Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
We have all waited a long time for 'Ghostbusters 3’. Hell, we have waited years for a worthwhile follow-up at all really.
After Something strange went on in the neighbourhood back in 1984, we could not resist wanting to see more from the ghoul-snatching gang, but director Ivan Reitman’s 1989 sequel to his own classic was - and remains - one of the most polarising movie sequels ever made. And as everyone waited for the inevitable part three, it just never…
WHO Knew? - The Murder Mile By Lesley McEvoy
I don’t normally like psychological thrillers but this one was different and quickly captured my attention... well and truly. I knew from the start that it was an impossible scenario and that there would have to be a rational explanation, so I was happy to embark on the journey. Interesting fact (apparently): not all psychopaths go on to murder people; there are more psychopaths in business than in prison.
The beginning of the novel affirms the professional competency of the main…
Settle Born John Newman Returns With New Single
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Settle born John Newman, owner of one of the most distinctive voices in pop and performer of some of the biggest anthems, including 3 number 1 singles, marks his very welcome return with the release of his brand-new single Waiting For A Lifetime which was released on 14th January.
John’s anticipated return follows a brief hiatus from music and some much-needed space to revisit the origins of his passion for his craft, which began as a young teenager in Settle.
John found…
Album Review: Elvis Costello And The Imposters - The Boy Named If
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Fresh from his recent performance on the Royal…
Poem Of The Week: 'At The Juliet House, Verona' By Chrissy Banks
At the Juliet House, Verona
You can buy a heart. Plastic,
sealed with a seam. It’ll sit
in your palm, unbeating.
You can rub the bronze of Juliet’s
right breast, wish for a new love
to come to you within a year.
You can stand on the balcony
in blue shorts or a wedding dress
and call your Romeo’s name.
But the balcony was carved
from an old sarcophagus
for a Hollywood film of the play.
And history shows no Juliet –
although, if you write to her
at this address, Juliet will answer.
Chrissy Banks’…
Interview With Graham Gouldman From 10cc
Led by co-founder Graham Gouldman, 10cc is heralded in equal measure for its ability to craft ingenious songs that also resonated commercially.
The icons of art-rock achieved eleven Top 10 hits, and over 15 million albums sold in the UK alone, with three No 1 singles – Rubber Bullets, Dreadlock Holiday and the ubiquitous I’m Not In Love.
The current 10cc line-up features Gouldman (bass, guitar, vocals), Rick Fenn (lead guitar, bass, vocals), Paul Burgess (drums, percussion) – both of…
Interview With Tony Clarkin From Magnum
British rock band Magnum is rightly regarded as one of the best rock bands to have come out of the UK. Their new album, The Monster Roars was released today (14th January) and is bursting with melodic and powerful rock songs as well as a few ballads that constitute what makes a fine Magnum album.
I spoke to Tony Clarkin, guitarist and songwriter in the band.
It took nearly ten years for the band to appear on Top of the Pops, how…
Review: Mrs Pinto Drives To Happiness, By Reshma Ruia
“Once you label me, you negate me”…Søren Kierkegaard
David Sedaris once said, “A good short story would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized now, and uneasy with the fit”. Chekhov’s short stories partly derive their visceral force from thematic accretion. Seminal messages adroitly amplified by dint of imbricated narratives, set side-by-side to form an ideological integument binding his ideas into something larger than the sum of its parts.
Another virtue of the short story collection…
Wolf Alice Reschedule Tour
Wolf Alice has announced details for its rescheduled UK tour for February and March this year, the first UK headline shows since 2018.
They were originally scheduled to take place in January. The tour will see the band performing songs from last year’s third album Blue Weekend, which reached #1 in the UK album chart.
The band have made the following statement:
“We are sorry to announce that due to high Covid case numbers, risk and the complexity of…
Violeta By Isabel Allende - A Review
Violeta traces the life of our eponymous protagonist, born ‘one stormy Friday in 1920, the year of the scourge.’ The opening passages, depicting her country’s reaction to the Spanish flu pandemic now feel uncannily familiar – and it is perhaps this understanding that brings Violeta’s world firmly into the forefront of our imaginations.
The narrative is a story told not to us, the reader, but to a person that is dear to Violeta’s heart. This is the story of her…
Poem Of The Week: 'Hunt' By Róisin Tierney
Hunt
Say, as the springbok twists, say as it turns
In contradictory prongs above the veld,
say as it turns and twists, say as the sun
burns the black earth and turns it into dust,
say as the hooves electrify the air
and tap the dust upwards in spiral twists,
so turns the earth, so turns the yellow sun,
so hefts the huntsman to his blue-barreled gun
and twists to catch the springbok in its sights
and lifts the gun to meet the leaping deer
which warps the air, which…
Interview: Alison Bartram Of The Heart Gallery, Hebden Bridge
Anyone strolling through the bohemian delights of Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire is likely to benefit from the palpable, resolutely resilient creative energy which connects its denizens with each other. A vibrant array of local businesses crowd together, each amplifying the unique essence of this culturally diverse crucible of inclusivity, community spirit and non-judgemental tolerance, all grounded in good old Yorkshire grit.
