Meltdown Festival is a music festival with a difference.
Starting on a Saturday and ending the following Sunday, it stretches
luxuriously over 9 days. This means you never have to worry about acts
clashing. You can see whoever takes your fancy. Because the festival is at
London’s South Bank, there’s no camping or concerns about British weather or
any need for wellies. Each year’s festivities is put together by a music icon,
so you get to immerse yourself in their tastes and influences.
This year, Nile Rodgers, songwriter, producer, guitar legend
and king of disco was the “curator” of the festival. Naturally, there was a lot
of focus on guitar music. But Nile is a man of varied tastes, so his selections
took in jazz, blues, indie and, of course, funk.
I was lucky enough to see Nile Rodgers speak about his
career and his many fruitful musical collaborations. He even treated us to the
earliest ever demo of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, having told us the most
thrilling history of that particular song. Who knew Bowie originally wrote it
as a folk rock song? And who would believe we would get to hear Bowie slowly
appreciating how it could work as a funk rock song? Only Nile Rodgers could
have been responsible for that sound and that radical change of direction.
Nile Rodgers brought his band along with him, and seeing
Chic is always a treat. They are a super tight band, with vocal power and
tonnes of soul. They didn’t disappoint, with the whole of the Royal Festival
Hall on its feet, dancing for all it was worth.
Nile hosted some of his favourite musicians and I was able
to catch shows by Johnny Marr and Songhoy Blues. Both have bands with strong
guitar sounds, but could not be more different from each other. Desert blues
and British Indie royalty. Again, only Nile Rodgers could bring those
influences together.
This month’s photos are from Nile Rodgers’ Meltdown Festival
2019. I wonder who will be running the show next year?
Hope you enjoy the photos and my selections of my favourite
things this post month.
Recipes:
Wear an apron when cooking. Don't wear a white shirt while
eating. Laksa is a Malaysian/Singaporean institution: a colourful and spicy
noodle soup. Here's Felicity Cloake on how to make the perfect Laksa: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/jul/24/how-to-cook-the-perfect-laksa-recipe
MiMi Aye's Red Prawn Curry (Pazun See-pyan) from her new
Burmese cook book Mandalay!
Looking for an alternative to a Sunday roast? How about this
Summery Lamb and aubergine stew with houmous served up with Mediterranean
flatbreads?
Grilling aubergines brings out the best in them. Here are
some recipe inspiration - with cute baharat parcels, a creamy dip and stunning
salad.
Summertime cordial recipes: cucumber and lime, peach and
basil, and strawberry and cardamom cordial:
Got a pint of milk you might not use? Already cooking with
some chillis? The bacteria in the chilli stalks can be used to make your own
yoghurt! https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/aug/10/homemade-yoghurt-recipe-chilli-stalks-waste-not-tom-hunt
Sushi rice has to be sticky, with a slight touch of
sweetness. Here's how to make sushi rice with full instructions and videos:
https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to-cook/how-to-make-sushi-rice
Potato and chick pea masala:
Grilled portobello mushrooms and red peppers, in this rocket
and couscous salad, suitable for vegetarians: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/easy/a33405/grilled-veggie-couscous-salad
Chicken, giant couscous and harissa broth. Use giant
couscous, don't substitute. https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/healthy/chicken-giant-couscous-broth
Articles:
Food writer Sejal Sukhadwala picks out London's best meat
free restaurants. List with map and reviews. Absolutely agree with Vanilla
Black and Mildreds.
Every Summer, legal geniuses Sean Jones QC and Dominic Regan
go through the arduous process of tasting the Summer's new crop of wines. They
suffer for their art! Here are their picks for this Summer. I definitely agree
that the Aldi Cotes de Provence (with the bottle embossed with flowers) is a
great value, great wine: https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/summer-wine-2019
As Chef Cyrus Todiwala prepares to open his new restaurant
"Tandem" in Leicester, he took a few moments to talk to Seetal Savla
about the restaurant trade, his faith and his rules for life: http://www.savlafaire.com/cyrus-todiwala-interview
TV:
Year Of The Rabbit
REM at the BBC
Catch-22
Film:
The Favourite
Music:
Johnny Marr – Call The Comet
Songhoy Blues – Music In Exile
Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of
these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not
receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links
or recommendations.