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| INSIDE ISSUE NUMBER 11
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THIS WEEK'S HEADLINES
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READING
| MAGGIE O'FARRELL & RICK MOODY | | Tuesday 20 August (7pm) | | @ Waterstone's, 10-12 Islington Green, N1 (020.7704.2280) Tube: Angel |
| | Price: FREE |
| Links: My Lover's Lover Excerpt | MO Interview | RM Interview | RM On Salon.com | Guardian RM Review |
| The thing about writers is their voice... it's a strange idea when you realize that books are a silent medium. Yet great, even good writers are those with a voice of their own; it's still a cliche to say that great writers even speak for their generation. The thing is, they delve into those dark passages that we just skate over. Two such writers are Rick Moody
and Maggie O'Farrell. The former is now renowned for writing Ice Storm (which was made into the excellent film of the same name) and the latter, won an Orange Futures award, after her debut After You'd Gone, an innovative little novel of a young woman whose life spirals into a life-threatening crisis. Both of these writers' new books explore the dark nature of modern life, Moody's memoir The Black Veil
is a study of depression, addiction and anxiety while O'Farrell's My Lover's Lover works through relationships and love via clever writing. So if you think these voices speak for you or to you, catch them live...
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CONCERT
| MATTHEW & MINK LUNGS | | Wednesday 21 August (8pm) | | @ Water Rats Theatre, 328 Gray's Inn Rd., WC1 (020.7837.7269) Tube: King's Cross |
| | Price: general £5 | concessions £4 |
| Links: Mink Lungs | Interview | Review | Matthew |
| When people describe a band as eclectic, we usually think of hippie wasters smoking joss stick bongs with kazoos in their asses whilst trying to breakdance in a desperate attempt to be "different". Brooklyn's Mink Lungs are eclectic in the best way: naturally inventive and different without trying. Their seriously weird pop, art beat rock and roll is immediately capturing and incessantly exciting on record. Live, they get seriously twisted: hula-hooping, fake blood smattering, disco dunking fun, they are the sound of the good times. Tonight they support Chicago four piece Matthew, who are like Tom Waits
jamming with Radiohead. Get there early. | |
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CONCERT
| INTERPOL | | Thursday 22 August (8pm) | | @ 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane, E1 (020.7247.3293) Tube: Aldgate East/Liverpool Street |
| | Price: £8.50 |
| Links: 93 Feet East Site | Tickets | Interpol | Matador Records |
| If The Strokes are The Velvet Underground (via Blondie and a thrift store) and The Rapture
are Talking Heads, then Interpol are... Joy Division with better clothes. The darkly attired four piece's spiritual home seems to be less "The Big Apple" and more "The Big Wurst". Think the dark electro minimalism of Bowie's "Low" period - instead of the dirty hum of the yellow cab you have the Teutonic whirrings of the Autobahn. Their debut album The Bright Lights is a thrilling hybrid of gothic introspection and tension. Live they promise to be a low-key treat. Apply your eyeliner gently and your scowl fiercely.
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CONCERT
| MOLDY PEACHES | | Thursday 22 August (8pm) | | @ The Garage, 20-22 Highbury Corner, N5 (020.7607.1818 ) Tube: Highbury and Islington |
| | Price: £8.50 |
| Links: The Garage Site | Moldy Peaches | Interview | Review | Videos |
| After releasing their well received solo debuts, Kimya Dawson and Adam Green are back doing what they do best -- kicking it duo style. Mixing naive melodies with lyrics that are both touching and occasionally hilarious, the Moldy Peaches
(now augmented to a 6 piece with members of Stipplicon and Dufus
tagging along for the ride) play the Garage before taking their place at the Reading/Leeds Festival
next to close friends The Strokes. Their live shows are legendarily surrealist -- Dawson occasionally dresses as a Lioness (with full make-up and fright wig) and Green as Robin Hood, but it's the music that really makes them so memorable; all together now: "Who's got the crack...?"
