Scene issue 209

SCENE

Issue 209 12/10/2010

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

Music News...

BRINGING SEXY BACK STAGE

E

verybody's favourite R'n'B trouser snake, Justin Timberlake, has announced that he is unlikely to continue recording. The former N*SYNC-er turned-phenomonally-successful-solo-star has decided to put music on hold in order to focus on his film career.

Timberlake released his last album FutureSex/LoveSounds in 2006, and has since appeared in films such as Shrek The Third and David Fincher's The Social Network. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he acknowledged that singing lyrics such as "I'll let you whip me if I misbehave" makes it difficult to me taken seriously in Hollywood." Timberlake claims he often feels he has "to fight against [his] music career" and says that he was so desperate for a role in Fincher's film that he offered to audition naked (although it's difficult to see how happily whipping his "timber" out at every occasion will increase his Oscar hopes)...

B

WEEKEND IN THE HOSPITAL

loc Party guitarist Russell Lissack has been hospitalised after being attacked by a lion at an animal sanctuary in South Africa.

With Bloc Party on hiatus, the long haired indie kid had been touring with indie stalwarts Ash and was on a daytrip with frontman Tim Wheeler. A lion cub he was playing with proved to be anything but cuddly, giving him a nasty bite and forcing a trip to hospital.

Despite only being a wee nipper, the aggressive mini Simba caused enough dam-

age to force Lissack to receive treatment and a tetanus shot. The day turned from bad to worse when the band were caught in a car crash on their way back to their hotel. Thankfully all escaped unhurt, if a little shaken up (and with plenty of traumatic inspiration for new material).

All have now returned to the UK, with Lissack working on a solo album of electro-pop, tipped for an April release. The lion cub has made no official comments about his motive for the attack, but is believed to not be a fan of English indie rock.

I GET ALL THE LAWSUITS...

C

alvin Harris has accused American R'n'B star Chris Brown of plagiarism.

The stubbly Scottish dance sensation claims that Brown's new song 'Yeah 3x' is such a blatant rip off of his own number one hit 'I'm Not Alone' that when he first heard it he "choked on [his] cornflakes".

Harris openly accused Brown on Twitter, commenting that "stealing is still stealing, doesn't matter who you are." The gold selling "king of electro-pop" then hit the modesty switch hard saying that just "because Chris Brown is an international celebrity doesn't make it OK to rip off a guy [from] the UK not many people have heard of." Well, at least Harris can comfort himself that Brown, once famous for hits like "Forever", is now more famous in the UK for hitting girls.

CLUB

ndie rock/electro-pop group Two Door Cinema Club enjoy a range of influences, from Idlewild to Aussie sensation pop sensation Kylie, according to Sam Halliday, guitarist and BV vocalist.

"Idlewild are one of my favourite bands of all time. Kylie is no Top 5 but I still love the big tunes she has made. We just appreciate a good melody sometimes. Or something fun to dance to."

Although these two artists are giants within their own genres respectively, you can often hear their influences creeping into the Northern Irish band's music. Entwined within memorable riffs, there are many catchy hooks dispersed in their tunes; testaments that both the pop queen and the aforementioned indie rock gods would be proud of.

The boys got together after a slightly awkward start.

Alex Trimble's first impression of their future bass player, Kevin Baird, was "who's this guy trying to get with my friends?" From here on out the band was formed but like any other group out they needed a name that would inspire a generation to get down and bust-a-move or two to their light hearted and upbeat sounds. Thankfully, the answer miraculously presented itself to them through the mispronunciation of a local cinema, Tudor Cinema, and the name has stuck ever since then. The place itself still holds lots of fond memories.

"It is a definite favourite," Sam says. "It's not a commercial cinema. It is just a privately owned one that plays DVDs. It's amazing though. He built it because he loves film and it's like something from the 50s." It makes a nice change from the vast chains of cinemas that stretch across the land, and it's even nicer that this individuality has not gone unrewarded; through the band's success, Tudor Cinema itself has become a popular local haunt. Me-

CULTURE

LISTINGS

RACHEL PRONGER reveals all the latest news and gossip from the music industry

TWO DOOR CINEMA

I

BOOKS

WHAT A BAD SEED!

I

t's plagiarism allegations a-go-go this week, as Harris as Bad Seeds and Grinderman frontman Nick Cave. The gloriously macabre Aussie has been accused by an unknown Scot of stealing his song.

Dundee based singer/songwriter Frankee Duffy is convinced that 'Grey Man', a song that he wrote whilst with his former band, has been stolen off his MySpace by Cave.

Duffy claims in The Courier that the chord sequence and vocal hooks on Cave's track 'Palaces of Montezuma' are virtually identical and that he is considering taking Grinderman to court.

Cave is dismissive of the claims, announcing at a recent concert that he has originally written the song for his wife. Duffy is waiting for a response from Cave's record company but it appears somewhat unlikely that Cave (famous for an aggressive persona, heavy swearing and songs about murder) will be popping over to Dundee with a basket of apology muffins anytime soon.

CHRIS CRADDOCK talks to the band about Kylie, FLIRTING AND THE JOYS OF RED STRIPE

dia presence at the cinema is now a regular occurrence.

However, most of this information is well known about one of the UK's fastest growing bands and I wanted to know what happened behind the stresses and strains of producing music.

"It can be from choosing a bar or club to go to after a show to enjoying bands who are doing things a bit differently," I am told. When asked about favourite places of interest, the band replied that "we found a little Jamaican bar in Oxford for example who just had like Red Stripe, rum and ginger beer and they were playing dancehall music. It was fun." All of this is very difficult to imagine: three slightly geeky guys from Bangor and Donaghadee drinking rum in Jamican bar in Oxford then getting down to some dancehall but I reckon it would be a sight worth seeing. Yet, Two Door are not a relentless party machine, as much as this may shock and worry you, and therefore just when all this bizarre wildness is starting to wear them out, they like to "watch lots of documentaries and films too."

This year has been massive for the band, with their performance on the on the NME/Radio 1 Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival ranking as "up there in the top five probably. Reading was especially insane. It was the Friday and Leeds was the Sunday so I think Leeds may have been feeling a little bit rough just from a big weekend!"

If truth be told, I think the student world can sympathise with Two Door there. Now that the band are back on the rigours of touring to take on more intimate venues (such as our very own Fibbers), having left the thrills and terrors of massive festival stages.

"It is strange going back to small rooms after

playing pretty big stages this summer. It's still really fun though. Sweaty club gigs are always great fun."

And I completely agree. If you don't emerge from a concert in more perspiration than clothes, you haven't got your money's worth.

Now the interview comes full circle, as when asked about what important qualities they feel their music should possess, I am told that "pop hooks in songs are important too. We are always very conscious of making our song memorable in some way so people will want to listen to the songs again."

I think it's safe to say that with their first album, Tourist History, Two Door Cinema Club have successfully achieved this feat; I will definitely be breaking out some moves to these tunes time after time.

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

lydia winter reviews this week's...

EPIC FAIL

SINGLES

This summer, Reading and Leeds were privy to highly anticipated returns of Blink 182 and Guns 'N' Roses. JESS SWEENEY and CHRIS CRADDOCK report back on the summer's two most disappointing comebacks

F

ive years ago, Blink 182 announced an indefinite hiatus and, heart-broken, I added them to the list of bands I was destined never to see live.

Imagine my delight then, when I read that my favourite blast-from-the-past band were going to headline Reading Festival 2010.

Though not the sole factor, this news was instrumental in sealing my decision to part with £200 this summer.

Unfortunately, had I known what a disappointment Blink 182 would be, I may have thought harder before parting with my takeaway fund.

I was unfortunate enough to find myself stuck near the back with a quiet crowd of fairweather fans who only knew the words to 'All the Small Things', and the sound quality at this distance left much to be desired.

However, this didn't excuse the band's performance.

From the outset, Tom Delonge's singing dominated (tragic, when Mark Hoppus' voice is the infinitely less grating of the two) and rumours of his drunkenness spread like wildfire as the only explanation of how terrible he sounded.

Equally distressing was

his attempt to psych up the crowd with his witty banter - something along the lines of: "We beat you guys at the football, and we don't even care about that game". Right.

The set-list, however, was spot on, with a satisfying mix of teen anthems and atmospheric songs from their self-titled album. So it was with great sadness that I found myself unable to remain for the entire set, mostly because I had to fill in the main melody for myself as all that was audible was Tom's attempted harmonizing.

I'd like to put it down to the realization that nostalgia is the beer-goggles of the musical world.

After the festival I went home and played a few Blink songs to rekindle my old love for them. But while the songs were still unfailingly fun and catchy, I wasn't able to listen to an album the whole way through without cringing... and haven't since.

JESS SWEENEY

T

here was a dark time in my life before I learned the wonders of Guns N' Roses, but I try not to think about that. I was elated when I read that the group would be rocking out Reading and Leeds this summer.

They may not be the same great band that created those legendary tracks but I wasn't going to miss a chance to see a once mighty band play live.

I wasn't blinded by nostalgia and had some reservations. The absence of Slash was worrying and I was wary of Axl's famous ego, which if it gained physical properties would form a gravitational pull greater than Jupiter's.

However, I reasoned that with a bit of imagination, even the axe wielding rock god could be replaced, and having already been witness to some of the industry's most notorious egos, I was sure that even Axel's infamous posturing would be bearable. Sadly I was wrong.

You have no doubt heard the horror stories that surrounded Guns'n'Roses comeback set, but these are nothing compared to the reality.

The boos were unstoppable as the crowd and I grew impatient with the band's tardiness and when they finally emerged, it was without a word of apology and with Axl in a cowboy hat. All in all, the worst possible start but nonetheless I decided to slog it out for better or worse.

I made the wrong decision - it was definitely for worse. Pudgy Axl seemed unaware that he was no longer the snake hipped front man of old and for much of the set seemed to be engaging with a struggle between his physical limitations and extreme vanity. At times, this pale imitation more closely resembled a spoof than the dream band of my teens and I would have been greatly relieved if the whole thing had been unveiled as a cruel joke.

By the end of the show I was left confused, disappointed and most of all, pissed off. It seems that our teenage heroes are definitely best left unmet, unseen and most importantly unheard.

CHRIS CRADDOCK

THE Ting tings hands

I

once overheard two boys discussing The Ting Tings at Reading festival – they both agreed that they’d watch the band because the lead singer "is like, soooooooo hot", but only on the condition that they could wear earplugs. However, the single has been expertly produced by Calvin Harris, and features another magically catchy chorus.

The duo have nailed the perfect balance between 90’s electro-pop and club beats, leaving me impressed enough to consider seeing them live without the earplugs.

Duck Sauce Barbara Streisand

S

omewhat wary of a band named Duck Sauce, I listened to their single with a few reservations. But I was pleasantly surprised.

The track is simply pure pop fun and captures a brilliant energy which you can’t help but tap your feet to. Within seconds I was warbling along to the repetitive chorus line, much to my friend’s displeasure. I can predict in a few weeks time I’ll be dancing embarrassingly to the irresistible beat in a club, though it won’t be long before the pop magic wears off and I’ll be running for the skip button on my iPod.

Skepta ft.

Preeya Kalidas Cross My Heart

S

kepta is considered to be a veteran of the UK grime scene, which is, admittedly, not really my thing. This self-produced track features a lot of drama, with sweeping synths and a heavy bassline. Yet, it’s not catchy, it’s not fun, there’s nothing that I particularly like about it, and when I’ve reached halfway through the track I’m debating whether I really have to listen to it all the way through. Grime really doesn’t appeal to me, and ‘Cross My Heart’ definitely doesn’t change that.

The Wanted Heart Vacancy

I

couldn’t stand The Wanted’s debut single, ‘All Time Low’. So when I heard this pretty piano ballad, I was slightly disgusted with myself when I found I liked it. A close listen to the vocals reveal a few confusing metaphors about the heart as a hotel room... lyrically useless. The vocals all sound the same – I can’t tell one from the other. There is a decidedly odd musical moment – ‘When I-I-I-I-I-I / Talk To You-u-u-u-u-u-u-u / On The Phone-e-e-ee-e-e-e’ – which I’m not sure is actually supposed to sound like that, but it fits, just. Despite the unashamedly corny lyrics and personality-free vocals, I sadly have to admit that I’ll be downloading this track.

