The Brag

It’s far too easy, sometimes, to think of Johnny Rotten as the poster boy of a punk generation past; the misbehaving uncle who once marched the streets of London calling for revolution in an era when that was still an attainable concept. The Sex Pistols came and went; then Johnny became John Lydon of the more experimental Public Image Ltd – and after an eight-album run that passed in a blink, he disappeared into the ether of a new world order.

Posted: March 28th, 2013 under Brag 505, Music, Music - Interview, New.
Tags: Cargo, Chris Martin, Johnny Rotten, Public Image Ltd, The Enmore Theatre, This is PiL

Trevor Noah will change the way you eat. The way you eat tacos, anyway. He’s perhaps South Africa’s finest stand-up comic… that’s what the Americans are saying, anyway. One thing’s for sure, when Noah takes the stage, you’re reminded that life is only as dull as you make it. His show, The Racist, stands as a testament to the idea that, if you pay attention, the world is actually pretty hilarious.

Posted: March 25th, 2013 under Arts, Arts - Interview, Brag 505.
Tags: James Pearson, The Enmore Theatre, The Racist, Trevor Noah

British comedian Jack Dee made his name as a stand-up comic, but has taken the last few years off, choosing to focus on other things like writing and TV work. You may have seen him on QI, or trying to wrangle the terrible twosome known as Jedward on an episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks. This year sees his first stand-up tour in half a decade. “My need to be onstage was just boiling over,” he explains. “A lot of my early life was spent trying to understand things, and I came to the realisation that I needed to perform, to get them out. These past few years have been great, but I realised that I’ve missed the immediacy of being onstage and doing a live performance for a crowd. It was high time to get back into it.”

Posted: March 11th, 2013 under Arts, Arts - Interview, Brag 503.
Tags: Alasdair Duncan, An Evening With Jack Dee, Jack Dee, The Enmore Theatre

Eric ‘Ricky’ McKinnie joined legendary gospel group the Blind Boys Of Alabama in 1990. At the time the group was already more than half a century old, having first performed together in 1939 when its founding members were still in primary school in Talladega, Alabama. Percussionist and vocalist McKinnie was asked to join by founding member Clarence Fountain, an experience he describes as “a great honour.”

Posted: March 11th, 2013 under Brag 503, Music, Music - Interview.
Tags: Benjamin Cooper, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Byron Bay Bluesfest, Sweet Honey In The Rock, The Enmore Theatre

Mick Harvey has the air of one of your dad’s mates who used to be in a famous band and still regales you with stories to that effect when you’re both invited ‘round for dinner. It always seems like talk until he puts his glass of wine down and picks up a guitar, at which point you realise that there’s more than a little magic still burbling beneath the surface. Some of Harvey’s songs fall short of the mark tonight – ‘Summertime In New York’ comes off as a lazily put-together blues number that lends itself too well to the ‘dad rock’ impression – but others are stunning. The best tune pairs calmly insightful lyrics with slow chords to form a ghostly ballad. Harvey’s backing band (upright bass and another guitar) illustrates it well; the guitar evokes a distant train, while the bassist bows plangent, heavy shapes into the Enmore’s cavernous hall. “Something to tell your grandchildren about. Definitely,” says Harvey.

Posted: March 4th, 2013 under Brag 502, Live Reviews, Music.
Tags: Einstürzende Neubauten, Luke Telford, Mick Harvey, The Enmore Theatre