Rip It Up 356

AVAILABLE AT:

CREDITS Creators Murray Cammick Alistair Dougal Publisher Grant Hislop Editorial Manager Tyler Hislop - tyler@harkentertainment.com

STAN WALKER DAVE DOBBYN

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA NEWWORLDSON MXPX

PAPER ROUTE RUBY FROST GINNY BLACKMORE TITANIUM HALFNOISE VINCE HARDER MC JIN JIREH GUVNA B BENNY TIPENE MOORHOUSE BROOKE DUFF GAP 5 MAAKA FISO AARON GILLESPIE WITH PARACHUTE BAND TIGERTOWN MASSAD SAVING GRACE AND MORE

Designer Greta Gotlieb - greta@harkentertainment.com Sales Director Pauline Cousens - pauline@harkentertainment.com Sales Manager Hannah Clark Distribution Jamie Hislop - jamie@harkentertainment.com Accounts Gail Hislop - accounts@harkentertainment.com Intern Pauline Reinhardt Contributors Leena Tailor, Jamie Wynn, Tim Gruar, Ren Kirk, Murray Cammick, Sarah Thomson, Nick Collings, Justin Fowler, Matthew Codd, Tony Stamp, Adam Fresco.

Cover image Murray Cammick Rip It Up Magazine is published by Hark Entertainment Ltd Office 2a Waverly Street, Auckland CBD, New Zealand Postal PO Box 6032 Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141, New Zealand Phone (09) 366 4616 Website ripitup.co.nz Printers Webstar | Blue Star Group Limited Rip It Up is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved in material accepted for publication, unless initially specified otherwise. All letters and other material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labeled “NOT FOR PUBLICATION”.

Opinions express in the magazine are not necessarily those of Satellite Media Limited. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited material.

ISSN 0114-0876

CONTENTS

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24 22 39

16 04. Credits, 08. What Goes On & On The Rip It Up Stereo, 10. Ramones, 12. Arcade Fire, 14. So What… & Rip It Up Top 5, 16. Paul McCartney, 20. Who’s Next?, 22. Tinie Tempah, 24. Stevie Nicks, 26. This Month In Clubland, 28. M. Ward, 30. Style Like Katy Perry, 32. Style Like David Bowie, 34. Gadgets, 36. Geeks, 38. Film Reviews, 39. Tom Hiddleston, 40. Album Reviews, 41. Motörhead, 42. Album Reviews, 43. Tommy Tiernan, 44. Style File & Artist Q&A, 46. Jennifer Lawrence, 48. #Winning, 50. Tweet Talk.

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AD

WHAT GOES ON 1. Michael Jackson ($160 million) 2. Elvis Presley ($55 million) 3. Charles Schulz ($37 million) 4. Dame Elizabeth Taylor ($25 million) 5. Bob Marley ($18 million) 6. Marilyn Monroe ($15 million) 7. John Lennon ($12 million) 8. Albert Einstein ($10 million) 9. Bettie Page ($10 million) 10. Theodor Geisel ($9 million) 11. Steve McQueen ($9 million) 12. Bruce Lee ($7 million) 12. Jenni Rivera ($7 million)

FORBES TOP-EARNING DEAD CELEBS

SQUARE EYES

Michael Jackson has been named the highest-earning dead celebrity of the year. The estate of the late ‘singer, who died from acute Propofol intoxication in 2009, amassed $160 million in 12 months, as a result of the two successful Cirque du Soleil shows, Michael Jackson ONE and Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour, based on his back catalogue of hits.

Full list of Forbes magazine’s Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

TV 3 and FOUR had a big party and announced their brand new season of shows for 2014. Here are some of our highlights: Big Brother Australia, Cadbury Dream Factory, Family Secret, Hamish and Andy: Asian Gap Year, Hannibal, Hope & Wire, Hotel GB, House of Cards, Night Shift, Prison Families, Rake, Slide Show, The Blacklist, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Paul Henry Show, Troy, Us & Them and World’s Scariest.

SERJ TANKIAN & CSO

SEE THEM LIVE: SERJ TANKIAN & CSO

The album is a twelve-song collection inspired by Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, an album of traditional Americana songs reinterpreted, recorded, and released by The Everly Brothers in 1958. “I’ve been a big fan of The Everly Brothers since I was a little boy,” Armstrong says. “A couple of years ago, I discovered Songs Our Daddy Taught Us for the first time, and I fell in love with it.”

Jones, a long-time Everly Brothers fan herself, describes herself as “a sucker for harmonies and country music.” Also, she says, “Billie Joe’s enthusiasm about the songs and his low-key, open approach to the music was very inviting.”

SAT 29 MAR CBS CANTERBURY ARENA,

NEW ALBUM: FOREVERLY

CHRISTCHURCH

OUT FRI 22 NOV

Singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and voice of System of a Down, Serj Tankian is bringing his critically acclaimed Orca and Elect the Dead Symphony Tour to Christchurch in March 2014. Orca, Tankian’s first true symphony, mixes influences from early 20th century composers with modern film compositional dynamics. “It is an unbelievable privilege for us to be sharing the stage with such an outstanding musician such as Serj Tankian.” commented Gretchen La Roche, Artistic Manager for the CSO.

TICKETS ON SALE: MON 04 NOV TICKETEK.CO.NZ

ARMSTRONG AND JONES Green Day front man, Billie Joe Armstrong, and singersongwriter, Norah Jones, have teamed up to record Foreverly.

ON THE RIP IT UP STEREO

CONNAN MOCKASIN ‘I’M THE MAN, THAT WILL FIND YOU’ (2013) SWAMP THING PRIMORDIUM (2013) BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB BEAT THE DEVIL’S TATTOO (2010) LORDE PURE HEROINE (2013) ALABAMA 3 LA PESTE (2000)

BOWIE THE NEXT DAY (2013) SPIKE MILLIGAN BAD JELLY THE WITCH (1974) HAIM DAYS ARE GONE (2013) PINK MARTINI GET HAPPY (2013) APATHY HONKEY KONG (2011)

R AMONES

SO MANY T-SHIRTS, SO LITTLE TIME. The Ramones unlike any other influential band in the history of popular music –sold very few records while selling a very large number of t-shirts.

The fact that their t-shirts were and are very fashionable does not lessen the importance of the Ramones’ music. They had an immediate impact on the birth of British punk and soon after, the birth of hardcore, So-Cal punk, grunge, alt punk, Green Day etc.

There are two weird stats on the interweb that illustrate the band’s impact on several generations of young musicians. Ulrich Hesse has found the time to list 100 songs that mention the Ramones that are not by Motorhead.

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Are there 100 songs about the Beatles? Four years ago writer Mark Prindle in Spin magazine (April 2009) noted that there were 48 Ramones tribute albums.

There may be more songs about the band, than t-shirt designs.

Warner Music have tried to correct the imbalance between music purchased and t-shirts sold by releasing a box set – Ramones: The Sire Years 19761981 containing the band’s first six studio albums – Ramones (1976), Leave Home (1977), Rocket To Russia (1977), Road To Ruin (1978), End Of The Century (1980) and Pleasant Dreams (1981) in their original artwork. The set collection could have been improved by replacing Pleasant Dreams with the earlier 1979 live album It’s Alive.

The band’s negligible record sales were due to the fact that although they were loved by music writers and loathed by radio programmers. Nowadays a band might be happy to be top of the alt heap and never on commercial radio, but the Ramones did want to hear their music on the Casey Casem’s American Top 40 show.

Speaking to Roy Colbert in Rip It Up publication Xtra in 1980 about their No.8 UK hit ‘Baby I Love You’ off their Phil Spector produced album End Of The Century (1980), Joe Ramone said, “I couldn’t see how it could miss as a hit single. It was slower, but it had a lot of life to it. It was done tastefully and I know I worked my arse off for it. After hearing what was on the

Top 40, I couldn’t see it missing.

But it did.”

In 2009 Dee Dee’s wife Vera spoke of the band’s disappointment with the lack of commercial success of the Spector produced album. “I think it was a big disappointment for the whole band. It was depressing for all of us. They tried to break out of the underground scene, and they just could never break it to the big time like the others.”

The “others” that Vera Ramone is referring to are the bands like Talking Heads and Blondie that also came out of the New York scene that was centred on the venue CBGB’s. Talking Heads were also on the same record label as the Ramones – Sire Records run by Seymour Stein.

“Esoteric music of one generation, if it succeeds, is the pop music of the next.” the Ramones were managed

by Stein’s wife, Linda with the colourful PR / A&R legend Danny Fields. The Ramones would eventually share a big time manager Gary Kurfirst with fellow New Yorkers Talking Heads and Blondie but they never emerged from cult status, in commercial terms. The very bohemian Fields had done PR for The Doors and signed MC5 and The Stooges to Elektra and his New York loft became a frequent crash site for members of the Ramones.

“Esoteric music of one generation, if it succeeds, is the pop music of the next,” reflected Seymour Stein. “People thought I was crazy when I went after Talking Heads and the Ramones.

I got hate mail.”

In the mid-1970s the Ramones looked up to the New York Dolls but did not adopt their glam image. Although a simple black and white photo, the Ramones’ debut album captures the band in their torn jeans and jacket as photographed by Roberta Bayley of Punk magazine. The band may have started with an attempt to not have an image or avoid getting glammed up, but their “non-image” soon became a style in itself and at times, that image might have seemed to be a uniform they had to wear.

A striking album cover can turn a listen on what is inside.

Musician Pat Fear commented one the cover recently – “37 years ago today, I got this album the day it came out, while looking for something else in the R section; the cover photo got my attention, as it looked liked the stoners from my high school had made a record; the song titles and song lengths told me this was subversive and needed to come home with me. Reading the lyrics on the way home with my parents driving made me think

this band was very very odd ... then the first two seconds after the needle dropped, everything changed, forever...”

In the punk / new wave era New Zealand music buyers gained a reputation as “early adopters” – although that phrase may not have been in circulation. Early adopters can be early discarders.

The Ramones played large venues on their 1980 three city New Zealand tour – July 21 Auckland’s Logan Campbell Centre, July 22 Wellington’s Winter Show Buildings and July 24 Christchurch’s Town Hall.

In 1980 Roy Colbert had to drive north from Dunedin to Christchurch to see the Ramones.

In his Xtra he refers to “Those who stayed in Dunedin saying, ‘We would have come up had it been 1976, but it’s not quite the same now, is it.”

The Logan Campbell Centre seemed near to full, the Christchurch Town Hall from my memory was near to half full, and there were about 300 at the Wellington Show buildings.

Mark Phillips wrote of the Auckland show (Rip It Up) – “Joey, the prize geek, with his head dropped, body rigid, seems to be supported by nothing but the microphone stand, while his sweet soaked brudders Dee Dee and Johnny, bounce across the stage like runaway pneumatic drills … and you have … pure and simple Ramones music – timeless head banging pop.”

Howard Levarko on the Wellington show (Facebook) – “Loud, fast, 1-2-3-4 intros then buzz saw guitars with little letup, crazy gig, well attended.

Glad I went. They came, I saw, they conquered!

George Kay on the Christchurch show (Rip It Up) ­– “The

emphasis song-wise fell on the first three classic albums as blocks of Ramones chords’ blasted out with the ease of four years frenzy … they were on stage one hour 10 but it felt like three hours 10. I still haven’t figured out if that’s good or bad.”

31 and Nov 1 with The Warners supporting. These were the first shows with C.J. Ramone on bass and the band did a long soundcheck. The first show sold well, but the second Auckland show was not well attended. Both shows were very loud!

Roy Colbert said of the South Island show (Xtra) – “The concert that night was great.

Confirmation of a legend. And very fast. Rock ‘n’ roll stripped down to the very whites of its eyes. Exciting, rough and fun.”

Former Rip It Up editor Phillip Bell enjoyed the Ramones in 1989 – “I went to the Auckland show it was packed and insane – one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to –­ lots of stage diving.”

Warner Music produced a promotional a purple t-shirt with pink handwritten slogan – “No Spitting, We’re Americans” – with tour dates on the back.

Very tasteful I thought but the word got around that the t-shirts were not band approved.

The Ramones were happy to do commercial radio to push the gigs and even did the 3ZM evening show in Christchurch.

The Ramones would not return to New Zealand or Australia until 1989. By that stage they were no longer on Sire Records and their new album Brain Drain was produced by another New York legend Bill Laswell and featured the single ‘Pet Sematary’.

Initially Auckland and Wellington concerts were advertised for October 30 and November 1, respectively.

Ticket sales were so slow for the Wellington Town Hall that the promoter cancelled the show and decided to do two night at Auckland’s Powerstation, Oct

The band returned to Australia for the Big Day Out in 1991 but they did not play the Auckland concert. They returned to Australia again in 1994 for two January concerts, playing Sydney and Melbourne. The band’s final concert was August 6, 1996 at The Palace, Los Angeles.

Sadly, the new century saw three members of the band die in quick succession – Joey Ramone (2001), Dee Dee Ramone (2002) and Johnny Ramone (2004).

In Rolling Stone (March 12, 2013) Linda Ramone spoke of her husband’s ambition – “Did Johnny want to be in the biggest band in the world? Yeah, of course, he did. Johnny’s one of the most influential guitar players of all time. Did anyone ever think that back then? No. But it’s a great legacy to have. They’re bigger than ever.”

MURRAY CAMMICK

RAMONES: THE SIRE YEARS (1976-1981) ALBUM OUT FRI 01 NOV

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ARCADE FIRE to go to Haiti so we wanted to bring a bit of Haiti to the people.

We wanted to bring the carnival with this record. We have a lot to learn from the Haitians about how to party, that’s for sure.”

A trip to the Caribbean convinced them that they should hold a recording session there.

