The event issue 099 12 05 1999

b81'beeues! pg 10

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

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Remember the film about hippies in a spaceship, big bombs and a strange blow up toma o al·en? WeD now the f"'dm has become a band. Pldl Stepllan meets Dark Star...

the1r recent tour w1th Ultrasound Dark Star have been wmmng over aud1ences a! over the country, mclud1ng the crowd at the: recent Waterfront g•g No one seems to have seen anyth1ng qu •e hke them, but they fmd 1t compelling. T!le strange and unconventional sounds between tracks may put some o~. but there are songs underneath tr1s - Dark Star are ambitiOUS but they still I ke to rock Take the1r n1ne track debut album Forward Twenty Twenty Sound. lt may seem worrymgly l1ke prog to some, but that disappears as the album unfolds There are b1g choruses, energetiC •ock songs and slower more melodiC mate-ne - the whole th1ng seems fam11iar but 1t also llas an alternative edge Dark Star have tre1r heads 1n the clouds yet the1r feet are firmly planted on the ground. rhey don t go far enough to be 'alternative , yet they go too far to be seen as JUSt anothe• rock three p1ece - f!O wonder they have been labelled as one of today s most prom1s1ng new bands They cons1st of drummer Dave Francohm, bass1st Laurence O'Keefe and gUJtanst/ vocalist B1c Hayes, and the n-rne, they say was "the result of a senes of happy acc1dents

and a boatmg tnp " We are told "there are three deflmte th1ngs beh1nd 1r and can qLJote all of them and none of them are anyth1ng to do w1th 11 One of them 1s a song by tre GratefiJI Dead, another 1s the phenomena of a dark star and the otrer is a filM that was made by John Carpente " B1c and Dave don't want us to be! eve thiS, they re s.:T'ply trymg to divert attention away from the band's soul to 1ts mus1c, and they dO!"! I m1rd iJS know•ng. Th1s becomes mcreas1ngly apparent when enqumrg into the1r history ·we have never been 1n any other band ever " Dave and B,c chirp m perfect harmony. Asked about the1r 1mm1ment fest1val appeara. ces at Glastonbury, T In The Park and Read1ng, they claiM to have done these sorts of th1ng before, only to hast1ly withdraw the statement, saymg "No we were never ,n any other band."

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So, we've gathered tre fact that they haven t been 1n any other bands then In fact they "orly learred to play mstruments two and a half years ago. All th1s seems a little hard to swc. ow and afte• a little research 1t emerges that Dark Star are actually the remnants of - gac;p Lev1tat1on a much hyped band of progg1sh rue that split m 1994 The only reason they pay so ' tlle attention to the past 1s because the1r eyes are f1rmly f xed on the future. In fact, despite only JUSt havmg released their first album Bic and Dave are already look1ng forward to the second it's gonna be f'ck1ng great!" Dave enthuses but B1c has more dev1ous plars " What we're gomg to do 1s listen to all of th1s one backwards work thern out, do the whole album backwards and no one Will no• ce I don t krow about that, but Forwards Twenty Twenty Sound IS well worth a listen You can catch Dark Star support1ng Snowpony soon JUSt don't expect any Lev1tat1on covers

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Sex

What's the big fuss then? The 'Pistols are possibly the most influential British band ever - some would say even more so than the Beatles. Bursting onto a seventies music scene dominated by beardy prog rockers and shallow glam boys, the Sex Pistols had a bare-faced attitude and spiky style that caused instant moral outrage, and assured a following amongst a British youth tired of the remnants of sixties hippydom. Who did/ does what? John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten, was the band's vocalist, chosen after an audition which he spent jumping around, puking and inventing lyrics on the spot. Childhood

he allegedly murdered g1rlfnend Nancy Spungeon, and with that the band split. However, a few years ago the remaining members reformed for the Filthy Lucre Tour. The band even buried the hatchet and brought back Matlock on bass. The jury is still out on whether this was the ultimate punk statement ... or a shamefaced sell out.

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friends Steve Jones and Paul Cook played guitar and drums respectively Origmal bassist Glen Matlock was chucked, to be replaced by John Ritchie, better known as Sid Vic1ous. Sold a few records then? Although they only ever released one official album and five singles, the band have earned their niche in history. The album Never Mind The B' ..ocks reached number one, and second single God Save The Queen reached number two in the UK. Because of its lyrics, many record outlets left the track title blank on chart displays. Which is the best? Following the band's split there have been numerous reissues and compilations, all self consciously commercial and 'ironic'. Therefore you can't do much wrong by going out and buying •... The a···ocks. Touted as a huge inspiration by many of today's musicians from all genres, this is an album that could seriously change your life. Did we mention Glen's favourite snack? The removal of Glen Matlock was hardly amicable. Legend has it that the rest of the band continuously persecuted Matlock, largely because he was more clean-cut and liked the Beatles. One preferred method of antagonism was to fill a sandwich with all sorts of bodily functions, and force Matlock to munch away. Yum. So What Does The Future Hold? Sid Vicious died of a hero1n overdose shortly after

In Retrospect. .. God Save the Queen, she ain 't no human bemg/ There is no future in England's dreaming ...

Mr Morse invented .. ". . ·.-. dance music

finished the job with the telephone. This creation led to hundreds of worthless musicians gaining the ability to communicate through the prolific use of tunes when on 'hold.' Research has proved that all hold services are absolutely abysmal save the telephone line at Snetterton race course, which plays New Order. Ring them and enjoy. However, I digress. The ultimate use of music in the wonderful world of the talking business is of course the invention of the mobile phone. Soon manufacturers decided that a simple brrr brrr wasn't good enough, and made their phones play a variety of pleasing melodies, including the wobbly wallchart theme from vintage Halifax building society ads. Trains are now improvised concert venues as hundreds of suits trying to be trendy outdo each other with their various arrangements of bleeps. This is becoming such a phenomenon that eventually some record company exec will be sitting in his palatial office, sucking on a cigar, when his phone rings. A smile breaks across his face as he has an IDEA. Assembling a team of crack musicians over a period of a week, some of the most beautiful tunes ever are 'laid down.' But then Mr Record Co takes the songs - and digitally converts them into bleeps, which are sold to mobile manufacturers. The ensuing frenzy sees these mobile tunes dominate the charts, phone sales soar, and the entire population spending their waking hours on their handset receivers, ringing their mates to give them the benefit of being able to hear their phones go off. But in the midst of all this, there lies a dark and distressing truth. In a matter of decades, we risk packing hospitals and cemeteries as the entire population succumbs to the horrors of brain tumours. Ifs good to talk?

cean rnfle .,:atlt:e "A hundred thousand welcomes"

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~~HMV

Summer's here and the time is right for dancing in the streets, but what are you going to dance to? Darcy Hurlord looks at some summertime classics ... ir Cliff was only half right. "We 're all going on a summer holiday, no more working for a week or two." Week or two? Month or several , more like, if the usual state of the charts during the summer mon_ths is anything to go by. Students are said to be lazy, but let's face it, musicians are lazier. One measly, scraping-the-barrel , fifth-off-thealbum single , the odd festival appearance, and that's your lot, my music loving friend. Forget about anything good in the charts, because apparently they're all working on their albums. Or so they claim - the Stone Roses used this excuse for five years running, until it was revealed that they were in fact doing nothing except drugs and Led Zeppelin impersonations. So, what does occupy chart space in the fragile period 'twixt May and September? Well , if we don our Greil Marcus cloaks of musicology, we see that summer singles can be divided into two categories . One, the slow, warbling luurve ballad , and two, the dancing on the beach in dayglo out1its pop number. Normally, type two is numerically the stronger, but it is type one that reaches the top of the charts and stays there for weeks . We all know the sort of song , but, just to jog

. .- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.. your memory a bit, here are some examples. Remember the Bangles? Eternal Flame is the junior school soundtrack for a generation, and the saccharine tones of Susannah Hofis are eternally linked with the trundle wheel and the Village with Three Corners. Yes they are. Don 't argue. Women tend to do better at this sort of single than men . But don't think I'm being feminist , !Mlft@@ Uilil©ITil®W~®ITiliTilW because it's hardly something to be proud of. Jason Donovan W@@@l@@ had a good try with Sealed With A Kiss, although his effort was undermined by the fact that Brian Hyland released the song decades earlier. Still , he could never beat the efforts of top-class slush merchants like Celine Dion , Whitney Houston and Mariah Carrey, or No Doubt, who did very well with Don 't Speak, despite having a singer named Gwen. Being Canadian helps in the ballad game, come to think of it. Alanis Morrissette may be Canadian National Embarrassment Number One, but she's got stiff competition, not only from the aforementioned Dion, but also from Bryan Adams. Dear old Bryan . 1992 just wouldn't have been the same without Everything I Do gushing out the airwaves, filli ng our adolescent brain s with images of Kevi n Costner shootin g an arrow in slow motion to save Maid Marian. "Take me as I am, take my life" he sang. Don't tempt me mate. Reggae is also a good ploy for scoring high in the summer charts. Not necessarily

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

genuine reggae , mind, anything vaguely reggae-sounding that you can pretend to skank to will do. Wild World by Maxi Priest wi ll do nicely, or why not 1Occ? "I don't like reggae , oh no." Nope, me neither. Go away. The more upbeat summer hit has been expertly delivered by Ace Of Base , who turn up every summer, regular as clockwork, with another merry tune that everyone buys, and then disappear for the rest of the year. it's not all glittery tack though. Look back over the years and you 'll see many a fine tune that celebrates the joys of summer in style. The Beach Boys' entire career was in many ways a dedication to the warmest months. Their name was a pun on a water safety device, and their lyrics told of surfing, California, and good vibrations, all of which places them firmly at the seaside, bucket and spade in hand. A lot of Brian Wilson's weirdness was probably just sunstroke , although the ozone layer didn't have a hole in it in the sixties. · Maybe you don't like to be beside the seaside though. Maybe you'd rather be reposing gracefully on a hammock, imbibing summa! posh and generally lazing on a Sunny Afternoon, in which case, you 'd be listening to the Kinks in a louche manner. Tell you what sounds really summery, a Hammond organ . REM did a song called Stand with one on that is extremely chirpy, and the whole Charlatans back catalogue is organ -ic enough to make you start hunting for your shorts. Some lovely songs have been written with the word 'summer' in the title. A personal favourite is Summertime by the Sundays, which combines beautiful singing with a melody that makes you think of running along the shore in a long dress with daisies on it, if that's your thing. Last, but not least, come some old indie friends who perfectly encapsulate the idea of dodgy summer singles by being called Dodgy and releasing a song called Staying Out For The Summer about what a laugh it is when the weather's nice and you're outside. Rumours that their subsequent split would be accompanied by a song called 'Falling Out In The Summer' are blatantly untrue. Seriously though , forget all this indie snobbery stuff. There is one, true summer tune that year in , year out, encapsulates all that is wonderful about this time of year. We have known it since childhood . lt jangles in an eerie way, bringing tidings of cold refre shment. The name? Greensleeves, also known as the 'icecream van tune'. it's the sound of the summer. Honest.

