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Why I Chose this Outfit : To cover my naked body. Describe your Style: A plethora of old stuff much influenced by my gra ndpa's hand-me-downs. Favourite Shop/Label: A wonderful place calle d Value Village over in Canada. Favourite Designer: Jean Paul Gaultier. Favourite Wardrobe Item : A claw on a chain from a bear that my godfather hunted. What Fashion Means to Me: Showing someone that you're not just a git reliant upon your mother 's interests.

Slim Bleach Wash Jeans £30.00, ASOS Black Leather Look Bomber £60.00, Topman VETOS Lace boot in Black Leather £74.99, Office

fashion The [leclro Singer Rhys Calder mirrors Calvin Harris with his choice of a relaxed grey hoody. This style also has playful elements of

colour, such as the orange block on the bag strap and the cool blue of the tee. This look implies comfort but also shows a tendencey for a bit of raving on the side, as well as being up for a laugh . Just like the music style, electro fashion steals from several genres; expect to see the old-school Adidas trackies and polo shirts of Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys alongside the neons and flashy accessories of dance icons like David Guetta .

Name: Rhys Calder Age: 19 Course: International Relations and Modern History Three Words to Sum Up my Style: Bright, Casual, Cheeky

03nov09

issue234

The Gui~ar Rocker

The Relro tro

With Daniel Banks, we see an edgy-rocker image which resembles singer Brandon

With the Rocker and the Electra singer in tow, I present you with the Retro former frontman . Our very own James

Flowers. The aim ofthe rockstar uniform is to look like you haven't tried; dark jeans, plain t-shirt and black jacket creating the sense of a combination made from the clothes picked up off a bedroom floor. However, it's the details which prove that there is some "trying" going on. Note the monochrome effect, even down to the black an\::l white shoes. The seaming and the cut of Dan's jacket enhance and confirm the laid back image.

Name: Daniel Banks Age:19 Course: International Relations and Modern History Three Words to Sum Up my Style: Dirty, Urban, Dark

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As one half of the world's most stylish couple, David Beckham probably fills more column inches nowadays on the subject of his style rather than his right foot... As a brand, he is a powerhouse. Men want to be him; women want the men in their lives to emulate him. His sex sells. What man didn't want some Armani underwear after seeing his ... boxers ... in those advertisements? Beckham's fashion has

certainly come a long way. Looking at his style now, it is hard to imagine the boyish scruff he sported as a fledgling footballer. Some cite the immaculate Victoria as his fashion Beckham dictator. However, since the archetypal metrosexual is often photographed at his wife's side gazing at the couture slinking up the runways of Milan, David has become a style icon路 in his own right. He epitomises the modern male; making haute couture daywear and pristine grooming not only acceptable for the

MFckenzie displays a similar viptage mix and match style to that of Jarvis Cocker, singer and guitarist of Pulp. This look is completely individual showing an array of colour, pattern and texture. Double-breasted jackets, stripey jerseys, oversized shirts and slim-line trousers all pieced together signify a retro frontman. Jarvis Cocker created a signature statement with his glasses apd here James' individual element is his hat.

Name: James Mackenzie Age:18 Course: Philosophy Three Words to Sum Up my Style: Unique, Clean, Colour 路

average lad down the pub on a Sunday afternoon but a must for any self-respecting Premiership wannabe. He even made it appropriate for men to wear sarongs after being pictured wearing a long black number on holiday in 1998. Beckham chooses simple, tailored pieces in muted tones. He often lets his tattoos do the talking along with his sculpted jaw, designer stubble, effervescent smile, and, of course, the athletic body that wins both-on and off the field. Hannah Britt

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Norwich Castle & th e pi ct ure of British art A new exhibition at the Norwich Castle M useum is showing a variety of works which claim to be examples of great British art. There are a range of pieces, from oil paintings to scu lptures which comment upon war, the Roya l Family and the transformation of Britain from a rural to an urban economy. Many of the artists involved have also dealt with the concept of national identity, an extremely contentious political issue at the moment. The diverse nature of t his exhibition shows that the concept of what is 'British' is really open to interpretation. There is a long established tradition in Britain wh ich sees artists acting as soc ial commentators. This is ce rtain ly clea r from some of t he works in the gal lery. Tracey Emin's co ll age focuses on her opinion of the Falk lands War, whilst other artists concent rate d on images of the First Worl d War. One of the most striking pieces in the exhibition is a montage of different items which had littered the st reets of London t hat the artist, Tony Cragg, has made into th e sha pe of the Briti sh Isles. The exhibition is on until Sunday lOth January, so there's plenty of time to get down there and have a look around. lt co sts £2.70 to get in usually, but if you go an hour before closing, around 3.30pm you can get in for just £1. Rach el Handforth & AI ice Brunt

Brigid Marriott finds London still swinging

Going to London soon' If so, don't miss the new exhibition cu rrent ly showing at t he National Portrai t Ga ll ery, Beatles to Bowie; The 60s Exposed. The photographs and wide range of pop memorabilia on display trace the rise and rise of t he rock star, starting from standard pub licity sho ts of the American inspi red rockabilly artists like Billy Fury and The Shadows in the early 60s and moving through to the home grown psychedelia of The Kinks, Pink Floyd and The Rol ling Stones in works by top pho tographers such as David Bailey and Cecil Beaton later in the decade. The pieces in Beatles to Bowie reflect the transfo rmation of the social and cu ltural landscape of t he 60s and its influence; sk irts get shorter and hair gets longer and sometimes there aren ' t any clothes at all. it's interesting to spot the little glint in the eyes of people of a certain age, thi nking 'I was there', but the exhibition ticket comes with a map of 'Swinging London' so you could be there too . Ten minutes on the Tube and you 're mincing down the Kings Road in a pair of Chelsea boots and a kahan , ju st like Jagger. If you weren't planning on going to London , then maybe you should.

Hannah Speed ponders the powe r of t he Plinth As so me of yo u may have inadvert ently w and ered pas t or intentional ly soug ht out this summer, Trafa lgar Square was transfo rmed from not just a place where pigeons and tou rists dwell but into a living work of art. Antony Go rm ley, th e sc ulptor who gave us t he Angel of the North, claimed the famous fou rth plinth for 100 days only to give it back to t he public, in what has been cal led 'a celeb ratio n of democ racy'. 2,400 rand omly se lected app licants w ere eac h given an hour between t he 6th July to 14th October; crea ti ng a non-stop exhi biti on ru nning whatever t he weat her, w hatever t he ti me, w hatever th e con tent. The plinth was covere d daily by Sky Arts wh ich show ed t he high lig hts of the previo us 24 ho urs and for th ose av id followe rs, the website, oneandother.co.uk reco rd ed every moment. Plinthers provided an ec lecti c m ix of exhi bitio ns; several performed, many made socio-po litical sta tements, others taught, various raised money fo r charity, so me built, and the occasio nal cleaned . A hopefu l sign for upcomi ng gradu ates: an unemployed student displayed a blown up copy of their CV whilst waving a plaque pleadi.ng, 'Give me a Job', to which their aims were successful. In the art world , contentions arose to whet her the pl inth could be classed as art or if it was merely a highbrow attem pt at rea li ty TV. For Gorm ley t he proj ect was to ask th e qu esti ons: 'Wh o can be represented in art?', ' How can we make it7' ar1d 'How can we experience iP'. He allowed the individual to interpret what they wanted from the pl inth and exercise the freedoms so many of us take for granted. One and Other will be remembered for reinforcing civil liberty and pushing the constraints of definition, but mo re important ly, it wi ll be re membered by t hose lucky enough to expe rience it. • I

* Beatles to Bowi e; The 60s Exposed lS October 2009-24 January 2010 * Full Price £11, Students £9, Art Fund members 50% discount * National Portrait Gallery, nearest Tube Leicester Square/ Cha ri ng Cross

T tt L\TI~[ > l)I~[VI[\V > L[[ l l ,\ LL ;\NI> nl [ Prr~ tt]\ P, \ I~TIJ~s Lee Hall, t he man behind Billy Elliot, has written a new play that critics predict will do for the North East mining community what Calendar Girls did for t he Wl. The Pitmen Painters has all the ingred ients of a stage hit with its warm story of a group of working class men, showing that their background is no barrier to becoming big names in the art world. Hall was insp ired by t he story of a group of m ine rs from Ashington who became top avant-garde artists, aher reading abou t them while browsing in a bookshop. The pitmen were members of t he Workers Edu catio nal Associatio n, and hire d a professor in 1934 to teach an art apprec iation class. Theory was quickly abandoned in favour of practice, and within a few years t hey had become fr iends with ot her avan t-garde artists. Their work soon became highly sought after, but they still went down the mines eve ry day. lt plays w ith th e audi ence's emoti ons, whi ch is a feature of Hall's work. He says, 'I th ink al l t he plays I wri te are a mixture of happy, sad and op ti m istic so it is ve ry much a broad ch urch, and I th ink that invites peo pl e into th e wh ole dramatic exp eri ence.' An other feature of hi s w ork is a di scu ssion on class. About Th e Pitmen Painters, he sa id , ' lt [c lass] is so methin g I write about a lot . Wh at interested me is th at th ey were not planning to j oin a

group and learn to paint. They wanted to learn about art. lt is not a play about technique- it is a play about meanings.' The story is engaging an d perfectly comb ines a to ugh message with gentle wit and humour. The play is not too heavy, choosing to de liver its lifestyle and political messages very lightly. Hall's pass ion for the play is ill ustrated as he expla ins that he rejected some big bucks projects to press ahead with The Pitmen Painters. "I had to turn down some big Ho llywood projects to do this, including working with Jerry Bruckheimer (o f Pirates of the Caribbean fame). Because of the way it has spira ll ed, it has totally validated that hunch. lt does feel a very perso nal thing." So will aud iences outside the North East mining communities, w ho may not be ab le to identify w ith life at t he coal face, enjoy it? Hall responds with an emphatic yes. Norfolk's landscapes and industries may be diffe rent- but lifestyles and passions are ohen the same . Al ice Brunt * Tue sday lOth November- Saturday 14th November at 7.30pm * Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm * Captioned Performance on Friday 13th November at 7.30pm * Free post-show talk after performance on Wednesday 11th November

* Ticket s f rom £5 -£20.SO * Box Offi ce 01603 630000 * www.th eatreroyalnorwich .co .uk

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LIT[RATUR[> Rrnr\V> U[A CR£ATM W RITING ANTHOLOGY

THL\T~ [ > p~[\'l [f ' > ~li NOI\l ' l~ SHORTS

Nine new plays will be showcased at the Minotaur Theatre Company's an nua l original writing festival Shorts, at the UEA Studio this month. as war, abuse, love and family, and tackles Each year the festival displays a handful of bite-sized them in a personal way. Again, a poet with plays written, directeo and performed by members of the capacity to create a strong image in the the company. Once again there is a brilliantly quirky reader's min d, she writes her memories in a selection on offer, with a diverse mix of productions way in which anyone can relate to, 'such as including two quarrelling old women (Bunk by 'placing Cheerios on your tongue'. In Jennifer Joe Wright}, a dysfunctional commedia deii'Arte Wong's poems, there is a similar conjuring troupe (La Troupe Ragu by Shey Hargreaves}, and even of nostalgia, with great lines such as 'where a hard-hitting look at the Baby P scandal (Savage by you keep a clean wardrobe of smart suits Alex Stuart). and half-hearted promises'. Samuel Zifchak Eleanor Scarfe, the writer and director of Vamoose has a unique style and yet uses a variety of · billed as a "light-hearted romp through the forest" · ways to write, showing an interest in the said: 'I'm finding it challenging but exciting. I can't wait methodology of writing in a poem where the to see it, I love my cast. I'm really looking forward to simplicity draws attention to the images of seeing the other Shorts, they sound really interesting!' 'the bitter English sun' shi ning on his lover's Natalie Lester, who will play loudmouth Cassie in skin . lt is always positive supporting new Roberta Morris' Bucket, added 'I always look forward to writers, poetry and the university, so buying the Shorts . Roberta has written a brilliant play and I'm a copy would be beneficial to so many and is real ly enjoying it.' wel l worth a read. Shaun Kitchener Shorts runs from the 4th-6th November at 7.30 at Carmina Masoliver-Marlow the UEA Drama Studio. Tickets are £5 and £3.50. Reservations can be made on 01603 592272

