The Book - The Shopping Issue by The Book

ISSUE 2: DEC 2011/ JAN 2012

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The Last Word On The Street

e d n a S i l e m E 012 Christmas... Green guide, bling,

2 f o e c i o v e h T

gifts under a tenner

& the New Year NYE nights, and the must-see shows

REVIEWS > BLOGS > GAMING > STREET ART > STYLE > DEBATE

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CONTENTS Editor’s Letter

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Issue 2 DEC 2011– JAN 2012

Foreword

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The MISSION

bedroom, and they can be a sound investment. A poster of Blade Runner, complete with Japanese writing, is £85. For dads, go older: perhaps 2001: A Space Odyssey at £95, or Blow Up at £125 (below). www.mpag.co.uk

for him

4 The List: hot dates 6 The Big Question: how to be eco-ho-ho 8 Emeli Sandé: read all about her 12 Gift guide: under a tenner, for him, for her

Reviews FILM

The Film Editor's Pick Shame Christabel Samuel can find no blame in Shame

Michael Fassbender, British cinema’s fastest-rising star, reunites here with Steve McQueen, who directed him to such good effect in Hunger. Throw in our hottest actress, Carey Mulligan, and it’s not surprising Shame was a highlight of October’s BFI London Film Festival. Brandon (Fassbender) is a successful New Yorker with all the privileges of the high life: an ultra-modern but clinically sterile apartment, a high-paid job and a gaggle of girls fawning over him. However the gloss and glamour is all surface, and Brandon harbours a dark secret. He is in fact a sex addict and compulsive masturbator. He frequently binges on a buffet of prostitutes, pornography and cyber

‘A film that offers a bongsmoking Santa who gets shot through the head must be a guilty pleasure’

X-mas Rated

Dominic Wells finds not all sequels are equal this Christmas The Christmas season is all about huge turkeys being warmed up and re-served as leftovers. And I’m not talking about cooking. Cinemas will, as ever in December, be stuffed to burping with remakes and sequels. In fact, The Thing (Dec 2) is not just a redundant remake/ prequel of a perfectly fine film, John Carpenter’s 1982 sci-fi/horror about an alien terrorising a remote Arctic base, it’s a re-re-make of 1951’s The Thing From Another World. And can anyone still get excited about the latest Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (Dec 26), when we’ve since had the Bourne series and Bond rebooted? But here, on his fourth outing, comes Tom Cruise’s gift to rhyming slang, super-spy Ethan Hunt. There is a ray of hope: the director is Brad Bird. If he can do for live-action what he did with The Incredibles, this could be a mission we’ll choose to accept.

Perhaps the most intriguing of a repetitive bunch is Puss In Boots (Dec 9), a spin-off from the $3 billion-grossing Shrek franchise. I was invited to Dreamworks’ studio in LA a few months back, where they showed me some early footage, and this is no cash-in. Apart from Antonio Banderas as the voice of Puss, everything about the film is different. The style of animation is all dark colours, claustrophobic alleys, curved lines; more of a psychopsilocybin dream than a primarycoloured kids’ fairytale. More perplexing is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Dec 26). Yes, it stars Daniel Craig. Yes, it’s by Fight Club director David Fincher. Yes, it will probably be good. But why bother to remake a film only two years old, which was successful enough to take $100 million? Because Americans don’t watch subtitled movies. Of that $100 million, only a tenth was taken at the US box office. “What in the Wide Wide

With his muscular new take on Sherlock Holmes in 2009, Guy Ritchie revived a career tarnished by his marriage to Madonna. A follow-up, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Dec 16), was inevitable. Robert Downey Jr is great in these blockbusters, as though he doesn’t give a damn about the budget but is just there to have fun. His enthusiasm is contagious, and Jude Law provides more than just a comic foil. Weirdly enough, the sequel to get most excited about – and the perfect antidote to those insufferably cute tap-dancing penguins in Happy Feet Too (Dec 2) – may just be A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (Dec 9). Christmas is usually a time of sickly sweet family fare, so a film that offers a bong-smoking Santa who gets shot through the head, and dares to wring a running gag out of a small child getting accidentally stoned, shoots to the top of the guilty pleasure list. It’s like finding a filthy joke in your Christmas cracker.

His affliction is well managed by daily routines but this delicate system is disturbed when his troubled younger sister Sissy (Mulligan) comes to stay. Sissy is the antithesis of her brother: a needy, messy bohemian longing for intimacy. She asks Brandon if she can crash at his pad whilst she performs gigs in the city. She desperately tries and fails to reach out to her brother, who regards her as a burden.

Gradually we discover that Brandon’s promiscuity and Sissy’s self-harming are both rooted in a past trauma. McQueen’s camera subtly hints at this through their interactions and at times a disturbing familiarity with each other’s bodies.

Release: Dec 23

Don 2 is purely Shahrukh Khan. Its Khan-centric trailer, filled with speedboats, motorcycles and other blockbuster cues, posits Mr. Khan as India’s action man de rigueur. This is a sequel to the 2006 remake Don: The Chase Begins Again,

which is surprising as that ended with Khan’s apparent death. Somehow, clearly, he made it out alive -- the plot will be barely relevant, but the film gets full marks for visual allure. To his credit Khan appears as charismatic (and youthful) as ever and Priyanka Chopra looks deliciously good. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, Don 2 is a slick blockbuster with the usuals: babes. Check. Baddie. Check. Badass. Oh yes.

Manvir Mudhar gets served

hen it comes to finding an outfit for a particular occasion I never know where to start. I had always heard about personal clothing assistants who would wait on you hand and foot, advising you on a wide range of clothing, so I took the plunge; and the experience is every bit as surreal as you would expect.

Kanye West, scarf

Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twister Fantasy spawned a 34-minute music video, a production by the Royal Ballet, and a, er, limited edition scarf. The rapper collaborated with artist George Condo on this outrageously pricey garment (below left). https://shop.southbankcentre.co.uk, £250

Harajuku Lovers Perfume

Harajuku girls are known for their fashion sense, and Gwen Stefani is a big fan. She shows her appreciation with her perfume range. Jingle G is a limited edition fragrance complete with a little Santa outfit. The smell is suitably oriental and fruity. http://hlfragrance.com, £13 Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin said that wearing heels is like having an orgasm, something to do with how the foot arches in the moment of, er, passion. Whether he’s on to something or not, if Blake ‘Gossip Girl’ Lively can reportedly get 40 pairs in one trip, any girl will love you if you get her just one. The shoes don’t come cheap. For rock chic try the Pigalle spike-studded leather pumps. www.net-porter.com, Pigalle, £695

I headed to Topshop on I was not too keen on. They Oxford Circus, with a budget were either too bright, or just of £150 for a Christmas party not ‘me.’ Yet I took the risk and outfit. I had always assumed dared to try the lot on. The personal shopping was restricted great benefit of personal shopping is being only to A-list given random celebrities, yet to ‘Iwas treated items of clothing my surprise I was and discovering the one treated like a VIP...for that what you like a VIP. Cold free’ thought would and hot drinks on tap, comfy sofas, wildly look ridiculous is actually quite decorated changing rooms with flattering. Staff were friendly, wall-to-wall mirrors – I could get polite and gave me honest opinions about outfits that did used to the luxury service. Meghan, my personal and did not suit me. After trying loads of outfits, shopper, showed me a range of styles along with accessories to I finally chose the one to sparkle complete the look. Some items this party season: an elegant

Glee fans will love Glee: The Concert Movie, which includes extra performances not seen in the cinema and backstage footage. It’s cheap, too, at only £8.99. Or try a boxset? For mums it’s all about Downtown Abbey: Series 1 and 2 at £28.97. www.hmv.com Dr Dre Headphones

Dr Dre launched a limited range of headphones (below). You may think this is a gift for him, but the bright pink, lime, and yellows make a stylish change from iPod white, and would go down just as well with her. www.beatsbydre.com, from £169.99

chiffon cream vest that has detailed embroidery around the arm holes for £34; a pair of black Moto Leigh Supersoft Jeans, which hug your legs and fit perfectly around the waist, for £38; sexy platform court shoes for £50; and lastly a clutch bag with a few pieces of jewellery for £19. That made my shopping total £141 – bargain! Personal shopping was an eye-opener for me. It’s a free service (in many retail stores) that caters to your individual needs and budget. Not only do you get to revamp your image – you get to play princess for a day.

Chapters

Shame is a layered character study of two scarred individuals. McQueen refrains from judgement and sustains a woefully brave portrayal of vulnerability and addiction. It is a brutally, enthrallingly honest arthouse film with enough power-acting from its leads for mainstream appeal. Shame is released on Jan 13.

Director: George Romero

Marc Price, zombie director, on his inspiration

I was 13 when I saw Dawn of the Dead; the perfect age for Romero. I was watching Ghostbusters and by chance my uncle had taped over the end with this film. I just missed the credits so had no idea what I was watching. I had never seen a proper horror film before.

The film’s strength does not come from fancy camera work but its reliance on symbolism to convey a message about consumerism. The zombies are all but stripped of their humanity, with the only memories being of their shopping habits. They are the ‘brain dead’ slaves to consumerism. They overrun the mall until the survivors appropriate the space for themselves. The zombies are an underclass and there is an amount of pity we feel for their social abjection. Sympathy for the undead was something I wanted to explore when I wrote and directed Colin [a no-budget zombie film that became an unlikely critical success]. The story comes from the zombie

18 Music: gigs and videos 22 Film: Harold & Kumar 26 Stage: alternative Xmas shows 30 Art: Hockney, Da Vinci 35 Gadgets: Zelda on Wii 37 Blogs: Cupcakes

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Photo-story NEW YEAR’S EVE

—45

Midnight’s Children The clock’s ticking: pick from our pics of last year’s parties, from decadent to danceable, to plan your best New Year’s Eve ever

Travel: Vegas, baby Style Study: bling Photo-story: NewYear’s Eve sorted Inside Job: how to DJ

The most decadent... Extend your celebrations with a New Year’s Eve-Eve Masked Ball. At the Last Tuesday Society’s divinely decadent parties, guests go masked and dressed to the max while gold-painted nudes of both sexes recline on banqueting tables of fruit, adding to the feeling that you’ve just stepped into Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut. But, er, a bit more fun than that. St Matthew’s Church, Brixton, SW2 1JF, Dec 30, from 9pm, tickets from £15; The Apiary, E2 9EG, Dec 31, from 10pm, tickets £25. www.thelasttuesdaysociety. org

—Christabel Samuel STAGE EDITOR: —Christine Twite ART EDITOR: —Faye Robson GADGETS EDITOR: —Nigel Kendall CONTRIBUTORS: Lewis Chong, Katherine Hui, Manvir Mudhar, and

s s

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: —Kohinoor Sahota EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: —Dominic Wells ART DIRECTION: —Bb/Teasdale EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: —Maeva Gonzalez MUSIC EDITOR: —Ruth Saxelby FILM EDITOR:

DVDs

Sinan Bozkurt

...from a personal shopper

— 23

Epilogue 38 40 44

Original movie posters are a safe bet to add cool to any boy’s messy

You’ve heard of wine tasting, how about beer tasting? If his tipple of choice is a good old-fashioned pint, he might enjoy getting to know a bit more about what’s in his glass. www.beeracademy.co.uk, £27.50 for 90 minutes.

Editor’s Letter:

The Little Fab Dress

Kelly Brook is fronting New Look’s range of luxurious dresses at affordable prices.We love the deep blue flapper style, and the rich green mini with full sleeves. She’ll sparkle! www.newlook.com, from £19.99

Film: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Of course the most memorable sequence for me was set in the shopping mall when Peter (Ken Foree), Stephen (David Emge) and Roger (Scott Reiniger) secure the building for themselves. After despatching the zombies, they create a utopia with free rein over the stores and products. They ‘steal’ money from the bank, hoard food, take all the clothes they want and arm themselves with guns. It’s frenetic yet accompanied by playful music so it becomes an ironic celebration - a consumer’s dream mixed with an absolute nightmare.

Don 2 Shahrukh Khan

Vintage movie poster

Beer tasting

for her

A classic scene revisted

Sissy interrupts Brandon masturbating in a scene which begins comically, but which turns sour when his frustration is lashed out on her.

World of Sports is this?” they would have been spluttering over their popcorn in movie theatres throughout the land. “Dadburn it, are those letters on my screen? If God had meant me to read, he’d have made me a fag.”

Couture Converses

Transform his smelly shoes into works of art. Buy some Converses at Offspring at Selfridges, and their Customisation Maestros will help you turn them into a masterpiece from one of 200 graphic options. www.offspring.co.uk, www.selfridges.com, customisation from £10-25

Mark Zuckerberg got his own movie, Steve Jobs’ death spurred tributes like the passing of a showbiz legend, and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales featured in Vogue. A subscription to Wired will let him get his geek on. www.magazineboutique.co.uk, £24 for one year

Rewind

flings – anything but a proper loving relationship. For him sex really is an addiction and the build-up to climax is mechanical rather than sensual.

The tension between the siblings is uncomfortable and sizzling. Sissy frequently curbs Brandon’s sexual activity which hurls him out of his comfort zones. As his seedy habits are revealed, things get very tense.

Xbox 360, inspired by R2D2

If you know a guy that loves sci-fi (and let’s face it, most do), he’ll be in nerd-heaven with a console inspired by Star Wars characters. Get extra geek-points for casually dropping that the characters were inspired by Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. www.amazon.co.uk, £349.99 including Kinect

Subscription to Wired

—13

Bobbi Brown Party Make-up

Bobbi Brown celebrates its twentieth anniversary and was founded with the mission to cater to different shades. Kate Middleton reportedly wore the brand on her wedding day. The Onyx and Silver Eye Paint Palette (below left) is all she’ll need to create a smokey eye. www.bobbibrown.co.uk, £36

Elizabeth Odogwu ADVERTISE: advertise@thebookmag.com CONTRIBUTE: info@thebookmag.com Follow: @thebookmagazine Like: www.facebook.com/ thebookmag

The Book is published by The Book Magazine Limited. Printed by MPC Print Solutions. The publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the permission of the publishers. Liability: while every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers can’t be held responsible for the accuracy of the information.

elcome to our second issue, and thank you for your feedback about our first – ‘I can’t believe this is free’ summed it up best. This time, we’ve got Christmas wrapped up for you on p14. You probably think a tenner can’t buy you much, but we’ve found some crackers. And though they say it’s better to give than receive, we’ve got a special wish-list for the items you’ll be writing on your letter to Santa. If shopping injects you with fear, why not change the way you do it? We sent our journalists to test out a personal shopper in Topshop, the new Westfield in Stratford, a live auction room, and London’s buzzing markets. And on p6 we show you how to make your Christmas green. We can’t get enough of Emeli Sandé. She’s been anointed by both Simon Cowell and Professor Green as their favourite songwriter. Expect big things from her in 2012, but you can catch her first on p8. She talks about how she went from being the only mixed-race child in a village in Scotland to reaching number one in the UK charts. New Year’s Eve is the one time of year you know you have to go out, but probably don’t have a clue where. We’re here to help with a picture special on p44. We’ve scoured the whole of London for the most exciting cultural events, too, so you don’t have to: Christine Twite takes part in this season’s most controversial show, Audience; Faye Robson writes about the artist David Hockney and his obsession with his iPad; and Dominic Wells shows how the Da Vinci exhibition is going to be bigger than Rihanna’s O2 concert. The Book is starting to make waves: we celebrated our launch with a party at Blackall Studios, and I’ve been talking about the magazine on BBC Radio and every local paper in my hometown. Keep those comments coming via our Twitter feed @thebookmagazine, and like us on www.facebook.com/thebookmag. We’re here, every two months, in campuses, theatres, galleries and bars. Packed with information and inspiration, and always free. Kohinoor

—4

The LIST

3:/ Storytime Dec 7

Bedtime Stories is one of London’s best-kept secrets: guests all dress up in their best jim-jams and nighties for an evening of story-telling and cocktails in an eccentric Queen Anne house in east London. Tickets sell out fast – so book ahead at www.40winks.org for the Valentine’s nights, Feb 8-10.

