Do This Or Regret It: My Weekly Dose of Capital Culture

Posted by Jessica on Apr 21, 2011 in News | 0 comments

I hope you all had a wonderful week and, more importantly, a wonderful Record Store Day. Last Saturday marked the annual international celebration of Independent Record Shops (or Indie Record Stores if you will allow an Americanism), with a host of live events, instore gigs and limited releases. Personally, I spent a sombre moment mourning the loss of Richard’s Records in Canterbury. A treasured toy chest, Richard’s offered hand written recommendations, rare imports and staff who resembled the cast of High Fidelity. It was a pilgrimage point for my friends and I throughout University, but I think it’s now a fast-food outlet.

THEATRE: On The Concept Of The Face, Regarding The Son Of God, The Barbican, 21st-23rd April

This month The Barbican are hosting the wonderfully innovative Spill; an international festival of experimental performance theatre and live art. Highlights this week include a new creation by the groundbreaking Italian theatre-maker, Romeo Castellucci. An unsettling piece exploring mystical and theological manifestations, this is typical Castellucci fare: violently visual, a visceral spectacle. On The Concept Of The Face, Regarding The Son Of God is perhaps not the obvious way to mark the Easter Weekend, but an exciting prospect none-the-less. An alternative to rabbits and egg-shaped chocolate.

FILM: Bernardo Bertolucci Season, BFI Southbank, Ongoing

A wild-child of the Italian New-Wave, Burtolucci began his film making career at 13. Wielding a 16mm camera and supported by some similarly advantageous friends, he roamed and framed the town of Parma. Half a century on, his work retains the sensual intensity of the Italian countryside. In this retrospective, the BFI have programmed six weeks of Bertolucci based delights – including lectures, documentaries and features. Sumptuously thoughtful, poetically scandalous and unmissable.

MUSIC: Dean Wareham plays Galaxie 500, XOYO, Saturday April 24th

Dream-Pop pioneers Galaxie 500, released three albums in the closing breath of the 80′s, before splitting in 1991. A decade on, their haze-tinged loveliness is still an influential force on the Indie Rock scene. Low, Xiu Xiu and British Sea Power have all sung at their alter, whilst Thurston Moore named their first album “the guitar record of 1988″. Easter Sunday sees Galaxie 500 guitarist, Dean Wareham, revisiting their back catalogue in an intimate gig at XOYO. Imagine a whimsical Velvet Underground, and prepare to be enchanted.

ART: Wim Wenders: Places Strange and Quiet, Haunch of Venison, Ongoing

The Haunch of Venison is stylishly grandiose. I didn’t realise quite how grandiose, when I arrived at an opening there a few months ago. The Georgian townhouse played host to a legion of paparazzi-poised starlets, sipping Vodka Martinis against a backdrop of Turner prize winners. And me: post-cycle sweat, rain smeared mascara and sporting a jumbled assortment of ill-fitting clothes. This month, The Haunch of Venison presents an exhibition of large scale photographs, by the wonderful Wim Wenders. Here the renowned film-maker focuses on places that are ‘about to disappear’. Panoramic landscapes and dilapidated exteriors, his work is breathtakingly transient. Highly recommended . . . but dress at least vaguely for the occasion.

WILDCARD: www.earslap.com

What better way to while away the bank holiday weekend than with an online generative sound sequencer? Honestly, this is a seriously addictive audio toy. And the results are beautiful. Click the squares and enjoy . . .

Photography by Time Out, and Slicing Up Eyeballs