The Front
1 heEditorial
The righ stripes
hat’s the big dcal about doing hig gigs these days‘.’ This month Justin 'l‘rouscrsnakc complctcd thrcc sold out nights at the Sli(‘(‘ and chucked iii a night at thc Barras for laughs. liyciy wcck somc pop muppct or othcr is grabbing his or her 15 minutes in front of an aircraft hangar-full. What is significant about the Whitc Stripes doing thcir two nights at the Sli(‘(‘ (24 & 25 Jan) is that thcy got thcrc ahsolutcly on their own merit.
This is a duo with two douhlc platinum-sclling albums undcr thcir hclts. This might be significant cnough to some but they also enjoy a pair of trcmcndous carly albums and a suitcasc ftill of ohscurc scycn inch singlcs on shitty littlc indic lahcls most scnsihlc folks will never hcar of. Thcy hayc paid their ducs. and rcfincd (or unrclincd. somc would say) their musical idcas.
The White Stripes wcrc first dctcctcd on the cultural radar with 2()()l's ll’liin' Blood (‘vlls and their growth has hccn rapid cycr sincc. Thcir last long playcr lily/)liuril rcmains untouchcd as I/It’ fmcst cxamplc of rock’n‘roll madc ()\'Cl' the last 12 months. You think it’s just scti/ly garagc rock'.’ Well. take in ‘You‘yc (iot Hcr in Your Pocket from Iz'lr'p/iuiii and witness pcrfcct acoustic pop that would makc an angry horsc cry. And nicmhcrs of \Vcstlifc too.
Jack and Mcg comc to tis in (ilasgow fully—foriiicd. thcir idcas tricd and tcstcd. They have had the timc to mature and develop: cycn to makc mistakcs — dig otit some of those onc-off singles for proof. This isn‘t sonic hunch of l7- ycar-olds thrust into a studio hcforc the ink on their (}(‘Slis is even dry. who gct tosscd asidc whcn thc salcs figures for their third siiiglc just 'don‘t add up‘.
Is it a wonder that thc Stonc Roscs lost their ncryc undci‘ thc pressure of
delivering l/Iui undcrwhclming sccond alhum‘.’ New ()rdci' didn‘t make a brilliant alhum until thcir fourth. such was tlic luxury of time afforded to them.
We nccd pcoplc likc thc Whitc Stripes filling our arcnas. It‘s important that thcrc arc hands otit thcrc doing it for the love of music and the White Stripcs. dcspitc what thc ncwspapci' rcpoits might suggest. arc oncrs. not fighters.
'l‘hcy‘yc always claimed to he a hand of finitc cxistcncc — somcthiiig that makcs this chancc to scc thcm all thc morc momcntous. (io scc them now. If you don‘t. in five ycars‘ timc. you’ll hc lying your arsc off saying you did.
CULT OF THE FORTNIGHT
RICHARD STRANGE
lf Richard Strange's nickname was ever Clever Dick. his turn as MC in contemporary dance affair, The Banquet. confirms why. Finger his back pages and you too might he enticed.
Strange's first hand. the Doctors of Madness. caught prog napping hut arrived too early for punk. He took Weimar to Charing Cross Road vra Cabaret Futura. where Strange dewsed a soft shoe mime of DM Thomas' ‘The White Hotel'. His book. Strange — Punks and Drunks and Flicks and Kicks. tells it like it may have been. New songs include an ode to Cilla Black. Cherie Blair and Damian Hirst. called 'You Will Die'.
He's a hon vrveur, raconteur. arty, farty. a wag and a fag. He’s a shameless self-publicist. a luvvie and a clever dick. He's Richard Strange. Nov-v. shall we dance?
I The Banquet. Dundee Rep. Jan 24. Traverse Tliet’itre. Edinburgh, Jan 3]
10 THE LIST 1"? Jan 1'; let, 7'30:
1 Elephant
Film Gus Van Sant’s semi-fictional take on the Columbine massacre is a perfect companion piece to Michael Moore’s cage- rattling documentary. Elephant is daring and powerful. See feature and Film. pages 12 and 24. Selected release.
2 The White Stripes
Music As a way of apologising for their no show at T in the Park, the world-straddling blues duo come to fill the arenas with their joyful rock‘n’roll magic. See Editorial, left. SECC, Glasgow.
3 Ellsworth Kelly
Art The seminal American artist, master
of colour and unconventionally shaped canvases, shows a series of prints in his first ever show in Scotland. See feature, page 20. Ing/eby Gallery, Edinburgh.
4 NME Awards Tour
Music Responsible for first bringing Stereophonics and Coldplay to our attention, this tour celebrates the great and good in new rock music. Funeral for a Friend, the Von Bondies. the Rapture and Franz Ferdinand all star. See feature, page 16. Carling Academy, Glasgow.
5 Santa Sangre
DVD This two-disc reissue of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Dario Argento’s remarkable and surreal horror classic from 1989 about an armless mime artist and her son is as wild as it is welcome. See Buy it this Fortnight. page 89. Anchor Bay UK.
6 A Life in the Theatre Theatre A moving and riotoust funny adaptation of an early David Mamet setpiece has two actors (Jimmy Chisholm and Joe McFadden) in fine form. See Theatre, page 58. Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh.
7 Electric Shadows
Film Glasgow’s second Overseas Chinese Film Festival boasts a fantastic line-up that includes Royston Tan's visceral teenage street drama 15 and Yu Lik Wai’s post apocalyptic All Tomorrow’s Parties. See Film, page 22. Various venues, Glasgow.
8 Ben Norris
Comedy What has a scooter-driving, celeb DNA-sharing, former MTV presenter got in common with Paul Ross? Nothing, we say. Ben Norris is in a class of his own. See Comedy, page 62. Jong/eurs, Edinburgh.
9 Manga
Clubs The kings of the Scottish drum & bass scene reach their eighth birthday with two parties. Doc Scott joins the Edinburgh bash while Calibre and Marcus lntalex head up Glasgow's do. See Clubs. page 66. Honeycomb, Edinburgh; Sub Club, Glasgow.
10 Director’s Commentary TV Rob Brydon gives his melancholic chauffeur a rest to become Peter De Lane.
a veteran TV director making hay on the DVD extra gravy train. See W, page 96. Scottish.