The University of Southamptonís Finest Entertainment Publication Issue 2 15th October 2009
EDITORIAL
INSIDE.. Records
Hi again,
Welcome to our second issue of the year. The editorial team have been working hard to make sure The Edge is bigger and better for you, hopefully with some apostrophes! For all you eagle-eyed readers who wondered where they all were last issue, the only theory we can come up with is that the punctuation fairy stole them. To make up for it we have got some amazing articles and features for you this issue. We review music from the likes of Noah and the Whale, Muse, The Voluntary Butler Scheme and Paramore, and our Live section is full of Green Day and WTFest? We also take a look at some of the latest film releases, including 500 Days of Summer, The Soloist and Inglourious Basterds. On top of all that we have a double-sided pull-out poster spread as a special treat. One side features the lovely Megan Fox for the boys, and the other Shia LeBeouf for the girls. Don’t say we never give you anything. If, for some unknown reason, we haven’t catered to your tastes, then email us what you want to see gracing The Edge! These pages wouldn’t be possible without all the lovely writers who contribute regularly, so if you want to get involved then let us know. It was great to see so many of you at our inaugural writers meeting, and we hope to see you all again soon! Another exciting day for the The Edge recently was our maiden show on Surge Radio. We now have a weekly show to play you all the new music we get sent, talk about the latest entertainment news and give you a run-down of the latest gigs in Southampton. Tune in on Saturdays from 1-2pm to listen to your favourite newspaper do radio. Don’t forget, if you want to get involved with The Edge, or have something to say about this issue, get in touch on the email address at the bottom of this column...we want to hear from you!
Editors: Emmeline Curtis and Tom Shepherd Record Editor: Kate Golding Live Editor: Hayley Taulbut Features Editor: Dan Morgan Film Editor: Stephen O’Shea Games Editor: Joe Dart Online Editor: Chris Hooton Editor in Chief: Jamie Ings With: Duncan Smith, Amy Cazneauz, Max Hughes-Williams, Laura Shattock, Joshua Treacer, Gareth Less, James Ash, Kavina Upadhyay, Craig Charley, Alexis Forss, Jazmin Sherman, Adam Vaughn, Ben Good, Amy Steadman, Luke Borrett For enquiries email us: theedge@soton.ac.uk For advertising email: james@susu.org
- Muse - All Time Low - Brand New + More!
Live
- Green Day - WTFest! - Noah and the Whale
Film
- Inglourious Basterds - (500) Days of Summer - The Hurt Locker + More!
Features
- Dan Black Interview + More!
Games
- Halo 3: ODST
All Time Low, Pop Punk’s New Heroes? That’s Entertainment.. By Emmeline Curtis Oscar winning director Roman Polanski was detained by Swiss officials when he arrived in the country to pick up a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival, and is now facing extradition to the US over his 1977 conviction for unlawful sex with a minor. His arrest has caused outcry, with Hollywood heavyweights such as Harvey Weinstein and Stephen Frears signing a petition calling for his release, and even his victim has asked a US court for the charges to be dropped. Their dismay has not affected Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger however, as he has stated that Polanski should not receive special treatment just because he is a big-time film director. This may be the first time I have ever agreed with something that he has said. If this piece of news has caused you any negative emotions, then take a leaf out of Senior Buddhist leader Ogyen Trinley Dorje’s book. He has revealed that he plays violent video games as a way to wind down and relieve any negativity energy. Apparently playing such games releases any negative thoughts or feelings within the context of the
illusion of the game, and getting out his aggression in the game rids him of the desire to express that feeling by going out and hitting someone. So all those who were worrying about the state of our nation’s youth and violent video games creating violent people, don’t. They are simply following new Buddhist teachings to rid their minds of wanting to hit you over the head. If you found that bizarre, just read what Liam Gallagher is up to now Oasis are no more. The singer has decided to support a campaign to save the honey bee from extinction because he likes honey. He has claimed that without it he would have a rough voice after its healing powers helped to cure a throat virus he caught in August. Neither of the Gallagher brothers can exactly claim to have smooth as silk voices, but imagine how they would be without the honey taking away some of the roughness. Good reason to support the campaign to stop bees buzzing off I say! Another singer on a campaign is Elton John, but his is of a more personal nature - he wants to adopt a child. After being denied the opportunity to adopt a Ukrainian
boy because he is both gay and too old, he and his partner David Furnish are now looking to Africa to provide them with a child. Africa has already let Madonna adopt two children, showing they clearly have no problem with the question of age, so Elton could soon be a proud daddy. I can only imagine the crazy clothes that child will be dressed in. On a final note, I leave you with some very sad news. Frankie Boyle has quit as a panellist on satirical show Mock The Week, after 7 series entertaining the nation. His other television commitments have apparently led to the decision, but the door is open for him to come back. Lets hope he comes to his senses and returns.
Muse
RECORDS RECORDS
The Resistance Laura Shattock Over the past 4 album releases, Muse have reached massive heights in both the British and international music scene. The Resistance, the 5th studio album by the Devon trio, was always destined to have a huge task to live up to fan expectations. Underlying contrasting emotions of intense love and civil disobedience once again fight through the entire album, although in some of the tracks this all becomes a bit too predictable. Each track is undoubtedly perfectly produced, and is exciting to once again hear a heavy classical influence throughout, with Matt’s signature piano featuring frequently. The already heavily played ‘Uprising’ and title track ‘Resistance’ are perhaps the only two stand-out radio-friendly tunes for single release in this album. ‘Resistance’, although very similar to many previous Muse tracks, is definitely catchy, with the “it could
XX
The XX are not the next big thing. They sing gentle, simple and intimate songs ideally enjoyed on your own, possibly after a breakup. Not the sort of thing you’ll hear on the radio. On listening to them however, you understand why pop would never have been a sensible career move for this equally sexed and extremely young fourpiece. Their sparse debut (XX) is on first listen just too god damn easy. Programmed drums tap beats as electric and bass guitars strum
be wrong, could be wrong, but it shouldn’t be right” singing through your head. ‘Undisclosed Desires’ tries to imitate the R‘n’B vibes which proved to be so successful in ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, and illustrating the band’s numerous influences. However, perhaps some of those influences should have been more restrained. The 80’s sound of ‘Guiding Light’ comes across frankly tacky, awkward and overly garish. Equally ‘United States of Eurasia’ is both obvious and brash. This is perhaps the trio’s most ambitious studio album to date, moving away from the conventional record format, with the 15 minute long rock-symphony ‘Exogenesis’, which used over 40 musicians in the recording process. This conglomeration of rock guitar riffs, powerful vocals from Matt, classical piano and strings result in a beautiful,
The XX
yet somewhat surreal end to the album. This album certainly is different from the Muse of before, but like all great bands they must move on. It is impossible for a loyal Muse fan to not compare this record with the best of Muse past. Origin of Symmetry or Showbiz it certainly is not, it does not even come close. Yet The Resistance does hint at the same intelligence, political excitement and passion, and at times musical lunacy of their past releases. At times this album is brilliant, however its influences are confused throughout, and this brilliance could become overshadowed by the arrogant, cliché 80s influenced few tracks. Regardless of the success of this album, Muse will undoubtedly continue to thrill with their live performances. Classical interludes featuring in such tracks as ‘Butterflies and Hurricanes’ have always captured
their audiences. Parts of ‘Exogenesis’ could develop that further dimension to their performance, making their shows even more magical. However, let’s hope they don’t over perform a few of the other tracks!
