Glastonbury 2022 review: ten things we learned – Louder

It finally happened. In the three years since Glastonbury last opened its gates, weve had a full-blown (and still ongoing) deadly pandemic, a change in US Presidents and UK Prime Ministers, the costly and ugly activation of Brexit and six film entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (not to mention seven - yes, seven - TV shows).

Its all been a long time coming, basically, and the loud cheers of pure, unadulterated jubilation that greet the opening of the gates at 8am on Wednesday morning are an emotional reminder of what this festival represents for people, and indeed what weve all endured as a collective species over the past two years. For many, this will be the first significant event of this kind of scale theyll have attended since the pandemic began. And everyone is determined to make the god damn most of it.

What follows is five days of celebration the likes of which even Glasto hasnt born witness to in its five decades on this earth. From the hundreds of bands and DJs playing to the artists, dancers and performers taking over the theatre and circus fields, right down to the thousands of crew members working across the site, theres an incredible atmosphere flooding Worthy Farm that never lets up. Even the weather is on good form - aside from a few relatively brief flashes of rain, its mainly sunshine and boiling-to-mild temperatures across the whole week (and after all, it wouldn't quite feel like a proper Glastonbury comeback without just a little rain, right?)

As the dust settles on a historic weekend - one which co-organiser Emily Eavis has already described as the "best yet" - here are ten of the many, many things that blew our minds, stole our hearts and gave us food for thought over a blockbuster Glastonbury 2022.

Bringing one of the single biggest and most important songwriters in the history of music back to Glastonbury was always likely to produce something special, and whatever might be said of Paul McCartney's ability to hit every single high note these days, for a man now in his ninth decade, the guy certainly can't be accused of scrimping on effort. From the 38(!) song setlist to the 'duet' with John Lennon to the real world appearances of Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl, McCartney's show felt like a fitting peak for a festival celebrating its 50th year (albeit two years after the fact). May we all aspire to that level of dedication and passion in our 80s, quite frankly.

Skin may have taken the prize for coolest look of the festival with her bright green 'CLIT ROCK' suit and giant, spiky head gear, but it wouldn't have counted for much if Skunk Anansie's set didn't deliver. Luckily, it's Skunk A-fucking-nansie, and their hour set on the Other Stage on Saturday afternoon was an anthemic triumph. They may not be headline status as they were the last time they played Glastonbury, but make no mistake about it: Skunk Anansie are a national treasure and a band British rock music should never, ever take for granted. As it happens, the singalong that greeted Hedonism suggested absolutely no one in the field was doing that.

During a dizzying couple of hours in the John Peel tent on Sunday, the future of punk was given the ultimate platform to take over as Aussie scamps Amyl And The Sniffers and Baltimore hardcore crew Turnstile played one after the other to cause absolute bedlam during the festival's final day. We don't have the data to back this up, but we're pretty confident that the ratio of circle pits per 100 Glasto goers shot up by about 5000% during that time. In a weekend where The Damned were forced to pull out and a rumoured Green Day surprise set never happened, it was perhaps fitting that punk rock's next generation took the opportunity to steal the show.

Nova Twins made no fewer than three separate appearances at the festival to further install themselves as one of the brightest young bands in alternative music right now. Our pick of the bunch was a late night showing on Shangri La's Truth Stage on Thursday, where the duo kicked off the weekend in style courtesy of a rollicking 45 minute set of futuristic electro-punk bangers. Even some brief sound issues couldn't derail their set - if anything, it made a packed-out crowd lose their shit even more when it came back half a song later. By the time singer/guitarist Amy Love chucked herself into the crowd for Undertaker, the first of three flawless victories were confirmed.

It might not be your typical protest music fare, but credit where it's due: Brass Against have cornered the market on rock and metal activist anthems reinvented through the funnel of trumpets, trombones, tubas and a good ol' saxophone. Their set at West Holts on Saturday afternoon was a blast, reimagined classics by the likes of Rage Against The Machine and Alice In Chains drawing the kind of reactions befitting of their heavy origins. The band were clearly delighted to have made it to Glastonbury after pandemic-induced time off the road, too. "I'm not gonna lie," admitted singer Sophia Urista. "There was a time when I thought things were looking pretty bleak." Us too, pal.

Mixing dub, soul and r'n'b with flourishes of the Ethiopian and Arabic influences which informed much of her childhood, and beefing it up live courtesy of a tight and charismatic backing band, Alewya was a revelation on the intimate BBC Introducing stage on Saturday afternoon. Effortlessly winning over a packed-out tent that was eagerly awaiting an imminent surprise DJ set by dance-pop crew Confidence Man, the London-based artist was a magnetic presence, looking like a star that could captivate Wembley, let alone a 500-capacity new band stage. Next time she plays Glastonbury, bet money on it being courtesy of a much bigger stage.

Be it the rapturously received speech on climate change given by Greta Thunberg on the Pyramid Stage, the full weekend of action in the politically engaged Leftfield tent or the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion and Skunk Anansie commenting on the recent, horrendous scaling back of abortion rights in the States, Glastonbury 2022 continued the festival's decades-long tradition of being steeped in activism and progressive values. In fact, the most powerful image of the entire weekend may just have been the final thirty seconds broadcast on the Pyramid - Kendrick Lamar, blood streaming down his face, yelling the lines "They judge you they judge Christ, god speed for women's rights."

We somewhat covered this in our review of Yungblud at Glastonbury, but it really is worth saying once again: we're not sure anyone on site was as happy to be there as the Doncaster singer-songwriter, whose persistent, bouncy enthusiasm and demands for crowd participation were so relentless that we're not still sure whether we're allowed to stop moving yet. We're pretty sure he hasn't, wherever he is right now.

While Nova Twins, Turnstile, Skunk Anansie et al did an excellent job of repping alternative music at Glasto, the Scum stage that hosted the likes of Gojira and Venom Prison in 2019 was MIA this year, meaning that there was nothing in the way of full-on metal on the lineup - a little disappointing given how much better the scene's representation at the festival has been since Metallica headlined in 2014. It's a relatively minor gripe when you're talking about an event where pop, rock, hip hop, reggae, indie, disco, punk and edm can all be bedfellows, but we're still hopeful to see the Scum stage return with an extra helping of heaviness in 2023.

It already feels like a lifetime ago that artists were tripping over themselves to do special livestreams during the early days of the pandemic. So effective were some of them that the format seems to be here to stay, but when all is said and done, nothing beats a proper, in-person live music experience, and there is nothing under that umbrella quite like Glastonbury. It may be just one stop in a mammoth run of festivals happening this summer, but that live music's biggest event has been able to return all guns blazing means that, even if just for a weekend here and there, life is still able to feel like something approaching normal again. Let us never take that for granted again.

Glastonbury will return in 2023

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Glastonbury 2022 review: ten things we learned - Louder

‘It was a Mecca for hedonism’: Haienda legends share memories of the iconic club – I Love Manchester

It may have closed in 1997, but The Haienda and its spirit have become synonymous with Manchesters musical and cultural history.

At the forefront of music and youth culture in the 80s and early 90s, the legendary venue unleashed the acid house and rave scene, brought us bands like New Order via Tony Wilsons Factory Records, and influenced many others, including Oasis.

But it wasnt just about Manchester. Named The Most Famous Club In The World byNewsweek Magazine, The Haiendas influence extended across the globe.

Now, as The Haienda prepares to celebrate its 40th birthday with an epic party on the original site, we spoke to Peter Hook, DJ Paulette and Graeme Park to find out what it was really like to be part of it.

The Haienda was so popular everywhere because there was nothing else like it, says Haienda resident and house pioneer Graeme.

It was kind of like the blueprint for everything else that followed.

The guys that set up Cream used to come to The Haienda and said, we want to do this in Liverpool. Similarly, the guys who set up Ministry of Sound came along, also Renaissance.

The whole of the London record industry used to come up to Manchester on a Friday night because they wanted to hear the tracks that Mike [Pickering] and I played and sign them for their labels. People travelled from all over.

It was like a Mecca for hedonism, really.

You didnt have to dress up, there were no rules on the door, and Mike and I played records you just couldnt hear anywhere else at the time.

People flocked to the Hacienda to escape, and they lost their minds.

DJ Paulette says she was desperate to be a part of the club.

My first encounter with The Haienda? Its funny, it was before I was working for Piccadilly Radio. I really wanted to come to a night here, so I lied and said I was a journalist writing a feature on it, she laughs.

I got in on a complete blag.

Then I was there all the time. I managed to get a lifetime membership. I used to drag everyone there.

Before The Haienda, people went to clubs depending on what music they were into, and dressed to fit, says Graeme.

At The Haienda, all those rules went out of the window.

You had barristers dancing next to cleaners, next to nurses, next to football hooligans, next to accountants all together. Nobody cared, everyone just got on as one happy family.

The Haienda is so important, culturally speaking, because it changed the landscape of clubbing in the UK and beyond, believes Graeme.

It was the first of its kind. And its had such an effect on people. People met their life partners at The Haienda. Or maybe they met someone else and got a new partner.

Ive had people tell me their children were actually conceived at The Haienda, or after a night there.

DJing at Flesh every month was memorable in its own right, says DJ Paulette.

You brought your A-game. The Haienda was special anyway, but Flesh was multiplied, it was so colourful, it was about being out and safe and happy.

The building was iconic. The DJs became superstar DJs, and legends themselves. It keeps evolving, it never ended.

It was a cultural and creative hub and melting pot.

Its hard to quantify how many people The Haienda has touched. Its about so much more than just the club.

Peter Hook agrees that it is amazing to be here to celebrate the 40th birthday and to trumpet the legacy and the changes that The Haienda and Factory Records made to music, to culture and to fashion.

I dont think well see the like of it again. It was a revolution, says Peter.

The Haienda managed post-punk, Acid House, and Madchester and they went right round the world.

To be in one place at the right time was pretty good, but to be in as many as I was Factory Records, Joy Division, New Order and The Haienda was f***ing amazing.

The legacy for me is about inclusivity. About being open to doing anything, with anybody and reaping the benefits of being nice.

These moments have been so special in my life, and were so lucky to now have another one.

Another rave, in a car park, in Manchester and streaming globally, too.

Adds Graeme: Ten years ago, if you didnt manage to get a ticket to the 30th birthday, you didnt get in.

But now, you can log on, pour yourself a drink, plug your device into some massive speakers, get your friends over, and party like its 1988.

