MIF: The Life and Death of Marina Abramović

Just came back from the most amazing show of MIF 2011: The Life and Death of Marina Abramović is absolutely astounding! World class! LaDoMA is a true performance. Everything comes together: performative arts, music, words, interpretation. Willem Dafoe is absolutely magical. Antony is so elegant and a vocal master. He can do whatever he wants with his voice, a jealousy for so many who rely on Studio Production tricks. The dramatic story of Marina was lightened by the brilliant work of director Robert Wilson, but it still resonated a lot in my heart as I could identify with many of the situations experienced by Marina when growing up.

I feel truly blessed for having experienced such a fantastic show. Loving Manchester life each day more. Great diversity and so much quality.

Chester, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom - 30.12.2010

Beautiful snow!

Kate Walsh's concert

I am not going to write too much about the experience of this concert. All I can say, is that each day I get more enthusiastic about small venues where the audience who attends really wants to be there, listening to the music and participating of the good vibes that emanate from that communion, and not be chatting along and drinking as if they were in a pub.

Also for this reason, I can say this was definitely another special concert. The venue was lovely as well, comfy and with excellent acoustics. It's no wonder that is more frequently used by classical music instrumentalists.

And the music... well, I got a warm fuzzy feeling inside. It was very nice to hear such a nice and delicate voice like Kate's, so close to me.

When the concert ended, Kate went outside to greet the fans and me and my husband got to chat a bit with her. While I snatched an autograph in the ticket, she kept looking at us saying she had the feeling she knew us from somewhere. Strange, but funny all the same. At last, I asked her if she had ever been to Portugal, and she replied that she'd been there loads of times, and that she loved it over there, sharing fond memories of "Bairro Alto" and acknowledging that Portuguese was the only language to have a word for the feeling of missing someone, i.e., SAUDADE.

Kate was really charming, sweet and approachable, both on and off stage, which is why we had such a wonderful evening.

Kate Walsh concert tomorrow!

Finally, I got to "beat" my other half and got the chance to bring home free tickets for a gig. Free stuff always shows up in short notice, but still I managed to reschedule our cats Vet appointment for later in the week.

Therefore, tomorrow night, we are going to see Kate Walsh at the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, which is located in the University of Manchester.

Photo from here

Kate Walsh is a British, Brighton-based, singer-songwriter. In her bio, this is how she is portrayed:

"Calling Kate Walsh a singer songwriter is like saying Van Gogh was a cartoonist. Kate is, er, different. A 26-year-old from a sailing town in Essex who’s been likened to Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush and Jane Austen, she’s ferociously independent…in every sense. She adores Debussy, studies cello, listens constantly to Classic FM (and little else), bemoans the demise of vinyl and CDs (she finally got an iPod when iTunes gave her one after her last album ‘Tim’s House’ knocked Take That off the top of the download chart but rarely uses it), is entertainingly scathing about the conventional music industry (“it’s fickle, selfish, impersonal and backstabbing”) – and has established her own cottage industry to do it her way. And when she sits down to write a song you’d better lock up your hearts for you instantly become Kate’s close personal confidante as she bares her soul with shocking candour."

And for a little taste of Kate's music...

Oli Brown: how a cult is born

A few weeks ago, I went to see Kirsty Almeida's gig art Band ont he Wall. And this great venue has a very cool deal: if you dine in spending 9£, you get a free ticket to a show of your choice. After scanning the options, Oli Brown was the choice. And man, what a great choice!!

I confess that not knowing Oli's music at all, and given the music style he palys - Blues -, it would be far more interesting if I didn't "Google" him. And I was right!

I couldn't find a video from the evening, but check this recent one, earlier this month. See how he commands the guitar with majesty. There's a lot of technique, no doubt, but there's passion. And technique without passion is nothing. Not an issue for Oli.

I had a great night and knowing barely nothing about him made it even better. He is seriously, seriously good!! His bassist and drummer are top-notch as well. There is a great chemistry among them.

For such a young musician (only 21 yo), he sure knows how to appeal to an audience, engage with it, and set the ambience for good and honest feedback from everyone. He did a great job with the line-up, mixing old and new vibes, his own tracks along with covers.

The sound at Band on the Wall was crystal clear, defined, a must! So, props to Band on the Wall's sound engineer as well! He surely deserves it, especially after having to cope with Oli walking around the venue, including upstairs in the balcony, to play right in front of the fans, like in a one-o-one teasing exercise.

Definitely, recommended! If you want to buy his album, great! But do check him out when playing live. That's how you'll get the buzz!

Divine Comedy's tickets arrived!

Yay!! The tickets for Divine Comedy's concert in Manchester have arrived. It's going to be a night to remember. Can't wait!

Fish's tickets arrived!

Yay!! The tickets for Fish's concert in Manchester have arrived. It's going to be a night of good old school songs. Can't wait!

Paloma's tickets arrived!

Yay!! The tickets for Paloma Faith's concert in Manchester have arrived.

And here's a little bit of Paloma for your ears only.

Kirsty Almeida's concert

What a great gig last night!

There were 3 acts opening for Kirsty Almeida that are definitely worth the mention.

• Rioghnach Connolly and The Running Club were very interesting. Rioghnach has a type of soulful voice in the likes of Adele. Her effortless singing amazed me a lot.


