NE Online Magazine Issue 34 by Wayne Groves

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.

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 . The year is flying past so quickly as we reach the half way point. The one constant is how much great content we have that once again shows how amazing the North East really is! But d o n t t a ke m y w o r d fo r i t , r e a d o n a n d s e e fo r y o u r s e l f. As always, if you have something you want to see in a future issue then d o n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 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 P l u s r e m e m b e r t o fo l l o w u s o n Fa c e b o o k a n d Tw i t t e r fo r o u r r e g u l a r updates on events and competitions. Till next time Ta ke c a r e Wa y n e

EDITOR & DESIGNER Wayne Groves wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com

Cineworld Boldon www.cineworld.co.uk The Theatre Royal Newcastle & Newcastle City Hall www.theatreroyal.co.uk/ 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

CONTRIBUTORS Nicholas Dunn NJDunn Photography Peter Mann BSc Inside Mann Media & PR petermann78@hotmail.com LeeNemsPhotography www.ne-ms.co.uk SPONSORS Sergeant Clip www.sergeantclip.com Facebook - Sergeant Clip F.ound Digital Website: ino.digital

THIS ISSUE P6 Christy Wright P14 Beth Macari P20 Scott Ramsay P30 Danny Baker P42 James Thompson DUO PHOTO P60 Cineworld Film Round Up P76 Goldies Independent Music Hub P84 David Kirkland Ryton Retro 5

readers?

Hi Colin, welcome to NE, can

you introduce yourself to our

The Phoenix continues to fly over, and beyond, her native Tyne Some people are just worth interviewing be they musicians, sportspersons, television personalities, even entertainers and diminutive fire maiden, Christy Wright, is one such person. The past four years have seen Christy, now 26-years-old, strutting her stuff on both sides of the bar at Trillians in her native Newcastle’s city centre. It wasn’t meant to be that way though, she only needed a time-filler but, when you find something, then you find something. With an understanding boss in Dave Hills the happy-go-lucky, tattooed starlet increasingly pursued other outlets – why? Well the other side of Christy is that she’s a fire performer with a little bit of hula dancing and aerial acts thrown in for good measure. See, we all told you she was brilliantly unique!

“It was fire which started my whole journey into circus,” beamed an excited Christy as we chilled in a darkened corner of Trills. “After going to Slam Dunk in Leeds I would find myself at the after-party as well where I witnessed some girls dancing with fire. “I thought that not only was it

awesome but I really wanted to do it myself – and that was four years ago now.” Now, you can imagine anyone’s reaction to wanting to do circus acts but, playing with fire as well, it’s safe to say there were the expected mixed reactions from her parent’s Christy’s father being very excited, her mother not so much. “Back at the beginning I contacted a Tanya Oxbury at a local circus school and she helped me with the basics. “I just went from there really, practicing often, on my own, whilst performing at a few shows. “In fact it was at my first outing that my mum (Karen McGowan Photography) took a photo which went viral after being posted on reddit and it was turned into a meme,” Christy laughs whilst showing me the images. From there on in the fire performers’ stock continued to rise, quite literally, as the Phoenix was born from within the

and got myself some professional equipment and taught myself from online tutorials. “Although there’s a lot of skill and precision involved it’s all very new so I need to be sure before going further; the same with aerial which I’ve only performed in the (Poleguns) studio. “It’s different with fire performing though. I know the routines off by heart but I’m also comfortable with my own skill.”

depths, depths of some actual despair which would eventually lead her to performing on stage with Hordor (Game of Thrones), at Bloodstock, and at Download, where she returns this month alongside her best friend, Elena ‘Killpop’ Medina and the RISE Newcastle contingent. “Phoenix came about as it pulled me out of a really dark place,” explained Christy as we began touching on last summer’s ‘Fighting the Black Dog’ Mental Health Awareness gig held at Trills in the aftermath of Chester Bennington’s shock passing. “With issues I was having with my own mental health I really needed something to pull me out of it so I went and put all my

effort into fire performing.

Now it’s all about moving forward, the future, a stronger phoenix as she pushes on to bigger and better opportunities.

“It’s spiralled but I’m really proud of myself for doing it.” Even the O2 Academy Newcastle and a Harley Davidson opening last year have felt the heat emanating from this particular Phoenix in the flames. “I’ve always been different in that way though, gone against the norm and what others, including my parents, wanted,” Christy giggles. “Hula dancing and aerial acts I’ve only been doing about a year or so each though. “With hula I just saw some people doing it on Instagram, so I went

“It has really been amazing, insane, and loads of fun,” added Christy. “This is a great subculture of the entertainment genre but it is also a very expensive ‘hobby’ in what’s a very competitive market. “My world has completely expanded as well since I began doing fire, and festivals, and I’m loving meeting new people now (as opposed to the closed group of friends she had before). “I’ve even found my best friend, Elena, who’s my partner in crime and is the reason I do some of what I do.” With an aim of performing with

FUEL GIRLS and going full-time, the next step, alongside Elena and RISE Newcastle, will be attending Download Festival on June 7, The world of fire can very much belong to this brilliantly unique, talented, flame-haired Phoenix.

Nathaniel Ayton, Jamie Huntley Photography, Eddy Maynard Photography Click here to follow Phoenix Fires Arts on Facebook phoenixfirearts

This Phoenix will continue to rise for many years to come â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we guarantee you thatâ&#x20AC;Ś. Image Credits to Karen McGowran, Fusco Photography,

UK tour dates announced for March 2018 including London’s Alexandra Palace New album ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ due via Kobalt Music Recordings this February 9th 2018 Stream new track ‘Lemon To A Knife Fight’ HERE

You can pre-order the album HERE Having just detailed their fourth album ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ for a February 9th 2018 release via Kobalt Music Recordings, The Wombats have announced headline UK tour dates for March 2018, including Lon-

don’s Alexandra Palace. 2017 has already seen the Liverpool-bred trio headline O2 Academy Brixton (which sold-out in

under 24 hours), as well as two sold-out nights at the Sydney Opera House. Having debuted as Annie Mac’s ‘Hottest Record’ on BBC Radio 1, and premiered online with The Fader, new single ‘Lemon to A Knife Fight’ is available to stream here. 2015’s ‘Glitterbug’ album, that debuted in the Top 5 UK Album Chart and Billboard 100, has received over 200 million digital streams, surpassing even the band’s euphoric hit singles ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’, ‘Moving To New York’ and ‘Kill The Director’, that established them as chart-quashing champions of the noughties guitar pop explosion.

Set to headline North America this January, and join The PIxies and Weezer through the US in June and July, The Wombats will

play the following headline UK shows through March 2018. UK Headline Tour Dates *ticketmaster.co.uk March 13 - Belfast - Limelight2 14 - Dublin - Academy 16 - Cardiff - Great Hall 17 - Sheffield - O2 Academy* 19 - Aberdeen - Beach Ballroom 20 - Newcastle - O2 Academy* 21 - Nottingham - Rock City 23 - Birmingham - O2 Institute* 24 - Manchester - Academy 25 - Norwich - UEA 27 - London - Alexandra Palace 28 - Bristol - O2 Academy* 29 - Southampton - O2 Guildhall* CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR THE O2 ACADEMY

IF THE ANSWER IS YES THEN CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT

ino.digital

NE ONLINE MAGAZINE’S featured artist of the year, Beth Macari, has had a whirlwind start to her 2018, ensuring that the time away from the music industry she took last year, was worth every ounce.

