Scene 195

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Feb 09 Issue 195

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S OFF TO THE BUSKERS SPOTLIGHT MUSIC ecords

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HATS OFF TO THE BUSKERS 1965 records

Which Bitch?

1965 records Reviewed over the page

Kate Missenden

THE VIEW

interviews:

T

he View are not the sort of band to sit on their laurels. They burst onto the music scene with their debut album, ‘Hats Off To The Buskers’ (2007): teenage-mates-give-Libertinesque-angry-indiewith a brutal injection of Dundee, only to redefine themselves this time around. As lead guitar, Pete Reilly, put it, “we were just guitars, hearts on our sleeve.” Now reunited with producer-come-keyboard player, Owen Morris, they have branched onto multiple avenues with ‘Which Bitch?’ to produce an album in specifics unexpected, but in adventurism, most certainly not. It is a demonstration of sheer eclecticism which most bands could not even dream of, yet for The View, it just seems to be something they knocked up following a couple of nights out for inspiration.

They are still essentially “pop-punky, playing by ear” with Falconer’s raspy-yet-somehowenigmatic vocals distinctive throughout their diverse output. Influential bands for The View, as they selftaught their instruments, were The Beautiful South, Fleetwood Mac and Oasis, however they take inspiration from every genre and facet of life: “life’s just one big story”, according to Reilly. The result is music that reflects them, with a variety which they are understandably proud of; “if you heard ‘Same Jeans’ and ‘Distant Dubloon’ then you wouldn’t believe that they could be from the same band.” Indeed, it is difficult to conceive of any other group producing a fast, quirky, almost-folky tune in one album and a “Rocky-Horror meets Fantasia sing-along sea-shanty” in the next.

When asked about their songwriting, they describe it very much as a process of bouncing off each other and any wall which happens to get in their way. The majority of their songwriting for ‘Which Bitch?’ took place in a studio in Wales, with an approach that epitomises their approach to life, “if anyone said an option, put a key down, anything, we’d just take it and go with it,” explains drummer Steve Morrison. Reilly expands, “we’d just see an instrument in the studio, pick it up, play it, see the sound it made and put it in.” At one point

Morrison was apparently running and jumping around the studio with a cereal box and a shaker attached to each flapping arm: “Ay, that was fun.”

Whilst there is much greater variety in the apparent influences to their work now, their choice of subject matter has remained heavily within their personal experiences. The album continues from where the last one left off, with Falconer on guitar, mouth organ and vocals, singing about missing his

name comes, which is still home. On every occasion, their wry sense of humour and long-standing friendships seem to have served them well.

Having just produced an album directed simply by their whims and interests, without any songs really cut out for radio play, do they think about commercial success? “If the time was right, we’d like to be a big as possible. If you don’t have that, then there’s no point.” For now, though, they’re not taking one route but rather sticking to remaining as eclectic as possible. They have stadiumplaying aspirations but only if it's in keeping with their mantra: “keep on your toes, test yourself, see what you can achieve.”

Live, they are known for raucous affairs, the band enjoying every moment to the full with audiences normally heavily dominated by fans who yell, “The View, The View, The View Are On Fire!” at any given moment. When The View come on, they belt out their songs at the beginning and end in brickwalled fashion with contagious raw energy that permeates through any venue. However, during the middle of their gig, they demonstrate their exceptional ability to still hold the audience captivated, despite lead vocalist/guitarist Falconer and bassist Webster swapping positions and Falconer’s quieter mouth-organ dominated numbers.

The View have demonstrated in no uncertain terms that the humour, creativity and vivacity which underpins their music is still in plentiful supply. They remain entirely unpredictable in every regard, except that wherever they are they will be together, pushing to take their brand of rock and roll in whichever way the impulse moves them.

"WE WERE CHASED OUT A BROTHEL... WE HADN'T REALISED IT WAS A BROTHEL." girlfriend. Primarily though, the album is about various inebriated shenanigans with friends, including ending up in prison overnight, using yellow painted road lines to find their way home drunk and being chased out of a brothel that they hadn’t realised was a brothel. Reilly puts it simply: “You can only sing about what you know”. Fortunately for their fans, The View are accruing experiences with great rapidity, taking their unique blend of anything they can get their hands on around the world.

In many ways The View are truer to rock and roll than virtually any band - they are about escaping from getting a trade by playing and singing with and about mates. However, there are no selfdelusions that their music may change the world but rather the overriding feeling of living for the moment, sharing experiences. The best ones? Experiencing the hospitality of Japan and doing gigs near the sea. The worst? Stuck in a transit van with smelly feet in their faces. They’ve learnt more travelling around than they ever thought they would, but it is Dundee, and the local from which their

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features- wherein vision tackles the biggest issues in music...

EURO-SCEPTIC!!

T

his year is the advent of great change for the United Kingdom and Eurovision; the competition is being taken ‘seriously’.

The dynamic duo of Graham Norton and Andrew Lloyd Webber, fresh from their search for West-End leads, have now found Jade to sing ‘My Time’ for the UK entry. They are on a two-man vendetta (aided by a pretty woman with a decent voice and remarkable ability to wear sequins) to make Eurovision about the music. And they think they’re succeeding. But can Eurovision as a whole take being about the songs and are most countries actually that interested anyway? It has so long been considered just politics under a loose veneer of a mass of psychedelics, flashing lights, sequins and increasingly complex voting patterns that it seems unlikely to say the least.

The voting system is again being changed to encourage fewer gimmicks and cause less political voting. Public voting, which has become universally adopted over the last ten years, has been criticised for allowing voting to be overly political. Further, a supposedly meritocratic system is flawed by the economic importance of the ‘Big Four’ (Germany, France, Spain and the UK) gaining automatic qualification. The primary criticism levied though is about predictable political voting. Despite organisers’ claims that cultural, musical and linguistic similarities are responsible, it does seem unlikely that Cyprus and Greece really liked each others’ entry best every year since 1998. Indeed, Terry Wogan’s abounding cynicism and acerbism had become progressively more prevalent each year during the arduous voting process.

However, under the new system, half of the votes will come from judges so the actual songs should become more important than the stage act Wogan had or politics. really let himself However is trygo since quitting ing to make EuroviEurovision... sion a non-political forum for music that might actually be commercially successful not missing the point somewhat? When set up in 1956, the competition was a massive technological experiment designed to bring together countries, still suffering the repercussions of war, in a lighthearted show. And that remains the reason why people continue to watch it - it’s entertaining, and now it’s become a tradition. Wogan’s comments, and other countries’ upset about them, were a key part of that. No other competition would have music sung in imaginary languages (mainly from Belgium), acts dressed up as monsters (Lordi, winning Finnish entry 2006) or such a diversity of kitsch antics designed to attract votes. Once a year, much of the European Broadcasting Union surround themselves in as much bubblegum pop as possible and thoroughly enjoy the crassness of it all.

Eurovision regularly comes under a fair amount of criticism; the music does tend to be unremittingly dire, the sort of cheese-pop that is only otherwise seen in a ten-year-old girl’s bedroom, and it has become unfailingly predictable. But it’s not watched for its musical credentials. In the course of over fifty years, most people can only name one song to have come out of it and that tends to be ABBA’s entry from 1974, ‘Waterloo’. Virtually every other winner has shrunk back after brief commercial success because, fundamentally, it’s not about music that people actually normally listen to. It’s a chance for euro-pop to gather and spread the feel-good factor that only multi-lingual gregarious cheese can.

By Kate Missenden

It's been a hard days night...

‘If I can’t be a star I won’t get out of bed’‘Waking Up’ by Elastica

The phrase ‘living the dream’ is often thrown in the faces of any musician or band who dare complain about their circumstances. On the face of it that seems rightly so; why should we listen to the miserable ranting of an artist who we know spends his days sleeping and his nights partying? Public perception is that these lay-about rock stars wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it ripped the strings from their guitars and smashed their amps. But is this stereotype unjustified, are bands really nothing more than a group of druggedup party animals with a vague talent for music? Perhaps being a rock star does not place a person into the lap of luxury so quickly, is there an aspect of hard, honest graft in being a musician?

Let’s remember that musicians and bands don’t hit the big-time instantly (if they hit it at all). In the earliest moments of the band’s inception they dream of the extravagance and opulence of superstardom just as much as we do, given their current situation it probably seems even more unobtainable to them.

It takes years of dedication to master an instrument to such a standard that you can write your own music. Add to this the stress of actually finding a group of musicians with whom you can creatively ‘gel’ and it quickly becomes apparent why so many bands are dissolved before their first gig. Following the creation of the band comes years of playing the so-called ‘toilet circuit’; it must be somewhat soul-destroying to play your music in a dingy club to less people than you have drum-sticks. Night after night is spent cramped in the tour bus, tensions growing, before eventually you have only an hour to impress a baying crowd who are hurling insults and objects onto your squalid stage. No matter how well you got on with your band members at home t h e

intensity and unwanted ous press intimacy of a tour creappearances, interviews ates an atmosphere of and other PR-related activistrain, as one struggling ties, Lily’s face may be band told me: “You don’t everywhere but that’s only choose your band mates because she is investing as you would a girlfriend. two years of her life to put You don’t choose them it there. This is not to menbecause they’re pleasant tion the fact that she spent to live with or because the entirety of 2008 writing you want to spend all and recording the record. day everyday with them.

All in all, in order to release You choose them because ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’ Lily they can play music and Allen will be working nonthat’s it!” stop for the best part of In the minds of the three years (slightly longpublic the process of er than your degree will writing an album is take). heavily glamourised.

So perhaps the Beatles The image of the bohewere right when they sang mian rock star rolling the immortal line: ‘It’s been out of bed late in the a hard day’s night’. What afternoon and simply is certain is that the lazy strumming a few chords life of luxury is a lie, a fanbefore noting it down on tasy. The harsh truth is that the back of a napkin is Lily Allen: work- being in a band is a gruelling strictly Hollywood; there task; physical, mentally and is a little bit more to it than ing hard or hardly emotionally tasking and not that. The writing process working?? for the faint of heart. When a is fraught with creative musician becomes a star we tension and neuroses over shouldn’t begrudge their success: after its critical and public reception. The all, they’ve earned it. band stakes their reputation with every release; with every track they place themselves at the mercy of the critics. We’ve seen so many bands rise from the gutter with their debut but quickly fall by the wayside after releasing the ‘difficult’ second album, unable to appease the critics or the record buying public. With their record label breathing down their necks, pressuring them for hit after hit is it any wonder that the vast amount of current releases are of sub-par quality? However, should the band be able to weather the critical storm and placate the label then superstardom awaits!

