Issue 4

The University of Southampton’s Finest Entertainment Publication Issue 4 3rd December 2009

EDITORIAL

INSIDE..

Records

Hello lovely readers!

- Robbie Williams - Say Anything - Julian Casablancas + More!

Welcome to our extra special Christmas edition of The Edge. We here in the Media basement hope you enjoy this festive treat that we have put together especially for you.

Live

- Billy Talent - Fleetwood Mac + More!

For your reading pleasure, Records takes a look at albums from Zero 7, Converge and Our Time Down Here; writers have been checking out gigs from Amy Studt, MC Lars and Kids in Glass Houses. If that was not enough for you, then Film reviews Paranormal Activity and continues our look at classic films with Apocolypse Now. We even have a bumper Features section filled with interviews, including The Flaming Lips and Frank Turner, so you can’t say we never give you anything!

The nice, long Christmas holidays are coming up soon (yay!), so if you find some free hours in that time then why not write an article or review for The Edge? We will be looking for content early in January for our next issue, so you could soon be seeing your name in print. If you have not yet been brave enough to send us something you have written, don’t forget that we need you to fill these pages with diverse and interesting content. Make it your New Year’s Resolution to give it a go!

You might notice on the next page a new section to The Edge, where we introduce a local band to you every issue. The inaugural column features ex-University of Southampton student Luke Leighfield, who is currently making his mark on the music scene around the world. You can find out all about how his current tour is going, what you can expect from the new album and when you can next catch him here in the UK. If you are in a local band and want to feature in our new section, or know someone who is, then email in and let us know. The Edge gave Oasis their first good review, so perhaps we could do the same for you...

Editors: Emmeline Curtis and Thomas Shepherd Record Editor: Kate Golding Live Editor: Hayley Taulbut Features Editor: Dan Morgan Film Editor: Stephen O’Shea Games Editor: Joe Dart Editor in Chief: Jamie Ings With: Alex Payne, Rik Sharma, Luke Borrett, Megan James, Jack Harding, Dhanesh Patel, Craig Charley, James Ash, Andy Baber, Kavina Upadhyay, Abby Thomas, Charlotte Woods, Matthew Tindall, Jazmin Sherman, Liam Gallagher

For enquiries email us: theedge@soton.ac.uk For advertising email: james@susu.org

Film

- Paranormal Activity - Thirst + More!

Features

- Frank Turner Interview - The Flaming Lips + More!

Games

- Tekken 6

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus That’s Entertainment..

By Emmeline Curtis If there was an award for ‘Unlikeliest Duet of the Year’ then it must surely go to Rolf Harris and Status Quo, who have teamed up for a Christmas single. The song, ‘Christmas in the Sun’, was inspired by Rolf’s memories of growing up in Australia and eating roast turkey in the blazing heat. Rolf Harris last topped the Christmas chart 40 years ago with the unforgettable ‘Two Little Boys’; his latest offering will be released on 7th December and go head to head with the winner of the X-Factor. He has said about the collaboration: “These guys have given me everything I have wanted.” They have also given me everything I never knew I wanted, and I really hope they do the world a favour beat the latest talent show winner to the top spot.

It’s about time the Christmas chart regained the excitement it used to have before Simon Cowell bought it.

Another unlikely pairing would be that of Ozzy Osbourne and Paul McCartney, but sadly it is not likely to happen. The two had a chance meeting when they both happened to work in the same studio, and Ozzy took the opportunity to ask McCartney to play the bass on one of his songs - an offer he

sadly declined because he did not feel he could better Ozzy’s work. Perhaps McCartney is too busy with the next best thing to a Beatles reunion? McCartney and Ringo Starr have teamed up on ‘Walk With You’, a song on Starr’s soon to be released album Y Not. For the first time in the history of the Academy Awards an award has been presented before the main ceremony in February when legendary actress Lauren Bacall was presented with a Lifetime Achievement statuette. Bacall has starred in over 30 films during her long career but has never won an Oscar until now, despite being nominated.

The award was fully deserved: Bacall is one of the few remaining great actresses from the ’Golden Era’ of Hollywood and is still going strong.

Sadly the stars of today are not quite of the same calibre; Will Ferrell is apparently the most overpaid actor in Hollywood. The commercial failure of his recent films such as Land of the Lost has led to the funny man topping the poll which measures cinema and DVD sales against stars salaries. The list also featured Eddie Murphy, Tom Cruise and, somewhat surprisingly, Samuel L. Jackson. The poll was released at the same

time it was rumoured that Johnny Depp will be getting paid £21 million to star in Pirates of the Caribbean 4. The world really does not need another film in the Pirates franchise, but if the rumours are true then Johnny Depp should join the list of overpaid actors.

PRESENTING

Luke Leighfield Welcome to our brand new local section. Kicking off the feature this issue is Luke Leighfield. Okay, so maybe Luke isn’t Southampton born and raised, but he did spend three years of his life studying at the University of Southampton. Having recently graduated, Luke is now focusing on his music. We caught up with him to find out what the next saga of his life has in store...

Congrats on graduating! What have you been up to since?

Thanks! After graduating I did a solo tour of Germany, went on holiday to Cornwall, wrote and recorded my new album, put together a new band, and played a few little festivals over the summer. I also got a job as a pallbearer and carried a few people to their graves. Bleak, but it pays the bills.

You’re currently on tour somewhere in Europe. Where abouts are you, and how’s it going?

I am currently typing this in the back of a van on the way to Berlin. My feet are really cold. Tour is great because for the first time ever I’m not driving! I have a driver, and a van, and a photographer, and a band, and it’s all terribly exciting. We’re doing ten days or so in Germany, playing a mixture of gigs and house shows, then we’re going back to England for a few days to recuperate before touring the UK from mid-November up until Christmas. The gigs so far have been great.

I’ve played Germany a few times before but none of my band has so I’m experiencing that first time thrill of playing in a foreign country all over again through them! In Germany you always get fed at your gigs and you get loads of free drinks and a bed for

the night, whereas in England you mostly get £50 and a bag of crisps, so it feels like we’re living the high life at the moment.

This isn’t the first time that you’ve toured abroad. Do you sometimes worry that you should be focusing all your efforts on home turf instead?

Yeah, I think I neglected the UK a bit last year because I played my first shows abroad and then basically got the bug, and got addicted to playing in different places.

However, I think it was good to take a bit of time off from the UK because I think people were maybe getting a bit sick of me playing their local venue every two months! I’m really very excited to be playing a month of shows in the UK and meeting up with some old friends, and generally having a great time. I’m also getting up to Scotland for the first time in two years and it should be really cold there in mid-December. Scotland in the cold is just so beautiful. I’m hoping for some snow!

Tell us about the new album. What can we expect from it? How has it progressed from your previous efforts?

My previous two albums were recorded in a tiny room in Malvern on an ageing laptop for the most part, so they were pretty budget. I’m really proud of the songs on those records, and also the production considering the amount of money we spent, or rather didn’t spend, on it. However, this new album was recorded with Pete Miles who has previously recorded The King Blues and Futures amongst others. He really is a little genius, and the album sounds huge. If you’ve heard my music then you should ex-

“These Are The Best Songs I’ve Ever Written”

pect more of the same, but a lot more guitar and ROCK, and far better production.

These are the best songs I’ve ever written, and they’re played by the best band I’ve ever had, so it’s a big leap for me.

There seems to be a much, for want of a better word, ‘bigger’ sound to the new songs. Was this intentional? Was there a particular sound in mind?

Thanks! There wasn’t a conscious change, but I think I basically just did everything I wanted to do and didn’t really consider whether other people would like it or not. Like on the first track, ‘By My Side’, there are four layers of guitar tapping and ridiculous triple harmony lines within the first minute, which is a bit stupid and overblown, but I liked it so it went on the record. Also, to use a cringey term, there is a more ‘mature’ (ugh) sound on some of the tracks. ‘I Won’t Look Back’, the fourth track, was kind of inspired by The Fray so it has a big pop ballad sound, unlike anything on my previous albums.

I also got a job as a pallbearer and carried a few people to their graves.

You’re making the new album available for free on bandcamp. First of all, for those unfamiliar, how does this work?

And second, what lead you to this decision?

Basically, you go on my bandcamp page, click ‘download album’ and then you receive

my album for free. It’s literally that simple.

My previous two albums had some great songs on them, but were recorded on a shoestring budget. So a few people have been put off my music by the production being a big ropey. Since recording my last album Fan The Flames in summer 2007, I’ve had the experience of two years of gigging and vocal lessons, and also listening to loads of new music and getting better at writing songs, so this album is basically hugely better. I want everyone that has maybe written me off or been put off my music to be able to try out this new stuff, and not to be put off by a price tag or having to bother to place an order in my online store.

It’s literally as simple as clicking ‘download’ and then people can check out my new stuff and hopefully re-evaluate their opinion of my music. I just want this album to be heard by loads of people all over the world, and for people to be able to share it with their friends with minimum effort.

And finally what can we expect from you in the not too distant future?

I’m touring all around the UK up until Christmas (including Southampton on December 5th!) so that should keep me busy for this year. In the new year I’m producing a split EP, and also doing some arranging and stuff on the new King Blues album. The new Get Cape Wear Cape Fly album is coming out too, and I played some piano on that, and I might be doing some production stuff with Eat Sleep Attack. I’ve also been doing some writing with a dance producer! There are a lot of new things happening which is cool. Other than that, I’m hoping to get out to Australia, China, Russia, Japan and Korea for a tour in spring. And I might write a new album. So not too much really!

RECORDS

Converge Axe To Fall This Massachusetts four piece band have evolved into icons of their genre, playing a vital mix of hardcore and metal that has managed to remain fresh and relevant, and above all sincere, in a scene that often raises expectations of the opposite. Their melting pot of influences along with their very distinct sound has ensured their longevity and respect, and their latest offering Axe To Fall shows them continuing their very high standards. Opener ‘Dark Horse’ races out of the starting blocks with all the qualites of traditional metal injected with a shot of rabies, and the wild eyed, genre-defying ride never lets up.

Jacob Bannon’s vocals still hit with the full force of hell emanating from a man’s mouth, and play perfect foil to what is in my mind the shining quality of this record in the outstanding guitar work. Whether from Kurt Ballou himself or one of the album’s handful of guest musicians, the general quality, technicality and energy of the riffs and solos in Converge’s arsenal on this album is ridiculous.

The guitar tone on display here is a continuation of what has always been a classic Converge element - that is, the seemingly effortless mixture of punk and metal, that jarring mix that defines some of the album’s

greatest moments - whether it is used in conjunction with machine gun drums to great effect such as in ‘Axe to Fall’ or as the focal point in horror-film sounding track ‘Effigy’, the guitar tones on display here carry some truly comendable efforts.

