Inside May 11 - Issue 206
Hole Brendan Sheerin Rajini Vaidyanathan
Review: Iron Man 2 in Film
"I love. I have loved. I will love."
Audrey Niffenegger Interview in Books
"Don't you just love pictures of cars. Cars driving along motorways. It's wonderful." David Dimbleby The banality of 24 hour election coverage in TV
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
Music News...
PRINCE NOT SO CHARMING
M.I.A. O.M.G
M.I.A.'s video for new single 'Born Free 'has been 'obscured' by YouTube due to its depiction of graphic violence and apparent promotion of a politically inflamatory message. The video was originally 'age gated' by the site, meaning that only over 18s could access the content. Now, although the video has not been officially banned, it has been hidden by
staff who claimed that too many users had flagged the clip for offensive content. The 9 minute video, masterminded by French director Romain Gavras, features extreme violence, nudity and overweight people having sex (yikes). The short film has attracted widespread critical attention since its release on April 26th. Its depiction of a world in which young ginger adolesecents are rounded up before being shot and blown up, has been interpreted variously as a comment on Palestinian resistance, Arizonian immigration law and the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. M.I.A. herself has been a centre of poilitical contoversy in the past due to her outspoken support of the Tamil Tiger movement.
ECCENTRIC 80s singer Adam Ant has lashed out at ex-Oasis starLiam Gallagher, challenging him
BOOKS
CULTURE
RACHEL PRONGER reveals all the latest news and gossip from the music industry to a fight. In an interview with The Quietus Ant described Oasis as a one song band who have spent years "remaking Beatles records and trying to convince people [they're] not." He then layed into Liam calling him some naughty words and challenging to fight him "whichever way he wants: physically [or] mentally" A staring contest it is then... Ant, frontman of Adam and the Ants, was one of the most influential performers of the 1980s, famous for his flamboyant costumes and tracks such as 'Prince Charming' and 'Stand and Deliver.' His latest comments coincide with plans to release new material in 2010.
BRANDON BRANCHES OUT EARNEST Killers frontman Brandon Flowers has announced that he plans to release his debut solo album in the near future. Flowers confirmed rumours in a cryptic Twitter post, telling fans to keep an eye out for "big updates" and further news. So far only the album's title, Flamingo, has been released. However, judging by the amicable way in which Flowers' band is promoting clips of his solo efforts this does not mean the band plan to split. The Las Vegas post-punk revivalists first gained prominance
LISTINGS
with the release of their debut album Hot Fuss in 2004, breaking through into the mainstream with hits such as 'When You Were Young' and end of the night floor filling indie room cliché 'Mr Brightside'.
NDUBZ ON dRUGS FRONTMAN, rapper and all round upstanding citizen Dappy has been caught taking the illegal drug mephadrone. Dappy, the founding member of hip hop trio N Dubz, has been filmed snorting the drug at an Essex night club last month, although this was prior to the drugs ban. Dappy has spoken out about the drug since, commenting that "I don't think I'll ever touch that silly stuff again."
It's not the first time Dappy has been caught out by the media. Since the bands break through in 2008 Dappy has regularly been a centre of controversy thanks to accusations of assault, bullying and a bizarre incident in January in which he texted death threats to a fan who criticised their appearence on a radio show. But never mind, he was hilarious on Never Mind The Buzzcocks.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!
KEY TRACKS: > Scandalous > B With Me > OMG Thank goodness Christina's back: theres only so much Britney you can take before you long for an ex-Micky Mouse Club all-American princess that can actually sing. In 2002 Aguilera's second studio album Stripped went 5x platinum but it's been all quiet since Back To Basics in 2006 as shes been taking a break to marry and reproduce (how dare she). But now its time for a comeback with album Bionic due for release this June. It's great to see another old school early noughties pop diva enter to give Beyoncé and Rihanna a run for their money. KEY TRACKS: > Dirrty > Candyman > Walk Away
SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR
Formerly of Mis-teeq, Sabrina Washington was the one who sang, alongside the ever-rapping Alesha Dixon and the other one that no-one remembers. Following in Alesha’s footsteps, Sabrina appeared on reality TV, that old stalwart for the fame hungry I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Unfortunately Sabrina’s comeback has not been as all encompassing as her fellow band mate, but I'm personally flying the flag for her solo tune, the ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’ sampling ‘OMG’ (which wipes the floor with Usher’s offering of the same name).
BLINK 182
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
R
ecently, I have given up on Steve Jobs. My third iPod in three years is playing up and I’ve ceased to care enough to get it fixed. Worse, for some unknown reason my iTunes has decided it hates me, deleting my entire music library from my laptop before my return to York, leaving me with nothing but a huge music shaped hole. Thank goodness for the lifesaving Spotify, which has impressively filled this void and proved incalculably useful for both study and leisure. As a music student I'm able to easily search and listen to any piece of music that I am studying, and as a fresher I have made playlists of epic Freshers’ Fortnight tunes, perfect for a good reminisce of Alexandra Burke and Journey with the flatmates. All this musical nostalgia set me thinking about the indelible link between music and memory. After compiling an epic playlist comprising of every single song that I have ever liked (652 legendary tracks), I found myself transported back to secondary school, those years of the Radio 1 Top 40, Top of the Pops and thinking "this song is all about me!" There are so many songs that I loved and related to at the time that have now been relinquished to nostalgia nights and late night reminiscing. Many bands that were huge in the late 90s and early 2000s have now vanished from view although upon researching I discovered that some of those classic acts were now poised for a comeback. In the interests of nostalgia and curiosity here is a brief run down of a few of those class acts who look set to return in 2010.
SABRINA WASHINGTON
TOM MARLOW wonders what happened to some of his old favourites
Aaah, the winter of 2001, those heady days when Bextor's immortal No. 2 'Murder On The Dancefloor' first hit the public consciousness.. Nearly a decade on and the track, like Bextor herself, hasn't aged a bit. Everyone's favourite Blue Peter offspring is back this spring with single 'Bittersweet', a fun and feisty slice of disco pop heralding the arrival of an album that's sure to provide the usual classy pop gems. KEY TRACKS: > Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) > Murder On The Dancefloor > Bittersweet Albums Enema of the State and Blink 182 were massive a few years back when hordes of fourteen-year-olds attempted to ‘find themselves’ with the happy-go-lucky pop punk/rock trio. The band went their separate ways in 2005, but have decided to reform this year for a European Tour, including Reading and Leeds Festivals. KEY TRACKS: > What's My Age Again? > All The Small Things > I Miss You
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
CULTURE
BAD COVER VERSION C
is a minor travesty as it is essentially looking backwards. It breaks those unwritten guidelines of popular music: always seeking to be one step ahead and doing whatever necessary to be distinctive. Radio 1’s Live Lounge has become tired-sounding cover central. It’s mainly no longer exciting because most of the covers based their appeal on a now lost unexpectedness. For example who would have predicted Franz Ferdinand coming in and playing Gwen Stefani's ‘What You Waiting For’? Without great skill to replace the novel factor, most of the covers sound like an extension of ‘Now *Insert very large number here*’: there’s blips of excitement but apart from that you’d rather it just went away. Actually there can be far more to covers, as evidenced by those which have become better known than the original. Most notable is Jimi cover Hendrix’s of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’. Dylan himself started quickly
playing a live version that was far more reminiscent of Hendrix’s take on the song as he felt it showed hidden depths of the combination of lyrics and riffs. If Bob Dylan could see the value of covers then blanket cynicism is uncalled for. I’m not advocating celebrating and searching for non-existent depths to every dull cover version which signposts the writer’s block of whoever’s covering it and indicates that their musical output should be limited to karaoke. Covers can be utter dross, but they can also take a song that had perhaps reached its previous limit, or been forgotten, or even was great as it was, and through infusing it with a different vibe, capture you under its spell for a second, or
even third, time. To pick from the selection of all music that has gone before and reinvigorate it certainly isn’t the mark of a tired artist. It takes someone brilliant to take what you know and show you don’t really know it at all.
Norton
reviews this week's...
few weeks from now, Europe will once again get swept up in an explosion of glitter, wind machines and modulations. It’s time for Eurovision. Following fiddle wunderkind Alexander Rybak’s record-breaking victory in the 2009 Moscow final, this year’s festivities will be taking place in yours truly’s native Norway. As the show is scheduled from 25 to 29 May, smack in the middle of summer term, I won’t be able to see the glorious hilarity unfold live. However, that has not put a damper on my excitement. It’s Eurovision after all; there’s no room for gloom! Recently, I attempted to share said excitement with my flatmates. I was met with silence and blank stares, interspersed by traces of disgust. Apparently most Britons either dislike or are completely indifferent to Eurovision. "It’s really cheesy. We’ll never win. No one votes for us… 'cause we’re shit,” was the explanation offered. Personally, I don’t understand what’s not to love. Where else can you experience a duo performing an
opera/metal fusion while dressed up as angels and devils (Azerbaijan, 2008)? Or a middle-aged man with a bad case of the Jersey Shore tanning syndrome, clad in all white (the four top buttons on his shirt obviously undone) gyrating on top of what can only be described as a giant, sparkly stapler (Greece, 2009)? Not to mention the superslick hosts cracking cringe worthy jokes and randomly belting out things like “ARE WE HAVING A GOOD TIME TONIGHT EUROPE?” in an, at best, questionable English accent. Even the most cynical, ironic viewer has acknowledged the nerve-wracking excitement of waiting to see if your favourite act will be snubbed yet again or if they’ll get the coveted 'douze pointe'. Unlike over here, Eurovision is serious business to a lot of people on the continent. The endless number of pre-shows, the Eastern bloc voting conspiracies and nonstop media frenzy proves as much. In the end, that is what makes it so brilliant. When you see three guys dancing around inside some
SINGLES Stornoway Zorbing
I
s anyone else fed up with the incessant emails publicising the Stornoway gig in York? It’s great to see we have a band playing at the University, but they’re hardly Coldplay – more like a poor man’s Mumford and Sons. It’s pretty folk that sets the twee volume up to full blast. The only exciting bit was a blast of trumpet in the middle. The only reaction I had was a yawn.
M.I.A. Born Free
A
BLESSED ARE THE CHEESE MAKERS
A
Jim
KATE MISSENDEN questions the value of the cover version
over versions of songs can make you doubt artists whose creativity, quirkiness, and skill you've been enjoying as they regress to sounding like a wannabe teenage rockstar. The tedium’s enhanced as a few recurring classics dominate the cover list - it’s unclear how many versions of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ will be released before someone utters the word ‘enough’. There’s no doubt it’s a great song, as are other cover-favourites such as ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’, ‘Yesterday’, and ‘Imagine’; that’s why it’s chosen. But are covers anything more than a dull stop-gap for an outfit whose writing pot has gone a little dry? Pop music is never happy standing still and artists are always striving to be new and different. They talk of the influences which are making their music unique and radical. The attention span of the popular music is so short that everything from artists’ clothes to their recommended perfume is part of their attempt to stand out. The time taken to produce a cover, unless it is truly outstanding,
LISTINGS
sort of S&M hamster wheel, dressed as Chippendales Roman soldiers, what makes the experience even more enjoyable is knowing that in 2009, Ukraine legitimately thought that was a good idea. England was on the right track last year, with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jade Ewen’s offering placing in the top ten. A repeat is honestly not likely in Oslo. Josh Dubovie’s track does not sound good to me (watch the show and you’ll get the pun). My money’s on Azerbaijan’s Safura and her 'Drip Drop' an angsty heartbreak ballad, which is always a hit with the Eurovision crowd. Serbia’s 'Ovo Je Balkan' and Slovakia’s 'Horehronie' are both catchy songs with ridiculous stage-shows, so they will likely go far. As for underdogs, France’s Latin-inspired Eurodance track 'Allez Ola Ole'
and Moldova’s sax infused techno tune 'Run Away' might surprise the bookies. Oh, and rumour has it that Rybak’s got a spectacular opening act in store. As a completely objective observer, I would say that this is the year to embrace the cheesiness! MILANA KNEZEVIC
fter her recent accusation that Lady Gaga is no more than a contrived Madonna wannabe, M.I.A seems keen to show her how it’s done. The video for Born Free shows soldiers rounding up ginger kids and graphically killing them to a furious blitz of drums and bass while M.I.A shouts “I’ll throw this shit in your face when I see you, ‘cos I got something to say”. I’d say that’s a pretty good way to reassert yourself as the foremost female artist in provocation.
