Issue 9 by Soundcheck Magazine

SOUNDCHECK Issue v2.2 | April 2011

Featuring: Liam Murphy // Lenny Henry Mona // Plan B // 4 Music Posters & So Much Moreâ&#x20AC;Ś www.wlv-soundcheck.com

Soundcheck Magazine

INDEX Issue v2.2 | April 2011

Editor: Glenn Rossington glenn@wlv-soundcheck.com Sales: Glenn Rossington glenn@wlv-soundcheck.com Front Cover: Liam Murphy http://goldenarmour.tumblr.com/ Photography: Glenn Rossington Writers: Glenn Rossington Andy Gillard Soundcheck Magazine Flat 5 3 Park Avenue Wolverhampton West Midlands WV1 4AH Tel: 07599 475 111 info@wlv-soundcheck.com www.wlv-soundcheck.com

Thank You’s Sincerest thanks go out to Jonn Penney, Press Officer at the Civic Halls Wolverhampton for his assistance in obtaining the various permission in order to cover live events.

Index: P 5-7 News P 8-11 Interview:

Lenny Henry

P 12-15 Exposure: Liam Murphy P 16-19 Live Music Gallery P 20-21 CD Reviews Contributions: Article and photo contributions are welcome. Prints and transparencies are sent at the owner’s risk and although every care is taken, Soundcheck accepts no responsibility for loss or damage. Please email photos to: glenn@wlv-soundcheck.com.co.uk (all images must be at least 300dpi) or post them to us. Legal Bit: Copyright ©2011 Soundcheck. All rights reserved. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission from Soundcheck. Information on events, products, reviews and anything else does not nessicarily imply recommendations by Soundcheck. We have done our utmost to make sure all the content in this magazine is correct and accurate, but would emphasise the we, Soundcheck, accept no responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. All opinions expressed in this magazine are that of the individual contributor and are not nessicarily shared by Soundcheck Magazine

Comedy

P 22

Lenny Henry

P 23

Angelos Epithemiou

P 24

Milton Jones

Live Music

P 26 Mona P 27

Plan B

P 28

Alexandra Burke

P 29

James Blunt

P 30

Justin Currie

P 31

Liam Bailey

P 34

Live Listings

P 36-37 Cinema Reviews www.wlv-soundcheck.com

Soundcheck Magazine

NEWS V2011 Line-up Announced For Weston Keeping it local… this year’s V Festival has been finally confirmed. Although there are no major surprises from the lists that were mooted at the start of the year, the line up is still as diverse as it ever has been and is already causing quite a commotion amongst the music loving world. Arctic Monkeys and Eminem are set to headline this year’s V Festival, with acts such as: Rihanna, Plan B, Dizzee Rascal, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers and Pendulum will also play at the August event. The festival will take place on August 20 and 21 on two sites, one in Chelmsford and one in Staffordshire. Further acts set to play include Tinie Tempah, The Courteeners and The Wombats. Primal Scream will play their 1991 album ‘Screamadelica’ in full at the bash. The V Festival line-up so far is: Arctic Monkeys, Eminem, Rihanna, Primal Scream, The Script, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, Razorlight, Pendulum, Duran Duran, Chase and Status, Scouting For Girls, Tinie Tempah, The Courteeners, The Wombats, Bruno Mars, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, N-Dubz, Big Audio Dynamite, Example, Hurts, KT Tunstall, Squeeze, The Saturdays Katy B, Olly Murs, You Me At Six, Wiz Khalifa Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Imelda May, Cast, Ocean Colour Scene, Eliza Doolittle With more acts set to be confirmed, it has already sold out in record time. This year’s event also sees the inclusion of a brand new 5th stage devoted entirely to the comedy talents. The line up for this has yet to be confirmed but will add another dimension to it and see it join the ranks of other festivals already with a comedy stage. Now all we need is the decent weather! www.wlv-soundcheck.com

NEWS StringerBessant To Play Slade The highly talented duo of Gary Stringer and Jack Bessant have announced a one off gig at the city’s Slade Rooms later this year to promote their debut LP ‘Yard’. As members of nineties Brit-rock band Reef, both Gary Stringer and Jack Bessant have dealt with both sides of being in a successful band, so the stripped down, genuinely soulful and melancholy musical partnership of StringerBessant is a perfect vehicle for these contrasting personal, blues-indebted songs. Free from swagger or rock bombast, the performances breathe life into these gentle yet dynamic songs. Harking back to a bygone era where sheer electric melodies swarmed across simple rhythmic accompaniment – when the song mattered; and evoking an ambience was achieved with emotive words and singing rather than lashings of reverb and endless harmonies – StringerBessant have crafted something great, a world away from anything the two men have previously done. StringerBessant play the Slade Rooms on Saturday 10th September with tickets on sale now priced £9.00 available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk

