4/5 - Wessex Scene

The University of Southampton’s Finest Entertainment Publication
Issue 4
3rd December 2009
EDITORIAL
INSIDE..
Records
Hello lovely readers!
- Robbie Williams
- Say Anything
- Julian Casablancas
+ More!
Welcome to our extra special Christmas
edition of The Edge. We here in the Media
basement hope you enjoy this festive treat
that we have put together especially for
you.
Live
- Billy Talent
- Fleetwood Mac
+ More!
For your reading pleasure, Records takes a
look at albums from Zero 7, Converge and
Our Time Down Here; writers have been
checking out gigs from Amy Studt, MC Lars
and Kids in Glass Houses. If that was not
enough for you, then Film reviews Paranormal Activity and continues our look at classic films with Apocolypse Now. We even
have a bumper Features section filled with
interviews, including The Flaming Lips and
Frank Turner, so you can’t say we never
give you anything!
The nice, long Christmas holidays are
coming up soon (yay!), so if you find some
free hours in that time then why not write
an article or review for The Edge? We will
be looking for content early in January for
our next issue, so you could soon be seeing your name in print. If you have not yet
been brave enough to send us something
you have written, don’t forget that we need
you to fill these pages with diverse and
interesting content. Make it your New Year’s
Resolution to give it a go!
You might notice on the next page a new
section to The Edge, where we introduce a
local band to you every issue. The inaugural
column features ex-University of Southampton student Luke Leighfield, who is currently making his mark on the music scene
around the world. You can find out all about
how his current tour is going, what you can
expect from the new album and when you
can next catch him here in the UK. If you
are in a local band and want to feature in
our new section, or know someone who is,
then email in and let us know. The Edge
gave Oasis their first good review, so perhaps we could do the same for you...
Editors: Emmeline Curtis and
Thomas Shepherd
Record Editor: Kate Golding
Live Editor: Hayley Taulbut
Features Editor: Dan Morgan
Film Editor: Stephen O’Shea
Games Editor: Joe Dart
Editor in Chief: Jamie Ings
With: Alex Payne, Rik Sharma, Luke Borrett, Megan James, Jack Harding, Dhanesh
Patel, Craig Charley, James Ash, Andy
Baber, Kavina Upadhyay, Abby Thomas,
Charlotte Woods, Matthew Tindall, Jazmin
Sherman, Liam Gallagher
For enquiries email us:
theedge@soton.ac.uk
For advertising email:
james@susu.org
Film
- Paranormal Activity
- Thirst
+ More!
Features
- Frank Turner Interview
- The Flaming Lips
+ More!
Games
- Tekken 6
The Imaginarium Of
Doctor Parnassus
That’s Entertainment..
By Emmeline Curtis
If there was an award for ‘Unlikeliest Duet
of the Year’ then it must surely go to Rolf
Harris and Status Quo, who have teamed up
for a Christmas single. The song, ‘Christmas
in the Sun’, was inspired by Rolf’s memories
of growing up in Australia and eating roast
turkey in the blazing heat. Rolf Harris last
topped the Christmas chart 40 years ago
with the unforgettable ‘Two Little Boys’; his
latest offering will be released on 7th December and go head to head with the winner
of the X-Factor. He has said about the collaboration: “These guys have given me everything I have wanted.” They have also given
me everything I never knew I wanted, and I
really hope they do the world a favour beat
the latest talent show winner to the top spot.
It’s about time the Christmas chart regained
the excitement it used to have before Simon
Cowell bought it.
Another unlikely pairing would be that of
Ozzy Osbourne and Paul McCartney, but
sadly it is not likely to happen. The two had
a chance meeting when they both happened
to work in the same studio, and Ozzy took
the opportunity to ask McCartney to play
the bass on one of his songs - an offer he
sadly declined because he did not feel he
could better Ozzy’s work. Perhaps McCartney is too busy with the next best thing to
a Beatles reunion? McCartney and Ringo
Starr have teamed up on ‘Walk With You’, a
song on Starr’s soon to be released album
Y Not.
For the first time in the history of the
Academy Awards an award has been presented before the main ceremony in February when legendary actress Lauren Bacall
was presented with a Lifetime Achievement
statuette. Bacall has starred in over 30 films
during her long career but has never won an
Oscar until now, despite being nominated.
The award was fully deserved: Bacall is one
of the few remaining great actresses from
the ’Golden Era’ of Hollywood and is still going strong.
Sadly the stars of today are not quite of
the same calibre; Will Ferrell is apparently
the most overpaid actor in Hollywood. The
commercial failure of his recent films such
as Land of the Lost has led to the funny man
topping the poll which measures cinema
and DVD sales against stars salaries. The
list also featured Eddie Murphy, Tom Cruise
and, somewhat surprisingly, Samuel L.
Jackson. The poll was released at the same
time it was rumoured that Johnny Depp will
be getting paid £21 million to star in Pirates
of the Caribbean 4. The world really does not
need another film in the Pirates franchise,
but if the rumours are true then Johnny Depp
should join the list of overpaid actors.
PRESENTING
Luke Leighfield
Welcome to our brand new local section. Kicking off the feature this issue is
Luke Leighfield. Okay, so maybe Luke isn’t
Southampton born and raised, but he did
spend three years of his life studying at the
University of Southampton. Having recently
graduated, Luke is now focusing on his music. We caught up with him to find out what
the next saga of his life has in store...
Congrats on graduating! What have
you been up to since?
Thanks! After graduating I did a solo tour
of Germany, went on holiday to Cornwall,
wrote and recorded my new album, put together a new band, and played a few little
festivals over the summer. I also got a job
as a pallbearer and carried a few people to
their graves. Bleak, but it pays the bills.
You’re currently on tour somewhere
in Europe. Where abouts are you, and
how’s it going?
I am currently typing this in the back of a
van on the way to Berlin. My feet are really
cold. Tour is great because for the first time
ever I’m not driving! I have a driver, and a
van, and a photographer, and a band, and
it’s all terribly exciting. We’re doing ten days
or so in Germany, playing a mixture of gigs
and house shows, then we’re going back to
England for a few days to recuperate before
touring the UK from mid-November up until
Christmas. The gigs so far have been great.
I’ve played Germany a few times before but
none of my band has so I’m experiencing
that first time thrill of playing in a foreign
country all over again through them! In Germany you always get fed at your gigs and
you get loads of free drinks and a bed for
the night, whereas in England you mostly
get £50 and a bag of crisps, so it feels like
we’re living the high life at the moment.
This isn’t the first time that you’ve
toured abroad. Do you sometimes worry
that you should be focusing all your efforts on home turf instead?
Yeah, I think I neglected the UK a bit
last year because I played my first shows
abroad and then basically got the bug, and
got addicted to playing in different places.
However, I think it was good to take a bit of
time off from the UK because I think people
were maybe getting a bit sick of me playing
their local venue every two months! I’m really very excited to be playing a month of
shows in the UK and meeting up with some
old friends, and generally having a great
time. I’m also getting up to Scotland for the
first time in two years and it should be really
cold there in mid-December. Scotland in the
cold is just so beautiful. I’m hoping for some
snow!
Tell us about the new album. What
can we expect from it? How has it progressed from your previous efforts?
My previous two albums were recorded
in a tiny room in Malvern on an ageing laptop for the most part, so they were pretty
budget. I’m really proud of the songs on
those records, and also the production considering the amount of money we spent, or
rather didn’t spend, on it. However, this new
album was recorded with Pete Miles who
has previously recorded The King Blues
and Futures amongst others. He really is a
little genius, and the album sounds huge. If
you’ve heard my music then you should ex-
“These
Are
The Best
Songs
I’ve
Ever
Written”
pect more of the same,
but a lot more guitar
and ROCK, and far better production.
These are the best songs I’ve ever written,
and they’re played by the best band I’ve
ever had, so it’s a big leap for me.
There seems to be a much, for want of
a better word, ‘bigger’ sound to the new
songs. Was this intentional? Was there a
particular sound in mind?
Thanks! There wasn’t a conscious
change, but I think I basically just did everything I wanted to do and didn’t really consider whether other people would like it or
not. Like on the first track, ‘By My Side’,
there are four layers of guitar tapping and ridiculous triple harmony lines within the first
minute, which is a bit stupid and overblown,
but I liked it so it went on the record. Also,
to use a cringey term, there is a more ‘mature’ (ugh) sound on some of the tracks. ‘I
Won’t Look Back’, the fourth track, was kind
of inspired by The Fray so it has a big pop
ballad sound, unlike anything on my previous albums.
I also got a job as a
pallbearer and carried a few people to
their graves.
You’re making the new album available for free on bandcamp. First of all, for
those unfamiliar, how does this work?
And second, what lead you to this decision?
Basically, you go on my bandcamp page,
click ‘download album’ and then you receive
my album for free. It’s literally that simple.
My previous two albums had some great
songs on them, but were recorded on a
shoestring budget. So a few people have
been put off my music by the production
being a big ropey. Since recording my last
album Fan The Flames in summer 2007,
I’ve had the experience of two years of gigging and vocal lessons, and also listening
to loads of new music and getting better
at writing songs, so this album is basically hugely better. I want everyone that has
maybe written me off or been put off my music to be able to try out this new stuff, and
not to be put off by a price tag or having to
bother to place an order in my online store.
It’s literally as simple as clicking ‘download’
and then people can check out my new stuff
and hopefully re-evaluate their opinion of
my music. I just want this album to be heard
by loads of people all over the world, and
for people to be able to share it with their
friends with minimum effort.
And finally what can we expect from
you in the not too distant future?
I’m touring all around the UK up until
Christmas (including Southampton on December 5th!) so that should keep me busy
for this year. In the new year I’m producing a
split EP, and also doing some arranging and
stuff on the new King Blues album. The new
Get Cape Wear Cape Fly album is coming
out too, and I played some piano on that,
and I might be doing some production stuff
with Eat Sleep Attack. I’ve also been doing
some writing with a dance producer! There
are a lot of new things happening which is
cool. Other than that, I’m hoping to get out
to Australia, China, Russia, Japan and Korea for a tour in spring. And I might write a
new album. So not too much really!
RECORDS
Converge Axe To Fall
This Massachusetts four piece band have
evolved into icons of their genre, playing
a vital mix of hardcore and metal that has
managed to remain fresh and relevant, and
above all sincere, in a scene that often raises expectations of the opposite. Their melting pot of influences along with their very
distinct sound has ensured their longevity
and respect, and their latest offering Axe To
Fall shows them continuing their very high
standards. Opener ‘Dark Horse’ races out of
the starting blocks with all the qualites of traditional metal injected with a shot of rabies,
and the wild eyed, genre-defying ride never
lets up.
Jacob Bannon’s vocals still hit with the
full force of hell emanating from a man’s
mouth, and play perfect foil to what is in my
mind the shining quality of this record in the
outstanding guitar work. Whether from Kurt
Ballou himself or one of the album’s handful of guest musicians, the general quality,
technicality and energy of the riffs and solos in Converge’s arsenal on this album is
ridiculous.
The guitar tone on display here is a continuation of what has always been a classic
Converge element - that is, the seemingly
effortless mixture of punk and metal, that jarring mix that defines some of the album’s
greatest moments - whether it is used in
conjunction with machine gun drums to great
effect such as in ‘Axe to Fall’ or as the focal
point in horror-film sounding track ‘Effigy’,
the guitar tones on display here carry some
truly comendable efforts.
