MICHAL BONCZA and MARIA DUARTE review Facing War, Kontinental ’25, Bugonia, and Relay
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Piratical folk
PETER MASON relishes a band whose live gigs make for a night to remember
AM I DRINKING ENOUGH? Mad Dog Macrae play the Isles of Scilly
[Peter Mason]
MAYER WAKEFIELD is frustrated by a production of Ibsen’s classic study of an anti-heroine that fails to elucidate her motivations
PETER MASON tunes his ear into the domestic affairs of a Carribbean couple with a troublesome son
Evidence points to a Scottish provenance for the extraordinary Irish illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells, suggests RACHEL MOSS
CHRIS SEARLE relishes an account of the years when a black American music carried a message of anti-racism and class struggle
This stunning film about a Bulgarian textile worker highlights the exploitative nature of Euro-capitalism, says RITA DI SANTO
PETER MASON thrills to Irish folk band The Haar
Mad Dog Mcrea
Creative Scilly Festival, Isles of Scilly
IF you’re looking for a quiet night out, then best avoid Mad Dog Mcrea. Considered reflection is hardly their bag — at least not in a live setting.
Plymouth-based and West Country-proud, breakneck piratical folk is their stock in trade, and even the “slow ones” finish at a frenetic pace.
It’s drink-along, singalong music, with a ragbag of influences spanning everything from country rock to music hall and back.
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