May, issue 28
reading between the northern line
London Park Guide
ANGEL exposed
Osama
Comes Out The delightful
Park Life Tamsin Greig on the Northern Line
www.theothersidemag.co.uk OtherSide-28.indd 1
FREE 01/05/2008 11:48:54
Letter from the Editor So last month we did it. 5000 copies on the Northern Line, handed out at Highgate, Angel, London Bridge and Clapham. Yes we even made it South and what a response we got. Thanks to everyone who visited our site and even bigger thank you to those who signed up. If you’ve not done it yet, you simply must. We need more members to really kick this project into action and show them big rubbish free papers that the little guy can accomplish something seriously loved by London. Right, boring part over, we’ve gone to print a day before the Mayoral results, Ken’s still in charge but we’ve no idea what’s going to happen. Will London vote for Boris because they think ‘he’ll be a laugh’ or are we happy enough with the decent public transport, the Olympics and the £25 CC charge coming in. I can’t wait for the bikes to arrive from Paris, let’s hope you are reading this and not thinking ‘oops’. Inside this week we chat to Tamsin Greig about her London, there’s a fresh look at John Martyn, big photos, fashion and loads more including your chance to win festival tickets. So what are you waiting for? Dig in and enjoy this months OS. ed.x Please keep supporting us and we’ll keep giving it back to you.
Put together lovingly by Sam, Adam, Becca but only at Breakfast, Nico, Dan, Matt, Rick, Chiara, Josh, Nathan and Jamie. With special thanks this week to Tamsin. ©2008 The Other Side. No reprinting anything without the publisher’s permission. Winner of the rabbit is Joanna Cross (www.webjam.com/joannacross)
3 Park Life 4 Caved In 6 The delightful Tam 10 She's in Fashion 12 7 Stops (the best things happening on the Northern Line) 14 John Martyn 15 Festival Guide 16 We are avin a Party 18 Random Business 20 My Mother Said... 22 The Other Side's Off Side
2 OtherSide-28.indd 2
01/05/2008 11:49:09
guide
PARK LiFE
It’s summer. The days are getting longer and your 2 ft by 1 ft urban patio just won’t suffice. We say “get yourself down the park” take a Frisbee, a bottle of Pimms and a big bag of crisps and homous. Here’s our picks of London’s parkland….
Nort hern Line Parks
Hampstead Heath has everything; a national trust house, classical concerts, a wood, a great café with amazing cakes, lakes to swim in (boys, girls and mixed…go in at your own risk) and there’s an extension in the child friendly Golders Hill Park with a zoo, well a goat, a yak and an alpaca (tasty wool), tennis courts and a putting green. Regents Park a haven for tourists, smoothie drinkers and post work football matches is big enough to get lost in and close enough to Camden to roll into a gig when the sun goes down. South of the river is the triangular Clapham Common, home to dodgy politicians, plenty of Aussies and lots of games of ultimate Frisbee, it’s also surrounded by a big main road, and plenty of stations.
Parks wit h a View
Romance is in the air and what better way for it to bloom than with a picnic at dusk upon a hill overlooking London Town? Alexandra Palace is a short journey from Highgate, you can actually walk through Cherry Tree woods to access it. The view is formidable and stretches right round from the derelict suburban landscapes of East London right around through the city and over to the west. A little more central and a little busier you will find
Primrose Hill, slightly west of Chalk Farm, the top is a tourist attraction, but worth the stroll up there to get a tantalising view of central London. Off the Northern Line but worth the trek. Two parks of particular interest are Richmond Park and Dulwich Park, the latter situated in the quintessentially English village of Dulwich. The park has a boating lake and a bike hire shop where you can hire normal bikes and unbelievably cool four weeler bikes, it’s a bit of a hazard but good fun. Richmond Park also has cyclists and more importantly deer wandering free, the park is absolutely massive 2,360 Acres (Britain’s largest urban park), amazingly there is a protected view of St Pauls Cathedral from the park (a protected view means nothing can be built to obstruct the view you lucky people).
My new favourite Park A bargain at £13
Fill up your picnic basket, top up your oyster and make your way on the District Line to Kew Gardens (zone 3). Bite you lip as you hand over 13 quid to get into a park, there’s no turning back and walk into an oasis of calm. Get a map and make your way around the sublime landscape. The tranquillity is unrivalled anywhere in London. Highlights include, the secret garden, the peacocks roaming free, a lake which is home to swans, geese, ducks and more, there are more benches than anywhere I’ve ever seen in London, and the whole park is a wonder. Food and drink is pricey so take your own and get there early because it really is a whole day out. Best of all there’s no rollerbladers! So what are you waiting for? Get yourself down the park sharpish.