The demonic, tortured vocals tend to sit
lower in the mix on most songs here, as
is the case with ‘Reap What You Sow’. Although this does nothing to quell the intensity and edge they bring to the band, what is
more evident here though, is that Converge
are content to let their outstanding musicianship play haymaker, an option that has
always been open to them but one they’ve
Dhanesh Patel
started to fully explore.
Although Converge’s high octane swipes
of hardcore fury have always been a staple
of the band’s catalogue, so too have their
slower, more introspective cuts. This album is no different - Converge bring quality
slower, sludgier numbers to the table with
album closer ‘Wretched World’ - and by the
end,you’ll be wanting more of what is surely
one of the best releases of the year.
5/5
Good:
Converge
live up to their high
standards.
Our Time Down
Live. Love. Let Go
Here
Bad: Won’t change
your opinion on the
genre as a whole.
Craig Charley
Live. Love. Let Go. is the debut album
from Southampton hardcore band Our Time
Down Here and is made up of 13 catchy,
fast-paced songs about living life in the vein
of Lifetime, H20 and The Steal.
The band have certainly matured since
their self-titled EP and the production quality of the album is faultless; Peter Miles has
taken the sound to another level with his
production skills. One of the best features is
the gang vocals which work well with singer
Will Gould’s high-pitched vocal style and
don’t sound out of place in the mix. Guest
vocals from Mark Pavey of The Steal and
John Wright of The Don Ramos Players are
used effectively. ‘You F**king Tragedy’ and
‘Stolen’ are two of the best tracks because of
their input. Other stand out tracks are ‘Curtain Call’ and ‘Calender’, the former for its
changes in tempo and the latter because it
sounds like Lifetime.
The release of this album could not have
come at a better time; the recent break up of
The Steal has left a hole in the scene which
Our Time Down Here have plugged with one
of the best albums of the year – easily the
best hardcore release. This album should
take Our Time Down Here to a new level –
from supporting shows to headlining them.
The songs work well live and will soon be
memorised by fans to add depth to the gang
vocals. Our Time Down Here are always a
great band to see and now with a brilliant
record to back them up they should be
making quite an impact in 2010.
5/5
Robbie
Williams
After a three year absence, Robbie Williams returns with an album that would not
so much as strike fear into his chart competitors, as put them to sleep. Say you’re
with friends and hear a song you don’t know
the name of, but you like it, so you ask your
friends if they know. This album does not
want to make you ask, and moreover, your
friends have no reason to know the answer.
The initial problem for Robbie is that
each song sounds like the last one. There
seems to be simply a mixture of generic pop
sounds, although some songs do have some
piano, which gives the album a small flash
of culture.
So, with the tracks being unoriginal, the
next point to consider is, are they any good?
The answer is a yes with an ‘if’ and a no with
a ‘but’. The tracks on this album are good,
if you allow them to grow on you. Some of
the lyrics are clever and Robbie’s singing
is still as good as he was three years ago.
However, I had to wait until the fifth track,
‘Do you Mind’ for my eyes to slightly widen
and my mind to become fully aware of what
I was listening to. I heard ‘Bodies’ on the radio, before the album release, and it instantly
felt like a grower. Pretty much all of Reality
Killed The Video Star follows this principle.
With further deliberation though, I think
‘Bodies’ is not much more than a song for
the audience to sing along with at Robbie’s
concerts; probably so he can remember the
Good: The average
Cartel fan will find
this album to their
taste.
Bad: Cartel have
produced the same
album. Again.
Reality Killed The
Video Star James Ash
words himself.
Maybe I shouldn’t be too critical. I mean,
it’s not like I’m the one out there making millions of pounds is it? It’s just that with such
a long wait for new material, it’s hard not to
“Too many tracks pass you
by, and you may not even
get to the stage where you’re
embarrassingly singing them
in the shower.”
feel slightly let down.
Robbie Williams burst on to the scene
brilliantly back in the late 90s, but I can’t
help but feel he’s hit his autumn years a
bit too quickly. Robbie fans will appreciate
the album for sure, but I can’t exactly see
many previous doubters changing their
minds.
2/5
Good: A definite
grower, give it time
and you’ll like a few
tracks.
Bad: A disappointing comeback from
Robbie.
Kate Golding
“It feels souless and
rushed”
2/5
RECORDS
More Cartel?
Chroma and Self Titled albums
Cycles
Cartel
Cartel are back with their album third studio album Cycles. Having had a couple of
years out since their self titled, Cartel fans
were eagerly awaiting this third release from
the Georgia fivesome. The guys had a lot to
live up to, given the huge success of their
two previous albums and this album is ultimately what the Cartel fan will enjoy: roaring,
sing-along choruses with catchy lyrics and
riffs. However, it seems this album hasn’t
quite met the high standards Cartel had set
themselves. The album has a familiar Cartel formula, and although enjoyable there is
a sense that this has all been done before
and it would seem that Cartel are a one trick
pony.
Shooting to fame in America on MTV’s
Band in the Bubble, Cartel made their way
into the hearts of the typical 12-20 year old
generally female target audience. With model-esque looks, insanely catchy songs, the
ability to play their own instruments as well
as some clichéd lyrics, Cartel are the poppunk version of the manufactured boy band
produced by the likes of X-Factor.
Although I loved the first two albums produced by this band, this album seems to really fail them. It feels soulless and rushed,
with boring, and overused lyrics. “Torn at
the seam, my heart is sewn. Holding back
the tears shed on my own” (‘Deep South’) how cliché can you get? The unoriginality of
this album is not necessarily its failing, thousands of bands across the world are producing this sort of stuff - it is its insincerity that
has left me feeling disappointed. It sounds
like this is an album Cartel have written to
make money and churned out to fulfil the
contract, rather than an album written with
some sort of emotion.
There are a few good songs on this
record, the first single (released in July)
‘Let’s Go’ and ‘27 Steps’ are both good, typical of Cartel, but still, they offer something
slightly different, and stand out more than
any other songs. The acoustic track ‘Only
You’, although filled with the clichéd lyrics
aforementioned, is a welcome departure
from the status quo of the album and breaks
it up. Overall, this album is perfectly fine to
listen to but nothing springs out and grabs
you. If you don’t listen carefully all the songs
seem to merge into one and easily fade into
the background. Listen if you like Cartel in
general, but if you are new to the band, listen
to the first two albums first.
RECORDS
“Whilst Casablancas’s voice is so recognisable in Strokes form, he has created
a whole new sort of record to what we would expect”
Julian
Casablancas
Phrases For
The Young
Phrases For The Young is the debut solo
album of Julian Casablancas, who is best
known for fronting the highly influential rock
band, The Strokes. Casablancas’s solo album is his first real output of any significance
since The Strokes last album, The First Impressions Of Earth in 2006.
In many ways it is quite the departure,
with an electro-pop feel from start to finish.
However, whilst the crispy ringing guitars
and compact rhythms of The Strokes are reduced, the new-wave style synths won‘t surprise anybody familiar with ‘Room on Fire’.
The catchy chorus of the opener, ‘Out
Of The Blue’, kicks off the album, and is followed by the equally pop orientated ‘Left And
Right In The Dark’, and the sprightly twonote synth line of the first single, ‘11th Dimension’. The crooning vocals of ‘4 Chords
of the Apocalypse’ bring the album down a
much-needed notch after the almost over-
4/5
powering nature of the opening three numbers.
The recognisable voice of Casablancas
is never lost on this album as he takes on
the opening line of ‘Ludlow St.’: “Everything
seems to go wrong when I stop drinking/
Everything seemed to go my way last night,”
with his usual husky manner.
Certainly, it is difficult to fault the lyrics of
Casablancas
on the
this album.
“At times
songs sound
over complicated with
seemingly everything in
the studio packed in to
each song, in the manner befitting Radiohead’s
Thom Yorke.”
The dark fizz of ‘River of Brakelights’ is
probably the closest thing you will find to
Zero 7
Zero 7 have been off the radar for three
years now, and after the successful collaboration with Jose Gonzales on The Garden,
fans have eagerly anticipated the arrival of
Yeah Ghost - the band’s fourth studio album.
Now the thing about Zero 7 is that they’re
good because they’re predictable. Not in
a “this sounds exactly like the last twenty
songs they made”, but in a way that you
would always be able to recognise one of
their songs. Like the comfort in knowing the
straining voice of Beth Gibbons is a clear
marker of a Portishead song, Sia Furler’s
synth-pop tones are synonymous with the
band’s signature sound.
Unfortunately enough for fans however,
Yeah Ghost carries mere remnants of this
predictability. Sia Furler’s departure from being their resident vocalist is very apparent
and, to be honest, hasn’t done them any favours. The only track that seems to hold the
record up is ‘Swing’. The third song on the
album opens with the familiar cradling that
reminds the listener of older gems such as
The Garden’s ‘Throw It All Away’. The saving grace here is undeniably Binki Shapiro’s
vocals which are curiously similar to Furler’s.
The rest of the album is heavily influenced
by the arrival of new vocalist Eska Mtung-
Andy Baber
Yeah Ghost
wazi who turned up to the studio with a Britney Spears album in one hand and turned a
“bunch of nothing into four tracks”. Now the
presence of that Britney Spears album is felt
throughout the remainder of the album; gone
are the darker down-tempo beats that were
the foundations of every Zero 7 song, such
as ‘Medicine Man’, make way for cheesy 80s
synth leads and even more sugar-coated lyrics that are layered with “simply outrageous”
girly yelps of “yeah”s and “do-do-do”s.
The opening track ‘Mr McGee’ sets the
tone (and therefore sums up) Yeah Ghost
perfectly. Stuttering beats create a canvas
for Mtungwazi to warble out overly sunny
lyrics that suffer even more under the countless repetitions of yet another set of “yeah”s
and “oh-oh-oh”s. The vocals inevitably take
over the famous layered beats of Henry
Binns and Sam Hardaker that should have
remained front-stage.
It seems Zero 7 have come a long way
since their first successful single ‘Destiny’,
but unfortunately it has not been the right
way. Rather than sounding like a progression, Yeah Ghost comes off as a clambering
for a change that was probably demanded
by both the label and the departure of Furler.
2/5
Good: Superb vocals throughout a
distinctive record.
Bad: Not a lot!
The Strokes on this album, with its menacing overtones and towering vocals.
The final two songs are slightly forgettable, although the final song on the album,
‘Tourist’ has an epic quality from the off with
brooding keyboards, neat little guitar fills and
big drums.
Whilst Casablancas’s voice is so recognisable in Strokes form, he has created a
whole new sort of record to what we would
expect. With its catchy synths and Casablanca’s rumbling vocals to match, Phrases
For The Young is an enjoyable album, which
is much more than just filler before the new
Strokes material.
Tour Dates
London, December 15th/16th
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RECORDS
“It’s the musical equivalent of being bought a drink by some enchanting stranger
at a bar, only to wake up in a bathtub of ice with both your kidneys missing.”
Say Anything
Say Anything are a band with a colourful history. Numerous line up changes, lead
singer Max Bemis’ battles with bi-polar depression and drug habits, it’s a wonder that
the band have even made it through to this,
their self-titled third studio album. But whoever said what doesn’t kill you only makes
you stronger didn’t know the half of it, as
Bemis and co. deliver a slaughtering of the
senses and deliver an album that might just
sneak in to take album of the year.