4:/ Swap 3 Dec

Short of cash? Don’t just shop, swap. Instead of spending frivolously, get something new without breaking the bank. Bring seven items with you, and let the trading begin at Fabrications in Hackney at 1pm. For tips on Christmas gifts, turn to p12 for our shopping guide.

1:/ Ri-Ri

2:/ Soiree

5:/ Chinese

There aren’t many things in this world as sexy as Rihanna, and London can’t seem to get enough of the Bajan beauty. The last time we checked there were four shows in December, but keep an eye out as dates keep getting added. This is the longest run at the O2 for any female artist. You go girl.

Circus is too kiddy, Cirque du Soleil too poncey, but La Soiree’s hilarious and sometime jaw-dropping mix of burlesque, lithe acrobatics and variety gets it just right. They’re back for a Christmas show at The Roundhouse, which is aptly shaped like a circus Big Top, and tickets start at just £15.

No other city in the UK celebrates Chinese New Year quite like London. Expect lion dancing, firecrackers, and acrobatics. Chinatown gets fully decorated, too. Based on the lunar calendar the date usually falls at the end of January, and 2012 will be the year of the dragon.

sDec 1, 20-22

until Dec 31

sJan 29

The LIST

—5

6:/ Watch tfrom Jan 6

Most of us weren’t born when Britain got its first female Prime Minister, but The Iron Lady is less a history lesson about the notorious Tory ’80s and more a character study. Meryl Streep has done the impossible: made even left-wing critics sympathetic to Margaret ‘Milk Snatcher’ Thatcher.

7:/ Skate

8:/ Parade

London transforms into a winter wonderland with pop-up ice rinks. Landmarks include the Tower of London, London Eye, Natural History Museum, Canary Wharf, and Somerset House. Take a group of mates or get romantic, and show off your best moves on the ice-ice, baby.

Who knew a million Londoners would leave the house on New Year’s Day? The 26th annual London’s New Year’s Day Parade makes the best excuse to join a big crowd since the student grants cuts demo. Ten thousand performers from 20 boroughs will join the first official event of the Olympic Year.

suntil 22 Jan

Jan 1

9:/ Museums from Jan 1

Rather than nursing a hangover with Hollyoaks, make a resolution to get more cultured. The Natural History Museum and neighbouring Science Museum are both open, and free, or discover south London’s offbeat gem, the Hornimann.

10:/ Sssssh… tJan 12-29

The London International Mime Festival (www.mimefest.co.uk) isn’t about white-faced buskers. It’s demanding, hilarious physical theatre that, because it has no words, transcends language barriers. The acts will leave you speechless.

— 6

The BIG QUESTION

Q: A:

Can we be dreaming of a Green Christmas? By —Do The Green Thing’s KATHERINE HUI

Do we really have to buy, buy, buy to prove that the festive season is all about giving? Giving is an important part of the Christmas tradition – just think of the Three Wise Men – but that doesn’t have to mean celebrating the newest, coolest, shiniest, top-of-the-line gizmo. We forget about last year’s third generation iPhone because we simply must have This Year’s Model.

So, is it possible to be dreaming of a green Christmas unlike the ones we used to know? A Christmas where presents aren’t resource-intensive and wasteful (one in ten toys are broken by New Year’s Eve, and 46 million get thrown away), one that places value on the thought and meaning behind a gift rather than its price tag? One that isn’t so defined by brands and our desire to consume them?

Socially we all play our parts in a giant consumer nativity play, and as we’ve wised up to this, so the big corporations have become stealthier about it. Take the new John Lewis Christmas advert: a small boy impatiently waits for the 25th of December to arrive, only to ignore his own presents and dig out a gift for his mum and dad. Awww, because Christmas is about giving, right? But what seems on the surface a sentimental, anti-commercial message still has a hard-sell at heart: ‘People who care buy their presents at John Lewis. And we make it so easy, a ten-year-old child could do it.’

In fact, some of the nicest and most original things to give at this time of year can’t be bought but are made or created by the giver. ‘We all play Ingenuity and creativity go a our parts in very long way when it comes to a giant gift giving.

Brands playing a leading role in Christmas over-consumption is hardly a new thing. There is of course the urban legend – or in brand terms, ‘Coke-lore’ – that Coca-Cola invented Santa Claus, with his red and white suit and jolly round face. There is in fact some truth to this. In the 1920s Coke wanted to remind people that you could drink their beverages all year round. So they enlisted Santa Claus as depicted by a cartoonist, to help convey the message that ‘thirst knows no seasons’. And the modern day identity of a florid, flaming red Father C. bellowing ‘ho, ho, ho’ was born.

Yes.

consumer nativity play’

Beginning with the wrapping of gifts, there are so many better and cheaper alternatives. It’s an age-old tradition: some say it originated in China centuries ago, others say Rome, where gifts would be wrapped and sealed with wax and string. Concealing the contents of a package to heighten surprise is not a new thing at all; it’s just become a tradition that generates colossal waste – 32.5 sq miles of Christmas wrapping paper ends up in our bins each year (see right). So take a cue from other cultures. In Japan they ‘Furoshiki’ their presents. Furoshiki is a reusable cloth that can be tied in a variety of ways to make every gift look unique. The best part, aside from the material being reusable, is that it’s highly functional. With clever little

folds and ties, you’re able to create packages that have handles and straps that make them easy to transport. How about the most common Christmas conundrum: how can I spend less money? You can give a service or an experience. And that doesn’t necessarily mean blowing £100 on a Virgin hot-air balloon flight. Why not offer up your own skills as a gift? You could teach your parents or grandparents how to blog, tweet or Skype; offer to bake, babysit or make a meal for friends. Better yet, you could give something that symbolises a deeper sense of giving: plant a cherry tree in someone’s name in Japan to help reconstruct the environment damaged by the earthquake; or go to Goodgifts.org who have gifts like hospital kits and seed packets for communities in rural Kenya. Why not invent your own holiday tradition? It’s a great way to curb consumption and be kinder to the planet. I’ve always loved Secret Santa. It’s a Hui family tradition, but with a green-friendly twist: the gift must be homemade. In the past I have done mix CD’s, made bowls out of old records and hand-sewed a duvet cover. It’s easy, pain-free and downright rewarding to start making the green Christmas dream a reality, and the only thing you’ll have to sacrifice is the urge to spank your wallet and wear out some shoe leather on the high street. ● Katherine Hui is social site editor for www. dothegreenthing.com – an inspiration feed of creative ideas to turn green living from something you ought to do to something that people want to do

The BIG QUESTION

— 7

Consuming Christmas

230,000 tonnes of food are thrown away at Christmas. A shooting star of roughly that weight made the Arizona Meteor Crater, the world’s largest

— bynumbers

The waste created in Britain over Christmas weighs as much as 400,000 doubledecker buses

The average British child receives 18 presents at Christmas

The wrapping paper that ends in the bin would cover central London (congestion charge zone) four times over

Ten is the number of turkeys in millions gobbled up in Britain over Christmas

Six is the number of Christmas trees in millions dumped each year. Only 10% are recycled

The average Briton eats 23 mince pies over the Christmas season

£30

BILLION

The UK spends £30 billion on Christmas

—8

Cover Star EMELI SANDÉ

She writes for pop stars but sings with grime acts. She’s a medical graduate with tattoos. So just who is Emeli Sandé? Dominic Wells catches up with Britain’s next big thing.

— 9

— 10

Cover Star EMELI SANDÉ

‘They were dark, they weren’t pretty, but I loved their honesty. I want to lay myself out there, just like her’ Emeli on Frida Kahlo’s art

ho is Emeli Sandé? That’s what bought by Universal. But she’s not fazed. Asked the nation whispered when she about eventually breaking America – the video was a guest on The X Factor, her to Daddy was filmed in Las Vegas – she says, heavenly gospel-tinged vocals steely-eyed and without a hint of British selfsoaring over Professor Green’s rap like a whole deprecation, ‘The ultimate goal is to take the choir packed into one set of lungs, propelling music world-wide. I don’t want to make music Read All About It to a second week at No. 1. that fits only one country.’ Yet if they’d bothered to read the credits on She says she feels ‘lost’ when she’s not their X Factor albums, they’d know she’s already writing songs, and the magic of creation – that written songs for Leona Lewis, Cheryl Cole moment of inspiration when an idea pops into and Susan Boyle. More your head – has got her remarkably, Emeli simul- ‘I realised I was thinking about Creation. She’s taneously moonlighted as the not formally religious, but her muse of the London grime always going to debut single was called Heaven, scene, acting as the ‘Feat.’ in be different, so I and her forthcoming album hits with Chipmunk, Wiley and might as well frequently inclines towards the Tinie Tempah. Her reputation spiritual. ‘I’m fascinated by even crossed the Atlantic, just do what I religion,’ she explains. earning her a trip to New York want’ ‘Naughty Boy [her regular to write with Alicia Keys, whom producer] is Muslim, several Emeli so loved as a teenager of my friends are Baha’i, and that she drove three hours to see her play. my mum was Catholic. I have no idea if there And now Emeli’s stepping out from the is an afterlife, but I know there’s something shadows. Her second solo single, Daddy, is just special here, driving people on. In my songs, out, and her debut album, Our Version of Events, when I’m speaking about love, I want it to be follows on February 6. It’s going to be huge. universal – it could be about men and women, Simon Cowell called Emeli his favourite or God, or just that thing that keeps you going. songwriter, an opinion echoed with a little more Love is the strongest emotion.’ cred by Professor Green: ‘Emeli’s probably my Emeli has a BSc in Clinical Neuroscience, favourite artist in the UK right now. You don’t so she’s well aware that love is a series of often find people who are profound and prolific, chemicals and hormones. ‘But what starts that and she’s both of those. Obviously she can write feeling?’ she asks. ‘When I say “love”, I mean and she can sing, and she’s a nice girl on top of an all-encompassing passion. That thing that it, so you can’t even hate her for her talent.’ drives me to write music, that spark, I don’t think can be explained with just chemicals and Yes I’m going to be a star neuroscience.’ It’s hard to pin down a star on the rise, but after a couple of cancelled meetings we finally meet Volim te Adame in a small Shoreditch recording studio. Emeli is Don’t look for happy love songs on the album, playing the piano when I arrive, singing softly though: she’s been dubbed the queen of and sweetly in the dark. She pulls up a plastic ‘Darkside pop’. Most are symphonies to the chair for me and flashes a brilliant smile, her unfinished, set in that ghastly purgatory period vanilla ice-cream whip of hair made all the after love has died but before the break-up. more startling by her all-black clothes. ‘The only time you see me is in the dark’, she She’s still buzzing from the night before: an achingly sings on Easier In Bed, in which two EMI showcase gig in the iconic Abbey Road lovers try vainly to patch up their differences Studios, slightly overshadowed by that day’s with sex. Yet her second album, when it comes, news: her troubled record company had been might just be sunnier. She has recently added

to the Virginia Woolf tattoo on her left arm, and the face of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo on her right, a simple inscription above her heart: you can read the words ‘Volim te...’ when, like today, she wears a low-cut top. The rest of the writing is hidden. What does it say? ‘Volim te Adame,’ she says, looking shy for the first time. ‘It means, “I love you Adam”.’ As to who the lucky boyfriend is or what he does, she replies, ‘I probably don’t want to say.’ That’s fair enough, though at odds with her admiration for Frida Kahlo’s honesty, which is why she got her tattoo: ‘When I first saw Frida Kahlo’s art, aged 12 in art class, I found it so powerful. Now there was a strong, brave woman, just like Nina Simone [another heroine of Emeli’s]. Her works were all self-portraits, showing absolutely everything about her. They were dark, they weren’t pretty, but I loved their honesty. I want to lay myself out there, just like her.’ Let’s go back to the start So who is Emeli Sandé? She grew up in a small village outside Aberdeen, the child of a Cumbrian mother and a Zambian schoolteacher father. Theirs was the only mixedrace family. ‘I always felt different,’ she says. ‘It was an advantage, in a way. There was no chance of fitting in, so no point in trying. I realised I was always going to be different, so I might as well just do what I want.’ When Emeli was 15, her sister entered her into Trevor Nelson’s UK-wide BBC Urban Music competition. She made the finals, turning down the record contract to concentrate on her studies. But, she says, she eventually realised she could never be a world-class doctor. Whereas with music... Well, pop’s not exactly brain surgery. So she moved to London, acquired some tattoos, had a hair re-think, and even changed her name. Born Adele Sandé, she felt there’s wasn’t room for two Adeles in the music business. Is it true she flirted with ‘Rio’ before she settled on using her middle name? She blushes again. ‘Oh god,’ she says. ‘I have no idea why I thought of Rio. We even had a few flyers made for gigs in Glasgow with

— 11

“Rio Sandé” on them, but everyone said it sounded like “Rio Grande”, the river. Even my mum started ribbing me about it, so I dropped it.’ Her accent is odd: it sounds American. Did she deliberately adopt a more globallyfriendly voice? ‘Everyone says that! But if you meet my friends from the village, they all speak like me. Maybe it’s because a lot of people come there for the oil in Aberdeen, and my best friend’s parents are Persian, and my dad of course is Zambian.’ As to the tattoos and the hair (in early pictures she looks frizzily ordinary), is that not a cynical image-change? Goodbye wee village lassie, hello urban music star? Again, she insists not: ‘I always wanted to cut my hair and get tattoos, but when studying medicine I couldn’t. I mean, you couldn’t expect patients to trust me, you have to look more conventional.’ From Chris Martin to St Chris In the end, perhaps it’s not where Emeli comes from that counts, it’s where she’s going. She’s supporting Coldplay on tour this month, and says she admires Chris Martin’s songwriting and ‘soulful voice’ – despite writing, in an earlier blog post, that she was enjoying the new Cold Play (sic) album. Everyone you speak to connected with Emeli has no doubt that she will be big, very very big, when her debut album hits in February; maybe even world-wide big as she herself expects. As we part, I ask about the two pendants dangling from her neck. ‘My mum gave them to me,’ she says, stroking them lovingly. One is of St Christopher, the patron saint of travellers and touring rock stars. The other simply has her name inscribed on the back. Emeli smiles: ‘She says it’s so that I’ll never forget who I am.’l Daddy is out now. The debut album My Version of Events is out on Feb 6. She plays in the Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball on Dec 4, and supports Coldplay on Dec 9, both at the O2 Arena

Their time to shine Other songsmiths turned singers

Jessie J: Jessie wrote Party in the USA for herself, but her label gave it to Miley Cyrus. It became her biggest hit to date. Jessie got her break in 2010 when she released her debut single Do it like a Dude, followed by her album Who You Are.

