Turner and the Masters at the Tate Britain - a great and clever exhibition, with influences and companion pieces all hung side by side. I loved “The Snow Storm”

Enjoyed the Turner Prize finalists. The Lucy Skaer “Black Alphabet”, the gold leaf by Richard Wright and the pulverised Jet Engine by Roger Hiorns

Sherlock Holmes: Law and Downey Junior made an amusing Watson and Holmes. Loving re-creations of Victorian London. Story not so good.

Really enjoyed the “50 years of Painting” exhibition at the Hayward. Lots of smiling going on.

Saw Nine at Everyman Hampstead. A tale of a man trying to create something when he has nothing to say. Strangely touching. Kate Hudson did great dance routine. Fergie did a great vocal!

Depeche Mode at O2. London crowd rather reserved. Great lights and images. Dave in fine voice. Lovely guitar tones from Martin.

Preview screening of “The Road” at Soho Screening Rooms. Doesn’t really do it for me - but then the book didn’t either (and I am not a parent!)

The reMastered Vinyl - gorgeous so far. Lovely Bass.

Can. Tago Mago. Loving Side 3.

Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On”. I love this record more and more

War Horse: National Theatre production at New London Theatre in Drury Lane. Stunning puppetry and production.

Movie of Alan Bennet’s play, caught it on BBC2 by chance. Captivating dialogue.

The September Issue Moderately involving “documentary” about Vogue

Stephen Poliakoff’s “Glorious 39” at Odeon West End. Dark and somehow unpleasant.

Just happened to catch 25th Hour on TV. A riveting and touching Spike Lee movie. Essential viewing.

The Darjeeling Ltd - an interesting and amusing Wes Anderson movie. I also enjoyed the short film “Hotel Chevalier” before the main movie and the “Making Of” afterwards.

Wild Palms at Stamford Works. A great energy and sound and performance - a total contrast from the disappointing gig in Hoxton 10 days ago.

4 Pieces for Orchestra. BBC SO. Barbican Hall. April this year. Beautiful Recording.

HTRK at Corsica Studios Jonnine was wearing beautiful overalls. Great stereo guitar and very dubby bass.


more pics

Kraftwerk Tour de France Remaster. Sublime.

Richard Hawley at Union Chapel. Mencap Charity Event. What an accomplished artist. Only Acoustic Guitars (and lap steel). (also drums, bas, "piano") Good sound. Great Band. Lovely singing. We were on the front pew.

pic1 pic2 pic3 pic4

Emmy the Great at The Coronet. Supporting Decembrists. Good voice and lyrics. Band also good but not quite the presentation live of the album that I had hoped for. Brief meeting afterwards and hope to talk more about the new album.

"A Place to Bury Strangers" at The Garage in Highbury Islington. Took a while to get going. Initially I was rather unimpressed and wondered what all the fuss was about, but then it all clicked (after about 4 tunes) and it was mesmerising, and LOUD. AudioBoo.

Wild Palms at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen

Tod Dockstader - Aerial #3.
Dark. Gloomy. (or is it just me?)

Moby "Unplugged" at the Palace Theatre. I enjoyed it - dynamic and sensitive. 2 great girl singers, and a good bad. BJ Cole played on a couple of numbers. Didn't see the band at the aftershow though

Season 2. Just as addictive for us as season 1

Gliss at Lexington. Good to meet the band whose last LP I mixed. Second half of the gig was excellent. Talked a lot about ways of working for their third album.

Brtight Star. Another London Film. Hampstead this time. Very touched. A love story with no sex. & poetry.

Very taken with Beckett's Endgame at the Duchess Theatre in London. Loved it in fact. So glad to have seen it.

An Education
Based on a memoir of Lynn Barber. Very touched at times. Youth. Aspiration. Naïvety.

Just heard this - I couldn't listen before because of all the hype. What a delightful surprise - I really enjoyed it.

Another outstanding orchestral/electric/beats mixture at the Barbican. Beatiful. Such great musicianship on stage.

Sustainable Energy - without the hot air
David JC MacKay

A fantasically interesting book about adding up our energy use and our possible energy sources

Also available online (free)

"Performing Parades" at the Barbican.
Outstanding Excellence. Great Perfomances and Sound.

Gig at Cargo.
It's clearly difficult for Alessio to convey the full warmth melody of his recordings solo and live. He seemed to rather concentrate on the beats which is not so effective IMO.

