02 contents
THE
CO TE NTS: 2 9 .01.03
EVENT
As the term s e ttles down and w e begin t o realise our loans aren ' t going to last forever Th e Event returns to assure you that you can at leas t r ely o n us . Th is month we start with Richard Herring, in town to p erform h is Edinburgh J:estival smash Talking C ock, a s Ric hard says, "it takes a d ic k to know a dick." W e als o caught up with Big Brovaz when they came t o d e light s tude nts at Skool Daze last Friday, find out w h a t they th ink of their new found fame on pageS. W e t ake a look fo rward to the Dedbeat Weekender and con s ider th e c urrent s tate of British TV: is there no c r eativity le ft? In the review sectio n is Dylan M o r an's stand-up show and Leo's seco n d offering in the space of a month. Do enjoy.
Features 04 RICHARD HERRING The star of the BBC's Fist of Fun talks about his stand-up show Talking Cock ahead of his appereance in Norwich
05 BIG BROVAZ They're here to take over the show with none other than the Nu Flow. BB chat before Skool Daze.
06 LIT. FESTIVAL PREV IEW The Event takes a look ahead at the International Literary Festival, featuring writer such as Margaret Atwood.
Editor-in-C hief Katie Hind
08 BERTRAND TAVERNIER The renowned French director talks about his latest e pic Laissez-Passer.
Editor Luke Wright Arts Editor Kathryn Hinchliff As sist ant Arts Editor Nathan Dixon
09 A SLIPPERY SOAP? Has TV totally resigned itself to a schedule of soaps and half-hearted fly-on-the-wall d ocumentarie s?
10 THE VANDALS Vetran punk outfit came to the Waterfront to teach the kids a thing or two. The Event popped along to say hi.
Film Editor Ryan Stephens Assista nt Fihn Editor Phil Colvin Music Editor Mischa Pearlman Assista.n t Music Editor Joe Minihane TV & Radio Editor Britt Juste Picture Editor Ed Webb-Ingall Listings Editor Matt Sarg eson
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DEDBEAT WEEKENDER Norfolk 's p remiere dance festival comes back to Great Yarmouth in February. Here's the lowdown.
12 V IOLENT FILMS More( or less)-tality? The Even t takes a look the phemennon of violence in contemporary film making.
Regu 03 Opinion
14 Albums
Celebrity paedophiles in disguise
03 Critical List
Nick Cave, Asian Dub Foundation, Tom McCrae
15 Singles
Fortnightly round-up of the best in live e vents
The Datsuns, Big Brovaz, JJ72 , Kira, Longwave
Contributors : Katherine Clernow • Matt Colver • Richard Dunn • Andie Francis • Toby Gethin • Jocelyn Heath • Kate Herrington • Victoria Holland • Liz Hutchinson • Jon Last • Alistair Lawrence • Rebecca Lawrence • Toby Lewis • Serena Murray • Ben Outram • Mo Pamplin • Louise Peart • Luke Roberts • Rechenda Smith • Hannah Tattersall • Paul Wade • Jirn Whalley
05 Burn Out/Fade Away 06 Cinefile
Thanks to Aige for cigarettes and rnunchies, and to Gareth for his wonderful camera. And, welcome to the team, Matt!!
The Event is published fortnighrly by Concrete: Post: PO Box 41 0, Norwich, NR4 7TB Tel: 01603 250558 Fax: 01603 5068 22 E-mail: su.concrete@uea.ac.uk Printed by: Archant Newspapers, St Andrew's Business Park, Norwich
29 .01.03
Ca tch Me If Yo u Can, Punch drun k Love, Dog Soldiers
19 Arts
1990's German thriller Run Lola Run
Dylan Moran, Victor Burgin, The Picture of Dorian Gray
09 So You Think You Know 20 TV/Radio Fortnightly quiz. This time it's The Rolling Stones
1 1 Almost Famous And finally . ..
16 Films
This fortnight were're hangin' tough with NKOTB
Mysterious solo sensation Car! Lovell in the hot seat
The Afternoon Play, The Weakest Link, The Salon
22
Listings Films, Gigs, Clubs and Arts in Norwich this fortnight
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Critical
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onight Matthew, I'm going to be .. . "A Paedophile? A surprising nwnber of recent allegations of child sex abuse have rapidly appeared in the celeb world, both on this side of the pond and in the US. Why have our stars suddenly started jumping into bed with kids, or is this an industry norm form years, which is only now being uncovered? Are role models resorting to paedophilia as a consequence of the rigors of fame, or simply using the power that comes with their celebrity status to satisfy their sordid secret? R. Kelly, Gary Glitter, even Matthew Kelly, a stalwart of cheesy Saturday evening pre-nostalgia TV, cannot escape being accused. But is paedophilia a product of our own media-centred culture? There are, of course, many arguments to the reasoning behind paedophilia. Most are affected by personality disorders and psychosis. All perfectly rational, and as long as the people get help, we can nod and smile patronisingly at them for trying to cure their illness. But can the pressure-cooker environment of media fame be perceived as provoking paedophilia? & Madonna once sang, "we are living in a material world", a world completely set apart from tribal traditions which may once have allowed su.c h acts to take place; we have our own laws to abide by. But being famous, constantly under the watchful eye of the press, and, for many, from a very early age, can stifle someone's development, render them children despite the fact that they are supposed to be fully-matured. It was only last week that Mr Kelly had allegedly filmed himself having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. It still remains to be seen, however, whether he will be prosecuted. But perhaps what he needs more is help. Of course, there are those who are simply sick, who abuse
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their power to take advantage of the young and know full well that it's wrong. Celebrities are infinitely rich and glamorous, it cannot be disputed, but they must adhere to the same rules as you and me. Somewhere along the line, they think it's alright to abuse their position of power. Celebrities such as Gary Glitter have no one to blame but themselves for their crimes. However, celebrities are just as susceptible to crimes against children as any person in Britain today. Not all paedophiles are celebrities, and vice versa. Matthew Kelly has recently been accused by police of pa;edophilia, but was released without charge. Are our celebrities being pursued due to a society of paranoia? Perhaps their place in the public eye makes them easy scapegoats for a police force constantly baffled by the increase in the crime throughout the world. Historically speaking, paedophilia has always been an issue but only now is the problem being tackled in the media spotlight. Does our incessant desire for inside knowledge of the personal lives of our idols provide fuel for the hot topic of celebrity paedophilia? Are the papers involved in a witchhunt for the next revelatory paedophile accusation? Or are the police just taking these allegations very seriously? Whether the insecurities of the over-indulgent, anxiety-ridden lifestyle, personal issues, police scapegoating, or media witchhunt, this is one celebrity fad to be missed.
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Herring
02 NME Awards Tour The Datsuns, Polypho{lic Spree, The Thrills and Interpol. The gig of the year as far as Norwich goes. The future of alternative music. LCR, UEA, Norwich 05/02/03 • £12.50 (01603 508050, for booking)
03
Peter and Test Tube Babies Old school punk at it's very best. The Waterfront serves up another essential band for any young punk to learn a little from. Waterfront, King Street, Norwich 11/02/03 • £12.50 (01603 508050, for booking)
04 Ed Harcourt
Critics of Eminem are eating their words left right and centre as hip-hop's most lucrative star makes his big screen debut. Certainly worth a look. UCJ and Ster Centuzy, Norwich fro:m 29/01/03
06 City of God This is another gem from the blossoming South Americn film industry.. It's on at UCI, but support you local independent cinema. Cine:ma City, St Andrews Street, Norwich 29-30/01/03 Concessions £2.50 (01603 220047)
Gifts and Novelties from your own photos or artwork
07 Pink Floyd: The Wall The Datsuns A rare chance to see this surreal musical masterpiece on the big screen. Just don't get too stoned before hand, it'll mess you up for weeks. UCI, St Andrews Street, Norwich 04/02/03 Concessions £3.50
Mouse Mats . . . . ..... . ................. £8.00 Baseball Caps .... . .. . ................. £8.00 Jigsaw Puzzles ........................ £12.00 T-shirts ............. . ............ from £9.95
08 Feeder
You will need to allow 2-3 days for collection of the above items.
Located in the Library Reception area.
Herring makes jokes about cocks. Horray. Oh, and some serious points as well. Top comedy. Don't miss!! (see interview on page 04) The Playhouse, George Street, Norwich 31/01/03- £10/12 (01603 630000, for booking)
OS 8 Mile
Comb-binding ..... : ....... . . ... ... from £1 .50 Fast-back binding . . .................. from 70p A4 laminating ....... . ........... . ... . ... SOp A3 laminating ............ . ............. £1 .50
Badges ..................... . ..... from 35p Key rings ...................... .. ..... £1 .25 Coasters .•....................... . ... £1.50
01 Richard Herring
Sublime songsmith extraordinaire returns to Norwich of his succesful support slot for Beth Orton last year. The .Arts Centre, St Benedicts Street, Norwich 12/02/03- £4/5 (01603 457683, for booking)
Prices and Services A4 single sided copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6p A4 double sided copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 12p A3 single sided copies ...... . ............. 12p A4 full colour copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. sop A3 full colour copies·. . .......... . ........ £1.00 A4 black and white transparencies ....•...... 45p A4 full colour transparencies ................. £1 A4 full colour from slides ....... .. .... . .... . 75p A3 full colour from slides ................. £1.20
Our fortnightly round-up of all the best gigs, pi~ and shows '" that:any self-respecting UEAtstudent~
TheWa11
Skater Kids ' favourite return to Norwich for more of the ~;ame MOR rock. If you like it then why no go along. LCR, UEA, Norwich 11102/03- Sold Out (01603 508050, for returns)
Ring for further details on extn 2415 external 01603 592415 Prices are inclusive of VAT credit cards are not accepted
29.01.03
04 features
Talking Cock Midweek Madness!
joke as often as just d oing a three minute diatribe ... So I always intende d it to b e serious." He rring wante d to know why p e ople laughe d when they he ard that John W ayne Bo):>b it ha d ha d his penis cut off b y his girlfrie n d , when the id ea of mutilation of the female genilatia was met with world wide disgust and horror . Having shared theatre space with The Vagina Monolgues the year b e fore, he b egan to think more on the idea of d oing a male version. However, he also felt very excluded b y The Vagina Monolgue s , " I was surprised how they treat the vagina in isolation, as an exclusive thing . And I was p lanning on that, to d o it from just a male point of view, and I thought that's ridiculous because the primary function of our g e nitals is to be shared with whoever we want to share the m with, and it seems weird to take a se xual organ in isolation from another one, or from anything e lse. Most wome n are fairly happy in a re la tionship with a man, and love him and love his cock, but Th e Vagina Monologues make s y ou feel tha t wom e n h a te men, and their cocks , that cocks are evil and we must b e kep t away from the m . and I don't think that' s in most normal people's experience of life, to be in a happy relationship with someone, at least for some one the time. So I wanted to d o a show that was a bit more modem and bit more inclusive. So women come, and men come, and gay men come, it's for everyone really . Lesb ians, perhaps not so interested, b ut some lesbians have come to the show [laughs] but not that many." The experience of sharing vulnerability is also something he hopes will help the men who watch Talking Cock: " I kind of hope it makes men feel not so alone. I've deliberately gone for the more universal stuff
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ii#IW!Jiij@ii 29.0 1.03
ichard Herring is perhaps b est known to the g ene r al p ublic as the shorter, fatter h alf of double a ct Lee and Herring. The duo rose to fame with the televsion adaptation of their Ra dio One show Fist of Fun, which w as resposible fo r making the we ak lemon drink an object of hilarity. La ter they up again on their Sunday morning hangcure This Morning with Richard Not Judy. Both shows were received well by the public and the c ritics alike, but the BBC, in their infinite wisdom, decided to cancel them, fobbing the comedians off with lines about wanting BBC2 to appe al to affluent, sophisticated over-35-year-olds. And who would want to consciously write c ome dy for that particular demographic? However, Lee and Herring weren't simply a couple of fresh faced young lads hand p icked by the BBC to be the cool new face of alternative comedy. They were hardened stand-ups and innova tive writers , who had honed the ir skills over ten years or so of gruelling performances on the Iondon stand-up circuit and at the me cca of live comedy, the EJ:linburgh Festival. When the BBC said adios they carried on writing, p e rforming, and advising other comedy luminaries, such as Harry Hill, Johnny Vegas and AI Murray. Richard He rring penned two serie s of AI Murray's Time Gentleman Please series for Sky One before taking a solo stand-up show to the Edinburgh Festival for the first time since b e fore the duo had begun Fist of Fun. Christ on a Bike was a smash hit (the re can b e no other phrase) selling out most nights and re minding the world of an old master re turne d , and this year He rring was b ack with the m ost talked about show of the fringe, Talking Cock, a Vagina Monologues with balls. "I was kind of resistant at first because I just thought it was a re ally obvious idea." Herring comme nts, "I could see how it could be d one really badly. But then I thought that I could see there was an interesting way of doing it, which is hopefully what I have done. An unexpected way of doing it." In May last year Herring posted two questionnaires on the Talking Cock website, asking men wha t they worrie d about when it came to their penises, and women what they thoug ht about the male genitals too. He was inundated with responses and. from these he began to put the show together. The premise for Talking Cock is of course comedy and it has led to some fantastic marketing slogans. The promotional flyers and posters in Edinburgh all bore the warning: "May contain nob gags,"and in the press release for the tour Herring comments, "I am delighted to be taking my Cock on tour. It has long been my dream to show my Cock to huge crowds in the provin ... (Re-reading this statement I notice that some of the things I have said could be taken to be re ferring to my actual penis. This was never my intention and I hope no-one misconstrues my comments in this way.)" However, Herring always intended for the show to have a serious message and to make some kind of social statement. "I didn't really wanna do nob gags. There are obviously some nob gags, because of the subject matter. I kinda realized that you can make a serious point with a
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really, than the extreme stuff that you could do , and I think it make s men realize that if they are worrying about something ...because 95 % of me n are probably worrying unnecessarily about their penises. A lot of guys have come up to me and said, 'oh I thought I was the only one.' I think me n have to think about who they are and what their position in the world is, and I don't think men are thinking about that . I equate it in the show to men being like the British Empire, a lot of men saying, 'oh why can't things be like they were when we were great. ' They refuse to acce pt things have changed, but things h ave changed, and men have to change as well. It's good, it's great the way the world is going in te nns of se xual politics, men have to g et with the program a bit. " He rring re ckons that the time is right for a show like Talking Cock as the mode m man faces insecuritie s and uncertainties about his place in the w orld: " I'm saying, being a man is not about having a massive e rect cock , and it isn't about killing p eople . It 's about whatever you want to b e, to be man in this modem world." He also admits that the show has he lp ed him sort through a lo t of m a tte rs himself: "At 35 ye ars old I am still in turmoil over the relationship ove r my natural desire to sleep with all the women I can in the world, some thing I have to battle against to work out which is right, and it chang es every d ay . It 's mad e me a lot happier about thinking about a lot of stuff in sex tenns, stuff that I maybe worried about b efore unnecessarily ." reating a sophisticated comedy show that has serious undertones is not a new concept to Richard He rring. As he says, "I've always thought there is more to comedy than m aking jokes." He has p re viously writte n and starred in a number of p lays, which h ave gaine d him m uch critical a cclaim. But h e readily admits tha t he is constantly improving as a writer and a performer: " I keep finding new things, it's astonishing to think that you could write for fifteen y ears and the n one day say, oh right, yeah of course." He has also been commissioned to write Talking Cock the book, an opportunity to release all the information he wasn't able to do justice to, or fit into, the live show; and he is currently celebrating the fact that the show is going to be translated into 13 major languages, It's a lot to be excited about, Richard is particularly grateful of its success because he hadn't got anything else ready for this year's Edinburgh festival, and the future is looking incredibly bright for the man from Cheddar in Somerset. But for now Richard Herring says he'll print the script off again, have a read through and then come and talk cock in Norwich. Don't be put off, it's not just a load of bollocks.