3/5 Good: Muse continue to push the boundaries with this ambitious album.
Bad: Influences appear confused at times with an overindulgence with the 80’s sound.
Upcoming tour
November 2009
Joshua Treacer
small melodies and the two lead singers, Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft, sing their hushed spar. Repeat listens however, reveal true warmth at the heart of the record. What at first seems like fairly clinical instrumentation is later revealed as a deep and perfectly timed structure on which Croft’s superb vocal talent can truly shine. Singing most of the time with vocal partner Oliver Sim, she utters lyrics which few can match in personality, style or grace. It is claimed by Sim and Croft that in the sixteen years they have known each other they have learnt to talk together. What they mean by this is not necessarily clear, but
they do seem to have an amazing talent for creating an atmosphere that is both elegant and affectionate. Lyrics such as “Maybe I had said/ Something that was wrong/ Can I make it better/ With the lights turned on” . seem to delve into areas of their relationship which no external observer would normally bare witness to. It’s this subtle openness to their singing which makes you feel like you are more than just a listener. By the end you feel involved in the flow of ideas from one to the other and you can’t help but feel that you are witnessing something pure and good. In the end The XX may not be to everyones taste. The heavy dose of intimacy
mixed with sparse instrumentation is something that not everyone is going to identify with, but I believe that if you’re the type of person that can happily dedicate time to this album it’s something that will reward you for doing so.
4/5 Good: Raw talent and emotion.
Bad: Requires dedication and time to learn to love it.
RECORDS
InMe
‘If it ain’t broke, tweak it a bit’ may not be a well known adage, but it’s a great sum up of InMe’s 4th album Herald Moth – an album where the band take what they do best and do it better. It’s been two years since Daydream Anonymous and a few things have changed. The addition of Ben Konstantinovic proves a master stroke, freeing up Dave McPherson to improve his vocals while adding an extremely talented lead guitar into the mix. It is these two elements which really make this album a marked improvement over its predecessors. The album has some great tracks, ‘Belief Revival’ and ‘Nova Armada’ being two that stand out, offering up some much improved vocals as well as vindicating the addition of Konstantinovic, who pitches in with some stunning guitar riffs, creating a much deeper and more balanced sound. This is also evident in the slower tracks, ‘I Will Honour You’ and ‘All Terrain Vehicle’ offer up a far more considered mature sound that seem to lend heavily from McPherson’s recent solo work. As far as catchy lyrics and big hooks go
“ This album sees the band take what they do best and do it better”
Herald Moth Gareth Lees
the first single to come off the album, ‘Single Of The Weak’, delivers in spades. It sounds a bit shallower than the other tracks but achieves the mandatory infectious one liners as well as some ironic social commentary. ‘You Won’t Hear From Me Again’ the first track on the album, while a solid track sums up the pros and cons from this entire album. Its desire to be all things to all men and chucking in various genres, instead of giving the sense that the band is proving its range comes across as if they don’t know what they should sound like. As good as the tracks are, the album as a whole feels a little jarring; the various styles make it sound messy rather than diverse. Nonetheless the more I listen to this album the more I like it; there are some real gems in there. The album as a whole may be a little less than the sum of its parts but with the improved vocals and guitar, they turn out to be some damn good parts. A great improvement on previous albums, more evolution than revolution, but it’ll please fans and prove a good listen.
Singles Paramore Ignorance By James Ash Paramore are back, according to their latest single ‘Ignorance’ anyway. Once again the pop-punk band have created a track with a great tempo and hard hitting lyrics to grab everybody’s attention. I feel this track is a great way to introduce their fans and new listeners to their new album Brand New Eyes. The track gives every Paramore fan what they want. The verses build up to the bridge and chorus brilliantly, and the chorus itself snatches your attention, with Hayley Williams proving her vocal talents have not faded in the slightest. The lyrics are slightly aggressive, but every decent Paramore track has the same trait; they do not tiptoe around issues. Paramore get straight to the point, allowing their fans to enjoy the song, rather than trying to analyse them to death. Other ‘emo’ bands make songs hard work, no matter how good they sound. One issue some may have is that ‘Igno-
4/5
Like this?
Try Fightstar out!
Los Campesinos! The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future By Kavina Upadhyay
4/5 rance’ needs to grow on you, rather than being an instant hit. The track easily deserves recognition however, and wets the appetite brilliantly for Brand New Eyes. We have had to wait two years for new Paramore material, and we have not been disappointed.
Los Campesinos! have definitely grown up from the days where it sounded like they were working off their latest sugar rush. This track off their upcoming 2010 album, Future, shows a long journey to maturity from 2007’s kitchen-thrashing debut We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives. Don’t get me wrong, the Welsh septet still unabashedly use their signature collective shouts to make their music sound effortlessly DIYed, but the departure of vocalist Aleks has made them sound less early Cribs and more late Maccabees. Gareth reclaims every right as the lead vocalist with the lyrics rolling out in a sort of hollow, matter-of-fact jumble to spell out a story about a girl lost in a world of anorexia and depression. Trust me, it is not as cliched as it sounds. The bands vocals rest on a string quartet that demands attention and by the last chorus you are left aching, exhausted by the beautiful emptiness this girl seems to feel (“But oh I can see five hundred years dead set ahead of me / Five hundred behind / A thousand years in perfect symmetry” ). If Los Campesinos! are releasing this track first so as to set the tone for the rest of the album then I for one cannot wait for the rest of Future to hit in 2010.
4/5 Good: An exciting band who demand attention.
Bad: The band have set a high standard for their album to live up to!
More like this?
Fellow Arts & Crafts band Stars
Brand New Daisy
RECORDS
Duncan Smith
How does a cult band, with a terrifyingly devoted fan-base, go about following the album which gave them widespread acclaim? The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, released in 2006, received glowing reviews, aided by the tortured image of Jesse Lacey and a marked refusal to elaborate on his cathartic songs. So, when listening to Daisy, the question in most minds is obvious: could Brand New match, or even top, their classic? To say that ultimately the answer to this question is no, does the band, and the album, a disservice. Referring to TDAGARIM as a masterpiece of the genre is no act of journalistic hyperbole; few bands have ever been able to produce an album of comparable depth, both sonically and lyrically. What is clear, is that, rightly or wrongly, the band’s career from here on will always be compared to the heights they reached in 2006, perhaps unfavourably so. Daisy’s strengths and weaknesses lie in the divergences from TDAGARIM. Perhaps aware that recreating the raw intensity of songs such as ‘You Won’t Know’ would be
“ The listener has to wonder how much longer Brand New will be around” impossible, Daisy’s strongest songs have echoes of the past in the layered distortion and feedback, and in the duelling vocals, yet they never explode in the same unrestrained manner of TDAGARIM; instead, on songs like ‘Sink’, ‘In A Jar’ and ‘Noro’, the band seem to have taken a more nuanced approach. In contrast, the songs which come closest to TDAGARIM in sound, ‘Vices’ and ‘At The Bottom’, are two of the weakest: both strive to replicate the emotional chaos of the previous album, but never reach the same heights. Nonetheless, the second half of the record, from ‘Sink’ onwards, is an absolute joy. Brand New’s embracing of the quiet/loud dynamic empowers the record: while far from a new approach, there are few bands who can create such a marked contrast between the light and space of their quiet moments, and the swirling layers of noise when the volume increases.
