BONG! This just in!
BONG! Charity event of the year to be held in Belfast's City Hall!
BONG! Variety show in aid of Depaul Ireland to be hosted by Sir Trevor MacDonald!
BONG! - yeah, yeah, ok, the whole News at Ten bong thing isn't quite working, is it?
Anyway, getting to the point - on March 26th, the absolutely gorgeous Great Hall in Belfast's City Hall will play host to what's being billed as 'Belfast's charity event of 2011', all in aid of Depaul Ireland. No ordinary charity ball, 'Voice of the City' will be an old school variety show affair, with all sorts of frolics - musical, comedy and otherwise - for your pleasure and entertainment (as well as some tasty noms, I'm reliably informed. Which, frankly, is more than enough to get me there. Charity, schmarity).
Hosted by Sir Trevor MacDonald, a longtime friend of Depaul International, featuring several fantastic local artists (including the utterly wonderful Iain Archer, which is certainly getting me pretty excited), and in a truly stunning and intimate venue, it sounds like marvellous craic altogether. We're being advised to 'dress to impress' in vintage style, so it really will be a case of be there or be square.
More acts will be announced on the Depaul Ireland website in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more announcements. All the info on tickets, etc., can be found there as well. The Great Hall does have limited capacity, so it's advised to get your tickets sooner rather than later.
And, of course, 'Voice of the City' supports a marvellous cause, and raises awareness for the issue of homelessness across Ireland. Depaul Ireland was established in Dublin in 2002 and in Belfast in 2005. It provides accommodation and key services to people who many others struggle to work with – street drinkers, women in prison, families who others have given up on, those with behavioural, self-harm and addiction problems. Depaul Ireland has 6 services for homeless and disadvantaged people in Dublin, 4 in Belfast, one in Dungannon and will soon operate a project from Derry City. Last year they worked with 1,100 service users.
So, for a night of fabulous entertainment, sophistication and merriment (you get to dress up, get food, watch amazing musicians and be in the same room as Sir Trev - what more do you want?!), as well as helping a charity do incredibly work for a desperately worthwhile cause, get your tickets now!
Links:
Depaul Ireland
Voice of the City
Depaul International
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Blue Valentine - film review
I've been pondering this for a while now, and I've been finding it a bit difficult to work out exactly what I thought about this film. Certainly, it's thought provoking, emotive and affecting, and carries fantastic performances from its leads Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. It moved me to the brink of tears and was rumbling around inside my head for hours afterward.
But I don't know if I actually liked it. It's definitely not the sort of film you enjoy - it deals with issues too raw and close to the bone, and in too personal a way to be able to say that. I think I felt as though I was waiting for something to click for me.
It's not that the film is badly made - not at all. The cinematography is subtle but stirring, the dialogue and performances are strikingly realistic and unsentimental. The film is structured so as to juxtapose flashbacks of the beginnings of their relationship with the present quagmire of dissatisfaction, confusion and bleakness that it has become. As the film progresses, we see their relationship in the present day fall apart, crumble and become more and more lost, intercut with their younger selves fall more and more in love. We end with flashbacks of their wedding day - where they're the epitome of young love - side by side with the seemingly irretrievable breakdown of their marriage.
From this point of view, Blue Valentine is interesting as a piece of filmic art. Emotionally, it engaged me enough that I felt a rather visceral response to the film, but I couldn't quite figure out what that response was. Sad for what they'd come to, sad that they were on different pages, sad that the romantic potential they seemed to have had somehow been squandered and spent. Maybe sad at the idea that that's how all relationships can go, if you aren't careful? I'm really not sure.
Maybe that was the point of the film - that things aren't clear cut the way we sometimes want them to be. That life doesn't have the structure of stories as we're used to seeing them on screen; it just is. The film was the writer-director Derek Cianfrance's exploration of his fears over his own parents' divorce, so maybe it's not surprising, then, that the naturalistic qualities of the film extend to the point where you don't come away with a clear-cut sense of what just went on in front of you and how you felt about it. Because that's very often not how life is, especially in it's darkest and most traumatic of moments.