Lady Gaga: Lady Gaga wrote for other pop princesses from the Pussycat Dolls to Britney Spears before outshining them. Her debut album The Fame was released in 2008; it made pop cool again, and won two Grammies along the way.

Taio Cruz: At 12 most of us have trouble doing our homework, but Taio Cruz was already writing songs. He wrote Your Game for Will Young, and Jennifer Lopez’s I’m Into You. He now has three albums under his belt, but still writes for other artists.

Bruno Mars: Remember that Flo Rida song Right Round that was so catchy it became annoying? You have Bruno Mars to thank. His magnum opus is Forget You, sung by Cee Lo Green. Bruno showed he could cut it as a singer by, well, cutting his own album Doo-Wops and Hooligans.

Ke$ha: Ke$ha started off singing backing vocals for Britney Spears and Katy Perry, and went on to writing and producing for Kelly Clarkson’s hit album Breakaway. Her own album, Animal, came in 2010, with Tik Tok getting the ultimate modern-day tribute: a Glee cover.

Ne-Yo: Ne-Yo is the secret force behind such girl- power anthems as Beyonce’s Irreplaceable, and Rihanna’s Unfaithful and Take a Bow. In 2006, he released his debut album In My Own Words, and got approached by Michael Jackson to write for him.

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The Mission SHOPPING

for him Xbox 360, inspired by R2D2

If you know a guy that loves sci-fi, he’ll be in nerd-heaven with a console inspired by Star Wars characters (see left). Get extra geek-points for casually dropping that R2D2 and C3PO were inspired by Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. www.amazon.co.uk, £349.99 including Kinect Couture Converses

Transform his smelly shoes into works of art. Buy some Converses (above) at Offspring at Selfridges, and their Customisation Maestros will help turn them into a masterpiece from one of 200 graphic options. www.offspring.co.uk, www.selfridges.com, customisation from £10-25 Vintage movie poster

Original movie posters are a safe bet to add cool to any boy’s messy

...from a personal shopper Manvir Mudhar gets served

Subscription to Wired

—13

Bobbi Brown Party Make-up

for her Harajuku Lovers Perfume

Christian Louboutin said that wearing heels is like having an orgasm, something to do with how the foot arches in the moment of passion. Whether he’s on to something or not, if Blake ‘Gossip Girl’ Lively can reportedly get 40 pairs in one trip, any girl will love you if you get her just one. The shoes don’t come cheap. For rock chic try the Pigalle spike-studded leather pumps (above). www.net-a-porter.com, Pigalle, £695

I headed to Topshop on I was not too keen on. They Oxford Circus, with a budget were either too bright, or just of £150 for a Christmas party not ‘me.’ Yet I took the risk and outfit. I had always assumed dared to try the lot on. The personal shopping was restricted great benefit of personal only to A-list shopping is being celebrities, yet to ‘Iwas treated given random my surprise I was items of clothing the one treated like a VIP...for and discovering like a VIP. Cold free’ that what you and hot drinks on thought would tap, comfy sofas, wildly look ridiculous is actually quite decorated changing rooms with flattering. Staff were friendly, wall-to-wall mirrors – I could get polite and gave me honest used to the luxury service. opinions about outfits that did Meghan, my personal and did not suit me. shopper, showed me a range of After trying loads of outfits, styles along with accessories to I finally chose the one to sparkle complete the look. Some items this party season: an elegant

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The Mission SHOPPING

Jewellery Tree, Paperchase, £8.75 each Fine Porcelain Mug, Paperchase, £5 each Bicycle Horn, Beyond Retro, £8 Pac-Man Bottle Opener, www. truffleshuffle.co.uk, £5.99 Black 8 Earrings, River Island, £6 Bow Tie, Beyond Retro, £8 Feather Lashes, Beyond Retro, £7 Doctor Who Wind Ups: Dalek, Forbidden Planet, £5.99 Hot Water Bottle, www. shineyshack.com, £4.99 Lolita, www.penguin.co.uk, £8.99 A Clockwork Orange, www. penguin.co.uk, £7.99

...from the mall Lewis Chong is wand’ring to rule the mall*

ou know when you buy a new electronic gadget and it has that protective sticky film attached, and you peel it off knowing that your piece of tech is about to get scratched to hell? That’s what Westfield Stratford City feels like. It’s shiny and untouched but you can’t help wondering: how long will it last? Westfield’s new £1.45 billion venture is the largest

urban shopping complex in bought some really nice Europe. It has three levels with handmade ravioli). a casino on the fourth, an One particular shop called outside terrace-style shopping Gallery of Brands really captured area, and it’s very close to my thoughts on this place. transport. It attracted record Stratford City is just a walkway crowds on opening day: Nicole of brands, including some rather Scherzinger perobscure ones. formed and, ‘It attracted Why don’t you somewhat more record crowds shop in Little excitingly, a Mistress? How falling roof tile on opening day’ about Gruis? Or threatened to Linzi? Haven’t violently comb Boris Johnson’s heard of them? Neither have I. mop of hair during his speech. The selection of stores But on the day I visit, despite represented does seem like a plea 300 shops, the only thing I can to garner custom from the find that really appeals is the international visitors once the delicatessen food area (where I Olympic Games starts. And

there isn’t a Miu Miu, a Louis Vuitton, a Prada or a Dior like at Westfield’s Shepherd’s Bush sibling, though there is a massive Gregg’s and an even bigger Primark. Maybe it’s the sheer profusion of choices that paralyses decision, or the fact that none of them really stands out. Am I the only one who has gone into Westfield Stratford City thinking that it would provide me with all my Christmas shopping needs under one roof, and walked away with just ravioli? *Say it out loud really fast, and you’ll know what we’re Tolkien about.

The Mission SHOPPING

—15

Ninjabread Men Cookie Cutters, Forbidden Planet, £7.99 Mini Jewellery Box Heart Pendant Necklace, Accessorize, £10 Hamleys Slinky, Hamleys, £6 Roboclock, Paperchase, £9.75 MUA, Superdrug, £1 each Mini Hair Straighteners, Superdrug, £9.99 Hello Kitty 100 Piece Puzzle, Hamleys, £8 Twlight Saga Triple Pack, www. amazon.co.uk, £8.99

...from online Shopping from home clicks for Kohinoor Sahota

or most people, especially girls, shopping is fun, a hobby, and a pick-me up. So when it comes to online shopping and there’s no club-like atmosphere with pounding music, dimmed lighting, and pretty young things, is it still all that? Shopping in London with every type of store on offer is, as Paris Hilton would say, ‘hot’, but the chaos on the likes of Oxford Street can get too much. It’s nicer

to just stop. Relax. And shop vying for my affection. Damn online in your own private world. you high-heeled suede shoes The obvious advantages to from Jigsaw. shopping online are that there I’ve brought many a music are no closing ticket online, too. times, you can try ‘It can be These include on clothes in your addictive... every cheap tickets to own home, and what were see if items really click a kerching’ otherwise soldgo well together. out concerts: Red There’s no feeling of Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Cee intimidation either. Think flawless Lo Green and Madonna (£50 women behind make-up counters, for £150 seats). Thank you eBay. or a Pretty Woman moment. Thank you Viagogo. Sorry I use websites as a guidebook Madonna. to plan out shopping sites. I take a I’ve even done my food print-out, go in store, and try to shopping online. The advertising get out as quickly as possible slogan should say: ‘for girls with before I’m seduced by items skinny arms’. For the urban

dweller the service is invaluable. If I’m having a party I order online. Always. The disadvantages: it can be addictive, and you don’t always get a clear of idea of how much you’re spending. Each click a kerching. Companies like Net-a-porter have caught onto the idea that shopping online can be just as fun as in store. The boxes! Bows! Tissue paper! Men: take note. It’s like Christmas each time. I’ve bought almost everything online. I can even get myself a date off of Cupid.com, and then maybe even someone to carry those bags.

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The Mission SHOPPING

Book ideas Cookbooks

For the veggie in your life, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Veg is the obvious choice, or branch out into Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. It won the Observer Food Monthly award for best cookbook: the recipes are so delicious, ‘it takes a while to

notice they are completely meat-free’. India: Cookbook is a collection of 1,000 easy-tofollow family recipes from all over the subcontinent, while Jamie Oliver’s Great Britain will be high on many wish lists – and it’s selling in many places for half price. For cake-lovers, Lorraine Pascale’s Baking Made Easy is a great start. Comic Books

For superhero fans, All-Star Superman by the Brit team of

French’s Theatre Bookshop Plays • Musicals • Biographies Technical books • Audition material • DVDs ...and much, much more!

Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is a cut above. For more refined tastes, try the self-published Yellowman, set in a Victorian London redolent of Alan Moore’s From Hell. Speak of the devil, our greatest living graphic novelist has finally been given a definitive biog. Alan Moore: Storyteller traces his career from being expelled from school with no qualifications, to becoming the only comics writer on Time’s list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century. Comedians

Alan Partridge is not strictly a comedian – the Norwich radio presenter famously takes himself very seriously – but I, Partridge is still hilarious, and an affectionate parody of the whole genre of celebrity autobiography. James Corden

seems to appeal to everyone right up to your mum, and his life story, May I Have Your Attention, Please?, is very readable. Peter Kay’s The Book That’s More Than Just a Book Book is not an autobiography – he’s already written three – but a rag-bag collection of photos and yarns. Fiction

The young adult novel everyone’s talking about is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, the first in a fantasy trilogy. Perfect for a younger sibling. Julian Barnes finally won the Booker prize this year for The Sense of an Ending, and deservedly so. For an undemanding and thrilling antidote to the Boxing Day blues, consider Jeffrey Deaver’s Carte Blanche. It’s an authorised updating of James Bond to the present day that actually works.

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...from the market

tasty pickles, cheeses, and chutney for the family. Everything there is ethically produced, so you won’t feel guilty as you tuck into mince Kohinoor Sahota compares pie number six. the markets Buying art doesn’t have to break the bank. Fifty exhibitors London has more than 70 are showing paintings, photos, markets. Instead of heading to fashion, jewellery and glass at Camden, like most of us do, the Angel Christmas Art Fair why don’t you try (Dec 9-11, EC1V something new? ‘Get ready to QNQ , www. Pass by some barter as you candidarts.net). of London’s best Get ready to landmarks to get can buy direct’ barter, as you can to the Real Food buy direct from Christmas Market (Dec 16-23, the artists themselves. SE1 8XX, www.realfoodfestival. As some of your family are co.uk) on the south bank. Eye up almost antiques, why not buy

The Mission SHOPPING

—17

Great gifts for me

iPad 2

Waiting for your laptop to die before you invest in an iPad (above right)? With Christmas just around the corner, put one on your wish-list. The ranges start from 16GB and ooze elegance. Apple, £399 My Velo, a personalised bike

Cycling is free, keeps you fit, and is environmentally-friendly. Don’t just make a statement with your clothes, customise a bike with different colours for different parts (above). www.myvelo.co.uk, £375 A musical instrument

What do Coldplay, Radiohead, and Queen all have in common? They all formed a band whilst at college or university. Learn an instrument, or upgrade your them one? Notting Hill may be famous to you as the name of a movie starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, but it’s just as wellknown for Portobello Market (Mon-Sat, W11, www. portobelloroad.co.uk). Two thousand antique dealers trade everything from chess sets to binoculars. Go early for the best bargains. If you’re shopping for a fashionista, try Spitalfields (FriSun, E1 6DT, www.spitalfields. co.uk). With young designers and vintage stalls, there’s plenty of choice. Traffic People have some maxis from £40, which is oh-so Downton Abbey.

existing one. Wild Guitars have a wide range of new, vintage, electric, and acoustic guitars. Wild Guitars, N6 4ER, guitars from £179 Away Spa treatment

Nowhere is as cool as the W, the new hotel chain that opened this year. Festive treatments include the Body Treat, a body wrap and facial at £138. With W’s promise to give you whatever, whenever, you’ll be spoilt for choice. W London, Away Spa, W1D 6QF, treatments from £40 Burberry trench coat

Burberry updated their brand from chav to must-have with the likes of Emma Watson and Rosie Huntington-Whitely fronting their campaigns. The ultimate trench is pricey. http://uk.burberry.com/store/, from £595

...from the auction room Elizabeth Odogwu is going, going, gone

As I enter London’s Free Word Centre, the commercial for Mikado springs to mind. It plays out everyone’s worst auction fears as a man holds up a stick of chocolate and it’s mistaken for a bid. I resolve to keep my hands down firmly in my pockets. Up for grabs are Martin Rowson’s satirical cartoon series for Index on Censorship.

The ‘it’ bag

Making trips back home is all good, but carrying that same rucksack just doesn’t cut it or say ‘I’m back from the big city’. Ask for a leather Barbour bag: it’s roomy for a weekend trip and will make you feel a little bit more grown-up. www.my-wardrobe.com, £249 Fly away

Wouldn’t it be great to find a plane ticket under the tree? So that instead of Boxing Day with relatives you don’t like, you’re jetting off to Goa? Is that too much to ask? Sadly, almost certainly yes. But at least they could give you some STA vouchers. They could count towards a future flight, or you can redeem against adventure tours and hotels. www.statravel.co.uk/giftcard.htm, from £20

Driving a Ferrari

Virgin Experience Days offer yacht sailing, flying lessons, and driving a fast car. Dads can feel like James Bond in an Aston Martin, and boys can feel like Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari. Nicole Scherzinger not included. www.virginexperiencedays.co.uk, from £129 Echo smartpen

Livescribe’s new smartpen records everything your lecturer says. You can replay it all just by tapping on your notes, and save it all straight on to your desktop. Perfect for the new year when your body is there, but your mind is elsewhere. www.livescribe.com/uk, from £99.99 Compiled by Kohinoor Sahota

There is a small but passionate over and expensive lot: crowd: they are largely middle- Rowson’s Shark and Chips aged with a few young skinny- piece. ‘Auctions are a jean types. Some have come to dangerous place,’ he grins. pick up a unique Yuletide gift, There are auctions to suit and others for the pure thrill. all tastes and budgets. Sotheby’s And thrilling it is. recently held an As the bidding ‘I struggle to auction devoted starts I struggle to classic sport to keep my hands keep my hands mementoes that down and my down’ my dad would mouth shut. The have loved, and atmosphere in the room is The Fame Bureau sold guitars electric. Bidding is good- belonging to Jimi Hendrix and natured but competitive; I John Lennon. I’d never been to restrain myself as the prices an auction before, and now see reach beyond my budget. them as alternatives to Auction virgin Simon convential shopping – especially Savory bags the most fought- for that special gift. I’m sold!

Music

‘Their sound has marinated wih the passing of time... songs curl and unfurl like smoke rings’

Worth their wait in gold

Late can be great. Ruth Saxelby on the rebirth of the Trailer Trash Tracys London four-piece Trailer Trash Tracys are a poster band for taking it slow. After releasing a single – an earlier version of Candy Girl – back in 2009, they went quiet outside of a couple of gigs here and there. Well, now they’re finally back with their debut album and the wait has emphatically been worth it – necessary even, as their sound has marinated with the passing of time. Stinging with the friction burn of dragged heels, Ester is an album with its thumb on the pause button, a record both for and of private recollections, midnight spaces and stretchedout minutes. Songs curl and unfurl like smoke rings, slipping and sliding beneath a fog of their own making. Drum machines splutter and shudder underneath layers of reverb while guitar lines climb in circling arcs, providing a loose structure for the exhausted, seductive vocals of singer Suzanne Aztoria to weave in and out of.

