Fuse Issue 37

Fuse.

BiOlogy Future of the DVD Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Breaking the Ice

SHORT FUSE

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The All-Blacks’ sheep

t seems that every time a sporting event comes around, a friendly animal will discover its physic ability, first there was Paul the Octopus who correctly predicted eight out of eight matches in a row, quite an impressive feat for an Octopus.

It seems though that Paul was just the beginning and his efforts have spawned a whole new generation of physic animals. The latest of those being ‘Sonny Wool’ the world’s first psychic sheep.

New Zealand born Sonny, successfully picked New

Zealand to beat Tonga in their opening game by correctly selecting a bowl of food with the New Zealand flag on it. It’s currently not known though whether Sonny will achieve greater success than Paul though, as it is only early days.

Sonny has apparently had physic abilities his entire life, when he was a babe, he was able to tell when it was about to rain. It’s no surprise that when the time came he wanted to do his bit for his country.

James Garrett

T

Spartacus star loses cancer battle

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ast Sunday, Andy Whitfield, star of the acclaimed Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and an up-andcoming actor in his own right, died after a long battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 39.

Whitfield’s performance as the legendary gladiator has gained him a cult following in recent years,

with his looks, martial arts expertise and acting potential winning over cynics everywhere.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand, despite its schlocky nature, was made watchable by Whitfield’s electrifying charisma and warming humility. He brought ferocity, passion and humanity to the role unsurpassed by his successor, Gods of the Arena’s Liam McIntyre.

Blood and Sand was shaping up as Whitfield’s springboard into the mainstream and, at 39, he had so much more to add to his regrettably sparse filmography.

Thankfully, film is forever, so Whitfield will have a lasting monument in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, even if a sizeable amount of the show’s screen-time is unfortunately dedicated

The Dark Knight hanging?

Fuse.

Friday September 16 2011

A

few months ago now, the activity known as ‘Planking’ took the internet by storm and quickly gained a number of keen followers.

It seems though that it was simply not daring enough for some and so the craze ‘Batmanning‘ has been invented. For those of you who don’t know what ‘Bat-

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manning’ is, it basically involves hanging from your feet off a raised platform or edge.

The craze is claimed to be invented students at Purdue University and their video depicting their exploits have already notched up an impressive 800 000 views on Youtube, which you can view here http://bit.ly/oq9A8L .

Mercury in Retrograde, Polaris The Brightest Star

Like all things visionary the craze has got mixed reviews.

Some opinions range from complete hatred and pointing to the obvious danger that the craze can cause, but some are more supportive, giving credit to the creativity that the craze demonstrates.

Personally I think ‘Batmannning’ may have potential, I mean it does look quite impressive, and it does make planking rather redundant, so if you are bored one day, or just want to look like a complete winner, you can try ‘ b a t m a n n i n g’ but prepare to have thousands of people chant your name James Garrett

he Mercury Prize has been revealed and surprise, surprise, PJ Harvey bagged it.

Not that Let England Shake isn’t a phenomenal album, it’s almost sure to be regarded as a classic much like Led Zeppelin IV or Daft Punk’s Discovery, but considering some other albums short-listed (and those that should have been – where was Wild Beasts’ nomination?) the choice of Harvey’s newest work seems somewhat incongruous with who the prize has championed in recent years.

This may be the cynic in me, but did Harvey take home the prize simply because it was a nice story?

She’s the first person ever to win the prize twice and to win it on the 10th anniversary of your first win makes it even sweeter.

Over the last few years the prize has not just been

to Xena: Warrior Princess getting royally rodgered by the brother from The Mummy.

Tom Fletcher Tom Wardak

a celebration of ‘the best album’ but also a celebration of new and upcoming musicians. So why did it go to Harvey?

It’s 2003 and the prize goes to Dizzee Rascal for his debut. 2004, Franz Ferdinand win it for theirs.

Two years later, local lads Arctic Monkeys win the prize for their debut and then a year later Klaxons pick it up for their supposedly groundbreaking one.

Speech Debelle and The xx also earned themselves the prize for their debuts.

Obviously there’s no prerequisite in the Prize’s manifesto that it must be won by a new artist, it’s just suspicious they would break this habit by awarding the prize to a former winner exactly 10 years after their first win.

Having said all this, credit where credit’s due to Harvey for having staved off the curse of the Mercury since the early noughties.

Sam Bolton

Meanwhile...

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n the other side of the pond, Canada is gearing up to announce this year’s winner of The Polaris Prize – their version of our prestigious Mercury Prize.

As with nearly every auspicious moment these days, a psychic (though unfortunately not an octopus or sheep) has weighed in using tarot cards and numerology to take a stab at who’s going to win.

Using their birth dates in numerology, it seems that all members of Arcade Fire are in their ‘harvest year’ which could explain the massive success their latest album The Suburbs has been.

Vancouver-based psychic Cassandra Macleane picked them out as her favourites (after claiming that she hadn’t heard any of the nominees – even Ron Sexsmith!) to win after using tarot cards, declaring that The Weeknd could be facing “disappointment” whilst Arcade Fire drew “one of the best images” in the deck.

Meanwhile, Braids also drew a card relating to “brilliance” which could bode well for them. Although The Polaris Prize hasn’t come under as much criticism as The Mercury Prize in recent years, surely Arcade Fire are in some ways their ‘Adele’ – the can’t-be-ignored name that is politely included but wouldn’t win due to being too ‘popular’.

The Weeknd, on the other hand, are enjoying sudden praise for their recent work and probably shouldn’t be facing any disappointment in the near future.

Coral Williamson

SHORT FUSE

Q&A: HYDE AND BEAST

Dave Hyde of The Futureheads, and Neil Bassett of Golden Virgins have together created gentle, sprawling psychedelica, and were kind enough to speak to Coral Williamson about their first album.

You’re both drummers with your other bands.

How do you decide who plays what now?

Neil : It’s simple really, I have not developed enough to play anything other than drums. I’m still a caveman. Dave is the one who has evolved onto different instruments. When we were recording Dave would turn up with a new instrument every day and attempt to play it. A violin for example. The guy’s a maniac.

Golden Virgins singer Lucas Renney on guitar, Jamie Landry on guitar.

Jamie was The Futureheads old sound guy so it’s a weird old mix. Ha ha.

Neil : Most people sing too Speaking of live shows, can we expect a tour any time soon? ;) Neil : Good question, we cant wait to get out and play more live shows. It’s too warm to

As Hyde and Beast is just the two of you, will you be bringing in some help in for the live shows?

Dave : Yeah we’ve got a band together Neil : a squad of crack commandoes.

Only the best.

Dave : There is six of us. Just the six, we have Barry, my brother, from the Futureheads on Piano, lovely Steve Angus on Bass, e x

tour at the moment. I only tour in wintery conditions.

What’s the point in growing a thick winter coat on your face if you can’t test it out in icy climates.

How different was it working in the studio as a duo, compared to what you’ve done in the past?

Dave : A lot faster. Ha ha.

Neil : Fewer egos equal fewer arguments, not that I’ve been involved in too many studio arguments in the past but with just two people who are both easy going it was very easy to record. Too easy.

(To Dave) Why did you decide to do something away from The Futureheads?

Dave : Boredom really, The Futureheads decided to take 6 months off after months of solid touring. I had been messing around on Barry’s guitar writing stuff but the songs didn’t seem like Futureheads type

songs so decided to go into Neil’s studio and the poor swine couldn’t get rid of me after that.

Do you feel like sideprojects are a good way to get extra creativity out of your system?

Neil : I don’t feel like there is any real need to get creativity out of your system, it’s not like you will pop if you don’t get the ideas out or anything like that. It’s nice to record your ideas though as they can sometimes be easily forgotten, especially if you are two simpleton drummers like we are!

W h a t

d

o

your other bands make of the project? Hyde & Beast sounds quite unlike Futureheads and Golden Virgins.

Neil : Well The Golden Virgins are long gone, we split up in about 2006 so I don’t give a damn what those suckers think! Nah, I mean we are all still good friends. Lucas from The Virgins plays in our live band. Dave’s brother Barry also plays in the band so I presume that they like the stuff and are cool with it.

Is Hyde & Beast something you think you’ll be doing for long, or are there other projects/ bands you’ll be moving on to?

Dave : I’d like to think we will last for a long time. We are hoping to get another idea out as soon as possible. The Futureheads new album “Rant” is going to be out pretty soon too so it would be nice to juggle the two as I love both things.

Neil : We are gonna start recording the next Hyde & Beast opus very very soon. Next week. Some motown shit!

FUSE. Musings

shit I be surprised when I see someone who’s not GAY,” he rambled to his

followers ‘@50cent GAY n we was cool.’

Fuse is saddened… by the end Torchwood: Miracle Day, which finished last night. Thankfully our screens won’t be bare of Barrowman as he will continue to present BBC One’s Tonight’s the Night.

Although, Barrowman minus aliens doesn’t sound as appealing.

Fuse doesn’t understand… why Nintendo can’t get it right. Once the forefront of gaming, the Big N have made a few bad decisions of late, particularly regarding the 3DS. First they overprice the handheld

then they cut the price to increase sales, angering most of the early adopters,

then they tell us we’ll need to buy a peripheral to get the most out of upcoming games. Still, it looks really pretty.

Fuse is upset… by the onslaught of reality TV. We can make our peace with Strictly Come Dancing’s return but, Big Brother, we thought you had died a slow and meander-

Are either of you fans of the Robert Louis Stevenson novella or is the name just something that worked well with Dave’s last name?

Neil : Nope neither of us are fans. Dave is Hyde so I was forced to become Beast.

Who are you listening to at the moment? Any good tips for the next big thing?

Dave : Barry White. He’s amazing. Check him out.

Neil : He’s dead. Fool.

There is a band from Cincinatti called The Stepkids.

I like them. A 3 piece playing a kinda psychedelic soul music. Sly meets the Temptations type thing.

Nice.

Their debut album named Slow Down is out now. whilst we appreciate you keeping Jedward off the proper channels for a few weeks, we aren’t OK with you bringing the wannabe celebs back, even if noone will watch.

And Finally...

Fuse.