All things considered, it's a deeply compelling and enthralling film. My uncertainties about my reaction to it absolutely are not meant to take anything away from the film. That it can linger with me for so long and still give pause for thought, and make me want to see it again to consider other angles and elements that are maybe only now coming to mind, is a good thing. It's most definitely worth seeing, I can say that without any hesitation. But maybe don't make it a Valentine's date.
Blue Valentine opens tomorrow (Friday 4th February) at the QFT, Belfast. If you dander over to their website to book your tickets, use the code ORLA10 for discount.
But I don't know if I actually liked it. It's definitely not the sort of film you enjoy - it deals with issues too raw and close to the bone, and in too personal a way to be able to say that. I think I felt as though I was waiting for something to click for me.
It's not that the film is badly made - not at all. The cinematography is subtle but stirring, the dialogue and performances are strikingly realistic and unsentimental. The film is structured so as to juxtapose flashbacks of the beginnings of their relationship with the present quagmire of dissatisfaction, confusion and bleakness that it has become. As the film progresses, we see their relationship in the present day fall apart, crumble and become more and more lost, intercut with their younger selves fall more and more in love. We end with flashbacks of their wedding day - where they're the epitome of young love - side by side with the seemingly irretrievable breakdown of their marriage.
From this point of view, Blue Valentine is interesting as a piece of filmic art. Emotionally, it engaged me enough that I felt a rather visceral response to the film, but I couldn't quite figure out what that response was. Sad for what they'd come to, sad that they were on different pages, sad that the romantic potential they seemed to have had somehow been squandered and spent. Maybe sad at the idea that that's how all relationships can go, if you aren't careful? I'm really not sure.
Maybe that was the point of the film - that things aren't clear cut the way we sometimes want them to be. That life doesn't have the structure of stories as we're used to seeing them on screen; it just is. The film was the writer-director Derek Cianfrance's exploration of his fears over his own parents' divorce, so maybe it's not surprising, then, that the naturalistic qualities of the film extend to the point where you don't come away with a clear-cut sense of what just went on in front of you and how you felt about it. Because that's very often not how life is, especially in it's darkest and most traumatic of moments.
All things considered, it's a deeply compelling and enthralling film. My uncertainties about my reaction to it absolutely are not meant to take anything away from the film. That it can linger with me for so long and still give pause for thought, and make me want to see it again to consider other angles and elements that are maybe only now coming to mind, is a good thing. It's most definitely worth seeing, I can say that without any hesitation. But maybe don't make it a Valentine's date.
Blue Valentine opens tomorrow (Friday 4th February) at the QFT, Belfast. If you dander over to their website to book your tickets, use the code ORLA10 for discount.
Ruby & The Duke
In case you didn't already know, Duke Special recently made a documentary called Ruby & The Duke about the life and work of 1950s Belfast singer Ruby Murray for RTE. This then led to his recording a CD of some of her songs, the profits of which are going to Depaul Ireland. So, to promote this, there was a gig in the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast last Thursday.
First of all, I have to say that I - like most people - didn't know much about Ruby Murray. I was vaguely aware that she was a pretty successful pop singer in the '50s, I've seen the blue plaque outside the Ulster Hall, and of course she's become cockney rhyming slang for a curry, but that was about it.
Thursday was really more of an evening in the company of Ruby & Duke Special than what you'd call a 'normal' gig. Duke introduced segments from the documentary that gave a brief glimpse into her life - how quiet and shy she was, how (despite being hugely well-known in her day) uncomfortable she was with fame and celebrity, and how the fickle nature of the music industry left her in the shade with the advent of rock'n'roll. She died destitute, alcoholic and alone, a tragic end to a life and a talent so promising.
