VULTUREHOUND K N A R F the women’s
revolution
OCTOBER 2015 ISSUE 7
T I H S Y L O H E H T D N A , T I T E G I W O N LEGACY BEHIND IT.”
O R E I
N A M E C N A M O R L A C MY CHEMI
! S D E E L M O R LIVE F ! N A M W O B H ! T I S Y D E R T H E V I RGI N M A
AMERICAN HORROR
WALKING DEAD STAR WARS
"A wild storm of riffs hooks and melodies" “If they come up with more stuff like this we’re in for a treat!” (Simon Pursehouse/Sentric Music Podcast) Featured on BBC6 Music Tom Robinson Show Mixtape
STERGIN On their short Christmas tour multi-instrumentalist, composer & producer Stergin and drummer Betts (Three Trapped Tigers, Heritage Orchestra) play 2 London shows at Hootananny Brixton on Nov 25th and The Birds Nest Deptford on Nov 29th.
More Info www.stergin.com
HELLO
WELCOME
EDITORIAL David Garlick Editor / Design david.garlick@vulturehound.com
Michael Dickinson Deputy Editor
t’s good to be back! After almost 7 months we return with Issue 7. We know you’ve been busy this summer so now it’s beginning to get cold we are back. But we’re squeezing the final drops of summer with our chat with cover star My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero at L eeds Festival.
I
As it’s October, we go all Halloween with a look at the returning Walking Dead and American Horror which both start this month.
michael.dickinson@vulturehound.com
Sarah Carter Music Editor sarah.carter@vulturehound.com Kimberley Bayliss Live Music Editor kimberley.bayliss@vulturehound.co.uk
ADVERTISING To discuss advertising please contact advertising@vulturehound.com
We also spoke with up and coming bands Max Raptor and The Virginmarys, and presenter Edith Bowman. There’s even more at VultureHound.com. Come join us! @VultureHound
David Garlick (@davidgarlick)
search ‘VultureHound’
@VultureHound
JOIN US @VULTUREHOUND
HIGHLIGHTS
10
14
16
22
24
28
30
39
Copyright 2015 VultureHound Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of VultureHound. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@vulturehound.com.
5 REASONS WE’RE EXCITED FOR THE FORCE AWAKENS Words: Grae Westgate
5. NO GEORGE LUCAS Sure, Star Wars is Lucas’ brainchild, but after Indy 4 and the endless reworkings of the original trilogy, it’s a relief to see the lightsabre handed on to someone new.
4. LESS GREEN-SCREEN We’ve been promised that this is not going to be the soulless CGI monstrosity of the prequels. Real sets and life models mean a welcome return to its padawan roots.
3. ADMIRAL FREAKIN’ ACKBAR!! Forget crusty old Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, Admiral Ackbar is back with a vengeance!! Let’s hope it’s not a trap!!
2. DISNEY People grumbled when the bigwigs at Disney took the tauntaun reigns, but after their fine work with Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, Disney have proved themselves a force to be reckoned with!
1. BB8 If you haven’t seen the ad on YouTube yet, go check it out! The spherical BB8 looks set to be the must-have toy of Christmas 2015 and one of the franchise’s coolest droids to date! Star Wars: The Force Awakens blasts into cinemas on December 18th.
06 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Ph: Film Frame ŠLucasfilm 2015
WARS
STAR FILM
THE THIRD COLUMN
THE THIRD COLUMN AKA THE RANDOM BITS HONEST BURGERS TO LAUNCH A MAD MEN BURGER
YEEZER!
Lionsgate Home Entertainment and Honest Burgers have today announced a partnership which will see an exclusively designed Mad Men burger go on sale across the high-end burger chain’s nine London outlets, just in time to mark the Blu-ray and DVD release of Mad Men: The Final Season – Part 2 and Mad Men: The Complete Final Season. The burger goes on the menu from October 6-26 and will consist of a Ginger Pig dry-aged beef patty, twice smoked bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, pickles and dipped-fried onions. What’s more, in honour of the legendary Don Draper and befitting of a burger that pays tribute to one of the most iconic series in TV history, the BBQ sauce lavished on the burger is made from the finest Buffalo Trace bourbon. Tom Barton, co-founder of Honest Burgers, said: “Collaborations are a great chance for us to play around with different flavours, so when Mad Men came along we knew it had to have a bourbon influence. I just hope I’ve done Don Draper proud.”
08 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
hat the world has been waiting for! A mashup album created solely based around the pun of “Yeezer”.Weezer and Kanye West. It’s not pretty but it exists. Find it online now.
W
JOIN US AT @VULTUREHOUND
THE RANDOM BITS
SAM SMITH -WRITING’S ON THE WALL OUR REACTION y now, you’ll know that it’s no secret that the song divided opinions across the globe. But what did our VH writers think? Take a look at our… er, debate, on the subject.
David Garlick - I thought Bond was supposed to be exciting. This is boring.
Grae Westgate - Sam Smith is a twunt.
Michael Dickinson - Yeah the general consensus is not good.
Jake Starkweather- It’s fine, nothing special. Looking forward to the film
Martin Harper - At least is confirms his statement that it “only took 20 minutes to write”. Idea for a playlist “fuck it, this’ll do”. “The writing’s on the wall for Sam Smith, will be live to die another day?” Christ, I should be a writer.
B
Gemma Hirst - OMG I f***ing love it, I need to buy the single. I think the whole world just stopped. Michael Dickinson- Interesting, I found it pretty dull Rai Jayne Hearse - The worst bond song so far. Rhian Wilkinson - Agreed, it’s awful. But I think Sam Smith is awful, so I’m biased.
Michael Dickinson - It makes All Time High sound like View To A Kill. Sarah Carter - Shirley Bassey is trending because people hate it so much. Can’t be a good sign?
Michael Dickinson - “Literally EVERYONE Does It Better”. Gemma Hirst - Am I the only one who loves this song? Michael Dickinson - At the moment, Gemma, you seem to be in a small global minority.
Gemma Hirst - I’ve downloaded the single Michael – it has just got to number one, just saying. Wise words from Mark Kemode – reserve judgement of the song and see if it works with the film. Michael Dickinson I take strong consideration to the Doctor’s words. It might work well in the context of the film but as a standalone song, I thought it to be bobbins, as do a lot of people. The fact it’s got to number one speaks very little to how good it actually is… It’s a Bond song, which people collect and Sam Smith is quite popular I believe. Grae Westgate You know who else got to number one? Mr Blobby and Bob The Builder. Michael Dickinson That Crazy Frog chap had a banger of a number one. Gemma Hirst Haha, okay guys. Let’s just agere to disagree, don’t think I can win this battle.
