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“The Right Amount of Groove”
by Daniel Perry | Music Republic Magazine | September 22, 2023
Birmingham concert audiences have been spoiled for choice lately for TV and film stars popping in to the city with their music side hustle.
Movie legend Johnny Depp in July this year at the Utilita Arena with The Hollywood Vampires, Keifer Sutherland at the 02 Institute and now, British film and TV star Damian Lewis and his band at the Town Hall for the second show on his 11-date tour, which opened in Nottingham the previous weekend.
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Swapping Billions for Ballads
by Sam Lambeth | Louder Than War | September 15, 2023
Damian Lewis bounds onstage with the aura of a rockstar – lithe, agile and sartorially accurate (all black, desert boots, nifty waistcoat). “When I was last in Birmingham, the Birmingham Post gave me a scathing review,” he laughs. “I’m hoping tonight’s reviews will be kinder.”
He does have cause for trepidation, don’t forget. Actors venturing into music have often found themselves hitting a dead end, with even the most casual music fan ready to pour scorn. Thankfully, Lewis’ debut album sees him enter the Hugh Laurie category, as opposed to the dark and musty files of Russell Crowe.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions Season 7 Premiere Recap: Axe is Back
A Certain Redheaded Maniac Returns
by Sean T. Collins | New York Times | August 11, 2023
Season 7, Episode 1: ‘Tower of London’
He’s back.
Bobby Axelrod, the hard-charging, take-no-prisoners billionaire who served as the antagonist-cum-co-protagonist for the first five seasons of “Billions,” returns at the end of the show’s seventh and final season premiere. Like a demon out of an esoteric’s grimoire, Axe (Damian Lewis) has been summoned by three of his closest associates — Wendy (Maggie Siff), Wags (David Costabile) and Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) — to rise from legally mandated oblivion in order to defeat a devil far worse than the devil we know.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Billions’ Season 7 on Showtime
The Final Run For the Drama About Financial Elites and
Those That Operate Against Them
by Johnny Loftus | Decider | August 11, 2023
The trading floor is almost closed for Billions, which returns to Showtime for its seventh and final season. (The series will stream Fridays on Paramount+ and Showtime before dropping broadcast episodes on Sunday evenings.) Will Americans say “I Like Mike” in 2028? Can Michael Thomas Aquinas Prince even move up his timeline for the presidency by channeling his particular deca-billionaire mojo?
What kind of juice does Chuck Rhoades retain, and is it enough to stop Prince? Or does this evolving war require its dark horse? That’s right, the biggest get for Billions’ final bow is the return of Damian Lewis as Robert “Bobby” Axelrod, which as season 7 begins will involve some detective work from Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades.
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Tower of London Season 7 Episode 1
by Isaac Rouse | TV Insider | August 11, 2023
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Billions Season 7 premiere “Tower of London.”]
The road to the end of Billions has begun with the start of its seventh and final season, which brings Damian Lewis back as Bobby “Axe” Axelrod for one last showdown.
Axe did not give up his business empire easily. At the end of Season 5 of Showtime’s Wall Street thriller, a two-pronged attack drove him from New York City to Switzerland, turning him from a swaggering master of the universe into a financial fugitive. New York State Attorney General Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) falsely accused him of money-laundering charges. Meanwhile, his billionaire nemesis, Michael Prince (Corey Stoll), took advantage of the situation to acquire Axelrod’s assets below price. However, despite the setbacks, Axe has made a strong comeback with his charismatic and cutthroat demeanor still intact as he reenters the ring.
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Superlative Acting
by Robin Wigglesworth | Financial Times | August 11, 2023
★★★☆☆
It’s hard to say exactly where Billions — the TV series about an increasingly fictional hedge fund manager, his legal nemesis and the spreading chaos left by their feud — went a little off the rails.
It might have been when the brilliant but junior analyst Taylor Mason was suddenly promoted to chief investment officer of what is supposed to be one of the world’s biggest hedge funds, only to jump ship and then be bought back. Or perhaps the entire plot line around a serpentine Russian oligarch Grigor Andolov played by John Malkovich. And even in this day and age, the US Treasury secretary doing a bit of gleeful insider trading is a tad implausible.
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Axelrod’s Back and Prince Eyes the White House
by Richard Roeper | Chicago Sun-Times | August 9, 2023
“Billions” features a total of 11 primary cast members, and it’s a tribute to the deep bench of this financial drama that at least a half-dozen other members have their moments to shine. Based on the six episodes I’ve seen of a 12-chapter final run, it’s evident showrunners Brian Koppelman, David Levien and Andrew Ross Sorkin are poised to close things on a high-stakes note — although there reportedly are plans for a number of spinoffs, including “Millions” and “Trillions.” (I’m in!)
