A Listen to Lilly Allen

Last week, we looked at one of the queens of British music, and to do so, we went “old school” to gab about Vera Lynn. Fast forward a good 50+ years, and we find ourselves this week looking at Lilly Allen, a recent alt-pop phenom to come out England. Sure, most new Brit acts have been swept under the Amy Winehouse carpet, especially given Winehouse’s recent Grammy sweep, but for some of us, there are still others out there who may need just as much “rehab” as Miss Amy … and whose music offers us a little “rehab” from the flotsam and jetsam we get from much of America’s pop.

This week, we’re showcasing Lilly Allen’s third release from her first album, Alright, Still: “Littlest Things”. “Littlest Things” offers a look at the after-effects of a bad relationship … we’ve all been there, of course.

But if you’re feeling a bit more upbeat, be sure to sample Allen’s “Knock ‘Em Out“, which says exactly what many of us have wanted to say to some wanker who comes up to us in a bar:

There’s also “LDN“. Who knows what it’s really about, but it’s peppy, fairly vapid at times, and contains one of the worst rhymes imaginable:

There was a little old lady, who was walking down the road
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
I believe that it’s called al fresco

In a few weeks, we’ll come back Lilly Allen’s song about her brother as we look at the impact Equus is having on the London stage.

On the Telly: Vicky Pollard’s Essay

If you’ve missed out on Little Britain, then you’ve let some of the best sketch comedy pass you by! Britain may be famous for giving us Month Python and Benny Hill, but it’s the recent addition of Little Britain to that genre that’s going to keep us laughing for many years to come. And you won’t get a better look and listen to pop culture and the dialects of the council estates than from LB‘s bad girl, Vicky Pollard. Just try to figure out what it is she’s saying here when her teacher asks her some questions about her essay on Lord Kitchener …

Which is only topped by the conversation later when Vicky’s teacher reads some of her outstanding essay to her. Poor Vickey … she can’t quite see what her teacher is worried about.

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Exploring the London Stage

Next to New York, there’s no place on Earth with as diverse and interesting theater as London! In fact, there’s so much going on at any moment, it can be difficult to keep up with it all. We thought we’d start these weekly posts on “theater” with a useful site for keeping track of what’s going on on the London stage at any given time: “WhatsOnStage.com“.

This website includes news about actors who are coming or going from shows, as well as a listing (at the bottom) of all the current shows, both in the West End and elsewhere. Since we’ll be seeing so many shows this summer, it’s a good idea now to start looking at what you might want to see.

Another great site for seeing what’s going on is the London Theatre Guide.   From this site, you can explore not only the most recent news (who’s in what show, who’s replacing whom, what’s opening/closing), but you can also check specific dates to see what shows are playing by date, rather than just by show.  A very useful way to make planes for May and June!

Music: Vera Lynn

There are few artists more respected in British musical history and culture than Vera Lynn, who was first admitted to Order of the British Empire in the 1960s and later given the honor of “Dame Commander” in 1975. Lynn is most famous for two songs, one of which is featured here: “The White Cliffs of Dover“.

This particular song spoke to a nation wracked by war and fearful that the “London Blitz” would put them under German rule. The nation looked for hope, and a song like “White Cliffs of Dover” underscored that hope, noting that one day “Jimmy will go to sleep / In his own little room again”.