Kele Tenderoni
W
ill the devastation caused by Calvin Harris ever stop? First, he brings tacky house to the mainstream, then he manages to make Dizzee cheesy, and now he seems to have influenced Kele of Bloc Party fame. Tenderoni is disappointingly standard electro-house, watered down for mainstream success. Most people will lap up the novelty of an indie icon changing direction, but it’s nothing more than a Benny Benassi b-side.
Band of Horses Compliments
G
reat, another bland pub rock band noticed after their song featured on an American teen drama. Radio 1 DJ Greg James made it his record of the week... says it all really.
Mos Dub Johnny Too Beef
T
his isn’t a single this week, nor is it likely to be released, but it’s just too good to ignore. A reggae backing, a cracking chorus, and Mos Def telling it how it is. Pretty much a perfect summer track to put a smile on your face. Happy stuff.
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
Albums...
BOOKS
CULTURE
LISTINGS
DIANA VICKERS TAINTED CHERRY TREE
Hole
Out Now
Nobody's daughter Out Now
E
leven tracks, forty -seven minutes, five years in the making and with only one original band member, Nobody’s Daughter sometimes leaves you wondering if this is an album by Hole or by Courtney Love. That it’s been brewing since 2005 is hardly surprising when you consider that in the last five years Love’s managed to squeeze in a prison sentence for illegal drug use and a brief period of house arrest. That’s right, make no mistake, it’s been a long time coming and the poor dear's been struggling through it alone. But let’s ignore the tabloid fodder and focus on the sound because somewhat miraculously Love, sorry Hole, has created an album that’s actually worth a listen. The genre is your typical alternative ock with songs like ‘Someone Else’s Bed’ and ‘Pacific Coast Highway’ hav-
ing an acoustic feel oddly reminiscent of Oasis. Hole manage to avoid the trap of creating an indistinct wall of noise, with enough variation and standouts amongst the eleven tracks to create a distinct sound. At times there is also an impressive subtlety, with the final track, ‘Never Go Hungry’ creating a Bob Dylan vibe with its use of acoustic backing and Love’s androgynous vocals. It is these vocals that in many ways define the album. I’ll be honest, as a newcomer to Hole, when I first listened I thought a man was singing the lead and it was only when I consciously wondered how Love was involved that I realised that these raw, guttural wailings were hers. Whoops.
I Nonetheless, despite this ignorance on my part I can acknowledge that it is Love’s passion and strength that makes the album work, giving it an integrity that the media’s scornful treatment of Love seems to contradict. Overall this is a strong album, with most of the songs extremely effective. Definitely Love’s baby though, for all the criticism she receives, Courtney can definitely work it.
Together Out Now
T
DAN BIRCHINALL
gogol bordello transcontinental Hustle Out Now
T melodies then quickly building their songs up to a crescendo in the chorus. Many of the songs are catchy and pleasant - see Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk' at 1:25 but none annoyingly so. This album will quickly satisfy old fans, and no doubt earn them new ones in the process. On the whole a good album from a band that's been known for a consistency that is definately benefitting from an outfit powered by so many musical heavyweights. JACK STANLEY
Girl'. At the other end of the spectrum, 'Me & You's minimalist ballad, penned in part by Lightspeed Champion, suits Vickers’ voice best with her breathiness giving this track an ethereal quality. Ellie Goulding’s tracks such as 'Notice' and 'Jumping into Rivers' demonstrate a similar minimalist style, standing above the rest of the albums electro-pop driven sound. It would have been all too easy to have discarded this as another effort by an X-Factor reject, and yes the album isn’t wall to wall pop gold dust. But there are some catchy songs on here, and once the songwriters have figured Vickers out, there’s a talent here to keep one eye on.
DAN CHATFIELD
New pornographers he New Pornographers have produced another strong album with Together. Formed in 1996 the group are described as an 'Indie Rock Super Group' with the Vancouver regularly supported in guest slots by luminaries such as Zach Condon of Beirut, Annie Clark of St Vincent, Will Sheff of Okkervil River and the horn players from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Together is the band's fifth studio album, and the latest to be released on the Matador record label. This latest offering should be a given on thje playlist of any self respectig indie kid. Together is a bright album with New Pornographers managing to achieve a well struck balance between poppy and exciting songs such as 'Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk' and the album opener 'Moves', to more guitar driven songs like 'Your Hands (Together)' and 'Valkyrie in the Roller Disco'. Throughout the variety of instruments that New Pornographers use is instantly noticeable. They have a knack for beginning softly with simple
f you follow X-Factor then there’s no doubt you saw ‘The Claw’ in action at some point in last year's series. It’s not just the hand acting causing complaints, with Vickers’s voice also splitting opinion. Sitting somewhere between Shakira, Regina Spektor and Marina (of Diamonds fame), Vickers’s breathy, slightly guttural voice gives something unique to this album, whilst setting her apart from her X-Factor colleagues. Listening to the album it seems that the bank of songwriters recruited for its creation didn’t quite know what to do with it. The Cathy Dennis-drafted 'Once', with its driving and catchy chorus has Vickers at her pop mainstream best, not surprising for a song from the mastermind behind Kylie’s 'Can’t Get You Out Of My Head' and Katy Perry’s 'I Kissed A
here is much about Gogol Bordello that seems preposterous. Their namesake is the writer Nikolai Gogol, famous for ‘smuggling’ Ukrainian culture into Russian society, and it is this ethos that the group seek to emulate, attempting to assimilate traditional Ukrainian music into the New York scene. They are famed for enthusiastic live shows which include traditional dancing, audience participation and cabaret. Perhaps most ridiculously, the front man, founder and violinist Eugene Hutz is the embodiment of Slavic stereotypes, a heavily moustachioed former political refugee who, bizarrely, has been formally endorsed by Madonna. They shouldn’t work but few can deny they do, at times fantastically well. Transcontinental Hustle is populated by the sort of up-
tempo, cheery Slavic dance music that easily lapses into self parody or stereotype, all accordions, swirling violin and heavily accented shouting. Nonetheless, it is shamelessly uplifting listen. The title track is a delightful celebration of life sporting an impossibly catchy scat chorus. ‘Break The Spell’ betrays more obvious punk roots at first, with its driving guitar introduction and confrontational lyrics, but the entrance of meandering violin ornamentation soon creates an unmistakable Romany twang. Although the group perform up-tempo dance tracks undeniably well the album can sometimes feel relentless. For this reason the slower opening of ‘When Universes Collide’ captures the listener, making the
songs crescendo and climax all the more effective. Similarly the mid-tempo ‘Uma Menina’, complete with cheering call and response backing vocals, is a welcome change of pace. At times Transcontinental Hustle can be a little overwhelming in its uncompromising delivery of upbeat gypsy dance. However, it has enough moments of sheer joy to create a liberating listen. If this is what the Slavic people get to listen to then I’m all for cultural assimilation.
RACHEL PRONGER
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
CULTURE
LISTINGS
My night with Bradley from Musical S Club... Heroes
Dubstep, DJing, groupies... Jocelyn Stockbridge recounts the epic night when 'Bradders' came to York.
I
’d never had a dream come true, until I met Bradley. I was slightly apprehensive about going to see Bradley, of S Club 7 fame, DJ at Fibbers, but it was a friend’s birthday and about twenty of us decided to make the effort and pre booked our £10 tickets. Most of us will remember Bradley as one seventh of S Club 7, now known as just S Club, who sprung to fame in 1999 with the chart topper ‘Bring it all Back’. For such an extortionate sum, I was expecting something great. After speculating considerably on what type of tunes Bradders would be gracing us with, I decided to do a little research and discovered he is no longer known as Bradley, but Bradley McIntosh aka City Boy. Despite a failed S Club revival (only Bradley and Jo were up for it), City Boy successfully found solo fame after releasing a number of songs on youtube, including the well-known ‘Sup Baby’. It turns out he is also an aspiring author, having had one of his books, aptly named ‘Bradley’s Macintosh’ published in 2007, but ‘it did not sell many copies’. THE GIG We stumbled into Fibbers at around 10pm, when Brad was meant to perform, however he arrived fashionably late… at 1am. To our surprise, the club was heaving ( I dread to think what this says about York’s music scene). Having squirmed to the front, we had a good view when Bradley finally decided to arrive on stage. He was accompanied by a larger than life bodyguard (who later turned out to be Bradley’s cousin, apparently also trying to make it in the music industry with Bradley’s help; however, I’m pretty sure he was just there to drive Bradley from
"Bradley didn't seem that familiar with the concept of DJing... he needed a helping hand on stage during his set
"
Photo: Olly Minton
gig to gig as Bradley has been banned due to driving under the influence (source: Bradders himself). Bradley didn’t seem that familiar with the concept of DJing and required a helping hand on stage during his set, although, he did receive a warm welcome from the crowd when his opening question was ‘who likes dubstep?’ Sadly, though, this was just a tease as Bradley went on to play S Club’s greatest hits whilst singing along to his parts of the track. ‘Where’s Hannah?’ someone in the crowd shouted (well let’s be honest, it’s what we were all thinking) or even Rachael doing her thing would have sufficed. In all fairness though, we managed to remember a surprising/worrying amount of S Club lyrics and the set evolved into some sort of mass S Club tribute choir: we didn’t stop moving to the funky, funky, beat. THE AFTERPARTY Alas, we knew the night couldn’t last forever so after about an hour or so of seeing Bradley swing, we headed home. Whilst gathered on the sofas in the lounge, reminiscing about our minor celeb encounter, we got a call saying Bradley was up for an after party and would be round in 5 minutes. Of course, there was only one thing to do, and that was to play ‘There ain’t no party like an S Club party’ full volume as we prepared for his arrival. Fittingly, as Bradley entered, the lyric ‘hoochie mamas, show your nanas!’ came on; Bradley demonstrated his appreciation for our serenade by asking us to ‘turn that shit off ’. In real life, Bradley is somewhat vertically challenged, but what he lacks in height he more than makes up for in lighter size. Bradley produced said lighter from the pocket of his gangster jeans: it was about a foot long, or to be accurate, about half Bradley’s height. Some may see this as overcompensation but I would disagree, for Bradley more than compensated for his shortcomings with an impromptu rap, written by himself aged 11. Bradley had the attention of the entire room when he began, but after about 10 minutes of rapping this
PETER GREEN: Founder, Song-Writer and Lead Guitarist of Fleetwood Mac somewhat waned a little and I made the mistake of assuming he had finished and began clapping, but was put in my place immediately: ‘I ain’t finished yet, love’ Bradley told me. Oh, the shame. Unfortunately, viva la fiesta we did not, as it seemed that Bradley had been expecting something more exciting than a cup of tea, and decided not to stick around for long. Furthermore, he had ‘a bigger, better, gig the next day’ that he wanted to be fresh for. This gig, it turned out, was in Skegness, at Butlins. Bradley, ever the gentleman, did the rounds of the room, bidding his farewells. "It’s a shame we didn’t really get to meet", one girl said, to which Bradley
"It
seemed Bradley had been expecting something more exciting than than a cup of tea.
