The event issue 165 22 09 2004

22 nd September 2004

Issue: 114

Here comes the cavalry!

Event Takes on

and asks ...

... what's all the fuss about, eh?

Plus: Arts Venues explored

Things to do and see

11 Classics & Clangers 11

Norwich's music scene

www.richersounds.co.uK 113-119 Ber Street, NR1 3EY

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concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Philip Sainty Leader of the Cavalry (Last Year's and Acting Event Editor) Nathan --The Wolf-- Hamilton concrete.event@uea.ac. uk Ryan Stephens (AWOL) concrete.eventeditorial@uea. a c. uk (The steadfast) Tim Barker Proofreading: Helen Pilch concrete.arts@uea.ac. uk Editor: Luke Roberts Critic: Dan Mckee Critic: Dean Bowman

e have two competitions for you this issue. The firs t is for all of you adrenaline junkie s who want to go and scare yourself r igid at Thorpe park and the second is a classic black and white film from 1911 , that's just been released on DVD. So get writing !

Free

Park Tickets Free 2 C p路es of

concrete.nlm.@uea.ac. uk Editor: Dean Bowman Assistant: Dan Chandler concrete.m.usic@uea.ac.uk Editor: (The Great) Sarah Edwardes Assistant: Ben Patashnik Assistant: Jarnes Banks Critic: Suzanne Rickenback concrete. tv/ digital@uea.ac.uk IS ... Kate Bryant

L'Inferno on

Now remembe r : ALL answers are to be se nt to concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk. Even if they aren 't really to these questions. We 're always keen to hear any answers in these d ark, confusing days ... we may n ot give you a p rize for them though.

DVD! Two free tickets to Thorpe Park are up for grabs, if you can answer this simple question : Who was the Third Man? Clue: It wasn't Shaggy.

When I was travelling to Mulberry fair I met a m an with seve n wives, and each wife had seven sacks and in each sack there were seven cats . Cats , sacks, wive s and m en -- how many were travelling to Mulb e rry Fair?

Two free copies of the 19 11 classic L'Inferno are available , if you can answer this simple riddle:

The Event is published fortnightly by Concrete: Post: PO Box 410, Norwich, NR4 7TB Tel: 01603 250558 Fox: 01 603 506822 E-moil: su.concrete@ueo.oc.uk Pri nted by: Archont

Editorial ell, who'd have thought it: here I am again! [various groans and/or cheers]. Thought I'd finished with all this last year. However, owing to an unfortunate set of undisclosable circumstances, it has been necessary for me to return. For those of you new to uni this year, welcome! Hope you enjoy this issue of The Event. Apologies if it's a bit rubbish, not really my fault -- it's been a very hectic weekend! It will improve with time and loving care and commitment, so feel free to email in if you want to be editor of The Event. It's a pretty good job really. No money though. In the meantime ... Colwnn inches to left of them, blank pages to the right of them, on charged The Event's editorial team ... We're a hardy bunch of newsprint-blackened veterans these days. Congratulations, to all members of Concrete, on what looks like (although it is unsure, owing to what may be an administrative mistake) a nomination, for The Event, for 'best magazine' in this year's Guardian Student Media Awards. Hope eveyone had a good summer, if not nevermind --"Hope and love, ti1 hope creates, in its wreck, the thing it contemplates". Thanks to Mr. P. B. Shelley for that one. God bless us everyone. Best wishes go to the many who deserve them, and even the few who don't. You know who you are.

Features

Sections

Film Features: Conversations across time and space .............. p. 4

Music ............................... p. 12 & 13 Albums ............ .................. ............... ..... l2

Before Sunset and Before Sunrise work off each other. See

Ed Harcourt, Strangers; The Music, Welcome to the North; 22-20s, 22-20s ...

these two films. Now.

and much more.

Jabha the Wott? .......................... p. 9

Singles ............................................... p. 13

Never heard of a Lightsaber, think Darth Vader is some American ivresUer or other? Outside looking in? This is for you ...

The Streets, Blinded by the Light; foss Stone, You Had Me; Razorlight, Vice... and much much more.

We take a look at the way in which Richard Linklater's

Film TV Feature: Classics and Cinema .......................................... p. 14 . Clangers ..................................... p. 5 Super Size Me, Collateral, Hellboy. They don 't make 'em like they used to. Or do they? We investigate. I remember when ....

Music Feature: MusicVenues Guide .......... pp. 6-7 Like a wise uncle, we guide you through all the best places to get your teeth right deep down into Norwich :S live music scene.

Arts Feature: Norwich's Arts calendar ..................................... p. 8 The Event's handy checklist for this term's cultural stuff.

DVD ............................................... p. 15 The Cuckoo, The Ealing Comedy Box Set.

Arts ........................................p. 16 Book Reviews: American Dream, Global Nightmare; Seventy-two Virgins. Theatre Review: The Lion in the Snow. Exhibition Review: Rearview Mirror.

TV & Digital .......................... p.

Rolf on Art, The X-Factor, Grumpy Old Men, Neighbours, www.Rathergood.com

Centre Spread ................ ..pp. 10 - 11 We pick a few things for you to offer up for conversation.

Creative Writing ...................... p. 18

We would all like to thank Joe Kennedy for donating the milk for our coffee. Good job.

Nathan Hamilton

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Conversations Across Time and Space

ich ard Linklater, rece ntly honoured by a retrospective at th e Cambridge International Film Festival, ha s to b e one of the most unpreict a ble dire c tors working in America. Not only is he responsible for the cult stoner classics Dazed and Confused and Sla cker, but also the innovative Tape and Waking Life , both of which push at the limits of cre ative digital filrnrnaking. His latest film Be fore Sunse t, which also recently pre m iered in Cambridge , marks a re turn to cre a tive p ote n cy a ft e r his recently misj udged School of Rock, an

thing deeper at work beneath the unashamedly romantic surface. The two films seem to complement one another perfectly, together transcending the romantic genre in which they originate and the ir offbeat style flies in the face of Hollywood's portrayal of love as sentimentalised and cathartic escapism. In Before Sunset ten years have passed since Jesse (Hawke) and Ce line (Delpy) met by chance and spent a day and night together in Vienna, before Jesse had to leave on a plane for America. Before Sunrise ended ambiguously with the two lovers prom ising to meet six months later in Vienna and in Before Sunset we finally find out that tha t didn't happen, a clever piece

Although unashame dly romantic the two films offer something ·more, complementing one another perfe ctly and toge ther transce nding the romantic genre atte mpt to demonstrate his proficiency in commercial genre film making. Be fore Sunset is brooding work of n os talg ia, a return to the films of his p a st. It is e s se ntially th e sequel to Before Sunrise, m ade ten years earlier with a very young Julie Delpy a nd Ethan Hawke . The earlier film h as remained a cult classic capturing the imagina tion, a n d libido, of every dissatisfi ed youth who dreams of falling in love with a beautiful stranger whilst travelling . It clearly tapped into some b asic desire in us all, but although this m ay par tly explain its continued appeal it would b e a shame to dismiss such a beautifully crafted film as merely a ge neric cliche, for there is some-

of romantic d isillusionment in itself. As it turns out Jesse has been so affected by their fleeting relationship that he has spen t six years writing a book about it, a fic tionalised account of the previous film. At the beginning of Befo re Sunset he is in Paris promoting his book when C eline unexpectedly turns up at h is book signing and the pair embark on a walk around Paris, tentatively exploring the possibility of a rel a tionship whilst attempting to negotiate the burden of their past. The awkwardness of the situation is palpable and the screen crackles w ith barely suppressed sexual e nergy. As with the fi rst film the chemistry between Hawke and De lpy is

unsurpassed a nd if we also add Linklater himself to that equation then we have quite a love triangle. Before Sunset came about by ch ance when Linklater worked again with his two actors and they decided it would b e fun to revisit the material of Before Sunrise. Before Sunset is therefore as much a cre ative reunion between the film's cast and crew than it is a fictional meeting betwee n two old flames . In both films Linklater worked closely with the two actors on the writing of the script, makin g sure that the co nve rsati ons that make up the films conte nt sounde d realistic, and th e result is two triumphant works of naturalism . t is the conversations that make the films so innovative and give it its in cre dible ch arg e of intimacy. It seems that only Linkla ter, with his .own peculiar b rand of In dy cine ma, would dare to make a film consisting only of people talking, indee d he did it a few years ago with Wakin g Life, though to a diffe rent purpose. That film saw the protagonist trapped in a lucid dream in which h e would drift passively from person to p erson, discussing with them the nature of reality. Waking life, with its p hilosophical depth and fragm ented narrative, was incredibly exper imenta l but Before

ences (other than re ality itself) in its astonishing use of real-time narration. Much like Russian Ark , last year's revolutionary art house epic that was filmed in one continuous one-hundred minute shot, you are swept along by the film and become p a infully aw are, as the characters are , that time is ticking away. Before Sunset is therefore undercut by a brooding se nse of tragedy and suspense that is unparalle led in the romantic genre. It is not only the two lovers themse lves wh o are e n gaged in these beautifully comp osed conver satio ns but the two film s also appear to b e in a dialogu e a cross time. Before Sunset picks up on and echoes the themes and id eas of the first film with great sophistication and subtlety. For example a state ment th at Jesse makes in reference to the interpreta ti on of his b ook in the scene at th e start of Be fo re Sunse t, that the way you inte rpre t the ambiguo us ending depends on whether you are a 'rom antic or a cynic', can be applied to the ending of the film itself. It also serves to link the sequel back to the original film throug h the medium of the book and across the gulf of ten years. The ton e of the film has changed along with the characters and this is clearly evident in the conversation s. In th e first film they were idealis-

Inexp licably th ere is a huge amount of drama here considerin g n othing happens; it is the dram a of everyday life, a drama that we can relate to and the film is all the more powerful for it. Sunrise is by contrast highly accessible despite its daring structure, b ecaus e the narrative is drive n by such strong chara cterisation. The fact that you h ave sat through a film made entirely of two pe ople talking is barely noticeable as the ir c onversation is so enthralling and h as such incredible e motional and psychological depth. Inexplicably the re is a huge amount of drama here considering nothing happens; it is the drama of everyday life, a drama that we can relate to and the film is all the more powe rful for it. Before Sunset takes this element of the original even further by setting the film in the hour and a half Jesse has left before he must catch his plane home (again) and simply follows the characters with the camera as they struggle to find words to express their feelings. The use of Paris as a backdrop and the emphasis on human relationships is reminiscent of the French New Wave film making of the sixties, whilst the film breaks away from any influ-

tic, intense and romantic, however in Before Su nset th e characters have m atu red ten years a n d b o th feel trappe d and p owerless as life p asse s th em by, as a result the ir interaction is more comple x a nd reserved. Their philosophie s of life are now embedde d in experie nce and as a result their conversations are undercut by a s e nse of m e lancholy and bitterness. There has also been a significant role reversal between the two films. Whereas in Before Sunrise Jesse was quite cynical about the issue of love he now projects all of his hopes on a barely impossible reunion with Celine, whilst C elin e herself has become filled with regret by a series of unfulfilling relationships to the point where she h as virtually given up on happiness. Individually the films are both exceptional love stories, one optimistic and one me lancholic, b ut together they become a mature meditati on on experience and how our ideals are tempered by age.

