Brighton
Daniel Kitson, Theatre Royal, BrightonTuesday, 14 May 2013
Aware I was going to see a stand-up comedian at the Brighton Festival but not knowing much about Daniel Kitson, the opening of his new show, After The Beginning, Before The End, bemused. On he wandered, shaven bald of head, geeky, bearded, wearing... Read more... |
Desperately Seeking the Exit: The Story of a West End DisasterTuesday, 30 April 2013
If this native New Yorker were in a relationship with the city of London, our Facebook status would read: “It’s complicated.” We’ve been through hell together. London is one of my favourite cities. I blissfully cross the pond several times a year to... Read more... |
CD: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky AwayWednesday, 13 February 2013
With BBC Four currently mourning the passing of the LP, it’s encouraging that some artists still like to confine themselves to the format’s time limitations and its implicit requirement that the songs etched into its silky surface should be... Read more... |
Fairport Convention, St George's Church, BrightonTuesday, 12 February 2013
Fairport Convention bassist and longest-serving member Dave Pegg is a genial raconteur. He is relating how he presented the band with the song “The Eynsham Poacher”, pretending it was his when really he had purloined it by taping it off someone,... Read more... |
Hammer & Tongue + Slipjam:B - 10th Annual Poets vs MCs, Concorde 2, BrightonFriday, 25 January 2013
For a decade these two outfits, the Hammer & Tongue poetry collective and the Slipjam:B crew of hip hop MCs, have been taking each other on. They both run their own successful nights but this evening is their yearly face-off. As it reaches its... Read more... |
CD: Esben and the Witch - Wash the Sins Not Only the FaceThursday, 17 January 2013
There is a distinct art to following up an album that established an artist. Of the many possible paths, perhaps the most astute is delivering a twist on what came before, similar enough to satisfy those that liked it but different enough to seem... Read more... |
Rizzle Kicks, Brighton Centre, BrightonFriday, 07 December 2012
Usually when a band playing a venue the size of the Brighton Centre asks if the crowd would like to hear a new song the response is somewhat muted. However, this is a crowd of eager fans, average age around 17, and they yell back affirmatively with... Read more... |
The Fear, Channel 4Wednesday, 05 December 2012
It's routine to refer to violent thugs and vicious gangsters as "psychos", but the protagonist of Richard Cottan's four-part thriller faces genuine mental disintegration. Richie Beckett (Peter Mullan) is an abrasive Scottish crime boss who has built... Read more... |
Blue/Orange, Theatre Royal BrightonWednesday, 19 September 2012
There’s a vivid moment in this Joe Penhall revival when Christopher, a psychiatric patient suspected of suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, finds himself caught in the linguistic crossfire between his two rival care-givers. Oblivious to... Read more... |
Dandy Dick, Theatre Royal BrightonWednesday, 04 July 2012
"I can’t live without horse flesh, if it’s only a piece of cat’s meat on a skewer.” So declares Patricia Hodge’s gung-ho racing fanatic Georgina in this straight-down-the-line revival of Pinero’s 125-year-old caper, which requires cast and audience... Read more... |
Brighton Festival 2012: Waterlitz, Stuffing Peter Rabbit, War Sum UpSunday, 27 May 2012
As finales go, you can’t get much better than a pterodactyl flying from the torso of an iron giant and wheeling out over Brighton beach. Last night, as the 2012 Brighton Festival prepared to move into its final day, thousands gathered near the... Read more... |
The Lady: A Homage to Sandy Denny, Brighton DomeTuesday, 22 May 2012
The proto version of this tribute show took place at Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2008 on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Sandy Denny’s death. This tour coincides with the release of a new box-set and draws on Thea Gilmore’s courageous recent settings... Read more... |