It’s a difficult album to locate in time, drawing together scattered themes and sounds to create a strangely timeless energy. The bass guitar of Wish You Were Red recalls the bolstered confidence of post-war pop rock, threaded with the rum-pa-pa-pump of a marching band, yet it’s tempered by the ennui of shoegaze. Starlatine would be at home on the Twin Peaks soundtrack, a tense, haunting ballad shot through with fractured, layered handclaps. Candy Girl is the sweet collapse that follows, lungs gently filling as vision blurs and swirls into oblivion. There Trailer Trash Tracys Ester Release: Jan 12

Listen: www. dominorecordco. com

are lighter moments: Dies In 55 floats on a bed of chiming keys while Strangling Good Guys burns with a spinning, dreamy, arms-wide hope for a different tomorrow. However it’s in the submerged moment that Ester truly lives; ‘Take me down,’ as Aztoria herself sings on the closing song Turkish Heights. For, above all, Ester is the sound of Sunday – that most limbo of days – a faded snapshot of those moments caught between our private self and that which we present to others. It bristles with a curious mix of languidness and anxiety, with twinned yet opposing desires to both escape and savour the here and now. In reflecting and echoing that thoroughly modern sensation of simultaneous harmony and discordance, Trailer Trash Tracys have made an evocative, haunting album that sounds like everything and nothing before it. As we hurtle into 2012, I know what I’d like to soundtrack my descent into the apocalypse.

Reviews MUSIC

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The Video Kina Grannis / In Your Arms Jelly beans leave Ruth Saxelby with a sour taste

Uploaded on November 2, the video to Californian singer and songwriter Kina Grannis’s In Your Arms got three million Youtube hits within a week. Why? It’s all about the jelly beans, meticulously animated using stop-frame techniques to create a variety of self-consciously quirky scenarios. There’s Kina in a park with a cooing jelly bean bird alighting Disney-style on her shoulder. Here she is catching jelly bean snowflakes in her hand and skiing down a jelly bean mountain. A moment later a jelly bean caterpillar crawls out of a jelly bean apple and into Kina’s ear, reappearing as a jelly bean butterfly

flying out of Kina’s mouth. It took 22 months, 1,357 hours and 288,000 jelly beans. While such time and dedication deserve admiration, all those jelly beans could leave a sour taste in the mouth. Because, surprise, surprise, the whole thing is done in association with jelly bean company Jelly Belly. Music videos are, of course, promotional tools – but increasingly not just for the artist. What used to be called selling out is now shoulder-shruggingly standard. Pop videos are over-run with product placement: in Britney Spears’ Hold it Against Me she

 Peaking Lights t Plastic People Dec 6

Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis are Peaking Lights, a husband and wife duo from sunny California who make dubby, psychedelic pop. Their

reportedly earned $500,000 for including brands like Make Up Forever and plentyoffish.com. While the chance to make a quick buck is enough to test anyone’s artistic integrity, what feels uncomfortable about Kina’s video is that the artist/brand relationship is so explicit.

I’ll never forget Rihanna’s Homecoming Gig at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, because that was the first gig we ever played as a band. We met her backstage, and were all star-struck, didn’t know what to say. I managed to blurt out, ‘I’m melting!’ and she laughed. She just said, ‘have fun guys, y’all go make me proud.’

Video directed by Greg Jardin

We were super nervous beforehand, psyching ourselves up, holding hands and praying, but when you look out at a sea of 25,000 people singing your songs, it’s just mental.

much-loved album 936 was originally released in the States by LA label Not Not Fun back in February and has just been re-issued in the UK by Domino sub-label Weird World. This gig at east London’s Plastic People, renowned for having one of the best sound systems in the city, will be a tripped-out, loved-up affair, providing an island of West Coast warmth in the midst of the British winter. Turn up, zone in, bliss out.

and jungle to spin fractured tribal rhythms. Digital Fractal is the sly, savvy sound of a tiptoeing creature, aware of the predator’s eyes on its back. Equinox, on the other hand, pulls the mood into sultry sunset territory, full of sweat and tension. By the close of moody, X-Filestripping last track Ecstasy Versions, Zomby has stalked a new path through the many shifting shades of the dancefloor’s undergrowth, leaving fresh shadows in his wake.

Zomby Waiting

Shystie feat. Ghetts & Nolay Takeover

The masked UK producer who seems to get his kicks pulling no-shows at live gigs returns to what he does best: making killer tunes. A seven-track follow up to his highly personal second album Dedication released back in July, Waiting is a finely tuned exercise in sonic landscaping that circles rave, garage

The Gig That Changed My Life

Perhaps she’s had time to get used to it; much of Kina’s formidable Youtube audience is the legacy of a Doritos competition she entered. Part of the prize was a record deal with Interscope but, according to her website, she forfeited the deal for ‘creative control and independence’. Sadly, something about that is a little hard to swallow.



Release: out now

T-Ray from Cover Drive

Video: http://youtu.be/ gWv5cbu1oc8

This inflammatory grime grinder is the lead song from the soundtrack of recent film Sket, an east London-set thriller starring So Solid Crew rapper turned actor Ashley Walters. Over blistering beats and the harsh, hard

We got to watch Rihanna after, and her show was incredible. She had a T-shirt cannon to shoot T-shirts into the audience, awesome lights, great dancers. learned so ‘Rihanna feeds We much from her. off the energy of No matter how big the stage is, the crowd and reflects it back, she shows how you can have it’s like a huge this confidence energy field of to own the space. She awesomeness’ feeds off the energy of the crowd and reflects it back, it’s like a huge energy field of awesomeness! You listen to the melodies but as a drummer I’d also notice how, on Umbrella, the drummer would add all these extra breaks and fills to give it that extra oomph, and the bass would boom out of those big speakers, hitting you in the chest so hard it almost knocks you over. We met Rihanna again recently, after one of her O2 gigs in London, and she was really friendly, like ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know you guys were here!’ That was a great show, too. Same energy, same set-list... just slightly different weather! Cover Drive’s new single Twilight is out on Jan 22 through Polydor Records

— 20

Reviews MUSIC

Ruth Saxelby, Music Editor Favourite Christmas song: Fairytale of New York by The Pogues, featuring the sadly departed Kirsty MacColl, always make me a little teary. Best music gift ever: The Disciples, gathering together snaps of super-fans. Top places to shop for music gifts: Honest Jon’s on Portobello Road, Rough Trade East on Brick Lane, and Phonica on Poland Street for quality vinyl and CDs; Book Mongers on Coldharbour Lane in Brixton has a small but brilliant music section for second-hand biographies and books on a budget.

sound of gunshot, former MOBO nominee Shystie and rising grime stars Ghetts and No Lay take turns spitting staccato lyrics into the camera. This up-close and in-your-face footage is spliced with scenes shedding shadowy light on the harsh lives of the movie’s fictional girl gang. The film follows the recent Channel 4 four-part drama series Top Boy, also starring Walters and chart star Kano, who, incidentally, has just made a new track with Ghetts called House Of Pain. London rising.

Django Django Django Django Release: Jan 31

This Giorgio Moroder-loving art-rock band met at art school at Edinburgh but it took a move to London for the band’s sound to crystallise. Wielding bass, drums, guitar, synths and richly textured percussion, they make sparse yet taut jams with twang and attitude. Having supported Metronomy at the Royal Albert Hall in October, they’ve just finished a headline tour of the UK ahead of the release of their debut album in January. Bluesy riffs, skiffle vibes and spacey reverberations are

channelled into songs with hooks a crooked mile wide: Storm packs a jump-up punch; Default is a short-circuiting live wire; and Life’s A Beach works itself up into a psychedelic lather. It’s at once a refreshingly weird and wholly danceable debut that deserves close attention.

Spector Grey Shirt & Tie Release: Dec 5

Dalston darlings Spector, led by snappily dressed frontman Fred Macpherson, make smudgy-faced

indie pop with grand ambitions. Grey Shirt & Tie is the third 7" single they’ve released this year ahead of their debut album in 2012, and comes backed with a remix by The Big Pink. The original opens with the ominous chimes of a clock tower before blooming into a big-hearted pop song with all the oomph and character of their indie forebears, from The Killers to the Mystery Jets. Fuelled by regret, that most resonant of emotions, and hope for what could be, it was apparently inspired by bumping into a childhood sweetheart in Primark. Love in the aisles.

Reviews MUSIC

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SENBLA presents

ALEXANDER O'NEAL Sat 10 December

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The swinging sixties are forever cool, and Grind a Go-Go gives you the chance to pretend you were a part of it (Dec 10, www.ohmygodimissyou.com). Put on that mini-dress or Modinspired outfit, and do the twist with the East London hipsters. If you’re a devout raver, and can dance till 7am, make a pilgrimage to the legendary Ministry of Sound. Mau5trap (above) is DJing, and tickets are available on the door (Dec 17, www.ministryofsound.com). If you’d rather be entertained than move, Bête Noire at Madame Jo-Jo’s delivers quality

cabaret and burlesque. After regular nights on Dec 22 and Jan 12, it celebrates its first anniversary with a revamp (Jan 26, www.bete-noire.co.uk): an 8-9.30pm show called La Belle, and a wilder, darker show at 10.30-12midnight called La Bête. Book that NYE night now! See feature, p44, for club nights. Or, if you’d rather go rocky, the O2 Arena started life as the Millennium Dome, and it's hosting one of the big NYE events (Dec 31, www.theo2.co.uk): Kasabian play live, and amazingly the whole thing will be streamed on Youtube.

Book Ahead: January Spaghetti Western Orchestra

Queen Elizabeth Hall Jan 6-11

The spaghetti westerns of the ’60s and ’70s may have faded a little, but the haunting Ennio Morricone refrains that permitted Clint Eastwood to remain so laconic remain as fresh as ever. Especially when performed by five lunatics on a hundred instruments. Catherine AD

National Portrait Gallery Jan 20

This flame-haired Welsh PhD student looks like a young Kate Bush, sings like a young Tori Amos, and does a mean stripped-down version of Lady Gaga’s Telephone. Of course she couldn’t do something so obvious as play in an actual music venue!

Bugged Out Weekender

Butlins, Bognor Regis Jan 20-22

London’s Bugged Out club take a trip to the seaside for the dance music weekender. On board for the ride will be a whole ton of cutting edge producers and DJs including SBTRKT, Hudson Mohawke, Joy Orbison, Martyn and more.

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Explosions In The Sky

Brixton Academy Jan 27

After all the craziness of Christmas, unwind with Texan post-rockers Explosions In The Sky who’ll be performing instrumentals from their album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. Expect an emotionally charged evening. Previews by Ruth Saxelby

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Film

‘A film that offers a bongsmoking Santa who gets shot through the head must be a guilty pleasure’

Xmas rated

Dominic Wells finds not all sequels are equal this Christmas The Christmas season is all about huge turkeys being warmed up and re-served as leftovers. And I’m not talking about cooking.

Knight, he has filmed some scenes in extra depth specially for IMAX screens, making this a mission we could choose to accept.

Cinemas will, as ever in December, be stuffed to burping with remakes and sequels. In fact, The Thing (Dec 2) is not just a redundant remake/ prequel of a perfectly fine film, John Carpenter’s 1982 sci-fi/horror about an alien terrorising a remote Arctic base, it’s a re-re-make of 1951’s The Thing From Another World.

Tom Cruise’s gift to rhyming slang, super-spy Ethan Hunt, is back for a fourth outing. Can anyone still get excited about Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Dec 26), when we’ve since had Bourne and Bond rebooted? Possibly, when the director is Brad Bird. The word is that he’s managed to do for live-action what he did with The Incredibles, which out-Bonded all the Bond movies it played off. And just as Christoper Nolan did so strikingly with Batman: The Dark

More perplexing is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Dec 26). Yes, it stars Daniel Craig. Yes, it’s by Fight Club director David Fincher. Yes, it will probably be good. But why bother to remake a film only two years old, which was successful enough to take $100 million? Simple. Because

Americans don’t watch subtitled movies. Of that $100 million, only a tenth was taken at the US box office. With his muscular new take on Sherlock Holmes in 2009, Guy Ritchie revived a career tarnished by his marriage to Madonna. A follow-up, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Dec 16), was inevitable. Robert Downey Jr is great in these blockbusters. Like Johnny Depp in the Pirates franchise, he acts like he doesn’t give a damn about the vast budget but is just there to have fun. His enthusiasm is contagious, and Jude Law provides more than just a comic foil. Weirdly enough, the sequel to get most excited about – and the perfect antidote to those insufferably cute tap-dancing penguins in Happy Feet Two (Dec 2) – may just be A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (Dec 9, above). Christmas is usually a time of sickly sweet family fare, so a film that offers a bong-smoking Santa who gets shot through the head, and that dares to wring a running gag out of a small child getting accidentally stoned, shoots to the top of the guilty pleasure list. It’s like finding a filthy joke in your Christmas cracker.

Reviews FILM

Film Editor's pick Shame Christabel Samuel can find no blame in Shame

Michael Fassbender, British cinema’s fastest-rising star, reunites here with Steve McQueen, who directed him to such good effect in Hunger. Throw in our most in demand actress, Carey Mulligan, and it’s not surprising Shame was a highlight of October’s BFI London Film Festival. Brandon (Fassbender) is a successful New Yorker with all the privileges of the high life: an ultra-modern but clinically sterile apartment, a high-paid job and a gaggle of girls fawning over him. However the gloss and glamour is all surface, and Brandon harbours a dark secret. He is in fact a sex addict and compulsive masturbator. He frequently binges on a buffet of prostitutes, pornography and cyber

Don 2 Shahrukh Khan Release: Dec 23

Don 2 is purely Shahrukh Khan. Its Khan-centric trailer, filled with speedboats, motorcycles and other blockbuster cues, posits Mr. Khan as India’s action man de rigueur – and he’s bulked up specifically for the role. This is a sequel to the 2006

Rewind

A classic scene revisted

flings – anything but a proper, loving relationship. For him sex really is an addiction and the build-up to climax is mechanical rather than sensual.

Sissy interrupts Brandon masturbating in a scene which begins comically, but which turns sour when his frustration is lashed out on her.

The tension between the siblings is uncomfortable and sizzling. Sissy frequently curbs Brandon’s sexual activity, which hurls him out of his comfort zones. As his seedy habits are revealed, things get very tense.

Don: The Chase Begins Again, which is surprising as that ended with Khan’s apparent death. Somehow, clearly, he made it out alive. The plot will be barely relevant, but the film gets full marks for visual allure. To his credit Khan appears as charismatic (and youthful) as ever and Priyanka Chopra looks deliciously good. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, Don 2 is a slick blockbuster that’s also filmed in 3D, and has all the action staples. Babes. Check. Baddie. Check. Badass. Oh yes.

