Film - No - directed by Pablo Larrain

Star rating - 8/10

Director Pablo Larrain's last film, Post Mortem, was a strange offering with the backdrop of the brutal 1973 military coup in Chile that overthrew the socialist Government of Salvador Allende. And he again chooses the political history of Chile as the follow up piece with No, which is the story of the end of the Pinochet dictatorship after fifteen years in power.

This film is altogether more successful at making its impact felt. The downfall of the regime is masterminded by an unlikely character, advertising executive René Saavedra, played by Gael García Bernal. In order to win over the international community, Pinochet calls a referendum to allow him to stay in power for a further eight years. Everyone assumes the result will be a foregone conclusion, including the campaigners who initially approach Saavedra to run their advertising campaign. He has other ideas, but instead of highlighting the brutality of the Pinochet dictatorship, he wants to run a positive campaign about a brighter future for Chile, which feels a bit like an advert for Coca Cola. 

His boss at the agency, played by Alfredo Castro, who also appeared in Larrain's last film,  is spearheading the official Yes campaign, making for some good moments of dramatic tension between the two. And of course the military and police are used to try to frighten and disrupt the growing opposition.  García Bernal is totally convincing, as ever, as the young advertising man with a winning strategy, who has to overcome opposition from within his own camp to put his plan into action. 

And the action is interspersed with news footage of actual events of the time. These are cleverly interwoven with the dramatic action, which is shot in the same eighties colour palette, giving an air of real authenticity to the piece. This engrossing film raises important questions about the political power of images, and the importance of a campaign strategy that delivers a message that people want to believe in. 

Gigs - John Prine - RNCM

Star rating - 10/10

It's not often you feel in the presence of greatness, but that was exactly the feeling that the packed crowd at the Royal Northern College of Music had after hearing the beautiful country singer John Prine give a towering, yet seemingly effortless performance.

At the age of 68, having successfully fought off cancer, and with no album to promote, Prine is clearly playing for the love of performing. He started off with a great track from his 1971 eponymously titled first album Spanish Pipedream, and he just didn't stop for a two solid hours of gem after gem from his expansive repertoire. And he seemed to be enjoying it every bit as much as his adoring audience clearly were.

He is a consummate story teller - some of his songs are sad, poignant and serious but he also has the ability to inject warmth and humour into most everything he writes. John Prine's talent seems to come very naturally to him, just writing about what he knows but with the perception of a hawk to focus on the things that everyone can relate to. He was accompanied by just two very talented musicians on a double bass and guitar, giving an intimate stripped down feel to the evening. 

As well as being a brilliant song writer, he seems like a genuinely lovely man. He played Illegal Pipedream at the request of a fan, having not performed it for three years - not that you would have noticed by his great rendition. Sam Stone is the heartbreaking tale of the fate of a returning war veteran which is sadly just as relevant today as when it was released in 1971- 'there's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes. Jesus Christ died for nothing I suppose'

And the great songs from across the decades just kept on coming - The Sins of Memphisto; Christmas in Prison; Speed of the Sound of Loneliness - made famous by Nanci Griffiths but Prine really owns it; Grandpa Was a Carpenter; the beautiful Souvenirs, and Glory of True Love.

In truth there were too many highlights to recount them all - it was just one of those very special evenings that will last long in the memory, and at which it was a privilege to have been present.

Gigs - Calexico - The Ritz, Manchester

Star rating - 7/10

Seeing Calexico play live for the first time at the Ritz this week, the disparate styles that make up their music were much in evidence. The Arizona based band seem to have soaked up lots of different musical influences and not decided which ones they like best, so kept them all.

They do play some beautiful catching soul soaring songs like Inspiracion, with its lovely Spanish vibe and great trumpet part. And Sinner In the Sea from their latest album Algiers is also a really inspirational tune. But they swing quickly, and a bit schizophrenically,  from these more upbeat numbers to slower, dirge like songs, and then into the realms of rock band guitar playing. Whilst Joey Burns and John Convertino may be the driving force of the group, when ace trumpet player and vocalist Jacob Valenzuela featured, they truly shone.  

Splitter was also lovely but the evening was a bit uneven in tone, in part possibly a reflection of an uneven album. They did a brilliant cover of Love's Alone Again Or, and got the crowd tapping their toes and clapping along enthusiastically to Guero Canelo, only to follow it up with a really odd, downbeat ending to the evening. 

 

Gigs - I Am Kloot - The Ritz, Manchester

Star rating - 9/10

"Hello Manchester.  Any questions?" was John Bramwell's opening line for the first of two celebratory homecoming gigs for I Am Kloot at The Ritz last night.  And that typifies their style - friendly, approachable, with a wickedly dry sense of humour. They have gathered around them a fiercely loyal band of followers during the past decade of touring, and producing six acclaimed studio albums. So much so that the older stalwarts amongst the crowd feel that they somehow own a piece of them. I read a very amusing Facebook post after this gig by a devotee who was absolutely disgusted that they 'yet again' failed to perform a beloved song, Even the Stars,  which they have not yet committed to an album. And this sense of being personally connected, and even let down by, the band is a sign of how intimate the relationship has become.

But I can assure you I, and the vast majority of the packed Ritz, felt only adulation and warmth at another captivating, entertaining, and awesome live performance by this talented and perennially understated band. This tour is to showcase their new album Let It All In, which is a follow up to their Mercury nominated Sky At Night, both with Elbow's Craig Potter and Guy Garvey's talented fingers all over their production. And once again there are some lovely songs in this collection, many of which got a live outing here. Shoeless is an enchanting song about Bramwell's young daughter walking carefree along a beach, with waves caressing her feet.  And These Days Are Mine also has a happier feel with optimism about the future and 'just one smile taking up all my time'. If we didn't know him better we would suspect that JB is just a little bit happy with his lot - an astonishing thought! The brilliant Let Them All In is a particular gem amongst the great new songs, and was one of the highlights of this set.

But have no fear, many superb old favourites were also there to delight the fans. From Your Favourite Sky, and The Same Deep Water As Me, complete with poignant trumpet solo, amongst my personal favourites. The now standard JB solo section whilst his band mates got their nicotine fix, was also beautiful. Astray has one of my favourite Bramwell lyrics (which is saying much as he is a lyrical literary genius) - 'the bold raging flame of your heart is making me stay'. Quite beautiful.

And there were still songs about drinking and disaster, although dare I say, not quite as many as there used to be. And the two now anthemic, much loved, numbers which have become sing-a-long love- ins which are Twist and Proof were of course there. Now if they had been excluded you very well might have had a riot on your hands.

IAK seemed to enjoy this hometown night as much as the crowd did, and appreciatively clapped the audience at the end as much as they themselves were applauded - for a great night, and for a decade of brilliantly perceptive songs, performed in an accomplished and honest way so that they seep into your core. Like the Manchester rain... Each new album is hailed as the one which will lead to a breakthrough into the promised land of commercial success for IAK. It never quite happens, and to be honest I am not sure I would really want it to. The thought of these beautiful ballads about drinking and disaster, with occasional new strains of happiness also creeping in, being played in arenas fills me with horror.