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AUSCHWITZ REVISITED

9/9/2016

The ongoing controversy about asylum seekers and migrants - and especially the plight of unaccompanied children in the Jungle at Calais - can't help but resonate for me with my father's experience in pre-war Germany.

In 1938, as a 13 year old Jewish lad he was sent by his parents from the town of Ratibor to England under the Kindertransport programme and re-settled in the UK.

Immediately, he was set to work on a farm in Derbyshire, while his 11-year old brother Werner who'd accompanied him was adopted by a family in Southampton and allowed to complete his schooling.

It's hard to imagine the mental anguish of an adolescent boy arriving in a strange country with an unfamiliar language, separated from his sibling by 200 miles and uncertain about what was happening to his family.

Yet however tough it was, my Dad's fate was certainly preferable to those he left behind. His mother, father, grandad, aunts and uncles all perished - with Auschwitz their final destination.

So I'm baffled that so many people ask, "How can parents send their kids, unaccompanied, hundreds of miles from home?" In most cases, I'm guessing it's because it gives those youngsters a way out of Hell and offers them at least a chance of survival.

A trip to Auschwitz is a grisly reminder of what can happen to those who stay behind.

I've been twice now, and the industrial scale of the extermination - the banal architecture of death - never fails to appal.

It was a destiny my Dad cheated only because of the singular generosity of the British people.

The likes of Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, or Somalia might not be directly comparable to Nazi Germany of course - and solutions that worked in the 1930's aren't automatically transferable to 2016 either.

But visiting this bleak, hideous death camp is a stomach churning, rage-inducing reminder that truly evil people sometimes do astonishingly terrible things.

What loving parent wouldn't want their kids to avoid the consequences of that.

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POSTCARDS #3 - OXFORD

31/5/2016

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Who'd be a cabbie in Oxford? The old university town is such a joy to walk around that earning a living plying for hire must be a thankless task.

There are so many gorgeous buildings, spanning several centuries, that going the long way around is always to be recommended - at least as a tourist.

Whether Oxford is quite such a joy to navigate on a daily basis is doubtful. The massive park and ride schemes that girdle the city hint at gridlocked rush hour mayhem, and even the simple task of buying a lunchtime sarnie is complicated by the queues of French and American tourists.

There are other problems too - most obviously housing. I spent a few days in Jericho, an inner city grid of streets ten minutes walk from the centre. This was traditionally bohemian bedsitter land - the spriritual home of Radiohead and site of the first Supergrass gig. Now the asking price for a modest terraced house is in the region of £750,000.

Oxford's wealth is reflected in a flourishing restaurant scene, though this being one of the UK's global centres of academic excellence, there's no particular premium on bling - brainpower is as useful as horsepower, and a bike has much cachet as a BMW.

With apologies to the taxi drivers, though, Shanks's Pony is the best way to navigate one of the most beautiful cities in England.

Oxford may be seen as a bastion of privilege, but it's riverside meadows and majestic colleges are free for any oik to enjoy - even me.

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HALFWAY TO PARADISE

24/4/2016

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Like any great city, Birmingham is a restless, organic creation. Its latest revolution involves the unmaking of Madin - John Madin, the Modernist architect responsible for the city's uncompromising Central Library, hailed by some as a Brutalist masterpiece, reviled by others as a concrete monstrosity.

Whatever your view, the location dubbed Paradise Circus - where the library stood as a centrepiece and a counterpoint to the Victorian splendour of the Town Hall, the Council House and Art Gallery - has always seemed like something of an oxymoron. Paradise, it wasn't.

For one thing, the scheme was never completed to Madin's specification - the library should have been clad in Travertine marble, but when the money ran out in the early 70's it was left standing in all its naked concrete glory.

Plans to relocate the city's central bus station from Digbeth were also shelved, leaving a gloomy and sometimes threatening walkway linking the civic quarter to the more modern prospect of the Rep Theatre.

This dank precinct came to symbolise Birmingham's blundering town planning, and although it was later given something a makeover, it's transformation into a downmarket shopping mall did nothing to rouse the spirits. Only the dossers who slept rough in its more obscure corners will miss it.

So, to 2016, and the re-invention of the area - a scheme so vast that it's causing months of traffic diversions and delays in the city centre. Madin's library - with it's "inverted ziggurat" that made it look larger at the top than the bottom - is being swept away, along with all that surrounded it.

Paradise lost? Hardly.

The development that replaces it - according to images posted around the site - will shimmer with glass and steel, as new office blocks and retail units muscle in.

Only time will tell if this is Paradise Regained.

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MOSELEY FOLK 2015

20/10/2015

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As the dark nights encroach and we prepare to hunker down for winter, let's have one last bask in the warm glow of summer and remember one of the musical highlights of the year - Moseley Folk Festival, held in a beautiful private park in Birmingham's most, ahem, bohemian neighbourhood.

There's no camping on site which tends to encourage a local crowd, and the emphasis is on chat and boozing as much as the music - at least until the latter stages of the evening. With headliners like The Monkees, Gaz Coombes and Polyphonic Spree, the organisers have a pretty elastic definition of "folk", too, but who cares?

