Venue issue 253 01 03 2011

•••• lUll n ,....,. , .. - .

··~····

7-13

ma 12pr

lcr daytime : car ers using languages fai r

Spm b r: ue sa ls l

da d

oci ty party: it's c: rnlv I time!

internationally: internationalwomensday.com - events all week · giant world map local primary schools: global voices (a l week) art building: welcom e to poetry translation 7pm

amca daY

bar: international music quiz hive! rnerica gallery I giant world map I s lads bar: budweiser & barefoot wine offer lcr daytime: go global fair hive· salsa lesson lcr: wild west lcr

hiv : au tr I si n gc: llery I map I n.ck h rcfy' wm off rs 7p lcr: the international party 9p ., bar: sportsnight

d.1

d. • bar: fo t r

bar: the quiz: go global special

ueastudent.com

Want to take part in the lnternat10nal Party? Do you want to perform or present your national food7 Have you got any ideas for any other events you'd like to do during Go Global Week? Tell us on ents@uea.ac.uk

J1MAR11

FASHION

I SS U E

253

~

\..J

f

ENGLISH RosE oR BRIT-PoP PuNK?

.....

(I)

Models: LucyThorpe and Ed Moon-Little.

Clot'hes: Lucy: Dress and Flower Hair Pin from Daisy and Lola. Ed: Chi nos, Shirt and Tie from Philip Browne, Sweater and Blazer from Top Man. Stylist: Kat Jones.

Model: Carmela Grech.

Clothes: From the new range at The Rock Collection www.rockcollection .co.uk .

Stylist: Hannah.Britt.

w

JACK WILLS: BEST OF BRITISH?

>

.....

Christophe "the anti-toff" Young certainly doesn't think so ...

I know it's a bit late, but let's welcome Jack Wills to Norwich! Pleased to meet you, Jack!

Before we start shelling out staggering sums of money in this opulent harem路of textile evil, I have to point out a few Wills related grievances of mine. My therapist recommends it.

For starters, the slogan is 'Fabulously British.'

Come on Mr Wills, don't implicate all of us Brits in your evil, gurgling-toff conspiracy to prove every negative stereotype about Britain right with t-shirts that have slogans like 'Oxbridge Applicant', 'Rowing First 8' ,'England Polo Team', 'England Elephant Polo Team', 'Give Us Back India', and 'RRP: 拢499.99.'

The next thing is the way it scoffingly revels in its own mucky exclusivity, like the snobbiest pig in the sty. The shop goes by its own self-

imposed tag: 'University Outfitters', which rules out any awful disgusting dirty plebiscites who can't or don't go to university. lt also, bizarrely, rules out University students - no ordinary student could ever hope to afford their clothes, so why tailor it exactly to them?

The answer to the question is this: Jack Wills is attempting to appeal to a conceptual marketing demographic of King's Road shopping, Mayfair clubbing, legacy possessing, boat shoe wearing, yacht owning, horse owning, ski chalet owning, 'messy' blonde hair bleaching, Oxford/Cambridge/Durham/Bristol attending, private schooling, rugby worshipping, lpod, lpad, !phone AND Blackberry possessing idiots. The unfortunate thing is that unlike most marketing demographics, people like this exist.

I realise that this might come across as a class argument, like I have some sort of reversesnobbery chip on my shoulder. But what I don't .ke is the cynical in-your-face-ness of it all. The point of the whole style and ethos of Jack Wills is to send out a message of 'Screw You, I'm Rich.'

1have other issues. The seasonal Jack Wills catalogues are essentially porn for people who think they jizz liquid gold. An age warning is now on the catalogues to prevent any kiddies from seeing any glimpses of posh chest and breast. lt is a clothes shop, so why aren't their models wearing clothes? Also, Jack Wills got in trouble for having their mannequins hold cigarettes. This is evidence of such an intense and doomed desire to seem edgy that it's

<t

w

actually embarrassing.

But the all-time huge gripe of mine regarding Jack Wills is this: they don't give a shit. They don't give a shit that this is how they appear, and if they ever read this article would probably actually feel proud to have induced such a reaction. The whole Jack Wills monster is impossible to defeat, it feeds off its enemies.

The more that people justifiably hate it, the more it feels as if its in the right and is simply picked upon by jealous, bitter people, because Screw You, I'm Rich.

So there you go. I'm a sucker for writing this, and you are a sucker for having read it. Nobody wins. Our only hope is that all their dummies get lung cancer.

Christophe Young

ex u

Z 0 I (I)

<t

lL

,.,., s U

11

01MAFI1 ISSUE2~3

A~TS concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

~THEATRE PREVIEW>AvENUE L

8

I

(I} {!)

z

1-(1}

-'

I

>0

w L

0

u

I

~

-'

I

u

I 0

w rr 3

I I

>

I-

{!)

z ([

3

w

> I<{

w ([

u

I

(I}

1--

Rianne lson finds out why Avenue 0 is the hottest new musical in tow n.

A venoe

0 kicks off th is mooth ot Norwich's Theatre Roya l with t he cast having packed th eir bags (a nd of cou rse t heir puppets 1) to hit the road. London's comed ic musica l is going on tour and bringing with it heaps of fun, political incorrectness, loveable characters and naturally what all British humou r involves; some light hearted naughty innuendo combined with elements of in your face comedy. With The Sunday Times declaring it "The best musical of the decade", Avenue 0 has been wowing audiences in the West End for over five years and is now ready to te ll its story al l around the country.

The show centres around so me of life's burning issues with a bunch of amusing characters who are residents of the fictional street in downtown Brooklyn pondering over their coming of age. Amongst other things the characters explore work, relationships and love, including the ever-important question of just how you can pay your bills with a BA in English(ll). The very talented Rachel Jerram who plays contrasting characters Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut spoke to Concrete to discuss how the tour is going so far and just why students and others ali ke shou ld go along for a night of satirica l, laugh out loud comedy wrapped in a heartwarming story and marked with hilarious musica l numbers.

If you could introduce yourself to the readers of 'Concrete' and also tell them a little about the characters that you play.

My name is Rachel Jerram and I play Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the National Tour of Avenue 0, which commenced last week in Bath and is coming to Norwich on the 15th-19th Marc h. My ma in character is 'Kate Monster' and she's very cute and fu rry and she is a kindergarten teaching assistant The show revolves around Princeton, the newest resident to the street, who Kate has a crush on and therefore it makes up a key part of the show. The other character that I play is a bit of a naughty character called Lucy; she's a nightclub singer who all the men of New York fancy and a love triang le develops and shows the nasty aspect of the character. it's so great to play two contrasting characters in the show.

narrative follows a group of frie nds who are the street's residents. Eac h of the characters have a different story and a diffe rent problem to work t hrough and t he audience see t his, but also are taug ht lessons as t he audience recog nise that we are still learning even as we get older. There are some rea lly love ly characters and it also explores issues, such as love, break-ups, university, sexual ity and so on. lt is set li ke a kids te levision show, but it 's definitely for adults I The show already offers someth ing different to other musicals as it merges human actors with puppets, which is an extremely interesting concept ... lt is the only one of its kind at t he moment and the audience see both the act ors and the puppets on stage at the same time, however there are also human characters that do not have puppets.

11

a night of sat irical, laug h out loud co m edy wrapped in a heartwarming story and marked with hilarious musical numbers" •• •

<{

z

So, you have touched on what the story centres on, but if you could just give a brief synopsis of the show.

0 I

(I} <{ IJ._

•

Avenue 0 is based on shows such as Muppets and Sesame Street, but it is definitely an adult show, so the students of Norwich will absolutely love it 1 lt is set on the fictional street of Avenue 0 in Brooklyn and the

if the puppet is not looking the same way as you it comp lete ly isolates it and makes the puppet look li ke a puppet Our puppet coach was continuously shoutin g 'focus, focus' during re hearsals t o make sure that we got it right and we are always practicing even when the show is up and running.

What do you think the show offers a student audience?

Well. .. it's naughty 1lt's very funny and just so different from anything else and will provide the audience with such a great night, so a fantast ic opportun ity to go out with your friends and to have a rea lly good night out I Also, the students will love the humour and the mixture of innuendo, but also in your face humour with the textual and visual aspects of the comedy causing it to be hilarious. There are some good jokes and funny songs, but also it is not just funny, there's heart to it as well. We want the audience to come away thinking 'wow that was really funny', but also 'that was sweet and lovely' due to it being moving at points.

What is the being part

AvenueO? Why do you think it works having both the actors and puppets on the stage at the same time and what do you think this brings to t he musical as a whole?

The puppets can only do so much and because obviously all we can do as actors is move the puppet's mouth with the rest of their facial expressions remain ing the same, the puppets do not have that much expression. As an aud ience member you end up watching both the puppet's, but also the actor's face as the puppeteer has to give so much extra expression that the puppet's cannot portray. lt works really well as the actors are dressed in darker colours with the puppets being bright and vibrant, but we both blend in together and we are al l meant to be watched as it is definitely not ventriloquism. Anyone interested in this exciting concept should come along and see the show for themselves as it brings something new to the theatre I

rr

I

a

How w as t he rehearsal process wit h the puppets? Did it make it huge ly challenging? lt was crazy and so unlike any other show that I have ever performed in, as not only did you sort yourself out, learn lines and pick up choreography, but you've also got to think about th1s l1ttle person on the end of your arm I The most difficult part was getting the focus of the puppets in the right direction as

I constantly find myself saying this really my job' 1" lt's just one of those shows that you come in and have a great laugh and having a great time doing t he show. lt is j ust so creative and fun and t he cast that we have for the tour

and I am so lucky to be part of the show.

And fina lly, in one sentence, why exactly should people come and see Avenue 0 ?

Because it's only in Norwich for a week and it's a fresh, fun and exciting show that is so different from anything else and if you are having a tough time at uni it w ill make everything disappear and is just a good craic for the night 1 Rianne lson Avenue Q is showing at Theatre Royal from 15th-1gth March. To book tickets, visit www.theatreroyalnorwich .co .uk or call the Box Office on 01603 63oooo

A !=ITS

ARTS>THEATRE ROUNDUP

U)

n. ~

0

u

THEATRE> THEATRE RoYAL> CoMEDY oF ERRORS Bare bottoms, a bunny man, and a gospel singing preacher with an acute knowledge of Norwich . Perhaps not the first things that come to mind when one thinks of Shakespeare . Not even a school kid could accuse the famous playwright of being boring after watching the wild and wacky performance of The Comedy of Errors at the Theatre Royal last week .

Performed by the Propeller Shakespeare Company, the all male cast reflected how the play would have been performed back in Elizabethan times, but raunchy humour and physical theatre provided a twenty first century twist .

A full Mexican band delivered the entertainment as the audience took to their seats, promising an energetic and colourful performance to come . For the rest of the performance, however, traditional music played a minor role in creating atmosphere or entertainment; instead impeccable timing and sound effects from the orchestra pit matched slapstick action on stage, sending the audience into fits of appreciative laughter.

The actors' speech was itself musical in a sense, with many lines of rapid, quick-fire exchange and use of rhyme, making the

language fascinating and entertaining to listen to, and highlighting Shakespeare's skills with the spoken word .

The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare's shortest play, but what it lacks in length it definitely makes up for in wit . The play is believed to have been written early on in Shakespeare's career, during the London plague between 1592 and 1594.

Impeccable timing and sound effects from the orchestra pit matched slapstick action on stage, sending the audience into fits of appreciative laughter...

The play tells the story of two sets of twins: Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio of Syracuse; and Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant Dromio of Ephesus . Both sets of twins were separated at birth, none are aware of the other's existence, but by some coincidence they end up in the same city.

From here a comical sequence of events unfolds as the pairs' lives become increasingly intertwined, 路 leading to confusion, infidelity and a whole host ofotherdilemmas .

The director of Propeller, Edward Hall believes Shakespeare should be performed with "great clarity, speed and full of as much imagination in the staging as possible." Comedy of _ Errors achieved just that . Shakespeare set in South America turned out to be an evening of creative genius most which definitely left the audience wanting more.

in the way of his route to the throne .

A partly modernised stage added to the sense of claustrophobia and dystopia as we are presented with elements of an old hospital courtesy of a wooden folding operating table (that disturbingly forms not only an area of torture and killing but Richard's throne), murderous orderlies, curtained screens and tools hung as if they were decorative pieces from a serial killer's workshop . The transformability of the

~ ._..