The album delivers thirteen hook ridden
tracks, playing with a more upbeat, poppier
sound than previously exhibited. Each is
more infectious than the last; it’s like a pop
punk parasite burrowing into your brain, but
then you actually get along quite nicely. In
true Say Anything fashion it’s a record at
points mundanely simple, and yet vastly
intricate, as we delve into Bemis’ complex
psyche.
The record starts with the volatile and
aggressive ‘Fed To Death’, and never lets
up from here. Bemis lyrics are as always a
sordid treat, with grotesque ideas somehow
becoming beautifully poetic. ‘Death For My
Birthday’ is the funnest song you’ve ever
heard on the subject of euthanasia. ‘Mara
And Me’ is a schizophrenic’s paranoid nightmare come true. While ‘Ahh... Men’ is a
Singles
Yeasayer
Ambling Alp
For anyone that knows Yeasayer will remember their 2007 (to quote guitarist Anand
Wilder) “sprawling debut” as an experimental tapestry of unidentifiable sounds that
created a method of escapism. Pretty ironic
considering their lyrics - especially the track
entitled ‘2080’ which expressed a very nonexistent future for the world we live in - that
were layered upon very grand, epic instrumentals, making the end of the world sound
like an Eastern celebration.
Listening to their new single ‘Ambling Alp’
from their upcoming 2010 album Blood, you
can’t help but question their progression.
Chris Keating’s lead vocals have transformed from an indie drawl into a pop punk
Like This?
Check out Animal Collective__
gasp. Is this the downward spiral of ‘selling
out’ so as to make more accessible, moneymaking chart hits? Well the rumours can be
settled once and for all because although
this is definitely a step away, it is also a step
forward. They have retained the layering of
the rolling drumbeats, scratchy samples and
harmonised vocals that make them unique,
while kicking aside the teen angst from their
first album to create a more optimistic feel.
We’ll have to wait for the rest of Blood to
see if this has been a good move but based
on ‘Ambling Alp’, I’m all ears.
Kavina Upadhyay 4/5
Tom Shepherd
Like This?
Two Tongues
heroic anthem for twisted romantics everywhere.
Musically the band delve down alleyways
previously unexplored, giving the record a
much grander finish. And technically the
songs on this record are a lot more stable
and resolute than previous efforts. That said,
certain tracks do lull into a false sense of security, only to pummel the listener to a bloody
pulp. It’s the musical equivalent of being
bought a drink by some enchanting stranger
at a bar, only to wake up in a bathtub of ice
with both your kidneys missing.
It’s an album with charisma and charm,
it’s intimate yet aloof, it’s sickly sweet but
with a sinister side. It’s everything great
about Say Anything, turned up. The album
has so many hidden hooks and dark alleyways that it could take forever to explore
them all, but you’ll love every minute finding
them. With moments so catchy you’ll want to
sing them aloud all day long. But with lyrics
such as, “Can I lie with you in your grave?”
just be careful where you sing them.
5/5
Good: Everything!!
Bad: Nothing
The
Jumbling Flaming
Towers
Lips
Kanetown City Rips
For lovers of quirky pop, here is a song
that ticks just the right boxes. Delicious melodies, subtle grubby synths, and vocals you
just can’t quite unravel – this even comes
from an album with a theme. Jumbling Towers’ latest offering glides exultantly through
enchanting-yet-jaunty cyclical hooks, which
bubble happily underneath Joe DeBoer’s
swooning and imperfect vocals. This is a
track devoid of his usual tendency for Ballroom Blitz-worthy vocal theatrics, and instead, his voice trembles in a way fans will
appreciate as appropriately idiosyncratic.
Jumbling Towers are a band worth checking out. Their chords may grate, their guitar
solos may make no sense, but this release
embodies every reason why you should give
them a try: there are few songs that are both
charming and disconcerting, and for producing albums teeming with the blighters, Jumbling Towers must be applauded.
Abby Thomas 4/5
Watching the Planets
First of all I have never been a fan of The
Flaming Lips. Their music has always been
a little bit too experimental for me. When I
discovered they were releasing a single with
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I threw
away all my hesitations because it’s Karen
O. And I’m glad I did.
The song opens with a gong accompanying a steady drumbeat, giving it a very
‘Jungle Book’-esque feel, especially with the
screaming and yelping from Karen O and
Wayne Coyne that sound like animal cries.
The hollow voice of Karen O combined with
the xylophone and echoed lyrics add an otherworldly feel of the song, creating that signature psychedelic sound.
I might have started the wrong way round,
but find myself a self-proclaimed Flaming
Lips fan.
Kavina Upadhyay
4/5
LIVE
Fleetwood Mac
2nd November 2009
The Sheffield Arena
many that Fleetwood
Mac have managed to
retain over the years,
it’s the energy that goes into their performances, and this was evident from the very
start.
Lyndsey Buckingham in particular seems
intent on proving that by no means are
Fleetwood Mac ready to stop doing what
they love, really giving the songs the ‘guitar god’ treatment and thrashing about the
stage like a man possessed. At points I
even thought he might have been enjoying
himself a little too much.
It wasn’t just Buckingham’s stunning
playing that wowed people though, the entire band was on form. Mick Fleetwood’s
drumming providing a stalwart and energetic bedrock throughout, working in harmony
with John McVie’s iconic baselines, and
simply dominating ‘Tusk’. Stevie Nicks is as
weird and wonderful as ever, her performance of ‘Gold Dust Woman’ bringing an eerie hush down over the arena and her voice,
being the female focus since Christine McVie’s decision not to join the reunion, working
in perfect harmony with Buckingham’s.
The performance lived up to the tag as
a ‘Greatest Hits’ show, only the most demanding of fans could have been disappointed with the selection of crowd-pleasers
the band produced. Interesting though, was
the decision to include some of their lesserknown material, such as ‘Storms’, but this
fitted quite well with the show’s fairly sentimental edge. Many songs were preceded
by short (sometimes not so short) introductions centred around what they meant to the
band and in what context they were written,
mainly through the soft, slow tones of Nicks
James Truman
It’s been five
years since Fleetwood Mac’s Say
You Will tour; some
of the band having
since continued with
solo projects and
some having taken a
break from the limelight. But this was the
lineup that had given
the world the bestselling
Rumours
album, just minus
Christine McVie, so I
was confident on the
long drive to Sheffield that the BritishAmerican
rockers
wouldn’t disappoint.
They certainly didn’t.
I arrived at the
perfect time; I just
had time to take in
the size of the crowd
the band had drawn
when the lights
went down and the
cheers went up. The
band came on and
launched
straight
into ‘Monday Morning’, having had
no support band.
Frankly they didn’t
need it. If there’s
one thing among the
and Buckingham. It would often be appropriate to criticise a band for this; people are
there to see a gig, not ‘An evening with...’,
but in Fleetwood Mac’s case this would be
unfair.
This return has been nothing short of triumphant, and anyone worth their salt would
feel proud of what the band has achieved
and overcome over the years, so I think
they’re allowed to be a little self-indulgent.
The only negative thing I’d have to say
about the evening was not even the band’s
fault. The crowd, being made up of mainly
older generations (I think I was the youngest person there not with my parents) was
reluctant to get going for much of the gig,
only standing for some of the highest energy songs, and even seemingly only to see
over the people in front of them. This only
served to confuse me when the entire crowd
got up and danced to ‘Don’t Stop’ during the
encore. Perhaps they felt that they weren’t
what they once were, and were saving themselves for the end.
As a fan of the band, I was blown away,
but I fail to see how someone who had never
even heard of them could not enjoy the performance I was treated to. The Unleashed
Tour has finished, but keep your eyes peeled
over the coming months for the possibility of
a new album...and maybe a new tour.
4/5
Good: Everything I
expected and more,
simply incredible.
Bad: Unenthusiastic
crowd.
LIVE
Rik Sharma
The biggest ever indoor gig in the history
of Winchester – the signs were there from
the start that tonight was going to be a good
night. London’s Beans on Toast, a singer
songwriter (read more comedian than musician) opened the gig, with a ramshackle display that was as hilarious as it was messy.
And believe me, it was more than messy.
With songs being abandoned halfway
through for a chat with the audience, some
never to be resumed, and sound problems,
which, if anything, enhanced the performance, amongst other distractions - messy
doesn’t tell the half of it. Trust me, Beans
on Toast is brilliant. His mildly politicised,
tongue-so-far-in-cheek-that-it-will-probablynever-ever-come-out songs, like ‘The Price
of Rice’ and ‘2012’ were an early treat for
the crowd. Florida’s Fake Problems took
to the stage next, playing a set which drew
heavily from their 2009 album It’s Great to
Be Alive. The band possess an impressive
stage presence, aided by songs that have
an energy of their own. The highlight being ‘Dream Team’, performed surprisingly
early into the set; it is their most anthemic
number.
Frank Turner took to the stage accompanied by his band, to roars which could
only be expected; he was greeted like a returning hero – which of course, to many, he
is. Opening with ‘Live Fast Die Old’, the first
track from new album Poetry of the Deed,
and the new charting single ‘The Road’,
showed that Turner has a strong conviction
in his new album, and was greeted with delight from the crowd. A balls to the wall ‘hard
rock’ version of the touching, and previously
stripped down ‘Long Live the Queen’ completed the opening salvo. As good as this
was, it is open to debate, and oft furiously
debated, whether he is better with a backing band or by himself. Cleverly, the set was
constructed to allow the best of both worlds;
some parts of songs just featured his voice
and plugged in acoustic guitar before the
band resumed, and at other times the band
disappeared.
The midsection of the gig varied wildly
between the very old, ‘Nashville Tennessee’, ‘The Real Damage’, the very new ‘Our
Lady of the Campfire’, ‘Dan’s Song’ and
the downright strange - the old English folk
song ‘Barbara Allen’. This track was sung
alone, with no instruments, and had an alluring charm to it. “Just the hits from here on
in” proclaimed Turner jokingly at the end of
it. Whilst he may not have been being serious, the next few songs were some of the
strongest material he has in his catalogue,
including ‘Love Ire and Song’, ‘Father’s Day’
and the epic ‘Journey of the Magi’.
As shown in a recent interview with the
Evening Standard, Frank Turner’s relationship with his father has been put under
heavy strain at times in the past, to put it
lightly. Tonight’s show had an edge to it
from early on, after Turner announced to the
crowd that his father was in the crowd. And
it was the always emotional, furious ‘Father’s Day’, delivered more intensely than
ever, where things came to a head. Each
Frank Turner
29th October 2009
The Winchester Guildhall
snatched and snarled line was accompanied
by accusatory dagger glances to the balcony
above; his face appearing furious and close
to tears at the same time. It’s easy for me
to hear and write this though, particularly in
comparison to the determination and bravery
required and supplied by Turner, to stand
upon the stage and sing that particular song
on this particular night. And, by the conclusion of ‘Father’s Day’, he had begun ‘I Knew
Prufrock Before he was Famous’, and was
all smiles again, his delivery just as passion-
ate but in a different way.