The whole band went to stay in Jamaica where they immersed themselves in the culture.

Arcade Fire have never been a band short of ideas. For their fourth album – the double disc Reflektor - the Canadian group had 60 songs to whittle down to the final 13.

Singer and songwriter Win Butler says: “People seem to think we’ve made it long because we wanted to include all our ideas but it’s the opposite really.

We really had to edit it down and leave lots of ideas off.”

Weighing in at 75 minutes long it’s already been acclaimed as their best album yet – and it is certainly the sound of a band full of confidence in their abilities.

Win says: “Even within songs we’ve cut them down. The title track was nine minutes long at one point. The songs are lean even though they’re long. It’s not like we are just wandering around.”

It’s an album which producer James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem and DFA records calls “fucking epic” and which takes the Canadian band into new rhythmic territories which might be a surprise to some fans.

Win says: “There is a difference to making music which is redneck and music you can dance to. We’ve always liked dance music. New Order have always been one of our biggest influences. Even songs like ‘Rebellion’ and ‘Headlights Look Like Diamonds’ from our earlier

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records sound like New Order rip offs.

“We knew if we worked with James that it would be a talking point and that people would say ‘oh there’s a cowbells - that must be James. But we’ve wanted to work with him for so long – it’s a dream realised.”

Even with Murphy at the controls it is still a diverse album and by no means all dance music.

Win explains: “I think people will be surprised with the two songs which James mixed on the album ‘Awful Sound’ and’ Super Symmetry’. And ‘Awful Sound’ is probably the least James sounding song on the record. James has a background in punk and metal – he’s not just a disco guy.”

As if one new direction wasn’t enough there is also a world music element on tracks like ‘Flashbulb Eyes’ and ‘Here Comes The Night Time’ which has its foundation in the love of the exuberance of carnival.

Win says: “Regine (Win’s wife and bandmate) and I went to Louisiana and recorded with three percussionists before we even started writing. So that kicked off the whole process.

“Then we went to carnival in Haiti and it blew my mind. Most people won’t ever have a chance

Win says: “We went to trinidad where Regine and I had been on honeymoon and then to Jamaica.

I just love Jamaica in the night time - even if you’re in the mountains you can still hear all the soundsystems.

“It was great having the whole band out there and it really benefited the songwriting.

“Our records in general are

In the three years since their the Grammy award winning The Suburbs, Win and wife and band mate Regine have become proud parents with the birth of their son.

Win smiles: “It’s funny because being in a rock band is the least grown up thing you can do. And he’s coming on tour with us. The more the merrier with this group.

“And this will always be an important album for him because he heard it a hundred thousand times in the womb. It will always sound familiar but he won’t know why.

One notable guest on the album is long-time Arcade Fire fan David Bowie who sings backing vocals on the title track.

Win says: “He was into us from the beginning and came to one of our first headlining shows in

“We’ve always liked dance music. New Order have always been one of our biggest influences.” pretty bass light. And on most reggae records the bass is absurdly heavy. That was definitely an influence and there’s a lot more bass, a lot more rhythm and congo players on this record.”

And it wasn’t just musically that Win was affected by the Caribbean. Staying in another culture found it’s way to influence his writing – most notably on ‘We Exist’.

Win explains: “In Jamaica I met this gay teenager. It’s a really hard place to be gay and it made me think what it would be like being a gay teenager talking to his dad. There’s this fractious emotional thing between father and sons and being a dad now myself was the emotional starting point for that.”

New York - we’ve kept in touch over the years. It’s like meeting a mentor - someone who has navigated doing pop stuff and experimental stuff. You really get the feeling with him that at the end of the day it’s about art.

Every time I see him he gives me some awesome obscure book.

He’s just really an artist’s artist.

“We were mixing at Electric Lady studios in LA. And when he showed up he said, ‘the last time I was here was when I was recording with John Lennon.’

“After hearing that - it was a real thrill to have him there recording with us.”

JAMIE WYNN

REFLEKTOR ALBUM OUT OCTOBER

So What...

Kylie Jenner threw a tantrum after she was refused alcohol.

The 16-year-old allegedly stormed out of a plush hotel in Beverly Hills in a fit of temper after the bar staff refused to supply her and her under aged pals with some booze. A source told People magazine: “She was a complete nightmare. She started

out really nice. But when she didn’t get what she wanted, it was like someone flipped a switch.”

Paris Hilton is “excited” to relaunch her pop career. The hotel heiress is having another attempt at stardom following her 2006 single ‘Stars Are Blind’ and revealed she was anxious to release her new single and video ‘Good Time’ featuring rapper Lil Wayne. Paris - who recently finished a DJ residency at Amnesia nightclub in Ibiza over the summer - told MTV News: “I love being in the studio. Music has always been a huge passion of mine. I’ve been recording this album for about a year and a half now. After being in Ibiza I was so inspired I met so many amazing DJs and producers, so people kept sending me different

songs and making this album and I’m so proud of it.”

Miley Cyrus has joked about reports she is pregnant with Juicy J’s baby. The 20-year-old singer – who split from fiance Liam Hemsworth recently - has been linked to both producer Mike WiLL Made It and rapper Juicy J in the past few months and took to Twitter to laugh about speculation she is expecting Juicy J’s baby. Miley wrote: “waking up to the news that I’m now pregnant with @ therealjuicyj baby (sic).” She then added a conversation she had with her assistant and best friend Cheyne Thomas, in which she joked about calling the phantom baby “Juicy J Jr”.

Liam Gallagher has taken up martial arts. The Beady Eye

frontman has been releasing his pent-up aggression following the breakdown of his marriage to Nicole Appleton with some private lessons in karate at his home in Hampstead, London.

A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “It’s been a tough year for Liam with his marriage break-up. He is finding martial arts therapeutic, and is training himself like a combat soldier.

It helps him release his pent-up aggression and is great for his fitness too. He’s actually in better shape than ever.”

RIP IT UP TOP 5 Ekko Park’s got a riff with… Riffs!

GOT THE JU WETA FAVORITE RIFF OF JOE WALSH

HELL AIN’T A BAD PLACE TO BE ACDC

(VOCALS/GUITAR)

FAVORITE RIFF OF NICK DOUCH (DRUMS)

It’s my fave because I’d never heard it before moving to NZ. I played it at a special APRA covers gig and now it’s one of my favourite songs. The whole song blows me away.

I’ve heard a lot of riffs and have a long list of faves, but ‘Hell Ain’t a Bad Place To Be’ is the one that gets me every time, no matter what mood/situation I’m in. That driving A note means it never let’s up and gives it a groove like no other, it simply rocks.

JUKEBOX THE STROKES FAVORITE RIFF OF JOEL HALSTEAD (GUITAR/BV’S)

It’s high energy and it makes me want to party. Simple as that.

SEVEN NATION ARMY THE WHITE STRIPES FAVORITE RIFF OF CALLUM TONG (BASS)

This was the first riff I learnt on bass and to this day it is still my favorite. The White Stripes’ songs are all about the simplicity of the riff with drums to hold the song together and ‘Seven Nation Army’ is a prime example of how good they are at that.

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LITTLE I’S & BIG YOU’S EKKO PARK FAVORITE RIFF OF EKKO PARK

Why not? Since we are promoting the debut album and all! It’s the opening track on the record and the main riff was written by Joel, we love it, someone once told me it reminded them of Soundgarden and we will take that thank you very much!

EKKO PARK DEBUT ALBUM TOMORROW, TOMORROW, TODAY OUT FRI 01 NOV ONLINE, IN STORES AND AT GIGS.

F O A L S Described as "one of the most exciting bands in the UK" (Q), Foals release their HOLY FIRE Deluxe Edition CD/DVD featuring the LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL show. Out now!

R U D I M E N T A L With a melting pot of influences stamped firmly across the brilliant debut album HOME, Rudimental topped the UK charts with their number one hits, "Feel The Love" and 'Waiting All Night ft. Ella Eyre.', now the band are heading to NZ shores for performances at the Rhythm & Vines festival and two shows in March 2014

M O T Ö R H E A D T I N I E

T E M P A H

One of the UK’s most innovative, credible and authentic artists Tinie Tempah builds towards the release of his eagerly anticipated second album – DEMONSTRATION - with the new singles ’Trampoline’ (produced by Diplo) and ‘Children of the Sun. Album out November 1.

Motörhead deliver their 21st studio album, an enormous and prophetic AFTERSHOCK. 14 belting statements which see Motörhead in their best writing form for years. There’s swagger, there’s punch, there’s speed and there’s dirty filthy grooves, showing clearly that Motörhead is not simply a band, it’s a genre! Album out now.

M U S E F L U M E

FLEETWOOD MAC The legendary Fleetwood Mac, one of rock and roll’s most enduring bands, are set to bring their extraordinary show including exquisite harmonies, incomparable chemistry, sleek perfection and classic hits to New Zealand for three sold-out shows this December.

It's hard to believe that 12 months ago, Harley Streten aka FLUME was an unknown name.

The then 20-yr old had just one single and one remix to his name, but the buzz about his music grew like wildfire. Now, Flume’s 2012 self-titled album (an album that Rolling Stone called “scarily close to perfect”) will be released as a 2CD/2DVD Deluxe Edition on November 8.

MUSE are set to release LIVE AT ROME OLYMPIC STADIUM, JULY 2013, on November 29 - the first concert film in 4k ultra high definition. “The greatest, most ridiculously enjoyable rock band in the world” (NME)

L I N K I N P A R K R A M O N E S “Hey ho, let’s go!” With that call to arms the Ramones changed the face of music forever, spawning punk rock and reinvigorating rock ’n’ roll. Rhino explores the incomparable footprint of the Ramones’ musical legacy with a boxed set featuring the band’s seminal first six albums. RAMONES: THE SIRE YEARS (1976-1981) – out November 1.

www.warnermusic.co.nz

Grammy-Award-winning, multi-platinum alternative rock band, Linkin Park, release RECHARGED - a 14 track behemoth featuring re-mixed, reinterpretations of songs from their fifth studio album LIVING THINGS. Includes single ‘A Light That Never Comes’ with Grammy-nominated producer/DJ Steve Aoki. RECHARGED is out now!

PAUL MCCARTNEY over the past 50 years.

But within minutes of saying hello, it’s clear that Paul’s more interested in what’s going on in the kitchen than the studio. So what culinary worldliness does half a century of selling out tours across the globe give you?

That the best houmous comes from Panzers deli in north London, apparently. “I’ve tried the Lebanese stuff – it’s OK,” he says. “I’ve tried it in Greece.

But it’s not the same, man. I have houmous and Marmite together on these seeded bagels from Panzers. D’you want one?”

Back with New, his 49th album, Sir Paul McCartney’s passion for playing live and writing new material shows no sign of abating.

The 71-yearold legend talks to Matt Wilkinson about his competition with The Rolling Stones, his love of hip-hop, and why he’ll never find a collaborator like Lennon.

“In my real life, I’m a granddad. I’ve got eight grandchildren. So I have grown up officially. But in my musical life…

I don’t have to be a grandad.”

On the eve of the release of Sir Paul McCartney’s 49th studio album – that’s 12 with The Beatles, 23 as Wings or solo, five classical records, three soundtracks, three as The Fireman and three odds and sods

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– much has been made of the record’s perceived intentions.

New was recorded with four different producers, all of whom made their name post-2000: Mark Ronson, Ethan Johns, Paul Epworth and Giles Martin (son of original Beatles producer George), who have all talked about playing Macca the likes of Frank Ocean, Tame Impala and How To Dress Well in the studio. The week before I meet McCartney, I speak to each of them, asking them what it is he’s striving for, half a century after The Beatles released their debut album. They all said the same thing: “I don’t think Paul wants to grow up.”

“Yeah! I think that’s true really.

I could [be a grandad],” he says, putting on a quivering, elderly voice. “Grandad… grandad…

You know what I mean though?

Mentally I don’t think of myself as being the age that I am. It’s kind of shocking, isn’t it?”

It isn’t really, because nothing’s changed: in his 1994 tome

Revolution In The Head, the late Ian MacDonald wrote, concerning Paul’s role in The Beatles, “For McCartney, the group was a make-believe world in which he could be forever young.” “Music gives you a freedom of spirit,” Paul says today. “And that’s what I don’t wanna lose. I don’t mind growing up, ’cos you’ll probably become a little smarter if you’re lucky.”

Paul turns up for today’s interview with the aura of a man who’s just clocked off from work for the day. A car pulls up and parks outside the cramped cottage kitchen where I’m waiting.

Door slams, gravel scrapes, and there’s that familiar whistle, the unmistakable Macca chirp, breezing past the window before he lets himself in. This is Paul’s splendidly named Hog Hill Mill studio, deep in the Sussex countryside; tacked onto the kitchen is not only a fully operational windmill, but a sprawling recording suite stuffed full of equipment he’s amassed

By now you should have heard the title track and lead single from New, produced by Mark Ronson after he caught Paul’s ear while DJing at his wedding to third wife Nancy Shevell in 2011. The pair first met when Ronson was a boy – his stepfather is Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones – with Paul once rescuing him after he got into difficulty swimming.

“I don’t actually remember it but my mum swears it’s true,” Ronson says, laughing down the phone. Nevertheless, when the two entered the studio for the first time in January 2013, Ronson says he was overcome with worry. “It was so nervewracking. On day one, hour two of working with the greatest living songwriter in the history of rock’n’roll, he’s like, ‘Here’s a song, what do you wanna do with it?’ I was just thinking, ‘I’d better not fuck this up.’”