Although superstars are famed for living ‘the Life of Riley’, if we take just a quick glance at their tour schedules we see a different story. A two month snapshot of Lily Allen’s world tour dates show that she will be performing at least five shows a week in destinations as far flung as California, New York and Berlin. But this is just the tip of the iceberg; we shouldn’t forget about her numer-

BY JOSEPH MCDERMOTTT

THE VISION STEREO...

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Morrissey

Joseph McDermott

Years of refusal- OUT NOW

Y

ou either love, or you hate Stephen Patrick Morrissey. As the eternally miserable figurehead the most influential British band since the Beatles he managed to carve out both an eerily devoted fan base and a vocal set of detractors. Needless to say there is something inherent in Morrissey’s undoubtedly fragile mindset that probably means he doesn't exactly take criticism on the chin. And throughout his patchy solo career there has been plenty of it, not least on the occasions that Morrissey has attempted to walk the tightrope between edgy and downright racist. Of course I am referring to his inexplicable manoeuvring of an interview with the NME to the topic of immigrants diluting Britain’s apparently sacred cultural heritage.

The result being that Mozza bashing became almost as popular as Margaret Thatcher’s impending death.

Yet with Years of Refusal he emerges defiant. Apparently the music industry needs good old Morrissey. This may well be an exaggeration that Tony Blair would be proud of, however the music industry would doubtless be a less vibrant affair minus the mercurial Mancunian. His incessant whining naturally becomes tiresome; however there is enough about Years of refusal to prolong this creative Indian Summer that Morrissey continues to enjoy.

For all his complaining, he remains the author of a vicious turn of phrase.

This is a skill employed majestically on the epic ‘It’s not your birthday anymore’, on which he croons ‘It’s not your birthday anymore. Did you think we meant all those syrupy, sentimental things that we said’.

Granted Years of refusal could never stand shoulder to shoulder with the eternally fresh output of the Smiths - ‘Something is squeezing my skull’ is bloody good but it is no ‘Queen is Dead’ as far as blistering album openers go. Still thugh the fact remains; Morrissey has not been reduced to a Keith Richards-esque dinosaur of the musical history books and is not neither is he an infrequently touring cash cow whose creative days have long since disappeared. Rather with fire still raging in his gradually growing belly, Morrissey remains relevant.

MIKE REGAN

✰✰✰✰✰

NASA

MILEY CYRUS BREAKOUT

T

he pop charts have been jam-packed with pop princesses in the past few years. Leonna, Lily, Gaga, Adele... the list is endless and it seems that 2009 will be no different. But it’s been bearable, each has had an added twist that makes them different; Winehouse is the ugly alcoholic mess, sexually confused Katy Perry is desperate to break a taboo or two, and Duffy uses her painful caterwaul to make any song a chore to listen to. So, what has Disney teen sensation Miley Cyrus got to offer? Unfortunately, not much.

Aside from embarrassing millions of adult pop star pervs when they guiltily realised she was only fifteen, Miley has relied on a pretty face, a decent voice and duping teen boppers into buying her faux Avril Lavigne take on late nineties pop punk. Much of the album is disappointingly drowned in a bland-ket of dreary Disney ballads and cringe-worthy lyrics, enough to keep mums and dads happily giving their money to the greedy puppet masters in the Disney castle.

Yet it’s not all tuneless tripe. When Miley finds a melody, the results are encouraging, ‘Breakout’ offers glimpses of a potential future Queen of Pop. ‘See You Again’ is a musical orgasm of melody polished to pure pop perfection. ‘7 things’ could soundtrack American Pie: The Divorce with it’s teenage angst and infectious chorus. And Miley’s cover of ‘Girls just wanna have fun’ is an epic modern day remix of Cyndi Lauper’s guilty pleasure numero uno.

As soon as Miley can shake off the need to please, the Disney star can quite possibly become a star in her own right. First step? Introduce her to Amy Winehouse.

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JIM NORTON

THE SPIRIT OF APOLLO OUT NOW

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retty much all you need to know about this album could be revealed by simply listing its guest stars: Tom Waits, David Byrne, Santogold and M.I.A. are just a few of the most high-profile artists to have lent their talents. Even Ol’ Dirty Bastard makes a cameo from beyond the grave. This musical Justice League (Waits is Batman, obviously) has been assembled

by DJ Zegon and director Spike Jonze’s producer brother, Squeek E. Clean. Together they are N.A.S.A., or North America/South America, indicating their grandiose objective to bring together styles from both hemispheres to create a true ‘World Music’.

Judging by the resulting album, this new form of music apparently amounts to a sonic symposium on the nature of life, death, love and hip-hop, occasionally interjected with bongo solos. But, beyond the undeniable childlike thrill of playing guess the voice, is the end product itself any good?

The fun ‘Gifted’ pulls off the neat trick of bringing together Kanye West, Santogold and Lykke Li without collapsing under its own hipness. Onetime Talking Heads frontman David Byrne uses his braying delivery to euphoric and surprisingly sinister effect on ‘The People Tree.’ However the undoubted highlight, though, is ‘Spacious Thoughts’, with Tom Waits hacking up lyrics about monkeys getting strangled by the hands of a clock like a phlegm ridden mongrel, as Kool Keith unexpectedly finds himself holding things together. Even.with so many stars available to them, N.A.S.A. leave you feeling like they have left a few stones unturned. Yet with so many inspired moments it is impossible to deny that 'The Spirit of Apollo' is a great party album.

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LISTINGS

STEVEN WILLIAMS

IDA MARIA 'Oh My God' OUT NOW After the undeserved success of vacuous punk-pop anthem ‘I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked’ we are treated to a rerelease of the previously uncharted single ‘Oh My God’. Ida Maria’s latest single retains the fresh and buoyant punk elements but this time they are coupled with a beautifully-crafted structure and an intelligently-catchy lyrical refrain. Clocking in at a short and sweet two minutes forty-five seconds the record is a brilliant exercise in breathless dance floor punk. ‘Oh My God’ is infectious and addictive.

THE FOXES 'Bill Hicks' OUT NOW

Opening with a riff so sharp and visceral you feel your ears beginning to bleed ‘Bill Hicks’ is a volatile mixture of hard-rock and furious indie. Tearing through verse and chorus The Foxes seem more like a force of nature than a quartet of musicians. The record certainly channels the spirit of their eponymous inspiration whether it’s through the snarling vocals or having been ‘cut live on the first take’. Raw and energetic, ‘Bill Hicks’ is a timely reminder how powerful DIY music can be when it is united with ideology.

THE HOURS

'Big Black Hole' OUT NOW Indie-rock super-duo The Hours are a pair of remnants from the Brit-pop movement; therefore it's no surprise that this single is a fine contrast of delicate song-writing and unrestrained vigour. An unrelenting and fantastical journey accompanied by a perfect balance and harmony between guitar and piano. Despite it being only two months into the year I can confidently predict that this record will be hailed as a highlight of 2009.

KEANE

'Better Than This' OUT NOW

The latest releases from Keane have been somewhat of a departure from their previously very British style of piano-pop. The gentle tinkling of the ivories has been hijacked by the electric buzz of the in-fashion synthesizer. Keane would be entirely unrecognisable were it not for the standard soaring choruses and a somewhat stadium-rock feel to the piece. ‘Better Than This’ is a reasonable effort, they deserve some praise for musical progression more than anything else.

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The Law

THE NEXT BIG THINGS...

Guitar-heavy energy punk A band which don't think anything to playing a fire alarm as they come on stage. Raw enthusiasm worth hearing.

AND ONE YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED...

Ani DiFranco Beezy Upbeat, disjointed folk Folking things up since 1990, Ani has released at least one album a year since then.

Thuggish grime rap.

A potent mixture of rough beats amd even rougher lyrics.

THE VIEW

lily allen its not me, its you

T

he artwork to Lily Allen’s latest record may seem bright, simplistic and to have been designed solely with the mass market in mind: this is view is wrong. The bubblegum-pop image of Lily sitting in the curve of giant ‘L’ speaks volumes about the album. Lest we forget about the controversy left in Lily’s wake, the notorious singer placed in amongst childish shades of pink reflects the content of ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’: sharp and vicious lyrics shrouded and softened by cheerful electro-pop.

The album’s gradual opening makes a statement in itself, a synthesized crescendo into a satirical and cynical rant on the proliferation of current drug culture marks a notable distinction from her 2006 debut ‘Alright, Still’.

As the record segues through the next few tracks, among them the well received single ‘The Fear’ and the ode to the unfulfilled girlfriend of ‘Not Fair’, we get the impression that perhaps Lily has matured somewhat, her lyrics are current while the instrumentation is slick and well chosen.

However the quality of ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’ soon begins to descend; tracks like ‘22’ and ‘I Could Say’ are clichéd and unimaginative while ‘Fuck You’ is nothing more than gratuitous swearing accompanied by a pretty tune. Though much of the record is original, unique and clever, there are too many let downs, for every ‘Not Fair’ we have a ‘Who’d Have Known’ (a song with suspicious similarities to Take That’s ‘Shine’). Ultimately the listener is left disappointed, the record can’t sustain its satirical themes or quirky melodies and slides firmly into the realms of average.

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JOSEPH MCDERMOTT

WHICH BITCH? OUT NOW

T

he View are back, its two years since their debut album 'Hats Off To The Buskers' and much is the same: Owen Morrison returns after his success producing the Mercury Music Prize nominated debut, there are still hints of the post-Libertines indie rock that comprised their initial offering and they are definitely still Scottish.