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

Lives...

S

muse

FILM

TV

GAMES

of fans could see something. Knowing the importance of stimulating the eye as well as the ear, everything from the costume (Matt was sporting a fetching suit that looked like a disco ball) to the mobile stage which moved around to address the various sides of the stadium, was worth looking at. But the biggest spectacle was during the first encore when Muse played 'Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1', and an inflatable UFO circled the stage from on high before releasing a shower of glitter and an acrobat who performed throughout the song.

Aside from this however, the real gems of the show were the old favourites such as 'Feeling Good', 'Time is Running Out' and 'Stockholm Syndrome', which prove that Muse have not lost their touch at playing spectacular songs brilliantly. There were other crowd-pleasers such as an abbreviated version of their cover of 'House of the Rising Sun'.

The band’s final encore ran: 'Take a Bow', 'Plug in Baby', 'Knights of Cydonia', leaving the audience going home buzzing.

I

21/09/10

A

fter listening to Two Door Cinema Club's debut album Tourist History on repeat since stumbling across them earlier in the year, it is fair to say that I had never been more excited for a gig. Thankfully, Two Door Cinema Club did not disappoint capturing the whole audience with an entire rendition of their fantastic album.

The band have experienced an incredible summer and festival season where their popularity has increased tenfold; so much so, that their entire autumn tour was sold out weeks before they even went on the road.

The gig itself was an experience anyone in the crowd will do well to forget for its energy alone with lead singer Alex Trimble being matched word for word by the excitable crowd. Every song was met with a fantastic response, none more so than the infuriatingly catchy 'Do You Want It All', which even the coolest of indie kid would have found it difficult not to jump around (skinny jean permitting). Along with the whole of their now hugely popular first album, Two Door Cinema Club performed some new material which

was met with the same enthusiasm as the songs that the crowd already knew and loved. If these two new songs are anything to go by then fans of the band are set for a treat as the same catchy electro beats could be heard throughout. The gig finished with a rousing performance of 'I Can Talk' and left the now sweat drenched crowd with huge grins on their faces as Trimble remarked; “you are one of the best audiences we have ever played to. Thank you so much.” I bet he tells all the universities that, the sly Irish dog.

ADAM GRAY

the courteeners

british sea power f music is the food of love then forget being a fat, romantic slob; I am a clinically obese, hopeless lout but thankfully I have been blessed with nutritionist who started me on a healthier diet of classier tunes. This was another stage in my rehabilitation. Since my friend's entire previous gig suggestions had been major successes I felt confident that despite never listening to much of British Sea Power's material that I would be enjoying my evening in the newly refurbished Fibbers.

As the band took the stage after the dullest and most ignored warm-up artist it has ever been my misfortune to endure I was nudged into silence to listen to these boys rock. It may have been the woeful opening act but it just seemed to me that there was a real struggle to get any energy going. However, armed with floppy fringes, a Sheffield United top, a very floral set design and a seemingly redundant violinist the band slowly won over the crowd and finally got them going.

Nevertheless, the wait was worth it.

The buzz gripped me and the crowd and it had us all going. Then I was treated to something I thought I would never see. During their penultimate song, 'Carrion', their trumpeter launched himself

LISTINGS

Leeds Met SU, Leeds

JESSICA SWEENEY

Fibbers, York

CULTURE

two door cinema club

Wembley Stadium, London 10/09/10

upported by The Big Pink, Lily Allen and White Rabbits, one of world's most electrifying live performers took the stage. They opened their set with 'Uprising', from their latest album The Resistance. Despite the album’s mixed reviews, the atmosphere at the stadium was huge. While making it clear that they were touring a new album, just under half of the set list was made up of songs from older albums, including classics such as 'Citizen Erased' and 'Hysteria'. These songs got a massive reaction with the whole stadium singing along. Visually too, the gig was impressive. The stage was made up of screens surrounding the band all the way around, on which videos and live shots of the band were projected, so that even the shortest

BOOKS

04/10/10 into the crowd still playing! It was a bizarre sight but I highly recommend it to anyone who ever has had the slightest desire to observe a floating brass section.

Unfortunately, the band then committed one of the cardinal sins of the live performers. Brian May once said leave them blind, dumb and begging for more and that's exactly what they should have done after 'Carrion'. Regrettably they didn't - the set dragged and waned and so did my attention. A drab end to a delightful evening.

CHRIS CRADDOCK

F

or all its dust and dinge, I’ve always been rather fond of Fibbers. Dodgy 90s club nights aside, the unpretentious club is the heart of York’s (admittedly limited) live scene, and the intimate (read: sweaty) venue for some goose-bump moments, from often surprisingly big names.

Consequently, I was concerned that the newly revamped club might have replaced atmosphere and authenticity with unfeasibly attractive bar staff and a paint job. Thankfully, a storming set from The Courteeners rendered even the cynics speechless. The gig began inauspiciously with an anodyne set from the Bicycle Thieves; harmless indie that would benefit from replacing a glut of guitars with something more interesting (like a keyboard.

Or an accordion…) To be fair, the sound remained patchy throughout, apparently overlooked in favour of a worryingly enthusiastic smoke machine. Nonetheless, all doubts were dispelled when The Courteeners took to the stage. Famously outspoken front man Liam Fray snarled, strutted and glowered his way through a stream of well crafted pub friendly gems, but so adoring were the audience (predominately laddish sixth formers and their girlfriends moshing devotedly) that he needn’t have broken a sweat.

Fray and his band know their audience, expertly keeping them

on side with a hefty sprinkling of singles between tracks from new album Falcon and old favourites from St Jude. The middle of the set sagged slightly, with a stretch of solos from Fray feeling overly long and exposing a tendency towards slightly samey lad rock and meaningless lyrical platitudes. Despite this, the audience remained engaged and an unstoppable encore, consisting of the fantastically Marr-esque jangling of singles 'You Overdid It Doll', 'Not Nineteen Forever' and 'What Took You So Long', managed to overcome even the switching off of the sound system when the band overran. By the end the exertions of the mosh pit had taken its toll and the freshly decorated ceiling was dripping red paint - not many gigs have the power to leave you apparently sweating blood.

All in all this was a striking inauguration for a likeable nightspot.

RACHEL PRONGER

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

R.I.P. FRIDAYS AT THE DUCHESS Loving home of many fantastic fridays

U

p The Racket has been a staple of my York nightlife since my first year. I was always more of a Friday Night Duchess than a Sunday Night Gallery sort of girl. Consequently, it saddened me greatly to learn that The Duchess had killed off its infamous indie night.

Around 11pm every Friday night, the 'indie kids' flocked to The Stonebow, escaping the generic chart garbage churned out by the mainstream clubs.

Up The Racket was never promoted as a student night but the student regulars overran the club and made it their own.

They would descend the sometimes precarious staircase, pay the £5 entry (£3 with a student card don't forget) and collect a few free lollipops for the stumble home.

The room would gradually fill with a vast array of characters and the everfamiliar faces. The groups of boys in the tightest of skinny jeans, checked shirts and long fringes hindering their eyesight loitered around the edges of the room.

The girls jostled for space on the dancefloor, wearing Topshop's finest, topped off with some impressively back-combed hair. And of course the 'cool' kids always made an appearance, their outfits carefully crafted for two hours, all to achieve the 'I just threw this together' look.

There was hardly a need for The Duchess to have two separate bars but of course it did, and for this, the people were grateful. I can't ever remember having to queue for my double sambucca, a rarity for most clubs in York on a student night. Alongside the speedy service, The Duchess provided its regulars with an array of beverages; some of which could be described as unconventional to say the least. Take, for instance, "Muddy Waters" which I think was a mix of blue WKD and Southern Comfort and the result more than lived up to its name. Happily, everything was served in double quantities, from the jaegerbombs to the sambucca and the four bottles of Fosters.

One of the most pleasing sights would be someone who had mastered carrying all four bottles with one hand.

It was not just the people and the vast quantities of alcohol but the music made the place special for me. It was refreshing not to have to listen to Alexandra Burke and Katy Perry on a night out.

Nights could begin with an obscure album track from Foals or something from a little-known band. The music would then move to standard indie (Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro, The Cribs), some classics (Blur, The Smiths, The Clash) and of course the odd song you've never heard for years. I fondly remember once stand-

ing with a group of friends, screaming the lyrics to Head Automatica's "Beating Hearts Baby", feeling fifteen again.

Those of you who keep up to date with the York club scene during the holidays will be very aware that Up The Racket has not totally disappeared but has in fact moved to the newly refurbished Fibbers. Hopefully this night will be just as popular, quirky and enjoyable but I fear that the charm of its old venue will be missing. Perhaps this move should prompt other clubs in York to establish a solid, weekly alternative night.

Tru has recently been renamed as Tokyo and under its new guise could be the perfect place to do an interesting multi-room indie night - think Leeds' Cockpit style.

One thing remains. Friday nights in York will always be indie night and you'll no doubt see me at Fibbers on a Friday, with a double jaegerbomb and a nod of acknowledgement towards its predecessor.

eLizabeth hill

LISTINGS

Tom Marlow

POP BITCH!

I

t’s a new year, with new people, new homes, new student nights and new music! Where has this year gone? Here at Vision, we would like to take all you returning students on a trip down memory lane, to revisit the massive tunes of FRESHERS ‘09, but also to predict what will be the massive TUNES of this year’s! RIP Tru... and HELLO TOKYO. (Or should we say, KANICHIWA!)

Cheryl Cole

Oh Cheryl, what a year you’ve had! You won The X Factor, lost your hubby but you gained malaria... And what about that massive song you released...what was it called?...”FIGHT FOR THIS LOVE?” If there has to be an anthem of Freshers’ last year, this is it. Released on 16th October ‘09, Cheryl’s wise words provided inspiration to us all: “if you feel like we’re growing apart, let’s go back back back back back to the start.” If Cheryl can do it, anyone can (even though she didn’t – but let’s not talk about that right now). We here at Vision reckon that her new song 'Promise This', a spicy slice of electro pop with a French twist, is going to be an anthem this Freshers. But don’t mention Girls Aloud band mate Nadine Coyle’s new song ‘Insatiable’, which has the beats and vocals to potentially blast Cheryl out of the water. get ready for a cat fight!

Alexandra Burke

A

lternative club nights were few and far between in York last year. Make no mistake, we enjoyed some seriously fun outings (The Willow, Salvation and Ziggy’s being particular favourites) but there was little on offer for anyone whose idea of a good night doesn’t constitute cheesey pop, continuous airhorns and substandard 90s mashups. Indie kids were pretty much exclusively limited to the decent, if sometimes wilfully anti-commercial nights at The Duchess, so when Fibbers announced a total re-haul, Vision got excited.

So, on one cold Friday night in September, we headed down to The jam-packed Stonebow, where each Courteeners fan in the long line beside us boasted a coveted yellow wristband reading “Vaguely Important Person”. We were presented with some generous freebies at the front door before being lead into a surprisingly frantic and unfinished Fibbers. Men with drills attached mirrors to walls whilst others straightened projectors and swept the floor. The long line of bar staff simultaneously scurried around, stocking fridges and fixing taps, but more often their hair; styled to casual perfection.

Whilst the lights were still on and the smoke machine remained inactive, we took it upon ourselves to inspect the venue. Aside from being considerably larger, Fibbers feels similar to other underground indie clubs, such as London’s Factory. No longer are the non-functioning toilets and adverts of cheap Skittles cocktails the focal point of the venue, but rather the new glossy bar with projected backdrop (situated where

the stage was previously). The new sound system should continue to sound excellent with talent at both ends of the cable, and is infinitely better than Fibbers’ previous PA offering. Behind the bar is a hidden gem of a seating area, with deep-set circular tables and benches resembling vinyl records. Although the sunk-in arrangement is a recipe for disaster on student club nights, it’s a massive improvement on the previous seating area, and actually a pretty good place to sit and chat.

