NE Online Magazine Issue 14

Hi Chris and welcome to NE Magazine, for the few readers who must be living in a cave somewhere and don’t know who you are how about giving th em a quick l ow- down o n yourself?

- Hello! Can’t help but think I’m writing your interview introduction for you here, oh well… I’m a stand-up comedian from South Shields and I’m also a bit of an actor now and then… but mainly a comedian… that might not come across as well as it should in print form, but I am.

So there.

At the moment it’s hard not seeing you on the TV when we switch it on as you’re everywhere, but what has been the highlight for you so far?

- Not everywhere though am I? If you turn on QVC and I’m selling a frying pan, just assume you’ll find me floating face down in a river very soon. The highlight for me so far was probably being in Hebburn. Since starting comedy I always wanted to try my hand at being in a sitcom too so I was over the moon to do one with my mate and so close to my heart, and I got to work with Vic Reeves.

I know you had a bit of a crazy time with fans wanting pics and autographs when you were having a few drinks in a South Shields bar recently, how are you finding this, does it put you off going out?

- Not at all. Any person in that position who has been on TV or whatever and people want photos (I’m trying my best not to say celebrity here!) who pretends they hate the attention is a liar. You don’t go for a career on TV because you don’t want anyone to notice you. As long as I’m not eating or having a shit when you want a photo then it’s no problem at all… I meant, like on the toilet, not just in the middle of the dancefloor.

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Have you had any weird fan requests or incidents?

- Not really. The odd person will show up to a gig with my face on a T-Shirt, or bake me a cake, or send me a dead animal in the post but other than that it’s just photos and autographs. A little kid in Hebburn when we were filming asked me to sign his micro scooter… that was a bit weird.

As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats you are now starring in the North East based sitcom Hebburn, how did that come about?

- My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decided to write a sitcom about the town he was from, Hebburn, and he actually wrote me a little side part which he named after me. But when it came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the main character, and when I got it, Jason took the part that he’d written for me! It came about so gradually that I didn’t really realise the enormity of being lead role in a BBC2 sitcom until I saw the advert on TV. I nearly passed out.

How has the response for Hebburn been so far?

- Overwhelmingly positive.

And we just won Best Drama at the RTS North awards too. And we’ve got a second series!

You are now embarking on your biggest tour to date, how do you feel about this?

- Yeah incredible! It’s an extension of my last tour, Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates in 2012 but the demand for tickets was so high and people enjoyed the show so much that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much bigger venues. I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

Are there any venues on the tour that you are looking forward to playing or any you’re quite nervous about?

- The Theatre Royal in Newcastle. I absolutely can’t wait. I used to watch panto there when I was a kid. I’m

We l c o m e N o t e .

We l l h e r e w e a r e i n 2 0 1 5 . I t i s a w h o l e new year and from a personal point of view I really hope it is better than l a s t y e a r, s o w h a t b e t t e r w a y t h a n t o start it with a new issue of NE. It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to do an issue every other month but I fe e l t h i s w i l l b e b e t t e r a s i t m e a n s you will get a bigger better quality m a g a z i n e ra t h e r t h a n m e t r y i n g t o r u s h one out every month, after all, I am only one man doing this and it is hard work getting it all together on time. So happy new year to you all, I wish you a l l t h e b e s t fo r 2 0 1 5 .

As always, if you have something you want to see in a future issue then d o n ’ t fo r g e t t o d r o p u s a n e m a i l t o wayne. groves@neonlinemagazine.com Till next time Ta ke c a r e Wa y n e

EDITOR & DESIGNER Wayne Groves wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com CONTRIBUTORS Ian Berry Photographer www.ianberry.co.uk info@ianberry.co.uk

SPONSORS Cineworld Boldon www.cineworld.co.uk SCREEN-CON www.screen-con.com The Sage Gateshead www.thesagegateshead.org Ocean Beach Pleasure Park www.oceanbeach.co.uk Quasar Elite South Shields www.quasarsouthshields.co.uk For all queries or if you would like to feature or advertise in NE Magazine email wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com Unless stated otherwise all competition entries should be sent to win@ neonlinemagazine.com Plus you can catch up with us online for news, events, blogs, competitions and more at www.neonlinemagazine.com Follow us on Facebook - www.facebook. com/pages/N-E-Online-Magazine join us on twitter @NEOnlineMag

Greame Baty Photographer www.facebook.com/ GJBPerformancePhotography g.j.baty@gmail.com Nicholas Dunn www.facebook.com/NJDunnPhotography Derek Brettle www.facebook.com/ lastlaughcartoons lastlaughcartoons@gmail.com Jon Dea Photography www.facebook.com/JonDeaPhotography

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P7 Lee Bellerby & NE Sporting Events P13 Sunderland Comic Con P14 AntMusic P21 Luke Auton Scotch Corner Paintball P26 Jeremy Bulloch...aka Boba Fett P32 Nicholas Dunn Photography P41 Scream-Con 2014 Photo Competition P50 Comic Book Roses P56 Tim Strange P63 Scream-Con 2014 Official Photos

SCREEN-CON has firmly established itself as the fan favourite of all the conventions that take place here in the North East. It is a well ran event ran by fans for fans, something that clearly shows.

Despite the pressure and bully boy tactics of some of the bigger conventions, SCREEN-CON is back and it is even bigger!

Saturday May the 3rd will see the Park Leisure Centre in North Shields invaded by all manner of creatures, monsters and very recognisable people from the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy., Film and TV, Comics and Books, even the odd Computer Game Character thrown in for good measure.