What’s more revealing is Paul’s own level of ambition and, surprisingly, his insecurity. He reckons The Rolling Stones are his competition and that they’re back on the road because they want a bit of what he’s doing live. He thinks his gigs are better than Beyoncé’s. Meanwhile, he

frets about his grandchildren spotting him in their history textbooks; uses his new songs to address misconceptions about his role in The Beatles; and says he’s too daunted to take his daughter, fashion designer Stella, up on the idea she’s had for a collaboration between him and Thom Yorke – just in case Thom doesn’t want to work with him. For now, though, the general consensus on New is that McCartney has passed the test.

The Ronson-produced title track is a punchy mix of keyboards, brass and glam guitars, and it feels fresher than anything Paul has released in years.

The jaunty ‘Alligator’ is equally beguiling – he sounds genuinely pissed off in the verses, a rare glimpse past that shiny veneer and into the soul of a man who’s dealt with his fair share of turmoil over the years. “I want someone who can bail me/When I get up to my tricks”, he snarls.

Secret track ‘Scared’ shows an eerily vulnerable side to him, reminiscent of Johnny Cash in his later years.

‘Everybody Out There’ is the album’s real highlight. Built to appeal to anybody who’s ever fallen for Paul’s peak-period Wings output (‘Jet’, ‘Band On The Run’, ‘Live And Let Die’), it starts with a guitar riff straight out of 1965’s back pocket and features the McCartney family – who’d stopped by Hog Hill Mill that day – on ’70s terrace-chant backing vocals.

“The only way I could stop them all running about everywhere was to put them in the studio,” says Giles Martin, who produced it. “It’s born to be played live,” Paul asserts proudly. Speaking of which, the last gig he went to and really enjoyed was Kanye West and Jay Z’s Watch The Throne show at The O2 last year – the moment when, Paul says with a straight face, he finally got rap. “I was expecting it to be, ‘Oh it’s great, it’s hip-hop, it’s loud…’ but I hadn’t until then got the urban poetry aspect,” he

remarks, rather sweetly. “Like, Bob Dylan is a poet. And so is Jay Z, and Kanye.”

But what he’s after from new music, he says, is the same thing that’s driven him all his life – “mood” music that does away with formula but still appeals to the masses.

“People used to say to The Beatles in America, ‘Who writes the words and who writes the music?’ And we’d say, ‘Both of us!’ ‘So what’s your formula?’

We’d go, ‘Well if we had one, we’d bottle it but then probably break the bottle and lose the formula.’ You know, you don’t want a formula. I don’t ever wanna find out what I’m doing.”

This is what still drives him today. It’s why he’s calling up Ronson, Epworth et al, why he’s going to rap shows and

we can do better than this.’”

Your ’60s contemporaries are on top form too – Bowie, the Stones, Neil Young...

“Well, some of them are dead!

But no, it’s true, I know what you mean.”

Is it a competition?

“Yeah – they wanna be part of what I’m doing. ’Cos I’ve been touring quite consistently. But it’s what we do, it’s the thing we’re best at. And we’ve had a lot of practice and we’ve got a lot of music to draw from. So, it’s really natural that if the Stones are getting on – which they are – they come out.”

Did you see them recently?

“Yeah. They’re a great band.

I’ve always followed the Stones, always been to their concerts and stuff. I saw them at the Barclays Centre in New York after they’d

“In my musical life… I don’t have to be a grandad.” why he’s releasing albums like New: that constant freedom of spirit. Throughout our hour-long chat, which is punctuated by Paul’s thoughts on legacy (Sam Taylor-Wood’s 2009 Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy comes in for a kicking), the current crop of music greats, forgetting his own songs, death, and – obviously – The Beatles, the most successful songwriter in the history of modern popular culture seems quite unlike any other 71-yearold I’ve ever met before.

It’s very unusual for someone your age to be going to a Jay Z and Kanye gig.

Paul McCartney: “Yes, but I’m in music, you know? And also, if I’m gonna do a tour I like to go and see what other people are doing. I didn’t wanna bring my tour out and be amazingly old-fashioned. So if people are going, ‘Oh man, Beyoncé… she was killer!’, I like to go there and go, ‘Yeah,

just done The O2. They were good. They were playing well.

Keith and Ronnie were playing very well.”

And Bowie? He’d been away for so long… “(Interrupts) Mmm. National event.”

How can you top his return without disappearing for 10 years?

“That’s the only way to do it.

Or die. And neither of them are very good options. I think, as you know, I’m very happy. I get enough coverage. I get a lot. So I don’t really worry about that.

What you can do is you can play South America a lot, somewhere a little bit out of sight, and then you come back to Britain and they’re like, ‘Oh, he hasn’t been here for a while.’”

There’s a lyric on New track ‘Early Days’ that has a dig

at people who stereotype you as the ‘soft’ Beatle: “Now everybody seems to have their own opinion/Who did this and who did that/But as for me I don’t see how they can remember/When they weren’t where it was at”. Is that a bugbear of yours?

“Yeah. It kind of is. It’s only a minor thing, it’s nothing I obsess about. But it does happen.

I mean, The Beatles’ story is actually in history classes – my grandkids say, ‘You were in a book today, Grandad!’ And you go, ‘What?! Oh no! Shame of it!’ So you kind of like the idea of them getting it right. For me, when people analyse it all I think, well, on the basis of what?

They weren’t there, they don’t know, they didn’t sit in the room with me and John and see who did what. They’ve heard the stories and stuff but the truth is much more subtle. If me and John were sitting down it wouldn’t be (adopts an aggressive caricature of Lennon’s voice), ‘Come on Paul, write a bit of melody… yer fucker.’ The film would be like that. (Adopts high-pitched McCartney voice) ‘Oh, OK John, how about this: ‘La la la…’”

It obviously irks you enough to want to set the record straight.

“Yeah, I thought it was worth commenting on. I remember being involved with the people who were making The Buddy Holly Story. I was a big fan of his, and The Crickets were talking to me and they said, ‘We’re not even in it!’ You’re like, ‘What?!’ That’s what gets you going.

And Sam [Taylor-Wood] came up and she showed me her script, and I said, ‘Well that never happened!’ In Nowhere Boy, two things pissed me off. John was taller than me – which was not true! We were exactly the same height. But to be portrayed as the little guy? Not wonderful. OK, so he [Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played McCartney in the film] was a good actor, [but] they should have put platforms

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on him. Whatever! And then, John knocks me down in the movie. That never happened.

I mean, don’t you think I’d remember? Things never got like that, but it’s now going into some kind of history. People are watching. ‘In Spite Of All The Danger’ [written by McCartney and George Harrison in their pre-Beatles incarnation The Quarrymen, which also included Lennon] – in the film, that song is made as John’s yearning for his mother and there’s deep psychological significance [drawn] from that. It wasn’t that – it was just a song we sat down and wrote. It would be just as much about my yearning for my mother – we both lost our mothers – but in the movie, (adopts dramatic voice) ‘It’s John, going through this turmoil, and he’s writing.’ And I said to her, ‘That’s not true’. We had to decide, ‘Look, it’s a movie, it’s a film, it’s not a documentary, it’s not a biography. It’s a film of something.’ John naturally becomes more of a legend because he was killed tragically.

And he was great as well. You couldn’t become a legend without being great, but in films like that he does suddenly take a lead role that he never took in reality. It was much more even. So that’s what that’s about: that one line is just about that. It’s my little, sort of… seeing as I’m talking about the past, let’s cover that in the end verse and stick it to whoever

“Like, Bob Dylan is a poet. And so is Jay Z, and Kanye.”

thinks they know more than me. ’Cos they weren’t there!”

You’re asked about the deaths of John and George on a daily basis; it’s a subject that’s equally morbid and sad. Does it get you down?

“It’s not a bad thing. In a way it’s a good thing, because it keeps them present. John is as much of a presence for me now as he was when he was alive and we

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weren’t living in each other’s pockets. So that’s a good thing.

The terrible thing, obviously, is when you talk about his killing in New York. That’s shocking and that’s saddening. But you don’t normally concentrate on that.

You get over that in one sentence, and you go on to say, ‘Let me tell you man, what a nutter! He was crazy.’ You start finding it kind of joyous. And in that respect, it’s quite nice to be reminded of him.”

What would you say to him if he walked in today?

“Let’s write a song, man! (Claps hands) Get your geet out! Come on!”

And what would The Beatles sound like if they were aged 20 in 2013?

“Oh, that’s interesting. I suppose you just have to look back at what we were doing. We were equating it to what was coming in off the American charts – Buddy Holly, rock’n’roll, Elvis and all that, The Everly Brothers.

We were mashing Buddy Holly’s voice and guitar playing with The Everly Brothers – we loved the harmonies. Me and John thought

we were Don and Phil.”

They’ve got the best harmonies going…

“They really have! They were fantastic! To answer your question, I think we’d be looking at what was coming out of the charts. Not so much the Katy Perry stuff, ’cos we wouldn’t be able to identify with her – she’s a girl and pretty, which we’re not really interested in… musically, anyway. So we’d be looking at things like Kings Of Leon, Dylan, Neil Young. I think we’d be doing stuff like that.”

“They didn’t sit in the room with me and John and see who did what.”

So still band-based, rather than electronic?

“I think so. It would still be guys playing music. I don’t think we’d be sampling too much. I think we’d side with people who play.”

Do you find it hard to write songs? “(Semi-offended) Yeah!”

Honestly?

“Yeah, a bit. Only because I’ve done so much. You’ve gotta do something different after having done 5,000 things. How can you be different? I follow clues.”

You’ve written so many songs.

Listening to something rare but great like ‘Goodbye’, which you gave to Mary Hopkin in 1969, I wonder if you ever forget some of your less well-known material even exists?

“Yeah, there are [some songs].

There’s a huge period in the ’70s – I couldn’t tell you what was on the albums then.”

Seriously?

“Yeah! Because it was a bit befuzzled; it was after the end of The Beatles and I was a bit like, ‘Oh god, where are we gonna go now?’ Trying to get Wings together. There are some tracks there… I’ve seen tracklistings and I’ve thought, ‘I wonder what that one’s like?!’”

You’re kidding!

“No! And then someone will mention it – ‘What’s that song man, (sings) ‘Cheeeeeck… cheeeeck” ?’ ‘Oh, you mean ‘Check My Machine?’

[McCartney II-era B-side]. ‘I love that one, man!’ So it comes back to you.”

Do you treat songwriting as a job, like Nick Cave and Jack White do – wake up, sit down at a desk at 10am and get to work for six hours?

“Yeah, and it’s a nice thing. If

you enjoy it, it’s a great thing.

Get out the way of everyone, get into a little private moment, and you can work out your thoughts.

It’s often a therapy, I think.”

Is it a solitary process at the start?

“Yeah, but that’s nice. You know, the rest of my day isn’t [solitary].

I’m doing this [interviews], or I’m taking my girl to school, or I did some filming before we came here. So I’m with loads of people.

It’s actually quite nice to go into a cupboard, or often bathrooms or toilets, which have got good acoustics. So I go in there with a guitar. That’s kind of nice. And you just escape into your own little world of thoughts.”

I’d say people like Thom Yorke and Damon Albarn are today’s McCartney equivalents, tinkering away in the studio every day. Do you ever think about working with them?

“Working with Thom or Damon?

Yeah, I do actually. Yeah. My daughter Stella is very keen.

She’s got a project, she keeps saying to me, (puts on nagging voice) ‘Ring Thom and just go into the studio and just see what you come out with.’”

You have to do it! “(Sighs) Yeah. You know, I’m a bit… I dunno. I just haven’t got…

I’m a bit, sort of, paranoid to just ring him up. ‘Hey Thom, it’s Paul here. What do you fancy… what are you doing?! Do you fancy writing something?’ Just in case he says, ‘Er, actually, I’m busy.’”

That seems unlikely…

“There were big rumours a couple of years ago about me and Bob Dylan writing together, and I’ve still got that at the back of my mind. I would like to do it.

But I’m spoiled for collaborators, ’cos I had John. And I’ve gotta be very unrealistic to think I’ll find

a better collaborator than him.”

Chuck Berry is still performing regularly, aged 86. Paul has previously said they could bring him on in a wheelchair and he’d still sing ‘Yesterday’. But today he’s less sure about that. “We’re gonna make a little forward roll with this album and tour,” he says. “And when I come out of that forward roll I’ll have a look and see what the scenery is. And if there’s a cliff there I might do a backflip. But I’ll decide when I come to it. If you ask me the long-range forecast, I see myself doing what I do forever. But, like a footballer, there has to come a physical point where you might not be able to do it.”

At present, he’s playing longer sets than ever, but he admits he knows there could soon come a time when that has to change.

“I’m expecting myself to get knackered, but I’m not. So I’m not knocking it. I’m not even gonna think about it. I see people who are younger than me who sit in front of the TV all day watching Jeremy Kyle. It’s like,

yeah, alright -–I’m not really sure that’s the life I want! I can think of something better than that! For me, because I like it I just figure I’ll continue. If – and touch wood it doesn’t happen – I suddenly got ill with something really debilitating, then you’d have to think again. But like I say, I feel very full of energy.” He pauses, then emphasises that last point.

“I am really enjoying it still. I feel good.”

Our hour’s over. Paul heads downstairs to the studio where his assistant starts up the computer as we say our goodbyes. What’s he working on for the rest of the afternoon?

“Just messing around on Cubase, man – I love it!” comes the excitable reply, Paul clasping his hands together and shooting me a wink. “I’m lucky,” he adds, “I’ve not got a job in a hog factory.”

MATT WILKINSON / NME, IPC MEDIA / THE INTERVIEW PEOPLE

NEW ALBUM OUT NOW

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WHO’S NEXT? The Hallenstein Brothers Critics’ Choice Showcase is being held on Wed 06 Nov at The Kings Arms in Auckland. It’s one of the great nights in kiwi music, recognising our top upcoming stars as they battle it out in front of a live crowd.