He came out to encore with the evergreen
‘Ballad of Me and My Friends’, ‘Reasons Not
to be an Idiot’, and finally the ode to just doing
what you want to do – ‘Photosynthesis’, for
which he was joined onstage by the support
bands and his friends; Fake Problems and
Beans on Toast. Frank Turner possesses
not only the songs to back up his rising star
status, but also several rare qualities – humility, loyalty and firm, unwavering beliefs in
what he thinks is wrong and right, something
which many of today’s papier-mâché
pop stars ought to be envious of.
4/5
Good: Unique and
refreshing performance, with a wonderful setlist.
Bad: Not necessarily bad, but a tense
few familial moments.
LIVE
MC Lars
Hayley Taulbut
7th October 2009
The Wedgewood Rooms
The Wedgewood Rooms is not the biggest venue on the South Coast, and considering MC Lars’s previous shows at the
Southampton Joiners that have sold out
each time, I expected tonight to be much the
same. But the Wedgewood rooms was decidedly empty.
Disappointing as it must have been for
Lars, I still had a wicked time. First-time
performers Dirty Sky Jones were more
than impressive – they had never played to
a live audience before, and what a way to
lose your performance virginity! Their tunes
were catchy, and incredibly well executed: it
was a set to be more than proud of. Up next
were Last Letter Read, whom I have seen
live numerous times, and their performance
was solid as usual: not really my cup of tea,
but still a good show. Mike TV, consisting of
previous members of Pickled Dick, seemed
to split opinions in the room. Some were loving their sound, whilst others frankly seemed
more interested in the bar. My opinion fell
right in the middle. Whilst Mike TV were
performing, it was pretty good, but as soon
as the songs concluded, they launched into
banter that was honestly a bit ridiculous: their
jokes were not funny, and it was simply quite
annoying.
Thankfully, MC Lars did not disappoint.
When his ‘Straight-outta-Stanford’ sound exploding onto the stage it was excellent.
However, taking a day out from his tour
with Bowling for Soup and Zebrahead certainly affected the performance: it meant that
MC Lars was left with no supporting band.
Not one to let such a small detail as absent
instruments set him back, MC Lars took ‘laptop rap’ to a whole new level. He performed
with the same hilarity and vigour that he has
become known for, but with the soundtrack
coming solely from his laptop. Given tracks
Kids in Glass
Houses
8th November, 2009
be big come 2010, so are certainly ones to
keep an eye on!
Up next were Attack! Attack!, who have
earned themselves an army of fans in a relatively small space of time since conception
in 2006 for one very simple reason.
‘Their music is utterly
brilliant.’
Having toured with the likes of Lostprophets, Funeral for a Friend,
and now Kids in Glass Houses, it wont be long until Attack! Attack! grace the stage
for a headline set. And when
they do, it will be well deserved.
But onto the main act. Kids in Glass
Houses exploded onto the stage with a fury
that they have become known for. They play
with an immense amount of enthusiasm,
and have the feel of a band that has been
around forever - they are more like a singular unit than a group of five guys – they were
finishing each others sentences, and have a
chemistry only possible between the most
intimate of friends.
And a rather talented group of friends
at that! Lead singer Aled Phillips has got
The Wedgewood Rooms
Hayley Taulbut
Tonight was a Welsh extravaganza! Kids
in Glass Houses, hailing from South Wales,
brought Straight Lines and Attack! Attack!
with them on tour, which proved two things:
1) That Wales is the home of a plethora
of fantastic musicians, and 2) that the Welsh
accent is utterly unintelligible.
First up were Straight Lines, who were
fantastic. Their ridiculously happy, but decidedly ‘grown-up’ emo-pop-punk sound was
fantastic, and was frankly quite refreshing;
given the current music scene that champions the macabre, Straight Lines are fun yet
mature, and an utter delight to watch. Earning themselves a place on tour with Kids
in Glass Houses is no small wonder:;they
had a stage presence of a band at least
four times as big as them, and an arsenal
of songs that defied you to dance, with their
debut due early 2010. Personal favourites
were ‘All My Friends Have Joined the Army’
and ‘Say It For Your Sake’. They were really
rewarding to watch and listen to, and should
such as ‘Download this Sound’, in which
CD’s and DVD’s die a death at the hands
of digital downloads, his whole performance
could be prophetic of the death of live music:
after all, who needs guitars when one piece
of machinery can do the same job just as
well?
Of course, although the pre-recorded
audio was synchronised perfectly, it left little room for improvisation. This meant some
tracks lost some of their raw feel, sounding like recording studio demos. However,
this did not affect his enthusiasm, and he
launched into a rap completely off the cuff
alongside MC iPod about the randomly selected subject of AIDS. It was absolute genius: witty, funny and ironic to the core. Take
these elements, and multiply by ten, and
you have MC Lars’s planned and recorded
tracks. Personal favourites are ‘Mr. Raven’,
the adaptation from Edgar Alan Poe’s poem,
with the hilarious lyric “Mr. Mr. Raven, all up
in my grill like, ‘Nevermore’.”, and ‘Signing
Emo’, with its provocative insight into the
mainstream music industry.
This is essentially what sums up MC Lars
– his ability to adapt to any situation, make
it his own, and take something funny from it,
all of which he excelled at tonight. It was a
fantastic show!
4/5
Good: Wit as sharp
as a knife, and an
adaptability uncomparable to any other.
Bad: It just wasn’t
the same without a
live band.
a fantastic voice, a stage presence beyond
belief, and an enthusiasm that never seems
to dampen, which makes him a joy to watch.
Equally matching him in enthusiasm and
precision were Iain Mahanty and Joel Fisher,
both on guitar, negotiating the stage with the
air of veteran performers.
Despite touring pretty much relentlessly
for the past two years, supporting acts such
as Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy, and headlining their own sets at small venues, you
couldn’t tell they had been playing classics
such as ‘Give Me What I Want’ and ‘Saturday’ for even a day: they are still playing
with the same vigour as the day they started!
Their performance remained fresh and fun,
with tracks from their new album littering
the set-list, though not due for release until
2010. It was exciting to hear Kids in Glass
Houses play some new material, with tracks
such as current single ‘Young Blood (Let it
All Out)’ really standing out.
All in all, it was a great gig. All three acts
can officially add themselves to the long list
of superb performers hailing from the valleys.
4/5
Good: Enthusiasm
that captured the
crowd, and a setlist
to write home about.
Bad: The set was a
little predicatable at
times.
LIVE
Amy Studt, singer and song-writer from Bournemouth
comes to Southampton to showcase her new material.
8th November
The Joiners
Emmeline Curtis
Amy Studt has been relatively silent on
the music scene for a few years now, so
curiosity was my main feeling when I went
down to the Joiners to see her perform. I
had no idea whether she would be as good
as I remembered from my younger years,
or whether she would be drastically different. I was in for a pleasant shock however;
her sound has grown and matured, and her
songs are better than ever.
Support on the night
came from local Southampton artist, Atlum
Schema, who put on a
very good show despite a few
technical problems. The set ended
on an impressive note with the
song, ‘Ballad of the Self-Blessed,
Self-Less’, leaving me to ponder
how one man could create such a sound
and put on that good a show, all on his own.
‘Definitely someone to check
out live.’
When Amy later came on stage, she
played a stripped down acoustic set, which
showed off the beauty and simplicity of her
voice and songs. The venue wasn’t packed
out, making the show nice and intimate, and
there was a really good atmosphere with
the crowd fully behind Amy.
The set list featured a
selection of songs from
both of her albums, some
new tracks and a surprise
cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Man in the Mirror’
- an amazing song, that
Amy sang beautifully and
made her own.
‘Chasing the Light’,
a track from her latest album, showed off
Amy Studt’s voice really well and was one
of the most powerful songs performed. The
best song of the night though, was one of
her new songs, ‘Tree’.
some very entertaining stories from Amy and
good natured banter between her and guitarist Connor, a testament to Amy’s growing
confidence and their great onstage chemistry. It is perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed
the night so much, that the audience felt like
they were sharing in her experience and not
just watching a performance.
The night ended with a new song called
‘Sleepy Amy’, written while she was touring around in a motor home. The song is
reminiscent of a lullaby and had me swaying
along; it was a lovely chilled out way to end
the night.
For those of you that have preconceived
‘It was sweet and funny, and ideas from memories of Amy’s pop star
background, ignore them and prepare to
had me singing along to the
be pleasantly surprised. The whole night at
line, “I want to be a tree..”;’
Joiners was a really enjoyable experience,
it is perhaps my new favourite song. I and one of the best gigs I have seen in a
was very disappointed to find it is not on the while.
album.
Amy only performed two songs from her
debut album: ‘Under the Thumb’ and the
song that everyone remembers her for, ‘Misfit’. They sounded, however, nothing like I
remembered. They were much simpler and Good: Acoustic ver- Bad: Not very much!
mature sounding, reflecting the change in sion of ‘Misfit’ and
Amy since they were first released in 2002. the on-stage chemIn between songs we were treated to istry.
5/5
Walter Trout
29th October 2009 The Brook
For those who don’t know, Walter Trout
is an electric blues guitarist/singer from New
Jersey and played as a sideman to other
artists in the 70’s such as John Lee Hooker.
In the 80’s he joined the band Canned Heat
and then John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers,
sharing guitar duties with Coco Montoya.
Finally, in 1989, Trout went solo, and after
releasing over 10 albums, he is celebrating
20 years of relentless touring and bringing
his fiery blues to the masses, with his new
album Unspoiled by Progress.
It was a typical blues gig, in that the average age was at least 50, only lowered
by the presence of a few of us young ‘uns.
Nevertheless, as the venue filled up, so did
the atmosphere. The Brook is superb; the
acoustics are great and there is a great intimacy between the audience and the artists.
With everyone pint in hand and no support band, the excitement was building - finally Walter Trout and his band emerged
from the mysterious black stage door and
the crowd cheered and whistled. Trout
sound tested his guitar and showed his
skills by attacking the fret board with some
fast blues licks, which pleased the crowd,
and then burst into the opening track ‘Outta
Control’.
He then slowed it down a little with the next
few songs, with his soulfulness and hearton-sleeve playing really coming through.
This is something that I find lacking in much
current music, but it’s
good to
know
Alex Payne takes a look
at the world of one of the
most popular blues players of the current age,
Walter Trout
that this way of playing will never leave the
blues.
Ever the joker, Trout asked us to show our
appreciation to the imaginary support band
and had a few jibes at Yoko and Heather
Mills along with numerous other funny quips.
The good thing about Trout is that he has a
good time on stage and doesn’t take himself
too seriously, which enables the crowd to
have a good time.
Trout rattled out some of his self-penned
classics
including
‘Collingswood’,
‘Helpin’ Hand’ and
‘Welcome to the Human Race’. He paid
homage to his early
mentor
John
Lee
Hooker by playing in
Hooker’s favourite key
– E minor – as Trout
joked that’s the only
key he played in with
Hooker. Nevertheless,
it was a good tribute
both stylistically and
structurally.
Then something very strange happened.
Trout invited his tour manager, Andrew Elt, to
play guitar on 2 songs and then he took over
lead vocal duties for a rendition of ‘Mercy’.
He sounded like a mix of Ronny James Dio
and David Coverdale, screaming the house
down on the high notes but maintained the
rawness needed for blues.
In all the band was tight and very good at
what they do, with a drum solo, a bass solo
and several Hammond organ solos thrown in
for good measure.