After chatting to fellow gig-goers and taking advantage of the free bar, we headed into the pit to watch the opening band, Bicycle Thieves. As a fairly short individual, my gig experiences seem to be a constant contention between my petite self and the tallest person in the room, who is, naturally, stood right in front of me. However, at Fibbers, I managed to get a glimpse (and often more) of the stage from more or less wherever I stood; a necessity for such a close, intimate venue. Unfortunately, my tiptoed efforts to watch the first band were in vain; they didn’t engage the crowd, introduced themselves only once (and even that was a mumble) and the shy frontman sadly threw away their opportunity to impress. The audience seemed more hyped during the interlude of Arctic Monkeys and Oasis tracks, where chants of “Yorkshire! Yorkshire” were quickly put to shame by overbearing shouts of “MANCHESTER! LA LA LA.” A long while later, The Courteeners finally took to the stage. They were late out, but their set was fun and went down very well with the ardent crowd, who were surprisingly rough and unsurprisingly sweaty. The intimacy of the venue faired well and the audience remained engaged throughout, even when the band had overrun and the sound was turned off.

With a decent PA system, great sightlines, good music and a nicely intimate feel, Fibbers looks set to bode well in York’s gig scene. If the selection of music on offer between bands is replicated in Fibbers’ club playlists, the nights will offer a substantial alternative to those who prefer to leave their air horns at home and their cheese in the fridge.

JAIME RILEY

Cheryl’s X Factor baby Alexandra Burke released her first song ‘Bad Boys’ on 12th October ’09 and it proved to be a HUGE hit during Freshers, taking over both Gallery and Tru. Alexandra’s next efforts to reach the top spot failed miserably although she did show the world her nice dry armpits (fresher than a fresher’s) for a deodorant ad. Sadly her Freshers 2010 release, ‘Start Without You’, actually offends my ears. Alexandra appears to be attempting to get in touch with her Jamaican roots, choosing to sample that Boney M/Cheeky Girls classic ‘Hooray! Hooray! It’s a holi-holiday!’. The results are less ‘delightful pop/ reggae crossover’ and more ‘who invited a dodgy rapper to a child’s birthday party’. Lyrics such as “you give me amnesia/shake your booty like a seizure” make us hope this train wreck of a track will not be heard anywhere in York this term.

Shakira

This sexy minx really showed us all what was ‘underneath her clothes’ last October.. .a cheeky little SHEWOLF! Unfortunately, Shakira’s next song ‘Did It Again’ didn’t, and failed to get played in any clubs. Ever. She seems to have been so hurt

by North Yorkshire’s rejection that she didn’t even BOTHER to release her next two singles in the UK. However, ‘Waka Waka’, official World Cup Theme for 2010, made it to numero uno in 14 countries and went five times platinum in Spain.

Now nobody can hold the Columbian down as she plans to release her new single ‘Loca’ in November, featuring the one and only Dizzee Rascal. Hopefully it will go down a storm this term!

Eoghan Quigg

Freshers’ Ball – oh what a night! A circus theme, an overpriced bar, a distinct lack of cotton candy, the world’s longest queue and...what?

No headline act?! No Wiley?! What will we do?!

I'm beginning to fear I just wasted £35 Never fear, QUIGG IS HERE! My flatmates and I only managed to catch the last song from the ridiculouslynamed X Factor loser but a magical cover of Take That classic ‘Never Forget’, was truly unforgettable. Sadly despite this star turn Quigg has since been dropped by his record company and has done nothing since. ouch. Fingers crossed Marina has better luck at The Big Bang (or at least turns up...)

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

Albums... the script Science and faith

I

Out Now

f you already own The Script’s first album, then there isn’t really much point buying their second: Science & Faith. In fact, don’t even waste your time illegally downloading it. Science & Faith has grown little in terms of its lyrical scope or melodies. It is, as with their former album, filled with lyrics about never letting a girl down and being madly in love, (opener 'You Won’t Feel a Thing' has lyrics like, “coz everything the world could throw, I'll stand in front I'll take the blow for you”), as well as having a broken heart. Whilst, 'For the First Time' does tackle a new issue - that of unemployment - it is intertwined with re-igniting a love with an old flame when they both find themselves unemployed and this connection seems slightly farfetched if not completely out of place.

It seems that rather than taking a plunge and shedding light on important aspects of life other than love, The Script have decided to remain within their comfort zone, which, unfortunately to the listener, becomes extremely autonomous and boring after the first two songs. Even their short rap in 'This=Love' seems

more an attempt at following the current trend of mixing harmonies and rap, aimed more at reaching the top 10 rather than producing something original to them and the music scene. However, if you’re heartbroken or desperately in love with someone and in the mood to dwell on it, Science & Faith is the perfect choice. But, if you’re looking for a mix of melodies, lyrics, themes and most importantly originality, Science & Faith should not be given a second glance.

CAROLYN TRINE

Maroon 5

D

Interpol Interpol

I

Out Now

nterpol are a New York indie band that has been together for over ten years. The debut of Turn on the Bright Lights provoked much hype and the followup Antics established Interpol's artistic credibility. The new self-titled album is their 4th studio release and will,unfortunately, be their last album with the familiar line-up of recent years, as the release comes with the announcement that the bassist, Carlos D is leaving. One wonders if it's because Interpol have chosen a new direction which he dislikes and at first listen I was surprised at how different they sound. Initially I felt disappointed but after several listens some of the tracks have grown on me: 'Success' and 'Lights', which sees a strong bass line and a mesmerizing build up, stand out. These songs encapsulate what Interpol do best: dark, brooding, understated moments that seize you.

Unfortunately the second half of Interpol is bleak, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, however it lacks the beautiful melancholy

Hands All Over

Katy Perry

Out Now

Teenage Dream

espite first bursting onto our radios in 2002, Hands All Over is in fact only Maroon 5’s third album. In many ways this hiatus seems to have matured the quintet, although their penchant for slightly bland pop rock still emerges on this new effort. Songs like 'Misery' or 'Give a Little More' are difficult to differentiate from from other more famous tracks from years gone by. Indeed, it isn’t until midway through the album that a listener might actually feel that something new is happening in the lives of Adam Levine et al.

However when the album does begin to showcase a more mature sound, there are some surprising gems. Adam Levine’s bright vocals abound, as do some occasionally corny phrases (“You were wrong for turning me on and on and on and on and on / You make it so hard”). Despite this occasional lyrical gems do crop up, especially in highlights ‘Stutter’ and ‘How’. The latter’s observation that “Though I don’t understand the meaning of love / I do not mind if I die trying” serves as a poignant reminder that despite all band members being over the age of 30, none have settled down yet.

As a result, in a notable change from previous offerings, this album moves from the band’s standard angry break-up songs through the dif-

ferent stages easily identifiable in a relationship. Levine’s vocals move from ‘Stutter’-ing to proclaiming that he and collaborator Lady Antebellum “Need to move on […] Cause we’re out of goodbyes” in a stunning finale to the main body of the album. A cover of Queen’s 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' is the perfect conclusion to an unexpectedly strong album.

In short, Hands All Over marks a progression and maturing of Maroon 5’s sound. Nonetheless, anyone who isn’t already fan may remain unmoved sensing more of the falsettoridden marginally funky pop that has so far defined the band's career.

PAUL VIRIDES

Out Now

S

traight from her "California cotton candy cloud", Katy Perry brings us her second album full of sickly sweet, Brand inspired, pop anthems.

I must admit, I was not an original Katy Perry fan, remaining unmoved when she shocked us with 'I Kissed a Girl'. So when she hit us with 'Hot and Cold' and 'Waking up in Vegas', she instantly found a fan in me. She has solidified it with 'California Gurls' and has now blown the boat with 'Teenage Dream'. Katy Perry has become nothing short of a brand new legend. Plus her recent appearance on the legendary Sesame Street has been banned.

Rock. And. Roll.

The album Teenage Dream is full of innuendoes directed straight at Brand’s "best bits" shall we say. with 'Peacock' featuring Perry suggestively questioning, "are you brave enough to let me see your Peacock?" However, you’ll be quick to find that it will become one of those songs that EVERYBODY is talking about.

Enjoy watching reactions when it is heard for the first time, especially with lyrics : "You got the finest architecture, end of the rainbow-looking treasure".

I won’t lie, all songs on the album are corkers. However, some are more addictive than others. 'Who Am I Living For?' creates a mid-album slump, but this is rectified by the beautifully simple 'Pearl',

that good bleak albums accomplish so well.

Instead of breathtaking hopelessness we often receive weak, dreary, moaning and obscure lyrics. Many tracks favour a dronelike sound over memorable hooks and riffs and we are subjected to an overbearing amount of reverb which sounds like back ground noise instead of atmospheric ambience. You often find yourself expecting a change in tempo or a climatic conclusion yet neither happens and the later songs seem to merge into one. Although the lyrics tackle interesting themes such as disillusionment, Paul Banks has a tendency to just tediously repeat song titles over and over again as choruses. If you're expecting the same strong songs found in previous albums you'll be disappointed, but have patience with the first half of the album as some tracks turn out to be gems.

LAUREN WELLER

just one of the songs that prove Perry’s worth and one of the greatest treasures is 'Last Friday night (T.G.I.F)', a strong contender for Teenage Dream’s best song.

Further highlights include album ender 'Hummingbird Heartbeat' which wouldn’t be out of place in a 90’s chick fick’s closing credits, and you’ll find yourself belting out the lyrics to 'Circle the Drain' within one listen. Track 'ET' is reminiscent of TATU’s 'All The Things She Said'. Good thing or bad thing, I’ll let you decide.

Meanwhile the album closer 'Not Like the Movies' is reminiscent of something that could be found on an Athlete album, with pianio riffs that could bring a lump to your throat.

Teenage Dream has provided Perry with an outlet to show her love of all things Brand and I dare you to not be taken in. It’s a pure sugarcane of an album, for anyone with a sweet (music) tooth.

NICOLA CHAPMAN

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

JON RICHARDSON Do you find yourself obsessing over filing, spending hours perfecting cups of tea and aiming to wrap up your life working as a baker in the Lake District?

Then stand-up comic Jon Richardson could be the perfect partner for you.

JAIME RILEY finds out more...

A

dmittedly meticulous and labelled grumpy by critics, the twenty-eight-year-old feels his fussy and slightly eccentric disposition is reflective of his imbalanced lifestyle.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a bit meticulous, but the best moments you have are when you let that go. In the same way that you need to be really hungry to enjoy the best meal, if you genuinely try hard and are a bit meticulous, then you earn the right to let your hair down a little bit. I know certainly because I can pay a bit too much attention to detail, if I have a day when I’m just with friends, when I have a day when I get drunk I enjoy it all the more. It’s about balance.”

And it strikes me that Richardson is striving to achieve more balance in his often disproportionate world. He has been labelled as ‘grumpy’ but seems opposed, despite the fact that is act is majorly critical of others.

“It’s definitely what my stand up’s about. I wouldn’t ever want to think I was saying I’m right about everything. I discuss the discrepancies between how I would do things and other people tend to do them.

It’s bled into it’s because it’s who I am. My life is what I talk about on stage, rather than the other way around. You have to let stuff go and accept that people aren’t the same as you and it’d be boring if everyone was. I tend to bang the same drum all the time. I think [being grumpy is] a British thing, but it’s also a global thing."

Jon is confident in the therapeutic quality of such an attitude. "You can’t help but pick faults in what you see, and if you were trying to make your life perfect then you’re bound to talk about and think about the things that are wrong. In life generally, you learn more from the mistakes you

make than the things that go right, so you talk about the thing that isn’t right in the hope of making it better.

But you’ve got to make sure you get the balance right... maybe I’ve got the balance wrong. In the past, people have accused me of being grumpy. I don’t like watching comedians going on about how great everything is and how great their lives are.

Everyone’s frustrated with things, and the more you can tap into that, the more you make people feel that they aren’t alone in being unhappy.

If you can make it funny then I don't like watching comedians that’s the joy of comedy; taking going on about how great something that isn’t right and everything is make it funny.”

Jon is open about his attitude towards relationships, and has reportedly been single for seven years. He struggles to tend to sacrifice happiness to accept other’s shortcomings and worries get things done. It certainly isn’t a sensithat his perfectionist ble way of doing things. You can only talk attitude could spoil the about what you feel as stand-up, and that’s friendships that he has. definitely how I feel.”

