Earthless – From The Ages – Tee Pee Records - November 2013 November 24th, 2013

Earthless, a Californian instrumental trio of ‘90s post-punk veterans, realise the uninhibited bedroom guitar solo space rock jams of adolescent lore at a level of mathematical super-competence beyond that of mere stoned boys. Untroubled by the fundamental decency of European fellow travelers Liquid Visions or Samsara Blues Experiment, Earthless’ low slung insolence is positively priapic.…

Stewart Lee: Much A-Stew About Nothing – Leicester Square Theatre ★★★★ - November 2013 The Telegraph - By Dominic Cavendish - November 20th, 2013

When I had the temerity to explain – in a Telegraph blog post – why I gave up on Stewart Lee’s latest live show at the first interval, I was met with a ferocious torrent of online indignation. On Twitter, for instance, Stuart Baxter got in touch to go “haha what a bell end!”, John…

Bardo Pond – Peace On Venus - November 2013 November 17th, 2013

Hardy perennials of the boutique arty indie festival circuit, Bardo Pond have spent two decades dowsing Terrastock and All Tomorrow’s Parties punters with reliably transportative swathes of feedback drenched psychedelia. But, quietly and incrementally, they grow ever more majestic. Isobel Sollenberger’s whale mother vocals and delicate flute parts float through a stew now equal parts…

Stewart Lee: Much A-Stew About Nothing – Leicester Square Theatre ★★★★ - November 2013 The Guardian - By Stephanie Merritt - November 10th, 2013

Don’t expect an artfully constructed hour with a narrative arc and a coherent finale like the last show, Stewart Lee warns his audience at the opening of his Leicester Square theatre run. Like most of Lee’s commentary on his own act, this is somewhat disingenuous – Much A-Stew About Nothing is structured with as much…

Opinion: Has Stewart Lee Gone Too Meta This Time? - November 2013 Beyond The Joke - By Bruce Dessau - November 10th, 2013

I was interested to read that Dominic Cavendish of the Daily Telegraph failed to make it past the interval at Stewart Lee’s show on Friday. I also had misgivings about the show on Thursday night, although I had no difficulty staying to the end. I reviewed the show for The Evening Standard here and gave…

Why I walked out of a Stewart Lee gig… - November 2013 The Telegraph - By Dominic Cavendish - November 9th, 2013

It feels quite empowering to leave a Stewart Lee gig at the first available opportunity. Lee’s latest live outing, running at Leicester Square Theatre and essentially trialling material ahead of recordings for the new series of his BBC show (Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle) is called Much A-Stew About Nothing. On Friday night, he was getting…