Issue Six (February 2016) by The Edge

Issue Six Hello! And welcome to the sixth issue of The Edge. It seems that every one has dissertation on the brain but we’re still powering through and bringing you the best of the entertainment industry. It’s easy during this period to get dragged down with deadlines so to help you through we’re providing you with the best of the best to give you a break. In tribute to one of our favourite, and recently passed, authors we’ve taken a look back through the library at the classic that is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee which you can find on page 29. Remaining with our packed culture section we have a writer fixing Family Guy on page 25 and, because we all need it after the most recent DareDevil trailer, our film editor grants us an introduction to The Punisher on page 24. In live entertainment we’ve managed to bring you everything from Josh Widdicombe on page 32 to Bloc Party on page 30. You can also check out our listings in the back of the mag for future events you need to look out for. For more music we recently also managed to catch up with Eliza and The Bear on page 17 and our Head of Events also took a look at the latest music video from Grimes for their single ‘Kill V Maim’ on page 18. If you’re still obsessed with Twilight and Harry Potter well we have something just for you as we defend young adult fiction on page 10. Of course here at The Edge we love to take on the hot topics of the time and we’re planting ourselves firmly against the continuation of Channel 4’s The Jump on page 5. Also with the upcoming release of Hail, Caesar! we take a look into the history of some our favourite directors, the Coen brothers on page 22. While it’s not our last issue of the year with festival applications beginning it feels as if it’s the beginning of the end so I want to take the opportunity to thank all our writers and my wonderful committee for the constant support. We’re special as one of the only student entertainment magazines and it wouldn’t be possible without such a high calibre of volunteers. Natalie Fordham Editor

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Editor Natalie Fordham editor@theedgesusu.co.uk Deputy Editor Lewis Taplin deputy-editor@theedgesusu.co.uk records Editor Amy Wootten records@theedgesusu.co.uk Features Editor Millie Cassidy features@theedgesusu.co.uk film Editor Ben Robins film@theedgesusu.co.uk C u lt u r e e d i t o r Harrison Abbott culture@theedgesusu.co.uk live Editor Will Hodgetts live@theedgesusu.co.uk news Editor Anneka Honeyball news@theedgesusu.co.uk head of design Jack Gracie design@theedgesusu.co.uk Head of external relations Georgia Simpson relations@theedgesusu.co.uk Head of publicity Helen Archer publicity@theedgesusu.co.uk Head of events Annabelle Asker events@theedgesusu.co.uk online manager Jack Lewin manager@theedgesusu.co.uk editor in chief Kerry Sclater vpdci@susu.org

Contents editorial

01 Welcome to Issue Six

NEWS

03 The Newsbox 04 Notes on News: Why popular media needs to stop putting ratings before health 05 Nostalgic News

Features

07 Interview: Eliza and the Bear 08 Fantastic Films and Where to Find Them: The secret to a successful sequel 09 Teenagers aren’t stupid, and neither is their literature 10 Superheroes in our World: Blessing or Threat? 11 “No Homo” - The unnecessary act of changing pronouns during song covers

Records

13 Review: Jack Garratt - Phase 15 Review: The Prettiots - Funs Cool 15 Review: Eric Prydz - Opus 16 Review: Drake - ‘Summer Sixteen’ 16 Review: The Lumineers - ‘Ophelia’ 16 Review: Adele - ‘When We Were Young’ 17 Music Video Review: Grimes - Kill V. Maim

film

18 One to Watch: Eddie the Eagle 19 Blu-Ray Review: Steve Jobs 19 Blu-Ray Review: Deathgasm 20 In Criticism of: Zach Synder 21 Director in Focus: The Coen Brothers

culture

23 Intro to: The Punisher 24 How to Fix: Family Guy 25 Review: XCOM2 26 Review: The Ex 27 Hidden Gem: Stoner 28 Classic Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

live

29 Review: Bloc Party @ O2 Guildhall, Southampton 30 Preview: Lee Nelson @ Duchess Theatre, London 30 Preview: Wolf Alice @ Portsmouth Pyramid 31 Review: Everlong @ The Joiners, Southampton 32 Review: Laughter Lounge @ The Cube, Southampton 33 Listings

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NEWS

THE NEWSBOX TOP TOP FIVE FIVE NEWS NEWS STORIES STORIES 1

After performing at Annie SuperMacBowl 50 Beginning 9th March, will take alongside Coldplay, Beyoncé announced over the slot of Monday to Thursday from details of her Formation Tour. the hours 7pm2016 to 9pm on RadioWorld 1, replacing

Top Gear now has a full line-up of presenters, including Chris Evans, Friends’ MattJones Le The Theory of Everything’s Felicity Blanc, Jordan Khan and Sabine Schmitz. and LifeEddie of Pi’s Irrfan are confirmed to

Disney have revealed that a new stage show Ewan McGregor will make his directorial of Frozen will hit Broadway in Spring 2018.

Hannibal Bryan as Fuller has been Rae Morriscreator is confirmed the support act selected helm the he Startours Trekthis revival series. for Tom to Odell when Summer.

Star Wars: The Awakens hasa Game crossedof Sue Perkins is toForce host Thronecast, the $2 billion threshold theairworldwide box Thrones spin-off which at will live after each office. episode of the HBO series.

THE EDGE’S ENTERTAINMENT PICKS Editor:

Chicago @ The Mayflower Theatre, 7th-12th March.

Records Editor: Lapsley, Long Way Home, XL Recordings, 4th March

Film Editor:

10 Cloverfield Lane, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, 18th March

Culture Editor:

Hitman, developed by Square Enix, 11th March

Live Editor:

Ed Byrne @ O2 Southampton Guildhall, 19th March

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THE KEATS OF TWEETS

@gregjam

!!! MILLION HALF A G?! IN K JO U ARE YO e 46 mile Now for th und ro e d bike ri Let’s go! Norfolk! USH! FINAL P lon #Gregath

BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James pursued a gigantic ‘gregathlon’ of sporting challenges last month in aid of Sport Relief. At the time of publication, he has raised more than £500,000. The annual Sport Relief telathon will take place on Friday 18th March. Got a celeb to nominate for next issue? Let us know:

@theedgesusu THE THE EDGE EDGE IS IS EAGER EAGER FOR... FOR... Common People 2016 - With new additions to the lineBlur’s new album. Late last month, Blur unveiled a up including Duran Duran, Katy B and Craig David, new track entitled ‘Go Out’, the lead single from their we’re ready for round two of the Southampton-based upcoming album, The Magic Whip, due to be released festival which will take place from 28th-29th May. University of Southampton Student Film Festival -The We’ve teamed up which with has Wessex to been organise new Alien film, beenFilms recently conafirmed. District brand new 9’sfestival to celebrate the the talents Neill Blomkamp is to direct new of filmmakers! filmSoton from 20th Century We’ll Fox, asbewellscreening as Ridley films Scott and givingas out prizes on Tuesday 15th March. confirmed the producer. The The Itmain trailerannounced for Disney’s This Jungle year’s TBook in the- Park. has been that live-action remake arrived last month.

for all the latest entertainment news theedgesusu.co.uk/news

NEWS

Notes On News

Why popular media needs to stop putting ratings before health Brunna Pimentel

After just two weeks of being on air, Channel 4’s reality sporting show The Jump saw many of it’s contestants landing in the hospital. One of the most severe injuries was sustained by Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, who had to have surgery on her neck following an incident during training. Previously, fellow Olympian and swimmer Rebecca Adlington was pulled away from the competition after dislocating her shoulder following a crash during filming for the first episode, as was Holby City actress Tina Hobley, who fractured her arm in two places. Posited as a ski-jumping reality show, the programme sees celebrities attempting extreme sports in order to claim a victory title, with other on-screen casualties including Linford Christie, Louisa Lytton, Sid Owen, Mark-Francis Vandelli and James Argent. Here’s the bottom line: this reality show is dangerous and it’s no joke. Tweddle had to undertake serious surgery wherein some bone from her hip was removed and used to fuse the two vertebrae that were fractured on her neck. Unsurprisingly, the increasingly dangerous antics on the show lead to concerns that the media was disregarding the health and safety of participants in favour of increasing ratings. Some might be tempted to adopt a nonchalant attitude towards this issue. After all, the participants are all consenting adults who know about the dangers of being in this show. But all that doesn’t seem to get to the heart of the problem or help to capture the essence of why this particular show is especially dangerous and in need of

axing. What is so alarming about The Jump is the lack of preparation the participants have ahead of performing such a dangerous sport. Most of these people lack the years of experience that most athletes have, and if hundreds, even thousands of athletes get hurt in spite of their experience, what is to be of these inexperienced celebrities? It seems that ratings are all that Channel 4 was concerned with. It cannot be denied that in this technological age, there will always be other outlets where people can watch videos of other people doing dangerous things in order to entertain others. It would be nearly impossible to censor videos of this kind across all the mediums. The Jackass movies have attracted millions by showing a group of guys purposely doing the most stupidly dangerous things in order to amuse and entertain audiences. Dirty Sanchez follows in a similar vein, depicting people harming themselves for entertainment. And then there’s also the popular Facebook star, Ben Reeves, whose claim to fame is eating a range of ill-advised things, from cigarettes to paint. If The Jump gets axed, people will no doubt find other ways to watch what this kind of thing. But that misses the point. Of course there will always be people willing to put their bodies at risk in this way and of course there is no way to viably censor this kind of entertainment across all mediums. But Channel 4, being such a massive public-service television broadcaster, is supposed to be more responsible than that. In short,they should have known better than to put something like this on air.

