Read all about it - OAD is the cure for the common cold!

I am gonna be so rich and famous!  Why I hear you ask.  Well I have found the cure for the common cold!  I really have.

I was sent home from work on Thursday as everyone got fed up hearing me cough around the office.  Was so poorly I rang in sick on Friday.  I had tried chicken soup, loads of tablets and water, anything that I could to try to get better, but I still felt awful.

There was no way I could see myself going to OAD, despite the tickets for train being booked and the hotel paid for.  My husband said he would go and give my apologies.

I agreed to go to the hotel and relax.  That might help and it would at least keep the germs out of my house.

On the train up there I felt like I was in a horror film.  You know the kind – The Cassandra Crossing or Contagion comes to mind.  I was the character who had the virus who would share it all before dying within the first ten minutes of the film.  My husband’s character was the hero who would save the world and become self-sufficient in a remote shed (are there many of those in Birmingham?).  Anyway you get the general idea.  I was not imagining this as you should have seen people’s faces as I coughed and sneezed my way during the journey.  Virgin train passengers were not impressed and looked angry fed up or concerned about catching my germs.

We booked into the hotel about 4pm.  I could barely eat my dinner in the pub next door and decided I wasn’t able to go.  I went back to the hotel and had a short sleep which was much needed.

But Hubby kept saying I should try it and we can come home if needed.  So with hours to go I started to get ready not knowing at any moment if I would launch into another coughing fit.

By the time I was ready to go; I had stopped coughing and didn’t look that ill.  So on the surface I looked ok.  In the fresh air I felt a lot better.  I don’t know if it was the adrenaline for OAD, I had missed it so much as we had not been able to go last month due to Hubby’s work commitments but this was having an impact on my health. In a good way.

As soon as I got there I felt well.  I mean no cough, no cold, no sneezing.  Nothing.  I also found great music, lovely people and fab environment. 

Not only did I feel well but then I felt so happy with the choices of music played.  It was as if someone had hacked my dream list of OAD tracks from my computer (Yes I do have one of those) and decided to play them all.

I had no choice.  I had to dance.  The first song to get me on the dance floor was (we don't need this) fascist groove thang by Heaven 17. I had only seen it done live by Heaven 17 the week before but this song never gets old!

Following that compulsion was ‘No GDM’ by Gina X which I love and was on the dance floor singing and dancing away.  The next stand out track was ‘The Bunker’ by The Bollock Bros.  (Is it me or does the backing of both tracks sound very similar?)  I love this too and danced away.

As a huge Bowie fan I like to mix with other huge Bowie fans.  I was deep in a Bowie conversation when the ultimate song that gave me a compulsion to dance came on.  It is no secret that I have been asking for this for months.  And the track?... ‘Bela Lugosi’s dead’ by Bauhaus.  Back in the day I was known to wear capes and be always on the dance floor to this (normally the only one as most DJ’s were too scared to play it during busy periods).  Not only was this played at a perfect time of night, but they played the video from the film ‘The Hunger’ (which features Bowie for those who are not in the know).  One of the best ever starts to a movie.  Ever!.  How I love this song and dancing to it sealed my night as a perfect one.

In fact David summed it up nicely as I was saying goodbye. He said, ‘Bowie and Bauhaus – it doesn’t get better (for me) than this’.  Thank God for David.  Without him there would be no OAD. (NO GDM and No OAD – OMG!)

Despite being unwell I lasted until 2pm.  I had not expected to last that long and had had an amazing time.  Many many thanks to my increasingly growing OAD family.  Some of the nicest and most stylish people I have ever met!

 

 

 

 

Hacienda and Hooky

Hacienda.  It means so much too so many.  To Manchester it was a special place to go where the music and atmosphere came together to produce some nights that have gone down in history.  Built by New Order, Hacienda was a nightclub like no other.

I attended Fac 51, an anniversary of Hacienda.  They opened late as they were running late and two acts of the night had already cancelled their appearance – Danny Rampling and K-Klass.  Not a promising start to the evening.

