Whatever you think about Pete Doherty (and that’s probably not much), you can’t deny his influence in the field of poetry - whatever that’s been. Listen in stunned disbelief as the man who’s ruined more lives than ArtsWom’s done bad headline puns reads his favourite poems to you - read more.
It’s hard to imagine a time before Led Zeppelin – though we’re fairly certain this was around the same period that saw mammoth-fur bikinis hit the peak of fashion and the most technically-advanced construction workers mixed their cement in the mouth of a pelican. Experience a pre-mega stardom Led Zep perform a uniquely intimate gig – read more.
When you were young, nothing used to beat watching artists like Roy Orbison, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and k.d. lang leading a crowd of thousands in some filthy, open air concert while you brazenly smoked something you would later tell your kids never to touch. Now you’re old, it’s probably best if you just settle back in the sofa and enjoy such concerts on your widescreen HDTV with a warm mug of hot chocolate in hand. Tell yourself it’s just progress… - read more
Few country and western singers have made self-destruction quite as cool as the Man in Black. Regardless, across seventy record albums and hundreds of songs Johnny Cash has made more spurious claims than the temp at work who knew about the internet five years before anyone else. So what’s the truth behind the lyrical prose? – read more
In this modern age of walking robots, iPhones, 48” LCD screens and microwave ovens, it can often be difficult manoeuvring around the hundreds of TV channels to find what you want. For this little problem, there are two possible solutions. You can either switch over to MTV and watch 24hr repeats of Cribs, or you can read this article and become enlightened by ArtsWom’s choice of the best programming Sky Arts has to offer this week. For the sake of all that is decent in the world, please do the latter…
Monday 4th Feb –
The Book Show, series 2 episode 13 (7pm) - Your last chance to see episode thirteen of the Mariella Fostrup-hosted lair of all that is literary known as, The Book Show. As the only TV programme dedicated entirely to books, tuning in to this little gem should become as familiar to every book fan as paying off those overdue fines at the library. Lesley Garrett’s 20 Operas to see before you Die, episode 1: The Barber of Seville (8pm) – This series, as presented by the delightful pin-up for men of a certain age, looks set to be a compelling introduction to opera for many who have thus far only dabbled in the art form and a must-see for aficionados. The first of the twenty operas is The Barber of Seville and we would offer a short synopsis, but it is opera after all and isn’t really supposed to make sense.
Tuesday 5th Feb – John Lennon: Gimme Some Truth (9pm) – Part of Sky Arts’ Backstory series of behind-the-scenes documentaries, Gimme Some Truth reveals the creation of Lennon’s acclaimed album, Imagine. This is a great opportunity to follow the studio process, from inception to completion, of all the songs on the album. You can also see some mushy moments between the genius and Yoko Ono, if you’re into that sort of thing. So Wrong They’re Right (00.25am) – Want to make an entertaining documentary? Pick some weirdness, travel to America, and expend a wad of video-tape interviewing these wackos. In the case of So Wrong They’re Right, the eccentricity of choice is a love of 8-track tapes. Not to be missed.
Wednesday 6th Feb –
London Visions with Peter Ackroyd (6.30pm) – Check out some spectacular shots of London from the most unusual vantage points with the author of London: The Biography. This unique and inspiring programme makes use of seasons, time, and weather to present some incredible views that will allow you to appreciate the capital in a completely new way. Alice Cooper’s Rock Revolutionaries: Beach Boys Good Vibrations Tour (9pm) – It’s 1976, you’re in Anaheim Stadium and the five original members of the Beach Boys return to perform Good Vibrations, Surfin’ USA and It’s Ok for your benefit. They’d better play Sloop John B too…
Thursday 7th Feb –
Outback Opera (3:55pm) – It’s such a shame that shows like this one rarely make it to the primetime slot. Follow Opera Australia as they take Puccini’s tragic opera of bohemian love, La Boheme, on the road into rural Australia.
The Book Show, series 2 episode 14 (7pm) – Stick those reading glasses back on for more bookish banter. This episode features Helen Dunmore, Sophie Kinsella, and controversial atheist (is there any other kind?) Richard Dawkins.
Friday 8th Feb –
Ballet Boyz Night (8pm) – Settle in for the long haul as The Ballet Boyz hijack Sky Arts for a night of their schedule picks. Starting at eight with Johnny Cash: Live at Montreux, the night continues with a documentary following Radiohead on tour and concludes with Kuroneko, a Japanese film which tells the tale of a mother and daughter who are raped and murdered by soldiers, but return as vampire spirits, bent on revenge.