In t he first of our looks at UEA's writing ta lent, The Event presents the poets

lE\ University of East Anglia

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Eight Poets

2009

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Foreword by Lavinia Greenlaw and George Szirtes

Expectations are high when handed a book of just eight poets in this year's Creative Writing Anthology. The first is Chris Astwood. When reading through his section, one can become impatient and lose concentration . That is, until the last poem. Fever June is filled with emotion captured in great lines such as 'on my flesh I scratch away insomnia, on yours, inscribe the shadows.' This poet begins the precedent for the rest of the anthology. At times there are spells of impatience when reading, however, not wanting to dwell on the poets that can be found dull, this article will focus on the best of the bunch. Krysta lli Glyniadakis' first poem grabs the reader's attention, expressing the pain of time and space through the imagery of two planes passing. All her poems are strong, making use of rhythm, repetition, and internal rhyme, and subverting expectations in the da rk humour of her last poem . Marisa Silva-Dunbar writes of issues such

Co~t[DY> NAM[ ro DROP> SIMON AMSI[LL

Comedian Simon Amstell, known for his sardonic wit as host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, is bringing his new stand-up show to Norwich's Theatre Royal on 7th November 2009. However, don't come expecting the laugh-out-loud put downs that Amstell became renowned for during his Buzzcocks years. Critics have instead praised his live show for its deep and introspective nature, the Guardian approving of this 'cerebral comedy backed up by a newfound depth of feeling'. While insulting celebrities may have earned him accolades later on, Amstell's sharp tongue lost him his first presenting job · he was fired from Nickelodeon in 1998 for being 'mean to children'. Not surprising considering this is the same man who infamously made Britney Spears cry. He went on to present Popworld with Miquita Oliver for six years, practising his peculiar mix of charm and sarcasm on the vast array of manufactured bands and pretentious guitarists of the early noughties. Taking over from Mark Lamarr as the host of Buzzcocks, the satirical music panel show, in 2006, Amstell continued the show's mocking of popular music, bringing down his reign of terror upon guests from Amy Winehouse to Kenzie from Blazing Squad. His resignation from the show, announced earlier this year, was met with dismay by fans. However, his stand-up performances at the past two Carling Festivals and his sold-out show at this year's Edinburgh Fringe have only served to increase

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anticipation for what promises to be an exceptional and thought-provoking piece of comedic work. Susanna Wood

Under 25's:

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There is no such thing as natural beauty,

Her skin is purely white

She put on those white shoes and was condemned forever to dance. For they belonged to a cripple but she had lusted for them, those delicate snowy ballerina pumps. Eventually he found her and together, the pair made their way around the world, in a world of their own.

But looking good is just a woman's duty, So pile high the powder and plaster on a smile, 'Cause honey, looking ugly is never gonna be in style. With body hair you look a state, So pluck, shave, wax and epilate! To hear him say your place or mine? You ' ll need to get that salon perfect shine, So shampoo, blow dry and straighten everyday And say goodbye to fly-aways! Sit ups, and daily tnps to the gym Are good to help you keep so slim. Count calories in salads and other fun food

R<Jys of sliver reflec ti ng off Her freck les are her own form of identification Making her unique to the rest of the world. Her hair is shimmering red Catching the sunlight as it swings around her neck. This is beauty, Her laugh, so Infectious Her sm ile, so enchanting Her be ing, so cap ti vating

On the droplets that dangled perilously on jungle leaves. On tightropes between skyscrapers of the millennium 's neon cities. In between raindrops falling from a velvety sky. On the wings of ravens in northern skies. In the arms of the desert wind in the Saha ra.

Just so you don't break down at you r reflection in the nude. Buy pretty clothes and accessories for men to give compliments Just so they can find a way into your pants! With an implant here and a nip-tuck there, You'll be happy to prance around in just your underwear!

Th is is bea ut y. A wo man now, 18 Rea dy to move out into the world Everything at her finge rtips Ready to be touched And turned into gold . This is beauty.

He follows her, limping with his crooked walking stick and a sma ll rusty lantern in his left hand. His raggedy cloak and stained hat form such a contrast to her fragile tutu and agile smile. Whether on tippytoes or with grand leaps into the air, the quaint pair wander through the dreams of dancers, ever ready to inspire but also to warn.

Carmin a Masoliver

She is beauty. Hannah Griffin

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So here I am sat watching children run along golden sand chasing dogs trai ling kites throwing balls up diving to catch them before they drop warm sandwiches and half-eaten packets of crisps lie by sun -tickled feet me lodic bl ue of the sky and sea that seems to shimmer from here

Nobody knows anymore what their relationship is, this bit of knowledge lost in time . Si bl ings-:> Lovers? Strangers? They say he was a shoemake r but then who

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was she? And why do they dance till it makes your heart ache so' In a jerky clockwork fashion he stumbles but elegantly while she caresses his movements without ever quite touching him.

a rustling a need to escape tugging against its bonds as autumn fades hopeful yet sad the heights of summer glory

And so some people say that she stole his shoes, whether sister or customer or lover she once was. Others say he loved her and enchanted the shoes to trap her. But I think the story is simpler t han that really. I'd tell you but I can't take my eyes off them.

the compost of next years crops a new return

Ye e Tan

I hea r foo t steps and t urn to see yo u wa lking with your shoulde rs slumped and

Tom Goldsmith

su dden ly t hi s just disap pears

.. Robert Van Egghen

Next issue's theme:

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03noY09

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This week, Will Donovan interviews Rich Fulcher about his new book, swearing at mustard and what's next for the Mighty Boosh. Rich Fulcher does not disappoint. The anarchic comedian who created much loved Mighty Boosh characters Bob Fossil and The Ape of Death is just as hilarious in real life as on screen or stage. During our interview, in a quiet but occupied coffee shop, he nonchalantly swears at inanimate objects, sings the queen's disappearance theme tune and sexually assaults his own book, Tiny Acts of Rebellion, while remaining one of the nicest stars you could hope to meet. Before his first ever book signing at Borders in Norwich, Rich spoke to The Event about rebelling against your friends, The Mighty Boosh and how to topple the monarchy. You're known on your TV work for doing a lot of shouting and bizarre characters. Is it weird to go from that style to sitting down and writing? Well, on Snuff Box I don't shout that much, I'm almost the opposite. But I shout when I'm writing, "I am writing!" lt is kind of strange to write and not perform but because you can actually do these Tiny Acts, I like to go out into the street and do them and then write about them. So you have actually done most of these? Except for maybe one or two. it's about my life! it's hard to write them in a room, it's better to go out and do them, say I'm in a coffee shop and I think "I could spit in the syrup!" No, wait, that's not a good Tiny Act. These aren't criminal activities; these are subtle, creative ways to rebel against society, your friends and things like that. So it's a bit like the voice in the back of your head telling you exactly what you can't do? The thing that I find from talking to people is that everybody has that voice. My book is trying to make that voice louder. Cos some people have lost that voice . ... Can I say that? Edgar Alien Poe

said there's an imp in all of us, and I think that's true; it depends on what imp you've got. What imp do you have? That's at-shirt right there. This week you flipped off Big Ben as a Tiny Act The one day that it rained, that was when we did it. Liberal estimates are we had 100, but if it had been just a little bit nicer we could've had 3-500. We were rebelling against the weather as well. But the video footage looks good, it'll be good to compare to the LA footage. What did you flip off in LA? A blade of grass, a baby, the Hollywood sign, erm, did I say a baby? I was in an astronaut hat. A lot of people think I'm angry with LA, but I'm not, I'm just flipping off a lot of stuff. I could be flipping you off under the table right now. [to our photographer] What a dick! Is there anything in Norwich you've flipped off? The mustard shop. Is this the mustard capital of the world? This is what poppies are to Afghanistan. Why is it yellow anyway? Doesn't it come from green leaves? Actually, I bought some mustard, I figured I had to. To swear at in your own time? Yeah [laughs]. See, I do things which aren't good for me, that's the problem . So have any of these Acts landed you in trouble? There's one where you get a universal remote, you use it when there's a game on and switch the channel. Depending on the crowd, you could get in a little bit of trouble if you're caught. Were you caught? I ran away. But people found out later, so you don't just want to waltz in there like "hey guys! No hard feelings?" That's why I have ratings in

the book one to four, four being most difficult. What new projects for TV are you working on? I did some interviews as Eleanor, where the whole point is to disturb the members of the group, so that they're sexually confused, a few of them really go with it. I'm hoping to do some more stuff with that, maybe more for MTV2 or live stuff. Right now there's all this potential stuff for the Boosh, but I've learnt that the best thing for us is to go off and do our own stuff then when we come back together we're all fresh and dainty. Are there any plans for the Boosh? The answer to that is no~e of your business. No, there are all these things potentially but I don't really know what order, there could be a movie or a tour or a fourth series. So it's all going to happen, it's just a matter of the right times. I know there's been some talk that people are very hard to get hold of, is it hard to get everyone back together to work on stuff? it is, but we need some sort of signal, like the Bat symbol to get us all back together. I think that's the next big project, forget the movie, it's the signal to get together. Do you have a man-crush on Noel Fielding? Who doesn't? I have a man crush on everybody on the show. I have a man crush on this table. I have a man crush on my nasal hairs. No, of course you get really close, you do a scene, you just want to .. No. [to our photographer] Do you have a man-crush? She's a girl. Oh right, a girl-man-crush? You're going to lead the story with "Rich has man crush on Noel!"

The Acts all seem to be little annoyances about everyday things, Which could be seen as a British trait. As an American who's lived here a long time have you thought this? I think it's universal 1 but I think it plays really well here as there's so much throughout a day which you want to rebel against because there's a lot of stuff you can't do anything about. Like being on the tube, being crushed. So why not, when the tube's empty, sit right next to somebody and go "Hi! How' re you? Do you like daisies?" and get a reaction from that. I think it is very British. Do you think people here are more scared of social acts of rebellion? I think so; rebellion's more rife here in terms of little things like that. I can't explain it, maybe because of the monarchy. So if we do enough of these, the Queen will just have to leave? Yeah, the Queen Will just evaporate if we do enough of them. I think we have to do 73 a day for 10 years then she just [starts singing aaah]. Do you have a personal favourite Act of Rebellion? We filmed some of them, they're up on the website at www.tinyactsofrebellion .com which I really like. I like this one, you're at Boots or something and you'll buy a toothbrush and she says that'll be ÂŁ3, she gives you the change, you say thanks and walk away. Then you come back and say "oh excuse me, I just farted". it's a great reaction to get bell:ause you volunteer that you farted, but also delayed after you got away with it. And by the way I did just fart. Rich Fulcher's debut book Tiny Acts of Rebellion is out now. Series 1-2 of Snuff Box and 1-3 of The Mighty Boosh are i!vailable on DVD.

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GoiNG Our ArrfR DARK The Event offers a post-Halloween review of the post-modern figures of horror TV.

