Culture Diary, Week Commencing 12/09/2011

Mon 12/09

Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer
Ladytron, while never fully given the press attention their output deserves, have remained immune to compromise. Producing one polished record after the next, Gravity the Seducer (their 5th studio album) proves they are far from spent. Featuring the superb Ace of Hz (see link below) the quartet are more than capable of producing beyond one decade's worth of polished synth-powered soundscapes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84_3CCqvljA

Star Wars: The Complete Saga DVD/Blu-Ray
One box-set too far? George Lucas is something of a punch bag these days (some would argue, fairly), but you still can't take away from that superb first Star Wars trilogy. This latest in a line of re-mastered releases has a formidable array of special features and extras which should keep even the most rabid 'Wars fan happy.
http://www.starwars.com/themovies/saga/preorder_bluray/index.html

Tues 13/09

The Last Picture Show @ FACT
Regarded as an indisputable classic, Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 opus pays homage to Hollywood's golden age of cinema. Starring a young Jeff Bridges and Cybil Shepherd (making her movie debut), it has all the hall marks of a great rites of passage story. Nice to see FACT continuing to do right by Cinema and punters alike.
http://www.fact.co.uk/whats-on/classic-tuesday---the-last-picture-show

Fri 16/09

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Will Let The Right One In director Tomas Alfredson provide the requisite chill factor to le Carre's ultimate cold war thriller in this big screen update? Certainly, if the cast is anything to go by, it should be an absolute treat. In what reads as a veritable who's who of British screen talent, Gary Oldman takes on the role Alec Guinness made his own in the BBC's masterful 80's adaptation, as George Smiley, jaded espionage veteran of 'The Circus'. Early reports suggest a slow-burn thriller, pitched perfectly to thrill modern audiences, while satisfying the biggest fans of the classic TV version.
http://www.tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.com/main/paralax.htm#project  

Marley Chingus Jazz Explosion @ The Caledonia
Surely sporting one of the greatest names in the world of experimental jazz, Marley Chingus Jazz Explosion grace The Caledonia every other Friday. Not a city over-endowed with opportunities to see live jazz of this standard (check their myspace), we count ourselves lucky this regular gig is right on our doorstep.
http://www.myspace.com/marleychingus

Liverpool 2011: Art in Revolution?

An afternoon of discussion featuring The Royal Standard and the Curator of the Liverpool 1911: Art in Revolution exhibition, chaired by Artistic Director of The Bluecoat, Bryan Biggs. 

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/art-in-revolution/

http://www.the-royal-standard.com/studioartists/#25

Culture Diary, Week Commencing 05/09/2011

Tues 06/09

Wooden Shjips @ The Kazimier, 8PM, £10
San Fran quartet Wooden Shjips visit their unique brand of psyche-rock/garage excesses on The Kazimier this week, a venue suiting their style perfectly. Ably supported by their countrymen The Fresh & Onlys and Liverpool based survivors Mugstar, this gig seems a steal at a tenner - get down there pronto.
http://www.myspace.com/woodenshjips

Carla Scott Fullerton// Cut-Fill-Skim @ The Royal Standard
Part of the appeal of Vauxhall's Royal Standard artist led studios and gallery is the willingness of its directors to open the doors up for a residency programme. This latest has seen Glasgow School of Art graduate Carla Scott Fullerton spend a month in Liverpool working toward showing the results in the exhibition space in TRS. Working with industrial materials, Fullerton's creative process is informed by architectural semiotics, and our relationship with the built environment.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103011379803974#!/event.php?eid=214136711973110
http://www.gsamfa.com/2008/carla_scott_fullerton.php

Thurs 08/09

Emily & The Faves @ Que Pasa, £3
Surely still feeling the residual glow of the warmest of receptions for the debut album released in June, catch Emily & The Faves near the start of a number of dates for September in the surrounds of Que Pasa on Lark Lane. Combining a great pop sensibility with a dreamy psyche feel to the well-crafted, catchy songs, here is a band fully deserving of their growing status in and beyond Liverpool.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103011379803974#!/emilyandthefaves?sk=app_178091127385 

Fri 09/09

Troll Hunter
Mimicking the viral campaign and feel of The Blair Witch Project, Troll Hunter blusters onto cinema screens later this week with nothing but rave reviews ushering it in. Drawing heavily on the centuries old myth and legend of his homeland, Norwegian director Andre Ovredal has created a monster flick capable of garnering both critical and popular acclaim. The action follows a group of students embarking on an expose of bear hunting for a college assignment, but as the title suggests, their investigations uncover something quite different. Have a gander at the trailer below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLEo7H9tqSM

