CHRISTY MOORE at the Barrowlands

From previous experience i have found going to a gig early and getting right at the front is very well worthwhile.Even being 10 yards away , rather than at the very front, seriously diminishes the quality and enjoyment of the experience.My pal also concurred with this sentiment , though only after the concert when he reflected on the difference it would have made had we not been able to have an unobscured close up view of Declans fingering on the guitar or the sweat on christys brow.

The lady next to me was enjoying this first time Christy concert as a special birthday treat from her son.What a special gift to give to your Mother.We chatted a little and i assured her she would she a unique world class performance and would be permanently hooked to the ever growing band of Christys merry followers.Another set of ladies enjoying a group party for the birthday of their pal were members of the 4711ers club , the official name for the interactive forum on Christys website.He was to later dedicate a song to them and gave the songlistsheet to the special birthday girl as a souvenir after the concert.

The Barrowlands is a very special venue , so special Christy has written a song about it , you dont get many songs about specific venues.A Christy Concert at the Barrowlands is more raucous;crisp;fresh and full of raw energy than you get with the sedate pace of things at the Royal Concert Hall.The fans are also younger and more boisterous , without in any way being less sophisticated or appreciative of the quieter reflective songs Christy sings.

We were treated to a fantastic delight of catchy , yet meaningful lyric songs , here are some highlights ,each is a magical self-contained performance in its own right.

Victor Jara:




Viva La Quinta Brigada:



Natives:



No Time For Love:



We also had a delightful cameo appearance from Willie Page , the writer of smoke and strong whisky and the universal anthem Biko Drum.What a fantastic ; strong piercing voice he had.

TIGER SPIRIT by Min Sook Lee

The state of War between the artificially separated Koreas has split families for nearly 6 decades.Very few get to hear news about their loved ones , yet alone to hear them or even one day to get a fleeting face to face meeting.

Canadian based Min Sook Lee follows the trails and plights of several families trying to meet with their loved ones , always beholden to becoming victims of reunions being suspended or postponed depending on how relations and negotiations are with the two States.

The DMZ is a emotional broken heart between an ancient unified People.To Koreans the country is said to look like a Tiger about to Spring if you look at its shape on a map.The Japanese reshaped the mentality of the Koreans by re-labelling the country as resembling a tame cowered rabbit.In the long history of Korea the split is a short stain on a continuous long history that will be overcome in time.

Here is a short portion of the beginning of the wonderful documentary:



In the South of Korea any defector from the North is made to sign a declaratory document making themselves available for any propaganda opportunities the South may wish to utilise them for , on pain of losing any state support and benefits.They are also assigned an intelligence officer for life who will keep a permanent eye on their activities.Restrictions in the North are even more stringent.

CHRISTY MOORE at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Christy Moore is one of the finest , if not the finest , folk singers on the circuit today.We in Glasgow have been spoilt lately with having the pleasure of seeing him grace our stages for the past 3 years.Such exposure to a genuinely world class exponent of his field is what makes a city the size of Glasgow punch well above its population in the cultural and artistic scene.

Christy is not only a superb artist but he is also a fine Human Being who has given expression to the inner voice of many unjustly treated and oppressed individual and communities the world over.He is a heritage to only only his Irish roots , his music transcends his celtic upbringing and is a gift to all Humanity.

His colleague and co-performer Declan Sinott suffered an appalling tragedy only a few weeks back when his Brother and Son were killed in a boating accident while on holiday in America.It was great to see him playing brilliant guitar and singing with the finest voice ive heard in all the times i have had the unquestioned pleasure to see him.

Here are versions of 3 songs from the concert that were special highlights:

Missing You:



North and South:




And my Wifes favourite , Black is The Colour:




Alas Christy cant perform every song in his vast repertoire , but this one is such an evocative song i feel obliged to include it as it is just a beautiful song :

IN THE HOLY FIRE OF REVOLUTION by Masha Novikova

Legendary former World Champion chessmaster Garry Kasparov stood against Bono-hugging Vladimir Putin in the 2007 elections.

