Arts & Entertainment
The latest arts and entertainment highlights, previews, reviews, music and film features and opinion pieces from The Skinny writers.
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MusicCast – Troubled Times
Cast have never been critical darlings. Even when Britpop was at its peak they were being written off as mere trad revivalists. But this never affected their... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
Music
The Magnetic Fields – Love at the Bottom of the Sea
Following the profile-raising 69 Love Songs, Stephin Merritt largely ditched the synthesisers that had characterised great swathes of the Magnetic Fields&rsq... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
MusicMouse on Mars – Parastrophics
It’s six years since this German techno/post-rock duo released their last LP, Varcharz (five, if you count their work with Mark E Smith under the Von S... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
Music
The Stranglers – Giants
The first Stranglers LP since 2006’s Suite XVI explores some relatively unknown territories for the band, now in their 38th year. Freedom is Insane beg... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
Music
Team Me – To the Treetops!
Oslo’s Team Me are overblown, over-excitable and, with the release of debut To the Treetops!, soon-to-be over here. The warmth of your welcome will var... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
MusicDry the River – Shallow Bed
Elbow, Arcade Fire, Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake. These are the highlights from a list of artists that Dry the River don’t bear any audible resemblance ... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012
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Music
Live Music Highlights – March 2012
The drone daddy himself, Dylan Carlson brings the second half of his Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light opus to the capital as Earth take to The Caves on 8 ... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
Film
All Night Horror Madness 4!
All Night Horror Madness is back, and this time, it’s pissed Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
Comedy
Crystal Baws: March 2012 Horoscopes
ARIES Saturn’s adverse ring angle means you find yourself still inhabiting a rat-infested basement with a broken toilet and no lights in March. Try no... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
Books
Leaving Alexandria by Richard Holloway
Like the man himself, Richard Holloway’s autobiography is candid, entertaining and delightfully unstuffy. The former Bishop of Edinburgh traces a thou... Read more »| 28 Feb 2012 -
Art
Matthew Darbyshire @ Tramway
In what is Darbyshire’s largest public exhibition to date, he has sought to fill the massive space of Tramway 1 with an installation that simulates a b... Read more »| 27 Feb 2012 -
Music
We Are Augustines – Rise Ye Sunken Ships
It’s hard not to admire Billy McCarthy, frontman and chief lyricist of New York band We Are Augustines. Their debut album is based loosely around the c... Read more »| 27 Feb 2012 -
FilmGFF 2012: Herzog at the Festival
Werner Herzog's films have become a staple of GFF's programme. We examine why the man who once ate his own shoe continues to excite festival-goers everywhere. Read more »| 27 Feb 2012 -
Books
Seven Stanzas about StAnza
How best to preview the programme at this year's StAnza Poetry Festival? There's no way we can cover all the highlights. So here are a few, but written in verse. Why? Consider it a test – if you can get through this nonsense, you'll bloody love StAnza... Read more »| 27 Feb 2012 -
Music
Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself
Now eight albums deep into his career, it’s tempting to view Andrew Bird as a latter day, violin-toting Paul Simon. With the syrupy, seductive voice an... Read more »| 24 Feb 2012