“I’m really excited for Clone to come out!” began Beth.

Performing support slots at Sage Gateshead (RJ Thompson) and the O2 Academy (Rae Morris), a trip to Manchester for some Motown & Northern Soul at the Camerata, and a few singles for added measure including, as of this month, her own, latest offering, Clone.

“I had the most amazing time shooting the music video so I am really hyped to see what people make of it.

The soulfully seductive track which Macari insists emanates from “not being in the best of moods” when in the recording studio has finally but thrust into the spotlight this year, achieving adoration wherever performed and sets the 25-year-old up nicely for the festival run this summer.

“It has been a long time coming and so far, the response behind the scenes and at gigs has been great.

“I was in the recording studio (when Clone came about) and I wasn’t in the best of moods. “I felt a little deflated and I wanted to write something brand new and get rid of my frustration through a song (song writing can be very therapeutic) so I focused on a situation that had upset me a while back, Clone came together very quickly. “The song to me started with something personal; it was

actually based on a friendship as opposed to a relationship, but, as the song developed, the meaning behind it broadened and it became something that actually, I think lots of people can relate to in their own way.” This year alone Clone comes on the back of two collaboration releases – February saw her combine with global DJ, Kissy Sell Out (KSO) to release ‘Like That’ and last month with Axwanging for the classic, ‘Silence.’ They are certainly a trio of releases that ensures the northern sensation stays firmly at the top of her game, and with the backing she has received for her own release, ‘Clone’ having been signed to Carillo Music, a US-based record label ranked #10 on the Billboard Best Dance Record Labels, in the world, the only way is up.

“(Like That) was a really cool project to start 2018 off with and Kissy Sell Out is a great DJ and Producer. “To simply explain it, I wrote a song, he liked it, and so took it away and worked his magic. “The result was a cool garage track called ‘Like That.’ “(Silence) was a bit of a challenge, it’s definitely not an easy song to sing, but it is a great song. “I’m a Sarah McLachlan fan anyway and I think Silence is a great tune, so, when I got approached to collaborate on it with DJ/Producer Axwanging, I jumped at the opportunity. “I love collaborating with new people and I enjoy the challenge of writing outside of my comfort zone, and this project allowed me to do both.” Now, with other tracks in the bag to come, and festival season upon us – Beth began at Hit the North and will take in the Sunderland Tall Ships, Hardwick Live and the Bingley Music Festival over the next few months, 2018 is shaping up to be a stunning reincarnation year. Clone was released across all music platforms, including Spotify and iTunes, on May 18 – further details via Beth’s Facebook and Twitter @ BethMacari IMAGES BY DANIEL STARK

It is nearly time for another Screen-Con, the original and biggest North East convention that is ran by fans for the fans, bringing a whole host of guests from your favourite TV shows and Films giving you the chance to meet and chat with them all up close and personal as well lots to see and do both on stage and around the venue.

Screen-Con 2017 will have Hammer Horror and Bond star Martine Beswick and original Star Wars Stormtrooper Laurie Goode taking centre stage appearing, but unfortunately Spencer Wilding is not able to attend the event as he is now going to be filming over in America, but he has posted several messages on the Screen-Con event page apologising to his fans and promising to make it up to them by appearing at a future event. Good luck Spencer and we will see you at the next one. Al and Vicki, the people behind Screen-Con, are busy sorting a replacement as I type this so watch

this space for a big announcement coming your way soon. NE are always a regular feature at all of the Screen-Con events doing everything from taking photos for the magazine to getting on stage to judge the Cosplay Competitions. This year we will be there but this time we will have our very own stall where we will be holding the NE Charity Tombola. We have

already taken this to a few of the SciFair events last year and it is always a huge success raising money for some great local charities. We have several boxes of great prizes already with more prizes still to come, with everything from Funko Pop Vinyl Figures to comic books and even sweets. So make sure you come pay us a visit. Screen-Con is a fun day out for all of the family, with your host Markus Percy bringing you all manner of fun and games along with all of your favourite characters all wondering about and happy to pose with you for those great facebook profile pictures, so you really do not want to miss out, get your tickets HERE.

Scott Ramsay Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Hi Scott, it’s good to finally feature you in NE, can you introduce yourself to our readers? Hi Wayne, yes long overdue haha but it’s great to feature of course.

easiest way to explain it is I’m looking to get as many people as possible into what I believe is one of the greatest arts in the worldBrazilian Jiu Jitsu.

My name is Scott Ramsay, I am a first degree black belt and the head coach at Scott Ramsay Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, training and fighting out of Kodokwai Judo club and Trinity House, based in South Shields, to which I am born and bred. Although I have a back ground in boxing, I’ve spent the last 17 years or so studying and competing in BJJ.

BJJ is a grappling martial art and combat system that focuses on ground fighting, to a lot of people who don’t know what it is, it sounds like a load of guys rolling around the floor but to the trained grappler we can use a series of chokes, locks and holds to defeat an opponent – whether it in sparring (fighting in the academy/ practise) or at a competition.

You run the Scott Ramsay Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy, can you tell us a bit more about it and what you do? I of course after all these years have my own academy and the

Personally, although I love to compete, one of my sole main purposes for training is to stay in shape, this is why I believe the diversity of my students is so wide, as we have some who want to

learn to fight to the other end of the scale where we have students who are here to get fit, either way I’m happy to share my knowledge. Is Mill Hill - Brazilian jiu Jitsu part of that or is that something different?

Although I am head coach of my own academy, I have joined up with Professor Nick Brookes who is founder and the boss of Mill Hill, this is an absolute mega academy with affiliateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s across Europe and a great reputation for their BJJ level and competition credentials. I became part of the Mill Hill network as I believe you will never

learn everything in this art/sport and we and the art are always evolving so it makes sense to find a professor more knowledgeable than yourself to guide you through your training and fighting journey. Nick has been fantastic for our academy and regularly visits us to teach seminars and workshops, also to keep an eye on us haha. What made you want to set up your own club? Since starting in BJJ I never felt the desire to set up my own club, more so because my professional working life was so hectic, also adding in the factor that I could never train and fight full time due to my working commitments. It was simply by chance I was asked to go to a local gym and teach some youngsters some selfdefence and BJJ and to be honest it

all started from there. After a year or two I founded South Shields Fight Factory, at the time I felt South Shields was missing an academy with a few arts under one roof, although a lot of community centres had and still have different things going on, I wanted to create a gym or place to train with striking and grappling arts but be part of the same team. I started teaching BJJ Gi and a little No-Gi (BJJ but without the kimono or suit) then bringing in Steve East with his Kick Boxing Academy Kuie-ling and then Alex Enlund with his MMA, which later became Sixth Sense MMA. This to me is why I wanted to start my own officially, as we had what ended up being three very strong and reputable academies and all under one roof. We had British, European and World Champions

