Recent cultural highlights

A spectacular Proms from the Sinfonia of London, a British cinema classic and a Fontaines farewell

(John Wilson. Photo: Chris Christodoulou/BBC)

Roman Holiday

John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London never disappoint, particularly at the BBC Proms. Seeing them on the bill again this year made them a ‘must see’, not least because they were performing a ‘Roman Trilogy’ of all three of Ottorino Respighi’s Roman tone poems - Roman Festivals, Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome.

The word ‘cinematic’ is often used when discussing this conductor and orchestra, not least because of the sheer scale of their sound and their range of repertoire that includes some fine recordings of hit musicals. It certainly applied here where the ‘Roman Trilogy’ not only had the orchestra at superbly balanced full blast (including 16 extra in the brass section and the Royal Albert Hall organ), but also included the more contemplative Cello Concerto by William Walton performed compellingly by principal cellist Jonathan Aasgaard.

Bookended by the overture to Verdi’s La Forza del Destino and a galloping encore finale of Rossini’s William Tell Overture, this was yet another Proms triumph for this fabulous orchestra and its leader.

(John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London at BBC Proms, 24 July 2026. Photo: John Earls)

• John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London’s BBC Proms 2026 performance of Respighi’s ‘Roman Trilogy’ and Walton’s Cello Concerto is available on BBC iPlayer for 11 months.

• John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London’s recording of Ottorino Respighi ‘Roman Trilogy’ is released on Chandos.

• John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London’s recording of William Walton’s Cello Concerto, Symphony No. 1 and Scapino with Jonathan Aasgaard is released on Chandos.

West is Mike and Susie

Although I didn’t attend the BBC ‘Prog Rock’ Proms, I did watch it on BBC iPlayer. I have written a previous post in praise of Peter Hammill and a remarkable solo concert he gave at the Royal Festival Hall last year that included a breathtakingly beautiful version of Refugees, the song he wrote and originally recorded with Van der Graaf Generator. To see and hear it performed with a full orchestra and the 77 year old Hammill singing as powerfully as ever was quite special.

(Peter Hammill sings at the BBC ‘Prog Rock’ Proms, 2026. Picture form BBC TV coverage)

• The BBC Prog Rock Proms 2026 is available on BBC iPlayer for 11 months (Peter Hammill’s Refugees comes in on 28 mins).

“Casper!”

(David Bradley as Billy Casper in Ken Loach's Kes)

Ken Loach’s Kes (1969) is one of my all time favourite films. I hadn’t seen it for a while and had never seen it on the big screen, so I was thrilled to be at a screening at the Royal Festival Hall this month as part of ‘Rough Trade 50 at the Southbank’ marking 50 years of Rough Trade Records.

The screening featured a live performance of John Cameron’s magnificent soundtrack by Elysian Collective which really made me pay attention to it more than I had in the past. Cameron also joined David Bradley (who played the lead role of 15 year old Billy Casper) and Pulp frontman and Kes fan Jarvis Cocker for a pre-film Q&A with Miranda Sawyer. Ken Loach (who is now 90) was also in the house and received a standing ovation.

Kes is a masterpiece. It’s depiction of the English education system for working class children at the time is sharply done along with the moving story of Billy Casper’s training of and attachment to the kestrel. Bradley’s performance is extraordinary given his age and the fact it was his debut film role. But there are also terrific performances from Colin Welland as the sympathetic teacher Mr Farthing (for which he won a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role) and Brian Glover as the dictatorial sports teacher in the famous football match scene which could stand alone as a film ‘short’ in its own right.

Paperback writer

Helen Barrett has written a couple of fascinating columns on her Substack Sounds and Visions on the ‘Beatles-adjacent reading list’ - “books without the word ‘Beatles’ in the titles” - that she waded through whilst researching her forthcoming book on the women who shaped the Beatles.

The two pieces (part one here and part two here) pick an intriguing list of ten books including a best-selling autobiography by an American Trappist monk that was Brian Epstein’s book choice on Desert Island Discs in 1964, Elizabeth Gould Davis’ 1971 feminist volume The First Sex, Richard Williams’ 1974 book about Phil Spector, and a history of inter-war British architecture. The pieces are a clever and absorbing literary avenue to wander down away from the Beatles mainstream.

Found Art: Beatles (2012) by Peter Blake

• Helen Barrett’s Substack is Sounds and Visions and includes pieces on her ‘Beatles-adjacent reading list’ (part one here and part two here).

And finally…

(Remembering Nigel Cotgrove at Edgbaston. Photo: John Earls)

I lost a dear friend who died suddenly last month. I first met Nigel Cotgrove when doing a stint in the National Communications Union research department in the early 1990s. He treated me, a naïve and fumbling starter, albeit we were the same age, with respect and dignity. He became something of a mentor to me and then so much more. The fact we were still meeting after all those years until his untimely death was one of the great pleasures of my life. He didn’t have to try to be genuine and considerate, he just was. Oh, and he had a great sense of humour.

Nigel was a big music and cricket lover and moved from London to Birmingham following his marriage to Vicki who lived there. It was therefore quite fitting that she arranged a very special ‘final gig’ for Nigel last Saturday at the Edgbaston cricket ground where his friends and colleagues honoured him with remembrances and some of his favourite songs.

As I was making my way to Birmingham New Street station afterwards I passed the O2 Academy and remembered that in November 2022 when I was going to be working in Birmingham for a few days, Nigel looked into what gigs were going to be on. He told me it was a choice between Wet Leg and Fontaines D.C. who he confessed he had never heard of. I said, “Nigel, we are going to see Fontaines D.C.” - I had already seen them live and was a fan. We had a great time. I noticed that Fontaines D.C. were played at his ‘final gig’ and I confess it brought a lump to my throat. Fly well, Nigel. This one’s for you.