Expect to see all of your favourites from Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Marvel and DC plus a whole hos of characters you may not be so familiar with. One thing that is guaranteed...every one is going to have an amazing time.

Doors open at 10am for those with the early bird tickets, those paying on the door will be let in from 11am onwards, but judging from the previous 2 SCREENCONS I would suggest you

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get there early to make sure you don’t have to wait ages.

Though the one thing that is guaranteed, unlike other supposed “Big Conventions” who shall remain nameless, If you come to SCREEN-CON then YOU WILL ALL GET IN! Granted, you may have to Q for a little while, you won’t be stuck outside in the cold all day. This convention does actually look after it’s fans and will make sure you are not left waiting for hours.

The line up for SCREEN-CON 2014 is looking fantastic.

They have some great guests in attendance, all wowing the crowds with photo’s, autographs and some good banter. You will have to pay extra for autographs but you won’t be charged silly money for them and you won’t have

to pay more for a photo and you will not be herded through like cattle only there to fill someones bank balance. As I said earlier, this is a convention ran by a fan for the fans.

So this issue will introduce you to the guests appearing at this May’s SCREEN-CON as well as showcase last years SCREAM-CON which was held at the Park hotel last October.

We will have the winner of the Horror Short Story Competition plus we will be showing off the photo’s that you all sent in from SCREAMCON with prizes going to our favourite photos. It is time to wet your appetite and get you all excited for Saturday May the 3rd and the return of SCREEN-CON 2014...I can’t wait!

We catch up with Lee Bellerby, the man behind NE Sporting Events, the company that has brought Wrestling Legend Ric Flair to the North East Hi Lee and welcome to NE, it is great to finally catch up with you. So what is “North East Sporting Events” and how did it come about?

NE Sporting Events is a brand new fresh events brand specifically in the North East of England area, which came about as we wanted to give the working man a chance to meet their darting hero’s and to keep the prices down to allow this.

What has been your favourite event to date and why?

My favourite event has to an audience with Big Frank Bruno on 24/10/14. Frank was my boyhood idol when growing up as I was a keen amateur boxer, so to finally meet and work with the legend was truly an honour.

Who is your all time favourite player?

My favourite darts player is Adrian Lewis.

What got you into darts?

I got into darts when I visited the lakeside while supporting a team mate of mine, then met a guy called Davie Hanson from Scotland who is the owner of the company Scottish Darts Exhibitions, and we became great friends and started doing darts events together in the north east before going it alone.

What was your very first event and how did it go?

Our first event was on 25/5/13 at the Forest Hall Social Club, when we brought the Legend’s of Darts Eric Bristow, John Lowe & Bobby George to a full house, they entertained over 300 guests that night and we also started raising money for charity, with a collection of £500 for help4heros.

How many events have you put together so far?

We have had 8 successful events so far in our first 18 months, with 3 more events organised for the forthcoming year. Two are Darts events and one is an evening with WWE Wrestling Legend Ric Flair.

Darts seems to feature heavily, is this your main love?

Darts is my main priority for events yes, I’m a big darts and boxing fan, but promoting darts events is great fun.

If you could do an event with a sporting legend past or present, who would it be and why?

My dream event with a choice of anyone would probably be Muhammad Ali, although I guess that’s a big dream!

BDO or PDC and why?

Out of the BDO & PDC, the PDC is my preferred darts organisation, simply because the standard is a lot higher and the entertainment level is higher.

The BDO have some fantastic players there also,however there seems more talented players widespread in the PDC.

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Are there any sporting events you want to branch out and do?

I have wanted to branch out in the WWE wrestling category, and have successfully completed my first evening with a WWE superstar with the legend Ric Flair woooooooooooooooooo!

When you are not putting

together sporting events what do you like to get up to in your spare time?

I’m a keen amateur darts player myself in my spare time, and also love spending time with my daughter as family is the most important thing in life.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

3 random facts about me?

Haha, I am the youngest of 8, a fundraiser for 3 different charities, 6 foot 4” but a gentle giant.

What can we expect from you in 2015?

In 2015 , you can expect NE Sporting Events to get bigger and better, with events ranging from darts, boxing and wrestling with a huge WWE event planned for November so stay tuned!

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with your events?

Keep up to date by following us on:Facebook NORTH EAST sporting Events Twitter Leebellerby_d16 Website www.nesportingevents. co.uk Is there anything you would like to add?

Thanks for the interview Wayne and I look forward to seeing it in the magazine.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and we look forward to seeing you at your events soon Sunderland Comic Con - The North East comic book festival Sat 21st and Sun 22nd February 2015 !

Sunderland Comic Con, The North East Comic Book Festival, is drawing ever closer and will be taking place over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of February at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland. It will see guest comic book writers, artists and creators from all over Britain, making the North East the focus for comic books and graphic novels, with thousands of fans attending from across the region and further afield.! !

Award winning creator and one of the event patrons Bryan Talbot said “It will be amazing to have an event like this in my back yard, shining a light on the many new talented creators in the area.”! !

The event in being produced by BHP Events and sponsored by the Williams Brothers Brewing Co.! !

BHP have already made waves

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in Scotland by producing the Glasgow Comic Con, Scotland’s number one comic book festival. The event producers said “We have established GCC as the top comic book event in Scotland and one of the top five in the UK, focussing on the creators of comic books and the art and literature they produce. Our ethos is simple- by developing and enhancing readers’ experience through the event we hope to bring colour, fun and a new date in the diary for Sunderland’s cultural ambassadors.”! !