The Hacienda 40th Birthday Party Pt 1 will take place on Saturday 21st May 2022, 6pm to 2am at The Hacienda Apartments, 11 15 Whitworth Street West, M1 5DD. Tickets on pre-sale 10am Thurs 12th May 2022 and on general sale 10am Fri 13th May 2022 atfac51-thehacienda.com.

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'It was a Mecca for hedonism': Haienda legends share memories of the iconic club - I Love Manchester

HBO leaks Westworld S4 teaser trailer and June 26th release date – The Verge

HBOs puzzle-filled robot show that always packed extra sides of hedonism and murder is close to making its return, as fans apparently dug up a teaser trailer for season four of Westworld before its scheduled debut.

HBO media relations director Chris Godefroy confirmed it was an Easter Egg set up for dedicated fans, and as weve seen ahead of previous seasons, there will be more to come. You can watch it right here on HBOs YouTube channel (via Reddit), to see that many of our android friends, foes, and friends who didnt know they were androids will continue to have roles to play. This link showed up on Thrillists Instagram story over a picture of NYC, teasing a setting in the upcoming season.

On Tuesday HBO made the news official, confirming returning cast members Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, and Angela Sarafyan. It also mentioned new recurring guest star Ariana DeBose, who recently won an Oscar for her performance in West Side Story.

Id go more into the potential plot lines revealed in the flashes and scenes, but even after sticking around for seasons one and two, I dont really remember watching season three of this show. Launching roughly two months ahead of the debut of HBO Max and squarely in the center of early coronavirus pandemic lockdowns here in the US on March 15th, 2020, the third season didnt quite have the impact of the first two.

The teaser wraps up by promising a release date for season four on June 26th, 2022, with eight episodes planned. The early warning is appreciated, because now I have time to try and watch season three again.

Correction May 9th, 11:15PM ET: Updated to note the trailer link is an Easter Egg ahead of the new season, not a leak, as it first popped up in an Instagram story for fans to find.

Update May 10th, 3:15PM ET: Added cast information from the official PR.

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HBO leaks Westworld S4 teaser trailer and June 26th release date - The Verge

The singers changing the sound of Toronto R&B – CBC.ca

Jon Vinyl and Dylan Sinclair are two of the artists bringing forth a more sensitive, introspective lens to Toronto's R&B scene. (Vinyl: Jamil Hamilton, Sinclair: What I Like Studios)

I first heard of Jon Vinyl the honey-voiced singer-songwriter from Pickering, Ont. a few years ago, while serving on a Canadian music jury. His single "Work" caught my attention. I listened to it twice, then jotted down Jon's name in my notes as a name to watch.

"You see this life it comes and goes/But you the only one that got me wishing," he sings on the track, his earnest voice floating over the early '00s-reminiscent production. "All our moments stay frozen/But I'm still hoping" So sweet, right?

A few years later, I came across Jon again. This time, he had a debut project in tow the aptly-titled Lost in You. Today, Jon celebrates his work and love or love and work, whichever comes first attending his first Junos with a heavy nomination in hand (album of the year within his genre), a huge feat for the swoon-worthy artist.

The more I listened to Jon, the more I realized how much the literal sound of R&B was changing in Toronto and its suburbsspecifically, how male artists were trading in hedonism for vulnerability, ushering in a homegrown return to warmer narratives and sonic ambitions. While Toronto R&B went global with artists like The Weeknd, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and sometimes Drake, their version of confessional-style, desire-fueled writing was a departure from the city's more recent R&B history.

For this piece, I spoke to two singer-songwriters leading the new cohort: Jon Vinyl and Dylan Sinclair. Together, they describe the changing temperature of this music coming from where we come from particularly, what happens when we chase love and dreams, instead of pure desire.

"Some days I have to remind myself where I started and how far I've come because it's so easy to get caught up and forget to slow down to celebrate the wins," Jon shares with me. While things may look rosy for him now, Jon's been at it for the better part of a decade. Through the ups and downs, rejections and pauses, there wasn't much to keep him focused and grounded. Luckily for him, his work was (and is) his comfort. Again, luckily for him, his heartwork bloomed into his success. "My music is sort of a cross-breed between the classic, sultry old school R&B we know and love, mixed with the raw emotion of modern Soul, with a hint of savagery," he describes to me cheekily. But to the outside world (that is, the powers that be in the Canadian music industry), his music loosely falls within the stylings of R&B and Soul.

Unlike other artists coming up in an increasingly genre-fluid landscape (and with a curiously out-of-touch population watching them), the categorization doesn't bother Jon much. Instead, he uses it as an opportunity to think about what R&B allows him to unpack and process for himself and his listeners. To him, R&B represents something expansive, something forming, still. "I feel like R&B is the best avenue to break through stigmas around male emotion and masculinity," he says.

Growing up, Jon would memorize lyrics and perform them anywhere he could. From his mother's weekend morning cleaning soundtrack to the jukebox selections at Fran's Diner in downtown Toronto, where his family would frequent, Jon developed an interesting sort of musical taste.

"For years I would imitate my musical idols like Luther Vandross, Jully Black and Oscar Peterson," he says. "I'm totally a sucker for some old school R&B from Luther Vandross, Maxwell, Jodeci. But I'm also really into contemporary R&B like Phabo, Arin Ray and Destin Conrad." More than anything, it seemed, Jon's interests were piqued by artists melding 'new' and 'old' school vibes, sounds, aesthetics.

In a similar vein of inspiration is Dylan Sinclair a Thornhill-raised church kid turned city boy and heartfelt crooner. In 2020, Sinclair self-released Proverb, his hazy, intimate eight-track debut. It went on to earn him the nomination Jon celebrates this year. When I ask him of his inspiration, and what about R&B ignites that inspiration, Sinclair ponders. "I love R&B drum patterns, I love the chords that happen," he tells me. "Especially when you blend that with the church feeling I grew up with that's what makes all this so exciting to me. Being able to create music that feels close to home."

Raised by his music-loving (and music-making) family,namely his grandfather, who he used to perform duets withsinging is as natural as anything else to Sinclair. In the eleventh grade, Sinclair tried his hand at songwriting, toying with what would become his fate. Along the way, he met Jordon Manswell and Zachary Simmons, two of his co-conspirators and friends. They've been scheming ever since.

Today, Sinclair drops his follow-up EP to Proverb, titled No Longer in the Suburbs. When I ask him what it is that he prioritizes in his own process, the young artist takes a moment. "I had to look at myself and think, 'what am I really good at?'" A true student of the craft and of the city, he lists off the strengths of the singers who preceded his own buzz: Daniel Caesar's falsetto and reimagination of the church sound, for example, or PartyNextDoor's ability to formulaically construct a feeling. While he admires all they've done, his focus is elsewhere.

Learning into the throughline of what's earned success for himself and his peers,authenticity, groundedness, consistencySinclair's betting on himself. "I had to step outside all the soundsthis artist sound, that artist sound, the Toronto sound," Sinclair says to me surely. "I want to see what comes from me."

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The singers changing the sound of Toronto R&B - CBC.ca

85k fine warning for Brits heading to Spanish islands this summer – Coventry Live

British holidaymakers seeking hedonism in the sun are being warned they could fined as much as 85,000 if they attend an illegal party in the Balearics. The British Embassy has warned tourists heading for Ibiza and Majorca against going to such gatherings.

It says that while parties at licenced establishments are commonplace across the islands, those that are held in villas and in private homes are illegal. The warning applies to British citizens on holiday in the country and comes following a number of worrying incidents, reports Birmingham Live.

A spokesman for the British Embassy said: "There have been a number of serious accidents involving people attending irregular commercially promoted parties in villas and private homes on the islands of Ibiza and Majorca. Licensed clubs and bars are required to meet safety and security standards, including emergency exits and capacity limits, and to have trained, licensed security staff. Irregular commercial parties may not meet these standards."

READ MORE:Radio 1 DJ Jordan North to host masterclass in Coventry ahead of Big Weekend 2022

The government adds: "You should take care of your belongings, ensure you know where emergency exits are located and not take unnecessary risks. Heavy fines may be imposed by local authorities to anyone attending irregular commercial parties."

The new regulations, which come into force this summer, have been presented by Balearic councillor for the Presidency, Mercedes Garrido, and the president of the Council of Ibiza, Vicent Mari. They are keen to put a stop to illegal parties which have increased "exponentially" in the last two years with the closure of discotheques due to the pandemic, said Mar.

Landlords who rent out properties where these parties are held will also be fined between 100,000 and 300,000 euro, as they will be held responsible for them. Under the new rules financial punishment could filter down to the attendees, with fines of between 300 and 30,000 euro possible depending on the seriousness of the infringement.

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85k fine warning for Brits heading to Spanish islands this summer - Coventry Live

VIDEO: INTERVIEW Magdalena Bay Talk Debut Album ‘Mercurial World’, Transition From Progressive Rock to Pop, And More! – B-Sides On-Air & Online

Entering the world of Magdalena Bay is an electronic synth-pop experience that feels like no other. The duo, consisting of Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin, has developed an eclectic style unlike any other. Their music is reminiscent of an infinite time loop of fluorescent sonics. What started as a high school project has turned out to be a successful venture into musical discoveries and speedy evolution for the two. Magdalena Bay started out as a progressive rock pursuit of music, but has since transformed into an otherworldly, pop-focused oasis. Tenenbaum and Lewin had to transition from layering technical aspects of progressive rock to mastering computerized sounds for the rapid growth of the young project. Now, with a refined sound and a debut album, Mercurial World, out, the duo is catching the attention of music lovers all over the internet. The realm created by Magdalena Bays music is a fantastical take on existential crisis and hedonism, sprinkled with wrinkles in time. For instance, the first track of Mercurial World is called The End. The last one is called (you guessed it!) The Beginning. This is just one example of how the duo creates their own definitions of reality within their art, combining their escapist sound with colorful visuals and relativistic lyricism. Looking at Magdalena Bays timeline, it looks like the transition from rock to pop has been more than successful for the duo. Not only have they become experts in the genre, but they also created their own space in it. When you get into electronic music and pop music, your palette expands infinitely, Lewin exclaims, where anything could be anything.

Magdalena Bay spoke to B-Sides about their debut album Mercurial World, how they transitioned from making progressive rock in their earlier band to pop music, and comparing its complexities.

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VIDEO: INTERVIEW Magdalena Bay Talk Debut Album 'Mercurial World', Transition From Progressive Rock to Pop, And More! - B-Sides On-Air & Online

Steak. Caviar. Lingering over bottles of wine. Has the power lunch returned? – The Boston Globe

At OAK Long Bar + Kitchen at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, office workers from John Hancock and Wayfair are returning, and in larger configurations, says food and beverage director Jean-Philippe Cote. Theyre lingering longer and even drinking (gin and tonics, mostly).