Advertise in the Other Side
& reach thousands or Londoners email editor@theothersidemag.co.uk
Visit www.theothersidemag.co.uk and tell us about the best green and pleasant lands around
3 OtherSide-28.indd 3
01/05/2008 11:49:09
Caved in
Ahead of his triumphant non-appearance in Morgan Spurlock’s latest doc ‘Where in the World is Osama bin Laden’, due out this month, DAN MURDOCH went to Pakistan to meet the Al-Qaeda leader
S
4
OMEWHERE a day’s drive from the rough Pakistan-Afghan border territory of Waziristan the blindfold is removed and I’m surprised to be greeted by Max Clifford. “Ello Dan, sorry about all this secrecy, you know how it is,” he holds out a hand. “That’s right, I’m bin Laden’s press officer. He wanted the best in the world, I wanted a challenge,” Clifford shrugs, “don’t get much more of a challenge. And the money’s good,” he winks. I’m shown to a concealed opening in the cliff face and led through a low tunnel. The walls are lined with photographs - bin Laden with Gerry Adams, Dick Cheney, Peter Mandelson, George Soros, Gaddafi, the Pope. “You like my collection?” the voice is clear but slightly clipped, like Apu from The Simpsons. “Mr bin Laden?” “Please, Daniel, call me OB, all my friends do. As you can see, I have many friends.” The photographs go on, OB with Berlusconi, Karzai, Hilary Clinton, Jeremy Kyle… is that Jordan? He laughs, “Yes, yes, I had a few great nights with Kate in Brighton. Such an intelligent woman. Come sit, can I get you a drink? I’m on the red, but you might like a cold lager after your journey?” The cave is rough but decorated. I perch on a weary leather sofa. On a side table sits a week old Guardian and a Vote Ken flier. OB returns with a bottle of Murree and cuts to the chase. “You are here because I want to talk about 9/11.” “OK great,” I lean forward and open
OtherSide-28.indd 4
my notebook. “It wasn’t me.” “What?” “9/11. It wasn’t me. Anyone with a vague sense of curiosity can work out that it couldn’t have been me. You think I organised the most deadly attack on American soil since Peal Harbour?” he pauses, “from a cave?” OB waves his arms at the gloomy walls, plastered with faded posters from Arsenal’s double wining ‘98 season, overlapped by prints of Mecca. But the Americans released a video showing you claiming responsibility. “Ha,” OB throws a sarcy laugh, “the fat man in the video? He didn’t even look like me. Just a bearded Arab in a white turban and you’re all fooled. Flying two planes into New York skyscrapers? This is a difficult job. But even the architects say the buildings would not collapse in this situation. They were brought down by explosives. How did they get in there? Why doesn’t the government acknowledge it? And what about Building Seven? Everybody knows that was a controlled explosion, no plane even hit the building. But the 9/11 Report didn’t even mention it. Put it into Google – ‘9/11 Building 7.’ All the answers are there. “And don’t get me started on the Pentagon, that was clearly a missile, why won’t they release the CCTV footage? Where was the wreckage from the plane? They said it was all incinerated! Two steel and aluminium thee-ton Rolls Royce jet engines incinerated to nothing? You couldn’t do that if you wanted.” He sits back and sips his Château Pétrus.
01/05/2008 11:49:09
osama “My mistake was not denying this sooner. I admit – I enjoyed the notoriety, but now the joke has gone too far. We should put an end to it Mr Daniel – you, me and The Other Side.” So who was responsible? “How the hell should I know? I’m stuck in this bloody cave. I am no conspiracy nut, Allah knows they do my head in, but I’ve been going to Terrorist Anonymous meetings for about a year now, all the big guys are there and they all agree – only someone with many links to the Americans could have done this. And I watch Murder She Wrote, just like everybody else. You have to ask yourself who benefited from this? The arms industry? The Zionists? Maybe the big American corporations thought they would too? I don’t know, take your pick. But as you can tell – I am a loser in this game.” OB gestures at the grubby glass he is sipping from, shakes his head and sighs: “How they used 9/11 to invade Iraq I do not know. It amazes me.” His mobile rings and he squints at it, “Bloody Hell. Will I ever get you off my back? Bloody Musharraf isn’t it? Always hassling me, says it’s my fault he’s deep in the shit – pah. Sack half the judiciary, assassinate your rivals, cosy up to the
OtherSide-28.indd 5
I watch Murder She Wrote, just like everybody else. You have to ask yourself who benefited from this?
Yanks AND the Taliban, pfff, he made his own problems. “Now Blair – nothing stick to him hey? That smile, he’s a good man, a reformer. This Brown is boring, but every country needs its technocrats.” What about Bush? OB suddenly becomes very serious and lowers his voice. “Bush is a fool.” OK. So why did you contact The Other Side? “Like you, I too am bored with celebrity culture. Always in the newspaper I am hearing about Cheryl and that fool Cashley, I’m sick of it. It’s good to see a community rallying together, I admire your spirit. And besides, I have a close affinity with the people of the Northern Line. Many times I have travelled on it to watch my beloved Arsenal. I try to get to the Emirates as often as possible, although it is difficult.” Because of your notoriety? He looks hurt: “No you fool, because it is difficult to get tickets. Always sold out. “Now get out of here, Skins is on in five minutes and I want to make a chillum.” mrdanmurdoch@gmail.com
Read more Dan Murdoch at www.othersidemag.co.uk Images by Dan Archer www.archburger.blogspot.com
5 01/05/2008 11:49:12
Sam Lassman Watts corners Tamsin Greig with a map of the underground and a mad plan… Since starting the Other to see her side of London Side I’m always on the look
impressed, well standing on stage for that long is impressive.” Talking out for sneaky, clever and theatre it was clear that well… just for Londoners things, like you know she loves the wow factor that the stage can bring. when you change from the Northern Line to the But enough shop talk, it’s time to see London. Victoria Line at Euston on the Bank Branch and you can just sneak across… “No?” Tamsin looks Tamsin takes the map, scans it before selecting aghast, “no tunnels, no long passageways?” Well, Clapham North station, a port of call all too that’s my favourite. “Where should I start” she familiar from her days rehearsing there with glances at the map, “Ah, Leicester Square. I went the RSC. “The platform’s a time warp, you to White Cube today, it’s in a tiny little passage, can go either way.” There’s only one platform like Shangri-La – you know, where you find it once underground with a tube line either side, and she and then never again.” She’d been to see the new chooses north. We end up at my favourite place Gregory Crewdson exhibition and effusive in in London, the Everyman Cinema, Hampstead. her praise, “It’s a modern day trailer park trash Tamsin is impressed. “Man Alive, it was like being Hopper-esque depictions of the dereliction and in heaven,” she’s clearly