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 09
FRANK IERO
FRANK
I E RO
MICAL HE C Y M ER RM FO E TH H IT W UP HT UG WE CA ROMANCE MAN AT LEEDS FESTIVAL in 2013, it was hen My Chemical Romance split up the band would inevitable that some members of Way made his move on to other projects. Gerard ds in 2014, grand entrance at Reading and Lee to the world, but bringing his unique indie sounds ’s appearance on the scene was far for mer rhythm guitarist Frank Iero
W
stealthier. the de his début solo appearance on We caught up with Frank as he ma Reading and Leeds sta ge.
eds back in the day with My Fir st of all, I know you played Le this time will be a different Chemical Romance, but I’m sure g forward to it? experience for you. Are you lookin you play any show it’s a different I am. That’s the thing, every time e it a to expect, even though you’ve don experience. You never know what we do, greatest things about doing what million times, which is one of the I’m things about doing what we do. But but also one of the most terrifying ut about the festival and reading abo ring hea kid a as w kno I , ited exc y ver , to play it, I had no idea what it was some of my favourite bands getting n ivalent to that in the States. So whe because we didn’t have anything equ e My Chem played it for the first tim ago rs yea lion mil ny ma r eve how finally – ds and the legacy behind it.” Some ban it get I Now t. shi ly “Ho like was – it to alone many times, let alone ever get don’t even get to play it once, let the erent project, so the importance and headline it and do it again in a diff
10 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
>
MUSIC Words: Shane Bayliss -Photos:Kimberley Bayliss
“ HOLY SHIT
E H T D N A , T I T E G N OW I ” . T I D N I H E B Y C A L EG OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 11
FRANK IERO
E V A H S Y A W L A U O Y K N I H "I T THAT CASE OF RUBBER E M R O F T U B , G N I K C E N E M R A E H O T S T N A W Y D O NOB SING MY CHEM SONGS"
You recorded everything bar the drums on the last record? Yeah!
As the project goes forward, will it be a case of you doing everything (bar drums) again? Or has it become more of a band project? It’s definitely grown organically,
blessing of that isn’t lost on me.
to put it out. It was one of those
but as far as the recording process
It’s really truly amazing, and I’m
things that when making it, it was
is concerned and what it is going
excited to get to do it again.
truly just for me. When I met the
to be like, I think it depends on
people that wanted to put it out,
the song. I don’t know if I would
and we signed the deal, actually
do drums, I played drums on one
putting it together was a bit of
track and the other stuff was
a daunting task because I never
programming, I don’t have it in me
thought about any of it. So now
to do that. As far as everything else,
looking back, there are a million
it’s fun! A lot of the songs started
things I would go back and do, do
with me playing and stuff like that,
this differently or change that, but
and it made sense that I should.
for the most part I wouldn’t change
Honestly, I think it is going to be
anything really when it came down
played just song by song.
The album has been out a while... A year actually on the 25th!
Now the dust has settled are you pleased with how the album came out and was received? It’s a very different project.
to it. It’s definitely a moment in time, and I’m proud with the way
It is! It’s weird, I never expected
12 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
that it happened.
When someone goes solo, as you have, there is often a case
SPEEDROUND! What would you like to be remembered for? I would like to be remembered for being a father and husband that his kid can look up to. Dream dinner guest (dead or alive)? Oh shit, always the same answer, my Grandfather.
of the fans wanting to hear songs from the previous project. Did you ever have that? Were fans wanting you to play My Chem songs, or have they been respectful of Frank Iero and the Cellabration? I think you always have that case of rubber necking, but for me nobody wants to hear me sing My Chem songs. I didn’t sing those songs and thank god for that. But yeah, nobody’s coming to the shows wanting to hear that because they won’t hear it.
I saw you caught a bit of Against Me! earlier, (we spotted him stood at the side of stage) any other bands you plan on catching over the weekend? Because you’ve got a day between shows. Yeah I hope so, I’m going to try and get to Reading tomorrow and hopefully get to see a
bunch of bands. I’ve never got to see Metallica before, I really want to see them. I want to see Wolf Alice, Alexisonfire I haven’t seen since we toured together like – Jesus Christ – a million fucking years ago. But yeah, there’s a lot of people on our day that I want to see to but because of doing press stuff I haven’t had chance to see, I want to see Moose Blood, like to see Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes. For Gaslight, I
If you could only play one venue for the rest of your career, which would it be? Man, I know where it wouldn’t be. There are a lot of great ones out there. The one that springs to mind is the Metro in Chicago because we are going to get to do that at some point. Also Asbury Lanes is really fun! Favourite swear word? Motherfucker. What was the last song that really made you stop and listen? Any song? I’ve been writing recently so I haven’t been listening to a lot of music. Oh actually, this is weird, a friend of mine said “Have you heard the new Wolf Alice record” and I said “No” so he sent me a link to it and I thought that was really good. What did you have for breakfast? Coffee and a Banana.
got to see a couple of songs but missed most of their set.
Sorry, that’ll be our fault. Nah. It’s nice to be able to this kind of thing and talk to people I haven’t met before and have a New Jersey soundtrack in the background.
Huge thanks to Frank for speaking to us prior to playing his set at Leeds.
If you could teach everyone in the world one life lesson, what would it be? Treat each other in the way that you would want to be treated. Star Trek or Star Wars? Star Wars. What album are you embarrassed to own? None! Finally, a Metallica are headlining; if you could sum your life up with one Metallica song, which would it be? “One”
AMERICAN HORROR
Y P P A H N E E W HALLO American Horror Story: Hotel premieres Tuesday 20th October 10pm on FOX 14 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
AMERICAN HORROR RETURNS Staying true to the anthological style of American Horror Story, Hotel sees us pack up last season’s travelling Freakshow and check in at the mysteriously creepy Hotel Cortez. The Los Angeles hotel, based on the real-life Hotel Cecil, is host to the strange and bizarre, and owned by the deliciously fashion-forward bloodsucker Countess Elizabeth, the much anticipated role played by Lady Gaga. Disappointingly, Jessica Lange will not feature in this season but it will see the return of usual favourites Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, and Angela Bassett, as well as a host of new actors. The hotel will also be visited by characters from previous seasons in an attempt to link all the stories together. This season promises to be the darkest, bloodiest, and sexiest so far, seriously, the first episode features a foursome with Gaga! So, are you ready to check in, your room is waiting... Words: Rai Jayne Hearse
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 15
EDITH BOWMAN
Words: Grae Westgate
EDITH BOWMAN 16 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
MUSIC
EDITH BOWMA
dith Bowman is something of a renaissance woman in the musical world. Her career has seen her as a DJ, a TV presenter, and a writer as well as being a full time mum and wife to Editors frontman Tom Smith. We were lucky enough to catch up with her at Hotel Indigo in London this week to discuss her latest project, Sounds of the Neighbourhood, along with the tribulations of the music industry and the joys of discovering One Direction through her children`s eyes…
E
Tell us about the Sounds of the Neighbourhood project…
Well there`s a hotel group called Hotel Indigo who have a number of hotels in cities around Europe, and the whole thing is all about each location being unique to the neighbourhood, so this whole project, which focuses on London, Glasgow and Liverpool is about celebrating the sound of the music surrounding each hotel. They kind of do this anyway; they have maps and brochures all about the things you can go and see and do in the neighbourhood… Art galleries and gigs and stuff, but we’re taking it a step further to curate a playlist for each neighbourhood. For me, it`s a combination of bands that are from that area and bands that I associate with the area. As well as me we’ve got a musician from each place; we’ve got Jazzy B from London, we’ve got Dave McCabe (of The Zutons) from >
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 17
EDITH BOWMAN
IT’S EASIER TO MAKE MUSIC NOW, BUT IT’S MUCH HARDER TO MAKE AN IMPACT.
EDITH BO Liverpool and we’ve got Mylo from Glasgow, who are also going to create a playlist each. On top of that, we’ve got an event at each location called the Sunday Social, which is kind of the essence of a quality Sunday; having a pub roast, chatting with some friends and then a DJ playing great music, so people who are staying in the hotel are introduced to the music played and the food that’s served that afternoon. We’re also going to make a film around each city with Dave, Jazzy and Mylo each showing us their neighbourhood, whether it`s their experiences as fans, or making music themselves.
Making the playlists, have you 18 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
found that the city influences the music, or does the music influence the city?
