A haunting new adaptation of 'The Birds' lands at Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre
Adapted by Louise Fox and directed by former Malthouse artistic director Matthew Lutton (Picnic at Hanging Rock), the new production blends psychological horror with cutting-edge audio technology to create a truly immersive experience. As the theatre darkens and you don a pair of headphones, prepare for your pulse to race.
The stunning sound design by J. David Franzke uses binaural sound – a 360-degree audio technique – to drag you into the haunting tale where a coastal town is under supernatural siege from a flock of birds. Arundell performs with tiny microphones in her ears, capturing every whisper, gasp, flap, screech and swoop as though it is terrifyingly close.
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Spectator
13-08-2025
- Spectator
Ultimately hard to resist: Elbow reviewed
Our relationships with bands are often very like our relationships with people. Some are pure and lasting love. Some start promisingly but spoil. Some are quick, thrilling flings, others a more meaningful yet distant connection. Elbow are the kind of band you enjoy having a pint with every few months. Not always the most exciting company, perhaps, but smart, convivial and good hearted. Thoughtful. Reliable. They might arrive – bang on time – for your latest rendezvous armed with a funny story about a beleaguered colleague, but they're unlikely to announce they're running off to Brazzaville with the intern. You know where you are with Elbow – in this instance, a shallow concrete amphitheatre in Glasgow's leafy west end. The Kelvingrove Bandstand has been successfully hosting shows for a decade as part of the Summer Nights series which runs throughout August, and which this year rather leaves Edinburgh International's offerings during the same period in the shade. Depending on one's mood, Elbow's music can land anywhere on a spectrum between a tad boring and quietly ravishing. In such a bucolic setting, there was always a fair chance of the latter winning out over the former. Their big, enveloping sound – the core five-piece band was filled out with additional backing vocalists and horn players – elegantly filled the evening air on songs such as 'The Birds', 'The Seldom Seen Kid' and the gorgeous 'Lippy Kids'. The last of these is the ultimate in Elbowism: tender, knowing, literate, at once terribly sad and oddly uplifting. Tracks such as 'Her To The Earth' and 'Things I've Been Telling Myself For Years' from last year's number one album Audio Vertigo held their own alongside more established favourites. And while the default setting was a kind of stately drift, there were moments when the music became agreeably gnarly, as on the thundering 'Good Blood Mexico City', the surging 'Adriana Again', and the churning bluesy groove of 'Grounds For Divorce'. For all the musical craft, Elbow would be a little lost without vocalist Guy Garvey, who is in many respects the quintessential modern indie star, with a show on Radio 6 Music and a programme on Sky Arts (From The Vaults). The sense of existing familiarity between him and his audience was used to good effect. Folk musicians would traditionally introduce each song with a short primer on provenance. Garvey tended to do the same, placing each tune in its emotional context. Now and then it felt like Stephen Fry fronting a BBC Proms tribute to Genesis. By the time the set reached the closing duo of 'My Sad Captains' and 'One Day Like This' – Elbow's best-known song by a mile, and comfortably one of their least appealing – the feeling of happy communality in the cooling air was ultimately hard to resist. It was nice to catch up. Let's do it again sometime. Karine Polwart is a singer, songwriter and storyteller rooted in Scotland's folk community. In recent years curiosity and a collaborative spirit has taken her work into interesting new areas. In 2016, with composer and sound designer Pippa Murphy, she wrote an acclaimed one-woman piece, A Pocket Of Wind Resistance, staged at the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh. Several other cross-genre projects followed. Polwart has collaborated again with Murphy on Windblown, which premièred during the fringe with a short run at the Queen's Hall. Emerging from her spell as artist-in-residence at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, the show mixed song, poetry, spoken word and movement to tell the story of the enormous sabal palm tree which stood in the Gardens for over two centuries, quickly outgrowing its original glass house. In 2021, the already ailing 60ft palm was chopped down to make way for extensive renovations. From this central narrative trunk Polwart, admirably supported by pianist Dave Milligan, wove a moving and quietly mesmerising spell that touched on loss, lockdown, endings and new beginnings. The recurring lyrical theme – 'For the time is nearly over' – built up to assume the power of an incantation. The folk-inflected music and nature-infused words were beautiful, and Polwart's command of all aspects of the performance exemplary. As a new work by one of the most significant creative figures currently working in Scotland, here's hoping Windblown scatters to other realms soon enough. It already feels like it might become a fascinating new friend.