The demonic, tortured vocals tend to sit lower in the mix on most songs here, as is the case with ‘Reap What You Sow’. Although this does nothing to quell the intensity and edge they bring to the band, what is more evident here though, is that Converge are content to let their outstanding musicianship play haymaker, an option that has always been open to them but one they’ve

Dhanesh Patel

started to fully explore.

Although Converge’s high octane swipes of hardcore fury have always been a staple of the band’s catalogue, so too have their slower, more introspective cuts. This album is no different - Converge bring quality slower, sludgier numbers to the table with album closer ‘Wretched World’ - and by the end,you’ll be wanting more of what is surely one of the best releases of the year.

5/5

Good: Converge live up to their high standards.

Our Time Down Live. Love. Let Go Here

Bad: Won’t change your opinion on the genre as a whole.

Craig Charley

Live. Love. Let Go. is the debut album from Southampton hardcore band Our Time Down Here and is made up of 13 catchy, fast-paced songs about living life in the vein of Lifetime, H20 and The Steal.

The band have certainly matured since their self-titled EP and the production quality of the album is faultless; Peter Miles has taken the sound to another level with his production skills. One of the best features is the gang vocals which work well with singer Will Gould’s high-pitched vocal style and don’t sound out of place in the mix. Guest

vocals from Mark Pavey of The Steal and John Wright of The Don Ramos Players are used effectively. ‘You F**king Tragedy’ and ‘Stolen’ are two of the best tracks because of their input. Other stand out tracks are ‘Curtain Call’ and ‘Calender’, the former for its changes in tempo and the latter because it sounds like Lifetime.

The release of this album could not have come at a better time; the recent break up of The Steal has left a hole in the scene which Our Time Down Here have plugged with one of the best albums of the year – easily the

best hardcore release. This album should take Our Time Down Here to a new level – from supporting shows to headlining them.

The songs work well live and will soon be memorised by fans to add depth to the gang vocals. Our Time Down Here are always a great band to see and now with a brilliant record to back them up they should be making quite an impact in 2010.

5/5

Robbie Williams

After a three year absence, Robbie Williams returns with an album that would not so much as strike fear into his chart competitors, as put them to sleep. Say you’re with friends and hear a song you don’t know the name of, but you like it, so you ask your friends if they know. This album does not want to make you ask, and moreover, your friends have no reason to know the answer.

The initial problem for Robbie is that each song sounds like the last one. There seems to be simply a mixture of generic pop sounds, although some songs do have some piano, which gives the album a small flash of culture.

So, with the tracks being unoriginal, the next point to consider is, are they any good?

The answer is a yes with an ‘if’ and a no with a ‘but’. The tracks on this album are good, if you allow them to grow on you. Some of the lyrics are clever and Robbie’s singing is still as good as he was three years ago.

However, I had to wait until the fifth track, ‘Do you Mind’ for my eyes to slightly widen and my mind to become fully aware of what I was listening to. I heard ‘Bodies’ on the radio, before the album release, and it instantly felt like a grower. Pretty much all of Reality Killed The Video Star follows this principle.

With further deliberation though, I think ‘Bodies’ is not much more than a song for the audience to sing along with at Robbie’s concerts; probably so he can remember the

Good: The average Cartel fan will find this album to their taste.

Bad: Cartel have produced the same album. Again.

Reality Killed The Video Star James Ash

words himself.

Maybe I shouldn’t be too critical. I mean, it’s not like I’m the one out there making millions of pounds is it? It’s just that with such a long wait for new material, it’s hard not to

“Too many tracks pass you by, and you may not even get to the stage where you’re embarrassingly singing them in the shower.”

feel slightly let down.

Robbie Williams burst on to the scene brilliantly back in the late 90s, but I can’t help but feel he’s hit his autumn years a bit too quickly. Robbie fans will appreciate the album for sure, but I can’t exactly see many previous doubters changing their minds.

2/5 Good: A definite grower, give it time and you’ll like a few tracks.

Bad: A disappointing comeback from Robbie.

Kate Golding

“It feels souless and rushed”

2/5

RECORDS

More Cartel?

Chroma and Self Titled albums

Cycles

Cartel

Cartel are back with their album third studio album Cycles. Having had a couple of years out since their self titled, Cartel fans were eagerly awaiting this third release from the Georgia fivesome. The guys had a lot to live up to, given the huge success of their two previous albums and this album is ultimately what the Cartel fan will enjoy: roaring, sing-along choruses with catchy lyrics and riffs. However, it seems this album hasn’t quite met the high standards Cartel had set themselves. The album has a familiar Cartel formula, and although enjoyable there is a sense that this has all been done before and it would seem that Cartel are a one trick pony.

Shooting to fame in America on MTV’s Band in the Bubble, Cartel made their way into the hearts of the typical 12-20 year old generally female target audience. With model-esque looks, insanely catchy songs, the ability to play their own instruments as well as some clichéd lyrics, Cartel are the poppunk version of the manufactured boy band produced by the likes of X-Factor.

Although I loved the first two albums produced by this band, this album seems to really fail them. It feels soulless and rushed, with boring, and overused lyrics. “Torn at

the seam, my heart is sewn. Holding back the tears shed on my own” (‘Deep South’) how cliché can you get? The unoriginality of this album is not necessarily its failing, thousands of bands across the world are producing this sort of stuff - it is its insincerity that has left me feeling disappointed. It sounds like this is an album Cartel have written to make money and churned out to fulfil the contract, rather than an album written with some sort of emotion.

There are a few good songs on this record, the first single (released in July) ‘Let’s Go’ and ‘27 Steps’ are both good, typical of Cartel, but still, they offer something slightly different, and stand out more than any other songs. The acoustic track ‘Only You’, although filled with the clichéd lyrics aforementioned, is a welcome departure from the status quo of the album and breaks it up. Overall, this album is perfectly fine to listen to but nothing springs out and grabs you. If you don’t listen carefully all the songs seem to merge into one and easily fade into the background. Listen if you like Cartel in general, but if you are new to the band, listen to the first two albums first.

RECORDS

“Whilst Casablancas’s voice is so recognisable in Strokes form, he has created a whole new sort of record to what we would expect”

Julian Casablancas

Phrases For The Young

Phrases For The Young is the debut solo album of Julian Casablancas, who is best known for fronting the highly influential rock band, The Strokes. Casablancas’s solo album is his first real output of any significance since The Strokes last album, The First Impressions Of Earth in 2006.

In many ways it is quite the departure, with an electro-pop feel from start to finish.

However, whilst the crispy ringing guitars and compact rhythms of The Strokes are reduced, the new-wave style synths won‘t surprise anybody familiar with ‘Room on Fire’.

The catchy chorus of the opener, ‘Out Of The Blue’, kicks off the album, and is followed by the equally pop orientated ‘Left And Right In The Dark’, and the sprightly twonote synth line of the first single, ‘11th Dimension’. The crooning vocals of ‘4 Chords of the Apocalypse’ bring the album down a much-needed notch after the almost over-

4/5

powering nature of the opening three numbers.

The recognisable voice of Casablancas is never lost on this album as he takes on the opening line of ‘Ludlow St.’: “Everything seems to go wrong when I stop drinking/ Everything seemed to go my way last night,” with his usual husky manner.

Certainly, it is difficult to fault the lyrics of Casablancas on the this album.

“At times songs sound

over complicated with seemingly everything in the studio packed in to each song, in the manner befitting Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.”

The dark fizz of ‘River of Brakelights’ is probably the closest thing you will find to

Zero 7 Zero 7 have been off the radar for three years now, and after the successful collaboration with Jose Gonzales on The Garden, fans have eagerly anticipated the arrival of Yeah Ghost - the band’s fourth studio album.

Now the thing about Zero 7 is that they’re good because they’re predictable. Not in a “this sounds exactly like the last twenty songs they made”, but in a way that you would always be able to recognise one of their songs. Like the comfort in knowing the straining voice of Beth Gibbons is a clear marker of a Portishead song, Sia Furler’s synth-pop tones are synonymous with the band’s signature sound.

Unfortunately enough for fans however, Yeah Ghost carries mere remnants of this predictability. Sia Furler’s departure from being their resident vocalist is very apparent and, to be honest, hasn’t done them any favours. The only track that seems to hold the record up is ‘Swing’. The third song on the album opens with the familiar cradling that reminds the listener of older gems such as The Garden’s ‘Throw It All Away’. The saving grace here is undeniably Binki Shapiro’s vocals which are curiously similar to Furler’s.

The rest of the album is heavily influenced by the arrival of new vocalist Eska Mtung-

Andy Baber

Yeah Ghost

wazi who turned up to the studio with a Britney Spears album in one hand and turned a “bunch of nothing into four tracks”. Now the presence of that Britney Spears album is felt throughout the remainder of the album; gone are the darker down-tempo beats that were the foundations of every Zero 7 song, such as ‘Medicine Man’, make way for cheesy 80s synth leads and even more sugar-coated lyrics that are layered with “simply outrageous” girly yelps of “yeah”s and “do-do-do”s.

The opening track ‘Mr McGee’ sets the tone (and therefore sums up) Yeah Ghost perfectly. Stuttering beats create a canvas for Mtungwazi to warble out overly sunny lyrics that suffer even more under the countless repetitions of yet another set of “yeah”s and “oh-oh-oh”s. The vocals inevitably take over the famous layered beats of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker that should have remained front-stage.

It seems Zero 7 have come a long way since their first successful single ‘Destiny’, but unfortunately it has not been the right way. Rather than sounding like a progression, Yeah Ghost comes off as a clambering for a change that was probably demanded by both the label and the departure of Furler.

2/5

Good: Superb vocals throughout a distinctive record.

Bad: Not a lot!

The Strokes on this album, with its menacing overtones and towering vocals.

The final two songs are slightly forgettable, although the final song on the album, ‘Tourist’ has an epic quality from the off with brooding keyboards, neat little guitar fills and big drums.

Whilst Casablancas’s voice is so recognisable in Strokes form, he has created a whole new sort of record to what we would expect. With its catchy synths and Casablanca’s rumbling vocals to match, Phrases For The Young is an enjoyable album, which is much more than just filler before the new Strokes material.

Tour Dates

London, December 15th/16th

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RECORDS

“It’s the musical equivalent of being bought a drink by some enchanting stranger at a bar, only to wake up in a bathtub of ice with both your kidneys missing.”

Say Anything Say Anything are a band with a colourful history. Numerous line up changes, lead singer Max Bemis’ battles with bi-polar depression and drug habits, it’s a wonder that the band have even made it through to this, their self-titled third studio album. But whoever said what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger didn’t know the half of it, as Bemis and co. deliver a slaughtering of the senses and deliver an album that might just sneak in to take album of the year.