Fuse is happy... to welcome all you freshers to Sheffield. Hopefully you’re all settling in and the hills haven’t caused you too much physical anguish.

We also hope to see you at the Activities Fair in the Octagon on the 22nd of September.

Fuse is bemused… by the childish tweets of rapper The Game. Earlier this week in a conversation with American gossip site TMZ The Game ‘outed’ fellow rapper and long time rap nemesis 50 Cent. “@TMZ but look around,

What made you cover Medicine Head for the album? In reviews it’s often been picked out as one of the highlights of Slow Down.

Neil : I discovered the song on a Dandelion records compilation. Dandelion records was John Peel’s label. Whenever Dave came to mine I would play the song constantly. It got under our skin and seemed to fit the rest of the songs we had recorded. It was one of the last songs we recorded.

Fuse is loving… our lovely redesign. It’s lovely. Do you think it’s lovely? We think it’s very, very lovely. Now turn the page and carry on reading. ing death. Channel 5,

Friday September 16 2011

Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

Dave : Difficult question, my tastes change quite a bit.

At the mo it’s

people like John Martyn but tomorrow it could be Wham!

Neil : At the minute for me it’s people like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, 50’s doo wop, Ethiopian soul. Newer bands would be like White Denim, The Stepkids.

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SCREEN

Feature.IS THE DVD DEFUNCT? THE FUTURE OF

Once the paradigm of technological innovation, the DVD has been a household staple since the turn of the millennium. But with music becoming largely digital, will films follow suit?

Tom Fletcher

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e’ve all been there; a typically robust night of freshers’ week indulgence has left one a little sore at both ends. The only hope for recovery is a fry up, Berocca and eight hours vegetating on the sofa watching the Lord of the Rings in its entirety.

As you remove your deluxe boxset from the shelf and insert it a little too lovingly into your DVD player, hopes are flying high. Five minutes into the film though and, tragically, the film begins jumping. “It’s okay,” you insist, “we’ll just skip past it.” Next scene; it’s jumping again. Woe is me.

It’s okay though, your mother gave you one of those magic disc cleaners for £3.99 from Wilkos.

You aren’t really shocked, though, when the gadget makes bugger

all difference.

Eventually, you admit defeat and move on to the next film. Inside the case though, instead of The Two Towers, you find Peep Show, series two, disc four, covered in scratches. Stricken and deflated, you decide to go to bed.

The issue with DVD lies not in quality or intrinsic design, but in its ever more apparent inability to cope with modern human negligence.

Fuse.

Friday September 16 2011

“THE ISSUE LIES IN THE INABILITY TO COPE WITH CONSUMER NEGLECT”

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Companies make claims of tremendous durability or resistance to all of the most unlikely household substances to ever come in to contact with a disc. Yet there is a reason why a Google search of “DVD problems” yields over 200,000,000 results.

Solutions to the dreaded disc

scratch nightmare are as numerous as they are outlandish.

Smear it with toothpaste, baking soda or fill the gaps with wax or grease, for example. Everybody has a home remedy for a damaged disc, and the sad truth is that few, if any of them, actually work for all but the mildest of blemishes. A damaged disc is, for all accounts, doomed.

Many companies have introduced state of the art disc cleaning gizmos, a clever, but relatively useless, invention that has developed into a household product over recent years. Those of us old enough to remember, though, will recall that no such equipment was ever required for VHS. A video cassette can be left out of a case, in a garage for half a decade and still work. Sure, the design was archaic, bulky and clumsy, but they were durable.

to be the most logical step.

This disc is smaller, lighter and comes with a permanent plastic casing, reminiscent of the classic floppy disc, to protect the disc from human contact. Bafflingly, this format has never been implemented on any device other than the PSP, a handheld console that never really took off like the Nintendo DS.

“A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR ‘DVD PROBLEMS’ YIELDS OVER 200,000,000 RESULTS” Another peculiar, but logical possibility is the USB stick. Considered the safer alternative for data storage, USB sticks are virtually impossible to damage accidently. But can you imagine HMV full of USB sticks? Maybe not.

Of course, you can’t get smaller than a computer file.

The most likely scenario would be the digitisation of the entire film

“SMEAR IT WITH TOOTH PASTE OR FILL THE GAPS WITH GREASE” The real question, then, is where the physical releasing of films, music, software and games can go next? Some experts have already predicted that the disc format may be defunct within years, not decades.

The modern consumer has very strict criteria with regards to all things technical. One of the most prominent of these is the size issue. Smaller is better.

A l ter n a tives have been suggested and introduced, but few have been met with real success. The UMD (Universal Media Disc), developed

by Sony for use with the PSP, seems

industry. Maybe the wizards down at Apple will develop a video equivalent to the iPod, complete with a monstrous hard disk and Kindle style films, something that iTunes has already started selling.

The music industry has already moved towards exclusive digital releasing, rendering CDs redundant. Even though the film industry is arguably more lucrative, surely it is only a matter of time before films and games follow suit.

Could you imagine having a tablet sized, portable collection of every film you own, complete with a screen and wireless compatibility with televisions, projectors and computers? Why not?

The future is bright, and very expensive.

What’s on your mind?

Comment on this article online: www.forgetoday.com

Getting to know your housemates through the art of gaming.

GAMES

Feature.ICE-BREAKER GAMES

Moving in with new people at university has always been potentially problematic. But now, at least, we have the wonder of videogames to help break the ice, and Games is here to help you settle in by recommending the best bonding games for any situation.

Best co-op There is nothing like shooting some zombies together to create a bond between two people, and so Resident Evil 5 proves just about the perfect two-player game.

The game’s fast-pace and frantic action will have you both on the edge of your seats, and once you’ve resuscitated your fellow gamer once (in game, of course) you will be friends for life, guaranteed.

But if sci-fi is more your thing, why not take down the Covenant with up to three other players through Halo 3’s story or campaign mode instead, or even create your own custom game?

Or if you want something slightly more energetic and less violent, Wii Sports remains a fun, enjoyable way to engage up to four people, with activities ranging from tennis to bowling to golf there are sure to be many exc uses

made, little Mii’s dancing in celebration and amusing anecdotes told for weeks to come.

If you are less what they call a ‘teamplayer’ and more interested in showing off your gaming skills and establishing your dominance over your housemates for the next year, turn gaming into a competition.

If you are all fans of inflicting violence on anything and everything that gets in your way, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remains the way forwards.

It is a game that definitely lends itself well to being played within a group, and there is a surprising amount you can tell about a person from the type of weapon they choose. Before you know it you’ll be shooting down bad guys, crowing over your kill count and barking army lingo at each other for hours on end.

But sometimes short and sweet is the way to go, and for this surely there can be none better than Tekken 6, though with this you always run the risk of the ‘just one more round’ syndrome kicking in and suddenly it is sunrise and your fingers are sore from all that button mashing. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Best strategy game

Best team game

Best party game Nothing gets a party started like a group of students showing off their (fake) guitar playing skills on Rock Band 2. With over 80 songs to pick from and the chance to have a go at lead guitar, bass guitar, drums and lead vocals, there is a chance for everyone to have their moment in the spotlight.

If you’d rather have a nostalgia trip, however, go with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, which features all your favourite characters associated with Sega’s premier blue hedgehog and Italian plumber.

There is a huge variety of events

So you’ve come in from a night out and you know you should be headed to bed but the lure of the console is just too much.

What’s the perfect game to slip on when you are slightly sozzled? Why, Super Mario Smash Bros of course.

A game that is simple to pick up, fun to play and endlessly complex to master, before you know it dawn will have arrived and you won’t regret a single second of drunken bonding over watching Donkey Kong beat the living daylights out of Solid Snake with a magic hammer.

Otherwise, TimeSplitters 2 has various multiplayer modes which can be customised to suit the level of inebriation – the number of points required to win or minutes left, weaponry and even background music. Better still, playable characters include a dinosaur and an Elvis impersonator.

that may arise when one of you has to be Jar Jar Binks.

Another equally enjoyable alternative is the adorably named Super Monkey Ball which offers up a variety of party games and mini games, including monkey racing, monkey fighting and monkey rolling.

Best casual game Maybe your housemate has yet to discover the wonder of videogames or perhaps you don’t want to overwhelm them with your array of first-person shooter game trophies just yet, but sometimes it is best to just keep things light. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a perfect choice – easy, fun and frequently hilarious, it is ideal to play in quick bursts but also lends itself well to a night of concentrated playing through a wide variety of levels. The only potential strife comes from the arguments

Best friendship killer So now you’ve bonded with your housemates, gotten to know them and become firm friends, why not jeopardize the whole relationship by cracking out Mario Kart and seeing how long it is before someone hurls their Wii wheel in anger and/or storms out? Go on, we dare you.

Fuse.

Whether you fancy being a futuristic soldier or an evil alien, Gears of War allows you to pick your side then play against the other team in one of many gameplay types, including ‘Warzone’ and ‘Execution’ (both exactly as much fun as they sound), and ‘Annex’ and ‘King of the Hill’ where it becomes not just about killing your housemate before they kill you but guarding and keeping control of a marked area on your map. So just good practice for protecting your precious food stores in the communal kitchen, then.

If you find that you and your housemate are interested in something slightly more intellectually stimulating than just shooting things, give Portal 2 a go. Yes, there is a chance you’ll end up throwing the remotes at each other in frustration but there is an equally good chance that you’ll be robot high-fiving each other after completing a particularly tricky puzzle, and what better way is there to start a beautiful friendship than that?

Or you could give Civilisation V a go, each leading your own nation from prehistoric times into the future. A turnbased strategy game, use diplomacy or conquest to discover which of you may well be a world leader of the future.

Best drunken game

Friday September 16 2011

Best head-to-head

to choose from, and the game actually uses the Wii controller in fairly innovative ways, so that for once simply waving your arm up and down the fastest does not ensure victory.

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MUSIC

Interview.CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH

Fuse.

Friday September 16 2011

Show Us Your Ankles!

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Words: Sam Bolton Photos: Rowan Ramsden Photo: Mike Siggers

Clap Your Hands’ drummer, Sean Greenhalgh, talks to Fuse about obscure heckles, British crowds and the long journey to their third studio album.