People are happy to come to lunch in groups who havent seen one another for a while, Cote says. Instead of quick salads, theyre gravitating toward bigger-ticket items such as $55 ribeye and $36 halibut.

In the aftermath of two-plus years confined to sad home sandwiches and stiff Zoom meetings, is the business lunch back, persistent pandemic be damned? Ross Chanowski, CEO of small-business investment platform NuMarket, sure hopes so. While he acknowledges that risk tolerance varies, hes begun enjoying in-person lunch meetings again with those willing to take them.

It felt great like I was an intern entering the working world. Youve lost the muscle memory, but at the same time, youre excited to be back on a bicycle, he says, recalling his return to the dining scene at places like the South Ends Buttery and Mamalehs in Kendall Square.

[After] two years of having all of your person-to-person experience be in a very delineated environment: 45 minutes on the calendar, heres the Zoom invite, suddenly we have this more open, natural human-to human interaction, he says.

Fellow lunch-lover Jennifer Hernandez runs Worcesters GEM Marketing Solutions. Shes grateful for their return, calling Zoom meetings terrible for their lack of personal connection.

I want my client to feel that I care, feel my enthusiasm about their business goals, and feel supported, she says. Taking the time to have these power lunches makes them feel heard and appreciated.

And, to that extent, a pent-up hedonism has been unleashed on the midday lunching landscape. At the Banks Fish House on Stuart Street, chef-partner Robert Sisca is doing about 100 covers at lunch an uptick that started around March and a busy after-hours drinks business consisting mainly of people in suits, he says, from nearby businesses such as John Hancock and Liberty Mutual.

You feel a vibe and an energy picking up, he says.

While business isnt at pre-COVID levels, the experience itself recalls three-martini lunches of yore. Workers who either stood aimless in front of an open refrigerator at lunchtime in their pajamas or rushed out for a quick salad and darted back to their desk now want to live a little, it seems.

[People] want to spend money. Were seeing more caviar and tons of oysters, he says.

At swank steakhouse Abe & Louies, site of many a pre-COVID power meeting, guests are networking, talking, and actually enjoying their lunch again, says general manager Dave Wilson, whos seen many dining trends come and go since starting his career at Bennigans on Stuart Street in 1992. Theres really no time limit. They call it a working lunch. Theyre not running out the door in under an hour.

On the menu: ribeye, filet mignon, and lobster casserole. Wilson senses that customers might have bigger expense accounts these days, maybe because budgets have been cut elsewhere, particularly for travel.

They have bigger discretionary funds to come in. Rather than get the salad, theyll get the steak and salad. Rather than get the glass of wine, theyre going to get the bottle, he says, noting that his bar is standing-room-only by 5 p.m.

People have been stuck at home, and their palates changed. I feel people are more relaxed, and theres less pressure to go to work on time. People are here for a good time and they realize, we went through a big event and we need to enjoy our lives, OAKs Cote agrees.

On a good day, hell do about 200 lunch covers. But those good days are variable; many offices are shifting to hybrid schedules wherein workers commute in for half the week and stay home other days.

Around the corner at Precinct Kitchen + Bar at the Loews Hotel, The most significant change is Fridays, says general manager Robert Rivers. He reopened his restaurant, which offers a roomy patio, on April 1 for lunch.

I drive in from North Andover, and it feels like a Saturday, he says.

But when groups from nearby Deloitte, Draft Kings, or John Hancock do come in midweek, they tend to linger longer.

For Brian Poe, who has reintroduced lunch at his Tip Tap Room near Beacon Hill, its a go-go throwback to his early days at the Bostonian Hotel 20 years ago. He noticed a change in mid-March or so, when employees from Mass General, Government Center, and Verizon began coming in and ordering fancy dishes. For a while, he wasnt sure what to serve. It quickly became apparent that people wanted to splash out, unwind, and enjoy themselves.

People are willing to order higher-end stuff. They want to get back out and have a nice meal: lobster bisque and tenderloin tips, he says. They have a good lunch, a good glass of wine, a good beer. (And, thus fortified, maybe clock out of work early.)

Theres one downside to all this newfound togetherness, though.

I just had two tables of colleagues who asked not to be seated next to each other when they came in, Poe says, laughing. It was: I just spent three hours with you. Im done.

Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @kcbaskin.

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Steak. Caviar. Lingering over bottles of wine. Has the power lunch returned? - The Boston Globe

Vampires and Metal: A Match Made in Hell – Metal Addicts

Formetal fans, one of the major draws of the genre has always been its affinity for the dark side. Metal has a unique ability to explore the darker impulses of human nature, while also wrenching the listener between giddy euphoria and sinister despair at the drop of a hat.

As such, the metal genre has lent itself well to other cultural tropes, chief among these is the vampire genre.

From Ozzy Osbournes affinity for bats to the spate of hit vampire films that are furnished with stellar metal soundtracks, it seems that vampires and metal are a match made in hell. Lets take a closer look at why metal fans and vampire fans have plenty in common.

In the annals of music, no genre has paid ode to the fanged undead as much as metal. There are countless iconic metal songs that celebrate vampire tropes or find fitting parallels between the myth of the vampire and the heavy metal archetype of the dark-sided hedonist.

For true metal fans, Cradle of Filth is the ultimate vampire-loving band. This is bestexemplified by their unforgettable trackFuneral in Carpathia, with tells the tale of Count Dracula commanding his army of the undead to take over the underworld, complete with bat-swarm drumbeats and piercing shrieks.

On a more humorous note, theres Black Dahlia Murders hit trackNocturnal, which tells the tale of a secret vampire society living parallel to our own, plotting ceaselessly to murder the sun. For 80s metal excellence, Slayers legendary trackAt Dawn They Sleepis a riotous celebration of the unceasing evil and hedonism of a vampiric cult, one that will have you thrashing about the room in no time.

The crossover between metal and vampires is not only confined to music. In the rich genre of vampire films, youll find no shortage of truly epic death metal soundtracks that accompany the on-screen excess. Theres the iconic Aaliyah filmQueen of the Damned, which has a metal-tastic soundtrack compiled by none other thanKorns Jonathan Davis and Richard Gibbs.

Theres the 2000 vampire slasher filmDracula, which saw the debut of Slayers chart-topping songBloodline, as well as contributions from Disturbed, System of a Down, Monster Magnet, and Pantera.

For some lighthearted metal weirdness, the 2015 comedy-horrorDeathgasmtells the tale of a metalhead who accidentally summons hordes of vampires and the undead with his guitar, complete with a soundtrack from Skull Fist, Midnight, and Emperor.

If youre a metal fan who also has a fond appreciation for vampires, there are also plenty of games for you to try out. TheresVampire: The Masquerade, where you can play as a powerful vampire lord marauding his way through the land of the living. Then theres the 2018 gameVampyr, in which you play a freshly-bitten victim who must satisfy his bloodlust on the streets of WW1-era London.

Beyond this, there are also online casino slot games that feature plenty of vampire aesthetics, alongside real cash prizes. There are many examples to choose from, but one of the most popular right now is Blood Suckers.

This 5-reel slot is named as one of the most popular real money games on this guide to PayPal casinos and features plenty of vampiric characters that wouldnt look out of place in a contemporary metal band. For those who get lucky, a top prize of $45,000 is also up for grabs.

The vampire canon and the heavy metal genre have a lot in common, and we can probably expect plenty more metal songs that feature vampires, as well as plenty of vampire movies with death metal soundtracks.

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Vampires and Metal: A Match Made in Hell - Metal Addicts

May 8 Letters to the Editor, Part 3: Our Readers’ Opinions – Lewiston Morning Tribune

Little, Bedke, Critchfield

Its great to see so much interest in our political system. Its sad to see so much disinformation, distortion and outright lies about our leaders. If one were to believe the distortions, then we live in a nasty hell hole where we enthusiastically promote hedonism, abortion, porno in schools, critical race theory, corruption, gender identity confusion and gun confiscation.

Of course, none of this is true. And Idaho is not a hell hole.

Idaho is, in fact, one of only five states to defund CRT. Period.

We have powerful protections for gun ownership. Period.

We have outlawed abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Period.

We passed laws making it illegal for men to compete in womens sports. Period.

We have a budget surplus. Period.

We are the least regulated state in the Union. Period.

Ill be voting for the leaders who made that happen: Brad Little, Scott Bedke and Debbie Critchfield for starters. I hope you do, too.

I hope that most of the folks who read Eric Petersons May 5 letter to editor did a little research on their own. For instance, Idaho Code returns all civil rights to felons who have discharged their sentence, except the right to firearms. This includes those from other states. See Idaho Code Title 18, Chapter 3.

Its sad that some Republicans can overlook the past legal history of some people and nominate them to fill a state legislative office and then turn around and attempt to destroy another person who wants to be a precinct committeeman, the lowest position in the party hierarchy.

Bradburys ads irrelevant

As an attorney practicing primarily in Nez Perce County for the last 26 years, I am very interested in the 2nd District Court judicial election. I was especially curious why John Bradbury would want to run for the same position he held in Idaho County from 2003 until he retired in 2011.

Unfortunately, Bradburys series of advertisements in this newspaper titled Why Im running for district judge dont answer the question their title promises.

He raises some legitimate issues. Some of his positions I agree with and some I dont. But that is not the point.

The issues Bradbury raises will not be changed one bit by who wins this election. They are mostly questions of policy and politics and would be most effectively raised with the Legislature, Supreme Court and the Idaho Judicial Council.

Instead of dwelling on the legitimate, but unrelated issues raised by Bradburys ads, voters should focus on which of the candidates would be the best judge.

In her bid to outlast Scott Bedke in the May 17 primary election, Priscilla Giddings has posted more than 35 campaign emails. Each one duplicates the same format and fomentations. ...

She should have just typed ditto.

Here is a consolidation of her thematic redundancies peppered with pleas for donations. (The number of repetitions is parenthesized):

Send $$; Bedkes special interests/deep pocket donors (17).

Send $$; Bedkes corporate friends (37).

Send $$; Bedke closing the campaign donation gap (17).

Unsurprisingly, her propaganda is loaded with Second Amendment protection promises (43) punctuated by the giveaway of two AK-15 assault weapons as a donation enticement and more fear-mongering.

