MANJEET RIDON relishes a novel that explores the guilty repressions – and sexual awakenings – of a post-war Dutch bourgeois family
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2021 arts round-up with LYNNE WALSH
From a legendary folk singer to a visceral new play and a stunning sculptor
On the centenary of the birth of the anti-colonial thinker and activist Frantz Fanon, JENNY FARRELL assesses his enduring influence
New releases from Steve Tilston, FolkLaw, and Patch and the Giant
New releases from Madalitso Band, Gabriel da Rosa, and Femi Kuti
JOHN GREEN applauds an excellent and accessible demonstration that the capitalist economy is the biggest threat to our existence
BOB NEWLAND, a former London Recruit, recommends the extraordinary memoir of struggle veteran Kingsley Mamobolo
JOHN GREEN, ANDY HEDGECOCK and MARIA DUARTE review Holloway, The Last Journey, Red Path and Elio
AT THIS time last year, there seemed a lot less on our arts horizon, but who knew it would be a time that delivered some memorable moments?
From a legendary folk singer, to a sculptor with a stunning legacy —Isamu Noguchi at the Barbican until 23 Jan 2022 — an artist to fall in love with, and a visceral new play, featuring an actress who burned up the stage, The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying at the Omnibus Theatre.
A highlight (for me, as well as the Morning Star) was interviewing Peggy Seeger. Spending an hour or more with this passionate, principled, funny woman lit up my Zoom-world.
Her new album, First Farewell, came out in April, her 24th solo album in an unbroken 68-year career.
A standout track is the wry and defiant Invisible Woman, with the lines: “I strolled down the high street on Sunday, in clown shoes and lace underwear. Did they notice my dance? Not one single glance. So I guess that I can’t have been there.”
She issues a warning that this “ghost army is coming for you,” the older contingent of a monstrous regiment that must be heard: “We may not have a choice but we still have a voice, The invisible gals love a fight!
The album’s recording had been interrupted by lockdown and a 26-date tour postponed. Undeterred, she found her audience in cyberspace. Peggy at 5 on Sunday became a fixture for many, as Seeger gave weekly online concerts throughout lockdown. (They’re now on YouTube). Next year, she’ll be in front of live audiences again, with tour dates in the 2022 diary.
She says: “I can’t wait. I’m going to explode with joy.”
Tour dates: peggyseeger.com
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