"
'Bradders' in more innocent times... replied "it’s closer than most people get, love". All of a sudden I realised how privileged we were to be in Bradley’s company. I wanted to cherish the moment forever, so took the opportunity to pinch his lighter (ebay), which had fallen out of his pocket. In hindsight, it’s a wonder he didn’t notice it had gone, considering how much it weighed. All the while, I realised there had been a girl, unknown to us, sitting in the corner of the room occasionally weeping. She had a friend with her and after some investigating we realised the friend was visiting her in York, and the girl was deliberating on whether to accept Bradley’s invitation of a night at Travel Lodge… or was it Premier Inn? Anyway, since someone had politely rejected Bradley’s cousin’s offer of a night of passion, the foursome soon became a threesome and as the taxi pulled up the girl decided to follow her heart’s desire and go back with Bradders; leaving her visiting friend to find her own way home. Bradley’s departure left us shocked, relieved and with much to think about... namely, why the hell did we pay to go and see him when all the entertainment took place back in our own lounge?
'The only white blues
guitarist to send shivers down my spine
'
BB King
I
n the Summer of 1967 Peter Green formed Fleetwood Mac, a band that was to revolutionise British Blues forever. Within a year, Green wrote Albatross, an immense instrumental with all the loneliness of the blues and a rolling rhythm of waves breaking on an empty shore. Soon after Peter began to experiment with LSD resulting in an attack of schizophrenia. Sinking into a deep depression he wrote a painfully beautiful biographical piece that tells of a man who has both everything but nothing. In 'Man of the World' (1969) Green’s weeping guitar cries of heart-break and piercingly honest lyrics cut deep– “And there is no one I’d rather been// But I just wish I had never been born.” No one noticed Green’s mental illness and as the Mac’s fame grew the money poured in. Green loathed this wealth and his last song with the band, Green Manalishi (1970), reflects this. The song begins with a sinister guitar riff, heavy and imposing before Green begins a demonic, LSD fuelled, howling that seems to send his demons flying out of your speakers and around your head. I could talk about Peter Green forever but there is no better biography of his extraordinary life than his music and I urge you to give it a listen – it will not disappoint.
James Masters KEY RECORDS Albatross 1967
Man of the World 1969
The Green Manalishi 1970
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
Lives...
CULTURE
Detroit social club Moho Manchester
LAURA MARLING
York Opera House
W
ith a scene saturated by mouthy estuary harpies, anonymous sexually compliant party girls and self-conscious kooks, Laura Marling is a breath of fresh air. Young, charismatic and precociously talented, her critically acclaimed first album started the wave of new London folk typified by the likes of Noah and the Whale and Mumford and Sons. The breadth of her appeal is reflected in the makeup of the audience that fill the opera house to see her perform, comprising of young teens, students, twenty something
LISTINGS
20/04/10
professionals and a fair smattering of middle aged parents. The support begins with the Australian Boy and Bear who although highly competent offer too great a debt to Fleet Foxes in their meandering melodies and layered male harmonies to stick in the mind. Nonetheless, a remarkable cover of Bon Iver’s ‘Flume’ provides an unexpected few minutes of startling skill. An altogether quirkier performance is offered by Alessi’s Ark, a singer-songwriter supported by two multi instrumentalists, whose
idiosyncratic vocal tics could be unbearably twee if it weren’t for the strength of her pretty, intimate folk songs. Alessi herself first mystifies then charms the crowd with her hopelessly awkward stage presence and surreal between songs banter. When Marling appears, undemonstrative and sporting a spectacularly unflattering top knot, she seems an unlikely performer, but doubts dissolve as soon as she starts to sing. Opening with single ‘Devil’s Spoke’, a rousing Celtic wall of sound from new album ‘I Speak Because I Can’, she is a bewitching character, performing a selection of new and old tracks. The accompaniment of a tight backing band including a cellist adds depth and colour to new songs such as the Joni Mitchell-esque ‘Rambling Man’ and the powerful ‘Hope In The Air’, a highlight. You get the impression that the wilful Marling is fully in control, performing half the set completely alone including an unexpected cover of Neil Young’s ‘The Needle and the Damage Done.’ Closing with an impassioned rendition of ‘I Speak Because I Can’ even Marling’s insistence that she hates encores can’t dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm. Terrible top knot though. RACHEL PRONGER
19/03/10
T
here was plenty to watch at Detroit Social Club's first headline show since their UK tour with notable acts offering impressive support. Scousers The Arkanes caught both the eye and ear playing loud, fast garage rock with obvious confidence. Local boys Fox Force Five followed, performing with assurance to a crowd that remained receptive despite the band's recent break from the live scene. New material was well received beside the band's more established tracks that keenly reflected their trademark brand of edgy indie rock, all driving guitars and punchy vocals. The headliners, Detroit Social Club, topped the bill with a swaggering set of rock anthems delivered with drive and confidence. The band had the audience from the moment the amps were switched on and kept their interest throughout
with their drum and bass lead songs intensified by layers of guitar melody and strikingly genuine vocals. This virtuosic performance provided ample justification for the band's expanding fan base and recent touting as the industries 'Next Big Thing'. On the whole this was a very enjoyable night with plenty of good music, in a good venue. STEPHEN BARBAGIANNIS
rufus wainwright
Manchester Apollo
martin turner's Wishbone ash 05/02/10
Fibbers York
T
his year marks the 40th anniversary of Wishbone Ash and there’s no sign that lead vocalist/bassist and founding member Martin Turner has the intention of stopping anytime soon. He may have split from co-founder Steve Upton, but WA’s distinctive harmonious guitar-heavy music with Turner’s clear and melodic bass lines lives on. The tremendous skill of the two guitarists and drummer resulted in music that was a celebration both of the band’s classic output and of the instruments on stage. From the opening of ‘The King Will Come’, followed swiftly by the jazzinfluenced ‘Vas Dis’, the distinctive blues and folk-inspired guitar rock of Wishbone Ash was rocked out by middle-aged men in patterned shirts, and in Turner’s case a tasseled leather jacket. All on stage played so effortlessly that it appeared as if enthusiasm and friendly banter are all that is required for great music. The greatest test of a re-formed band is always the fans and, for once, this new outfit was an overwhelming success. The vast majority of the audience were old enough to remember the founding of the
22/04/10
band, yet remained entrapped and delighted throughout. Wishbone Ash may have never made it to the big time, but their die-hard fans are a tribute to the ongoing appeal of their sound and approach. KATE MISSENDEN
“R
ufus asks that you please refrain from applauding in the first half of tonight’s set, including during his exit of the state, which is part of the piece.” So goes an announcement prior to these gigs, and an emphatic indication that tonight is to be anything but run of the mill. Shortly after, Wainwright enters to an eerie and deathly silence clad in a 15 foot black cape circa the Welsh castrato bloke that was on Britain’s Got Talent. It’s this penchant for the theatrical that has made Wainwright a divisive, often maligned, but undisputedly talented member of pop and rock’s elite. Not one member of the audience was left in any doubt as to such unbridled mastery, as he lilted and waltzed through his latest record
‘All Days are Nights: Songs for Lulu’. Armed with only a piano and that haunting, heartbreaking vocal, Wainwright has the crowd completely transfixed, glued to their seat in a way Derren Brown could only have dreamed. Within a blink of the giant eye projected behind Wainwright, the first half of the set is over, and cape in tow he totters off the stage. Once out of sight the Apollo erupts to the sound of pent up whoops and wails, standing ovation included. Following a short interval, the precocious one returns more conservatively dressed and full of flamboyant charm. Rattling through jouyous renditions of tracks spanning his twelve year career, including ‘Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk’ and Dinner at Eight’, he is at his best in such intimate surroundings. Having been joined by local hero Mark Radcliffe who makes an admirable attempt at precussion, proceedings are wrapped up with a gorgeous, arresting tribute to Wainwright’s recently passed mother. Pretentious and demanding he may be, but on tonight’s form he is also peerlessly entertaining.
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
CULTURE
LISTINGS
n i r e e h s n a d n e Br
O
h Trip about bungee jumping, ac Co of r nte ese pr the to ks tal ott Tom McDerm risks of playing the game... camel-riding in the Sahara and the
ver the past six years Channel 4’s Coach Trip had steadily gained more and more of a following as well as gaining momentum and becoming bigger and better as every series goes by. Today Coach Trip is essential student viewing. It has gained a cult follwoing and is regarded as highly amongst fans as seminal reality TV game shows such as Big Brother and Survivor. There are several reasons for this popularity: there’s the opportunity to see some extraordinary places, see people turn on each other and argue in an international setting and of course there’s the star of the show: tour guide and presenter, Brendan Sheerin. When I catch up with him, Brendan starts by telling me the story of how he became a tour guide more-or-less by accident when he had to take over from a girl mid-season whilst working on a summer job in Spain on the Costa Brava. “I was literally thrown in the deep end” he says. “I had a week of training with a Spanish guy and a week of training with an English girl and then they just gave me a clip board and said: 'those are your people, go and see to them!' I was definitely in the right place at the right time.” Brendan found that he loved being a tour guide so much and that people responded so well to his ever upbeat manner so well that he went on being a guide. “I was a guide for nearly 30 years. I did a lot of resorts in Europe like the Algarve, the Costa Brava, the Costa Blanca – before it exploded and became a bit tatty – and places like the Canaries and Costa Del Sol.” It wasn’t until many years later that Brendan ended up working near to us here in York for the Scarbrough tourism office that the opportunity to do Coach Trip presented itself. Brendan applied and thanks to his cheery and unflappable manner the producers saw his charm as a perfect fit for their new show. One practice run later and the show was being commissioned by Channel Four. “We did a little pilot with only about four or five couples to start
and we travelled from London up through Oxforshire. We spent a long weekend away figuring out how it would work, with the votes etc. Then we sent that off to Channel Four and they loved it!” Brendan insists that nobody predicted how big of a hit the show would become. “From my point of view, when I first started I was just interested in the travel and going to these wonderful places. Then of course I saw their interaction and the dramas began to unfold!” The beauty of the show definitely lies in the 'trouble in paradise' feel to the whole thing. On the one hand contestants are on the holiday of a lifetime but on the other, as Brendan tells me, “they’re in a confined space for quite a while and it gets very psychological.” Whilst Brendan himself loves the travel aspect of the show he accepts that most people love the contestant interaction. “There’s a part of everyone who loves to tune in to see who’s forming allegiances, who’s getting stabbed in the back and what’s going to happen come vote time. There’s a lot of intrigue.” As you may expect as one of the only constants of the show Brendan has seen pretty much every combination of contestants come and go. He knows exactly
how the game works. “With all respect to you students I find that the ones who have the best game plans are students and young people. Look at Paul and Matt [a pair of student contestants from the most recent series] the way they worked the coach, they managed to stay on for 33 days!” “They started with a game plan straight away. That’s the secret. The older people are just getting to know each other and taking it slowly whereas these lads were in and networking from day one.” But Brendan also warns that even the best laid plans can go We're going into virgin awry. “I think territory with the new series people who try and instigate tactical voting have
to be very, very careful. Everybody knows that there are game plans and that they need alliances to stay on but if you approach someone in the wrong way the whole plan can turn on you.” T h e role of the tour guide is one that Brendan takes very seriously and as such he stays n e u t r a l when it comes to the voting. “Obviously I have my own views and I do see certain cliques forming,” he tells me “but in the end I have to be everybody’s friend.” Coach Trip is often a dog-eatdog world and people very rarely show any mercy when it comes time for the vote. Brendan recalls one couple who only lasted about two days (the shortest amount of time it’s possible to stay). “There was once a lovely mother and son and I think I only had them in for Istanbul! The mother was a bit ill one day and the son was very quiet.” It goes to show that you do have to earn your place on the coach as Brendan tells me. “If you show any sign of weakness you become a target and the next thing you know you’re off!” But despite all the talk of voting and allegiances, which makes the programme sound more like the build up to WW1 than a holiday programme, Brendan is keen to assure me that the trip really is worth going on. He calls it “the ultimate holiday” and the more he describes it the more I’m inclined to believe him. Everything from the start of your time on the coach is paid for, every drink, every activity and every meal. As seen on the show the activities are as far ranging and diverse as the people. “The most exciting thing we’ve ever done I wasn’t actually allowed to do!” says Brendan. “We were about to go bungee jumping over the Corinth canal and the producers didn’t want me to do it just in case but I thought it was brilliant for the passengers anyway.”