The album delivers thirteen hook ridden tracks, playing with a more upbeat, poppier sound than previously exhibited. Each is more infectious than the last; it’s like a pop punk parasite burrowing into your brain, but then you actually get along quite nicely. In true Say Anything fashion it’s a record at points mundanely simple, and yet vastly intricate, as we delve into Bemis’ complex psyche.

The record starts with the volatile and aggressive ‘Fed To Death’, and never lets up from here. Bemis lyrics are as always a sordid treat, with grotesque ideas somehow becoming beautifully poetic. ‘Death For My Birthday’ is the funnest song you’ve ever heard on the subject of euthanasia. ‘Mara And Me’ is a schizophrenic’s paranoid nightmare come true. While ‘Ahh... Men’ is a

Singles Yeasayer Ambling Alp For anyone that knows Yeasayer will remember their 2007 (to quote guitarist Anand Wilder) “sprawling debut” as an experimental tapestry of unidentifiable sounds that created a method of escapism. Pretty ironic considering their lyrics - especially the track entitled ‘2080’ which expressed a very nonexistent future for the world we live in - that were layered upon very grand, epic instrumentals, making the end of the world sound like an Eastern celebration.

Listening to their new single ‘Ambling Alp’ from their upcoming 2010 album Blood, you can’t help but question their progression.

Chris Keating’s lead vocals have transformed from an indie drawl into a pop punk

Like This?

Check out Animal Collective__ gasp. Is this the downward spiral of ‘selling out’ so as to make more accessible, moneymaking chart hits? Well the rumours can be settled once and for all because although this is definitely a step away, it is also a step forward. They have retained the layering of the rolling drumbeats, scratchy samples and harmonised vocals that make them unique, while kicking aside the teen angst from their first album to create a more optimistic feel.

We’ll have to wait for the rest of Blood to see if this has been a good move but based on ‘Ambling Alp’, I’m all ears.

Kavina Upadhyay 4/5

Tom Shepherd

Like This?

Two Tongues

heroic anthem for twisted romantics everywhere.

Musically the band delve down alleyways previously unexplored, giving the record a much grander finish. And technically the songs on this record are a lot more stable and resolute than previous efforts. That said, certain tracks do lull into a false sense of security, only to pummel the listener to a bloody pulp. It’s the musical equivalent of being bought a drink by some enchanting stranger at a bar, only to wake up in a bathtub of ice with both your kidneys missing.

It’s an album with charisma and charm, it’s intimate yet aloof, it’s sickly sweet but with a sinister side. It’s everything great about Say Anything, turned up. The album has so many hidden hooks and dark alleyways that it could take forever to explore them all, but you’ll love every minute finding them. With moments so catchy you’ll want to sing them aloud all day long. But with lyrics such as, “Can I lie with you in your grave?” just be careful where you sing them.

5/5 Good: Everything!!

Bad: Nothing

The Jumbling Flaming Towers Lips Kanetown City Rips

For lovers of quirky pop, here is a song that ticks just the right boxes. Delicious melodies, subtle grubby synths, and vocals you just can’t quite unravel – this even comes from an album with a theme. Jumbling Towers’ latest offering glides exultantly through enchanting-yet-jaunty cyclical hooks, which bubble happily underneath Joe DeBoer’s swooning and imperfect vocals. This is a track devoid of his usual tendency for Ballroom Blitz-worthy vocal theatrics, and instead, his voice trembles in a way fans will appreciate as appropriately idiosyncratic.

Jumbling Towers are a band worth checking out. Their chords may grate, their guitar solos may make no sense, but this release embodies every reason why you should give them a try: there are few songs that are both charming and disconcerting, and for producing albums teeming with the blighters, Jumbling Towers must be applauded.

Abby Thomas 4/5

Watching the Planets First of all I have never been a fan of The Flaming Lips. Their music has always been a little bit too experimental for me. When I discovered they were releasing a single with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I threw away all my hesitations because it’s Karen O. And I’m glad I did.

The song opens with a gong accompanying a steady drumbeat, giving it a very ‘Jungle Book’-esque feel, especially with the screaming and yelping from Karen O and Wayne Coyne that sound like animal cries.

The hollow voice of Karen O combined with the xylophone and echoed lyrics add an otherworldly feel of the song, creating that signature psychedelic sound.

I might have started the wrong way round, but find myself a self-proclaimed Flaming Lips fan.

Kavina Upadhyay

4/5

LIVE

Fleetwood Mac 2nd November 2009

The Sheffield Arena many that Fleetwood Mac have managed to retain over the years, it’s the energy that goes into their performances, and this was evident from the very start.

Lyndsey Buckingham in particular seems intent on proving that by no means are Fleetwood Mac ready to stop doing what they love, really giving the songs the ‘guitar god’ treatment and thrashing about the stage like a man possessed. At points I even thought he might have been enjoying himself a little too much.

It wasn’t just Buckingham’s stunning playing that wowed people though, the entire band was on form. Mick Fleetwood’s drumming providing a stalwart and energetic bedrock throughout, working in harmony with John McVie’s iconic baselines, and simply dominating ‘Tusk’. Stevie Nicks is as weird and wonderful as ever, her performance of ‘Gold Dust Woman’ bringing an eerie hush down over the arena and her voice, being the female focus since Christine McVie’s decision not to join the reunion, working in perfect harmony with Buckingham’s.

The performance lived up to the tag as a ‘Greatest Hits’ show, only the most demanding of fans could have been disappointed with the selection of crowd-pleasers the band produced. Interesting though, was the decision to include some of their lesserknown material, such as ‘Storms’, but this fitted quite well with the show’s fairly sentimental edge. Many songs were preceded by short (sometimes not so short) introductions centred around what they meant to the band and in what context they were written, mainly through the soft, slow tones of Nicks

James Truman It’s been five years since Fleetwood Mac’s Say You Will tour; some of the band having since continued with solo projects and some having taken a break from the limelight. But this was the lineup that had given the world the bestselling Rumours album, just minus Christine McVie, so I was confident on the long drive to Sheffield that the BritishAmerican rockers wouldn’t disappoint.

They certainly didn’t.

I arrived at the perfect time; I just had time to take in the size of the crowd the band had drawn when the lights went down and the cheers went up. The band came on and launched straight into ‘Monday Morning’, having had no support band.

Frankly they didn’t need it. If there’s one thing among the

and Buckingham. It would often be appropriate to criticise a band for this; people are there to see a gig, not ‘An evening with...’, but in Fleetwood Mac’s case this would be unfair.

This return has been nothing short of triumphant, and anyone worth their salt would feel proud of what the band has achieved and overcome over the years, so I think they’re allowed to be a little self-indulgent.

The only negative thing I’d have to say about the evening was not even the band’s fault. The crowd, being made up of mainly older generations (I think I was the youngest person there not with my parents) was reluctant to get going for much of the gig, only standing for some of the highest energy songs, and even seemingly only to see over the people in front of them. This only served to confuse me when the entire crowd got up and danced to ‘Don’t Stop’ during the encore. Perhaps they felt that they weren’t what they once were, and were saving themselves for the end.

As a fan of the band, I was blown away, but I fail to see how someone who had never even heard of them could not enjoy the performance I was treated to. The Unleashed Tour has finished, but keep your eyes peeled over the coming months for the possibility of a new album...and maybe a new tour.

4/5 Good: Everything I expected and more, simply incredible.

Bad: Unenthusiastic crowd.

LIVE Rik Sharma The biggest ever indoor gig in the history of Winchester – the signs were there from the start that tonight was going to be a good night. London’s Beans on Toast, a singer songwriter (read more comedian than musician) opened the gig, with a ramshackle display that was as hilarious as it was messy.

And believe me, it was more than messy.

With songs being abandoned halfway through for a chat with the audience, some never to be resumed, and sound problems, which, if anything, enhanced the performance, amongst other distractions - messy doesn’t tell the half of it. Trust me, Beans on Toast is brilliant. His mildly politicised, tongue-so-far-in-cheek-that-it-will-probablynever-ever-come-out songs, like ‘The Price of Rice’ and ‘2012’ were an early treat for the crowd. Florida’s Fake Problems took to the stage next, playing a set which drew heavily from their 2009 album It’s Great to Be Alive. The band possess an impressive stage presence, aided by songs that have an energy of their own. The highlight being ‘Dream Team’, performed surprisingly early into the set; it is their most anthemic number.

Frank Turner took to the stage accompanied by his band, to roars which could only be expected; he was greeted like a returning hero – which of course, to many, he is. Opening with ‘Live Fast Die Old’, the first track from new album Poetry of the Deed, and the new charting single ‘The Road’, showed that Turner has a strong conviction in his new album, and was greeted with delight from the crowd. A balls to the wall ‘hard rock’ version of the touching, and previously stripped down ‘Long Live the Queen’ completed the opening salvo. As good as this was, it is open to debate, and oft furiously debated, whether he is better with a backing band or by himself. Cleverly, the set was constructed to allow the best of both worlds; some parts of songs just featured his voice and plugged in acoustic guitar before the band resumed, and at other times the band disappeared.

The midsection of the gig varied wildly between the very old, ‘Nashville Tennessee’, ‘The Real Damage’, the very new ‘Our Lady of the Campfire’, ‘Dan’s Song’ and the downright strange - the old English folk song ‘Barbara Allen’. This track was sung alone, with no instruments, and had an alluring charm to it. “Just the hits from here on in” proclaimed Turner jokingly at the end of it. Whilst he may not have been being serious, the next few songs were some of the strongest material he has in his catalogue, including ‘Love Ire and Song’, ‘Father’s Day’ and the epic ‘Journey of the Magi’.

As shown in a recent interview with the Evening Standard, Frank Turner’s relationship with his father has been put under heavy strain at times in the past, to put it lightly. Tonight’s show had an edge to it from early on, after Turner announced to the crowd that his father was in the crowd. And it was the always emotional, furious ‘Father’s Day’, delivered more intensely than ever, where things came to a head. Each

Frank Turner 29th October 2009 The Winchester Guildhall snatched and snarled line was accompanied by accusatory dagger glances to the balcony above; his face appearing furious and close to tears at the same time. It’s easy for me to hear and write this though, particularly in comparison to the determination and bravery required and supplied by Turner, to stand upon the stage and sing that particular song on this particular night. And, by the conclusion of ‘Father’s Day’, he had begun ‘I Knew Prufrock Before he was Famous’, and was all smiles again, his delivery just as passion-

ate but in a different way.