Culture Diary, Week Commencing 29/08/2011

Mon 29/08

Hanna - DVD & Blu-Ray
Directed by Joe Wright (of Atonement fame), Hanna tells the tale of a 16 year old girl, raised by her father to be the perfect assassin (for reasons which become clear). Garnering mixed reviews on its cinema release, it is nevertheless a superior thriller, boasting a strong ensemble cast featuring Saoirse Ronan as Hanna, Eric Bana as her father and Cate Blanchett as the corrupt CIA agent Hanna must eliminate, this movie offers thrills and spills alongside beautiful scenery.
http://www.hannathemovie.com/

Oh Land - White Nights
I must confess the chanteuse was entirely new to me as of the end of last week. Oh Land came to my attention for all the wrong reasons, 'earning' worst album of the month in Vice magazine. I felt duty-bound to check her out, point and laugh. Instead, I got served this charming piece of Scandi-pop, not incredibly unlike Bat For Lashes sans the ridiculous head gear and penchant for taking oneself a little too seriously. It's a winner, folks - check out the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LcL7MAqwOc

Wed 31/08

Best Coast @ Mojo, £10
With Reading/Leeds disappearing over the horizon and festival season along with it, we can all get back to focussing on some great tours up and down the UK. This Wednesday sees an early treat in the form of California fuzz-pop trio, Best Coast, providing the perfect soundtrack to the end of the summer.
http://www.facebook.com/rockandrollaintnoisepollution?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=218021514898335

White Denim @ O2 Academy, £8
If your tastes run to something altogether more rootsy, you're in luck, for Texan four-piece White Denim also happen to be in town this week. Their latest record, D, was released earlier this year to much critical acclaim. Catch them while they're hot, we reckon.
http://www.myspace.com/whitedenimmusic

Fri  02/09

Kill List
Part post Iraq fall-out, part UK Gangster/Pagan horror-movie mash up, this high concept Brit-shocker seems to have been made in-part simply to vex the likes of me, trying my ass off to provide a little insight without giving the whole damn thing away. Directed by Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace), Kill List is certainly causing a stir. Check out the official trailer below, it opens later this week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqkqF--v1tg

Culture Diary, Week Commencing 22/08/2011

Mon 22/08

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks - Mirror Traffic
More superior, stilted, americana from slacker icon and Pavement alumni Malkmus. Ably supported by his Jicks (minus Janet Weiss, off forming her own super-group, Wild Flag), this is his 5th post  -Pavement record, and arguably the best. More a continuum than revolution (or even evolution), Mirror Traffic  (produced by Beck) is proof, if it were needed, that there's life after the 90's best band, if you want it.
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/14/138957392/first-listen-stephen-malkmus-and-the-jicks-mirror-traffic

Thurs 25/08

The Thespians @ The Shipping Forecast, 19:30, £4
Spiky post punky-pop from the Liverpool-based band whose debut album The Crash was released earlier this year. Featured recently in Bido Lito! magazine, The Thesps enjoy a growing reputation in certain quarters, and for £4 and with support, they're worth a look if you're at a loose end this Thursday.
http://www.theshippingforecastliverpool.com/2011/07/bido-lito-harvest-sun-presents-4/

Fri 26/08

The Skin I Live In
Set in a possible near future, Pedro Almodovar's eagerly awaited latest tells the story of a maverick plastic surgeon, working on a 'skin' that cannot burn. The twist is that he has a guinea pig, in the form of the beautiful Vera (played by Elena Anaya), held against her will. It stars Antonio Banderas, back working with Almodovar for the first time in years, and is described by the director as "a horror story without screams or frights."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcEdhBx6U9c

   

Culture Diary, Week Commencing 15/08/2011

Mon 15/08

CSS (feat. Bobby Gillespie) - Hits Me Like a Rock
Dismissed by many as being no more than a bunch of art & design school kids flirting with the world of pop, few would have predicted seeing them making any kind of a return amid rumours of inner-turmoil and acrimony. It's good to have them back though, with a song perfect for BG's lazy vocal and the summertime.
http://soundcloud.com/dillonfrancis/css-hits-me-like-a-rock-dillon

Thurs 18/08

RM Hubbert @ Bold Street Coffee
Fresh from a support slot on Mogwai's recent European tour, the Scotsman lands in Liverpool this Friday to perform his acoustic guitar 'sketches' in a free gig. Expect an affecting and intimate performance from the idiosyncratic (in a good way) craftsman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dproRUbyvh4&NR=1

Fri 19/08

Cowboys & Aliens
It's a B-movie, but not as we know it. Director Jon Favreau is carving out something of a niche for himself in Hollywood, with movies that on the face of it are all kinds of wrong, or at the very least could end up that way (but rarely do). I'm thinking in particular Elf, the Iron Man franchise and now this. Telling the story of an alien craft invading Earth in the late 19th Century, this has summer pop-corn movie hi-jinx written all over it.
http://www.cowboysandaliensmovie.com/

After The Deluge - Fran Disley...

Unfortunately, due to uncertainty over the safety of our streets after dark, the above has had to be rescheduled. Follow the link for info folks: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=892725636#!/event.php?eid=197555953632051&notif_t=event_update