~evenij ~~HMV

D.IIISI&:

• He's French, likes Nick Kershaw and produces strange eighties-esque tunes. Sfepllen f}uirlce had a chat with )acques Lu Cont about his Les Rytlunes Digitales project ntil recently, France was hardly renowned for its pop music prowess, with people like Jean-Jacques Ferry, or possibly Jean Michel Jarre being the exception to the rule. Yet in the last couple of years we've had easy listening in the shape of Air's Moon Safari, hip-hop from DJ Cam and the techno compilation Super Discount, all of which has engendered a renewed interest in Gallic pop. Which brings us neatly to Les .....

Rythmes Digitales. Or rather it doesn't. Jacques Lu Cont. the man behind Les Rythmes Digitales may have been born in Paris, but lived there only six months

100... ). But why is he such an influence? "Just because he made me remember what the fun side of the eighties was, the side that makes me laugh, the side that I quite liked. So in his own kind of way maybe not a musical influence, but more a general one." You can certainly hear the Mantronix influence in the track Take A Little Time - a song so authentic, it's hard to believe you haven't heard it before

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(perhaps at a school disco when you were twelve). But what of other music, or is

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before his parents relocated to an equally romantic and famous town: Reading. Twenty-one year old Jacques, with his trademark red hair (blue and green don't suit him, apparently) is about to release his second album, Darkdancer on the Wall of Sound label. When I asked Jacques (real name Stewart) whether he felt French his immediate answer was no, as "it's more a romantic idea that anything else." As the son of classical pianists, and having achieved grade eight piano before being old enough to shave - a career in classical music beckoned. However Jacques was having none of it, embracing the world of pop instead. He began making tapes in his bedroom studio, one of which ended up on the desk of Mark Jones - the founder of Wall of Sound. He liked what he heard, and the rest is history. Darkdancer is Lu Coni's second album, a record which attempts to fuse pure pop music with an eighties sound while simultaneously trying to appeal to today's club scene. Not an easy task, but Jacques manages to pull it off. Impressive indeed for a Pet Shop Boys fan who claims that the Human League are "my all time favourite band ever." But you can't write an album influenced purely by the Pet Shop Boys. Who else does he see as inspirational? "I'm inspired by people like the Human League, Mantronix, and probably Nik Kershaw in a funny kind of way. He had his own kind of influence on the record." Yes, Nik Kershaw appears on the album, on the track Sometimes, a fine tune that proves Nik Kershaw is and always will be a star (C'mon, · he wrote pop gem Fantastic Day when he was in Haircut

Jacques stuck in some bizarre eighties timewarp? "Bands that I like outside of (the eighties] include everything from Joni Mitchell to Jean Michel Jarre, to Kraftwerk to the Mamas and Papas. I like a really diverse range of music." Interestingly though, Jacques seems more into the electronic. As he confesses he was never tempted by indie guitar or rock. "I've never really had much of an indie guitar phase in my life. My friends kind of got into that kind of stuff. I think if I'd been listening to pop music since I was a little boy then I probably would have been sick of it by that age and be looking for something else like Sonic Youth ... but I wasn 't - so I found pop music really fascinating and exciting." The problem with rnost pop music is that it's never really performed live, it usually just involves dancers miming to backing tracks. Mind you, the same can be said of a lot of live dance music,

really important bit to me." Unfortunately, they won't be doing anything in Norwich, at least not this time around, as apparently: "I thought we were doing the Waterfront... I found out that they didn't have a night that fitted in on the tour schedule, which is a shame 'cos last time we played there (supporting Bentley Rhythm Ace) we had a really good gig." However, you should be able to catch Les Rhythmes Digitales on Mary Anne Hobbes' Radio One show on May 31 surely better than nothing - and keep an eye on the festival

I'm Inspired by people like theBaman League and Nick Bershaw

but this isn't the case for Les Rythmes Digitales, as Jacques explains: "Dance music live has just relied upon playing over a OAT for such a long time, people are starting to do it properly now - it's quite fresh . I am really into the live shows - because we've got something going on stage, because we're not just standing there miming behind keyboards, putting a finger in the air every now and again. We actually do something, that's the

programmes too. With Darkdancer, Jacques has distilled key elements of eighties electronic music, mixing them with more contemporary club sounds, and the result is an eclectic cruise through 80s pop.

Let's put it this way, if label mates The Propellerheads made retro pop and not big beat, Darkdancer is what they'd sound like. There are instant floor fillers like Music Makes You Lose Control and What's That Sound, back to back with the more retro sounding Hypnotise and things that wouldn't sound out of place on a Megadrive game. Which is a good thing. The cheery Sometimes, will, if there's any justice, be a big summer hit. Yet the album also has its darker side, with tracks like the haunting Damaged People. Jacques' hopes for Darkdancer are: "Firstly that people don't think l'rn taking the piss. Secondly that people can see beyond it, and realise that there are songs you can take seriously and sing because of their accessible pop nature, yet are still credible because they have a lot of underground dance music influences. And thirdly, to sell 100,000 units ..." So there you go. Jacques Lu Cont, a man with little time for the underground dance scene, planning instead to go for the pop jugular, head to head with Steps and the like. And as far as I'm concerned, the best of luck to him.

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THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 1999

~eventJ the round up of this fortnight's music releases Iron Maiden Ed Hunter Heavy Metal. The mere mention of those two words brings to mind leather jackets, long greasy hair and songs that feature some of the most interminable guitar solos ever committed to record . That is, of co urse. if yo u are a bi got who is fifteen years behind the times. Today, metal 's top bands are rapidly gaining in popularity with a youth bored of spinele ss, vac uous pop music. So why do we need a greatest hits album from Iron Maiden? Iron Maiden are one of the greatest heavy metal bands to have ever wo rn a sl eeveless denim

Moby jacket, and this top 20 compilation (as voted for by th eir fans) is a fantasti c co llection of extremely influential material. Yes , Iron Maiden do epi tomise a lot of th e cliches mentioned , but to dismiss their music is lo miss the point. The video game that comes included is almost incidental when so many classics of th e genre are on offer. For what it is, superb. Anthony Love//

Ben Folds Five Unauthorised Biography of Reinhold Messner

There appears to be two sides to Ben Folds Five. Unfortunately, th eir bad side is th e kind of jaunty-m usical bouncy- crap wh ich spawned the singles Army and Your Redneck Past. At times it's an example of how dependence on one instrumen t, Folds' pi ano, can limit an album's potential , and at other times it' s simply an exercise in pu re averageness which gets increasingly annoying . Lu ckily, thei r good side brings a few gems: the murky ballad that is Hospital Song, th e smooth jazz of Yo ur Most Va luble Possession, and perhaps most impressi ve , the reminiscing , beautiful piano of Magic. And the album grows on you. lt manages to sound li ke John Lennon and Queen on the same CD , although wh ether that recommends it is open to question. But when the las t track, Lullabye, has drifted away, it is hard to work out which side of Ben Folds Five has prevailed. One must ask th e question : is this album wo rth th e investment for just four James Brown or five decent tracks?

Grooveriderl Dimension/ Shere Khan UEA LCR Saturday, May I Th e big name of Grooverid er was obvio usly th e main attraction to most of the crowd who fil:ed out the LCR and the Hive fo r Club Apocalypse . In th e end , however, Grooverid er only pl ayed for aboul half an hour before leaving it up to Dimension to fill in the remaining hour or so. But this didn't bother most of the pun ters, since Dimension played a wicked set . including several tunes from the much hyped and long awaited Planet V album . Previously, Shere Khan played a live set that seemed to go down well with th e crowd , th e

Prodigy -styl e showmanship obviously hitting th e right note. In the Hive various DJs played a sli ghtly more laid back choice of tunes, although still funky enough to draw people out of th e main room . lt was nice to see that th e al ternative room was really a laid back version of the main on e, relaxed enough for a short rest, bu t not so relaxed that you got too chilled out. Basically it was a wicked night - good tunes, good DJ 's, good crowd, good atm osphere. Dimension fin ished off with the Champion 99 rem ix of Congo Natty. and the crowd yelled for more. but th e lights cam e up and we had to leave . I don't know how regularly Rum ble hope to hold this event . but it ce rtainly went down well , and showed that drum & bass can be successful on campus . Bang ing . Tom Harberd