Among the already confirmed guests at #SCC15 are Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot, John Wagner, Barry Kitson, John Higgins and Hunt Emerson, with far more to be announced in the build up to the event. Collectively they’ve worked on such titles as Judge Dredd, Watchmen, Sandman, Hellblazer, Batman, The Beano, Iron Man, Thor, Superman and many many more including Mary and Bryan Talbot’s Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, which won the 2012 Costa biography award.

Further to the many of the talks, panels, signings and sketches taking place, some of the UK’s leading independent comic book publishers will also be on hand, including a host of small press exhibitors, comic book shops, toy shops and many more exhibitors, as well as the always popular COSPLAY competitions and photo opportunities.! !

Exhibitor tables and general admission tickets are available to buy via the website www.sunderlandcomiccon.

com !

For more information visit: www.SunderlandComicCon. com www.BHPcomics.com Sunderland Comic Con - The North East comic book festival Sat 21st and Sun 22nd February 2015 !

Sunderland Comic Con, The North East Comic Book Festival, is drawing ever closer and will be taking place over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of February at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland. It will see guest comic book writers, artists and creators from all over Britain, making the North East the focus for comic books and graphic novels, with thousands of fans attending from across the region and further afield.! !

Award winning creator and one of the event patrons Bryan Talbot said “It will be amazing to have an event like this in my back yard, shining a light on the many new talented creators in the area.”! !

The event in being produced

by BHP Events and sponsored by the Williams Brothers Brewing Co.! !

BHP have already made waves in Scotland by producing the Glasgow Comic Con, Scotland’s number one comic book festival. The event producers said “We have established GCC as the top comic book event in Scotland and one of the top five in the UK, focussing on the creators of comic books and the art and literature they produce. Our ethos is simple- by developing and enhancing readers’ experience through the event we hope to bring colour, fun and a new date

in the diary for Sunderland’s cultural ambassadors.”! !

Among the already confirmed guests at #SCC15 are Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot, John Wagner, Barry Kitson, John Higgins and Hunt Emerson, with far more to be announced in the build up to the event. Collectively they’ve worked on such titles as Judge Dredd, Watchmen, Sandman, Hellblazer, Batman, The Beano, Iron Man, Thor, Superman and many many more including Mary and Bryan Talbot’s Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, which won the 2012 Costa biography award.

Further to the many of the talks, panels, signings and sketches taking place, some of the UK’s leading independent comic book publishers will also be on hand, including a host of small press exhibitors, comic book shops, toy shops and many more exhibitors, as well as the always popular COSPLAY competitions and photo opportunities.! !

Exhibitor tables and general admission tickets are available to buy via the website www.sunderlandcomiccon. com !

For more information visit: www.SunderlandComicCon. ttttttt

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Sunderland Comic Con, The North East Comic Book Festival, is drawing ever closer and will be taking place over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of February at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland. It will see guest comic book writers, artists and creators from all over Britain, making the North East the focus for comic books and graphic novels, with thousands of fans attending from across the region and further afield.! !

Award winning creator and one of the event patrons Bryan Talbot said “It will be amazing to have an event like this in my back yard, shining a light on the many new talented creators in the area.”! !

The event in being produced

by BHP Events and sponsored by the Williams Brothers Brewing Co.! !

BHP have already made waves

in Scotland by producing the Glasgow Comic Con, Scotland’s number one comic book festival. The event producers said “We have established GCC as the top comic book event in Scotland and one of the top five in the UK, focussing on the creators of comic books and the art and literature they produce. Our ethos is simple- by developing and enhancing readers’ experience through the event we hope to bring colour, fun and a new date in the diary for Sunderland’s cultural ambassadors.”! !

Among the already confirmed guests at #SCC15 are Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot, John Wagner, Barry Kitson, John Higgins and Hunt Emerson, with far more to be announced in the build up to the event. Collectively they’ve worked on such titles as Judge Dredd, Watchmen,

Sandman, Hellblazer, Batman, The Beano, Iron Man, Thor, Superman and many many more including Mary and Bryan Talbot’s Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, which won the 2012 Costa biography award.

Further to the many of the talks, panels, signings and sketches taking place, some of the UK’s leading independent comic book publishers will also be on hand, including a host of small press exhibitors, comic book shops, toy shops and many more exhibitors, as well as the always popular COSPLAY competitions and photo opportunities.! !

Exhibitor tables and general admission tickets are available to buy via the website www.sunderlandcomiccon. com !

For more information visit: www.SunderlandComicCon. com www.BHPcomics.com

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Stand and deliver...

IT’S ANTMUSIC Hi Lee and welcome to NE. Antmusic, tell us a bit about yourselves andhow this all came about?

I became a fan of Adam Ant back in 1980 at the age of five, I decided at that point that I wanted to become a singer. It took a long time to fulfil this ambition – Though I’ve fronted numerous bands it has taken a long time to be confident enough to sing in the same range as Adam Ant. The idea actually came about for my 40th birthday – I had decided that rather than have a party it would be nice to work – not to front my usual band but to do something different. I wanted to prove to myself I wasn’t a one trick pony. The gig was to be a one off – it meant a lot of expense in the imagery, including having the jacket tailored and buying a lot of accessories…. you couldn’t do this without the image.

The band kind of came together instantly as soon as I suggested Adam & The Ants. I knew all of the band members from their other bands – I knew all of their strengths so they were hand-picked to suit the band. I’m lucky to know so many great musicians on the North East scene.

Graeme and Ian on drums are

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drummer and guitarist in U2 tribute band Vertigo, Graham and Craig on guitar were from punk cover band The Enzymes and Ade (Backing vocals) and Conor (Bass) are from The Poison Whiskey Band.