'Jimmy’s Crazy Conspiracy', 'Double Yellow Lines' and '5Rebbeccas' are all anthems longing for festival stages. Their screaming reverbed guitars, tales of hedonism and hangovers and thumping drums all call to mind the standard Indie-pop classics of Oasis and The Arctic Monkeys.

However, free from the perhaps oppressive hype which heralded their arrival on the scene 'Which Bitch?' also has hints of darker more experimental tracks. Horns, strings and woodwind jump in and out of the mix on songs like 'Distant Doubloon' and 'Realisation', whose dark undertones show a real sense of dreary highland despair reminiscent of The Coral at their most enigmatic.

The eclectic approach to the album is confirmed when Paulo Nutini’s saccharine voice perfectly juxtaposes Kyle Falconers soulful drawl on acoustic track 'Covers'. Although this may seem gimmicky the harmonies are in fact a Caledonian success. However the duet’s importance is that it suggests The View care less about image and more about the potential of their songs and this makes for an engaging if not perfect album that will entertain and test eager listeners.

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ANDY NICHOLS

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white lies leeds carling academy 08-02-09

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hite Lies are not a band that you think of when you’d want to dance all around; let’s face it they’re a little bit depressing. But somehow in Leeds, on this special old NME evening, as we shook the February snow off our shoulders, they made us all tick. Maybe they're best served cold – I saw them in the summer and they weren’t nearly as happening. Let’s be honest they are quite cool with their throaty base tones and Harry McVeigh’s vocals.

Maybe the ‘mysterious’ dressing head to toe in black was a bit much (maybe they were being ironic – White Lies?) or maybe they were just embracing ‘Death’. It was one of their best songs especially as once they had all of us singing Florence (as in from the Machine) came on stage to join, bringing a bit of colour (red obviously) and spice to the stage. They were ace together

SKY LARKIN + support leeds brudenell social club 31-01-09

OF MONTREAL MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY 29-01-09

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f you picked up a copy of this term’s Bad Taste, it might anally have been revealed that music and fashion go hand in hand. For Kevin Barnes, the rest of Of Montreal or indeed, us, this was nothing new. Starting with She’s a Rejector (you probably didn’t need to know that but now it makes Helen’s self-conscious ‘I’ve applied to journalism at City’ note-taking worthwhile), Of Montreal burst onto stage with panache. And then some!

Casting their proverbial nets wide to grab our visual as well as aural attention (those clever kids), the band’s swirling graphics of severed Native American skulls and insane costumes certainly helped trap us in their glittery web.

Extras came into the audience dressed in skin-tight onesies that would make Faris Rotter’s eyes water, grabbing all the pretty girls to the strains of Of Montreal’s own brand of sparkling pop. Playing consecutive tracks from ‘Skeletal Lamping’, it was striking that the smoothness of the carefully joined songs was ripped straight off their most recent album: it seemed that the surface of the music was more important than which exact songs they chose to play. The slickness was impressive: rather than cherry-picking a ‘best of ’ set, they seemed more concerned with creating a neat, perfect platform of music. And then broke it with a rendition of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Pretty sweet.

HELEN NIANIAS & IMMY WILLETTS

T

he great myth of ‘no great bands come from Yorkshire except those lads what done gone did that scummy man song’ can finally be dispelled. The Long Blondes had the look but failed to write any really great songs. !Forward Russia! had the storming live shows but lacked crossover success. Sunshine Underground had the anthemic choruses but lacked the cult respect to create a fan-base.

Tonight’s bands seem to remedy every ailment that has plagued the North East, Pulled Apart by Horses seem to improve with every

but the nice thing was that she wasn’t needed, she only added to what already had us dancing around.

Watching them made me realise they’re actually quite uplifting; intros begin quietly, choruses climax, guitar riffs are gutsy, drums are pounding and these things always encourage my arms to the air. And they stayed there, swaying along with the coloured lights – I only had to ignore some of the lyrics to stay high…The best songs were ‘The price of love’, ‘To lose my life’, of course ‘Death’ and ‘Unfinished Business’, and the live performances definitely brought something more; I’d look them up next time they were in town.

SOPHIE HILL

show, enduring themselves with a charismatic and chaotic mix of enormous choruses and pompous-rock bluster, climbing both speakers and audience members on a power-chord fuelled bender, peaking with a stonking rendition of ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’ in all its RSPCA baiting genius. They certainly have an impressive array of tunes at their disposal, from the slackeriffic ‘Meat Balloon’ to the pneumatic rocker ‘The Crapsons’ which could well be a lost Nirvana b-side from 1992.

Sky Larkin are an entirely different beast, more likely soaring on penny sweets than cider with a sugary set of pop classics in waiting, channelling the talents of ‘The Vaselines’ and ‘Public Image’ into one compact package.

Tonight’s show serves as a homecoming after a UK Tour, evident from the camaraderie shown between overwhelmed front-woman Katie Harkin and the packed crowd. As encore ‘Keep Sakes’ slithers through its casio-led Breeders esque charms, both Pulled Apart By Horses and several ecstatic audience members join them for a rapturous climax. If there is any justice in the world, 2009 could well sway from the year of female identikit electro-pop to the year of full blown fun-grunge!

JOE MILAM

THE CRIBS manchester ritz 06-02-09

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f you want to shyly click your fingers with a nice glass of red, go and watch The Lighthouse Family. Attending a good Cribs gig is like being on a boat in a tsunami: bolt down your valuables but, try as you might, you can’t help going overboard, as inhibitions and personal space drown in an alcohol-fuelled wave of Yorkshire-indierelated joy.

With their simple-but-dead-catchy opening guitar riffs and ramshackle playing energy, the Jarman brothers, plus new member Jonny Marr, were sending the crowd to fever pitch at the Manchester Ritz. Established pleasers like 'Another Number' and 'Men’s Needs' may have had the masses going mad, but, by punctuating their set with unknown songs from their forthcoming fourth album,

The Cribs ensured something of a stop-start party atmosphere. Undoubtedly, the group are under a perverse pressure to top 'Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs' Whatever, their bestselling album yet. Things sound promising: the guttural guitar-led noise that has helped to establish them such a fanatical following, is still at the forefront of things, with Marr perhaps adding a somewhat softer touch. If anything, The Cribs, often full of light-hearted quips, were a tad too professional: with a live recording being taken, they were all sober and good. After the blunt promise of “No encore”, hundreds of washed-out indie kids washed out of the Ritz, calm again after a musical storm.

ANDY MCGRATH

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s ♥ LITTLE BOOTS

JOE MILAM TELLS YOU WHY: She’s a local girl for local people Miss Hesketh isn’t your archetypal brogue-footed Hoxton dweller, she hails from just down t’road in Leeds. Before hitting the big time with her Little Boots project she was a member of the electro-rock trio Dead Disco, residents and regulars of Leeds hive of activity, the Cockpit. Her fond memories of bands at the cockpit also give a good clue as to her influences – “I really liked watching LCD Soundsystem, it was the first time I’d seen them and it was quite small and I was right near the front, I really enjoyed watching them live…I saw Ladytron here, that was really good, a lot of people aren’t into them live and say they’re quite boring but I’m really into them”

She does things on her own terms Little Boots may be a project laden with covers and collaborations but the workload lays solely on Victoria, not that she’d have it any other way, mind. Although she is close with dancefloor up-and-comer Frankmusic she is keen to belong to a scene of her own “people say it is in common but other than us both using lots of synths and writing pop songs I can’t really see that much similarity.

His is a lot more camp and very high bpm and he has a very characteristic voice, I try to do things that are a little more varied, I don’t really stick to one thing”

She’s not just your run-of-the-mill NME indie artist “I don’t even know what post-punk is” is not the usual quote from an artist gracing the cover of the New Musical Express. Out with the Joy Division and Talking Heads references and in with the Radio One playlist. “I wanna get on the radio and I wanna reach a lot of people, I don’t care about doing something cool or alternative, In my old band [Dead Disco] that’s all we wanted to do, when I started on my own I was just a blank canvas and I was just, like I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks I’m just gonna do what I wanna do, I don’t care if it’s a cool thing or a hip thing and if NME wanna write about me.” Certainly a refreshing attitude in the midst of morally dubious image changes such as White Lies ditching the new-rave moniker and neon clad sportswear under Fear of Flying to become black 80s throwbacks, or the brainchild of the Sleepy Jackson suddenly becoming the idiotic LSD trip that is Empire of the Sun. Her casual attitude has certainly paid off with success and cult fandom in equal measure as Hesketh herself testifies to: “Ironically enough all the hip people are into it, which I kinda think [is] funny, I think ‘What are you talking about, Its not cool’”. That’s not to say she doesn’t appreciate her ascending fanbase: “I’m just really happy those people like it, hopefully it means that the songs are good enough that they can connect with a lot of different kinds of people and its interesting enough for those kind of people to get into it.”

She’s ambitious and appreciates the pitfalls of fame “There’s just a trap that so many people fall into of making music that’s popular with, like, 500 people in East London and doesn’t get out of that, I’m from Blackpool and I’ve lived in Leeds so I know there’s a world outside of East London that I think a lot of people there don’t realise. I’m not interested in doing some hipster, Shoreditch, internet thing that isn’t going to sell more than a thousand records”. Her outlook on music and fame is not limited to her own music.

As a seasoned pro of the gig scene it could be said her opinions are slightly sour on the current state of the music industry: “Stuff like Ladyhawke is very good but it doesn’t seem to crossover, if you want to make a career out of this you need to sell records, and also as a songwriter I wanna reach as many people as I can.”

She’s not content with sticking to one type of music In her live shows and on her infamous youtube postings Hesketh has become known for use of mega-expensive tenori-on synthesiser (£700 if you’re feeling creative), and has no plans to stop there, “I’m seeing something next week which I can’t talk about, it’s another new, nerdy thing that’s been seven years in the making and no-ones seen it yet, apparently it can do all the tenori-on can do and more, I’m gonna be one of the first people to try it”. The diverse nature of her tracks is visible between the electro-pop beast that is the brilliant ‘Mathematics” and the 80s disco-funk of ‘Stuck on Repeat’. She is keen to drop the new-disco moniker flying round forums and music magazines too to allow herself the freedom to keep making new experimental tracks (“a lot of the new-disco acts are a little off the mark for me” she added).

