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Tile Event is produced fortnightly by Concrete: PO BOX 410, NORWICH, NR4 4TB TEL: 01603 250558 FAX: 01603 506822 e-mail: su.concrete@ ea.ac.uk and printed by: Eastern Counties Newspape , Rouen Road, Norwich NR1 1RB

Five cds, all alike in sound From fair Concrete where we lay The Event From Shakespeare in Love to new students Where civil answers make civil prizes sent. . ... enough of all that rubbish. If you want to win a copy of the Shakespeare in Love soundtrack on cd all you need to do is complete the following line: Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou... A: Reginald? B: Romeo? C: Wroxham? We have COs to give away to five deserving students, so just put your answer, along with your name, school, year and a contact number in the competition box in the Hive. Wisely and slow: they stumble that run fast!

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1999

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New band Witness want to be judged on music not gimmicks. Pe~my Broadlaurst found out why they think they can make it happen have supported Gay Dad, but they don't play the same game. Gay Dad have had a Top Ten hit not through hard work and raw talent, but as a result of hype and cynical marketing plans. Their frontman, Cliff Jones, is an ex-

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music journalist, with mates in the business. Suspiciously minded souls may suspect that's how they got that critical earty exposure in the music press - and huge posters around London help. But what if you have a genuine music biz pal? Such as ... ooh, Nick McCabe, sometime guitarist wtth The Verve, as your best mate from art college? That's Ray Chan from Witness' claim to fame. Pretty impressive, but is their rising star a result of capitalising on this? No, says drummer John, the music speaks for itself. Witness have been a band for 18 months, and

seemed to have chosen the name on a whim: "lt just seemed appropnate." The music is difficult to describe, and, as John says: "I wouldn't try. As soon as you start to describe music you're subjectifying it and putting it in a box." However Witness have been compared to former collegerock cult heroes and now corporate rock 1cons REM. The band see this as "interesting" and pretty positive, but don't really count them as an influence: "Everyone is aware of them and th1ngs they've done m the past, but they've not had a direct effect on our work." Crit1cs have also cited alternative country acts

REM are more of aa lllspiration than a direct influence

such as Wilco, and more diverse artists like nm and Jeff Buckley, Galaxie 500 and Codeine. And you can't ignore the echoes of fellow Wigan heroes and college mates The Verve, although without the arrogance and whiny tone of Mr Ashcroft. Several members of the band are over 30, and Witness believe this means their net of musical taste is cast wider and music becomes "more of an inspiration than a direct influence·. John, for example, is in to "anythtng from Nick Cave to Black Sabbath." With the new single out in March and the album released at the end of May, Witness's future plans revolve mainly around promotion and touring with cult Belgians DEUS in March. If you're at any of the big festivals in the summer you might be lucky enough to catch them live. Forget your Gay Dads, find your way to a fielded festival, and witness possibly one of the defining

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What's the big fuss then? The Aphex Twin is widely regarded as the original, and perhaps the only, prodigious musical talent that dance has produced. His music ranges from spaced out ambient soundscapes to the 150bpm excess of Digeridoo. The Twin's undeniable talents and prolific output have led to favourable comparisons with Mozart ...

Who did/ does what? Richard D James IS the Aphex Twin, but he also records under numerous aliases including Caustic Window, Polygon Window and AFX.

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Basically Richard does everything - writing, recording and producing all of his own music. And that's not all - from the age of 14 he's been rewiring electronic instruments to produce new and unique sounds, and when that's not enough he simply builds new musical devices.

Sold a Few Records Then? Probably more than most mould-breaking techno/noise/ambient geniuses. Anyway, the Twin claims that he only releases records for two reasons: One, so that he doesn't have to get a job, and two, so that he can keep on making music. Which is the best then? One of his best, and ce;tainly one of his most accesible records is Selected Ambient Works 85-92, a fine introduction to the wonderful world of The Aphex Twin. Did we mention Tank Based Terrorism? One of Richard's hobbies is blasting round fields in Cornwall in a Ferret Armoured Scout car (basically a mini tank) Despite accidentally destroying a few walls, Richard says that "being in the tank gives you a feeling of great security. There's a nice sense of inner peace, because

lt's hke a womb with a gun." So, what does the future hold? If's so hard to predict - he writes and creates so much that any material released can already be as much as a year old. More ground - breaking albums, perhaps some music for adverts or remixes , maybe some new aliases could be on the cards. Your guess is as good as mine. In retrospect. .. We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams ...

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Gene are b ack with a new album and s ignificantly less hair. Emma Reynol d s speaks to b assist llevin Miles about the future

here's a song playing in the pub. Anthemic yet subtle , it begs to be more than a random backing to a few pints and idle chit-chat. lt is Gene's Olympian, a song featured on many of those lovely corporate indie compilations that invariably appear in the record coll ections of the amateur music enthusiast. And it deserves its place. While they have never truly broken through to the forefront of the music scene, Gene have been there or thereabouts for some considerable tim e. If nothing else , you can say they 're consistent. There have been no dodgy albums or ill-received performances , but the band have never quite gained widespread recognition . So what are we to expect from Gene now? One could be forgiven for thinking it's just going to be more of the same, but Kevin Miles, Gene's bassist believes that this time things are going to be different. it's been quite a while since Olympian, Gene's first long-player fi ltered through the in-boxes of the music press. it was quite an accomplished debut album , and Gene soon developed a sizeable underground followi ng. Since then we've seen a collection of B-sides and live tracks, followed by 1997's Drawn To The Deep End. Now we're presented with Revelations, their third album proper and , Kevin claims, Gene's finest moment.

So how have the band moved on from Drawn To The Deep End? Gene's previous recordings have always sounded professional but the band themselves have always wanted something more: to capture the rawness of their live performances on record . "We rock live, we really do," explains Kevin , " Man On Ear1h, one of the B-sides on the first single As Good As it Gets, is the original demo. it had a lovely live feel to it so I think we touched up a couple of vocals and that was it." it seems they have been trying to recreate this 'live

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feel' on all their records since. As the first release from new album Revelations, As Good As it Gets is a good indication of the band's new, more political direction. The song is an expression of lead singer and chief songwriter Martin Rossiter's frustration with New Labour. "Its pretty much an indictment of what has happened since they came to power," says Kevin . When they first started out Gene had a very strong political attitude in interviews, and now their ideology is resurfacing. "We're all pretty much Labour supporters," enthuses Kevin , "we have been for years and I think we're all pretty disappointed with what has happened ." Appropriately enough , Martin Rossiter has described As Good As it Gets as an anthem of defeat which can also sound celebratory and triumphant. Rossiter often uses contradictory ideas, and with a track record of writing about sexual ambiguity, it seems that he likes to write songs that have the ability to confuse. "He probably does ," muses Kevin , "I think he writes from a personal point of view a lot of the time. I think people can read whatever they want into some of the lyrics ." With all these muddles and contradictions, it may seem that recording the latest album should have been a difficult and drawn out affair. But, according to Kevin this couldn't be further from the truth . "it's actually been the easiest one, to be honest. We wrote and demoed about 25 songs. After four weeks 13 songs were ready for the album. We did a song every couple of days, and we usually knew exactly what we were doing before we went into the studio. With the last album we were doing a lot of writing in the studio and trying out different sounds, and we didn't want to repeat that." Now they are returning to the live scene to promote the new record , and the band seem to we lcome the prospect with open arms. They say they'll play anywhere from pubs to festivals but we'll see them revisiting the Waterfront where "obviously we're promoting the album but we'll still be dragging out Sleep Well Tonight for the faithful". The Gene touring experience isn't a Spinal Tap-esque riot of reckless rebellion - fatherhood has probably mellowed them. "We'll all probably get ill after about three days of drinking excessively but it's what we do, it's

what we enjoy, even though it's boredom most of the time. You live fo r one hour on stage every night and the rest of the time you 're just sat on the bus," laments Kevin. it seems that Gene still enjoy being in the band with all the trappings of touring and recording. While they may not be the most controversial lads, they're in it for the music. it's what they do, it's their passionsomething that transfers well to those in the crowd if past performances are any1hing to go by. So go see Gene, you 'll bounce around a bit and you'll cry a bit. If nothing else, you 'll recognise th at song from the jukebox, and you 'll be hearing it how it's meant to be heard.

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Heather Nova is the hippy-chick ~iva from Bermuda. Nichola Brown spoke to her about her aew album and playing at the Waterfroat n this increasingly corporate, manufactured age it comes as something of a breath of fresh air to find that Heather Nova is not a chart-topping pop tart, and is anything but a princess of publicity. She is an enigma, difficult to describe in words, but perfectly understandable in every note that escapes from her. The Bermuda-bom singer/songwriter has recently released her fourth album, Siren, and again has created and tamed a magic which has the power to leave audiences transfixed, open-mouthed in awe and wonder. Compared in the press to the likes of Jeff Buckley and Tori Amos, Nova has a style and aura that would sit more comfortably between Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. She describes herself as •a live artist", and In the flesh has a compelling charm that her recordings cannot do justice to. She is allJled with an angelic voice which could almost lift the roof, and a haunting, poetic style which is at its best in her acoustic performances, with just her guitar and a cellist as . accompaniment. "I've found a formula that rt~ally works live for me. I love playing with the band, but the acoustic sets with the cello are beautiful, they truly expose the music.• On her latest offering, Nova is continuing to battle

with deeply personal issues, and is healing some old wounds that she opened up on Oyster (her third, and most successful, r:elease). "The success of Oyster really surprised me, I didn't expect it to do so well all over the world. The record was really personal because I wrote about issues that were very hard to talk about, but I seemed to reach a lot of people, so I am glad that I took that risk." Nova appreciates the importance of having the courage to take risks with life, especially where her own happiness is concerned. Her strength and independence acts as the backbone to her songs, and these are characteristics which she credits to her parents. "The whole way that my parents lived their lives was very creative, and encouraged us to be the same. They gave me the confidence to be selfsufficient, and to follow my dreams, especially in my career, in order to fulfil my soul.• Her 'alternative' upbringing has also influenced her down-to-earth emotive lyrics, as well as her trademark earthy imagery. She "grew up very close to nature", and spent a significant part of her childhood travelling around the West lndies on a boat built by her parents, with her education coming from artists and musicians rather than school teachers. Siren is a record about moving on, and Nova's

attention to the subtleties of the natural world create observations on life and love as unique as her relationships themselves, but are open enough for every listener to relate to and treasure as their own. "Music has a power that can bring you to your knees. lt is so important for an artist to be willing to expose their soul. You have to give

something to an audience if you want to reach them." This is something that Nova is prepared to do for her art, and thus what you see is what you get, however painful, intimate, and daunting it may be in practice. "Vulnerabilily," she assures me, "is not always a bad thing."

