Fuse issue 53 by Forge Press

Fuse.

Discrimination in the arts Girls game too Blessa Disney own everything

SHORT FUSE

Sparks.

It wasn’t a joke, he’s back

ollowing a 10 year hiatus to focus on the small matter of running the world’s seventh largest economy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the greatest polymath since Da Vinci, is making a long-awaited return to the screen. Bodybuilder, actor and politician, Schwarzenegger has many strings to his bow, unlike ‘Sir’ Tim Berners-Lee. When he shot to superstardom in the 1980s it was during a wave of action vehicles that demanded star power rather than emotional depth. But now the iconic muscles have journeyed south for the winter, will the voice of a drunken robot be enough to give the Golden Globe winning actor (seriously) a second wind at the box office? He may be returning to his past glories with sequels to Conan the Barbarian, Terminator and er... Twins all in the pipeline. But his first film since his departure from elected office will wisely not be a sequel, but a new project, The Last Stand, to avoid the inevita-

ble comparisons. Personally I’m holding out for a Hercules in New York sequel, but no doubt it will once again be as neglected as it was at the Oscars. But can Arnie still cut it? He gained a cult following for two reasons; his bulging biceps. James Cameron reportedly described him, probably with tongue firmly in cheek, as the “perfect actor” for his ability to take physical direction. Schwarzenegger in turn described Cameron as “never wrong”. He obviously hasn’t seen Piranha 2: The Spawning. Audiences will be praying the 64-year-old’s shirt stays on, and assuming he hasn’t had time for acting lessons he will be relying on the timeless appeal of his thick, mechanical drawl. Arnie’s return to acting is without doubt a good thing for the film industry, but will upset those hoping for President Schwarzenegger in 2016. Like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Alex Chafey

Editorial

iya, readers. Last issue we noted that Christmas was still a while away, but the Coca-Cola advert is back on television, so for some people that signals Santa’s sack is bulging with goodies. Speaking of goodies, we’ve got a bit of a treat for you in this latest issue, an early festive present from us, to you. Firstly, take a look at the Screen feature, specifically the artwork submitted by Fuse’s own Manuel; there’s a Disney castle merged with a death star for fuck’s sake. Elsewhere, we’re examining diversity in the arts and gaming worlds. Not only that, but Music interviewed Blessa. Throw in a smattering of reviews and you’ve got yourself a pretty tasty stocking filler. Arnold Bennett Coral Williamson

In defence of the Mercury Music Prize

Nonetheless, to view the Mercury Prize as a competition in which there is a winner and 11 losers misses the point. Firstly, the Mercury is not the Brits. It makes at least nominal attempts to choose music from more obscure artists, and in turn work as a promotion tool for those artists. The winners even sometimes turn out to be classic albums; in its early years the prize boasted the likes of Screamadelica and Different Class. Equally, I can think of several winning albums

which I either didn’t enjoy that much, or in the case of 2007 winners Klaxons, found pretty awful. There are also the numerous embarrassing years when the winners have disappeared without trace, such as 2009’s unfortunate Speech Debelle. Still, it’s easy to be hard on the Mercury Prize. By playing talent scout and sometimes getting it wrong, the prize is at least brave enough to promote an obscure artist or two. Additionally, the award seri-

‘Remember, no Russian’

he latest instalment of Tom Clancy’s Call of Halo: Drab Realism FTW has just been released, and with it comes the usual controversy of having a faceless American military shooting up a bunch of guys who seem not to realise that the Berlin Wall already came down. “It’s so offensive!” say the nitpickers of the internet. But it isn’t really, is it? It’s just lazy. The fact of the matter is that, unless your name is Dr Kawashima, your videogame needs a villain; otherwise, where’s the challenge? And since these ‘realistic shooters’ usually involve two huge amorphous political blobs fighting each other, writers find it easier just to paint them in the broadest political terms.

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ou may or may not have heard that Alt -J, the hipster troubadours named after an Apple Mac shortcut for a triangle have won the Mercury Prize this year. The band were a strong bookie’s favourite and personally, I feel Alt -J were a good choice. Their album is well-crafted and original, and although it probably isn’t my favourite album of the year, with Plan B in the running it could have been so much worse.

Plus, let’s face it, you’ll never go wrong in America by reminding people of Cold War mentality – look at all the idiot Republicans desperate to label Barack Obama as a ‘socialist’. But it doesn’t have to be this way – there are plenty of examples which prove that first-person shooters can have bold and inventive enemies. Bulletstorm may not have broken the mould with its formula, but the enemies were foul-mouthed, larger-than-life caricatures of themselves which made the whole thing hilarious. Spec Ops: The Line actually paints the enemies as human beings without a clear political or national identity to comment on this very issue, amongst other things.

This year’s Dishonored used its steampunk setting to tremendous effect to create a dystopian nightmare of Victorian England ruled by a tyrant. Hell, even the Halo series had the decency to include aliens and set the whole thing in space. If the endless waves of Russian enemies are offensive, it’s only because they insult our intelligence. There are so many games out there which have some fantastic character design, and we shouldn’t have to beg developers to give us a memorable villain. Phil Bayles

ously considers pop and urban artists, notably championing a then relatively unknown rapper called Dizzee Rascal in 2003. Crucially then, while it’s not always on to a winner, the Mercury at least tries to do away with a lot of the snobbery and inverse snobbery floating around in the music industry. And rather like that friend you have who just genuinely loves listening to music, I’m thankful that it’s around. Joe Williams

The Fuse cover this issue was designed by Manuel Andres Fuentes Zapeda. We keep asking him because he’s brilliant.

Pure Love are currently touring with We Are The Ocean and Welsh rockers Lostprophets, after Pulled Apart By Horses unfortunately cancelled earlier this year, Will Ross sat down to have a chat with the British/American duo. How long have you known each other? Frank: Really about two years. We met a few years ago when our old bands played together. So we got together there, became friends. So yeah, about two years. It must have been pretty crazy when Pulled Apart By Horses cancelled their tour, but then you got picked up by Lostprophets. Were you happy? Frank: The situation is that [the original tour] got cancelled, the end. Basically they’re going to the studio to write a new album, so that’s the ‘official reason’… I mean, it worked out for us. We’re quite lucky to be able to jump on new shows last minute, just do what we do, I mean regardless of who we’re playing with we’re still gonna play the same, so it’s good for us.

Pure Love is a project quite different from the kinds of music you guys are used to playing. Where does your (Frank) stunning voice come from, and how long have you been hiding it away for?

also like 10 years old really. You know what I mean? Like both of us, the album spanned a big period of time in both of our lives which is why it sounds… classic. There’s a lot new to it. I like what we have now.

Frank: It was never the right time, you know what I mean? It really wouldn’t work with like, hardcore music. It wasn’t really about like trying to cross over. We just had different ideas. So when I met Jimmy it just fell into place. Then suddenly, ‘right, I’ve got the right person to play off,’ and that way it just happened really fast. Suddenly it’s all coming together. It’s the way he writes the music, it’s the way I sing.

Even the name of your new band is a step aside from normality for you. From Gallows to The Hope Conspiracy, how did you come up with Pure Love as your new identity?

You’ve been working on the upcoming album Anthems for a while, tell us about it. Frank: It’s a good mix, I mean it’s a pretty up-to-date record, but it’s

Two of the singles which have been released so far, ‘Handsome Devil’s Club’ and ‘Bury My Bones’, have been big hits on YouTube. I was most interested in the video for ‘Riot Song’, who are the kids in the video? Frank: They’re the director’s kids. He’s a good friend of ours, Ross [Cairns], he’s a great friend of ours. He just got ‘em to do it.

Not just your style of music has changed, but you’ve both been seen in interviews and videos wearing smart shirts and looking overall more gentlemanly; which is a bit of a change from band tees. What’s with the makeover? Jim: That was what the band was like you know? That was a couple of years ago. I was playing hardcore and you’d never do that in a club, like if you go out in a shirt and tie you know you’re gonna struggle. It’s gonna hurt you. I’ve always dressed like this you know? Just not to play in. Now I’m doing something slightly different.