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Sean Greenhalgh sits comfortably at the back of the hall, legs crossed and arm spread possessively along the back of the chair. After what had become a rather boisterous third night of their European tour he was relaxed and content.

During the gig a few locals had indulged in some peculiar, to say the least, heckling, which sparked debate about the differences between American and British crowds. “It’s a little rowdier,” he laughs, “for a Tuesday night or something it seemed like people were up for a party. “[People were shouting] ‘show us your knees, show us your ankles’ it was sort of lost in translation, but yeah we can do that!”

“There’s a self consciousness to it in a way. Where you have to go back and remember what the project is and what the band is. Trying to think about how to approach making a record that sounds like Clap Your Hands took […] a lot of wrangling. I think its really strong start to finish. I don’t think there’s a weak link.”

Alongside the Crawley based alt-rockers he lists Brian Eno, David Bowie and Talking Heads as important inspiration for them, “it’s all there.”

“We just played a show with Beirut and Lykke Li. When you’re on tour it’s sort of hard to cram in a bunch of music; play a set every

“We spent a lot of time this time around in a room together honing the songs and working through different versions of them and then condensing them down. Every song had five different versions and we were settling on those versions and coming into the studio with a pretty good idea of what was going to happen as op-

night. So Beirut and Lykke Li is really good. We actually played with Gordon Gano of the Violet Femmes. We added up with him, his band. His stuff is great.”

During the break the band went to work on other projects. “I don’t think we’d have had a third album if we weren’t able to go and do our own things,” Greenhalgh says.

Front-man Alec Ounsworth had been working on a solo project as well as releasing an album, Skin and Bones, with his other band Flashy Python. Bassist Tyler Sargent and guitarist and keyboardist Robbie Guertin have worked as part of a Brooklyn-based art collective, band and record label and released their debut album, Nature is a Taker. Greenhalgh had worked producing material for Takka Takka and Lee Sargent performed on James Lavino’s score to the Alex Karpovsky film Woodpecker in 2008 with his brother and band mate Tyler.

“I think it was a challenge for everybody in a good way. You go and work with different groups of people and you get into their rhythms and you develop a relationship with them.

“To come back and bring those experiences in and bring whatever that is to a project that you’ve had for 5 years takes a sec. And

posed to the second album, Some Loud Thunder, where we’d just come off the road and were thrown into the studio” It’s a labour of love, some might say and definitely “more labour” according to Greenhalgh, “we chipped away at it until we got it; what we felt were the best songs.” Clap Your Hands’ third album, Hysterical, is definitely the band at their most mature. “We’re not in our early 20s anymore,” he reflects.

it takes a sec for everybody to remember their roles and if their roles have changed; that needs to be overcome too. Everybody needed to see what it was like to work with multiple other groups of people and appreciate what you have.”

During their show that evening the Mercury Prize had been announced. Greenhalgh seemed genuinely delighted by PJ Harvey’s groundbreaking win. “Oh great! The engineer who worked on our first album worked with her back in the day. I love Stories for the City, Stories from the Sea. That’s an amazing album, just in the way it sounds.”

By the end of the evening Greenhalgh is looking forward. Having just come back from a long break the band feel it’s time to put in some serious work. “We have high hopes for the way the album is received. We’re hoping to come back out and tour the album and see what kind of legs it has. And maybe it’s time we need to go and really work and pay some dues that maybe weren’t paid the first time around and show people we’re serious about this.”

Follow us on Twitter @ForgePressMusic

Fuse.

Greenhalgh recalls how The Cure were a big influence during the albums creation. “They walked a line between making a good art album and making it accessible.

That’s what we were aiming for.”

CYHSY’s first album since their hiatus hit the shelves less than a week ago and Greenhalgh, excited, is keen to talk about it.

After 3 years though, it wasn’t an easy journey. ‘It was kind of a long road in a way.

Friday September 16 2011

CYHSY have been sitting on the new record for a while so understandably they’re more than a little excited, “We’re very excited.

It was actually done and mastered in February so we’ve been waiting for people to hear it. I think it’s streaming on the internet as of today (6th Sept). Like, finally after 6 months! I think we’re all confident it’s all as good, or better than, anything we’ve done.

And we hope people agree.”

MUSIC

arlier that evening Queens Social Club had been packed to the rafters, full of exuberant fans. Now, the hall is eerily quiet as the tired, and increasingly intoxicated, members of the Brooklyn-based five-piece Clap Your Hands Say Yeah take a deserved break.

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ARTS

Interview.CLAIRE THOMAS

BY THE BI

University of Sheffield alumnus Claire Thomas talks to Fuse about her authorial debut, BiOlogy.

Words: Tim Wood

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Fuse.

Thursday April 7 2011 Friday September 16 2011

alk to any third year arts undergraduate about their career plans or the prospect of leaving university and you may well be greeted with scoffs, anxiety or even tears.

The University of Sheffield however, is a hotbed of literary and critical talent, with talents such as Jack Rosenthal (Coronation Street scriptwriter) and Comedienne Linda Smith having graduated with arts degrees.

The latest alumni looking to join the list of ‘extremely high calibre’ individuals is Claire Louisa Thomas, who this year finalized her LGBT themed book, BiOlogy.

Now living in Nottingham, Thomas tells of how her time in Sheffield lies behind many of her short stories.

“I moved to Sheffield in 2000 and ever since, Sheffield and its landmarks and suburbs have turned up in my writing.

“The protagonist in ‘Just Decide’, (from BiOlogy) drinks in Dempsey’s and lives just off St. Mary’s Gate.

“My first novel, Bar Sinister, which I’m currently finishing, is set within Sheffield too.

“In fact, the flat where my main character lives is based on one where I lived in Walkley for a couple of years.

“It’s not surprising really, because Sheffield is where I got my start as a writer.”

Having written for Forge

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Press (then Steel Press), Thomas found writing to have become more of an ‘irritating habit’ than a choice, drawn to creating stories in her youth rather than picking up those of others.

Leaving the shelter of university life in 2003, writing remained a long-term ambition despite the need to establish herself on a career path.

“Sheffield is where I got my start as a writer” “I continued writing off and on through a series of jobs, selling articles to magazines and writing fiction largely to amuse myself, although I always hoped I’d sell some someday.

“Although it is often hard to fit it in between my (now permanent) job and the postgraduate diploma I agreed to undertake when I got the job.

“This is how BiOlogy came about – writing short stories to fit into a very limited timespace.”

BiOlogy, as its title suggests, is a series of short stories exploring the experiences of a social group that’s foundations are somewhat blurred.

Reading the stories it is evident that Thomas wishes to distinguish bisexuality as a ‘valid concept’, an area that she herself struggled with.

“I had recently come out to my family as bi, having come out to

my friends some years before.

“I had little understanding of what bisexuality was. There were very few visible, high profile bisexuals.

“Most of what I heard from people around me was that bisexuality didn’t exist in any real sense, that it was just attention seeking or immature behaviour, ‘a phase’.

“So I presumed that there was something wrong with me for ten years, during which I was very unhappy and most of the time, very frightened.

“The phase wasn’t ending.

What did that make me?”

Given her desire to write, BiOlogy was a natural progression for Thomas; with writing designed to fit around work, short stories based on her own experiences of bisexuality and other fictitious ideas seemed the ideal way to satiate her appetite.

Those experiences burn through the pages with the struggle to psychologically and biologically place bisexuality ever-present – ‘THERE’S NO SUCH THING! You’re one or the other, gay or straight, you can’t pick and choose as it suits you’.

“A gay friend told me one day about his straight – and very homophobic – twin.

“The conflict in that situation interested me, so I started from there and wrote “Just Decide”.

And that’s where I started to see a theme.

“I presumed that there was something wrong with me” “That’s when I decided that there wasn’t enough stuff written about bisexuality, its facets and aspects, and people’s different attitudes to it. It became a conscious decision to write a collection of short pieces that would unpick bisexuality in all its complex and painful reality.“ As a first project BiOlogy has

ARTS

“I had little understanding of what bisexuality was” provided the first-step in the right direction for Thomas’ literary career.

The book has generally received positive responses from her peers but the desire to create something lasting persists.

“Bisexuality in all its complex and painful reality” “Compliments are all very well, but I’d like something better than just compliments.

I’d like people of all orientations to enjoy a good story, where the characters happen to be bisexual.

“I’d like the reader never to doubt that the people in these stories, and their feelings and actions, are as real as real can be.

And if those readers aren’t bi, I’d hope, too, that they’d look at the real world, and see that real bi people are there, too.”

With a first notch in her authorial belt it’s difficult not to wonder whether others sitting in the university libraries Thomas once sat in might come across a shelf of her books in years to come.

“Looking back, my happiest memories of university are of the beautiful green view out of the university library, sitting in the stacks with a hangover and a contraband bag of Malteasers.”

There’s always space for one more on our distinguished alumni list.

BiOlogy is available in paper back for £4.50 and in the Kindle store for £1.72

BiOlogy

Book Claire Louisa Thomas

A

Eddie Izzard Comedian, Actor

Nicci Gerrard - Author (also writes as Nicci French)

Jack Rosenthal (1931-2004) Playwright

Joanne Harris - Award winning author of “Chocolat”

Linda Smith (1958-2006) Comedienne

Hilary Mantel - Author and winner of the Man Booker Prize

Michelle Kambasha

Fuse.

Lee Child - Crime fiction novelist

and from different perspectives.

It is a truly established piece ofwork written for a wide and secular audience, a piece of work written not just about sexuality but humanity.

What makes it excellent is not just the way the subject matter is approached but how it is written, which makes it accessible.

Even the most talented authors fail to engage an audience over a number of pages, showing that Claire Louisa Thomas is an author with the skills and the message to become great.

Friday September 16 2011

ALUMNI IN THE ARTS

s youth of the 21st century, much of our collective ideology is a projection of western liberalism.

Words such as tolerance and acceptance, equality and ‘celebration of difference’ make up part of our social lexicon.

However, BiOlogy by Claire Louisa Thomas chronicles the life bi-sexual people in our so called accepting society through short story format.

