THEGAYUK

Category: Review

  • ALBUM REVIEW | Do It Again – mini album collaboration by Röyksopp and Robyn

    ★★★★ | Do It Again – mini album collaboration by Röyksopp and Robyn

    Do It Again is a superb mix of tracks from the brilliant Norwegian group Röyksopp and the chanteuse from Sweden, Robyn.

    Put the two together and you get a soaring synth soundtrack, interspersed with Robyn’s unique vocals. Röyksopp’s electronic background instantly takes you back to the 80’s, using beats reminiscent of New Order to create tracks that then marry with Robyn’s Metropolis style of vocal to create what feels like a unique experience.

    Monument is nearly 10 minutes long, and uses repetition to great effect, repeating vocals again and again while subtly changing the background beat and chords. Sayit does something similar, melding techno voices with Robyn’s to great effect.

    Do It Again sounds very like old school Robyn – pared back chords, simple but very effective – and her soaring vocals, emphasising lyrics, and making you tap the odd toe along the way. 5 minutes of pure club joy.

    Every Little Thing slows things down, but from the first chord, you know this is pure joy. Robyn’s voice used to great effect, moody and very New Romantic in sound – or maybe thats just me?

    The final track on this mini album is Inside The Idle Hour Club, and again, we return to the nearly 10 minute track, slow to start, mixing sounds as it builds, it is almost orchestral, so many different sounds but with a distinct lack of Robyn’s signature vocals here – she doesn’t dominate, this is a showcase of the music and Robyn takes a back seat.

    Taken as a whole, its a little prog rock at times, a little too earnest maybe as a project – but for all that, it is one pretty brilliant collaboration.

    What could make it better? Why a tour of course – keep your eyes peeled for a joint tour shortly, part Robyn showcase, part Röyksopp showcase, part joint venture.

    As for the album – treat yourslef, and make this part of your collection. I give it 4 stars!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Fleabag, Soho Theatre, London

    ★★★★★ | Fleabag, Soho Theatre, London

    What happens when your life has descended into an endless round of masturbating to Internet porn, seeking casual pick-ups and having catastrophic career and relationship failures? How do we manage to live in a world where sex is ever present and the only way we can sometimes connect is through (not always satisfying) sex?

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s multi-award nominated, previous sell-out and critically acclaimed show is back at the Soho Theatre and it’s as twisted and as funny as ever. It’s a hilariously funny play with touches of pathos and enough gross out moments to make you wince and squirm. It’s great to see taboo subjects like female masturbation, pornography viewing and casual hook ups portrayed in a non-judgemental and achingly funny play.
    Waller-Bridge is a consummate performer, providing warmth to an unapologetic character that you want to alternately shake, nurture or go for a few cocktails with. In spite of her gauche demeanour and hapless nature the Fleabag has a dark psyche bursting full of issues and enough baggage to fill a carousel at Heathrow. It’s a testament to the power of the acting, production and script that the audience seems to warm to her so much and not want to boo her off the stage. The audience reaction was, in fact, ecstatic, the night I saw the show.

    This is a very unique production and a well-deserved Olivier Award nominee. You’ll have to act fast if you want to catch a seat. It’s a not to be missed experience. Just don’t take your granny along unless she happens to be very open-minded.
    Fleabag runs until 25th of May 2014
    Book tickets here: http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/fleabag/

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Somewhere Under the Rainbow- the Liza Minnelli Story, Landor Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Somewhere Under the Rainbow- the Liza Minnelli Story, Landor Theatre, London

    Liza is about to go on stage, pacing nervously round her dressing room in a silk robe she bursts into song, tells a few anecdotes and even shows us a few of her dance moves.

    Following on from sell out runs and rave reviews in Dublin and Edinburgh; this show is making its London premiere at The Landor Theatre in Clapham.

    Minnelli is a hard act to capture well but Sharon Sexton absolutely nails it as the gay icon. She’s got an amazing voice and her acting skills are second to none. This isn’t just a tacky cabaret style impression of Liza but a wry yet touching portrayal of a woman full of paradoxes. By turns feisty and brash yet also vulnerable and fragile, this is a Minnelli you can believe in. Sexton’s version of Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind” is heart wrenching and her Mein Herr is performed with breath taking skill. Her whole repertoire is performed with dazzling panache.