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.~~HMV ~eventJ the round up of this fortnight's music releases

Mad Doctor X Picnic With The Greys Mad Doctor X? An album from someone who's constantly thwarted by Flash Gordon? No - it's one of the many aliases of Jay-Rock from Big Beat combo Freestylers. He's previously re leased records on Ninja Tune - so his coo l credentials are assured , but what's the album like? Picnic With The Greys is an exotic mix of styles, with an overall hip-hop flavour (or is that flava?) mostly laidback instrumental hip-hop, but with

enough variation to keep you interested. Many of the tracks seem somewhat schizophrenic, starting as one thing and finishing as something completely different. Hyperion starts out relaxed before transforming into frenetic drum & bass, while Nemesis blends West-Coast hip-hop wi th ambient vibes. The album flags somewhat towards the end, wi th a co uple of dull formula ic tracks, but these can blight even the finest records. With Picnic With The Greys the Mad Doctor has thrown off the shackles of a daft pseudonym to create an eclectic laid-back sound . Stephen Quirke

Sebadoh The Sebadoh Many people will find The Sebadoh very similar to the catchy tune Natural One written by frontman Lou Barlow for the Kids soundtrack. However, this album contains much more depth between the songs. Beginning with irritatingly catchy smaller numbers such as Weird On The Way, the album progresses with alarming speed thanks to the earfriendly grunge-tinged rock tunes. The Sebadoh must be listened to several times before you hear the potential for greatness and it only really warms up half-way through the 15 tracks, with highlights including the first single Flame, a surprisingly cool new wave track, and the haunting beauty of Love is Stronger. Sebadoh have fused modern grunge chords and melodic tunes to create simply great rock tunes, presenting a welcome change to th e incessant bouncy chart numbers around at the moment. Now do Sebadoh a favour and go out and buy it. Marcus Alexander

Skint t our the Waterfront Friday, February I 2 it's late night at the Waterfront, Jurassic Five are on the turntables, and love is in the air for one happy couple. Him: long hair, John Lennon glasses, a bit mad looking to be honest. Her: short hair, vaguely gothic black crochet top, not that sane looking either. What 's really noticeable though , is the way they're dancing with utter abandon. He's flailing up and down like washing on a line , while she appears to have had her foot nailed to the floor and be struggling to get free. Let us not mock , though , as in circumstances like these such mad dancing is totally acceptable. Not only is it very nearly Valentine's day, but the music emanating from the speakers has enough energy and vibes to get even the most rhythm-shy indie kid up and dancing. Tonight, Norwich is providing the venue for Skint records, th e Brighton based label that brou ght us

Norman Cook and the La-Fidelity Allstars , not to mention all the acts on tonight's line up. DJ Danielsan is first on . Big beat is the order of the night. and this stuff is big and beaty enough for an already ful l Waterfront to start heading towards the dancefloor. This becomes a mass migration from the bar when Indian Ropeman arrives . For some, however, tonight presents a bit of a puzzle: is this a club night or a gig? In reality, it's probably somewhere between the two, but those standing at the back seem unsure about those going for it at the front. Then the Space Raiders come on . Two men in boiler suits and rather odd sunglasses, and another carrying a megaphone can , it seems, convince even the most resolute pint-holder to shake a leg , or at least to shuffle from one foot to the other. Projecting UFOs and Pacman-style aliens onto the backdrop is a masterstroke. All in all , a brilliant night. Skint records , please come back soon! Darcy Hurford

DJ Krush Kakusei In this musical genre perfection is a prerequisite and this album is fa r fro m perfect. Missing the beat on a live mix album is one thing bu t losing both the beat and the off-beat four times in the first six tracks on a studio album is unforgivable . DJ Krush is not incompetent so I can only charitably put it down to laziness. You can 't help fee ling when you lis,ten to Kakusei that DJ Krush was bored when he made it. Kakusei is repetitive , weak and the rare flashes of inspiration are swamped by the mediocrity of the rest . Of the 17 tracks at least 13 are padding and many of these utterly pointless. Expect to hear Find Home in the clubs, and if it wasn 't for this track and the scratching of Mista Sinista on The Kinectics I wouldn 't even have scored it a one. Kris Siefken Unoriginal and badly done.

Jimi Tenor Organism Jimi Tenor, the self titled "sealion of sleaze", is a Finnish experimentalist who toys with jazz , funk , soul and above all , electronica . This crazy cocktail leaves you stuck somewhere between a 1950s detective series , a 1960s cop show and a smoky 1970s disco with the diversity of Tenor's influences clearly evident. Organism is at its best when a real drummer and bassist are used , especially on My Mind and City Sleeps which nicely employs a saxophon e. Tenor's funky but laid-back style may well appeal to fans of jazz and disco alike, and the album is eminently listenable. However, just when a track seems to be getting interesting , it is invaded by a mind-numbing section of manufactured bassl ines or soundeffects. Xinotepe Heat starts off with the atmospheric sound of the saxophone, but then you find yourself cringing at what sounds like someone plunking at a Casio keyboard , having carefully selected the 'jazz' style button. But as long as you avoid the 'keyboard demo' tracks , Organism makes for an interesting listen . James Brown

Returning with a more sensual and romantic edge, Blur have given us a quite lovely and compelling song. William Orbit's input means that the production on this reco'rd is also far superior to any previous Blur effort . And with a gospel choir and drummer Dave playing planks of wood rather than drums as Damon croons, this single is hypnotic in its delivery. A/ex McGregor

Stereophonics Just Looking Just what exactly are they putting in the wate r in Wales these days? Judging by this effort, the latest release from the 'Phonics forthcoming second album , I can only imagine that it comes in a test tube marked 'Gorgeously .melodic, sure- _ __.. fire Top 20 hit compound'. Manic Street who? Anthony Love//

Skunk Anansie Charlie Big Potato This single, from their impending third long player is well. .. not great. There is a catchy bass-line, with the distinctive drawl of Skin in full force. The heavy guitar chords are there as per usual. In fact, the re isn't much to tell th is apart from any of th eir previous offerings. Bland! Ayo Mansaray

Regurgitator Polyester Girl Reminiscent of My Boy Lollipop, this single has a catchy, but somewhat irritating melody. If you like geeky guitar music, then this is reasonable; otherwise it's best ignored. The Rayon Blend remix, however, has a funky dance beat that sets it apart from the banal original and makes the single worth buying .. .well, Rifka McNair-Wilson almost.

Plutonik Sitting On Top Of The World It's Roni-Sized drum n' bass all round, tempered with soulful vocals and a jazz feel to it. Shame, then, that it's spoiled by ear-splitting electronic bleeps and bloops that only serve to annoy. However, Sitting On Top Of The World is pacey, energised and more original than most of the tired dance fodder around at the moment. A/ex Pollock

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Now showing you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. nee there was an annoying little orphan, lied Madeline, who lived in a big Parisian school for girls, run by a nun, Miss Claval, and they had all kinds of 'jolly japes'. One day, however, the owner of the school died and all the little girls were very sad. The owner's husband decided to close down the school because he was emotionally barren (and English). After more of her "escapades" Madeline manages (que/le surprise) to save the school. And they all live happily ever after... A flippant precis of the plot? Well ... yes. However, when faced with a film that was often excruciatingly painful to watch, please excuse me for thinking this justified. 路 My dislike for this film is partly due to Julie Andrews. Ever since she decided to climb every mountain and make clothes out of curtains I have had an aversion to nuns. This was in no way helped by the portrayal of Miss Claval by Frances McDormand, the one person I was counting on to make this film at least watchable. To be fair, breathing life into what was initially a one-dimensional character in a children's book is a rather difficult task, and McDormand does well with a character seemingly on the verge of a Prozac overdose for most of the film. She is not, however, the most annoying character in Madeline. That honour must go to our beloved heroine, played by Hatty Jones. Never before has one little girl left me such a nervous wreck. The director seems so impressed with Jones's ability to remember her lines that she overlooks a performance ripped straight out of 'The Bumper Book of Public School Girl Cliches'! A frightening film which I would not recommend to Adsm Chspmsn anyone over six.

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Shakespeare in Love, which

has gained 13 Oscar nominations, is just part of a trend to interpret shakespeare in inventive ways. Sllona Barrett considers the new attitude to the bard ast Week saw the release of John Madden's Shakespeare in Love, not the first film to take as its subject the work of the great writer and poet, but perhaps the first to approach the Bard's life (rather than his writing) in such a way. As a romantic comedy, Shakespeare in Love poses one possible answer to that oft-asked question of the inspiration behind Shakespeare's sonnets. lt narrates a fictional love affair between the young Will Shakespeare and the rich, and soon to be married Lady Viola, during which he overcomes temporary write r's bl ock and scribes 'Ro meo and Ethel: The Pirate's Daughter'. The film stars flavours of the month Gwyneth Paltrow an d Joseph Fiennes, himsel f straight out of the historical epic Elizabeth. They appear alongside a wealth of

British acting talent, from Dame Judy Dench, Simon Callow and Colin Firth, to Martin Cl unes and the Fast Shows Mark Williams. As a strong romance and co med y, Shakespeare in Love draws a more subtle humour from its suggestion s of Will 's rivalry with Christopher Marlowe, played by Rupert Everett. lt also makes plenty of implicit references to other Shakespeare plays, assuming the audience knows a good deal about Shakespeare's work and that of his contempories. Madden's film is not th e first to take a more post-modern spin on Shakespeare. Indeed, a notable recent shift in the styl e of adaptation of Shakespeare plays prompt - - - - - . . , . questions and disagreements over the appropriati on of his works. Baz Luherman's Romeo and Juliet spri ngs to mind as the most radical recontextualiasation of Shakespeare's much loved tragedy, but equally important in locating a possible trend in adaptations for th e big screen was Richard Locraine's Richard Ill. Starring lan McKellan , Annette Benning and Nigel Hawthorne, Locraine's adaptation transposes Richard's reign into the 1940s Nazi era. Though on its release Romeo and Juliet was dubbed Shakespeare fo r the MTV generation , we must be cautious of dismissing its brash , rapid style and visual overload as simply satisfying our diminishing attention ~-- spans. What Luherman did was to divorce the play from its theatrical origins and from the conventions of its performance and make it inventive , full of movement and colour and entirely filmic. Despite this the story re mains intact and Shakespeare's ·-;-o~~~-· treatment of the fatal passions of young love, gang rivalry, familial

