Chris Southon
@cpsouthon.bsky.social
Living for live music: all genres welcome
Newlyweds Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in a classic photo by Nickolas Muray, 1929.
The amazing Vanessa Carlton at Bristol’s Thekla this evening
open.substack.com/pub/clubcine... New interview with the great David Thomson, who has been an invaluable companion to my film and TV viewing for 52 years
David Thomson Is Still Arguing With Hollywood
At 85, the legendary critic reflects on the decline of moviegoing, the democratisation of criticism and why cinema may never recover from its own influence.
open.substack.com
British actress Tamara Desni for The Squeaker (1937).
My first visit to the Louisiana, 2 stages operating: great venue. Bramwell, The Cindys and Leeds’ Vehicle all contributed to a fantastic evening
Talulah’s Tape was one of my albums of 2025, and Good Flying Birds chose Bristol’s Louisiana for their live UK debut last night. They were absolutely brilliant
Karen Morley by Clarence Sinclair Bull, 1931.
Hedy Lamarr by A.L. “Whitey” Schafer, 1949.
The amazing Courtney Marie Andrews at St Peter’s, Poole this evening
Finally got to see Aldous Harding last night, at the 1865 in Southampton. Absolutely spellbinding- she seems to be on a different plane to just about anyone else at the moment
Sonny Rollins, one of the most influential Jazz musicians of our time, died this afternoon. He was 95
The excellent @ratboysband.bsky.social making a return visit to Southampton’s Joiners last night. Terrific as ever
#last4albums: The American Analog Set, Aldous Harding, Swell Maps, Cola. Overwhelmed by the quality of new music coming out virtually weekly. Admittedly, two of these acts are survivors from the last century!
The debut solo album of Julia Cumming is a personal favourite so far this year and she played it in full before an adoring crowd at the Moth Club last evening; just gorgeous
Never have 4 people more wished they were still in the deepest, darkest recesses of outer space.
History of the USA: - King of England imposes taxes - America declares independence - Things go well for nearly 250 years - America elects a moron - Moron imposes taxes - King of England gets taxes removed
Jarvis Cocker with exactly the sort of eclectic mix @bbc6music.bsky.social should be about, but too often isn’t. Topped by hearing Earl Grant’s Imitation of Life on Douglas Sirk’s birthday
The excellent Simon Spillett at Chichester Jazz Club last night, a set paying tribute to the versatility of the legendary Tubby Hayes
#last4albums A Place to Bury Strangers, Shaking Hand, Katherine Priddy, White Fence. I think the latter pair are my favourites of the year so far.
Three-fifths of the excellent and weirdly underrated Brown Horse trying out their new set for the first time in the tiny back room of the Larderhouse, Southbourne, before embarking on a North American tour. Next stop New York City. Top gig, new album out tomorrow, see them if you can
Louise sits with Keene Thompson, one of the screenwriters for Now We’re In the Air (1927). “This is my favorite publicity still because I posed it myself,” she observed in “Lulu In Hollywood.” Note the stacks of books at her feet including “The Psychology of Personality.”
2 out of 3 guests on Round Table hadn’t heard of Mitski before??? Time to retire the thing @bbc6music.bsky.social