John Shand Posts

August 10, 2018 / Album Reviews - Archive

WHAT SHE SEES (Rufus) 7.5/10 Sometimes the sounds merge into one, is if controlled by the same lips, the same breath. At other times they strobe against one another, the phasing effect unsettling and even disorienting. Sometimes the music is like a toyshop come to life when the humans have…

August 8, 2018 / Album Reviews - Archive

THE BLUEBIRD, THE MYSTIC AND THE FOOL (Planet) 8.5/10 All music is a dialogue, and here Joseph Tawadros zeroes in on discourses between moods, with the oud player’s compositional breadth starring as much as the brilliant improvising. The 21 shortish pieces make the listening experience one of constant flux, whether…

August 5, 2018 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Drama Theatre, July 27, until August 25 6.5/10 The giant sand-coloured backdrop flies up and billows in ways that suggest the very land is breathing. Certainly the warm heart of H Lawrence Sumner’s play is, despite The Long Forgotten Dream often being at its strongest when it at its most…