Moseley has a bespoke, family friendly atmosphere and a unique spirit. Here's to next year...

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LENNY HENRY'S DUDLEY PREMIERE

21/8/2015

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It's not often that the words "Dudley" and "premiere" are mentioned in the same sentence, but last night Lenny Henry strode along the red carpet in his home town for the first public screening of his drama "Danny and the Human Zoo".

This feature length semi-autobiography airs on BBC1 on Bank Holiday Monday and recounts Danny's (ie Lenny's) torrid teenage years when he became an overnight sensation on TV talent show New Faces before enduring the indignity of performing with the Black And White Minstrels.

I was invited to compere the Q&A after the show, but some of the best fun was to be had outside as Lenny rolled up in a chauffeur driven limo at the Showcase Cinema, and joshed with the queuing fans. Unlike the frenzy you might see at a Leicester Square premiere, this was a down to earth, typically Black Country affair, the star posing for selfies and hugging long lost friends.

Also on the red carpet were Director Destiny Ekhagara (in the blue dress), and Khasion Franklin who plays the young Lenny.

"Danny and The Human Zoo" doesn't shy away from the racism - overt and otherwise - of the era, but it simultaneously celebrates the achievements and opportunities of the immigrant experience; not to mention Danny's hard won wisdom in the face of a shocking family secret.

Well worth watching.

Danny and The Human Zoo is on BBC1 at 9pm on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31

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POSTCARDS: #2 LIVERPOOL

19/8/2015

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As an infrequent (but extremely willing) visitor to Liverpool, I can't help but be struck by the discrepancy between the city now and when I first knew it in the 80's.

Then, Merseyside was on its knees, laid low by forces as varied as the decline of Empire, the kill or cure economic medicine of Thatcherism, and the self destructive urges of Militant Tendency. Two football tragedies in the space of four years - Heysel and Hillsborough - didn't help, and even now a tabloid and terrace mythology persists that the 'Pool has a victim mentality and thinks the world owes it a living.

For what it's worth, I've always found the other prevailing legend to be more accurate. The Liverpool I know is a place of happy go lucky wit, and easy banter. There's sometimes an edge of course - no big city can do without it - not to mention the defiant braggadocio of a population that has been sneered at once too often.

But let's face it, Liverpool has loads to boast about. It's economic renaissance is as remarkable as its Imperial architecture; and when it comes to musical heritage The Beatles just about trumps any global brand short of Elvis. Just to make sure, though, a second wave of Merseybeat gave us Echo & The Bunnymen, OMD and The Lightning Seeds.

Having cornered the market in pop, it then went and did the popular culture Double in the 80's by providing a home to one of the most successful football teams in Europe.

It hasn't got it all right, mind. It seems to me that the showpiece Three Graces which adorn the waterfront have been deliberately and provocatively challenged by modern seafront buildings which, though interesting in their own right, sit at odds with their historical setting; and the concentration of wonderful museums down at Albert Dock has created a self-contained "Tourist Quarter" which means some visitors might give the rest of the city a miss altogether.

That would be a pity. Whether it's the two great cathedrals (and I don't mean Anfield or Goodison), the five theatres or just the craic to be found in a random pub, Liverpool is a rarity - an earthy working class city where artistic creativity and simply being different is indulged. I love it.

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STONE FOUNDATION ALBUM LAUNCH

7/8/2015

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Stone Foundation are clearly old enough to know better - but here they are, four blokes well past the first flush of youth, giving it their all for the sake of making their own sweet, soul music.

Normally there are eight of them, but tonight's show at The Brewdog in Birmingham is performed by a slimmed down version of the band, hammering through a few of their latest numbers before the crowd settles back to hear new album "A Life Unlimited" over the P.A.

As singer-guitarist Neil Jones gives it the full-on, neck bulging emote during "Pushing Your Love", the thought strikes you that these guys could easily earn a comfortable crust knocking out Motown covers for the wedding circuit - or maybe they could hustle a living as a Blues Brothers tribute act.

But that just wouldn't be good enough. Though clearly enamoured of the classic sounds of black America - not to mention a plentiful dash of Van Morrison and Dexy's - Stone Foundation are all about taking inspiration from the music they love, not merely copying it.

It's an approach which has won the backing of Northern Soul legend Nolan Porter - now a regular collaborator - and, on their latest release, Graham Parker - one of Britain's greatest white "black" voices.

Like so many thoroughly worthwhile bands, they suffer from the chronic lack of airplay on UK radio for musicians who aren't backed by oodles of record company payola and/or don't look like they would adorn your daughter's bedroom wall.

Yet they already have a following in Japan and must surely be close to something like a breakthrough here. You have to believe that songwriting and musicianship of this quality can't be ignored.

They're touring with the full complement in the autumn and should not be missed.

"A Life Unlimited Is Out Now".

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ENGLAND TAKE 2-1 ASHES LEAD

2/8/2015

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There's no pretence at art about the thumbnails below - they're just fan photos taken from the Priory Stand at Edgbaston on Friday afternoon.