With decades of take your guns alarms, who can actually cite one instance of the government confiscating citizen guns without lawful purpose?

And the clincher? The National Rifle Association endorsed Bedke.

Giddings decries big government spending yet she has long been attached to the government tit as the child of public employees, as a military member and state legislator.

Her legislative career has been sketchy a second-string qualifier enabled to win in the monopolistic deep red state (formerly known as Idaho).

The highlights: She lied to the House Ethics Committee, reneged on a critical public debate, purposely outed the identity of a rape victim and repeatedly voted against education funding and Medicaid expansion.

The lieutenant governor should be a bright star with diplomatic credentials, leadership talent and a positive demeanor. Giddings doesnt qualify.

I am writing in support of Lynn Guyer for the Idaho House in District 7.

I first met Guyer when I was working as a probation/parole officer in Lewiston and he was a probation/parole officer in District 3 Caldwell-Nampa. I found Guyer to be extremely honest and ethical. We have kept in touch since my and his retirements.

He has strong Christian values and will work hard for District 7.

He is also the only candidate in this race to be endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Idaho Professional Firefighters and the Idaho Education Association.

I believe that Lynn would make an excellent representative.

Its time to get rid of career RINO politicians like Brad Little, Scott Bedke, Lawrence Wasden and lets not forget Carl Crabtree and others who have become so deeply embedded in the pockets of lobbyists, they have forgotten why we put them in office.

We are losing our state to national and global interests whose sole purpose is to take away our liberties and freedoms.

While Little, Bedke and Wasden were cozying up to lobbyists, Rep. Priscilla Giddings was serving and defending our country as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot.

She loves our country, our state, our flag and will fight to defend our liberties and freedoms.

Giddings is the right choice for lieutenant governor.

Crabtree says hes for parental rights and education but his voting record indicates otherwise. He votes yes in committee but votes no on the Senate floor, clearly appeasing the powerful teachers unions. Crabtree can no longer be trusted to do what is in the best interest of our children, our schools and our Idaho.

My vote goes to hard-core conservative Cindy Carlson for the Idaho Senate.

We need a watchdog like Carlson in the Capitol, to fight for our freedoms guard against government overreach and protect our most valuable assets, our children.

Other conservative Republicans to vote for are: Janice McGeachin, governor; Dorothy Moon, secretary of state; Mike Kingsley, District 7A representative and other conservatives.

Quote from Rep. Heather Scott: Vote May 17 like your liberties and freedoms depend on it. They do.

We like Mike Mike Kingsley, who is running to represent District 7 in Nez Perce, Adams, and Idaho counties.

He has a proven conservative voting record as a District 6 representative. Some of his endorsements include the Farm Bureau, Idaho Chooses Life, Gem State Patriot and the National Rifle Association.

As a current representative, Kingsley works hard to defend the unborn, reduce property taxes and stop government overreach.

He also understands how crucial dams are to our region. According to Kinglsey, We can save fish without destroying livelihoods, power generation, transportation, recreation and our rural communities. Vote for Mike Kingsley on May 17 because Idaho is too great to liberal.

Attacking the middle class

Rich elites are donating to and voting for Democrats.

Super-wealthy media giants, corporate boards, public unions, sports franchises and so on, are all singing from the same radical sheet music.

Thundering to the left, they virtue signal and donate their billions to the Marxist extremists that have stampeded the Democratic Party over a cliff.

A lawless and violent underclass is taking over your streets, enabled by wealthy criminal syndicates running the deteriorating (Democratic) cities.

Runaway inflation punishes the middle class as it further entrenches the entitled welfare state.

The commarxucrats are crazy like a rabid fox.

Every one of their seemingly insane policies is a calculated attack on the middle class.

Marxism requires a ruling oligarchy of wealthy elites and a subservient underclass of have-nots.

There can be no in-between.

A healthy and productive middle class is the surest defense against an all-out Marxist takeover.

Open borders? Runaway inflation? Lockdowns? Small business closures? High fuel prices?

Universities that are actually Marxist training camps?

State agencies that coddle criminals while being weaponized against law-abiding citizens?

These are not coincidental. They are all part of a coordinated attack on the middle class.

The cardboard recycle bins in Clarkston are often overflowing and there is almost no room to put cardboard boxes in them. Sometimes during the holidays, such as Christmas, there is no room at all.

I would like to encourage everyone to break down their cardboard boxes so more cardboard can be recycled and people dont have to haul their cardboard back home because there is no room left in the recycle bin.

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May 8 Letters to the Editor, Part 3: Our Readers' Opinions - Lewiston Morning Tribune

China’s Anti-Corruption Campaign: Tigers, Flies, and Everything in Between – The Diplomat

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Corruption in China is not a recent phenomenon; nor are anti-corruption efforts initiated by the party-state. Corruption features prominently in Chinas history, but the practice became increasingly visible after the reform and opening up of 1978. The injection of capital created opportunities for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and state officials to exploit state resources for private gain. Tackling corruption took a back seat as China embraced capital and private enterprise, reflected in Deng Xiaopings phrase to get rich is glorious.

Nearly four decades later, in November 2012, Chinas outgoing leader Hu Jintao was warningthe country that systemic corruption could lead to the downfall of the CCP and the Peoples Republic of China. Picking up where Hu left off, Xi Jinping, in his first speech as the CCPs general secretary,highlightedgraft and corruption as the most pressing challenge confronting the party. A decade later, Xis anti-corruption drive is an all-encompassing campaign sweeping across the party, state, and private enterprises, eliminating his political opponents and becoming a hallmark of his tenure as Chinas top leader.

Anti-corruption investigations in China are carried out by the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervision Commission (NSC). The CCDI in particular is at the core of corruption investigations at the central and provincial level, investigating and punishing more than 4 million cadres and nearly 500 seniorofficialssince Xi took office in 2012. The CCDI even has its own TV program called Zero Tolerance, an annualproductionpopular with the public for showcasing the bodys work in tacking graft and exposing the corruption and opulence of high-ranking members in the party.

Since 2018, the anti-corruption campaign has focused on non-CCP members as well, made possible by the formation of the NSC and passage of the Supervision Law to govern its operations. The Supervision Law widenedthe range of targets to include managers of state-owned enterprises, administrators in public institutions, and state officials across government branches. The anti-corruption campaign coincides with the arrival of Xi Jinping, evidenced by data released by the CCDI, which shows anincrease in the prosecution of senior officials in 2013 compared to 2012. The inclusion in the campaign of both tigers and flies, of party and state officials, and of rivals and allies has several pressing implications for elite politics in China and public perception of Xis regime.

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Ideology and Discipline

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The anti-corruption campaign was set in motion by a sensational scandal in February 2012 involving the head of Chongqings Public Security Bureau, who fledto the U.S. consulate in Chengdu in a bid to claim asylum in the United States. The incident revealed the allegedmurderof a British businessman, which snowballed into rumors of a coup plot against Xi Jinping by Bo Xilai, party secretary of Chongqing, and Zhou Yongkang, secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission and a member of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee. Soon after the incident, Bo wasdismissedfrom the CCP and eventually sentenced to life in prison for bribery, abuse of power, and embezzlement.

The incident was followed by another high-profile investigation, this time focused on Liu Zhijun, the minister of railways responsible for Chinas sprawling high-speed railway network. Lius case was by far one of the most widelyfollowednews stories in China and the prosecutions recommendation that he be given a lenient sentence was met with unanimous opposition by citizens across the country. These incidents cultivated the necessary public support for an anti-corruption campaign that was then in its infancy; however, this public support remains misguided by CCP propaganda.

The anti-corruption campaign was supported by a Party Education Program (PEP) in 2012, the first of three such ideological education campaigns launched by Xi in his first term. The Mass Line Program targeted Party cadres in order to rectifybehaviors like hedonism, superficial conformity, and inactiveness. The Politburo followed up with a directive called the Eight Provisions in December 2012 that set concrete regulations to instill discipline among party cadres: emphasizing regular inspection visits to the local level, prohibiting ribbon cutting and cornerstone laying ceremonies, reducing the number of foreign visits, reducing traffic controls when officials travel, and placing other budgetary restrictions on the use of public finance for business meals and government cars. These provisions essentially set the rules for acceptable behavior by CCP officials and thus have become the basis for launching investigations.

In operation for two years, the Mass Line Program was apopulistmeasure emphasizing austerity that removed the perks associated with CCP positions. In the first year of the campaign, more than 30,000 party officials wereinvestigatedand 7,600 of them were sanctioned for violations of the Eight Provisions. The second and third ideological campaigns, the Three Stricts and Two Studies programs, were slightly different in emphasis, focusing on political discipline and protocols that ensure loyalty to the party center and Xi Jinping.

The Three Strictscampaign was focused on the ethical conduct of CCP officials, including offenses like ideological deviance, sedition, espionage, and treason. The concept of political protocols became popular between 2014 and 2016, with Xi urging officials to follow the unified party center and later prohibiting alliance-forming activity. One prominent example of prosecution for conducting unorganized political activity was the case against Ling Jihua, Hu Jintaos former chief of staff, who was accused of organizing a factionalgroupcalled the Xishan society. Similarly, nearly 300 membersconnectedto Zhou Yongkang were questioned or detained in 2014, while other leaders within the Sichuan faction were investigated as well. Zhou himself was put on trial and imprisoned for life, both firsts for a former Politburo Standing Committee member.

On the other hand, Hebei Party Secretary Zhou Benshun was chargedfor expressing a dissenting opinion on the Eight Provisions directive by the Politburo, defying the orders of the party center. Policing political discipline and loyalty to the party center and later, Xi personally as the core leader became the defining feature of the second wave of anti-corruption efforts. By 2017, 15,000 party members had received punishment for violations of CCP discipline, more than the number of officialspunishedduring the Tiananmen purge of 1989-1992. Another highlight of the political discipline campaign was the expulsion of 63 military generals, the largest such anti-corruption effort targeting the military in Chinas modern history.

The ideology campaign, which had morphed into a political discipline campaign, maintained its intensity until 2018, and then expanded its reach to include the private sector, which continues to this day. The campaigns have heavily relied on disciplinary mechanisms like the CCDI and Central Inspection Teams (CITs) while punishment is mostly carried out by CCP organizations and later handled by the states judicial bodies. The CCDI is now highly institutionalized; it tackles corruption and roots out cliques and individuals challenging the authority of the party core, Xi Jinping.

