Off Topic The Review Thread

A couple of things I've been to recently....

The Thursday before last I went with my son to see Mumford & Sons at the O2 (he was going with a mate who cried off on the day, so I stepped in). I've always liked the Mumfords, and this was an enjoyable night, albeit without getting my ultimate seal of approval. When I'm watching a band that I'm really enjoying, I find myself with a kind of involuntary silly grin on my face, but this didn't happen. Still very good though, although I think I would have enjoyed them much more in a smaller venue - Brixton maybe. The support act was interesting - a US singer called Maggie Rogers, who was a bit like Florence Welch with some Tim Booth dance moves. An excellent voice and great stage presence, but her material wasn't really strong enough.

Last night, my wife and I went to see The Comedy About a Bank Robbery at the Criterion theatre. It's by the Mischief Theatre group and we'd seen another of their productions, the Play That Goes Wrong last year. Both of these are very funny farce-type plays requiring incredibly good timing by the performers and very clever stage production. Some of the punning is cringeworthy (Uber would love it), but it's impossible not to get swept away by the pure nuttiness of the whole thing. On both occasions, there were moments when I was wiping away tears of laughter.

A bit about the venues, both of which I was visiting for the first time. The O2 is just too big for me (although the choice of bars and restaurants was quite impressive), whereas the Criterion was a really lovely, intimate theatre. Wherever you sit in the Criterion you are close to the stage - we were in the Upper Circle, but felt right on top of it. £7 a pint at the O2, which is a bit strong, but £19.50 for a decent bottle of wine at the Criterion, which was pretty good value.

 

It’s good to see someone using London as it’s meant to be used Strolls.

And entirely agree re venue size.

 

I went to the play that goes wrong earlier this year
I enjoyed it much more than the wife did but then again she doesn't like laurel and hardy either
You either like that style of comedy or you dont

 

Yeah, it's not for everybody, I suppose. I groaned inwardly at some of the more obvious stuff, but if you just go with it, it's hilarious. Very clever too.

 

Without diverting this excellent thread away from its original purpose, and politising it, this is the paragraph I associated with you Stroller...it's quite how I feel too, though I can't be bothered to get into deep debate about it with the the others on the Politics thread (my debating skills are all swear words and shouting which actually don't get very far!!) - Sorry Ellers, Goldie et al.....

"In 2018, with Brexit trudging dolefully closer like a house guest many of us don't want to see and most of the rest would rather not have over until the place is looking better, it's good to have Albarn back; if only for the fact that the whimsical, pre-millennial optimism of Blur's music seems somewhat anachronistic, now that the viral transmission of online dissatisfaction and rage means Britain's national identity appears to be that of a casino used for the playing of one single game of high-stakes, all-or-nothing poker."

 

I've been an Albarn fan throughout. I loved Parklife, but, as that quote suggests, the optimistic fun of that album seems like a lifetime ago.

(not the most fun track, but my favourite)

Later he wrote one of the most beautiful, painful love songs ever .

And now he's writing pointed, important, somewhat depressing political stuff (as you've already posted).

Pessimistic, but defiant!

 

It's a bit more realistic than "Strong and Stable"

 

Watching the Ballad of Buster Scruggs, latest film by the Coen brothers, on Netflix where it was released. I find the Coen brothers’ stuff a bit hit and miss, some brilliant, like The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men, others a bit too clever and stylised. Buster Scruggs has a bit of everything, 6 separate and unlinked stories set in the Wild West. First two stories, especially the first, of the quirky, stylised type, entertaining and funny. The last but one story, the most fully fleshed out one, very good. But the third and fourth (featuring an unrecognisable Tom Waits), both almost wordless (or without dialogue, you’ll spot it) are superb. The whole thing beautifully photographed and acted.

Recommended. These are not cheery stories though, especially 3 and 5.

 

Am I right in thinking you were going to see the Alabama 3 last week ?

 

Couldn’t make it, was with boy in hospital.

 

That’s a pisser mate, always a good gig when the Alabama 3 play.
I’m gonna miss their Shepherd’s Bush gig on Saturday ‘cos I’m working. Gutted

But at least I’ve got my ‘Specials’ ticket for next year

 

I was offered a ticket for Madness on Saturday but I’m up north getting the girl from Uni. I need to sort a few for the new year.

 

How’s your lad doing now, Stanners?

 

Thanks for asking Ubes. He’s doing fine, back to work today. Ear will look odd for a bit but much better than I was expecting, ribs still hurt, so on light duties.

I, on the other hand, have the hangover from hell, after an evening with a couple of mates from work in the Dun Cow, Durham. We forgot to eat. They both live relatively close but I have no idea how/if they got home. At least I only had a brief stagger to the hotel. Will I never learn?

 

Eatings cheating

 

Oh dear, know the pain well. I used to have a house on the outskirts of Durham, and that was one of our watering holes.....

 

I watched this last night and it made me ache for times gone by...….

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074f8x/the-story-of-fairytale-of-new-york

There is no better Christmas song.

 

I've just finished reading the latest novel by Jonas Jonasson - The Accidental Further Adventures of The Hundred Year Old Man - hilarious. If you've not read any of his books, they are well worth a read.

This is the second book featuring Allan Karlsson - in the first book he escapes from his nursing home on the day of his 100th birthday, ends up with a suitcase full of money and goes on the run from both criminals and the police - during his journey he recounts stories of his past and his brushes with people as disparate as Stalin, Mao, Eisenhower and Churchill and how he's been involved in some of modern histories greatest events! Now, in the second book, he's retired to an island in Indonesia, and his friend has bought him a balloon ride for his 101st birthday.....what could go wrong? Enter North Korea, Trump, Merkel, Putin and the Swedish Nazi revival party!!

Brilliant plot, the characters bungle along from one disaster to another. It's an easy read, possibly due to being translated from Swedish, definately not high brow. In all, he's written four books, all recommended.

 

Darwin in action?

Dingwall Pupils fall ill after drinking vaping fluid http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-46591746