The Edge (November 2009)

The University of Southampton’s Finest Entertainment Publication Issue 3 5th November 2009

EDITORIAL

INSIDE..

Records

Hello again lovely readers!

We have an extra jam packed issue for you this time, so we hope you enjoy everything we have to offer. If we haven’t included anything that you think should be in these pages, then email in and let us know!

Records is an eclectic mix including Jamie T, Tori Amos, Ian Brown and The Editors this issue, and Live have been checking out gigs from Biffy Clyro, Local Natives and Paint It Black. We take a look back at Ghostbusters 25 years after it’s first release in Film, and also review Up, Couples Retreat and The Invention of Lying, among others.

If all of that is not enough for you, we also sat down for a chat with Chase & Status just before their live gig at the Cube, which you can read in Features.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue by sending in articles, reviews and interviews. We haven’t been able to squeeze everything into one issue, no matter how hard we try, but we love reading everything we get sent so please continue.

If you haven’t written anything for this issue but would like to get involved, then email us on theedge@soton.ac.uk and let us know.

We are always looking for keen people to get involved and make The Edge even better than it already is. Remember, the quality and variety of the content depends on you!

Another way to get involved with The Edge is through our Surge Radio show, every Saturday between 1 and 2pm. We are looking to have writers on the show as guests to pick their favourite new music and chat about the world of entertainment.

We recently had our first Edgy social, and it was great to see those of you who came.

We had a great night, and are looking forward to the next one soon! It would be great to see even more of you there, we on the edgitorial team love getting to know our writers.

Editors: Thomas Shepherd and Emmeline Curtis 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: Laura Ewington, Sarah Boyle, Tom

McKenna, Charlotte Campbell, Andrew Baber, Kat Bawmwang, Will Hayes, Abby Thomas, Katie Pendleton, Kathryn Hegarty, Will Worley, Jonny Seal, Becca Roberts, James Miller, Joshua Treacher, Viveka Owen, Craig Charley, Dhanesh Patel, Adam Vaughn, Matthew Whitaker, Milan Matejka

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

- Jamie T - Mumford & Sons - Hockey + More!

Live

- Eastpak Antidote Tour - Biffy Clyro + More!

Film

- Zombieland - Ghostbusters - Up + More!

Features

- X Factor + More!

Games

- Uncharted 2

‘Mon The Biffy! Live At Guildhall That’s Entertainment..

By Emmeline Curtis Will Smith may be one of the biggest stars on the planet at the moment, but according to recent reports he is keen to make an appearance on Eastenders. He has revealed that during a recent trip to the UK he wasted a whole Sunday afternoon watching the omnibus edition of the soap, and was transfixed by the fact that it is “so real and gritty”. If he gets his way, and finds the time, expect to see him making a big entrance into the Queen Vic and sweeping some lucky female resident off her feet. If his wish does come true Eastenders might actually become worth watching, temporarily.

Rock band Alfonzo have taken the term ‘single launch’ literally, and launched their latest offering ‘Blind As Faith’ 30,000ft into the sky via a rocket. An 8ft tall rocket was launched under the supervision of the chairman of the UK Rocketry Association in what is a world first. Their original idea has angered some however, with environmental groups calling it “the most environmentally unfriendly launch of a single in history”. I guess this is one rock band we won’t see campaigning to save the planet.

Someone else who’s single launch isn’t being received well by some is Calvin Harris. While he is busy out and about promoting his latest single ‘Flashback’, GMTV have refused to let him perform the song on the early morning show as they think the song is too upbeat for their early morning time slot. This rebuff has led to the singer launching yet another angry tirade on his twitter account. It is a somewhat baffling move on the part of GMTV - surely the point of the show is to wake up the viewers and get them ready for the day? It would seem producers don’t want people to be too upbeat and alert as they set off for work.

White Stripes singer Jack White recently made a surprising career move when he gave an impromptu lecture at Dublin’s Trinity College. White surprised students when he appeared in front of the Philosophical Society, demonstrating “sophisticated engagement” as he discussed his musical beliefs.

He apparently believes that Britney Spears may be more “authentic” than singers such as Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, by doing exactly what she wants to do in the way she best knows how. I wonder if he thinks the same about those dreadful X-Factor twins, and is the one voting to inflict them upon the poor public every weekend?

Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron has been taking a leaf out of Katy Perry’s book and recently kissed a girl - for £85,000.

Theron was helping out at the OneXOne charity event in San Fransisco by auctioning off a trip to her native South Africa for next year’s World Cup finals, when she decided to try and encourage more bidders by throwing in a kiss for the lucky winner. This immediately made one man bid £79,000, but he was eventually beaten by an unnamed lady who claimed her kiss in front of a cheering crowd. The star later joked that her boyfriend was not there that night - lets hope he doesn’t mind it.

RECORDS

Black Gold Laura Ewington Black Gold is a Brooklyn-based duo comprising Eric Ronick (lead vocals, keyboards) and Than Luu (drums, guitar, percussion, vocals), who met whilst playing with different bands (Panic at the Disco, Ambulance Ltd) and formed in early 2006.

Drawing on a wide and eclectic collection of influences, from Chopin to Depeche Mode, Michael Jackson to 60s/70s Motown,

Black Gold have created a unique sounding album with such diversity in styles that, at the risk of sounding clichéd, will have something for everybody.

Inspired also by The Smiths, The Beatles and early New Order, there’s a remarkably British edge to this New York band’s debut effort. Black Gold manage to successfully combine experimentation and talent by em-

Rush

ploying electronic and real instruments, powerful vocal harmonies, catchy hooks, meaningful lyrics and memorable choruses.

The excellent opening track ‘Detroit’ is an upbeat, synth-driven, guitar-pop track, supported by a simple drumbeat, it introduces listeners to Ronick’s vocal talent as he hits his falsetto notes with apparent ease. A successful iTunes ‘Single of the Week’, this

track’s commerciality led to single-release in May of this year.

Furious drums, powerful piano chord sequences and strong vocals combine in the second track, ‘Plans And Reveries’, an orchestral rock adventure with delicate, tuneful verses skilfully crescendoing towards a thundering chorus and producing, in my opinion, the best song on the album.

The staccato introduction to ‘Breakdown’ has an undeniable Panic! At The Disco feel but, as dark, narcotic-induced lyrics and almost haunting vocals kick in, it becomes an original dance-funk track.

Acoustic-based ‘Silver’ drops the pace and calms the mood, providing a point of transition into the second half of the album, which continues with ‘Shine’, probably the most mainstream track, with a definite Killers sound.

Further highlights include the 70’s disco feel ‘The Comedown’ with intricate guitar riffs, and the penultimate track ‘Canyon’, a mournful, heartfelt piano ballad overlain by a wistful, winding melody, reminiscent of Thirteen Senses and Jet’s slower songs.

Admittedly Rush doesn’t smash down barriers, but it’s an extremely enjoyable, accessible collection of electronic indie-pop with a juxtaposition of a variety of genres.

The musical direction is constantly changing so that after the final track, you’re ready to start again. Diverse through design and stylishly compiled without being overproduced, Rush is a quality, refreshingly unusual album. Prepare to like it.

4/5 Good: Catchy, memorable choruses with a range of influences.

Bad: Such an eclectic mish mash of genres sometimes doesn’t quite work.

Mumford & Sons Sigh No More Put down the inconceivably complex text book you’re supposed to be reading before venturing out along Bevois Valley tonight, and get yourself Mumford & Sons first album! Mumford & Sons, who formed in 2007, are a fresh new folk act recently signed to Island records. Their amazing debut album Sigh No More was released on October 6th of this year, but only peaked at number 11 in the album chart - this does not do it justice!

When first hearing the record you would be forgiven for thinking that this band is from the Deep South because of its folky, American feel, but in fact the band consists of four West London boys who have managed to perfect a raw, soulful folk-rock sound.

Sarah Boyle

The album is a refreshing composition of soothing melodies complimented perfectly by the intense and poignant lyrics. For me though, it’s the foreboding voice of Marcus Mumford that sent shivers down my spine and induced my love affair with this album. It is fair to say I was seduced by these alluring tones and buttery melodies to the extent that the record is hard to flaw. There is something about these whispering harmonies, especially in ‘Thistle And Weeds’ that takes you on a cathartic journey through the song.

Every track on Sigh No More incorporates the amazing affinity the band have with their instruments and their ability to blend their voices seamlessly. Tracks such

as ‘Roll Away Your Stone’ and the first single released from the album, ‘Little Lion Man’, are much more energetic than ‘White Blank Page’ or ‘Awake My Soul’. That being said, by no means do I intend to portray that the more mellow tracks are in turn less enjoy-

able. In fact, one of my favourite tracks from the album, ‘Timshel’, is one of the slowest yet its simple acoustic melody allows the echoing raw emotion of the layered vocals to unravel into you. Some may find the lyrics a little too teen angst as most of them are about being in love and the aftermath of it, but I think we all secretly desire to be a little bit emo though, don’t we?

The one criticism I would give is that a great song from the EP, ‘Feel this Tide’, does not appear on the album. Alas, this just means you’ll have to go out and buy that as well!

5/5

RECORDS

Hockey Mind Chaos After last year’s release of home-made EP Mind Chaos, Hockey created a real splash on the indie rock scene demanding the attention of industry heavyweights such as Zane Lowe and Bestival curator Rob da Bank.

