Lauren Booth

In Texas, a Golden Age for Smoked Meat

There's a barbecue revolution afoot. Put a tiara on that slab of meat and give it a dozen roses. Barbecue is the new beauty queen in the culinary world. For many of us, smoked meat is as right as being born a Texan, or getting here as soon as you could. Brisket and ribs are clogging our veins and ... More >>

Kaaaaaahn! Just One Reason to Follow Star Trek Into Darkness

Captain Kirk and company take up the War on Terror.

Globe-Trotting Banana Car Survived Yesterday's Deadly Storms Under a Tarp in Dallas

First, a bit of background. There's a giant banana-shaped car making its way across the country right now. It's official name is the Big Banana Car, and it's the brainchild of a Brit named Steve Braithwaite who, along with his brother, is "making a documentary film about building a huge banana car a ... More >>

The Five Best Songs Protesting Margaret Thatcher's Policies

Update: Judy Garland's "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" is forecast to be #1 on the British charts on Sunday, the day the official charts are released. I'm not even shitting you. This means that it will end up being played on Radio 1's Sunday Chart Show. Radio 1 is a Government-owned broadcaster. Can y ... More >>

The Spring Breakification of the Disney Princess Complex

Spring Breakers is Harmony Korine's most accessible -- and yet his most experimental -- movie yet.

Eden's Shameful Pass at "High Tea" Tempts an Englishman to Sin

Sometimes a brisket-loving expatriate Brit just needs a taste of home, so we've sent our Englishman in BBQ Sauce on a trek to sample Dallas' version of cream tea. We hope Anglo-American relations will withstand the stress. Deep down, I knew that Maudee's, with its understanding of appropriate tea a ... More >>

Five Awesome UK Rock Bands That Never Made it in the US

While the UK-US flow of music has become more than the steady one-way stream of US rock of the last two decades (presumably thanks to the internet), I've noticed you enjoy importing our wimpiest bands, like the dull drone of Mumford and Sons or the operatic cock-rock of Muse. Here are some UK bands, ... More >>

At Long Last, David Chase Achieves His Rock 'n' Roll Dreams

Don't stop believing

Pay Now, Eat Later: A Brit's Revolutionary Path to BBQ Riches

Editor's note: To spare you the suspense -- and possible expense -- we're just going let you know upfront: Gavin here is talking about North Main BBQ, 406 North Main St., Euless. So, please, no matter how often he asks -- and that will be often -- do not send him cash, checks, bank account informati ... More >>

A Girl Named Richard

Two Nations Separated by a Common Language

Christ, It's Another Red Dawn

North Koreans (and audiences) go home unhappy.

Get To Know Your 2012 DOMA Nominees: Pinkish Black

Leading up to our November 10 showcase, we'll be getting you familiar with some of our Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees, either via past features we've done on them, or new ones. You can vote for your favorite acts, venues and more right here. This piece originally appeared in our May 10 issue ... More >>

Lost on the Moors in a Foggy Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights: Black Like Me

Andrea Arnold's adaptation of Brontë braves lines of color

The Self-Limited Vision of Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights

Brooding in perspective

An Englishman Says Dat Really is Some Good BBQ Up in Lewisville, By Jove.

This week, recently re-documented alien Gavin rolls with the chaps in Lewisville, where he recovers from his Dickey's experience with some deliciousness at Dat's Good BBQ. For those of you who haven't ventured up into the frozen northern reaches of the metro area (it's like how I imagine life is no ... More >>

The Secret Chain Restaurant and Fast-Food Shame of an Englishman

You see all those chain restaurants, Dallas? All those bright shiny lights, beckoning you in to eat products of a questionable providence at a price so reasonable there's no need to go home and time-consumingly construct a meal for your baying, hungry, ungrateful family? You grew up around them (the ... More >>

T. Tex Edwards Digs Up John Fahey, The Hangmen

We've started poking around in locals' iTunes, iPods, Spotify playlists, CD players, cassette decks, turntables and brains with one question in mind: What are you listening to? We don't even care if it's good, we just want to know what the music community has been obsessing over, playing on repeat, ... More >>