There is a strict BJJ belt system, more so for adults, which is white - blue - purple - brown black. Most other arts have more coloured belts or grades, but although we have very few, the requirement or level to obtain each is very high – our students must always make the grade, but it’s a marathon and not a sprint, it’s an art to be enjoyed and you will certainly do that training with us. Myself and some of my students have spent some time training in the motherland – Brazil, not a lot of academy’s can say they have been and learnt from the source and the world class professors there.

and all fighting out of a small seaside town in the North East of England. My goal has always been to share my knowledge with anyone who wants to learn, no matter their ability or age, there really is no restriction. There are a lot of great clubs around the North East, what makes yours different, why should people consider coming to train with you? I love the word different, that’s what we all are and that’s what all my students and potential students are…different. My academy caters for everyone’s needs! If your 40+ and want to get fit or learn to defend yourself, then we will welcome you into our team and that’s what you will achieve. If your 18 years old and

want to be a champion grappler then this is the place for you! Unfortunately in martial arts there can be a lot of politics, this is mainly based on coaches and instructors not wanting their students leaving them or taking their cash somewhere else (I’m sure there Is other reasons) so stop their students training at other gyms and/or academies but at my academy there is always an open door policy, anyone from any team is welcome on my mats and likewise for my students, they can train anywhere they want. I honestly believe our main difference is the standard we carry at all times! We never forget about the basics of our art, mainly due to the fact my BJJ lineage is from the source and we never push or promote our students to quickly or early.

Is Scott Ramsay Brazilian Jiu Jitsu just for competing or can people join who don’t want to compete but still want to train and get fit? Absolutely not, I’d say only 5% of my students actively compete, which is not to say that the others go along to support or want to compete themselves. The best way to enjoy what we do and to get fit is to come along and

train, simple! Any age can do what we do and funny enough I’d say the majority of new starters are easily 30+. We now have females training and mix it up with the lads, which gives a great ego free environment. Although I would never sell weight loss, I’m more about health and well-being, BJJ is great for getting you in shape. You really get out of BJJ what you put in. What advice would you give to anyone that is interested in joining you and giving it a try? Come along for a chat and watch a session, I always say watch a session, this is to simply get an understanding of what we do, then come along and give it a try and at your own pace, like I said we don’t This is genuinely an art for everyone, even my kids and my girlpush anyone and we are not here friend do BJJ now and they love it. to make anyone feel uncomfortable or anything.

You also run classes for kids, what would you say to anyone thinking of getting their kids involved with BJJ? Over the last few years this has been an amazing journey for me and the kids who are part of my academy and I hope it never ends, I’m so passionate about this, it is at the forefront of my academy. I cannot stress enough the importance of kids finding an art or sport they can become part of, but mainly a martial art. The perfect example for me to give for anyone thinking of getting their kids into BJJ is the fact that bullying is on the rise and doesn’t seem to be decreasing anytime soon, which is very sad, but what I’m not saying is kids need to learn to fight, but to me it’s all about confidence, bully’s do not like to pick on confident people, especially confident people who can protect or defend themselves,

a personal journey but also to test myself against the best in the world. Predominantly we travel as a team to UK based comps, recently 5 of us went to Manchester, we’ve even had a group of 12 of us went to Portugal and fought in the European’s – the largest BJJ tournament in the world. We often plan ahead for competitions as we like to make a weekend of the whole thing but also we can make sure we do this whilst sticking to a small budget.

unfortunately I’ve seen first-hand what bullying can do to people through my own students, but then I can see what positive outcomes there can be after a bullied kid has learnt BJJ, funny how the bully’s leave them alone.

I always restrict the numbers I allow to join my kids BJJ programme – quality and safety is always before quantity and money! We keep the numbers low so we can cater for everyone and ensure the kids are getting everything out of our art. Again like the adults, come along to my academy anytime for a look around or chat, see what we are all about, we operate first week free on all classes so there really is nothing to lose. You and your students often travel all over to compete in various competitions, is this a big thing that you all do together as a club or is it more of an individual athlete wanting to take part? I have been fortunate to compete in the U.K, Spain, Portugal and America numerous times as well as training several times in Brazil and that for me was not just

As a coach and competitor what would you say has been your biggest achievement or proudest moment? That’s a really tough question but generally when I have a full mat and everyone is working hard then this is my completed goal but my honest and greatest achievement is the development of my kids academy, this has been the best thing I have ever done and I’ve learnt so much doing this and working with little people hahah. My kids, Neve 5 and Joshua 3, also now train with me occasion-

ally, although they expect my full attention always, they eventually understand they can’t have this when I’ve another 15 kids as well to teach. I have also had the privilege of fighting against the best in the world and the learning curve alone is worth every bit of what I went through. When you are not training what do you get up to in your free time? You will definitely find me with my children and girlfriend Emma hanging out watching a Disney or Marvel movie, otherwise I’m at work . . . I run a pub for a very large company so spend most of my time working, which over the years has got in the way of training and fighting more but this makes for a better challenge. And with my children training I get to spend extra time with them . It’s also very handy having mats at home hahaha. Tell us 2 random facts about yourself? You mean uninteresting facts hahaha 1 – I’m absolutely obsessed with Formula 1. 2 – I have a great collection of Disney memorabilia which I have collected since my teens. Where can people follow you? They can check out www.scottramsaybjj.com and also my social media Instagram – sramsaybjj Twitter - @scottramsaybjj Snapchat – sramsaybjj We also have scott ramsay bjj on facebook. And how would they go about training with you all? Everyone is welcome, they can

drop in unannounced for a chat and/or train or drop me a message through any of my social media.

for you and reputable. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

Is there anything you would like to add? It’s been nice to be asked to feature in your online magazine, more so to spread the word of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. We have a real problem in this country with bullying and obesity, we can see it on a daily basis. We need to educate people, more so families, on the importance of looking after yourself, keeping fit and of course gaining confidence. If anyone’s interested and can’t get through to South Shields there are BJJ Academies across our region and I’d be more than happy to recommend somewhere that is right

Danny Baker

Hi Danny and welcome to NE, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself? Hello NE, I’m Danny, 28, from South Shields, currently living in Manchester, I can cook, clean and I look after myself... swipe right *insert wink face* – Oh, is it not that kind of bio intro?! Awkward.

like your standard job? It takes guts, passion and a lot of balls, it must be one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done. Even as a job, you only get paid once you have funding or a budget, unless you work direct with a production company, then that can be a little different.

You’re a film maker, is that as glamourous as it sounds? Nope. Like my mum says, “trust you to pick the hardest route and industry to go into”. It’s hard work, nothing like a 9-5. I guess when you start getting invited to award ceremonies and event dinners, then it could be glamourous I guess, but right now, it’s Tesco meal deal sarnies and everyone crams into a small car. Real, low budget / learn the trade stuff – it’s amazing, I love it.

