A fine art, film, history and literature site oriented to, but not exclusively for, the gay community. Please be aware that there is mature content on this blog. Information on images and links to sources will be provided if known. Enjoy your visit and please subscribe.
Bloc Party, “Kreuzberg” from the Album “A Weekend in the City”
Video by Ricco Buitink, January 2011.
This video was partly shot in Berlin (district Kreuzberg) in winter 2009. The other parts are taken from a video of Bloc Party live at Bristol Academy. The scenes in the U-Bahn are from the short movie “U-Bahn”, directed by Hendrik Hölzemann.
Kyle Okereke, the openly gay lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, wrote the lyrics for the band’s second album, “A Weekend In The City”, partially in response to the death of London bartender David Morley who was beaten to death in a possibly homophobic “happy slapping.” The song “Kreuzberg” is about unfulfilling promiscuity.
Bloc Party, “I Still Remember” from the Album “A Weekend in the City”
Bloc Party are an English indie rock band, currently composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Louise Bartle (drums). Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music. The band was formed at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack.
With the release of “Flux”, Bloc Party’s style became even more diverse with the inclusion of electronic music. “Mercury” saw Bloc Party distance themselves even further from the traditional guitar band set-up by experimenting with dark electronic sounds and a brass section inspired by Siouxsie and the Banshees. The band’s third album Intimacy also features synths, processed drum beats and loops, vocal manipulation, and choral arrangements. Even though the album was influenced by electronic music, the band still had not lost their feel for guitar music.
Kyle Okereke, the openly gay lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, wrote the lyrics for the band’s second album, “A Weekend In The City”, partially in response to the death of London bartender David Morley who was beaten to death in a possibly homophobic “happy slapping.” The song “I Still Remember” is about an unspoken attraction between guys.
“This man is all about feeling. He defined what ‘soul’ is all about in singing long before anyone was using that word!”- Ray Charles
He first rose to prominence as “Little Jimmy Scott” in the Lionel Hampton Band when he sang lead on the late 1940s hit “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”, recorded in December 1949, and which became a top ten R&B hit in 1950. Credit on the label, however, went to “Lionel Hampton and vocalists”, so the singer’s name did not appear on any of the songs.
This omission of credit was not only a slight to Scott’s talent but a big blow to his career. A similar professional insult occurred several years later when his vocal on “Embraceable You” with Charlie Parker, on the album One Night in Birdland, was credited to female vocalist Chubby Newsome.
Lionel Hampton gave him the stage name of “Little Jimmy Scott” because he looked so young, and was short and of slight build. However, it was his extraordinary phrasing and romantic feeling that made him a favorite singer of fellow artists such as Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Frankie Valli, Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson.
“Compassion restates beauty for a time of crisis and clickbait. Judgement, design, form, and opinion: to what end will we refine our world if we can’t also make an anthem of our lives? This is the tender conspiracy: I’m on twitter; I have an anthem. Do we have an anthem? We have lust. Let’s meet IRL.
Compassion’s first single, “Better Looking Brother” was streamed over 50k times in its first month, capping off a highly successful 2015 of worldwide tours and critical social media updates. Lust For Youth are affectionately vicious, and vulnerably sharp. They are the anticipation of the comedown as you come up on the best you’ve ever been offered from a bathroom stall. This is the spectrum: a low you know, and a dizzy new height.” -Sacred Bones Records
The Moth and The Flame, “Live While I Breathe” from the Album “Young and Unafraid”, 2016
I will tear my sky
To make it through the night
I will take back my pride
And live while I breathe,
Live while I breathe
I will move the ground
I will pull the curtains down
Wear my fist on my sleeve
And live while I breathe,
Live while I breathe
Nothing But Thieves is an English five-piece alternative rock band from Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Formed in 2012, the band consists of Conor Mason (vocals), Joe Langridge-Brown (guitars), Dominic Craik (guitars, keyboards), James Price (drums), and Philip Blake (bass guitar). In 2014, they were signed to RCA Records. Their style of music has been compared to the likes of Foals, The Neighbourhood, and Civil Twilight.
The song “Graveyard Whistling” is from the “Nothing But Thieves” album released in the US in February 2016.
Kaleois an Icelandic rock band that formed at Mosfellsbaer in 2012. It consists of lead vocalist and guitarist JJ Julius Son (Jökull Júlíusson), drummer David Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjansson, and lead guitarist Rubin Pollock. They have released two studio albums, “Kaleo” in 2013 and “A/B” in 2016, as well as an EP “Glasshouse” in 2013.. “A/B“ has sold over one million albums worldwide.