The queue consisted of various ages and many familiar faces from previous New Order gigs I had been to.  I am well known as ‘the girl who takes the photos’.  There was no merchandise on sale.  I thought this missed a trick.  South London is rough and the venue, The Coronet depicted just that.  After going through a security screen similar to at an airport, they then searched my tiny tiny handbag and it was pulled apart looking for chewing gum.  Now I know they don’t know me and know my feelings on chewing gum but I hardly think it’s a threat to the venue!  Drinks were extortionate.  Two drinks (singles) for £12 but that didn’t seem to stop many of the audience from getting completely wasted.

I have to be honest and declare that acid house was never my cup of tea.  I don’t mind a bit of Chicago house and can even manage a bit of trance on occasion but Acid is a step too far.

The crowd seemed friendly enough but I think I have a bit of an issue with the Manchester mentality.  They seem to think it is acceptable to swear, shout and push other people.  I know it’s not the drugs they were on as it was still fairly early on in the evening.  Or maybe I am just getting old!  An example of what annoyed me is the young pretty girl who pushed into the front to see Hooky.  I didn’t have an issue with that, but her very short bob kept ending up in my face every time she danced and shook her head.  I questioned myself, was I jealous of her energy, looks or youth?  No I was just rather pissed off that her hair kept getting in my face!  Her boyfriend disappeared during the set and this seemed to be an invitation for older men (I would suggest 30 years older than her at least) to hit on her.  One had his arm around her shoulders and another kept asking to drink her beer of which she allowed.  If this is normal behaviour for Hacienda, I AM getting old!  (She even kept smiling sweetly at me as if I should be happy her hair is in my face!). Let it be known, I do not want anyone’s hair in my face. Ever!

Anyway, Hooky was the main event and what we had come to see.  I was very excited about this.  I had seen Hooky play with New Order about six years ago and had met him in a lift (but that is another story).  Today he started his set with two brilliant Joy Division numbers, Isolation and Heart & Soul.  But hold on; was there something wrong with his mike?  I couldn’t hear him properly.  (And I was front row).

The set list was excellent and included a great set of New Order tracks including True Faith (One of my favourites), Everything’s gone green (another of my all-time favs), Blue Monday (Of course!), Fine Time (Hubby was delighted to hear this – it is rarely played live), Temptation (Hooky sang ‘I’ve never met anyone quite like you before’ right at me and pointed to me.), Bizarre Love Triangle and Your silent face. 

Great set list indeed.  But I couldn’t hear Hooky . It sounded all fuzzy.  Was the mike too low?  I would forgive him this oversight but there were other issues with this performance which made the whole event disappointing.  Hooky kept turning his back to the audience to bash a bit of an electronic drum (when most of it was already programmed in) and most bizarrely of all – he hardly played bass!

Now before you all blast me for this review, let it be known I have a lot of respect for Hooky. I think he is one of the best bass players we have ever had.  I love his work with both JD and NO.  I paid full price for this ticket to see him (it was not a sold out event and many tickets got discounted) so I do feel I have the right to comment fairly on the performance.  I have always promised readers of my blog an honest opinion and this is what they get.  And my honest opinion is this:  I have felt Hooky was desperate to be a front man for many years while in New Order.  Now he has his chance.  But he doesn’t engage with the audience.  He didn’t talk to us once.  He didn’t even thank us.  I at least wanted him to play his bass and impress us. (Mark King from Level 42 impressed me big time with singing AND playing his bass AT THE SAME TIME!).  Why can’t Hooky deliver?

I would love to ask him where he sees himself in five years’ time.  Will he still be doing old stuff?  Will he be writing new stuff?  Can he possibly see himself back with New Order?  I can tell you I do not think his future is rosy if he continues performing like this.  My husband and I are die-hard fans of New Order and would pay gladly to see a good performance.  But we would not do this again.

Where does that leave you Mr Hook?  

All in all, a very disappointing evening.

PS. Anyone who says it was a great evening was either drunk, on drugs or has never seen hooky play with New Order /Joy Division before!

A Chorus Line

I have always loved A Chorus Line but had had problems trying to find another person who loves it like me to go with.  Imagine my surprise when my Dad suggested he go with me!  I knew he loves strictly but never imagined he would love a musical.