Olympics in England, SNACK on Henderson and A Hot Mess: This Week in Dallas Eats

The opening ceremonies have just kicked off, and the Olympics are under way. Seems like a good time to check in with our resident Brit for his primer on food from the other side of the pond. While most of the dishes Gavin Cleaver listed are impossible to find here in Dallas, you can find some decent ... More >>

In Trishna, Michael Winterbottom takes Hardy's Tess to today's Mumbai

The Stoner Movie That Wasn't: Five Indicted in Mortgage-Fraud/Pot-Selling Scheme

Two brothers, the (now ex) wife of one brother, and a British dude hatch a plan. Playing on their collective entrepreneurial spirit, they'll start a company. They'll market it as a foreclosure rescue service -- you know, to help people. Anyone in danger of foreclosure can call them, then they'll ren ... More >>

Ain't No Call fer Us to Pick a Side in Them Rich Folks' Museum Feudin'

Update/Correction/Apology/Literary Forehead Slap: The premise of this column is a stupid mistake on my part. For some time I have labored under the impression that Lucy Crow Billingsley, a daughter of Trammell Crow, was an early partner with John Sughrue in the development of Museum Tower. That's wr ... More >>

The British Beverage Co. Invades Uptown This Fall

Anglophiles rejoice -- Uptown will soon be home to another den of fish and chips and football. (And by football, we mean soccer.) Owners Larry Martin and Edgar Carlson, who are also behind the chain Sherlock's Baker Street Pub, will open the British Beverage Co. in the Quadrangle at 2800 Routh St. ... More >>

Beneath The Dead Eyes: Two Writers Correspond Via Letters About Boy Bands

Welcome to Dear Audra/Dear Hunter, where Audra Schroeder and Hunter Hauk correspond through a series of dramatic letters about pop culture that flummoxes us, like we're Marlene Dietrich and Noël Coward. Dear Audra, I don't know if I can handle it again. I've been seeing headlines to the effect o ... More >>

Young The Giant, The David Mayfield Parade and This Weekend's Best Shows

​It's a weekend full of some pretty good shows and some pretty bad ones too. One of the biggest bills is Young The Giant and Grouplove at The Prophet Bar. If you didn't already get tickets, it's sold out. Check the print section for previews of Pinkish Black and Nervous Curtains at Lola's and Ed S ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Friday 3/16/2012

If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the chaos, Village Voice Media's roving music editors have selected t ... More >>

GCB Can't Be That Over-The-Top

Yeah, OK, OK, I get that GCB is going to be a send-up of drunk bitchy Christian women in the Park Cities. I'm all for that. I just hope the comedic voice of the TV series doesn't serve to obscure the fact that it's true. Alan Peppard had a funny piece in The Dallas Morning News yesterday about all ... More >>

We Bought a Zoo: Not for Cynical Beasts

Matt Damon needs your love.

Over the Weekend: Puscifer, Carina Round at the Majestic Theater

Over the Weekend: Puscifer, Carina Round Majestic Theater Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 Better than: A Perfect Circle's set at the Verizon Theatre earlier this year. A scene from Puscifer's "Conditions of My Parole"​ If you wondered what Puscifer is about, well, their 75-minute performance o ... More >>

73-Year-Old Dallas Man Convicted In International Telecom Swindle Worth $60 Mil

​Michael Signoretto is 73, and as of today the Dallas man faces up to 40 years in federal prison for his role in defrauding two British telecommunications companies out of of more than $60 million. Signoretto, who was just found guilty by a federal jury, didn't do this alone. He had plenty of co-c ... More >>

Get To Know Your DOMAXXIII Nominees: Best Indie Act, Best Jazz Act, Best Latin/Tejano Act

​Welcome to our 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards breakdown, wherein we'll use the weeks leading up to the DOMA showcases on Saturday, October 15 (which is also when voting ends), to explain the nominees in each category Today, we look at the nominees in the Best Indie Act, Best Jazz ... More >>

Picking Apart The Dallas Morning News' Smug Sense of Its Own Virtue

​Quite a bit of chest-puffing harrumphing holier-than-thou going on over at The Dallas Morning News editorial page today, with a self-congratulatory ditty about that dirty Rupert Murdoch, about those nasty dirty Brit tabloids and about how happy the News is with itself for being ... well ... y ... More >>