“That was one of He performed the show at the Edinthe theories of moving burgh festival this summer and received away to Swindon, to wide critical acclaim, despite feeling limit the time I spent downbeat at times.

Mac or PC? around people, to feel I am Mac; I used to be PC and everyone told me I should get “I was a miserable sod [in Edinburgh] like I wasn’t grating on this year. I had a poker evening with some a Mac. I asked them why and they couldn’t really tell me. So why know don’t I same. the them. If you see people of my friends and ended up storming out I got one, and now I feel exactly they’re better but they’re more idiotproof. everyday it’s impos- at three o’ clock in the morning because it who sible to maintain any was taking too long! It’s so concentrated hero, super any be could you If sort of perfection in as you get reviewed on so many different be? you would their eyes, and so if be? levels by so many different people. It can If you could be a superhero, which would you you limit the time you make you a worse comic, if you’re not like I one. coolest the cool, quite He’s think.

I I’d be Batman spend around them, the careful. You showcase what you do and if the idea of having a basement and having sexy stuff like a more effort you you aren’t careful you get so het up about mate a have to cool be it’d Robin; a like I’d And car. black sexy tend to make what else is going on, you don’t enjoy peraround. when you are with forming anyone. You can see the stress What would you like to be known for in people.” behind [other comics’] eyes when they’re the future?

Jon’s latest show doing their comedy. You have to go there known. being with am I ed was titled ‘Don’t happy, and prove yourself at the festival but it’s The more I do, the less concern When I first startedin comedy was obsessed with being be worry’, and he ex- good to get away!” e known as the best comedian but it seems likea lot of pressur plains it is perhaps a Jon enjoys watching a whole host of conow. I’m not sure I want the pressure of being remembered reflection of his atti- medians, but has his favourites. do to want don’t I where point a come There’ll future. inthe tude to life.

“My favourite comedians are the ones stand up anymore, and I’d like to drift away and run a little “It’s an unfortunate that are dead! I did Live at the Apollo bakery in the Lake District somewhere. life philosophy that I last week and my favourites there were wouldn’t encourage Lee Mack and Sean Lock. They are on anyone else to follow. I incredible form at the moment.

Lee Mack is one of the most naturally funny men, he just has funny bones and he’s infectious to watch.”

Jon recently appeared on ‘8 Out of 10 Cats’ and mentioned that on occasion,when he feels like he needs some TLC, he puts on a tighter tshirt, as it feels like a cuddle.“It was an off the cuff remark that seems to have caught on! I remember going to say it and thinking I should possibly think twice about saying something like that. I don’t want to look pathetic or needy but it’s something I’ve done in the past... kept t-shirts from my childhood for a little bit too long and not stopped wearing them as they’ve become a bit more constricted.”

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

Elliott's top 5...

David Elliott t h i n k s about the top five movies to watch w h i l e h u n gover...

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

Okay, so Darren Aronofsky’s monumentally depressing addiction opus won’t exactly cheer you out of your hangover, but it will serve as a timely reminder of the EVILS and CONSEQUENCES of your DECADENT LIFESTYLE. Sit there with a massive bowl of Crunchy Nut and an Innocent smoothie and content yourself with the fact that no matter how bad your crippling headache may get, your life is sweet compared to these guys'.

BRAIN DEAD Nausea is the hangover's brutal, scarred enforcer... but it can be a bit of a tease. Your stomach can’t always follow through on its promise, and the pain stays in your body rather than making good its chunky escape. Brain Dead, Peter Jackson’s comically repulsive, hyper-gory zombie horror, provides a remedy. I can only sympathise if its many gruesome sights (eyes exploding into bowls of soup; literally hundreds of the shuffling undead getting churned up by a lawnmower) don’t induce in you gap yah-levels of heroic chunder.

STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE

Alcohol makes us do terrible, terrible things. I won’t go into specifics - what happens in Ziggy's stays in Ziggy's - but these terrible things often have consequences, that may include falling out with best friends, landlord, porters etc. Happily, George Lucas has, in the form of insufferable Rastafarian frogman Jar Jar Binks, provided a universal hate figure to unite with said friends against. Just try to avoid acknowledging that Lucas has used an uncomfortable racial stereotype to embody this huge shit on our childhood.

THE HANGOVER I know, how terribly obvious. Even so, when you realise that you decided to pay for everyone’s Oki’s last night, and all you have to show for it is uncontrollable jitters, an empty bank account and a fridge that smells of deep fried death, it’s nice to see that sometimes a night out can have indisputably awesome results. Getting mauled by both a tiger and Mike Tyson may not be everyone’s idea of a great night, but I’ll take it over the Willow…

UP Genuinely the most lovely movie in the world. Its undiluted happiness washes all pain away.

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

SUMMER 2010:

THE MISSING REEL

First off, let’s start with Inception. It took the summer by storm, but I didn’t rate it.

Then again, I thought Sex and the City 2 was passable, so quite why I haven’t been lynched as a critic already is beyond me. Don’t get me wrong: I think Christopher Nolan put a lot of work into Inception, and it shows - but the story failed to draw me in past its shiny, dreamy exterior. The same may be said for its lead, Leonardo DiCaprio.

The film bullies you into admiring its complexities, its novelty and its quirky idiosycncricities, but I just wanted a reason to care about the characters. Yeah, Cobb lost his wife, but now he sees her whenever he shuts his eyes. And yeah, she’s always trying to kill him, but that’s marriage for you.

And as for the others? A car with as many parts as Inception needs a truckload of fuel to keep going, and whilst the supporting cast managed to drive things along, it came at the price of my single request for all good films: convincing, enjoyable character development.

Speaking (or indeed writing) of intimidating pictures, Richard Curtis, the writer of such soft candies as Notting Hill and Love Actually, has produced an unnerving short film for the environmental campaign 10:10.

Apparently, Curtis decided that the best way to get our support is to petrify us into submission by detonating our friends and colleagues (provided they don’t immediately pledge their support). Seriously, it’s hilarious. It’s also been pulled from cinemas and the 10:10 website.

But here lies the trend we’ve seen all summer - and thereafter, in fact. Hollywood has always had an agenda, but never has it been so transparent. Originality doesn’t sit well when you’re trying to figure out what you're going to market, and how. Even a product like 10:10’s No Pressure (seriously, you can’t make this shit up) which could not be more direct is too unstable to be a success, and will most likely end up getting replaced by something of the tried-and-tested formula. So, as much as I may think Inception is overrated, I do applaud its very existence.

Let’s take a look at further developments in the industry this summer: predictably, a sleuth of sequels have all been greenlit to yank those Yanks back who watched the

Have you seen...?

M

y experience with horror movies has been mixed, to say the least.

First contact: M. Night Shyamalan’s 2002 sci-hokum Signs – okay, not a horror flick exactly (or at all), but that bit where the kids filmed the alien at their birthday party scared my shit clean in. The genre was then avoided, almost religiously, until I came to uni, that unclean nirvana of Facing Your Fears. For some people it’s going out, for others it’s staying in – for me, it was scary movies. Bizarrely, however, they had seemed to have lost their mojo in the intervening 6 years. The Shining – nothing. Teeth – nada, save for manly concern.

That all changed when I saw REC. That was a rash decision. The fact that co-directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza started making horror movies at around the same time I discovered Lego should have cautioned me, but I was drunk on power. Stanley Kubrick couldn’t scare me, I scoffed; even a vagina with teeth couldn’t do it. What chance

first one(s). Hangover 2’s begun filming in Thailand, Transformers 3 in Chicago, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and our very own London. Trailers have emerged for The Social Network (and it’s REALLY dramatic.

You cannot FATHOM the drama of inventing Facebook. Digitising puberty was really intense...) and Paranormal Activity 2, which was pulled from Twilight screenings because, well, teams Edward and Jacob are a wee bit fragile. And also twelve years old.

Meanwhile, a number of remakes have also been commissioned, such as The Three Musketeers and Tron. SpiderMan also gets a reboot, with Andrew Garfield replacing Tobey Maguire as the teen who produces more sticky white fluid than Justin Bieber does reading his fan mail. And on that wholesome note, the Biebster has agreed to shoot a feature-length biopic (in 3D, no less!) with director David Guggenheim. The only chance of redeeming that mess is that it might work slowed-down 800% (and if you don’t know what I mean, you spend a healthy amount of time away from the internet). Bieber has also expressed intentions of remaking Grease - with Miley Cyrus - furthering his transformation into the giant middle finger he really is.

Also on the horizon: 3D re-releases of Star Wars (in sequence, with The Phantom Menace coming at’cha in 2012) and Titanic - so we can celebrate the 100th anniversary of its sinking by watching Kate Winslet’s front jiggle and bob (and those are verbs, not names) in the third dimension.

So, what of the films actually released this summer? Well, Julia Roberts returned to form in Eat Pray Love, where she plays you, only BETTER. She’s actually lovely, but the film has too much sugar and spice piled did a pair of no-name Spanish auteurs have? Sweet Norman Bates I was wrong.

Filmed in a mockumentary style, REC opens with plucky, ambitious TV presenter Ángela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) tailing the night shift at a local fire station. The firemen have received a call from a nearby apartment, where apparently an old lady is trapped. The group arrives at the old lady’s room, only she’s now an old zombie lady, and she proceeds to chow down on the arm of a policeman investigati n g the disturbance. Howeve r, while all this has been going on, shadowy government forces have sealed off all entrances and placed the entire building under quarantine (incidentally, the name of the appalling shot-forshot American remake).

Then the injured policeman himself then shows signs of unreasonable aggression, and the plague starts to spread…

CULTURE

LISTINGS

MISSED A FILM? MISSED THE POINT? MISSED US? TOM MARTIN IS HERE TO INFORM AND COMPLAIN on by director Ryan Murphy, whose time spent on Glee has buttered his touch. Salt, starring Angelina Jolie was...well, another Angelina Jolie film. Robert Rodriguez’s hilariously tacky Machete stood out from the crowd, whilst Going the Distance - a romcom starring Drew Barrymore and real-life boyfriend Justin Long flopped, maybe because watching a real-life couple getting

freaky on the screen is a little closer to porn than it is decent cinema. Apparently Chuck Norris made love to Arnold Schwarzeneger at some point and produced The Expendables, which triumphed at the box office, as did Piranha 3D, the remake of a sequel of a rip-off of Jaws... in 3D. Do you see where I’m going with this?

The Last Exorcism was received favourably by the critics but, of course, it wasn’t really the last...

This isn’t cynicism (or so I’ve decided); I’m not at all crushed by the sequels and the remakes and cash-ins. I’m excited about the next X-men film (Bryan Singer is back!), and I’ll buy my ticket to the fourth Pirates. At the end of the day, it’s just the way Hollywood works. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, and M. Night Shyamalan needs work. They’re making a film of the boardgame Battleship.

Rihanna’s going to be in it. Hollywood might need saving, but it’s going to be years before anyone admits it.

dirs. Juame Balagueróa

and Paco Plazaa

Lesser directors might have been carried away by this wave of tension and pumped the movie into an ever-escalating, hysterically violent splatterfest, but Balagueró and Plaza are content to ride the same wave, maintaining a quiet, fragile level of suspense that could be broken at any time.

Horror clichés are redeployed skilfully: when the lights go out, they go out permanently; the supporting cast are naturally the first to go, but the rate at which they do is frightening to behold. Manuela Velasco, a real life presenting personality, is particularly terrific in the lead role – her damsel in distress shtick lies just shy of irritating, and her disintegration from cocky assured yuppie to gibbering wreck is completely convincing. The movie only really missteps in its last few scenes, when it shows too much of the supernatural evil at the heart of the outbreak, but the effect is still terrifying. REC stopped me sleeping properly for about a week – if that sounds good to you, you will enjoy (read: survive) this movie.

David Elliott

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

DE

FILM

IL

D

evil, the latest film from the mind of M. Night Shyamalan. Apparently he was a writer on this, rather than the d i r e c t o r, which I must say is a small blessing. If he's the writer, though, then I would put him somewhere with Stephanie Meyer and James Patterson in the 'Do not give pencils’ cell. And then set the cell on fire.