Another highlight of the trip for There's a part of everyone that Brendan was loves to tune in to see who's getseeing his pasting stabbed in the back sengers going camel riding in the Sahara. “Sometimes you didn’t series five of the show: “I can tell know which posterior was the you that we’ve never been there biggest, the contestants or the before – it’s virgin territory.” camel!” he laughs. However it’s not all thrill seeking and the usual holiday activities. People on the coach also get a good flavour of the local culture although Brendan admits that these don’t always go down too well. “There are 1. Always arrive in daylight a few activities “There’s nothing worse than lookthat I did think were ing for a hostel in the middle of the a bit dull. A good night. You’re far more likely to get example is sugarripped off !” ing the rose petals in Croatia or some2. Read up about where you’re going where like that, that “You waste time when you’re there was a bit boring if you don’t know what you want to but it’s something do.” that you’ll never do
s Top n a d n e Br ips for T l e v a Tr s Student
again so you should make the most of it – I always go in with gusto regardless.” So what’s next for Coach Trip? I ask Brendan if he can give me any tidbits about the new series but he’s been sworn to secrecy. He does however give a small teaser about what’s in store for
3. Don’t just head straight to a bar “I know you students like to party, party, party but why arrive in an amazing place and just go and get pissed? You can get pissed in your local pub!” 4. Talk to the locals “Most of the places you go these days do speak English and people are usually happy to chat. You can get a real flavour of the place that way.”
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
Regan's
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
CULTURE
LISTINGS
Sequel Showdown
top 5...
Still left dejected by our political limbo? Or longing to engage your inner political animal with something other than 24 hour news? To mark the onset of political turmoil and the overdue release of Chris Morris’ controversial and heroic Four Lions, Vision counts down the 5 greatest political movies.
In The Loop Armando Ianucci’s biting political satire was as shockingly hilarious here as it was on its parent show The Thick of It. Peter Capaldi’s spin doctor extraordinaire Malcolm Tucker manipulates security evidence in a bid to manufacture UN consent for an unspecified Middle-Eastern conflict, and in doing so is typically unscrupulous. One can only imagine how Tucker would behave in the midst of the current hung parliament.
The Manchurian Candidate Though a remake of the 1969 film of the same title, this definitive 2004 release starring Denzel Washington and Liev Schrieber is one of the most potent political thrillers released in years. Satirising party finance, military reverence and America’s financially driven elections, The Manchurian Candidate is a remarkably compelling film. Centring on a bogus army hero turned vice-presidential candidate, the film exposes corruption and corporate control at the heart of American politics.
Sum of All Fears Whilst testorone fuelled, overblown effects are not normally my cup of tea, this Tom Clancy adaptation is a riot. It may lack the grit and realism of some of the other films listed, however the blustering Cold War rhetoric more than makes up for it. Morgan Freeman is typically statesmanlike as CIA Director Tom Cabot, and in battling perennial villains the Russians, as well as Neo-Nazis, he and Ben Affleck triumph for Uncle Sam.
Martin and McLarney go head-to-head again, this time debating the merits and plunders of the Hollywood sequel...
B
FOR
anning sequels would just be ludicrous. Need I mention how huge the loss of The Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum, The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi would be to film history? Ok, so all of these were either based on books or planned trilogies; however by tarring all sequels with the same brush you’d be losing some of the best films of ALL time. If I concentrate on sequels that were produced due to the success of their predecessors, there is still an array of brilliant and imaginative films. Toy Story 2 is truly a worthy successor, brimming with wit as well as a quick moving plot and endearing characters. It’s a winning combination that continues and improves on the previous film without retreading the oringinal's plot. Also while the first movie won hardly any major awards, Toy Story 2 won the Golden Globe for Best Film (Comedy/ Musical) at the 2000 ceremony and is widely held to be the better film. Dawn of the Dead is George A. Romero's 1978 follow-up to the cult classic Night of the Living Dead which came out 10 years later than the original, and it shows. With broader, more contemporary themes, this sequel still keeps the the squirm-inducingly graphic thrill of the black and white Night, but adds a touch more gore with the bloody red. One of the best films of 2000, X-Men, spawned a re-emergence of superhero films, and the many sequels created means the characters could be developed further and often a far more intense and exhilarating film is created. Spiderman 2 demonstrates director Sam Raimi as far more relaxed, confidently slowing the pace in the middle section to deepen Peter Parker’s character as well as insert- ing some sly humour to add a finishing touch. Finally the hugely critical and popular smash that was The Dark Knight deserved all the hype: Heath Ledger as the Joker was a complete revelation. So yes I agree, there have been some truly disastrous sequels. However, sometimes the money driven studio is exactly the catalyst that is needed to push brilliant artistic creations that one step further.
Jenny McLarney
Have you seen...?
Clockwork Orange Stanley Kubrick’s landmark release is no stranger to lists such as this one. Yet there can be never be an undue reminder of the must-see nature of this film. Whilst the film’s memory is shrouded in the often gratuitous violence taking place, its political slant is equally significant. Its affirmation of individual choice and the inherent evil of government is arresting and thought provoking, such that the gruesome tendencies for which many know it are a secondary concern.
Salvador One of Oliver Stone’s finest cuts, Salvador is the story of a beleagured American journalist covering the Salvadoran civil war. Painting the country’s guerilla natives as heroic, Stone subverts the typical American foreign policy/conflict abroad movie and delivers a thrilling and controversial screenplay that earned two Academy Award nominations.
T
AGAINST
he sequel is to its predecessor what a bottle of wine is to an episode of The Mighty Boosh – generally speaking, infuriating and quite dangerous. More often than not, they are mistakes. They are mistake-quels. It would be a kindness to film-lovers everywhere to put a ban on sequels. You may not like the sound of it, but sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. On the surface level, you have the classic mistakequels of this generation: The Matrix ended so much better with Neo flying into the sunset, Pirates of the Caribbean with all the promise and none of the whininess of Will and Elizabeth’s relationship; and Star Wars when it actually ended in 1983. The problems with a sequel generally concern the cast and crew of a franchise. Either they change too much or they don’t change at all. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle couldn’t hope to replace Bill Murray with Bernie Mac, but The Matrix needed a new adversary for Neo – Smith was supposed to be metaphysical toast at the end of the first one. This is, of course, the cardinal error for most sequels: ignoring their predecessors. They are parasites who, sooner or later, stop caring about what it is that they once fed on to survive. Originality, creative vision and drive are the things that breathe life into the first instalment of a franchise – mass appeal and the potential for a six-figure cheque keep the fire burning. More often than not, the actors who made the debut so successful choose not to return, but when they do, they become the victims of their own characters, forced by a script that probably isn’t written by the same writer that created them in the first place. Everyone fell madly in love with Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, but whereas she was strong, principled and, perhaps most appealingly of all, feminine, she becomes the stereotype she never should have in the sequel, spending more time focussing on her dog, a Paris Hilton-esque pooch, than any living human being, obliterating the character we came to know and love with the sweeping, salting swoosh of the pen. The salt in the wound would be that Legally 2 is actually written by one of the writers for the original film; it just goes to show how easy it is to stray from what really works when the goal is keeping alive a cash cow, and not putting a fine pedigree champ to sleep.
Tom Martin
BRICK (2005)
dir. Rian Johnson
B
rick is a piece of work. It's The Maltese Falcon set in a modern day American high school. It's a showcase of menace and mumbles from Third Rock from the Sun star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, at least before he got all twee in the pot of indie honey that was (500) Days of Summer. It's also a movie that by all rights should fall flat on its pretentious face. Confused and staccato dialogue walk hand in awkward hand with semi-Sunset Beach hamming and an eerie toy house soundtrack. The plot, a halfbaked tale of crime and redemption, is bare bones to say the least, but manages, by virtue of some sort of pervasive atmosphere of confusion, to become bewildering within fifteen minutes. If judged as a sum of its parts, Brick goes down like a shit sandwich.
There is, however, hope, enduring hope. Brick needs to be swallowed whole to be appreciated, indeed to be liked at all. But once that step has been taken, its clumsy bitterness is replaced by a darkly funny and mature cynicism that in the end couldn't really have been achieved any other way. It's also fucking cool. GordonLevitt's Brendan Frye is a dangerous loner on a quest to solve the mysterious murder of his ex-girlfriend, Emily (Emilie de Ravin), who just days earlier called him in terror, claiming that she "didn't know the brick was bad." His subsequent crawl through the school's seedy underbelly (think debauched parties and a student-run drugs empire) to get to the bottom of the case eventually sets him on a collision course with king dick The Pin (Lukas Haas).