Shakespeare's work and of tbe

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loyalty securely linked the original text and its new style, flirtations, disagreements and misunderstandings are played up to great comic contemporary setting . effect. Such adaptations and the apparent popularity of While recent adaptations of plays for the screen Shakespeare in Love demand we reasses the display an interest in younger audiences who may appeal of Shakespeare's work, and of the man not be enti rely familiar with Shakespeare's work, himself. This most recent release doesn't adopt a many argue that th is is a tragic reduction and that specific written text. lt instead relies upon Romeo for younger audiences Romeo Montague will only and Juliet as a backdrop against wh ich to make ever be understood behind the the poet's life a pretty face of Leonardo fiction , pointing DiCaprio. In addition , the work to the enduring of Shakespeare' s appeal of contemporaries has Shakespeare as been largely more than just a ' subsumed to his wri ter. On the over-arching other hand, we geniu s. He has could suggest that co me to embody Shakespeare has become high art and literary totally overrated, existing genius, and the now as a brand name, a brilliance of his work is often taken for granted. fiction and a guaranteed selling point. Perhaps Filmic adaptations return to a handful of favoured th e appeal of Shakespeare in Love is not the poet narratives, relatively limited compared to the hi mself but Fien11es, Paltrow and Affleck and th e wealth of material he actually wrote. romantic comedy. The questi on of the 'correct' way to adapt Criticising this recent spate of adaptations , Shakespeare's work for the ci nema many wi ll argue th at th e th eatre remains •. , '" nlikely to be resolved. the legitimate and authentic realm for ;:o~i{iil!!!••.:,_ ___,ilmlme app1oaches to Shakespeare's works, uncomfortable translating plays from theatrical with the extent of artistic license often conventions into fil m, a completely taken in appropriating texts for the different cultural form , appear to be screen. shifting. In recent years we have seen Shakespearean plays have appeared on films in which the concerns of the silver screen since the early days of historical accuracy and the silent era (there are even reports authenticity are superceded of a 1908 version of Macbeth) and by invention and originality. in almost all instances their artistic Th ese recent examples merit is grounded in an emph asis of Shakespeare on film on remaing faithful to the original prompt questions of text. In the 1940s and 50s film the function of the adaptations were coupled with cinema in impressive set pieces , a reinventing theatrical acting style and a Shakespeare sense of great historica l for audiences. accu racy. More recently Franco Zefferellis' 1990 Hamlet, which, as most of us will remember, starred Mel Gibson, is faithfu l in atmosphere and history to Shakespeare's play. Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing (1993) was one of the first to imbue Shakespeare's dialogue with a more contemporary sensibility, making it accessible to younger audiences . The dialogue is delivered in a style that makes it easily understandable, and, through a more light-hearted acting

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Some people are packing up their stuff and heading for the hills for fear of the MWennium Bug. But, as Stepllen Quirke points out, far worse things have happened in films

icture the scene: it's the first day of a new millennium, and your hangover is threatening to cause your head to explode like a character from Scanners. The last thing you want to discover is that all the electrical equipment in your house has gone haywire. But who wants to use a computer in the new millennium anyway? The letter to your gran can wait, and you can only play Quake for so long before getting bored. Besides, you probably couldn't work your video before it spontaneously

combusted, so it doesn't make much difference. However, if you think you've got it bad, it's nothing compared to the problems faced by fictional characters in science-fiction-type films. Perhaps HAL, the crazy computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey is the first real Millennium Bug victim. Especially as, technically, the new millennium doesn't actually start until the year

2001

However, HAL's problem doesn't stem from not being able to cope with dates after December 31st 1999; it's more his inability to work on two conflicting logical premises. But instead of just locking solid, or giving some smug error message before crashing, HAL decides that killing the entire crew is the way to inner peace. Hmmm. That's left for Dave Bowman to discover later. Interesting fact: some claim that HAL is an attempt to 'one-up' IBM (as H is before I, A is before B and L is before M). Author Arthur C Clarke, however, claims that this is patently untrue. Mind you, its the sort of trivia that can be life saving in an ominous pub silence situation. So remember it. HAL and his crewmates were, if you remember, on a mission to Jupiter. This, of course is just down the road (so to speak) from SATURN. Which is a near flawless link to the 1980 film SA TURN 3 in which Farrah Fawcet is shipped off to a remote space colony, where her husband dies in some contrived way, and his consciousness somehow ends up in the body of a robot. Perhaps I'm being a little vague, but it's one of those films you watch as a teenager on a Friday night 'cos you aren't old enough to go to the pub, and you don't have to go to bed. Instead you stay up and, through sheer

effort of will, try to enjoy watching whatever is on TV. Unfortunately in this case I was powerless to stop the film going from bad to worse. Basically the robot gets some sort of blood lust, and decides that Farrah must die. Having路 sat through the whole sorry film I wanted everyone to die. Slowly. And Painfully. Mind you, HAL only manages to kill about five people, which is hardly in the Natural Born Killers

league. Skynet, the corporation computer from the Terminator films, on the other hand, is your basic mad computer bent on causing the apocalypse. Destroying practically all human civilisation, as Skynet does, is impressive, but come on: how many times have we seen this in the movies? As a result I think we've all learned that allowing an inanimate object to achieve some kind of consciousness is a really bad idea. So stop talking to your toaster. Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 film Alphaville is a kind of technological film noir. it's a film about a frightening modem computercontrolled city in which all ideas of love and tenderness have been removed - a bit like a French Milton Keynes. But with fewer concrete cows. And more French people. Anyway, the computer is conquered and everyone lives happily ever after. Probably. Do you see a pattern here? DON'T LEAVE THE COMPUTER IN CHARGE OF ANYTHING! However, conclusive proof exists that you don't have to be French to make a film that's a chilling vision of the future. In Things to Come director William Cameron Menzies takes H.G. Wells' obsession with conflict between science and art and makes a.film out of it. I was probably five or six when I last saw it, and all I can really remember is this bioke being really stressed out about something. I'm guessing it was the eternal battle between science and art. I think science probably won - it usually does. it gets worse when you're up against not just computers, but robots and monsters and bears (oh my). Director Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien is a classy bit of future paranoia. The crew of t.h e mining vessel 'Nostromo' receive a distress call from an uninhabited planet, and when they set down an Alien becomes close personal friends with John Hurt. However, relations are soon severed, leaving Hurt a bit gutted... Where's the paranoia, you ask? Right then, the computer (known to the crew as

'Mother') is programmed to retrieve the alien at all costs. The crew are, of course, expendable. lan Holm gets to play the evil android who's plotting against the crew, and sprays milky fluid all over the ship when hit with the sci-fi equivalent of a cricket bat. What makes this scene all the more frightening is that it's far too similar to childhood memories - when you make a milk drinking friend crack up... Leaving milky substances behind and going back to the subject of monsters, how about the 1978 trash-horror film The Swarm? it doesn't technically feature a millennium bug just Michael Caine and a bunch of deadly African Killer Bees. Which are bugs. Kind of. it's certainly a frightening experience when you're watching it - but probably not for the reasons the director intended. So remember, no 路matter how bad it may seem to you in the real world, theJe's always someone having a worse time of it in a science fiction film. Which of course isn't real. That doesn't actually help much, does it? Ultimately, no matter what the future holds, ignore it: stay in your home, and watch films instead. While you still can ...

tbe 8atnea of NorfoDc aacl tbe IIID1UIIag tldags turkey. Bat ho • with the antval of UEil graclaate ex••Mearv Wbltehoaser Rob Newman, tblags just got famay

quick inspection of British comedy could lead you to think that the whole thing (well at least the good bits) is run by a series of university cartels. For example, one group of r.t\r\IAnnnn,r:uu~oe:: at Oxford can lay claim tO FiSt Of Fun, The Day Today, Harry Hill's Fruit Corners, This is A/an Partridge, Pub Landlord, The Friday Night Annistice, Thls Morning with Richard Not Judy, and Brass Eye. And lefs not even go into Cambridge Footlights! This is, of course, all -..ery well for those lucky souls who get to go to the right academic Institution, usually Oxbridge. 'What about us?' you say, We who are forced to endure humour1ess architecture and flat uninspiring terrain somewhere in deepest darkest Norfolk? Thafs no fun.' Well, you may be quite surprised to learn that, albeit indirectly and after a gap of some years, UEA has its own comedy network which Is currently producing some of the best and most popular comedy in the country. 'Really?' you exclaim. Yes, indeed, and if you join me now on a magical and mystical journey I'N explain. In 19n a young EAS undergraduate took up residence at Fifers Lane. Back in thOse heady days of punk rock when a student gi"Jl(lt was actually worth something, this young student who - by his own admission - spent his first two years in Norwich doing as little work as possible, taking drugs and shagging as much as possible

decided that instead of facing the real world as most graduates are forced to, he would _form punk band The Higsons, which allowed hi'n :o continue his favourite student pastimes for a feN more }'88fS. But 8ll9lltually punk had to die, and so our Hlustrious alumni went into comedy instead. That man was Chartie H~son. writer, producer, performer, and creator of the Fast S"ow. Of course, one man, no matter how wide and varied his cbllious talents, does not a tangled comedy networt< make, and fortunately for Higson he made friends with the right peope. These contacts brought him into contact with Harry Enfield for whom he would later write, and Vie Reeves with whom - and a small monkey-like man caRed Bob - he woukt make television programmes. Finally, Higson met one person in particular at Fifers whc would allow him to have such a huge illpact on British comedy. Step fotv.ard Paul Whitehouse, CCH:reator of the Fast Show. • met a lot of really good friends (at UEA) and I still see a lot of them," 9XJ)Ialns Charlie Higson as he sips 'rom a plastic pint of Union lager, "I met Paul (Whltehouse) and I'm still "'"orking with him 20 years later. I was in one of the H blocks at Fifers, and he was in a neighbouring block. We were both interested in music and wanted to get a band together so we did. it was a kind of 'you must meet him, he wants to do music as well' kind of thin~. We had no idea that that friendship would go on forever and lead to othar ttings.• Whitehcuse, unlike Higson, didn't stay in Norwich long enough to actually get a degree. hdeed he was kicked off the Development Studies course after only a year. "He dd even less work than me, and it just all fell a:>art," admits Higson, "I was doing English and Jlmerican Uterature, which is much easier to bluff, because ifs not about learning facts, it's about responding to books or whatever. But he was doing