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Film: Dawn of the Dead (1978) Director: George Romero

Marc Price, zombie director, on his inspiration

I was 13 when I saw Dawn of the Dead; the perfect age for Romero. I was watching Ghostbusters and by chance my uncle had taped over the end with this film. I had never seen a proper horror film before. Of course the most memorable sequence for me was set in the shopping mall when Peter (Ken Foree), Stephen (David Emge) and Roger (Scott Reiniger) secure the building for themselves. After despatching the zombies, they create a utopia with free rein over the stores and products. They ‘steal’ money from the bank, hoard food, take all the clothes they want and arm themselves with guns. It’s frenetic yet accompanied by playful music so it becomes an ironic celebration – a consumer’s dream mixed with an absolute nightmare. The film’s strength does not come from fancy camera work but its reliance on symbolism to convey a message about consumerism. The zombies are all but stripped of their humanity, with the only memories being of their shopping habits. They are the ‘brain dead’ slaves to consumerism. The zombies are treated by humans as an underclass and there is an amount of pity we feel for their social abjection. Sympathy for the undead was something I wanted to explore when I wrote and directed Colin [a no-budget zombie film that became an unlikely critical success]. The story comes from the zombie protagonist’s perspective, and we see that the little pleasures which made them once human now make them all the more pitiful.

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Reviews FILM

Ghett’a Life Kevoy Burton Release: Dec 2

Christabel Samuel, Film Editor Ultimate Christmas movie: Batman Returns. Tim Burton’s typically Gothic, snow-bound film is a Christmas cracker filled with action, thrills and Michelle Pfeiffer in a catsuit. Best gift: I bought someone a husky sled ride. Exhilarating, fun and very festive! DVD gift ideas: The Ginger Snaps Trilogy: a very visceral female body horror series. Gremlins 1 and/or 2: wickedly entertaining, and Gizmo is as cute as ever. To score cultural points, Un Conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale), about a dysfunctional family who reunite for Christmas.

Ghett’a Life is a gripping ‘against the odds’ film with an unlikely boxing plot. Kevoy Burton plays Derrick, a black teen and aspiring boxer training in Kingston, Jamaica. It is clear that the city has two faces: the rich and the poor, the empowered and the disempowered, the good and the bad. The landscape is politically fragmented and Derrick must cross literal and symbolic boundaries to realize his dream. Ghett’a Life’s strong trailer encompasses this spirit well, which differentiates it from the pack of underdog fight films that have come before. It is clear that director Chris Browne, who hasn't directed a film since Third World Cop in 1999, had a clear vision for this film which he hopefully will follow through with subsequent features. Inner cities may be similar the world over but Ghett’a Life presents some uniquely Jamaican aspects to it which may be the closest that most Brits ever get to Kingston’s ghetto culture. This is one boxing movie that packs a punch.

Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) Václav Helsus Release: Dec 2

You can’t get more niche than a Czech psychoanalytical comedy. But as directed by Jan Švankmajer, a surrealist whose stop-motion animations have startled audiences for four decades, Surviving Life is a wonderful mixture of photographic cut-out animation and live-action sequences. Its dream landscape may now seem familiar from such films as The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but Švankmajer was doing

this kind of thing way back. From the trailer and stills the film is wildly unconventional, very charming and has gallons of offbeat humor, as it follows a married man who begins seeing another woman in his dreams. Jung and Freud provide their own special cameos as paintings on the wall come to life. Sadly Švankmajer, now 77, has stated this will be his last film. But what a film to go out on.

We Have a Pope Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti

and cinematography cannot be criticized. Cardinal Melville is dwarfed by the opulence and scale of his surroundings, which helps to present the Papacy as a burdensome role. Melville then attempts to run away, and is brought back to see a therapist (played by Moretti himself). If you were expecting Catholic lambasting you would be disappointed. Though Moretti is a self-confessed atheist, his satire is definitely mild, and the religious hierarchy is depicted with respect. But what is clear from its preview is that this is a thoughtful film which ruminates on the extraordinary dilemma of becoming something much bigger than oneself.

The Artist Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman Release: Dec 30

Margaret Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo Release: Dec 2

If you think Anna Paquin’s a bit old to be playing a 17-year-old New Yorker who feels responsible for a fatal bus accident, you’re not wrong. The True Blood star shot this movie in 2005, when the premise was clearly inspired by survivor guilt post-9/11: it’s only now seeing the light of day after a series of lawsuits. Unusually, writer-director Kenneth Lonergan had been granted final cut. He turned in a stately, subtle, emotionally layered movie two and a half hours long that he loved – and the producer didn’t. Which party was right? You'll have to watch it and see.

Tired of 3D this and CGI that? The Artist really goes back to basics: it’s black and white; and it’s silent. Yet it’s being considered as a real contender for the Best Picture Oscar., despite being French-made. The film is a love letter to Old Hollywood: like 1952’s Singing in the Rain (see right), it’s set at the time of transition to ‘talkies’, when silent stars with thick foreign accents suddenly found themselves out of work. But it’s also one of the warmest, most perfect films of the year, with a number of golden touches it would be shame to spoil by revealing.

Release: Dec 2

Why did the Pope cross the road? To escape the Vatican! Having premiered at the 55th London Film Festival, Nanni Moretti’s We Have a Pope is a comedic look at the reluctant Pope-Elect Cardinal Melville. Michel Piccoli plays the unlucky Papal candidate whose past failure at acting and general gloominess at being the world’s most iconic figure weighs heavily on his shoulders. The ecclesiastical pageantry

Reviews FILM

Hugo Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley Release: Dec 2

Book Ahead: January The Descendants Release: Jan 2

The director of Sideways and About Schmidt has made a typically subtle, character-driven comedy-drama starring George Clooney as a father trying to reconnect with two estranged daughters after his wife falls into a coma. Clooney had wanted to star in Sideways, but was rejected as too big a star – evidently it only made him keener. 9th London Short Film Festival Jan 6-15

Scorsese goes 3D! This liveaction feature is co-produced by Johnny Depp’s studio Infinitum Nihil, with a cast that makes for a starry, starry night. 3D is fast becoming the money-making format. However the advance word is that Scorsese – being the consummate film buff that he is – has constructed a film which avoids gimmicks, but simply uses this medium to express its story more fully.

Festivals Underground Film Festival / Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! There’s an extreme choice of film festivals this December: the London Underground Festival at the Horse Hospital (Dec 1-4), or Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! at BFI Southbank (until Dec 30). The first is very much pot-luck: there’s a screening of shorts; a

Based in Paris, it is on the surface a children’s adventure about orphan Hugo and the colourful characters who live in and around a Parisian train station. But there is a lot of physical comedy and coupled with its Gallic iconography, Hugo is clearly a nod to cinema’s past. Scorsese has seldom made a duff film and I suspect it will charm adults and children alike. The Lumière Brothers would be proud. premiere from Redemption films; and a retrospective of Duncan Reekie that includes his 2001 film of the unfilmably nasty and surreal 19th century novel Maldoror. The BFI’s festival is a big dollop of Christmas spirit, featuring big-hearted MGM musicals from before even your parents were born. Singing in the Rain features that classic scene of Gene Kelly dancing in a downpour when in reality he was running a fever; there’s the Sinatra/ Crosby double-header of High Society; and of course The Wizard of Oz. All look so much better on the big screen.

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The London Short Film Festival at the ICA will showcase new British talent, short films, retrospective screenings and industry events, with the bar a hub of socializing, philosophizing and networking. http://2011.shortfilms.org.uk The Sitter Release: Jan 20

After Bad Santa, Bad Teacher and Horrible Bosses, the babysitter is next up for a kicking. In The Sitter, Jonah

Hill applies his deadpan comic timing to the role of a slacker put in charge of three kids. Instead of reading them a bedtime story, he involves them in a wild night of car chases, fights and irate drug dealers. Coriolanus Release: Jan 20

Ralph Fiennes has used that Lord Voldermort star power to get backing for a lavish film version of Shakespeare’s history play, set in a modern warzone to draw parallels with present-day politics. London Comedy Film Festival Jan 26-29

The first of its kind, the London Comedy Film Festival – otherwise known as the LOCO, see what they did there? – promises to kick-start the next generation of British talent. Brilliantly, it launches in officially ‘the most depressing week of the year’. www.locofilmfestival.com Film previews by Christabel Samuel and Dominic Wells

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Stage

‘One night an audience member jumped onto the stage and demanded that the show stop’

Caught in the act Christine Twite takes part in this year’s most controversial show Edinburgh Festival-goers must have seen it all, yet still Audience caused a stir this summer: ‘despicable’, ‘abusive’, ‘degrading and downright offensive’ were some of the critics’ comments. Londoners can now judge for themselves at the Soho Theatre. The brains behind the show are Belgian performance group Ontroerend Goed, and they are no strangers to controversy. Recently their show Internal paired up five performers one on one with an audience member, to initiate a strange fake-yet-all-too-real speed date. Intimate secrets were exchanged, even a fleeting kiss. But where Internal is a playful experiment about intimacy, and based on the audience member’s willingness to take part, Audience takes quite a different tack. It’s a full theatre piece for a start, and the show is not just about the audience; the audience are the show. A camera moves amongst them, throwing their image back onto the stage, as the actors speak aloud the imagined monologue of whoever the camera

rests on. Thoughts as comically banal as ‘I’ve left the dishwasher on’, to things a little darker such as ‘I’m beginning to look like my mother.’ Uncomfortable, but nothing compared with what happens later.

selling the same seat to two or more people. More recently, dancers in Dave St-Pierre’s Un Peu de Tendresse Bordel de Merde! at Sadler’s Wells climbed over the audience’s seats and waved their naked genitalia in their faces.

One of the actors turns to a young woman in the front row and hurls abuse at her. He swears at her, calls her ugly, asks her how she dares to show her face. Things come to a head as he asks the other audience members to chant at her ‘Spread your legs! Spread your legs!’ to see if she will crack. What happens then is really up to the audience. During the show I attended, people began to speak up, to comfort the woman and shout at the man. One night, apparently, an audience member jumped onto the stage and demanded that the show stop.

Audience’s power lies in the way it questions the individual’s capacity for action, and his or her place in larger groups in society – never more relevant than after this summer’s riots. If you were alone with this woman (presumably a plant, but this is not clear), no doubt you’d be a good Samaritan immediately. But the group dynamic is slow to respond, especially given the power relations of audience/actor. The show ends with images of crowds through history, from the Nuremberg rallies to pop concerts, giving a clever context to what has gone before. Being reminded about the way group dynamics can work has to be a good thing, even though the experience is a difficult one.

Abusing the trust of the audience is not new. At the beginning of the century the Italian group the Futurists used itching and sneezing powders, coated some auditorium seats with glue, and provoked fights by

Audience, Soho Theatre, W1D 3NE, Dec 6-Jan 7. Tickets from £10. www.sohotheatre.com

Reviews STAGE

A stage further Christine Twite celebrates a theatrical revolution

1927 is the year Stalin expelled Trotsky from the Communist Party and instigated massive changes in his rule of Russia, and it’s the year that gives theatre company 1927 its name. Their work in blending live action and screen projection in this and two previous shows is accomplished with Communist zeal, and will I suspect be copied by many theatre companies. The Animals and Children Took to the Street was a hidden gem until the National Theatre spotted it and decided to give it a run in the Cottesloe Theatre. The stage consists of three white screens over which lovingly drawn story-book images (by the talented Paul Barritt) are projected to form the set. The three actors, in thick black and white make up, move within this landscape to the accompaniment of live piano, creating something reminiscent of a 1920s silent movie (referencing back to their name again). The powerful presentation would be nothing without a winning story, and under the direction of

Spotlight: Ros Terry Christine Twite pins down the Young Vic’s Company Manager

passion. I work with all the shows, so it can be quite mad. At the moment we have Hamlet on, but we’re also preparing for Orpheus in the Underworld. Both are massive productions so we are pulling out all the stops.

Ros’s phone is never turned off. As the Company Manager she’s always in demand. Her job duties include managing the showbiz stars from Michael Sheen to, er, the live-in chickens for Annie Get Your Gun. She tells us how she landed her dream job.

How did you get in to your role? I worked as a freelance Stage Manager for five years, and then as the Resident Stage Manager at the Bush Theatre for about four years. Even though I loved working on the shows directly I wanted to work closely with all departments, pre-empting problems, and looking after all involved in the productions. When the role became vacant at the Young Vic I jumped at the chance and have not looked back.

What does a Company Manager actually do? It is my job to look after everybody working on all of our shows. I work really long hours, 90 hours last week, but I think there is energy here that you don’t find elsewhere and we all have great

What is the best thing about working at the Young Vic? There’s a massive range of shows that I get to work on. At the moment I get to work on Hamlet with Michael Sheen, and recently the international tour of Kafka’s Monkey, a one-woman show with

— 27

Suzanne Andrade the show does not fail. Set in a seedy tenement block ‘where curtain-twitchers and peeping-toms live side by side, and the wolf... is always at the door’, it conveys a feeling of USSR austerity. Soon there emerges a darkly comic story about poverty and state oppression, which clearly pastiches our modern government’s own handling of the darker sides of British society. Will oh-so-middle-class Agnes Eaves succeed in her plan to move into the block, to help the children relieve their aggression with collages from dry pasta? Will the shy caretaker ever save enough money to move away from Wayne the racist next door? Will the tenement block’s youths ever find revolution and emancipation? 1927 is a little theatre company with a big heart. Expect great things. The Animals and Children Took to the Streets, National Theatre’s Cottesloe Theatre, SE1 9PX, Dec 7-Jan 3. Tickets from £12. www.nationaltheatre. org.uk

Kathryn Hunter. Plus as I am responsible for the welfare of every person employed on a production, I get to know everyone, ranging from the big star actors to the behind-the-scenes crew. How does the Young Vic reach out to new audiences? I work on our education projects, too. Recently we had our Special Needs Schools Theatre Festival; to be a part of it was fantastic. Our theatre and shows reach out to the local community, and hundreds of people have their first experience of theatre at the Young Vic. The ethos that extraordinary, imaginative theatre should be accessible to all, regardless of social background or location, is one I strongly believe in. Hamlet with Michael Sheen is currently on at the Young Vic. Do you have any secrets you can share? Well, Horatio and Rosencrantz, two of Hamlet’s friends, are played by female actors rather than men as they are in the script. Hamlet, Young Vic Theatre, SE1 8LZ, until Jan 21. A limited number of £10 tickets are available from 9.30am on the day of each performance. www.youngvic. org

Christine Twite, Stage Editor Best Christmas show: It’s kind of a cliché, but The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker just gets me into that festive spirit. Sugar plums, glitter and tutus – ah! Worst Christmas show: I was once at a panto of The Sleeping Beauty with a really small audience full of bored kids who did not want to be there. The witch character tried to get the children to shout out, but ended up making a small child cry. Awkward. Best gift ever: One of the best gifts I’ve ever got was this silver locket with a quote from Twelfth Night inscribed on it. I love it.

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Reviews STAGE

t The Bollywood

Trip Southbank Centre Dec 19-30

Billed as part of the Southwark Centre’s Winter Festival, this is bound to be more interesting than your average festive show. It’s a love story with a twist: it’s set in a mental asylum in Copenhagen. Here we follow the dreams and illusions of Haroon, who may or may not be the great Bollywood star he claims.