This year the finalists are Sheep, Dog & Wolf, Janine and the Mixtape and Paquin.

VNZMA CRITICS’ CHOICE SHOWCASE WED 06 NOV THE KINGS ARMS, AUCKLAND

DANIEL MCBRIDE SHEEP, DOG & WOLF How did you first start making music?

Sheep, Dog & Wolf started when I was 16 and the band I’d been playing drums in (Bandicoot) had just broken up. I felt like I needed to create something that was my own, so I got some shitty gear off Trademe and started writing and recording in my bedroom.

Where does that name come from and what’s it all about?

Sheep, Dog and Wolf was a video game I used to play on playstation - a problem solving game where you were a wolf, trying to steal a sheep, which was guarded by a dog.

How do you describe your sound?

It depends on what I’ve been listening to, how I’m feeling, what’s going on in my life at the time... I have called it alternative-folk-jazz, but that sounds a bit ridiculous and isn’t quite right.

So who and what influences/inspires you musically?

My parents used to play jazz music to get me to sleep; Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and I actually can’t remember not listening to or loving jazz. There was also African music being played when I was young, and I love the rhythmic ostinatos, group vocals and complex melodic lines. Then there’s the contemporary influences, like Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, and I also listen to a lot of beat music, like Lapalux, Baths and Flying Lotus.

There is a lot of Daniel McBride in the music isn’t there, does it make you feel

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vulnerable at all?

I never feel unsure or vulnerable when I’m writing - writing alone in a basement gives you a certain impunity I guess – but that changes when I’m about to release something.

I used to mix my vocals down and reverb the hell out of them so no one would know what I was saying, but in the last year or so I’ve come to realise the most important thing about music, for me, is that it connects with the listener, that it has some sort of emotional impact. Being honest and open, and yes vulnerable, helps make that connection.

Guessing you’ve been pretty busy recently with the release of your debut album Egospect and touring overseas - what has been your most significant learning experience over this time?

One of the big ones was when I lost my voice after the third show of my European tour this September. We played a show on an island where the air was super sandy, and I should have pulled back vocally... but it was a big show so I went all out. As a result my voice was just gone by the end of the next show, with almost 20 shows still to go! It was an important learning experience for me, how much you have to take care of yourself as a vocalist.

What does it mean to you being nominated for the Critics Choice Prize?

It means a lot! Putting your music out there always feels like a risky thing to do, so to receive a nomination like this is super encouraging. And the guidance and mentoring that comes with the prize would be such a help – the music industry is a ridiculously confusing place.

THOMAS HEALY PAQUIN Does the studio space have an influence on your music?

Certainly. My studio is part of a larger complex built round The Lab Studio and there are lots of creatives in there doing their thing; She’s So Rad, Dictaphone Blues, Boy Crush, Jol Mulholland and NightChoir all have spaces.

It’s always a busy spot and affords us space to do our thing without bugging the neighbours.

How did the group first start making music together?

I’m a full time engineer/musician/producer and I made the first EP, Paquin I, by myself in a small bedroom in Kingsland. Towards the end of the recording process I played some stuff to Stu (the drummer) and he basically said, find a bass player, find a synth player. I was pumped!

I never wanted Paquin to be a laptop artist, and from within our group of friends we formed the band.

How do you describe Paquin’s sound?

It is dance music made by people with a history of playing in drifty guitar bands. The points of reference are dance, pop, and texture.

What has the band been up to over the last 12 months or so?

We recently released our second EP, Paquin II and toured the country for the third time. We are halfway into Paquin III now, which is the final piece of our triple EP project.

On Paquin II, do you have a favourite track?

‘End to End’. I like the lyric the most; it was my attempt at distilling a philosophy of open-

mindedness. I also like it because it was one of the easiest to mix - it’s a real relief when you bring up the faders and it sounds finished.

Tell me a little about the recording process for Paquin?

We generally start with a feel, maybe a synth part or strange guitar sound and a drum beat, and build a rough idea in the box. I stockpile lyrical ideas so then we try find one that could be manipulated into the song fragment. Then it goes to the band room and takes shape from there. We try and let the song develop a while in the practice room before it falls into a final shape, so it has many chances to mutate.

And during the recent release and recording process you’ve been going through, has the band learnt anything new?

As a band we’ve been steadily learning to write and arrange our songs as a unit and not to rely on just one person’s vision. We also use arpeggiators and loops live, so it’s been a learning process on how to incorporate these into both composition and playing (without everyone sitting on a click track or using backing tracks).

The Critics Choice Prize, what would it mean for you guys to win this?

It would help raise the profile of the band, but I am certainly really happy to just have been nominated. We have been re-evaluating what we want to achieve as a band and it would certainly help to manifest a few of our ambitions

JANINE FOSTER JANINE AND THE MIXTAPE Where do you/the band live at the moment?

I’ve been living in Brooklyn, New York, but I am glad to be back home in beautiful NZ for summer.

I’m guessing NYC has influenced you musically – I mean, how could it not – does being home in NZ inspire you as well?

Most definitely. It has been a very humbling journey and time of growth for me this past year, and being home in NZ brings a whole new wave of inspiration and allows me to reflect and put these emotions into words and into music.

And what about the name, Janine and the Mixtape... where does mixtape come from?

“Mixtape” stands for three things that encompass me as a person. First, I used to watch a lot of ‘AND1’ basketball mixtapes.

Second is something that comes from hiphop and has a rawness and toughness to it.

The third is something cute, maybe a little cheesy, that you make mixtapes for someone you care about. I’m a little tough, a little soft and I love basketball.

How did you get in to the production side of things?

It came from necessity and because I’m so passionate about my music - every high hat, snare, and synth, to every delay and reverb tail. I needed to learn and understand what I wanted from myself so I started playing around, making backing tracks and beats. And then I just fell in love.

Back to the ‘Dark Mind’, what’s the recording process like for you?

I sing and write, play keys, guitar and percussion, as well as producing - which means I have a lot of different ways of going about things. I work in my bedroom and have a simple set up with my mic, laptop, monitors and instruments. Sometimes I might start with a beat I‘ve produced and sing over it. Other times a song might develop from a vocal idea, or it might happen while playing guitar.

Did you feel nervous about putting yourself out there emotionally with this EP, did it make you feel vulnerable?

Yes! Especially when I released the single ‘Dark Mind’ on Billboard, I sat there thinking, “This is it, I’m really sharing my most painful experience with the world.”

When you put yourself out there on that level, some people don’t see you as a person, only a product. I was blessed that it wasn’t like that for me, and had the most beautiful understanding with my project.

What does it mean to you being nominated for the Critics Choice Prize?

It means so much to me to be recognised by my home country. It was the best welcome home present ever... along with my families hugs… and Mums cooking.

And in your opinion, what’s the best place in NZ? Oh that’s tough, there are so many! I have a huge love for the Grey Lynn basketball hoops, but I’m going to say Muriwai, because it is my home beach and my heart.

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Tinie Tempah “Everyone is a hero in their own way and can make a difference.”

Genre-hopping at speed there’s a lot going on in this album: “It’s very eclectic and kind of abstract and experimental. It sounds like hip hop, drum n bass and dubstep, but also has loads of samples, tribal sounds, and is even a bit indie and rock.”

He’s played many of the world’s major festivals, including Coachella and Glastonbury, and can even lay claim to performing at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2012. He’s supported the likes of Rhianna, Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco, sold out his own UK arena tour and taken home a few MOBO Awards, a couple of Brit Awards and even an Ivor Novello Award. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also written a book, designed a clothing range... hell, even founded an independent label.

Born in London, Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu is better known these days as Tinie Tempah, and has become one of the UK’s most innovative artists. No mean feat for any muso in today’s volatile and ever-changing music industry, but especially at only 24 years of age. His secret? Simply put, pure hard work, along with steely determination and bucket loads of ambition. And with the release date of his second album Demonstration fast approaching, the quick-spitting, pop-savvy rapper has certainly come a long way in a short space of time.

Starting out in 2004 Tempah joined the Aftershock Hooligans and recorded hundreds of songs, before releasing a free mixtape in 2005.

Tempah and his manager/cousin Dumi Oburota then founded independent label Disturbing London, primarily as an outlet for Tempah’s music. In October 2009 Tempah signed to Parlophone Records and released his debut single ‘Pass Out’, which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1.

A few months later his third single ‘Written In The Stars’, also charted at number 1, before releasing his debut album Disc-overy in October 2010 Not one to sit still, by December 2010 Tempah was already on to the next album: “I started writing in Australia when I was on tour and then carried on throughout the year in Sri Lanka, America and England.” And while he, ”didn’t know what the world was gonna say,” to his first album, from the outset Tempah wanted album number two to showcase the evolution of his sound, his dreams and ambitions, as well as being a good example to his fans.

So that being said, the name Demonstration is “quite literal,” and Tempah hopes the album will highlight his progression from rapper to more of an artist. But equally important are his messages to the younger generation, who he feels (and considers himself to be part of) are quite lost. “I want to demonstrate hard work and motivation, to show that if you stay focused and apply yourself amazing things can happen!”

Demonstration, like its predecessor, also features a star-studded cast of extras. Tempah admits that trying to get them all on the record was certainly one of the more challenging aspects of the album. A particular highlight for the young rapper was getting to work with the aforementioned Dizzee Rascal on ‘Mosh Pit’: “I’ve been a fan since I was 12 years old and couldn’t believe I finally got to work with him!” The resulting track is a big one; grimey, dub-step and effect-laden, layers of electronica, and some of the best raps on the whole album.

Speaking of big tracks and big names, there’s also the already-released ‘Trampoline’, a Diplo-produced collab with 2 Chainz that’s all about “the moment”. The grimey club-banger with it’s blippy shake-shakeshake-shake chorus is just made for jumping, while ‘Lover Not A Fighter’ features Labrinth, along with some interesting time signatures and synths.

‘Children Of The Sun’ features John Martin and is a hands in the air anethmic summer tune, with some decent and rather reflective lyrics “… all these insecurities are making me feel naked.”

There are a few less familiar names as well, such as the swear-heavy ‘Heroes’, featuring Laura Mvula: “She’s just coming out in the UK, but I heard her voice and just had to work with her.” While Mvula definitely has an amazing set of pipes and the track features interesting production, her voice is so big the track only feels half realised and never quite takes off.

Paloma Faith is another female vocalist featuring on the album, someone Tempah thinks has not got the recognition she deserves. ‘Lost Ones’ is a reverb heavy, break-up track, where the layering of raps and Faith’s vocals in the chorus form a beautifully cohesive whole. “She’s got an amazing voice with a real emotion to it and I thought she’d be perfect for the track.” Perfect indeed, as is Emile Sande on ‘A Hert Can Save The World’, where Tempah is talking love and positive energy.

“Everyone is a hero in their own way and can make a difference… you just need to think that of yourself.”

It’s not all hope and light though, and in fact a real standout is the introspective ‘Tears Run Dry’ featuring Sway Clarke II. Talking about how fame has affected different aspects of his life and various relationships, Tempah’s honesty is direct and compelling, paired perfectly with lush piano and strings.

Although there’s a massive team of collaborator on Demonstration, it feels like Tempah’s record. Demonstration does what it’s supposed to, showcasing Tinie Tempah’s ubiquitous talent and creativity… and there is no doubting the south Londoner’s undeniable energy and charm.

REN KIRK

It’s fair to say the 15 track record is about triumph over adversity, and in equal measure about Tempah’s own boundless self-belief. Like his life-long idol Dizzee Rascal, Tempah grins at his good fortune, and has crossed from his initial grime bridgehead to the widest possible pop audience.

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DEMONSTRATION ALBUM OUT FRI 01 NOV

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STEVIE NICKS It’s a miracle Fleetwood Mac are still together and touring. A musical soap opera of tangled love lives and drug and drink-fuelled breakups has lasted since the seventies, when the best-known lineup of the group formed.

The band have endured what would have killed most other bands.

But their love of their band and their belief in its music has helped them to endure and today they’re as popular as ever, currently in the middle of a mammoth world tour.

The breakdown of Nicks and Buckingham’s five-year relationship and the McVies’ divorce during the making of landmark album Rumours became part of the Fleetwood Mac story. And even today, forty years after their split, it’s when Nicks and Buckingham get close on stage, that the crowd really erupt and cheer.

“When Lindsey and I split and Christine and John were about to break up,

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“Mick was in the middle saying ‘Well, is anybody quitting? If not, can we just carry on?’ “And that’s exactly what happened. No one was willing to give up Fleetwood Mac - it just wasn’t an option.”

But it’s always been about the music. Surviving the breakup of two couples Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, and John and Christine McVie gave the band their multi-million selling 1977 album Rumours.

Rip It Up meet Nicks in LA, where the band are in rehearsals. And the legendary singer says: “This band is the longest relationship any of us have had. It’s more than our individual issues.

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we were all in a room, saying, ‘Well, I’m not going to quit so you quit’.

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“I guess fans are still fascinated by us,“ she admits in her famous husky drawl. “It’s part of the story and whatever happened between me and Lindsey or the others, the power of the band and the music meant more.”

After her split with Buckingham, Nicks embarked on a two-year affair with band drummer and Fleetwood Mac founder Mick Fleetwood who was in the middle of a divorce with wife Jenny Boyd.

And it wasn’t just the band’s love lives which were full of drama. The band’s intake of drugs in the 70’s and 80’s is also part of their story.

Nicks says she first tried cocaine when she moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco with Buckingham.

“Everyone did it then,” she confesses. “And if Lindsey and I had stayed in San Francisco there would never have been any drugs. We probably would never even have had a drink.”