U) _j

Becky Hazlewood

THEATRE>THEATRE RoYAL> RtcHARD

If you didn't manage to catch the recent production of Richard Ill at Theatre Royal then you missed out on a very interesting reimagination of arguably one of the most dramatic but under-appreciated of Shakespeare's plays. With an inventive and emotive interpretation the Propeller production did not disappoint and had the audience engrossed in the distressing actions of a man hungry for power and prepared to decimate anything standing

The Comedy of Errors was performed in conjunction with Richard Ill at the Theatre Royal Norwich. From here, Propeller will be staging their work in Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Salford, Newbury and Plymouth before heading to the States, Germany and Galway. They will end their tour in Verona.

Ill

stage set added momentum to the course of the play and recreated the feeling that we were caught up in the frenzied paranoia of Richard's tyrannical plans for political domination.

The production was a dynamic modernisation of the original play and offered something for every audience member-thought it could be said perhaps too much for the weak stomached, since much of the play focused on graphic violence, seemingly in an attempt to shock modern audiences .

Perhaps the effect could have been achieved just as emphatically with a skilful portrayal of the original style of executions . Whilst drilling through eyes, pulverising and dicing up corpses with chainsaws, and preserving the heads of the would-be child kings in a jar received superficial appreciation from the audience, it somewhat diminished the potential effect of the psychological aspect of the killings in Richard's mind - an area that usually demonstrates Shakespeare's skill with language .

However the play did redeem itself to some extent in other ways in this area and the actors gave very convincing performances -the most unsettling parts of the performances consequently did not

rest on the violence but in the calm and calculated way in which Richard executes his plans with his own deceptively justifiable logic, brilliantly evoked by Richard Clothier. Another significant and affecting performance was given by Tony Bell, playing Queen Margaret- her curses struck a terrifying foreboding undertone to the otherwise more superficial action of the play and were cleverly accompanied with a fitting, dramatic musical score.

Additionally the haunting choral music provided by the orderlies to mark the executions and curses added another uneasy, dark tone as events progress in the play, and was particularly effective at establishing discomfort amongst the audience through the mood of the play.

The characters as a whole had such an impact that the audience were able to feel a similar sense of cathartic justice to the victims as they delivered their final curses in Richard's dreams the night before the fateful battle. Overall the performance was an ambitious and imaginative reinvention of a tense, dramatic tragedy that largely proved successful; breathing new life and new terror into the words of the play. All m all, an unmissable night.

I

> .....

z ._..

0: 3

w

>

._.. <(

w a:

u

1 U)

.....

0: <(

I

z

0

I U) <(

lL

Liz Jackson

A~TS

~ THEATRE>MADDERMARI<ET THEATRE>OLEANNA

0

u

t!l

z

rl.ll

I

>

~ ~

0

u

I

~ _j

David Mamet's cynicism and language play dominates h1s works, forming philosophical and polit1cal layers under the seemingly simple surface . Although 0/eanna is not one of h1 s more popular plays, it deserves recogn1tion for the thought-provoking issues it ra1ses .

Di rect or Step hen Picton from Madderma rketT heatre has added touches of modernization to the play, givmg 1t a cinematic edge. By using sli deshows to define terms such as ' political correctness', 1t set out the ideolog1es of 0/eanna as would a movie . 0/eanna presents the bas1c story line of a professor, John, who is charged for sexual harassment by his student, Caro l. Because of th is, his tenure is l o be wi t hdrawn. The dramat ic 'pro logue' had t he two main characters d isputat ious ly walki ng around t he tab le accompanied by upbeat m usic and fe m inist images on the sli des how t o lay out its un de rl yin g t heme (t here and t hen it was) th e bat t le of the sexes.

However, it was diffi cult to take sides w ith either of them. Caro l IS a t im1d and acade m ica ll y-challenged university stu dent who is overwhe lmed by John's

1 lL

u

~ ~

conceited ond OPP'"';'e otbtode, wh;ch

later results in the miscommunication .

The set design was rather austere with it's black cha1rs and table almost blending into the walls . That, fascinatmgly, made the two -member cast more prominent.

W1th good reason too. Noel Jones (as John) and Thea Stevenson (as Caro l) we re very convincing in the portraya l of t hei r respective roles . De li ver ing Mamet's s1gnature sty le of short, mterruptive dialogues, Jones and Stevenson broug ht out the conflict between the two oppos1 ng forces impressively. lt was 1ntense, with strong language, reaching a peak that can be rather shockmg to the audience dunng the breakdown of the charact ers' emotio ns in the final act. In dealing w1th t he characters' use (and m isuse) of language, the line between rig ht and wro ng becomes blurred.

Laced with dark humour, chu ck les co ul d be heard ami dst th e irony and lat er on durin g t he ro le reversa l. Tho ugh it may lean towards wordiness, 0 /eanna is one t o spark hea t ed debates and inte ll ectua l discourse.

This is, all in all, wort h the watch .

Caro l's question stood ou t in the play: "To make me mad is your JOb'" Yes, if

1~ THEATRE>UEA>WHAT EvERY a:

3

I I

>

r-

~

ra: 3

w >

r-

<(

w

a: U

I

I.IJ

ra: <(

I

z

0 I

I.IJ

WoMAN I{Nows With a t itl e sca rily similar t o th e romantic comedy What Wome n Want, What Every Woman Knows t hankfully doesn't in clude Mel Gibson, psyc hic powers, nor Christina Agu ilera's voca ls as part of the soundtrack .

Rather, this sophist icated play by J M Barrie (writer of Peter Pan) proves a little less cliched and a bit more realisti c, illustrating a woman's Invisible power and Influence in the successes of the men in her life.

The Scottish play, set between lgool908, when women began to pursue full equa lity t hrough t he women's movement, fo ll ows the rise of Joh n Shand, from scholar to MP. However, it is his w ife Maggie's im pact that rea ll y se nds his career fl ying and as explai ned in the play 1tself, it is often the case t hat behind every successfu l man t here is a woman qu ietly steering, guiding and supportmg - a fact that is seem1ngly unknown to John until the play's conclusion.

Leadmg the cast are Roberta Morris as Maggie Wyl ie and Sam Hol land as John Shand, both portraying convincing accents and complementing each other perfectly.

Their performances effective ly port . rayed the d1fficu lt but effect ive relationship between t he two cha racters, desp1te our underestimations of Magg ie as a character.

Maggie describes herse lf as a 'lit t le brow n hen' wit h 'no charm' as she sits qui et ly in t he

corner of the Wyli e's home knitt ing not only with her need les, but weaving together her th oug hts, ideas and plans, discreetly and unassuming ly.

...as the plot evol ves, we realise Magg ie has the most charm of any othe r character in t hi s story; a charm that fina ll y me lts t he eg ocentric and selfimportant Shand However as the plot evo lves, we realise Magg1e has the most charm of any other character in this story; a charm that finally melts the egocentnc and self-1mportant Shand.

Overall, this was an mterest1ng choice for a student play and it would be interesting to know how and why it was chosen . Although perhaps not traditionally inspinng, moving or uplifting like most more symbol1c plays, everyone concerned should feel proud of a performance that was credible, we llperfo rmed, polished and witty.

Harriet Jones

<(

~~ ~ ___VV __ R_IT_E __F_O_R_U __S_!_ > _c_o_n_cr_e_t_e_.a_r_ts_@~u_ea_._a_c._u_k__~

anything , 0/eanna is meant to make the audience 'mad' by displaying 1ts new albeit controversial perspe ctives, as John then

replies in agreement, "To force you to listen."

Rachael Lu m

TELEVISION PRJMETIME> CHARLIE BROOI<ER's How TV RUINED vouR LIFE

With the likes of Twitter and the ever expanding blogosphere fuelling the rise of independent, public criticism, the traditional position of the critic has become increasingly uncertain .

Nevertheless, some people were simply born to rip people's hard work to shreds with nothing but eloquence and expletives, and one such hero is Charlie Brooker.

Scriptwriter, columnist, presenter and broadcaster, Brooker rose to prominence through his BBC4 Series Screenwipe, and has since gone on to make various spin-offs, such as Newswipeand Gameswipe.

Blending an unrepentant acerbic wit with a penchant for the surreal.

His approach to criticism is both traditional, in that he incisively identifies where something has fai led, and forcibly post-modern, is unafraid of blending comedy with a salient and often serious cultural, social or political point. In short, he's a talented man at the top of his profession, married to Konnie Huq . Damn him. For his latest foray into 'exposing the

ghastly backside of television ', he has been promoted to BBC2.

How TV Ruined Your Life picks up where Screenwipe left off, just with more of a budget and a weekly encompassing theme though which Brooker centres a fresh attack on the socio-cultural impact of television on our everyday lives. Public neuroses such as 'Fear', 'Aspiration' and 'Love' are mercilessly skewered, with television commonly portrayed as the naughty box in the corner spilling false images and narratives of the world onto the floor of mush -brained, knowledge-hungry Plebs .

The series successfully manages to tread a fine line between becoming a borderline indulgent misanthropic lecture and a simple re-tread of previous Screenwipe rants . lt is frequently funny and always intelligent, something that cannot be said of many programmes. I'm sure Mr Brooker would agree .

MattTidby Currently on BBC 2, Tuesday ~o PM

I DowNLOAD> I(EEPING UP WITH THE I<ARDASHIANs

Catapulting American Z-listers into the limelight has always been a dubious forte of the El Entertainment channel.

In the past, reality TV shows featuring the likes of Denise Richards and Ann a Nicole Smith have proved to be short-lived . But in 2007, the station seemingly struck gold when it commissioned Keeping Up with the Kardashians, a show predominantly focusing upon the daughters of 0 . J. Simpson's attorney as they adjust to life in the public eye .

Kim, Kourtney and Khloe contend with problems that can be narrowed down into a twenty-minute time frame, such as relationship woes, Momager Kris' bad habits and Kim's sex tape scandal that will not go away, no matter how many scantilyclad photo shoots she does.

Episodes including an appearance from FBI when racy pictures from Kourtney and Kim's past emerge prove to be questionable, alongside the thought that the three fashion forward, self-obsessed sisters would help homeless man who sleeps outside their LA

a

â&#x20AC;˘ (I)

0..

L 0

u

boutique, Dash. Stepfather and Olympic Gold Medallist Bruce Jenner proves to ¡ be the show's voice of reason, a frankly worrying concept considering he got both ears pierced at the age of sixty. ~ What's even more troubling is the fact :!: that the Kardashian{Jenner clan earned $65 million last year alone and are currently filming a sixth season of the show following the production of two spin offs; one w following Kourtney and Khloe in Miami and a: the other with Kourtney and Kim in New York.

Keeping Up w ith the Kardashians is 3 the epitome of 'so bad, it's funny' TV. it is most definitely poorly scripted and acted, yet the hilarious, over the top scenarios is > what makes the programme so watchable . 1Everybody enjoys a bit of good old fashioned sibling rivalry and Keeping Up with the Kardashians offers that by the truckload (!) too .

2 Elea nor Brown

I I

I-

Currently showing on E! Check TV GUIDEfor full listings.

a: 3

w >

EASTENDERS: BABY SWAP CONTROVERSY

I-

Was the recent contentious storyline a step too far?

w

If you were looking for something lighthearted and cheery to watch on New Year's Day whilst drinking your eggnog and eating your leftover mince pies, I doubt that Eastenders would have been the first programme that popped into your head .

The London- based soap has a justly-deserved reputation for being hopelessly depressing at the best of times, but each year it notoriously saves up its most traumatic and tragic storylines, especially for the festive season .

This year was no exception, with Ronnie Mitchell (played by Samantha Womack) overcome with grief over her own baby's cot-death, secretly swapping her dead child

with Kat and Alfie's newborn.

What was exceptional, however, was the public response . The BBC received record numbers of complaints over the storyline, from thousands of shocked viewers who presumably have never watched Eastenders over Christmas before . Past years' festi ve delights have included death, revealed affairs, death, revealed paternity tests, death, divorce, and of course, more death .

So quite what these thousands of annoyed viewers were expecting when they tuned in this year, is unclear. Everyone gathered around the piano swaying and singing Joy to the World, whilst looking misty-eyed into the camera? No, because that would

be boring . And no matter what you may think of Eastenders, it is never boring. it is its willingness to consistently feature grippingly controversial and unashamedly grim storyl ines that makes Eastenders better than its competitors . In the past the show has been praised for tackling some of life's grittier issues.

