Outline’s Best Of 2020
David Vass
Best album - Sparks - A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
Back in the stone age of the 1970s, two brothers from California Shoe were shoe-horned into glam rock. Who could have possibly imagined that Sparks would still be pumping out music forty-three years later? A steady drip, drip, drip ably describes their sneaky morphing from poptastic chart toppers to art house musos.
The duo has a special place in my heart as it was at their 2017 gig at the Waterfront that I bumped into Lizz and she invited me to write for Outline.
Best song - Matt Lucas – Thank You Baked Potato
A fine song in its own right, it was then inestimably improved by some notable duets (check them out on youtube) with the likes of Rick Astley, Brian May, Michael Ball and Gary Barlow
Best film - Parasite
Deservedly, the first foreign language film to win an Oscar for best film, the movie mercilessly explores the director’s distrust of wealth and authority. Shakespearean in scale, it morphs from comedy to thriller and back again. It is meticulously plotted, perfectly cast, and hugely entertaining.
Best streaming event - 2020 Poetry & Storytelling Festival from the Harmony Theatre in Amsterdam.
Forced online for its second outing, the festival featured mainly poets and storytellers from the Netherlands, as well as a few acts from the US and the UK. Shamelessly, I’m name checking the festival because I was one of the performers, and relished every virtual minute.
Best TV Show - White House Farm
A well-acted, chilling docu-drama that managed to be engaging without being sensational. It somehow managed to be suspenseful even if you knew how it all turned out in the end.
Best book - Tim Harford – How to Make the World Add Up
The perfect antidote to a world infested by anti-science, fake news and conspiracy theories. Harford expertly explains why it is more important than ever to question what we are told, but to do so in a rational, logical way.
Favourite memory of the year - John Shuttleworth at the Playhouse
A joyously silly evening, full of warmth and laughter, and just about the last time I sat in an audience chuckling away before even a hint of covid had cast its long shadow.
Most heart-warming moment - seals
Unable to spend the summer under canvas at festivals, I instead spent a week with the seals on the beach at Horsey Gap in North Norfolk. I am usually so wrapped up in getting my culture fix it’s a trip I would never have otherwise thought of doing. It was so life affirming to watch wildlife getting on just fine, oblivious to our troubles.
Person of the year - Li Wenliang
Li Wenliang was detained in Wuhan for “spreading rumours” of a dangerous new virus in late 2019, summoned to the Public Security Bureau and made to sign a statement in which he was accused of making false claims. He nevertheless spoke out, before dying shortly afterwards, having contracted Covid from the patients he continued to treat.
A positive of Covid - If not for Covid, Trump would very probably have returned to the White House.
This year taught me... Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think. Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink. The years go by, as quickly as a wink. Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.
Imy and Tyler
Imy
Best Album: Creeper - Sex, Death & the Unfinate Void.
Best Song: Shame Shame - Foo Fighters
Best Film: My Octopus Teacher
Best Live Stream: The Cribs, Live at the Cavern Club
Best TV Show: Alaskan Bush People
Best Game: Toy Story Monopoly
Best Book: Introduction to Animal & Veterinary Anatomy & Physiology, 4th edition.
Favourite Memory: Tyler
Heartwarming Moment: Adopting 2 rescue chickens, Taco & Nacho.
Person of the Year: Dave Grohl
Positive of Covid: Getting time at home with Tyler & the dogs
This year has taught me... to not over book myself & that you don't have to wear a bra on a daily basis
Tyler
Best Album: Pearl Jam - Gigaton
Best Song: Touché Amoré - Reminders
Best Film: The Peanut Butter Falcon
Best Live Stream: The Cribs, Live at the Cavern Club
Best TV Show: Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
Best Game: Ludo!
Best Book: Romesh Ranganathan: As Good as It Gets
Favourite Memory: Moving to Kent with Imy
Heartwarming Moment: Teaching Buffy (Cockapoo puppy) new tricks and commands
Person of the Year: Joe Biden
Positive of Covid: I've spent more time running and hiking
This year has taught me... I'm not cut out to be a dog groomer, sorry Buffy.
Steve Plunkett
Album - Doves – The Universal Want
It’s so, so great to have them back, can’t wait for the Norwich gig in 20210 all being well.
Song – Lippy Kids - Elbow with the Halle Youth Choir Alumni from the weekly Elbow room sessions. Just check this out on please on You Tube if you haven’t so already. It’s enough to melt the heart. Wow!