Not much to work on, granted, but thankfully debutante director Rian Johnson's inexperience to a large extent doesn't show. His portrayal of Frye as primarily a physical presence, combined with the near-trashy nature of some of the shots (dimly lit telephone boxes at night, muscle cars thundering towards the camera) save the movie from becoming unbearably cerebral. Cleverness is relegated to Frye's sidekick The Brain (Matt O'Leary), who manages to say just on the right side of irritating, and also, by association, makes Frye's struggle more human and less that of a friendless robot. By contrast, the Pin is a drug lord with a twist: a sad nerd who lives with his mother as he pumps heroin into the veins of the high school's addled upper crust, a pathetic role that is granted some menace by Haas' cool delivery. If there is one crack in Brick's ensemble it's in Emily's other past loves, the unbalanced hooligan Tug (Noah Fleiss) and high as a kite skater Dode (Noah Segan). Both characters, while necessary plotwise, are tiring on screen and evoke little sympathy. However, these faults are borne by Brick's many other virtues: the movie is an assured and talent-heavy film noir that deserves a wider audience than its alienating premise and superficially pulpy production might otherwise attract.
dave elliott
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
IRON MAN 2 T
he plot to the film is simply as follows: Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is declaring himself to be a deterrent to nuclear-war and proclaims himself to be a beacon of worldpeace and stability. He is wrong. Ivan Venko (Mickey Rourke) a Russian-physicist (typically madgenius) plots to avenge the shame his father, an ex-employee and fellow mad-genius physicist, went through due to Stark’s father extraditing him. Stark also has to combat Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) who is a weapons-expert hell-bent on achieving fameand-fortune by any means possible. This all comes at a time when Stark tries to hide that he is feeling the ill-effects of his replacement ‘heart’, whilst upholding his hero status. Rourke is superb as an underplayed Venko, whose glare could
match any by Wesley Snipes, but it is Rockwell who steals the show as Hammer. Rockwell, who recently shone in the fantastic sci-fi thriller Moon, proves himself to be a name to watch as he swaggers on screen, inciting hatred with his egotistical behaviour and one-liners. Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), however, is severely underused, as despite only being present in a few scenes he is memorable and drew the biggest laughs. The chemistry between Stark and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is undeniable and the fast-interchange between them, however hard to follow, is fantastic. Scarlett Johansson plays a great role as Natalie Rushman/ Natasha Romanoff and the choreography is outstanding in her fighting scenes, showing that girls can well and truly kick-ass. Stark
THE GHOST
T
LISTINGS
Dir. Jon Favreau
once again gets great side-kicks in Lt. Col James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), but these characters are underused, much like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Let’s cut to the chase: the start and end of this film are superb, the middle not so much. The movie feels every bit of its 124 mins, but it has great acting, one-liners and dynamic action-scenes that nearly make up for this. The action sequences are excellent, with point-of-view shots being superbly used in the final showdown. However enjoyable this film is, I hope that Iron Man 3 makes better use of characters and that the overall premise of the film is a bit more robust.
Sarah Green
minister’s memoirs into a book. The PM has moved to the states, and lives on a private island. Polanski uses wide-open spaces, both interior and exterior to play on the increasingly helpless McGregor’s sense of isolation, but it doesn’t really work. A mystery-thriller like this should close in on the good guy as he or she gets closer to the truth, but there’s none of that here. The plot is by turns silly and serious, but on the whole generally quite successful. It’s the acting, however, which provides a strong reason to go out and see this; McGregor is inevitably a bit drippy, but Brosnan does wonderfully playing a man who’s engaged in a silent and deadly battle for control, far from the over-confident hero he played in James Bond.
CHRIS MORRIS
Four Lions B
CULTURE
dir. ROMAN POLANSKI
o say that the actors shine in this film would be true, if a little misleading, as everything from the sky to the look on Pierce Brosnan’s face is heavily overcast throughout. Director Roman Polanski, who both ironically and horrifically found himself under house-arrest in Switzerland for the last part of directing this film, has delivered something that’s part-Hitchcock, part-brilliant and part-cock-up. Thankfully, the ‘cock-up’ bits don’t ruin the film, and in fact surely call for a director’s cut with a higher age-certificate but none of the dubbed-out swearing employed in this version. Ewan McGregor plays a young writer who’s offered $250k to compose the former prime
efore it was even premiered, some people had already decided that Four Lions would be far too offensive and should be boycotted. Why? Because this is a comedy about suicide bombers. Writer and director Chris Morris has a reputation for 'controversial' comedy, most famously when his spoof news show, Brass Eye, did an episode about paedophilia. But Morris’s work is often misunderstood - he does not draw laughs for simply being offensive. There is much more to it than that. Four Lions is the story of a group of jihadist suicide bombers planning an attack in London. It is a topic of film that was needed in an age of fear of terrorism, and no one else could have pulled it off ex-
BOOKS
cept Morris. It is a hilarious film and it more than achieves the makers’ ambitions of “doing to al-Qaeda what Dad’s Army did to the Nazis." The terrorists are pathetic and incompetent and yet they have such dramatic plans that they seem more ludicrous than menacing. What is particularly remarkable is the way that the terrorists are such three-dimensional characters. Of course, we never feel sympathy for their plans, but their confusion and stupidity at times almost make us empathise with them. But rather than making a mockery of terrorism, this actually emphasises its futility and wretchedness. And while this is a laugh-a-minute film, we do not lose the gravity of terrorism. There are some very emotional, depressing and sad moments meaning
Kim Cattrall’s performance is also worth seeing; it was the first time I’d ever witnessed her play a character whose priorities don’t peak at Hermes fashion and sex, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised (I’m still going to see Sex and the City 2, though). Her character is Hitchcock’s mousy blonde, complete with dark counterpart played by Olivia Williams. Overall, this is a solid affair, blending Polanski’s esteemed work as a director and a number of gripping performances. Go see it. Before someone makes it disappear…
TOM MARTIN
that even the most slapstick of comedy moments has a dark undercurrent of tragedy to it. Its rich tapestry of comedy and emotions makes Four Lions a true masterpiece – almost certainly the best film of 2010. The talents of Peep Show and In The Loop writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong help make this more accessible than the likes of Morris’s Brass Eye and Jam which, whilst brilliant, could never have as wide an audience as this. But Morris fans need not worry that this is watered down. Chris Morris is a hero of British comedy and this film is no exception.
MARTIN WILLIAMS
MUSIC SPOTLIGHT FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
CULTURE
LISTINGS
TELEVISION POLITICAL REFERENCE!!!
biteback
La la la la la la la......
T
he television landscape was changed forever on 6 November 2001 when 'Once More With Feeling', the legendary musical episode of Buffy aired. Ranking number 14 on TV Guide's "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time", the episode laid the foundations for what seems to have become something of a trend. Scrubs was next to explore the possibilities offered by a musical episode with 'My Musical', an all singing, all dancing affair that followed a patient who heard everyone's speech as a song. Following in Joss Whedon's footsteps, the episode took the opportunity to take a closer and more, revealing look at character's emotions and attitudes (note Turk and JD's epic bromance tune 'Guy Love') as well as create classic comedy moments (who doesn't remember 'Everything Comes Down to Poo'?). The public's love for this trend shows no sign of abating; the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother saw Barney, played by former Broadway star Neil Patrick Harry, belt out a song about his love for suits, and JJ Abrams' science fiction hit Fringe has recently announced plans for a musical episode. Even the Oscars have given show tunes a firm stamp of approval with their decision to open the 2009 Academy Awards with Hugh Jackman performing an elaborate medley of hits. The phenomenom stretches over the pond, with Eastenders seemingly growing wise to the fact that viewers enjoy a little bit of dance and music with their drama. Over the Easter holidays the BBC gave us one whole and glorious minute of Ben Mitchell wearing a dustbin lid and blond hair extensions, performing an immaculately choreographed routine to Gaga's 'Love Game'. (Seriously. Youtube it. Ben+Eastenders+Lady+Gaga. You can thank me later. Perhaps the firmest indication that show tunes are here to stay comes in the form of hit show Glee, although it has to be admitted, when every episode is a musical episode the novelty wears off considerably. Not only do we know that the actors can sing, we know that they will sing. Plus there's the fact that when several covers are performed each episode you run the risk of turning out some seriously boring and obscure numbers. Last weeks episode 'Home' fell especially flat, particularly as it followed the iconic Madonna episode. Evidently, when used sparingly musical episodes pack an unrivaled punch. The world needs more musical episodes. Whether or not it needs more Ben Mitchell dance routines is up to you..
Teja Pisk
W
ith a Hung Parliament on the noose... *no wait! Don't stop reading!*, Vision has decided to see what on earth the banter would be like if Thursday night's coverage never ever ended. David Dimblebly: Well you now... join us... for what has been a very exciting election coverage so far. Thirteen days in. 312 hours of continuous political coverage by the BBC. And nobody has got a clue. A bloody clue. Nick Robinson. Your thoughts. Nick Robinson: Well I am now going to tell you something about why this means everything, and then I am going to imply an open question with a little hint of bias towards the Conservatives. David: Thanks Nick. We have just been given our latest *exit exit* poll which will occupy the screen for the next eighteen hours. Not sure whether we can trust these results now can we? Well... In the meantime let us now cross over to Jeremy Paxman who is pissed off, up this flight of stairs. Jeremy Paxman: Thanks very much. I will now criticise whoever is sitting opposite me with a statement that they will no doubt deny, or a question that they cannot deny but they cannot approve, leaving you to "read between the lines" without us actually telling you anything. Politician Interviewed: And I will be either denying Paxman's questions because if I approve what he says it will be 'out-of-line' with what my party is saying, or I will be denying what he is saying because I haven't got a bloody clue myself. David: Thanks for that Jeremy. I will now be saying something to the screen. You will be confused because as my glasses are down by the end of nose it looks to you as if I haven't got any eyeballs. I will then pass over to Jeremy Vine. Jeremy Vine: I am in a 3D virtual arena which at first glance looks like a scene from The Matrix, before you realise that it looks absolutely fucking shit. I will then provide some sort of visual comedy political reference to impress David Dimblebly.
For example, here in the 3D studio we have replaced the candidates with swans. Now if we look at marginals, which one of these candidates has laid the golden egg? David: And I wasn't paying attention. Unfortunately we just have to announce here that until we know the full result of the election BBC One will not be showing this afternoon's episode of Flog It. Here is Emily for some political analysis. Emily Maitlis: Thanks David. I am here with what seems to be a giant, giant iPad, which allows us to have a close look at each constituency. So let us have a look at Sussex. *HITS SCREEN WITH PALM OF HAND* This is Sussex. Its a big area and a very important one for the Conservatives. Let's have a look at some numbers *HITS SCREEN HARDER* This is all very very interesting. David? David: Thank you Emily for your sophisticated and interesting analysis. The *exit exit* poll is still there, not sure whether we can trust it there. We will know try to distance ourselves from the analysis Emily has given so far that we actually now join Andrew Neil on a barge. Andrew Neil (on a barge): *8 second wait before he realises that he is on air* Well here we are with the creme de la creme of the celebrity world. Here we are with Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey and Peaches Geldof. Firstly, turning to you Peaches. What do you think about constitutional reform? Peaches Geldof: Errrrrr...gggghghhhhhghh... (incomprehensible bullshit)
David: Err thanks for whatever that was Andrew. We are now going to follow two of this year's inventions that have not been tried ever before in any programme ever. That's right. We now cross to a Waitrose in Bridport where we now will be displaying an image of an egg and spoon race representing the first-past-the-post system. *pause* Oh wait it seems as if we can't show you that so instead we are going to be having a shot of Nick Clegg boarding a car *pause*....... *pause* No we can't. I am afraid we can't (pictures on screen of Nick Clegg) or wait we can. Yes we can. There he is..... boarding a car. Nick Robinson: Well I am now going to tell you something about why this means everything, and then I am going to imply an open question with a little hint of bias towards the Conservatives. David: Thanks for that. For the latest news and analysis on this we now join a BBC reporter out at a count station. Laura: Well here the Chipping Norton sports station we do have a very wide variety of gym facilities, a great array of tennis courts and a basketball court. Since you last joined us here, the count has finished, the result has been announced, everyone has gone home and the year 11 'dance-fit' class has arrived. I am now joined here with Kate Bush. Kate Bush does the 'dance-fit' class here. So Kate, what do you think about the proposed constitutional reform? .... After 400 hours of continuous coverage... David: We unfortunately now have to announce that Cash in the Attic this afternoon has been cancelled. Emily... Emily: SMACKS SCREEN WITH FACE. This is all getting really interesting. Nick: I laaaarve you Dav Davvid. I have always seen a little bit of yoyoouuuuuyyyoyoou in meeeeeeee. David: Well the *exit exit* poll we announced earlier seems to reflect the results that have been announced so far. Well, we always told you that they were going to end up that way didn't we?
scott bryan
The Screen Grabs by Nicola chapman
Everybody feels for Cleggy after bedroom let down.