Warning: spoilers ahead. Well, I say spoilers…

Now, where to start? Leaving aside factual inaccuracies and plot holes and even the fact that apparently Mexicans are psychic and immune to evil… wait. I'll elaborate on that last one in a bit.

The premise of the film is that a group of ne'er-dowells entombed in a broken down lift gradually come to the realisation that one of their number is a fleshy incarnation of the Devil. And by gradually, I mean that the security guard and aforementioned Mexican, Ramirez, jumps to the conclusion that the Devil is in the building almost before the lift even stops, by using his psychic powers (I imagine these are hereditary, because he claims that his mother told him everything he would need to

The Town

dir. Ben Affleck

S

ometimes it’s easy to forget that Ben Affleck is an Oscar-winning screenwriter (with Matt Damon for the screenplay of Good Will Hunting in 1997) and presumably a pretty talented guy.

Much of his acting career since his Oscar win has been characterised by lazy performances in bad films (Pearl Harbour, Jersey Girl and the execrable Gigli) and not long ago he was more famous for being Matt Damon’s slightly embarrassing friend and the first three letters of ‘Beniffer' than for his faltering movie career. However, in 2007 he made his directorial debut with the fantastic Gone Baby Gone and Affleck was back on top. Now, with the release of The Town, which he directs, co-adapted and stars in, Affleck has proved that he is a force to be reckoned with and a very credible director.

Perhaps surprisingly, The Town is a pretty conventional heist thriller which features many of the

THE HOLE (in 3D)

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

DIR. JOHN ERICK DOWDLE

know as a bedtime story. Seriously, it’s like his mother had watched this film, because her lullabies are so specific that Ramirez is only one short step away from saying, “The black guy’s next.”)

But anyway, they’ve all done something to warrant divine punishment, and Satan’s got no compunctions killing innocent people to collect his bounty.

But the best bit? That would be the Science. In order to convince the nonbelievers that the Devil is around, he brings out the Science. You see, when the Devil’s around, things go wrong. Children hit their heads, people commit suicide, and toast lands jelly side down.

I’m not making that up. “It’s the Devil.” “No it’s not.”

“But the toast!” Well, that’s it. Q.E.D. Let's call the priest.

But then, we can't forget what should really redeem this film: the moral. And the moral of the story is, of course, that Mexican fairytales are unnecessarily detailed and bloody creepy as hell. No? Well, maybe if you apologise, the Devil will just say OK, no matter what you've done? Hm, maybe not. OK, how about this: when trapped

archetypes of the genre: the career-criminal (Ben Affleck delivering a refreshingly accomplished performance), the girl who gets caught in the middle (Rebecca Hall), the deranged best friend and accomplice (a fantastic Jeremy Renner) and the determined FBI agent (Mad Men’s Jon Hamm).

And to be honest, as a pure heist film, it’s pretty bloody good. The film’s three big set pieces are lean and visceral with a brutality reminiscent of a Michael Mann film. There’s enough shooting and excitement to keep the audience entertained but not so much that it becomes numbing. If you’re a big action junkie, you’d be hard-pressed to be disappointed with The Town.

However given the talent involved (The Town must have one of the most impressive casts of the year) and the darkness that permeated Affleck’s directorial debut, you are probably thinking that it’s more than just an action movie, right? There must be more to it? Well, there is... kind of. The characters are all given slightly more subtle shades than the genre usually allows particularly Jeremy Renner’s loopy criminal, Jem, and it seems that Ben

dir. JOE DANTE

J

in a lift with the Devil, even offering to sell him/her a mattress will not save you.

Still, at least it’s over… Oh dear God, he’s making a sequel.

James Strachan

Affleck has not forgotten how to craft complex and intriguing characters so that between set-pieces the film is more just a case of waiting for the next gunfight. The romance between Affleck’s Doug MacRay and young bankmanager Claire Keesey (the wonderful Rebecca Hall) feels like more than just a sentimental subplot and is in many ways the heart of The Town. Affleck and Hall have an easy chemistry and, while in retrospect their relationship is a little preposterous, the pair have enough easy chemistry and charm for it to be believable for the length of the film’s running time.

The Town is a great heist movie and a very good film. Ben Affleck has proved himself to be a very skilled action movie director and, while I hope that his future films might try to cover slightly less well-worn ground, there is something refreshing about seeing a meat and potatoes crime procedural done so well. Well worth the price of admission.

Charles Rivington

oe Dante, director of such films as Small Soldiers, brings us this family-horror. The film revolves around two brothers, moody-cool teenager Dane (Chris Massoglia) and his younger brother Lucas (Nathan Gamble) who move to a quiet suburb with their mother (Teri Polo). The duo befriend next-door neighbour, Julie, and upon exploration of their new house discover, as the film-title suggests, a (seemingly endless) hole in their cellar after which strange, unexplained events start to occur.

One major flaw with this movie is the simple fact that it's in 3-D, it simply adds nothing to the film and is just a gimmick. Although the premise of the film is fairly original, plot twists and turns are too predictable. Further, the score is cheesy and adds very little suspense to the film.

The acting is pretty decent, but there are several awkward silences and instances of poor vocal expression from the youngsters. However, expect to see more of Massoglia, a hybrid of Ashton Kutcher and Jared Padalecki, and Bennett, who oozes quirky coolness—but hopefully she will forgo obvious bikini-clad shots in future films.

Bruce Dern plays a great cameo as

‘Creepy Carl’ and brings a bit of a retro-feel to the film, looking reminiscent of Doc (Back to the Future). ‘Creepy Carl’ should have had a bigger part in this film.

There are, however, some redeeming features in this film—namely comical-scary scenes with the clown, which is very reminiscent of toneddown Chucky, and excellent cinematography. The theme of familydynamics is well explored; although this could have been too heavy for the target-audience if it wasn’t for some great comical one-liners and unintentional (?) puns around the word ‘hole’ that lighten up and distract from this dark-theme.

To summarise: less suspense, more action needed. This is actually more of a suspense-thriller, than as the billed family-horror. Compared to recent kid’s films such as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, this is a pretty dismal outing.

I will give some Hollywood big-wigs credit: timing of this film was bang on, avoiding clashes with presumably preferable and superior upcoming films such as Despicable Me and Harry Potter. My advice: save your money for one of those.

Sarah Green

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

N O I S I TELEV

by David Elliott

THE KIDS s r' e m m u S is th h g u ro th s u s lk ta N A M P A H C A L O IC N AREN'T ALRIGHT TV highs and lows...

C

A

lfred Hitchcock once said that "television is exactly like a gun. Your enjoyment of it is determined by which end of it you're on." That quote could certainly sum up this Summer’s television. We’ve had the pleasure from the return of the mighty Inbetweeners (E4), sadness or delight (pick your battle) over the end of Big Brother (C4) and absolute surprise when you realise Jamie Oliver has addressed a small, overweight boy in America with ‘brother’ over 400 times in 7 minutes.

It has been, for me, a summer of viewing pleasure. Re-runs of Snog, Marry, Avoid (BBC3), Baby Beauty Queens (BBC3) (my mouth was in permanent shock mode), The Saturdays 24-7 (ITV 2) and Waterloo Road (BBC 1) to name a few. There have been plenty of programmes to while away the freedom.

I know we are students, and we have the joys of watching Jeremy Kyle at 9.25 am, and again at 3 pm on ITV 2 (and then again at 4pm on ITV 2 + 1 if you are particularly sad or desperate, or both). But there is nothing more enjoyable than watching some mid morning TV. My favourite is the oddly presented Homes under the Hammer (BBC 1) – hell, I even watched it on my 21st Birthday! FAN. My favourite part is their choice of music – for example, Alan from Chichester is a Joiner, and lucky enough for Alan he’s been able to use his skill to completely renovate this 3–bed, subsidence-ridden, semi-detached house into a modern day Palace. Song of choice whilst we are watching Alan stroke his handy work?

Amii Stewart’s 'Knock On Wood'. Editing genius.

I was also super excited by the return of Mistresses (BBC 1) to the BBC for it’s third and final run. Having been an avid viewer every Tuesday for six weeks throughout Sixth Form, I was looking forward to seeing how the lives of Katie, Trudi, Siobhan and Jessica were going to pan out. Drama was what I asked for and drama was what I got. Affairs, finan-

cial ruin, cakes, pregnancy and betrayal.

What more could you ask for? The man from the ‘Sacla’ adverts? A crash involving a lorry on what looks like a quiet 20mph road you say? Well, what do you know, it had those as well. What a shame that was to be its last series. The 17-yearold me will miss it.

One of my favourite returns of the summer was the fantastic Gossip Girl (ITV 2). Loved by girls and boys alike - all hail GG! We were left with a cliffhanger at the end of series 3. Is Chuck dead? He better bloody not be. What of the Nate-Dan-Serena love triangle? And Blair? Will she get over the revelation that Chuck had slept with the sap Jenny?

Well, what a treat we were in for! Chuck is alive! Thank Christ/Gossip Girl writers.

Personally I would have refused to ever watch it again if Ed Westwick was killed off. I couldn’t live without him and his Bass cave of delights. Serena is (shock, horror) single, Dan is playing Daddy to a child that isn’t his, Jessica is dithering all over Brooklyn, Nate has been seduced by a woman he met in a café, who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Serena. And Blair – well Blair has enjoyed a summer in Paris, dating a Prince, enjoying the art and the fashion and feeling overshadowed by Serena’s cloud. Keeping up? It’s pretty simple. Gossip Girl is back and full of drama surrounding the social hierarchy. XOXO. And my all time summer return that I’ve welcomed with open arms? The Inbetweeners (E4) of course! Having been an avid follower since the beginningbeginning when there wasn’t even a bandwagon to jump on, I couldn’t wait to see the repercussions of ‘Doctor Poo’s’ incident in the Politic’s exam. The Inbetweeners so far has been in the running for funniest series ever, with the episode where they all go to a gig in the shortlist for best ever episode. ‘I need an ambulance, or failing that, my Mummy’. A show that has Facebook groups just for one liners is a show not to be shunned.

Last Monday’s episode in Warwick was so simple, yet so hilarious. Will eating a Bonsai plant, Simon having some ‘personal issues’, Jay, as ever, being a complete try-hard pervert and Neil who wants to now go University, something Will thinks he ‘shouldn’t bank on’.

However cool you thought you were at school you are more likely to be a Simon or Jay than an Effy or Freddie. Oh and there’s to be an Inbetweeners film apparently, with the ‘lads’ holidaying in Magaluf. Enough said.

And for all the TV delights, there has been some serious TV let-downs.

Did anyone else secretly hope somebody would get blown up when The Vic was on fire? Barbara Windsor bowed out as the hard nut Peggy Mitchell for the very last time. Her next TV project?

A bingo advert. Oh how the mighty have fallen. And I’m already bored of Jamie and his emotions. I am aware it has been filmed in America, but there is a limit to how much crying and shocked expressions you can pull in one episode.

Stick to what you do best Jamie – like cooking in your garden stove. A stove of which everyone else in the country has.

Is it just me or were the auditions of The X Factor (ITV 1) not so funny or exciting this time round? Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to the ‘Lives’ (why oh why are you still here Storm), but the only highlight of the auditions was the punch up and that man taking off his top. Unimpressed.

I watched a few of the Fearne and…

(ITV 2) shows, and all I can say is, STAY IN L.A. CRAIG DAVID. He creeped me out! And he just loves himself, singing by the piano, being a perv in a club and having his entire house adorned with pictures of bums. That was not a highlight to say the least.

So thank you TV, you have been my staple friend in an empty house. My application for Come Dine With Me (C4) should be going through soon...

hildren say the darndest things.

In September last year, Alesha Dixon unceremoniously booted Arlene Philips out onto her aged, talented rear end and claimed the token female seat on the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel, practically clasping Philips’ bleeding dignity in her youthful hands. The ex-Misteeq (remember them, of the edgy-yet-child-friendly urban persuasion?) dismissed the resulting backlash out of hand. “It’s a shame about all this because it really takes away from what the show is really all about,” she spluttered. But I’m sorry, Alesha, it’s you that’s taking away from what the show is really about.

