DOUGLAS FIELD relishes the hard-boiled language, satire and humour of the third and last of the Harlem trilogy
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Ben Lunn: Marxist Notes on Music
The edifying spirit of the Workers’ Music Association (WMA) Summer School remains intact as it returns after the pandemic
Alongside the wonderful music, there was a great comradery
[Ben Lunn]
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
THE Workers’ Music Association (WMA) was formed in 1936 via a conglomeration of workers’ choirs, including the London Labour Choral Union, and other working-class groups and thanks to the leadership of individuals like Alan Bush and Rutland Boughton (among others).
Included in the early aims of bringing the greatest amount of music to the widest spread of the working-class, the Summer School has been a key element of the work and a continuing source of joy and enthusiasm among attendees and those close to the WMA.
Since it started in 1946, the Summer School has been continuous event, with the exception of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, which made this year a cathartic and joyous experience.
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