I think it’s both. With Glasgow for example, there`s always been a very thriving arts scene; there`s the architecture and there`s the School of Art, and that’s really spilled out into the music and influenced the bands that have come out of that, whether it be Belle and Sebastian or Franz Ferdinand… There’s also this real family element there were a lot of the bands all help each other out, playing in each other’s` bands or signing to people`s labels. Then with Liverpool, there`s a very specific sound associated with the city, all to do with melody
and harmony, and you can really hear that through the historical spectrum of music that’s come out of that place. Each playlist is my musical love letter, showing my journey in music with that city. I`ve genuinely got a connection with each of them. London has been my home for half my life now… coming down here and living just off the Harrow Road and not being a stone`s throw away from Notting Hill… having the Forum and the Barfly on my doorstep. My first ever gig was in Glasgow when I was seven at the Ibrox Stadium, and I spent my time at Edinburgh University shooting across every weekend for gigs. With Liverpool, when Colin (Murray) and I first started doing Radio 1 together,
MUSIC
OWMAN we used to drive up and watch bands at this place called Zanzibar. So, it’s been a really natural thing to be able to not just talk about these places, but also the music that’s come from them too.
Are you going to be involving up-andcoming bands with the events?
I`ve tried to incorporate new music into the playlists as much as I can, there’s a band called Flight on the Glasgow
playlist and things like that, as well as it being a retrospective. We’re all so driven towards what`s going to be the next big thing that we forget that there`s still amazing music being made by artists from ten or twenty years ago that’s kind of being forgotten about. Bands like The Las who have been a big part of my life, I wanted to make sure that was incorporated as well.
Do you think nowadays it’s easier for up-and-coming artists? How does
this obsession with what`s next affect new music that’s coming out?
There`s just so much of it! I produce the show for Radio Scotland, and I`m music editor at Elle now as well, and trying to keep on top of everything new is just impossible. I remember going on the NME tour back when NME properly did music and there would be five bands you`d never heard of. It was exciting and a great way of discovering new things, but now
there`s just so much out there. It`s easier to make music now, but it’s much harder to make an impact. There’s editing software and everything, but I`ll always be a sucker for the physical things. Vinyl or CDs. I never want to not have a collection that I can flip through. Digital makes life easier, especially for editing a playlist, but I never want to lose the investment that I have in listening to vinyl. The crackle of the needle on a record creates that real personal touch. >
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 19
EDITH BOWMAN
WE ALL LOVE TERRIBLE STUFF FROM TIME TO TIME!
20 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
MUSIC
EDITH BOWMA
Obviously you’ve got the radio show, you have the events coming up, editor at the magazine, you recently published the Great British Festivals book, you’ve even worked on TV`s Guitar Star. What’s your favourite field to work in?
I really enjoy having all these little projects on the go. I did the book this year, then Guitar Star, which I loved. I also got my first documentary commissioned by Sky Arts… I love having all these projects that I really believe in. It keeps me busy, but it also really challenges me. Writing the book was really hard. I had this romantic notion that I’d drop Rudy off at school, drop Spike off at the childminder and then I’d just go and sit in a coffee shop and it would all come spewing out of my fingers. The reality was very far from that. I found that my window of creativity was between nine and one in the morning. If Tom was home, he was fed and watered and then I’d lock myself in my office and just watch old footage from festivals to get my flow on. It was scary though, and I quickly discovered that I’m the world’s best procrastinator. My mum recently asked me how many books I’d sold, and I don’t really care because I`ve done the thing that I was most scared of! Writing is hard!!
You and Tom have huge musical backgrounds. What are you going to be forcing on your kids for their cultural education?
We force all manner of stuff on them, and they force all manner of stuff on us! Rudy does dance classes at school so he’s just got into One Direction from them playing it in the classes, and he`s obsessed with them! It`s quite bonkers how quickly he`s become obsessed with this one particular song. Any opportunity he`s got an iPad to watch the video again and
track. We put stuff on in the car and it last as long as it lasts, whether they scream loud enough for us to change it, or they just get it. Weirdly they both had a real thing for Bat For Lashes! It’s funny though, how you can have an opinion about pop, whether it be One Direction or whatever, but hearing it through a child’s ears and seeing how they react to it
IT`S EASIER TO MAKE MUSIC NOW, BUT IT’S MUCH HARDER TO MAKE AN IMPACT. again. The pair of them know all of the lyrics to The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face. It’s the funniest thing in the world watching a two and a half year old singing that! The love Queen, so they run around the house singing Bicycle. Rudy loves The Specials` Message to you Rudybecause his name`s in the song, but his name actually came from Rudy With a Flashlight by the Lemonheads, and he’s got the lyrics to that painted on his bedroom wall. We’re trying constantly to get them into The Maccabees, but it’s funny how quite early on they develop very strong opinions of what they do and don`t like. Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie is a regular, and that`s a great
really makes you appreciate the appeal. We all love terrible stuff from time to time!
Sounds of the Neighbourhood events featuring Edith alongside Jazzy B, Mylo and Dave McCabe will be taking place in Hotel Indigo venues across the country over the next few months.
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 21
ELVIS COSTELLO
22 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
Bringing Ginza to a standstill - Photo: M. Kuwamoto
ELVIS O L L E T COS Staying true to the anthological style of Americanand Horror Story, Hotel sees Unfaithful Disappearing Ink, theus pack up last season’s travelling Freakshow long-awaiting autobiography from Elvis and checkisinnearly at the here. mysteriously creepy Hotel Costello Cortez. The Los Angeles hotel, based on the real-life Cecil, host to the After a career that Hotel has seen theis man strange and ownedrock by the write some of and the bizarre, finest post-punk, fashion-forward bloodsucker n’roll deliciously hits, performing with some of the Countess Elizabeth, the much anticipated finest bands in the world (eg. Suicide), played by Lady Gaga. writing classics forrole other people (Robert Wyatt’s ‘Shipbuilding), finding a latter Disappointingly, Jessica day career as a jazz artist andLange beingwill not in thisegg, season it will see the an allfeature round good his but Simpsons return of remains usual favourites SarahHis Paulson, appearance a high point. Kathy Bates, Evan and Angela new tome promises to bePeters, an intriguing a host of new actors. root Bassett, into one as of well the as countries true living The hotel will also be visited by characters legends. from previous seasons in an attempt to link alllyrical, the stories together. Described as “acerbic, honest and outright funny as the songs that season promisesIt’s to be have This made him famous”. fullthe of darkest, bloodiest, andand sexiest so far, seriously, amazing anecdotes revelations the an first episode features a foursome about incredible life in rock and roll with it’s out on October 13th in book form,Gaga! enhanced eBook and audiobook it So, are you ready to check in, room is promises to be an essential foryour all postwaiting... punk, jazz, rock n’roll and folk fans. Words: Rai Jayne Hearse
Words: Michael Dickinson
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 23
Words: Shane Bayliss - Live Photos:Kimberley Bayliss
MAX RAPTOR
X A M R O T P RA MAX RAPTOR ARE BACK, THEY DIDN’T EXACTLY GO-AWAY SO TO SPEAK, BUT
M
ax Raptor are back, they didn’t exactly go-away so to speak, but the UK’s finest politically and
THE UK’S FINEST
socially charged Punk band are finally
POLITICALLY AND
their signing to Hassle Records, Max
SOCIALLY CHARGED
single ‘Blue on Red’ which is available
PUNK BAND ARE FINALLY BRINGING
bringing new music our way. Announcing Raptor have also treated us to a new for download through their website maxraptor.co.uk for FREE. We caught up with Wil, Matt, Ben and
NEW MUSIC OUR
Pete in Birmingham as they supported
WAY.
about the new EP, signing to Hassle and
God Damn on a recent UK tour to talk Britain First.