This particular storyline is due to come to an end over the next few weeks, earlier than planned as the producers have caved into the show's critics and cut it short. But, as they say, all publ icity is good publicity - Eastenders has never been more talked about.

Natalie Fletcher

<!.

a:

u

I

(I)

l-

a:

<{

I (I)

<!.

u..

- ---

1 C)

.

~

ISSUE

T E.L E V I S I 0 N

c~3

• AMERICA'S COMEDY GOLD Ul

Q_

2: 0

u

VENUE presents a selection of American Comedy that you can 't afford to miss.

z~

PARTY DowN

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY I N PHILADELPHIA

\

1'-Ul

I

>L

You probably haven't heard of the small US

8 cab le channe l Starz. Bar t he soft-porn drama

Spartacus- Blood and Sand it hardly competes

I

L _~

lL

I

u

Ul ::J

2:

I

0

w a:.

,

,

0

w

w ith its heavy we ight counterparts HBO and Showtime; having sa id t hat, fo r a short t ime, it was ho me to Am erica's f unni est TV show since Arrested Developmen t.

Party Down , sa dly ca nce ll ed last summer, is a hilarious sitcom about six wannabe Hol lywood types work ing as cater wa1ters. lt could easi ly have wa ll owed in it s desperation and bitterness but the colourful characters and unusual events make their absurd l1ves incredibly watchable without mocking. Then again, what more would you expect when one of the executive producers is Paul Rudd.

Who knew se lf- loathing could be qu ite so funny 7 The infal lible cast draws f rom the worlds of Judd Apa t ow and Chns top her Guest.

Jane Lynch, who is undoubtedly one of the best things about Glee, also stars. If all the musical numbers get it in the way in Glee, the n Party Down is the perfect stage for her pitch perfect cut-throat humour, wit hout the auto-tu ne.

Her departure prompted her rep lacement wit h the better Megan Mulla lly, if possib le. Unfortunately it may have been Lynch jumping sh1p for Glee or Adam Scott, for the equally funny Parks and Recreation, whic!l caused this TV show's unt1mely end.

The acerbic w1t and com1c timing of Lizzy Caplan (Janice of Mean G1rls fame) will be sorely missed, until next time then. This smart, quirky comedy is just whatTV needed to counterbalance the so-often vapid television shows we've come expect.

Fiona Howard

'The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby.' 'Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender.' 'The Gang Solves the North Korea Situation.' If any or all of those ep isode ti t les amused you, welcome to your new favourite show.

Br ing ing some much nee ded ana rchy to the long-sta le sitcom format, IASIP is, at it's core, another show about a group of friend's trying to run a business; in this case, an Irish bar in Philly. Saying that, it's got far more in common with the likes of South Park and Eastbound and Down than Cheers, because these guys might be friends, but they're also complete assholes.

For a show who's pilot cost $85 to make, IASIP has come a long way; Danny Devito has been a regular cast member since the second series, and they've boasted guest stars as diverse as 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum

3

I How I MeT YouR MoTHER ~ E4,THURSDAY,

I

EA

l.J

The best way to se ll IASIP is wi t h it 's own humour, so here's an examp le; at the very beginning of one episode , Sweet Dee (the group's toke n woma n but, in refreshing ly sex ism-free fash ion, no less of an ass ho le) com pl ai ns t hat whenever Fra nk (Dann y Devit o) hangs o ut w it h the gang, someone gets hurt. He hit's back w it h " I'm just pal ling around with the guys, how's anyone gomg to get hurt 7". Immediately, the episode's t1tle pops up; 'Frank Sets Sweet Dee on Fire'. it's hardly a secret that American TV is currently enjoying a golden age on a par with American cinema m the 7o's. Drama might be where the best stuff can be found, but shows like t h1s prove that comedy is having a revolution of 1t's own.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

s

9:30PM

I

(')

z

a:.

3 Book by

w

M.aureen

>

I'-<(

w When How I Met Your Mother first a~red in a:. 2005, ma ny saw it as simply a new season U

I

Ul

ra:. <(

z 0 I Ul

<t: lL

of Friends.

After al l, it has many of the same features: most obviously a mixed group of twenty-somethings living in New York, spending much of their time, though not at a co ffee house, but at a loca l bar.

However, once you put Ross, Rachel and Chand ler out of your mind, t he characters of t hi s new series soon beg in to be he ld j ust as dea r. W hile th e narrative be hind t he show is th e retrospect ive t ale of Te d Mos by (Jos h Radno r) te lli ng hi s kids how he (you gu esse d it 1) met th eir mot her, it is t he in te ractions wit h his four close friends w hi ch makes t he series so enjoya bl e Most spe ci fi cal ly, t he show's best

feature is without doubt the charming but shameless womaniser Barney Stinson (p layed by the leg en- "and I hope you're not lactose int olerant because the second half of this word is"-dary Neil Patrick Harris.) Is there anything he would not do to get laid7 The format may be familiar, but there is no denyi ng t hat How I Met Your Mother is not on ly one of America's funniest sit-coms, but also one of the sweetest. Al l t he rela ti onships are based not on mockery and condescens ion towards each other, but on love, and t hat is wha t has kept it stro ng for up t o seven series so far, and hopefu ll y ma ny more. Aft er all, we're sti ll waiting to find out howTed met his childrens' mother!

M USl. C

by

&

Ka th

O r 1.g1nal.l.y d irected by

Magg.i.e Norz-i.a

9th-11th March 2011 Tickets :

Amy Adams

UEA Box Office/ueaticketbook i ngs . co . uk Prices : £7 FULL £5 NUS

~

1~

• 1.0 Q_

;r 0

u

01 MA~ 1 ISSUE 2!531

11

W I ~ED

... ,' .....,

<GAMING)

11 1.0 l9

Z

Form at : PS3, 360 Re lea se : Out No w

I-

RRP : £39 -99

1.0 _j

I

>~

;r 0 U

I

L

_j

I..L

I

u

!:g 2

I

0 w [[

3

I

>

I-

(.9

z

I[[

3

w

>

I<(

w [[

u

I

1.0

I[[ <(

I

z

0

I 1.0 <(

I..L

•

Ever wondered who'd w1n in a fight: Dante from DevtfMay Cry, or Sp1der-man 1 Yes, after ten years and two console generat1ons, t he daddy of crazy crossover beat-em-ups IS back w ith a whole new layout for fans and newbies al ike to play around w1th.

Obv iously, the first th111g people are go ~n g to ask when you ta lk about a game that pits the heroes of Marvel Comics against the characters from Capcom's greatest fra nch 1ses IS 'who's 111 1t'' T he answer 1s, just about everyone you'd want, and the n some .

There are th 1rty SIX characters in the 111 1t1a l roster, eighteen on each side, w1th plenty more prom1sed in upcom111g Down loadab le Content . Wh il e at first th 1s may seem l1ke a st ep down from the fifty -od d fig hters of Marvel vs Capcom 2 , t h1s JUSt means th ere's a lot mo re depth and weig ht to the charac t ers tha t are here; 111 the hands of an expert, any of the characters are dangerous 1n t he1r own way. No fan favountes have been left out, and some of t he new add1t 1ons, l1ke t he aforement ioned Dante, Chns and Wesker of Res1dent Evil fame are so good you wonde r why t hey weren't always there. T here's bo un d to be som peop le compla ining om iSS io ns, o r characters have been d ropped , it's 1mpossib le to please everybody 111 games l1ke t h1s, and Marvel vs Capcom 3 is al l t he bette r for it .

The rost er isn 't t he on ly thi ng th at 's changed s1nce M arve l vs Capcom 2; grap hica ll y it s rea ll y s t un n ~ng ; th e deve lo pers have go ne fo r a 3- d ce ll book shade d co mi c effec t, and rea lly wo rks.

If yo u've bee n fo ll ow ing all th e deve lope r vid eos and tr ailers o nline in th e build -up t o thi s ga m e, th e fi rs t tim e you see th at Cin ematic on a decent televisio n, your mo ut h w il l be hangin g open. There have bee n a few t ec hni ca l c h a n g e s und er th e hood ofthi s

game as we ll ; t he button layout has changed t o a more 1n t u1t1ve vers1on , w 1th one face button for light attacks, one for med1um, one for heavy, and one to launch your opponent 111to the a1r The moves are all simp le as wel l; none of the crazy 72.0 degree analogue sp1ns of nvals li ke Street F1ghter here, and 1t all means that the fights move at t he senes t r ademark, frenz1ed pace.

Anot h er c h a n g e des1gned to bn ng 111 new players 1s the add1tion of 'S1mple M ode', which reduces entire combos and spec1al moves to s1ngle button presses, allow111g total newcomers to pull off amaz111g comb111at1ons w1th111 rr11nutes . it's a so l1d add1tion, and you can even take on peop le play 1ng w1th t he normal layout w 1th it; the on ly downs1de 1s, you' ll only bP able to use about ha lf of the moves t hey have.

Th1s 1sn't to say 1t's a perfect game; 1t lacks a lot of t he features you'd ex pect from a fighti ng game these days; t here's your st an dard arcade, vers us and prac t 1ce modes, and m1 ss ions, a mode tha t chall enges you t o pull off charact er-spec 1fi c co mb os, o n lin e play ... and t hat 's it. Eve n th e on lin e is a bit bare-bo nes; w hil e yo u ca n se t up eight m an lo bbi es, t here's no way t o save yo ur fi ghts, and o th ers in t he lo bby can' t specta t e; if you do so m ethin g aweso m e onlin e, th ere's no way anyo ne exce pt your oppone nt w ill ever see 1t. T hi s does n't take anyt hin g away fro m th e actu al expe ri ence of these fi g hts, but, g ive n w hat bea ut1fu l spectac les th ese enco unters ca n eas il y become, it rea ll y fee ls like a mi ssed o pportunity.

Overa ll, thi s gam e is a wort hy successor to M arvel vs Capcom 2 ; it's fast, f ran t ic, and enti re ly crazy, but also t he most fun w ireds had w1 th a new game in qu 1te a w hile.

Wh et her yo u're an old hand or a comple t e nov 1ce, th is game w ill more t han serv 1ce you r fi g ht in g needs, w ith everyone f rom M o rrig an, to M ODOK (a nd, if you know w ho e1t her of th ese characte rs are, t h1s is th e kind of ga m e you sho uld have pi cke d up alrea dy 1) Tim Bates

January 27t h 2.ou was a date of s1gn1ficance for many followers of handheld gaming and a number large of self-professed Sony fanat1cs . The PSP2 , clumsily codenamed as the NGP (Next Generation Portable ... lets hope 1t's a temporary name) was announced last month at Japan's Playstation Meeting . After months of speculation on w here Sony would be taking handheld gaming after the PSP Go 1, and w1th Ni ntendo launch1ng the 1r latest - and arguab ly revolu ti onary -]OS conso le next mont h, t he news couldn't have come at a better t1me .

Various sources wil l tel l you t hat the NGP's spec ifications are "tasty", " powerful" and "rid 1culous", which is all well and good for anyone bumm 1ng Sony (wh1ch far too many writers seem to be doing on the subject of the NGP) , but what about t he fa cts' Objectively the device has a lot of innovations to offer. Subjectively som e of these are imp ressive, wh ile others cou ld be hit or m iss.

Where to start' T he screen is a five inch OLED tou chscree n, so no ba ckli ght and better contrast ratios; if this isn't enough t here is also a rear tou ch pad for all around touch sensitivity. The cameras, speakers and analogue sticks all come in pairs, and there's

a microphone too. Bas1 cally it w ill have everything the more recent DS mode ls have, plus a second analogue for those wh~ney bastards that weren't satisfied with one . Not w1sh111g to al1enate anyone, the processor 1s a 4 core ARM Cortex-Ag core processor, and will feature a POWERVR graph1cs processor; 111 s1mple terms, 1t will look and run l1ke Sony's PS] console. Sti ll curious 7 Look it up (this will g1ve you an 1dea of 1ts size too) .