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NEWS

nostalgic news Another round up of things that happened this month in years gone by.

The first Resident Evil game was released 20 years ago Harrison Abbott

The first Resident Evil game was released on Playstation 20 years ago on 22nd March 1996. Whilst not quite the pioneer of horror gaming that many assume it to be, the original Resident Evil is certainly the game that helped to popularize the genre and set up the conventions that have subsequently lasted for years. A remake later followed in 2002 with a remaster of that remake then arriving in 2015, however the original game is where it all started. Perfect pacing, challenging puzzles and unforgiving combat combine with memorable boss fights and some of the best shock scares ever (including those from film), to make a game that not only influenced everything that proceeded it, but also remarkably managed to stand the test of time (bar the gloriously awful voice acting).

Fargo was released 20 years ago Anneka Honeyball

The Coen brothers’ acclaimed neo-noir black comedy Fargo was released 20 years ago, on 8th March 1996. Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, the film follows a heavily pregnant Minnesota cop who discovers a hare-brained conspiracy between a car salesman and two boozy criminals. Although the plot is fictional, the film opens with text claiming that it is infact a ‘true story.’ Fargo made $60.6 million at the US box office and went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. The film has since been re-imagined in a new television series and remains a cult favourite among audiences.

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Memento was released 15 years ago

Amy Wootten

Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed second feature film, Memento, was released 15 years ago on 16th March 2001. Raking in £90,642 on its opening weekend, Memento is a post-modern masterpiece; entangling viewers among themes of memory and identity. It is based upon a short story by Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, and stars Guy Pearce as Leonard, a man who is desperately trying to piece together the rape and murder of his late wife. The narrative ploy that elevates this film from a linear murder mystery is the focus on Leonard’s sudden inability to retain short term memories. To counteract this, Leonard deals with a series of polaroids that become motifs throughout the film, and tattoos himself with important ‘facts’ pertaining to his wife’s murder.

Queen released ‘A Kind of Magic’ 30 years ago

Caitríona Hanly

Queen released ‘A Kind of Magic’ 30 years ago, on 17th March 1986, as the title track of their 12th studio album of the same name. Although the song only ever reached number three in the UK charts, it is still classed as one of Queen’s most popular anthems and is prominently featured in the “classic hits” albums and tributes. Originally written by Roger Taylor for the film Highlander, the song was intended to reflect the theme of immortality for the characters. Despite credit for the song going to Taylor, the well-known version that was used in the album was actually modified by Freddie Mercury, who added a bassline and changed a few lyrics to create the “pop” version that everyone knows and loves to this day.

FEATURES AN INTERVIEW WITH:

ELIZA AND THE BEAR Carly-May Kavanagh

Since they entered the indie scene a few years ago, Eliza And The Bear have gone from strength to strength, and have hit 2016 running. With a long string of festival appearances under their belt and not long until the release of their self-titled debut album, excitement about these guys is certainly growing. They recently brought their beautifully acoustic shows to Southampton on tour with Slow Lights, and CarlyMay got a chance to sit down and chat with them.

How’s it been? How are you guys?

Really good thank you... Weirdly the middle of this tour is like the slog bit because we have 12 shows in 13 days, really full on tour, but considering every show so far has been virtually sold out it’s been really fun.

Does it ever get a bit repetitive, doing the same set each night?

Nah, although you’d think it would be! Like the set-up on the day can get a little monotonous and repetitive, but every show is different and has its own little bit of character, and every audience is different, little bits of banter with the crowd each night that makes it special. The other day we set off a fire alarm and the whole gig got shut down, so every gig is special in its own little way.

It must be different headlining, because as a support not everyone is there to see you so you have to try harder to win them over.

Yeah, headlining makes things a little easier because they’re there to see us. But actually, I get more nervous because I think as a support, you

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have nothing to lose and have the challenge of going out and winning the crowd over. Headline show, people have come to see us and we have the responsibility of making the show good and not being absolutely terrible.

Is it weird headlining; do you feel like ‘famous celebrities’, or does it just feel normal?

I don’t think we’ll ever feel like that because we have like a really cool relationship with the people that come and see us; we chat to them so we know 90% of our fans on a first name basis, so it doesn’t feel like that at all. We’re quite early on and just enjoying going around and meeting new people.

Big plans for after tour?

Festivals are a little bit too early to announce, but we’ve got a big festival season lined up, and we’ll also have a tour to go around the album in April. I think we’re going to do 4 or 5 shows and make them really special, try to save some money and do some really cool production.

Where did the band name come from?

Book of poems - just really seemed to fit the songs at the time and it just stuck. I don’t think we expected to be playing to actual people, just our mums and dads. Weren’t really planning on it kicking off. Eliza And The Bear will be touring the UK throughout February. Their debut album is out 8th April and available for pre-order now.

FEATURES

Fantastic Films, And Where To Find Them:

The secret to a successful sequel James Barker

Find a formula, and replicate it: that’s what the film industry is all about. We could be talking about a genre, or a director, or an actor, that shows the sparkle of potential, but every once in a while, a gem of a film comes along that’s so successful that it can spawn an entire universe into life. Taking the leap from the book to the screen, Harry Potter is one such franchise. Back in 2001, seven spellbinding stories probably seemed enough to keep Warner Brothers busy, but with the end quickly coming into sight, they stretched it into eight. After just ten years, it was done; until the powers that be decided it wasn’t. Now, this is where you find a split in the fans, and no, it’s not about which of the four houses they have been sorted into. There was a time when J.K. Rowling swore that was it, a completed saga, done and dusted. Although there is great excitement in that we will get to see even more the Wizarding World, cautious fans such as myself ask: is there a risk a new story could spoil the original, make it feel cheap and overplayed? And what convinced the usually stoic J.K. into changing her mind? Two reasons spring to mind; creative, and commercial. Now if it’s for creative reasons, I have no qualms; in some cases, writers do have a wave of new ideas, a new story that springs to mind that just needs to be told. But there’s always a danger that the decision to make new films comes down to greedy corporate men in flash suits wanting to make a pretty penny more. Just look at Transformers. Despite the exit of the franchise’s lead (Shia LaBeouf) and the apparent completion of a reasonably well told story, Paramount and Michael Bay insisted on making further films, which were critically panned, but did make a decent amount at the box office.

Wars was finished after the prequels series, but when the series was bought by Disney, almost instantly it was announced a sequel trilogy would be made. Surely this was a commercial decision, but when Star Wars: The Force Awakens exploded onto our screens it was met with acclaim. It was a fresh take on the universe, using fresh acting talent, but also stayed true to its roots, pleasing both new and old fans alike. This suggests there is a medium between creative and commercial to be found, even if it is somewhat challenging. And Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them isn’t the brainchild of just anyone, but of J.K. Rowling, perhaps the most well-known author of the 21st century. I, like many other Harry Potter fans, fail to believe that J.K. would have brought the Wizarding World back to the screens unless she found a story good enough to do it justice. Fantastic Beasts is set nearly a century earlier than the original story, on a completely different continent, with an all-new cast; in some respects, we should view it as a completely new film series. If done well, it might explore entirely new elements of the magical word that entranced fans young and old. In reality, we can’t know until November whether Fantastic Beasts is a fantastic move for J.K., Warner Bros, or the fans, and whether it continues the magic of Harry Potter. However, with a lead like Eddie Redmayne and a screenwriter like J.K. Rowling, it looks likely that we are in for a magical treat.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be released 18th November.

Surely, when somebody says ‘big film franchise revival’, the first thing that springs to mind is Star Wars. George Lucas always swore that Star THE EDGE

FEATURES

Teenagers aren’t stupid, and neither is their literature Rehana Nurmahi

A couple of years ago, I entered a very intense argument. I was told that as a person who cared about literature, and who was planning to read English at university, it was something of a travesty that many of my favourite books came into the category known as YA Lit. For those of you who aren’t down with the lingo - Young Adult Literature. I was made rather angry by this statement. Yes, I acknowledge that in terms of writing, admittedly novels written for younger audiences probably don’t reach the heights of classic novelists such as Tolstoy or Dickens or Austen. However, I refuse to believe that just because these books are written for young adults; it implies that they have no cultural value. I do think that Hollywood needs to calm it with the adaptations, (I still haven’t forgiven the producers of the Divergent movie) but I think that the recent popularisation of young adult literature says a lot about the society we live in. As John Green, one of the kings of the genre says: “Maybe our favourite quotations say more about us than the stories and people that we’re quoting.” So if the world seems to be quoting more and more YA fiction, surely that suggests that there is a need for it. There is something about these stories that not just enthral us, but connect us with our humanity. I think that there are so many lessons we can learn from these books, lessons that maybe can only be taught because these books are aimed at a younger audience. I mean, look at the response to the print release of the script to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. There are children, teenagers and adults all jumping up and down for joy- and there is no shame about that love, even if Harry Potter was originally intended as a series of children’s books. The messages of the novels are universal, no matter what age you are.

