Al Pacino at 80: In praise of Dog Day Afternoon
Once upon a time in Hollywood, Al Pacino’s name was not a byword for lukewarm thrillers or lacklustre romcoms. Turning 79 today and still in possession of one of the most bankable faces in the movies, Pacino’s popular reputation sentimentally … Continue reading Al Pacino at 80: In praise of Dog Day Afternoon
Business as usual for Hong Kong Sinfonietta as 2019/20 programme unveiled for music director’s Yip Wing-sie’s final season holding the baton
The Hong Kong Sinfonietta finds itself at a crossroads as it enters its landmark 20th musical season – with long-term musical director Yip Wing-sie having announced she will stand down at the end of the 2019/20 run, while a replacement … Continue reading Business as usual for Hong Kong Sinfonietta as 2019/20 programme unveiled for music director’s Yip Wing-sie’s final season holding the baton
Why 2018 welcomed the rebirth of the protest song – from Childish Gambino to Janelle Monáe
Pop music and politics have long enjoyed a dysfunctional relationship, marked by wary trysts and embarrassed silences. For every timeless, biting political anthem – for every What’s Going On or Fight the Power – there have been a dozen unfortunately, misinformed, garbled political diatribes by celebrities with more ego than insight. Which might be why, while musicians were once held up as the voice of their generation, recent times have seen increasingly media-savvy stars sidestepping ever-further away from having an opinion on anything. Until, that is, now. It was purportedly Ancient Greeks who first decreed that desperate times call for … Continue reading Why 2018 welcomed the rebirth of the protest song – from Childish Gambino to Janelle Monáe
The Beatles’ White Album at 50 – revisiting pop’s archetypal double album
Released 50 years ago today [November 22], The Beatles’ “White Album” is popular music’s quintessential double album. That doesn’t necessarily mean best – although The Fab Four’s eponymous entry surely ranks among a handful of contenders for that title – but simply the ultimate; the epitome of excess. The most representative, referred-to and replicated case of the beleaguered 2LP package. Double albums are stereotypically bloated, ego-fuelled, idiosyncratic, genre-hopping, directionless affairs as baffling as they are beautiful – all of which might serve as a fitting introduction to The Beatles’ ninth LP. Both the cause and effect of infamous infighting which … Continue reading The Beatles’ White Album at 50 – revisiting pop’s archetypal double album
As I Heard it Through the Grapevine turns 50, a look back at Motown hit machine
There might have been more than a touch of bravado at play when then-aspiring music mogul Berry Gordy dubbed his new Detroit home “Hitsville, USA” – but the iconic sign he hung outside not long after the 1959 purchase would feel like a quaint understatement just a decade later. By the end of the 1960s, Gordy’s Motown hit machine had clocked an incredible 79 Billboard top ten singles, spawning not just a generation’s soundtrack – while launching the careers of icons including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder – but presaging a landmark era of racially integrated entertainment, affording … Continue reading As I Heard it Through the Grapevine turns 50, a look back at Motown hit machine
Photographer Andrew Hetherington on shooting Donald Trump… and Alec Baldwin as Trump
Andrew Hetherington can’t remember if he’d ever worn a suit to work before – but he will never forget the one day he did. It was summer 2015, and the NYC-based photographer had an appointment in Midtown Manhattan. Specifically, at … Continue reading Photographer Andrew Hetherington on shooting Donald Trump… and Alec Baldwin as Trump
Lehman Brothers ten years on: I didn’t know what I was talking about, but neither did anybody else
Ten years ago today I filed my first feature as a trainee reporter on a regional UK newspaper. I’d say we undersold the headline a tad. A timely reminder of how little we all comprehended the dark days ahead (and … Continue reading Lehman Brothers ten years on: I didn’t know what I was talking about, but neither did anybody else
Meet the new maestro: Jaap van Zweden talks taking over the New York Philharmonic
This month is one Jaap van Zweden will never forget. At this moment, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s treasured music director will most likely be found studying a score or brandishing a baton backstage at New York’s iconic Lincoln Centre, where he is … Continue reading Meet the new maestro: Jaap van Zweden talks taking over the New York Philharmonic
Heavy metal turns 50? Happy birthday to popular music’s most persistent party crasher
In the history of recorded music, no genre has earned more controversy, sparked greater outrage, or scared more parents, than heavy metal. From decapitated bats and onstage self-mutilation, to offstage accusations of coded Satanic messages and devil worshipping, for five decades metal has hounded the upholders of morality across the globe – while attracting covert fascination from mainstream music fans. Because for all the gore, blood and muddle, metal’s most popular practitioners – such as Metallica and Iron Maiden – rank among the best-selling bands ever. Fans will continue to debate where hard rock ends and heavy metal begins – … Continue reading Heavy metal turns 50? Happy birthday to popular music’s most persistent party crasher
Gravity: five years on… and still deserving all five stars
I distinctly remember the day I filed my feverish review of Gravity – Alfonso Cuarón’s brain-bending 3D space epic – because my boss marched over to my desk and cartoonishly proclaimed “FIVE STARS?!… is this some kind of joke?” It … Continue reading Gravity: five years on… and still deserving all five stars