He came out to encore with the evergreen ‘Ballad of Me and My Friends’, ‘Reasons Not to be an Idiot’, and finally the ode to just doing what you want to do – ‘Photosynthesis’, for which he was joined onstage by the support bands and his friends; Fake Problems and Beans on Toast. Frank Turner possesses not only the songs to back up his rising star status, but also several rare qualities – humility, loyalty and firm, unwavering beliefs in what he thinks is wrong and right, something

which many of today’s papier-mâché pop stars ought to be envious of.

4/5 Good: Unique and refreshing performance, with a wonderful setlist.

Bad: Not necessarily bad, but a tense few familial moments.

LIVE

MC Lars

Hayley Taulbut 7th October 2009 The Wedgewood Rooms The Wedgewood Rooms is not the biggest venue on the South Coast, and considering MC Lars’s previous shows at the Southampton Joiners that have sold out each time, I expected tonight to be much the same. But the Wedgewood rooms was decidedly empty.

Disappointing as it must have been for Lars, I still had a wicked time. First-time performers Dirty Sky Jones were more than impressive – they had never played to a live audience before, and what a way to lose your performance virginity! Their tunes were catchy, and incredibly well executed: it

was a set to be more than proud of. Up next were Last Letter Read, whom I have seen live numerous times, and their performance was solid as usual: not really my cup of tea, but still a good show. Mike TV, consisting of previous members of Pickled Dick, seemed to split opinions in the room. Some were loving their sound, whilst others frankly seemed more interested in the bar. My opinion fell right in the middle. Whilst Mike TV were performing, it was pretty good, but as soon as the songs concluded, they launched into banter that was honestly a bit ridiculous: their jokes were not funny, and it was simply quite

annoying.

Thankfully, MC Lars did not disappoint.

When his ‘Straight-outta-Stanford’ sound exploding onto the stage it was excellent.

However, taking a day out from his tour with Bowling for Soup and Zebrahead certainly affected the performance: it meant that MC Lars was left with no supporting band.

Not one to let such a small detail as absent instruments set him back, MC Lars took ‘laptop rap’ to a whole new level. He performed with the same hilarity and vigour that he has become known for, but with the soundtrack coming solely from his laptop. Given tracks

Kids in Glass Houses 8th November, 2009

be big come 2010, so are certainly ones to keep an eye on!

Up next were Attack! Attack!, who have earned themselves an army of fans in a relatively small space of time since conception in 2006 for one very simple reason.

‘Their music is utterly brilliant.’

Having toured with the likes of Lostprophets, Funeral for a Friend, and now Kids in Glass Houses, it wont be long until Attack! Attack! grace the stage for a headline set. And when they do, it will be well deserved.

But onto the main act. Kids in Glass Houses exploded onto the stage with a fury that they have become known for. They play with an immense amount of enthusiasm, and have the feel of a band that has been around forever - they are more like a singular unit than a group of five guys – they were finishing each others sentences, and have a chemistry only possible between the most intimate of friends.

And a rather talented group of friends at that! Lead singer Aled Phillips has got

The Wedgewood Rooms Hayley Taulbut Tonight was a Welsh extravaganza! Kids in Glass Houses, hailing from South Wales, brought Straight Lines and Attack! Attack! with them on tour, which proved two things: 1) That Wales is the home of a plethora of fantastic musicians, and 2) that the Welsh accent is utterly unintelligible.

First up were Straight Lines, who were fantastic. Their ridiculously happy, but decidedly ‘grown-up’ emo-pop-punk sound was

fantastic, and was frankly quite refreshing; given the current music scene that champions the macabre, Straight Lines are fun yet mature, and an utter delight to watch. Earning themselves a place on tour with Kids in Glass Houses is no small wonder:;they had a stage presence of a band at least four times as big as them, and an arsenal of songs that defied you to dance, with their debut due early 2010. Personal favourites were ‘All My Friends Have Joined the Army’ and ‘Say It For Your Sake’. They were really rewarding to watch and listen to, and should

such as ‘Download this Sound’, in which CD’s and DVD’s die a death at the hands of digital downloads, his whole performance could be prophetic of the death of live music: after all, who needs guitars when one piece of machinery can do the same job just as well?

Of course, although the pre-recorded audio was synchronised perfectly, it left little room for improvisation. This meant some tracks lost some of their raw feel, sounding like recording studio demos. However, this did not affect his enthusiasm, and he launched into a rap completely off the cuff alongside MC iPod about the randomly selected subject of AIDS. It was absolute genius: witty, funny and ironic to the core. Take these elements, and multiply by ten, and you have MC Lars’s planned and recorded tracks. Personal favourites are ‘Mr. Raven’, the adaptation from Edgar Alan Poe’s poem, with the hilarious lyric “Mr. Mr. Raven, all up in my grill like, ‘Nevermore’.”, and ‘Signing Emo’, with its provocative insight into the mainstream music industry.

This is essentially what sums up MC Lars – his ability to adapt to any situation, make it his own, and take something funny from it, all of which he excelled at tonight. It was a fantastic show!

4/5 Good: Wit as sharp as a knife, and an adaptability uncomparable to any other.

Bad: It just wasn’t the same without a live band.

a fantastic voice, a stage presence beyond belief, and an enthusiasm that never seems to dampen, which makes him a joy to watch.

Equally matching him in enthusiasm and precision were Iain Mahanty and Joel Fisher, both on guitar, negotiating the stage with the air of veteran performers.

Despite touring pretty much relentlessly for the past two years, supporting acts such as Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy, and headlining their own sets at small venues, you couldn’t tell they had been playing classics such as ‘Give Me What I Want’ and ‘Saturday’ for even a day: they are still playing with the same vigour as the day they started!

Their performance remained fresh and fun, with tracks from their new album littering the set-list, though not due for release until 2010. It was exciting to hear Kids in Glass Houses play some new material, with tracks such as current single ‘Young Blood (Let it All Out)’ really standing out.

All in all, it was a great gig. All three acts can officially add themselves to the long list of superb performers hailing from the valleys.

4/5 Good: Enthusiasm that captured the crowd, and a setlist to write home about.

Bad: The set was a little predicatable at times.

LIVE

Amy Studt, singer and song-writer from Bournemouth comes to Southampton to showcase her new material.

8th November The Joiners Emmeline Curtis Amy Studt has been relatively silent on the music scene for a few years now, so curiosity was my main feeling when I went down to the Joiners to see her perform. I had no idea whether she would be as good as I remembered from my younger years, or whether she would be drastically different. I was in for a pleasant shock however; her sound has grown and matured, and her songs are better than ever.

Support on the night came from local Southampton artist, Atlum Schema, who put on a very good show despite a few technical problems. The set ended on an impressive note with the song, ‘Ballad of the Self-Blessed, Self-Less’, leaving me to ponder how one man could create such a sound and put on that good a show, all on his own.

‘Definitely someone to check out live.’

When Amy later came on stage, she played a stripped down acoustic set, which showed off the beauty and simplicity of her voice and songs. The venue wasn’t packed out, making the show nice and intimate, and there was a really good atmosphere with the crowd fully behind Amy.

The set list featured a selection of songs from both of her albums, some new tracks and a surprise cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Man in the Mirror’ - an amazing song, that Amy sang beautifully and made her own.

‘Chasing the Light’, a track from her latest album, showed off Amy Studt’s voice really well and was one of the most powerful songs performed. The best song of the night though, was one of her new songs, ‘Tree’.

some very entertaining stories from Amy and good natured banter between her and guitarist Connor, a testament to Amy’s growing confidence and their great onstage chemistry. It is perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed the night so much, that the audience felt like they were sharing in her experience and not just watching a performance.

The night ended with a new song called ‘Sleepy Amy’, written while she was touring around in a motor home. The song is reminiscent of a lullaby and had me swaying along; it was a lovely chilled out way to end the night.

For those of you that have preconceived ‘It was sweet and funny, and ideas from memories of Amy’s pop star background, ignore them and prepare to had me singing along to the be pleasantly surprised. The whole night at line, “I want to be a tree..”;’ Joiners was a really enjoyable experience, it is perhaps my new favourite song. I and one of the best gigs I have seen in a was very disappointed to find it is not on the while. album.

Amy only performed two songs from her debut album: ‘Under the Thumb’ and the song that everyone remembers her for, ‘Misfit’. They sounded, however, nothing like I remembered. They were much simpler and Good: Acoustic ver- Bad: Not very much! mature sounding, reflecting the change in sion of ‘Misfit’ and Amy since they were first released in 2002. the on-stage chemIn between songs we were treated to istry.

5/5

Walter Trout

29th October 2009 The Brook For those who don’t know, Walter Trout is an electric blues guitarist/singer from New Jersey and played as a sideman to other artists in the 70’s such as John Lee Hooker.

In the 80’s he joined the band Canned Heat and then John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, sharing guitar duties with Coco Montoya.

Finally, in 1989, Trout went solo, and after releasing over 10 albums, he is celebrating 20 years of relentless touring and bringing his fiery blues to the masses, with his new album Unspoiled by Progress.

It was a typical blues gig, in that the average age was at least 50, only lowered by the presence of a few of us young ‘uns.

Nevertheless, as the venue filled up, so did the atmosphere. The Brook is superb; the acoustics are great and there is a great intimacy between the audience and the artists.

With everyone pint in hand and no support band, the excitement was building - finally Walter Trout and his band emerged from the mysterious black stage door and the crowd cheered and whistled. Trout sound tested his guitar and showed his skills by attacking the fret board with some fast blues licks, which pleased the crowd, and then burst into the opening track ‘Outta

Control’.

He then slowed it down a little with the next few songs, with his soulfulness and hearton-sleeve playing really coming through.

This is something that I find lacking in much current music, but it’s good to know

Alex Payne takes a look at the world of one of the most popular blues players of the current age, Walter Trout

that this way of playing will never leave the blues.

Ever the joker, Trout asked us to show our appreciation to the imaginary support band and had a few jibes at Yoko and Heather Mills along with numerous other funny quips.

The good thing about Trout is that he has a good time on stage and doesn’t take himself too seriously, which enables the crowd to have a good time.

Trout rattled out some of his self-penned classics including ‘Collingswood’, ‘Helpin’ Hand’ and ‘Welcome to the Human Race’. He paid homage to his early mentor John Lee Hooker by playing in Hooker’s favourite key – E minor – as Trout joked that’s the only key he played in with Hooker. Nevertheless, it was a good tribute both stylistically and structurally.

Then something very strange happened.

Trout invited his tour manager, Andrew Elt, to play guitar on 2 songs and then he took over lead vocal duties for a rendition of ‘Mercy’.

He sounded like a mix of Ronny James Dio and David Coverdale, screaming the house down on the high notes but maintained the rawness needed for blues.

In all the band was tight and very good at what they do, with a drum solo, a bass solo and several Hammond organ solos thrown in for good measure.

