VultureHound - Issue 20

WHY BLACK PANTHER STILL MATTERS | INSIDE NO.9 | PARAMORE

VULTUREHOUND DAILY UPDATES: VULTUREHOUND.COM

MARCH 2018 ISSUE 20

STEVEN OGG

NERVUS

OF MICE & MEN SUMO CYCO

WALKING DEAD

N Y L E T A K NACON FRIENDS A DEFENCE

POLLYANNA MCINTOSH BOWLING FOR SOUP

OSCAR WINNER Scan to order in print H S R A M S E M JA

AJ STYLES, BAYLEY, RUSEV, BARON CORBIN, USOS + MORE

PHOTO: HELEN MESSENGER

WELCOME FROM EDITOR W

T

his issue’s cover star is a spy! Or is she? We discuss the Walking Dead with Katelyn Nacon, Pollyanna McIntosh and Steven Ogg. With WrestleMania right around the corner we also got the chance to speak with a number of WWE Superstars including current Champion AJ Styles, Bayley, Rusev and more.

And it doesn’t stop there either; we chatted with Bowling for Soup, Of Mice and Men, Sumo Cyco and Oscar-winning director James Marsh.

Not only do we have all those interviews we have more of EVERYTHING. Hope you enjoy.

David Garlick (@davidgarlick)

E R O M A R PA

VULTUREHOUND EDITORIAL

@V ulture H ound M ag

David Garlick Editor / Design david.garlick@vulturehound.com

/V ulture H ound

Michael Dickinson Film Editor michael.dickinson@vulturehound.com

@V ulture H ound M ag

Dan Withey Music Editor dan.withey@vulturehound.com

DECEMBER 2017 VULTUREHOUND 05

SUMO CYCO

WORDS: KITTY HEARSE / RAI JAYNE HEARSE

SUMO CYCO FRONTWOMAN

SUMO CYCO

SKYE SWEETNAM

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INTERVIEW

C

anadian dance-pop-punkmetal band Sumo Cyco are no strangers to the UK and this time they’re headlining. Rai and Kitty had the pleasure of chatting with frontwoman Skye Sweetnam aka Sever about collaborating with Skindred’s Benji Webbe, killing pigeons with bricks before sound check, and which member of the band she would sacrifice first in a zombie apocalypse.

You’ve described yourself as a ‘Dancepop-punk-metal band’ – has it ever been difficult having such a diverse sound?

Yeah, for sure. That’s a good question because a lot of the time the whole reason why genres exist are to give people a really clear idea of what you are as a band so they can fit you on a bill with other bands that are similar, or if you’re looking on iTunes and you wanna find a song it’s like, ‘Oh I like this genre so I’ve gotta look up rock,’ or whatever. But I think it’s really limiting too because, I myself am a fan of so many genres, so many types of music and I’m just really into just awesome bands; bands that I think are super talented. So for me, having so many styles has actually been harder to get, not only promoters, but fans. It’s not easy to put us in a box so it has been challenging, especially for something like radio. Every time we’ve gone to a station with a song they’ve said ‘oh it’s too heavy for our format’ or ‘it’s too light for our format’ and it’s gets frustrating for me because I’m like ‘but is it a good song?’ Because if it’s a good song it shouldn’t matter if we’re more like this or that.

One of my favourite things is when I went to Japan a few years ago and a DJ would come on and it didn’t matter what genre the music was, that DJ would have like a certain taste or vibe that they liked so they could play a song as long as that DJ thought it was a cool track they would just run with it. I was mind blown when I went there,

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SUMO CYCO I was like ‘what do you mean your radio doesn’t have formats?’ I would love it if the industry came around to see that and maybe had a little bit more diverse taste instead of trying to pigeonhole everyone into specific categories.

What was it like collaborating with Benji Webbe?

Ahhh! Total dream come true. The reason I even started getting into this genre of music in my early days was my guitarist recommended me ‘Babylon’, Skindred’s first album.

I put it in my CD player and it just didn’t come out. It was constantly in there and I just absolutely fell in love with this band. I heard this and I reunited with my guitarist Matt after a bunch of years of not really seeing each other and I was like, ‘Let’s do something, let’s do something that’s inspired by this Dancehall meets heavy music!’ So to collaborate with the vocalist that got me back and inspired me in the very first place to do this was an absolutely dream come true. Meeting him for the first time in his hometown of Newport was awesome. And then eventually it led to us performing together this past weekend, he decided to jump on stage with us at Hammerfest for the ‘Move Mountains’ track (of which, he is a collaborator) so yeah, Benji and I have been friends since the beginning of the collaboration and we’re always texting each other and sending each other cool outfit ideas.

As a woman in rock, do you ever feel like you need to constantly prove yourself?

That’s an interesting question. A lot of people do bring up the “typical

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gender roles” and it’s a question that for some reason in heavier music genres becomes an issue because people would never really ask that if you’re in country or pop music because this is typically a more aggressive genre and the typical woman stereotype does not fit into that genre in the traditional sense. But I’m all about shattering stereotypes, I think women in this day and age are tired of being put into boxes, so for me, it’s actually really amazing to get on stage and blow people out of the water with an awesome rock show and it doesn’t matter whether we’re male or female, we’re gonna just kill it.

player grabs a brick and he’s trying to make a swift end to this pigeons life, but it just wasn’t having it. The pigeon was a survivor. The boys were screaming, ‘Argh! Feathers! No! It’s not dead yet. It’s not dead!’ The sound guy was like, ‘What were you guys doing hitting that pigeon?’ and we promised that we were doing it out of the goodness of our hearts, we weren’t trying to hurt a pigeon for no reason. So yeah, we started off the tour really metal. Really metal.

What’s your favourite tour story?

Oh my gosh! Good question. In some respects, what immediately comes to mind is our drummer, Matt.

So he grew up in a very sheltered childhood with his parents when he was young. He’s a Jehova’s Witness and there were a lot of cultural things he wouldn’t get to experience.

His parents were very conservative so we would mention some cultural references and he’ll be like, ‘What?

What is that?’ And I’ll be like, ‘You don’t know what that is?!’ Mostly it comes to movies or TV shows or things that happened in the world he was just oblivious to. For the first twelve years of his life he was living under a rock, so maybe not having that knowledge of some of the weird things that have gone on, as well as the fact that he is the smallest out of all of us, yeah, we would have to sacrifice him first. Eat the drummer first, he has good muscles in his legs!

Well I’ll give you one that’s happened on this tour. It’s a little bit morbid but it kind of made me and the crowd chuckle. We arrived at our very first show in Chester and if anyone knows Chester there’s a falconry near the venue that we’re playing. We’ve actually been to the falconry before and they have birds flying around all the time. So while we were there, this falcon was having its way with a pigeon right in front of us as we pulled in. It was pecking it. I didn’t know what was going on, if it was eating it or attacking it or what, and so the guys get out to look the falcon gets a little scared so it flies away and there’s this half alive pigeon. It’s just in-between the camper and our loading area so absolutely there’s no ignoring this thing, you’d either have to step over it or go through it. So my bass player was like, ‘Somebody has to put this pigeon out of its misery,’ and it’s just sitting there barely breathing, bleeding out of its head, guts everywhere and my poor bass

Final question, which member of the band would not survive the zombie apocalypse?

Read the extended interview on VultureHound.com

MILK TEETH

PHOTO: VICKI BAILEY | WORDS: MICHAEL DICKINSON

Tenderness and swagger make an odd pairing but it’s a formula that Milk Teeth have perfected over the course of their young career. They continue to perform musically flawless sets with an impressive back catalogue

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LIVE

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 11

BLACK PANTHER

WORDS: EMRYS MOUNGABIO | PHOTOS: DISNEY

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WHY

BLACK R E H T N A P MATTERS

I

n a way, the comic-book superhero Black Panther shares similarities to Superman. Not necessarily in terms of character or aesthetic, but what he means as an icon. When Superman debuted in the nineteen thirties, he was hailed as an everyman hero, despite his extra-terrestrial origin. Despite being faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, he was a hero that was there for the common man. A hero who would stand up to injustice and act as a social crusader, before it was dictated by editors that perhaps more eccentric villains might be more entertaining to the children reading the comics than corrupt businessmen.

But across his long publication history, no matter what sort of criminal the Man of Steel fights, he’s always stood as a symbol of hope; a figure that humanity, both in terms of the characters in-universe and the readers of the comics, should strive to be more like.

And while Black Panther’s various duties mean he can’t always look out for the common man in the same way Superman does (except for times when he’s acted in a capacity other than king, such as when he headlined the Daredevil comic books for a few months), his importance has become not unlike Superman’s. Yes, he was created by white comicbook creators, and his name doesn’t actually have the connotations that you may think it does, but what he’s evolved into – what Black Panther is now – is, in some ways, every bit as important as Superman.

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BLACK PANTHER

…IN NAME Contrary to what some believe, the Black Panther’s name has little to do with the Black Panther Party who were a part of the struggle against black oppression in America in the nineteen sixties, as his creation predated the formation of the party by several months. In fact, for a time, Black Panther’s name was even changed to avoid ties to the party.

However, in contemporary society, it doesn’t hurt that that connection is made by some readers, as the words ‘Black Panther’ bring forth a powerful image when it comes to presenting themes like ‘Black Power’ and ‘Black Nationalism’; themes that are especially important for one of the first prominent black superheroes.

Civil rights aside, even taking the word ‘Black’ by itself, in this world where audiences go bonkers for superheroes, is incredibly important. Out of the seventeen Marvel movies in the series, we’ve only seen four central black characters show up, and out of those four, only one of those is headlining their own movie (accompanied by an excellent, and predominantly black cast, no less).

Black Panther, if early reviews are to be believed, is not unlike Wonder Woman - it’s a film that will show us that superhero movies aren’t just a white guy’s game. Female heroes and people-of-colour can hold these franchises up just as well as your Captain America’s and Batmen, and the powers behind these films have finally realised that, and are starting to pass over the baton.

Like Black Panther was one of

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the first black comic-book heroes and various others followed suite, the success of his film could see a major growth in the amount of diversified heroes.

…IN ORIGIN A big factor of why the Black Panther might appeal to audiences is his origin as the king of the fictional nation of Wakanda.

In a world where the black population has faced hardship in the form of slavery, segregation and general racial prejudices; seeing this powerful figure who has managed to fend off all attackers, to keep his people safe from persecution, could be seen as a depiction of what could have been.

By being centred around the extremely isolationist nation of Wakanda, Black Panther toys with the idea that, had the African people not been victims of persecution from the outside world, and with the right resources, then they could have seen a dream of an advanced, seemingly perfect homeland realised. An Africa not stricken by war and dictatorships, but instead an Africa where the sky is the limit; where science can be blended with spiritualism to create a whole new way of perceiving reality. Where society doesn’t judge you for the colour of your skin, and you’re not in danger of being persecuted due to a ridiculous or outdated stereotype. Where a country in Africa has a standard of living envied by both the Western and Eastern worlds.

WHY SUPERHEROES

AREN’T JUST A WHITE GUY’S GAME

…IN ROLE Furthermore, Black Panther, in terms of his powers and abilities, can also exemplify everything of one of rival publisher DC’s other premiere heroes can. Alongside being like Superman in terms of iconography, Black Panther also shares similarities to Batman, in that he, in some incarnations, exemplifies the potential of humanity.

With his keen mind and unwavering devotion to his cause, Black Panther is not unlike an African Batman; able to overcome any task that he puts his mind to. Of course, like Batman, he does have access to a wealth of resources that give him a step up from the competition, but at the end of the day, even without his suit (or, in the comics,

BLACK PANTHER

MATTERS the magical herb that gifts him his powers) he is still a fierce warrior and capable leader.

‘What do you mean you want to be Spider-Man? You can’t be SpiderMan; he’s white!’

Aside from being a celebration of African culture, Black Panther also stands as an inspirational figure that showcases the true potential of all humanity, regardless of race, gender or creed.

And while, in fairness, there is an animated movie coming out this year showcasing the black SpiderMan, Miles Morales, in terms of live-action film who do young black kids have to pick from? Comic books aren’t as strong a medium as they once were, so many people’s exposure to super-heroics comes primarily from the movies.

…IN COSTUME But, perhaps the most important factor in Black Panther coming to screen is the impact he will have on future generations. For the longest time, when it comes to Halloween, costumed parties or even just playing in the playground, black kids have had a much more limited roster of characters to choose from.

So what, you want to be Falcon or War Machine? Cool characters yes, but often regarded as ‘sidekicks’ to white superheroes Captain America or Iron Man. Well, what about Blade..? That guy who’s more monster hunter than superhero and does more chopping up of vampires than he does saving lives. Maybe not.

Well then… Luke Cage or Black Lightning? (Not that kids should be watching those shows). Ex-con and someone who fights the police just as much as he does criminals. Our options are limited here.

But then along comes Black Panther. A superhero and a king?