In between these segments, Duke played some of the songs for which Ruby was well known. Just him and a piano, it was a rather lovely, subdued and touching affair. The lyrics of Ruby's songs might seem a bit twee in this day and age, but the sincere, restrained nature of Duke's voice and piano suited them to a tee, and really exposed the emotion behind them. They became more than just covers of pop songs from a bygone era, but heartfelt and genuine expressions of love, loss and heartache.
It was a really moving and lovely thing to be a part of - to see how Duke connected with Ruby and her music, and how perfectly the work of Depaul fits in with how Ruby's life sadly ended up. A huge well done to everyone at Depaul, the Oh Yeah Centre and of course Duke Special himself for putting on a great evening, raising awareness of one of Northern Ireland's lost legends, and raising some funds and awareness of Depaul.
You can buy the cd here, through the Depaul website, or at various stockists across Belfast and Dublin (a list of which can be found here) including Clements Coffee shops, Head Belfast, Boojum, Dragon Records, Good Vibrations, Premier Record and the Rusty Zip. It's a minimum donation of £5/€6, which is an absolute steal for the cd which includes a set of unique note cards, designed by some of Depaul Ireland's service users during art sessions. So go on, scamper over there and get a copy of it now! It'll be your good deed for the day.
Links:
Depaul Website
Depaul Twitter
Depaul Facebook
First of all, I have to say that I - like most people - didn't know much about Ruby Murray. I was vaguely aware that she was a pretty successful pop singer in the '50s, I've seen the blue plaque outside the Ulster Hall, and of course she's become cockney rhyming slang for a curry, but that was about it.
Thursday was really more of an evening in the company of Ruby & Duke Special than what you'd call a 'normal' gig. Duke introduced segments from the documentary that gave a brief glimpse into her life - how quiet and shy she was, how (despite being hugely well-known in her day) uncomfortable she was with fame and celebrity, and how the fickle nature of the music industry left her in the shade with the advent of rock'n'roll. She died destitute, alcoholic and alone, a tragic end to a life and a talent so promising.
In between these segments, Duke played some of the songs for which Ruby was well known. Just him and a piano, it was a rather lovely, subdued and touching affair. The lyrics of Ruby's songs might seem a bit twee in this day and age, but the sincere, restrained nature of Duke's voice and piano suited them to a tee, and really exposed the emotion behind them. They became more than just covers of pop songs from a bygone era, but heartfelt and genuine expressions of love, loss and heartache.
It was a really moving and lovely thing to be a part of - to see how Duke connected with Ruby and her music, and how perfectly the work of Depaul fits in with how Ruby's life sadly ended up. A huge well done to everyone at Depaul, the Oh Yeah Centre and of course Duke Special himself for putting on a great evening, raising awareness of one of Northern Ireland's lost legends, and raising some funds and awareness of Depaul.
You can buy the cd here, through the Depaul website, or at various stockists across Belfast and Dublin (a list of which can be found here) including Clements Coffee shops, Head Belfast, Boojum, Dragon Records, Good Vibrations, Premier Record and the Rusty Zip. It's a minimum donation of £5/€6, which is an absolute steal for the cd which includes a set of unique note cards, designed by some of Depaul Ireland's service users during art sessions. So go on, scamper over there and get a copy of it now! It'll be your good deed for the day.
Links:
Depaul Website
Depaul Twitter
Depaul Facebook
Monday, 24 January 2011
The Rupture Dogs - gig review
Read my Rupture Dogs review from Animal Disco at Auntie Annies on Friday night over here at ATL! Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, GO ON!
I was quite pleasantly surprised by these lads. They have a lot more going on than just the loud, dirty rock thing. They have some really interesting moments that show quite a bit of depth and potential to carve out their own little niche in the rock scene here (and beyond, to be fair). Which is saying a fair bit, given that we've got so many decent loud rock bands (many of whom were representing in style on Friday night) in this tiny little country of ours, each doing their own thing and doing it damn well. And they've got a great stage presence - assured without being too cocky or arrogant, just getting on with doing their thing.