Was filming something you’ve always wanted to do or was it something you fell into and took further? I’ve always loved film and the making of, I never really thought I’d end up following it as a career. Coming from an Army background, as my dad spent 25 years in the forces, I never thought I’d be running down the filmmaking path. A lot of kids join up, do what daddy did etc. Apart from me and a handful of mates from school, we pretty much moved back to the UK to start different careers. At first, mine was apprenticeship

So what exactly does it entail, being a film maker, it doesn’t sound

in oil and gas sector, a completely different career, I changed a few years back to chase a dream that most people couldn’t see, I’m a true believer that, you have to get up on a Monday morning and enjoy what you do. So, yeah, like most filmmakers, I’ll be pushing the door until someone is fed up and opens it.

You recently ran a crowdfunded campaign for “Sniff & Scandals”, can you tell us a bit more about that? I did, it was awesome. Thank you to everybody who put a few quid in the pot, we raised just under £1000. Sniff & Scandals is a short film that has drugs, sex, nude and Guy Ritchie – Okay he’s not in the film, but it is very Guy Ritchie / Snatch (2000), I did tweet him about it, but he never replied. The whole point was to try and get a short film made that had some sort of budget and would push me as a director. People ask and don’t understand that, when I’ve done projects in the past with no budget, the money comes straight out of my pocket – this goes for most independent film projects, you’ll find people invest their own dosh because they struggle to find investors. Crowdfunding pages can be great, if it’s done correctly. Rule 101 in filmmaking, spend someone else’s money haha. You billed this as your last short film, why is that? I’ve made a few short films in the last couple of years, I’ve had a good little film festival run with a couple of them. Now, it’s time to hit the big leagues, I want to make a feature film. A lot of young directors, tell themselves they want a feature film by the time they’re 30, unless you’re Spielberg who was 25 or 26. So, I have a few years to pull my finger out and produce something that might turn a few heads. I guess it’s that saying, walk before you can run, I’ve worked in TV and film freelance, as well as my short film runs, so I’m pretty confident, once I get a good script together I’ll be able to pull this off. How did the shoot go, did you

manage to make the film you envisioned or did you have some bumps in the road? It went well, a few people who helped production thought it would crash and burn, it’s a very ambitious project to undertake. We even had a guy called Jack Sherratt, who wanted to do a documentary / fly on the wall style film, he just thought it was absolutely crazy, so we let him, some of his footage is amazing, a real insight. Overall, it went well, a few scenes

that could be improved, sound design could be a touch betterâ&#x20AC;Ś is this me being picky? Probably! I enjoyed making it, hopefully, I get some attention like I did from the BBC and other organizations, when I made a short Army documentary in late 2015. When doing a film what is the hardest part about the process?

I think the whole filmmaking process can be hard, script, casting, finding a crew, locations, producing and even all the little factors like, parking and food, everything has to be accounted for. Having a good producer will have all this pretty much sorted. For Sniff & Scandals, I was playing both producer and director. The hardest part I found was finding

actors willing to push themselves that involved taking prop drugs and in parts of the film being naked, this was tough as we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t paying these actors. They trusted the script, seen pervious work and wanted to work with meâ&#x20AC;Ś amazing, it took time, but we did it as a team. And the most rewarding?

Having a version in your head, once the actor starts to preform, and it’s better than you thought, that can be pretty rewarding. The most obvious, is seeing the whole project done and dusted, ready for family, friends and the film festival circuit. Will the film be available for people to watch? Yes of course, if it goes down the festival route, I can’t post on social media until the circuits finished, festival gods can get a bit funny if they select your film and it gets shown via other methods. Keep an eye out on my social media channels. Who would you say is your film making idol or who inspired you the most when it comes to film making? I think most people my age and older will say, Steven Spielberg, he’s the Don, right?! A true great, if I get to do half the projects and films he’s done, then I’ll be complete. Coming back down to earth, a lot of inspiration comes from myself, people around me and folks I’ve traveled with, listening to their stories, problems, encounters and life issues is what makes me think of storylines and ideas. The best stories are the ones that are true. Name your top 3 films and why

you chose them? This is a hard nut to crack, I never know what to say, I’ve got loads of films and individuals I watch. A short film I really enjoyed was one called, “Best Man”, search it on YouTube. Its only 4/5 minutes, but its written extremely well and the twist at the end is fantastic.

Call Me By My Name, was probably, one of the best films I had seen last year, a very artist view of Italian summer in the early 80s. Classics like, Taxi Driver, Gangs Of New York, are amazing. Films I really like are, ones with plot twists and great camera work, Interstellar and Inception both by Christopher Nolan are ranked high for me. When you are not hard at work what do you like to get up to in your free time? I do my best to get across to the lakes, it’s a peaceful and relaxing place to be, no phone signal, lovely views and amazing little country pubs. – saying that, it would be lovely to get across soon, I haven’t been in ages. I love snowboarding,

travelling and I do my best to keep the footy up. If I’m having more of a lazy day, I’ll probably sit on the sofa and watch sky sports news all day eating rubbish food and drinking peppermint tea – I know, what’s the point, you’ve to have balance, right?! Haaa. A few random facts about yourself? 1) I once trekked a North Thai jungle in flipflops – Not my smartest move. 2) I have a sh*t mustache tattoo on my finger What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into film making? That’s the question I ask most people haha. I’ll be honest and say, I haven’t had a great amount of advice, yeah, sure, I’ve had the odd bit here and there, which has helped in the freelance / commercial world, but nothing that has pushed me as a filmmaker, I’ve found watching other Directors, producers and YouTube can be really beneficial. I will name drop and say, when I had Sunday lunch and a few Guinness with Robert Lindsay and his family, he did say, “keep the attitude and passion you have, we’re all in the same boat as artists, you’ll make it, I’m sure”. So, from working on short films, commercials and even a 4-month gig

at pinewood studios, I’d say, keep pushing, be a nice person, look busy (even if you’re not) and work on your own projects. Where can people follow you and keep up to date with your pro-

jects? Your best bet is probably Instagram - @dannybaker18. I am on other social media, with the same handle, but I update Insta a lot more. Is there anything you would like to add? I think that’s it. I’ve finished my coffee and funny enough, about to board a plane to the heartbeat of the film world, LA, on a 3-day trip. This was fun, let’s do it again sometime. Thanks to all your team. See you around. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us and we look forward to seeing big things from you in the future

NERG is the biggest retro gaming event in the North East, held at Gateshead Stadium over the course of 2 days, this event is as big as it gets for retro gamers or just the big kids re-living their youth playing the games they used to play, after all, they don’t make them like they used to. 2017 will be the fifth year of NERG and it will be a big one. With 100 video arcade machines, 35 pinball machines and 60 consoles and computers this really is an event you do not want to miss!. The event is held over the weekend of 1st & 2nd of July. Entrance is £15 per day or £25 for the full weekend. Children aged 5-13 years can also get in for only £10 on the Sunday. All the machines are set to free play so once you pay the admission fee, it’s free gaming all day., so no need for those pockets full of change. CLICK HERE TO TICKETS ONLINE.