Play What an unbelievably naif title. You would hope the lack of creativity didn 't extend to the actual musi c, and th ankfully it doesn't. Thi s is a fine album, as you can tell from the excellen t opening track. Honey. a very catchy. bluesy number, with a spl ash of electric guitar for good measu re. The album is es sentiall y divided into three parts. The first few tracks are heavily influenced by black gospel. R 'n' B. and blu es. This is pla1nly evident in songs li ke Find my Baby. with its folksy bathtub echo vocal s. There is even a decent hip-hop rap track, Body Rock, which is reminiscent of the Beastie Boys . Th e middle songs, for exam pl e South Side. with Moby on vocals. are definitely more dance oriented, and sound more 'pop' than anythin g else off the album . He redeems himself, howeve r, with a few bril liant instru mental tracks that are more refl ective and moody. Guitar11ute & String is a brill iant piece th at displ ays Moby's musical dexterity , slipping from keyboard to classical guitar with ease . This is an accomplished album by Moby which contains enough variety, co upled with his relentless energy throughout, to sustain interest. I definitely recommend it. Ayo Mansary

Fountains of Wayne

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Utopia Parkway The Fountains of Wayne - ah. wh at a breath of fresh ai r from the UK's pop, 'skater' rock and 70's nostalgia dominated charts. Utopia Parkway is definitely one for th e summer, with its upbeat melodies and harmonious vocals. As for the lyrics, well , Coll ingwood excels at taking th e pi ss out of Am eri can society , and in a superbly innocent style thanks to their lush, Beach-Boyish vocals . Prom Theme is perhaps th e pertect example of this . The highlight of th e whole album is th e hard guitar playing with the soft 'sha-la-la-la-la-l a-l a,' and 'uhhuh-do-ya-do-ya ' ch orus in Denise. However, with such great son gs it is inevi table that th ere will be an absolutely crap one, entitl ed Laser Show. Th e song sounds like Status Quo, which is too rock 'n' roll for th e sugary sounds of this album. But don't wo rry guys , th e rest of th e music makes up for this one bad mistake. A great album ,by a great band , but once again it may well be overlooked and not Gemma Pearce given th e respect due.

J.Y~;u~"'c F ® 1)r0J\'7~ rKJ~IJ.JJ!Jc- rJc€j IS}(i)c,(q~;..""@.\17 . uOu:?@:JJ !JuG'~ EiJw<£ @cu f) :2'.~u A double A-side from Nu Yoik's finest skoolies, Remote Control is a choice cut, hairy and raucous with a funky riff and pounding beats. Three MCs and One DJ though, is a sadly pointless headache-making knob-twiddling affair with none other than the main man Mixmaster A/ex Pollock Mike, and boy does it suck.

Reef Sweety Shock, horror! Reef's new single reveals strange yelps of 'a-wuh-bi-day ' amid a synth esiser which appears to have been stolen from The Corrs. But vocalist Gary Strin ger soon gallops back to familiar territory with a series of 'na na na's'. On a 'sweety' scale, this is probably . - - - - - - - - - - - . an orange wi ne gum . Not a red one, but look on the bright side people, i(s not green. James Brown

Blondie Nothing is Real But the Girl This is the latest offering from Blondie, the peroxide pop legends, who are out of time (although, unfortunately not out of steam), and back to haunt the radio waves with this follow up to Maria. And, quite frankly , it's just as bad , with repetitive, unoriginal lyrics aplenty. Surely a signal that Blondie should consider retirement instead of producing more tracks like this. Amanda Akien

Chemical Brothers Hey Boy, Hey Girl

I SUEDE

Head Music

Hey Boy Hey Girl begins as it means to go on , a wicked tune with bloody annoying lyrics. However, despite sounding scarily like a funky version of the Knight Rider theme , it displays all the hallmarks of a Chemical Brothers track. Ultimately, this crim inally short track soon becomes a damn cool tune and essential Marcus Alexander listening.

Another Level From the Heart As the first single from Notting Hill, with a 'legendary songwriter' and their general boyband fame, this offering from Another Level will probably sell whether you like it or not. In reality, it's just a middle-of-the-road 'baby, this is how I feel ' ballad , not totally annoying, but I'm not convi nced . At least they're nice to look at!

topdogformusic videos games THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

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Forces of Nature

Dlr: Bronwen Hughes 1999 Now Showing for Affleck, B is for Bullock, C is for Comedy - and Forces of Nature gets full marks on all counts. Set a couple of days efore the clean cut Affleck is due to get married in Savannah, a series of freak incidents leave the ill-matched pair on the road, on the run and in need of rescue. Along the way Bullock and Affleck encounter a hilarious collection of geriatric sun-seekers, spinning sombreros, exotic dancers (no girls, Ben doesn't get completely naked - §orryl) and American 'mall-humour'. Hidden amongst all this are surprising, and touching, tales of what love, friendship and marriage mean to parents, strangers, the old and the young. Indeed, despite initial appearances this film manages to break out of the predictable romanticcomedy formula. Unlike many others it is actually laugh-out-loud funny. Even the high 'feel good factor' comes alongside a thoughtful questioning of our expectations. Forces of Nature, unlike Bullock's previous weaker movie appearances, has a great script and a lot of directing style, and so offers the stars a space in which to do justice to their talents. All of this, combined with a great sound track, quirky cinematography and an excellent supporting cast, mean that Forces of Nature will make even the most cynical of movie goers crack at least a smile or two.

Llz Pearce

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is now heading for our shores . lt has already got excellent reviews in th e major fil m mags and if successful cou ld help lift the reputation of Manga films in general. So what is it about this film that

th at foreigners co uld watch our films and fin d them interesting whi le not understanding the background. Ours is a very closed culture, very small." lt is certainly true that this film could easily be written off as 'just another Manga feature ' and be tarred with the same brush as the majority of previous re leases. After all, in the West there isn't really anything comparable

inspiring topics like crazed psyChOpathS aftd girls getting tli.eir k it off

to Manga culture so it is quite difficult to imagine the wealth and variety of material being produced. Kon says , "Just as raises it we have a above the broad Manga average? culture, the Well , for a same should be start it steers clear of the standard true of Anima. " The emphasis on plot and storyline Manga set pieces of big in Perfect Blue would have made it suitable for a live action adaptation, but Kon wanted to prove explosions, gu ns and robot warriors. Even director Satoshi that Manga had scope for interesting drama and ~-~~~~~~~--t Kon recognises that most of the also felt that Anima helped maintain the surreal Manga adaptations that were atmosphere he was trying to achieve with much of being produced in An ima were the fi lm. pretty much of a formula. "lt He is now just keeping fingers crossed that the seemed to me that Anima was film will go down well in the West. lt could be that almost nothing but science fiction he's taking a risk in making an Anima feature so different from the usual stock as there's a chance robots and beautiful little girls, and Perfect Blue: Anima's new direction ... it just gets a bit boring after a it won't appeal to more traditional Manga fans who while ," he says. So the aim - ..,...- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - . are expecting with this film was to create something something new that audiences different, but hadn't seen a million times also it has yet to before - at least not in Anima. be seen if this "I broke the patterns kind of film can deliberately," says Kon. appeal to a new "Viewers are too used to being audience. But Manga has treated kindly." Perfect Blue concentrates on th e proven itself psychological progression of its internationally main character, Mima , through consumerpsychopaths and girls getting their kit off, a lot of 7 friendly before her career change from an them have gone straight to video and been largely innocent pop idol to smal l I with Anima like ignored in the rest of the world. There have been screen vixen. But the film Akira, so there's a few , however, that have broken the mould and makes some far more pointed a good chance succeeded in getting a theatrical release, thereby .....J they could do it observations about Japanese introducing the West to the joys of Manga. The pop culture and the again. When most notable of these was 1991's Akira, which manipulation of its B-grade you consider achieved a relatively widespread cinema release that in the last stars. She becomes haunted and enjoyed much critical acclaim. This helped to few years there has been a huge increase in the by her previous persona as a childlike innocent, open up the way tor cult Manga amount of Western ani mation directed towards and confusion about what person she has become followings in the West and adults , with Southpark and King of the Hill further cinema release of sets in. Not exactly your standard Manga fare, and followi ng The Simpsons' lead , and Britain it makes gripping, if unsettling, viewing. Anima films. However none of producing its own adult cartoons like Crapston them really managed to But will this be something that Western audiences, Villas, Bob and Sue and Stressed Eric, people unfamiliar with the Eastern cu ltu re that th is fi lm rec reate the may well be more receptive to the idea of an atmospheric drama depicts, find difficult to absorb? animated fil m that you don't take your kids to. lt Satoshi Kon admits of Akira, and just leaves you wondering: how would Manga seemed to that "it seems Stressed Eric go down in Japan? strange to me be losing hope of any ki nd of mainstream appeal. Films like Ghost in the Shell (the last theatrical release in 1996) and Fist of the North Star may have sparked dodgy TV spin-off TV series (think along the lines of He-Man, and the Power Rangers cartoons on Saturday morning kids TV), but apart from their loyal cult audiences, interest in them has steadily dwindled throughout the nineties. Of the recent films , even the more successful have taken the fast route straight to the back shelves of video shops and it looked like the

Japanese cartoons were never entirely for kids, but the Manga phenomenon never quite caught on in good old blighty. Rebecca Barrett asks if Manga madness is finally going global ... o most people in the West animation means kids, Disney, cute animals and awful songs. The word 'cartoon' instantly brings images of singing squirrels to mind , or if you 're an enlightened nineties type, images of a singing Cartoon . Cartoons are funny , cute or nauseating depending upon your stance, but that's as far as it goes until you consider 'Anima'. Anima is the label given to animated screen adaptations of Japan 's much older tradition of 'Manga' cartoons. Manga is a huge part of popular culture in Japan , and can be big business , with newsagent shelves groaning under the strain of the sheer quantity of Manga comics jostling to catch the eye. What really defines the genre, however is that there is only a limited number written specifically tor children, with a wide variety of 'adults only' titles, and everything in between. Japanese film makers have been converting them into animated films, or Anima, tor decades but what with the majority of stories covering such inspiring topics as alien invasions, crazed

I broke the patterns. Viewers are too used to being treated kindly

- =------'

