The Frames’ front man Glen Hansard plays a wounded busker singing songs of heartache and heartbreak on the streets of Dublin. He is spotted by a young Czech immigrant spots who loves his songs although they are pretty maudlin.
She is the driving force that shakes him out of his inertia, prompts him to pick up the pieces and follow his dream, and it’s interesting that she is making such a success of her life in a new country whilst he is floundering in his own. Without her he'd still be fixing vacuum cleaners in a back street shop. Perhaps fresh starts are a Jolly Good Thing.
They recognize each other as a pair of love casualties and this film is a touching study of two people meeting at a vulnerable time in their lives and making a connection. It shows the transitory nature of very deep affection without providing the obvious outcome, avoiding the cliche of boy meets girl.Despite the hand held camerawork being a bit jerky at times, intentionally arty but disconcerting, and the poor sound quality, this is sweet, tender, and subtle.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Newton Faulkner. Hall for Cornwall, Truro. 4th Dec 2007.
Newton Faulkner’s returned to Truro after visiting Europe this autumn. He’s a sell out in most British venues and his last date is back in Cornwall where, only in March, he was the support for James Morrison.
Since the success of his single Dream Catch Me with its summer sound that gets right in your head and stays there, he’s also getting plenty of airtime for his new single, Teardrop. Relaxed and easy on stage, Faulkner chats between numbers, his long dreads swinging in front of his face. He goes into a soft reggae song, just off the beat, for ‘People Should Smile More’ and the warm crowd of 1700 go crazy for him, cheering, waving and calling out, ‘I Love You.’
Strumming and banging, using his guitar as percussion, he’s backed up by bongos and a bassist, and moves from ballad to funk. He’s got such a great voice it seems he can’t make an ugly sound, then he shifts into a stomping rhythm for ‘UFO.’ Whatever he does the crowd love it, and he’s having fun. He raises a finger - they cheer, his other hand - they are delighted. He stands still and smiles - they’re ecstatic.
He gets them singing along to the mellow ‘All I Got,’ and has them singing through the whole set. He says between numbers that when he started out two and a half years ago he had to think what to say while he tuned and retuned his guitar, but these days he’s handed the guitar all set up. He shakes his head and seems surprised at his success. Grinning and happy to be here, he's confident, playful, messing around and getting a jangling, funky sound from his guitar.
His new single Teardrop was released just yesterday. He says he first played it here and it was the greatest moment of his life. The solid drum backing and intense harmonies give this song real depth, and it shows his voice at its best: passionate with terrific control, he slips easily from smoothly melodic to soulful and husky.
From that fine song he chuckles and tells us an anecdote about a random encounter with an evil hot girl on a train and it’s clear he doesn’t take himself and maybe anyone else that seriously. It’s a varied set; he enjoys playing around with sound, and he has an enviable rapport with his audience that makes him seem like the popular guy in the University common room, always cheerful and acting a bit of a clown.
After the light acoustic ‘Feels Like Home,’ he passes on a ‘beautiful message’ from a guy in the audience: a marriage proposal and a great chorus of Yes! - the perfect moment to give us the tender Dream Catch Me. He stands alone on the stage for what feels like a classic song. The audience are still singing with him, sharing this couple’s romantic moment.
It’s a terrific atmosphere and he keeps it going with a few different pieces for his encore, ending, rather oddly with Bohemian Rhapsody, quite a feat for one man and an acoustic guitar. Although this cover is a curious choice to follow a highly individualistic set, it’s a perfect demonstration of his delight in experimenting, and his refreshingly light hearted approach. Apart from all the mucking about though, there were bits of classical guitar playing thrown in here and there which suggest he’s got a lot more styles up his sleeve to play around with.
He’s off to win over America and Canada in January. The only way is up.
Since the success of his single Dream Catch Me with its summer sound that gets right in your head and stays there, he’s also getting plenty of airtime for his new single, Teardrop. Relaxed and easy on stage, Faulkner chats between numbers, his long dreads swinging in front of his face. He goes into a soft reggae song, just off the beat, for ‘People Should Smile More’ and the warm crowd of 1700 go crazy for him, cheering, waving and calling out, ‘I Love You.’
Strumming and banging, using his guitar as percussion, he’s backed up by bongos and a bassist, and moves from ballad to funk. He’s got such a great voice it seems he can’t make an ugly sound, then he shifts into a stomping rhythm for ‘UFO.’ Whatever he does the crowd love it, and he’s having fun. He raises a finger - they cheer, his other hand - they are delighted. He stands still and smiles - they’re ecstatic.