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F ature 5

Classics and Clange s Retro kid's cult DVDs are becoming more and more popular. Kate Bryant asks why... "Whoo oo-ooooooh oo-oo-oooo-ooooh ..." fter sex and boozing, the closest thing to a true student's heart is 80's cult cartoons . They're pretty far behind the first o, but still rank highly. They're the ultimate ice-breaker in any late night halls conversation, and a reminder of our lost days of innocence. Yet, until recently, we had to rely on memory alone; knowing our only hope of getting hold of any video evidence was to traipse round every Oxfam and bric-a-brac shop in Norwich, often to no avail. But now, in the dawn of the DVD age , we can pick up some of our favourite obscure articles of nostalgia, often for under a fiver. Bargain! Any self-respecting DVD retailer will display a fine array of cult children's viewing, encompassing not just the expected fare of Rainbow and The Magic Roundabout, but vintage Willo the Wisp and Willy Fog: Around the World in 80 Days. It seems that DVD has finally found its niche, and it lies in television. While we were reluctant to buy films that we already owned on VHS, we didn 't mind shelling out for box sets of Transformers that we knew would stay crystal clear for just as long as our memories. The Office series 2 remains the highest selling DVD, excelling its first series and Peter Kaye's Phoenix Nights in a Blur vs. Oasis style battle for the top spot. VHS collections of our favourite shows are just a little too similar to the shoddy homemade recordings we've all made off the telly. DVDs just seem so much more professional. A real keepsake. While behind the scenes documentaries and alike were flaunted to tempt us into buying some of the finest pieces of cinema to date, all we really wanted were collections of what we'd watched a zillion times before, so we could be sure we'd be able to watch them a zillion times more. With french subtitles if we so wished. It's no new discovery that we 're not only totally unashamed of our wasted youths spent in front of the box, we want more of the same. Pencil cases, posters and ring-tones all sporting various kitsch favourites have cashed in on our beloved TV memories. Despite not having seen any of these characters in over a decade, we complied and did our duty as consumers. However, it was difficult to subdue a sense of longing for the real deal, the actual cartoons themselves. Children who weren 't even born when The Clangers were on knew

who they were , but they had never seen their woolen wobbling first hand. On top of this we also knew that all the best bits were getting left behind, a whole era of children's entertainment being

It's no new discovery that we're totally unashamed of our wasted youths spent in front of the box boiled down to only the cutesiest and camp. These long lost creations deserved to be remembered by more than novelty key rings . Despite a steady trickle of the more familiar faces from the past, there are still some gems that are yet to be unearthed. While no digging at all is required to find some firm favourites , such as The Then age Mutant Hero Turtles or Button Moon , it takes slightly more to root out rarities like Dogtanian and The Three Muskehounds, and it is a rare feat to discover The Wuzzles or Rude Dog and The Dweebs. Unfortunately, it seems that avaliablilty doesn't relate to how desired the shows are. Ren and Stimpy, one of the most influential cartoons of all time, is now in danger of being forgotten. Revolving around the lives and laundry of the timeless pairing of dog (Ren) and cat (Stimpy), it is a true classic. Boasting an almost dangerously individual style, the series should be as widely available as The Simpsons but unfortunately is only remembered through all its imitators that pepper today's better animated productions. Every time you're left unsure exactly how suit~le a cartoon is for children, but not being able to put a finger on why, it's because of Ren and Stimpy. They made it ok for kids cartoons to be just as insane as kids are, which they have remained to try and do but never to such a high standard. t another largely forgotten masterpiece in the eyes of many is Trap Door. A claymation diamond of deadpan comedy. Not represented at all in the merchandising stakes, despite cute (if slightly odd) characters who remain instantly recognisable to anyone lucky enough to have seen them. Cc-creator of Trap Door, Terry Brain is also responsible for the wonderful Stopitt and Tidyup! a godsend to the parents of wayward rugrats. Featuring Go 7b Bed, Take Care and 1 Said No prizes are definietly deserved for originality. Many of the shows available require

the rose -tinted goggles that fond remembrance provides, but a select few have aged like a fine wine. David Jason's Count Duckula, the trials of a vegetarian vampire duck, manages to be just as pleasing to the retro viewer as ever. Others , like He -Man and the Masters of the Universe are not so immediate and should probably be left to diehard fans that caught it the first time round . Prime exam .Jles of their type, but lacking any gentle comedy. Nonetheless, regardless of quality, we love to watch the same things we

were watching over a decade ago. All too many once loved shows were in serious danger of never making their way out of the dark store-rooms of various back catalogues but are now on DVD for all to see. The interne!, as ever, remains the best source of the most obscure titles. The only danger now may be that some of the lesser known names may not make the leap and remain in cult limbo forever. Therefore, the only tactic is to hoard as many DVDs as possible and hope the rest are available soon.

RAJ VILLA INDIAN RESAURANT Come and visit our new, fully air-conditioned Indian Restaurant in the heart of Norwich City.

15o/o Student Discount On Production of a valid NUS Card Book early for your Society Xmas party and enjoy the finest East Indian hospitality and cuisine. Ideal for an intimate for two. Open everyday for lunch 12 'til 2.30 p.m. Sun-Thurs eves 6-12 Fri-Sat eves 6-2 a.m. Takeai'.'3Y Service available too!

Plus a fully licensed bar 15 Prince ofWales Road, Norwich Tel: 01603 616101 or 615233 Your sat:isfa-ction is our succes 22.09.04

06 Feature

Beat the •

USIC

Press. • a me one ban d from Norwich that has 'made it'. Except Kaito, who (as relatively o b s c u r e favourites of John Peel) probably don't count. Our fine city might not be as synonymous with exciting alternative music as cultural metropolises such as Liverpool and Manchester, but that's only because its wealth of musical treasures hasn't been discovered yet. Consider it a bit like archaeology: if you scratch below the murky surface of the national music scene there's always something different - and arguably

something more interesting - happening underground. So here's your chance to beat the music press at its own game and find for yourse lf a p le thora of up-and-coming b ands that h aven't already b een m arke te d to d e ath. Why con tend with having your rib s crushed as you strug g le for a view of the inte resting one from Keane, when there's chance to se e a storming gig in a pub so small you can practically touch the power chords? Whether you're new to Norwich or a long-term resident, there's a thriving music scene here that's just waiting to be unearthed - and it might even include the discovery of your new favourite band. These are the places to start looking ...

Serious musicians, The Goldie Looking Chain, arriving at the Waterfront soon.

Why travel all the way to London on an unreliable train for two hours, when you can make the ten minute journey to the LCR on an unre liable number 25? Yes, the huge amps, the big expen sive flashy co-ordin ated light shows and the overpriced !-shirts are all available on your doorste p (if you live on c ampus of course). The LCR h as become a stopoff point for bands to and from Lon don . It certainly boasts an impressive list of b and s who have playe d , where you will h ave (or will soon have) thrown up/ spun m a dly/ drunk excessive amounts on a Thursday night. Last year the LCR played host to a flo od of bands including Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand, mad hair rockers the Cooper Temple Clause and psychedelic stoners the Super Furry Animals. Trash novelty rockers The Darkness caused a stir last year too, after playing the LCR as a home-coming. That's all in the past now, but this ye ar still has an impressively strong line-up: Kings of Leon, Razorlight , Electric Six and Embrace. There's even a chance to see the three-chorded wonders of pop, Status Quo. Expect to pay over a tenner to see your idols, but if you like the chance to see big name acts then the money is well worth it. : Union House ' : 0 1603 508050 I : www.stu .uea.ac.uk/ ents/ venues

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Just over the water from the overtly commercialised Riverside complex you'll find the Waterfront. The place is basically an alternative to the LCR. But this doesn't mean that it doesn't get its share of the musical pie: only last year Aussie rockers Jet stormed the venue. The Waterfront is smaller than the LCR, but it does allow you to get that bit closer to the lead singer that you fancy. The aftershow atmosphere is much better, with the band normally willing to come out and talk to those who have waited.

This year group s including the 2220s , Hope of the States, the Ordinary Boys and the infamous Fete Dohe rty with his babyshamhles outfit will p lay there. But b ig name s acts are n ot wh at the Waterfront is all about. The s ta g e plays host to tribute artists (like Whole Lotta Led - a tribute to Ze ppe lin) and has s ome unsigned band nights. The club nig hts will also affec t your life a t some p oint. Two Fridays a month is 80s night, whilst Saturday nights is wh at the Waterfront is best known for : Meltdown! You will either love it or h ate it dep e nding on what you're into (or eve n used to), but it is one of a handful of truly d e cent alte rnative nights out in Norwich. : Kings Road : 0 1603 508050 : www.stu.uea.ac.uk/ents/ venues

Without a doubt, the Arts Centre is the most unusual music venue in the city centre. It is situated in a converted church, which produces some gorgeously rich acoustics for its laudably diverse programme of events. Turn up here and you could find anything from Scandinavian goth-dwarf rockers to Tuvan throat singing amongst the usual guitar-based indie. The Arts Centre also has its fair share of heritage. Nirvana played here on one of their first visits to the UK, and it was in its corridors that Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers carved the words 4REAL into his arm, solidifying the band into the national consciousness. More recently, it has seen Funeral for a Friend, Razorlight and Goldie Lookin' Chain strut their stuff before being shunted up to the next rung of the industry ladder. Perhaps the best thing about the Arts Centre, though, is the fact that it has an atmosphere of community dripping from its walls. IT classes sit alongside photography exhibitions and gigs from 7-piece ska punk bands, and the friendly staff hold a wealth of informa

Feature 07

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at its own game.

crane your neck backwards while trying not to bump into any gruff bikers who might not want to be disturbed. Add to that the magical burger van that turns up most evenings, and you've got the best/worst end to good gig. Address: Cattlemarket St Tel: Web: -

Po Na Na

tion about forthcoming events. Situated right in the centie of town, the Arts Centre is well worth keeping an eye on for intriguing small gigs and soon-tobe-big bands. Address: St Benedicts Stieet Tel: 01603 660352 Web: www.noiWichartscentie.co.uk

The Ferryboat This little gem is just down the road form the Union-owned Waterfront. A pub with a back room for gigs, the Ferryboat plays host to everyone from larger touring bands to local groups playing their first show in front of assorted parents and mend. There are gigs almost every single night, and some of the best times out in NoiWich can be spent here, beer in hand, watching one or two of the UK's best kept secrets rip hell out of their amps in front of a baying and sweaty crowd of the faithful. It's hard not to have a good time when bands of such a high calibre as the Ferryboat attracts play a room slightly larger than your average matchbox. This is where the small, unsigned bands play before anyone knows who they are, rubbing shoulders with local heroes such as Oulow, the kings of melodic punk rock, progressive geniuses Day. Ago or new ones to watch Pixelfac:e. It's a bit poky and hard to find somewhere to send where you can see without being knocked floor-wards by an overexcited punter, but on a good night the atmosphere is unbeatable. While no specific genre dominates

proceedings, the Ferryboat's remit would best be described as alternative: if you're looking for the centie point of NoiWich's unsigned scene, then you'll find it here. With that in mind, the people who come to the gigs are as important as the ones that organise them - so keep an eye on their webpage and stay abreast of what's happening down by the river. Address: King Stieet, NoiWich Tel:Ol603 613553 Web: www.ferryboat-inn.co.uk

The Marquee The Marquee has a smaller gig room than even the Ferryboat - it's basically a brick outhouse stuck to the side of the pub, which is either arctic or sub-tropical depending on the weather. Whatever, it's a good rock pub in its own right, and a great place to both watch gigs and get sozzled. In terms of the size of bands that play there, The Marquee is a rung lower than the Ferryboat, concentrating primarily on the local scene. This is partly because it's cheap to hire out and partly because most people don't know where it is (down the hill from the EDP building.You go past it on the 25 bus. It's orange) . The venue itself is, unsurprisingly, pretty minute. The stage is small enough to guarantee a wayward band member slipping off evel.-y once in a while - though as it's only three inches off the ground the penalties aren't as severe as they could be. The ceiling of the men's toilets is covered with old gig posters, so to see them you have to

Outside it looks like any other nondescript office building, but inside nothing could be further from the truth. Wander through those heavy doors and you'll find a camel-coloured souk bar, sculpted to look like a cavern then decked out with lanterns, cushions and mosaics for that authentic Moroccan feel. Po Na Na's atmosphere holds the middle ground between club, gig venue and drinking establishment. Overall, this is a pretty eclectic venue, and it's a shame it isn't better known for its music. Previous guests have included Jon Carter and Dab Pistols, and live DJs can be found playing on most nights. They hold regular unsigned shows and

open mic nights (usually on Wednesdays), and attract a regular and devoted crowd who wouldn't want to go anywhere else in the city. Being an intimate venue, Po Na Na gets cro'wded at the weekends, but at least their late license means it's not all over by llpm. Check the website for updated listings, or better still go down there and ask for yourself. Address: 23 Bank Plain, NoiWich Tel: 01603 619961 Web: www.ponananoiWich.co.uk/

o now you know where to go. Check the listings and get involved! The scene in NoiWich is organic: it grows and falters with interest, so if there's nothing currently tickling your ear drums don't give up hope. lf you see a band and they're utterly rubbish then at least it's a lot more interesting than watching a bunch of over-hyped media darlings put on a mediocre show. And if they're the best thing you've ever seen, tell everyone about it. We'll see you down the front.

* Please note that December- Sid Kipper, Opera East "Cinderella", Carols by Candlelight

Norwich Arts Centre

Cinema City is currently exhibiting films at the Playhouse. Information can be found in the Film sections.