PURCHASE

or you can pay on the day if the event hasn’t sold out. More details can be found at w w w.northeastretrogaming. com Machines are announced on a regular basis through the social feeds so make sure you keep checking to see what games will

be there, though with so many we are sure your favourites will be there. CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK For Twitter - @NERGOfficial

PURCHASE

be there, though with so many we are sure your favourites will be there. CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK For Twitter - @NERGOfficial

Hi James, welcome to NE, can you give our readers a little introduction? HI to everyone at NE and the readers, I’m delighted to be part of this month’s magazine. I’m James Thompson and I’m a full time photographer based in Washington. You are the man behind Duo Photo, can you tell us more about Duo and what you do? Duo Photo was originally the vision of two people, myself and Steve Mann. Duo was chosen because there were two of us and quite often we were shooting two people, Bride and Groom, Mother and Daughter etc. The business has adapted to the demand of new commercial/ arts focused contacts and this has been crucial to the success of the business. I am now the sole director of the business as Steve has successfully launched a new enterprise called Lead Education, based on his in-depth knowledge of Sport and the Education industry. Approximately 20% of my work-

visiting Schools and Colleges, as we specialise particularly in very large, high quality photo displays. We routinely work with 8 feet x 4 feet display boards and can span images across multiple boards to fill a whole room/ corridor.

ing time is actually used taking photographs. The remainder is consumed by Design, Admin, Networking activities, VAT/ Accounts and marketing etc. I find that the days, weeks and months just disappear as every day is busy, fortunately, I love what I’m doing and I get to meet some great and very talented people. Our business is split roughly 60/40 with 60% being field-based work, (travelling to dance studios etc) or

How long have you been a photographer and how did you get into photography? I have been passionate about photography since my teenage years. I am 60 years old next year and the passion for creating images has never diminished. If anything, it grows stronger. The more competent I become, the more I can express myself creatively. That leads to more satisfied clients and more referrals because of it. I first got into it in the mid 70’s. I asked my father if I could borrow the ‘family camera’ to walk around the shopping centre to take some photographs. The first photograph I took was of a man sitting with his dog, next to an outdoor water feature. I was confident enough to approach him and ask his permission and he was delighted. I still

have that original image in a box in the loft! I also loved cars then, so I would go around the local car parks taking photographs of Sports Cars, or anything that I thought was desirable at the time. In those days you had to hand your film to a Chemist/ Newsagent/Lab to be processed and you had to wait a week to examine the ‘fruits of your labour’. How things have changed. I enjoyed using that camera (and still have it) but quickly realized its limitations. I went to Boots and bought a ‘Boots Beirette’ which offered more control for different lighting conditions, but still had a fixed lens. A change in job brought better money so I was able to buy a camera with different lenses all protected in a shiny silver case, I carried it everywhere! As people got to know I had an interest and a posh case, I was eventually asked if I would shoot a friend’s wedding. I was offered £15 to do it! Seemed like a lot then! I took up the challenge and the day went well and I was happy with the photographs (fortunately so was my friend!). The company I worked for heard I could use a camera, so I was then asked to cover the Company Sport’s Days and Open Days. Spurred on with new found confidence, I decided to see if I could make more money from my hobby… I decided I would visit every household in my area , knock on their door and see if they wanted any baby photos taken. At the time I lived in Peterlee, so I knocked on literally every door and then went on to cover Horden and Easington! I must have been keen! Surprisingly this led to quite a bit of (low paid) work, I wasn’t asking for much, I just wanted to earn something for the pleasure of doing it. I rapidly gained a lot of experience in dealing with people,

not being offended if people said no and also in the use of my camera in different lighting situations. I suppose all that is the foundation of where I am today. Reflecting back on this now I am reminded of two striking points. Work ethic with perseverance is essential and perhaps just as crucial, if not more so, is never sell yourself short. Always charge the right amount for what the job is worth, if you don’t, you won’t be in business for long. Over the years you have done all kinds of photography, from shooting fight shows to models and all kinds of events here and abroad,

do you still shoot a bit of everything or do you specialize in one field now? Great question. My approach to my work has changed and so has my interests in my personal projects. At one time we were covering a lot of fight shows, some Bank Holidays we were covering 3 shows on a weekend, occasionally two on the same night! That was absolutely shattering and wasn’t sustainable. I met some wonderful people along the way and some amazing opportunities presented themselves during that time. Firstly, I would say, if you want to learn your craft as a sports pho-

tographer, MMA and Boxing etc are the great events to hone your skills. Nothing waits for you, you get the amazing punch/ kick or you don’t. You must know your camera inside out. You must be able to change settings at speed, or set various custom settings for the different light conditions. You must put as much time into your ability as the fighters put into theirs, you owe them that respect to do the job right. When you do, the opportunities follow. I’m a great believer in you ‘reap what you sow’. You must show the quality of your work first. Opportunity One During one of Peter McQueen’s MMA Total Combat Shows, I met a French fighter called Loic Marty. He loved the images I had taken during his interviews and during his fight. As I studied French and Spanish at Newcastle Uni, I was able to chat to him in French to get his attention. He bought every photograph I took of him. 6 weeks later I received a phone call from him, he was back home in the South of France. He was getting married soon, would I be willing to shoot his wedding if he covered all my expenses, hotels/ flight etc and obviously paid for the wedding! Of course I said yes. The Wedding Day was amazing and we got some incredible images. Other French Weddings came from that one and I’m fortunate enough to work in a country that I love. Opportunity Two Being known for covering MMA shows also has the phone ringing with promoters asking if you will cover their boxing shows. I gladly accepted the challenge and found it to be a fascinating sport. You have to get a ‘feel’ for how a boxer moves, punches and dodges as they move so fast. At the time I would put a selection of images from each fight onto Facebook,

with a link from those images to our website. The more events I showed on Facebook, the more I was asked to cover etc. Someone sent me a link via Facebook for a big event coming up in the Isle of Man, it was the Commonwealth Youth Games. They were looking

for sports photographers of a ‘certain standard’. I contacted them and sent them links to website and Facebook page. I got a call a few days later asking if I would go to Douglas for an interview. Following the interview I was asked to cover the boxing for the

show my résumé, I just want to encourage other photographers that there are opportunities out there and your aspirations can be realised. After covering a lot of ‘fight shows’ I eventually became known as a Sport’s Photographer and I had clients contacting me for all kinds of things. I covered the Manx GP in the Isle of Man, following the Commonwealth Games and then was approached to cover Basketball….. Basketball is one of the most challenging things I’ve had to shoot. Very fast movement, low lighting, people blocking your view etc. I was asked to cover a 3-day Basketball Tournament in Spain. My flights and expenses were covered too, was I available? Yes I was! I have now been covering that Tournament for 6 years. Whilst there I’ve been asked to shoot for Local Government: Tourist Work for their website. I have also covered Spanish Weddings, which I absolutely love doing. All of these opportunities originally arose from either contacts in the fight industry or recognition of my Sports Work in the fight industry. So, I have followed and chased the opportunities and that has dictated what I’ve shot in the past.

whole week of the Commonwealth Games in Douglas. Opportunity Three Whilst in the midst of covering all the fight shows we were contacted by BAMMA. They were going to host a show at the Newcastle Arena and I had been recommended

to them as the best guy for the job. I was delighted to accept! The show was on Channel 5 I believe, my mother called me to say I was on the telly! Opportunity Four Last one to mention. I am genuinely not highlighting these to

