Thursday 31 August 2017

How (Not) To Live In Suburbia @ Soho Theatre

How (Not) To Live In Suburbia @ The Soho Theatre

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival might be over for another year, but London continues on year round with small-scale shows just like How (Not) To Live In Suburbia from playwright and performer Annie Siddons. And in part, the show is a love letter to the city of London for all its faults and wonders. It’s as dangerous and terrifying as it is hedonistic and thrilling. And when you leave for the suburbs, loneliness sets in.

That’s what happened to Siddons, the play being an autobiographical account – albeit one that marries truth with surreal comedy. Mixing spoken word with film clips as she recounts the details of how she left London for the suburbia of Twickenham (home of rugby – or THOR for short), it begins somewhat with the feel of a Powerpoint presentation. But with her softly spoken clear delivery, poetically descriptive language and oddball wit, Siddons draws us into the narrative.

She looks after her two children, who turn out to be olive trees she is tending to literally spread suburban roots. The films are brimming with awkward situations and social commentary that are brutally and hilariously close to the bone. And she’s followed Donnie Darko style by an anthropomorphic walrus of loneliness, who haunts her every move and taunts her repeatedly. Siddons is also joined on stage by Nicki Hobday who plays a brilliantly funny parody of her, a fitting counterpart in a play that’s all about self-reflection.

For all its dark humour, How (Not) To Live In Suburbia tackles a pertinent subject, that of loneliness and mental health. Further, though, it explores the pressures of motherhood, providing for children, failing in romantic relationships and struggling to develop a career. On a higher level, the idea of failing to live up to our own expectations is a notion that all adults can relate to – in Siddons' case it’s in a literal manifesto. As much as we laugh, we witness the breakdown of her mental state and as we’re disarmed by the humour, the sincerity of the message is all the more affecting. 

It becomes clear by the end that through help from a charity she was able to find success in writing a play, the very play we’re watching. To stand up in front of an audience and lay yourself bare takes huge strength and courage, but Siddons manages it with tact and great storytelling.

4/5

Watch: How (Not) To Live In Suburbia runs at Soho Theatre until 2nd September before embarking on a UK tour in November.

How (Not) To Live In Suburbia @ The Soho Theatre
Photo: Nicki Hobday

Sunday 27 August 2017

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Twenty years after The Fifth Element, director Luc Besson is trying desperately to reignite that magic with Valerian. Its colourful cast and campy humour are certainly reminiscent of his former film, but there's also a large dose of Avatar, of Star Wars, Star Trek and any other sci-fi fantasy you can think of. Yet for all the film's unoriginality, it's an enjoyable romp.

The city of the title is the International Space Station that's gradually built up over centuries with inhabitants from across the galaxy. Now know as Alpha, it's a haven of peace and equality, policed by humans. Valerian (Dane DeHaan) is one such major, partnered with the sassy Laureline (Cara Delevingne). We first meet them on the job on another planet, but soon they're embroiled in a mission to save Alpha from a mysterious threat and uncover the secrets of the planet Mül and its indigenous humanoid aliens who were wiped out years before.

It's a simplistic narrative that is ultimately predictable, but as popcorn entertainment goes it's easy to buy into. The cast are likeable, DeHaan doing his best Han Solo impression and Delevingne having a lot of fun playing herself, but it's the world and periphery characters that make the film so enjoyable. With its varied alien races and vivid environments, the film is a visual wonder - idyllic beaches, seedy cities, and a virtual reality marketplace. Ethan Hawke appears for a brief comedy cameo, and Rihanna is perfectly watchable as the shapeshifting exotic dancer Bubble.

For all its shallowness, it's easy to read politics into the narrative. As a place of equality, Alpha is the idyllic paradise that liberals dream of, so when the film's nemesis chooses to save his own people at the expense of others, it's not hard to see parallels to Trump, Brexit and other far-right politics. The colonial sub-plot, with humans destroying a primitive civilisation for their own gain, stinks of Avatar.

On the flip side, there's favourable gender politics too, from the androgyny of the aliens, to Delevingne's Laureline. She's certainly Valerian's equal, given plenty of witty one-liners, saving his ass, and teaching him a thing or two along the way. So when the graphic novel the film is based on, Valérian and Laureline, includes her in the title, why does the film remove her?

Of course, the graphic novels have run for over forty years and are considered a landmark in their genre, influencing many sci-fi films produced since. Now it's come full circle, but Valerian cannot live up to its source material and fails to progress the genre in any way. It's little more than a teen fantasy, but one that's told with such charm and glee you'll happily sit back and enjoy the ride.