After nearly 2 full hours of blues, Trout
left the stage, but came back on for a well
deserved encore and closed his set with
a cover of the classic blues track ‘Going
Down’, which features on the new album.
Walter Trout was a real crowd pleaser.
His lack of set-list allowed the gig to flow
freely, which suits his style: we couldn’t have
asked for more. It was utterly amazing!
5/5
Good: Everything!
He was funny, and is
a musical genius!
Bad:
Absolutely
nothing!
Billy Talent
LIVE
The Southampton Guildhall
29th October 2009
Rik Sharma
Warm up act, Cancer Bats are the musical equivalent of a tornado; they destroy
everything in their wake, without deliberating
or discriminating over whom or what it is. So
whilst a portion of tonight’s crowd watch on
with eyebrows raised, they know that they’ve
been tangoed. Opening with ‘Hail Destroyer’, and refusing to relent until finally exiting
with ‘Lucifer’s Rocking Chair’, The Cancer
Bats’ attack is an unrelenting barrage.
‘We’ve been the
motherfucking Cancer Bats!’
exclaims vocalist Liam Cormier, as if anybody could forget.
After the tornado from Toronto have left
the stage, and the Guildhall house lights
are turned back on, amidst the sea of empty
Carlsberg bottles and cracked plastic pint
cups, lie in wait a crowd eagerly anticipating
tonight’s headliners, Billy Talent. This band,
also from Canada, are markedly different in
style from the aggression of Cancer Bats,
focusing instead on twanging melodies
from the six string of Ian D’Sa, and twisting, unique vocals, from the frontman Ben
Kowalewicz. The set they played drew fairly
evenly from all three albums, though the biggest cheers of the night were reserved for
the material from Billy Talent I, in particular
‘This is How it Goes’, ‘Line and Sinker’ and
‘Try Honesty’.
In the fifteen songs they played there
was no semblance of filler, each song deserving of its place in the set, and many
more worthy inclusions excluded from it.
The mid tempo sing-a-long ‘Rusted from the
Rain’ calmed things down, but only
temporarily, before the intense ‘Saint
Veronika’ and ‘Surrender’ ensured the
set continued at a canter. Other highlights were ‘River Below’ and the rambunctious ‘Devil On My Shoulder’.
The beautiful, shimmering melodies that Billy Talent create, juxtaposed with their more ferocious
moments, attract a mixed audience,
including some very young kids. Perhaps it was merely an illusion created
by having to follow Cancer Bats, but
I’m sure punk-rock used to feel a little more dangerous than this, from the
merch pricing to the mosh pit.
‘This feeling was
enhanced by the
outstanding light show
which occupied each
song; a wonderful, stylish
spectacle.
Perhaps they are not helped by the Guildhall being a venue which even when sold out
[like tonight] still leaves each person in there
with enough space to have afternoon tea in.
The band have not shunned the other
side to their performance though; encore
songs ‘Fallen Leaves’ and finally ‘Red Flag’
igniting the crowd unlike any songs before
them. These two served a reminder of how
powerful and intense the band can be when
they desire.
They say variety is the spice of life, and
being able to draw on aggression and emotion, melody and softness is certainly a large
part of their appeal. That, and the heartfelt,
creative lyrics which still rang around the
venue after they had left the stage.
4/5
Good: Great spectacle, and a filler free
set.
Bad: Hard to shake
the feeling that this
isn’t quite how punk
is supposed to be.
FEATURES
Frank Turner
Rik Sharma caught up with local singer-songwriter Frank Turner at his homecoming gig in Winchester.
Introduce yourself.
My name is Frank Turner, I come from
Winchester, and it’s nice to be home!
How’s the tour been going so far?
Really, really good. I’ve never headlined
at this level before, supported many times,
but never headlined at these venues. It’s a
bit surreal, but it’s great and the shows have
been selling out. It’s always a bit nerve-racking when you book a round of shows, that
are the next rung up, because you think “nobody’s gonna come!” You lie awake at night,
wondering whether anyone will buy tickets.
This time round, everybody bought all the
tickets! We’ve now got another tour on sale,
in March, which I’m lying awake wondering
about! But this one was ok!
What’s the biggest tour venue been?
Nottingham Rock City. But tomorrow,
London Shepherd’s Bush will be bigger, by
100 extra people. I will be counting them,
every one. For me, the type of venues that
you headline is the most tangible measure of
one’s success, radio play and record sales
are a little bit academic to me; it’s just I’ve
seen a lot of my heroes headline Shepherd’s
Bush. To be doing the same thing myself...
and to have it sell out two months in advance, was like... “OK then!”
Were you happy with your new album?
Yeah, I am. It was a strange one this time
around; there’s always a limbo, a couple of
months when you’ve finished it, and you’ve
got it, and no-one else does. But this time
it dawned on me that there was an awful lot
more people waiting to hear the new album
this time round than any previous records
I’ve released, whether with Million Dead or
solo, or whatever. And this period of time became quite stressful... I just kept going “the
mix is wrong!”, “the songs aren’t right!” The
bottom line is, I did the best I could at the
time, I’m happy that I did that, I’m happy with
the songs, I think they’re great. Some things
worked better than others, but as an overall
body of work, I’m really pleased with it, and
people seem to like it!
“I lie awake at night, wondering whether anyone will buy
tickets”
That brings me onto my next question... signing to Epitaph; how did that
come about?
It was pretty old fashioned. They came
across my stuff, we were doing well in the
UK, and looking for a label outside of the
UK. I got a phone call from Brett [Gurewitz,
founder of Epitaph, member of seminal punk
band Bad Religion], and he was like “Hi, do
you want to sign for my label?”, and I was
like “yeah” [laughs]. We talked to them, they
asked us what we wanted, we told them, they
said “OK”. And we were like... “hmm... this is
too easy”. It was great. We were talking to
a lot of different labels, quite big labels, and
the one thing they were adamant about was
that we’d leave Xtra Mile, and go with them,
for the World. And I was like... “Well... I don’t
wanna do that”. They’ve done an amazing
job, and continue to do an amazing job, and
loyalty is important. So we told that to Brett,
and he was “Yeah, that’s cool”. It was like...
“Well... that’s easy”.
Is that how the tour supporting the Offspring in America came about, with Epitaph?
They were involved, certainly. In the end,
the band picked the supports, so they came
down and said that they were fans! Which
was really weird. But they were super nice
guys, Noodles and Dexer and all that. Very
nice people.
Eleven months ago, you played the
Winchester Tower Arts Centre, and now
you’re playing the Guildhall. What’s happened in between?
[Laughs] They told us when we got here
today, apparently tonight is going to be the
biggest indoor gig in the history of Winchester! Which as a home town show, is pretty
fucking cool right there.
[The guitarist from Frank’s backing
band pipes up: ‘That’s not true. King Alfred
rocked!’]
Frank: Pretty sure he only pulled 750.
Pretty sure King Alfred pulled 750. I think...
my perception of it is probably slightly different to most peoples, and I wish I could see
it from outside. It seems almost like we’ve
hit the mainstream, or started to. Which is
really odd. Because I didn’t grow up listening
to mainstream music. Just being on ASDA
playlists...
And some of the music on Match of the
Day.
Yeah! Match of the Day.. it’s like.. “Really?”. But it’s been cool, it’s been fucking
great. It’s just a bit weird. But it’s felt natural. It hasn’t been, suddenly “some guy in a
suit has written out a massive cheque and
I’m on the cover of the NME”. The NME has
still never written an article about me, so...
Well, I don’t know. I think it’s because people
do like my music, rather than feel like they
should. It seems like there’s an awful lot of
bands who are popular because people feel
they should be into them. And I think, or like
to tell myself, that’s not the case with me.
What was it like playing the Radio 1
tent at Reading? How many people were
in there?
I think it’s around 15,000 people when
it’s full. And it was pretty full. That kind of
ballpark. It was pretty cool. Reading was a
festival I went to when I was a kid. That’s
a lot of people. I’ll tell you one thing that
was funny... we were on after Lethal Bizzle
both days. Which was a challenge, that guy
knows how to get a crowd jumping. Particularly in Leeds, I made the mistake of watching his set from the side of the stage. I was
like.... “Oh. I’ve got to go on and play some
country music now”. But it was definitely a
career highlight.
“Q. Why can’t Stevie Wonder
see his family?
A. Because he’s married...”
What are you doing now? In March
you’ve got that tour with Chuck Ragan...
99% yes. That’s what I want, and he said
yes. But his booking agent’s being a bit odd.
Hopefully it’s not going to ruin anything. Im-
Editor Suggests
mediately after this, I’m going back to the
States on Saturday, to do the ‘Revival Tour’
with Chuck Ragan, which is going to be
great. Then we’ve got a European tour with
the band, a couple weeks off for Christmas,
then back in the States with the Bronx. Then
in Europe again, then March tour, then Europe again, then Australia.
FEATURES
I know with all the touring there’ll be
no time to record, but any plans for new
material?
I’m always writing new stuff. I really like
the idea of doing an album of traditional
songs, Old English songs. I think that would
be nice to do. But particularly with Epitaph,
there’s a lot more world to tour around, before I can rest on my laurels and start thinking about the next record.
On this tour you’ve been playing ‘Smiling at Strangers on Trains’, is that anything to do with the re-release of the Million Dead CD?
Not particularly... I think it’s more just...
when I started doing solo stuff, I was a little
bit touchy about it, and didn’t want to constantly be under the shadow of something
I used to do. But with the way things have
gone recently, it’s not really a problem anymore. So I feel more comfortable with my
history. It’s nice! We were a good band, who
wrote good songs, so it’s nice to be able to
play that song. And people want to hear it.
I’m not sure it’s going to become a set staple. Every tour I’m always going to play...
‘The Ballad of me and my Friends’ and stuff
like that, which is fine, but it’s nice both for
my benefit and the audiences’ benefit to play
something individual. So it was good to bring
that one out of the bag.
What are your guilty pleasures?
I don’t like feeling guilty about music that
I like. People think I’m being ironic when I’m
covering ABBA and Queen, but I love ABBA
and Queen! I’m not ashamed of that. There
is some pretty terrible pop punk in my record
collection from when I was young and foolish. Guilty pleasures in life? I drink too much.
I like misbehaving when I’m drunk. There’s a
guilty pleasure right there!
If you had to stop, for whatever reason, making music, what would you do?
[The band guitarist; ‘Would you be a Tory
councillor?’]
No. I’d cry for a bit. I’d love to be a history
teacher. I think that would be a fun thing to
do. I studied history at University.
In ‘Photosynthesis’ you say, “You
deserve every hour of those sleepless
nights, that you waste, wondering when
you’re gonna die”. What do you fear
then?
I’ll tell you. There’s a new song I’m writing at the moment, tentatively entitled ‘Night
Terrors’, about what I’m afraid of. I guess,
I’m afraid of staying still, getting stuck doing something I don’t like. I’m afraid of wasting my life. Getting slightly psychoanalytical
about it, my dad worked a job he didn’t like
very much, but he made a lot of money doing it. And I’ve always thought that was a
poor option. I don’t want to make that kind
of choice.
Last thing... you’ve got to tell a joke.
What do Hitler and Gordon Brown have
in common? Nothing. Hitler got voted into
power.
