Christmas – and so she thinks

Christmas time with The Lutras in aid of #SaveOurVenues and Shelter

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 19:46:15 +0000

Scottish rockers The Lutras end the year on a high note with the release of their charity Christmas single, Give It Up For Christmas, which will available across all major streaming and download platforms from 4 December 2020.

With a focus on community spirit – and all proceeds split between Music Venues Trust #saveourvenues campaign and Shelter – The Lutras have rallied the troops, culminating in more than 40 musicians/artists collaborating on the project including Edinburgh’s Phoenix Choir.

They said ‘Music Venue Trust are trying to help all independent venues that are on the verge of closing due to Covid, we want to play our part and try help save the venues that have gotten bands like us to where we are today, they’re our bread and butter when it comes to touring and without them bands like us wouldn’t exist. We chose Shelter because, like everyone, we don’t want to see anyone on the streets this Christmas, we want to try help people get food and somewhere to sleep safely this Christmas, nobody deserves to be spending Christmas alone.’

Recently written by the band AND remotely recorded at various venues across the country, Give It Up For Christmas has all the hallmarks of a Christmas classic; sleigh bells, horns and a positive message. Christmas singles have a reputation for being terrible but they have got their drummer’s dad playing a shaker. That’s the recipe for a belter right there…

LOVE

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 14:25:07 +0000

The words ‘rave reviews’ are often bandied around as marketing draws, but in the case of the National Theatre’s LOVE, the feedback has indeed been exceptional. I had high expectations as I nestled into the Dorfman, the smallest of the theatres, a few days before Christmas. This may be a play set in the festive period, but it’s not the place for tinsel in the hair and reindeer jumpers. It’s a time of year that for most (or is at least perceived to be as such for most with via the trinity of round robin updates, social media feeds and John Lewis adverts) the most wonderful time of the year. But for more than 50,000 families living in temporary accommodation, that’s not the case. How can you hygge (to use another over zealously seen word) at home with family when you do not have either in your life.

We find ourselves amongst Colin (Nick Holder) caring for his ailing elderly mother, Barbara (Anna Calder-Marshall), the unemployed Dean (Luke Clarke) desperately trying find a home for his pregnant partner Emma (Janet Eluk) and two children from a previous relationship, Jason (Vitaly Outkine) and Paige (Grace Doherty). More transient characters, perhaps a point about their migrant status, are Somali woman Tharwa (Hind Swareldahab) and Syrian Adnan (Ammar Haj Ahmad), who light up when they discover that they speak the same language.

They are strangers forced to share their lives together in claustrophobic apparently temporary accommodation. The set by Natasha Jenkins is stark and bare, seats on the stage and fluorescent lighting keeping nothing a secret, breaking down boundaries between audience and cast in the same way as between characters.

Colin may be initially unlikeable, but as we see his unconditional love for his invalid mother, extending to her toilet duties, we become warm and broken hearted. Washing her hair at the communal sink with fairy liquid is one of only many tender moments between the two. The familiar protest of getting up in the morning and family merriment, rehearsing for a nativity play and football practice, thinking of a Happy Meal – these every days moments all become something to marvel at given the situation we see.

‘I feel like a little girl sometimes’ says an invalid Barbara to young child Paige, who she builds a strained relationship with. For so many through no fault of their own, be it war, unemployment, illness or any of the struggles we face in life, things don’t turn out the way dreamed of us a child.

Through overheard phone calls to council offices and failed meetings we learn the cyclical nature of benefits, housing, sanctions and punishments and the very real pressures they cause on relationships and situations. Dean and Emma struggle to explain to their children just why they are sharing a pack of microwave rice between four, and when Barbara says to Colin that his life will be much better when she has died and removed herself as a burden, he can’t disagree, as much as he loves her. It all feels futile and intense, and painful to watch and imagine those for whom this is a reality. This isn’t poverty porn, and neither is it social commentary. Instead Zelkin has created an honest portrayal of the lives of many caught in the poverty trap, restrictive and destructive.