Nicks moved to LA with Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac in 1974 establishing a new line-up that remains the line-up of today - apart from

“She’d started having panic attacks about it. We did the Grammys and then she turned to me and said, ‘I can’t do this any more, I’m quitting.”

Christine McVie who quit in 1988 but recently rejoined the band on stage at London’s O2.

“Chris was a tough girl but she never really told us just how afraid she was of flying,” says Nicks.

“She’d started having panic attacks about it. We did the Grammys and then she turned to me and said, ‘I can’t do this any more, I’m quitting.’ I said, ‘You’re leaving me? Abandoning me?’ “She goes, ‘I’m sorry, honey, I just can’t do it.’ So she went home, sold her beautiful house in Los Angeles, her piano, her truck, and she was gone in three weeks.

“We never saw her again until we played Earls Court in London in 2004.

You just have to respect her wishes but we’ll always be close. We’ll always be friends though it’s been very hard to try Christine’s songs in rehearsals. Lindsey and I have tried singing some in harmony but we were just disappointed with it.

“Christine just can’t be replaced.”

After Rumours came their experimental album Tusk which Nicks says saw her use of cocaine “go into overdrive”.

By the time it came to making 1987’s Tango In The Night, Nicks was an addict and also “a mess”.

“I had a hole on my nose,” she says honestly.

“I checked into Betty Ford for two months and a plastic surgeon looked at my nose and told me it would collapse if I carried on. My vanity made me stop the coke.

“My nose would collapse if I carried on.

My vanity made me stop the coke.”

She says: “I couldn’t move. I certainly couldn’t work and I was useless in the studio.

“For Tango In The Night I couldn’t do anything. I just lay on the couch, called the deli and drank wine - and that went on for eight years. I lost eight years of my life - my forties - because of that man.

“I went to Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Marina Del Rey, LA, to wean myself off it.

“It was hell. I thought I was going to die, I was in so much pain. I was really sick. To this day I will haunt the psychiatrist who gave me Klonopin. One day somebody is going to find out who the bastard is and I will be there.”

As well as Fleetwood Mac’s world tour, Nicks is hoping to get time to work on another solo album after 2011’s In Your Dreams album that she made with former Eurythmics star Dave Stewart.

“I’m writing all the time,” she confesses. “I write down everything.

Poems, notes, drawings all feature in my books which hold my life story.

All my songs starts in here.”

Working with Stewart, who she also co-wrote with for the first time in her career, gave her the confidence she’d been lacking. In Your Dreams arrived ten years since 2001’s Trouble In Shangri-La after Nicks believed no one was interested in her as a solo singer any more.

“When we came off the road from Fleetwood Mac’s Say You Will tour in 2005, I was going to make a record but I was told not to bother by the powers that be,” she reveals.

“Everybody was depressed by the downturn in the music industry and I was not the fighter I usually am. I just believed what they said, that no-one would want to hear a Stevie Nicks album and went with it. But after the Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits tour, I got my confidence back and decided I was going to hit the ground running the second I got home, and start an album and that’s what I did. I needed to do it for my soul as I’ve always made a record every couple of years.”

As soon as she was home Nicks called Stewart and asked him over to hear what she’d been working on.

“Before we knew it we were making a record. We didn’t even talk about it, we just started making it. He just said: “I’ll be back Wednesday.” It only took six months to record but making that record was the best year of my life - the most fun, satisfying and the most magical. Dave believed in me and saw something in my poetry. I keep all my poems in my journals and lock them away. They are the start of everything.

“It gave me a creative burst, the kick that I needed. And long may it continue.”

“I went to see a doctor who said the only way to stay off the drugs was to take a tranquilizer. If I didn’t then my nose was going to collapse. He prescribed Klonopin and I thought it was going to be the end of this chapter.”

JAMIE WYNN

SEE THEM LIVE: FLEETWOOD MAC WED 04 DEC VECTOR ARENA, AUCKLAND

However, what Nicks wasn’t told was that Klonopin was also highly addictive and left her a wreck.

THU 06 DEC VECTOR ARENA, AUCKLAND FRI 07 DEC VECTOR ARENA, AUCKLAND

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THIS MONTH IN CLUBL AND With NICK COLLINGS

How do you stay relevant in NZs cut throat media industry?

Any media outlet today remains relevant by engaging with its audience, all media have had to dramatically evolve over the last 10 years with the advent of social media. Nowadays our Facebook presence and engagement is almost as important as our on air content. We still have some way to go to get to where we want to be, but we’ve got a roadmap, we’re just waiting on revenue levels to pick up.

Plans for the future?

I guess expansion would have to be the name of the game. National coverage through digital technologies which mean we can finally get our format(s) out anywhere on multiple platforms. We’ve had so many people from different parts of the country ask us to launch in their region, but it’s just not been possible when it’s only four DJs (two retired, two still working) who own the station, and none of us have deep pockets (sadly!).

In November our team are throwing our first ever outdoor rave, Pulzate, which is going to be lots of fun. We’ve done heaps of parties before, but never an overnight outdoor rave, so it should be another great experiment!

ANDY PULZAR

LISTEN: PULZAR 105.7FM (CHRISTCHURCH).

Pulzar FM was founded by Andy Poulsen & Jason Akehurst at the very end of the last century (all the way back in 1999!). Pulzar FM broadcast on a number of different frequencies over a period of 8 years as a low power dance music radio station covering the inner city of Christchurch until 2009 when it acquired a full power license. The Christchurch Earthquakes have taken their toll but Pulzar FM battles on.

PULZARFM.CO.NZ RETURNIVERSARY PARTY: PULZATE 2013 SAT 23 NOV NEAR SHEFFIELD, CHRISTCHURCH

What’s your main focus for Pulzar FM? Being a bloody good dance music radio station that helps Cantabrians network together and serve as “Christchurch’s heartbeat”. We’re proud to present a great range of local DJ and producer talent hosting shows every evening, and then from 10pm-1am we’ve got an awesome selection of international artists who all produce weekly shows.

How did the Christchurch Earthquakes Effect Business?

They really couldn’t have come at a worse time for us. Having launched as a full power commercial station in 2009 during the GFC, which made even funding the station launch damn near impossible, we worked our asses off to establish the station, build an audience and break even financially. Would you believe on February 18th 2011, we finally hit target for the first time since launch? In fact, Jason and I were out for lunch celebrating that fact when the Feb 22 quake hit. Sadly the immediate effect for the station of the quake was reducing our revenue to 20% of its previous level, making it nigh on impossible to trade. We lost a good number of staff who left the region immediately after the quakes. We also lost our inner city studios, and weren’t even able to access the building for five months, and then we got 40 minutes to grab critical documents only.

After struggling through for several months, we eventually had to make the call to go off air in December 2011 until we could negotiate insurance settlements and the like, re-launching in October 2012. So yeah, they affected us a lot. We’re still struggling along with finding new advertisers, and still haven’t rebuilt that area to where we were in Feb 2011, which is frustrating. Thankfully our audience in Canterbury that tune into 105.7fm, or those from around the country and the world that tune into our web stream, is growing constantly and provides great feedback on what works and what doesn’t, so that’s pretty cool. And we’re still waiting for the insurance company to pay most of our claim, which is extremely annoying, as it’s been dragging on for years now.

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THIS MONTH IN CLUBLAND MUST HAVES ALEX METRIC & JACQUES LU CONT FT MALIN ‘SAFE WITH YOU’ BROODS - ‘BRIDGES’ CHASE & STATUS - BRAND NEW MACHINE DILLON FRANCIS FT T.E.E.D. - ‘WITHOUT YOU’ DOCTOR P & ADAM F FT METHOD MAN ‘THE PIT’ DUSKY - ‘CARELESS’ FEED ME - CALAMARI TUESDAY FOUR TET - BEAUTIFUL REWIND GESSAFELSTEIN - ‘HATE OR GLORY’

PEKING DUK Sautee up a fresh batch of electro house, flambé until golden brown and Peking Duk is served. Voted In The Mix’s #5 DJ for Australia earlier this year, Australian duo Reuben Styles and Adam Hyde aka Peking Duk have been steadily musically marinating their way to the top of the ARIA charts.

Are you surprised by your quick rise to fame in the last 2 years?

We wouldn’t say we’re famous yet but it has definitely been a quick run to be given the opportunity to play our favourite festivals and work with some of our biggest inspirations. We couldn’t be more stoked.

It’s your first appearance at an Our House event in NZ, what have people told you to specifically avoid at this festival?

We heard there’s heaps of sheep. But sheep are cool so we’re down to party.

What item of clothing is especially packed for your upcoming time in Fiji?

Nothing but a Top Hat and Nipple Tassels.

You’ve been picked up for the Australian leg of the Big Day Out 2014 Tour. Whose rider are you most looking forward to stealing?

Dillon Francis’ has some wild shit on it, looking forward to stealing those XS condoms.

What’s been the strangest Snapchat you’ve ever received?

A girl wrote Peking Duk on her bum but it was taken from the strangest angle and her dog was right next to her... the short flash of the photo made it a strange moment.

If Peking Duk had a mission statement , what would it be?

1. If you know how to moonwalk you should use it as your form of transport.

2. Be nice to your Nan. With the success of ‘The Way You Are’ and ‘Feels Like’, what’s next musically for Peking Duk? We’re working on a lot of music at the moment, we are very excited about the music we plan to release soon. We can’t say too much regarding collabs yet but we will keep you posted, We do have our collaboration with Laidback Luke coming out very soon!

How do you guys stay grounded?

Lots of Karma Sutra, Peyote and Meditation.

MR. C “E’s are good, E’s are good, he’s Ebeneezer Goode” rung the call from all nightclubs cross he world in 1992. The chant instigated by The Shamen frontman Mr. C Richard West aka Mr.C was born in London in the late 60’s. He started MCing in the London clubs aged only 16 and soon earned a reputation as a fast talking vivacious rapper. Mr.C went into the studio to record his first house track with Eddie Richards as Myster-E which was released in August 1987. This inspired Mr.C to become a DJ to learn more about his beloved House and Techno music.

In 1992 it all changed for Mr. C when as part of The Shamen they claimed the Number 1 Pop Chart spot in both the UK and Ireland for their (at the time) controversial hit ‘Ebeneezer Goode’. The quarrel was due to the songs perceived oblique endorsement of recreational drug use. The song was initially banned by the BBC yet hit Number 1 in September 1992 (ironically during the BBC’s drug awareness week). When the Shamen appeared on Top of the Pops, it was expected that Mr. C should tone down the song due to its being broadcast. The group replaced the final lyric “Got any Salmon?” with “Has anyone got any underlay?” He was later asked about this in a radio interview, to which he cheekily replied that it was not a drug reference but a rug reference.

In late 1995 through to January 2009 Mr.C owned the now iconic night club The End in London with Partner Layo Paskin (Layo and Bushwacka).

He is the founder and owner of Plink Plonk records, cofounder of End Recordings and cofounder and owner of Superfreq Records.

Mr.C runs and promotes Superfreq events, which celebrated 11 years in March. Superfreq now has two residencies in London, the first as Superfreq E’special at the amazing luxury members club Paramount, perched 31 floors above London on the top of the famous landmark Centre Point and the second, a bi-annual residency at the legendary Fabric.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING BEN HOWARD - ‘OLD PINE (PEKING DUK REMIX)’ (FREE DOWNLOAD - 2012)

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

‘THE WAY YOU ARE’ (2013)

THE SHAMEN - BOSS DRUM (1992)

‘FEELS LIKE’ (2013)

CHANGE (2002)

SEE THEM DJ: PEKING DUK

‘IM GONNA GIVE YOU SOME’ (2013)

SAT 16 NOV - TUE 19 NOV BLUESKY, SONAISALI, FIJI

SEE HIM DJ: MR C

FRI 29 NOV OUR HOUSE, MT SMART STADIUM, AUCKLAND

SAT 16 NOV INK BAR, AUCKLAND

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M.Ward have a completely different idea.” Following on from this Ward explained that the right answer is, “whatever you come up with.”

The next album out was the universally lauded Hold Time in 2009, and most recently A Wasteland Companion just last year. By this time there were understandably certain expectations of Ward and his musical prowess, but expectations he easily met. While the opening track showed off the great guitar work that had been earning him gigs with the likes of Norah Jones, ‘Primitive Girl’ and ‘Sweetheart’ were all about the rollicking early-pop thrills for which he’d become known. And possibly best of all, ‘Wild Goose’, where Ward’s various talents came together in a

“I don’t feel overworked cause music to me isn’t work, it’s more play than work. Its never feels like heavy lifting.”

woozy rush of hushed harmonies, lithe lap steel and sparkling strings.

If M. Ward is often overlooked as one of the indie rock scene’s greatest talents, it’s because the guy is quite content in the background – behind Zooey Deschanel in She & Him, behind Conor Oberst and Jim James in Monsters of Folk, behind the scenes as collaborator with Jenny Lewis, Neko Case and many others.

Nothing about his work is big; not his ideas or his sound, neither literally or metaphorically. But that is because everything about M. Ward and his music points inward and is geared towards extracting the tiny details of any emotion or insight. And that’s what makes him effective and important, as those minute details take on a greater level of importance, become up close and personal… and the listener is forced to generate their own inward response, sometimes without even knowing it.

Born Matthew Stephen Ward, the Portland, Oregon-based troubadour started playing guitar in high school. After following Peters chord book he started 4-tracking and, “one thing just led to another.” Despite this path opening up before him he never planned to make a living from making music: “I didn’t know what I was gonna do at 15… but I can’t complain.” And ever since it’s been a habit, to play every day, his own and other people’s songs.

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But that’s just his solo work, which would seem plenty for one person.