He gets them singing along to the mellow ‘All I Got,’ and has them singing through the whole set. He says between numbers that when he started out two and a half years ago he had to think what to say while he tuned and retuned his guitar, but these days he’s handed the guitar all set up. He shakes his head and seems surprised at his success. Grinning and happy to be here, he's confident, playful, messing around and getting a jangling, funky sound from his guitar.
His new single Teardrop was released just yesterday. He says he first played it here and it was the greatest moment of his life. The solid drum backing and intense harmonies give this song real depth, and it shows his voice at its best: passionate with terrific control, he slips easily from smoothly melodic to soulful and husky.
From that fine song he chuckles and tells us an anecdote about a random encounter with an evil hot girl on a train and it’s clear he doesn’t take himself and maybe anyone else that seriously. It’s a varied set; he enjoys playing around with sound, and he has an enviable rapport with his audience that makes him seem like the popular guy in the University common room, always cheerful and acting a bit of a clown.
After the light acoustic ‘Feels Like Home,’ he passes on a ‘beautiful message’ from a guy in the audience: a marriage proposal and a great chorus of Yes! - the perfect moment to give us the tender Dream Catch Me. He stands alone on the stage for what feels like a classic song. The audience are still singing with him, sharing this couple’s romantic moment.
It’s a terrific atmosphere and he keeps it going with a few different pieces for his encore, ending, rather oddly with Bohemian Rhapsody, quite a feat for one man and an acoustic guitar. Although this cover is a curious choice to follow a highly individualistic set, it’s a perfect demonstration of his delight in experimenting, and his refreshingly light hearted approach. Apart from all the mucking about though, there were bits of classical guitar playing thrown in here and there which suggest he’s got a lot more styles up his sleeve to play around with.
He’s off to win over America and Canada in January. The only way is up.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Sherlock Holmes… the last act! Dir. Gareth Armstrong. 1st Dec 2007, Truro.
Writer David Stuart Davies has created a superb one man show, and the script is spot on, combining humour and pathos with drama and keeping the tension throughout.
Sherlock Holmes returns to Baker Street after the funeral of his old friend, Watson and, from the moment he appears on stage Roger Llewellyn is riveting. It is impossible to tear your eyes from him as he talks to Watson, or to the memory of him, recalling their first meeting, reminding him of conversations past, and recreating the cases and the stories they worked on together. He demonstrates a tender and regretful affection for Watson which is often poignant, but also amusing.
Llewellyn’s performance is spellbinding. He plays a whole host of characters, switches accents and posture with bewildering ease, and terrific direction from Gareth Armstrong keeps him moving around the stage in surprisingly physical theatre. He is both fit and graceful. The pace is fine tuned so that moments of high melodrama move seamlessly into touching introspection, and on to camp self-aggrandisement. We are in the presence of a superior intellect; Holmes relishes his powers and thrives on stimulus.
Davies’ script provides a fascinating angle on the literary figure, a character wedded to reason and logic, fixated on the analytical, yet presenting aspects of vulnerability. He rants about the Great War, confesses to his addiction, is lost in reverie as he re-imagines an enchanting young woman and is disgusted by his own brutish father.
The set is minimal, only the few essential, recognizable props for Holmes’s rooms, and clever use of sound effects and lighting come together to create theatre at its most engaging. Davies’ great writing, Armstrong’s flawless direction and Llewellyn’s strong presence offer an astonishing experience.
Sherlock Holmes returns to Baker Street after the funeral of his old friend, Watson and, from the moment he appears on stage Roger Llewellyn is riveting. It is impossible to tear your eyes from him as he talks to Watson, or to the memory of him, recalling their first meeting, reminding him of conversations past, and recreating the cases and the stories they worked on together. He demonstrates a tender and regretful affection for Watson which is often poignant, but also amusing.
Llewellyn’s performance is spellbinding. He plays a whole host of characters, switches accents and posture with bewildering ease, and terrific direction from Gareth Armstrong keeps him moving around the stage in surprisingly physical theatre. He is both fit and graceful. The pace is fine tuned so that moments of high melodrama move seamlessly into touching introspection, and on to camp self-aggrandisement. We are in the presence of a superior intellect; Holmes relishes his powers and thrives on stimulus.
Davies’ script provides a fascinating angle on the literary figure, a character wedded to reason and logic, fixated on the analytical, yet presenting aspects of vulnerability. He rants about the Great War, confesses to his addiction, is lost in reverie as he re-imagines an enchanting young woman and is disgusted by his own brutish father.
The set is minimal, only the few essential, recognizable props for Holmes’s rooms, and clever use of sound effects and lighting come together to create theatre at its most engaging. Davies’ great writing, Armstrong’s flawless direction and Llewellyn’s strong presence offer an astonishing experience.
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