Posts Tagged UK
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May 22, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Brodsky Quartet (May 20, Wgtn)
Brodsky Quartet MFC Monday, May 20 Britain’s long-running Brodsky Quartet (formed in 1972 and still with two original members) are known for their regular touring (including at least four visits to New Zealand) and their crossover pop collaborations (Elvis Costello, Bjork, Paul McCartney) as well as their refined chamber work – including a fondness for the string-quartet […]Archive
May 13, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Luke Wright (May 13, Wgtn)
Luke Wright Meow; Wellington Monday, May 13 I call it a “Gig Review” – but it’s a poetry reading. Still, “Gig Review” seems to suit, poetry reading suggests something staid, safe, possibly boring. Not even the chance with one of the UK’s finest modern poetic voices – Luke Wright. Here for writers/readers festivals and Wellington was […]Archive
May 11, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Luke Wright – Poet: Reading at Meow, Wellington, Monday, May 13, 2019
Verb Wellington is bringing poet Luke Wright to the capital city this coming Monday, May 13. I’ve just recently finished reading Luke Wright’s volume The Toll – and it contains six or seven of the very best poems I’ve ever read. Which is a phenomenal strike-rate. He has aspects of Stewart Lee and Roger McGough to his […]Archive
May 2, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 166 – Rob Mayes (Failsafe Records)
Welcome to episode 166 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat. Now – as you probably know, as well as the usual platforms (this site, soundcloud, iTunes/Apple) you can now get to Sweetman Podcast on Spotify -follow it there and have it saved in your Spotify library. I had a chat with Rob Mayes. He runs a […]Archive
March 19, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 134: Orbital – “Snivilisation”
I could easily have told you that I was quite a big Orbital fan – I enjoyed them. Still do – in theory. But I never play their albums. I knew some singles. I knew some moments, I had a compilation album – I liked some of the clips, I liked when they were featured. I had friends […]Archive
February 25, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 128: Stereo MC’s – “Connected”
There’s a wince of nostalgia at the title track and though I know a few more songs on here and by Stereo MC’s this is my first time hearing the Connected album. And I definitely didn’t need to hear this. It’s a bit like – I imagine – recommending something by Ronny Jordan or The Seahorses or Ocean Colour Scene. Just dated shit from a time when you had […]Archive
February 13, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 124: Happy Mondays – “Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches”
I was just slightly too young to really get into much of the British music from the very late 80s and into the early 90s; there was some, sure. But the whole Second Summer of Love-thing didn’t mean a great deal to me – I liked some music videos I saw on music TV and […]Archive
February 8, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 122: The Shamen – “En-Tact”
Barriers of entry. You just need to dive in – mostly. But sometimes it helps if you’re there at the right time. And with anything dance-music related I feel that’s most certainly the case, for the most part anyway. I love a lot of Daft Punk’s music because I hear it always thinking about how I heard […]Archive
January 9, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
John Cooper Clarke: The Luckiest Guy Alive
The Luckiest Guy Alive John Cooper Clarke Picador “Dr.” John Cooper Clarke is, like our own Sam Hunt, perhaps better known for his voice, for his performances, rather than actual words on the page. Both have published books, been anthologised, and recorded audio – but it’s about the spirit of the performance on the night; […]Archive
December 27, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 114: Happy Mondays – “Bummed”
Again, Happy Mondays occupy a strange space for me. I was never a fan. And never really not-a-fan at the same time. I had some mates that were into them – but the whole Madchester/Second Summer of Love thing passed me by, I guess I was a bit young to care about it – or […]Archive
December 16, 2018 by Simon Sweetman