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Fill in the Talking Coc k questionnaire at www. talking c ock.com
feature·s 05
Burn Out, Fade Away whatever happened to ...
New Kids On The Block
Who?
Last Friday Big Brovaz were taking over a new show • UEA's Skool Daze night. ~ went along for a bit of broth· erly love. Photos by Gareth Davis ••• ig Bro certainly did take over the show when they performed at the LCR last Friday. While they are not the typical student band, they certainly drew in the crowds. And, it seems, the feeling is neutral. They love playing at universities. "We played at Warwick just the other day, universities are good man, you students are nutters," said Nadia. And they were even more impressed with the fact that it the entirety of the venue were kitted out, head-to-toe in school uniform. "Oh, it's a school night, cool, you're all nutters here, aren't you," she added. Right, thanks. Then little, noisy Nadia explained how she was a naughty girl at school. "We used to wear the short skirts, we never used to get away with the shoes though. They were long skirts, but you used to roll them up so that you had a really big waist. I never actually had a sh~rt skirt, I just made one."
Since the big bros left school, though, they have been pretty successful. But the highlight of their career so far came two weeks ago, when, out of the blue they found out they had been nominated for a Brit award for best Urban Act. "We are really pleased and we were really surprised when we found out," said Flawless. Naturally, I enquired about their outfits for the awards night, but the girls assured me that they haven't had time to seek their dresses out yet. But they promised me, when they know, so will I. The six all seem to get on so well together - and they all live in the same house in South London. I don't know if it's just me, but I wouldn't want to be there when one of them gets angry. But they assure me that they are not scary and they don't argue. "We kick ass on stage, but when we 're off, we're really chilled out. We're cool guys, really laid back," said Flawless, who is undoubtedly the most scary looking out of the group. But Dion insists that they all get on really well, despite all of them having strong personalities. "We all get on really well, we beat the boys up though." Somehow, I think not - judging by the size of the three boys. The sixsome got together last year when a production company, rather coincidentally named Big"Brother, matched them up. Previously, they had had solo careers, apart from J Rock and Randy, who were already in a group together. But they insist that they did not name their uber-cool band
after the company responsible for getting them together. Flawless, rather shockingly, revealed that they are, in fact, named after a character in George Orwell's classic, 1984. "It came from way back when we decided to call us Big Brovaz because Big Brother is watching you about a supreme being that basically overlooked the whole game of whatever happened, and that's basically what we represent in the music business." Although they look like party animals, they insist they are far too busy to join the celebrity party circuit. Instead, they are worrying about what time they have to be up the following morning, and how many hours they will spend in their recording studios. "We don't really go to many parties," said Dion, the chattiest of the gang. "We don't really have time, we do still go out, but we normally see other stars while we are working when we are doing gigs and that." Indeed, they don't have any shortage of famous mates either, and surprisingly, they are not those who you would most expect them to be.
NJlJ)IJl, 'I,Dil'l, "I NAJ)IJl, SDI~'S lllliJ..J..IilNT, SDI~'S c•O'f ll lll~ili..J..Y NIC:~I~ llf)))Y, 1\ J..C)lTJ~J..Y 1~1(.1Jill~, SDI~'S J..C)lTJ~J..Y," - Nil)) lA "We know people like Busted, they're wicked, Dynamite, she's cool, we love Robbie, Kylie and J-Lo - but she has got a big bum," explained Flawless just as the girls were about to kick seven kinds of you know what out of him for the bum comment. Little Nadia's favourite celebrity, however, is a girl called Nadia from Big Brovaz. "I love Nadia, that Nadia, she's brilliant, she's got a really nice body, a lovely figure, she's lovely," she squealed. How modest. With their new single out next month, Big Bro are looking forward to a glittering career in music. But, don't be surprised if you see them on a series of celebrity Big Brother. They all reckon they would jump at the chance to appear on the hit show. So, watch this space. Big Brovaz are watching you - and we could be watching them too.
In 1984, Maurice Starr, following his success with New Edition, was ready to form another singing/rap and dancing group; but this time they were all white. The chosen ones were Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Joey lntyre and brothers Jordan and ]on Knight. Each member had his own marketing appeal. Donnie was edgy, Danny was dedicated, Joey was cute, Jordan charming, and Jon shy. At the start, the group was called NYNUK, bflt later they changed it to the name of the first song they wrote: New Kids On The Block. It seemingly fit as four were from the same neighbourhood in Dorchester, one of the worst blocks in Boston. They broke up on amicable terms after ten years of performing due to 'burning each other out.'
What? T-shirts, watches, games, plates, pillowcases, dolls, you name it, and the New Kids were on it. It became a New Kids On the Block merchandise frenzy. They were the first vocal group to include four singles from one album in the Top 10. Their first record was released in 1986, although it wasn't a success. Columbia records signed them for a second album, Hangin' Tough, in 1988 which sold over eight million copies in the USA. They released a Christmas album in 1989, in 1990 released their third album Step By Step, and released a remix album in the same year. All together, fans bought more than 60 million records, singles, and videos placing NKOTB in the number one list in 1990 and 1991 for sales.
Why? New Kids On The Block were the original boy band of the 90's. They were a mix of R&B and bubble-gum pop but more than just that, they were teen idols. Girls rooms were covered in posters of their favourite New Kid and their parents knew all of the lyrics to The Right Stuff. I begged my mom to see them in concert until she finally gave in; she paid the $50 and drove over three hours to take me to an outdoor stadium filled with screaming pre-teens and their moms. At the concert, we could only see little specs of bodies moving around on stage, but it was one of the most defining moments of my pre-pubescent existence; and my first live show ever. H you could call it that. They set the tone for future boy groups like N Sync and The Backstreet Boys by introducing rap and funk elements to pop sound, and inspired the capitalist market to believe that they could sell almost anything.
So where are they now? Since then, Jordan Knight and Joey Mclntyre have gone on to successful solo careers, while Donnie Wahlberg has found success acting in films like Payback and The Sixth Sense. Both Donnie and Danny eo-produced Joey's debut single album and Jon has made a career in architecture. But wherever they end up in the future they will never disappear. You may even see your family dog chewing on the head of your old Jordan Knight doll that you shoved under your bed ten years ago. This will prompt you to get out those things called tapes and play a little Step by Step. I bet some will even start the New Kids Dance, in the privacy of their own home of course.
Andie Francis
29.01.03
·o 6 features
Cinefil e
-----------------------------------
.o.24
A Literary Feast
Run Lola Run
Sounds lik e one of those children's books. Well, the plot is simple enough - flame haired leading lady Lola has a mission, recover DMlOO,OOO (not sure how much that is in Euros) and return it to her small-time mob courier boyfriend before he is 'capped' by a Mr Big of the G erman underworld. Unfortunately, she only has 20 minutes to get hold of the loot and that clock just insists on ticking down ...
Yip es. Hold on, how can y ou fi ll a feat ure l e ngth running (!) time up w ith just 20 minut es o f story? By replaying it three times . We see Lola's efforts in real time, over three different versions of the same events. The film only has a meagre d uration of 77 minutes anyway , so that' s seventeen minutes introduction, then 60 minutes of running about. By way of context, we are treated to a nonstop German techno soundtrack , enough fancy camerawork to fill a film-school syllabus, 8mm and 16mm film stock, black and white, slo-mo and even little bits of animation to tie the three segments together. It's like Oliver Stone on LSD holding a camera whilst in a club in Cologne.
Three d iffere n t stories t a king place in the s a me time frame .... Sounds famil i ar . Yes, Pulp Fiction 'pioneered' the mainstream use if this in 1994 (inverted commas used since Tarantino was influenced strongly by European cinema anyway) and also used in drug yarn Go a few years later. Also, a little bit of the Brit h it Sliding Doors can be seen in the mix too, with the same timeframe being shown with differing consequences . The tiniest change in detail of Lola's plight affects events minutes later, for example, which way a car swerves to avoid hitting her becomes greatly important later on when we see who was in the vehicle and what part h e has to play in Lola's story.
So all this film amounts to is some g irl r u n n i n g a bout , s om ehow avo i ding g e tting a s titch. That' s a bit like saying that all lager amounts to is a mixture of c h emicals with a frothy top and a refreshing taste . The hyper kinetic pace of Run Lola Run gets into gear right at the start and never lets up; it's as if someone took the most exhilarating twenty minutes of a film and played around with them a few tim es in different ways, exorcising all the slow bits that just serve to bring the story forward; in this film the action is the story. It 's G erman , r ight? That ' s right. The film has transcended its foreign, arty roots and become a popular cult hit, even to the point of having an entire episode of The Simpsons done in its kinetic style with Lisa in stead of Lola (no gangsters sadly). It' s energetic star, Franka Potente , went on to star alongside Matt Damon in overrate d spy flick Th e Bourne Identity last year, and writer/ director Tom Tywer has a bright future ahead of him. Bright , fres h filmmaking - Run Lola Run is a much-recommended run pursuit.
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ii#IW!Jiijfii 2 9 .0 1.03
f you fancy rubbing shoulders, listening to and engaging in discus sion with journalists, TV writers and other celebrated figures of the literary and media worlds over a glass of wine as they sign your hastily purch ased copy of their latest book, you will not be disappointed with this year ' s 'spring collection'. The timetable has been altered slightly from the usual, having been split into two, more easily digestible, chunks. Word has it the organisers are also trying to find slots for the launch of two of UEA's own: Michele Roberts and Patricia Duncker, newly-appointed creative writing professors. Following are a few very brief career biographies, in case any of the names are unfamiliar. They should also, hopefully, point the concerned reader towards relevant areas of research so that they might ingratiate themselves by turning up and stunning everybody with an astute, surgically incisive question about that week's a uthor . Broadcaster and journalist Polly Toynbee currently writes for The Guardian. She has also written for The independent, The Observer and The Washington Monthly and has even found time to pen books on working life, a novel, Leftovers, and conduct investigative s tudies into living on low incomes.
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1Nf~ISI1'1~ UIJI~S'I'ION . " Will Hutton produced/directed Th e Money Programme, was Economics Editor of Newsnight and has reported for Panorama. In 1996 he became editor-in-chief of The Observer and in 2000 was appointed Chief Executive Officer of The Work Foundation. Amongst his five books are the best-selling The State We're In and also The World We're In , published May, 2002. Graham Swift is the award winning author of six novels. Waterland picked up The Guardian Fiction Award, whilst Last Orders was the winner of the 1996 Booker Prize and 1998 IMPAC Dublin Literary Festival. His new novel The Light of Day will be published in March 2003. Caryl Philips has written for television, radio, theatre and cinema. He is the author of two non-fiction books, Th e Atlantic Sound and A New World Of Order. Also in his cabinet are the James Tate Black Memorial Prize and the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize. His new novel A Distant Shore is published this March. Helon Habila worked as a journalist in Lagos, Nigeria and
Rec.
Margaret Atwood: Just one of the man y talente d individuals' gracing lecture theatre l thi s semester. then on the Arts Editorial team for Vanguard magazine, a major Nigerian daily. In 2001 he won the Caine Prize for African Writing and last September was lucky enough to join UEA, becoming our firs t African Writer in Residence. His debut novel, Waiting for an Angel, was published in autumn, 2002. Barabara Trapido, the final speaker before Easter, has written five novels : Brother of the More Famous jack won a Whitbread special prize for fiction and als o to h er name are Temples of Delight, juggling, Noah's Ark and The Travelling Hornplayer. Her latest, sixth, novel Frankie & Stankie , set in 1950s South Africa, is publish ed in April 2003. Leading the charge for the second group after Easter - UEA graduate Rose Tremain is a novelist and short story-/ radio/ screen-writer. She's picked up numerous prizes , including the Prix Femin a Etranger for Sacred Country, the Sunday Express Book of the Year Award for Restoration and the Whitbread Novel of the Year for Music and Silence . Her new book, The Colour, set in New Zealand during the 19th century is published in May 2003. T.C . Boyle is the bestselling author of fourteen books of fiction in clu ding After the Plague, East is East and A Friend of the Earth. He has won the PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction for World 's End and his latest offering, Drop City, is published in-March 2003. Margaret Atwood is the author of at least thirty works of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her most famous works are The Handmaids Tale, winner of The Governor General's Award and The Blind Assassin, winner of The Booker Prize. Her new novel, Oryx and Crake, is published in May 2003. Annie Proulx is the author of the novels Postcards , The Shipping News and Accordion Crimes. She has won the Pulitzer Prize, The National Book Award and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. Expect some readings from her latest novel That Old A ce in the Hole in the final event planned in this series . If any or all of th ese take your fancy then season tickets are available from the Box office for £35 (students and concessions £20) . Individual tickets cost £5 (£3 students and concessions). Be quick! All events will begin at 7pm in Lecture Theatre 1 at UEA.
Another one of our favourite pieces of city street art. If you recognise this particular piece and can tell us where it is, then you can the single of th e fo rtnigh t (see page 15) . Answers to su.concrete@uea.ac.uk
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td. 622062
08 features
Tavernier Round Midnight
may have begun his career writing for the most influential film publication ever produced, worked with such luminaries as Jean-Luc Godard, and even to coax the great Bogarde out ofretirement on the strength of a phone call, but you've still probably never heard of Bertrand Tavernier. Not surprisingly, though, because Tavernier is one of the few lights of conte mporary French cinema who, despite having achieved critical acclaim overseas, will still only make films in his home country and in his native language. Indeed, the whole question of making films in English or in translation is one which brings to the forefront the bullish qualities which helped him begin his career: "You should not shoot your film where you do one shot in French and another in English. The scene should be written differently and shot differently, so I think that is a very bad idea because neither version
will work," Tavernier explains. "W orking in English is totally different to working in French. When Jane Birkin [star ofTavernier's Daddy Nostalgia] was acting in English she was m ore restrained and less op e n , more secre t than when she was acting in French." Since becoming a director in 1973, Tavernier's very specific beliefs in the cinematic art have not stopped him from b ecoming the most diverse of contemporary French film-makers. By shying away from making films which would be specifically palatable to an international market, Tavernier has always b een able to make films on subjects which interest him at a particular time. Or, if you prefer, he has put into practice the ideas of authorship and directorial control which he and his contemporaries championed in the Cahiers du Cinema in the early sixties. His past works include films on old age , the middle ages and (of all things) Jazz music in one of his few English language films, Round Midnight . When his son went through a period of drug addiction in the early nineties, Tavernier's
response was the hard hitting L.627, a film which had as much to say about drug laws and the likelihood of the police enforcing them as it did about addiction. It is possible to detect some threads running through all Tavernier's work , though. One is that of families as a positive influence, something Tavernier points out has developed throughout his life: " In my first films, the families are broken up. You have only the fathe r or only the mother. Mayb e it's because I was raised that way; my father and mother didn't get on and I reproduced that in film. People in my early films are always lonely. It's only the recent films that have couples." Tavernier's other major influence is that of history. Here his view has always remained broadly the same. Tavernier's history is a living entity, ready to be reshaped and revised. Many of his films contain historical characters engaging in fictional acts. As he himself describes: "I very often deal with moments in history that no one !mows about . I remember at one of the first screenings of Life And Nothing But, a minister under Mitterand said, 'You made me discover a whole part of the history of my country that I was totally ignorant of."' For Tavernier, history is a tool to be used to help shed light on the present day. " I work so often with historical subjects that I can deal with contemporary subjects easily.
