Goldie's Fab Four #18

My Highlights and Recommendations

Peter Kay, Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

Back on tour for the first time since 2010, Peter Kay may have spectacularly slimmed down, but in every other respect he’s still the same warm hearted and rather old fashioned comic his huge fan base has come to love. There are singalongs to 80’s TV ads, a routine with misheard lyrics and sharp observational patter - laced here with a few topical gags about Philip Schofield. His aim is unabashedly to give the audience a couple of hours of relief from the worries of the world but unlike, say, Michael McIntyre, there’s an emotional authenticity about Kay’s work that takes it beyond the routine routine. There’s a section about his Nan which is genuinely moving, and a spectacular, show stopping finale that illustrates his desire to provide value for money - to that end, it’s noteworthy that ticket prices have been frozen at 2010 levels. Did I mention that he’s also very, very funny? Unlike Stewart Lee, Kay doesn’t seek to change your view of the world, but he will enhance your enjoyment of it - and that’s a precious gift.

Ed Stafford - 60 Days On The Estates

(Pics: Channel 4)

Ed Stafford has survived an army tour of Northern Ireland , walked the length of the Amazon, and barbecued a rat for breakfast while crossing a Chinese mountain range. Yet nothing had quite prepared him for a stay on one of Britain’s most notorious council estates - Northumberland Park, in the shadow of Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in north London. The most tabloid-friendly moment comes when Stafford, whose easy going manner wins the confidence of the locals, is shown a machete and a gun by a local ne’er do well down a dark lane. He’s understandably spooked and makes a panicked exit. More truly disturbing, though, are the stories of Dionne who lives with her six kids (three pairs of twins!) in a mould-riddled flat with no prospect of a move; and Phil, an addict, who lacks the confidence to escape his situation, who reflects mournfully on his wasted life. There is an annoying tendency for Stafford to tell us, in reflective summaries to camera, what we have just seen for ourselves in the previous scenes; but the series offers an honest and rather scary snapshot of deprivation in modern Britain.Next up for Stafford - estates in Birmingham and Glasgow.

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis

Finally caught up this biopic, and it’s a typically imaginative cinematic whirl from Baz Luhrmann, giving voice (through Tom Hanks) to Presley’s (justifiably) much maligned manager Colonel Tom Parker. Presley comes across as a sympathetic character, whose appreciation of music was rooted in the southern gospel he’d grown up with - Parker, it seems, just loved the money.

John Robb - Nortons, Digbeth

Was brilliant to catch up this week with John Robb for a Q&A about his latest music blockbuster, The Art Of Darkness - A History Of Goth. The book delves deep into the history of the musical form which emerged from the UK post punk scene in the early 80’s and which is currently enjoying a resurgence of interest. Nortons is a great venue too - here’s hoping they can deliver on the promise of more events like this in future.