Her music is most definitely HER music Despite working very closely with Joe Goddard of nerd-pop masters Hot Chip, Victoria is adamant that her music cannot be attributed to anyone else and there is no puppet-master behind her meteoric rise: “If you’re a girl and you’re gonna be like a popstar in a shiny dress making dancey-pop songs you’ve got to be a bit mindless” she muses, tongue firmly in cheek, “People want you to be a certain thing.” Perhaps this is where the love for Little Boots really arises from, that she may well be a wonderful songwriter of catchy-pop gems, but she also doesn’t quite fit the mould of either full blown pop star or indie darling.

“The possibility that [I] do something quite shiny and quite pop but that [I] actually make it all is quite a difficult notion for people to get their heads around”.

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Vision's Top 5...

Controversial Oscar Wins

VISION Film Awards 2009 After last night's glittering cermony and an after-party which is sure to go down in the history books ( I don't think anyone will ever forget Nicole Kidman's drunken karaoke or Christian Bales's vicious verbal attacks on Julie Andrews, she having walked into his eyeline whilst he was waiting at the bar), the wait is finally over and the winners have been announced, Charles Rivington brings you the results...

The Uwe Boll Award for Worst Film

The Ronseal Award for Most Succinct Film Title

The Dick Van Dyke Award for Least Convincing Accent

The Nominees are...

The Nominees are...

The Nominees are...

Disaster Movie The Love Guru The Happening

Fuck Vicky Cristina Barcelona W.

Daniel Craig for Defiance Nicole Kidman for Australia

And the Winner is...

Disaster Movie

And the Winner is...

W.

And the Winner is...

Everyone’s least favourite walking forehead, Nicole Kidman!

Remember wit?

Remember invention?

Remember Airplane?

Neither do the makers of this God-awful mess.

Oliver Stone’s surprisingly tame biopic secured George W Bush’s place as the American President who can be identified using the least number of letters (in joint second place are JFK and FDR).

Does it strike anyone else as ironic that she got the starring role in a film called Australia and yet still had to fake a ‘Briddish’ accent throughout the entire film?

The Bruce Willis Award for Most Frowning and Shouting in a Film

The Verne Troyer award for Most Unfairly Overlooked Film of 2008

The Police Academy Award for Least Anticipated Sequel of 2009

The Nominees are...

The Nominees are...

The Nominees are...

Doubt Revolutionary Road Righteous Kill

Choke The Fall The Mist

Dance Flick Pink Panther 2 Terminator Salvation

And the winner is...

Righteous Kill.

And the winner is...

The Mist.

And the winner is...

Dance Flick.

World class shouter, Al Pacino and world class frowner, Robert DeNiro were finally reunited for this much-anticipated shouty/frowny crime epic.

The best American horror film of the last ten years (give or take), and no one goes to see it! It also featured the year’s best film ending. Rent it now! And then rent the other nominees.

Not technically a sequel but another awful awful awful 'movie' film from the makers of all the other ones! Don’t let the switch from ‘movie’ to ‘flick’ fool you and don’t go to see it!

5.Shakespeare in Love 1998 Best Motion Picture Not strictly a terrible film but how this beat Saving Private Ryan is anyone’s guess.

4.Marisa Tomeii 1992 Best Supporting Actress for her part in My Cousin Vinny.

Nobody really expected Marisa Tomeii to beat some of the era’s most distinguished actresses, including Vanessa Redgrave and Judy Davis. Apparently the Academy voters all had a massive lapse of judgement at the same time.

3.Dances with Wolves 1990 Best Motion Picture Did it really deserve to beat the legendary Goodfellas? Not even a little bit. Too long by half, (just be glad Kevin Costner managed to cut it down from the four hour long directors cut). Also, which ever way you look at it the plot just doesn’t make any sense…

2. Wall-E We here at Vision believe that regardless of which film wins the 2008 Best Picture Oscar the non-inclusion of the fantastically heartwarming Wall-E is just plain unforgivable.

1.Titanic 1997 Best Motion Picture Titanic beat a whole host of quality films including Good Will Hunting, The Full Monty and L.A. Confidential and the win only served to overinflate James Cameron’s already massive ego. Frankly, the shows organisers should have changed the name in the envelope following his ridiculous “I’m the king of the world” speech when he won Best Director.

Tom McDermott

Are Awards Ceremonies Worth The Fuss?

Tom McDermott says...

Laura Cress says...

YES T

he Oscars, the Baftas and the Golden Globes may seem like back-slapping ceremonies for self-righteous Hollywood types but in actual fact they serve a very real purpose. Awards are there to recognise achievement in any field, to argue for the Oscars to be shut down would only be fair if people argued that against Nobel prizes and Pulitzer prizes as well.

Academy awards and other ceremonies celebrate a high standard of cinema and often put the spotlight on films that are truly deserving of attention. Oscar nominees are films which sensitively and intelligently deal with important subjects; finding a near-perfect balance between entertaining and making the audience think about something significant. A perfect example is the 2008 Best Picture winner No Country for Old Men: a fantastically entertaining film which leaves the audience with many pertinent questions about morality, justice and the possibility of fate.

The Oscar ceremony is also genuinely interesting and enjoyable.

For girls there are the chats about which actress was best dressed on the red carpet and for guys it’s just a good opportunity to see an awful lot of beautiful actresses together at once. You can also have a bet on the first person to break down during their acceptance speech and can enjoy the, often hilarious, reactions of the other nominees when the winner is announced.

Finally the Oscars constantly set the standard to which other filmmakers can aspire. Perhaps if more credence were given to the Oscars instead of the apathy and negativism which greets them at the moment then in years to come abysmal films such as Disaster Movie and the disgraceful Meet the Spartans won’t even be considered for the greenlight, let alone made.

NO L

ike a chunk of cheese long lost behind a radiator or a carton of milk left out in a heat wave, there’s something about awards ceremonies these days that seems rather off. So much hype beforehand, then the big occasion arrives, everyone stands for hours being photographed, the joke making host makes a joke, the awards are given out, someone inevitably becomes far too emotionally overwhelmed and has to be sedated with chloroform...

Although perhaps not as funny as it had the potential to be, the film For Your Consideration certainly nailed one point in the head – award ceremonies are just another farce that Hollywood and its colleagues take far, far too seriously. There are now so many ceremonies around the world that it seems impossible for anybody even vaguely involved in a film not to win or at least be nominated for something. Case in point: Catherine O’ Hara (ironically) was nominated in the category of Best Female Lead in For your Consideration for an Independent Spirit Award. What on earth does this mean? Does anybody care?

Naturally there is occasionally a point to all of this kerfuffle – for example the excellent choice to award the British documentary Man on Wire a Bafta for Outstanding British Film, which hopefully means more people will now want to go watch it. However, more and more, especially with the Oscars, the choices appear so lazy and obvious that one wonders if the organisers are really deep down bitter misanthropes hoping to cull any sign of originality on sight. Personally I’d much prefer if for large events such as the Oscars or Baftas there was a short ten minute programme simply listing the winners, perhaps a slideshow of their reactions, then a long coverage of the after-parties. A pissed up Elton John playing Rocket Man on a closed piano or Halle Berry crying for nearly five minutes, occasionally screaming “Oh my God!”? You decide.

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%Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dir. Woody Allen

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oody Allen has written and directed almost forty films and is responsible for some of the cinema’s most unforgettable moments: Manhattan’s sweeping opening monologue with its beautiful black and white shots of the city all pulsating to George Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, Alvy Singer and Annie Hall losing a lobster behind the refrigerator and Charlotte Rampling’s heartbreaking jump cut monologue from Stardust Memories. And yet sometime towards the end of the ‘90’s something happened, Woody lost his mojo and for the past ten years his films have been slowly declining in quality with Allen fans desperate to herald every new film as Woody’s ‘return to form’ only to be inevitably disappointed. Well, the wait is over because with his beautiful romance, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody has finally got his groove back.

The film opens with Vicky (a pitch-perfect Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) having just arrived in Barcelona - which is made even more beautiful by Allen’s typically idealising lens - and en route to the house of Judy (Patricia Clarkson), a distant relative of Vicky’s, where they will be holidaying for the next couple of months. The girls are ostensibly quite similar, however, as the narrator (Christopher Evan Welch) points out right at the start of the film, their attitudes to love are very different: Vicky is uptight and practical in her approach to romance and is engaged to dull but dependable Doug (Chris Messina) whereas Cristina is a reckless romantic. The film picks up pace with the introduction of Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) a smouldering local painter who seduces both girls on a weekend trip to Oviedo.

Naturally complications ensue, not least in the form of Juan Antonio’s melodramatic and potentially murderous ex-wife Maria Elena (a fantastic Penelope Cruz) and an impromptu visit from Doug, and - like love itself - much of the thrill of the film stems from its unpredictability.

Being a review it seems necessary to-grudgingly- point out that the film is not quite perfect: some of the narration feels a little bit intrusive, the beginning of the film is quite rushed and a subplot involving Judy and her husband is under-developed. However these are minor quibbles which the sparkling dialogue, stunning cinematography and wonderful acting (particularly from Cruz, Bardem and Hall) more than make up for. All in all, it is a stunning film.

Welcome back Woody, you have been sorely missed!

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Dir. Martin Scorsese ean Streets (1973) was unquestionably the film that launched the career of director Martin Scorsese and shot a young Robert De Niro into the limelight. Filmed on a low budget, with a documentary style hand held aesthetic, Mean Streets follows the lives of four aspiring gangsters in New York’s Little Italy. Harvey Keitel plays Charlie, a man struggling to balance his religious piety against his duties within the mob. Charlie’s opening voiceover sets up the loose plot of the film “You don’t make up for your sins in church; you do it in the streets; you do it at home” and what follows are Charlie’s attempts to pay his penance by trying to save the erratic, violent and unpredictable Jonny Boy, played by none other than Robert De Niro, who gives an extraordinary performance. De Niro thrives as a

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Annie Duffield

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Dir. David Fincher

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epeated several times throughout David Fincher’s latest film, the line, “You never know what’s comin’ for you” certainly seems to sum up the experience as a whole. Indeed, if Fincher had been told after directing Fight Club that in a decade’s time he would be at the helm of a film concerning an epic romance these words probably could not have better summarised his reaction.