Mov1ng on to t he sl 1ghtly more 111terest111g stuff, the NGP wi ll offer a bu ilt -1n GPS and a vanety of three -ax1s app licat ions (gyroscope, compass etc.) which will no doubt come in handy with touch and mot1on se nsitivity, which as a modern gam111g nation we cannot seem to get enough of. Another thing that's sure to quench t he t h1rst of t he geeks and freaks of the gam111g wo rl d is the add1t1on of t rop h1 es to portab le ti t les, w hi ch wil l not be dow nload only th1 s tim e (games wil l be offered on "f1ash based memory cards" alongside their dig1ta l counterparts), and onlin e gaming will be so fun and easy with the broad range of conne ct ivity options (3G, W1 -Fi et c.).

Satisfi ed' should be, currently loo king li ke th e gol den boy of th e ga min g w orld, and will be yours to own later on thi s ye ar.

DJ Turner

Wednesday 16th February : -SEGA announce t he launch of M egadrive Games on Playsta t ion Network -Dead Island trai ler is revea led, many are t oting it to be the best t railer ever made.

Thursday 17th February. \llorP F-or11 MotC'r~port 11 detail<> revcc1l 'd, tatrnlJ that tlwywdnt to rn1ke 1t evE>n I'Oit .1lrstrc tl• lrl the !,1st outrnq New [)l C annou rH ed for NeE>d for ~pet'd flot Pursurt cHlcl A'>SdSSIIl~ C.r' ,I 81 otlwrhood Sony pun 'h PS 3 hc~c I ers I y barHllllCJ t hc·1r ll ·~01('~ I 01 l f'Sf J Friday 18th February : -PS3 Hackers foun d a way to unblock themse lves f ro m PSN , and eve n block other users.

-Bizarre Creations, w ho developed the PGR series and Geometry Wa rs, close their doors for good today.

Monday 21st Feb ruary: V1deo Game BAFTA's reveal L1on hei1d\ Peter Molyneux the rec 1p1ent of BAFTA rellowsh1p for illS contr·1but 1on to V1deogames.

Tuesday 22nd February: -Dragon Age 2 demo hits Go ld Xbox Live users.

-Assassins Creed : Brot herhood finally gets a PC release date of 2.2nd March .

W'dr •se' y' 1ri F bn ary Wll lr1 f ft •il ,Jell 'Wo I• oy' J'lcl 1 rec1l t , 11' I H• Ill lld r~ w Dl eH '>pH [l • conf1rm I for McH I' lq "t' 1 , o' W r < et .1 c.mf11111ed 1 f lt'dSt' c ltt c.. p 1l c I Thursd ay 24th February : -Elder Scro ll s V: Skyrim tantal ising gamep lay t railer re leased .

-Po lice raid PS3 hac kers home for evidence in PS3 Hacking case.

Fnday sth ebr uary r Ji> e l wt P'" rPI l ,c dc1te of 2011 Mc1y Atlu !dev lope of PE:r~ond ~ 1 L ~) Soy tilc1t th y ,w~ 1 'J plan~ to I<'IC'cl~e tht•i new t1•J0 (dlhorill(' Ill tJH wee,[ Sony pull Motor~l01111 Apocalyp~e fror'l I '1idrlrl out of rPSp• et for P,lrthqud!..e vrct nF, ~~PW

-

I

-

-

-

I

Cl1MA~1 1

WI ~EO

ISSUE

2~3

1

3

@uea.ac.ult

â&#x20AC;˘ rn n.

<INTERNET)

L 0 0

Irn Fun links to pass the time between socialising and learning.

David Cameron Pretending to be Common Exactly what it claims to be . See PM David Cameron playing chameleon with the commoners. Its almost as if he were one of them . See him move rubbish and speak to t he simple folk . An excellent tumblr page on a topic that really shows Cameron has no idea what is best. http://bit.ly/gdvU lb News Groper Top stories and opm1ons direct from celebrities mouths. Almost ... Newsgroper isn't what it seems on the surface, all these blogs are written in the style of the celebrity t hey cla1m to be . However each blog contains comedy gold and w1th so many fake celeb's opinions flying around there is something here for everyone. Vladimir Putin and Christopher Walken both prov1de some immense laughs, and feel as ifthe men themselves wrote them . http://www. newsgroper.com/ Fat, Ugly or Slutty Girl garners always suffer the brunt of on line insults whether playing on PSN or X box live .

Most insults revolve around their anatomy or t he fact that they are just out of the kitchen, however all of them are hilariously stupid and comp letely out of order. Girl garners have united to supply the world with these insult wonders in one of the best blogs fo r a long t ime. Not for the easily offended . http ://fatuglyorslutty.com/

World Congress

( M W C ) trades how is held in Barcelona .

This year, on the 14th-17th, a huge amount of consumer electronics companies formally announced _ _ _. ._ _ _ _. , their newest products, innovations, and ideas. Google's Android thoroughly dominated this year's itinerary.

The biggest announcements were the formal reveal of Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, dubbed by commentators as the 'PiayStation Phone', and Google revealing its newest innovative OS designed purely for tablet computing, Android Honeycomb, through the medium of Motorola's iPad competitor; the Xoom tablet. The Xperia Play is the first proper phone/gaming console hybrid since the infamous failure of Nokia's N-Gage almost a decade ago . it features a 4 inch LED screen with a respectable 48ox854 resolution, and a slide out panel that has the essential D-Pad, touch pad joysticks and control buttons. it's doubtful that the Xperia Play will share the same fate, being a capable Andro id 2.3 Gingerbread in its own right whilst also

being the best smartphone for gaming .

The Motorola Xoom tablet in Google's flagship choice for Honeycomb Tablets, and is a very impressive piece of technology.

With a 128ox8oo widescreen display, a powerful dual core processor, and sleek, seamless Honeycomb OS designed purely for tablets, Apple's iPad2 announcement is going to have to be spectacular to match the onslaught of Android tablets, since the Motorola Xoom wasn't the only Android tablet being announced, as other companies released their own Honeycomb tablets such as the Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, and LG's Optimus Pad. All three tablets are fairly similar though, in looks (to be fair, there's not much you can do with tablets) and internal specs . All three have NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 dual -core processor, stock honeycomb OS and the same (width) resolution .

In the smartphone sector, LG hopped on board the current 3D bandwagon and announced the Optimus 3D, the first 3D smartphone that doesn't require glasses whilst also announcing the previously mentioned honeycomb tablet, the Optimus Pad, is also 3D and can record 3D images and videos, which they hope will mark it as different to its competitors. Samsung announced the Galaxy 5 11, a beast of a smartphone following the success of the original Galaxy 5 with 10 million sold worldwide, so the Galaxy 5 11 for many will be the most important announcement at this year's MWC. The screen size has become wider and taller while the

device itself thinner, with a colossal (for a smartphone) 4¡3 inch SUPERAMOLED Plus screen, making this smartphone the current holder of the title for most vibrant, bright and clear screen on the market. This beast has a 1GHz dual core processor, and a quad core graphics processing unit (GPU), making it perhaps the biggest rival to the Xperia Play, especially since Samsung seem to have positioned themselves that way by including a "Games Hub" in their TouchWiz Ul. HTC, the fading star of Android, announced their 'Flyer' tablet, and their new ChaCha and Sa/sa phones, which are notable solely for having their own Facebook physical buttons.

In non -And roid news, RIM showed off their BlackBerry Playbook, Nokia showed off their brand new Windows Phone 7 lineup of phones, following their controversial and surprising 'Burning Platform' announcement from their CEO, that they're scrapping Symbian OS and will now making solely WP7 phones .

~ -

rrn _J

> 0

w L

3 _J

u.

l!l

Some of tlie 15est, most Interesting or just downnght funny people tweettng right now!

W ith Facebook users expanding everyday there are groups springing up for every occasion, here are some of the best!

@socent He likes to think he is hard and that he has a way with the ladies, but h1s Twitter suggests different. Watch him deal with inflammatory comments in possibly not the best way, and let h1m tell you his areams from the night before, all endtng with snapshots of his father eating breakfast and threatening to chuck him out. This man is wild ...

That one friend we all have who will get naked for no reason We all have that friend . They will be there in our photo albums, our nights outs and forever in our memories. Join this group to pay homage to that friend, however be careful about uploading photos celebrating your friends immodesty ... Facebook don't like that.

@Wired_UEA Follow your favourite games and technology section and keep up to date on the world of games and technology. You'll see some witty banter between the concrete team and if your lucky a drunk update or two I @Venue_UEA Everybody has JUmped aboard the Twitter wagon, th1s t1me its the arts section of the paper, Venue! On here you'll get a digest of some of the best content from the upcoming issue, or 140 word snippets on breakmg mus1c, film, games and fashion news.

" Dude, you're singing the wrong words"" No i'm not because I'm making a remix" You're in the LCR, you're having a great time, one of your favourite songs comes on and then horror of horrors, you've sang the wrong line. Really loudly. In front of everyone. If this has ever happened to you then at last you have a valid excuse and if nobody believes you then at least take sol ice in the fact that 738,865 other m addled Facebook have also suffered the same fate .

KateAIIen

Remote

KindleApp

This is a very useful and app that allows you to control your computer's iTunes, whether or not it's a Mac, by your iPhone, iPod or iPad. Once you have connected the two devices (a one-off extremely simple task) you can then browse your hand held to choose what plays from your computer.

Although iBook is also available and has added advantages, such as syncing with your iTunes library, the Kindle is a better alternative, wh 1ch is also free . Available on iPod or iPhone, it allows you to browse the Kindle library (far larger than iBooks') and down load any title you want .

There are hundreds of free titles available, mainly classics, as well as new titles and old favourites. The reading experience is more pleasant than iBooks, as has a nice sepia effect and you can bookmark and annotate to your heart's content .

You can e v e n down load f r e e samples of books before buy!

Y o u

c a n create, edit and adjust playlists, change the volume and more without having to lift more than one finger! Although there is an occasional problem with the app freezing, it is well wort h the free download as it saves you having to buy a physical remote!

z

a: 3

~

r<(

w

a: U

I

rn <(

~-

Dir~ct~;: Gr~ g Mott~ l~ • . Release Date: 14/2/11 (I)

•

•• •

•

In almost every media z mention of Paul, the latest 1- offering from spoof-giants (I) Ni ck Frost and Simon Pegg, -' one quote from t he duo seems to reoccur: " love letter to Steven Spielberg".

Ind eed, the fi lm's > narrative bears more than a ~ pass ing resemblance to the ::1: wel l-loved ta le of E.T Clive 0 (Frost) and Graeme (Pegg) u are two British enthusiasts of all things flying and unidentifiable, whose road trip is rudely interrupted -' by t he arri val of Paul (Seth Rogen) - an actua l alien, lL shipwrecked on earth and in desperate need to get home.

Thus begins a romp {!)

through the American Southwest in which the reluctant prot agonists find themselves alli ed with Ruth (Kristen Wiig), a Christian Fundamentalist who has discovered a love of cursing, in their desperate fli ght from FB I agents, ve ngefu l fathers and -o h yes- a coup le of irritated hillbillies whose car they bumped with their rented RV. Featuring a beautiful ly atmospheric soundtrack in the style of John Wil liams and a helter-skelter tour through neon-lit bars and sweeping deserts of the Sout hern United States, Paul shows a gent ler and, perhaps, a slightl y more mature worldview than the duo's previous films .

There is no ep ic destruction

of vil lages or hordes of zombies, although fans should not despair-a good deal of brilliantly executed physical humour and foulmouthed japes can stil l be see n and heard.

The dialogue, however, is just as entertaining with a great dea l of the comedy arising from the acerbic

camp sarcasm of the little green chap himself.

Rogen's rather-less-thancute version of E.T, coupled with the superb stra ightfaced buffoonery and wit of Frost and Pegg , make the film a de light to watch throughout.

Yet this is far more than just a silly spoof ofSpielberg.

There is something surprisingly subversive about the ways in which Paul interprets American culture. Alongside the 'butt j okes' and wordplay runs a penetrating tongue-incheek critique of right-wing religion and Conservative ideology.

Atheism and homosexua lity are thrown into the paths of hapless authority figures and religious locals with a searing glee; the conflict that drives the film is as much between liberalism and orthodoxy as it is between the RV's passengers and the pursuers who wa nt Paul back safe ly in Area 51. Less a "love lett er to Spielberg", perhaps, than a sharp ly-worded letter to Sarah Palin.

