New Music Reviews
Singles and Downloads 2Tuesday, 01 December 2009
Rihanna, Russian Roulette (Mercury) I strongly suggest anyone who believes the sound of US mainstream pop is somehow homogenised and safe take another look at the current charts. Standing over them like android colossi are Lady Gaga and Rihanna - who not only look exactly as pop stars were always going to look "in the future", but sound apocalyptically insane. This song is in the standard melodramatic modern power-ballad style of writer/producer Ne-Yo, but... Read more...
|
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cadogan HallTuesday, 01 December 2009
Little, it seems, falls beyond the musical compass of Ryuichi Sakamoto. After cutting his teeth with synthpop pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto branched out like a one-man synthesis of Messrs Byrne, Bowie and Eno, investigating world and renaissance music, chamber pieces, orchestral works and movie soundtracks. Read more... |
Lily Allen, 02 Academy BrixtonFriday, 27 November 2009
It’s girls’ night out. Walk in, the waves of scent and hairspray go right up your nose. And now here’s Lily, sloping on with a half-blonde half-black hairdo like a cross between Nancy Sinatra, an Afghan hound and a very pretty Jimmy Savile. As she crosses the Vegas-style stage, there’s even a touch of Wendy Richard about the high-pitched squeak and bum-wiggling dance. She’s wearing a tiny black sequined number and suggestive seams, and after a lame "Hello London! Read more... |
Malcolm Middleton, Hanbury Club, BrightonThursday, 26 November 2009
"Welcome to the second night of my depressing acoustic tour," said Malcolm Middleton by way of introducing his set. The statement plays on his well-established reputation for miserabilism. Later on he asked the audience, "Enjoying yourselves?" to which a smattering of "yeahs" could be heard. "Then I'm not doing my job properly," deadpanned Middleton. Read more... |
Lisa Hannigan, RFHMonday, 23 November 2009
Charm. Lisa Hannigan has it in bucketfuls. An unusual charm, like her unique take on her self-styled “plink plonk rock”. Something homely, warm and very unshowbiz. Whereas her American counterparts might lose themselves in fad diets and obscure activism, Hannigan knits and writes blogs on her favourite recipes. She shouldn’t be a pop star at all. One might be tempted to describe her as being “girl next door”, except nobody really lives next door to anyone this cute and talented. Read more... |
Trouble Tune: Bass Clef, Geiom, London Improvisers OrchestraMonday, 23 November 2009
There are occasional days when the Royal Festival Hall really feels like the people's palace it was always meant to be – and yesterday, with its free concert of live improvisation mixed with dubstep and electronica in the RFH bar, was absolutely one of them. Rave kids, pensioners, parents with babes in arms and some particularly energetic school-age children all proved that given the right context music the border between “challenging” music and entertainment is... Read more... |
Esperanza Spalding, Ronnie Scott'sMonday, 23 November 2009
Watching some jazz musicians play live, you're made acutely aware of the intense effort that goes into their performance. Read more... |
Gwilym Simcock, Queen Elizabeth HallSunday, 22 November 2009
Melodically rich, harmonically daring, rhythmically subtle, pianist Gwilym Simcock's quartet piece, “Longing To Be”, which kicked off last night's Queen Elizabeth Hall gig was one of the most jaw-dropping performances I've heard at this year's London Jazz Festival. Read more... |
Transglobal Underground, RichmixSunday, 22 November 2009
Why aren’t more bands like Transglobal Underground? This is not a fatuous question. After all, we live in a joyously multicultural society so one would expect more ethnic influences would have seeped into the mainstream by now. But no, apart from some African guitar riffs adding a veneer of ethnicity to the occasional white college-boy rock group, and some bangra beats spicing up the odd dancefloor hit, the UK and US pop scene seem on the whole to remain hermetically sealed against such... Read more... |
Gilberto Gil, RFHFriday, 20 November 2009
The last time I saw Gilberto Gil play he was performing high-energy reggae with an electric band. Last night, though, it was an autumnal, acoustic trio full of ... Read more... |
Pages
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
latest in today
Carmen, Glyndebourne review - total musical fusion
It’s what you dream of in opera but don’t often get: singers feeling free and liberated to give their best after weeks of preparation with a...
The Great Escape Festival 2024, Brighton review - a dip into...
Before reviewing The Great Escape, we must first deal with the elephant in the room. Or, in this case, the room that’s crushing the elephant, like...
Fawlty Towers: The Play, Apollo Theatre review - lightning s...
There are many definitions of bravery, and taking on the challenge of embodying John Cleese as Basil Fawlty in Cleese’s own stage...
Laufey, Royal Albert Hall review - fans in heaven
In many ways, Laufey’s emotionally charged, sold-out...
Bermondsey Tales: Fall of the Roman Empire review - dirty de...
What with the likes of Sexy Beast, Layer Cake, The Hatton Garden Job and the oeuvre of Guy Ritchie, the...
Album: Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft
So Billie Eilish’s new album has had its worldwide midnight release,...
Dunedin Consort, Mulroy, Wigmore Hall review - songs of love...
The sixteen voices of the Dunedin Consort raided the large store of music inspired by the Song of Songs and the sonnets of Petrarch in a sensual...
People, Places and Things, Trafalgar Theatre review - a scin...
It’s unusual for a play to be revived with its original director and star, let alone a decade after they premiered the piece. But here we are,...
Withnail and I, Birmingham Rep review - Bruce Robinson’s 198...
Let’s put our cards firmly on the table here. I am a big fan of Bruce Robinson’s cinematic masterpiece about two out-of-work actors who live in...
Jack Doherty, Soho Theatre review - warm and witty childhood...
For fans of a certain age the name Jack Docherty will always be associated with a very good run of chat shows on Channel 5; he was also the star...