Tuesday 1 June 2010

Blogging on

I am in the process of moving over to wordpress:
www.helsbelstels.wordpress.com
Please come and find me there.

We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Going to Use it

Two things I learnt from seeing Fuzzbox last week:

(a) they are still a little bit rubbish
(b) I still fancy the little lesbian one (Although I wasn't sure she - or I - was in those days)

It was a really fun blast from the past. They seemed to much prefer - hurrah - singing their older punkier songs than the hits that made them famous International Rescue and Pink Sunshine.

Vix and Jo hadn't changed one bit but Maggie, bless her, looked like she was trying a bit too hard, and had stuck her finger in a plug socket.

We had a great night. and whilst I'm not convinced their comeback single - pop musik - is going to catapult them back into the spotlight. I would definitely see them again and would advice anyone else to do so.

Monday 26 April 2010

The only time I enjoy bouncy young men!

Last week I went to see the nice young boys - the f**k buttons. I have seen them a few times before but was a little worried about the fact that they were playing Koko. Had they got to big for their boots, would they still be enjoying themselves and bouncing up and down?

The good news it they were good, and they were bouncy. I thought they were the best ever actually, but maybe happy hour wine previously helped!

Later in the week I went to see some weirdness at the Roundhouse. it featured a tattooed woman, giving a talk about zombies, a contortionist and a vague attempt to saw someone in half. It was bizarre, probably quite crap really, but intriguing!

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Pirates is certainly back

I went to the wonderfully shabby chic Wilton Hall last week to see the all male version of Pirates of Penzance. Having never seen anything by Gilbert and Sullivan before I had no idea what to expect, especially as men played all the female characters.

I have to say it was amazing. The venue was small and the action took place everywhere without the aid of microphones. I have never heard a man with a falsetto like that of the leading lady. I was totally wowed. It was funny and touching, and there was never a dull moment.

We went home singing and then listened to it all again on Spotify!

Tuesday 6 April 2010

Debbie Harry gorgeous

A bit of buggery on a Sunday afternoon is not everyone's cup of tea but I went to see the exceptionally well executed play "Rip her to Shreds" at the Old Red Lion Theatre last week (http://www.icarustheatre.co.uk/shows/rip.html)

In the first few minutes - there weren't many people there, and the initial acting was a little shaky - I was a bit worried but once it settled down it was funny, sad and endearing all at the same time. It was a bit over the top in places but all in all I really enjoyed it and the brilliant support roles played by the mother, father and brother helped. It was made all the better by having a lovely meal in Cubre Libre afterwards and a full and frank discussion on the practicalities of the sex scene!

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Cultural girl about town

I've been pottering about like a little pottery thing lately and have been enjoying multiple visits to galleries, films and a random one day course on the Green Man. It must be Spring!

I went to see Alice in Wonderland, and it was all right. I think my expectations were so low by the time I went to see it that I took it all quite well. I wasn't very impressed with Alice, she seemed to suck all the joy out the film. Johnny Depp to seemed to be struggling. As for the White Queens eyebrows, well there is no need for that! She looked equally as unpleasant as the Red Queen, who I did like. Most of my love in this film goes to the animals, I liked the cat, the dog and the frogs! Don't bother though, really.

I then went to see a Guy Maddin double bill: Careful and the Saddest Music in the World, mental and marvellous are the only words I can find to describe these. Incest in the Alps and beer bathing singing contests are some more. Go and see them. I want to see My Winnipeg now.

Finally at the weekend I went to the Simon Anand exhibition at the V&A of photos taken before actors go on stage. It was wonderful and full of famous faces having a fag, putting on lippy, looking whimsical in grease paint. This was followed by Henry Moore at the Tate Britain. Who would've thought he was such a good artist. His war and mining pictures were amazing. It was really good to see a lot of his earlier and more random work. Shame you couldn't touch them though. I gave the one outside the Tate a big hug afterwards.

Monday 8 March 2010

Curiouser and curiouser

No its not the supposedly rubbish Alice in Wonderland! I went to the Old Red Lion to see a play called Alice's Adventures in the New World.

It had a brilliant summary on the promo info which made it essential viewing in my book:

It is 1882. You are a seventeen year-old girl and you have just discovered your deceased mother is still alive and living in America. You set off to find her and meet:


a) an artist with an opium addiction
b) a depressed Socialist preaching free love
c) a hypochondriac debutante
d) a cattle rustler whose four husbands have all mysteriously disappeared
e) Oscar Wilde

f) your mother or
g) all of the above.

If you get a chance you should really go and see it. With an all female, corset wearing cast - the male characters were distinguished by a paper moustache - its very clever and even breaks into a song and a little dance every now and again.

We were left a bit deflated by the ending but the journey itself was superbly acted, funny and touching.