moment, and one which he believes has particular resonance in today's world, Tavernier is keen to draw himself away from the tag of being 'revisionist' "I am dubious about the idea of revisionism . I try to do a historical film as if it's a contemporary subject that I am filming- particularly in Laissez-passer. There is a trap with Laissez-passer, and that's that we now !mow nearly all the answers, but the character didn't, so I had to preserve the uncertainty. I was trying to film as though the camera was one of the characters in the film. Characters only have a fragmentary !mowledge of the events, and that makes things more interesting and exciting.lt prevents you from giving answers to things that shouldn't be answered. I adored doing that, even though it also gives you a lot of nightmares." It's easy to think that Tavernier is a strictly serious individual, which is why it comes as something of a relief to hear him talking on one of his other great passions: that of jazz. In particular, in the way jazz and music in general can help shape his films. "When I was making Round Midnight fl'avernier 's loving homage to the world of jazz music and arguably his best film] it gave me a freedom. Right from the beginning I tried to get away from what I call the tyranny of the plot. I want a storyline, but I want the dra-
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Dealing with history teaches you to be analytical and teaches you to find out what's important. Not conventional history, but the history told by the new breed of historians that show that history is linked with fact , flesh, blood, passion. It's not just about remembering dates, but it's about making the history alive." e revision and presentation of history orms the core ofTavernier's latest film, Laissez-Passer. A bittersweet eflection on collaboration and surviva! in Nazi-occupied France through the eyes of film-makers. Working from true events, Tavernier interweaves the lives and careers of two harassed movie professionals in second world war Paris. One is Jean Aurenche, a screenwriter with a chaotic personal life and a string of mistresses who hates the idea of working for the German-run Continental Films or ganisation; as a result, he exists on the breadline. The other is Jean Devaivre, a talented and ambitious assistant director who swallows his pride and accepts work, but publicly insists that he is working "with" and not "for" the Germans, and is in any case in contact with the Resistance. It's a dark but visually arresting story, which contrasts the squalor of everyday French life during the occupation with glowing sequences of the country's rural life. And, ultimately, it's uplifting. " It's a real film about oppression," remarks Tavernier, "but you have hope in it. Even if the people are not successful, they are fighting. That's enough to bring a little bit of hope. " Despite dealing with a particular historical
T
ii#IW!Mijfii 29. 0 1.03
malic progression to come from the characters and not from the plot. When I read articles or books written by people who teach about screenplay, I've never understood the American notion of the three-act structure. I've never seen it in any American film that I like. There are no acts in The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon . I see a flow . I see those types of films as novelistic or musical films. In Round Midnight I wanted people to understand the emotion of jazz not by what the characters were saying but by the structure of the film and the way the camera moved." Tavernier's love of jazz parallels him, of course, to America's best !mown auteur, Woody Alien. Another director who will make precisely the film he wants even if he !mows that nobody in the world will go and see it. Tavernier's films, though, do have an audience. The one thing they do not share, though, is Alien's love of acting. Tavernier has no desire to place himself in front of the camera. But he does often provide the moments of narration in his films. "I've always shied away from acting in my films, so my way of being there is through narrating the film. I love poetry, I'm a great reader. The Japanese really like the use of narration, and they praised me saying that it was a very Japanese attitude. Which surprised me in many ways," he adds, "because I did not think the Japanese would enjoy a film in French with subtitles. They obviously have more patience than the rest of the world."
Laissez-passer plays next month at Cinema City
features 09
A Slippery Soap? Have TV executives become too frightened to take risks? ~investigates
So, You Think You Know ••• The Rolling Stones We all know them as the originators of the rock n roll dream. But how much you really know about Keith, Mick and the boys asks Joe Minihane •.•
couple of nights ago, amidst a half-empty packet of lemon bon bons and a pair of my flatmate's feet, I made a most disgruntling discovery. I found out that (on Monday night at least), if you employ your 'IV guide with optimal precision, it is possible o entertain yourself with a three hour oap marathon, if you so desire. I appreciate that it's not something most people would do - a lot of people would probably pass out after an hour of trying, if trying at all -but it's an intriguing little finding all the same. And along with recent claims made by ITV's director of strategy David Bergg, inferring that new British programmes are about as endangered as the Siberian tiger these days, it suddenly left me wondering: 'Are there too many soaps on British TV?' According to Bergg and a variety of other 'IV executives, the answer it would seem is 'yes'. Speaking earlier this month at a media convention, Bergg brought soaps and medical dramas into the firing line by voicing his concerns that: 'We're all playing it safe. We're maximising the things that work. We've seen an increase in the number of people saying they'd take risks while at the same time taking fewer risks'. An immediate response to this might be to throw our hands in the air and say, so what? What's wrong with safe television? Safe is good. Safe is reliable. Safe is not racing to reach the remote control every time a sex scene comes on when your grandma is in the room. Yet this is not really what Bergg is getting at. What Bergg is understandably worried about is the fact that British television is currently facing what Mark Thompson, Chief Executive of Channel 4, calls 'a creative deficit', a potentially near-critical state in which nobody is attempting to try anything new. It appears to be the unfortunate case that over the past ten years there has been a considerable decline in the number of fresh programmes cropping up on our screens. For some reason, there doesn't seem to be the element of risk-taking anymore that there was back in the early nineties. Either the gurus who come up with all the imaginative brainwaves have been unexpectedly struck by an inspirational drought, or (more likely), everyone is so concerned with pulling the ratings in that all new notions of creativity have been quietly filed away for a rainy day. Whatever the case may be, the consequences are that - in the words of one disapproving headmaster - a generation of 'vacuous teenagers' is currently being spawned, and that soaps are elbowing equally important current affairs and arts programmes literally out of the picture. UEA Professor Charles Barr, who teaches Film and Television Studies, admits that: 'Undoubtedly things have been lost in two ways. One is the loss of hard hitting topical journalism, and the other is good investigative journalism. Programmes like World in Action and Panorama have now been made marginal, which used to be heavyweight programmes of topical analysis and current affairs.' Judging by the increaSe in extra episodes of soaps such as Eastenders and Coronation Street, and with the additional delights of a Sunday omnibus, it's not altogether impossible to see where Bergg, Barr, or indeed the headmaster are coming from. Let's face it, there are a lot of soaps on 'IV. You only need to remind yourself of my initial discovery to see the proof. Yet there is something in soaps which make them as essential in most households as their chemical counterparts. Somewhere at some point during primetime viewing, there will be a soap to suit just about anyone. And even if they're not admired sometimes for their aesthetic value, heck, who cares? If nothing else, they're an effective background aid for children doing homework everywhere. Annabel Surman, SOC 3, agrees. "Maybe there are too many soaps, but at the end of the day, that's what
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the public wants. They're a light relief, escapism." It is a known fact that soaps are an integral part of some people's lives. When Dierdre Barlow was fictionally imprisoned for instance, the Free Dierdre Barlow campaign was started up by over enthusiastic fans who even got as far as the House of Commons. And soaps are in their own right to some extent dare I say it? - educational, in that they deal with certain contemporary issues. Barr says: 'I broadly sympathise with the criticisms that are being made. I wish that soaps are less frequent , not because I don't like them but because I do like them. I feel comfortable with Coronation Street three times a week since it's sharper and more focused, although the fact that you can still get a 17 million audience for a big event is significant. There is no doubt that Richard's murderous activities are great 'IV. 'IV still has the power to tie people down to a certain time of the week and create a communal experience - we can do that with big sporting events and 'IV has proved that it can do it with high quality fiction. It is great drama, very skilful.' There you have it. Soaps might not fall under the arts genre, but they still have something valuable to offer. But let's look at the alternatives. Mainstream television might have shamefully given up on the arts and current affairs side of things, but they have not been altogether forgotten. Cultural programmes are still there for the viewing, only you might have to sacrifice an early night to watch them. If you look hard enough, there are channels out there which are especially dedicated to arts. All you need is the right digital equipment and a comfortable chair. BBC4 is described as showing 'new themes in the arts, science, history, and global current affairs', as well as a range of cinema, documentaries and nightly international news. And while there has been a decrease in new programmes - the main guilty culprit of all this recent 'playing it safe' having been identified as the somewhat demure BBC2, which screened 40 per cent fewer new shows last year than in 1992 -they do still exist. New comedies such as The Office and The League of GenUemen for example have proved to be extremely popular. And what of the risk taking? So far, Channel4's plight to take risks and 'be braver in the way we schedule' has lead not just to a breaking of moral and ethical boundaries, but also a testing of the law. The live autopsy screened last year - the first public autopsy to take place in Britain since the 1830s- clocked up a record number of complaints, and this month's shocking programme showing performance artist Zhu Yu eating the corpse of a stillborn baby caused further controversy. It seems then that we are to hopelessly choose between a bombardment of soaps and nondescript reality 'IV shows, or programmes whose sole objective appears mainly to shock. And if that's what 'risk taking' involves, then I might just stick to books.
1) What was the name of the Rolling Stones Manager who ran a company called ABCKO? 2) What was Mick }agger found to be 'enjoying' with Marianne Faithfull when busted for drug possession in 1967? 3) What was the name of the house that Keith Richard's rented out whilst in tax exile in France during the early seventies? 4) Who usually plays Sax with the Stones on tour and on their records? 5) Street Fighting Man was written in response to what specific event? 6) Where did the Stones play a free concert in December 1969? 7) What poet did Mick Jagger read in tribute to Brian }ones before the start of the Hyde Park Summer '69 gig? 8) What country legend was present at the recording of Exile on Main Street? 9) Bow old was Mick Taylor when he joined the band? 10) What Stones song did John Lennon describe as rip off of She Loves You? 11) What Stones song did Microsoft use to promote Windows 95 on its release? 12) Who played with Keith Richard& in the supergroup The Dirty Mac for the Rolling Stones Rock'n'Roll Circus in December 1968? 13) Where was Keith Richard& busted for heroin possession in 1977? 14) What was the name of the Stones 1994/5 World Tour? 15) The video for It's Only Rock'n'Roll featured the band in what setting? 16) Who's currently supporting the Stones at gigs in the Eastern USA? 17) 'She gets her kicks in _ _ /Not in Knightsbridge anymore.'? 18) Ronnie Wood played guitar in which band before joining the Rolling Stones?
Answers I) Alien Klein 2) A Mars Bar 3) Ville Nellcote 4) Bobby Keys 5) Anti-Vietnam demo, Oct 68 in London 6) Altamont Speedway 7) Percy B Shelley 8) Gram Parsons 9) Twenty One 10) We Love You 11) Start Me Up 12) John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell, Eric Clapton 13) Toronto, Canada 14) The Voodoo Lounge 15) In a marquee full of bubbles 16) Ryan Adams 17) Stepney 18) The Faces
29.01.03
10 features
Almost Old School Vandalism Famous Looking Beyond the Top 40
no. 8
Where are you r ight now? I'm at Heathrow about to fly off to New York. I'm doing some recording over there in a mate 's flat and then hopefully some secret gigs. You know just show up and then play somewhere, Jeff Buckley style. Me , a cup of coffee and an electric guitar. It's the only way . After that I'm just gonna start doing the same sort of thing over here. I did that in a pub in Coventry over Christmas, doing Wurzles covers. The crowd loved it but then the landlord was none too happy when I tried to set my kit alight and nearly set the place on fire. Still it would have been publicity and that's what this game's all about when you get down to it. Who are your i nflue nces? Where I grew up in the outer Hebrides there was obviously not a lot of music. At first I just taught myself to play this little ukelele that my step dad had under the stairs. I didn't hear any music on the radio or LPs you know, until I was about ten. I think it was Johnny Cash. After that I just started writing proper songs and when I moved to the mainland about five y ears ago after my mum died I went to this little record store and listened to everything they had. Jeff Buckle y was the one that hit home most but Dylan, Springsteen and Cash those guys. Now they're my blueprint for when I get my LP out and start to make it big. Who would you most like to play w ith? Oh man that's tough . But then I'm not ready yet to play with anyone too cool. Playin g on my own is a lot of fun and allows a lot more creative expression. I tried playing in a band and I was just too good for them. They got in the way of what I wanted to do and really pisse d m e off. When you see me or hear me , I will be playing all the instruments, even if I have to take out one of those one man band things . Give me a few years th ough a nd I' ll be Noel Gallagh er's best mate. One thing I can guarantee is that I will never do anything with Elton John, that's a promise! Where would you most like to play? I don't care. Seriously. I couldn't give a shit, I have to say that that is a stupid question. If anyone says they want to play here or there then they're forgetting what it's all about. Namely playing music. I don't care if it 's a pub or Madison Square Garden as long a s I' m happy. What are your plans for the coming year? Get a record out and play a gig every night so I'm uber famous. I'm planning to do loads of pub gigs around the country. Just get on the train and roll on through every shotgun town in Britain then Europe. You'll be hearing a lot more from Car! Lovell in the next year. Trust me. Cheers. foe Minihane
II#IW!#jij搂ii 2 9. 0 1.03
'm a cheeky boy , Norwich! I'm a cheeky, cheeky boy !" Vandals' guitarist Warren Fitzgerald is standing atop his band's d.nuns riser, busy hitching his three-quarter length surf shorts up , well, his arse. This is the climax of triumphant sixty-minute headline slot at the Waterfront, being drawn to a close by the six-stringer taking over vocal duties for a hyperactive nm-through of I Have A Date. It's unclear as to whether or not the industrial-strength wedgie the Waterfront faithful are being treate d to is a nightly occurrence; what is clear is that there's a grown m an spanking his partially-exposed, pasty backside inbetween nmning to the front of the stage, leapfrogging bounce rs and high-fiving those in the first few rows. Not your averag e gig, then. But then there's not much average about the Vandals. Turn back the clock three hours. Technically my interview should've have fini she d around the six o'clock mark, b ut owing to a b lip in the itine rary it's 路now quarter-to-eight and there's still no sign of the four men who have been peddling a b rand of idiot-savant SoCal punk that, in the modem scene, would be peerless if it were not for the existence of NOFX. Tonight's gig has fallen on the third Thursday of November, meaning it's Thanksgiving, meaning the trio of American acts in town have happily buggered off for a quasi-festive dinner, delaying the start of the interview seemingly indefinitely. Having already inadvertently ushered various members of the two support acts back into the venue by virtue of standing on the right side of a security door (sample exchange: "Aie you, like, a bouncer?" "How many 5'7", 9-stone bouncers do you know?" "Ok, coolgot any beer?") it is with no small amount' of relief that I see the headliners eventually roll back from dinner one by one, carrying their respective 'doggy bags' as I brush off the crumbs of a poisonous, Prince of Wales Road-bought pizza. Slapping on my best fake smile for their re-appearing publicist, I am ushered into a deserted dressing room where bassistJoe Escalante is waiting patiently. The beer must be next door. For the uninitiated, it is perhaps easiest to sum up the Vandals simply as The Real Deal. Subjected to a re-birth of sorts in 1995 when they signed to Offspring frontman Dexter Holland's Nitro label, the quartet had been around in various guises from the early '80s but chose the moment to deliver arguably their career-best LP, live Fast Diarrhoea, which married vocalist Dave Quackenbush's motormouth rhetoric on everything from Planet Of The Apes-inspired morality (Ape Shall Never Kill Ape) to the hitherto unexplored bodily functions (the title track) with a nosebleed-inducingly speedy score provided by Escalante, drummer Josh Freese (also of A Perfect Circle) and resident 'cheeky boy' Fitzgerald. Admittedly a curious mix, the whole shebang lasted little over half an hour but nonetheless garnered praise for fans and critics alike. Seve n years on, the band, along with their support for tonight , now call Kung Fu records home, a label eo-founded by Escalante and Fitzgerald. All of which makes the amiable, part-time bullfighter before me as good an authority on modem punk as any.