The album’s highlight, however, is ‘You Stole A Song’, which encapsulates all that Brand New represents; there is noise, there are quiet, reflective passages, the vocals whisper hauntingly, while the lyrics show the band at their introspective best. In the end, the album raises as many questions as it answers. Jesse Lacey, always an enigmatic figure, has recently been commenting on the band’s desire to tour less, and, their lifespan as a group. As ‘Noro’, the album’s standout track, closes with the line “ I’m on my way out” , the listener has to wonder how much longer Brand New will be around to continue making their chaotic, cathartic brand of music.
4/5 Good: Diverse and at times as good as anything Brand New have produced before.
Bad: As many weak songs as there are enjoyable.
Upcoming 23rd January, Wembley Arena
Noah and the Whale The First Days Of Spring
Like this? Be sure to check out the Noah and the Whale live review!
Amy Cazneaux
After the lively, upbeat, fun song ‘Five Years Time’ came a relatively unsuccessful album, and then came this, the latest album from Noah and the Whale. I was quite excited after hearing great radio reviews, but this just lead to a total disappointment. I waited patiently throughout this album for a song that had the bounce of ‘Five Years Time’, but no luck. Although the songs had beauty and a general sense of loveliness they were all too similar, making the overall album sound like a drone, and is probably why my housemate asked why I was playing the same song on repeat for the past hour! The album has a hopeless lengthy introduction followed by a barely discernible track that is approximately six minutes too long, and eight more that follow along the same lines. However, there is one song that differs from the rest, but not for the right reasons. ‘Love Of An Orchestra’ is very different; so much so that I thought my computer
had gone mad! It’s still not got that kick the album so desperately needs however, and although it’s slightly more upbeat it’s still drivel! Although this album does prove a relaxing listen there is a very fine line between boring and tranquil, and regrettably it falls on the dull side of tranquil. Unfortunately I think ‘Five Years Time’ was a one off, but if you like Coldplay’s depressing songs this album could be for you. I can’t understand where their self proclaimed ‘punk rock’ influence is, but perhaps they’ll find it with their recently stolen musical instruments. Overall I think this album would have been better named ‘The First Days of Winter’, as spring is far too encouraging for the depressing songs included.
2/5
RECORDS
“ All Time Low are having a party and everyone is invited”
All Time Low Having been so successful with So Wrong, It’s Right, All Time Low’s new album has been highly anticipated by the growing number of fans in this country. The numbers speak for themselves, having sold 60,000 copies in its first week it reached number 4 in the US charts, treading a path similar to that of Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy. With these impressive figures I was expecting big things from Nothing Personal. Catchy lyrics and melodies are the keystone to this album, it has the feeling that the All Time Low boys are having a party and that everyone is invited. Although Nothing Personal is definitely not riotous, groundbreaking or a classic by all means, it is simply a bit of fun and does the job well. I’d say that this album is definitely a tale of three parts. The first five tracks are exactly what All Time Low are about. Radio hit ‘Weightless’ really epitomises this sort of happy-go-lucky pop-punk which All Time Low have perfected. The middle section of this album is so obviously filler and really shouldn’t appear on an album of a band of this calibre. From ‘Sick Little Games’ to ‘Too Much’, this part of the album is a real disappointment as the
3/5
Upcoming Tour
October 2009 and January 2010
Good: Strong at the beginning and end.
Bad: Too much bad filler.
Nothing Personal Kate Golding songs just don’t quite deliver. They never seem to peak and are mediocre at best. The chorus’ are dull and pointless, and I find myself skipping these songs out as soon as they come on. ‘Hello Brooklyn’ is listenable but too cheesy even for All Time Low and frankly, annoying. ‘Walls’ is actually good for this middle section with a roaring chorus and a fun breakdown, although of course there are the cliché lyrics. The last four songs on the album are a pleasant reward for those who persevered during the middle few songs. ‘Poison’ probably isn’t the quite epic ending they were hoping for, but to be honest, All Time Low are not about the epic and this song sees them return to doing ‘fun’ again. ‘Keep The Change, You Filthy Animal’ is probably one of my favourites on the album, featuring a wonderful breakdown which I just love. All in all this album is alright. It is nothing spectacular but enjoyable nonetheless. I think All Time Low have a lot more to offer live, with plenty of energy and all round entertainment, particularly as the songs always sound much better than through your laptop speakers.
The Voluntary Butler Scheme At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea I picked this album for review purely on the basis of the band’s name; The Voluntary Butler Scheme just stood out and I thought what the heck, they might be pretty good. A quick Google tells me At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea is their debut album, assuring me it’s ok that I’ve never heard of them before. I can’t quite put my finger on just who TVBS remind me of, but I’m sure it’s a band I like; their songs are catchy, cheery and most importantly fun. The subject matter is the typical boy loves girl fare, so if you’re one of those people who moan about ‘rubbish love songs’ then you’ll probably moan about TVBS. I, however, think pretty much all music is about love of some kind or another,
and I freely admit to a bit of a soft spot for songs like ‘Multiplayer’ and ‘Trading Things In’, with the awesome lyric “ if you were broccoli I’d turn vegetarian for you” . Despite its cliché theme of boy can’t live without girl I can see exactly why it was picked as a record of the week on Radio 2. If neither of those are to your taste there are plenty more to pick from, with At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea coming in at 14 tracks long - there’s a good chance you’ll find a song you enjoy, and unlike some long albums you shouldn’t find it very hard to listen to this one all in one sitting. I will warn you that ‘Split’ might just get into your head and refuse to leave, though I’ve not found that to
Max Hughes- Williams
be a bad thing at all. I’ll certainly pester my co-host to let me play it on our Surge show. Now I’m not someone who listens only to one or two genres of music so I’m well aware TVBS will only appeal to those of you who enjoy indie music, given its extreme lightness and lack of heavy guitar or drums. It really is the kind of music best suited to summer, and a release this late in the year probably won’t do them any favours in terms of album sales, but get your hands on a copy of At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea and keep an eye out for them in the small tents at next year’s festivals. Overall this album is catchy and enjoyable to listen to, though no particular song
jumps out as unbelievable. Keep an eye on TVBS though, as they might just be one of the next big indie bands if their publicity machine gets in gear.