Expanded Focus

The scope of the anti-corruption campaign has expanded to countries outside China as well, as evidenced by OperationFox Huntand OperationSky Net. In 2015, the Chinese government released a list of 100 most-wanted fugitives who had fled to foreign countries; by 2017, the anti-corruption organization had managedto bring back 40 individuals on the list.

In 2018 alone, more than 1,000 Chinese fugitiveswho fled abroad were brought back to the country, of which 307 were party or government officials. The most high profileincidentincluded the disappearance of the first Chinese head of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, who was detained in September 2018during a visit to China and later sentenced to 13 years in jail.

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Between 2018 and 2020, the NSCclaimedin its first work report that it brought back 3,848 fugitives from abroad and nearly 10 billion renminbi in illegal funds. The operation to bring back fugitives from foreign countries is focused on white-collar criminals, but is also deployed totargetdissidents and political opponents.

The expansion of the CCDI and NSCs operations abroad also accompanied a shift in the emphasis of the campaign. The CCDI has targeted bureaucratic inefficiency and performance-related issues, such as the failure to meet key performance indicators, unaccountability to constituents, and the lack of compliance with directives issued by the party center. For example, in January 2022, the Zhengzhou city party chief, Xu Liyi, and 89 other officials were disciplinedfor their poor handling of theHenan floods, which claimed the lives of 380 people in the city. Similarly, after an investigation by the CCDI into Hubeis early COVID-19 response, the provinces party chief, Jiang Chaoliang, and the director of the provincial health commission weredismissedfrom their posts.

Most recently, the anti-corruption campaign has turned its attention to financial regulators, whom the CCDI has accusedof wielding regulatory power for personal gain, describing a revolving door relationship between business and government. The CCDI in October 2021 initiated a two-month longinspection of more than 20 financial institutions, including banks, stock exchanges, insurance regulators, and asset management companies. So far, more than 40 officialsin the financial sector have been investigated by the CCDI for financial crimes and violations of political discipline.

One example is the case of Zhou Jiangyong, the Hangzhou party secretary with closetiesto Alibaba, who wasexpelled for profiting from the disorderly expansion of private companies. The targeting of private companies and SOEs that began with a crackdown on tech companies and education firms has now swept through the financial sector. Most recently, in April of this year, nearly 17 officials includingthe president of China Merchants Bank, Tian Huiyu, were investigated or punished for violations of political discipline.

Conclusion

The anti-corruption campaign and institutionalization of CCP organizations like the CCDI has massively affected the elite politics, political culture, and public perception of the CCP. The campaigns have increased Xi Jinpings unilateral ability to leverage political loyalty and discipline to regulate the behavior of party officials. Wang Qishan, the CCDIs former head and close ally of Xi Jinping, noted that killing tigers and swatting flies serves as a deterrent to corrupt officials, calling the body a Sword of Damocles.

Local officials and party members at the center are now increasingly worried about an investigation into their past, income sources, and conduct, or the leak of information from other functionaries that could involve them in an investigation, especially if they present anti-establishment views. The proliferation of the CCDI units across all party and state bodies has heightened the risk of being investigated upon presenting a threat to Xi.

The anti-corruption campaign also has a dual effect on factions and cliques, dampening their operation on the one hand while also increasing the opposition to Xis efforts. Factions and cliques like the Xishan society, the Sichuan faction, and Shaanxi faction, with the potential to destabilize leadership unity, were purged for forming alliances. As the anti-corruption struggle against party members and vested business interests carries on, however, Xi increases the potential for opposition to his campaign and rule.

Lastly, public perception of the anti-corruption campaign has been largely supportive of Xis efforts. Combined with corruption within the CCP, the rising inequality in incomes in China is likely to generate support for the campaign as it moves forward. As the 20th Party Congress approaches, the anti-corruption drive shows no signs of slowing, indicating Xis resolve to maintain his authority over the party and demonstrating his willingness to shape the future of the CCP in his image.

This article was previously published by the Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA) and is republished here with permission.

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China's Anti-Corruption Campaign: Tigers, Flies, and Everything in Between - The Diplomat

CHRIS THURMAN: The disturbing parallels between the Met Gala and Americas Gilded Age – BusinessLIVE

It was a spectacle of outrageous wealth disparity while womens liberation still seems a distant goal

06 May 2022 - 05:07 Chris Thurman

The Met Gala is an annual rite of fashionista hedonism conducted in the name of charity (though the funds raised go to the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute, which validates high-end fashion as both historical phenomenon and contemporary art form completing a virtuous circle of sartorial excess).

The organisers of the 2022 event could not have predicted that the night of the gala would coincide with the leaking of a draft opinion from the US Supreme Court that seems set to overturn the 1973 Roe versus Wade ruling guaranteeing a womans right to choose to have an abortion. Nonetheless, the coincidence served as a reminder that there are ethical implications to sustaining the opulent fantasy of the Met Gala by ignoring grim reality...

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CHRIS THURMAN: The disturbing parallels between the Met Gala and Americas Gilded Age - BusinessLIVE

Tradition in transition – Anglo Celt

Published: Wed 11 May 2022, 9:49 AM

Thomas Lyons

I dont remember for some reason that I cant explain, but he says that we met very early on after he arrived in Ireland, Iarla Lionird says of his stage partner ahead of their appearance at Cavan Arts Festival. Its the sort of rock and roll hedonism youd expect of someone who sang on a Peter Gabriel album or had two Grammy nominee, or appeared in an Oscar nominated film.

Yet not what you would expect of a traditional sean-ns exponent who has just finished picking up the kids on the school run. Which he is and has.

I think I might have been living in Dublin at the time, but Steve says we formed a band called Gale Force. Apparently we rehearsed for several weeks, but we never did a gig, Iarla tells down the phone line from his Kilkenny home. I dont recall it. He has enormous detail about it. There were other musicians in it too. I dont know.

Its an amusing anecdote, told as an aside, but pushed to the top of the story because its funny. Lionird and Steve Cooney will perform in Urney Church of Ireland, Farnham Street towards the end of the month as part of this years Arts Festival. Only go if you like music.

Before his success with The Gloaming there was Afro-Celt Sound System. A wonderful fusion of cultures ACSS provided a soundtrack to an Ireland on the cusp of change, moving from mono to multicultural. Prior to that Lionird was a member of Sean Riadas Cr Chil Aodha.

Its a storied history of how tradition can evolve while retaining what makes it traditional. The current leg of his musical journey sees him joined by acoustic guitar virtuoso Cooney. Together they forged a unique musical partnership.

The Urney Church will provide the perfect venue to showcase their evocative music.

His observations on his craft are considered. The discoveries of a life in music. A conversational thread on the voice as instrument in sean-ns is a case in point.

I started singing quite young, he recalls. I did think that the words were secondary. None of my teachers thought so. They were very much of the view that it was primary.

I thought it was secondary because I was having what I felt were musical experiences when I was performing. As time has gone on, definitely for me, the importance of the words has reasserted itself in a huge way, in a very profound way. The language itself contains so much music. Even if you werent to sing it, if you were actually to say it. Its just a profoundly musical language.

A short visit to a Gaeltacht emphasises that musicality. To have grown up immersed in the osculating rhythms of the Muskerry region must have had a profound influence on how the sean-ns reveals itself in performance.

Lionird says his awareness of the relevance of the lyrics came later: I learned that actually, perhaps paradoxically, from singing abroad, from singing with classical music ensembles, with classical music composers. They were the ones who said to me This is such an incredibly musical language to write for and to listen to.

That definitely influenced my thinking. I think the language has actually evolved as a musically transmissible form in an older Ireland, which was Gaelic speaking. We know from studies done by writers who travelled in Ireland, three centuries ago and more, that the Irish were given to making music and song in a really, really distinct way.

The Urney Church visit is a return to the Breffni county for Iarla and Steve: Steve and I were recording a beautiful harmonium instrument belonging to Father Darragh Connolly, he tells of his visit to Crosserlough. We were there for a day recording. Its a really beautiful experience and I have been hiring that harmonium from Father Daragh for the last ten years.

When The Gloaming started we had such awful instruments to play. They were broken and they were terrible. So I remember finding a reed organ on reedorganireland.com. I just wrote to the guy. It turns out it was a lovely gentleman by the name of Fr Darragh Connolly. His passion is maintaining and refurbishing these beautiful 19th century instruments. We hired an instrument from him every year for our shows in the NCH in Dublin. When it came to recording with Steve, we didnt want to move the instrument. So we went to Crosserlough to record it where it was played by my friend Ryan Molloy, he says by way of explaining Cavans input to his latest recording.

Iarla Lionird and Steve Cooney perform at Urney Church of Ireland on Friday, May 20 at 8pm. Tickets cost 22.50 at cavanartsfestival.ie

Published: Wed 11 May 2022, 9:49 AM

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Tradition in transition - Anglo Celt

The Ipcress File Trailer Revealed by AMC+ – VitalThrills.com

AMC+ has revealed the official The Ipcress File trailer, which gives you a first look at the new espionage thriller based on the globally-renowned Len Deighton novel (See on Amazon). You can watch The Ipcress File trailer using the player below.

The series is adapted by Oscar-nominated and BAFTA award-winning screenwriter John Hodge (Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting).

The enthralling and atmospheric drama stars Joe Cole (Gangs of London, Peaky Blinders) as iconic British spy Harry Palmer alongside Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody, Murder on the Orient Express) and BAFTA award-winner Tom Hollander (Pride & Prejudice, The Night Manager, Birdbox).

The six-episode, twist-laden spy thriller offers a stylish and tense tale of abducted scientists, brainwashing, inter-departmental rivalry, treason, and a possibly unwise romance.

Directed by Emmy winner James Watkins (McMafia, Black Mirror, The Woman In Black) and set in Berlin and London during the 1960s, The Ipcress File will make its exclusive U.S. and Canadian premiere on AMC+ Thursday, May 19, with episodes rolling out weekly on Thursdays.

Its 1962. At the height of the Cold War, ex-soldier and convicted thief Harry Palmer (Cole) is recruited to an unorthodox British spy unit whose boss, Dalby (Hollander), wants his help to retrieve a missing scientist.

Working alongside cool, ambitious agent Jean (Boynton), Harrys journey will take him to the wrong side of Berlin, the risky hedonism of Beirut and the blinding light of a Pacific H-bomb test before one step too many lands him an unwitting role in a violent political conspiracy.

The Ipcress File was Len Deightons first spy novel introducing the iconic British spy Harry Palmer and set against the backdrop of Cold War Europe. To date the novel has sold 10 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1962.

