PrettyInScarlett

Wolverhampton may not be the most exciting place to be, but it certainly gained some sparkle on 4th November as Sigur Rós came to town. M and I have been waiting for a while for this show, and it was more than worth the wait! A packed-out Civic Hall first showed their appreciation for fellow Icelandic band For a Minor Reflection , who from their chat are new to large shows. Initially I was a bit underwhelmed by this 4 piece, but they grew on me. Most of the crowd seemed to know them or had at least checked out myspace, as the short set was well received. No tardiness for Sigur Rós, they came on prompt at 9pm and played for 2hrs 45 minutes. No slouching on quality either, the sound set up was very good and there was some innovative use of two projectors and backdrops; at one point, there was a projection from various cameras set at or underneath the instruments! The lighting had been set up for maximum atmospheric effect, starting off with subdued yellow lights so the stage was very di...

Taking a day out from a very busy music weekend, all sorts of new experiences! Thursday, M and I ventured to the Wales Millennium Centre for a somewhat unusual (for us, anyway) evenings entertainment from Welsh National Opera. The first half of the performance was a performance of Prokofiev’s orchestral score to Eisenstein’s 1938 Russian film Alexander Nevsky. The story of the film centres on Nevsky, the Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir in the 13 th century. The film is a portrayal of Russia under and fighting Mongols in the east and Germans in the west [a very suitable accompaniment to recently released Sergei Bodrov film Mongol, then], and is apparently an impressive work, although I haven’t seen it (very tempted now, though!). Prokofiev’s work (reworked for voice and orchestra after the release of the film), is very good, although from some of the lyrics it is obvious that the film, and score, was written in 1938 –very nationalistic and, according to M, labouring the point ...

2008 already! Time flies and all that.... and lots of fun had in 2007. The best gig of the year may have to go to The Who, although lots close followers! Some of the up 'n' coming people were the best, such as Hedrons, Remi Nicole, Newton Faulkner; and of course Jeff Scott Soto and Misty's Big Adventure were both fab as ever. Great(est) atmosphere has to go to Skid Row (again) and Alabama 3's send-off gig at the Coal Exchange. Definitely not to Cardiff Calling! This year? The 'big gig' (so long to wait) is Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band at Cardiff Millennium Stadium, all the way in June. Hooray! The first 'discovery gig' booked so far is Tegan & Sara who are at the Point in March. Heard them on 6Music a while back & looking forward to more. New discoveries? A review in Observer Music Monthly led me to 17 Hippies and their latest release 'Heimlich'. Low-fi originality galore in this mix of French, German & English songs, trul...