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I.Jllll~lS Do you find it strange that you're lumped in with bands much younger than you, on the Warped Tour for example? "Well, the current version of the Vandals has been around for 13 years- since Josh joined - but we feel at home on the Warped Tour with bands like AF1 and the Ataris for company... wh at we don't feel comfortable with if is if people lump us in with older punk bands. We might like listening to that , but we try to make new music that sounds cool. Nitre were very good to us and for us; they came along at a time when we had been treated badly in the past by other labels. They dragged us out of the gutter and saved our asses! " So, anyway, what do y ou think have been the key factors keep punk rock prominent since it broke in the mid-90s with bands like Green Day and Offspring? "Labels like Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph making sure that you could make punk rock and make good money. Bands like Pennywise, NOFX and Rancid all managed to keep going because of that. Also, I think more competition has made the music get better. " Kung Fu records is perhaps modestly excluded from Escalante's list, yet it has been the stable to birth bands such as Blink 182
and the Ataris. Both have now moved on to major labels, which begs the question: what does a someone who has championed the underground cause for two decades make of mainstream punk? " Punk bands on major labels are all making the best of a bad situation. But sometimes - sometimes - it works out really well. New Found Glory love their major label, Blink 182love their major label. Offspring? I think they like their major label. A lot of the time majors sign punk bands because they think that's what they need: 'some punk bands' . The quality doesn't matter. It might be bands Kung Fu have rejected." Surely the money is better, though? "No. You get one big cheque, maybe, but after that you're reliant on your album doing well and making good money from live shows. You can be on a major label and be broke. Bands like the Ataris leave us because they think they're going to be exception and the horror-stories aren't going to happen to them." Is success on a major also down to how much you're willing to 'play the game'? "Yeah, it's not just down to how good you are. Aie you willing to do what the major labe l wants you to? Bands like MxPx aren't and they've suffered, whereas bands like Blink 182 are ... " Do you resent bands leaving you, then? "I just think they're naive. If they do well on a major after they've left us it's not exactly bad news for me, but still I advise them against it. The Ataris turned down a large offer to stay." But what about the superior distribution offered by labels? "Total bullshit. Your distribution depends on how well your album is doing. Our friends No Doubt were on tour, signed to a major label, and their record wasn't anywhere!" What about Blink !82's music advertising everything from mortgages to pizzas whilst the band seemingly knows nothing about it? "Mortgages? (laughs) That's due to them selling their publishing to a major publishing house. It's another example where you gain a large advance but lose a lot of freedom, as you no longer have control over what your music gets used for. All they were thinking about back then was the $700,000 they were given. I admire bands like the Ataris more as, although they've signed to a major, they haven't sold their publishing rights. That was a mature decision on their part. " Have there been any positive effects from commercialisation? "Well, I suppose you could say there aren't as many opportunists at grass-roots level anymore. It's got to the point where I almost miss the m! People's favourite punk labels in America might be Drive-Thru, which is owned by Universal, or Vagrant, which is owned by Interscope. Kids don't care where their records come from anymore. " atever the ups and downs of the commercial lirnate, there's no denying Escalante's sucesses. Despite his self-effacing tendencies, e rightly acknowledges in closing that the e sp ect he and his cohorts are give n as musicians is down to more than hagiography and hero-worship . "Sometimes I'm surprised as we could get no respect," he admits, "because when you sit down and contemplate the songs they are a joke, in one sense. We try to offset that with things we do take seriously, but deliver it all in a Vandals-style." The crowds now filtering into the venue may still have some time to wait before their brush with punk rock, 'Vandals-style' but the secret to their success has already been revealed: integrity, musicianship and a sense of humour - definitely not a case of all the small things .
W
features 11
Dedbeat On Arrival acts.u
Indeed Vibert, who can be viewed mixing in one of the three main arenas over the February weekend, admits that the only concern he has about the event, is "knowing the holiday of debauchery must come to end." He reiterates that there "seems to be no other weekenders or festi\l'als that can match Dedbeat's repeatedly exceptional line ups. Artists like us don't just want to spin a few records or ponce around in the VIP area; we want to get into the vibe, and ultimately, being human, our main aim is to get spaced off our tits." So there is no VIP area, which obliterates any possible 'us and them' pretension existing between performer and spectator. Coined by Reid as being a festival of "outright savagery," the Dedbeat weekender is all about getting trashed and having a great time. "The DJ's get really wasted. People come and get really wasted. But the difference is, they're getting wasted to really good music." The thought of watching a thousand mashed-up ravers abseiling in a holiday park in Norfolk is worth the ticket price alone. magine looking out the window of your room in Norfolk Terrace, and seeing thousands of people dancing to funky break-beats in arenas on the grass outside. Only imagine that your bedroom is part of a grand chalet with ensuite and television, in the middle of a Holiday Village in Hemsby. The third D.edbeat weekender festival will take place in Great Yarmouth on the last weekend in February. Held in a giant holiday park, the festival includes three days and two nights of fresh hip-hop, electronica and funk acts spread across three indoor venues, and will feature breaking acts from the likes of Dyzee and Jesseffex of Supematuralz from the United States, alongside 2001 UK champions Children of the Monkey Basket and Force 10.
Musipal, Luke Vibert, refers to them, Dedbeat maintains a relaxed mood and atmosphere that is perhaps lacking at other largely financed dance festivals. The DJ's and dancers that come to Dedbeat "are all one," Vibert suggests, referring to the way the absence of a VIP tent allows performers and supporters to mingle whilst enjoying the programme. Reid emphasises that "the point (ofDedbeat) was to do something cutting edge," about continually pushing genuine quality music that is not yet controlling the music scene. " By doing this we do close out a lot of the market. It can go a bit too underground." But with the past two festivals - which allow im audience capacity of two and a half thousand people - both selling out a month before the event, the motivations behind the music are obviously working.
music acts that tour the country. Parking is available on location, and shuttle buses have been arranged to run to and from the event. "The whole point of (the festival) is that it is geared up to be ~eally easy," says Reid. "We have beer at pub priees, ten-piece bands like Herbali.s er and Poets of Rhythm, beat boxes, BBoys, break-dancers fiown in from America, and good quality DJ's. The DJ's are invited because they are considered to be really good
The third Dedbeat weekender festival will be held at Pontins Holiday Village in Hemsby, Norfok, from the 28th of February to the 2nd of Ma.r ch, 2003. Tickets are £90 plus £5 hookin g fee, and c an h e purchased by calling Dedbeat direct on 0870 1611 626, or online at www.wayahead.com. For more information mail: info@dedheat.net.
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lll~l)), nJn)lll~il'l, f)Jt(;ilNISI~Il This is the third Dedbeat weekender, an event which has hosted some of the biggest names in hip-hop, electronic and VJ genres. Ccorganiser of the annual festival, Sam Reid, has dubbed the event "the festival for lazy people," as all tickets include seU-catering, ensuite accommodation for the entire weekend, use· of all the park facilities including gokart track, indoor swimming pool and pool party, games consoles, arcade, pool/snooker rooms, music workshops, skate courses, abseiling, and a 24-hour pub-priced bar. The organisers' main purpose in initiating the Dedbeat festival was to provide a weekend of quality entertainment from music acts that had not yet become massively popular. Last year's weekender featured music from DJ's and MC's such as The Pharcyde, Roots Manuva, Mr Scruff and DJ Yoda, acts that now dominate the breaks and hip-hop scene. And whilst Dedbeat could be compared to other large music festivals such as the Big Chill, Reid and fellow organiser Matt Carter, pride themselves on the fact that they don't use corporate sponsors to fund the festival. "We've stayed away from corporate sponsorship as it really cheapens (an event). It just takes more money away from the people." By steering away from "hype mongers," as Cornwall DJ and producer of the 2001 release
Though the festival has become recognised as a national event, even attracting international music goers from New York, Malta, and Barcelona, Reid is somewhat disappointed with the lack of local support emanating from East Anglia. "We get students coming in from Manchester and Glasgow, but what we'd really like to see is a bit more interest from the East Anglian students. When the Scratch Perverts played at UEA, they attracted a huge crowd, and students fiock to the Waterfront when there's a gig on there, so we know there's definitely people out there that are into this type of music. I'd like to think there'd be at least 500 people (from UEA) that are into this type of music." EA student, Tomasz Bethell, admits that ninety pounds is a lot of money to pay for the average rent-paying student, but admires the way the festival is sponsorship-free. "By cashing-out for (an event such as Dedbeat), you're supporting underground hip-hop in a commercial free zone. I totally dig that." Furthermore, the organisers of Dedbeat uphold that the weekender is all about bringing quality music to Norfolk, an area that they feel is often neglected by some of the larger
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29.01.03
Centrespread 13
12 Centrespread
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Bad k ids p lay with guns in City of God.
l.ooking Back happening. ~takes a :-- look~ back over not~r~~q~~m~s of the
s •••
Recent and near-future·cinematic releases have moved the
Straw Dogs
Year: 1971 Direct or: Sam Peckinpah Banned after its initial release but recently released uncut. The ban was a result a rape scene where the victim is shown enjoying the ordeal.
t,
Clockwork Orange
Malcolm McDowell as Alex de Large in Kubrick's celebrated A Clockwork Orange.
Clockwork Bomb: Kubrick looks as if hi.s head is about to explode
Som eon e forgot to c:lean the h air out of the plugh ole again.
orne films are there for the clever kids to get an erectio:t whilst feeling good about themselves." This comment defines the argument of stude.n t, Sarah Hughes (SOC, 2) that Stanley Kubrick was a misogynist masquerading as a genius. The scene she was focusing on in A Clockwork Orange provides compelling evidence for Kubrick's guilt in this modern sin . For his cunera displays a teenage glee while Malcolm Mcdowellrapes and tyrannises to his idiosyncratic rendition of Singing in the Rain. The consciousness of Alex is thl'ust upon us a.'\d then we are forced to watch him commit the deed wea.1ng a phallic goblin mask whilst artfully cutting the dress of. the skinny beautiful woman as if it were a Lucio Fontana painting. Her objection being that the whole movie's gruesomeness is softened by its camp humour and its aesthetic beauty. That we are made to feel sorry for the protagonist's loss of freedom is the final moral insult to this line of thought. Sarah insinuates that the typically male student audience for the film convinces themselves they are watching "high art" whilst really just getting cheap and nasty voyeuristic kicks, evidenced by the way they accept its amorality unchallenged. I searched for someone to openly admit to this erotic thrill that has supposedly helped the career of limitless "auteurs". Yet I could only manage to get Andy Wellstead (BIO, 2) to say, partly in jest, that, "violence in films generally makes me laugh." De,pite not finding those depraved minds that are willing to claim on record that they fantasise to David Cronenberg or get turned on by Driller KiJier, it is obvious these twisted indi·Tiduals exist. The evidence for Sarah's argument lies in the tradition of the movies that sexualises violence and the constant demand and critical appreciation for this. For instance, the shower scene in Psycho is hailed as an icoruc moment of cinema. Stripped to its bare essentials, its murder conjuring sex, with all that screaming, pouting and a dagger moving in and out. It seems to me that most of the films that I actually enjoy have an unwholesornely violent dimension. Yet the values explored on the screen ha7e nothing to do with the values I wish to believe in my everyday life. Do we, the voyeuristic public, just go to see viole:tce for the joy of it or because it provides an insight into so:ne facet of life? It is the obituaries column that inspired me to st.a rt thinking about this perennial question. The death of James Ferman on December 24th probably passed many of you by. Yet in his own way, he has had a long running relationship with film violence and it seems a fitting memorial to write about it. He would probably have desired that people took more
Year: 1971 Director : Stanley Kubrick Originally released completely uncut, it riled up so many 'conscientious' viewers that Kubrick had the film pulled from distribution in England because he received death thl'eats After the his death in 1999, the thl'eats became redundant and the film was re-released.
away from movies than just the thrill of blood and guts yet were definitely aware that violence as an end in itself had a growing audience.Ferman presided over British film censorship from 1975 to 1999 as director of the British Board of Film Classification. In this time, he impressively managed to reduce the annual number of films cut from 40% of those submitted to 4%. So, in some respects he was a liberal hero. However, being a censor his name was always dir t to my teenage mind. He was the man who had the power to block Britain from seeing Reservoir Dogs. Yet, despite my previous contempt for him, he succeeded in increasing the availability of movies to conservative England and his slow reform of the system now sees the BBFC releasing the c<>ntroversial French film, Irreversible uncut, complete with a nine-minute rape sequence. It will be interesting to see whether there is an outcry by a columnist who hasn't seen the movie. If not, Ferman with his gradual reform will have created a situation where Britain's masochistic public can see as outre films as they want to see.
"S'J1.LlNJ..J~Y ltiJIIIllf~lt lfAS A IIISO(;YNIS'I' lli\S(IIJI~Ili\1) ING AS A GI~NIIJ S." The two current must-see-epics are the Rio de Janeiro based City of God and Martin Scorcese •s Gangs of New York. As city based cycles of violence they recount predominantly all male struggles. Yet these films have had less complaints than the ones discussed previously, about the shocking nature of the violence within. This is probably because they are "historical" movies. For the justification, "based on a true story" or "set in a real time" often stops the critics party pooping on others· fun. For that authoritative condemnation, " gratuitous" can sometimes seem out of place, if the director reels out annoying facts that corroborate the horror that the viewer has had to sit thl'ough. Though personally I doubt that the godlike nature of fact has really impinged much on the spectacle of either fil.In. So if we discount such imaginary portraits of violence as. A Clockwork Orange and Psycho for their artifice and cynicism in the creation of strange fantastic worlds. Should ostensibly socially conscientious movies like City of God also be condemned? For despite its humanising portrayal of the ghetto, the Brazilian film takes a delight in guns. It clearly spells out the consequences of this fascination but displays it in beautifully balletic detail. It's all fast editing and street children
Last House on the Left
Year: 1972 Director: Wes Craven Originally banned for the excessive gore, it's now available on video in either an 83-rninute version or an 84minute version, which has some extra gore in it. On July 17, 2002, the BBFC screened the new version that MGM will release in the US. Exorcist
Quentin Tarantino's Resevoir Dogs sets a trend for the 90s.
being massacred. If we are to be brutally honest, the audience flocking to it is being entertained by the horrific nature of a country· s internal strife and then wandering out to an English night on the town. When we go to see Scorse.s e' s hugely stylised set pieces, where strange men in coats or p itch forks hack each other to bits whilst parading about with a debonair charm, a similar process takes place. It is a romp with little point other than to show that New York was founded on violence. Thereby creating in cinema form a historical context for his other bloodthirsty explorations of the city. Yet one of the reasons why cinema is such a powerful medium is due to its powers of distortion. In no way are any of the films discussed so far, holding a mirror up to nature. Instead they are a vision of what a director predicts that his audience wants to fantasise about. Now, whilst realising this is a necessary part of artistic production, I now feel very sorry for the way female audience· s are not provided with enough films targeted at them of a high quality. For Sarah' s comment seems true. Because of her sex, she wished to reject Kubrick' s haunting world. All the pretensions of cold intellectualism and luscious visuals were predominantly targeted at a dissociated male audience. This is not to say that more customers would not be welcomed thl'ough the doors of the cinema. But it does not take an expert in marketing to realise that whilst the male audience get given the swi.r ling violence in Gangs of New York. Leonardo Di Caprio and annoying panpipes are the condescending inclusions to try and convince girls to come along and partake in Scorsese' s fun. Otherwise, they could abandon their boyfriend in the multiplex and go and see another Sandra Bullock movie that has been targeted at them. he mean streets ofUEA are unsurprisingly divided in the way the sexes opted for or against violence. Torn Cornwell, (BIO, 2) claiming, "I dislike violence but feel it is essential to see it in the cinema in order to understand it." This is similar to the limitless defences I have made of my voyeurism in the cinema whilst trying to get behind the psyche of Joe Pesci and his meat cleaver. Annie Silburn (BIO, 2) displayed a categorical distaste for glamourising all things blood splattered: "nothing that involves violence should be glorified. Why do people take so much pleasure in it?" ·Michael Cranny (EAS, 3) managed to
T Two m e n in a fist-comparing c ontest.
ji#IWIJijdi 29.0 1.03
Mr DiCap rio is app arently only in ftlma as eye-candy rather than his sterling acting abilities.