Now that, that’s not a bad costume idea at all. Regal, powerful, undeniably cool. A big reason Black Panther matters is because it means that black kids (and adult fans of superheroes) are no longer confined to the B-Listers.

We now have a costumed character that we can see ourselves in and aspire to be more like. And if all goes well? Black Panther is just the start.

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BLACK PANTHER

WORDS: RYAN POLLARD

BLACK PANTHER

!

R E V E R O F A D N A K A W

E

ver since the Marvel Cinematic Universe started nearly ten years ago, they made B-list characters like Iron Man and Thor cool and relevant to modern audiences, and now they’ve done the same for Black Panther thanks to Chadwick Boseman’s flawless portrayal and the film that surrounds him. When Boseman’s Black Panther was introduced in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, they managed to effortlessly interweave his origin into the main plot of the Avengers becoming divided. Now with his solo movie, his origin story becomes

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complete as T’Challa returns to his native Wakanda to be crowned as the rightful King following his father’s death in Civil War. Having made his mark as a director/ screenwriter after Fruitvale Station and Creed, Ryan Coogler steps up to the mark for this film, and the world he has created captures you almost immediately thanks to its depth, colour and vibrancy. The world of Wakanda is the perfect blend of exotic sub-African culture and the most outlandish sci-fi imaginable, and it is full of rich imagination, which is not uncommon for any of these movies

after having creative worlds for Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The story by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole is genuinely a tale about how one confronts his own inner demons as we see T’Challa going through serious trials and tribulations following his coronation as King of Wakanda, wanting to honour his father’s legacy and do what he feels is right for Wakanda despite outside forces threatening its peace and tranquillity in the form of both the deranged Ulysses Klaue and T’Challa’s arch nemesis Killmonger, who aims to use Wakanda’s advanced vibranium technology to free oppressed people “who look like him”

REVIEW

Rating across the globe.

As good as the world and the story is, it’s also helped massively by the depth that is felt through the relationships between each character involved, and there are certainly no small parts here. Once again, Boseman is every bit as impressive as he was in Civil War, adding more emotional layers to the conflicted titular hero, while Letitia Wright is an absolute blast as the intellectually sparky sister Shuri.

Lupita Nyong’o also adds emotional weight as a master spy and T’challa’s ex-girlfriend Nakia, Danai Gurira is pure badass as General Okoye, Martin Freeman is fine solid support as Everett

Ross (also from Civil War) despite an occasionally wonky accent, and Andy Serkis has more fun as Klaue than he did in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Michael B. Jordan may have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to comic book movies as a result of 2015’s disastrous Fant4stic, but here, he is redeemed of all sins as he delivers an incredibly tense performance as Killmonger, creating one of the best MCU villains alongside Loki and Vulture.

As is the standard for most Marvel movies, the special effects are top notch, the score by Ludwig Göransson

and Kendrick Lamar is perfect at capturing the movie’s rich atmosphere, and the cinematography by Rachel Morrison is gorgeous. With everything going for it, Black Panther is a truly special movie, and the impact this movie is guaranteed to have on many diverse cultures makes it all the more significant and relevant. Marvel Studios has successfully expanded on Black Panther’s terrific Civil War introduction in his terrific solo movie, which stands as one of the best MCU movies to date, and it’ll be very interesting to see which journey the character will take as we get even closer to the much-anticipated Avengers: Infinity War.

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WORDS: TIM BIRKBECK | PHOTO: DEREK BREMNER

NERVUS

NERVUS

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After huge critical acclaim for 2016’s debut Permanent Rainbow, we spoke with vocalist/guitarist Em Foster ahead of the release of Everything Dies

INTERVIEW

O

n the dawn of the release of their second album, it seems everything is coming up Nervus.

After huge critical acclaim for 2016’s debut Permanent Rainbow, the crew from Watford look set to push their music to the next level with the release of Everything Dies.

But if there is a buzz surrounding the release and the band in general it is something that the four-piece try not to take too much notice of as they are very much believers of just getting on with the task in hand.

VultureHound caught up with vocalist / guitarist Em Foster ahead of the release of the bands second record.

There seems to be a big buzz around you guys at the moment and excitement surrounding the new record, how has that been from the inside looking out?

We are super excited for the record to come out. For us it doesn’t seem like there is a huge

buzz around it because we are in it, so it is difficult to have some perspective from the inside. But we are super excited for people to hear it.

What would you say is the biggest difference between Everything Dies and Permanent Rainbow?

This record is a lot more direct – lyrically, musically, and thematically. The last record was a lot more restrained. I used a lot of metaphors in the lyrics and I didn’t feel comfortable in who I was. But this time round it is a lot more introspective.

Musically it is a lot punchier as well. I think as a band we are now more comfortable with what we wanted to do and what we wanted to produce.

Since the bands formation there has been a lot of press coverage.

Whether that be about you personally and your gender dysphoria, or the band in general. Do you think that has helped with MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 19 05

PHOTO: VICKI BAILEY

NERVUS grow into what it is today?

WE ARE ALWAYS THE ODD ONE OUT NO MATTER WHAT BILL WE HAVE BEEN ON

the directness of the new material?

comfortable approaching you at shows?

If anything the attention makes it more difficult – if you’re exploring yourself. When I talk about these things, I am talking about them not so long after I have figured them out myself, so it can be quite intense and anxiety provoking at times.

When we toured with Creeper we met loads of Trans and Queer people who, I wouldn’t say that we inspired them, but they were really appreciative of seeing a Trans or Queer person on stage it is a great thing for them to see. People are excited to see themselves being more represented especially in the music scene in a world where things can be so easily accessible now.

It has been well documented about your own journey of self discovery and being comfortable with how you identify yourself. Have you found that people have really connected with your story and feel more 20 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

Having done the tour with Creeper and getting geared up to hit the road with Milk Teeth, has it been a strange experience seeing the band

We treat every show the same. Our aim is to go on stage and have fun and enjoy it. The biggest change is the size of crowd and our monitor mixes, but we still tour in the same way, we still just jump in the van and enjoy ourselves. If anything, the riders are a little better but its much the same.

Your music seems to cross over several genre boundaries, do you feel that has helped you carve out your path to these bigger shows?

We are used to winning people over at shows who may never have heard us. We are always the odd one out no matter what bill we have been on – it is where we thrive when we are playing to audiences who don’t have a clue who we are. We have always done that – we aren’t punk, we aren’t hardcore, we aren’t indie, we are a little bit of all those things, we are the odd ones out. When you are starting out it is more beneficial to be in a category, because if you don’t people don’t know what to do with you. But it has done us a lot of favours – we have just done what we wanted since we started and we will continue to do that.

Everything Dies is out on now via Big Scary Monsters Records .

LIVE

PARAMORE

E R O M PARA

N O D N O L , A N E R A 2 O E TH HOMAS T A E I V A L : S D R O N MESSENGER | W

PHOTOS: HELE

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A bouncy and energetic Hayley Williams skipped onto stage. Hard Times was an insane opening to the concert and brought a vibrant wave of energy. Halfway through the track the band included a snippet of Blondie’s Heart of Glass.

“2017 kinda sucked, but we are here tonight and it’s kinda beautiful.” Hayley had many moments where she wanted to thank her audience for all the support, and for how much they had grown alongside her journey with Paramore.

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rusev Walking dead

WORDS: GRAE WESTGAT | PHOTOS: AMC

R TA S R E P U S E W W O T E K O P WE S

N Y L E T A K NACON

W E I V R E T N I ID N E 'S D A E D WALKING

A

t this year’s Walker Stalker Con in London, we had the absolute pleasure to chat with star of The Walking Dead, Katelyn Nacon, to discuss first kills, life after Carl, and the question that’s always on everybody’s lips; “Is Enid a spy??”

So, and I mean this in a good way, Enid is arguably one of the most annoying characters on the show…

Yeah… She can be very angsty sometimes! I feel like she’s gotten a lot better though, in a sense of not pushing every single person away.

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I think that was one of her biggest problems; if she met someone, she just had to push them away because she’d be too scared that she’d get hurt.

But she’s also annoying in that we never know what the heck’s going on with her!

Yes! I know! She’s so mysterious! We got a little glimpse of it in the ‘JSS’ episode, where we saw when her parents died and she was on her own for a bit before she found Alexandria. That was just like a week of her life.

For more Walking Dead interviews from Walker Stalker head to VultureHound.com

"To continue and survive in this world, you have to kill or be killed" MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 25 35

rusev Walking dead

"Yup, she’s a spy... So that’s my thing now?"

But yeah, she just doesn’t express her emotions and keeps things vaulted up. She never really opens up. That’s why I loved Enid and Glenn’s stuff so much, because we got to see a softer side of her and see her break down her walls and open up a bit. She was very sassy at first though!

Of course, there’s always the question of whether Enid is a spy…

I know! Even after the Wolves left, they’re still like “Oh, she’s a spy for The Saviours! Oh, she’s a spy for The Whisperers! Oh, she’s a spy for something that’s not even on the show! She’s a spy for Agents of SHIELD!” Guys, no! That’s not how it works!

Where do you think that came from?

Honestly, I think it’s because we don’t know anything about her. I think there’s so much mystery that surrounds her, especially early on

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in season six, when The Wolves were happening. It seemed so easy for her to be a spy because she hated Alexandria, she hated that community because no one could understand the world that was out there. She didn’t like the fakeness that came with it. That’s why she would always leave. She would rather be outside in the real world than in this image of a world. I think because she was always going over the walls and didn’t care about the community she was in, she was an easy target for a spy. Since that happened, it just won’t stop! It’s been an ongoing theory.

for you though; because you’ve got no comic-book counterpart, they really could do anything!

But she’s not.

Well, it doesn’t mean anything fun!

Carl was one of the first people that Enid ever really opened up to since her parents’ death. She didn’t want to open up to someone and then have to lose them again.

She’s already had to do that with Glenn and Sasha, so it’s a lot… I know that this is going to affect her very much. You’ll see a change in her nearer the end of this season.

There’s a very different Enid to where she started in the second half.

No! No, no, no! When The Wolves theory was going on, I thought it might be a thing, but I called Scott Gimple, and he was like “No, you’re not a spy for The Wolves.” But I dunno, you never know what they’ll do with a character! They could, all of a sudden, be like “Yup, she’s a spy”. Okaaaay… So that’s my thing now??

I guess that’s what’s fun

They can do whatever they want with her! So, it’s really cool! I hope they keep doing cool stuff with her!

Enid and Carl have always been close. In light of recent events, how do you think Enid is going to develop?

Will she be leading the Hilltop? (laughs) I dunno, man! It’s really interesting because she used to be in a place where she didn’t have a home or a community because she didn’t want one. She didn’t want to lose it. But now, the tides have changed and Hilltop has become her community. I kinda hope not though, because Hilltop is miserable to film in! Oh my God, it’s so hot there! ‘Cause it’s on the top of the hill, we’re surrounded by metal walls, and it’s just all humidity! It’s one of the worst places to film at because there’s no shade at all! It’s just heat! After this season, I’m not sure where she’s gonna go. There’s so many options she could take. We’ll see…

We’ve also recently seen Enid’s first human kill in Natania (leader of

Oceanside). With Glenn, killing a human was a massive turning point in his character arc. How will it affect Enid?

She’s always been weird about killing things…

Apart from turtles…

Apart from turtles… She was starving! Even walkers, she wouldn’t kill them; she’d just find an easier way around them. It’s an interesting way to see how a human’s mind can grow and develop in this world. It definitely wasn’t easy for her to kill Natania.

She was a leader of a community, and someone’s grandmother. That’s hard for her. But she knew that if she’s going to continue on in this world and survive, she’s going to have to do that. It’s the only way that Aaron would’ve survived as well, so she knows that she had to

do it, and that she would again if it came to that situation. I don’t think it changes her too drastically, but I would say she’s less scared with a gun!

And totally off The Walking Dead, how’s the music going?

Good! I’ve written a lot of new music, I just haven’t had time to actually sit down and record it! The stuff that’s on iTunes, I think I was about fourteen when I recorded that, so it’s been a while! Once I turned fifteen, everything got wrapped up into The Walking Dead!

Music’s always been a part of my life. I’ve never really had an urgent rush to get any music out, because it’ always been very personal to me. Even if I never do release it, it wouldn’t be devastating to me!

The Walking Dead, Mondays at 9pm, only on FOX

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rusev Walking dead

R TA S R E P U S E W W O T E K O P WE S

IS D A J 'S D A E D G IN K L A W

"If you’ve got a sense of humour, you can get away with anything ‘cause maybe you’re just fucking with people”"

A N N A Y L POL INTOSH MC

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INTERVIEW:

J

adis and Simon have become solid fanfavourites in The Walking Dead over the last few seasons as characters we have truly come to love to hate. We caught up with the actors behind the dastardly villains, Pollyanna McIntosh and Steven Ogg, as they geared up for the Walker Stalker festivities to talk about vengeance, mass murder, and Scott Gimple’s Blue Period…

I’ve got to start by saying what an amazing episode ‘The Lost and the Plunderers’ was, Pollyanna (P): Thank you!