New track, the first taste of Max Raptor on Hassle? is this an indication of what’s to come? Matt: Why do you not like it? Ben: Immediately on the defensive! Wil: I think that the new tracks are not more of the same, and are a bit of progression from the first two records. The four tracks we are releasing on the EP in November are all quite different actually, sound wise. Ben: That started so badly, “it’s not more of the same” again like we are trying to defend ourselves.
As though we’ve got an issue 24 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
MUSIC with the same sort of songs? Ben: It is not the same categorically. Matt: We like them! Ben: The new Max Raptor “we like them”. Matt: It’s going to be good.
You’re in the studio at the moment (or in and about the studio,) is it all written and you’ve just got to track them or is it still a work in progress?
'BLUE ON RED' IS ABOUT THE TWO POLITICAL PARTIES BECOMING EXACTLY THE SAME THING, BUT THEN WE RELEASED THAT AND THEN JEREMY CORBYN GOT ELECTED.
Matt: Well to get these four songs we’d written about twenty-five, and we’ve whittled them down to four! Wil: Lots of those will go on the album though. Matt: You always want to strive to write more, because you never know what you’ve got coming up when you write stuff. So we’ve gone from twenty-five to the four that represented us the best I think. Even though there are four tracks they are different because there is a range of sounds. Ben: They deliberately fit together across the range of the EP. Wil: It almost feels like a little mini album. Pete: Essentially we went into the studio with complete tracks and with the fifth set of ears being the producer Jag Jago he helps us tweek them a little bit. Wil: Its a new producer as well, because we did the first two records with Dan Weller. This time we’ve worked with Jag, he gets it, we get on really well and he’s made us work hard. We’ve definitely got what we wanted out of it.
How does working with a
producer work?
notes and telling us “try and extend that a little bit” or “write something a little
Matt: They are all a bit different.
bit different because that’s too similar.” Its really really good, it’s like a constant
Wil: You take the tracks that you want,
process.
maybe six or seven options for four tracks and you go through them and they are
Wil: (In an American accent) It’s song
pretty much finished, but you just go
therapy!
through them and chop some bits out that you don’t really need. When we first
Matt: And we’ve got shit Loads more to
started out we used to write songs with
do for December as well. Woo.
huge instrumental bits or massive intros, but you don’t need that- you just want to go straight into the track else its boring. Pete: Like I said, he’s like a fifth set of ears so we might be like “this song is super cool” and he’ll be like “here is something else, we could add these little touches” so that’s essentially his role. As well as recording it. Matt: What you find as well, when you are on a roll writing songs you might write sort of four or five ideas in the space of a couple of weeks. But because you focus on riffs and chorus shapes, I often find that song five has exactly the same structure as song two, because you aren’t necessarily thinking about that- you’re thinking about what’s going on. We all just have a big Sound Cloud account and Jag listens and he’s constantly writing
Are you recording it all as one? Because I know we’ve spoken before, and because you are all scattered around the country the creative process is done apart- but will you all head into the studio in one location? Matt: I think we are going back down to Brighton in December for a couple of weeks, so we’ve just recorded the EP which is coming out in November, and then we head in to write the album in December with release in March/April hopefully depending on how stuff goes.
What have Hassle been like as a Record Label, have they just left you to get on with it? Ben: They’ve been excellent, all the in-
>
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 25
MAX RAPTOR
put has been really good. I think it helps
have for the last one.
that they’ve worked with a lot of bands that we’ve been A) been friends with and B) looked up to quite a bit. Pete: I think it’s been a little more hands on this time, and we’ve gotten involved and they’re fully supportive of that as well. Matt: What’s nice is that they always come to us first for ideas, which is really important. Instead of being like “We think this” they are more “So what are you guys imagining for this” and as Pete said, we’ve all gotten more involved in stuff whether it be the artwork or lyric videos and stuff. They are very open about everything, so if we’d love to do X they’re just like “Well that’s going to cost too much to do” and we’ll go back and rework it, or the other way around. They’ve been really really open since the very start, which is really good because again new producer, new label, everything is new this time around. We’ve even got him now (nods towards Ben) which we didn’t
26 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
shows, it’s been a long long process but now we are Here which is cool.
Have you been sitting on the announcement about Hassle for a while, because I know when you did the tour with Emp!re you were hinting at announcing stuff…
In terms of content, Max Raptor are quite political, and originating from Burton on Trent. Britain First are currently planning a march in the town, what are your opinions on that?
Matt: Honestly, it all took a while, we’ve been talking to them since December
Wil: Terrible!
of last year. It’s on-going, we started talking to them, then they wanted to
Matt: Absolute waste of time.
come to a couple of shows. They’ve got their own rosters, and they’ve got
Wil: There are lots of extremist
to make sure we fit. They seem like the
factions in this society we live in.
kind of Record Label where, if they are
Britain First they don’t stand for the
going to do it, they are going to do it
majority, they are just a minority that
one hundred percent. They won’t just do
don’t actually have anything to stand
something half arsed, which is awesome.
for, and they take that out on other
But because of that we have to fit in
minorities. It’s not good!
with their release schedules- when we want to release, and when they’ve got
Matt: It’s just an odd way of thinking.
cash available, the whole thing has to time in. Start of the process we went in
Wil: It’s better that you can see them,
for just meetings, then started listening
because if it was underground that would
to demos, then started coming to some
be even more dangerous.
MUSIC the same time because I think a lot of people will be able to relate to it. Ben: Be nice if it opened up a few conversations as well, because it is not something that is as well documented as it should be, or sensitively approached as it should be.
In terms of the rest of the year,
anything else planned? Any Christmas shows? Wil: We’ve got a gig in a brewery! of people won’t agree with some of his Ben: Although the armoured
more extreme views and policies that he’s
camouflaged jeep patrols they’ve been
going to try and pass though, but that’s
doing is a bit fucking next level.
good because he’ll take on the Tories.
Wil: The trouble is with that, they’ll
Ben: It just drags the conversation
recruit people no doubt. It’s just a lack of
in the opposite direction to which it’s
understanding I guess.
been going for the last couple of years. Immigration being a numbers game-
Ben: They’re also massive propagandists
instead of a peoples game- and stuff like
in a clever way.
that.
Wil: They pray on peoples fears! We won’t
Another of the themes on the EP is depression, and specifically depression in men. Is that something that is a personal thing, or is it simply an issue you feel is not being talked about as loudly as it should be?
be marching with them, that’s for sure. Matt: Haven’t got the time, too busy ! New record and all…
Leads onto the new single, ‘Blue on Red’ is it what it says on the tin? Is it really important to you, to get a message into the songs?
Wil: It is probably the only song that I’ve written with a personal approach, I think it is making that song represent your
Matt: We can’t say too much because it’s not been announced yet. We may or may not be announcing shows, one of which may or may not be on the 21st November and it may or may not be in Burton. I don’t know? Yeah, we’ve got a few little bits coming up because we want to go out and play these songs, but for us it is straight back into recording again. Next year is going to be really really busy, which is great and we’re going to be taking the first step into Europe which is going to be exciting for us. But rest of this year, we’ve really got to just write more songs and play some songs out, because that’s the truest test. Even if we play a song that’ll change completely when we record it, it is nice to know that people will respond to different bits and that’s really cool.
Plans to do a headline tour? Because you’ve done a few coheadline tours of late.
