Tag : Culture

Tag: Culture

What links The Great British Menu to the underbelly of the 00s New York scene?

From Miquita Oliver by way of American Apparel to Oxfordshire cheese, we tumble down a five-course rabbit holeThe Nice British Menu (BBC) kicked off its 17th season this month. Not MasterChef: The Professionals, nor own-brand MasterChef, nor The Grea...

Taylor Swift criticises Damon Albarn for saying she doesn’t write her own songs

The Blur and Gorillaz frontman apologised to Swift, claiming that a ‘conversation about songwriting’ in the LA Occasions was ‘decreased to clickbait’Taylor Swift has referred to as out Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur and later of Gorillaz, on Twitt...

Tony Allen: A Retrospective review – sprawling tribute gets the crowd on its feet

Royal Pageant Hall, LondonAt virtually three hours, Damon Albarn, Femi Koleoso, Ben Okri and co nonetheless struggled to encapsulate the complete gamut of Allen’s creativityWithin the 18 months since pioneering Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen died, the e...

Damon Albarn: The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows review – beautifully haunting

(Transgressive)Some of the driven artists of the Britpop period, now unbothered by business success, is again with a second solo album that drifts along in a melancholy, stoned mistWhen Might’s Glastonbury livestream finally creaked into life, it pro...

On my radar: Damon Albarn’s cultural highlights

The musician and composer on a magical performance by Udo Kier, a west African drumming app and the place to discover a taste of PalestineDamon Albarn was born in east London in 1968. Serious about music from a younger age, he studied at East 15 Appe...

End of the Road 2021 review – phones firmly in pockets at life-affirming festival

Larmer Tree Gardens, Blandford, DorsetFrom Little Simz to Richard Dawson, the indie stalwart’s 15th anniversary get together offered a joyous slice of summer time in a troublesome yr This yr’s summer time seems to have passed with solely a glimpse of...

From Ghetts to Genesis, Nick Cave to Arlo Parks: autumn 2021’s essential music

From Fontaines DC to the Valkyrie, a techno Halloween to Little Simz, this is the unmissable music of the subsequent few months Continue reading...

Gorillaz review – Damon Albarn and friends make a bit of live music history

O2 Area, LondonPop’s longest-serving imaginary band fill the reopened venue with deceptive chaos and the delight of feeling a part of one thing again“It’s such a pleasure to be back,” says Gorillaz’s human consultant, Damon Albarn, addressing a full...

Original Observer Photography

The quickest British lady in history, the return of the music pageant, and a set of canines – the most effective images commissioned by the Observer in July 2021 Continue reading...

Latitude festival review: a hyper-real return to glitter, beer and British musical brilliance

Henham Park, SuffolkThe primary full-capacity pageant because the pandemic began hosted a collection of artists – Sons of Kemet and Self Esteem among them – that show how vibrant the UK’s scene nonetheless isStanding in a subject, sporting glitter, w...

Damon Albarn review – anecdotes and emotion

Manchester CentralWhereas the music, a mix of new songs and previous hits, is usually melancholy, Damon Albarn is on unusually chatty type before a grateful viewersIt’s been some journey, these past 16 months of Covid-related stress, grief and restri...

Manchester international festival 2021: the best music, from Damon Albarn to Arlo Parks

It’s time to welcome back stay performance – from sizzling Afrorave to chart-topping pop and soothing neoclassical soundsPoetry at MIF 2021Community art at MIF 2021Participatory art at MIF 2021Music – and particularly the one-off, stay extravaganza –...