It was so nice to have these two characters that we’ve been loving in the side-lines finally having a spotlight episode. How was it for you guys?

WALKING DEAD'S SIMON

STEVEN OGG

P: We hate each other, so it was awful! We don’t get on at all. You’re not taking this down, are you? No, no, we’re old friends, so it was really fun to go at it together.

Steven (S): Yeah, I think any time with this show, these events are generally our opportunity to be together on the show. We don’t always get to work together, so any time you get to work with someone else it’s like “Oh my God, finally! I get to fucking work with someone!”

‘Cause you know each other personally so long…

P: You got a break from Austin (Amelio), which must have been great!

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 29

rusev Walking dead S: He’s m’ girl… It was wonderful!

It was fun! It’s interesting ‘cause you don’t really know what’s gonna happen. I was just excited to be in that environment. You do it some different ways, and you never know what they’re gonna choose.

P: It’s great. Having that opportunity to have that big speech, really being eye to eye. We were joking before about who was gonna break first. It worked out really well. I was really mad at you!

S: When I was on the ground after she clocked me, I wanted to have my nose broken or a cut on my face, just for the sense that this woman clocked me, and fucking clocked me good! We really wanted it, but then of course there’s this thing of when you go back to The Sanctuary, if you have a cut face it’s harder to play it up that nothing went wrong. But I have a bright blue fucking boot! So you can see it for miles! We can’t do a split lip, but the blue boot is fine? ‘Cause he doesn’t even ask about it! I literally step out of the truck and it’s a beacon!

Is that gonna lead to anything do we think?

P: I was just about to not say that…

Okay, good…

P: Surely that’ll come up!

Surely that’ll come up!

P: But I didn’t say that, you did!

S: Well, Rick has the blue boot…

P: So maybe it’s just a call-back to

30 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

Scott Gimple’s got a thing for blue. He’s going through a Blue Period that. But the handprints were blue!

Carl and Judith’s handprints were blue. Scott’s got a thing for blue.

He’s having a Blue Period…

S: Obviously, there’s a lot of stuff we can’t say. But there’s a lot of stuff we seriously don’t fucking know…

I guess for you guys especially, since you’re both original characters for the show. Well, or are you?

P: (laughs) Yeah… I dunno…

Is that more frustrating for you guys, or is it more interesting not knowing?

P: I think things are as they should be. The show is wonderful, and as an audience member I love it. So, it

clearly works. As an actor, coming in this way was scary and confusing because I’ve always known what the ending was for me. Whether it’s a series or a film, I’ve always known what her end game is, so then I work back from that. Of course, I know stuff…

Alpha?

(Pollyanna raises an eyebrow) S: There’s a good and a bad to it.

The good is that if you wanna really talk about working in the moment, you have no fucking choice, because you honestly do not know!

There’s no blueprint you have to stick to because they’re not in the comic book. You literally have what’s in front of you because you don’t know the next script. So you are just dealing with this moment and there’s something exciting about that. With Simon though, people are like “Oh, we love to hate him!”, but a lot of that is not

necessarily about me being a great actor, it’s me being “Okay, I’ve got this to do. I don’t know what came here or what came after, but let’s keep the playing field open.” So you make choices that hopefully work.

If you end up being this in the future, that worked, or if you have to be something else, that worked, so you kind of keep it open. Maybe he has a sense of humour, maybe he’s dangerous… You don’t know!

I didn’t know which direction was gonna happen when I went to see Jadis, so the character evolves through having to make a choice as an actor without knowing, which is weird!

P: Well if he has a sense of humour, he can get away with anything because maybe he was just fucking with people!

Where do you see Jadis going forward?

P: Well, it’s kinda fun to go for

a bit of revenge, isn’t it? I think eventually I’d like her to find a bit of peace. I’d like her to be peaceful with what’s happened, but I think she’s feeling a want for revenge right now.

S: I loved that whole transition in that scene with you. When you turn into a real person, that was wonderful.

P: Thanks, babe.

We all assume that Rick’s team will win, but where do you see your characters in a world where Negan comes up top?

S: Simon’s gonna play along, right?

He’s gonna survive. Maybe making some choices that aren’t the best at times, but he’s also trying to be proactive in the world. What we’ve seen so far from Negan hasn’t

really produced results, so I dunno if Simon is really that psychotic mass-murderer guy, or if he’s really just “okay, that didn’t work, so let’s try this…”

P: Well he is a mass murderer, whether he thinks he is or not! He killed aaaall m’ people.

S: That’s why it’s interesting! Why did he keep you alive? Why did he spare you? What’s your answer?

P: I don’t have one! I don’t need to tell you anything.

S: Why do you think Simon kept you alive?

P: Well, I know! So, I’m not gonna speak about it!

S: Oh… P: (whispers) I’ll tell you later.

The Walking Dead, Mondays at 9pm, only on FOX

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 31

WORDS: TIM BIRKBECK

OF MICE&MEN

OF MICE & MEN

32 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

NEWLY PROMOTED FRONTMAN AARON PAULEY

INTERVIEW

IF there is one thing you need to know about Californian metal band, Of Mice & Men it’s that they are relentlessly hard working.

The band have just released their fifth studio record Defy – an album that shows the band with a new lease of life, one they are keen to show the world.

Having gone through personal hardship – founding member and former vocalist Austin Carlile leaving the band due to health issues – it seems like now as a four-piece the only way is up. We caught up with newly promoted front man and bass player, Aaron Pauley to talk about the band being revitalised.

Last year was a pretty hectic year for you guys, so for an insider how did you find the year for Of Mine & Men?

It was a roller-coaster, it had its ups and downs – there was a lot of change but overall it was an incredible year for us as a band

You’ve described this as a new chapter for Of Mice & Men. Was there a conscious choice to put a line under what had been released in the past?

&

You mentioned change, and the big one that a lot of people have picked up on is yourself stepping to the front and becoming the main vocalist. How have you found adapting to that role?

It has been awesome, the way we have tackled writing songs and writing music hasn’t changed directly. It has been such a hectic year, so it doesn’t seem like such a big change for us, but I can understand for the audience it is.

Have you found it a bit of a learning curve that the whole burden of the lyrics was on your shoulders to some extent?

Before this we used to write lyrics together, so there wasn’t a learning curve from that aspect.

I guess for us it was more about having a discussion when it came to this record as we wanted to put something out that was universally accessible to my bandmates. Because it is not my story and my message, it’s our story and our message. So there was a lot of talk, and our band is very family orientated and we spend a lot of time together. So that brought a lot of clarity to what this record wanted to say.

What we really wanted to accomplish was to take the elements of our music which we thought were exciting and excited our fans and put them into the two singles (‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Back to Me’), and it was a good benchmark to see where we were musically and sonically. So we got to play those songs across Europe all summer and we saw them take off and people really responded to them. We took that energy and it was our goal to put that into the record, and it had felt like it had been awhile since we have done that. For us each record we do is like a snapshot in time.

Was the new record in motion when you released the two singles or was it a steady progression to get where we are today?

About half of the record was written when we released ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Back to Me’.

We kind of had the sound and we tweaked it. Touring was a great way to mark how they were coming across and being able to go into the studio and solidify what we wanted to do. For us we

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 33

OF MICE & MEN always wanted to do something that was very live oriented and have something that we can forever be excited about.

With the new record coming out and yourself taking centre stage, have you set any goals for 2018?

We just want to play wherever and whenever we can. For us we want to get out and be as busy as possible. As a four-piece it has been a huge blessing to permeate the live music scene again and we want to be a band that people can count on seeing us. We feel reinvigorated with this album and we just want to get out and talk to people.

You have always come across as an open and honest band that has never shied away from what is happening behind the scenes, do you believe that this is a reason why people are drawn to Of Mine & Men? I think for us that aspect of the band isn’t something we have ever really thought about.

That openness is just another extension of what we hope to accomplish as a band. The whole goal is to have connections with people and have the human experience.

With all the line-up changes in the past do you feel this is the most stable the band has been?

In the last five years I feel like this is the most cohesive line-up we’ve had. Not that it wasn’t before but going through such a major change it wasn’t just a line-up change it was a major life change for us. So the four of us were all we had to deal with that and go through that situation.

ROLO TOMASSI – TIME WILL DIE AND LOVE WILL BURY IT WORDS: TIM BIRKBECK

B

eauty and chaos are not usually two things that go hand-in-hand, but for Rolo Tomassi they have made a career out of it. From their first EP, released in 2009, right up until the critically acclaimed 2015 released Grievances, the five-piece have gained a bit of a reputation of blending brutality with elegance. So, when the band announced their latest record, Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It, there were questions surrounding how they could push their sound even further. The simple answer: Easily.

It may be hard to believe but Rolo have somehow managed to add even more to this record, and they show that right up front on track two, ‘Aftermath’, which could arguably find a home on commercial radio. Vocalist Eva Spence demonstrates her vocal range, not just by screaming but singing as well.

The blend of crushing riffs and stylistic vocals

are a prominent theme throughout the record as tracks flow seamlessly, like when ‘The Hollow Hour’ goes from a beautifully layered outro to Spence’s familiar growl on ‘Balancing the Dark’.

For the past 12 years the band has been exploring and tinkering with different melodies, but something they will never lose this the pure aggressive nature which caught the attention of many back in 2006. It is this slamming together of two ends of the spectrum which seems to bring the album together. ‘Alma Matter’ is a prime example; one minute you are listening to the beautiful tones of Spence’s voice, the next you are thrown into a crushing riff and vocal screams.

For all the records which have come prior to Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It, it seems that the band has been building up to this moment and have found the perfect crossing point between delicate and disarray.

Defy is out now on Rise Records - Catch the band on tour in the UK later this year

Out now via Holy Roar Records 34 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

WORDS: DANIEL WITHEY

H U S K Y LO O P S THE ALBUMS THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES

T

he Italian born, London based, three-piece tell VH about the albums that changed their lives…

DANILO (GUITAR/VOCALS)

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds With absolutely no doubt Pet Sounds is my favourite album of all time. Brian Wilson’s genius has pushed me to become the person I am today. After hearing Pet Sounds for the 3rd or 4th time I understood not only that I wanted to be a songwriter but also a producer and an arranger.

When I meet people who don’t know about it (yes it still happens - mental) and ask me to describe it I always say Pet Sounds sounds like a world of its own kind. It doesn’t sound real, but at the same time it is one of the few albums that can translate human

emotions into music in the best way possible. To me this album sounds like life, but also like an imaginary world.

TOM (BASS)

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album) The Beatles are the reason why I’m in a band and I play bass.

This record is the example of how they ruled their times both as a unit and as individuals, overflowing with ideas, constantly pushing boundaries. It taught me how genres don’t really matter, classifying and categorising stuff in music is useless. In fact they stopped having definitive roles in this record, they all contributed to its eclecticism, swapping instruments, creating soundscapes and writing some of the best pop songs ever written. AND it’s the album where

George Harrison’s genius came to surface.

PIETRO (DRUMS)

Mr. Oizo - Analog Worms Attack Seminal album by producer/ director Mr. Oizo (aka Quentin Dupieux), central figure in Ed Banger Records, this record marries heaviness with minimalism and emotional lightheartedness. Analog Worms Attack gave me different things in different times, proving to be a massively pervasive influence on my taste. Slick grooves are the shit and the French know it.

Husky Loops’ latest single ‘When I Come Home’ is out now. Find them on twitter @HuskyLoops and at facebook.com/huskyloops

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 35

FRIEN D S

WORDS: JOSH LANGRISH

D N A S D N E I R F N O E C N E F E D A : T X E T N CO t’s an understatement to say that, as a concept, millennials being offended by something is somewhat of a meme. Gone are the days when it was the older generation who got offended by anything approaching “edgy”. Whilst the motivation and principle behind these cries of injustice are virtuous and noble, in its justified vehemence, often nuanced and innocent examples are tarred with the same brush.

Ironically, tarring people with the same brush is a behaviour that is most often criticised by those who wish to fight social injustice in the first place.

Amusing ironies aside, the nuanced and innocent example of this piece is the 90s hit-sitcom Friends.

scene alone.

Recently, Netflix made all 236 episodes of Friends available; cue the Falcon Heavy-esque (topical) skyrocketing rise in 90s kid binge-watch activity, followed by a monsoon of “Are you still watching?” messages delivered by concerned Mama Netflix. However, the rebirth of this popular show wasn’t greeted by cheers everywhere. On the contrary, those too young to have had Friends part of their childhood daily routine, or those who have become attuned to the proliferation of social justice awareness, according to this article by The Independent, have reportedly been “shocked” to find how “homophobic, sexist, and transphobic” the show was. It is my contention that the context surrounding the examples that are used to support this claim explains and justifies itself.

With regards to Harry Potter, when Bellatrix and Voldemort talk about the joys of murder and torture, at no point does anybody think that the film is promoting murder and torture. Everyone understands that it’s those characters who believe that.