Such early promise led to the band appearing on many people’s ‘Ones to Watch’ lists at the start of 2009, completing a sold out tour earlier this year and being signed to Capitol Records in the States and Virgin Records here in the UK. Mind Chaos is exactly what you would expect from the title; it is chaotic, but not in a good way. The first three tracks include the two singles, ‘Learn To Lose’ and ‘Too Fake’, an upbeat track with a likeable chorus, but not something you will find yourself humming along to. These three tracks are too similar, making it difficult to differentiate between them - all are based on similar rhythms with indistinguishable melodies and lyrics. It’s only when you get to the fourth and fifth tracks, ‘Work’ and ‘Song Away’ respectively, that the album starts to live up to its aforementioned hype. ‘Work’ gives an overdue tempo change as well as producing a catchy rhythm, whilst the newest single ‘Song Away’ (arguably the best track on the album) is a very upbeat rift reminiscent to the kind of music of older Fleetwood Mac with Benjamin Grubin’s vocals comparable

Tom McKenna

to those of Bruce Springsteen. ‘Wanna Be Black’, the seventh track, goes down a more electro based route. In keeping with the general theme of the album, the song is ruined

by Hockey’s persistent use of shouted choruses, which, after a couple of tracks leaves the listener dazed and confused. The album as a whole is too fast paced, and because of this it is the slower tracks which tend to stand out more, as opposed to the normal upbeat singles. The best way to describe the sound of the band is a mix of Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight and The Strokes, a good comparison you may think; however, the sound of Mind Chaos is more comparable to that of a compilation of the ‘filler’ songs from less successful albums. The whole album is, ironically, too chaotic and by the time you reach the eleventh track you feel like you have been bombarded with sound for the past hour. It doesn’t make you want to hit the play button again, instead you may feel the urge to have a lie down. The album improves with several replays, although even after the fourth or fifth play it is still difficult to connect with some of the songs. Some of the tracks grow on you but it is certainly not an album you would instinctively put on, especially not to study to or at a party.

3/5

Tori Amos Having released over ten albums, Tori Amos has developed a unique style, and her new album Abnormally Addicted To Sin is packed full of passionate lyrics and haunting vocals. She shows no signs of slowing

down and has even incorporated a modern feel to a few of the tracks; in keeping with the current need for extravagant backing beats, whilst clinging to her originality and familiar songwriting style.

For those who are big Tori fans, and for those who are not, she has undeniably stuck to her Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell influences and her distinctive and (sometimes) operatic vocal style remains the same. She has a strong and poignant voice that is reminiscent of her idols’, and in every track she prevails through the heavy instrumental arrangement to prove herself as a talented singer and songwriter.

The album is easy to listen to in most respects but lacks a fundamental likability, with no really noticeable tracks leaping out; you are unlikely to find your finger hovering over

Abnormally Addicted To Sin

the repeat button at any point. Saying that, the third track ‘Strong Black Vine’ is worth a listen, with a rocky feel combined with an orchestral string introduction and fierce vocals. All of the tracks have their redeeming features but none are conventionally ‘catchy’

“Tori Amos is most definitely an acquired taste” and after about 6 tracks or so the album, as a whole, becomes repetitive. So much of the same makes it, frankly, dull. With a whopping 18-track total it could easily drop a few

Charlotte Campbell songs and still be too long.

If you’re after a relaxing, easy listening album with a dash of Kate Bush then this album may well be for you. If you’re looking to reach sleep rapidly without the use of sedatives then this may also be your thing. But, if you want an album full of catchy, cheery and conventional tunes, I would look elsewhere.

Tori Amos is a talented and esteemed musician but most certainly, an acquired taste.

3/5 Good: A relaxing, easy to listen to album.

Bad: Not exactly uplifting and not.

RECORDS

Ian Brown

My Way

Andrew Baber

My Way is the sixth studio offering from the ex-Stone Roses front man Ian Brown.

Whilst the trend for reforming bands has been prominent recently, it shows the strength of Brown’s solo career that there has yet to be any serious mention of The Stone Roses coming back.

‘Stellify’, the lead single, kicks off proceedings here. Deriving from Latin and translating as “to change or be changed into a star”, it’s an immediate, concise example of latter day Ian Brown. It’s ever building, pounding keyboard stabs - which you can not help but tap along to - make it the ideal opener, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

The dramatic clanging bells of ‘Crowning of the Poor’ are more reminiscent of previous Brown albums, yet it is further evidence of the catchy beats that make this album so good. ‘In the Year 2525’ is another highlight from the album, and interestingly, a cover of the 1969 hit by Zager and Evans. Whilst bizarre it is completely different to anything else on the album. Fundamentally, though, the key ingredients of My Way are the same as in Brown’s previous extensive output – catchy and compelling tunes, danceable rhythms and lots of hooks.

The difference between My Way and Brown’s previous effort however, is the ab-

sence of the sort of in-your-face political comments that dominated The World Is Yours. ‘Vanity Kills’ is an epic and infuriatingly catchy addition to the album, which shows off Brown’s superior lyrical skills. ‘For The Glory’ returns to the Stone Roses’ years with a number of allusions included, not least the couplet: “When the bombs began to fall / I didn’t do it for the Roses / As I was striding ten-feet-tall / Well, that’s another story”.

There are some weak tracks on the album, most notably the irritating ‘Marathon Man’, which never really seems to go anywhere.

Certainly the opening half of the album is stronger than the second, which unfortunately becomes a bit mundane and disappointingly similar, other than ‘By All Means Necessary’. If you are unsure whether or not to give this a try then I will direct you to ‘F.E.A.R’ which is Brown’s most well known song, and a good example of his brilliance.

My Way is an engaging and entertaining album – less dark and overtly political than The World Is Yours, but with all the feel good beats and rich orchestration that always make Ian Brown such a good listen.

3/5

Good: First half of the album really delivers some Ian Brown class.

Bad: A disappointingly weak second half to the album.

Atlum Schema Kat Bawmwang Previously described as “post-pop indie with a dark electronic underbelly”, Atlum Schema proves to be just that; an irresistible blend of the best parts of both indie and electronica. This self-titled album is cohesive in its song choices, each a different snapshot of the same musical journey; diverse, yet with a strong prevalent theme running through each song. Southampton’s Andy Mort and crew play with intricate counter melodies/ harmonies, military-like beats and electronic effects, whilst still paying homage to the beautiful sounds of the electronic piano. Andy’s lyrics are pensive and poetic, lending weight to the album as more than just pretty music. Each track seems to build up throughout the song with climactic middle eights or bridges, lending an ‘anthem’ status to some. The first song on the album, ‘Closing The Doors’, sets the tone with its tribal-like beats, dreamy harmonised vocals and poignant use of chimes, culminating in an almost melancholic statement “all we are is fading out now”. ‘Hold On’ cleverly inte-

Atlum Schema grates clips of Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” speech and Mort’s vocals in the chorus almost remind me of Brandon Boyd (Incubus) in the song ‘Megalomaniac’. ‘The Ballad Of The Self-Blessed, Self-Less’ and ‘Feeling About For Conformity In The Dark’ are both lyrically graceful, the former pianodriven and reminiscent of Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’, whilst the latter is acoustic guitar led and haunting.

Perhaps the best tracks on this record are ‘Gunfight At The O.K. Corral’ and ‘Breathe’.

‘Gunfight…’ is very catchy and lyrically sound with its marching rhythm that marries in the military theme of its title. The electric piano solo is a delight to hear in this song, so be sure to look out for it! ‘Breathe’ is a more laid-back song containing evocative doubled vocals and an aptly incorporated cello. It also contains probably the best line in the whole album, an inspirational “don’t blame the sun it never fails, it’s just cloud that comes and

veils”. The final song ‘Opening The Doors’ is a hopeful response to the first song and a good conclusion to the album.

All in all, Atlum Schema has done well with a reflective album, not one for finding infectious pop-inspired tunes but rather something more thoughtful and best enjoyed during something unexpectedly inspirational like a walk in the rain.

4/5 Good: A well thought out and enjoyable album.

Bad: Not much!

Upcoming Show 9th November, Joiners

RECORDS

Editors

In This Light & On This Evening Will Hayes What a difficult task The Editors have on their hands. Just how do they make an album which can come anywhere near or perhaps better the success of 2007’s An End Has A Start; the album which launched the band into the world of top 10 singles and secured a number one slot in its first week of release. The answer? Synths. From the second the album opens, it is clear that the band have abandoned the guitar-driven rock sound which has become associated with them, in place of wailing synth melodies, carried forward by a rather minimalist, albeit crucial contribution by the rhythm section.

The opening song pulls us into the sinister, as Tom Smith snarls “I swear to God, I heard the earth inhale, moments before it spat its rain down on me”, in an almost robotic drone of a voice; a far cry from his usual style. This evil sound is left to build up over the next four minutes, finally climaxing as the drums enter and a meaty distorted bass slides in.

The second track, ‘Bricks And Mortar’, is a further steer away from what would be expected from the band, beginning with an electronic drum beat intro which is soon accompanied by a synth, leading the song as the main melody. The rest of the album follows this style, making it difficult at times to work out exactly what instrument is providing the melody.

But this only works to the album’s advantage, as we are provided with a brilliant array

4/5

Singles

The Saturdays Forever Is Over

The Joy Formidable Abby Thomas In a way, The Joy Formidable’s new single is fine. It’s noisy, punchy, relatively catchy – we can all have an appreciative jump-dance along, and we can even revel in the heavy use of distortion like fans of The Joy Formidable are supposed to. After all, the band are at a high point: they are touring with big-onepic bands such as The Editors, and quite appropriate this arrangement is too – their sound is resonant, melodic, and fun enough to get people in the mood.