Cameron, Brown and Clegg given make-over for the young vote.
Jamie gets tricked by fake moustached wine connoisseur.
MUSIC SPOTLIGHTFILM MUSIC FILM
TV TV
GAMES GAMES
BOOKS BOOKS
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (DS)
I
've been walking a lot more lately. No, it's not really for exercise (though I could probably do with that). My newly-gained enthusiasm for strolling is all down to the lump of plastic and Liquid Crystal Display that came with my copy of Pokémon SoulSilver. This is still the Pokémon that we know and love - popular back in Junior school, though I never stopped being a fan - but with a much needed graphics and sound overhaul; and featuring bounteous new content - the main one being the Pokéwalker. A pedometer that's packaged with the game and shaped like a Pokéball; you can download one of your captured critters (of which there are now 493!) on to it; and it automatically trains as you run across campus to your lectures. Bump into someone else with it on, and you'll earn some new items. Finally you can live out that childhood dream and be the Pokémon Trainer! As for the game itself, it's singing an old tune. As the name of the game suggests,
CULTURE CULTURE
LISTINGS LISTINGS
Wild VIDEO GAME approaches! We send out Nathan Blades to give it a Super Effective reviewing.
HeartGold and SoulSilver are DS re-workings of the old Game Boy Colour classics Pokémon Gold and Silver. If you've played those games, this update will definitely be a trip down memory lane; right down to an unlockable item that reverts the music to its 8-bit roots. For those entirely new to the series (if you are, congratulations on escaping that rock you've been trapped under for the last 15 years), you play as an intrepid 10 year old, embarking on a journey of fame and self discovery. You achieve this by finding and catching adorable monsters with cool superpowers - the titular Pokémon - and then making them fight. With a team of 'mon under your belt, you travel the regions of Johto and Kanto battling other Pokémon trainers, working your way up to the Elite 4, eventually becoming Champion. It's a fun journey, but the main storyline itself isn't too hard - you can breeze through it in about 30 hours. For many players, the real game starts once the main plot's done and dusted. Die-hard players who've done it all before - you know who you are - have extra mini games at the ridiculously-named Pokéathlon;
a demanding challenge mode at the Battle Frontier; Gym Leaders looking for a rematch once you've bested them; and a very familiar Level 88 Pikachu to take on. If you've ever dismissed Pokémon as a long-gone part of your childhood, there's nothing to lose in giving the new generation a try - you'll be playing alongside hundreds of others. Be the very best. Like no one ever was...
Compete to the Beat: Audiosurf Vs. Beat Hazard While not the first game that bases itself entirely around your music collection (that would go to the kooky platformer Vib Ribbon on the PlayStation 1), these two games - Audiosurf and Beat Hazard - revive the idea for the PC. Both are available for download from Steam and both are dirt cheap. But which one is more worth your time?
Audiosurf £5.99
Beat Hazard £6.99
B
A
eat Hazard is the new kid on the block. Released recently, it capitalizes on using your music too - but in an entirely different way...
udiosurf has been around for a few years now, starting out as a free download, and slowly gathering new features.
What's the premise? You're a cool-looking hover-car, driving along a twisting, floating highway. The road pulses up and down to the beat, changing in steepness as the music becomes more or less intense. Obstructing you are coloured blocks also floating along the road. Collect blocks of the same colour, and score points for large clusters. You get to see the global hi-scores for a song once you beat it. Aim for the top! Does it do my music justice? It's always fun to try out different kinds of music, and see how the road you're driving on will turn out. Intense music will give you some thrilling speeds, but slower, gentle music will almost always make for an easy ride. Music with lots of tempo changes work amazingly. Breakbeat fans will be satisfied here. Will this last me? Having a wide range of genres to your music collection is a major factor; but there are a lot of gameplay modes on offer here. Different vehicles change the way the colour-matching puzzle works - my personal favourite being 'Mono', where you collect coloured blocks avoiding grey ones at all costs. They've even managed to put in a 2-player mode! There are leaderboards and competitions, but the game puts less focus on them.
What's the premise? If you've played Asteroids or Geometry Wars, you'll be familiar with this. You're a lone spaceship, fighting for survival against asteroids of trash, and rival ships. Your firepower grows as the music you're playing becomes more intense, and as you collect Volume and Power items. Collect enough and you become the Beat Hazard; a ship-wrecking destructive force!
Which is the Winner?
For me, Audiosurf wins out due to the larger amount of modes on offer, and better use of the tunes I feed it. It's both a puzzle game and an action game that anyone can have a go at. Beat Hazard is a great arcade-type shooter and definitely the next port-of-call for those who want something more after Geometry Wars; but isn't quite so accessible. And just for fun, a few of my music choices: King Geedorah - Take Me to Your Leader: "Monster Zero" Sub Focus - Sub Focus: "World of Hurt" Akira Yamaoka - No More Heroes 2: "Dynamite Rocket"
Does it do my music justice? The firepower of your ship is very much affected by the music, so in slow or quiet sections, you can become a sitting duck. This presents some interesting challenges, when large boss ships appear, and you're left with little but a pea-shooter. Otherwise, the music you play doesn't affect the game as much as it does in Audiosurf. The game is difficult enough in it's own right though - your ship dies in one hit and the waves of foes can be very unforgiving. Will this last me? The game only has two modes - Free Play and Survival. But what it lacks in gameplay options, it makes up for in leaderboards and rankings. You can 'level up' as you complete more songs, unlocking in-game bonuses. There's also a large emphasis in achievements, if you're that kind of gamer.
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
CULTURE
LISTINGS
Natasha Holden discusses phobias and cemeteries with
Audrey Niffenegger
artist and author of The Time Traveller's Wife
N
ot that she'd ever admit it herself, but for Audrey Niffenegger, the 46 year-old American author of chick-lit sensation The Time Traveller's Wife, her future mainstream success was quite literally written in the books as a child Despite all that she's been through since, Niffenegger's memories of her early interest in writing remain vivid. "When I was very small I liked to draw in my books, right on top of the words and pictures. later I made my own books by folding up pieces of scrap paper to make pages and writing tiny poems and stories in them. I have always been interested in words and images, and in physical books too." She is also highly aware of the authors who had the biggest bearing on her style. We suggested that her book The Three Incestuous Sisters is similar to the work of Edward Gorey, but Audrey isn't so sure. "I am much more influenced by Aubrey Beardsley. I like Edward Gorey but I think he is much funnier than I am, and I'm not especially influenced by his drawing style, he is a bit scritchy for me." Audrey is self-deprecating to say the least when asked about her first and undoubtedly m o s t s u c cessful
work to date, 2003's The Time Traveller's Wife. "The title popped into my head, seemingly out of nowhere," she admits, and when asked whether she expected it to become the sensation it eventually did, she demurs: "Nope. I don't think anyone actually expected that. It would be hubris." Hollywood success has seemingly failed to faze her either; she doesn't know whether the novel's big-budget 2009 adaptation, starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, managed to successfuly capture the essence of her characters and story, simply because she hasn't got around to seeing it yet. Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey's latest book, continues in a similarly fantastic vein. The author sumamrised it for us in her own words. "It's a ghost story set in modern-day London, in and around Highgate Cemetery. It begins with the death of a woman named Elspeth Noblin. She has willed her flat to her young twin American nieces, whom she hasn't seen since they were babies. The twins arrive and move in to the flat, unaware that their aunt is trapped in the flat as a ghost." Mischievously: "Complications ensue." For Audrey, the choice of Highgate Cemetery, "one of the world's great cemetaries," as a location was an obvious one. "It is a sort of secret world and very beautiful." The author eventually got involved with her subject: the Friends of the cemetery, after initially answering her questions, they allowed her to give tours of the place. The experience, Audrey says, "changed the book, made it more sombre and complex." Niffenegger feels that she hasn't really yet abandoned her genre, that there is more than unites Her Fearful Symmetry with its predecessor than divides them. "The first one is sort of science fiction and the second is sort of horror, but not really," she muses. "Both are books about relationships, loss, and how people treat each other." The book's title was itself inspired by 'The Tyger' by William Blake, which concludes with the line "Thy Fearful Symmetry." Audrey explains the phrase's relevance to the novel itself. "The book is built on the idea of symmetry: everything and everyone in
it has a pair, a mirror, an opposite. Many of the characters are trapped by their anxieties and fears. For some of the characters their worst fears actually do come to pass." She adds, "I also liked the image of the bright beautiful dangerous lurking thing in the poem, it suits the main ideas of the book." Heavy stuff, but does she expect Her Fearful Symmetry to experience the same colossal success as The Time Traveller's Wife? Niffenegger, perhaps aware of her previous accusation that such an assumption would be hubris, is once again modest. "I don't know, but we have lots of time to find out. The first book has a head start." Her Fearful Symmetry is just one more thing in Audrey's increasingly crowded horizon. Her current project, The Chinchilla Girl in Exile, is still in its embryonic stage. "I have just barely begun the Chinchilla Girl, she is a tiny ball of fur rolling around my brain!" There are plenty more strings on her bow. "I am about to publish my comic, The Night Bookmobile, as a book this fall. It ran in the Guardian in 2008, you can read it on the web already so this is for people who like to have a physical book to hold in their hands. Right now I am making drawings for a show I am having this September at my Chicago gallery, Printworks." We can only wonder at what talent Audrey Niffenegger will pick up, and undoubtedly excel at, next.
Quick fire round Q: Who would play you in the movie of your life? A: Lauren Ambrose? Cate Blanchett? Nicole Kidman with a weird nose? Q: What is the strangest talent you have? A: When I am in Chicago, my home city, I always know where Lake Michigan is. My brain points East like some odd psychic compass. Q: If you could marry any celebrity, who would it be? A: Helen Mirren. Q: What was your nickname when you were a child? A: I don't recall having any. Isn't that sad? Q: Have you any phobias? A: Heights.
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
Take Five: Wizards N
T
L
iving in a London ruled by scheming and backstabbing magicians, Nathaniel is a young magician's apprentice with a disinterested and meodicre master. He's already beginning to develop the ambition and arrogance characteristic of magicians,
Storm Front- Jim Butcher RRP £7.99 (Orbit)
The Insurgent By Noah Cistero
demon about to eat your face." Dresden's irreverent and sarcastic take on things is usually hilarious, although I did occasionally find his tone a little out of place. The action starts almost immediately and doesn't stop until the end. Along the way there are plenty of spells and monsters to excite fantasy fans such as myself: fairies, a talking skull, vampires and demons to name a few. If you're looking for an exciting read that won't take too much brain power, these books are absolutely perfect.
A
T
F
but still remains a sympathetic character. The real star of the book, though, is the demon Nathaniel summons in order to fulfil his ambitions. Bartimaeus is a 5,000 year old djinni with a healthy disrespect for the magicians he is forced to obey, expressed in the hilariously sarcastic tone of his speech and the chapters written from his point of view. Together, they uncover a plot against the government and defeat it. It's the first book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Later books become decidedly darker, but remain action-packed and definitely worth a read. The Bartimaeus Trilogy is one of my favourites, and in my opinion is one of the most underrated trilogies in the fantasy genre. And it's written by a York alumnus too - so if you haven't read it I urge you to get hold of a copy immediately.