After nearly 2 full hours of blues, Trout left the stage, but came back on for a well deserved encore and closed his set with a cover of the classic blues track ‘Going Down’, which features on the new album.

Walter Trout was a real crowd pleaser.

His lack of set-list allowed the gig to flow freely, which suits his style: we couldn’t have asked for more. It was utterly amazing!

5/5 Good: Everything!

He was funny, and is a musical genius!

Bad: Absolutely nothing!

Billy Talent

LIVE

The Southampton Guildhall 29th October 2009 Rik Sharma Warm up act, Cancer Bats are the musical equivalent of a tornado; they destroy everything in their wake, without deliberating or discriminating over whom or what it is. So whilst a portion of tonight’s crowd watch on with eyebrows raised, they know that they’ve been tangoed. Opening with ‘Hail Destroyer’, and refusing to relent until finally exiting with ‘Lucifer’s Rocking Chair’, The Cancer Bats’ attack is an unrelenting barrage.

‘We’ve been the motherfucking Cancer Bats!’

exclaims vocalist Liam Cormier, as if anybody could forget.

After the tornado from Toronto have left the stage, and the Guildhall house lights are turned back on, amidst the sea of empty Carlsberg bottles and cracked plastic pint cups, lie in wait a crowd eagerly anticipating tonight’s headliners, Billy Talent. This band, also from Canada, are markedly different in style from the aggression of Cancer Bats, focusing instead on twanging melodies from the six string of Ian D’Sa, and twisting, unique vocals, from the frontman Ben Kowalewicz. The set they played drew fairly evenly from all three albums, though the biggest cheers of the night were reserved for

the material from Billy Talent I, in particular ‘This is How it Goes’, ‘Line and Sinker’ and ‘Try Honesty’.

In the fifteen songs they played there was no semblance of filler, each song deserving of its place in the set, and many more worthy inclusions excluded from it.

The mid tempo sing-a-long ‘Rusted from the Rain’ calmed things down, but only temporarily, before the intense ‘Saint Veronika’ and ‘Surrender’ ensured the set continued at a canter. Other highlights were ‘River Below’ and the rambunctious ‘Devil On My Shoulder’.

The beautiful, shimmering melodies that Billy Talent create, juxtaposed with their more ferocious moments, attract a mixed audience, including some very young kids. Perhaps it was merely an illusion created by having to follow Cancer Bats, but I’m sure punk-rock used to feel a little more dangerous than this, from the merch pricing to the mosh pit.

‘This feeling was enhanced by the outstanding light show which occupied each song; a wonderful, stylish spectacle.

Perhaps they are not helped by the Guildhall being a venue which even when sold out [like tonight] still leaves each person in there with enough space to have afternoon tea in.

The band have not shunned the other side to their performance though; encore songs ‘Fallen Leaves’ and finally ‘Red Flag’ igniting the crowd unlike any songs before them. These two served a reminder of how

powerful and intense the band can be when they desire.

They say variety is the spice of life, and being able to draw on aggression and emotion, melody and softness is certainly a large part of their appeal. That, and the heartfelt, creative lyrics which still rang around the venue after they had left the stage.

4/5 Good: Great spectacle, and a filler free set.

Bad: Hard to shake the feeling that this isn’t quite how punk is supposed to be.

FEATURES

Frank Turner Rik Sharma caught up with local singer-songwriter Frank Turner at his homecoming gig in Winchester.

Introduce yourself.

My name is Frank Turner, I come from Winchester, and it’s nice to be home!

How’s the tour been going so far?

Really, really good. I’ve never headlined at this level before, supported many times, but never headlined at these venues. It’s a bit surreal, but it’s great and the shows have been selling out. It’s always a bit nerve-racking when you book a round of shows, that are the next rung up, because you think “nobody’s gonna come!” You lie awake at night, wondering whether anyone will buy tickets.

This time round, everybody bought all the tickets! We’ve now got another tour on sale, in March, which I’m lying awake wondering about! But this one was ok!

What’s the biggest tour venue been?

Nottingham Rock City. But tomorrow,

London Shepherd’s Bush will be bigger, by 100 extra people. I will be counting them, every one. For me, the type of venues that you headline is the most tangible measure of one’s success, radio play and record sales are a little bit academic to me; it’s just I’ve seen a lot of my heroes headline Shepherd’s Bush. To be doing the same thing myself... and to have it sell out two months in advance, was like... “OK then!”

Were you happy with your new album?

Yeah, I am. It was a strange one this time around; there’s always a limbo, a couple of months when you’ve finished it, and you’ve got it, and no-one else does. But this time it dawned on me that there was an awful lot more people waiting to hear the new album this time round than any previous records I’ve released, whether with Million Dead or solo, or whatever. And this period of time became quite stressful... I just kept going “the mix is wrong!”, “the songs aren’t right!” The bottom line is, I did the best I could at the time, I’m happy that I did that, I’m happy with the songs, I think they’re great. Some things worked better than others, but as an overall body of work, I’m really pleased with it, and

people seem to like it!

“I lie awake at night, wondering whether anyone will buy tickets” That brings me onto my next question... signing to Epitaph; how did that come about?

It was pretty old fashioned. They came across my stuff, we were doing well in the UK, and looking for a label outside of the UK. I got a phone call from Brett [Gurewitz, founder of Epitaph, member of seminal punk band Bad Religion], and he was like “Hi, do you want to sign for my label?”, and I was like “yeah” [laughs]. We talked to them, they asked us what we wanted, we told them, they said “OK”. And we were like... “hmm... this is too easy”. It was great. We were talking to a lot of different labels, quite big labels, and the one thing they were adamant about was that we’d leave Xtra Mile, and go with them,

for the World. And I was like... “Well... I don’t wanna do that”. They’ve done an amazing job, and continue to do an amazing job, and loyalty is important. So we told that to Brett, and he was “Yeah, that’s cool”. It was like...

“Well... that’s easy”.

Is that how the tour supporting the Offspring in America came about, with Epitaph?

They were involved, certainly. In the end, the band picked the supports, so they came down and said that they were fans! Which was really weird. But they were super nice guys, Noodles and Dexer and all that. Very nice people.

Eleven months ago, you played the Winchester Tower Arts Centre, and now you’re playing the Guildhall. What’s happened in between?

[Laughs] They told us when we got here today, apparently tonight is going to be the biggest indoor gig in the history of Winchester! Which as a home town show, is pretty fucking cool right there.

[The guitarist from Frank’s backing

band pipes up: ‘That’s not true. King Alfred rocked!’]

Frank: Pretty sure he only pulled 750.

Pretty sure King Alfred pulled 750. I think... my perception of it is probably slightly different to most peoples, and I wish I could see it from outside. It seems almost like we’ve hit the mainstream, or started to. Which is really odd. Because I didn’t grow up listening to mainstream music. Just being on ASDA playlists...

And some of the music on Match of the Day. Yeah! Match of the Day.. it’s like.. “Really?”. But it’s been cool, it’s been fucking great. It’s just a bit weird. But it’s felt natural. It hasn’t been, suddenly “some guy in a suit has written out a massive cheque and I’m on the cover of the NME”. The NME has still never written an article about me, so...

Well, I don’t know. I think it’s because people do like my music, rather than feel like they should. It seems like there’s an awful lot of bands who are popular because people feel they should be into them. And I think, or like to tell myself, that’s not the case with me.

What was it like playing the Radio 1 tent at Reading? How many people were in there?

I think it’s around 15,000 people when it’s full. And it was pretty full. That kind of ballpark. It was pretty cool. Reading was a festival I went to when I was a kid. That’s a lot of people. I’ll tell you one thing that was funny... we were on after Lethal Bizzle both days. Which was a challenge, that guy knows how to get a crowd jumping. Particularly in Leeds, I made the mistake of watching his set from the side of the stage. I was like.... “Oh. I’ve got to go on and play some country music now”. But it was definitely a career highlight.

“Q. Why can’t Stevie Wonder see his family?

A. Because he’s married...”

What are you doing now? In March you’ve got that tour with Chuck Ragan...

99% yes. That’s what I want, and he said yes. But his booking agent’s being a bit odd.

Hopefully it’s not going to ruin anything. Im-

Editor Suggests

mediately after this, I’m going back to the States on Saturday, to do the ‘Revival Tour’ with Chuck Ragan, which is going to be great. Then we’ve got a European tour with the band, a couple weeks off for Christmas, then back in the States with the Bronx. Then in Europe again, then March tour, then Europe again, then Australia.

FEATURES

I know with all the touring there’ll be no time to record, but any plans for new material?

I’m always writing new stuff. I really like the idea of doing an album of traditional songs, Old English songs. I think that would be nice to do. But particularly with Epitaph, there’s a lot more world to tour around, before I can rest on my laurels and start thinking about the next record.

On this tour you’ve been playing ‘Smiling at Strangers on Trains’, is that anything to do with the re-release of the Million Dead CD? Not particularly... I think it’s more just... when I started doing solo stuff, I was a little bit touchy about it, and didn’t want to constantly be under the shadow of something I used to do. But with the way things have gone recently, it’s not really a problem anymore. So I feel more comfortable with my history. It’s nice! We were a good band, who wrote good songs, so it’s nice to be able to play that song. And people want to hear it.

I’m not sure it’s going to become a set staple. Every tour I’m always going to play...

‘The Ballad of me and my Friends’ and stuff like that, which is fine, but it’s nice both for my benefit and the audiences’ benefit to play something individual. So it was good to bring that one out of the bag.

What are your guilty pleasures?

I don’t like feeling guilty about music that I like. People think I’m being ironic when I’m covering ABBA and Queen, but I love ABBA and Queen! I’m not ashamed of that. There is some pretty terrible pop punk in my record collection from when I was young and foolish. Guilty pleasures in life? I drink too much.

I like misbehaving when I’m drunk. There’s a guilty pleasure right there!

If you had to stop, for whatever reason, making music, what would you do?

[The band guitarist; ‘Would you be a Tory councillor?’]

No. I’d cry for a bit. I’d love to be a history teacher. I think that would be a fun thing to do. I studied history at University.

In ‘Photosynthesis’ you say, “You deserve every hour of those sleepless nights, that you waste, wondering when you’re gonna die”. What do you fear then?

I’ll tell you. There’s a new song I’m writing at the moment, tentatively entitled ‘Night Terrors’, about what I’m afraid of. I guess, I’m afraid of staying still, getting stuck doing something I don’t like. I’m afraid of wasting my life. Getting slightly psychoanalytical about it, my dad worked a job he didn’t like

very much, but he made a lot of money doing it. And I’ve always thought that was a poor option. I don’t want to make that kind of choice.

Last thing... you’ve got to tell a joke.

What do Hitler and Gordon Brown have in common? Nothing. Hitler got voted into power.