The Ipcress File is executive produced by Will Clarke (Filth) and Andy Mayson (Ghost Stories) for Altitude Television, Andrew Eaton (The Crown) for Turbine, Sandy Lieberson (Performance), James Watkins and Hilary and Steven Saltzman.

The series is produced by Paul Ritchie (McMafia, Slumdog Millionaire).

Set in the fascinating world of Berlin in the 1960s, The Ipcress File continues AMCs legacy of curating captivating, critically acclaimed international thrillers from The Little Drummer Girl and McMafia to AMC+ exclusives Spy City and Kin, said Courtney Thomasma, general manager for AMC+.

She added: AMC+ is proud to partner with ITV Studios to bring John Hodges thrilling adaptation of the beloved spy novel to U.S. audiences. We are also excited to work with Joe Cole again, following the enormous popularity of Gangs of London, this time in his new spellbinding performance of the iconic, working-class British spy.

Greg Johnson, Executive Vice-President, Distribution, Americas at ITV Studios, said: With its stellar on and off-screen talent, rich characterisation and rollercoaster of twists and turns, there is no better home for The Ipcress File than AMC+, and Im delighted that US and Canadian viewers will join audiences across the globe in enjoying the very cool spy Harry Palmer through this new adaptation.

Were immensely proud of what we have created with The Ipcress File and alongside AMC+, we are very excited on the potential of the series. We are thrilled that they will be bringing the daring exploits of Harry Palmer to American audiences next year, commented Will Clarke, executive producer and CEO of Altitude Television.

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The Ipcress File Trailer Revealed by AMC+ - VitalThrills.com

Finding Joy in the Dark: The Bold Prayer of Psalm 70 – Desiring God

I recently spent three days with a group of pastors, almost all our time devoted to deep sharing of our life stories. We laughed at the silly things weve done. We marveled at the lineaments of Gods grace. We wept over sins, wounds, and struggles, both past and present.

I drove home pondering the fact that when ten tenderhearted, Jesus-loving, spiritually alive pastors get into a room and are honest with each other, we share stories of theft, pornography, broken families, paralyzing anxiety, suicidal thoughts, marital struggles, and unfulfilled longings. If theres such brokenness in the histories and hearts of godly shepherds, what must be the inner reality of the sheep in our churches? Surrounded by such brokenness within and without, how can the people of God possibly hope to sustain their joy in God?

The odds seem long and the situation bleak. But Psalm 70 gives me strong hope.

Ive been drawn to Psalm 70:4 for many years, because it brings together two awesome truths that thrill the heart of every Christian Hedonist:

May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, God is great!

Only a capacious heart could breathe such an expansive prayer. Notice that David isnt content for just a few (or even most) seekers of God to rejoice. No, he longs for all to experience God-centered gladness. And Davids requesting more than just a flickering, intermittent passion for the glory of God among the people of God; rather, he prays for their lips and lives to communicate Gods worth continually, at all times, without interruption.

This is a plus-sized prayer. Its so big that many millions of people can (and have) fit inside it. David was surely praying it for himself. He was also praying it for those of his generation and all future generations. In fact, if were seeking God and loving Gods salvation, Davids prayer is for us. David is asking God to sweeten our joy and strengthen our passion for his glory. He doesnt specify how these two prayers might fit together, but John Piper has helped many of us treasure the biblical teaching that they are in fact one. As we find our deepest joy in God (in you), we display his worth to the world.

Though Ive loved Psalm 70:4 for years, it wasnt until recently that I noticed the context. And its the context that has filled me with hope.

Heres what Ive noticed: Psalm 70 is not a sunny psalm. Its not a walk in the park or a day at the beach. Life is not good in this psalm. Instead, its hard very hard. In fact, the psalm is an almost-unremittingly desperate plea for Gods help. Verse 1 (the first verse) and verse 5 (the last verse) are bookends:

Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!

Hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!

Theres a focused urgency here. David sounds like a soldier pinned down by enemy fire, radioing desperately to central command. His enemies want David dead, and they gloat over Davids misfortunes (Aha, Aha! verse 3).

Weve already seen Davids response to this dark situation. He feels two overwhelming desires, one expected and the other exceptional. First, David wants out of the situation. In four out of five verses, he pleads with God for speedy deliverance. This reaction is perfectly natural and completely understandable. Who wouldnt want this? Of course, wed all be asking for the same rescue.

Second, however, the intense pressure of Davids circumstances also squeezes from his heart another cry, this one much more unusual. Stunningly, the request in verse 4 is not just for himself, but for others. Its nothing short of miraculous that David, in his foxhole, under heavy fire, prays not simply for personal escape, but for gladness among all Gods people, and for the continual glorifying of God. What is going on here?

Some of us hear the Bibles repeated calls to pursue our joy and believe that its simply beyond us in our present state. For the moment, our attention is occupied by other matters: sin, sickness, loneliness, financial difficulty, opposition, relational pain. We feel were in the 101 class of Surviving Our Problems and not quite ready for the 201 class of Pursuing Our Joy. Verse 4, we think, is for people who have it all together (or at least more together).

And this is why the context of verse 4 is so challenging and so encouraging, because verse 4 exists in a sea of suffering. David doesnt say, Once I get free from my enemies, then Ill start to care about the gladness of Gods people and the glory of God. His foxhole prayer, in worrying and uncomfortable circumstances, is for gladness and glory. This is a real-world prayer. Christian Hedonism is as much for bleak days as it is for bright ones.

If God can work this extraordinary impulse in Davids heart, why cant he do the same in us? Why cant he implant a renewed passion for our joy and his glory even in the midst of intense suffering? Could it be that God might even use the desperation of our brokenness to drive us to him?

In his poem The Storm, George Herbert ponders how, like the violent force of a terrible rainstorm,

A throbbing conscience spurred by remorseHath a strange force: It quits the earth, and mounting more and more,Dares to assault thee, and besiege thy doore. (lines 1012)

Our inner and outer conflicts may produce something good. They purge the aire without, within the breast (line 18). This was certainly the case for David in Psalm 70. His desperation yielded a passionate cry to God that continues to encourage followers of God to this day.

You can pray a David-like prayer in your own bleak situation by taking two cues from David himself.

First, seek God. May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! Joy and gladness are the unassailable possession of those who fix their eyes on Jesus in the storms of life. Look more deeply and more often at Jesus than you look at your enemies or your troubles.

Second, love Gods salvation. May those who love your salvation say evermore, God is great! Consider frequently how God has saved you (and how hes saving many others). Delight in this salvation. Rest in it. Love it. The more you love your salvation, the more readily your lips will spill over with natural praise of the God who saved you.

Please dont wait to pursue your joy in God until God has healed your brokenness and resolved your problems. Verse 4 isnt a postscript to Psalm 70; it doesnt come after Davids crisis. It emerges from the midst of it. This is an example and invitation for us. Dont wait to pursue your joy. Start right now.

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Finding Joy in the Dark: The Bold Prayer of Psalm 70 - Desiring God

The Gulps Announce New Single ‘King Of The Disco’ – Broadway World

Alan McGee's hotly-tipped new signing - THE GULPS - have announced a UK Tour this June.

With dates in Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, London and more, the tour will follow the release of hotly anticipated new single: "King of the Disco" (out 27th May 2022, via It's Creation Baby).With a guest DJ set from Alan McGee across multiple dates, further support sets come from acts including Mark McLean, The Head-Up Displays, Dirty English, Zoe + Linnie and others - full details can be found below.

Released 27 May, The Gulps' upcoming second single, "King of the Disco" is a bubbling petri-dish of rock, pop and disco influences that pulsates with a raucous, live-ready energy and an all-out party atmosphere. Pre-save the new single here.

With its beats and grooves overseen by the legendary Danny Saber (Black Grape) on mastering, the resultant track is a swirling indie-disco earworm landing just in time for manic summer nights under flashing lights and Dyonisian blow-outs on sticky dancefloors.

Inspired by post-Covid craziness and the exhilaration of being set free from lockdown, frontman Javier Sola says of the single:

"King of the Disco" is about instigating partying, hedonism and chaos and losing control. Everyone was sporadically locked up over the last two years, so this track is about celebrating the moment you were allowed onto the dancefloor again; dictating craziness, and spitting euphoria and absolute mania."

Confident and heady with an infectious dance undercurrent enough to tip any room on its head, the single arrives in the wake of the quintet's recently signed publishing deal with Mike Smith and Downtown Music.

Ready to take the summer airwaves by storm, "King of the Disco" arrives as the thrilling follow-up to '"Stuck In The City", a single which has already seen The Gulps earn key support from the likes of BBC Radio 6 and Radio X and many more.

02 - GLASGOW - The Hug & Pint(w/ Mark McLean // Tonto // Alan McGee (DJ Set))03 - CARDIFF - Tramshed (supporting Cast)(w/ CAST)04 - BIRMINGHAM - Dead Wax(Sonic Wave Festival)06 - BRISTOL - Louisiana(w/ Zoe + Linnie // Alan McGee (DJ Set) + More TBA)07 - LONDON - Camden Assembly(w/ Dirty English // Naked RA // Alan McGee (DJ Set))08 - MANCHESTER - The Castle Hotel(w/ The Head-Up Displays // The Red Stains // Alan McGee (DJ Set))

Tickets for all dates are on sale now here.

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The Gulps Announce New Single 'King Of The Disco' - Broadway World

Gemma Atkinson to headline massive festival dedicated to health and happiness in Manchester – The Manc

A huge new wellbeing festival is heading to Manchester this summer, with Gemma Atkinson as a headliner.

The Manchester Wellbeing Festival will take over the enormous space at Manchester Central for a weekend focused on health and happiness.

Taking place over the weekend of 11 and 12 June, the huge event will feature talks, fitness classes and more.

The line-up includes TV personalities, influencers, authors, scientists, doctors, fitness instructors, therapists and yogis.

One of the biggest names will be Burys Gemma Atkinson, an actress, fitness guru and Hits Radio host.

Gemma will share advice on how to feel stronger, healthier, more confident and comfortable in your own body.

Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison will also appear to chat about her book The Secret to Happy, followed by a signing.

Womens Health columnist, author and personal trainer Alice Liveing will kickstart each day of the festival with a strength workout, as well as interviewing special guests.

Another familiar face will be Dr Alex George, formerly of Love Island fame and now a TV presenter, doctor and UK Government ambassador for mental health hell be addressing modern health issues and signing copies of his book Live Well Every Day.