In recent years you have really excelled in dance photography and have a growing reputation, what drew you to that over other kinds of photography? I remember being contacted by an event organizer and was asked if I could shoot for a “Face of Sunderland” competition (or something similar to that). Several of those being photographed happened to be dancers. That led to a chance meeting with the owner of a dance club, SK Dance in Sunderland. From that, we started to cover Dance Events and provide on site printing. It was from working with

dancers and seeing their commitment to their art that inspired me. As photographers we put a lot of commitment and passion into what we do, therefore working with like-minded people makes the shoot far more pleasurable as everyone is dedicated to achieving the best possible result. With dancers able to express emotion via movement and lines, it just seems to fit in perfectly with how I want to express emotion in an image. What makes your work different to other photographers out there, why should a dancer or dance club come to you? Firstly I would say my easy going personality and also the depth of my experience. Pretty much whatever we can conceive we can create. My preference is for a ‘cinematic’ or ‘theatrical’ look, but at the end of the day, it is whatever the client asks for that will be provided. There are some extremely interesting jobs in the pipeline, which I can’t mention yet. If you invite me back in a few month’s time I’ll be happy to show some of the results. The projects I seem to get involved in now are getting bigger and require more time to plan, but I enjoy that side of the work. Lastly, check out the feedback from our clients, they love

what we’re doing and a lot of our clients are repeat business. You also have your own photography studio, can you tell us a bit more about it? Yes, I have a studio in Crowther Industrial Estate in Washington. It’s not a large studio but it’s amazing how much work we produce there. The majority of the work we cover there is for the Arts Industry: dancers portfolios, promotional images and posters,

professional headshots for dancers and actors and gymnasts. We do other things too, like Family and Pet Portraiture and we’ve recently done quite a few Children’s portraits, which I love doing. As a photographer have you got anyone that you admire and look up to? Yes, I love the work of photographer Gregory Crewdson, I think his work is incredible. I’m also inspired by an Argentinian Poet/ Singer called Atahualpa Yupanqui, the images he conjures up in his words are really thought provoking. What would be your ideal shoot if you could shoot anything/anyone at all? It’s pretty much what I’m doing now! We have some amazing talent in the North East and as time goes by I am getting to meet and work with more of it. However, if forced to choose, I would love to have the opportunity to shoot with

Misty Copeland, she is an incredible athlete and dancer. Out of all of the shoots that you have done what would you say has been your favourite shoot so far and why? I think that’s an impossible question to answer! I have worked with some incredible talent and personalities and each has had their own merits. I’m not dodging the question I just think that in our industry, so many amazing things are ‘created’ as opposed to ‘waiting to happen’, so you can create desires ‘as you wish’. I could provide a long list of names here. I have done some amazing work with the beautiful and talented Yazmeen Afzal from SK Dance in Sunderland. Especially at the Glass Centre with Arron Hough in Sunderland and also at Keel Square in Sunderland. I have also worked with the extremely talented Reece Woodier from Tabs Studios in Middlesbrough. Lastly, I will mention the beautiful and talented Candice Theasby from Watsons Academy of Dance in Hartlepool. I have printed albums of work from all these dancers in our studio and they are stunning. I know I’m leaving a long list of names out

here, but this is why I love my job, there is so much amazing talent to work with. You are a triple award winning photographer and also recently had your Dance Photography shown on the Master Photographers Association stand at The

Photography Show in Birmingham, so it shows that hard work really does pay off. Can you tell us a bit more about your awards and being part of the Master Photographers Association and what that means? Joining a Professional body related to my work was a big and important step for me for several reasons. At first I thought what does it matter, my clients are happy! I initially took the step to join, as it is a requirement for some jobs you tender for through procurement. I’m also on the preferred supplier list for Durham County Council, so having a professional qualification from a recognized body like the MPA , does help with your credibility B2B. A competition was held by the MPA in the North East. Anyone was available to submit images, so I entered 4 of my dance images. My images were entered into an ‘open category’ so I was

competing against an array of different images. To my delight I won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in that category. That inspired me to go for qualification, which is quite an involved process. You have to submit 20 of your best images and write a working portfolio of your approach to your work, sample Risk Assessments, Client Feedback amongst other things. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite a journey but the process is worth it. My portfolio of 20 images and my working profile were sent to London to be judge by the top 5 in the MPA. I was delighted to be told I had passed and received some amazing feedback, both formally and informally. They were so delighted with my work I was asked if they could display it at The Photography Show on the MPA stand in Birmingham this year. I take two main things away from this journey. Firstly, my confidence as a photographer has

increased significantly. Secondly, my clients may not understand what the letters LMPA stand for after my name, but they do benefit indirectly from having a more confident and inspired photographer to work with. News of the awards on Facebook set my phone ringing within hours of them being posted, so they are good for business. I am now Vice Chairman of the MPA North East branch so

if anyone would like info on how the MPA could help them, they are welcome to get in touch. What advice would you give to someone wanting to hire a photographer for an event or a photoshoot? Well there are lots of good photographers out there. Find someone with good feedback and whose livelihood depends on it, they are

guaranteed to turn up and deliver the goods. I’ve had numerous last minute phone calls from clients who have been let down at the last minute and they’re disappointed or frantic. Avoid the stress by doing some research first. What are your personal aims and goals as a photographer for 2018 and beyond? My personal aims and goals are currently linked with my busi-

ness ones. I am preparing for my next Level of qualification with the MPA. This may take 1-2 years to accomplish. I am very excited about this as I know what I want to shoot and how I want to shoot it. They will be low key, moody images, some involving dancers, some involving the ‘right looking’ male or female for that particular image. They don’t need to be models, just have the right look. I am going for an Argentinian Tango and Flamenco ‘look’ to the images, though the person themselves may not actually be dancing in the image, just have the right edgy look. Anyone who thinks they might have this look, please get in touch, I am interested in talking to you! My other main goal is I am going to publish an online dance magazine to be called Dance Heat! News scoop, you heard it first here! It will encapsulate all forms of dance and we are looking for talent to showcase! This will be a National magazine and we are also looking for Choreographers/ Nutritionists etc to contribute. More details will be available via our

Facebook page and our website in the next couple of weeks. That’s enough to keep me going this year! When you are not working hard what do you like to get up to in your spare time? Anyone in the media industry will know it can be a labour intensive job at times, so when I’m not working I like to spend my time

with my family and also going out on my motorbike. Family time to me is really important, especially as I have a new Granddaughter. Lola is almost 5 months old now and is proving to be a real character! When I do get the chance to go out on my bike (Suzuki Bandit 1200) I like to ride around the Durham Dales, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. I have special cases on the side of the bike that will safely hold camera equipment, as I like to maximize the use of my ‘time off ’ for personal photography projects. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? I speak French and Spanish. I drive around in a Red Postman Pat van. I have a passion for Argentinian Art. Where can people keep up to date with you and your work? Via my website: www.duophoto. co.uk or www.promoteourschool. co.uk Facebook: james thompson Instagram: duophoto / Twitter @ duophoto1 How can people contact you to book a shoot in the studio or to hire you for their events? Contact me on 07817 512 234 email james@duophoto.co.uk Or via Facebook and Instagram Is there anything you would like to add? Finally a massive thank you to Wayne Groves! His initial interview with Ross Pearson started me on a fresh journey and look where it’s going! Thanks mate!