Norwich Playhouse

Puppet Theatre

St. Georges Street 01603 612580

St. Jaines Street 01603 629921

Comedy

St Benedict's Street 01603 660352

Saturday 16 October, 8pm Natalie Haynes in Still Not Sorry

Comedy

Fixations with death, worries about latent Nazism, renewable energy sources and a fondness for maths is given a dose Natalie's sharp wit, which has endeared her to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Thursday 7 October, 8.30pm Scott Capurro US stand up comic, actor and playwright with tales of his experiences, including those from the set of Star Wars.

Thursday 28 October, 7.30pm Mark Thomas

Tuesday 19 October Alexei Sayle Writer, comedian and actor, Sayle will be reading from his two collections of short stories and a new novel Overtaken, plus throwing in some personal anecdotes.

Celeste

The comedian who believes in action continues to directly challenge the establishment. Following his two last sell-out tours he will be speaking about crusties, hijacking arms dealers and how to bother the Coca Cola Company.

Theatre

Thursday 9 December, 7.30pm

Saturday 9 October, 8pm Ice & Fire presents I Have Before Me A Remarkable Document Given To Me By A Young Lady From Rwanda

BBC Singers Norwich Cathedral Choristers Timothy Robinson tenor Jonathon Lemalu baritone Stephen Layton conductor

Saturday 23 October, 7.30pm Amici Dance Theatre Company

Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols Cornelius The Three Kings Head The Little Road to Bethlehem Britten Saint Nicolas Plus a selection of seasonal carols

Amici unites able-bodied and disabled artists and performers in improvisation and creative dance. A triple bill of pieces entitled Breaking Out, Unfilled and The Odd One Out will be performed.

Juliette, a Rwandan asylum seeker wants to write a book on the genocide that murdered her family. Enter Simon, a middle aged failing novelist. Tuesday 9 November, UK Arts Productions presents Hannah and Hanna

Dance

Saturday 9 October, 2.30pm Sorcerer's Apprentice This well-worked theme is performed suing puppets, mime and some real magtc that could leave adults and children enthralled.

Monday 25- Thursday 28 October, 2.30pm Red Riding Hood & Other stories from the Giant Book A giant pop-up book literally opens into diverse landscapes of the imagination containing well-known fairytale characters .

Friday 29 & Saturday 30 October, 2.30pm The Jumblies This delightful nonsense poem by Edward Lear tells of the Jumblies who set sail in a sieve one stormy, winter's morn. The puppets are accompanied by singing.

Saturday 6 November, 2.30pm Puppets in the Wild George, a documentary maker, is filming wild puppets in some lost canyons! Surely not wild, healthy, living puppets? With original music and subtle lighting effects this is a not to be missed show.

Literature Hanna is 16 and from Kosovo. Hannah is the same age, but from Margate. Hanna loves pop music but feels isolated in a foreign land. Hannah just hates foreigners . The play is described as a bittersweet comedy about issues of asylum seeking.

The Maddermarl{et Theatre St John's Alley, Pottergate 01603 620917 www.maddermarket.co. uk

Thurday 21 October- Saturday 30 October The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Exhibitions Monday 11 October- Saturday 20 November Robert Enoch- Trains of Thought A sequence of photographs which offer patterns, abstract narrative or simply individual images. In Enoch's own words, "Thes e pictures expose the mind's function of constructing images from disparate s trands." Artlights Cromer town centre 22 October- 31 October Ten artists living in north Norfolk will represent a variety of temporary works which are to be projected onto external lo cations as part of the Cromer Seafront Regeneration Public Art s Programme .

Britten Sinfonia

C omic portrayal of the leisured class of the 1890s, featuring two girls' search for a husband called Earnest, and two men who try to become Earnest, causing a spot of confusion in the process.

Thursday 18 November- Saturday 27 November The Women of Troy by Euripides adapted by John Dane The Spartan, Helen, wh ose elopement with the Trojan prince Paris ignited ten years of war, has been recaptured. She awaits her fate in a prisoner-of-war camp along with the women of Tray. Classic tale of the brutality of warfare which has remained relevant from its first performance in 415BC to the present day.

Concerts in St Andrew's Hall, Princes Street Book by phone 01603 630000

Thursday 7 October, 7.30pm Angela Hewitt piano/director Pauline Lowbury director Bach Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E Haydn Symphony No. 49 in F Minor "La passione" Bach Keyboard Concerto No. 7 in G minor Mozart Piano Concert No 15 in B Flat

Sunday 19 December- Sunday 2 January A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens adapted by John Mortimer The infamous tale of Ebenezer Scrooge 's transformation from embittered skinflint to generous benefactor thanks to midnight visits from do-gooder ghosts.

A visiting productions program includes:

Thursday 11 - Sunday 14 November New Writing Types Live!

An exciting new initiative aimed at supporting new writing, promoting debate about literature, writing and its values and widening access to the rewards of both. A five day program offers workshops, seminars, panels and debates.

Theatre Wednesday 6 I Thursday 7 October, 7 .30pm Love&Madness presents Hard Times based on the novel by Charles Dickens

Dickens' tale of the human spirit crushed by industrialization in transposed to the industrial crises of the 1970s, and the exploitative side of globalization in the 1990s.

Saturday 13 November, 2.30pm The Crazy Kitchen Crew Corkscrews, mechanical brooms, a potato m usher and soup spoons are the stars of this show. The story is about how to face up to people who are bigger and stronger than you.

Saturday 27 November, 2.30pm Punch & Judy Bryan Clarke gives an unusual insight into the history of Punch and Judy and explains the origins of slapstick. The talk is followed by a performance of P&J which encourages lots of audience participation.

Saturday 11 December- Monday 3 January, llain & 2.30pm Jack & the Beanstalk

Wednesday 13- Friday 15 October, 7pm Shakespeare Schools Festival

The story comes to life in a child's room when a collection of toys become an exciting range of theatrical devices. It gives an insig ht into how children play with treasured objects

This is an opportunity for showcasing local talent and bringing Shakespeare to life as part of a nationwide celebration of the nation's best known writer. Four local schools perform a play each, lasting 30 minutes each night.

Monday 20- Friday 31 December(check for times and dates) Pinocchio

Wednesday 20- Friday 22 October Transaction Theatre Company presents Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

Using Eastern and Western masks Pinocchio's story of temptation from a fox , conversion to a donkey and meeting his father Gepetto inside the belly of a shark is unfolde d.

A dynamic group of locally based young players p e rform Austen's cautionary tale about the fortunes in love of the impoverished Dashwood sisters.

September- Pink Fraud, Under Milkwood. Thursday 4 November, 7.30pm Joanna MacGregor piano Jaines MacMillan conductor Britten Pre lude and Fugue James MacMillan Piano Concerto No. 2 Arvo Part C antus in Memory of Benjamin Britten Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion and

October- Joe Brown, The Locrain Ensemble, Upper Octave. The Caretaker, Abba UK, Norfolk Opera Player's "I Pagliacci", The B'Eagles November- Once Upon A War, Nashville Nights and Dixie Days, Ralph McTell, Fairport (acoustic) Convention, Blow the wind southerly

Tuesday 9 /Wednesday 10 November, 7.30pm The KAOS Richard m by William Shakespeare Visual flair, split-focus reality, screwball politics, hilarious intrigue and half-man/ half-dog king cpable of transforming before your eyes dramatizes the rise and fall of a tyrant.

Visually unappealing perhaps, but nonthe less informative ... ! 22.09.04

- ............

................................................................ Feature 09

Cinefile L' Inferno

Jabba the wott?

44 no.

This must be b ased on Da nte, right? Yes, or more specifically Gustave Dore's famous illustrations of Dante. Directed by Guiseppe de Liguoro in 1911 it's regarded as Italy's first feature film and was an international hit, taking over 2 million in America alone, un unprecedented sum for a film at the time. It took three years to make with a cast of 150.

emaining entirely ignorant of George Lucas' Star Wars, and all its nerdy glory, is no longer an option in the world today. If ou've not seen it, ou've at least heard of it, Ullless you've not got a telly under the rock where you've been living for the past few decades. We're all sure to be hearing a great deal more with the impending furore over the shiny new DVD box set (goldsleeve edition DVD avaliable 20th sept) that's guaranteed to send any fan worth their salt running to their nearest mall with fistfuls of twenties. One must never admit in mixed company to not (shock horror!) having actually seen the films,let alone to quite enjoying the spin-off Ewoks cartoon. If at any point the words "Star Wars" are uttered in conversation, either disgust or reverence must be expressed immediately without wavering. It is for this reason thatlhis reporter has decided to speak up for the disinterested, and embark on a journey into the core of all the fuss around the trilogy, the films themselves. That's right, a six hour Star Wars marathon incompassing all three films. No breaks, no distractions, just Luke, Leia, light sabres and lots of popcorn. One of the most off putting features of the Star Wars phenomena is that in its current highly evolved state, even finding a copy of the films to watch is shrouded in controversy. For the purist in us all there is the original release, a warts and all version it seems. Following this are a barrage of other releases, with added documentaries, that are, spruced up and very smart indeed. The DVD release, it can be assumed, will be yet another step along the same route. Thankfully, it transpires that to the naked and unknowing eye, the changes made make very little difference to the films. Each improvement from Lucas seems to revolve entirely around polishing off special effects. Scenes are added that contribute little to nothing in terms of plot or character development, yet serve chiefly to demonstrate Lucas' technical wizardry. While generally it is seen as an insult to claim a film revolves around special effects, Star Wars seems to revel in this. While the continual revamps may be a Star Wars collector's paradise, it makes things all the more daunting for the uninitiated. Perhaps this is part of the reason for the two disparate schools of thought on Star Wars; it sim-

ply doesn't cater for the casual observer. Stumbling blocks aside, once the regal pomp and glory of the opening John Williarns score begins, a little of the excitement that has fuelled generations of fans hits even the most reluctant viewer. Yet despite the best intentions, the now infamous receding blurb that precedes the film has far too much to establish. In fact, it smacks of cheating the audience out of properly establishing the disequilibrium we are about to be plunged into. Excitement is fine, damsels in distress are welcome, but in Star Wars they are asked to stand alone as shortcuts to our common knowledge of how storylines always progress. We are given no time to get to know characters before we are asked to love or hate them. This is made much easier by the existence of motley groups of indescribable creatures. The most perplexing of which, Jabba the Hutt, manages to exclipse all other distractions when he is onscreen. A moist mass of slug-like fle.s h, Jabba is typical of the fantastical parts of Star Wars that leave the less avid follower wondering whether to take it all seriously. Even once we've decided to swing with the intergalactic thing, there's the new lingo to deal with. All very fun to the seasoned fan, but far too much to keep up with the first time around. conic scene after iconic scene rush by, things go bang and vendettas are pursued, all with adrenaline inducing style. As predicted, the film is fun, enthralling at its peaks but never strays from what is expected of it. It's not awful, it's enjoyable and this is the most puzzling realisation possible about a film that seems to inspire a great deal of emotion. It is easy to understand why such a cult following could grow around a film that was awful and even easier to understand if the film were awesome, but average is definitely a grey area. The most commonly asked question to anyone who is brave enough to reveal their intergalactic inexperience is "why?", to which no rational reply can be given. Instead, this question only serves to fuel discussions on the more mysterious matter of how the belief that everyone should have seen Star Wars came to be. Can it be assumed that the expected answer to this question is "because I hate Star Wars"? The suggestion that an excuse is needed to have not seen the film, as though it is an unwritten duty, is testament indeed to just how much bigger than themselves

these films have become. There are few children of the SO's that don't have little plastic Wookies with bite marks on their heads or similar paraphernalia that would be worth achingly huge sums of money if they'd just been kept it in the box. Star Wars has evolved into a right of passage, the ultimate mustsee and a nostalgia drenched gift each generation bestows upon the next. These films have more than just their narrative or even their context at the time of release. In fact they are now received and discussed as entirely more than films, and manage to avoid any criticism that would relegate them to mere examples of sci-fi cinema. Many people's first interaction with Star

No breaks, no distractions, just Luke, Leia, light sabres and lots of popcorn Wars has nothing to do with watching the film itself, yet this doesn't seem to matter. The trilogy is viewed as an experience, and a character building one at that. A journey that is, disturbingly similar to Luke's, of maturation and realisation. Bleary eyed yet triumphant from the closing moments of Return of the Jedi, this reporter cannot avoid a feeling of still being on the outside looking in. However, this doesn't change the fact that Star Wars remains one of the most important occurrences in cinema history. Those of us who haven't developed a seething distain or a healthy obsession with the film are sadly losing out. What exactly there is to lose out on remains a mystery, but there is undeniably something. Whatever that something is unfortunately isn't present the films themselves (at least not at first glance), but if doubt

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So why was it so popular? It showed people things they'd never seen before. At this time the moving image still had a magic about it and the film exploits this to the fullest to enrich the imaginative experience of The Inferno, which most of the film's audience would not have read. It presents the viewer with a mystical and epic vision of hell through which Vrrgil guides Dante. It sounds like there's an allegory h er e som e-

whe.r e. In many ways L'lnferno is a celebration of the visual power of cinema as an emergent art form. As a viewer you are in the same position as Dante being led through hell and shown incredible visions. Its interesting to imagine how you would have received the film in 1911 , it would probably have felt like you were going on an incredible journey, like the camera was opening up a whole new world to you.