Black Spiders Crawl Those Black Spiders continue their pursuit for world population nay domination and are more than happy to confirm the dates for the 2nd leg of their headline UK tour. Taking place throughout May the dates will continue the epic celebration which kicked off with the release of debut album ‘Sons Of The North’ on February 7th and its subsequent appearance, with a bullet, into the Official Top 5 Rock Chart. Rubbing shoulders with hot new beat combos like Led Zeppelin, Guns N’ Roses and Foo Fighters, the album simultaneously shot its way into the Official Top 20 Independent Album Chart. With plaudits raining down like cheap wine and sold out dates on the first leg still fresh in the memory, festival appearances are also being confirmed starting with High Voltage and a slot on the Metal Hammer Stage. Feel Thors wind in the mainsail as Black Spiders set course for your rock n’ roll citadel throughout May. Playing the Slade Rooms on Tuesday 17th May, this will be an opportunity not to be missed if you love Rock! Tickets priced £8.50 are available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk

Soundcheck Magazine

Seann Walsh @Slade Rooms CANCELLED! It is with deep regret that we have to announce that Seann Walsh’s gig at Wolverhampton’s Slade Rooms due to take place on Tuesday 18th October, has been cancelled. Face value refunds are available at point of purchase on return of tickets.

You & Who’s Army!

All enquiries to Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 and www.wolvescivic.co.uk

Y&WA are back and have announced a date at the Slade Rooms for May.

Reginald D-(re)turns

ou see the immense light, hear the incomprehensible sound, feel the intense force... Everything you’ve ever known is about to cease to exist. ...”Cheers.”... You wake up mid-show, realising you’ve just experienced something epic. Something truly awe-inspiring. You’ve just experienced “You and What Army” Live shows throw 4 of the generation’s most relentlessly entertaining musicians on stage, but not for long as they leap into the captivated crowds, who are left wondering what drugs they took. (None... they are good boys.)

Quickfire comedian Reginald D. Hunter makes a return visit to the Civic Hall this Autumn as part of his latest stand-up tour: ‘Sometimes Even The Devil Tells The Truth’.

There is no time to waste... Experience the spectacle that is “You and What Army” before it’s too late... This is the end of the world... Embrace it.

In just over a decade since he began performing, He has become one of the UK most distinctive performers. His work is often brutally honest, frequently controversial but always meticulously measured and thought out… Tickets priced £20 available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk

Unforgivingly catchy trance synths soar over tectonic-plate-shatteringly heavy guitar riffs, dancefloor-destroyingly awesome basslines and lowrider-cruisingly phat beats, with the narrated apocalypse rapped, sung and screamed wildly into the fray… it’s local boys You And What Army! Tickets priced £5.00 are available now from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk www.wlv-soundcheck.com

INTERVIEW

Soundcheck Magazine

Lenny Henry

By Richard Barber

Lenny Henry looked at his computer one day and realised he had 28 days’ worth of iTunes downloaded. ‘I knew it already, of course,’ he says, ‘but it was proof positive that I’m a big music lover.’ That realisation became the seed of an idea which blossomed into Cradle To Rave, his new one-man show about to tour the country. The 67 performances begin in Newbury on January 17 and don’t finish until his appearance at the Dublin Olympia on May 15. ‘I’m a massive consumer of music but I also realised that I’m not able to share the music I’ve got inside me with other people because I can’t play a musical instrument. I can sing and move a bit. But it wasn’t until I was 40 – that’s 12 years ago – that I started learning to play the piano, on the same day as my daughter, Billie. ‘She long ago outstripped me. But I’ve made up my mind that I’m going to try and play a piano as a part of this show. And that’s really scary.’ Not that he’s afraid of taking risks. His recent performance as Othello in Leeds, on tour and then in the West End had critics dusting off their superlatives. ‘Yes, Othello was scary,’ he agrees. ‘I’d never done Shakespeare before. I’d never really got

it. Then I took a degree in English Literature and slowly came to realise that they’re just great stories written in extraordinary language.’ Lenny’s last stand-up show, So Much Things To Say, had been directed by the highly respected Simon McBurney. ‘I wanted to work with someone of a similar calibre this time round to give the show some structure.’ He happened to be in New York for a series he was making for Radio 4. ‘I walked into a restaurant and immediately saw Steve Martin and Paul Simon sitting at a table having lunch together. Steve Martin is one of my favourite comedians on this earth; Paul Simon is one of my favourite performers. ‘As I moved forwards, not looking where I was going, I tripped over a chair, a table, another chair, another table and a chair. In sequence. The waiters thought it was hilarious, Steve Martin just looked the other way. In fact, he knows who I am because I once did an impression of him and he left me a very long, funny answer machine message.’ Keeping his head down, Lenny tried to get through his meal as quickly as possible. ‘Suddenly, Steve was at my table saying hello and introducing me to a man called Sam www.wlv-soundcheck.com

Buntrock who’d just directed a Broadway production of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. I took his card.’ Fast forward a few months and Lenny and the producers were discussing who might direct Cradle To Rave. ‘I put Sam’s name in the ring, never thinking we’d get him. But we did! And that’s why I know we’re on the right track already.’ So, what’s the show going to be about in detail? ‘It will be a musical journey through my life. The first thing I ever did on stage wasn’t telling jokes but impersonating Elvis. When I appeared at the Queen Mary ballroom in Dudley aged 16, I noticed that the crowd divided into musical tribes.

