Emm in London

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Concert: Cranes + worriedaboutsatan

I usually book concert tickets months and months in advance and spend just about forever looking forward to them. To illustrate, this week I booked tickets to Muse on September 11th next year but I’ve resolved to only start counting down the sleeps after New Year.

So imagine my surprise when I visited my favourite band’s MySpace on Thursday and realised they were having a concert last night! It was all very exciting and I booked tickets immediately.

My favourite band is called Cranes and I’ve been a huge fan since 1993. Naturally, I have all of their albums including the rare and obscure ones. This is the third time I’ve gone to one of their concerts – the first time was in June 2004 and the last one was in October 2008 when they released their latest album. (Click for reviews of the Cranes concert in 2008 and the review of their latest self-titled album Cranes).

The concert was at the Luminaire in Kilburn which is an okay venue but they obviously haven’t heard of the credit crunch or current financial crisis. The cost of one lager shandy (only half a pint of lager in that plus lemonade!) and a Red Bull was £6!! There was nowhere to sit in the venue and huge pillars everywhere blocking the view of the stage so I can definitely say that the venue didn’t warrant the prices of the drinks. Or I should say drink – we decided not to buy more after the first round.

Please excuse my terrible photos! I’m often able to get great results with my little point-and-shoot camera but last night was not one of those occasions! In fact, the only usable photos of Cranes were taken by Stephen!!! :( Unfortunately, I was afflicted by terrible photography at last year’s concert too!

The support group was called worriedaboutsatan, a wonderful minimalist electronic duo from Leeds. I really enjoyed their show and bought two of their CDs. Their show was interesting as they had a full backing film to go along with the music. They were good!

Cranes’ sound can best be described as belonging to the shoegazing or dream pop genres. The lead singer Alison Shaw has a dreamy, girl-like voice and their music is moving and melancholic. I really love their music.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this concert as much as I enjoyed the others. They had a couple of problems with the sound at their last concert which seemed to happen again at this concert. The mic, bass and guitars seemed too loud and the sound just wasn’t harmonious. There was also something wrong with the amplifier or something, as there were a couple of grinding, screeching noises towards the end of the concert. The set list was also disappointing. They played most of their sedate, quiet songs which is fine if it is a seated concert but not nice for a whole evening if it is a standing concert.

So in the end, it was a little disappointing which I guess is also okay. You can’t always go to absolutely brilliant concerts! Which reminds me, I still need to post about the Pixies and Shpongle concerts in October!

Holocaust & Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC

After hours of walking in the hot sun, it was an absolute pleasure to arrive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. There was a long queue to get in and heightened security too as it was shortly after the fatal and tragic shooting that took place there on June 10th. The employees were friendly though and the queue went quickly so I was inside in no time.

It was free to get into the museum but I wasn’t able to get into the main exhibit The Holocaust. About 1.7 million people visit the Holocaust Museum each year and to get into the main exhibit between March and August, you need to either get there first thing in the morning to book a slot or there are a limited number of passes that you can book online before your visit. Advanced passes are not required between September and February.
I was not disappointed though as I was able to go to the From Memory to Action: Meeting the Challenge of Genocide exhibition on the second floor. You may know that I am interested in the topic of genocide and run another blog too where I post about topics such as war, genocide and humanitarian crises. You can find my blog at A Passion to Understand.
As always, click on any of the photos for enlargements

I found the exhibit to be fascinating. As you walk in, there is a display running right along the wall that chronicles and describes the situations in Rwanda, Bosnia and Sudan. There are also screens and other interactive devices giving eye witness accounts of these conflicts. It was a chilling but very rewarding visit and made me even more determined to carry on blogging about and researching these events.

In what seemed like no time at all, I made my way back out into the sun and I made my way towards the Smithsonian Institute which is "an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States" according to Wikipedia. Quite apart from the fact that all of the museums are free, I’d say that the Smithsonian is worth visiting just to see all the beautiful buildings!
There was the Freer Gallery of Art and the National Museum of Natural History across on the other side.

The building that most captured my imagination was the Smithsonian Castle which houses the Institution’s administrative offices and the information centre.

I also loved the High Victorian styling of the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building.

Look at that exquisite brick, glass and metal work!

My final stop before reaching my destination was the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

I didn’t go inside but I did walk around the stunning sculpture garden.

I was quite taken with Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree for Washington, DC, 2007. This is a lovely idea where people can write out their wishes and attach it to the tree. I was just too satisfied to wish for any at that moment. “Satisfied” isn’t the right word but it comes close. I was already at peace.

There were two other pieces I quite liked too and they were Barry Flanagan’s The Drummer and Henry Moore’s King and Queen, 1952-1953.

Such lovely art! It makes me quite keen to rush off and visit an art gallery again soon!

Liverpool: Quiggins Centre Revived?

Like a phoenix rising up from the flames, it looks like the Quiggins Centre in Liverpool has been revived. Quiggins was a quirky little shopping centre made up of loads of little alternative, counterculture shops. Every time I visited Liverpool in the nineties and beyond, my stepmum and I would go along to Quiggins. Of course, being a Doc-wearing, black-clad coffin kid, Quiggins was the ideal place for me back then and I absolutely loved it.