- - -- . . - - west and Manga would never mix again. There may be a minirevival on the way, however with Perfect Blue, the first film from production company 'Manga Entertainment' to get a theatrical release since Ghost in the Shell. Perfect Blue, from director and Manga veteran Satoshi Kon has recently finished a ten week cinema release in Japan where it smashed art-house box-office records and

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THE EVENT; WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

~event) magine a Friday night in without any sitcoms on Channel 4, or watching Eastenders without being able to laugh at Dot Cotton. Comedy forms a central part of our daily dose of TV entertainment. Without it Have I Got News For You would be University Chaffenge, The Good Life would be Gardener's World and Rory Bremner would be, er, Rory Bremner. Some of Britain's most famous faces are those who prat about on the small. screen with the sole purpose of making us public hoot with merriment. The list goes on and on, but those who have made their names as comics include Clive Anderson, Mark Lamarr, Steve Coogan, Lenny Henry and Johnny Vaughan - all familiar names in every household. But hang on a minute, does anyone spot a pattern? Of course: they're all men! Okay, I exaggerate, there have always been a few successful female comedians on screen, but like most areas of life they are subject to the nineties ebb and flow of attitudes to women, in the public eye and in the private. The role women have filled on TV has been ever-fluctuating, and the style of female comedians has changed almost as often as . their haircuts.

retreat hastily fearing that no-one would ever ask them out again. The comediennes on TV thought that the way to draw their mid-nineties audience was to spend their whole show insulting themselves. Jo Brand's self depreciating "I'm fat and ugly and I look like a lesbian" style went down a storm! But somewhere a new breed of funny women were watching and saying "hang on a minute! I could do that and I wouldn't have to talk about how saggy my breasts were to get a laugh!" So struggling alongside comedy old timers like Dawn French, Ruby Wax and Josie Lawrence, a new type of female star has gatecrashed the New Lad trendy comedy set. Theirs is a pushy, loud and clever type of comedy, and they don't have to rely on jokes about their stretch marks to be funny. This means that they're appealing to both men and women and consequently are breaking down some of the barriers that may have existed. Shows like Channel 4's Late Lunch and the award winning sketch show Smack the Pony starred the New Girls who were comedians in their own right without having to rely on a funny man or a physical image to get them in with the audience. Even what were once hangers-on roles in male路

In the past women have played little mol"e than a bit part in the play that is comedy. But now, with shows like 拢ate 拢uncia and Smack file Pony, they're stepping into the limelight, says Ginger Foot

tell jokes without other people telling jokes about their receding hairlines and expanding waistlines. Because in the past there has been relatively little demand for female comedy acts, there has always been fierce competition for the few places available. But now there is room for this kind of new talent. As Sue muses, "I think we should all just live together in a happy female comedic environment." Or better yet, how about just a comedic路 environment? it's reassuring now to see

these women holding their own when faced with the New Lads, who are now not so new, nor so faddish . And hopefully the millennium's new audiences won't demand that their humour be separated any more. The female comedian has had a real struggle this decade getting people to look past her physical image. Let's hope she has finally been successful and can now get down to the serious business of making people laugh.

comedy shows are now being filled by respected We entered the nineties with an idyllic notion funny women. Kathy Burke and Daisy from The 11 that all people were now equal and no-one would ever be sexist again. French and O'Clock Show are being watched mainly because Saunders performed alongside Fry and Laurie, of their talent. Their appearance isn't the draw: and Victoria Wood sang hilarious songs about they can just make people laugh. being spanked with a copy of Woman 's Weekly. So why hasn't the world realised before that women can be funny too? Sue Perkins from the But sadly for some (and to the lasting delight of Late Lunch double-act Met & Sue has one theory. others) this couldn't go on forever. The causes "What I actually think is that women can't be are debatable, but after a few years the bothered being funny in the public arena, because backlash began. Suddenly the New Lad was all it can be very soul destroying." She and Mel have the rage and TV had to adapt. Up sprang a host braved it, though, of Loaded-style and are now busy shows; Never completing a Mind the nation-wide tour Buzzcocks and before probably They Think lt's Aff returning to TV Over became with their own hugely popular. sketch show. They were lads' Sue feels that women do bring something different shows for lads, by lads and starring lads. to comedy. "it's difficult to pin down, but men do Occasionally a girl would pop up as a guest but make more cock jokes, obviously," she laughs. "I it was usually written into her invitation that she think it's really good that more women are getting had to wear a tight top and no.t say very much. involved with comedy. Comedy is supposed to be The Big Breakfast exchanged Gaby Roslin's unsexy mumsie type for Denise Van Outen who like a mirror of real life and if you don't have women involved then it's failing." had a great legs, giggled a lot, and posed for She and Mel don't aspire to be part of any trendy men's magazines! What more could the New Lad ask? Men could bask in the reassuring TV set, and the idea of marketing themselves for notion that they could be the funny ones, and their appearance has never been considered. "I wouldn't want to be popular because I'd squeezed women couldn't disagree because if they did myself into a miniskirt'', she says. "I'd feel very you could call them feminists and they would , . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - - . gawky and out of place trying to market myself like that." And in these enlightened times she doesn't have to. As we reach the end of the nineties it seems that funny women can look as different as Julian Clary and Bille Connolly. They are not automatically promoted as 'babes' nor relegated to an ugly set. it's :sad that comediennes in the early nineties were subject to this kind of problem while Paul Merton, Clive James and Dave Alien could happily

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

Luke's Pasta Salad soog pasta shells black olives, halved bunch of spring onions 300g tin of sweetcorn freshly chopped flat leaf parsley 1 red pepper For the dressing: extra virgin olive oil salt black pepper juice of half a lemon cider vinegar Cook the pasta and leave to cool. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, spring onions and red pepper. ~ke ~ dressing by beating together the oil, le~ JUICe, vmegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Once t~e pa~a 1s cool add the dressing, olives, red pepper, spnng omons and . sweetcorn. Give the whole thing a damn good stir to get the dressing

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

Honey and Mustard Sausages Vegetarian Kebabs 路 1 large red pepper 1 large green pepper

10 large button mushrooms kebab sticks 4 tbsp of olive oil 2 tbsp of soy sauce 1 tbsp of clear honey Cut the peppers In two and remove the seeds, then chop into fair1y large square pieoes. Wash the mushrooms and cut them in half or quarter them if they are very large. Put the vegetables on the kebab sticks: Red pepper first, .then mushroom, then green pepper then another mushroom and so on. If you don't like peppers then allmushroom kebabs are just as nice. Mix the marinade Ingredients together thoroughly and then brush it over the vegetables, paying parfuular attention to the mushrooms. The marinade will keep the yegetal:>les tenjer and prevent them from drying out on the barbecue.

6 sausages 2 tbsp clear honey 1 tsp Dijon mustard salt and pepper Mix the Ingredients together and brush ove the sausages, then barbecue. r

Potato Salad 1lb of new potatoes mayonnaise handful of chives finely chopped Boil_ the new potatoes until they are soft. They should be cut Into small bltesize pieces before boiling. Drain them thoroughly and then leave to cool. Once they have cooled down, spoon the mayonnaise onto them and mix them together well. Use just enough mayonnaise to coat each potato well. Then mix in the Chopped chives Yo can use dried chives. if you don't happen to have ~ h~rb garden, they taste just as good. 路

. Carolyn's Chlcke

1 fmely chopped onion

: :~sp of tomato ketchup sp Worcester sauce

several dro f 1 tbsp cleaf~:n:~basco sauce 2 tsp vegetable oil

2 cloves of crushed . salt .and Pepper garlic 8 chtcken d . rumstlcks or thighs Mix all the Ingredients t tr:;: chicken drumsticks =:er t~oroughly, then brush hou chicken pieces In the re~~;ngth the marinade. leave rs '" the fridge to absorb 11 sauce for S9\leral SlOWly, ensuring that the a the flaiiOUr. Barbecue Do~'t just bum the surta:O~t COOks all the way through Chr~ken breasts, although you will all be very ill. . easrest to COok as they ha~nslve, are Probably the cook more evenly minimising t~e~nkes and Will therefore s of salmonella

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

forward T ·1anning

Best Laid Plans Dir: Mike 1999

Double 'l'alce

Barker

Opens May 14

he term 'style over content' is much . overused in relation to Hollywood films, but is quite appropriate for this tarted up indie thriller from Brit director Barker (The James Gang). Flashy pop-promo visuals abound here (lit cigarette being thrown to the ground in a slow motion close up and so on, and while all the garish neon MTV montage and trendy posturing becomes slightly intrusive at times, it nevertheless adds a more classy touch, especially when coupled with the superbly evocative lighting. The plot concerns Nick (Aiessandro Nivola), a young man stuck in a ·dead end Californian town who for various reasons gets persuaded to take part in a robbery, which of course goes horribly wrong. In an attempt to sort the situation out, he and his new girlfriend Lissa (Reese Witherspoon) concoct an ingenious plot to get what they need from Nick's old college friend Bryce (Josh Brolin). This leads to plot twists galore, and though extremely contrived the film is well enough structured to keep you guessing. Nivola is engaging in the lead, and Brolin is suitably irritating as the naive friend. The excellent Witherspoon is sadly underused, though, and the love story element of the film is never really developed. The film is redeemed somewhat by the silly but audacious final twist, which is representative of the vein of black humour running through it. There is also an excellent soundtrack that really works to evoke the right 'noirish' ambience. The overall impression of Best Laid Plans is of a film that only just manages to rise above mediocrity through being well made enough to keep your interest for 90 minutes. But there is certainly much worse out there than this. 5/mon McCal/um

•

Vs are getting bigger - much bigger. The latest model is picture thin and hangs discreetly on your wall covering up about 3/4 of it. So does this mean the end of trips to the cinema? After all, if you can see the picture larger than life at home, why fork out a fortune to sit in a dingy multiplex with uncomfortable seats and popcorn all over the floor? WeiJ,.JMAX are attempting to give you a reason by opening a new theatre in London on May 1. it boasts 'The Biggest Screen Britain's Ever Seen' at a rather impressive 20 metres high and 25 metres wide - nearly as high as five double decker busses, for those with poor spatial visualisation skills. The Event got a chance to be awed at a screening of its first two films, the Leonard Nimoy narrated Destiny In Space and the 3D extravaganza Into the Deep, where you can experience the thrill of seeing sharks and, er, sea slugs, a few millimetres from your face.There's no doubt that it is a memorable experience, but you can't help thinking that the thrill will wear off pretty quickly. After all, if you want to look like a pillock in a pair of plastic 3D specs you can head to Alton Towers and watch a film about someone's car getting stuck on a railway line. The films, although visually beautiful, are not really the kind of thing you would want to watch more than once. And because of the special 70mm reel IMAX films are made on they are having trouble persuading high-profile directors to get involved. There is no doubt that The Phantom Menace, or even Honey I Shrunk the Kids would look good on a screen that big, but would you pay £6.50 to watch a starfish maling?· Disney have apparently agreed to r~format their Fantasia 2000 !or an IMAX release, and if other film makers soon follow suit it could be a raging success. Otherwise IMAX will probably just remain the territory of film nerds and kids.