Drxn~1~ You're probably putting away your masks and pumpkins and bidding farewell to Halloween for another year, but that doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to good horror TV. If you haven ' t seen Dexter yet, it's we ll worth a watch. The show follows a serial killer who works for the forensic department of th e po lice in Miami (murder capital of the US) but the horror element isn't the fact that th e anti -

~TrÂ Buffy fans are of a dedicated sort and many may object to the show being featured in a Hallowee n spec ial, crying: " But it's all about the romance, the drama, the comedy, not the horror! " But while this is all well and good,

- Gentlemen descend upon ever sleepy Sunnydale, they steal the voices of the whole town, rendering the inhabitants unable to speak. These smiling demons, closely followed by their fumb lin g grunt s, sta lk t he town at night in sea rch of fresh hea rt s to remove from their silenced owners. And while usually the prophetic-laden Buffy monsters are laughably sca rele ss, The Gent lemen are genuinely unsettling; their calm and controlled exterior jarring with their sadistic motivations. And stil l the lack of speec h is also used

undeniably there are time s when the horror th eme shines through and thi s is never more true than in the epi sode Hu sh. When the ghast ly - but odd ly graceful

effectively for comic and romantic purposes as Buffy 's inner ci rcl e, th e 'Scooby-Gang', haplessly try to communicate without words. Who cou ld forget, for examp le, Anya's non -

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Cl AllM[D When you think about Charmed, your first thought may not be horror (and if it is, not fo r the right reasons). In fact, with its camp storylin es and Sex And The City style 's iste rhood ' protagonist group, many have been quick to dismiss it altogether. The show may have its cringeworthy moments, but if Halloween isn't the time for something fun, when is? In fact, the show encompasses all of the

Amidst the sounds of clas sic metal and rock music, come the screeching tire s and clas sy features of Supernatural's '67 Chevy lmpala, and dragging along behind it all the thrill s and chills one has the right to ex pect at this time of year. This horror-fanta sy se ri es is one of the most popular of its kind and anyone can see why wh en sitt ing down to watch two brothers -

more importantly, very fine -looking brothers - fight and de st roy evil in order t o try and find th eir mis sing father. Each episode is like a mini horror-movie, eliciting some viewers to hide behind cushions, and all who watch to get sucked into their world. The dialogue is witty and clever, and what's more, ge nuin ely funny, which is unusual in itself in an often far too po-faced genre . Whereas with horror ca non like Buffy, th e average viewer can get no stalgic and tr eat it with almost childish pleasure, Supernatural is the big daddy; th e creatures are evil truly terrifying; addicts wi ll

hero is a seria l killer, the horror actually li es in the constant fear that he's going to get caug ht. Of course the violence of the murders are at times frightening, and that's before taking into accou nt the other killers that play their part in each series. Season One has The Ice Truck Killer, who becomes a bigger mystery than his murders. Season Two has the sexy psycho Lila and th e ever looming threat that Dexter aka The Bay Harbour Butche r will get uncovered. Season Three gives us two se ri al killers; The Tree Top ~ki nner, and a man who doesn't put much trust in the law, even though

he is a big part of the enforcement of it. Season Four is out now in the US and looks just as exciting and fri ghteni ng as the previous series . John Lithgow is the newest threat and an old character return s for a personal mission to catch Trinity, the man who kills women in threes. Dexter's double life proves ever harder as he now has a baby and therefore more activities than body disposa l to keep him up at night, so the big question in the next season is: can he have it all, and can he keep it? Mich a Butler

verba l, but graphic, offer of sex to Xande r' Indeed, this episode reflects beautiful ly the mixing of genres that Buffy handles so skilfu lly. The su pernatural element of the show ac tu ally operates mo stly metaphorica ll y, exposi ng ce rtain aspects of grow ing up. And the highs and lows of the Scooby Gang, whose lives we fall so easily in love with , are only secondarily comp licated by the evil vampires and demons. So whilst the show may be ca lled Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it 's important not to forget: a fantasy show is for life, not just for Halloween! Nicola Pearson and Josh Weath erill

things we associate with this time of year: witche s, monsters and magic, as well as the occasional misguided cos tume choice. Like an y fantasy show, the ob ligitory Hal lowee n episode highlights all of these factors in the fun way we've come to expect from the Ha lliwell sisters, providing an escape more serious sho ws may not be inclined to offer.

Halloween celebrations before th ey are sent back to a time when the day had a completely different mea ning. Apple bobbing, masks and broomsticks, as well as a fair amount of deceit and secret identities thrown in, pushes the show along to a conclusion that includes Phoebe flying throu gh the sky in traditional pointed hat and cape. The show can be scary.

In th e episode 'All Halliwell 's Eve', from the show's third season, we see the sist ers se nt back to the 17th ce ntury in order to save th eir ancestor from being turned evil, re affirming some key stereotypes along the way. The episode begins with the girls preparing for their

With frequent trips to the underworld an d demons chasing their tales, the world of Charmed is a dange rou s one; but who said we cou ldn 't enjoy iP

remember ' The Hookman ' episode in Series One for this. For tho se not in the know, picture a de ad gir l lyin g in a bed , a college roomm ate waking up, seeing thi s and th en seeing nine words written in blood on the wall- "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" Shudder. So if you find this year's horror movies a sore disappointment Supernatural is always an en tertaining , spooky and highly chilling watch ... with a fri end , naturally, and maybe don't turn on the lights. Ju st in case. Sophie Morgan

Caro li ne Preece

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PRIMITIM[ - Ill[ IlliCK Or IT Last week sadly saw the last episode in the excellent sixth series of Peep Show. But whilst you mourn the loss of Jeremy and Mark for another year or so, let The Event recommend a suitable replacement: BBC's The Thick of it. With with Peep Show eo-creator Jesse Armstrong on the show's writing team it could well become your new comedy fix.

The Thick Of it is the brainchild of writer and Alan Partridge genius Armando lannucci and follows the day-to-day activity of the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship (DoSAC). The first series saw the bumbling Hugh Abbott (Chris Langham) trying desperately to head the department with the aid of his Senior Special Adviser Glenn Cullen (James Smith), Junior Policy Adviser Ollie Reeder (Addison) and the Civil Service Press

Secretary Terri Coverley (Joanna Scanlan) . Their valiant attempts at introducing new policy initiatives often come under fire by the incredible whirlwind of profanity that is Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), who is the Prime Minister's Director of Communications and whose idea of a response to a knock on the door is "Come the F-word in or F-word the F-word off." One of the many brilliant aspects of The Thick Of it, apart from the cast, writing and the fact that a lot of it is improvised, is that when it's not imitating life, life's imitating it. Four years ago when it first debuted on BBC Four, its third episode dealt with the issue of Hugh Abbott claiming a second home. And this was back when Hazel Blears and Jacqui Smith still had jobs. The second series of eight episodes started on Saturday night (after X-Factor- don't worry, you can catch them both) with the introduction of new Minister for DoSAC, Nicola Murray, who is played by cult comedy veteran Rebecca Front, and it did not disappoint. With sweary tirades from Malcolm, a huge error at a small press conference, controversy over a lumbar support chair and a Kate Thornton namecheck, it cannot b~ recommended enough . In the words of Malcolm Tucker: "F**ckitybye." Disrupting .the quiet of BBC2, Malcolm Tucker et al. spin their way onto screens Saturdays at 10:10pm. lauren O'Neill

l DO\VNLOAD - D[IYING GRAVITY With so many formulaic American TV shows washing up on our shores, Defying Gravity is both refreshing and peculiar. lt nestles quite happily between soap and space opera; undeniably an original premise for a show, but one that also happens to be its downfall. Set in the year 2052, Defying Gravity follows eight astronauts on a six year mission through the Solar System. The attitude the writers take to space travel in shows like these is often a concise reflection of the futuristic society being presented to us. Well, just in case you were worried about aggressive militaristic expansion or corporate pillaging of the galaxy's natural resources, our hero and narrator Donner tells us in a cringeworthy voiceover that man belongs in space because, well, man is a pretty decent chap, and if you don't believe him he has an attractive, happy-go-lucky (and most importantly, multicultural) crew to back him up. The exact purpose of the crew's mission is not made entirely clear, but thankfully this is not the reason we're watching. The main focus of the show is the loves, lives and passions of the crew and their nearest and dearest. The claustrophobic setting of the spaceship simply serves to elevate the already ramped up sexual tensions. it's interesting to note that Donner is played by Ron Livingston, an actor who has tried his hand at a number of different characters over the years, most recently as a badass hostage negotiator in Standoff and Jack Berger in Sex and the City. He is perfectly cast as the no-nonsense astronaut who plays by nobody's rules but his own, while

still harbouring a ~oft spot for astro-hottie Zoe. While it's certainly entertaining to see characters being drilled by hard-as-nails training officers one moment and gossip about a drunken one night stand the next (and all in the same scene no less), it's hard to know what show you're watching half the time . With twodimensional charscters engaging in cliched scenarios you've seen too many times before, it's hard to see what there is here for fans of far better written shows of its ilk like Grey's Anatomy. On the other hand, followers of Battlestar Galactico will most likely balk at the simplistic and frankly uninspiring space gadgets on display. That said, hats must be doffed to the writers for including a zero gravity sex scene.

Clear cut confl icts and easy to digest themes make 路 this good fodder for a lazy Thursday night brain switch off, but expecting any real depth or origina lity is probably a mistake. Catch Defying Gravity as it floats on to BBC2, Thursdays at 9pm. Jack Swain

DVD Rox-Srrs: Ill~ NATURAL [N[MY or Ill[ CoMMON D[GR[[ So everybody has had one, that day where you really do not want to do anything. Essay writing is certainly at the very bottom of the short list of things you're willing to consider. So what do you do? Put the newest box set on the TV, and away you go. it takes minimal effort and keeps you entertained for hours. Now all you need to complete the stereotype is junk food and lazy day clothes. As forms of procrastination go, at least doesn't make you feel as though you've done absolutely nothing all day. A weird phenomenon

exists that if the characters have accomplished something, you feel as though you have too and it becomes okay to leave that essay for tomorrow. So why do DVDs and degrees mix as badly as lager, cider and blackcurrant? it's the nature of the box set. A good analogy would be to give a child a months supply of sweets, and expect it not to eat the lot in one day. Nobody likes to wait, and tuning in week after week for your favourite series - although useful to alleviate the tedium of the evening in - is really a bit too much effort. Instead why not watch it all at once?

Problem solved. Not to mention that episode you missed, and that can't possibly be watched out of sequence. Now bring internet shopping into the mix and you've got real problems. it's all too easy to forget that, while some things seem' so much more important now (or lets face it, fun), at the end of the three y.ears, unless you come away with a decent degree, you may not be given the choice as to how to spend the day. So put down that box-set or face a future shelving them at HMV. Caroline Walker

Nobody wanted to write about School of Comedy this issue. Then again, nobody wanted to write about it last issue, so I should really take that as a hint to give in. Instead, I'm going to take it as a sign that the world needs convincing that School of Comedy is both worth writing and reading about - which boils down to five reasons : it's new, it's British, it's comedy, it's on E4 and most importantly, it's all of these things and yet not soul-crushingly dull. That's not to say it's good. it's often a little

bit racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic or just plain dumb, but then it's also performed by kids, which is cute. Starring the brilliant Will Poulter of Son of Rambow, as well as various other prepubescent satirists with similarly various levels of talent, School of Comec/y is like coming home to discover your child has shaved a word he doesn't understand into the dog - if you don't laugh, it's just annoying and offensive. Speaking of enjoyment through ignorance of inherent faults, Doctor Who returns Sunday 15th November with the astronomically timely title 'The Waters of Mars', suggesting the recently water-discovering scientists have been confusing

their televisions and their telescopes. Apparently Steven Moffat has already announced physician number 11, Matt Smith is simply "the best" while Tennant has said tearful goodbyes as he departs for the neighbouring set of the The Sarah Jane Adventures. Smith marks the youngest M. D. in time travel so. far, and Moffat has neither confirmed or denied the rumours that the planned alterations to Tardis will make it smooth and white with a lower-case 'i' added to its name, marking Smith's first battle against an army of compatibility issues and theft. In news so much sadder and more significant it's somewhat insulting to feature it after half-

hearted iPod jokes, Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed w th prostate cancer. No matter how you feel about reality TV and the funnyfaced one jokes aoout it, it would be callous and frankly difficult to come up with - so I won't. Although there's ~o guarantee there won't be a musical number a~out it on School of Comedy's last episode. Yeah, it does musical numbers too. Next issue, to mark Remembrance Day we' ll have a feature on t he noble tradition of the war drama that is almo&t as old as war itself. Because, while that's not even remotely possible, it sounds good. Josh Butler

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Lt:n4DD\o 2 > TIIIS TIM[ IT ALL Gots Somu The Event wa s present at the London MCM Expo on the 24th of October last week, queuing up with many other enthusiastic Valve fans and garners at the Left 4 Dead 2 booth and we had a chance to get a hands-on play test of Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2) to our great excitement. Left 4 Dead 2 is essentially like what one has come to expect from every other game with a number tagged onto the end of it - a rehash or a seque l that is extremely similar to the first but with enough differences that it'll make you want to buy the new version, provided you enjoyed the previous game. Not that this is a bad thing, far from it, L4D2 is an immensely enjoyable game and one cannot begrudge it simply for being a sequel. For those unfamiliar with the original, Left 4 Dead and L4D2 are both FPS (First Person Shooter) games set during the aftermath of an apoca lyptic zombie invasion of the world, and follows four survivors in their struggle to reach a rescue vehicle that will take them to safety at the climax of the campa ign. The game has multiple campaigns consisting of several levels. The levels and gamep lay are different on each play through due to the AI engine that has been dubbed the "Director" that monitors the players' performance and changes things to provide a challenge. For example, a new feature in L4D2 is that in the Hard Rain campaign, the amount of rain will increase proportionally to how well the players are doing, making visibility more of an issue and making it harder to do what L4D is all about; spraying zombie's guts and brains eve rywh ere. On the topic of gore, the overwhelm ing levels of zombie bits flying everywhere has been increased so much from the first game (especially if using explos ives) that Austra lia have taken it upon themselves to ban the game entire ly from their shores, sti rring up quite a bit of controversy.