Combined with the movie's topical and satirical undertones, there are moments of true character depth and poignancy that make the film accessible t o anyone who ha s never even heard the words "phone home" : words wh ich, incidenta ll y, are neither heard nor parodied. Pegg and Frost veer away from obvious spoof throughout in favour of creating a distinct movie of their own.

Although there are plenty of in -jokes for the true sci-fi boffins among us (Star Wars and comic-book jokes abound at some points), the pure energy and hi larity of the dialogue is enough to keep even the most firm ly Earthbound viewer happy.

Sam Dordoy

c

•

1- • . . . . . . ..

Great for with kids ([ 3 ADHD and Elton John fans ali ke, Gnomeo and ~ Juliet proves enjoyably enterta in ing.

Elton, as 1- Executive Producer (not <{ to mention sole source for l.l.l ([ the soundtrack) and David u Furnish as Producer create a humorous take on a Shakespearian class ic.

(I) Two groups of gnomes 1- live in the gardens of the ([ Montague and Capu let <{ households. Divided simply into the Reds and Blues, Juliet (a Red) falls in love z with Gnomeo (a Blue), and 0 an age-old rivalry between the two camps ensues - or ~ as Gnomeo's father calls it <{ a lot of "smashing". lL St icking loosely to the orig in al, necessary lib ertie s

are taken (presumably avoid mentally scarring children); there are broken gnomes and drag-racing lawnmovers interspersed w ith Shakespearian references.

Jokes span from the 'Te rrafi rmin ator' lawnmower advertisement to t he bizarre inc lusion of a David Hasselhoff screen saver.

Much of the film's appeal is in the animation. Bright co lours, sharp 3D graphics and quick scenes that sw itch from one impre ss ive detail to the next. Voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt, other actors include Michael Caine and Jason Statham to name a few. it's by no means a challenging ta le, but the story and the team behind it had enough charm to pull in a stellar cast.

Vimbai Mu kwenha

•

Amongst the Oscars season's usual plethora of poor quality films is D.J. Caruso's I am Number Four based on the best-sel ling teen nove l of the same name . Although far from the worst of February's offerings, I am Number Four unfortunately does little to rise above the stagnant stereotype .

The film stars charisma void Ale x Pettyfer as the titular Number Four, one of nine super-powered aliens who have come to earth to escape murderous invaders . The film begins with the death of Number Three at the hands of evil colonists the Mogadorians, and with Numbers One and Two already dead, guess

who's next' Despite the fairly actionoriented introduction, the fi lm quick ly descends into t he ever-tired romance genre made infamous by the likes of Twilight; a comparison which is startlingly present throughout . Number Four is the super-powered, brooding male whilst Sarah (Dianna Agron) fills the role of the pretty, personality·· free love interest and unsurprisingly neither proves to be particularly likable.

This undesirable comparison aside, I am Number Four is actually pretty solid, albeit brainless, entertainment, particularly when it picks up in the explosive latter half. If this does well it will undoubtedly spawn a series, if not, it's no great loss.

James Collins

Director: lvan Reitman : Release Date : 25/2/11

,.

.....

•

•

•

As hton K utcher and Natalie Portman star as Adam and Emma in this rom-com about a guy and girl who try and keep their relationship purely sexual.

Adam breaks the vow not to get emotionally involved when he realises he has feelings for Emma, a workaho li c doctor (surprise , su rpri se). After making an effort to form a serious relationship, he has his feelings smashed as she bluntly rejects his advances and severs all ties to him.

The film is . billed as a rom-com but is lacking severely in romance and is certa inl y devoid of any comedy. lt follows all the trademarks but

E

each characters' 'funny friends' are by no-means funny, neith er character is pa rt icularly li kable and their re lationsh ip seems unbe lievable at best.

Where Ashton Kutcher tries to play the sensi t ive guy with fee lings, he just comes off as needy and immature, and Nata lie Portman's character ultimately follows her heart, spurred on on ly by loneliness and jealousy, not love.

The script is sloppy in places, and we've seen the 'se xually independent woman ' done before in more charming ways (see Love and Other Drugs, more comedic Going The Distance and certain ly with more original soo Days of Summer). Probably best avoided.

