Tuesday 20 March 2012

The Felice Brothers @ Koko, Mornington Crescent






Writing this some two weeks later, I can now recall quite a startling gig. The transition of The Felice brothers from the bar room band I heard at the Shepherds Bush Empire some two years earlier into this rocking band was complete.
The Greatest Show On Earth? Probably not, but getting close to it. But what is unusual about the band is that they a far greater than the sum of its part. Ian Felice, no great singer or even guitar player. Jimmy Felice, that great bear of a man on electric piano and accordion, Christmas, unremarkable bass guitarist and vocalist, Greg Farley, bar room violinist dub bass sequencer player, gone is the washboard, and finally the basic drummer, Dave Turbeville. But when they come together they are quite something else. It’s a bit like the change when Dylan went electric, but no calls of Judas from here.
The favourites were rolled out, Frankie’s Gun and Whiskey in my Whiskey sung along by the whole audience, James and Christmas sharing the singing duties, to spare Ian’s vocal chords? James electric piano covered in the pink FT making a political point, even Ian at one point was reading the paper on stage. A three song encore, including an excellent version of Springsteen’s Darkness On The Edge Of Town.
A good week later on Tobago I heard enough reggae to last me a lifetime, so I played Frankie’s Gun and Whiskey in my Whiskey to a couple of locals. They got it and they got the groove. A universal band indeed!
The photos were taken by a bog standard Fuji compact camera, I had no control over what it was doing and I did not like it.

Friday 16 March 2012

The Guard


Watched it on DVD as we failed to see it when it hit the big screen.
No idea why we didn't go.
Best film I have seen for some time.

9/10

Sunday 11 March 2012

The Artist


Finally decided to see what all the hype was about, and with five oscars under its belt some three weeks previous we expecting something great. So what did we get?
A sweet film, nothing more nothing less. Did Jean Dujardin deserve best actor, agaist other short listed artists of Gary Oldman and George Cloony, yes. (have not seen Brad Pitt's or Demian Bichir's performance) but Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier was far better.
Two very good cinematographic moments that cut like ice during the film, but other than that I can't say I was enthralled.
Thought the dog deserved the Oscar.
7/10