British fans of the Saturday night music treat known as From the Basement, prepare to cry forlornly into your handkerchiefs as this particular primetime gem has ended its popular run on Sky Arts – US readers, however, have something to look forward to as the show makes it way Stateswards late February.
In case you haven’t been keeping up on recent events, From the Basement is produced by Nigel Godrich and brings some excellent contemporary performers to the stage in a series of intimate, personal, and (most importantly) closed gigs with no distracting audience or annoying hosts. The last show in the series, featuring Damien Rice, E from Eels, Autolux, and Architecture in Helsinki, is being repeated this week on Thursday 10 January and Saturday 12 January on Sky Arts channel 267. Watch it now before it leaves your lives forever!
Seamlessly picking up where the younger pretenders left off, and stamping rudely on the proverbial leftover cigarette butts and plastic pint glasses left in the wake of From the Basement’s departure, Sky Arts continues to make Saturday nights the musical highlight of its week with Centre Stage – a series of high profile, classic concerts from some of the greatest names in rock.
Leading the pack on 12 Jan, Queen and Paul Rodgers – Return of the Champions, sees the aforementioned Rodgers standing in for the late Freddie Mercury at the concert that rocked Sheffield back in 2005. Rather than simply parody Mercury, Rodgers threw his own style into the mix when performing the Queen songs, which provoked divided views from long-time admirers. Regardless, this is a must-see for fans of all artists involved.
12 Jan 2008: Queen and Paul Rodgers - Return of the Champions
19 Jan 2008: The Stones in the Park
26 January 2008: Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
2 February 2008: Eric Clapton and Friends: Band du Lac
9 February 2008: The Pixies Acoustic
16 February 2008: Eric Clapton: Crossroads
23 February 2008: Elvis Costello Live in Montreal featuring Allen Toussaint
1 March 2008: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
8 March 2008: Elvis Costello and the Impostors: Live in Memphis
Though this may be the end of ‘From the Basement’, fear not, for Sky Arts are about to bring out the big guns. A series of concerts from some of the biggest names in popular music are to be broadcast, and the first one is a corker- the comeback of Queen.
Not many bands have survived the death of their lead singer- Joy Division managed it by keeping it in the family, with guitarist Bernard Sumner stepping up to fill the void left by the suicide of Ian Curtis. One name change later and New Order were ready to carry on changing the face of pop music. Much less successful was the attempt to reform The Doors with Ian Astbury (of The Cult) replacing Jim Morrison on vocals. Tensions and injunctions from various ex-members made it a bit of a disaster, and Astbury left to be replaced by Brett Scallions of Fuel. The current line up features two original members of The Doors, who now tour under the name ‘Riders on the Storm’. INXS even held a reality TV show competition to find a new singer after Michael Hutchence’s death by misadventure.
But Queen must be one of the biggest successes to come back from their lead singer’s death. After a respectful waiting period they joined forces with ex-Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers to tour as Queen + Paul Rodgers in 2005. After a successful world tour they released a double CD/DVD from the Sheffield Arena gig under the title ‘Return of the Champions’. Featuring popular hits such as ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘We Are The Champions’ and of course ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the prospect of seeing these giants of rock live is a thrilling one indeed- so if you’ve never managed it, Sky Arts have been kind enough to schedule ‘Queen + Paul Rodgers: Return of the Champions’ several times throughout January, which also coincides nicely with the new album, due to be released this year.
Broadcast times
Sat 12 Jan 2008 9:00PM - 10:00PM
Thu 17 Jan 2008 10:00PM - 11:00PM
Sat 19 Jan 2008 12:30AM - 1:30AM
Sat 19 Jan 2008 11:30AM - 12:30PM
We know we’ve been away for a few days, but we’ve had to come to terms with the New Year news. We knew it was going to come, but so soon? We’re afraid so. The final From The Basement broadcasts this Saturday (5th Jan) at 9pm. Four acts will perform for your pleasure, in wonderful HD on Sky Arts, in the last show of the series.
The latest music video from Eels is a complete anathema compared to the current crop of high-end, polished multi-million pound efforts. Written (on a plane), filmed, sound-recorded and catered for by the singer, this ultra-low budget offering is where many of you will have seen E (front man Mark Everett) recently. Here he pops up to give a pared down performance of some Eels classics in glorious HD, an ultimate unplugged experience.
