I approached this film with considerable trepidation. Most Rock bio pics are rubbish and shameless exercises in cashing in on the artist’s fame.
But while most rock and pop stars forge a living out of image and artifice, Dylan has always been an enigma, the polar opposite. He doesn’t care whether you buy his reords or go to his concerts because he is going to do them anyway, You have to be pretty good to get away with that- Dylan is.
Notoriously private, taciturn and opaque, beyond his music we know very little about the man himself. Folk rock trailblazer, motorbike accident, and that is about it. That is a huge advantage for the actor playing Dylan and the film itself, there is no detailed narrative to follow – they can make it up as they go along. Furthermore most of his contemporaneous artists are dead save Joan Baez, who receives gentle treatment, Ele Fanning artist sylvie Russo
In order for this work, Timothee had to inhabit Dylan, otherwise it would have been a documentary. Fortunately he is up to the task. The production is surprisingly big budget with the period sets lavish and the recreation of the Newport Folk festival convincing. Crucially the music is faithfully reproduced too
Mania Barbaro is superb as Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash as an artist receives a cameo too. Edward Norton gives an historically vital portrayal of Pete Seeger.Tom Mangold and Jay Cock share the writing credits and do a formidable job. Cocks screenwriting credentials are impeccable As a screenwriter, he is notable for his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, particularly The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York.The is also a writer for Rolling Stone bible of American Music. Cocks is everywhere here. Not only has he fashioned a compelling narrative, but it is backed up by some great reproductions of Dylans music too.
This review should be read as a companion piece to yesterday’s Nottingham review.
And so for the 46 mile yet meandering rural 90 min drive through the beautiful Peak District. A treat in itself.
“Sometimes I get the urge to move on- so I pack up my bags and move on”
The contrast in venues could not have been greater, the capacious impressive modern Royal Concert hall in Notttingham was built in 1982 and seats 2500. The ornate, quaint, compact Royal Opera house in Buxton was built in1903 and holds 902.
Buxton was still only the third night of the tour and the first on consecutive nights enabling the cast to establish both a groove and momentum. This is an intimate, in person show, and the compact surroundings immediately suited the performers.
The setlist was identical to Nottingham bar the withdrawn “Aladdin sane” which had previously segued into “life on Mars”. The latter benefitted from a stand alone presentation by long hair. The running time, including 20 minute interval is around 100 minutes and feels about right having already been pared back from the opening night. Much improved set changes and reduced breaks between songs aided the cause too.
The increase in confidence was palpable from everyone. X’s “Rock n roll Suicide” grew immeasurably. When originally, written it was a song of salvation to all teenagers navigating those turbulent years -“You’re not alone” Bowie reassured. Those same teenagers are now in their 60’s, and sitting in the audience, in place of teenage angst, they now contend with relationship breakdowns, the death of loved ones, and broken dreams ( as well as lives well lived). The cry, today, of: “you’re not alone” is no less heartfelt, and just as apposite.
Musically there had been a shift too. Guitarist Laura Browne is clearly a meticulous note picker, but tonight she cut loose, bending the notes on her solos, particularly on a splendid “Moonage daydream” and savouring her guitar hero moments like Earl Slick and Mick Ronson did.
Laura Browne in a Moonage Daydream
Similarly tonight Dave Rice’s fluid bass playing came to the fore, most notably during a sublime “Absolute Beginners”.
Once again Damon Oliver’s saxophone playing was a delight, making me wish that we could have heard him perform on “Sorrow” and “Man Who Sold the World”- but there is only so much time, although surely they could have squeezed in a 3.31 “Suffragette City”? ( perhaps as a final encore).
The uplifting “Heroes” final drew everyone to their feet after the sombre “Lazarus” and “Black star”, songs which Bowie himself never lived to play live. “Heroes “ has undergone a metamorphosis over the years. Originally a lovers’ lament, Bowie performed it at the 9/11 fundraiser and transformed it into a personal empowerment torch song, which was how our trio of Bowies (Sian Crowe, Elliot Rose, Greg Oliver) performed it on the night. The evening won a much deserved standing ovation
Another outstanding evening, I have seen the show twice, you need to see it at least once on the remaining dates at Glasgow/ Guilford/ Bath/Bournemouth/ Leicester / Northampton and London West End lyric theatre up to mid February 25.
