Trisickle Issue 6

Ali Menzies Benjamin Sniddlegrass

The Chapman Family We are knuckle dragger

Peatree Bojangles

Russell and the wolves Das wanderlust Young rebel set Soviet disco Frankie and the heartstrings

9 772489 942003

ISSN 2489-9429

Issue 6

Tess Burnet

01

and man more!

ÂŁ2.95

Queens English

NOMINATED BEST PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

I am somewhat slowly coming to the conclusion that I might be on the cusp of ‘officially being a grown-up’; I’m 22, graduating at the end of June (unless I’ve failed everything miserably), the editor of a magazine and single parent to an Oriental kitten who believes himself to be a wolf. Yes, a wolf.

Okay I might have told him he’s a wolf a few times… But that is not the point.

I don’t want to be a grown-up. The thought of walking across a stage in heels to collect a scroll of paper terrifies me. Reaching Prestige level 50 on Call of Duty is more important to me than putting oil in my car. And, quite frankly, I don’t think my Oriental Wolf wants to be solely looked after by an owner who managed to accidentally stab herself while opening a new mascara – try explaining that one to a bemused A&E doctor.

What I can handle, however, is this grown-up job of being editor at Trisickle. For one, it involves me spending most of my days listening to music (I like music), chatting to you arty types (I enjoy yapping), tweeting (Twitter is my world - @trisicklemag) and reading lots of very inspiring articles. And two? I rather love it.

Especially this issue. I mean, really, I might be biased but how pretty is it?!

Trisickle is like the Matt Smith of the magazine world. And do not get me started on the articles... We have Peatree Bojangles, a girl who has me in stitches every day with her exploits – she recently got Bill Murray’s name tattooed on her arm, Questions, who collects very odd things in a jar and that hairy bloke from the Chapman Family (who isn’t actually that hairy outside my mind) Kingsley who swears so much even my Ghetto Mother would be shocked. Which is just the tip of the Tardis! Okay so I got started on the articles but honestly I feel like a proud/ psycho mental parent on Toddlers and Tiaras.

Which, FYI, if I can find an Oriental Wolf equivalent I shall be entering that kitten quicker than you can say winner – I mean just look at that little cherub’s face!

So while I spend the next two months frantically Googling cat pageants I hope you enjoy reading, exploring and sharing Trisickle with everyone you know – even the ones you hate as let’s face it even the horrids deserve a little joy in their lives. Issue 7 will be on sale on August 1st and remember to keep an eye on our website for all the latest happenings in the world of Trisickle.

St e p h x

Love & COD points,

Trisisckle is super excited to announce we are up for best print publication 2011 at the Scottish New music Awards.

PLease nip onto their website and give us a vote.It would mean a lot to us at Trisickle HQ www.scotmusicawards.co.uk

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evolution

3

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Words: C on n or O’Br ien

photos

by Richard Gilligan

C ra i g

f you ever take a trip down to the East Coast seaside town of Whitstable, albeit at the risk of getting your face royally ripped off by the gale force winds, when you do get a chance to open those squinty eyes you don’t have to look far before seeing Road Kill adorned on the chest or hat of a

local skate rat. The famed Road Kill ‘zine is produced by Lovenskate rider Craig “Questions” Scott and friend Dan Singer out of the deep dark depths of what shiny road signs proclaim as The Garden of Kent, but between you and me is Kent. Craig now lives in London and spends most days shredding at Stockwell Skatepark, while studying second year illustration at Camberwell School of Arts.

It hasn’t taken long for Questions to make a name for himself in the city, in more ways than one, so Trisickle caught up with the classic horror influenced artist to talk Lovenskate, animal skulls, art school and the Amazon Rainforest.

5

I

‘Questions’?

Are you living in Camberwell?

Well it’s funny as I lived in Brixton two days ago and I just moved out my house one afternoon. Now I live in an amazing house in the posh part of Peckham, I was living in this really bad house with a bunch of morons. It’s the worst house I have ever stepped foot in. No joke, so I viewed a house, got it and moved in the next morning. But I never told any of my house mates I just told them I’m staying with a friend for a few days

7

How old are you and where do you hail from?

I’m 21, from Whitstable, the home of Peter Cushing. My father was from Lancashire and my mother from Faversham, a hard working town in Kent.

Why do they call you It all dates back to the old skate shop in Whitstable.

Growing up I wanted to know everything about skateboarding, what wheels did Neil Blender ride?

Who was the first person to do a bean plant? Why does nobody ever do front side andect plants? It was Dom Perkins who gave me the name, as a kid growing up he was my god and in many ways he still is. I’ve always been really obsessed with things so I want to find out everything about anything, not just within skateboarding but just life. I read a lot of history, I really like Western American history and I’m extremely interested in the history of boxing.

When did you first get into drawing?

I’ve always drawn. I think everyone does, it’s whether you keep drawing as you get older. I always draw, I really enjoy it a lot and draw every day I don’t think I will ever stop, it’s just something that’s comes so naturally.

When did you start skating for Lovenskate?

I started riding for Lovenskate when I was 16, then when I was about 18 I did some sticker graphics then a few shirts. I just did a board that will be sometime soon, I hand separated the colours for it so it should be good. I’m really stoked to be part of Lovenskate, as a skateboard company goes they’re one of the best and everything that is produced is all hand done. They are one of the only skateboard companies in Britain that still screen print, and every time you order you get hand written notes and loads of frees stuff.

You recently got on Death Skateboard wheels?

Yea, I told Nick Zorlac that I wanted to ride for death wheels and he said ‘I can’t say no’. The next day I got an email from him. I’m really stoked to be part of the death family and would like to thank you Zorlac.

I understand you’re not that into art school, what was it that made you want to go to Camberwell School of Arts?

I just heard about it being real good and it’s the best place to be so I decided to try to go there. Also it was to set the challenge of getting in and I did. I’m not a fan of art school because of all the hipster kids that go to art school. It’s a real fake place; it’s more of a statement to go to art school. I know so many trendy’s will read this and be like yeah that kid is true, but what’s the deal? I wanted to go to art school to make work and learn, not to do loads of drugs and dress like an early 90s throwback.

Can you describe some of your collections, the skulls and animals etc?

I collect many things, which is a trait I picked up from my father. My main interests are insects, bones skulls and foetuses. I have lots of feet from many different birds, preserved animals, lizards and bats. I even have a jar of my own toenail clippings, it’s funny as maybe I’m associated with some sort of Wicca cult.

How do these collections of items influence your work?

Growing up I always remember collections of insects in museums and the way everything was so precise and perfect. I think this is what I aim for in my work, to gain the recognition of craftsmanship. I don’t really look at many artists or illustrators but instead the way things are presented.

What other companies have you produced designs for?

I’ve done stuff for Lovenskate, Heroin Skateboards, Kult Skateboards, Kingpin Magazine, Antiz Skateboards and concrete hermit. I also have done designs for a sweet company a couple years ago that was good and loads of stuff for little record labels and zines. And many other independent projects and things that people do as well as all the Road Kill stuff me and Dan Singer do.

You got a drawing in the Hermit Editions ‘print box’ for Pick Me Up at Somerset House?

They asked me which was really good. I’m a fan of what they do and I’ve had lots of zines in the shop before so I’m really looking forward to seeing all this in its finished days, I hope to do a lot more with them.

I even have a jar of my own toenail clippings, it’s funny as maybe I’m associated with some sort of Wicca cult

How much of an influence does growing up by the sea have on your work?

That’s really funny you say that as I’ve never thought about it before you said that. Not much that I realise, but living by the sea must influence my work I suppose. The countryside is better to catch insects in the summer, find road kill and go on really long bike rides and camp. That’s what we all do in Whitstable in the summer, also last summer I met this girl, in fact the most beautiful girl in the world. Her name was Courtney, I would ride to her house which was about 5 miles away all through the countryside, past the woods and over this old stream to her house and spend the most amazing afternoons and evenings with her. The ride on its own it’s engraved on my mind.

Who are you mostly skating with at the moment?

I skate a lot with all the Stockwell locals... also Matt Bromley, Jake Snelling, Jack Lamas, Brain Stock, Maidstone John and when I see them Dan Singer, Stu Smith. The great Fos, who I’ve been seeing a lot last couple of weeks, also I see French a bit and Alex from Kingpin Magazine loads. I miss the old Whitstable crew there are so many people, that’s the best thing about skateboarding but I don’t skate with Harry Jumonji.

I wanted to go to art school to make work and learn, not to do loads of drugs and dress like an early 90s throwback

Is there a chance of you and Dan Singer producing more issues of Road Kill?

Yes! Keep waiting, its coming, we have both been busy and slack if you want the truth.

How did your trip to South America come about?

The trip came around when Stu Smith (Lovenskate) rang me and basically just asked me if I wanted to go to South America so of course I said yes, but how much is it going to cost? Then he told me don’t worry I just bought you a ticket, we went for one solid month to film for a documentary about an amazing sort of forgotten skatepark in Ecuador called La Carolina. It’s always a really good experience to learn about different cultures.

You also took a trip to the Amazon?

We stayed there for a few days, I wanted to go and so did Stu. We ended up seeing a wind spider bigger then a dinner plate, it was really crazy and amazing.

We were to become nomads, men of the road, gypsies. There was no true plan other than to go skateboarding, have fun, taste the fine food and drink of other men, maybe experience romance. But mainly to fulfil the ever going mission of a being a skateboarder, the mentality of a skateboarder is to have a laugh and go skateboarding.

We travelled down the Andes from Quito in Ecuador then finally ended up in La Paz, Bolivia. I could write a book about events, memorable experiences, even just the jokes made on the voyage but what would be the meaning. For other people just to look in on two good friends experience together to gain an understanding? Looking at a globe with nothing but memories to help me remember, we travelled 1000s of miles, we become broken, bloodied, bruised.

We saw an awful lot of things but in reality we did not see anything. We did not travel far, if you run your finger from Ecuador to Bolivia on a globe the gap from the two is about half an inch, the continent of South America is huge, the world is huge, and we only witnessed half an inch.

Do you have any idea of what you want to do when you leave Camberwell?

I want to become a bare knuckle boxer. Sometimes I think I want to be like my father, he was a Romany gypsy so he was real good at making money. He sold horses, and then he would be working in car lots, then scrap metal, then fixing and making tools for people. There weren’t many things my father could not do but what he was best for was leaving a lasting impression on people. My father was one of the most respected people I’ve ever known; everybody knew him and had a good word to say about him. He was charming, I’m not sure I’m the same but I know how to make money so I always think if I’m ever hard for work I know I can talk and make money. I don’t think you should think about leaving university too much, why wish your days away.

Any plans for the summer?

Loads of bike rides in the country, finding things for my collection and staying in the woods. There are a few of us that always travel and go on a lot of trips over summer but it’s better to decide spare of the moment than to plan, as you never know where you are going to end up. I want to go to Eastern Europe, that would be good, I’m always open to go anywhere in the world so who knows where?

9

What new work can we expect to see from you in the near future?

I’m doing loads of stuff right now but I don’t want to say. I’m always working on something, like that Tom Waits song on Mule Variations, ‘What’s He Building In There’. But I’m working on some zines, I just made this printed horror film zine which is up for sale on my blog.

Words: Mike Lebowski

n gg , , K nK infi fii n

, intimidation, rape, assault etc

These petty hedonisms are simply that. Hedonisms, that stem from the overindulgence towards our own desires:

You’re knifed , they’re rich.

You’re shot, You’re intimidated,

they’re proud.

Can any of us truly say that we have practised extreme self-denial in the pursuit of contemplative ideals?

I doubt it. And it sickens me.

If an individual dedicates their lives to one true moment of practised clarity, who are any of us to decide what’s the art and what’s the hedonism?

There is one aspect of Asceticism that bothers me terribly:

.

Example: You’ve just finished a ten hour shift at work, you come home and slap on the brew. You’re an addict, I am too. Taking that little cup of leaf juice into your bedroom, you notice that two men are carrying a plate of glass from one side of the road to the other.

It’s all very Acme. It’s all very appropriate. You only have a short time to make the choice. Remember, you’re addicted. But still you throw that fucking cup with all the power your flabby arms can muster and you smash the glass. You’re now an Ascetic and more importantly, an artist.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Go take a bow. Everyone will applause. But the curtains will close.

Of course, that moment won’t be enough for you.

And this isn’t hedonism. It’s okay. For the joys will come in the ascetic self-destruction that you’ll

ensue, pursue and achieve.

Only in dedicating your life to the pursuit of unhappiness, can you achieve that next Acme high. And when those curtains close on you for the last time, you’ll go out with your point being made- that you existed, that you made your mark, and that you pursued what you did best.

Aim for the epitaph that reads, “Here lie’s thee artist.”

You should be.

But if you aren’t, then don’t worry- sometimes that blinding moment of opportunity and inspiration will occur when you least expect it, like it did with Arthur Furguson back in 1920...

In conclusion;

Where the crime is perpetrated hedonistically, the policeman is often the hero- a shining Star in a dying Galaxy.

However; If crime is an Art, the policeman is nothing more than the critic.

The Commercial Traveller, Arthur Furguson, was a Scotsman with a phenomenal selling ability. An ability he didn’t realise until his moment of opportunity and inspiration struck one sunny morning in Trafalgar Square.

The source of this was a rich American, whom Arthur spotted gazing at Nelson’s Column. In humour, Arthur appointed himself a temporary guide to the square and explained to the American that the statue was of England’s greatest hero, Lord Nelson.

“It’s such a shame”, mused Arthur, that the square would not be the same without it, as Britains debts are souring and this statue must be sold. As always the American asked the price, to which he was quoted £6000 and Arthur informed him that by odd coincidence the task of the sale was down to him alone. After a mere five minutes, the American purchased the statue and a cheque was made out to Arthur on behalf of Britain.

And so began Arthur the Ascetic, on his long happy summer. The police however, were not happy.

The police had complaints coming in from many Americans; one was sold Big Ben for £1000 whilst another bewailed the fact that he had made a down payment of £2000 on Buckingham Palace.

Since Americans were his best customers, he decided a move to Washington was in order, where he rented the White House to a Cattle Rancher on a

Ascetic’s. The true Artists all have ascetic qualities, defined as: as·cet·ic [uh-set-ik] –noun 1.

A person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.

2.

A person who leads an austerely simple life, especially one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or denies himself or herself material satisfaction.

3. (in the early Christian church) a monk; hermit.

£100,000 per annum lease, for 99 years. Of course, the first year had to be paid in advance.

The next victim was when Arthur Furguson truly came into his own- an Australian man.

What was for sale? Well, it turned out that the New York harbour was to be extended... and the Statue Of Liberty was in the way. The government wanted to sell the statue to anyone willing to take it away themselves.

Thats all I will discuss on Arthur, the Travelling Salesman.

But I will say one thing, regardless of how this sale went, it was inspired. Arthur died alone in 1938 in Los Angeles, where he lived in luxury, paid for by a whole range of inspired confidence tricks.

To myself, this is the essence of Art; inspired and opportunistic.

You’re raped, they’ve lusted.

Such simplistic hedonisms for the here and now, aren’t worthy of our attention. They are all serious enough, but not what I’m explaining and I shan’t utter another apologetic syllable.

But at which point does crime become art? At which point should it be appreciated and noted in the Hall Of Fame? And what does this kind of crime make the police?

T he Comm er cial trave l ler

they’re avenged.

