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The Felicitas Collective’s Issue #1 Variants is out now ~ check it out here!

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The Day of Glory: A Christmas Special!

Adela Teubner · December 23 2017

Credit: Paula McManus

My favourite Christmas tradition always occurs late on Christmas Eve, after I’ve stuffed myself with turkey cold cuts and pasta salad at my grandparents’ house, after the sun has set and the lights in people’s living rooms have been dimmed, where the only sound that illuminates the streets is that of the dusty northerly wind whistling through the trees. We drive home from their house through the suburban sprawl, the windows wound down, the air flying in still oppressively warm. We crawl through each street, as fairy lights glitter from the yards of each house we pass, as the kitschy Christmas songs rotating on the classic hits radio station blare from our speakers. ... I wish it could be Christmas everyday… Glitzy reindeer installations gallop along someone’s roof, snowmen flash silver and red and green from beneath a row of rose bushes...where the treetops glisten...icicles hang from eaves, blue lights pulsating through their fingers to the beat of whatever is on the radio…I’ll have a blueee, blueeee Christmas without you...candy-coloured neon glitter darts across the branch of each tree, as thrilling and decadent as big city lights on a foggy night… But of course, there is no use in dreaming for a Christmas white or blue, and the icicles and songs all feel so dissonant and fake, for the closest thing we’ll get to snow in an Australian December is the heaving of the air conditioner and the constant whirring of the ceiling fan, and this is something I remember as I step out of the car and feel the impossibly hot atmosphere against my sleeveless arms, as I feel the magic melt away into the quivering warmth.

Credit: Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas

But then, I always watch David Bowie and Bing Crosby sing “Little Drummer Boy” via a grainy YouTube transfer once I am inside, a clip so wonderful and bizarre that it carries a certain witchery to it. The young cult icon, among the progenitors of the edgier styles to float along the airwaves of the past 40 years, the elder statesman of an an entirely other era, only a few weeks away from death; the strings thinly shimmering over their voices, trembling with vibrato like the Summer wind; the endearingly awkward juxtaposition of irony and genuity in the opening dialogue, so staged and stilted it feels real; everything surrounded by crackly VHS fuzz, like the flames of a fireplace in the middle of Winter. I walk up to bed, and our old clock strikes midnight or whatever, and I look out of my bedroom blind and I can see the stars and the streetlights and the light arrangements of the houses across the road, and I can still hear David’s voice, and I smile. …It’s the most wonderful time of the year...

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BLONDIE: Live at Manchester’s O2 Apollo.

Kayleigh Hinsley · November 30 2017

A little over four decades since Blondie emerged during the 70s New York punk scene, and three years since their last studio album, 2014’s Ghosts of Download, the legendary band are back with their 11th record, Pollinator. Released on May 5, the new album was accompanied by a recent UK tour, and I managed to catch their sold-out Manchester date on November 11th.

Debbie Harry, Manchester, November 11 2017. Photo © Kayleigh Hinsley.

This was my second time seeing Blondie live, having been lucky enough to get a ticket for their May 3rd show at London’s Roundhouse. From Row D of the Circle at Manchester’s O2 Apollo, I had a good view of the whole stage as the incomparable Debbie Harry appeared dressed in a custom Vin and Omi jacket emblazoned with the words “Stop Fucking The Planet” and wearing a bee mask in reference to the band’s dedication to saving the bees; a major theme of the new album and tour.

The band launched into hits “One Way or Another” and “Hanging on the Telephone” before playing the first Pollinator track of the night, the upbeat, pop tune “Fun”, which Debbie clearly enjoyed performing. This was followed by the classic “Call Me” and the new, Charli XCX-penned “Gravity”. Guitarist Chris Stein was effortlessly cool throughout, whilst Clem Burke provided a pounding backdrop via drums.

A perfect rendition of “Rapture” preceeded Pollinator’s outstanding “Fragments”, another timeless track which, although written by Adam Johnston (An Unkindness), has that unmistakable Blondie sound, especially with an intro that sounds like it could have belonged on No Exit. Fittingly, then, this was followed by 1999’s comeback hit “Maria”, accompanied by iconic visuals on screen.

Continuing to mix classic hits with new songs, next up was “Picture This”, to which the whole venue sang along, then “Too Much”, a new song written by Blondie keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen with his wife Laurel, and one of the strongest tracks on the new album. Introduced with a powerful solo from Chris, the iconic “Atomic” followed Pollinator single “Long Time”, which is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the record and already a classic live.

The main set ended with “Heart Of Glass”, and the band left the stage to a standing ovation before returning for an encore, which began with “Fade Away and Radiate”, a track that hadn’t been performed live for a while. The show ended on a fantastic rendition of “Dreaming”, with Debbie reminding the crowd to “keep dreaming, and remember that dreaming is free, that we are free”, a statement that was met with cheers and left fans feeling empowered after a great night.

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LULU: All About The Music, Live at Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre.

Kayleigh Hinsley · November 06 2017

Over the past couple of years I’ve been lucky enough to have seen several of my favourite artists live; Blondie, Suzi Quatro and The Sonics, to name a few. But I have to say, Lulu’s show at the Bradford Alhambra theatre last night was by far the best gig I have ever been to in my life, and I don't think anything’s going to come close to topping it anytime soon.

Photo via bradford-theatres.co.uk. No photography was permitted inside the theatre.

I grew up knowing who Lulu was; I remember her being mentioned a lot when I was young (so much so that her name became iconic to me long before I’d heard her music), and then of course she was in Ab Fab, but I think it was when I was about 13 that I heard her version of “Shout” for the very first time and realised that she was definitely something special. I’d never heard a voice like hers before, and I haven’t since.

Last night’s performance lived up to that iconic reputation. Lulu was just as you’d expect her to be; full of energy, wonderfully funny, yet also refreshingly open about her career and personal life. She’s a consummate performer; she absolutely owns the stage from the second she steps onto it, and really knows how to work a crowd; the embodiment of ‘rock star’. Really it’s all about the energy - she has this incredible energy and it’s just so infectious and engaging. And of course her voice is still truly amazing; powerful, unique and pure rock and roll.

The show was brilliant from start to finish, packed with hits (“The Man Who Sold The World”, “The Boat That I Row”, “The Man With The Golden Gun”, “Relight My Fire”) as well as a handful of brilliant covers including “Ex’s & Oh’s” by Elle King, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” in tribute to Tom Petty, and a phenomenal rendition of “Hound Dog”. Other highlights included a Bee Gees tribute medley, the heartfelt “Where The Poor Boys Dance”, “Poison Kiss”, a song from Lulu’s newest album, Making Life Rhyme, and her famous “To Sir With Love” during which she delivered the best live vocal I’ve ever heard. “Shout”, her most iconic song, was met with a thoroughly deserved standing ovation.

What’s so impressive about Lulu is not just that she’s still here after more than 50 years in music, but also that she’s still absolutely at the top of her game (or anyone’s game for that matter) and has so much still to give. She’s one of the best rock stars the world has ever seen, and what’s really evident is how much she enjoys it and how much fun she has on stage, which I think is rare these days.

The show ended on another great cover and sing-a-long song, “Still The One” by Orleans. I bought a signed CD; it says “Rock on! Lulu” in gold - I think that sums everything up well enough.

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Issue #1 is available to read now on issuu ~ click here!