Last Night: Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj at the American Airlines Center

Britney Spears, Nicki NinajAmerican Airlines CenterJuly 12, 2011Better than: most shows by folks who actually sing, dance and write their own music. Mike MezeulIt's Britney, bitch. For more photos from last night's performance, check out the slideshow.​ Here's the thing about Britney: She's a med ... More >>

Last Night: The Rosebuds and Other Lives at Dada

The Rosebuds, Other Lives Dada June 23, 2011 Better than: a fried onion at an Aussie-themed steak house.The Rosebuds​The Rosebuds have what every other band worth its salt wants: Charisma. Sheer, raw charisma that makes connecting with fans a simple act. A smile, a nod, a knowing remark -- all de ... More >>

Before He Celebrates 17 Years of Hosting The Adventure Club, Josh Venable Looks At Its Past

Josh Venable​Halfway through our talk with KDGE-102.1 FM The Edge radio host Josh Venable, he excuses himself from the conversation."Hold on for one second, I've got to do a break real fast," he says, before pausing to clear his throat as the last notes of Jane's Addiction's "Jane Says" play in th ... More >>

For Your Weekend Listening Pleasure: Bob Wills, Who Died 36 Years Ago Today

This photo of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys was taken at the Ranch House and comes from the MySpace page of former Playboys vocalist Ramona Reed, who joined the band in 1951​Kosse, down in Limestone County, is known as the "Little Town With a Big Heart" -- and as the birthplace of Bob Wills, wh ... More >>

The Problem With... Jessie J's "Price Tag"

In the last quarter, we've seen a handful of British artists arrive at the top of American charts. We've had Adele, with her soul sound that draws in people over 30. Ellie Goulding, too, with her hipster-approved Swedish bicycle. Rapper Tinie Tempah, meanwhile, has doled out some Yeezy-tier producti ... More >>

Sleigh Bells Ring. Are You Listening?

Air Review Follow Good Records Recordings' Lead With New Single Release Model For New EP, Offers Stream Of New Song, "America's Son"

Will Von BoltonAir Review​ Back in January, you may recall, we passed along a new Air Review track called "Waiting Lessons," which the supremely talented local band offered up to DC9 readers as a free download, all while warning that the song would not be included in the band's forthcoming America ... More >>

Kirby Brown

Child Of Calamity (Self-released)

Listomania: The Ten Best Bands That Might Actually Be Cults

Listen: When you all wear the same uniform, people are gonna accuse you of being a cult.​There are plenty of bands over the years who have used the word "cult" in their names. From '70s hard rockers Blue Oyster Cult to '80s Brit rockers The Cult to '90s art rockers Cloud Cult to current indie darl ... More >>

Bonus MP3: Kirby Brown -- "No, MY Generation"

Jim WallKirby Brown​In the paper version of DC9 that will be distributed around town later today, Daniel Hopkins takes a long, hard look at Child of Calamity, the two-years-in-the-making debut, full-length release from folksy local roots rocker Kirby Brown, who will celebrate the release of his ne ... More >>

Over The Weekend: The Pretty Recklesss at the House of Blues' Cambridge Room

Taylor Momsen​The Pretty RecklessFebruary 19, 2011House of Blues' Cambridge RoomBetter than: my Chuck Bass impression.It was easy to anticipate what the crowd at the House of Blues' Cambridge Room was going to look like on Saturday night -- moms dropping off their high school-aged daughters in min ... More >>

Q&A: Tokyo Police Club Drummer Greg Alsop Talks Vegetables, One-Hit Wonders Glass Tiger and Making Eye Contact With Rivers Cuomo

It's not often that, when you call up a band for an interview, the conversation gets kicked off by the interview subject asking the interviewer what to do with a vegetable that "looks like an old lady's finger." And yet, when I recently caught up with Tokyo Police Club drummer Greg Alsop in advance ... More >>

Les Americains

Les Americains (Self-released)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: The kids are definitely not all right.

Mission To The Sea

Tranquilo Self Released

Mumiy Troll

Tuesday, September 7, at The Loft

Review: Pho New Bay