I'm very curious to see what happens next for them - I'll definitely be keeping an eye out.
I was quite pleasantly surprised by these lads. They have a lot more going on than just the loud, dirty rock thing. They have some really interesting moments that show quite a bit of depth and potential to carve out their own little niche in the rock scene here (and beyond, to be fair). Which is saying a fair bit, given that we've got so many decent loud rock bands (many of whom were representing in style on Friday night) in this tiny little country of ours, each doing their own thing and doing it damn well. And they've got a great stage presence - assured without being too cocky or arrogant, just getting on with doing their thing.
I'm very curious to see what happens next for them - I'll definitely be keeping an eye out.
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
NEDS - film review
NEDS stands for Non-Educated Delinquents – it’s the story of young John McGill, a bright and quiet boy growing up in 1970s Glasgow under considerable strain stemming from an abusive father, and being tarnished by the reputation of his older brother Benny, the local hardnut. He falls in with the wrong crowd and becomes one of said delinquents. At first glance, then, you might expect it to be ‘This Is Scotland, 1976’. Which, it sort of is, but also isn’t.
Director Peter Mullan employs a very realistic and almost naturalistic style throughout the film, from the cinematography to the acting. The cast are comprised of a bunch of unknown non-actors, which lends a stark rawness to the film that would be difficult to achieve any other way.
Glasgow looks very different to the depictions that we usually see on screen. Instead of a grey, miserable, dilapidated metropolis, there’s a lot of leafy greenery – lush gardens, estates surrounded by greens and stretches of grass and forest. This helps to draw us in, rather than reject the film as just another tale of violence and crime in the city.
So too does the humour in the film. There are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, and the young cast display expert timing. As the film goes on, however, the humour becomes progressively more and more jarring next to John McGill’s dark descent into sociopathy.
Definitely worth checking out, if you’re in the mood for a thoughtful, bleak, and provocative film, which will stay with you for quite some time.
If you want to see it, go to www.queensfilmtheatre.com and book tickets using the code ORLA10 for discount!
Fight Like Apes - gig review
And it seems that I also forgot to link up my ATL review of Fight Like Apes from before Christmas. Whoops. So there it is.
Anyone familiar with Fight Like Apes shouldn't be at all surprised to read that it was a brilliant gig. They never don't do brilliant gigs. They're one of my all-time favourite live bands, anywhere, for sure. If you manage to go to one of their gigs and come out anything other than a huge sweating, grinning, exhausted mess, then you're doing it wrong. They are more fun than should be legal, to be honest. Even though it was a really quiet night, numbers wise, thanks to the uncanny impression of Siberia that our climate was doing at the time, it didn't take long for everyone to let go and have an absolute ball.
And what I love about FLApes, aside from their absolutely cracking music, fantastic party atmosphere (I mean, they get people waltzing. WALTZING), boundless energy and enthusiasm and their consistency to always deliver, is that they seem so lovely. They have the whole crazy rock persona thing down, but they all - MayKay especially - just seem so nice and lovely and appreciative of their audience that you can't fail to be endeared. I mean, they gave a guy a present cos he was on his way to their cancelled gig in Derry the night before when he found out it was off, and managed to make it to the Belfast show instead after finishing work. That's the kind of gratitude and affection you don't often see from a band to their fans.
But, I could enthuse here about them all day, frankly, so I'll just leave it at that for the time being and save the rest for the next time I see them live!
Anyone familiar with Fight Like Apes shouldn't be at all surprised to read that it was a brilliant gig. They never don't do brilliant gigs. They're one of my all-time favourite live bands, anywhere, for sure. If you manage to go to one of their gigs and come out anything other than a huge sweating, grinning, exhausted mess, then you're doing it wrong. They are more fun than should be legal, to be honest. Even though it was a really quiet night, numbers wise, thanks to the uncanny impression of Siberia that our climate was doing at the time, it didn't take long for everyone to let go and have an absolute ball.