Yet bizarrely, this is a teaser for a live album all of their own. Mystifying for a small

of electro songs which mark a new stage in The Editors’ history. The band do momentarily return to their old sound with ‘Like Treasure’, but they are quick to bring us back into their dark world, whether it be through the angry delivery of ‘Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool’ – “your blood drool attracts the flies”, or the eerie ‘The Big Exit’. ‘Papillon’ (the first single from the album) wouldn’t sound out of place in the 1980s electro scene, whereas ‘Walk The Fleet Road’ acts as a calm finish to the album. Whilst forming a fantastic collection of songs, In This Light also proves that The Editors are here to stay. It is a great album that will no doubt be remembered in the same positive light as An End Has A Start, but more importantly it shows that the band are willing to experiment with their sound. There can be no doubt that the band will attempt an even different approach to their music by the time their fourth album is released, whenever that may be. Although In This Light contains perhaps fewer radiofriendly songs, it is a refreshing contribution to music considering the vast amount of indie bands producing obvious guitar melody music at the moment.

Overall, The Editors’ latest is a great piece of work, piled high with synth-driven songs which achieve an ominous mood lasting throughout the album. It will be compared to the band’s previous work though, and in this sense it struggles to match the sheer quality of get-up-and-dance rock songs which dominated the previous album. However, when seen as part of the evolution of the band, In This Light scores highly and demonstrates the song-writing abilities of one of the most important bands of the past few years.

Greyhounds in the Slips band, you say? Not so! You see, ‘Greyhounds’ would be rousing live; the fans would love it – yet as a regular recording, it is simply okay. For every catchy melody there is a dully droning guitar; for each resonant chord change, there is an overtly muffled vocal. It seems that, faults and all, this is standard TJF fodder; and arguably, sticking to the formula is a safe move for an album that, for a band still in support status, can surely only be for the fans.

4/5

‘Forever is Over’ is The Saturdays most recent single off their second album Wordshaker. It has already enjoyed chart-success, debuting at number 5 then finally rising to number 2, just losing out on the top spot to Chipmunk. The song is a sophisticated more pop rock breakaway from the girl’s previous pure pop style and has a more transatlantic feel to it.

With Mollie, Vanessa, Rochelle, Una and Frankie each fighting to show off their range of singing skills, the song is vocally impressive but can sometimes come on a bit too strong. However, Una’s attitudey solo stands out, as does Vanessa’s impressive warbling throughout the chorus. Some would say this song is lacking in originality, and yes, it could be said that the song does follow the same old “I’m over you and angry, but fine” Kelly Clarkson route. However what this song does lack in originality, I think it’s fair to say makes up for in sophisticated catchiness and easily listening factor.

Katie Pendleton

3/5

RECORDS Kings And Queens Kathryn Hegarty

Singles Random Hand Yorkshire band Random Hand shook up the UK punk scene after the release of their first album, Change Of Plan in 2007, with their unique blend of ska/metal/punk/ hardcore/insert genre here. Their new take on old, tired music genres pushed boundaries and gave new hope to the DIY scene.

The album’s diversity also ensured that the band’s appeal reached further than a single clichéd group whilst remaining true to themselves and their ideals, demonstrated best in old favourite ‘Scum Triumphant’.

The first offering from this new album, in the form of the lead-off single ‘Anger Management’, does not disappoint. ‘Anger Man-

Anger Management

agement’ is a lively, catchy song which is sure to prove a great hit live, remaining upbeat throughout and providing many chances for a good old sing-along.

The theme of the song is also an interesting concept in itself – anger. This is a rarely touched upon subject and provides an interesting, thought provoking theme for a song. This imaginative and positive lyricism combined does not allow the actual musical content to be compromised however, and the two factors combined make for a winning debut single.

Will Worley

Jamie T Jamie T is still an artist that hasn’t quite found himself, and his sound is hard to pin down. He has the potential of being fantastic but many of his tracks are missing something or are just falling short of being brilliant. Arguably Kings And Queens has a stronger stench of money attached to it than his debut Panic Prevention, which had such great success partly because it was so raw and untouched. This element still exists in the form of his fatal flaw: his words are often unintelligible and this often means that the poetry of his lyrics get lost in the mumble and pace of the record.

The album doesn’t come off to a strong start with the lazy ‘368’ that tries to pull off a Mike Skinner ‘laid back London boy’ honesty, but it sadly falls flat on its face and is a bad choice to start the album with. There is, however, some progression in his style, in particular with the final track ‘The Curious Sound’ his tone takes a more soulful route that leans away from his hip-hop backbone and pulls us in other directions. The surprises in Kings And Queens seem to come more towards the end, so stick with it if you’re unimpressed and jaded with his starting efforts of ‘368’ and ‘Hocus Pocus’.

‘Man’s Machine’, the third single to be taken from King And Queens has a very interesting hook with an intro from the Angelic Upstarts, a 1970s punk band from South Shields. This sums up how eclectic Jamie is, as he draws his style from so many influences: pop, punk, hip-hop and arguably folk. This reminds us what a master of music Jamie T can be. Jamie is more of an apprentice than a master, with touches of genius mixed in with a few flat tracks, but despite

Flood Of Red Home, Run (1997) Ok, so I’ve been a big fan of Flood of Red since their debut EP Lost In The Light, and I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed by the offering on ‘Home, Run (1997)’. Maintaining the heaviness that typified Lost In The Light, Flood of Red carry this on with a huge chunk of melodic catchiness that doesn’t fail to impress. Toning down on the screamo elements of their earlier work, Flood of Red have taken a bold step into newer areas of the post-hardcore genre.

With this being the first single from their new album Leaving Everything Behind, the latter part of 2009 looks to herald an exciting time for the Glaswegian sextet, and judging by ‘Home, Run (1997)’ the hype surrounding the band seems fully justified.

Jonny Seal

this any die-hard Jamie fans will love this record.

‘Chaka Demus’ and ‘Sticks n Stones’ hail back to ‘Sheila’ and ‘If You Got The Money’, and carry with them the vibe he generates at a live show - he is a performer at heart and you can’t help but dance to it. The biggest surprise of the album is the sensitive ‘Jilly Armeen’. It has the potential to be a more authentic and believable version of the Plain White T’s, ‘Hey there Delilah’. This acoustic song has real heart and it’s the track that makes you stop and actually listen, and then listen to it again and again. This is where Jamie excels as a musician rather than just as a performer and shows off his great potential as a UK artist.

Arguably this follow up record appears to be a little too contrived and even a bit too catchy. Despite all this you can’t help liking Jamie’s record, as he succeeds in touching all the right bases and pleasing his diverse following. Die hard Jamie T fans will not be disappointed, in particular with the stand out tracks such as ‘Sticks n Stones’, as it is classic Jamie T at his best. His London boy jackthe lad and dare I say it chavy image doesn’t always convince and there is a very thin line between vulnerable and vulgar when it comes to his lyrics. People that are new to Jamie should probably give his debut Panic Prevention a listen to first.

3/5 Good: Jamie T fans won’t be disappointed.

Bad: Some tracks fall short of brilliant and let down the album.

All American Rejects The Wind Blows Since the release of their album When The World Comes Down, the All American Rejects have enjoyed the success of their first single ‘Gives You Hell’. Their new single ‘The Wind Blows’ is quite different to most of the other songs on the album. They have moved away from their previous punky, poprock style and produced a song with lots of musical depth and sincerity. It is slower than previous songs and it does not contain the usual power chords, but there is still a very clear, crisp prominent drumbeat, which is a characteristic of most AAR songs.

Becca Roberts

FEATURE

The X Factor: A Fan’s Perspective

By Dhanesh Patel The hit ITV entertainment show The XFactor is headed for its fourth week of live shows, and the question still up for debate is whether the show is healthy for music.

To be honest, it’s hard to see what harm it’s doing – it exists in the mainstream, and as a result broadcasts music as a form of entertainment to hundreds of thousands of television sets every weekend. Naysayers point to the false, probably scripted nature of the show, but at the end of the day the general public aren’t stupid, they enjoy the show in spite of this. No one is under the illusion that this is a legitimate talent contest featuring the best singers in the country (since when did a decent pop star have to be a good singer anyway?).

The shows most successful winner, Leona Lewis, has gone on to release a handful of chart-topping singles and is experiencing success in the tough American market to this day, so any doubts about the longevity of the winners can be discarded – if they’re good enough they’ll survive in the business, just like any other artist.

“Since when did a

popstar have to be a good singer?”

Contestants this year such as Lucie Jones and Stacey Solomon have already exhibited the legitimate, vocal based talent side of the show, whilst acts such as John and Edward have entertained and infuriated the public to a level that surely demands nothing if not respect for the show – any accusations of the contestants being bland, sob-story merchants have surely been wiped from the show’s reputation, and whilst some features such as the weekly Sunday ‘group song’ and the ‘intense’ video packages before each performance may admittedly be seen as a bit cheesy, it all adds to the fun and character of the show.

Some people may point to the overly produced, calculated marketing of the contestants – Stacey as the ‘loveable Essex girl’,

Jamie as the ‘inspirational rocker’ – as a detriment to music as a whole (whatever that means) but they would do well to remember that legends of the art form like Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna etc all used factors such as image and personality to connect with the audience. I’d be surprised if any major artist under the mainstream glare was always 100% genuine (and why should they have to be?) The X-Factor is just a little more upfront about this. The X-Factor being ‘good’ for music is neither here nor there – it’s simply another avenue to hear the type of music that will dominate the mainstream either way – but it’s certainly doing it no harm and it’s very, very entertaining to boot.