Autolux have taken a sound made popular in the late 90s – we’re talking 13-era Blur – and made it listenable. In bringing this sound from LA to the masses, Eugene, Greg and Carla have stayed very much in the left field. Where temptation must have come to commercialise the music it has been resisted. Tracks like Turnstile Blues are not the over-produced polished pieces they could be, retaining a raw edge that is garnering the band quite the following.
An Aussie 8-piece called Architecture In Helsinki? Please don’t tell me there’s a didgeridoo? Panic not, there’s no need for one in this indie-pop combo from Melbourne. With extremely catchy melodies and lyrics that will stick in your mind like that bit of sprout leaf that’s still between your back teeth, AIH promise to rock your socks off when they perform.
Damien Rice sprung onto our radar with his best-known hit to date ‘Blower’s Daughter’ (2001) and his acclaimed album O (2002), although he had previous musical success with Juniper before becoming disillusioned with commercialism and quitting to busk around Europe. Irish crooner Rice can best be described as a folky-ballady-rocky-type singer (OK, maybe not best described, but described nevertheless) whose performance on From The Basement will provide a fitting end to an excellent series.
Christmas is almost upon us. A light frosting on the trees outside may be the closest we get to snow, but we at ArtsWom realise the major part of Christmas (aside from family arguments) is what’s on the TV. If you feel apprehension at the latest wedding/death on ‘Corrienders Farm’ then turn on to SkyArts for a visual and audio feast. A common theme on December 25th is musical artists who are no longer with us, so Sky Arts will be celebrating the lives of 3 diverse musical legends who have passed away leaving the world a slightly sadder place.
Christmas day 2007 will be the one year anniversary of soul legend James Brown’s passing and a special tribute to the Godfather of Soul will be broadcast. Expect clips of Brown during his peak as a soul and rhythm and blues singer down on his knees, giving his performance everything he’s got, and then some.
Luciano Pavarotti, who died in September of this year, is remembered by a showing of a concert from 1990 featuring popular arias such as Nessun Dorma from Turandot. Expect a tear to form in your eye as the departed tenor reaches the climax of the greatest ever opera song to enter the public consciousness.
Later on in the evening is The History of the Clash, a documentary tracing the turbulent career of Britain’s greatest punk group, led by the late Joe Strummer, a true icon for the modern age. Dubbed ‘The only band that matter’, witness their rise from gobby punk upstarts to world conquering rock stars who performed a legendary 10 night residency at Bond’s in Times Square in 1981. Then wince as in-fighting, drug addiction and power struggles tear the band apart. A great days viewing for the music buff, we’re sure you’ll agree.
Considering the amazing array of talent (both established and undiscovered) in the Sky Arts HD bonanza that is Centre Stage, selecting a top five from such a stellar list has proven to be one of our top five hardest things to do. Despite this, we have been able to chose the artists we think are most worth tuning in for from an amazing bunch. It was like trying to choose your five favourite Mr. Men - try it, it’s harder than you think. Chosen on musical merit, showmanship, and raw talent - here, in no particular order, are our pick of the pops:
Neil Hannon
Anyone who mixes the words of Noel Coward to a techno beat (the Divine Comedy’s‘I’ve Been To A Marvellous Party’) has to have something of the genius about them, and Hannon’s unique sound qualifies him for the top five without argument. The Divine Comedy, much underrated and below the radar, was in our opinion one of the great anthemic producers that fell on deaf ears during the Brit Pop boom, eclipsed by Blur, Oasis, The Manics and others. Emerging now as a respected voice in his own right, Hannon impresses with his range and strength, he glides into the top five as smoothly as his deep chocolatey voice.
Jamie Liddell
Much vaunted on this very site, Liddell is a mystery wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a riddle in a puzzle bubble. Peddling a bizarre brand of ‘digital derangement and deformed R’n’B’, Mr Jamie is a very strange one indeed. Random behaviour and an eclectic mix of media might make for a marvellous live show. He’s in for his arbitrary haphazardness.
Free Blood
Hailing from Brooklyn and listing influences as wide-ranging as George Michael, The Coasters, Grace Jones and The Muppet Show, Free Blood bring something kind of ‘ooh’ to the list. Their track Quick and Painful mixes some (if not all) of these musical persuasions into a tune that you think you shouldn’t like because it’s so weird, but you really, really do. For the instant likeability, they gain their place.
