Travel

Winterville

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Mark

The first whiff of autumn, down on the village green
Low sun, scarves and shivers.
Fireworks and candles.
Ever changing sky over Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

Categories: Photography, Random, Travel, Vibe Monitor | Tags: autumn, Chorlton, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Chorltonville, Fall, Manchester, Mark Wallis, winter | 13 Comments

Some of my followers at The Vibes have been wondering if I’m drifting away from the cupcakes and kittens of WordPress to darker pastures. Like Facebook. After a colourful summer rolling in the grass and taking lots of pastoral pictures, I’ve been getting in the mood for Halloween as the nights draw in and we huddle down for winter. Planning spooky costumes and making little horror movies has kept me from publishing some of my photographs, so here’s the first batch. We’ll call them Architecturals.

These are all views of Manchester, where I live.

Categories: Photography, Random, Travel, Vibe Monitor | Tags: architecture, funfair, Manchester, Mark Wallis, Piccadilly Gardens, public transport, The Trafford Centre, Urban, Urbis | 5 Comments

The Garden of England

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Mark

There’s a reason it’s called ‘the garden of England’ – Kent is full of chocolate box villages. Driving through scenery like this is a slow process if you brake for photo opportunities.

Continue reading →

Categories: Photography, Travel, Vibe Monitor | Tags: cottage, England, English countryside, Faversham, holiday, Kent, nature, south, tradition, vacation | 8 Comments

Goldfrapp’s Tales of Us – Reviewed

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Mark

The dust is settling in Manchester after a storming performance from Goldfrapp at The Albert Hall, showcasing their new album Tales of Us.

Due for release in September, the new songs whisper and tiptoe deceptively before soaring on epic choruses, leaving the audience stunned. There’s the wistful romance of old black and white French films and noirish nostalgia, magical and sinister as Goldfrapp leave behind their abstractions for character sketches and love letters. The lyrical veil is never quite lifted, and that’s fine because Goldfrapp are at their best when they’re being mysterious.. The sunny warmth of Clowns, from the Seventh Tree album, seems to shine through most of the songs, balancing the shadows, but an aching sense of loss makes the spine shiver, as Alison appears to ponder her past with quiet ambiguity.

Alison Goldfrapp, The Albert Hall Manchester

Goldfrapp Tales of Us Manchester Albert Hall

Alison Goldfrapp at the Albert Hall Manchester (photo credit pending)

Alison Goldfrapp Albert Hall

Goldfrapp at The Albert Hall Manchester

The grand old chapel was the perfect setting for the album reveal, and the effect of the sun setting behind the stained glass windows was bewitching as the orchestra flowed and the choir soared to to a climax which took everyone by surprise. Old trouper Caravan Girl was transformed into a towering gospel anthem.

The last time I heard an album so rich with emotion was k d lang’s Ingenue, the glowing end of the perfect post-coital cigarette. And just on the evidence of Drew, which you can watch above, Tales of Us seems destined to be a classic.

Listen to one of the stand out songs, Stranger here

Download here (right click this link)

Also check out my Totem Mix of Thea here.

Categories: Music, Photography, Travel, Vibe Monitor, Video | Tags: Alison Goldfrapp, Drew, Goldfrapp, Live Music, Manchester, new album, Stranger, Tales of Us, The Albert Hall | 3 Comments

California Dreaming

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Mark

California, England. It’s not where you expect to find a California, but there it is, clinging to the Norfolk cliffs, next to Scratby. We would tell our schoolfriends we went to California every year on vacation, slightly forgetting to mention it was 6000 miles to the right of the one in the States. And marginally less glamorous. Or hot. This is the Pleasure Beach in Great Yarmouth, the highlight of every childhood summer holiday.