B-sting

B-sting is at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
and writes mini-reviews.

IFFR 2026: Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise What is it? An aspiring Japanese manga artist and his comrades are sent to Peleliu to defend it in 1944, a small, beautiful, insignificant Pacific island except for an airstrip, when one morning the American battleships and landing craft appear on the horizon. Why see it? Gruesome telling from the Japanese perspective of one of the bloodiest battles (by percentage of men killed) and it's a cute chibi-style anime. Why skip it? Death, so much death. Watch out for? The dates and the time periods. Rating: 5 out of 5

IFFR 2026: The Kidnapping of a President What is it? A Finnish black comedy about a botched attempt by right wing extremists in 1930 to kidnap the temporary Finnish president after the previous one was already kidnapped. Why see it? Based on a true story. Why skip it? Maybe slightly embellished to make it even dumber and funnier. Watch out for? Cows (and a license plate that spells 'koe' (cow in Dutch, pure coincidence probably). Rating: 4 out of 5

B-sting is at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
and writes mini-reviews.

IFFR 2026: Scarlet What is it? A genderflipped anime version of Shakespeare's Hamlet in which anime princess Scarlet tries to avenge the murder of her father from inside the purgatory of the Outherworld. Why see it? visually stunning and a great twist on a classic Why skip it? slightly melodramatic but what did you expect? Watch out for? the J-pop dance number Rating: 4 out of 5

IFFR 2026: the Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford What is it? Scottish grandpa devotes his life to the local celeb of his village, a 18th century scientist/nobleman, when his village gets disturbed by a film crew and cosplaying fans of a fantasy tv series. Why see it? A strong tragic comedy about loss and change. Why skip it? you liked the book better than the series Watch out for? wild geese Rating: 4 out of 5

IFFR 2026: Late Fame What is it? Willem Dafoe as a New York postal worker who once published a poetry book in the 70s and is rediscovered by group of young, pretentious artists. Why see it? You hate poser hipsters and like to see Dafoe shine. Why skip it? But you also hate poser hipsters. Watch out for? Gloria (top notch work by Greta Lee) Rating: 4 out of 5

B-sting is at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
and writes mini-reviews.

IFFR 2026: I Swear What is it? The true life story of a man who struggles to give his life meaning when he discovers he has Tourette's syndrome in a time when the condition makes him an outcast. Why see it? It's amazingly funny, heart-warming and a strong contender for the IFFR audience award. Why skip it? Lots of swearing (obviously). Watch out for? Getting knighted by FUCK THE QUEEN. Rating: 5 out of 5

IFFR 2026: The Gymnast What is it? Teenage gymnast with hopes of becoming the best, gets injured and has teenage fights with her single dad. Why see it? A small slice of life about teenage struggles with expectations. Why skip it? It's really not a remarkable story that differs from any other teenage experience and I wonder why this had to be set in the nineties? Watch out for? Teenage boys being pushy pricks. Rating: 3 out of 5

B-sting is at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
and writes mini-reviews.

IFFR 2026: Dead Dogs Don't Bite What is it? Scrawny Turkish fisher, out of desperation for cash, joins his tough cousin in the organised crime in ... plastic recycling. Why see it? The slow polution of a man being consumed by local organised crime. Why skip it? You've seen this story before. Watch out for? Kids with guns. Rating: 3 out of 5

IFFR 2026: Alterity What is it? A live performance by musician and media-archaeologist Jacco Gardner. Why see it? 80s software and computers generating sounds and images, accompanied by a vocal explenation by the artist on tape. Why skip it? Might be a bit to artsy and philosophical about the connection between art, intelligence, humans and technology for some people, plus you can't dance to this. Watch out for? A Commodore 64, an Atari 1040 ST and two Apple Macintosh walk into an art hall and start talking MIDI. Rating: 5 out of 5

B-sting is at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
and writes mini-reviews.

IFFR 2026: Providence and the Guitar What is it? Actor couple in ye olden times go around a village to put on a play for money and stuff happens. Why see it? It has scenes and dialogue and acting and pretty redhead. Why skip it? Just vaguely staring at its own navel and proclaiming poetry about it and going nowhere slow. Watch out for? Pussy. Rating: 2 out of 5

The Big List of Things I Have Seen is my attempt to document all the gigs of bands and musicians I have seen (and heard) live, from the smallest pub performance to the biggest stadium show, even if I saw only two songs of the show. I update the list once a year, usually when the festival season is over. Names I personally find important are highlighted in a larger font. (sorta) means I saw one or two songs, but not a whole set.

