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Quick Review - SULK

Playing with elements of Shoegaze, Madchester, Britpop and psychedelia, London quintet SULK take you on a trip back in time by channelling the baggy feel of the Stone Roses while adopting the hazy whirrs of shoegazing bands like Ride while also reviving classic British song writing like that of The Verve, another band that have shown obvious influence on Sulk. Instead of letting the bands influences dictate their song writing completely, Sulk have avoided making weak imitations of their predecessors, concocting a smorgasbord of nearly all things 90s. Anthemic ‘Wishes’ serves as an example with its explosive chorus and celestial droning.

It’s clear this young band is aiming for a colossal stadium sound, and demonstrated by their releases so far, they’ve already reached their goal. 

SULK - Wishes.

SULK - Back In Bloom.

http://www.sulktheband.com/w/

Review: Touching From a Distance

Deborah Curtis’s ‘Touching From a Distance’ firmly flings open the doors to the Ian Curtis and Joy Division story, revealing the harsh reality that had once laid silently beneath the heavy weight of contrived myths of a dead hero and idol.  Curtis is able to give an in in-depth account of the life she led with Ian Curtis; a man worshipped by fans, profoundly honoured by friends, an enigmatic stage presence, but to her simply a husband and father to her child.

Although Curtis is careful not to romanticize the short life of her husband, it would be hard for the reader to not become at least mildly infatuated. Whether this is down to one’s personal perception it is unclear, for Ian Curtis’s fascination with death is fascinating in itself.

‘Touching From a Distance’ documents Ian Curtis’s difficult marital life yet still includes information from other sources such as Stephen Morris, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Tony Wilson who all tell of their own relationship with the late Ian Curtis. At some points the biography can seem slightly bitter and biased yet still recounts events while bravely expressing the highs and lows of the life she lived before Curtis unfortunately took his own life on 18^th May 1980.

This is a well written, truthful insight into the life of an idol. Looking further beyond status, this is a biography written by, in the words of Ian Rankin “the only person qualified for the job”. Instead of leaving the reader in awe and inspired by the emotionally complex life of a dead rock star, Deborah Curtis makes it clear that it's not an ideal for living.