“It's a funny old thing”, says Polly Paulusma, talking about the urge to write songs. Paulusma, who started learning the piano at the tender age of three, wrote her first song at the age of ten. Very young, I suggest, to which she furrows her brows slightly and responds “I think a lot of people […]
“But then or now, decent underwear or none, wild women never could hide their innocence – a kind of pity kitty hopefulness that their prince was on his way. Especially the tough ones with their box cutters and dirty language, or the glossy ones with two-seated cars and a pocket-book full of dope. Even the […]
Ben Perri is coming down with a bad cold. “I'm good”, he says on meeting, in response to a formal “How's it going?”, then pauses, and admits “Actually, I feel like shit. I'm coming down with the flu or something”. For most singers, a couple of days in to a tour, this is bad news, […]
Slow ripples of interest have been spreading about Blanche, a quintet from Detroit formed around the nucleus of Dan John Miller's songwriting. Some interest has come from the White Stripes connection – Miller played in Two Star Tabernacle, with the Stripes' Jack White, who guests on Blanche's debut album – but just as much interest […]
Second Album from the California obsessed Irish band.
“Part of it is to get out from under the idea that this is all mythical” says Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes, speaking from the headquarters of Organs Watch, an organisation founded in 1999, operating out of the University of California, and with a research presence in over a dozen countries . Indeed, the myths surrounding organ […]
David Lane's book Berlusconi's Shadow was to originally have been titled The Sinister Nexus, until a pragmatic intervention from the publishers put Silvio Berlusconi firmly in the spotlight. It was a reasonable change, as Berlusconi is most certainly the central character of the book, but the original title reveals the ambition of the book. &ldquoI […]
While Sarah Hall's first novel Haweswater dealt with the devestation of a rural English village, her second novel The Electric Michelangelo turns to the rarely broached topic, in literature certainly, of tattooing. Both novels have received huge critical acclaim, Haweswater won the Commonwealth prize for a first novel, while The Electric Michelangelo was one of […]
“I have to apologise”, says Andy Cairns from the stage of Bologna's Estragon, to the Therapy? faithful, on the first night of the European tour in support of Never Apologise, Never Explain, “My Italian is fuckin’ bad, and, being an Irish man, my English is fuckin’ appaling too!”. The crowd lap it up, though not […]
Formed in the 1990s in Washington D.C Godhead have always had a following in Europe. Their first two releases were in Europe, where they toured extensively, before releasing subsequent albums in the States. In 2001 with the release of 2000 Years of Human Error they started breaking into the big time, with tours supporting the […]
It was a telling sign of our 'foresight' or lack thereof, that, in the midst of South America we'd left behind the one book that really manages to capture the 'backpacker' experience of the continent – The Gringo Trail by Mark Mann. There was a certain logic to this, as we'd both read the book […]
The Economic Models of Terrorism “I think there was a reluctance to accept a book like this because at that certain moment, after 9/11 what they wanted to push forward was the religious argument. That it was a bunch of religious fanatics, whereas this book is saying the opposite”. Loretta Napoleoni is talking about the […]
England Half English “You've got to be engaged, haven't you?”, says Billy Bragg, responding to questions about his extra-music political activities, activities that have ranged from writing opinion pieces on Englishness for major newspapers, like The Independent, to making serious proposals for the reform of the house of Lords. Engaged is a good word to […]
Cause baby I’m a wild cat strutting thing Pride of lions feeding thing A history of hearts loving thing Wild cat strutting [Wild Cat Strutting Thing] – Interference In many ways it seems as if time has finally caught up with one of Ireland’s most influential bands Interference. Caught up in the sense that they […]
The fine spray of regurgitated aguardiente, with an unexpected force, drenches her, as two clowns, in every sense of the word, clash antlers all around her. Meanwhile I thank my lucky stars that it’s not me, pulled from the crowd, to participate in this curious ritual. Let’s clarify the above picture. Imagine that you’re at […]