inspired by the waiter call mystical beauty of small town America, like real life buttons on the seats and the amazing sofas. “It’s CGI. It’s loads of photos merged into one so that the perfect night out, why pay £12 to sit in the everything looks in focus, it’s utterly brilliant.” Odeon Leicester Square when you can go there.” Having found her way into men’s hearts with her This summer charming, off beat whimsy displayed in the likes Library “It’s of Green Wing and Black Books, Greig has been cementing her TAMSIN’S LONDON place as a go-to girl with an awardTamsin suggests going to winning performance in Much Euston to the Peacock Theatre Ado About Nothing and now her to see a show called Jump, current play, God of Carnage, which fuses Tai Kwondo and which has won her rave reviews. Comedy, “It’s acrobatic genius, On until mid June, Tamsin can’t physicality and comedy say enough about working with combined.” the fantastic cast, the fun and the SEE – GREGORY pleasing intensity of it all. “It’s CREWDSON @ WHITE like, if someone went to the gym CUBE UNTIL 24th for one and a half hours you’d be MAY
6 OtherSide-28.indd 6
you might find Tamsin at the British a place I’ve always wanted to go but never been.” Either that or she’ll have moved to Hungary to start her spin off of the Archers. Tamsin’s character Debbie moved to Hungary when time became difficult, she’s been opening post and making tea in the Archers for 17 years now. An impressive feat, for a show that was included in Miles Kingston’s recent I can’t believe list …. Miles, you see, couldn’t believe that people still listen to the Archers “The 21st
GO – EVERYMAN CINEMA, £12-£15 01/05/2008 11:49:12
interview Century shouldn’t have a place for it, but people have it fly all over the place and Bernard, well he like listening to real life.” And what can’t Tamsin just looked at it and exclaimed ‘Where are the believe, “that people still wear leg warmers.” turrets? Brilliant’.” She does think that the classic radio show could become more Pinter-esque, lots more pausing Black Books was great because it was cross and offer that particular bizarreness of everyday generational, whole families could sit and watch, objects. I tell her how much I loved Neverwhere a kind of hierarchical comedic brutality and the (the cult TV adaptation in which she p l a y e d other day I used a line from it for the first time, Larnia), Neil Gaiman’s fantastical “You’re all over me like a nest of pigs” my eldest look at London as a secret world. said “like lots of piglets trying to get their milk” “There was a clever symbolic way “exactly, I’d never thought of it like that”. of understanding London, the London we don’t know about, a subterranean other world, like NHS walk in clinics, Vi s who knows what’s going t h e it w w on in there.” Some of co. othe w. r the characters were of u k fo s i d e m Go ro ag ou d W invisible to Londoners, r f a of C u r r e . a v B Bo tch a v “they couldn’t be ook o u r n a i ew B o r s g i and Gr k s , la ck e pi te B e, seen because we e e up som sod l ac k Lo nW didn’t want to see e com G re e e m a s an ve So ing n d them.” Something that me W de t o List up , nt s i ng relates to real life, “perhaps we A r cla ss en i ch all live an underground life that we er s c don’t want people to know about, it has to at some point and that’s what Neverwhere was about.” It’s also where Tamsin met her husband, who is, like much of the cast of Green Wing a big Spurs fan. Have you ever been to White Hart Lane? “Yes! I was blown away by the grass, it just looks impossible. I felt like a child, the sheer size and impact of the ground.” The child-like emotions are easily understandable and I have to agree about the magnificence of football. “My husband is nicknamed Man Alive at the ground because he’s got a big beard (not for much longer, he’s shaving it and his huge mop of hair for charity) and shouts a lot.” I couldn’t finish the interview without a quick chat about one of my all time favourite comedy moments; Tower of soup. She explodes with laughter, “it’s one of my favourite moments, there was no script, it went through a metamorphosis every day. Bees on a stick one day then the next, well the food person on the set was amazing, she had to find a way to create a tower of soup and Advertise in the Other Side
& reach thousands or Londoners email editor@theothersidemag.co.uk
OtherSide-28.indd 7
7
01/05/2008 11:49:15
8 OtherSide-28.indd 8
01/05/2008 11:49:16
9 OtherSide-28.indd 9
01/05/2008 11:49:16
DIY / Design-it-yourself 1. Design a T-shirt print. 2. Submit it for community vote. 3. Be in with a chance to win £250 cash* 4. See your winning creation printed and sold by Boxfresh*. + Grand Prize of £1,000 cash and the chance to design your very own 6-piece T-shirt collection for Boxfresh*. *Terms and Conditions apply see www.YouVsBoxfresh.com for details.
10 OtherSide-28.indd 10 You vs.-A5 Advert_ART.indd 1
01/05/2008 29/4/08 11:49:16 11:24:32
fashion We speak to up-and-coming clothes designer Olivia Humphreys about the industry, inspiration, and sandals with socks In true Other Side fashion (excuse the pun), we have trawled through the shopping rails in search of London’s hottest talent, and a welcome alternative to the uninspired, carboncopy high street options. In early June, a selection works produced by graduates of the London College of Fashion will be exhibited in Hackney. The exhibition will showcase an inspiring and diverse collection of new ideas. Avoiding the dull designs and repeated shapes that dominate the shelves, the exhibition turns its attention to quality, stunning fabrics and designs with something unique in mind.
The Other Side: What got you interested in the fashion industry in the first place? Olivia: I think it started with the Kylie-esque pink sparkly hot pants I made, circa 2000! TOS: How did you come up with the jacket design featured? Olivia: It was inspired by the depths, shapes and lines of Henry Moore’s sculptures…check him out! TOS: So what advice do you have for people following in your footsteps? Olivia:Make as many friends with as many people in the industry as you can… oh, and never turn down work, it’s all experience! TOS: What is your top fashion tip for the summer? Olivia:The all-in-one! Get back to being a kid again…and painterly prints too. TOS: Do you have a particular designer that you love at the moment?
Olivia:I love Richard Nicoll’s summer collection, and the summer prints of Prada and Gucci. TOS: Do you have a favourite shop in London to pick up fashion delights? Olivia:I always end up liking the really expensive stuff that I can’t afford, so gawping at Liberty is always good. TOS: And a least favourite? Olivia: Primark. I can’t stand that place! TOS:If you had to take one item of clothing in your wardrobe to a desert island, what would it be? Olivia: I want to be all ‘arty’ and say just a piece of cloth to work with, but you can’t go far wrong with a bikini! TOS: And the big question, are socks with sandals always wrong? Olivia:The only way to look at it is logically, if it’s cold enough to wear socks under your sandals, you should be wearing shoes!