But why sh ould I care about it so long after it was made? Silent films like L'Inferno represent our cinematic heritage. In them you can see the cinematic techniques and rules we take for granted in modern cinema slowly taking shape, in fascinating and innovative ways. For instance Liguoro's use of double exposure, the technique of layering images to create complex visual effects, is greatly evident in such scenes as the one in which Lucifer's humungous head is viewed by Dante as he consumes the damned, their legs wiggling out of his giant mouth. Is it accompanied by virtuoso s ilent m ovie style piano? Actually no, because the irrepressible Tangerine Dream have been commissioned to make a soundtrack and they are in full on unashamed Prog-Rock mode. Dean Bowntan

10 F

Twenty. Things We'd Like •••

If you haven't seen,

hear~

these, then you should!

of, or read

Enjoy. ~ .

The Fall Grotesque hey've influenced everyone from The Happy Mondays to Elastica, but very few people have actually listened to a Fall album in full. And for good reason - Mark E Smith might be our foremost 'urban poet', but who really wants to hear a drunk-sounding Mancunian ranting erratically over an atonal barrage of guitars? For an hour. On over fifty separate albums. Fantastic in small doses, Grotesque is a vintage confrontational record: name-drop this one and everyone will assume that you're an authority on all things Fall. Trivia fans might also want to know that it features radio's Marc "Lard" Riley on bass guitar.

Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde ooner or later, after arriving at University for the first time -- if you're a fresher-- the conversation in the kitchen (during one of those awkward 'get to know you sessions, followed up at the b ar) will turn, inexorably, as if drawn by Jupiter's own gravity, to telvision shows/ films/music/books you've seen/heard/read. You are, in part, for the first few days at least, what you consume

In the Mood for Love th its sequel 2046 out soon and set to make quite an mpact its time to return to Wong Kar-Wai's anti-romantic masterpiece In the Mood for Love. Set in 1950s Hong Kong Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, two of the world's finest actors, play neighbours in a crowded apartment block who are drawn closer to one another when they discover that their respective spouses are having an affair. Despite clearly being in love themselves they refuse to succumb to those feelings as their partners have done and so the screen seems to crackle with repressed sexual longing. It's all filmed in sumptuously elegant slow camera pans and rich colours by the great cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

Les Diabolique ne of the most suspenseful films ever made Les Diabolique tells the story of the corrupt headmaster of a provincial boarding school who is murdered by his wife and mistress who throw his corpse in the swimming pool only to see it mysteriously disappear. Henri George Cluzot is a director who should be better known· than he is and one viewing of this film will set you questioning Hitchcock's reputation as master of suspense.

The Killer

ade by John Woo in Hong Kong before he sold his soul to Hollywood The Killer is a fantastically stylish action movie, which has clearly influenced Tarantino. The charismatic Chow Yun-Fat plays a sentimental hit man who engages in one last hit in

22.09.04

(in a multi-media market sense). So, helpful and eager-to-please types that we are here at The Event, we've put together a guide to five items in each category that should help you seem 'interesting' in a 'goodness-me-howeclectic-and-alternative' kind of way. Unless, of course, all your fellow freshers chums have already read this. We can but hope ...

order to pay for the operation that will save the eyesight of a club singer he accidentally blinds at the beginning of the film. On his trail is Danny Lee playing an amoral cop who gradually befriends him and helps him to take on the triad armies in an explosive, astonishing twenty-minute show down in a church.

A Short Film About Killing efore the great European auteur Krzysztof Kieslowski made the beautiful elegiac Three Colours Trilogy he made a series of short films set in an impoverished block of Warsaw flats and based on the Ten Commandments called Decalogue. A Short Film About Killing is the most famous of the ten and is an eloquent and fierce denunciation of capital punishment. It begins with the arbitrary and violent killing of a taxi driver, the longest strangulation scene in cinema, and ends implying that killing in the name of justice is just as barbaric as murder. A stark and haunting film.

The Panic in Needle Park e fore AI Pacino was rocketed to fame and infamy by Scarface he starred in this triumph of social realist filmmaking. Set in New York's Needle Park, the area in the eighties that was eponymous with heroin addiction, Pacino plays an ambitious drug dealer in love with a j unky who he attempts to save from her addiction. The addict's need for heroin becomes a bizarre metaphor for their mutually destructive relationship.

u know Bob Dylan, of course you do. Spindly guy with the great yrics and not-so-great voice. But how well do you remember Blonde on Blonde? Widely regarded as hi.s best album, this is the one that everyone claims to know inside out. just like a Woman and I Want You are just two highlights on a record that redefined the boundaries of folk music. If the need to be particularly provocative arises, why not suggest that it is vastly inferior to Blood on the TrackS? Just don't claim to prefer Hendrix's version of All Along the

ChowYun Fat in The Killer

various authors, clOO· 400 A.D. eading both the Old Testament, in which God is an authoritarian eretor, and the New Testament in which he sends his son in human flesh to atone for humanity's waywardness, is a labour beyond Hercules. Although interpretations of the Bible have caused more wars and scholastic study than any other book, few these days have read it.

The True History, Lucian, c lOOAD. cian was a Greek satirical writer, who traveled all over the rising oman Empire giving entertaining speeches. He invented a new kind of literature, known today as the humorous dialogue. The True History begins with the sentence, "Every word of this is a lie, and my readers should put no trust in it at all.''

The Obligations of a House, Juana lnes de la Cruz, 1683. e la Cruz was Mexico's leading poet of the 17th century. She was a proto-feminist who argued that women must be allowed to become scholars. She knew the only way to become a scholar was to enter a convent. Her outspoken beliefs led to argu-

Watchtower.

ments with her bishop after heavy pressure she was eventually forced to give up writing.

VVar

and Peace, Leo Tolstoy, 1865-69.

Various Quentin Tarantino Soundtracks uentin Tarantino has done more than anyone else to make atrocious 70s MOR acceptable in polite company. Stealers Wheel, Urge Overkill -why do we like these people?

you want to mark yourself out as an edgy and alternative culture-hound you'll have to have a passing acquaintance with the following: 1) LitUe Green · Bag by George Baker, from the soundtrack to the iconic Reservoir Dogs, and 2) Dick Dale's Miserlou, the unmistakable guitar theme from Pulp Fiction. The soundtracks were always better than the films anyway ... /

Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Republica orking on the assumption that if John Peel likes it, it must be good, Trout Mask Republica can always be found propping up those Top 100 Albums You Must Own lists. It's a weird and wonderful collection of jazz fusion: blues and all-out surrealism, boasting song titles such as Hair Pie Bake 1 and Ant Man Bee. Delirious and disorientating, Captain Beelheart are a band for whom innovation is second nature. So i.f you haven't already heard it, pretend you have. Any album that features a cover picture of a man with the face of a fish can't be all bad.

Tell You About

Bruce Springsteen Born to Run other perennial inhabitant of Top 100 lists, Bruce Springsteen as come to epitomise mainstream American music. Cranuned with bombast and brimming with the optimism of the underdog who knows his time has come, Born to Run is eight songs of pure, unadulterated stadium rock. A rousing guilty pleasure of the highest order, this is another album whose merits have the potential to inspire heated debate. Either way, it's a record everyone should make time to hear. Altogether now: "Tramps like us, baby we were born to run!"

olstoy's epic, set in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, took four years to write and many people who make a bold start on the book give up a.f ter five. Hailed as a classic of Russian literature, few have the perseverance to see the 1352 pages through.

Diagnosis Murder, would you let these people operate on you?

The Critic nimated US series from the proucers of The Simpsons, The ritic is a must watch for any student who fancies themselves a film buff. Following the life of Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz), a film critic who tries to instill a love of fine cinema into a public who want nothing but blockbusters, the show manages to make cynical comments about the film industry without befug preachy. Just like The Simpsons, the show has an appeal on many levels, with highbrow humour being mixed in with slapstick visuals and gross-out moments that take full advantage of the show being animated. Unfortunately, The Critic is very hard to get hold of, but its definitely worth searching for.

Diagnosis Murder

To be honest, Blonde on Blonde isn't the only album that should be on the list.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Che Guevara, 1952. urprise entry at Number 5 is rnesto 'Che' Guevara's autobiorap hical account of his gapyear motorcycle odyssey frolJl Argentina through Chile and Peru ending finally in Venezuela. The initial part of the journey was undertaken on La Poderosa, the Powerful One: a 500cc Norton. At this stage Che is less interested in politics and more where the next drink is coming from.

•• .To

o there you have it. Hopefully, this selection of cultural tit-bits will provide plenty of friutful discussion over the next couple of weeks. If not, well ... we tried. Hope you are all enjoying your time at unive rsity so far and intend to take full advantage of the opportunity to fill those gaps in your knowledge that may or may not have been highlighted in these lists. We like to all think ourselves well-infonned and

knowledge-able types here at Concrete Towers, so if you've already heard of and seen/read etc all of these then well done, you clever mug. Award yourself fifty thousand student cool p oints, b oast to all your friends and congratulate your family on what is clearly an extremely good set of brain genes you've inheritled. Alternatively, you ijtay just have too much time on your hands; get a job! LOC

ick Van Dyke stars as Dr Sloan in this crime fighting US series from the early 90's. Always stumbling upon murders and then often being accused of committing them, Dr Sloan is forced into becoming an amateur sleuth. Diagnosis Murde r is a prime example of the kind of daytime viewing any student should be absorbing. Van Dyke is infallible, but watch out foz sidekick Scott Baio, who may be bettez remembered as Chachi Areola from Happy Days (yet another example of great mid-day programming). The delicate mix of crime and comedy makes Diagnosis Murder one of the best examples of a genre packed with TV gold.

Filthy, Rich Catflap

and

omewhere in-between The Young Ones and Bottom lies Filthy, Rich and Catflap. Starring Rik Mayall, Nigel Planner and Adrian Edmondson and written by Ben Elton, the series failed to chart the success expected of it

at the time. However, it may not be the unest•~'Y hour of anyone involved still has the lovely offhand rudeness that made all those involved famous. Not to be entirely dismissed as just silliness, the series does make attempts to comment on the superficial nature of celebrity, yet this message is lost and unsuccessful. Nonetheless, good for a giggle.

Takeshi's Castle akeshi's Castle is the UK's only sample of the infamous odd-ball activities of the Japanese game show. Perhaps more frequently seen in clips on Tarrant on TV; Takeshi's Castle can be viewed in all its glory on digital (although most of us aren't lucky enough to be able to do that). Contestants risk life and limb in various different games that involve everything from getting hit with faux cannonballs and breaking down polystyrene doors to dressing up as a giant hand. Takeshi's Castle is typical of the late night viewing that only students can really appreciate.

The Adventures Of Pete and Pete his is one of the only shows to truly capture the weird and unsatisfying years of childhood we all experience. Based around the lives of two brothers both named Fete (because their parents liked the name so much), The Adventures of Fete and Pete manages to be quirky yet very easy to relate to, much like Malcolm in the Middle. Only shown in the UK on Nickelodeon, the show never gained the popularity it deserved and has been largely forgotten as a result. Very similar to a lot of deadpan sitcoms aimed at younger viewers, its influence can be strongly felt in today's telly. Imagine The Wonder Years with a great deal more realism and you're on the right track.