This documentary traces the tribulations and more tribulations of the campaign against the mass forces ranged against any opponent of Putin.Some of the stunts are plain old fashioned petty , like withholding Kasparovs passport for spurious reasons for examination , only to hand it back once the plane to a conference in a distant region has finally taken off.Others are more sinister and threatening with beatings and mass denial to the media apparatus controlled by the state or its oligarch backers.

The actual coalition which Kasparov is part of , The Other Russia , does not help itself with one of the principle parties , from what we see the lead party as far as policy dissemination is concerned , has insignia on the flags which are too close to the emblems of the Nazi party for comfort or non-association.The leader , and what appears to be the left hand man to Kasparovs public face led campaign , gives a very unconvincing explanation the insignia is not nazi but the copy of the german Communist Party symbol in the 1920s ( it has to be said that Hitler was quite close to the Communists at the time ).This is a highly suspect looking excuse not unalike the Rangers Nazi saluting fans claiming it is a red Hand of Ulster salute in no way connected to fascists.

Kasparov is also followed by a bunch of indefatigable Putin Youths who lay on the slanders and charges thick and fast.Their persistence and ability to have the means to follow the campaign trail on a budget that could only be in the league of a very high class Russian certainly shows where their butter comes from.

Kasparov can never quite shake of the charge , which appears to stick , that he is a US aligned candidate charged with bringing the Orange revolution and Violet revolutions of Ukraine and Georgia into Russia.The fact that he is a Contributing EDITOR of The Wall Street Journal certainly helps to weaken the non-US influence protestations he meekly offers in his defence.

KORTNEY RYAN ZIEGLER at the GFT

Kortney was born in Compton and grew up with an inspiring relative who encouraged her hobbies and early interests allowing an active fertile artistic mind to develop.In this series of lectures which are well attended because the students get course credit for simply turning up , a great system to fill out venues , Kortney give a lecture of her early film making development and plans for the future.

Kortneys approach is a zero tolerance for all forms of discrimination.It is an always consistant and highly sincere element in all her work. Her work and Art should be seen in this light.You can see a couple of clips from her current award winning documentary called still black.

An especially interesting project for her future film is a study of crying.It looks to be a very important contribution when it eventually comes out.You can see an emotional preview in the clip below:

END OF POVERY by Philippe Diaz

This is a very emotionally engaging and draining documentary that one has to watch to see world poverty is not an accident but an enivitable policy driven byproduct of the globalised system driving a long history of capitalism and exploitation of the worlds resources as well as populations.This is an old continuous process which is leaving levels of efficiency which are resulting today in the deaths of 1000 children every hour,every day through either stravation or denial of basic medicines for easily curable conditions.

Following on Eduardo Galeanos brilliantly written history of the european exploitation of South America the director films what should be the most notorious lanmark to the lows of Human Civilisation , the vast Silver Mountain mone at Potosi , which is the scene of emence european wealth ( the amount of silver produced from this mine complex alone resulted in the silver reserves of europe increasing by a factor of 4 from all the reserves aquired and held in Europe for all the centuries before) and monumental Human Suffering ( the number of People to die at this mine is estimated at no less than 8 Million , more than died in the Holocaust and with a Rwanda thrown in for good measure) , all dying not as the result of war or ethnic cleansing , but to the efficient transfer of resources and wealth to Europe.

Even today , the transfer of wealth from the Poor ( South World) to the Rich ( G20)is to the tune of 200 Billion dollars going from the poor to the rich.GATT ; World Bank ;IMF are a membrane which has allowed this type of negative flow to occur as they encourgae poorer countries to open up thier markets to established corporate companies of the G20 thus suffocating domestic cottage industries than could provide wealth for the local communities.On top of that poor countries are made to privatise large vital resouurces such as the utilities and water , as well as give away natural resources at bottom basement rates , in order to qualify for debt and aid which these countries would not need if they had favourable non-subsidised access to the very Western Nations that preach non-tarrif barriers.