The game is no stranger to debate despite the fact it that has not even yet been released. In the weeks following its initial announcement at E3, a 'Boycott L4D2' movement was formed, with a Steam Group representing the disgruntled faction of the L4D fan base reaching nearly 40,000 members. This resulted in Valve flying in two of the groups leaders and having them personally play test the game. They responded favourably, saying that they felt that the seque l was "well done". The steam group has now been shut down by its leaders. In terms of differences to the first game, there are quite a few. In addition to common things you'd expect from a sequel such as general user interface updates, graphical updates, new common grunt enemies and textures, L4D2 presents five new campaigns that are bigger in length th an those of the first game, with each playable in campaign, versus, surviva l and the new scavenge mode. In the words of Valve, "scavenge mode challenges players to compete in round-based games of up to 8 players (Survivors vs. Infected). The Survivors must battle both the Infected and the clock as they collect gas cans to refuel a generator located in each map. Every can the Survivors pour into the generator scores their team a point and adds time to the clock." The game has specia l types of non regular zombies, wh ich are a main part of what gives L4D its charm and team gameplay due to the fact that if you get caught by one of these zombies, you will need help from your team. The first game featured things such as "Boomers", "Smokers", and the infamous "W itches" and "Tanks" which are extremely deadly if not approached with utmost caution. L4D2 brings these all back and adds in three types of new zombies; "Jockeys", "Sp itters", and "Chargers". Jockeys will, as their name implies, ride you like a Jockey and make you unable to do anything except run where

they make you -usually into a horde of zombies, or into Spitter acid. Spitters spit acid onto a large area on the floor which will damage you very fast - it also serves to split the team in half if the Spitter deploys its weapon intelligently. The Charger is the most mundane of the new zombies; it will simply charge at you and knock you down. There are also a variety of new weapons and items, including a defibulator (defib for short) which can be used to pick up team mates if they die. This item is crucial for the new realism mode, which places a special focus on teamwork by implementing a variety of things. Valve's Chet Faliszek commented in an interview recently about realism mode . Non -headshots do little damage to zombies, there will be many Witches that wander around and will instantly ki ll anyone. The zombies will often work togeth er, with the Jockey specifically being 'designed to work with other zombies'. Furth erm ore, items will no longer glow from a distance, and melee weapons now play a more prominent part in the game you can pick up melee weapons separately from guns now (at the expense of your sidearm) - and th ere's nothing quite like running into a horde of zombies, decapitating them with your guitar or katana. There's also incendiary and explosive ammo, an item that sprays boomer bile over

your target, driving the infected to attack them - a good anti-tank measure - and a variety of new guns including pistols, rifles, shotguns and others. Left 4 Dead 2 brings to the table a whole host of new things; items, gameplay modes, weapons, and uncommon infected that we ar riot armour or hazmat sui ts - rendering your attacks a lot less effective. it takes everything from the first game and builds upon it, giving the franchise a much needed update and breath of fresh air. This game is a definite must-buy if you are a fan of intense and hectic FPS, love killing zombies, and team play. Despite the nagging voice in the back of one's mind complaining about how it should have been an expansion to the first game rather than a se parate game entirely, such doubts are blown away once one plays the game and is totally absorbed by th e atmosphere, music, and pumping your AK-47 round s into hordes of zombies while chaos erupts all around you in the form of guitars decapitating zombies, explosions ripping off zombie limbs by the dozens, and someone yelling "TANK I" Richard Joslin Available on : PC, Xbox 360 {Review based on PC version } Price: £30 PC I £50

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If you're like most students, you won't have a £900 gaming compute r, and can't run the latest, most graphically demanding games. However, there are a raft of cheap, low-resource use games avai lable that will run on almost an y computer, be it desktop or laptop.Here are a few cheap games that are great for passing the time: Audiosurf, Peggle and World Of Goo. The first game is similar to Guitar Hero, and the latter two are essentially puzzle games. In Audiosurf players can convert any of the songs on their compu ter into a road which the player must drive along in a variety of vehicles whilst manipulating blocks to acquire points. The speed of the vehicle an d the sha pe of the road changes contin uou sly depending on the speed and intensity of the song being played.

In Peggle, players must clear as many balls from the screen as possib le with a limited number of shots. Once all the orange balls are hit, the level is over. There is gravity, and your shots will fall off the screen eventually, and the games physics engin e means each shot should be a calculated attempt to hit as many balls with

the greatest efficiency possible. World Of Goo is an A to B puzzle game where th e player must direct the goo from th e start to the finish by utilising such te chniqu es as bridge building and using a variety of goo types that peform a plethora of tasks. The game has been noted for its impressive soundtrack and

atmosphere. All these games are available on PC. Richard Joslin & William Mo ran Audiosurf: £5.99 Peggle: £9.99 World Of Goo: £16.99/Free Demo

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<TfCIINOLOGY> IRTUAL

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Virtual worlds, to many, are fictitious pipe dreams of the future; however they have existed for many years. From the days of text based Multi User Dungeons (MUDs) like Utopia in the early 90s, to the society of Second Life in 2003 and the massively successful World of Warcraft released in 2004. Within the first half of 2009 alone there was an increase of 39% in Massively Multiplayer Online game (or MMO for short) subscriptions, bringing the number of subscribers to 597 million, which is larger than the population of the USA. Almost all large game publishers are producing their own MMO franchises; ActivisionBiizzard has World of Warcraft (WoW), Sony has Everquest and even Bethesda Softworks are working on a Fallout MMO. Their appeal to developers resides in their ability to generate very high revenue, revenue that could be reinvested back into the game, or used on other projects. However the cost on garners is shocking. Many garners are content to pay a one-off fee to purchase and play a game, occasionally investing more money to buy expansions to further extend the game, although in many MMO titles the payment model is different. Some MMOs, such as Second Life, it's free to download and play; however if you wish to improve your experience you have to pay. With these games it's not so much paying to 'level up' but instead to enrich your experience within the game. Further to this, many MMOs work by paying for a copy of the game, and then paying a monthly fee to keep playing; this cost varies from game to game (and is usually no more than £10). In the case of many MM Os you then also pay for any expansion packs released. This proves very expensive for many garners; although as the numbers show, the cost isn't enough to lure them away from the temptations of exploring and socialising in a

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virtual world. The problem lies with this lure of MMOs levelling mechanics; cases have been reported of many garners becoming so enthralled in their environment that they neglect real life, playing the game excessively to the detriment of their social lives. There is a minority of garners who are addicted to levelling up, or 'grinding' as it is called by many garners, just that little bit too much, and become totally immersed in the game. As any player of Role Playing Games (RPGs) knows levelling up can become something of a slog to get through and, in turn, become something you end up striving to achieve continually. With MMOs the levelling system varies from game to game, for example in EVE Online (a space

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exploration based MMO) your skills do not level up by grinding, but with the sheer amount of time you put into the game- although characters continue training their skills even when the player is offline. However, levelling up is less important in EVE, a game which is more about the management of resources and trade, than in other MMOs such as WoW where levelling up is achieved by gaining experience from fights. This is not to stereotype the typical MMO gamer, who can balance an active healthy social life and a sustained presence within the virtual world of their choice, but instead those who find themselves unable to juggle both a real world life and a virtual one. These make up the minority of garners.

Get A Room or This Happens LEA ... The Revival

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There have been instances of serious injury occurring from prolonged play. In one of most serious cases a Beijing gamer, known as 'Snowly' in the online community, actually died from fatigue. After playing for several days continuously, the player was preparing for a difficult fight her character in the game was about to undertake and the exhaustion took its toll upon her body. This sparked a news frenzy aimed at the makers of such MM Os. Shortly after, in a case of inexplicably close timing, another player known online as 'Thereafter' also died from fatigue. These are obviously extreme cases but it has brought the issue of addictive and potentially harmfu l gameplay to the attenti on of MMO creators, and has prompted them to begin creating methods to restrict game time for players so they avoid exhaustion . This however brings up the issue that as paying players, they will be losing their right to play and use a service they have paid for. 'Dungeon crawling' does however create a social network in the game; by teaming up with fellow players and raiding dungeons to find riches and experience, MMO garners become part of a community. Overall, like any other game out there MM Os are addictive to play and good fun for those who enjoy them, though in a minority of cases they have drained bank accounts, ruined social interaction, with many favouring to talk to their friends in game rather than those they know outside the game world, and in extreme and rare cases MMOs end with the death of loved ones. There is a healthy comm unity spirit within these games; in fact 'Snowly' and 'Thereafter' were mourned and had funerals - both in real life and within their virtual worlds- but the issue of how garners can become so absorbed by these games and the impact they can have on this minority still remains. Vaughn Highfield

STlJD£NTS In the last issue, you may have read about Microsoft's new Operating System: Windows 7. You may also be aware that the Ultimate Edition carries a RRP of £230, Professional Edition £220, and Home Edition £150. These prices will put the software out of reach of most students. The same can be said of Microsoft Office, which carries an RRP of £350. However, all is not lost as Microsoft have for some time offered Microsoft Office at a reduced price for students, and they have now expanded this programme for Win dows 7, too.

lt is referred to as 'The Ultimate Steal' by Microsoft and this description is not far from the truth. As long as a valid ac.uk university email address can be provided, Windows 7 Home Edition can be purchased for £30, whi ~t Microsoft Office is available for £38.95. The ,e are 11assive savings for very useful pieces of soft.vare, especially considering the current staie of the economy. Besides indicating Microsoft's interest in an ethical sales policy, it is also a clear attemopt to lure students away from the appeal of pirating software. See the URL for details. William Moran http://tinyurl.com/yayuy3z

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After disappearing from our profiles last year, Get A Room Or This Happens UEA has finally been resurrected! Anyone making drunken LCR conquests will now not only dread the hangovers of Wednesday and Sunday mornings, they will also fear the inevitable notification of their appearance in this now legendary group's photo album . Never has anything so accurately documented the hilarious nature of the LCR and its sordid goings on, providing photographic evidence of the alcohol-induced relations that you

would much rather forget. Though is it amusing to trawl through the photos tagging, and consequently shaming, friends who clearly got on the wrong side of a few snakebites, the real novelty is the paparazzi themselves, posing farcically next to their victims who are oblivious to their capture. If you've never looked at this group before it is certainly advisable, not just for your entertainment but also to check that your face isn't attached to another's in an inc~iminating snap! Grace Simpson

VIP cards available o all E Visit the store to receive yours today.