Featuring some of the most impressive production values, needle drops and ensemble acting of any series of the last 10 years, “Billions” has been a signature title in the Showtime arsenal since 2016 — and the complex and intertwining storylines are further boosted in the home stretch with the return of the screen-commanding Damian Lewis as the billionaire hedge fund legend and schemer extraordinaire Bobby Axelrod, who remains in exile overseas but might be poised to get back in the game.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Damian Lewis Transcends Expectations with Mission Creep
Proves a Successful Actor-Turned-Musician Gambit
by David Nobakht | Buzz Magazine | June 22, 2023
DAMIAN LEWIS Mission Creep (Decca) ★★★★
Whenever a successful actor makes an album, there will always be a high level of scrutiny and the sound of naysayers scraping their chairs at what is often perceived as being a superfluous vanity project made between trips to Hollywood – but Homeland and Wolf Hall star Damian Lewis’ Mission Creep breaks that mould. Growing up with Kerouac’s On The Road under one arm, Stones and Zeppelin albums under the other, Lewis travelled through Europe busking long before he could be seen on stage or screen.
His singing voice on Mission Creep lies somewhere between Gene Clark and Scott Walker, as the songs dip their toes into bluesy rock, folk and jazz. Fragile, folk-immersed opener ‘She Comes’ is worth the price of admission alone, as is ‘Down on the Bowery,’ and ‘Makin’ Plans’ is a song the Stones themselves might be proud to have under their belt. It’s evident that Lewis is both a passionate and accomplished songwriter, and his cover of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon is a beauty too.
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‘Down On The Bowery’ Effortlessly Shows Capability of Lewis’ Voice and His Commitment to the Craft
by Nick Reilly | Rolling Stone Magazine UK | June 22, 2023
As he releases his debut album, acting royalty Damian Lewis tells Rolling Stone UK why he’s under no illusions about proving himself as a musician. Damian Lewis has opened up on releasing his first ever solo album and why he’s ready to deal with any cynicism that his latest venture might attract.
Last week saw the Band of Brothers star release ‘Mission Creep’, a record of largely roots-y Americana, backed by an accomplished band of eclectic musicians. One stand-out highlight comes in ‘Down On The Bowery’, which effortlessly shows out the capability of Lewis’ voice and his commitment to the craft.
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Boutique Festival of Americana
by Trev Eales | Louder Than War | June 22, 2023
Sometimes, walking into a festival gives a feel for what’s to come. A dusty track leads through a wild flower meadow as people of all ages haul their weekend belongings towards the festival gate. There’s a small queue for the arena but everyone’s chilled and there’s a laid back vibe.
Stetsons and cowboy boots abound as we leave The Garden of England for a world of Americana. Rows of Harley-Davidsons celebrate the iconic bike’s 120th anniversary, and the smell of barbecues fills the air. The rustic Arkansas Porch Stage echoes with acoustic sounds of the deep south as the audience sit baking in the afternoon sun.
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A More-Than-Admirable Passion Project: Lush Blues Sound
by Robin Murray | Clash Magazine | June 19, 2023
Mission Creep
7/10
The actor-turned-musician pathway is well worn by this point. Numerous stars of stage and Silver Screen have swapped their scripts for microphone stands, and it can sometimes feel like a diversion – a sort of adult gap year, in other words. Damian Lewis, however, is a little different; music was his first love, and in his youth he travelled across Europe, busking as he went. A perennial source of comfort and inspiration, in a way it’s a wonder the actor hasn’t recorded a full length project before.
‘Mission Creep’ is a mixture of fortune, and chance. Introduced to Giacomo Smith – leader of revered London jazz troupe Kansas Smitty’s House Band – Damian Lewis was able to build a band to augment his passions, allowing rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and jazz to sluice together. The songs on ‘Mission Creep’ – primarily original, with a smattering of covers – come from a personal place, offering tales of love, comfort, and loss.
While the performances aren’t about to reinvent the wheel, there’s enough here to certify ‘Mission Creep’ as a more-than-admirable passion project. The lush blues sound of ‘Zaragoza’ for instance perfectly blends his whisky-parched vocal with the excellent band surrounding him, while something like ‘Down On The Bowery’ has a trenchant sense of atmosphere.
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An Enjoyable Collection of Well Crafted Songs
by John Murphy | Music OMH | June 17, 2023
Mission Creep
An enjoyable collection of well crafted songs, mostly self-penned, defy expectations for a debut album from a successful actor. It’s easy to be cynical about seeing yet another middle-aged actor deciding that it’s not enough to be wildly successful in their chosen field. No, what they really want to do is music. History is littered with such characters – in the last few years alone, Kiefer Sutherland, Russell Crowe and, famously, Johnny Depp have all turned their hand to rock music, with varying degrees of success.
You sense that Damian Lewis, best known for roles in TV shows like Band of Brothers, Billions and Homeland knows this too. “It’s just what the world needs…another record by an actor” he’s said, while promoting Mission Creep. The fact that it’s another collection of ‘authentic’ bluesy rock is yet another reason to be wary.
And yet…against expectations, Mission Creep is actually pretty enjoyable. It may not be enough for Lewis to give up his day job, but it’s certainly a respectable collection of well crafted songs – most of which have been written by Lewis himself. His voice, while maybe not the strongest instrument, is full of soul and character, and when he tackles the more personal material on Mission Creep, you can see why this was a particular itch he had to scratch.