Wil: Yeah definitely, makes things more
feelings for a certain period of time and
interesting and it’s a point in history that
I think it has come across. You haven’t
Matt: *(!Sensitive Exciting News
you can go back to and say “that was
heard it because it hasn’t been released,
Removed!)* Yeah, we’ll go out…
happening at that time.” ‘Blue on Red’ is
when you do you’ll get it I think.
about the two political parties becoming exactly the same thing, but we released that and then Jeremy Corbyn got elected !
Poorly timed? Wil: He’s going to shake things up. A lot
Huge thanks to the lads for talking to us
Do you think with it being so personal it’ll be hard to perform?
before what was a brilliant show. ‘Red on Blue’ is out now, and make sure you get out to one of their shows when dates are announced.
Wil: Yeah, I think so but it’ll be good at
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 27
WALKING DEAD
G N I K L WA DEAD 6 N O S SEA 28 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
TELEVISION
WALKING DEAD: WHAT TO EXPECT Words: Rai Jayne Hearse After a long, dull, zombie-free summer, The Walking Dead fans are drumming their fingers down to bloody stumps in anticipation of Season 6 hitting our screens on Monday. As usual there will be sixteen stomach-twisting episodes split into two batches of eight, but what should we be looking out for in this season? Rick vs Morgan: Old Rick is back and he is not taking any shit, he is ready to step back into the leader role and do whatever it takes to survive. But the arrival of Morgan, the now zen-like ninja, injects yet more friction into the already detaching groups.
1
Throw Me to the Wolves. The finale also introduced us to The Wolves, a small pack who spent last season carving Ws into the foreheads of walkers. So far their motives are unclear and whether or not they pose a threat to Alexandria remains to be seen.
2
Zombie’s Galore: The Season 6 premiere sees the biggest walker attack so far. Earlier this year, at Comic-Con, it was revealed that the premiere will feature a 650 walker-strong herd penetrate the walls of Alexandria.
3
Comic-Book Characters: There has been a lot of speculation about the new characters being introduced in season 6. Good news for readers of the comic book series, we will meet some fan favourites, including dread-headed supply runner Heath, super-villain Negan, and Paul “Jesus” Monroe.
4 5
Lose a major character?!: Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkham may have accidentally blurted out a spoiler on live TV, Only time will tell...
THE VIRGINMARYS
Words: Rai Jayne Hearse
THE S Y R A M N I G R I V
e r o m d n a m u lb a w e n s e s s u c is d y t a k ic D y ll A n a m t n o r F
30 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
MUSIC
S
ince forming in Macclesfield in 2009, The Virginmarys have gone from strength to strength. Their unique blend of grunge and punk rock has bagged them an award winning debut album and seen them snag 'Best Newcomer' at the Classic Rock Magazine Awards in 2013. We caught up with lead singer Ally Dickaty to find out what is next this powerful three piece.
Hey guys how’s it going? Thanks for chatting to us. We’re great thanks, more than welcome.
First things first, for anyone new to you can we get a little bit of a background on The Virginmarys - how did you get started? We’re a three piece rock band from Macclefield. Got started about 6 years ago now. Me and Danny met Matt at our local and arranged to jam, we hit it off straight away and got on the road. We’ve released 3 eps before our album and are due to release our second soon.
What’s the reaction, if any, to the name? All we’ve had so far is people commenting on how cool the name is....long may it continue.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you? Urgent and passion fuelled rock music with punk and grunge influence. A bit like Neil Young meets the Sex Pistols.
What would you consider to be your highest and lowest points so far whilst being in The Virginmarys? Highest points would be touring around the world, playing shows with a lot of massive bands.Picking up two iTunes singles of the week together with album of the week and winning best breakthrough band at the Classic Rock Magazine awards. Lowest points would be scraping around and surviving a lot of the time to do what we love, missing family being away on tour half the year.
> OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 31
THE VIRGINMARYS
If you had to listen to one album over and over for the rest of your life what would it be? The Beatles - The White Album. A double album with so many different
new album? Our Editor says he saw you do an acoustic gig at Camden Rocks, before your very loud show later in the evening. Will we get more ‘stripped’ in to your next album?
It’s this album. Singles, videos, and touring the hell out of it.
... and where do you see yourself and the band in 5 years’ time? I see us as a massive rock band.
things going on, styles of music and of Really?!! That’s cool.
We’re gaining more and more fans as we
It was the first time I’ve got up and done
go and a great and relevant rock band
a full set of acoustic stuff on my own, I
is more important now than it has ever
couldn’t believe the turn out.
been. The world needs it, the music
We’re so excited about this new album,
scene needs shaking up and coming
it’s the best work we’ve ever done.
back to its senses. There’s always going
It’s an intense journey from start to
to be the need for something that is true
Musical influences are so many....
finish, a roller coaster ride.
and heartfelt no matter what it is.
Lennon, Neil Young, Nirvana, Rage
You can hear the progression of the
There’s so much frustration with the
Against The Machine, Pixies, Jimi
band. It was incredible to work with Gil
world around us both musically and
Hendrix......to name a few, we all
Norton as producer, he worked us all
politically and I think you will see it start
collectively like these guys though.
really hard. We can’t wait to get it out
to burst soon enough.
course the genius of the Beatles.
Who are your heroes / influences? Martin Luther King, Bill Hicks
there!!
You’ve got 2 dates in November (London and Stoke). Any plans for the rest of the country?
It’d be great to do a ‘Stripped’ version of this one too. I think we’d do it more in the style of a Nirvana MTV Unplugged with drums and bass, it’d be great to do
Yeah most definitely, as many places as
a different thing each time.
we can...
We’d like to give the fans as much as we
We’ve got so many amazing and loyal
can.
What can we expect from your 32 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
I’d say if you were looking at the first album then it would be ‘Dead Man’s
fans it’s great to cover as bigger area as we can.
Finally, for any of our readers who might not have heard any of your songs, what ONE SONG would you say they should hear that best represents you?
What are your plans for the next 12 months?
Shoes’
! e n i z a g a m g n i FREE WREStl SteelChairMag.com
REVIEWS
Words: Poppy Waring
MUSIC
FIDLAR Too (Album Review)
4/5
t’s been a while since we got our first hit of FIDLAR, all the way back in 2013. Since then, asides from a few really solid singles and EPs, we’ve had a bit of a drought of that totally raw and insane ‘fuck it attitude’ that first gave a breathe of rather reckless life into the much over worked genre of garage (drug and booze injected) punk. Now the gang are back with Too. It’s a solid blast of, admittedly less rough, solid and raw punk, the stuff that you didn’t even realize you’d been missing.
you’re like 8 and you think you’re the most hardcore, rebellious bitch ever. Listening to FIDLAR makes you feel a little bit nasty right? All that hedonism they sing about can rub off, right? I mean, some of the songwriting is so far away from good it’s cringe worthy, but so what? I’m going to give this band the benefit of doubt and say that songs like Sober are meant to sound so totally childish. Because I think this band aren’t just junkie wasters, they’re actually super intelligent? They know that their music appeals to teenagers who are fed up with the world, and adults who either share the lifestyle or see that total freeing release of a ‘fuck you’ to society.
