Fuse Issue 30

Fuse.

Year Round-Up / Neil Huxley / Frankie Rose & the Outs

Short Fuse.

the best (and worst) of santa’s playlist N

ovember has now rolled into December, which means that the aisles of supermarkets up and down the land are brimming with Christmas cheer, blasting seasonal music as diverse and colourful as your overenthusiastic neighbour’s array of outdoor lights.

Musically-minded Fuse writers explore some of the highlights, and god-awful low lights that the holiday has to offer.

THE ULTIMATE xmas delights

Fuse.

Friday December 3 2010

1. ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ - Chris Rea

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It wasn’t all that long ago that the Christmas songs were more than just gimmicky pop and potential soundtracks for Argos adverts; I’m looking at you, Mariah.

But Chris Rea’s charming ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ manages to epitomise true Christmas spirit without the standard festive clichés we’re so used to.

It’s effortlessly cool, sung uniquely by one of the finest blues singers of the eighties, and completely sidesteps the god awful Christmas cheese of it’s rivals. What more could you ask for in a Christmas song? A screaming Noddy Holder? No thanks.

Now nobody likes a self righteous arse, but isn’t Christmas all about the family occasion? Rea’s simple but emphatic lyrics aren’t pretentious, they aren’t cheesy or Santa worshipping, he’s just a father who can’t wait to be home for a family Christmas; and if that doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy, then you‘re a cold, heartless bastard.

Tom Fletcher

disregarding the fact that I stupidly used to think it was

by Paul McCartney (whose own Christmas song would’ve been better if he‘d just stuck a microphone in a public toilet for four minutes,) ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ is my favourite festive ditty.

It’s just a really fun tune that never fails to get me into that Christmassy mood, with the added bonus of a rhythm that you can easily lose your dignity to after one too many eggnogs.

The video, however, is just a little weird, with Shakin’ going on a sleighride with someone who looks like a female version of the creepy banjo kid from Deliverance.

Granted, it’s cheesier than an explosion at a dairy farm and no doubt there’s a degree of embarrassment in admitting that you like it, but you’d have to be an absolute Grinch to not enjoy this song.

Tom Wardak 3. ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)’ - The Darkness The only thing missing from Christmas (until 2003) was a gut-wrenching, earsplitting, overdriven guitar solo - enter Justin Hawkins and The Darkness.

In the days before X-Factor chart domination they narrowly missed out on the Christmas number one spot with ‘Christmas Time’ to Michael Andrew’s and Gary Jules’ depressing, and rather un-Christmassy ‘Mad World’. It was the biggest chart upset since Bob the Builder saw off Westlife in 2000.

The pseudo-Glam Rockers’ Christmas escapade was uplifting, happy and most importantly it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.

It was its frivolity, provided mainly by tightleather trousers, honest lyrics - “Feigning joy and surprise / At the gifts we despise” - and a less than subtle attempt to shoehorn some crude comedy (bells end, get it?) onto the British airwaves, that make it such a classic.

And the video featured a singing robot.

Sam Bolton 4. ‘White Wine in the Sun’ - Tim Minchin

2. ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ - Shakin’ Stevens Even though there’s an ‘80s vibe to this track, and

witty iconoclasm of the majority of his work, this song shows a much softer side of Minchin, singing to his daughter about the importance of family at Christmas.

What starts off as Tim alone with a piano flows through to a modern-day carol, with a beautiful string section to boot.

Although he stays true to form, with rants about the institutionalisation of Christianity, getting freaked out by churches and “The westernisation of a dead Palestinian / Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer,” he always, bashfully returns to the refrain “But I still really like it.”

Overall, it’s an atheist ode to the festive season, and all the new socks and boxes of chocolates that come with it.

Abigail Evans

It won’t be played in a department store any time soon, but my favourite Christmas song is ‘White Wine in the Sun’, by Australian comedian and musician, Tim Minchin.

Stepping back from the

first in a huge succession of self indulgently shit charity singles was known as: ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’

Henceforth, the light shining out of Mr Geldof’s arse would be permanently visible from space.

Charitable intentions aside, the sheer naivety of a song addressing whether or not starving orphans are that concerned with the Christmas calendar is baffling. Geldof couldn’t have produced a more conceited, patronising mess even if he’d let Kings of Leon wander through the savannah with a few more legions of African children.

It was a chance for any PRseeking musicians to jump on a charitable bandwagon that they would personally contribute sod all to.

We’re looking at a song spearheaded by the musical force of George Michael, Bananarama, Boy George and Steve from Eastenders...

Bono himself couldn’t have saved this from disaster.

TF 2. ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ Cliff Richard

MUSICAL Crimes AGAINST CHRISTMAS 1. ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’ - Band Aid It was around 1984 that Bob Geldof first demolished his musical credibility. The

A child wakes to see Cliff Richard staring at her through her bedroom window, to the creepy soundtrack of what could well be the jingle of an ice cream van stuffed to the brim with severed body parts. So begins the most idiotic music video ever made.

‘Mistletoe and Wine’ is puke-inducing sentimental pap, and the auditory equivalent of just-used toilet paper. Good old Cliff has committed more musical crimes than Al Capone has real ones, and this is probably the worst.

Cliff’s song promises a prosperous future that’s “ours for the taking”, but listening to this must be what Harry Potter feels like

whenever he runs into a Dementor. It’s little wonder that suicide rates are higher in the holidays.

Still, it’s worth slipping into your Christmas playlist, especially if you’re interrogating a murder suspect. A few repeats of this will easily snag you a confession...but it’s not exactly humane.

TW 3. ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ - Mariah Carey What is it about Christmas that inspires mediocre pop stars to write some of their most sickly sweet, vomitinducing love songs?

Mariah Carey’s ode to a wayward lover is the archetypical (and most overplayed) example of these nauseating ballads.

I accept that a good Christmas jaunt requires a handful of clichés, but Carey takes it about 20 miles too far.

Layering banalities on top of each other, starting with the tinny glockenspiel,

adding in sleigh bells and culminating in a key-change, it’s about as interesting watching paint dry.

And if it wasn’t enough that we have to hear it played a thousand times a day on the radio, they pump the sentimental bilge into supermarkets, town centres, cafés, restaurants and pretty much anywhere you might go to try and escape her self-involved, adolescent warblings.

Whomever the poor sod may have been that she was whinging about, they almost definitely left her disappointed on Christmas morning back in ’94, and they’ve undoubtedly been forced to listen to the song on repeat every year since.

SB 4. ‘Have a Cheeky Christmas’ - The Cheeky Girls This one pretty much speaks for itself, so I needn’t elaborate.

AE

Short Fuse.

Q&A: Joan Rivers

Preview: Bugged Out! Having coined witty yet childish mix CD titles such as Suck My Deck, Bugged Out, home of Friendly Fires, Erol Alkan and more is an achingly cool London label to respect.

They are bringing one of their legendary parties (already the talk of Dalston, darling) to Sheffield’s Plug on December 4, where the XX’s Jamie and a few Mystery Jets will be gracing the decks. Fuse chats to Raf Daddy, of Bugged Out’s razor-sharp new mixing duo 2 Bears (Joe from Hot Chip is the other grizzly.)

When did you start collaborating?

About 18 months ago Why the name 2 Bears?

It’s to do with our physique.

And our beards.

Who are your influences in the world of electronic music?

The Wu Tang Clan and Moodymann. The KLF, Jazzy Jeff and A Tribe Called Quest.

What are some of your favourite artists and songs to mix and play around with?

We love old New York and Chicago house music, so Mr Fingers, Pal Joey, Masters at Work. A nice bit of Van Helden. Armando, Mike Dunn. Do you have all day?

What would be your dream track to remix, and why?

‘Sailing By’, which is the little bit of music they play before the BBC World Service closes down.

I’ve heard it when I’m half asleep so many times that I’ve already done the remix with my eyes shut. Big tune though, still.

Will the bear costumes be making an appearance at your Sheffield date?

In this weather, probably yes.

What will you be getting for Christmas?

Hopefully some new, airconditioned bear suits for the summer months.

Lizzie Palmer

K

nown for being brash, rude, and glamorous, the infamous Joan Rivers has exposed the dramas of her private life in one of the most interesting and revealing films of 2010.

A Piece of Work documents an entire year with the actress and comedienne.

Why did you pick Sheffield to premier your film earlier this year?

I love England, and Sheffield, whether you know it or not, is world famous.

I say to my friends I’m going to Sheffield, and they all say, “bring me back a fork.” Everybody is so excited. I do love England as my husband was English, and I just like the area.

FUSE. Musings

Were you ever worried about performing, and now showing this film, to a British audience?

My husband was English, so it never occurred to me that English people would ever have a kind of barrier.

So when I first started coming to Yorkshire over 35 years ago, people would ask if I was worried, and I’d say “worried about what?”

My husband Edgar was always laughing. I mean, take my wedding night, the man was just hysterical the whole time. good night out peaks at midnight?

Also, who has any spare cash these days to spend on such frivolities? Come to think of it, we should have probably started saving up 20 years ago if we have any intention of sending any future children we may bear to somewhere other than the University of Life.

Fuse thinks... that New Year’s Eve is really quite overrated. Why pay through the nose to go to a club you’ve barely left the rest of the year, to see in 2011 with hundreds of really drunk people?

After midnight, the whole thing is a bit of an anticlimax anyway. What kind of a

Fuse has... no idea what will make it to the holy grail of Christmas number one.

Does anyone even care anymore? Top of the Pops no longer runs regularly, and who checks the iTunes rankings every week with quivering anticipation?

Anyway, it’ll probably be something X Factor related;

Why did you decide to make the film at this point in your career?

The only good thing about age is that you don’t give a fuck anymore.

I’m going to be dead soon anyhow, so I can smoke, because by the time cancer gets me I’ll be dead. That’s the advantage with age; you can’t do anything to it.

So, the nice thing about doing this film at this age was that I was able to be very free with it. Because what am I going to do, offend somebody at the NBC? What can they do, they’ve already fired me? It doesn’t matter anymore, and that’s the one lovely thing

which I think made the documentary what it is. You can be truthful because you don’t care.

Sam about Brentnall ArePicture: you scared finishing work and retiring?