Despite the fact that he enjoyed only the briefest of stays, the Registry were quite happy to put Whitehouse in the prospectus two years ago as a shining light of UEA achievement. "That was quite a surprise to him," says Char1ie, "I don't think he ever ga-..e them permission to do that." Despite having been at UEA longer, Higson is not jealous about being left out. "I don't petition them," he says after a pause, "' don't write in every week saying 'please put me in the prospectus·.· According to Higson, Whitehouse is more famous because of his work with Harry Enfield. This perception has often split o-..er into how people think the Fast Show is run. "He was relatively wellknown, so inevitably - although it was a team based show on screen and always was -it was, and stHI Is occasionally, referred to as 'Paul Whitehouse's Fast ShoW." However, he's not bitter that Whitehouse Is seen as the star. "That doesn't bother me because I know that in the Industry, people know who does what. And so does my bank manager," he adds with a small chortle. And so his bank manager should. The Fast ShoWs success has been mega. From a cult Tuesday night slot to prime time on Fridays, and with plenty of videos, live showS and a spin-off to boot, the Fast Show has not only become popular, but it has Infected modem English usage with countless catchphrases. Higson and Whitehouse are responsible for 70% of the show's output and very much the gowmors despite the show's team nature. "Paul and I are very much In charge," Charlie says, "I mean you ha-..e to ha-..e someone at the top being the boss on these things because if you left it to that lot (the Fast Show team) it would be complete chaos." He finishes with a nervous laugh as he imagines the scene. Higson, it seems, is very much the lynch-pin of the operation. As producer and writer he's responsible for looldng after all the 'anal' aspects of the show's production.

robably because tonight he's dressed rather smartly in a blazer and jeans, topped off with some trendy black specs and a large earring which gives him an intellectual look, it seems right to ask intellectual questions. Is the Fast Show's concentration on punchlines rather than set up gags a post-modem statement? "Post Modern?" he repeats, "Thafs not a neN thing at all. I mean, listen to something like ltmar, which was the most popular comedy radio programme during the war which means it was the most popular radio programme. H was absolutely massi-..e, and as it went on and" people knew the characters and the jokes, it became reduced to catchphrases. And if you listen to it now it's completely meaningless, it's gibberish, and tha people are there howling with laughter. So what we're doing in that sense is not a neN thing at an.• Higgson claims the original idea to take this approach came from seeing the edited highlights of Harry Enfield's second series at a press launch: "lt struck us that the edited highlights were funnier than the thing. lt was really interesting to see how quickly you could pick up on a character without having to ha-..e the big set up and all the stuff, and how funny it was if you just cut it down to the essence of the character. So that was the inspiration of how we would put The Fast Show together. I was impatient, and I thought other people were as well, with this whole plodding set-up on sketch shows. And we thought, If people like the characters what they'll want Is to watch the characters and not be waiting for the big joke at the end - the big thing that the sketch Is about. 'Oh. I see, this sketch Is about he thought it was one thing and it was something else.•

Oelelopment Studies, where I think do actually have to learn things, anc·so he couldn't really bluff his way.• lt seems changing education practises didn't help Whitehouse either. "He found it a complete shock, particularty wth this being the late 70s. There v.as a big hangover of all that kind ~ radical left wing approach to education. lt was kind of, 'what do you want to do?' Leaving it for the students to work it out for themselves. But if you're off your face the whole time you're not going to have any not going to ha-..e any chance to work it out for yourself, and he never did. He still doesn't really know what Development Studies was. Do they still do that here?" yot.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1999

"But as 1say," he continues, 'We were trying to create a show that looked like it had been on ten years. 1t was a bit difficult to take at first. We always knew it would take a while and we deliberately edited In a way so that it wasn't always explained up-front, so people would· ha-..e to watch two or three to get the hang of it. We're really just cutting out the first ten years.• Hlgson doesn't think it's post modernism, after all. 'Whether thafs post modern or not, I don't know. But I think lt probably isn't: he says. Although this Christmas saw Fast Show characters led and Ralph in a 40 minute special, it's unlikely that the programme will return to our screens in its half hour format. Higson would, however, like to do a film involving the characters. 'We might do a Fast Show film in the way Monty Python used to do." he explains, "'r it might be something completely different.• The cheap Python joke, it seems, was unintended. In the meantime, Higson is tied up producing and writing a neN series of Randa/ & Hop/<irk (deceased) with Reeves and Mortlmer (Vie is the dead one), so anyone wanting a quick hit of Higson's comic wit In the short term should try reading one of his four novels to plug the hole. Fear not, though, because it seems that when his projects come to fruition Charlle Hlgson will ha-..e entrenched his position as one of the most Jmportant people in British comedy even further. And just think, it's all down to UEA... Well sort of, because as well as getting Higson and Whitehouse together, UEA also has the dubious distinction of inspiring at least one Fast Show character: C~ln Hunt. As Higson explains with a wry smile, "There were a lot of·Colin Hunts around when I was here." Paul Stokes

are a comedian who receives the adulation normally reserved for pop stare. When you walk on stage gir1s ream like it's Beatlemanla all o-..er again. You are part of a duo that has become the first comedy act to 'r/81 Wemblev. and sold hundreds of thousands of coplea of the aubaequent Wieo in a matter of days. So, riding on this wave, what is your next move? Do you ride even higher, trallelling aroood In silver plated helicopters with diamond rotor blades, smooching with a-list celebs in champagne-cocaine luxury? Not if you're Rob Newman you don't The day after the Wembley shows with David Baddiel NeNrnan left the partnership, and, after a short solo tour and the publishing of his first novel, seemed to disappear... Until now, that is. The Event caught up with Rob to ask him about his three night residency at Norwich Arts Centre this week, and to find out where he's been for these past anno•s. NeNrnan explains that his disappearance from the live circuit was because, "I was writing my book and I just wanted to get my head down for a bit. I was doing stand up gigs and just sort of thinking, 'Wt'rf am I doing this?' I felt that I wasn't able to communicate any more.• However, after a bit of a break NeNman feels that he is ready and raring to go for a return to the stand-up circuit: "I think that when you go away from something and then come back you can have a new approach. I'm really happy doing gigs again; I get a bit maudlin If I look at my diary and don't ha-..e any gigs that week. I'm enjoying it more than ever and I'm really looking forward to Norwich." Rob is no stranger to Norwich, having done low key gigs at the Arts Centre before. This time he will be trying out neN material for a show to be aired on Channel 4, as well as heralding the welcome return of upper class pervert Jarvis, whom, Rob claims, "was born in Norwich. He's coming back, and we might try and put him in some sketches and ha-..e him with other people. He's trying to tum o-..er a neN leaf at the moment, but falling, as you can imagine." Rob's predilection for characters with a dark edge is evident In his neN creations, the Lavenders, who, like the plant, seem to be a "sweet and harmless couple, but there's something rather sinister about them." As well as his superb characters, NeNman's comedy was often a foil to David Baddiel's rather

lacldish exploits. His stand up routines dealt with the paranoia of romance, with Newman working himself into a frettish fervour which then had to be alleviated by a nice spot of painting. This side of Newman•s personality comes out less these days, he says. "I'm less jealous and insect.re about relationships; partly because I naven't been in one for about four ,..king years!" However, he feels that a heightened interest in politics is having a great influence on hiS comedy, and those who attend the arts oentre gig will witness his dissatisfaction with the Ubour party's great betrayal. "Ifs going to be political, but not really like satire • more topical. There's no serious discussion in the media about inportant things now. lt's just a diet of Westminster gossip gl-..en out by Tony and Gordon." This political rennaissance has been inspired by "stuff that I've been reading 0\'ef the past few years, like Trotsky, which politicises you more, and 1'118 been feeling increasingly angry In my old age. You wouldn't know it from looking at the TV or readng papers, but I think that a lot of people

are very angry and a lot more politically switched on than you'd think. Everyone's being casualised and downsized at work and a lot of people aren't happy about it." So though we've all missed the old blighter, Newman's time away from the public eye has undoubtedly been a good thing. He's avoided the traps and trappings of celebrity, and pursued his own interests, politics and novel writing. As he says, "I never really joined the whole scene or hung out with famous people or anything. I mean, I still had trouble getting into my own gigs. I'm a pretty low key sort of person really, my life doesn't change much. I sort of shuffle round to the corner shop, see my friends, nead booksthere's no helicopters or polo competitions or anything Hke that" And do you know, the fact that you thought he was going to become a stratosphere-scraping megastar, and that he disappointed you... really turned him on ... Luke Turner Rob Newmsn Is live Ill the Notwlch Art. Centre from~ Febtutlry 16 tll Thursday, FebrutJry 18. At the time of going to press, tickets were stln ~from the venue on

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Newman In the old Mllry Whltehoutle exptlflem» ay. (top), and today'• rattw more portly lncamatlon

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1999

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Double 'J'alre Everyone seems to be doing remakes at the moment. Vince Vaughan hs gone all Norman Bates in Gus Van Sant's identikit remake of Psycho. Meanwhile, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's new romantic comedy You've Got Mail is a modern adaptation of the old Jimmy Stewart movie The Shop Around the Corner. But by far the most eyebrow-raising news is that Christopher Reeve, star of Superman and, er... Superman 11, is to take on the lead role in a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear

Window. If ever there was one movie that exposed the cynicism of the Hollywood mercenaries then this is it. Even those who grew up with the Superman movies will admit that Reeve was never a great actor, or even a good one. The fact that Rear Window is being made shows the sawy of the studio bosses. The publicity that Christopher Reeve has attracted since his unfortunate accident and subsequent paralysis has been in stark contrast to his slide towards obscurity in the nineties. This sort of publicity translates into bum.s·on-seats for movie makers and this is the real reason why this film is being made. No one would begrudge Reeve his return to the silver screen after what he's been through, but it's a shame that he's got the role for the reasons he has. What next? Frank Sinatra in a remake of

Weekend at Bernie's? Matt McNally

Tile Event takes a quick look at some of the big screen Dicks that could be winging their way to you s oon via the wonders of video rental

The Avengers Although this big screen .remake of the classic TV series took a thrashing from tV the critics and flopped at the box office, there are actually some people who liked the movie, me included. So it's time to redress the balance. The plot is straight out of the Avengers top draw. Evil Sean Cannery wants to control the weather and it's up to the world's most dapper duo to save the day, in style. But this is less about plot and more about a succession of delightful dances between Steed and Peel. Ralph Flennes retains Patrick McNee's foppish charm but also imbues Steed with a samurai cool. Ice queen Uma Thurman Is feline perfection as Emma Peel, purring her way through the movie. With truly regal production, Margritte-esque cinematography and a fairytale A/ice in Wonderland quality this is one of the most splendid, non-malicious, subtly adult romantic comedy adventures you're likely to see. Alex Afscgregor

:X·FUes:· ftght the Future As this movie was a must-see for all X-philes anyway, the real question Is whether it will also appeal to non-fans: to the X· lil68 virgin? Though the viewer is {Pven enough background on FBI agents Mulder and Scully to enjoy the movie without previous knowledge of the aerles, it will definitely make ll10f8 88ll88

to ragullll's of thehltTV show. That being said, though, the storyllne Is inventive, the effects good and there is the usual tension between the two agents. The final alien spacecraft ~uenceis

lmpreselve, but given that Mulderis always the one who gets his ass kicked in the series you can't help wondering how realistic it is to always have him rescuing Scully and not the other way round. Worth watching; though more of an extended episode than a stand-on-its-own movie.

