Public Image Limited -PIL Live in Dublin 12.06.2025

My piece on a fabulous concert, Johnny Lydon & co. aka PIL for Sunete Live here

https://sunetelive.ro/de-la-pil-la-nin-in-dublin-cu-alin/

also they got a new great logo 

The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

 The Phoenician Scheme (2025) is Wes Anderson's 12th feature (out of 12, 2 films are animations), presented at the 78th Cannes film festival in the Official Competition. 

The New Yorker review here

It's supposed to be a film dedicated by the writer-director to his daughter, a more emotional relationship of characters and less parodic as in his other films.

A lot of in-house references and cyphres, even more and obscure than before. From the name of the character, Zsa Zsa (Gabor), Korda (the famous filmmaking brothers), to Casablanca, Orson Welles' Mr. Arkadin, Max Ophuls shots, Igor Stravinski & Mussorsky-Ravel, Pierre-August Renoir's painting (that was owned by Greta Garbo). Black Narcissus nurse included ;) The score is again by the great Alexandre Desplat, on his seventh collaboration with WA, in a synchopatic sound and beat very similar to the music from The Grand Hotel Budapest (the best Wes Anderson film for my money).  What is new is the cinematographer, Bruno Dellbonnel's first film with WA. Top set & production design (done again at Babelsberg studios, where the Grand Budapest Hotel was shot) by Adam Stockhausen and cool costumes by the legendary Milena Canonero.

Za-Zsa Korda (genius name !) Benicio Del Toro chews scenery, actually he machetes it, in a part half inspired by Howard Hughes, part Groucho Marx. Matthieu Amalric (Marseille Bob !!! -Bob le flambeur ?) plays Peter Lorre and Jeffrey Wright (Marty- "man") is the epitomy f cool !

IMO Benedict Cumberbatch (uncle Nubar) looks like from Feulliade's Fantomas or any silnet films villains, with a fake beard and diabolic eyes (Jack Lemmon in Blake Edwards' The Great Race too?). Also Michael Cera's Bjorn accent is far far out. The Monty Python affiliation is automatic.

If you know Wes Anderson's favorite films and directors, you know there is not much Americanism in him. He might be the most European Art-house American director. Also he is starting to live completely in his own MU (movie universe), like latter Fellini, Roy Andersson, etc. Is that a good thing, or a Phoenician scheme ;) ?

All in all, 7 out of 10 /3 1/2 out of 5 (could've been 10 mins. shorter) and the Black and white Bunuelian mocking Bergman (or Pasollini ?) sequences (except the Bill Murray cameo as God). Too much of mannerism, tends to deja-vu/veja-du ?. 

RIP Brian Wilson

Just on my first day in Ireland, the evening of July 11th, while stopping on a gas station I got the X notice, from Keith Richards, "goodbye Brian Wilson"...Then the news and the social media were flooded, the next day's newspaper in Dublin had a one page obituary, all my facebook, even the radio played his songs...Took me 5 days to get to write this...(adapter/charger/chord problems plus 1 PIL & 1 NIN)

I saw Brian Wilson in Lyon in July 2017, at Théâtre Antique de Fourvière (Les Nuits de Fourvière Festival, avec Toubib Mishu). I cam all the way from Grossmann Fest in Slovenia, via Zagreb and Milan, and left afterwards to Geneva for Sardegna. It was a detour and a stop I wanted to do and I am so happy I did. It was a magical, wonderful evening, filled with uplifting songs. 

Here's the setlist , he played Beach Boys songs and then Pet Sounds live, ending it with Love and Mercy, the title of his biopic picture from 2014 (as Love & Mercy), where he was played by Paul Dano (young) and John Cusack (old).  That film dealt with his recovering from psychosis and forced medication, a very dark long chapter in Brian Wilson's life. He was, as his song says, not a man on his times. The dark side of Genius. Cos' Wilson is one of the greatest genius in XXth century music, admired by his peers, McCartney, Lennon, Dylan, Neil Young, etc. If The Beach Boys wouldn't put out Pet Sounds in 1966 (and the lost 1967 Beach Boys unfinished album, updated and completed by BW in his master Opus, SMILE, in 2004), there wouldn't have been no Beatles' Revolver, then Sgt. Pepper, then no Their Satanic Majesties, and maybe no Tommy and no Dark Side of the Moon. God Only Knows ...