With the film Django Unchained, it is understood that the rampant racism depicted in the film isn’t condoning racism but exploring it. Black slaves aren’t the target of the film, but the subject. If the racist mindset were being condoned and celebrated, why would Tarantino a) include and portray the characters against racism in a positive manner, b) portray the racist characters in a negative manner, and c) have the slave kill all the slavers and racists, run away with his wife, and convey all this as a good thing? This brings me to the criticisms of Friends.

Whilst describing the premise of a show like Friends is akin to describing The Beatles, or what a tree is, a short précis of it would be ‘a group of friends go through the trials and tribulations of living in New York City in their late 20s/early 30s’. Like many people born in the late 80s/early 90s in the UK, I grew up on Friends.

Every episode was shown multiple times a day, every day, for over a decade. It wouldn’t be too outlandish to say that most people in the UK who are currently the same age as the characters in the show have not only seen every episode of Friends, but can almost always recall the entirety of an episode - including whole exchanges and jokes - based just on the first

Usually, if the writer of a film or TV show know what they are doing, you can infer what the writer intends the audience to think, feel, and react to their film or show. If the writer of a film or TV show wants you to dislike a character, they will make that character behave in annoying, dislikeable ways.

They will also probably make the character that they want the audience to root for likeable, and will often get the dislikeable character to do dislikeable things toward the likeable character.

With regards to the accusation of sexism, the episode ‘The One with the Male Nanny’ is used as an example. In the episode, Rachel employs a nanny to look after her daughter Emma. Ross agrees to this, but becomes somewhat perturbed when the nanny that Rachel wants to employ is a man. Throughout the episode, Ross’ attitude to the male nanny is negative; often making jokes at the nanny’s expense.

I

36 30 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

You’re supposed to like Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid.

You’re supposed to dislike Voldemort, Bellatrix, Dudley, and Umbridge.

However, I disagree that this makes the episode sexist. The keystone to the entire comedic construct of the episode is predicated on the juxtaposition between how Ross views himself, and how he really is. Ross seems to value his own stereotypical

notion of masculinity (and insists upon it), whilst repeatedly exhibiting enjoyment in traditionally feminine things - whilst going out of his way to either hide these feminine interests or doing mental gymnastics to try and make it non-feminine.

This comedic trope is carried throughout the entirety of Friends. For example, in the episode ‘The One With The Tea Leaves’, Ross mentions losing his ‘faded salmon’ shirt whilst everyone else in the episode refers to it as ‘the pink shirt’; much to Ross’ chagrin.

Contrary to the mentality of someone who believes Friends is a sexist or homophobic show, the butt of the joke here isn’t that ‘wearing pink = gay and being gay is funny’. What’s funny is Ross revealing an insecurity about himself and his own masculinity when he goes out of his way not to call his shirt pink by calling it “faded salmon” instead.

Naturally, his friends witness this insecurity and exploit it for comedic effect. The joke is on Ross’ obsession with being perceived as masculine and not feminine, and how he sheepishly tries to hide his interests if he thinks they might be perceived as feminine.

This is further supported in the conclusion of the episode ‘The One with the Male Nanny’ when Ross decides to fire Sandy - the nanny - who, in response, asks Ross why he feels inclined to do so. At which point, Ross reveals that he has childhood trauma of his father expecting him to be manly, and shaming any activity that he likes that doesn’t align with his dad’s wishes.

The punchline to the entire episode builds to Ross breaking down, in a comedic and overly-dramatic effect, revealing Ross’ deeply held feelings about his father not accepting his interests; changing the scene from what was going to be Ross firing Sandy into a scene wherein Sandy is Ross’ therapist.

The episode was about Ross’ sexist attitude towards stereotypical gender roles, explores how and why he has

those views, and depicts his realisation and growth as a result. To then suggest that the episode in some way endorses this sexist attitude is either inaccurate or dishonest.

But sexism isn’t the only crime that Friends has been accused of according to this article by The Independent. “Millennials’” claim that the show is homophobic too. Moments wherein Chandler, Ross, and Joey panic for fear of being seen as gay have been highlighted, indicating - for some - of a prevailing homophobic undercurrent throughout the series. Whilst Seinfeld I feel deals with this scenario far better and more explicitly (specifically in the episode ‘The Outing’ wherein a piece being written about Jerry that inaccurately identifies him as gay is responded with Jerry exclaiming in panicked tones “Now (the reporter) thinks I’m gay! Not that there’s anything wrong with that!”), Friends is similarly using heterosexual discomfort about homosexuality as the subject matter of a joke, and not using homosexuality as the punchline of a joke.

For example, in the episode ‘The One With The Nap Partners’, Ross and Joey freak out when, after falling asleep from watching a movie together, they wake up from the nap and discover that they fell asleep next to one another in a rather tight embrace. The “weirdness” that they address from this situation doesn’t stem from “being gay is weird”, but rather the out-of-the-blue intimacy of sleeping together - considering that they haven’t done anything even remotely approaching that before - is odd and unsettling for them.

Furthermore, the ‘mountain out of a molehill’ comedy trope uses this framework, utilising the stereotypical dialogue of some secretive, dramatic, forbidden love affair from a soap opera, but in reference to the pettiness and triviality of being nap partners.

In essence, like with the Ross/Nanny example, Ross, Joey, and Chandler exhibiting discomfort towards questions

about their own sexuality is primarily used comedically in the show at their own insecurities’ expense. The fact that they feel that anything more than a handshake between them might make others, and themselves, question their heterosexuality is amusing because of how immature that outlook is.

This contrast is made all the more humorous considering the fact that the movie Ross and Joey watched prior to their intimate nap together was none other than Die Hard; the writers evidently going out of their way to choose the most “macho” film they could think of to further emphasise Joey’s and Ross’ obsession with being seen as manly and being interested in “manly” things, only for it to be undercut by them sensitively napping with one another.

In the TV show The Green Room with Paul Provenza, there’s an episode starring the superb comedian Bill Burr wherein he defends his use of the incendiary word “faggot” in a routine wherein he and a heterosexual friend are playing ice hockey together. In the routine, Burr talks about him falling down on the ice and his friend asks if he’s okay, and Burr, in a panic, says,”Yeah, you faggot - get away from me”. Asked why he uses the word in the bit, he said, “Because of the way I grew up, because of the way guys are, you’re not supposed to be ‘I fell down are you okay?’. It actually struck me as funny and I thought it would be a great bit because the bit is actually two straight guys who can’t have that fuckin’ moment of like ‘Hey, I was worried about you’. You’re just not allowed to have that moment. But it has nothing to do with gay people.”

When Provenza goes on to point out that the target of Bill Burr’s joke is Burr himself, criticising himself for not being able to accept sensitivity from another man, Burr says, “That’s why guys drop

37 MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 31

FRIEN D S dead at like 50; from 40 years of not being able to admit that a puppy is cute. You just gotta push that down into your stomach. And actually, it’s a weakness.”

Similarly, on the charge of transphobia, throughout Friends, Chandler, and some other characters, make jokes about his estranged trans-father Charles - or Helena as she later became known. Here, I feel that the Ricky Gervais sentiment, “People confuse the subject of the joke with the target of the joke” rings true once again. When determining whether Chandler has a resentful attitude towards his father’s transition, or whether the show itself is resentful towards trans people, one must look at how Helena is portrayed.

In an article about Friends and its alleged “offensiveness”, Ray Bradford, director of entertainment media for the LGBT advocacy organization GLAAD said the portrayal of Chandler’s transfather “wasn’t what we hate seeing on TV by a mile. When I looked at Kathleen Turner’s character, there was nothing tragic about it. It was not a storyline depicting her as a killer or a psychopath or a sex worker or anything like that”. If the show were truly transphobic, would it make any sense to a) include a trans character in the first place, and b) make the trans character sympathetic?

It’s also not as if Chandler’s father being trans is the true source of Chandler’s bitterness either. When Chandler was young, his father had multiple affairs with other men, causing many arguments and fights that seem to have created some inner demons - hence Chandler’s use of humour and sarcasm as a defence mechanism (as is noted by Phoebe’s psychiatrist boyfriend in The One With The Boobies).

As Friends co-creator David Crane who, it’s worth noting, is gay - says, “(Chandler) has his own anxieties

30 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018 38

and issues.” In this context, it is then understood that Chandler expresses his distaste for his father causing a failed marriage by using the transition as a scapegoat. The accusation of the show being transphobic also doesn’t make any sense considering the story-line wherein Monica convinces Chandler to let go of his resentment towards his father, and invite her to their wedding, symbolically acknowledging and accepting Helena for who she is.

It’s also kind of narcissistic for our generation to look down at TV shows and movies from decades past, from our “woke bae”, PC-infused, Buzzfeed encrusted thrones, and pat ourselves so heavily on the back for knowing, on all levels, what’s offensive and what’s not - whilst pointing out that every generation prior to ours were all ignorant.

It’s the same sort of mindset that occurs when looking at old photos of ourselves, face-palming, and saying “What was I thinking wearing that?!”

- as though you were delusional and stupid with regards to fashion sense in the past, but now you’re totally “with it”, even though in twenty years time, you’ll be looking at a photo of you from today, and be face-palming yourself all over again.

In other words, don’t be surprised when, in twenty years time, that generation will look back at the shows we currently have on that we think are politically correct, and similarly will shake their heads at us in disappointment, asking us how we could be so insensitive and politically incorrect by watching and supporting these shows when they were broadcast.

It simply isn’t a “shock” to find that the language, terminology, and attitudes conveyed in Friends happens to be directly in sync with the language, terminology, and attitudes prevalent in US society in the 90s when Friends was made. Things must be judged within the context of when they were made,

and what its intent is. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is considered the greatest video game of all time, despite having blocky graphics and frame-drop issues when compared to the graphics and high-frame rates of today. It doesn’t matter. The game was revolutionary at the time, and should be judged as such. A similar thing can be argued for Friends.

The criticisms made by these “millennials” in the article by The Independent don’t take into account how progressive and barrier-breaking it was to have a sympathetic trans character, and relatable, realistic lesbian couple (in the form of Carol and Susan) in the mid-90s. As Ray Bradford of the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD says, “Images don’t exist in a vacuum — you look at where they were at that time of progression of TV and our country, and also where we are now and the standard.” And, most importantly, in the end, the overall attitude conveyed in Friends with regards to women, gay people, and trans people is that of acceptance, not hate.

In conclusion, whilst one might perceive their own distaste of the offensive in media from the past as a sign of maturity and insight, ironically I think it suggests an immaturity and lack of sagacity to freak out over the odd poorly aged joke from works made decades ago. Surely it’s more perceptive and wise, if I do say so myself (please note the self-backpatting from earlier), to understand and appreciate the fact that sentiments and language change over time, and that certain words and terms didn’t necessarily mean then what they do now, and that, from the newly formed thorns and rough, one can still gather roses and diamonds amongst the brambles, and they can, if its heart is in the right place, still yield some beauty and value now, and for years to come. Also when Joey does “smell the fart acting” it’s funny, lol.

LIVE

marmozets

S T E Z O MARM

SENGER

S PHOTO: HELEN ME

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 39

BFS

WORDS: LAVIEA THOMAS

P U O S G BOWLIN FOR

B

efore their show at Brixton Academy we caught up with Bassist, Erik Chandler and he spoke about new music, his favourite Bowling for Soup track and the most their most over-asked interview question.

Is there any reason you haven’t worked on new music since your last, album Drunk Dynasty?

Well, because there hasn’t been an opportunity to release any new music, we’ve been on tour for a while. We’ve been on tour ever since and it takes a little time to get new music down and happen.

But, we’ve just released a new single for Drunk Dynasty, called

40 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

‘Dallis,’ you can check that video out online, it’s a good one.

What are your top three favourite albums that you guys have produced?

Oh man, oh no, oh god, you know, I can honestly say I don’t have a least favourite album. Well maybe our first album is my least favourite album, but thats our first album, you know? The only reason I would say that is because we recorded it at-least three months after we got together, and the style of the band hadn’t quite developed yet.

How about your favourite song to play when you’re on tour?

See, this is another one! The favourite song to play on tour was the one we just finished playing, because, I mean, they all have their own special places. I’m really enjoying doing, ‘She’s Got a Boyfriend Now,’ on this tour, we haven’t played that song in close to 15 years - we probably played it in the first year, after the album came out and haven’t touched it since.

Yeah, ‘She’s Got A Boyfriend Now,’ that was my favourite.

Do you remember where Bowling For Soup played their first gig?

Yeah, so June 4th of 1994 we had our rehearsal, on July 3rd 1994, we had our first show at the City Wide, Independence Day, firework display, we were the only rock band

there, we were playing all original songs, squeezed in the middle of a bunch of country and western classic rock cover bands. So, at this nice, family friendly event, we were kind of these four, long hair dudes, playing punk rock music.

For your songs 1985 and Girl all The Bad Guys Want, were they fictional story lines?