“I’d be surprised if

any major artist was always genuine, and why should they have to be?”

A Cynic’s Perspective

By Dan Morgan Before I start, I feel I should make it clear from the very outset that I am a huge fan of The X Factor. I look forward to the beginning of each new series, and am ever so slightly sad when they draw to a protracted close.

Having said that I have a number of problems with the program, and this is as good a place as any to air those opinions. And what follows is definitely not a rant.

Let’s start with the judges. For those of you unfamiliar with the format of the live stages of the show, contestants perform in a series of themed nights before a live audience (as well as the millions watching at home), trying to win both votes from the general public and the support of four wellknown judges; Louis Walsh, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole.

The fact that there is quite clearly only one judge who has any more right than you or I to hold court on spotting musical talent is blindingly obvious. Despite signing a number of catastrophically terrible artists like Zig and

Zag and The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, Cowell has produced and managed serious hit-makers for more than a decade. So that’s Simon in the clear.

Moving swiftly on, Louis Walsh is essentially a bad Irish version of Simon Cowell.

Whining, grovelling and constantly wearing a sheepish expression that suggests a genuine fear of a spanking from Simon, Walsh has managed a number of inexplicably successful Irish boy-bands.

“Genuine fear of a spanking”

Cheryl Cole (of Girls Aloud fame) is fast becoming a national treasure, but happily more for her likeable Geordie persona than her terrible music. Although she is by far the most agreeable judge on the panel, the fact that she doesn’t write her own music does limit her viability somewhat.

Finally, the unbearable Dannii Minogue.

Famous primarily for her older (but better looking) sister, Minogue’s five albums peaked at No. 8 in the UK charts at best, and didn’t even make the top 40 at worst.

It is probably quite a good thing that she is so painfully vacuous and superficial, as her face is so paralysed by botox that she is no longer able to express any emotion beyond a cartoon-like surprise. As such, Dannii manages to be both useless and boring in one clean swoop.

This year has a particularly poor set of contestants. Joe McElderry has a pleasant enough voice, but has the interest value and edginess of a stress-ball, and couldn’t hope to sell any more albums (if, God forbid, he were to win) than the hopeless Steve Brookstein back in 2004. Equally engaging but significantly less talented is Lloyd Daniels.

With the face of a very sad puppy, Lloyd has proved himself so totally incapable of holding a tune that it is a genuine wonder how he has managed to stay in the competition.

Lucie Thomas is the most talented girl in the final 9, and pretty enough to give her a good shot at winning the public over were she to get to the final. Stacey Solomon, a single mum from Dagenham, is rapidly losing her

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charm. Initially hilariously entertaining due to her combination of a good voice, wild, surprised enthusiasm and a 3ft long face, Stacey is likely to drop sharply from public grace in the immediate future. Rachael Adedeji is so utterly average that I can’t think of anything else to say for her. Former energy salesman Olly Murs is a stereotypical Essex lad, and likeable enough to survive for a few weeks yet. Jamie (Afro) Archer and Danyl Johnson are the two most talented remaining contestants. Both have huge voices (Jamie also has huge hair; a big bonus), and are refreshingly interesting and greatly entertaining. My money is on the Afro to win.

“As edgy as a stress ball”

The final contestants are worth a paragraph of their own. 18 year old twins John and Edward are the worst contestants ever to smear themselves over The X Factor stage. Yet despite their total lack of any discernible talent, their nauseating arrogance, creepy duets (their rendition of Britney Spears’ ‘Oops I Did It Again’ has to be seen to be believed) and total failure to grasp the reality that the public are voting to humiliate them on a weekly basis, they are weirdly enthralling. Much like those programs on Channel 5 with titles like ‘The Man with the Face of a Fly’ or ‘Herpes Close Up’, the only explanation can be that people watch them thinking “Thank Christ that isn’t me”.

To conclude then, there is much to dislike about X Factor. The mediocrity of the contestants, irritating judges and bland music springs to mind, and yet it remains a hugely popular programme. Hopefully this is not because people like the dreadful music, but more because they like watching talentless amateurs cavort around a stage in PVC outfits. The latter would be a far more reassuring explanation.

Editor Suggests Driving Tracks

VIENNAULTRAVOX

The unofficial theme tune to the BBC’s Ashes to Ashes, ‘Vienna’ was famously beaten to number one by Joe Dolce’s novelty track ‘Shaddup Your Face.’

This speaks very badly of British record buyers in 1981, as this soaring track was surely one of the best tracks to come out of the 80s. Seen by many as a staple of the ‘new-romantic’ style popular at the time.

Growing steadily from the beginning of the track, ‘Vienna’ builds into an explosive showcase of Midge Ure’s (of Live Aid fame) urgent, straining vocals. Along with Duran Duran, A Ha and other similar bands, Ultravox were key exponents of the electronica/ synthpop movement Finally, with a darkly pulsing bassline and a huge, stadium chorus, this track is perfect for belting out at full volume in an otherwise empty car.

BAT OUT OF HELLMEAT LOAF

Very few acts can boast the power that is found on this iconic album. The title track of Meat Loaf’s 1977 release was written

by Jim Steinman, the brains behind most of the band’s music.

Inspired by a combination of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ and Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho, ‘Bat Out of Hell’ focuses on the idea of teenage disillusionment and rebellion, describing a young couple in a distopian America.

This song was written with the intention of being a great driving track, and it doesn’t disappoint. At almost 10 minutes long, this song is a power-rock epic, complete with motorbike sound effects, a two minute instrumental intro and huge, explosive choruses.

Regarded by Q Magazine as one of the greatest songs of all time, no songs can be more worth the memory it’ll take up on your iPod.

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How’s the tour going so far?

Yeah, basically well. I don’t know how many dates we have done now, I think it’s about 10 or 11. We were in Reading last night. Every gig has been completely sold out, just absolute carnage. More than we were sort of expecting really, just kids going bonkers the whole night, which is really great. The whole set-up is working really well, and there have been no sort of drama.

All good so far.

You’re playing a live set tonight - do you prefer live or DJ sets?

They’re so different really, so much more different than we thought they’d be. DJ’ing we’ve been doing for five years now, longer really but on the circuit for five years. Obviously that’s our first love and always get a really big buzz out of that, but its new and refreshing to do something different on stage.

Living on a tour bus and the whole travelling with a band and all the roadies and stuff, it sort of seems like a way bigger deal than DJ’ing where you’re turning up quite soon before your set and then just leaving straight away after. It’s like a much bigger show, and the reaction is different as well, there is a lot more anticipation and atmosphere in the live one.

The Cube is a student venue, do you find the crowd and reaction different to a normal club, like ‘Ram’ at Matter?

Chase & Status Chase Emmeline Curtis sat down for a chat with Saul Milton and Will Kennard (aka Chase

& Status) just before they played a spectacular set at a sold out show in the Cube. We got to find out what they think of the future of drum and bass music, some of their worst DJ’ing experiences and what we can expect from their new material.

It feels like all the gigs are more student based. It always feels like that, apart from the 14 over, which was for younger students.

There is a bit of a difference to student nights, but the clientele at ‘Ram’ is mostly student based. It feels like drum and bass has become a real student led music, so its hard to differentiate between what’s a student night and what’s not.

Student crowds are always craziness, just craziness, its always fun. Tonight should be a good night, there’s always a good vibe.

What’s your favourite venue to play at?

Well, we did the Royal Albert Hall. The second date on this tour was the Royal Albert Hall, which was almost so surreal we didn’t really enjoy it till after we’d done it. It was just being on that stage, and it’s all televised on a mad line-up with loads of big pop stars. So that was just a great privilege and experience. I think one of our favourite places which has shut down, though it has come back as another form, The End Nightclub.

In it’s heyday we were lucky to have played some amazing nights there. There’s just no other place like that, where the DJ booth is in the middle of the club. But there’s so many, there’s so many venues really. Reading festival was a great great gig. Festival tents outdoors in the summer are amazing. We can’t really pick one.

You were in Ibiza this year playing ‘Reclaim the Dancefloor’ at Eden - the usual crowd there is house/trance music, so how do you feel you went down with them?

Oh it was a sold out, another sold out event. The place was going mental out there,

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they knew all the words to all our songs.

Don’t really feel the crowd on the night were a trance crowd at all, you know it was all people who came to see us do our thing which was fantastic. Was a great response to have there, and a nice change as well if Ibiza was pretty much all house and trance. I think there’s a lot of people who go who aren’t just into that music now, and it’s more about how young people listen to music, it’s much more sort of varied. It was absolutely full, and we were playing hip-hop and reggae and drum and bass and dubstep, and then Annie Mac was on after us playing house and all types of stuff. It was a really good, diverse crowd.

Do you think drum and bass and dubstep will have a bigger presence this year, in things like the DJ magazine Top 100 DJ’s?

Yeah, people like Andy C are always quite high up the DJ charts, I think Skream did pretty well for the dubstep world this year as well, but however I don’t think it’s gonna touch the van Buuren’s and Tiesto’s who are gonna claim the top spots. But um yeah, I think it will be better, but those things are always gonna be overrun by the house and trance worlds.

“Every gig has been

sold out, just absolute carnage” Have you ever had bad experiences DJ’ing, like ejecting the wrong CD and being left in silence?

