Coming out of the cinema last night, I had a closer look at the poster on that stage in the Brunswick Centre:
Now, for tonight I had booked a livestream from the Crick Crack Club, from the Story Museum Oxford. This is King Lear Retold. However, it'll be available for a week after - so I took the opportunity, also, to book another concert with the World Music Meetup! This was La Chinganera, in the Finnish Church - and the concerts organised by Eleanor Salter Thorn of TunedIn London are always good! But gee, this event in the Brunswick Centre had the Puppini Sisters.. and looked fun, being a real party! Was supposed to be decent weather, too. Maybe I could schlep along to this for a while first..? Ah, life is complicated..
So I decided to duck out of work early, and eat at GBK again. The soundproofing must be really effective in the Brunswick Centre, because I arrived at about the time it was due to start - and could hear nothing until I was right on top of it! En route to GBK, I passed a lot of interesting people. I've often wondered at the stamina of stiltwalkers - and this guy was guarding the crown jewels - also kept complaining about having to duck under the bunting:
There was a town crier, who was absolutely hilarious as he wandered through the centre, crying the ads in the shop windows! ("Oye, oye, 3 for 2 in Pelican..", or words to that effect):
There was, um, this guy:
People making balloon animals (or something):
Anyway, I took myself off to eat - I was hungry anyway - and man, was it gorgeous. I never tire of GBK! Anyway, when I came out, as there'd been as yet no sign of the Puppini Sisters, I decided I'd head off to my concert in an hour or so. And in the meantime, I saw much else that was interesting! The shops, for instance, got in on the coronation vibes:
I finally managed a decent snap of Henry VIII and his companions - couldn't figure out which of the many women in his life these were, though!
There were some pearly folk:
..specifically, the Pearly King and Pearly Prince of Finsbury, and the Pearly Queen of Fulham! I also finally tracked down the jester:
and this guy proved most versatile:
Now, I'm guessing this is the princess from Frozen - but I am prepared to be corrected! Anyway, that'll be her Prince Charming, or whatever:
Well, after doing several circuits of the centre - and buying chocolate, and eating some of it.. there was still no sign of the Puppini Sisters. Good soundtrack over the PA, though! I was just turning to leave when the call came through for people to gather at the stage, the Sisters' arrival was "imminent". Too late, guys - I was off! On a severely packed Tube, sadly - I was so glad to disgorge myself.
Ah yes, I had been here before - I remembered the door you can't open! I even remembered the guy who let me in - he'd let me in last time, as well - hadn't changed much.. Inside, I met Eleanor, and another member of the group, which was nice! With Eleanor tending to be busy at these events, it's nice to have someone to chat to.
So - the artist was performing partly solo, partly with her partner, and sometimes with another guy who, it seems, sponsored the event! Also on stage for part of the show was Silvia Balducci, whom I'd seen at another TunedIn London event.. she's big into Chilean protest songs. This was La Chinganera's UK premiere - and poor Eleanor, as well as having to MC and organise, ended up acting as translator for much of the show, as La Chinganera wanted to say something before every song!
I was in seventh heaven - I love guitar music, I love Spanish and Latin American music, I love protest songs. Particularly powerful was her acapella singing, beating time on her guitar, or on her chest, which was very moving. So, this was a perfect wind-down to a hectic week..
Will definitely try to get back to these events - very glad I made this one! Had a lovely pastry in the cafe afterwards, with my companion - and Eleanor roped in two other group members for a photo! Lordy.. I seem to end up in a lot of those, these days. So, a lovely evening - and then I damn near lost my Oyster card on the way home - it fell out of my pocket as I walked to the bus stop, which was the first time I missed it. I retraced my steps, missed it the first time, and found it on my second pass - how lucky was that! Honestly, it'd be a nuisance to replace.. And so, I got a comfy couple of buses home.
Tomorrow, back to Ireland for the coronation weekend. For Saturday (post-coronation), the film is looking like Missing - now, this does look interesting. Taking place almost entirely online, it concerns a teenage girl's efforts to find her mother, who's gone missing on holiday abroad. I do love techy films.. and this has one of the same writers as Searching, an excellent film on the same lines, about a father looking for his missing teenage daughter. In fact, apparently, this film starts with footage based on that film..
For Sunday (given that, with a coronation bank holiday, I have an extra day again), the film is like to be The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, one of those eccentric British comedies, in which Harold (Jim Broadbent) is distressed to hear that his good friend is dying. He's going to post her a letter - but instead, decides to hand deliver it. His wife (Penelope Wilton) is less than impressed, considering she's at the other end of the country.. based on a book. Anyway, both showing in Ennis.
On Tuesday, back in London, I'm - heh - thinking of film again. Now, that film listings site is, as established, a nightmare - but I have a choice of two; there's Pamfir, which is Ukrainian, and The Blue Caftan, which is Moroccan. Both showing in my local cinema (how else would I even know they existed..?). Anyway, we'll see - both rated the same at the moment, but straightaway, Pamfir looks more interesting to me, set in dense forests swirling with mist, and lying somewhere on the border between fact and fantasy.. With additional films announced, I see Little Richard: I Am Everything is rated the same - it's a documentary. But I have little interest in him, and frankly, I don't feel like going all the way to the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to see it!
On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for Retrograde, in the Kiln. Based on Sidney Poitier, and what he had to do to become a star, it seems.. Now, this is from the same writer as For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy. Which I hated. So I'm taking a risk.
And next Thursday, I'm back with The Hideout: Horror Sci-Fi Club London, for wine tasting followed by comedy (hmm..) in La Pizzica restaurant. Could be interesting..
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