“You can’t be complacent. I’ve been a comedian now for 36 years. I like to think I can branch out a bit” ‘I was a soul boy and there were a lot of Jamaican guys who thought all soul boys were gay. The Jamaicans liked reggae. And there were kids who were into glam rock and others who liked Black Sabbath. So I thought that would be a good basis for a comedy routine.’ Lenny will also be recalling his childhood. ‘I sang nursery rhymes to Billie each evening and, when she was older, read almost every Harry Potter book to her. But I don’t remember my parents singing to me. ‘My dad was so tired and grumpy by the time he got home, he wouldn’t be in the mood for nursery rhymes. If anything, he’d question the lyrics. “Three blind mice? See how they run? I’ll tell you how they run. Into each other because they can’t see a blasted thing.”’ Soundcheck Magazine

So, the first half of the show will track Lenny from babyhood to teenager. ‘In the second half, I’ll talk about moving to London and getting married and the compromises you have to make musically. Dawn had her music; I had mine. ‘On my side, there’d be Thin Lizzy, Public Enemy, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads and Tom Waits. On her side, it would be Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Norah Jones. So we had to meet in the middle. Or, to put it another way, Sade.’ Dawn will crop up a lot in the second half. Inevitably, says Lenny. ‘We were together for 25 years and she’ll always be a part of my life. We’re best friends. It’s unfortunate that we’re getting divorced but what’s really good is that we’re united in our love for our daughter. ‘We like each other very, very much and want it to stay that way. Yes, it’s sad that we’re not together anymore but what’s great is that, when we do see each other, there’s no acrimony. We’re getting on with it. This is the next chapter in the book and we’re trying to do it the best way we can.’ This is a busy time for Lenny. As well as crisscrossing the country in Cradle To Rave, he’ll also be hosting a new BBC1 Saturday night show called Magicians. ‘The prospect is simple. There’ll be three magic acts – Barry and Stuart, Luis de Matos and Chris Korn – performing each week in front of a live audience. ‘They’ll then vote on who’s best and who’s worst. And the loser will be made to perform a fiendish trick.’ Each act will be accompanied across the six weeks by celebrity guests who will include Bruno Tonioli, Samantha Womack, Al Murray and Adrian Edmondson. ‘It’ll be pure escapism for the whole family. I can’t wait,’ says Lenny. Othello, stand-up, TV presenting… No one could accuse him of sticking rigidly to one thing. ‘You’ve got to present a moving target,’ he thinks, and he’s only half-joking. ‘You can’t be complacent. I’ve been a comedian now for 36 years. I like to think I can branch out a bit. Mind you, it’ll be weird walking out on stage again. Just me – and the audience.’

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EXPOSURE

Soundcheck Magazine

Liam Murphy You may have noticed the striking Illustrative designed front cover of this issue of Soundcheck. It is a perfect example of local creative talent. The design is the work of a young exciting Graphic Designer, Liam Murphy. We have decided to run a few questions past him so that we can give you an insight into the world of a young creative living in Wolverhampton.

do myself. Before that, I did courses in music technology, events management, media studies and something to do with computers that I can’t remember. When I finished school, I only ever wanted to join the army. In retrospect, it was a good decision not to join.

•

So what can you tell us about Liam Murphy? Who is he and what does he do? I am a 27 year old graphic designer from and currently based in Wolverhampton. I’m in my final semester of a BA (Hons) Graphic Communication course at the University of Wolverhampton. If I’m not designing stuff, I’m either playing way too many video games or drinking a can of Pepsi in the shower.

• Who are your design influences? My university lecturers have spent the past three years telling me how to design stuff, so I need to give them credit. I feel confident enough in what I want to do myself not to rely on influence from other designers. I’m more interested in reading about nature and science for influence. I also get a lot of ideas from things like film, video games and music. I still follow about a million design blogs and websites though.