However, looking beneath the schmaltzy story of a passive hero and the interactions he has with an ever-evolving America, (hello, Forrest Gump), there are still some Fincher-esque touches to be found. The idea itself, taken from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is surprisingly suited to its director. Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is born with the physicality of an old man, and as he ages he grows younger, falling in love with Daisy (Cate Blanchett) and trying to come to terms with his miraculous condition as he does so.

This odd and at times even questionable romance forms the backbone of the film, and it is here that the story really comes into its own. As the tagline for the film states, “Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments”, and it is these chance moments that Benjamin spends with Daisy that make it more than just your average rom-com as it questions whether there is such a thing as being destined to be with someone.

Brad Pitt delivers a very innocent and restrained Benjamin, his naive mumblings making him a likable, if occasionally too docile, protagonist. However, this is perhaps the point, as in contrast to our passive hero, the characters he meets are all passionate and quirky, ranging from the hilarious “Man struck by lightning 7 times” to the slightly clichéd but still lovable Captain Mike (a drunken Irish sailor...what next?!)

Just like our heroine, we become swept along with this world of eccentricities. In fact, if there is one fault with the film, it is that later on it seems to race to tie up all the unfinished ends of the romance to the point where, perhaps like Fincher’s previous film Zodiac, it destroys all the interesting character development happening beforehand. Nevertheless, apart from the odd forced piece of symbolism (a hummingbird that seems to keep occurring in increasingly bizarre places), Benjamin Button is a surprising breath of fresh air for anyone interested in Fincher’s work, and a charming yet still sharp tale for those simply out for a good time.

✰✰✰✰✰

Laura Cress

He's Just Not That Into You

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character that can make you feel uncomfortable just at his entrance into the frame, and Charlie’s vain attempts to reform him only makes his behaviour more affecting.

Scorsese beautifully captures the day to day activities of the young men, from brawls in pool halls to nights at the cinema, showing their struggles to find a place within the hierarchy of Little Italy. What stands out about Mean Streets in comparison to other films of this genre is the complete lack of glorification about the life of a gangster.

Scorsese shows us a world of petty loan sharks, small time thugs and very few rewards; the characters receive insults from those who should respect them and the fights are messy, clumsy and ultimately pointless. Although there is plenty of Scorsese violence, there’s not much gore until the very end, so those with a weaker disposition will still enjoy it.

CULTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Charles Rivington

Experiment With...

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Dir. Ken Kwapis

omewhere along the celluloid line Hollywood decided that the average member of the public wanted, no, needed, famous people to tell them how to conduct their love lives and, in this respect, He’s Just Not That Into You doesn’t deviate from the lesson plan too much. This in itself shouldn’t be a problem; unfortunately, the film fails to provide the consistently amusing script and solid acting talent necessary to make up for its unoriginality.

The setup is based on a piece of advice from the self-help book of the same name: that women have for decades believed that if a guy doesn’t call after a date, its only because he likes her too much; that women are deluded in this belief; that if a guy wants to get with a girl, he will do so, by any means possible. This central premise is concentrated in the romantic trials and tribulations of the naïve Gigi (a charismatic Ginnifer Goodwin) and Alex (Justin Long); orbiting around them are a similarly troubled buffet of celebrities that New Line has served up in the hopes of making the film more palatable.

Admittedly, some of the film’s diverse strands tie themselves up quite satisfyingly, especially Gigi and Alex’s drawn-out legacy of misread signals. Girls, who are after all the film’s target audience, will also doubtless find the resolution of Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Neil’s (Ben Affleck, in a role as thin as the paper it was written on) problem incredibly romantic. However, the remaining stories are poorly acted (stand up Scarlett Johansson), broadly unfunny and leave a surprisingly bitter taste in the mouth for what should be a feel-good movie. He’s Just Not That Into You purports to be a snapshot of modern attitudes to relationships, referencing MySpace and texting every 20 seconds, but, ultimately, morphs into a screaming vindication of what women have believed all along.

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David Elliot

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teleVISION

a constanant pain in the arse In what is apparently a 'deserved return' to the paper after quitting in the last issue, SCOTT BRYAN ruins all his TV credibility by praising a shit programme about words...

Well I did quit Vision. I did. Handed in my resignation and notice and everything. Made a speech. Praised Nouse. Got pissed. Insulted the editor and his girlfriend. Everything to make an impact and show that I was going. Unfortunately… I am stuck. Stuck in the ruddy Vision office. If you are in Vanburgh, take some time to refamiliarise yourself with the rather despicably ugly but relatively unnoticed Grimston House (you know, the grey building behind Costcutter that’s slightly more ugly than Goodricke). That building is where we produce Nouse and Vision, and it is such a confusing and bloody backwards building it is impossible to escape without the appropriate keycard. The editor got me drunk, drugged me and locked me in the cleaner cupboard. I am now stuck between V/C/B/X/0029 and V/A/B/B/A/00.2, staying alive by sucking on the colour print between Vision issues 145 and 157.

(Lifestyle is well tasty). But no fear. I luckily I have a laptop, and free (but increasingly weak) wireless internet access... so TV continues ever on wards and upwards, until I become so weak I lose the power in my fingers.

God there’s nothing on in February is there. It’s tripe. No main shows. Skins is shit. All you get is programmes about freaks (‘The World’s Strongest Child’ on Channel 5), laughable repeated housing programmes that detail the frankly buoyant housing prices from July 2007 (TV: ‘Kirsty and I have found a reasonable semi-detached house for about £756,000’ Me: ‘Hahahaha’), University Challenge (that makes you feel like a useless twit) and The One Show. TV producers seem to have this logic that in January and February people just stop caring what they watch on TV, that everyone found Christmas TV ‘so good’ that they can offload crap reality offerings between these months before off loading something that will enjoy or upset half the entire nation (ie.

The Apprentice, 21 Years Younger, The F Word...).

So generally there is that much to review that I can praise and find noteworthy in this article. So I am going to come out of the TV closest and reveal something I should not do in writing... Well you know I... I kinda like not Mad Men, or Damages... No I sorta have a secret crush.. I kinda like Countdown... its not a phase, its the love if my life.

Countdown is me and I am Countdown.

Woah woah woah there horsey. I know what you are thinking?

Countdown???!? The boredom? The long pauses? The fact that someone like me from Vision would have to use a word more than five letters long to get through it?

Why would I like that?

Its amazing.. it just is... it's got story and drama and a hell of words and references to the Oxford English Dictionary.

It has been a rough patch for Countdown in recent times. The once loveable granny and student friendly programme contained an overpaid calculator and a man who sadly past away after spending twenty five years making bad jokes. Then Des Lynam mistakenly walked into set thinking that the show was a football programme and took the helm as the main presenter. Bemused by the fact that he would have to leave the warmth of his London solid gold ITV mansion to make it up to the horrible cold depths of Yorkshire several times a week he made a scene and handed in his solid gold towel, leaving someone to present who I thought died years ago ,to keep hold of a wobbly set that was so bad I thought the clock dial might continue to swing when it made it down to the bottom at the end of each 30 second round. Bad news.

It got worse. Carol Vorderman after being on the show since she was conceived was made to quit and in the global recession as advert funds become there were serious concerns that the jewel Channel 4’s crown, the most

TURN ON...

...TURN OFF With every channel trying to boost up their figures just a twee little bit by renaming themselves Blighty, Alibi and Dave, here at Vision towers we named some TV stations that really should be noticed more:

been jazzed up. It’s got a new look and a new presenter. If you haven’t got a 3.15 and if you still actually pay £139.50 a year on a TV licence (if you watch it on 4OD you should be set within a mental institute…

Countdown is not an ‘appointment to view’ television programme), then I recommend giving it a try. Look new presenters! It’s a man who looks like his plastic surgery was sponsored by Dulux undercoat and a new young female ‘we didn’t need Vorderman anyway’ presenter bringer of the vowels, placer of the constantant! The clock is new. The desk is new, even the letters are new. The contestants are still freaks though and ‘Dictionary Corner’ is still a place for people who have no humour, only intellect but I think somebody has given this old breed a bit of needed kick up the arse and it’s rather about time.

The format is still the same. After seeing the letters 'AJDSTJIPTS' being displayed on the board in the first round I was only able to make the words ‘TITS’ and ‘ASS’, but I can scream at the TV with such joy by making a word six letters less than the contestants and still feel smart. I normally miss out the mathematics round and make myself I cuppa (I think it is stupid and irresponsible that the numbers 8, 7, 16, 162 and 1.9 must make the number 4235.76) but I still have time to see the conundrum which I always seem to get wrong and the sheer excitement on the winning contestants face as they make it to the next round of the competition. Nights out at the Duchess and sexual experiences won’t match their facial expression detailing that they have made it through to the next round… it’s the most understated human experience of all time.

The old style of the show however continues to exist. The odd pauses. The senile jokes and the slight clapping of 83 year olds as a small intelligent boy stares at the floor after succeeding a score so high it makes all of your A Levels just fade off into the distance. Without it society would crumble. You need Countdown. Think about it.

The best bit though is the extra credibility by watching it. It’s one of the only shows that you can watch on a daily basis where you can feel smarter. You can go and watch Eggheads on BBC 2 from 6pm that night but you only feel like a blooming twit so this sort of programme is just what you need. It’s got none of the pointless suspense of ‘once Jasper Carrot was funny’ Golden Balls and none of the weird pointless cosmic ordering of Deal or No Deal. What is cooler is that I went on a website the other day and downloaded a special file that makes it possible to hear the countdown theme tune when you are switching off your laptop. So instead of the Window’s trademark ‘Da-da-darrr-deeer’ you get the countdown theme tune. As this review is coming to a close and my laptop battery is slowly becoming more dried up then I think it is a perfect opportunity for my laptop to say ‘Der-dah Der-dah Der-derder-der Booooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggg ggg’.