11

Scott Paterson

AL I

Wo rd s : C o nno r O ’ B r i en

Born in Edinburgh, Ali Menzies is the man at the centre of skateboarding in Scotland.

Having skated since 1988, Ali is now chairman of Skateboard Scotland – which was recently made the governing body of skateboarding by Sport Scotland. Surprisingly he is actually an Assistant Pricing Manager for a corporate bank when he isn’t out skateboarding, or more importantly looking after his three kids with his wife. It takes a tremendous amount of determination and self motivation to do what Ali does. His work ethic of this guy is incredible, managing to chair an organisation as well as organising and attending events over Scotland and the UK. Last month Skateboard Scotland held one of its biggest events. War of the Thistles started six years ago and runs from 30 April – 1 May in Dumbarton and Aberdeen. The competition not only brings the skateboarders of Scotland together but also brings people from England and in recent years – skaters from across the world to skate the event which is sponsored by the likes of Oakley, Monster and Nike.

On a quiet bank holiday Trisickle caught up with Ali to talk skateparks, scooters and the future of Scottish Skateboarding. Alongside the more important issue of how on earth he even finds the time to get everything done.

Where did you grow up?

I was brought up around the world. My dad used to work abroad so I used to live in various places like Malaysia, Italy and all these other places when I was younger. But I moved back to Edinburgh when I was around 12 to go to boarding school because my folks were still living abroad and wanted to keep my education in one place.

How was the scene back when you started skating?

The scene was actually starting to die at that stage, it was really big when I started noticing it in the late 80s but then it took a total dive and went underground onto the streets. All the old vert ramps were pulled down and the skate parks were shut down. It all went street after that which suited Edinburgh as we never had a skatepark anyway.

How was Skateboard Scotland created?

Well, it wasn’t actually my idea to start it - I was on the board with the first people involved with it. It started off to try and organise events and get the scene together. I think our original intention was to try and become the governing body to make sure that skateboarders run skateboarding. There are a lot of people trying to get it into the Olympics and all the people that want these things want an organisation to run it. So it was one of these things where if someone decides, for instance, that they want to have it in the Olympics. They are going to want a governing body, and will just appoint someone as oppose to, if we have set it up already,

photos by Zee Foto

going through us. One of the worries we have is that people would just take advantage and try and get us put in with the Federation of Roller Sports or something like that - they were actually trying to take us under their wing but we were having none of it. We want to run ourselves and not be run by other sports.

What role do you play in getting new skateparks and facilities built across Scotland?

We are playing a bigger role in that now than we used to, now that we are the official governing body within Sport Scotland. If they have people approaching them to try and get parks built they will go through us with any sort of park design. We tell them who the good skatepark builders are and who the ones to avoid are. It means we have more direction, it also means we know when things are coming up, as oppose to councils just going ahead and

building a skatepark without speaking to anyone that knows anything, there’s been quite a few instances over the years where crap gets built which is a waste of money. One of the main reasons for setting up was to make sure we don’t get crap parks anymore.

What kind of reaction do you get from work mates, I can’t imagine there’s many people working for a corporate bank that are going out skating on the weekend?

[Laughs] Not everyone knows that I skate but most folk do. It’s a fairly young crowd at work but there are a few people who are still like ‘what? You’re still skateboarding?’ But then to them I’m like ‘well you’re still playing football’. It’s the same thing, it’s not really any different from anything else. I’ve got it on my CV now whereas probably 10 years ago I wouldn’t have had it there. People are more aware of it not just be a kids sport anymore.

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What led you to take a lead role chairing the organisation?

The guy that started it was the chairman for the first year but he wasn’t getting what he thought he would get out of it. He wanted to run it as a business to a certain extent, a money making enterprise. I guess there is money in skateboarding to a certain extent but there’s not much for anyone who gets into it thinking they are going to make big bucks. All the people that are on the board now are all volunteers and give their time out of the goodness of their heart; no one makes any money from it. You get a few free decks and a bit of this and that but nothing tangible to a certain extent.

Everyone’s helping out to try and make sure the scene stays together and we’ve got things happening.

w i t h i n t h a t That’s evidence in itself of the progression of skateboarding within mainstream society and media, do you play a role in furthering skateboarding’s mainstream appeal?

They are starting to teach skateboarding in schools now and we are currently in the process of setting up a coaching qualification so that we can get people teaching people to skate who are actually qualified. When you try and go out to people and say ‘I’m going to teach your kid how to skate’ their first question is ‘well who says you are qualified to do that?’ And that question comes up all the time. We are trying to set something up now with a qualification to try and have something in place so we can say Skateboard Scotland can teach people how to skate. We are working towards that and hopefully in the next year we will have that in place.

Getting married and having kids must have put skateboarding on the backseat, was it hard to keep your motivation with both skating itself and your involvement with skateboard Scotland while bringing up your children?

It’s not easy trying to juggle everything but you get used to being hellishly busy all the time, it’s one of these things where you just have to fit everything in. My son skates as well so that’s pretty handy, and he’s of the age now where he goes off and does his own thing anyway. But for years I would take him skating and my wife would be left with the two younger ones so it worked out not too bad and gave me another excuse to get out for a skate. But now he goes out skating by himself I have to try and fit in a skate for myself, it’s not as often as I would like to but it’s still fun when I do it so that’s the main thing.

Working a full week, organising events, chairing Skateboard Scotland and raising a family can’t be easy, is it a struggle to divide your time up and juggle all these commitments?

Most events that I help out with are half day events so it’s not a major hassle, occasionally I have to be away for a weekend if I’m going to the UK Championships or the UK Mini Ramp Championships where I’ll organise a bus to take the guys from Scotland down to compete in the events. I make an effort to do that to try and make

y o u c a n ’ t h a v e

t h e c u l t u r e w e l i v e i n n o w ,

What is the outlook for the next 5-10 years?

Well I guess to try and get as many good facilities built as possible. We are actually in discussion this week with Sport Scotland, their facility managers are looking to try and get a facility built as part of the Commonwealth Games. They have got a big Velodrome, and once the competitions are finished it is going to be left to us, we are going to talk about getting a vert ramp. There are no real vert ramps in Scotland at all, which is something that is sadly missing from our scene. There are lots of people who skate parks really well but there’s no vert ramps for anyone to learn. There are loads of vert ramps in England and there’s guys going off right now in competitions in the USA because they are getting the opportunity to practice on really big, nice vert ramps, which is something Scotland really needs.

One of our main things is that we really don’t want to see any shit parks get built, that’s what does our heads in. These people who build them and don’t know what they’re doing just depress us so that’s one of our main objectives to make sure we get good facilities built. We are trying to work on this coaching thing as well so we have that rubber stamped, it’s more so people can teach people in schools and actually be qualified to do it rather than cowboys doing it. But it’s one of these catch-22 situations. You don’t want to have too much organisation in skateboarding, but you’ve got to have an element of it to keep the people that are coming in from the mainstream happy to a certain extent. The rest of us know that it’s more of a lifestyle choice rather than a sport that you teach.

But other people want to see that so you have to try and juggle and within the culture that we live in now, you can’t have unsafe facilities.

afe 15

e u n s f a c i l i t i e s .

the Scottish scene better. So when I’m doing that I have to get the baby-sitters, and luckily I have a mum who’s very helpful in that respect. She looks after my two little girls but my son is old enough to look after himself now, if I’m off to a big event he is usually coming with me as well. It is busy having a full time job and organising events but with the joy of email you can sit down for an hour or so every once in a while and go deal with things, it’s not as hard as it used to be when you had to sit down and phone people during office hours. You can get round it as long as you manage your time well.

Words: Ja mie Smit h p h otos by Rick Da nks

O n e of the best things (indeed, one of the only good things) about the utter mess the country is in at the moment is that it should see some great music and art coming through from people who don’t have any other hope.

This

is

alrea d y

h a p p en in g !

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This year has seen the release of two of the best British debuts in years and both rail against the establishment. The 1970s gave us punk rock, a movement that captured Britain and changed the world. Wil l we get something similar this decade?

Illustrations: Iain Sommerville Layout: Scott Johnston

W h i l e B r o t h e r a n d t h e Va c c i n e s a r e g ra b b i n g t h e h e a d l i n e s f o r a va r i e t y of r e a s o n s , i f y o u l o o k f u r t h e r af i e l d y o u c a n s e e a n e w s ce n e g a t h e r i n g m o m e n t u m . I t ’ s i n t h e n o r t h - e a s t of E n g l a n d . I t ’ s h a rd l y b e e n a f e r t i l e h u n t i n g g r o u n d f o r t h o s e s e e k i n g o u t g r e a t n e w m u s i c i n r e ce n t t i m e s .

M a x i m o Pa r k r e l e a s e d a g o o d d e b u t a n d h a v e b e e n co n f i r m i n g t h e l a w of d i m i n i s h i n g r e t u r n s e v e r s i n ce, w h i l e t h e F u t u r e h e a d s h a v e n e v e r b e e n m u c h a b o v e a v e ra g e a n d t h e i r b e s t - k n o w n s o n g i s a co v e r.

But with the Chapman Family and Frankie and the Heartstrings among others such as Little Comets and Das Wanderlust, things seem to be changing.

While the music press coos over nice posh boys pretending to be rough like the Vaccines and ridiculous Oasis revivalists Brother, the Chapmans and the Heartstrings have been getting on with things in a typically north-eastern stoical manner.

Their success is hardly an overnight one.

Teesside-based the Chapman Family have been knocking around for years, but it’s only 2011 that has seen them unleash their debut, Burn This Town, on the world. “It feels like Christmas,” says singer Kingsley, who speaks with us between a full UK tour and a short jaunt to Europe.

Frankie and the Heartstrings are hardly new kids on the block either. I spent three years in the region at university and the pub quiz I went to each week was - and still is - run by the drummer, who plays his own band’s tracks between rounds and calls the punters c**ts, because he’s like that and c**t is a term of affection in Sunderland.

British music is so stale at the moment that Michael Ball and Daniel O’Donnell have had albums in the top ten of the charts and depressing bird, Adele has always got her valium-stained paws into some top spot. .

The only so-called new music making any sort of impact comes from Jessie J (Lily Allen pretending to be ghetto) and the Vaccines, a shit Strokes ripoff who seem to think it’s still 2001.

Brother are earning reams of column inches because of their similarities to Oasis, but it only takes a quick look to see that there’s really nothing to see there. In fact, they might even be Sacha Baron Cohen or Chris Morris playing a sophisticated gag on the nation.

In short, it’s time for something exciting to happen. British guitar music has been dying a slow and painful death for the last few years, 2011 needs to see a properly great rock band emerge otherwise we might as well all go home and start listening to the Wanted.

W m m is is

FRANKIE AND THE HEARTSTRIN

“We’re genuinely in a position to write what we want to write and say what we want to say - we’ve never been advised how to talk to the media or looked at a graph showing us what fucking market we should be looking at or how many choruses we should put in a song for radio,” says Kingsley. It’s clear the band has a social conscience, although they’d probably sneer if you described it as such, and their singer insists on telling it like it is.

Lead Chapman Kingsley reckons it is “perplexing” nobody has stepped up to fill that void. And while he doesn’t exactly get up on a soapbox about it, he’s clearly passionate about the “utterly shit and poorly run” state of the nation.

“Grime does it in truckloads and there’s bands like Gallows telling it absolutely like it is but everyone in the marketable area of ‘indie’ - whatever that means - seem to be too busy trying to get drunk or pull some girl or write a summertime festival stomper,” he says.

“People who are media trained treat politics as an untouchable subject unless there’s a good sales angle to it.”

We think the majority of the music industry is bullshit and is built on lies

A rundown of the cream of the north-east crop

Kingsley also gave us a headsup about some of his favourite bands from the region.

Here’s what we think...

WE ARE KNUCKLE DRAGGER - Featuring an exmember of Yourcodenameis:milo, fans may have been afraid of the band going pop. They needn’t.

We Are Knuckle Dragger sound like throat cancer. In a good way, obviously. RUSSELL AND THE WOLVES - Kind of like a British Grinderman. This is obviously a Very Good Thing, as Grinderman are a Good Thing. DAS WANDERLUST - Middlesbrough’s poppunk band for the 21st century are most notable for the ridiculous versatile vocalist Laura Susan Simmons, who hits notes you’d scarcely believe possible for a human being. Puzzle is their best song - once it’s in your head you’ll never get it out. YOUNG REBEL SET - A less dreary Frank Turnerish vocal underpinned by some whole, honest to goodness rock music. A guilty pleasure you don’t need to feel guilty about.

SOVIET DISCO - If you like your rock and roll rough and ready - and let’s face it, who doesn’t - this lot are probably bang up your street. But they can do gentle too, don’t pretend you don’t love a ballad as well. HEY! ALASKA - All bands should come with added punctuation. Something more for the kids here, but there’s enough in the singy-shouty vocals to suggest these could be one to look out for in the future. CATTLE & CANE - It would be too obvious to compare this lot - partly made up of a bunch of Hammills, it’s a family affair - to Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons and that ilk, but well, they sound like them. Very earnest, but not so much as to be sickly. Probably the least north-east sounding band of the lot. LITTLE COMETS - Once looked likely to be huge, but vocalist Robert Coles is just too much of an acquired taste for the mainstream.

But that shouldn’t put you off. Tunes like Adultery and Joanna have indie club classics stamped all over them. The north-east’s answer to Pulp? Perhaps.

FRANKIE AND THE HEARTSTRINGS - You probably thought pop music this sophisticated and glorious could only come out of somewhere glamorous.

You’d be wrong. Frankie and gang lit the blue touch paper and stepped back with an album packed with gems, including the standout anti-love song Ungrateful. THE SMALL SCREEN LIGHT SHOW - On hiatus at the moment, this lot from Seaham are my favourite of the bunch. Capturing teen heartbreak as anyone else, it’s hard not to fall in love with boy-girl vocals singing “I’m not used to letting go - so I’ll just hold on” on the modestly-titled I Am The Future.

Jamie Smith

The north-east’s answer to Pulp?

19

We also recently had the chancellor of our unelected coalition government announce a 1p cut on fuel duty and the media treat him as some sort of messiah. Nobody is speaking up for what a state the country appears to be in. Nicky Wire was doing this job 15 years or so ago.

Who is taking over the mantle? Who is going to be the voice of the 500,000 people who marched on London?

Indeed, perhaps it is the slow ascent experienced by the Chapman Family - they twice featured on NME tours two years ago - that puts them in the position of not having to bow down to the wishes of press officers, media relations gurus and whatever non-jobs suits get up to in record companies.

“We think the majority of the music industry is bullshit and is built on lies. I’ve heard countless stories of major record companies buying up hundreds of thousands of records to push artists to the forefront to give people the impression of being successful in order to fool the public into buying it. I’m bored of us all getting fooled and patronised by a load of circle jerking corporate coke addicts who think the very last piece of the jigsaw is integrity, when in reality it should be the first.”

Kingsley claims some of Burn Your Town is “quite romantic” when I put it to him it’s full of anger and frustration at the world but adds: “It’s really a product of every day I’ve had of my life from when I open my eyes on a morning to when I shut them when I go to bed.

“You are a product of where you’re from and what you’ve seen and at this present time I don’t hear 99% of the supposedly popular music of today when I wander the streets of Teesside or see the North Sea crashing against a worn down battered coast - I just wanted something that would maybe represent how I see the world.