Mesmerising in its mundane details, powerful in its psychological power, it was created through a collaborative devising process with an ensemble of actors, all based on real occurrences. Choosing to run at just over 90 minutes with no interval was a smart move, as it intensifies the emotional potency.

As Barbara makes her way from the stage through the crowd to what we assume to be a bewildered ending, the audience is on the edge of tears. A few seconds later as the play ends, they are on their feet, in a unanimous standing ovation. Raving about a performance of a situation that should not exist. The next question is whether LOVE has raised enough emotion within us to do something about it. That truly is LOVE.

LOVE is running until January 10th 2017

Christmas Turkey – the perfect performance?

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 14:53:15 +0000

‘Baby, it’s cold outside.’ Sang Dean Martin. But in the song the winter chill and falling snowflakes were all part of the Christmas magic. That’s not the same for everyone. For many there’s no delight in snow, no opportunity to warm up with mulled wine, no open fire around which to sing, and no family Christmas. The feeling of loneliness is heightened, with calls to organisations such as the Samaritans increasing; this year over 120,000 children will have no roof under which to spend Christmas eve, nevermind a bed to hang a stocking on; more than a third go into debt to afford the increased financial pressures; and even in the apparently happiest of families, the first argument starts at 10.13am.

Bristol’s Creative Youth Network and their seasonal performance of Turkey is a production formed through collaborative workshops with young people participating in their schemes and arts initiatives, all based on true stories . Written by Alice Nicholas, directed by Nick Young and produced by Emily Bull, although very much created by the cast and their peers, this immersive and real life performance at The Station is both tender and gripping – just like the rest of the festive season.

‘T’was the night before Christmas’ begins our narrator Theo (Jake Bartlett), in his dazzling glitzy jacket – and as we hear from the characters it can be everything from borderline hell or most wonderful time of the year.’ Homelessness, poverty, loneliness, broken relationships and illness can all take their toll – and the feeling of being alone and failing is only exacerbated by what looks like the perfect Christmas that everyone else all around is having. . Often through no fault of their own individuals find themselves unable to produce that perfect day, ‘just like everyone else.’ That’s what Abigail (Cirwen Farrant) wants for her and her unborn baby Biscuit, and she speaks tenderly to her child about the eternal hope of the new year and what it will bring. ‘I should be happy and full of Christmas cheer’ our characters feel – that should weighing them down.

Like most ‘perfect’ things in life, the depiction tends to be a somewhat filtered version of events. Whether it’s the Black Friday consumerist fight, one-upmanship pursuit, the hypocrisy of ‘pretending to believe in Jesus once a year then go back to being c*nts’, the demands of bratty children, finding out Father Christmas isn’t real, or just the fact that domestic bliss skates on thin smiles that crack by something as simple as not buying ribbon. In the pursuit of the ideal Christmas the endless ‘rush, anxiety, panic and failure’ ring more loudly than any peace and goodwill.

Or so it seems. Because for everyone who walks straight past the homeless, there’s those like Hazel’s (Emily Gilbert) family who invite Alfie (Matt Fleming) and his ‘invisibility cloak’ in for dinner. Or Abigail and her sister Jas hand crafting presents. Or the mother supported through her breakdown.

And people like Creative Youth Network and the participants of Turkey. As well providing a brilliant evening’s entertainment and making the whole audience think, they invited us all to share a meal with them, all donated by FareShare and would have gone to landfill otherwise. Sharing, laughing, and feeling part of a community – that’s what Christmas is about, and that’s what Creative Youth dished up with their Turkey.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcreativeyouthnet%2Fvideos%2F1236804986384535%2F&show_text=0&width=560

Bright eyed clubbing with Morning Gloryville

admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 21:15:08 +0000

I’ve heard Morning Gloryville described in numerous ways. ‘A social movement.’ ‘Mental – in a good way.’ ‘The. Best. Thing. Ever.’
Or: ‘Not for me.’ ‘F*cking weird.’ ‘Ooooo…kaaaaeyyy.’
People who haven’t been to an event (and plenty have – now in twenty one cities around the world the enthusiasm has been spreading since its beginnings in May 2013) tend to raise their eyebrows, either also sneering at the idea of hippies giving one another hugs and proselytizing about the evils of alcohol (why else dance without it?), or in alarm at the idea of not only being awake and active so early in the morning but being so without any kind of stimulants – who does that?! Those who have grin widely at the same time as their eyes flash, fizzing with the delight of their memories. They know something, and they want you to as well.