I have been singing Thin Lizzy songs since 1997, I am still frontman for Thyn Lizzy. The one off show band kind of escalated naturally!

I have to ask...why Adam Ant? Adam Ant was so massive in the 80s – we have few real stars to look up to now. Adam was one of the originals – he had / has such stage presence, unique songs, originality. He is so well known and appeals to such a wide audience.

Nobody was doing it - I knew this, however the main reasons for covering him were selfish. It was a personal ambition – it was something that I had to get out of my system and it was something I knew I was ready to do well.

There was a gap in the market I knew it was time to do it.

Who does what in the band?

Ian and Graeme (Vertigo (U2 Tribute) Play drums Ade (Backing vocals) and Conor (Bass) are from The Poison Whiskey Band Graham and Craig (Formerly

from The Enzymes) Play guitars And I am the lead vocalist (Lee Jon Stokoe) What has the response been like so far?

The response has been massive – we clocked up over 1000 likes on our Facebook page within our first few months, our debut and its follow up were some of the busiest nights the venues have ever had. We have been offered festivals, radio shows and numerous gigs around the country. 2015 is a very exciting year for us.

What is the hardest part of doing Antmusic for you?

For me personally the imagery is the tough part – makeup is difficult prior to shows and the costume is quite heavy. It’s restricting on stage and also becomes quite hot.

What has been your most memorable moment to date?

The debut at Trocaderos in South Shields – I had no idea how many were in the venue.

We came on to the Ants track “The Human Beings” and I walked out onto a dark smokey stage. To see the audience that had travelled to see us when the lights went up was mind blowing. I knew we were going to have a great show and I knew

the audience were with us from the start.

Also our lead guitarist refusing “to wear makeup as he’s a brickie”.

Apart from the obvious, who inspires you musically?

I’m personally inspired by Freddie Mercury, Philip Lynott, Jimi Hendrix, Frankie Valli, Morten Harket and the obvious. The rest of the band have influences from Robert Johnson, U2 to AC/DC! What’s the most embarrassing thing you have ever done at a gig?

I’ve knocked an unbalanced lighting rig down on a former guitarist in mid performance at a Newcastle gig in my other band… sadly it didn’t hit him.

– I don’t really understand that.

Where is your favourite place to play in the North east?

I have lots of personal favourites Trocaderos – South Shields Acklam Steelies Club – Middlesbrough The Mallard – Seaham Thornaby Sports & Leisure Club – Thornaby The Bebside – Blyth The Big Jug – Durham The Market Tavern – Chester Le Street Anybody that says the North East music scene is dead needs to get out more… There are lots of fantastic music venues in the North East!

Have you had any funny/weird fan incidents?

We had a member of the audience get up on stage at our debut; she was a little worst for wear. She tried to grab the mic a few times but we just went with it. It’s nice to see people so passionate about the music that you perform. We hope she will come to some of our other shows!

We’ve also had the occasional obsessive Adam Ant fan sending us nasty messages on our social media pages regarding our image or criticizing our music without seeing us live. We are flattered that we are so important to them!

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a band up?

Keep writing and recording! – There is not enough original music in the North East. I love / loved writing music but I’m too old now to push my own material… I missed my boat! In the meantime cover the band/s that you love, get lots of live experience. Don’t be greedy with your fee and always perform at each show with all of your passion. It’s not your right to play at the venue, it’s an honour to play it.

What are your thoughts on music/band scene today with programs such as X-Factor and The Voice?

The “X Factor” - I watched the last series as I knew a lad from South Shields who was on it.

Some great talent there but why are they on this show? If they are passionate about it why don’t they write / record, or work with people who can help them do this rather than go on this show?

I found it a bit long winded and boring to be honest and didn’t understand why the lass from the Spice Girls was a judge.

The winner had a great voice, I hope he does well for himself.

I have never watched “The Voice”

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What’s your aims for the rest of 2015?

We have arranged lots of interesting shows for 2015, including a performance on a pirate ship, Newcastle O2 Academy, festivals including one of the largest tribute festivals in the UK. We are booked to do a radio interview in February with some live performances. We have recorded a CD and will be bringing merchandise to some of our future gigs. We will be developing our set in the coming months, so hopefully no two Ant gigs will be the same.

We are looking forward to our next show at Thornaby

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Leisure club on February 13th in conjunction with Hall or Nothing Events for their New Romantics for Old Romantics Event

else.

Every Antmusic gig is a show, and it’s rare to see a show in the North East that has dual drums… that’s a show in itself!

Why should people come and listen to you?

We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we have fun playing the music that we play. We want our audience to get involved in the show and we love meeting people.

We play to the best of our ability at every show and we don’t have egos. We want to take our audience back to a time that was great in music and we want people to hear songs performed live that they might not hear anywhere

Where can people follow you/ keep up to date with you?

The best place to keep in touch with the band is on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ antmusicband or twitter: @antmusicband Photographs used with kind permission of John Dea Photography https:// www.facebook.com/ JonDeaPhotography

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Hot

Shot

Luke Auton Hi Luke and welcome to NE, how about you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello, I’m Luke Auton, 24 are currently residing in Darlington, County Durham.

So can you tell us a bit about Scotch Corner Paintball Village and your role there?

Certainly, Scotch Corner Paintball Village is the largest paintball site in the North East, with a 44 acre playing area and over 10 different game zones! We host both adult and junior paintball on the site.

My role in the company is mainly marketing based but I do get a lot of opportunity to go to the site and build forts (who doesn’t want to do that for a living).

I believe you are one of the few paintball sites that host kids parties, isn’t paintballing for adults only due to the fact it hurts?