•

Odeon Cinemas are generously giving away a pair of guest tickets for any film (see restrictions on the ticket) to three unbelievably fortunate Event readers who are smart enough to answer this question in less than 50 words: Which is better, sweet or salty popcorn? Put your answer, along with your name, school, year and a contact number in the competition box in the Hive by Wednesday, May 19, 1999. Tickets will be kept until Wednesday, June 2.

ODEON

director's

C5G!J1S Clint Eastwood Starting_O;;...u;;...t_________

Every Monday night call at Owens f~ prewash and gain free admission to the Carwash at before 1 1.30pm. NO QUEUING go straight to the front with our passes. Free Pina Colada for everyone dressed in full '7 0 's garb

Born in San Francisco on May 31 , 1930, Eastwood made a less than notable start in showbusiness with brief appearances in smallbudget horror movies and TV commercials. In 1954 he landed a contract with Universal Studios earning $75 a week, but was quickly dropped when bosses decided that his Adam's apple was too big, and resorted to digging swimming pools to make ends meet. lt was not until Glint landed the lead role in the TV series Rawhide that he became a household name, something he managed to use to his advantage in the mid1960s by appearing in a t'rio of Sergio Leone westerns, the best known being A Fistful of Dollars.

Making the Break

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Building upon the success of his early career Eastwood teamed up with Don Siegel on a number of critically acclaimed films, including his big break into superstardom, Dirty Harry. it wasn't until 1971 that Eastwood decided to seize the directorial reigns with the psychological thriller Play Misty For Me. While attempting to maintain his reputation as an actor to be reckoned with (although not proving particularly versatile) he continued to direct throughout the 80s and the 90s, earning an Oscar for Unforgiven in 1992. His recent directorial efforts,

however, haven't met with glowing reviews. The latest, True Crimes, has been slated even before its release. Eastwood seems to have used his influence in Hollywood to his advantage, embracing the all-important code of nepotism and ensur ing his daughter's future in the movie industry- albeit only, it appears, in the films he directs.

He say...;;s..;.~--------- "So you've got to ask yourself. 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punk?"

FUmography_ _ _ _ _ _ __ Play Misty For Me (1971 ), Honky Tonk Man (1982), Firefox (1982), Heartbreak Ridge (1986) Bird (1988), The Rookie (1990) Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993) The Bridges of Madison County (1995) Absolute Power (1997) Midnight in the Garden of Evil (1997) True Crimes (1999) Space Cowboys (2000)

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[f{y]flJOO~DiJ®f?8 [}®JX er watching Predator as a kid, I emember I used to act out the film with my friends. We would always rgue about who got to be the redator because, let's face it, the Predator was hard. Even Amie had a really tough time trying to get rid of him. Being a computer nerd, I have waited all this time for a really good Predator game to come on to the market. And here it is. There are three scenarios to play · out. You can either be a marine (like Sigourney Weaver only with more interesting weapons), an Alien, or the Predator. If you chose to be an Alien, you can utilise their superior speed to your advantage. However, it has to be said that the Aliens have the worst weaponry, with a choice of just claws or tail. The fact that you can climb walls and walk on the ceiling is a bonus, but this

proves to be very difficult to master and actually made me feel a bit sick after a while. There are lots of marines scattered around the place for you to slash at, but I have yet to come across the predator. As a marine you start off in the landing vehicle from the film Alien with a machine gun and a grenade launcher. Unfortunately you have a very limited supply of grenades. it's all very Doom-like, with health, armour and weapons readouts in one corner of the screen. Another corner houses a motion detector, and you will notice straight away that this starts beeping like mad. Through the first door there are loads of Aliens. These guys can really move, too. They come at you like canvassers for the local elections: from everywhere, along the walls, from the ceiling - you name it, they are there. They also have an added weapon: acidic blood, so that even after you kill them they can still hurt you if you step on their dismembered corpses. If you make it through the first series of Alien packed rooms, you eventually get to another room where there is a new weapon a napalm gun. Strangely enough, however, this seems to be quite

ineffective. Although this section of the game is fun , it does become a bit samey after a while. The Aliens are far too quick, which inevitably makes the game very difficult. My personal favourite of the tluee choices has to be the Predator. The noises and music are fantastic , making the experience seem even more like the film. You are dropped off by your ship with various weapons including the shoulder cannon, a spear gun, and a hand claw as well as a medi-comp (the fluorescent liquid he uses in the film to heal himself). There are three different vision settings, one which makes Aliens easy to see, and one that makes marines easy to

see (the last two are only available when you cloak, ie go invisible). To some extent you can also zoom in or out. Again the Aliens seem to move far too quickly, and you still have to watch out for the acid blood, but using the Predator's array of weaponry and skills, it is a lot easier to do · away with them. In my opinion, this game is fantastic . The music and sound effects are really great and sound exactly like the films. I would personally go for the Predator game every time. This game is definitely worth buying, and will keep you hooked for ages. Ed Col/Ins

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With Pollock and Monet pulling in the crowds art's definitely alive and kicking, but are these blockbusters a good thing for art or a PR exercise? Paul Stokes takes a look at high art and high ticket sales n some people's minds art galleries are the exclusive preserve of tourists and school groups armed with brightly coloured work sheets. Indeed there are some people who won't go to galleries while they're home, but will when on holiday briskly tour the local gallery - without actually seeing anything - as a result of some slavish notion that they 'ought' to see Munch's The Scream. If you spoke to such people they wo uld probably tell you that no one goes and sees art out of choice and that it's all very boring. Of course, people might tell you that, but they'd be wrong. Wil.de was probably right when he said, "All art is quite useless," (unless it's one of these newfanglect..installation pieces which are meant to be useful) but despite this visual art, it seems, is quite popular at the moment. People are going to galleries in droves out of their own choice. Probably the best example of visual art's popularity has been the recent 'blockbuster' exhibitions that have taken not only the art world but Britain generally by storm. Down at the Royal Academy you would have been able to view a unique collection of Monet's later work under the inauspicious title 'Monet in the 20th Century'. The exhibition, which met with great critical acclaim, saw 79 paintings from the impressionist's later years collected together into one place for the first time. However, 'Monet in the 20th Century' was not only unique in art terms: with advance tickets flying out of the gallery in a manner usually reserved for rock concerts - setting a new record in advance sales for a visual arts event - you had to be pretty speedy to get into the RA. With an average of 8555 people pouring in to see the large water lily contingent on each of the exhibition's 86 days, Monet in the 20th Century was certainly an unusual exhibition - they even had a 24 hour opening to cope with the demand. However what makes this blockbuster all the more interesting, and what is clearly a healthy sign the visual arts, is that all this went on while another blockbuster opened up across London. Currently running at the Tale is a retrospective exhibition of the conceptualist and art bad boy, Jackson Pollock, the first major showing of his work in Britain for 30 years. Obviously some slick PR here and a clever bit of marketing there has helped, but Pollock and the exhibition seem to have tapped into some genu ine interest in art, often in the most unlikely places. Men's magazine Esquire, fired up by the artist's turbulent lifestyle and the Stone Roses' album cover tributes to his drip paintings, proclaimed Pollock 'Jack the Dripper' in a superb piece of punnery, while there has been a great deal of newspaper and television coverage. The result for the Tale has been to hand them an extremely successful exhibition both in critical and ticket sales terms. So far, during the exhibition's first month and a bit, 115,825 have visited at a rate of 2,518 a day. Quite unfair really considering we were always told off for flicking paint at school. Clearly blockbuster exhibitions gain a lot of exposure for the gallery and the artist concerned. However the benefits do not necessarily end with the end of the exhibition , and indeed with just the gallery involved. In a practical sense, successful displays can help smaller, regional galleries as many collections tour the country and thus directly attract audiences . Touring exhibitions , however, will only help the galleries they go to and do not really add to the diversity and creative going on outside the capital. In a more general sense a lot of people believe that blockbuster exhibitions help the visual arts in the way in which they raise its profile . 1t stands to reason that if visual art is on the news or in the public eye, interest and curiosity is aroused that spills over to other artists and other galleries. Admittedly a great deal of detailed research would be needed to prove that blockbuster exhibitions account for higher gallery attendance figures, but many people involved in the visual arts acknowledge the successful

So on balance it seems that blockbuster exhibitions are probably a good thing for art. Not only do they provide a great chance for people to see first hand the works of some of the world 's greatest painters, but they also help raise awareness of what's going on in the visual arts, not only in that gallery, or in London but in galleries and art schools up and down the country. As the Sainsbury Centre's Kale Carreno says, "the public and media attention that they [big exhibitions) help to generate raises the awareness of the visual arts generally, and that's good." The trick, it seems, is not to oppose the commercialism of a blockbuster show, but use the positive aspects of that attention to further visual art. Jackson Pollock runs at t he Tate until June 6, for more information visit www.tate.org.uk. The RA is now showing a collect ion of watercolours and other drawings by Kand insky until Sunday, J uly 4. Information: http://www.royalacademy.org.ukl

You've seen the blockbusters, now see what's new... Sainsbury Centre From Tuesday, June 8 to Sunday, July 11 look out for the special exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre organised by this year's MA Museology students. 'Be Moved ... Journeys of Body and Mind' considers reasons why people from different cultures and historical periods have undertaken journeys to all four corners of the earth and beyond. it Qrings together diverse objects representing physical, spiritual and imaginary journeys, which range from 17th century maps to video animation. Entry is free with UEA cards (normal rates apply to others) so make sure you visit before embarking on your own journeys this summer. For more Information visit http://www.uea.ac.uk/scva on 'the web.

