Author Archive
January 21, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
WWE Hell In A Cell 2019: DVD
Hell In A Cell 2019 WWE Madman It seems funny to even be discussing this Hell In A Cell event after that fucking ending! So I’ll start there. Chants of refund and rematch, boos galore and then chanting “AEW” – which is All Elite Wrestling (basically Ring of Honor via TNA for 2019/20). So what […]
January 21, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Surface Level
A low point was when I told my folks I had to go to the school in the weekend to do some work and left them in town for a couple of hours. I went and sat on the steps and smoked some ciggies, then bought some gum from the store and met up with […]
January 20, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 184
Purple Mountains, Purple Mountains (2019) It feels a little odd to have this on vinyl – but it was a must. At one point this was very nearly my album of the year; certainly one of my most played in 2019. But then what happened happened. And that meant that I stopped playing it – […]
January 20, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Surprise Party: Theatre
The Surprise Party Direction: Conrad Newport (written by Dave Armstrong) Circa Theatre; Circa One (January 18 – February 15) In The Surprise Party – Dave Armstrong’s biting new satire – a minority party is elevated far beyond their station due to a series of scandals rocking the bigger players. We first join the action on […]
January 19, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Jimmy Heath
The great American jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath has died, aged 93. Heath recorded and performed with so many legendary names – Miles Davis, John Coltrane – he built lasting relationships as a sideman and collaborator with the likes of Milt Jackson, Art Farmer and Kenny Dorham among others. And he was a leader for well […]
January 19, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: The Fragility of The Writer’s Ego and The Prop of The Writer’s Block
Writer’s block is something writers hide behind to make themselves seem more important. There’s no block. You just write right through it. Good work, bad work and everything in between – you get it down and let anyone else decide what they think. You’ll know already. But you’ll possibly be doing it to keep moving, […]
January 18, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 185
Los Lobos, Will The Wolf Survive? [Single] (1985) I probably didn’t really need this – but when has need really ever been the case with records and collections and especially with record-collections?! I wanted it. I wanted to have this. So I got it. Because I love Los Lobos and I’m also a bit of […]
January 18, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Devil’s Elbow: ID [ep]
Devil’s Elbow ID [ep] Hit Your Head Music If you like when Steve Earle really rocks out or those final albums from Joe Strummer when he was fronting the The Mescaleros then check out the latest EP from Hawke’s Bay band, Devil’s Elbow. Actually, while we’re at it, can someone give them a long-service award. […]
January 18, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
A Traveller’s Guide to Turkish Dogs: Theatre
A Traveller’s Guide to Turkish Dogs Direction: Jonathan Price (written by Barnaby Olson & Company) Circa Theatre; Circa Two (January 17 – February 8) This is a repeat-season, but the play is retitled, reworked and though I didn’t see it 18 months or so ago in its earlier incarnation at BATS it’s clear that this […]
January 17, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Thomas Newman: 1917 [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Thomas Newman 1917 [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] Sony Classical Thomas Newman long ago proved himself as one of the safest sets of hands in the film-scoring trade. Need your film scored? Need a bloody good job? Well, you’d call any of the Newmans of course, it’s the family trade but Thomas, from the early 2000s, […]
January 17, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Ain’t No Fun
Here I am with another set of words – that I figure must be heard, that I assume you want to read, that I need to put down on the line even if you don’t have the time or inclination to add to your list of culture-points in your life. How do you like it […]
January 16, 2020 by Simon Sweetman