Culture Diary, Week Commencing 28/03/2011

Mon 28/03

The Decemberists - Don't Carry It All
Taken from January release The King Is Dead, this latest single doesn't stray too far from typical Decemberist territory - all at once harking back to an imagined arcadia while pushing a more main stream sensibility than some previous material.

 http://www.myspace.com/thedecemberists

Wed 30/03

Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales @ Liverpool Playhouse
The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson brings the celebrated children's author's short stories for adults to the stage for the first time - Gleaning a number of highly favourable reviews, and coming as it does from the co-writer of Ghost Stories, expectations are high.

http://www.everymanplayhouse.com/show/ROALD_DAHLS_TWISTED_TALES/496.aspx

Fri 01/04

Source Code
Duncan Jones folllows up his superb debut Moon, with Source Code, a futuristic thriller with definite Philip K Dick overtones. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a man on a mission to prevent the bombing of a train - but it's not quite as simple as all that.

http://www.enterthesourcecode.com/

Erland & The Carnival @ The WIlliamson Tunnels
Another band seemingly in thrall to the past,, Erland and The Carnival bring their very particular psych-folk to the marvellous surrounds of The Williamon Tunnels. What's more, they're supported by Hannah Peel and Candie Payne's The Big House.Top acts and a top venue -  One not to miss we'd say.

http://www.williamsontunnels.co.uk/view.php?page=events
  

Culture Diary, Week Commencing 21/03/2011

Mon 21/03

The Strokes - Angles
A decade on from their blinding debut Is this it, and half a decade since their last release, The Strokes return with Angles. Rumours abound that the recording process wasn't exactly painless, so I think theview can be forgiven for fearing the worst. Yet we still can't quite remove our rose tinted spectacles or shake the feeling New York City Cops provided in our relative youth, so theview will blindly retain some hope until proved wrong.

First House on the East Coast @ The Royal Standard
Associate member at The Royal Standard, Kate Murray showcases her photography at Vauhall Road's oasis of creativity, The Royal Standard. The private view is on Monday, and will be accompanied by as yet unannounced bands.

http://www.the-royal-standard.com/about/

Fri 25/03

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Werner Herzog's has and continues to be a rich and varied career, and this Friday his latest documentary (about human kind's oldest known artistic creations, found in the Chauvet caves of Southern France) opens nationwide in 3D. Expect to be entertained and astonished.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDiQ1lvBbr0

Culture Diary, Week Commencing 14/03/2011

Mon 14/03

Patrick Wolf  - The City

theview is constantly torn between how Wolf remains signed and why he isn't an absolutely huge pop star. On the one hand, he keeps putting out singles like this one, possessing as it does, genuine crossover appeal. Yet on the other retains a mystifyingly (and criminally) low-profile. Whatever, Wolf deserves to be a much bigger name than he is and this single is a stab in the right direction.

Primal Scream - Screamadelica: 20th anniversary edition

Available in 4 different formats including the lovely collector's edition boxset, Primal Screams Screamadelica is given the recognition it deserves, groundbreaking as it was, influential as it remains.

Fri 18/03

Submarine

Best known (and loved) for his portrayal of socially inept IT worker, Mos in The IT Crowd, Richard Ayoade is set to make waves with his debut feature. Submarine tells the tale of 15 year old anti-hero Oliver Tate, dealing with the impending collapse of his parents' relationship and even bigger, losing his cherry.

Hannah Peel @ The Scandinavian Church

LIPA graduate Hannah Peel brings her brand of ethereal indie-folk to the fitting surrounds of one of Liverpool's best kept secrets, The Scandinavian Church, touring debut solo album Broken Wave. 

http://www.myspace.com/hanpeel

Culture Diary, Week Commencing 07/03/2011

Mon 07/03

REM - Collapse Into Now
For a band boasting REM's legacy and longevity yet little critical or popular success for well over a decade, a new release can always feel a little like a coded message for fans of a certain vintage to affect the brace position (again). All the signs from Collapse Into Now, however, seem to point to something different; early reports suggesting it's a (genuine) return to the formula that made REM a world-conquering force. Welcome back, it's been too long.

Fri 11/03

The Phantom Band @ The Bluecoat
Signed to well thought of indie, Chemikal Underground, Glaswegian Indie-folksters, The Phantom Band rock upto the performance space in the Bluecoat this Friday.

http://www.phantomband.co.uk/

Norwegian Wood
Adapted from the acclaimed novel (by Haruki Murakami) of the same name, Norwegian Wood is a tale dealing with loss, love and sexuality, set against the backdrop of the burgeoning student protest movement of late 60s Japan.