You can check out Olivia's work, along with the rest of the exhibition : 182 Mare Street in Hackney. From June visit www.theothersidemag.co.uk 2nd - 5th. Get more details on the website : 11 www.theothersidemag.co.uk OtherSide-28.indd 11
01/05/2008 11:49:29
Monday 12 May
Tapes ‘n Tapes
Free Gig: Dirty Pretty Things
at London Highbury Garage Wed 28 May
The Red Stripe Music Award, the UK’s widest search for the best unsigned music talent, reaches its climax. Finalists include The Down and Outs (think Vampire Weekend) and Kiddo (think Good Shoes), and the night will be headlined by Dirty Pretty Things, eager to shake off all things Pete Doherty.
Another excuse to get down to the Garage, this time to see the moody melodies of the band that had everyone abuzz last year. The hype has cleared, see if they still stand up. see if they still stand up to the intense indie scrutiny and prove themselves to be a sturd off beat combo, or prove that they are noth more than mere fly-by-nights who deserve your disgust. We predict the former.
The Red Stripe Music Awards take place at the Kentish Town Forum and all the tickets are free. Fans can register for tickets now by going to www.redstripe.net
East Finchley
Archway
Highgate Brent Cross
Tufnell Park
Chalk Hampstead Farm
Golders Green
Belsize Park
Old Street
Kings Cross
Kentish Town Camden Town
Euston
Mornington Crescent
Life Before Death
9 April - 18 May, Euston, Free An exhibition about dying might seem like a real kick in the nuts, but this stark, haunting and ultimately uplifting exhibition is worth seeing, if only to get an insight into the thoughts of the dying.
Angel Warren Street
Moorgate Tottenham Court Road Goodge Street
Leicester
Now Showing, COSH G Soho, 29th May - 13th J
40 plus c the task interpret or Obsc past, wit stunning that pays 70 years of Prints and Sculp
If you would like to advertise something in 7stops then please contact us at : editor@theothersidemag.co.uk 12 OtherSide-28.indd 12
01/05/2008 11:49:32
age
The Other Side Party, London 93 Feet East, Thurs 8th May
he Garage, dies of the t year. The stand up. tense indie be a sturdy ey are nothing o deserve mer.
The best new bands in London come together for a night of rasping guitar licks and feel good pop. Not only that but there are fun and games with a tombola, cake stall and a chance to win £1000!
The Insomniacs Ball
TIckets £7 (a fiver with a mag!!!)
SeOne, Weston St, 31st May Borough
Bank Moorgate
ham Road
London Bridge
Charing Cross
Leicester Square
Kennington
Waterloo
Stockwell Oval
Embankment
OSH Gallery, 13th June 40 plus creatives were given the task of creating their own interpretation of a Cult, Classic or Obscure film poster from the past, with no restrictions. See the stunning results at this exhibition that pays homage to more than 70 years of film through the form of Prints, One Off Screen Prints and Sculptures.
This idiosyncratic collection just goes to show that there is never one solution to a creative brief.
OtherSide-28.indd 13
Elephant
RESOFIT #2, 2pm – 4pm, Sunday 18 May, £10
There will be a fun Sunday afternoon comedy benefit for Resonance FM at Arts Theatre, Great Newport Street. Featuring top comedy names Dan Antopolski, Richard Herring, Tony Law, Stewart Lee, and more to be confirmed. Worth a tenner just to see Stewart Lee, the funniest man in comedy.
SeOne hosts Long Clapham Blondes, Joe Lean & Common the Jing Jang Jong, The Clapham Ghost Frequency and North more great acts for an end of may all nighter. The Dj room is hosted by Adventures Close To Home with sets from Riton, Dj Orgasmic and Misty Rabbit as well an Indy Caberet hosted by ‘Be’. Drinks are buy one get one free before 11pm.
Tickets a snip at £9.50 if you get em now
13 01/05/2008 11:49:37
music
Johnny Too Bad Matt McLean shines a light on forgotten folk hero John Martyn
I
first saw John Martyn play the guitar when I came home late one night and turned on the TV (I am not proud of myself, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures) to a re-run of the Old Grey Whistle Test, and caught a few minutes of John and bass player Danny Thompson performing ‘I’d rather be the Devil’. I couldn’t remember the name of the guy that I had seen, but kept thinking about it because I had never seen anyone treat a guitar in such a way; drenched in loops of delay, he was slapping and clacking away at the fretboard, and simultaneously pulling melody lines out of the resulting miasma of sound. For someone who was still impressed by Noel Gallagher’s solo on ‘Live Forever’, it was like watching someone levitate.
14
patterns that went on to blow my post-pub mind. But it was once he ditched the missus that he recorded two albums that crystalised his sound, ‘Bless the weather’ (1971) and ‘Solid Air’ (1973) both offer the best examples of his collaborations with revered jazz-bass player Danny Thompson, who was an accomplice in Martyn’s increasingly erratic drink-related behaviour, but also seemed to understand how best to complement his musical extravagances.
Danny relates, in the BBC2 documentary, that “If I said to John, play B flat major 7 add 9, I might as well say ‘play the dinner plate,” but that he was capable of intuitively creating astonishing soundscapes on the guitar, and you can hear, particularly on ‘Solid Air’, how close the two players are, capable of adapting to wherever It took me another year or so until I encountered the other is taking the song to form a slithering, him again, when I once again turned on the TV shimmering whole, the two instruments at times on a whim (again, I apologise, but twice in two indistinguishable. years is not exactly a habit), to a BBC2 documentary called I had never seen ‘Solid Air’, the title track a ‘Johnny too Bad’, which included anyone treat a tribute to troubled fellowthe same footage of Martyn guitar in such a folkie Nick Drake, is a classic treating the acoustic guitar like British album, and one that way; drenched in an amusement arcade. The same redefined what folk, and the loops of delay, documentary told how John, guitar could do. Now that pulling melody now 56, was about to have his folk music has been pulled out lines out of the right leg amputated, largely as a of the 1970s, dusted off and result of his steadfast refusal to resulting miasma paraded around the popular of sound curb his appetite for drink and music scene in a variety of limp drugs. bastardisations like nu-folk, alt-folk and anti-folk, (which paradoxically seems Beginning his career as part of a husband and to involve playing folk music), it is important to wife duo, with Beverly Martyn, John soon proved hold on to the likes of John Martyn, because too much of a domineering musician to share compared to the current trend of endless ideas, or the stage, with anyone, even his wife. pastoral strum-alongs and the veneration of He produced a number of albums in the early simpering tweeness, John’s folk music sounds like seventies that gradually saw his unique percussive the coming of the apocalypse; at once beautiful guitar style develop. On ‘stormbringer’ (1970) he and menacing. I can’t imagine I would get all that also discovered the Echoplex tape delay unit, and if I came back from the pub and saw Devendra used it increasingly to create the wild looping Banhart on the TV.