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DESIGN / TALK
| J MAYS | | Thursday 22 August (7:15pm) | | @ Design Museum, Butlers Wharf, Shad Thames, SE1 (020.7940.8790) Tube: Tower Hill |
| | Price: general £10 | concessions £6 Design Museum Members |
| Links: Ford Exhibition | Design Museum | JM Interview | Time Article | BBC On UK Car Design | JM @ MoCA |
| The new Beetle - love it for its retro cuddle-car appeal or hate it for its lumbersome fat campness - it'll always get a reaction; the Ford Thunderbird - vrroom vrroom - and see them all swoon; the GT40 - mod new take on Ford's Le Mans race car and as irresistible and unattainable as Steve McQueen himself. These are cars that have all shaken up the auto world of late and the man behind them, J Mays, vice president of design at Ford (Ford now owns Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln
, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo), is now firmly devoted to his own retro-chic formula. It's not about recycling the past, he says, but tapping into emotional and nostalgic values. It's rare to find an automotive designer who so fully understands these values, and how they work. After launching the Ingeni Ford Design Studio in central London just weeks ago, Mays is now up there with the gods of all creation at the Design Museum.
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ART / FILM / TALK
| JONAS MEKAS | | Thursday 22 August (6:30pm) | | @ ICA Cinema 1 & 2, Nash House, The Mall, SW1 (020.7930.3647) Tube: Charing Cross/Piccadilly |
| | Price: general £6.50/£4.50 members | concessions £5.50 |
| Links: ICA | JM Site | Filmography/Videography | Interview | Build Your Own Mekas Manifesto |
| If you missed the films and talk by Jonas Mekas at the Photographer's Gallery on Wednesday (and you probably did as it sold out), then try again at the ICA. Mekas will be talking about his life and work, which are pretty much the same thing, and then showing two of his films:
Casis (US 1966 4 mins) and Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania (US 1950-71 /1972, 82mins). Whether or not you like his work, the talk promises to be fascinating: the Lithuanian born New York 'godfather of film art' is or was on drinking terms with Alan Ginsberg, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, John Lennon, Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac... One to include in your Fantasy Pub Eleven. | |
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ART / FILM / TALK
| LENI RIEFENSTAHL - 100 | | Thursday 22 August (7.30pm) | | @ The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury WC1 (020.7833.3644 ) Tube: Russell Square |
| | Price: general £6 | concessions £5 |
| Links: The Horse Hospital | LR US Site | LR German Site | Leni Documentary | PBS On Leni |
| Infamous for her role as a pre-eminent film maker in Nazi Germany, Leni Riefenstahl gets a full, seven course digestion at the Horse Hospital in honour of her 100th birthday. But it is unclear whether a dedicated evening at a hipster "Chamber of Pop Culture" will heighten awareness of her or place her even more firmly on the fringes of cultural history. Perhaps a bit of both, depending on who you are. The evening's programme certainly runs the cinematic gamut: in addition to extended clips of Triumph of the Will (her film of the 1934 Nuremberg rallies) and Olympia (her 1936 Berlin Olympics film), it includes a short from 1929, The White Hell of Pitz Palu, starring Leni herself, along with interviews from 1972 and 1976. Pity Leni won't be there in the flesh. The evening is presented in conjunction with Gavin Collinson, a film historian from the BBC, who will lead a discussion afterwards. | |
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DESIGN / FILM
| EAMES MINI-RETROSPECTIVE | | Friday 23 August (11:30pm also on Saturday 24.08) | | @ Curzon Soho, 93-107 Shaftesbury Ave., W1 (020.7439.4805) Tube: Leicester Square/Piccadilly |
| | Price: general £5 | concessions £4 members |
| Links: Curzon | Eames Info/Videos/Images... | Eames Demetrios | Architecture Week Article |
| What we seem to forget in our newly sanitized ideas of the 1950s -- a la Grease and American Graffitti -- is that design was undertaking a huge revolution. Industrial advancements in material were trickling through architecture to design, but more importantly there was a wholesale rethinking of space and how we interact with it. The husband and wife architectural team of Charles and Ray Eames
are probably best known in Europe for their furniture -- those classic 1950s plywood chairs. In fact, the 1949 Los Angeles-based Eames office was their own case-study house. Another aspect of their creativity was their film-making. Despite their residing near Hollywood, their films were more innovative and witty. Powers of Ten and Kaleidoscopic Jazz Chair are so inventive that they seem made for Sesame Street -- children really do have that sense of awe that we've lost. If you want to see free-roaming intelligence at work check out these movies.
