September is shaping up to be a mammoth month for me. Not only have I got a big birthday coming up, but there are a couple of great book launches, a wee trip, and no shortage of excellent exhibitions.
This exhibition looks fab.
‘Use Hearing Protection: FAC 1 – 50 / 40‘ at Chelsea Space (next to Tate Britain) is curated by Jon Savage and Mat Bancroft and explores the audio visual work of the legendary Factory Records from 1978 to 1982. (more…)
“There are bits of the film that make me cringe, but they are there because I think they answer important questions. At the time, when I decided to burn all of that stuff, it was an obvious provocation to people and I expected to be attacked for doing it. People accused me of trying to get back at my father over our relationship.”
OK, I’m very much looking forward to this Joe Corré documentary, ‘Wake Up Punk’, slated for release later this year. (more…)
Are we about to enter the third Summer of Love? All the ingredients seem ripe for the mix; a groundswell of political activism, the legalise weed campaign, plus an overarching peace-n-love vibe from the youth contingent. The last week in London has seen peace protest camps from Extinction Rebellion plot up in Westminster, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, increasing eco-activism and awareness globally.
When I went to visit the Marble Arch camp on Saturday, it happened to be the same day as the 420 rally, with blazing sunshine, a carefree Glasto vibe and the distinct whiff of weed wafting across from Hyde Park. As with the recent anti-Brexit march, DJs and musicians lent their support to a rotating sound system so the likes of Massive Attack could show solitary to the cause. It was all rather groovy. (more…)
Just opened at the end of Ladbroke Grove, a fantastic exhibition of 1960s-80s nightlife photography by West African photographer, Sanlé Sory.
Sory used to take portrait photos in his Burkina Faso (formerly Bobo-Dioulasso) studio, later scooting to local parties and dances as requested, to shoot partygoers in action. According to him, “if there’s music, you need to have memories. Photography tells the story.”
He would also photograph local jazz musicians, the results of which would end up on their record covers. A few years ago, French writer and music collector Florent Mazzoleni came across some of the records and intrigued by the photography decided to track down the photographer. Legend has it that when he arrived in his village, his enquiries led him to Sory in the midst of burning his negatives. (more…)