You know what? It’s kind of like when you first discover, like I don’t know, Green Day (Which band is it these days? Does this make me seem old?) when
Back to the more boring bit where you actually discuss the music and stuff. You can tell which are the singles. Mostly because FIDLAR have gone
I
34 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
down the route of making an actual album, not just a collection of songs which happen to vaguely fit together. It’s no prog concept album, but there’s certainly a progressive movement in the mood and tone of the album, as well as some cracking production, which allows the album to flow seamlessly from track to track. It’s a sort of homage at parts to both that ‘back to basics’ style of writing which, as a reviewer I’m supposed to say goes back to The Ramones (I’m sure it does, but I really hate clichés), and 90s grunge, which is ever popular these days (I really should write something about that nostalgia one of these days). But that does a disservice really to the music. Unlike other bands you’ll read this about though, FIDLAR manage to actually make this still sound exciting and fresh. I think it’s probably something to do with the fact that the band, even
through your shittiest headphones give off this energy, this selfconfidence-bordering-on-arrogance, this totally can-do attitude. You get the feeling they really don’t care what you think. They’re just making these records because they want to. Kudos to them. On top of this, FIDLAR seem to have really opened up emotionally in Too. Whereas FIDLAR was more a series of tales of friends and partying hard, this album tells the listeners more of their actual lives, struggles, fears, angers. There’s no bones about this; no hiding behind cleverly woven lyrics, just pure anecdotal wit. You never exactly get the feeling any of it is insincere. They might be yelling about stupid decisions, or (in what I think might be the best track) being Generation Y. But it’s the perfect combination of tongue in cheek irony and bitterness. Paired with the short cut guitar chords, and overly drugged out production, you get the feeling that an awful lot more thought has gone into making this album sound wild and reflect the tales it tells than the characters they portray would be happy to admit. Ultimately, FIDLAR are always, to some extent, going to be that band who can be your go-to for music that reminds you of being an angsty, ‘I hate the world’ teenager. The appeal to such people is that FIDLAR provide some voyeurism into a world they have yet to (or more hopefully) will never experience; of drugs, come-downs, shitty relationships but ongoing wild and crazy capers with your bros. Much as there’s a part of me that thinks this a little bit childish, pastiche and overdone, I can’t really help but be taken in by the energy and chaos. I mean, you can pogo around your bedroom, when you’re pissed off with your parents/your job/the world, and feel totally reckless. I mean you don’t have to live their preachings when they make such good music right? Because Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk! (but let’s let the band live by that)
MUSIC Words: Rhian Wilkinson
RYAN ADAMS 1989’ (Album Review)
4/5
ou know that feeling you get after you’ve checked into a hotel, jumped on the bed, had a little pillow fight, and have flopped down on the bed into cloud like goose-down heaven? That feeling is what listening to the Ryan Adams ‘1989’ cover album is like.
Y
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ was a brilliant pop album in its own right, and Adams’ covers take it to a different place. It’s more indie, but no less radio-ready. It’s like ‘1989’ grew up, I’m tempted to say it’s the kind of album your mum would always have the CD on hand for – but that limits it too much. It’s the soundtrack for a night of scrabble and multiple bottles of wine with your girlfriends. It’s relaxed, but still up-beat enough for you to sing along to. The seminal ‘eff the haters’ anthem for girls everywhere has been given a complete makeover by Adams. ‘Shake it off’ is slow in Adams’ version – almost unrecognisable it comes across much more aggressive when Adams growls it through your speakers. It is a far cry from Taylor’s feel good hit, but it works,
just not in the way you would expect it to. ‘How you get the girl’ is turned into a tear jerker by Adams. Worthy of any first dance, the string section is phenomenal, uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. One of my favourite tracks from 1989 is ‘Wildest dreams’ and unfortunately, Adams really didn’t hit the mark on it for me. He took it a little too country, and the slight changes to the lyrics for his masculine view weren’t quite there. Hitting the nail on the head however is ‘I wish you would’ which sounds almost Cranberries-esque, it goes it a place that is reminiscent of ‘Kiss Me’ and is a joy to listen to. Though if you don’t like The Cranberries, you probably won’t enjoy it much. The rest of the album glides by with the ease that good pop songs do. Nothing stands out, it’s not ostentatious. It’s a good cover album, Ryan Adams has put himself into Taylor Swift’s songs, he sings them as if he is her – as if they are his songs. And aren’t they? We all relate to a bit of T-Swifty in one way or another, maybe we should all record ‘1989’ cover albums – then again, maybe not.
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 35
Words: Zoe Williamson
MILEY CYRUS Her Dead Petz (Album Review)
R
eady for a dose of ‘what the hell is this’? Good news! Miley Cyrus is giving away her new album for free! Chances are high somebody just read that sentence and declared, to nobody in particular, ‘pfft, I wouldn’t take it even if she paid me’. Maybe in her quest to reinvent her image that will happen. The least you could do is at least pretend you heard an album before taking her cash, right? Sprinkled with musical diabetes, Her Dead Petz brings Vietnam style flashbacks of the Hannah Montana days. Common sense demands you to see past this. Hannah Montana did not present awards shows with eyeballs dangling from her chesticles. It is still as confused as Miley herself. Her Dead Petz switches between styles as swiftly as Cyrus flicks between the desire to be a grown up artist and the juvenile view of adults as purely sexual beings. To be honest, it’s quite fun for something that is essentially a feature length free sample. Instead of a risky
36 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
3/5 album you paid for before listening to fully (if people still do that), it’s musical pot-luck with no wallet damage. Miley’s determination to stand out as an adult musician largely revolves around echoes. Children don’t sound like their singing through a tin microphone connected straight to the autotune. Children also don’t swear, so she’s made up for that. Lighter, though with dubious lyrical quality (“When we’re driving/ You’re saying go faster”), is a genuine effort at a ballad. Few ballads make their mark in history when they use drum machines so liberally, but if it didn’t the song would sound completely our of place. I Get So Scared is in the same vain but a little easier to listen to due to toned down electronic intrusion. There are, of course, terrible songs. Dooo It would have been better if it were an audio clip of the Shia Lebeouf meme. Tiger Dreams doesn’t know its target audience and loses all attention with its extended seashore-like intro. I Forgive Yiew begins with the same style as Michael Jordan face-slapper 23 but changes into something worse. This, in itself, is impressive. Congratulations to
Miss Cyrus for that. I’m So Drunk is the definitive winner when it comes to selecting the biggest abomination. Luckily, like a drunk person’s ability to stay conscious 5 vodkas down, it doesn’t last long. If there were a disclaimer declaring all producers were, in fact, very drunk at the time of recording, all listeners would believe it. Nothing in it sounds like people remembered what their job title was. Nothing on here beats 2013’s single Wrecking Ball, which was too overshadowed by its “outrageous” music video for people to recognise the quality of the song attached. Still, there are 23 free songs. Cyrus didn’t cleverly ploy to giveaway as little studio time as possible while still looking generous, she was there quite a while racking up a pricey bill. It would be foolish to expect a musical masterpiece with that price tag. Anyway, loving it or hating it doesn’t make production costs cheaper.