I’m terrified. I’ve been terrified all my life about money, because I’m not a trust fund kid. I support a lot of people. I have my QVC business, I have 19 girls that receive a cheque from me every week, and that’s a lot of responsibility.

So I am very nervous about working and filling up my diary. I make sure I say this all the time, but I think we should all be conduits.

I think if God or whoever gives you the luck to make the money, it should pass through you.

How would you like people to remember you?

I would like to be remembered as the sexiest woman in the world who had tricks in bed that noone even understood.

Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen.

Melissa Gillespie

apparently that’s quite a successful show. Fuse misses the golden days when weird, interesting things used to make the festive top spot, such as Gary Jules’ ‘Mad World’ and that one about a JCB. Don’t even bother mentioning Rage Against the Machine.

Fuse wishes... all its readers a delightful holiday, whether you go in for the religious part or not.

Eat lots, drink lots, sleep almost constantly and watch plenty of ‘quality’ Christmas TV. See you all in 2011 (how the hell has that happened?)

Fuse.

Fuse is... unimpressed with Sheffield’s inability to handle a bit of snow. No buses running in the morning?

Cancelled lectures? Surely

Yorkshire should be used to it by now.

Although the white blanket of snow is lovely and picturesque, so who cares about the incessant disruption. Maybe one day humanity will learn to deal with a bit of weather, rather than grinding to a halt everytime there’s a light rain shower.

It is quite heartwarming (or annoying, depending on your mood) to see fully grown adults pelting eachother with snowballs and generally frolicking like deer in a wintery woodland.

Also, if your housemates won’t let you turn the heating on now, it’s probably time to find new housemates. This is pretty bloody cold.

Were you surprised at anything that the film showed you about yourself?

It’s so hard to look at yourself, seriously. It’s so difficult.

I looked to see if I looked thin. I looked to see if Melissa looked pretty, my daughter. Even though that sounds terrible, you do look for all the superficial things.

But it’s all just me, so nothing was surprising.

One of the nice things about English people, is that when English people like you, they like you. My husband said they like you forever. Americans love to see you go up, and they love to see you destroyed with drugs and naked hookers.

So I’ve never had a problem with English audiences, and I love coming over here because of that.

Friday December 3 2010

Were you happy with how the film turned out?

I think it’s wonderful, as it didn’t come out as a stupid puff piece that no one could care less about. I’m beyond delighted.

As far as the intrusion, the minute you say you’re going to do something, you need to do it right. I have had a 50 year career and that is

because I’ve never, ever not tried to tell the truth.

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Interview.Me and My Girl.

lambeth Walking Me and My Girl stars Daniel Crossley and Jemima Rooper chat about the musical set to take over the Crucible this Christmas Words: Kristiane Genovese and Alexandra Rucki

Fuse.

Friday December 3 2010

S

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tars of stage and screen Daniel Crossley and Jemima Rooper are currently in the rehearsal process for the hit musical Me and My Girl.

The production is the first musical to take place at the Crucible since it underwent a £15million makeover earlier this year.

Daniel and Jemima chat animatedly about the show as they describe their rehearsal regime, showing no signs of exhaustion.

They are playing the parts of Bill Snibson and Sally Smith, a working class, cockney couple whose relationship is disrupted on discovering Bill is the long lost son and heir to the Earl of Hareford.

Bill becomes a male pygmalion figure as the family try to change him, and has to decide what is more important; love or a life of luxury.

so we’re just having fun and having a lovely time.

“If you’re with a lot of nice people then the chemistry flows naturally.”

“If the lead guy is hard to work with it all filters down from your key person so you could be in trouble but luckily Daniel is amazing,” gushes Jemima.

The musical is a revised version of the play which was first performed in 1937. Stephen Fry rewrote the script in 1984 and the show enjoyed a long stint in the West End, starring the likes of Emma Thompson and Robert Lindsay.

This is the first time Me and My Girl has been staged again for over ten years, with Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter, Little Dorrit) cast to play the part of the Duchess.

D a n i e l explains why the play is still relevant to contemporar y audiences.

“It’s an interesting blend actually because it’s very light and funny, but there’s also real heart to it.

“It is moving when you sit at the side watching other peoples scenes.

“It is about destiny and if people are made for each other, belonging somewhere - that’s a timeless thing, not specific to any particular time.

“Anna Mackmin, the director, has made tweaks

“It is moving when you watch other people’s scenes” Daniel and Jemima had not met previously, so how do they go about creating chemistry on-stage?

“Apparently we have had it since day one.”

“We did some of these publicity photos in London about two months ago, but until you are actually in the room together there is no way of knowing,” adds Daniel.

“Fortunately so far it’s a really happy rehearsal room,

here and there because the show hasn’t been done in years, so it needed to have a little reboot.”

“It was important that we have someone who fights a little bit” Jemima’s character Sally has also been altered to make her more ‘ballsy’.

“It was important to me and to the director that we didn’t have someone who sits and takes the bad stuff, and who fights a little bit,” said Jemima.

The actress has been taken out of her comfort zone since taking on the role of Sally, having not performed in a musical for over twelve years.

A familiar face on TV screens in series’ such as Lost in Austen, Hex and Bouquet of Barbed Wire, she explains the challenges of musical theatre.

“The rehearsal process is different, just in the sense that we are putting these numbers together and having to sing and dance, which I haven’t done in public for over 10 years.

“I’m just trying to get my head around that fact, as well as the first week of trying to move my feet.

“It’s just weird having been acting for so long, and this is the first job in years when I’ve come on and not

known anyone.”

She reflects back on her career, having started working in the industry from a young age.

“I have had such an amazing time learning on my various jobs.

“I’ve been lucky enough that in the past few years I’ve managed to change the sort of work I was doing, after a lot of TV, so I’ve shown I have grown up a little bit and can do something serious.”

Daniel also started his career from a young age, going straight into musical theatre after attending drama school from the age of sixteen, and landing roles in West end shows such as Mary Poppins and Hello Dolly.

Although he is no stranger to musicals, Daniel often still experiences the same challenges as his co-star.

“When you do a musical there’s so many different things to think about.

“We’ve got harmonies, songs to learn and obviously, there’s lots of acting to do, and of course there’s lots of choreography.”

“We learn these things separately, and I think the biggest challenge is sticking it together, which has to look seamless. You have to make it look easy and that’s actually the hardest thing.”

Jemima explains what life can be like whilst working in between acting jobs.

“I’ve done some really long, boring jobs but met the best friends whilst doing them.

“Other times it is just a job and you get on with it, but you still have a normal life and a bit more security.”

Daniel largely agrees: “Sometimes you’ll do a job and might not enjoy the part

you’re playing, but the cast will be brilliant and you’ll have such a fantastic social experience.

“Sometimes you’ll play a part that is really demanding, and you have no social life but the part is brilliant.

“You could be working with a fantastic director, and you can always pick different jobs for different reasons.”

Me and My Girl is on from early December until January 29 - will the hardworking cast be getting

a break for Christmas?

“We’ve got 4 days off which is nice and quite rare,” says Jemima, “so I guess everyone will go home for that time.”

“It’s a strange thing when you get into a rehearsal period, you don’t know what else is going on in the world really,” adds Daniel.

“It could be any time of the year and then we’ll realise its cold, and that suddenly it’s Christmas.”

Interview.Frankie Rose & the Outs.

WHERE DOYOU RUN TO?

Frankie Rose talks about her debut album and switching from the drum kit to centre stage

Words: Jordan Tandy

F

rankie Rose has a musical CV that is the envy of many.

Having already displayed her skills as a drummer in a number of buzz generating bands, the width and breadth of the USA, Frankie Rose has now stepped out from behind the drum kit and moved to the front of the stage.

As a founding member of all girl lo-fi noisepop band, Vivian Girls, Frankie Rose played an important role in the writing and recording of their eponymous debut album, penning the acclaimed track ‘Where Do You Run To?’, before moving on to reverb-heavy Brooklynites, Crystal Stilts.

The stint in New York City was followed by relocation to the West Coast and a spell as drummer for Los Angeles’ Dum Dum Girls, but all the while she had a desire to do her own thing.

for her.

“I am still not totally comfortable with being the front person, but it gets easier with every show. At our first show, I thought I was not going to be able to do it, I was terrified. But I got through it and I feel better and better about it every day.”

“I am still not totally comfortable being the front person”

“There are sounds from the ’60s I love; the reverb, the guitar tones”

come in the future.”

The record still features the Phil Spector influenced production, the wall of sound and retro grooves that have been seen in Roses’ previous

bands.

The ‘60s drenched pop gem, ‘Candy’ incorporating the Shangri-La’s harmonies juxtaposes with the galloping surge of tracks such as ‘Don’t Tred’. The soaring chords of the well chosen Arthur Russell cover ‘You Can Make Me Feel Bad’ completes a well assembled selection of tracks, indicating that Frankie Rose has finally found the perfect vehicle for her musical inspiration and creative output.

“I always want to try new things and I constantly being influenced by my surroundings so I cannot promise the same record twice. That’s for sure.”

The independent music scene has recently seen an influx of lo-fi bands, ‘60s pop throwbacks and a huge amount of garage rock feedback and reverb.

Many girl-fronted groups find themselves at the forefront of the movement, with the likes of Best Coast and two of Frankie’s former bands, Vivian Girls and Dum Dum Girls, receiving critical acclaim but Frankie is keen to distance herself from that sound.

“To be honest, I don’t consider my record to be ‘lo-fi’. It was recorded in a studio and I tried to stay really tasteful with the ‘fuzz’ and reverb.

“I wanted to keep the record warm without it sounding like it was recorded in a trashcan in the garage.

“Mind you, there is nothing wrong with that sound I just feel that ‘lo-fi’ is a term people throw around because categorization makes things easier for people.”

Frankie is also keen to refute the record is just another ‘60s homage.

“As far as references to ‘60s music, there are sounds I love from that time; the reverb, the guitar tones for example, however, I feel like the inspiration for these songs come from so many places and so many eras of music.”

Frankie Rose and the Outs are due to embark upon their first tour of the UK this December.

The band will be playing at The Harley on December 11. Tickets are available to buy from the venue and online now.

Fuse.