Erm, you know, there’s a little bit of truth within each song, so to say no, is completely wrong. But I think, those are little bit more on the fictional side than they are based on the actual events. But there are a couple, but I’m not gonna point them out because they’re personal to the writer, but there are a couple bits of truths in a few of our music.

What song is one of your guilty pleasures?

Hmm, I think that word is kind of misknown, because I listen to any, and everything and so like, you know, probably, people might be surprised to know the amount of Dolly Parton I listen to, but it’s stuff like that. It’s not a guilty pleasure because I don’t feel guilty about it at all. People are often like, oh my god, how come you like that? And I’m just like, because they’re good, you don’t have to like it, but I do, and that’s fine. But the whole guilty pleasure idea, it is not existent on my behalf, because if I like it, I don’t care, I will sing it to the top of my lungs.

Is there any band or musician that has passed that you wished you had the opportunity to work or collaborate with?

I mean, yes, but when those acts are gone, I think it’s bad to kind of dwell on wishing to had worked alongside them. When we’ve done it before, it’s always been an opportunity which has come up and they’ve been like, would you like to do this, and there are some that come up which we’ve said no to.

But more often than not, we’re like, oh yes that will be interesting, let’s see how that goes, so it’s not like, we sit around thinking about who we can we get in the studio. On my solo album, I wanted one of the songs to have a female singer to do the second verse and so we were looking around, trying to figure out who we could get to do it. And then one day, by happenstance, Kay Hanley from Letters to Cleo was at the studio, somebody that I knew, so I didn’t even think about asking her, and I was like, wait a minute...

Kay? You wanna, take a stand with this personal song? *Kay,* “Oh yeah, I’d love to.”

With punk rock being such a hit in the early 2000s, are there any really popular ones, that you controversially really don’t like?

Hmm, not particularly and I’ll tell you why. Because, I don’t listen to a ton of music these days, I mean don’t get me wrong, I still listen to music, but the music I listen to is music that I’ve chosen, so running

PEOPLE

“

STILL ASK

US HOW WE

GOT THE NAME OF

OUR BAND” into stuff that is annoying, is not there quite so often because if I’m listening to radio, I’m listening to Talk radio, and if I’m listening to music, I’m listening to music from my device that I have created, so I don’t tend to run into that stuff, that often.

Finally, what’s your most asked interview question?

Oh yeah, 24 years in, people still ask us how we got the name of our band. Depending on what kind of mood I’m in, I will suck it up and answer the question, or quite often I’ll tell them that I don’t need to answer that, you can google it and find out. But it’s like, still, oh God really? Journalists like to ask that and then radio stations, like to be like, So, you guys are in town tonight? Not quite a question, but every one of them tend to do that, like yes, that’s why we’re here, in fact, we are in town right now.

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 41

WORDS FROM

S W O L L A G E K U L , V E S U R , Y E L Y A B , AJ STYLES

T S E WR INTRO: LIAM O'ROURKE

O

n April 8th, 2018, WWE will host the 34th incarnation of the biggest annual wrestling event in the world - WrestleMania.

To the uninitiated or the newlyenamoured, the show has traditionally been the crown jewel

42 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

of the year for the promotion W and fans alike. Everything that makes the unique subculture of pro wrestling appealing in the first place is dialled to the maximum, a spectacle beyond reproach within the industry.

Whether it be the entrances, the costuming, the drama, the pageantry, the athleticism, the star power; everything is bigger

(in fact biggest) at WrestleMania.

For almost twelve straight years, the show has taken place in front of a packed stadium, filled with the most die-hard supporters from around the world, all looking to experience the iconic moments that will undoubtedly be remembered and replayed for decades to come.

WrestleMania used to be a brilliant

A L L E M R A C , S O S U Y M M I J , N I B R O C N S, BARO

A I N A M TLE indicator of the company’s current popularity with the more casual fan who may not live and die with WWE, but would be drawn to see the big event. The success of Mania went through various peaks and valleys through its existence, depending on the ebbs and flows of the business.

The WWE’s model has shifted in

recent times, relying on a smaller section of passionate fans to drive their major shows. The reason is clear - when it counts, every April, they can bank on people from every corner of the planet congregating to the event they know matters most.

That built-in relevance is as pronounced as ever in 2018,

the show revolving around their biggest PR move in years – the signing of former UFC megastar Ronda Rousey. While no metrics have shifted significantly yet, the amount of online press the story has garnered will pay dividends for WWE as they negotiate their new TV deal, keeping WrestleMania at the forefront of the pro wrestling universe.

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 43

WORDS: JOSH WHITE | PHOTOS: WWE

Y E S U O R RONDA

44 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

F RACZKA WORDS: JOZE

ght Champion MA Bantamwei M nd (a s 7’ s s Fast & Furiou t of skyscraper cars driving ou no s ha A M M t bu Rousey is crapers) Ronda ys sk r he ot to in allist lympic Gold Med O ith w g in am te Brand nst WWE Chief Kurt Angle agai d her e McMahon an Officer Stephani her H. This will be husband, Triple her g match but if first pro-wrestlin lle 7 against Miche fight in Furious , it’ll ything to go by Rodriguez is an mn treat. be a treat. A da

N O I T U L O V E R E H CONTINUING T

Y E L Y BA

W

hen people first spoke of the women’s revolution in WWE, culminating with the presentation of the women’s championship by Lita at WrestleMania 32 to replace the now defunct Divas title, for a long time it was thought of as nothing more than a catchphrase. Undeniably this was a huge step forward in the companie’s direction and treatment of its female counterparts, looking to further themselves from a history that had not been in line with how women should be represented, and quite frankly respected in today’s society.

Fast forward to 2018, and it’s thanks to wrestlers like Bayley that the movement is now well and truly cemented in the annals of history.

It’s no longer just a catchphrase; it’s a mantra that every woman in the locker room carries on their back, constantly fighting for the next opportunity to prove their worth.

For Bayley, to be a part of the WWE was always her dream. It’s common knowledge that the reallife Pamela Martinez is regarded as a ‘superfan’ outside of the ring, fondly recalling that from the age of 12 she’d envisioned herself one day competing in the main event

of WrestleMania. To share a locker room with the likes of Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy and beyond in Bayley’s own words is still ‘So crazy’.

“I’m still not used to it. I was walking up the ramp before doors at a show one time and Kurt (Angle) was coming down the ramp toward me and just said ‘hey’ – it’s so mad knowing that he knows who I am.

Being with the WWE means that I’ve gotten to know his daughter too, she’s a huge fan of mine – again it’s crazy! I’ve also gotten to know Matt (Hardy), I was obsessed with the Hardy Boyz growing up. He has so many stories to tell, he’s such a great locker room leader and person to be around.” .

Bayley has received her fair share of detractors, as many others have faced since stepping out from between the famed yellow ropes.

Speculation has always been rife since dropping the Raw women’s championship that management has lost faith in her abilities to help carry the division. Contrary to this, it’s clear that this faith is still instilled, having competed in the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match (being eliminated by longtime friend Sasha Banks), and having just competed in the firstever women’s Elimination Chamber match. There’s a feeling shared amongst the locker room of hope

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 45

for the future of women’s wrestling in the WWE, one that Bayley hopes to spearhead. It’s a goal that keeps the women of WWE going, with Bayley’s prediction that one day we will see women main event WrestleMania, fulfilling the dreams of a 12-year-old watching from home.

“It’s possible (women main eventing WrestleMania) and it will happen one day. If I’m in it or not, just the fact that a women’s match could main event WrestleMania makes my heart happy, we’ve come so far. But we’re not where we want to be yet. We want to main event on a regular basis. The Elimination Chamber was a huge step towards our shared goal, and I don’t feel like WrestleMania is too far away from what we want to accomplish”.

The Elimination Chamber was a huge part of making this dream a reality, but for Bayley, it wasn’t without controversy. Sasha Banks looked as if she was to aid Bayley in the structure, only to seemingly turn on her friend. It seems now is

46 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

the time to strike whilst the iron is hot, a rivalry renewed between two of the best in the business with WrestleMania fast approaching.

“It’s been weird between us since the Royal Rumble, she eliminated me and I just took it as being an ‘every woman for herself’ situation, so I understood as she needed to do what was best for her. It seemed more aggressive from Sasha (at the Elimination Chamber), I feel like it didn’t have to go that way. It’s a hard situation for me – we’ve never had issues outside of the ring. If she really does have a problem with me then it’s something that we’ll have to solve.”

Bayley also spoke about Ronda Rousey joining the ranks of WWE, giving props to the 16-second knockout queen of the UFC for bringing new viewers who have known her previously for her near flawless work in the octagon. It’s made clear however that no matter what, she’s not taking anyone’s spot.

Perhaps more importantly though is what Bayley has become. In a world where the rights of women are still not on par with that of men in many respects, she stands with the weight of the world on her shoulders to show young women that you can accomplish anything that you set out to do regardless of your gender.

“I always wanted to make people feel how I felt as a fan in the crowd – to feel connected and inspired to do whatever they set out to do.

It’s weird but when I have signings I’ll have young women come up to me and say that my match with Sasha at Takeover: Brooklyn is what inspired them to get into wrestling training. To hear that at this stage in my career is insane, but it motivates me to keep going and its reassuring to hear. We’re doing something special. I feel a responsibility from parents too they’ll thank us for helping their children to get through hard times, that watching our matches makes them happy. But it’s a good responsibility to have.”

LONEWOLF

N I B R O C N BARO H

e’s a former WWE United States Champion, a Money in the Bank holder and he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on his first night graduating from NXT.

A L L E M R CA “I’ll be completely honest, I was scared,” begins Carmella. “My body isn’t made to be thrown on or get hit with ladders. At the time, you know how big it is, but when you look back on it…sometimes I’ll be at home and have the Money In The Bank briefcase on my kitchen table and think, ‘Oh my gosh, I won it’. It’s just unreal.”

WORDS:LIAM O’ROURKE

WORDS: JOZEF RACZKA

W

ith personalities and people being shuffled as SmackDown Live began to take shape, Carmella was given the golden ticket, the key that would swing the door of opportunity wide-open – she was turned heel. The more annoying, self-important elements of the persona that were difficult to love suddenly fell into place. For this gimmick, ita was ultimately clear from day one that being a heel was her true calling.

What can we expect from you at WrestleMania 34?

Well hopefully I walk in WWE champion, I know John Cena put out a challenge to make it a triple threat but I can tell you if I’m WWE champion, Cena’s not welcome with me and Nakamura. Cena’s smart, he knows his strategies and that’s how he’s a 16-time champ, so I’m going to do everything I can to keep him away as I think I can take Nakamura one-on-one so I’m going to walk in and out WWE champion.

Growing Up, what was your favourite WrestleMania moment?

WATCHING STONE COLD AND BRET HART, BLEEDING LIKE CRAZY WAS PRETTY SURREAL Oh, man.Watching Stone Cold and Bret Hart, just bleeding like crazy was pretty surreal but I also loved Eddie Guerrero vs Angle and Undertaker v Shawn Michaels in Houston, one of the best matches I’ve ever seen and of course, Taker vs Edge. There’s so many, it’s hard to pick.

Post-Mania, would you want to stay on Smackdown or move to RAW? I think about this a lot and some of the guys on RAW: Reigns, Rollins, Lesnar, Strowman, those guys are running shop over there and I want to see what they’re made of. It would be pretty awesome to get on RAW and shake things up for myself as well as the roster.

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 47

WORDS: JAMES TOAL

D ’ I , F F O T U C T IF MY LEG GO O T T I E K A M O T FIND A WAY A I N A M E L T S E WR E N O L A N E M O N THE PHE

S E L Y AJ ST E

ver since his surprise debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble, AJ Styles has consistently amazed audiences and strived to make every moment count when he’s in the ring. All of this should be culminating in possibly the most anticipated match of his career when he defends the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania. We managed to gain entrance to a conference call with the Phenomenal one himself before his big match to discuss the many things going through his mind, and even address certain rumours that may put everything on hold in a major way.

18 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018 48

Reportedly during a show at Madison Square Garden, AJ was seen to be carried backstage after a match, leading many to speculate his health moving forward. The always faithful internet wrestling community continued to spiral as thoughts of Styles missing Mania filled comments and tweets.

AJ’s response was many things, but definitely direct.

“If my leg got cut off, I’d find a way to make it to WrestleMania. I will be wrestling Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania, don’t worry about it, it’ll be fine.”

His confidence has filled me and many others with a sense of relief. Lord

knows what would happen if a match like that was suddenly off the table.

This response speaks volumes of AJ’s character, he goes on to say much later in the conference with regards to his do or die attitude when it comes to entertaining the audience.

“I think it’s more my ego than anything that won’t allow me to take time off. I still feel like I can go with these young guys and I feel like I’ve got something to prove. Because I am older... I got to be this guy, I got to be the same AJ Styles that everyone used to see and so when I’m not able to give them that guy or be that guy then I’ve got to hang it up.”