3/5

Watch: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is out now.


Friday 25 August 2017

New Music Friday 25/08

Look there's only one song that anybody cares about today and that's...


Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do


 Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do

It's been a difficult time to be a Taylor Swift fan over the past year. There was her feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian over a certain provocative line in his track Famous. There's the continuing back and forth silliness between her and Katy Perry, all over some nonsense with their dancers. There's the complete silence during some of the most turbulent political times, where other stars are rising to the position of role model.

Now, Taylor Swift breaks that silence with a new track and album, 'reputation', complete with refreshed social channels and a reclaiming of the snake moniker. Look What You Made Me Do is a kiss-off to her enemies, to the media, to us all, and marks quite the turnaround.

Is this her good girl gone bad moment? Will each album now be a Madonna-esque reinvention of her style and sound? We've gone from country, to country-pop, to 80s synth pop. Now we have this hard-edged, punky acid sound that proves she's been spending a hell of a lot of time with Lorde. The innocent pop princess is gone, replaced with a wicked doppelgänger who will know doubt storm the charts.

Except Taylor has never been innocent. A clever, calculating businesswoman, she's repeatedly and shrewdly capitalised on her position in the media for her own gain. Look What You Made Me Do is no different.

The result is an, admittedly, quite enjoyable pop track in itself with a video that's almost comically vampy. The skeletal production from Jack Antonoff adds a spiky edge, the middle eight's "because she's dead" break is brilliantly sassy, and her sigh on the final line of the song is a sonic mic drop. There's something deliciously alluring about Taylor attempting to shed her pure image and pile on the sex appeal, her voice grimly monotone in the chorus over metallic drum pads.

In the wake of the last year or so, however, what we really needed was some honesty. Who is the real Taylor Swift? Is it the country princess, or this new monster? It's all a facade, only adding to the forced and awkward nature of this song. The old Taylor may be dead, but I miss her.

What's worse is the self-centred nature of it all. In her own words, "the world moves on, another day, another drama drama". She's made the mistake of thinking we actually care about her personal dramas, where instead this just comes off as a disingenuous hissy fit. Taylor's stuck in 2016 when the rest of us moved on long ago. Why can't she just shake it off?




And for good measure, here's the rest of the week's new releases...


Thursday 24 August 2017

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Ninja Theory

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Ninja Theory

Above all, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is an absolute treat for the ears. The developer's suggestion to use headphones at the start should not be ignored - this is a game that thrives on its moody sounds to create atmosphere. As you guide Celtic warrior Senua through this nightmarish Viking hellscape, you'll hear all around you the gentle patter of rain against rocks and tree branches, the soft crackle of distant thunder, Senua's ragged breath, and David Garcia's hauntingly evocative score of war chants, drums and eerie drones.

And then there's the voices. Senua's quest sees her journeying through the Viking underworld to save the soul of her lover who was killed by Viking warriors, but along the way she suffers from psychosis. This manifests as multiple voices in her mind that torment both her and the player: they goad and taunt, they laugh and cry, they mock and guide. Should Senua follow the voices, heed their warning, or forge her own path? For the player too, the voices narrate, they comment, they foreshadow and they confound. In the centre of some incredible voice acting is Melina Juergens as Senua, who vocally and physically offers a truly arresting and believable performance - her anguish and suffering (mental and physical) is tough to behold.

Yet what even is believable here? Hellblade's game world is based on hallucinations and delusions, frightening visions that may or may not be real. Ninja Theory have created a horrifying depiction of mental health masquerading as a fantasy action game, its sound and vision combining to form an intense gaming experience. That the visual and aural effects are based upon the real life experiences of people suffering from psychosis makes this all the more terrifying - rarely do video games treat such a heavy and dark subject matter with equal parts respectful research and creativity.

In gameplay terms, Senua's delusions are represented by visual puzzles as she seeks runes and symbols hidden in the world. Conceptually this suits the character as she strives to make sense of her surroundings, spots patterns and maintain her grasp on reality; in actuality these puzzles range from the simplistic to the laborious.

The other main gameplay mechanic is combat, which has a similar feel to another "blade" game: Infinity Blade. Where that game requires swipes on your phone's touch screen to block, dodge and attack, here button input has a similar feel with the camera permanently stuck to Senua's back. Soon you'll hit a rhythm of weaving movement, light and heavy sword swings, and a focus ability to slow time, turning each battle into a dance. Die too many times and the game is over, permanently. It adds an extra layer of anxiety to the game, but combat is never too difficult until later on where large groups of enemies pounce at once and lengthy battles are used as padding.