“I have always wanted to write and record my own songs,” Frankie tells me.

But with writing her own songs comes a greater spotlight.

“Being the main figure, I suppose that comes with being the songwriter.

The switch from drums to the front of the stage is one that is still unnerving

departure. There were a couple of songs I was scared to put on the record because I knew they were so stylistically similar.

“I would like to think of this album as a bridge. A kind of reference of what I have done in the past, with a hint of what is to

Friday December 3 2010

With the writing of the new songs, came the need to start a new band, and this resulted in the formation of The Outs. With Rose’s past record of band-jumping, the member selection would be an important one.

“We had been friends for a while beforehand. It started with Kate Ryan, the drummer.

“We played together for a moment b e f o r e recruiting Caroline Yes, whom I had played with p r e v i o u s l y.

M a r g o t Bianca came last. I needed a really strong lead guitarist who could sing well, and she fit the bill perfectly. “ October saw the release of Frankie Rose and the Outs self-titled debut record

on Memphis Industries.

The record sees a departure from the lofi distorted garage-rock influences that have been present in her previous bands, “I tried to make this album as hi-fi as possible while sticking the sounds I’ve always loved.”

Frankie Rose and The Outs manage to maintain a specific mood throughout the album, exploring dream pop combining with melancholic melodies on the albums darker tracks.

“This record was mostly written in the middle of a cold winter. I think that had a bit to do with the mood of the album.

“I am inspired by so many things.

People that are in my life, events that take place, other peoples’s music.”

The departure from the sound we may have come to expect from projects attached to Frankie Rose’s name was no accident.

“I would like to think it was a

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Interview. Neil Huxley.

a real visionary

With a visual feast of vivid colours, Avatar became one of the hottest topics in film history. Forge Press spoke to one of the men behind the design.

Fuse.

Friday December 3 2010

Words: Ashley Scrace

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I

n a quaint London home sits a young boy, cross legged on the floor of his front room eagerly awaiting the latest episode of Jim Henson’s The Muppets.

He takes notice of the story and the jokes but his main focus is on the creations themselves, their colours and movement.

It’s the visual design that excites him.

Flash forward over 20 years. Grown up, but still faithful to childhood inspiration, he’s now a visual effects designer, making his wildest creations come to life.

Meet Neil Huxley, a man who has been responsible for some of the most incredible, ingenious film effects of the past decade, culminating in the visual revolution that is Avatar. So where did it all begin?

“I was born in London and lived there for 26 years, then moved to Australia and now I’m based in LA. My design background is pretty varied, but mostly in visual effects design really.

“It all started at Iloura in Melbourne, and then moved more into visual effects design after art directing and designing the Salem’s Lot titles sequence for TNT. It all snowballed from there really.

“Now my title depends on the job. I’m lucky enough to have a skillset where I can wear different hats. It ranges from Art Director, Creative Director and Director.”

And, when you look at his diverse previous works, the job title needs to be flexible.

In 2009 Huxley was immediately assigned as

artistic director of darkcomic Watchmen.

Then, as a complete polar opposite, Gerard Butler’s Gamer was on the agenda.

Little did Huxley know these would lead him directly into the path of James Cameron’s Avatar creation.

“Watchmen was one of the first jobs I worked on when I landed in LA, which was a bit surreal. The graphic novel changed my life when I read it age 15 so to work on that with Zack Snyder was an incredible experience. “[After that] a friend of mine named Chris Bond called me up and asked if I was interested in another project, based on my work on a film called Gamer.

“He wanted me to design and art direct the design for a huge amount of Heads-Up-Displays (HUDs), immersive stereo displays and a holotable, which was integral to some of the key scenes in Avatar.”

Initially, just like the rest of the film industry, Huxley had no idea what Avatar was going to be like or how it would snowball into a global phenomenon.

“We all knew it was going to be amazing. When we saw an early preview of some footage in3D the lights went up and we all just stared at each other, a little watery-eyed to be honest, fathoming what we were actually going to be a part of.

“We ended up doing just over 200 shots in the end, I

“To have a perfectionist like Cameron say it looked ‘fucking cool’ is good enough for me”

many. There’s just not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do.

“I’m currently making my own documentary film called Portrait of an Assassin. It follows the story of an exboxer called Jimmy Flint who is a pretty complex guy. He’s a man who was destined for greatness, and blew it.

“It examines the nature of aggression, where does it come from? What do boxers

“When we saw an early preview in 3D we all just stared at each other, a little watery-eyed, fathoming what we were going to be a part of”

Fuse.

do when they can’t box anymore? He has a second chance at making his mark, but will he fall short as he did before?

“Ray Winstone stars in it and I have shot a good two thirds but ran out of money.

Most of this was self funded.

I need to win the lottery!

“But I will finish this film.

What I do know is that I am finally working for a company I can call home. When I am happy at work, I feel like anything is possible.”

Friday December 3 2010

think. It was a truly incredible thing to be involved in.

Survival under the wing of James Cameron can be tough.

Notoriously unforgiving, Cameron’s perfectionism has led to various stories about his fiery temper.

Avatar star Sam Worthington even recalled in an interview how Cameron would nail cell phones to a wall to stop people using them during production.

But Huxley’s impression of Cameron is far more positive.

“He knows exactly what he wants and what he doesn’t. I loved every minute w o r k i n g with James Cameron - the man is a true visionary. Even the late nights and stressful deadlines were fun. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

“I spoke with Cameron at the cast and crew screening after party and he was very happy with the work we did.

To have a perfectionist like him say he’s very happy and that it looked ‘fucking cool’ is good enough for me.”

With so much creativity pumping through Huxley’s veins the future is set to be bold and bursting with new innovative designs, especially if previous works are anything to go by.

“Pipeline projects are

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Feature.The Best of 2010 Bloody hell, that’s another year gone, then. Join us, as we try and remember 2010 for something other than crappy iPad apps and expensive train fares. Look, there’s even a colourful mascot to hold your attention for longer than the five seconds you’d otherwise spend looking at this page

Pictures: James Wragg

Best Gig: Broken Social Scene @ Corporation

Fuse.

Friday December 3 2010

So many questions surrounded Broken Social Scene’s hotly anticipated Sheffield date back in July.

Who will be contained in their ever-changing lineup? Will the transient Brendan Canning make an appearance? Will they all fit on the stage at Sheffield’s favourite, dingy rock club?

Fresh from a winning p e r fo r m a n c e at Glastonbury, the show was an epic one, kicking off

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with the new album track ‘Meet Me in the Basement’ and its climactic riffs, a song formerly reserved for the band’s finalé. All the component parts of a perfect gig were there; Kevin Drew’s stage-diving, classic songs and latest addition to the troupe Lisa Lobsinger’s amazingly backcombed hair.

And to top it off, all of this could be enjoyed alongside Corporation’s own, special vodka.

Lizzie Palmer

Best Art Exhibition: Watercolourin Britain Tradition and Beyond

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Best Album: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs Arcade Fire’s latest grand statement, The Suburbs is a woozy, romanticized and nostalgic look back at youth; wasting time thinking about wasting time, and longing for the opportunity to do it all again.

Epic tales of modern disillusionment and anthems of teenage petulance and alienation, Win Butler, Régine Chassagne et al, have the ability to transform personal thoughts into stadium sized anthems.

Régine’s optimistic takes – including the wonderful ‘Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)’ are the perfect foil for Win’s more downbeat outlook. It retains all the magic of Funeral and is still as heartbreaking and

My favourite exhibition this year was definitely Watercolour in Britain – Tradition and Beyond.

Before the exhibition, my perception was that watercolours were a very blurry art, with an otherworldly atmosphere. This changed after seeing some of the pieces by J.F . Lewis and Henry Rushbury, and with their intricate penchant for detail, my mind was fundamentally changed.

Watercolours do make paintings quite dreamlike (see William Blake’s art) but there’s also an almost photographic sobriety in some of them that give them that offsetting aura. Turner also got a big portion of the exhibition space dedicated to him, and that can’t be bad.

Samuel Valdes Lopez

hard-hitting.

The Suburbs works best as it doesn’t just comment upon a state of mind, it encapsulates and soundtracks it.

Jordan Tandy

Best Book: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Clocking in at a whopping 672 pages, you might be forgiven for wanting to give

Wolf Hall a miss. But if you’re one for historical fiction, then it rarely gets better than Hilary Mantel’s best-selling tome. Boasting some of the best ingredients for a fine piece of storytelling – power, royalty, and a classic rags-toriches trajectory – Wolf Hall plunges you head-first into a gripping narrative centring on the personal life of a certain Thomas Cromwell, History’s favourite bad boy. Mantel’s intenselyresearched work is by many accounts her finest, although given the notinconsiderable fruits of her literary career, its eagerly anticipated sequel The Mirror and the Light may prove equally un-put-downable.

Lucie Boase

Best Console Game: Red Dead Redemption Red Dead Redemption could have been one of 2010’s biggest failures.

Think about it – it’s essentially Grand Theft Auto, a game about stealing cars and shooting people in a sprawling urban setting, except without any cars, decent weapons or urban settings to speak of.

You’re

in a sparse desert, on a horse, with a six-shooter.

Not exactly the most interesting open-world concept.

Yet by understanding these limitations, Rockstar were able to sculpt an experience that could be said to surpass even GTA itself – in addition to the expertly paced story missions, there’s more to do in Redemption’s barren desert than any of GTA’s huge cities.

Side

missions, ferocious animals, hidden treasure, escaped criminals and much more make Redemption an engrossing and addictive experience.

To top it all off, it’s one of the most beautiful and atmospheric games ever released, satiating any HDTV with its potent aesthetic.

James Wragg

Best PC Game: Starcraft 2 With the original Starcraft being all but a national sport in South Korea and highly

Best TV Show: This is England ‘86

tweaked to ensure players are well-matched in every game, there’s something for the casual and hardcore gamer alike here.

And it’s all presented in Blizzard’s sleek new Battle. net service, which uses an achievement reward system to subtly challenge the player to better their reflexes and tactics.

Starcraft 2 is, undoubtedly, an essential purchase for any RTS fan, and worth a look for everyone else, too.

James Wragg

with an almighty mess of personal problems.

