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Extra! Extra Corrie

My grandmother’s house always had homemade jam, a parrot that could make the sound of a telephone ringing, and Hilda Ogden peering out over the cobbles of Coronation Street come evening time. Coronation Street was as much a part of my growing up as that vicious parrot, at times cajoling for attention and at other moments likely to try and bite my fingers. And mine was not the first generation to have Corrie as a part of my life from childhood on.

Admittedly, I did have gaps in my attendance, huge gaping ones, but Corrie never seemed to mind. And to be honest I didn’t really need to watch it to know the big stories that were hitting the northern soap as many of them could be found not only around the water cooler but also in the newspapers. And here’s the crux of this new three-part series about Coronation Street. As much as we are now used to having a certain amount of newspaper space taken up with fictional storylines as if they were breaking news themselves, our friends in the north were really the first people to be featured in this way. Read the rest of this article »

This New York-based punk rock/garage pop band trio performed a fiery set, skipping between hard rocking songs with slower more melodic ones comfortably and confidently. All three women played very well, creating a rich thick sound that was complemented by lovely Neil Young-esque one string guitar solos from frontwoman Cassie. The crowd was fairly thin however and had a frustratingly typical English sense of inertia that was brought into stark contrast by some spirited and vocal “random Portuguese girls”. It was an incredibly fun and uplifting gig though, and hopefully they will draw a more lively crowd next time.

Coalition, 17 July
Rating:
Joe Fuller

The roof was raised and the downstairs seating thrown out for this gig. Okay, the raising of the roof wasn’t literal, but the cleared floor turned this into one hell of a party. When I think ‘Irish boy band’ the usual suspects come to mind: the pop songs of Boyzone, the souring ballads of Westlife… The Script, meanwhile, are in a league of their own: they aren’t a ‘boy band’, but a band who just happen to all be boys (although men is more accurate). They write their own music, sing, and play their own instruments – which isn’t clear when you hear the tracks on the radio (the same two tracks at that). Live, these guys were amazing; ‘raised the roof’ puts it mildly.

Irish rapper Maverick Sabre warmed up the crowd with Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’. The Script then whipped the crowd into a frenzy; the energy of lead singer/keyboardist Danny was infectious (I haven’t seen such talent or energy on stage since Gerard of US alternative rock group My Chemical Romance circa 2007).

This was the last night of their current tour, and they showed no signs of stopping. Taking us through from their debut ‘We Cry’ to ‘Breakeven’ and ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, there was excitement and emotion in every track. A long, standing ovation (balconies included) rounded off a night that saw this talented group finish their tour in style.

Brighton Centre, 17 July
Rating:
Zara Baker

I enjoy a good ‘who dunnit’ but last night left the theatre thinking ‘who cares’. Agatha Christie tackling intense emotional drama came over as psycho-babble of the lamest kind and, despite the best efforts of the cast, little could lift things. Robert Duncan and Peter Byrne were both excellent but dragged down by a production that seemed almost ‘Scandinavian’ in tone. In jarring contrast the housekeeper and police appeared to have strayed in from an Ealing comedy, comedic but not in a good sense. The crude symbolism of a wilting aspidistra gave me fits of the giggles, which I am sure was not intended in what is meant to be a serious study of how men and women perceive concepts like truth and guilt. Previous productions by this company have been excellent, sadly this one allowed me to come to only one verdict, guilty.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 18 July
Rating:
Andrew Kay