    If you know much about Liza already then you’re not going to get a deep and detailed insight into her life and her marriages, drug addictions and traumas. The show does, however, give us a glimpse of what Liza is about and how she’s fought her way through life with a smile on her face and a pair of tap shoes never too far away.

    This is definitely fringe theatre at its best and a show worthy of a larger venue. This is definitely one to catch during its short run

    Somewhere Under the Rainbow runs until the 17th of May 2014

    Buy tickets here: http://www.landortheatre.co.uk/index.php/booking-office/musicals/somewhere-under-the-rainbow-84/

  • REVIEW | RHS Malvern Spring Festival

    The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Malvern Spring Festival is a fantastic annual event that takes place amongst the backdrop of the spectacular Malvern Hills. It’s the place to go if you are a keen gardener or foodie, as visitors are treated to show gardens, floral displays, celebrity talks, and lots of glorious food and drink. (more…)

  • FILM REVIEW | My Last Round

    ★★★★ | My Last Round

    Soon after middle-aged Octavio begins his romance with his young lover Hugo life gets complicated for both of them.

    Octavio is told he must give up boxing because he has a medical condition that could cause a brain hemorrhage, and Hugo gets fired from his job as he got the boss’s daughter pregnant. Determined to put this all behind them they take off to Santiago, the nearest big city, to start a new life together.

    Octavio gets a gig cutting hair at a traditional barbers shop but as Hugo fails to find work he ends up at home all day feeling sorry for himself. It puts something of a strain on the men’s relationship as both of them feel unfulfilled and unhappy with their lot. It doesn’t improve when Octavio, missing the excitement of the ring, accepts another boxing match, whilst at the same time Hugo, now finally employed, starts to get entangled with his new boss’s daughter.

    It turns out that both men quickly regret the new choices that they have made as they were done for all the wrong reasons. In trying to retain their own heavily masculine identities and their independence they inevitably put at risk the one thing that in the end was the more important than all the others i.e. their relationship with each other.

    The fact that this story is about two poor working class Chilean men sets it apart from most gay themed movies and the sheer brutality that prize-fighter Octavio puts himself through in the ring, that is shown here in bloodied detail, is not something we expect to see in a movie which is about a very tender and loving relationship between two very different men. There is a finality to their story which writer/director Julio Jorquera Arriagada makes sure we are aware of with the very poignant opening scenes of a funeral, but he very wisely does not attempt to draw any conclusions. It is very much what is and that is both tough and sad.

    Well cast and well acted it’s a tragic love story beautifully told.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Brassed Off

    ★★★  | Brassed Off

    Set in 1992, Brassed Off tells the story of a small Yorkshire mining town as their pit faces closure, unemployment looms, families struggle and communities rally round to campaign to keep the pit open. But as the saying goes, “where there’s muck, there’s brass”, here in the form of the colliery brass band; whose elderly band leader, Danny, has a dream of taking them to the Royal Albert Hall as finalists of a national competition.

    When Gloria, a beautiful young fugal horn player, arrives back in her home town from London, the band welcome her with open arms and the affable Andy falls in love with her. But she isn’t necessarily what she seems, and with the threat of the pit closure growing ever closer, the boys start to wonder why she has a National Coal Board logo on her briefcase.

    Based on the film of the same name, Brassed Off was a poignant play about the struggles of a community fighting to maintain its livelihood. The play had some genuine laugh out loud moments in the first act, but as the story unfolds and the situation of the lead characters becomes more desperate, the second act took a more downbeat turn, with a few laughs here and there, but a lot of sad developments to the story. It was a credit to both the cast’s performances and to the writing that you felt such sympathy for the characters as their lives and community were being slowly torn apart.

    James Robinson was most notable for his portrayal of Andy – with a natural performance of his character’s cheeky jack-the-lad persona. The remaining cast gelled well together and the sense of camaraderie and community on stage came across as genuine and believable. There were also some very well written roles for the female characters, in particular the determined Rita, excellently portrayed by Helen Kay. Unfortunately, some of the speech was a little quiet at times making it difficult to hear; meaning some of the audience missed out on some of the sharp dialogue.