Unemployment, abuse and troubled relationships are just a few of the trials that the young group encounter, but nothing can compare to the harrowing rape scenes in the last episodes. Hard to watch, but better than anything else you will have seen this year.

Alex Sherwood

Friday December 3 2010

The four-part follow up to Shane Meadow’s superb film, This is England ’86 takes all the gritty drama of the movie and loses none of the quality on the small screen.

Television rarely achieves such a raw spectrum of emotion. In between the mad parties and good times playing football, the gang must contend

regarded everywhere else, until its release Starcraft 2 was one of the most highly anticipated games in recent years.

Deftly balancing complex, skill-based gameplay with an intuitive and accessible interface, SC2 is the height of Real Time Strategy perfection.

With a story-driven campaign that lets players customise their own Terran (think cowboy truckers in space) army, and a finely balanced multiplayer component

Despite the absurdly large budget, uninventive soundtrack and mass confusion, there’s no doubt Inception is the greatest film this year and, possibly, one of the greatest films ever made.

Following a bizarre

dreamscape, Christopher Nolan’s exemplary directing takes us deep into the minds of Leonardo DiCaprio and his trusted team as they try their hands in the world of subconscious corporate espionage.

Rarely does a film include acting of the highest standard, polished

cinematography and a gripping story. Even rarer then it is to find a film that has all three while being completely original and innovative. Search no more – this is one film which can appropriately be labelled ‘perfect’.

Ashley Scrace

Fuse.

Best Film: Inception

9

Reviews.Music releases.

THE CONCRETES WYWH Something In Construction

7/10

Singles.

CEE-LO Green The Lady Killer Elektra

10/10 Self-censorship is a funny thing. To fuck or to forget?

‘Forget You’, of course, the number one megahit, a genius Motown-humping peon to taking stock and moving on. ‘Fuck You’, a celebration of bitterness in loss with a typographic video that reached two million views within a week of release, here relegated to the role of bonus track (What’s the bonus, exactly?

The expletives?).

The funny thing is how, in its success, ‘Forget You’ is the version of the track that has come to define The Lady Killer. Because Green’s breakthrough solo work isn’t steered by a Skepta-like

bitterness drawn from years of being shunted to the side after each collaborative hit, it’s an album that picks from the best of his past to build a bright and confident future.

The echoes of Green’s past work are everywhere to be seen. ‘The Lady Killer Theme’ is as absurd and exciting as the skittish opener to Gnarls Barkley’s St Elsewhere ‘Go-Go Gadget Gospel’, riding in on playful spaghetti western guitars, swooping, cinematic orchestration and cartoony cries of “LADY KILLAARGH!” ‘Bodies’ turns to the dusty, Southern gospel Cee-Lo used to trade in as one quarter of Atlanta hip hop troupe Goodie Mob, coupling his deeply soulful voice with a hazy production style.

And let’s make this clear: that’s a deeply soulful voice.

We’re not talking John Adeleye here, or the smooth

jazz-derived crooning of plenty of others labelled as neo-soul. At times, Cee-Lo sounds as if he could tear his heart from his chest, tapping into that abstract emotional clarity that made you stop doing whatever you were doing the first time you heard ‘Crazy’.

He does it here on ‘I Want You’, on ‘Bodies’, on ‘Cry Baby’, and in a host of other shiver-inducing moments spread across the album.

It’s one of many tools CeeLo makes use of in an album that is by turns hilarious, desperately sad, wilfully silly and incredible fun.

The Lady Killer is a result carved by experience and impeccable judgement, and at this point it’s the defining moment of one of the greatest vocalists working in the sphere of contemporary pop. This time, Cee-Lo Green has chosen to forget.

Patrick Wolf is back (finally) and his upcoming single ‘Time of My Life’ is pure oxygen for fans who have been lamenting his extended break.

The emotional violin sections have returned, along with pounding drums, Wolf’s expressive voice and his trademark catchy choruses. The combination of stylistic accomplishment and sing-along qualities is a hard one to get right, but the ever-colourful Magic Position creator manages it.

In contrast, ‘It’s OK’, the latest single from Cee-Lo Green’s The Lady Killer

GIRL TALK All Day Illegal Art

8/10

Jeremy Peel

Fuse.

Friday December 3 2010

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

10

Danger Days:The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys Reprise

track.

‘What We’ve Become’ is an immediate standout track, with its drum-heavy, siren-laden introduction.

Its chorus is powerfully catchy, but the song ends uncomfortably quickly.

What ‘Knck Knck’ lacks in vowels, it makes up for in its dancefloor-friendly tempo and infectious chorus.

The titular track ‘WYWH’ closes the album, summing up the wishful, melancholic tone that has punctuated the album. When Milberg sings, “You and I were just a postcard / Wish you were here,” she says goodbye to the Concretes of yesteryear – and this new version is here to stay.

is also due for imminent release, and very smooth it is; nicely reminiscent of his work with Gnarls Barkley.

Smooth, yet musically and lyrically boring - not a patch on everyone’s favourite angry, yet soulful hit of the season ‘Fuck You’ (or ‘Forget You’, to give it its more radio-friendly title.)

Another release that can only be described as boring, is good band turned lads on tour Kings of Leon’s new single ‘Pyro’, the second single to be taken from Come Around Sundown.

Despite some quite powerful fire imagery in the lyrics, the dreary guitars and painfully slow, plodding pace mean

that this is nothing short of a taxing experience.

in one sitting.

One of the redeeming factors is Gillis’ willingness to venture further away from his usual genre of samples attempting to incorporate even more variation.

Some of the best combinations include: The Ramones and Missy Elliot, Juicy J and The Electric Light Orchestra, and the opening of ‘Make Me Wanna’ which unites Cyndi Lauper and Ghost Town DJ’s.

Let’s be honest, not many people could’ve dreamt up those collaborations.

speaking too soon. Maybe Hellfire Reign will set itself apart from generic metal mush and slingshot its creators to kitten slaying stardom.

Of course it wont. What we have instead is a record coughing up the same brand of hardcore jibberish that you would expect from any artist with bleeding reindeer and zombie porn on their album covers.

The infuriating cliché of hardcore metal has always been: ‘At least they know how to play their instruments.’

And yes, this is certainly the case with Hang The Bastard, as ‘The Blackest Eyes’ and ‘Earthmover’ feature some spectacular guitar work in between the nonsensical chunking.

Startling drumming also accompanies the -otherwise dreary as dominoes’Levitation Lessons’ and the equally brash and indifferent ’Snake Charmer.’

The problem is that these boys are like a pneumatic drill stuck hopelessly on their default setting: Breaking concrete and inducing migraines.

The machine gun mimicking ‘1888’ will have you convinced your hi-fi is trying to maim you, whereas ‘Hells Teeth’ pretty much sums up what its listener’s reaction will be.

Vocals are impossible to understand, and with the only recognisable lyrics including lovely clichés like “A war against myself”, you’ll be happily obliged to not understand anything further.

Tom Fletcher

Bryony Dent

9/10 The year is 2019 and the evil ‘BL/Ind’ corporation is fighting an all out war with outlaw freedom fighters known only as the Killjoys.

Join DJ Death-Defying as he guides us through the perilous Mojave war-zone.

It’s all kicking off, and my God it never sounded so good.

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is the latest concept album from the creators of the acclaimed Black Parade.

My Chemical Romance have divided musical opinions in the past. And yes, they’ll never be accepted by the Morrissey-worshipping cool brigade. But let’s leave those ‘killjoys’ to it and take a look at one of the most fascinating albums of 2010.

The tinkling of the pianos of opening track ‘Good Morning’ are submerged within seconds by lush, smouldering drum beats, setting the scene for WYWH. The track, like much of the album, is a low-key, low maintenance affair, much like a Swedish, more feminine spin on The XX. Lisa Milberg’s vocals are just the right level of husky, perfectly fitting the lovelorn theme of the record as she breathes the lyrics: “Dreams are dreams / I tend to forget”.

Pessimistic though the album may seem at times – not least during ‘I Wish We’d Never Met’, there is always a layer of sex-driven beats permeating through every

After The Black Parade, the band promised a return to their punk rock roots, and up tempo crowd jostlers ‘Party Poison,’ ‘Planetary (GO!)’ and the deliriously infectious ‘Vampire Money’ will satisfy anyone nostalgic for the bounce and adolescence of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.

Brilliant satirical lead single ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na)’ oozes lyrical wit but still hooks us in as one of the catchiest punk rockers since ‘Anarchy In The UK’.

Larking around with just about every musical influence imaginable with dazzling results, from Coldplay (‘Summertime’), to Rage Against the Machine (‘DESTROYA’), the New

Jersey Punks even give Take That a run for their money with anthems ‘SING’ and ‘S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W’.

It’s the epic stadium rockers that truly steal the show though; West Coast anthem ‘Bulletproof Heart’ and the electronic quirks of ‘The Only Hope for Me Is You’ impress, and the enormously powerful ‘Kids From Yesterday,’ serves as a frighteningly good climax.

Once again, My Chemical Romance have suckerpunched their cynics. And with Danger Days, it really is getting harder and harder to deny Gerard Way and co. their place at the pinnacle of contemporary rock.

Tom Fletcher

Girl Talk is the project of mash-up artist Greg Gillis, a man with copious amounts of creativity and quite possibly a lot of time on his hands.

Using samples taken mainly from the rap, R&B, and hip-hop genre, Gillis creates tracks buzzing with energy.

In All Day, vocals and melodies are harmonised so seamlessly it is easy to forget that the finished product was once a collection of standalone tracks.

‘Oh No’, opens the album with a booming guitar riff and vocal sample from Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ combined surprisingly well with Ludacris’ far from subtle vocals.

All Day does begin to lose its impact towards the end, which is understandable due to the fact that each track flows into each other creating what is effectively a 71 minute long track, supposed to be listened to

hang the bastard

Hellfire Reign Holy Roar

2/10

Hang The Bastard is a glorious name, though sadly there doesn’t seem to be a shred of irony involved. So obviously, expectations here mostly include frisky head banging and indecipherable shrieking over a wall of cataclysmic riffs.

But maybe that is

Coral Williamson

Lizzie Palmer

Read more singles reviews online www.forgetoday.com

Reviews.Live music.