Beck
This guy really does benefit from the excellent production values that From The Basement have secured in the form of Nigel Godrich. He makes brilliant brillianter, if that is at all possible. Another eclectic superstar (a theme developing here, we think) Beck has influences ranging from psychedelic rock to Brazilian Tropicana to English folk. You’d think anything coming from a mixture of those genres is guaranteed to make your ears bleed, but surprisingly it comes together to produce iconic toons. That’s why he’s here on our list.
Laura Marling
The final entrant in the five is Ms. Marling. Also featured earlier on this site, Marling brings to mind the haunting sound of Beth Orton, which in our opinion is a very good thing indeed. Set for world domination (remember where you heard the name first) it won’t be long before she is played on the mainstream radio stations. The music lilts gently, insinuating itself into your conscience so you find yourself humming the melody hours later. For the sheer stickability of her music, she’s in.
So there they are, the top five as voted by the ArtsWom panel. Disagree? Great! Let us know why and who you’d replace, we’d love to hear your opinion. We might not agree with it, but at least we’ll listen.
Thanks go to THE funkyman, thefuturistic, bumpershine, LaughingSquid and Sugicy for the images.
Ballet fans, meet indie fans. Indie fans, this is ballet… When delving for musical accompaniment for the English National Ballet, ArtsWom imagine it’s rather rare for one to discard the classical works of Chopin, Ravel and Stravinsky in favour of a popular indie outfit usually more interested in careening to the top of the charts, than providing a soundtrack for one of the world’s most classical artforms. Not so in this case however, as a team comprising the aforementioned ballet company, Sky Arts and leading fashion designer Giles Deacon, have moved to sign up regular NME coverstars Bloc Party to provide the music behind their latest project, in a magnificent coming together of these two mutually-exclusive genres.
Airing throughout the Christmas period, and lasting for just fifteen blink-and you-miss-them minutes, the innovative ballet, choreographed by English National Ballet’s 22 year-old Artist of the Company Jenna Lee, is set to be a modern tour de force. Fusing all the excitement of contemporary dance with ballet’s classic tradition of strength and fluidity, each of the ballerinas will be decked in magnificently alluring costume, all created by the unconventionally brilliant fingers of Giles Deacon.
What’s more, the generous producers have even thrown in a brief behind-the-scene documentary that reveals all of the inspiration and secrets behind the making of Ballet Rocks. Which is kind of them… Make sure to catch it!
Broadcast times
Sat 22 Dec 2007 12:45AM - 1:00AM
Fri 28 Dec 2007 11:45PM - 12:00AM
Mon 14 Jan 2008 10:30AM - 10:45AM
Sat 26 Jan 2008 5:45PM - 6:00PM
Originating from pastures not too distant from the heart of the ArtsWom Empire, Laura Marling is an ascendant star in the decidedly over-crowded world of folk-poppery. Aside from being stunningly beautiful in an alluringly ethereal kind of way, the young musician manages to separate herself from the crowd with unpretentious, soulful lyrics performed with a soothing, slightly haunting voice and often only accompanied by a single acoustic guitar.
Laura has been thrust even further into the spotlight recently after appearing on Later with Jools Holland, and she is set to follow this TV appearance with a performance on From the Basement, Saturday 22 December. The truly talented teenager will be sharing airtime with veteran artists Sonic Youth and Jose Gonzalez.
Final word to our readers who enjoy listening to background tunes while browsing the ‘net – you may be confused about the minglement of music currently afflicting your speakers. This is because the ArtsWom Project Playlist…um…playlist is currently rocking Laura Marling’s Night Terror. Enjoy!
Variously described as ‘supremely strange and ambitious’ and ‘Britain’s answer to Prince’ (not that we’re saying Prince is strange, of course) Jamie Liddell has put his Super Collider days behind him and is forging a niche for himself. Moving away from his electro-funk roots, Liddell now delivers ‘digital derangement and deformed R’n’B’ (according to his record label anyway), that has been described as hard to understand and surprisingly soulful, coming as it does from a kid from the Home Counties.
By making his latest offering more accessible, he has transformed himself from his former persona of a geek with a laptop pumping out tunes to other geeks. By reinventing himself, he has made himself more consumer-friendly and given himself no small amount of mass-appeal, garnering fans from across the world with his eclectic style.