Yeah yeah yeah yeah! Exactly that for one, started the wrong record a few times - not recently, but when we started out there were a few nervous moments. People have fallen on us, you know like got into the DJ booth and just fallen on us or fallen over the decks and everything’s broken - carnage in the DJ booth a few times. Can’t remember what else has happened. We were in a club a couple of years ago and a weird guy in pants was running around - it was strange and we haven’t played for them again!

Do you guys always play together, are you always a double act?

No, we pretty much never DJ together.

We get a lot of double bookings now, and our agent is a bit of a slave driver, so why do three when you can do six a night. He’s sort of splitting us up and we’re all over the country. it’s become a brand name.

Where did your name actually come from?

Oh, it’s just silly. When we were children we both did graffiti originally, and one of us wrote Chase and the other Status. And then we couldn’t think of a more original name, so we’re like right, let’s be called Chase & Status!

So how did you move from DJ’ing to producing?

Well actually, it was the opposite really.

We were bedroom DJ’s trying to get a break,

not getting one, and realised you had to produce and release music to get a break as a DJ. So, we sort of stopped DJ’ing at rubbish little house parties and spent four years just locked away in a little studio learning how to write music, and then had some releases on underground labels, and from that started to get DJ work again. So yeah, catch-22 really, and DJ’ing improves more production through that, and your name’s on the bills through that. We were originally DJ’s, but production got us to DJ where we are now.

Pharrell Williams called you “the most exciting producers in the UK” - how does that feel?

That was very exciting, very flattering. It was great to meet him, he was at our live show that day at a festival, he played after us. He’s like an idol of ours, we always loved his production, he’s responsible for some really groundbreaking and cool music. To have someone like that label us in such a great way is amazing, the best bit of promotion we could ever ask for.

Who’s the best person you have worked with?

There is no best, they’re all great. We’ve been lucky, everyone we’ve worked with we’ve got on well with. We’ve maintained relationships with them as well so it’s always open to go back. I think we’ve got quite an easy vibe in the studio, we’re quite relaxed.

We’ve been lucky as well to work with peo-

ple we have wanted to work with, and part of the reason we wanted to work with those people is that we think we’d get on, and on the same kind of wavelength. So yeah, so far so good, everyone’s been great.

Is there anyone you’d love to work with now?

Yeah, lots of people. We’re gonna keep this album to pretty much UK people, which we’re not really going into names yet. There’s international acts such as Justin Timberlake we’d love to work with, lots of cool American singers and rappers. Love to work with Kanye West cause he’s such a crazy guy, and can imagine in the studio he’s actually mad so that’d be interesting. Drake as well, a Canadian rapper called Drake. Too many to mention.

Do you ever get requests from people you really don’t want to work with?

Yes. What can we expect from your new album?

If you bought into the first one it’s going to be much the same, but new and improved 2010 style. Yeah, we’re not looking to alienate anyone who was into us before. We’re going to carry on the same thing, but hopefully be better. We always write music that we love, we love the first album, we love all the tracks we wrote. If we’re confident in that

we have written something we really love, hopefully it should translate well to others.

You’ve done RockCorps gig for volunteers and DJ’ed at a Crisis Charity gig, is helping out in that way important to you?

Yeah, we’ve done quite a lot and it’s nice.

Our agent calls us up and says look this charity has approached us and doing a really good thing, it’s a good line-up. If it is for a good cause and it’s well-run and it looks like we’d be making money for a good cause, then we’re always up for things like that. It’s great to, and what better way than to play music to people having fun, and by doing that making money for charity. It’s a privilege really to do stuff like that.

Finally, you’ve obviously done hundreds of press interviews - is there a question that you have never been asked but would love to answer?

Wow, that question right there probably.

Um, something we really want to answer… god. What would I want to say in an interview that I’ve never had a chance to say. All can think of is something well nerdy, which is that we actually did make the bass in ‘Eastern Jam’.

No, not really - silence is golden. That is the best question we have ever been asked.

It’s so good that we don’t have an answer! I really can’t think. Maybe out for a drink, we have never been asked on a date by an interviewer!

LIVE

The East Pak Antidote Tour, featuring Alexisonfire, Anti-Flag, Four Year Strong, and Ghost of a Thousand

East Pak Antidote 21st October Portsmouth Pyramids

By Tom Shepherd The Eastpak Antidote tour was making it’s final UK stop over at The Portsmouth Pyramids. It’s perhaps not the most glamorous location that the bands have graced over the past two weeks,

“a community centre with a foldaway stage.”

But that said there’s something fitting about the location tonight, it fits the primary ethos of this entire tour, it’s off the cuff, it’s DIY, it’s punk.

The bands tonight however, operate with a great deal of professionalism, too much, some might say in the case of openers Ghost Of A Thousand. While the band execute their set perfectly competently, there is a distinct lack of drive and ferocity that one has come to expect from the Brighton punk-rockers. Like some wild animal put into captivity, the band seem somewhat tamed tonight, never breaking into full stride.

The rest of the evening is left to the North Americans (and Canadians), and they deliver in spades.

Four Year Strong bound onto the stage in emphatic fashion.

“Their happy-golucky enthusiasm is as infectious as rabies” With the whole crowd bouncing around like a bunch of excited kids who’ve been given too much sugar, at Christmas. Their dual, and sometimes even tri-vo-

calists give the band an enchantingly raw approach, rough and ready. The only notable drawback from the set coming through the band’s choice of songs, with absolutely no tracks being played from the band’s recently released 90’s covers album, Explains It All. But a setlist comprising entirely from breakthrough album Rise Or Die Trying still proves to be worth its salt when it comes to sing-a-longs.

Anti-Flag are a band who are forever splitting opinions. Here’s mine:

“They suck.”

But to give them their due, they dominate the stage with an air of authority above any of the other bands playing tonight, and the crowd lap it up. The band only rattle the cage further with an abundance of midsong chanting and frequent visits to the pit.

A toning down of the band’s somewhat previously tiresome political views also seems a mature alteration to the band’s show.

This said, an absolute slaughtering of The Clash’s, ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’, puts perspective firmly back into place, they suck.

Headlining the show tonight are

genre veterans Alexisonfire. With the maturation of sound on their recently released, fourth studio album Old Crows/Young Cardinals, a simultaneous transition may be expected from the live show. And to some extent this is so. But while an air of wisdom may now be part of the band’s make up, they are still as potent as ever. New album tracks such as ‘Young Cardinals’ seem to gain as much of a reaction as some of the more previously tested songs. And new or old the band never let the audience off their toes.

With a contrasting combination of George Petit’s possessed shouting, Wade MacNeil’s harsh vocals and Dallas Green’s haunting harmonies all washing over the audience at once, drenching them in a glorious amalgamation of the three. It’s a fitting end to a tour which has bought together an eclectic mix of bands, and worked brilliantly - roll on Eastpak Antidote 2010.

4/5 Good: An eclectic range of performances.

Bad: Anti-Flag massacring The Clash’s legendary song.

Biffy Clyro Southampton Guildhall

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24th October

By James Miller For anyone still suffering from ‘Freshers’ flu’, here’s some advice to make you feel better: catch a band as great as Biffy Clyro at the Southampton Guildhall. Despite there still being some people who have never heard of this Scottish trio, the venue was brimming with punters of all ages, both enthusiastic fans and more casual appreciators of their distinct and alternative sound; the atmosphere was amazing as everyone waited for the first night of Biffy Clyro’s UK tour to get underway.

Just before nine-thirty the band came out.

There was nothing fancy, no stage effects, just dimmed lights and high anticipation.

Suddenly the trio leapt into ‘That Golden Rule’ and the crowd practically went into frenzy. If there’s one thing to really praise Biffy Clyro for in a live performance it’s their precision – the song was played perfectly, with Simon’s vocals being on absolute top form, even on the highest of screeches.

This level of precision in their performance was maintained throughout the whole night.

‘That Golden Rule’ is the second single from their forth-coming album Only Revolutions and the first of a number of new tracks showcased on the night. From the material played, it sounds like the new album will be a definite purchase.

However, the set list was the only real let down of the whole night – whilst there was a good level of recent tracks, including their latest single ‘The Captain’, the gig was very much based around their previous album Puzzle. It is a great album, but with such an equally brilliant back catalogue of songs at their disposal, it was somewhat disappointing to only hear the most recent songs from their repertoire. It seemed the crowd shared this opinion as the reaction to older Biffy Clyro songs was incredible. Bringing the night to a close was the encore, with a fantastic rendition of ‘Mountains’, and it was received fantastically, but I couldn’t help feel that it would have been great to hear a high energy closer such as ‘57’. This being said, the energy throughout the closing track was phenomenal; it certainly got hectic near the front, and the energy of the crowd reflected the band’s obvious enthusiasm.

Other than the set list being a little too relient on Puzzle, Biffy’s opening night of their UK tour was a great success: they were on stage for just over an hour and the non-stop high pace of their performance was mesmerizing. For any fan of the band it was a great night and anyone who likes alternative rock would have definitely enjoyed it too. When they return to Southampton next, make sure to catch them!

4/5 Good: Musical precision and a pure quality performance.

Bad: Set focused too much on the most recent material.

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The Green Man Festival, featuring Animal Collective, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, and many more!

Green Man Fest

Sugar-Loaf Mountain 20th, 21st, 22nd August Green Man Festival, now in its seventh year, is Wales’ best kept secret. Nestled under the ridiculously named Sugar-Loaf Mountain, it inhabits a small sleepy valley which, for a short period each year is transformed into a haven for music, culture, and campfires.