Either that one, or my favourite joke of
recently – why can’t Stevie Wonder see his
friends? Because he’s married!
Film Soundtracks
SON OF A PREACHER MAN
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
from
PULP FICTION
Most famously used in Quentin
Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction,
this track was Dusty Springfield’s biggest
selling single.
Son of a Preacher Man, played during the 1994 film (as Vincent Vega waits
in Mia Wallace’s house), helped the film
soundtrack to sell over 2 million copies in
the US alone.
This song demonstrates brilliantly how
talented Springfield must have been to
make a hit out of a song intended for a
powerful black voice. With soaring vocals that manage to be both tender and
strong, this is one of the best singles ever
recorded by a female British artist.
THE END
THE DOORS
from
APOCALYPSE NOW
This song acts as the backing track to
arguably the greatest opening sequence in
the history of cinema. For those who have
yet to see it, Apocalypse Now opens on a
strip of Vietnamese jungle just as it is targetted by a napalm strike, as helicopters
flit dully across the foreground.
The End was written by Doors’ frontman Jim Morrisson, and is the essence of
the band’s murky, surrealist rock sound.
As such, the song provides the perfect
opener to Francis Ford Coppola’s surreal adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novel
Heart of Darkness.
With weird, threatening lyrics set above
the band’s trademark deadened, psychadelic guitar riffs, this track should be on
every playlist. Not much good for dancing
though.
FEATURES
a good band which for us is a period of old
and waiting, hoping to become ‘classic’…
I think you have gotten there. The
Flaming Lips are a classic band, with
both commercial and critical success.
Why thank you, it’s been a strange journey but we just keep exploring ourselves
and exploring different styles.
I believe you guys do a great job of
achieving that with all your albums. I’ve
read you were inspired by Miles Davis for
this album, how did that come about?
Inspiration is a great thing. I can get inspiration from the trees, to the ocean, or
from rocks to art, anything really. Miles easily inspired our album but we didn’t go into
the studio hoping for it to sound like a Miles
Davis record, however, we had a deep appreciation for his music and the process in
which he made it. For this album we did a
lot of jamming. We would have jam sessions, each 15 minutes long and they were
great. Steve (The Flaming Lips guitarist) really shaped my sound and the jam sessions
really captured the intensity and feel of that
sound. It’s this sort of intensity I wanted for
this album.
“You can’t just wait
for things to happen”
The Flaming Lips
Jazmin Sherman meets Flaming Lips
frontman Wayne Coyne before their sellout gig in Portsmouth...
So are you excited for the show tonight?
Yes! Looking forward to it, we haven’t
played in Portsmouth since the early 90’s.
Will the human sized plastic ‘zobra’
ball be making an appearance tonight?
Yep, I’ve been coming out in that thing
every concert we’ve done since 2002, unless the venue was too small or something. I
love getting out and crowd surfing in it.
Have you ever seen any strange or
funny things on tour?
Oh yeah, we were playing a show with
My Chemical Romance and I watched this
girl get slammed into the barriers and both
of her teeth were knocked out, so you know,
naturally I went up to her to see if she was
okay. I told her if she found her teeth and put
them in some milk a dentist would be able
to put them back in, but she just looked at
me and said, “it doesn’t matter, I just want
to meet Gerard” (front man of My Chemical
Romance). Now that, that’s a fan for ya.
Brutal, nice tip about the teeth
though…things you learn on tour. How’s
this tour been going anyway? Are you enjoying being in the UK?
for new, interesting things that back in the
States they don’t have, and that curiosity
isn’t just for music, it extends to fashion and
art as well.
Yes, I absolutely love it. We have been
playing shows in the UK since the 80’s and
have always enjoyed it. London’s very expensive though, almost 8 American dollars
for a coffee. But here you pay it, back in the
States that would be an outrage. I must say,
I enjoy being in London now that I have more
money to spend...it’s great fun.
So tell me about your new album, Embryonic, your 12th studio album…
“I watched this girl
get slammed into the
barriers, and both
her front teeth were
knocked out”
I’m really happy you like England.
You’ve had more hits over in the UK and
Europe than you have back in the US…
Yeah, I know, it’s absurd. I feel the appreciation and understanding for music is
different over here, and there’s this curiosity
12th! Isn’t that wild We’ve been around
for ages! Jeez, how old are you?
18.
Now, I’m 49 years old, but to me I don’t
feel any age at all. I just feel old and that’s
fine. You’re younger a lot shorter period of
time than you are older. I mean, once you’re
past 30 you’re there. But I feel whether
you’re 30, 45, or 65, it’s just an age. I could
be any of those ages and it wouldn’t make
any difference.
I definitely agree. There is far too
much emphasis on age in our society
today. Growing older should be viewed
as a more positive thing, just look at
how much you and the Lips have accomplished…
I know 27 years. It’s been a great ride
but it’s strange. When you start your career
you’re this new, up and coming band and its
all exciting, then you become established as
I’m very impressed you guys did jam
sessions for this album, I feel it’s so
much more authentic…
...Yes but at the same time what actually is authentic? Authenticity specifically, in
art and sound is so subjective...but I do feel
jam sessions have something special about
them. They’re about capturing a moment, a
lot of what we played was shit (chuckling…)
but when we got it right, it was that little
boxed sound that was completely unique.
…and having listened to your album,
you guys sure got it right. Now, I want to
ask you about your song ‘Do You Realize?’ (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots)
becoming the ‘State Rock Song’ of Oklahoma (USA)… that’s very cool, what do
you think about it?
[chuckles] Well, you’re right, it is a very
cool honor, but a strange one at that. We
know many officials in Oklahoma and we
felt very privileged that of all bands, and all
songs, they chose us. It’s just very absurd…
I can appreciate that…so, in general do
you like touring? You’ve been traveling
all over the place playing shows, do you
ever feel like your putting your life on
hold while your away?
Well, I don’t really agree when other artists or bands say that. You don’t just ‘put
your life on hold’ when you’re on tour and
then just go back to it like nothing happened.
You, or at least we, continue to live our lives
normally while on tour. You learn to embrace
it, it’s all about living your life, and you can’t
just wait around for things to happen. Life
is all about saying “fuck it let’s go…or you’ll
miss it”.
FEATURES
tended the tracks to be portrayed?
We’re not a Christian rock band as such,
the album deals with dilemmas every man
deals with in life as do we. Faith is just one
thing we’ve gone with. It’s one subject that
can’t be ignored and we’ve tried to deal with
it.
I also feel many an array of influences
within the album, ranging from acapella
to almost Bluegrass, where has this
come from?
The acapella comes from old folk traditions and Welsh male choirs. It’s great to
have the lads together and we like to write
songs in our own form, so it is important for
us all to be able to sing them.
The Bluegrass aspect comes from Country Winston going on a road trip to the US,
and he went all round the Southern states.
He loves his Bluegrass and Country and its
just infectious, so we all got into it.
He was actually in a Bluegrass band after
school called ‘Captain Kick and the Cowboy
Ramblers’, it was a nine piece ridiculous
bluegrass band. They did a UK tour in Edinburgh which is where Marcus was at university, and they invited him down to play some
Bluegrass with them.
If you could team up with any artists
or bands either past or present to play a
mini festival, who would these be?
Mumford & Sons
ous tours.
Liam Gallagher hangs out with
country rockers Mumford & Sons, talking
influences, collaborations and surrealist
conflict...
What are your main influences? Obviously we have seen three of you playing with Laura Marling both live and in
recordings too. Do I sense any Irish roots
there too?
Firstly, how did the ‘hoe-down’ go
for the album launch back on Monday?
Sounded like a blast.
We’re all Celtic, we all have Celtic blood,
I mean Marcus is Scottish, Ted and Country Winston have got Irish blood and I (Ben)
was born in Wales and have Welsh family,
so there are folk influences there. We also
like to get together and sing together so a lot
comes from that, but there are no real Irish
influences, I mean I don’t own any Irish CDs
or anything.
We’re four different guys with four different influences it would be impossible to
name any but we all have common grounds.
We didn’t really have anything to do with
the organisation of it as such, but it was organised and put on by our new partners in
crime, Island Records.
Basically 500 people were put on coaches in London and were taken up to a barn
in Hertfordshire, which had only ever been
used for storage. So everything got really
dusty. But we played for about an hour as
well as another band playing after us who
played loads of Bluegrass and led a massive
square dance.
Also, you have recently finished a tour
with The Maccabees, how did you find
that?
It was great fun, we actually played here
at the University. But they were lovely guys
and we learnt a lot on that tour. They also
have a good balance of fun and rest, so they
hit the hay pretty early and we felt a lot better
after that than we had on some of our previ-
How does it feel currently having the
best album in the country this week according to iTunes?
Pretty weird, we don’t quite know what to
make of it, but we’ve been hearing bits and
pieces. I think not being in London helped
in not inflating our ego’s. But the album has
gone beyond our expectations, we didn’t
think it would be an album like that, we didn’t
aim for the charts and didn’t think it would be
on the radio. We are so thankful to our fans,
the six or seven months of touring paid off.
In addition you were longlisted for
BBC’s ‘Sound of 2009’ as well as Zane
Lowe naming ‘Little Lion Man’ the ‘Hottest Record in the World’. How did this
make you feel?
Haha, pretty much the same!
Your ‘genre’ has been described as
‘new folk’, do you agree with this, if not
then what do you feel it is? And is it
something that the public hasn’t experienced in the mainstream yet?
Errm… I don’t like the phrase ‘new folk’
it’s pretty ‘bras’ it’s used all the time. I understand it’s necessary for journalists and every
man down the pub to put a ball park decision on a sound but ‘new folk’ just sounds
rubbish, I wish they’d come up with a better
name. We have folk sensibilities but love to
Rock and Roll as much as possible.
We were talking today actually, our favourite gigs are when the venue is too Rock
and Roll for us so we have to work hard to
make it like a ‘Have it’ gig.
I’m gonna call it ‘Folk and Roll’ not ‘new
folk’.
After reading a review of ‘Sigh No
More’, I saw it being described as being
‘shot through’ with Christian iconography, especially with regards to tracks
such as ‘Awake My Soul’ and ‘Roll Away
Your Stone’. Is this how you imagined/in-
We actually played a festival this summer
in the Rhinelands in Germany. The line up
that was there is who we loved playing with.
I don’t know, it’s hard to say - it depends how
small the festival is.
And finally, what would win in a fight?
An army of duck sized horses or one
Horse sized duck?
If they were fighting each other? Mmm…
definitely a horse sized duck - if a duck was
the size of a horse its beak would be proportional… basically the beak would be bigger
than each of the horses and just eat all the
duck sized horses.
Horse sized duck, as the size of its feet
would just trample on all the little fellas, it
would be over in a matter of minutes, simple,
easy question.
That makes no sense, have to ask Tolkienn like. I mean a duck can be quite aggressive and horses are beautiful. Beautiful
things die quickly and if it was small… yeah.
Horse sized duck as it would trample all
the horses, I’ve been thinking about it all
night, I couldn’t concentrate on the gig.
FILM
Apocalypse Now
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring:
Marlon Brando
Martin Sheen
Robert Duvall
Laurence Fishburne
Harrison Ford
Release Date: 1st December 1979
Tagline: The Horror...
The Horror...