Whether it’s social pressures or cultural conventions there’s a feeling that dancing in the morning, without alcohol, sometimes alone, and especially freely rather than to a routine, is something we just can’t do as adults. It’s weird to operate outside of convention and without inhibitions – and jumping around with strangers in a club at 6.30am challenges those quite strongly.
The weekend editions begin slightly later – everyone deserves a lay in after all – and on my way there at 9am on the last Saturday before Christmas I look like I’ve been on a rather zealous party night out, still coated in glitter. (I come out even more sparkly.) By the time I reach MODE in West London my outfit pales in comparison to the cacophony of shimmer, tassles, neon and dazzle that my fellow clubbers are donning, dancing like an explosion of unicorns on a sugar high.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noMEPz9qPxc&feature=youtu.be
A rainbow of positivity seems to fill the room, but not in any kind of pretentious or smug way – this is just people having a really bloody good time, as well they might when the sun is shining, the holidays here, and we have nerves that feel the pounding beats, eyes to take in the visual spectacular, ears that hear shaking music, legs to move and arms to wave, and a heart and soul that is alive.
Play, love, creativity, growth, consciousness, harmony, joy, innovation and purpose are all words that the founders of Morning Gloryville use to describe their mission, and all are pretty descriptive of the experience itself. We place so many demands and limits on ourselves that sometimes it’s good to let go – and dance the way through it. It’s hard not to veer into considering the events as something of a commentary or lens on the way we live our everyday lives – but it’s not necessary either. The thing I’ve heard most often said about Morning Gloryville is that it’s just damn good fun. And fun for a mix of people – yogis, music fans, Ibiza clubbers, business professionals, families all dance together on the floor, gather together for massages and bend over in a downward dog.
In many ways it is not difficult to imagine Morning Gloryville – it is a normal club event. Raving, dancing, hands in the air, moving with abandon and joy. It’s only the time of day and the beverages on offer that make the experience different. Different – but not at all lacking. In fact, there’s something else that seems to become apparent. Strangers dance together, or individuals alone. There’s no jostling for the best positions on the dance floor. People pass around drinks without fearing any spike, and due to a full cloakroom we leave our bags on the side, something we would never consider were it 10pm rather than 10am.
It’s the final Morning Gloryville in London of 2015, and whilst there’s no Christmas songs, only a few smatterings of tinsel, and nothing mulled on offer, the sense of friendship, love, warmth and gratitude for life is the closest to the ‘true meaning’ of this season that I’ve found in a long time.

The best Christmas present yet?

admin — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:14:43 +0000

Pulp – After You

It’s All Happening loved their socks, were rapt at the gifts of cheap aftershave, and utterly delighted with the sixth tin of Family Circle biscuits, but this post from Jarvis and the gang has got to top all the presents. The enviably lucky attendees of Pulp’s recent Sheffield homecoming show were were given Christmas cards with a download code for ‘a little present’ which was to be submitted to the band’s website on Christmas Day. Written in Jarvo’s satirical style, fans were instructed not to peak, as that would be ‘naughty.’
After You track was first demoed by the band during the sessions for 2001’s We Love Life, but this version is a new studio recording produced by James Murphy in the last couple of months, during their Coachella gigs. Plans for 2013 include ‘sailing off into the sunset.’ In a recent interview with Q Jarvis Cocker concluded that whilst ‘we’ve played for a while and it’s been really good…you can’t keep doing that forever.’
Until next time, we’ll take After You and be estatically grateful. Ta, guys.

Photo via Bar Italia

Happy Mondays step on for Christmas!

admin — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 12:38:12 +0000

Think Madchester, think Factory Records, think Happy Mondays. The legendary band have just announced two back to back shows at London’s beautiful Roundhouse venue on Wednesday December 19th & Thursday December 20th 2012. Riding on a wave of success after their sell out shows at Brixton Academy earlier this year, the band’s first live outing for 19 years, these gigs promise to be one heck of a Christmas treat!

