RITA DI SANTO draws attention to a new film that features Ken Loach and Jeremy Corbyn, and their personal experience of media misrepresentation
Low-down on homeland insecurity
SUSAN DARLINGTON sees the US band address the state of a troubled nation
JULIA TOPPIN recommends Patti Smith’s eloquent memoir that wrestles with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime
MARJORIE MAYO welcomes an account of family life after Oscar Wilde, a cathartic exercise, written by his grandson
KEN COCKBURN guides us through a survey of Chekov’s early short fiction, and the groundwork it laid for his later masterpieces
ANDY HEDGECOCK revels in a hugely enjoyable but deadly serious examination of the 1930s, that is an indictment of our own era
The bard distills our hellish times into fiery words
Low
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
LOW may be about to celebrate 25 years as a band but as they gear up for the release of new album Double Negative in September there’s no sign of them mellowing.
The Duluth trio have treaded water for their last couple of albums, giving the impression that the best of their slow-core days are behind them. Yet, galvanised by the political turmoil in their US homeland, they’ve returned with a sound that’s dark and troubled.
The mood is set from the very start, with guitarist Alan Sparhawk intoning: “I’m tired of seeing things” on Quorum. Heavy bass notes, which make the venue’s fittings shudder, build around him and fracture into extended passages of distortion.
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