"Spirituality can be found in all sorts of places... try looking beyond established religions and into the world of art in its many forms..."
May 2009 - One of my favourite bands at the moment has to be Wiccan/Pagan/Gothic/ethereal rockers Inkubus Sukkubus. I saw them at an intimate gig in Sheffield on May 2nd. They are without peer. And they deserve to be massive. Check out their Wytches, Beltaine and Away With the Faeries albums in particular. A heady, passionate, intoxicating, deeply spiritual brew of love and magick and myth...
20th March 2008 - Glacier at The Stafford Gatehouse. This is a dance performance on the general theme of climate change by a troupe of 7 outstanding dancers choreographed by Maresa von Stockert. I'm at a loss for words to describe this unbelievably powerful artistic experience. If you have or have had the great good fortune to encounter Glacier for yourself, you know what I'm blathering on about. I wrote an email to Maresa in the stunned aftermath of the performance tonight. This is what I wrote:
Dear Maresa,
Whilst I have been a great enthusiast for the arts all of my (relatively) short life, I would say that my experience of transcendence in art - either as a performer or as an audience member - has been restricted to a handful of times. Tonight (20th March 2008) has certainly been one of those times. I took my wife along to The Stafford Gatehouse to catch Glacier. We were intrigued, challenged, stupified, exhilarated, entertained... absolutely awestruck. Before last Sunday, I'd never heard of you or your work. So our expectations were modest. But we've staggered out of the theatre in a state of transcendent shock. We were astounded by the incredible physicality on show. We were spellbound by the stories the dancers told. For approximately 30 seconds at the very beginning, I thought we were in for an excruciatingly pretentious time. I began to brace myself for extraordinary tedium. Instead, I encountered heartwarming, breathtaking novelty onstage. The dancing spoke to my brain, my body, my emotions, my reason and unreason. It was a unique experience, a magical experience. A profoundly spiritual experience. I feel so utterly inspired. So does my wife. Please don't stop doing what you do. Ever.
Namaste, Peace&Light from
Chintan Nanavati
This is the seminal, beautiful, rocking paean to the wonders of Nature in all Her manifold glory from enlightened Dutch musical masters (and mistress!) Within Temptation.
This is an astonishing album from massively underrated Nottingham-based thrash maestros Sabbat. It is a multi-layered, ethereal masterpiece... an impassioned critique of the arrogance, violence and disconnectedness of proseletyzing missionaries... a joyous hymn to Paganism to boot! Sheer, spiritual poetry from start to finish.