•

Have you always wanted to be a Designer? It wasn’t until I started university that I realised being a designer was a real thing. I was interested in design through usual means – computer games, skateboarding magazines and album covers. But I never thought it would be something I could

•

This latest section of work you are producing (see our issue cover) – what were the ideas behind it and what inspired you to produce the pieces? My work consists of amalgamating geometric shapes until they look nice. Simple shapes are so familiar to people – they are the first thing I can remember www.wlv-soundcheck.com

learning – that they are easy to communicate with. I want my designs to have an organic flow and an interesting relationship. If the images appear natural, then I feel like I’ve managed to communicate the idea across. I usually find myself going with the pattern that springs to mind, and then adjust the colours accordingly. It’s a fairly simple process, but it has taken me a while to find a style I enjoy. I’m currently working on a project to promote the UN’s International Year of Chemistry. It’s a series of images where each one represents an element from the periodic table. If you spend about a minute reading into some elements, they are incredibly fascinating and leave you with a huge scope for an idea. One of my favourites is Neon, which instantly reminded me of eighties cocktail bars, Miami Vice and Duran Duran. So it was easy to create something that would be familiar to those things and then drop a huge grey circle over the top to remind people that it comes from the Earth.

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• Is there a specific area of design that you are interested in? ie: print, web etc… Print. •

What drove you to focus on this area specifically? I appreciate multimedia design, but I’m not really too interested in doing it myself. I love having something tangible. With paper, you can do whatever you want with it. Flicking through pages of magazines and feeling the texture is incomparable. And it’s cheaper to replace if you spill your drink on it.

•

What do you find to be most fulfilling about the work you do? Feedback from people is always nice. Almost anyone will say “that’s nice” because you’ve created something. But when someone likes something because they understand it or even interpret it as something I never would have imagined, it’s a great feeling. That always makes me want to keep going.

• What would you consider to be the least fulfilling aspects of Design? Having to work on something that isn’t

particularly inspiring or passionate can lead to long periods of being uncreative. And deadlines.

•

Are there any online sites you use for inspiration? www.gamesandgraphics.com, www.thisis11.co.uk and www.ffffound. com is an infinite resource for cool design and photography.

•

What magazines do you read for ideas? Is this where I plug soundcheck? I can’t remember their names, but the university library has a load of design magazines from Japan that can make you feel inadequate from a single spread. Despite it being the Nathan Barley of the design magazine world, I also read Grafik.

•

Do you have any favourite typefaces you like to use/ always use? I find myself using Avant Garde Demi a lot. It complements pretty much everything I do, and in a way doesn’t draw too much attention from the main image. One of my favourtie typefaces is Ashley Script. It’s the handwriting of Ashley Havinden, who was a British designer pre-1950s. No one

ever has anything nice to say about it, so I’ve learnt not to use it any more.

•

Is there anything specific you would like to achieve in your career as a designer? I want to design for NASA and see something I created go into space.

• After you graduate from your University degree this summer, do you have any immediate plans? Frantically try and realise what potential I have left before I’m 30. And I may or may not be presenting a series for the BBC on astronomy. •

How can people contact you for more information/ work opportunities? You can find my work and details on my blog – www.goldenarmour.tumblr.com

• •

And finally… could you tell us 3 of your heroes/ influences that you would like others to look at in more detail? Galileo Galilei – for science. Peter Molyneux – for teaching me that you can never be too passionate about something. Andrew WK – for teaching me that life is worth living. Thank you for your time! www.wlv-soundcheck.com

The Coral - Manchester Academy 8th June 2010 Copyright ÂŠ2010 G. Rossington Soundcheck Magazine

Marina & The Diamonds - Birmingham Glee Club 12th May 2010 Copyright ÂŠ2010 G. Rossington www.wlv-soundcheck.com

Liberation Works - Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 2nd April 2010 Copyright ÂŠ2010 G. Rossington Soundcheck Magazine

Reef - Birmingham o2 Academy 20th April 2010 Copyright ÂŠ2010 G. Rossington www.wlv-soundcheck.com

REVIEWS

The Vaccines

Radiohead

Britrock is saved so the NME and other publications are telling us. Who is saving it? The Vaccines are!

They’ve done it again. Sprung a new album on us without warning. Not only that, but they’ve confirmed they are still in the studio and Thom is also working on various other projects at the same time. Not to mention Johnny Greenwood’s involvement in the film ‘Norweigan Wood’.

What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

This vibrant debut does tent to give the impression. The tracks are finely crafted and have a nod towards Joy Division and Manchester’s recent saviours, The Courteeners and that era of breaking away from the ‘In Crowd’. Kicking off with the excellent and far to short ‘Wrecking Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’, the pace continues with recent single ‘If You Wanna’. The album flows very well and there are only two duff tracks in my opinion, but certainly a strong contender for debut of the year without a doubt. The package also includes ‘Blow It Up’ and ‘Post Break-up Sex’, singles that pushed them further into the limelight. On the back of this album, I expect to see them become a highlight of the festival season and no doubt a sell out tour in the Autumn! Pick this up and make it a soundtrack to your summer!