Support comes from 808 State Sound System, and we have confirmation that Bez will be dancing.

Wednesday December 19th & Thursday December 20th 2012

7pm – 11pm – The Roundhouse – London

Tickets: £32.50 in advance: www .ticketweb .co .uk

Spring Offensive wish you a merry Christmas

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:18:58 +0000

‘It’s a miracle it’s even happening. We’re just here to have a party. On our own terms.’
Sentiments It’s All Happening fully agree with – sometimes the blood, sweat and tears that goes into organising a gig is not wholly reflected by the number of bodies in the audience. That’s when you have to remember that good music and a good time are the real measures of success. From the looks if this video Spring Offensive seem to have had both. Selling out in less time than it takes for the UK to announce another recession, the top secret, ticket-holders-only, free Christmas show that Spring Offensive organized as their end of year celebration for the whole ‘extended family’ took place on 14 December, at the East Oxford Community Centre. Sam King from BBC Oxford Introducing was there, and captured the night beautifully…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGt0vtZ8rE]

Two Wounded Birds rock Monday night

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:20:18 +0000

Two Wounded Birds said it was their best gig in ages and ‘best crowd in a long time’, the verdict from Deadwax was ‘grand’ and The Switch were hurting a lot Tuesday morning so we can only presume they had a good time. Photos to follow shortly, but til then, relive the moment…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW6iyEZfQKE]

It's All Happening: The Christmas Collection

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:27:29 +0000

Oslo’s given London a Christmas tree every year since 1947. Balthazar brought the little baby Jesus some gold. 27% of of men are hoping they’ll receive socks (according to TK Maxx). It’s All Happening want to go one better and bring you the ultimate festive gift – It’s All Happening: The Christmas Collection. Some of the best bands we’ve worked with this year, who have played the gig nights and generally delighted us all, have been lovely enough to donate tracks to our mixtape. Take a listen: it’s an absolute stonker, and like a puppy, not just for Christmas. Bet you wish you’d come to the gigs now hey?
Enjoy.
It’s All Happening: The Christmas Collection by It’s All Happening

Summersun – Ross & The Wrongens
Age Anti Age – The ID
Annika’s Song – Fievelwill
Tired of Being a Man – Killing Fields Of Ontario
Rocket Science – Cinemawave
Steal His Heart – Emily & The Woods
Aphrodite – Edit/Select
Plastic – Alphabet Backwards
Apes With Rollerskates – All Too Animal
Lion’s Throat – Barely Modern
Postcards To Strangers – Moustache Of Insanity
Soul and Substance – Peter Darling
In The Quiet – The Rifle Volunteer
Modern Hipster – Tracey’s Love
Truth Or Dare – ABI
Wired – Freak Static
Bonfires – Gunning For Tamar
Panic Don’t Panic – Secret Rivals
Joy – The Volitains
Heard It All Before – The Switch
She’s A Queen – Deadwax
Inuitses – Quadrilles
Rich and Famous – Lawrence Bray
Dancers In A Painting – Sugardrum
Burger Van Song – Rachel Sermanni
Taxi For Mr. Griffin – End Of Level Baddie

Two Wounded Birds, Deadwax & The Switch – It's All Happening's Christmas Party!!

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:15:52 +0000

Two Wounded Birds, Deadwax & The Switch will be rocking It’s All Happening’s Christmas Party

Monday 19th Dec, 8pm

The Old Blue Last

38 Great Eastern St

EC2A 3ES, near Old Street

Free Entry

It’s free. It will be the best Christmas party ever.
Two Wounded Birds http://soundcloud.com/two-wounded-birds
Deadwax http://www.deadwaxband.co.uk/
The Switch http://soundcloud.com/wearetheswitch
FREE ENTRY at the Old Blue Last, near Old Street station. www.theoldbluelast.com
It’s All Happening DJs after the bands. Festive cheer for all those who want it!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173767776044129