It looks like we’re going into another long night of lockdown. Today I’m looking at photos from the London Palladium of people not properly wearing masks. Of a venue not clearly socially distancing. As much as culture is so important to me and my sense of happiness, it’s distressing to see that so many months into this pandemic that the arts and culture world continues to seek a product that satisfies the rent payments.
There has been so much talk over the last few years about creating safe spaces for artists and communities. An enduring online campaign to take our digital activism into the real world. It surprises me that we are do much deeper into digital cultural platforms, the technology is so much more sophisticated, our phones so much more powerful. But despite all this investment the way we are interacting with culture seems so constant.
Anyway. I wanted to share some cultural access points that have been keeping me going these last few months. I wanted to thank all the artists, originators and producers for continuing to mine their creativity through 2020.
Two mins of Pat and Math’ is a YouTube series with one of my favourite comedians Kathryn Mather and Sean Patrick. Together they peddle exceptionally droll conversations, berating each other with plenty of spite. Behind it all is a steely resilience. Not only as they tolerate each other’s pithy remarks, but as they fight through increasingly empty and guileless topics. Comedic brilliance.
Elsewhere in comedy my favourite conscientious stand-up night XS Malarkey has migrated online. In part because this 20-something-year running event has always prided itself on how it will always put on a show, come hell or high water. The Twitch streams come with a sense of duty to their community, mixed with them having committed themselves to preserving their bragging rights. MC Toby Hadoke’s act of a curmudgeon Luddite has morphed into a convivial radio-host presenter. The night continues to showcase brilliant new and upcoming talent, and the digital format has opened up opportunity to invite guests from overseas. The curation is incredible and I’d like to take this opportunity to champion some of the comics who have summoned the challenge of online shows: Jordan Brooks, Judah Friedlander, Jessica Fostekew, Josh Jones, Chris Washington, Ed Night.
Earlier into the pandemic it was exciting to watch comics move their act online. To work without the applause, but still knowing their was an audience. It felt exciting, high risk and low reward (for the comics, at least). Over the last few months I’d argue the standard is increasing as acts become more practiced at the medium. I’m also sure that there were plenty of great XS Malarkey’s from earlier in the year, that I’ve since forgotten.
In music Heiroglyphic Being continues to release work, via his Bandcamp, at an astonishing rate. The quality is exceptional. Since March Jamal has produced 18 EPs or LPs, all free to stream. My favourite of which is ‘the shittest sounds you don’t ever want 2 hear with spiritual name titles 2 prove how deep I am vol.1’. It is a blessing and a mark of a profound artist that they could seize this moment are release such a waterfall of incredible music through a time like this. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what Jamal is doing for others right now.
I was keeping up with the Old Vic theatre that produced a series of live stream plays. To walk through each: Matt Smith and Claire Foy performed a beautiful piece around a young couple contemplating childbirth in a time of environmental collapse. A play that portrays the personal world of relationship in a time of great social responsibility. The new work was ingenious in its ability to discuss a matter that so frequently finds itself in conversations I have with friends, and to present it with lively contemporary writing that the two actors brought to the stage with tension and vivacity.
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