Frank: Our text conversations had just turned into band names, you know? Jim: When there was no response, you knew to keep trying. The new album Anthems is due for release in the UK early next year, what should we expect from it? Frank: When we went to record our debut, we went in with like 35 songs and came out with 11. We were trying to cut music down, and in the end we had enough recorded. Essentially the

Jim: Yeah I mean it’s only been a few days but everyone’s nice.

Film Unit

Sunday November 18: Ted: 3.30pm, 7.30pm

Fri November 23 2012, from 7pm until 9pm at Gallery Room 2 of the Students’ Union, admission fee of £3.50

Monday November 19: Amélie: 7.30pm

hile working at a Parisian café, an experience in the life of the exuberant Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) prompts her to endeavour to help others discover happiness. Fanciful and fast-moving, this is ultimately an appealing, eccentric love story with a host of idiosyncratic personalities whose feel-good whimsy has been wellreceived on both sides of the English Channel.

Saturday November 24: Lawless: 3.30pm, 7.30pm

ollywood hard man Tom Hardy (Inception), Shia TheBeef (Transformers) and Jason Clarke unite as three brothers who find their bootlegging business under threat in depression era Virginia and must fight against a rival gang to defend it. Directed by John Hillcoat (The Road), and based on a true story, Lawless packs a punch with visceral and bloody violence whilst also holding a great deal of sentiment and style.

Fuse.

amily Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane makes his live action directorial debut in this fantastic comedy. Macfarlane stars as the voice of Ted, a teddy bear who is wished to life by John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) as a child but then continues to live with him as he grows older. As he becomes increasingly outrageous and hilarious, soon John asks Ted to move out and Ted must find a way to get by on his own.

Tickets: £2.50

Available from the SU box office

Friday November 16 2012

GIAG: Swedish back massage wedish back massage, quite like Aberdeen Angus beef, is the latest example of when national or regional identity is attached to a product or service to create value from thin air. It turns out Swedes are either remarkably good at back massage, or have created their own form of spine rubbing that’s deserving of its own distinction, or both. If deadlines are giving you unnecessary stress, if you want to develop a skill to impress people with, or if you just want to find out what makes this form of back rubbing so particularly Swedish, head down to the Union and give it a go.

Jim: It comes from a band called the Mahavishnu Orchestra and they have a song called ‘Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love’ and I just listened to ‘em one day. It kinda popped, jumped out at me. We’d been going back and forth for weeks trying to come up with names.

second album is written, really, but I don’t think I’m happy with that. You know, maybe we’ll revisit a couple of the songs. We’ll have a big start and keep adding to it. I want to have it written by the end of next year. I want as small a gap as possible between albums. We don’t want it to be stale.

Q&A.

SHORT FUSE

PURE LOVE

GAMES

Feature. GIRLS GAME TOO

Girls just wanna have fun

Exploring the redundant gender stereotypes within gaming

guys about this?” and remarks like, “You won’t know this.” are frequent, and annoying, and usually met with passive-aggressive hatred on my part. Of course I won’t know the answer to your question about that console, because I’m a woman. On the contrary, there are those who push the stereotype so far in the wrong direction that you’ll want to hurl before you have any time to appreciate their powerful, alternative and cool public persona. Have you ever browsed the ‘girl gamer’ hashtag on Twitter or Tumblr? Try it. Have you been met with irritating, pre-teen girls covering their ‘breasts’ with Xbox controllers and claiming their superiority on Mario Kart to their boyfriends?

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Friday November 16 2012

o you scoff at the idea of a woman holding a joypad? You’re probably not alone. In this day and age, feminism is a tense issue, and with women from Caitlin Moran to Samantha Brick fighting our battles, it’s no wonder opinions vary. Gaming is an area of entertainment that has been stereotypically absorbed primarily by men. Little boys grew up stealing cars and shooting each other on videogames, little girls matured through dolls and playing with make-up, right? Not necessarily. As the current female games editor of Fuse (shocker) I’d argue that, along with many other gender stereotypes, this one is becoming obsolete. However, as with any stereotype, I frequently see women scrutinised when their participation in the world of gaming is addressed. Working part-time in a very videogame-heavy entertainment store, I am often enraged by irritating sexist comments from men assuming my lack of knowledge when it comes to gaming. Questions like, “Can I ask one of the

Words: Kaz Scattergood Picture: Gemma Dutton

These infuriating children are certainly not doing us any favours. The main issue to address here, which applies to the world far beyond gaming, is ignorance. Some people just don’t seem to realise that times have changed, women have branched out of the kitchen, and they’re doing whatever the hell they want. For many, it’s probably not the case that you’re unaware of women playing videogames.

Rather, your prejudice lies in their ability and choice of game. You might assume to find your girlfriend playing an ‘easier’ game, perhaps one with a ‘3+’ PEGI rating and blinding rainbow colours (Viva Pinata, ladies?) What you might not expect is a full Call of Duty collection, or the ability to thrash you on Fifa. Basically, don’t be an idiot, and don’t be so surprised that something with a vagina might also have a better K/D or more

successful virtual career than you. Girls, you’re not the most original snowflake in the sky for buying yourself an Xbox. However, you’re still likely to be scrutinized online and in public for your gender, regardless of your ability. Everyone just needs to take a massive get-over-it pill, stop being mean to each other, and play nice. I just want everybody to get along.

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Feature.

SCREEN

THE DISNEY EMPIRE Disney’s purchase of Star Wars may have created a disturbance in the Force, but if you look hard enough you can sense their presence all over Hollywood (and the world)

The most famous theme park in the world, with the exception of Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, is Disneyland. Famously, the Pirates of the Carribean films were based on the ride of the same name, begging the question of what else could inspire film adaptations; Hot Dog Stand: The Movie, perhaps.

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Friday November 16 2012

Fuse.

Words: Phil Bayles and Dan Meier Image: Manuel Andrés Fuentes Zepeda

ARTS

Feature. ISSUES IN THEATRE “For me, it’s about

being brave

isn’t it?”

It’s time for the British stage to diversify, says Amy Claire Thompson

t is a common misconception that the arts are open and liberal. Most people seem to think that the theatre is ahead of the game, and that this is an industry which is accepting of difference: the New York theatre scene is famous for its acceptance of gay people, for example. People seem to think that in the theatre you can thrive no matter who you are, so long as you have the talent. Regardless of class, race, gender or sexuality, many within the arts would probably suggest the same.

“There is only one critic at a major British newspaper who was not educated at Oxbridge”

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Friday November 16 2012

But, speaking at Men are from Mars, Playwrights are from Venus, a recent panel discussion held by the Crucible Theatre, playwright D.C. Moore astutely commented that “in the 90s, we thought all those battles

were won”, when a realist can see that there is still an awfully long way to go. The theatre is still worlds away from offering equal opportunities to all, despite what it might like people to believe. London’s Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, is a startling example of this. Iconic for its innovation and for offering new practitioners a space in which to present their work, it is thought of in the industry as a powerhouse of equality. If you look at a list of its artistic directors, however, they are exclusively white men. The Court has just appointed Vicky Featherstone, previously of the National Theatre of Scotland, to the position, and she will be taking over soon. As Andrew Dickson in the Guardian commented, this presents an end to years of the British theatre being run by “men called Peter”. But, this is 2012, and the Royal Court is supposedly ahead of its time. What does this say about the rest of British theatre? Unsurprisingly, this is not the end of it. The National Theatre, Moore told the audience at the Crucible, will be the first to admit that “they are not in the place where they need to be”.

Their attitudes remain somewhat safer than they should be, especially given their international reputation and the sway that they hold in the arts industry in this country. With the amount of funding they are awarded yearly by the Arts Council, they should, Moore suggested, be doing a lot more to diversify.

“Unless the theatre starts making a greater effort to diversify, ‘basically, we’re all fucked’” The role of arts critics is also significant: when those who have the ultimate verdict on whether a show was worth the investment are all from the same background, diversity in the theatre will never be what it should. Moore claims that there is only one critic at a major

British newspaper who was not educated at Oxbridge – and he went to Trinity College in Dublin. Companies like Propeller Theatre also have a lot to answer for. Performing Shakespeare with all-male casts might seem like it is harking back to Shakespeare’s historical traditions, but turning back the clock is not necessary when there are so many talented female performers crying out for the kind of strong roles that Shakespeare affords.

