Tag Archives: zurich

Christopher Christopher – KAWAAM | Music Review

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Nobody’s ever going to accuse Switzerland of being a hotbed of rock n roll talent (least of all myself, having lived there for 3 years) but that’s not to say we ought to ignore it totally. Everybody knows that the best non-english speaking nation at churning out great rock music is Sweden but think of this as Sweden for dyslexics.

I spent 18 months living in the town that Christopher Christopher hail from, a place called Baden. It’s a sleepy town about 20 minutes outside of Zürich and by local standards the music scene isn’t half bad. Christopher Christopher, the town’s best band, are a bunch of mop haired Beatles fans who formed a band to escape the dull, sanitised life of small-town Switzerland.

This is a most spectacular effort, and one that cannot be accused of lacking ambition. Opener ‘The Castle’s Calling’  is a big chorused, big sounding mash up that sounds like the Flaming Lips wrestling the Magic Numbers. It’s bright and breezy and a blows open the door that is ‘KAWAAM’ (no, me neither) beautifully. ‘Ghosts’ sounds like Embrace and the chorus of “you’ll be alright, you’ll be safe with me tonight” could have come straight from Danny McNamara’s songbook. ‘Firefighter’ is a Bluetones/Shed Seven britpop mash-up.

This EP is enjoyable and the sort of music that is worthy of being played in the weather that is the exact opposite of what we have right now (at the time of writing it has been raining in London for a very biblical 40 days and 40 nights) – some great sunshine. The influences are distinctly 60’s and 70’s (Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Bowie etc) we’re told but it sounds very 90’s and at just five songs it’s over before you know it, leaving you wanting more. But that’s a good thing. I love this band and so should you.

Kawaam is out now via Anker Platten

Woyzeck, Lord Stanley | Theatre Review

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Georg Büchner is third in the triumvirate of German literary greats after Goethe and Schiller. That he died of typhus in Zürich, aged 23, is why he’s not seen in quite the same way as the other two. Had he lived a little longer he almost certainly would be. At the time of his death Woyzeck was incomplete and it’s because of this incomplete state that it has perennially lent itself to directors who like to leave their mark. A creative blank canvas of a play that has come to be the most performed play in German theatre.

The story is simple enough and revolves around Franz Woyzeck, wonderfully played by Jerome Quiles. Woyzech works for a man named the Captain, played by David Dawkins, who bullies and humiliates him whilst employing him to do menial jobs. To make ends meet he offers his body to the Doctor who conducts experiments on him. The Doctor is played by Daniel Sawicki and is a masterful piece of casting by director Shaban Arifi. Sawicki plays the role perfectly although I suspect he’s just as annoying and smug in real life. Not so much acting as just playing himself. I digress. Woyzeck, in a bid to make ends meet, submits himself to the doctor who uses him for scientific research. One such experiment involves him eating nothing but peas. This is why we ought to see Georg Büchner as the visionary he clearly was. In 2002 Morgan Spurlock produced the documentary where he ate nothing but McDonalds; Büchner was writing about similar in 1836.

As Woyzech eats the peas his mental health starts to take a turn for the worse and he starts to see a series of apocalyptic visions. As all this is going on the raven-haired Marie, the unmarried love of his life and mother of his child, turns her attention to a handsome drum major who in one rather graphic scene sleeps with her. Woyzech becomes suspicious, confronting the drum major, who beats him up and humiliates him. Finally, Woyzeck stabs Marie to death by a pond and the inevitable tragedy is complete.

This version here at the Lord Stanley is brilliant. Quick at around 65 minutes, what makes this production special is the intimacy of the theatre. It has been staged perfectly within the confines of this intimate theatre above a pub in Kentish Town. Using light to split the stage and keep the pace of the production up it’s gripping, enthralling and fun. Perhaps taking itself too seriously at times but ultimately watching this play is an enjoyable way to spend an evening. Catch it now on this all too short run.

Frost City Guides {Zurich}

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Zurich is known as a sterile banking city – don’t believe a word of it. True, Zurich plays home to one of the largest stock exchanges in the world and is the financial motor of Switzerland itself, but step back from the markets and share prices and you’ll find an arty and surprisingly vibrant city. It is very expensive however. Especially food and drink.

Zurich’s setting on the northern tip of Lake Zurich helps lend it an air of affluence and good living, while the Fraumünster and Grossmünster churches, which face each other across the River Limmat, hint at the rich heritage of the Old Town. In addition, Zurich offers smart shops, upmarket clubs and good restaurants. I was told by a local that there were two sides. The golden side and the sneezy side. The Old Town is on the golden side – where the affluent people live. The weather is usually good on this side. The sneezy side is so called because it rarely gets any sun. This is where the ‘poor’ people live. Although, one feels, to be poor in Zurich is to well-off anywhere else!

We got a tram into the the old town. (8 Ch, all day on all types of transport) and walked around. Zurich’s Old Town. It is a beautiful and cobbled. Full of cafes and restaurants. Perfect for people watching.
The next day we made a picnic and went swimming in Lake Zurich. Picturesque, although I found the current very strong. Yes, I know it’s a lake!

While browsing in the elegant boutiques along Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse, one of the most beautiful shopping areas in Europe you can work out your credit card. Jimmy Choo , Louis Vuttion are just some of the designer stores there. And this being a financial city with negotiable tax, you can be certain that a couple of metres below, unimaginable treasures are lying in underground vaults.

There are over 50 museums and over 100 art galleries. The National Museum is worth the price of admission alone for a table-top mock-up of the Battle of Morat in 1476 using 6000 tin soldiers.

All in all, Zurich is a beautiful city. It is very small. It would be very easy to cover all of it in less than a week. I made a friend chuckle by saying it reminded me of Glasgow; Small, cultural, near water.

Transport is easy to figure out. Get a tram/ train map. It is usually very prompt, but there was one day I waited for hours because of a tram crash. The locals don’t all speak English, but they were quite helpful. Other helpful hints are; Switzerland’s currency is still the Franc. And spend coins in Switzerland. Banks won’t change them.

I recommend Zurich. It is a lovely city to spend a weekend.

Main information:
Zürich Tourismus
Zurich Main Railway Station, 8021 Zurich
Tel: (044) 215 4000.
www.zuerich.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0800-2030, Sun 0830-1830 (May-Oct); Mon-Sat 0830-1900, Sun 0900-1800 (Nov-Apr)
information@zuerich.com

Hotel reservations
044 215 40 40
hotel@zuerich.com

Passes:
The ZürichCARD, available for 24 or 72 hours,offers unlimited travel within the Zurich canton, free admission to over 40 museums, reduced admission to the zoo and a complimentary welcome drink at over 20 restaurants. You can buy the cards at the train stations, many hotels and some of the main VBZ ticket offices around town. There is a full downloadable guide to the ZürichCARD at

Transport times: Regular services from 5am until 00:30am
Friday and Saturday 1am until 4am.

Facts and figures:
Inhabitants city 383,565
Inhabitants canton 1.30m
Proportion of foreigners 31%
Currency Swiss Francs (CHF)
Colloquial language German ( Swiss German)
Other languages English, Italian, French

By Catherine Balavage