Either that one, or my favourite joke of recently – why can’t Stevie Wonder see his friends? Because he’s married!

Film Soundtracks

SON OF A PREACHER MAN DUSTY SPRINGFIELD from PULP FICTION

Most famously used in Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction, this track was Dusty Springfield’s biggest selling single.

Son of a Preacher Man, played during the 1994 film (as Vincent Vega waits in Mia Wallace’s house), helped the film soundtrack to sell over 2 million copies in the US alone.

This song demonstrates brilliantly how talented Springfield must have been to make a hit out of a song intended for a powerful black voice. With soaring vocals that manage to be both tender and strong, this is one of the best singles ever recorded by a female British artist.

THE END THE DOORS from APOCALYPSE NOW

This song acts as the backing track to arguably the greatest opening sequence in the history of cinema. For those who have yet to see it, Apocalypse Now opens on a strip of Vietnamese jungle just as it is targetted by a napalm strike, as helicopters flit dully across the foreground.

The End was written by Doors’ frontman Jim Morrisson, and is the essence of the band’s murky, surrealist rock sound.

As such, the song provides the perfect opener to Francis Ford Coppola’s surreal adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness.

With weird, threatening lyrics set above the band’s trademark deadened, psychadelic guitar riffs, this track should be on every playlist. Not much good for dancing though.

FEATURES

a good band which for us is a period of old and waiting, hoping to become ‘classic’…

I think you have gotten there. The Flaming Lips are a classic band, with both commercial and critical success.

Why thank you, it’s been a strange journey but we just keep exploring ourselves and exploring different styles.

I believe you guys do a great job of achieving that with all your albums. I’ve read you were inspired by Miles Davis for this album, how did that come about?

Inspiration is a great thing. I can get inspiration from the trees, to the ocean, or from rocks to art, anything really. Miles easily inspired our album but we didn’t go into the studio hoping for it to sound like a Miles Davis record, however, we had a deep appreciation for his music and the process in which he made it. For this album we did a lot of jamming. We would have jam sessions, each 15 minutes long and they were great. Steve (The Flaming Lips guitarist) really shaped my sound and the jam sessions really captured the intensity and feel of that sound. It’s this sort of intensity I wanted for this album.

“You can’t just wait

for things to happen”

The Flaming Lips Jazmin Sherman meets Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne before their sellout gig in Portsmouth...

So are you excited for the show tonight?

Yes! Looking forward to it, we haven’t played in Portsmouth since the early 90’s.

Will the human sized plastic ‘zobra’ ball be making an appearance tonight?

Yep, I’ve been coming out in that thing every concert we’ve done since 2002, unless the venue was too small or something. I love getting out and crowd surfing in it.

Have you ever seen any strange or funny things on tour?

Oh yeah, we were playing a show with My Chemical Romance and I watched this girl get slammed into the barriers and both of her teeth were knocked out, so you know, naturally I went up to her to see if she was okay. I told her if she found her teeth and put them in some milk a dentist would be able to put them back in, but she just looked at me and said, “it doesn’t matter, I just want to meet Gerard” (front man of My Chemical Romance). Now that, that’s a fan for ya.

Brutal, nice tip about the teeth though…things you learn on tour. How’s this tour been going anyway? Are you enjoying being in the UK?

for new, interesting things that back in the States they don’t have, and that curiosity isn’t just for music, it extends to fashion and art as well.

Yes, I absolutely love it. We have been playing shows in the UK since the 80’s and have always enjoyed it. London’s very expensive though, almost 8 American dollars for a coffee. But here you pay it, back in the States that would be an outrage. I must say, I enjoy being in London now that I have more money to spend...it’s great fun.

So tell me about your new album, Embryonic, your 12th studio album…

“I watched this girl

get slammed into the barriers, and both her front teeth were knocked out” I’m really happy you like England.

You’ve had more hits over in the UK and Europe than you have back in the US… Yeah, I know, it’s absurd. I feel the appreciation and understanding for music is different over here, and there’s this curiosity

12th! Isn’t that wild We’ve been around for ages! Jeez, how old are you?

18.

Now, I’m 49 years old, but to me I don’t feel any age at all. I just feel old and that’s fine. You’re younger a lot shorter period of time than you are older. I mean, once you’re past 30 you’re there. But I feel whether you’re 30, 45, or 65, it’s just an age. I could be any of those ages and it wouldn’t make any difference.

I definitely agree. There is far too much emphasis on age in our society today. Growing older should be viewed as a more positive thing, just look at how much you and the Lips have accomplished…

I know 27 years. It’s been a great ride but it’s strange. When you start your career you’re this new, up and coming band and its all exciting, then you become established as

I’m very impressed you guys did jam sessions for this album, I feel it’s so much more authentic… ...Yes but at the same time what actually is authentic? Authenticity specifically, in art and sound is so subjective...but I do feel jam sessions have something special about them. They’re about capturing a moment, a lot of what we played was shit (chuckling…) but when we got it right, it was that little boxed sound that was completely unique. …and having listened to your album, you guys sure got it right. Now, I want to ask you about your song ‘Do You Realize?’ (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots) becoming the ‘State Rock Song’ of Oklahoma (USA)… that’s very cool, what do you think about it? [chuckles] Well, you’re right, it is a very cool honor, but a strange one at that. We know many officials in Oklahoma and we felt very privileged that of all bands, and all songs, they chose us. It’s just very absurd…

I can appreciate that…so, in general do you like touring? You’ve been traveling all over the place playing shows, do you ever feel like your putting your life on hold while your away?

Well, I don’t really agree when other artists or bands say that. You don’t just ‘put your life on hold’ when you’re on tour and then just go back to it like nothing happened.

You, or at least we, continue to live our lives normally while on tour. You learn to embrace it, it’s all about living your life, and you can’t just wait around for things to happen. Life is all about saying “fuck it let’s go…or you’ll miss it”.

FEATURES tended the tracks to be portrayed?

We’re not a Christian rock band as such, the album deals with dilemmas every man deals with in life as do we. Faith is just one thing we’ve gone with. It’s one subject that can’t be ignored and we’ve tried to deal with it.

I also feel many an array of influences within the album, ranging from acapella to almost Bluegrass, where has this come from?

The acapella comes from old folk traditions and Welsh male choirs. It’s great to have the lads together and we like to write songs in our own form, so it is important for us all to be able to sing them.

The Bluegrass aspect comes from Country Winston going on a road trip to the US, and he went all round the Southern states.

He loves his Bluegrass and Country and its just infectious, so we all got into it.

He was actually in a Bluegrass band after school called ‘Captain Kick and the Cowboy Ramblers’, it was a nine piece ridiculous bluegrass band. They did a UK tour in Edinburgh which is where Marcus was at university, and they invited him down to play some Bluegrass with them.

If you could team up with any artists or bands either past or present to play a mini festival, who would these be?

Mumford & Sons ous tours.

Liam Gallagher hangs out with country rockers Mumford & Sons, talking influences, collaborations and surrealist conflict...

What are your main influences? Obviously we have seen three of you playing with Laura Marling both live and in recordings too. Do I sense any Irish roots there too?

Firstly, how did the ‘hoe-down’ go for the album launch back on Monday?

Sounded like a blast.

We’re all Celtic, we all have Celtic blood, I mean Marcus is Scottish, Ted and Country Winston have got Irish blood and I (Ben) was born in Wales and have Welsh family, so there are folk influences there. We also like to get together and sing together so a lot comes from that, but there are no real Irish influences, I mean I don’t own any Irish CDs or anything.

We’re four different guys with four different influences it would be impossible to name any but we all have common grounds.

We didn’t really have anything to do with the organisation of it as such, but it was organised and put on by our new partners in crime, Island Records.

Basically 500 people were put on coaches in London and were taken up to a barn in Hertfordshire, which had only ever been used for storage. So everything got really dusty. But we played for about an hour as well as another band playing after us who played loads of Bluegrass and led a massive square dance.

Also, you have recently finished a tour with The Maccabees, how did you find that?

It was great fun, we actually played here at the University. But they were lovely guys and we learnt a lot on that tour. They also have a good balance of fun and rest, so they hit the hay pretty early and we felt a lot better after that than we had on some of our previ-

How does it feel currently having the best album in the country this week according to iTunes?

Pretty weird, we don’t quite know what to make of it, but we’ve been hearing bits and pieces. I think not being in London helped in not inflating our ego’s. But the album has gone beyond our expectations, we didn’t think it would be an album like that, we didn’t aim for the charts and didn’t think it would be on the radio. We are so thankful to our fans, the six or seven months of touring paid off.

In addition you were longlisted for BBC’s ‘Sound of 2009’ as well as Zane Lowe naming ‘Little Lion Man’ the ‘Hottest Record in the World’. How did this make you feel?

Haha, pretty much the same!

Your ‘genre’ has been described as ‘new folk’, do you agree with this, if not then what do you feel it is? And is it something that the public hasn’t experienced in the mainstream yet?

Errm… I don’t like the phrase ‘new folk’ it’s pretty ‘bras’ it’s used all the time. I understand it’s necessary for journalists and every man down the pub to put a ball park decision on a sound but ‘new folk’ just sounds rubbish, I wish they’d come up with a better name. We have folk sensibilities but love to Rock and Roll as much as possible.

We were talking today actually, our favourite gigs are when the venue is too Rock and Roll for us so we have to work hard to make it like a ‘Have it’ gig.

I’m gonna call it ‘Folk and Roll’ not ‘new folk’.

After reading a review of ‘Sigh No More’, I saw it being described as being ‘shot through’ with Christian iconography, especially with regards to tracks such as ‘Awake My Soul’ and ‘Roll Away Your Stone’. Is this how you imagined/in-

We actually played a festival this summer in the Rhinelands in Germany. The line up that was there is who we loved playing with.

I don’t know, it’s hard to say - it depends how small the festival is.

And finally, what would win in a fight?

An army of duck sized horses or one Horse sized duck?

If they were fighting each other? Mmm… definitely a horse sized duck - if a duck was the size of a horse its beak would be proportional… basically the beak would be bigger than each of the horses and just eat all the duck sized horses.

Horse sized duck, as the size of its feet would just trample on all the little fellas, it would be over in a matter of minutes, simple, easy question.

That makes no sense, have to ask Tolkienn like. I mean a duck can be quite aggressive and horses are beautiful. Beautiful things die quickly and if it was small… yeah.

Horse sized duck as it would trample all the horses, I’ve been thinking about it all night, I couldn’t concentrate on the gig.

FILM

Apocalypse Now Director: Francis Ford Coppola Starring: Marlon Brando Martin Sheen Robert Duvall Laurence Fishburne Harrison Ford Release Date: 1st December 1979 Tagline: The Horror...

The Horror...

