Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/570058
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2015 This Week 41 Green is not a particularly common colour in our countryside at this time of the year. But a few hardy plants take the punishing summer drought in their stride, and one of these is the Fennel (M: Buzbiez). Despite a summer with some serious spells of heat, many country roadsides are nonetheless alive with swathes of this tall, spindly aromatic plant. Some Fennels still sport crowns of lemon yellow flowers, but most will now be busy drying their wares and seeding, as any cooking enthusiast with a penchant for local herbs knows! But other creatures too like the taste of Fennel, and the one that comes instantly to mind is that king among butterflies, the Swallowtail, which lays its eggs on Fennel for its young to feed and fatten on. While still common in parts, Fennel (and all its dependents) is coming under increasing threat as the army of roadside 'cleaners' gets bigger and their arsenal of cutters and herbicides more formidable. 471. FENNEL GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 374: SIGN THE PETITION – HTTP://STOP-TTIP.ORG Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text and photo Victor Falzon Acclaimed musician Neil Halstead to perform at the Salesians HAIRYAMP Promotions can an- nounce that singer, guitarist and primary song-writer of legendary shoegaze outfit Slowdive will be playing a solo concert at the Sale- sians Theatre in Sliema on Octo- ber 2. Neil Halstead has been hailed by AllMusic as "one of Britain's most respected songwriters," and Timeout magazine as "one of Brit- ain's greatest songwriters". Neil Halstead has earned an ardent following by making intensely at- mospheric music with a near-hyp- notic power during his time with Slowdive (whose seminal studio albums include 1993's Souvlaki, co-produced by Brian Eno). After the band's breakup in 1995, Slow- dive morphed into the Halstead- helmed Mojave 3 and released a string of highly celebrated records that merged jangly alt-country with dusky psychedelic dream- pop. In 2006 Mojave 3 went on indefi- nite hiatus, prompting Halstead to embark on an acoustic-driven solo career marked by an emphasis on British-folk-inspired melody and a love of surfing. An occasional drift into more whimsical terri- tory prompted NME to rave 'like Syd Barrett if he'd ever set foot on a surf board'. Halstead's first solo album 'Sleeping on Roads' was fol- lowed by 2008's 'Oh! Mighty En- gine', released on friend and fellow surfer Jack Johnson's 'Brushfire' label. Halstead's latest album Pal- indrome Hunches was released in 2012 and was labelled as "an ex- quisite set of dark folk music" from The Times as well as being well ac- claimed by God is in the TV , "Un- doubtedly one of the finest British records released this year". The last two years have been busy to say the least for Neil Halstead. In 2014, Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona asked Slowdive to re- form after an almost 20-year hiatus and they haven't looked back since. The demand for the band has been simply astonishing and in conse- quence the band has not stopped touring and playing festival dates. They have also returned to the stu- dio to record a new album. Neil Halstead has managed to merge all this with playing guitar on tour with Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon and even playing some solo shows. The ethereal local folk outfit Stalko, currently recording their second album, also grace the stage on the night. Tickets at €16 are available on- line from www.ticketline.com.mt . Tickets on the day of the concert will cost €20. Parking space will be provided at St Patrick's School Neil Halstead