It is a very different sort of festival. Compared to the massive drink-fest which is the Reading and Leeds festivals, Green Man is a chilled affair. As you walk around aromatic smells of cannabis and cloudy cider fill the air and the people seem welcoming and warm (some, admittedly, more bleary-eyed than others). Small stalls sell delicious, if expensive, food from all corners of the world and people are seen kicking back and forgetting anything beyond the valley. There is a definite family vibe to the place, with the sight of children running around without fear or apparent supervision being genuinely refreshing. In short the atmosphere is devilishly infectious and incredibly relaxing.

Aside from the main attraction, there was also a plethora of other activities to whet even the most cultured of appetites. With the Comedy Tent playing host to legends such as Mark Olver and Owen Niblock, and the literature stage hosting none other than the smuggling Oxford philosopher with 43 alias’, Howard Marks, it really is a festival that panders to the most diverse of tastes.

Music, however, is what brought this lively bunch of people together, and Green Man doesn’t disappoint. Having a loose folk/ psychedelic theme the bands on show are not exactly household brands but many are big names in their own corners. Headliners this year included the fabulous Wilco, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Four Tet, Andrew Bird and Dirty Three.

Animal Collective had the honour of having one of the most hyped sets of the festival, and with a Friday night slot they had a fresh crowd to wow. Being a highly experimental band (tribal chants, screaming and long high pitched notes anyone?) you’d

By Joshua Treacher

expect something a little weird from them, kooky perhaps, but what they presented that Friday night appeared to be simple alienation. Even their more popular and popesque songs (‘My Girls’ etc.) failed to turn the crowd to their favour and they left the stage having done little to impress. This being said, their musical genius won me over: you could certainly tell that Animal Collective were masters of their own bizarre quirky art.

The musicianship was outstanding, and despite apparently alienating an entire crowd, you have to give them their due.

Saturday night however, brought to the stage the majestic Grizzly Bear. Hailing from Brooklyn this harmonic four piece have now released three well received albums and earned themselves a stellar reputation for live performances, apparently for good reason. Producing an incredible set with soothing and haunting harmonies punctuated with drumming like nothing you have ever seen before, Grizzly Bear blew everybody away.

If they come back to the UK, go see them.

In true festival spirit, with Sunday night comes the inevitable burning of random objects. Though unlike Reading and Leeds, where you are likely to burn other people’s tents, or the acrid toilet blocks, the closing ritual involves burning the Green Man (a giant man made of wood). It is here that you again feel the atmosphere which has dominated the festival reach its peak.

As sparks are sent forth from between the green man’s legs and the crowd laughs you feel like you’ve had the most good clean fun you’ve ever had.

4/5 Good: Chilled out atmosphere, great setting, awesome mix of acts.

Bad: Animal Collective were disappointing.

LIVE

Local Natives The Wedgewood Rooms 7th October 2009

Viveka Owen

4/5 Good: Unique, and refreshing performance

Bad: Sound issues made the performance a little less than perfect.

Paint it Black

18th September, 2009 With ex-members of Kid Dynamite and Lifetime, Paint It Black were always going to be a brilliant hardcore band; but to be as good (if not better) as their predecessors is certainly an achievement. I caught them on the London date of their UK tour with fellowAmericans Ceremony, where they played a furious set at The Peel. However, despite a large following and the almost cult status of lead-singer Dan Yemin, it was another band that most people were anticipating; The Steal. This was to be their last ever show from a band who for the past few years have been at the forefront of UK hardcore, with two of the best albums about growing up and friendship ever to come out of this country. The Steal will be missed by anyone who has ever seen or listened to them and it was appropriate that their last show would be in their home-town of Kingston.

Also appropriate was that Southampton based Our Time Down Here opened the

night, as they owe so much to The Steal with whom they share a very similar sound and ethos. With a new album out this month they played a lot of new material as well as classics off their debut EP. Our Time Down Here haven’t quite reached the level of The Steal but with some large tour support slots and a debut album out they’re a band to watch for in 2010.

Next up were Ceremony, who took an earlier slot than normal so that The Steal could play higher up the order. Ceremony seem like the result of giving instruments to some very angry mental patients – the singer was incomprehensible most of the time and spent most of the set rolling around the floor or throwing himself at people. Unfortunately their fans followed suit and created as much of a spectacle as the band. If the set didn’t require acute senses to avoid flailing arms, legs and whole people then it may have been more enjoyable and the band

Local Natives are relative newcomers to the UK music scene, having performed at both the Latitude Festival and BBC Radio One live sessions over the summer. After a busy summer, the Local Natives are back, playing on the NME tour and also promoting their new album Gorilla Manor, which is released in the UK on the 2nd of November.

The Local Natives have a powerful mix of vibrant vocals and rhythmic percussion that drive throughout their songs. Taylor Rice, Ryan Hahn and Kelcey Ayer’s vocals merge to create soaring layered harmonies and their performance is pure jubilant energy.

They are especially joyful because today was the first time they got to see their brand new album, hence Kelsey’s gleeful: “Let’s hear it for physical touching!”

NME gigs are always tough, but they did a good job warming the crowd up throughout the performance. The percussion gave the music an almost tribal edge, and the audience was completely sucked in by the end of the set. As a group they were very tight, especially considering some early issues with sound levels, but these were quickly sorted out and the group continued unfazed.

The harmonies in particular are definitely the draw of the group, and the power with which they perform live is unique and refreshing.

I was impressed by the comedy and banter between songs, and by the energy and enthusiasm. They were a delight to watch, of all the performers they had the most energy and got the most out of the small and lively crowd. I suggest you try the Local Natives, and give the NME Radar Tour a go - you might discover the next big thing!

The Peel, Kingston

Craig Charley gives the lowdown on hardcore supergroup, Paint it Black.

can’t be faulted for an impressive display of a stroke and launched himself straight back emotion. into hardcore – a supporter of any positive The Steal brought some community feel- campaign he spoke his mind throughout ing back to the show with their brand of the set and encouraged everyone to get inpositive hardcore; they played every song volved. It’s hard not to love Dan Yemin and they know and the whole room sang every his latest band shredded it like nothing else. song back at them word for word. Crowd A collection of older songs and most of their surfing, human pyramids and witty banter latest album, New Lexicon, satisfied everywere all present, but there was also a hint of one’s needs, my personal favourite being melancholy in the air that this was the last ‘Shell Game Redux’. Paint It Black played time and it certainly felt like the end of an a blinding set and are a treat for anyone to era. I’ve seen The Steal a lot of times and see; even if you’re not into the genre they put although they’ve never disappointed – the on an incredible show. atmosphere made this the best yet. The Steal have left a big hole to fill and will be sorely missed.

Stepping in to break the wave of sadness that filled the room when The Steal were carried off stage, the charismatic Good: A fusion of Bad: The realisation Dan Yemin finished off the evening with musical genius re- that this was the last his current band, Paint It Black. A long sulting in hardcore ever show from The Steal. time punk rock legend, Yemin survived bliss.

5/5

FILM Director: Peter Billingsley Starring: Vince Vaughn Jason Bateman John Favreau Malin Akerman Kristen Bell Release Date: 14th October 2009 Tagline: ‘ It may be paradise...but it’s no vacation’

Runtime: 113 mins Rating: 15

By Adam Vaughn Has Vince Vaughn ever been funny?

Films such as Wedding Crashers, Anchorman, and Dodgeball have certainly produced the odd titter, but has any of this

Couples Retreat ‘titter-producing’ ever been solely down to Mr. Vaughn? Couples Retreat, his latest, should remedy this affliction as he is producer (along with his sister, Victoria) and co-writer on it (along with co-star, Jon Iron Man Favreau, and Dana Fox who wrote the woefully awful What Happens in Vegas). But is Vaughn funny in it? Is it actually any good, or so bad that it should be re-named as the instructional, ‘Critics Retreat’?

The film centres on Vince Vaughn’s Dave, a Guitar Hero salesman, his wife (Malin Ackerman), and their numerous other ‘couply’ friends that include Kristin Davis (of Sex and the City fame), Favreau, Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell. The latter pair’s marriage is on the proverbial rocks and so in one last ditch effort to save it, they organise a retreat to the exotic Eden getaway for them and their friends to improve their relationships.

On their arrival, they are greeted by owner Marcel (a pony-tail wearing Jean Reno) and ghoulish events-organiser Sctanley (Peter

“They are an endlessly annoying and self involved bunch that subsequently deny any kind of audience sympathy.”

Serafinowicz). They swiftly inform the clan that this is not a fun-filled holiday but an excursion involving couples therapy and activity-bonding. One tagline for the film reads, ‘It may be paradise...but it’s no vacation’. It’s curious how such a sentiment informs the viewing experience of the film.

I am sure that as you are reading, you are avidly awaiting an answer to the previously posed question; Is Vince Vaughn funny in this? Well, the answer is no. For the majority of the film, he looks as if he has lost some kind of bet; but one should add that it isn’t entirely his fault. There are plenty of other contributing factors to how ‘un-funny’ and

mind-numbingly tedious this film is.

