Alma Kelleher is a composer, sound designer and musician, working across a range of media, from large-scale theatre to dance, live art, film, commercials and everything inbetween - she also makes electro-folk music as Lux Alma, and has just released a new single, As The Leaves Fall.
We asked Alma for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
Without a shadow of a doubt, KPop Demon Hunters. Yes it's a cartoon, yes it's technically for children but the sense of unbridled joy when watching this was unparalleled. The music is so good, the style is so playful. And good luck getting the tunes out of your head for the month after watching it. Absolute gold.
MUSIC
I'm eternally drawn to Susanne Sundfør - a norwegian composer and singer who straddles the world of polished pop and high drama so beautifully. Her work is as catchy as it is haunting and her albums The Silicone Veil and Ten Love Songs are particular favourites.
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BOOK
I recently read a beautiful novel called The Glass Maker by Tracy Chevalier, who wrote The Girl with the Pearl Earring. It follows the Murano glass craftspeople of Venice from 1450 to present day and is both a beautiful love story and a detailed look into the art of glass making. It made me want to go to Murano immediately.
PLAY
A show I think about all the time is Lost Lear by Dan Colley. He deals so elegantly with huge concepts like what it feels like to have dementia and what it is to care for an elderly parent. He doesn't just tell you about it, he draws you into the feeling itself - it's remarkable. And his use of multimedia in that show is quite perfect - loads of bells and whistles but each one fully earns its place on the stage. It's touring various countries around the world so if you get a chance, go see it!
TV
This isn't new but I'm currently in the depths of Peaky Blinders. I'm now so immersed in the world that I'm dreaming about the Shelby brothers and am developing a mild Birmingham accent. It's beautifully made and utterly compelling.
GIG
Tonight i'm going to see For Those I Love in Mike the Pies, Listowel. I'm super excited to see such an expansive act in an intimate venue.
And at the other end of the scale, the last gig I went to was Dua Lipa at the Aviva Statium. That was a masterclass in arena performance - she was incredible from start to finish - super slick vocals, brilliant dance moves and all around great craic.
ART
The last piece of art that stopped me in my tracks was a piece called Due Qui by Massimo Bartolini. It was Italy's entry to the 2024 Venice Biennale and consisted of a central sculpture with huge surrounding scaffolding and and a musical composition by Caterina Barbieri and Kali Malone played on a giant deconstructed organ that was spread around the room. Some of the pipes were like 50m long and the sound so low it was felt, not heard. It was so incredibly moving and I still don't quite know why.
PODCAST
The Empire podcast is my current favourite - presented by an English historian living in India, and an English journalist of Indian heritage. It's a wonderful look into how the British empire has affected the world, without shying away from the harm that has been done, from the East India Company to their colonisation of Ireland and even a super fun series on pirates!
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TECH
My most valued app these days is a blocker called Screen Zen which kicks me out of Instagram after 5 minutes. Great to help break the doom scroll cycle.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
Hmmm... this is a tough one. I feel like we've diffused into such micro-cultures that what's absolutely massive for one person might pass another person by completely (like what the hell is a Labubu?). I think the next big thing for me is delving into South Korean film and music. They've made some of the best things I've seen in the last few years so I look forward to doing a deep dive this Autumn.
As The Leaves Fall by Lux Alma is out now - find out more here