TomTheedom

ODEON FANATICAL ABOUT FILM

FILM

~~~.,1';.,..:;~!]:;.~· 1 ~

THE RITE

:oi~:ct:~;: Mik;;l i·laf:;t~~~ :

The devil is evidently there,

: Rele.ase Date: 25/2/11 • • : : : ••••••• •• ••••••••••• "What did you expect, spinning heads and pea soup?" asks Father Trevant (Anthony Hopkins) in The Ritei an important question for any exorcism film .

However, The Rite fails to answer it.

So what is there to expect? The Rite hopes that its 'based on true events' aspect is going to be scarier than pure fiction. lt is an interesting idea . These are real people, and any clever director has the scope here to explore themes of faith and psychic disorder.

Nevertheless, after twenty minutes whatever tension generated from the 'real' story is dropped .

screaming and yelping with a familiar devilish voice in the body of a sixteen year old girl.

What is worth seeing, however, is Anthony Hopkins, who steals every scene as a portly Welshman stuck in the middle of Rome, living with hundreds of cats. The support from Colin O'Donoghue is, unfortunately, a little lacklustre.

Exorcist fans looking for a fresh look should take a deep breath and prepare to be disappointed. This movie fails on two accounts: you don't get a new take on the exorcism idea, and perhaps most importantly, you don't get spinning heads and pea soup either.

Marc Farrant

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

YoG J BEAR

.................... : Director: Eric Brevig : Release Date: 11!2/11

•

............•........ .• • :

Yogi Bear is one of those movies . The ones which get made not to present artistic flair or meaningful narratives, but with the simple aim of harvesting a franchise for all its economic worth .

The franchise in question is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon series featuring the lovable picnic-snatching bear Yogi and his accomplice BooBoo in the peaceful forests of Jellystone Park.

The 2011 film does little to stray from the original source material as it follows the escapades of Yogi (Dan Akroyd) and Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) as they attempt to save their

beloved park from being shut down by tyrannical Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly). With such a formulaic plot, the film relies on tired slapstick humour and flatone liners just to maintain any sort of audience engagement.

Audience is the film's key issue here as the unfamiliarity ofthe TV show will leave newer audiences with little incentive to bother whilst fans of the original will grumble at Yogi Bear's commercialised glamorization into the popularculture. Regardless, this is very much a kid's movie and in this respect it does its job. Although it has many flaws, the humour will keep children entertained and amused throughout.

Andrew Wilkins

•••••••••••••••••••• •Director: Patrick Lussier • : Release Date: 25/2/11

:

• .••••••••••••••••••••• .•• Drive Angry sets out to

be an exhilarating actionpacked rollercoaster of hyper-violence and cheesy dialogue in the finest grind house tradition .

Shot entirely in glorious 3D the films narrative features hell-escapee John Milton (Nicolas Cage) hunting down a Satanic cult who have kidnapped his baby granddaughter and plan to sacrifice her in the next full moon. Along the way Milton picks up a feisty, foul-mouthed sidekick, Piper (Amber Heard), and engages in multiple gun/ car fights whilst attempting to evade the ominous 'Accountant' (William

Fichtner), easily part of the film .

Sound Well its not. completely due bores to its ensemble of bland characters and lack of emotional engagement with the audience. There is never any urgency in Cage's portrayal of Milton, and the frankly baffling sound design engenders an ill-paced and confused final product.

Oh, and the less said about the films worryingly misogynistic portrayal of women the better.

None ofthese complaints would really matter so long as the film was entertaining, as entertaining as the kind of trashy 70's action film it aspires to. However, Drive Angry is anything but fun.

Tom Graves

Dvo RELEASES .•........ , .•.•.....• • Director: NicK Moran

•• Release Date: 21!2/11 • • •

..

•• •

...... .

Dir: Anarew Lancaster : Release Date: 14/2/11

• •

Based on the true memoirs of Kevin Lewis' The Kid is a shocking story of a young boy growing up in a London council estate.

The film follows Kevin (Rupert Friend) through his horrific upbringing .

After being abused by his parents and abandoned by the care system, Kevin is finally given a chance at a decent life when a teacher takes a special interest in him .

Yet it doesn't end there. Innocence and poor decisions mean Kevin is once again left to fend for himself, and is once again abandoned, abused and cheated by just about

...

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN ,.

THE KID

.......

follows the story of Billy Conway (Harrison Gilberston), a boy from New England in the 198os. This film is essentially about a boy whose life falls apart one accident after another and his struggle to bring things back to normal.

The Conways are a family who are dysfunctional from the outset so when tragedy strikes and splits the family apart, Billy is left wondering who to turn to .

Struggling with the destruction of his family, he ends up befriending Doug Post, a boy known for behaving badly who henceforth leads him to

Accidents Happen

every person in his life .

Due to the intensity of the film it is quite a struggle to watch . lt is rather slow and the horrific scenes of his childhood could have been edited a bit more, as the relentless abuse and bullying becomes a bit too much to take, and are just slightly too depressing .

The actors are all brilliant and Friend's portrayal of Kevin seems very accurate after seeing Kevin Lewis' interview on

This Morning. Natascha McEihone plays Kevin's abusive mother, and plays it per.fectly. All actors give the film a chilling sense of reality.

From the beginning, the film leads you to believe that the ending will be far from happy, which is perhaps why it is so morbid; watchers don't even bother to hope for a happy ending.

Helen Jones

trouble . From the beginning of the film, it is known that Billy's way of dealing with things is by not feeling .So, as accident after accident occurs, the viewer is as emotionally detached as Billy.

However, one can see how these events are changing Billy's life . By the end of the film when the last tragedy hits, the viewer is left feeling distraught and overwhelmed. All of this is achieved through

excellent cinematography and editing, which helps to pull the story along; but the highlight of the film is definitely Gilberston's performance.

Accidents Happen is not a feel good movie, but rather one to get the audience to think about the life they lead and how, essentially, lucky they may have it. lt is a film that is good for one viewing, but that's about it.

Samantha Rogers

-~

he King's Speech is a rousing, uplifting tale, beautifully photographed and exquisitely performed. lt also has plot points you can set your watch to and a final "huzzah" that guarantees everyone leaves the cinema smiling. lt certainly deserves the Academy Award for Best Film. But it's certainly not the best film of 2010.

As a rule, if a flick truly deserves that moniker - 1f it's, lets say, the first genuinely definitive film of its generation, flawlessly performed, gorgeously shot, and features dialogue so divine your jaw literally drops and if, God forbid, it teaches you something about both its subject and yourself - the smart money's on it not winning. it's films like The Social Network that help us recognise

T

I

u

(J)

i_'

T

here were a few shocks in the smaller categories.

Roger Deakins (for True Grit) was shamefu lly passed over for Cinematography once again, albeit w by Wally Pfister for the damn fine CC. lookin' Inception, which cleaned up in the tech awards. A/ice In 3 Wonderland got two, and so now officially has more Oscars than positive reviews.

Rick Baker and Randy Newman I'- stepped up to collect their annual

I'<{

w

cr. u

But this isn't Gump winning over Pulp and Shawshank circa. '94. it's no tragedy, just a shame. An imtat1ng but predictable shame. Otherwise, this year's selection was mostly solid.

Calm Firth's. lovely variat1on of the stiff, awkward th1ng he's been doing since 1995 was awarded accordingly.

Some touching sentiments from deserving Best Supporting bloke Batman, who gave a shout-out to

awards for Best Makeup and Song.

Inside Man picked up the most closely fought Documentary Feature gong for years, and Susanne B1er was awarded Best Foreign Language film for In A Better World, a fitting reward for a stunning career.

Trent Reznor's excellent score for The Social Network picked up Best Score, doubtless accompanied by screams of delight from bedrooms worldwide. Have it 1

D

...

certain aspects of our own character.

Like any great art, 1t strives to make sense of the human condition it's not always a fluffy place to be.

Why reward an important film that makes us uncomfortable when we could reward a damn good one that makes us feel all gooey inside 7 And why stop at Best Film7 Director, too7 Yeah, sod Aronofsky 1

ress after dress, Anne Hathaway became ditzier, annoying and vapid. James Franco's deadpan humour almost made up for her hyper-girliness, but he wasn't on stage anywhere near as much; getting high backstage, from the looks of things. They were chosen to target a younger demographic, and they made sure you knew it. Billy Crystal walked on to 'lt Had to be You'; why couldn't it have been him7 His spot was a welcome respite, sadly amplifying Hathaway and Franco's lacklustre attempts.

Colin Firth will be lauded for his speech, striking the balance between classic British reserve and comedy, proving once again that he is one of the best public

speakers around. The night was full of wonderful speeches, fu ll of emotion and gratitude but it was Randy Newman's that truly made 'good television', despite his jabs.

The Oscars are all about the bits. This year's opened with an entertaining homage to the year's best pictures with an Inception inspired dream sequence; more MTV Movie Awards than Academy Awards, it just about worked.

Hathaway again proved that she's got a pair of lungs on her, harking back to her fabulous duet with Hugh Jackman. Applying autotune to movie clips, including Twilight and Harry Potter, also brought some laughs. Hopefully, next year they'll realize it's better to have a comed1an than a pair of hip actors.

his character's real life counterpart, sat in the back looking suspiciously like a man recovering from crack add1ction.

Best Actress Nazza Portz gave an adorably shaky thanks to everyone she's ever met while Best Supporting Lady Actor Melissa Leo cursed up a fucking storm and no-doubt upset ABC. Screenplay statuettes were on the money - The Kmg's Speech for Best Original, The Social Network for Best Adapted (EVER).

Just1ce may not have been served exactly, but at least it wasn't put in a wedding dress and thrown into the shower room. A fine, if predictable, evening of pretty frocks and warm-hearted stammerwrong with

'

· _y~ j· '-

NME AWARDS TOUR

~·f ..'J, -~

·-

We may as well start from the start as you've had a busy year; how did you meet?

Pete: We were all just friends really.

You have been negatively labelled as derivative, how does that make you feel?

Pete: Have we!? Everything is derivative;

Arni: I wish it was entertaining, some sort of, you know, like you (Pete) saved me from certain death and we agreed that we would play in a band together, at first weren't that into it but after a near death experience we were both heavily indebted to one another so the band came about.

you can levy the word derivative at literally everything because it all derives from fucking Bach! *Laughs* Arni: But no, it doesn't bother me, I think all great music shares key elements which also show up in our music and have stood out through the ages, and come on, Imean it's the nature of the beast really.

How is it getting such critical recognition; do you think being labelled as the next big thing is a poisoned chalice?

Is there anything more than the direct pop ofWreckin' Bar? Pete: Yeah, I think it will surprise people that it

Arni: To be honest, we never came out claiming that we were the next best thing, it was media that generated that talk and its only media that can kill it. Our focus is simply on the things that are in our control; we wanted to make the record of our dreams and we've got that, we wanted to put on the best live show we could possibly do and we are still working towards that, everything else is ...

Pete: Ultimately, people will walk into one of our gigs and say A. do /like this? Or B. do I not?, and that's all they need to do, judging us against some perceived media attention is not a great way to enjoy music, but unfortunately there are a group of people who do that.

is as varied as it is.

Arni: As a band we champion the songs a bit and we let the songs be what they want to be, some are one and a half minutes and some are five, I mean can you imagine Wreckin' bar a: being a lot longer, it'd be fucking boring! ~ So where do The Vaccines go from here, have you got a five year plan?

~

Arni: Yes, wearethemusicalequivalentofthe Soviet Union! *Laughs* I think we'll be happy doing this for as long as possible; playing as many gigs in as many places as people will want to listen to The Vaccines.

Pete: I guess in a year or so we'll start giving the next album some thought but we haven't Have you made the "record of your really...

Arni: I think we should probably release this dreams"? one first! And then we'll see if we can afford Pete: Yeah, we are all really, really proud of it.

Arni: it captures the energy of the excitement to do a second album! Famous last words; of the time perfectly and its exactly how I thinking about a second record ... envisaged it to be; we set out to make a record Pete: but yeah onwards and upwards from that represents our live show rather than the here; more international touring, loads of other way around so all of the ground work festivals basically getting very sick of being in was done in ten days then we recorded all of this bus and hopefully not sick of each other.. . the takes live, just four guys playing in a room we might need a bigger bus. 'tit there was a good one, which is a really Arni: Then we definitely won't be able to afford to do another album! classic way of doing it.

...-=

•

~

a.

U

t-

a: <(

o ::r

(I) <(

u..

•

..

-'

MUSIC concrete.mus~c@uea.ac.uk

REVIEWS Six years have passed since The Go' Team's Mercury Prize nominated debut Thunder, Lightning, Strike received acc laim f or its frenet ic mas hin g of st yles, unifying elements as diverse as hip-hop and playground-esque chants. At the time The Go' Team could be admired, if not adored, for a refreshing variation from the predictable indie of fellow nominees such as Hard-Fi and the Kaiser Chiefs . After an adequate follow up in ProofOfYouth, The Go 1 Team have released their third album, Rolling Blackouts, after a f our year hiatus.

The album is an eclectic co llection that, despite highlights, simply fails to expand upon previous efforts. Ultimately Rolling Blackouts sees The Go 1 Team treading fam ili ar, if not identical, grou nd: in th e process exposing the bands chronic fai lure to escape the niche it created for itself.

The Brighton sextet have always relied on creative lynchpin lan Parton's nonexhaustive supp ly of hook- laden samp les to form the core of their music, and Rolling Blackouts is no different . The contrast is in fact found in the limited use of front woman Ninja's freestyle vocals which were characteristic of much of their early work. Intra 'T.O.R.N.A.D.O.' indicates this is by no means a flaw, as Ninja's persistent yells combine with a crescendo of horns and drums to produce a track that is best described as a form of audible assau lt rather than music: if a migraine could

r(1)

I

0

w {[

I"' J Hf,RVEY

I

(!)

z

{[

3

w > I<(

w {[

U

00

r-

{[ <(

I

:z 0

I 00 <(

LL

â&#x20AC;˘

Though she may be one of British rock's most enigmatic and consistent players, it's still a bit much to expect Po lly Jean Harvey to peak on he r eig ht h albu m, almost twenty years into her career.

Indeed, after 2oo7's White Chalk, pretty much everyone had her written off as one of the old guard, sett led into her nic he and indulgin g her mo re avant- gard e proc li vities.

And all power to her; with a back cata logue like her's, she'd earned it. So, Let England Shake comes as something of a surprise.

Lyrica lly, it 's poss ibly her darkest work to dat e, f oc ussing on war in dist urb ing ly graphic detail. She sings of seeing "so ldiers fal l like lumps of meat", and 'Written on

the Forehead' features some of the most evocative impressionist lyrics ever wri t ten about the war in Iraq. 'The west's as leep', as she dec lares in the first line of Let England Shake, bef ore attem pting a wa keup ca ll .

Bearing in mind Pol ly Jean's reputa t ion as a visceral, abrasive artist, you'd expect the music itself to be equally violent, but tha t 's Let England Shake's biggest surprise; it's gorgeous. She draws influence from sources as disparate as fo lk, reggae and dreampop yet still maintains a consistent sound, and her guitars are melodic and infectious. Album highl ight 'The Words that Maketh Murder' is propelled by clattering drums that are almost tribal. 'Written on the Foreheads' is awash with warm synths and based around a sample from Niney the Observer's reggae classic 'Blood and Fire'. If it doesn't leave you involuntarily muttering "Biud, blud, blud and fi-yah" to you rse lf at the bus stop, then you may well be dead inside. it's incredib ly heartwarming t o see an artist who many had written off coming back so strong. Th is makes Let England Shake that rarest of albums; the stone cold classic t hat no-one saw com ing.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

be captured in sound , this would be it.

However, improvement is quickly found in 'Rea dy To Go Steady' and 'B uy Noth ing Day' w hi ch are a clea r homage t o 6o's pop, with the latter benefiting from the Jilting vocals of Best Coast's Beth Consentino.

However, this act rapidly wea rs t hin ,l eaving the album to stagnate into weak attem pts at pu rely instrumenta l melod ies and easy listening, with such tracks as 'Super Triangle' and 'Lazy Poltergeist'. it appears that Parton has gone all out in an atte mpt t o emp loy as many catc hy samp les and ado pt as many st yles as possib le in t he hope that one sticks enough to produce a hit; the end result is a disjointed album that despite highlights fails to impress.

In stead of mastering a st y le, it is evident t hat The Go' Team have produced a pale imitation of various others. Whether attempting to replicate the work of Saint Etienne or The Avalanches, eve rythi ng attempted has been done before, and better. A fa il ure to build on past success has produced a predictable, uninspired attempt that sees The Go 1 Team's perpetual optim ism look tired and further reveals an inabi lity to produce meaningful, or even coherent, lyrics. Life moves pretty fast and the music industry moves even faster: Rolling Blackouts suggests The Go 1 Team can't keep up.

Jordan Bri ght

spring and although the sunshine is t rying to beat the clouds away, its got to be said that this song was tailor made for August, not February. This song is perfect fo r 1am swaying at th e back of th e dance t ent at a festiva l, but it being t he soundtrack to your blustery walk home? Not so much. Great song, bad timing.

Hana Lockier

The Naked and Famous found themselves on many 'Hot for 2011' lists, but unlike the others they seem to be earning their own fan base and not jumping the queue. it seems more than fair to say that 'Young Blood', taken from their album Passive Me, Aggressive You is, well. ..awesome.

The band seems to have hit the electroindie-synth gene-pool jackpot, wit h vocals shadowing that of Bat for Lashes and the crunchy pop beats of MGMT. They have definitely mastered the melancholic sound of summer; with the twink li ng synth pops and steady crash of drums lining the song, and the angelic vocals swaying nicely overhead. But hold the phone, its me rely

(-

.

. "#-

·~.i

'

REVIEWS

~

-~

On February 14th Radiohead announced The King of Limbs, and four days later it was in listeners hands, or at least hard drives.

Clocking in at 37 minutes in length this is the shortest Radiohead album but it is easily the most startling, moody and fantastic album by the band in years. The name alone gives a heavy clue to what is about to come, with each track feeling like a disembodied limb from a different source; they sit comfortably next to each other but don't feel like natural partners. On top ofthisThom's voice sounds airy and distanced from the music, but always sounds distinctly Thorn.

'Bloom' is the first track on offer, harking back to the days of Amnesiac and Kid A with skittish beats and repeating piano segments. lt builds slowly into a blurring soundscape that feels like a frantic 'Motion Picture Soundtrack'. This is followed by 'Morning Mr. Magpie', sounding significantly different from the acoustic demo, with added layers of frantic distorted picking and only a remnants of the originals twangy acoustic riff; in its new guise it manages to get your feet tapping and evokes a sense of mystical fun. A moody track 'Little By Little' follows, not to be confused with Oasis' song of the same name, this is an eerie testament to the Radiohead of old, showing signs of similarity but again removed from what we previously knew. 'Feral' then rears its head playing a hypnotising synthed drum beat with Thorn's ghostly whispering voice drifting over the