Good Bye Brian...it was an honor to see you live and I thank Uncut magazine for introducing me to your work, on Smile era.

RIP Sly Stone

Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone (leader of legendary funk-soul group Sly and the Family Stone) went away to the other side... He was 82. He is the godfather of funk (adelik), soul master, Uber rockstar in hiss day and a raw model for Prince. Also for Nile Rodgers, George Clinton and many others, black or white. He upped James Brown's game to a a musical level of perfection. His band played Woodstock in 1969, one of the high(er!) acts of the monumental event. And I mean, who ever married on Madison Square Garden and Live ? (in 1974!).

There's a great documentary about him, that just premiered in Sundance Fest. this January and was streamed by Hulu (in Ro on Disney+) in Feb. 2025. Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of the Black Genius), directed by Questlove, musician on his own. See it and you'll get why Sly was the slyest ;) He did a big big thing for Black musicians way back when segregation was All Time(s) Nigh !

Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin ;)

Iron Maiden – The Tenth. Budapesta, miercuri, 28 mai 2025

Recenzie concert: Iron Maiden – The Tenth. Budapesta, miercuri, 28 mai 2025 – Papp László Arena

Text de Alin Ludu Dumbravă

30 mai 2025 SUNETE 

De fiecare dată când Iron Maiden pornește din nou la drum, hop și noi – la concert sau pe urmele lor.

„People should know when they get old… and wise? Not so much…” – scriam după ultimul concert Iron Maiden de la București, în mai 2022 👉 Review complet aici

Anul trecut, când s-a anunțat noul turneu aniversar de 50 de ani, „Run for Your Lives”, am început prospecția de locații și bilete. Și, desigur, discuțiile cu prietenii fani fideli Maiden, cu care să pornim iar la drum.

În decembrie 2024, legendarul baterist Nicko McBrain s-a retras – la venerabila vârstă de 72 de ani! În locul lui, trupa l-a cooptat pe Simon Dawson, care a cântat cu Steve Harris în British Lion. Deși nu este înconjurat de atâtea tobe precum Nicko (care era practic înecat în ele), Dawson s-a descurcat excelent la Budapesta. Poate de aceea trupa a programat două show-uri acolo (27 și 28 mai). Ambele au fost sold out în timp record – probabil pentru a perfecționa acest nou live show, foarte dens și solicitant.

Am nimerit la al doilea spectacol, pe 28 mai – și se pare că a fost chiar mai reușit decât cel din seara precedentă, unde s-au raportat unele glitch-uri tehnice.

Un spectacol aniversar

Show-ul 2025 este complet nou și inedit – cel mai performant din punct de vedere audio-vizual al trupei până acum. Doar e aniversarea a 50 de ani! Iron Maiden est. 1975, England!

S-au cântat piese niciodată abordate live până acum, sau din vremuri demult uitate – „Killers”, „Murders in the Rue Morgue”, „Phantom of the Opera”, „Wrathchild” – toate de pe primele două albume (1979/1980). Decoruri schimbate pentru fiecare piesă, costume speciale pentru Bruce Dickinson și un fundal high-tech, ediție 2025. Eddie, mascota iconică, a apărut doar la două piese – în rest, totul a fost dominat de proiecții animate 3D, probabil cu ajutorul AI-ului.

Foto: Zoltán Havran www.Magyarnemzet.hu

Sunet impecabil – beneficiind de spațiul indoor. Spectacolul a fost aproape operatic, grație lui Bruce și a vocii sale rămase incredibil de puternice.

S-a cântat de pe primele 8 albume, inclusiv cele cu regretatul Paul Di’Anno și cele șase clasice cu Dickinson: „The Number of the Beast”, „Piece of Mind”, „Powerslave”, „Somewhere in Time”, „Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, „Fear of the Dark”.

Piesa de rezistență: „Rime of the Ancient Mariner” – 14 minute, pe vremea aceea cea mai ambițioasă piesă a trupei (de pe albumul Powerslave, 1984), după balada lui Coleridge, acum prezentată vizual în stilul Tales of the Black Freighter din Watchmen. Am mai prins-o live la Cotroceni, în 2008, la turneul „Somewhere Back in Time”.

