Introducing is a talented, Oxford-based nine-piece band with a very specific goal. Every show they perform is essentially the same. With the exception of slight variations in their encores, the set never changes. Their mission? To perform DJ Shadow’s first LP, “Endtroducing”, in its entirety, from start to finish. The full blog post is...
Actually, Be Kind Rewind was in part the inspiration for starting the event, according to its creator, Harriet Knowles. “We hardly ever take a scene more than once no matter how rubbish it looks. We feel that adds to its charm,” she wrote in an e-mail. “Finding costumes that fit huge burly blokes and...
In July 1961, on London’s South Bank, Gustav Metzger put on a gas mask, rubber gloves and a hard hat and proceeded to spray hydrochloric acid in elaborate patterns all over three large screens of white, black and red nylon. Filmed up close, the quick melting and tearing away of fabric is beautiful, disturbing...
I’ve seen “Do the Right Thing” many times, and have observed and participated in many debates about its value and meaning. But this particular London screening reminded me of just how well it captures the little things that not only set people off, but also calm them down and even make them laugh. There...
In London, about 1,100 people gathered in Leicester Square for the premiere. Video screens showed red carpet arrivals from Los Angeles, the dance troupe Diversity — winner of the television competition “Britain’s Got Talent” — performed a Jackson tribute, and enthusiastic fans wore Jackson-inspired fedoras, gloves and jackets. The full story, reported by Ben...
Kanye West’s self-help book is a small, spiral-bound thing, too big for your back pocket but a perfect fit for the coffee table. Its bright yellow, blue, pink and green text is printed on glossy black paper, often in quite large sizes. It’s durable, so much so that you could throw it across the...
For several hours on Sunday, Oct. 4, London’s heavily-trafficked Trafalgar Square will be HQ for the city’s ninth annual Diwali on the Square, a cultural observation of the Hindu Festival of Lights that will include fireworks, live music performances, and dancing. Event organizers wouldn’t comment on specific festival details or elaborate on Diwali’s contemporary...
In Jose Eduardo Belmonte’s award-winning 2008 Brazilian film, “If Nothing Else Works Out” (“Se nada mais der certo”), Brazil is not lush and sunny, nor is it filled with soft, warm breezes and rhythmic bossa nova tunes. Instead Belmonte turns his lens on urban Sao Paulo, where skies are often grey, traffic is endless...
It doesn’t take an ashram to achieve transcendence. From Sept. 25 to 30, London’s Barbican Centre will aim to prove that enlightenment can occur in a formal setting too, by hosting a series of concerts exploring devotional, spiritual and sacred music from around the world. The Transcender Weekender series will feature music designed to...
Since the Talking Heads disbanded, David Byrne has taken quite a circuitous route. Along the way there have been film scores, dance and opera projects, visual art, and more recently a memoir about riding his bike through the world’s cities. His latest project: hooking up an old organ to the guts of an old...