    The brass band performed on stage, played by a combination of the actors and members from a local band, and did a fine job with some uplifting and moving numbers. The play was heavier on the narrative than the music and the only criticism to be levelled was that perhaps the band didn’t play enough throughout the show and especially towards the end.

    The play had a strong political message about the erosion of the coal industry and the impact on small communities. That said, despite the elements of comedy, this was a play whereby, regardless of your political leanings, you left the theatre feeling emotional as a result of the plight of the likeable characters and the empathy garnered towards them as they struggled through. The play did such a good job of drawing you into the lives of the on stage community, that even the upbeat ending seemed bitter sweet. Overall, Brassed Off was an emotional piece of well written and performed drama.

    Brassed Off is currently at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 10th May 2014. Further details and booking details can be found at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

  • FILM REVIEW | Chef

    ★★★★ | Chef

    Writer/director/actor Jon Favreau is back to his indie movie roots with this sparkling new comedy that he has just completed for less then $10 mil. which evidently is considered pocket money by Hollywood standards these days.

    However the man who was relatively unknown when he had his breakthrough writing and starring in ‘Swingers’ back in 1996, can now count a lot of ‘A’ list stars amongst his friends and he has peppered them with some perfect cameo roles that make this new movie really so delightful.

    This is the story of Carl Casper, played by Favreau, who is the Executive Chef of a highly successful fancy restaurant in LA Although it is packed every night the food is safe and boring as the Chef once renowned for his innovative and creative style of cooking has lost heart. One day word gets out that the Country’s most important food critic & blogger is due to eat there that night and Carl is determined to cook something audacious and new just like the old days. He has however not taken into consideration that the conservative Restaurant owner won’t hear of any such plan, and after a showdown with him in the kitchen, Carl backs down and serves the critic food from his tired old regular menu.

    The very articulate review he writes is nothing less than damning but if this is not bad enough, news of it spreads like wildfire on Twitter. It takes Carl’s 10 year old tech-savvy son Percy to explain to his father how this, and other social media work, and as beginner Carl tries to grasp the fundamentals of it all he inadvertently sends the critic a rather nasty note that he thought was going as a private message. It was in fact very public and is the start of a vitriolic exchange of tweets between the two men that very quickly attracts thousands of followers.

    It leads to an exasperated Carl publicly taunting the critic to come back and try a new menu, and with all the public attention this spat is getting, the restaurant phone is ringing off the hook and they are having to turn away reservations every minute of the day. Come the ‘re-match’ and the owner forbids Carl to cook the proposed new menu, so he angrily just storms out just minutes before the critic walks in. Faced with having to eat the same food he has already decried, the critic starts to complain via twitter whilst he is still in the restaurant, resulting in an angry Carl hot footing it back and having a screaming fit which seemingly every single diner there catches on their cellphones and puts up on YouTube.

    Carl’s tantrum goes viral. He may no longer be a star chef but on the Internet he is very big news. Unable to get work and rapidly running out of money he reluctantly accepts an invitation by his ex-wife to travel with her and their son back home to Miami to visit the boy’s Cuban grandfather. She also connives for Carl to meet up with his predecessor i.e. her first husband Marvin a real sharp wheeler-dealer who provides the bemused Carl with an old Food Truck.

    The Truck is in a real dilapidated state but after a touch of fairy dust and a hell of a lot of elbow grease, the van is soon shiny just like new. Thanks mainly to the fact his son Percy is there to help, and also his ex-assistant chef Martin, who hearing about the truck, packs in his job in LA and hops on a plane and turns up unannounced in Miami volunteering his services.

    They start a dry run making and selling traditional cubano sandwiches on South Beach, before starting a road-trip adventure driving the truck across the country back home to California. It gives Carl a chance to get back to his roots and cook authentic food but more importantly an opportunity to bond with his son Percy for the first time since he left home. Percy’s role is not just as prep chef but also the social media expert of the group and his regular twitter feeds ensure that there are large crowds awaiting them in Austin Texas, New Orleans and all the other colorful stops they make.