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I think something that makes YA stories so accessible is that fact that in having a young protagonist, there is more space to show imperfections. Young people haven’t experienced the world as fully as adults; they’re allowed to make mistakes, and that’s refreshing! A good protagonist should never be perfect, and in narratives about growing up and learning, readers can look at ways in which they need to grow and learn, and adult readers can reflect on the ways in which they already have. YA Lit is redefining the way we see heroes in general, especially from a feminist standpoint. We have the Katniss Everdeens and Hermione Grangers: young women with integrity who are such interesting and complex characters for young girls to be reading about. Of course, there’ll always be Bella Swans too, and the Team Peeta vs Team Gale questions, and the completely overused quotations about thoughts and constellations- but to reduce YA Literature to just those elements is unfair. The Hunger Games has been a symbol of rising up against oppression, quotes from it even being painted on walls during recent riots. Paper Towns illustrates the dangers of falling in love with the idea of a person without attempting to get to know them deeper. YA fiction, at its heart, just wants to tell human stories. Stories that encourage growth and development, and that encourage us to reflect on our position in society. Although I agree that limiting yourself only to YA literature isn’t a wise idea, I do think it should be considered a different genre rather than an inferior one. I’ll still be picking books from the teen shelf for quite a while.

FEATURES

Superheroes in our world: blessing or threat? Lisa Veiber With the upcoming Captain America: Civil War movie on the horizon and the ever increasing popularity of the superhero story as genre itself - be it in films, shows, or their original comic book form - a question must arise: what if superheroes were living among us? Would they be a help for the end of wars across the world or would they, on the contrary, increased the tension and danger for simple humans like us? Would we actually feel protected by enhanced human beings? Yes, it can be said that superheroes have the primary intention of protecting everyone, whoever they may be. Yes, some may say that they are more capable of this job because of their amazing superpowers. And finally, yes, a lot are thinking that the world would be better if they were there. It’s sort of in the name. But surely no answer can be that simple. Isn’t there a bad side to every story? Is this really that black and white? First, it has to be said a superhero is before everything else a normal person, a human being. They have their gloomy moments and their parts of darkness in their history, which has shaped their own personalities. Let’s think of Captain America’s kindness, Flash’s generosity, Ant-Man’s humanity. But one cannot neglect Iron Man’s narcissism, The Hulk’s difficulty to control his anger and Green Arrow’s violent nature. Superheroes are flawed because humans are flawed. They sometimes make errors, which can be very similar in nature to the ones we all do. Well. Ish. We’ve all trusted the wrong people, but this doesn’t always have the unintended side effect of the person you trusted too easily being someone who turns out to want to enslave mankind. We all make mistakes with good intentions, though this doesn’t always end up in creating something way

too powerful to control in the name of protection and peace - as seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Indeed trying to do better might be sometimes more harmful than what is already good. Therefore, even when trying to protect us, they might in fact harm us. Plus, it can be forgotten that the existence of superheroes probably means that of villains, too; the two cannot be separated. In my opinion, we already have far too much bad guys around without them having any superpowers on top of it. I suppose if there were villains as well then superheroes would have a real important place because they would probably be the only ones suitably equipped to protect us. I would definitely be grateful for their existence at that point. However, we have to think about when superheroes are fighting in the middle of a city full of people? There’d be a lot of destruction; someone estimated that the damage to New York in the Avengers was something like $160 billion. And even when superheroes are not the very cause of this, they can’t help every single one of us. In this way, my opinion is that I will not really feel protected by them if every time a villain comes in town I have to worry that a building is going to collapse on me. Finally, I think that the most important matter here is that the world cannot possibly be prepare to accept them, whether they are helping our safety or not, because way too many people would not approve of their existence because of their difference. Still today, we have so much trouble accepting all the people around us while we are in fact all human beings. Still today, too many people are rejected because of their differences. Don’t you think that would be the same for superheroes?

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FEATURES

no homo

The unnecessary act of changing pronouns during song covers

Many artists like to try and honour their idols, or just to cover a song they like. Sometimes they do it justice - it sounds great! The most famed covers often provide unique twists on a well loved classic, reinventing the song. But a lot of the time, in the course of doing this, they decide to change the pronouns in the song. A prime example is when Katy Perry performed ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles, singing, “Why’d he have to go? I don’t know, he wouldn’t say”. This seems so unnecessary to do, rewriting one of the most popular songs of an iconic band to fit her gender, for fear of... what? Sounding gay? When her career kicked off with a song called ‘I Kissed A Girl’?

hear a song cover with the pronouns unchanged and suddenly think their sexuality is different.

It’s obviously not just Perry doing this, though; it’s been in mainstream music for a long time. In Sheryl Crow’s cover of Guns N’ Roses ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, ‘she’ is changed to ‘he’ throughout. Bat for Lashes’ cover of Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ is often regarded as an example of exactly how to do a great cover; it’s not a straight copy, but amplifies some elements of the song over others, and tries different instrumentation to entirely shift the mood and genre, from rock ballad to an almost eerie southern gothic. Still - Springsteen’s iconic opening line is changed to, “Hey little boy is your momma home, did she go and leave you all alone”. It doesn’t seem to make sense - for the most part, because of how much celebrities lives are discussed, people know their sexuality; but even if they don’t, it is hardly relevant. Nobody is going to

With this in mind, then, what are some great covers without pronoun changes? They’re definitely not the first covers that spring to mind, simply as they’re in such a minority. Well, one you might kick yourself for not immediately thinking of is Amy Winehouse’s treatment of ‘Valerie’, originally by The Zutons, produced by Mark Ronson. I remember being confused by this song when I was younger, because I didn’t actually understand the concept of someone singing a song by someone of a different gender without squishing it to fit into boxes of respectable heterosexuality. Even little 13-year-old me knew how refreshing this was!

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I’m all for personalising music and covers; music is a form of self-expression, and it should suit the performer. It should be manipulated and modified, reinterpreted and rejuvenated. But I think people need to be less concerned about their ‘straight’ or ‘gay’ image when covering songs, realise it isn’t their song and is not meant to be from their point of view, and do songs the justice they deserve as a piece of art rather than making it fit them in a way that doesn’t make sense.

FEATURES

More than just being refreshing, though, this creative approach can contribute to the reinvention of the track in question. In Lana Del Rey’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Chelsea Hotel No. 2’, she hasn’t changed the lyric, “You told me again you preferred handsome men, but for me you would make an exception.” While in Cohen’s mouth it told of his brief relationship with Janis Joplin, which he has discussed honestly as being a relationship between two ‘ugly’ people, in Del Rey’s it becomes a far more sad lament with an entirely different meaning. The same, too, can be said for Sara Bareilles’ predilection for performing Cee Lo Green’s ‘Fuck You’ live in concert, before blending it smoothly into her own ‘Gonna Get Over You’. It breathes new life into her upbeat post-breakup song, and tells a different story to the one listeners are used to hearing. It’s refreshing, and in a small way helps to diversify the very narrow set of (love) stories we get told by the music we listen to. There are not a lot of mainstream LGBT artists to begin with and, potentially with an added pressure to make their music what is percieved as being as ‘accessible’ as possible, I cannot name many popular original songs which feature same-sex or just even pronoun ambiguous tales of love and lust.

totally not attractied to the people the song might maybe possibly imply.) I still haven’t forgiven Michael Buble for the dark spot of ‘Santa Buddy’ on his otherwise flawless Christmas album. We are seeing a change in this, though, particularly so with younger artists ready to bring fresh and unrestricted interpretations. In 2012, Ed Sheeran covered Nina Simone’s ‘Be My Husband’ in The Live Room, giving it a blues-y acoustic treatment where he took inspiration from Simone’s distinctive vocals and mumbled, almost slurred, his for a unique tribute. That’s what a cover is, at its heart - a tribute, or a thanks, to an artist or even to a song. To see them treated in their purest form, without the needless fears or ego-centrism of those who perform them in covers with pronoun changes, is refreshing and empowering. Carly-May

Kavanagh Cassidy

Camilla

Male artists shouldn’t be left out, though these covers are definitely fewer in number. Maybe this reflects a desire to maintain a front of stereotypical masculinity; even legends such as Freddie Mercury and Elton John continuing to sing to a female character despite their open bisexuality and homosexuality, respectively. (It’s almost as if - wow - you can sing a song without having to make everyone blindingly aware that it’s totally about you and you’re

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RECORDS

JACK GARRATT PHASE Laura Ingate

After putting in the groundwork writing music from the age of 12 and releasing several EPs within the last two years, Phase is Jack Garratt’s first official studio album. Amongst his accomplishments he is a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. With influences from the likes of Frank Ocean, Kanye West, David Bowie, and Justin Timberlake, Phase demonstrates Garratt’s creates a successful fusion of different music genres, such as R&B, electronica, and soul on his 12 track album. What is most striking about Phase is its diversity. Garratt appears to effortlessly switch between uplifting, bass driven, electronic songs, such as ‘Far Cry’ and ‘Fire’, to melodic, minimalistic tracks like ‘I Know All What I Do’ and ‘My House Is Your Home’. Phase begins with ‘Coalesce (Synesthesia Pt. II)’. This opening track offers an enchanting electronic feel where Garratt promises that he will “open up your mind” in this experimental, alternative album. ‘Coalesce (Synesthesia Pt. II)’ and ‘Synesthesia Pt. III’ form the second and third parts to ‘Synesthesia, Pt. I’, which was released on Garratt’s Synesthesiac EP back in 2015. Garratt is referring to the condition in which people visualise different colours and shapes in response to music and sounds. As stated in a previous interview, Garratt seems to once again be attempting to encourage his listeners to experience his music in a different light by provoking a varied emotional response. In a successful pursuit to create an uplifting and feel good song the eighth track on the album, entitled ‘Surprise Yourself ’, is full of dynamic contrast and memorable beats. Garratt demonstrates a notably delicate quality in his vocal range by singing in a falsetto style during the verses. Here, he is able to reflect on the idea of opening up to new experiences and self-discovery. Yet the vulnerable quality displayed in the verses juxtaposes with the dynamically powerful chorus where the song really takes off. Different