Behind the monochrome noise we’ve always wanted to be technicolour and I hope parts of the album show that.”

The microphone lead-botherer (more on that later) also has words that will warm the cockles of the heart of anyone. “I don’t live in the Gaga Universe or the Mumfordisation of what is seen as acceptable - they’re foreign lands to me - but just as they’re hopefully being honest to their beliefs and being true to their vision then so am I. The main message of the whole thing is to try and encourage people to take control of their lives - we’ve stood back for too long and been walked all over.

People should look at the reality of living, realise they only get one shot at it and go for it, not be held back in some pissy shit job or a destructive relationship or be frightened to express themselves in any way whatsoever.

Part of the reason why I started the band was to escape from my hell on earth call centre job where I would be encouraging people to take out insurances they didn’t really need. Financially it was suicide, but life isn’t about money my life has genuinely been transformed by bashing out a couple of chords on an acoustic guitar and playing them to Paul.

How

“I was bored of seeing bands both big and small not seemingly giving a shit about the audience but still expecting that hideous rock idolisation and love purely because they managed to stand still on stage for half an hour singing some passable indie rock - all I’m doing is trying to take it a step further and say that we DO give a shit, we’re not going to treat you like idiots and we’ll do whatever it takes to entertain you,” Kingsley stresses.

“Whatever it t a k e s . ”

1. Start a band by combining the sounds of two or more previously critically acclaimed hype bands from recent years and crudely mash them together to give you a new unique sound.

marketing team has done studies and has decided which demographic you’re going to be aimed at).

5. Do interviews but be careful not to be too opinionated (at least until your

9. Play a triumphant slot at Leeds/Reading just as “the big single” drops.

6. Release a pretend DIY single even though you’re funded by a major; get a slot on the BBC Sounds of… list and hopefully 2. Create make a cheeky slot on Jools’ believe buzz hype in the autumn in London Hootenanny if you’re lucky. to get the suits’ tongues wagging.

7. With a bit of luck get the prestigious 3. Get a famous opening band slot influential celebrity radio taste making DJ on the NME Awards “on board”; get a slot Tour; release your slightly hastily put on Jools Holland as together album in “the ones to watch” March; in October despite only ever playing in 8. Play an understated the capital to your slot at Glasto but influential mates. with maximum TV 4. Do a small sold out coverage, ideally play an exclusive acoustic tour in tiny venues set to Jo Whiley to get the provincial whilst wearing wellies towns onside powered by hype and and a fucking straw hat. your one good song.

Job done. You are the future of music.

Kingsley Chapman

21

For some people, you get the feeling they haven’t given the whole ‘being in a band’ thing much thought and they’ve just fallen into it by some sort of lucky accident, or nepotism. But with the Chapman Family there’s a genuine sense that they want to make a difference to people’s lives, to empower them, to offer hope that there really is more out there.

“I think the message I want people to take away from it all is that it’s not OK to settle for mediocrity and that if you really want to get somewhere in life the only way to do it is to kick yourself up the arse and just do it,” says Kingsley.

“You don’t have to put up with things you see as wrong - you should be able to question authority without fear and not be made to accept the norm. Don’t give in to corporate mind control and most importantly listen to your fucking heart.”

So there you go. Consider yourself roused, you rabble. Oh, and the microphone thing? It’s hard to put into words, but basically, during the closing song of the live Chapman Family show A Million Dollars, Kingsley methodically wraps the microphone lead around his neck and strangles himself. But why?

The pattern is established and it

goes something l i k e t h i s :

I’m fed up of “ones to watch lists” and people telling me which bands I should be listening to for the next six months – music is not a competition or something that should be decided by committee. Furthermore it’s not about some corporate industry executives buying their little starlets a fast track to fame so they can continue in their greedy wanker lifestyle.

C h a p t e r

2

–

S m e l l s

l i ke

B a d

B a n d

S p i r i t

POP NOODLE VS BANDS Words by Chris Pop Noodle layout and illustration: Lauren Jones

Woop Woop! You’ve just discovered your Uncle Jeffery’s long-

lost nephew ‘Archer’. He was the lucky barstard who got the A&R (coffee procurement and footrubs) work experience position at the local record label ! Yep, it’s the same label solely run by the slightly-podgy rich kid in the year above at their fancy head office (well...his parents spare study from 9-11pm on Thursdays).

You decide to get in touch with this Archer nugget directly, by going “online”, and after a quick search you discover he himself actually happens to be one of your 4972 friends on Facebook! He agrees to come along to watch your band, ‘The Mildly Crusty Eggnogs’, at the upcoming giggywiggy in the village horse stable. You’ve naturally invited all of your own 4972 Facebook friends to come along- so it should be the perfect time to impress him amongst your hoofing massive fanbase and then make it to the big-time. Just before show time amidst your deeply loyal fanbase of all 6 kids (who heard there would be free Hobnobs if they attended), A&R kiddo Archie makes his grand entrance...accompanied by the label king/bossyman/ eggybread himself to check out what all the fuss is about- good thing your mum called his mum about the show, maybe.

After plugging into your 10 Watt Argos amp before you start your set, you naturally start to twiddle the first 18 notes of that Van Halen guitar solo you learnt last night on Youtube. Meanwhile, your bassist wants to show the audience that tricky ‘Smoke On The Water’ riff he learnt.... The crowd must think this sounds “so rad!” . After all, the show hasn’t started yet so why not play what you want and entertain them? The drummer tests out his drum kit by playing a punk-fuelled blast beat filler for the next 32 seconds. The combination of musical contrast is simply immense, so much so that you start to get that tingly sensation in your tightie-whities. You look up at to make eye-contact with the embarrassed 9-people strong audience and, oh wait... there’s actually only 7 now???!?! It suddenly dawns on you that both Archie and the record label head honcho have left before you’ve even started playing ‘Wonderwall’. Oh gawd, they must have left for the other farm-gig to scope out the heavily asthmatic twins with the Tuba skills instead – but... but why????

Because no-one, no matter how awesome you may think your quiff-buzzed blue hairdo’s, pink-coloured friendship bracelets and slightly-ripped converse trainers are, wants to see your band fiddle randomness with your instruments either before or inbetween your songs at a gig. No-one. Not fans, not media, not industry and not even your mum wants to hear the Scar Tissue or Smells Like Teen Spirit riff at a gigsave that guff for the bedroom. Come play along with the rest of us in society and aim to keep it just a little bit swish by performing your songs in a somewhat structured, or dare I say professional, manner and you’ll come across as a much tighter unit overalleven if none of you can actually play or sing a note in tune! On a related subject, bands please read the following carefully, for all of our sakes please.

Guitarists, please buy a tuner!

Trust me you’ll look much sexier when you’re tuning up in silence and the crowd will certainly appreciate hearing themselves make cracks about your bassist’s neon-blue moustache instead of suffering through 139 seconds of bong-ba-bo-baboobooing to then finally hearing the fatal words of “You absolutely sure your bottom E is in tune, Kev?” And if you must insist on trying to impress the opposite sex whilst on stage, please, please, please don’t wink at them – it only confuses the rest of us around your chosen unlucky target. We’re shocked as it is as to why you might want to genuinely wink at someone in this day and age-so we really don’t need to suffer through the confusion of whether or not we’ve “scored” , let alone whether we should be chuffed or ashamed that we get the dirt signal from some hairy-chested singer wearing tight leather slacks accompanied with a lemon yellow crop top...ok?

23

illustrator showcase

Fran Hooper

contact: franhooper267@hotmail.com

Jason Hynes

27 Originating from a joke and extended rant by film reviewers Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo on their BBC Radio 5 Live show, Bejnamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins is a mashed, mixed, stirred finally brewed up and produced ‘Percy Jackson meets Harry Potter’ spoof. So if you have a soft spot for ginger heroes, hocused bogus magic stuff and some good ol’ Rockin tunes, then hold tight to your wand, grab your banjo and don’t forget your dancing shoes as director Jeremy Dylan takes you on an unforgettable trip Down Under.

Words: Claudia Menting Layout and illustration: Scott Johnston

Meet Benjamin Sniddlegrass from Cockfosters, a socially awkward redhead with a burning passion for Johnny Leroy and the Impulsives. Growing up in a bathtub alongside his evil aunt David Morrissey life has not always been a slice of pie but this is all about to change when an unexpected package arrives for him one luscious sunny morning.

His life then takes a sudden twist as he is whisked off, using a nifty bit of teleportation, from England to Australia where he uncovers his magical heritage and begins to learn the true extent of his magical abilities. As Benjamin starts to settle into his new home and expand his wardrobe he stumbles upon a malevolent conspiracy that is being plotted against him.

Narrated by Steven Fry’s soothingly silky voice, Jeremy Dylan offers us a delightful taste of romance, comedy, magic and some golden oldie Skiffle music but will this be enough to help Benjamin solve the mystery of the cauldron of penguins and defeat his gorilla-masked nemesis in time to save his beautiful newfound lover Scarlett McKenna? Jeremy Dylan gives us the inside scoop.

You came across the film idea from a comment made by Mark Kermode. Did you have any budding ideas previous to this?

Were any of them adapted to fit Benjamin Sniddlegrass?

Immediately before BSATCOP came along, I was gearing up to make a short film about Hollywood executives trying to turn Jesus Christ into the next Summer Super-Hero franchise. I’d say the tone was quite similar in many ways, but I don’t think I carried over any specific ideas.

It’s just your typical

The title song ‘Bad Man’ was originally recorded for a short film I shot in 2009 called ‘Have a Cigar’. That version plays over the end titles. The new version I produced for our opening titles recasts the song as an R&B numbers, with Naseem Alinejad stepping up to be our Sharon Jones.

romantic-horrorfantasy-sci-fi-

mystery-horror-

Other than that, musical-adventurethe whole film is as

comedy

completely original as something that’s intentionally derivate can be.

What elements

25

The Cauldron of Penguins

Benjamin Sniddlegrass and

You skip through several different filming styles, what was the appeal of filming in this manner rather than sticking to one particular method?

I think different scenes lend themselves to different stylistic flourishes. Some scenes the aim was to just frame the actors in the way that didn’t get in the way of their performances. Other scenes called for some more adventurous camera moves and aggressive editing. Comedy, particularly verbal comedy, is not a genre where you should be getting

Our final day of shooting covered all the exterior scenes around the harbour, where Ben and Pentangle first meet against the backdrop of Lunar Park. This was a trying shoot, a very hot day with many small children attempting to spoil our shots by pointing excitedly at the camera equipment.

We shot all the scenes of Ben and Scarlett’s dormitories at a local motel. I shudder to think what kind of film the other guests’ thought we were making when they saw a shirtless guy and a girl in a sheer nighty flirting in the corridor with a film crew hovering over them. Ben’s Cockfosters residence was all filmed at my place (always a good costsaving method) – for the record, I do not myself sleep in the bath.

We used Epping Boys High School for Fairport Academy. I was determined that Ben’s magic school look like an actual school, not some post Oxbridge college. They were extremely generous and let us shoot in their library, classrooms, executive office and grounds over two days.

How did you come across the different sets for the film?

Our sound recorder, Liam Bray, is in a band called Panzer Queen, and I went along to a gig of theirs at the Exchange Hotel when I was writing the screenplay. It occurred to me that every room was decorated in a contrasting style, and shot correctly they could look like completely separate buildings.

So that gave me the locations for the Performance Hall, Lord Emmerich’s Lair, the Pool Hall and the second dream sequence.

I decided, when I was 16, the I was going to make my first feature film by the time I was 21 and if I didn’t make BSATCOP I knew I wouldn’t hit my target.

That said it wouldn’t have occurred to me to actually make the thing if I hadn’t received encouragement from Mark and Simon and the many fans from Eastern Europe who sent me nice emails.

attracted you to the making of this film?

It was an opportunity to be wonderfully selfindulgent and to combine a whole load of influences into something I knew there was an audience for.

The best thing I did as a director is cast the film well, hire the right crew and try and create an environment where they could work together to maximise their potential.

What can you say about your directing techniques, is there anything you specifically strive for?

I’m a writer first and a director second, so I think the most important goal of any director should be to reinforce the story and not to draw too much attention to yourself. My direction is not the star of this film, Andrew Griscti is.

The musical sequences called on my experience directing music videos, and show off a bit of Ken Russell’s influence. In a few cases, my cinematographer Yavor Dimitrov came up with some effective shot compositions that let us capture a whole scene in one shot, which is a great way to build tension.

too fancy. Two-shots are better than a swooping helicopter shot because the important thing is the joke and the reaction.

an

The music/ musicians play a key part in the film, can you tells us how you came across Johnny Leroy & The Impulsives? (And for all the rockin’ folk near our parts where can they get a hold of the music featured in your film?)

I’m as proud of our soundtrack as any other element of the picture. You can pick it up at "http:// sevenshellsmedia.bandcamp.com/" http:// sevenshellsmedia.bandcamp.com/ Johnny Leroy and the Impulsives are a band I put

I brought Alec Doomadgee (Pentangle) in to give an injection of strong masculine presence to the film – which we didn’t have a great deal of. He played the part like a brash, no-nonsense father, which made him distinct from just being a Hagrid analogue.

Dorian Newstead (Werner Herzog) is the most experienced cast member and his gift for small moments of improvised physical comedy was a godsend. Every time we had Dorian on set it was like working with Mel Brooks.

an absolute gift to any filmmaker. She has a Diana Rigg quality to her, to my mind, a truly vivacious energy that makes her seem several steps ahead of you. I wish I could’ve worked her skill as a dancer into the film. Maybe next time.

Catherine Davies (Scarlett McKenna) has wonderfully expressive eyes, which is

Andrew Griscti (Benjamin Sniddlegrass) combines an innately sympathetic quality with immense personal charisma and has the range to play the nerd and the rock star. I wrote the part of Benjamin Sniddlegrass for him and his work ethic and sheer stamina was extremely impressive across the whole production – he’s in practically ever scene of the film.

How did you come across the cast and crew for the film? What are the challenges / advantages working with them as a team or individually?

Most of the cast are people I’ve seen in amateur musical productions around Sydney and mentally marked them down as people I’d like to work with. The exception is Alec Doomadgee (Pentangle) is a radio presenter, but he does have some acting experience too.

The music and the Rock Star allure make the overall magical theme seem less important, was this intentional?

I substituted rock music for magic. Part of this is personal preference – I’d much rather be able to play bass than turn someone into a frog – and part of it is budgetary constraints. I knew we could turn out some really effective, juicy rockabilly numbers and sell the sensuality and appeal of that, but we’d only be able to do middling, cheesy SFX. What was your inspiration for turning Ben Sniddlegrass into a Rock Star superhero over a more Potter-esque magician?

Elvis Costello is cooler than Harry Potter. No contest.

Also, I wanted to put a more distinctive spin on the look of the film rather than have a bunch of guys standing around in a dark robes. It was much more appetizing to me to dress Ben up as a rocker and Scarlett as a mod.

What do you try to achieve in relation to your cast/ crew whist making a film?

They say 90% of a director’s job is casting and I knew I’d picked a dynamic and engaging collection of actors for the film. My job was making them feel comfortable on camera and helping them maintain some kind of continuity in performance as we shot out of sequence with big gaps between shooting days.

I had an exemplary crew, all of them doing more than just their own jobs. Yavor, my DOP, was relentlessly hard working, inventive and was constantly firing great ideas at me. I ended up giving him a Producer credit because of all the logistical organization he contributed to.