    This very touching tale about rediscovering oneself and having a second chance has a predictable ending but its the journey that it takes that makes it the real delight that it is. With cameos by a barely unrecognisable Scarlett Johansson as a smouldering sexy Maitre’d, Dustin Hoffman as the grumpy restaurant owner, Oliver Platt as the Critic, Bobby Cannavale as an hilarious insecure Sous Chef, Amy Sedaris as a push PR, and an hilarious scene-stealing turn by Robert Downey Jnr as Marvin the ex husband. Inez, Carl’s ex wife was played by Sofía Vergara in a quieter version of her ‘Modern Family’ role that she plays for every part she is in, and John Leguizamo was Martin the other chef. However Mr. Downey Jr wasn’t the only performance that totally charmed the audience, as 11 year old ‘veteran’ actor Emjay Anthony was completely enchanting as young Percy.

    Mr Favreau has lovingly portrayed an authentic view of Miami Beach, but even more important has treated all the cooking scenes with such sheer passion and in great detail that you will literally dash out from the cinema drooling and ready to eat something delicious. It’s a wee gem of a movie.

    Chef is in Theatres from the 9th May 2014 in UK and USA

  • BOOK REVIEW | The Wolf in His Arms (Runes Trilogy Book 2) by Adrian Lilly

    ★★★ | The Wolf in His Arms (Runes Trilogy Book 2) by Adrian Lilly

    The first book is The Wolf at His Door, which I reviewed here

    Alec & Jared the gay, werewolf lovers are back. With Lucy, Alec’s sister, they set out to reveal the truth about what happened to them by decoding documents they found in a underground lab and to find their pack. But they are not the only ones looking for their pack. The Wolfs are hunting members their pack and offering them a choice: join them or they’ll kill them and their family.

    Along the way, Alec & Jared are at it like rabbits while Lucy is coming to terms with her new inner wolf. They track-down other members of their pack including: Maxwell another gay werewolf and his best friend Haley, and Nadia and her mother Helena.

    Alec, Jared & Lucy discover the Wolfs have much bigger ambitions, than just recruiting their pack. The Wolfs are bent on world domination and already have a plan set into action. Alec, Jared & Lucy decide they must stop them. They learn about the elusive Tutelars, protectors of humans. Will the Tutelars recognise that Alec, Lucy and Co are trying to help or just seem them as another pack of werewolfs?

    The story builds to a fantastic ending as the Wolfs set their plan into full motion, sending human society into panic and disarray. Can Alex, Jared and Co stop them or is it too late? This is where the book ends and it leaves the reader wanting more.

    The Wolf in His Arms is written in third person with a good show and tell balance. It keeps the reader hooked throughout with it’s fast-paced, ever-twisting storyline. The Wolf in His Arms is a brilliant, superb and reasonably told story.

    At times, a lack of editing did let The Wolf in His Arms down. It was repetitive on occasion, overly used description of weather – which wasn’t always consistent and used dialogue tags that distracted from the dialogue.

    I recommend reading The Wolf at His Door before The Wolf in His Arms. The Wolf in His Arms gives an adequate backstory, but doesn’t give the reader the same emotional connection as The Wolf at His Door does. I can’t wait to read the final book in the trilogy.

    The Wolf in His Arms is available in ebook format only and its short chapters mean that it is perfect to read on bus, train or tube to work. The Wolf in His Arms is available to buy on Amazon.

  • MUSIC REVIEW: Atlas, by Rüfüs

    Call me biased, but I love Australian music. Especially indie records like Australian band Rüfüs’ debut album Atlas, which hit stores this week across the UK, after debuting at #1 in Australia last August.

    This Indie dance trio of Jon George, Tyrone Lindqvist and James Hunt from Byron Bay in New South Wales formed in 2010 and now offer a downbeat ambient dance album featuring mellow tones and especially catchy hooks.

    From the moment the opening track Sundream kicked off, I was instantly attracted to the laid-back sound mixed with the high falsetto-vocals. The album works its way through to some dancier tracks, like Take Me and Tonight before going into full chill-out mode with Rendezvous. This is an album I could imagine being played at one of those funky-grungy warehouse dance parties in Berlin.

    This is an album that is right at home whether you’re listening to it as background music while you work, getting ready for a night out on the town, or chilling out on a Sunday afternoon after a big night out. If you’re like me, you’ll quickly find yourself humming and singing along with thetracks on this album.

    For those of you who love the live vibe, Rüfüs will be touring the UK in September, dates and tickets available here: www.rufussounds.com/tagged/Tour

    Available from Amazon

  • ALBUM REVIEW | Born Naked, RuPaul

    ★★★★ | Born Naked, RuPaul

    Original Drag Superstar RuPaul releases her strongest body of work so far.