OtherSide-28.indd 14
01/05/2008 11:49:41
Rock Werchter, Belgium 3-6 July, Four day ticket 165E As festival’s go, this is one of the best line-ups you are likely to see this year, Radiohead continue their euro-festival tour and they are joined by the likes of Mark Ronson, REM, Sigur Ros, The Verve, Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Vampire Weekend, Babyshambles, Counting crows, Jay-Z, Hot Chip, Kings of Leon, Kaiser Chiefs Not going to Glastonbury this year? and loads more. Can’t face the prospect of 50,000 little wide boys running around happy Pinkpop, Holland, 30 May – 1 June slapping you and nicking you lager? Well Tickets 129E Read into the name all you like, but we’ve got the perfect solution. Europe. this years festival is a non-stop roller coaster Yes, Europe has festivals too and we’ve of top acts including Rage Against the Machine, scoured the continent in search of the the Foo Fighters, Incubus, Kaiser Chiefs, best (and the ones we want free Editors, KT Tunstall, The Verve, Queens of the tickets too). Stone Age, The Hives…need I say more?
For more info on these festivals please visit our website www.theothersidemag.co.uk
Roskilde, Denmark 3-6 July, £170 Having been to Roskilde a few years back I can honestly say it’s the best festival I’ve been too (apart from the shower incident, which if you go to www.theothersidemag.co.uk you can find out more about). The festival is separated into different Agora’s or camp sites, each with a different theme. The agora’s surround the festival site and the parties begin the Monday before the bands start. Inside the festival and you are treated to not only the best bands (Radiohead, The Chemical Brothers, Kings of Leon, The Streets and Neil Young) but to some unbelievable food, the highlight being the cow that was barbequed whole by one of the stages, very few English people and lots of Danish pastries, you can also make money by selling empty bottles.
OtherSide-28.indd 15
Rock en Seine, Paris 28th & 29th Aug, Tickets 75E Where better to spend a summer weekend than in Paris dans la Domaine National de Saint-Cloud on the banks of the seine. Amy Winehouse, REM and the Roots are the pick of the bands and best of all you are not surrounded by barron wasteland, it’s 5 minutes to the nearest metro station and you can be wandering the streets of Paris immediately
Europavox, Clement Ferrard
29 May – 7 June, from 5E per show We’re hading to the Auvergne region of France for the 3rd edition of this festival. It’s going to be a melting pot of European music and culture with the best new bands on the continent keeping our ears pricked up. With over 50 gigs featuring the likes of Camille and Does it Offend you, Yeah?
01/05/2008 11:49:41
vs Come and party with The Other Side team and check out a bunch of great new bands, as we celebrate what can only be described as complete Northern Line domination! We have put on a Live Band night at 93 Feet East as a tribute to this issue. Not only that, we have teamed up with Boxfresh to give you guys the chance of designing a t-shirt and winning £1000! So come and join us on Thursday, 8th May at 7pm. Headliners:
mann frida y
Coming off the back of massiv e hype from th single release (S eir new unburn & Won der), Mann Frid a collection of ay will play their new song s receiving huge present. Praise acclaim at d for shunning the record labe it alone, this ba ls and going nd deserves a lot of credit. O know how to h… and they put on a show too.
+
myspace.com/ma
nnfriday
and tom mansi kers the icebceivrededea in but album back
reakers
mansiandtheiceb
myspace.com/tom
a well re ition of the band After releasing e Rails), recogn th on e mix ov (L February The album is a steadily since. g in e is ic ow vo gr ’s en m be has blues. To ’roll and classic aves le at th nd ki of edgy rock’n e th mbling growl incredible - a ru your neck. of ck ba e th on hairs standing
qwerty 16
OtherSide-28.indd 16
01/05/2008 11:49:48
ertycbop Plus these guys:
citadels myspace.com/citadelsmusic
The latest band to hit the familiar ‘alternative/indie’ market – but unlike many others, Citadels have some great songs to back them up. The band muses intelligent melodies and rasping guitar, with just the right amount of electro to keep it edgy. We are really looking forward to seeing them play, and if you check them out on what else, but myspace, we think you’ll agree. With songs like ‘Animals’ and ‘Don’t Look Down’, Citadels will go a long way. And when they do, we will say: “You read it in The Other Side first”
laveer myspace.com/aimeeherbert
The brainchild of Aimee Herbet Laveer joins together three solo artists to create a melodic harmonious acoustic sound.
myspace.com/superflyingmonkeyboy
nico pico
Otherwise known as Branman and Yeti Confetti, its like two synth-folk homing missiles set out to search and destroy your ears.
As if that lot isn’t enough, we’ve planned extra entertainment to keep you occupied between sets, while those arse crack bearing roadies stand about on stage and onetwo into the mic.
desig own t n your ee for to win £
1000 We have teamed up with Boxfresh who will be on hand on the night to fulfil all of your creative needs by offering you the chance to design your own t-shirt. The best part being, if it is any good, they will give you a grand and stock it in their shop. We have also been harassing our friends in high places this month, and come up with a hefty load of cool prizes to be won in the Tombola. Up for grabs is everything from books to theatre tickets, there’s even an organic delivery to your door! There is a cake stall where you can eat tasty cakes made by our mums. And a little bit of magic that we want to keep a secret for the night!