“Before Delaney, gay, black or female characters had almost always been the subject of ridicule” Saying that Shakespeare’s women should be played by men, Dawn Walton, artistic director of Sheffieldbased Eclipse Theatre suggests, is a lot like saying that all Shakespeare’s black characters should be played by white people. And, in this day and age no one would suggest that ‘blacking up’ is acceptable. Why is this sort of thing being allowed to happen? Sam Boardman-Jacobs, an actor and director who worked on Shelagh Delaney’s original production of A Taste of Honey, has a theory. The images we see in the arts are “controlled by middle-class, white men in suits”, who are reluctant to be realistic and hold a mirror to the world. The stage, in their hands, will never be reflective of reality. The fact that Delaney, a working class 19-year-old in the 1950s, was able to get her work on to the stage, he suggests, is astonishing, and entirely attributable to Joan Littlewood. “Strangely enough,” BoardmanJacobs laughed, “it was a woman who championed Shelagh. What a surprise.” Without women championing women, writers like Delaney, and more recently Debbie Tucker Green, would never have come to the fore. Walton spoke passionately about how Tucker Green, a black woman from innercity London, was not discovered by the Royal Court as many people seem to believe. She was picked up by a smaller London theatre after the men at the Royal Court who were tasked with

reading plays had completely failed to understand her writing style and the issues she covered. Laughing darkly, Walton mentioned how the Royal Court had initially wondered if Tucker Green was actually a poet. Writers like Delaney and Tucker Green are that truly rare thing: successful theatre writers from minority backgrounds who write characters as real people. They look at them honestly, writing them as human beings and not issues. A black character, as Walton states, does not have to be the ‘noble savage’, and nor does their race have to become their character. The same rule can be applied to gender and sexuality. Delaney’s A Taste Of Honey, which ran at the Crucible earlier this month and was the play which triggered the debate, is a perfect case-study in this. Featuring a sexually liberated older woman; a young girl experiencing sex and love for the first time; her black lover; and her (likely) gay best friend, the play demonstrates the fact that none of these factors have to be defining. Jo, the play’s young protagonist accepts both her lover and her friend for who they are inside. She sees them as people, rather than objects of disgust or ridicule as they clearly are to her mother, and is able to treat them as individuals. The fact that they are black or gay doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference to Jo. At the end of the day, this is exactly how it should be. The honesty in this writing is what makes is so groundbreaking, refreshing and ultimately brave. That Delaney felt empowered enough to write what she wanted to, without worrying about the judgement of others is incredible, but the fact that it was performed at all is even more remarkable.

“It cannot be forgotten that the theatre is an institution comes with institutionalised values” Before Delaney, gay, black or female characters had almost always been the subject of ridicule, or cast as ‘the bad guy’. In this respect, her work was genuinely revolutionary. The fact that new writing of this standard is becoming rarer today is not the fault of writers, however. It cannot be forgotten that the theatre is an institution, and

Feature.

as such comes with institutionalised values. Boardman-Jacobs’ account of several times his storylines were put down by commissioning producers speaks volumes: “I’ve been told,” he smiled, wryly, “that ‘oh, we’ve done a gay play this year’, or ‘oh, we’ve had a play about two women before. We don’t have time for kitchen sink dramas.’”

ARTS

ISSUES IN THEATRE

If the arts are going to open themselves up, truly, and start representing the true nature of British society – diverse, vibrant, and opinionated – then it needs to start being brave.

“Jo, the play’s young protagonist, accepts both her lover and her friend for who they are” In Sheffield, we’re lucky. The Crucible Theatre may be taken over by snooker for what feels like too long every year, but this means it has income. It can afford to be bold, and put on pioneering works like A Taste of Honey and Moore’s Straight, a brilliant work based on the film Humpday, which premiers at the Crucible this November. The theatre in general, though, is suffering so much at the hands of the global financial crisis that it can’t afford to be brave. Or, it doesn’t think it can. Producing works which challenge the status quo is for times of prosperity. There is a reason that the 1960s are known for their liberal values, and for the opening up of society, after all. At the moment, when any given theatre company could lose all its external funding without notice, everyone is playing it safe. But there is a new generation of theatre practitioners rising through the ranks right now who have no intention of sitting back and letting this happen all over again. Little victories have been won. The theatre is more diverse than it was, unquestionably. But unless it starts making a greater effort to diversify, and to offer more opportunities to those with genuine talent and passion regardless of the tick-box issues around them, then (as one audience member at the Crucible so eloquently put it) “basically, we’re all fucked”.

Friday November 16 2012

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MUSIC

Feature. BLESSA

Growing Pains W

hy would you want to be in a band these days? Nobody’s paying for music; nobody wants to take risks on an act (unless they’re already established). Well, the answer is simple: because you love it. That’s why Blessa are around. The Sheffield band have been in hiding for the last 18 months, scrapping all their old material and going back to the drawing board. The result is the lush dream-pop of ‘Open Fields’, their first demo to surface from recent recording sessions. That’s not to say their old stuff was particularly bad; the fivepiece have landed some juicy support slots in the past and their material has always gone down a storm live. So why did they disappear? Bassist Jake explains: “Our entire new set has been written since we finished our degrees in June. Some of it has been around before, in unfinished forms, and we finished our degrees and just buckled down.

“We’re very slow; it takes us a long time to write a song”

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Friday November 16 2012

“We started working with another guy who helps us out; we have sessions with him and do a bit of recording. It’s been helpful for us to have someone there who isn’t management saying ‘that sounds shit’. It’s constructive.” How nice. Guitarist Alex is even more frank about the differences between old Blessa and new Blessa: “It’s like having an on-hand producer, which is nice. We needed that, because we did lack a bit of direction initially, and what we tried to do with Blessa is to try to figure out our mutual influences and try to bring that together. It was a bit fractured initially.” For a band that are just out of university (or in the case of Jake and drummer Andy, still studying), they’ve collected a wealth of experiences under their belt. Guitarist Rob jokes that they’ve “basically learned how to be a band” within the last year. But really, they’ve been a band for a while now. They know what they’re doing, underneath their self-deprecating humour and bashfulness. We spend over an hour in the Nottingham House talking about

music; from Sheffield’s music scene to how good the newest Wild Nothing song is. Blessa are, undoubtedly, “a complete unit”, as Alex defines them. We’re talking about whether lead singer Olivia being a smokin’ hot lady (according to our Forge Press editor) is a boon or a burden to the group.

“That’s our next aim; to play to people outside of Sheffield”

The usually soft-spoken Rob is quick to jump to the band’s defence: “Liv is genuinely a really good singer; we like what she does, not just because she’s a woman.” Jake also makes a very good point, based on the extra attention they’ve received because of Olivia: “You immediately stand out, but if you have a shit female lead you get found out a lot quicker than if you have a shit male vocal. There’s so much more attention on a female singer, and the fact that we’ve got such a good female singer is an advantage.” Copper-haired singer Olivia is quiet for most of the interview, chipping in here and there but mostly content to scribble thoughts and the occasional cute drawing of a cat on a notebook. She’s the brains behind the lyrics of their music, as well as the main vocalist. She tells me about their newest song, ‘Open Fields’, and the fact that she got the inspiration for it from Frank O’Hara, one of the poets she’d studied at university. “‘Open Fields’ is based on Un Homme Respectueux; the last line is: ‘The ends are not tied up everything is open fields’. And that’s the whole idea of the song.” She adds, quietly: “It’s very open, I thought I’d point that out.” We return to ‘Open Fields’ a couple of times in the conversation; it’s an example of their writing process, as well as testament to how far they’ve come as a band. The band are all clearly very happy with how well people have responded to it, despite the version online only being a demo. Jake explains that they’re “looking to record another couple of tracks in the next month, so hopefully we’ll have more out soon. Since it’s gone so well, we’re anxious to get another track out, keep it going.” Understandable. But he also admits: “We’re very slow; it takes us a long time to write a song. The most recently finished one took us