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instruments are playing alongside the vocal passage to create an energetic and punchy chorus line. ‘Surprise Yourself ’ would seem to be one of the most attractive and, perhaps, most immediate songs on the album. Phase concludes with ‘My House Is Your Home’. Unlike some of the other electronic tracks on the album, such as ‘Worry’, ‘My House Is Your Home’ is a soulful and minimalistic piece. In this song Garratt is only accompanied by a piano playing in a quasi-blues style. This song exemplifies Garratt’s diverse talent at being able to produce a vast variety of musical genres, catering to almost every taste. As a first album, Phase is an incredibly impressive introduction to a new form of music that is sure to capture everyone’s attention. This is bound to be the start of a huge year for Jack Garratt. Phase is out now via Island.

RECORDS

ALBUM REVIEWS

THE PRETTIOTS Funs Cool

The album kicks off with ‘18 Wheeler’, which sets the tone for the album with EMILY MARMARA upbeat melodies and the deadpan delivery of Kasparhauser’s lyrics. ‘Boys (That I Dated in High School)’ soon follows as one of the band’s most prominent tracks through its humorous discussion of past relationships, such as “you said you were painter / mostly you were a waiter / a stoner and a skater / so I had to say later” and “we did it right before prom / I was scared to tell my mum / it wasn’t really the bomb / we did it right before prom.” ‘Home Yr Happy’ is up next. There is very much a Best Coast-esque feel to it through the alt-pop melodies and at times the vocals are especially reminiscent of Bethany Cosentino. ‘Move to LA’, ‘Skulls’ and ‘Anyways’ slow things down a bit, which adds a nice dimension to the album to show that the band are not only good at the upbeat, poppy tracks. It is easy when you first hear The Prettiots to assume they are just like any other all-female indie-pop band, but their lyrics have a dark, witty edge to them that transports the band away from the crowd. Funs Cool is a short and snappy album that jumps from one song to the next in a way that is refreshing rather than rushed. Standout tracks include ‘Boys (That I Dated in High School)’, ‘Stabler’, and ‘Anyways’, all of which have been previously released, which is a bit of a shame as their new material doesn’t quite live up to those tracks. Nonetheless, as a debut album Funs Cool is not one that should be dismissed as it makes for both a pleasant and interesting listen that is worth 33 minutes of your time. Funs Cool is out now via Rough Trade. House music revolves around repetition and undulation, and Prydz’ steady escalations exquisitely build intensity with new layers of percussion. Right on the minute mark of opener ‘Liam,’ following ominous flutters, a kick shatters the tension to cue a punchy snare and synthesised string melody. It’s very much an orchestrator rather than a main event, and the transition following it into an 80s-led take on progressive house (or vice versa) is not the most natural. It is, however, splendid. ‘Som Sas’ demands a place in a New Order tribute’s setlist, and ‘Last Dragon’ channels instrumental sensation ‘Pjanoo’ with an assured funk guided by a guitar bass. ‘Moody Mondays,’ featuring The Cut, is where the promise of a gloomy chorus erupts à la Depeche Mode, one of his previous remix targets. Opus is best viewed as a journey through meticulous progressive house, rather like one of Prydz’ gruelling DJ sets, and it culminates spectacularly with a blast of nostalgia and energy. A caffeinated new edit of ‘Mija’ leads into ‘Every Day,’ an elusive track debuted by Pete Tong in 2012 that does reach that equilibrium with aggressive synths and a catchy, soul-laden vocal to match, before the end of the road, which gifted the album its name, takes the record’s ethos to a new extreme. Its nine minutes of entrancing tonal and structural ascent from a blank canvas could easily drop you off halfway for an early night. Instead, if you invest in Opus as a strong summarisation of the career of a longtime superstar of Swedish house music, you will reap its rewards. Opus is out now via Virgin Records. 15

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ERIC PRYDZ OPUS XAVIER VOIGHT-HILL

RECORDS

DRAKE ‘SUMMER SIXTEEN’

JOSHWA SHAH The track is split into two, with a darker, punchier beat in the latter and in the former, a continuation of the feud between him and Meek Mill, declaring “you don’t have to try to say it louder nigga trust, we heard you the first time”, which is a stab at Mill’s rapping style that sounds like he’s in the back of a car trying to order food at a McDonald’s Drive-Thru. The hook will have you singing “looking for rev-e-e-e-e-e-nge” for days, reminding you of why you got into Drake in the first place: for his melodic raps about ex-girlfriends. Since the release of If You’re Reading This Its Too Late, the Toronto rapper has been teasing audiences with material for more than a year. From Grammy nominated diss tracks aimed at Meek Mill, to collaborative work with Future in the rather disappointing album What a Time to be Alive, ‘Summer Sixteen’ stands as a track that fans can get truly excited about. ‘Summer Sixteen’ is out now via Cash Money Records Inc.

THE LUMINEERS ‘OPHELIA’

BRUNNA PIMENTEL Although the track mimics some of the beautiful simplicity of their earlier songs, as a single, ‘Ophelia’ disappoints. The song starts off promising, with sounds of stomping, characteristic of The Lumineers ‘we produce music in our back porch’ style. The initial verses are beautifully nostalgic, as Wesley Schultz regretfully sings “Ah, ah, when I was younger I, I should’ve known better”. However, it all goes downhill as the first chorus starts. Although simplicity has worked for The Lumineers many times before, the repetitive singing of the title “Oh-Ophelia” can only be described as irritating. It is the combination of the incessant singing of ‘Ophelia’ and the piano which inspires irritability from the listener, especially after a few plays. Hopefully the rest of their much awaited second album will pick up the slack and remind us once again of why we love The Lumineers. ‘Ophelia’ is out now via Dualtone.

ADELE ‘WHEN WE WERE YOUNG’

BEN ROBINS ‘When We Were Young’ is never going to be the track radio-listeners bark from their windows, or excitable clubbers get overly emotional chanting the lyrics to; it’s a much more somber and self-reflective effort, one just as powerful as anything Adele has released to date. While the British songstress’s vocal range has rarely been as powerful as it is here, it’s incredibly important to note that ‘While We Were Young’ is far from a flashy song. It’s a deeply soulful ballad that never breaks character to show off. ‘When We Were Young’ may not quite reach the borderline-ridiculous levels of fame that worldwide phenomenon ‘Hello’ managed late last year, but that’s not the point. This is meant for those quiet, contemplative evenings; it’s a record devoted to the very idea of memory, and in doing so, marks itself as quite possibly 25’s strongest track, and one of Adele’s most impressive singles maybe ever. ‘When We Were Young’ is out now via XL & Columbia. THE EDGE

RECORDS FILM

Annabelle Asker

Grimes triumphantly returns to our headphones with her latest album Art Angels. I have nothing but love for Claire Boucher, so I have to label this review as completely biased and totally blinded by my own worship of her talents. The track itself feels like a natural follow on from her 2012 masterpiece, Visions. With almost coherent lyrics and a more pop influence sound, ‘Kill V. Maim’ reinstates Grimes as the alternative queen of music. Boucher told Q Magazine: “Kill V. Maim’ is written from the perspective of Al Pacino in The Godfather Pt II. Except he’s a vampire who can switch gender and travel through space.” The music video certainly backs this description, from the blood-covered rave to her troop of cyberpunk vampires. The ‘Kill V. Maim’ music video is Boucher’s demonstration that she is capable of way more than I am. She shot, directed, and edited her own music video in Toronto, with help from her brother Mac. The music video is as odd as Boucher, and completely magical because of it. It’s exactly what we have come to expect of Grimes: the unpolished, the cool, and the trendy. There’s something almost Kill Bill about the comic book style of the video, as it noticeably draws on multiple pop culture references throughout, from Law & Order, Insane Clown Posse, and even potentially Black Swan.

The video opens with Grimes sitting in a pimped up pink car riding through a green screened street. Her group of goth raver pals dance behind her while she maintains eye contact with the camera. Suitably Tarantinoesque, we are introduced to ‘Kill V. Maim’ as Act III of Grimes’ single releases. Next we are introduced to a dingy underground station, occupied by a leotard-clad, curly haired Grimes and a posse of leather-embossed cyberpunks. Illustration occasionally pops up over the top of the music video, tying in the glorious album artwork. Grimes occupies a much larger space in this video when compared to the likes of ‘Oblivion’. Her body language is one of control and commandment, and we get a view of a Grimes ready to take on the world. The heavy beat of the track makes for an excellent static robot dance, complete with rhythmic punching. Flashes of a rave appear, and we get the first sound of the cheerleader chant “B-E-H-A-V-E”. There’s something wonderful about Grimes in a pair of black feather wings, vampire teeth, ski goggles, a Versace sweater, and pink boxing gloves that I will never be able to place my finger on. The flashes of a rave become increasingly blood soaked, dance moves are reversed as time shifts, and Grimes is suddenly a taloned angel of death. Whatever you may call this music video, it certainly couldn’t be boring. The amount of creative control and freedom Claire Boucher had over the music video is life-affirming, despite the rather morbid ending. ‘Kill V. Maim’ is out now via 4AD.