@93 FEET
See you there!
www.theothersidemag.co.uk
EAST
(brick lane)
ycbop Thu. May 8th, 7pm £5 with mag
17
OtherSide-28.indd 17
01/05/2008 11:49:48
random
Blo ou rwing ow n
Round logic Getting a round in – there is nothing more quintissentially English. Like queuing. Kate Fox waxes lyrical about it in ‘Watching the English’ (along with queuing) as providing an unspoken bond between people... “obeying the rules of round-buying is not just good manners, it is a sacred obligation”, it’s a substitute for emotion you see. My question is, what with all this economic silliness going on, in a round of three you can forget about seeing change from a tenner, and you’ll be lucky to get 5 quid from a twenty with four. Money’s tight all over, so you’re less likely to go the full round, so will they go the way the pub dart board? Or am I just the only tight bastard around who thinks about these things?
It’s no T he t of t e n O th we ge er S e a S id e w t t o d o rc h t hi s fo a s m W E r u s o e nt io n b u t t h EK , n is m P R li ne a e d in o BUS E SS G A t BR A 7 (sev nth is d en) INE Z ZE ND RE SS p u i f fe re TT I M P , T EC H E , P R I P U B L I C b lic a t n t . N ER A io W , TI V E I N TE T W E E M A R K ns . R E K .W e ll d A N D N , O P E N TI N G o ne E us. T
Need a Haircut? Get a haircut. Pimps and Pinups, situated in the newly refurbished Spitalfields market, is one of East London’s premier hairdressers. With their fantasy Hollywood style lighted mirrors and a super chilled out feel, you’ll look and be treated like a star. They are offering one lucky reader the chance of a top notch haircut. To be in with a chance of winning all you gotta do is join our site www. theothersidemag.co.uk & tell us who’s got more hair. Bruce Willis or Bruce Forsythe? www.pimpsandpinups.com
18 OtherSide-28.indd 18
01/05/2008 11:49:56
Yeshermesh The Northern line gets Balkanised in May. No, not fragmented into short sections, but bombarded by a festival of Balkan music. For those keeping an ear out this region on the Euroedge is somewhat musical flavour of the month, What with Borat’s success ‘n’ all. For a seriously funky raw Romanian gypsy band try Fanfare Vagabontu double billing with Turkey’s Selim Sesler (according to the Guardian ‘the Coltrane of the Clarinet’) at the Southbank on 10 May. Two events a Hungarian Gypsy band (12 May) and ex-Yugo Tea Hodzic Trio (29 May) - take place at 32 Old Bailey, an improbably homely Romanian restaurant-venue in The City (hop off at Bank or St Paul’s). There’s a Balkan-Barcelona DJ culture clash at Cargo, Old Street (18 May). Members of Bulgarian supergroup Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares perform at St James’ Piccadilly (6 June).
10% OFF
And a new record store – Alternative Music Shop (265 Archway Road, across the road from Highgate station) is offering a 10% discount on its already ridiculously cheap prices on a selection of world music, jazz and roots, with plenty of Balkanarama. Just show up with this magazine. 020 8347 5555 for opening times. See myspace.com/balkanfeverlondon for festival programme.
20% OFF
20% off in store at Boxfresh. Lucky Other Side readers can prepare for summer with a sumptuous 20% discount in Covent Garden’s Boxfresh store. Just produce this voucher instore to receive your discount. subject to T&C*
What’s in this month’s televisual dumpbin? Breaking Up… with Shannon Doherty, ITV2, Monday 8pm In which the ex-90210er talks to people who want to break up with their partner. What better way than to do on TV? The unsuspecting about-to-be-dumped stooge is sucked in a to a poorly set up, filmed situation, while Shannon and the dumper watch as the oblivious idiot reveals why it is they are so insufferable as to deserve the shame and ignominy of being dumped on TV. After a dull few minutes and scant insight into the human condition, Shannon bursts into the room, expecting to be recognised but usually met with the blank face of confusion, where she proceeds to show a video of their partner dumping them. Now, Shannon is not a psychologist, nor has any couple’s experience, but she spews forth clichéd self help bon mots to an embarrassed and teary-eyed loser in spite of these shortcomings, safe in the knowledge that this is televisual gold (it’s not). Her advice to an over controlling girlfriend?…“We’re women, we’re a little crazy, it’s what we do. But we need to fight that impulse.” It’s warming to think that she can speak for an entire gender with such force, and with such nuance. Not to be missed. *Offer expires 1st June 2008 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The twenty Percent (20%) discount (the “Discount”) is only valid between 1st May 2008 – 1st June 2008. The Discount can only be claimed on in-store purchases and products from Boxfresh Flagship store in Covent Garden. For the avoidance of doubt the Discount cannot be used in any other high street stores or retailers. The voucher must be presented at the checkout when you have finished your order. The Discount may not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Boxfresh reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions or discontinue the Discount at any time at its sole discretion. 5.The Discount is specifically closed to employees of Boxfresh, Pentland Group Plc, any associated companies and their families.6. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall affect your statutory rights. 7 This Discount shall be governed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. © Boxfresh International Limited 2008. All rights reserved Boxfresh, the Boxfresh logo and the Blocks Device are the registered trade marks of Boxfresh Global Limited. Company Registration number: 05564730 Company Registration address: 8 Manchester Square, London, W1U 3PH
OtherSide-28.indd 19
01/05/2008 11:49:59
cardorowski
My Mother said, I never should Play with the Gypsies In the Wood.
Funny Games
has barely entered the spreading, middle-aged gut. (Is that a new diet? Eat what y’like and then visit the funfair. Not fun for those below and not fair for the poor Travellin’ Man, that has to clean it up.)