Coral Williamson chats with Sheffield favourites Blessa about their new track ‘Open Fields’, scrapping their old material and the perks of a female lead singer about two months. We had it in three different, complete forms. The same song just slightly different.” Alex jokes, “We had a pop-punk version just for fun” while Rob expands on the band’s work ethics, “We’re constantly writing, going back, and if we’re not completely happy with a song we’ll change it. We don’t want to settle.” For a band who’ve been garnering a lot of praise for their shows on the local circuit, they’re certainly not too full of themselves, and their reluctance to just let a song be ‘done’ is evidence of that. Rob admits: “We want to have a set that we’re happy with; we’re probably our own harshest critics.” Although they took a break from playing live whilst writing over the last year, they did come back for one very special show, which gets brought up as Jake tells me about the uncertainty of just having your mates like your music. “People who aren’t our friends have heard ‘Open Fields’ and said, ‘yeah that’s good’. Before you could never be too sure; when you were playing a gig – on a boat, on a river – and everyone who’s there are your friends.” We move away from Blessa and look at Sheffield as a musical hub. Semi Detached, the promoters who held a gig on a boat, are just one of the many bright spots in Sheffield at the moment. Jake is full of praise for them: “Considering it was their first gig, it was a pretty innovative idea. They’re our favourite promoters in Sheffield.” We also touch on other bands in Sheffield, and again, everyone is pretty complimentary of their surroundings. Jake notes: “It’s gotten so much better recently. There’s some really good bands around at the moment, which wasn’t the case when we came to uni.” Rob lists his favourites: “Drenge, Wet Nuns, Best Friends, Hey Sholay. It’s really cool to be involved in a scene that’s getting revitalised. They’re all different types of music.”

“We don’t want to settle”

Whilst there might not be a singular ‘Sheffield sound’, it’s clear that there’s an energy possessed by all the bands he mentions; Blessa are another band with that kind of charisma. It’s the reason why they’ve supported so many brilliant bands, from Spector to O Children. However, these have all been Sheffield gigs; it seems something goes wrong every time they leave the city to play elsewhere.

Feature.

MUSIC

BLESSA

“We had a gig in Manchester where we broke the snare drum that we were meant to use, because we took a Northern Rail train and somebody went through the bottom of it. We don’t have a van or a car so we have to go by train,” explains Rob. A tour is definitely on the cards though. “That’s our next aim,” Jake tells me, “Play to people outside of Sheffield.” Before that though, are plans for an EP. Olivia describes their plans: “Once we’ve got a few more recordings done, got an EP, then we’ll take that out around.” Jake notes, “We don’t have a set way of writing, which is frustrating but also liberating.” The band have planned to record in the next six weeks, which is promising; another Frank O’Hara-inspired song called ‘Jane Awake’ is particularly intriguing.

“Semi Detached are our favourite promoters in Sheffield” Perhaps the most important thing they’ve learned as a band is how to take criticism. As a group, they have a maturity beyond their years, but from what they tell me it isn’t impossible to imagine that they weren’t the most mature teens when they first started performing in previous projects. Jake admits: “It took a while to get to the stage where we could admit that we were wrong, and someone who wasn’t in the band was right. But now we’re there, and we can listen to it.” As for in-band fighting, there doesn’t seem to be many problems, which is reassuring. Rob attributes any squabbles over delay pedals to “asserting male dominance”, which earns laughs from the group. So, why would you want to be in a band these days? Because it’s fun. Because it’s making music with your friends, and hopefully, at the end of the day, getting recognition for it. Blessa are one of the best bands in Sheffield at the moment, and deserve every drop of praise they get. Words: Coral Willamson Photos: Lorna Halliday

Friday November 16 2012

Fuse. 9

GAMES

Reviews. Halo 4

Xbox 360 9/10

orget spin-offs, forget different perspectives, the Halo franchise is back with a true sequel as you fill the boots of everybody’s favourite Spartan-on-ice for the first time in five years. After Bungie left the series on a high with Halo: Reach, the pressure was on 343 Industries to match the high expectations placed on them. Awaken from cryogenic sleep by Cortana to repel an attack from Covenant forces, you find yourself still stranded aboard the UNSC frigate Forward Unto Dawn near a large Forerunner planet Requiem. This metallic planet opens up deploying a gravity well causing the Master Chief and the Covenant forces to be sucked inside. You then battle both Covenant and Forerunner forces, and after awakening an ancient threat, you are forced (again) to try to save the universe. It also delves deeper into Master Chief and Cortana’s relationship much more than the other games in the series, it’s an interesting move which keeps you gripped until the climactic end. It is a great campaign (albeit

Cult Corner.

ftl: FAster than light PC/Mac OS

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Friday November 16 2012

TL: Faster Than Light can be epitomized in a single sentence: “One last explosion marks your fate as your ship is torn apart.” Available on Steam for seven pounds, and you will be met with the game over screen often enough to know that you are a rubbish spaceship captain. The premise is simple: make your way across the galaxy from left to right, by moving between stars on the galaxy map. Each star has a chance of a random event: you might encounter a slave trading ship, or find a science vessel in a spot of bother, and you’ll generally be given a few choices about how to deal with whatever’s happening. Once you have, you move along. If that sounds rudimentary, well, it is. That’s not why FTL is worth your seven pounds. The reason it’s worth your seven pounds is because FTL has a habit of making things go wrong for you. How about destroying

a little too short, at about six hours on Normal) which lovers of the Halo story will enjoy. The levels are varied and force you to use different tactics. Some missions place you in close quarters fire-fights, whereas others see you in larger vehicle battles with a few levels often interchanging between the two. This keeps the pacing fresh and you’ll find it incredibly difficult to get bored.

ers will enjoy these new additions to an already great online experience, some may feel disappointed about the additions of COD style killstreaks known as ‘ordinance’ and XP alerts whenever you make a kill. However even if you dislike these features, it does not take much away from the experience and is more likely to be something that will grow on you.

“Halo 4 is arguably the best Halo ever, and easily one of the best games you will see this year” This is also the best looking Halo ever and one of the best looking games out there on any console, even the close quarters corridors have an impressive attention to detail. The voice acting is as good as it always has been in this series, really bringing the story and characters to life. It feels more of a challenge, even on normal settings, and legendary difficulty will result in more than a few respawns. Aside from the leaps made in the campaign, the multiplayer has also had changes made. While the vast majority of play-

Halo 4 is a triumph for 343, with its gripping and varied campaign, addictive multiplayer and stand-alone missions known as Spartan Ops, it is arguably the best Halo ever and easily one of the best games you will see this year. An absolute must have for first person shooter and sci-fi fans alike. Reece Nunn

your oxygen system while you’re venting air in an attempt to put out fires and repel boarders? Or maybe jumping into an ion storm, bringing half your systems offline while you try to fight off an attack from space pirates? It’s easy to be convinced that FTL is being actively malevolent towards you, but there’s much entertainment in trying to deal with these unfortunate, frequently ridiculous situations. You’ll see that game over screen a lot, though. But that’s the point. FTL is short – playing from start to finish takes maybe two hours – and is designed to be replayed over and over. There’s a surprising amount of depth in the ship upgrades system, with absolutely no chance of getting every upgrade in one game, and the random nature of the events (and the galaxy itself) means every run through is unique. If you’re at all interested in rogue-like RPGs or creative indie games, this is worth a look. For seven pounds, you too can be a rubbish spaceship captain.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Alex Forster

Xbox 360/PS3/PC/Wii U 7/10

pening with a trapped man burning to death, Black Ops 2 adopts a style that we have become familiar with since Modern Warfare 2’s massacre of dozens of helpless civilians in a Russian airport. The difference here is that it doesn’t really add to the storyline at all. But then again, it has been a while since the storyline in a Call of Duty game has been its selling point. The main issue with the story is semantics; there is very little that is ‘covert’ about what goes on in these black operations. Riding horseback with a rocket-launcher, that you can reload with little difficulty, firing at tanks and helicopters, does not scream subtlety. And when there is a need for a bit of stealth the AI pretty much walks you through it, holding your hand the whole way. In this franchise realism went out the window a long time ago, and Black Ops 2 feels more like a movie than a game. The most exciting things happen without your input in cut scenes; your role is reduced to combat in situations that vary only with the location you’re situated in. But its entertainment is hard to question.

