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REVIEW OPI‘ HA
SCOTTISH OPERA
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat 21, Thu 26, Sat 28 Jun 0000
If you go to only one opera this year. you could do a lot worse than choosing Scottish Opera's current production. Fri/staff. Composed when he was approaching 80. this was Verdi's last opera. and it‘s hard to believe that such radiant sparkle came in the wake of no less than 24 tragic works. Based on Shakespeare's The Merry l/t/rves of Vt/rnr/sor. the piece tells of Sir John f-alstaff. a likeable rogue who thinks he has wrnning ways With the ladies. but all does not turn out as planned.
Dominic Hill's new production is lull of energy. with lots of bright wrt and colour. not least from Falstaff himself. brilliantly captured by Peter Sidhorn. Not only is he in perfect physical rotund shape for the part. but he portrays his wily character wrth warmth. clarity and a sense of fun. In a consistently strong cast. Lucy Crowe as Nannetta also stands out. An intuitive stage presence seems to create an intimacy With the audience and the purity of her voice is ideal for sweet young love. (Carol Main)
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REVIEW ROCK
THE SEXUAL OBJECTS New Breed @ The Vic Cafe, Glasgow School of Art, Sat 7 Jun 0000.
‘Play it a bit more lodd Hungr'en. baby.' Not words you hear at every art school hop. but it's what Fire
Engines Heartbeat Win The Nectarine No S) guitarist and guiding light Daw Henderson drawls to drummer Ian Holford after stopping a song Just a few notes in on this. The Sexual Objects low key live debut.
Suited and booted for the occasion. Henderson. Holford. guitarist Simon Smeeton and bassist Creeping Bent guru Douglas McIntyre — a classic quartet. Nectarine survrvois all serve tip six perfectly crafted vignettes wrth cool handed br‘io. From sex-on-Iegs single ‘Full Penetration and its flip ‘Boycow' to low slung slow burner ‘Merrie England.‘ a frighteningly assured amalgam of freakbeat garage glam and east coast cool ensues.
Laced with a side order of four—part doo—wop. it duly causes a pair of polka-dotted divas to Wig out awhile. Which. with electronic dreamscapers Boards of Canada on production duties for the next record. proves Henderson and co are still the best rock'n'roll band on this or any other planet. (Neil Cooper)
Tomorrow's music today. This issue: Fete de /a Musr'que
Our friends the French want us to join in their national festival of music, where streets and concert halls across France get taken over for a day of free gigs. L’Institut Francais d’Ecosse has hosted its annual mini-fete for over 20 years now, and this year’s round-the-world line-up features al fresco bagpipes and something called ‘l’electroacoustique’. Chloe Guillemant from IFE gives us le lowdown
How did you pick the line-up?
We wanted a mix of Scottish and French performers. and international lllUSIC. So we've got Edinburgh and Glasgow bands. experimental jazz from Germany. Irish folk. Brazilian bossa nova. a girl that does French 60s pop songs by Francoise Hardy . . . It's a pretty international selection.
Where should we start?
lhe first two acts are classical. Andreas Borregaard is an accordionist from Denmark who’s played wrth chamber orchestras all over the world. then Italian Baroque Music. which is a soprano singer accompanied by a lute. After them. there's bagpipes and African drumming in the gardens over the road from the Institute. or you can go inside and hear more concerts.
Any tips?
Just enjoy It. Maybe get a glass of wrne. or something really good to eat and walk about between the different rooms. In a few hours you can listen to rock. pop. folk
or indie
and very modem or very traditional music. lhis day is a really big deal in
trance. and very popular. It's always a good way to discover new music from
abroad. (Claire Sawers)
I Various venues. Edinburgh, Sat 21 Jun. WWW/fecosse.orgi/k
REVIEW POP AVRIL LAVIGNE
Carling Academy, Glasgow, Mon 26 May 000
It took a while for her to finally make her entrance (the audience was kept waiting outside for an hour) but the eventual return of Canada's most clean living rock'n'roller to a Glasgow stage was well worth the wait.
She's come a long way since 'Complicated' but has managed to remain sane. grounded and together. Even the addition of a rock star hubby — Derrick Whibley of Sum 41 — hasn't led to any Pamela and Tommy style scandal.
Despite the insanely perky nature of her skate-punk-pop. Lavrgne wasn't very forthcoming with the chat from the stage. preferring instead to plough through the highlights from her three albums. all of which might be fairly intercharigeable but no less appealing f()r it.
A little interaction with the predominantly female. teenage crowd wouldn't have gone amiss. particularly after the ecstatic reaction she received. She‘s made a connection with this audience already and going the extra yard would have made all the difference. (Sandrita Ligertwood)
REVIEW iNbit— THE SAUCHIEHALL CRAWL
Various venues, Glasgow, Sun 1 Jun 0...
One night. 1 1 bands. three venues in one street. Two options. One: settie down With a pm! at the venue of your choice and given that the ABC has How to SWllll (pictured). Broken Records and The It'JlllgITI Sad this weuid be excusable on any other night. However. WIII) so much music on offer. it seems rude not to at least attempt option two. which is to take in a little of every act.
From the ABC to Nice'n'Slea/y is four minutes brisk walk. That's a whole song. so trainers (and an umbrella) are essentials for the dedicated Crawler. Staggered timings allow us to take in three or four songs from most of the artists. while a wristband system allows (almost) immediate entry.
Among the many highlights are the ‘discovery' of El Padre's beat-driven guitar rock and We Were Promised Jetpacks' temporary (but highly successful) reinvention as a drummerless outfit. We reluctantly depart De Rosa's mighty Beat Club set to catch Jo Mango. whose sweet vocals accompanied by a variety of exotic instruments certainly bears future investigation. Which is really the point of the Sauchiehall Crawl. which allows for a tapas-style musical experience. (Stuart McHugh)