So the kids choose their rides: nine year old has to be restrained from dangers that he isn’t Cardowski battles prejudice and throws big enough to qualify for: Middle still throws his kids to dogems. All in the interest of himself at bouncy castles with joyful abandon education of course and Youngest will ride anything with Barbie on it. Being a caring-sharing kinda Guy I have to oday is the Sunday before half term and be on the Dodgem Mat to prevent bullying and the fair’s in town. These Romany Folk sure injury. And then it strikes me. This is actually all know how to slide under the skin of a nine quite tame. Do any of you remember when the year old. The little red posters dotted around Fair had an Edge? When there was the threat of on knee-high railings and the flailing arm that actual bodily harm. Sure the rides are still a little throws squawking teens to heights the trees rickety and the veneer of safety is pretty thin but, cannot shade are veritable beacons to those didn’t it used to be that the guys who operated with a predilection for cheap thrills and cheaper the Dodgems would ride around on the backs, goods. Except that as a parent I know that there’s chatting up your girlfriend and dropping their nothing cheap about a visit to the Fair. I offer all ciggies down your pants? That the Gangs would sorts of events not normally on offer to distract come out at night and cruise for a bruise? or divert. To no avail. So today, I declined my Mother’s well-worn advice and took the kids So we get to the end and the kids have been good down to the Fair beside the Woods, knowing I so we allow them an extra. An opportunity to was gonna get royally ripped orf. win. To take home a memento of the visit. Eldest is determined to chance his arm at the new Mine eye, that is normally on the alert for variant of the coconut shy; tin cans and sponge displays of rampant greed and weight throwing in balls. The prizes look bigger and the task at hand the Garden, was refocused on the more blatant more mature. I explain that this is no ‘Everybody Commercialism on display down the Park. The wins’ scenario, that if he doesn’t knock ‘em all coffers were stocked carefully and folded with an down, offa the shelf, he gets nothing at all. Nada. embrace. As in; ‘you can kiss that lot goodbye!’ He’s up for it and I’m pleased he’s having a go. So and off we strolled to the gaping entrance. We pleased I join him. We both leave ashamed at the pays our money, all the usual is on offer, aimed staggeringly poor aim of our throwing arm. at the kids but demanding the wallet of an adult. Dodgems still work. Also there’re a few more But I get a second Hit. This is all money well death-defying rides that might warrant the spent. Better than any institutional education, venture weren’t it for the gourmet burger that this is an opportunity to educate on a profound
T
20 OtherSide-28.indd 20
01/05/2008 11:49:59
food Once more with pickle
and very basic level. This is basic survival in the Urban Environment of the 21stC. If they promise that you will win, then the product must be crap, made in that shite-making factory in Asia. If they promise you that you cannot miss, rest assured, you will. And if they tell you that your enjoyment is their highest aim, know that their actual target is lower and much more venal. I carefully open up the economics of the Fair to my sad young man; the age old marketing ploys, the carefully placed lights and ramped up music, the precision feng shwei of all the attractions and, with a glint of smug satisfaction, I lay bare before my son the barely concealed grasping before his very eyes in all its true mendacity. And did he thank me for it? Did he say “oh I see, I feel much better now.” Did he bollox, he stormed off in a huff, jealous of his brother’s orange and black rifle and his sister’s sparkling tiara. Will I take him back next year? No, I’m taking him again next week. Bank Hols. Better a fiver now on a stack o’ tin cans than thousands later on some stolen jalopy outta Loot and a Life Insurance Plan that’ll leave him starving and forlorn in the nick.
Even us romantic, devil-may-care types at the Other Side sense when there’s something off in the world of economics. Everything’s going up the swannee and down the pan. We’re not going to cut back on filling our gut with ale, so it’s sandwiches for lunch... but this time it’ll be different. This time there’ll be no room for cheese and pickle...
Secrets to a satisfying sandwich: the bread, so invest in a crusty loaf at the start of the week, slice it up and freeze. Defrost a pair the night before and you’ll have a succulent wedge holding together your sumptuous filling. A variety of fillings, always use some salad (dry, or it’ll soggy your sarnie). A choice condiment – chutney, mustard, mayo... the usual suspects, maybe even toss in some gherkin if you’re feeling fruity.
SANDWICH OF THE MONTH... Roast Beef and Caramelised Red Onion If you can, prepare this on Sunday & you’ll be the envy of the whole office for Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday – that is unless you can’t resit and you munch the beef before Monday night is out. You need. 1 bit of beef, topside, silverside, rump – up to you. 3 Red Onions finely sliced Sugar Balsamic Vinegar Soft Bread Roast the Beef with some salt and pepper*, 25 mins per KG + 20 mins. Melt some butter in a pan and throw in your onions and a few teaspoons of sugar and a drizzle of balsamic. Leave for 15 mins or until soft on a really low heat. Take the meat out of the oven and set aside, When everything is cooled slice the beef and dollop the onion mix onto two slices of bread. Place as much beef as you can in between and slice in half, diagonally, Enjoy. *don’t try anything fancy. This is top quality beef here, you don’t need to smear mustard on top, or douse it in wine. Keep it nice ‘n’ easy.
Tell us your top fillings at www.theothersidemag.co.uk OtherSide-28.indd 21
21
01/05/2008 11:50:00
football
The Money Pit The Russell Brand of football journalism (plenty of style but very little substance) takes on the crushing inevitability that is the Premiership, and like any right-minded football fan blames the money men...
L
ike Fabio Capello’s unfiled tax return, the end of the football season has been creeping up on unsuspecting supporters for weeks… and this weekend it’s ready to pounce. The last day of the season approaches, and for a few months we swap Blue Armies for Bluewater, Saturday nights with Match of the Day for Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, and man marking and crosses for the Marks at Brent Cross. Even the promise of a summer spent idly whiling away the hours watching the England team invent new lows to which to sink has been cruelly snatched away from us by Macca and his umbrella (ella, ella, ella...). So what to make of this season? As the race for the Credit Card Premiership entered its final phase, hacks the length and breadth of the land waxed lyrical about the excitement of a genuine three-horse race. Pausing only to cram another complimentary prawn sandwich into their mouths, they were unequivocal in their praise of Man United’s expansive football, mocking of Avram Grant’s questionable tactics and exasperation at Arsene Wenger’s refusal to sacrifice style for substance (not to mention genuine bemusement over Rafa’s facial hair). STICKING THE BOOT IN All football fans crave a little excitement however, and our brothers in the press corps (albeit extremely distant brothers with a slight facial tick who we only see at Christmas and funerals) can be forgiven for getting their Gin & Tonics in a twist, especially as this writer was as guilty as the next man (and you should see the next man...). While the season turned out to be yet another Man U-Chelsea title race (thanks to home time being called early at Wenger’s crèche) there was certainly more on offer to the average punter than in recent years (in other words, it wasn’t over by March).