The broad theme of each story is a certain type of fear, a fear that only a person who lives life at the edge of presupposed ‘normality’ who wants to be tolerated, accepted, treated equally and celebrated can express.

Her stories show how a person’s bi-sexuality can affect otherwise distinct aspects of people’s lives from friendship to intimacy to masculinity.

When writing about a subject that can be so distant to a nonbisexual person, it is apparent that Thomas’ main skill is to quite rightly root the experience of her characters in a personable way.

“I got up dressed and remembered that things don’t change…

I remembered what it was like to live with that same old elephant in the room” says Polly in ‘What is, One Night?’, a girl that struggled with the feeling she had for

her best friend for an extensive period of time.

When reading this it’s very easy to comprehend this emotion no matter your sexual orientation.

Feelings of alienation or fear of exposing, though of varying intensity, are universal.

In this respect, Thomas is able to encourage discussion of bisexuality not as a sectional but a secular issue, something that can be resolved by everyone.

‘Just Decide’, is a strong point in BiOlogy and a story of particular importance as it explores the feelings of those affected by another’s sexual revelation, with honesty.

‘He’s like me, but he isn’t like me’ says Jake, after finding out his identical brother is bi-sexual.

With the simple negation of a sentence, Thomas manages to encompass how our society views sexuality: as something that defines a person, irrespective of the other aspects of your personality.

This story also deals with ignorance faced by bi-sexual people with the ignorant comments we’ve all heard by many people: ‘you can’t be both; it’s either one or the other’.

This story honestly exposed how our society, with all of its efforts to encourage equality, is filled with prejudice.

The purpose of this anthology is to inform and spark discussion about issues faced within the bisexual community with honesty

9

MUSIC

Reviews.RELEASES

The Duke Spirit Bruiser Epitaph

6/10

T

Fuse.

Friday September 16 2011

he Duke Spirit have many accolades on both sides of the Atlantic yet, with Bruiser, remain fairly underground. The loud and harmonious style of music they create juxtaposes their underground ethos.

Multiple appearances on America’s late night shows suggest they have the confidence to play bigger venues; instead, they play it cool.

We aren’t greeted with last album Neptune’s introduction, or anthem ‘Send a Little Love Token’, (a song that sold over a million copies after it was fea-

10

NOW PLAYING

W

ith the abundance of new releases each week it can be difficult to sift through the rubbish in search of the gold so Fuse has handpicked some of the musical highlights for you.

Last week Los Campesinos! treated us to a free download of ‘By Your Hand’, a track taken from their forthcoming album Hello Sadness.

As far as tasters go, this has certainly got us excited for the album’s release in November, and is as lyrically strong as their previous work.

Nicola Roberts is continuing to wow us with her second single ‘Lucky Day’, taken from her debut album Cinderella’s

kasabian

Velociraptor!

Columbia Records

9/10

T

here aren’t many fourth albums around these days.

There’s an impressive buzz around new music of late, and we’re also enjoying a lot of side projects (Young Legionnaire, where’s our fourth Bloc Party album?), but it seems a lot of bands just aren’t sticking around long enough to produce an impressive discography.

Fortunately, we still have Kasabian to readdress the balance.

Two years after West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, they’re back with another silly album title and a slew of tunes to go with it. Velociraptor! begins not with a bang, but with a gong, in ‘Let’s tured on Guitar Hero). We do, however, get straight to business as hard-hitter ‘Bodies’ sets the standard.

Leila Moss’ vocals don’t bear resemblance to the dynamics of Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick or Karen O but they aren’t forced enough to detract from the melodies that work so well.

‘De Lux’ and ‘Sweet Bitter Sweet’ elicit much more emotion lyrically, giving a sense that The Duke Spirit honed their songwriting abilities. The tracks stand out as halfway-houses in an album consisting of fairly similar (though consistently good) songs.

The progression between Bruiser and their previous material isn’t mighty, however it is an album that ambles along steadily, picking up pace at each crescendo and chanting chorus. Although this does becomes predictable after the first few tracks, the tight rhythm, gritty bass lines and bellowing guitar solos embellish the simplicity of the structure and consequently create some great rock songs.

Tristan Shorrock What’s on your mind?

Dangerous!

Teenage Rampage Epitaph

4/10

T

he opening bars of first track ‘Not One of You’ on Teenage Rampage embodies Dangerous!’s self-labelled ‘heavy mental’ sound; the Australian quartet begin boldly with a strong guitar riff and singer Tommy’s blaring vocals.

Dangerous! maintain this vigour throughout their debut. When pounding guitars and drums aren’t enough, high pitched screams are added for good measure, as in ‘Chasing the Girls’.

This technique is used so often it results in tracks being indistinguishable; it is difficult to hear past the repetitive riffs and

Roll Like We Used To’. As openers go it’s a little weak, sounding not unlike The Last Shadow Puppets as Tom Meighan warbles “They’re at it again”.

Things immediately pick up in the brilliant ‘Days Are Forgotten’, with its clever guitar lines and strange falsetto chants. You can see why it’s been chosen as a single; it’s certainly a highlight of the album.

‘Goodbye Kiss’ is probably as summery as Kasabian will ever get. With its “La-la-la-la” moments and wistful strings, it’s a little bit awkward, but serviceable.

Of course it’s nothing compared to ‘La Fée Verte’, which is lyrically absurd even for the band. There’s a nice pop style to it, but it’s no standout track.

In contrast, the title-track is classically Kasabian, with humour, strong riffs and a characteristic strangeness that isn’t as off-putting as it is enjoyable. screeches that comprise the majority of songs.

The energy is overwhelming; the short tracks are all matched in their relentless aggression. There are welcome breaks in the form of ‘Poppies’ and ‘Nightmare’, where Dangerous! prove they are able to create gentler tunes - ‘Poppies’ even has elements of Smashing Pumpkins to it.

However, in teenage emotional style – the album is called Teenage Rampage – softer moments are short lived; the album concludes in trademark belligerent style.

With only a few exceptions the rather catchy ‘Not One Of You’ and ‘Nightmare’ - Teenage Rampage consists of trite, tediously similar tracks, resulting in the album being disappointingly forgettable.

Hannah Hunt

Dum Dum GIrls Only In Dreams Sub Pop Records

8/10

Comment on this article online: www.forgetoday.com

Eyes which is out later this month. It’s a little different to the stompingly-good ‘Beat of My Drum’ but her work with Canadian electro-pop group Dragonette has paid off and the video is enjoyably trippy.

Hot Chip’s very own Joe Goddard (you know, the funny one that went on Buzzcock’s that one time) has been working with London based hip-hop artist DELS. With the fantastic production of those tracks it was inevitable his solo efforts would be exceptional. First track, ‘Gabriel’, is stunning.

And speaking of DELS, his new single with Roots Manuva (and the aforementioned Mr Goddard), ‘Capsize’, is another well produced piece of electronica infused hip-hop to add to his growing collection.

Singing about our favourite extinct creature, Meighan belts out, “Velociraptor! / he’s gonna find ya / he’s gonna kill ya / he’s gonna eat ya.” A succinct warning indeed.

Elsewhere on the album are hints of further sonic experimentation, as well signs of a band that’s been around for a while in ‘Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter from the Storm)’, where Meighan asks, “Is there a place for me in the history?”

For every possible filler dud (‘Man of Simple Pleasures’) there’s at least two brilliant tracks (‘Re-Wired’, ‘Switchblade Smiles’) proving why Kasabian are deserving of, for example, a ‘Best Band in the World Today’ accolade. Velociraptor! is a funny, clever album and more than capable of standing up to its predecessors as a highlight of Kasabian’s career.

Coral Williamson

I

t’s almost impossible not to enjoy the second album by Dum Dum Girls. Sounding like the result of a chance meeting between The Ronnettes (famous for the classic song ‘Be My Baby’) and My Bloody Valentine, Only in Dreams is a collection of short, sharp odes to dejection and romance.

Opener ‘Always Looking’ sees a barrage of guitars swarm menacingly behind rampant percussion as Dee Dee swoons with an effortless cool reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux.

The chiming guitars of ‘Bedroom Eyes’ act as a soothing contrast to Dee Dee’s yearning vocals,

where she confesses “The hours to the sunrise creep but I don’t care / There is no hope for any sleep if you’re not here”. Elsewhere, the jangly pop of ‘In My Head’ is both sweet and deeply infectious.

‘Coming Down’ is the album’s most progressive and considered song. Although the blanket of fuzzy guitars sound like a tribute to Jesus and the Mary Chain, Dee Dee’s lovelorn and fragile vocals suggest the song wouldn’t be out of place soundtracking the break up scene from a 1980’s romantic drama.

Although the music at times may suffer from a lack of innovation, Dee Dee provides the album with a sense of mystery. At times, she sounds sultry and perilous, as on ‘Just a Creep’ where she quips “Poor thing it must be hard to be yourself each day”. Yet songs such as ‘Teardrops on My Pillow’ and ‘Heartbeat’ dazzle due to Dee’s wistful vocals that are laced with a melancholic innocence.

At just over half an hour, the album’s 11 songs hurtle by, but their infectious simplicity is both endearing and enthralling. Although Only In Dreams is clearly in debt to its many influences, it remains a highly enjoyable and memorable album that deserves a wider audience.

Joe Kinniard

KATE JACKSON

Plug Monday September 12th

C

Kate Jackson:

Photo: Ella Cowperthwaite

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Queens Social Club Tuesday September 6th “

W

e’ve missed you” screams one of numerous excited CYHSY fans as they take the stage at the humble Queens Social Club. “We’ve missed you too” replies front man Alec Ounsworth; after all it’s been three years since the Brooklyn based five piece released their last album.

The night kicked off with a phenomenally energetic support set from Sheffield locals Hey Sholay, playing their unique brand of psychedelic pop. Newest member Mr. Baritone Bunny (the stuffed bunny that joined the band on stage) looked perfectly at home

on top of the band’s keyboard, summing up their quirky nature.

Then it was time for the headliners to take their place on stage in front of the garish, purple backdrop. “We’re taking this with us” jokes keyboardist and guitarist Robbie Guertin. It’s just one of a few bits of decor that remind you this isn’t normally a place for gigs.