The multiplayer is Call of Duty’s best selling point and Treyarch have ‘somewhat’ revolutionized the experience. It is still Call of Duty, but the ‘Pick 10’ system does away with the rigidity of previous class creation to send your soldier into online battle with far more freedom. Want to drop your secondary weapon for a third attachment on your primary? Cool. Want an extra perk instead of tactical grenades? Not a problem.

“Riding horseback with a rocket-launcher and firing at helicopters does not scream subtlety” Treyarch have done away with the 50 shades of brown that plagued World at War and Black Ops online maps and instead embraced a more colourful scheme, adding contrast

that goes some way to preventing pesky campers from hiding in the shadows. Beyond this it’s the same base formula; Call of Duty in all its rage inducing, multi-kill loving, and objective securing entertainment. If you like Call of Duty then Black Ops 2 is likely to already be in your possession. The minor changes don’t particularly change the dynamics of the gameplay, and the campaign was overall really enjoyable. There is enough in this game to entertain current Call of Duty fans, but not a whole lot to entice new players. David Riley

STRAIGHT

The Lyceum Theatre 8/10

.C. Moore’s adaptation of Lynn Shelton’s Humpday explores the sexual tensions that threaten to shatter life’s snug surroundings. It’s a comedy, but deep down it shows that life’s not all about colourful Ikea furnishings (the play’s staging) and happy endings. Straight features a young and optimistic couple, Lewis (Henry Pettigrew) and Morgan (Jessica Ransom), and their plans to start a family for which they have no room in their prim flat. These plans are scuppered when Movember veteran and UniLad Waldorf (Coronation Street’s Phillip McGinley) announces his presence by hilariously dangling his penis (no, really) through the couple’s letterbox. Waldorf is Lewis’ best friend from university and suddenly makes himself thoroughly

at home, much to Morgan’s annoyance. He also takes full advantage of the pair’s good will; Waldorf eats their food, drinks their beer, messes up their home and has a very brief fling with amateur pornstar Steph (Jenny Rainsford) in their bed. It’s Steph who sets up the plays centerpiece. After a drunken night out, she dares the pair to make and enter gay pornography into a pornographic film festival, all for the sake of art. Unsurprisingly, many of Straight’s laughs come from the relationship between the uptight Lewis and the brash and charismatic Waldorf. Like Brokeback Mountain and Beautiful Thing, both characters only find true solace in each other when taken away from their normal, every day lives. This is the play’s main strength: Waldorf and Lewis’ true sexualities are masterfully alluded to but ultimately never revealed. Lewis questions the true happiness of his own marriage, whilst

Waldorf is really just as timid towards the play’s conclusion. But the characters never appear trapped or confused, more so on the path towards liberating themselves. Balancing both sharp-witted humour and seriousness can often be a difficult task for a director to face, but Richard Wilson does so gracefully without ruining the balance between both. It’s laugh-out-loud hilarious but thought provoking at the same time. Wilson evokes gripping performances from his cast, especially Lewis and Waldorf as they test the real limits of their relationship. Alex Yau

The WoMAN IN BLACK

Due to the limitations of Kipps’s acting abilities, and in a deliberate blending of fact and fiction, Kipps takes on the role of the people he encountered on his trip to the village of Crythn Gifford, while the actor plays the younger and more sceptical Kipps. The young Kipps is sent to a remote corner of the country in order to sort through the finances of Mrs Drablow, but ends up uncovering more than he bargained for. Far from being a purely professional visit, Kipps discovers that Eel Marsh House is occupied by the ghost of Mrs Drablow’s deranged and vengeful sister, who haunts Kipps beyond his short stay at the mansion. PW Productions Ltd filled the Lyceum Theatre with all the spine-tingling anticipation you would expect from a play of this genre. The stage was sparse, decked with only a wicker chest, a coat rack and an old, dusty Victorian

The Lyceum Theatre 7/10

eft with the harrowing intonation of a desperate man exclaiming: “Those who have suffered most, say least”, director Robin Hereford certainly does not fail to articulate a story of sufferance and horror in The Woman in Black. Stephen Mallatratt’s stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s nouveaugothic novel traces the tale of Arthur Kipps, a retired solicitor who wishes to recount his dealings with a gaunt and palefaced spectre. Appointing an actor (Anthony Eden) to help him elucidate his story and move on from the horrors of his younger years, Kipps (Julian Forsyth) tells of his visit to Eel Marsh House, the antiquated and decaying mansion of the late Alice Drablow.

THIS IS ROLLER DERBY Bank Street Arts 6/10

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door. The high panelled walls of the stage and its creaky floorboards were framed by black and dilapidated stage curtains, all of which created an atmosphere befitting for a Victorian ghost story. The sparse staging foreshadowed the actor’s request for the audience to use their imaginations, an appeal which made the play all the more terrifying as you continually anticipated the apparition of the dark figure. The play was filled with moments of humour, which although overused in light of its genre, effectively lulled you into a false sense of security. Forsyth played his characters with astonishing honesty and believability, displaying an unrivalled capacity for versatile acting. Eden also gave an impassioned portrayal of the young Arthur Kipps. When coupled together, Forsyth and Eden had a captivating rapport, which was

undoubtedly exciting to watch. In spite of this, the play was slow to enter into the central account of Kipps’s spectral encounter and the framing narrative provided several unnecessary interruptions to the story. Unfortunately, it was a play that the braver members of an audience might feel let down by. This production offered only one or two genuinely frightening moments, which even those wary of the horror genre could easily deal with. Sheffield’s latest production of The Woman in Black is a play accessible to all, but perhaps not a show for the hardcore horror fanatic. Ellen Nicholls

The parallax curtain

create an image of Western history that is completely distorted, conveying a poignant message that is deeply thought provoking. However, there were many other pieces of artwork by the artists that seemed so distorted in meaning that you simply could not work them out. There was one piece of work, for example, that was composed of several large sheets of plain fabric with coloured paint thrown onto them; although it created layering, there seemed to be little meaning behind the layers. Overall, The Parallax Curtain does convey a message to a visitor of the S1 Artspace. However, some pieces of work made the exhibition seem too empty and this was emphasized through the distortion of meaning in the pieces. Saying this, however, the venue itself is definitely worth having a look at, as it’s a hidden gem of Sheffield, tucked away down a seemingly usual street, demonstrating the cultural brilliance of the city.

S1 Artspace 5/10

heffield’s S1 Artspace is a venue with an open area that can be used as a blank canvas for a lot of great artwork. Unfortunately, The Parallax Curtain is not an exhibition that can be described as entirely great. This newly opened exhibition is a collection of artwork by three British based artists; Melissa Gordon, Emily Musgrave and Jessica Warboys. Through their art they hope to create a ‘parallax effect’ in which by viewing the world around us from a different position things can become displaced or unfamiliar to us, thereby creating a form of ‘expanded perception’. The three artists portray this through works of painting, sculpture, performance and video. Some of the artwork does fulfil its overall purpose. For instance, Gordon’s canvas prints of newspaper layouts uses layering of different news stories to

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ith the popularity of films like Whip It! and Hell On Wheels, the latest revival of roller derby is more popular than any other in its history. But behind the tattoos and the tackles lie a group of women who share a sense of dedication, sisterhood and love for the world’s most ‘alternative’ sport. This humanity is explored in Jason Ruffell’s latest photographic exhibition – This Is Roller Derby – being held at Bank Street Arts. Much like the sport itself, the exhibition is small and relatively niche. Just 15 photographs line the walls of this indie art gallery, depicting the highs and lows of various teams and athletes. The main focus of the exhibition is the first ever Roller Derby World Cup held in Toronto, Canada in 2011. Ruffell is not a professional photographer. He describes his artistic endeavours as “more of a

hobby, a hobby that has gradually taken over more and more of my life.” And this passion is clear from his dedication to this frank and emotionally loaded exhibition. From heartfelt cries of victory to the final moments before a catastrophic collision, This Is Roller Derby is more than an exhibition of sport photography. It is personal and passionate about the sport – and athletes – depicted. Although the exhibition is small and the photographs are by no means technically perfect, they are strong, captivating and beautiful – just like the women they depict. Lauren Archer

Reviews.