There are numerous set-ups; a parallel massage sequence that is cringe-inducing, a tonally misjudged CGI shark escapade and a yoga episode that seems to take up half the film’s running time and yet fails to extract the slightest snigger. All of them may have appeared hilariously bawdy at the time of constructing the script, but once translated to screen they feel cumbersome and thoroughly inappropriate. At times, the characters and the film attempt to spew sincerity; to show how wonderful relationships can be if both parties put the effort in, but such a sentiment is undermined by the characters doing the spewing. They are an endlessly annoying and self-involved bunch that subsequently deny any kind of audience sympathy. Oh, how I wished their boat would capsize into the CGI shark infested waters.

1/5 Good: Not a lot. Peter Serafinowicz’s character produced the only laugh.

Bad: A lot. Un-funny script. Un-funny performances. Equals an un-funny film.

The Invention of Lying Director: Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson

Starring: Ricky Gervais Jennifer Garner Jonah Hill Rob Lowe Tina Fey Release Date: 2nd October 2009 Tagline: ‘ In a world where everyone can only tell the truth...this guy can lie’

Runtime: 99 mins

By Matthew Whitaker What would you do in a world where everyone believed what you said as gospel truth? This is the dilemma faced by Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais), a world-weary forty-something in a society where, not only has a lie never been told, but the word ‘lie’ has never been coined. Having been demoralised by the girl of his dreams, fired from his job and facing eviction and bankruptcy, Bellison heads to the bank to clear out the last of his savings, informing the cashier he pos-

sesses more than the bank system states.

Without question he receives the money along with a renewed sense of optimism.

Gervais along with co-writer/director Matthew Robinson deliver a unique concept to redefining human nature, however their execution fails to do such an idea justice.

Not only do Gervais and Co. fail to fully explore the possibilities of such a predicament, they brush over the moral issues raised. A potentially thought-provoking experience is instead cheapened by the presence of a supporting cast of naive characters lacking a

social filter; not least Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner), the love interest of Bellison, around which the romantic element centres.

The necessity of all but Bellison to verbalise every thought is humorous at times but heavily overplayed for the most part. Just because the characters lack the ability to deceive, should not restrict them from withholding opinions.

While this film has its high points, they are brief and largely overshadowed.

While Gervais will remain one of Britain’s best loved comedic writers, it may be time

to broaden and develop his style further while he has the backing of many in Hollywood. Upon reflection he may feel it is time to branch out from playing a David-Brentesque role, before the humour becomes stale, and the comedian type-cast.

2/5 Good: Imaginative concept.

Bad: Mundane humour failed to do it justice.

Red Cliff

By Stephen O’Shea Red Cliff is the latest epic from world renound director John Woo. Normally foreign language films do not draw me in due to the intense amount of reading or the atrocious dubbing that goes on. However, I was intrigued to get a hold of this recent release on DVD because of the impressive trailer that it boasted, and this is one DVD that I’m glad I got my hands on.

Director/Writer: John Woo Starring:

“Woo seems to take what is great about American film, namely the big budget and amazing effects, and combine it with some classic Chinese story telling and action scenes.”

Tony Leung Chiu Wai Takeshi Kaneshiro Fengyi Zhang Chen Chang Wei Zhao Jun Hu Chiling Lin Yong You Release Date: 12th June 2009 Tagline: ‘ Three Kingdoms...one fate’ Runtime: 148 mins Rating: 15

Based on a novel by Chen Shou, the story revolves around a ruthless general who, using the Chinese premier as no more than a puppet, commands the entire Chinese army and wants to rule all of China himself. To do this he must remove the two remaining warlords that remain in his way and capture their kingdoms, hence the tagline. Severely outnumbered and outgunned, the two warlords and their generals must use superior tactics and military precision to be victorious. After a few, relatively small battles, the fate of China comes down to the battle at Red Cliff.

If one were to simply look at John Woo’s Hollywood career of, most notably, Face Off and Mission Impossible II then one would not hold out much hope for this film. However, with Red Cliff Woo seems to take what is great about American film, namely the big

DVD Section

budget and amazing effects, and combine it with some classic Chinese story telling and action scenes. Although some of the cliche American narration makes its way into the film, Woo seems to stick predominately to his Chinese roots with and produces what can only be described as an epic, edge of your seat war film. Although clearly a different genre to films like Saving Private Ryan and Platoon, Red Cliff has what all great war movies have. It possess the blistering fight scenes but still remains true to its emotional core. With this film John Woo has done a brilliant job to encapture the audience in what is quite literally a foreign atmosphere and hopefully this film spells a new chapter for Woo and his films.

The entire cast of the film are phenomenal, from the lowly foot soldier to the commanding general. They all combine to create a terrific atmosphere which truly pulls in the viewer and forces them to connect with the film. It also means that you care when the good guys die. Despite the language barrier of the film the emotion of the characters comes across in the faces of those portraying them and so you never miss a beat.

Unfortunately the story line is extremely basic and often entirely predictable and childish, but for this film fan that does not matter. This film is about the classic struggle “The fighting scenes are gripping and as entertaining as anything that Hollywood can produce.”

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between good and evil and is made not by the specifics of the story but instead by the absolutely stunning visuals and spectacular battle sequences. The fighting scenes are gripping and as entertaining as anything that Hollywood can produce from gargantuan armies raging to one on one karate style action from the main adversaries. Slow motion, matrix style, sequences are used regularly but never too often and almost always to great effect. Often with this style of film you are presented with quite airy battles with people floating on tree tops, but with Red Cliff you simply get the intense fighting and brutality that is war. The scenes seem to simultaneously present massive scale battles and lock onto the personal issues within them. You are constantly whisked amongst the battle from huge scale tactical maneouvres to personal conquests, and yet despite the freeflowing movement of the camera and the action, the viewer never feels lost or confused.

Simply thrilling.

Although like Gladiator or 300 you may find yourself skipping through the boring monologues and static conversation to find the epic battles, once you get there it will be truly worth it. A must see for all film fans and especially for those of this genre. Definitely worth more than one view and so definitely worth a purchase.

4/5 Good: Absolutely mesmerising battle scenes.

Bad: A pretty poor and predictable storyline.

FILM UP Director: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

Starring: Edward Asner Christopher Plummer Jordan Nagai Release Date: 9th October 2009 Runtime: 96 mins Rating: PG

By Adam Vaughn As is exemplified by the Pixar Top 3, Disney Pixar have had over a decade of formidable success with their various endeavours. As one apparent pinnacle of their accomplishments is released, the next year brings another. So, how does their latest fare in this self-constructed arena of excellence?

Up tells the story of OAP Carl Fredrickson (voiced by Ed Asner) who one day decides to tie thousands of balloons to his house, in order to fulfil a lifelong dream he and his childhood sweetheart had, and fly to South America (“It’s like America, only south”). However, after lift-off, Fredrickson discovers Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), a young wilderness explorer, has become an inadvertent stowaway on the trip. When they arrive in South America, they discover a strange giant bird that Russell affectionately names Kevin. This curious creature is the last of its kind and is being tracked by a pack of overly-talkative canines belonging to veteran explorer, Charles Muntz (voiced

by Christopher Plummer), a childhood hero of Fredrickson’s, who will stop at nothing to capture it. It is up to the odd pairing of Fredrickson and Russell to save the bird.

In the past Pixar have not been averse to presenting mature themes to its relatively young audience; the loss of a child and maturation in Finding Nemo and environmental anxieties and loneliness in Wall-E. In an opening sequence that is at once completely uplifting (no pun intended) yet simultaneously heart-breaking, their latest tackles mortality and the process of grieving head-on, with a subtle sensibility all the while. Not stopping there, directors and writers Bob Peterson and Pete Docter also confront the painful process of divorce.

But this shouldn’t sound like the film is a Loachian piece of social realism, quite the contrary. This is one of the funniest Pixar films to date, especially during the first half an hour where another essential theme to the film is introduced; generation gaps.

The curmudgeonly Fredrickson gets up and down his quaint floating abode via a temperamental stair-lift, and is able to turn down his hearing aid in order to tune out the incessant chattering of his younger explorer. The everenthusiastic Russell has a special adventurer’s GPS system that can pin-point his exact position, but requires explanation to Fre-

drickson. The laughs reach their pinnacle in two hilarious sequences where Fredrickson fantasises about dropping something and a climactic comic fight sequence that rivals Drag Me to Hell as the most ridiculous of the year. You’ll understand once you see it.

For the first thirty minutes all signals point towards this film being the best of the Pixar’s rather superlative bunch, and that is saying a lot. However, at the beginning of the second act - when the house lands in South America - the action slows, as do the gags, and due to the vivacity and hilarity of the first act, it is a noticeable change.

Another contributing factor to this tonal disruption is the introduction of Muntz’s pooches and their collars that enable them to communicate. Although their spontaneous pointing at squirrels is at first humorous, the joke wears thin after a while and the collar technology is never explained which left me slightly confuzzled. Its animation, however, is beautifully realised; the individual details of every last balloon and the jungle terrain in South America are breathtaking. Do we expect anything less from this studio?

Having said all of this, Up remains a thoroughly enjoyable film that more than holds its own in the Pixar arena. It represents, not a major obstacle, more a minor hiccup on Pixar’s path to further glory.

4/5 Good: Tackles important themes and the odd coupling is classic.

Bad: It has a noticeable second act lull and those chatty canines only confuse.

Pixar Top Three Toy Story: There’s not a lot left to say about this classic that set a precedent for Pixar’s subsequent genre-altering imaginings. It’s just been re-released into cinemas in 3D and a third is on its way.

Wall-E: It was tough, but this lovable robot searching for companionship in a desolate future just clinches the top spot. The opening fifteen minutes are truly sublime.