AFTER SEEING THE LETTERS 'AJDSTIPTS' BEING DISPLAYED ON THE BOARD I WAS ONLY ABLE TO MAKE THE WORDS 'TITS' AND 'ASS'...

UnKlassy – Every advert and show that Myleene Klass has ever done, in the hope that she would view the channel, see how boring she is and the annoying way she comes across on television, get bored and stop making programmes for the good of humanity.

Chicken- All of the documentaries exposing the poor conditions of battery chickens on Television Turkey- Everything on Channel 5

Pesst Orf- Basically the annoying man who caused the recession, BBC Economics Editor Robert Peston should be put into a cupboard so that everyone else can stop being so worried about their lives, and we can move on. And ‘eck life might be a little more uplifting.

watched close-to-death and student aimed television show in the solar system, would fall and die in the gutter.

But look at it now. It’s Got any suggestions?

Email tv@yorkvision.co.uk SCOTT BRYAN

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GAMES COMING UP IN 2009...

Vision takes a look at what there is to look forward to in 2009, from the bloodshed and carnage of Killzone 2 to the tactical prowess of the new Empire Game.

Empire: Total War PC 04%03 In this turn-based strategy and real-time tactics computer game, the players will be able to command and deploy war vessels for 3D naval combat for the first time. A more sophisticated A.I. makes Total War a more challenging experience however the naval battles frequently become chaotic when multiple ships are used. Still though, this game is a necessity for anyone who loves their strategy games.

Killzone 2 due 27%02 PS3 Killzone 2 takes you to the home planet of the infamous Helghast to capture their leader, Emperor Visiari and end the war. With the game boasting spectacular graphics and intense action packed gameplay, it is definitely a contender for game of the year and a must-have for any true gamer.

Resident Evil 5 PS3 and Xbox 360 due 13%03

WWE Legends of Wrestlemania PS3 20%03 Another wrestling game reliving past glories of the industry probably because it has nothing to say about the present state of this “sport”. It is a move away from the legendary, but sadly decaying series of Smackdown with various differences in the gameplay. Unfortunately they don’t seem to make these wrestling games as they used to. Time was, you could come home after a hard day’s work and then pretend to smash that obnoxious lecturer whose been giving you a hard time through a table and split their head open with a steel chair. This game looks as if it will continue this line of disappointment and I highly recommend that you avoid it.

Chris Redfield is back to battle with the forces of evil once more, ten years after the original. The story explores this interval and is set in a desert area where Chris has been sent by the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) to investigate an incident. The level of detail of the graphics in this game is ridiculously realistic and with changes in both gameplay and world of Resident Evil, I can safely promise that this game will live up to its hype.

Craddocks Classic Super Mario 64 (N64) This magical game begins with our beloved Italian plumber arriving at Princess Peach’s castle with the promise of cake only to discover that his usual nemesis Bowser has kidnapped her and her staff using the might of the castle’s power stars. Now Mario has to travel through the paintings in the castle to various worlds and battle Bowser’s minions to retrieve the stars, defeat the giant fire-breathing bipedal turtle monster himself, rescue Peach and most importantly of all get his cake!

His journey sees him traverse stunning and imaginative levels like the Bomb-omb Battlefield, Whomp’s Fortress and the Lethal Lava Land where he encounters such strange and wonderful enemies like King Bomb-omb and Whomp and also races a giant Penguin . This, combined with such unusual concepts like Mario’s obsessive need to acquire mushrooms in order to live and others, culminates to make a fantastically quirky and adorable game and I haven’t even mentioned the gameplay.

Overall, the amalgamation of original animation, game play and plot line create an unbelievably enjoyable experience that will continuously leave the gamer wanting more and more. Super Mario 64 is a must-play game and if you haven’t then you haven’t lived; if you have then play it some more, because really this game is a true Craddock’s classic.

Flower (PS3 download only)

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ilting your controller to direct a gust of wind through flowers and make them bloom sounds like something you would find in a gimmicky Wii mini-game. But after playing it I realised that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Flower is a work of art. Not just because of the stunning environments and beautiful effects, but because of the way it draws the player in; you don’t just play Flower, you experience it. From the way the sound effects and music interact with your movements to the feeling of freedom you get as you fly, trailing hundreds of flower petals behind you. This game has really hit the mark when it comes to immersing the player. Okay, so this isn’t a game to bring out when the lads are round, but for a quiet night in with a cup of tea Flower is perfect.

The drawback of course, for an experience as well designed as this, is that it’s short. The game lasts around 90 minutes, with a couple of hours more if you want to get all the trophies. And for £6.29 it may be hard to justify the purchase, as there are plenty of games on the Playstation Store which offer much more (traditional) gaming for your money. But if you get the chance, whatever kind of games you’re into and even if you don’t play many at all, definitely give it a shot and you’ll see exactly why I loved it.

Chris CRaddock

Want to write about games? Email vision@yusu.org!

Rob Sienkiwicz

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through a process of dealing with someone’s complaint…you come out of the process knowing so much more about them than when you went in, and naturally all that new research isn’t going to go to waste, so you are in a good position to write whole new books about them, and more columns, which is nice.”

When asked if a particular battle stands out, he is unequivocal. “Matthias Rath. Read it, read it online or please, read the book chapter. It’ll be free online soon, no profiteering!”

Rath, a nutritionist promoting his pills over antiretroviral treatments in South Africa, sued Goldacre and the Guardian for libel over three articles conIt may not be about schoolboy wizards or heartthrob vampires, but those in the know will attest demning his work, but in September of last year the newspaper’s front page trumpeted that Rath had that Dr Ben Goldacre’s *Bad Science* is still a dropped the suit. He was ordered to pay costs of fantastic book. As Stephen Fry’s online ponderaround £220,000, and it seems inevitaings are perused by thousands on Twitter, a ble that further writings are to come recent entry pointing readers to an article by from Goldacre on the subject.

Goldacre suggests that the impishly intelligent “I was a nerdy nobody at the Fry has himself been enjoying a bit of *Bad Guardian until people started harScience*; could there be a hipper endorsement assing me,” muses Goldacre. “Once than that?

The product of Goldacre’s crusading newspa- a millionaire like Matthias Rath was taking us to the high court, per column of the same name, *Bad Science* is a fascinating examination of a specific strand of suddenly it was lagers with the editor. Funny thing.” science Patrick Holford an example of the fiction: not robots and spaceships, but dubious many targets that react poorly to medical claims and their damaging media coverclose scrutiny. “Sometimes they go age. However, such a description does little jusfor the Guardian, sometimes they tice to the book’s compelling content. go for me personally. Generally The most impressive thing about Goldacre’s it’s just corporate writing is its witty presentation of material intimidation. I find it very interoften muddled by journalists. “Like a lot of peoesting as a process: doctors and ple who know anything about science, I felt that academics have worked so hard much of what I read in the newspapers…was to make their ideas as transwrong, and it would be useful to have a voice parent as possible, but to me it discussing that,” he explains. The origins of his seems that the legal community weekly Guardian appearances are suitably clinimake their money out of obfuscal and straightforward; he simply rang the letcation and the need to pay tens ters page to offer his services. of thousands of pounds for The book, released last year, is an engaging clarity.” read that blends entertainment with education.

Goldacre has remained “What I try to do is pick examples that exemplify impressively positive about his a particular idea or concept from science or experiences (possibly due to a stats,” says Goldacre, “and then use sniping at a slew of victories): “When you go through a process moron as a hook for that discussion. Sometimes of dealing with someone’s complaint…you come out I just follow the comedy, too, because some of of the process knowing so much more about them the characters I write about are almost endlessly than when self-parodying.” Yet you went in, while snake oil salesand naturally men will probably all that new weather the global research isn’t recession rather going to go to well, *Bad Science* waste, so you are is about far more than laughing at cartoonish in a good position to write whole new books about buffoons. them, and more columns, which is nice.”

Legal threats are almost as regular for Another famous case is that of faeces-fondling Goldacre as his Guardian deadlines, with vitahealth guru Gillian McKeith, ordered to stop min pill entrepreneur Patrick Holford an examusing the title Dr in adverts after a complaint to ple of the many targets that react poorly to close the Advertising Standards Authority, prompted by scrutiny. “Sometimes they go for the Guardian, Goldacre’s writing. sometimes they go for me personally. Generally His book has been as well received as McKeith’s it’s just corporate intimidation. I find it very misery, yet Goldacre remains interesting as a process: doctors and academmodest. “I don’t think it reflects especially on me or ics have worked so hard to make their ideas as my writing, it just shows that there's a huge intertransparent as possible, but to me it seems that est in the basics of evidence based medicine, and the legal community make their money out of an untapped reserve of nerd enthusiasm which the obfuscation and the need to pay tens of thoublinkered and largely elderly humanities graduates sands of pounds for clarity.” who run mainstream media for some reason cannot Goldacre has remained impressively positive see. about his experiences (possibly “I’m full time NHS; writing’s a hobby. I can’t think due to a slew of victories): “When you go of anything worse than thinking ‘*I’d

bad

ALEX RICHMAN talks science and being sued with Guardian writer Ben Goldacre...

"I use sniping at a moron as a hook for discussion"

MYTH VS SCIENCE BLUE MONDAY The most depressing day of the yearactually an advertising scam created by holiday companies to get you booking those flights

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rather not write that, but I have to - they’re offering 50p a word and the rent is due*.’” It may only be a hobby, but Goldacre certainly has a way with words, having been garlanded at several ceremonies such as the prestigious British Science Writers Awards, although the appeal of *Bad Science* goes beyond nerd enthusiasts.

Comedian Robin Ince recently organised a show in London that combined stand-up with informative talks, where Goldacre was joined on the card by illustrious atheist Richard Dawkins. Goldacre is keen not to describe himself as an expert to avoid accusations of arguing from authority – his newspaper byline is simply Ben Goldacre – yet given his presentational brilliance, ascension in the public psyche to match the level of his fellow Oxford graduate is far from inconceivable.

“I get invited to do [television shows] where we mock some crystal therapists in a consumer outrage context, something I’ve never done, or ‘a really exciting new project where we follow some crackheads through rehab and it would be great to have a young doctor,’” reveals Goldacre.

