransoncocker, Mark Webber @markpulp, Candida Doyle @candidapulp, Nick Banks @realnickbanks and the Elysium Collective turned ‘More’ into stories, demos and delight. Then came hits and an inspired ABBA cover.

It was funny, fabulous and fascinating.  

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Setlist:

Spike Island  (Demo) 

Spike Island 

Tina 

Grown Ups (Demo) 

Grown Ups 

Slow Jam 

Farmers Market (Demo) 

Farmers Market 

My Sex 

Got to Have Love (Demo) 

Got to Have Love 

Happy Birthday to You (Mildred J. Hill & Patty Hill cover) (Sung for Rough Trade’s 50th Birthday) 

Background Noise 

Partial Eclipse 

The Hymn of North 

A Sunset (Richard Hawley demo) 

A Sunset 

Open Strings (Dedicated to Steve Mackey) 

Begging for Change 

Wickerman (First performance since 2011) 

This Is Hardcore 

The Day Before You Came (ABBA cover) 

Something Changed 

@southbankcentre #Pulp #YouDeserveMoreLive #RoyalFestivalHall #SouthBank 

The Odyssey @OdeonCinema…

Yesterday afternoon I went to see The Odyssey at the Odeon Cinema in London’s glitzy Leicester Square.

You don’t usually have to issue a spoiler warning for an adaptation of a 2,700-year-old text….   But spoilers below!

First a few comments:

It was a long film. Very long. 

I probably enjoyed it more upon reflection than as I was watching it. And for that reason I expect it to be a fantastic rewatch.

I went in expecting a Nolan-level Gladiator or Troy. It was not that, and that took me a bit by surprise. No clockwork owls! 

The tone is more like Beowulf or The Green Knight, with a sprinkling of Arrival. Visceral. Guttural. ‘Real’.

I enjoyed it. 

Christopher Nolan does a great job. He makes it feel like a three hour fever dream with giant puppets, practical nightmare fuel, and enough volume to summon Zeus himself. 

In fact, the invocation of Zeus's Law is interesting. 

The idea that you have to treat strangers well because they could be a God in disguise. 

But essentially the Greek army believes it can just roll up on a town and say, “we need all of this and you can't deny it to us because Zeus says so.” This is an incredibly convenient device for the army, but devastating to the countryside and a population that is probably already on a razor's edge. It’s a sort of corruption of the idea treat others as they would do to you.  And bends it round to a colonial aspect of give us everything because our God says you have to.  It’s a sort of mole justification for colon colonialism, and war.

This gives so much more context to one of the big twists towards the end about the threat of the ‘sea people’ coming to invade, but in fact, Odysseus’s realisation that they are themselves the sea people all along. 

Yes, The Odyssey is a true triumph of imagination. Its central message, to me, is a powerful one: when a civilization turns away from its own values and principles, it risks destroying itself from within.

Top 5 scenes:

1. Telemachus recognizing Odysseus through the tail wiggle of Argos🐶

2. The bow string being plucked and fired through 12 axes by Odysseus 🔥🏹

3. The song of the sirens 🧜🏻‍♀️

4. The opening of the gate of Troy while Agamemnon stands in the middle👑

5. Circe’s scene with the pigs 🐽

All the actors, especially Matt Damon, Tom Holland and Samantha Morton, are superb. 

@odeoncinemas @mattdamon @tomholland2013 @samanthamorton #TheOdyssey #Film #London

5G+…

 5G+   ??  Huh ??  Oh, 5G on steroids. 

Annual Big Gay Picnic @ The Garden of St. John’s Lodge…

Yesterday we had a gay old time attending Tim's annual Big Gay Picnic at The Garden of St. John's Lodge, Inner Circle, Regents Park. 🧺🏳️‍🌈

 

The weather was warm, the friendships warmer still. 😎

A great amount of fun was had by all. And when I say ‘fun’ I mean drink. The laughter continued in the Black Cap later too. 'Nuff said. 😉

 

#RegentsPark #BigGayPicnic #GayJoy #SunshineAndFriends #GayLondon 

Arsenal Win World Cup…

Congratulations to @Arsenal on winning the World Cup final! 🏆🇪🇸😂

What a performance from our boys in red - Merino, Zubimendi and Raya. 😉❤️

#COYG #Arsenal #Spain #WorldCup #LaRoja #Gunners #Football 

Scritti Politti @ Queen Elizabeth Hall…

Yesterday afternoon, Darren and I went to see Scritti Politti at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s glitzy South Bank. 

SC’s rare gig was part of the Rough Trade 50 birthday celebrations. 

Perhaps most famous for their 1985 album Cupid & Psyche ‘85, founding member Green Gartside has also worked alongside Annie Lennox, Tracy Thorne, Chaka Khan, the Manic Street Preachers, Miles Davy, Hot Chip, and is a massive hip hop fan. He is also a Marxist and suffers from chronic stage fright.

We loved the gig though. Green was humble, funny & engaging.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set List

The "Sweetest Girl" 

Small Talk 

The Word Girl 

Skank Bloc Bologna 

Perfect Way 

The Boom Boom Bap 

Asylums in Jerusalem (First time since 2018) 

Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry for Loverboy) 

Trentavious White 

Brushed With Oil, Dusted With Powder (First time since 2018) 

Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) 

Absolute 

 

Encore: 

Petrococadollar 

@southbankcentre @scrittigram 

#ScrittiPolitti #QueenElizabethHall #SouthBank #RoughTrade50

Pride @NationalTheatre…

Last night Stuart, Kevin, Ron and I went to see Pride at the Dorfman Theatre on London’s glitzy South Bank.

I loved it. Stephen Beresford and Matthew Warchus pull off a skilful transfer of their film to the stage and, yes, based on a true story. 

I cried with joy, then pain, then joy again. Samuel Barnett leads an outstanding cast who barely put a foot wrong. My only minor gripe is there are a few too many songs and not all of them land. Also, the number of lesbians in LGSM is precisely one. 

But rest assured, all the best lines from the film are there. With a few extra jokes about fisting for good measure. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@nationaltheatre @mrsamuelbarnett #Pride #Theatre #London

England game is what time? 🤣

 

Keep A Light On…

Riding in a Waymo taxi in San Francisco a few weeks ago with Keep A Light On by Kevin East blaring out. 

🎶 Happy Days 🎶 

@kevineast.music @kevineastmusic #KeepALightOn #GreatVibes 

The Guilty @donmarwarehouse…

Last Friday night Stuart and I went to see The Guilty at Donmar Warehouse in London’s glitzy Covent Garden.

Fancy watching one bloke answer a phone for ninety minutes? Turns out yes. Police Officer @russelltovey grabs you by the ears and refuses to let go. Chloë Moss turns the film into gripping theatre and Felix Barrett cranks the suspense until the impending sense of dread is practically sitting in your lap. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheGuilty #DonmarWarehouse #RussellTovey 

CONFESSIONS II: Afterhours…

Another day, another Madonna CONFESSIONS II digital edition! This one is the AFTERHOURS edition includes six remixes from the album. 

I Feel So Free (Peggy Gou Energy Mix)

Bring Your Love (Stuart Price Afterhours Mix)

Bring Your Love (Twilight Mix)

Bring Your Love (Peaktime Dub Remix)

Love Sensation (salute’s infinite passion remix)

Love Sensation (Floorplan Mix)