22.09.04

12 Music

Lee Gordon

Albums

••

own. Tl)is is an, album that -ypu can play without having to worry about the z:ubbislvtrack you need to skip ten minutes in, because there, axen't any. Strangers is a record of enormous beauty and vitality and, above all, melQdy. ill Loneline.$$, Harcourt has<WI"itten an ~ero. to eolitud• but set to a tune that demands you jump ~ound the ltitchell singing your heart out. \t's ~ ejegy: tQ !!le .~!i. ness that drives the crea~ procep. "Iinds its way into the b:loodstream'; an<.\ i>Jnneat~ all colours- even the most joyful things. E~ Harcourt is the best kept secret this country'$ undetgraund scene: possesses, and the rest df the album equals ana betters the single. Buy it, borrow.it, st~al it -just bear tb.is now! Dan Richards

The Thrills Let's Bottle Bohemia

ome mtisiciarill start Qil!lcffqr hie rock 'n' rolllifet~tyle,. adulation. 'Fhe millions of pounds il!ld the private jet. Not Lee Gordon. " I'm <just<not very good at anything else. I've med everything."Th~ though, Eee is very goo<f at mu.sic. His intense, melarichoJY SO\U\d ba.s ctraV-m cg.mpari,sons With an array of solo ~~~~ including Jeff Buckley anq Neil Young, and his live shows are making waves around Nonolk. In July the 26-year old singer-sl)ngwriter pljl'yed 'his first headlin&show at the Ar~ Centre. "It was excellent," smiles Lee from under his beanie hat. "We sold out in ten minutes. THey were queuing down the ~,:oad trying to get in.'' De~P,jte the trlM~Eh at the Arts Centre, Lee :ti.a.s had) $ fait share o!pad gi9s with his bil!ld, The Lee GoJdon Trio. "We did one festival o~r fl\e summer that was shocking. Abs,olutely s b.oclting. It was off the side of a loqy, with the sun in front of us . and the ~nd behind us. It was like an oven. I got splinters in my feet and all the gUitars were out of tune. It was hQrrible." Could he think of ft as a useful learnin9 experience? "Yes. Don't play ihln oVen." He's come a long way since his fi.tst taste of the stage in a schob l production of Joseph, and Lee is becoming a (~liar face in the area. "It's really, really good," he says of the Norwich music scene. "There's lots of different types of bands and you can find pretty much anything." He is enthusiastic about launching himself in the city. "I don't think you need \o go to Lopdon. ft's a bit of a myth now- you ca,n do it from where you are." So far, the only restraints haVe been financial. Currently unsigned, Lee organises a lot of his own promotion, fitting in playing around "trying to J?ay the bills". But, he says, ' 'I'd rather be sltint il!\1:1 aoitJg thil! than making lots of .money and not

Fo~ the .girls. The

doing~."

Lee's aspir-ations are equally practical: "I want to play the Albert Hall, and I want to have my own little secuon iJ'i a zecord store, with my name on the tag. That's really sad, but r'n be happy with that." With luck his distinctive style will .h ave attl'acted the attention of watching A&R men at charity gig Beat the ramizle 2 last weekend. Not only an lnimitable stager, ~·s guitar playin.g is also somewhat unusual, coupling slide blues with his trademark hitting and clicking rhythms. It's not a conscious diversion from the mainstream, says Lee. ''I don't try to work to a style, I don't write it, to be perfectly honest. It just ltind of falls out." Drawing on influences as diverse as Bob Dylan (he does a "really grungy" version of All Along the Watchtower) and Pearl Lee's taste is characterised by grainy authenticity. "I like stuff that's really emotl.ve. U it doesn't sound like the guy really means it, it doesn't .interest me at all.'' Indeed, songs such as The Traveller on his first EP suggest that a vulnerable, emotionally draining performance has gone into their production. "No;' he counters. "It's invigorating. The only time I feel normal is when I'm performing." Although he feels comfortable on stage, p rofe ssing that ''every musician's got a b it of an exhibitionist in them" , Lee is less happy with the by-products of his burge oning reputation. "I hate photos. 'Smile and look n atural.' How do you do that?'' Given the way Lee Gordon's c;are e r is going, it's something he might just have to get used to.

Scan the song titles on The Thrills' follow-up to their massively popular debut and it seems that this chirpy bunch of LA-based Dubliners aren't e.n tirely happy with their lot. You Can't Fool Old Friends with Limousines, The Curse of Comfort- apparently life's not

all sunshine and glamour out there in the States . Singer Conor Deasy, whos e lilting twang dominates this re cord, feels "emptier than a suburb an swimming pool in the fall". It's that bad, Musically The Thrills stick to what they know, reprising the concise, irresistible hooks and country-tinged singalongs that first brought them fame. Highlight

The Lee Goz·don Trio play the Trowel and Hammer, St Stephens Street, SUllday 2nd October. www.Ieegordon. co.uk

]amesBanks

Whatever Happened to Corey Haim? is a playful reminder of

their radio-frien dly credentials, but an album laden with world weary cynicism about the circumstances that produced it will never be easy to love. "I'm just a man I not even a great one", Deasy laments on Saturday Night. The same could probably be said of his band.

Sarah Edwardes

Jam•.

Sar ah Edwardes

tainly demonstrates that some people in Lincoln may have discovered the blues. The songs that featured on their demo sound fantastic after being cleaned up for the CD. The group have been known to prefer delivering ltiller live shows than recording albums. However, the crisp studio atmosphere still delivers their edgy anger and Hendrix-driven guitar sound. As a res.!-Jlt this album has more rock than any rock throwing contest will ever be able to produce.

22-20s

ZZ-ZOs Last October, the 22-20s threw their raw energy and angst onto a killer six-track live album called 05103. It threw such a punch that the bruises still rem ain raw. The ir selftitle d debut is a mixture of those songs and so me wild new tracks to attack your sense of hearing, Pu t simply, the album sounds fantastic. This band could almost be called th e Lincoln White Stripes, and this album cer-

The Music Welcome To The North If we lived in a Logan's Runesque dystopian future where instead of being terminated on reaching a certain age we face death when our feet stop moving, Welcome 7b The North would be sold as a life -preserving e lixir. Where their eponymous debut hinged around the tension created by Adam Nutter 's taut, precise guitar work and Stuart Coleman's flexible basslines, The Music's sophomore effort anchors itself fo a more focused low end while Nutter's guitar swirls around in gorgeously melodic danc e shapes. Even on the reflective Bleed From Within there's a poundingly regular beat that won't take no for an answe r, and when The Music press the b utton marked 'big ' as on single Freedom Fighters and I Need Love the result is s o addictive that you'll wonder why you ever considered buying anything by The Rapture. A p urer blast of hedonism you're unlikely to find this side of Christmas. , u .... ::0= '"' Ben Patashnik

The Neutrinos Sick Love This is a hugely confusing album, since Sick Love falls from grooving genius to utter monotony and repetition. The Neutrinos often fail to meet expectations - Murder being a prime eJ:Cample as its attempt to be slinky and dangerous sounds so reminiscent of a dumbed down Garbage you'd be expecting the Scots to take legal action. This album has moments of partial success, like Better in Your Head and Puckered Arse which have simple yet effective stripped down guitars and basic vocals that rock pretty hard. The lyrics are the album's Achilles heel and let it down in their simplicity because they aren't the most challenging pieces to ever be written and at times just laughable. It's a valiant attempt that for the most part triumphs, but when it fails Sick Love becomes a disappointment as it's obvious that they are capable of much better.

~ Suzanne Rickenback

Winnebago Deal Dead Gone While it may be misconstrued as lazy jour nalism, comp arisons are inevitable, Another two piece with a singing guitarist and a drummer was neve r going to be able I? sneak under the radar in the wal{e of The White Str ip es, so it's a good thing that Winnebago Deal are aiming at the darker end of the rock spectrum. From-the breakneck riffing on Cobra to the sheer epic size of Cargo Bull, it's evident that

Winnebago Deal have studied their Metallica and QOTSA albums a little too closely, While the constant clatter is entertaining, Dead Gone falls short of being anything but a guilty pleasure, This has none of the orchestrated brutality of Metallica's flawed SI Anger or the sleazy grace of Rated R. Harmless fun, then, but nothing more. It's hard to feel passionately about Winnebago Deal when their music is only m emorable for the short time the disc is spinning.

la]

Ben Patashnik

Kings of Convenience Riot on an Empty Street Riot on an Emp ty Str eet is sensitively written and retains the soft, blithe, style so typical of The Kings of Convenience. None of the tracks are immediate favourites, with the possible e xce ption of I 'd Rather Dance With You and its samba flavour. There is little striking about the album lyrically, as the vocals resign to b ecoming melodic musings that drift by p leasantly but not p rovocatively. While there is nothing displeasing about the album, there is an air of unfulfille d potential. Those who have heard Quiet Is The New Loud will lament the album as something of a step backwards, although this m ay prove hasty, with m any of the tracks growing on the liste ner with continued exposure. Overall, Riot on an Empty Street will p rove pop ular with the already converte d, b ut fails to be distinctive enough to attract the atte ntion of new listeners.

[Q]

KateBryant

Singles

Live Reviews

Strip away the mass critical adulation lathered onto Mike Skinner on the release of A Grand Don't Come For Free, and reduce it to its component parts, since isolating various chapters of the story as singles is precisely what Skinner himself is doing. If Blinded By The Lights succeeds without its context then that is a statement of quality that applies to the album itself, in the same way that you can watch single episodes of The Office over and over without having to sit through the entire series. And what a success it is. Skinner employs his most direct tools, all economic beats and poignantly simple lyrics over an ethereal female vocal that is both haunting and comforting at once. He tells a tale familiar enough to be recognisable but with a sense of detachment and isolation that seeps from the speakers as soon as the track starts. It's The Streets by numbers, but in the best way. How many other commercially viable artists have created such an instantly identifiable sound while managing to retain both quality and credibility with every step? Not DJ Luck and MC Neat, that's for

Ben Patashnik

The Concretes Seems Fine Harmless but full of innocent fun - even while the weather gets colder and requires another layer, this reminds you of the summer. Seems Fine has a careless groove and upbeat trumpet that demands one last BBQ and urges you to break out your flip flops before the threat of pneumonia prevents you from wearing them. Not that this is a nostalgic record. It 's just so damn upb e at that you'll feel optimistic for the song's entire duration. The Concretes are not musically innovative or comple x , but their childlike spirit fre es this single from the res t of the annoying 'happy' songs around.

Suzanne Rickenback

THEFUTUIEHEA.S

The Futureheads Meantime Take one part angular postpunk, one part retro chic and a sizeable helping of jagged guitar. Leave to simmer before adding a sprinkle of arroga nt indie self-consciousness, taking care to remove all discernible personality traits , and serve with the requisite hyperbole. Meantime is a non-event since The Futureheads possess neither the bite of The Hives nor the irresistibly spiky melody of The Libertines, and are woefully unable to provide anything other than a vacant series of over-familiar images and hackneyed riffs. So bland it makes me weep tears of sorrow for the death of passionate music.

Soundtrack of Our Lives Bigtime

Dillinger Escape Plan Panasonic Youth

We have a lot to thank Sweden for. They brought us selfassembly furniture , meatballs and the Hives. Soundtrack of Our Lives have come back after trying to make it big a few years ago when they were touring buddies of Oasis and the Doves, amongst others . Bigtime is the Soundtrack's newly built longboat; hoping' to ride high on the wave that the Hives have caused. Their sound hasn't really evolved since the last album Behind the Music, but it shows us that European music is able to rock and roll using our native tongue.

One day all music shall be like this - a perfectly timed juggernaut into the collected senses that simply destroys all notions of what is and isn't acceptable in a three minute single. Frantic drumming collides with a vicious attack of schizophrenic guitar, surging and punching without so much as a breath taken by razor-larynxed new vocalist Greg Puciato, who assimilates himself into the DEP sound seamlessly. lf you remain untouched by Dillinger then try this, because even though Panasonic Youth is challenging to say the least, it is the gateway to one of the most impressive bands on the planet.

]amesBanks

Sarah Eclwardes

Ben Patashnik

Joss Stone

You Had Me

Ben Patashnik

The Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster

Vice

ZZ-ZOs ZZ Days

Rise of the Eagles The eagle is an American icon. It's a bold, strong and graceful killing machine that can see a rabbit from a mile away. Sadly, this particular eagle fails to swoop down fast and catch its prey first time. After flying around again it may be able to, but this eagle ain't so strong. You're left with some small scratches, but nothing that won't heal within a couple of hours of hearing the shriek. But start running, as the album is out in two weekswe will have to wait and see if the scratch leaves blood or an irritating red line on your back.