KrltJ Sldcen

Anaagecldoa While never quite reaching Con Air's mighty heighls of octane and tongue In cheek cheele, Michael

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Bay's painfully jingolslc movie 8till remains great fun and hilariously funny, whether Intentionally or not ~r. the faults are numerous. There are just too many slo-mo shots of the stars and stripes rippling in the wind; it Is too long and structurafty follows the equaBy uninspiring Deep Impact from A right through to Z without missing a beat. An asteroid is headed to destroy the earth and can only be stopped by a heroic crew whose mission is to plant a nuclear warhead in the offending lump of rock. Sound familiar? Plus although the special effects are outstanding they are one of the few strengths of the movie, and unfortunately don't translate very well to the small screen. On tile plus side Is the super-trendy cast there's Ben Atlleck for the laydeez, Llv Tyler for the boys and Bruce Willis for your mum. In addition there are supporting turns from the irrepressable Steve Busceml and Billy Bob Thornton. The cast are clearly having the time of their lives and their enthusiasm Is Infectious. Ultimately what you get Is exploding space stations, comedy Russians, the annihilation of Paris, a Tony Blair Impersonator and a fairly undemanding couple of hours viewing. . A/ex llacgf'BIIOI'

Lock1 Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Put simply, this Is a must see. If you didn't see the movie then rent the video • nowl Lock. Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is rapidly claiming its rightful place as a contemporary classic. lt tells the story of four young Londoners who find themselves £500,000 in debt after a rigged card game and have just five days to find the money before they start 'losing' ~ finger&. Featuring a cameo from Sting and the film debut of football's notorious 'Psycho' Vlnnie Jones, this inventive film traces the trail of mayhem, mistakes, double crosses and death that marks their lives arriong London's criminal fraternity. Think Pulp Fiction without the circular story line, with an extra handful of grit and a nice vein of humour thrown in. Lock, Stock, etc keeps you guessing right up to the last minute • and beyond • and leaves you exhausted afterwards. A rollercoaster ride of a movie. KrltJ Sletlcen

' .r I

1 Farmers Avenue, Norwich

------------Tel765512-----------THE EVENT, .WEDNESQAl, FEBRUARY 17, 1999

Metal Gear Solid is being widely touted as the best Playstafion game ever. Kelvin Gan finds out if there's any substance behind the buzz many times have you wished Avoiding them entails keeping out of their field of that you were Luke Skywalker vision, and you know precisely where that is as duelling with Ughtsabers against your little radar screen indicates where your enemies are looking and if you are in that field. nemesis Darth Vader? Or arse as Bruce Lee, or ruled Comic-style punctuation appears over the heads an empire as the Don? Or, best of all, sneaked of the guards as they are alerted to your into a secret complex hidden in an ungodly presence: if they notice something they're not sure location without any weapons, facing skilled of, ifs a question mark; if it's a threat, they'll have soldiers to uncover a conspiracy of global threat an exclamation mark, which gives you a good with only your amazing skills to rely on? Who sense of danger when you're messing about near would that be then? James Bond, yes, but there is a bunch of them. The controls feel quite a lot like another character with similar attributes about to Resident Evil 2 as well, and are almost as storm Europe (although importers have been intuitive. The levels are structured well and are as --"·anc:w'1 as can be shipping foreign in copies of -------~'!11 this game for months): Solid leXipec:ted from an Snake. lt may sound like a The lnn<>mi•""' in the game cheesy pom-star name, but this is a. hero with some improve their serious cool. inteUigence. an example In Metal Gear Solid, Konami meant to be a have attempted to create a ISIIrnn~:JO' early on in game, based on their you find a namesake NES series, cardboard box to hide thafs as much of an neat little touch) interactive cinema soldiers experience as possible. The ignore, but last game to make you feel on when they like you were taking part in a it, they'll kick it movie was Resident Evil 2, and shoot you! butlthis game has put so game is the best much more effort in to that yet to use the Dual idea. For a start, all the cut scenes use the Shock effect. During cut scenes with game's actual graphics engine, so they're almost supernaturally gifted baddie Psycho Mantis, he totally seamless within the game. Resident Evil 2s tells you to place the pad on the floor to cut scenes, on tha other hand, are pre-rendered demonstrate his power. The pad then jiggles like a and distinctive, so the effect of being part of the brat throwing a massive tantrum after having had story is not as convincing when the character its lolly stolen from it - mad. There's humour, too, you've been playing as for the past week doesn't as indicated by the main character's name. The look the same as the one in the story-line: Then story is presented with Japanese quirks that are there's the quality of the entertaining. So what's it story: Resident Evil 2 like to look like Solid has a B-Movie feel to Snake? Well, the it, while Metal Gear character Solid is that of a development Hollywood action thriller. in the game But these factors don't is almost as necessarily mean it's a good deep as the game. The gameplay is Solid (ho story line, hol) and fun. You control Solid and Snake Snake from a third person perspective, veiwing looks the business. There are also his friends who him from different camera angles as in Resident he meets during his adventure: Meryl Silverburg is Evil 2. Th&re are guns, too, but the gun blasting your Clare Aedfield, and there are a host of others isn't of the same level. Being a game of tactical who help the story to progress. There are also espionage, you spend the majority of your time people in almost constant contact with you on sneaking around and hiding from the guards, your Bond-like communicator; a panel of experts timing your acfions just right so that you sneak off in several areas to help guide you with your tasks. behind their unsuspecting backs, or sneak up to The graphics are impressive, and every known slit their throats with your assassin like skills! trick that the Playstation is capable of has been Getting spotted by a guard will have him shooting employed, from transparencies to the blurring at you immediately, and all the rest of them will effect that has recently been used in just the hear the commotion and come over to join in the replays of Ridge Racer 4. The b(ggest significance massacre. So stealth is the key to this game. of the graphics is that everything is in real time; the Playstation is creating everything that you see at that moment, whereas in Resident Evil 2 the characters are the only things that the machine handles, and the backgrounds are all prerendered. This means that the game is in true 3D, and ..,...,...._...... you are actually moving around in a virtual world. The Playstation is thus pushed to its full graphical capability, which has been i achieved by a bunch of highly skilled programmer_s on their very first video game! The game, the graphics, the story-line, all the neat

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little touches and effects add up to a highly accomplished game that's an absolute joy to play. The game may be a httle bit linear, as with Resident Evil 2, and perhaps quite easy (the average completion time on first attempt is around 12 hours} but that can be adjusted to 4 different difficulty settings. For longevity there are a few features such as a ranking system, alternate endings and costumes to find and other secrets to tempt you into playing again. That's the only problem with the game: when you're done you want more of the same kind of experiences but not a repeat of them. For months this game has been hyped as the best game on the Playstation, and was only just pipped to the best game ever title by Zelda 64. Even cool-mag The Face gave it a big mention. With the box set including a demo of the next Resident Evil 2 contender, Silent Hill, plus all those other goodies, you are definitely going to want a copy of this game. Ifs time to be a hero.

Metal Gear Solid: TBCtiCBI Espionage Action Is reletJSed on February 24 and costs £39.99 for the standiJrd two disks version. There Is slso s Special Edition Box Set available, priced Bt £49.99, which lncludiJs: Gttme Dls/cs T-shlrt Dog Tsgs Soundtreck CD PostCBrds Production Art Book Silent Hill Demo

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The times have been a'changing at BBC Radio Four with a new s chedule and various editorial c hanges. Paul Stokes m et Controller )ames Boyle, a UEJl graduate a nd the m a n responsible for Britain's best loved radio station adio Four is one of Britain 's great institutions. From its roots as the 路 BBC 's Home Service , Four has developed into bastion of speech based , intelligent radio . In a world where the airwaves are increasingly cluttered by a host of commercial radio stations that promise everything from a good vibe to an idiot's guide to classic music, and at a time when television is expanding in every conceivable direction thanks to digital transmission and cable TV, Radio Four enjoys and unusually revered reputation . Its more we ll known programmes like the Archers and Desert Island Discs sit in the nation's consciousness (whether you realise or not, you probably know the theme music to both these programmes) and its heavyweight news reputation means that not only is it respected for providing comprehensive information but programmes like Today help make news and set the day's agenda because of the influential guests it attracts. The danger with bei ng a well-established national institution, however, is that not only can people take you for granted , but that many can be put off by a perceived stuffiness or inaccessibility that a long history brings. This is where James Boyle steps in . Boyle is Radio Four's current con troller and the man who last year set about preparing the station for the future with a radical rethink of the network's schedule and programme content , resulting in a much publicised re-launch last year. "I had a change job to do because the BBC was changing quite dramatically at very short notice," explains Boyle. "We were split between broadcast and production and I had to prepare Radio Four for th at, for it's commissioning tasks , make sure finances were in order and I had to make sure it was staffed properly to do that. lt was a bottom up change management task. The other thing I wanted to do , of course, was the job you would associate with Radio Four: I wanted to make sure we were well equipped to offer the best possible portfolio of programmes to the audience in the coming years , and that was another bit of change, editorial change. How could we be more persuasive to the audience we 've got and how could we be more accessible to the ones who know about us but don't use us very much? I've had a huge job to do in terms of moving th e thing along , brushing it up and preparing it for the next ten years." The changes attracted a great deal of attention at the time from listeners and the press alike and all eyes were on the subsequen t listening figures to judge Boyle's success, "We 've had some hard times," says

Boyle with some reflective calm, "We had a very poor third quarter which was inexplicably bad . I don't th1nk it had so much to do with the changes as half a dozen other things and now we've had a very good fourth quarter where people are listening for longer than they've listened for the last five years. " Thi s is indeed good news for James Boyle, who offeree! to resign if the figures fell again , "I was sure of the listenership," he explai ns, "one of the th ings that certain elements of the press tried to do is undermine it by saying that the 'programmes are very poor and it doesn't matter about the figures. ' In fact the programmes have never been better, the range of contributors is astonishing. If you look si mply at nine o'clock in the morning and at people like Jeramy Paxman , Melvin Bragg , David Dimbleby, Michael Burke and Sue Lawley, you've got the best journalistic presenters in Britain there ; it's a very high quality schedule. So my confidence was based on the knowledge that the programme makers would do it , it was as simple as I that. And I think if you've got confiden ce you