His live performances are a real roller-coaster too, building everything as an experiment, ensuring that a concert is not just a regurgitation of the record. Mixing art, music and film, Liddell takes his audience on a journey where the guide doesn’t even know the destination. Or the route.
Well, what would expect from a chap who sometimes thinks he ‘has a few powers up [his] sleeve’?
If Thursday is now the new Friday, then ArtsWom declares Wednesday the new rock-yourself-silly-with-short-previews-of-upcoming-musical-brilliance day, for we have three fresh promo clips to whet your appetite for this week’s episode of From the Basement on Sky Arts, Saturday.
First up, Jamie Lidell continues to astound with his extraordinary talents and fantastic, soulful voice. Despite probably being the least well-known artist to perform in this upcoming episode, ArtsWom marks this exciting performer as the one to watch out for. Not convinced? Check out the video below and prepare to be surprised by the vocals…
Jamie Lidell – The City
Beck consistently brings the weirdness and rarely disappoints in doing so. As this thirty-second promo shows, the “most idiosyncratic artist” of alt-rock can still raise a few eyebrows and get the odd foot a-tapping.
Beck - Motorcade
Although largely out of the public eye of late, the man who famously invaded the stage during Michael Jackson’s typically-bizarre, pseudo-messianic performance at the 1996 BRIT awards, continues to create music and perform. Jarvis Cocker has lost none of his unique, yet trend-setting, style.
Jarvis Cocker – Fat Children
The third episode of From the Basement hits your screens on Saturday 15 December at 9pm, Sky Arts channel 267.
Indie punk-rocklets, The Envelopes, have been letting their fans know about their forthcoming appearance on Sky Arts excellent new series, From the Basement, on their MySpace blog. The down-to-earth Envelopes boys were somewhat bemused about the line-up of Saturday night’s show, saying:
“When you see the intro it’s really funny. First you see Thom Yorke, some black and white views of London, then Albert Hammond Jr, London again, and guess who? Envelopes. What the Hell?? We played 3 songs : Freejazz, Party, and Sister in Love.”
Don’t be so bashful guys! How many other bands get to claim Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr as their support acts? Listen to Swedish stars music via their MySpace page by clicking me right now.
Interestingly, The Envelopes also say that their episode of From the Basement will be available to download via iTunes on Sunday. ArtsWom can’t be sure what regions will be allowed to benefit from this, or how much it will cost but that’s useful for those few people who don’t know anybody with Sky. For the rest of us, tune in Saturday night at 9pm on Sky Arts channel 267 – and bring along that HD TV!
Currently sweating sweet beads of artistic joy beneath the mighty spotlights of Sky Arts Centre Stage series of live performances, From the Basement appears to be any house-ridden music fans much-needed Saturday night relief - but what’s the story behind the show? Who’s behind this and how did they attract such names as Thom Yorke, Beck, Sonic Youth, P J Harvey, and Autolux? ArtsWom investigates…*
As explained on the show’s accompanying website, “From the Basement is an independently produced music series that features intimate live performances from the finest musicians on the planet”. Taking the novel approach of simply presenting great music without interruptions from the likes of Dave Berry, Fearne Cotton, and Alex Zane, and with no “everybody-scream-when-we-say-so” studio audience, the popular first series debuted last December but was available via download-only.
The concept attracted the involvement of TV studios from across the world, which are broadcasting the gigs the way producer Nigel Godrich intended – in glorious high-def picture and (most importantly) sound quality. Sky Arts is the first channel to air the series, followed by Rave HD in the US, and the promise of further international territories in the future.
So, what does this mean for the artists involved and the fans who want to watch them? Well, in the words of Thom Yorke: “From The Basement was exciting because it came from the desire to cut out the crap that lies between the music and the viewer. To get plugged straight into the mains. No producer director egos messing it up.” Well said. Now, quit talking and get playing!
Sky Arts has recently launched the Centre Stage microsite, which is looking pretty in a suitably disturbing kind of way and will be a familiar sight to anyone who have watched the promo video. It’s running very light on content at the moment, but we’ve been promised updates over the coming months and we’ll be sure to keep you posted…
If you can detect a faint whiff of garlic in the air, it’s because the French Film Festival UK has invaded our shores with the typically-French intention of mocking our dainty, English sensibilities and seducing our spouses. That’s just the price we p
Though this may be the end of ‘From the Basement’, fear not, for Sky Arts are about to bring out the big guns. A series of concerts from some of the biggest names in popular music are to be broadcast, and the first one is a corker- 
