[rating=4]
90 min • Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London • August 29, 2013

With no swearing, as the gig launched O2’s 4G network, Ben Drew laid on a set of PG crowd pleasers with a twist.

“The crowd around me consisted of Strickland Banks fans, teenage girls, and a middle-aged woman who kept screaming, “Ben, come and sit on my face!” I have no idea how he managed to refuse …”

[rating=5]
Released August 19, 2013
Three firmly cements Charlotte Church’s transition from pop starlet to ambient siren. A strong collection of beautiful and innovative songs.

“Now on her 3rd self-released EP, titled Three, Charlotte has banished her previous child prodigy persona and undergone a stunning ambient makeover worthy of the most authentic of artists.”

[rating=3]
Sweden / Norway / Finland / Ireland: 140 min • GarageFilm International • August 16, 2013

There are strong performances in this exposé of 1970s high-class prostitution ring in Sweden but in its attempt to capture all the angles it loses some of its impact.

“Call Girl opens with a declaration that it is based on true events. It centres on the political scandal now known as Bordellhärvan, which involved an active sex trafficking group involving underage girls, whose customers were from the highest ranks of Swedish society and government..”

[rating=4]
44:42 min • Mute • September 9, 2013
A remix album that surpasses the original recording is a rarity, yet Ultraista Remixes is the ideal companion piece, bringing out the necessary colour and bite.

“In many ways a template for the successful remix project, Ultraista have proved that there is still life in what is a really a marketing tool if quality control is paramount and the DNA of the original material remains.”

[rating=5]
Reissued September 02, 2013
The 25th anniversary release of Kim Wilde’s Close breathes life into this crossover album and is packed with an extra disc of b-sides and remixes.

“A quarter of a century later, Close is still a feisty and sincere collection of songs that many of her peers would be proud of.”

September 4, 2013

It’s A Raid! Polari Safari cartoon by David Shenton.

[rating=4]
44:42 min • Mute • September 9, 2013
Tales Of Us is Goldfrapp showing their lush, dreamy slowed-down side, and the concessions to pop on previous albums are entirely absent.

“The songwriting in particular is supremely confident and intricate and has reached the point where instead of lining up their influences for all to hear, Goldfrapp are finally sounding like themselves.”

[rating=4]
Released April 28, 1980
With Flush the Fashion, Alice Cooper reinvented himself and his music, embracing a punk and electronic edge.

“The use of electronic sounds is being used to explore the themes of duplicating people, the dangers of emerging technology for society. This hidden dark edge is pure Alice and while the public may have been thrown off by the slick sound of this single, the blackness was still there.”

[rating=5]
Released September 16, 2013
This tender and heart-warming ballad, underpinned by Melua’s compassionate vibrato and an orchestral arrangement, is a stunning tribute to the Queen.

“The first single from her sixth studio album Ketevan has the trademark soft and layered vocal, but showcases a more mature sound that featured on her last opus Secret Symphony.”

August 28, 2013

What Gay Men Really Want. Polari Safari cartoon by David Shenton.