Runtime: 153 mins
Rating: 18
By Jack Harding
Almost exactly 30 years ago, director
Francis Ford Coppola created one of the
best and most important movies ever conceived.
Picking apart Apocalypse Now is one tall
order but I guess it’s best to start with a bit
of trivia. Prior to its release, the film endured
oodles of revamps and setbacks that led
to a whole host of physical and emotional
breakdowns across the entire cast and crew
with, Coppola himself questioning his own
work and sanity at every turn. Some say he
even threatened suicide at one point. This,
after all, was the film a cash strapped Coppola had wanted to make since 1967 with pal
George Lucas - way before the likes of The
Godfather or The Conversation were even
thought of. When shooting finally began in
1976, Apocalypse Now was all but a decade
in the making - taking nearly a year to shoot,
three years to cut and costing over $30million to finally conjure. And if shooting 370
hours worth of footage in the gruelling Filipino jungle wasn’t enough, the film starred
the single most exasperating actor of its time
in Marlon Brando and had a thing or two to
say about the infamous Vietnam War. So
there you have it, Apocalypse Now became
almost mythical in stature before it graced a
single screen.
Onto the film itself then, and that revered
opening. After a fade in from black, we’re
presented with an extreme long shot of an
exotic jungle landscape. Nothing special,
nothing out of the ordinary. The soft, psychedelic guitar solo that opens The Doors’ era
defining rock track (‘The End’) stirs in the
background as the decelerated sound and
imagery of helicopters rove from left to right
and back again. Then, as front man Jim Morrison declares “this is the end”, destruction. A
blanket of noxious flames shroud the screen
as the once peaceful jungle vista explodes
before our very eyes. Vietnam. The camera
then pans tantalisingly from side to side as
the smoke, flames and helicopter blades
gradually dissolve into those of an electric
fan on the ceiling above our protagonist/
narrator, Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen). A
broken and divorced US army Captain who’s
been holed up in a Saigon motel room longing for a new mission, and for his sins they
gave him one: jump aboard a navy patrol
boat, proceed up the ominous Nung river
into Cambodia and “terminate” the “insane”
renegade Green Beret-cum-tribal God,
Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Brando).
A film about war Apocalypse Now may
be, but a ‘war film’ it is not. Coppola’s haunting tableau is a sturdy psychological drama
with a semi-surreal edge. A dark adventure,
an optical nightmare; an hallucinogenic, antiwar classic peppered with bouts of blazing
action. Apocalypse Now is a film cloaked
in fog, dust and darkness. It is a vicious yet
poetic experience that assaults the soul, self
and senses in so many different ways. Its
rich, orange palette combined with a shadow shrouded mise-en-scene symbolises the
presence of pure evil, the absence of all civilisation and how the self, in the harsh face of
war, can darken beyond all comprehension.
As Captain Willard and his small naval
crew slither down the dicey river towards
Kurtz, edging deeper and deeper into the
bloody heart of hell (on earth) the sheer horror and lunacy brought about by the war in
Vietnam permeates the embedded tale to
lingering effect. Though renowned for its
ambitious visual:audio approach, Apocalypse Now is often praised for its seemingly
fearless depiction of the domestic and universal criticisms that circled the controversial
War; the hypocrisy of Western imperialism,
the shallowness of American ideals (surfing,
moviemaking, sex, drugs, rock and roll) and
the sheer atrocities of a conflict fought by
a nation in the name of liberty. Apocalypse
Now was only the second major American
movie made about the Vietnam war, yet
it’s still considered by most film critics as
the one at which all others should measure
themselves against. Coppola’s acclaimed
opus doesn’t so much show you the grave
ironies of ‘Nam as it does shove a handgun
in your face while screaming that you ac-
knowledge the themes, the horror and the
madness over and over again.
Even our protagonist’s mission is the essence of hypocrisy. In the midst of a war
bathed in senseless killings, the US military
opt to waste more time, money and lives on
the assassination of a veteran officer who’s
been persecuted for doing something the
military would appear to encourage (“what
do you call it when the assassins accuse the
assassin?”). “Charging a man with murder
in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the indie 500.” This: the first of
many doubts Willard mulls over in his hardboiled narration. Nevertheless, Sheen’s unstable Captain becomes obsessed with getting to the enigmatic, God-like Kurtz whose
pedestal is cranked up notch after notch as
we learn more and more about his antics, his
reputation, his past and present, through little more than paperwork. And when Willard
finally locates the evil genius, Coppola delays Kurtz’s unveiling a little while longer by
wrapping him in shadows. Brando doesn’t
get a great deal of screen time, he doesn’t
need it. His chilling portrayal of the gibbering, tortured Colonel-cum-philosopher is
up there with some of the most memorable
efforts ever given up to celluloid. Which, in
fitting retrospect, brings me full circle to the
timeless, unparalleled classic that Francis
Ford Coppola and countless other cast and
crew members gave up to the complex art
form some three decades ago.
5/5
Good: A stunningmasterpiece.
Bad:
Absolutely
nothing.
FILM
Thirst
Director: Chan-wook Park
Starring:
Kang-ho Song
Ok-vin Kim
Release Date: 16th October 2009
Runtime: 145 mins
Rating: 18
“Thirst is not for the faint of heart,
or shiny-vampire loving Twilight fans
who can’t get enough of Edward
Cullen.”
More like this?
Try Old Boy
By Megan James
Thirst is a South Korean film in which
priest Sang-hyeon selflessly volunteers
himself for a dangerous medical test, in order to find a cure for a deadly African virus.
When the vaccine he trials turns him into a
blood-craving vampire, he must fight his inner monster, and battle with the temptations
of violence and sex. He is seduced by his
friend’s wife Tae-joo, who he eventually turns
into a vampire: one that is more brutal than
he ever was. Together they wreak havoc in
their self-destructive quest for blood, pleasure, and thrills.
It’s about time the vampire genre was given a revamp, and who better to take on this
task than Korean director Park Chan-wook,
best known for the graphic Oldboy, the second film in his ‘Revenge Trilogy’. Quentin
Tarantino hailed Oldboy as a bloody masterpiece, and it won the Grand Jury prize at
Cannes. Now Park has turned his directorial
hand to vampires, though Thirst is no ordinary horror film. It’s more of an ironic parody
of the current craze for vampire movies. As
Park himself notes, “there are no bats, no
stake through the heart, no fear of garlic or
the cross”. And no fangs. Where Park innovates is his refusal to revert to clichés. The
contemporary urban setting ensures the film
is miles removed from classic portrayals of
vampires such as Dracula and Nosferatu.
Thirst is not for the faint of heart, or shinyvampire loving Twilight fans who can’t get
enough of Edward Cullen. Instead, it’s an
antidote to sanitised teen gothic horror, with
bucketloads of blood, sex, and violence. The
film came under fire in South Korea, not for
the scenes of murder and torture, but for the
first ever shot of full frontal male nudity to
feature in a mainstream Korean film. There
are also prolonged graphic sex scenes between protagonists Sang-hyeon and Tae-
joo, so Thirst is probably not a film you want
to watch with your little sister.
Nevertheless Thirst is not without flaws. It
lacks the stylistic flourishes found in Park’s
previous hits, and never quite reaches the
twisted heights of Oldboy. The film does
manage to slide in some inventive dream
sequences and surreal moments though.
The film’s slow pacing builds up to what feels
like a climax, only to unfortunately limp on
to a dragged out final act. Snipping off half
an hour of Thirst’s self indulgent 145 minute
running time would have produced a much
more engaging narrative. Finding yourself
checking your watch during a film is never a
positive sign. Ultimately Thirst is a draining
experience, but worth the investment, especially for the strangely moving ending.
Thirst is also saved from drowning under its own weight by Park’s surprising and
freshly original bursts of comedy splattered
throughout an otherwise relentlessly bleak
film, such as the vampire couple’s humorous
bickering. Such eccentric comic moments
are to be expected from a director who’s previous film was a quirky rom-com about a girl
who believes she’s a robot and talks to vending machines (I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok).
Park has succeeded in creating a film that
could arguably never be made in Hollywood
today. Overlong and inconsistent, Thirst is
nevertheless an original and engaging experience, and has given me back my appetite
for vampire films.
4/5
Good: Clever and
inventive dream sequences and brilliantly surreal moments.
Bad: Lacks stylistic flourishes found
in Park’s previous
hits, and never quite
reaches the twisted
heights of Oldboy.
Paranormal Activity
Director: Oren Peli
Starring:
Katie Featherston
Micah Sloat
Release Date: 25th November 2009
Tagline: What happens when you
sleep?
Runtime: 86 mins
Rating: 18
By Matthew Tindall
Horror fans rejoice! The antidote to the
tedium of Hollywood’s endless remakes of
classics and dull-as-ditchwater Saw sequels
is finally here in the shape of first-time writer/
director Oren Peli’s mini-masterpiece Paranormal Activity.
Made for just $15,000 and shot in the
space of a week in Peli’s own home the story concerns a young Californian couple who,
after experiencing ghostly phenomena in
their new house, invest in a video camera to
document the ever-escalating disturbances.
Yes, admittedly the plot is rather slight but
the fear factor is huge.
The film owes an obvious debt to its lowbudget predecessor The Blair Witch Project,
effectively utilising similar techniques in its
mockumentary style, unknown actors and
unseen antagonist. Of course, we’ve seen
that film imitated many times since its 1999
release – sometimes successfully (Cloverfield or Spanish shocker Rec) and sometimes less so (Diary of the Dead, anyone?) –
but somehow Paranormal Activity still manages to feel fresh and exciting.
“Destined to be remembered
alongside the greats of the genre.”
The often nauseating shakiness of the
hand-held camerawork in the films mentioned above is minimised by much of the
action being captured from a tripod placed
at the foot of the couple’s bed while they
sleep. Even when strange noises draw them
from the room in the middle of the night the
camera is sometimes forgotten, leaving the
audience to imagine the true horror of what
is happening in the darkness of the corridor
beyond. This is a refreshing departure from
tradition and the absence of the irritating
stock character who must film everything
despite how dangerous the situation may be
is most welcome.
Using only modest special effects Peli has
constructed the film carefully in order to maximise suspense, demonstrating that when it
comes to truly terrifying an audience less is
definitely more. Even within the context of
his own film there is something inherently
more chilling about creaking floorboards and
doors slamming unbidden than some of the
more extreme supernatural torments that occur as the narrative progresses.
Much of the film’s power depends upon
the performances of its leads, and actors
Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat do not
disappoint. Alone in the house throughout
– except for two brief visits from a psychic
FILM
who may well be the least reassuring man
on the planet – the two newcomers impress,
managing to convincingly convey the growing fear and desperation experience by
their characters even in the film’s more farfetched moments.
Paranormal Activity is a film that offers
a subtler, more psychological brand of horror than the typical fare and is destined to
be remembered alongside the greats of the
genre. Though after seeing him do so much
with so little one can’t help but wonder just
what Oren Peli could achieve with a larger
budget, or to suspect that he’ll soon be offered one. Let’s hope that he doesn’t lose
his edge when Hollywood inevitably comes
calling.
4.5/5
Good:
sounds.
Chilling
Bad:
Nauseating
shakiness of the
camerawork.