Choral Music
Stephen Layton
Choir of Trinity College Cambridge
Hyperion

Beautiful singing - recording gorgeous but too ambient in my opinion

Complete Works for Piano Volume 4
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Chandos

The Images are incredibly enticing and seductive

Diabelli Variations
Stephen Kovacevich
Onyx

Manfred Symphony
Vasily Petrenko
Royal LIverpool Phil
Naxos

A new piece to me. Still decoding it.

24 Preludes.
Steve Osborne
Hyperion

Wow! Breathtaking. What a piano sound.

Diamanda Galas sings 3 Jacques Brel songs at the Barbican.

La Chanson Des Vieux Amants
Fernand
Amsterdam

She achieves excellence.
I was rather underwhelmed by the rest of the first half.



(pic by me)



(pic by Daniel Miller)

Once again I spent some quality time at the MS2 Gallery in Łódż. A stunning building, a great hang.

MS2

I was very happy to be allowed to take some pictures. Here they are.

Lord Martin Rees

Thought Provoking. Balanced. Compassionate. Essential Reading. (I am a fan of Lord Rees!)

Mike Leigh Abigail's Party
Squirmingly cringe- making painfully embarrassing. Essential Viewing.

Modern Vampire Movie. Enjoyed the first half, second half not so great, but would probably watch the inevitable sequel

H von Karajan / Berlin Phil
BBC Testament SBT 1452
Heard this trailed on Radio 3, loved it.
Recorded LIve at the RFH 16 May 1972
Coupled with R Strauss Ein Heldenleben

Malcolm Gladwell
Interesting read, but kind of old news now. a book I missed when it came out. (2000)

at The Flowerpot. Energy! Tunes! Fun.

The Drums

Sobering. Extremely sobering. And I was sober to start with.

We Have Band
ICA

Lights! Music! Party!

“The Alchemist” Coelho

Way behind the curve on this I know. A sweet story.

Efterklang
Bush Hall

Strong! Dynamic. Great Vocal presence from Caspar. Very important and inspiring for the album mix.

“The Charterhouse of Parma” Stendal

(500) Days of Summer

Grizzly Bear
Koko

“Arcadia” by Tom Stoppard
at The Duke of Yorks, London

Maps
Hoxton Bar and Grill

White Rabbits
Hoxton Bar and Grill

Brüno

The Proposal

“Berlin, Alexanderplatz” Döblin

“They F**k You Up” Oliver James

Finished “John Adams” HBO Series
Touching and Informative (for me)

“Damages” Series 1
13 episodes (addictive)

“The Gathering” Anne Enright

“Happier” Tal Ben-Shahar

“The Inheritance of Loss” Kiran Desai

“Cosmopolis” Don Delillo

We Have Band
The Fly - New Oxford Street

Pastels Today
Mall Gallery

Bought a pastel by Moira Huntley

Folk America. Episodes 1-3. BBC4

Soundlife London
Leicester Square
An surround sound installation by Martyn Ware

John Adams Episodes 3 & 4

MaJiker “Body-Piano-Machine”

Depeche Mode - “Sounds of the Universe”

Annette Messager - The Messengers
Hayward Gallery

John Adams (HBO) episode 2

John Adams (HBO) episode 1

Eminem - “Relapse”

SCUM at Camden’s Proud

video

Radiophonic Workshop
At the RoundHouse pic pic
audioboo1 audioboo2 audioboo3 audioboo4 (Doctor Who)

Synecdoche, New York
Swiss Cottage Odeon

Star Trek
Empire Leicester Square, Front Row, Middle.

Alexander Tucker
Sleepy Sun
Video1 Video2
at Luminaire. Outstanding concert.

Music & Lyrics

Amusing and Enjoyable. Blush.

Eros :
The Hand,
Equilibrium,
The Dangerous Thread of Things

Lost in Austen
quirky Rom-Com made for Yorkshire TV in 4 episodes

Rodchenko and Popova - Defining Constructivism.
Tate Modern.

Diamanda Galas at Brighton Dome

Very beautiful and powerful but too many effects on the vocal.

The Russian Linesman curated by Mark Wallinger.
Hayward Gallery

Scott Walker - 30th Century Man
a very interesting documentary

Tokens of Trust by Archbishop Rowan Williams
Available at Amazon

Tiny Masters of Today.
Vibe Bar pic

Royal Festival Hall - London
Incredible!

Xenakis “Total Immersion”
Barbican Centre - London