We had eaten a lovely lunch at J Sheekeys’ Oyster bar before going to a matinee performance.  I had not been to the Palladium for many many years and had forgotten what a beautiful theatre it is.

I was surprised there was not more merchandise on sale but they had programmes, mugs, key rings, t shirts and a sweat shirt.

We had great seats (second row of the stalls) and took them just before the performance started. The theatre was packed out so there must be other people like me who love A Chorus Line.  I saw no indication that there is a recession on – or perhaps a good show will always pull the crowd?

But would it live up to my rather high expectations?  It did! It was amazing.  I felt like I was living that audition with them.  I cried when it was sad and I laughed when it was funny.  ‘Sheila’ has the best line in the show – ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ ‘Young!’

I love how each person really gave a good acting, singing and dancing performance.  It is hard to be an ‘all-rounder’ but the person who recruited this group of actors and dancers did good! Even my Dad was impressed and he is notoriously hard to please!

It is hard to pick one outstanding performance as every actor was perfect and I personally loved how they start off not being co-ordinated as they learn the steps through to being dazzling at the final curtain.

To me, the shows meaning says that a chorus line is never ‘just’ a chorus line. Every person in it has personality and issues.  It shows the very human side of show-business and what a difficult emotional process auditioning is.

The show is a very uplifting one and I left the theatre singing and wanting to kick my legs all through Leicester Square.  This is not just a show for ‘luvvies’ – it is a show for anyone who loves a ‘people’ show!  Go and see it – and if you need someone to go with, I’m available!

 

 

Man of Steel

Man of Steel

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No its ..erm a man of steel!  It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it does it?!

The film starts with a view of Krypton in a state of emergency.  Krypton is dying.  They have exhausted all the natural resources on the planet.  They decide to send a new-born baby to Earth as it is a young planet with resources and could be the future of the Krypton race.  This film gives you more of Krypton that we have ever seen in any previous Superman films, but unfortunately it leaves us wanting more.  Although this does explain the reasoning behind the fact why a normal Krypton would have super-powers on earth. 

You see several flashbacks of Clark Kent’s childhood which builds into the story of the man who is hiding his true identity. The nine year old Kent (played by Cooper Timberline) out-shines Henry Cavill’s version of Superman.  Henry’s version feels very wooden and his only expression being one of a slight frown (puzzlement that an Englishman got the role, perhaps?)

Both Kevin Costner (who plays Jonathan Kent) and Russell Crowe (who plays Jor-El) are both seasoned actors and it shows. They both give fantastic performances and make the bits where things aren’t being blown up, worth watching.

The ‘baddie’ for this film is General  Zod.  I feel he is a misunderstood character and Michael Shannon who plays him gives a great performance and gets a lot of well-deserved screen-time.

Amy Adams plays Lois Lane. Amy is a beautiful woman who started off life as Giselle in Enchanted.  So did the wardrobe department purposely move away from that look to give her the drabbest clothes they could find?  It really wasn’t necessary or fair on poor Amy.  Amy makes a great Lois as she is inquisitive, intelligent and not too pushy.  Lois also gets the best line in the film when Clark Kent joins the newspaper team…’Welcome to the Planet’.

Unfortunately there is little else in the script that lends itself to amusing and intelligent writing. I think the brief for this film was ‘Lets blow lots of stuff up’.

The special effects are good in places (such as on Krypton) but they overdo it in places with the CGI and smash as much as possible.  And I am irritated when the gung-ho troops say something like ‘How do I know you won’t turn on America?’ to Superman. Not ‘the world’..no…only the USA.  It felt rather arrogant.

This film has gone a long way to distance itself from the superman films of old. He doesn’t wear pants over his tights anymore and the ‘S’ is a sign for hope on Krypton.  It’s not an ‘S’ for Superman. This is Superman for a new generation.  But compare this film to any of the current other Super-Heroes films and this film is lacking.  Avengers Assemble and Iron Man are much better made with a much tighter script.

Of course this is only my opinion and I know I will not stop a billion-dollar industry who I am sure have already agreed for at least three more films on the contracts of the actors if this is a financial success (of which it will be).  But from one small person on the planet – I was not hugely impressed.