TITUS ANDRONICUS The Harley Wednesday November 24

New Jersey art-punks Titus Andronicus have garnered a reputation for their passionate live performances; which coupled with the intimate nature of The Harley, creates an electric sense of anticipation.

Support came from Sheffield’s own Love At Death Beach. At their best Love at Death Beach bring to mind the powerful posthardcore noise of At the Drive In and Glassjaw, but as the set wears on become increasingly mundane and disinteresting. They could aptly be summarised as ¡Forward, Russia! minus the synths – and the matching band t-shirts.

Taking to the stage,

Rusko entertains to crowd at The Tuesday Club Picture: Elouisa Georgiou

MARNIE STERN JOHNNY The Harley FOREIGNER Sunday November 21

Jordan Tandy

venues such as this, but there is nothing run-of-themill about either of these bands.

James Bollington

pulled apart by horses Leadmill Saturday November 27

If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear this gig was sponsored by the word “sexy”. A pause between songs didn’t go by without tonight’s bands saying “Let’s get sexy!”

Pulled Apart By Horses have built a reputation for putting on a show, and tonight showcased one of Britain’s best up-and-coming live acts, in all their chaotic, sweaty, equine glory.

Their art metal approach is dappled with powerpop, making them incredibly fun to thrash about to, but retaining an ear for melody.

The grinding guitars and pounding drums of ‘E = MC Hammer’ was the curtain opener, providing the perfect call to arms in this war against the twee.

New songs ‘Back To The Fuck Yeah’, ‘Soft Handed Punk’ and ‘Yeah Buddy’ exploded onto the stage amongst a smattering of stage dives, attempts to take down the air-fans and general onstage tomfoolery.

Second single, ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’, taken from their self-titled debut album, brought home the sheer magnitude of Pulled Apart By Horses’ alternative rock with a righteous instrumental and battle cry “I’ll make you dance with my balls on fire”.

It exhibited the Leeds foursome’s strange, eartwisting splendour to phenomenal effect.

When the end of this spectacle was nigh, the crowd were reminded of how sexy they were a couple more times and then turfed out into a snow-sprinkled

Jagga delves into the audience’s flailing limbs Picture: Elouisa Georgiou Sheffield, never to have their ears stop ringing again.

Abigail Evans

john and jehn

The Forum Monday November 22 As Low Duo, the night’s opening act, mount the stage there is a spirited atmosphere in The Forum; the result of a bar crawl passing through on its way to Embrace.

Consisting of just a vocalist and guitarist, the Sheffield pair’s minimalist approach gets a good reaction from those in the audience actually paying attention.

John and Jehn open

guns blazing; the fourpiece, based in London but originally from France, switching instruments and bounding around the stage whilst playing their lo-fi indie-rock.

Their performance is energetic and creative, John at one point uses a bottle neck as a drum stick, Jehn fools around with an obscure instrument that looks like a cross between a keyboard and snake and with every other song they’ve switched places on stage.

Had the majority of the audience not been sat around tables along the side and back of the room there would inevitably have been more than one person dancing. “Are you comfortable?” Jehn asks, realising the implications of The Forum’s less than desirable layout.

Although the crowd are anything but lively, most

are engrossed by John and Jehn’s music. The majority of what they play is straight forward indie-rock but there are moments when they become experimental, psychedelic even, creating atmosphere by progressively layering instrumental parts.

They’re at their strongest when the male and female lead vocals harmonise. This is heard most effectively on ‘Time for the Devil’, a dark and immersive track that epitomises their sound.

The love the band clearly share for performing helps shape their excellent first ever Sheffield gig. As their set closes they’re smiling and laughing, and even though they were obviously frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm from the audience, they never let it affect their performance.

Sam Bolton

Fuse.

Johnny Foreigner playing at The Harley is hardy newsworthy.

Although, there is a reason they keep playing, which is brilliantly demonstrated tonight.

Supporting are Alcopop! and label-mates Stagecoach, who must be the only indie band with both a full-on metalhead for a drummer and a mandolin player.

Their sound is somewhere between the twee folk-lite of Mumford and Sons and the ‘slacker’ bands of the early ‘90s, including such bands as Pavement. To great effect, standout tracks such as ‘We Got Tazers’ and ‘Ice Age’ get the crowd nicely warmed up on the blizzard of an evening, and they finish the set with a sort of reverse stage invasion.

Johnny Foreigner are left with the challenge of following this spectacle and make light work of it.

An action packed live show with a set including crowd pleasing tunes like ‘Salt, Pepper And Spinderella’ and ‘Tru Punx’ get the small yet committed crowd up and dancing.

The combination of male and female shouted vocals with noise-pop guitars and indie sensibilities makes this a very special gig, which is topped off with the support band coming onstage for the final song, ending in both bands piling out of the stage door to make snow angels outside.

Granted, Johnny Foreigner might not be the most original band to play of recent times, but this scarcely seems to matter when they are just so much fun to see, and have a large back catalogue of great tunes, all of which translate brilliantly to a live setting.

They might be one of many similar bands to play

to arms “The enemy is everywhere” permeating through ‘Titus Andronicus Forever’ sees Strickles delve into the crowd amongst falling mic stands.

With the ferocity showing no signs of dissipating, a cover of fellow Garden State punks Misfits’ ‘Last Caress’ follows.

Resembling Conor Oberst at his desperate, introspective best - indeed Titus Andronicus bring to mind Oberst’s short lived Desaparecidos Strickles warbles over the barnstorming epic closer ‘Four Score and Seven’. Like a drunken New Years singalong, it builds to a frenetic, passionate climax with all the band chanting “It’s still us against them”.

Strickles announces the end with “We have been Titus Andronicus and you have been wonderful” leaving the gripped audience dazed following a visceral live performance.

Friday December 3 2010

Marnie Stern’s songs combine saccharine vocals and virtuosic guitar playing – think Deerhoof covering Van Halen. But it works well, providing something that is, above all, fun to listen to and watch.

Originally from Brighton, opening act The Agitator play tribal protest music railing against the injustices of modern politics. At first, they’re exciting – singer Derek Meins has a soulful and unique voice – but the songs soon blur into a stream of pounding drums and throaty vocals.

Taking to the stage with the frenetic, rollicking ‘Nothing Left’, Marnie Stern quickly wins the crowd’s attention with her guitartapping. Next is ‘For Ash’, her catchiest song to date.

Upon finding out that it was written in memory of an ex-boyfriend who committed suicide, lyrics like “I want to be in your imminent, elegant light” are given a poignant quality. Not that you’d know this from looking at Marnie Stern onstage – she seems to be genuinely enjoying herself, which is refreshing to see.

It would be impossible not to mention Vince Roger’s drumming. Without toning down the insanity of the drumming he did in mathrock band Tero Melos, he manages to compliment Marnie Stern’s guitarshredding perfectly. More often than not, he comes across as some kind of octopus, arms and legs flailing everywhere, hurling drum fills every which way.

Marnie Stern puts on a memorable and charming performance, and the crowd is noticeably disappointed when she ends with the dissonant ‘Her Confidence’ without returning for an encore.

Ben Taylor

The Harley Tuesday November 30

Titus Andronicus’ frontman Patrick Stickles sports facial hair anybody abstaining from shaving for Movember would be proud to call their own.

Set opener ‘A More Perfect Union’, taken from this years’ acclaimed record The Monitor, a concept album loosely based on the American Civil War, sets the precedent for the show.

Each member lives and breathes every note of the song, providing lashings of unstoppable energy.

Guitarist and violinist Amy Klein, does not stop pogo-ing and smiling for the entirety of the set, and Stickles assaults his guitar, throwing himself into every strum and his heart and soul into every word.

With the audience constantly, but good naturedly, requesting they turn it up a notch, Titus Andronicus respond with the boisterous ‘Titus Andronicus’ and ‘Titus Andronicus Forever’.

The angst ridden call

11

Reviews.Screen.

The American Dir: Anton Corbijn

8/10 Do not be deceived by the adverts, trailers, or even promotional posters for this film. The American is not a straightforward thriller starring George Clooney as a charming but ruthless secret agent. This is a fullon art film, featuring an excellently restrained performance from Clooney, who barely cracks a smile throughout the entire film.

The premise of the film is nothing we haven’t seen before – Clooney plays a disenchanted gun-for-hire trying to complete one last job before leaving the business. Yet, the director, Anton Corbijn, makes it so much more than a tired, standard thriller.

The camera work is masterfully controlled. We often see Clooney from behind or above, as if we, the audience, are the ones following him through this gorgeous Italian village.

The locations in the film are not only tremendously beautiful, but they also make perfect artistic sense.

Clooney’s character hides in a picturesque Italian village, as if trying to find the beauty and peace that his life so lacks.

“Where are we going?”

Clooney’s love interest asks him at one point. He replies, “Someplace beautiful,” meaning not just that they are headed to a charming riverside picnic but also to a beautiful place in their lives.

Some critics have disparaged Clooney’s alleged “dullness” in the film, but in doing so they miss the brilliant subtleties of his performance.

His character is intensely regimented and focused, but he is in no way comfortable with this. He longs for love and some measure of peace, but he sees no way of attaining these things as long as he continues his current lifestyle.

A lesser film would have had Clooney’s character make some grand speech to his boss about how he “can’t take it anymore” and longs for human connection, but here all of that emotion is conveyed in Clooney’s eyes.

His finesse and control only add to the artful brilliance of the film.

However, to say this is an art film is not to say that it is

interested in Clooney’s character’s emotional journey. He is so desperate to find some measure of companionship, that his boss tells him that he has “lost his edge” as an assassin.

This is a film about the necessity of love and human

connection.

It is a real shame that, in all likelihood, The American will not find an audience. It’s “standard thriller” marketing campaign will not appeal to everyone, and most of those that do go and see it will be disappointed that it doesn’t have any Bourne-style fight

scenes.

Admittedly, this film is not to everyone’s taste.

Film-lovers everywhere, nevertheless, will love its beautiful cinematography, masterful direction, and brilliant performances.