Film - The Man With The Iron Heart
Live stream – Elbow - Rooms (just amazing stuff live from their houses)
TV show - Gotham on Netflix, All 100 episodes!
Fave memory – NCFC beating Spurs away in the FA Cup, oh what a night that was. Little did I know at the time that I would not be going to watch a live match for a little while!
Heart warming moment – Todd ‘the Dereham Deco’ Cantwell’s bottom lip, when he scored in that famous victory at Carrow Road against Manchester City
Favourite person – Tim Krul when he saved that second penalty at Spurs
Covid positive –Being on a 4 day week and being able to work from home, having a picnic and walk most days with my wife and son during lockdown number one and eventually being able to give my daughter a big hug! Oh and winning our 10th award in 8 years (November) for the programme that I manage in the body repair industry.
This year taught me – To get my pensions sorted properly and to embrace working from home during both lockdowns instead of not tear arsing around the country as much as i love it.
Scott Wright
Best Album - Blue Note Re:imagined
Best Song - 'Tokyo Midnight’ / Sababa 5 & Yurika
Best Film - Tenet
Best live stream - Marc Rebillet / @marcrebillet (Instagram)
Best TV show - Defending Jacob
Favourite memory of the year - rockpooling in West Runton with my entire family
Most heart warming moment - Being told by my wife we are expecting our 2nd child together
Person of the year - My mum for giving Lung Cancer the middle finger
A positive of Covid - An opportunity to start a new business
This year taught me…Our time with each other is so precious
Pavlis
Best Album:“Big 20” by Other Half
Best Song: “We Live Here” by Bob Vylan
Best Film: “Small Axe: Mangrove”
Best Live Stream: Much as I love live music, I just haven’t been able to get into live streams and those that I have watched have all disappointed in some way. I’ll go for a proper gig with Strange Bones, Calva Louise and Rats Packing Grenades at the Waterfront back in January.
TV Show: Toss-up between “Us” and “His Dark Materials” for entertainment. “Only Connect” will always be the best game show.
Game:I don’t play video games so I’ll go old school board game and “Rummikub”.
Book:“Diminished Responsibility – My Life & Other Strange Stories…” by Alvin Gibbs.
Favourite Memory of the Year:Watching a couple of blackbirds bathing in my dog’s water bowl in the garden whilst the dog slept less than a metre away from them.
Most Heart Warming Moment: Having Blue Tits eat from a fat ball feeder on the window less than an arm’s length from my desk. It took them a while to discover it and longer to get used to me being so close. They make me smile every time I see them.
Person of the Year: Anyone working in frontline health care or vaccine research must be up for that. If that isn’t allowed, Marcus Rashford.
A Positive of Covid:Doing my “real” job from home. Yeah, this is antisocial I know but I am much less anxious without all the disturbance and noise that come with working in the office. Sitting at my desk, listening to music and watching the wildlife in the garden has made my “real” job as close to a pleasure as it is possible to be. Bizarrely, I am at my most productive when listening to raging hardcore punk!?!
This Year Taught Me: Some – not all but some – clouds, however bag they may appear, do have a silver lining.
Lizz Page
Best album – Blue Note re:Imagined
Best song - Nico - These Days (not new but I’ve listened to it the most)
Best film – The Lighthouse
Best TV show – The Third Day, especially the 12 hour live stream episode
Best game – Animal Crossing
Best book – I've been readin a lot of excellent plague fiction but The Motion Of The Body Through Space by Lionel Shriver also deserves a mention
Favourite memory of the year - seeing a good friend in Sainsbury's car park unexpectedly, and bursting into tears
Most heartwarming moments – FaceTiming with my family. Also, Biden winning.
Person of the year – everyone I spoke to over the phone as part of a Bereavement Support Team.
A positive of COVID – learning new skills and knowledge, reading more than ever and spending kwality time with my husband and dog. Also, realising how grateful I am for everyone who checked in with me.
This year taught me – how lucky and grateful I am to be safe, well and loved.
Lee Harper
Best Album – I Slept On The Floor by Another Sky
Best Song – Poltergeist by Eat Your Own Head
Best Film – Unhinged
Best live stream - Metallica - Mondays
Favourite memory of the year – Part of Contenders MMA production Drive-In event
Most heart warming moment – my son making a cake
Person of the year – Mrs Harper
A positive of Covid – fewer queues at the coffee shop!!