“There’s a little bit of everything I need to improve on. You name it, you can always be better at it and I want to be better at everything. If I can just be a little bit better at something throughout my career I feel like at least I’m moving forward. I think that once you believe you have learned everything and that you’re the master, you might as well get out of this business. I’m sure The Rock would even tell you that he still had more to learn.”

Honing your craft and wanting to learn is a key factor in AJ’s attitude. Applying yourself and allowing to take in new information seems to be the best way forward for him, which ultimately leads us perfectly to the next encounter for Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura.

Nakamura and AJ have faced off before back in NJPW during Wrestle Kingdom 10. After this bout, which many people thought would never happen again, their paths soon crossed during the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2017. The crowd felt it, AJ and Nakamura felt it, and we’re fairly sure Vince felt it too. Though a brief encounter, this then led to the slow hype, asking when will they face each other again or if they do, how will it go down? That answer was brought to us thanks to Nakamura winning the Royal Rumble match where he got to pick his

F RACZKA WORDS: JOZE

This passion to go and above and beyond has paid off in the past.

Thinking back to matches that AJ has been involved in before has left a mark in WWE that cannot be removed.

Matches with Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Brock Lesnar, and even Finn Balor have all had memorable moments littered throughout that show a lot of work has been done to make them outstanding in one way or another. But even with this outlook, when asked if he felt there was anything he needed to improve on, AJ replied positively with an eagerness to grow as a performer.

back, Daniel Bryan is elve-Time is back, the Tw n go ra D an ic the Amer who was winner, the man Slammy Award g that essional wrestlin so good at prof ter bser ver Newslet the Wrestling O stler t Technical Wre named their Bes is back! Two Award after him and was in the ring years since he rleans in at the New O stepping back tality he tasted immor stadium where nal XXX. It’s the Fi at WrestleMania Yes! yone, Yes, Yes, Countdown ever

N A Y R B L DANIE

champion to face, and we all know who he chose...

What did AJ think when Nakamura secured his place at WrestleMania?

“I was very excited that Shinsuke won the Royal Rumble and I had to make sure that I had the championship so that he and I could get in the ring together, against each other one on one, give the WWE Universe what they want to see. As far as the main event goes, I can tell you which match is going to steal the show. You can either put [Styles and Nakamura] on last, or you can have that as the only match and people are going to remember it because we are going to tear the house down, that’s what we do. We have the talent to be able to do that and I think that’s what people are expecting.

Whether or not it’s the main event, it’ll be a main-event match.”

Surely a match like this, which fans are already calling “match of the night”, must lead to some high pressure for Styles to come to terms with. AJ commented on this by stating; “Well, there’s definitely some expectations that are a little high, it’s going to be hard to reach those expectations. If I had to pick someone

in the WWE that I could do it with, it’d be Shinsuke. It is what it is, at the end of the day we can only do what we can do. I really believe that we have the opportunity to do something great for ourselves, each other, and put ourselves on a pedestal that people will remember a match from WrestleMania that they’ll never forget.”

“I don’t know there’s that much pressure. I feel like that [Nakamura] and I can have a great match no matter what, it’s going to happen. There’s a little pressure of it being WrestleMania, but I work well under pressure so I’m not worried about it... it’s a match that I wanted. So the fact that we’re actually going to do it at WrestleMania, I think its long overdue but it’s the perfect timing to do it and it’s exciting.”

So there you have it, folks. AJ is going to be ready no matter what, Nakamura has his sights set on the WWE championship and WrestleMania is only a few short weeks away. The only question now is who is going to walk out with the title? Either way, this matchup has been a long time coming in WWE and we finally get to see it. All I can say is sit back, relax, and look forward to seeing what these two pull out of the bag to make it truly memorable.

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 49 19

rusev

INTERVIEW: R TA S R E P U S E W W O T E K O P WE S WORDS: LEE HAZELL

HANDSOME

V E S RU

R

usev is one of the best home-grown WWE talents this century.

His explosive beginning with the company, 146 days undefeated, was finished after a WrestleMania loss to John Cena. With 18 months with no gold around his waist, Rusev has recently taken matters into his own hands with his new Rusev Day gimmick and the fans have been more behind him than ever. Just listen to the raucous reaction he got at the Rumble. Rusev talks to VultureHound about Rusev Day and his WrestleMania prospects

Rusev starts us off with the greeting we all want to hear. “Happy Rusev day my friend!” It’s quickly mentioned that the thing that everyone is looking forward to is WrestleMania, but shock-horror, this year WrestleMania clashes with Rusev Day. What does the Bulgarian Brute think of this? “Well it’s the first collaboration between WrestleMania and Rusev Day, so I’m looking forward to it. The tank entrance at WrestleMania 31 was one of the greatest spectacles of all time so we’ve got to make it even more special this time. I can definitely top it, but we’re inside this year so I don’t think I

34 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018 50

can drive a tank or fly an aeroplane or a helicopter in there, so I’m going to have to come up with something else.”

Always the gracious gentleman, Rusev is quick to show his appreciation to those who have helped make Rusev Day a success. He explains the mass appeal of the philosophy behind Rusev Day, “It’s more than just a catchphrase. It’s a mentality. You’re celebrating yourself every day. It’s who you are. That’s what makes it more than just a cool catchphrase to say. People understand and they feel the passion behind it.

That’s why it’s had an amazing response.”

We ask his opinion on how the WWE Universe saw a side to Rusev the WWE creatives have seemingly missed. “It was different in the 80s and 90s when everything was more protected but now with social media, you are just out there. I think it’s good because people get to see your personality. Who you are. It’s not who they see in that ten minutes of TV

THIS YEAR WRESTLEMANIA CLASHES WITH

HAPPY RUSEV DAY

RUSEV DAY

F RACZKA WORDS: JOZE

HAPPY RUSEV DAY

suke In Januar y, Shin ns last from ed Roman Reig at in im el a ur Nakam ing a spot e, thereby earn the Royal Rumbl t. Yet ania Main Even in the WrestleM versal lking about Uni here we are, ta Lesnar fighting Champion Brock no rr y for Reigns, Reigns. I feel so r how does, no matte matter what he g to is, there’s goin good his match s telling internet fanboy be those vocal esn’ t a beating, he do him, unless it’s r he gets. deserve whateve

S N G I E R ROMAN MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 51

HAPPY RUSEV DAY segments. I think that’s why people fall in love with characters that are not necessarily at the top of the programme or WWE champion or whatever.”

Rusev’s success on social media is due to his ingenuity with the medium. “Show ‘em what you got. For the first couple of years I couldn’t do that because I was in a very specific role, but now that I’m just me, I get to show off my personality and market myself.

People watch it, they understand it and they love it. You have to put the work in. It doesn’t matter if you have 10 followers or two-million followers, you can grow. Once somebody likes your stuff they’re going to retweet and then you get to the next person and the next person and that’s how you grow.”

WrestleMania sees Kurt Angle, one of Rusevs all-time favourites, tagging with Ronda Rousey for her in-ring debut. “I love Angle, man. He is the one. He is probably No.2 the best of all time. Or No.1.

Something like that. Every time

52 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

I have to do something funny or something stupid and I really don’t want to do it, I look back and think, “Man, Kurt had to do so much worse.” But then, in the ring, he’s just an animal. He’s the Olympic champion. Umaga was another big influence. He was the man, who when I started training, I was watching him and taking a lot of things from him.”

Considering him and his idol, Kurt, have a penchant for submission finishers, we asked him if it was always the plan to utilise a submission for his most effective line of offence. “My Machka Kick that I do before The Accolade used to be my finisher. Then, when I was in NXT’s performance centre, Terry Taylor gave me the so-called Camel Clutch from back in the day. He said Sheik used to do it and that I should impersonate him, so he gave me that finish. We taped it and sent it to Triple H right away.

My only problem was that Jinder Mahal used to do it before me. But Triple H was like, “Well he hasn’t won a match in a while.””

Considering he is currently without a title, or even in a feud over one, we asked him if he was looking to attain gold at The Granddaddy of Them All. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do at WrestleMania, so it’s very farfetched for me to tell you that WrestleMania is going to be my moment that is going to define 2018. I don’t know. I take it day by day. Each Rusev Day by each Rusev Day.” Finally we proposed some fantasy angles the fans would love to see, specifically UFC’s Connor McGregor. “McGregor? He’s not coming to WWE. What is he going to do here? He’s got $150 million.

What is he going to do here? Move on. Though I would like me, him and Sheamus to get a pint of Guinness and see where we go from there.” Finally, we asked him who would he choose as his opponent at WrestleMania? His answer was shockingly frank. “Vince McMahon.

I really want to kick his butt.”

WORDS: TIM BIRKBECK

T

he Uso’s are well on their way to becoming one of the greatest tag teams of all time and if they continue to produce gold on the mic and in the ring, like they’ve been doing since their heel turn it will be undeniable that they belong in the ranks of teams like The Hardys, The Dudley Boyz, The Legion of Doom and The Rock ‘n Roll Express. Jimmy Uso talks to us about their influences, their rivalries and, of course, if after nine years loyal service, they will finally make the main card at WrestleMania.

In fact, that is the first topic of conversation. “I dunno, man. Never getting on the main card? It’s been nine years already. Never getting on the main card; it’s kind of discouraging but I get it. You’ve got to grind to get on there. That’s the spot. That’s the Super Bowl. That’s the Grandest Stage of Them All. At this point, if I’m not on there and I know I had a hell of a year, I don’t know what I can do. All I got to do is keep my head down in 2018 and make it better than 2017. That’s the mentality we’ve got. I’ll just keep grinding. This year? Yeah, I’m walking on eggshells, but I’ve got a good feeling.”

show at WrestleMania, you need to have a career-defining match.

We asked him who would be best placed to provide such a fight.

“That’s a hard one man, but if I had to pick, if it came down to just one team for The Uso’s to fight, it would probably be The Hardy Boyz.

That’s just from me growing up and watching tag-team wrestling.

They made me and my brother go, “Holy cow, man! That’s pretty cool.” They’re brothers. They’re doing their thing. They’re WWE Tag Team Champions.”

Speaking of family, with WrestleMania looming large, their father and WWE Hall of Famer, Rikishi, was certainly no stranger to The Grandest Stage of them All. We asked if he had any particular memory of his Dad working wrestling’s biggest show. “Crazy thing is, I do. My dad and Samu (The Headshrinkers) had a tagteam match at Ceaser’s Palace (WrestleMania IX). They wrestled the Steiner Brothers which was also the same PPV where my uncle Yoko beat Bret Hart. So, to see all of them; my dad, both my uncles on one of the biggest stages of them all was really surreal for us, and it would really be cool to do that again. Me and my brother and my cousin; just my whole family at WrestleMania, representing.”

If you’re going to be on the main

THE CLUB'S

LUKE GALLOWS

I

n a time when the wrestling world is buzzing with potential dream matches, some of which are already coming true, Luke Gallows has suggested a WrestleMania dream match that would have fans salivating.

One which VultureHound suggests when speaking to one half of The Club would be the Good Brothers alongside Finn Balor versus The Elite.

“The Club V The Elite would be a great match,” “As would The Club vs The Shield, hell lets make it a three-way for WrestleMania, that would truly be something amazing.”

When asked what his favourite WrestleMania moment throughout history is he answers: “My own”.

“Last year being in that ladder match and hearing the reaction to the Hardy Boyz return was incredible.

O S U Y JIMM

“There have been so many incredible WrestleMania moments throughout the WWE’s history but to be part of your own is a little bit special.”

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 53

inside no.9

WORDS: ZOE WILLIAMSON | PHOTO: BBC

INSIDENO.9 THE GREAT BRITISH

ANTHOLOGY SERIES

G

reat Britain has a truly masterful anthology series to boast about. Each episode brings a fresh idea that will threaten to change the direction of your moral compass, bring you to emotional distress or leave you with a sincere sense of appreciation that a show is challenging traditional filming methods. A twist is revealed in the last five minutes which changes how you view the entire episode. It’s not Black Mirror. It’s not necessarily similar to Black Mirror either, but they’re both anthology series’, so some kind of comparison is inevitable. So here it is.

Inside No. 9 is the creation of The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville alumni Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. The rules are simple: every episode must have the

54 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

number 9 attached to the setting, such as a dressing room or house. Aside from that theme, there are no rules on content. Stories exist in the same mundane existence we do or heightened reality and the genre is variable.

No. 9 is a masterpiece in writing because and in spite of rejecting one style. There is a familiarity to the writing, each episode feels like it belongs, but none of them fit with each other. It is not just writing (such as an episode written in iambic pentameter) but filming techniques too. Installments utilise small spaces (such as a wardrobe or train carriage) and instil that claustrophobia or make up their own rules and film through the perspective of CCTV cameras. Black

Mirror has its focus- the terrors of tech- and does not distract from that. Sometimes it can get more comedic or indulge in a romance, but it never feels like an adventurous step.

