JAN WOOLF is beguiled by the tempting notion that Freud psychoanalysed Hitler in a comedy that explores the vulnerability of a damaged individual
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Attila the Stockbroker Diary: March 21, 2024
A eulogy from the itinerant troubadour to the city of Belfast, local music venues, the wit of the North Stand Kollective, and the indefatigable Joe Solo
TONY BURKE reviews new releases from Cheikh Lo, Mishra & Deepa Shakthi, N’Faly Kouyate
Gin Lane by William Hogarth is a critique of 18th-century London’s growing funeral trade, posits DAN O’BRIEN
ANDY HEDGECOCK sees his scepticism lessened by a story is more complex and far-reaching than is initially apparent
MARK TURNER holds on tight for a mesmerising display of Neath-born ragtime virtuosity
ALAN MORRISON introduces a UK poet whose despised daytime occupation provides the subject for his writing
GREETINGS from Belfast, where I wrote today’s column. It’s so wonderful to be back!
I have a long history here, having gigged in this vibrant, welcoming city for 40 years. I started in the ’80s, during the worst of the Troubles, at Queen’s University and the legendary Errigle Inn, then the pioneering cross-denominational school Lagan College, then the late lamented Warzone Centre — where I recorded a live album, imaginatively entitled Live in Belfast, in 2004 — followed by the Rotterdam Bar and most recently at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and, last Wednesday, at the Black Box as part of Imagine Belfast Festival.
It has been so good to see the city blossom in recent times as the desperate days of the past recede into the background. Also wonderful to come in on the ferry from Cairnryan in Scotland for the first time, following a long drive to Dumfries and a gig there last Tuesday.
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