Cult Disco Memory Mayhem...

on saturday night i went to see heartbreak and little boots at the other rooms in digital. it was sparesly populated and i have to say, i spent more time gawping at other people than concentrating on the music; there was just so many maniacs there!
two-piece heartbreak were on first, although the gig was shared equally between the two acts. as this was the first time i had heard them i was impressed with their 80s infused disco beats, spiked with the high-pitched scissor-sister sound of vocalist sebastian muravchix. the french/english keyboardist ali renault was slightly shouldered out the way by the argentian lead, who manouvered about the stage with little care of the reserved etiquette enlglish gig-goers are used to seeing from straight cut indie bands. jazz-hands and jagged legs were the presiding characteristics of sebastian's chosen stage routine, reflecting the electronic mayhem resonating from the synthesiser. the crowd at the other rooms were equally as chaotic: it was extraordinary to step away and look on, as the whole set resembled some sort of cult ritual, with the little crowd jumping about and waving their hands like they were grouping together to re-live primary school disco madness.
little boots came next in her sparkly black vintage number like the belle of the party, brandishing her clever toy the Stylophone (so underused in pop music) to create a set of dance glamour galour. a little too alphabeat for my liking, as i was always wanting a bit more bass kicking in or some more blippy electro to underlie it, but overall i couldn't complain as she knows what to make you want to dance your socks off to, and if her tracks are not some of the most remixed this month, then i'll be disheartened with those with the power to do so.
two acts making a disco of poppy beats and 80s dance are unlikely to stray too far from giving you a good night out, especially if these are little boots and heartbreak, who obviously have been enjoying playing together so much that they have covered an italo classic together 'dancing therapy'

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jigging memory in waltz with bashir

the tyneside is an independant cinema in newcastle which plays new films from across the globe. last week i was exposed for the first time to an israeli animation- waltz with bashir. it depicts the personal story of ari folman (the writer, director and producer) who is searching for part of his identity which was supressed in war. as a young soldier fighting in the 1982 lebanon war, that whole period was missing in his memory- including the disastrous massacre in beruit.

there is no doubt that i am a big fan of animation and what it stands for in films such as this. together with the powerful music and aesthetically wonderful images, the audience is pulled into a fantasy world of war- colourful, evocative and almost exciting. there is a distance between you and the reality of it, not unlike what was going on in the minds of the soldiers years after the event. a short recurring scene of soldiers walking naked from the sea, guns slung over their soldiers and faces lifeless, cut, the screaming faces of women and children swarming before you. folman is trying to place a reality around this fantasy, by talking to his friends and comrades. by the end we have very clear picture of what happened, and the animation only adds to the brutal intensity of the situation. overall, a brilliant film made by one extremely talented guy with a rare abilty to carry out a purpose.