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FILM

One To Watch:

Eddie the Eagle Matt Clarson

Director: Dexter Fletcher Distributor: Lionsgate Out: 1st April Everybody’s seen at least one of those inspirational sports films at some point in their lives. You know, the one where the plucky underdog overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to win it all in the end. But, have you seen a sports film where a guy with a West Country accent tries to succeed and just fails and that’s that?

showing everyone the funny bits, it is clear, instead, that this is a film whose very nature lends itself to comedy. This would also mark Egerton’s first properly comedic role, though his performance in Legend (and to some extent Kingsman as well) would certainly suggest that he will be able to rise to the occasion as the film’s lead.

What, you say? That sounds ridiculous? Noone would make that? Allow me to introduce you to Eddie the Eagle, from the creator of two of the most ridiculous yet eminently successful films of the last few years – Matthew Vaughn. It seems pertinent to mention that Vaughn is only involved as a producer here – the film is directed by Dexter Fletcher, whose debut film Wild Bill received critical acclaim, despite being somewhat unknown. The film stars one of the many promising and talented young British actors currently working – Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Legend) – alongside Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken. Together they play the various parts of struggling underdog, troubled mentor, and Christopher Walken, as the film shows one man’s journey towards achieving his dream of competing in the Winter Olympic Games.

At first glance, this film might appear to be no different to any other triumphant sports film – but it is really quite far from them. Where others focus entirely on the goal, on the success that awaits their protagonists at the end of the film, Eddie the Eagle takes a famously unsuccessful athlete, and uses his story to make a different point. That it isn’t the end that counts, but the journey there. A journey that, here, is filled with jokes and bumbling, awkward comedy (that is, British comedy), but that is ultimately grounded in heart and good-nature.

Along with its main focus as a sports film, Eddie the Eagle is also undoubtedly a comedy (you just have to watch the trailer for, like, fifteen seconds to work that one out). It seems to have avoided being one of those comedies marketed by just

When Eddie the Eagle comes out at the beginning of April, it is sure to be one of the better British films of the year, and it is one that you should most definitely go and see.

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FILM Blu-Ray Review:

STEVE JOBS GEORGE SEABROOK

Director: DANNY BOYLE Distributor: UNIVERSAL PICTURES Out: 21st march

Biopics are still made, but all too often they’re without talent or ambition, just good intentions to record someone’s life, cradle to grave. A greatest hits album. In this way, Steve Jobs is the anti-biopic. Michael Fassbender brings Jobs to life with magic. He’s so magnetic that from the audience’s view his arrogance and cruelty is entertaining and diminished. The supporting cast remind you how truly frustrating he is. Kate Winslet’s Joanna Hoffman has an exasperation throughout the film that reaches its peak in the iMac launch of the final act. Seth Rogen plays co-founder Steve Wozniak, the most

likeable character of the whole cast, and the owner of some of the film’s most emotional moments. Apart from Jobs’ daughter Lisa, the centre of his arc. Sorkin’s last film The Social Network is the superior one: packed with financial, legal, and technical dialogue, masking a very human and relatable core. Here, while those conversations are had, it’s mostly Jobs that’s obsessed with them, and with the product. His friends and enemies all talk to him about humans, about emotions. As the film unfolds Jobs opens up, mainly thanks to the actions of his daughter. Sorkin always writes with unerring complexity and brilliance, masking the core dramas at his stories’ hearts. Here, he’s writing about Jobs, himself, and hundreds of other creators – Dylan, Turing, and Mitchell are all name-checked. Broken people can make great things, even when they alienate people from them. But their work is all to inspire and empower another generation.

Blu-ray Review:

DEATHGASM

Director: Jason lei howton Distributor: studio canal Out: 29th FEBRUARY

BEN ROBINS

Aside from Weta and the whole Lord of the Rings legacy, New Zealand’s impact on the film world has been sadly mighty quiet, despite the country happily producing some of cinema’s most daring and hilarious dark comedies, seemingly in secret. From Peter Jackson’s early 90s Braindead to the more recent Black Sheep and Housebound, for a tiny island they certainly know their way around a mangled corpse or two.

to see how this one did so well at last year’s FrightFest; Howden has mastered a tone that walks gallantly between comedy and horror, never over-embellishing either and delivering a film that’s hugely fun and creative in its set-pieces.

The newest of this eclectic bunch is visual effects man Jason Lei Howden’s directorial debut Deathgasm, a roaringly funny and mighty disgusting new stab that finds a group of young metal-heads facing off against an army of possessed locals, after accidentally springing a demon plague upon their sleepy suburb.

Deathgasm may be a little slow on the uptake at times, and its finale does sadly fall a tad too short, but there’s enough genuinely new material here to keep things happily chugging along in-between. Howden always plays to his strengths and in the end delivers an impressive little NZ treat. I mean, where else are you likely to see a teenage boy brutally murder his own possessed aunt with a pair of malfunctioning vibrators?

Howden happily tows the ‘cheap-and-cheerful’ party line, delivering a wickedly entertaining and sensationally over-the-top crowd-pleaser packed full of clever storytelling and gallons of fake-blood. It’s easy 19

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FILM

In Criticism of:

Zack Snyder Sophie Trenear

With the excitement for Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stacking in anticipation for next month’s release, Snyder has been subjected to copious amounts of attention, ranging from his artistic choices, to his future with DC films, to just how much “battier” the new Batman will be (yes, he actually said this). But can we really expect much from Dawn of Justice? I really, really, don’t think so. The thing is, Snyder’s films are completely and utterly unoriginal, and sickeningly so. We can expect from Dawn of Justice the same as his other films – notably, almost all of them flops both at the box office and with critics – a mishmash of slow motion violence and unnecessary action-gore. Cheap shots giving each of the big-budget films the pretense of being some kind of statement, some kind of notable work. And that is exactly the problem with Snyder: he pretends to be some award-winning, notable director when it seems all he is and could ever be capable of is the exploitation of superfluous, arbitrary violence. Snyder hides behind the reputation he has achieved by the immediate attraction of action and violence in teenagers and young adults. Such sickening shots of spears piercing human flesh in 300 and the utterly nonsensical and seemingly interminable fight sequences in Sucker Punch can offer the immediate satisfaction of adrenaline pumped, wide eyed excitement, but is this not the true mark of a cheap, thoughtless director?

through his infantile use of pointless action and stilted dialogue (indeed, he often writes his own films including Sucker Punch and 300). In fact I, personally, have never sat through even one of his films without grimacing in confusion at not only what could actually be the point of this eighth fight sequence, not just in wonder that this is only the second act and we have another hour to sit through, but simply in the literal sense that I just don’t know where we are in the narrative. Yes, Snyder is attractive in the sense that apparently what the film-consuming public wants is meaningless violence and the struggling success of some heroic figure and a final act open just about enough to allow a somewhat pointless sequel to be commissioned. But a good majority of the public also want characters that mean something to them, a plot driven by real struggles, and at least a less than laughable use of CGI. Snyder’s over-reliance on action results in simple, tacky and garish glorifications of pointless violence, his ideas half formed, his resulting efforts all over the place. We end up with a mess of abstract narratives, lazy voiceovers and a complete and utter distracting use of blood and violence which consume every shot, every gesture, every stilted line of every one of his “awesome” films. Dawn of Justice, I can only hope for you.

Yet Snyder, despite his repeated claims that his films, particularly Man of Steel, contain a very “awesome” and “relatable” sense of realism, he continues to only alienate his audience

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CULTURE FILM

DIRECTOR in Focus: THE COEN BROTHERS CALEB HINTON

Joel and Ethan Coen came to prominence in the early 1980s as American filmmakers. Their name has come to be known as one of genuine quality, that goes hand in hand with strong motifs, symbolism, and unconventional characters and plots. For directors that began in the 1980s, the Coen Brothers remain at the top of their game, with over 15 films to their name across 30 years, with 2016 being host to their latest film Hail, Caesar! The Coen Brothers released two films, Blood Simple and Crimewave, before creating Raising Arizona, perhaps the first film to bring their talents to light. Raising Arizona also saw the early appearance of Nicolas Cage, before he was internationally recognised after his performance in Leaving Las Vegas. The Brothers subsequently released Miller’s Crossing in 1990, which proved to be a critical success, yet a box office flop. Miller’s Crossing shows elements of film-noir, and references to many old gangster films, while in a backdrop of the harsh and bleak life of a gangster in the Prohibition era, and was highly acclaimed, managing to redeem its box office failure with video and DVD revenue, after its praise post-release. Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy seemed to follow the same pattern of failing at the box office while maintaining the interest and approval from critics. It was not until 1996 and 1998 with the release of Fargo, and The Big Lebowski that the Coen Brothers would achieve a critical and box office boom. Fargo received two Academy Awards, with Frances McDormand (Joel Coen’s wife) receiving Best Actress, and the brothers themselves receiving an award for Best Original Screenplay. The Big Lebowski was not as well received, however still a hugely successful film, and both The Big Lebowski and Fargo were 21

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added to The National Film Registry for films deemed to be of “cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.” In 2007 the release of No Country for Old Men saw the Coen Brothers rise once again with four Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay. The duo’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel raked in $74,283,000, and became the highest box office success for the Coens. This was until 2010, with their release of True Grit which totalled to approximately $250 million at the box office. The success of the Coen Brothers is perhaps down to their persistence, and their affinity for genre-busting films. While a few of their films have been box office flops, their style of filmmaking and writing has not changed as a result; they remain true to their idiosyncratic characters and plots, and while their films can be expected and followed, they can certainly not be predicted. •

•

Did You Know?