'THE EVENl 'IWEDNESDAY; FEBRUAR楼路.:1 7~ .1'999

should say so . you know. " t is apparent that James Boyle's attitude is based far more on a collective confidence then any personal arrogance or egotism . Not only is he a very frien dly and engaging individual , but as he talks he uses 'we' as much as 'I': "We made a firm decision .. .", "We're trying to build up the audience .. ." When he explains the process of change the team ethos is even more in evidence. "I'm very democratic about the things we do. I get my own people on-side then we do it properly because we've got confidence in one another." Despite this approach , Boyle personally has been singled out for attack in the press. "I've courted high profile because it's good for th e network," he says, "it's good for the network to be seen to be ta lked about. it's better to be in the news than not be in the news . Some of the thing s the press do, on the other hand , to me in particular, are appalling " He points to a recent piece by Andrew Wilson in the Telegraph as one example. Wilson not only cast aspersions on Boyle's intelligence, but also suggested that Radio Four should only ever have an English 1 ' con troller. Rightly, Scotsman James Boyle is unfazed: that "kind of 18th century rhetoric is unworthy of anybody in contemporary society." Why would anyone take such a poisoned chalice of a job? Boyle, who has had a long caree r in the BBC, having previously been head of Radio Scotland amongst

With his re-launch now complete save for "minor tweaking", the station seems settled to tackle the future which promises to be a interesting and changeable time for broadcasting. Clearly his time at the BBC and his friendly yet determined nature has prepared him for the challenges he's faced , but he does also credit one oth er source for his success: his year at UEA. "I had an absolutely terrific year at UEA, a brilliant time," he says enthusiastically, "I learned a huge amount that year. lt was a very pleasant year but it was also the most tremendous learning experience. They had great teachers , Malcolm Bradbury, Angus Wilson and lots and lots of people I really admired and it was a jolly good time." Indeed the MA graduate who used to drink in the Warwick Arms (now th e Mad Moose), acknowledges the University's influence in the comm issioning work he does for Radio Four: "I commission the programmes that are the nonnews programmes, if you like . All the plays , the short stories, the Woman's Hour and all th at. That's where UEA co mes in handy . Our book list has never been more varied or demanding . it's a very good folio of texts from 9:45 in the morning through to the late book at night - both topical and demanding . You 've everyth 1ng from Tom Wolfe to Jane Austen. " Boyle, whose enthusiastic manner and relatively youthful appearance belies his age, expects to retire from the BBC in the next few years. This will undoubtedly be the BBC's loss, for his common sense changes and modifications have provided a good example of how to make the necessary management changes to survive as a public service broadcaster in the modern world without having to cut editorial output. As James Boyle reveals , "I just wanted Radio Four to start grasping and reaching ahead , to strain for quality." And he urges anyone in doubt about whether the station will interest them to just give it a listen : "One of the things we did was prepare sampl e cassettes and we said 'there are some programmes , we know you don't listen . and you've got an image of old and boring. Just listen to that and tell me what you think.' "Absolutely uniformly the answer was 'that was terrific, I'd wish I'd know about this earl ier,"' Boyle enthuses, "The whole purpose of our change has been to make a more inviting schedule , both, as I say, for the existing listeners and for new ones. Every answer on Radio Four comes back to the excellence of th e. programmes. If you persuade people to listen that conve rts them. "

Every answer on Radio Four comes back to the exceDence of the

programmes

other jobs , says he arrived at the Radio Four job "eventually." "''m not a screamingly ambitious person ," he says , "I certainly have always been interested in the radio side and if you 're interested in radio then Controller of \ Radio Four is the top job. So I would have to say shyly yes I've always been interested in it." Despite his lack of 'screaming ambi tion ' he has certainly proved himself a capable and visionary controller.

Radio Four can be found at 94. 1 FM in Norwich, and between 92 and 95 FM and 198 LW nationally

ublic interest in Max Sebald's writing was amply demonstrated by the tact that so many _people turned out to hear him read that some had to be turned away. Sebald, well known for his critically acclaimed books The Emigrants and The Rings of Satum (which are published in both English and German), chose to open the evening with a short passage from the former wont. lt detailed the decision by the narrator's uncle to enter a mental institution at the age of 67, and the electric shock therapy that was administered as a supposed cure for his depression, but in fact ended up killing him. The strength of Sebald's writing lies in its blurring of fact and fiction, and its mixing of biography and voices that remember and don't remember the past. In another writer's hand the events Sebald described could have been milked for cheap shock effect. However, the EUR lecturer reads and writes with a rooted seriousness, choosing his words carefully so they bear true witness. He has sculpted a literary genre through which he can speak about how ordinary men have been forced by the history of the 20th Century, particularly that of 1920s and 30s Germany, into various kinds of exiles and eventually tragic suicides. lt was sad, then, that so much of the subsequent discussion focused on the translation. Would a public who were more comfortable with the concept of multilingualism be so obsessed with such a technical matter? The main point of the evening though was Sebald's reading and this was excellent. lt was just a shame it wasn't in the more comfortable, though less rosy surroundings of Lecture Theatre One. Sue Wsffers

Don De Grazia American Skin American skin is essentially about Alex Verdi's journey through life, from discovering his parents and running away, to the consequences his actions inspire. American Skin is reminiscent of films such as Stand By Me and Easy Rider, a clever mixture of rites of passage and a political critique of modem America. lt is so well written (though the language is at times a bit too violent and blunt) that you rarely consciously register the deeper issues of class, race and gender being raised. De Grazia explores race in a provocative way being on any racial side. What you do notice is a character that you are completely engrossed in as he grows up, with all the unusual situations and people he encounters along the way that influence his life. The narrative is episodic with four main parts which seem to signify a new turn of events in his life. lt begins with his inauguration into a skinhead organisation, leading to his subsequent punishment at an Army camp. DON DE GRAZIA The second half of the book deals with his attempt to become 'normal' through applying to university - his application is rejected - and proceeds throu.9h his conviction for murder and stay in prison, concluding when he finally finds his family and reintegrates himself into society. A lot' happens, but the fundamental lynch pin of the narrative is the 'anti-Nazi' skinhead group that become his second family. American Skin, with its radical take on contemporary issues, has the potential to become a modem classic. If I were you, I would catch it first time round. Jo Khanum

Stephen Foster

lt Cracks Like Breaking Skin

The Real Inspector••• Drama Soc

Wednesday, February J

he Drama Society's performance of The Rea/Inspector Hound was, for the most part, a successful execution of Tom Stoppard's script. The format was that of 'the play within the play' (yes, that old postmodem subversion of theatre, we all know it well). Two critics are reviewing a terribly overacted 'Who Dunn lt?' and their conversation is interspersed with the dialogue of the ' play'. The Real Inspector Hound might be considered an easy option for the Drama Society as it could be suggested that only two of the nine strong cast (one of whom plays a stationary dead body throughout the entire performance) are required to act with any particular skill. The rest are supposed to act badly. However, as the play develops it is obvious that the cast's requirements are not so straight-forward. Halfway through the performance one of the critics begins to interact with the play. His 'real' world then becomes twisted into the plot of the 'play' to a point where reality and fiction, life and drama, becomes confused. Previous scenes are re-acted, replacing one character with the critic. The cast repeat their lines and actions without hesitation and the audience sits back and marvels at the cleverness of the script and the ability of the cast. This play within the play mocks the 'Who Dunn lt?' style to question our own fixed attitudes towards art as separate from life. Post-modem drama always runs the risk of becoming gimmicky, but much of Stoppard's humour lies in the realisation of his own work as gimmickery, and perhaps this is why the audience can be opened up to these questions about art and life while at the same time laughing. The Drama Society did stumble in parts with their production. There were moments in the play where I felt I was actually watching a school production of a 'Who Dunn lt?' In that sense Stoppard's play was always going to be a risk, as it has to be done extremely well in order to be amusing. lt seemed that the script enabled the cast to ' reveal their technical skills of delivery, but I would have liked to have seen the Drama Society produce a play where the cast's skills of characterisation are really tested. The critics did not communicate well and as a pair they did not work as well as they could have. However, in general the lines were conveyed successfully, especially so by Richard Mann as Moon, who seemed to make Stoppard's language come alive through his character performance. All in all, it was an enjoyable, light hearted evening out, and if wit and word play sound like your cup of tea then take a look at the forthcoming production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstem, perhaps Stoppard's best known work. lt will be interesting to "see what they can do with it. EmmaAinger

Student drama hits the studio with a vengeance with the Minotaur Student Theatre Company Festival which runs from February 18 • 20. See listinings for details and next issue for reviews

This novel from Stephen Foster, a graduate of UEA's Creative Writing MA, is an original and highly readable portrayal of life as seen through the eyes of ordinary people. The central character is Hewitt, who, alongside a handful of secondary characters, appears as a schoolboy, an adolescent and a young adult. In an accumulation of loosely connected scenes, rather than a conventional story, we see episodes from these characters' lives. Football matches, school gangs, pop concerts and parenthood are all featured, with !he author proviog himself to be adept at sliding from one narrative voice to another, getting to the heart of his characters and revealing what really matters to them. The book places great importance on ordinary, everyday experiences and emotions, and is characterised by its vivid and unflinching portrayal of them. Yet Foster's innovation is not that he writes about the unremarkable, but rather that he does so in a remarkable way. The seemingly unexciting territory charted in the novel highlights his ability to draw startlingly poetic observations from the unJikeliest of sources, while his relentless eye for detail, acute observations and credible dialogue give his work a great sense of authenticity. Written with panache and brimming over with confidence, this is well worth a read: even if the subject LBura Johnson matter fails to inspire you, you'll find it hard to resist Foster's style. •

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From M&Ms to a cup of cocoa, chocolate is everywhere you turn. Which is a good thing, according to .£'1111118 Newbery, who takes at look at the sweet dark stuff that some people think is better than lurve•.. hether it's the manly satisfaction of Marathon (sorry - Snickers) , the seductive silk of Galaxy or the craziness of a cream egg , there are few people who are not partial to the sweet snack that is chocolate. The myths that surround chocolate are many and varied - it's supposed to be an antidepressant and an aphrodisiac as well as producing the same chemicals in your body as sex. But if all the other tales are to be believed, this wonder product is not perfect. My mum always told me it would give me spots, rot my teeth, and make me fat. Maybe she should talk to the obsessives who can produce scientific research that cocoa butter actually proctects your teeth from plaque, as well as evidence that acne is in no way related to chocolate consumption . And , as for it being fattening, American scientists at the University of California have come up with a way that you can consume with a clean conscience. Chemicals called phelonics are said to lower the risk of heart disease by stopping fat from oxidising and blocking your arteries. But before you reach for the kilogram bar of Dairy Milk, the saturated fat in there is probably still about as

healthy as eating a large block of lard . In the end, if such tests prove anything, it is that this brown gold drives people to incredible extremes - including (although perhaps on a smaller scale) desperate midnight trips to the chocolate machine in Union House. Certainly it is not surprising , that the botanical name for the cocoa tree, Theobrama cacao means 'food of the Gods'. And it quite1iterally was, the Mayans and lncas used their cocoa

brew as a ceremonial offering . They also used the beans as a form of currency, as well as smoking the stuff! On top of that, cocoa beans were used to cure all sorts of ills, including burns, coughs, dry eyes,

malaria and listnessness. When Columbus first brought the magical beans to Europe's shores, people weren 't that keen. But then , when you think about it, a kind of bitter ground tea or a watery cocoa mixture without any sugar in it is not the most appealing tipple. (The word chocolate itself comes from the Aztec xocolati, with xococ meaning sour and ati meaning water) . lt was the bearded Spaniard Cortez who cultivated their growth in Africa and made the beans popular in Spanish courts. His drink, a mixture of beans, vanilla and sugar took Europe by storm. And so, for 300 years , people happily drank their cocoa. Then in 1828 Coenrad J van Hauten figured out how to press cocoa butter from the beans - although another 20 years passed before Bristol's Joseph Fry added chocolate liquor and sugar, creating the first solid lump of chocolate. lt still had quite a grainy texture to it though - until Lindt came up with a smoother version in 1880. The combination of a longer stirring time and an increased amount of cocoa butter is the basis of the bars we eat today. And boy do we eat it! They reckon that the average Brit gets through 17 pounds a year, Yanks eat seven and a half pounds of the stuff, and the Swiss munch their way through a staggering 19 poundsmore than 190 little Tobleron e bars each

emergency chocolate ruces •.. Haagen Daz: Belgium chocolate ice cream. Need I say more?!