8/10 Soundcheck Magazine

The King Of Limbs

This relatively short album is stunning. Play it in conjunction with ‘Amnesiac’ and you have a superior body of work. The major difference with this record is the lack of guitar, but I think this works in their favour. The booming bassline in ‘Morning Mr Magpie’ draws you in and gets the feet tapping. The single ‘Lotus Flower’ is one of the best of the last 5 years for musicality and underground vibes. The subtle ‘Codex’ reminds us of ‘Pyramid Song’ but again is so different, propelled by the subtle wandering bass. The album ends on a magestic highlight of ‘Seperator’. Many conclusions have been drawn from this, but time will tell what is next from the Radiohead lads. Again they delivered, and boy did they do it well!

9/10

Foo Fighters

Gorillaz

Just as it long ago became a lazy gag to greet a new Gallagher release with a withering “well they’ve hardly gone dubstep, have they?” there’s no radical new afrobeat flavour to ‘Wasting Light’. What you’re always going to get from Foo Fighters is testosterone-fuelled arena rock’n’soul.

It hasn’t even been a year since the release of the critically acclaimed Plastic Beach, a genrebusting album that blended many of the Gorillaz’ most endearing traits, yet here we are staring at another full-length LP from the band. Give them credit for not simply resting in the laurels of Plastic Beach’s commercial success.

After announcing itself with feedback-drenched guitar, drums like machine-gun fire and then a phasers-on-kill full-band cavalcade, ‘Wasting Light’ starts explosively as Grohl screams, “These are my famous last words!” All this within the first minute, even before a chorus the scale of Vesuvius erupts. The Foo Fighters return with a cigarette-chewing stadium-punk riot that is by far the most arresting opening we’ve heard from them in a long time.

The only real issue with The Fall is that it lacks a good deal of polishing…or to put it bluntly, it is something of a hack job. There is no sense in denying that this album could have been so, so much more than it is. They could have added vocals into more of the songs so that it isn’t so heavily reliant on the instruments and computerized effects by themselves. They could have, quite simply, taken their time and reworked the much weaker tracks on the album!

But nevertheless, this is the awesome sound of a band massively rejuvenated. The songs are bigger, the teeth are sharper, the metal is denser and perversely, the analogue production makes it sound a hell of a lot more classy.

The Fall is about as good as you can expect music created from an iPad to be. It may not measure up with the best of the Gorillaz’ discography, but it marks a milestone in the recording industry and, to be frank, it sounds damn good most of the time.

8/10

7/10

Wasting Light

The Fall

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COMEDY

Lenny Henry

Civic Hall, Wolverhampton Lenny Henry returns to the Black Country with his latest show, Cradle to Rave is a show about Lenny’s love of music, how music has played a huge part in life and even his brief flirtation as a recording artist. A show in two parts taking us from Lenny’s youth in Dudley and the reggae parties his parents through, to performing an Elvis number at St. Mary’s Ballroom, to going clubbing and finally getting a girl into the “passion wagon” in the first half, the second half was about Lenny getting fame as a comedian and how it stifled his ambition to become a musician – which is partly where Theophilus P. Wildebeest came from and how this lead to Lenny singing backing vocals on a Kate Bush record. The show was part stand-up comedy and part Alan Bennett monologue. Something we haven’t really seen from Lenny Henry before. Regrettably, the style was new, but a lot of the stories weren’t. With his local-lad-dun-good shtick Lenny is always on to a winner when in Dudley, Wolverhampton, West Bromwich or Birmingham, any mention of The Priory or Pensnett or Russells Hall Hospital will always get plenty of guffaws and giggles – unfortunately these Soundcheck Magazine

tended to be the highlights of the show - it is unlikely that saying someone looks like they’re from “the wrenna” probably wouldn’t raise as much as a titter in Leeds or Liverpool or London. The show culminates with Lenny singing a song whilst stumbling along on the piano which he informs us he has been learning for the past 12 years, whilst it is very clunky and awkward; it sort of adds some charm to it. Of course being a show about music, Lenny gives an encore a couple of his favourite tunes – Blueberry Hill, Chicken Grease and Let’s Get It On, inviting the audience to get to there feet and get involved. There was plenty of dad-dancing going on that night – as much humour came from that as came from on stage. At 52, one must wonder if Lenny has anything new in the tank, or if he will be running on what reputation he has built up over the last 3 decades. Lenny has worked hard and deserves the love and adulation he will always receive from the home crowds. A Ken Dodd-like future probably awaits Lenny, loved by those who remember his heyday, he has built up a big enough fan base to see him selling out shows for a long time.

Angelos Epithemiou Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

Angelos Epithemiou has literally come out of nowhere and seemed to have grasped the nation and it’s funny bone. His appearance on TV’s ‘Shooting Stars’ as a replacement for George Dawes was frowned upon to begin with, but his madcap humour and simple stupidity just seems to breathe out magic to everyone who sees him. Tonight Angelos stumbles on stage and geets us with carrier bag in one hand and some dad dancing. He struggles to say ‘Wolverhampton’ and instead mumbles something with a number of s’s in it, guaranteeing laughter from the audience. Leanign casually on the left hand speaker he admits that he is not bothered about being here and is being forced to do this tour because of the management and he thinks MI5 are involved somewhere too. Within minutes we are all singing the classic ‘because it’s christmas’ song ‘What’s in yer bag Angelos?’ made famous by ‘Shooting Stars’. When the audience finsih the song by calling out ‘You B****rd* he pauses and asks us what we said. When someone on the front row reveals what was said he laughs it off saying he thought it was something awful.