We had two excellent hair and makeup artists.

Nancey Abouhamad who worked on our first shoot followed by Jasper Newstead who worked on the other six shoots I had very specific ideas about the characters’ looks, particularly the Marianne Faithful hair for Scarlett and Ben’s quiff. They did a great job of executing them. I should also give Jasper credit for creating the wonderful wild Professor Mumblecore hair out of thin air.

Liam Bray is credited the Sound Recorder but he was also production assistant and an absolute professional who had to work in some very trying conditions for the audio. Having him on set was just a huge load off my mind.

As a Director how do you feel you have influenced your cast/crew and do you feel they equally inspire you?

I like to think my searing breadth of vision inspired total confidence in my ungodly talent and skill but I suspect it was more they did their jobs and hoped I knew what I was doing.

There wasn’t a member of the cast or crew that didn’t contribute a great idea to the film in addition to just doing their jobs – a piece of blocking, an easier way to accomplish something, etc. and we really felt like a team, which I think is essential when you’re working on such a tight schedule.

What would you consider are the biggest challenges you have faced working on this film?

Generally, making a feature film for $10,000 is a constant series of challenges and compromises.

Specific challenges included trying to light an elevator that had a large mirror covering the back wall, shooting on a moving train with no permit and recording sound in a club with a 30 decibel air conditioning system we couldn’t turn off. Things like that are simpler to work around when you have the money to build sets.

There was also the initial challenge of having to write a coherent screenplay based on the title ‘Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins’.

Which scenes of the film were the most fun and what characters have been the most entertaining to film?

(Without too many spoilers!)

Werner Herzog was the most fun to write especially since I got to pepper in real quotes from the man himself and Dorian had a lot of fun with those eccentricities on set.

The most fun to shoot

27

I was really lucky there was a real chemistry between the three when we all got into Jeff Cripps’ recording studio in Riverwood. We arranged the two songs quickly and cut them all live overdubbing maracas on one of them and we were done.

Tim Sampson used to intimidate me a lot because he was a ‘proper musician’ – he can do incredibly complex, fiddly bass parts. This is probably the least he’s ever played on a session.

Riley Maher is the guitarist who I’ve known since high school and have used on a lot of sessions. He looks like Keith Richards and can play the James Burton / Carl Perkins style guitar with absolute authenticity, so I brought him in on this.

together for the film. I had the idea of Ben idolizing this Elvis-style figure due to their shared hair colour and I knew Jon Sewell, a singer and guitarist from a local Ska-Punk band called Jump the Shark. I thought he’d be ideal as a punk singer who would bring the same excitement and intensity the early rock’n’roll singers did.

and s h o ot t h e

synthe s i z e r s .

Did you have this style of music in mind previous to the making of this film?

I’ve always loved proper rock’n’roll music. There are few things in life more exciting that Chuck Berry singing No Particular Place to Go. Plus, the whole ethos of everyone standing in the same room, playing together organically appeals to be more and more as pop music becomes more computerized and clinically put together.

Blow up the drum machines and shoot the synthesizers.

was the stuff at Ben’s house – we weren’t on a location where we had to get out exactly at a certain time so we had total control over the conditions and Andrew and Linda (Aunt David) were both having a ball. The scene of Ben dancing in the bathtub was a blast.

Editing the Johnny Leroy stuff was the most enjoyable part of post-production. I got to pull out all my fancy-schmancy editing tricks and cut to a great track that I never got sick of which I guess is a testament to Mike Carr and Nikki Bennett’s writing.

How would you describe Benjamin Sniddlegrass and what makes this film unique?

It’s just your typical romantic-horror-fantasy-scifi-mystery-horror-musical-adventure-comedy I suppose. It’s the story of a geeky redhead from Cockfosters who discovers he’s a wizard and must travel Down Under to learn magic under the watchful eye of Mr Pentangle and eccentric Bavarian filmmaker Werner Herzog. While a romance blooms with enigmatic mod Scarlett McKenna he must face the sinister machinations of madman Lord Emmerich, a vicious mastermind with the head of a gorilla. Also Skiffle music.

If you can’t tell what makes it unique from that description, you’re probably outside the target demographic.

individuality.

What would be your top 5 adjectives when recommending the film to a stranger?

If I were going for accuracy ‘Adventurous, Wry, Odd, Rock’n’roll and Lean’.

If I were going for maximum audience ‘Justin Bieber Lady Gaga Beyonce’.

There’s a good mix of magic, fantasy and even a bit of science fiction, have these genres always been a part of your life? Any favourite shows or books that inspire you?

I think a sense of magic is inherent in all proper movies but in terms of sci-fi and fantasy like Star Wars or Trek, my geekdom has never led too far in that direction. I enjoy Dr Who and Back to the Future immensely which are romantically flavoured adventure stories that use the sci-fi trappings as a storytelling device rather than the point of the narrative. There’s very little in the way of magical spells or extraneous technobabble in BSATCOP because I don’t think people really care. People will buy into these fantastic ideas in their broad strokes as long as they’re tied into character dynamics people can relate to. This story could easily be about Ben running away to join the circus and the thematic elements of the film wouldn’t change.

As in Independent filmmaker what do you try to achieve through your films? Any subliminal messages?

As an Independent filmmaker I try not to seem like an Independent filmmaker. Rather controversially I feel Independent films should be about active characters who do things and not always about people looking dour in a de-saturated colour palette.

‘Sometimes normal is just another word for ordinary’.

How can the folks over here get their hands on a copy of the film?

Depending on your personal proclivities you can plop for either a Digital Download of the film or the Special Edition DVD. Both are available at benjaminsniddlegrass. com and you get a complimentary digital download when you buy the DVD. Also free cocaine*.

Not really, I’m just hoping Charlie Sheen will buy a copy.

Where did the inspiration come from for the Gorilla faced villain?

Ken Hanke, a friend of mine and film critic extraordinaire, often speaks of films in terms of their ‘simian value’. I had access to a marvellous gorilla mask and thought it would make an excellent disguise for my villain, Lord Emmerich. The character is a mishmash of Lord Voldemort and every Bond villain ever created with a modern embodiment of the auteur – Roland Emmerich (from 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow). Ludicrously talented McKenna, who is also the penguin during the library sequence, provided the voice-over. She modelled her take on the character of Christina Hendricks in Mad Men and I think the juxtaposition between voice and visage is effective.

If there’s a message in BSATCOP it’s summed up by Scarlett’s line – ‘Sometimes normal is just another word for ordinary’. It’s definitely a story that embraces and celebrates eccentricity and

the bands parts on the guitar at once. Watching that at a gig it seems like a magical power.

Either that or time travel so I could go back in time to Feb 14, 1970 and see The Who play at Leeds University.

Your film editor got carried away with the credits at the end, did he surprise you with this or were you really expecting no one to watch until the extreme end?

Well I am the film editor so I can’t say I surprised myself particularly. Those end title gags are a bit of an Easter egg – a reward for the faithful who stick it out to the bitter end.

For my last question (with a bit of cheese filling): which magical power would you learn first and what would do with it?

This is an interesting one. Talking about superpowers one could learn I’d have to go with finger-style guitar playing. Which is the Tommy Emmanuel/ Chet Atkins style of guitar playing where you play all

Contact: karonteaka@hotmail.com

illustrator showcase

Daniel Acacio

29

Danthepan.carbonmade.com

Are you happy with the way the record is taking shape?

Te s s B u r n e t Wo rd s: C h r is Pu r n e l l

Absolutely. We are in post-production right now, and I am feeling very positive. This has been a long time coming. I have been apart of other bands, and played on other people’s records for a while now, and that has always been a sort of collaboration that never really happens in the end - then I go off to work with another band and the same thing happens all over again. So finally I realized that if I ever wanted to make my own mark on things, I have to stop beating around the bush and put out my own record.

Did your experiences with other bands influence the sound of this record?

Now in 2011, Tess is working on her first solo record under the name Au Ras Au Ras, which was funded in part by fans and complete strangers through the website KickStarter.com.

After emailing her a few times, and sort of begging, she agreed to a telephone interview. After checking the time difference between my home in the UK and Tess’s home in Houma, Louisiana again, I was all set to phone her at 11pm. To be honest I was nervous, and that showed in the way my dry throat and quivering voice made for the strangest sounding “Hello” I have ever given anyone.

I listen back to the tape of the conversation I had with Tess while writing this, my second attempt at an introduction. The first attempt was good, but the problem was that it wasn’t appropriate for our conversation. I won’t lie; that introduction was very funny, heartwarming, and I think it would have made everyone see the world a little bit differently.

But our conversation was raw, honest, and it wasn’t funny at all; bits of it made me want to cry. So with just a few minor cuts for editing and space, this is Tess on her new album, raising the funds to record from fans, the split from Deadboy and the Elephantmen, and her life.

And how would you describe that sound?

Au

Gosh… It’s got a little bit of everything. It’s got some R&B elements to it; it has electronic elements going on, but also a lot of organic instrumentation at the same time. Sonically it is tough for me to say, and I know for a lot of musicians that is an easy cop-out answer to give, but I believe whole-heartedly that this sound is truly unique, and I don’t think people have heard anything quite like it yet.

Where did the desire come from to make an album like that? Music you were listening to or…

Yes and no. I was influenced by a couple of records.

The first oddly enough is Lil’ Wayne. You know him?

He’s a mega, superstar rapper.

Au

Lauded by the glitterati and championed by radio stations, Deadboy and the Elephantmen’s 2006 album “We Are the Night Sky” proved they were worth the hype. Often unfairly compared to, but not unlike, that hugely successful American candy-cane coloured rock duo at the time, Dax Riggs on guitar and vocals and Tess Brunet on drums, gained major label success, TV appearances, and a tour that went far and wide playing to millions. A year later the band had split.

Dax continued to work solo, and Tess went on to work with The Generationals, Twin Tigers, and Lady Bo. To put it mildly, Tess is very successful – especially when you consider that seven years ago she was teaching herself to play the drums in a recording studio she worked at in New York as an accounts receivable manager.

No, not really. I think if you go into making a record with a certain sound in mind for it, then it can end up sounding contrived. I try to not think about those things when I’m making music. I like to let things happen naturally. I think the sound of this record is particularly unique to me.

I

giggl ed.

He’s from my hometown, and he didn’t influence me musically, but he inspired me. Also A.A Bondy’s last record, the new Lower Dens record, but whenever I am stuck in rut, I will put on an Al Green CD.

What is it about Al Green that you find inspiring?

I think it’s what he puts into it. He is bearing it all. It’s inspiring to see someone just put it all out there.

Is that why you like Lil’ Wayne?

Yeah, it is. And I am sure there are people out there that find that style obnoxious (laughs) and I get that, but what I appreciate in an artist is rawness and honesty. There is so much stuff that just sounds contrived to me right now, and that is really disheartening and kind of bothersome. It was really important to me that with this record I make something that was genuinely honest and from the heart.

How did you find raising money to record the album?

It would have taken me a lot longer to make this record if I hadn’t used the website KickStarter – and parts of me think it’s weird. There are people on the site asking for 20 grand to make a record or something insane like that, so I was trying to do it for a reasonable amount. I wanted to see what

Where did you hear about KickStarter?

I had heard about it on the radio and newspapers, and then my one of my old band mates had told me that someone they knew had used KickStarter to raise money for a record they were making. They created a video - just of them asking for donations, and people had donated! I couldn’t believe it. I looked into, and hesitated for 3 months before I actually did it. I almost didn’t do it. I felt really weird about it, and I still kind of do. I had all these reservations, but then I thought I could give it a try, and if I fail, well no harm done.

Why were you apprehensive?

Because I was asking people to pledge money to fund my record.

That still sounds crazy.

I was reluctant because I wasn’t sure I would have donated had the shoe been on the other foot. And I know a lot of people post far worthier projects on there for building schools and hospitals in Africa, so why the hell would mine be so special? And it just brought out a lot of my hang-ups and fears. And finally I just thought – fuck it! Who cares? I am over thinking this thing, this is stupid, I just need to get on with it and see what happens.

So I ended up meeting my goal, and now because of that I am able to make this record.

What did you do before you were in the music business?

Basically, I graduated from high school and took off for a year, and then I went to college for two years…

Te s s c o n t i n u e d t o b r e e z e p a s t h e r life, so I interrupted -

What did you study in college?

I studied business administration and computer science.

That’s really as far away from the music business as you could get.

What drove you to that?

Well, I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at that point. When I was 13 or 14 I was singing at some gigs with my uncle who is in a rock cover-band, but I didn’t have a plan. I was one of those kids that don’t know what they want to do, and it takes them a while to figure it out.

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I could raise myself from publishing from songs, and then ask for donations on KickStarter.

And without KickStarter I would probably have been waiting another year before I could make the record that I wanted to make. I’ve done home recording before with an E.P I put on Myspace under the name of Animal Electric, and I appreciate that, and I appreciate people who do home recording, but that’s not what I wanted to do with this record.

Where was this? Where did you grow up?

I grew up partly in New Orleans, Louisiana, and partly in Houma, which is an hour south of New Orleans.

What is Houma like?

It’s a small town. It’s all oil and seafood related industries; shrimping, trolling, and also very construction orientated. It’s a blue-collar town.

Where your family in that sort of business?

Was there any chance of you following in their footsteps?

Well, I kind of knew from the start that I wouldn’t be following in their footsteps. All of the options before my eyes didn’t appeal to me, so I reluctantly went to college. No one in my family had ever been before.

Did you feel any pressure being the first?

No, because my parents discouraged me from going, believe it or not. They are very old fashioned, and they wanted me to get married and have kids, find a man and settle down right away.

What do your family think of you now? Are they supportive?

They didn’t support me at all in the beginning.

There was a lot of adversity from the get-go. My dad said I was living a pipe dream and I would never make it. I got told that stuff pretty regularly by a lot of people. So no, initially there wasn’t a lot of support at all, but once our first record got reviewed in Rolling Stone, then they were the first people bragging to their friends. They’ve come a long way, and now they are supportive, but it took a long time to get to that point with them. But in like anything you do, not everyone is going to hold your hand and be supportive, or you hope not (laughs). Just the other day I told my mum that I had shown the rough cuts from my new record to a label and they really liked it and where excited about it - so I’m feeling like this has a lot of potential - and her first words were “We’ll see about that.”

Wow. Right? I know. It’s pretty brutal.

Does that not border on psychological abuse?

Well yeah, and that definitely does something to you. It definitely influences you and drives you in some way. I mean, you can choose to allow that to drive you forward, or you can choose to let that beat you down. Fortunately I choose the first.

I have a similar relationship with my father, but I still crave his validation.

Yeah, of course. Family is such a weird fucking thing sometimes. I mean you obviously love them – they are your family, but there can be lots of things you don’t like about them. It all comes down to really accepting that their ways are weird, and knowing that in their own way they support you - not in the way that you want them to perhaps.

Are they the same way with your sisters?

Maybe with one, but not so much with the other two, as they have successful marriages and kids

and that whole thing. So in my parent’s eyes they both took the path they were suppose to, and they both fitted the mould my parents made for us. I don’t mean to knock them or the lives they chose, and I am definitely not judging, but for them that’s probably why they haven’t had the same relationship that I and my other sister have with our parents. My other sister gets an element of what I get, but with me it is very different.