David C ronenherg looks surprisingly n ormal desp ite being renowned for much movie nastiness
Year: 1973 Director: William Friedkin Released in cinemas heavily cut, including the scene where Regan MacNeil, the possessed 12-year-old, violently uses a crucifix as a dildo. Not released on video for 25 years due to the apparent risk to children.
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre
illll~ 'rDI~ f~f)NJ)I~Sf~I~NDINf;
Year: 1974 Director: Tohe Hooper
INf~J..IJSIONS
'rf) 'l'llV ANI) f~ONVINf~l~ (;JilLS 'rO (~f)lll~ AJ..ON(J ANI) JtAJl'I'AKI~ IN S(~OilSI~SI~, S I~IJN." convince me that he would get the liberal vote if he were Britain's censor: "people should be allowed to depict whatever they want, as freedom of artistic expression should not be hindered." Loz Pawley, (SOC, 2) objected to people tracing the woes of socety to the silyer screen for, "if people can't distinguish between Scorsese's New York and their own lives, they're probably prone to violence anyway." Whilst Lucy Johnston (EAS, 2) contrarily claimed, "film violence breeds fear and is there to feed doubt into areas of extreme poverty where frustration and unhappiness is rife." If her view is correct, bloodthirsty horror movies are a tool of capitalist oppression. Yet to show that the anomaly to this spurious universalising of the sexes is out there, Katherine Doole (BlO, 2) saw no point in condemning the excesses of cinema hacks, suggesting, "Trisha has more damaging consequences to society than violence in fiction." So now chat shows can steal that damaging hold on the psyche that the movies did hold. Perhaps the excesses of television, now make the growing terrorism of cinema violence seem like art. Sarah' s criticism nearly brought me to the Damascus of forsaking puerile "auteurs" that force the audience thl'ough another confusing scene of heart wrenching violence. But the kick is probably too great and getting an addiction to Norwich chat show hosts is more than I can bear. For, one of the reasons cinema of violence holds its sway, is that violence is out there and generally we are protected from it. Yet visiting it in fiction has such a seedines.s and cheapness to it, that I am actually considering flying to Iraq and beginning a new career in war journalism. For that's real voyeurism.
Banned outright on release mainly due to its title (a misnomer seeing as only one person is killed with a chainsaw). It was released in all it's bloody glory in 1998.
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Tbe Story of '0'
Year: 1975 Director: Just Jaeckin The Story of 0 was initially banned in the UK in 1975 due to its explicit sexual content, but cinema and video/DVD releases were passed by the BBFC in 2000. The fully uncut, subtitled version has p layed in the UK on FilrnFour.
I Sp it on your Grave
Year: 1978 Director : M eir Zarch i Banned upon its release because of a 40minute rape scene and subsequent bloody reve.n ge of the victim. The BBFC passed a cut version of the film as an 18 certificate in November 2001. There is still about 7 minutes cut.
Baise-Moi
Year: 2000 Director: C oralie, Virginie Despentes Although rated 18, the UK theatrical release was cut by 10 seconds by the BBFC. In addition to the cuts to the cinema version, the UK DVD also cuts out an additional 2 seconds when a man gets a gun stuck up his anus.
29.01.03 , •••••••
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14 Albums
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Nocturama Maybe it's the wife and kids or the drugs-free lifestyle, but Nick Cave isn't the twisted ball of murderous rage he used to be. Ever since his 1995 offering Murder Ballads vented whatever desire he may have had to lyrically kill vast numbers of people, his subsequent albums have been quieter, more introspective affairs. The Boatman's Call was largely written for piano and voice and, while last year's And No More Sha/1 We Part added violins and guitars, the themes were still religion, love and self-doubt rather than the shotgun slayings and deranged carnival folk of old. Nocturama picks up where the previous release left off, though with Cave feeling cheerful and increasingly eager to rock. However, the Australian's version of cheerful is hardly ecstatic- we aren't talking Wham here- and while the opening track may be called Wonderful Life, it's built around a lilting, minor-key piano melody, and Cave's gravel voice often sounds to be on the verge of tears. Indeed, the first three songs are all stubbornly delicate and it isn't until track four's Bring It On that the Bad Seeds are allowed to, for want of a better phra.s e, bring on anything even vaguely electronically augmented. When this is followed by the full-on guitar and electric organ attack that is Dead Man in My Bed ( the lyrics are careful to add " ... she said, metaphorically speak-
ing"), the signs are clearly there that Nocturama finds the group in a transitional phase. The rest of the album alternates between vaguely folksy ballads and aggressive discordant musical rants. Maybe the ballad angle has been mined for too many successive albums, but they become repetitive. One in particular, Rock of Gibraltar, sounds like a band trying to fill up space. Even Cave's usually excellent lyrics are tired, as he rhymes Gibraltar, Malta and alter apparently without irony. Then, just when Nocturama is dangerously close to being under-whelming, it concludes by launching into the 13minute, 40-verse genius of I'm On Fire. Essentially composed of Cave breathlessly shouting lists of all the people who agree that he's on fire, occasionally pausing to mention how in love he is, the song has enough energy and invention supplement the weaker two .or three tracks that precede it. It elevates Noctursma from 'quite good' to something approaching excellence. If Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds genuinely are searching for a new direction, this is the way to go. ]im Wballey
Tom McCrae Just Like Blood Tom McRae's eponymous debut album was hailed by critics and the (perhaps slightly less than) general public as a masterpiece, and rightly so. Its follow-up, just Like Blood, is just as wonderful as its wonderful predecessor. McRae's voice is as gorgeous, haunting and ethereal as ever, floating in the room with you and around you, so incredible that, at times, it becomes almost visible. Like the first re cord, the music is sparse and understated, though it has also progressed - his guitar is still the dominant instrument, but the singer-songwriter-style acoustic strummings have given way, in plac·e s, to more atmospheric, electronic, ambient sounds. When strings are
:Unrest
present, they work brilliantly, especially on the incredible Karaoke Soul, which builds up, up, down and up, waves of crescendo that are magical, powerful, moving, and which remain so until the very last, fading note of the song. This is a frightening album not only because it showcases the immeasurable talent of its creator, but also because it reveals all too clearly basic truths about fundamental human emotions, some nice, some less so. "You will never get close to me," he sings on Stronger than Dirt. "This is who we are." Ouch. Ouch, but wow.
Ah Scandinavia, how can we fault you? You gave us The Hellacopters, The Hives, and for all those downtime moments you gave us those majesties of quiet, Kings of Convenience. Now one half has delivered his first solo effort, a short album of collaborations made on his travels. Rather than whipping out the acoustics for a bit of a jam, Erland Oye has gone for the downbeat dancey option which earned Kings a critical panning when they released their rernix album last year. Sadly, the results this time round are again patchy, sounding akin, in places, to Nik Kershaw pissing around in his garage with the world's most disturbing synthesiser. The Athlete sounds much like a
· Jeff Klein
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failed attempt to evoke the spirit of Daft Punk on the cheap, and songs like Symptom of Disease create unrest at a single stroke. The tracks are so busy that instead of feeling chilled out, you find yourself attempting a thousand different tasks at once. Imagine the intense paranoia after a bad joint, then multiply by ten. At best it's weak, at worst the biggest headfuck since Paul McCartney decided Rupert the Bear was an apt collaborator. Yes, it's that bad. A sadly large chink in the Scandinavian armour has appeared. Stick to the guitar, mate.
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Everybody Loves A Winner
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Miscba Pearlman
all the hits ...
and more
" This old house is burning down in a blaze of gasoline. You've been writing out your suicide notes since you were thirteen." Those are the first two lines of the first song of Jeff Klein's second album, Everybody Loves a Winner. Cheery stuff. But then, there's no inspiration in happiness, because that's no fun. Which could possibly explain why Klein's sophomore release is so good - because he's realised that fun just isn't fun anymore. What the world needs to hear are sad, gloomy, introspective songs about life. And while life can be happy and amazing and great, it is full of the fucked-up stuff too. And that's what's important to talk and sing about.
This what the album' s ten tracks do, and they do so extremely well. Klein' s voice is deep, throaty, growly, scratchy- a cross between Tom Waits and Mark Eitzel- and fits the songs pe.r fectly. It is joined occasionally by the perfect and soothing vocals of Patty Griffin, the rough and the smooth, surprisingly, complementing each other particularly well. Whether alone or duetted, you can hear in Klein's voice that he feels and means everything he sings. That is both a bad thing, and a very, very good thing. M ischa Pearlman
·Asian Dub Foundation Enemy of the Enemy
The biggest selection of printed music ever! Everything from Pop, Rock & NU Metal to Jazz, Blues and Classical. Plus._ tutor books, CD playalongs and videos!
ADF's combination of hard ragga-jungle rhythms, indo-dub basslines, deep sitar and 'traditional' sound makes for good, political conscious listening. Since their nomination for a Mercury Music Prize, ADF have had some difficult times. The shake up of London Records and their enigmatic vocalist Deeder Zaman leaving, has led to a loss of the old clarity. f;nemy of the Enemy hits you with a mix of sounds and cultures. The combination of politics and music enables ADF to make some interesting points, as well as sounding pretty funky along the way. Their collective energy, probably keeping much of the national grid ticking over, does however result in a rather cluttered feeling.
Ratings: 2-4 St. Benedicts, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4AG Telephone: 01603 627863
ii#IW!ifiJ2ii 29.01.03
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Georqe Harrison
... ·.~. With their party sized band you could be forgiven for having to strain hard to hear the likes of guitarist Ed O'Brien from Radiohead. However, their mix of traditional Indian melody, bass-style jungle, and political lyrics, really does work. Dhol Rinse also typifies the fashionable Asian 'coolness' of the album. With this unstoppable energy, Asian Dub Foundation Will continue to be an influence, especially for many Asian artists breaking into the music scene. T oby Gethin
Stu Sutcliffe
Rinqo Starr
Paul McC artn ey
John Lennon
Singles 15
Going Live
Single Choice The Datsuns Harmonic Generator Name five major exports from Ne w Zealand. Go on. Lamb, Braeburn Apples and .. . Exactly. It mig ht be the most breathtaking ly diverse country in the world, it might have Peter Jaclcson and the cast of Lord of the Rings believing that it is, in truth, Middle Earth, but the Kiwis don't seem to give much to the world in the form of marketable entities. Especially in the world of music. How many Split Enz tracks do you know? Thought not. Well if one band have turned this impression on its head, then it's The Datsun's. Harmonic Generator (the name of a guitar pedal for those of you who didn't already know. Tut) is the latest track to be lifted from their riHtastic eponymous debut. It's glam without sounding like T Rex, it's heavy rock without sounding like Deep Purple (novel as the rest of the album reads like a Ritchie Blackmore fret masturbation class) and it oozes sex and sass in a way that makes Barry White look like a spotty teenager trying to get laid. Grow your hair long, tuck those shirts in and get on those tight trousers that come with a health warning. Heavy Rock rules and it's here to stay.
After a couple of weeks of wonder· ful live music, the next ortnight promises to be wonderful with The Datsuns coming to town ••• Well, haven't the past couple of weeks been fun! The Asleep sold out the Arts Centre and played the gig of their lives, Jesse Malin proved his worth at Wombat Wombat, and support act Jeff Klein (see album review in this issue) blew everybody away. Monday night saw Easyworld play the Arts Centre, and needless to say, much fun was had by all. Never mind about In Me though. For every good gig there has to be a poor one, but you can't win them. Free fall have moved their gig at the Ferryboat back so we'll keep you posted on that one. All in all though, it's been a good couple of weeks for the live scene here in Norwich. But if the past few weeks have been a treat than just wait for the next fortnight , with what must be arguably be the best line up of live music to come to Norwich since well ... ever. Let's
foe Minihane
Longwave
Nada Surf
Automatic Eyes
Hi Speed Soul
Longwave's music is a blend of gently unfolding grooves with spiralling guitar-driven melodies layered over the top. They have already played at the Carling Festival, and this year they have been invited to support The Vmes on their European tour. Steve Schiltz's deep, thoughtful lyrics and rich warm voice are aimed at your heartstrings. The title track of this CD is the most upbeat song, with a big drum beat reminiscent of The Strokes. Next Plateau is a more downbeat, acoustic track. State of Mind is about half-way between the two. This is a mood inducing collection of songs delivered toperfection.
In 1996 with the release of High/Low, Nada Surf seemed capable of giving Weezer a run for the geek-rock crown. However,where
Weezer had the sense to mine a sublime vein of strong powerpop, Nada Surf have languished without much conviction in the shallow end of college rock. Hi-Speed Soul blunders along with amateurish, ill advised strings and tired vocals. The insecure ersatz of such songs as Popular, is lost here , frontman Matthew Caws lurching into a song that is perhaps about 'not finding a place in this crazy world', but might as well be about the price of chips for all he makes us care.
Victoria Holland
Matt Sargeson
Grand Popo Football Club
Kira
Each Finger Has An AHitude
I'll Be Your Angel
Let's dispense with the niceties. Grand Popo Football Club is a shit name. Since when did musicians play in a local Brazilian football side? Thank the lord then that Each Finger Has An Attitude is four minutes of ass kicking electronica, reminiscent of Daft Punk at their very best. It 's solid beat and squeaky noises will have you jumping about your room with the joys of life. Make yourself cheery and buy this record. Even better, buy it for your friends , they'll love you and probably paint you beautiful pictures. The name's still awful though.
I was prepared to give I'll be your Angel a chance as I've not listened to this kind of semi-commercial dance for a few years. Apparently, neither have Kira, or they would have noticed that these three minutes of DJ fodder, from the torturously generic keyboards to the stultifying drums, proclaim a total lack of originality or even interest in what they're doing. I refuse to take the lyrics seriously. So anodyne they almost become offensive. I 'll be your Angel is about as formulaic and uninventive as individual Lego bricks.
MoPamplin
}oe Minihane
JJ72 Always and Forever Always and Forever is a pretty little tune, quite a contrast to
some of JJ72 's earlier stuff which allowed for much louder and more frequent screeching. Although it has a very listenable and rather sweet melody it's a little repetitive and obviously a tame choice of a single, avoiding the usual explosive chorus; apparently main man Mark Greaney was aiming for a gospel feel , I'll leave you to decide whether he achieved it. Definitely one to cuddle up to (as long as you don't mind the whiney vocals), but must be avoided if single when approaching Valentines Day.
Louise Peart
Big Brovaz Hot on the heels of their latest hit, Nu F7ow, Big Brovaz are continuing the trend, with another up beat track, OK. This fusion of RnB and hiphop begins with an errie piano melody, and string arrangement, making it stand out from the last single. The huge success of Big Brovaz' performance at Skool Daze, last week, suggests this will certainly be another top ten hit, with its catchy, urban beat. This is one track, whose repetitive chorus is certainly going to be going round your head for the next few weeks. It certainly is OK.
