Latest news with #Sgt.Pepper
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Abandoned railway station in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens refuses to die
The abandoned railway station in Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Why do you go there? I find it fascinating that something so big could be so easily hidden and so little-known by people who have lived in the city for years. It's a reminder of Glasgow's hidden underbelly and its all-too-quickly forgotten past. It opened in 1896 as part of the Glasgow Central Railway line. But as passengers gravitated toward cleaner, more convenient street trams, the station closed in 1939. It found new life as a cafe called The Silver Slipper and later the Sgt. Pepper's night club – until a fire gutted it in 1970. Today, only the old platforms remain, overgrown and slowly reclaimed by nature, smothered in weeds, grass and trees. But there's something about the place that refuses to stay hidden. There was an attempt to redevelop the site in the mid-2000s, but local opposition forced Glasgow City Council to scrap the plans. There's something about the place that refuses to die or be forgotten and in this age of cultural impermanence, that's a beautiful thing to me. (Image: Colin Mearns) For me, it also symbolises what great crime fiction does: tells a great story but also reveals the darkness lurking underneath everyday life. How often do you go? Anytime I find myself in the Botanics, I make an excuse to wander off and sneak a peek over the old ventilation shafts. The whole area is sealed off below, but some hardy urban explorers and graffiti artists still find a way down to the platforms. They're braver than I am. Author Andrew Raymond (Image: Andrew Raymond)How did you discover it? I'd walked past it several times before finally stopping to check why there was a big fence hidden away between some trees. I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it before. What's your favourite memory? The first time I found it. I was struck by the idea that Glasgow has so many hidden levels. I knew almost immediately that it had to play a role in the first DCI Lomond book, The Bonnie Dead, because it captures everything the book is about. Who do you take? I only ever go by myself, but I'm looking forward to showing it to my son when he's old enough. What do you take? I always take a few photos – it gets more mysterious every time. What do you leave behind? Nothing. Let's keep the Botanics clean and tidy, people. Sum it up in five words. The past never stays buried. What other travel spot is on your wish list? Iceland. It has always seemed like my kind of place – the brooding skies, bleak beauty and woolly jumpers of home, with the bonus of more volcanoes and fewer midges. The Bonnie Dead by Andrew Raymond (Vinci, £9.99) is published in paperback on June 5
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
L.A. Weekend Guide: Pepperland at the Wallis, World Dog Day, celebrating Pride in LB and at the Beverly Center
Every Thursday, Los Angeles magazine curates a list of the best events in and around Los Angeles. Craft a great last-minute schedule with our Weekend Guide to L.A., and don't forget to sign up to have the guide delivered to your inbox every week by clicking at The Wallis — May 16-18Choreographer Mark Morris presents his tribute to the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with this colorful production filled with dynamic dance and live chamber musical accompaniment. and exhibits at Southern Guild — opening May 16 Queer identity is celebrated in these two powerful exhibits. Muholi's photographic project documents Black lesbian, bisexual and queer women as well as trans and gender non-conforming people in South Africa and beyond. Heaven questions social failure in advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community and hope for the future. Outlaw Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl — May 16Willie Nelson and his musical family are joined by Bob Dylan, Billy Strings and Sierra Hall for this sure to be epic country, folk and blues extravaganza at the Bowl. Day of Black Docs— May 16-17Back for its 18th year in L.A., Day of Black Docs celebrates Black documentaries and the visionaries on screen and behind the lens. Four screenings reflect Black influence in music and entertainment. The event is also a fundraiser for Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers (BADWest), the arts organization who puts on the event. Paris Barclay will do a Q&A after the screening of his film, Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It. OUTLOUD presents Pride @the Bev — May 17Pride month is this June, but an array of events are happening before, like this audacious afternoon kiki at the beloved shopping center. Giveaways, activations and drag performances from Onya Nurve, Arrietty, Kori King, Suzie Toot take place 1–4 p.m. in the Grand Court. Tickets are $10 all proceeds benefiting It Gets Better, the L.A. nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Vendors, live music, raffles, and activities for dog lovers are just some of the pawsome features of this 8th annual event from the City of West Hollywood and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Lisa Vanderpump. Considered a Generation X-geared alternative to Coachella, the flashback flaired music fest features an array of dark dance, goth and new wave artists including New Order, Nick Cave, The Go-Go's, Devo, Garbage, Madness, She Wants Revenge and more. Read our Cruel World feature story . The first major Pride event of the season, this year's theme l'The Power of Community' drives the amusements and activities at the 42nd annual event. Read more about the event HERE.