Jonathan Strange and Mr NorrelSusanna Clarke RRP £9.99 (Bloomsbury)
or an 800-page novel to hold your attention throughout, it has to be extraordinary- and luckily, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is just thatClarke creates an immersive version of nineteenthcentury Britain in which magic is real, although most people have ceased to believe in it. The novel is about the p a r t n e r s h i p, and later the rivalry, between the two magicians of the title. Both characters, as well as the surrounding characters, are brilliantly writ-
bove all things, American literature must know its place. This does not only mean writing of where and what you know, but of your relationship with it. Noah Cicero's The Insurgent presents a pathos and anguish laden account of middle America through the eyes of outsiders, viewing a mentally deserted world, indifferent to their suffering. Cicero has long presented himself as the Nietzschean Übermensch of American pop fiction, spitting from a great height on a sultry, barren world below him, just to hit in the face by that same repulsion. The Insurgent is set in Youngstown, Ohio. Cicero's words depict a town rife with unemployment, alcoholism and prostitution in the post-industrial era. His main character, Vasily is a good-for-nothing anti-hero, deeply affected by his brothers suicide, and subtly frustrated by his over-qualification. He ponders his lack of sex, lack of motivation and lack of identity, remedying it through waffles, strippers and idle, self indulgent chatter.
ten and all-too-believable. The novel combines social comedy with the darkness at the heart of the magicians - which, together with the vastness and detail of the world it is set in, has invited comparisons with writers as diverse as Dickens, Austen and Tolkein. Clarke also has a wonderful way with evocative descriptions and richly telling details. This is the perfect novel for the summer holidays - long, absorbing and completely immersive.
"I’m sitting in front of the computer improving my MySpace page trying to waste time, trying to make time go easier. Time won’t go easy. Time is crushing me. It is 8:50PM." Cicero doesn't moralise through Vasily: there is no euphemism to make up for Youngstown's third-world misery, instead, he lets the town's septic underbelly leak out of every staccato interchange: "I have no life. Neither do they, but they have convinced themselves they do. And that’s the difference between them and me." Vasily and fellow insurgent, Chang, get a break on finding some pills in a bathroom toilet. They sell the pills across a few comic scenes, which remedy the despair underlying them exquisitely. In The Insurgent, nothing seemed to have existed outside of Youngstown until now, but with their profits, the pair set aimlessly across America:
LISTINGS
The Colour Of Magic- Terry Pratchett RRP £7.99 (Corgi)
by Caitlin Potter
ryone, with enough action, mystery and romance to keep even the most bookhating teenagers interested. JK Rowling also has a wonderful talent for names and a uniquely English sense of humour. If you haven't yet been hooked by Harry's world, then I thoroughly recommend that you try these books.
his is the first in the Dresden Files series which feature Harry Dresden, Chicago's only wizard private investigator. The novels combine a wisecracking first-person narrator, a fast-paced mystery and plenty of action with black magic and fantasy creatures (think Sue Grafton combined with the TV show Supernatural and you're almost there). The books are packed with amusing one-liners: "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't an invisible
CULTURE
The Amulet Of Samarkand- Jonathan Stroud RRP £6.99 (Corgi Children's)
The Harry Potter Series- JK Rowling RRP £6.99 (Bloomsbury)
o list of books about wizards would be complete without the biggest literary sensation since the Bible. In case you've been living in a cave on Mars with your hands in your ears for the last decade, the seven books follow the events of Harry's life: from the discovery that he is a wizard to his defeat of Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed his parents. Along the way, he undergoes all the trials that every teenager can expect to undergo (an adorably awkward first crush, bickering friends, exams and unfair teachers) alongside a few extra (dragons, a godfather who's a convicted murderer and coming face to face with Voldemort multiple times- to name just a few). The series' astonishing sales figures are well deserved: these books really do have something for eve-
BOOKS
he first novel in Pratchett's bestselling Discworld series, The Colour of Magic follows the journey of the cynical wizard Rincewind when a fire forces him into travelling the Discworld with the tourist Twoflower - a journey which, unbeknownst to either of them, is governed by a board game played by the Gods. Along the way, they encounter many hilarious characters and get into several scrapes - all recounted, of course, with Pratchett's trademark wit. The novel is packed with brilliant one-liners and observations: "Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derringdo. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying" is one of my personal favourites. Pratchett satirises not only fantasy clichés, but also aspects of the real world including tourists and foreign phrase books. Also worth a mention are some of Pratchett's other novels including wizards: for example Sourcery, Equal Rites or The Light Fantastic.
"I open the window and let the sounds of crickets and frogs come in the car. The crickets and frogs sound better than most songs anyway." The book does not reach a conclusion, or amelioration, and could be seen to suffer as a result. Its saving grace is permitted by the aphoristic pseudo-philosophical revelations that scantly emerge towards its climax: marriage fails as a contract because it is based on ownership; no one is one individual, but made of composite personalities; we are paid to pretend we care about work, rather
than the work itself. Cicero writes for the internet generation, and the novel can be polished off in an afternoon. The Insurgent is not a sophisticated work, nor pretends to be. It feels like a confessional piece on fraught self loathing. What's scary then, is how relatable such work can be.
Alexander J. Allison.
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
CULTURE
LISTINGS
Sunny days and those summer nights With summer term well under way, we went to scout a few places for you to enjoy the sunshine in town
Cafes and Restaurants
Picnic Spots gorgeous ster. Gardens is a er st in M end of the Min he T n at the south ace ee pl gr t ec of rf h pe tc e pa ated and th tu si l fu a ti on au ic It is be to take a picn St. Nicholas Fields, located behind Lawrence Street, is a wildlife area which is full of fun little walking trails and a playpark as well as areas for sitting. There is also an entrance near Morrisons so you can pick up your picnic on the way!
e, Lendall Bridg st before the ju of t ed ou at t tu es si rg . The la m Gardens, green in York oung The Museu red space of river or sit am od su e ea th tr to r n he w do k go al a is anot w or n s of friend parks, you ca with a group these three o G . y be ab ay. an old le the day aw the ruins of book and whi
Bars and Pubs With a number of tables along the river, Vodka Revolution is the perfect place to watch the world go by on a sunny afternoon. Come in for sticky sweet cocktails or some rather nice lunchtime fare. VodkaRev cards are available for those who want to take advantage of discounts on food and booze. Recommended by Naomi Shields
Art with a Heart Louisa McLellan tells us about how one space on Walmgate is bringing the commuinity together
S
pace 109 was a disused shop on Walmgate until it was reinvented in Easter 2006, and it has been growing ever since. Jo Pullar decided that the area needed a community space, and after a lot of hard work, Space 109 is flourishing. With a range of activities and events there really is something for everyone, and it does help in bringing the community together. I volunteer for the Monday nights kid’s club and it is one of the best things I do. There is always a happy atmosphere and there's plenty to do; from arts and crafts, to following children on stilts! With a range of ages there are lots of things to help with, or just to have a general chat! There is a variety of ways to get involved, for more information go to the website. If you are a parent at university there are some daytime activities which you might enjoy as well: on Mondays there is an under ones 'parent rescue', costing £1 per family, for parents to meet and just have a chat together, or if your child is slightly older there is an “arty time for toddlers." Space 109 also houses some beautiful pieces of art by local artists, with exhibitions sometimes filling the space. On the 15th – 16th May, there will be a 48 art piece about surveillance using both video and other media. As well as this there are many one off events, the most recent being the ‘Guerrilla Cafe’. An event which was selling food to the sound of live music, all in the aid of Haiti and Chilli (rasing more than £1,500)- a second event cafe day is coming on the 29th May, so keep an eye out!
Café No. 8, on Gillygate is a tiny restaurant located minutes from the Minster and has a beautiful, wild, city-walled garden. Lunchtimes offer everything from full English breakfasts to extremely special sandwiches, and the dinner menu is divine. This little bistro is not cheap, but a must for special occasions or when the parent’s are treating. Recommended by Naomi Shields
one of eum and has the quilt mus lling se to fe xt ca ne n ed ia situat A fresh Ital k. or rsY hu Le Langhe is in T s on staurant tiful garden mms into a re co the most beau or re sf ly an tr ng s ro e good . I would st gs in en its homemad ev and Saturday garden! day, Friday to look at this mend going
1331 might have a little surprise for you too! Beyond the normal smoking area there is a lovely, quieter, seating area, which you could enjoy a few cocktails in as the Situa sun goes down! ted o n Go York's odram b e st ind gate, there epe Th is one fr n't a bette ndent pub e Habit i s o r view s. On om th e have a sun ne of their ir roof ter of The Mi ny da n rac 'wa st Recom y mene ll of word e. On a ra er than th d by S s' to k e iny d a e te Ken y ep yo ny u amu , you sed.
A Right Royal Treat Maryja Morrison investigates the theatrical treats on offer in York - and all for a fiver!
F
rom black and white silent films to feature length 3D thrillers, the Cinea has forever been a tantalising temptation for a Friday evening diversion. Pre-dating the phenomenon of the cinema however, (and in many ways, beating it by far!) comes the raw talent that is theatre. From the West End of London to the tip of the Scottish Islands, Britain has always held its own when it comes to the stage. In many ways, we have arguably had a leading role in the advancement of the Theatrical Arts, evident as soon as Stratford and Shakespeare are mentione.With the elections still at the forefront of the national consciousness, what better time to remind ourselves of the fact that we should cherish and promote all that is British, democracy and all! I find it prime time to unashamedly plug a few of the Arts on our doorstep. York itself plays host to a myriad of theatres and the like, including: the Barbican Centre, the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, the National Cen-
tre for Early Music, the Grand Opera House and, of course, the Theatre Royal. Having been to the Theatre Royal three times last term, I can confidently state that it is an experience like none other. Raw talent, real singing (I know; a mean jibe at the singing you get in films!) fresh jokes and a vibrancy that hasn't depleted on the route from London's West End to York's stylish stalls and upper circles, are a few of Theatre's promised gems. So as the sun condecends to shine on us as Summer arives, take your food, picnic in the park then head to the Theatre to savour the cosy atmosphere and peace of mind that a £5 student ticket (to grab a seat anywhere!) brings you! Buy online or in person before the date, to ensure you don't miss the action! You'll be pleasantly suprised to know that the average age of the theatre goers isn't hitting 60, contrary to popular belief! This summer term, relax and do something different: theatre it!
MUSIC
With a
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
BOOKS
spring in your step...
Vision: What is the Spring Festival of New Music? Martin: The Spring Festival is an ambitious studentrun campus-based music festival that brings to York music that is both new in its conception and new to the area. From jazz to classical, the varied programme is designed to foster creativity whilst appealing to a wide audience. Your support in making this ambition a reality is vital, as we try to build upon the festival's past years of success to make it a key part of the musical calendar of the city and the region. V: What can Vision readers expect to see? M: This year's programme brings some highly acclaimed performers to the city as well as showcasing the wealth of local talent. The opening concert of the festival will set the tone, as the Elysian String Quartet spice up the chamber music tradition in a vibrant display of new works in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall. Other highlights include a day featuring two concerts at the National Centre for Early Music, bringing new
CULTURE
LISTINGS
Martin Scheuregger, Martin Scheuregger, event event manager, manager, waxes waxes lyrical lyrical about about the Spring the Spring Festival Festival of of New New Music Music
music into the heart of old York. Evening events will also take place at City Screen Basement Bar and Kennedy's Bar. V: Why do you think contemporary music is still relevant today? M: Contemporary music is essential to keep all forms of music alive. In order for Brahms, Mozart and Beethoven to be performed, the music world must also push forward. What is new one year is part of the establishment the next – this is how music keeps growing. Audiences aren't expected to like 'contemporary' music at the expense of all other forms, it's just one side of the music world, and worth a look!
new experience for some people, and with the great interest in music amongst our generation this 'new music' should provide plenty to keep you interested!