To establish herself with those she hoped to support. "Some were cautious, some were brave – all of them…
Classical Music Album: Felix Mendelssohn The Complete Solo Piano Music Vol 6
Felix Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music Vol 6
Albumblatt in E minor ‘Lied ohne Worte’ Op 117; Lied in A minor OP19b No 2; Capriccio in E major Op 118; Perpetuum mobile in C major Op 119; Prelude and Fugue in E minor WoO13; Musical Sketches WoO19 No 1 & No 2; Reiterlied in D minor; Piano Sonata in B flat major Op 106; Lieder ohne Worte Book VII OP 85; Lieder ohne Worte Book VIII Op…
Review: Dune
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It has been said about a great many written stories that they are “unfilmable”. Some have remained that way, but others have managed to make it to the silver screen against all odds. Among this crop you can count the likes of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ influential graphic novel; The Wachowskis' and Tom Tykwer’s Cloud Atlas, based on David Mitchell’s vast book; and David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch, based on William S. Burroughs’ challenging text.…
Meeting Norwegian Trio KEiiNO
Winner's on the public vote at Eurovision 2021, Norwegian trio KEiiNO has been riding high ever since.
Having re-released their stunning debut album, OKTA, as a deluxe edition featuring some of the highlights of their new releases, they close 2021 with the optimistically titled single,A New Beginning.
With Australian tour dates already announced for later this year, here at The Yorkshire Times, we are hoping that UK tour dates from the trio will be announced very soon. To see if there…
Album Review: James Blunt - The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004-2021)
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James Blunt - The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004-2021)
CD 1
Love Under Pressure;1973;Wisemen;Same Mistake;You’re Beautiful Monsters;Tears And Rain;Bonfire Heart;I Really Want You (live);Champions;The Truth;Heart To Heart;Postcards;No Bravery;Adrenaline
CD 2
Smoke Signals;Unstoppable;Goodbye My Lover;Coz I Love You (live at Glastonbury);So Long, Jimmy;Carry You Home;The Greatest;High;Don’t Give Me Those Eyes OK (Robin Schulz ft. James Blunt);Stay The Night; Bartender; Cold;Where Is My Mind? (live); I Came For Love Give Me Those Eyes; OK (Robin Schulz ft. James Blunt);Stay The Night;Bartender;Cold;Where…
A Spell For The Departed: How To Burn A Woman By Claire Askew
When John Berger indirectly suggested that Francis Bacon was a ‘prophet of a pitiless world’ it was as a mark of reconsidered respect for an artist whose percipience is made continually relevant by an extreme cogency of thinking. Bacon’s tortured figures embody inalienable and depressing human truths: looking into screaming mouths we find corruption, power, violent abuse and hypocrisy deformed in cages of the imagination.
And the brutal honesty which shadows his most visceral work is manifestly present throughout Claire Askew’s…
Sad Cafe To Play Rare Concert In Whitby
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Manchester band Sad Cafe had their first hit in 1979 with Everyday Hurts after 3 years of constant touring and releasing albums.
Now the band are visiting Whitby Pavilion on Friday 4th February - their only date in the north.
The band was always popular in the north west with concerts at the Manchester Apollo selling out before the rest of the country had heard of the band.
How the act got their name is quite intriguing. The band were playing…
Classical Music Album Review: CPE Bach Sonatas & Rondos Marc-Andre Hamelin
CPE Bach Sonatas & Rondos
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Sonata in A minor H247; Rondo in E major H265; Fantasia in C major H291; Sonata in E minor H66; Abschied von meinem Silbermannischen Claviere, in einem Rondo H272; Arioso with 9 variations in C major H259; March in G major BWVAnh124; Solfeggio in C minor; Rondo on C minor H283; Sonata in F minor H173; L’Aly Rupalich H95; Sonata in D major H286; Sonata in A flat major H31; Rondo…
Album Review: Seth Lakeman - Make Your Mark
Seth Lakeman has been making his mark since he was first nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005 for Kitty Jay. He has returned with this new set of songs written during…
2021 Top 60 Albums 10-1
So the big moment has arrived. We’ve all experienced music in our own way over 2021, and while there have been some jaw-busting sales figures from household names over the last 12 months – commercial success is not a pre-requisite of featuring in our Top 60 Albums of 2021. So, without further ado, he are our Top 10 Albums of 2021…
10. Arlo Parks – Collapsed In Sunbeams
Key Moments: Hope, Hurt, Eugene
9. LEA - Fluss
Key Moments: Parfum, Sommer, Gewitter
8. Daði Freyr…
Poem Of The Week: 'Good Riddance, But Now What?' By Ogden Nash (1902-1971)
Good Riddance, But Now What?