.. Dsn•t forget that late ight bite• Open until 3am Friday & Sat night Subway Norwich, 101a Prince of Wales Rd . Norwich , Norfolk. NR1 1DW Telephone: 01603 666116

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Cu rrently on tou r w ith Cal vin Harris, Mr 'Supernova' Hudson took t he tim e befo re his perfo rmance at UEA LCR t o chat with Perdita Fearon. '

to have a look aro und. Hopefully thi s album is going t o take me on t hat trip. lt's been said that the new album is a bit of a departure for yo u. How would you describe its sound? Well I think t hat it should be a depart ure, it should have a di ffe ren t so und. In evitabl y, workin g wi t h people li ke Kanye West and Jay Z; and st ayin g in Am eri ca, work ing ove r t here, liste ni ng to music in tax is and going to th e club was all go ing t o have os mos is ac ross into my sou nd . Ka nye was executive prod ucer o f the album and

I suppose a lot of peo pl e, on hea rin g th e tw o new singles, would say th at I've aband oned my so und but I' ve haven' t. it 's still in t here, it 's j ust evo lving. Straigh t No Chaser is a good mix of American and English

sounds. I wanted th e best of both wo rld s; t ake th e bes t of Am eri ca n producti on but stil l stay fie rc ely En glish.

said: " I want you to make a pop album, let's do this".

You perfor m, write and pro duce. Can you ever see yourself picking j ust one?

How did Kanye get involved?

No. I mean, they're all part of the same th ing, li ke breakfast , lunch and dinner. While I was making t his album I'd get up in

He heard t he fi rst album, Ta le of Two Cities, and said: "Look, let me give you a hand on th e next one". lt was rea lly, really simp le.

the morning, sit at my compute r with a coffee an d wo rk on stuff. Then in the evening yo u have a few bee rs and wa nt t o get on th e st age and sing.

Straight No Chaser feels heavily influenced by your time in

What've you been up to lately?

America- are you always inspired by where you travel to? Definitely; if yo u' re trapp ed on a plane or a train or in t he ba ck

I'm always in th e stu dio; th e days have j ust been pac ked with

of a car, yo u have all th at ti me t o t hink and fidd le with ideas in

interview s, photo shoot s, gigs, DJ se t s and the studio .

your hea d. Travelling is definitely a perk and it 's changed th e so und . That fi rst albu m wa s defin itely th e sound of someone potterin g about in North Lo ndon with hi s mates, on th e dol e, and Straight No Chaser is th e so und of someone in th e back of a Iima in Hawai i.

Your album, Straight No Chaser, was out on October 19th. Are you doing any promotion for that? Yea h, I'm really going t o enjoy promotin g th e record. We need to go internationa l on thi s one. I've never bee n t o Japan·, never

Fo r me, all th e so ngs are like sce nes of a film - vignettes.

bee n t o Australi a, neve r been to So uth Am eri ca and I rea lly want

Carolina Bodmer questioned Flamboyant Bel la, four teens hailing from Hertford shire, prior to their indie-pop gig supporting Kid British at the Waterfront. What does the name mean - Flamboyant Bella? Well the name does n' t really have.much releva nce t o anyth ing to do with t he band. Wh en t he boys were th inki ng of a nam e th ey end ed up looking at th is book fu ll of new spaper headline s of th e

tour and th at w as supportin g Exam ple only for nine days. lt was mad, th ey're such party animals. Thi s tour has been a bit more relaxed. it's ni ce t o not have th e stress o f headlinin g t o an exte nt,

last hundred yea rs or someth ing. Th ey we re ju st fl ic king t hrough th at and " Flamboyant Bella" was one of th e headlin es and th at 's ba sically where th ey st ole it from . I th ink she w as so methi ng

beca use if you don' t get loads of peo pl e t urn ing up t o th e gigs t hen it does n' t fee l so mu ch like it 's on you're shoulders.

li ke a gay rights femini st over in New York at som e poi nt in th e 60s and became quite famous. Sh e's sti ll around now, actu ally. I wat ched an inte rvi ew with her once and she was w ea rin g th e sa me pi nk coa t as Flo, w hich wa s qu it e odd !

What influences your song writing? Th e songs are abo ut stuff th at 's happe ned to us. The infl uence rea lly co mes from life ex peri ence. James writes all th e so ngs - he's rea ll y into the pop music over th e last thirty years,

How would you describe your music?

fro m everyth in g fro m ABBA up to Blond ie, and th en rea lly co ntemp orary stuff now.

The sound is quite pop-y, with girl/boy cheeky voca ls, and we all play ou r own instrum ents. lt re ally makes a differe nce live, because it 's not ju st someon e singing with a backi ng track . it 's

Your reputation w as bu ilt up through M ySpace eve n before you released a single ...

more raw and live and th at 's th e most exciting thin g- our live shows.

We're on about 1,800,000 plays at t he moment! MySpace is a great too l t o get yo ur m us ic out th ere, especia lly wh en yo u're a band with hardly any fundin g behind you. it's rea lly si mple to

You 're gaining a fam ous status at qu it e a young age. Wh at 's it like touring?

use for ba nds, and of co urse it 's free. We took advan t age of t hat from day one, and I guess w e j ust hit that MySpace market right and it 's rea lly done we ll for us.

I don't thin k peop le rea lly und erst and how big it is wh en we go out on tour. it is we ird goi ng to t own s you've neve r bee n to before and people knowi ng yo ur music and comi ng up t o you and wanting to t alk to you. We apprec iate it. We've toured over th e last tw o yea rs on and off, by ou rse lves hea dli ning. Now w e' re - supporting Kid Briti sh . We 've only ever do ne one oth er support

Have you got a single out now? Yeah, we've got a sin gle ca ll ed Get A Reaction. it came out 21st Se ptember and it 's on iTun es now.

Who inspires you most? Bowie, no doubt. As an arti st , tho se album s from about 1968-69 were bri llia nt. He's a con summate st ar in severa l areas; fas hion forward and even diving into films . Do you intend to go into acting, doing any cameos perhaps? I'd love to but it's not in th e plan. I want t o do ju sti ce to promotin g this reco rd and start t hinking about gettin g around the world and working wi t h different peop le. I'm j ust having fu n ma king vid eos and wo rking w ith ot hers.

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L1w: Music [oiTORS > U[A LCR > SUNDAY 18TII OciOR[R Early into Editors' sell-out hour and a half set, front man Tom Smith brakes from his posturing and writing to inform the already frenzied throng that tonight's show is a celebration their third synth-heavy 'Terminator inspired' album having just topped the album charts. Like Arnie, Editors' performance is colossal. They opened with the apocalyptic In This Light and On This Evening; the electronic heart beat of the track punctuated by a mass of electronic screens emitting distorted light, complimentary of both the futuristic soundscape and The Smiths disjointed movement. New tracks are fused effortlessly with crowd favourites, from the band's two previous platinum-selling albums; the darkness of Munich and Blood are given more emphasis next to the likes of new tracks Bricks and Mortar

and You Don't Know Love, as guitars and synth combine with beautiful effect.

Editors to express themselves. While tracks like Eat Raw Meat=Biood Drool may not be,..as accessible as some of their previous output and do not inspire the same crowd participation as their other notable hit singles Smokers Outside, The Hospital Doors and All Sparks, it is the sound of fresh vitality, more akin to Bladerunner than Interpol. Smith has said that In This {ight is a concept album, every song suggesting "that at the right time and right place, in the right light and on the right evening something you have seen 1,000 ti~es before can still take your breath away." The LCR tonight is clearly the right time and place; a celebration .

While the older tracks are performed with driving intent (The Racing Rats notably causing a mass sing-along) they are the output of a welloiled machine; it is the new tracks that allow

Oliver Brooks

Rtv[RI:ND & TII[ MAil[RS > WATn~rnoNT > For those not familiar with the Boom, they are a punk band from Manchester who blend elements of reggae, hip hop and punk grit with political, socially conscious lyrics. The Waterfront as a venue suits an intimate rock gig, with decent acoustics and a competent sound syst,em and PA. The first support band, Faintest Idea, played punk and ska-punk and a few punky-reggae covers, which are always good to get people in the mood. They were followed by The Skints, who also have the punky reggae vibes of SB6 with a hip-hop commentary. Sonic Boom Six arrived at 9.40pm and played just over an hour, the set consisted of mainly songs from their new album City of Thieves and the previous album Arcade Perfect, as well as a few classics from their first two records.

lt is good to see that a healthy punk scene is alive in Norwich, with brightly coloured mohawks a plenty and a lively mosh pit going on down the front. The Boom were joined by members of The Skints for a couple of songs, both planned and unplanned. Then, having both danced and rocked out to a good dose of punk reggae and hip hop, the crowd was wholly satisfied .

live up to, and coming only a few months after their last British tour, some fans were bound to question if their routine would be stale and tired. Black Stone Cherry, however, once again prove themselves to be an incredible live act. A great opening act, Parlour Mob drew in the audience and showcased their talent well, with Duff McKagan's Loaded following. The former Guns N' Roses bassist's original music was good, as is their finale cover of lt's So Easy. Kicking off with three great opening tracks; Rain · Wizard, Backwards Gold and Shooting Star, Black Stone Cherry set the standard for the rest of the show and get the crowd going. Lesser known Cowboy follows in an attempt to try something new; for a song they rarely ever play live it goes down well. They followed this

lt has just gone llpm Thursday night and most of the country seem to be stuck to their television sets watching Question Time. Yet, on the steps of the UEA Drama Studio stands The Reverend, aka Jon McCiurt!, playing a handpicked collection of songs to keep his audience entertained whilst they finish their last pint after the gig. Inside the LCR, the first gig of a new tour was a good show for Reverend and The Makers. They started the set vibrantly with favourites off the previous album, such as The State of Things and the top ten hit Heavyweight Champion of the World. Highlights from the new album included Mermaids and McCiure's solo acoustic version of Long Long Time, which paused a dance crazy audience for two and a half minutes before normal service was resumed.

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This band wont change your life, and the new albu m is more of t he same rathe r t han an evolved change of direction. However, The Revs give a really good live performance, and do manage to communicate their energy and enjoyment to the crowd. They are certainly an act to look out for during next year's festival season. Ross Grant

back the pace with ballad Please Co,me In and Soul Creek. Drummer John-Fred Young goes all • out on a lengthy drum solo, which he concludes by throwing his drumsticks into the crowd and playing an incredible finale with his hands. The ba~d ca me back with an acoustic version of Peace Is Free, then throwing doughnuts to the crowd, followed by a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. They go back to business with tracks Maybe Some~ay and Lonely Train, before concluding with the moving Things My Father Said, and what could be We Are The Kings, though singer Chris Robertson's lyrics fail come across on the sound system . This was however the only slight glitch in an otherwise superb set by the unmissable Kentucky rockers. with a run of solid favourites, including Blind Man and Hell and High Water; before bringing

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LIV£ Music The co ncept of holding a contemporar y jazz night at The Forum

is at once brooding and exact. They are refreshingly whisper-

may seem, fo r some, to be a chall engi ng prospect. In fact, the large space w it hi n The Forum le nds itsel f to music bot h aest hetical ly and aco usti cal ly. Unfort unate ly, th is ope nness is also t he root of o ne of th e few negatives of thi s event, namely th e periph eral no ise f rom surroundi ng bu sin esses.

qui et live, letting every considered nuance and expert example of musiciansh ip be heard with astounding clarity. Every sound

Lea d by a stu nn ing loca l pi ani st, th e Kit Dow nes Tri o (with Ca lum Go urlay on double bass and Ja mes M addren on drum s) open the night. Showcas ing exce ll en t compositio ns from t heir fort hcoming album, Golden, the t rio play w it h comfortab le, modest virtuos ity. Enth us iasti ca ll y rece ive d, th e mu sic ians certainly fulfi l their fre quent ti tl e of "ones- t o-watc h". Critica ll y-acc laimed Norw egian pianist To rd Gustavse n and hi s ense m ble (Jarl e Vespes t ad on drum s, M at s Eil ert se n on do ubl e

that is made is honed by its respective author with staggering inte ll ectual clout. Wh eth er it be th e additi o n of a clot hes peg to the lowest bass string, t he ind us tri al sc rape of sti ck-tip down a cymbal or brea t hy organic soundscape from a saxop hone reed, not once does the ensemble go w rong, nor do they stray into the grounds of pretension. Because of this, the ensemble is fascinating to watch. Their inte ll igence demands respect, their dynamic control and varie t y compe ls you to listen. Go out of your way to see them.