Quiggins Entrance, originally uploaded by Paul Holloway

Quiggins was under threat of closure for years and years. I don’t quite understand the legalities of what happened but I believe that some greedy land developers wanted the land that Quiggins was on and it was eventually closed in July 2006. We had heard that it had reopened and were looking for it when we visited in December but we weren’t successful. Imagine our happiness then when we saw the following sight on Thursday morning:

This is not the official Quiggins Centre and Wikipedia says that although it houses many of the old occupants, it is not actually associated with the owners of the original centre. Take a look inside though; it is full of the magic and wonder that we remembered from the old Quiggins Centre:

Grin @ Quiggins

See that t-shirt at the top left? The black, long-sleeved one? I would have looooved that back in the day, before Trinny and Susannah told me not to wear clothing with high necklines.

Isn’t it just quaint and kooky?

On the first floor, there is a vintage dress shop and a dress designers. I really like that black mini dress on the right. What a pity I’m not as teeny weeny as I used to be!

Grand Central Hall used to be a Methodist Church and the main hall was amazing. They were currently building more shops in the main hall but at one stage, I looked up and was so glad that I did.

It’s not a great shot but the photo on the bottom right shows what the hall looked like in its former glory. Having little stalls and shops there definitely changes the look of the building but if they can maintain some of the features like the organ and the ceiling then it will all be worth it. I’m also hoping that they will refurbish the gallery and allow people to sit upstairs again.

It was good to see the old Quiggins traders again. I didn’t buy anything on that day but seeing as I usually hate shopping and shopping centres, it was good just to browse and to enjoy it! (Oh, I know I’m a grumpy so and so but seriously, Amazon was launched with me in mind!)

Go to Liverpool, visit Quiggins!

Quiggins Centre, Grand Central Hall, Renshaw Street, Liverpool.

Where in the World?

I'm currently in my second favourite city on Earth. It used to be my favourite city but then I went to New York and this city was relegated to second place. Considering how very much I loved New York, I'd say that being second place still means that I love this city very, very, very much.

A couple of clues:

It had been my favourite city for most of my life.
It took me two hours and eight minutes to arrive here by train.
My brother worked here before he moved down to London.

And less personal clues:

There is a bombed out shell of a church still standing here from the Blitz. The outside walls are still standing and there are trees growing in the middle.
Arguably the most famous band on Earth emerged from this city.
The Dubliners sang at least two songs about this city, one of which I quoted when I last visited here.

Righty-ho! I've put moderated comments on and I'll send postcards to the first five people who can correctly guess where I am.

Lincoln Memorial & Vietnam Veterans Memorial, DC

The Lincoln Memorial

I finally managed to tear myself away from the cool fountains of the National World War II Memorial and I walked towards the Lincoln Memorial. It is quite an impressive old structure and was built to honour Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

Like everyone else, I had seen the memorial and the sculpture of Abe Lincoln several times on television but nothing can quite prepare you for seeing it in person. It is really quite impressive! [You can click on the photos for enlargements].

There is a museum underneath the memorial and it is so interesting! I had not realised that Abraham Lincoln was such an amazing individual! I found the exhibits to be really inspiring and I’d love to read more about this man and his ideas.

In fact, I’d like to learn more about Abraham Lincoln and visit the memorial again one day. Sometimes, you see an exhibit and can learn a lot from it, without having previous knowledge. But sometimes, you just know that there is so much to take in and so much that you should already know and a lot of the information is lost on you. I felt a bit like that on that day.

A fascinating aspect of the exhibit underneath is the story behind the monument itself and how it is a work of art in itself. It is a lovely memorial and it is obvious that a lot of thought went into it.

After the cool and air-conditioning basement, the sweltering outside heat was almost too much for me to bear!! From my notebook:

“I’ve just made two failed attempts to go outside. I cannot begin to tell you how hot it is and for a South African to say that, you must know how hot it is. I’ve been really inspired by Lincoln. What an amazing man and a superb orator. I think Ill research him”.

Eventually, I did make it out and I took this lovely shot of the Washington Monument with the Capitol in the background.

I then made my way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This was the reason why I had to come to Washington, DC; why I pushed myself to do so much in New York so that I could spare one day there.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Again, from my notebook:

"Long before my obsession with Rwanda and genocide, there was my obsession with the Vietnam War. Starting at age 11 when I saw the The Deer Hunter, I read everything I could about the war and saw all the films I could lay my hands on. I’m left with the same question today as I was 25 years ago. Why?

These days I have a new question. When are they going to start acknowledging and memorialising those who have died in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan”.

It is possible that I was delirious from the extreme heat by then! And no, I would never recommend that you let your 11-year-old child watch The Deer Hunter but I was a devious little child and watched it while my parents were out.

Interestingly enough, the Memorial was inspired by Jan Scruggs after seeing The Deer Hunter as it reminded him of those who had died and suffered in Vietnam.

The Three Soldiers

What an absolute waste of lives.

Time seemed to have slowed down to an almost standstill by now. It was only 2pm and yet I seemed to have done so much in two hours! I walked back past the Washington Monument and took numerous photos again…