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DJ
| LEKTROLAB2.0 | | Friday 23 August (8pm - 2am) | | @ Public Life, 82a Commercial St., E1 (020.7375.2435) Tube: Liverpool Street |
| | Price: FREE |
| Links: Public Life |
LektroLAB is back for more with version 2.0. Abbie, Lee and Emma (aka lektrogirl), the girls behind the event at Public Life, offer up a wicked selection of party tunes, synth and pop. Tonight the guests are B-Lo, throwing a blend of "electro-cultural crash with a tacky latin flavour into the mix" and direct from Brussels "the King of Electro-Disco" Daryl Frigobox. Also part of the programme is a break-dancing competition with a backdrop of original visuals by Jules Nurrish. On Saturday (24.08) lektroLAB are hosting one of their workshops -- the aim is to demystify the whole DJ process and show that DJing is accessible to anyone willing to put in the practice... With a special emphasis on female DJs, these girls will show you exactly how it's done.
NB: On Saturday 24.08, lektroLAB are hosting one of their workshops | |
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CLUB
| THE HAYWIRE SESSIONS | | Friday 23 August (11pm - 6am) | | @ a secret London location |
| | Price: £10 |
| Links: Haywire | Control Tower Records | The Light Surgeons |
| If you like your electro and like your nights out to be on the slighty seedier side then down in the secret bunker, The Haywire Sessions is a night not to be missed. Strictly not for those whose ideal is to slink around in their latest garb in plush surroundings - just a load of people in two rooms who are there for the music and to have a good time. Tonight in Room One Keith Tenniswood's new project Control Tower Records are in charge, with Tokyo Windbag and the Kansas City Prophets live, as well as sets from The Dexorcist and Tenniswood himself (who totally blew everyone away the last time he played here). Over in Room Two, Mat Carter is playing alongside Mr Haywire himself, Andrew Weatherall, with visuals courtesy of the Light Surgeons. Shunning the glamour of the so-called superclub, this is truely one of the great clubs of the moment, playing fantastic new music to an appreciative crowd in a deep down and dirty location.
Tickets are available from Rough Trade, Smallfish, and Bi Wire 020 7377 6060. | |
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ART
| GILBERT & GEORGE | | Saturday 24 August (Daily 10am - 6pm; Fri till 10pm) | | @ The Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, W2 (020.7402.6075) Tube: Knightsbridge/Lancaster Gate |
| | Price: FREE |
| Links: Serpentine | White Cube | Review of Dirty Words | G&G Article | Art Forum Review of The Words of G&G |
Black, white and red all over, this summer the walls of the Serpentine Gallery have been strewn with expletives. Ripped off the graffiti-ed city surface of London's East End during the mid-seventies, Gilbert & George's
photographic images powerfully juxtapose swear words and slogans with aspects of sociological turmoil. Each piece has been constructed almost as a modern-day stained glass window, from which the two artists peer out, piously surveying a city where repressed desires rise to the surface through the hand of the individual in an attempt to break free of a "Fucked Up" system. Brought together in 1977, the year in which punk was born, The Dirty Words Pictures have not lost their resonance as works of extraordinary political and emotional intensity.
NB: This show ends soon -- Sunday 01.09 -- make sure you see it
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CLUB / DJ
| SIGNAL | | Sunday 25 August (10pm - 5am) | | @ The Rhythm Factory, 16-18 Whitechapel Rd., E1 (020 7375 3774) Tube: Whitechapel/Aldgate East |
| | Price: general £14 | concessions £10 |
| Links: XLR8R on Atkins | Virgin Atkins Interview | Wired Atkins Interview | Discography | Vaz Streams |
| Every Wednesday, anti-industry internet broadcasters Signal mix up electro, techno, dub and glitch and send it down the lines and around the world. Tonight, residents Lakuti, Axon and Portable are doing it in the flesh at one of London's best kept club secrets, the Rhythm Factory, with tech-electro evangelist Andy Vaz of Background Records, and techno visionary Juan Atkins (aka Cybotron, Model 500 and Infiniti) headlining the night. Tickets are available from Rough Trade, Smallfish, Eukatech
, and Flying Records.
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CLUB / DJ
| LOST | | Sunday 25 August (10pm - 6am) | | @ TBD - call 020.791.0402 / 07956.497.702 |
| | Price: TBD - call 020.791.0402 / 07956.497.702 |
| Links: Lost | Article On Lost | Axis Records |
"Can you believe we've had some ten years of losing it?" Of course you can, some of us need no excuses and have lost both our time and our possessions at these events. But one thing that you can always guarantee is that you're going to find more friends at Lost than you could ever lose, as this gig has been bringing people back together time after time, year after year. And, this is going to be one of the biggest parties of the summer... in the red room, Jeff Mills, whose name is synonymous with techno music throughout the world returns ten years later to the gig where he made his UK debut. He's joined by Fumiya Tanaka who holds the techno torch in Japan, together with Steve Bicknell, Mumagi Du-Kru (live), and John, guaranteeing a pretty hard evening. In the blue room, both Colins Dale and Faver, pioneers of dance music are spreading the word, and Mario whose life as a DJ started at Lost, completes the funkier line up. We think you should definitely find yourself there!
