Gill Landry and Ian Felice at The Borderline. The Borderline used to be an endearingly scruffy little venue, not out of place amongst the shabby streets around Soho. As development began in earnest, the basement venue became increasingly fragile looking so its smart overhaul in March this year is very welcome, especially the cosy seating…
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Things have been a bit quiet at Gourmet Gigs while I’ve been visiting southern Spain. But as chance would have it, we were invited to a local music festival called Deltirón in the breezy, friendly coastal city of Cádiz. I swapped a lifetime of damp festivals on home turf for one with palm trees, enviably…
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There is barely a moment, whether it be a fashion movement or a colourful cake, that doesn’t find itself Instagrammed to death these days. How different were those post-war decades as British society dusted itself down and embraced a changing world – buildings, furniture, tribes, fashion, music, food and holidays, so much was temptingly on…
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I posted this in 2017 but its message sadly rings truer than ever. “This is a place for music lovers. If you want to talk to your friends when the bands are on, please use the other bar.” The above sign is plastered prominently on the venue door at The Trades in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, one of…
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This year was the 15th anniversary of Green Man, the bucolic festival set in the Brecon Beacons. It is – since the demise of Big Chill – my favourite festival venue, with its lush mountainous setting and main stage framed dramatically by the Black Mountains. For those short of stature (like myself), you’ll always have…
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Review of Leftfield ‘Leftism’ at Bluedot festival, by Nicholas Mai “Come on Tom, let’s go and see some proper music”. And so the uncertain eight-year(ish) old boy dutifully follows his father into the tent where Leftfield are warming up the crowd nicely as the first of the big name opening Friday acts at this year’s Bluedot…
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Bluedot festival at Jodrell Bank is a perfect mix of music (spacey electronica mostly) with science, space and techie workshops and talks.
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Joy Division and New Order have had a profound effect on the creative arts, inspiring not only musicians but artists, writers, illustrators and film makers. Their visual legacy is now being documented in a new exhibition opening in Manchester as part of the Manchester International Festival (MIF17). Taking place at Manchester Art Gallery from 30th…
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I am thrilled to announce a whole day of music on two stages – Crouch End Festival’s very own Music Day on the 11th June.Head for the green outside Hornsey Town Hall. And there’s an extra Music Night on Thursday 15th in the Supper Room in Hornsey Town Hall. I have had a hand in…
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Waiting to Exhale: a creative exploration in response to Brexit A suburban house turned into an experimental and beautiful space for the creation of project-based art, this is the essence of Space 36, in Finsbury Park, north London. In 2016, the owners of the house, Ahmed Farooqui and Alan Swann, held an exhibition which they chose…
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