MUSIC | BEYOND OPERA

I was fortunate enough to experience opera from a young age, from a candle lit courtyard in Limousin to Paris Opera House to the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro in Lucca. This may sound boastful but my point is that people are often surprised when I tell them this. A working class northerner with a Manc drawl so greet people with ya arrriyate and have a penchant for a cheeky Greggs pasty (who doesn’t?) likes opera, yup sod the stereotypes, live music is great and opera is beautiful live music with a story. It's all just music at the end of the day from Gold Panda at St John to Smegma at Otto, live music is good whatever the genre (or lack of). 

I am pretty excited about catching LaTraviata at The Kings Head in Islington and tempted by Wozzek at The Royal Opera House but what really turned me on recently was seeing that Ben Frost is composing an opera based on Iain Bank’s The Wasp Factory. What’s not to love about that?!

                      

It’s no secret that I adore Iain Bank’s and previously talked about the effect The Wasp Factory had on my life. The really interesting this is that Ben Frost is composing this so it's likely to be a pretty experimental affair since Frost is influenced by minimal, punk and industrial sounds. For those of you who don’t track his work *cough* Ben Frost is an Iceland (country not frozen food shop) based Australian composer who’s worked with the likes of Tim Hecker and Bjork, composed Music For Solaris with Daniel Bjarnason (based on Andrei Tarkovsky’s rad 1972 film adapted from Lem’s equally rad 1961 book) and he’s currently working on an album that features Swans. Yes, FML! 

Anyhow, I could go on about him a bit more but probably should stop at risk of embarrassing myself. Here’s a video of Ben Frost talking about his work on The Wasp Factory. 

Kerry Flint

                    

WRITING | IAIN BANKS

Hearing that Iain Bank's had sadly passed away yesterday was upsetting news for obvious and personal reasons. Aged just 59, his passing was untimely; he remained to the end open, bold, humble and courageous. On a personal level because I will never forget first discovering his magnificent work and the effect it had on me. 

Iain Banks will always be one of my favourite writers. I feel that, to a great extent, I can attribute my love of writing to encompassing his relentless and bold commitment to the act and the world of inspiration that he created as a result. I can also say that his writing was a catalyst and influence on the path that my life and career took. A bold statement but one, in retrospect, I believe to be the truth. Whilst on my gap year, aged 18, I was given a copy of A Wasp Factory by a good friend to read on my travels around Europe. My friend told me not to give it back but rather keep it or pass it on to someone else - selfishly I could never bare to part with it and the pages are now very worn from re-reading. 

I don't need to hark on about how amazing this book is because if you've read it you'll understand what a game changing piece of work it is. If you haven't read it, I urge you to go discover it for yourself. As I did in foreign cities, on mountain sides and long coach journeys. 

once back from my travels and having encompassed a great amount of writing, history and art - with Bank's words as my cherished companion - I made the decision I'd been putting off. I decided to study Writing and Literature and perhaps, maybe try to be a writer. When interviewed for my place at University, the Dean asked me what the last book I read was and I told him. This opened up a long discussion and shared admiration for this book. This was the start of an ongoing love for writing and the process. It was the start of a long, arduous and exhilarating path to becoming a writer. One that I continue to travel down.

Thank you to my friend for lending me that book and thank you Ian Banks for being such a talented, bold and inspirational writer. 

Thank you reading my sentimental and perhaps overly romantic ramblings, it was good to share.