Or maybe I just prefer Batman or Iron Man (with their gadgets and feel more believable) to Superman. 

 

 

 

Only After Dark (OAD)'s 4th Birthday with special guest, Rusty Egan.

Only After Dark (OAD)’s 4^th Birthday with special guest, Rusty Egan.

Going to OAD is like going on a date.  The first date is exiting and all new, you don’t know what to expect, what to wear, how it will be.  I am now on my third date with OAD and I think it could be the start of a beautiful relationship.  I still get excited, but that is because I know the promise of what is to come…

Everyone remembers their first love.  Why?  Because it was their first.  Your first love, the first record you bought, the first time you (well you know!)…We live our lives by a list of firsts.  

My first experience of OAD had been magnificent.  It had been the Heaven 17 special.  It had been special and I fell head over heels in love with OAD.  How would another special be?  Would it be as good at the first time?  Of course it would!

This was a very special night.  It was OAD’s 4^th birthday and Rusty Egan was there to make it even more special!  Many veteran Darklings came along especially for this along with some people who had never been before.  It was a lovely mix and everyone was friendly and welcoming.  You are made to feel like you belong.  This is such a unique place to be.  It is an eclectic mix of people who all come to worship the music genres played.

A special occasion calls for a special effort.  I had not crimped my hair for over 25 years.  (With one exception for a fancy dress party).  But it felt right.  It looked right.  Damn it, I was right to do it and the lovely responses I had from fellow Darklings meant I had made the right decision.  

I was one of the first people to meet Rusty.  He was a lovely man who told my husband how lucky he was to have me.  (I hope hubby was listening!)  Rusty was warm, friendly and happy to sign our stuff.  It was a real pleasure to meet him.

My hubby is an ex-DJ who loves mixing.  He was very keen to hear Rusty’s sets from a technical point of view.  Personally, I couldn’t begin to see how you can mix so many genres together (New Wave, Electronic, Glam, Punk, Goth) but the genius that is Rusty Egan did so.  He started his set with the German version of Heroes (Could anyone ask for more?) and followed it up with Hard times by the Human League.  Everyone was on the dance floor.  We had love song (Simple Minds), Heart of Glass (Blondie) and Memorabilia (Soft Cell).  He followed that up with the night version of Planet Earth (Duran Duran).  He did not play a bad track and it flowed fantastically.  He also gave his new track, Dreamer (Metroland Night Version) an airing and it went down very well.  Rusty is a very talented DJ who can impress other DJ’s as well as keep everyone dancing on the dance floor.  

But let me tell you about the other music that was played, or in other words, why you should come every month!

I counted more than six Bowie tracks.  I feel so chuffed that I can go to a club that will play Bowie.  It is wonderful to find people like Debbie and David (and I am sure many more that I don’t know yet) who love Bowie as much as I do.  I counted at least five different Bowie T-shirts.  Nice taste people!

I have always loved Soft Cell.  I once wrote to Jim’ll fix it to ask if I could meet Marc Almond at a fairground.  I never got a reply. (Just as well now we know what we know about Jimmie Saville).  But my love of Soft Cell never dies.  I really enjoyed dancing to Memorabilia and Soft Cell is a staple diet at OAD. Feed me!

Duran Duran are from Birmingham and in honour of that, they too are played every time.  Planet Earth was the outing this time around.  And the original rum runner video was played especially for all those who were original rum runners.

A lot of early Human League was played.  I actually woke up the next morning with ‘Empire State Human’ in my head. (When I told Martyn this, he laughed!)  Also at least two Heaven 17 tracks were played.  I was in the ladies when ‘Let me go’ was playing.  So I got everyone in the queue to sing along and held the door ajar so we could hear it!

Pretty Vacant by the Sex pistols came on the TV screens.  (Did I mention there are lots of videos played on TV screens?)  I am not a fan of the Sex Pistols.  I know I will probably get abuse for saying this, but it’s my personal opinion they did not produce good music.  Or maybe I was just a bit young to appreciate it fully.  However I love the punk movement and what it represents.  I agree that individuals who feel let down by the system should have a way of expressing how they feel.  I love Green Day and think they have carried this punk ethos into enjoyable punk music with a huge energy and attitude.  Green Day are the modern day punks and this is all due to the Sex Pistols.  Therefore I have to respect what the Sex Pistols have given us along with all the bands that followed due to the influence of the Sex Pistols.

