Hymns to London Revisited
St Etienne's gig at the Barbican was the place to be on Thursday night.
Hymns to London Revisited is a specially-commissioned documentary about the Lea valley, East London's marshy industrial wasteland and future home of the Olympics. Directed by Paul Kelly and written by Kevin Pearce, the documentary is set on July 7th, 2005, one day after the announcement of London's successful Olympic bid, and the day of the terrorist attacks on the capital, which lends the film an unintended sense of poignancy. It follows a teenager's newspaper round, capturing the images with which the east of London has become so associated: derelict factories, deserted buildings, grafitti and abandoned urban landscapes overgrown with weeds. The images are intercut with narrative and interviews of residents reminiscing about more prosperous, past times.
The Lea valley was the home of modern industrial London; it was a major waterway into the capital for centuries; the first paper mill was built there in the 15th Century, powered by the currents of the Lea river; plastic and petrol were both invented there; it was the birth of the modern Labour movement; and for years it was even the home of Matchbox cars. Eventually, it became a victim of its own success, and rising labour costs and cheaper imports drove industries out of the valley, leaving behind the crumbling bricks and mortar that remain to this day, and the ghosts of a rich history that risks being forgotten.
The inevitable changes that will come in anticipation of 2012 are received with mixed feelings by the residents; the excitement of the Games and the renewed focus on the region is couterbalanced by soaring property prices and an apprehension of the new and a sense of unwelcome invasion. "They wanna build a hockey stadium here. Work that one out. Who the f*** plays hockey around here?", ponders a resident over images of abandoned sports fields and the now defunct Eton Manor Cricket Club, reminders of recent chronic under-investment in the area.
An excellent soundtrack, written and performed live by St Etienne, accompanied the film, with some vibrant rhythm parts, interesting keyboard effects and fluttering flute melodies, all topped with the wispy vocals of Sarah Cracknell. The film serves as a touching memorial to East London, capturing the soul a place at a brief moment in time, before the inevitabe forces of urban regeneration rip it out and sell it with your morning cappuccino.
The second half was a set dedicated to tracks from the band's latest album, Tales from Turnpike House, ranging from the bossa nova Sun in My Morning, through the urbanely cute Milkbottle Symphony and retro chic Sidestreets, to the positively rocky Last Orders for Gary Stead, and the new single A Good Thing, which is released tomorrow.
iTunes here I come.......
Hymns to London Revisited is a specially-commissioned documentary about the Lea valley, East London's marshy industrial wasteland and future home of the Olympics. Directed by Paul Kelly and written by Kevin Pearce, the documentary is set on July 7th, 2005, one day after the announcement of London's successful Olympic bid, and the day of the terrorist attacks on the capital, which lends the film an unintended sense of poignancy. It follows a teenager's newspaper round, capturing the images with which the east of London has become so associated: derelict factories, deserted buildings, grafitti and abandoned urban landscapes overgrown with weeds. The images are intercut with narrative and interviews of residents reminiscing about more prosperous, past times.
The Lea valley was the home of modern industrial London; it was a major waterway into the capital for centuries; the first paper mill was built there in the 15th Century, powered by the currents of the Lea river; plastic and petrol were both invented there; it was the birth of the modern Labour movement; and for years it was even the home of Matchbox cars. Eventually, it became a victim of its own success, and rising labour costs and cheaper imports drove industries out of the valley, leaving behind the crumbling bricks and mortar that remain to this day, and the ghosts of a rich history that risks being forgotten.
The inevitable changes that will come in anticipation of 2012 are received with mixed feelings by the residents; the excitement of the Games and the renewed focus on the region is couterbalanced by soaring property prices and an apprehension of the new and a sense of unwelcome invasion. "They wanna build a hockey stadium here. Work that one out. Who the f*** plays hockey around here?", ponders a resident over images of abandoned sports fields and the now defunct Eton Manor Cricket Club, reminders of recent chronic under-investment in the area.
An excellent soundtrack, written and performed live by St Etienne, accompanied the film, with some vibrant rhythm parts, interesting keyboard effects and fluttering flute melodies, all topped with the wispy vocals of Sarah Cracknell. The film serves as a touching memorial to East London, capturing the soul a place at a brief moment in time, before the inevitabe forces of urban regeneration rip it out and sell it with your morning cappuccino.
The second half was a set dedicated to tracks from the band's latest album, Tales from Turnpike House, ranging from the bossa nova Sun in My Morning, through the urbanely cute Milkbottle Symphony and retro chic Sidestreets, to the positively rocky Last Orders for Gary Stead, and the new single A Good Thing, which is released tomorrow.
iTunes here I come.......
posted by CCT at 10:40 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home