Finding Nemo: This underwater tale about a father’s search for his son is funny, heartfelt and poignant. Ellen DeGeneres’ forgetful fish, Dory, is one of the best Pixar creations.

Zombieland

Director: Ruben Fleischer Starring: Jesse Eisenberg Woody Harrelson Emma Stone Abigail Breslin Release Date: 7th October 2009 Runtime: 87 mins Rating: 15

By Milan Matejka The story goes like this; two fundamentally different people, one a socially inept loner (Jesse Eisenberg plays a role which Michael Cera could have played, but without charisma), and the other an unabashedly cruel zombie killing machine (Woody Harrelson), team up to journey through Zombieland, a post-apocalyptic wasteland festering with zombies. This is mostly due to the lack of anything else to do. Does it matter? Not in

the slightest.

The film in general is, in my opinion, one of the best comedies of the year so far.

However, if you don’t find creative zombiekilling funny then I suggest you go and see something else. Even then, it isn’t just zombie killing that is the main source of humour, as the leads (and their co-stars, Superbad’s Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin) have brilliant chemistry and allow the laughs to keep on flowing, even when there are no zombies present on screen.

The genre ‘horror comedy’ can be applied to this film, as it dishes out the pleasures of being in Zombieland to great destruction.

Woody Harrelson’s characters obsession with twinkies, and the socially awkward attempts by Eisenberg’s character to find love with Emma Stone’s no nonsense confident girl make it a rip roaring success.

The real attraction however, is the fun of seeing the zombie genre, like Shaun of the Dead did before it, being turned on its head.

While Shaun pays homage to past Zombie films, adding an English comic spin on the genre, this decides to create a buddy comedy out of the genre (with added action thrills, of course).

There might, however, be disappointment

to learn that we do not worry about our protagonists surviving most of the time, and the fact that the characters aren’t well-fleshed out (sorry for the pun) and lack the brains (... sorry) to truly be a masterpiece of the horrorcomedy genre results in the film lacking the ‘certain edge’ that it could have been capable of having.

However, the allure of this film is its unadulterated fun, and promises an enjoyable time as it most importantly concentrates on the funniest ways one can kill a zombie. A banjo, machine guns, and many other sorts of weaponry are used (not the kitchen sink, however... sorry to disappoint), and this film leaves open the door to a sequel. The sky is the limit.

This is a seriously funny and enjoyable film, with its brisk, exciting short running time making for a worthy investment of your time and money.

PS. Officially, this film has one of the best cameos of all time, which I cannot reveal because I would be doing you a favour if I didn’t mention his/her/its name.

More like this?

Try Adventureland

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4/5 Good: A cameo.

brilliant

Bad: A certain distance from the main characters.

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Director: Ivan Reitman Starring: Bill Murray Dan Aykroyd Harold Ramis Sigourney Weaver Release Date: 7th December 1984 Tagline: ‘Who ya gonna call’ Runtime: 105 mins Rating: 12

Ghostbusters showing at Union Films Sunday 1st November 8:00pm http://uf.susu.org

Ghostbusters

By Emmeline Curtis Ghostbusters was a huge hit when it first came out in 1984, and 25 years later it has lost none of its appeal or popularity. The sci-fi comedy film is consistently voted one of the best comedies of all time, including the American Film Institute’s Top 100, has spawned a sequel, an animated TV series, computer games, various toys, and has a title song that is still played to great demand in clubs and on radio today.

Written by two of the film’s stars, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, it centres around three New York City parapsychologists who establish a paranormal extermination service after losing their jobs at Columbia University. Unsurprisingly, this venture did not start well for the trio, until paranormal activity became a regular occurrence in the City and the first ghost was captured; business boomed, the Ghostbusters became local celebrities and gained a fourth member.

Trouble then occurs as the team are called on to help the attractive Dana Barrett, who’s apartment is possessed by a demonic spirit.

When they accidentally stumble upon the gateway to another dimension and an untold evil who wants to wreak havoc on the world, the Ghostbusters are called upon to

save New York City, which isn’t as easy as it seems.

Originating from Dan Aycroyd’s fascination of the paranormal, the storyline is complete nonsense but in the most wonderful way possible. The whole film is so full of good humoured insanity that you can’t help but be swept along in the craziness and enjoy it. One of the most bizarrely unforgettable and funny moments of the film is when evil storms the city in the form of the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow man - it is the last thing you are expecting to be a force of destruction and whoever thought of giving it this form is a genius. The whole film has a charm about it that makes the absurd so hilarious.

create a comedy character.

The special effects used in the film are not overdone and tacky, everything seems natural and realistic. Compared to those in modern sci-fi/action films they do seem a bit quaint, but match so well the jokes and onscreen chemistry of the cast. Director Ivan Reitman manages the nonsense so that it actually makes sense throughout, and handles the demonic confrontations in a spectacular manner while still ensuring the witty lines are not lost.

Everything about the film is just right: Ghostbusters is a classic Hollywood blockbuster, and truly deserves the iconic status it has gained 25 years after its first release.

Rumours are rife that a second sequel is in the pipeline, with the original writers working on it and the main cast set to come back in supporting roles, and I for one really hope that this is one rumour that is based on truth.

The film stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson as the ghost busting team, Sigourney Weaver as the damsel in distress and Rick Moranis as her nerdy neighbour. All are excellent in their roles, but the wisecracking Dr. Peter Venkman, played exceptionally by Bill Murray, is a great comic creation and the star of the film.

He has the best lines (“This Mr. Stay Puft’s okay! He’s a sailor, he’s in New York; we get this guy laid, we won’t have any trouble!”), Good: Brilliant comand the scene in which he sees Dana pos- edy writing and actsessed is hilariously played. His deadpan ing. performance is a perfect example of how to

5/5 Bad: Absolutely nothing.

GAMES SECTION

Uncharted 2 PS3

By Joseph Dart

Nathan Drake is back in one of the biggest and most anticipated releases of the preChristmas release schedule, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The PS3 exclusive game is the sequel to the original smash hit game that came out almost two years ago which wowed gamers with its great story, excellent voice acting and high production values that likened it to a Hollywood film. Uncharted 2 has a lot to live up to, and it easily lives up to, and even tremendously surpasses the first game in the series in almost every way.

The game follows Drake, treasure hunter extraordinaire, who is recruited by ex-comrade Flynn and old flame Chloe to hunt down the elusive Cintamani Stone which is known to be the key into the ancient city of Shambhala.

The game plays out as a third person adventure game which sees Nate running, gunning, jumping and climbing around various exotic locales around the world. Drake can pick up any weapons he finds, which range from simple pistols to massive miniguns. The idea is to skilfully dispatch your foes whilst hiding behind cover, and using the environment to your advantage to out-

“The game follows Drake, treasure hunter extraordinaire, who is recruited by ex-comrade Flynn and old flame Chloe to hunt down the elusive Cintamani Stone which is known to be the key into the ancient city of Shambhala.”

wit hordes of enemy troops. Gunplay is at the core of the combat of the game, however hand-to-hand combat plays a significant part in getting close enemies out of your face, which is normally dealt with a simple button combo, but does requires dodges and counter attacks at times. The game also improves on the stealth element of gameplay, which although was present in the first game., wasn’t implemented particularly well. Many areas are designed so that you can take out enemy troops without being seen, however if you’re the type to go in all guns blazing, you’re still free to do that.

The other key element to gameplay is the climbing mechanics. Drake is a nimble fellow and able to skilfully climb and navigate all manner of buildings and structures. When not in combat, the game is spent exploring, climbing about the wonderfully designed areas and solving the odd puzzle. These sections are arguably just as enjoyable as the action packed segments of the game.

The story manages to throw many fantastic set pieces at the player throughout the course of the game, one such example is when Drake is required to climb and find his way to the front of a moving train, and throughout this section he has to deal with countless waves of enemies and several

helicopters; he even has to take on a boss in an up close and personal fight in a cramped train carriage. Sections such as this come thick and fast throughout the game, however, the game is very well paced between full throttle action and engaging story, you’ll never feel bored.

Uncharted 2 has simply amazing presentation throughout; the graphics are fluid and incredibly realistic. The environments that Drake visits are simply stunning, from urban areas in Borneo to beautiful Nepalese ice caves. A strong cast of characters help to support the story, from wise-cracking Drake to the dangerous Serbian war criminal Lazarevic. The voice acting sports incredibly high production values, crafting a thoroughly likeable cast that easily puts most blockbuster films to shame. The dialogue on the whole is very amusing, and there is no doubt that it will bring a smile to your face on many occasions.

The game clocks in easily at the 10+ hour mark and longevity is added through various means. There are 100 “treasures” that you are able to pick up through the course of the game, and once the game is complete you can play through again with various unlocked perks such as different costumes for Drake and infinite ammo. A new addition to

the series is an online multiplayer mode, which is surprisingly deep for something many thought would be “tacked on.” There are a variety of modes, such as regular deathmatches to special levels designed for 3 player co-op play. The mechanics of Uncharted’s gameplay mesh well into online play, players can climb around stages to avoid fire and it offers something markedly different normal online gun-toting games.

Uncharted 2 is simply an absolute joy to play from start to finish; the presentation is simply fantastic, the exploring and shooting elements of the game are great fun and the game is pumped full of mouthwatering set pieces. Many issues from the original Uncharted have been improved; gunplay feels much tighter than it did in the previous game which really helps to make Uncharted 2 an experience that you really don’t want to miss out on.

5/5 Good: Brilliant from start to finish

Bad: Makes you wish it lasted longer

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