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exhibitions by a major gallery do help the smaller institutions' efforts to promote the arts. Both of Norwich's main galleries, the Sainsbury Centre and Norwich Gallery, welcome the role that prominent shows like the Monet or the Pollock have played , though , as Catherine Moseley of the Norwich explains, they do not miraculously cause people to beat their way to gallery doors. "The numbers for people going to galleries are up, but people have to know you're there, so you have to market the gallery and aim your marketing at people who want to see contemporary visual art. Big exhibitions are good in one sense, but you but you still have to work."

attending blockbuster exhibitions have endured queues or have made a point of purchasing tickets in advance, and therefore have showed some determination to get there. lt doesn't really follow, then, that they are mindless sheep following the flock. A far more realistic criticism levelled at blockbuster shows comes from those involved in encouraging smaller and less established artistic endeavours. Not only do the Pollocks and Monets grab the headlines and distract attention from smaller, and perhaps more creative, projects, but they also get the funding and importantly the paying public. Who will pay ten pounds to see an untested and unknown artist when they can spend the same money and might actually recognise a picture? The answer is probably more then you think. 1t goes back to art's profile: if people are inspired by seeing one of their favourite artists then the fact they enjoyed themselves may mean they will want to do it again . As there are relatively few blockbusters then the smaller show are there for them. Additionally, new works are helped in real terms by successful shows because more often than not the money a gallery will raise from a surefire hit, they'll use to commission more risky pieces. A good example of this is the fact that running at the same time as Jackson Pollock in the Tate, is an installation piece called When Robots Rule which is a computerised conveyer belt that produces miniature elastic band planes, except, that is, that none of the planes actually work. Risky? Foolhardy more like.

Big exhibitions are good in one sense but you still have to work

owever not everyone is as positive about blockbuster exhibitions. Firstly there is the somewhat snobbish complaint that the big shows are just that: big shows. Some frown upon the populist character of these shows, saying they are not about the appreciation of art but rather the raising of funds , Big Mac culture, and consumption rather than understanding. Anyone who has ever witnessed the hoard of tourists who crowd around the Mona Lisa in the Louvre mindlessly photographing De Vinci 's painting through five centimetre bullet proof glass , will have to concede that this complaint does have some merit to it. However to suggest that everyone who comes through the door will behave this way is slightly patronising. Many of those

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

Norwich Gallery From Thursday May 13 till Tuesday, June 29 the unconventional and challenging modern artist Tlm Alien (detail below) brings an eclectic and thought provoking collection to the Norwich Gallery for May and June. The show, which is being run in conjunction with the 30 Underwood Street Gallery in London, sees the artist subverting the traditional concept of just looking at pictures by using installation techniques to turn the gallery into a 'arena' and filling it with 'situations' rather than works. In the past Alien has done this by actually painting directly onto walls, although unlike his American namesake of Home Improvement fame, he's unlikely to pop round to your grandma's and slap a couple of coats of emulsion on the bathroom wall.

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ealing hasn't always enjoyed the best of reputations. Names like 'beardyweirdies' and 'tree-huggers' are commonly applied to faith healers and Taoists by people who misunderstand what it's all about. Well the Barefoot Doctor, a self-styled renegade Taoist master is hell-bent on trying to change that reputation. Applying traditional remedies to modem problems, the Doctor says he's trying to produce "spirituality for people who aren't dickheads," by addressing his audience in a matter of fact, straight-talking way. The Doctor, who's been a practising Taoist for the last 21 years, decided to take up the healing arts after a chance meeting with a Tai Chi master on a beach in Mexico. Frustrated by the clinical detachment of modem scientific medicine - "it's without soul, there's no human contact between doctor and patienr - the Barefoot Doctor decided to take his healing to the people via the straightforwardly titled

Handbook For Heroes: A Spiritual guide to Fame and Fortune. Self-help books frequently succeed in being boring, patronising and condescending, and usually result in sending you one step closer to that nervous breakdown. But this is not a selfhelp book, it is a guide to becoming a hero (or heroine). lt takes quite a jokey, irreverent tone to the whole idea of Taoism, with its debunking of the age old mythology. The Barefoot Doctor explains the principles of meditation, healing and self-presentation, and promises to bring you fame and fortune (or fn'f) as he puts it. As long as nobody sees you screwing your face up like a

David Brown Never Been Right Never Been Right by David Brown is an intriguing novella published by UEA's Rapid Publishing Company. Never Been Righfs prose style is relaxed and inviting, the story is well crafted and Brown writes with an obvious affection for the characters he has created. Never Been Right is the story of a family coming to terms with their son preparing to leave for university. Brown presents the stern father who locks himself in his woodworking shed to hide from the guilt of driving his other son away, the 'fragile' mother with her 'episodes', and Peter the other son trying to make sense of the world and his family. Brown is at his best when describing the family dynamics, and his understatement is refreshing given the developing literary trend towards over-written prose." Richard considered his wife to be a harsh price to pay for cleanliness," tells you more in one sentence than some authors do in a page. He has an obvious talent for observation, but occasionally over-uses this, isolating his reader by assuming they know the locations as well as he does. But this is a small criticism when balanced against the book as a whole, and one that is more than outweighed by his structural elegance. fY.ever Been Right will remind you of your own family and pre-university world, and for this Brown

Eroica Mildmay

Home to Angel Cake

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and singing mememememe - or pronouncing from the rooftopsthatyou love your sexual organs, the book is a surefire route to a happier, healthier existence. However it doesn't stop there for the Barefoot Doctor. With the aid of DJ and all round musical guru, Carlos Fandango on the decks, the Doctor has taken to the road with a mix of readings and music. "I used to be involved in musical events," he explains, "so I was so used to playing live that we thought we'd do it with the book." The show, which recently hit the Hive, features the Barefooted one encouraging the audience to heal each other and engage in one or two activities that will propel them to fn'f, all with a healthy dose of humour and a knowing selfmocking streak. So if you wannabe a hero, make pots of money and are prepared to put your scepticism on the shelf, then why not book an appointment with the Barefoot Doctor.

Emma Newbery Handbook For Heroes is published by Piatkus and Is out now

Brief & Jinx, a double-bill Thursday, April .29 UEA Studio

deserves genuine praise. Readers familiar with the works of Paul Auster will enjoy Never Been Right's use of delayed gratification and perhaps, as he develops his style, Brown could even prove as popular. Relaxed and cleverly observed.

· Parker. Two characters charge headlong through a fter the discussion that followed a recent hilarious plot, leaping from the dog track to the eview in these pages it is difficult to find a hospital and home again, talking and joking with onvincing way of expressing the real the audience throughout. Ashwell continued his quality of DramaSoc's latest production. I shall try funny-man role, animated and slapstick, while the not to gush. superb Catherine McNeil sparkled as his sarcastic The evening started with a short pastiche written partner. by Tim Ashwell, who also acted. lt was an Audiences were pitifully small, but no doubt affectionate, light-hearted tribute to the great black and white romantic movies, set in the inevitable considered themselves the lucky minority for railway station. An entertaining piece, which, apart having made the effort. Mind you, it doesn't take a from a spattering of incompetent mime, was gourmet chef to figure out what comes of mixing carried off well. two great actors with a mature director, and then The real substance came with Jinx, an 'unromantic sprinkling on a handful of classic lines about love, John Terry comedy' by upcoming London playwright, Matt loss and Uonel Richie.

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Eroica Mildmay's novella is the fifth the <text> series produced by EAS showcasing new talent. Mildmay however, is not a complete novice and has already written two full-length novels. This shows, for Home to Angel Cake is a well-crafted short story. Told in the first person narrative, this is a meditation on love. The lead character, a painter recovering from a mental breakdown, abandoned by her boyfriend, and left with a son, is convincingly and sympathetically portrayed. Forced to move back with her parents, her humdrum life there is enlivened by Luke, a dapper young traveller from New Zealand. The only snag, is that Luke is 22, a mere boy to her 34 years. The story charts their relationship with poignancy and depth. Reflections on the age gap, and how youth shapes our search for love abound. Her exploration of female desire is interesting, frank, and most of all honest. Where the book is weakest is in its characterisation of the other principal characters, which is at times rather thin and caricatured. This is a minor quibble, however. The dialogue is crisp, always faithful, never shying away from issues. Mildmay's writing is terse, and in many places

quite witty, full of wry comments and razor sharp observations. This is a thoroughly enjoyable novella, punchy and in your face, which highlights the high quality of the series in general. No doubt, Eroica Mildmay will go on to bigger and Ayo Manssrsy better things.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

na time!