Big Brovaz get into that LCR Vibe. Good tune too.
Rebecca Lawrence
get the obvious out of the way first shall we: The Datsuns. New Zealand's finest come to UEA on February 5th with their sexy blend of guitars and howling vocals (see this weeks Single Choice) as part of the NME Awards Tour. Also featured are the somewhat dazzling Interpol (ima gine early Suede but darker and with a tint of Joy Division) , a large array of be-robed singers in the form of the Polyphonic Spree and the ironically titled The Thrills. If you go to one gig in the next fortnight make it this one. Tickets are still on sale so scurry over to the box office from where you're sat in the Hive and pick one up . Go on. Now. That's an order. If that's not for you then there is the rather exciting prospect of Martin Grech at the Arts Centre on the same night. This guy is truly amazing and a particular talent to watch out for. Support comes from the wonderful Mew, of whom we will be no doubt hearing a lot more of in the coming months . If you want more however, we suggest that you get down to the Arts Centre on February 10, and see The Raveonettes. If you like The White Stripes al\d The Kills and all other assorted bluesy gubbins then this is the gig for you. If not then go to the Waterfront instead, for there be Teenage Fanclub, veterans maybe, but still capable of grinding out the odd top tune . Expect songs from their Britpop opus Grand Prix and more from their most recent album, 4766 Seconds. The again, if all this indie bumph isn't your bag, you can always head to the LCR on February 9 for Erasure. They'll be playing songs from their recent covers album, which received a somewhat lukewarm reception when first played up here in the office. Still it could be fun. Especially if you like covers of Video Killed The Radio Star which sound like they've been put through a meat grinder So there 's plenty going on and plenty of bands to see. There's absolutely no reason to miss any gig now with us as your guide. And get yourself to The Datsuns next week or we 'll be very upset.
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16 Film
Catch M e f You Can Director: Starring:
Steven Spielberg Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks
Steven Spielberg's latest oHering is based on a biographical subiect, but will it be subiect to a good review? Ben Outram takes a look at the potential classic. Spielberg's newest offering is a film based, somewhat loosely, on the real-life exploits of Frank Abagnale Jr, who cashed 2.5 million dollars worth of bad cheques in North America and Europe, impersonated a Pan-Am pilot and practised medicine without ever having been to medical school, all before he was 21 years old. The real-life Frank Abagnale Jr is clear that the film is not autobiographical and felt that the eo-writer of his biography had greatly exaggerated what he had done . Perhaps this is because he now works as an anti-fraud consultant. Whatever the case, the focus of Catch Me if You Can is certainly on entertainment. The film begins with Abagnale Jr (DiCaprio) already locked up in a French prison being visited by agent Hanratty (Hanks), so we know the end before we know the beginning. The story follows Abagnale Jr (DiCaprio) as he runs away from home at the age of sixteen after his parents divorce because of his mother (Nathalie Baye) cheating on his father (Walken)
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with a member of his rotary club. When he runs out of cash, he begins writing people bad cheques to pay his way. As he becomes increasingly successful with his seam, the FBI begins to take notice and appoints surly agent Carl Hanratty to track him down. This film could easily have been just a string of entertaining sequences of Abagnale Jr impersonating various people. Don't get me WI"ong; these moments are fun and occasionally quite tense: when having dinner with the district attorney, Abagnale Jr makes the mistake of saying he graduated from law school at Berkeley. It turns out the district attorney did too, and he quizzes him about a professor before asking about his dog. Taking the thirty-year age difference into account, Abagnale Jr simply states, "The dog's dead" . This is what drives these scenes: Abagnale Jr's desire to dupe people getting him into awkward situations, and then seeing him weasel his way out of them with the same kind of wit which got him into them in the
first place is great to watch. What strengthens the film inuneasurably are Abagnale Jr's relationships with his father and agent Hanratty. The meetings between Walken and DiCaprio are understated and touching. They bring Abagnale Jr down to earth for the same reason that they do us , by putting him back in another world, far from the glamour of his adventures. Frank's father has increasing financial difficulties, yet is unable to accept the gifts his son wants to give him because he is under investigation for financial irregularities. These quiet meetings cover a large range of emotions, from Walken's frustration about his money problems and missing his wife to DiCaprio's increasing feeling of isolation and loneliness. Hanks seems initially unsure of whether to play agent Hanratty as a faceless pursuer or a cop with a heart. Early in the film he is yoked together with a group of stereotypically inept assistants, who hunt around long-empty rooms with their guns unnecessarily drawn, an instance of which is handled in a remarkably imaginative way, both visibly and musically. As the film goes on, Hanratty's character is filled in and saved from caricature, and a bond is made between the pursuer and the pursued. It becomes clear that, oddly enough, Hanratty is the closest thing Abagnale Jr has to a friend , and vice versa. Because of this, the scene where Hanratty finally captures Abagnale Jr is especially heart breaking. Catch Me if You Can is entertaining without being superficial, meaningful without being patronising, with great performances from DiCaprio, Hanks and of course the maestro Christopher Walken. Catch it if you can from the 31st of January.
Film 17
Punch Drunk Love Director: Starring:
Paul Thomas Anderson Adam Sandler, Emily Watson
Now if I were to tell you about a new Adam Sandler movie coming out what would you think? Probably " Oh shit not another Little Nicky" . Well, in the case of Punch Drunk Love you'd be very much mistaken. Sandler's new movie is directed by Paul
Thomas Anderson, the man who gave us Magnolia a few years ago . It's a movie nothing like what you'd expect from Sandler and everything you'd expect from Anderson. Barry Egan (Sandler) is a small time businessman whose compa-
ny makes novelty plungers. He's uncomfortable with life; he grew up being pushed around by his seven older sisters making him a shy and unhappy person. He's also a powder keg of rage, and has a tendency to react like a child and lash out when he's frustrated with the world that he finds himself unable to cope with. Barry's life, however, is about to change forever as he has a run in with a seedy sex line, finds a toy piano, thinks of a scheme to get millions of air miles, fly 's to Hawaii, buys a lot of pudding, meets his one true love ... and never changes his clothes once! The movie is beautiful, esoteric and incredibly enjoyable. It's a very offbeat film with a rather bizarre beginning that wouldn't seem out of place in a David Lynch movie . You're drawn into Barry's world, which is a very beautiful place, but sadness never seems too far away. Sandler tuins in a brilliant performance, Barry seems to touch upon the usual goofyness of the characters, but in a sympathetic way. You do really start to feel for Barry as his relationship with Lena (Emily Watson) develops. In a way Watson and Sandler's characters have a very old fashioned love, it's sentimental but in a good way and is reflected in the music of the film, as it changes from their first encounter, which is full of strange noises to a lush 40s/ 50s film musical style score as they get it together in a romantic climax. Watson is good in her supporting role , being everything you'd expect from a love interest, Phi! Seymour Hoffman gives a fabulous performance as the mattress shop owner/ phone sex line manger and Luiz Guzman is amusing as ever as Barry' s eo-worker. As I said earlier the camera work is fantastic, it is all beautifully shot and framed especially the beginning when Barry is at work and near the end of the movie in Hawaii, though this is what you would expect from the man who directed Magnolia. However, the strange colour fades that Anderson does between certain scenes seems a little unnecessary and are rather trite . But over all this is a very enjoyable movie that will be appreciated for its heartfelt and peculiar love story, all round good acting and lovely camera work. It's full of large romantic gestures and insecurities, which will make you wish the real world were just as magical.
...
Paul Wade
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TV#o Week's Notice Director: Marc Lawrence Starring: Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock Later this year we get to see Love, Actually, the fourth film to emerge from the wildly successful partnership between Hugh Grant and writer (and this timE! director) Richard Curtis. But before then, Grant 's presence in Two Weeks Notice provides a good excuse to examine another successful - at least financially - actor/writer team, Sandra Bullock and Marc Lawrence. This is the third film written by Lawrence in which Bullock has starred. First came Forces of Nature , an uneven road trip comedy, and then Miss Congeniality, involving larks at a beauty pageant. On both occasions the relationship between star and scribe failed to suggest any lasting association. On its most basic level, Lawrence consistently supplied cliched situations and hack-like dialogue, which Bullock then proceeded to elevate to the level of entertainment with her professional comic timing and undeniable star-appeal. And yet Bullock, in her role as producer, continues to employ the man. Worse , she has now, mirroring the Grant!Curtis situation, promoted him to director. Needless to say, greater creative control has done little to increase Lawrence 's capacity for fashioning quality laughs. Here, Bullock plays Lucy, a Harvard-educated, communityminded lawyer raised to fight for the underdog by her leftwing liberal parents. Following all the rules taught in Elementary Romantic Comedy Writing 101 , she has devoted her life so totally to opposing corporate expansion that she has no time for love, her unhappiness expressed solely through a tendency to order Chinese food in vast quantities . Then, into her ordered yet desperately lonely existence steps George Wade (Grant) , billionaire figurehead of Wade Industries. George has a proposition for Lucy: in return for her becoming his legal advisor, he will avoid knocking down a cherished
community centre to build an office complex. Feeling she can do more good fighting from the inside , Lucy accepts. Hilariously (or at least that's what it says here) the pair could not be more ill-suited (surely not opposites? But don't they attract?). Whereas Lucy is driven and controlling, George is a womanizing playboy, busy with having as much fun as is possible while his brother runs the business. After a year of complying with George's every whim (missing friends ' weddings to help him pick suits, that kind of thing), Lucy hands in her notice. Suddenly, George realizes he can no longer live without her , and has just two week s to win her back. Grant is not Two Weeks Notice 's only link to British comedy. There is hardly a scene in the film that does not wish it were written by Richard Curtis. George's brother is played by David Haig, Bernard from Four Weddings and the movie 's climax, with Bullock running to music , is Bridge! Jones without the snow. The one
exception is a sequence where , for reasons to complex and contrived to explain, Bullock desperately needs to empty her bowels. The flatulent noises and shocked expressions that follow are more American Pie than Notling Hill, and are so painfully embarrassing and out of place that it hurts too recount . Ultimately, the combined skills of Bullock and Grant once again save Lawrence from a really negative review. They've both been making this kind of film so long that carefully placed prat-falls and charming, apologetic grins are second nature . In fact, they are so good together that it 's a pity it was Two Weeks Notice that united them. Long after the tired hijinx of this movie have faded from memory, one question lingers: why couldn't Bullock have been cast instead of Andi McDowell in Four Weddings?
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]b:n Whalley
DIVA
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18 DVD/Video
Dog Soldiers 241br
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Director: Michael Winterbottom Starring: Steve Coogan
Director: Starring:
Neil Marshall Sean Pertwee
Dog Soldiers starts with a happy couple on a
camping trip in the Scottish highlands, far removed from civilization. As evening falls , the couple cuddles up in their little tent. Suddenly, the tent zipper starts to open by the pull of an unseen hand. There's a low growl and the couple are savagely killed. While Dog Soldiers has brillian t mome n ts of intensity a n d suspen se, it h as more moments where the absurdity of the e v ents makes you s tep back from the terror on s creen. Its b iggest problem is its potential to lose its audience's belief and become simply laughable. Dog Soldiers is English screenwriter Neil Marshall 's directorial deb ut. The screenplay, also by Marshal!, is based on the suggestion of a wolf-creature prowling the Sco ttish highlands. The action follows an Army squad on a training exercise in the same area , a mission that descends into horror when they find out the rumours are true. The soldiers fight their way through the forest and take refuge in a farm house as they try to avoid being picked off by the creatures . Really , Dog Soldiers has a lot of potential, and at times displays skilled filmmaking. The visuals of the Highland forests and the farmhouse are stunning. The landscape, as in Out of Africa, really steals the opening shots. For a time, Marshal! also successfully employs the Signs technique of relying on suggestion to frighten his audience. He uses sinister noises , figures in shadow, and splattered blood. The first half of the film is not overly graphic, which works very well. You get scared, and you wonder "what's out there?" and "what's going to happen?" In answering those questions for the audience, Marshal! has his biggest dilemma. It turns out th at the creatures aren't engineered hy b rids or accidents of nature, they're werewolves . And in the tense struggle for survival, Marshall 's only solutions are to either kill a character or turn him into a werewolf. Sometimes both. The end becomes a 40 minute bloodbath riddled with cliched lines like "now you know what lives in the sh adows."
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The acting was good for what the script called
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for : generally screaming, shooting, swearing, or some combination of the above. It seemed that most of the cast, particularly Sgt Wells (Sean Pertwee) and Megan (newcomer Emma Cleasby) , have much more talent than the film allowed them to show. It was hard to judge the werewolves' acting under their shaggy fur, but they were certainly frightening, standing taller than men with teeth to rival your average shark. The DVD comes with a number of special features, including the standard cast an d crew commentary and trailers , but also a very promising gag reel and short film on combat. Dog Soldiers will definitely appeal to horror film buffs-there 's no doubt that it's scary and gruesome. Unless you can allow yourself to believe in the plot and buy into the fear , though, Dog Soldiers crosses the fine line between terror and absurdity.
]ocelyn Heath
The opening sequence of the film features Tony Wilson (Coogan) handgliding and proclaiming "this is better than sex!" b efore crashing into a barbedwire fence . This gives a decent idea of what to expect from the film. Wilson was the founder of the Hacienda club in Manchester and founded Factory Records , famed for New Order and The Happy Mondays. This is an incredibly interesting area of social history and a film about it sh ould have been good, but while 24 hour Party People is certainly entertaining, it assumes a pre-existing knowledge of the era which many viewers may not have, and this means that some may find the film irritating. However, 24 Hour Party People is good enough to keep you interested. It's really the epitome of the independent film - take a unconventional storytelling approach to a neglected subject, get some good actors and improvise a little . The result in this case is wholly satisfying. Sure, the titles are impossible to read and some parts of the story get passed over so fast you get confused , but this film more than makes up for those drawbacks in good acting, spirited direction and, naturally, music. The film is made in the spirit of the culture it is documenting - artistically ambitious, loose and willing to take chances to be different. To this end it makes use of a great script device - every so often music impresario/'IV host Wilson will pause in the middle of a scene and explain to the camera what's going on, who 's involved, and why
it's important , at one point stating "I'm a minor character in my life story." In another film this might seem precious and contrived b ut here it w orks beautifully, as Wilson takes us through the chaos and inspiration, the drugs and sex, the hilarity and the senseless deaths. Coogan is on fine form here. His Wilson is somewhat reminiscent of his earlier TV work which brought him to fame. Worried that Joy Division is a bad name for a band, given its Nazi associations? Tony will wave you away with a cry of "haven't you ever heard of semiotics? Does post-modernism mean nothing to you?" . Meanwhile, Tony keeps up the day job as a reporter for Granada TV wh ere h e brings us the duck tha t h e rds sheep , the town crier who b elts out the n ews of the suicide of !an Curtis, Joy Division' s lead singer, with a look of blank incomp rehension, and of course the old git who used to work on Manchester ship canal in the days of Queen Victoria but can't remember anything about it. The mixture of humour and tragedy, plus some fine imitations of the bands, makes for an entertaining movie that is one of the best of the British movies to come out in recent tim es. After Coogan's last effort, the dreadful The Parole Officer, 24 Hour Party People is a huge relief. It 's very funny , though will best be enjoyed by people familiar with the movie's subject matter.
