a smattering of several different activities this week with some music, theatre and cinema...
Allah-Las
On Wednesday night we hit Camden and the Electric Ballroom for their only UK date apart from their appearance at the Green Man Festival that weekend, and it had sold out.
We've been to the Electric Ballroom a few times in the last year and the sound is always pretty good which is always a major bonus.
This was our third time seeing the band, and the venues have steadily increased in size each time, along with their popularity which is a bit of a double edged sword as it's great to see them in an intimate venue, however thankfully the Electric Ballroom isn't too large.
We've been to the Electric Ballroom a few times in the last year and the sound is always pretty good which is always a major bonus.
This was our third time seeing the band, and the venues have steadily increased in size each time, along with their popularity which is a bit of a double edged sword as it's great to see them in an intimate venue, however thankfully the Electric Ballroom isn't too large.
When it comes to delivering a chilled Californian surf garage vibe they never disappoint.
From the off they tore through a set with a good mic of songs from all three of their studio albums and a couple of obscure covers thrown in for good measure.
Particular highlights included '200 South La Brea', 'Autumn Dawn', 'Sandy' and 'Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)'.
Their mix of The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds all coupled with the stripped back surf garage vibe is perfectly coupled to their obvious knack for a melody, and their evolution in their sound is evident as their incorporate new instruments and sounds.
With a new covers EP due in November hopefully it won't be long until they're back on our shores, they've been over pretty often in recent years so it's a good bet it won't be long before you get the chance to catch them live again.
The full set list was as follows:
Particular highlights included '200 South La Brea', 'Autumn Dawn', 'Sandy' and 'Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)'.
Their mix of The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds all coupled with the stripped back surf garage vibe is perfectly coupled to their obvious knack for a melody, and their evolution in their sound is evident as their incorporate new instruments and sounds.
With a new covers EP due in November hopefully it won't be long until they're back on our shores, they've been over pretty often in recent years so it's a good bet it won't be long before you get the chance to catch them live again.
The full set list was as follows:
Ferus Gallery
Busman's Holiday
Artefact
200 South La Brea
501-415
Autumn Dawn
Sandy
Warmed Kippers
No Werewolf
Tell Me
(What's On Your Mind)
Had It All
Sacred Sands
Strange Heat
Satisfied
Could Be You
Catalina
Calm Me Down
No Voodoo
Catamaran
Encore :
Long Journey
Every Girl
King Lear
On Saturday we headed over to our first visit of the year to Shakespeare's Globe on the Southbank.
This was Mr C's first time experiencing 'King Lear', however Mrs C is a fan and being such a perennially performed play was sure not to disappoint as a Shakespeare play.
The staging of the set initially evoked an abandoned building with hoarding and tarpaulins covering doors and windows, however these were gradually removed throughout the play, although the setting didn't seem to affect the play itself as the look of the costumes and props for the main was quite neutral and seemed to fit with the material.
The basic plot involves King Lear proposing to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters depending on how much their pledge their devotion to him, one daughter doesn't please him with her obvious fawning and is cast out and the kingdom is then split equally amongst the remaining two.
The cast out daughter is married off to a French prince and moves away whilst the two greedy daughters then turn on their father and take control of the kingdom for themselves at any cost.
The performances were all round great, the whole cast managing to project the text well and with conviction, holding the interest for a nigh on three hours and in between the inevitable planes flying over which is a common occurrence at the open air Globe. Kevin R McNally was particularly entertaining as the commanding presence of Lear, also exhibiting his surprising vulnerabilities.
The mood is also quite light with quite a few laughs, despite the overarching dark mood, and the play culminates in the traditional musical finale synonymous with the traditional stagings of Shakespeare's plays.
It's on until the 14th of October and is well worth catching as the material is made all the more accessible by the lively performances here.
Point Break
We followed King Lear that evening with a trip to the fantastic The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square for a very rare screening of the classic 'Point Break' on 35mm.
The rights for the movie have changed hands numerous times and the exact holders had to be tracked down over several years to allow the screening to become a reality and this one off event was a sell out as a testament to the desire to see the film presented this way.
After a intro by the woman responsible for all the hard work in getting the film to the screen, (sorry don't know your name!) we were also treated to surprise video introduction from Keanu Reeves himself recorded for this event.
And then it was on to the show...
The plot revolves around a rookie cop Johnny Utah, (Keanu Reeves), and his new partner Angelo Pappas, (Gary Busey), investigating a gang of surfer bank robbers known as the ex-presidents, led by Bodhi, (Patrick Swayze), and Utah's attempts to ingratiate himself within the gang to take them down, whilst falling for a fellow surfer Tyler, (Lori Petty).
This is the film the original 'The Fast And The Furious' ripped off but could only dream of being.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this is a testosterone filled ride and an absolute stone cold classic of action cinema alongside 'Die Hard' and 'Speed'.
Needless to say check it out. This was a one off event but keep an eye out for further showings as it's well worth catching on the big screen in all it's 35mm glory.
Next week sees plenty of music, until then get inspired...
On Saturday we headed over to our first visit of the year to Shakespeare's Globe on the Southbank.
This was Mr C's first time experiencing 'King Lear', however Mrs C is a fan and being such a perennially performed play was sure not to disappoint as a Shakespeare play.
The staging of the set initially evoked an abandoned building with hoarding and tarpaulins covering doors and windows, however these were gradually removed throughout the play, although the setting didn't seem to affect the play itself as the look of the costumes and props for the main was quite neutral and seemed to fit with the material.
The basic plot involves King Lear proposing to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters depending on how much their pledge their devotion to him, one daughter doesn't please him with her obvious fawning and is cast out and the kingdom is then split equally amongst the remaining two.
The cast out daughter is married off to a French prince and moves away whilst the two greedy daughters then turn on their father and take control of the kingdom for themselves at any cost.
The performances were all round great, the whole cast managing to project the text well and with conviction, holding the interest for a nigh on three hours and in between the inevitable planes flying over which is a common occurrence at the open air Globe. Kevin R McNally was particularly entertaining as the commanding presence of Lear, also exhibiting his surprising vulnerabilities.
The mood is also quite light with quite a few laughs, despite the overarching dark mood, and the play culminates in the traditional musical finale synonymous with the traditional stagings of Shakespeare's plays.
It's on until the 14th of October and is well worth catching as the material is made all the more accessible by the lively performances here.
Point Break
We followed King Lear that evening with a trip to the fantastic The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square for a very rare screening of the classic 'Point Break' on 35mm.
The rights for the movie have changed hands numerous times and the exact holders had to be tracked down over several years to allow the screening to become a reality and this one off event was a sell out as a testament to the desire to see the film presented this way.
After a intro by the woman responsible for all the hard work in getting the film to the screen, (sorry don't know your name!) we were also treated to surprise video introduction from Keanu Reeves himself recorded for this event.
And then it was on to the show...
The plot revolves around a rookie cop Johnny Utah, (Keanu Reeves), and his new partner Angelo Pappas, (Gary Busey), investigating a gang of surfer bank robbers known as the ex-presidents, led by Bodhi, (Patrick Swayze), and Utah's attempts to ingratiate himself within the gang to take them down, whilst falling for a fellow surfer Tyler, (Lori Petty).
This is the film the original 'The Fast And The Furious' ripped off but could only dream of being.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this is a testosterone filled ride and an absolute stone cold classic of action cinema alongside 'Die Hard' and 'Speed'.
Needless to say check it out. This was a one off event but keep an eye out for further showings as it's well worth catching on the big screen in all it's 35mm glory.
Next week sees plenty of music, until then get inspired...
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