bass and Tore Brunb o rg on saxo ph o nes ) head lin e. Th eir m usic

James Gorman

OxJAM >ARTS C£NTR[ > SUNDAY 25TII OaoR[R M ay be it's because the Arts Ce ntre is a bit out of the way, or may be it's beca use it is gettin g lat e on a sc hoo l night, bu t for so me strange reaso n, th e form er chu rc h turn ed usually bu zz ing

a good ba nd hidden in there somewhere. Headli ners Django Dj ango are t he kind of band that Factory Reco rd s wou ld have kill ed to have signed in the late eighties.

ven ue is close to em pt y. it is a massive shame, however, because openers the Woe Beti des are definitely ones to watch. Like Noa h and the Wh ale havi ng a drink w ith Joy Division wh il st

Fresh from a victorious set at Latitude in the summer, the band refuse to let the low attendance figures affect them and once again the world is missing out. Django Django are charismatically

di sc ussi ng leftfi eld pop, it is all anth emic choru ses ove r sini st er

laid back w hilst some how simu ltaneous ly remarkably energetic,

BMTH's core audience isn't too discerning; the same fourteen year old scenesters you find found outside any Enter Shikari or Taking Back Sunday gig, a good seven hours early and united in hushed antic ipation. Given that this particular demographic

at mosphe rics and Mu se th ea tri cs th at would make M att Bel lamy pro ud.

w hi lst the stage comes com plet e with decorations rang ing from artificial greene ry to an iro ning board. Wor ldy beats more

seems to define its music preferences purely based on how tight the frontman's jeans are, one may worry tha t bands might get a

All of w hich mea ns th at 2hot 2sw ea t are left with a t ough ac t to fo ll ow and th ey don' t quite live up to it. The du o are reminisce nt of Los Campes inos w ith out th e lyri ca l co ntent,

evocati ve of Hot Chi p th an Vampire Weeken d, jagge d post -pun k guit ar riffs and off-bea t voca ls combin e to fo rm intellige nt dance music th at is breat htakin gly orig inal and even succeeds in getti ng

litt le com pl ace nt. Aug ust Bu rns Red fea tures lead singe r in a small blu e ves t;

mixe d with Blondi e-esqe di sco pun k; but th e co nstan t shouty voca ls all become a littl e 2muc h by th e end of a relative ly short se t . Occasiona l ga rage guitar, eve n rare r falsetto voca ls and a

th ose lu cky eno ugh to be prese nt moving along. Co nclu sion? Against t he odds, Ox jam at Norwich Arts Centre proves to be an eno rmo us success.

con fid ent live pe rforma nce does suggest however th at th ere is

Michael Blunt

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barstoo ls with more persona lity- then fl aun t it baby, fla unt it. A Day To Remember sounds like Hawt horne Heights trashing a hotel room, then tearfully apologising down at the front desk. What immediately impresses abo ut BMTH is the stage design. it's big and shiny, but it still can't distract from the fact th at the ir idea of a performa nce consists of litt le mo re t han lumbering about the stage screaming "wattsup NOR WI CH?!" over and over

With th e bar ope ning its doors at 8pm, othe r ven ues had

so und is j ust a little dat ed. A co mpletely unnecessary pess imistic

again. Anything they pla y can only rea lly be enjoyed in a kind of

gai ned a larger crowd th an t he 11 peo pl e The Delaney played for. Neve rth eless, so me good ban t er with th e audi ence an d an energeti c perfo rm ance makes th ese guys very end eari ng. They pl ay mostly America nized alt. Rock, w ith ca t chy guitar riffs and big,

politi ca l rant in the mid dle of the set, which undermines the w hole cause of Oxjam, ruins it. They profess a The Enemy 'song wit h a message' like man t ra f rom herein and, like The Enemy,

ironic way- it's been wel l documented t hat Olli e Sykes' vo ice ca n be used to eu t hanise ca t s- but the w hole th ing ju st fal ls a bit fl at. it's calculated chaos, it's "prance, sh riek, watt su p NORWI CH?!,

so und dul l and formul aic. Things pic k up again when they return t o t he 60s sty ling with Disappear, but someone needs to remind th em th at th ey are play ing small bars in Norw ich, not hea dl in ing

repeat", and it gets old pretty qu ick. Pl us, Ol lie Sykes urin ates on people, whic h is rea lly rude.

vocal, choruses. Th eir ability t o switch th e instrum ental sound s, from th e Dananananaykroyd -like opener t o mo re Lostproph et s styl e so ngs kee ps t he ge nre from beco ming stale. Th e Delaney almost so und profess ion al and you ca n te ll t heir so ngs have had a lot of wo rk; tem po changes, groove breakdow ns and t he harmonio us chorus in Salvation are all imp ressive, but occas ional flaws like unt uned gui ta rs and unmemo rised songs sl ightl y mar t hei r perfo rmance. The Vegas Fa me Ind ex also comme nt on th e poor tu rnout bu t soo n get about pl aying th eir 60s influ ence d Brit Roc k n Ro ll. Unl ike Th e Delaney, TVFI are less ti ght and inst ead ce nt re th eir sound aro und guitar in spired j ams; at many time s t he guitari st / voca list ta kes cen tre st age whil st t he bass and drum s j ust keep th e rhyth m. Wi th An y Luck, a simpl e three-chord bl uesy so ng, •

it's no accident. Afte r al l if yo ur phys iq ue is th e most impressive thing about even the most mercifully short se t - there are

cresce nd os from a slow paced strum t o a Th e Wh o like endi ng; it is impressive and th e large so und fi ll s th e bar, how eve r th e wh ole

Knebworth. Fever Fever are t onight's hea dliners and are "top dogs of the Norwich alternative music scene" according to the singer from The Delaney. However there really is little way to describe what they do, as their sound and image is such a clash of cultures . The band is a three piece with two female guitarists, both acting as voca list s too, w ho are backed by a drummer who 'seems more at place in a met al ba nd . Alth ough th ey look innocent, the sou nd th ey create is agg ress ive; grun gy, edgy guita rs an d heavy drums wo rk aga in st angst ridd en idiosy ncratic shouty vocals . The ir lo-fi anarchi c sou nd is obviously pop ula r as a cult following massive ly increases th e crowd. Th ey are t he most interesting band of the ni ght, an d wo rt h seeing, but yo u ca n on ly take so muc h. Alex Throssell

Tom Mclnnes

03novOD

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GIRLS ALBUM

Pretentious name. Pretentious title. Cover art that's, at best, forgettable. Factor in a lead singer (who isn't a girl but is, in fact, a boy) who grew up in the extremist Christian commune known as the Children of God and this debut effort from the San Fran four piece sets off some serious alarm bells. But fear not, gentle soul; look past these factors and get stuck into one of the best albums of 2009. You see, Chris Owens, the aforementioned frontman, fled his commune aged 16 and lived on the streets. Anyone with a story that

cool must make great music (Seasick Steve, anyone?) . The order of the day is nostalgia, each track drenched in a sun-kissed California vi be beamed in straight from the sixties; Laura sounds like an Elvis Costello single, and if anyone can ape the sixties it's Costello. There's also more of an edge to tracks like the stunning drone rock of Morning Light and the Spectoresque Big Bad Mean Mother F*cker, which bizarrely has the same melody as Weird AI Yankovich's Beach Boys parody Trigger Happy. Owens has been quoted as saying that Album is an "overflow of expression", a real melting pot of ideas and styles with no restrictions, and it shows. Proceedings kick off w1th the short, sharp shock of Lust for Life, a beautiful little slice of pop genius. But then a few tracks later there's Hellhole Retrace, a seven minute, downbeat ballad awash with gorgeous harmonies and psychedelic flourishes; Pitchfork named it the 383rd greatest song of the decade, and they'd know. Despite this schizophrenia, Album works as a cohesive whole; the soundtrack of the summer. Except, y'know, a few months late. Nice one guys. Duncan Vicat-Brown

After four years and a line up change in which only one of the original three band members are left, Wolfmother have finally released their long awaited second album . Despite this, Cosmic Egg remains similar to their debut, with Sabbath-esque riffs and Andrew Stockdale's distinctive wail which combines Ozzy's tortured yelps with Robert Plant's incredible range. However, the addition of another guitarist changes the dynamic of the band's sound, with mixed results. This album certainly demonstrates a different kind of Wolf; denser

production and heavy guitars underpm the entire mix, unfortunately losing some of the sparsity which they used to such great effect on their first album . Yet this change in sound also brings unexpected and surprisingly compatible influences that were not present on their debut. In the Morning, for example, begins as a blatant homage to The Beatles' Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, before launching into a chorus ripped straight out of Led Zeppelin's The Ocean. This may seem unoriginal, yet Wolfmother somehow manages to combine these fundamentally disparate songs so well and so seamlessly that the end result creates a new entity in its own right. Elsewhere, Eyes Open shows them at their heaviest yet with a driving metal riff that wouldn't feel out of place on Metallica's Black album. While admittedly Cosmic Egg could be denounced as a mere tribute to late 70s hard rock, Stockdale has clearly done his research and handpicked the best aspects from all of his favourite bands. Cosmic Egg's th1ckly layered, reverb-heavy production is designed to place Wolfmother as the natural successor to the stadium filling bands they are trying to emulate . Jack Loughran

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Echo & the Bunnymen's latest record, The Fountain, is heart-wrenchingly disappointing given that their 1984 classic Ocean Rain is one of the greatest albums ever written. In their heyday Echo & the Bunnymen, led by front man lan McCulloch, managed to make sublimely dark new-wave pop that sat beautifully In the gap between The Cure and Joy Division. The Fountain could not be further from the mid1980s Echo that fans love so much; it sounds like dull, overly-produced, Coldplay-esque stadium rock.

Only McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant remain from the original1980 line-up; but even with their presence the shredding harsh guitar sound and brilliantly poetic lyrics of old have disappeared, instead The Fountain displays wearisome generic snooze-rock. The majority of songs on the record blur into one large blob of nothingness, not even lead single I Think I Need lt Too'? has any redeeming features worth noting. Perhaps Life of a 1,000 Crimes is the most memorable purely because of its absurdity. The Fountain is far too polished, far too succinct. With this album Echo have firmly stepped into the depressing region of 'dadrock'; the type of music that is stereotypically listened to by fifty-something Top Gear watching, double denim wearing middle aged men. They will no doubt buy the album, put it in the CD player of their Volvo, listen to it once and then promptly throw it down on the floor of the passenger seat along with the crushed cans of Red Bull, Twix wrappers and Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits - a place where The Fountain unfortunately belongs. James Hailing

Bob Dylan is one of those people you always assume to be dead. Then he appears in a Codillac ad and you remember, oh no, he just sold out. A Christmas album was just another way, it seemed, for The Man to show ownership of old Bob. Conventional, capitalist, unoriginal. But a confession has to be made - The Event actually sort of likes Christmas is the Heart. His choices are mainly cheery, children's Christmas songs, and he manages to convey

6/10 a childish, Grinchty cheekiness in them too. Listen to the enunciation on 'lane' in the first line of Here Comes Santa Claus ... there aren't even words. Must Be Santa is another gem; the speed and tongue-in-cheek humour of the rendition is almost Pogues, and Dylan is now old enough to sound like a young Shane MacGowan. The First Noel, a more traditional choice, is also brilliant, but for d1fferent reasons. Dylan actually manages to stick to the tune, and he has such an ancient voice it's like the ghost of Christmas past. The backing chorus is also amusingly high-pitched and cherubic . Adeste Fideles, however, is a lowlight and by Hark, Bob sounds like he had an eggnog too many. But then, he does have more tar than lung these days, and it is not the easiest song to sing. Overall, the whole album works very well together. So, go on, it's for charity. And for Bob - not dead yet .