Scotsman
08-08-2025
- Scotsman
Elbow, Glasgow review: 'good company'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Elbow, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow ★★★★ Elbow frontman Guy Garvey has a lot of charm and stage presence for a man who looks like Ed Balls shopping at Homebase. But that, of course, is all part of this Greater Manchester band's mass appeal. They're unassuming everymen with big romantic bear-hugging hearts. No wonder they're so successful. I get it. In a world overstuffed with earnest peddlers of arena-sized 'anthems', Elbow are clearly so much better at This Sort of Thing than most of their peers. They mean it, man. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It helps that Garvey is a good lyricist who, broadly speaking, belongs to a lineage of working-class northern songwriters which also includes Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker (but not Noel Gallagher). During the first of three sold-out nights at Kelvingrove Bandstand they were embellished by two backing singers and a three-woman brass section, who at one point performed a warm 'n' woozy snippet of Gershwin's Summertime. The baroque strings which occasionally adorn their records were handled by the keyboards (Elbow are like a Tindersticks you could take home to meet your mother). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Their default setting is nocturnal rain-swept ballads - set highlights The Birds and Lippy Kids are quintessential Elbow - but they do 'rock' at times. Adriana At Last, with its surging, swirling chanted chorus, suggests they're familiar with the bonkers '70s concept album 666 by Greek prog-rockers Aphrodite's Child. And Garvey - who also works as a BBC 6 Music presenter - is an avuncular pro who chats to the crowd like they're sat in his living room.
Daily Mirror
06-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
Where was Wednesday filmed? Season 2 of Netflix show's filming locations revealed
Wednesday season 2 has now been released on Netflix and the new episodes were not shot in Romania. Wednesday, one of Netflix 's most successful shows to date, has made a triumphant return today with the first part of its second season. The show's stunning visuals and breathtaking sets have already sparked curiosity among fans about where the second season was filmed - a location completely different from the first season. The inaugural season of the supernatural series, starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, was fittingly shot in Romania, famously known as Dracula's homeland. However, due to various reported 'logistical challenges' during filming, Wednesday has since relocated. Tim Burton's gothic series, featuring stars such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Fred Armisen, has returned for a second season in a drastically different setting, reports the Express. Where was Wednesday season 2 filmed? For the second season of the Netflix series, showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar reportedly chose Ireland, an obvious choice given its gothic castles and dark forests. While Cantacuzino Castle in Romania served as the famous Nevermore Academy in the first season, the production turned to Charleville Castle in County Offaly, central Ireland, for its new location. Dublin locals might also recognise Willow Hill Psychiatric Facility, where Tyler Galpin (played by Hunter Doohan) is being held, as it was filmed at Clonliffe College. Furthermore, Dublin's Trinity College was also cleverly transformed to resemble Newark Airport in the opening episode of season 2, whilst Wednesday's encounter with sinister serial killer the Kansas City Scalper (Haley Joel Osment) at his residence was filmed at a housing development in the County Wicklow town of Newcastle. County Wicklow's Ashford Studios also supplied numerous interior scenes for the programme, including Nevermore Academy's Founders Pyre and the internal shots of Willow Hill and Rotwood Cottage. Furthermore, Camp Jericho and Nevermore Cemetery were constructed at a stunning 18th century estate renowned for its gardens called Powerscourt House. The 2017 film Little Women and other acclaimed productions such as Laurence Olivier's Henry V and Excalibur have similarly been filmed on the estate's grounds. Get Netflix free with Sky from £15 Sky Get the deal here Product Description What has Ireland said about the Netflix show? Screen Ireland had previously declared that Wednesday's production would be the "largest production to ever film in Ireland". Acknowledging this cinematic achievement, Taoiseach Simon Harris marked the occasion by visiting the set. There, he held discussions with the programme's creators, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, alongside series director Tim Burton. The politician remarked: "I'm delighted to see Ireland continues to be chosen as a location to film series and movies which supports our economy, creates jobs, showcases our creative talents and promotes our country on a global stage. "Ireland has long been a home for MGM Television productions from the original Vikings in 2012, to Vikings: Valhalla, and now Wednesday," Lindsay Sloane, Head of MGM Television, added. "We have found resources in Ireland to be top notch and an incredibly skilled group of professionals and apprentices that help bring our productions to life." Wednesday season 2 part 1 is currently available for viewing on Netflix.