ARTS

Rhiannon Pickin

MUSIC

Reviews. RELEASES MAIA

Pepper Stars Vandal 7/10

aia are Huddersfield’s and the world’s leading exponents in the field of sci-folk, a blending of synth, vocals and seemingly anything that has strings and can be strummed. Their second album Pepper Stars is less of an album than a collage of differing songs, only revealing its final picture to you at the end. That picture is not always easy to see, and it is hard not to become slightly lost in an album of such quirkiness. The track ‘Alien’ opens with a static jingling that would be

found closer to a horror film than a dancefloor. What it does though is move you out of your comfort zone. It transports you into the intergalactic playground and invites you to enjoy yourself, something you’ll find hard not to do. It is the sheer diversity of the album that lets you fully appreciate the adventure you are travelling on. ‘The Grandfather Plan’ has incredible brass work that sounds like it’s lifted from a sleepy Spanish town. The harmonies of ‘Towards the Onion’ sit neatly on the dripping guitar work that contrasts nicely with the celebratory nature of ‘Constant Play’, the track before. The stargazing sounds of ‘Alight Adventure’ and ‘Four Angels’ show the album at its odd-

est and yet most interesting, as front man Tom Clegg’s whispering vocals entice you to sit closer and listen harder. The album whisks you from place to place, not allowing you to think of each step but to reflect on the journey as a whole after it is done. If you like your music to be reassuringly structured, with a catchy chorus that will stick with you for an hour then this isn’t the album for you. However, if you like to challenge yourself and have the patience to just sit and enjoy this album, then you will be left with something that stays with you far longer than any Flo Rida rap will. Alex Howe

Now Playing

W Brooke Sharkey One Dress Lilbee Records 7/10

caravan PALACE Panic Wagram 6/10

aravan Palace have always had a feel somewhere between electroswing and gypsy jazz. That sounds confusing, but it basically means it has a danceesque feel using both electronic and traditional instruments and techniques. Usually, when you try and explain the genre to people you’re met with disturbed looks. But this is one of those occasions where hearing is believing. Known for unusual fusion of instruments and crazy dance beats, Caravan Palace have a reputation to uphold after three years out of the studio. And Panic pulls it off; this is their nuttiest

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Friday November 16 2012

rooke Sharkey is currently rather an unknown quantity. Born in London, growing up in France and having a session musician as a father has left her with quite the cultural legacy, which has been matched by new album One Dress. Gaining confidence through consistent busking which led to quite the underground fan base, she self-funded EP May (shockingly released last May) and One Dress represents a decent progression from this in quite a short space of time. Sharkey uses an odd variety of instruments giving the album an almost

bouncy folk-like feel, while the subtle use of her French tongue is intriguing. ‘Autumn’ is a dark yet mellow entrance which displays the sweeter side of Sharkey’s impressive vocal range. A delightful close leaves the listener resonating with interest at her lyrical prowess. Other tracks swell with iridescent darkness. ‘My Apple’ begins just as ‘Autumn’ ended but the final crescendo is unnervingly daunting. ‘Un Chantier’ experiences the most poignant use of the French language, intertwined with a jauntier English vocal style which is unfortunately slightly less appealing than the softer, lilting vocals on tracks such as ‘May’. Closer ‘His Voice’ is a delightfully crooning ode to a lost love. However, being tucked away

at the bottom of the track-listing, ‘His Voice’ may actually fail to find a voice and does give the feeling that the album may be a couple of acoustic renditions too long. The success of Brooke Sharkey in the future may well depend far more on marketing and record label behaviour than anything else. Her vocal talents are obvious from the outset, along with her quirkiness and instrumental variety, and this should be strong enough to guarantee her a bit of longevity. For now, any folk lovers out there should thoroughly enjoy one of 2012’s freshest new albums. Max Golbart

album yet. Arguably, in the space of one album, Caravan Palace have gone from being pioneers of electro-swing, to its master. Admittedly, some of the fans have complained about their move away from female vocalist Sonia Fernandez Velasco-focused tracks. However, it seems this was a conscious creative choice. Firstly, it has allowed for there to be more clarinet on the tracks, and secondly the gaps have been used to increase electronic breakdowns.These are slow yet feel fast. There is a moment in ‘Dramophone’, the standout track on the album where the lyrics blare out “get happy and lose control”, which is certainly what you will find yourself doing. Panic is an album that makes you want to break out into ran-

dom dances. The beats and feel of the tracks are just that contagious. The seemingly low score does not reflect the quality of Panic, but more its lack of ‘universal appeal’. If you like electronic dance music, jazz, swing or music fusion, you need this album. Give this band a chance and check out Caravan Palace. Their tracks contain many moments of pure awesomeness. Niall Bird

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ith the abundance of new releases each week it can be difficult to sift through the shit in search of the gold, so Fuse has handpicked some of the musical highlights for you. We are going completely crazy about the new track from Foals. ‘Inhaler’ is their first offering from their third album Holy Fire which is set to be released on February 11. Their sound has evolved a lot in the time they’ve been away and ‘Inhaler’ is more progressive, experimental and a whole lot heavier than previous releases; although it is still in keeping with their signature math rock style. If there is one track called ‘Inhaler’ on your iPod, make sure it’s this one rather than the Miles Kane track of the same name. Next up is ‘Surround You’ by JAWS which feels like a belated ode to summer to help us through these cold and bleak winter months. The track is so upbeat and their synthpop sounds are reminiscent of psychedelic pioneers Yeasayer and similar to the fun electronic beats of Is Tropical. The single is available to download digitally from December 3.

If you haven’t heard the new track from Jessie Ware yet then you must; in fact stop what you are doing and go and listen to it right now. ‘If You Love Me’ is a 90s R&B cover and has such a nostalgic feel whilst still adding a modern twist and Ware’s pop-soul style. She collaborates with Japanese teenagers BenZel and they bring something different to the track with the insane, fuzzy electronic beat. We are loving the new release from The Weeknd this fortnight, ‘Enemy’ is his first offering in nearly a year and it is a mesmerising track with smooth, soulful vocals; there is even the subtlest tribute to the Smiths’ ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’. There is definitely something great happening in the R&B genre at the moment, with so many different releases; it is refreshing from the usual generic tracks that make up most of the top 40. Finally, we were pleased to see TLC winning the outstanding contribution to music award at the MOBOs and that they are set to release a new album and interestingly, a film next year. We recommend that you go and have a 90s pop revival right now and listen to ‘No Scrubs’. LW & AH

The Killers

Thursday November 8 Motorpoint Arena

The Killers: makautomatik/Flickr

Ugly DUckling

Monday November 5 The Harley

The Killers: lessio/Flickr

Ugly Duckling: mrmckinstry/Flickr

Ali Said

STealing sheep

Tuesday November 13 The Harley

ocal band Black Gold of the Sun get a great reception from the crowd and the drummer from Stealing Sheep gives them heaps of praise. Their diverse mix of instruments, dynamic use of percussion and their lively, energetic presence on stage makes them a very worthy support act. This psych-folk sound is calling back to another era and is reminiscent of soulful Americana. Stealing Sheep take to the stage, which is decorated with fairy lights and colourful tassels and they begin with a loud ruckus of percussion contrasted with delicate vocals. The way they harmonise together is stunning. They perform the opening track of their debut album, ‘The Garden’, with such

energy that sounds as haunting and brooding as it does on the record. Halfway through, their set becomes more upbeat and intense, single ‘Genevieve’ being a highlight with lead vocalist Becky banging her tambourine ferociously, the rainbow streamers attached to it flowing everywhere. The otherworldly charm of ‘Circles’ sounds sublime, the girls’ vocals becoming even stronger and the crowd looks on, entranced. Their dreamy psych-pop is unlike anything else around at the moment, but it’s their three part harmonies and exquisite voices that make the biggest impression. They announce that it is their first ever show in Sheffield before they start to play ‘Noah’s Days’, the beautifully eerie track from their The Mountain Dogs EP, featuring melodica and soft, sweet vocals.

