The Chorus

Theatre highlights issues we all face and how we feel about them. Books take on more esoteric issues in poetic ways. Musicians create audible emotion. And directors make actors hit other actors really hard. A lot. We consider these things. And drink coffee.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Weathervanes, Sigur Ros - ATTA

THEATRE: The Undone, The Mzansi Tenors, Exit/Exist

BOOKS: The Library Of Ice by Nancy Campbell, The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

TV: Extraction 2 (Netflix), Ray Donovan - The Movie (Showmax), The Outlaws (Britbox), Luther - The Fallen Sun

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Stefan has read a book that he immediately regards as a classic, which happens once a decade or less. A big band grieves through loud music, a bald man goes native and there is beauty in war - if only in screen craftsmanship terms. We feel affirmed, and celebrate with a lovely bourbon. You should too.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Extreme - Six, John Ellis - Native, Foo Fighters - But Here We Are

BOOKS: To Live by Yu Hua, What Does This Button Do by Bruce Dickinson

TV: War Sailor (Netflix), All Quiet On The Western Front, Bored To Death (Netflix)

WHISKEY: Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Realising that we both have gigs coming up (Bruce on 3 June at Spilt Milk Social Cafe in Melville; Stefan on 10 June at The Radium Beer Hall in Orange Grove), we don't at all in any way then unconsciously compare ourselves to the immense intellect of David Foster Wallace, the astonishing talent of Madison Cunningham or the curious weirdness of Agent Elvis. We also remember Tina Turner with fondness and awe and return to our First Take feature - playing a song we've never played together before and hoping it turns out well. Spoiler: it does.

Reviewed this week:

FIRST TAKE: Come What May - Bruce Dennill

MUSIC: Revealer - Madison Cunningham, The Way I Feel - Gordon Lightfoot

BOOKS: The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre, Oblivion by David Foster Wallace

TV: Marianne (Netflix), Sweet Tooth (Netflix), Agent Elvis (Netflix), Billions (Showmax), The Cleaner (Britbox)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

There's another Hollywood writer's strike. Last time, that made for some terrible shows. This time, it may burst the streaming bubble, which both makes us nervous and suggests a quality-over quantity future. For now, shows going behind the scenes in the worlds of elite sports are still changing the audience profiles in those arenas. Intelligent lives lived well still leave meaningful residues, classic harmonies retain their sweetness and intergalactic silliness is worth paying ticket money for.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Album 1700 - Peter, Paul & Mary, Achtung Baby - U2 (in Vegas)

BOOKS: The Forbidden Door by Dean Koontz, Terry Pratchett - A Life With Footnotes by Rob Wilkins

TV: Full Swing (Netflix), F1 - Drive To Survive Season 5

THEATRE: The Echo Of A Noise, Cat & Monkey

FILM: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Powerful stories examine depression; a useful guitar pedal ensures compression; a black man prepares to be a white racist and that nice Stanley Tucci is removed from the babysitting list. We did add milk to our coffee, so at least that wasn't too dark...

Reviewed this week:

GEAR: MXR Custom Comp Compressor pedal

MUSIC: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Wilder Woods, Birds Say by Darlingside

BOOKS: BlacK K Klansman by Ron Stallworth

TV: Inside Man (Netflix), The Banshees Of Inisherin (Disney+)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Someone sent us a bottle of whisky, so we tasted that. We discovered new signature guitar models, so we were excited. There was almost too much theatre to watch, but we persevered. A beautiful book offers a mental and emotional escape from a fatigued body. The umpteenth movie in an alien franchise is actually, you know, good. And Brad Pitt attempts to not get shot in public transport.

Reviewed this week:

GUITARS: Billy Joe Armstrong Les Paul Jr, Chris Stapleton Epiphone Frontier

WHISKY: Firstwatch Imported Extra Fine

THEATRE: Suenos, We Will Rock You, A Musical, Master Class, Madagascar Jr

BOOKS: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Heavy Duty by KK Downing

TV: Prey (Apple TV), Bullet Train (Netflix)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Stefan is in recovery after a rock star weekend gracing festival stages. On those stages, and between the pages of a collection of short stories, we discover the presence of the level of emerging talent that makes us fall in love with music and writing all over again. There are also welcome returns from shared favourites, this time in books and on the small screen, and an album title almost as satisfying as the music in the collection. All of which makes us feel that embracing the good may be better for us than drowning in the bad. Who knew?

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: The Phantasm At Lake Wallenpaupack - Fever Dolls, Mieliepop Festival - Crystal Park, John Barnard, Shameless

BOOKS: Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, The Passenger & Stella Mari by Cormac McCarthy

TV: Brooklyn 99 (Netflix), The Chelsea Detective (Britbox), Elvis (Apple TV)

FIRST TAKE: Come Out And Play by Bruce Dennill

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

We almost wander into talking about Actual Issues but then remember that we prefer to retreat to books and music and the arts in general than pretend we know how to sort out the world's ills. That said, we look fondly at an age of great music journalism; sadly at how fraught with uncertainty travel in much of the Middle East is; and affectionately at an unknown blues singer who recently won a Grammy.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Bonnie Raitt - Just Like That..., Tyler Ramsey - For The Morning, Bob Dylan - Fragments, Eric Claption - Rarities

THEATRE: Home Affairs

BOOKS: Sticky Fingers by Joe Hagan, Arabia by Levison Wood

TV: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Disney+), Great Art Explained (YouTube, Derry Girls (Neflix), Wednesday (Netflix)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

It was a fecund couple of weeks for live music, both in music venues and on theatre stages, and the readiness of the performers involved to put their hearts and souls on display is as memorable as whatever they where playing. Elsewhere, we chat about bonkers journeys and a huge load of Cunk.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: An Intimate Evening with Jeremy Porter, Sting - My Songs, Jeremy Messersmith back catalogue, First Aid Kit - America, Rodney Crowell - Close Ties

THEATRE: Jonathan Roxmouth - Key Change, DuPreez Strauss - Dreamland

BOOKS: The Odysseum by David Bramwell & Joe Tinsley

TV: Cunk On Earth (Netflix), Stonehouse (Britbox), Kleo (Netflix)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

The Oscar nominations are out and we're not sure if we're happy that Top Gun might get Best Picture because, like, you know, it's not art. Elsewhere, we appreciate good writing, kitchen politics, optimistic ukuleles and how Charles Dickens was essentially the biggest streaming service of his day.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Radiohead back catalogue, Sigourney Fever - Trampled By Turtles, 11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele: A Micro Folk Record For The 21st Century - Jeremy Messersmith

BOOKS: Dickens by Peter Ackroyd, Bridge Of Clay by Markus Zusak

TV: The White Lotus S2 (Netflix), Tali's Joburg Diary (Showmax), The Bear (Disney+)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).