NB: To find out where the venue is, the time and how to get tickets call 020.791.0402 / 07956.497.702
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FILM
| RIFIFI | | Monday 26 August (Check Press for Details) | | @ Check Press for Details |
| | Price: Check Press for Details |
| Links: London Cinemas Screening Rififi | New York Times article on Rififi |
A roguishly dashing leading man, a band of criminal buddies, a sexy chanteuse and a tense jewel heist. These may be the classic details of many a film noir, but one stands out as a superlative example: Rififi. Released in 1954, Rififi's snappy pace, dry humour and schadenfreude feel surprisingly contemporary - or could it be another case of today's film-makers mimicking something perfected half a century ago? Rififi's American director Jules Dassin moved to the outskirts of Paris in 1949 after being blacklisted in Hollywood, and this was his first film in exile. Rififi itself has had a similarly cloistered history. Its release was banned in many countries, some say because the centrepiece, a 30-minute robbery sequence shot without dialogue and music, would provide too much information for would-be thieves. And for decades after, one could only hope to come across a copy on video - despite it being lauded by people like Truffaut for being "The best film noir I've ever seen". The release of this new print is a plum opportunity to see it for yourself.
NB: Rififi is playing at selected cinemas all over London until the end of the month -- check press for details | |
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FILM / Q&A
| INSOMNIA | | Tuesday 27 August (6.30pm) | | @ National Film Theatre, South Bank, SE1 (020.7928.3232) Tube: Embankment/Waterloo |
| | Price: general £17.50 | concessions £12 |
| Links: NFT | Insomnia Site | Unofficial Nolan Site | Various Nolan Interviews |
Insomnia was a Norwegian film made in 1997, featuring Swedish heavyweight actor of international fame Stellan Skarsgaard. A Norwegian film is small by definition - and considering this, Insomnia was huge. A Hollywood remake was inevitable, and who would be better than modern film noir director Christopher Nolan of Memento
(you remember - the film about the memory loss...) fame to tackle this intricate exploration of characters and their environment. Nolan now seems to been working within the Hollywood environment (obvious considering the cast which includes Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank), so for those who consider the original too stylistic and slow, it is doubtful this remake will leave you with the same sentiment.
NB: This screening will be followed by Q&A with director Christopher Nolan
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ART
| TILL EXIT | | Ends Sunday 1 September | | @ Matt's Gallery, 42-44 Copperfield Rd., E3 (020.8983.1771) Tube: Mile End |
| | Price: FREE |
| Links: Matt's Gallery | strahlung.en |
| There is no place for sunlight at Matt's Gallery this summer, where heavy white doors close onto the cool concrete-floored room which is strahlung.en:an environment created by the Leipzig-based artist Till Exit. Vaguely reminiscent of former East Germany's industrial past, the sharp interrogatory glare of a few hanging bulbs pierces the overall greyness. Hazy beams emanate from a projector, and two monitors placed behind sliding glass panels divide the space. As the monitors flicker a grainy abstraction, projected images of the space have been inverted and at times repopulated with a silent nostalgic progression of semi-recognisable figures. These previously filmed images move in a constant upward motion, as they transport the onlooker in an imaginary glass elevator, from the past, into their own ascension in time. | |
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CLASSICAL MUSIC
| BERLIN PHILHARMONIC | | Ends Friday 11 October (7:30pm on Friday 11.10 & Saturday 12.10) | | @ Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, SE1 (020.7960.4203 or 4242) Tube: Embankment/Rail Waterloo |
| | Price: from £15 to £75 |
| Links: Royal Festival Hall Site | Tickets: Friday 11, October | Tickets: Saturday 12, October | SSR Interview |
| Something that should be truly memorable is coming up at the Royal Festival Hall on October 11th and 12th. Sir Simon Rattle
brings the Berlin Philharmonic to London for two concerts: Schoenberg and Bruckner on Friday the 11th, and Haydn and Mahler on Saturday the 12th. Rattle, 47, was elected as Artistic Director of the Berlin Phil by the players themselves and has just taken up this hugely prestigious post. Bringing this legendary orchestra to London will be a very special moment for Rattle, and they're sure to give of their awesome best. Rattle is famous for his Schoenberg, and the Saturday night juxtaposition of Haydn 88
and Mahler 5 almost defines the word "symphony". Tickets are selling fast.