As a game, then, Hellblade feels somewhat clunky. Guiding Senua feels stiff and robotic, combat and puzzle solving is simplistic though mostly satisfying, and the odd bug or dodgy texture jar with the overall presentation. But the game remains overwhelmingly a success thanks to its atmosphere. There are moments of beauty in the stark, bleak environments as you pause for breath in the game's photo mode. Then you delve deeper into Helheim (or Senua's mind?), battling her literal demons and grotesque creatures, desperately trying to satiate the endless stream of voices in your ears. It is a phenomenal ride - urgent, necessary, and proof that through interactivity video games are capable of tackling heavy themes with unnerving realism.


Saturday 19 August 2017

New Music Friday 18/08

Just a quick one this week - it was my birthday so please forgive me for being hungover. Here are some good songs...


Justin Bieber + BloodPop - Friends

 Justin Bieber + BloodPop - Friends

How does he do it? On tour he's a lazy, precocious brat, but then he goes and releases an absolute banger like this. In many ways it follows on from Sorry with its dance-pop sounds and yearning melodies ("Can we still be friends?" Bieber asks wide-eyed in the chorus), but producer BloodPop, who's worked with the likes of Madonna, Gaga, Grimes and Haim, brings slick polish to this unexpected but brilliant track.



Little Mix & CNCO - Reggaetón Lento (Remix)

Little Mix & CNCO - Reggaetón Lento (Remix)

After one Latin track becomes a huge hit this summer, another comes along with Little Mix slapped on it for good measure...and apparently it's a hit?



Miley Cyrus - Younger Now

 Miley Cyrus - Younger Now

It's clear now that Miley Cyrus has lost her edge, Younger Now following the lazy guitar pop of Malibu. The title track of her forthcoming album, it's mid-tempo country-rock is pleasant enough and makes for a serviceable single, but by the time the album's out in September you will have forgotten about this.



Anna Of The North - Money

Anna Of The North - Money

Another beautifully soft, dreamy piece of electro-pop here from Norway's Anna Of The North. It's taken from the debut album 'Lovers' out next month, which promises to be a heavenly 80s wonder.



A R I Z O N A - Cross My Mind Pt. 2 (feat. Kiiara)

A R I Z O N A - Cross My Mind Pt. 2 (feat. Kiiara)

Another pleasant, dreamy pop track here from a band whose name is very annoying to type. Cross My Mind originally featured on their debut album 'GALLERY' out earlier this year, but now they've added label mate Kiiara for some extra vocals. Mixing tropical synths and shimmering guitars, it's a perfect song for a summer now in decline.



BONUS: Cher - Ooga Boo

This is the best song you'll ever hear.






Wednesday 16 August 2017

Kesha - Rainbow

Kesha - Rainbow

Some of the best art comes from difficult circumstances. And few circumstances are as difficult (to put it lightly) as Kesha's legal battle with former producer and alleged abuser Dr Luke.

Now free from her previous contract and finally able to release new music, Kesha has done just that. 'Rainbow' is an occasionally brilliant release that's also bloated and inconsistent.

Indeed "release" is the right word: indicative of how cathartic this third album is. Kesha wrings out every ounce of anger, pain, suffering, relief and fierce empowerment, and pours it into the lyrics of 'Rainbow'. It's an album that thrives on the idea of overcoming adversity to an almost fetishistic degree.

Or at the least, it's about finding peace in moving on. "Do your worst, 'cause nothing's gonna stop me now," she claims on Let 'Em Talk, while explicitly on Learn To Let Go she notes "life ain't always fair, but hell is living in resentment" before planning to "exorcise the demons inside me".

And you can't blame her for that. Despite all the insinuations towards Dr Luke and the legal case that brim from every track - too numerous to mention directly - 'Rainbow' is ultimately an album of positivity. As the title suggests, peace comes after the storm.

There are carefree moments that show Kesha letting her hair down and just enjoying making music: the thrashing, almost teenage glee of Let 'Em Talk, or the moment she giggles in the second verse of the stomping feminist anthem Woman at the silliness of her own lyrics. In these moments, Kesha is a joy to listen to.

Yet she's at her most captivating on the album's standout track, Praying. Clearly directed at Dr Luke, it's a plaintive ballad that gradually builds and soars to a euphoric epiphany at the realisation of her freedom, that high note in the bridge symbolic of her pain literally escaping her body. Vocally too Kesha has never sounded better than on this song, as if leaching power from her suffering.