Tickets on sale at the Vanbrugh stalls from 12-2 on Wednesday £3 each
V: Why should we attend the Spring Festival? M: The festival has something for everyone, from jazz to electro-acoustic and much more in between. Come and see the great talent that York has to offer as well as the national artists which the student committee are bringing to the university. The festival may be a
Light
Spare a little change? May Rowan Williams dispels the myths surrounding Christian Aid Week
I
f you’re on campus during this week, chances are you’ll see us with our collecting buckets for Christian Aid and would encourage you to approach us to find out more about what we’re doing and why. First: to clear up some of the common misconceptions...
1: Am I giving money to a charity which only supports Christians? Christian Aid is not a charity just for Christians; it is named as such because the first founders of the Charity were Christians. The money we collect goes to projects all over the world- mainly aimed at eradicathe Norman Rea Gallery, the student run art gallery situated above ing poverty, providing access to healththe Courtyard, is opening its doors to submissions, to summer and to care and clean water, or tackling climate creative synergy. Beginning Monday week 4 (May 17th), the Summer change. Distribution is based upon need Show, employing a thoughtful interpretation of the theme 'light', takes to the rather than creed. walls of the gallery. The exhibition will include a refreshing mix of primarily submission-sourced art as well as nationally sourced art and is still accepting 2: But won't it just go into the pocket of submissions from any creatively minded students looking for a little exposure. some corrupt leader? Think outside of the box for this one, budding artists and gallery goers alike; Christian Aid doesn't give money to submissions are welcome in all genres and media, which should make for intergovernments, but works directly with esting and experimental gallery going. local groups and projects. It uses the Later on in the term, in week 6 and in week 8, comes an exciting and pioneerexpertise of the local people who ing event in two parts – an outdoor performance piece which will coincide with a really know the area they’re workprofessional photographic exhibition of work by one of the performance artists ing in and what it needs most. In during which guests will receive instruction and instrument to become part of the the slums of Kenya, for example, third, and perhaps most experimental exhibition of the term.... Christian Aid supports Majina A real, tangible visualisation of every morning/afternoon after the night beUfanisi, a local organisation fore tradition is due to hit the gallery on Monday of week 8: Kodak moments, a helping people to clean up their photographic exhibition of the spoils of disposable cameras given to your average water supplies. That may not university student. Think Facebook, in a gallery, with real pictures. A close to home sound dramatic, but lack of theme for many, this exhibition seeks to involve an audience as much as it exhibits to access to clean water is one of them. Stay on the lookout for the appetising and very clever viral marketing on this one the biggest killers in the dewhich should whet your appetite for the main course. veloping world. For more information about submissions for the Summer Show, see the Facebook group, 'The Norman Rea Summer Show'.
T
Maksymilian Fus Mickiewicz lets you know about the summer season of SAASY events
W
ith a unique trip to Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art lecture series and summer party there is loads going on! The team has personally selected a dynamic and unexpected range of themes this term. We'll be looking at 'dreams in the middle ages','untimely death', the work of Richard Wright as well as Victoriana. Mark Long is taking a trip out to the MIMA. Leaving on the 13th of May we'll be taking a train to visit what is the UK's leading gallery for contemporary art and craft. Currently exhibiting is Anish Kapoor's
3: Charity is patronising and keeps people dependent on foreign aid. Although once upon a time ‘charity’ was a topdown relationship between donor and recipient thankfully this is no longer the case. The theme of this year's CAW is 'Poverty - Let's End It', highlighting Christian Aid's role in campaigning and transformation at every level from individual to government.
Where do the donations end up? Long-term development projects
£43.6m (46%)
Emergencies
£16.8m (18%)
Campaigning/education
£14.9m (16%)
Fundraising
£18m (19%)
Governance
£0.9m (1%)
Expenditure 2008/09
Total: £94.2m
Not convinced yet? Please do talk to us! Go with the facts not the fantasy. You really can make a difference!
new work from TemenosTemenos which means 'land cut off and assigned as a holy ground'. Anish's work distorts one's own perception of your body, much like looking into a twisted mirror. Also at MIMA is renowned project Ultra-red. Founded in 1994 by two AIDS activists. The artwork is a sound space in which members of the movement share recordings of investigations within the struggles surrounding migration, anti-racism, fair housing, youth and HIV/AIDS. As usual it'll also be a chance to visit a new city and explore. Not yet fully booked, but rumoured to be on the way is our summer party in week seven. A chance to celebrate the end of another year for uni and listen to an upcoming folk band. Want to know more? email: info.saasy@gmail.com
MUSIC
SPOTLIGHT
FILM
TV
GAMES
20 Questions
BOOKS
Rajini
Vaidyanathan 3) Why did you decide to become a politics reporter? What's great about is is that it matters. This current election has shown how politics affects everything we do. It's exciting and totally unpredictable too.
Interview by Tom McDermott 1) What is the most rewarding thing about your job? The most rewarding thing about my job is that through my job I've had the privelege of having a front row seat on some massive events in history, like announcing Obama had won the US election live. And, I"ve also seen the world - reporting from Washington, Romania, India, Jerusalem and Brussels to name a few. 2) Who is the most powerful person you've ever interviewed? I interviewed Tony Blair several times when he was PM - on some heavyweight issues including the Middle East. I've interviewed most of the main UK party leaders and key players. And Al Gore!
4) Would you ever allow your personal beliefs to influence your reporting? Never. 5) What are you most proud of? See answer 1, but I'm proud of all the amazing things I've done and the people I've met through my work - not just celebrities but just interesting people from all walks of life. I'm very proud that I've won awards for my work too - always nice to get recognised for all those late nights, and long hours! 6) Who would you most like to interview? I suppose it's a bit clichéd but I'd love to interview George Bush now he's out of office... spend time with him in his Dallas home. Oh - and away from politics totally - Paul McCartney. 7) Who are your heroes and influences? My mum and dad.
CULTURE
LISTINGS
Rajini Vaidyanathan is a British political reporter for the BBC. Her varied career has included being political correspondent for Radio 1 and Washington correspondent for BBC News . Outside of politics, Rajini has also reported from the red carpet at the Oscars and spoken to young Israelis and Palestinians about the conflict in the Middle East. Her most recent project is a documentary for the BBC World Service on internet marriage in India. Rajini attended the University of York and, incidentally, was heavily involved in student media there.
8) What would you like to be remembered for most? I think it's too early to be writing my memoirs don't you!
14) What was the last movie you watched? The Blind Side.
9) What do you spend your time doing when you don't have to work? I love live music and indie films. If I'm not at work you might find me at a gig, sitting in a coffee shop with friends or holidaying somewhere around the world. Work-life balance is essential.
16) Describe yourself in 3 words. Enthusiastic, loyal, fun.
10) What's the first thing you would do if you were declared leader of the world? Wouldn't happen so best not to answer. 11) What subject do you most enjoy reporting on? Politics, naturally. 12) What's the best place you've got to visit as part of your job? Probably Jersualem and the West Bank in terms of being beautiful and interesting too. Also lucky to have been to my fave cities - NY and Mumbai and Washington for work. 13) What is your favourite sort of music? Guitar music. Acoustic singer songwriter stuff.
15) What's the best book you've ever read? Hmm. Harry Potter. Or Catcher in the Rye!
17) What is your guilty pleasure? Hello Kitty branded merchandise. Kooky but cute. 18) What could you not live without? My family. 19) What would you advise students who hope to achieve similar successes as yourself ? Be patient. It's a marathon not a sprint. Have a vision, and don't give up, as cheesy as that might sound! 20) Vision or Nouse? Without a shadow of a doubt Vision. I edited the paper at York. It was my life for years. Some of my best friends were made on the paper. Pathetic, but rivalries with Nouse still exist 10 years on. So no way to Nouse. Victory to Vision!
Picks of the week See it for yourself... Tuesday 11
Sunday 16
Wednesday 26
STORNOWAY 7.30 pm @ Derwent Bar
LITTLE COMETS 7.30 pm @ Fibbers
GAMELAN SEKAR PETAK 7.30 pm @ Jack Lyons
Derwent Bar plays host to the return of decent live music at York Uni with Oxford's Mumford &Sons-alikes Stornoway. While the standard DCUK crowd might be a little rowdy for their comparatively delicate sound, campus has been sadly lacking in gigs recently so make sure not to miss this opportunity.
Don't be fooled by their pissannoying MySpace page - Little Comets' sound is a hell of a lot less pretentious than their publicity would have us believe. The band scored considerable airplay on Radio 1 last year and have been building on their success steadily ever since. Catch them in Fibbers before they move on to less intimate surroundings.
York is the first university in the UK to have had their own gamelan, a Javanese instrument ensemble, constructed especially for them; ours is called 'Sekar Petak', or White Flower. For this concert, Gamelan will be accompanied by the Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Tickets: £5 + 50p booking fee at www.yusu.org
Tickets: £6 adv/£7.50 otd
Wednesday12 YORK SPRING FESTIVAL Various venues until 16th May Contemporary classical music has a bit of a bad rep, but the York Spring Festival sets out to show us that there's more to it than just atonality and alienating rhythms. A range of concerts will take place across the city until Sunday, from the tasteful jazz of the Good Dog Happy Band to Laura Moody's cello-based histrionics. See www. yorkspringfestival.co.uk for specifics. Tickets: £3 for all gigs
Monday17 NORMAN REA SUMMER SHOW @ Norman Rea Gallery, Langwith Collaborative artistic exhibitions are in short supply on campus; outside of beer can towers they're nonexistent. The Norman Rea Summer Show 2010's mission is to nourish this withering flower, with what will surely be a stunning showcase of student and staff talent. Runs until 11th June. Free entry, educ521@york.ac.uk for details
Tickets: £3 student, available from the Music Dept
Friday 28
ZAMAR GOSPEL CHOIR 7.30 pm @ Jack Lyons The 40-strong gospel choir's repetoire of tunes from both sides of the pond stays true to their aim of fighting stereotypes and preconceptions traditionally associated with the style. Sure to be highly entertaining and probably just a little inspirational. Sister Act it up! Tickets: £3 student, available from the Music Dept
Scenesters Scene Editor David Elliott Music Editors Rachel Pronger Jim Norton Film Editors Tom Martin Jenny McLarney TV Editor Scott Bryan
STEVE HARLEY AND COCKNEY REBEL 7.30 pm @ The Duchess
TV Deputy Teja Pisk
Supporting new material? Taking yourself seriously? Wise up Steve. We all know that you and your band's collective talent was exhausted in the writing of one (superb) song: Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me). If you dare sing it as anything but an encore, or, God forbid, not at all, you'll find that the fabled student apathy only extends so far.
Games Editor Nathan Blades
Tickets: £22 adv/£24 otd
Books Editors Natasha Holden Caitlin Potter Culture Editors Louisa McClellan Maryja Morrison