In the video below the director gives an interview outlining some of the barriers and disadvantagious processes which the Richer nations impose on the Poor:



And below is an example from Kenya of the practises that dis empower the People on the ground with a mixture of unfair trading practises and using corrupt methods to pay an unscrupulous elite to build large scale projects that are of little value to the sustenance of the local population.

GLASGOW HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL

There is no more a cut-throat business than the Human Rights Solidarity scene.If triple crossing and blacklisting is your modus operandi then joining a Human Rights campaign is the choice for you.

Even amongst Human Rights solidarity activist the Glasgow scene is a class above/below the rest , here the activist dont stab you in the back , looking on square in the eyes and stabbing in the neck is the way to function here , if you can bandy the words "unity" and "freespeech" whilst you do it , all the better.

But there are supreme People , individuals and organisations that rise supremely above the cock-fighting ( if you are a male); knitting ( if you are a female)and mud-wrestling to achieve the very best in making Glasgow punch well above the sum of its parts in actively promoting and supporting Universal Human Rights the World Over , making the city a centre for activists throughout the globe persuing and seeking out best practice models to take back to their own communities.

At the Very apex and all that is the very best in promoting the causes of the damned and oppressed in this world is the Glasgow Human Rights Documentary Festival , now in its 7th year.I am very honoured to be associated with this Festival in a latent background capacity.

This Festival is a genuine World Class event which elevates Glasgow to an Internationally renowned position well above the size of the City in a field so noble as the acknowledging and promotion of Justice for all unfairly treated People the world over.

GREEN DAY at the SECC

You wont get better bands with the verve and raw blistering energy as Green Day.

One odd observation was Green Day are turning into a Family Band , there were many parents taking their teenage kids.Cant think of a better debut for anyone starting out.

From the very start they were scurrying around keen as you can get to get cracking into the groove.

They were on for two and a half hours , never relenting from the high octane fever pitch heights you can only get from the very best.

Major highlights of a spectacular evening included:

When i come around:



Minority:



And a video included from last night concert ive included as the person who took it was in the same part of a arena as me:

THE GRAPES OF WRATH at the Edinburgh Kings Theatre

Simple intrigue , if nothing else , made a trip to see a dramatised theatrical adaptation of the classic profound John Steinbeck Novel worth missing a dire display of unimaginative ill-motivated cacophony of over-paid guys being offside on occasion and missing gilt edged chances in between.Watching Celtic is an experience best enjoyed at great distances and preferably well without eyeshot.

The best balanced review of the production is this one from the Telegraph.The production is faithful to the plot , especially the ending , though you always get the impression this Book is not transferable , whilst at the same point giving the productions its due in that there will not be any that will better it.So dont be put off if ever it comes your way.

Ma Joad comes across best , and also confirms a feeling ive had for a while she is a counter-balance to the superficial female character that is portrayed in Cormac MacCarthys " The Road".My view has always been in times of grave crisis it is the Mother that will carry the Family through the toughest of crisis and out into the other side.Though i do find both Books are ones of great hope , somewhat counter to those who fine The Road to be a harrowing tale with a pessimistic ending.

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN at The Barrowlands

The Barrowlands is a legendary venue in the East End of Glasgow , there is no better place to see your favourite band.One world class popular folk singer , Christy Moore ,has even written a song about it and bands such as Simple Minds and U2 still recall concerts at the venue performed decades ago.I , myself , recall many fine nights seeing the likes of Robert Cray,The Alarm and REM before they became a Stadium band.