The problem with 'Rainbow' is that Kesha occasionally tips too far into preaching territory. On Hymn for instance she positions herself as a martyr singing a "hymn for the hymnless" that feels too overblown - one of many examples of a lack of subtlety to the writing throughout the album. In attempting to make her suffering universal, the album too often feels like an episode of Glee in its trite "togetherness".

Musically 'Rainbow' feels chaotic, lurching from gentle ballads to punk rock and synth pop. It's all underpinned with a country sensibility that's at best tongue in cheek (the cowboy parody Hunt You Down) and at worst irritating (the faux-cutesy Godzilla). There are more hits than misses though.

Both mentally and musically, 'Rainbow' is certainly wiping the slate clean for Kesha. It marks an exciting and long-awaited return of one of pop's most brilliant stars, but what's more exciting is what's to come next.

3/5

Gizzle's Choice:
* Let 'Em Talk
* Woman
* Praying

Listen: 'Rainbow' is out now.


Saturday 12 August 2017

New Music Friday 11/8

After spending last weekend at Brighton Pride, the NMF updates return (don't worry, you didn't miss anything anyway). Here's all the key tracks released this week (now let's go and listen to Kesha)...



Avicii + Rita Ora - Lonely Together

 Avicii + Rita Ora - Lonely Together

This has all the makings of a basic banger: EDM mainstay Avicii coming out of "retirement" (he's only 27!) to release a new EP; Rita Ora offering up some overly processed vocals as part of her current comeback. But I just can't bring myself to hate this: the yearning melody, the bass in the chorus drop, the infectious oscillating synths. It's three minutes of wonderful pop.



P!nk - What About Us

P!nk - What About Us

We're so used to the rock-pop singles from P!nk that releasing this plaintive track seems a strange choice, but it's also refreshing. A low-key political statement, she's outdone Katy Perry in the purposeful pop stakes: "what about us?" she cries, "man you fooled us, enough is enough." I hope Trump is listening.



Stefflon Don, French Montana - Hurtin' Me

 Stefflon Don, French Montana - Hurtin' Me

She's released a string of singles, featured on a track with Jeremih, and now British-Jamaican rapper Stefflon Don has teamed up with French Montana for this new release. Joining patois lyrics and dancehall beats with the sort of tropical pop and reggaeton sounds storming the charts at the moment, she's managed to sum up much of 2017 in this big single set to soundtrack your weekend.



Gabrielle Aplin - Waking Up Slow

 Gabrielle Aplin - Waking Up Slow

After making her name with folky acoustic ballads, Aplin has more recently turned to electro-pop and sounds all the better for it on her new 'Avalon' EP. Her songwriting talents are far from abandoned, but now they're accompanied by catchy synth hooks and an injection of tempo. It creates a rush of a pop song that matches the chorus lyrics: "All my nights taste like gold, yeah when I'm with you it's like everything glows."



Maja Francis - I'm Not A Disco

 Maja Francis - I'm Not A Disco

This week's Scandi moment, Universal's Maja Francis releases a new track in which she protests she's not a disco over glorious neon synths, softly bubbling bass and subtle beats that while not strictly disco, are certainly influenced by it.



Loreen & Elliphant - Jungle

  Loreen & Elliphant - Jungle

Yep, there's always room for another Swedish track. The greatest Eurovision winner joins forces with the country's reggae/jungle star - the result is a brilliant mix of their two styles, all dirty rhythms and melancholic, sinuous melodies.



Bebe Rexha - (Not) The One

  Bebe Rexha - (Not) The One

This is probably the best track on Rexha's new EP 'All Your Fault: Pt. 2'. She's yet to really have a proper smash single here in the UK, but her output is fairly consistent at least. This track not only makes great use of parentheses in the title, but has a pretty catchy chorus to boot.



Tori Amos - Up The Creek

 Tori Amos - Up The Creek

This is the second track Amos has revealed off her forthcoming 15th (!) album 'Native Invader'. Lyrically this feels explicitly political ("we may just survive if the militia of the mind arm against those climate blind"), but sonically alone this is amazing: dark electronica, urgent strings, a crying guitar solo, trademark piano, and a perpetual beat that keeps you on your toes. Gothic pop at its finest.



Ella Eyre feat. Ty Dolla $ign - Ego

 Ella Eyre feat. Ty Dolla $ign - Ego

I'm not sure if Ella Eyre is really going to have a moment bigger than her feature on Rudimental's Waiting All Night, and this lazy pop track with a lazy rap feature isn't going to help matters.



Jessie J - Real Deal

Jessie J - Real Deal

Pop singer attempts to regain credibility with lame hip-hop influenced track, but undermines it all with a collaboration with M&Ms. LOL.