Before I hit my stride, I want to clear something up – this isn’t about who deserves the post more, or unfair discrimination, but rather what makes for better TV. Dixon is attractive, talented and charismatic, but that makes her the perfect Strictly contestant, not the perfect judge. Her judging is cringeworthy, and it’s contestants, not judges, that should be cringed at. Arlene Philips had an experience about her that Alesha, bound by her age, couldn’t possibly have.

The problem is that an injection of young blood isn’t in itself necessarily a positive thing. Example: the batch of young comedians they’ve brought in to fill the large Frankie Boyle-shaped hole in Mock the Week. The show has seemingly become an arena for inexperienced toddlers to cut their teeth, rather than the showcase for developed comic talent that it’s meant to be. Broadcasting corporations’ desperate desire to be seen as cutting edge and relevant has provided a shortcut for aspiring performers, a shortcut that has led to a noticeable drop in quality.

I am 20 years old. I would like to think that I’m still young, and that I’d probably benefit the most from the youth bias in broadcast media, where I to harbour fabulous dreams of showbiz glitz. But these shows aren’t Blue Peter – they don’t need to be populated by prepubescent twats, because they aren’t watched (exclusively) by pre-pubescent twats. Stop treating us like kids, you faceless morons, cause we can deal with a few wrinkles.

That's better Alesha!

Remotes at the ready - My tv picks for the week

yer

Best of iPla

the l l e T t ' n o D

Bride

A pleasure you shouldn’t feel guilty about. Watch how everything seems to be ‘a disaster’ that could ‘rip the ENTIRE family apart’, but then somehow be ‘better than any day a bride could organise themselves’. Utter brilliance.

Tuesdays, BBC Three, 9pm

Watch this w

eek

The Appren

tice

Suralun is back! Sans Margaret I know, but back nevertheless with his boardroom wit and his soon-to-belegendary life observations.

I’m yet to see a series that beats that of the Badger days, so here’s hoping these Apprentices give Syed a run for his ‘inner-city boy’ money.

Wednesday, BBC1, 9pm

TV mystery of the week...

Will Gamu ever get a place on X Factor?

The X Factor, Saturdays (and probably Sundays) ITV 1

MUSIC SPOTLIGHTFILM MUSIC FILM

TV TV

GAMES GAMES

BOOKS BOOKS

CULTURE CULTURE

LISTINGS LISTINGS

Gamers: A Spotter's Guide

Playing Video Games as a hobby is big. Bigger than you'd expect. Enthusiasts span so many social scenes and preferences, you can never be quite sure if the person you're chatting to is one of those 'Gamers' you hear so much about. But never fear! Nathan Blades shares some of his never-before-seen research on some of the many species of Gamer in existence, and where to find them in York. Happy hunting!

"Retro Gamer" (Nostalgia Oldschoolus) This species clings on to the remnants of gaming's past. Retro gamers eschew the modern releases for the nostalgic games of their youth. They scour Gamestation and the Market for rare second-hand gems. But since game stores are stocking games from old platforms less and less these days, Retro gamers are most likely resort to eBay instead.

Games of choice:

The classics of yesteryear - Mischief Makers [N64], Snatcher [MSX], Super Metroid [SNES] Indie Games that embrace retro elements Cave Story [PC/WII], La Mulana [PC/WII], Braid [MULTI] Do say: "I still own a Super Nintendo."

Don't say: "Music in Videogames is just beeps and bloops."

"Japanophile Gamer" (Pokii Kawaiius) Overlapping with the other popular nerdy interest in watching Anime and reading Manga, the Japanophile Gamer has a heavy interest in all things from the land of the Rising Sun. But sometimes they can take it to an extreme and be a bit incomprehensible to others. But don't fear!

I'm sure they have the best intentions... most of the time. Plenty to find in the Anime & Manga Society.

"The Competitive" (Metagameus Antiscrub) Competitives don't just play games for fun, they play to win. The best scores, the most victories, and of course the best computer are all accolades to be reached and bragged about. Not bad people, just rather over-enthusiastic (and often 'sore winners'). Competitives are more prevalent online than in real life, but we have our own group of them in Frag Soc.

Games of choice:

First Person Shooters - Team Fortress 2 [PC], Halo: Reach [360], Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 [MULTI] Fighting - Super Street Fighter 4 [360/PS3], King of Fighters XII [360/PS3], Blazblue: Continuum Shift [360/PS3]

Do say: "What's your Gamerscore on Xbox Live?"

Don't say: "Dude, it's just a game..."

"Casual Gamer" (Neophyte Socialite)

Will only play games from time to time, maybe keeping the hobby a semi-secret. But when it comes to their game of choice, a whole different side is revealed; one that played Plants Vs. Zombies for 15 hours straight one weekend...

Male variant is actually somewhat less prevalent these days, and favours the latest FIFA or Call of Duty release to Wii Sports and Super Smash Bros.

The most common Gamer, found in any student area.

Games of choice:

Japanese RPGs - Final Fantasy IX [PS1], Persona 4 [PS2], Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep [PSP]

Do say: "Goku could totally destroy Superman in a fight."

Don't say:

"Superman could totally destroy Goku in a fight."

"High Fantasy Gamer"

(Tolkinus Eladrin)

The Proto-Gamer; this species has been around before video games even existed. Often enjoying the escapism of fantasy settings as opposed to competitive elements or an inherent sexy/gore factor. They tend to keep to themselves a lot, but are friendly enough. Most are found in hobby shops (such as the Travelling Man), while a few may be found in open fields, hitting each other with foam weapons. Found in the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Soc.

Games of choice:

Multiplayer/Party Games - Mario Kart Wii [WII], Rock Band 3 [To Be Released, PS3/360/WII] Sports - FIFA 2011 [MULTI], NBA Jam [WII], Pro Evo 2011 [MULTI]

Do say: "Let's have a few drinks at my place and

play Wii Sports."

Don't say: "You wouldn't be interested in this game; it's kind of obscure."

"The Neckbeard"

(Repulsus Trollia)

A thankfully minor species, the The Neckbeard takes their gaming hobby to the point of elitism.

Poor amount of attention paid to appearance (and possibly hygiene); identifiable by a scraggly beard going beyond the chin and starting to take over the neck. Incredibly rare to find in the wild; will barely ever stray from their cave.

However, they are incredibly prevalent on the Internet.

Games of choice:

Games of choice:

Western RPGs - Fallout New Vegas [360], Mass Effect 2 [360/PS3], Dragon Age: Origins [360/PS3] Traditional and Paper Games - Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Scrabble

Various - but The Neckbeard will be guaranteed to say a harsh thing or two about the games you enjoy.

Do say: "Is that a d20 in your pocket, or are you

Do say: ~Data Unknown~ Don't say: Most discussion will incite sudden

just happy to see me?"

Don't say: "Sci-Fi and Fantasy are pretty much the same thing, right?"

rage or fear in a Neckbeard.

Artwork provided by David "Drinks" Ryan - http://veromorte.deviantart.com/

Comments? Criticism? Love to hear 'em! Contact us at games@yorkvision.co.uk

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

Books News...

POTTER POTENTIAL

J. K. Rowling, has stated that she may write more books in the Harry Potter series. ­

Rowling was on Oprah Winfrey’s US chat show when she revealed that she still had the characters in her head and “could definitely” write more about them.

Supporting this claim is a recent interview Rowling gave in Scotland where, on being

asked whether she would revisit the wizarding world replied, "I'm not going to say I won't."

With filming finished for the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Rowling’s revelation could give hope to fans concerned about the oncoming drought of Harry Potter related material.

CULTURE

LISTINGS

TEJA PISK investigates the latest scoops from the publishing industry

PUT THE BEST TO THE TEST THIS month will see the launch of new website, www. page99test.com, which offers published and aspiring authors the chance to upload the 99th page of their work, allowing readers to comment on whether they would buy or read the actual book.

Ford Maddox Ford’s claim, "open the book to page

BOOKS

ninety-nine and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you" operates on the premise that the opening sentence of a book, be it bad or good, may not give any guide to the quality of what is to follow.

The 99 page test is seemingly a fair one. By this point in the text the characters should be established and the plot beginning to take hold. So if you’re unsure whether to pick up that book that caught your eye, try giving the 99 page test a go and let that decide for you...

CRAY-Z FOR JAY-Z?

THE cover and release date for Jay-Z’s long talked about book have been revealed.

Decoded is set to hit bookstores on Nov. 16, with an image of Andy Warhol’s ‘Rorshach’ print on the cover. As well as being released in hardcover version through publisher Speigal & Grau, Decoded will be published as an e-book and an iPhone/iPad application that will come with an exclusive video.

The book is fully illustrated and ‘decodes’ 36 songs from Jay-Z’s catalogue, offering a first-hand, intimate account

of his most famous raps.

An extract from the book reveals that one of Jay-Z’s aims in writing Decoded was to "make the case that hip-hop lyrics - not just my lyrics, but those of every great MC - are poetry if you look at them closely enough."

BARKING BRILLIANT

NOT quite content with his long running position as a judge on America's Next Top Model (now in its 13th cycle) and his influential status in the fashion industry, noted fashion photo g rapher Mr. N i g e l Barker has taken it upon himself to i n f i l t r at e a new medium - the publishing world.

Nigel's book Nigel's Beauty Equation: Revealing a Better and a More Beautiful You covers a variety of topics, ranging

from his own personal life (one section bears the headline: Honestly, I'm not gay) to philosophy and, of course, to beauty.

Perhaps interestingly for a man who has spent his life judging models on their physical appearance, Nigel's book focuses on inner beauty and the celebration of uniqueness. According to Nigel's forward, the fundamental message of the book revolves around the equation: " YOU + allure + confidence + compassion + spontaneity + radiance + health + honesty + charm + energy + humor = BEAUTY."

LOST IN TRANSLATION From library to cinema: Tabi Joy examines the

M

ost of us have read books and watched them come to life on screen. Our experiences tend to be almost mutually exclusive, for one does not often entail the other, or even bear much resemblance to it. It is certainly disconcerting to find our impressions of a book squashed by the forceful new presence of the film, and it provokes responses ranging from bemusement, to irritation, to downright disappointment.

Why then do we inflict these experiences upon ourselves? We certainly accept that the film will not match the expectations that we have; in fact when asked we tend to shrug and say that it's simply the way it always is. However our visits to the cinema continue. There seem to be several reasons for this.

Primarily, there will invariably remain some sense of hopefulness that the film will be good. We loved the book, and the film is basically the book, apart from the fact that it differs slightly in form. No matter. It will still be an acceptable, if not downright enjoyable way of passing the time.

In addition, the film is a tribute to the book. Even if it isn't as good, we still want to support it because we are subscribing to the brand, and it's still part of the family. We have to accept it for all its flaws.

Another important issue is that the film may even exceed the achievements of the book. It may be just as good as the book was, if not better, or at least offer a different experience. Consider those who go to see superhero films, but would never read

transition of books to film

the original comics, or those who are bored by Austen in print, but find the films far more accessible. Films can be valuable for a new perspective on a text.

On a marketing level, film can be integral in communicating the message of the original book.

On a more cynical level, a film vastly increases the fiscal value of the book, and can ride its success while squeezing even more money from it. This is where the Harry Potter and Twilight films make their entrance.

But in another way, it is possible for the book itself to benefit from film. The films Big Fish, Shrek and The Princess Bride were originally books that enjoyed far more success as films, and arguably work better in that form. Similarly, films can boost the economy, alongside the fortunes of a book; in the case of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the whole of New

Zealand benefited from the tourism industry at the time of the resurgance of interest in Middle Earth, and many local companies became involved. A set of films of that scale would mosty likely have not been possible without the appeal that the books had cultivated.

Finally, there is the fact that films are valid expressions of a book, just like merchandise, or fan art. It reaches a wider audience, and appeals to a demographic who may not have previously considered the appeal of the text, and may even pursue the text having watched the film. Spreading knowledge of a brilliant work is important, even if the message is somewhat corrupted in the process.