Ward however seems to possess super-human powers of prolific-ness (and good habits), so is able to achieve more than the average muso, including guesting, writing and touring with the likes of Cat Power, Neko Case and Bright Eyes. He however doesn’t think there’s anything superhuman about it, in fact it’s the easiest answer: “There’s always time in the day for things you love to do. So I always find time – it doesn’t matter where I am, or who’s guitar it is really.” He pauses, then adds, “I don’t feel overworked cause music to me isn’t work, it’s more play than work. Its never feels like heavy lifting.”

In this day and digital-age musician’s have to tour, which happily for New Zealand means M. Ward will be back in 2014 - having last played Wellington and Auckland in 2009. He liked the beaches last time he was in the country, but also has another Kiwi connection courtesy of the 2007 film Eagle vs Shark. Ward’s eerie and haunting cover of Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, is featured on the film’s soundtrack and he approves of how it was used. But why the cover? “I loved the song since I first heard it and remember reading the lyrics and thinking they were pretty incredible. I wanted to come up with production that would strip it right down so you could hear the words.”

Ward’s first solo effort came in the form of Duet for Guitars #2, which found it’s way into the hands of ever enigmatic Giant Sand mastermind Howe Gelb. He released it on his own Ow Om Recordings in 2000, and suddenly Ward was “known” in underground rock circles. End of Amnesia helped further develop Ward’s penchant for timeless narratives and bluesy, back-porch ballads, but it wasn’t until 2003’s Transfiguration of Vincent that Ward started to hit the mainstream. However, by 2005’s Transistor Radio and 2006’s Post-War, Ward was firmly established as a major player in the burgeoning indie folk, alt rock scene.

So, while many singer/songwriters of a similar ilk try to Ward try to play up the melodrama of a song or make a grand statement of it, Ward takes the opposite approach. He explores the quiet moments and the finer details, small individual parts that are (most often) highly focused and deeply personal. It’s this kind of duality and introspective tone that works so well with his musical style; the grit and twang of a country singer who has a subtle leaning towards modernity. He may not be big, but M. Ward’s music has power nonetheless.

With Post-Wars’ thought-provoking themes it would seem only natural that Ward was using it as a vehicle to pose questions, to convey ideas… but not quite. “I love that part, what people take from it. I love how open ended it can be, and how one person can take something and another can

SEE HIM LIVE: M.WARD

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REN KIRK

FRI 08 NOV TUNING FORK, AUCKLAND SAT 09 NOV BODEGA, WELLINGTON

There’s music that needs 2400W to be heard as it was meant to be heard: louderer. The Sony Shake-5 will rock your senses with its powerful 3-way speaker system and pulsating speaker lights.

Put the ‘er’ into your louder.

Most new smartphones have an NFC chip in them. This makes it easy to set up a Bluetooth connection to the Shake-5 – just tap to connect. Scan the QR code for more information.

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Put music to the moments you treasure without compromising the sound quality. The Sony BTX500 wireless speaker is deceptively small for something with such a big, clear sound.

For the soundtrack of your life.

Most new smartphones have an NFC chip in them. This makes it easy to set up a Bluetooth connection to the wireless speaker – just tap to connect. Scan the QR code for more information.

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Tourist Bomber $540.00 zambesistore.com . Book: David Bowie Style $29.70 bookdepository.com Old Fashioned Shave Cream 90ML Tube $29.00 triumphanddisaster.com . David Bowie The Next Day (Deluxe Edition) $29.95 out Fri 08, Nov realgroovy.co.nz Ray-ban Clubmaster $340.00 superette.co.nz . Leather Daddy Pants Keychain $12.00 wackywacko.com . Black Chelsea Boot $699 workingstyle.co.nz Black James Pant $149.00 iloveugly.net

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GADGETS

Diana Mini & Flash Premier Cru $170.00 lomography.com.au . Wacom Intuos Manga Graphic Tablet $179.99 mightyape.co.nz Ableton Push Live 9 Standard $1120.00 ableton.com . Pro-Ject Xpression Iii $999.00 realgroovy.co.nz Plattan Rainforest Headphones Urbanears $149.95 cosmicnz.co.nz . Sony 2GB B Series MP3 Walkman $69.00 jbhifi.co.nz Batman: Arkham Origins PS3 $108.00 ebgames.co.nz . 5� Two-Way Powered Studio Monitor LSR305 $349.00 jblpro.com

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$349 rrp ea

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BOOST YOUR IMAGE . DEMO TODAY Introducing the 3 Series Powered Studio Monitors, the first to incorporate JBL's groundbreaking Image Control Waveguide. Matched with high-performance JBL transducers, the patent-pending Image Control Waveguide lets you hear detail and depth like you've never heard before. The micro-dynamics in reverb tails, and the subtleties of mic placement are clearly revealed. And the sound stage is so realistic it creates a tangible sense of a center channel. A broad, room-friendly sweet spot means everyone in the room hears the same level of dimension and transparency in your music. Adopting technology developed for our flagship M2 Master Reference Monitors, the 3 Series are surprisingly affordable, so you can hook up a pair and boost the image in your studio.

Visit jands.co.nz or call (09) 275 8710 for more information.

JBL Professional distributed in NZ by Jands. Visit us at jands.co.nz

GEEKS

GRAN TURISMO 6 HANDS ON PS3 If there’s one thing Gran Turismo is known for, it’s realism. The team at Polyphony Digital strive to create the most authentic motorsport experience possible - “the real driving simulator” with each new iteration pushing the boundaries further and further. And if my hands on with the upcoming Gran Turismo 6 at a pre-Tokyo Game Show event is anything to go by, this pushing of boundaries isn’t showing any signs of stopping.

The track I got to play was in the mountains, and the first thing that jumped out at me was the sheer beauty of the distant scenery. The mountainous horizon may as well have been a photograph, it was that realistic.

Impressive sights in the distance are easy to achieve though, relatively speaking, and previous Gran Turismo titles have been no stranger to them; on the other hand, detail in the track proper has, in the past, been a bit more questionable.

I’m happy to report that this is an issue that might finally get addressed. I’m an absolutely shocking driver, so I spent a good deal of time getting quite

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familiar with the various walls and barriers that border the course - and it is very clear that this up close texturing is something that the team has been focusing on. The level of detail is impressive to behold.

One of the other big points of difference in GT6 is the crowd more specifically, how real and alive the people watching the races feel. The spectators in GT5 had come a long way from the cardboard cutouts of yesteryear, but they were still fairly static.

In GT6, on the other hand, they can be seen milling about before the race starts, cheering as cars go past, and taking photos; I half expected to see a spectator drop their pants and moon me as I drove past, or some other equally ridiculous stunt.

I liked what I played - quite a lot, in fact - and I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing how the final product turns out. There will no doubt be a great many tracks to choose from - that means a great many beautifully textured things for me to crash into and get a good look at.

Gran Turismo 6 is due for release worldwide on Fri 06 Dec. MATTHEW CODD

DEAD RISING 3 EYES ON XBOX ONE

than just a clone of the main character.

After getting an early look at how Dead Rising 3 is shaping up at Tokyo Game Show, I have to say, I’m really excited. Put bluntly, the game looks incredible, drastically improved from the first two games in just about every way.

Dead Rising 3 looks to be making good use of Microsoft SmartGlass and the Xbox One’s Kinect sensor. Playing with SmartGlass adds extra convenience with tools like weapon finders, as well as extra side missions. The cool thing about these side missions is that SmartGlass actually uses your phone (or tablet), as, well, a phone. It’s a simple feature, really, but it looks like it will add a whole lot to the experience.

The biggest change is the fact that the game now features a seamless open world. Whereas the first two games were limited by the Xbox 360 hardware you couldn’t have hundreds of zombies on screen and a big seamless world at the same time - the power of the Xbox One means this is no longer an issue.

Which brings me to… co-op!

This is one of the features of Dead Rising 3 that hasn’t been unveiled until now, and it looks vastly improved on previous games. I guess Capcom Vancouver have been saving the best till last. For one thing, the second player character is actually a complete character now, with his own personality and story to be fleshed out, rather

One thing I’m vaguely concerned about, based on what I saw, is the move away from a survival horror game to an over-the-top action title. However, I was assured that the game still retains its survival roots with resource limitations and such, and that what I got to see was intentionally high-octane to showcase just what was possible.

And to be honest, I don’t think a move away from survival horror is necessarily a bad thing, because the outrageous gameplay I saw looked like a blast.

MATTHEW CODD

GEEKS

DRIVECLUB OFFICIALLY DELAYED Shuhei Yoshida, the President of SCE Worldwide Studios, has this confirmed a rumour by announcing that DriveClub for PlayStation 4 has XBOX ONE HEADSET ADAPTER REQUIRED FOR been delayed. Originally intended for release along side the PS4 itself this NEW THIRD PARTY HEADSETS November, DriveClub will now release early next year.

Reports are coming out that the Xbox One Headset Adapter will not be “The team requires more time in order to deliver on their vision,” Yoshiavailable until early 2014, and will be required for new third party Xbox da-san stated in an update to the PlayStation Blog, before explaining how One headsets, as well as backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 headsets. this change will affect the company’s Instant Game Collection component This news followed confusion around a press release from licensed headof the PlayStation Plus subscription service. set maker Turtle Beach, stating that their new XO FOUR and XO SEVEN “To be clear, DriveClub PlayStation Plus Edition will still be part of the headsets would not be available until the first quarter of 2014, due to the Instant Game Collection when it is released,” Yoshida stated. Additionally, release timing of the adapter. to ensure there are still two PS4 games included in the Instant Game ColDavid Lowey, Turtle Beach’s corporate communications representative, lection at launch, indie game Contrast has been added in DriveClub’s place. confirmed that the adapter would be required for use with their new “If you’re not aware of Contrast, it will whisk you away to a surreal headsets, despite being developed specifically for Xbox One, and would vaudevillian, film-noir inspired reality full of performance, intrigue, be shipped with said headsets. shadow-play and drama,” Yoshida enthused.

At this stage, no details about the release date or pricing of the adapter No specific details regarding the new date were included in the have been announced by Microsoft. announcement.

PARAMORE_ HPHGG - 6_9_!3_PARAMORE_ HPHGG - 6_9_!3 06/09/2013 17:10 Page 1

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FILM REVIEWS

DIRECTED BY DENIS VILLENEUVE STARRING HUGH JACKMAN, JAKE GYLLENHAAL, VIOLA DAVIS

PRISONERS

*****

Prisoners is a pulpy crime thriller elevated to event film status by top-notch filmmakers. It outstays its welcome by a good half hour but still proves compelling, thanks in part to subject matter that practically demands emotional investment from an audience: children in peril.

A lot of attention will go to Jackman’s turn as a survivalist dad driven to extremes to find his abducted daughter, and to his credit he gives it his all. But it’s Gyllenhaal’s performance as Detective Loki that feels the most lived

in (although he does overdo it with a certain nervous twitch), and it’s with him that our sympathies ultimately lie.

The central mystery that drives the movie ends up being a bit silly, stitched together from similar films that suggest every small American town houses at least one raving loony. A few of the more left-field plot turns remain puzzling once all has been revealed.

But director Denis Villeneuve keeps the focus on the aftermath of the abductions, wallowing in the panic and grief and giving Jackman a

DIRECTED BY PAUL GREENGRASS STARRING TOM HANKS, BARKHAD ABDI, BARKHAD ABDIRAHMAN

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

*****

“Roller-coaster ride” may be a cliché but it’s well deserved by this superb action thriller only the roller-coaster’s at sea. As in United 93 and his two Bourne movies, director Paul Greengrass ratchets up the tension with Hitchcockian skill. Taking the true tale of the 2009 hijacking of cargo ship, Maersk Alabama, by just four Somali pirates, Greengrass spins

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it into riveting entertainment. Think The Hurt Locker - with waves.

Pirates of the Caribbean this ain’t, but Captain Phillips has heart, and that heart owes oodles to Tom Hanks. Beginning quietly, as a nononsense all-work-no-play kinda guy, Phillips is put through the grinder, pressuring his cool calm exterior and leading to a claustrophobic climax in which Hanks delivers one of his

chance to flex his acting muscles.

With subject matter this dreary, Prisoners can be a bit of a slog at times. Villeneuve has a point to make about people being capable of terrible things when pushed to extremes, and he makes it very bluntly, only to drop this line of thought once it’s time for the big finale. Prisoners can’t seem to decide what sort of film it wants to be, and so it ends up slightly muddled, engrossing enough in the moment but frustratingly insubstantial on reflection.

TONY STAMP, FLICKS.CO.NZ

best performances in years. The daunting task of going up against Hanks on top form falls to newcomer, Barkhad Abdi - a revelation as Muse, the decent Somali fisherman turned pirate, portrayed as a real flesh n’ blood human, rather than a two-dimensional baddie.

The stunning documentary-style cinematography and top-notch editing deliver heart-pounding drama, on a par with last year’s nail-bitingly good Danish tale of Somali pirates, A Hijacking. But there are wee niggles.

Katherine Keener as Phillips’ landlubber wife has just one scene, and the relative lack of backstory for Hanks’ everyman hero, and for the pirates, means there’s less emotional connect than some might expect. But these are minor quibbles in a movie that delivers top-notch thrills, spills and chills in an intense, grim, ripped-from-reality tale of two captains from disparate worlds clashing on the high seas.

Coupled with Gravity, movies like this remind cynical critics like me just how darn well crafted and entertaining cinema can be.

ADAM FRESCO, FLICKS.CO.NZ

TOM HIDDLESTON relationship with his brother—which is where I come in—and he has a mother and a woman he loves. What’s so exciting is that all of the characters within that landscape are infused with a humanity and a humanity that seems to reflect our own. Everyone in this world has a family; every family bumps heads occasionally, and this family in Asgard is no different.”

