GORDON PARSONS appreciates fine performances and a feel for ambiguity, but misses the music of the dialogue
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Rave on, regardless
BEATE PETER argues the case for unlicensed music events in the face of legal constraints and the commercialisation of club culture
A free party in a temporarily repurposed Bristol bingo hall, 2011
[Matthew Smith]
DOUGLAS FIELD relishes the hard-boiled language, satire and humour of the third and last of the Harlem trilogy
STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
MIK SABIERS revels in a band that ploughs an idiosyncratic furrow of expletive laden, guitar-driven alt rock
ANDY HEDGECOCK, MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Synthetic Sincerity, Our Hero, Balthazar, Heartstopper Forever, and A Year In London
The bard invites readers to a gig, raps for Clacton, and lays out the Burnham-Hurzeler conundrum
RON JACOBS recommends an important book that enhances the oppositional theories put forth by Fanon and, in doing so, remakes psychology itself
POLICE chiefs recently warned that illegal raves are once again on the rise. A Sky News investigation found that more than 680 reports of unlicensed music events were recorded in 2017, up 9 per cent on the previous year. Many media outlets have connected this rise to the number of night clubs closing around the country.
Chief constable Ben-Julian Harrington told Sky News: “It is clear that unlicensed music events are a growing problem and they pose a real challenge to communities and police forces.” An opposition is created here between “us” and “them” — according to Harrington, communities have to be protected and this can be achieved by creating “watch areas” to gather intelligence about people attempting to set up illegal parties and the ravers that attend them.
Earlier this year ITV released a news report in collaboration with the Welsh police that listed a series of signs that might help locals spot an illegal rave. Electronic music culture is being presented as a deviant culture that is breaking the law and needs reining in.
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