Latest music DVDs reviewed
THE CURE
Live Trilogy in Berlin (Blu-Ray)
ADA
****
At a 2002 concert in Berlin, Robert Smith announced that The Cure would play (in their entirety)
Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers. For Smith, the three albums were "inextricably linked", and this splendidly filmed affair demonstrates their many lyrical and musical overlaps. At around three hours, this is quite a Curefest. The band are in excellent form throughout, belting out the songs with goth gusto. It's a very complete package, with some good extras. Smith was quoted later as saying that performing
Trilogyin this manner was a real career highlight for him – which should be recommendation enough.
BRIAN BOYD
IGGY POP
Lust for Life
ABC/Voiceprint
***
There are few perfromers in rock'n'roll as compelling as Iggy Pop – he remains pre-eminent at distilling the essence of risk, passion and playfulness in music, and any excuse to see him is a good one. What makes this DVD (filmed for Dutch television in 1986) so watchable is the disparity between his live performances and the collected interview snippets. On stage, he is possessed, off stage he is poised. While the live performances here capture a side to the man we've seen before, the interviews do not; between rare chat show footage and archive material, we see Pop talk candidly and eloquently on creative stasis, drug dependency and David Bowie. For Stooges fans there is also interview footage with the late guitarist Ron Asheton. Extras in this surprisingly rounded documentary include rare live clips.
TONY CLAYTON-LEA