Photo by Lee Tiffin

We have double the fun now as we have teamed up with Cineworld Boldon and the new Cineworld Dalton Park to give you a quick run down on a few films that are coming soon and really have got us excited. Plus make sure you check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with their daily competitions and updates. Boldon and Dalton Park

The Incredibles 2 Release date: 13 July 2018 In ‘Incredibles 2’, Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) navigates the dayto-day heroics of ‘normal’ life at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell), Dash (voice of Huck Milner) and baby JackJack—whose superpowers are about to be discovered. Their mission is derailed, however, when a new villain emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything. But the Parrs don’t shy away from a challenge, especially with Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) by their side. That’s

what makes this family so Incredible. Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Catherine Keener

Director:

Brad Bird

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

Skyscraper Release date: 13 July 2018 Global icon Dwayne Johnson leads the cast of Legendaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SKYSCRAPER as former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Ford,

who now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in China he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who

is trapped inside the building... above the fire line. Cast: Dwayne Johnson Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation Release date: 27 July 2018 In Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, join our favourite monster family as they embark on a vacation on a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can take a

summer vacation from providing everyone else’s vacation at the hotel. It’s smooth sailing for Drac’s Pack as the monsters indulge in all of the shipboard fun the cruise has to offer, from monster volleyball to exotic excursions, and catching up on their moon tans. But the dream vacation turns into a nightmare when Mavis realizes Drac has fallen for

the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could destroy all of monsterkind. Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez Director: Genndy Tartakovsky CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Release date: 26 July 2018 The best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies

(Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm. Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Rebecca

Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Wes Bentley, Frederick Schmidt Director: Christopher McQuarrie CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

Ant-Man And The Wasp Release date: 3 August 2018 As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and

Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.

Cast: Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael PeĹ&#x201E;a, Paul Rudd Director: Peyton Reed CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

Unlimited Card Love Cinema. Join the club - £17.90 a month. You will receive... Preferential Discounts Unlimited members get 10% off all food and drink bought in-cinema at any time of day, every day!* Plus, you’ll also receive discounts for all nonfilm screenings such as Live Opera in HD, Live National Theatre, Live sport in 3D and live gigs etc. (All discounts subject to terms) Get access to Exclusive advance screenings

As an Unlimited member, you can be among the first to see great movies at our special screenings. Just keep an eye on our Unlimited newsletter for your invitation. Discounted Meals & Shopping Unlimited members benefit from exclusive deals set up by their local cinema*. These offers vary from cinema to cinema, but are a great way to save pennies. (All deals are subject to terms) *Until further notice

Watch as many films as you like Are you mad about movies? Feed your fascination by watching as many films as you like at Cineworld every month from just £17.90. There’s literally no limit to the number of times you can visit! Apply for your card now at www.unlimitedcineworld. com/uk/pages/apply. aspx?step=1 using promo code RAF-63KG-29XM-00SB31WU.

STEPNEY Tyres

new premises Unit 4, maurice road ind est Newcastle upon Tyne, Ne28 6by

Probably the toughest edition we’ve produced yet - but when you strive for the stars, you have to climb those stairs Savour: Issue 7 is finally here with a complete NEW REDESIGN. Celeb chefs, The Artisans, recipes, top restaurants, the best hotel stays and lots of local talent too. Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay, James Martin, Savour: The Cook Off (where we’ve challenged four chefs to cook dishes using sustainable food) and, of course, THE GIN EDIT. Well, it wouldn’t be my little (it’s becoming a monster!) magazine if I didn’t include my favourite things would it? Nothing short of blood, sweat and tears has been put into this one. Massive thanks to all involved. I couldn’t do it without you. Y’all know who you are. Georga Spottiswood

CLICK HERE TO GET ISSUE 7

Hi Goldie and welcome to NE, can you introduce yourself to our readers? Hello guys, I’m Goldie and I own and run Goldies Independent Music Hub, with Coffee house. I’m a local lad, brought up in South Shields and never really left. You have just opened up Goldies Independent Music Hub, can you tell us more about it? The shop/hub is based in South Shields, directly opposite the

Town Hall. We are pretty much open every day 8am till 5pm. Well I say every day, Sunday we’re shut and as I’m old school I decided that Wednesday would be half day closing at 12pm, got to have some time off!! With the popular rise of places like Starbucks and Costa, what makes Goldies different and why should people support you over the big chains? Well, it stands to reason that the big chains will always do well

as they have the finical backing that an independent place like mine hasn’t. I use a local coffee company, Tynemouth Coffee, and a local tea company called Storm Tea. So In my opinion if you pop in for a coffee or tea you’re not just supporting my place you’re also supporting two other local companies. With being primarily a music shop the environment that you are in is not like any major chain coffee shops, by this I mean the atmosphere in the hub is kind of more relaxed, you haven’t got people running about and being all stressed out that their fluffy moca-coca-cino isn’t ready, it’s just not that kind of place. You can ask for any music to be played, within reason of course, and if you’re into collecting music you can have a coffee while you browse. Also adjoining the hub is a nice little micro-bar called the Cask Lounge, so if coffee isn’t

your thing, you are more that welcome to grab a beer and have a browse are even just hang out and listen to the tunes. Obviously you can only do this when we’re both open. Setting up any business is hard in this day and age, how hard has it been for you getting everything off the ground? I’m not going to bore you with all the details but you couldn’t be more right when you say it’s hard!! From the very conception of the idea to the opening of the business, it took about 3 months of hard work, every day until the very last day. We’ve had everyone, that could, take there pound(s) of flesh from both business, its unreal who you’ve got to pay and how much they want.

You have teamed up with another business in The Cask Lounge next door, so how will it all work with you both? Yes that’s right mate. Paul and Jill are long time friends, good fiends with us, I’ve known Paul since we were at school. So it was a no-brainer when we were talking opening up each business, kind of from the beginning we were both looking for properties that we could share. As I’ve mentioned to you before, when we’re both open you are more than welcome to come and go between mine and the Cask Lounge with a pint. Vinyl has seen a massive comeback in the last few years so is that one of the reasons you are selling it in Goldies or is it just something you’ve always wanted to do anyway?