“Obviously I, err, demur on those kind offers.

“There is almost no specialist factual content now that anybody with half a brain can endure, let alone enjoy. I really don’t know anyone who watches television for ideas; you get that from radio, books, and the internet.” It’s a gap in the market that Goldacre would be glad to fill, but for the fact that he has no time for industry types. A self-made product beckons: “I need good cameramen and money for sandwiches and a posh microphone. If you have any of those lying around, get in touch.” *Goldacre’s column appears in the Guardian every Saturday, as well as on his personal website, www.badscience.net. *Bad Science* is available in paperback from Fourth Estate.*

CAFFEINE CRAZY Drink 7 cups of coffee a day and hallucinations and even sensing the dead will follow (as reported in the Express) -actually caffeine will simply allow unconnected thoughts to enter your head

PIXIE DUST A special dust made a man's finger grow back after it was cut off (as reported by BBC)- actually he did not lose any bone just skin and therefore was able to heal and grow back itelf.

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TRASHY NOVEL of the Week

Mem oirs o Arthu f a Geish a r Gol den

Dragon th the i W l r i The G Tattoo rsson Stieg La

Suns plendid S d n a s A Thou led Hosseini Kha

Highbrow affair of the Week

Scandalous

The Rose of Sebastopol

Laura D.

Katherine McMahon

£7.99 Virgin Books

£7.99 Phoenix

S

candalous by name and also by nature, as this book explores the true story of a nineteen year old french university student, whose part time job, as a way of funding herself through university was to work as a call-girl. Laura D however does not seem to advocate this as a wise career path to have chosen, with her life having been put in jeopardy on several occassions not to mention her boyfriend's displeasure on finding out her employment.

The translation from French to English has left the book a little stilted in its flow, though this does mean that it is very easy to read. The lead character, without sounding too uncaring, does not leave the reader all that empathetic, rather instead beginning to wonder if she hated being a call-girl so much perhaps a job as a check-out assistant might have been more suitable.

There are some very contentious issues dealt with in the book, such as the politics within her family home and of course the lure of prostitution which are on the whole dealt with tactfully, and on some occassions with black humour. The accounts of some of the strange fantasises of her clients for example are humerous, but also shocking, considering that this was real. For those who were purely looking for racy sex scenes that this book seems to promise Laura D does not deliver.

If you are expecting something along the lines of ITV 2's 'Sercret Diary of a Call Girl' this is a disappointment, while clearly more of a realistic portrayal it lacks the glamour of the positive spin . The preface contains many shocking statistics on student prostituion which seem lost in the rest of the novel as the in the self-pitying of the narration which is quite tiresome.

Overall 'Scandalous' definitely persudes me that becoming a call-girl to pay my way through university would be an unwise move, a conclusion i had come to perhaps before reading the book.

Victoria Lovegreen

M

ariella Lingwood is a wealthy young woman with a comfortable home, kind parents and a handsome surgeon fiancé, Henry Thewall. But the year is 1854 and the Crimean War is about to begin.

Into Mariella’s life comes her beautiful cousin Rosa Barr, determined to become an army nurse. As first Henry, then Rosa, leave London for the Crimea, Mariella finds herself alone, sustained only by Rosa’s letters. But when the letters stop abruptly, Mariella decides to leave England in pursuit of her headstrong cousin. Going first to Italy, where Henry is recuperating from illness, Mariella is shocked to find him mumbling not her name, but Rosa’s. Pained by Henry’s apparent faithlessness, Mariella nevertheless cares more about her cousin than about her own love life, and means to find Rosa despite her seeming betrayal. Mariella departs for Balaklava, expecting to find Rosa among the army hospitals. Instead, her search leads her to the enemy town of Sebastopol, where she comes to realise that there is only one explanation for Rosa’s disappearance.

Katharine McMahon has created a gripping, elegantly written panorama, combining fascinating history, turbulent romance and the bitterness of loss.

Although The Rose of Sebastopol is primarily a historical drama, its characters are well-formed and complete. Although Mariella begins as a timid, spoilt girl, by the end she is independent and fearless. Brave, vibrant Rosa is absent for much of the novel, but her imprint, like du Maurier’s Rebecca, is constantly there.

McMahon also excels at raising real issues of the day, which add to, rather than distract from, the main plot. The trivial concerns of Mariella’s well-to-do circle are contrasted sharply with the appalling conditions faced by soldiers in the Crimea. Her fiancé Henry struggles with the medical establishment’s lack of attention to basic sanitation. Even Florence Nightingale has a cameo, although she is portrayed as an autocrat who rejected pretty, wealthy girls like Rosa from her nursing troupe because she believed they would be easily seduced, even when the need for nurses was dire.

By the end, after witnessing horrors, Mariella comes to realise that everything she once knew is wrong. She, like Rosa, sees the utter futility of war.

Unlike Rosa, however, she still has the chance to save herself.

Katharine McMahon’s novel is beautiful, noble and Cecily Blench tragic – the story of the search for a young woman who gave her all for a cause she no longer believed in.

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MOran You Bargained For?

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he BAFTA awarding winning Dylan Moran certainly has a natural charm and unchecked lyrical fluency as York’s Grand Opera House opened its doors to his new stand up act, What It Is. His Irish voice abruptly but alluringly takes us on a journey that begins with a plea for international tolerance but quickly turns into a continent-wide rant at the various inhabitants of Europe. All the while the irascible comic sips on his rosé and munches his chocolate that would ‘lose its flavour’ if he shared it.

Moran certainly told us what it is. He was vocal on a range of subjects that threw the audience into laughter, while telling them to stop clapping and instead ‘do the English thing and squeeze your knees together’. I found the 36-yearold Perrier award winner started off slow, while I was giggling now and then it wasn’t the side aching hilar" Is it always bad when you have chunks of tuna ity that I imagined from a co writer of Shaun of the Dead. After he’d declared his love in your urine? " for York and abused the latecomers, he began to get into the swing of things. Rounding on the Scottish, English and finishing with the Irish who ‘are so ugly’ they look like ‘they’re trying to hide another person inside them.’ Not only did he give an amusing account of cosmetic surgery he also silenced a coughing person by telling him: ‘Health is about discipline and character. I’m having several heart attacks as we speak but you don’t hear me complaining do you.’

The highlight for me was his thoughts on his family. His description of household arguments rang true, as he demonstrated the typical action of opening a cupboard and then pointedly slamming it shut because the ‘justification for being a prick isn’t in there’. Also his ideas on medical care and NHS direct near the end of the second act brought the show up a level as he pondered ‘is it always bad when you have chunks of tuna in your urine?’

Even though according to Moran ‘he’s forgotten what cool smells like’ his stand up act was certainly not far from it. It was imaginative and witty whilst it also drew in the audience with smartly improvised gags. However I did not find him hilarious, maybe it’s the fact that although he had some quirky and original lines, I felt like I’d heard many of the topics before on one of the various panel shows that you see regularly on the BBC. Comedians such as Frankie Boyle and Ed Byrne tackle similar jokes but are funnier because they shock more, and I think that was what was missing: the shock factor. Perhaps expectations were too high, but I definitely felt I got less than I bargained for.

Jenny McLarney

Drama Barn : No Exit A

lexios Mantzarlis’s production of Jean Paul Sartre’s existentialist construction, No Exit, is a powerful one act play, based on the playwright’s philosophy that can be succinctly summed up with one of his own, very famous quotes: ‘Hell is other people.’ This macabre play sees Joseph Garcin, Inez Serrano and Estelle Rigault all led into Sartre’s version of hell; a small, windowless room, where they are to suffer an endless eternity. Any attempt at civility between the characters soon disintegrate as it becomes clear that each character is in the room to become a reflection of the other’s faults, and eventually the ugly character traits of their roles are exposed.

Laura Horton’s Estelle provided an immediate comic relief to the on-stage tension that began the piece, and yet, what remained so impressive about Laura’s performance was the way in which she managed so chillingly to portray the shift in her character’s nature as any social veneer is shattered and the truth about her baby-murdering self is revealed. The symbol of the play’s notion of the unsustainable fantasy, Estelle becomes nothing short of an attention starved, self-absorbed, disgust-inducing bitch.

Inez, the cruel, calculating but ultimately disillusioned realist, was played powerfully by Sarah Barker, who captured brilliantly every nuance of her character – she is at once the coolly superior spokeswoman for the harsh reality of their situation, the manic sadist, and the pathetically desperate lover of Estelle. Least able to imagine any path to satisfaction, she becomes the un-settler of any notion of balance between the three roommates; she is the closest thing Sartre’s Hell has to an inferno.

Tom Eilenberg meanwhile, excelled in the play’s most challenging role, that of Garcin, the coward masquerading as a pacifist writer. It is his character that carries the play, providing the audience with a man with whom they can almost identify. Eilenberg provided the audience with a fantastic portrayal of character development as Garcin changes from the man with only the humble intention of staying quiet, to one desperately seeking the validation of Inez and grasping feverishly at the doorknob, attempting madly to escape.

Despite the play’s fluxes of intensity, Sartre forbids any truly climactic action from taking place: the room’s door opens, but nobody will leave, Garcin and Estelle’s kiss lingers, but never actually takes place. It is a play, in fact, where very little happens. But this pervasive sense of being poised on the edge of something only lends to the production’s dramatic value. The three characters only linger on the edge of sex, pain and non-existence.

This is how true suffering comes about, not at the hands of any physical torturer but by the ones we merely imagine. By the end of the performance, one cannot shake off the feeling that even as the Drama Barn’s lights dim,these three characters will continue in the same vain for eternity.

With the help of some fantastic directorial choices on behalf of Mantzarlis, and three stirring performances from Horton, Barker and Eilenberg, Jean Paul Sartre’s post-Freudian vision of hell has been fully realised.

Eleanor Allen

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Clubbing Culture ...Emily Brunwin takes us to Leed's WEst Indian Centre Saturday week four, and after one too many nights spent dancing to that same playlist of cheese in Tru (you know the tracks), I find myself rounding a corner in an industrial park, somewhere deep within the bowels of Leeds city centre. My friend-come Leeds Uni Student and Subdub aficionado Neil bounces alongside, jabbering incessantly about the ‘loudest sound system in the country’ and asking if I could hear the bass already. I could indeed.