4/5 Good: Catchy and very summery. A band to keep an eye on.
Bad: Songs are pretty much all clichéd boy loves girl fare.
Upcoming Show 23rd October, Winchester
SECTION FEATURE by Dan Morgan
They Don’t Make Music Like They Used To
I am often criticised by my friends for my enjoyment of so-called ‘old’ music. Now were I not a soft, wilting, cowardly soul, I would find this annoying. In the past I have tried in vain to persuade my critics that music should be defined by its own merit, rather than the decade it was released in. So, in the spirit of balanced debate, I have put together a list of seven ‘oldies’, real giants of the postPresley musical revolution, in an effort to prove that popular music written before 1990 should not be regarded as the sole reserve of pissed old farts in suburban pubs.
REDEMPTION SONG Bob Marley DESOLATION ROW - BOB DYLAN Arguably the most influential living musician (disregarding the remaining Beatles) produced his finest work in this masterpiece off Highway 61 Revisited. Written in Dylan’s trademark simplistic melodic style, ‘Desolation Row’ showcases the reclusive American’s true genius as a lyricist. More accessible than ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ and more profound than ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, this 10-minute homage to the bohemian dream demonstrates Dylan’s ‘thin, wild mercury sound’ at its very best.
RESPECT – Aretha Franklin Motown music swept post-war America, and has sustained its success into the 21st Century. Seen by many as possessing one of the best voices in music, Aretha Franklin is at her riveting best in ‘Respect’. Catchy and upbeat, but complex enough for Aretha to show off her world-beating voice as well as any of her other tracks, ‘Respect’ has everything that makes motown great.
Written shortly after he was diagnosed with the cancer that would eventually kill him, this is Marley at his most profound. Touching on the subject of his own mortality, the song also uses lines taken from a speech by civil-rights activist Marcus Gavey. ‘Redemption Song’ was released on the album ‘Uprising’, which was put out the year before Marley’s death. As such, it was to be the last album released during Marley’s lifetime. The only solo track on the album, ‘Redemption Song’ is immensely poignant, and all the more powerful for its basic construction.
I FEEL FINE – The Beatles There are many criticisms that can be levelled at the Fab Four, but their impact on all strands of contemporary music is undeniable. ‘I Feel Fine’, released as a single in 1964 is a prime example of The Beatles’ ability to write the perfect pop song. Famously turned away from their first application for a record deal because ‘guitar music was a dying breed’, almost every one of the band’s singles was revolutionary in some way. ‘I Feel Fine’ features the first amp feedback to be purposefully included on a single, paving the way for the heavier sound of following bands. ANARCHY IN THE UK – The Sex Pistols THE ALTERNATIVE TOP SEVEN Push It - Salt and Pepper Shut Uppa Your Face - Joe Dolce Oops Upside Your Head - Gap Band Puppy Love - Donny Osmond Lady in Red - Chris de Burgh Achey Brakey Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
BORN IN THE USA - Bruce Springsteen One of the world’s most famous protest songs, ‘Born in the USA’ (1984) captured a generation’s confusion, fear and resentment about the impact of the Vietnam War on 70s America. The opening line, “ Born down in a dead man’s town” , gives an idea of the post-modern feeling of disillusionment so prevalent at the time of the song’s release. Famously, the Boss has refused to play this song on some of his recent tours as he believes the song’s political message has been corrupted. It remains a brilliant song though, and you won’t find a more powerful piece of classic rock anywhere.
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART – Joy Division A sharp contrast from the generally upbeat tracks in this list, Joy Division’s biggest chart success was tragically defined by the suicide of the band’s lyricist and vocalist Ian Curtis. Suffering from depression and epilepsy, Curtis killed himself in 1980 just after the band finished producing what was to be its last album. Released as a single, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ was the band’s biggest success, and went a great way to launching the post-punk revolution. With a typically dark theme and sporting Curtis’ signature slow, deep vocals, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ was this iconic band’s finest production.
There are many criticisms that can be levelled against The Pistols; instrumentally amateur at times and lyrically hopeless at others, there is a strong argument for writing off The Pistols as an affront to music. Doing so however, would be a huge mistake. The ecstatic fury of the band’s material is infectious, and nowhere is this more evident than on the band’s debut single ‘Anarchy in the UK’, released in 1976. Even after the impact of rock bands like The Rolling Stones and The Who, the attitude of The Sex Pistols shocked the music industry. The opening line of ‘Anarchy in the UK’, “ I am an antichrist, I am an anarchist” , could be said to have kick-started the entire punk movement.
FEATURE SECTION
Dan Black THE KEY FACTS:
By Tom Shepherd For those that haven’t heard you, how would you describe your sound and who would you say your influences were? I guess I’d say my sound was quite disparate. I could probably list a load of people but that would be quite boring. so the most important things are kind of slightly modern, experimental, kind of hip-hop production, mixed with quite heart felt, English alternative pop, mixed with a film tracky soundtrack sound. To touch on that say Missy Elliot, The Smiths, Sigur Ros. You’ve been tipped for big things this year. Do you find that that adds pressure for you? I want that, I want people to like what I’m doing and think I am going to do well. If no one was hearing me it’d be s***. I want people to go “ he might do well” or “ he will do well” . I’ve heard you’ve had something of a run in with the Notorious BIG regarding what was going to be the new single ‘Hypntyz’, could you tell us a bit about that? It’s a long story. Basically I did a song called ‘Hypnotise’ that took varying, crazily difficult to clear samples, and over the top of it I wrote a melody to the song by Notori-
ous BIG, ‘Hypnotise’. And it was going to be my next single and on the night of the video shoot for the single, day before the single, we suddenly got word from Notorious BIG’s estate, he’s dead now, saying you can’t use the lyrics. Apparently they have a policy, which we didn’t know about, where they flatly refuse any use, and the problem was we thought it was a cover, because I was just using his lyrics. But because I’d written a melody to it, it meant that technically it was an adaptation, which meant that they had the right to veto it, so they veto’d it. But fortunately, I sucked that s*** up and went ‘f*** this’ and went away and quickly wrote brand new lyrics and re-recorded it.
“I sucked that s***
up and went ‘f*** this, and went away” You were saying about ‘Symphonies’, we believe the composition was the drumbeat from Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ and the soundtrack of a film we’ve never heard of.. The film’s called Starman, it’s an 80s scifi film. So is that typical composition for your songs or was that an exception? When I started doing what I’m doing, I
used to be in a band, and I decided to go solo. When I sat down to write, there were lots of bits of music that I was like “ I love that, wanna do something like that” , but they seemed to be from very alien worlds. And I’d been making, from DJing, some funny two minute DJ style mash ups anyway, so I thought I’m gonna make these mash ups, take the things I really love and see if I can Frankenstein-ly sew them together and then also sing something else on top. And I did a load of them just as experiments, but a couple of them came out as something in itself, not just a novelty. Anyway, so most of what I did, or 97% of my music is original, or like a similar thing where I’m putting things together, but it was the next step for me, where I wasn’t using samples, I was making my own sounds and putting them together. But yeah, ‘Hypntyz’ was just its own thing really. Who would be your ideal festival headliner, past or present? Houdini.