The curiousness of the venue isn’t something that eludes the band either. “We’ve never played a social club before,” Ounsworth observes, “maybe we should stick around for a game of bingo afterwards?”

Despite the odd nature of the venue the enormous hall is nearly at capacity and a sea of exuberant fans press against the stage for a set packed with classics and tracks from forthcoming album, Hysterical.

atastrophic electronic tones swept over Plug as local legend Steve Edwards’ newest project, Mercury Rising, opened their support set at plug. The four-piece consisting of a stack of synths, a drummer and two vocalists played Apocalyptic synth-pop as much influenced by biblical verse as they were by early 90s house and cosmology.

Their ear-shattering set would have had more impact if Plug had been anywhere near capacity, but even so, the 40 strong crowd were still enamoured by the striking performance.

“This is our last song,” Edwards tells us before the powers that be shout from the side, “No it isn’t, we’re running 20 minutes over already.” The epitome of anticlimax.

After a lightning fast changeover Kate Jackson’s band find themselves in the four corners of

Plug’s small stage. A lone microphone waits in the centre as they explode into Jackson’s most well know track to date, ‘Date with Dawn’.

The ex-Long Blonde swaggers onto the stage to be greeted by unfortunate technical problems.

Her gut-wrenching bellows are only just audible near the stage until her mic is finally turned on.

Unfazed, she continues, confidently blasting out every note with the ferocity of the last. And it’s not just Jackson’s vocal prowess that impresses. Backed by an amazing ‘group’, not ‘band’ as Plug mistakenly put on the set times, the set was filled with incredible guitar solos and stomping rhythms, not dissimilar to her old band.

Disappointingly, there is no encore and the crowd filter out to the second anticlimax of the evening. We could have listened all night.

Sam Bolton

DOT COM

Read more reviews at: ForgeToday.com

‘The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth’ is met by thunderous appreciation from the crowd and what was a small pocket of enthusiastic, dancing fans grows to encapsulate much of the front few rows.

Surprisingly, the bands new material was received with similar positivity despite being unreleased. A testament to their songwriting and musical prowess.

As the set progressed CYHSY’s performance grew increasingly energetic. What had started off as a fairly timid gig evolved into something from frenetic; Ounsworth became increasingly lively, bounding around the small stage and when showcasing the title track from the new album Guertin attacked Sean Greenhalgh’s drums with a manic grin Hey Sholay: on his face.

Sam Bolton Photo: Rowan Ramsden

Dan Mangan

SOYO Monday September 5th

however Mangan had a tendency to play as if he were solo again.

The cacophony which ‘Some People’ descended into sounded as if only Mangan himself had planned it.

Yet this was a night where confidence was rewarded; marching into the crowd Mangan declared to the socialites at the bar, “All I deserve is five minutes of your time.”

From atop the bar he announced ‘Robots’ and his band moved to accompany him in the centre of the venue. The effect of unplugging for the final song was emphatic and the room chanted

the concluding chorus to his most popular single to date.

As the band attempted to pack away yells of “Fabulous” were answered by Mangan, who, claiming he had forgotten the lyrics to the song, merely had to play while his dedicated following sang, “We’re all fabulous, sarcastic bastards,” to him.

Though the set was by no means perfect, Mangan’s lyrical honesty, and irreverent stage presence will always be welcome in a scene otherwise saturated by ‘up-and-coming’ male singersongwriters.

Jack Mann

Follow us on Twitter @ForgePressMusic

Fuse.

P

laying Sheffield for only the second time in his career, Canadian singersongwriter Dan Mangan’s performance, with support from a sensuous string and brass section, had all the coolness of a homecoming gig.

From the beginning, Mangan showcased one of his greatest talents in reacting to his au-

dience, building them up and bringing them down (if not stopping them altogether) entirely at his will. In opening song, ‘Sold’, a rollicking toast to materialism, he trilled, crooned and screamed to the delight of his spectators.

His lyrics span resolute to haunting, exemplified best by a troubling rendition of ‘Some People’: “So paint your pickets white and beat your wife just don’t forget to shut the blinds”, pointed squarely at middleclass suburbia, Mangan can be just as poignant as he can charming.

On more than one occasion

I

f you’re new to the city and need a way to find your bearings, you could do worse than use the many venues in Sheffield as landmarks. From the further-out Don Valley stadium to the smaller venues dotted around Division Street, here’s some of our favourites: Plug put on a massive variety of acts, from Pendulum to Young Legionnaire, all for very decent prices. They’re also great for niche clubnights and have some of the best DJs around.

Though it’s a little close to Hallam territory, Leadmill is the place to be to see some of the best new bands. Playing in the next couple of months are Mercury-nominated Metronomy, and the excellent British Sea Power.

Chances are you’ve probably been to an O2 Academy before, but that doesn’t mean Sheffield doesn’t have something to offer.

Alongside some excellent gigs, such as Kasabian earlier this year, you can also enjoy Propaganda, one of the best indie nights around.

The Harley aren’t lying when they say they’re full of “music and gin”.

Even if some of the post-artnoise-indie-pop-rock they put on isn’t your cup of tea (although it should be), you can still enjoy an amazing burger and a comfy afternoon on their lovely sofas.

If you’re looking for something really different, check out Queens Social Club. Although a social club isn’t the most obvious choice for a music venue, they have bands come to play from all over, including Californian favourites Best Coast.

Corporation – or Corp, as we affectionately know it – is Sheffield’s home of rock. Their slogan is “You’ll Never Leave” and spiritually, you probably never will.

Upcoming gigs include Lacuna Coil and Crazy Arm, but also check out the weekly Skool Disco, with its ‘fun’ dress code and deadly quad-vods.

If you’ve blown your student loan in two days and need some free entertainment for a while, head down to Division Street and check out the various live nights on in various bars and pubs.

Soyo, and The Forum are great for grabbing a tasty cocktail, but they also have great bands if you’re looking for a fun night. Meanwhile, The Frog & Parrot and Bungalows & Bears are places to hit for great food and a cool atmosphere.

Friday September 16 2011

Steve Edwards of Mercury Rising: Photo: Ella Cowperthwaite

Editorial.

MUSIC

Reviews.LIVE

11

SCREEN

Reviews. tinker tailor soldier spy

Dir: Tomas Alfredson

10/10

G

ary Oldman leads a superb all-star cast in this slick, stylish, and spectacular Cold War espionage thriller that is without doubt the best film of the year and a serious Oscar contender.

Based on the 1974 novel of the same name by spymaster John le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy deals with deception and betrayal at the highest levels of the British Secret Intelligence Service during the Cold War.

“THE CAST IS A ROLL CALL OF THE FINEST BRITISH ACTORS WORKING TODAY”

Fuse.

Friday September 16 2011

There is a Soviet mole buried deep within MI6, or the “Circus”, and it is up to the recently retired George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to root out the double agent.

But in a community fraught with aliases, secrets, and paranoia, is there anyone Smiley can really trust? And can he find the mole before he leaks the “crown jewels” to Moscow?

Make no mistake however, this

is not a guns-and-gadgets James Bond fantasy romp.

Tinker Tailor is neither glamorous nor glorified; its knuckle-whitening tension comes from mere conversations rather than car chases or shootouts.

Tomas Alfredson’s London is a grim and depressing metropolis infused with a tactile sensation of reality that permeates all aspects of the mise-en-scene, from the choice of music (there is a particularly dissonant and harrowing montage set to Julio Iglesias’ upbeat ‘La Mer’), to the banged up retro cars, right down to Smiley’s oversized varifocals.

But what really draws you in are the performances, and Tinker Tailor’s cast reads like a roll call of the finest British actors working today: John Hurt, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Stephen Graham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, and Kathy Burke (if you can forget Kevin and Perry Go Large).

Every single actor is superb - particularly Cumberbatch and Hardy who are on the fast track to superstardom - and, remarkably, there is not a single weak link, except perhaps Ciarán Hinds, but that is most likely due to a lack of screen-time than a lack of charisma.

Put any one of

12

troll hunter

Dir: André Øvredal

8/10

I

f you go down to the woods today, you may be surprised to discover they are crawling with fifty foot trolls with three heads and room temperature IQs. Troll Hunter is a Norwegian monster thriller written and di-

those performances in another film and they would be show-stealing. But Tinker Tailor has something those films do not: Gary Oldman.

“OLDMAN’S PERFORMANCE IS WORTHY OF THE HIGHEST REGARD” Oldman has always been a chameleonic presence. It is hard to believe that noble Sirius Black is the same man as the intergalactic hillbilly Zorg from The Fifth Element and Léon’s psychotic Stansfield.

However, Tinker Tailor shows Oldman at his most enigmatic, unrecognisable,

and, most surprisingly, restrained.

There is an unspoken weight to every action and a whole history behind those bottle-bottom specs.

Oldman achieves what so many other actors fail to do: he makes you forget that he is playing a role. Oldman, much like Alec Guinness before him in the 1979 BBC series, is George Smiley. It’s a performance worthy of the highest regard and maybe, just maybe, Oldman will finally get that Oscar that has eluded him for so long.

With an almost exclusively British cast, a Swedish director, and a French studio backing, there’s a palpable European art-cinema sensibility to Tinker Tailor. Not a single American dollar went into this film and it shows.

It is not dumbed down for the masses nor is there any evidence of studio interference. It is an intensely cerebral experience that doesn’t spell everything out and demands your attention, but given that the film is so intricately crafted and the tale is so ex-

pertly woven, you will have no problems surrendering yourself to the screen.

Nonetheless, Tinker Tailor is a long film and it is a slow one. Alfredson takes his time unwinding le Carré’s labyrinthine story.

There is a lot to digest and, much like Smiley, you can feel lost at times, especially when friends are revealed as enemies and truths are

“IT IS AN INTENSELY CEREBRAL EXPERIENCE” shown to be lies.

But Tinker Tailor’s obtuseness is one of its greatest strengths. If you aren’t familiar with the story it will keep your eyes glued and your mind racing right until the credits.

In fact, the only problem with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is that it makes you wonder, “why can’t more films be this good?”

Tom Wardak

DOT COM

rected by André Øvredal. Filmed as a recovered footage mockumentary, the story follows a team of young amateur film-makers who are investigating a series of savage but unsubstantiated bear killings in the remote forests of Norway.