 Open Art Surgery Sadler’s Wells Dec 10

Looking for something innovative and up to the minute? Those geniuses of street dance, Breakin’ Convention, bring you a delicious line-up of snippets straight from the studio. Five up and coming choreographers, Ashley Jack, Botis Seva, Ivan Blackstock, Simeon Qsyea and Toby G, will preview

The musical is a collaboration between Danish and Indian creatives. Traditional Kathak dance will be fused into the dance routines, and the score written by Stephan Garbowski will be played by musicians from both countries. With wonderful colours, full-on emotions, and flying dancers, what’s not to like? You’re bound to leave smiling. The Bollywood Trip, Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX, Dec 19-30. Tickets from £20. www. southbankcentre.co.uk

some of their work in front of a live audience. These guys have been put through their paces by the legendary Jonzi D (the father of hop-hop theatre, who has worked with big names on the scene including The Roots) so the result is sure to be something special. The organisers even hint that there may be a chance to get involved with the choreography at the end. Open Art Surgery: The Lab at Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells, EC1R 4TN. Dec10, Tickets from £5. www. sadlerswells.com

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Lenny Henry plays Antipholus of Syracuse in Shakespeare’s comedy of wild mishaps and mistaken identity.

Photo by Phil Fisk

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Reviews STAGE

Alternative Christmas shows

Reasons to be Pretty Almeida Until Jan 14

Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder? Greg says that his girlfriend Steph is no beauty, but that he wouldn’t change her for the world. She is mortally wounded by this; but Greg can’t see why she’s upset. Greg’s best friend Kent, on the other hand, boasts about how smoking his wife is while chasing after a new colleague. Neil LaBute’s play deals with gender politics and political correctness in his trademark down-to-earth style. LaBute is having a bit of a revival in British theatre at the moment, after Fat Pig with the luscious Kelly Brook and The Shape of Things with the even more glamorous Rachel Weisz. Reasons to be Pretty boasts Billie Piper in its four-strong cast, playfully using Piper’s showbiz glamour within the feel of the piece. Piper proves that she is one of our most versatile actresses. She’d make Daniel Day-Lewis proud, too, taking method acting so seriously: getting pregnant, like her character. Reasons to be Pretty, Almeida, N1 1TA, until Jan 14. Tickets from £16. www. almeida.co.uk

Jerusalem Apollo Until Jan 14

You may be tired of hearing the hype surrounding Jerusalem. It’s hailed as a modern classic, and people are lauding Mark Rylance

Looking for something a bit different for the festive period? There are more alternative events going on than baubles on your mum’s Christmas tree. The Barbican gets into the spirit of Christmas present with a comic look at the financial crisis and obsessive greed in Copyright Christmas (Dec 10-30, www.barbican.org.uk/ theatre, below). Moving from shopaholics to sweatshops, it still leaves you feeling uplifted. For a ghoulish twist on a classic tale, try on for size A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (DECEASED) (Dec 22, www. artsdepot.co.uk). This one-man show by James Hyland is touring the UK to critical acclaim. If you’re feeling fearless you can check out some particularly terrifying trailers online.

Guillemots frontman Fyfe Dangerfield has collaborated with Southwark Playhouse to write new music for their fairy tale, Howl’s Moving Castle (until 7 Jan, www. southwarkplayhouse.co.uk). But this fairy tale, as readers of the original book or viewers of the Miyazaki animation will know, is no Disney. Projection will be fused with live action to create the story. Matthew Bourne’s cheeky take on ballet classic The Nutcracker is as camp as Christmas but never fails to please (Dec 13-Jan 20, www.sadlerswells. com). The sugar plums have turned to dolly mixtures and there is more than a little sexual frisson between Clara and her Nutcracker. Phwoar! But if you just can’t help yourself and all you want is a classic British panto, look no further than Lyric Hammersmith’s Aladdin (Nov 19-Dec 31, www.lyric.co.uk). With a flying carpet, magic lamp, monkey and, of course, Widow Twankey, how can you resist?

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Book ahead: January The Rest is Silence Riverside Studios Jan 12- 23

Theatre company dreamthinkspeak have made a name for themselves creating site-specific works which merge live performance with film and installations. Here they take on Hamlet, and twist it into something Shakespeare could never have dreamed of. Festival of the Spoken Nerd Bloomsbury Theatre Jan 18

Celebrate your inner geekiness with this unique comedy show. The threesome includes a Blue Peter science expert, a musical comedian, and a, er, stand-up mathematician. The Trial of Ubu Hampstead Theatre Jan 18-Feb 25

Playwright Simon Stephens is hot property at the moment, and for good reason. His writing explores contemporary political issues from some startling angles. This production is a rewrite of the original Victorian play, focusing on wrangling over the UN international justice system. Innovative theatre practitioner Katie Mitchell directs. as the best living British actor for his performance as the feisty Rooster. The media frenzy, however, is well deserved for once. Jerusalem is quite simply unmissable. The play is by Jez Butterworth, and follows the life of the rogueish Rooster in his mobile home. He attracts the kids from the local neighbourhood with his illicit parties of drugs and alcohol, causing havoc along the way. It’s back from a trip over the Atlantic to Broadway, where the usually severe American audience took it to their hearts. Jerusalem is only showing for a few months, and unfortunately its success has meant some pretty steep price increases from the producers. Even so, it is a fantastic piece of work

The Royal Ballet Draft Works in the Linbury Jan 24-26

Draftworks is a chance for dancers from the Royal Ballet to show off their own choreographic skills. The Linbury Studio’s intimate size means that you get to see these world-class athletes up close and personal, as they experiment with new ideas.

and if you are going to invest in one theatre production this season, make it this one. Jerusalem, Apollo Theatre, W1V 7HD, until Jan 14. Tickets from £32. www. royalcourttheatre.com Previews by Christine Twite

The Changeling Young Vic Jan 26-Feb 18

Billed as a darkly comic tale of sex, love and panic, this sounds like the perfect production to pull you out of those post-festive blues. Joe Hill-Gibbins, its critically acclaimed director, has dubbed Middleton ‘the Tudor Tarantino’.

Woldgate Woods. Photo: Richard Schmidt

Art

An eye for an iPad Faye Robson gets fresh with David Hockney David Hockney’s favourite word is ‘fresh’. That’s my best guess, given the number of times he uses it in interviews. In the trailer for his new show at the Royal Academy, he points out that much of the work will be ‘new’ or ‘fresh’ (made in the last three to four years) and previously unseen. His recent exhibition at Fondation Pierre Bergé, Paris, was titled Fleurs Fraîches (‘Fresh Flowers’), from a much-quoted line regarding his iPhone and iPad drawings. He has proudly said that he can now draw and send ‘fresh flowers’ to his friends every morning at the click of a button. Speaking of the sketchbook-like iPhone itself, Hockney also says that he loves the mobility and convenience of the thing – its ‘freshness’. This is all perhaps unsurprising. Hockney is an artist who, both personally and in his creative life, has always seemed to be completely, thrillingly, unafraid of change and innovation. He swaps between artistic media like I swap shoes, and moved between England and Southern California throughout his life with exhausting regularity. Before picking up the iPad, Hockney had experimented with drawing and printing on the

first, revolutionary, computer graphics programmes and even the first fax machines. Still it’s difficult to get over the fact that, at the age of 74, Hockney has taken to digital ‘painting’ as quickly as a media-savvy teenager. Like a Facebook addict, he shares four to five digital sketches (made in the ‘Brushes’ app) with his friends every day. The themes include portraits, still lifes and even depictions of the dawn as seen from his bedroom window. He side-steps the gallery system and the art-critical evaluation that most new work from a major artist receives. The man is, quite simply, unstoppable.

landscape work in the UK and will cover over 50 years of painting, drawing and photography. The works range from 1980s photocollage, through the hot, dust-red paintings of the Grand Canyon that Hockney made in the late 1990s (see A Closer Grand Canyon, 1998), right up to his most recent works – vast, open-air paintings of his East Yorkshire home. Many are entirely new, but Hockney has made it clear that he intends to take full advantage of the vast Royal Academy galleries, and we can expect paintings on the scale of the 15-feet high, 50-canvas Bigger Trees Near Warter which appeared in the same building four years ago.

‘Hockney is unafraid of change. He swaps between artistic media like I swap shoes’

His luminous, experimental digital works take their place in the Royal Academy show alongside video – Hockney often drives around his native East Yorkshire with nine cameras strapped to the car, making simultaneous, multiview films – and the depictions of landscape that the artist has returned to throughout his career. This is the first major exhibition of Hockney’s

Hockney’s work has always been bold, intensely colourful and slyly witty. However, there’s nothing to say that this show, and the new work in it, will repeat what’s gone before. It’s going to be, well, fresh. David Hockney: A Bigger Picture, Royal Academy of Arts, W1J 0BD, Jan 21-Apr 9. www.royalacademy. org.uk

Reviews ART

The big picture

Between the Covers Faye Robson on art books this Christmas

Dominic Wells cracks the Da Vinci code

Like a Virgin: the two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks can be compared side by side for the first time.

When you hear of a sell-out tour, you think of Rihanna, not an artist nearly 500 years dead. Yet tickets to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery have been trading on Viagogo for £150. Even a screening of the launch, broadcast live in Picturehouse cinemas, was a sell-out. A few tickets are available each day on the door if you queue, but is it worth the hype? In a word, yes. There are only nine pictures on display, but that is more than have ever been assembled in one place: just 15 survive. And the two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, one from the Louvre and the other from the National Gallery, hang together for the first time. Why is Leonardo famous enough to have given his name to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, for the Mona Lisa to be the most parodied artwork outside of The Scream? Unlike now, when science and art are kept as separate disciplines, he studied anatomy, even dissecting corpses, as well as botany, light and geology, all qualities that informed

Can you describe your working space? I have my own studio. I have access to the exhibition to use my sketch book. I’m going to start next week. What will your work be? I’m going to sketch that little one, Pine Island, then work it up into a big piece, channeling Tom

Christmas is coming and, if you haven’t quite got the funds for that original Damien Hirst you’ve had your eye on, art books make great and usually pretty affordable gifts. At the top end of the book (and budget) spectrum, is Phaidon’s mammoth Art Museum (£125). At 992 pages, and documenting nearly 3,000 works, this tome claims to be ‘the greatest art collection ever assembled in a book’. The hype is justified – the illustrations are glorious and provide access to works from every continent, period and medium you can imagine. Still, affordable it is not.

his paintings. He was far more prolific as a scientist than a painter, in fact. A museum in Florence, where he grew up, re-creates models of his inventions, many of them military. He dreamed up the helicopter, the tank, concentrated solar power and the calculator. He was gay, probably, and left-handed: he wrote all his notes in mirrorwriting, backwards, and could write

different texts using both hands at the same time. Rock star, artist, scientist, genius. Johnny Depp, Brian Cox and Damien Hirst all rolled into one. Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is at the National Gallery, WC2N 5DN, www.nationalgallery.org. uk,until Feb 5

In the studio: Liz Charsley-Jory Liz Charsley-Jory has art in the blood – her grandmother studied painting with Arthur Lismer of the Group of Seven, an affiliation of artists whose contribution to Canadian landscape painting is celebrated in the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s current, colourful exhibition. As the gallery’s recently appointed Canadian Artist In Residence, her role combines teaching with developing her own drawing-based practice in the context of the exhibition.

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Thomson, so I can think ‘What would he have done?’ and ‘How would he have cranked it up?’ If you could buy one of the works in the Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven show, which would it be? That same one. It’s very expressive – it’s got a busy sky, clouds rushing past, and the trees are kind of stunted and windswept. Those pieces make me feel, not homesick, but nostalgic for my country. What are your ambitions for this residency? I would like to do some painting. I’m not a painter by training. I really like oil pastel – my usual colour medium – and engaging directly with the surface, so there’s no paintbrush separating me from the work. I think the way the Group of Seven painted

was similar to that, it was all about laying down colour thickly. Are there any modern Canadian painters you admire? Of course! I would like to think more about contemporary landscape artists: a good example is Peter Doig. His paintings are very layered and multi-levelled and he references the Group of Seven. It will be good to expand my practice and experiment. Interview: Faye Robson

For those with something a little more, ahem, modest in mind, Felicity Allen’s Your Sketchbook Your Self (Tate Publishing, £6.99) is a punchy, vivid guide to building your own creative journal. Aimed specifically at students, and featuring samples from masters including Picasso, David Hockney and Louise Bourgeois, it’s the perfect gift for art students at school and college. The prize for most covetable film book is split between a paean to analogue film – Tacita Dean: FILM (Tate, £14.99) – and Pat Kirkham’s Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design (Laurence King, £48). Bass’s iconic film title sequences are only a small part of the timeless body of work illustrated in this cool, well-designed hardback. A slew of fantastic books on contemporary art (especially painting, see Phaidon’s Vitamin P2) are also available this year. Final mention goes to something slightly more unusual, Graffiti and Street Art (Thames and Hudson, £9.95). It is nothing less than a complete history of the medium, featuring some of the best illustration of the work that I have seen.

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Reviews ART

tRabindranath

Tagore: Poet and Painter

V&A, SW7 2RL, Dec 12-Mar 4, free. www.vam.ac.uk

Best place in London for art gifts: Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale, I jest. The Whitechapel Art Gallery shop and Magma are pretty great. Best gift: Purple rollerblades when I was eight, and I got a Central St Martin's evening course a few years ago that was grown-up brilliant.

A Nobel Prize-winning poet, Tagore was also no slouch when it came to painting (or composing, writing plays or founding universities for that matter). Organised around four themes – concerning landscape, portraiture, human gesture and ‘animal/composites’ – this show features 50 influential artworks, never before seen outside of Tagore’s native India. Bold, theatrical and completely unique.

Robert William Buss

Faye Robson, Art Editor

Dickens and London

Museum of London, EC2Y 5HN, Dec 9-June 10, £8. www.museumoflondon.org.uk

Worst gift: I was quite a tomboy, and once received a walk-a-dog Miami Barbie. Can six-year-olds look disgusted?

Think of Dickensian London and what are the images that spring to mind? Crowded, tumble-down slums? Picturesque orphans and their plucky sex-worker companions? Marking the 200th anniversary of the novelist’s birth,

Wish-list: An iPad – I'm only human.

the Museum of London sets out to explore the true historical context of Dickens’ life and work in the city that inspired him. The scope is huge, featuring everything from original manuscripts to a newly commissioned graphic novel.

East London Design Show Anka in Tokyo. Collection Articor Geneva

Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, EC1V 9LT, Dec 2-4, £5. www.eastlondondesignshow. co.uk

Wilhem Sasnal: Swineherd

Whitechapel Gallery, E1 7QX, Dec 8, 7pm, £6. www.whitechapelgallery.org

Take this chance to catch some of the events accompanying Wilhelm Sasnal’s painting show at Whitechapel, which continue right up until Christmas. A series of the Polish artist’s films are being

screened in the gallery, complementing his interest in cinematic and mass-media imagery. The highlight is this feature-length fairytale about a swineherd, a farmer’s daughter and her lover.

The East London Design Show unites over a hundred independent product, interior and jewellery designers under one roof. And an impressive roof, at that: the newly restored Shoreditch Town Hall. It’s a chance not just to take Britain’s creative pulse, but a great way to stock up on unique and affordable Christmas gifts. We’re loving the quirky retro handbags by Black Tangerine, and the ‘London’ designs by Formation (above). You can download a two-for-one entry voucher from the website. Previews by Faye Robson and Dominic Wells

SALE STARTS 3RD DECEMBER AND ENDS 21ST FEBRUARY 2012. ALL PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY AND PRICE CHANGE.