Nutella or Sainsburys Belgian chocolate spread: Eaten with bread sticks, on toast, with strawberries or fi ngers ...

If you're really desperate: Consider licki ng th e chocolate off the top of digestive biscuits, or (I'm told) sucking the cream filling out of the middle of a penguin bar.

Sex: Though it's not quite as good.

Wrappers: Also worth a try are any old furry sweet wrappers down the back of the sofa, that might still have the remnants of that seductive heaven.

.~.and

some

not so desperate ones...

Basic Chocolate Sauce: What you 'll need: 4 tbs cocoa 2 tbs sugar 2 tbs golden syrup 50g butter/margarine

Method: Mix all the ingredients together over a low heat, stirring constantly. Spoon over ice cream, or anything else that takes your fancy, and eat as it sets to a thick rich, fudgy texture.

Chocolate Flapjacks: What you'll need: 2oz I 4oz I 4oz I 4 tbs 8oz I

50g chocolate drops 100g butter 1DOg sugar golden syrup 200g oats

Method: Melt butter in a glass, m1crowavable dish. Add all other indredients and mix well. Microwave on high power for four minutes or until the whole of the surface of the mixture is bubbling. Leave to set, or eat while it is still warm with the melted chocolate oozing round the sticky oats.

The most comprehensive guide to what's on around Norwich this fortnight to fall for another hypnotist instead. Hypnosis may be necessary to keep the audience amused. HIDEOUS KINKY Kate Winslett, voted the sexiest movie star of 1998 by Empire readers returns to low-budget land after the spend-test that was Titianic. Here she plays a scatty single mother taking her two children along the hippie trial in 1972. Not for Disney it isn't. They are sitting pretty on another large wad of cash with this latest cutie spectacular, animated in CGI by the creators of Toy Story.

JACK FROST More CGI antics, this time with a talking snowman. Michael Keaton plays the lead role of a dead father re-incarnated as the snowman his son builds. All a bit scary if you ask me.

0 A BUG'S LIFE The Disney take-over of the natural world continues, with the insect world now subjected to its sugar-coated transformation of reality.

BLADE Friday, February 26 at11 .1 5pm Wesley Snipes as the Marvel super-hero who rides a motorbike and slays vampires with a large sword. As you do.

ENEMY OF THE STATE Will Smith gets chased by secret American baddies in Jerry 'trash' Bruckenhiemer's latest action flick.

WAY OUT WEST Saturday, February 27 at 2.30pm Laurel and Hardey fall over in black and white. A lot.

MADELINE Children's flick about the adventures of 12 young girls in 1950's Paris. Probably too nice and charming to appeal to today's youngsters.

ROTHCHILDS VIOLIN Sunday, February 21 at 8.00pm Shostavich's life and music is focused on via the

BABE: PIG IN THE CITY While most hollywood stars finish their careers in rehab or TV movies, this pink little celebrity will probably end up on the meat counter at Tescos. DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART An overdose of romantic comedy for Valentines day, this one about a recently widowed woman who is hypnotised into falling for her dentist, only

u JI'JRin f

ANTZ

Two computer animated films about angst ridden ants at the same cinema. What are the chances of that happening, eh?

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT lt's amazing how so much animated sand can achieve 'epic' status, but this film is apparently quite good. I'm pretty certain the original Old Testament did not include animated song sequences though. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Seeing as it's all he seemed to write about, I suppose he must have had his fair share of romance. Contains many references that everyone from literature students to cultural ignoramuses should get.

MULAN Disney flick about a girl who learns the secret arts of Ninjitsu and proceeds to beat up the local badly dubbed Hong Kong crime lords, seeking revenge over the death of her father. Possibly. THE PARENT TRAP The title does not describe the film as much as the poor people who have to escort children to watch it. PRACTICAL MAGIC Queens of romantic comedy, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock cast as two sisters using magic to woo men. Yet more comedy/romance for valentines day. STEPMOM Susan Sarandon watches Julia Roberts struggle to bring up her kids. Yet more overt sentimentality form Hollywood. YOU'VE GOT MAIL Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in another of the predictable Valentines day chick flicks, this time as a couple who are rivals by day, but conduct an anonymous intemet romance by night.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FINBAR Tuesday, February 16- Thursday, February 18 at 5.30pm, Thursday February 18 at8.15pm. Luke Griffin and Johnathan Rhys Meyers in a European eo-production about a disappearance in a small Irish community LES MISERABLES Friday, February 19 at5.15pm and 8.15pm, Saturday, February 20 and Monday, February 22 at 8.15 pm, Tuesday, February 23- Thursday, February 25 at 5.30pm. Bill August's version of Victor Hugo's novel, centring on a man convicted of stealing from a cleric. PSYCHO Friday, February 19 at11 .15pm, Saturday, February 20 and Monday, February 22 at 5.45pm, Tuesday, February 23 -Thursday, February 25 at 8.15pm. Colour carbon copy of the Hitchcock classic, with newer cars and slightly more nudity. Still pretty scary, especially if you haven't seen the original. TRAINSPOmNG Sunday, February 21 at 2.30pm Drugs, scotsmen, squalor and Ewan. What do you mean you haven't seen it? HILARY AND JACKIE Friday, February 26 and Monday, March 1 at 5.45pm and 8.15pm Blopic of Jacqueline du Pre, potraying the relationship with her sister which has raised controversy in musical circles. .,""" ... -.. .... -. ~

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THE TRUMAN SHOW Thursday, February 18 at 7.00pm Jim Carey lives in a soap opera. All his friends and family are actors and are secretly conspiring against him. A premise that may sound all too familiar to some in Hollywood. FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS Friday, February 19 at 9.00pm Terry Gillam's flawed but entertaining adaptation of the novel by Hunter S. Thompson. lt's long winded and introverted, but with visually stunning trip sequences. FERIS BEULLERS DA V OFF/ MARVIN'S ROOM Sunday, February 21 at 7.00pm I 9.00pn1 Double bill of American teen life. The first is a rites of passage movie in which Malhew Broderick steals his father's car, while the sec011d has Leonardo DiCaprio developing a relaltionship with 路路 his dying cousin, and also stars Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. Rumour on the intemet has it that Leonardo DiCaprio is having surgery to remove a third nipple. AKIRA Tuesday, February 23 at9.00pm Anime's greatest moment where a young biker in a futurisitc metropolis becomes subject to a bizzare series of experiments. VELVET GOLDMINE Thurday, February 25 at7.00pm Its the early 1980s and journalist Christian Bale tries to find out what happened to Glam Rock star Brian Salde, who faked his own death on stage a decade earlier. Staring Ewan Mcgregor, Christian Bale and Eddie lzzard, the film sparKles with all the glitter and tat of the decade it pays homage to. MY NAME IS JOE Friday, February 26 at 9.00pm The trials and tribulations of an alcoholic part-time football coach from the consistently brilliant director Ken Loach.

CIC 8 THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Canada) Monday, February 15 at 6.30pm In a small, snow covered Canadian town, all the children have ben killed by a mysterious accident. The story, told mostly through flashbacks, tells of an exploitative lawyer who spots an oppitiunity in the townsfolk's tradegy. CLERKS (USA) Monday, February 22 at6.30pm Kevin Smith's cult classic about two guys who woi'K next to each other in a shop. PRISONER OF THE MOUNTIANS (Russia) Monday, March 1 at 6.30pm POW story of a Caucasian soilder who holds two Russian soldiers hostage in exchange for his own sons. 路 y

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February 17

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comed ian. 20.00-23.00 £7.50 adv THE THATCHER YEARS WATERFR ONT, CLUB New romance and electric synth, while in the studio, FUNKY GROOVE SHACK are jiving it up. 21 .30-02.00 £4/ £3.50

ROSNENCRANTZ AND GUILDERNSTERN ARE DEAD UEA STUD IO, PLAY And Friday, February 19 Classic modern play by Tom Stoppard that fills in all the 'gaps' in Hamlet. Presented by Minotaur. £3.50 7.30pm

CLUB FLINT RICK'S PLACE , CLUB. 11pm £2 before GORG EOU S MANHATTANS , CLUB Happy House club night. 9pm-4am £5

TH E NUTC RACKER TH EATRE ROYAL,BALLET. Runs till Saturday, February 20 St Petersburg Ballet theatres production with 50 dancers and a 50 piece Orchestra. Tickets £19/ £17/ £15/ £10/ £4.50

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WORLD OF CHEESE WATE RFRONT, CLUB. Free buses from UEA will take you to a night out so cheesy it belongs in the fridge. 22.00-02.00 £1/£2.50 PURE SWING MANHATTANS, CLUB Uplifting swing for the people of Norwich. 9pm-2am FR EE SUPERFLY MOJO'S CLUB Funky sounds for Norwich groovers. 10pm-2am £3 THE CONCEPT COMEDY CLUB London circuit comics. All drinks £1 .50. Tables can be reserved in advance with the club. Doors 8.30pm £4

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MELTDOWN WATERFRONT, CLUB Satu rday night reg ular spot, with pysch, fu nk and pop from GROOVADELIA in the studio. 9pm-2am £4/ £3.50 BEATS PHARMACY PRESENTS LCR , CLUB Night of club madness with DJ's from the Propellerheads, Shere Khan , Louis and Venom , in association with mixmag. 21.30-02.00 £tbc adv JAM SESSION PLAYHOUSE BAR , MUSIC Come along and join in the music. FREE

LCR DISCO UEA LCR, CLUB Train for the Rugby squad at the usual scrum for the bar, just around 12.45am £2.50

CWFS @ZOOM ZOOM , CLUB Uplifting house & garage. 10pm-3am £5

CHARTY HANDBAGGY THE LOFT, CLUB Popular Gay night at one of Norwich's most famous clubs. £3 /£4

A NIGHT FOR DISCERNING ADULTS RIC K'S PLACE, CLUB £ 3 with flyers before 11pm DANCE CLUB MANHATTANS, CLU B 9pm-4am £5

JOY RIDE CONCEPT NIG HTCLUB East Anglia's premier Soul and R'n'B night. £3 SWEET EROS UEA STUDIO , DRAMA And Saturday February 20 Contraversial drama about relationships continues the UEA drama students' theatre festival. 7.30pm £3.50 cone.