Long summer days somehow mix perfectly with mediterranean food. Beau lunnard put on his shades and went to try out new mediterranean restaurant the Medina

ood, glorious food ," says the song , and it's right. Attacking a sumptious meal like a ravenous lion sucki ng ou t the intes tin es of some unfortunate gazel)e in th e Serengeti is one of the great pleasures of life. But it is a pleasure we enjoy all-too rarely. Few among us possess the skills to muster up truly first-rate fodder, and even then th e anticipation of arduous post-meal washing-up has a tendency to make the food turn to ashes in your mouth . The solution , of course, is to eat out, thu s ensuring dinner is cooked by professionals and avoiding the thorny problem of who will do the dishes. So what are you waiting for? All you have to do now is choose a restaurant. One of the most recent additions to Norwich's culinary scene is the Medina restaurant. Specialising, as the name su ggests, in Mediterranean food , this small but perfectly formed house of eating is situated almost directly opposite Liquid nightclub on Prince of Wales Road , and has been catering tor disce rning local tastebuds for about three months now. According to Kim , the half-Moroccan half-ltalian proprietor who bears an uncanny resemblance to AI Pacino , over this time the Medina has built up a faithful fo llowing - success that he attributes to the quality of the food , the ample portions, and th e tact that his staff "won't treat you as a number." Kim is clearly passionate about restaurants and food. Having discussed the

pitfalls of the restaurant business (" Wou ld you come back to me after I had cooked you two bad meals? it's a hard business.") we move on to talk about the food itself, and Kim lovingly describes his specialities, Moroccan lamb and swordfish , in a manner guaranteed to make the mouth water. In tact, the menu features a good range of meals at reasonable prices. Starters range from £2.50 to £4.50 and include seafood and pasta dishes, while the wide variety of pasta main coursesincluding lasagne and spaghetti bolognesecost between £5.50 and £7.50. Meat and fish dishes like the Moroccan lamb and Mediterranean swordfish, as one might expect, are a little more expensive between £7 .50 and £13. Although vegetarian options are pretty much limited to pasta, there is still certain ly a choice. To make the prices even more appealing , on Monday and Tuesday there is a student discount of 20% on dishes over £1 0 or you can choose any pasta with garlic bread tor £4.95 . We tried the lasagne, wh ich was bursting with creamy cheese sauce and flavour, and a delectable pasta with tomato sauce and chi llied olives. Certai nly if th ese dishes are anything to go by you won 't leave the Medina either hungry or disappointed , and with the planned addition of a tapas bar upstairs it has to be an ideal place to whi le away a summers evening.

IUm the proprietor bears a marked resemblance to AI Pacino

You can't go far wrong with this quick, colourful recipe to capture the taste of summer... Method Chop the onion, courgettes and pepper into thin strips. Put the pasta on to cook and while it is boiling, heat the oil in a pan, and fry the onions until they are translucent. Add the peppers and courgettes, and cook until · are soft. Stir in the sweetcorn and frozen peas, and fry lightly. Season well. Pour in the cream, along with the mustard, herbs and a crumbled stock cube. Meanwhile, in a separate dish, mix the cornflower into the wine and add it too the mixture, stirring well. (This will thicken the sauce up.) Taste and season again if necessary. Now add the cooked pasta and cheese, give it a good stir, and serve immediately.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

cre amy curls Ingredients 2 tbs oil 1 onion 2 courgettes 1 red pepper 1x200g packet of baby sweetcorn 150g frozen peas ;oo~ Fusilli (pasta swirls) ~ Pint tub double cream 1 tsp mustard 1 tsp mixed herbs 1 stock cube Y2 glass white wine 1 tsp cornflower 1OOg mature cheddar cheese salt and pepper to season

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The most comprehensive guide to what's on around Norwich this fortnight JACK FROST Give the kids nightmares with this magic talking snowman. Unfortunately the film won't melt after a few hours. THE RUGRATS MOVIE The worlds most irritating cartoon babies make the big screen crossover. This is all well and good, but will we ever see a Simpsons film? AN IDEAL HUSBAND The film world's flirtation with the life and works of Oscar Wilde continues with this glamorous screen adaptation of one of his best comedies. Stephen Fry and his big nose do not appear. AT FIRST SIGHT Extremely cheesy romantic film with Val Kilmer as a blind man in love, who may be able to regain his sight. The French are buying this in bulk to flog on market stalls next to the camambert, and Val's career looks l~e it could be taking another crasfi. FORCES OF NATURE Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock finding their travels disturbed by weather conditions. Romantic comedy with meteorological gimmicks. Who's next? Michael Fish and Susan Charlton? IN DREAMS Evil serial killer stalks people in their dreams. Except its not actually that good. Oh well.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE The film that grabbed plenty of Oscars for various mantlepieces still runs at the cinema. As well as the witty script by Tom Stoppard and fine acting, this is a perfect chance to see Gwyneth Paltrow's pinker are.as. Then you can go home, dig out the video of the Oscar ceremony and have a darn good laugh at her.

Tuesday, May 25 at 5.45pm. Kevin Mckidd finds his planned quiet 30th birthday celebrations interrupted by a surprise party organised by his friends. Through flashbacks he remembers his life. A breezy screen play in which sexuality is not an issue.

ANTZ Woody Alien leads an uprising against the evil grasshoppers. Makes a change from the divorce courts, I'm sure. THE FACULTY Cult director Robert Rodriguez delivers another post-modern slasher flick. This film is intellect free, resembling Saved by the Bell with alien teachers, as opposed to alien kids. I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER Also known as 'I Still Know How To Make A Boring Film'. The first was rather cool, but it never deserved this sequel. Jennifer Love Hewitt provides the eye candy, with pop star Brandy attempting to break into acting.

TEA WITH MUSSOLINI Nasty portly Italian Fascist meets Dame Judy Dench for a spot of Earl Grey. Sounds more like a celebrity death-match than an English comedy. Coming soon - Crumpets With Hitler, starring the tyrant and Dale Winton.

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Soulless Hollywood weepy (are there any other kinds of Hollywood weepy?), in which a journalist find the letters a man writes to his dead wife washed up in bottles. Disappointed, she replies requesting booze next time.

WAKING NED A small Irish town is hit by lottery fever. Can anyone imagine an Irish version of mystic Meg - or Anthea Turner for that matter. Don't know about Ned, you'll need waking at the end of this film .

THE WATERBOY Adam Sandler revisits Forest Gump territory as as small town idiot who becomes a hero of the local football team.

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AN IDEAL HUSBAND Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15 at 5.45pm. Saturday, May 15, Monday, May 17 till Thursday, May 20 at 8.15pm New version of the Oscar Wilde comedy with an all star British cast including Carte Blanche, Minnie Driver, and Rupert Everett. Tells the story of an MP blackmailed by a young woman. Wilde had obviously been having dreams about the future Conservative Party when he wrote this. ALFIE Sunday, May 16 at 5.00pm "Oh go on Alfie, say you love me." "Lets just say I like you a lot."' Michael Caine as a cockney lothario beloved of Neil Hannon and his Divine Comedy. Superb.

Kevin 'Scream' Willlamson is an endless source of film scripts, and along with Wes Craven Is largely responsible for the re-birth of the teen slasher-flick genre. While not one of his best efforts, this film still has Its great moments, notably the change In the characters after they conceal the body of a man killed In a road accident, and the rather hilarious way no-one notices horrlfc murders occuring just around the corner. Sarah Mlchelle Geller will no doubt interest 500/o of the auidence, and the film has a suitably gripping climax. Recently spawned an Inferior sequel with the startlingly original title I

Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

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KRISTIN LAVRANSDATTER Sunday, May 16 at 7.30pm Norwegian costume drama from the actress/director Liv Ullman, a student of the great and utterly bankers lngmar Bergman, no less. BEDROOMS AND HALLWAYS Friday May 21 , Monday May 24 and

EYE OF GOD Monday May 24 at 8.15pm Drama about a quiet waitress trapped in a violent marriage to an ex-con. Powerful, emotive and well written, this is a film worth seeing.

MIGHTY JOE YOUNG Disney remake of Ray Harryhausen's rather cool giant ape film , though in true Disney tradition it lacks the style of its predecessor. The late and much missed Oliver Reed was apparently not a model for the ape.

CENTRAL STATION Thursday May 13th at 2.30pm and 5.45pm Oscar nominee for best foreign film 1999 Central Station tells the tale of a young boy's search for family connections. Well deserving of the nomination it received .

A ROOM WITH A VIEW Sunday May 23 at 5.00pm EM Forster adaptation from the Merchant Ivory production team. Therefore there's plenty of nice clothes and heaving bosoms. The film tells the story of a young girl's sexual awakening, and features lots of men running around in the nude.

A BUGS LIFE Thursday May 13 at 7.00pm The gangster action adventure with an insect spin that was made entirely on computer. Shown here with the post-credt 'out-takes'. Inspiration to put on your wellies and get stomping next time you're in the garden LITTLE VOICE Friday May 14 at 7.00pm Low budget British comedy that unfortunately lost out at the award ceremonies. Jane Horrocks plays a nervous yet talented singer, and Michael Caine her mainpulative agent. Little Voice proves that you don't need lots of dollars to make a classic film. SMALL SOLDIERS Tuesday May 18 at 9.00pm Killer toys go to war! Much more than a merchandising film, this comedy action film from Gremilns director Joe Dante delivers both laughs and great effects. THIS YEAR'S LOVE Thursday May 20 at 7.00pm A group of 20-somethings find their love lives coinciding in this critically acclaimed comedy. lt could be Friends , except it's set in Camden , and its good .

YOU'VE GOT M@IL Friday May 21 at 7.00pm Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan repeat the rom-com formula that made Sleepless in Seattle so popular. This time, the interne! is the plot gimmick, with the on-line lovers being rivals in real life. How exciting can this world get? I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER Tuesday May 25 at 9.00pm Sub Wes Craven slasher film that still manages to scare, and has the added bonuses of Sarah Michelle Geller and Jennifer Love Hewitt. See Don't Miss

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PRISONER OF THE MOUNTIANS Monday May 17 at 6.30pm Sergi Bodrov directs this story of two Russian soldiers held hostage by a villager in return for his own sons. Russia/ Kazakstan, 1998.

THE EVENT,

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GORGEOUS MANHATIANS, CLUB Happy House club night. 9pm-4am £5

CLUB TARDIS PRESENTS UNION KID FAT PAULY'S £3/ £2 with student ID.