NOW ON

Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colour The world’s most highly pigmented paint. Unmatched for purity, quality and reliability. Available in 120 colours.

www.cassart.co.uk

Scarlett Raven, painter MA Central Saint Martins 96-99 www.scarlettraven.com Photographed by Nadav Kander

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Reviews ART

Book Ahead: January Alberto Burri

Estorick Collection Jan 11-Apr 8

The small-but-mighty Estorick hosts a survey exhibition dedicated to one of twentieth-century art’s great innovators. The show will include early paintings alongside the sculptural canvases – made using burnt canvas, wood, welded metal and ceramics – for which Burri is best known. Lis Rhodes: Dissonance and Disturbance

ICA

Jan 25-Mar 18

Lis Rhodes has been making films since the 1970s, but she’s not going to be directing Tom Cruise blockbusters any time soon. Her work is fragmented, experimental, challenging, yet often exhilarating, as will be seen from the ICA’s retrospective of four decades’ work in the upper galleries.

Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam

The British Museum Jan 26-Apr 15

tMini Picture Show Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, SE1 9JH, Nov 25-Jan 22, free. www.banksidegallery.com

This gallery in the shadow of Tate Modern houses the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. The prints and watercolours shown in the annual Mini Picture Show are, as the name suggests, all small-scale, and so are the prices: they start at just £50.

Framed Stephanie Keller, of street art site blog.vandalog.com, shares this surreal collaboration between abstract graffiti writer Remi/Rough and Australian duo Dabs & Myla. Find it on Old Street, where other works include Roa’s gigantic weasel mural, plastered on the side of the Old Foundry building. Seen some great street art? Send it to pictures@ thebookmag.com

Historic manuscripts, treasured artefacts, documentary photographs, contemporary art and more, brought together in one place to illuminate the journey at the centre of Islam. The rituals of the Hajj have endured for nearly 1,500 years – this shows explores how the pilgrim’s journey has changed.

Migrations

Tate Britain

Jan 31-Aug 12

A massively ambitious show, tracing the ways in which successive waves of migration have shaped British art since the sixteenth century. It will delve into the movement of artists, images and ideas, from Piet Mondrian to the Black Audio Film Collective and further, to artists working today.

Wii will still rock you Nintendo's console is racing to a finish, says Nigel Kendall

This Christmas is likely to be the last one where Nintendo’s Wii features on any letters to Santa. Next year, Nintendo will launch a new, more powerful console called the Wii U, which will allow the company to catch up with the technical capabilities of its rivals. I’ll be sorry to see the Wii vanish, because more than any other home console in history, this is the one that made playing games acceptable for a new audience. What had previously been a niche area, largely the province of males, suddenly became a family phenomenon. Classic games such as Super Mario Brothers and Mario Kart (above left) appealed to Nintendo’s loyal audience, Wii Fit got mum and dad off the couch, and Resident Evil (above centre) showed that the console even had a place for horror-hungry youths. The Wii was the perfect embodiment of Nintendo’s core belief that playing games should

dit gam cre e h e ft gamersrsnow, be fun for everyone. It’s no coincidence that nearly now and Nintendo deserves a lot t o of the (or b o , l and depending on your lam(or credit all the best-selling titles for the Wii were made by apointfoofr its e, dblame, es andw)the eppioneering v endi Nin tendo r work on Wii Nintendo itself, rather than third-party developers. pview) for its se of vie ioneering w ng on your de S. handheld DS.ork on Wii andpoint the handheld D The Wii’s success has had a huge knock-on effect Happily, the Wii is not dying quietly. The Legend by increasing the visibility of games. Four years of Zelda: Skyward Sword (abvove right), which will ago, the quality press all but ignored the video deservedly top shopping lists, is a brilliant games industry. Last month, The Times devoted a farewell. The first Zelda game built specifically full page to the for the Wii and Wii Plus remotes, it blends launch of the latest charm, intrigue and utterly captivating puzzles Call of Duty. The in the way that only Nintendo can. The motion Wii helped many controls are inch-perfect, precise enough to cut people realise that string with a bow and arrow, and the sword and games were as shield manoeuvres are quickly learned. much a part of the entertainment industry as DVD or film, and reminded everyone Nintendo has created a rich, immersive roleplaying game for people who don’t like rolethat humans, like most mammals, love to play. playing games, just as it once made a games console for people who don’t like games consoles. Many first-time players then graduated from the Wii to a PS3 or Xbox 360. The rise of the If your once-loved Wii is gathering dust, brush it smartphone and the app store has been partly down and plug it in. One last time, Wii can play. driven by games such as Angry Birds. We are all

‘The Wii made playing games acceptable for a new audience’

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Reviews GADGETS

Lust Have Tivoli PAL + DAB radio £249, www.tivoliaudio.co.uk

Nigel Kendall, Gadgets Editor Best gadget received: A junior microscope when I was a child. Suddenly, no blade of grass, human hair or cat flea was safe. My main interest was less science than the yuck factor, the realisation that under the right amount of magnification, everything in the world looks horrible. And for that insight, I remain profoundly grateful. Closest equivalent today: Natural History Museum Pocket Microscope (£9.99 from amazon.co.uk). Worst gadget received: A universal remote control from Logitech, which after three hours of pointless USB-connecting and online programming had roughly the same remote control capabilities as a piece of cheese. It is the only time I have roared in frustration and literally smashed something to pieces. With a hammer. Ultimate Christmas gift: Think: if you’re buying for, say, your parents, is it really a gift they will want and use? The Gigaset SL910A home phone, by Siemens (around £150, http://bit.ly/s5r3hM) is like an iPhone for the home, with touch-screen, wireless sync of contacts with computers and Skype built in. It’s also a very pretty phone and answering machine, which works just fine without any of the computer-y add-ons. An elegant winner.

Tivoli make brilliant radios, conjuring up reception even in the trickiest areas, and this portable DAB unit is no exception. Not only does it sound as good as a radio three times its size, but it also receives the DAB+ signal used

in some European countries and good old FM. It can be used as an alarm clock, has an input for MP3 players, recharges fully in just over three hours and is waterresistant, built to withstand even the British picnic.

Novelty gift

For fat fingers

Stocking filler

£150, www.invadercade.com/uk

around £85, www.belkin.com/uk

£4.99, www.trueutility.com

Invadercade for iPad

I don’t normally go for gimmicky presents, but for classic Space Invaders, I’ll make an exception. This is a miniature version of the original video game cabinet, into which you plug your iPad and then play the game using the joystick and fire button as normal. It also doubles as an iPad stand and recharger, and I want one for Christmas.

Belkin Keyboard Folio

A well made folding case for the iPad2, complete with Bluetooth keyboard, this is the accessory for iPad owners who don’t like touchscreen typing, or who want to turn their magical devices into a laptop. It all folds flat, and the iPad screen is quickly accessible. A further twist and up pops the keyboard, which looks and feels like a real Apple job.

True Utility LockLite

The dark nights are closing in, but with this very handy torch, you’ll never struggle to find your keyhole after last orders again. The LED bulb casts a surprisingly strong light over three metres, and the whole push-button torch clips easily over standard Yale-shaped house keys.

App Market

Artfinder for iPhone/iPad

Boring but useful

PowerMonkey around £30, www. powertraveller.com

This tiny, rechargeable power pack holds enough juice to recharge a camera, a smartphone and a Nintendo DS before needing to be plugged in again. A great way to reduce the amount of cable spaghetti you carry with you.

Music everywhere

Logitech Squeezebox Touch £250, www.logitech.com

This touch-screen controller connects wirelessly to the computer where your music collection lives, enabling you to play your music at one end of the house while leaving your computer at the other.

This is an almost indispensable companion in an art gallery. If the notes on a particular work are inadequate, simply take a photo and the app’s database will identify it for you and provide extensive notes on the work, the artist and the story behind it. The app also uses GPS to pinpoint the nearest gallery to wherever you’re standing.

Blogs Nollywood Forever

www.nollywoodforever.com

This shrine to Nigeria and Ghana’s thriving zero-budget movie scene is as ramshackle as the films themselves, but it’s done with love – and occasionally hate. Obama Babes, says one recent review, ‘is a poorly executed hot-ass trashy mess. Uche Jombo why why why?’ www.americancupcakeinlondon.com

Behind the Blog

‘Cupcake Kelly’ gives us her recipe for success Kelly Buhler, 27, or ‘Cupcake Kelly’ as she now calls herself, blogs An American Cupcake in London. The blog is not really about her, though she is an American who’s lived here since she came to study at 18; it’s all about the cupcakes. She talks to us about cakes inspired by everything from Lady Gaga to Christmas. You were picked by C4.com/ goodfood as one of the six best baking sites, and by Google as Blog of the Day. What makes a successful blog? I was so surprised by those, they came totally out of the blue. I never set out to make a successful blog. I started it in spring 2010 just because I liked baking, and it was a good way to keep a record of what I made. After six months, I guess, traffic just started to grow, and I started getting sent cookbooks to review and being invited to product evenings. So that’s my advice: pick a topic you love, and keep at it! Even if no one is reading, people will come to it. How can you build up traffic to your blog? Pictures are good for search optimisation. I choose clear titles that people might be searching for, like ‘Best Brownies in London’ or ‘Bakeries in London’. I guest-post on bakery blogs with a lot of traffic, and link to blogs I like, who link back to me. I also went to a

bloggers’ conference, and that was really helpful. I came late to Twitter, but it’s a must: most food bloggers chat on Twitter. I’ve now got something like 20,000 page views a month, 1,700 signed followers of the blog, 500 Facebook Likes and 600 Twitter followers. How do you stand out from other blogs? You have to find your own individual take. Mine is unique cupcakes, or flavours you don’t see every day. Recently I made a Lady Gaga ‘cake pop’, with a bubble dress of marshmallows and glittery sunglasses; people also really liked my pink champagne cupcakes. Do you have any special baking ideas for Christmas? I do some lovely American-style treats: the recipes are up on my blog. There’s pumpkin pie, traditional American apple pie, and candy cane cupcakes. I do think it’s dessert that gives a Christmas dinner its ‘wow’. Where do you see this going in the future? I did think of working in a cupcake shop, but I’m happier creating recipes. In fact I’ve just got my first commission from a food company to make a unique recipe based on their product. I’d like to scale that up. But I’m happy with my day job as an accountant. I’m popular at office parties – I bring cakes!

The Sunday Times Social List www.the-social-list.com

Let’s be honest, none of us will be making it on to The Sunday Times Rich List anytime soon. One list we can hope to be on, however, is The Sunday Times Social List. Here’s how it works: it assesses your ‘worth’ based on your social networking activity. So if you’re a hardcore social networker and are constantly sharing, tweeting, updating, liking, or commenting, it’s worth checking out how much you’re valued. The site draws on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Foursquare.

Follow the tweeter Not many celebrities have pictures of themselves with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Shahrukh Khan, but then not many stars are as well-known as Lady Gaga. She is the most followed person on Twitter, with 15 million and counting. Go gaga: @ladygaga: Were not in

NEW YORK anymore Toto! This isn’t the #NewDeli, its #NewDelhi! We’ve come a long way since the lower east side. NAMASTE! Thanks to Twitter, your favourite

Cosy Coffee Shops

www.cosycoffeeshops.co.uk

Tom Hiskey is like a modern-day Sir Lancelot on a quest, and his Holy Grail is the perfect cup of coffee. Drool at the gorgeous pictures taken by Tom, or just get insider tips on places to go this winter. Recent suggestions include Prufrock Coffee on Leather Lane, and the Espresso Room in Bloomsbury. The places are rated on their coffee and charm. Plus the interactive map is a useful tool to help you think of hotspots to take hot dates. Reviews by Kohinoor Sahota fictional characters can remain in your life. The likes of @homer jsimpson, @indiana jones and @the_joker all have tongue-in-cheek profiles to keep you giggling. Our personal favourite is Darth Vader: @darthvader: I enjoy the Force like my toast - a little on the Dark Side. Follow us on @thebook magazine

for updates and exclusive offers.

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Travel LAS VEGAS

24 hr party people: Las Vegas:

Vegas veteran Dominic Wells does an all-nighter It’s no coincidence that The Hangover is set in Vegas. The place has no purpose other than hedonism. It’s not all about gambling, either. Every casino has a free attraction: the dancing fountains at the Bellaggio; the exploding volcano at the Mirage; the ludicrous pirate show at Treasure Island. And it has some of the most spectacular nightclubs in the world. I’ve been seven times, averaging three hours’ sleep a night. Let me be your guide to Party Central. 9am: Wake after two hours’ sleep, thanks

to jet lag. Rub eyes. Open curtains. Rub eyes again. The view might be the Statue of Liberty, an Egyptian Pyramid, a half-sized Eiffel Tower, or a medieval castle. You’re in Vegas, baby. There are some spectacular hotels in Vegas, and if you’re travelling with mates, consider jointly renting a jawdropping $500 suite and taking turns on the couch. But really, who wants to sleep? You just need somewhere on the central Strip with a bed and a shower. I used to stay at the Imperial – tatty but right in the centre and just $35 a night, plus they once upgraded me to a penthouse suite with its own lounge, bar and Jacuzzi built for six. But the recession has brought incredible deals online, and you can often find a better hotel – Planet Hollywood is smart and popular with Brits – from $55 midweek.

Fashion Mall, or south to Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile of shopping enclosed beneath a faux-sky ceiling.

