This news story was originally written for Londonist.com. The full line-up for the London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, was announced this morning. From 21 June to 9 September, London will be the focus of an unparalleled programme of music, theatre, film comedy, exhibitions, art and outdoor events. In short, this is… [Read more…]
March 23, 2012 by Culture Capital
This piece was originally written for Independent blogs. There was a similar blog post on the Guardian today too. World music. To some it’s a long-defunct marketing invention, a crude catch-all for bringing global folk styles – and numerous dodgy attempts at fusion – under one pointless umbrella. Questioning the validity of the term is… [Read more…]
February 15, 2012 by Culture Capital
This review was originally written for Londonist.com. The simplicity of the raw materials of flamenco – guitar, throaty singing, hand percussion and, of course, dance – makes it the perfect subject for artistic innovation, whether with choreography, theatre or cross-cultural collaboration. And it is that spirit that brings Spain’s finest cultural export to Sadler’s Wells… [Read more…]
February 8, 2012 by Culture Capital
Two important events for British folk music in two days! Last night — in an intimate loft space in Covent Garden – saw the launch of the Nest Collective, a new group run by Sam Lee that aims to pull together London’s folk music promotions into something like a coherent set of events. Meanwhile, tonight is… [Read more…]
January 23, 2012 by Culture Capital
This article was written for Independent blogs. Standing at the bus stop the other day, I bumped into an acquaintance who had been working outside London for the last few years. When I asked how he liked living in Bristol, and then Liverpool, he reeled off a list of positives before saying, “but culturally, there… [Read more…]
October 14, 2011 by Culture Capital
This post was written for Independent blogs. The Rolling Stones started it. They first met blues icon Muddy Waters, the artist from whom they got their name, during the 1964 US tour. The Stones assiduously courted and praised their bluesmen heroes to the point where they gave the old guard a whole new lease of… [Read more…]
September 16, 2011 by Culture Capital
Kings Place may be at the vanguard of folk music programming in London, but informal pub and club nights are still going to be the heart of any folk scene. Folk promoters The Magpie’s Nest, formed in 2006 because of the lack of “places to see and hear good folk music in a contemporary environment,”… [Read more…]
September 15, 2011 by Culture Capital
Of all the one-word labels for contemporary music festivals out there – Meltdown and Ether at Southbank Centre, Grimeborn at the Arcola Theatre – the Barbican Centre’s Transcender is surely the finest. The tag funkily encapsulates what this annual autumn weekend is about: spiritual, psychedelic music from diverse global cultures. Approaching its third outing (September… [Read more…]
September 2, 2011 by Catherine Marks
The Kena is perhaps not the most obvious choice as the lead instrument of a band. As a diatonic keyless Andean flute, its melodic possibilities are somewhat limited by its simple design. But it is this instrument that Mauricio Velasierra has spent the past decade mastering, even producing his own instruments to find the ‘perfect… [Read more…]
July 10, 2011 by Culture Capital
Mayra Andrade has got to be one of the most international singers in the business. Her upbringing took in Cuba, Senegal and Germany, and her music is heavily influenced by Brazil and France (she lives in Paris). That’s not including the most important place of all to Andrade, the Cape Verde Islands, an archipelago that… [Read more…]
April 26, 2012 by Culture Capital
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