Ryan Steph ens
The Classic DVD
Back to the Future Trilogy Director: Robert Zemeckis Starring: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd Finally Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) and Doe Emit Brown (C hristopher Lloyd) make it to DVD and not just in one installment of this beloved trilogy but all three , a gorgeous box-set which you 'll want to show all of your mates for an SO's nostalgia fix. We all know the story but for the uneducated: Marty goes back in time to the 1950s after his eccentric mate Doe Brown has a run in with some Libyan terrorists, then accidentally changes the future and has to put in right. That 's it in a nutshell but it is one hell of a fantastic movie. Hughie Lewis even cameos in it. The second and weaker m ovie has Marty going into the future where it all goes wrong again and it's back to the 50s to sort it out. It 's a clever movie but it doesn't come together as well as the original. Cameo this time round is courtesy of Flea from the Chilli Peppers. In the final movie Marty heads back to the Wild West in search of Doe Brown to save him from an early grave. With the third movie Zemeckis manages to capture some of the fun of the
first movie and produce an enjoyable romp. The three discs have plenty of extras to entertain, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, outtakes, deleted scenes, storyboards, and production archives , test footage, music videos and more. There's no real audio commentary but rather a somewhat odd question and answer session, with the director and eo-writer/ producer Bob Gale recorded while he was at film school. It's interesting and is full of background details but inexplicably stops towards the end of the movie. Unfortunate ly th e featurettes cover much the same material, b ut are amusing in places and are still worth watching. The m ovies alone are worth the cost (it's Back To The Future!) but the discs packed with extras make it a must-buy.
Paul Wad e
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Arts 19
Book Revie"': I'm Not Scared
A field of poppies or a metaphor for life?
A rt RevieV#:
Victor Burgin
Norwich Art Gallery, 16 January - 22 February Victor Burgin's first exhibition in a UK Art Gallery since 1986, (also the year he was nominated for the Turner prize), 'Listening to Britain', combines the conceptual art, for which he is famous, with the contemporary poetic era. The exhibition comprises a short film, combined with an area documenting some of Burgin's projects back in the 1960s and 70s. Burgin's fascination with still and moving images interwoven with text, 'scriptavisual discourses', makes for interesting viewing. The symbolic make-up of the film adds depth to the contrast of images he has chosen to show. A sense of an unknown enemy is achieved through the juxtaposition of shots, constantly returning to a woman portraying a sense of fear to the audience. After living and working in the US for thirteen years, Burgin claims his recent return to Britain provided him with the inspiration his new piece conveys. The new world that Britain is facing, a constant, yet un-known threat that is portrayed through the work. Burgin describes his stimulation as coming from Listen to Britain, a twenty-
minute film produced by Humphrey Jennings in 1942, when Britain seemed to face imminent invasion. Burgin draws comparisons with that situation, and the times we face today. Certainly his work suggests a constant enemy, yet one which cannot be directly seen. A Canterbury Tale was another inspiration that helped Burgin develop ideas for this exhibition. The similar pastoral and natural scenes from Jennings' Listen to Britain, and the constant cut back to the framed shot of the apprehensive woman in A Canterbury Tale, clearly highlight where his muse was drawn from . Burgin's timely appointment to position of Millard Professor of Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London, will enable him to have continued renowned influence on the theory of still and moving images. If you are looking for the more 'traditional art', then you probably need to look elsewhere . Go with an open mind however, and you will at the least be intrigued. Fans of conceptual art will not be disappointed.
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The story of this coming of age novel centres on nine year old Michele Amitrano and the ghoulish discovery he makes in a run down and uninhabited old house. The world of the novel is one of stifling summer days, absent parents and childish nightmares, and Ammaniti cleverly involves the reader in the confusion and chaos that are sparked off by one pivotal event. One of
Books Re-reviewed: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Toby Gethin
Comedy Revievr. Dylan Moran Norwich Playhouse 25 January Clad almost completely in faded denim, complirnented by scuffed shoes and hair that hasn't seen a brush for some time, Dylan Moran announced his presence to the packed out Playhouse auditorium. What followed was two hours of Irish commentary on subjects ranging from his hatred of other people (he began by revealing how frightened he was just to be on stage talking to us) to his admiration of George Bush. Obscured for the majority of the show by a haze of cigarette smoke and copious glasses of white wine, Dylan Moran the stand up performer is not all that different from Bemard Black - his character in Black Books. He declared that he would die if he gave up smoking and that the only exercise his body got was an occasional clearing of the throat. The show was fairly disorganized with Dylan frequently and purposefully forgetting the point he was making and then going back to it at a later moment in a style similar to Eddie Izzard. The audience was encouraged to go on a journey with Dylan, and he stopped at various intervals to check if we were all still following the
same path and if anybody had any questions. It was at these moments that Dylan was at his best, where occasionally his prepared script fell flat. His spontaneous reaction to unexpected events or questions was usually unpredictable and hilarious. The primary theme of the night was that Britain should go to war because Saddam has a moustache; "they are so yesterday" and that "we should kill them all", a phrase subliminally repeated throughout the show. Also touched on was his dislike and inability to understand the modem world from pornography to mobile phones and the Internet. Having neither e-mail nor mobile phone he manages to live a very peaceful life with only the minor stresses of deciding which bar to go to next. Although most of the evening was unfocused 楼td lacking in direction, with Dylan frequently checking his watch because he has no conception of time, his act (although I doubt it is an act) was side splittingly hilarious. People actually were shaking with laughter, which is always a good sign.
Kathryn Hinchliff
the most enjoyable aspects of the book is how the childish observations that remind the reader the narration is from the point of view of a nine year old are mixed with the more mature and astute character descriptions which help paint the background for the action. It is deceptive. The initial judgement, that it is simply the story of a child's summer of discovery, is soon put aside by th reader as the events in the book spiral out of control and the novel takes on a much darker tone. The imaginary phantoms that plague the boy's dreams are replaced by the more real personifications of evil; Melichetti - the wrinkled, hairless, ruthless farmer who reputedly fed a daschund to his killer pigs - and the old man who comes to stay whose son was bewitched by his wife and pushed off a cliff to his death. Michele's priorities quickly change from having fun and fitting in to fighting a solo war to preserve the last scraps of innocence in a village, where the despair of the people has turned them into monsters willing to kill for a chance at a better life for them and their children. The symbols of good in the novel - Michele's beautifullonghaired Mama and his sweetly proprietorial little sister - grow weaker and the narrative becomes more jumbled and less linear. The boy who made a promise to a friend and was made to swear on his father's head that he wouldn't fulfil it becomes the sole point of sympathy and humanity in a novel that is compelling but disturbing. It has been sensitively and skilfully translated from the original Italian by the excellent ]onathan Hunt.
Katharine Clemow
Wilde asserts in the preface that "All art is quite useless," and the novel uses Dorian to show up the dangers of taking art too seriously. Dorian believes it can save his shame but in the end it destroys him. The plot revolves around a portrait of Dorian painted by Basil Hallward. When Lord Henry tells him that his exceptional looks will not last, the young man prays that he be allowed to remain as he is in Basil's portrait of him. His mad wish for eternal youth is granted. The morning after he cold-bloodedly turns his back on Sibyl Vane, he checks to see whether Basil's portrait has really altered. It has - and he immediately understands what this signifies for him: Eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins - he was to have all these things. The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame; that was all. Dorian worships Sibyl for her acting genius, while Basil worships Dorian's artistic beauty. Dorian explains his infatuation to Lord Henry; "She has not merely art, consummate art-instinct, in her, but she has personality also; and you have often told me that it is personalities, not principles, that move the age". Similarly, Dorian fascinates Basil because he represents "a new personality for art" . Dorian's desire to see Sibyl on a pedestal of gold and see the world worship her is clearly related to Basil's "curious artistic idolatry" of Dorian. Both relationships are doomed to fail though as dually love and friendship take second place to art in Dorians world. Dorian Gray ends the novel a lonely figure with only his portrait as company. By the time he realises all art is quite useless, it is too late and the full horror of his existence is revealed to him. Thus Oscar Wilde's belief that art imitates life rather than informing it holds true.
The Picture of Dorian Gray begins in an Artist's Studio. Here Dorian is first seduced by Lord Henry Wotton's decadent philosophy and here the picture that leads Dorian to ruin is created.
Richard Dunn
Have you got a favourite book you would like to review for the event? If so contact us at su.concrete@uea.ac.uk 29.01.03
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20 TV
Essential TV:
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Grumble as we might about the television licence and those p e sky in spectors who refuse to b e lieve tha t your TV isn ' t hastily stashed in your wardrobe (the Norfolk terrac e w ardrobes were surely m ade for that purpose alone) we do like the BBC . There's N eighbo urs for a start. And Eastenders . And Casualty , and there - your evening entertainment is sorted. But cast your minds back to a time when a lazy day was spent whiling away in front of the beeb ...not easy, huh? Well, it definitely hasn' t happened to me in a long time, not since the days of Pigeon Street I reckon. That's because , and despite the efforts of the tanned twins Kilroy and David Dickinson, the BBC daytime line-up literally pales in comparison to ITV 's Lorraine , Trisha, Fern and Philip. While the BBC are churning out makeover shows, like Lowri Turner lecturing us on the art of makeup application without realising that her vermilion lipstick is quite disturbing , ITV steadily takes us through the morning. This usually consists of some cooking tips from Phi! Vickery, counselling from the strangely attractive Raj Persuad and Denise's hooded stare . I would far rather listen dreamily to Schofield's cheeky banter than watch Linford Christie showing how to nurture the perfect Petunia. (see Garden Invaders) or marvel at the magnitude of Trisha 's troubled life, and her lips, than watch Kilroy 's crazy silver quiff wobble in time to his brurnmie outbursts . However, there is that limbo time , between Neighbours and the first helping of kids TV, that is usually filled up with Wish You Were Here , Doctors or Wipeout . The repeats of detective dramas such as Columbo, Lovejoy or Murder She
Playful Afternoons
Wrote are satisfying to a point, but th e re comes a time when you feel drawn into a 70's timewarp and start to find !an McShane really rather sexy. So thank the lord for the BBC who this week unveil a series of modern dramas featuring the top trumps of TV actors. Named The Afternoon Play, after a long running Radio 4 series , this week long special promises some quality drama for housewives and students alike. First up on Monday is comedy drama Turkish Delight, starring ex-Coronation Street landlady Denise Welch as Carol, a s a fed up middle aged mother determined to fulfil her dreams of being a belly dancer (I hope this doesn't give my mum any ideas .. . ) Whilst my r e servations lie in her uncanny resemblance for a man in drag, her acting is alw ays spot on a nd this looks s e t to b e a great start to the week. June Whitfield also shows us just how flexible an actress she really is in Comi ng Up for Air on Tuesday . Grieving for his wife and distanced from his children, a man takes time off work to travel to Spain. Once there , h e begins to forget his past and develops a new identity. Back from the throes of death and after escaping from a lifetime of sharing a bed with the mighty walrus Mitchell, Lucy Benjarnin (Lisa from Eastenders) will appear in The Real Arnie Griffin on Wednesday, as the estranged wife of a very useless private eye. Then good old Lisa Riley appears on Thursday as a petty crook who steals loads of leather jackets, unaware that they contain drugs . In the last of the dramas on Friday, Jeremy Edwards (cele brity boyfriend of Rachel S Club .. . oh and an actor in Holby City) appears in Girls Weekend , as four girls head off for a hen night full of surprises. Exactly where he fe a tures in th at e qua tion is unclear but let's hope for lots of gratuitous torso shots. That Rachel is a lucky girL Although according to folklore , she has webbed feet. Other actors include Lucy Davies from The Office and Daniella Denby-Ashe fr om My Family and Jeremy Sheffield (Casualty) . Sounds good to me , and since it is week thre e , I think we are all quite entitled to watch the entire quintet. It ' s either that or Shortland Street. The choice is yours .
Essential Soaps
Jererny Edwards auditions for a role in a Pasolini film.
Films On TV
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01
Geronimo An Apache warrior who defies U.S. attempts to bring the Indians under control grapples with an array of US soldiers sent to subdue his revolt. Arnold Laven directs. Channel 4 , Thur sday February 6, 1:20pm
02 A MaHer of Life and Death One of those great films that never seem old. David Niven plays a WW2 pilot who should have died, didn 't, and then has to fight a c ourt case in heaven to be allowed to stay on earth. C h annel 4 , Friday February 7, 1:20pm
03 Another Women's Husband The kind of film that only Channel Five will show. Carrell Baker and Donna Hanover play best friends who end up_sleeping with each others partners. Swimming instruction is also involved. C h ann e l 5, Wednesday F ebruary 29
" Look Kat , I gotta go. It's Panto season." Soaps are like fast food , they're easy to digest, tasty, and always have a slice of gherkin. They also steal each others storylines: psycho killers on the loose being the latest of the old favourites . Coronation Street 's evil Richard is doing us a favour by culling off the cast, but will have to face reading at his latest victim's funeral, while heroic Audrey works to reveal Dick's dastardly deeds. Georgia Taylor, who plays Toyah, is leaving the cast, so she'll presumably either move away in tears over her rampant lecturer boyfriend or end up on the wrong end of Richard's Stanley knife . Hollyoaks rivals for our bloodlust, the teen eye candy factory tempting us with the fact that Tony could come to a stickier end than one of his Swiss rolls . Mandy's recent sex-ploits have taken their toll, as she stops eating and begins to resemble Skeletor. My money is on Toby as the killer, by the way, seeing as he never does anything worth lifting an eyebrow over, and O .B. as the unwitting hero for the same reason. In the East End things hot up. Will ' Bazzer's special winter
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warmer' be eno ugh to lure Nat back from Rickie still pining over his failed pop career? Anthony's proposal to Kat gets the thumbs down, and Alfie does a runner when his past catches up with him, but don' t think we have seen the last of Shane Ritchie. The money from the Vie's till won't last forever, and they won ' t have him back on "Win , Lose or Draw" . Boydy Boydy! The perfect antidote to the dull Harold I Rosie I Lou love triangle. We can expe ct to see the cheeky chappie bragging to his mates about his recent conquest , only to come crawling back when Heather finds out. Karl asks Susan to marry him, for a second toe curling time , and unfortunately all Stuart gets after hurtling over a cliff is a broken arm. Expect a tedious heart to heart culminating in Flick bogging off to the music biz. Emmerdale? Who cares? Does anyone who isn't over the age of sixty actually watch Emmerdale? Do yourselves a favour and buy a Playstation instead. Matt Colver
04 The Secret of my Success Michael J. Fox strides through this film like an extremely small, silver-tongued God. As Brantley Foster he cons his way into 80s big business, power-suits and all. Channel S, Thursday January 3 0 , 8 :00pm
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Blue Heat The tag-line says it all: "He 's on the right side of Justice, but the wrong side of Ute law". Starring Brian Dennehy, so don't expect anything particularly deep . Chjlnnel S, Saturday February 1, 9:00pm
TV/Radio 21
Miss This:
TV & Radio Highlights
Weakes·t Link · Sport Star·s Special
BBC 1, Wednesday 29 January, Spm Which producer can't seem to think of any new ideas? Ah yes - that will be the poor bugger in charge of thinking up interesting themes for the Weakest Link. Admittedly they have been doing pretty well so far. Well the Americans have anyway, playboy bunny girl Weakest Link anyone? Whilst that inspirational piece of television is well worth a watch (can you repeat the question Anne?) us Brits don't really seem to be managing to keep up with the ideas. This is, quite literally, the best that they can come up with. It's a sad day. Now don't get me wrong here as a general rule I quite like sports star quizzes. Many a happy time has been spent merrily watching A Question of Sport or
Text: Britt Juste, Serena Murray
The Salon C4, Weekdays, 6pm With manager Paul sporting a highlighted mullet that would make Don Johnson weep, the saga that is The Salon rolls on. Will anyone ever be permitted to jump off of the reality TV steamroller? Can you sustain yourself while you watch a bunch muppets make fools of themselves for the umpteenth time? Having said that, the essence that is Ricardo is enough to keep anyone amused for weeks. In fact, he should have his own show. Whatever happens, there's the promise of more tears, more tantrums and more criminal 'dos than you can shake a stick at. "Mercy" I hear you say. Not likely. .
dy is going to be unbearable. But - "hey," I hear you say, "the money is going to go to charity, surely we should watch for that very reason." It's going to go to charity whether you watch or not, do something more productive with that half hour; missing ,this will do you no harm. Emma Ap- Thomas
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They Think It's All Over.