With so many episodes to write and no repeat characters or storylines to use, Pemberton and Shearsmith have to be commended for avoiding ease. The three main genres are comedy, drama and horror, all of which can be done horrifically.

Comedy can be easy and cheap.

If you have a limited run time, the temptation would be greater to create OTT and shouty characters who play for cheap laughs. Instead, the comedy is subtle enough to not irritate a person who isn’t amused

SEEING CHARACTERS AT THEIR MOST VULNERABLE OR IN A HEIGHTENED STATE OF EMOTION ALLOWS YOU TO SEE THEM

by the joke and hilarious to someone who really clicks with it.

Amongst the comedic outings there is plenty of drama. With these episodes, the show demonstrates heart and its shameless atrides to rip out your own. Becoming attached to a character in such a short space of time is exceptionally difficult. If you were to be told a life story in order to fill in gaps, then the oxymoronic mix of lazy and trying too hard would not resonate.

Instead, seeing characters at their most vulnerable or in a (believable) heightened state of emotion allows you to see them.

Closing off a series requires

something with more of a horror edge.

The subtlety of writing really shines in these episodes. Good horror, like comedy, is difficult to do. Scaring people is easy. A sudden noise and appearance on screen will ensure most people jump, but it is more irritating than genuinely scary; it’s the fart joke of the franchise.

Awaiting a jump scare that’s never going to arrive creates more unease in a viewer. Watching is uncomfortable but compelling.

Inside No. 9 hits much more than it misses. Black Mirror can become trapped by the idea that technology has too much of a vice grip over our

lives; there’s little wriggle room for experimentation with genre, causing an episode that strays from the norm to really stand out (looking at you, San Junipero). Both shows have their merits but one is much more adventurous than the other and allows itself to consider human nature in more ways. The chemistry between the writers would be clear even if they were not on the screen and it’s a privilege to see.

Latest episodes available on iPlayer.

Catch up with the first two series on Netflix.

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 55 05

James Marsh

WORDS: CHRISTIAN LYNN

We spoke with Oscar winning director about his new film The Mercy 56 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

INTERVIEW

JAMES MARSH

Diving into the Depths of ‘The Mercy’

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n light of its impending release on home entertainment, we had the pleasure of interviewing James Marsh, the man behind the Donald Crowhurst biopic, The Mercy. An esteemed director responsible for the Oscar-winning documentary Man on Wire and the equally applauded Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, Marsh elaborates on what interested him in the project, why Colin Firth was the perfect choice to bring the complex character that was Crowhurst to the screen, as well as some of the specifics of the film itself, such as the late Jóhan Jóhansson’s beautiful score. *Spoiler alert* sensitive details about the plot ahead.

Usually with British Heritage Dramas, you get a very feelgood drama, but The Mercy was a very refreshing experience.

It was very emotional, very powerful.

I think it’s about the expectation. I hope the film finds its audience, I think it will fight that obstacle, but I find it really quite subversive as an idea, to set up those expectations.

It’s a true story, the film is quite accurate about the details of the story, what we know of Crowhurst’s journey from his logbook, from his communications. The thing is, is that once you’re confronted with the

truth, that’s the way that you have to do it, you can’t change it, it’s a totally different story if he doesn’t do the things he does, and because it’s a true story, you respect that and it’s this truth that offers this reversal from the normal, conventional film narrative. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it actually, it’s one of the main attractions of the story and the project. The paradigm for this kind of film is that you expect the heroic underdog to endure and triumph, or at least endure and survive. And this story, as given to you by history, sets it up almost exquisitely. But it doesn’t deliver what you think it’s going to deliver, it delivers the opposite, the heroic underdog who starts to fray at the edges, starts to cheat, starts to unravel, goes mad and kills himself.

came out, and that had a really strong archive in it. I think it’s a mythical story essentially, certainly in the United Kingdom. It’s a seafaring nation that wallows in its nostalgia so much and at the time, Crowhurst is part of this nostalgia for empire in a way. The Americans are going to the Moon and the British are doing their plucky, seafaring, solo navigation. At the time, there’s an awareness of something that’s very simple about the courage of a man going out on his own in a boat, and that speaks to a national mythology as well.

Interestingly, as we were making the film and finishing the film, the referendum in the United Kingdom had taken place which has rejected the European Union, rejected the modern world if you like, now that we’re going to cut it off from the continent. So for each generation, this story seems to resonate in a slightly different way.

‘Once you’re confronted with the truth, that’s the way that you have to do it’

What was it about the story and the project that attracted you to it, that you’d like to tell this story in your own way?

There are other versions of this story. Deep Water was a very good documentary. There was also a really informative BBC documentary being made before Crowhurst left Teignmouth and carried on after the true story

You can consider the Press and how they egged Crowhurst on, only to then condemn him. But in this present, British crisis, this story is a very interesting analogy, if you want to see it that way, with

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 05 57

James Marsh

He has this star persona, he’s this slightly repressed middle-class or upper-class Englishman

the story of a man who gives up all his certainties for a folly which he is unprepared to see through in a psychological and basic, material sense.

I would offer the idea that maybe this is where we are going as a nation by doing something so foolhardy as Brexit, for reasons I don’t particularly understand or that no one is able to define for us. That appears to me to be a very interesting parallel to the Crowhurst story, perhaps by coincidence, but I personally see a comparison between the national journey that we appear to be on and Crowhurst’s [laughs] very unsuccessful, deluded journey ending in self-destruction.

What was your thinking behind 58 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

casting Colin Firth? Was he your first choice?

Colin was actually attached to the project before I was, he attached himself to it very early on. I think he had a connection to this character and saw a bit of himself in Crowhurst, as did I. So when I read the script and learned that he was already involved, I was delighted, I thought he was the best choice. As you say, he has this star persona, he’s this slightly repressed middleclass or upper-class Englishman, and that sort of baggage that actors acquire over their careers, that was really helpful for us. It helps with the subversive quality of the story. Colin has this warm, forgiving English persona, much like Crowhurst himself. So Colin was the perfect actor for this and

he threw himself into it and he was really quite obsessed with it, as was I. We shared that obsession.

I mean, you can talk and talk and talk, and we did. So what he had to do was something rather difficult. To start off a journey where he’s a normal, slightly deluded, optimistic, cheerful, rather ingenious man as Crowhurst was. To take that character and the pressures he found himself under, turning into a cheat, deceiving people, even his own family. He ends with the burden of that and the burden of isolation, losing his mind and presumably committing some act of self-destruction at the end of it. We don’t show that in the film in any definitive way but that’s clearly what you’re meant to believe by the evidence he leaves behind on the boat. His last words are ‘the mercy’, which suggests some kind of release is available to him finally. But Colin was a fantastic choice for this, he chose himself for the role and I was delighted to hear of it.

There was an intriguing presence of clocks within the

film. What was your thought on the use of clocks in general?

It seemed like a motif running throughout the film.

to keep him under the water, as a sort of prosaic, rather ghoulish interpretation of what the clock’s function was at the end of his time on the boat.

Well here’s the thing, one of the things you realise when you get into the nitty gritty details of the story, is that on the boat, the clock was missing. Everything else on the ship was discovered as it was, except that the clock was gone. You can of course speculate on what that means and I did, and it means one of two things as far as I could tell. Firstly, the clock had a significance to him as a symbolic timepiece and there’s evidence in the diary and the logbook to suggest that he’d become obsessed with time and the universe, in an interesting and particularly bonkers kind of way. So there’s a poetic version of this, where the clock goes with him on whatever journey he’s on, even as he jumps into the sea at the end of the film. Secondly, perhaps closer to the truth of it, is that he uses it as a weight in order to take himself under the water i.e. it’s an accessory to his suicide. Or perhaps he tossed it over the side for reasons we’ll never know. But once you realise that the clock is missing, you can’t help but invest it with some significance so we did. You see it very early in the film, he highlights its installation into the cabin, he also bangs his head on it at one point. It’s always there, hiding in plain sight, and at the end it takes on a whole new significance.

But we wanted to leave that metaphor or symbol open for your interpretation. My feeling, if I were making a documentary, would be that he was using it as a weight

Jóhan Jóhansson produced some wonderful scores throughout his career, particularly with your films.

What was your experience working with him? How much input did he have in the creative process?

Well we worked together on The Theory of Everything, in fact we worked together before that on a documentary I was involved with, in the editing. We met quite a long time ago, we’ve been friends and collaborators for five years now. Firstly, with The Theory of Everything, which was a score that needed to be moe radical than you’d find in a traditional Hollywood biopic. Jóhan’s not primarily a film scorer, he’s a breathlessly creative musician and composer who just happened to do film scores. The Mercy was a more interesting proposition for us both in a way. It was a story that appealed to him in the same way that it appealed to me, and we started to discuss that collaboration quite early on.

When we started the film, he’d already written three pieces. So it was a rich collaboration, and my brief with Jóhan was always to interpret the film, to own the film yourself, that’s why you work with a composer of that brilliance. You want them to express themselves, explore the film and read it in their own way. Our collaborations were built on the principle of freedom.

Of course there were guidelines as with any film, but our collaboration was a very open one. He was a dear friend of mine and the news of ten days ago was horrible and shocking. But he’s left behind an amazing body of work. Our work together was always a pleasure.

While there can be friction when two creative people work together, with Jóhan, he was a very kind human being so it was always an enormous pleasure to work with him.

Finally, what can we look forward to from you in the future?

Well I’m just finishing up a film I made in London, last summer.

It’s based on a true story of a heist that took place on a security vault in London, a few years ago.

It’s a notorious story because the initial suspects were a team of crass, Eastern European jewel thieves who were going around the world robbing stores in Dubai and Milan. But it turned out that the actual perpetrators were a group of geriatric London villains who were in their sixties, seventies and eighties. They did this last great vault robbery. It presents itself as a comedy, a ridiculous story really.

But it enabled me to assemble a cast of Britain’s great actors, Michael Gambon, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent and Tom Courtenay, all legendary British actors. It was an enormous privilege to work with them, and I’m excited for it come out.

The Mercy is available on Blu-Ray and DVD from the 4th June.

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 59

albums

2018

RELEASE RADAR OOM. And just like that it’s already March. So we say thank you to bands and artists like Solomon Grey, Happy Accidents, Van William, Dream Wife, Tiny Moving Parts, Lucy Cacus, Rolo Tomasi, The Breeders, and Machine Head for getting 2018 off to a wonderful start. But there’s more to come, as the VH Music team tell you about upcoming albums you should definitely be excited about…

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ÄNGIE SUICIDAL SINCE 1995 (APRIL 6)

WHAT WE KNOW: WHAT WE KNOW: Debut album from a soon-to-gosuper-nova Swedish artist, whose unfiltered celebration of life’s excesses has the music press excited, and parents the world over in a panic.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED:

COURTNEY BARNETT TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL (MAY)

WHAT WE KNOW: After last year’s collaboration with Kurt Vile, Lotta Sea Lice, The Australian singer/ songwriter announces the follow up to her 2015 debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED: Barnett has taken the indie scene by storm with her energetic live shows and honest songwriting, and the anticipation has been building for her next solo release for some time. The first single, ‘Nameless, Faceless’, is a glorious and raw punk-feminist anthem that has quite simply had us clambering for more. Barnett has all of our attention and all eyes on her for 2018.

WORDS: TIM STOCKWELL

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KIMBRA PRIMAL HEART (APRIL 20)

Her first single, ‘Smoke Weed, Eat Pussy’, could have been put down by some as pure press-baiting. But it’s 2018 for fuck sake, and an artist like Angie, whose sexualized lyrical content, and descriptions of drug use, shouldn’t be treated with novelty value. To label her as a ‘Swedish Miley Cyrus’ does disservice to the fact the tunes are really, really good. Trippy, twisted, dark, and infectious, ‘Smoke Weed, Eat Pussy’, was more than the shock value it had in its arsenal. Subsequent tracks too, like ‘Housewife Spliffin’, ‘Spun’, and ‘Dope’, all delivered along these lines. She’d be prime time Radio1 fodder by now if it wasn’t for the obvious OFCOM hurdle, but there are other ways to stardom that don’t involve toning down or self restraint. Let’s hope she finds a way with this debut album.

WORDS: DAN WITHEY

Kimbra’s eclectic last record, The Golden Echo, was released almost three years ago now, creating much anticipation and buzz for the Kiwi singer’s (and multi-instrumentalist) follow up.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED: Kimbra is one of the rare artists who is consistently exciting to watch because you never know what she’s going to do next. With too many others, they’ll release a single and one thinks, “this is pretty much what I expected,” but Kimbra puts out a song and the result is, “wow, this is such an interesting, new direction,” and she’ll do that in multiple different ways throughout one album. In her previous record, The Golden Echo, she bounced from a modern hip-hop beat (‘90’s Music’) to a Fleetwood Mac homage (‘Carolina’) to a disco dance track (‘Miracle’), but those examples hardly scratch the surface. Her courage with experimentation is something way too many artists lack and it’s beyond time for people to know her as more than just “the girl in that Gotye song”.