No, I didn’t jump on that band wagon with it coming back, it’s just kind good or bad timing which ever way you look at it, for me it’s a good thing. When we first spoke about getting this off the ground vinyl wasn’t a huge thing like it is today. I got my ideas from all over the country and stocking vinyl looked to be the direction that I wanted to go. With music being a big part of Goldies, in everything from the records on sale to the decoration and even the guitar neck door handles, so for customers coming into have a drink what kind of music can they expect to hear or can they listen to anything when in there? Ha,ha, good question. Depends on what mood I’m in to what you might walk in with playing. That gets changed rather quickly if I’ve got something really heavy on. I always ask people what they’re into and if I’ve got it, I’m more than happy to play it. Something I will encourage is for people to ask for music to be played, no matter what genre it’s from. What kind of things can customers look forward to now that you are up and running? As I’ve just opened and achieved all my goals, I’m going to wing it for a while and see what comes my way. I do have ideas but

they’re on the back burner for the time being, no other reason but the financial kind. You are also asking local bands and singers to get in touch with you, what’s the reason for this? I remember where I came from and being in a band all those years ago, before all the social media sites it was really hard to sell your stuff, whether it was merch, CDs, whatever. So I want to be more of a community place as well as a business so local bands can come, hang out and have their music played and sold. When you are not working in

Goldies what do you like to do with your spare time? I’m quite a basic sort of guy. Big thing for me is to spend time with my family, because without them this would never have happened. I also like to watch random stuff on telly, play on my Xbox and my guitar. I have been known to go out for a few social beverages from time to time. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? I’m 6ft9” tall. I’ve stared in 106 adult movies and I can drink 30 pints of beer!!! Those sorts of facts or real ones? I don’t know, if you know me then there’s not a lot of random facts that people don’t already know, Lets think about this one. I used to play bass in Souls of Jack Ketch, a local band check them out. My favourite place in the world is Disney; I’m a huge kid at heart and if I could I’d move out there. Where can people follow Goldies and keep up to date with events and offers? I’m on Facebook and Instagram, or whatever it’s called. Search for goldieshub. Is there anything you would like

to add? Thank you very much for taking the time to do this for me mate, I really appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and we wish you luck for the future

David Kirkland

On May 26th the sleepy village of Ryton in Gateshead was awoken by its very first retro gaming event featuring a selection of amazing pinball, arcade and console machines. We spoke with event organiser David Kirkland to see why going retro is all the rage right now How was the event? Absolutely fantastic. With it being the first ever event you have no clue how it will go or be received

- you think you do but you really don’t. We sold out on eventbrite, had people queuing up outside before the doors had even opened and even a week later are getting lovely messages of support. Mainly asking when the next one is. You work full time during the day, coach boxing on an evening and have just welcomed your second daughter in to the world. How on earth did you have time to organise Ryton Retro? Ha, good question. I’m not really sure to be honest! Truth be told I’ve always wanted to run my own event. My wife and I both grew up around the Ryton area, and after moving away, being lucky to travel the world etc we’ve come full circle and bought a house not too

far away from Ryton Hall. Having a suitable venue for an event right on your doorstep saves a lot of stress (well, I thought it would

anyways!), money and time and after speaking to the owners they were on board right away. It was a no brainier. Why a retro gaming event? A few reasons actually. I took my nephews to one last year and it was absolutely packed, so straight away I knew there was a current demand. This particular event was a bit flat though with no atmosphere. My brother-in-law turned to me and said ‘You could do this’. I played it cool but knew he was right. People love retro. When you are out socialising what do you talk about? It’s TV shows you watched, music you enjoyed, gigs you went too, video games you played for hours with mates. The other significant factor was that I had most of the props and machines anyways in storage so kitting the venue out would be easy! Are you a serious gamer? You know what? I’m not. I wouldn’t have the time if I was anyways. The last game I completed was GTA San Andreas (what a game by the way!) on the PS2. Then I realised my uni course was

actually quite difficult so figured it would be best to step back from the pads! What’s your favourite retro memory? Probably the summer of 1998 where I not only saw the first

ever Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes movie in a cinema in Sydney, Australia but also came home with pretty much every bit of merchandise an 8 year old could get his hands on. It was this holiday my Mam and I completed the original turtles arcade as well. I’d spent two

nights in an arcade hall near our hotel and on the third the owner said I could pick any machine I wanted with unlimited goes. If anyone is wondering I was Donatello. He was the best. So what do you think of the new TMNT films?

Absolute garbage. Ha ha! So last question, when’s the next Ryton Retro? The plan was to do another one around the same time next year but the feedback has been epic. This might have something to do with the fact our main sponsor

Pixelarcades.co.uk gave away a £650 arcade machine! I’m hopefully going to do another Ryton Retro before the year is out. I don’t want to give too much away but it will have a different theme with specific games. If I can make it happen it’ll be class. Bigger and better for sure.

Does Your Business Need Fire Curtains? Fire safety has been brought to the fore this year. It has always been important, but business owners and landlords are now taking it a lot more seriously. Beyond the risk to life, there is also a huge risk to property that can completely ruin a business â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even if the business is well insured. There are lots of ways to protect your workplace from fires; fire curtains are one of the lesserknown fire-safety features, yet they are extremely effective, so this brief article looks at how fire curtains work and the kinds of business that could benefit from installing them. High-quality fire curtains have

saved many lives by impeding the spread of fire. They are usually made from extremely flame-retardant materials that can prevent the spread of fire for at least two hours. They are installed close to areas that have a higher-than-normal risk of fire, such as factories, shops with a lot of flammable fuel (such as books or clothes), and any workplace with a lot of electrical equipment. If you are unsure whether or not your business needs fire curtains, ask yourself if there are sources of ignition (electricity, heat, naked flames) and if there is enough fuel to help the fire spread quickly. Fire curtains are fitted to an automatic system that

activates when local firewarning systems are set off. Once activated, fire curtains can either close immediately or be set on a delayed timer. You can integrate this function into your workplaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current automated fire alarm system. If you want to go a step beyond fire curtains, you can invest in fire shutters, which have a soldered link design that melts when exposed to a fire, making an extremely fire-resistant barrier. Local Sunderland-based company K & D Systems (www. kanddsystems.com) is a fire curtain specialist with a 3-day turnaround on fire curtain installations and a proven track record. Contact their Newcastle branch on 0191 204 9070 if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to learn more.

IF THE ANSWER IS YES THEN CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT

ino.digital

When you think of Bare Knuckle Boxing I’m sure most people will think of travellers fighting in car parks or some of the call out videos, both of which you often see popping up on youtube and facebook. What people don’t realise is that over the last few years a company called UBBAD have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring BKB out of the shadows and into the mainstream.

fight defeating Cowboys Michael who was undefeated in 200 BKB fights. There have been a few occasions where Terrill was due to face current UBBAD Champion Michael “The Real Deal” Ferry on other promotions but it has yet to happen, hopefully now that they are both signed to UBBAD there’s nowhere to hide and this eagerly awaited fight won’t be far away. It will be a fan favourite fight when it happens seeing as Ferry’s fans think there is no competition left for him to face, whilst Terril’s fans think Ferry is ducking Terril because he knows that he will lose his title and has been avoiding the hard fights to keep it. With this kind of talk there can only be one outcome and that is for the fight to take place, which will be great news for neutral BKB fans.

They already have some top level fighters on their books, but in recent months they really have pulled out all of the stops with signings like North East fighter Michael Terrill, who is a Champion Kickboxer and who this year won his first ever Bare Knuckle

Another of the big name signing is former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard who is a well-known striker and a massive household name to be added to the UBBAD roster. He will be taking on the winner of the upcoming Jimmy Sweeney and Dann Henry-Welsh fight. Sweeney