The show is divided into two halves tonight. The first half ending on the first of his ‘trilogy of jokes’ that he claims to know. The second half starts with his ‘musical round’ and his keyboard machine is revealed (again made famous by his tv appearance) tonight’s word is ‘Dictionary’ repeated over and over which again causes mass hysteria. Spontaneous dancing to Five’s ‘If Ya Getting Down’ is a classic. He leaves the second set by completing the trilogy of jokes, but rather more interesting is his take on Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen’ hit. He rambles on about life and how to adore carrier bags and if you want a piece of fish, have a piece of fish. A moment of sheer brilliance and something so stupid. The encore sees him running on stage dressed as a fox and impersonating Michael McIntyre. Something even more bizarre than anythign seen so far this evening. Angelos is a charater that is basically mimicking society today, but we all fall for him. He will be around for a good few years yet i think. www.wlv-soundcheck.com

COMEDY

Milton Jones

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LIVE MUSIC

Mona The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton It is always fun seeing a band on the cusp of something that will propell them into the mainstream, and with Mona it is something I could sense alot. I sense Mona will be returning in the non-too distant future, but certainly not at the Slade Rooms, more likely to be the Wulfrun I’d imagine! So on a warmish February night there is heat kicking out of the Slade Rooms as it is virtually full to capacity with bodies young and old wanting to see the Nashville rockers before they play in London (the following night) for the NME and undoubtedly get propelled into the public arena faster than you can say ‘Kings of Leon’!

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These guys were fun and made a brave start to proceeds by opening with the three singles everyone knows them for. ‘Teenager’ chosen tonight for kicking things off. There was worry that the rest of the set wouldn’t hold up, but it did. With the exception of one slow track, the rest were rock ‘n’ roll at its best and showed the beginnings of a new breed of American influence. They will take a while to get under your skin, but as soon as they do, you will be glad of knowing them. Next time they play (Birmingham HMV Institute in May) go and see them before it’s too late!

Plan B Civic Hall, Wolverhampton Tonight it is very hot and sweaty inside the Civic Hall as it is packed out with bodies anticipating the arrival of Mr Plan B. The front quarter of the standing crowd is more or less full of screaming girls, with what looked like the odd fella who was here out of principal. Ben Drew aka. Plan B takes his time arriving on stage. Letting his backing band member take the limelight for 15 minutes as we are ‘treated’ to some sound affects. However at 9.20, Plan B arrives and launches straight into ‘Writings On The Wall’. Something doesn’t seem right though, he gives the impression of not wanting to be there, but benefit of the doubt after a few moments he relaxes and starts to put on his show.

The hits start to fly out, mixed with album tracks all the same. The big screams are reserved for ‘Prayin’ and ‘Love Goes Down’. A surprise cover of Paolo Nutini’s ‘Coming Up Easy’ doesn’t work for me, but goes down well with the rest of the crowd. The main set ends of his biggest single ‘She Said’. The encore is made up of 8 ‘classic’ soul tracks merged into one and given the unique ‘Plan B’ style. The show ends on a frantic ‘Stay Too Long’ to a mass cheering and pints flying around the room. A live success, but a sore throat (I later found out) caused a slightly dimmed performance tonight unfortunately. www.wlv-soundcheck.com

LIVE MUSIC

Alexandra Burke Civic Hall, Wolverhampton Tonight is an all seater affair at the Civic Hall and the atmosphere for Miss Burke is exceptional. One of the biggest and most successful former contestants from ITV’s ‘X Factor’ is on her debut tour. I arrive just as support act ‘Parade’ are finishing. They must have been half decent though as they recently supported Shayne Ward at the same venue a few weeks later! (Oh and gained a top 10 single). As the lights go down, The band arrive on stage minus Alex and set the atmosphere up with backing music. Then with a bright light behind her, Alex appears, greated by squeals of delight from the young crowd and launches Soundcheck Magazine

straight into ‘Broken Heels’ and ‘Nothing But The girl’ swiftly without stopping. The girl certainly has enthusiasm. ‘Overcome’ and her cover of ‘Hallelujah’ showcase her vocals, and to be fair, she can sing in key and whilst pulling off her imaginitive dance moves without losing too much breath. The soft acoustic section is a nice touch and shows she doesn’t need the production all of the time. We do get a mini trilogy of Beyonce covers in one, and again shows off her vocals and they match pitch with Beyonce at times. ‘All Night Long’ and ‘Bad Boys’ cement the night. She is one to watch…

James Blunt Civic Hall, Wolverhampton Captain James Blunt is back and promoting his latest album with a tour of rather intimate settings in comparison to what he has been used to of late. Tonight the crowd makes it aware it is his 37th Birthday, but after his band has arrived on stage, James walks casually down the aisle in the centre of the seated audience, shaking hands with everyone within reach. He jumps up on stage and launches straight into ‘So Far Gone’ and ‘Dangerous’. A brief ‘Hello’ later and we are treated to ‘Billy’ from his debut album. He seems a little stiff to begin with, but soon relaxes into a more comfortable pace.