And what I love about FLApes, aside from their absolutely cracking music, fantastic party atmosphere (I mean, they get people waltzing. WALTZING), boundless energy and enthusiasm and their consistency to always deliver, is that they seem so lovely. They have the whole crazy rock persona thing down, but they all - MayKay especially - just seem so nice and lovely and appreciative of their audience that you can't fail to be endeared. I mean, they gave a guy a present cos he was on his way to their cancelled gig in Derry the night before when he found out it was off, and managed to make it to the Belfast show instead after finishing work. That's the kind of gratitude and affection you don't often see from a band to their fans.
But, I could enthuse here about them all day, frankly, so I'll just leave it at that for the time being and save the rest for the next time I see them live!
Whoops...
Yeah, so I was supposed to do a lot more of this blogging thing over Christmas. Perfect opportunity, I thought - write about all the Christmas movies that I love since I know them so well, I thought. Well, see what thought did? Yeah, not an awful lot.
It is my intention to try to get out a lot more this year and be a bit more social and get to more gigs and what not, so hopefully I will have a lot more motivation/impetus/reason to blog a bit. Maybe. Kinda. I hope.
In the mean time I leave you with this thought - the Black Eyed Peas need to be banished forthwith. I'm pretty sure that 'The Time' abomination is going to entrance me into a killing spree one of these days...
It is my intention to try to get out a lot more this year and be a bit more social and get to more gigs and what not, so hopefully I will have a lot more motivation/impetus/reason to blog a bit. Maybe. Kinda. I hope.
In the mean time I leave you with this thought - the Black Eyed Peas need to be banished forthwith. I'm pretty sure that 'The Time' abomination is going to entrance me into a killing spree one of these days...
Seven Summits - gig review
So, here's my review on ATL of Seven Summits from Friday night at Animal Disco in Auntie Annies.
First of all, I have to say that Animal Disco is really a cracking wee night. I can't say for certain without commissioning a full market research report, of course, but I'd imagine that the combination of DJs playing some class indie/rock/dance/hip hop type tunes with just a wee sprinkling of some magnificent cheese, with a local band on is a pretty good way of getting a few more folks involved in the local music scene and exposing them to gigs and bands that they might not be so fussed on ordinarily. It's a really great combination for a brilliant Friday night out, and creates a cracking party atmosphere. Also, playing Horse Outside = massive, massive win.
And onto Seven Summits. As I said in the review, they have a lot of promise. They're very together and assured on stage, and in Burning Heart they have one hell of a cracking single. It's catchy, it's radio-friendly - it's a gem, and if they can keep that sort of standard up they really should go far. But as their debut album contests, they are more than just a band who can crack out a decent wee indie pop tune here and there - they have a lot of depth, subtlety (sidenote: is it just me, or does that work never look like it's spelled properly?) and substance to them. They're definitely ones to watch for the future.
First of all, I have to say that Animal Disco is really a cracking wee night. I can't say for certain without commissioning a full market research report, of course, but I'd imagine that the combination of DJs playing some class indie/rock/dance/hip hop type tunes with just a wee sprinkling of some magnificent cheese, with a local band on is a pretty good way of getting a few more folks involved in the local music scene and exposing them to gigs and bands that they might not be so fussed on ordinarily. It's a really great combination for a brilliant Friday night out, and creates a cracking party atmosphere. Also, playing Horse Outside = massive, massive win.
And onto Seven Summits. As I said in the review, they have a lot of promise. They're very together and assured on stage, and in Burning Heart they have one hell of a cracking single. It's catchy, it's radio-friendly - it's a gem, and if they can keep that sort of standard up they really should go far. But as their debut album contests, they are more than just a band who can crack out a decent wee indie pop tune here and there - they have a lot of depth, subtlety (sidenote: is it just me, or does that work never look like it's spelled properly?) and substance to them. They're definitely ones to watch for the future.
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