“I take the things I
love and see if I can Frankenstein-ly sew them together”
Genre: Electronica Pop Label: Polydor A&M Singles: Alone Yours HYPNTZ U + Me = Symphonies Albums: ((un)) Myspace: www.myspace.com/ danblacksound Tours: Currently on tour
LIVE
Green Day Take a trip across the pond to see veteran punkrockers Green Day on home turf. By Jazmin Sherman
wanted more than for Green Day to hit the stage.
Green Day, formed by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong in the bands hometown of Oakland, California, have been around since the late 80’s providing us with almost two decades of punk/alternative rock. Throughout their career Green Day has made some incredible contributions to the American rock scene, including their critically acclaimed, Grammy award winning album American Idiot in 2004. After an almost 5 year hiatus, in May 2009 they released the highly anticipated 21st Century Breakdown, which is also the title of their world tour en route to the UK in October.
‘After what felt like forever, the lights flashed, guitars flashed, drums pounded and the crowd was in overdrive.’
‘And whether you like, love or hate Green Day, it was hard not to enjoy one of this years most entertaining concerts.’
Waiting outside the Cox Arena in San Diego was tedious. There was nothing I
Green Day had arrived. They opened with their first single from their new album, ‘Know Your Enemy’, and with its pulsing beats and driving guitars it was the perfect punk anthem to get the crowd roaring. After a much anticipated return to the stage, you could tell that Green Day were nothing but veteran performers. The stage was bathed in hues of every colour, Billie Joe stalked the stage like a predator, and the set boasted of hits from right across the board. New material from 21st Century Breakdown, was fused with fan favourites from ‘American Idiot’ such as ‘Holiday’, ‘St. Jim-
Cox Arena, San Diego
20th August, 2009
my’ and ‘Blvd. of Broken Dreams’. The band also played heaps of old school Green Day such as ‘Longview’, ‘Welcome to Paradise’, ‘Basketcase’ and ‘When I come around’. It was any fan’s idea of an ideal set from the band; an exhaustive collection of their best stuff – live. Yet this concert was so much more than just a concert; it was a full-blown performance.
‘Billie Joe is an absolute genius!’
He got the audience involved in about every way possible; whether it was throwing toilet paper at the crowd, spraying fans with a water gun, or yelling at the audience to join in on his chanting. It was incredible. He also brought fans up on stage, only to encourage them to dive straight back into the hands of other fans, and hand picked three people (on three separate occasions) to sing Green Day classics. Two and a half hours, and a whole lot
of music later, Green Day left the stage to eponymous shouts of epic proportions. Just about every soul in the Cox Arena was chanting their name!
‘In all, it was a fantastic gig; it was pure Green Day bliss.’ No one sat down, everyone sang, Green Day gave everything they had, and then some more. When Billie Joe, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool grace the shores of Blighty this coming month, do everything in your power to get a ticket – this is one show you will not want to miss!
4/5 Good: A mix of old and new, with crowd interaction second to none.
Bad: Their generic political views were grating at times.
Havin’ a pretty good time with
LIVE
Noah & the Whale Koko, Camden Town 2nd October, 2009 By Alexis Forss Koko is a beautiful 1400 capacity venue, best known for hosting Club NME on Fri-
days, in addition to secret gigs by acts as diverse as Coldplay and Prince. The venue’s status as a sort of haven for music lovers made the behaviour of a considerable por-
Alexis Forss samples the delights of Camden, and takes a trip to legendary venue Koko to see Twickenham fourpiece Indie stars, Noah and the Whale. tion of the crowd all the more inexplicable - the constant chatter of the people gathered at the bar threatening to spoil it for the rest of us. Noah and the Whale’s frontman Charlie Fink evidently took offence to the relentless chatterings, saying:
“I realise that the temptation, during the quiet numbers, to talk about how much you’re enjoying the gig can be irresistible.
Sigur Ros. Another dilemma in presenting material from both albums side-by-side is the immense emotional gap between them: where Peaceful takes its key-note from the refrain of “ Sun, Sun, Sun” and “ Fun, Fun, Fun” from the hit single ‘5 Years Time’, Spring is shot through with Fink’s pain at his break up with Marling, and its confessional tone and bleak vignettes about one-night stands are merciless. From the second the band strode on stage it was clear that this wasn’t going to be the same Noah and the Whale that I’d heard on record.
“There wasn’t a single ukulele or tin-whistle to be seen”
and the musicians had traded in the Wes Anderson iconography of their music videos for more conventional indie-wear. What remained most distinctively from their studio work was the indispensible violin playing of Tom Hobden, who was allowed several impassioned solos which infused the more personal songs with an almost unbearable emotionality. Liberated from the fauxnaif, DIY constraints of their studio sound the band members revealed themselves as immensely talented live musicians, and old favourites like ‘Give a Little Love’ and ‘The Shape of My Heart’ were re-invented as rousing, stomping crowd pleasers and gelled seamlessly with the more introspective material.
Maybe you’d like to try actually enjoying the gig instead” , after the performance of the wistfully melancholic ‘Our Window’. Having never seen them live before, I was wondering how Noah and the Whale would come across, espe“That said, a few invitations cially as their stuto sing along would not have dio albums to date gone amiss.” seem to embody This was understandable given that while two polar opposites of production style. in good voice, Fink was a subdued, almost Debut, Peace- aloof presence throughout, even by his wry ful, the World Lays standards – probably still reeling from the Me Down sounds recent break-up. Cheer up, Chaz. There’ll homemade to a be other girls and, hopefully for us, other fault, only propped albums. up by Laura Marling’s silky backing vocals, while The First Days of Spring is lush and orches- Good: Superb musi- Bad: The terrible crowd. tral, occasionally cianship. sumptuous in a way one associates with
4/5
LIVE
Southampton leading the way in DIY punk rock
The Joiners
WTFest? 2nd-6th September
Three big headliners each good enough to sell out a show on their own, thrown together in the space of 5 days to create arguably one of the best DIY punk rock fests in the UK. By Craig Charley 02/09/09 - THE FLATLINERS Few seemed to have seen OK Pilot before, so their energetic, fast-paced punk rock may have made them a few new fans. The Exeter trio pulled off a brilliant short set with much applause; the sound was a bit bizarre however, with the volume right up and vocals so echoic I momentarily believed I was in a cave. Second support Mike TV haven’t changed much since their days as Pickled Dick, but they still managed to have an air of freshness about them: their pop punk sound and onstage banter never gets old, and it was a strong performance overall. Up next were The Flatliners, all the way from Canada, who predictably stole the show and set the bar high for the rest of the week. Breakneck hardcore and ska breakdowns are the make-up of this incredible band, who got the whole room singing along (with some rather energetic moshing down the front). Yet they aren’t afraid to break some genre boundaries. The show was founded on cross-overs that you wouldn’t even think possible, but they were executed with a mastery that has earned
them a huge body of fans. A great start to a great week! 4/09/09 - POLAR BEAR CLUB A late addition to the bill, Above Them proved themselves worthy candidates. With a debut album out next month, West Yorkshire’s finest brought a real passion to the proceedings. Mellower than your average punk band, the three-piece have the ability to sound heavier than they really are with a great use of vocals from singer Oli. Local stars Burn The Fleet were one of the few Southampton based bands playing WTFest?