Somewhat sceptical about any NME-hyped band, this writer was ready to be open-minded, but Vice is just plain dull, mediocre and the worst sin of music: bland. It's hard to find any distinctive features amongst their posturing and desperate attempts to be cool. Sounding like every other band in the socialite scene, they do themselves no favours if this single represents the rest of their work. Easily forgotten guitars, tame drumming and "1-o-v-e" bleated repeatedly at the end make it neither impressive nor memorable. Not entirely horrible, but this particular single leaves a lot to be desired.

If you haven't heard of the 2220s yet, you're more than likely to start hearing them now. They give the same adrenal rush as when you see the White Stripes live, with the ferocious guitar axing of Hendrix, all the attitude of Townshend and the influence of the blues. This is their 'studio era' where they'll probably keep recording until the contract runs out. But the intense raw emotion that's found on their mini-live album is still very much in focus on their recorded work. 22 Days is the third blood-gushing, atomically powered single that you have been waiting for. Well, probably.

]amesBanks

Suzanne Rickenback

JamesBanks

Razorlight

Not many bands can describe themselves as 'an indievaudeville conceptual art-rock pop' group without a hint of exaggeration or pretension. But then the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players aren't just any band. The New York threesome - singer Jason, costume designer and technical whiz Tina and 10-year old drummer Rachel- put on possibly the most eccentric show the Arts Centre has seen in a long time. Their central conceit is simple but effective: the family base their music upon slide collections they have picked up from charity shops or car boot sales, and the slides are projected on a screen behind them as they play. Jason, a dapper figure in a pinstripe jacket and oversized NHS specs, introduces topics ranging from Mountain Trip to japan, 1959 to Eggs with a sharp wit and genuine affection for the abandoned pictures. The songs are as quj.rky and lo-fi as the concept, each one hilarious and poignant in equal measure. In a set brimming with inspired lunacy, the oddest moment by far is the multi-act rock opera What Will the Corporation Do?, which takes as its subject a McDonalds productivity report from the seventies. It might sound absurd on paper, but like everything else about the Trachtenburg Family, in the flesh it is simply enchanting.

The prodigious teen returns with her first self-penned single since her covers album, The Soul Sessions, crashed into the charts last year. You Had Me is a funky upbeat affair that shows off Stone's undeniable vocal talents at their full lungbursting best. It's a fitting debut, combining a feisty break-up lyric ("Make your mistakes on your own time ... I'm taking back my life") with the hip-shaking retro grooves of American soul. While You Had Me won't recreate the spine-tingling buzz that first accompanied Fell in Love with a Boy, Stone's hard-won authenticity remains nothing short of remarkable.

Sarah Edwardes

& far as melodic punk bands go, Blacklisted certainly aren't that bad, but you'd have expected more of a visual display than this on their final show until December. While the musicianship is undeniable and their songs have more than their fair share of hooks and choruses, tonight's performance never strays above the sadly mediocre. Three static figures playing without a great deal of passion does not a good show

make. Good thing that Onslow are headlining then, because they are frankly marvellous. With Tom from the Poundstretchers filling in for the absent Steve, they put in a solidly entertaining show despite the ever-dwindling crowd, and with tracks of the calibre of Lost Days and Shoe Shine fOr You Sir? belted out with equal parts precision and enthusiasm it's hard for them to fail. Frontrnan Greg Conn is a ball of energy, pinballing around the stage as Chris Davis throws out riff after riff without blinking, trading the limelight with the ever-impressive drum maestro Alex Cooke. It's not rocket science but it is a hell of a ride, and the low turnout can only be down to ignorance of the fact that Onslow are a hugely enjoyable band.

Ben Patashnik

22.09.04

â&#x20AC;˘

14Cinema

n lesser hands , Collateral could've been just another schlocky, formulaic thriller. However, thanks to director Michael Mann, the film keeps you on the edge of your seat. Mann is a master filmmaker, who works with tried-and-true stories and genres to give them new life. He's done it before in the serial murder thriller, Manhunter, the cop/gangster buddy flick, Heat, and the whistleblower drama, The Insider. For Collateral, Mann takes a story that plays to Hollywood's lazy-minded sensibilities, complete with a circular resolution that requires an extreme suspension of disbelief. A cabbie (Jamie Foxx) gets friendly with an a ssistant district a ttorney (Jada Picket! Smith) e arly in his shift. He drops her off, b ut not before h e gets her card - justice lawye rs have a thing

for cabbies in this universe parallel to ours. His next customer (Tom Cruise) turns out to be quite unpleasant. He introduces himself as Vincent, offers . a generous fare to be driven around L.A. all evening and then starts on a series of contract kills. Our stressed-out cabbie spends most of the film trying to figure out how to stop the killing spree. Whe n the killing takes a bizarre turn, the cab driver decides to take justice into his own hands. That's it. Nothing special on the surface. Thankfully, Mann is near the top of his form. Particularly impressive are the overlying heave ns-view shots of cabb ie and killer as they weave through the streets of L.A., arguing with one another over the morality of subse quent events. The actors are also impressive; Cruise

looks like a CEO and displays a cold, corporate attitude, dishing out philosophical tidbits to justify his actions. It's a role that fits him quite well. Foxx is equally good as the conflicted cabbie that doesn't buy his passenger's moral relativism. The character he morphs into is a bit farfetched , but he works as best he can with the storyline he's given. The film's ending will get the seasoned filmg oer's eyes rolling, but it comes after a w ellpaced story has been laid out. There's a spec-

tacular shoot-out scene that looks like an abbreviate d version of the one in Heat and the film never falls into lulls while walking its narrative tightrope. Screenwriter Stuart Beattie can be faulted for his cop-out ending, but the other principal players make the best of what they're given to work with. Dan Chandler

he fact that Morgan Spurlock's debut documentary Super Size Me has followed hot on the heels of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9111 could have laid the director open to charges of oppor tunism, however it doesn~t take very long to be convinced by the sincerity of his narration. If Spurlock seems more g enuine than Moore it is because he makes himself the subject of his own experiment, to eat nothing but McDonalds for thirty days and record his declining health. Whilst Moore, who has managed to glibly market himself as 'Americas favourite whistle blower', often seems to be standing by, simply reporting on the misery of others and basking in his own moral righteousness, Spurlock seems like the man on the street telling it how it is. Super Size Me visits much of the material investigated in the influential, if convoluted, book Fast Food Nation. Its target is the corporate fast food industry and specifically McDonalds,

who, we are told, feeds a number of people equivalent to the population of Spain every d ay. Despite the s ome what tired subject matter Super Size M e is incredibly innovative, particularly inte re sting is Spurlock 's choice of so undtrack, for example the incongruous use of a classical piece over an operation or the use of the Soul classic Pusher Man over footage of a children's party to explore the idea of marketing to children as a means of establishing an addiction later in life. Super Size Me could easily have become yet another rant about the evils of corporate America but instead it remains surprisingly unbiased considering the subject matter. For instance one of the lawyers who are taking McDonalds to court is briefly interviewed and although we might expect him to be presented to us as a cause celebre he instead comes off as a complete jerk whose only concern in the matter is prestige and money. Spurlock avoids an

over m oralising tone by e xploring his subject with emp irical evid e nce, and wha t evidence it is: Spurlock b egins as an imp eccably healthy person but d uring the course of the experime n t he gains 25 p ounds, comes close to Liver and He art failure, shows signs of a ddiction, depression and even impotence. He is carefully monitored throughout by three horrified doctors and his helpless girlfriend, who is ironically a vegan chef. The tone of the documentary is highly personal, even anecdotal, as we follow Spurlock on his masochistic experiment. Here lies Super Size Me 's key strength, its ability to relay a huge amount of potentially depressing information and facts and figures in a form which is at once informative but above all access ible, even entertaining. Like Moore, Spurlock utilises every documentary aid he can think of from clever montage sequences to anirnations, but

there is always the focal point of the experiment to express the implica tions of fast food on a concrete, human leve l. The e xpe riment is a clever h ook to explore in various s e quences the evils of fast food on b oth a society and the environment. In fact documentaries don't get much better than this . Super Size Me is informative and yet accessible , persuasive and yet subtle, streamlined and yet innovative. Dean Bowntan

Some of the most successful movie franchises have been based on comic books, so it 's unsurprising that Sony Pictures would turn to a Dark Horse comic as inspiration for its latest release. While not as widely known as SpiderMan or Batman, Hellboy by Mike Mignola offers a different kind of superhero : a good guy shrouded in darkness and the arcane , but at the same time humorous , powerful, and worth rooting for. Hellboy stars Ron Perlman (Enemy at the Gates, TV's Beauty and the Beasf) as the titled red man. During WWII baby Hellboy was magically conjured by the "Mad Monk" Rasputin (Karel Roden) for the Nazis , but the infant was captured and brought up by the Allies. Sixty years later the adult Hellboy lives in gove rnment custody at the Bureau for Paranormal Re search and Defense having been brought up by the elderly

Professor Broom (John Hurt) . When a museum heist involving monsters comes to the Bureau's attention Hellboy, FBI agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) and the amphibious mutant Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, voiced by an uncredited David Hyde Pierce) arrive to investigate. Eventually the fellow mutant and firestarter Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) joins up, and the group must face an ancient and terrible evil that threatens all life on Earth. 路 As a superhero action-flick Hel/boy delivers all the standard ingredients: a compelling backstory, impressive special effect-laden battles, bumbling agents, and a love interest. The longface d Perlman e xcels in his role under all the re d m akeup, p resenting the perfect mixture of cigar chomping gruffness , anger, and lighth earted s e nsitivity. His foils are the powerfulyet-silent b lade-wielding Nazi Kroenen

(Ladislav Be ran) and the mysterious Rasputin, both of whom are typical bad-guy fare without much rationalization for their actions other than sheer evil and world domination. The most complicated character is Liz, who has been castigated for her unpredictable destructive powers. She appears to despise being different from normal p e ople, while Hellboy seems to accept his lot in life. He relishes the freedom of leaving the compound to fight the paranormal, yet wishes to ble nd in with the res t of humanity by filing down his horns and wearing a huge trench coat to hide his appearance.

Overall Hellboy is an entertaining, albeit somewhat limited, superhero action flick. Its visuals and fight sequences are glitzy, while its plot has a few weak points. Fans of the comic series will likely be pleased to see the largerthan-life red man in action on the big screen, while those unfamiliar will hopefully pick up on the new superhero with his fun quirks . Nothing groundbreaking here, but Hellboy may be worth seeing if you just want a b it of amusement and amazement for your money.

Daniel Chandler

.22.09.04------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------ DVD/VHS15

he Cuckoo by Alexander Rogozhkin begins with a reference to Prometheus. A soldier, Veiko, is left chained to a rock by the retreating German army at the end of world war two, left to the advancing Russian troops as a punishment for an unspecified crime or simply because he is a Finnish conscript. Whilst trying to escape he observes, through the sights of his sniper rifle, a Russian soldier, Ivan, also being punished by his comrades for anti-soviet plotting. After the truck that Ivan is being transported on is blown up by a plane a Lapp woman named Anny visits the scene of the carnage, once again observed by the Veiko through his scope establishing that visualisation will be a key theme in the fihn, and begins to bury the dead. She finds Ivan alive, but wounded, and takes him back to her isolated cabin to nurse

him back to health. Meanwhile Veiko finally escapes after two days of struggling with his chains and wanders into the mystical landscape of the Fjords and down to Anny's home. The opening sequence, which introduces the three characters, is as beautifully measured and delicately arranged a piece of fihnrnaking as you 're likely to see and is replete with tactile imagery. The film explores the relationship that evolves between the three characters who do not speak one another's language and are constantly misinterpreting one another's intentions. Veiko is an intellectual who was forced to fight with the Germans and now wants to live in peace but Ivan does not understand that the war is over; he is still prejudiced by Soviet propaganda and at first attempts to kill Veiko. The fact that Veiko and Ivan become rivals for Anny's affections complicates matters further and creates a complex dynamic between the characters. It appears that Anny's husband went missing at the start of the war and it's clear she is harbouring sexual desires for Veiko, who does not perceive them at first. The character misunderstandings can be very funny at times such as when Anny coyly tells Veiko 'I've not had a man for four years,' who grins inanely and says something like 'yes 1 think the water has boiled

here are two fihns in this new Ealing box set by Alexander McKendrick, Ealing Studios most distinguished director who went on to make such classics as The Ladykillers (recently remade, badly, by the Coen Brothers) and Man in the White Suit and later in Hollywood films such as The Sweet Smell of Success. McKendrick was born in America and raised in Scotland and therefore 'has a foot in two camps,' according to Ealing scholar George Perry in his introduction to The Maggie, 'which is just as well because the fihn is about transatlantic rivalry.' The Maggie of the title is a decrepit riverboat captained by the roguish, drunkard McTaggart, who is commissioned by a rich American Calvin B. Marshal to transport his furniture across the Atlantic after a series of gross misunderstandings. The best Ealing fihns, although light hearted and jovial on the surface, always have the narrative structure of conflict between a disenfranchised, wily underdog and an oppressive authority. This subversive quality is inherited from the social realist British documentaries of the same period and places Ealing comedies a cut above most other representatives of the genre. In The Maggie therefore Marshal's business sense is put up against McTaggart's seafaring instincts.

