Culture Diary w/c 04-06-12
Monday – Dionne Warwick 7.30pm @Liverpool Philharmonic
With the likes of Walk On By, I Say a Little Prayer and Do You Know the Way to San Jose, Dionne Warwick will forever be etched into the consciousness of popular culture. This evening at the Philharmonic, the 71 year old will be singing a selection of her numerous hits, many of which you’d expect to be from the successful partnership with Burt Bacharach and Hal David. A cousin of Whitney Houston, she goes to show that success is temporary while class really is permanent.
Oldboy 9pm @FACT
The director of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Thirst, among the more remarkable films of Park Chan-wook is Oldboy, which is saying a lot. For reasons unknown, Oh Dae-su (played by Choi Min-Sik) is subject of a kidnapping. Being kept against your will in a private prison for no apparent reason can focus the mind on serious vengeance – particularly if you learn of the death of your wife during this time – and on his release 15 years later, he sets about unravelling the mystery and taking back much more than his pound of flesh.
Tuesday – Passport to Pimlico 4.10pm @FACT
In stark contrast to Oldboy is this absolutely quintessential gem of the Ealing era. Gentle isn’t quite the word as an ancient charter is found, the discovery of which leads to Pimlico’s residents declaring themselves Burgundian not British. A joy.
Laurel Halo 7pm @ The Kazimier £7
In booking Laurel Halo for their inaugural show, Deep Hedonia are issuing a pretty serious statement of intent. Halo, who has just released her broadly acclaimed debut album Quarantine on the Hyperdub imprint, is a star in waiting. Expectations are high that she is to be just the first of many acts brought to Liverpool ahead of the curve.
Wednesday – Artist Cine club: Selected by Videoclub 6.30pm @FACT FREE
Nominated by artists shortlisted for last year’s Jarman Award, Selected brings together work by some of the cream of a new generation of UK film-making talent. 2011 Liverpool Art Prize winner Markus Soukup, Andy Lacey and Anonymous Bosch will be present to introduce their films and field questions about their work.
Thursday – Mikey Georgeson – Trope 6pm @ The Royal Standard
Mikey Georgeson is an artist, lifelong fan of Liverpool Football Club, and sometime member of cult art-rock band David Devant and His Spirit Wife. With Trope, his first solo show in Liverpool, he looks to investigate the relationship between art and life. No biggie, then.
Moon Duo 7.30pm @ The Kazimier £9
In Moon Duo, Erik ‘Ripley’ Johnson and his wife Sanae Yamada offer an aside to sister project Wooden Shjips, while not straying terribly far from the frazzled psychedelia path fans know only too well. Last year’s acclaimed Mazes was their second full length offering, and with a third on the way, you sense the slow-burn success of this twosome has the legs to go the distance.
Friday – Friends 8pm @ The Kazimier £9
Brooklyn-based Friends have so far managed to defy the fate of so many internet buzz bands before them by signing a deal and managing to put out a record. The guys behind the catchy and insanely sexy I’m His Girl, they release their sun-kissed fuzz-pop debut Manifest! this week through Lucky Number. The release is accompanied by a tour and we get to see them early doors at The Kazimier.
Sunday – Manhattan 5.30pm @FACT
For a time it seemed Woody Allen could do no wrong, his socially awkward intellectual persona leaping from behind the camera to starring role, when coupled with Diane Keaton was frankly irresistible. Perhaps the most acclaimed of this period is Manhattan (pictured), his Gershwin-scored love letter to NYC, screening at FACT for a perfect bit of Sunday afternoon reverie.