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The concept album is dead – and it was never great to begin with
In German, there is a word, verschlimmbessern. It is used to describe an intended improvement that turns out to have the opposite effect. Airbags were invented to save lives, but they explode with such force that they sometimes kill. Cane toads were introduced into Queensland to cut down on harmful pesticides, and whoops, an irreversible ecological plague. There is no greater example of musical verschlimmbessern than that of the concept album – vaguely defined as a record designed around a central narrative, a unifying theme or a particular artistic device. The definition may be hazy, but the very whiff of it sends music critics into fits of schwärmerei (German for 'unbridled and excessive enthusiasm'). The intention is to elevate an LP into a literary work of art, and the artist into a mythical genius. Yet more often than not, the 'concept' serves only to confuse and complicate, resulting in a record that succeeds neither as a collection of songs nor a cohesive piece of storytelling – a half-built ship with a fancy paint job, lost in a desolate sea of compromised ideas. The concept album emerged in the 1960s, with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles and its like, and it endures to this day. The Waterboys just released Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, inspired by the Hollywood icon, and Car Seat Headrest will release The Scholars in early May, told from the perspective of various students at a fictional college. It's an exciting idea. Taking a listener on a sonic journey, immersing them in an experience that is both cinematic and enthralling. Occasionally, it works: Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city, for example, transports us to one particularly wild day in the Compton of Kendrick's childhood, explores characters with depth and provides narrative payoff to those who listen from start to finish. The result is the greatest album of the 21st century. But make no mistake: this is the exception, not the rule. Almost always, a concept album (no matter how good the concept might be on paper) quickly devolves into a conceited exercise in ego and forced-together puzzle pieces. Whether the artist is trying to tell an overarching story, write songs from different perspectives, or experiment with the form itself, it's nearly impossible to pull off. Some concept albums try to reinvent the wheel, and find themselves buried beneath their ambition, with the gimmick swamping the songs themselves. Commercial Album by the Residents consists of 40 songs, all one minute long. It's a fun idea, but it runs out of juice quickly, becoming tedious and distracting. The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands sees the Turtles pretend to be 12 bands across 12 songs of wildly different genres, including country, psychedelia, surf rock, pop and R&B – a baffling listening experience. Far worse is the narrative-driven concept album. If, when you look up a recipe online, your favourite part is the long, needlessly complicated story serving no purpose and obscuring the actual food, then concept albums are for you!
The Age
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
The concept album is dead – and it was never great to begin with
In German, there is a word, verschlimmbessern. It is used to describe an intended improvement that turns out to have the opposite effect. Airbags were invented to save lives, but they explode with such force that they sometimes kill. Cane toads were introduced into Queensland to cut down on harmful pesticides, and whoops, an irreversible ecological plague. There is no greater example of musical verschlimmbessern than that of the concept album – vaguely defined as a record designed around a central narrative, a unifying theme or a particular artistic device. The definition may be hazy, but the very whiff of it sends music critics into fits of schwärmerei (German for 'unbridled and excessive enthusiasm'). The intention is to elevate an LP into a literary work of art, and the artist into a mythical genius. Yet more often than not, the 'concept' serves only to confuse and complicate, resulting in a record that succeeds neither as a collection of songs nor a cohesive piece of storytelling – a half-built ship with a fancy paint job, lost in a desolate sea of compromised ideas. The concept album emerged in the 1960s, with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles and its like, and it endures to this day. The Waterboys just released Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, inspired by the Hollywood icon, and Car Seat Headrest will release The Scholars in early May, told from the perspective of various students at a fictional college. It's an exciting idea. Taking a listener on a sonic journey, immersing them in an experience that is both cinematic and enthralling. Occasionally, it works: Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city, for example, transports us to one particularly wild day in the Compton of Kendrick's childhood, explores characters with depth and provides narrative payoff to those who listen from start to finish. The result is the greatest album of the 21st century. But make no mistake: this is the exception, not the rule. Almost always, a concept album (no matter how good the concept might be on paper) quickly devolves into a conceited exercise in ego and forced-together puzzle pieces. Whether the artist is trying to tell an overarching story, write songs from different perspectives, or experiment with the form itself, it's nearly impossible to pull off. Some concept albums try to reinvent the wheel, and find themselves buried beneath their ambition, with the gimmick swamping the songs themselves. Commercial Album by the Residents consists of 40 songs, all one minute long. It's a fun idea, but it runs out of juice quickly, becoming tedious and distracting. The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands sees the Turtles pretend to be 12 bands across 12 songs of wildly different genres, including country, psychedelia, surf rock, pop and R&B – a baffling listening experience. Far worse is the narrative-driven concept album. If, when you look up a recipe online, your favourite part is the long, needlessly complicated story serving no purpose and obscuring the actual food, then concept albums are for you!