Still, they capture a wonderful moment in English cricket - the seconds after Alastair Cook's side clinched an eight wicket win over the Aussies to take a 2-1 lead in the Ashes.

The only time I ever bunked off school was to see an England v Australia Test - even as a youngster I realised that the chance to see Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in their prime was worth a detention.

For years the Aussies had it over us, until the unforgettable series of 2005, when England claimed the urn for the first time in 18 years.

Back then, the Edgbaston test was a crucial turning point, with England winning by just two runs, and and after a caning at Lords, the Birmingham stadium could once again prove to be a turning point.

With Warwickshire's homegrown star Ian Bell unbeaten at the crease in the second innings (rescuing his Test career as well as his team) alongside Joe Root - who thumped the winning four - it was a good day all round for the home fans, marred only by the knowledge that top bowler Jimmy Anderson will miss the next match with a side strain.

The visitors, though, are no pushovers. A Test which threatened to be over within two days, ultimately stretched into two full sessions on Day 3.

Although the result was never in doubt after Australia were bowled out for 136 in the first innings, obstinate batting down the order by Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc ensured that England had to wait for victory.

There are undoubtedly more tough challenges ahead.

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THE NEW NEW STREET

25/7/2015

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Birmingham's "new" New Street station is vital to the renaissance of a city widely perceived as lagging behind Manchester in pursuit of regional pre-eminence.

It's coming in at a cost of £600million - part-funded by the national and local government, with developers Mace stumping up the rest.

A flagship John Lewis store will be the retail anchor of the Grand Central shopping mall that will occupy the upper floor, giving Brum a shopping "offer" unrivalled outside of London - the massive Bullring development is only over the road from the station's new main entrance and the upmarket Mailbox a short walk away will shortly boast a revamped Harvey Nicks.

It remains to be seen whether this is a sensible trade-off for failing to deal with the chronic track congestion at New Street, which continue to blight national and local rail links.

In the meantime, as these pictures show, work is continuing apace ahead of the opening in September.

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MORE THAN A CLUB - BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER?

8/12/2014

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It is a joke, right? Tomorrow we'll wake up to find that it was all just a publicity stunt - won't we?

I'm talking, of course, about the decision by Barcelona Football Club to allow their historic scarlet and blue shirt to be tarnished with hoops, rather than vertical stripes.

Sportswear manufacturer Nike is apparently concerned that churning out yet another version of the traditional top with just a minor tweak here or there won't be a merch magnet - so they want a mould-breaking design to entice the punters.

It's caused a huge kerfuffle in Spain, with one survey showing that 78% oppose the move - which would break more than 115 years of history. And for what? A few thousand more on Barca's bottom line? But at what cost to their reputation and brand.

Now I can already hear the non-football fans wondering what all the fuss is about. It's only a piece of cloth right? Barcelona will still have 11 quality players representing them on the field and if you don't like the clobber they're wearing, well you don't have to buy it.

And normally you'd have a point. The difference here is that Barca's shirt has come to symbolise a collective history that has meaning way beyond the confines of the Camp Nou.

Their official slogan "mes que un club" - or "more than a club" - wasn't dreamt up in some pompous adman's imagination. It's a reflection of the bitter struggle faced by the Catalan people to affirm their identity during the years of repression following the Spanish Civil War.

As the club's own website explains General Franco banned both the Catalan spelling of the club's name and, yes, the four Catalan stripes on the Barca crest. And those stripes, reflected in the design of the shirt, were vertical.

Despite Franco's two-footed tackle, football stadia became the one place where overt displays of Catalan identity were tolerated - and so grew the idea of political resistance through football. This explains why even now, almost four decades after Franco's death, games between Barcelona and the General's favourites Real Madrid remain so highly charged.

There aren't many clubs in world football who can truly claim to be "more than a club" - in that they embody values or ideals that go beyond traditional sportsmanship and fair play. Being a winner a la Manchester United or Real Madrid might win you a global fanbase, but the support these clubs attracts is based on the (thoroughly human) desire to bask in the reflected glory of a successful team - not on any greater notion or ideal.

In the UK, Celtic and Rangers are perhaps the only examples of clubs who stand for an idea beyond their immediate local identity - for better of worse, both are "more than a club." So too are Germany's St Pauli - who've become a magnet for left-wingers on the terraces, standing for anti-racism and the idea of community. Continued struggles on the pitch do nothing to dent their appeal.

There are other examples - Real Sociedad, for example, traditionally performed the same role for the Basque community as Barca did for the Catalans.

Of course, when it comes to building up your international profile, it doesn't harm to have a few great players in the ranks - and from Cruyff to Messi, from Laudrup to Iniesta, Camp Nou has long played host to some of the world's finest talents.

But it's not that which makes it "more than a club". As a trip to their fantastic museum (pictures below) reminds you, the sense of what Barcelona is - it's heart and soul - is derived from many years of bitter struggle.

And that shirt - those stripes - are central to its identity.

Barca are more than a club - but for how much longer?