9.30am: Most hotels have an obscenely

11.45am: As you stroll the Strip, look out

large breakfast buffet, with more than a dozen nationalities of cuisine. It might cost $20+, but will keep you going all day. Stick some in your bag to save on lunch. 10.30am: Shop to accessorise the night’s

outfit. Head north along the Strip to the 12 noon:

for the guys handing out club passes (not to be confused with escort cards). Don’t stint the tip: the cards can save you $30 a night in entry fees. Get used to tipping in Vegas for sunshine service in return. At a busy bar, tip big on the first drink: the bartender will serve you first the rest of the night. 12 noon:

12noon: Grab a cab and catch some

culture, Vegas-style. Maybe the Neon Museum, or the Pinball Hall of Fame. For couples, a gondola ride in the canals of the Venetian, or a trip up the half-sized Eiffel Tower at Paris. My personal favourite is the Gun Store, where you live out your Hollywood action-hero fantasies shooting a real Magnum, Desert Eagle or even semi-automatic at a target. You can’t drink or gamble in Vegas under 21, but a kid of ten will be handed a gun with a smile. 9.30pm:

Travel LAS VEGAS

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the Voodoo Lounge at the Rio hotel. I love this because it’s 51 floors up, and dining gives free entry to the club upstairs, to dance on a roof terrace with a twinkling neon sea below. Beware the Witch Doctor cocktails: they’re $40 each, big as your head, and they smoke. They’re meant to be shared; I once had two to start a night and don’t remember a thing... 1.30am: By now the queues may have

thinned enough to get into one of the super-clubs. Go early, or go late, but never round midnight: queues are horrendous and guest lists and VIP passes are ignored. All-male groups will only get in if they pay for ‘table-service’ at about $500 per bottle of vodka. You can also try to book priority access from websites such as Vipnight, Vegaspassport or Vegaspartypass. Where to go? Of the classics, Pure at Caesar’s is huge, always fun, with a nice Strip-side terrace; Tao at the Venetian is great but rammed except when the rooftop pool garden opens. Of new clubs the $60 million XS at the Wynn is amazing, with a huge circular floor leading on to a pool area; and the similarly expensive Marquee at Cosmopolitan is quite simply the best club I have ever been to, with three dancefloors (check out the quieter Library at the top) and 22,000 sq ft of pool area with skyline views. 4am: The night is still young, and so are

you. Go to Drai’s at Bill’s – the after-hours club, in a brightly painted basement where you can actually sit at the tables until the people who reserved them arrive. 7am: Stumble back to your room. But it 1.30pm: Cab it to Fremont Street, the

old heart of Vegas, now covered with a 150-foot long electronic roof that shows a massive animation on the hour. The vibe here is more down-to-earth lively, and drinks are way cheaper: buy an American football full of beer, or a plastic guitar full of cocktails. Under-21s can get nonalcoholic cocktails and a cheap temporary tattoo. The minimum bets on the gaming and poker tables are lower here, too, or for non-gamblers there’s a great bowling alley. 1.30am:

7pm: Take the cheap Deuce bus back to

the Strip to save your money for a show. These are crazy expensive, but worth it. My own favourite is The Beatles’ LOVE at the Mirage, by Cirque du Soleil. Get half-price tickets at the Tix4tonight.com booth at Four Queens on Fremont Street (or several outlets on the Strip), and you might ‘only’ spend $50 a head. 9.30pm: Hungry? Tix4Tonight also offers

half-price dining, so take pot-luck. Or head to

ain’t over till it’s over. This is my favourite hour, when Night Vegas meets Day Vegas, and early-rising pink-track-suited grandmas jog past drunks in fancy dress and desperate hookers trying to score one last trick. I once stopped to share a cigarette with some Brits outside Caesar’s at 8am, and a New Yorker proposed marriage to me for holding her shoes. Now that’s a night to remember. Unless you forget it all in the morning. For an exclusive 10% discount with Trek America, the travel specialists for 18-38s, see p51 1.30am:

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Style Study BLING

he nights are longer, the temperature’s dropping and London’s party people are thinking of how to work seasonal sparkle without, well, looking like a Christmas tree. As fickle as it likes to appear, fashion is at heart a creature of habit: come the festive season, it’s all about putting on the glitz. In the world of the rich and famous, however, every day is Christmas. From Kanye West’s $180,000 watch encrusted with diamonds in the likeness of his own face, to Kim Kardashian’s $2 million diamond engagement ring, our flash-tothe-max age of celebrity is all about wearing your success. In a word: bling. And bling is not just restricted to jewellery. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most expensive MP3 player was launched last year. Made of solid 22-carat gold and decorated with diamonds, it retails at under £140,000. Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewellery Book traces its roots back to the birth and rise of hip-hop, and the materialistic era of ’80s Reaganomics that took the excesses of old Hollywood and ran with it. It

gives as good a summary as any: ‘Bling is a visual declaration of financial and stylistic freedom.’ But while the word may be new, our desire for decoration is anything but. ‘A history of the way people dress is concerned with the story of man’s first and most faithful addiction – his intense pre-occupation with the appearance of his own body,’ wrote Madge Garland in A History Of Fashion. ‘Above all, man has used clothing as a means of aspiring towards his fantasies of a better, or at least different, body.’

extravagant tomb of Tutankhamun. In A History Of Jewellery Joan Evans writes that it ‘answers to the deep human love of intrinsically beautiful materials, to the deep human wish for bodily beautification, and to the superstitious need for reinforcing human powers.’

The power of gold has been many-fold since before the beginning of recorded history. Until the 20th century the gold standard was what most currencies were based on, and in many cultures it was thought to have healing and protective powers. It’s little wonder that both royalty and religion, so deeply Transforming the way ‘For the rich and intertwined, share a we look can have a deep reverence for the transformative effect on famous, every day precious metal. The our lives – in the way we is Christmas’ gold crowns of are perceived and monarchs denoted perceive ourselves. While their highest standing clothing itself was relatively simple in in society, while religious artefacts made ancient times – think of the loincloths of from gold indicated the deep reverence the Egyptians or the togas of the Romans that followers held for their god. – jewellery made from gold and precious stones was worn to denote status. The For most people, getting decked out in most powerful members of society were expensive (or expensive looking) gear is the most decorated, both in their daily sometimes more about aspiration; a lives and, in ancient Egyptian culture, in statement about the person we wish to be. the afterlife, as demonstrated by the That’s by no means a modern

Style Study BLING

Diamonds go with rap like platinum goes with discs. But, Ruth Saxelby asks, is ice losing its cool?

∂Dress, Versace for H & M, H & M, £149.99 ∂Heart and pin crystal ladies’ watch, Vivienne Westwood, Selfridges, £199 ∂D&G Gold Watch, Selfridges, £175 ∂Bling diamond cut in silver belt buckle, www. candyfusion.com, £13.45 ∂Limited Edition Swarovski Crystal iPhone Case, Karen Millen, £105

∂Limited Edition Swarovski Crystal Court shoes, Karen Millen, £295 ∂Nike Air Royalty High Shoes, Nike, £67 ∂BOSS Green Apache Heaven Metallic Trainers, www.asos.com, £165 ∂Embellished stud earrings, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Selfridges, £50 ∂Silver-look cuff earring and studs, River Island, £6

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Style Study BLING

phenomenon: as Alison Lurie points out in The Language Of Clothes, ‘by the early eighteenth century the social advantages of conspicuous dress were such that even those who could not afford it often spent their money on finery.’ But it’s never been more pervasive than in today’s celebrity-obsessed times. ‘Getting the look’ is crucial to projecting an image of success, power and wealth in the hope of attaining it; living the dream. In Bling: A Rock Story, a documentary that in 2007 examined the questionable politics and exploitative history of diamonds, Kanye called these days ‘the ice age’ as a reference to hip-hop’s obsession with diamond oneupmanship. ‘We are quick to want to show we have something ‘cos we always had nothing,’ he explained. Showing off was, he added, a way ‘to move up in the class system’. Having penned the Grammy-winning single Diamonds From Sierra Leone in 2005, Kanye was inspired by the documentary to record a new version that highlighted the plight of children caught up in the conflict diamond trade. Nevertheless, those statusgiving powers remain pretty hard to resist. On Ellen DeGeneres’s US chat show in 2010, Kanye revealed that he’d had his bottom row of teeth replaced with diamonds. ‘There are just certain things that rock stars are supposed to do,’ he said. But for how much longer? A new generation of rappers are taking hip-hop style back to its roots. Rising Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky might have gold teeth, $3 million in record deals and that dollar sign in his name, but the jewellery he wears has more in common with the basic ’80s gold chains of Run DMC than Kanye’s habit for diamond everything. ‘I ain’t talkin ‘bout no money, I ain’t talkin ‘bout no cars / Talkin ‘bout no diamonds cause that is a facade,’ rapped A$AP on recent track Wassup.

The golden years of bling

1341 BC

1964

1969

1981

1983

1996

2007

2010

2011

The original King of Bling was Tutankhamun, an Egyptian pharaoh. The touring show of his burial treasures caused eight-hour queues outside the British Museum in 1972, and was seen by 1.6 million visitors. ‘You can’t take it with you after you’re gone,’ people say now. But in ancient Egypt, they did just that.

Royalty doesn’t need to show off. Lady Diana Spencer chose a humble catalogue engagement ring in 1981 (albeit one that cost £28,000). Prince William gave his mum’s elegant 18-carat sapphire and diamond ring to his fiancée. It’s been copied for wannabe princesses worldwide: the one above is $20 on Amazon.

Blinging body-paint entered popular culture in Goldfinger. We give the James Bond movie a gold star for the most referenced bling: Rihanna’s breakout hit Umbrella showed her coated in silver body paint, and Kelly Osbourne and Holly Vallance have both recreated the gold look for photo-shoots.

Three decades before shouting ‘get some nuts’ on Snickers ads, Mister T brought bling to prime-time America. As B.A. Baracus in The A Team, he wore a Mandingo warrior crest to emphasise his African roots, with heavy gold chains that were there to remind him of the shackles African slaves wore.

Actor Richard Burton made his then wife Elizabeth Taylor (above, as Cleopatra) the queen of diamonds when he bought her a world-record 241-carat stone for upwards of $1 million. After their divorce, Taylor sold it for $5 million to build a hospital in Botswana. She later regretted getting rid of Burton’s gift.

Victoria’s Secret began making its annual bejewelled Fantasy Bra. The first was worn by Claudia Schiffer and cost $1 million; the Guinness World Record holder is the $15 million bra worn by Gisele Bundchen in 2000; and the most recent was a $2.5 million bra with 34,000 gems worn by Miranda Kerr (above).

Whether or not the bubble is about to burst, a halo remains around materials and fabrics that echo the real deal. This brings us back to the sparkly jewellery, glittery makeup and sequined fashion shining a beacon out of shop windows right now. While sequins and costume trinkets are a far cry from the gold collars of the ancient Egyptians or Kanye’s diamonds, they still enable a transformative moment: an opportunity to feel anointed, to feel special, to perceive and be perceived differently during the most extravagant yet reflective of seasons. All that glitters might not be gold, but everyone stills wants to shine. l

Perhaps frustrated that paintings by the Old Masters sell for more than his, Damien Hirst set about creating the world’s most valuable work of art. His platinum replica of an 18th century skull, encrusted with 8,601 diamonds, cost $14 million to make, but some doubt his claim to have sold it on for £50 million.

Grills, a gold or jewelled plate that covers your teeth, have long been a rap staple. But Kanye West went one further, replacing his bottom row with diamonds. “I just thought that diamonds were cooler”, said Kanye on the Ellen DeGeneres show about his sparkling smile. The price of super-shiny teeth was reportedly £40,000.

Love it or hate it, The Only Way Is Essex brought phrases from ‘jel’ to ‘shuuut up’ into our lives. On the bling side of it all they introduced us to vajazzles, adhesive crystals made from Swarovski elements that are applied to a woman’s intimate areas. So that men don’t feel left out, there’s also now the, er, Pejazzle.

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— 44

Photo-story NEW YEAR’S EVE

Midnight’s Children

The clock’s ticking: pick from our pics of last year’s parties, from decadent to danceable, to plan your best New Year’s Eve ever The most decadent...

Sinan Bozkurt

Extend your celebrations with a New Year’s Eve-Eve Masked Ball. At the Last Tuesday Society’s divinely decadent parties, guests go masked and dressed to the max while gold-painted nudes of both sexes recline on banqueting tables of fruit, adding to the feeling that you’ve just stepped into Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut. But, er, a bit more fun than that. St Matthew’s Church, Brixton, SW2 1JF, Dec 30, from 9pm, tickets from £15; The Apiary, E2 9EG, Dec 31, from 10pm, tickets £25. www. thelasttuesdaysociety.org

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s s

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Photo-story NEW YEAR’S EVE

The silliest... Feeling Gloomy is the club night that plays miserable songs – that you can dance to (see Inside Job, p50). Club du Fromage favours cheesy-listening pop for a crowd who like to dress up. With two rival rooms you can move between, their joint party must be one of the silliest and most enjoyable NYE nights around. O2 Academy Islington, N1 OPS, Dec 31, 9pm-4am, £20. www. o2academyislington.co.uk

Photo-story —47 NEW YEAR’S EVE

TROPICALISTA NYE

Rich Mix, Shoreditch Sat 31 December 9pm - 4am £10 early bird / £15 adv / £20 door This NYE London’s leading Latin Club-nights Batmacumba, Arriba La Cumbia & Movimientos join forces for an incredible carnival switch into 2012 featuring live Afro-Bloco sounds from ERI OKAN. Eri Okan brings samba-reggae directly from the streets of north-east Brazil to East London. Spinning the finest classics through to the latest ghetto club bangers are DJs Russ Jones (Hackney Globe Trotter), Cliffy (Batmacumba), Cal Jader & Arias (Movimientos). Located in the heart of Shoreditch Rich Mix offers live music, film, dance, theatre, comedy, spoken word and a range of creative activities for people of all ages and all cultures. More Info & Book Tickets www.richmix.org.uk Box Office 0207 613 7498 Rich Mix 35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road E1 6LA The funniest...

Registered Charity no. 1089163 s

Another year over already? You must be joking. At Comedy Carnival, they certainly are. Michael Macintyre’s Comedy Roadshow star Imran Yusuf leads a team of comics to entertain

you at the start of the evening, before you head on to the huge disco-lit dancefloor of this 111-year-old former music hall. Clapham Grand, SW11 1TT, Dec 31, 7pm-late (show 8-10pm). £35, £25 show only. www.comedycarnival.

NYE_AD.indd 1

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Photo-story NEW YEAR’S EVE

Anomalous Visuals – Antony Price

The danciest... Secretsundaze has been celebrating its tenth birthday in 2011, so their New Year’s Eve party should be something special – even by their full-on dance standards. It’s being held in a converted Grade II 1930s cinema, the Troxy in east London, but the house tunes will be box-fresh to keep you moving till the light’s on. Troxy, E1 OHX, 9pm-7am, Dec 31, from £14.50. www.secretsundaze.net

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Inside Job DJ

DJ —SEAN CLOTHIER

Sean Clothier, 25, studied English at UCL. He has DJ’d for five years, and was able to give up his day job in an ad agency this June. He lives in Finsbury Park, and his girlfriend is a fellow DJ. What advice would you give on getting that first DJ gig? Most people start by lying and saying they’ve done it before! Practise on your friends’ parties first. Luck helps: I had done some DJ’ing in my home town, Coventry, and then in London I had some friends over for a house party, and someone’s boyfriend liked the music I was playing ‘Once a girl – he happened to run a club.

offered me

sexual favours if I would play a Bluetones song’

Did your degree help you in your career? I loved uni. Moving away from home, living as some semiadult, semi-child, having three years to read, listen to music and educate yourself culturally, all that is invaluable. Studying English may not be directly useful, but it allows you to approach things critically. Do you need any special equipment? Most clubs have all the equipment you need. I never lug vinyl around anymore: it’s heavy and gets damaged easily. I do bring CDs but there’s an increasing number of decks you can plug MP3s into, but where you can still beat-match, loop and skip. What’s the most important thing to know about music? You need to learn about BPM (beats per minute). Dubstep is 70-80 BPM; hip-hop is 91-95; dance was 125 and is now 130, with stupid things at 170 that no one can move to. Where can you learn technical skills? It’s really not hard. You pick it up. Just play around. You can get computer programmes

that mimic a DJ set-up. Try Serato or Traktor. Any technical stuff is really not as important as song choice, just knowing what to play at different times. At 10pm, no one’s ready for dancing, so don’t play your main-set songs. Pitch it to the club: in some clubs, like Fabric, people will dance to what they don’t know; but in indie/pop clubs like The Roxy, they won’t. What are your favourite floor-fillers? At Feeling Gloomy, we play any music you can dance to that’s sad. How Soon is Now by the Smiths is massive, and I love ‘50s/’60s rock ‘n’ roll like Buddy Holly’s That’ll be the Day. At the Roxy, I like a bit of Northern Soul or Motown later on. My all-time favourite is Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher by Jackie Wilson. Finally: do you do requests? If people ask nicely. Once a girl offered me sexual favours if I would play a Bluetones song! You’d be amazed though how many people start with an insult: ‘This music is rubbish....’ I’ve also got spat on by a Morrissey fan, and once I got punched - but then again I said something cocky on the mic, and was wearing sunglasses indoors! Sean plays on Thursdays and Fridays at The Roxy on Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ; and on Saturdays at Feeling Gloomy at the O2 Academy, Islington, N1 0PS

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