The Bowie Show- Nottingham Royal Court and Concert hall, anonymous dancers! Created and directed by Simon Gwilliam. Produced by John Dalston and Simon Gwilliam
This was the second date on the show’s nine date soft opening provincial tour prior to the West End. The tour itself is ambitious, taking in several prestige UK venues .
What is it? It is not a platform for a tribute . It is presented as a musical juke box, with no narration and only incidental voice overs.
Myself with David Bowie ( aka Elliot Rose)
The primary problem facing any Bowie show is that his career lasted half a century. That creates an obvious casting problem. The 2022 Cher Musical revue had the same difficulty. Their solution was three Chers, The Bowie Show takes the same strategy and has three Bowies, but in two genders. This has enormous advantages in presenting the songs which they capitalise upon in some style.
However the star of the show is not one of the live performers, but instead backdrop video screens which provide a superb, creative supporting montage throughout the evening further avoiding the need for onstage props.
Supporting the onstage musicians are a troupe of dancers utilising a three level stage recreating a video feel- particularly efffective during “Ashes to Ashes”.
I am not going to provide a setlist, there needs to be some surprises when you see the show for yourself. Instead I shall pick out some personal highlights.
The three Bowies are all effective in the role. Having a female Bowie (Sian Crowe) is a masterstroke ,greatly enhancing most of the originals, she sets the tone with the inevitable opening “Space Oddity” and never relents, her poignant, plaintiff vocal part in her duet with Elliot Rose made “Absolute Beginners” the highlight of the second half. She looked stunning in a little black skater dress and courts- an outfit that David would have liked for himself! Rose is dynamic and energetic , at his best on “Rebel Rebel”
The surprise highlight of the first half was a barnstorming, dirty, rocking , “Cracked Actor”, from ace axe woman Laura Browne, emulating Mick Ronson and Earl Slick at their best ( and better looking too!) . The long haired, long limbed, Greg Oliver visually appears discordant on first appearance but offers compelling interpretations of the originals and is the perfect trio companion.
The electronic visual backdrops are integral to the show, courtesy of Billy Gwilliam. Its finest moment is for “Wild is the Wind” which is reimagined as a James Bond film theme – Crowe’s soaring vocals are perfectly underpinned by a rich, swelling soaring visual montage and a suitably floaty windswept dress.
Costuming is idiosyncratic, the band are “Backdrop dressed” while the dancers have often inspired costumes, the platform booted skinhead is hilarious.
While Billy Gwilliam impressed visually, so Alex Turney does a fine job as musical director and keyboard player. The arrangements, and rearrangements, are solid and convincing, Drummer Billy Stookes and bass player Dave Rice succeed with the fiendishly difficult time signatures in “Ashes to Ashes” and Damon Oliver defines “Absolute Beginners” with his sublime sax part ( assorted wind elsewhere). The sound was excellent. Loud when it needed to be but distinct and separated on the quieter numbers never drowning out the vocals. There were moments when backing vocals needed to be more prominent but that sort of detail will resolve itself as the tour progresses.
Catch the Bowie Show at: Buxton/ Glasgow/ Guilford/ Bath/Bournemouth/ Leicester / Northampton and London West End lyric theatre up to mid February.25.
A hugely enjoyable show, and a must or all Bowie fans
The home town gig of a British isles mini tour comprising Aberdeen, Buxton Glasgow Manchester, London and Dublin. He played in Buxton barely a year ago in Oct 23. Having grown up and gone to school locally I guess it is a chance for him to catch up with his friends, although his American links where and Scottish ones are equally significant. Strangely during the evening he never once name checks his local connections.