Run River North, “Run or Hide” from the Album “Drinking from a Salt Pond”
Run River North, formerly known as Monsters Calling Home, is a Korean-American indie folk-rock band. The band formed in 2011. Its early works were inspired by the band members’ Asian-American parents’ background. The band performed at venues across Southern California, including Super Concert, the DRIP coffeeshop in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, and the Kollaboration 11 competition at the Nokia Theatre on December 5, 2011.
The band released their self-titled, debut album, “Run River North” on February 25th, 2014. The second studio album is “Drinking from a Salt Pond”.
The band’s musical influences are varied, with the band members citing minimal techno, Arthur Russell, the Irish-based math rock band The Redneck Manifesto, Krautrock bands such as Harmonia, Talking Heads, as well For London (previously known as The Jester People) as their main sources of inspiration.
Total Life Forever was nominated for the Mercury Prize in July 2010, losing to The xx’s xx on 7 September that year. The album was tested again the following year for Best Album in addition to a nomination for Best Cover Artwork at the NME Awards. The single “Spanish Sahara” was nominated by the same group for Best Track on top of being named all-around Best Band and Best Live Act. In July, the MOJO honour awards also nominated Foals alongside Canadian band Arcade Fire for the calibre of their live performances.
The Sacred Band of Thebes (Hieròs Lókhos) was a troop of picked soldiers, consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC. Its predominance began with its crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra in 371BC. It was annihilated by Philip II of Macedon in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC.
According to Plutarch, the 300 hand-picked men were chosen by Gorgidas purely for ability and merit, regardless of social class. It was composed of 150 male couples, each pair consisting of an older erastês (ἐραστής, “lover”) and a younger erômenos (ἐρώμενος, “beloved”). Athenaeus of Naucratis also records the Sacred Band as being composed of “lovers and their favorites, thus indicating the dignity of the god Eros in that they embrace a glorious death in preference to a dishonorable and reprehensible life”; while Polyaenus describes the Sacred Band as being composed of men “devoted to each other by mutual obligations of love”.
The origin of the “sacred” appellation of the Sacred Band is unexplained by Dinarchus and other historians. But Plutarch claims that it was due to an exchange of sacred vows between lover and beloved at the shrine of Iolaus (one of the lovers of Hercules) at Thebes. He also tangentially mentions Plato’s characterization of the lover as a “friend inspired of God”.
After the success of his previous video, “Bubble” earlier this year, über-hot Manila-based popster Sebastian Castro is back with a new clip entitled “Theban”, skillfully directed by Ian Galsim, featuring a tribe of scantily-clad dancers but sans actor Enchong Dee. Openly gay, the Peruvian-Japanese artist stated that the Sacred Band of Thebes was an ancient Greek army composed entirely of gay men. “It was believed that if you fought next to the person you loved, you would fight much harder to keep them alive. This led the generals to have the lovers fight alongside one another in battle. I can’t think of anything more beautiful -beautiful and sexy… I love the idea of dragging my followers, or any LGBT for that matter, into this world where you are fighting with, fighting for and possibly dying for the one you love. The ultimate message : you belong. Two words gay kids don’t hear enough. Two words they don’t feel enough”, he said.
Florian Kaltenbach is a film director from Berlin, Germany. He directed, wrote and produced the 2007 short film “Delay”, an experimental film in which a guitarist who perceives sound with delay fights to make music again.
If you like the boxing gif above, the link below is directs you to the clip of Kaltenbach’s boxing segment from his work “Faceoff Boxing” . Enjoy.
“Smalltown Boy” is a 1984 song by the British synthpop group Bronski Beat. It was released in June 1984, and appeared on the band’s debut album The Age of Consent, released in December 1984.
The song is a popular gay anthem and was a big commercial success, reaching number 3 in the band’s native UK. It was also a number one hit in the Netherlands and Belgium, and hit the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland and Switzerland. The track reached number 48 in the US pop chart and was a number one US dance hit.
The song addresses key issues in 1980s LGBT culture. It addresses family rejection for being homosexual and homophobia in British society. It also deals with loneliness and bullying through societal and familial rejection.
Music created, produced & mastered by Jamie Muffett jamiemuffett.com
Produced by Jamie Muffett & Martin Del Carpio
Lyrics & vocals by Martin Del Carpio
Guitars by Juan I. Garcia