MUSIC
Words: Poppy Waring
THE LIBERTINES Anthems For Doomed Youth (Album Review)
S
So I’ll be honest. I was a bit slow to jump aboard The Libertines train. In this marmite world of loving or hating the band I was stuck for quite a while in a no-mans land, where I knew I didn’t dislike them, but felt like because I wasn’t in love with them/crazily obsessive, I couldn’t really have a major opinion. But hey! There’s a new album and people like me (who have since listened to all their albums as ‘research’ cough cough) are totally entitled to write rambling reviews for websites musing over their lasting impact, legacy, and new directions (or lack of, depending on which team you’re on). It’s not that much of a departure from the music that has come to define the band. The rough, raw, but slightly jangly guitars. The tight sharp guitars. The vocals: part careless drawl, part bitter cry out to the harsh reality they reside in. In Anthems For A Doomed Youth, The Libertines fuse this with a more electronic sound, a vast soundscape, echoing and crashing around anthemic vocals. The influence
4/5
of their stadium gigs can be heard clearly too. Everything sounds just that little bit bigger and louder, unlike on say Up The Bracket, which was clearly written for the grotty and grimy East London venues they then resided in. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that they’ve lost their outlook and vision of the world. It paints a dystopian vision of a dark London night, shady tales of the underbelly of the city. Verging on voyeurism, you’re drawn into this world, sung around street corners and avoiding the shady characters on the other side of the street. It opens with Barbarians, a moody haunt of a track. It sounds like a classic Libertines track, all the distinctive give away, but created for 2015. On the other hand title track is far more tender, almost bittersweet in its delivery. Personally I think my favourite track might be Heart of the Matter, though it’s clear that Gunga Din is already going to remain a fan favourite, with its punky-ska mixed with can’t-be-arsed attitude. The influence of Doherty’s personal rocky life is painfully obvious in tracks like Iceman, a testament to the pure and truthful lyricism which have always been one of the stand out factors of the bands songs. The
songs go from scathing to simply heartbreaking. Frankly it’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. You can imagine adoring teens in crowds at gigs crying because they just feel those lyrics. And that’s all part of the beauty and genius of The Libertines – they continue to be able to capture that wild youthful part of the soul in a song. Something about their music reminds you what it’s like to be alive really. Personal stories, which might be nothing like your own, probably far more tame existence, but still ringing truth in the emotions they convey. Combined with the, as always, spot on guitar from Barat, and forever solid drums. It’s the winning formula which continues to gain them listeners and fans. I’m not going to say that it was always going to divide opinion, because frankly, if you’re judging it purely on the music, its really quite a decent – okay, great – album. It’s the lasting legacy and question – does the world still need The Libertines. I’d say probably yes. Who else in indie rock are the tabloids going to talk about whilst producing cracking music these days?
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 37
REVIEWS
FILM
THE WALK Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Words: Michael Dickinson
2/5
n 1974 highwire performer Philippe Petit accomplished the miraculous feat of walking between the twin towers. The event was documented in James Marsh’s superb 2008 film Man on Wire which presented the story as much as a heist story as a triumph of one man’s dreams and talents.
I
The film must have made an impression on Robert Zemeckis as he now presents his bombastic version of Petit’s stunt with The Walk. Joseph Gordon-Levitt slips in some blue contact lenses, dons a black outfit and a ludicrous french accent to become Petit. Ben Kingsley also turns up in a supporting role as Petit’s mentor. Kingsley’s accent is yet to be determined but seems like
38 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
another nail in the performers coffin containing all those performances where he doesn’t really care what he’s doing. Zemeckis, who also takes on writing duties, is clearly in love with “the walk” itself. So enraptured by the event itself the rest of the film seems like a matter of course which is dispensed with as quickly as possible so we can just get to it. So the film is clearly structured into those lovely three acts. Part one is straight forward biography. Part two a heist comedy. Part three the climax. The first two/thirds allow little room for character development. Petit’s “accomplices” are introduced in voice over and and in some cases only having a handful of lines. Relying instead of caricature such as the “stoner” who makes jokes about things being “high” and saying “man” at the end of every sentence.
That should come as no surprise though. This is a Robert Zemeckis film. Despite giving us classics like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? he’s the man who also hit us on the head with A Christmas Carol, Beowulf and Flight. So it is to pointed out that Paris is in France, American tourists are defined by wearing cowboy hats, the use of English throughout is repeatedly explained away by Petit telling everyone to speak the lingo for when they go to America, even New Yorkers all just sound like Joey Tribbiani’s extended family. The most irksome thing of all though is Zemeckis decision to have Petit narrate the story to us through little segues where he talks directly to camera, whilst standing on top of the Statue of Liberty noless with the towers stood in the background. Every time we cut back it just looks ridiculous and reminds
FILM
you how silly Levitt’s performance kind of is. His Petit comes across as a massively egotistical performer, which is fine but he’s also quite irritating as a protagonist. For the climatic walk itself it has to be said that Zemeckis does manage to succeed in the only reason he really made the film which was to make the viewers feel sick. Watching the film on a 75 ft’ IMAX screen you’re given precious little room to look away as you spend a good forty five minutes up on the roof. Everytime Petit indiscriminately jumps over the side of the building to rig something wincing is bound to kick in. I for one was sweaty palmed and weak legged by the end. This effect though really comes down to the combined talents of Zemeckis’ effects team and DOP Dariusz Wolski. Often your gaze might just look off in the distance to view the details of the city as opposed to Petit himself who throughout the walk never looks anything but badly green-screened. With Flight Zemeckis put the best part of the film up front with the spectacular plane crash leaving nothing but a run-of-the-mill, cliche ridden addiction drama in its wake. At least with The Walk he leaves the films selling point till the end. Worth it only if you plan to see it on as big a screen as you can otherwise The Walk is a hugely perfunctory film with poor characterisation, poor plot developments, a man with a fantastic mustache who looks uncannily like Jeff Goldblum and some laughable performances. Anyone who has seen James Marsh’ Man on Wire will be familiar with how the story ends, needless to say here things are given a bit more of a Hollywood polish to smooth over some character relationships before closing as tribute to the towers themselves. A notion which was entirely expected and warranted but which still feels forced when it comes all the same. Watch Man on Wire instead.
THE MARTIAN Dir: Ridley Scott
3/5
he Martian is basically a mixture of Gravity and Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) with a little bit of Cast Away thrown in. After a mission on Mars goes horribly wrong when a violent sandstorm hits the crew’s site, astronaut Mark Watney is injured, separated from the crew and subsequently left behind after being presumed dead. He then finds a way to communicate with NASA, but must overcome enormous obstacles of how to survive indefinitely on Mars.
T
Problem solving and scientific discovery are the key ingredients to Mark Watney’s survival, such as growing plants from his own poo, and creating water through the burning of hydrogen. However the constant dumbing down of how Watney actually survives through his endless one-line gaffes of “Fuck you, Mars” and “I’ll need to science the shit out of this” forces the film directly out of the serious camp, and instead tries to mimic the silly, self-deprecating style of GOTG. However, GOTG was absolutely hilarious andand pretty original in how it used the brilliant soundtrack as a serious part of the plot-people fell in love with it as they drifted off into musical nostalgia. Now know that the original book by Andy Weir does has Watney listening to his Commander’s ‘terrible’ disco music as he survives on Mars, buthe screenplay’s unsubtle poaching of GOTG’s retro ‘dorky but cool’ musical style didn’t have that same underdog appeal. There was this constant feel that both Damon and the movie were engaging in some major ego-
Words: Michael Dickinson
stroking, which in itself is a turn off. It also meant the movie couldn’t deliver on moments of actual authenticity, where no disco tunes were to be found. The movie runs out of steam towards the end when some actual authenticity is required for Watney’s rescue, with no disco tunes to be found. The film’s critical moments lack gravitas, and despite obviously still rooting for Watney, because it’s Matt Damon trying to survive on Mars by growing potatoes from his own shit…with Donna Summer’s ‘Hot Stuff’ blaring in the background… it just seems overall a bit shallow. The supporting cast often really give films like these an extra boost, and there were ample opportunities to utilise the star-studded ensemble of Kate Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain and even SNL’s brilliant Kristen Wiig, but because the film is all about Watney, the other characters don’t get much breathing space. I’m not sure why Wiig, as NASA’s PR specialist, only had the sole purpose of frowning in concern at the NASA director (Daniels) who seemed more like Mr Nasty saying “It’s a no from me’ as he repeatedly shoots down rescue mission ideas. Colourless personalities also plague Chastain and Ejiofor’s characters as mission commander and mission director respectively, but not for want of better performances: they just don’t have a lot to do, and with the film relying so heavily on Watney’s bravado to demand laughs as well as sympathy, the lack of wider context makes emotional impact difficult to summon.