“Loki is, on one level, this off-the-rails psychopathic agent of chaos who exists in the mythology as a kind of wrecking ball.”

TOM HIDDLESTON IS BACK AS THE MACHIAVELLIAN LOKI IN MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD Tom Hiddleston plays Loki, Thor’s scheming, Machiavellian brother, for the third time in Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World. He notes that not only is it a privilege but also enjoyable to be able to reprise a character. “The amazing thing about Loki is that this is my third meeting with him, and we’ve had a year between each film, so essentially my understanding of the character deepens every time,” says Hiddleston. “I feel like the Thor sequel and my third engagement with playing him was a chance as an actor to find new depth, new dimension, new iterations of his psychology, of his physicality and his capacity for feeling.”

Hiddleston has elevated Loki to the status of a fan favorite, despite the fact that Loki is undeniably a villain. In Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World fans will be treated to another perspective of Loki’s psyche. Hiddleston explains, “Loki is, on one level, this off-the-rails psychopathic agent of chaos who exists in the mythology as a kind of wrecking ball. But on a human level, his psychology and his emotional landscape is very, very interesting because he’s so intelligent and yet so broken. This film is a chance to find where his capacity for heroism and his Machiavellian menace meet.”

Hiddleston is quick to point out, however, that there are aspects of Loki that have to stay true to his development in the previous films. “Loki is still the same character, so he’s still possessed of a rakish charm and provocative wit,” says the actor. “He still loves provoking people and finding and exploiting weakness.

“He’s still selfish and vain and arrogant and proud, but he’s also elegant and amusing. He’s so full of charisma, and that’s why I love playing him; he’s not an all-out bad guy. He’s someone who knows his true nature and is having a really good time; there is an element of delight and joy at being bad,” concludes Hiddleston.

Although Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World takes place in a fantastical realm, it is grounded in a reality that makes it relatable to audiences on many levels. Hiddleston explains, “The really exciting thing about the world of Thor is that you have, at the centre of it, a figure in a huge red cape that billows in the wind and a hammer and chainmail and he looks like a god, but he’s also a man who is wrestling with his identity and his destiny. He’s arguing with his father, he has a very complicated

Hiddleston credits director Alan Taylor with bringing the world of Asgard to life. “Alan is fantastic and within seconds he revealed his experience and also his openness in creating a really believable world,” comments Hiddleston. “I thought it was really interesting that he wanted to expand our sense of the world; he wanted to deepen and shade it. He wanted to give it a kind of grittier feel in the sense that this is the race that the Vikings worshiped and there was a very clear link that felt somehow ancient and Viking and Norse and rugged and salty.”

The practical sets that were used to invoke the sense of reality were a boon for Hiddleston, who says, “It makes the scene incredibly dynamic and you get ideas that are really exciting. Actors, at their best, are responding to real things, that real physical material, and it just gives you a sense of space.”

Hiddleston was particularly enthused by shooting on location in Iceland.

“We shot exteriors for the Dark World in Iceland, which of all the places on this planet I think is the most magical,” says Hiddleston. “It’s got an otherworldly quality to it. It’s so near the Arctic, so close to the uninhabitable regions of this world. In Iceland you get such scale. You get purple skies. We were shooting on a volcanic lava field, and you get epic footage that you can’t get anywhere else.”

Hiddleston finds the fans’ response to the Thor franchise “amazing.”

“People are so free with their passion for the emotional landscape of what we’ve created—huge characters with really human weaknesses; characters who are striving for unity and harmony and love and peace, but there are so many things in the way,” says Hiddleston. “In Loki’s terms, it’s all of the darkest aspects of human nature—loneliness and jealousy and rage and despair—and these are very human feelings. I love how the fans have really embraced that and they follow it and believe in it and reflect it. It’s given us the confidence to go deeper with it.”

When the film opens in theaters, Hiddleston is excited to see all the scenes come together to form the whole narrative, but there is something else that the British actor is looking forward to. He says, “The thing that’s really unique about Thor: The Dark World is contemporary London. In the first film the action cut between Asgard and Earth, and Earth was a town in New Mexico. In this film it’s Asgard and London, and it’s a very contemporary London that I very much, as a native resident of London, recognize and am excited by. No one’s going to have seen London in the way they see it in this film, so that’s very cool.”

THOR IN CINEMAS THU 31 OCT

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ALBUM REVIEWS ***** ROBERT DELONG JUST MOVEMENT (Liberator Music)

Playing at Galatos on 04 Dec, Los Angeles based Robert DeLong comes with new LP Just Movement. Originally hailing from Seattle he sheds the grey local genre of Grunge in favour of an electronic singer/ songwriter blend. The record treads in comparison from title opener ‘Just Movement’s’ evocation of Bloc Party front man Kele Okereke’s solo track ‘Tenderoni‘ to a number of Owl City moments in tunes like ‘Happy’ and Vampire Weekend energy in ‘Few Years Make.’ At times the lyrics are repetitively

LAUREL HALO ***** CHANCE OF RAIN

(Warner)

(What’s Your Rupture?)

(Hyperdub)

Having co-written tracks with John Legend, Professor Green and the late Amy Winehouse Bristol-based Fin Greenall and his ever-changing moniker Fink have turned attention back to themselves and release last years live recording in Amsterdam with The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Coming complete with a booklet of photographs courtesy of Tommy N Lance this album is a beautifully poised epic. The album consists of Fink tracks re-arranged by composer Jules Buckley to suit an impressive orchestra. The album includes impressive versions of the titletracks from charting albums Sort Of Revolution and Perfect Darkness. The arrangements are complex, huge and carry the kind of power-poignancy you’d expect from a pop artist blessed with the aural and atmospheric opportunities a full orchestra presents.

Capturing attention the world over with her self-titled debut album featuring eponymous Indie covers like Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ and The National’s ‘Terrible Love’ English singer/pianist Jasmine van den Bogaerde, aka Birdy, goes her own way – releasing sophomore album Fire Within at just 17. In the best possible way this album sounds like what would happen if Ellie Goulding spent too much time hanging out with Adele. There’s an anguishing formula, demonstrated in tracks like lead ‘Wings,’ where her songs are lead by intense chorus-work.

It’s not all entrancing-sadness though with tracks like ‘Light Me Up’ not only showcasing her vocal talent but a potential to uplift.

Written in collaboration with people like Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett Fire Within is an exciting showcase of very real talent on it’s way to developing a powerful voice in the mainstream.

Vocalist/guitarist Andrew Savage’s introduction to underground DIY culture came courtesy of liner-note sleuth work and a subsequent subscription to contentious punk zine Maximumrocknroll. Fourteen years and several releases on his own label later, Savage and his “exiled Texans” have made you a 15-track, 33-minute millennial slacker album that comes on to you with a bucketful of observational p*sstake and a larger vessel of abrupt charm. The NY based four-piece still eschew most forms of internet presence (they keep a WordPress) and hand-make fans and interested press members cassettes of their influences and/or contemporaries.

Acts on those mixtapes may come as little surprise after hearing Light Up Gold – there’s Pavement, Tyvek, Guided By Voices. Thrash this before they play Laneway’14.

The friction between man and machine has long been ripe artistic fodder. Resulting interplay has been everything from cutesy (Janelle Monae), beautiful and militant (Kraftwerk, Fritz Lang, Can), anarchic (The Stooges) to just downright brimming with squelchy unease (David Cronenberg). Laurel Halo and her ambient, minimal electronic structures most probably fall into that latter camp. A classically trained musician and Steve Reich enthusiast hailing from the Rust Belt, Halo chose her performance moniker because it reminded her of a video game. Chance Of Rain isn’t a chilling listen, it can be quite beautiful, but there’s paranoia in Halo’s exquisite inorganic patterning. Greek mythological figures occupy track titles, hinting at new cradle of civilization. If this is what The Singularity sounds like, we best start taking better notes.

JUSTIN FOWLER

JUSTIN FOWLER

(Border Music)

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***** PARQUET COURTS LIGHT UP GOLD

*** * FINK FINK MEETS THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA

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BIRDY FIRE WITHIN

*** *

obvious and definitely feel inspired by classic pop, like “I want to be anywhere but here…

Away…” What isn’t instantly obvious is his musical direction.

The musicianship is talented and inspired with an assortment of drum pads, keys, and gaming controls piping in. Further listening makes experimental dance influences apparent and all becomes clear through the haze of the club fog machine where this album will definitely find itself at home.

Sarah Thomson

Sarah Thomson

MOTÖRHEAD with your name on it?

Oh yeah, everybody likes it. Yeah, it’s good wine, you know. Shiraz has been neglected by a lot of firms, they don’t make it anymore.

So we got in a niche, right? I want to see if the Rosé does as well. The vodka’s doing okay.

And Motörhead Bourbon is next?

It’s supposed to be coming up.

You’ve called it a “snakebite bourbon”. Is it that strong?

Well no, nothing´s that strong anymore. But it’ll do the job. Jack Daniels used to be 86%, and now it’s 80%. Jim Beam used to be 86%, and now it’s 80%. Everybody falls into line.

THE LEGENDARY LEMMY OF MOTÖRHEAD TALKS BOOZE, BABES AND OF COURSE THE BAND’S NEWEST ALBUM AFTERSHOCK. How does Aftershock fit into your body of work then?

Uhm… I think it’s one of the best ones we’ve done for a long time. I think it’s certainly the best since Inferno. I mean, better than that I’m not sure. I’m very pleased with it. Yeah, there´s a couple of changes for us, you know. I mean, we’re still into fast stuff, but it’s like a little more tasteful I think. Very clever, some of it.

Some of it´s still very raw. That’s alright. We really like that too. (chuckles) According to Classic Rock in the UK you were suffering from writer´s block while working on it. Is that true?

I did many times, everybody does. You can’t be prolific all the time – be like Paul McCartney. I’ve done that before. (chuckles) Are there moments when you realize: “That sounds familiar. I can’t do that again”?

Oh yeah. You realise you’ve written the same song again. Not in words, but in the timing.

It’s difficult to write them fast songs. It’s more difficult than you think ‘cause we’ve done it all before.

How big is your collection of World War 2 memorabilia? Any recent additions?

Yeah, I’ve got a few. I’ve got some very old

swords. Some really beautiful swords from the Kaiserzeit. Dedications on the blade and very, very pretty.

Your home must be one big museum by now.

Yeah, it’s one small museum. It´s so I can’t get around it. There’s a track from the couch to the fridge and to the TV and the record collection.

And I just bought a place in LA, I just got a condo, so. It’s a bit bigger. I can move around a bit more.

Do you ever listen to your old albums? Do you go back and listen to some Motörhead every once in a while?

I never used to. I do more now ‘cause we’ve got better albums by now. In the early days of Motörhead every album was kind of a live album, because we’d all been playing them songs onstage before, you know, the first three or four albums. And then we got to be in the studio, more with Brian. At first I didn’t like being in the studio, not much. But now I really like it, I really enjoy it. Because I understand a lot more about it.

Say, are guitars still chick magnets?

Oh yeah, of course. They make music. That´s better than sitting there talking, isn´t it? ‘Cause you run out of conversation. You’ll never run out of songs, you know what I mean? It’s always been good for that. The girls like that.

They like somebody that entertains them, makes them laugh. I guarantee you: You ask a chick what turns her on more than anything in the world, and she will always say: “Somebody that makes me laugh.” So in between songs, tell a joke. (laughs) Does Lemmy have a good chat up line?

Oh, several. But more bad ones. The thing is: If a girl wants you to chat her up, it doesn’t matter what you say. You could read her the telephone directory. If she’s fascinated, she’s still fascinated.

Anything on earth you haven’t done yet?

I’ve never been Pope. But I think that’s kind of out of reach now. I’m getting to the right age, but I’m the wrong religion, so that’s it.

I’ve done pretty good. I’ve realized a lot of my goals. I can’t complain. And I’ve reached out and seen 100.000 people shouting my name.

What more do you want out of life?

AFTERSHOCK OUT NOW

Are there albums from your career you don’t like or that you’d do different now - if you only had a chance to?

There’s albums I’d like to put a little bit more time in to. But there isn’t much I’d change.

‘Cause it is what it is. That was the place we were at. So it’s okay, I can live with it.

Are you surprised by the rave reviews for the Motörhead-wine, the Australian Shiraz

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ALBUM REVIEWS CULTS STATIC

*****

(Columbia)

If Cults’ 2011 debut is the sound of a heart being abducted by Johnny Angel, then Static is the more complicated noise of admitting, to be honest, you willingly flung yourself at Barry Fallible. There’s still Spector-sweetness on Static but the cloying rhyme schemes and promises of ‘forever’ have become eerier soundtrack segments, pieces to be cued-up much later in the David Lynch edit. Incredibly apt, perhaps, for a couple (guitarist Brian Oblivion and singer Madeline Follin) who met at film-school

MACHINEDRUM VAPOR CITY

*** *

HOLY GHOST! DYNAMICS

ODDISEE THE BEAUTY IN ALL

BAILTERSPACE TRININE

*** *

(DFA)

(Mello Music Group)

(Arch Hill)

The prolific Travis Stewart, aka Machinedrum/Syndrone/half of Sepalcure and JETS, releases his first full length on Ninja Tune with Vapor City. Recently thrust into a wider spotlight thanks to his production work with Azealia Banks, Stewart has delivered an album that turns hip-hop, jungle and drum ‘n’ bass bloodlines into something that flutters and swells with a softer, attractive precision. Vapor City is an exploration of a recurring dream city of Stewart’s, a track-bytrack breakdown of its specific and demarcated districts. Some sound like the right postcode for Hyperdub’s Burial, while in others Boards of Canada could conceivably find a home. Tempos run fast in all boroughs, but any harshness completely erodes into chiming, percolating vocals by the album’s second half.