Hazy Hale

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lt has been five years since Ri se Against released to as pire to an altoge th er cheerier pl ateau. Got Some and Just Breathe are perhaps refl exive of midd le age, of new found fatherhoo d and of a more optimisti c po litical cli mate and ind eed, th e anguish of past glories such as rearviewmirror or Jeremy is displaced in favo r of a mo re pa rental, respo nsi ble disposition. Lyrically, Vedder holds out a hand to his aud ience, rathe r th an inviting t hem to wal low. Gat Same's simp le but effecti ve panzer bassline, spiky gu itar tones and kick to the balls drumming give the song an effective punkish urgency w ith Vedder spittin g words li ke a demented preacher. However Just Breathe's picking acoustic drive, haunting cello

line and unde rstated voca l delivery have a rootsy, almost earthy quality and an overriding message of hope that gives the im pression of a maturing, daresay positive band.

To those already famil iar with the works of mainstay grungers Pearl Jam, the vibe off the band's latest double A-side may come as a surprise. Indeed, w hile once notori ous for the moody, angry and dissident int rospections of fro nt man Eddie Vedder, t he Seattle rocke rs

Alec Plowman

APPLE ON CAMPUS Meet your new Apple Campus Rep, Max. Q:So, tel l me a littl e about you rself. A:l 'm in my fo urt h year at UEA and have j ust started stud ying for a M Sc in M arketi ng, havin g grad uated t his summ er with a BA in Soc iety, Culture and M edia . I'm also Ap pl e Cam pu s Re p for UEA. Q: Wh y have a Ca mpus Re p at UEA7 A: M y role on ca mpu s is important beca use only about 20% of st udents are aware of amazing offers th e onlin e Appl e Store for Edu ca ti on provid es stud ents, such as a free three-yea r

hardware warra nty and t wo-years 24- hour a day tel ephone support, not to menti on disco unts of up to 15% on a varie ty of prod ucts. On e of the biggest influ ences w hen purchasi ng a com puter is cost, es pecially to stu de nts, and it is importa nt that peopl e are aware th at App le products are chea per th an th ey may have assu med. Q:Wh at does a Ca mpu s Rep do ? A:Well, over th e next yea r I' m going to be hosting workshops, throwing eve nts and building relationshi ps with st ud ents, staff and fac ulty to create greate r awareness of Appl e product s and to make UEA more of an Appl e-fri endly pl ace!

To get in touch with Max, e mail AOC.UEA@ME.com a nd to sta rt saving, visit www.apple .com/uk/go/save .

AND THE WINNER IS ... Stephanie Mann (NBS), w ho gave th e correct di scounte d price of a M ac book white . Thi s pri ze is prov ided by th e onlin e Appl e Store for Edu ca ti on wh ere, as a UEA stud ent or lecturer, you' re entit led to di scou nts such as upto 15% off th e pri ce of a new M ac. Go to app le.com/uk/go/sav e from a ca mpu s co mpu ter or th e UEA wirel ess network to fi nd out more ~--•rl about th e App le On Campus di sco unt .

Siren Song of the Counter Culture, a caree r

highlight which marked them out as the world 's best politico-punk band . Since then, however, it has been a classic case of sales rising and quality falling. Savior, the third single from last years Appeal To Reason , continues that trend by taking the band a little too far into emo territory. Tim Mcllrath's vocals have always been the strong point for the Ch icago quartet but here it j ust seems a bit flat, whilst the backing vocal shouts all seem to be a bit anthem-by-numbers. Some nice driving duel guitar work gives Savior a little redemption but it stand s pitifully next to former glories such as Give it All. Ad d to th at th e almost cringe worthy lyrics of "I don't hate you/ I don't hate you, no", the band is left awkwardly one step away from Plain White T's territory. But hey, if that means it wins them a few more adolescent teenage fans then who is to argue. Michael Blunt

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Featuring the haunting, mournful vocals of Karin Dreij er (Fever Ray/The Knife), Ri:iyksopp return with a th ird offering from the ir upbeat alb um Junior Stepping away from t heir trademark simplistic beeps and loops, t he da nce duo bring someth ing a little more multilayere d and almost apocalyptic in its arrangement. Drums crash relentlessly against cyc lical synt h, while the cri es of Dreijer pie rce t he mu sica l chaos around it. And just as quick ly as t he storm of sound begins, it's ove r. The fast, pumpi ng beats of the track are a huge contrast to the duo's previou s col laboration with Dreije r, th e downtempo What Else is There. While it's unlikely to set the world on fire or win over any new followers, Ri:iyksopp fans are bound to be very happy with this release. it's a fitting se ndoff for Junior before Ri:iyksopp return in the winter with Senior, and shows that almost a decade after Eple, they still know how to make an infectious tune.

0.3nov09 Is ue234 nHIITt ·I1·.1 i

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Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, based upon Darren Shan's wildly successful series of children's horror books (the thoughtfully titled The Saga of Darren Shan), follows the exciting adventures of Darren Shan and his initiation

The return of the menacing, murderous funhouse Saw VI is upon us allowing audiences to retain their sadistic and voyeuristic position for Halloween. Saw yet again shows that its audiences need a strong stomach in order to survive these grisly scenes of nastiness. The most frustrating thing is Saw's convoluted back story, trying to focus the original plot surrounding Jigsaw's life which begs the question if we really care anymore. Despite the unoriginal plotline, many questions avid fans have wanted to know from previous sequels remain unanswered as the writers tediously concentrate on

magical travelling freak show run by an enigmatic vampire (John C. Reilly). Through a series of rather convoluted events, Darren and his friend Steve get drawn into a war between the supposedly good Vampires and the terribly evil

creating new hooks for yet another sequel. With under-developed characters and a lacklustre script, the increased presence of gore is used to paper over these flaws. A once original guilty pleasure now looks creatively tired and uninspiring. The writers are simply churning out flat scripts to fuel a franchise that has been long out of steam.

Paul Martin

4 10

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guess) tear them apart. This is teen adventure horror at its most lightweight, begging to be allowed on the vampire craze-wagon which has dominated our small and big screens for the last year. In the wake of Twilight, movie studios must know that anything with fangs will be a major box-office draw and this will undoubtedly be a success. However, this is thoroughly undeserved as The Vampire's Assistant is terribly disjointed and confused. The screenplay appears to have been written by someone who has no idea of how to form a plot . So convinced is director Paul Weitz that his film will

he spends most of the film setting up the multitudes of characters and their relationships that he forgets to include a solid storyline. As in circuses themselves, oftoen the sideshows can be the best part and this is no exception. The special effects are impressive enough to sustain interest, despite the fact it's hard to care about any of the characters in their supposed peril. Salma Hayek makes a few entertaining appearances as a bearded lady and Willem Dafoe inexplicably cameos now and then in mildly weird form . The two lead boys (Josh Hutcherson and Chris Massoglia) perfectly

say their lines well enough and then the action moves to more interesting places. The film may not deserve John C. Reilly's status as 'steali ng the show', but he is easily the best thing in it, playing the hero vampire Larten Crepsley. Along with his multicoloured CGI spider, Reilly is consistently watchable and it is refreshing to see him in a slightly more serious role after his recent string of terrible Will Ferrell movies. it could be argued that he is miscast; his pudgy 'everyman' face is hard to take seriously in the dramatic shots of him striding through cemeteries, long red coat billowing behind him.

film would be unwatchable and it's nice to see him give the rest of the cast an acting lesson. There are lots of other bad things to say about this film; the grating teen rock soundtrack, of absolutely the host pointless characters including Monkey Girl and Snake Boy. The bottom line is that Cirque du Freak desperately wants to be a franchise, but it appears that it has sacrificed the most crucial elements of filmmaking in doing so.

Fantastic Mr Fox i~ whimsical wonderboy Wes Anderson's stop motion adaptation of

beautiful, the animation suits the tone of the film and is a refreshing change from CGI. George Clooney and Meryl Streep's voices fit their characters like a furry glove, and are joined by Anderson regulars; Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman. Fantastic Mr Fax is a lot of fun, but changes in the story could upset fans of Dahl's original book. Fans of Wes Anderson will enjoy this, fans of faithful movie adaptions may not. Bert Wardlow

Set in a strange and futuristic, yet somehow refreshingly retro, post-apocalyptic world, 9 is the tale of a group of ragdolls left to survive amongst the carnage that remains after a catastrophic war between humans and machines. The Matrix crossed with Toy Story and a dash of Lord of the Rings, 9 is produced by the godfather of dark animation, Tim Burton, and it shows. Possibly the first movie in the gothic-sci-fi genre, the film charts the journey of 9 (Eiijah Wood), charged with restoring humanity to the world. He is forced to battle with several of the leftover machines, most notably a snake-dollspider creation which is quite

possibly the most terrifying thing ever to hit the screen. A$ if this wasn't enough, 9 also has to unlock the clues to his and his fellow ragdolls'

Roald Dahl's much-loved children's book. The film tells the story of Mr Fox, a former chicken thief turned journalist who wants to improve the life of his young family. Unfortunately for Mr Fox, his attempt to do this draws the wrath of local farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Tired of having their property stolen by Mr Fox, the farmers decide to lay siege to the hill Mr Fox calls home. Feeling responsible for the hardship that he brought his family, Mr Fox decides to get revenge. Fantastic Mr Fox is visually

7 10

Will Cross

5 10

e~istence.

9 suffers at times from a rushed plotline over the short c urse of its eighty minutes but this is rectified by the spectacular animation which accompanies it. Cue plenty of t~nsion, emotion and a frantic but satisfying conclusion. An a$sured debut by Acker, 9 manages to be both original and entertaining.

Michael Blunt

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This Is it is hard ly a documentary, neither is it a biopic, nor a tribute. The audience should expect a compil atio n of re hea rsals shot befo re Jac kso n's untimely death; it is a presentatlon of the concerts he intended to hold. Modified v1deos of songs like Thriller and Smooth Cnminal are used as a backdrop as he takes the stage; the Thriller video, made for the concert, has a 3D effect that makes the zombies appear to levita te towards the audience. Behind the scenes takes of brilliant dance routines (some led by Jackson himself) and mus1c rehearsals give the aud1ence a rare gl impse into the magic of wh at would have been an unforgettabl e expe ri ence.

Drag Me to Hell, written and di rected by Sam Raimi, is an au th enti c tw ist to a we ll exhausted genre. The film fo ll ows loan officer Christine Brown (Aiison Lohman) who denies gypsy Sylvia Ga nush (Lo rn a Raver) an extens io n on he r mortgage. This action stimula tes a chain of scares, laug hs and exc iti ng moments that create a fresh and exci tin g take on situati ons .-. th at we fee l w e have all

The film is generical ly most akin to a musical, but instead of dialogue between characters, frequent interactions of Jackson w it h hi s director and pe rform ers. Definit ely a treat for Jackson fans, it displays both his talent and his perfectionist nature: he regularly breaks into impromptu dances and tantrums, and in one scene he points out "I want it the way I wrote it", with reference to the key notes in Human Nature. lt is 1mpossible to watch this without feeling cheated at the end because it promises a great show which no one got to see. Mercedes Brown

7 10

experienced ourselves. The fi lm compica tes a rat her sim ple plot th at at fir st see ms predictable and wort hl ess. A quarter of the way into t he film, however, it places its own uniq ue personal ity on t he hor ro r ge nre, crea ti ng a co mica l outtake th at en hances the aud1e nce's experience. Drag M e to Hell knows w hat it wa nts to be, and tha t's exact ly w hat is provided . lt is at once a formu laic horror

Unknown Alex de Rakoff is the latest filmaker to unload his vers1on of the British gangster film onto our screens. Dead Man Running t ells the story of Nick Ka ne (Tamer Hasse n). an ex con forced to return to his old ways in order to earn ÂŁ100,000 to pay off his mother's loan shark. With Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole amongst the executive producers and starrmg 50 Cent, it would be easy to make presumptiOns before even seeing this fi lm. However, it is actua ll y 1ncred1bly watchable Nick's best friend Bing, played by Danny Dyer, creates some genuinely comic moments, yet their performances are almost overshadowed by Brenda Blyt he's ro le as Nick's invalid m um; a hostage in her

own l1ving room. The plot remains actwnpacked throughout but can be a little predictable in parts and is nothing we haven't seen in this ge nre before. lt seems as if Rakoff 1s trying to channel his inner Guy Richie but unfortunately he falls short of the mark, anginal something more would have been preferable. Overall, a good film, but noth1ng to get excited about.

film and a startling comedy, aimed at audiences of all types and ages. Th e mi x of th e t wo is what makes t he fi lm so enjoyable and understated. Sam Ra imi has proven once again that his films can deliver, all t he way to hell. ..