“They demonstrated good guitar skills with some rather interesting facial expressions.”
Unlike other bands on the bill, their sound had a tangible metal influence, and this was clearly a homecoming show for the band who had both friends and family in the audience. Occasionally my attention did waver, but otherwise an entertaining mix of riffs and decent backing vocals. The last British band before the Americans took over were Don Ramos Players, whose performance was more memorable for the onstage banter than for the songs. Missing most of the backing vocals and playing so fast it seemed they wanted to get offstage as quickly as possible, they were more than a little disappointing, but new songs such as ‘Captain O Captain’ saved the show and demonstrated that a new record could put a burst of energy into the band. Concluding the night were Polar Bear Club, who are still managing to pack shows and impress with new songs, despite being well into their third UK tour this year. In between touring they’ve somehow managed to write and record a follow up to Sometimes Things Just Disappear and tonight they showcased a number of songs from it; ‘Living Saints’ was a highlight and a song which is already known by the loyal fanbase. 06/09/09 - A WILHELM SCREAM A Wilhelm Scream tore Southampton apart on Sunday night, telling one over confident fan:
“Try to steal my hat again and I’ll bust your face.”
They rounded off the weekend with a fantastic performance.
Only two support bands led to a much shorter show and the atmosphere was somewhat altered from the other nights, as eager anticipation of the headliners seemed to overshadow the support. On first were Householdname Records’ You Me and The Atom Bomb, to whom Southampton must feel like a second home. The Plymouth punk rock trio played a collection from their 2006 debut album Shake Up, as well as previewing some brilliant new songs, a mixture of slower gruff ballads and sharp fast punk songs. They seemed to go down well with the audience and hopefully a new record will boost their support in the future! Next up were Drawings, Matt Reynolds’ (Howards Alias) latest full band. A couple of songs seemed pretty decent but technical problems causing a hiatus mid-set left me bored. Even once these were resolved, they did little to lift my boredom. Other than a couple of heavy breakdowns there was a lot of twiddling and not much going on the whole set seemed to blend into a whole indistinguishable mess! But with dueling guitar solos, singa-long choruses, fast as a bullet train verses and a band that just doesn’t f**k around up next, it was hard to be too disappointed with Drawings. After a
bit of banter, A Wilhelm Scream shot off to a flying start! Sticking mainly to songs off Ruiner but also the best of Career Suicide and Mute Print, they put on the best performance of the week, inciting a mass frenzy at the front, with crowd surfing, circle pits and even human pyramids! An audience that had seemed lifeless rose from the grave and sung the words with such volume that at times the band were outsung. The band left the stage expecting an encore, and then came back on to play ‘Anchor End’; without a doubt their best song. The highlight of the week, I’m sure A Wilhelm Scream will be back across the pond again soon with an even bigger set of crazy fans.
3/5 Good: A diverse mix of bands, spanning a variety of genres.
Bad: Some local bands were not up to scratch.
Finding your way. Career Destinations Graduate and Internship Fairs Business, Management and Finance Tuesday 20 October 2009 | 11am – 3.30pm Garden Court, Highfield Campus IT, Science and Engineering Wednesday 21 October 2009 | 11am – 3.30pm Garden Court, Highfield Campus
FILM
The Soloist Director: Joe Wright Starring: Jamie Foxx Robert Downey Jr
Released: 25th September 2009 Tagline: ëLife has a mind of its owní Runtime: 117 mins Rating: 12A
3/5 Good: Two strong Bad: Many key issues are underdecentral characters. veloped.
By Adam Vaughn
Originally scheduled for a mid-Oscar season November 2008 release, this true story based on the book by Los Angeles Times journalist, Steve Lopez, has finally arrived. Unveiling a worrying journalistic similarity to this yearís yucky puppy pic, Marley & Me, it concerns Lopez (Robert Downey Jr) writing a column about now-homeless Julliardtrained musician, Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) whom he has befriended. Nathaniel, oddly clad in a colourful variety of clothes, is possibly schizophrenic so Lopez attempts to take him off of the streets, where he gleefully plays his two-stringed violin. Through a series of flashbacks we learn of Nathanielís potential musical genius as he excitedly plays his cello as a boy and explains his obsession with Beethoven, and his desperate descent into mental illness as a young man.
You could be mistaken for thinking this an issues-laden film. Images of homelessness and poverty abound in the frame and shots of New Orleans citizens on rooftops displaying ëSave Meí signs post-Katrina play on a news channel. The area surrounding the homeless shelter, the LAMP community that Nathaniel is taken to is grim. None of these The Soloist, showing at Union Films issues are ever truly developed however. Sunday 13th December 7:00pm The film seems far more concerned with the characters of Nathaniel Ayers and Steve http://uf.susu.org Lopez, and Foxx and Downey Jrís perform-
ances are commendable without being aweinspiring. Foxx’s dishevelled and wide-eyed Ayers, which could so easily have slipped into caricature, is equally measured and manic when Susannah Grantís script calls for it. Downey Jr is not as annoyingly muttery and monotone as he has been in the past, most notably as Iron Man. The script, however, doesnít give a satisfactory sense of the connection between them and we are, worryingly, left wondering if Lopez ever stops searching for a story and, instead, begins saving a man.
ì Foxx and Downey Jrís performances are commendable without being awe-inspiring.î
tal and uplifting film is oddly subdued, yet intimate. Lacking a strong feel-good conclusion (along the lines of Slumdog Millionaire), Wrightís drama instead opts for religious symbolism. Nathaniel views Lopez as his saviour; a God who has rescued him from the dangerous and dirt-filled streets, regardless of how reluctant Nathaniel is to physiThe script also leaves the character of cally live inside the LAMP community. The Lopezís ex-wife, Mary (Catherine Keener), street, it seems, is all he knows. curiously under-developed. In a film essentially about loneliness, as the title suggests, This religious theme is unmistakable in this plot point may have served to debate one striking sequence under a tunnel on a and interrogate the larger issues that the film busy Los Angeles road. Nathaniel plays a merely hints at. cello that a reader of Lopezís column has donated as a gift. As Nathaniel caresses the After the successes of both Pride & Prej- bow and strings, two pigeons ñ supplements udice and the Oscar-drenched Atonement, for doves – fly up out of the darkness of the director Joe Wright seems at home adapting tunnel into the light of the LA afternoon and material, and he directs competently here, across the expansive city, symbolising that even mirroring his breathtaking tracking for Nathaniel, music is a salvation. shot across the beach at Dunkirk, replacing What should be an uplifting and emotionWorld War II soldiers with LA’s homeless, al film is scuppered by a muddled resolumany of whom were playing themselves. tion, but Foxx and Downey Jr at least make it watchable. What has all the makings of a sentimen-
FILM Inglourious Basterds Director: Quentin Tarantino Starring: Brad Pitt Diane Kruger Melanie Laurent Christoph Waltz Release Date: 19th August 2009
Inglourious Basterds, showing at Union Films Tuesday 17th November 7:00pm
Tagline: ëOnce upon a time in Nazi
http://uf.susu.org
occupied Franceí
Runtime: 153 mins Rating: 18
By Stephen OíShea
Basterds he pays clear homage to Sergio Leone and the classic spaghetti westerns. Tarantino shows his clear love of Leone through scenes that create untold amounts of tension and leave the audience begging for the knife that will cut it and yet unable to look away even for a moment. With any Tarantino film comes the comparison to his earlier work, most notably Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, and although this film can undoubtedly be counted alongside these modern greats, it just falls short of surpassing them.
