Event: Bug 51

Bug 51 had one of the strongest video line ups for some time, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed all of them. Here's the line up from tonight's show.

Metube2 "Carmina Burana"

I don't think Carl Orff could ever imagine "O Fortuna" would ever be interpreted like this. Filmed in Munich and probably not safe for work this one. I wonder if Daniel Mochel has ever directed a wedding video.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu "Sai & Co."

Another quirky video for the J-Pop superstar. I'm seeing her next month so nice to see her getting some publicity. The director of this one Hideyuki Tanaka clearly loves oversized strawberries with rooster feet.

Radiohead "Daydreaming"

The first of two from the new Radiohead album, this one was the slower of the two but with the more engaging video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Each of the doors represents one of the years he was married. Made more memorable by the YouTube comment "Tilda Swinton has let herself go". 

PJ Harvey "Community of Hope"

I'm not a Polly Harvey fan and this for me was the weakest of all the videos tonight. This one was directed by Seamus Murphy.

Andy Hauf "The Magician"

I great Gilliamesque style video by Winston Hacking features lots of overlaid composites.

Yeasayer "Silly Me"

I wasn't sure what to make of this one. I didn't like it on a first viewing but it grew on me with a subsequent revisit. Some great conventional animation from Mike Anderson.

Gunship "Tech Noir"

The first of the selection from guest director Lee Hardcastle who specialises in claymation having done a small number of pieces that had gone viral. This track was a great 80s homage.

"Simpson vs You're Next"

Another Lee Hardcastle piece, quite disturbing but amazing comic timing at the end.

"Thingu"

Not surprisingly this was banned by the legal team for Pingu, although the animators did say they loved it. It also has an endorsement from John Carpenter.

Claycat's "Doom"

An amazing advert for the new Doom game, made in plasticene.

Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer"

Another famous claymation video was this one, which I'm pleased to say is standing the test of time extremely well. Stephen R Johnson directed this with some collaboration from other animators such as Nick Park from Aardman.

Michael Kiwanuka "Black Man in a White World"

A straightforward video from Hio Murai but really well shot. Just a shame the song sounds like a broken record.

Metronomy "Old School"

The tempo picked up with this track from Metronomy who were guests at the last Bug. The video, directed by Dawn Shadforth, works with the track but it's not amazing.

Run the Jewels "Love Again"

This is a group I'm seeing at a festival this Summer that having heard before I didn't quite get. However after hearing this track I might give them a second chance. Ninian Doff is a Bug favourite and he's done an amazing video here, naughty lyrics though!

Radiohead "Burn the Witch"

The amazing Trumpton meets The Wicker Man video directed by Chris Hopewell. Already having over 16 million views I'd be surprised if it has passed you by!

Coldplay "Up and Up"

Terrible track but a lovely video to finish with some clever visual effects from Bania Heymann & Gal Muggia.

Graffiti: Waterloo

Killing time before Bug so thought I'd hit Leake Street.

Film: Radio On

It's very brave of the programmer at The Prince Charles to choose films for the Mystery Movie nights, knowing that the audience are trusting him to choose a film that'll entertain. After the entertaining if cheesy The Green Slime of last month, this time he chose the 1979 film Radio On.

This film is a black-and-white film telling the tale of a man who travels from London to Bristol after hearing his brother has died there. So, off to a happy start then! Along the way he meets a couple of uninspiring characters equally as dull as the protagonist, and then he drives home.

So, not a film I would choose for a night out, but one I'm glad to have seen. I don't like to be challenged by film; the dumber it is the more I'm drawn to it. Having said that I totally understood what the director was trying to portray, the bleakness of Thatcher's Britain, and he did that well. 

I did enjoy the soundtrack, with the film opening with Bowie's "Heroes" and including some Kraftwerk, Ian Drury and Devo. In fact the opening credits only detailed the soundtrack, which is odd. The closing credits made mention of Wim Wenders, which explains the style shown here.

Gig: DJ Yoda & Friends @ Netil House

The second time I've seen Yoda in a month and after the excellent set at the POW, he announced this day party to see the month out. This'll be the first of a few events he has planned and it was off to a good start. I'd been to Netil House once before to see Kavinsky in a large warehouse rave environment. Today however we were on the top floor in a small indoor bar and outdoor terrace. 

I got there early and Australian DJ Tasty Lopez was already up spinning some Summery hip hop and RnB. After a brief set she stepped aside and let Canadian Skratch Bastid up. This is a DJ I'd wanted to see live for a long time having been wowed by his turning of Buck 65 into the Star Wars theme at a DMC championship. This set was great with him including his scratch tributes to David Bowie and Prince. A top act and I'm glad the small crowd who got there early enough to witness his stuff enjoyed it too, although our nice quaint British round of applause did catch him off guard. 

Yoda went on next in his Sparkle Motion persona, which is more 90s RnB than hip hop and the cut-and-paste stuff he's more famous more, and I suddenly twigged that the second hour at Brixton was this sort of music. 

Unfortunately I had double-booked the night and I decided to leave at that point, missing the excellent Hackney Colliery Band, 2 more Yoda sets and another Lopez one. The crowd may have danced later on but it was all quite laid back whilst I was there. Being on my own I had not much to do but listen, drink, eat  and use the phone. When it ran out of charge, I'd drunk enough, and eaten 2 pulled pork burgers I decided it was time to go.

A fun day; next time I'll arrive a bit later.

Graffiti: Mornington Crescent

I knew this was in Camden but had wrongly assumed up at the northern end, so it was nice to come across it completely by accident in Mornington Crescent.

Graffiti: Shoreditch & Brick Lane

A little work to find some finished pieces that were work in progress the last time I was here.

A van blocked the straight angle of this Mr Cenz piece.

Ben Eine

The latest by Dan Kitchener

These are great. 

Enough said!

Graffiti: Soho

Amora Por Dios let loose to paint this restaurant front.

 

Paul Don Smith has been very busy indeed!

Film: Green Room

A hard-up rock band are given a gig in the middle of nowhere to an audience of skinheads. Whilst there one of them spots something they shouldn't and they end up barricading themselves in the titular green room whilst the skinheads do what they can to ensure they don't escape to tell anyone.

So it's quite a tense little film, the confined setting adding to the tension. It reminded me of Deliverance and Southern Comfort in feel; a group out of their depth trying to escape from an unknown element who know the surroundings better than they do. Patrick Stewart was the only actor I recognised, completely out of place as the leader of the skins but still manages a menacing performance.

It's a little gory, nothing major, but some of the jumps do come from nowhere, giving no build up which takes from the moments a little bit.

Enjoyable but forgettable. 

Graffiti: Shoreditch area

An after-work walk around Shoreditch today