Their prime suspect is an evasive hunter known only as Hans.

But as they follow the elusive woodsman into the forest one night, our protagonists soon learn that Hans has slightly more formidable targets on his agenda than pesky bears. He is, of course, a troll hunter.

You mean you never knew?

Trolls have existed for thousands of years, but thanks to the efforts of Hans and the TSS (Troll Security Service), the government has managed to conceal these giant inhabitants of the expansive Norwegian wilderness from the public eye; impressive, huh?

You didn't actually believe electricity pylons were designed solely to provide power, did you? In reality, they are giant electrified

fences with the function of penning trolls in to their designated, uninhabited territories. But, in the most minor of niggles, a troll has escaped, a troll the size of Godzilla to be more precise.

Anybody expecting an strenuous and snotty Blair Witch knock off will be relieved to learn that Troll Hunter is actually an exceedingly clever adventure with some genuinely unnerving moments.

To rationalise the existence of trolls that wouldn't seem out of place at Hogwarts is an honourable achievement in its own right.

But to have the audience fear them is even more impressive.

Having said that, the trolls themselves have suspiciously phallic shaped noses, three heads and a detox diet of stone (though apparently charcoal is their favourite); it isn't difficult to fathom that Troll Hunter was never intended to be taken too seriously.

Still, a number of scenes are as tense and nerve racking as any from its spooky forest cousin The Blair Witch Project, and the

film's grisly conclusion is certainly thought provoking, albeit a little predictable.

Outrageous and, at times, very funny; the simplistic mayhem of Troll Hunter is something to be treasured, not dismissed.

If you have seen Cloverfield, very little about Troll Hunter will shock your system, but that is not to say that you wont leave the cinema thoroughly entertained by one of the silliest, but most darkly irresistible adventures ever to come out of Norway.

Troll Hunter is destined to be a cult classic.

But you should see it now in its unspoiled glory because, unsurprisingly, an American remake has already been commissioned, and we all know what that means.

Tom Fletcher

Dir: Cary Fukunaga

5/10

C

ary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre is the ninth cinematic outing for Charlotte Brontë’s orphan governess, but with a poor direction and an even poorer script, you have to ask: what’s the point?

This stripped-back, Gothic styled adaptation isn’t a complete failure though. The film is beautifully shot by director of photography Adriano Goldman.

The cinematography is drab and oppressive, with sweeping pseudo-apocalyptic vistas and claustrophobic Barry Lyndon-esque candlelit interiors.

By keeping the camera always moving, Goldman is able to avoid that static “ITV drama” look that plagues so many period dramas.

However, it seems that more attention was paid to the elegant construction of shots than direct-

ing the performances within the frame.

In seclusion, the actors all perform admirably. Mia Wasikowska’s Jane is a timid, reserved, and introverted interpretation that works well within Fukunaga’s minimalistic aesthetic.

Similarly, Michael Fassbender’s smouldering Rochester is the epitome of the Byronic hero.

But when put together, Jane and Rochester have about as much chemistry as an A-Level Physics lesson.

There is not a single believable second in their relationship and considering that the film hinges on the emotional torment of their romance, it all comes across as more than a little underwhelming.

It’s disappointing because with the cast that has been assembled, which includes Judi Dench and Jamie Bell, this adaptation had great potential.

Even if this Jane Eyre had a wellmatched central couple, it would still be a painful and sleep-inducing watch.

Moira Buffini’s screenplay is es-

Editorial.

sentially a masterclass in how not to adapt a novel. Instead of being ruthless with choosing what to include, Buffini tries to condense Brontë’s doorstop into two hours, and much of what ends up in Jane Eyre would have been better left on the cutting room floor.

And not only does this filler rob precious screentime from the development of Jane and Rochester’s romance, it weighs down the film – you can feel every plodding second. Basically, this Jane Eyre doesn’t function as a film in

its own right; it’s more like a visual aid to the text.

Whilst the experimental nonlinear narrative, which tells the story of Jane and Rochester’s tumultuous romance in flashback, is admittedly an interesting addition to a stale story, it doesn’t change the fact that the bulk of the film is slow, undercooked, and, quite honestly, boring.

However, if you’re an insomniac, I’d definitely seek it out.

to Tulisa Contostavlos of N-Dubz fame. Now some of us, until fairly recently, thought N-Dubz were a parody group, a clever and hilarious satire on the state of modern pop music in the vein of Ali-G. In a terrifying twist, we were wrong. They are very real indeed.

Worse still, their singer is now on the verge of experiencing the inevitable X-Factor career boost

that Cheryl did. Sure is pretty though, isn’t she?

Indeed, The X-Factor without Simon Cowell is a lot like a Donner Kebab without the salad; still completely shit, but shit without its one saving grace, without charm or justification.

Watch out Geordie Shore, you’ve got competition.

Tom Wardak

TV. THE X-FACTOR

ITV’s flagship talent show suffers an embarrassing face lift.

8/10

M

uch like the odour of a mysterious milk carton discovered behind the boiler, you may hate The X-Factor, but you can’t ignore it.

Some of us would always justify the money spinning cheese feast as a guilty pleasure. It is, after all, simple benign entertainment. We all knew it was little more than tabloid arousing prattle, yet we would enjoy it nonetheless.

We would also take courage knowing that Simon Cowell, a smart man indeed, secretly knew that Matt Cardle was a warbling wet flannel, and was only really in it for the cash; this we would often respect, if not admire.

Cult Corner.

The King of kong: A fistful of quarters

8/10

F

exactly the paragon of cinéma vérité. It has been edited to make Billy Mitchell into a kind of evil, scheming super-villain with a cohort of spotty geek henchmen and ass-kissers, but it’s all part of the fun.

And considering some of the gold that comes out of his mouth, like “Steve is only the man he is today because he came under the wrath of Billy Mitchell” and “everything I say draws controversy, like the abortion issue”, it becomes apparent that the arrogant and egotistical “Billy Mitchell” is probably not far removed from the real person.

Even if you aren’t swept up in Wiebe’s epic struggle, there is still a lot to love and laugh at in The King of Kong.

It is a hilarious film, more like The Office than Spinal Tap in that the majority of the laughs come from awkward and embarrassing moments rather than pre-scripted one-liners, and considering that the cast consists of social pariahs

Tom Fletcher

whose lives are spent staring into video screens, it’s not surprising those moments come thick and fast.

If nothing else, The King of Kong is an inspirational piece of cinema.

Not only for the triumphant underdog story, but also for the knowledge that however bad life gets, you could always be stuck in a room poring over the VHS tapes of someone’s 48 hour Nibbler marathon.

Also Watch.

Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade – a sister documentary that follows the wacky and wonderful gaming geeks introduced here.

Just try not to break any teeth when you cringe at one guy’s extensive hentai collection.

Tom Wardak

But we can’t do this alone. If you have a passion for cinema or are simply a hormonal True Blood addict and you want to write for us, you’re more than welcome to. And don’t worry if you don’t have any experience; all you need is enthusiasm and the ability to use a dictionary.

Come say hi to us at the Freshers’ Fair and sign up for our mailing list.

As well as reviewers for the latest releases, we are always looking for bloggers, opinions and creative feature ideas.

We meet every other Monday at 5pm where we give out free press tickets to the latest releases at Cineworld. So even if you just want a cheap date, feel free to come along (you will have to write a review afterwards though).

For exclusive online reviews, blogs, and so much more, follow us on twitter (ForgeScreen) and visit us at http://forgetoday.com/category/fuse/ screen/ Tom Fletcher & Tom Wardak

Fuse.

unnier than most comedies, more enthralling than most thrillers, and more affecting than most dramas, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is possibly one of my favourite movies even though, yes, it is a documentary about Donkey Kong.

The film follows Steve Wiebe, a down-on-his-luck middle school science teacher, as he goes headto-head with Billy Mitchell, a mulleted video-game tycoon and geek cult leader, for his Donkey Kong world record that has stood undefeated for twenty years.

Now, it may seem like there’s nothing here for anyone who has never sunk their pocket money into an arcade machine, but The King of Kong is pure entertainment—a classic underdog story à la Rocky.

The way the story unfolds, the manner in which the characters develop, and the organic pacing and structure of the narrative puts many fictional films to shame.

Granted, The King of Kong isn’t

Friday September 16 2011

Dir: Seth Gordon Year: 2007

So what happens when the catalyst of credibility finally quits the show because he, like many, was frankly bored with it? They replace him with Gary Barlow of course, a man as renowned as the voice of BBC montages as he is for taking the ‘Mr Niceguy’ trait to moronic levels.

With Cowell overseas, Barlow appears to be overcompensating for this public persona by usurping his predecessor’s role as Britain’s resident arsehole.

But with cheap one-liners such as “you’re rap with a silent c”, it’s obvious that he’s trying a bit too hard.

However, the ditching of the show’s two female judges was, in theory, a marvellous decision.

But what of everyone’s favourite ‘reformed’ chav, Cheryl Cole?

Well, in a blistering display of idiocy, the produces opted to replace her with the only singer in Britain who is less respected, less talented and less interesting than Cheryl Cole. I refer, of course,

H

ello, and welcome to the new and improved Forge Press Screen section!

If you’ve read our section before, you’ll no doubt see that we’ve now expanded to two pages.

This means that, rather than a single humble page of reviews, we’re able to offer so much more from the world of film and television, the latter of which has been tragically neglected in recent years.

But now, every issue, our new TV section will bring you the latest series reviews, opinions, and reactions from TV across the globe.

Furthermore, we’re proud to introduce Cult Corner, where you’ll be introduced to some rather obscure films and under appreciated classics that you really need to watch.

SCREEN

Jane Eyre

13

GAMES

Reviews.

DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION PC, XBOX 360, PS3

9/10

T

he year is 2026.

You play Adam Jensen, a trenchcoated security chief who awakens from a traumatic experience to find himself half-man, half-machine, and wholly upgradable.

The fictional world in which the game resides presents a societal separation between those who embrace human augmentation (advanced cosmetic surgery which enhances a human’s capabilities) and those who resent the idea of evolution as a capitalist tool. Should humanity control and adopt evolutionary procedures?