DJ Fat Tony will tell stories of hedonism and self-destruction, as well as of recovery, redemption and friendship, while This Mornings agony couple The Speakmans will share secrets to unshakeable confidence.

Dr Hazel Wallace, aka The Food Medic, is joining the bill to discuss female health with her forthcoming book The Female Factor, including advice for women on nutrition, sleep, hormones, PMS, periods and the menopause.

TikTok star and A&E doctor Emeka Okorocha will be offering up simple lifestyle advice for mind and body, and Sober Girl Society founder Millie Gooch will show how to go sober in a world obsessed with booze.

Completing the line-up is Faisal Abdalla (who has trained Harry Styles and Ellie Goulding) with a workout, and Hussain Manawer (who has worked with Marcus Rashford, Anthony Joshua and the Royal Family) with a discussion on surviving depression and grief.

Read more: Daredevil Mancs invited to abseil off a 26-storey building in new charity challenge

Youll be able to take on a barre class with Sophie Ritchies Disco Barre, or do yoga with either The Kilted Yogi aka Finlay Wilson, Braxton, or Sasha Bates.

Manchesters leading fitness studio Blok will host classes to suit every level too.

The brand new Manchester Wellbeing Festival will take place at Manchester Central on 11 and 12 June.

For more information and to book tickets, visit manchesterwellbeingfestival.com.

Featured image: Manchester Wellbeing Festival

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Gemma Atkinson to headline massive festival dedicated to health and happiness in Manchester - The Manc

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘Hit the Road,’ ‘Inland Empire,’ ‘Firebird,’ and more – Oregon ArtsWatch

With an array of noteworthy films dropping at Portlands arthouse theaters this week, including several directing debuts and one of an iconic auteurs most gloriously baffling efforts, theres no time to waste. Lets run down the offerings on tap:

***

Hit the Road: It has become almost a clich that Iranian films take place largely in cars. From the first stirrings of post-revolutionary cinema the work of Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, and others used the tropes of the road movie as a way to work within the constraints of limited budgets and government censorship. Now, Jafars son Panah Panahi has directed his first feature, which follows a lengthy car journey taken by a family of four and their adorable but ailing dog.

Hit the Road nonetheless displays a level of humanism and insight that, like its predecessors, transcends the limitations of its genre. Reflecting universal family dynamics, this quartet consists of a father (Hassan Madjooni), confined to the back seat because his leg is in a cast; a mother (Pantea Panahiha) who rides shotgun and tries to keep the inevitable petty tensions from boiling over; an older brother (Amin Simiar), driving with a quiet intensity; and an impish six-year-old (Rayan Sarlak) who has managed to smuggle his cell phone on the trip in defiance of his parents.

Theyre a modern, urban, ordinary middle-class family. Younger Brother loves superheroes. Dad is a big fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey. As they leave the city and head into the countryside, we (and the little brother) are led to believe that the destination is the older brothers fianc. But it quickly becomes clear that the real reason for the trip is something more fraught. (Theres a reason cell phones were to be left at home.)

This is a road movie, so there are plenty of detours and diversions along the way, including a very amusing encounter with a traumatized bicyclist. And there are countless genuine moments between the foursome, especially as the trip nears its conclusion near the Turkish border and both parents contemplate the implications of the decision their older son has made. Throughout, Sarlak, a natural ham who effortlessly conveys how annoying young kids can be, provides the comic relief. Sketched broadly, each of the family members would be one-dimensional stereotypes, but the specificity of the dialogue and the authenticity of the performances (Madjooni and Panahiha are both stage veterans) make Hit the Road fresh, vital, and ultimately poignant.

The senior Panahi continues to be persecuted by the Iranian government, forbidden from leaving the country and banned from filmmaking since 2010. (Despite this, he has completed four features in the last decade.) Panah Panahi learned his craft working on his fathers films (and Kiarostamis), and it shows, although this is no slavish paternal imitation. Rather, its a film that builds on time-tested conventions and infuses them with a spirit and personality entirely of its own. (Opens Friday, April 29, at the Living Room Theaters.)

***

Inland Empire: Remember that time in 2007 when David Lynch lobbied for Laura Dern to be nominated for an Oscar by sitting in a chair on the corner of La Brea and Hollywood Boulevard with a cow and a sign? Well, that was for this movie, which turned out to be Lynchs last major work until the third season of Twin Peaks ten years later. Its also one of his most bizarre, which is, of course, saying something.

Lynch has described the plot of Inland Empire as simply, a woman in trouble. Dern plays an actress whos hired as the co-lead of a film which had to be postponed after the previous cast leads were murdered. Justin Theroux is the co-star with whom she begins a relationship despite the insane jealousy of her husband (Peter Lucas). Before too long, Derns character finds herself crossing into different realities, and even into the past. Theres also a very creepy TV show with anthropomorphized rabbits. So, your typically surreal Lynchscape, in an especially undiluted form. Familiar faces including Grace Zabriskie, Harry Dean Stanton, and Diane Ladd pop up, as does Jeremy Irons.

Inland Empire was Lynchs first film shot on then-novel digital video, and was criticized on its initial release for its smeary, ugly visuals. Now hes personally supervised the creation of a newly remastered edition, so we can find out to what degree that look was intentional. Either way, revisiting this three-hour excursion into a dimension of mind on the big screen is a cant-miss event. (Opens Friday, April 29, at Cinema 21)

***

Firebird: Its 1977 in Soviet-occupied Estonia. Private Sergey Fetisov (Tom Prior) is heading into his final weeks of service on an Air Force base, passing the time with his best pal and Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya), the pretty female comrade who seems to have eyes for him. But when a dashing new jet pilot named Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii) is transferred in, it doesnt take long before he and Sergey are conducting furtive romantic liaisons. This is a dangerous proposition, since homosexual conduct is punishable by five years hard labor.

This isnt the first film to tackle a tale of forbidden same-sex love in an intolerant historical setting. Nor is it the best, although the leads acquit themselves admirably enough. The British Prior, who played Stephen Hawkings son in The Theory of Everything, pulls off an impressive accent (and co-wrote the screenplay), while the rest of the cast (most of them Estonian or Russian) handle the English dialogue with facility. Zagorodnii is a Kyiv native who was last reported to be holding out there in the coffee shop he owns.

This is the first feature for Estonian director Peeter Rebane, and if it lacks a distinct visual style, it remains a competently mounted effort. Based on a memoir by the real Fetisov, it also takes pains to acknowledge the pain of Luisa, who becomes the third wheel to Sergey and Roman. Most notably, its a timely tale given the continued hostility and intolerance toward the LGBTQ community in Russia. (Opens Friday, April 29, at Living Room Theaters)

***

Pagan May @ the Clinton Street Theater: Heres one of the more inventive programming series in recent memory. The new owners of the Clinton Street Theater have lined up a series inspired by the ancient traditions surrounding May Day, and all of their attendant witchery. Highlights include Louis Malles Black Moon (May 5), George Romeros Season of the Witch (May 6), and the psychotronic oddity Simon, King of the Witches (Friday the 13th)plus, later in the month, the latest freakout from French director Gaspar Noe, Lux Aeterna.

***

To top this week off, a couple of notable streaming releases:

Fabian: Going to the Dogs: Emanating some vaguely Fassbinderian vibes, this three-hour chronicle of Weimar-era decadence and nihilism centers on Jakob Fabian (Tom Schilling), who works as an advertising copywriter for a cigarette company in 1931 Berlin, casting an ironic eye on the urban decay and political chaos around him. His best friend, on the other hand, leaps feet-first into the hedonism of the milieu, while the law student for whom Fabian develops an infatuation takes a similarly amoral approach to her life and career. Veteran German auteur Dominik Graf (The Invincibles) adapts the semi-autobiographical 1931 novel by Erich Kstner, which, even in an expurgated edition, was banned and burned by the Nazis, and was published in its original form only in 2013. (Available to stream via MUBI.com and KinoNow.com)

*

Ultrasound: This inventive indie mindbender stars Vincent Kartheiser (a/k/a Pete Campbell from Mad Men) as a hapless traveler who finds himself seeking aid from an isolated rural house one rainy night after he gets a flat tire. His benefactor (Bob Stephenson) offers a warm robe, a cocktail and the opportunity to spend the night in the same bed as his much younger wife (Chelsea Lopez). Thats only the initial setup for a story that involves hypnotic suggestion, illusory pregnancies, and a secret underground medical research facility. Director Rob Schroeder, making his first feature, barely manages to keep the multifarious plot strands coherent, and the performances are sometimes stiff, but it all comes together in a pretty satisfying fashion. Or maybe I just imagined that (Available to stream through a variety of providers.)

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FilmWatch Weekly: 'Hit the Road,' 'Inland Empire,' 'Firebird,' and more - Oregon ArtsWatch

The Corvette’s Junk in the Trunk – Car and Driver

The 2022 Chevrolet Corvette is 182.3 inches long. That is 7.9 inches longer than the Audi R8, which squeezes a V-10 into its engine bay. Its 3.8 inches longer than the Acura NSX, and 2.6 inches longer than the Ferrari 296 GTB. And much of that extravagant length is concentrated aft of the cabin. The C8 is radically cab-forward, and from a three-quarter view, front or rear, it can look like the front third of the car is being swallowed by an 8/7ths scale version of itself. Or as if its in the process of telescoping, like the Rinspeed Presto. The Corvette looks fantastic in profile and dead on, but it isnt as tidy, visually, as it might be if it didnt have about 20 inches separating the engine bay from the rear bumper. Theres just no disguising the Corvettes big ol trunk.

Car and Driver

But that little stretch aft of the engine bay is what transforms the C8 from a gaudy plaything into a real everyday car. When you start seeing Corvettes with 150,000 miles, that wont be because they get great fuel economy or have Barcalounger seats. Itll be because of the trunk. Its easy to take off on a 600-mile trip when you dont have to think about what to pack. And removing a practical obstacle to road trips means racking up more miles, which ought to be the ultimate goal for a car that treats driving as hedonism rather than a chore. And for this glorious flexibility, we can thank the roof.

The C8 can impersonate a practical car. Even in the snow.

Early on in the C8 planning, Chevys focus groups confirmed that a switch to a mid-engine layout would not change customers expectation that all Vettes are convertiblesas in, coupes get a removable roof panel. And if the roof comes off, you need a place to stow it in the car. Hence, the C8s rear trunk isnt designed around your luggage or golf clubs (though itll hold two sets) or the bags of mulch you might throw in to flex at Home Depot. Its designed to store the roof, and this thing aint a T-top. That panel is large. And so the C8s total cargo capacity is 13 cubic feet, which is comparable to one of those rooftop cargo bags you might see on an SUV.