Think of Quentin Tarantino and instantly images of Samuel L. Jackson quoting bible passages and names like Mr. Pink flow to the forefront of the mind. To now think of this legendary director however, and not to be reminded of Christoph Waltz as the phenomenally scary and brilliantly tense Colonel Hans Landa, would be a crime. With Inglourious Basterds Tarantino, and the incredible cast that he commands, has created an utterly unmissable film easily in the same league as Reservoir Dogs or Pulp With Hollywood regulars such as Brad Fiction. Pitt and Diane Kruger in the opening credits the acting standard of this film was never Inglourious Basterds has, like all Quentin going to be disappointing, and of course Tarantino films, a very complicated plot line the two stars of LA did not disappoint. Pitt to explain on paper, but I shall try my best. in particular, whose performance as the The film’s title refers to a group of American Southern American Lt. Aldo Raine is brilsoldiers, known as ‘the Basterds’, moving liantly funny and spectacularly brutal. It is around Nazi occupied France during the not just the American actors who hog the Second World War and killing German sol- lime light in this film however, instead it is diers in very brutal ways in order to strike their Austrian and French counterparts who fear into other German soldiers and the Nazi steal the show. Melanie Laurent is an absohigh command. At the same time Hitler and lute diamond as the vindictive and vengeful his officers are putting on a film display to Shosanna Dreyfus. Throughout the entire boost German moral. There are multiple film she portrays, perfectly, the painful feelplots to destroy this premiere however, and ing of living under German rule while at the to assassinate the leaders of Nazi Germany same time forcing an unwilling smile at any at the same time. And present throughout German officer. The whole role is understatis the ever threatening Colonel Hans Landa. ed beautifully and builds to a brilliant climax. The entire film is brilliantly told throughout Despite the acting prowess of all of those with perfect interlocking story lines and typi- involved in this film, including a fantastic cally Tarantino flashbacks. The funny bits cameo from Mike Myers, the whole show is are hilarious, the action is crude but glorious stolen by the absolutely phenomenal Chrisand the entire story is simply a masterpiece. toph Waltz as Hans Landa. This is the perfect bad guy. Every time he is on screen the As with any Tarantino film this one is all audience fidgets nervously and begs him to about the direction. And of course, as with stop the awkward tension that he creates any Tarantino film, it is flawless. The entire immediately, almost with his very presence, story is told in such a way that you are in- but he does not. Every time he is not present stantly pulled in to the world Tarantino has the viewer wants him back, driving the film created, and you are barely allowed to forward with his extraordinarily powerful breath until the end credits. Every scene is scenes and moments. The opening fifteen crucial and no line is too small. This film is a minutes of this film is not only a testament lesson in directorial genius and masterclass. to suspense but also to Christoph Waltz. Tarantino is not the only teacher in the class Every time he is present on screen everyone of direction however, and with Inglourious in the cinema is gripped and on the edge of
their seats. This is a performance that will not be forgotten and an actor to undoubtedly watch out for. Inglourious Basterds is an absolutely spectacular return to form by Quentin Tarantino after his long absence, and although slightly falling short of his previous masterpieces this film can not be understated or underestimated. It is a work of art and will undoubtedly stand the test of time. This film, although not as brilliantly intertwining as Pulp Fiction, ultimately deserves a re-
sounding five out of five. Perhaps four point nine recurring would have been more appropriate, but alas all film analysis must have boundaries.
5/5 Good: Christoph Bad: Just slightly Waltz, but to de- behind its Tarantino scribe him as simply predecessors. good is a gross understatement.
FILM
500 Days of Summer Director: Marc Webb Starring: Joseph Goirdon-Levitt Zooey Deschanel
Release Date: 2nd September 2009
Tagline: ëBoy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesní t.í
500 Days of Summer, showing at Union Films Tuesday 8th December 7:00pm http://uf.susu.org
Runtime: 95 mins Rating: 12A
By Amy Steadman Unlike most conventional romanticcomedies, this film had me at the tagline (rather than at ‘hello’). Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. GirlÖ doesnít. When was the last time you saw a film about a GIRL who doesn’t believe in true love and a BOY who falls hysterically in love with her? And this is but a piece of originality that makes up this miss-match cinematic collage. 500 Days Of Summer is a funny and acute insight into the tribulations of infatuation, which successfully invigorates a genre so prone to predictability. Tom (charmingly played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a frustrated would-be architect, frittering his life away at a Los Angeles greeting card company. Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is the capricious doe-eyed cynic he falls for. The film flits back and forward through their turbulent 500-day relationship. The random discontinuity juxtaposes the thrills against the misery and captures the realities that fall through the gaps of traditional romantic comedies, including a brilliant moment in which Tom realises that
Summer likes the same band as him, in this case The Smiths (of course). Whilst Deschanel is extremely alluring in her role, Gordon-Levitt is exceptional. Previous roles include weedy teenagers in Third Rock From the Sun and 10 Things I Hate About You. He adopts the quirky role of Tom ì 500 Days of Summer successfully invigorates a genre so prone to predictabillity.î
with such perfection, adding to the reality the film wishes to display. Almost as exceptional as Gordon-Levitt, is the eclectic soundtrack. From Regina Spektor’s ‘Us’ in the opening sequence, to the reoccurrence of Patrick Swayze’s ‘She’s Like The Wind’, and finally to a brilliant scene set irreplaceably to Hall & Oates ‘You Make My Dreams.’ Complete with cartoon blue-bird, this joyous dance sequence
celebrates Tom and Summer’s first night together; it satirises the form it so desperately wishes to contrive, with brilliant effect. This is an endlessly inventive, original date movie; it’s love according to The Smiths rather than Richard Curtis.
4/5 Good: An absolutely brilliant soundtrack.
Bad: The last line.
