Somewhere amongst
the day to day - the school drop off, the washing up, contacting clients, the
washing, staying on top of the accounts, the ironing, updating the CV,
preparing dinner, and everything else that goes on in the brief window of time
before the school pick up – it is essential to occasionally break the solitude
of freelance life with some pure escapism. For me, this usually takes the form
of football, gigs, galleries and movies.
On Wednesday, I
saw Sharon Van Etten at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. She sounds fantastic on record
but seeing a person or band perform live, crystalizes their brilliance. It’s as
if seeing is believing and of course personality comes through, making it a
more intimate experience. Sharon has a sense of humour; she looks strong and
fragile at the same time. I don’t know how to categorise SVE’s music and I
don’t want to, other than to say it is highly personal singer song writing. On
stage she has a good time with her band, constantly exchanging looks and laughs
with her keyboard player, whose deeper tone on backing vocals juxtaposes with
Van Etten’s higher pitch. Her voice is sensational and there is a pure humanity
and emotion to the music and lyrics. Beautiful stuff. Sharon has a gift and
through pure hard work is finding success.
Today, I went to
the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square. Simply getting out into town,
having a coffee on Old Compton Street and seeing the world is vital. There is
so much life in Soho, it is ridiculous and fantastic. After a spot of people watching,
it was a short walk to the PCC to see Blade Runner, the Director’s Cut – the
first time I had seen it on the big screen.
Although the
movie is actually harsh, bleak and brutal, there is also something incredibly
beautiful about it. Those sweeping, futuristic vistas are awe inspiring and the
Japanese lady on the billboard, forever selling us her wares, with a nod and a
wink is a recurring image, alongside the Coca Cola ad. No matter how bad things
are, there will always be capitalism and coke!! Then there is that spellbinding,
unnerving, yet gorgeous Vangelis soundtrack and when all is said and done,
love, even for a replicant, waves two fingers at a messed up world. So, there
is hope for all of us!!
I wonder where
next weeks escapism will come from...
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