‘Into The Diamond Sun’ takes you on a mesmerising journey with its different parts and enigmatic percussion; the last part, which is sped up is when the band really come alive. ‘Shut Eye’ with its distinctive guitar riff and chorus like a tribal chant really shows Stealing Sheep at their best. They finish with ‘Your Saddest Song’ which ends their show perfectly - the rich guitar chords and fuzzy keyboards are immaculate and the drums are understated in comparison to the rest of the set. Stealing Sheep’s laid-back, fun stage presence and their angelic voices make them a must see live act.

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Stealing Sheep: spinneyhead/Flickr

ing the crowd more directly; it’s here he talks of all these ‘flavours’ they see along the road. Just as the backing music almost casts a melancholic feel, the band burst into ‘A Dustland Fairytale’, anthemic and uplifting. The rest of the set is much of the same brilliance – but it’s the little things that make this show so good. Flowers is never found without a smile on stage, you sense their sheer enjoyment of performance, and how the sound of instruments mixes perfectly. Ronni Vanuchhi Jr.’s drums maintain power whilst not overpowering keyboard nor guitar. In the end, all no doubt leave satisfied; this was a crisp, clean and thoroughly enjoyable musical experience. The Killers certainly fulfilled the audience, and will have left many already anticipating their next tour. Simon Renwick

Friday November 16 2012

his is L.A. hip-hop trio Ugly Duckling’s second show in Sheffield in the space of a year. Their last outing in here was a headline set a stone’s throw away at the Tuesday Club. The trio come off as remarkably chilled and at ease for a group so far away from home. The venue is the Harley, a student friendly pub with dim lighting, seating area at the back and a small dance floor. The stage at is rather small, but there's an easy way to make it even smaller: invite a couple of DJs and friends to share it with you. The attraction for the night isn't the venue. It is instead seeing live old school hip-hop. Supporting the trio is Sheffield’s MC Isaac with live backing music coming from the Mega Squad. Their half hour set is sprinkled with nostalgic old school hip-hop vibes with live instruments, providing a great prelude to the headliners. Ugly Duckling, comprised of DJ Young Einstein and MC’s Andy Cooper and Dizzy Dustin rhyme about humorous yet intelligent, critical lyrics about mundane everyday activities. Yet the headlining trio have

never achieved commercial success even after releasing seven albums in the last years. Their only notable appearance in commercial media is their song ‘Smack’ featured in Tony Hawkes Project 8 videogame. But its clear that Ugly Duckling prefer to be seen as outsiders. A quick chat with Dizzy Dustin only confirmed that they’d rather put their own musical vision above commercial success. It is around 1am when the trio hit the stage, and they throw a funky and transcendently enjoyable gig. Ugly Duckling give everything you’d expect from an old school hip-hop show; samples and funky vibes, anchored by funky beats and scratches from yesteryear. They go through songs from their previous albums, most notably ‘Elevation’, the bouncy ‘A Little Samba’ and ‘I Wont Let It Die’. Ugly Duckling remain true to their own views of what hiphop should be. Their Californian laid back aura, humbleness and warmth is radiated not only in their music but also in person.

riginating from ‘Sin City’ itself, you would expect Vegas foursome, the Killers, to be feeling more than at home in front of a large crowd. Their frontman, Brandon Flowers, talks of a ‘flavour’ unique to a city; one would imagine that, with Vegas’ ‘flavour’ being largely built on the wondrous live theatricals from Presley to Streisand, this is going to be a treat of a gig. Firstly though, Tegan and Sara take the stage, warming the crowd up sufficiently. Taking us through a repertoire consisting of newer material, ‘Messed Up’, ‘Alligator’ and ‘Feel It In My Bones’ sound almost reminiscent of their successors to the stage, the soft rock with a tinge of anthemic purpose doing enough to energise the crowd

enough in preparation for the show ahead. After a slightly elongated break between acts, the Killers emerge to a furore of applause and cheers. Flowers, grinning eagerly, looking left and right at guitarist Dave Keuning, and the frenzy reaches fever-point as the high pitched intro to ‘Mr. Brightside’ blares throughout the arena. Despite the atmosphere being slightly ruined by the fact the main arena lights are not turned off, the crowds erupt into singing and dancing; there were few seated, almost as if this was the only song everyone was there to hear from the band tonight. But it wasn’t, and the treat continued. Racing through hit after hit, we’re treated to older tracks such as ‘Smile like You Mean It’ and ‘Bones’, with newer material such as ‘Little Miss Atomic Bomb’ presenting an enjoyable mix. The pace slows towards the end, with Flowers now address-

Reviews.

MUSIC

LIVE

Lianne Williams

SCREEN

Reviews. Argo

Dir: Ben Affleck 7/10

espite the endless clichés, Argo is an engaging and entertaining telling of an unbelievable true story. Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting) directs and stars in the story of Tony Mendez, a CIA agent who creates a fake film as a cover for embassy staff escaping Iran at the time of the revolution. Affleck gives an uncharacteristically sincere performance, and is supported by a strong cast, including the priceless double act of Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) and John Goodman (Monsters, Inc and other brilliant voiceovers). With an overwhelmingly comic leading cast, it is unsurprising that Argo is underscored by moments of dark humour. Chris Terrio’s screenplay succeeds in alleviating the tension without detracting from the film’s value as a will-they-won’t-they rollercoaster. The juxtaposition of historical commentary and dramatisation is the most striking thing about Argo. A narrator begins by telling us the story of the Iranian revolution and original television footage is used to paint a reasonably sincere historical and political backdrop. With Good Night And Good

Cult Corner. Heathers

Dir: Michael Lehmann 1988

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Friday November 16 2012

ichael Lehmann’s Heathers is the film that Mean Girls wishes it could have been. A dark high school comedy showcasing the cliques, the stereotypes and the outcasts, Heathers comes complete with colourmatched 80s outfits, a young Christian Slater and some murders thrown in for good measure. Winona Ryder stars as Veronica Sawyer, a pretty, popular girl who grows disillusioned with her unbelievably shallow, “diet coke-head” friends. The Heathers (yes, all three of them are called Heather) rule the school with hairspray and cruelty. A game of croquet turns nasty, and Veronica begins to plot the group’s demise. She falls for rebel-without-acause J.D. (Slater), a new student who is shrouded in mystery. He is a fan of black leather jackets and has perfected the smouldering death-stare. In his words: “The only place different social types can genuinely

Luck’s Oscar-nominated screenwriting team - George Clooney and Grant Heslov - producing, the refusal to shy away from the sociopolitical context of this human interest tale should not be surprising. Argo is set in the late 1970s and, at times, feels like it was written then too. It is slowerpaced than the typical Hollywood flick, focusing more on the narrative and logistics than flashy action scenes. Arguably, this is a blessing when the film is surrounded by so many that prioritise style over substance. This cinematic nostalgia does hold the film back at times, leading to an over-reliance on clichéd methods of building suspense – with a copious number of almost-but-not-quite disasters that enhance Argo’s predictable feel. More worrying is the oldfashioned portrayal of the Iranian people. With endless slowmotion shots of women in hijabs and scenes of furious Iranian men shouting in Farsi, the team behind Argo entirely misjudge a realistic depiction of a foreign culture. Despite this, Argo is an enjoyable - albeit flawed - telling of a curious historical oddity. Lauren Archer

get along with each other is in heaven.” The teenagers embark on a killing spree, beginning by poisoning the leader of the Heathers, making her death look like a tragic suicide. They then set their sights on two meat-headed boys from the football team who have spread some defamatory rumours about Veronica’s supposed sexual exploits. The film’s dialogue is razorsharp. At points it is actually hard to keep up with the sheer brilliance of the lines that are coming at you from all directions. As with many great films about teenagers, the adult characters in Heathers are relatively clueless, to great comic effect. “Whether to kill yourself or not is one of the most important decisions a teenager can make,” advises the school guidance counsellor following a spate of mysterious deaths. High School Musical this certainly is not. If you want to experience the more gruesome side of teenage life and really get to the top of the social hierarchy, then Heathers should be your first port of call. Lizzie Palmer

Small Screen. American Horror Story: Asylum Wednesday, 10pm FX

hilst the first season of American Horror Story tackled the issue of ‘infidelity’, creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck have decided to turn their gruesome eye on ‘insanity’ for their next instalment. With a wholesome mix of gore and sex, American Horror Story: Asylum crafts an intriguing story of madness, repression, deception and fear, with an excellent cast of horror archetypes. Throughout the first episode, the narrative weaves in and out of a present day setting and 1964 to tell the story of Briarcliff - a mental hospital for the criminally insane - where the nuns and doctors who run the institution are just as psychotic (if not more so) as the inmates.