Joel used to get sole credit for directing their films, even though Ethan was heavily involved in almost every aspect as well. Finally, in 2004, they changed the credits to include both of them as directors on The Ladykillers. The Brothers used the alias Roderick Jaynes as the editor of some of their films, to avoid their films appearing tacky or egocentric.

The Film You Should Watch:

Fargo, arguably the finest Coen Brothers film according to critics. The Big Lebowski equally as brilliant, however far more absurd and hilarious.

CULTURE

Introduction to:

The Punisher Ben Robins

T he P u n i s h e r, a psychotic vigilante with a hardened military background, is one of Marvel’s darkest and most tortured characters. So what better place is there for him to show up than in their sensationally gritty Netflix universe? The comic world’s most trigger-happy ‘hero’ will take his first MCU bow in the upcoming second season of Daredevil, and if all the stars align just as they should, he may well end up stealing the show. So who is this mysterious figure? The character first appeared in an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in the early 1970s, and has since grown across a number of his own series to become one of Marvel’s cult properties. His origins have been flipped around a few times over the years, but the essence of it comes down to one man, Frank Castle - a master of heavy weaponr y and hand-to-hand combat - who wages a oneman war on New York’s criminal underworld, after his entire family are wiped out in a mob hit. Not exactly the most cheery of starts, but The Punisher isn’t that kind of guy; he makes Christian Bale’s Batman look like Adam West. Castle really means business, and no rulebook holds him back. He will literally do anything, from kidnapping to violent torture and even murder, just to get his own way. Over the years this has marked him as something of a question mark in Marvel’s heroic catalogue. As a result, his relationship with the Marvel universe has always been somewhat shaky. Despite showing up in a number of comic series

across the 1980s, The Punisher disappeared for a little while in the following decade, appearing briefly in short-run miniseries like Purgatory, where he - I shit you not - was recast as something of a guardian angel. However, the real Punisher that fans seem to know and love came into being with Garth Ennis’s hard-nosed Punisher MAX series in the mid 2000’s, which shone a brighter light on his twisted morals, and opened up his methods as somewhat questionable, even in his own eyes. Since then, we’ve had similar iterations of the trench-coat wearing psychopath in both film (2004’s excellent The Punisher and 2008’s much more extreme, but inferior Punisher: War Zone) and even video-games. The most triumphant of these efforts was no doubt Volition Inc.’s thirdperson shooter The Punisher, which made its debut on PS2 and Xbox in 2005. Not only was Ennis’s gritty version of the character fullyrealised, but the Marvel world was also explored more fully for one of the first times. Iron Man even shows up for one mission set in Stark Towers, several years before the MCU ever existed. The latest incarnation of The Punisher will be taken on by The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal, and if early footage is anything to go by, he seems like an ample fit f o r Frank Castle’s tortured and violent soul. Rumour has it that if things go well for the character, he’ll get his own Netflix spin-off too. I guess we can hope.

Season 2 of Marvel’s Daredevil will be available to stream on Netflix from March 18th.

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CULTURE

2016 marks 17 years of Family Guy. 17 years of the dysfunctional Griffin family. 17 years of Seth MacFarlane’s unique brand of edgy humour and 17 years of ardent fan support. Family Guy is certainly a modern day juggernaut, but recently the show has dipped in quality. Is it bad? No. Is it starting to lose its edge a little? Definitely. More importantly though, is it fixable? Yes, and here’s how...

1) Improve the stories.

Family Guy is meant to be bonkers; this is a show about a family with an atheistic talking dog who has an alcohol problem and a possibly homosexual British sounding baby. They live in a town which features characters like ‘Greased Up Deaf Guy’, Mayor Adam West and of course, the immortal James Woods. So I’m not necessarily suggesting that we can’t have silly stories, just make it so the humour can work within them. If you think of some of the best Family Guy episodes, there’s a good split between the stories being absurd and more realistic. In ‘Petarded’, Peter discovers that he has a learning disability and in ‘Emission Impossible’, Stewie panics over the fact that Lois and Peter may have another child. These are all relatively simple stories. Absurdity can work, but so can realism. A balance needs to be struck to allow MacFarlane’s humour to really shine.

2) Alleviate the reliance on Peter.

So admittedly Peter is the main character of Family Guy and has probably been the most consistently funny character over the show’s history. A lot of the best lines come from him and he is often key to many of the gags. However, there is such a thing as overexposure and that is what MacFarlane is starting to do with the character. It means that he gets both the best and the worst lines. Perhaps Lois, Chris and Meg could get more jokes or be central to more humour.

3) Return the Griffins to their original characters.

Think back to the beginning of the show and who the Griffins were then. Peter was the dumb and irresponsible dad. Lois was the more level headed mother. Chris was the dumb son and Meg the try-hard who no one liked. Meanwhile Brian was the wise cracking voice of reason and Stewie was the evil baby who wanted to take over the world. Now think of what the characters have become. Peter is largely the same, but Lois’ character has gotten much darker. Meg is arguably treated worse than ever, Brian is a sex pest and Stewie couldn’t care less about taking over the world anymore. This is a far cry from what the characters once were and their changes have coincided with the dip in quality. Brian and Stewie are rarely funny anymore, Meg is too dark to be funny and Lois and Chris are just... there. Peter is the only character that MacFarlane still truly nails.

4) Make the pop culture references less forced.

These have long been a staple of Family Guy and are the source of many of the best jokes. Yet MacFarlane’s pop culture references don’t hit like they used to. They’re forced and frequently fall flat. They need to be tempered a bit and revert to a more natural use in order to really succeed. Words by David Mitchell-Baker.

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CULTURE Aliens, explosions, turn-based combat, the fate of mankind and constant, unavoidable failure. If these are things you want from your games, then XCOM 2 is the one for you. Sequel to the award winning XCOM: Enemy Unknown, this does pretty much everything a good follow-up should – polishing gameplay, adding a bunch of features that make you wonder how they could possibly have been left out of the original, and removing others that were needlessly frustrating to begin with – all while providing an experience that feels both new and familiar at the same time. The title sees you take control of the titular XCOM, a secretive resistance organisation in a world that has been conquered by alien invaders. In your flying headquarters you manage XCOM’s global responses to enemy movements, before launching missions to engage them directly. It’s this bit that makes up the core gameplay, as you command a team of four to six soldiers, directing their every movement and action. XCOM 2 (like its predecessor) is a tactical, turnbased game. Ideally, you use careful planning, patient build-up, and an understanding of the exact game mechanics to carry out devastatingly successful attacks against your opponents. Realistically, you charge in, shooting and exploding everything in sight, only to have your best soldier stranded in the middle of the battlefield, one of his team-mates mind-controlled by the enemy, one of them wrapped up and squeezed to death by an alien snake, one of them being punched to death by a huge-ass monster thing, and one of them cowering in a corner, crying and calling out for their mother. This happens roughly every mission. In short, the game is difficult. Kinda like Dark Souls but in slow motion. This difficulty can be off-putting at first, but as you drag yourself through defeat after harrowing defeat, you start to work out how the game

Review:

is supposed to work – and when that happens, when you start winning regularly, boy does it feel good. In terms of features, XCOM 2 improves on the first in a number of ways. There’s the option for stealth at the beginning of most missions (though this invariably devolves into loud, scream-y carnage), enemies drop valuable items when they die, there are more varied maps and mission objectives, the story moves forward in a more deliberate way, and there’s much greater solider customisation. Mostly, these features are the developers including things you would already do in the first game, but allowing you to do it with the push of a button, rather than a tedious hunt through the entire UI every half-an-hour. The game’s only real problems are the graphics (even on computers that are actually up to the task, the graphics are hardly overwhelming), the loading times and of course, the fact that it’s a PC exclusive– one that requires a fairly new set-up to properly run. However, overall XCOM 2 is just as good, if not better than the original. It’s challenging, but in a way that makes sense. You’re never punished arbitrarily; you really are just playing the game wrong. Which makes it cathartic as fuck when you are finally able to run up behind an alien and shotgun it in the back of the head.

XCOM 2 is available now on PC. Matt Clarson.