The high water mark for DFA Records and their sweaty, sardonic brand of new-wave influenced acts occurred a full two years before Holy Ghost! released their first 12” on the imprint. These days, former label kingpin and ex LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy spends his time producing for others, acting alongside Tim Heidecker and developing artisan coffee. (Not joking.) Freed from the cool-kid irony of the label’s heyday, tracks on Dynamics revel unashamed in some Patrick-Bateman-quality ‘80s synth A.O.R., as well as the more predictable touchstones of Kavinsky and pre-fame Phoenix.

For those still soup-sobbing over LCD’s demise, there are enough Nancy Whang vocals and throwback dance-stonk present here to calm you. Others may need to gauge their yearning for pastel speedboats.

Often hailed as the best MC/ producer you’ve never heard of, Washington D.C. based Oddisee is currently in the country, working with Wellington artist Estère. (Or at least he was at time of writing.) However, his new album is not the greatest entry point to his undeniable talents.

The Beauty In All is Oddisee’s second instrumental-only release. Clocking in at over an hour, the album almost seems longer, stuffed full of shuffling boom-bap, generally inoffensive groove and the occasional lurching P-Funk shimmer. A highly competent production showcase from a man who has worked with The Roots, De La Soul and Flying Lotus may seem like a noble idea on paper.

In execution, sadly, it is overly earnest and without hook.

Caution: the first two tracks on Bailterspace’s new album may cause fits of sense-lapse, starting in the range of gross decibel abuse and ending in hiffing your Sonic Youth records out the window while yelling: “DON’T NEED THESE ANYMORE.” The majority of rest of the album, however, seems like a blueprint written in dutiful dirge for Bailterspace’s inimitable live performances. Tracks fade out that appear yet to have reached full throttle and the sense of submersion in Trinine’s production leaves you longing for the extended dimensions of Parker/Halvorsen/ McLachlan live. For a larger third, this is a typically stunning release from unsung originators of a melodic, layered noise-rock sound most often credited to others. For the remainder, these layers of chiming, droning beauty become anxiety inducing as they hint at their greater potential.

Sarah Thomson

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** **

Sarah Thomson

(Ninja Tune)

Sarah Thomson

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*** *

attempting their sophomore album post personal relationship break-up. (Or, that could simply be bullsh*t conjecture.)

Regardless of the broadened songbook’s catalyst, this album sees ‘70s action-film basslines and ‘90s pop construction (think: fiercer, ‘Favourite Game’-era Cardigans) jostle alongside a darker version of Cults’ reverb swamped girl-group sound. In interviews, Oblivion has offered he feels Static is like channelsurfing. He must get far better cable than the rest of us.

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Sarah Thomson

SARAH THOMSON

TOMMY TIERNAN “I’d much rather perform to the ‘uncivilised’ because they know I’m joking!”

Confusion is the inter-web; modern life. Science. Religion?

“That might be true, but I’m not as intense - or as religious. But Jesus, God, I really aren’t,” jokes stand-up comedian Tommy Tiernan when I ask if he really is second only to U2 back in Ireland, “Yes, but if I’m struck down make sure you check the ticket sales!”

He goes on to explain that he doesn’t sing; he knows what he’s looking for and the streets of his town are not nameless. Still, he emphasizes, in Ireland he does indeed have the second highest gate takings next to Bono and friends.

Ok, so I’ll bite. Why? Why are they so high? And why is he big on Canadian TV, and why does he appear on the David Letterman Show? What makes him so appealing that he can tour Down under? Is Tiernan a comedian of the people, of all seasons and crowds? “Not always. But trust my audiences.

I’m not one for telling Jihad jokes in a Kibbutz but I know that if I introduce anything that could be misconstrued or distasteful then… well, I like to think that my audiences are more civilised and will perhaps smile sweetly rather than lynch me. For some, it’ll take a little while to tune in… for them to trust me. Australians take longer, because they’re upside down from me. Mind you, I’d much rather perform to the ‘uncivilised’ because they know I’m joking! I hope.”

Tiernan grew up in County

Cork as a child but has also lived in Zambia and London, and attended the same school as Dylan Moran (St. Patrick’s Classical School, Navan, County Meath). “You could say we were contemporaries, though I didn’t know him as well as now. Like me he was interested in creating fun out of the accepted (pushing the boundaries by pointing at the fraying of the edges).”

Tiernan has the softest, sweetest Irish accent but underneath he has a dark reputation - one that’s labelled him a highly controversial comic in the past.

“Indeed it is! I do have big ideas which I want to get into my shows (and that’s the hard part).

It’s almost like I’ll be talking about something else in order for whatever theories of life I have to seep through - sort of get them in by stealth.” Tiernan wont reveal much about his current material but to illustrate his point he describes how he does an impression of an old rabbi travelling a dusty road which somehow morphs into (world musician) Paolo Nutini... “Now I wouldn’t come up with that over the dishes at home and it’s not something that’s particularly clever. It’s just silly. That’s the

kind of stuff that ends up in the show. It’s just fun. I like to be spontaneously crazy like that.

I’m a sort of storyteller - where the story is the same but the characters change a little. I don’t want to have an overly manufactured script. I say this all the time but it’s accurate. I feel that if a clever person gets drunk, then I’ve succeeded to infiltrate his mind - that’s what my show is like! I’ve succeeded!”

TIM GRUAR

SEE HIM PERFORM: TOMMY TIERNAN MON 04 NOV SKYCITY THEATRE, AUCKLAND WED 06 NOV ST JAMES THEATRE, WELLINGTON FRI 08 NOV AURORA CENTRE, CHRISTCHURCH

WIN

In September 2009, for example, he responded to a question about anti-Semitism by making remarks about the Holocaust and about Jews and the death of Christ. It caused a right flap-about. Yet Tiernan’s always claimed that the comments were taken out of context. “I don’t consider myself controversial but I do like to have fun with the world - laugh at it. I like poking a stick at it. When I grew up Ireland was a very serious place.

Yes despite the Irish love of the crack. It was the miserable 70’s and 80’s - rain, bombs, IRA, unionist politics. We were so serious. I wanted to break it all up. So I made it funny! My challenge to the place!”

One of Tiernan’s ongoing themes is the ‘art’ of trying to know less convincing people not to confuse information with wisdom.

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STYLE FILE

ARTIST Q&A

AUT ROOKIE: SAMUEL BAXTER HUNTINGTON MENSWEAR DESIGNER What’s the ethos of your store/clothing line/business?

Think 1920s Sicilian mobster. So all traditional styles with traditional techniques- hand sewn, that kind of thing.

Which historical figure had some wicked style?

Jacques Cousteau - My Dad is a seaman to some extent and I’ve always found that aesthetic to be really interesting. Kind of like that movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou with Bill Murray.

ALEXANDER BARTLEET ARTIST

What muso/celebrity has style up the wazoo?

Alex Olson - he’s an American skateboarder. He wears really plain clothes yet they always fit his skate streetwear style.

What’s an upcoming film you’re jazzed about?

Anchorman 2.

Society’s biggest fashion faux-pas?

Spending more than $20 on a pair of socks What’s the must-have look this spring?

Vintage t-shirts.

Colours/patterns big this season?

It’s about stripes and monochromatic patterns I think.

What are the essentials for a man’s wardrobe?

Vans slip ons and black pants.

What are the essentials for a lady’s wardrobe?

An awesome summer hat.

Everyone should own at least one good…

Belt.

Hyphenate three words to describe your style: Old-school-Thrasher-relaxed. (Thrasher is a magazine) What is AUT Rookie?

A selection of AUT’s third-year students are chosen to present their collections in a fashion show event every November. For graduates the show provides very real and practical experience of the intensity of the fashion industry. The show has proven to be a significant kick-start for the careers of some young designers with many going on to launch their own labels, open their own stores, win awards, and work nationally and internationally with top designers. ROOKIE is much more than just a graduate fashion show; it is a showcase of the future talent of the New Zealand fashion industry.

Who’s in the dead supergroup for your dream hologram show?

J-Dilla, Guru and Lennon.

Where can your stalkers find you during the weekend?

Purangi Winery in the Coromandel, or drinking Purangi wines at Wine Cellar.

What happens when you mix Coca Cola with Pepsi?

You get Santa’s head on Beyoncé’s body? Or you get Santa’s head on Britney’s chest with Beyoncé’s legs.

Your fantasy spirit animal is…

The internet said a Wolf...

Your signature “I’m an amazing cook” dish is…

Duck red curry or pork and fennel dumplings.

The best TV show around at the moment is…

Enjoying Louis CK and House of Cards at the moment. I will be watching less telly in summer though.

The best place for a date night is…

I was treated to Coco’s Cantina by my girlfriend the other night. Cosy, intimate and fun staff!

You’d get arrested if the police knew that you…

Went over the six snapper quota.

People say you look like…

Recently I’ve had Jaime Lannister from Game Of Thrones.

Kittens or puppies?

Kittens by a whisker.

What generic current affair has your blood boiled?

Leave Len alone and let him get on with making our city more awesome.

AUT UNIVERSITY ROOKIE 2013 GRADUATE FASHION SHOW

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THU 14 NOV SHED 10, QUEENS WHARF, AUCKLAND

ART IN THE DARK

EVENTFINDER.CO.NZ

THU 07 NOV - SAT 09 NOV WESTERN PARK, AUCKLAND

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Š2013 Twentieth Century Fox

JENNIFER L AWRENCE “I’ve never been rebellious because I have intense anxiety when it comes to getting in trouble.”

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Most 20-year-olds landing a lead role in a Hollywood blockbuster would go running for the treadmill.

Not Jennifer Lawrence. It’s been eighteen months and an Academy Award since the sassy actress shot to fame bringing the Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen to life, but on the eve of the film franchise’s second instalment Catching Fire hitting cinemas, she remains hell-bent on ridding Tinseltown of waifer-thin stars.

Chatting to Rip It Up in Los Angeles, she says the onus is on actors to promote healthy body image.

“Our industry doesn’t take enough responsibility for what it does to society.”

“It is our responsibility,” says Jennifer. “With the first movie people said ‘It’s the Hunger Games, lose 10 pounds!’ But I thought, ‘We have control over this role model and this image. Why would we make her something unattainable? This is a person who young girls are going to be looking up to and want to look like so why not make her strong, beautiful, healthy and fit?’

“I was very adamant because I think our industry doesn’t take enough responsibility for what it does to society in terms of having unrealistic expectations and putting them not only on actors and actresses, but on the people looking at them.

“I remember what it felt like to be 14-years-old and looking at a Victoria’s Secret model going, ‘I’ll never look like that.’ I don’t ever want to make someone feel like that. The most important thing is to stop the way we talk about each other. Stop with tabloids calling people fat and the Fashion Police judging people on how they look. It’s incredibly dangerous if you think about the

amount of children dying from anorexia and bulimia or going on diets when they’re 10. For us to pretend that we’re not responsible is negligent. It fires me up!”

Fired up indeed, the actress, now 23, has shunned the partying paths many young actresses in her position take, instead using her fame as a vehicle to speak candidly on issues close to her heart. Having transitioned from indie films such as Winter’s Bone (for which she received an Oscar nomination) into the mainstream, she has quickly become a teen icon following The Hunger Games, while also winning the respect of older Hollywood thanks to her Academy Award-winning role as Tiffany Maxwell in The Silver Linings Playbook.

Just as the Bradley Cooperstarring film saw her grow as an actress, her Hunger Games alterego Katniss is also undergoing an evolution in Catching Fire.

The film sees Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) returning to the arena for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, a special edition occurring every 25 years, which sees the pair up against victors from other districts. Meanwhile, a rebellion is brewing amongst the districts, against the Capitol.

Jennifer says the events of the first film are still raw with Katniss.

“She’s suffering from posttraumatic stress from the first games and she’s trying to get her life back, but it’s very different now. She’s living in Victors’ Village so she doesn’t need to hunt anymore which makes her feel useless and bored.

“There’s a part of her life that Gale will never understand – only Peeta will ever understand that part of her and what she went through.

“Also when she has to go back to the Capitol it’s not a foreign world to her anymore. It’s not like she likes it, but she

understands and knows how to work it now.”

Director Francis Lawrence, who takes over from previous director Gary Ross, adds that it’s not just Katniss who has changed in the film. Catching Fire and the coming two-part screen adaptation of the third book Mockingjay, delve into the deeper story of the world of Panem, the political turmoil and the rebellion, with Katniss’ actions now having greater stakes – rather than being simply about protecting her family.

While the films may attract a huge teen market, Francis believes they have important messages for a wider audience about war and violence.

“These next stories really open the world up in a whole different way, with the characters, the narrative and the mythology, but at its core the idea of the consequences of war. The idea that people are left changed by war and damaged by trauma.

Even if people come back alive they’re going to come back changed and different because violence takes a toll.

And also the grey zone – it’s not always clear who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, which I find really interesting.”

While rebellion is a strong theme in Catching Fire, Jennifer – whose upcoming films also include Serena and American Hustle, both co-starring Bradley Cooper, and X Men: Days of Future Past with Hugh Jackman – admits that unlike Katniss she has always been one to stay on the straight and narrow. Growing up in Kentucky, she avoided doing anything that might get her into trouble.

“I’ve never been rebellious because I have intense anxiety when it comes to getting in trouble,” she confesses. “That’s always been my biggest fear so I was never particularly adventurous.

“Although I did jump out of a bus once. This bus driver didn’t know where we were going and I thought it would be funny if we all opened up the exit door and ran out. Everyone said I wouldn’t do it… so of course I did!”

LEENA TAILOR

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

“I think it’s nice that these commercial young adult stories are reaching so many people, especially American kids, with the idea of the consequences of war.

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