Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CULTURE IS NIGH
STARS SHINE FOR SPARKLEHORSE
Nine years on the go, Culture Night – taking place this evening – is no longer a novelty. We’re used to this annual mess of art, music, theatre and randomness that takes over the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast City; 300 odd events in 150 locations all within a few hours, all of them free. That said – it’s never been close to boring or predictable – the opposite is true. It’s a reliable night out, for sure – but you can never be certain what’s in store. Which is why we’ll never tire of this – and indeed, upwards of 85,000 people are expected this year making it the biggest Culture Night to date. Forming some kind of a plan for the evening goes against the spirit. It’s better to stumble upon something odd and fun, perhaps missing out on what you’d planned to go and see. Dipping toes is encouraged. So don’t see the below as a guide – or even a suggestion as to how you might want to spend Culture Night. It’s just a sketch of how your evening could turn out, a flavour of what you may encounter. And then – of course – we all end up a little inspired, and enjoy nights of culture all year round, right? Buoy Park, all evening.
I’d imagine it’s easier to score high when you’re sitting on the sofa rather than in front of a studio and TV audience – but what about when you’re out on the street?
Studio Souk, 12-6pm
Colouring in on a giant scale. Please just avoid the temptation to draw something rude.
Weiter’s Square, 1pm-9pm
Interactive learning on an important subject. One of a handful of genuinely useful and poignant events.
Beanbag Conema, 5-5.45pm
If you can’t laugh, what is there left to do?
Belfast Barge, 6-9pm
Quarterback challenges from an American Football team recently relocated to
Belfast.
St Annes Square, 6.30-9.30pm
The type of street fighting we can all get on board with. Oh Yeah, all evening
Because, you know – bands. Michael Mormecha, Bosco Ramos, Invaderband and Hit the B Button make for a juicy quadruple bill.
Fish City, 7-9pm
Do fish and traditional music go together well? I don’t see why not.
City Hall, 7.30pm
Capturing a mini-show in an unusual location is Culture Night in a nutshell.
Hungarian ice cream. I have no idea if Hungary do ice cream well, but I’m happy to find out.
City Hall, all day.
Bill Harris Hairdressing, 7pm-11pm An annual show from punk upstarts The Penny Dreafuls and friends. In a hairdressers.
Writer’s Square, 7.30pm-8pm
I’ll stick to, um… watching – but this will be fun for fans of vintage dance routines. Bank Square, 8-8.45pm
The Irish language may be a political football at the moment – but forget that and enjoy its cultural context – with music, song and poetry.
Bank Square, 9-10pm
I have litreally no idea whatsoever as to what this is. ‘Take your mind on a weird adventure’ reads the description, which is as intriguing as it is unhelpful.
Voodoo, 10pm
Great to see Voodoo – aka Belfast Rock HQ onboard – and Documenta are the kings of trippy drone pop. Mark Linkous was a very special human being, the type of musician and songwriter of which there’s only a handful of, every generation. His five albums – recorded under the name Sparklehorse – are cherished by fans of the lo-fi and leftfield, the type of music so agonisingly personal, so painfully beautiful, it’s best listened to and truly appreciated alone, with headphones, in a darkened room. Mark Linkous took his own life in 2010 – and his legacy has been celebrated with a poignant documentary. ‘The Sad & Beautiful World of Sparklehorse’ is a tender celebration of the alt-rock icon’s troubled life – and it’s being shown in NCC – a fantastic, wonderfully curated and forwarded thinking cinema in Newcastle, Co Down. While that’s an occasion in itself, the night becomes unmissable with the addition of a live performance of Sparklehorse tracks by a selection of extremely well renowned local musicians. The line up includes Dundrum’s Tom Mc Shane, members of Junk Drawer, Richard Davis (Heliopause), The Mad Dalton and Pixie Saytar – all of them incredible artistes in their own right. It’s truly a one off event, something very special indeed, and a real treat for fans of alt-folk, folktronica, lo-fi rock and the like (call it what you will) in Newcastle – and beyond. Saturday week then- 30th September, 8pm. I saw Jeremy Usbourne outside the BBC last week, on his own, looking a bit lost. It was exciting to think he might actually appreciate me talking to him, so I approached ‘Jez’ with a smile.
Just as I went to saw hello, I froze
– and realised I couldn’t remember the guys name. As an obsessive fan of Peep Show (start to finish maybe five, six times at this point) I feel I know Jez very, very well – to the point remembering the actors real name is now quite tricky. Needless to say, I made a fool out of myself – and by the time it clicked – ROBERT WEBB – he was gone. Turns out Robert was in town to talk about his new book – which is genuinely fantastic. He’s made a relatively uninteresting upbringing properly fascinating – and thought provoking – mixing poignancy and silliness in equal measures. So – whether you know him as Jez or Robert is irrelevant – ‘How Not to be a Boy’ is one of the most (for want of a better word) readable books I’ve ever bought.