Do you ever wish you could fit they mould they made for you?

I want to say no, but there are moments when I do think about that. Here in Houma, or even in New Orleans there is a lot of conformity, and it would be nice to just be satisfied with that.

Did you have a happy childhood?

No, no, not at all.

Why was that?

I was adopted by the age of 3. And basically from the time that I was born till the time that I was 3 I was physically abused, and from 3 till I was in 5th or 6th grade (9-10 years old) I was sexually abused by my adopted grandfather. They were all huge things in my life growing up.

I felt Tess holding back when talking about her life before she was in the music business, so I kept on pushing. I feel my curiosity led us down a path she didn’t want me to go down. My inexperience as a fully functioning adult, capable of empathy and eloquence caused me to sit in stunned silence as she opened up about her childhood. My inexperience as an interviewer then caused me to stop my tape, out of fear that what she was telling me was something she would regret. Tess would later tell me “I don’t mind talking about these things because I know that it’s a problem we face in our society, and I know we are not the only country exclusive to it. It happens everywhere. If someone can be inspired, or gain anything from my story then that’s great.”

She continued, so I restarted my tape.

After college I moved to Boston with some friends, because there was nothing going on for me, and they were looking for a roommate. I just really wanted to get out of Louisiana. I ended up working on cancer research as an assistant for the chief of the Cancer Institute in Boston. Then I kind of got sick of Boston, and I moved to New York. I worked as a waitress, while all the time hassling SIR studios to give me a job. I just wanted to be surrounded by music in some way shape or form. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I didn’t know I would become a musician - I just wanted to be near it. So I worked there for a year and a half as an accounts receivable manager, and on my lunch break and after work when there was no one around I would go into one of the studios that had a drum kit set up, and I would play around with.

You would just sneak in?

At first, but they began to encourage it. A lot of the guys thought it was cool, you know? “This girl trying to play drums…” So they would come in and

write down a two bar measure of a rock beat, and give me that as homework and tell me “by tomorrow when you come in, you have to know how to play this.” And I did that for 3 months straight, and towards the end I felt like I had made up my mind – making music is what I wanted to do. I came back home to join a band with Dax (Riggs) - Deadboy and the Elephantmen, and we recorded “We are Night Sky” in 2005.

How did you hook up with him?

I love that record.

He is controlling and not very open to collaboration. He is all of those clichés.

Oh, thank you very much. I don’t get any credit on that record, but I definitely influenced it for sure. Dax never wanted to give me any credit for most things, so…

My cousin and Dax convinced me to join. My cousin was in Deadboy and the Elephantmen at the time, and they were looking for a drummer. At that point, Dax had gone through a lot of band members, and drummers – I think I was the longest serving member of the band - and at that time no one was really playing with him at all except my cousin.

Why is that? Is he difficult to work with?

I would say so. I definitely had that experience. It was all pretty difficult.

How is he difficult?

Did your relationship with Dax get any better throughout recording the album or the tour afterwards?

No. The more success we got, the worse it became between us. Then it got to a point where I blew up, and instead of leaving on better terms and communicating with everyone, or saying to him that things aren’t working for me, I just blew up and I left during our tour. I got them to leave me on the side of the road, and I took a flight back home, as I just couldn’t deal with it anymore.

What was the final straw?

Why was that?

(Laughs) …Lets just say that he was doing things behind people’s backs that I didn’t agree with. It all kept adding up. I didn’t know for sure what he was saying about me as well, and it all left a very bad taste in my mouth. He was doing some very underhanded things. I knew that I couldn’t trust him.

Can I ask why you stayed in the band for so long if it was so bad?

I dunno…

I was so new to the whole thing, I wanted it so bad, and I was making a living playing music - and that was a whole new world to me – considering I had only been playing drums for six months before I got signed. It was all kind of mindblowing. But it was probably the lowest point of my life – and that’s ironic because things were really progressing with the band. There is no doubt in my mind that had Dax been good to me or played his cards right, things could have been really good for us. But it just didn’t turn out that way.

Were there any good moments with Deadboy and the Elephant for you?

Yeah. I think getting signed was super huge and really exciting in my eyes. It was way more exciting than the actual making of the record.

What did it feel like?

So what happens next? You said you had played some stuff off the new record for a label?

I sent some rough mixes to a couple of labels, and I got positive responses from both. But there is still a lot to be done. The record is still in post-production, and I don’t know how it will go. Everything is variable. I like to see what happens, and reassess as I go along. You have to if you want to keep moving forward.

You can follow the progress of Tess’s new record through Twitter @AuRasAuRas

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I believe wholeheartedly that this sound is truly unique, and I don’t think people have heard anything quite like it yet

I was excited. I was 25, I hadn’t been playing for very long, and the promise of something potentially great working out for me was really exciting. I was still getting to know Dax, and he seemed like an ok-enough guy. I thought we had good chemistry musically, and I thought this could be something great. I was still very young and new, and I had no idea what was in store - and that was thrilling.

Contents p6

Questions

p10

M i ke Le b o w s k i

p12

Ali Menzies

p16

North East rock Revival

p22

Pop Noodle

p25

Benjamin Sniddlegrass

p30

Te s s B u r n e t

p36

Graffiti: Through the lens

p40

Queens English

p42

Peatree Bojangles

p46

Obscure Couture

p50

Artist Showcase: Celeste

p64

Joystick Zine

illustrators Showcase p23 Fran Hooper p29 Daniel Acacio p52 Maks Andala

photographers p11 Scott Paterson

“I DON’T LIVE IN GAGA UNIVERSE”

p24 Jason haynes p41 Simon Lees p53 Daniel Grendon p59 Tedor Peevski p67 Robert Dowson

C O P Y R I G H T :

Content of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or part without permission of the publisher, Deelaney Ltd under the copyright designs and patent act of 1988. Trisickle Magazine tries to maintain that all information contained is correct. All views expressed are opinions of the writers, interviewees or illustrators, and not the editorial staff or publishers views. Deelaney Ltd cannot be held responsible for views shared by third parties.

p50

Contributors

Writers Adam Clery/Jonny Swindlehurst/ Andrew Hamilton/Catriona Reilly/Jillian Dingwall /Suzanna Marchant/Antonia Landi/ Connor O’Brien/Jamie Smith/Mike Lebowski/ ClaudiaMenting /Borja Suárez Fernández/ Chris Purnell/ Chris Popnoodle/ Michael Park.

Designers /Maks Andala/ Nick Sztymiak/Lauren Jones/ Daniel Baptista illustrators Emma Prentice/Martin Shepherd/Stephen Chadwick/ Iain Somerville/Fran Hooper/Daniel Acacio/ Maks Andala. Photograthers Borja Suárez Fernández/James Garner/ZEEFOTO/Rick Danks/ Richard Gilligan And the list is growing.

If you want to be involved contact the relevant department head down below and we will be in touch.

Danny_Jackson Founder danny.jackson@trisickle.com steph_Cosway Editor & Music Editor steph.cosway@trisickle.co.uk Sheryl_Findlay Sales & Marketing sheryl.findlay@trisickle.co.uk Scott_Johnston Art & Design Direction scott.johnston@trisickle.co.uk Laura_Tully Visual arts Editor laura.tully@trisickle.co.uk Laima_Dance Photo Editor laima.dance@trisickle.co.uk Sergio_Calvo Motion Arts Editor sergio.calvo@trisickle.co.uk

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p54 tri- fool p56 Trisicopes p57 Ag Uncles p58 Forum Skims p60 Music Reviews p62 Movies p66 Playlist

Ba ckg r o u n ds: Ja m e s G a r n e r E la in e Sp r in g ha l l

graff it i - t hr o u g h t he l e n s

A

couple of years ago, an interesting conversation with some fellow photographers regarding the issue of creativity vs documented reality took a sudden and strange turn to the difficulty of Photographing graffiti in a manner that captured such a form of art in an appropriate manner. We al l agreed it was true: it was difficult to photograph a graffiti and capture in the paper all the subjacent characteristics of that

particular art form. This got me thinking, and eventually gave born to the project

that I am about to present to you.

37

Propelled by that c o n v e r s a t i o n I s t a r te d p h o t o g ra p h i n g g ra ff i t i from as many distant places as possible (mainly in UK: Lo n d o n , Le e d s , M a n c h e s te r, N e w c a s t l e, b u t a l s o i n Spain and the Netherlands) i n a n a t te m p t t o o b t a i n d i ff e r e n t s t y l e s a n d , perhaps, recognize trends and other similarities that would enrich the project I had in mind. I sought to find a way in which I c o u l d r e i n te r p r e t g ra ff i t i i n a s t i l l i m a g e, f o c u s i n g o n s o m e of i t s p a r t i c u l a r t ra i t s a n d e n h a n c i n g t h o s e c h a ra c te r i s t i c s “ a r t i f i c i a l l y � , manipulating the pictures as if I were yet another g ra ff i t i a r t i s t i n c o r p o ra t i n g h i s o w n l a y e r of w o r k o v e r t h e g ra ff i t i e n c o u n te r e d on a wall that had already been used countless times before.

Borja

Suarez Fern andez,

The first thing that struck me as characteristically from graffiti was precisely that: its “blind” collaborative nature, where a final work stands as an amalgam of several artists who have worked over time, without agreement of any kind, rendering a final composition which is so full of different lines, colours, themes and styles that to the observer appears ultimately abstract.

And so I started overlaying patches of graffiti on top of each other, creating my own abstract and chaotic compositions of line and colour. Sometimes I drained their colour, to focus on line and form, other times I photographed the most psychedelic compositions, so I could focus on colour. On a couple of occasions I used those same abstract compositions as backgrounds, as initial layers of graffiti, over which I then proceeded to paste items from other graffiti found on nearby walls: the signature of an artist, a dynamic line, a spot of colour, a number rendered in beautiful calligraphy, a monster created by someone’s imagination… Most of the graffiti I was photographing had one thing in common: after so many people painting on top of each other, the compositions made no sense. They were sometimes beautiful, sometimes striking, but the elements on the top coating, the ones that had survived the killing process of a hundred layers engulfing one another stood in no relation whatsoever to each other, a sort of urban and modern exquisite corpse where the sheet of paper had been abandoned rather than passed along, but which had been rescued, extended and adapted later on nonetheless; without permission of the previous artists, without even their knowledge… without copyright!

to finish a work is to kill it

However interesting it was to be part of that artistic chain of disordered events, I also wanted to draw attention in my Photographs to the fact that each element of the “final” graffiti (although not final for long) was in fact a separate piece from a different “final” composition that had existed before. Under this concept I created other images where, rather than paste elements in a seamless manner, I took chunks of graffiti that had obviously been done by one and the same hand and then proceeded to create with them a composition where they could work as both elements of a bigger virtual wall but at the same time stand as individual pieces. The manner to do this was by separating each chunk from the others with a think black line. The result: a Mondrian like set of squares and rectangles, yet with nothing of the latter’s work’s neoplasticist purity. Ironically enough, but without any kind of intentionality, most of the graffiti portions I used for these images came from Photographs I had taken in Amsterdam.

Perhaps one of the most striking characteristics I observed was the similarity in between graffiti and hieroglyphic language. A number of symbols, mostly composed by simple lines or forms, sometimes signatures in such embellished calligraphy that made the individual letters all but indiscernible, tended to appear repeatedly along a stretch of wall, sometimes on different surfaces of urban furniture in close proximity, giving the sensation that either a person or a

group of people had travel along an invisible path marking a territory with their own archaic and incomprehensible language. The symbols reminded me of hieroglyphs and became the focus of yet another group of photographs, where I deliberately used and altered the symbols encountered to enhance their similarity with ancient figurative writing.

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A number of other experiments came up during the project, some of them very interesting and perhaps worthy of a project of their own, such as trying to create “chemical graffiti� over light sensitive paper (sometimes on top of blurred and tinted graffiti pictures to strengthen the connection). As Picasso said, to finish a work is to kill it; so this is not the end of the project, and you might see more of it in the future, but as for now, I hope you have enjoyed its beginning.

Introducing

En g l i s h Words: Jonny Swindlehurst

Hip Hop as a genre immediately carries with it a stereotype. We all have our preconceived ideas about who can make it, but as the fastest growing music scene since its inception this shouldn’t be the case. Who cares who makes it as long as it’s good?

“That’s exactly the problem” says Hass a.k.a.

Sherlock of UK Hip Hop crew Queens English.

Despite being voted Best Hip Hop at the 2010 Peoples’ Music Awards, the group which originated at Leeds University before moving to London, have had to face criticism Hip Hop is not for them.

“That’s exactly why Queens English exists” he continues. “When Hip Hop was first created it was done so by a specific class but it’s moved on now. It’s grown on from that, it’s so much more now.

Doing their own thing is very much part of the Queens English make-up. When formed conscious decisions were made not to just follow a trend, to rap in their accents and not to just attend underground gigs for the sake of it if wasn’t something they were feeling. It’s because of this it seems to them almost as if the UK has left them out - something which doesn’t faze them at all.

“We don’t like the way the British scene is introverted. The UK Hip Hop scene is very serious, there’s no one making jokes. We like to get on stage and have a laugh. I often introduce myself as the Hip Hop Freddie Mercury.”

This is one of the reasons they worked with Embee of Sweden’s Looptroop as their beats are a “little more bouncy, more like what we were doing”.

The influence of European Hip Hop is clear when listening to the group made up of lyricists Sherlock and Leon Rhymes blended with the soulful vocals of MC Source, backed up by Pikey Esq. (UK Beatbox 2006 & 2010 Finalist) and DJ / Producer Something Else. This is something Sherlock is keen to recognise when discussing their influences.

“We’re just average people. We’re not trying to hide from it; we’re just trying to make Hip Hop music. It doesn’t matter where you’re from as

long as you have something

“Each member is different and brings their own influences but I can say we’re all influenced by Saian Supa Crew, De La Soul and Non Fiction.”

It’s the French act (Saian Supa Crew), however, which they’re most enthused with.

to

.”

“Their flow and rapping ability is second to none.

It’s innovative and it’s interesting. When you listen to them it’s all about the flow. This is the closest which we want to get to.”

Having worked with the likes of DJ Skinny (a.k.a. Nu Balance), Babar Luck and Aries as well as Embee it’s clear that to lovers of Hip Hop as an art that Queens English hold something unique. The plaudits have already come in the form of the 2010 award and recognition from BBC Radio 6 and 4Music, but still some who grew up on Hip Hop in its earliest forms remain unconvinced of the expansion of the genre.

Hip Hop in its embryonic stages was all about innovation,

long may the innovation continue!

41

Simon Lees

Peatree Bojangles layout: Nick Sztymiak

In 2008 I entered a competition through dontpaniconline.com, who do all sorts of things for upcoming artists. My friend had always wanted an illustration of a tiger on her wall so I’d actually made it for her a while back and it just really seemed to fit the criteria for this competition. I was far too lazy to actually create an illustration just for the occasion so I didn’t really think much of it after I entered.

I actually thought mine was shit compared to the other entries, some of them were amazing, but mine actually won outright, I was really shocked. There was some phenomenal work for them to choose from but, for whatever reason, they chose mine. I was as delighted as I was surprised, which is something you don’t get to feel very often.

But then I forgot about it for months and when I started watching Misfits, there it was! I hadn’t been told it would be on the show or anything, it wasn’t a prize for winning the competition, but they’d contacted DontPanic and bought some images from them. I totally freaked out, ran around the room screaming and tried to take a few screen caps.