The part of town where the venue is located contains some of the oldest continuous institutions in Glasgow , it was the oldest chip shop in the City established 1884 , which was shut and the oldest pub in the city , established 1775 , which was shut , the only place that was open was Bairds bar , the kind of place you do not want to go to even if it is open unless you ascribe to the concept that dingy and under-invested is synonymous with traditional and romantic.Though one should never rubbish anyones livelihood and should have respect for genuine regulars of the pub , it is a place where 9-5 weekday workers who meekly follow the dictates of some corporate lackey suddenly turn up enmasse as posses of plastic paddys and weekend provos.

The members of the band represented a cross section of what one gets from the groups of yesteryear re-forming for todays gigging , one had the bloated look of enjoying the age of sedentary comfort ; another had the emaciated look of one who has the fondness of weed over a healthy diet ; another had the wizened look of a Keith Richards; the lead singer himself had grown older tastefully and of course the drummer was a new face replacing a member that is six foot under.

The Concert itself was very good , Echo have a precise ; economic; controlled manner of intensity which gets the job done with a tautness , no need for histrionics or showboating.The new material is of a very high calibre which sits well with their archive if not giving a new fresh value added to the material , so much so it was ironic as well as instructive the crowd were shouting for new songs from an album which is only released on the night of the gig as much as they were hankering after the sounds of the mid-eighties , a very heartwarming situation which bodes well for the bands future development.

Here is nice laid back version of Killing Moon in the manner played at the concert:



And here is version of a track from the new album:

MARY SEACOLE LECTURE by Jane Robinson

At the time Florence Nightingale was being made into a legend of the establishment classes in the form of the lady with the lamp , an amazing career running counter to all the points and directions of civilised prevailing values as well as accepted social norms was acted out by an extraordinary character born in the plantation colony of Jamaica in circa 1805.History thereafter brought out the life of Florence Nightingale to the apex of standard historical educational curriculum height of discourse , and covered the story of the half-caste illegitimate child from a colonial outpost who rose to the very top of the public social status only to be submerged by the debris of time from the very point she died in 1881.

Only now is the special place of Mary being given the recognition it deserves , including a set place in the national educational curriculum for all primary schools in England.This lecture by the feminist orientated historical scholar Jane Robinson helped to put the neglected story of a remarkable industrious Woman into the mainstream place it deserves in the UK today.

Jane Robinson has written a biography of the unsung Mary tale of her tremendous will to achieve her goals despite systematic and stinging rejections from society and influential individuals alike.Seacole wrote a Book at the time that is widely regarded as a superbly crafted story effusing the undaunted spirit of a person that refused to be pigeon-holed or blocked by a society that was blatantly racist and well as inherently restrictive to allowing woman to use their talents to contribute to the greater good of collective society.The story is now published within the Penguin 20th classics series.

Below is a newspiece about the campaign to have a statue made in the honour of Mary Seacole on the banks of the Thames facing the Houses of Parliament.




Some Historians of the Marxist persuasion may raise an eyebrow , or go apeshit , whilst others that prefer to look at a situation from the hindsight vantage point of a century or so may look to the experience of Mary in the slightly false prism and light of her being a helpful cog in the very entity that materially and systematically forced up the very ingrained prejudicial attitude which kept her and her community from progressing to the next level , her desire to go and serve for the military in the brutal and callous suppression of the Indian Mutiny in 1857 being a disconcerting example engendering uncomfortable feelings of one victim of imperialism giving aid to the same imperial entity subjugating another set of victims , but the story of Mary Seacole should be seen in the light of an individual surmounting barriers and severe prejudicial discrimination to achieve their particular calling to the very best of their ability in a difficult restrictive age.

Certainly , as a member of a minority community will relate to very tellingly from their own experience , the journey of Mary having to freelance and privately fund her ambitions , usually from her own entrepreneurial schemes in order to achieve goals without the debilitatingly excruciating glass ceilings of a mainstream career is something all minorities in the UK will understand very deeply.Mary Seacoles contribution to where we are today should be understood and appreciated on that level.

And finally a moving tale on the discovery of the only known portrait of Mary which was unearthed at a car boot sale: