WHAT’S ON IN AMSTERDAM. poster 16 Volume 01 15 april-28 april
timber timbre poster by harold arandia jr.
inside: a fortnight of fantastic films talking healthcare and taxes with the thermals beelddragers’ latest peep show www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
Free every second thursday
Photo: Westin Glass
music
Still no culture icons By Brandon Hartley
The Thermals’ star isn’t burning out
I
t’s surprising to learn that a band as energetically noisy as Portland Oregon’s The Thermals are approaching their tenth anniversary. It feels like only yesterday they showed up jetlagged at Metropolis Festival for their Dutch debut. In reality it was the summer of 2003. They’d just launched their debut album More Parts Per Million via Sub Pop and the single ‘No Culture Icons’ was resonating around indie discos. The young band seemed shocked that so many were already familiar with the lo-fi garage punk they thrashed through. The energy of the songs was so pure back in those days, it was hard to imagine them evolving beyond it. But lead duo Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster have succeeded in realigning focus on subsequent albums. Their third release in particular, The Body, the Blood, the Machine, brought a swell of religious and political imagery to Harris’ lyrics. It was devised in the dark days of the Bush era, but even now, Harris isn’t relaxed about the state of politics in the US. ‘We’re still involved in two wars that appear to be endless www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
and we’re getting involved in a third conflict!’ he exclaims. ‘We still don’t have good healthcare and the rich keep getting tax breaks.’ And while Obama has officially launched his next campaign for office, what if he loses? The alternatives are a President Gingrich (less renowned in Europe) or President Palin. ‘Newt Gingrich is as boring as he is horrible. He’s a cheater and a hypocrite. Palin will bring about the end of the world. She’s a fucking nut job, pure and simple.’ On latest album Personal Life, the band has broken away from politics, starting in a new direction once more. It’s less frantic than their earlier releases and the single ‘I Don’t Believe You’ may even be the catchiest song they’ve recorded. Was it deliberate? ‘Yeah, it was all intentional,’ he says. ‘We’re always trying to make our songs as fun and catchy as possible. This time it’s very sparse. There’s a lot of space and no guitar overdubs; just one doubled lead vocal. We just wanted to make a record that was clean and simple. Personal Life is that record.’ The Thermals play De Verdieping on 21 April. Support from The Coathangers, TV Buddhas (who’ll participate in a special Seeing Sounds film programme), plus a Die Like Disco! afterparty.
what’s on. where. when. why.
Friday 15 April Death Letters
Paradiso (Kleine Zaal), 22.00, €9 + membership
It’s nice to see a bit of international buzz building for a young Dutch band. This duo aren’t even legal to enjoy a good piss up in Texas, which is where they headed last year to record an album with Chris ‘Frenchie’ Smith (Jet, Dandy Warhols, Smog) and where they returned to for SXSW last month. The resulting album, Post-Historic (out today), isn’t the band’s first effort but it’s markedly different from their self-titled debut. Here they leave behind their original blues rock trappings and fire through Glassjaw post-hardcore, Biffy Clyro post-grunge and …Trail of the Dead postrock ’n’ roll. That may be a lot of ‘posts’, but they make an incredibly energetic yet refined racket on stage, so don’t be surprised if they blow up at the festivals this summer.
Saturday 16 April Red Light Radio Benefit OT301, 21.00, €10
One of the most vibrant cultural campaigns in Amsterdam this year has been Red Light Radio, broadcast live online from a glowing window in De Wallen. It’s home to musically varied shows by W139, Aux Raus, Rednose Distrikt, Future Vintage, Unfold poster artist Father Futureback and many more, the only condition being that the shows provide an outlet for music and artists under-represented by the mainstream. Of course, dancing with genuine subcultures is no way to get rich, so the station is asking for your financial participation. Donate ten euros at the door tonight and enjoy a vast variety of sounds from Red Light DJs and other special guests.
Monday 18 April Timber Timbre
Bitterzoet, 20.30, €12
This Canadian trio are a weird bunch. At least in the sense that they sound lovingly spooky in whatever they do. Their roots are in folk and blues but their songs twist and turn like the dead branches of an ancient tree. Reminding of the originality of Richard Hawley, the lulling nature of Tindersticks and the timbre of Nina Simone, www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
they certainly stand apart from their Canadian guitar pop peers – perhaps the closest comparison would be if Arcade Fire stripped away all the bombast and replaced it with understated natural flamboyance. Their newly released fourth album, Creep on Creepin’ On, is actually one of the most captivating things we’ve heard this year – somewhat unexpectedly – so don’t be any later to this rural gothic party.
For all music visit: www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
Thursday 21 April Nieuw Ensemble
Muziekgebouw, 20.15, €23
A beautifully challenging night of spectral sounds, as the local ensemble dedicates a performance to the works of French composer Tristan Murail. A master of spectral compositions, Murail has been compiling a chamber music cycle called Portulan (a form of medieval map). In his own words: ‘Portulan is an indirect autobiography. All of the pieces are inspired by something that has a special meaning for me.’ The latest piece of that puzzle, ‘Paludes’, will be unveiled tonight, alongside other new works. The ensemble will also perform a new score for Jean Vigo’s 1930 satirical and surrealistic film À propos de Nice. Sonic Connections
De Brakke Grond, various times and prices
This annual festival has made a name for itself by showcasing a cool mix of Belgian and Dutch pop and rock music every spring. And yeah, maybe it’s easy to get complacent now that the monthly Sonic Soirée drip feeds us the best of both lands. But the main festival is back, bigger and better than ever, promising three nights of diverse musical offerings, photography workshops and a Yuri Landman guitar building session. Until 23 April.
Sunday 24 April Staff Benda Bilili Melkweg, 21.00, €25
There’s a wonderful documentary called Benda Bilili doing the film festival rounds – it’s also showed up on Nederland 2 and receives
occasional re-screenings on digital channel Holland Doc 24. If you haven’t yet seen it, a special screening precedes this concert, too. Raw and vibrant, it details the past five years of this Congolese band; from being discovered as street performers through recording their debut album and taking their songs to the world. It’s captivating viewing, but when it comes down to it, seeing them perform live is worth a thousand docs. The fact that the group is comprised primarily of polio-ravaged paraplegic men in modified tricycles has even become a sub-story to the fact that their take on Central African rhumba, blues and reggae is so heartfelt and soulful.
Monday 25 April The Jim Jones Revue
Paradiso (Kleine Zaal), 20.00, €10 + membership
If ever there’s a concert that’s perfect for the freaks and geeks and other creatures of the night, it’s The Jim Jones Revue. The London rock ’n’ roll quintet play sleazy gutter blues punk and know all the classic moves and then how to abuse them. Every riff, every piano roll, every windmilling microphone is an exaggeration, but that’s no bad thing. After all, AC/DC work to a pretty tight script too and we still love a bit of duck walking. By contrast, at least the JJR still sound like they’re up for a brawl rather than a post-gig cup of tea. A word of caution, however… When they last played in autumn, we foolishly didn’t book in advance and were in the auspicious position of being second in the queue at Paradiso when the tickets ran out. D’oh.
Wednesday 27 April Deerhoof
Melkweg (Oude Zaal), 19.45, €15 + membership
How do you write about a band that’s always transforming without drowning in cliché? I mean, this San Francisco trio have been experimenting in bizarre art punk and noise since the early ’90s and they’ve never been afraid of being sweet, sick or simply scary. At times they also epitomise the joy of full-on dance punk expression: 2004 single ‘Milk Man’ wraps up the very best of Pixies, Pavement and The Breeders into four minutes of classic off kilter rock that rarely gets played on indie radio. As for the rest, anything goes.
highlights 15 april-28 april
fantastic films
More Imagine On our website
The weird and wonderful flicks of the Imagine Film Festival and beyond Illustration by Geoff Kim
Imagine: 27th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival Until 23 April Kriterion
www.imaginefilmfestival.nl
13 Assassins
21, 22 April Good news, everyone! The online rumours of filmmaker Miike-san’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. He’s survived the earthquake/ tsunami combo to live on and hopefully make more great films. Like 13 Assassins, which could become Takashi Miike’s breakthrough from the art house into the multiplex. Here he delivers a riveting action film set in feudal Japan. It takes its cue from Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai but then raises the stakes to a whole new level. The typically disturbing Miike touch is still present, albeit less prominently, but the director makes up for this with an unbelievable battle sequence that has to be seen to be believed. (In Japanese with Dutch or French subtitles) (LvH) www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
I Saw The Devil
17, 19, 22 April The devil referred to in the title is truly in every detail of this stylishly shot murder-revenge epic. Special agent and all-round good guy Soo-hyeon (played by Byung-hun Lee) descends into a blood-soaked journey of vengeance after his pregnant girlfriend is butchered on an empty, snowy country road. Her killer, Kyung-Chul (Oldboy’s epic Min-sik Choi), slips from predator to prey and back again as these two characters engage in a deadly cat and mouse game. The editing is crisp, the design and cinematography spot on, and the film features what has to be the best scene set in a taxi since Scorsese and De Niro discussed that upper floor window. (In Korean with English subtitles) (MB)
Monsters
15, 20, 22 April A photographer agrees to escort his boss’s daughter back to the United States through Mexico. The catch: a satellite contaminated with alien bacteria crashed into Mexico some years ago and the country has become infested with alien
life-forms. This independent film was shot with a budget of less than a million dollars, improvised acting and CGI out of a laptop, yet it looks just as good as any big budget blockbuster. While it’s far from perfect (the closing scenes especially), Monsters manages to inspire and impress and is hopefully the first of a new wave of independent films made using new technology. (LvH)
Rubber
15, 20, 21 April This bizarre story by Quentin Dupieux may well be the best film of 2011. Or the worst. That’s if it’s even a film. For all you know, Rubber doesn’t actually exist and you, dear reader, are the one living out a surreal drama in front of a lens. Let me explain… The initial story is about Robert, a lovably rogue tyre who comes to life in the desert. As he finds his feet, so to speak, and learns to roll without rocking too much, he also discovers he has telekinetic powers and can make objects – bottles, animals or people – explode. He’s also capable of infatuation and begins stalking a woman called Sheila. The next layer of the movie is that the motions of Robert what’s on. where. when. why.
and everyone around him are only happening because of a group of voyeurs who’re watching proceedings from the outside – at least at first. Can Robert or anything else exist without viewers? Depending on your mood it’s weird, quirky, stupid, meaningless, satirical, amusing, annoying or brilliant. It’s definitely different, thus classic cult fodder. Is Dupieux philosophising about the state of cinema or simply taking the piss with his spare tyre? You decide. (SM)
Time Traveller
16, 19, 21 April Regular followers of the AFFF will realise this live action Japanese film is a loose sequel to the popular novel and animation The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which screened at the festival back in 2007. After her mother is hit by a car and ends up in a coma, graduating schoolgirl Akari travels back to 1974 to pass on a message to a boy who was photographed with her – only she was aiming for 1972 so he’s no longer there. How can she time travel? Her chemist mother had devised a special time travelling potion that she had planned on using before her accident, naturally. Anyway, there’s much more comedy and tragedy than layers of regular sci-fi here. Its plot loops eventually click into place in a satisfying finale, but the moral of the story is that falling in love is more about time than place. (In Japanese with English subtitles) (SM)
The Troll Hunter 16, 18, 20, 23 April
than grizzlies when a mythical troll attacks them. It transpires that the Norwegian government has covered up the existence of the troll breeds, which roam the countryside at night, chewing on rocks and dicing up sheep – though nothing gets their goat quite like the smell of Christian blood. The hunter is actually paid to keep their behaviour in check, so when the creatures start acting strangely and leaving their territories, he has to track them down and kill them with bursts of intense UV light – either causing them to turn to stone or explode violently. The shaky handheld documentary feel calls back to Cloverfield and even Blair Witch, but despite its low budget The Troll Hunter is actually prettier, more entertaining and arguably better executed than both. (In Norwegian with Dutch subtitles) (SM)
From 24 April
Various cinemas
Maybe it’s youthful memories playing tricks on me, but when Independence Day came along and aliens blew up The White house, it was a fairly exciting cinematic experience. Fifteen years on, a new set of aliens are trouncing LA and only some bold marines can save the city. Lacking in humour, emotion and throwing a horribly crude Iraq War allegory into the mix, no amount of big explosions can stop you heading home feeling hollow after this. (SM)
Summer Wars
Paul
Melkweg Cinema, 20.45
24 April
From 14 April
Various cinemas
England’s comedy geniuses Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are joined by their Yankee equivalents Seth Rogen and Greg Mottola in a transatlantic joint venture of hilarity. It’s hardly the best film ever made, but if you like stoner flicks and/or sci-fi, you’ll definitely get a kick out of Paul. (LvH)
Red Riding Hood From 14 April
Various cinemas
Damn you Twilight! First you sold boring teens on vampires. Now Hollywood feels we require some form of Wuthering Heights romance entwined with Werewolf mythology. Burn in hell! From 14 April
Various cinemas
www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles
Non-Imagine films
Scream 4
As wintry slasher film Dead Snow proved last year, the Norwegians have a good nose for both horror and laughs. And sure, when analysing the plot of The Troll Hunter, it’s hard not to giggle but it’s really no cheese-fest. A small group of Norwegian film students begin making a documentary about illegal bear shootings when they inadvertently discover a hunter behaving mysteriously. Tracking him through fields in the darkness, they soon learn that he’s after more
For more film visit: www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
The Ghostface killer returns to terrorise nubile starlets and make threatening phone calls, although we all know it’s actually just David Arquette trying to get back at his ex-wife.