surface, the shortest song on the album but easily the most surreal.

'Lotus Flower' seems a strange choice to follow Feral but its melodic and methodical beat are the perfect comedown. Thorn's

P..nd that's where 'White Lima' comes in.

Released on February 14th, the new video

Vaughn Highfield

Or

Foo Fighters: Whtte Lim o

lt was announced earlier this year that Dave Grohl would be the recipient of NME's 'GodLike Genius' Award for 2011. To be perfectly honest, it's a judgement that most people would find it hard to argue with. The Animalesque sticks-man cum front man has been a key player in rock and pop over the past twenty years.

Thing is, Foo Fighters, the group that Dave is best known for, have often been the weak link in his otherwise faultless chain of musical endeavours. Foos aren't a bad band, by no means; you can't fault them for their 3-minute singles output. Under the surface, however, you always got the impression that they were capable of something a lot ballsier than what they were bringing to the table; that there was a bit more, well, fight in the

voice switches from high melodies to low flat planes effortlessly and this all adds to the brooding undertone of the album.

'Codex' joins the list next and starts with a build and a sudden cut off of Thorn's voice,

almost suggesting something was removed from the track suddenly. lt then plummets into a soft piano piece that feels so much like 'Videotape' and '4 Minute Warning' have had a lovechild. Next comes a hauntingly beautiful acoustic number, 'Giving Up The Ghost', that sounds more like something you would find on a Grizzly Bear album .

This time the backing vocals take centre stage flowing in and out of Thorn's dreary lyrics with the repetition of "don't hurt me" creating another instrumental layer to the slow strumming. Out of all the tracks on offer the final track, 'Separator', feels the most like the Radiohead everybody knows and loves. A steady drumbeat and vocals that sound they were recorded down a telephone, it feels light and eerie at the same time. Continually wanting to build up and blossom into something more complex, especially around the middle, it remains restrained and sounds all the better for it.

The King of Limbs isn't an album for everybody. it's not even an album for many new Radio head fans. Here you wont find the thumping beats of 'There There', the crisp guitar from 'Optimistic' or even the levels of fuzz found in 'Bodysnatchers'. This isn't the greatest Radiohead album and never will be, but when one takes their time out to listen to it, there isn't any other Radio head album as powerful and as moving as this one.

from the Foos might have made for the best Valentine's Day since this editor ended up ~ubmerged in a pile of his own guts, thanks to George Romero's Trilogy of the Dead and a bottle of Sailor Jerry. A lo-fi, videotaped homage to the excesses of 8o's hard rock flicks, it's a four minute slice of deep fried awesome, replete with an appearance from everybody's favourite Moti:irhead man (Lemmy, if you didn't know).

As a song, 'White Limo' is a riff-o-rama bitch kicker. Grohl's· gruff voice, always the guiding light in the band's earlier output, is here transformed into the scream of a motherfucker. There's no point in trying to decipher what in god's name he's saying.You just close your eyes, accept that it rocks, and play it again, louder.

Always in danger of turning off onto the AOR highway, Dave and eo. have taken the high road, and in the process created what could be the best rock track of 2011. GodLike Genius?You're goddamn right!

Alec Plowman

Th e S: r o '<.e~ : Ur: ce r Co v er D2 r'<. n e~~ then charges into a verse propelled along by a bouncing guitar line that's easily one of the most danceable things the band have ever released . Throw in a catchy chorus, featuring backing vocals for the first time in a Strokes song, and a cool guitar solo/ breakdown section and you have an exciting return from the New Yorkers. The most pleasing thing is that the energy and enthusiasm of the band's early days still shines through, which bodes well for forthcoming album Angles.

Jamie Lewis

it's been a long wait for fans of The Strokes to hear a new song from their favourite band. Their last single was released in 2006, with the band spending the intervening five years releasing solo albums, getting married and generally abusing their position as the most important band of a generation by not playing any music together. Many lesser bands would see their fanbase dissolve over such a period; not so The Strokes, as anticipation for their new single 'Under Cover of Darkness' demonstrates.

The track has a definite classic-Strokesy feel, but with some significant differences.

The song begins with Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi's own version of Thin Lizzy's synchronised twin guitar attack,

..

•

•

.-

-) ~I""\

01MA~1 1

~ U

ISSUE

MUSIC

2!!53

â&#x20AC;˘

concrete . music ~ uea . ac . uX

{J}

CHASING STATUS?

0.

::!: 0

u

Following Chase and Status' recent performance at Project's open ing night on Thursday, Ant Firth -Ciark got some words from Saul giving an inm sight into the band's rise on the scene, th 1ough to thei r position at the cutting edge of dance production ...

0

z

_j

> 0

w ::!: 0

u

_j

lL

hase and Statu s have been at the fo refront of electronic muSIC for the past

¡-.

~

melanchol1cally drifts dubstep into further territorie s; and th en they've chucked a l4 0 beat and 'White Ltes' into a time machine and sent them back to understudy Tears for Fears.

The status of this group has grown expo nentially over the past few years . But are their new styles at ri sk of alienating the scenes that nurtured them from their grass roots upwards' Saul responded that "If popularity is

C

five years . They have represented and

::! contributed to drum 'n' bass, grime, dubstep

0

and various other urban dance genres. This article aims to summarise their career and what events led to their new album No More Idols and its commercia l breakthrough. Here

3

at Venue, we were also able to get hold ofSaul from the duo to get his perspective on t heir movements .

I

w rr

....

going to alienate 'purists' then it doesn't bother us in the slightest - we've been making dubs etc for these scenes since 2003 and still are today. if you wish to 'hate' on artists for growing, progressing and not writing the same song for a decade then you can 't be a loyal fan and are clearly suffering from tunnel vision. "

Their em ergence to t he circ uit was borne throug h the drum 'n' bass scene; quick ly > getting picked up by RAM records (Andy C's 1- seminal label) and ga1ning hype through their grimy, urban, me lody drenched sets. 2007 hits, and C&S unleash their double A-side dance chart topper 'Hurt You/Sell Me Your (9 Soul' to mass appraise . Following this up with furt her singles including co llaborations with 1- Plan B and Ka no, their production ab ilit ies were becoming a solid presence within the rr 3 dark, seedy depths of UK electronica.

Grasping at a mastery in production and a

lined up full UK tours and packed out live festival appearances including an all star cast of Britis h MC's.

dominance w ithin drum 'n' bass; they dec ided it was time to come out of nowhere and shock

Six months later and t he duo once aga in took the dubstep underground by storm; this

the turbulent, accelerating dubstep scene of <( w early 2008 with their Asian music Influenced II 'Easte rn Jam '. Not on ly did this int rod uce an intelligent, more experienced form of production to the scene, it also, with the help of Plastician, picked up serious interest from the US, w it h Snoo p Dogg lay1ng down voca ls ove r (J) the top and dubbing it 'Snoopdog Mi ll ionaire'.

1II About this, Saul said "it was very surreal and

time with the dub [unreleased track] 'Bits'. A full-on , technically aggress1 ve number which sent raves across the country loo py. Unfo rtunat ely, in 2010, record spinners were devastated to hear that they w ould never own

guests including Plan B, Dizzee Rasca l, Tinie Tempah, White Lies, Cee lo Green and hotly t ipped Mercury Pri ze hopeful Clare Maguire .

earned status; but they've done it post-years

this song: C&S sold the rights of it to Rihanna.

Whe n asked about it, Saul said "we had no

it's a far more consistent album which exhibtts a host of dtverse genres which get blended

of graft and love. Their product has become commercia l, but as they say: "People ta lk of

inten tion on putting it out as it was always intended to be a backing track - Rihanna wanted it for her LP and it was a no brainer to do something off the wall like that with her. Working on Rated R was huge for our profile and a learning experience that was m valuable to us."

into the dubstep format along with a trickle of d'n'b. The blatant commercial intentions of the duo are at the forefront of this album, displaying many pop sensib ilities, big chorus led anthems, and featur ing almost every industry backed artist of the current.

But don't be too quick to shrug this album off if a pop focus isn 't your thing. it might not be w here the roots of dubstep is at, but tt's still got an intriguing appeal. At one point they've gate -crashed a Kyuss jam session; next they attempt a Portishead style w hich

underground music going mainstream being the demise of it, but if there's a strong underground f ollowing as well as commercial interest then you really have the best of both worlds."

I

z

w >

1-

u

I

<(

0 I

(I)

<(

lL

-

we had to pinch ourselves when they first contacted us, but it has been a great thing for our profile and it opened a lot of doors for us."

Later in 2008, C&S released their debut album More Than A lot on their own label of the same name. it essentially tied up their "best of " to date and thus is quite the disjoi nted al bum, although Saul strong ly expressed that

"we never saw More Than A lot as tying up loose ends - it was where we were at the time and

represented what we were into and what we were doing musically." On the back of it they

DJ's and radio stations nationwide commenced the big push of their new single 'Blind Fait h' featur ing Liam Bai ley, a sou l singer discovered by Amy Winehouse . The immaculately produced, emotion ridden, pop-step single fidd les in needlessly uplifting crescendos; M-

People big mama style vocals; the lot. When asked about the single, Saul exc laimed that it "really encapsulates our love for the old rave

scene, nostalgia and the memories that made us want to sit in a studio and make beats for a living." The single was swiftly followed by their second full -length, No More Idols which made #2 of the UK album chart.

The album hosts an all-star line up of

But where wou ld they have gone 7 They were at the brim of the underground and got offered the chance to actually see a financial return from all their hard work and talent .

So why do we, the orig ina l music lovers, really care? Shouldn 't we be happy for them' Or are w e all just bitter that we probably won 't have the opportunity to make money whilst living t he dream 7 "To be honest with you, our

lives haven't changed much, as we as people haven 't changed ... we 're the same two friends who started making music about a decade ago. " Chase and Status have chased, and have

Even to the "purist", t heir b reaching of the mainstream might mean the effervescent death of the duo, but for what they've contributed over the years, flowers will be forever left by the ir grave .

Al l Photos by Ella Chappell

RICK WAKEMAN Fighting against the DVLA, Filming Commitments and UEA's ridiculously inadequate parking facilities, keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman nonetheless managed to grab a few words with Venue's Alec Plowman in anticipation of his Norwich show on March 12th

P

rolific is a term that gets bandied around a lot when you're talking about music. Sometimes you've got to wonder if it's appropriate. Many would consider Prince or Neil Young prolific artists for putting out an album a year. Hell, the Metallicas and U2s of the world ·are being prolific if they release more than three discs per decade. it's fair to say though, that the accolades ascribed to the aforementioned groups are completely inconsequential when you consider the work rate of Rick Wakeman. In 2010 alone, the keyboard wizard put out three records and a DVD. By his typical albums per annum rate, it was a quiet year.

Rick Wakeman is a man with a work ethic. He is as driven in 2011 as he was a keyboardist for hire in early 70s London. Back in the day, Rick would play, on average, 18 sessions a week. His dedication shows through in the repeated attempts to reschedule this interview, which has previously been scuppered by the woefully inadequate parking facilities at UEA. As Rick puts it, "you're more likely to get parked in Buckingham Palace than you are the University". Having finally managed to grab a half an hour with the legendary "gr-umpy old rock star" (who contrary to his title is actually an incredibly affable chap), I question how he has managed to maintain such an unrelentingly high level of output.

"it's because I enjoy it. I love what I do and I love the diversity. I won't say that every day is completely different, but certainly every day has something to it. The major problem for me is getting older. You realise that as you're getting older, you're getting dangerously close to a period of time where you might not be able to do it anymore ... there

is so much I want to do, it's just a question of if I can get it all in ... Spike Milligan had written on his tombstone 'I told you I was ill'. I think on mine, it'll say 'it's not fair, I'm not finished yet. "' In his teenage years, Rick achieved a distinction rating in all eight piano grades before studying at Royal College, with whom he is still associated. These days, on top of everything else, his is also a professor at the London College of Music. The classical approach clearly had an impact on both his playing and his outlook.

"My father was a pianist, and a very clever man. When I was quite young, he was very keen that I did my classical training, and got involved in as many different musical styles as possible. From the age of about 12 I played in trad jazz bands, modern jazz bands, country and western bands, dance bands, blues bands ... I played in everything, just to get an experience of different kinds of music.

My dad had a great analogy, where he compared learning music to being an author;. "you can be an author and have the most fantastic imagination, but if you only know 1000 words, then that imagination is going to be limited by those 1000 words. If you know 1o,ooo words, you can do so much more with your imagination". lt's the same with music. There is only one training that will give you all the words in the dictionary that you need to know, and that is going through your grades. That's what I did, and I'm forever grateful to him for it. .. you're embarking on the world's longest apprenticeship course. You're learning all the time.

11

11

it's this love for learning that permeates all of Rick's endeavours, be they musical, televisiual or otherwise.

Indeed, when I query him about his reaction to reality

television music culture, it is the lack of desire to learn amongst the contestants that has Rick riled.

"If I hear one more person say "I'm 19 and this is all I want to do, I've worked all my life for this"... I mean, you're 19! I'm 61, I've been working all my life and I'm still/earning ... it's a lot ofjumped up kids who think they've got talent. .. I've always argued that if you've got talent, you'llget through. I do not believe that there are people out there with great talent who do not get heard. it's amazing the number of people who go on the talent shows and do quite well, who have failed in other areas and go on TV and get that instant stardom. People think these days that it's the only way to be a star. They've got it the wrong way round.

I'd love to hear somebody go on one of those shows and say "/want to be the best I can at what I do". If you've got that attitude, you've got a reasonable chance of getting some kind of success."

On tour at the moment with his "intimate evening with Rick Wakeman" production, Rick shows no signs of curtailing his output anytime soon. He's taking to the road with his former Yes colleague Jon Anderson later in the year, while simultaneously writing his fourth volume of autobiographical anecdotes. He's even grabbed a presenting slot on the BBC's Watchdog programme. I'm not saying that Rick is the most prolific artist on the planet. it's just that if you were to find someone to one-up his endeavours, it might take a journey to the centre of the earth.

-~[b.!;,!~'&'.!ll.!lf<I<·~:\Wdl(t:l.!.!e!,! C•I:JIIIt:!>~ 'Jt._IA11dc~~ ~~ ~ ~d! ~ 'iJ'It·kt::b e.!.S ._gl(dlidiJit:: \!.!.!:,! 11 vt;;~W Ut::dllt·kt::tiJ!:JC:Jk I! ~~~,!2

•

z

>

~ ~

J1MA I=l 1 1.

~ ~

I SS U E

C~EATIVE

253

•

W~ITING

concrete.creativewriting@uea . ac.uk

U)

Q_

~

a u

NI:XT ISSUE

I

U) (.!)

A Short Story of 1, soo words

z

Any the me welcome

1U)

Please ernail your submissions to

_J

concrete .creativewriting@ uea. ac. uk

I

by gth March

> 0

w ~

a u

Bangl<ol<

I

Ruby t nmmed pill ars fr ame the tem ple s, air swim s with oils of jasmine and t hyme.

~ _J

Motorw ay

White Lies

Outs1de pers1ste nt neon s1gns flash m smog fil led st reets, expectant eyes fishmg out t he fatt es t wall et s

'Words are JUSt the th ings you say'

Poetry t hat lies abo ut Mean ing , t heme and rhyme, An echo of a thought once felt From a dis tant chu nk oft1me.

L1me green leaves s1zz le m sa lt on an open frame, fl1ckenng l1ke consc1 e nce, st1cky w1th garl1c and oil

Words that forget what The1r role 1t was to be They jumble and together slot In masked obscunty.

Hanoi

lL

-.

I

u [I)

::J was not t he thing to say to her ~

I

watchmg cars go under the bndge,

and come out the othe1 s1 de.

That boy from Preston had called ~ and made her mascara run.

a: 3

I I

'Somet1mes I w1sh I was st illl1tt le when stup1d boys d1d 11 't matter and the only thmg that hurt was grazmg your knee',

> whic h may have only been wo rds, 1- but actmg l1ke a k1d can be fun.

Their beauty fades w1th every touch Of a new readers eyes Fo r they read into words too much And do not realise That words are he ld toget her fast By structure, form and tone, That befo re these holed nets were cast They held truth 1n being alone.

Damp w1th sweat and steam from the street stalls, selling sticky sweet roll s of en spy sesame prawn that st1cks to your l1ps and me lts in the heat

Doneck Sewell

The smog of a thousand motors

Hail<u

Sarah Morgan

You tell a white lie, and I am drawn again to your silvery tongue

In the Outbacl<

I gave her a shove and she pushed

me back. I walked off and t urned t!J round and laughed see 1ng her sp1t Z at the cars below the bridge.

Echo of horns, a drum behind the eye lmgers like chatte r on t he street s and the breeze that hangs heavy 1n the heart .

1-

a:

3

That n1g ht, t he news showed pol 1ce tape flapping lame ly over flowers w1th handwri tten not es.

w > James Foreman I<{

If the stars had swa pped t he mse lves for our ones back home, would we even have not 1ced?

We slept ms 1de our swags and sleep1ng bags round the fire.

w

a: u

I

Tuesday 8t h March - Alice Ul Oswald at UEA Literary 1- Festival

Natal ie Brown

Creative ·writing Events Monday 14th March - UEA Creative Writing Society present Sweet Charity

Monday 14th March - Cafe Writers with Moniza Alvi and Anna Reckin

As part of UEA's first Charity Week (a week jammed pack full of events to raise money for the uni's 8 charity societies) , the UEA Creative Writing Society are hosting a Spoken Word Night for Charity. From 8.oo on the 14th of March in theUEAGrad Bar, upstairs from The Hive.

Cafe Writers presents poetry from Moniza Alvi and Anna Reckin in the ir brand new venue in the upstairs function room at Take 5, 17 Tombland. Starts at 7:30.

A voluntary donation of £2 is welcome. There are also opportunities to read from the floor.

a: <:{

Alice Oswald will be reading from her collections Dart, which won the T. S. El iot z prize in 2002, and Woods etc. a Her recent work includes A Sleepwalk on the Severn and I Ul Weeds and Wild Flowers, <t a collaboration with artist lL Jessica Green man. From ?Pill • in LT1. Tickets are £6.

I

Tuesday 1sth March Norwich Poetry Club with Elvis McGonagall and John Os borne The Norwich Poetry Club presents two distinctly entertaining poets in the charming surroundings of The Hand le Bar in The Bicycle Shop on St Benedict's Street.

Tickets are £5 . The event begins at 7:30pm and wi ll finish around gpm .

Woken up before t he moon sets down, we have t1me before 1t IS l1ght to check our bags, check our water, check our m1nds, check ou1 selves The morn1ng honzon IS a nsing ra1nbow, wh1pp111g away the coo l st1ff breeze and replacmg 1t w1th what we please: sun and fun and bacon ro lls as we are temporary k1 ngs and queens 1n th1s dry and ar~d land Rory Gale

:J1MA ~ 11

LISTINGS

I SS U E

253

~ ~

3

(I) Q_

::l 0

u

I

(I)

(.!)

z

