WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Spirited outing from Devant and crew
Magic: David Devant
[The Vessel/Wikicommons] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
David Devant and his Spirit Wife
100 Club, London
BURSTING on the scene back in the heady days of Britpop, David Devant and his Spirit Wife were known for mixing music with mirth and truly coming to life on stage.
Their success was down to a combination of magic tricks, theatrical folly and cracking tunes with pun-driven, fun-filled lyrics that drew a dedicated following.
You don’t so much go to a Devant gig as experience the musicianship, lyrics and personality shining through. Led by The Vessel (Mikey Georgeson), who channels the spirit of early 20th century magician Devant, the band includes Foz Foster on guitar, The Colonel on bass and Professor Rimschott on drums and they deliver a set, sometimes verging on the surreal, that's as whirlwind as its whimsical.
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