I wish they’d have told me it was going to be in the show but I was just too happy when I saw it to care. I was delirious, like a lonely woman who’d just caught a bouquet.

So, how’s the whole art thing going?

It’s going good, yeah. I’m on a hiatus at the moment, again. I always go through phases where I’ll illustrate shit-loads, almost non-stop, for months and then I just can’t be bothered with it anymore. So I have a break and then it all starts again. I need that month of so off, otherwise it all starts to feel a bit stale and laboured, which is no fun at all.

Obviously I have another job, a real job. I work as a “technical support assistant” for an accountancy firm, which isn’t very exciting. When I’m having an illustration binge then I spend all day at work, run home and spend all my time drawing, when I’m ‘on hiatus’ I pretty much just drink wine.

It’s a nice little balance actually. I’m very aware that it’s going to be difficult to have my illustrations as the focal point of my career, but it’s definitely an aspiration. That said, I do actually enjoy being a technical support assistant, it’s incredibly boring but I’m really fucking good at it. For example, an accountant called tech support the other day to spell administrator... that’s about as exciting as it gets.

It’s a bit like being a superhero I suppose, by day I ask people if they’ve “turned it off and on again”, by night I chug Jacobs Creek and scrawl maniacally.

43

But usually, just as you’ve peered deep into the chasm of resignation, an ancient golden relic appears on the horizon to light the path of woebegone deadbeats and wayward travellers alike. Some of you may call these “street signs”.

The metaphorical golden manger in question tonight was a small, cavernous live music venue just askew of Tottenham Court Road, quietly imbued with various musical specimens both well-groomed and grizzly. As such, the young lady in the mammoth faux-fur coat, politely slurping her cider as the rest of the room reverberated around her, stuck out like a chic, elegant thumb.

For anyone who has ever wandered cluelessly through central London on a Saturday night, you’ll probably be familiar with the cold, soul-sucking frustration that comes from your phone not finding the 3G signal required to load a map. For those of you who haven’t, it’s an experience I can only liken to floating endlessly through space with a three second loop of Ricky Gervais’laugh being pumped directly into your ear.

Words: Adam Clery

Speaking of Superheroes, your work ended up on Misfits, how did that happen?

Do you have a deliberate style?

Yeah I suppose there is, I always like them to look a little dark and sexy. Not dark in the colouring sense, but dark as in a bit menacing. I might have gone too far with the Macaulay Culkin one where he looks like he’s been physically abused, but I like them all to be slightly sinister.

Josh Homme

I’ve started on making my own webcomic but it’s sort of directed at kids (www.peatreebojangles.com/daft-panda), it’s not the direction I want to take with them but it’s a lot of fun and it’s been a good start. Being a comic book illustrator would be my absolute dream job. That’s my future hopefully, it’s been my dream since I was like 8.

±

I don’t really know how to classify my work, I like to use colours, I tend to avoid structure, that’s about my only guidelines.

I’d never change the name, I love it. I know it’s come from an ex, and that pissed me off at the time, but it’s mine now. I’ve done so much off the back of it, it’s part of who I am now.

My real passion though, is comics. I realised about half-way through my degree that my real passion was to be an illustrator and that all I wanted to do with my life was make comics. I grew up on Marvel comics and stuff like X-Men and Fantastic 4 and then eventually moved onto DC comics. I think that’s a right of passage for all comic books fans, Marvel’s your casual, entry level comic books, lots of big tits and bright colours. DC deals with slightly more grown up concepts I think.

It was a really nice to get recognition from things like that because of course, when you start, nobody gives a shit about your work, that’s true of most things. I was so determined to sell my work but more than anything I just wanted people to have it, so I would make as many different things as I could, hoping that eventually, some one might like it. I occasionally give away illustrations when I want things. I paid for a buffet the other night by promising to give someone a print, so they must be worth something.

It was a nickname an ex-boyfriend gave me which sort of stuck between me and all my friends, I was a little embarrassed to put my real name on my art, mostly because I hate my real name (Sharan Daliwhal), people find it hard to pronounce and it’s pretty dull anyway. I started illustrating this way right after the relationship ended so it just seemed like a natural thing to do. It allowed me to distance myself from the art, in case it was shit and nobody liked it.

I actually studied animation originally, I was so inspired by Tool’s music videos that I convinced myself that I could actually do that for a living. I’ve been approached to do some music videos and I keep saying no because I’m worried my work’s too shit. But everywhere I look now it seems that shit art is coming into vogue so maybe there’s a market for shit animations... maybe not.

I’m selling about 1 print a week now. Actually, claim to fame, Simon Singh (notable science writer and occasional Guardian columnist) sent me an email asking if I would illustrate his wife and kid for a xmas present. It was really sweet, but when I finished it I thought it looked a little too menacing and wasn’t sure if he’d like it, but he absolutely loved it. Or so he said.

Do you find it difficult to build up momentum using a pseudonym?

H o w d i d y o u get started?

A lot of them tend to be of celebrities as well, it’s not a deliberate thing as I do most of my work by commission and, obviously, people like celebrities. Sometimes I’ll just ask around my friends or on twitter and I’ll get ideas from there.

45

I think it might be dangerous to dwell on the future too much. Ambitions and aspirations are fine but I often think that if I try and plan it all then it’ll make the inevitable set-backs that much more worrying. I know what the pressure of having a 9-5 is like and I’d hate my art to feel like that. It’s all grown naturally so far and I’m happy enough for it to continue like that.

Oh god, I knew that question was coming. Whenever you’re doing anything like art or music people always expect you to have some sort of plan to progress with, which I suppose is fair enough. But right now I’m juggling a life in the real world with a fledgling art business and, to be honest, it’s quite nice. Obviously as soon as I think I can live off the back of my art then I’ll jump straight into to but, if you’re asking me if I know how or when to do that, I don’t have a clue.

So where to next?

Do you find it difficult to build up momentum using a pseudonym?

It was a nickname an ex-boyfriend gave me which sort of stuck between me and all my friends, I was a little embarrassed to put my real name on my art, mostly because I hate my real name (Sharan Daliwhal), people find it hard to pronounce and it’s pretty dull anyway. I started illustrating this way right after the relationship ended so it just seemed like a natural thing to do. It allowed me to distance myself from the art, in case it was shit and nobody liked it.

I’d never change the name, I love it. I know it’s come from an ex, and that pissed me off at the time, but it’s mine now. I’ve done so much off the back of it, it’s part of who I am now.

Or is that just lazy?

I should have a plan shouldn’t I? Oh god, I need a plan.

SELF PORTRAIT

t h e

h o u s e

o f

o b s c u

Ob s c u r e C ou t u r e L ayou t : Scott J ohn st on

Wo rd s : A n d r e w Ha m i l t o n

c u r i t y

Both halves of this creative double act attended Herriot Watt University where they first met. Initially loathing each other for all of a day, to soon (the next day) be living out of the same shoebox as partners in crime throughout their time in Galashields.

Graduating in 2002 they went their separate ways to begin work on their careers after University.

Some travelling, working, moving and learning later they naturally gravitated back together to form their now formidable force.

So all gimp suits and bloodied cauliflower brains aside (look forward to the shots in Urban Outfitters!), outrageous would perhaps be the theme that follows this particular label around. Sat in the ‘House of Obscurity’, now located in their own studio in the Barras Centre found behind the Barrowlands – accompanied by other designers including: Rabbie Denim; Made by Madre; Joddie McCann; and Claire Ferguson, filling an otherwise previously almost disused property, we talk all things fashion and what they as an independent brand bring to the table.

Not long after teaming up to take on the otherwise “mass produced, faceless fashion” all too often thrown in our faces these days, the pair started creating their first range together with the mission statement “Street/Stage Wear for the Introverted Extrovert” The girls marked their arrival and launched with a showcase of their ‘Flesh and Bone’ Collection in the Barras Centre itself back in October ’10. To describe the range in few words would probably not cover all grounds, but if you had to ‘Victorian Punk’ ticks plenty of the boxes. I gladly attended the event and it was a huge success. Combined with some free booze and some great entertainment from the likes of Glasgow band The Schnapps it was a superb ‘we are here’ statement from the girls and was widely attended.

47

Meeting the Obscure Couture team no more than 24hours after they had been dressed up as their most influential film favourites made for an interesting start to my visit. It had been for a collaborative photo shoot to be gracing the interior of Glasgow’s Urban Outfitters store, but what you must understand is that these particular ladies pull their influences from places you wouldn’t perhaps first lurch towards. Lyndsay, Obscure Couture’s proprietor in March 2009, was mimicking the infamous Michael Alig of ‘Party Monster’, only to be accompanied by Jenn; the other half of the team having returned to Scotland after travels to lands far far away in late 2009, was fittingly Alig’s partner in misbehaviour- James St. James.

At present Obscure Couture are working on various commissions and custom pieces for a right mixed bag of clients. This is accompanied by the beginnings of their Diffusion Range that they are looking to launch at the end of May ’11. As if that wasn’t enough the label just exhibited and showed at London Fashion Week. Taking part in the exhibition on the Sunday in Stran Palace Hotel, followed by a catwalk show giving their Flesh and Bone range another walk for new eyes. Both the range and the shows have included collaborations with the wonderful Bonnie Bling (www.muchtoofun.co.uk) - Scottish Slang jewellery, a well fitting accent to the Obscure style. Together they attracted a lot of blog attention across the board and some exciting inquiries from certain ‘powers that be’. Undoubtedly a huge landmark in the girls’ careers thus far and a certified nod of acknowledgement from the wider fashion world.

Whilst work commences on the Diffusion range, so do some other advancements including a new Ecommerce website aimed to be ready in April.

Together these will make the Brand more wearable and accessible to the public. Stemming from this Lyndsay and Jenn will look to build a format on the site that allows the shopper to customize any of the garments, “Obscure Your Own Couture”. This opens up great possibilities where the base product may be viewed in its simple state alongside the Obscure Couture version; at which point many customizable options will be available. This will allow for truly tailored and individual clothing to be sold to the best tastes of us, the buyer.

49

G40 2SB

Barras Centre 54 Calton Entry Glasgow

Keep your eyes peeled for some more than exciting prospects that may or may not take place in the Barras Centre. What with the current rise and success of the Studio Warehouse – SWG3 not only as an exhibition space but as a crazed club venue, there is certainly scope for other such projects in the ever evolving and fast paced City of Glasgow. The House of Obscurity is keen to create a community in their excellent new space, one that ties in all aspects of fashion accordingly. A place, where perhaps, daytime sees: hard work; customer fittings; and the hum of sewing machines. Where the weekends could lean towards: markets; selling opportunities; and visits from anyone and everyone to see the various works going on in the Centre. Leaving evenings for the odd shindig: a place to let your hair down; tie it up; shave it off, whatever…where fashion can be seen in its glamorous night time setting, when let’s face it 90% of photographs are taken and people wear their true pride and joys- where the introverted extrovert can shine!

Find at: www.obscurecouture.com www.obscurecouture/rabmcnab.com www.facebook.com/obscurecouture Twitter: @obscurecouture

All said it looks like things could be on the verge of blowing up, in a good way of course! Combine the visions and skills of two inseparable young designers that, ask anyone, are a great laugh and as nice as you like, with the Label’s current standings and prospects it’s looking good. These are not just my thoughts it would seem – with some interesting work, commissions, chats and flauntings with the likes of Kate Moss, The Scissor Sisters, Goldfrapp and Pearl and The Puppets – there is a sound back catalogue of approval.

My

interest

in art began in my

TEENS

with my EXPERIMENTS on collage and assembling discarded plastic elements.

Layout: Daniel Baptista

tus discos - soundtracks de playa.jpg 2007 Digital mixed media collage Size: 70 x 94 cm

Between 2003 and 2006 I studied Art at the IUNA (National University Institute of Art). In that period I began the DIGITAL SEARCH that has led my HANDMADE COMPOSITIONS to acquire a new dimension and content, by CREATING a dialogue between techniques. My work combines photography, digital collage, painting, and sculpture among other artistic disciplines. I am

interested in the FUSION of mediums and techniques by using digital possibilities without losing the original organic quality. I´m devoted to using ones history as a stage, focusing on communication issues between people, common expectations and disappointments.

N O I T N INTE

WORK SPECTATOR replaced

My............. when creating is to generate a game in which habitual PERCEPTION is by a new perception.

Either by taking almost ignored elements from daily life and placing them in the spotlight in the piece or from photographs of distant places I have visited- seeking to reproduce the surprise in the visitor in the face of the new space to walk around, assimilate, take in.

MY MY WORK WORK GOES GOES FURTHER FURTHER THAN THAN DIGITAL DIGITAL SUPPORT SUPPORT

-Fishing Dreams.jpg 2011 Mixed Media (Idigital and hand made collage, acrylic on cardboard). size: 55 x 35 cm.

It is a kind of experiment with elements which, on their own, cannot attain what they manage when they are interrelated.

A sort of socialist utopia is thus created, which is realized effectively on canvas. RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS, equality, the possibility of creating a ‘whole’ from THE ‘PARTS’. Something that seems to be further and further away of really coming to happen in present-day

loss

societies after the complete of the sense of ‘TRIBE’ OR ‘COMMUNITY’ and the advancement of the everyday more predatory decaying capitalism that fractures everything and upsets the

balance. My

reply

seek

such phenomenon is to

balance

to

in a virtual manner,

of real life in my work, something like

parallel society

a or a more peaceful world to inhabit in which P.I.L.(LS) 2011 Mixed Media (digital and hand made collage, acrylic and ink on foamboard). size: 70 x 40 cm.

we might feel inspired to turn into our

reality

.

Gardens 2007 Digital mixed media collage Size: 100 x 83 cm

Photography became the centre of my work then, in the role of providing the ‘raw materials’ for my compositions, and because of that, I began to study Photography at the EFC (School of Creative Photography) in 2007. In that same year I opened the art gallery El Tigre Celeste in order to promote emerging art and provide my work with an appropriate exhibition framework. N of studies in Photography and developing my work by including the techniques

GOAL

mentioned above as well as painting and sculpturing. My is to generate a total work of art by means of combining all these techniques.

Mixed Media (digital and hand made collage, acrylic and ink on foamboard). size: 18 x 30 cm

I HAVE EXHIBITED MY WORKS IN BERLIN (Exile Gallery and INC BERLIN), CARLISLE (ENGLAND), NEW YORK (Y Gallery), Miami AND BUENOS AIRES (EL TIGRE CELESTE, Praxis among others).

51

JUNGLE-TIME 2011

Contact: maxandala@gmail.com

illustrator showcase

Maks Andala

53 Daniel Grendon

Journalists throughout the UK were up in arms last night as a High Court judge ruled in favour

SuperDuper-HolyFuck-BallsInjunction. This

of the new

SuperDuperHolyFuckBallsInjunction

follows similar controversy over the previous, less restrictive Super Injunction.

Super Injunctions previously prevented the media from revealing what footballers do to Big Brother stars with their penises and simultaneously banned reporters from telling people that they know what we know that they don't want anyone to know what we knew all along.

