THE WEEKLY EYE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE
NOVEMBER 2014
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Lewis Hamilton FROM BURNING TRACKS TO ‘BURNING TRACKS’
EDITOR Mark Dwayne editor@streetcredmagazine.com
Editor’s Note
W
SUB EDITOR Gordy Munro PRODUCTION Daniel Riley daniel.riley@streetcredmagazine. com PR & MARKETING Amanda Bowen amanda@streetcredmagazine.com
elcome back to another Street Cred Magazine!
CATCH STREET CRED ON:
Usher has been throwing himself around the stage across If you haven’t already, make sure you America for a few weeks now, and it’s get yourselves down to Swish Cocktail not long before he makes it over here. Bar and Lounge in Dale End, BirmingWe’re so excited for it, and for the UR ham City Centre. album to eventually be released that we thought he deserved the front! Come along and Get Swished! With the crazy snow that has hit the USA, and the possibility of it heading over to us, we’ve been to NEXT to see what we can find to wrap you all up nice and warm to brave the winter. Check out what we found and see if you like what there is!
MDG
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The views expressed in Street Cred magazine are not necessarily the editors opinion so do not try to kill him if you read anything you feel offended by. The magazine is a positive and fun read and is not with the intent to threaten anyone. All images are copyright of their respective rights holders.
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CONTENTS GRIMEY (5-6) - John Legend, Strictly, Blue. Fashion lick (8-11) - Love Miss Daisy
WHITE DEES COLUMN (12)
WHATS ON (18)
COVER STORY (14-15) - Swish Opening
Chantelle’s Spot (21)
Big screen (16)
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GRIMEY NEWS
Photographer Captures City From A New Perspective...
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ritish photographer Andrew Whyte is embarking on a road trip with a difference, taking two LEGO minifigures across the UK for his latest photo series. To mark the launch of the new Shell V-Power LEGO® Collection, Andrew will be visiting well-known sites including Edinburgh Castle, the Angel of the North and Brighton Pier – and capturing them through the eyes of his two miniature travelling companions. “These photos bring to life our road trip across the country and shows some the UK’s best loved sites from a whole new perspective,” he said. “The great thing about this type of photography is it’s something anyone can try. You don’t require special equipment – just a smartphone – a bit of imagination and some inspiration.”
Mel B’s past Relationship
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ever one to stay silent about her sexuality, the one that ‘got away’ was revealed in a recent interview as Spice Girls’ Mel B revealed a 4-year relationship with a woman. Although happily married to husband Stephen Belafonte, the feisty X-factor judge admitted to experimenting with ‘a very special lady.’ “I’ve definitely not been shy or been one to hold back,” she shared. “If I wanted to try something, I did. I had a girlfriend. So what? But I’ve been very happily married for seven years to a p***s. Haha! An amazing guy.” The 39-year-old did, however, reveal a woman who she is in love with; “I am in love with myself,” she proclaimed. “Yes! Because if you don’t love yourself how can anybody love you back?”
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GRIMEY NEWS
A cry from the heart “W e sing our songs about difficulties we face, we sing about better things, that are achieved problematically, we try to stop provocations, trying to open the eyes and hearts and tell others to do
THE EYE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND CUTTING EDGE LIFESTYLE
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the same. We believe in truth.” It’s a tough time to be a musician in Russia at the moment, with the worlds eye never too far away, and not for good reasons. 208 Talks of angels are a Russian band formed in 2006 by Anthony Fadeyev and Vladimir Romanchenko, who decided to join their efforts for the search of new music concept and new extraordinary sound. While the name is shrouded in mystery, especially the 208 part, they have explained that the word “angel” has no religious implication, but is just the translation of Greek “aggelos” that means herald, messenger. Their debut album ‘Dead Mail’ is currently out on Unable Records, featuring the talents of Anthony Fadeyev, Vilena Karklinya and Vladimir Romanchenko
with guest artists Chris Moore and Marty Grebb. “The idea of creating of “208 Talks of angels” and it posterior activity came from the wish to give the people access to high music culture, to convince people of getting out of dictated limits, stereotypes and templates and to persuade the listeners to comprehend the various kinds of stern reality.” states Fadeyev. Their style can be called a symbiosis of Alternative Rock, Classics, Industrial, Ballad, Ethnic, Progressive, Electronic, Break Beat, Ambient and many others, but to really experience 208 Talks of angels you need to hear it for yourself. So head over to their website at www.208talksofangels.com to check their music out.