We certainly are, we allow children aged 8 and over to play our

low impact paintball games. It’s something we have just started recently and have had a phenomenal response. Paintball has a lot of stigma about it being really painful, I would compare it to a nip, stings at first but stops after a couple of minutes. The junior paintball we host has a smaller calibre ball, so the impact is smaller and they run on a different set of equipment to the adults.

What is the response like from the kids and the parents?

Parents and kids absolutely love it, we are already having parties book back in for another visit.

Our safe areas are fully sheltered and we have coffee on tap for parents coming to watch their kids. Some of them even jump in with the kids! We are currently pushing for schools to bring students as well and that is also getting a great response.

What other kinds of events do you run at Scotch Corner Paintball Village?

We have the usual seasonal games (Easter, Halloween, and Christmas) and also run a regular walk on day for people to use their own equipment. We are currently putting the calendar together for the 2015 year, best place for an update on that is our Facebook Page (Scotch Corner Paintball).

So what makes your site stand out ahead of other sites in the North East?

We are one of the few sites that actively maintain and update our site, we currently go up 2 days a week to repair and build game zones. So every time you come to our site, something will have changed. We have some pretty unique game zones that attract a lot of people, one of them is a field made completely of netting, you can see through the nets but not shoot through it. As you can

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We play a different type of paintball than you would at a normal site, it is called Sup Air or Speedball. It’s a mirrored layout on a 5 a side sized field where two teams of 5 will play multiple games till one team has 4 points or the time has run out. I would highly recommend watching some videos as it is very fast paced!

imagine customers have a great time taunting each other on this field!

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I have a degree in Computer Games Design and Production from Northumbria University.

I hold one fifth of a European paintball championship. Myself and a friend were once 2v2 Champions of Northumbria University at Super Smash Brothers Brawl, I am very proud of that one.

When you are not at work what do you like to get up to in your spare time?

I play a lot of games, mainly World of Warcraft and Halo.

I go to the gym every day and when I can afford them I like to go and get tattoos!

You don’t just play for fun, you take it pretty serious; tell us a bit more about that side of paintballing?

Absolutely, I have been captain of Durham Dv8 for 4 years now, we represent the county at every level of paintball both in the UK and around Europe.

We have won a European title and are currently competing in the Semi-Professional division.

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And how long have you been taking part?

I’ve been playing since I was eleven so thirteen years with a few breaks, I would say I have played seriously for five years now.

Have you ever won anything, like medals or trophies?

As a team we have a large collection of trophies, we are 5 time champions of The UK Masters tournament series, we have 6-7 European level trophies as well.

Players are well known for spending a lot of money on their kit, what is the most you have spent on something yourself and what was it?

The most I’ve spent is £1100 for a gun a couple of years back. Luckily we had a few good seasons and have picked up a great new gun sponsor

called Luxe that have given us guns worth £1200 for a fraction of the price! So I’d say that is the most expensive piece of kit I’ve owned, but worth every penny.

How can people get involved in playing in a more serious way like you do?

The best way to get started is to find a local team, normally sites in the area will have them.

We are the biggest team in the North East, we have squads competing at every level of paintball. Have a chat with any player and they are all usually very keen to show you their kit and talk about what they are doing in paintball.

How can people follow you and keep up to date with you and Scotch Corner Paintball Village?

Our Facebook get updated very often so by liking Scotch Corner Paintball, we hold a few competitions on there for cheap days so it is worth keeping an eye on. Also via our website (www.scpv.co.uk) which is currently undergoing a revamp and should be up to date within the next couple of months.

What can we expect from you during 2015?

From the site, we are currently planning to revamp our most popular game zone The Village with some massive new additions!

So I’d keep an eye on the facebook to see that developing. From the team, were currently aiming to get in to the second highest division in Europe, so if you like the team page Durham Dv8, you can follow our ups and downs.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I just want to say a massive thanks to Wayne from NE for setting this up, he does great work supporting local businesses and charities.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and we look forward to joining you for a game soon

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Star Wars, James Bond, Robin of Sherwood, Doctor Who, and more, this legend has been in them all. His most iconic role was playing the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, Boba Fett, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you the one and only Jeremy Bulloch Hi Jeremy and welcome to NE, how does it feel to be back in the North East with your appearance at Teesside Unleashed?

It’s always a pleasure to travel to the North East, I have fond memories of filming ‘The World Cup, A Captain’s Tale’ with Dennis Waterman.

Also I have appeared in the theatre several times. I am looking forward to Teesside Unleashed.

You are more known for your role as Boba Fett in Star Wars, a role which was quite small but yet this character has become one of the most famous and iconic of all of the Star Wars characters, why do you think that is?

Talent, Smile, plus of course a terrific costume which caught everyone’s imagination, and he stood up to Darth Vader.

Give us an idea of what you were thinking when you put on the costume for the very first for Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back? Did you ever think it would become as big as it has?

When I put on the costume

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it was very cumbersome and difficult to walk around in.

When I first appeared on the set as Boba Fett there was a hush from both cast and crew so I knew I must be looking cool!

Have you got a funny story from your time on the Star Wars set that you can share with us?

I did manage to trip up Darth Vader when I accidentally trod on his cloak due to my limited vision.

You have also appeared in James Bond, Doctor Who and Robin of Sherwood. Each of which has had a bit of a reboot in recent years, give us your thoughts on these reboots, do you think they have done a good job or have they took away the magic of the originals?

Many fans have come up to me recently to talk about Dr Who as it is enjoying resurgence, so I think rebooting has done a good job.

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was quite a classy centreforward.