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CULTURE

The Ex tells the story of Olivia Randall, an excellent defence attorney who gets a call from her ex-boyfriend’s daughter, asking her to defend him in a multiple homicide case where he is the primary suspect. The story centres around the idea that everyone has that one ex, the person that they either should never have broken up with, or in this case, should never have hurt. For Olivia, Jack is ‘the ex’, and against her better judgement she agrees to represent him. What follows is a gripping crime drama which keeps you questioning at every turn, even as the reader (like Olivia) feels determined to believe Jack’s innocence. What makes Burke’s novels so captivating is how accessible they are. While they are peppered with legal details and nuggets about the relationship between the police, defence lawyers, and prosecutors, the plot is never bogged down in these particulars. Instead, they provide a sprinkling of facts which enhance the narrative, as you are caught up in the wider questions of what happened and why. As the novel progresses, you are engrossed in the unrelenting pacing, which urges you to continue reading in order to discover whether Jack is guilty, and whether Olivia successfully defends him.

Review:

The Ex

by Alafair Burkke

Alafair Burke’s crime novels are always compelling thanks to the unique perspective that she brings to them. As a former prosecutor and current law professor, the detail included in her novels makes the storylines feel like they could have been pulled straight out of the courtroom. Burke’s latest novel, The Ex, is as engaging a read as I have come to expect from the writer, demanding a full read through in just one sitting.

Burke always creates enthralling characters, and one of the successes of The Ex is that Olivia is a compelling, yet hardly likeable character. With unflinching honesty, Olivia conveys her past infidelity to the reader, and you know from the start that this is not a woman we are supposed to like. And yet, even as you dislike her actions and past behaviour, her competency and belief in Jack encourages you to feel a grudging respect for her. The supporting cast is just as well developed, with little touches giving the remaining characters life. Details about their pasts combine with their emotional connections, making you feel that this is a world with more stories to tell. Additionally, the ending of the novel came as a complete surprise, which rarely happens in crime novels nowadays, thanks to formulaic plots taking the forefront in recent years. The Ex genuinely left me questioning the convictions I held throughout the rest of the plot. It is safe to say that Burke’s latest novel is well worth picking up, whether you are familiar with her work, or are a newcomer. The Ex is written by Alafair Burke and was published by Harper in 2016. Rebecca James.

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CULTURE

Hidden Gem:

Stoner by John Williams

“William Stoner enters the University of Missouri at nineteen to study agriculture. Later, he becomes a teacher. He marries the wrong woman. His life is quiet, and after his death his colleagues remember him rarely. Yet with truthfulness, compassion and intense power, this novel uncovers a story of universal value.’’ So reads the blurb of John Williams’ 1965 novel Stoner. What is the most common fear amongst all human beings? Death? Poverty? Not being loved? No. The truth is we all fear that we might be living a life that has no meaning. That we might make so little impact on the people and the world around us during our time on earth, that we are forgotten mere weeks after we leave it. This is what John Williams tackles in this frankly awe inspiring work. Charting the life of William Stoner, an English teacher in America, Williams takes us by the hand and leads us on a journey through a life that does not appear to have been memorable, worthwhile or of any intrinsic value. But with deft and incredible prose, Williams draws out incredible profound beauty from a relatively normal life. He manages to capture those deeply hidden moments and emotions that we all experience, yet rarely discuss, in a way I’ve never seen in a novel. We often say that we experience emotions that are hard to put into words, yet somehow Williams

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does just this. It’s a revelation to read. Charting an entire character’s life in one novel can be an arduous task. You have to maintain a level of interest and compassion for the protagonist you are following. We follow Stoner through his poor upbringing on his family’s farm, to the University where he will eventually work for the remainder of his life. We are with him as he meets who he believes to be the love of his life and watch his courtship turn to a marriage gone cold, as his wife resents and insults him, barring him from sharing a meaningful relationship with his only child. We traverse his career through the University, as he is slighted and passed over for promotions and undermined by pretentious and cocksure students. We even stand with him during what appears to be a torrid love affair, which eventually transpires to be his only real experience of love and passion. It would be reductive and unfair to detail the entirety of this amazing piece of literature in a short review, so let me end by simply stating that if you wish to experience a powerfully resonant and profound story about love, experience and life itself, then pick up John Williams’ master work Stoner as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed. Stoner is written by John Williams and was published in 1965. Sam Dunton

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THE EDGE REVIEWS

THE CLASSICS

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD HARPER LEE

first read Harper Lee’s enchanting classic To Kill A Mockingbird as an uninterested 13-year old student, who would much rather spend his time in the English classroom chatting as opposed to reading. Introduced by our teacher as ‘the best book’ she had ever read, I still wasn’t grabbed. In fact, even upon reading the book for the first time, I was impartial as to whether or not I liked it. Then, the night before an assessment, when I had no choice but to stop procrastinating, I actually sat down,book in hand, and absorbed myself into the text. I was all of a sudden captivated by a heartfelt coming-ofage story, with three dimensional characters, and a moral code that still strongly influences the way I act today. Let me introduce you to the Finch family of Maycomb, a small, prejudiced town in the deep south of America. Scout is our fiery, young and mischievous protagonist, as well as the youngest daughter of the family. She is particularly fond of creating mayhem with her older brother Jem. The pair are raised by their father, the highly respected lawyer Atticus. They remain in the bliss of middle class normality, until Atticus makes the controversial decision to defend a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Scout and Jem subsequently learn about racism and what it means to do the right thing, as they witness the unfairness of Tom Robinson’s trial.

The novel does start out a little slowly, which might put readers off initially (I know that the overcomplicated tales of how the Finches arrived in Maycomb bored 13year old me), but when you get to the core, it’s a book that you simply cannot put down. The suspense of the twists and turns of Robinson’s trial keep you gripped, and at points crying out in frustration. Scout is a refreshing narrator, and her innocent perspective perfectly articulates just how cruel the town’s racial prejudices are. We see Jem grow from a boy to a man, but the real hero of To Kill A Mockingbird is Atticus Finch, who risks everything to help a man who is already condemned. Atticus is destined to fail in his plight, but that doesn’t stop him from doing what is right, putting his principles first. In my mind, this makes him the most inspirational character I’ve ever come across in a book. If there’s one classic you read this year, I would ardently recommend To Kill A Mockingbird. It’s easy to read, not too long, and teaches good moral lessons for you to carry with you throughout life. Though I didn’t realise it straight away, I’m in agreement with my English teacher; it’s the best book I’ve ever read. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published in 1960. Words by James Barker

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LIVE

@ OS o2 u Gt uh ial md ph ta ol nl , EMMA HARRISON BEESLEY

youthful fan base who were still in primary school when Bloc Party were receiving accolades at the beginning of the 2000s. The headliner’s fans on the other hand were easy to spot: middle aged, adorned in leather jackets with wife and beer in hand.

Some may argue Bloc Party’s glory days are over: half the band members have been completely altered in the last year; their history of repeated hiatus and their mass variation in sound have all sought to hammer the nails into their coffin. Many saw their fifth album Hymns and their announcement as headliners for the NME Awards Tour 2016 therefore as the perfect opportunity for a comeback for a band who had not produced new music since 2012. However, unfortunately for them, a multitude of factors meant their Southampton slot of the NME Awards Tour did not quite achieve the return to their heyday of the early Noughties. It is always difficult for a band when touring only a matter of days after the latest album release. Hymns graced the ‘shelves’ of download sites and ever-dying record stores a mere 24 hours before the show at the Guildhall and there is something uncomfortable about a crowd who do not yet know the lyrics. Although Bloc Party opened with single release ‘The Good News’ and only spattered new songs amongst old indie classics, such as ‘Mercury’ and ‘One More Chance’, there was still a sense of self-conscious swaying throughout the set that never really went away. Another factor that did not work in Bloc Party’s favour was the audience themselves. Despite the fact NME are known for their vast variation in genre, none of the artists they chose for the 2016 lineup appeared to fit together, causing diminishing crowds for each act as only handfuls of people were there to see all four performers. Relatively new artists such as Ratboy and Drenge enjoy a

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Regardless of the semi-filled nature of the Guildhall, Bloc Party still played with electricity and flare. Frontman Kele Okereke is always attributed to being shy and uneasy in interviews, but on stage it’s a stark contrast as it is almost impossible to take your eyes off him – his vocals were perfect, the kind that take you back to every memory you have associated with that particular song. Sometimes Okereke did not even have to sing, the audience did unite occasionally when firm favourites such as ‘Helicopter’ arose, not only chanting loudly to every word, but dancing wildly. And despite new members Louise Bartle and Justin Harris only joining a matter of months ago, you would be none the wiser. It is only in comparison to previous shows I have seen that it was obvious that it was not the quality of their performance which let them down; instead it was a clash of genres and audience members that left the gig lacking. Hopefully however, they will receive the success they deserve with their excellent latest album, which experiments with electronic elements but still retains its roots in the slow heartfelt numbers present on the band’s first albums, Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City.

LIVE

Preview:

LEE NEL S O N @DUCHESS THEATRE, LONDON B EN SEI F ERT

Controversial comedian Simon Brodkin, better know by his alter ego Lee Nelson, will be performing at the Duchess Theatre in London on the 14th March as part of the 30 extra dates added on to his ‘Suited and Booted’ tour. As the name of the tour suggests, Nelson will be getting rid of his trademark baseball cap and ‘chav’ attire and will instead be

donning

something

presentable.