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FASHION LICK
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With a bitter chill blowing its way across the sea from america, possibly followed by an impressive amount of snow, make sure that you’re all set for winter with these snuggly
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The Mendenhall Experiment are on a special mission
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merican rockers, The Mendenhall Experiment, are a band on a mission. Founded by Brandon Mendenhall, who was born with cerebral palsy, it was created to raise awareness for people with disabilities and also to inspire people of all ages to overcome whatever obstacles may cross their path. Ever since he was a child, Brandon loved music so much that he moved from his hometown in Illinois to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of working in the industry and used music as a way to overcome his disability. The inspiration of the name, The Mendenhall Experiment came from Brandon trying to start his own band in a strange town far away from family and friends. "That’s my main goal with music,” he said. “It’s not about the fame or money... sure, those things are nice and it’s great to make a living playing music, but that’s not why I want it. I have a unique opportunity to inspire people and kids with disabilities with my playing, my music and my story! I truly believe that's what I was put on this earth to do.” The California outfit has the right ingredients. Mike Lira, lead guitarist, is an accomplished musician in his own right. He is a solo artist with music available online.
Mike's younger brother, Bruce, is an amazing drummer at only 15 years old. He got his start at the tender age of four. Nathan Stockton, the bassist, has overcome a hearing disability since birth to play and write music. Mario Valadez, has an impressive vocal range with an energetic stage presence. The Mendenhall Experiment is building quite the resume and has played shows supporting such National Acts as Adema,
POD, Alien Ant Farm,The Endless Sporadic, Kill Devil Hill, Smile Empty Soul, and Saliva; also TMX opened Monster Energy's Aftershock Festival 2013 in Sacramento feat Korn, Megadeth, 5FDP, A7X, and many many more. They also opened for the Ontario Reign at Citizen’s Business Bank Arena in April, this year. They will be touring the UK in May and June in 2015.
WHITE DEE’S COLUMN
‘White Dee’s’ Column
M
e again - first of all I would like to apologise to you all for missing my column last month, due to it being half term, I decided to take the kids away on their first holiday abroad.
of Celebrity Big Brother, Channel 5 have commissioned a documentary - all about me (why - I’m not quite sure haha) but they hope it will give a more detailed account of who the real person is behind White Dee.
Good old Benidorm, there Filming has now finished was more Brummies and the programme is there than in Birmingham, due to air on January 2nd so I felt well at home. or 3rd 2015 - I would like to take this opportunity to It was so amazing just thank everyone who has to see the kids, swimming taken part and for all they in the pool and playing to- have contributed. gether on the beach and it was hot. But now its back I personally hope that it home and yep ‘man flu’, will show Birmingham peoso its plenty of lemon and ple in an amazing light behoney and good old tea. cause we are all amazing. So what else has been happening in the world of Dee lately - well off the back
school holiday was spent and where my kids still go, because its all about where we came from, and what makes us - us.