The Royal opera House is one of the most beautiful concert venues in England, a Victorian jewel nestled in the Peak District
WIth around seventeen albums to his name he has a burgeoning songbook and still writes prolifically. Consequently the chances of a fan encountering unfamiliar material are high, as are the chances of discovering previously unheard, or forgotten, gems. A Lloyd gig will never be predictable. The band is unchanged from the last tour, as is the format, Two sets, no support, loads of songs, mostly unchanged from last time, but with Wolves opening and Jennifer she said closing. “speedboat” makes a welcome return, “Charlotte st” doesn’t.
The setlist, pacing and timings are erratic. The first half starts at 19.30 and finishes at 2010, the second half commences at 20.30 and finishes at 2200.
Their significance is unknown, the first half does not require Lloyd to play bass guitar, the second half does played by a three-piece band comprising former Commotions and long-term collaborators Blair Cowan and Neil Clark along with drummer/percussionist Signy Jakobsdottir.
Wolves opens the show almost as a soundscape and is disarmingly effective. Therfeter Lloyd plays what he fancies without rhyme o reason., or theme. To the die hard fan this is a part of lloyd’s appeal, to the casual observer it can seem chaotic.
A feel good revue featuring one of the most prolific hits factories in popular music featuring classic songs , glittering costumes, dazzling dance routines produced with a live band on stage
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The hits keep on coming made famous by : Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, and many, many more.
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But more than anything this is a tribute to the man who made Motown – Berry Gordy .
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Friday night is party night in the UK’s Second City giving th performer a helping hand as the packed lower tiers danced the night away.
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This was the big show of the tour and at times the performers comprising four male singer, three female singers and four musicians struggled to make the leap from end of pier venues to this world famous one.
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The three women sang and danced better than the men and were far more convincing as the Supremes than the men were as the Four Tops. The men appeared more intent on personal vocal gymnastics than ensemble work with some of the harmonies poor and suffered from weak choreographed dance routines. The Jackson Five segment was embarrassing.
The girls found their groove early on with “Touch me in the Morning” and a crowd igniting “Chain Reaction” the boys struggled to sell the narrative of their songs as they sang them. “ Heard it through the grapevine” was the worst cover I have ever seen and heard( clapped star jumps mid chorus? – WTF) “Just my Imagination” and “Tracks of my tears” similarly misfired. However they stormed through “ This Old Heart of Mine” for their “Chain reaction” moment and the Four Tops segment was particularly strong, notably “ Standing In the Shadows of Love” but inexplicable missed out “Don’t walk away Renee”.
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Similarly the Stevie Wonder segment omitted “Uptight” and “Signed Sealed delivered I’m Yours. But did include a cringeworthy sunglasses moment for the blind performer.
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Bizarrely, the revenue from a healthy sized audience was not deemed enough to pay for an onstage brass section, although the podium was there with the keyboard player having to work doubly hard as a consequence a big black mark against the producers “ The Entertainers”.
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However the crowd loved it and were universally positive about the experience- for me though and the cognoscenti it was a case of what might have been
This was my first visit to Regent panto- it will not be my last
I review professionally taking in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Derby and Lichfield so have much to compare. this was the best panto of the season!
Kai Owen opens the show as(King Rat) and never relents from his dastardly enterprises, always loudly heckled by an affectionately hostile crowd of pensioners, parents and children- the Boothen End has nothing on this!
Christian Patterson stars as Dame. amidst a lavish set and costumes courtesy of the London Palladium . Although a children’s show, Stokies love a bit of sauce, naughtiness and innuendo, and the script provided it with spades.
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Imagine a male stripper night in Hanley, imagine a crowd of 1600, chanting “We want Dick” and you would be at the Regent!
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Gina Murray carried the songs with a great voice ,Samaria Castalello as Alice Fitzgerald was beautiful, asssured and sassy,Marlee Jay, as Tommy the Cat, was feline, funny and fertching. You just wanted to take her home and let her snuggle in your lap .