On the whole, there are plenty of interesting reasons why we watch film adaptations and the good that they can do. Although we may wonder (often after a disappointing screening) whether there is really any point to them at all, there will always be useful exceptions to the rule of failure to lift us from doubt. And at the very least we can enjoy them for what they basically are: a brief excursion from having to worry about such things.

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

RATED READS "T

hat was it: perfection.

Perfection of proportion, of illumination, of mood and manner. Beauty made manifest."

Simon Mawer's The Glass Room follows newly-weds Viktor and Leisel Landauer as they commission a hillside home, a modernist masterpiece in glass and metal, without realising that the building will have a lifelong hold on their love and lives.

They build a floating image of ‘space, light, glass’ where secrets cannot be kept long and the whole world is open to their eyes. A dark cloud, however, is on the hori-

zon. First adultery and then advancing Nazi troops blight the Landauers’ idyllic life and, as Viktor is a Jew, they are forced to flee, leaving their house to weather the oncoming storm.

Just as the building’s glass walls form mirrors and bounce light off metal pillars, different elements of the novel are reflected in each other. The glass house is not just any building, but rather an echo of the fate of the Landauer's and their native Czechoslovakia as they face the Nazi occupation and invasion of the Soviets.

Mawer’s novel was long listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2009 and you have to wonder how it did not win. This book is as beautiful as the house it describes, inviting you to follow and observe both building and characters as they go on their parallel journeys.

F

or all of those 90's children who watched the animated 'Moomin' television series on Saturday mornings, the book series can be a little startling.

While initially playful in tone, with vivid characters and fantastical situations, the series gradually becomes darker and more philosophical, culminating with 'Moominvalley in November', with the main characters absent and a more contemplative mood throughout. It is fascinating to compare the two. The Japanese series (with the obligatory American dub) exhibits a joyous, albeit slightly condescending treatment of the books; while the

books are more frank, less inclined to talk down to an audience of children, and show frightening situations without fear. The Moomin family and their friends experience floods, volcanic eruptions, comets, deep winters and strange holidays, all with their general sense of quiet acceptance and understanding.

While naturally excellent for children, it does adults no harm to reimagine the landscape and see the old stories in a new light. If, on the other hand, you feel uncomfortable reading children's books on the bus, you could try the Summer and Winter Books by the same author for a surprising glimpse into life on a Finnish island, where the weather may drastically change but people somehow remain the same.

E

mma and Dexter are the unlikely friends that David Nicholl's novel One Day centres on. Dexter is a spontaneous freewheeler who lives for a hedonistic life of alcohol, drugs and women while Emma is determined to ‘make some sort of difference’ but ends up working a deadend job in a fast-food restaurant. Different though they are, after a chance meeting and fling on the night of their graduation from Edinburgh University, a lasing friendship is formed between the pair.

TABI JOY

Nicholls’ novel follows their lives and joins them on the anniversary of their first meeting for the next twenty years.

What could have been just another romcom novel is transformed by this unusual format as each chapter leaves you desperately wanting to know what will happen over the next year until we meet them again.

Nicholls introduces a wealth of secondary characters, from wannabe comedian fiancés to university flatmates that make up the comic backbone of the story and, along with witty banter from Emma and Dexter, serve to make this an entertaining read.

One Day was the perfect summer holiday book, a laugh out loud and engrossing read with only one major flaw. The ending was surprising and touching but felt like a bit of a cop-out after such a believable book. Nevertheless, it may be the perfect choice for escapism from Freshers!

SOPHIE STEIGER

SOPHIE STEIGER

K I N D L I NG

NO

F I R E

Teja Pisk wades into the e-book debate...

T

he inexorable rise of the e-book is once again gaining steam, with steady sales of Apple's iPad alongside the recent launch of Blackberry's themed tablet the Playbook, . While the recent drop in the price of the Kindle may suggest a decline in demand for these portable libraries, recent sale figures of e-books reveal otherwise. Amazon recently declared that its sales of e-books over the last 3 months have outnumbered its sales of hardbacks.

The stats are the facts: the e-book is here, it's clear.

Get over it.

These words may make uncomfortable reading for book lovers, but even for the most hardcore paperback fanatic the benefits of the various forms of e-readers are worth considering. If only so you can dismiss them from a more informed point of view.

One major selling point of most e-readers in their striking visual appearance, all sleek and shiny edges.

With such a stylish gadget slotted into your palm you can't help but feel important, expensive, a little like a high flying city executive. Certainly for any technophile and Apple fanboy (or girl), e-readers are pretty irresistible just for their aesthetic qualities alone.

These stylish designs also take one crucial feature into account: weight. The portability of e-readers is undeniably a selling point. No more lugging around weighty tomes such as War and Peace, Ulysses or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. With an e-reader on hand you can carry entire bookcases of diverse titles niftily around in your bag.

Expanding upon the convenience of it all, most ebooks can be downloaded almost instantly. As an extra bonus, these downloads are significantly cheaper than the average retail price for hardbacks and paperbacks.

Any books published before the year 1900 have fallen out

of copyright and are consequently available for free, and the price of more modern texts averages out at around £5 or less. With such an extensive range of inexpensive titles immediately available at the click of a finger, the thought of queuing in line at a book store or hovering by the door waiting for your Amazon super saver delivery becomes rather unappealing.

There are of course several downsides to the various e-readers on the market, the initial cost being one of the biggest deterrents. For me though, when it comes down to it, there's something just wrong about the prospect of reading all my books on a little rectangular slice of technology. How am I meant to highlight? To scribble my brainwaves of potential genius in the margins? To stick multicoloured page markers down the side?

There's something so tangible about reading a book, old or new, that the clean lines and electronic screen of the Kindle just can't compare to. Opening a book so you hear that slight crack in the spine, eagerly turning crisp or well-thumbed pages, listening to the satisfactory snap as you close a finished text - all these most definitely rank among the most delightful simple pleasures in life.

They're right up there with popping bubble wrap and finding money you didn't even know you had.

To top it off, there's something intensely personal about a physical book. Whether in giving, lending, borrowing or buying, books remain very human objects, a point proved by a recent story published in the New York Times.

Lawyer and blogger Daniel Millstone was browsing in a second hand book shop in New York City when he came across several books that bore a familiar name on the opening pages: Paul Miglore.

The two men had been friends in the early 1960s, spending evenings together at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Slightly concerned as to why Paul's books had turned up in a second hand book shop, David began to search for his old friend.

Eventually, the two spoke b y phone and have made plans to speak again. Paul Miglore, who now lives in New Jersey was touched by the reunion, stating that, "It sort of reinforces the continuity of life."

Try imagining that happening with a Kindle.

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

CULTURE VULTURES Maryja Morrison and Louisa McLellan take us on a cultural tour of York

York Art Gallery

This is the biggest art collection in York - it has a lovely permanent collection as well as constant changing exhibitions (go and check out 'Once Upon a Time' on display at the moment, a display of 19th and 20th century children’s books illustrations). Housed just outside of the city walls near the minster, it also has lovely café, so pop in for a look around in a shopping break and have a coffee before heading back out.

The Bar Lane Studios

A new addition to York’s budding art scene stands opposite Monty’s Bar on Micklegate. It has already had exhibitions of Dali prints and Matisse lithographs and is shaping up to be a great space for small but stunning exhibits. The staff are extremely friendly and always willing to chat and answer questions- so don’t fear the ‘big name’ exhibitions but go in with an open mind and hopefully be surprised! Classes are also available so enquire if interested.

The Norman Rea Gallery

Situated on your very own campus and run by students - definitely go in for a look or ask about helping out if you fancy it. With, normally 2 or 3 exhibitions a term the space above the Courtyard is great way to get a bit of culture without going out of your way! Join the group on Facebook or check the History of Art notice boards for information.

Space 109

This community art centre houses a variety of classes as well as exhibitions.

Opened and owned by Jo Pullar it is a truly happy place for adults and kids alike. If you enjoy life drawing, knitting or are interested in helping kids out with their art this could be the space for you! On Walmgate, right inside the walls, this little haven is a great space for everyone.

York Theatre Royal

With a mixture of dance, com edy and plays, this theatre has everything one might want to see. Situated just out of the walls towards the stat ion, it is easy to reach and with student tickets at £7 there really is no reason not to go and see something in this lovely theatre.

Drama Barn

This campus hot spot has a show of some sort most weeks, whe ther it is well known or student written. Tick ets are on sale at Vanbrugh Stal ls (near V-Bar) during the week and are fairly reasonably priced with the stan dards of performance very high. Definitely chec k out something this term - you will probably keep going when you’ve experie nced it once!

Grand Opera House

The city's other large theatre, situated just next to Gallery nigh t club and near the number 4 bus stop, this is another easily reachable place for students. With a variety of performances avai lable there will definitely be som ething for everyone!

The Basement

Hidden under the cinema, this little bar-venue has some grea t comedy and music, a mix of the known and unk nown makes this little venue well worth keeping your eye on. Not a main street theatre but well worth a look.

By Foot Why not mug up on the culture and history of York with a 'York Viking Walk', it takes you on a whistlestop history lesson from the battle of 867 through to 1066, learning the tactics of the Viking invaders and following the footsteps of the infamous axe-wielders of the past! The trek leaves from behind All Saints Church on Parliament Street, lasts for approximately 1 hour, costs £2.50 for students and starts at 6pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Unleash the Viking within...you never know, it may even help with the weekly bar quiz!

More info: York Viking Walk website at www.yorkvikingwalk.com

By Boat At Night From the 27 - 30 October enjoy York lit up and colourfully stunning! 'Illuminating York' takes place each evening from Wednesday 27 - Saturday 30 October between 7.00 - 10.00pm. Back by popular demand comes a daring new light projection using the Minster as its backdrop. Projection artist Ross Ashton and sound artist Karen Monid create a 40m high wonder not seen anywhere else in the North of England! Several smaller peices of light projection will be dotted around York and a handful of sights plan to keep their doors open for longer. www.illuminatingyork.org for more information.

Fed up of walking? Why not give someone else the hard work and view the pace and vibrancy of the City from the River Ouse.

A tried and tested experience, Ouse fun stretches from Daytime City Cruises to chartered Red boats starting at competative prices and available at a range of different timeslots.

Don't forget however, York is home to a variety of boat companies, so shop around to find the best prices dependent on what you're after and which day you're heading out on. From as little as £6.50 (www.yorkboat.co.uk/shop/ daytime-city-cruises)and only running until late October/early November a boat trip is a 'MUST-at-least-try-and-DO' for any Yorkie!

Ditch the wellies and don the sailing shoes for about an hour of sightseeing the likes of which you've never experienced!

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

BOOKS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

A Big Thumbs Up

Thousands of students, two destinations, one aim...

R

ain or shine; motorways, highways or back roads; giant foam thumbs and big smiles! Clad in your lime green t-shirts, with your translation sheets in hand, running throughout service stations to tell people all about a great event for a great charity. The thrill of waiting for someone to say yes, and the sudden elation when they do- as well as- the joy of someone offering you unforeseen kindness! All this is part of what could be your rollercoaster trip to Morocco or Prague! I am (of course) about to tell you about LCD’s Hitch to Morocco / Prague – an event in which participants set off from England, hitchhike to a ferry port, and then make their way across the continent

by blagging lifts from various drivers to their chosen destination. The Hitch is one of the most amazing experiences that you will ever do - the proof is in the smiling photos you see, its growing numbers each year and the Hitch Rep team, made up of ex-Hitchers all of whom want to help spread the word.

I had the privilege of doing the Hitch to Morocco in 2009 and although stressful at times – “will that lift EVER come??”