The Maggie floats peacefully through the picturesque waterways of Scotland so far removed from the cynical business world of Marshal that it is iconic of all things quaintly British and symbolic of the old world values that are fast disappearing. At least this is the stance that Fraser, reporter for the Evening News, takes on the events. Although this all sounds very nostalgically sentimental, the simplistic binary opposition is put in question by the fact that Marshal is a very sympathetic character whose life is slowly being destroyed by a largely indifferent McTaggart. Needless to say as the fihn progresses Marshal, who has decided to accompany McTaggart, begins to gain insights into his world and values and comes to realise that money is not everything. He eventually agrees to throw his precious goods overboard in order to save The Maggie from sinking. Set on the isolated Island of Todday in the Outer Hebrides untouched by world war two, Whisky Galore takes the side of the town's people who plan to smuggle 50,000 crates of whisky off a wrecked ship before it sinks against the express orders of the military establishment. This is McKendrick's first fihn with Ealing and already his subversive tone is clearly evident. These two fihns have now been released for the first time on DVD by Optimum, along with Champagne Charlie set in the Music Halls of Victorian England and It Always rains on a Sunday, a post world war two drama in which an East End housewife harbours an old flame, who is also an escaped convict, in her air raid shelter. Dean Bowman

now.' The Cuckoo is not so much an anti-war fihn, which is how it has been received by most critics, as it is an anti-word fi.hn. It foregrounds the visual by denying the verbal and in doing so reminds us that cinema is a visual art form. At one point Ivan finds a letter that has been washed ashore, it tells him who the informer had been which led to his arrest and Anny tells him that 'the water washed out the words, the water is good.' . Throughout the course of the fihn Veiko and Ivan carefully re-establish something of a truce, even a friendship, in the neutral and isolated

cabin, with the help of Anny as an intermediary. Their relationship is symbolic of the awkward resumption of peace between countries previously at war and the difficulty of cross cultural communication. The final scene is optimistic and portrays the hopefulness of a fresh generation unprejudiced and innocent of conflict. Dean Bowman

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16 Arts

Book Reviews American Dream, Global Nightmare Zlauddin Sardar & Merryl Wyn Davies

o live 'in America is to be beset by fear, anxiety and insecurity, to be surrounded by potential harm, enemies and evil intent," is the pessimistic opening to chapter 1. Books and films critiquing American culture, foreign policy and ideology are popular at the moment. Sardar and Wyn Davies, co-authors of Why Do People Hate America , have taken the opposite approach this time round. They are examining American culture and mythology from the inside. The central argument of the book states that American mythology is the root, means and nature by which America imposes her global dominance. A preface explains the author's conception of the Ten Laws of American Mythology. Furthermore, argue Sardar and Wyn Davies, Hollywood is the factory that produces this mythology in distilled form. Each chapter uses a film to set the premise for examinations of myth, democracy, Imperial expression, celebrity, war and global narrative.

Seventy-Two Virgins Boris Johnson.

BC2's favourite member of the Conservative Party has entered the world of fiction with his debut novel SeventyTwo Virgins. This political thriller, (although farce would be closer to the truth), tells of an Islamic terrorist plot to capture the President of the U.S.A. The title is a reference to what is supposed to await Islamic martyrs in heaven as a reward. Boris Johnson is a man with an inimitable

" HIStory is amoral: events occurred. But memory is moral; what we consCiously remember is what our conscience remembers." - Anne

M!cha.els, from Fugitive Pieces. pen at Kettle 's Yard gallery in Cambridge and running until the 7th November is an innovative new exhibition based on historical memory. All the pieces on display seem to be engaged in a complex dialectic between the past and the present, with a reoccurring theme being that of how our collective memory is mediated by and within contemporary culture. The exhibition hosts an eclectic range of works by thirteen artists in a variety of mediums including painting, posters, comic strips, photographs and film, and yet the works have an impressive thematic cohesion thanks to the curator Emma Fisher.

22.09.04

The book establishes the link between what America's elite consider important and how this effects the resf of the world. And yet, this relationship is somewhat overstated. "America is the lone hyperpower; it is a global presence and a global reality, a determining fact that shapes the life of every person on the planet, whether they understand it or not" This passage, and a number of others, sound like the overblown rhetoric of Bush, Cheney and the Republican gang. Overall, there seems to be a Jack of alternatives offered to the unmitigated right wing world view of America's ruling class. With the Presidential elections winding up over the next 6 weeks the book provides another informative psychological profile of the most powerful nation on earth. But as for how much longer this priveledge will last, the book barely considers.

Theatre Review The Lion in Winter James Goldman

American Dream, Global Nightmare will be published in October by Icon Books Ltd. Hardback Price £14.99 Luke Roberts

style and his voice is stamped all over the novel. When reading, the voice in one's head becomes the shadow minister's, and this continues throughout the novel. It could be argued that this detracts from ever getting involved with any of the characters . But the novel is not designed for great insight into the nature of terrorism. The closest comparison is Robert Rankin's Brentford Trilogy in which the wordcount is devoted to the author having fun. It is clearly a debut novel, as it has the problem of leasing track of its characters, only for them to reappear without much explanation as to why they have been missing. The style is assured and its frequent comic asides into pedantry and the peculiar institution of British parliament keep the reader occupied. Johnson's primary failing is to make these rather more interesting than the plot itself. While not a book likely to enter the canon of great political satire it's certainly a pleasant diversion from the twenty-four hour news.

e Lion in Winter is the first of four house productions at the Maddermarket starring ocal actors and put together entirely by the theatre's production team. It is about the dysfunctional family Christmas of Henry 11 (Peter Sweet) , his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Mel Sessions), their three sons Richard the Lionheart (Trevor Markworth) , Geoffrey (Rob Gibbs) and John Gohn Galea) . Henry's mistress Alais of France (Gemma Morris), who also happens to be affianced to Richard since she was seven, also plays a significant role . The dialogue is contemporary, the set fairly minimal. Curtains have been strung up between the pillars of the Maddermarket's thrust stage. It is from behind these curtains and tapestries that the family spy on one another's constant plotting. The play is an unrelenting examination of power relations. Henry 11 built a greater empire

Seventy- Two Virgins was published by HarperCollins on 6 September. Prices range f4rom £12.99- £17.99

DanMcKee Particularly evident is the influence of film upon our collective memory. One piece by Omer Fast, entitled Spielberg's List and projected on two screens that seem to float in mid air, explore the relationship between real experience and the dramatisation of memory by interviewing Jews who suffered under the Nazis alongside extras who appeared in Spielberg's influential Schindler's List. The disturbing thing about watching the interviews is that you are never quite sure who is who. Reality and fiction have seeped into one another until they are indistinguishable. Similarly Giovanna Maria Casetta's The Death of the Non -blonde Blonde demonstrated the influence of a classic film on our contemporary perceptions of self. Filmed in sepia tinted 8mm to give a poignant sense of nostalgia Casetta recreates the famous scene from Felinni's La Dolce Vita by wading in the fountains in Trafalgar Square. La Dolce Vita was a huge influence on her as she grew up in Italy and Anita Ekberg's glamorous character projected a conception of femininity to a whole generation.

The piece makes an interesting juxtaposition between the original film and its cultural translation into the slightly less romantic setting of London. Another piece that foregrounded the extent to which our memory is dependent upon cinema was Two Impossible Films by Mark Lewis, which prompts us to imagine how our cinematic memories, and indeed the history of the twentieth century, may have been different if the greatest love story ever told, scripted by Freud, or Sergie Eisenstien's adaptation of Das Kapital had ever been filmed as planned. Meanwhile Tacita Dean's elegantly simple Czech Photographs counterbalance the general message of cultural objectification by presenting a box of three hundred photographs through which the viewer is invited to rummage and project their own narrative structure, therefore having a subjective control over the medium and its meaning rather than simply being passive recipients of culture. For more information visit www.kettlesyard.co.uk

than any English kind before him and the family know that it is up for grabs. But Henry and Eleanor have plans of their own and use every trick to manipulate the family their way. Eleanor wants Richard to be king. She also wants the Aquitaine province in Central France back. Henry wants to consolidate the empire he has built, which includes most of France. And he wants John to be king. Meanwhile the young King Philip I! of France, brother to Alais, is ambitious and keen to get back the French lands his father Louis VII lost to Henry. The rapid change in power dynamics and the caustic wit bandied between characters demands attention from the audience. Mel Sessions is a wonderful Eleanor. Her performance stood out, but all parts were played well. Her deep voice, sparkling wit and emotional manipulation is a treat to watch. Essentially, Eleanor is Henry's prisoner and he holds all the aces in the Machiavellian game they are playing with their children. But she plays the wounded, imprisoned mother with a powerful sting in her tale to good effect. The only thing that makes both parents happy is to irritate one another. The dialogue between the Henry and Eleanor is hilarious , but may be found offensive by an older audience.

The Lion in Winter is playing until Saturday, 25th September. See the listings page for forthcoming events at the Maddermarket.

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TV Preview: Rolf On Art The Big Event

BBC ONE, Sun 26th Sept, 7 .OOpm

he X-Factor is classic Saturday night fodder. Hundreds of would be celebs try to prove they posses the elusive special something that Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh are looking for. We all love to see the dreams of young hopefuls squished, or at least severely dented. While Simon Cowell has come to represent the heartless side of the music industry, the harshest criticism of the contestants doesn't come from Simon but from thousands of sofas across the country. After a tough week of lectures, there's nothing more satisfying than pulling your trousers up to your armpits and giving the whole worlds a good dressing down Simon-style.

lf Harris has decided to ttempt a recreation of John Constable's The Hay Wain 1821). He's enlisted the elp of hundreds of amateur artists, including a few famous faces, all working to complete the painting within 24 hours. This may seem a little excessive until it is revealed that the canvas for Roll's Hay Wain will stand 30ft by 20ft. That's similar to the size of a double-decker bus. The climax of the show, and the project, will be shown live from Trafalgar Square on BBC ONE as each of the 144 pieces of the canvas are fitted together to complete the painting. During the programme, as well as the live finale in London, Rolf will explore the life and paintings of Constable. This shall include comments from Constable's family and artists from his native Stour Valley. Rolf

also takes an in-depth look at the Hay Wain individually, as one of the nation's best known paintings and one of the finest examples of Constable's work. The whole show is guaranteed to have a feel good air to it, as not only are we

supporting art in the community just by tuning in, but we're also educating ourselves without even having the leave the comfort of our front-rooms. The Big Event special kicks off a new series of Rolf On Art, where Rolf Harris profiles an artist per week and attempts to replicate their work. The whole show depends on the lovable nature of Rolf, who is obviously in awe of these artists, rather than fancying himself one of their peers. While it is hard to take the aussie seriously at times, the overall enthusiasm Rolf describes each artist with is difficult not to share. For those of us who still remember Rolf's eartoon Club, it is strange to see the same face introducing some of the most renowned artists of all time. Nonetheless, he manages to make each episode's subject accessible to budding art fans of all ages. KateBryant