Car and Driver

As a consequence, when I took a 2022 Corvette on an overnight trip to the North Carolina mountains, I had plenty of room for the bulky detritus demanded by winterno cramming every air pocket in the cabin with rolled-up jackets and individual socks, no sliding the seats uncomfortably forward to create a few spare cubic centimeters of cargo space, as Ive done in an R8. Just get in and go, both trunks filled to the brim but the interior uncluttered.

Car and Driver

And that capaciousness leverages what is otherwise a fantastic year-round road-trip car, a grand tourer in track-rat clothes. When I got a ride in a heavily camouflaged pre-production C8 at GMs Milford Proving Grounds back in 2019, chief engineer Tadge Juechter said, It's got 911 performance along with the best attributes of the Boxster and Cayman. And some Lexus refinement thrown in, which might surprise people. While the Corvette can execute brutal launch control clutch-drops and hit 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, it can also mellow out on the highwayactive exhaust muted, magnetic ride control limber, transmission smoothly slurring from gear to gear. With winter tires, you can blast up a snow-covered mountain road with no trouble whatsoever. And the optional front-end lift system helps the C8 shimmy over steep approaches or speed bumps without grinding. The Corvette isnt a normal car, but it can impersonate one.

Car and Driver

Not everyone is satisfied with the Corvettes compromise between aesthetics and utility. I have a friend who bought the past two Z06s, the C6 and C7, but doesnt know if hell go back for a third. The new Corvette just looks weird from some angles, he said. The last one looks much better to me. And I know what he means, but hes also not one of the people who takes advantages of the Corvettes capaciousness (the C7 had even more cargo space). When I asked him how many miles were on his C7 Z06, now four years old, he replied, 3000. I got a long way toward that number in one weekend with the C8.

Back when I visited Milford, Juechter said, There are literally a million decisions on the way to making a new car. Going with the removable roofand hence big trunkwas one of them. And they got it right.

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Sex, blood and strangeness reign in The Northman – Cult MTL

In The Northman, a child born to be king grows up to be a wild man rippling with muscle and consumed by revenge. In a loose reworking of Hamlet, set in the heyday of Vikings and old religion, a man will do anything to avenge his family. He will pillage and plunge, and will voluntarily subject himself to slavery, all in pursuit of his goal. His single-mindedness reduces him to a shell of a person, an almost mythical beast driven by a single, all-consuming purpose.

Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) continues to explore his fascination with the intersection of the folkloric and the grotesque in The Northman. Following very much in the footsteps of his previous films, he manages to zero in on the strangeness of the world to retell an otherwise familiar story. The film is at its best when he leans into that aspect of the world, exploring the rituals and practices of the old religion, particularly how those beliefs break down the line between man and animal.

Eggers understands that folklore is a set of stories told by a community in order to make sense of themselves and the world around them. In the savage world of The Northman, the gods need to be ruthless and earthy to align with how the Vikings see themselves and their lives. Hedonism and brutality play equal roles in this system, which sees blood as a symbol of power. Blood lineages may birth future kings but blood spilled can make anyone a royal. The religion paradoxically inscribes power in both conformity and rebellion all at once. As a viewer, we sense the liberating power of this system of belief, particularly as rituals allow people to explore hidden parts of themselves. In a dark wood, as a fire crackles, everyone regardless of social status wanders through the trees searching for a mate. For one night, slave and owner become equals, able to live free and carnally, at least until the sun rises.

The earthiness of these pleasures, though, is the same earthiness of the carnal violence inscribed in religion. In images evoking The Wicker Man and the opening sequence of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a monstrous God rips people apart only to arrange them back together again into an unholy horse sculpture as a warning of impending divine vengeance. As shocking as this may be to the people of the small Icelandic farm where much of the film takes place, they also readily accept it as part of a world forged through blood and violence.

The folkloric aspects elevate The Northman into something a bit more interesting than just a Skyrim-inspired Viking revenge story, but it can only do so much in elevating a rather thin and poorly constructed story. For all the ecstatic folkloric work at play, Eggers has a dull tendency of laying too many of his cards down on the table at once. Almost immediately, we understand that the character relations are not as rosy as seen from a childs POV and that we are missing core pieces of the puzzle. This may be more true to life, in the sense that old gods dont exist and most royal men suck, but it deflates almost all the narrative tension before the movie even gets started. Everything feels carefully set up for a late-movie revelation that anyone with a modicum of social awareness could have spotted a mile away.

These decisions also impact the writing and performance of the main character. While there are many great films about men run ragged by revenge, this one simply does not work. From the get-go, the revenge plot feels misguided, a childish fantasy, therefore we never have time to grow with the character. The normally charismatic Alexander Skarsgrd is demure and flattened here, coming across as a wounded slow-witted animal. Its hard to fault him though, as the script does him very few favours.

Ironically, his parents, played by Nicole Kidman and Ethan Hawke, are too much, taking their performances in a completely different direction. They embrace the most indecent and high-strung aspects of their characterizations and also adopt weirdly SNL-like Scottish accents. Kidman, in particular, creates a character who feels like a cross between Lady Macbeth and the Wicked Witch of the West. Shes maniacal and duplicitous, delivering a performance at a high register of over the topness. Its genuinely entertaining though, much in the same way Ben Afflecks spoiled bottle blonde was in The Last Duel.

If anyone comes out looking good, its Anya Taylor-Joy, whose otherworldly intensity shifts the tone of the entire film. She has a nymph-like quality that draws from the barren landscapes most ethereal and fantastic elements. Her performance, shrewd and open-hearted, offers a clever mirror image to Kidmans more craven mother figure. Both women have contrasting relationships with dignity and power. While they rarely share any screen time, the way their fates intertwine is compelling and rich in its ideas and execution.

Depending on your feelings about Eggers other films, The Northman may or may not be for you. Personally, Ive yet to really connect with any of his movies, though Im happy hes able to draw in audiences hungry for dirty, subversive and smart genre cinema. The Northman is certainly flawed, perhaps more so than his previous films, but it more than makes up for it with its strangeness and spectacle.

The Northman opens in Montrealtheatreson Friday, April 22.

For the latest in film and TV, please visit ourFilm & TVsection.

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Sex, blood and strangeness reign in The Northman - Cult MTL

Forget the likes of Will Smith. Audiences are also behaving badly – The Guardian

This is not about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars last month. Nobody needs to read more about that. Its swimming in cold water, its how good Succession is: we know, so why hasnt anyone mentioned it before?

But that one rash moment and its afterlife is part of a bigger picture, a sense that something is not quite as it was. Last week, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that the organisers of the Tony awards, the New York ceremony that recognises excellence in Broadway theatre, sent an email revealing they now have a policy for dealing with violent incidents: In the event of an incident, the perpetrator will be removed from the event immediately.

The Tonys, back for the first time since 2020 and celebrating its 75th year, draws no direct connection between this and Smiths actions in March, but surely this has to be the first time that an entertainment awards ceremony has needed to explicitly state that youre not allowed to perpetrate an act of violence while clapping for Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

This protocol is aimed at an audience largely made up of professionals; while I have witnessed how heated feelings can become over whether this or that person more deserved their shiny trophy, the idea that there has to be a plan now for dealing with the possibility of that spilling over into violence is odd, isnt it?

Live entertainment in all forms, cut off during the pandemic, given little support in this country by the government, is now attempting to scratch and claw its way back in a near-impossible landscape. The audiences that feel brave enough to attend events may find themselves in a different world. Comedians talk about a mood shift, post-lockdowns, with audiences behaving badly; last week, Nish Kumar spoke of racist hecklers at his stand-up shows and said other comedians agree that theres something in the water. In an Instagram video, the musician Adrianne Lenker, of the brilliant band Big Thief, said: Try to be mindful of whats happening and pay attention and dont talk.

Trying to manage an audiences behaviour is difficult. It exists on a sliding scale: a sign requesting that a crowd does not take photographs is not the same as an artist berating an audience for not clapping loudly enough, which I have seen before. But after a period away, this seems like a period of great readjustment, in which everyone is trying to find their feet. At least, that is one way to see it, if you want to remain hopeful.

I have written before about how television became a comfort blanket for many over the course of the pandemic, and those big event series such as Bake Off and Strictly were particularly soothing.

On a personal level, Id add MasterChef to that, and MasterChef: The Professionals, although if the former doesnt implement a ban on fondant potatoes in the early rounds soon, I may switch off in protest (its the new scallops, black pudding and pea puree).

Monica Galetti, the tough but fair judge on The Professionals, whose praise is usually the hardest earned but the most valued, announced last week that she is leaving the show, after 14 years. It is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision to step back from filming this years series of MasterChef: The Professionals, she said, though the this years series allowed for a little sliver of hope that she might return one day. She explained that she felt unable to balance filming the show with her family life and her London restaurant. Those in the hospitality industry know just how tough it is at the moment, she said.

There is something sturdy about MasterChef and its offshoots. It is a reliable perennial, despite the odd attempt to tweak the format, and newcomers to food TV, such as Gordon Ramsays bizarre Future Food Stars, just cannot compete with its familiar elegance. Monica leaving The Professionals is like Oti leaving Strictly or Mary Berry, Mel and Sue walking away from the Bake Off. It feels like more than just a personnel rotation and I hope that she comes back soon.

I have never been to the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, taking place this weekend, though I am imagining it as a kind of Glastonbury for bibliophiles, with all the hedonism yet none of the regrets. The star of this years fair, the Pyramid stage headliner, if you will, is Charlotte Bront, played in the film To Walk Invisible by Finn Atkins, right. In 1829, nearly two decades before she would write Jane Eyre, a 13-year-old Bront compiled A Book of Ryhmes [sic], a handwritten collection of 10 of her poems, sewn into a miniature book, a little smaller than a deck of cards.

It is reassuring that even one of the most celebrated authors of all time could not spell rhyme correctly and I love the teenage petulance of its title page: Sold by nobody and printed by herself, she wrote. The sold by nobody is no longer the case. Last Thursday, it reportedly sold for $1.25m (973,500) to a private collector. This beats the highest price previously paid for a printed work by a woman of $1.17m, for a first edition of Frankenstein in 2021. Funnily enough, that is about what I would pay someone not to read my attempts at writing poetry as a teenager.

Rebecca Nicholson is an Observer columnist

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Forget the likes of Will Smith. Audiences are also behaving badly - The Guardian