Words: Michael Dickinson
REVIEWS
FILM
DRAGON BALL Z - RESURRECTION F Dir: Tadayoshi Yamamuro
F
rieza was dead to begin with…
To any cursory Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) fan the name Frieza should strike fear into their very souls. At the very least memories of watching a protracted and epic (in the true sense of the word) battle between DBZ hero Goku and the petulant fighting lord. For those unfamiliar with the world of DBZ, the crib notes are as follows: Monkey boy Goku is found on Earth, gets tangled in a plot to find 7 mystical orbs that summon a dragon that will grant any wish. In this world martial arts is currency of supremacy and through three series Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT we follow the exploits of young Goku, across galaxies and generations in one of the finest displays of a life cycle ever committed to script. To the faithful,
40 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
Dragon Ball and it’s incarnations is a life changing discovery. To the uninitiated – there is much to enjoy. Running for so many years as a TV series the movies have stood alone as individual stories often standing above the shows timeline. However the latest movie venture Resurrection ‘F’ does manage to squeeze itself comfortably between the worlds of Z and GT. It must be said that going in as an old time fanboy of the series from the days of ToonAmi of Cartoon Network the prospect of watching a Dragon Ball Z film on the big screen was like a 2 for 1 cocktail hour for a lush. Beginning with a trippy sequence we see cuddly toys playing in a brass band and fairies running amuck in an idyllic field before we come across a lava in it’s cocoon. The lava has the head of Frieza. The most diabolical individual in the galaxy. A fighter so tough that DBZ had an entire saga, titled succinctly as
4/5 “The Frieza Saga” devoted purely to he/ she’s? battle with Goku that seemed to last 30 episodes. Yes 30 animated episodes of two people fighting. His minions resurrect him much like that creepy episode of Transformers when Optimus Prime comes back to life but he’s evil. Frieza’s first course of action is to head to Earth to get vengeance on the Saiyans that killed him. If we remember folks it was “future Trunks” who killed cyborg Frieza (if you have no idea what I’m talking about you have no business here, please feel free to read one of our many other fine articles). Frieza returns to a time where Trunks is a child so it’s left to Goku and Vegeta to battle… it? Then much DBZ punching, kicking, senzu beans and collapsing cliff faces take place. In terms of storytelling Dragon Ball: Resurrection ‘F’ is an amalgamation of everything fans love about the franchise. There are a myriad of call backs to past characters dead and unseen with little
to no explanation of who they. Frieza’s henchmen from “The Namek Saga” Dodoria and others are mentioned in passing. Things like the fact that Piccolo wears weighted clothing is used as a puns but again not explained. This is a film set up for the faithful and the faithful are rewarded in spades. Resurrection ‘F’ is set up like the opening act of Transformers the Movie when the Decepticons attack Autobot City with Frieza landing with literally thousands of minions. What a grand sight it is. On the big screen the animators have gone to town in showing the scale in the fighting force. Every alien fighter is realised in beautiful clarity. Every hit and crunch against a cliff face is beautifully realised through the sound design. The soundtrack flicks between early noughties Metal and surprisingly haunting orchestra that brings unexpected weight to the action but what is never lost is the DBZ humour. That things that turned me on to the franchise, and I imagine countless others, is the the mix between intergalactic fighting and tongue in cheek humour. Resurrection ‘F’ has both in abundance. Many was the time I had to stifle laughter at a one liner or general character trait. I still find Goku laughing innocently like a child reasons to chuckle. Also seeing a deity who can destroy worlds commentate on a fight between Goku and Frieza with a recipe for a strawberry sundae is something to be applauded. The writers have picked everything that works; Goku/Vegeta’s struggle, Bulma’s impetuousness, Krillen’s lameness, the conventions of the DBZ climatic battle and turned it all up to eleven. Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ is the movie experience we have been waiting for. I charge any fan of the series not to smile at least 4 times and even get chills. For all the excellent straight to video movies that have come before this will stand as the gold standard.
FILM
Words: Ben Rogers
SEVEN SONGS FOR A LONG LIFE Dir: Amy Hardie hat must be immediately said about this documentary/ film for anyone interested in watching it, and meant by no way of criticism, is that it is indeed very difficult and very serious viewing. Seven Songs for a Long Life is an 80 minute reflection on the reality of living with a terminal illness, told through the stories of patients at Strathcarron Hospice. To try and place it under the category titles of entertainment or education is to realise the utter hollowness of words, just as it seems a category error as a reviewer to try and answer the question as to how many stars it should get; whether it is good or bad? The only thing that can be said with any certainty is that it is powerful.
W
The film asks us to give a lot of emotional resources to several individuals living with the pain and uncertainty brought by terminal illness and the modern science which does not so much as improve as alter the experience by increasing its longevity, albeit by indeterminable amounts. However the unique aspect at work is how the patients are encouraged to use song and music to cope with their conditions. The immense strength of the production is that it does not attempt anything approaching the gimmick or the two dimensionality of zealous or forced optimism. It is entirely authentic throughout in that it does not for one moment attempt the fiction of presenting song as a miraculous cure
5/5
or solution to the wretched situations that the patients find themselves in. To put it shortly it is not ‘up beat’ neither is it ‘happy’, a word Terry Eagleton once accurately described as being too much like a holiday camp term to be of any real value. Instead shows how song can be used as a soft and gentle narcotic to transform the experience and redeem it in what is an incredibly human fashion. We are at moments stultified with the fathomless absurdity of one patient having to try and put an answer to the question on his application form for care funding, of whether he expects to live for more than 6 months. At other moments we feel helpless as patients innocently enough say ‘you know what I mean’ when they describe their conditions, to which we can only truly reply in the negative. There are also heart wrenching instances of vulnerability when we for a moment we see chinks appear in what are otherwise very brave faces. But most importantly we also get to share in invaluable moments of emotional meaning, when patients open themselves up and present themselves to us in an incredibly intimate way by singing, usually with a calm and soft sincerity which is what causes the documentary to sit quietly with you for quite some time after viewing. Although we only meet these people for a brief moment in their lives it is this profoundly personal and intimate aspect of song that allows us to share in their small triumphs of finding and carving out some enduring meaning amongst their suffering. Watch it and you’ll understand.
OCTOBER 2O15 VULTUREHOUND 41
THE END
TUNE-YARDS BASSIST
NATE BRENNER, AKA NAYTRONIX
I
watched a lot
phrases based on what was
of basketball
happening. For example, if the
with the
coach took a player out of the game
sound off
and I didn’t agree with his decision,
when I was
I’d riff on that. “He’s taking him
making
out too soon, taking him out.” Little
‘Mister
melodies to sing over the beats I
Divine’, so I
was making.
could listen to my demos and see how my music matched the flow
I’m amazed by the work ethic and
of a game.
self-discipline athletes have in order
Sometimes I’d tap
out tempos according to the pace
to be where they are. It’s obviously
of a game, and make beats on my
so different from a musicians life,
iPad that lined up with the action,
but it somehow motivated me to
creating my own soundtrack.
stay focused and finish my record.
I’d also try writing little lyrical
42 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER 2O15
NEXT ISSUE NEW FOUND GLORY!
! e n i z a g a m g n i FREE WREStl SteelChairMag.com
VULTUREHOUND.com