WORDS: KACY RABY

11 MANIC STREET PREACHERSRESISTANCE IS FUTILE (APRIL) WHAT WE KNOW: The Welsh rock kings of “culture, alienation, boredom and despair” return with their thirteenth studio album - the much-anticipated successor to 2014’s Futurology.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED: Speaking to the BBC in October 2017, Nicky Wire said he “didn’t know” if the band would be releasing another album, after Rewind The Film and Futurology had sapped them of their creative juices. Nevertheless, about a month later, the band announced Resistance Is Futile, their first album to be recorded at their new Door to the River Studio, in Newport. With themes of “memory and loss, forgotten history, confused reality, and art as a hiding place and inspiration”, Resistance Is Futile cites Generation Terrorists and Everything Must Go as major influences. First single, ‘International Blue’, inspired by artist Yves Klein, and released at the end of 2017, featured the band’s biggest riff since 2010’s Postcards From A Young Man, while second single, ‘Distant Colours’, sees James Dean Bradfield sing about his disenchantment with the Left of his youth. Can the Manics still unleash a beast of an album after the unlikely Futurology? We’ll have to wait for April 13th to find out.

BEACH HOUSE TBC (SPRING)

DAPHNE & CELESTE -

DAPHNE & CELESTE SAVE THE WORLD

WHAT WE KNOW:

WHAT WE KNOW:

The dream pop duo quietly released new single, ‘Lemon Glow’, as if a Valentine’s present to their most faithful fans, as well as announcing an as yet untitled new album.

One of the most maligned pop duos of the 90’s return with a new album, alongside experimental, electro producer, Ben Jacobs (AKA Max Tundra).

WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED:

Their place in UK pop music history is assured, but for probably the wrong reasons. The much-hated (and much-bottled) D&C could have just carried on with their new, post-pop career lives, forgetting the whole thing ever happened – but thank goodness they didn’t. In 2015, 15 years on from their ill-fated appearance at Reading Festival, they returned, out of the blue, with new track ‘You & I Alone’.

Together, with producer Max Tundra, they had released one of the most pleasant surprises of the year; a skittish, minimal, and ever-so-cool synth-pop track, which had a lot of people suddenly beside themselves with excitement of what (if anything) could come next. Well, something is coming – Daphne & Celeste Save The World, featuring 13 tracks, including, ‘You & I Alone’ and latest single, ‘BB’ – a candy-coated, synthpop banger that sounds like Kero Kero Bonito, but so much more ridiculous.

It seems impossible after all these years that Beach House could remain so under the radar, yet above all the rest. They have remained faithful to their sound throughout their career, while managing to make each release just as exciting as the last. The surprise roll out of Thank Your Lucky Stars just months after the highly anticipated Depression Cherry in 2015 didn’t have quite the knock on effect that we may have liked, but it showed that Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally still had more to give. Sure enough, the release of ‘Lemon Glow’ suggests a new direction, building a sensational tension all while maintaining a dreamy familiarity. The result? Pure satisfaction. It’s not quite the Beach House you might expect, but they are pushing their dreamy little boat out to new waters with intensifying intimacy and unshakable nerve. The album couldn’t come soon enough.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED:

WORDS: SAMANTHA MAE WORDS: DAN WITHEY

WORDS: RITA ARESTA

MARCH 20182017 VULTUREHOUND OCTOBER STEELCHAIR 61 35

DYNASTY WARRIORS 9

WORDS: JOZEF RACZKA

DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Rating

id anyone ever actually play Dynasty Warrriors for the plot? No?Anyone?!

Because I didn’t, and I’m pretty sure if you’re honest, you didn’t either. You played it because there’s something utterly intoxicating about hammering one or two buttons until those swathes of near-identical soldiers are all cut down in their digital prime. It doesn’t need to be much, there are games out there for strategy, for magic, mystery and excitement but sometimes, it’s good to have something that doesn’t demand anything more than entertaining. Hacking – and indeed – slashing are a lot of fun, but it’s difficult to approach without wondering, is it possible to put too much work into something?

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62 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

Dynasty Warriors 9, is the ninth game in the main Warriors cycle, a series of games loosely based upon the Records of the Seven Kingdoms, a series of texts detailing what are possibly the most tumultuous time in Feudal Chinese history. However, the games span so much more than the Three Kingdoms, with spin-offs based on products from Zelda to Fist of the North Star, through to Gundam, and even getting its own spin-offs like Samurai Warriors that took the same premise but applied it to Sengoku era Japan.

On one level, this isn’t just a series of games about mindless swordplay (although on another level, it totally is), it is something of an institution, much like Fifa, delivering not much in the way of constant reinvention

but certainly giving itself a visual upgrade every few years. For this ninth entry, Koei Tecmo decided to try something new and introduced elements like an Open World map to explore. It’s new for this series, ok?

So, at its core, the game still has the same solid, entertaining gameplay that it’s always had. The game isn’t one of strong strategy but there’s a surprising amount of depth to its system. Clearly having taken a little inspiration from chain sequence fighting mechanisms like those found in the Batman: Arkham and Lord of the Rings: Shadow series, you can pull of manoeuvres like triggering a well-timed counter in order to flow into special moves. It makes it feel more fluid than otherwise would be the case, and even without it, such

REVIEW

horse animation’, there’s a bit of negative to come. The biggest being that it’s as ugly and jerky as hell.

You see those lovely high-res images above? They are not representative of the finished game. Hell, they aren’t even particularly representative of the quality of the cut-scenes as most of the environments seem to have very stock builds of ‘town’, ‘forest’ or, later on, ‘icy plain’ and ‘desert’.

It isn’t helped by a jerky animation style, of course.

things would still be pretty fun but it certainly adds to the package.

The open world mechanic seems daunting at first as the locations aren’t immediately distinguishable, but luckily the game gives you the ability to summon a horse out of the aether and not just any horse but one with the most oddly entertaining jump animations I’ve seen. The vertical leap that horse can get from standing is incredible. As always, having a variety of characters you can play as doesn’t massively alter your strategy of ‘hammer buttons till dead’, but it does add some variety to the gameplay which could get repetitive otherwise.

Of course, as you may have guessed from my second positive being ‘the

It’s understandable when there are sometimes hundreds of moving objects on screen at once, plus breakable scenery and with notifications that pop up about rival factions, presumably more off-screen in the miles of blank scenery. That’s a lot of data to handle (even with the game’s frequent and lengthy loading screens) but it still feels like more a single A title, rather than Triple A, charging people a full £50 for a physical copy. There should be a higher level of quality than this in 2018. Also, as much as the game wants us to follow its labyrinthine story of intrigue and rivalry amongst feuding warlords, there’s very little in the presentation apart from a weak script and forced voice-acting to make sitting through the cut-scenes feel like a treat more than a chore.

are entirely down to attempts to expand and deepen the experience.

You cant fault them for that, but ultimately, it was not an experience that needed deepening. Instead of trying to do too much well, the game could have been a lot better if they’d just focussed in on making the core experience look and play as smoothly as possible. As it stands, it’s a missed opportunity but certainly not one that you can fault for lack of effort.

DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 IS AVAILABLE NOW FOR PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE & PC

It’s hard to completely hate Dynasty Warriors 9 as, at its core, it’s an incredibly enjoyable fighting game and all of the failings of the game

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 63

NI NO KUNI II

04 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

PREVIEW PREVIEW NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM WORDS: FRASER OVERINGTON

he critically acclaimed Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch hit the west in 2013, offering players the chance to experience the wonders of Studio Ghibli in game form, the result of which was a truly heart-warming tale that resonated with many. This makes its sequel one of the most anticipated titles of 2018.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is set hundreds of years after the White Witch and is heading to PS4 and PC. After spending a few hours with the game, it looks like it’s living up to the hype.

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RK follows the story of Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, a boy king who must reclaim his lost kingdom. The preview started with Evan and his gang of friends partway through Chapter 3 as they enter Goldpaw, a city that relies on luck for their entire way of life. Unsurprisingly, those in power can’t help but manipulate the system to increase their own wealth and power, so it falls to you to investigate the

corruption.

Exploring Goldpaw was a wonderful experience, from the cel-shaded graphics to taking the time to listen to Joe Hisashi’s joyous soundtrack. The city is filled with useful items for you to collect, NPCs to talk to and breath-taking views to take in.

The exploration wasn’t entirely smooth though, as there were some frame-rate dips during my playthrough, but hopefully that’ll be fixed when the game is released.

The enchanting graphics aren’t the only thing to get excited about, this outing has some new elements up its sleeve. One of them is Kingdom Mode where you’ll be able to help Evan build up his kingdom, allowing you to gain citizens and shops to aid you on your adventure. There’s also the real-time strategy Skirmish Mode, where you send cute, chibi troops out to battle with a rock-scissors-paper type mechanic.

Perhaps the biggest change of all is the battle system. A major aspect of the previous game was collecting and levelling up familiars – a fun, although rather convoluted system. In Revenant Kingdom, combat is a different beast. It’s a fast action-RPG that allows you to switch between any

of your party members at any time. Perhaps you misjudged the distance between Evan and a boulder being thrown his way?

As poor Evan recovers from the blow, instantly switch over to Tani and make up for your mistake.

The freedom you have during each battle feels great and looks spectacular on the screen. If you were a fan of the familiars, don’t worry. Ni no Kuni II has new cute creatures to help you in battle, Higgledies. These cute critters are different colours and will be seemingly running around the battle screen aimlessly, until they all get together and start glowing. That’s your cue to head over to them and activate their abilities. It all works incredibly well and makes for an enjoyable experience. Will it be able to remain interesting for the entire game? You can find out next month.

Having the opportunity to play a few hours of Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom was an incredible experience, the amount of love and passion that has gone into the game is staggering and it shows right down to the tiniest of details.

NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM IS OUT NOW

MARCH 2018 VULTUREHOUND 65 05

final word

WORDS: GABRIELLA GEISINGER

WHY YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING...

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL nown for quick-fire dialogue, it’s no surprise that after Gilmore Girls: A Year in The Life, Amy ShermanPalladino turned her incomparable talent to Jewish comedy in New York City circa 1958. Cue The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Midge (Rachel Brosnahan), to be precise. The woman who has it all. A husband, two kids, apartment on the Upper West Side.

Best of all, she’s bagged the Rabbi for Yom Kippur dinner. What makes Midge Marvelous isn’t her impeccable brisket or how she sits tirelessly through her husband’s doldrum stand-up routine, but it’s her phoenix-like resilience. The show is bawdy, hilarious, empathetic, quiet, loud, very, very Jewish, and very, very funny. For all these reasons, you should be watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.

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While some viewers might need a dictionary for words like mezuzah the fact that no definition is given is what makes Mrs Maisel authentic.

There is no shoehorning to explain Jewish culture to viewers. The sheer Jewishness of it is not a wall. Instead, combined with the layers of humour, parental indignation, and intimacy between characters, any viewer of any religion or ethnicity can tap into the frustration, pain, and jokes that

66 VULTUREHOUND MARCH 2018

Mrs Maisel rapid fires. Whether used defensively or for entertainment, Midge never shies away from the things that have most pained her and most defined her. Not only as a woman, mother, and wife but also as a comedian.

MIDGE MAISEL “Women are supposed to be mothers.

It’s supposed to be natural. It comes with the tits, right? The equipment is pre-installed.”

For any New York-ophile, the show casts Manhattan in a technicolour glow. From the Gaslight to the Upper West Side to B. Altman’s, the New York landmarks are abundant. The disparity between UWS money and downtown grit are thrown into hypercontrast. Midge’s sprawling apartment compared to her manager Susie’s (Alex Borstein) shoebox with a murphy bed is exaggerated, but so is the show.

MRS MAISEL If you don’t like any of the above, there’s still something in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel for you. The humour. Each line is biting, witty, and reveals a deeper human truth. We are all searching for our place. For some, that place is harder to find. Without spoiling, Midge comes up against the ultimate betrayal. She comes up against the male-dominated world of

comedy. She comes up against her parents’ inability to understand why she wouldn’t take her husband back.

Midge pushes against traditional envelopes almost without a second glance, and as a viewer you find yourself rooting for her.

Still in doubt? The show just picked up two Golden Globes, including Best Comedy.

Of course, no one – and no show – is perfect. Midge is an almost unbelievably neglectful mother, though put her in comparison to Carrie on Homeland and she’s a dream. The stereotype of Jews and money is tired, and they peddle mercilessly in it. And yet, stereotypes need to be challenged in a variety of ways, and heightening them for satirical comedic purposes is one of them. In the case of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, it works.

There are dissenting opinions, and they’re not wrong. But give the show the benefit of the doubt. Its humour, its strong-willed female protagonist, and its chutzpah are a force to be reckoned with. It is a show about revenge, redemption, suffering, and victory. Themes very Jewish, but also very human.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is available on Amazon Prime