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

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

THE FAT SATSUMA THE LOFT, CLUB New club night with Alternative Bigbeat, lndie, Hiphop and lo-fi , with selected pints at two quid. 10pm-2am £2/£1

THE LCR UEA LCR, CLUB Hell returns to earth for its weekly visit. Drink enough and you might die .

BING-BONG THEATRE ROYAL, PLAY Runs ti ll Saturday May 15 Dennis Waterman and Patrick Mower star in this comedy drama about two TV sitcom writers trying to keep their scripts and gags up to date in the fast moving world of TV . 7.30pm £15.50 /£11 £9/ £3

DREAMSCAPE ALLNIGHTER WATERFRONT , CLUB Sounds of Hardcore, Jungle and Old Skooltill the wee small hours , with a special playstation chillout zone. Featuring Sharkey, Darren Jay, Hixxy, Dimension and many more . 10pm -6am £12.50adv/ £15/ £14 on the door.

SUPERFLY MOJO'S CLUB Serious Funk. 10pm-2am £3

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MELTDOWN WATERFRONT, CLUB The usual mix of lndie and New pop, with the sixties soul sound of ALL OUR YESTERDAYS in the studio, and EFFECT in the cafe bar. 9pm- 2am £4/£3.50

CLUB FLINT RICK 'S PLACE , CLUB £2 before 11 pm

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MEL AND SUE THEATRE ROYAL, COMEDY Late Lunch's two hosts come to Norwich for an evening of comedy, guests and poor inuenndo. 7.30pm £13.50 /£12 /£3

SUNDA V SERVICE MANHATIANS, CLUB House night. 8pm-2am FR EE

TH OR THE GIANT KILLER NORWICH PUPPET THEATRE, PLAY Norse mythology gets the puppet treatment, telling the sory of the thunder god and his missing hammer. 2.30pm £5 /£3.75 OPEN DA V FOR FRIENDS OF UEA MUSIC UEA MUSIC CENTRE, CONCERT Special free event open to all friends of UEA music and guests 11.4am onwards

SUMMER LAUNCH PARTY THE PLAYHOUSE BAR , CLUB A night of music to celebrate the summer, with Chris Ellis, Marcus Berry and Guests . 8pm free HURRICANE #1 + WITNESS WATERFRONT, GIG Andy 'Not the one from Erasure' Bell and the boys return to Norwich.

De Algreci ras , and the voice of Manuel de la Malena. Thi s has gained critica l acclaim from Time Out and Dance Europe. 7.30pm £8.50

EXTRA SMOOTH SUNDA V THE GAR DEN HOUSE, MUSIC. Hip hop, drum & bass with live guitar and drums, all in one of the triangles nicest pubs. 6pm free! GODKILLSAMERICA+ SUBVERT+ PROFANE FAT PAUL V'S, GIG 8pm-1am £3

PURE SWING MANHATIANS, CLUB . Uplifting swing for the people of Norwich . 9pm -2am FREE

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THE BEATS PHARMACY UEA LCR, CLUB On th e Select magazine tour, thi s night wil l feature Dan Kahuna and the amazing 808 State . 9pm-2am £71 £6 adv

STUDENT NIGHT SOLAR SKATE , SKATING Cheap skate hire and indie DJ. 7-1 1pm £1.00 wi th Student ID CARWASH LIQUID, CLUB Funky seventies disco night. Wear your flares and get in for free. Otherwise £3. UNDERGROUND MOJO'S, CLUB Lo-Fi and lndie night. 10pm-2am £3

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

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Mu~i~als are never the most

ple<\s~nt of experiences which one has ~ 'endure during the course of a life~n\e. Anyone who 's sat througtl 'l;l performance of Starlight Expres~ ~jll undoubtedly have had a strang~.l'qd homicidal urge to hit Mr Lloyd Vye'bber again with the proverbial ugly stick (he has obviously al fe:aqy greatly suffered such attacks).'·. •, But now the Perto.i-aling Arts Society are here to ct)ange all that with their production, of. classic musical The Boyfriend. The poster reads " In the twenties st~~nts went on the pull too," and ,tfl~ play concerns itself with the pur's.!-11t of young chaps about town. ThiS.•.'' musical is sexy, witty and stylisl:l opposed to the musical norm of I . • trashy, banal and over the top. Thi will surely be one of the end of term entertainment highlights, so take a break from revision and investigate.

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A NIGHT FOR DISCERNING ADULTS RICK'S PLACE, CLUB £3 with flyers before 11 pm DANCE CLUB MANHATIANS, CLUB 9pm-4am

CINDERELLA THEATRE ROYAL, BALLET Runs till Saturday May 22nd Critically aclaimed production of the fairy tale, based on the original Grimm tal e rather th an the pantomime. 7.30pm £22 /£17 /£12.50 /£9.50 /£4.50

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PETER GREEN SPLINTER GROUP WATERFRONT, GIG The founder and leader of Fleetwood Mac. 7pm-10.30pm £12.50adv

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THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999

LAMB+GUESTS WATERFRONT, GIG With dark pop, deep love and inspi red instrumentals £7adv

THE GYPSY BLUES BY FLAMENCO EXPRESS MADDERMARKET, DANCE A Flamenco extravagansa featuring the talent and power of the equally extravegantly named Felipe

FLOCKING SHEEP IKON, CLUB 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, drinks £1 .

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10pm-3am £5 A NIGHT FOR DISCERNING ADULTS RICK'S PLACE CLUB £3 With fly befor 11 pm DANCE CLUB MANHATTANS, CLUB 9pm-4am dEUS +GUESTS WATERFRONT GIG A cross between fo k and ind e rock dEUS are the most exe~llng th ng from Belg um except arm £6 50adv

GORGEOUS MANHATIANS, CLUB Happy House club n ght 9pm-4am £5

THE GARDEN HOUSE MUSIC H p hop dn. & bass w1th ve gu tar and drums, a I 1n one of e tnangles mcest pubs 6pm fre:c'

SUNDAY SERVICE MANHATTANS CLUB House n1ght 8pm-2am FREE

PURESWI G MAN HATTANS CLUB Upllft1ng swmg for the people of Norw1ch. 9pm-2am FREE SUPERFLY MOJOSCLUB Funky sounds for Norw.ch groovers. 10pm-2am £3 THE CONCEPT COMEDY CLUB Lo don c~rcu t corn cs All dnnks £1 50 Tables can be reserved 1n advance With the club

CLUB RETRO-ACTIVE UEA LCR CLUB Get on down to the sound of Retro. with the Cheeky Monkees another tribute band 9 30pm - 1.30am £5 adv

STREElWISE UEA STUDIO DRAMA Runs till Saturday May 22nd A newly dev1sed performance deal ng w1th ssues of censorsh p 730pm £61£3 50 LCR DISCO UEA LCR, CLUB A d sco 1nfemo Well, an electnc fan heater at least £2.50

FRANK RYAN KULTURE SHOCK, BOOK SIGNING Best selling wnter of both fiction and nonfiCtion Frank Ryan will be signing cop1es of h1s new novel The Sundered World. 3pm onwards 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

CHARTY HANDBAGGY THE LOFT CLUB Popular gay n ght at one of Norw.ch's best known clubs £3/£4 PLEASURE RICKS PLACE CLUB New club mght, With cheap dnnk offers 99p With flyers before 11 pm JOY RIDE CONCEPT CLUB East Anglia's prem1er Soul and R n'B mght £3

ROGER MCGUINN UEA LCR, GIG Rock legend and founder of the Byrds th1s IS the man who nsp1red all the spang ey rock bands that were real y n about f1ve years ago 730pm -11pm £4 50adv CWFS@ZOOM ZOOM CLUB p ftin h u e & ga g

EXTRA SMOOTH SUNDAY

LOOT THEATRE ROYAL, PLAY Runs !I Saturday May 29 Stanng M1cheal Elph1ck and Eastenders' Let1t1a Dean, Joe Ortons comedy masterpeICe comes to Norw.ch after a sucessfu West End run. 730pm £15 50 £13 50 £11 £9 £3 CARWASH LIQUID CLUB F-unky sevent•es disco mght Wear your flares and get in for free Otherw1se £3 UNDERGROUND MOJO'S, CLUB Lo·Fr and lnd1e night. 10pm-2am £3

CLUB CHAD IKON, CLUB Ikon's new students only mght Free before 10pm w1th UEA card. 60p a pmt STUDENT NIGHT LIQUID, CLUB Cheap student mght from Norwich's latest club. Free before 11 pm w1th UEA card, dnnks £1

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RETRO-active with 'Cheeky Monkees' £5 * Sat 29 THUNDER £11.50 quality rock, London's loudest!

* BUY BOTH RETRO TICKETS FOR £7.50

JUNE

ed 2 FASHION SHOW £2.50 hu 3 FASHION+ LCR £5 at 5 RETRO· active £5* with 'SO's Experience' ed 9 ROLF HARRIS £7.50 he man, his music, his art and hi didgeridoo NO Pets, NO Vets at 12 club MILKY LUNCH eets PAM'S HOUSE ue 29 BAABA MAAL £9.50 the sublime voice that is African pop

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IN DIE I Al T DANCE NEW P0P SAT 22 MAY £3+UEA ID DOOR

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ed 28 ROBE AT CRA Y BAND rare visit for America's best uitar edged, blues band £14.50 lso on sale: Fri 1 Oct Bjorn Again £11.50

Sat 16 Oct the Stranglers £10 Sat 13 Nov Jools Holland £14.50

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MON 7 JUNE £8.50

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THE WATERFRONT STUDIO (WITH 2AM BAR) CAN BE HIRED MIDWEEK AT VERY SPECIAL RATES TO

TICKETS FROM UNION FINANCE OFFICE 11 - 3.30pm weekdays

prices shown are in advance and include any student discount

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CREDIT CARDS & INFO 01603 505401

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