• The Running Club could be just another rock band, but that punk and ska feel mixed altogether makes them relevant. Plus, some of the lyrics of the songs were very good.


• And finally, the last supporting act, filled the stage and left me with a big, big smile. Quirky Camila Fiori aka Damsel Dusty was quite a treat to my ears! The performance, the outfit, the poise, the articulation of her wording was definitely a fine moment and a goodwarm up for Kirsty.

Kirsty is definitely one to watch. And what a fantastic set of musicians she has!! She is jazz, she is soul, she is blues, she is rock... and she does it in great style, as well. Mind you! In the world of today, to find an artist who just wants to be like herself, and not one of the pack, as she clearly gave away when addressing the Decca issue, is something to cherish.

As for the music itself, regardless of the styles she embraces, which showcase her cultural background and her life experiences, the truth is the sound is quite intricate, clean, effortless, simple, and simple is always good in my book. And yet, she can do so much with it on a live venue.

Some of my favourite moments were when Kirsty sang "Cool Down Rewind", which left me daydreaming, and later the duet with acoustic guitarist Jasper - another incredible moment, full of tenderness, with no rush, where time seemed suspended from its routine. I sure enjoy moments like these.

A final note to the venue as well. Band on the Wall is really up my street. Just sad I couldn't stay longer to say hi to Kirsty, with whom I had been exchanging messages through Myspace, and maybe get an autograph on her CD, as I had to rush to get the train back home. :D

Hopefully, some other time.

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, at Royal Exchange Theatre

I found this first experience of going to the theatre in England quite challenging. Faustus myth is one of my favourites of all times and knowing enough about it helped a great deal.
This play was based on Christopher Marlowe's. No sooner than after watching the play, while browsing some bits of the book's preface, did I find out there are different versions of his text. The reason being that Marlowe was only published once in his lifetime, and it was not even with this play. Therefore, there are several editions of Doctor Faustus. I have the book but my edition, however, is unique in the sense that includes the A-text and the B-text. The play we saw at the Royal Exchange Theatre, in Manchester, was based on the B-text, hence the reason for not recognising some parts of the text, as I had only read the A-text.

In terms of intelligibility, there were some tough parts. Although I knew the story and had read Marlowe's play recently, there are two fundamental things that made it difficult: the literary side of it (particularly when there are references to other myths, historical events, etc.) and the language side of it (Old English is not particularly my forte and there are expressions you end up missing). 

Yet, despite missing some bits, for the reasons herein mentioned, which become increasingly more complicated when you have to understand all of that with local accents, I took it as a challenge I partly succeeded to accomplish.

"Now, Faustus, must thou needs be damned, 

And canst thou not be saved

What boots it then to think of God or heaven? 

Away with such vain fancies and despair!

Despair in God, and trust in Belzebub. 

Now go not backward. No, Faustus, be resolute. 

Why waverest thou? O, something soundeth in mine ears 

'Abjure this magic, turn to God again!'

Ay, and Faustus will turn to God again. 

To God? He loves thee not.

The god thou servest is thine own appetite, 

Wherein is fixed the love of Beelzebub. 

To him I'll build an altar and a church, 

And offer lukewarm blood of new-born babes."

Technical aspects 

The way the theatre is laid out as a small amphitheatre makes the audience become more involved in the play. It seats about 700 people which is quite impressive considering the size of it. The only downside is that the seats are not that comfortable (they seem a bit like bus seats).

The acoustics seems good, but I was not able to hear well at all times, but that was due to bad voice placing from some actors, namely the lead actor taking the role of Faustus, Patrick O'Kane. A real shame, considering his monologues were the hardest to comprehend. On top of that, his accent and the cadence with which he spoke made it impressively difficult to follow what he said every time he toned down. Despite that, his acting skills are definitely great and he did justice to the character's troubled destiny portraying him distinctively in the different moods (curiousness, excitement, despair, contemplation, pain, etc.)

As for the Wagner character, played by actor Stephen Hudson, it was undoubtedly my favourite. Perfect accent and interpretation, at times (in the small comedic parts) reminding me of Hugh Laurie, which is always a good thing.

Definitely an experience to repeat many more times. 

Dr. Faustus tickets arrived

Yay!! The tickets for Dr. Faustus, from Marlowe, in Manchester have just arrived.

Jónsi's tickets arrived!

Yay!! The tickets for Jónsi's concert in Manchester have just arrived. What a way to start the weekend.

Les Misérables

At last, after two years and a half in this country, I finally fulfiled one of my dreams: to watch a musical theatre show in the UK. 

The choice was on the 25th year anniversary of "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo. 

The place: The Lowry, in Salford Quays, Manchester. 

The price of the tickets was a bit intimidating and by the time we bought them there weren't even any more of the cheaper ones available. Still, we thought it was the kind of show that involves so much work and people, and with all the referrals we had read, it had to be worthwhile.

And it was definitely well worth the time and money. The venue was totally packed, as expected.

The singers were excellent, the setting breathtaking, full of special effects I had never seen in theatre and the music... well, timeless. The acting was top notch quality and there were a few who really surprised me in a positive way. The falsetto songs sung by "Jean Valjean" and the little girl who played "Cosette" were fantastic. 

And just for a sneak peak, here's a video promo that includes many of the actors that were part of the cast of the Manchester show.

All in all, an experience to repeat many, many times.