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Overflowing with greata songs and big production numbers the naughty jokes had the adults roaring the traditional children’s patter had the kids howling too. Being able to maintain a balance between entertaining the kids and the adults at panto is never easy- but the company pulled it off
The safe option. A traditional panto, at a traditional panto theatre, performed by an experienced traditional theatre company albeit with untraditionally climbing ticket prices.
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Firstly, a disclaimer, I have known the star, Dame Sam Rabone for fifteen years and have performed alongside him. He is a friend, however secondly I paid for my own ticket and those of ten of my family who accompanied me ( over £200) – so I can say what I want!
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Production values are high, the stage looks good, and the costumes are bright and shiny. Sam is a veteran Dame and holds the show together.
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There is always a story behind the story of a good panto . Jack returns after nine years. In this case it is writer and media polymath Paul Hendy and Evolution productions who have ten shows running UK wide simultaneously starring the likes of: Stephen Mulhern, Duncan James, and Shirley Ballas. Whilst Evolution guarantee a standard, there is plenty of room for local jokes ( the folk of Rugeley do not escape) and topical political gags.
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In a show in which we of course have a man as a dame . Jak is performed by a woman. However Becky Sanneh seems unsure whether this sis a girly jack, or a boyish jack and falls awkwardly in the middle. Ben Thornton appears as hapless son Billy giving us lenty of laughs, and Gill Jordan (previously known as her Black Country character, Doreen Tipton) is a pensioner Fairy Sugarsnap. As a pensioner myself I have nothing against employing pensioners but the role was clunky and poorly written, She deserved better.
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The star of the show was Joe Feeney as villain , ‘Luke Backinanger’, the giant’s henchman. Feeney’s performance is part camp, part psychotic murderer in waiting, and is magnificent.
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Act One starts with big production numbers but runs out of steam. Act two is a joy, with Dame Trott’s shower sequence the highlight. Although I have seen the ghost sequence dozens of times before, my grandchildren had not, and loved it. A rip roaring wedding finale had grandaugher Darcy dancing in the aisles to “Proud Mary”
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Christmas requires snow, Santa and a good pantomime. Lichfield Garrick did their bit
I feel unease about both the album itself, and listening to it nine years on from release.
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I am aware of no other major musical composer ( popular or classical) who composed and recorded his own epitaph, and then died. I am listening to it now as I write. The music and lyric is intensely personal. I do not see it as a gift. I see it as an unique valediction, unfettered by what others think, or might think. The music had no critical context, it is unsullied by the opinions of others. There is no edit, or 2017 remix.
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The title track soars like a spirit leaving the body while accompanied by a choir of mourners.
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It is not a collection that I listen to for pleasure or fun but from morbid, prurient, curiosity.
We all have our own personal tastes, and I respect those of others. Greatness is in the ear and eye of the beholder. For me David’s last great album was “Scary Monsters”. Blackstar the album is not in the same musical stratosphere. We are approaching the end of the great Pop and Rock era, great albums are in short supply. Frankly, much of what there is to be said through ther pop and rock medium has been said.
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There are some wonderful valedictions in the artistic world from authors, Orwells’ 1984, Hesses “Glass bead game and Wilde’s “Dorian Gray” spring to mind. In theu pop and rock era we are running out of heroes, and time. Maybe Gilmour, McCartney, Springsteen, Dylan, Young, Costello or more recently Taylor Swift will deliver?
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The tracks “Blackstar” and “Lazarus” are outstanding, the rest are not. The album is a dish served hot, cooked, and then to be consumed, not reflected upon. Not to be a allowed to go cold.
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For me the missing chapter from the Bowie story is what might have come- a completed 1984 ( with copy right restrictions now lapsed), or maybe something entirely new, an original musical perhaps?
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As a time served Bowiephile I have never felt obliged to like all of David’s output. Not even he liked all his own output!
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This is the sound of a man on his death bed, doing what he could with what he had, not the culmination of some great musical project, tinged with desperation and despair.
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Where the **** did Monday go?