Otaku! / オタク 17 April
OT301, 20.00
A night dedicated to Japanese animation, featuring screenings of experimental anime Mind Games (2004) and a contemporary urban tale of good and evil: Tekkonkinkreet (2006).
Mamoru Hosoda was the creative mind behind The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (mentioned previously in Time Traveller). This 2009 anime, once again mixing up science fiction and romance, was his next successful project. His fanciful virtual world here is called Oz, but while immensely colourful, it’s no land that Dorothy would feel familiar with. Especially as this virtual world has been hacked and seems destined to collide with reality unless a young mathematics student can halt disaster. (SM)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 28 April
Cavia, 20.30
The original gangster of the interactive film experience is back in town, so make sure you stock up on rice and toilet paper and dig through that closet for your slinkiest goth outfit and fishnet stockings. And whatever you do, don’t think of Tim Curry wearing that outfit nowadays… (LvH)
highlights 15 april-28 april
art
A flash in the can By Monte Bergamont
Beelddragers expose event photography
W
e’ve all seen the pictures before: bleary-eyed youths, mouths agape and arm-in-arm, some yelling something at the camera, others on the verge of collapse, others just plain collapsed. The photos are too dark in places, too light in others, blurry where they shouldn’t be and too sharp where they really need to be blurred. While amateur event photographs have been a part of popular culture for as long as we can remember, Amsterdam ‘cultural collective’ Beelddragers’ latest SCENE exhibition features work from six up-and-coming photographers and aims to show this rather maligned art-form in a completely different light. ‘Some of the photographers we knew, some we researched and some we might even have stalked,’ explains Tjade Bouma from Beelddragers. ‘Our purpose with this exhibition is to show the diversity of this type of photography. We tried to select a variety of different photographers who all have their own style and operate in different scenes – from gay to straight, commercial to underground and everything in between.’ www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
Clockwise from top left: De Fotomeisjes; Dennis Swiatkowski; Dennis Duijnhouwer; Robbie Baauw; David Koppelaar and Catharina Gerritsen
The result is a surprisingly haunting collection of tableaux vivants. Clubbers are frozen mid-air on the dance floor or mid-stare in a bathroom mirror reflection, couples are caught in the act and singles sit alone. Yet all are shot with a professional eye, and it’s this that is key. ‘Where you normally see pretty blonde girls posing with their pretty blonde friends, we want to display the experimental and surprising side to event photography. You might recognise yourself in one scene, and then might be amazed by another,’ says Bouma. While SCENE focuses on event photography in particular, Beelddragers are organisers and initiators of a host of events and exhibitions in the city. When asked about upcoming plans, Bouma coyly states: ‘We try to show images in original ways and places. Next on our wish list is using Amsterdam as a canvas.’ And when asked for ‘talent to watch out for’, Bouma is just as cautious: ‘Picking just one feels wrong. We like to think all the people we work with are worth looking out for. So get your butt off the couch and come to Beelddragers doet SCENE!’ BEELDDRAGERS doet SCENE, De Wittenplaats, de Wittenstraat 27, 15 April, Opening 20.00. Until 17 April what’s on. where. when. why.