My dad has taken part and yep I just hope that you all get his sense of humour too because as old school Irish I’m still struggling to catch on to some of his jokes :-)
everyone in the community, from children to holding tea dances for the elderly. I cannot say enough how proud I am of this group and I hope you all at some Childhood friends, old point get a chance to pop school friends, family mem- along and see how they bers and new and fabulous have worked wonders. friends have taken part because I consider them all These ‘kids’ are all from to be very very important different backgrounds, difI went back to school, to me and my life. ferent religions and would went to Ireland to the famprobably never ever mix ily home where many a Now onto a more serious under any other circumpart of my life right now - I stances - but they have am all for putting back into buckled down and raised the community that I am funds through a cake sale privileged to be a part of, and a charity ‘Curry-oke’ and the city that has made night - where as a surprise me what I am today. I managed to get Ashley Walters - (Top Boy/So I have been working with Solid Crew) to make an apan amazing group of young pearance and the smiles people who are part of the on their faces was comPrinces Trust Scheme - pletely priceless and as Team 100 who are based for my Caitlin haha finally at Digbeth Police Station. getting to meet Ashley well lets say she was one happy Team 100 is being led by bunny. two amazing police officers, Ian and Kelly. I have So for now, I’m happy that decided to make a dona- I have been able to support tion to these young people these young people and to show that some peo- hopefully I can carry on dople really do care about ing so. the youth of our city, and in return these amazing Now until next month youngsters have decided bye for now! to completely renovate the Bishop Latimer Church Lots of love - Dee x x x Hall, in Winson Green. The church hall caters for
Questions, comments or suggestions for White Dee? Get in touch with her by emailing whitedee@streetcredmagazine.com
Lewis Hamilton From burning tracks to, well, burning tracks!
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t’s well known that his musical influences include Prince, Michael Jackson, and, of course, Nicole Scherzinger, but, after sewing up his second Formula One World Championship-the first British racer to do so in 40 years-the sport’s most engaging pin-up phenomenon Lewis Hamilton, has already, it’s been said, been mapping an equally lucrative career away from the glamour surroundings of Monaco, Silverstone and Abu Dhabi. The Mercedes AMG racer and would-be R&B singer is apparently regularly in the recording studio and it is claimed that he is hard at work on a debut album, declaring, “Music is everything to me.”
Hamilton has been recording songs for over a year, writing material with Wonderful singer Angel, who said: “He’s a proper singer. A breath of fresh air.” In recent interviews on BBC Radio, Hamilton did reveale that he spends as much time making music as he does in the race track; “I write a lot, even on race weeks,” he said. “When I was in Japan, I was in the studio, Monday to Wednesday. Then, Thursday to Sunday, I was racing. Then I was straight back in the studio.” “I have built a studio at home, for Nicole, so she didn’t have to leave the house to go back to LA, and now she can hardly get in because I’m always in it,” he said.
In fact, he’s so into his music that wherever he is in the world he is always looking for a studio to visit and do some work in. Nicole is right behind Lewis, who is looking to record a set at Radio One’s Live Lounge. All that being said, the 29-year-old is not short of ambition on the race track, as next season he will be gunning for a third title, to equal that of Scottish legend, Sir Jackie Stewart, and reach true immortality. So, the Lewis Hamilton world stadium tour will have to go on the back burner for now, as the one thing, at the forefront of his mind, is burning rubber - and that title No. 3.
BIGScreen Also, the decision to confine a large portion of this movie to a tank is a unique and inspired choice. It makes the action more visceral and the stakes much higher, as for every tank that is destroyed, there a five men inside who are destroyed along with it, which serves to make the action set-pieces hair-raising and nail-bitingly intense. Under the glitz and glamour of its big name cast, Fury manages to be one of the most unique World War II movies ever made.
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pril, 1945. As the Allied forces make their final push through Europe, a battle-hardened army sergeant, Don “War-daddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman Tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, War-daddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany and end the war, once and for all. Writer/Director David Ayer’s filmography is a mixed bag in terms of overall quality. It is a bag consisting of the simple yet entertaining popcorn flick The Fast and the Furious (2001), Oscar-Winning thriller Training Day (2001), the fantastic yet slightly flawed Crime-Drama End of Watch (2012) and the resoundingly dismal Sabotage (2014) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. While Sabotage is Ayer’s only genuinely bad film, it was enough to cast doubt over his abilities as a filmmaker. However, Ayer has pulled out all the stops here and delivered his best film to date with Fury. It is a war movie that is more about the relationships built by war than the actual war itself. While there is still an abundance of action, it never gets in the way of character and instead serves to accentuate the relationships between these men.