The tour takes him from Newcastle-uponTyne down to Exeter, but unfortunately includes no dates in Southampton, with the nearest place to see him being in London. Simon Brodkin is best known for his two BBC3 TV shows Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show, which ran for two seasons between 2010-2011, and Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People, which ran for one season in 2013. Both shows were based around the comedy characters upon which he built his career, most notably the chavvy and anti-social host Lee Nelson, and unpleasant footballer Jason Bent. A qualified doctor, Brodkin began his TV career in 2003 but didn’t perform his first solo comedy show until the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where his Everyone but Himself set won him The Writers’ Guild Award for Best Newcomer.

London four-piece Wolf Alice play Portsmouth Pyramids on the 14th March to continue a series of live dates which began long before last February’s release of critically acclaimed debut album, My Love Is Cool. December 2013, when the band were named most blogged about UK band of the year by BBC Radio 6 Music, seems a long time ago now for front woman Ellie Rowsell and her band mates. Since then Wolf Alice have managed to form a loyal cult following in the UK, with singles such as ‘Bros’, ‘You’re a Germ’ and, most recently, ‘Freazy’ keeping fans wanting more. Fresh off the back of the European leg of their tour, Wolf Alice return to the South coast to play Portsmouth Pyramids as part of a month long series of dates here in the UK. These dates will be the first back home since their BRIT Award nomination for breakthrough act, and the last they play here until their festival season kicks off at Parklife in June. A mammoth US tour comes before then for a band that keeps on rolling through the live dates in ever more impressive fashion, building on their fan base each stop along the way.

Preview:

WOLF ALICE

@PYRAMIDS CENTRE, PORTSMOUTH JACK HARVEY

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LIVE

EVERLONG

@Lennons nightclub, southampton EMMA HARRISON BEESLEY

Alternative-rock band Everlong formed back in 2007 when the band were fledglings in Year Seven and adorned classic ‘emo’ hair enabling them to hide their cute baby faces. Fast forward eight years and the boys graced the Lennons stage last Thursday as a part of Mirrorman Productions’ event which showcases the best of what the local rock scene in Southampton has to offer. Although no strangers to the stage, this show and one earlier this January in Winchester, form a string of comeback performances Everlong have committed to this year. Complete with new material and new haircuts, Everlong brought energy and style to the small venue and proved they are definitely ones to watch. Everlong followed another alternative-screamo band, Plastic Minds, who even managed to begin a mosh pit that the lead singer frequently joined in with, setting the vigorous tone which was to last the entire evening. Succeeding Plastic Minds, Everlong continued to provide an animated and crowd-pleasing show, especially when their cover of Don Brocco’s ‘Priorities’ made a surprise appearance midway through their set, allowing even more audience participation. Even though the boys were confined to a short half hour set, they did not waste it, cramming 5 of

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their own tracks, co-written by talented guitarist Matt Mason (second year Biomed student at the University of Southampton) and the rest of the band. Cheeky-chappy lead singer Himoonga Muloongo (first year Marine Biology student also at the University of Southampton) provided entertainment beyond his impressive vocals between songs, but promised not to tell any jokes, and worked seamlessly with the rest of the musically gifted band - made up of bassist Samuel McKenzie and drummer James Bratby. After Everlong came Castafiore, who describe their sound on Facebook as “psychedelic indie stoner garage rock”, which was not far from an accurate description. They rounded off the evening nicely, maintaining the upbeat succinct vibe which had prevailed throughout, leaving the departing audience eager to hear what is next in store for these three local artists. To find out more about Everlong, head to their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ EverlongUK or on Twitter at: www.twitter. com/EverlongUK

LIVE

Josh Widdicombe @ The Cube, Southampton ALICE HEARING

For this year’s Refreshers Josh Widdicombe headlined SUSU’s Laughter Lounge, supported by Ivo Graham and compere Adam Vincent. Selling out very early on, expectations were high. Adam Vincent was the night’s MC. An Australian comedian living in the UK, Vincent has previously written for Josh Widdicombe’s TV show The Last Leg. The night began with forced laughter in reaction to Adam Vincent’s jokes which, to some, were particularly tasteless. A couple of comments on the suicide rates in Bedford were followed by gasps, awkward giggles, and muttered disappointment from a crowd used to the more politically correct comedy of the headline act. It seemed as though Vincent was attempting to pass the time through awkward pauses, bouncing off hecklers in the front row. Despite this, Eton and Oxford alumnus Ivo Graham set the ball rolling in preparation for the headline act as the forced laughter transformed into hearty chuckles. A man who has previously sold out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, Graham is a rising comedic star and his set was both riotous and fulfilling. Touching on such subjects as love, going to school at Eton and holidays with the parents as a 25-yearold, Graham’s set was well-structured and certainly worthy of the enthusiastic whooping and applause at the end. Finally, the anticipation was at breaking point once Widdicombe was called on stage,

but it was clear from the beginning that Widdicombe was not in his usual stomping ground. Having had his own sitcom air recently on BBC Three, and appearances as a regular on various shows such as The Last Leg and Insert Name Here, he had the air of someone slightly too big for his boots despite his 5’5” stature. However, he knew his audience, ticking off all the things a comedian might be expected to do at the start of a set. Commenting on how unimpressed he was by the staging and picking up on the age of the audience, it was evident that he s a man nearing his peak. He touched on technology, the pains of having to sleep in a single bed and, despite repeating jokes from television appearances, he successfully used heckling and audience participation to ad lib his material. What seemed phenomenally clear throughout the set was that Josh knew that all of his jokes would get a laugh, not because he was the funniest man in the room but because people were ready to laugh, expected to laugh. Merry on a few beers, lads laughed heartily and audience members at the front would comment from time to time in the hope that such a big (figuratively speaking) comedian might pick on them. The night was a roaring success, for both Widdicombe and for SUSU; it was a pleasure to watch a man of his stature and his experience perform a triumphant set. The more times you’ve been on TV, the more impressive it is to a student that you’re doing a gig at their university.

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Listings Film 1st March

4th March

24th March

Will Varley @ Joiners

Roachford @ Wedgewood Rooms The V2’s @ The Railway Inn Soft Machine @ Talking Heads

Janis: Little Girl Blue, 6.15pm @ Harbour Lights Bridge of Spies, 7pm @ Union Films

5th March

2nd March,

7th March

An Autumn Afternoon, 7.30pm @ Union Films

6th March

Psycho, 2.45pm @ Harbour Lights Joy, 5pm @ Union Films The Hateful Eight, 8pm @ Union Films

8th March Creed, 7pm @ Union Films The Forbidden Room, 6.15pm @ Harbour Lights

Dub Pistols @ Wedgewood Rooms TENEK @ Talking Heads Foxes @ Wedgewood Rooms

8th March

The Fat White Family @ Wedgewood Rooms EXODUS @ Talking Heads

9th March

Tonight We Fall @ Joiners Fearless Vampire Killers @ Talking Heads

9th March

10th March

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, 7.30pm @ Union Films

11th March

10th March

Toy Story, 7pm @ Union Films

13th March

The Good Dinosaur, 5pm @ Union Films The Revenant, 8pm @ Union Films Jules & Jim, 2.45 pm @ Harbour Lights

15th March The Danish Girl @ Union Films Rams, 6.15pm @ Harbour Lights

Massmatiks @ Joiners The Spitfires @ Joiners DJ EZ @ O2 Academy Bournemouth

12th March Amongst the Chaos @ Joiners

13th March

Submariner & Notice to the Builder @ Joiners Blackbeard’s Tea Party @ Talking Heads

25th March

The Hunna @ Joiners The Franklys @ The Railway Inn

26th March

Purson @ Joiners Chase and Status @ Portsmouth Guildhall Tracer @ Talking Heads

27th March

Bellowhead @ Southampton Guildhall The Vim Dicta @ Joiners

31st March The Cat Empire @ Pyramids Live

Theatre 1st March - 19th March The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary! @ Nuffield

4th March - 6th March Hetty Feather @ Mayflower Theatre

7th - 12th March Chicago @ Mayflower Theatre

20th March

14th March

Rear Window, 2.45pm @ Harbour Lights

15th March

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty @ Mayflower Theatre

16th March

22nd March

22nd March Attacking the Devil, 6.15pm @ Harbour Lights

27th March

Day for Night, 2.45pm @ Harbour Lights

29th March

The Here After, 6.15pm @ Harbour Lights

Live 1st March

Lucy Spraggan @ Wedgewood Rooms C Duncan @ Joiners A Formal Horse @ Talking Heads

2nd March These Sceptic Stars @ Joiners

Wolf Alice @ Pyramids Live Cambion & For I Am King @ Joiners Oh Wonder @ Wedgewood Rooms Neck Deep & Creeper @ Southampton Guildhall Black Honey @ Joiners

17th March

Crossfaith @ Wedgewood Rooms Elements @ Joiners Chantel McGreggor @ Talking Heads

19th March

Alias Kid @ Joiners

20th March

Heck @ Joiners

21st March

Man Made @ Joiners

22nd March

Trivium @ Pyramids Live

23rd March

Emmy the Great @ Joiners

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15th - 19th March

The Barber of Seville @ Mayflower Theatre

23rd - 26th March

The Marriage of Figaro @ Mayflower Theatre

24th March - 30th March The Odyssey @ Nuffield

30th March - 3rd April Gangsta Granny @ Mayflower Theatre

4th - 6th March

Hetty Feather @ Mayflower Theatre

7th - 12th March Chicago @ Mayflower Theatre