I first came across Ikkokukan by accident on YouTube. It proved to be a very serendipidous accident because I feel that I have uncovered a hidden gem. At the moment they only have 27 people following them but I feel that they deserve far more and so I am adding this extra post to my […]
Bard Movies 3
In our third visit to movies inspired by the plays of Shakespeare we continue to look at adaptions of Romeo and Juliet. The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video musical movie. It is the sequel to Disney’s 1994 animated feature film The Lion King, with its plot influenced by Romeo […]
Bard Movies 2
Continuing our new series on movies based on the plays of Shakespeare, we return to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Whilst West Side Story is the most renown, there have been several other adaptions of the play. Today we feature two very different retellings of the story. Romeo Must Die is a 2000 American […]
Bard Movies 1
Today, we begin a new series which follows on from the recent ‘Bard Words’ collection. ‘Bard Movies’ will not be looking at screen adaptions of Shakespeare plays, rather the intention is to highlight movies which can trace their storylines (however indirectly) back to the Bard. For our first offering we turn to the ever popular […]
The Magpies – Undertow
I am delighted to be able to post a review of the latest offering from The Magpies. This is their second album and the first since the departure of Polly Bolton and the welcome addition of Kate Griffin. The album displays the growing maturity of the group and a tighter more balanced sound with the […]
Royal Variety Performances
To mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, I thought it might be appropriate to post about the Royal Command (Variety) Performance. It is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members […]
Comic Songs (50)
Alex Horne is a British comedian. Horne is the creator of BAFTA award-winning TV series Taskmaster, in which he also performs as the Taskmaster’s assistant. He is the host and bandleader of The Home Sextion, a comedic band. Horne runs the band’s eponymous podcast and has appeared with them on their music variety show on […]
Comic Songs (49)
Mitch Benn is an English comedian, author and musician known for his comedy rock songs performed on BBC Radio. He was, until 2016, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s satirical programme The Now Show, and has hosted other radio shows. Benn has performed at several music festivals, and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He […]
Comic Songs (48)
The Rutles were a rock band that performed visual and aural pastiches and parodies of the Beatles. This originally fictional band, created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes for a sketch in Idle’s mid-1970s BBC television comedy series Rutland Weekend Television, later toured and recorded, releasing two albums that included two UK chart hits. The […]
Comic Songs (47)
‘Fry and Laurie‘ are an English comedy double act, mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s. The duo consisted of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who met in 1980 through mutual friend Emma Thompson whilst all three attended the University of Cambridge. They initially gained prominence in a television sketch comedy, A Bit of Fry […]