I am quite a good artist – specially drawing Boba’s helmet Did you ever turn down any roles that you wish you hadn’t?

Not really.

You have been all over the world, is there anywhere left that you would still like to visit, either for the very first time or to re-visit?

Russia might be fun, as I do get some fan mail from there, and I would love to go back to Hawaii.

(I went there for one of my very first conventions) Where can people keep up to date with you and the events you are attending?

My website www.jeremybulloch.com Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us and we will see you again at Teesside Unleashed

The new Star Wars movies start this December with The Force Awakens, along with rumours of a Boba Fett movie, how do you feel about both of these?

I am looking forward to seeing the new film, and do hope that Boba gets resurrected in the future.

You have become a fan favourite at conventions all over the world, what do you enjoy the most about doing these?

Meeting the fans who are so enthusiastic about Star Wars in every country I visit.

I feel honoured to have played such an iconic role.

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What has been the strangest fan request you have had?

Many fans want my autograph on their tattoos which I find a bit scary.

If you could’ve played any role more, which one would it be and why?

I quite fancied playing Han Solo.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I failed my 11 plus exam at school and went straight to Drama School at the age of 11.

If I had not been an actor I would liked to have been a professional soccer player- I

You can meet Jeremy Bulloch at Teesside Unleashed 5 (Teesside’s Comic-Con) Sat 7th Feb 11am-4pm Marton Country Club £3 entry (under 12s only £1) For more info check out Hall or Nothing Events on Facebook

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We catch up with up and coming photographer Nicholas Dunn, who kindly covered last years ScreamCon event for us, so it was only fair that we introduce him to our readers.

Hi Nicholas and welcome to NE. Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

My name is Nicholas Dunn, I’m 20 years old from South Shields and I’m currently studying photography at Newcastle College.

What made you want to pick up a camera and take up photography?

My first experience of photography was a school trip with a disposable camera and since then I always wanted to be the one taking photos on holidays and days out and it escalated from there until I took it as an A-Level subject as an alternative to Art. Your still at college at the moment, how is that going?

I’m doing my 1st year of a Foundation Degree at Newcastle College at the moment and it has it’s ups and downs but generally it is a new experience that I am

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really enjoying.

Who or what inspires you?

I’m inspired by how images can change the world and how they can make people feel. I’m primarily inspired by Anton Corbijn, Martin Parr and Alfred Eisenstaedt.

You have done quite a few cosplay and anime shoots recently, what has been your favourite so far and why?

I’ve done quite a lot of cosplay shoots; Misty from Pokemon, Raven from Teen Titans and Jessica Rabbit to name a few.

I’m quite a big fanboy and I love superheroes, comics and fantasy and I love shooting cosplay because portraits are my favourite genre and cosplays bring a whole new interesting and exciting element to the shoots. I can’t really name my favourite shoot but Raven, Misty, Babydoll and Jon Snow were my favourites.

If you could do any kind of shoot, what would it be and why?

I’d love to do something amazing and geeky. I’m quite enthralled by the idea of travelling across New Zealand to photograph the locations of the Tolkein/Jackson films.

Mainly because I’m a massive fan of the books and films and because I’ve never travelled anywhere like that and I would love to challenge myself in a completely new way.

The North East has some amazing locations but do you have a favourite place to shoot?

Out of everywhere I’ve shot Newcastle City is my favourite place to shoot; everyone is friendly, there’s loads of interesting places to shoot and everywhere is within walking distance.

You covered Scream-Con for us recently (You can see his pics further on in this issue), how did you enjoy that?

I really enjoying photographing Screen-Con; I’m a big fan of Game of Thrones, Sherlock and Guardians of the Galaxy so meeting Lord Commander Mormont, Molly and The Mean Guard was really

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interesting, I made some great contacts for future cosplay shoots and I got some awesome Star Wars posters which are proudly hanging on my bedroom wall.

What was your favourite part of shooting at the event?

My favourite part had to be Spencer Wilding punching me in the face.

When you are not taking photo’s what do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time I like to read, watch films, sketch my own comics, play computer games and write geeky blogs.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I’ve been a photographer for 4 years, I met Wayne (NE Online Magazine) at the pub quiz where he is the Quizmaster and I have 2 younger sisters.

What are your aims for 2015

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photography wise?

My aims for 2015 are to shoot with new people, do something I’ve never done before and do some bigger and better cosplay shoots like shooting at night and using PhotoShop to create the effects of superpowers.

Where can people follow you and your work? fb; https://www.facebook. com/NJDunnPhotography blog; http:// n i c k d u n n p h o t o g r a p h y. blogspot.co.uk/ twitter; https://twitter.com/ NJDPhotography instagram; http://instagram. com/njdunnphotographer/ Is there anything you would like to add?

I’d like to end by saying that it was a brilliant experience shooting Scream-Con; a really fun event run by an excellent and friendly team and I would love to be part of it again.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and I’m sure we will see a lot more from you in 2015

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www.CULT-STUFF.COM

www.etsy.com/shop/Chompworks

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PHOTO COMPETITION It wouldn’t be SCREAM-CON without my fellow geeks in attendance. It’s good to see the convention from your eyes, so what better way to do that than with your photos, even better, the person who sends in the best photo wins a prize! A massive thanks to the following local businesses who donated a prize for our Photo Competition, please visit their pages and show them some love...