Runtime: 153 mins Rating: 18

By Jack Harding Almost exactly 30 years ago, director Francis Ford Coppola created one of the best and most important movies ever conceived.

Picking apart Apocalypse Now is one tall order but I guess it’s best to start with a bit of trivia. Prior to its release, the film endured oodles of revamps and setbacks that led to a whole host of physical and emotional breakdowns across the entire cast and crew with, Coppola himself questioning his own work and sanity at every turn. Some say he even threatened suicide at one point. This, after all, was the film a cash strapped Coppola had wanted to make since 1967 with pal George Lucas - way before the likes of The Godfather or The Conversation were even thought of. When shooting finally began in

1976, Apocalypse Now was all but a decade in the making - taking nearly a year to shoot, three years to cut and costing over $30million to finally conjure. And if shooting 370 hours worth of footage in the gruelling Filipino jungle wasn’t enough, the film starred the single most exasperating actor of its time in Marlon Brando and had a thing or two to say about the infamous Vietnam War. So there you have it, Apocalypse Now became almost mythical in stature before it graced a single screen.

Onto the film itself then, and that revered opening. After a fade in from black, we’re presented with an extreme long shot of an exotic jungle landscape. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. The soft, psychedelic guitar solo that opens The Doors’ era defining rock track (‘The End’) stirs in the background as the decelerated sound and imagery of helicopters rove from left to right and back again. Then, as front man Jim Morrison declares “this is the end”, destruction. A blanket of noxious flames shroud the screen as the once peaceful jungle vista explodes before our very eyes. Vietnam. The camera then pans tantalisingly from side to side as the smoke, flames and helicopter blades gradually dissolve into those of an electric fan on the ceiling above our protagonist/ narrator, Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen). A broken and divorced US army Captain who’s been holed up in a Saigon motel room longing for a new mission, and for his sins they gave him one: jump aboard a navy patrol boat, proceed up the ominous Nung river into Cambodia and “terminate” the “insane” renegade Green Beret-cum-tribal God, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Brando).

A film about war Apocalypse Now may be, but a ‘war film’ it is not. Coppola’s haunting tableau is a sturdy psychological drama with a semi-surreal edge. A dark adventure, an optical nightmare; an hallucinogenic, antiwar classic peppered with bouts of blazing action. Apocalypse Now is a film cloaked in fog, dust and darkness. It is a vicious yet poetic experience that assaults the soul, self and senses in so many different ways. Its rich, orange palette combined with a shadow shrouded mise-en-scene symbolises the presence of pure evil, the absence of all civilisation and how the self, in the harsh face of war, can darken beyond all comprehension.

As Captain Willard and his small naval crew slither down the dicey river towards Kurtz, edging deeper and deeper into the bloody heart of hell (on earth) the sheer horror and lunacy brought about by the war in Vietnam permeates the embedded tale to lingering effect. Though renowned for its ambitious visual:audio approach, Apocalypse Now is often praised for its seemingly fearless depiction of the domestic and universal criticisms that circled the controversial War; the hypocrisy of Western imperialism, the shallowness of American ideals (surfing, moviemaking, sex, drugs, rock and roll) and the sheer atrocities of a conflict fought by a nation in the name of liberty. Apocalypse Now was only the second major American movie made about the Vietnam war, yet it’s still considered by most film critics as the one at which all others should measure themselves against. Coppola’s acclaimed opus doesn’t so much show you the grave ironies of ‘Nam as it does shove a handgun in your face while screaming that you ac-

knowledge the themes, the horror and the madness over and over again.

Even our protagonist’s mission is the essence of hypocrisy. In the midst of a war bathed in senseless killings, the US military opt to waste more time, money and lives on the assassination of a veteran officer who’s been persecuted for doing something the military would appear to encourage (“what do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin?”). “Charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the indie 500.” This: the first of many doubts Willard mulls over in his hardboiled narration. Nevertheless, Sheen’s unstable Captain becomes obsessed with getting to the enigmatic, God-like Kurtz whose pedestal is cranked up notch after notch as we learn more and more about his antics, his reputation, his past and present, through little more than paperwork. And when Willard finally locates the evil genius, Coppola delays Kurtz’s unveiling a little while longer by wrapping him in shadows. Brando doesn’t get a great deal of screen time, he doesn’t need it. His chilling portrayal of the gibbering, tortured Colonel-cum-philosopher is up there with some of the most memorable efforts ever given up to celluloid. Which, in fitting retrospect, brings me full circle to the timeless, unparalleled classic that Francis Ford Coppola and countless other cast and crew members gave up to the complex art form some three decades ago.

5/5 Good: A stunningmasterpiece.

Bad: Absolutely nothing.

FILM Thirst Director: Chan-wook Park Starring: Kang-ho Song Ok-vin Kim

Release Date: 16th October 2009 Runtime: 145 mins Rating: 18

“Thirst is not for the faint of heart, or shiny-vampire loving Twilight fans who can’t get enough of Edward Cullen.”

More like this?

Try Old Boy

By Megan James Thirst is a South Korean film in which priest Sang-hyeon selflessly volunteers himself for a dangerous medical test, in order to find a cure for a deadly African virus.

When the vaccine he trials turns him into a blood-craving vampire, he must fight his inner monster, and battle with the temptations of violence and sex. He is seduced by his friend’s wife Tae-joo, who he eventually turns into a vampire: one that is more brutal than he ever was. Together they wreak havoc in their self-destructive quest for blood, pleasure, and thrills.

It’s about time the vampire genre was given a revamp, and who better to take on this task than Korean director Park Chan-wook, best known for the graphic Oldboy, the second film in his ‘Revenge Trilogy’. Quentin Tarantino hailed Oldboy as a bloody masterpiece, and it won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes. Now Park has turned his directorial hand to vampires, though Thirst is no ordinary horror film. It’s more of an ironic parody of the current craze for vampire movies. As Park himself notes, “there are no bats, no stake through the heart, no fear of garlic or the cross”. And no fangs. Where Park innovates is his refusal to revert to clichés. The contemporary urban setting ensures the film is miles removed from classic portrayals of vampires such as Dracula and Nosferatu.

Thirst is not for the faint of heart, or shinyvampire loving Twilight fans who can’t get enough of Edward Cullen. Instead, it’s an antidote to sanitised teen gothic horror, with bucketloads of blood, sex, and violence. The film came under fire in South Korea, not for the scenes of murder and torture, but for the first ever shot of full frontal male nudity to feature in a mainstream Korean film. There are also prolonged graphic sex scenes between protagonists Sang-hyeon and Tae-

joo, so Thirst is probably not a film you want to watch with your little sister.

Nevertheless Thirst is not without flaws. It lacks the stylistic flourishes found in Park’s previous hits, and never quite reaches the twisted heights of Oldboy. The film does manage to slide in some inventive dream sequences and surreal moments though.

The film’s slow pacing builds up to what feels like a climax, only to unfortunately limp on to a dragged out final act. Snipping off half an hour of Thirst’s self indulgent 145 minute running time would have produced a much more engaging narrative. Finding yourself checking your watch during a film is never a positive sign. Ultimately Thirst is a draining experience, but worth the investment, especially for the strangely moving ending.

Thirst is also saved from drowning under its own weight by Park’s surprising and freshly original bursts of comedy splattered throughout an otherwise relentlessly bleak film, such as the vampire couple’s humorous bickering. Such eccentric comic moments are to be expected from a director who’s previous film was a quirky rom-com about a girl who believes she’s a robot and talks to vending machines (I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok).

Park has succeeded in creating a film that could arguably never be made in Hollywood today. Overlong and inconsistent, Thirst is nevertheless an original and engaging experience, and has given me back my appetite for vampire films.

4/5 Good: Clever and inventive dream sequences and brilliantly surreal moments.

Bad: Lacks stylistic flourishes found in Park’s previous hits, and never quite reaches the twisted heights of Oldboy.

Paranormal Activity Director: Oren Peli Starring: Katie Featherston Micah Sloat Release Date: 25th November 2009 Tagline: What happens when you sleep?

Runtime: 86 mins Rating: 18

By Matthew Tindall Horror fans rejoice! The antidote to the tedium of Hollywood’s endless remakes of classics and dull-as-ditchwater Saw sequels is finally here in the shape of first-time writer/ director Oren Peli’s mini-masterpiece Paranormal Activity.

Made for just $15,000 and shot in the space of a week in Peli’s own home the story concerns a young Californian couple who, after experiencing ghostly phenomena in their new house, invest in a video camera to document the ever-escalating disturbances.

Yes, admittedly the plot is rather slight but the fear factor is huge.

The film owes an obvious debt to its lowbudget predecessor The Blair Witch Project, effectively utilising similar techniques in its mockumentary style, unknown actors and unseen antagonist. Of course, we’ve seen that film imitated many times since its 1999 release – sometimes successfully (Cloverfield or Spanish shocker Rec) and sometimes less so (Diary of the Dead, anyone?) – but somehow Paranormal Activity still manages to feel fresh and exciting.

“Destined to be remembered alongside the greats of the genre.”

The often nauseating shakiness of the hand-held camerawork in the films mentioned above is minimised by much of the action being captured from a tripod placed at the foot of the couple’s bed while they sleep. Even when strange noises draw them from the room in the middle of the night the camera is sometimes forgotten, leaving the audience to imagine the true horror of what is happening in the darkness of the corridor beyond. This is a refreshing departure from tradition and the absence of the irritating stock character who must film everything despite how dangerous the situation may be is most welcome.

Using only modest special effects Peli has constructed the film carefully in order to maximise suspense, demonstrating that when it comes to truly terrifying an audience less is definitely more. Even within the context of his own film there is something inherently more chilling about creaking floorboards and doors slamming unbidden than some of the more extreme supernatural torments that occur as the narrative progresses.

Much of the film’s power depends upon the performances of its leads, and actors Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat do not disappoint. Alone in the house throughout – except for two brief visits from a psychic

FILM who may well be the least reassuring man on the planet – the two newcomers impress, managing to convincingly convey the growing fear and desperation experience by their characters even in the film’s more farfetched moments.

Paranormal Activity is a film that offers a subtler, more psychological brand of horror than the typical fare and is destined to be remembered alongside the greats of the genre. Though after seeing him do so much with so little one can’t help but wonder just what Oren Peli could achieve with a larger budget, or to suspect that he’ll soon be offered one. Let’s hope that he doesn’t lose his edge when Hollywood inevitably comes calling.

4.5/5 Good: sounds.

Chilling

Bad: Nauseating shakiness of the camerawork.