The introduction of the Super-Duper Holy-Fuck-Balls-Injunction will take this censorship a step further, banning the media from saying words which rhyme with footballer, penis, big brother, double penetration and - Wonder-

I

If-I-Can-Get-My-Fist-In-There. It

also introduces a new law forbidding journalists to interview an array of house-hold objects including, but not limited to, microwaves, cutlery, ovengloves, crockery, teapots and clothes-horses. These strange new laws are thought to be a direct result of the recent revelation that the pint glass from the Robinson's Barley Water adverts is the same glass from the 2-girls-1-cup video.

We harassed the pint glass outside his home yesterday to find out just what motivated him to perform in the 'I'm disgusted to the point of admiration' video and then keep it a secret from the public. The glass was clearly embarrassed, stating simply: "Jeremy Kyle

made me do it".

It is thought that with Charlie Sheen on the loose and a queue of upcoming footballers just waiting for the opportunity to make a total bell-end of themselves, the new Super-Duper-Holy-FuckBalls-Injunction will be debated in parliament later next month. David Cameron believes that without the opportunity to laugh at other people's misfortunes, Britain will literally implode - and then Obama will never take him seriously.

il lustrations: Iain Sommervil le

Jillian Dingwall

X Games

x v i i i

Little Wicking is usually a sleepy village hidden amongst quiet valleys only really ever coming alive to host its annual village fete. However, this tranquillity was shattered this morning by a frankly shocking and altogether bizarre incident. The incident in question involved local resident Delilah Jones who at 9.30 this morning entered her local shop bearing a small firearm. She then proceeded to ask the cashier to empty the till clearly distressed ,stating ‘Do it or it’ll kill me’ referring to her own left hand. The bemused cashier ,after discretely pressing the panic button, then filled a bag with money whilst Mrs Jone’s left hand alternated between pointing the gun at herself and the cashier.

Mrs Jones repeatedly stated she was not controlling the hand and that it was ‘very dangerous‘. She was the shortly apprehended by the police, no one was injured. Although this behaviour would appear to be the work of a deranged individual Mrs Jones was in fact telling the truth when she stated she was not in control of her hand. Earlier that year she had an operation to correct a severe neurological disorder but the surgery left her suffering from a condition known as Alien Hand Syndrome which renders the individual completely unable to control the actions of their hands. An interview with Mrs Jones after the event revealed that her hand often does ‘very naughty things’ including almost poisoning her husband with salt and setting things on fire. The shop owner dropped the charges after a doctor explained the unusual condition.

It was announced today that the 2012 (eighteenth) Summer X Games is to be held in SCOTLAND! This will see the tartan country hold two prestigious events in as many years, with the 2014 Commonwealth games being held in 2014, not too shabby!

In a shock decision to move the event out with the United States, the illustrious event’s organisers released at a press conference in LA that they were taking the event “…across the pond”.

The event takes in such action sports as – Skateboard: big air; vert; park; and street.

Moto X: step up; best trick; freestyle; and best whip.

Rally: racing; super rally; and driver vs.

BMX: vert; street; freestyle dirt; and park.

Inline: vert; and street.

Neither the Winter or Summer X Games have ever left the US of A, it has been in essence a competition put on by the Americans, inviting the word to come compete in their back yard, ‘come see who’s best’.

The first ever X Games took place on Rhode Island in 1995 (with the first Winter X Games following in 1997 at Big Bear Lake); following these venues LA and Aspen have been big players. So we’re talking the best of the best here.

So why Scotland? There hasn’t been a set in stone reason given as yet, tell tales suggest that some of the organisers have routes in Scotland (what American you meet doesn’t!!). Others say it’s a shock on top of a shock, not only moving the inaugural event outside of the homeland, but to take it somewhere unexpected on top of that.

Another reason could be linked to the late Colin

Mcrae who played a big part in introducing the mayhem of his rally background to the X Games, bringing in and competing in various new events held at the Games.

This is of course all trivial, what matters is it’s happening!! So what’s next?

Organisers say that some funds will be put up to start the ball rolling on building new venues specifically for the event, but most deals will be worked out based on the revenue that will be taken across the Games combined with the business the venues will take thereafter, encouraging new action sport businesses to open and current ones to expand. These of course will be vastly overlooked by the X Games officials and scrutinised to create competition to the extremely high standards we are used to seeing.

Well done

Scotland

and Catriona Reilly

roll on 2012!!!

Andrew Hamilton

55

Tr i s co p es il lustration: Emma Prentice

Cancer

Aquarius Aries You know that job you hate? Quit it.

You’ve worked hard enough peeps.

Perhaps it’s time for change. Not Obama’s change, but actual change.

Capricorn Right folks, I’ll be honest, I haven’t thought about you guys at all. I’ve just done eleven Triscopes and I’m tired. Whatever this fortune cookie says is your actual future, okay?

And the fortune cookie says, “You’re fucked” L i b ra Dea r L i b ra s , you a re n o t hi n g but a b un c h of big f l oppy m ea t f l aps ; p

Scorpio You know Scorpios- that people who get more than thirty friends to buy Trisickle are sexy.

Fact.

It’s not a star

Alcohol really doesn’t agree with you, it thinks your spouse is attractive.

sign, it’s a diagnosis Leo You´re the logical, hard-working, analytical, shy kind and you hate disorder. Your organized and detail-loving attitude sickens your friends and workmates.

You are cold, nonemotional, and you often sleep while you´re having sex...

Or is that just me?

Gemini Hail to the king, baby!

It’s about time all you ladies made a Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Of Me.

Sagittarius You want to learn a new skill, so you’ve been thinking about a new language and have purchased language CDs. Here’s a better skill, go to any supermarket automatic checkout and put through any expensive items as a weighted bag of carrots. Job done.

Pisces Oh yeah Piece’s, its the summer! I can tell the thing you like most about the heat are all those bikini bottoms and tops. Although being a dude, it does make you look a bit gay.

Taurus

Where did all the robot butlers go that we were promised?

We know, your Taurus ancestors spoiled everything.

Virgo

Writing the Triscopes is pretty easy little Virgos.

Essential I think of the first two adjectives I can , for instance ‘big’ and ’floppy’ followed by some grocery item, ‘meat’. Then top that off with a noun, ‘flaps’. I usually would try and take the sting out of it with some kind of tongue in cheek emoticon. Watch and learn:

A g U ncl es il lustration: Stephen Chadwick &

Iain Sommervil le

Denise, Preston You must meet the bastard head on. Grab your lance, mount your steed and charge at that man with all the frenzied gusto of a hungry, horny, RABID Melanie B. Metaphorically of course.

Next time you spot him pursing his lips preempt the fool by asking him a slightly awkward question to knock him off balance, something along the lines of “do you smell burning?”. Before he can retort though leap from your seat and catch him square between the eyes with your handbag, while he’s sprawled all over the floor empty the contents over him and write ‘whore’ and ‘The Wire is over-rated’ on his face with your lipstick. Metaphorically of course.

I miss watching Heartbreak High.

You can’t buy it on DVD and nobody shows it anymore. Could you contact Dave or Living and ask them to repeat it? Failing that the King of Australia and ask him to stick it on DVD. Cheers.

Lisa, Newcastle.

Incredible coincidence but the Jay-Z song “99 problems” originally contained a verse about this very thing, but was cut-out to keep the track at a radio-friendly 4 minutes. The man himself was such a big fan he even petitioned some televisual big-wigs to bring back the show to a pleasant early evening/post tea-time slot but was, alas, rebuffed. Not to be deterred though he had the original members of the cast perform some of his favourite scenes to him when he was housebound with a vicious flu one winter. Some of them (I’m not sure who though) refused to leave and now live on the grounds of his mansion, foraging for berries and pretending they’re peacocks. None of this helps you of course but it’s a nice story.

Perhaps you could petition the King yourself though? I’m not your mother.

My missus wants a shark-bite surfboard for the living room to 'edge' up her beach theme. I've noticed she keeps rubbing bacon into my wet-suit to attract sharks.

How do I tell her I don't want to be Jaw's answer to a bacon sarnie without ending up in the doghouse?

Dave - Newquay

Dave, I don't know how to break this to you but this isn't about your horrific, Changing Roomsesque "beach theme" in your living room. Your wife is trying to kill you. You see, you can go on eBay and get big, fake shark bite surfboards for your wacky front room which will look just as tacky as the rest of the hula-girl lamps and porthole mirrors that your wife is sticking in there.

However, getting a shark to bite through your husband gives you something that eBay can't.

You. Dead. Have you been arguing recently? Have you just taken out a life insurance policy? Has she come home smelling of Brut and sexual infection?

She's trying to bump you off for something, mate and there's only really one solution. Luckily, you won't end up in the dog house.

You have to kill her before she kills you.

Good luck.

Hey Agony Uncles, my bestie wants to start a penny farthing bmx championship. Is he a complete tosser or a genius?

Don't call them your 'bestie'. It makes you sound affected. Secondly, yes. This idea might seem like one of those acts of complete, post-modern genius that you lot seem to love so much but we have to examine the practicalities.

For a start, a Penny Farthing is a massive, rickety bike that would have extreme difficulty absorbing any kind of- even minor- impact. This would lead to competitors flying off their bikes in a tangle of limbs, blood and twisted metal. Not to mention the fact that if you come off the bike it would take a team of people to get you back on the bloody thing. It would ruin the excitement somewhat.

And also kill people.

However, we feel the destruction of the spectacle is much more pertinent as anyone who would die as a result of taking part in such an idiotic extreme 'sport' probably deserves it under the laws of natural selection.

Have fun out there, idiot.

57

On meeting my boyfriend’s dad for the first time he acted really creepy and hums Wagner at me a lot. Should I tell my boyfriend or confront his dad?

il l u st ra t ion : M a r t in S h e p h e rd S cott J oh n st on

59

Teodor Peevski

Thomas Dybdahl – Songs Being a Scandinavian you might expect Thomas Dybdahl’s debut album to be a cheese on toast affair a la Aqua or Alphabeat.; you would be most mistaken. Instead you have ten songs fuelled by acoustic loveliness and soulful orchestra beats. ‘Ceilia’ is a beautiful affair with Dybdahls every mummer of “here I am flesh and bone” raising an admiring string of goosebumps on the most heartless of arms.

‘All’s Not Lost’ swirls between rocky and pop while ‘Don’t Lose Yourself’ is the kind of song which squeezes your lungs. Dybdahl’s debut is without doubt the most exceptional thing you’ll hear this year.

Bedouin Soundclash – Light the Horizon

Milk Maid – Yukka

The most obvious thing about Milk Maid’s debut album is that it screams: “this is what I want to do and this is how I’m doing it.” Which in an age ran by the choices of the music industry bosses is rather an admirable thing. Martin Cohen, of Nine Black Alps fame, recorded this album entirely in his flat after the band went on indefinite hiatus.

And boy does that show, it’s raw, emotive and sounds like it came from an entirely different era.

Which is a rather nice change to all the other rather samey music on the market right now.

When you hear certain bands are releasing a new album it’s hard not to go all geeky and exciting and snort into your Starbucks. Bedouin Soundclash are one such nose-froth band and here they are with the wonderful Light the Horizon – full of indie-pop, bass-lined splendour. ‘Mountain Top’ is catchy as hell while ‘No One Moves, No One Gets Hurt’ is a pretty little slowed down number that will have you warbling along after a few shandies with a tear in your eye. Then you have ‘Brutal Hearts’ which is funky as fudge. This album will fulfil all your musical needs and then some.

Underground Railroad – White Night Stand Are Underground Railroad a Paris band or a London band? A tougher question than you might think to answer. Yes, being Parisian this does edge towards the Paris side but with one listen to White Night Stand and you’ll understand the predicament.

There is this obvious gritty, alt-rock quality to Underground Railroad’s latest effort, something that might have seen them lost in the crowd were it not for the sophisticated French edge which seeps out this admirable record. Fans of the alt-rock scene will lap this album up in glee and for the rest of you it’s well worth a quick listen.

Phot o: Ri ck Da nks

Theophilus London – Going Overseas The Travelling Band – Fairweather Friends

Pull on your Levis, stick on your red checked shirt and grab one of those bits of straw cowboys chew on, now are you sitting on your B&Q decking ready?

Sarah Jarosz – Follow Me Good. For there is no Down better way to listen Okay. Country isn’t cool. It’s to the dulcet country true. But... screw that. Sarah bumpkin tones of the Jarosz’s debut album Follow Scoundrels new single Me Down is bloody brilliant.

‘Gulf of Mexico’. A Plus she plays the banjo. Banjos lovely, hopeless piece get cool points now don’t they? of music, you can’t help ‘Run Away’ is a sweet as candy but fall for the singer’s song that makes you want to dreamy melancholy run up to pretty strangers and voice as he warbles ask them to run away with his way through this you to Texas. ‘Old Smitty’ is all hypnotic track. Let’s fiddle splendour – if I could hope the girly in remember the Canadian Barn question never ran away Dance I’d be jigging it up and to the Gulf of Mexico. down my hall to this. And then we have the rather surprising cover of Radiohead’s The Tourist. Who knew a country banjo player liked Radiohead?

Great album, exceptional voice.

A must listen.

Light Guides – Old Bucket Seats

There is, quite possibly, nothing better than Scottish pop-punk.

Screw your American Plain White Ts or Starting Lines, for Light Guides are creating some of the best music Trisickle has heard all year. New single ‘Old Bucket Seats’ (available free from their site – bargain!) is a slap in the face of exceptional music accompanied by the kind of mythical clever lyrics you are searching for. Get on their website right now, download it and dance all your troubles away.

Delicious, heartbreaking folk-pop, could you ask for more? The Travelling Band have created another beautiful song that literally tugs at your old musical heartstrings and gosh is it good.

‘Fairweather Friends’ speaks of bad friend choices and bad life choices and will, no doubt, sing the minds of many a people out there making it a force to be reckoned with. The first single from the Manchester band’s second album Screaming is Something, ‘Fairweather Friends’ is an accomplished hint at what’s to come.

Plant Plants – She’s No One

With a name like Plant Plants you might expect a somewhat nice flowery song. You’d be wrong. ‘She’s No One’ is a gritty, dirty, soily and sexy electronic affair.

And, yes it does deserve that many adjectives.

The kind of single that gets played in hipster bars (that we’re not cool enough to be let in) to encourage snotty girls to grind up to silly boys, ‘She’s No One’ is a dangerously exciting concoction. And, bloody hell it’s amazing.

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Scoundrels – Gulf of Mexico

Theophilus London has a ridiculous name. It has taken me two listens of his song to actually spell it right, and I’m still not sure it’s spelled correctly. Nevertheless this man has made one rather catchy tune, ‘Going Overseas’ is a laid-back, harmonious effort topped with an impressive rap cherry courtesy of the Brooklyn rapper Mr London.

And if the single wasn’t enough for you – which is should be as it is great – it also comes with two rather pretty remixes.

Mr London you spoil us.

Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) Rachid Bouchareb followed his 2006 film Days of Glory with this depiction of the Algerian fight for independence in the 1950s, which might appear sequel-like in its nature but is in fact a standalone picture. Straight away we are thrown into a short, yet poignant scene portraying the utter lack of justice or rights for the native people of Algeria under the French rule at the beginning of the twentieth century - a family is kicked off the land which belonged to them for generations because they lack the documentation to prove their ownership. We follow the story of the family’s three little boys, who after growing up in Sétif, arrive in France by different means, reunite in a Paris shantytown and become instrumental in the FLN (National Liberation Front)’s fight for independence on French soil. Their actions upset the government to such an extent that a special police unit – The Red Hand – is created to deal with them. It has the right to use whatever force necessary to fight against the terrorist attacks of the FLN. Bouchareb’s story tries so hard to be balanced and neutral that loses its grip.