22
OtherSide-28.indd 22
But what about all that preseason promise that it would be different this season? Despite the best efforts of their rich parents, try-hards like Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa, Man City and Portsmouth have failed to get in with the big boys and the 'Big Four' still maintain their stranglehold on the upper echelons of the English game like bigger and infinitely cocky sixth-formers towering over a trembling junior school. Is this a genuine problem? The status quo looks less likely to be usurped with each passing season, but does the Premiership really need a shake up at the top in order to make it watchable? After all, there is genuine competition throughout the league – for a place in the UEFA Cup, for the right to remain in the league itself, or for the distinction of scoring the goal that lets Paul Jewell unwrap that big victory cigar that’s been going mouldy in his desk drawer. The TV money continues to pour in with punters from Bangkok to Buenos Aries paying to watch Wigan v Bolton (kudos to the person who sold that one...) and the Premiership is touted as 'the best league in the world' (by Chief Executive Richard Scudamore). The issue is that there is so much money at the top of the game that not even the revenue from a nonsense like the 39th game would be enough to help anyone other than the usual suspects to mount a serious challenge on the league title in the near future. With things as they stand, the Champions League remains a bike shed behind
01/05/2008 11:50:02
www.theothersidemag.co.uk www.theothersidemag.co.uk
the other side: An Online wonderland Chia
ra Ve
ro
nese
which most teams can only dream of going (never mind copping a feel of Lennart Johannson’s big trophy). Just over a decade ago a Sutton-Shearer propelled Blackburn Rovers swept all before them (even making Tim Sherwood look like a decent footballer) but this was on the back of Jack Walker’s millions. Chelsea got us all talking about the modern day 'big four' when they starting buy… sorry, winning the league, but without Abramovich’s oil to fuel them they’d probably still have Tore Andre Flo leading their line. Pouring in the cash without a wealthy backer in order to achieve short-term success is a risky business as any Leeds United supporter will tell you (Istanbul one year, Ipswich the next), so the success is likely to remain where the money is. So then, tight at the top, close round the middle and a real squeeze at the bottom – not Kelly Brook’s latest lingerie range but the season that was the Premier League ‘07/’08. There is an air of inevitability about the make up of the top four that might start to grate a little for anyone unconnected with United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Still, it’s hard to tell whether the trophy will be decorating a cabinet in Manchester, London or Liverpool next season and this at least keep things interesting. As for whether a young pretender might muscle into the big four, it’s about as likely as Kevin Keegan revealing a secret tattoo saying 'I love Mackems'.
Want to vent your sporting spleen? Check out our blog at www.theothersidemag.co.uk
OtherSide-28.indd 23
We are not just a magazine, we are online too. We have our back issues up and ready to flick through, dedicated sections from our writers, illustrators and photographers. What is more, we want you to get involved – send in your thoughts, scribblings, drawings, pictures and we will use the best ones in the next issue. We want to build a community of people who give a shit what is going on in London and want to share their own skewed outlook on life. What else are you going to do? Go on Facebook? It doesn’t care about you, it just wants to harvest your details and plot out every move you ‘ll ever make and sell it to the highest bidder. We would never dream of doing that. We’d just take the money and run So get involved, muck about, have a read, get a taste of what is going on in London, what’s good and what’s tasty. You can also write some abuse on our forums, tell us to get lost, whatever, just don’t ignore us. We are the little guy, and little guys hate getting ignored. If you think we have nothing to offer then tell us what we should be doing and maybe we’ll listen, maybe we’ll tell you 23 to shove it. 01/05/2008 11:50:05
1ST MAY, AT LOTHERTON HALL, LEEDS. WITH OVER 60 ARTISTS ON THE BILL, AND ARENAS HOSTED BY WALL OF SOUND, ES IN THE BEETROOT FIELD, AND NAÏVE MELODY, WAX:ON LIVE WILL BE OUR BIGGEST AND BEST EVENT TO DATE!
W.WAXONLIVE.COM FOR MORE INFO AND TICKETS! ARENA 3 TECHNIQUE ARENA 2 WALL OF SOUND REVEREND AND THE MAKERS X-PRESS 2 (ACID HOUSE SET) INFADELS THE SHORTWAVE SET ANDREW WEATHERALL JD TWICH (OPTIMO) UNABOMBERS AHUMAN OCELOT ALVIN C VISUALS BY RETINA GLITCH
STEVE LAWLER DERRICK MAY STACEY PULLEN STEVE BUG IVAN SMAGGHE RYAN ELLIOT DAVE MARTIN DEATH ON THE BALCONY VISUALS BY NAME
ARENA 5 NAÏVE MELODY
ARENA 6
ADVENTURES IN THE BEETROOT FIELD
THE COUNT AND SINDEN LIVE FRIENDLY FIRES OPERATOR PLEASE CHRISTOPHER D ASHLEY AUTOKRATZ THE BLACK GHOSTS CROOKERS BRODINSKI SKULL JUICE CASPER C ETS FROM FILTHY DUKES CK TI UR YO GET .COM KINEVIL WAXONLIVE CRISPIN DIOR
MATTHEW HERBERT JUSTUS KOHNCKE LIVE I-F AME DIXON TOBY TOBIAS TIM SWEENEY (DFA) NIGHTMOVES SLIPPERY PEOPLE VISUALS BY MAFFRO
We’ve got four tickets to give away to the wax:on festival in Leeds.Yes four tickets. So that’s one for you, one for your best mate, bit on the side and even one for your bit’s annoying mate. All ON HALL, LOTHERTON LANE, ABERFORD, LEEDS, LS25 3EB EARLYBIRD BIRD £35 STANDARD £39.50 AVALIABLE FROM WAXONLIVE.COM T.B.F: EARLY got to do is sign up to our website and leave SOLDyou’ve OUT a message on our festivals noticeboard telling us which festival you are going to or maybe not going to this summer! www.theothersidemag.co.uk
RDAY 31ST MAY OtherSide-28.indd 24
01/05/2008 11:50:07