Romeo and Juliet are transplanted from Renaissance Verona to mid-20th Century Poland in Paweł Pawlikowski’s stunning Cold War. This elegant film charts a fractious love affair against the backdrop of fractious times. Pawlikowski has a reputation as a stylish and thoughtful director; sometimes compared to a younger version of his compatriot Roman Polanski (without the…
The 1975’s lead singer Matt Healy gets right to the point in “Give Yourself a Try,” the opening track of the band’s new album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships: “What would you say to your younger self? …You’ll make a lot of money, and it’s funny/’Cause you’ll move somewhere sunny and get addicted to…
You can hear right from the opening track, “Do The Trash Can,” that Jon Spencer feels no pressure on his debut solo record Spencer Sings the Hits. For a career that stretches back into the 80’s, it is almost unthinkable that Spencer Sings The Hits is the first solo album that Jon Spencer has released…
Tina Arena (Chicago) excels as the ill-fated Eva Perón in the revival of Evita at Arts Centre Melbourne. Acclaimed Brazilian operatic baritone Paulo Szot is her husband, Argentinian president Juan. Bringing the threads together as an energetic narrator is Kurt Kansley (The Lion King) as Ché, who represents a cynical member of the public. Also…
Jason Isbell has had a pretty good year, here in 2018. His last album, The Nashville Sound, picked up the Grammy Award for the Best Americana Album, and “If We Were Vampires” nabbed the one for Best American Roots Song, then followed that up with wins in the Americana Music Honors & Awards in Nashville…
The third album from St. Louis band, Foxing, arrives in your speakers with an expected sense of presence and purpose. The band’s panoramic, high end and expansive sound is so bold, wide and cinematic that it takes several listens to be able to distinguish the unique instrumentation, as the stacked, passionate vocals seem to dominate…
Who would have thought a documentary about the devoted female fans of boybands could be so entertaining and engrossing? Certainly not me. From The Beatles, to the Backstreet Boys and One Direction, I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story transports us to girls’ teenage years. Filmed over four years and spanning three generations,…
Three superb performances highlight Lamb. This sensitive theatrical work combines word and song, and focuses on the hardships of a family born of the land. Lamb concentrates on two generations. The first act starts with the mother’s funeral. The younger of two daughters, Annie (Brigid Gallacher) – a professional singer – has arrived home after…
It’s always hard to say goodbye and when Charles Bradley passed away on 23 September 2017, there was a moment where music just stopped. It was especially hard because the screaming eagle of soul had plenty of music in him but with his untimely passing and later in life releases (his debut was released in…
Before The Book of Mormon, the equally delightfully-offensive Avenue Q was wowing audiences with its combination of childlike whimsy and adult issues. The hilariously vulgar puppet show features similarly skillful lyrics in its catchy soundtrack, from the upbeat sounds of “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” to the sentimental reflections of “I Wish I Could Go…