– it was extremely worthwhile. I will freely admit that I hardly slept a wink on the ferry - nervous about the week ahead - however, my Hitch (which took a shockingly short 5 days), was one of the best experiences of my life. I met some amazing people on the way and truly stretched my confidence - I never thought talking to people giving you

Nothin' better than a scouse day out

Sophie Steiger review

I

s Willy Russell's ‘Our Day Out’ at Liverpool Royal Co urt

f you want a true Liverpudlian possi bilities outside their experience, don’t bo hard home ther with the lives and the streets tha ‘Ferry Across the t surround Mersey’. You the m. don’t need to visit Anfield or GoodiThe ensemble of the son Park, listen to Th Progress Class e Beatles or stalk are exceptionally tal WAGs outside Crick ented, whipping et. No, to immerse the ir way through fast pa yourself in true Sc ced and enerouse culture, you getic musical numb should see a play by ers, all belted out Willy Russell, in in their strong, home-gr a Liverpudlian theatr own Scouse ace and with a Liv- cen ts. They weave aroun erpudlian audience. d a versatile Whilst Russell set , where graffiti plaste is better known for red blocks beplays ‘Educating come in tur n a bus, a Rita’ and ‘Blood Broth castle, the seaside, ers’, his musical the school yard. Yet, the ‘Our Day Out’ has bee true highlight n a sell out suc- ha s to be Russell’s scr cess ever since it wa ipt. He started s resurrected last out as a ladies’ haird year. resser and it is not surprising that it is ‘Our Day Out’ follow the female characs the exploits of ters that dominate an Mrs Kay’s Progress d standout. Two Class, a group of such pupils, Carly an kids who have troub d Amy, provide a le “readin’ an’ writouching twist to an tin’ an’ spellin’ an’ otherwise gobby that” but have no and feisty group of trouble defending the kids; both dream mselves against of escaping their rough anyone who dares tel lives, through l them so. They eit her marrying their are going on a promi “fit” student sed day out and tea cher or by running the excitement moun away and it is ts when they are this poignancy that bri told their destination ngs real heart to is… Alton Tow- the production. Russell ers. However, they has the unique are soon brought ability to move you snap bang to reality from laughing out when the tradi- lou d to wiping genuine tionalist, strict, “no tears from your fun” head teacher eyes in a heartbeat. changes this to the ever-educational Sadly, by now the Wales. This is met run will have with groans and ended but there is tal wails of Wales being k of moving this “where the sun pla y to the West End an never shines, an’ the d it is definitely rain never stops, one to keep an eye ou an’ they hate the ble t for. In the end, edin’ English” but there is only one wa it is this unlikely loc y to sum up such ation that opens a wonderful show, and both the teachers’ an that's in proper d pupils’ eyes to Sc ouse style: it’s just dea d good.

lifts would be so easy, although I will admit, my limited French did run out after an hour or so’s drive. however smiles and mime go a long way! As well as the people you meet, the places you see on the way are incredible. Being in Barcelona for an afternoon and Malaga for a quiet Sunday were unplanned yet beautiful breaks. Of course, as well as the Hitch itself there is also your chosen destination to look forward to. Morocco is certainly one of the most beautiful and friendly countries I have been to- from getting lost and haggling in the souks of Marrakech, jumping over waves in Essaouira and riding a camel through the Sahara I couldn’t

wipe the smile off my face through it all.

And, as well as this wonderful trip and holiday, you are doing something incredible for charity by raising money for LCD. This charity works in SubSaharan Africa alongside governments to help improve education; rather than building schools it helps try and solve the problems inside of the walls. There really is too much to say in one article, so if you have any more questions please email us at yorkhitch2011@gmail.com or join our facebook group ‘LCD Morocco/Prague hitch 2011- York group’. You will also find us at Fresher’s Fair or at our events!

Get your thumbs out guys, it’s going to be a fun ride!

aburgh Intern to the Edin t e es iv rg at la rn ’s te ld aller al the wor see hed as a sm at describes to is th e bl d ac ta or es sp w l ly a te y ronical ab a hos ' is hardl val, 'Fringe enough to gr tional Festi I was lucky , . st as gu w u it A . In at it is unju ad week arts festival special is th d what a m an so , on l k m va ee ti de w y es a F rl for is was clea rgh Fringe h T the festival bu . n go di di E es au e th often do pub, the What makes ing can and e back of a h s, th yt er n in an in w at eg sa th I B g ts n for ried, meanin t stand up ac ntitled Berli man e of the firs r group). E g in the Ger in rr cu strated in on people (8 of them ou oc s ge mes ti an at ch e d th e 12 ke on ming, an ence a mer edibe a witty ta viewed a strange, alar ld om ou “c w an it li ed ra e we assum Instead, w and an Aust most bizarre g. n re ro pè w m e co er w an ibly the capital. We g an Americ it was poss act, involvin feminist sk ic on disgusting ir ly y popular e supposed increasingl e enne” whos er seen. th of the rt ev at was pa donations at is thing I have as an act th bucket for w a th it r is y, fo e sa y er pa to th t ptable to Needless try is free bu orally acce ch as an ', where en be right/m ld us coins, su s, and ou io w ec 'Free Fringe it pr el y fe m t ’t lin ge dn ol d di C I Andrew me that di end. Whilst c Presenter ere were so p songs si th u po t, M g n 6 ac gi C r n B la particu ne from B two men si ti u h it ro h a rap w p it u d w d te d an and ende t, that star ), excellent st ac ls vi ct ee ra W st e ore ab ive M a slightly m puns (You G cluding a clever pirate g in in ta to pay for, in semble n co de ci de d di e y en me things w sting comed was "Exabout Jesus. of course so from the American vi om fr l ca si u l There were m ca usi ring ovise a provised m y funny, bo had to impr hilarious im e to list ever e title they u nge h n ri (t ti F n dy h co an rg C ld bu the Edin an?”) I cou Baby Wants m of er n en G fu ev y e m e th here’s eing, but thing twic cuse me, w e er ended up se e the same th e , se w et er g li ev in Ju n th anteed to Romeo and or bizarre ar as d gu al an e n ’r in io u d it at yo trad n be foun festival is th p seeing something as e/ acts that ca im et m re e st u on e d h th g, wit if you do en a twist. Even some of and watchin rfor mbe th stopping e ticketed pe or th w of e is bound to y ar an e m il ly to M ke an li al th e d oy ar R ow events that a larger cr around the e in m g you so in g if aw s in an dr d book get ticket slap stick m ld recommen difficult to one ou be as w I e g, is in gh w h ou er yt it can oth plan ever ances. Alth to as , ot ded ce n n an h be va g in ad on would reet, bein be sold out ing my suggesti g down a st be p, in k ly ou al al gr w tu is er ac to find it have a larg rgh Fringe im bu fah n e w di a th E n e on of th in it!) Eve ing there of the joys most ’s the risk and just go , at h it ow th w t sh e, a bu r er , e th a leaflet fo it won’t be ruin our tim (sometimes asn’t able to . w es er u worthwhile n th ve ea ce w or Scottish s of indo the experien mously bad the hundred give the Fringe a go – of in g in , s be ext summer of the show rry. t a chance n rget in a hu fo er So, if you ge ev n l ’l u yo at th e on is definitely

I

MUSIC

SPOTLIGHT

FILM

TV

GAMES

20 QUESTIONS

CULTURE

LISTINGS

Steve Williams is a Welsh comedian and compere. He won the Chortle Award for Best Open Mic in 2002 and has since toured up and down the country, performing at various venues and festivals such as the Edinburgh Fringe. He's currently busy writing Russell Howard's Good News and has just appeared on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. Steve is on tour around the UK this February.

Steve W illiams Interview by Jaime Riley So, you’re Welsh, Steve. What’s your favourite thing about being Welsh?

The Flag. Its got a dragon on it with a curly tail. If you like dragons but also like pigs finally there's a flag that doesn't make you choose.

Give us your favourite one liner.

Did you hear about the dyslexic terrorists that broke into London zoo and took two ostriches?

Which region is the easiest to get a laugh out of ?

I find DVD region 2 is easier to make laugh, although those oil rigs, airlines and cruise ships in region 8 are just as affable.

You’ve travelled all over the world, which was the most unusual gig?

I once performed at the British Embassy in Paris which was unbelievable. The real mind bending part was staying in the same suite as Tony Blair, John Major and Margaret Thatcher. Obviously they weren't there when I was there, although the way I phrased it did make it sound like one of William Hague's sleep overs.

What are your pre-performance routines and demands?

Demands? Like in a hostage situation?

My demands are to have a jet fuelled up

BOOKS

with a pilot who will take me to a destination that I will confirm once I am onboard the plane, its usually Swansea but I like to keep him guessing.

Who is your favourite comedian?

Eddie Izzard, Billy Connolly, Dylan Moran. They are all exquisite.

Can you recommend an up-and-coming comedian to Vision readers?

Mark Hooper he’s currently flying high and just started work on a new pilot.

You were the warm up man on Nigella’s show – Do you have any humorous kitchen stories?

My friend travelled through India and stopped at a small village where they offered him food. He said it was the most amazing curry he had ever eaten and when he asked the chef what curry it was he hit a language barrier. Then the chef worked out the question, smiled and miaowed.

Which Friends character would you compare yourself to?

Gunther...

Who’s the person who you’d most like to be stuck in a lift with?

Kate Moss – she’s really skinny, would take up less room and is the only supermodel with a GNVQ qualification in lift

engineering.

When you aren’t performing, what do you get up to?

I try and hone my time machine. At the moment it only goes forwards at a rate of 1 hour per hour I need it to go back in time to make it more useful. Oh and I also spend my time writing Russell Howard's Good News.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

At a military gig I got into a heckling situation with a drunken squaddie. He told me to do my job and tell some jokes, so I told him to do his job follow orders and shut up. There was a deafening silence where I thought a riot was going to kick off then everyone burst out laughing as I gently soiled myself.

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

The phone book. It really is a who’s who of people in my area.

If you could be any superhero who would it be?

Bag for life man. I’d have been bitten by a radioactive bag for life and then possess the power to carry goods home from the supermarket in a responsible and sustainable manner. One in the eye for my arch enemy plastic bag-asaurus rex!

Favourite Doctor Who? David Tennant. He was funny, Scottish and his last name is a type of beer. If you're reading this thinking WHO is a type of beer, you shouldn't be at University.

PC or Mac? I like my computer like I like my flashers, covered in a Mac. Who’s your comedy inspiration?

Izzard, Connolly and my friends.

What’s your funniest festival story?

I went on stage at Reading Festival naked - that was a laugh until I was off work ill for a week with suspected pneumonia.

What’s the one thing you couldn’t live without?

Oxygen.

If you stumbled across a time machine, what would you do?

Use it for food storage. Then I could legitimately tell people that I own the only time travelling pantry in the world. The best bit though, is there'd be no 'Steve we've run out of Um-Bongo' moment, cause I'll just send it back to a time when it was full and throw myself a smile as I down sweet orangey kids drinks like its 1999.

PICKS OF THE WEEK S AT U R D AY 16

SUNDAY 24 JIMMY CARR

Grand Opera House £26

THE BIG BANG On Campus £25

WEDNESDAY 27

SUNDAY 17 VINTAGE FAIR

Tipped to be the best YUSU Freshers' event for years, The Big Bang is coming to campus on 16th October. Headliners Marina and the Diamonds are to be joined by The Sunshine Underground in Central Hall. Don't miss this one.

The Hospitium, Museum Gdns 10.30 - 16.30 £1 Selling clothing, homeware and accessories, the vintage fair is not to be missed. Now the largest fair of its kind, it has been hailed by the national press as a "national phenomenon." Vendors will be setting up a selection of handmade stalls of vintage and re-worked clothes at reasonable prices.

ILLUMINATION YORK York Minster Free

Hounslow's best loved comedian is taking to the York Opera House stage once again with his 'Laughter Therapy' tour. Tickets are selling fast so book early to avoid disappointment.

THURSDAY 28 SEAN LOCK Grand Opera House £18.50 Star of BBC2’s ‘QI’ and team captain on Channel 4’s ‘8 Out Of 10 Cats’ is back with his new tour, Lockipedia. Book at www.grandoperahouseyork.co.uk

Come and see the Minster's stained glass windows lit up by a gorgeous projection piece.

This stunning work of art is available between 7pm - 10pm from Wednesday 27th - Saturday 30thOctober.

Scenesters Scene Editor Jaime Riley Music Editors Chris Craddock Rachel Pronger Deputy Music Lydia Winter Film Editors Tom Martin Jenny McLarney TV Editor Nicola Chapman Games Editor Nathan Blades Books Editors Tabi Joy Teja Pisk Culture Editors Louisa McLellan Maryja Morrison