A promising start is followed by mediocre drama, void of tension but full of overly polished dialogue. He seems so concerned about telling the story that he forgets the means with which he is supposed to do so. Of course, we’re not after cheap entertainment from a film dealing with such subject matter, but it would be nice to have our attention grabbed and perhaps our emotions manipulated a little – that’s what good cinema does – instead we are left with the feeling that maybe a documentary would have been a better idea.

In his defence however, he never tries to idealise revolution as other films have done, but shows it for what it truly is – death and misery for all involved. Members of the FNL lay down their lives in the fight for independence but they lose some of their humanity by doing so. Unfortunately the characters aren’t developed thoroughly enough for us to notice – they seem twodimensional and their internal struggles are not believable. Because of that, although we sympathise with their cause, it’s near impossible to empathise when someone dies because we are never given a chance to identify with or feel for the characters. The first twenty or so minutes make you rage against injustice; a scene where a man is executed (with the use of a guillotine, in 1955 Paris nonetheless) for taking part in a demonstration is heartbreaking, and the scenes of the Sétif massacre make you painfully ashamed and

emotional about the not-so-distant colonial past of some of Europe’s nations. But after that it seems that Bouchareb forgets about the need to maintain people’s empathy.

A well-thought out tale (though the storytelling is lost along the way), that is worth watching even if only for its educational value. How many of us actually know of Sétif and of the Algerian fight for independence?

Or know that during their fight all the Algerians in France had to abide by a curfew, which was not imposed on any other minority?

The film was nominated for an Oscar in the Foreign Language Film category (83rd Academy Awards) but, truth be told, foreign films about war and the fight for independence seem to get nominated a lot. Still, watch it if you can; the acting is great, the music is wonderful and very atmospheric and the story is interesting.

Just don’t expect to feel any emotional attachment to anyone in it.

Suzanna Marchant

What a beautiful day (Che bella giornata) Gennaro Nunziante’s new comedy "What a beautiful day" is a feel-good summer film that does not take itself too seriously.

Starring Checco Zalone as the self-titled main character Checco, the harmless, albeit often clueless main character takes us on a James Bond style journey on his way into the Carabinieri – the Italian gendarmerie. While watching Checco try and fail over and over, one almost would not believe it that the man co-wrote the film.

So while Checco is offered a less prestigious, but nevertheless desirable job as a security guard at the Cathedral of Milan, he is unknowingly put on the radar of a terrorist sibling couple. Cue Farah, played by Nabiha Akkari, whose job it is to gain Checco’s trust. As it ever so often happens, things do not go according to plan, and while Checco inevitably falls in love with the exotic Farah, the viewer is left to cringe at her evil plan.

When reading the main plot of this film, one might be taken aback of the fact that a comedy would, or rather dares to, portray a topic as serious as terrorism in a light-hearted manner. But this is exactly why this film works so well. By not taking itself too seriously, it turned an otherwise fairly boring rom-com into a comedy with a unique set-up. The fact that the group of terrorist activists is not portrayed in a childishly comical, nor overly serious manner, gives the film a sensible kind of humanity. At times the film does play on the typical Italian stereotypes of big families and endless eating, and for some this might get a bit too clichéd, but as Checco’s family plays a big part in Farah’s character development it is only necessary to see the two cultures clash.

Sometimes laugh-out funny, sometimes rather sly, the comedy elements in What a beautiful day are varied, but simple. Taking elements from slapstick and situation comedy the film’s aim is to keep it light.

Checco’s character needs a bit of warming to at first, since his clumsy idiocy does not seem apparent to anyone but the viewer, but unfailingly gets in the way of his dreams. But after the initial frustration one really warms to Checco and his family and in the end there is nothing left but to root for his love to the beautiful Farah. Farah’s character at first appears to be very one-dimensional, but as she gets more and more involved in the family of her target, the viewer finds out about her and her brother’s past and what drove them to those desperate measures.

The film is mainly set in Milan and a nearby village, and so it benefits from beautiful scenery and bags of sunshine. Some scenes might appear to the untrained eye as too packed with clichés to be true, but the truth is that a lot of images of the film reflect the everyday life of small Italian towns.

But whether this is just another cliché is up to you to decide.

The sense of community is strong throughout the whole film, be it Checco’s family or his work colleagues at the Cathedral – Checco is always surrounded by plenty of friends.

A perfect film for everybody who wants to welcome summer to their screens, "What a beautiful day" is a feelgood flick with plenty of laughter. Indulge in a bit of silliness and ‘Italianit‡’ with Nunziante’s latest piece while sipping on your espresso or enjoying a gelato and officially declare the arrival of summer. And if this film does not want to make you visit Italy, then nobody can help you.

Antonia Landi

Follow Me

What comes across loud and clear is the passion these guys have pumping through their veins, along with the obvious adrenaline and branded caffeinated energy drinks. These are shameless bike junkies, who eat, sleep, and breathe the mountain, always thinking about the next run, the next jump, the next fleeting airborne rush. It’s more than a sport to them, and what’s so compelling about this production is how that idea is stitched into every pixel and transition, every heroic shot and angle. They were committed to creating an intense and beautiful testament to the energy and skill of these riders, and they delivered: no question.

When you’ve got directors like Darcy Wittenburg and Darren McCullough who care about the sport as much as the riders themselves, it’ll show through.

And to really exhibit the contagious camaraderie that they share, snippets

Squinty Jewellery

of dialogue and shots of the guys just goofing off serve as interims between the actual biking sequences.

They’re all mates and only take their riding as seriously as they need to – they’re technical and accomplished, but at the end of the day they’re out there to have fun. This film is about that friendship and the trust that comes with following your friend down a trail you don’t know, and the thrill of hitting the unknown. There’s an undeniable spirit infused throughout this video and, by extension, the sport as a whole: tackling the tracks on your own has its charm, but there’s nothing like doing it with someone who shares that same intoxicating thirst for speed and adventure.

Anthill Films put that on the screen with flair.

George Sully

Squinty Jewellery is made by recycling old broken jewellery, Lego pieces, broken and abandoned things such as old necklaces, bits of electrical items, shells, and various bits and bobs found in charity shops and fairs, basically anything quirky that catches my eye! It's all hand made in Glasgow, in the shadow of the Squinty Bridge.

Pieces are carefully selected then lovingly recycled into something new.

Everything is handmade and not quite perfect, (hence the name!) no two items are alike, although there may be a few that look similar. If you're tired of buying 'mass market' jewellery from high street stores, and would like an original and unique piece, then Squinty Jewellery should be right up your street.

A variety of materials is used to create Squinty earrings, necklaces and bracelets including: metal, glass, plastic, ceramic, wood, chain, bone, mother of pearl and brass. Items cost from as little as £3 upwards. Everything possible is reused, except for the findings. These are the only parts not recycled and are all brand new for hygiene reasons.

They are low nickel so should not cause allergies but there is no guarantee.

Should you specifically require stainless steel or sterling silver findings these can be provided at a small additional cost, usually £1 per item.

Squinty Jewellery is based in Glasgow, and the name and logo design are influenced by the 'Squinty Bridge', the locals name for the Clyde Arc Bridge. We welcome queries or orders from anywhere worldwide. Commissions are more than welcome just contact me and I will be delighted to hear about your ideas.

Web: squintyjewellery.co.uk folksy: http://www.folksy.com/shops/Squinty

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Follow Me is the slickly edited HD compilation of mountain biking at its finest: raw, kinetic, and fun. Less an out-and-out documentary and more a montage of epic trails and keen, talented riders, the film follows a select group of guys who really love the sport, and explores the unbeatable combination of great locations and riding with your buddies. Shot mostly in British Columbia (with the exceptions of New Zealand, Mexico, and one trail in Oregon, USA) in gorgeous high definition, the boys at Anthill Films clearly make the most of their cameras, with jaw-dropping sunsets, night-shots, and endless deserts – and, of course, breakneck runs, lethal verts, and sick tricks. Everything about this project is polished and crisp, from the music choices to the way it’s all put together – immensely watchable and varied enough even for the most distractible viewers.

Some memorable scenes include the stylistically monochrome midnight session at Mt. Hood with Cam McCaul and Ben Boyko, where the colours of the riders’ T-shirts were tastefully isolated out of the black and white footage, and Geoff Gulevich and Kurt Sorge’s jumps out in “Brad’s Yard” at Kamloops – a chunk of private land where Brad Stuart spends hours building and perfecting his own insane ramps and trails. Equally unforgettable is the stunning slopes at Punta San Carlos, Mexico, which are conveniently right by the coast – perfect for hitting the waves after a hard day’s biking.

JOYSTUCK Your Trisickle-sized update of what’s going on at www.joystuck.co.uk

Hello? Is this thing on?

Excuse us a second, we’ve got something you might like

W

hile we’re sure you’re all enjoying your regular dose of brilliant Trisickle content (and how lovely it looks compared to our box-filled pages), it’s now time for something a little bit different.

You see, we were approached in May to start sticking our oar into Trisickle - it’s as oo-er as it sounds - and start contributing some pages to the very magazine you have before you each and every month. We don’t need to tell you that this is the first result of this rather brilliant partnership.

So what is Joystuck? It’s a brand spanking new UK video games website that is so new at the time of writing this it doesn’t actually have much proper content. The site’s due to launch officially on 1 June but we couldn’t resist getting involved sooner rather than later and letting you all know what you can expect from our two pages and website in the future.

As you can see by the other two articles on this page, we’ll be bringing you news of the biggest games of the month - judged by our own fair writing team. We’ll be filling you in on the biggest future release to have been announced

Joystuck is a brand new UK based video games website in the previous weeks (SPOILER ALERT: It’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations) and also which game we judged to win our soon-to-be-coveted ‘Game of the Month’ award.

From the next issue onwards we’ll have an extra page upon which we can spew forth words on a variety of different topics. Whatever takes our fancy, essentially. This space will become a soapbox for a pressing issue which will only be published on these pages, while on the other page we’ll be giving you lists of what’s selling well while keeping you up to date with the biggest gaming related news since the last issue.

By the time you read this, the industry’s biggest convention will be taking shape. The Electronic Entertainment Expo - otherwise known as E3 - hits Los Angeles on 7 June for three days. We’ll be tracking all of the biggest news on the site, so be sure to head over and check out what games you’ll be putting on your Christmas list this year.

Keeping on the LA theme, this month sees

the release of Rockstar Games’ official Next Big Thing: the sure-to-be-amazing L.A. Noire.

It comes out just as Trisickle is hitting deadline, which means you’ll have to head to the site in a few weeks to get our opinions. We’re sure it’ll be amazing.

Over the past month we’ve had to contend with the relaunch of the PSN (see right) and the prospect of another Hitman game coming next year (see the site). Consider all of this alongside the upcoming E3 and you’ve got a very happy website indeed.

So where can you go to read about all of this and so much more? Why www.joystuck.co.uk of course! Or if you’re not the up-to-date kind of person we’ll be back in the next issue of Trisickle with another page of gaming nonsense.

THE BIG NEWS

Sony finally get their act together One of gaming’s most worrying sagas finally reached a conclusion in May as the Playstation Network came back online.

You may remember that Sony’s online gaming network was subject to an attack in April, forcing it offline and giving millions of people nothing to do for several weeks. Not only that, but account details for all of the system’s users were stolen - including passwords, e-mail addresses and dates of birth.

The PSN was down for around a week before any official word came out of Sony about the malicious breach, labelled by many as a PR disaster. As part of the system’s reboot the company say they have strengthened the network and are forcing everyone to change their passwords just in case.

To get everyone back on board Sony announced in May that they would be offering two free games from a list of five for all customers. Full details are available at http:// eu.playstation.com/welcomeback, and the list of games includes InFamous (soon to be superceded by InFamous 2) and Little Big Planet (already playing second fiddle to LBP 2).

It’s fair to say some people aren’t happy, but quite frankly we’ll take a pair of free games.

REVEALOF THE MONTH

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations If, like us, you prefer a regular fix of historically-sound stabbing action, Ubisoft has just the thing for you. Less than a year after the multi- million selling Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood players will get to return to the adventures of Italian assassin Ezio Auditore.

Continuing their sequel naming ‘strategy’ - which appears to be ‘whatever the hell we like thankyouverymuch’ - Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (note the lack of ‘II’, even though

they’re following the Assassin’s Creed II story line) will hit stores in November 2011 on both Xbox 360 and PS3.

This time we’ll get to control both original protagonist Altair alongside Ezio, separated by a mere four decades. If you just about kept up with the whole ‘Animus’ thing then prepare to have your mind blown completely.

Visit http://goo.gl/ORLTG or scan the QR code for more

In the new game Ezio will hit 50 and still be scaling walls for fun

(your zine here)

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contact info@trisickle.co.uk

Layout and Illustration: Maks Andala

5

Songs to Drive a 1967 Ford Mustang to

by Thomas Dybdahl

Norway’s answer to Nick Drake, Mr Thomas Dybdahl is taking Trisickle for a ride this issue with his guide to Mustang-tunes; sit-back relax and time travel with him...oh and do check out our review of his debut album in our reviews section…

S

o, top five songs to drive a Ford Mustang 1967 to…hhmm. A bit tricky this one as the premise seems, at first glance, pretty literal and set, yet there are so many unknown factors to take into consideration. Where am I driving? Am I driving a stolen car (chase music) or just test driving one (no music)?

Am I wounded? Drugged? Is it some sort of Thelma & Louise ride (suicide music) or a ride through the ghetto? (gangsta rap, of course) Can I listen to music newer than 1967 (time travel) or maybe I am in some kind of midlife crisis (American Beauty Soundtrack)? Do I have unlimited gas?

Tricky. Well, just going to make up some scenarios here:

"Tiny Dancer" - Elton John Me and my band have just been a major binge where everything went wrong and after a few days of not speaking and deciding to quit the band we jump into the car to take on the long road back to LA. Then this song comes on the radio and slowly we all start singing along and we don’t have to speak, we just know this is what we are meant to do. Sound familiar? Yes, one of the world best music scenes from the world of cinema. From Almost Famous, by Cameron Crowe.

"Wichita Lineman " - Glen Campbell I am, in this scenario, a Wichita man (whatever the hell that is) am just driving along doing what So it´s pretty ironic then that a comes on the radio describing my

Lineand I I do. songs exact

situation. One of my all-time favourite songs, Glen Campbell in his prime, Jimmy Webb at his best and featuring some class players, including the great Carol Kaye on bass. A gem!

my dad´s car? Or maybe I´ve gotten myself out of a rotten situation and feel like starting everything fresh? Anyway, insanely cool song and the best finger picking guitar anywhere.

"The Ballad of El Goodo" - Big Star

"Born To Run" - Bruce Springsteen

This feels like the perfect song to put on repeat, going back from a crazy weekend in Vegas. A very good hangover song, I am surpassed they didn´t feature it in the movie!

Defiant, young, strong, in love…

This fits in any car, anywhere at any time, but preferably some crappy suburb I guess. It took Bruce 2 years, or something like that, to finish this song and I thank him for every minute he put into it. Will last forever.”

"Sultans of Swing" - Dire Straits

This feels like the start to a great ride. Maybe I´ve just ditched everything and fled my shitty small town life in

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Robert Dowson

get on it!