( Behold! The Big List of Things I Have Seen )

Good thing I checked the list. Apparently when I made the list in 2024, some names that had been on the list before just fell off to my clumsiness. So the list is New and Improved!

Just some dude with an an opinion on the internet who rates the bands he saw at Left of the Dial 2025:

Thursday:
Soapbox: Glasgow band playing classic punk; private public transport sucks and monarchs are pedo's. (7/10)
Tina Sandwich: Started strong, but sort then the energy dipped (6/10)
PISS: Shows started with trigger warnings and screaming about sexual abuse. Not pleasant, but necessary. (7/10)
Bloed: Brother-brother-sister combo plays noise metal on bass, drums and synth. Weird, artsy. (6/10)
Torba: Mysterious, extremely dansable, audience was allo ver the place (8/10)
Computer: did not get into this (4/10)
Curser: Typical bland LotD guitar band, I forgot about their songs after a night of sleep (5/10)

Friday:
Yaang (Bands on a Bus): Hilarious and funny. The band played on a bus and the singer made the most of it. (10/10)
Space Siren (the Official Unofficial): Honestly I only went to see this band cause I wanted to go to Waterfront again. (?/10)
Fossick: Band only has 4 songs on Spotify and it shows cause they were stretching their set with random noise. (5/10)
Yaang: Again! but this time on a stage. I love their songs and this threesome know how to throw a party. (9/10)
Vieira and the Silvers: looks like the Seventies, sounds like the Seventies. Blues rock with a western edge. Good fun. (6/10)
Th Da Freak: caught their post-punk show cause I was waiting for something else. Good! (7/10)
Coilguns: Band absolute explodes with energy this mix between Architects, System of a Down and Rage against the Machine hails from Switzerland and is here to spread love, combat fascism and steal your phone. Very professional band. (9/10)
Public Circuit: Electronic synthrock threesome from Brooklyn New York on paper shouldn't be this energetic, but absolutely rocks those electronixs, cowbell and bucket. (8/10)
Salvia: Okayish, spooky, but decided to skip. (5/10)
Gal Go: Accidentally ended up in the venue looking for another band, but was entertained by the last few songs (6/10)
The Sick Man of Europe: Intangible mumblings over a crazed man over a pound rhythm. Completely carried by the antics of the singer. (7/10)

Saturday:
Makeshift Art Bar (The Official Unofficial): How can these kids look so young and sound at least a decade older? Good potential here! (7/10)
Dirty Nice: Fun cheerful songs. Worth it to ride through the rain for. (7/10)
Basht: don't sound as awesome in real life as they do on record. Just  soft guitar band now. (6/10)
Coilguns: AGAIN! They changed up their set a little, so didn't play the songs I loved, but still good! (8/10)
Night Swimming: Shed a tear during the sound check. Beautiful front woman, beautiful voice, but kinda sleep inducing, even though I kinda needed that after Coilguns. (7/10)
She's in Parties: Also a beautiful front woman and voice, but my goodness this kicks so much ass. Cheery, danceable songs that make me happy to live. How band deserves sympathy. (8/10)
Y: Why? The talents are equally distributed across this band where every one plays their part in making this show an absolute party. (8/10)
Hondenfokker: This art student threesome on Korg's and guitar sounds so lo-fi crap if you listen to them on Spotify, but are so good at getting the crowd moving. So bad it becomes good. (8/10)

B-sting hosts his own one-person
film festival and writes mini-reviews .

BFFR 2025: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) What is it? Fictionalised story of a stockbroker who's financial crimes are eclipsed by his drug fueled orgies at the office. Why see it? Peak performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie in this Scorsese directed film. Why skip it? Full frontal nudity, swearing, financial crime. Watch out for? Trying to drive home in a Lambo and stopping a phone call Rating: 8 out of 10

B-sting hosts his own one-person
film festival and writes mini-reviews .

BFFR 2025: The Bikeriders (2023) What is it? Photographer follows the rise and fall of a fictional 1%er motorcycle club from the late 60s to the early 70s and the relationship between its leader (Tom Hardy) and his protégé and his wife. Why see it? An interesting look into the 'golden age' of outlaw motorcycle clubs and how the old garde slowly gets replaced by the new. Why skip it? You don't like them hoodlums. Watch out for? Tom Hardy's performance. Rating: 8 out of 10