As a premiere, Asylum sets itself up extremely well. Like Twitter, it has about 140 characters, and the first episode only goes some way to introducing all of them. Zachary Quinto, for instance, is completely absent from the first episode despite being the first actor whose name is shown on the opening credits. Nevertheless, the show paces itself well and creates just enough mystery to draw the audience in without revealing too much.

“Asylum is a thrilling piece of television”

In comparison to the first season, the writing has become much tamer. That’s not to say the show has become any less subtle - Asylum is centred on mad scientists, sadistic nuns and a serial killer called ‘Bloodyface’ - there’s nothing subtle about it. But the story feels significantly

more compact and thought-out than its predecessor. Jessica Lange returns to the cast to play Sister Jude, the head nun at Briarcliff, and is without doubt the driving force behind Asylum. Despite the opaqueness of the character, Lange is able to make herself both genuinely terrifying and sympathetic in this brilliant, scene-stealing performance. If there was any serious fault, it would be that Asylum isn’t particularly scary. It has some jumpscares as well as a fair amount of blood (and admittedly for some that is enough) but to a seasoned horror fan, it might not cut it. Otherwise, American Horror Story: Asylum is a thrilling piece of television and already an improvement on its first season. Joanne Butcher

The Master

Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson 8/10

he first thing to understand about The Master, the latest from Paul Thomas Anderson of There Will Be Blood fame, is that this isn’t a film about Scientology, any more than his previous venture was about oil. As much as Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is clearly modelled on L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, his hokey cult, referred to as The Cause, simply serves as backdrop for a far more personal drama. The story follows Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), an outsider with violent tendencies, whom we meet as he returns from the ravaged Pacific Rim to post-war America. At

The two undoubtedly need each other. Freddie demands to be restrained, leashed even, while Dodd longs for his companion’s feral kind of freedom, himself ensnared by his own lies. They even appear at times to mirror one another, as a particularly well crafted exchange calls to mind a man arguing with his own reflection. Amy Adams also stands out as Dodd’s fiercely protective wife, the head of a diverse family unit that seems impossible to figure out. She is icily pious, and provides arguably the film’s most unsettling scene as she ‘processes’ Freddie. Most of The Master is seen from Freddie’s per-

spective, whose mental instability makes for a fragmented narrative. We are never quite sure just how much of Dodd is real and what is a representation of everything Freddie is not. The sumptuous visuals are at times dreamlike, so whether or not the whole thing being shot in 70mm format contributes, watching The Master is a highly intimate experience. This is certainly a compelling story, but by the end it is tricky not to be left wondering just what the point of it all was. The utter falseness of Dodd’s religion is self-evident throughout, and the film does not exactly set out to satirise. What we have instead is a highly rewarding character study: The Master is not about cults, but the men who start cults, and the minds they attract. Theo Hobson

Alps

here’s one cheery moment in Alps. A couple of the actors even smile. It’ll come as a shock, but make the most of it; it’s the only joy on offer. Out of 93 minutes, 92 are nonstop misery, madness and morbid endeavours. It’s like watching three episodes of EastEnders back-to-back, only with more dysfunctional characters and in a place even more depressing than Albert Square. The Alps are people hired to regularly visit the recently bereaved. They then pretend to be their recently deceased loved ones, as a means of helping them cope with the loss. The storyline

mainly follows one of them, a twentysomething woman (Aggeliki Papoulia) who has a gradual breakdown throughout the film. It’s fair to say they’re all a little screwed up from the start. These are bland, emotionless people, accustomed to living an artificial life. They’re robots, programming themselves into others’ personalities over and over again, never needing to establish one of their own as they’re always acting as someone else. The only times they show any emotion is through bursts of anger or madness, the by-products of living such a meaningless existence. Every aspect of the film is symbolic. The bland, wooden performances the Alps put on whenever they pretend to be other people is a cynical attempt to show how futile attempts to take

the place of another person are. And yet the clients go along with these charades. Is director Giorgos Lanthimos telling us that people are so desperate to cling onto life as they know it that they’ll go to any extremes, no matter how unconvincing the experience may be? Who knows? It’s one of those films where the meaning is left to individual interpretation. It’s a typical low-budget movie, with long, lingering shots making even the action scenes seem to be moving at a snail’s pace. Without background music, silence and awkwardness are pushed to extremes, with the camera often facing away from the action, teasing and mystifying the audience. It’s all very gritty, with already uneasy events made to feel just a bit more sinister and

despairing. How do you rate a film like this? It could be anything from boring to magnificent based on what mood you’re in and genre you’re into. To really value this film for what Lanthimos wants it to be, you have to have a certain acquired taste. A Film4 fan who likes their movies a bit challenging, a bit different, a bit symbolic. Some grit here, some kitchen sink drama there, and absolute heaps of misery everywhere. Basically, the exact opposite to mainstream. And don’t worry if you don’t know Greek; the characters suddenly become English halfway through. In a film this weird, even a change this peculiar doesn’t even register. Aidan Phillips

hit of the year. The story begins with sisters Gail (Mailman), Cynthia (Tapsell) and Julie (Mauboy) and their plight to win the local talent contest of a dirty Outback pub, but the all-white judging panel are anything but impressed. Luckily for them, cue resident keyboard player MC Dave Lovelace (O’Dowd) in a whisky induced haze (not to stereotype the Irish or anything). He spots their talent and agrees to mentor the Cummeragunja Songbirds - despite not even being able to pronounce the name - to bigger and better things. When the ladies reunite with estranged cousin Kay (Sebbens) they transform into Australia’s answer to the Supremes. As Lovelace so aptly states: “90 per cent of recorded music

is shite; the rest is soul.” One audition later (including a swift change to the easily pronounceable ‘the Sapphires’) they are sent to sing for the troops in Vietnam. The conflict is lightly touched upon, even chilling at times but no matter what the film throws at you, you know another soul classic to tap your toes to is just around the corner. The cinematography is beautifully executed as you are transported onto the stage performing alongside the ladies, engrossed in bright lights, colourful sequinned outfits and all the soul of the 60s. O’Dowd and Mauboy excel as the two leads: she’s

the mother bear looking after her cubs and his expert comedic timing keeps the laughter rolling in. The soundtrack is simply sublime, brilliantly staged and enthusiastically performed. The Sapphires’ versions of hits by J a m e s Brown, the Jackson Five, Marvin

Gaye and the Temptations transport you back in time to an era where you could immerse yourself in the tune and forget about your troubles. Even if your troubles happen to be as harrowing as racism and war. The Sapphires is quite the little gem. Heart warming, uplifting, hilarious at times and poignant at others, this one it will have you dancing your way out of the cinema by the time the credits roll with a huge smile slapped across your face. Jade Gradwell

Dir: Giorgos Lamthinos 5/10

The Sapphires Dir: Wayne Blair 7/10

irected by little-known Australian director Wayne Blair and inspired by the true story of writer Tony Briggs’ mother, The Sapphires tells the story of an Aboriginal girl-group’s trials and tribulations amid the harsh backdrop of war, racism and poverty in the 1960s. It features a virtually unknown cast including Jessica Mauboy (an Australian Idol winner), Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell, Shari Sebbens and Chris O’Dowd. Safe to say that what they lack in notoriety they more than make up for in pure talent, making this by far the feel good

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Fuse.

do not have terrific chemistry, convincing in a relationship that is less father and son, more dog and master.

Friday November 16 2012

first Freddie works as a department-store photographer, but his savage temper and fondness for chemical cocktails soon have him down and out in California, where he stumbles almost miraculously into the fold of The Cause. Phoenix manages to seamlessly inhabit the role of volatile Freddie, just as he did previously with Johnny Cash and, indeed, the caricatured Joaquin of I’m Still Here. Hoffman, however, does not go to the same lengths, and though he oozes charisma as Freddie’s polar opposite, he cannot be said to live through the character in the same way. That is not to say that t h e two

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