Its nothing to me, there’s nothing to see. As he rushed to return to the English evergreens.
From an idea debuted at ghe Royal Albert hall forf the proms a reimagining of the classic soul sound with production values unlown and unheard of at the time of its inception, hosted by Stuart Maconie.
The first of five regional shows performed in the “heartlands” , starting in Wolverhampton where there had been a “legendary” club called The Catacombs, thereafter taking in London, Manchester, Sheffield and Gateshead .
The the live shows comprise 36 standards over two halves.
“It is music that it is impossible to be immune to,” he added.
Following the phenomenal success of the Northern Soul BBC Prom last summer at the Royal Albert Hall, writer and BBC Radio 6 Music broadcaster Stuart Maconie, alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra and Manchester composer and conductor Joe Duddell have taken the show on the road.
The five live shows will be in Wolverhampton, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Gateshead in April and May, the orchestra augmented by six extremely talented vocalists who took an elated audience on a trek back through time with all the classics, inclufing the soaring singalong chorus of “The Night, and “theres a Ghost in my house” a wonderful instrumental rendition of the Just Brothers’ Sliced Tomatoes (famously sampled on Fatboy Slim’s The Rockafeller Skank) and of course, the famous Wigan 3 before 8, Time Will Pass You By by Tobi Legend, Long After Tonight Is All Over by Jimmy Radcliffe, and I’m on My Way by Dean Parrish. Dobi Grays’s”out on the floor! was imperious.
Northern Soul Orchestrated took the audience on a trip back to the 1970s.
Of course, a trio of Northern Soul’s biggest gems were kept right until the end – the funky slice of R&B pop that is There’s A Ghost In My House, Gloria Jones’s incredible Tainted Love and Frank Wilson’s euphoric Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) topping things off.
An incredible night of incredible sounds from a scene that is as alive today as ever.
I first saw Lloyd with the Commotions at Wembley Arena when they were at the height of their fame. Beloved by the indy crowd and pushing into the Mainstream, but not quite cementing a place there. His status as a worthy singer songwriter was undeniable- his ability to front a rock band and all the songs was in question. The gig did nothing to answer the doubts. the best songs sounded great, the rest were lost in the unforgiving open spaces of the arena. Tonight the set was simple, no frills, just the music in one of the UK’s very best concert auditoriums
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Lyrically he is as dense, and obtuse, and inspired at times as Bob Dylan, but lacking the conviction and punch of Elvis Costello or Graham Parker whilst revelling in the wry word play so beloved of Neil tenant, his obvious contemporary peer was Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy, “National Express” could easily be a Cole song.
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His four piece band on the road (including himself on bass), was in support of his On Pain album. Starring Commotions co-founders Blair Cowan and Neil Clark, and Icelandic drummer Signy Jakobsdottir. and consisted of a semi-acoustic first part and an electric second half straddling material from his entire career.
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The Buxton opera House has always been a home town gig for him even though he moved to America to marry Elizabeth in 1989 and resides now in Easthampton Massachusetts. Whilst not established at the top table of rock and pop, none the less he has carved out a respectable career, always recording and touring and writing film soundtrack material. Tonight he name checked his English teacher, He grew up in nearby Chapel-en-le-Frith and went to New Mills Comprehensive School. In new York he worked with Fred Maher and Robert Quine of Lou reed and the Voidoids fame. I always have the sense that Cole harbour a desire to have been a part of that New York scene.
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What was the show like?
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To a die hard fan like me it was musical heaven. lloyd played what he fancied, how he fancied, with only a handful of classic favourites and the off beat treats served up in spades. That is what you get at a Cole concert. thirty two songs of them. Lloyd looked dressed as a waiter on cruise ship, with some of the delivery akin to a cruise ship house band at the worst, but generally with a smile on his face and his tongue in his cheek.
To the casual observer it was dreary, and lacked pace and dynamism and could not be saved by the gems. but this evening was for the converted, not a recruitment drive for new fans.
Garyswordz 