The conclusion of the iconic Larsson trilogy struggles to keep up the edge, but is good entertainment nonetheless.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest picks up where The Girl Who Played With Fire left off, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) lies in a Gothenburg hospital bed awaiting surgery for numerous bullet wounds, after an altercation with her corrupt father, Zalachenko (Georgi Staykov) - and this is where she stays, for at least half of the film.

The second half picks up a little bit. Salander is released from hospital

and thrown in a police cell (waiting for her court trial for assaulting her father).

Cue a plethora of monotonous, confusing subplots that mainly consist of Salander’s giant of a halfbrother, Niedermann (Micke Spreitz) destroying any sorry soul that gets in his way.

All the while Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), an investigative journalist, attempts to piece together her story in time for his sister, Annika (Annika Hallin), Salander’s lawyer, to use it as a defense in court.

After Salander leaves court, the movie manages to be engaging, fast-paced and exciting watching her tie up all the loose-ends, in whatever twisted way she fancies.

But it all seems like a last ditched attempt to try and rekindle the audience’s interest, the film definitely ends on a high but it’s difficult to disregard the previous 120 minutes.

This is not a standalone movie. In order to have a

vague chance of following the going ons you need to have watched the two previous films.

Director Daniel Alfredson’s use of simple cinematography is quite effective, but the lack of chemistry between the two leads and the endurance -challenging 148-minute runtime will, undoubtedly, leave the audience thoroughly unsatisfied.

Michael Nyqvist puts in a strong performance as journalist, Blomkvist. He manages to portray genuine emotion as he slowly uncovers Salander’s grim past.

But it’s really a case of too little too late; it will take a lot more than some convincing acting to make up for two and a half hours of, essentially, nothing.

All in all, the film should have reached its climax about halfway through. It simply cannot sustain its runtime - there just is not enough going on.

The actors put in good

individual performances but they struggle to interact with each other. And there’s only so much sexual perversity and moral corruption that you can get away with before it just looks like you’re trying too hard.

Maybe David Fincher’s 2011 remake will be more promising, although it’s unlikely that his all-star cast will be able to create the same gritty realism that Alfredson’s manages. This is one trilogy that should have been left solely as print.

depth of a puddle of blood and about as much artistic integrity as that YouTube video of the midget lipsyncing to Usher.

But, as an affectionate riff on the cheap and cheesy exploitation flicks of the ‘70s and ‘80s, that’s the whole point. Basically, this is a Mexican Black Dynamite.

And much like Black Dynamite, you can tell that Robert Rodriquez did not make Machete with vicious intentions like, say, Vampires Suck. Rodriquez treats his genre with a loving reverence and as such Machete comes across as less of a piss-take of lousy action films and more of

a celebration of them and all of their vulgarities and excesses.

The film’s deranged sense of humour will no doubt alienate anyone who hasn’t got at least a few screws loose, but if “abseiling with intestines” sounds appealing to you, you’ll definitely find a lot to enjoy here.

Essentially, if Inception is food for the mind and The Shawshank Redemption is food for the heart, Machete is a bacon triple cheeseburger that zips straight to your love handles: immensely enjoyable but not good for you in the slightest.

Tom Wardak

without suspense. Quite the opposite is true, in fact.

There is a thrilling chase scene through the streets of the Italian village, and we are never quite sure which characters we can trust, but the film is less about the action.

Rather, it is profoundly

The Girl who kicked the hornet’s nest Dir: Daniel Alfredson

Fuse.

Friday December 3 2010

5/10

12

Machete

Dir: Ethan Maniquis, Robert Rodriguez

7/10 If your idea of a good night out is seeing a craggyfaced, moustached 66-yearold Mexican chop up lots of baddies with a massive knife and seduce every woman he comes across, you might want to plan a trip to the cinema sometime in the next few weeks.

Machete (Danny Trejo) is a Mexican day labourer and

ex-Federale trying to make an honest living in America.

That is, until he is offered 150 grand to assassinate Senator John McLaughlin (Robert De Niro). But the job is a set-up, orchestrated to bolster support for McLaughlin’s radical proposals for an electric fence between Texas and Mexico. Yes, you’ve read that right.

Left for dead, Machete sets out on a rambunctious rampage of ridiculous revenge.

This is not an intricately plotted film nor is it a finely acted one. Machete is an orgy of gratuitous violence, gore and sex with the

Colby Smith

Rowan Ramsden

Reviews.Games.

Assassin’s creed: Brotherhood Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Assassin’s Creed is one of the few modern game franchises bold enough to experiment. Since the original title its parkour gameplay and (somewhat overly) free-flowing combat have sparked as much criticism in the press as they have adoration in gamers, and it’s dual narrative of present-day Matrix malarkey juxtaposed with a simulated historical conspiracy plot has proven to be one of the more original video game stories of late. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, however, seems to break this trend of innovation as - aside from a new multiplayer mode - the game appears peculiarly similar to last year’s Assassin’s Creed II. Welcome back to Renaissance Italy.

Brotherhood might seem a bit of a letdown for fans of the series hoping that the next Creed game would whisk us away to a revolutionary France or a morosely blackened Victorian London (please God yes). But Brotherhood is, to use a phrase

normally reserved for a caricatured intellectual with a freshly-popped monocle, a triumph.

Despite treading familiar ground, Brotherhood’s story is consistently engaging.

Players once again reclaim their place in Desmond’s comfy, near-future sneakers as he and his motley band of brain-hackers delve inside his own mind to untangle the mysteries of his ancestors. This is all happening, of course, so that Desmond can reclaim his place in Ezio’s fashionable, renaissance boots as he and his Assassin buddies attempt to topple an occupied Rome.

Obviously, any newcomers to the series will likely be as confused as someone who’s just been shown the last 30 minutes of Inception backwards and in Taiwanese, but those who have enjoyed the previous Creeds will relish the mystery-laden plot and everunravelling narrative twists.

The series’ gameplay tropes remain undisturbed.

You still dash, vault, clamber, dive, cling, shimmy and grab your way around the environment as easily as holding down two buttons and pushing “forwards”, an activity which remains as gloriously nourishing to one’s sense of childlike glee as it is entirely uninvolving.

To modify a Peep Show quote, “it seems what really turns me on is basically being absent for most of the sex act video game”. The only major change is to the combat – it’s

Editorial.

Need For speed: hot pursuit Playstation 3, Xbox 360

new game, you don’t just play as the ‘racer’; you can also to play as the police, trying desperately to stop the carnage that is taking place on the roads. This may sound dull, but the option to switch between the two playable sides helps to create some diversity.

Winning these races will

allow you to unlock new cars and better equipment, which you can use to decimate your opponent.

Don’t think though, that the career mode will be a pushover. The opponent’s AI is extremely good, and they will do their very best to make sure that you can’t finish in one piece.

humanity to give away your rival players. At its worst it can be somewhat random or frustrating, but played properly Brotherhood’s multiplayer will provide the most exhilarating experiences from any Creed game to date.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood represents the best of everything the series has to offer. Refined gameplay, an enthralling story and an innovative multiplayer mode make this an essential purchase for anyone looking for some retrograde smoke-anddagger action.

James Wragg

In a game where speed and accurate driving are the most important things, the controls need to be spot on. Fortunately they are; performing those neckbreaking turns is simple to do, and tricking a cop by pulling off a U-turn is again, easy. The controls serve to fuel the game’s main purpose, which is driving stupidly fast.

All of this adds up to an exciting and engaging career system, but this is only the start of what Hot Pursuit has to offer.

The game’s online mode is where it really shines; it’s easy to link up with friends and the matchmaking process is efficient enough so that you won’t spend hours waiting for some opponents.

The game types are varied, ranging from just your standard race to trying to beat your friend’s time on

a certain track.

Highlights of the online mode include matches where it is a 4-on-4, first to the finish scenario. In order to stop your opponent, you can drive him off the road, force him to crash or if you are feeling a little more imaginative, throw down some road spikes or call in an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) to screw up his handling system.

Well, I guess that’s us done for the semester. Until we cross paths again in the futuristic date of 2011, be sure to keep an eye out for the big releases between now and Christmas. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be consuming the social lives of millions in a few days, and by now Epic Mickey (from Warren Spector, the creator of Deus Ex) will no doubt be topping the Wii games sales.

So Merry Christmas, etc.

James Wragg James Garrett games@forgetoday.com Winning these races will allow you to unlock new cars or better equipment which you can use to further humiliate your opponents.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is an excellent racing game. It sticks to what it knows best, and delivers once again. This is a game built for the sole purpose of being fun, and it certainly achieves that goal.

James Garrett

Fuse.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is the latest game in the popular Need for Speed series. Previous games have been successful, fun to play and featured a competitive multiplayer, and this latest game continues the fashion.

The game’s basic idea is simple, you have to win races in a career mode in order to progress up the racing ladder and prove that you’re the best there is. Whilst this may sound like a repetitive process, Need for Speed does an excellent job of providing variety whilst playing. In this

one of a dozen-or-so unique characters, such as ‘the courtesan’ or ‘the executioner’, before being plunged into a map also inhabited by a number of computer-controlled lookalikes. In most modes, the aim is to assassinate your player-target before you can be assassinated yourself, although there are a few variations on this - including a team-based mode.

In effect it becomes a dramatic reconstruction of the Turing test, as the trick to avoiding detection is to blend in with the neutral AI characters, while keeping a look out for any signs of

Friday December 3 2010

slightly fiddlier. But it’s still piss easy. No worries there, then.

Brotherhood’s main improvements over its predecessors lie in its metagame. You can still renovate businesses for a tidy profit, but this time the whole of Rome’s open to your entrepreneurial desires, and it’s a lot more of a balanced system to boot.

Most significant, however, is the ability to build an army of assassins. By recruiting civilians and training them up you can have a number of elite individuals at your disposal, and using them is a simple matter of selecting an enemy and pressing a button. Having your trusty entourage help you out from afar or bust you out of a tight situation is hugely satisfying, and is certainly Brotherhood’s finest feature.

That is, if we’re not including Brotherhood’s multiplayer, which is simply superb.

Players begin each match by picking

Titles like Limbo and Braid may have been causing a stir this year on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, but it’s worth remembering that indie gaming started off on the PC, damnit – it’s our gaming form you analoguenubbed console twats!