Cea mai „nouă” piesă din repertoriu: „Fear of the Dark” (1990), scandată energic de cei 12.000 de fani prezenți. Media de vârstă – 40+. Am văzut chiar și doi copii. Fericiți.

Boldog gyermekek! Cam toți, de pe la 70 în jos.

Foto: Zoltán Havran www.Magyarnemzet.hu

Iron Maiden 2025: Steve Harris – 69 ani, Dave Murray – 68 ani, Janick Gers – 68 ani, Adrian Smith – 67 ani, Bruce Dickinson – 66 ani, Simon Dawson – 66 ani.

Eu, din 1982. Fan. 🙂

📄 Setlist complet aici

Nice trip all in all.

41 de ore dus-întors. Concert: 2h05. În deschidere Halestorm, dar nu se pune 😉

Echipa de șoc, alfabetic: Alin, Bogdan, Dinu, Emese. O singură mașină.

Bilanț: 5 Unicum (dintre care unul Barrista), un Matyas Keserű (Unicum diluat, 28°), cava, roze, pălincă de struguri (grappa maghiară), Hungarian sparkling brut. 6 espresso. La concert: overpriced gin tonic la 70 lei – fără lime, lămâie sau gheață (!)

When in Budpaest: egyél chinese, egyél turk, ne(m) egyél KFC, singurul loc de mâncat deschis după 12 noaptea! Gulașul l-am mâncat în mod paradoxal lîngă Sibiu (haiducesc).

Unde e viața, flora și fauna de altădată din jurul gării Keleti… și ea închisă cu lanțuri pe dinăuntru, mai trist chiar ca la Brașov…

România a ratat, din nou, cel mai bun show al anului

Turneul european „Run for Your Lives – Iron Maiden: The First 50 Years” se întinde pe durata a 4 luni, din 27 mai (Budapesta) până pe 2 august (Varșovia). Aveți timp! Prieteni de-ai mei merg la Viena, Stuttgart, Belfort.

Apropo de Belfort – ne vedem acolo pe 3 iulie.

Acum am pe toate degetele de la mâini, trecem la picioare ? 

This time it will really go to Eleven!

Text de Alin Ludu Dumbravă pentru Sunete

Alice Cooper - Wild One ( The Original A.C. Group)

The Revenge of Alice Cooper, the new album by Alice Cooper featuring his original group after more than 50 years off (Muscle of Love in 1973), will be out on July 25th 2025 !!! The 1st single was Black Mamba (out on youtube in April), fearturing Robby Krieger (The Doors).

Inspired by the iconic 1953 film The Wild One starring Marlon Brando, the track captures the same defiant spirit that once shocked middle America and defined a generation. Reuniting five decades after their rise to fame, the band channels the chaos, danger, and cool of their early days, a time when rock was feared, eyeliner was scandalous, and every show felt like a revolution. "Wild Ones" is the sound of the Alice Cooper Group with their engines roaring, still loud, still dangerous, and still not asking for permission. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Wild Ones We are the wild ones crashin' through the night Livin' in the shadows, hidden from the light Revving up our engines, sharpening our claws Cause baby when you're hungry, the jungle is the law Oh, runnin' with the wild ones Yeah, baby we're the wild ones Yeah, we're the wild ones, we live in every town We own the city streets, we rule the underground, There is no cagin' us, you'll suffer if you try We got the rage in us, cause it makes us feel alive Oh, runnin' with the wild ones Yeah, baby we're the wild ones Wild ones, wild ones, wild ones Can you feel it, rolling thunder, Lose your mind and drag you under Can you see it, getting' higher Cause it's burning, burning like a fire We are the damned ones, this is the life we choose There's no redemption and nothin' left to lose. If you see us coming, you won't have time to pray When you hear the motors gunning, just get out of our way Yeah, runnin with the wild ones Yeah, baby we're the wild ones Wild ones, wild ones, wild ones Can you feel it, rolling thunder, Lose your mind and drag you under Can you see it, getting' higher Cause it's burning, like a fire