Goldie's Fab Four #13
My Cultural and Other Highlights
Colin From Accounts
Yes, it’s a romcom (of sorts) but before you roll your eyes in weary contempt, please bear with me. While there may be an air of inevitability about the central relationship in this Aussie import, it also offers an enjoyably twisted take on modern love, which should appeal to anyone who appreciates the Ricky Gervais/Alan Partridge school of cringe comedy.
Show creators Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall cast themselves as an unlikely couple who meet when hard-up medical student Ashley flashes her boob at Gordon, an equally impoverished hipster brewer, thus diverting his attention away from a small dog crossing the road. An accident ensues and although the pooch’s life can be saved, it’s only at a cost of $12,000 – which neither can afford.
One of the numerous complicating factors is Ashley’s prickly relationship with her mum Lynelle, leading to the best episode of the seven I’ve watched so far. ‘The Good Room’ features the birthday meal from hell – and introduces us to Lynelle’s wondrously inappropriate boyfriend Lee.
‘Friday Night Dinner’ devotees will recognise the awkwardness (and rich amusement) that can ensue from a simple meal; ‘Fleabag’ fans will appreciate the show’s millennial frankness about sex and relationships. Either way, it’s a winner.
Billy No Mates
Pulsating electro beats, D n B stylings and a riot grrrl snarl – what’s not to like about Billy No Mates? Precious few artists can carry off an hour performing solo to a backing tape, but ‘Billy’ - aka Tor Maries - is one them, her gymnastic contorting and cavorting keeping your gaze stapled to the stage thoughout.
As if to prove her trad musician chops, she opens with ‘Fawner’ from recent album Cacti. Played live, it sounds properly folkie, like something Joni Mitchell or Don McLean might have penned, but other than that it’s a frenetic romp through her career so far, with highlights (for me, anyway) including ‘Petrol Fumes’, a song of roaring but misplaced desire, and the outstanding ‘Heels’, which somehow yokes a fashion statement to anger over climate change.
The only disappointment was the lack of an encore, though given that BNM had missed a previous show through illness, maybe that was understandable.
Adventure Everywhere: Pablo Picasso’s Paris Nightlife
Former Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam has hit a neat literary groove, turning out a series of a slim, but compelling volumes in a series called Art Decades, and published by Manchester indie Confingo. The previous episode told the sad story of Stone Roses superfan/roadie/fashion inspiration Stephen Cresser; the latest one marks the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death, delving into the great artist’s relationship with Paris, a city of sex and drugs and proto rock n roll that inevitably infiltrated his art. Purely in the interests of research, of course, Haslam spent a month living above a Parisienne sex shop, and goes in pursuit of the shadows of the sleazy underworld in which Picasso found a home.
Carlos Corberan
Baggies manager who transformed a team of relegation-haunted also rans into play-off contenders. With one match remaining of the regular season, that dream is still alive. We all know that under the current ownership, West Bromwich Albion are fundamentally fucked, but Corberan has given an identity to the team and restored pride amongst the fans. Thanks Carlos.