RABID WEASEL - www.facebook.com/RabidWeaselStudio CHOMPWORKS - www.facebook.com/Chompworks BLUECYBORG.COM - www.facebook.com/BlueCyborgDotCom OLD RED JALOPY - www.facebook.com/OldRedJalopyPage CULT-STUFF - www.facebook.com/CultStuff STAGE FRIGHT FX - www.facebook.com/stagefrightfx THE FUNKY PATCH - www.facebook.com/TheFunkyPatch FOREVER IN BLACK - www.facebook.com/ForeverinBlack

Photo by Patrycja Nowacka

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SCREAM-CON 2014

Photos by Becky Courtney

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photo competition

Photos by Joseph Tilley

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SCREAM-CON 2014

Photos by Ben Moore

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photo competition

Photos by Lynn Watson

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SCREAM-CON 2014

Photos by Patrycja Nowacka

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photo competition

Photos by Richie Jenkinson

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www.foreverinblack.com

www.stagefrightfx.co.uk 48

FOREVER IN BLACK

photo competition

WINNER This years winning Screen-Con Photo won by a unanimous decision from our judges. It caused us a few issues as the same photo was sent in by 2 different people but both people are friends so that worked out nicely as instead of splitting the prize, James wanted his share to go to Ben’s 2 sons, one of which is in this photo.

A big thank you to the companies who donated a prize so please go and show them some love.

sent in by ben moore and james brown

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HAND CRAFTED

COMIC BOOK ROSES What do you get when you cross a Florist with a Comic Book fan?

These incredible one of a kind hand made roses made from the pages of a comic book. We chat with the person behind these awesome comic book creations.

Hi Sharon and welcome to NE. Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

My name is Sharon Nicol Cooper, I am from Manchester originally but I moved to Alnwick about 4 and a half years ago to live with my Fiancé who works at RAF Boulmer Search & Rescue, I live with my fiancé and daughter.

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I am a qualified florist but not working in the trade just now due to Alnwick being a small town & only two flower shops here which have had no vacancies & I don’t drive so it’s difficult to get work outside of Alnwick without transport and I miss being creative.

A friend of mine shared your link on my facebook page and I have to say, what you do is amazing and very unique, where did you get the idea from to make Roses from comic books?

I first made the roses just from book pages but wanted to create roses with more colour & depth. So I tried making roses from Marvel comics as I love the art work & colours.

I love to create my roses from comics because comics are two dimensional and I turn the comics into the organic and natural form of roses, combining the colours & art work of the comics really works as a rose.

What are your plans, is this something you are doing for fun or is it the start of something bigger?

Making my roses is more of a passion just now but I hope it may lead to bigger things.

Originally making the roses from comics was something I just wanted to try, as at some point in the future I want to get back into bridal work, so I wanted to create something

different and unique to use in my Bridal work in the future.

I decided to put my roses on a few different Marvel/DC & Cosplay Facebook pages to see if people liked them and would be interested them, I have been very happily surprised at the response from people about the roses.

You have a background in

flowers but how easy was it to switch from the real thing to your new creation?

Yes is it very different as I am making the roses but the end result is that I have created a beautiful rose that is unique for me to use in my work and it is very satisfying.

What has the response been like so far?

The response to my roses has been fantastic & I am very pleased that people appreciate them & there uniqueness as no two roses are ever the same.

How difficult is it to make a single rose and how long does it take to make a single rose?

There is definitely a knack to making them and it helps to have a creative mind. Each rose takes around one hour to make.

I have to ask‌Marvel or DC,

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which do you prefer?

As to my preference to Marvel or DC.......that will have to be a trade secret.

Do you have a favourite superhero?

I would say my favourite character is Wolverine & the X-Men team.

Do you make your roses out of other comics or just Marvel and DC? At the moment Marvel & DC seem to be the most popular but I can make the roses from almost any comic book providing the quality of the pages are similar.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I love snakes and I have 8 pet snakes, amongst the many other animals I have as pets which are 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 Polecats & 2 Silkie Bantam hens.

My favourite place is Glen Coe. My favourite season is Autumn.

How can people keep up with you and your creations?

I have a Facebook page where people can view my work & order the roses, the page is called Marvel/DC/ Comic Book Hand Made Roses.

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What are your plans for 2015?

I will be incorporating my roses into Bridal work & when I do I will pop them onto my facebook page for people to see. I will hopefully have some Comic book themed weddings to cater for in the future.

I am doing my very 1st comic convention as a stall holder at Sunderland Comic con on 21st & 22nd February and I will have my work there for people to view and buy the roses to take away with them. If it’s a success I hope to do more conventions this year.

So I will see you all at Sunderland.

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Welcome to the wonderful world of Tim Strange.

Doing stuff : TMNT, miscellaneous and battle raps, Oh my!

So this is my first article for NE Online magazine and it’s going to be a doozey... Do people still say doozey? You can’t answer that as this was written in the past and by the time you read this the times could of changed several times over, plus on a serious note don’t talk to this article because, although I’m writing to you directly this is not a live dialogue, but you can have live dialogue with me on twitter, Tweeting me @JustTimStrange.

This article is mostly to update you on my comedy, my life and anything I really want to talk about. For instance, everyone is talking about Kim Kardashian’s nude photo shoot at the minute and that’s exactly why I’m not discussing this here.

That’s kind of the power I have over this article.

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First up on my agenda is to talk about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- now

I know it was out a few months ago but the dvd is not out until February, so there you go, im looking into the future!. Any way, I went into this film with the bar set pretty low, however I am pleased to say it wasn’t entirely rotten.

Although it will never be as good as the classic TMNT franchise of films, it had its nostalgic moments and did do a good job of capturing almost everything you loved about the original TMNT, while at the same time adapting it for the younger generation. Therefore, I’d recommend this if you wanted to see a film about mutated turtles who are taught by a mutated rat to do karate and end up coming together in saving the world, despite their personal differences!