‘Carry You Home’ is a highlight early on before the band leaves the stage and James is sat all alone under a solitary light at his piano. He then proceeds to play one of the most tenderest renditions of ‘Goodbye My Lover’ I think I have heard. Showing he has not lost momentum he jumps off the stage and runs around the crowd before jumping back on the stage and carrying on with the set. A rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ from the crowd is inevitable and the whole show ends on the anthemic ‘1973’ to sincere enjoyment from the crowd. Always a showman despite the critics, let’s hope he returns again. www.wlv-soundcheck.com

LIVE MUSIC

Justin Currie The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton Tonight there are traces of the winter snow still on the ground as we make our way to the rather intimate setting of The Slade Rooms. Granted it is still cold, but the warmth from tonight’s audience is enough to warm the coldest of hearts. Justin arrives alone on to the stage and greets the crowd with a quick joke before launching into the Del Amitri classic ‘Always The Last To Know’. A brave move I naively make as I haven’t followed his career much lately, but I am of course proven wrong. ‘Where Did I Go’ captures the moment mid set and leads way to a sudden hift in the performance stakes. ‘Little Stars’ and ‘Jimmy Soundcheck Magazine

Blue’ make sure the crowd is singing along in perfect harmony. The power of someone singing alone with an acoustic guitar is unfathomable. But someone who has been at the top of their game and then still able to perform so intimately must be accredited for also being so genuine and making sure they can reach every member of the audience and making it personal to them. ‘Driving With The Brakes On’ gets a huge reaction and the arms in the air, but set closer ‘Be My Downfall’ really captures the night. I am proven wrong and left in awe of Justin. Starting with a massive song is brave, but unlike others, he has the rest to back it up!

Liam Bailey Civic Hall, Wolverhampton Now it is not very often I leave a review slot open purely to a support act, but Liam Bailey is certainly an act I will be keeping a close eye on and I think you should too! Tonight he is opening for Plan B at the Civic Hall, and a chance to see a young talent command the main stage to a sell out crowd. He has the charm and charisma to take him far, and before he has released his first proper single, we already know the name from his latest duet with Chase & Status on the track ‘Blind Faith’. His band walk on stage and start to play as he seemingly shyly walks on stage. As soon as he looks up to see the audience, a massive smile

crosses his face and he launches straight into his opening track. Alot has to be said also for his backing band, particularly the Bass player, as the beats and rhythm propel the crowd to get their bodies moving. But it is Laim’s incredible soul tinged voice that melts the hearts. His music is so emotive and single ‘You Better Leave Me’ is performed with passion. By the end of his short set, Liam is all smiles and performing across the stage like it was him headlining. I think to an extent he actually out-performed Plan B. It could just be personal preference, but I strongly urge you to check this young lad out while you still can! www.wlv-soundcheck.com

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LIVE LISTINGS What’s On In

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Quadrant Park Edwina Hayes Chas N Dave The Sunshine …

The Slade Rooms The Robin 2 The Wulfrun Hall The Slade Rooms

Kyuss Lives! The Wulfrun Hall Eliza Doolittle The Wulfrun Hall I.Q. The Robin 2 Paul Heaton The Slade Rooms Dan Clark The Wulfrun Hall Andy Parsons The Civic Hall Fleetwood Bac The Robin 2 Kick Up The 80’s The Robin 2 Kings X The Wulfrun Hall The Beatles Blue The Robin 2 The Wanted The Civic Hall Simon Evans The Slade Rooms Hugh Cornwell The Slade Rooms Raymond Froggatt The Slade Rooms Saxon The Wulfrun Hall Kassidy The Slade Rooms Pappy’s The Slade Rooms Queen On Fire The Robin 2 Voodoo Johnson The Slade Rooms Magnum The Wulfrun Hall Beady Eye The Civic Hall Mark Thomas The Slade Rooms Skindred The Wulfrun Hall Bon Giovi The Robin 2 Luke Concannon Newhampton Arts Definitely Might The Robin 2