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THE CLASSIC SOUL SHOW TH EATRE ROYAL, PE RFORMANCE . Tributes to the greatest Soul legends, including Otis Reading and Wilson Pickett, so whip out the white suit and brass insturnments. 7.30pm £10/ £8 I £3

GOOBER PATROL + WEAVE 67 +SOUTHPAW + SEMTEX NORWICH ARTS CENTRE, GIG The Wilde Club return to the Arts centre £2.50 adv./ £3 on door

SUNDAY SERVICE MANHATTANS,CLUB House night. 8pm-2am FREE

3 COLOURS RED+ GUESTS WATERFRONT, GIG . Named alter an obscure French flick , the band responsible for Beautiful Day come to Norwich . £7.50 19.30-23 00

CHARTY HANDBAGGY THE LOFT, CLU B Popular Gay night at one of Norwich's most famous clubs. £3 /£4

PLEASURE RI CK'S PLACE, CLUB New club night, with cheap drink offers. 99p with flyers before 11pm

Celebration of immortal broadway hits, including some by Elvis , The Drifters and The Coasters. £15 /£11 /£9 /£3

CRAIG CHARLES + GUESTS LCR, COM EDY Stand up from TV's intergalactic poet and

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1999

GENE+ MUSE WATERFRONT, GIG Here promoting thier new album Revelations. 19.30-23.00 £8adv CARWASH LIQUID, CLUB Funky 70s disco night. Wear your flares and get in for free . Otherwise £3 UNDERGROUND MOJO'S, CLUB Lo-Fi and lndie night. 10pm-2am £3 SMOKY JOES CAFE TH EATRE ROYAL, MUSICAL Runs till Saturday, February 27

SIMON ARMITAGE LECTURE THEATRE 1, TALK. Poet, playwright, song lyricist and writer, and winner of the Sunday Times ' writer of the year award in 1993. Good effort. 7.30pm, £3.50/£2 CLUB CHAD IKON, CLUB Superclubs go head-to-head with Icon's new stu dents only night. Free before 10pm with UEA card 60p a pint STUDENT NIGHT LIQUID, CLUB Cheap, very popular student night from one of Norwich's poshes t clubs. Free before 11 pm with UEA card

CLUB RETRO-ACTIVE LCR, CLUB A double whammy of tribute madness from THE VILLAGE PEOPLE, and ROBERT LAMBERT as GEORGE MICHAEL. 9.30pm-1.30am £5adv

FLAMING STARS+ OVAHEAD + INTRAVENOUS+ REYNOLDS FAT PAULY'S, GIG PURE SWING MANHATTANS, CLUB Uplifting swing for the people of Norw1ch. 9pm-2am FREE SUPERFLY MOJO'S CLUB Serious Funk. 10pm-2am £3 ODD MAN OUT PLAYHOUSE BAR, MUSIC Covers and original material FREE

LE BALCON UEA STUDIO, PLAY Jean Genet's theatrical deconsrutction of power and pretence, by Sacre Theatre. 7.30pm £6/£3.50 MELTDOWN WATERFRONT, CLUB India and alternative dance with hip-hop and rhythm rapping from EFFECT in the studio. 9pm-2am £4 /£3.50 CWFS@ZOOM ZOOM, CLUB Uplifting house & garage. 10pm-3am £5 A NIGHT FOR DISCERNING ADULTS RICK'S PLACE, CLUB £3 with flyers before 11 pm DANCE CLUB MANHATTANS,CLUB 9pm-4am £5

CHAINS ON VELVET WATERFRONT, CLUB More metal than on Hannah from Neighbours' teeth . Now on alternate Thursdays. 22.00-02.00 £21£2.50 LCR DISCO UEA LCR, CLUB Acoholically cheap and thus acholically cheerful night. Featuring a preview of Underworld's new album. 10pm £2.50 CHARTY HANDBAGGY THE LOFT, CLUB Popular gay night at one of Norwich's most famous clubs. £3/£4

PATRICIA DUNCKER LECTURE THEATRE 1, TALK. Teaches writing, literature and feminist theory at the University of Wales. She now has a published collection of short stories entitled Monsieur

Shoushana 's Lemon Trees. 7.30pm £3.50/£2 HAPPY DAYS THEATRE ROYAL, MUSICAL Rock and Roll classics for all the family, based on one of the most enduring (sickly?) TV shows that America has spawned. Features all the characters, including the Fonz himself £19.50 /£16 /£13/£13/£3 UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA JOHN INNES CENTRE, CONCERT. Conducted by Sharon Choa, with a program including Mozart, Jacob and Griller. £6/£5/£3 THE KRUSTY KLUB Noisebox night with three bands and DJ Spm-1 am, FREE ENTRY CLUB CHAD IKON, CLUB Superclubs go head- to-head with Ikon's new students only night. Free before 1Opm with UEA card 60p a pint STUDENT NIGHT LIQUID, CLUB Cheap student night from Norwich's latest club Free before 11 pm with UEA card

Hvs The Loft Manhattans Ikon Liquid The Waterfront Mojos Zoom Concept ,Rick's Place Canary Cue Club ADC Cinema Cinema Ci ~=:__.

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STIFF LITTLE FINGERS+ GUESTS WATERFRONT, GIG Combination of punk and pop, headed by Jake Burns. Makes you think of a cross between Johhny Rotten and Kavangah, with a pierced nipple? £10 19.00- 22.30adv

I I

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SUNDA V SERVICE MANHATTANS, CLUB House night. 8pm-2am FREE

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FUNGUS+ MASSEY +CRONE+ PARENTAL ADVISORY FAT PAULY'S, GIG £3.50 adv./ £4 on door

BILLV BRAGG + THE BLOKES WATERFRONT, GIG Hailing from Barking, with chipper tunes and political and personal polemics. £1 Oadv 19.30-23.00

CLUB FLINT RICK'S PLACE, CLUB £2 before 11 pm GORGEOUS MANHATTANS,CLUB Happy House club night. 9prn-4am £5 DANCE CLUB MANHATTANS, CLUB 9pm-4am £5

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STUDENT NIGHT SOLAR SKATE, SKATING! Cheap skate hire and indie DJ. 7-11pm £1 .00 with ID

CARWASH LIQUID, CLUB Funky 70s disco night. Wear your flares and get 1n for free. Otherwise £3. UNDERGROUND MOJO'S, CLUB Lo-Fi and lndie night. 10pm-2arn £3

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1999

.. PETER ZENNER. MINDREAIDIHYPNO .FEB !1

CRAIG CHARLES ..._vm.cu

NJOHT wrrn STAR a' RED DWARF AND RaiOT WARS

FRI 19 FEB !7.!Gif.5 SU last few tickets

club BEAT PHARMACY brelk belts widl djs iom die propdlcrtads

SAT 20 FEB ! 711.5 SU

LIVE IN THE HIVE JEAN GENIE BOWIE TR.IBlTT'E

ORLD OF CHEESE All YOUR fA YE CHEESY SOUNDS FREE BUSES FROM UEA WED 17 FEB £1+SU ID DOOR

TilES 23 FEB FREE

club RETROACTIVE .bl a tribute to WUm &. a tribute to WIIF ~e

SAT 27 FEB f.S

TRIBlJTE TO BOY

TAKE lliAT, 'lYE. BOVZONE

TilES 2 MAR FREE A TRIBlJTE • ALL rnE HITS OF 1lfE EAGLES

SAT 6 MAR !8.50/!7.50 SU

FRI 19 FEB £3+UEA ID DOOR

MEItN'n-tE/TDOWN+GROOVADEUA Al TDANCE &NEWPOP SAT 20 FEB £3+ UEA ID DOOR

G E N E·MUSE MOH 22 FEB £8

LIVE IN THE HIVE

'TIME OF YOUR LIFE' WAYNE KENNEDY AND DIRTY DANCING

TilES 9 MAR FREE

UND

IN THE

FRI 12 MAR £12 last few tiekets

the CARBON CLUB i:at lm: tributes to Robbie Wdliams llld Wdl Srritb

SAT 13 MAR f.S/f.3.50 SU A ROCK 'N'ROLL NIGHT -CELEBRATING BUDDY HOlLY'S UFE

fEATIJRING

-·

ALBERT LEE & HOGANS HEROES, DAVE EDMUNDS, MIKE BERRY, PETE WINGFIELD SUN 14 MARCH £9.50/limited no. f.S SU

LIVE IN THE HIVE

ST~DIO

PROPH T

JUNGLE/DRUMN BASS/HI P-H WED

IN THE STUDIO

FEB

£3

DOO R

CHAINS ON VELVET

METAl/GRUNGE/lNOIISTRlAl

HUR 25 FEB & NOW ALTERNATE THURSDAYS £2 84 JJ DOOR

MISS MONEYPENNYS EGRAHAM GOLD/JIMSHAFT RYAN/S IMON OWEN

OL LI E BLACKMORE/BEATS PHARMA CY ALL NIGHTER FRI 26 FEB £10(NUS) ADV

MAMBOCOMBO

STILL SEXY TOUR- ALL 1lfE HITS OF HCrr CHOCOLATE

WED 17 MAR £12.50/£10 SU

....

club MISS MONEYPENNYS

TIFF liTTlE FINGERS SUN 28 FEB £10

sat 20 march £9/£8 SU

ECHO & 'fHE BUNNYMEN MON 12 APRIL £11

ROGER MCGUINN of the Byrds FRI 21 MAY £14.50

THUNDER SAT 29 MAY £11.50

ROBERT CRAY BAND

.. .

PLANNING APARTY?

THE WATERFRONT STUDIO (WITH 2AM BAR> CAH BE HIRED MON. WED & THUR AT VERY SPECIAL TES TO UEA STUDENTS. PHONE FOR DETAILS