There is no clear separation between right and wrong or good and evil between its characters. This is a film that goes beyond what is expected of a war movie and resists the temptation to portray the American soldiers as pure, clean-cut heroes. They are battle-hardened war veterans who have been both physically and emotionally manipulated and changed by the atrocities they have
Review wORDS by antony brown had to endure every day. For them, war is a lifestyle now. They are so desensitised to the horrific violence that it has become second nature to them and if shooting, stabbing, burning and torturing people is what they need to do to get to where they’re going, they are more than happy to do so. Because of this grim approach to the story, there are points throughout this movie that you will actually dislike the people you are meant to be rooting for; because you witness them do some truly horrible and down-right spiteful things. However, due to the fantastic performances from the lead cast and the comradery they display during battle, you soon find yourself rooting for them once again and laughing along with them as they make fun of one another. Even though they aren’t the heroes we expect in a film like this, we understand why they have become the people they are and we can sympathise with them. Watching Fury is a truly odd and polarizing experience, in the best possible way. It is more than just a movie about World War II; it is a study about how war affects and changes people, which is what makes this movie as engaging and powerful as it is. Fury may not be the best World War II movie ever made, but it is definitely one of the most unique and unapologetically grim depictions of war ever committed to film. With a simple, episodic plot, a cast of fantastic actors, wince-inducing violence and brutally intense action, Fury is an exhilarating yet frighteningly realistic movie about what it’s really like to be on the front line.
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WHATS ON Kevin Bridges Wolverhampton Civic Hall 25 July 2015 Said to be Britain’s best stand-up comedian, Kevin Bridges returns to the road with a brand new show; ‘A Whole Different Story…’ in 2015. Scotland’s biggest export, dubbed as “brilliant” by one of his comedy idols, Billy Connolly has had an astonishing rise to success. His 2012 tour, ‘Kevin Bridges – The Story Continues…’ smashed box office records selling a staggering 45,000 tickets on the first day. Kevin went on to sell out an incredible nine-show run in Glasgow.
Desi Rockstars Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham 16 May 2015 For the first time in the UK experience the DESI ROCKSTARS tour featuring the Punjabi film and music superstar Gippy Grewal performing alongside the superstar Sharry Mann with a full live band. Also on the night you will witness the king of comedy and Punjabi film star Jaswinder Bhalla alongside Bal Mukand Sharma making this an unforgettable entertainment showcase for all Punjabi music and film fans. DESI ROCKSTARS will be hosted by Preeto so make sure you attend this great concert for the whole family.
Bette Midler Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham 09 July 2015 Multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and legendary performer Bette Midler has announced that she will return to UK stages for the first time in 35 years. The tour follows the Divine Miss M’s previously announced North American tour and will feature material from her iconic career and material from her new album, “It’s The Girls!” - a glorious tribute to girl groups through the ages.
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Word on the street CHANTELLE
ARE YOU SWISH? S
WIS H meaning, according to Urban Dictionary online is an adjective to define fashion! I personally think SWISH is a verb, adjective and adverb – I SWISHINGLY SWISHED over to SWISH with my SWISHETTES! Ha! Ha! The weather isn’t SWISH at all! I would like to take this time to really think about your life and where it’s going! Is it where you want it to be or is it on the come up? Sometimes people can frown or raise their eyebrows at another man’s dreams, WHY? No matter how outlandish it may seem to one does not mean that mean that it is unachievable! I tell the adults and young people I work with all the time...
SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY! Children, I have had the pleasure to work with, don’t get the metaphor and bring it back to harsh reality with a cheeky statement such as ‘I ain’t no butterfly, I can’t fly, I don’t wanna fly either,’ then they suddenly go off on a tandem and say ‘unless it’s in a plane I wanna go to Euro Disney or Disneyland but that’s far!’ Kids ay!
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Back to my point SWISH is like an entity in itself, a state of being, a positive state of being! We all should opt to possess the SWISH state of being because we can customise it to suit ourselves, sexy, sassy, courageous, excited, motivated, classy, adventurous, motivated, criss, dank, tun up and SWISH! Well done MD
Chantelle’s
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