Contact Details: The Civic/Wulfrun/Slade Rooms:

w: www.wolvescivic.co.uk t: 0870 320 7000 e: boxoffice@wolvescivic.co.uk

The Robin 2:

w: www.therobin.co.uk t: 01902 401 211 Soundcheck Magazine

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CINEMA 7/10

The Fighter Starring – Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. Reviewed by Andy Gillard Based upon real life events, The Fighter is a tale of brothers Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Bale). The Fighter is a mixture of mock documentary and sporting film in the Rocky vein, sort of like a Rock-moc-doc. The first part of the film follows a HBO casting crew who, we are told are making a movie on Dicky’s comeback fight. It soon becomes obvious there is no comeback fight, Dicky and Micky are training partners – Micky is a good fighter, only a few steps away from a title shot; but Dicky is never on time to train, late because he is too busy getting high in a crack house. Eventually, but not surprisingly Dicky ends up in jail, this is Micky’s chance to break the abusive and oppressive family relationship he endures, especially his manager/mother Alice (Leo). During this difficult professional and personal time, Micky met Charlene (Adams), a positive influence, but a controversial Soundcheck Magazine

one as she is pulling him away from his mother, brother and sisters. The real charm of this film comes from the interaction between Bale, Wahlberg, Adams and Leo. The story-itself is perfectly fine, but does not really push the boundaries of the Sporting Film genre, the real reason to see this film is for the acting. The stand-out performance really is from Christian Bale, he manages to play the tragic, smackhead, screw-up Dicky, it is one of the most over-the-top performances from Bale, but played against that is the quiet, focussed, gentile, understated Micky. When Bale picked up his Golden Globe award, he spoke of how he could only have pulled off such a performance, because of how well Wahlberg performed. These two really gave a yinyang performance; they were two sides of one coin.

Hall Pass Starring – Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate and Stephen Merchant.

Reviewed by Andy Gillard The Farrelly Brothers made there name on doing gross-out movies, usually gross-out movies with a heart. Take There’s Something About Mary for instance, you have the “hair gel” and the “frank n beans” moments, but you have the heart of the-onethat-got-away storyline and sweet natured Mary herself, Me, Myself & Irene has Jim Carey embodying both gross-out and heartfelt, his mean surly asshole Hank Evans, and the lovely nice guy of Charlie Baileygates… Hall Pass doesn’t really have any of this. The premise of the film is that Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) are two married men, who whilst they are in their 30s/40s they are still adolescents, they still find humour in dick jokes, stare at a women and make crude remarks and give Andy Grey and Richard Keys a run for their money. They are pretty much unlikable characters. Tired of this Maggie (Fischer) and Grace (Applegate) decide that they will give their husbands a “hall pass”, basically give them the week of marriage. Really we are expected to sympathise with these women for putting up with these idiot men, but it is so hard as they both have such sticks up their own rear ends, it is not hard to see why the men are the way they are. Right from the off, you know where the story is headed, it is banal and boring. The four main characters are so dislikeable it is nigh on impossible to feel anything other than anger and resentment towards them, any pain they get they deserve for being vile. It is almost like watching the kids from American Pie if they had aged about 20 years, but were still acting like high school losers, most pathetic of all is Coakley (Richard Jenkins), a man whom the other men look up to, as he was single and “still getting laid” – even though he was in his late-50s at least and still out “on the prowl” in nightclubs, leading this sad pathetic life. Coakley is the Stifler of this movie, without an ounce of Seann William Scott’s charm or without the tongue-in-cheek representation of a character who is clearly the kid at school who thought he was cool, but soon found out he was hated by everyone as soon as he reached the real world.

3/10 There are two moments of genuine Farrelly Brothers gross-out auteur in this entire film, first off a woman gets explosive diarrhoea and the second is when Fred pretends to be Rick to have sex with another woman… which is surely rape?! But, lets not dwell on trifling matters such as that. The only chink of light… and there is one, if only for the tiniest of moments, is the cameo from Stephen Merchant. He is the only one in this entire film, which raises a smile, and he achieves this by being Stephen Merchant. He stick to what he does best, acts the village simpleton, when the credits are rolling there is a short 90-120 second bit with Stephen in, this is hands down the best bit of the film. The world of cinema doesn’t need these middle aged men playing frat boys anymore, Old School was 8 years ago, and the genre was looking tired then. Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Farrell, Ben Stiller… give it a rest lads, you’re in your 40s, stop trying to make us think you’re still students!

Rules of the Cinema: Everyone enjoys the seeing a film on the big screen, more so than getting it on DVD or, dare I say, illegally appropriating a pirated movie… but if there is one thing which infuriates, it is that so many just do not know the rules of etiquette when at the cinema. Give us your rules and regulations for perfect film watching. The most popular and notable exceptions will be in the next issue of Soundcheck. Just use your Twitter account and use the hashtag #wscfilm to let us know. Don’t forget to add “wlvsoundcheck” for the latest on goings on in the Black Country and West Mids and add “wscfilm” for retweets and news about all things filmic. www.wlv-soundcheck.com

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