FILM

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Director: Terry Gilliam Starring: Christopher Plummer Heath Ledger Lily Cole Colin Farrell Jude Law Johnny Depp Verne Troyer Release Date: 16th October 2009 Runtime: 122 mins Rating: 12A

By Charlotte Woods Since the tragic news of Heath Ledger’s death in January 2008, the making of The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus has been shrouded in secrecy, and doused with a generous helping of speculation and expectation. With Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepping in to complete the unfinished scenes of Ledger’s character Tony, the task that lay before Terry Gilliam of weaving these three actors into the story looked a mammoth task. It seemed unlikely that this film would do anything more than draw crowds interested to see how he would pull

this off, rather than being interested in the craftsmanship of the film as a whole. This is of course true, until the trailers began hitting the big screens around Britain, then it was clear that Dr Parnassus was something else entirely; something that in many ways had resonances of a Tim Burton-esque Charlie and the Chocolate Factory style.

The very intermittent divulgences of the film’s subject matter in the lead up to its release added significant depth to the mystique of Dr Parnassus; an idea of where this film would take its audience was very hard to come by. All that expectant viewers had to go with was that it was a story of a magical alternate universe, where inhabitants’ faces change and they find themselves either cascaded into a trippy heaven or plummeting through the most horrific hell. This idea alone is enough to make the less than fanatical Gilliam or Ledger fans back off. After seeing the film, it seems that this was all part of Gilliam’s master plan. You were never meant to know where it was going, never meant to perceive a beginning, middle and end, but simply to marvel at the spectacle that is the Imaginarium; it is its nature to be misleading and impulsive.

To try to seek out a concrete story line or genre in Dr Parnassus, would be to diminish the film’s prowess, as it’s impossible to state in anything other than abstract terms. Things that seem to follow a pattern in the real world of modern-day London become warped in the Imaginarium; this is heightened by the

fact that faces keep changing and landscapes keep melting into a Dali-inspired horror. As soon as you begin to capture some definition in the storyline, the Imaginarium opens again and the world shifts.

However, it is the gliding movement between contemporary London and the archaic worlds that these characters inhabit, (either within themselves or inside the Imaginarium) that is the film’s strongest point. The edges between the many different worlds are blurred, which makes the multi-dimensional effect all the more striking. Even when outside of the Imaginarium, in contemporary London, the characters are lost in centuries past. With regular visits from the sickeningly amiable devil who makes Faustian deals, the dated clothing and the way that the troupe of performers (some of whom have lived for centuries) resemble peasants or travellers whilst inhabiting the streets of 21st century London, we have the most beautiful juxtaposition, which is nothing short of genius.

Whilst talk of Dr Parnassus as Ledger’s defining moment is inevitable, this is fortunately not the case. Ledger is impeccable, but Farrell is better. The early character of Tony (a supposedly amnesia-stricken Londoner picked up by Parnassus’ troupe after finding him hanging from a bridge over the Thames) is not enough for Ledger. In some ways, it is a sad truth, that Ledger could have made this a career-changing performance had he taken it to the end, but it was not to be. Tony is developed both by Ledger,

and by mesmerising performances from Depp and Law, but it is Farrell who makes Tony the enigma that he is. Depp, Law and Farrell’s Tonys all perfectly reflect Ledger’s, in ways that would never have been envisaged were it not for the tragedy behind this film. Farrell takes Ledger’s performance, runs with it and makes it evolve. It is as if he knew where Ledger would have taken Tony; as if he could see how he would have twisted and demonised the affable Tony into a psychotic, power-hungry monster. The transition between the actors is seamless and it’s hard to see how Gilliam could have served up such a clever and gorgeous film without this movement between the actors.

Deserving of a mention is a very wellplaced Lily Cole. She characterises the ethereal beauty of Dr Parnassus, and has made a stand as a note-worthy actress. She proves thoroughly modern and thoroughly classic in this film, a skill that not many actresses can lay claim to.

Ledger didn’t need this as his epitaph, his Joker more than satisfies that position; but to see Gilliam or Farrell without Oscar nods in February would be a crime indeed.

4.5/5 Good: The gliding movement between contemporary London and the archaic worlds.

Bad: Too surreal in places.

Tekken 6

SECTION GAMES

PS3/360

their head, as well as ‘bounds’ which are moves that bounce airborne enemies off the ground, allowing you to extend your combos.

Although at its core Tekken 6 is a fighting game, a new Scenario Campaign mode has been added as main focus of the single player game. In this mode, you play as Lars Alexandersson, leader of a rebel army trying to stop the aspirations of the sinister organisation, the Mishima Zaibatsu. Lars must explore many scrolling stages whilst taking out waves upon waves of enemies using nothing except your fists, as well as various weapons that are picked up along the way, which include Gatling Guns and even Flamethrowers. The mode has a fairly comprehensive story as well as many cutscenes, a first for a Tekken game. Scenario Campaign on the whole is a fun interlude that helps to add longevity to the single player experience of what is essentially a multiplayer game.

The game on the whole has an impressive amount of options for those who want to play on their own, including the normal Arcade and Survival modes as well as the new Ghost Battle option. This mode allows

you to download AI controlled ghosts that mimic real online players. This proves to be a unique and fun addition to the game.

If you have no friends, you can take the fight online. The game boasts a fairly extensive network mode with ranked and unranked matches available, as well as the ability to make rooms with other players to add variety to who you’re playing against.

Annoyingly, there are some lag issues which sadly dampen the online experience.

On the whole Tekken 6 looks nice but isn’t that graphically impressive. The character models move very fluidly which help the game to flow well, which is ideal for a fighting game. Character costumes can be customised to add diversity, which range from the relatively normal to the outrageous. One character for example can wear a Power Rangers style superhero outfit, and the depth of customisation is definitely a nice touch.

Speaking of characters, Tekken 6 boasts a massive roster of over 40 characters which includes several new characters. There is no doubt that you’ll find a character you like as they all have their own distinct personalities

Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time

between them is a mixed bag. Much like the sailing in Nintendo’s Wind Waker, the joy of exploration is exhilarating, however at times repetitive and tedious.

Clank sections are the main offering of innovation in the game. They take part in ‘The Great Clock’, and take the form of time based puzzles which quickly ramp up the difficulty. It definitely works well and is nicely varied in style from Ratchet’s ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ play, but it still feels quite familiar for veterans of the series.

Ultimately A Crack in Time doesn’t do much you wouldn’t expect it to, but alongside super sequel Uncharted 2, it is going to get slightly overlooked. What it does do is carry on the series tradition very well. Even with some of the same problems evident, you’re

By Joseph Dart The King of the Iron Fist Tournament returns in the latest addition to the long-running Tekken series, Tekken 6. Although the sixth iteration in the main series, this is the first time Tekken has graced the current generation home consoles. With the release of fighting games such as Street Fighter IV earlier in the year, Tekken has got some stiff competition. Is the formula still fresh, or is it as stale as Heihachi’s old diapers?

The standard Tekken gameplay is back, a fighting game based around skilfully juggling your opponent with combos in order to rack up damage on them. Tekken 6 can be enjoyed on more of a basic level if you’re not the type to master 10 button long combos, as the gameplay is easy enough to pick up for beginners as ‘button mashing’ tends to be an effective tactic. A couple of new additions have been added to the mechanics which really help to add some extra depth to how the game plays. The ‘rage’ system gives your character an attack boost when on very low health, which can really turn fights on

PS3 Much like the first Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank’s initial outing on the PS3 marked one of the more technically dazzling titles for the first year run of the console. Times have changed though, mastery of the system has improved and with the sheer craftsmanship and polish of Uncharted 2 fresh in memory, expectations are running high.

Picking up where the prequel separated the titular duo, gameplay is based around this idea. Whereas there were always Clank only play sections before, A Crack in Time

By Luke Borrett structures the game on their differences and alternating play styles. You play a section as Ratchet, then a section as Clank and they weave together to tell the story of the game.

Playing as Ratchet is by and large the same as ever. Exploring worlds with a variety of tools revealing new areas and heavy gun play using increasingly playful weapons. The main difference is, in the search for Clank you really feel a greater degree of freedom with worlds to explore, along with self contained moon based mini levels. Flying to and

and have diverse fighting styles. They also have their own backstories, some of which are outright bizarre. This matches the craziness of the characters however; Tekken boasts a bear and a robotic girl who can remove her head and use it as a weapon as part of its vast roster.

Tekken 6 proves to be a very enjoyable experience with its wealth of characters, large number of game options and frantically fun gameplay. However, the game does suffer from the occasional niggling flaw. Loading times especially are rather long and break up the flow of action, even after the optional 4 GB install on the PS3 version. Regardless, Tekken 6 is definitely a worthy purchase for fighting game fans.

4/5 Good: Arcade style fighting fun.

Bad: Issues with loading and online play.

likely to overlook them as you’re distracted by the lush, gorgeous cartoon worlds or the laugh out loud scripting of characters such as Dr. Nefarious or Captain Quark. A thoroughly charming package.

4/5 Good: Hilarious characters and dialogue.

Bad: A ‘more of the same’ sequel.

TUESDAY

Heavens Basement @ Joiners 19.30

TUESDAY

8

WEDNESDAY

Bless The Fall @ Joiners 19.30

WEDNESDAY

16

23

The Cinematics @ Joiners 19.30

WEDNESDAY

9

THURSDAY

The City Calls @ Joiners 19.30

THURSDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY Out Of Sight @ Joiners 19.30

4

Tommy Emanuel @ Guildhall 19.30 The Dodge Brothers @ Talking Heads 19.30

FRIDAY

11 Taste Of Xmas Feat. Not Advised + Lost On Landing @ Joiners 19.30

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Ringo Deathstarr @ Joiners 19.30

6

Luke Leigh�ied @ Hamptons 19.00

The New York Dolls @ Talking Heads 19.30

5

Graymatter @ Joiners 19.30

SUNDAY

SUNDAY

Save Your Hero @ Joiners 19.30

20

Christmas Cheer Festive Music Concert @ Guildhall 15.00

Acoustic Ladyland @ Joiners 19.30

13 22

SATURDAY

12 Kumiss @ Joiners 19.30

SATURDAY

I See Sparks @ Hamptons 19.30

19 The Docks @ Joiners 19.30

Get Your Ass To Mars @ Joiners 19.30

18 Scarlet Soho @ Joiners 19.30

Kong @ Hamptons 19.30

Po

The Eyes Of A Traitor @ Hamptons 19.30

17

10

Kevin Devine @ Hamptons 19.30

3

December TheChristmasGigGuide

MONDAY

7 Goldhawks @ Joiners 19.30

MONDAY

15 Primitai @ Joiners 19.30

14 Your Demise @ Joiners 19.30

Babyshambles @ Guildhall 19.30

TUESDAY

Silverlith @ Joiners 19.30

22

Christmas Covers Night @ Hamptons 19.30

MONDAY

21 Seven Year Kismet @ Joiners 19.30