Ahem, sorry – It’s just that I rather passionately share Jeremy Peel’s sentiment, expressed in his latest Indiecent Exposure blog post on Forgetoday.com, that ‘semisavvy Xbox-owning’ gamers degrade themselves by remaining ignorant of Super Meat Boy’s PC origins.

The criminal thing is that it’s so much easier to boot up a browser game on your laptop than fiddle around with credit cards on XBLA. You can find Peel’s latest post here: http://bit.ly/gMDrOT

13

Reviews.Arts.

Joseph and the technicolour dreamcoat Lyceum

9/10 As a student, it is fair to say you might be dubious on anticipating a child-like caricature of the biblical adaptation of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

This expectation may have stayed with you through the foyer with the queues of under 10s into the theatre, but all expectations were surpassed when the curtain rose and the narrator sang her first few notes.

Trina Hill’s voice was quite simply stunning, and if it were not for Keith Jack’s charming portrayal as the loveable Joseph with an equally as captivating voice, she might have been the star of the show.

Keith Jack, runner up in BBC one show Any Dream Will Do, gave an effortless performance in this

THE TEMPEST Drama Studio

Fuse.

Friday December 3 2010

8/10

14

As far as Shakespeare plays go The Tempest isn’t among the most famous.

In what is believed to be the last play Shakespeare wrote, The Tempest is devoid of the playwright’s usual narrative themes such as murder, infidelity and tragedy and in fact resolves to be a love story – and not of unrequited love!

However with the aid of moody and imaginative staging, eerie candle light and a host of fantastic actors the cast filled the stage with a sufficient amount of suspenseful moments, pauses of angst and a believable and enjoyable plot.

The story follows the majestic and fantastical Duke of Milan Prospero on an island, in the wake of

restless times MILLENIUM GALLERIES

10/10 The Restless Times exhibition is a boldly ambitious event for the Millennium Gallery. By exploring the development of British art between 1914 and 1945, the Gallery has undertaken the task of documenting the most momentous period of the modern era.

The foremost events of the period are the backdrop for most of the pieces on display.

The World Wars, the Great Depression, the advent of modern technology: these tumultuous, world-changing

musically narrated story.

His boy charm captivated the wide aged audience whilst his skimpy costumes kept the attention of the women.

Finally getting the chance to play the character he just missed out on three years ago, he fully stepped up to the mark in entertaining the people of Sheffield.

The performances of the 11 brothers brought to life the story in this colourful illustration, depicting the meaning of brotherhood.

Their subtle humour combined with superb song and dance complimented Keith and Trina flawlessly.

It was not only the performances which were first class, the visuals and effects could have been mistaken for a West End show. The scene was set with Egyptian backdrops and figures, and layered with technicolours so you couldn’t keep your eyes off the stage.

The story was simplified enough for the younger audience but the traditional message was not lost on adults.

The representation of modern heroes such as Elvis were cleverly incorporated into the old Egyptian setting, sparking the excitement in a contradictory, yet inspired way.

The outstanding musical sensations of Andrew Lloyd Webber were portrayed by the talented cast who mirrored the emotion of the compositions onto an allembracing audience.

Overall, the fun nature combined with colourful dancing and imaginative staging meant this show was a dictionary definition of what a musical should be.

Confirming this was the non-stop applause throughout the finale, imitating a party-like atmosphere across the Lyceum theatre.

This is a sensation not to be missed, if you’re looking for the perfect glittering musical to brighten up this time of year.

a storm, which he created to punish his brother who usurped him of his Dukedom.

Shakespeare’s critics believe Prospero, played beautifully by Emily Thew, was modelled loosely on himself.

In extensive monologues, memorised without fault, Thew communicated the utter virtue and retirement in his work and commanded the full attention of the audience and other cast members with every word.

Alicia Harrison puts on a strong performance as the miscreant slave of the Island, Caliban and Andy Elkington, as comical noble man Gonzalo, brought several raucous bursts of laughter to the auditorium.

The play had its strongest moments in its more light hearted scenes such as the witty exchanges between Stephano and Trinculo, a drunken duo of stewards played with undeniable chemistry and faultless characterisation by Mark Chapman and Rachel

Spedding respectively.

The direction of scenes which would traditionally be construed as confusing or pedantic such as the masque was handled beautifully, and director Sean Linnen utilised an unusually large SuTCo cast to create hauntingly beautiful scenes using candlelight.

The staging was traditional and enchanting with particular attention to detail, such as Prospero’s volumes of text strewn like fallen fruit beneath the branches of a creatively constructed tree.

The focal point of action which opens the show is effectively conveyed by a host of actors dressed in black, who move with the fluidity of waves.

The SuTCo cast certainly proved that The Tempest had merit in its comedy, whilst also encompassing serious conflicting themes such as the battle between virtue and vengeance.

phenomena provided the context in which British artists lived and worked during the first half of the twentieth century.

It is therefore no wonder why the art of the period seems so shaped by the forces of history.

CRW Nevinson’s ‘Twentieth Century’, one of the most prominent works on display, is a powerful example of the historical spirit that dominates the exhibition.

Showing a turbulent assemblage of soldiers, buildings and machinery, it encapsulates an age of mass mobilisation, technological power and the great leviathan of state politics.

The Communist Red Flag and the Nazi Swastika are also present in the fray, reminding viewers of the extremist ideologies that

ravished Europe with terror and war.

The selection of works inspired by the First World War are just as compelling, with the bleak inhumanity of the trenches harrowingly conveyed.

‘The Menin Road’ by Paul Nash is a particularly evocative portrayal of the dismal, mud-covered plains in which a generation of young men was so senselessly lost.

It prompts reflection about what the battlefields were like before the guns fell silent and the poppies began to grow.

Some of the exhibition’s most impressive pieces address the zeitgeist of the early twentieth century in a more experimental fashion.

The most notable among these are drawn from the output of ‘The Vorticists’ – a provocative group of British

Kate Holden and Rosie Dean

Rebecca Cooke

crump P.J.VANSTON

7/10 As topical as ‘Crump’ tries to be, with its focus on cashcow international students and extreme political correctness, it comes across as a much lighter read than perhaps it intended to be.

Crump, the titular character, is about as naive as anyone can get; which is surprising, given that the author, P.J. Vanston is not only an ex-student of Sheffield, but also mirrors Crump in his experiences working as a lecturer.

Without sounding elitist, this book will at the very least make you glad of where you study.

The humour is dark, but then, it is to be expected from the content Vanston is dealing with.

The plot speeds along at a decent pace, injected here and there with acerbic artists that sought to reflect the dynamism of modernity in radical compositions.

Wyndham Lewis, the founder of the Vorticist movement, is given particular prominence within the exhibition.

The works of his on display are innovative, bold and profoundly beautiful; to see them is to behold true artistic mastery.

The radical artists of the early twentieth century should always be treated with caution: Lewis, like several other prominent Modernists, was an early supporter of Fascism.

Nevertheless, in our seemingly empty postmodern age, their desire to engage with the great upheavals of history is more inspiring than ever.

Simon Pilkington

wit from the amusing cast of characters.

Sandy, Crump’s mentor, is particularly excellent at acting as if political correctness never existed.

His role as a lecherous old man who grew up in a different time is a refreshing refrain from the regular negativity of the text that stems from Crump’s regular disbelief at the way things are.

Kevin Crump, as he is introduced at the very beginning of the novel, begins his journey happy , but he is a character at odds with himself, at times.

The front cover of ‘Crump’ presents him as almost a caricature of a generic, middle-aged white male; the only things which mark him out to be a lecturer are the papers and stereotypical tweed jacket with elbow patches.

Even then, his smart attire doesn’t mark him out for a lecturer of Thames Met, as the brilliantly infuriating Kwame sets out to prove.

Crump is out of his depth

and at times, it’s almost as though Vanston doesn’t know what to do with him.

His thought processes often jolt the reader out of the book, ruining the light and easy flow of the writing that invites the difficult topics to be joked about.

He is in many ways unrealistic; after all, who comes up with thoughts such as “The future lay open like a vagina” but focuses insanely in avoiding anything mildly offensive that could be construed as prejudice, even in his thoughts.

It’s as though he represents a stepping stone in political correctness, a stepping stone which Thames Met has passed a long time ago.

‘Crump’ is for the most part well written; small events often link to further events further along in the plot, so it’s worth paying attention to details.

However, the titular character is disappointing and often without sympathy.

Coral Williamson

Sheffield Originals.

Forge Radio schedule

Listen online at www.forgeradio.com, in the Union or at The Edge

Tue

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

9 - 10.30am No Comment

9 - 10.30am Grumpy Old 4th Years

9 - 10.30am The Unreleased Hour

9 - 10.30am Anna, Lizzie & Ginny

9 - 10.30am The Broomhill Brunch

12 - 1.30pm The Listening Club

10.30am - 12pm The James Kenny Show

10.30am - 12pm Freshers!

10.30am - 12pm Pop! Goes the Weasel

9 - 10.30am The Adventures of Jess

10.30am - 12pm That Friday Show

10:30 - 12.00am Coolbeans!

1.30 - 3pm Gutter Music

12 - 1.30pm Holden & Trigg

12 - 1.30pm Liv & Phil

12 - 1.30pm The Edge on Forge

12 - 1.30pm Good Vibrations

3 - 5pm SRA Chart Show

1.30 - 3pm Orange Tuesday

1.30 - 3pm Liana Live

1.30 - 3pm James Ashford

1.30 - 3pm A Whole Lotta Rock

5 - 6.30pm Film Unit Roundtable

3 - 4.30pm Come on Trev!

3 - 4.30pm Giulia & the Journos

3 - 4.30pm Dale

3 - 4.30pm The Amy & Polly Show

6.30 - 8pm Weekend Kickback

4.30 - 5pm News Desk

4.30 - 5pm The Petrified Buffalo/ Writer’s Block

4.30 - 5pm STOP! Sabbytime!