This year taught me... how much I love and miss live music
Ian Crow
Best Album: The Slow Rush by Tame Impala
Best Song: Light by Michael Kiwanuka
Best Film: The Invisible Man
Best TV Show: Don't F*** With Cats
Best Game: The Last of Us Part 2
Best Live Stream: Didn't watch ANY! :(
Most Heartwarming Moment: Captain Tom Moore's charity work
Person of the Year: Captain Tom Moore
A Positive of Covid: Made us realise how much we cherish and love Cinema.
This Year Taught Me: No matter what life throws at you, we always land on our feet and continue forwards.
Katie Bilham
Album - Song Machine, Gorillaz
Song - Hasta La Vista, Dream Wife
Film - Emma
Live Stream - I didn't manage to catch many live streams, so instead I'd like to highlight one of the (very few) real live events I managed to get to this year. The Wild Fields festival was one of my favourite days of the whole year, and is a credit to Norwich perseverance.
TV Show - The Queen's Gambit
Game - Jackbox Party Pack 7 (as a part of many drunken video calls)
Book - Embarrassingly I haven't really read much this year.
Memory - Socially distanced beers in the sun
Heart Warming Moment - Watching how all the local businesses have come together and found ways through the tricky times
Person - Jameela Jamil
Pro of Covid - Spending lots of time with family and friends
This Year Taught Me... To value the people and things in my life that make me happy
James Palmer
Best Album: The Strokes - The New Abnormal - By far one of my favourite bands and they’re ageing like fine wine. Just an honest and chilled album that was a perfect summer album.
Best Song: Harry Styles - Watermelon Sugar - This technically came out in 2019 but has dominated radio stations and I don’t really listen to new music so this is the winner by factor of elimination.
Best Film: Babyteeth - Despite not having much competition due to limited releases, I still believe this will have topped my best of the year list. Having watched it in Cinema City, it’s a phenomenal and raw feature that is a must watch.
Best TV Show: The Last Dance - We’re done with 80s nostalgia and we’re going straight to the 90s resurgence. An expertly woven documentary that combats multiple structures, talking heads and a world class soundtrack.
Best Game: Among Us - I don’t really game at all so I’ll have to go with Among Us purely for the fact it’s kept me and my friends sane and active during lockdown
Best Book: I haven’t actually read any books released this year, my shelf is full of older books that I’ve been trying to catch up with.
Best Live Stream: Fast Times at Ridgemont High - We’ve been blessed with a combination of mix ups in celebs on zoom calls but Morgan Freeman narrating a sex scene between Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt whilst Shia LaBeouf is as high as sky is never gonna be topped.
Favourite Memory of the Year: Although it feels like years ago, Parasite winning Best Picture was the peak of this year before it all went down hill.
Most Heart Warming Moment: I don’t have a specific moment but just the ability to hang out with friends again back in the summer was truly a blessing.
Person of the Year: Marcus Rashford - Not many athletes use their platform for change and Rashford has already done more than most at the age of 23. He’s a fantastic role model for young children and I’m sure he’ll continue to do good work.
A Positive: My grandparents know how to FaceTime and video call now so there’s no more need to teach them.
This Year Taught Me: That there are many things we deem as important that are in fact pointless and not worth it.
Richard Shashamane
This year has taught me : 2020 has reaffirmed the importance of nature, family, cats and music. What it has taught me is to ration news and social media.
Favourite memories of the year : The times spent walking in the countryside, away from all the 'noise' and being able to pretend for a while that everything is old normal.
Most heartwarming moment : A song request beautifully performed by Yve Mary B on one of her livestreams.
Person of the year : Anybody who has helped keep me relatively sane, made me smile, think, forget or connect. Family, friends, my cat, and all the musicians and authors whose art has been particularly invaluable this year.
Kelly Page
Best album- A Celebration of Endings - Biffy Clyro
Best song- Beyoncé- Already
Best film- Birds of Prey (The Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)
Best TV show- Queer Eye
Best game- Dobble
Best book- The Midnight Library- Matt Haig
Favourite memory of the year- Cycling Hadrian's wall with my dearest Courtz
Person of the year- David Attenborough
A positive of Covid- the little magical garden I created during lockdown
This year taught me- how much I need regular hugs!
Frances Butler
Best album: Love Potions by Starbenders
Best song: Obvious by Diamante
Best TV show: The Witcher
Best book: I Would Leave Me If I Could by Halsey
My favourite memory/most heartwarming moment: Finding out I'm going to be an auntie next year!
Person of the year: My amazing sister, for being part of the NHS staff and helping Covid patients earlier this year.
A positive of Covid: All the video calls, phone calls and endless family quizzes taught me to treasure every moment with my family and friends, whether in person or not.