This idea perforates all aspects of the latest Deus Ex including the mechanics, as the game gives you vastly differing choices on how you wish to upgrade Adam’s augments throughout your gameplay experience.

Deus Ex as a franchise consists of two key ingredients: choice and conspiracy. The former is certainly in abundance – if you want Human Revolution to be a cover shooter, it will happily oblige; alternatively you could hack the enemy’s robots to go on a murderous rampage whilst you search for reading material.

For example: If you ever fancy paying a visit to the local police station’s

star fox 64 3d NINTENDO 3DS

Fourteen years ago Star Fox 64, or if you lived on this side of the Atlantic, Lylat Wars, came barrel rolling (sigh) into the living rooms of countless N64 owners. Now in 2011 the legendary game has been re-rendered in stunning auto-stereoscopic 3D. Now, just to be clear, this is yet another N64 remake to hit the fledgling 3DS in the last couple of months and while you have to question Ninten-

Fuse.

Friday September 16 2011

8/10

14

morgue, it is a good idea to first ask at reception.

Oblivious to the receptionist sat behind a thick sheet of glass at the front desk, I instead tried to barge into the station’s innards without permission.

No such luck. Undeterred, I exited the police station in search of an alternative way in.

Four stories up, on a ledge connected to the police stations gothic exterior I conveniently uncover an air vent, and as is often the case with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, it leads right into the heart of the station. I spend the next thirty minutes skulking around offices, avoiding security cameras and knocking out anyone who has the misfortune to get in my way.

After pillaging the upper floors I make my descent down into the morgue in typically stealthy fashion, and the game gives the player such freedom to do so with predictable AI routines, camouflage augments, the ability to muffle footsteps and also silence weapons.

Despite such tools I’m detected, and a cavalcade of once dormant police officers are after my blood with all the force they can muster.

Despite its flirtation with stealth tropes, Deus Ex also acts as a more than capable cover shooter. I manage to reach the morgue, eventually, although my ammunition is depleted and there is innocent blood on my hands.

Turns out if I had just talked to the receptionist, coincidentally an old

do’s motives for remaking games as opposed to creating new titles, you can’t fault their choices.

First the greatest Legend of Zelda game ever made (and perhaps the greatest game, full stop) and now one of the most exciting scrolling shooters.

The game play hasn’t really changed since its original iteration. You play as Fox McCloud, son of the legendary James McCloud and the leader of a fleet of mercenary space pilots called Star Fox, as he tries to clutch back the Lylat system from the hands of the evil scientist Andross.

Along the way you

friend of Adam Jensen’s, I could have strolled over to the morgue without a single drop of police suspicion. Embarrassing.

The allotted conspiracy in this case infects the augmentation corporation Adam Jensen works for, and plays into the death of a former love interest during the traumatic experience I earlier spoke of.

Your globe-trotting quest to uncover such conspiracies charges your movement between different hub worlds as the game offers many side quests to supplement to the games lengthy central task.

Human Revolution isn’t perfect. The battery system that powers all aspects of Adam’s augmented abilities is frustrating and often needlessly limiting.

Why should Adam need sufficient battery power to lift his arms and whack an unsuspecting foe from behind? Surely the movement of his arms is a requirement, not an ability, otherwise such menial tasks as brushing your teeth would become a constant hunt for the nearest pack of Duracell AAs. The game’s AI opponents are also extremely questionable.

Your foes will often struggle to recognise you at short distances, yet at other times they’ll pinpoint your location like a hawk.

Such inconsistencies leave a sour taste in your mouth, especially if you have a tendency to revert to a previous checkpoint once you’ve been detected.

All Deus Ex games feature a similar set of ideas, what separates Human

choose your own path, the decisions you take in game determining which 7 of the 16 levels you battle your way across.

One small change since the original Star Fox is that now, if you unlock the more difficult route you will be given the option to choose whether you take that one or the easier alternative. Whilst

Editorial.

V

ideogame rivalries have an odd way of presenting themselves. Some are of little surprise, whereas others sneak up to take centre stage in an exciting winter showdown.

At the time of print both the Fifa and Pro Evolution Soccer demos will have been released to you, the general public, giving you ample opportunity to debate which new iteration makes the biggest improvement over its predecessor.

Does Fifa still play too predictably, herding players to repeat the same systematic exploits and score ostensibly the same goals?

Does PES still feel like your players are half asleep, and feature a referee who acts like his pre-match routine includes a six-pack of Heineken?

Revolution from its most recent predecessor is the conviction in which they are executed. However you choose to approach the game, you are rewarded with a slick slice of cyber-

this does give the player greater choice, it feels like a rather pointless add-on that actually undermines the gameplay.

The 3DS has received quite a lot of flack regarding the ‘unnecessary’ 3D effect. However, Star Fox 64 3D will shush the naysayers. Lasers blast out of the screen, debris flies toward you and the added depth is genuinely immersive. And due to the impressive power of the hand-held the visuals put the once beautiful N64 graphics to shame.

Although the story is short, and completing the game (via one path)

punk that feels utterly satisfying. There is no wrong way to play Deus Ex, and that’s what makes it a truly Another September rigreat experience. valry stretches back a long way, one that might not Daniel Mears be so obvious. November 2006 saw Gears of War will take little over half and Resistance spearhead an hour there is plenty each game’s respected of replay value as you platform, and it was the constantly return trying former that unanimously to beat your top score, took the critical and conearn medals for defeat- sumer acclaim. Such a feat ing a certain amount of was repeated in Novemenemies on one level or ber 2008, despite both seeing the effect of fol- games disappointing their lowing different paths. respective fans.

While the game is acStrangely then, it is cessible, and not particu- nearly three years later larly complicated to com- in the unrelated month of plete even if you play September that the two the most difficult levels, will clash for their third inthere is plenty here for stalment. We’ll be reviewthe ‘hardcore’ gamer. ing Gears of War 3 in our Once you have earned next issue to see whether a medal on every level it can make it 3 nil to the (which is no easy task) Cole Train. you will unlock expert Perhaps the biggest rimodel which will truly valry to come in the months test your Arwing piloting ahead is that of Modern expertise.

Warfare 3 and Battlefield If you missed out 3. One franchise so stagon Lylat Wars first time nant it makes human evoaround you should make lution appear hasty, the sure you add this to your other with big claims but collection. If you were not the global audience lucky enough to play it and recognition to back back in 1997, be sure to up its ambition. go out and get you fill of Keep your eyes out for nostalgia. that one in November, until then we’re Oscar Mike.

Sam Bolton Arnold Bennett Ellen Jurczak games@forgetoday.com

KILL YOUR DARLINGS Exhibition Millennium Gallery

9/10

F

or years, Kid Acne has been synonymous with the urban landscape of Sheffield. After exhibiting work all over the world, it seems fitting that his hometown is playing host to his first solo show, Kill Your Darlings.

The exhibition at the Millennium Gallery features an eclectic mix of comic books, record sleeves, flyers and fanzines. As well as commercial commissions, large scale sculptures, paintings and a short film.

Don’t make the mistake of dismissing Kid Acne as just another graffiti artist jumping on the Banksy bandwagon. For the best part of two decades he has worked to establish himself as an illustrator, graphic

Painting the apocalypse

Exhibition Millennium Gallery

8/10

J

designer and musician.

With a host of records, comic books and a T-shirt collection for Prada to his name, Kid Acne is quickly becoming a global brand.

Kill Your Darlings celebrates the DIY ethic and often transitory approach of Kid Acne’s work.

“It’s about showing the early work and where I started out and it’s about showing how I developed along the way,” he explains.

“But once it’s done I want to move on, I don’t want to have to keep referring to the past.”

It is rare that you get the opportunity to trace the development of an artist’s work in one exhibition.

Particularly spectacular in the case of Kid Acne who began creating graffiti as an early teen.

Kid Acne’s art career began with an appearance on Rolf’s Cartoon Club at the age of twelve.

Within a year, he’d started writing graffiti inspired by its infinite scale, colour and immediacy.

With a small group of friends, he spent his teenage years making underground fanzines and releasing limited run 7”s on their Invisible Spies imprint.

Now his work can be seen throughout the globe – in wheatpastes and rapsprays from New York to Azerbaijan The show takes its name from the writers’ motto referring to the painful process of cutting cherished characters or scenes which don’t serve the overall story.

For Kid Acne Kill Your Darlings marks the end of a chapter.

Kill Your Darlings provides the audience with a unique journey that shouldn’t be missed.

feelings of awe and fear.

Also on display were Martin’s series of illustrations of Milton’s paradise lost. An absolute treat for any keen literary enthusiast, these images showed a great depiction of Milton’s epic.

These have since been responded to by contemporary artist Gordon Cheung, who has re-imagined many of Martin’s works in a modern fashion. For me, this was the worst part of the exhibition.

Whilst Cheung’s works were an interesting contrast to those of Martin’s, they simply did not match them in terms of grandeur or skill.

The inclusion of a mini cinema, screening two of Ray Harryhausen’s works and the recent blockbuster 2012, further emphasised the lasting legacy of Martin’s skill.

The real highlight of the exhibition, however, was the final three paintings on display: ‘The Last Judgement’, ‘The Great Day of

His Wrath’, and ‘The Plains of Heaven’. These images were not only grand in size, but also truly grand to observe.

The images had strong biblical influences, and the presence of God was very strong within them, brilliantly conveying the godfearing attitude of Martin and indeed the society BLK Art group around him.

Exhibition The grand aesthetic of Graves Gallery these paintings is one not easily forgotten, making it 7/10 very understandable why n the 1980s, against the back drop it has been suggested that of rising racial tension, a collective of Martin’s works were the radical black artists came together pre-cursor to the modern to create work about what they deHollywood blockbuster. scribed as the ‘institutional racism that Sarah Arkle was endemic in the UK’.

Now, almost 30 years on Museum Sheffield’s Graves Gallery has put together an exhibition of rarely seen work exploring their legacy.

The Blk Art Group consisted of Keith Piper, Marlene Smith, Eddie Chambers, Claudette Johnson and Donald Rodney.