    Hot on the heels of another RuPaul’s Drag Race juggernaut, the multi-talented Drag Queen releases ‘Born Naked’, a fresh, modern and young sounding 6th studio album.

    Ten tracks of perfectly crafted pop songs, filled to the rafters of positive messages and a light smattering of RuPaul’s very own catch phrases, with a heady mix of star guests including: Martha Wash (Original Weathergirl), Frankmusik and Michelle Visage.

    Although mostly upbeat pop songs, Can I Get An Amen, with Martha Wash, provides an astonishing intimate moment with the larger than life Drag superstar and the powerhouse vocals of the It’s Raining Men singer.

    So far, this is RuPaul’s most commercially successful album and it deserves to be. Gone are the mostly campy irreverent tunes (we loved those too), only to replaced with a thoughtful mix of songs and bang-up-to-date production, each standing strongly on their own merits.

  • FILM REVIEW | Tom At The Farm

    ★★★★ | Tom At The Farm

    Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan may be sick of being constantly described as a wunderkind, but when you are just 24 years old like he is and have already made four head-turning mind-blowing Award winning movies, then the description is more than apt. Not content with writing and directing each of them he usually loves to edit, design the costumes, create the music, and now in his latest one, a taut psychological thriller, he stars in it too.

    Tom is grieving the death of his boyfriend Guy (known to his family as Guillaume) and he travels to a rather bleak part of Northern Quebec to attend the funeral and share his loss with the family he has never even met. He quickly discovers from a very scary encounter with Francis, Guilliame’s older brother, that not only was he ‘not out’ to his mother, but that Francis had actually created an imaginary girlfriend so that she would never suspect. In the first of many threats, Francis menacingly insists that Tom stays and keeps quiet about being gay and also adds some credence to the existence of Guillaume’s ‘girlfriend’ before he then goes from the family farm for good, never to return.

    To avoid doing just this, immediately after the funeral Tom tries to leave to go back to the city but in his panic he forgets his luggage and turns the car around to head back to the Farm to retrieve it. In doing so he confronts Francis and so refuses to go along with the subterfuge, which results in first of the beatings he will get at the hands of this psychotic bully. It also soon becomes obvious that despite all the violence both men are attracted to each other…Tom to Francis despite all the vicious physical abuse… and Francis to Tom even though he is bitterly angry about his own repressed homosexuality.

    Tom settles into some sort of routine and looks almost set to stay at the Farm and when he actually arranges for the fake girlfriend to come visit to appease the mother, he refuses to leave even when it is obvious to her and Tom that he is in real danger if he stays there a moment longer with the mad sociopath brother. He claims that it’s because that Francis could not manage the Farm on the own, but it’s clear that he actually is drawn to Francis’s deranged behaviour.

    It is a superb fist-clenching piece with an atmosphere of real fear that never ever lets up. I am not sure what was worse, knowing what Francis was actually capable of (and there is much more that I haven’t even touched on) or the realisation of what a pliable and willing Tom would accept. In amongst all of this, there is one most glorious scene where the two men tango together in the barn where the intimacy will only give way to violence again. The high pitch tension never ever gives a clue as to how it will develop or end up.

    Mr. Dolan sporting tousled dirty blond hair turns in a convincingly effective performance as Tom, and it is matched by veteran Canadian actress Lise Roy playing the mother with such a defiant tone, and also Pierre Yves- Cardinal as a very intimidating latently gay Francis.

    I am unashamedly a big fan of Mr. Dolan’s work and have never subscribed to the notion sometimes proffered that he is always about style over substance… the reason I am passionate about the work is the fact that he combines both so very well. However with this movie you can sense a more mature quality, and I believe that Mr. Dolan really can quite rightly claim the crown of being an out queer Hitchcock.

    P.S. The only fact I have given this a less than perfect score is there were two strands of the plot that puzzled me. I couldn’t believe that the mother could have been so completely unaware of what was going on in either of her son’s life. And secondly would an urbane copy editor at a city ad agency really take to farming so eagerly as Tom did?

    It did however won the prestigious FIPRESCI Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and is a totally unmissable movie.