I feel love by Donna Summer has to be the best dance record of all time. It has so much going on.  It fits all genres and crosses any boundaries.  It is a mark of pure genius in the world of music.

I have always wanted to be Blondie.  Unfortunately I look a lot more like Kate Bush than Debbie Harry.  But I had always thought Debbie Harry was the ultimate icon and tonight (Mathew I am going to be) Blondie for about 3 minutes while Rapture plays.  For those three minutes I really was Blondie (I know every word to Rapture) and gave it my all!  No one came for my autograph afterwards.  However after dancing (rather wildly) to B52’s’ Rock Lobster I did get comments about how quirky I am!  Sounds about right.

This was only my third outing to OAD, but already I feel like I’m family.  I have made some wonderful friends there and of course you can never have too many friends so I hope to carry on going and making more friends.

OAD – Happy birthday with many many returns!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hear Rusty's new track here: https://soundcloud.com/the-electricity-club/rusty-egan-dreamer-metroland#play

 

 

 

 

Oz - The Great and Powerful

Oz: The Great and Powerful.

‘If you believe in yourself you can achieve anything’ is the motto of this story.  Now add a heavily sugared dose of Disney and you have an idea of what you have let yourself in for.

The film starts in traditional 4:3 ratio in b/w just like The Wizard of Oz.  And of course land into Oz with Technicolor or whatever they call it these days.  Oz is truly a beautiful land and some of the effects are amazing.

James Franco is Oz. He is a charmer, charlatan and player.  Rather like some of the men I have dated! 

Those who already know and love the story of the wizard of Oz will recognise subtle leads from the original film.  Watch out for the horse of a different colour, a flying money, Glenda the good witch and of course Munchkins and the yellow brick road.

Mila Kunis (who has eyes larger than Bambi – how do Disney do it?!) plays Theodora, a witch looking after the Emerald city with her sister, Evanora played by Rachel Weiss.  When Oz arrives in Oz he is mistaken for the Wizard in the prophecy.  And knowing there is riches for a reward he pretends he is the great wizard to win the reward.

New characters for this film include the china doll, who is adorable and Water fairies that bite.  Like the original Wizard of Oz, many of the characters from Oz’s real life are transported into Oz.  The china doll is obvious as the little girl who believes in Oz but cannot walk.  His friend is Frank who is also Finley the flying monkey.  And it is Disney, so the girl he always loved back home becomes Glinda the good witch.

The film keeps a good pace and is enjoyable all the way through.  It might be scary for small children and although it is a PG, it does have a warning about a mild fantasy threat.  It’s a first for me, but I remember being scared as a child of the flying monkeys in the original Wizard of Oz!

Verdict: If you need to forget about these austere times, this is the perfect film to take you away to a magical land (for a few hours anyway).

 

 

SIRO-A

Siro- A

What is Siro-A? Well that is a hard question to answer.  Some say they are Japan’s answer to Blue Man Group but I do not think that is a fair analogy.  Siro-A are very unique and original and break the boundaries of normal theatre.  They are not like anything you have ever seen before.  It is a visual and audio masterpiece of art and sound.

Siro-A doesn’t need a definition.  All you need to know is this is something that will blow your mind.  This is something that combines electronic music with computer technology, dance and visual stimulation.  Think Diversity meets Kraftwerk and you are someway to getting it.  It is a feast for your eyes and ears.

The show only lasts an hour but it has an high intensity, so both audience and performers would struggle to do more than that.  The show has lots of humour in it and is suitable for all nationalities as there is hardly any speech in the whole show.  My personal favourites were the T-shirt scene and the games such as Mario and breakout (A derivative of Pong).  I also liked Abe Toshinori. 

It is just an amazing show.  Go see it while you can! (At Leicester Square Theatre until 22^nd April 2013)