Goldie's Fab Four #4

My cultural highlights of the week

Grayson Perry’s Art Club

Born as a reaction to the pandemic lockdown, Grayson’s Art Club on Channel 4 is all about tapping into the creativity of the British public and giving ‘ordinary’ folk the opportunity to be exhibited in public.

The best items from Series 3 are currently displayed at MAC in Birmingham which, as an arts centre in a busy park, is a suitably democratic space for the venture.

Not everything on show here is brilliant – of course it isn’t – but there’s plenty to enjoy. 

A ‘pay what you like’ pricing structure also makes it an accessible treat – although note that tickets must be booked in advance.

Grayson’s aesthetic always allows for a smile, and I was taken by Molly Webb’s Queen Henry as well as Margaret Seaman’s knitted Sandringham Gardens.

Great fun.

Puss In Boots

This is sequel to a spin off created more than a decade ago, leading to a few sniffy reviews from critics in the posh papers, but I loved it – and just as importantly, so did my 8-year-old daughter. 

Puss (voiced by Antonio Banderas) was introduced to moviegoers in Shrek 2, and had his first starring role in 2010’s ‘Puss in Boots’.  This time around, he discovers that he’s used up eight of his nine lives, and can only extend his existence by tracking down a wishing star.

Cue a series of sword fighting (mis)adventures enlivened by encounters with a retinue of malevolent fairy tale characters – including Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) Ray Winstone’s gruff Daddy Bear and weirdo Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney channelling Jack Nicholson).

Most menacing of all is The Wolf (Wagner Moura) a sharp toothed, red-eyed Grim Reaper. I don’t know what the kids made of him, but I was cowering behind my cinema seat.

Puss, meanwhile, is accompanied by old flame Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) along with misfit pooch Perrito (Harvey Guillen).

It’s a funny and oddly thought-provoking movie, which – without giving too much away – suggests that Puss might just be able to prolong his existence for at least one more movie.

796 – Meryl Streek

The algorithms of playlisted radio stations are generally immune to the righteous anger of punk rock, so you probably won’t get to hear Meryl Streek’s debut album 796 unless you make a point of seeking it out.  Believe me, it’s worth the effort.

Dublin based Streek directs his rage at the Catholic Church, grasping landlords and a system weighted against the poor.

Like The Streets, he mixes up urgent beats with synths and strings – clearly there’s a very musical ear at work here – but the vocal delivery is an unvarnished howl at the state of things. 

Teeside based Benefits are the nearest UK comparison, but Meryl Streek stands as a new and wholly individual force.

Desi Pubs

Food reviewers rarely head to the Black Country, so kudos to Jay Rayner in The Observer for his appreciation of The Sportsman in West Bromwich. 

It’s a Desi pub i.e. a boozer run by British Asians serving spicy Mixed Grills and other food from the subcontinent usually with large TV screens beaming live sport.

You’ll find them dotted around Birmingham and the Black Country, but the epicentre is the area around West Brom.

Many desi pubs offer cask ale, but the quality can be variable to be honest – the real draw is the grub and the atmosphere.

I’ll be sharing my top ten here sometime soon, but I’d welcome readers suggestions too.