They drew inspiration from the social injustice they felt at the hands of the 80s Conservative government.

What emerged was a strong creative force that spoke about, and challenged,

Rowan Ramsden

I

flick Book

7/10

defined (and more so, the dialogue) that really sets original stories apart from boring templates.

Abigail Tarttelin’s strength clearly lies in dialogue.

Sure, the characters might feel like something the news describes as “disaffectionate youth” but you can’t deny that there are a wide percentage of people that exist in that category.

As Flick is also a broadband baby, he does suffer from a wandering concentration.

The reader does get several digressions about the mundane (considering which cola drink is the best?) that not only serve as a tension dispeller from the rather urgent (and worrying) conflicts that

Flick has to surmount, but also add an extra depth to the character.

You can’t have a brooding teen for the entirety of a book, you do need some levity thrown in for the sake of reality (and mood).

It’s the mix of the mundane (daresay “trivial”) and the harsh realities that make Flick a good read. It won’t break any moulds but it has enough panache and wit to make a dent.

Samuel Valdes Lopez

DOT COM

Fuse.

M

odern England is a bit of gloomy place.

Between the social problems, economic crisis and education woes, the future too many a you ng one is looking grey at best. It d o e s n’ t help that the lack of jobs

paints a darker tone to the people who, having failed GCSEs, have really nothing to do.

The protagonist of the book Flick is in such a position. Stuck in a small town in North East England, Flick’s days since failing his exams are a routine of drinking, smoking and general ASBOism.

Things do change for the better with the arrival of a girl that will broaden his horizons.

Then they go downhill when the only opportunity to advance in life is through a few disreputable activities.

It might sound like a familiar plot and although you can always find similarities between plots in all books, it’s how the characters are

the social issues of the day. Using a wide range of materials, from newspaper to x-rays, the Blk group created powerful responses to the crises in race relations at home and overseas.

The Blk Art Group explores the important role that regional galleries, including Sheffield’s, played in supporting and promoting black British art at a time when many public art institutions were reluctant to engage with the political subject matter.

Louisa Briggs, Curator of Visual Art at Museums Sheffield said: “I’ve been wanting to curate this show since I started here about four years ago.”

The exhibition features pieces from Museum Sheffield’s own collection as well as loans from the artists themselves which have been carefully restored with Arts Council funding.

Rowan Ramsden

Friday 16 September 2011

ohn Martin was a British painter who grew up in Northumberland before living in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

Being from the same area myself, I was familiar with a few of his works, thus had high expectations for this exhibition, which were more than matched by the exhibition.

The paintings were incredibly exciting to view.

Martin’s use of bold colours, particularly strong red, black and grey shades, created incredibly dramatic scenes that remain in the mind of the observer.

In images such as ‘The Destruction of Pompeii’ – depicting the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius – strong colours were key in giving the image the aesthetic strength to evoke

ARTS

Reviews.

Read more reviews online: forgetoday.com

15

Film Unit fortnight

LISTINGS

Win a year’s worth of gig tickets How would you like to win tickets to every union gig from now until the end

Intro Week: £1.50

of the academic year? Sounds good doesn’t it? Well, we have 2 pairs of season passes up for grabs just by answering one simple question.

Which of these bands are not from Sheffield?

A) Slow Club B) Rolo Tomassi C) All the Young D) Def Leppard

To enter email competition@forgetoday.com with your name, answer and ‘Union Competition’ in the subject field. The closing date for this competition is Friday 30th September The winner will be picked at random from the correct answers.

LIVE gigs coming up at the Students’ Union include Wheatus, The Subways, Patrick Wolf and The Rifles www.sheffieldsu.com/nightsout and click on the LIVE logo.

All films are shown in the Union Auditorium.

Tickets cost £1.50 and can be bought from the Union Box Office or Union Shop.

Tuesday September 20: The Social Network; 7:30pm The Social Network charts the story behind the creation of social network giant Facebook. It is a tale of ruthless ambition and betrayal, endless court cases and a whole lot of risk.

Sat 17

Sun 18

Blackburn vs Arsenal @ Bar One; 12:30pm; Free

Ranmoor Community Warrior Soul + SupBeach Party @ Rand- port @ Corporation; 7pm; £8 moor; 8pm; £2

Get yourself down to the new and improved Bar One to watch the Gunners travel to Ewood Park. So grab some drinks some new food and enjoy the game.

400 people party, two rooms, two bars and top DJs. So dig out your Hawaiian shirt, or hula skirt. Loads of freebies included beach hats and bags and grass skirts. You can dance the night away or test your skills or the surfing simulator. Guaranteed good times to be had.

Super Trouper @ City Hall; 7:30pm; £10 This ABBA cover band bring their music to Sheffield. This is special concert presentation, which celebrates the music of ABBA in a respectful way. Join in and enjoy all your favourite hits including: ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Winner Takes It All’.

16 2

Sun 25

Is Tropical @ The GIAG presents: Quasar @ Union 5:45pm; Harley; 7:30pm; £5 £3.50 The last 12 months have seen London The Quasar Society gives you the chance three-piece Is Tropical make waves to give it a go at Quawith their unique brand sar! Ever wondered what this peculiar of dreamy pop. game is about? Well now’s your chance to Viva Brother @ come and find out. It’s Leadmill; 7pm; £11 cheap good fun and if The cocksure self-pro- you can get a bunch of claimed Warrior Kings friends together, what of Gritpop, are in better way to spend Sheffield, don’t miss it. an afternoon.

Viva Brother are mashing the best of Britpop and beyond into monumental mounds of melody and might. Recently featured on the cover of NME magazine, Viva Brother are a breath of fresh air and should not be missed

Fuse.

Friday September 16 2011

Sat 24

Mon 19 Tues 20 From the trippy doorsinfluenced debut to some of the more punk-oriented and heavy metal material, Warrior Soul are not to be missed.

GIAG presents: Comedy Writing Workshop @ Union; 4pm; £1 Are you interest in writing comedy? Have an idea but don’t know how to get it down, or you’ve already written something but want to fine-tune it, the members of the Sheffield Comedy Revue are here to help. We’ll run through the basics of writing and editing sketches, and answer your questions

Wednesday September 21: Four Lions; 7:30pm Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point.

Thursday September 22: The Kings Speech; 7:30pm Critically acclaimed historical drama based on the future George VI’s struggle with a speech impediment.

Friday September 23: Scott Pilgrim vs The World; 7:30pm Scott Pilgrim is a film adaptation of the critically acclaimed, series of graphic novels of the same name Saturday September 24: Inception; 7:30pm In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through a dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption.

Wed 21 Thurs 22 Fri 23 Wheatus @ Union; Metronomy @ Lead7pm; £7 mill; 7pm; £11

Wheatus’ debut single ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ cracked the top 40 BBC Official Sales Chart for a second time in March of 2011.

They now bring their Show me the Funny music to the Steel City. @ City Hall; 8pm; Ranmoor Community £17.50 School Disco; 9pm; Hosted by Jason £5 Manford, ITV’s latest Get out that old school attempt at comedy uniform and join us for comes to the City Hall. some old school tunes Meet in person the last in The Ridge. Top DJ three standing from and The Impossible Britain’s funniest and Eliminator Inflatable! fiercest new stand-up Plus, head to the tuck show. Gaining increas- shop for free candying popularity up and floss, popcorn, sweets, down the country this is school ties and caps! one show to go to.

Following the release of the stunning, English Riviera, which has been nominated for this years Mercury Prize, the Devon based Metronomy rose to prominence with their beautifully subdued and thoughtful electronica.

Make sure to check it out when they visit.

Metromomony live shows are known for their charming dance routines and light shows, most notably the push lights stuck to their chests! Now a fully fledged 4-piece live outfit check them out later this year

HBP Presents: Spiders w/ Skint & Demoralised, Lost State of Dance, Scoundrel & Infirmity @ Plug; 7pm; £5

3 piece indie rockers Spiders are now a must-see band on the South Yorkshire gigging circuit. Since September 2007 the band have gigged almost constantly in and around Yorkshire.

Mon 26 Tues 27

Wed 28 Thurs 29 Fri 30

Hard-Fi @ Leadmill; 7:30pm; £15

Bring It On! @ Bar One; 10pm; Free

The London rockers return after a three year hiatus. Expect hits including ‘Cash Machine’ and ‘Surburban Knights’

Bar One’s Wednesday night is big. Bar One’s Wednesday night is loud. Bar One’s Wednesday night is packed with the finchart music, and Crazy Arm + Great est drinks Deeds + Bordens @ long! offers all night Corporation; 7pm; £5 Gold @ City From Devon Crazy Arm Sixties Hall; 7:30pm; £22 are a blend of hardcore/punk, ‘60s protest There is no doubt that folk/country and clas- the decade that also sic rock’n’roll, combined gave us The Beatles with a grass-roots po- will go down in hislitical overview that tory as being the most embraces anti-war, period of anti-fascist and pro- imaginative music creativity and community activism. expression The best All four members are bands of the Sixties in atheist, international- one place, what more ist, vegetarian/vegan could you want? and support human/ animal rights struggles worldwide.

Ganglians @ The Harley; 7:30pm; £7 Californian based four piece will be bringing their unique, lo-fi pop to the Harley. Ganglians bring a variety of sounds to their shows and their music has been described as adventurous. Their latest album has received rave reviews and you should find some space in your diary to go and see them.

Open Mic Night @ Soundclash presents: Coffee Revolution; Roaming Son @ Plug; 7pm; £5 7:30pm; Free An open mic night is a stage, a microphone and a roomful of friendly people.

Come down and enjoy the drinks and entertainment, and if you feel like it have a go yourself. Anyone at all can come and listen, so why not see if you can find something you like in Sheffield’s grass roots scene?

Roaming Son are a Raw Earthy Undertone Mix of Country Tinged Swampy Texas Tremelo Laden Blasters and Ballads.

Pete and the Pirates @ Leadmill; 7:30pm; £8 Blood, sex, guns and insanity. Not things you’d immediately associate with Reading’s prime guitar pop exponents Pete & The Pirates, but then neither are phasing synths, sizzling psychedelia and the general atmosphere of darkness and thunder.