I think the motto of this movie is - be good to your family as you never know when you need to rely on

them to stop a bad guy draining your blood to create an army of mutated people.

Overall good film.

Also, I met Raphael (he will never be Raph to me), at Scream Con at The Park Hotel in Tynemouth.

Brilliant Costume... Or was it a costume?!

This month’s Miscellaneous section is where I will offer my thoughts about miscellaneous things that are miscellaneous.

Scientists landed a shuttle on a moving comet - awesome and great achievement overall - but really hasn’t done anything to help our everyday lives.

Xbox One I was given Assassins Creed and Dragon Age for Xmas off my lovely wife, result!

Add me on TLS22 if you’re on Xbox One. Comic Cons I attended a few Comic Cons at the back end of last year and met the lovely Pam Rose and Ken Coombs from Star Wars and Batman fame at Teesside’s Bat-Con, both lovely and extremely friendly.

Met James Cosmo as well from Game Of Thrones, who was a great guy, and took time to talk to me which was nice- I love Game Of Thrones! Thanks to ScreamCon for booking him..

Anything you guys want me to cover in future Misc articles, feel free to get in touch with me on twitter(@JustTimStrange) or Tim Strange-Comedy on Facebook.

of being a full time club comic, and is definitely one to watch for the future.

Great comedy based around his life and his thoughts.

Summed up in three words: Original, Funny, and Beard!

Rap Battles So I recently took part in my first rap battle at Rib Ticklers comedy club in Hartlepool, which was a brilliant experience and great fun. I took on a kid from Sheffield called Josh Smith, who did a good job, but in the end I was victorious with my raps that included such lines as - “ I’m going to destroy you because, what you said to me was kind of sh*tty, but I’m like stay puft marshmallow man you’re like New York City” Any comedian who is reading this and hasn’t done a comedy rap battle, you should - it’s great fun Comedian of the month: Nick Banks (@nickbanks15) - at the moment this guy is going through the transition

Game of the Month GTA V- I know this is not a new game, but it’s what I’m playing and I must say Rockstar never fails to impress. Great graphics and game play highly recommended.

Three words: Graphics,Guns and Gameplay That sums up me and what I have been up to, I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now 2015 is a whole new year so I will be getting up to plenty so watch this space. Tweet me your thoughts and anything you would like me to talk about. (@justtimstrange), plus keep an eye on my twitter page and my facebook page www.facebook.com/ TimStrangeComedian as I will be updating and ranting and even giving things away on a regular basis, so until the next issue, see you all around

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Hi Chris and welcome to NE Magazine, for the few readers who must be living in a cave somewhere and don’t know who you are how about giving th em a quick l ow- down o n yourself?

- Hello! Can’t help but think I’m writing your interview introduction for you here, oh well… I’m a stand-up comedian from South Shields and I’m also a bit of an actor now and then… but mainly a comedian… that might not come across as well as it should in print form, but I am.

So there.

At the moment it’s hard not seeing you on the TV when we switch it on as you’re everywhere, but what has been the highlight for you so far?

- Not everywhere though am I? If you turn on QVC and I’m selling a frying pan, just assume you’ll find me floating face down in a river very soon. The highlight for me so far was probably being in Hebburn. Since starting comedy I always wanted to try my hand at being in a sitcom too so I was over the moon to do one with my mate and so close to my heart, and I got to work with Vic Reeves.

I know you had a bit of a crazy time with fans wanting pics and autographs when you were having a few drinks in a South Shields bar recently, how are you finding this, does it put you off going out?

- Not at all. Any person in that position who has been on TV or whatever and people want photos (I’m trying my best not to say celebrity here!) who pretends they hate the attention is a liar. You don’t go for a career on TV because you don’t want anyone to notice you. As long as I’m not eating or having a shit when you want a photo then it’s no problem at all… I meant, like on the toilet, not just in the middle of the dancefloor.

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Have you had any weird fan requests or incidents?

- Not really. The odd person will show up to a gig with my face on a T-Shirt, or bake me a cake, or send me a dead animal in the post but other than that it’s just photos and autographs. A little kid in Hebburn when we were filming asked me to sign his micro scooter… that was a bit weird.

Are there any venues on the tour that you are looking forward to playing or any you’re quite nervous about?

- The Theatre Royal in Newcastle. I absolutely can’t wait. I used to watch panto there when I was a kid. I’m

As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats you are now starring in the North East based sitcom Hebburn, how did that come about?

- My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decided to write a sitcom about the town he was from, Hebburn, and he actually wrote me a little side part which he named after me. But when it came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the main character, and when I got it, Jason took the part that he’d written for me! It came about so gradually that I didn’t really realise the enormity of being lead role in a BBC2 sitcom until I saw the advert on TV. I nearly passed out.

How has the response for Hebburn been so far?

- Overwhelmingly positive.

And we just won Best Drama at the RTS North awards too. And we’ve got a second series!

You are now embarking on your biggest tour to date, how do you feel about this?

- Yeah incredible! It’s an extension of my last tour, Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates in 2012 but the demand for tickets was so high and people enjoyed the show so much that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much bigger venues. I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

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Saturday the 1st of November saw the return of SCREAM-CON with a day of celebrities, costumes, family fun and more Geeks than you can shake a stick at. Over the next few pages we take a look at the photos from Official SCREAM-CON Photographer Nicholas Dunn. If you see yourself in any of the photos and want a copy or if you want to show him some love then check out his pages facebook.com/NJDunnPhotography nickdunnphotography.blogspot.co.uk/ twitter.com/NJDPhotography instagram.com/njdunnphotographer/

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