Five Things A place where local artists share what’s inspiring them. Kathrin Klingner runs the blog ‘The Kingdom’ where she posts drawings from contemporary artists. Besides blogging and making art, she’s a passionate waitress on the weekends and makes illustrations for different magazines and children’s stories. King of Limbs (Mail from Thom!) ...what I’m really excited about are the ‘625 tiny pieces of artwork’ that come with it... RSAnimate ...I recently discovered their youtube channel when I was searching for interesting animations and now I can’t stop watching... DNK concerts ...a concert series for experimental music, taking place on Mondays in the Smart Project Space... The book Eating Animals ...what I never wanted to think about while eating a schnitzel... Getting out of town ...there’s a whole world outside of the A10... www.unfoldamsterdam.nl
ART AFFAIRS
SMBA
Katrin Korfmann - Horizon Vanished Photographs depicting patterns of movement. 22 April - 21 May Opening 22 April, 17.00
Alfredo Jaar - The Marx Lounge The space becomes the ultimate Marxist reading room in this complete installation. 17 April - 5 June Opening 16 April, 17.30 (by reservation only)
Veemkade 354 www.artaffairs.net Open Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00
Kulter.
Sanderijnstraat 21 www.kulter.nl Open Thur-Sat 13.00-18.00 Notations 21 Music meets visual arts with book presentation, performances and open stage. 15 April, 19.00 See www.notations.nl for additional events.
Rozenstraat 59 www.smba.nl Open Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00
SOLEDAD SENLLE ART GALLERY Sloterkade 171 www.soledad.nl Open Mon-Sat 11.00-17.00
Oude Kerk
Oudekerksplein 23 www.worldpressphoto.org Open Mon-Sat 10.30-17.30, Sun 13.00-17.30 world press photo Reknown annual photojournalism exhibit returns. 22 April - 19 June
outLINE
Oetewalerstraat 73 www.outlineamsterdam.nl Open Thur-Sat 13.00-17.00 or by appointment Melanie Bonajo - Out of Mud, Dust or Other Indeterminate Substances Photos and installation by the Dutch artist. 16 April - 21 May Opening 16 April, 17.00
P/////AKT
Zeeburgerpad 53 www.pakt.nu Open Thur-Sun 14.00-18.00 Herman van Ingelgem - SHUFFLE Installation and mixed-media work. 17 April - 15 May Opening 16 April, 20.00
ruth Van beek, Zebra Vliegtuig RUTH VAN BEEK, ELENI KAMMA, EMMELINE DE MOOIJ - Picturing nature Collage, drawing and installation. Until 15 May
TORCH GALLERY
Lauriergracht 94 www.torchgallery.com Open Thur-Sat 13.00-18.00
terry rogers, Cupid’s Delight
highlights Terry Rodgers The Fluid Geometries Of Illusion Hyper-intense paintings of other people’s lives. 16 April - 4 June Opening 16 April, 17.00
15 april-28 april
featured artist Harold Arandia Jr. Harold likes to makes things, and when he is asleep he likes to dream about making things. Since graduating he has made footwear, furniture, paintings, illustrations and also hand-crafted chocolates. I wonder what he’ll make next... www.chocolatl.nl www.society6.com/studio/mrarandia www.mrarandia.blogspot.com
unfold recommends
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The Haiku Shopping Review. RECORD STORE DAY, 16 APRIL Spinning black circles A record store is for life. Not just for Christmas. GHOSTPOET, Metro 54, Studio K, 23 April
HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, Kriterion, 18, 22 April
WHAT’S ON IN AMSTERDAM. VOLKSKRANTGEBOUW WIBAUTSTRAAT 150 1091 GR AMSTERDAM
Unfold Amsterdam is printed on 100% recycled, 100% post-consumer waste paper.
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POSTER ARTISTS
Design: Russell Joyce Poster: Harold Arandia Jr. Contributors: Monte Bergamont, Lauren Comiteau, Aquil Copier, Sarah Gehrke, Brandon Hartley, Luuk van Huët, Geoff Kim, Steve Korver, Megan Roberts, Natalia Sánchez, Arun Sood, Livia Stier. Printing: Zwaan Printmedia
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Music Alliance Pact On the 15th of every month, international bloggers and publications pick their fave new music from their local scene and share it with the world. Unfold’s Music Alliance Pact selection for April 2011 is Death Letters. Listen to them via our website, along with recommended new music from 34 other countries.
www.nimk.nl
Unfold Amsterdam Poster 16 Volume 1
Harold Arandia Jr.