Harry's Place Arts

This is a guest post by Ben Cohen Last night, New York discovered what British audiences have known for some time: The Specials don’t need Jerry Dammers. I wouldn’t go so far as to disparage Dammers in the manner of the British tourist who was happily skanking next to me – “he’s just a fuckin’ [...]

Well, I’ve waited 9 months to be here, after the May concert was cancelled. Considering the tickets sold out in 6 minutes, the hall is filling up very slowly. So far we’ve been treated to a selection of operatic favourites, some rockabilly and Tom Jones singing Thunderball – piped music of course… Updates may follow…. [...]

Pantagruel – Ale & Tobacco (Live at THE NAVE 2008) I’ve just been to see these guys do a free lunchtime concert in St Brides. Despite modelling themselves on an episode of Blackadder II, they were musically excellent, with a soprano who sounds very much like a young Emma Kirkby. There is something of this [...]

My friend Jo’s band Sugarmonkey have just released their new video which I hope you’ll like. In fact. I hope you like it enough to head out to the Roadhouse in Covent Garden, London on 23rd November 2008 to catch the band live at a benefit gig they’re playing to raise funds for Pilgrim’s Hospices, which [...]

The North Sea Radio Orchestra at the Roundhouse last year In the past couple of days, I’ve booked tickets for the following: two different shows by the North Sea Radio Orchestra, one supporting the excellent Ted Barnes at the Purcell Room on the 27th SEPTEMBER [EDIT - apologies for putting wrong date previously] (with a [...]

Wow, this is a treat. I picked up a copy of “Bob Dylan – Live At Carnegie Hall 1963″ on eBay. It arrived this moring and I’m giving it a spin now. As far as I know, the 6-track EP has never had an official release, so it’s not available in record stores, but it [...]

Yesterday evening I was fortunate enough to be one of the 100 or so punters herded into the basement of Fopp record shop off Charing Cross Road to hear a short set by the Norwegian band Ida Maria, led by singer-songwriter Ida Maria Sivertsen. I first noticed them (or her) as the standout act on a [...]

“Even when touching deep emotions, or slicing revenue off for charity, pop concerts are just pop concerts. They change nothing. And by attending them, we change nothing,” argues Andrew Miller in a post on the Mail&Guardian’s blog. Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Charity bash in Hyde Park last week was no excepton. Read on…