thinking art side the blog: April 2014

Johnny Marr, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Well - yet another fantastic gig from 'God Like genius' that is Johnny Marr. Had been so excited about going to this and it was amazing, just very sad have no more gigs lined up. Been to some amazing gigs recently (Foals, We are Scientists, Miles Kane & Goldfrapp) have to say this blows all the others out of the water!! Just the raw energy, the amazing guitar playing, the brilliant songs, great band...what more can you say! The venue was fantastic, never been to Brudenell Social Club in Leeds before. A tiny venue - great for seeing your favourite musician.

Louder Than War’s Josh Norcliffe: 'On Monday guitar god Johnny Marr returned to Leeds’s Brudenell Social Club a year on from his first solo tour’s humble beginnings in the same venue. How did it go down? tells all… - See more at: http://louderthanwar.com/johnny-marr-brudenell-social-club-leeds-live-review/#sthash.E4YdpHVI.dpuf
Tonight the messenger himself provides a dynamic set that is seemingly unrestricted by his protective cast (he shattered a bone in his hand after falling whilst running a few weeks back).“Let’s get all of the falling jokes out of the way. It really bloody hurt actually”.

Goldfrapp, Birmingham Symphony Hall.

Recently saw Goldfrapp at The Birmingham Symphony Hall. Saw them the same week as saw Johnny Marr - real contrast in gigs from a tiny working mens club to a huge Symphony hall. The show was great - very 'slick' and orchestrated, great lights, great stage and Alison Goldfrapp's voice is amazing. A seemingly shy preformer but with huge stage presence. Intriguing lady. Not right to be seated at a gigthough...glad she encouraged the audience to stand...sitting at a gig..its never right!!

the info about the gig read: The set will draw from the twosome’s impeccable back-catalogue, which suggests an almost schizophrenic split in their sound palette. On the one hand, feel the compulsive rhythms of the hit act that stomped through hits Strict Machine and Ooh La La, indebted to a fetishistic mid-European disco thud and the dress-up fantasia of glam-rock, and on the other hand experience the simplicity of the voice & guitar from which Tales of Us takes....a good description. From very melancholy to really energetic. Another great music experience.

Joana Vasconcelos. 'The Time Machine', Manchester Art Gallery.

This is a fantastic exhibition with stunning installations. Anyone who gets the chance must go and see it. The 'lilicoptère, 2012' piece is just beautiful, so striking and intriguing. For film fans the interior of Lilcoptere is like the H.G Wells Time Machine and the exterior is just an amazing flamingo feathered visual experience!! The full steam ahead is really interesting and surprises you when you don't realise that when the 'flowers' (irons) fully open they let out steam (as a steam iron does!). Quite a surprise!

'Joana Vasconcelos brings her eccentric installations to Manchester this month – assuming they all fit in…Lisbon artist Joana Vasconcelos makes iconic objects for a world that could never exist. By extracting immediately recognisable forms from their context – often supersizing them, and covering them in embellishments freighted with significance – she transforms them into curiously powerful spectacles. Vasconcelos is also an artist whose work takes on preconceived notions of gender and woman’s labour. She loves working with textiles, and her personal preoccupations include machine-powered sculptures and handicraft. It’s fortunate, then, that her solo show, Joana Vasconcelos: Time Machine, comes to Manchester Art Gallery in February, after two years of planning and hard graft. Manchester and Vasconcelos are one of those pairings that were just meant to be'. http://www.creativetourist.com/articles/art/manchester/joana-vasconcelos-time-machine/

http://www.designboom.com/art/joana-vasconcelos-brings-her-subversive-sculptures-to-manchester-art-gallery-02-14-2014/

war games, 2011

joana vasconcelos 'lilicoptère', 2012

An amazing vision when you walk through the gallery and encounter this! It's mesmerising. BeautifuL and totally bonkers! Thought might get one...parking a nightmare at work - can land on the roof!