FILM
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring:
Christopher Plummer
Heath Ledger
Lily Cole
Colin Farrell
Jude Law
Johnny Depp
Verne Troyer
Release Date: 16th October 2009
Runtime: 122 mins
Rating: 12A
By Charlotte Woods
Since the tragic news of Heath Ledger’s
death in January 2008, the making of The
Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus has been
shrouded in secrecy, and doused with a
generous helping of speculation and expectation. With Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepping in to complete the unfinished scenes of Ledger’s character Tony, the
task that lay before Terry Gilliam of weaving these three actors into the story looked
a mammoth task. It seemed unlikely that
this film would do anything more than draw
crowds interested to see how he would pull
this off, rather than being interested in the
craftsmanship of the film as a whole. This is
of course true, until the trailers began hitting
the big screens around Britain, then it was
clear that Dr Parnassus was something else
entirely; something that in many ways had
resonances of a Tim Burton-esque Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory style.
The very intermittent divulgences of the
film’s subject matter in the lead up to its release added significant depth to the mystique of Dr Parnassus; an idea of where this
film would take its audience was very hard
to come by. All that expectant viewers had to
go with was that it was a story of a magical
alternate universe, where inhabitants’ faces
change and they find themselves either
cascaded into a trippy heaven or plummeting through the most horrific hell. This idea
alone is enough to make the less than fanatical Gilliam or Ledger fans back off. After seeing the film, it seems that this was all part of
Gilliam’s master plan. You were never meant
to know where it was going, never meant to
perceive a beginning, middle and end, but
simply to marvel at the spectacle that is the
Imaginarium; it is its nature to be misleading
and impulsive.
To try to seek out a concrete story line or
genre in Dr Parnassus, would be to diminish
the film’s prowess, as it’s impossible to state
in anything other than abstract terms. Things
that seem to follow a pattern in the real world
of modern-day London become warped in
the Imaginarium; this is heightened by the
fact that faces keep changing and landscapes keep melting into a Dali-inspired horror. As soon as you begin to capture some
definition in the storyline, the Imaginarium
opens again and the world shifts.
However, it is the gliding movement between contemporary London and the archaic
worlds that these characters inhabit, (either
within themselves or inside the Imaginarium)
that is the film’s strongest point. The edges between the many different worlds are
blurred, which makes the multi-dimensional
effect all the more striking. Even when outside of the Imaginarium, in contemporary
London, the characters are lost in centuries
past. With regular visits from the sickeningly
amiable devil who makes Faustian deals, the
dated clothing and the way that the troupe
of performers (some of whom have lived for
centuries) resemble peasants or travellers
whilst inhabiting the streets of 21st century
London, we have the most beautiful juxtaposition, which is nothing short of genius.
Whilst talk of Dr Parnassus as Ledger’s
defining moment is inevitable, this is fortunately not the case. Ledger is impeccable,
but Farrell is better. The early character of
Tony (a supposedly amnesia-stricken Londoner picked up by Parnassus’ troupe after
finding him hanging from a bridge over the
Thames) is not enough for Ledger. In some
ways, it is a sad truth, that Ledger could
have made this a career-changing performance had he taken it to the end, but it was
not to be. Tony is developed both by Ledger,
and by mesmerising performances from
Depp and Law, but it is Farrell who makes
Tony the enigma that he is. Depp, Law and
Farrell’s Tonys all perfectly reflect Ledger’s,
in ways that would never have been envisaged were it not for the tragedy behind this
film. Farrell takes Ledger’s performance,
runs with it and makes it evolve. It is as if he
knew where Ledger would have taken Tony;
as if he could see how he would have twisted
and demonised the affable Tony into a psychotic, power-hungry monster. The transition
between the actors is seamless and it’s hard
to see how Gilliam could have served up
such a clever and gorgeous film without this
movement between the actors.
Deserving of a mention is a very wellplaced Lily Cole. She characterises the
ethereal beauty of Dr Parnassus, and has
made a stand as a note-worthy actress. She
proves thoroughly modern and thoroughly
classic in this film, a skill that not many actresses can lay claim to.
Ledger didn’t need this as his epitaph, his
Joker more than satisfies that position; but to
see Gilliam or Farrell without Oscar nods in
February would be a crime indeed.
4.5/5
Good: The gliding
movement between
contemporary London and the archaic
worlds.
Bad: Too surreal in
places.
Tekken 6
SECTION
GAMES
PS3/360
their head, as well as ‘bounds’ which are
moves that bounce airborne enemies off the
ground, allowing you to extend your combos.
Although at its core Tekken 6 is a fighting game, a new Scenario Campaign mode
has been added as main focus of the single
player game. In this mode, you play as Lars
Alexandersson, leader of a rebel army trying
to stop the aspirations of the sinister organisation, the Mishima Zaibatsu. Lars must explore many scrolling stages whilst taking out
waves upon waves of enemies using nothing
except your fists, as well as various weapons that are picked up along the way, which
include Gatling Guns and even Flamethrowers. The mode has a fairly comprehensive
story as well as many cutscenes, a first for
a Tekken game. Scenario Campaign on the
whole is a fun interlude that helps to add
longevity to the single player experience of
what is essentially a multiplayer game.
The game on the whole has an impressive amount of options for those who want
to play on their own, including the normal
Arcade and Survival modes as well as the
new Ghost Battle option. This mode allows
you to download AI controlled ghosts that
mimic real online players. This proves to be
a unique and fun addition to the game.
If you have no friends, you can take the
fight online. The game boasts a fairly extensive network mode with ranked and unranked matches available, as well as the
ability to make rooms with other players to
add variety to who you’re playing against.
Annoyingly, there are some lag issues which
sadly dampen the online experience.
On the whole Tekken 6 looks nice but isn’t
that graphically impressive. The character
models move very fluidly which help the
game to flow well, which is ideal for a fighting game. Character costumes can be customised to add diversity, which range from
the relatively normal to the outrageous. One
character for example can wear a Power
Rangers style superhero outfit, and the depth
of customisation is definitely a nice touch.
Speaking of characters, Tekken 6 boasts a
massive roster of over 40 characters which
includes several new characters. There is no
doubt that you’ll find a character you like as
they all have their own distinct personalities
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time
between them is a mixed bag. Much like the
sailing in Nintendo’s Wind Waker, the joy of
exploration is exhilarating, however at times
repetitive and tedious.
Clank sections are the main offering of
innovation in the game. They take part in
‘The Great Clock’, and take the form of time
based puzzles which quickly ramp up the difficulty. It definitely works well and is nicely
varied in style from Ratchet’s ‘shoot first, ask
questions later’ play, but it still feels quite familiar for veterans of the series.
Ultimately A Crack in Time doesn’t do
much you wouldn’t expect it to, but alongside
super sequel Uncharted 2, it is going to get
slightly overlooked. What it does do is carry
on the series tradition very well. Even with
some of the same problems evident, you’re
By Joseph Dart
The King of the Iron Fist Tournament returns
in the latest addition to the long-running
Tekken series, Tekken 6. Although the sixth
iteration in the main series, this is the first
time Tekken has graced the current generation home consoles. With the release
of fighting games such as Street Fighter IV
earlier in the year, Tekken has got some stiff
competition. Is the formula still fresh, or is it
as stale as Heihachi’s old diapers?
The standard Tekken gameplay is back,
a fighting game based around skilfully juggling your opponent with combos in order to
rack up damage on them. Tekken 6 can be
enjoyed on more of a basic level if you’re not
the type to master 10 button long combos,
as the gameplay is easy enough to pick up
for beginners as ‘button mashing’ tends to
be an effective tactic. A couple of new additions have been added to the mechanics
which really help to add some extra depth to
how the game plays. The ‘rage’ system gives
your character an attack boost when on very
low health, which can really turn fights on
PS3
Much like the first Uncharted, Ratchet and
Clank’s initial outing on the PS3 marked one
of the more technically dazzling titles for the
first year run of the console. Times have
changed though, mastery of the system has
improved and with the sheer craftsmanship
and polish of Uncharted 2 fresh in memory,
expectations are running high.
Picking up where the prequel separated
the titular duo, gameplay is based around
this idea. Whereas there were always Clank
only play sections before, A Crack in Time
By Luke Borrett
structures the game on their differences and
alternating play styles. You play a section as
Ratchet, then a section as Clank and they
weave together to tell the story of the game.
Playing as Ratchet is by and large the
same as ever. Exploring worlds with a variety
of tools revealing new areas and heavy gun
play using increasingly playful weapons. The
main difference is, in the search for Clank
you really feel a greater degree of freedom
with worlds to explore, along with self contained moon based mini levels. Flying to and
and have diverse fighting styles. They also
have their own backstories, some of which
are outright bizarre. This matches the craziness of the characters however; Tekken
boasts a bear and a robotic girl who can remove her head and use it as a weapon as
part of its vast roster.
Tekken 6 proves to be a very enjoyable
experience with its wealth of characters,
large number of game options and frantically
fun gameplay. However, the game does suffer from the occasional niggling flaw. Loading
times especially are rather long and break
up the flow of action, even after the optional
4 GB install on the PS3 version. Regardless,
Tekken 6 is definitely a worthy purchase for
fighting game fans.
4/5
Good: Arcade style
fighting fun.
Bad: Issues with
loading and online
play.
likely to overlook them as you’re distracted by the lush, gorgeous cartoon worlds
or the laugh out loud scripting of characters such as Dr. Nefarious or Captain
Quark. A thoroughly charming package.
4/5
Good:
Hilarious
characters and dialogue.
Bad: A ‘more of the
same’ sequel.
TUESDAY
Heavens Basement @
Joiners 19.30
TUESDAY
8
WEDNESDAY
Bless The Fall @ Joiners
19.30
WEDNESDAY
16
23
The Cinematics @ Joiners
19.30
WEDNESDAY
9
THURSDAY
The City Calls @ Joiners
19.30
THURSDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Out Of Sight @ Joiners
19.30
4
Tommy Emanuel @ Guildhall
19.30
The Dodge Brothers @ Talking Heads 19.30
FRIDAY
11
Taste Of Xmas Feat. Not
Advised + Lost On Landing
@ Joiners 19.30
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Ringo Deathstarr @ Joiners
19.30
6
Luke Leigh�ied @ Hamptons
19.00
The New York Dolls @ Talking Heads 19.30
5
Graymatter @ Joiners 19.30
SUNDAY
SUNDAY
Save Your Hero @ Joiners
19.30
20
Christmas Cheer Festive
Music Concert @ Guildhall
15.00
Acoustic Ladyland @ Joiners
19.30
13
22
SATURDAY
12
Kumiss @ Joiners 19.30
SATURDAY
I See Sparks @ Hamptons
19.30
19
The Docks @ Joiners 19.30
Get Your Ass To Mars @ Joiners 19.30
18
Scarlet Soho @ Joiners 19.30
Kong @ Hamptons 19.30
Po
The Eyes Of A Traitor @
Hamptons 19.30
17
10
Kevin Devine @ Hamptons
19.30
3
December TheChristmasGigGuide
MONDAY
7
Goldhawks @ Joiners 19.30
MONDAY
15
Primitai @ Joiners 19.30
14
Your Demise @ Joiners 19.30
Babyshambles @ Guildhall
19.30
TUESDAY
Silverlith @ Joiners 19.30
22
Christmas Covers Night @
Hamptons 19.30
MONDAY
21
Seven Year Kismet @ Joiners
19.30