A much needed big dollop of aural and visual Beauty in an ugly world... This is how I would describe a Mediaeval Baebes show.
As a writer, this is the kind of evening that boosts my inspiration and creativity. This year, we finally made it to the London date of the Baebes' traditional Christmas tour. St Sepulchre-Without-Newgate is situated in the heart of the City of London, surrounded by shiny bank buildings made of steel and glass. Meryll Lynch, the wealth management division of Bank of America, is just opposite. This is what makes the City of London such an intriguing place: old buildings full of history battle the newest, blandest constructions in a fight to death for the heart and soul of London... The atmospheric church, which incidentally is the National Musicians' Church, was the perfect setting for the Baebes' shows, which have always been inspired by legends, myths and historical tales. The seven Baebes once again gave a pitch-perfect performance: professional, precise, creative, seductive, energetic, haunting, playful, feisty, graceful. The Baebes are the Ladies of mediaeval music. All beautiful, multi-talented and full of spirit, these very modern women enjoy the attention of a very eclectic, cross-over audience, from metalheads to fans of classical music... This is the way it should be. 21/12/2011 A gig in the heart of the city!Tonight, I am heading for London to attend a gig in the heart of the City. It is the Mediaeval Baebes' Christmas tour, and tonight we will be sitting in St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate, the National Musicians'Church.
I loathe religion, but I have always loved churches, chapels, etc. They are often wonderful buildings and contain works of art; they are also full of history, and I love history! I might take my camera with me and will do a little report. It should be a thing of beauty! 14/12/2011 A cute anti-Xmas song just for you!Yep. I DO hate Xmas. Video courtesy of Nomi Leonard from the awesome Dogbones!
2012 will be the year when I see The Dogbones live again! It's been far too long. 20/11/2011 Variety is the spice of lifeI love it when I spend a day doing completely different things. A good cultural mish-mash inspires me no end. Yesterday was such a day. We started by a visit to the recently opened Two Temple Place gallery. A good article with a picture of the magnificent grand hallway can be found HERE. This is a staggeringly beautiful and peaceful place in the heart of London. It is free to get in, and we will most certainly go back. At the moment, they have a lovely exhibition: William Morris: Story, Memory, Myth. There are so many unique features to the house that you need more than one pair of eyes: the panelled rooms and gallery are full of interesting little details: sumptuous fireplaces, gorgeous stained glass windows, sculpted doors and wooden panels. The space itself feels rather cosy, lived in, welcoming. It is such a treat to be allowed inside one of those beautiful London buildings! Then it was a short stroll to the BFI to check out the programme. I am particularly looking forward to The Genius of Hitchcock, a retrospective of Hitch's silent movies and to the BFI's Dickens season. The National Portrait Gallery is always interesting and handy when you have a little bit of time in-between things. I particularly liked the small Terence Rattigan wall case with one especially beautiful photograph showing the playwright at work - all very elegant and sophisticated! - as well as the displays about the painter Augustus John and the Labour politician Herbert Morrison. Then it was off to the O2 Academy where we had some raucous fun at the KMFDM show. Varied or what?
18/11/2011 A treat for the eyes and earsAs a pre-Xmas treat, here's the Mediaeval Baebes's new video. I have a ticket for the London date of their Xmas tour - at St Sepulchre Without Newgate, the Musicians' church and I cannot wait. If you have never seen the Baebes live, well, what can I say... You should. It makes you feel better. Now, if you don't know what the Baebes are about, have a look at this little documentary. This is about the show they put together last year, Temptation - unfortunately I didn't see it and I'll always regret it! It explains very well what their universe is all about. Oh, and as Emily says at the end: they are great fun too! 26/9/2011 The Fitzrovia Radio HourWe really enjoyed ourselves on Saturday... We went to see The Fitzrovia Radio Hour at our local theatre, and it was fantastic!
The Fitzrovia Radio Hour consists of "original radio plays of the 40s and 50s performed and recorded with cut-glass elegance in front of a live studio audience, with live sound effects." The actors/singers/"sound engineers" were obviously enjoying themselves as much as us, but watching them proved absolutely exhausting... How do they do it all? The (original) tales for the evening were: "George Albion and the War of the Roses", "Nazi Firemen in Westminster", "He Should Have Known His Place" and "House of Clocks". All these linked with original ads for whisky and restorative tea. After all this, the actors most certainly were in need of restorative tea: the whole show is choreographed and timed to the second; the stage is full of the most crazy props: cabbage, grapefruit, door locks, bags, teacups, toys, musical instruments, bits of wood, etc. and it can get messy, especially when a "death" is involved! The actors not only play their parts as if they were acting out for the radio, but also act it out on the stage, with funny little touches that add to the already perfectly planned chaos! They have quite a lot of dates coming up, including an evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London! So go and have a look at their website, and try to get a ticket, you won't regret it! More on Wikipedia here: THE FITZROVIA WIKI The company's website: THE FITZROVIA RADIO HOUR 21/9/2011 Coldfeet!If I see the words "Coldplay" and "Rock" in the same sentence again, I scream. OK, it's in The Sunday Times, and as interesting their "culture bit" is, they really don't know anything about music. Oh, well, maybe classical. You wanna rock? Here you are... Why not try a little bit of KILLING JOKE? 28/7/2011 Now for a REAL talented artist...BJORK.
One of the most talented, beautiful people in the WHOLE WORLD. Fact. True talent, real independence and creativity. Not a fake, manufactured rebel for an apathetic and shallow generation. In these days of obsession with finding role models for girls, I think Ms Guðmundsdóttir might be the best qualified to fill in that position. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14318593 13/7/2011 Inspiration ...The ever so fabulous I Am X ... This would be the perfect music to accompany my books ... |
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