Soap News: Neighbours Will Susan prove too great a temptation for Tom? Will Libby let Darren back into her life? Grumpy Old Men BBC TWO,Fri, lO.OOpm

e we all have our bad mpered moments, this raggy bunch of whiners ake the cake. Providing actly what it says on the tin, various grumpy old men from Bob Geldof to A.A. Gill take part in sharing all the niggles they experience in life. Admittedly, this doesn't sound appealing but there are few among us who don't feel purged by a good moan. So, rather than alienate yourself from friends and family, simply let the negative voices wash over you and take your angst away. Don't get too carried away however, the stormy outlook of these examples of modern day mature masculinity is worryingly contagious. KateBryant

t seems that since Karl and Susan separated, nothing is sacred. Susan is proving to be a great strain on the faith of Tom, yet this isn't the only thing on Tom's mind. He's discovered that it's Karl who Izzy is keeping her baby secret from and as he is no longer bound by priesthood Tom is rather insistent that she reveal all. Karl seems to have no spine whatsoever when it comes to Izzy, in fact many of us are still wondering why he left Susan in the first place. Anyway, he deserves everything he gets from now on, so no sympathy whatsoever should be afforded. Susan, on the other hand is an entirely different matter. Despite her and Tom's immediate connection with one another, the two seem to be destined to endure more than a little heartache over one another. Things

definitely begin heat up over coming weeks, we're all left ing for as possible. A ending doesn't close at hand at

having a lWHUHUUU:S( timeasLibbyis~.~~---~~~~~~--.-~--~--~~~~~--~--~~ left reeling from Darren's reappearance the one and only Darcy Tyler. Darcy left in her life. Despite keeping him at arms Ramsay Street with his tail between his length, Libby begins to feel their old legs some time ago, but is set to make a flame burning again, against her better return in true panto villain fashion. In judgment. fact, it seems that he's ready to give Izzy Lou is sentenced to gaol, for a minifar more to worry about, as though she mal two year period. As if that wasn't didn't have tons already. bad enough, the loveable Lou discovers KateBryant that he's going to be sharing a cell with

Digital stuff: www.rathergood.com Your one stop shop for animal related vulgar madness his is the best place online for odd animations. Rathergood.com is a fine example of exactly what makes the net great. The freedom it gives means that sites can cruise down the fine line between genius and madness, often belonging to both camps. Unless a site is entirely functional, a little crazy is definitely required and Ratherg ood is entirely functionless (so lots of crazy is e ssential). That is, outside of its own world of nature related hyperactive music videos. If they seem familiar it's because Rathergood animations have been used in a number of adverts, and it's e asy to see why. They may sometimes be dis-

gusting, confusing, even quite alarming but they are all always attention grabbing. Striking in their originality, it's difficult to believe that kittens and pandas could look quite so demonic, guaranteed to make a memorable ad. While the animation itself may seem lazy, it's effective and powerful. Akin to the style of South Park, it's the content rather than the quality that is so very pleasing. The site itself is basically just a catalogue of these lovely little shorts, vaguely official looking with merchandise available. However, this clear-cut categorization clashes massively with the abandon each short seems to revel in. All accompanied by catchy little ditties, the main focus of the site is to provide for

even the shortest of attention spans, with bright colours and movement aplenty. Any casual surfers should be warned that risque is the order of the day for most of the site's offerings. A lot can be forgiven when cute critters are dancing on the screen, but this is not family viewing at the best of times. Even the less obscene offerings, Mark Llama's Helium Gerbil Farm for instance, have a distinct air of the perverse about them. Issues of good taste aside, there are still very few better ways to waste time online. Rathergood is easily worthy of a group mail singing its praises.

KateBryant

22.09.04

18 T he

Met

ay I oger Co rman this morning. I think he has shaved his moustache off for purposes of anonymity but I'm a great admirer of his work and recognised him straight away. Of course I didn't bother him, I respected his privacy and left him alone to continue with life at his own pace. I have a fair knowledge of his work, but I d on't feel this gives me the right to impose myself upon him and run the risk of disturbing his daily routine.

ello, my name is Roger Corman. I developed Time Arts Animation software and Special Effects software packages and served as the Director of Research and Development between 1984- 1985 . I have seventeen years of experience with object-oriented programming and design techniques and am fluent with internet technologies including H'ITP, HTML, XML and J2EE . I am not the independent film producer Roger Corman though I do share his name and I think I saw him on the tube this morning.

This is my story. " I thought I saw Roger Corman on the tube

For all I know Roger Corman might not actually care about my opinion on the many films he has produced over the last forty years, after all it's just mulling over the past and dredging up things which have long since entered into history. Anyway, the point is that I saw Roger Corman and didn't speak to him. I am now feeling quite guilty about not speaking to Roger Corman on the tube this morning. When I think back carefully, I remember he looked quite lonely and perhaps I could have cheered him up a little. Sometimes all it takes to brighten someone's life is to say hello to them or just smile, but I was too sensitive, worried I might upset or anger him so I just returned my gaze to the pair of shoes I was wearing at the time.

â&#x20AC;˘

22.09.04

Perhaps Roger Corman was playing some form of bizarre mind game with me on the tube this morning. Perhaps he was purposefully avoiding my gaze in order to maintain some sort of assumed authority over me, playing on his status as a well known celebrity by pretending he could remain totally anonymous on a dangerously overcrowded commuter train. In many ways I think he might have been trying to humiliate me in front of the other people on that tube. 'll get that Roger Corman. I'll teach him to sneer at a decent, hard working person like me on public transport. Who does he think he is for goodness sake? He hasn't done anything of note for about a decade, in fact I would imagine I was the only person on the damn train who recog~ nised him, so his foolish game was a non starter as it was predicated entirely upon everyone else knowing who he was and recognising the fact he was purposefully ignoring me. Roger Corman is a washed up old hasbee n , I can't think of four people who know who he is . What about you? the person reading this, do you know who Roger Corman is? Have you ever seen a film pro-

duced by this so-called famous man? I would imagine less than 2% of everyone who will read this has any idea at all who he is. Would you recognise Roger Corman if he walked into the room now holding a big stack of films which he produced himself? Probably not. If I ever have the misfortune to see Roger

Corman again, anywhere, even at a funeral, I am going to stride purposefully over to him and give him a slice of my mind. I'm going to remind him of the day we shared a tube carriage and how I witnessed the true arrogance of a shallow, pitiable man who felt he remains sufficiently important in the modern world to ostentatiously ignore one of his most loyal supporters in an attempt to prove he was still famous . At this point Ro ger Corman will bow his head in shame and apologise. and that my friends, is justice in it's purest form.

Send Creative Writing contributions to: concrete.eventeditorail @uea .ac .uk

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Music Listings

Norfolk and Norwich

LCR

1lrU Jlcouatic present• Mooncoin

05/10/04

MilleJUlium Library

Internal Mfat.n 1

R&z.cn-Ug t 29/09/04

Fb/k music influenced by the acoustic traditions of eastern Europe.

27/09/04-28/09/04 Tightly scripted Hong Kong thriller.

tu tbe ltoc:kbroker Sunday 26 September, 2.30· 5pm

Good old-fashioned rock 'n 'ro/1 from one of the hottest bands of the summer.

Ferryboat

Harry PotteJ' and t Prtloner of ~AD 25/09/04 Just in case you missed it ...

Alii/a describes himself as a "sharp-tongued, high energy, social surrealist rebel poet and songwriter. His themes are topical, his words hard-hitting, his politics unashamedly radical.

Ring 01603 774789 or call in to the Children's Library to fill in a booking form or email sara.wingategray@cae.norfolk.gov. uk

WATERFRONT 'fruhUght Vialo 23/09/04

VolcaBO, I'm StW Excited! + Evader+ The

+ 4ft Fmgen + On•low

Trashlight Vision, featuring ex-Murderdo/Js member Acey S/ade, headline a blistering punk-metal line- up.

house

The Libertines' Pete Doherty takes his compe/Jingly chaotic new band on the road.

St. Georges Street 01603 612580

.Also Out Now

Super Size Me page 14) Collateral pag 14) Bellboy (see page 14) Open Water AeFondKt.. Cinderella Story .1\nchorman Code 46 Dodgeball Ga.rfleld I, Robot

7bp notch new bands at the Ferryboat.

Marquee/Shirehall Babyshunhles 26/09/04

NorwichP

Cap~

22/09/04

Grapes of llock 29/09/04 A head-banging night out with the Marquee's mix of stoner, rock 'n' ro/1 and grunge.

UD\

28/09/04

Theatre/Comecly' Cambridge Footlights presents: Beyondafo Wednesday 22 September, 8pm There are peculiar goings- on in a remote, hillside town. A Chilling nmosaic of skectches depicts masked figures appearing outside bedroom windows, treasured possessions going missing and strange footprints in the snow.

Unto Film Society

ar U

American punks bring their irresistible angstpop to Norfolk.

Dn.9oJdorc 05/10/04 Powermetal as it should be played: fast, con-

Jazz

Arts Centr .uet e

frontational and very, very loud.

pet

Mortiis are part conceptual art, part Norwegian gothic surrealism. With guitars.

¥are at 23/09/04

Saturday 25 September, 2.30pm

25/09/04 As part of the Fringe festival, this is an evening of rock

Mic

rkz

29/09/04

'Theatre Street 01603 630000

Not-to-be-missed show from the funk orchestra.

o....,.....,.... 30/09/04

Monday 20 - Saturday 25 September

Groovy Sacramento rockers bring their soulful sound to Norwich.

]erome Flynn stars as 7bmmy Cooper, one of Britain's most loved clowns and purveyors of simple, effective homour.

If tri 02/10/04

COJ Wednesday 29 September mNJtJ)

Britain's flagship dance ensemble performs a mixed bi/1, including the English preniere of Songs of a Wayfarer by Kim Brandstrup, Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan and A Tragedy of Fashion.

City at

St Georges Street - See www.cinemacity.co.uk for details

e PI yhou•e

ark Ct.w pl'Heats Pot.oa ta the Powder

Room: Book«+ f'i ral + DJ'...

As she had no bed to lie on, but was made to lie by the hearth among the ashes, coupled with her dusty, dirty appearance, naturally the name of 'Ashputtal' stuck.

Dog-yi)U 01/10/04 Experimental film by lars Von trier, which provides a critical attack on violence in American culture.

eatr

•

Spring, SlUIUIIer, Aatuma, Summer••: and Sprbi:g 24/09/04 Sumptuous Korean film charting the four stages of a monk's life on a floating monastry. f4Qastn 30/09/04 Emotionally powerful portrait of a female serial killer with an impressive performance by Charlize Theron.

Matherson 's solo career has seen her winsome Gaelic melodies charm audiences nationwide.

St. James Street 01603 629921

Se 1 of 23/09/04 Richard Linklater's attempt at genre filnunaking staring the irrepressable Frank Black.

Wimbl don 24/09/04 'The latest romantic Brit-flic. The PuJalsher 24/09/04 A dark Marvel Comic adaptation.

n..LoYely 01/10/04 The musical biography of Cole Porter. Mambo lta!Wao 01/10/04 An Italian comedy.

2004: Morti • +

Richard Shelkton joins forces with saxophonist Pete Long, vocalist Louise Rutkowski and Geoff Eales on piano. A strong cabaret line-up includes Emma B/ake, Ro/and Perrin, the Simon Brown Trio, the John Leslie Quartet and cabaret legend Earl Okin.

Truam& Wicker Park

03/10/04

Dubbed the UK's hottest flamenco company, Alma return to the playhouse after a se/l-out visit last year with a new production conveying the elemental fire, artistry and ski// of flamenco.

o8r r Jrre Sunday 3 October, 7pm

BouzneSupre~c:y

The Terminal TheVWage

Released this Wee

Britpop is back, and it's ea/led the Ordinary Boys. 1bp tunes with a p/easanUy familiar aura.

Saturday 2 October, 7.30pm

<•••

All films screening in LTl at 7 .30pm

ryBoJ•

Ord

30/09/04

I D Alma Flamenco Dance Company presents:

EYeablg of J .zz &ad C

Film Listings

This British rock band has achieved longevity with over a dozen anthemic albums under their belt.

<•••

Norwich's finest, the Neutrinos, celebrate the release of their long-awaited debut album.

04/10/04 Experimental Canadian indie band who say that music is their boyfriend.

cyc:J

•

24/09/04-30/09/04 Biopic of the formative years of Iconic revolutionary Che Guevara.

If 24/09/04-30/09/04(except 25/09/04) British period comedy examining sexual politics and cross dressing in the Elizabethan theatres.

Sky Cap lain and th Wo.rld of Tomorrow 01110/04 A quirky Sci-fi adventure.

Moved ·nto a student house with an awful bed? oo a ese ...

... S •

Double divan 1 bed &Mattress 1 only 159.95 1 .J

Mattresses only supplied phone •or pop in for detai ls 13 Earlham House Shopping centre Earlham Road Norwich Norfolk NR2 3PD Telphonef Fax: 01603 456964 www.norfolka2z.co.ukfmundys.htm