Some background. . . Subdub, based in its ‘spiritual home,’ of Leeds West Indian Centre, is one of the most successful Dub Reggae clubs in the UK. Hosting the main room, in which Dub dominates, were the self styled ‘spiritual steppin’ warriors’ Iration Steppas Sound System (and for those unaware, upon inquiry a Sound System was variously described to me as ‘a whole shitload of subs,’ ‘a wall of bass,’ and ‘a massive bunch of speakers,’). Needless to say, plugs are available from the front for those who don’t want to bleed from the ears.

Room two is dedicated to Drum & Bass, Jungle and Dubstep. A corrugated iron shack reverberating with bass, draped in camo nets and dripping with sweat in such a manner as to make Ziggy’s look positively hygienic, the atmosphere is contagious and dancing exuberant to say the very least. Inhibitions must be left at door.

As for the crowd - an unusual and yet somewhat refreshing combination of be-dreadlocked quasi Rastafarians, middle class white boys clad in the obligatory black hoodie (hoods up, intense expressions), plus your usual indie fare.

? e l g g i G a y c Fan The YUSU Comedy Soc’s Huge was a hilarious three hour event that included the society’s main improvisation group The Shambles and new sketch and panel shows. The money raised has hopefully moved director Simon Wrinkler and his selected team of twenty beloved jokers’ one step closer to returning to the Edinbrugh Festival as well as giving them the chance to push forward the event as a yearly affair. However the Comedy Soc has no time to dwell on their comedic ingenuity. No, they have the big Edinburgh lights ahead of them and they are not going to stop until they’ve drowned York’s students in tears of laughter and been able to once again experience the farcical mysteries of that kilt laden Scottish capital. I caught up with the Wrinkler and Amer Iqbal to see what’s coming up in the world of campus comedy.

After the ‘no comment’ jokes had been put aside we got down to the nitty gritty; their next big event.

Amer informed me that the Wentworth Comedy Festival which is Friday week nine, is one not to miss especially as among their own five comedy soc stand up acts they’ve also, ‘… booked a headliner for it, a professional comedian. She’s really talented; she was nominated for best newcomer in Edinburgh Fringe.

Pippa Evans, she does a bit of musical comedy and stuff like that and she’s gonna be performing with us.’

The excitement was clear on both their faces and indeed as I’ve found out she is certainly a hot new act on the comedy circuit. Time Out magazine gave her act a five start rating:

The next Subdub is on the 7th of March and comes highly recommend. Go for a change of scenery, go if you love the music, or simply go if you like having a story to tell. An epic night, as the sheer volume of revellers still dancing persistently and with gusto at 5.00am lights-on, surely pays testament to.

For more info, check www.myspace.com/subdub1

What Not To Miss...

FREE THEATRE TICKETS AT YORK THEATRE ROYAL After being awarded a premium grant from the Arts Council England in December 2008, York Theatre Royal is launching it’s two year initiative to give away free tickets to young people aged under 26. To celebrate the launch York Theatre Royal is holding exciting activities in the February half term week, to encourage young people to sign up for a York Theatre Royal Pass.

“We are thrilled to be selected for this scheme and excited

‘The writing is incredibly strong and that combined with her amazing singing voice, extraordinary physicality and her ability to transform herself utterly from one character to another makes this one of the best shows this year.’

It seems that we finally have an event Wentworth going to at the Edge. Of course Comedy Soc does not stop there as they explained: Amer: We’ve still got our weekly shows performed in V045 every Wednesday at 7.30. We do a variety of shows weekly like Have I Got News for York with is still quite a popular show.

We try and put something

on every week.’

The Wrinkler: We do quite a lot of events on and off campus as well. We’ve got a lot of Comedy soc Take the Stage, a fortnightly open-mic show which we get quite a lot of experience out of. It’s just a group of mates writing together and performing together.

Amer: Take the Stage is in the City Screen Basement, it’s quite a well attended event, so a lot of people come to read poetry and sing songs, things like that and there’s comedy in it as well.

So if you’re in need of a laugh, fancy a giggle or just want to roll on the floor hooting with joy then you’ve got a weekly opportunity. Or if you want a longer session of legally released endorphins then the Wentworth Comedy Festival will give you that extra Edge. As the Wrinkler would say it’ll rival ANY Drama soc event, so don’t miss out.

about reaching out to more children and young people who don’t normally see our workit’s the start of an ambitious and exciting two years”.

Daniel Bates, Chief Executive.

The launch week will feature free activities for under 26s including three Graffiti Art Workshops,The finished art work will be used as part of the campaign to get under 26s to have ‘A Night Less Ordinary’.

The Theatre Royal hope that these activities witll encourage young people to take advatange of the free tickets and remove the impression that the theatre is a place solely for middle aged people and begin to see the theatre as a place where they are accepted and feel at ease.

WorldSErvice Project This student jazz/funk/rock quintet have gained several rave reviews and are coming up from London next weekend to do a couple of gigs. Their main show is at The Melbourne (Cemetery Road), on Sat 28th. www.worldserviceproject.co.uk

Jenny McLarney

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Worth the trip!

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’ve o n g r a t u l a t i o n s ! Yo u e, pag s ting Lis the d reache t’s informing you of wha r afield. going on in York and furthe , we’re ship tor edi new er Now und dents stu k Yor committed to letting in on ng goi is l hel the t know wha this city of ours. finally It looks like spring might Arctic the r afte k, Yor in ung spr have ks. wee two t pas conditions of the its lose to d me see w sno To us, the dge tru grim charm as soon as the d closely into campus began, followe kids peltal loc ng oyi ann by ind beh they could ing snowballs as hard as ving said Ha n. ctio dire l era gen in our

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Enjoy yourelves kids...

Sam & Andy

Campus International Week is almost upon us, and this year promises to be the best yet.

Kicking off with a trip to Leeds on Saturday 21st February, the week includes sports tournaments, cultural performances, the screening of international movies and bar quizzes. It's a perfect to way meet new people and learn things you cant get from watching Top Gear.

The International Week culminates in a fantabulous FIESTA!!!

Taking place on the 28th February, the Fiesta boasts 17 stalls offering tastes from around the globe, stretching from Malaysia to Latin America, for a finger lickin’ £9.

And that’s not all!! The Fiesta after party is taking place in Vanbrugh and students will enjoy the funktastic tunes of former Sugababe MUTYA BUENA, and our very own DJ Grey.

Tickets are £6, but if you buy tickets for both parts of the Fiesta, it’s a mere £15!! Not bad for a decent meal and good music, but buy them quickly, as this event is likely to sell out rather sharpish.

York Fusion 2009: Central Hall March 5th and 6th (Week 8) Tickets £7.50 Continuing the international theme, Fusion returns for 2009 with “Check in with Fusion”- a roundthe-world tour of six major cities, through the media of Fashion, Music and Dance. Having seen the rehearsals, it has the potential to be epic. Last year’s show raised £10,000 for charity, and this year the aim is to raise £15,000 for World Vision and the Barnardo’s Spring Hill School. Well worth having a look at, and for two good causes as well. Tickets available from Week 7, online and in your shop. Check the websites for further details.

www.yusu.org.uk www.fusionyork.co.uk

beyond...

Idioteque Electro Night Friday February 27th (Week 7) Fibbers Tickets: £3.50adv £5otd

This term’s Idioteque is at the end of Week Seven and, once again, has changed venue. This time the relocation is to fibbers, with the promise of an appearanc from acclaimed DJ Park Ranger.

Idioteque offers "a heady mix of electro, techno, disco, house and dub step." For those who want a change from the usual dreary York clubbing scene, definitely check this out. Tickets are available in Your:Shop from Wednesday Week 7.

Goldie Lookin’ Chain Fibbers March 12th (week 9) 7.30pm Tickets: £10adv £12otd- free entry to the fibbers indie night afterwards

Hailing from Newport in South Wales, this motley crew of rap and hip-hop satirists hit York Fibbers in Week 9. Most famous for their song Guns don’t kill people, Rappers do; the band has a good collection of songs that are as well written as they are explicit and controversial. As well as performing new material, Listings can quite confidently predict that many of the Greatest Hits will be dusted off as well.

International Women's Week www.fibbers.co.uk runs from the 7th – 14th March and my God, is it full. In order to support women’s economic, social, cultural and political achievements, the week contains everything from workshops on dyeing, hearing talks by inspirational women, to fair trade markets. On the 7th Jane McDonald is live at the Grand Opera House, and on the 10th, there are workshops on postnatal yoga, poetry, drama and pregnant yoga. This week is so ram-jammed full, I implore you to take a look at the other fantastic opportunities that are available at http://www.yorkwomen.org.uk/ YIWWProgramme09.pdf

Sway The Faversham, Leeds 5th March (week 8) Tickets: £10 If, like us, you missed him at The Duchess in York last Friday, or you didn’t quite get your fill of this hiphop performer the first time, here’s another chance to see the critically acclaimed Sway on his UK tour this spring. Its a good excuse to get over to Leeds anyway!

www.seetickets.com Wax:On Leeds Student Union 28th Feb (week 7) Tickets £14.50 The monthly dance and electro event returns to Leeds SU, this time bringing you Herve and the until-recently-mysterious Fake Blood, both renowned for their remixes and mashups, along with a performance from legendary beatboxer Beardyman. It’s at Stylus inside Leeds’ Student Union. Check it out if you want an example of what a real student venue should look like!

At the pictures Let's not forget, there are some cracking films at the cinema at the moment.

'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is showing at the Vue at numerous times throughout most days. This adaptation of the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the story of a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards. Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, this film, although being rather long is well worth a watch.

Slumdog Millionaire is also a hot favourite at the moment. It tells the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is just one question away from winning the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” Just shy of 2hours in length, and showing at several different viewing times during the day and evening, this is definitely a must-see film. Orange Wednesdays make it dirt cheap at City Screen if you've got a mate with an Orange phone!

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