FILM
The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker, showing at Union Films Wednesday 18th November 7:00pm http://uf.susu.org
Director: Kathryn Bigelow Starring: Jeremy Renner Guy Pearce Ralph Fiennes
Release Date: 28th August 2009 Tagline: ëYouí ll know when youí re in ití
Runtime: 131 mins Rating: 15
By Ben Good By Ben Good
The latest Iraq war film turns out to be the best yet. The Hurt Locker, a new independent film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, follows the everyday life of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq.
a powerful yet subtle performance and he is likely to go onto bigger, but probably not better things.
see as an advantage, you see the action through a soldiers eyes rather than Hollywood’s interpretation.
There have been several films that have attempted to tackle the Iraq war over the last couple of years. From the preachy (and boring) Lions for Lambs to the visceral and horrifying Redacted, none have managed to get across the true horror of facing modern guerrilla warfare, until now.
A lot has been made in the media of the uncommon sight of seeing a female director attached to the credits of an action film (although to classify it such is insulting to the films intelligence). Bigelow does superbly, the action flows and the movement of the camera underlies the uncertainty of the common soldier, trying to keep aware of potential snipers and IEDs nearby.
Each war has a definitive film; Saving Private Ryan, Apocalypse Now, they both capture perfectly World War 2 and the Vietnam War. I believe The Hurt Locker will in future years be viewed as the Iraq film, and the war is not even over yet.
The film stars the relatively unknown Jeremy Renner as Cpl. James who takes over a command of the bomb disposal unit at offset. He is brash, cocky and reckless, and whilst he clashes with his squad mates you can’t help but smile at the bravado. His is
Successful independent cinema these Good: Doesn’t become days seems to be limited to the off beat al- too preachy like other ternative comedy; however, The Hurt Locker Iraq war films. shows that this shouldn’t be. Films of great spectacle can also be made for a smaller budget. The lack of a big studio I can only
5/5 Bad: Nothing.
“ The Prince of the Cosmos must use ‘Katamari’ (sticky rolling balls) of varying sizes to collect up junk on earth at the bidding of his quirky father.”
Katamari Forever PS3
By Luke Borrett
The charmingly insane concept of the Katamari series is at barebones the most endearing tale of child abuse ever told. The Prince of the Cosmos must use ‘Katamari’ (sticky rolling balls) of varying sizes to collect up junk on earth at the bidding of his quirky father, The King of All Cosmos, to turn them into replacement stars for those he destroyed. Failure results in extreme punishment. The visual aesthetics of Katamari are highly stylised, colourful and just flatout nuts, as a chorus of ducks pop their heads to sing in the intro sequence. It takes strange joy and humour in the unabashed Japanese weirdness of it all. A key atmospheric fea-
ture is its incredibly varied, quirky Japanese pop soundtrack, which may not appeal to all but is surprisingly catchy. Katamari very much exudes a love/hate atmosphere. You will be delighted by its stylings or merely confused. At its core, the concept is one of pure simplicity: the two analogue sticks represent the hands of The Prince rolling the ball, giving you full control over your ball control whilst keeping the basic controls relatively simple, with a handful of other moves including a turn, a dash and a brand new jump, cutely dubbed ‘The Prince hop’. The levels you roll on start off small, such as rolling up clutter on a desk or the mess on a bedroom floor. They gradually increase in scale and varied locations until
SECTION GAMES
eventually you’re rolling up landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, whole countries or stars in the cosmos itself. It’s amazing how eager you get to grow larger in the time limits, or roll up that one elusive cat. Little prizes hide themselves throughout levels, in the form of different avatar characters and accessories to dress them up. The real problem with Katamari Forever is you’ve seen it all before. A common complaint of sequels, but unfortunately this game contains very little new content and largely puts new graphical filters on levels from older games in the series. Even most of the music is remixed. ‘Robo King’ does serve as a humorous addition, though. In Japan, this game was called Katamari Tribute as it was very much one for the fans. Ultimately, if you’ve played Katamari before, you know if you’re excited to get rolling again. If not, this is the most comprehensive starting point,
Halo 3: ODST
with no barriers to entry for someone curious to enter the zany world of Katamari!
3/5 Good: Simple, madcap fun.
Bad: Weirdness will not appeal to all.
Like this?
Check out CoD: World At War
Xbox 360 ways this doesn’t fit in with the Halo canon, as we’ve come to expect Master Chief to be the only human capable of carrying a turret around, but while this might annoy a few Halo fans I’m quite glad they put it in as it makes taking large groups of Brutes down so much easier. The campaign itself comes in at around a tidy 8 or so hours, which is not bad for what is effectively an expansion pack. Some gamers have complained about the price tag not being justifiable, however you do also get an extra disc with the complete Halo 3 multiplayer experience and the last 3 maps from the mythic map pack, which on its own is hours and hours of fun. You also have the brand new ODST coop mode of firefight which sees a squad of 4 players fighting off wave after wave of covenant foes with the skulls from Halo 3 being activated with each progressive round giving you a much more tactical multiplayer mode, which has taken over Halo 3
By Max Hughes-Williams The latest offering from Microsoft is the eagerly anticipated Halo 3: ODST, which boasts not just a whole new campaign in the Halo universe but also a shiny Halo 3 multiplayer disc with all the map packs plus three brand new maps to expand the already massive multiplayer experience of Halo 3. ODST sees you take on the role of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper split up from his squad in the covenant infested city of New Mombasa, which players may remember from previous Halo games. Getting used to taking on the covenant as a simple trooper rather than the super powered Spartan Master Chief takes a surprisingly small amount of time; the controls are pretty much identical as are the weapons, but with a few interesting updates such as the visor mode which makes targeting and killing covenant in the dark streets of New Mombasa much more tactical than the ‘all guns blazing kick down the front door’ approach of the Spartans. I personally much prefer this style of game play, I enjoy a bit of stealth and tactics and I am very much loving the return of the Halo 1 pistol which means instant head shot kills, and through the game it was pretty much my standard weapon of choice. Many gamers worried that you wouldn’t be able to use the covenant weapons, but fear not, for all weapons are up for grabs. In some
as my house’s main house bonding game session. And of course you can’t forget the promise of the Halo Reach Beta to be activated sometime next year. ODST is well worth picking up especially if you loved the previous Halo games. If, however, you want to try it out before you buy they now have it at Kinki every Friday night.
4/5 Good: Halo 3 multiplayer and map packs included.
Bad: Short campaign and no matchmaking in firefight.
Francesqa @ Joiners 19.30
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Editors @ Guildhall 19.30
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The Chapman Family @ Hamptons 19.00
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Delphic @ Joiners 19.30
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21 My Passion @ Joiners 19.30
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The Common @ Joiners 19.30
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30 All Forgotten @ Joiners 19.30
Jack Penate @ SU 19.00
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This Town Needs Guns + Tubelord @ Joiners 19.30
FRIDAY
Lost On Landing @ Joiners 19.30
FRIDAY
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FRIDAY
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THURSDAY
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THURSDAY
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Band Of Skulls @ Joiners 19.30
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Passion Pit @ SU 19.00
SATURDAY
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MAPS @ Joiners 19.30
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The Proclaimers @ Guildhall 19.30
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