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ART
| IN YOUR TIME | | Ends Thursday 29 August (Tue - Fri 11am - 6pm & Sat 11am - 3pm) | | @ Percy Miller Gallery, 39 Snowfields, SE1 (020.7207.4578) Tube: Borough/London Bridge |
| | Price: FREE |
| Links: Percy Miller Gallery | WS Info/Images | Essay on WS | MVE Images |
| At Percy Miller Gallery, along the river bank from Tate Modern and tucked away behind London Bridge station is In Your Time, an very cool exhibition of figurative paintings and drawings by Tom Ellis, G-Brecht, Keith Roberts, Paul Ryan, William Steiger and Marcel van Eeden. This is the first time van Eeden has shown his work in London, and is here represented by a group of graphite drawings featuring images as diverse as burning buildings, landscapes and bar and restaurant interiors. Tom Ellis paints directly from small constructed models exhibited here with the completed paintings, and forming a triangular narrative with the title of each painting and its model. Exploring boundaries between abstraction and narrative description, New York artist William Steiger reduces images of progress and technology to line, tone and colour. The show is worth a visit in its own right, impeccably installed and concise, or why not drop in here on your way to the expanses of Tate Modern.
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GROOVETECH STREAMS
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ELECTRO:
Obsessive Sessions with Richard Sen |
DRUM & BASS:
Hospital presents London Elektricity
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ELECTRONIC/BREAKS:
Wordplay/Source present Blowfelt
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London's Groovetech rule the Internet airwaves with
their world class live DJ broadcasting. As our resident DJs, they will
be delivering you three specially selected streams direct to your inbox
every week. As well as these, there are also live streams from
around the world and a massive archive to check out at
groovetech.com.
Now is probably a good time to check out the Groovetech Shop
where their coveted back catalogue vinyl is available at massively reduced
prices as part of their summer sale.
You'll need the Real
Audio player to listen to the streams. If you don't already have it, get it here.
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BOOK REVIEW
Creative Advertising
Ideas and Techniques from the World's Best Campaigns
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Ever wondered about the art of advertising, what are the secret ingredients of a successful campaign, how the pros do it? Well, Creative Advertising explains all... and unravels the creative process behind some of the world's most original and innovative campaigns of recent years. Published four months ago, this book showcases over 300 examples of international advertising at its very best. A must-have for anyone involved in the industry but also anyone involved in the visual communication of good ideas, and curious about advertising, be it in print, tv or film. All the big agencies are included from Grey to J. Walter Thompson
to Mc-Cann-Erickson
to Ogilvy & Mather to Saatchi & Saatchi
to TWBA/Chiat/Day... to smaller firms such as Mother and Sagmeister.
Giveaway: We have one copy of Creative Advertising to give away. It'll go to one randomly picked winner who can tell us which US company is responsible for most of Nike's campaigns (hint: think J.F.K.).
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| STAFF |
Julien Dobbs-Higginson, Andreas Hesse, Iain Macleod, Simonida Tomovic, James Waite
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| CONTRIBUTORS |
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Malika Browne, Chris Clarke, Charlotte Dobbs-Higginson, Claire Easterman, Priya Elangasinghe, Emma
Elia-Shaul, Melissa Firth, Amit Green, Eamon Hamilton, Chris Harman, Clifford Leo Harris, Marine Hugonnier, Magnus
Larsson, Ingrid Lunden, Perry Mason, Sarah McDermott, Jo Osborne, Kevin O'Sullivan, David Rhodes, Graeme Ross, Ingvild Rytter, Sherman Sam, Charlie Sorrel, Henrietta Thompson, Jane Tobin, Mo White
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| HOSTING |
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Our flexible hosting is courtesy of ChariotWeb.
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| ABOUT US |
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Kultureflash is a free, weekly newsletter covering happenings and openings in and around London.
Each week we track down some of the most interesting and unusual events taking place in the capital
and deliver them straight to your inbox. Featuring art, gigs, films, talks, clubs and more - we are
committed to bringing you an eclectic mix of the best of what's on in London. If you want to tell us
about an upcoming event please do so by sending us an email: events@kultureflash.net. Questions,
praise and or criticism: feedback@kultureflash.net. We do not share subscriber information or email
addresses with any third party without first receiving your consent.
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