The Sigla Blog

“Why are there no great female painters?”

Apparently all will be revealed in this Sunday’s Observer. Now, while I don’t expect the critics the paper polled to mention Mainie Jellett, Norah McGuinness or most of these women, surely Frida Kahlo would be considered a great female painter?
Experts will providing answers to that and questions like “What […]

Annette recently confessed that she’s addicted to Smith Magazine’s Six Word Memoirs, and challenges people to come up their life manifesto in the same amount of words.
I’ve posted before about Six Word Short Stories, and both the idea of summing up a person or a narrative in six words reminds me of something I read […]

CITY AND COLOUR
Bring Me Your Love
Hassle
***
It seems that Devonte “Lightspeed Champion” Hynes isn’t the only musician to kick his way out of noisy chrysalis and metamorphose into a folksy butterfly. Also changing course and flapping his acoustic wings is Dallas Green, former member of post-rockers Alexisonfire. Under the City and Colour moniker (a pun on […]

*It’s no mean feat winning a prize like this, congrats to Super Extra Bonus Party who pulled off yet another upset for the Choice Music Prize. I met someone last night who has had money on all the winners since 2006 - all outsiders. Lucky git. Next year I’m betting on whoever is the equivalent […]

“The place I make music, is in my mom’s house, specifically the basement and the living room. The living room has lots of natural light from all the windows, and my mom has decorated it with a lot of country and rustic feel. It is very warm, inviting and an encouraging place to play/write on […]

I am really hoping to make the Choice Music Prize tonight but I just wanted to thank those nominees who recently took part in Musical Rooms, and wish all 10 acts the best of luck. The gig takes place tonight in Vicar Street and I think there are still tickets left.
Just noticed Cathy Davey is […]

This Thursday Maximum Joy have a very eclectic night of music lined up under the banner of Bearded Ladies. On the bill are Jane Weaver, Emma Tricca and Carly Sings (I wrote about Carly here last year). Last year a Bearded Ladies compilation was released featuring acts like Wendy & Bonnie, Selda, Susan Christie, Weaver […]

In the crazy hoopla that is the Oscars, it’s fantastic to see Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova pick up the gong for Best Song for ‘Falling Slowly’. Bet Glen got a kick out of having John Travolta give him the award. And how nice was it of Jon Stewart to bring Marketa back out to […]

Starting tomorrow (Monday 25th), tune into Women’s Hour Drama on BBC Radio 4 to hear the radio version of Black Narcissus. I’ve never read the novel, but Powell and Pressburger’s film version is hugely affecting. It’s a psychological, eerie film about an order of nuns in the Himalayas being thwarted by desire, lack […]

Forgive the over-enthusiasm of the post slug, but I stand by it after spending the last week listening to the wondrous beauty and head-scratching genius of Chequerboard’s new album. A review is pending so I won’t say much, but four of the best tracks - ‘Ornithopter’, ‘Toy Winds’, ‘Quotidian Debris’ and ‘The Winter Arcade’ are […]

The postman was quite late arriving yesterday, but it’s finally arrived. Yes, Twenty’s Order of the Phoenix Park, the first novel to be published by an Irish blogger.
This bit made me laugh out loud “Tom looked down and saw the hole in his Che Guevara T-shirt. As a veteran of the turf wars between […]

Above is The Empire Strikes Back, as portrayed in Russian folk art. I also love the War of the Worlds one, The Matrix and Terminator. Some I can’t even figure out, but they’re adorable. My favourite is Spiderman. The full gallery is here:
Thanks to Martin.