~~~am r(1) * - Politist, Adj- LT1- nopm (£2 .80) * Benjamin Francis Leftwich- The Marquee _J

~ ~~LCR- 1opm (f3.soadv) *

Darwin Deez- The Waterfront-

- 8pm (£6) * Soapbox Debut- Norwich Arts Centre 8pm (£S) * Katy Lower (Flute) and Briony Roper

l

l

*

Richard Alston Dance Company 2011Theatre Royal (2 nights only)- Bpm (£s.so-

(Piano)- The Assemby House- 1pm (£4)

£18.so)

~ umm * An Evening with Rick Wakeman- St

~~

* Reel Big Fish -The Waterfront- 7:3opm (£14.50) * Tom Stade Live- The Playhouse- Bpm (£10-£12)

~~ * *

-Buried- LT1- 7:3opm (£2.80)

An Evening of Fashion and Beauty- A Charity Fashion Show- Jarrolds (Ho) * - LCR7pm (£16.so) * The Foam Party Is Back! - Mercy (free admission with flyer before 11:3opm)

~m *

- LCR- 1opm (£10-£12)

- Burke and Hare- LT1- 7:30pm

~~

(£s.so-£18.so)

* *

~<Mm * The Storyteller- Theatre Royal-

~~

Jethro 2011- Theatre Royal- 7:30pm

2:3opm/7pm (£s.so-£1S)

~~ * *

*

>

0

- LCR- 7:30pm (£2o) Sonic Arts 62- Trio Scordatura: featuring Bob Gilmore- UEA School of Musicnopm (£4-£?) * DJ Fresh- Project- 1opm (£3-75adv)

- LCR- 10:3opm (£3.50)

AI ice Oswald: UEA Literary Festival- LT1 - 6:3opm (£6)

* *

- LCR -7pm (£4.50)

Goodnight MisterTom- Theatre Royal (runs until 12th) 7pm (£1o-£16.so)

Andrews Hall-7:3opm (£26.so) * The Big Ballet- The Playhouse2:3opm/T3opm (£16.so-£1g.so) * - LCR -1opm (£4.50) * No Strings Boogaloo Burlesque - Norwich Arts Centre- 8pm (Ho)

UJ

::l 0

u

I

:r _J u..

~~mm * -LCR* That'll be the Day 2011- Theatre Royal7:3opm (£s.so-£22) * Early Spring Walk- Fairhaven Woodland

~~m * - Samson & Delilah- LT1- 7:3opm

and Water Garden

(£2.80) * Flor de Muerto- The Playhouse- 7pm (£8-£10)

~~~ * Beoga - Norwich Arts Centre- 8pm (£9-

I

0

UJ ([

3

£11)

FRIDAY NIGHT PROJECT The eagerly anticipated opening night of Project nightclub was finally upon us, and with a lot of hype to live up to, Venue thought 1t should pop along and see what all the fuss was about.

Situated on the R1verside complex, it is not the usual location for an aspiring club, most favouring Prince of Wales Road or more recently around the Tombland area.

However, Luminar Leasure Ltd -who owns a large nurnber of club franchises across the UK including Oceana and Liquid - wanted to remain where their history was, sticking with the original location of Lava Ignite.

After a 2.5 million pound refurbishment plan and two and half years of construction the club opened its door to the VIP's of Norwich on Thursday 24th of February.

Arguably one oft he largest club venues in the city and boasting three separately themed rooms, a lot was expected of this opening night. So as to not disappoint, the club was due to hire Professor Green to headline the event, but who had to drop out last minute due to prior engagements. Undeterred, Project hired DJ duo Chase & Stat us along with DJ EZ to set the atmosphere in the club,

which proved popular with the guests.

General Manager Jon Jackson sought to not only make Project a successful nightclub, but also an "entertainment venue for anyone who loves music". The main part of the club is entitled Project One, and is adorned with colour changing tables, an entirely mirrored DJ booth and contemporary design throughout it truly is a far cry from the usual Norwich club decor. The dance floor is accompanied by a private VIP room and The Chill Bar, so there really is an area to suit every taste and requirement within one room. The theme running throughout is that of contemporary modernism, with unique graffiti style artwork on the walls and floor to ceiling mirrors, it is aesthetically uniquely compared to many other clubs. As well as it being open as a nightclub venue, Project One will also be hosting Jongleurs Comedy, Britain's largest comedy night, every Friday and Saturday; and Propaganda, the UK's biggest lndie night with guest DJ's such as Gregg James, Lily Alien and The Kaiser Chiefs, every Friday night.

Along the corridor you will find Project Live, an arena perfectly suited and designed

...

as a venue for bands and gigs; complete with bar, dance floor and ample seating.

Project Live will be hosting "Norwich Rocks", a showcase of live bands and local talent, intermingled with interval DJ sets, every Saturday night. Finally, the Go Go Karaoke room is specially designed with touchscreen technology so you can be your

own DJ and choose which song to sing along to next! With an impressive drinks menu including real ales on tap, fishbowls and shot paddles, every taste bud should also be accommodated whatever you choose to do at Project.

Georgina Wade

0 I

(I)

<!.

u..

•

m Q.

:l:

CROSSWORD

DOWN

ACROSS

0

u

7: Paved surface (6) 1: Xbox game (4) 8: Hold in high esteem (6) 2: Too small to be detected (13) g: Sector (4) 3: Doubter (7) 10: Paunch (8) 4: A horse's fast walk(s) 11: Influenced by the human mind s: Magnificent (13) 6: Steadfast person (13) (7) 12: Natural illumination (8) 13: Fitting (5) 15: Breaks in two (5) 14: Largest (7) 16: British comedy-drama on 17: Lawful (5) 20: Tramps like us, baby we were Channel 4 (7) __ to run (5) 18: Travelling to (8) 19: Curved bones (4) 21: Red Hot Peppers (6) 22: Writhe (6)

m (!)

z.

-.....

m _J

I

>

0

UJ

:l: 0

u

I

:t: _J

lL

I

u

---,

(I}

::J

::E

I

0

Silver-tongued lothario Levi Roots will be coming to the LCR on Thursday 24th March . With a show that fuses live Reggae music, culin ary demonstrations, inspirational speeches, not to mention a complimentary goody-bag for every ticket holder, you would have to be a fool to m iss out on this experience . To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, all you have to to is bring your completed crossw ord to the Concrete office by 3Pm on Monday 21.st Ma rch.

UJ ([

Nam e:

3

I I

> .....

---

E-Mail : Mobile :

(!)

z .....

SUDOKU

([

3

EASY

UJ

>

HARD

MEDIUM

..... <(

w ([

u

2 6 7 3 4- 8 6 5 3 4 3 2 5 4 2 9 9 1 3 6 4 1 8 9 9 8 2 8

t---

I

(I}

..... a: <(

0

8 2

4 8 6

f--

6

5

3

2

3 4 1 9 8

2

I

9

31

1 4

1 4

6

3 2

I

9

4 5

4

6

4/ 5

16 7 8

8 5 3 2

7

5/ 7

6

9

4 路-

~

1 8

6

9 9

7 4 5

2

r---