But one has to draw a line somewhere and this is it for me. I smiled at the soap actors' Weakest Link, guffawed along with the rest of the nation at the comedians Weakest Link. I even managed to make it through the children's TV presenters Weakest Link with an iota of enthusiasm. But now I have had enough. I'm fed up of themed Weakest Links and so I'm making a stand. For those sports fanatics out there I realise that this will probably be quite fun. I have nothing against sports stars; it's just unfortunate that the Weakest Link is getting lacklustre when they happen to be volunteering their time. The friendly neighbourhood "celebrity" sports stars are making an outing, Audley Harrison, Matthew Pinsent, Tracy Edwards, and ,Q.,,v~--.L
Holiday Swaps BBC 11 Sunday February 2 1 7 .30pm It's apparently very in at the moment to swap everything: wives, careers, houses and now the latest variation: holidays. Two groups of complete strangers swap the holiday of their choice in what could potentially be the best time of their life, orand this is what the viewers will hope for - the holiday from hell. Sunday sees the Disney-loving family the Savages packed off to a working ranch in America while the equestrian obsessed Gibson family experince the great outdoors at Walt Disney Land, complete with the tantalising terror that is Big Thunder Mountain.
The Simpsons BBC2 1 Weekdays,6pm Who can forget Principal Skinner's completely unfathomable infatuation with razor retardant Patty, or the even more shocking revelation of the tryst between the Comic Store Guy and the decrepit Mrs Agnus Skinner? Sick, sick, sick. Even if you feign being fed up of the same old episodes week in week out, you still don't seem to be able to extract your eyeballs from the TV screen do you? More classic episodes of The Simpsons certainly succeeds in making life a little less painful for those of us without cable. Don't you just love Public Service Broadcasting?
horror) campbell. Note theDarren absence of David ,_..._,_.,..~~~=s:=; Beckham. Surely Anne is going to find this one too easy, "Who's three goals short of a hat-trick?" "Whose lycra one-piece is cutting off the ..,..,u,•.,,,,.,c,uq to their brain?" the come- '"------...;..;ii2::=.:::.;.;.;""-.:...;,;~:ao:;
2002 TV Moments BBC1 1 early February, (tbc) It is time again to sit back in your favourite arm-
chair, crack open the chocolate and nostalgically remember all those defining moments that made us laugh and cry in the past year. The BBC awardsshow, now in its second year, toasts this year's top telly moments paying tribute to the stars and characters that made 2002 on the box. Awards include Best Soap Moment (Mo doing the ironing perhaps?), Best Reality TV Moment (That's the Way Aha, Aha, Alex likes it?) and Best Sporting Moment (will no doubt involve eleven men and a ball) This programme can't be missed.
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THE RESTAURANT WITH THE TASTE OF THE DEEP SOUTH CREOLE, CAJUN, MEXICAN &MORE
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Rap Show and Essential Mix Radio 1, Saturday February 11 9pm For those of us who can't afford to travel the world, having to make do with The Golden Triangle and the offerings of Norwich night-life, there is always the radio. On Saturday, Radio One heavyweights, Tong and Westwood, take on the Big Apple for the first ever weekend live from the buzzing city. Focusing on hiphop and dance music the DJs will, amongst others, be joined by Funkmaster Fiex, Dougie Fresh and Cipha Sound for a seriously sassy and swinging weekend. It all kicks off at 9pm when Westwood broadcasts The Rap Show live from the world famous Sylvia's Soul Food Cafe celebrating over thirty years in the heart of Harlem What a tough job ...
anJ
I et
n Mon - Sat 11.30am - till late Sund ys 12 Noon till Jat
at
www.mambo-jambo.co
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22 listings
18: 15 19:00 21:00 21:45 Sat-Sun !I :00 12: 45 13:30 15:30 16:00 18:15 19:00 2 1:00 2 1:45 23:30 Fri and Sat only: 23:30 All films start at 8.30 p m and ar e shown in Lecture Th eatre One unless o therwise stated . Ticke ts
Chicago Mon -Sun: 12:00 15:00 18:00 20:45 Fri and Sat only: 23:20
Star Trek X: N e mesis Mon-Thu: 12: 45 15:15 18:15 21 :00 Fri-Sat: 12:45 15: 15 18: 15 23 :40 Sun: 12:45 15: 15 18: 15 Sweet Home Alabama Mon- Thu: 16:45 Fri: 14:15 16:45 Sat -Sun: 11 :40 14:15 16:45
£2.75 Road To Perdition Thu 30/ 0 1 Signs Fri 3 1/ 01 The Importance Of Be ing Ernest Tue 03/ 02 Sweet Sixteen Thu 06/ 02 Swirnfan Fri 07/ 02 The Bourn e Identity Tue 11102
C i ty Of God Mon-Sun: 2 1:15 Clockstoppers Sat-Sun: !I :00 Die Another Day Mon-Sun: 12: 45 15:30 18:30 2 1:30 Gangs Of New York Fri and Sat only: 23:15 Mon-Sun : 12:30 13: 15 16:00 16:45 19 :45 20:30 23 :15 Harry Potter And The Chambe .. Mon, W ed-Sun: 13:00 16:45 20:15 Tue: 13:00 only Like Mike Sat and Sun only: !I :50
The Master O f Disguise Mon -Sun: 13: 45 16:15 18:1 5 Sat 13: 45 16: 15 18:15 The Quiet Alnerican Fri- Sun 19:00 Mon - Thu: 14: 151 9:00 The Santa Cla use 2 Sat - Sun: 11: 15 The Transporter Fri - Sat 14:30 16: 45 19: 15 2 1:30 23:50 Thu- Sun 14:30 16:45 19:15 21:30
8 Mile Mon - Fri: 12:45 13:30 15:30 16:00
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The Thrills
The Tux edo Mon- Sun: 13:45 16:15 18:45 21:15 City of God 29 / 01-30/ 01
Lord Of The Rings: The Two .. Mon-Sun: 12: 15 15:15 16:00 19:15 20:00 20:30 23:00 Sat only : 23:00 Pink Floyd:The Wall Tue 16:00 19:00 21:30
The Datsuns
A stunningly realised exploration of organised crime in Rio de Janeiro's sprawling shantytowns
Who They ? The hugely successful NME aw ards tour rolls back into town featuring the Thrills, the Datsuns,. Interpol and the Polyphonic Spre e ! Go Along For ... A night of unbridled rock 'n roll passion from some of the hottest new bands around, and all at a Brucey Bonus price; at £12.50 for
the ticket it w ork s out to about £4 a band! Lush ... Look Out For.•. The 25 strong orche stral pop loveliness of the Polyphonic Spree on their nevere nding quest to spread Eup h oria to every corner of the land! Don't miss those lov ely, lovely Texans ... The NME C arling Tour plays at the UEA on Wednesday 5th of Fe b ruary
P erfume De Violetas 29/ 0 l -30/0 I Spider 30/ 0 l - 06/ 02 David Crone nburg 's latest, a d apte d fr omPa trick Mc Grath's novel dealing with childhood p sych osis and Oedipal envy ... macabre , and d e te r min edly intricate. T h e D anc er Upstairs 07 / 02 - 13/02
8 Mile Catc h Me If You Can
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£SOLD OUT(?)
The diverse Scotsmen go on to proove themselves as the Glaswegian Beach Boy s. £ 10 Peter And The Test Tu b e Babies Tue 11102 Contin uing the seas on of old school punk, Peter and The Test Tube Babies follow last years sh ow with The Damned and are s till p laying their own breed of 70's punk and Oi! £7 .50 NME Aw ards Tour W e d 05/ 02
Chicago D ie Anoth er D ay Gangs of New York Ghost Ship Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Hey Arnold ! T he Movie I Spy Lilo & Stitch Lord of the Ring s: Two T owers Star T rek : N e m esis The Tux e d o The W ild Thor nberriesCatch M e If You Can Teenage F a nc lub Mon 10/ 02
... ii#IW!JtJij§ii 29.01 .03
The Datsuns, Interpol, The Thrills ... The Polyphonic Spree!!! Promises to be EVEN better than last year's Andrew W .K. extravaganza! Simply, pukka. £1 2 .50 Erasure Sun 09/ 02 Fairly smug electro-cock-pop that I guess is ironically-kitsch but still ...kinda ... shit . ..
Feeder Tue 11 / 02 To uring with a new album, Feeder tow the sordid line between sitd own-and-pee rock and MOR . .. ugh £SOLD OUT (!?)
M artin G rech I Mew
W e d 05/ 02 Teenage prodigy who has received rav e reviews with rece n t debut album 'Open Heart Zoo' £7 The Raveonette s Mon 10/ 02 Denmark based rock group drawing from sugary sixties girl groups and the Velvet Underground £6 Ed Harcourt We d 12/02 Dark and handsome singer-songwriter who sometimes strays uncomfortably too near Ryan Adams to stand ap-a rt £10
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listings 23
Clubs Clubs Clubs Arts Wednesdays Superfly The Light Bar Funk and Hip-Hop £3 Jitterbug I Jam PoNaNa Funky drum 'n ' bass & house Free b4 10 pm, £2 after Classic Hits Ikon 10 pm unW 2 am £2 b4 11 pm
Thursdays Isotonic Kafe Da Progressive trance & house Free The LCR disco LCR
Sundays
Rebel Lion Bank
Thu 711 1 The great reggae night £4 Delirium The Concept House, garage and R&B
Sunday Service Manhattans £2 .50
Fridays Charts and Dance Liquid 9.30 unW 2.00 £2 students
Mondays Loaded LockStock lOpmunW2am £2.50 students I £3
Chart Hits & Classic Anthems Ikon 9.30 ill 2.00 £4 b4 11 pm
Girls and Boys Comercial Pop and Chart Time £2 b4 11.00 £3 after
Life
Time 9pm until 2am £1 students
Skill Waterfront Beats, funk 'n' hip-hop featuring Daddy G (Massive Attack)
Saturdays Now That's What I Call the 90s
Charty Handbaggy The Loft Gay night Ministry of Cheese Liquid 9.30 pm unW 2.00 am £2 students
UEA/LCR
19th October 9.30 pm - 1.30 am £4 adv Saturday Rewind Bar Metro Chart, dance, garage
AdamHills Sat 08/ 02 Australian comic with a hit show taking in gentle, observational and anecdotal humour with an Antipodean flava £12
Norwich Theatre Royal
Tuesday
Marvel/ Gas Station The Loft Hip hop & funk £3 b4 11 pm, £4 after
£3 The Underground 2nd/ Last thursday of every month From lOpm £3
Hot2Trot Liquid 9.30 pm unW 2.00 am £2 students
£12 An Audience with Benedict Allen Sat 01102 The daring TV presenter and bestselling travel writer talks about his many adventures in Mexico, Sumatra and Siberia £12
Arts Playhouse Richard Herring Fri 31101 One of the stars of the occasionaly awesome Morning with Richard Not Judy show strikes out with his own (sigh) penis orientated standup
My Fair Lady Mon 27101-01/02 One of the most famous stage musicals of all time since its premiere in 1956. Its portrayal of all levels of London society make it a musical theatre masterpiece. £14.50 Richard Alston Dance Company Tue 04/ 02- 05/ 02 Dance which revels in the rich expressiveness of movement and music , and their combined power to move and elate. £14.50 Oh! What A Night Mon 10/ 02- 15/02 An escapist trip into the world of flamboyant 70#s disco dance routines, combining comedy, romance and stunning choreography.
Arts £22.50 Bollywood Brass Band Fri 31101 Europ's first Indian wedding brass band playing Bhangra rhytluns and brass arrangements with influences from jazz, world and dance music. £10 Book Club Wed 12/ 02 Lively literary discussion pondering PG Wodehouse's 'Uncle Fred In The Springtime' £1.50
Sainsbury Centre Sitting Pretty Exhibition 28/01 -22/04 An interesting look at chair design ranging from the glumly practical to the uselessly flamboyant The Anderson Collection of Art Nouveau 28/ 01-04/ 05 Come and celebrate the sumptuous style that swept Europe and America at the turn of the 19th Century
Want to include an event in listings? iust e-mail us at: su.concrete.uas.ac.uk
11 St. Benedict's Street 01603 613318
Pizzas 2 for ·1 Mon, Tue, Wed 5-8 with NUS
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Live Jazz Mon &Thur Opening times Tue-Sat 12-2pm Mon-Sat 5-11
Martin Grech, F-f-feeling that te enage angst
29.01.03
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Final lnfo: I SSOAIP
Schedule:
Monday
Thursday
8-10 : Fresh Oj 10-12: Armed & Dangerous 12-2: Mag1cal Mystery Tour 2-4: Vamslung Point 4-6: Far From Home & Far From Talented 6-8: B.E.A.T.S. 8-10: Daydream Nat1on 10-12: Drop tha Bomb! I H1p Hop Trax
8-10: Trans-Atlantic Express 10-12: Tash 12-2: The Undec1ded 2-4: The Vanessa B Show 4-6: Mark Boutros 6-8 : The Reverends' Revival 8-10 : Rebel Lion Roots 10-12: The Funk Connection
Tue sday
Friday
8-10: Sound Advice 10-12: That Show 12-2: "Look , a Squirrel!" 2-3: After Lunch with Miss Nicki 3-4: Culture Shock I S.E.E.D. 4-5 : Matt Brown 5-6: Kill an Hour 6-8: Dancing Round the Borders of the Curfew 8-9: Contemporary Music Society 9- 10: Evening Please 10-12: We the Funky Foo
8-1 0: Where the Wild Tlungs Are 10-12 : Illegally Blonde 12-2: Essential Selection 2-4: Simonson & Nickelback 4-6: You Don't Know You're Born 6-8: SKJLL and Superfly 8- 10: Progressive Minds 10-12: Rebel Soldier
Wednesday 8-10: Eastern Exposure 10-1 2: The Grapevine 12-2: The Tom & joe Show 2-4: Frontier Psycluatry 4-6: Mad Man Dan & His Musical Monkeys 6-8: The Me ntal Institute 8-9: The Untitled Show 9-10: Sports Report 10-12 : T with the Vicar
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Saturday 9-11 : The Hook 11-1: Alternative Session 1-3 : No More Barbie P*rn 3-5 : The Groove Bus 5-7: Sports Fre nzy 7-9 : Unde rground Session 9- 12: TSN I Digital Nightmares
Sunday 9-11: Tlunk! 11-1: Soundtrack to the Revolution 1-3: Sunday Review 3-5: The Incid e nt Room 5-7 : SBN Chart Show 7-9: Livewire Chart Show
Useful Numbers: Canary Cue Club Cinema City Ikon Liquid Maddermarket Theatre The Light Bar Lock Stock Norwich Arts Centre Norwich Playhouse Po Na Na's Ster Century Theatre Royal The Loft The Waterfront Tourist Information Time UEA Studio UCI UEA Union Ents
01603 627478 01603 622047 01603 621541 0 1603 6 111 13 01603 620917 01603 622533 01603 629060 01603 660352 01603 598598 01603 619961 01603 221900 01603 630000 01603 623559 01603 632717 01603 666071 0870 6078463 01603 592272 0870 0102030 01603 508050