We've all been looking for it, the next creepy-kid-movie that co ul d eve n slightly co ntend wi th The Omen; unfortu nate ly The Orphan is not t hat fi lm. lt is one of t he best child horro r films to have come out in t he Western world in th e last few years (we all kn ow we ca n' t compare wi t h M exico and Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labynnth and The Devil's Backbone). but th is film is a far cry fro m th e scary children

Adam Sca les

8 10

Lorna Ponte fract

7 10

2, written an d directed by Rob Zombie, tries to explore a psychological relationship bet ween Laurie St rode (Sco utTaylo r-Co mpton) and he r psycho pathi c bro th er Michael Myers (Ty ler Mane). who once again has the intentlon of killing eve ry human that crosses his path in the infamous town of Haddonfield. The film primanly focuses on Laurie and her hallucinations which mirror M1chael's and involve a ghostly image of Deborah (Sheri Moon Zomb ie) with a young M1chael Myers. The film deserves some credit for expandmg the generic pattern of the slas her fil m by ex pl orin g its psyc holog ica l depth , it is thi s very de pt h th at ig nores th e true mea ning of th e Hallowee n

series and th e gri t tha t t he viewer woul d have expected. Halloween celeb rates itself as a sim plistl c slas her film that knows wh at it is, and thi s w as somehow lost in translati on in this remake. The psychological relationship between the two characters does add an interestlng element to the series, but when combined with the gore, violence and realism, it leaves the film

of old that made more women take bi rth co ntro l. Th e film tri es to better itse lf fro m th e children horrors like The Unborn by ni rting w ith t he classic horro r techniqu es; re nection in the mirro r, kid in th e upstairs wind ow, but does not follow through wi th them. This screams of a faux intell ige nce, and draws atte ntion to t his effort at th e en d of th e fi lm, wh en th ey finally use thi s tired cliche.

The film's most wo rrying aspect isn't thi s ex hausted fil m ma kin g tec hnique, but rathe r th e politics of th e film w hich does nothing for orphans, or Eastern Europea ns. The mora l of this tale seems to be "Ad optlng is only for Am eri ca ns and new born children."

Halloween

confusing and very atypical of the genre that zombie was trying to locate the film within. Adam Scales

4 10

M ich a Butler

4 10

03nov09 lssuc234 (OU t J(

was one of the first prominent slasher films of its kind, not only re-inventing the term 'slasher', but using it as a force of social and moral annihilation within the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois. On Halloween night 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers murders his fifteenyear-old sister Judith in their home with a butcher knife. His parents find out about the killing, and sanction Michael to the care of Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) for a total of fifteen years, however he escapes. The film, even to this very

â&#x20AC;˘ Dario Argento's haunting 1977 cult classic, Suspiria, is set to be remade in 2010. Independent director David Gordon Green, whose feature debut George Washington, became an indie cause celebre in 2000 has been attached to the project, as has actress Natalie Portman.

* Wes Craven has announced the title of his upcoming horror film: My Soul to Take. The film allegedly concerns the original notion of a deceased serial killer returning to his home town in order to finish what he started.

of 'slasher' that we love, even if Halloween is simplistic on the surface. Behind the mask of Michael is a monster, and it is this idea of not knowing exactly what the monster, that keeps us captivated throughout. The mask serves to separate the viewer from identifying or empathising with the killer, as we are told that a man of this tapability should not be allowed to form any kind of connection with the people in the external world. Michael is physically trapped, mentally trapped, and no doubt sexually trapped

Megan Fox is known for her ridiculously good looks, something her upcoming film, Jennifer's Body, unsurprisingly exploits. But what can be said for the rest of the film and cast? Having just missed the sought after Halloween slot, this is set to be another popular entry in the comedy meets horror genre. Director Karyn Kusama doesn't possess a long filmography but it does include the critically acclaimed indie flick Girlfight, signifying the potential Jennifer's Body has to be a box office hit. Fresh off the recent success she has enjoyed with the Transformers franchise, Fox plays a popular high school

cheerleader who every girl wants to be and every guy wants to date. After a strange experience at the gig of the lucky chappy Jennifer (Megan Fox) is trying to seduce (Adam Brody- some eye candy for the girls), she finds herself with an unusual appetite for the blood of boys everywhere. Megatron would be disgusted. As Jennifer sets about on a male-only thirst quench mission, her best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) must race to save their lives and stop Jennifer's killing spree. If no other reason to see this film can be found, go and see it for the script. Diablo Cody, having recently written Ocscar-

winning Juno, is rumoured to be on top form again in this comedy-horror flick. The cast is another feature of the film that critics are . raving about. Johnny Si m mons plays Needy's boyfriend, a performance said to be particularly good, but it's Amanda Seyfried who is expected to be one to especially watch out for. Megan Fox is supposedly fantastic, which is to be expected given that she is by far the most suitable Hollywood actress for this role. After her stand-and-lookpretty role in Transformers, Fox is given more than enough acting limelight in this film

as well. All of these notions build up, and become the defining characteristic of his anger and frustration ironically embodied by young beautiful women he has never experienced. On the one hand, we understand Michael is a vicious killer who should be ejected from the social realm and sectioned again in the mental institution. On the reverse, we unconsciously build a connection with Michael - we both objectify the same thing the erotic desire of the female body, we both feel that our society is against us personally,

we first saw Michael when he was six years old, so we have connection with his innocence. Halloween justified the 'slasher' sub-genre not as "simplistic and formulaic teentrash" but as a film that can complicate viewing positions, representations of women in the 1970's era of feminism, film violence and censorship, sexuality, and so many other issues that are still prominent. Yes, the 'slasher' genre does have formulaic plots, but Halloween suggests that by having a formulaic plot, our thoughts are not occupied in

the narrative, but what wider social issues this narrative represents outside the filmic world . This is a quality of the 'slasher' film that many fail to recognise or take into account. Halloween spawned eight sequels and two remakes overall. Although none of them live up to the original version, they all still raise one important question: what will you be doing for Halloween?

* In The Bedroom director Todd Field has signed up to direct an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. lt is not strictly a horror film, though if Field sticks to anything like the novel's storyline it will have more brutality, blood-letting and mutilation than any number of Saw films .

* Robert Rodriguez has announced his intention to make a feature length version of a novelty trailer he first attached to his exploitation double bill Grindhouse project. Rodriguez has roped in an extensive and esoteric cast, including Robert DeNiro, Steven Seagal and Lindsay Lohan.

* Following on from his return to the zombie genre with Land of the Dead, director George A. Romero will reanimate the deceased for the sixth time with his upcoming Survival of the Dead.

* A number of remakes of David Cronenberg's horror films are in development. Saw 1/-/V director Darren Lynn Bousman is attached to a remake of Scanners, and several other films.

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to make Bumblebee and eo. scared, but proud. Alright, so we all know this film is going to exploit and display her body for all to see, that information is all in the -..._ tit!~, but isn't that part of the joke? Let's face it, the British winter is approaching fast and we all need an excuse to stay in the warmth of a cinema screen. Apparently the scary moments an~ going to be a bit hit-andmiss, but all and all it looks to be an entertaining watch . Oh, and Megan Fox is in it... Elizabeth Poole

Adam Scales

* The Ghostbusters cast are se1 to be reunited for the first time since 1989 with a third ~ installment of the franchise, pencilled in for release some time in 2012.

* Benicio Del Toro will be portraying The Wolfman in a 2010 picture of the same name. The 21st Century update of the classic Universal franchise will also feature Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt and Anthony Hopkins. Luke Nash

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The build-up to Bonfire Night every November is always one fraught with difficulties and complications. You're just recovering from all the money you've spent on Hallowe'en costumes and props, ·and suddenly you have to prepare

spectacular pyrotechnic entertainments that are sure to be far more impressive than anything any of us could rustle up on our own. The event caters for youngsters frightened of loud bangs (and grown-up kids) with a display of

for a whole new event; buying fireworks and preparing a grand pyrotechnic display, as well as facing the depressing prospect of having to go ... to the great length of building a realistic human effigy only to burn it to nothing in a massive fire. Last year, this writer attempted to organise a rather half-hearted bonfire party, and in the end we simply contented ourselves with watching the bigger and far more impressive fireworks that were exploding over at UEA, and just visible over the rooftops. Why not just eliminate the difficulty and the hassle of organisation, and grab yourself a ticket for the best firework display for miles around, and get to see those very same half-glimpsed fireworks up close in all their glory. On Saturday the 7th November, Sparks In The Park, supported by the Eastern Daily Press, returns to the beautiful surroundings of Earlham Park, just beside UEA. The event offers, as ever, ,..... a wide array of entertainment and some truly

children's fireworks at 6:30pm. Then at 8:30pm the "Big Bang" fireworks are unleashed, sure to enrapture any avid pyromaniacs out there. Those grown -up kids amongst you will also be pleased with the presence of a funfair that runs from 5-10pm, and musical entertainment will be provided by the Heart Soundstage, playing the best music that local radio station Heart FM has to offer. Add to all this a lantern parade and a Guy Fawkes bonfire display, and Sparks in the Park offers everything to make the perfect bonfire rright! If you live away from campus and are unsure of how best to get to all the fun, the 25 and 35 First bus services will be going to and from the event. Reduced bus fares have been organised, those with a Sparks in the Park ticket get £1.50 off; non-disabled parking is not available on site. Tickets can be booked until Friday 6th November from the Tourist Information Centre

Courtesy of the Union, we have a pair of tickets to give away for Hundred Reason s at the Waterfront on 10/11/09!

on 01603 213999 or from the UEA Box Office on 01603 508050, and are £1.50 cheaper if you book them in advance rather than waiting for the day itself. So save yourself the trouble of organising your own bonfire night party this year, and grab one of the hottest tickets in town so you can high-tail it to the most exciting and explosive fireworks display in the area! For more information, organiser Fiona Roberts can be contacted at Norwich Council at fionaroberts@norwich.gov.uk or on 01603 212136. Josiah Norris

The Surrey band have released four fantastic albums and are always phenomenal live, so this is a gig not to be missed! From early hits If I Could and Falter to their heavier later material, Hundred Reasons are a band who ' ve been making fanta stic rock music for over eight years . To be in with a chance of winning, email your answer to the following question to concrete. competitions@ uea. ac. u k by Saturday 08/11/09: What is the name of the first Hundred Reasons album?

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MONDAY 16TH NOVEMBER

UEA LCR NORWICH 7.30PM DOORS £22.50 TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM THE UNION BOX OFFICE

01603 508050 UEATICKETBOOKINGS.CO.UK AND SOUNDCLASH, ST BEN EDICTS ST., NORWICH

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FR DAY 27rH NOVEMBER 2009

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sop off every journey when shown* so seat uxur1ous waiting room -· collect from our new office for your comfort and a CCTV surveillance o

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1: A figure of mockery (8,5) 7: __ Party, ind ie band (4)

2: Campus food shop (abb r.) (3) 3: The sta tu s of a w idely recognised person or object (6) 4: Under the threat of being shot (8)

8: As well as (4) 9: Card game (4) 10: Sma ll mischievous creatu res (4)

5: Mea ns of trave l (9)

12: Form al clothes (4)

6: Wolfmoth er alb um (6,3 ) 7: Norwich venue containing the B2 (11)

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