Come, children, gather round my knee;
Something is about to be.
Tonight’s December thirty-first,
Something is about to burst.
The clock is crouching, dark and small,
Like a time bomb in the hall.
Hark! It’s midnight, children dear.
Duck! Here comes another year.
Perhaps a bit of light humour is the best antidote to what the monarch once referred to as an ‘annus horribilis’. And in American light verse exponent Ogden Nash’s slight octave we find a gimlet-eyed view of a succeeding year shaped…
Choices, We All Have Choices: Both Of You By Adele Parks
The weather having been what it has over the last week or two, and Covid having restricted activities just a little, it’s been a great opportunity to read, if only to escape yet another ‘Christmas Special’ on TV. And this book was a good one! It is a hard review to write without giving away the plot but I’ll give it a go without need of a spoiler alert!
The novel opens with an unidentified woman waking up to find…
New Albums To Look Forward To In 2022
Usually the first few months of the New Year are quite barren in terms of new album releases but 2022 looks set to buck that trend with a plethora of new albums to come.
First up is Leeds band Yard Act releasing their debut album Overload on January 7, the post-punk band are tipped to be the next big act to break through. The four piece have already sold out most of their spring tour.
Years & Years these days is just…
2021 Top 60 Albums 20-11
Being able to return to the cinema and immerse ourselves in the big screen experience has been so rewarding in the post-lockdown life. With huge blockbusters from Marvel, Bond and even Paw Patrol to thrill us, we simply couldn’t resist. While we ask you to ponder your favourite film soundtrack of 2021, our own makes an appearance in the next stage of our Top 60 Albums of 2021 countdown…
20. Wrabel – these words are all for you
Key Moments: good,…
2021 Top 60 Albums 30-21
The rise of streaming platforms has once again dominated our viewing habits. We all found ourselves heartbroken by It’s A Sin, we crowned several new Drag Queens in the ever growing RuPaul franchises and found ourselves compellingly disturbed by the latest series of You. With the shows themselves producing some amazing music and soundtracks, we once again return to our Top 60 albums countdown and pick up at #30.
30. Chloe Foy – Where Shall We Begin
Key Moments: Deserve, Asylum, Bones
29.…
2021 Top 60 Albums 40-31
Sport played a huge part in 2021. Not only did Tom Daley finally earn his Olympic Gold, but Emma Radacanu won the US Open and football took a very large step closer to finally coming home. As we celebrated these huge achievements, we did so to the soundtrack of our albums of 2021. Our countdown continues…
40. Walk The Moon - Heights
Key Moments: Can You Handle My Love??, Rise Up, Heights
39. Nation of Language – A Way Forward
Key Moments: Wounds Of…
‘From Small Things, Greatness’: A Single Thread By Tracy Chevalier
It’s strange how books make their way to you. In this case, a passing remark to a friend about my sister-in-law hoping to join the embroiderers’ group that maintains the altar cloths at York Minster, led immediately to her offering to lend her A Single Thread. By odd serendipity, the novel begins with a service of dedication in Winchester Cathedral for the newly-stitched hassocks, provided by the society of broderers. Obviously, as it was passing through my hands, I had…
Christmas Poem Of The Week: 'Mistletoe' By Walter De La Mare (1873-1956)
Mistletoe
Sitting under the mistletoe
(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),
One last candle burning low,
All the sleepy dancers gone,
Just one candle burning on,
Shadows lurking everywhere:
Some one came, and kissed me there.
Tired I was; my head would go
Nodding under the mistletoe
(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),
No footsteps came, no voice, but only,
Just as I sat there, sleepy, lonely,
Stooped in the still and shadowy air
Lips unseen—and kissed me there.
A dismal year draws to a grateful close, like heavy curtains against darkness. The contagion proliferates, if weakened, but we needn’t despair…
Interview With Tiago Miller – Translator Of The Song Of Youth, By Montserrat Roig
I recently reviewed The Song Of Youth by Montserrat Roig for our pages. Published by Fum d’Estampa Press, the reader is plunged into a bubbling cauldron of social and cultural tumult, kept hot by the pernicious flames of General Franco’s persecutions, and the repressive credo mandated by his callous cronies and mendacious myrmidons. In a series of intimate vignettes, we see all humanity, albeit through the cynosure of individual Catalonians and their profoundly personal struggles with identity, authenticity, repression and…