4.30pm-5pm Gig Update

5 - 6.30pm Straight Outta Crookesmoor

5 - 6.30pm No Rhyme Nor Reason

8 - 9.30pm Soon I Will Be Invincible

12 - 1.30pm Harry & Lauren 1.30 - 3pm A Little Bit of What You Fancy 3 - 4.30pm Not Far From Wrong 4.30 - 6pm Something Really Awesome

5 - 6.30pm EVE

5 - 6.30pm The Power Hour

6.30 - 8pm The New Music Show

6.30 - 8pm Sports Desk

8 - 9.30pm Amplify

8 - 9.30pm The Jazz Show

9.30 - 11pm Sam Moir

8 - 9.30pm Chris McKay: The PreROAR Show

9.30 - 11pm K-lean Beats

11pm - 1am Public Strain

11pm - 1am Crusty Dub Meets...

6.30 - 8pm Something For the Week

12 - 1.30pm Jack & Harriet 1.30 - 3pm The Guide 3 - 4.30pm Unseen 4.30 - 5pm News Desk 5 - 6.30pm 2 Lads and a Couple of Mics 6.30 - 8pm FUSE

6.30 - 8pm The Ben Kizzle Forge Mash-up

8 - 9.30pm Brewing Up Trouble

8 - 9.30pm Funk & Soul Show

9.30 - 11pm Songs About Girls

9.30 - 11pm Chris & Matt’s Indietastic Evening

9.30 - 11pm The Weekend Warmup

11pm - 1am Ready Steady Crunk

11pm - 1am B-Side

11pm - 1am Reverb

Get involved.

6.30 - 8pm The Lockdown 8 - 9.30pm Small Ideas

9.30 - 11pm Loud Noises!

11pm - 12.30am The Wind Up!

9.30 - 11pm Bethan & Max 11pm - 1am Beat Route

Want to write for Music, Games, Art or Screen?

Are you a photographer or artist?

Fuse meetings start again in Week 1 of Semester 2.

ForgeToday.com will be active throughout the vacation - contact the section editors to contribute!

Fuse.

6 - 6.30pm Backchat

10.30am - 12pm Down the Line

Friday December 3 2010

Mon

15

Fuse.previews Friday December 3 - Thursday December 16 2010

Competition: Plug’s Carnival of Dreams

NYE

As 2010 gets ready to draw to a close (already?) Plug are all set to bring you a party full of New Year’s Eve splendour and fun, with a twisted edge.

Fancy dress is highly encouraged at this annual bash, which sees friends and resident DJs including LJ Freeman, Geoff Ticehurst and Ollie Hayes spin the records, with more acts to be confirmed.

Also promised are a range of carnival-inspired delights including everyone’s favourite brand of light entertainment, a freak show.

There are few better ways to see in the new year than in the midst of a Plug-induced haze, and luckily your festivities are about to get a whole lot cheaper. Fuse has 5 pairs of tickets to the party to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, simply email: fuse@forgetoday.com with your name by December 17. Good luck.

Fri 3

Sat 4

The Exchange: Duncan Green @ St George’s Church; 6:30pm; Free Duncan Green from the global antipoverty charity Oxfam discusses international development, environmental issues and his work fighting poverty in the third world.

Elephant Keys @ Leadmill; 7pm; £4 Show some support for a quality local band, and let Sheffield’s very own Elephant Keys serenade you with indie rock and dance floor fillers.

Support from Alveraz Kings and others TBC.

Film Unit fortnight

The selection of films being shown at Film Unit over the next fortnight are:

Sun 5

Sex and the City 2 Night @ Interval; 8pm; Free A quiz to test your knowledge on all things Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, followed by a screening of Sex and the City 2.

Detonate Hospitality @ Plug; 10:30pm; £10 A drum & bass Christmas special, with Tuesday Club frequenter Andy C, along with London Elektricity and many, many more.

Headphone Disco @ Octagon; 10:30pm; £5-6 Christmas headphone hedonism returns to the Octagon Centre for the festive season.

Attractions will include ‘snow’, classic seasonal music, giant screens and someone called ‘MC Santa’. Intriguing.

Nether Edge Farmers’ Market and Christmas Fair @ Nether Edge Road; 12pm; Free This community market and festival has dozens of local producers, retailers and crafts people selling their wares, as well as food, drink and entertainment.

Fri 10

Sat 11

Sun 12

Frankie Boyle @ Motorpoint Arena; 8pm; £28.50 The Glasgow stand-up brings us the acerbic wit he is celebrated for, as part of his latest tour, delightfully entitled I Could Happily Punch Every One of You in the Face.

Cinderella @ Union Auditorium; 2pm; £4 The University of Sheffield’s Light Entertainment Society present their Christmas pantomime, Cinderella; this matinee is the first of three daily performances. All proceeds go to the charity Neurocare based at Hallamshire Hospital, which helps those recovering from brain injuries.

Gay Icons Project: Plan B @ Showroom Cinema; 6pm; £5+ A moving film brought to Sheffield in collaboration with the 2010 Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in London.

All Films £2.20

Friday December 3: Bad Lieutenant The amazing Werner Herzog directs this crime drama starring Nicholas Cage, set during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Friday December 10: The Killer Inside Me See the (arguably) superior Affleck brother play a remorseless serial killer in this twisted film.

Saturday December 4: Inception Dubbed ‘best film of 2010’ by Fuse editors, Inception is apparently better the second time around.

a

Sunday December 5: Jurassic Park A childhood favourite, this film tells the story of a theme park in which Dinosaurs are brought back to life using new, cutting-edge technology.

Give it a Go: Salsa @ Fusion & Foundry; 3pm; £2.50 Learn some Latin American moves and get some exercise (and maybe a new dancing partner) into the bargain.

The Bluetones @ Fusion; 7pm; £13 adv The Bluetones have released three top 10 albums and thirteen top 40 singles, including their greatest hit ‘Slight Return’. Their 6th album New Athens was released earlier this year.

Catch them live for what promises to be a top quality performance from the London band.

email: listings@forgetoday.com

Give it a Go: Chatsworth House @ Meet outside Bar One; 10:30am; £18 At Christmas time, the traditional English stately home’s glorious rooms are transformed with decorations and lit with candles.

Gallows @ Corporation; 7pm; £13 adv The insane Gallows hit Corporation to deafen and entertain you, with support being provided

by Sheffield-based ‘progressive hardcore’ band Rolo Tomassi and Never Cry Wolf.

Wednesday December 8: The Headless Woman An Argentinian thriller based around a sinister car accident, this film is thought-provoking and powerful.

Saturday December 11: Salt Action thriller concerning mysterious female Russian Spy.

Sunday December 12: Die Hard Bruce Willis fans (or just violence fans) can now catch this 1988 classic on the big screen.

Wednesday December 15: The A-Team Film based on the ‘80s TV series. “I pity the fool...” etc.

All films are shown in the Union Auditorium at 19:30. Tickets cost £2.20 and can be bought from the Union Box Office or Union Shop.

Mon 6

Tues 7

Wed 8

Thurs 9

Gay Icons Project: Peter Tatchell @ Firth Court; 7pm; £2-4 Peter Tatchell will discuss the struggle for gay rights, and his ongoing fight against political and religious fundamentalism.

The Tuesday Club @ Fusion & Foundry; 11pm; £4 adv Warm up with Sheffield’s favourite drum & bass night - TTC presents Gentleman’s Dub Club live, plus resident Andy H and more in Fusion & Foundry.

Sheffield’s Date with Hitler: A Talk by Neil Anderson @ Local Studies Library; 6:30pm; Free Neil Anderson’s new book features stories and eye-witness accounts from the nights that the bombs dropped over Sheffield. There will be an opportunity to buy autographed copies of the book on the night.

Hatebreed + Rise to Remain @ Corporation; 7pm; £12.50 The super-loud American hardcore band come to Sheffield for a highly anticipated show.

More support acts to be announced in due course.

FLASH: An Audience with Peter Thornton @ Union Auditorium; 7pm; £5 adv Author of Thorntons – My Life in the Family Business will explore his 35 years as an integral part in developing Thorntons chocolates.

Give it a Go: Chess Tournament @ High Tor 5, The Edge; 7pm; £1 The tournament will take the form of five rounds of 10 minutes each on the clock, and players will be matched according to their ability.

Faithless @ Motorpoint Arena; 7:30pm; £29.50 adv The dance music icons bring their synthesizers to Sheffield arena.

Support comes from Example.

The View @ Foundry; 10:30pm; £4 adv The View are back, and they are doing a very special show at Live Wire to mark their return.

The band have had past chart success with tunes such as ‘Same Jeans’.

Gypsy Jazz Djam Sessions in the Bath @ Bath Hotel; 8pm; Free A regular Gypsy jazz jam session for guitarists, violinists, bassists and accordionists.

Mon 13

Tues 14

Wed 15

Thurs 16

Improbable Fiction @ Lantern Theatre; 7:30pm; £7 Sharp comedy and satire characterise this zany, imaginative play by Alan Ayckbourn, performed with enthusiasm by The Dilys Guite Players.

Give it a Go: Belly Dancing @ High Tor 5, The Edge; 7pm; £1.50 Belly Dancing is good exercise and can strengthen body, mind and spirit. This class is suitable for all abilities.

Females only.

Diversity @ City Hall; 6:15am; £21.50 After selling over 60,000 tickets at 27 shows across the country, dance troupe Diversity bring you their new Christmas show.

Bumper Book Sale @ Central Library; 10am; Free A book sale in the Central Lending Library, selling both fiction and non-fiction books.

A great place to pick up some good value Christmas presents.

Rent @ Sheffield University Drama Studio; 7:30pm; £8 The Sheffield University Performing Arts Society presents Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize winning rock opera. A stirring score captures the spirit of a generation of youngsters living in New York.

Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo @ Showroom Cinema; 6:30pm; £4+ A documentary telling the story of three Guantanamo detainees.

With director Andy Worthington and special guest Omar Deghayes, a former prisoner.

Runrig @ City Hall; 7:30pm; £24 The Celtic rock group bring their traditional end of year tour to City Hall, before taking a break from it all. Catch them while you can.

Bar One’s Legendary Christmas Day @ Bar One; 10am; Free Drinks offers, special guests (someone from S Club 7 or something) and plenty of free stuff to get you in the festive mood.

Peter Pan @ Lyceum Theatre; 6:30pm; £10 Get set for the spectacular pantomime, Peter Pan. Featuring Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys, and of course, the evil Captain Hook, with musical numbers and plenty of audience participation.