The event- issue 102- 6th October 1999

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how to be ... a secret agent hitting the jackpot: snobs or small fry? small talk: the neutrinos

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15 16 17 18

new talent: jacknife lee and plone interviewed from scre~n to stage: hollywood luvvies it u·p anna .friel: the event speaks to a mad cow help: aging rockers and their love for 'charidee' "drugs are bad": is it time to buy organic? he's with me: screen partnerships funny guys: we show you the route to comic stardom

music: t~m jones, campag velocet, the aloof, kojak, the charlatans, ben harper' smog, bernard butler, skunk anansie live film: analyze this, runaway bride, deep blue sea previewed arts: faust, arts school ma exhibition, uea literary festival Be norwich festival fringe previewed video - game: speed freaks, tony hawks skateboarding, video: buffy, the faculty norwich's independent record shops examined

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television: soaps, monty python night, _ mobo awards, the history of porn ..._

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cinema: your guide to whats on the big screen

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listings: the comprehensive guide to all that's happening in norwich over the next two weeks

editor-In-chief: james tapsfleld editor: Iuke turner arts editor: alex mcgregor music editor: darcy hurford screen editor: adam chapman listings: darcy Be astrld copy editing: ruth levla dtp: Iuke turner, carollne jeater contributing writers: martin brock, aaflya waley, alex pollock, max alien, amanda aklen, aandra laon, jamea brown, phll atephan, amanda perklns, merek cooper, Iuke chllton, katle hind, debbl mare, chrla wood, kate forbes, elan moles, emlly hunks, kate wenlock, gemma catchpole, lmogen dyckhofff, melanl davla, ateve colllns, katy o'flynn, andrew goodaon, carollne jeater apologl.ea to: whispering bob - next tlmell, and skunk anansle picture man, thanks to carollne

~0®©@@8 the event Is produced fortnightly by concrete: po box 410, norwlch, nr4 7tb · tel: 01603 250558 fax: 01603 506822 e-mall: au.concreteOuea.ac.uk and printed by: e•tem counties newspapers, rouen road, norwlch nr11rb

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loose talk: M

y, what a lot of interesting facts one gets to hear these days. Did you know that National Express, that fun loving nation wide network of scheduled express coaches immortalised in a Divine Comedy song, carries out a Student Survey every year?

No, and I bet you didn't care either. Well anyway, they do this survey, and publ ish the results for our delectation.

Coach journeys are bad enough anyway without having to fill in questionnaires, particularly if, like me, you always find yourself in a crowded coach, sitting next to someone slightly psychotic looking, and I imagine that it was in similar strained circumstances that most of the answers were written . How else do you explain the fact that female students voted Cosmopolitan as their favourite magazine? Cosmo-bloody- politan! I mean, I can understand you might buy it as something to pass the time on a journey, or flick through it idly in a doctor's waiting room, but having it as a favourite magazine that you pay good money for to read on a regular basis is just stupid. it almost has more adverts than articles, everything's about how to be implausibly glamorous or ·relationship problems' and, worst of all, its free gifts aren't ever any good.

Cosmopolitan is not cosmopolitan , as it won't widen you r horizons in the slightest, it's vacuous nonsense that should be avoided.

Equally intriguingly, both male and female students voted Robbie Williams as their favourite male celebrity. Damn your eyes Williams, you get everywhere, don't you? Why, when there are so many talented people out there , actors, writers, Homer Simpson, whatever, does the unoriginal

choice of Robbie Williams get made, I ask you all.

Basically, this survey offered no revelations and it's hard to see why National Express bothered ca rrymg

why when there are so many talented people out there does the unoriginal choice of robbie williams get made? it out Why , for instance, should it be surprising that 60% of those surveyed listened to Radio One and only 17% to Virgin FM? Not because th ey loved Zoe Ball so much as the fact that you can only pick up Virgin FM in London , where , (contrary to current media belief), most people in Britain do not live.

However, the award for most predictable answers has to go to the blokes, who as their favourite female celebrities voted Cameron Diaz and Den1se Van Outen. Hmm, wonder why.

I suppose the real question has to be why we are inundated with facts and statistics all the time. Most of us are being saturated with far more information than is worth knowing, and, if we 're not careful it's all going to end up like Orwell's 1984, nothing but numbers all_the time, and we 'll all go mad and everything will be ruined forever and the world will explode overnight.. .oh dear, got a bit emotional for a minute there. Anyway, too many stats could be a

bad thing So, next time someone sticks a questionnaire m front of your nose, don't put what they expect. Instead you must screw with their stat1st1cs use obscure answers that w111 annoy the compilers. You can guess the sort of thing: Favourite magazine; Flight International , Favourite Male Celebrity, lvor who does the weather on Anglia 1V, just use your imagination. Just remember · original answers only. If the results are too disparate we won 't have to hear about them , and that can only be a plus.

Katy O'Fiynn

the tickler: Now's the time to lose those blues, find the words using the clues! The first one of you lovely people to bring a completed Tickler to the Concrete office in Union House wins a super dooper Mel C album sampler, to be destroyed in any way you see fit.

SYOBTEERTSKCABG H H V K G QK 0 L K Z K F F H

J N E F B GQ P A I KUS I J CQ ES AUS T I NEDF F V 0 R L L I H G N I T T 0 N T E L E S N N N L R N A A U L E S DT K J S KF I HV J EA E S FEGHLDMATRIXZN I

E P F KECA LS A DS VT R E E H J V V S B D H V D D 0 R

TUN FGEDA F E I S S 0 0 HLCOURTNEYCOXNM WBUKDMSWXJ ERNE J NOTGN TT HWKCID 1: Suede hit a model moment [4,2,7 ) 2: Not knitting on a cinematic slope [7 ,4] 3: Wriggly fishy band [4] 4 : Panto [4,11) 5: Elimination quiz [7 ,2,3] 6: Banned kids [10,4] 7: Poor record label [ 4) 8: Comedy drama, a chilly problem [4,4] I

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9 : Actress from Friends and Scream [8 ,3] 10: Ahoy there! Classic kids TV 11: Name of long tongued TV chef [7] 12: Canoe gets caught in a web [6]

13: Everyday was like Sunday for this cheery chappy [9)

14: Scary witch or our PM [5) 15: Strong international man of mystery [6)

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

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so you want to be a: @@©[f®U CID@®UlJU ~

secret agents have been popping up all over the place in recent weeks. would you like to be one? here's how ... what do they do?

Hmm, not really supposed to tell you really. Oh, seeing as you've passed me a tenner, I'll say: they work on Her Majesty's service, finding out information about the dastardly types who threaten the security of our nation. And pull loads of implausibly beautiful women. In their spare time, however, spies lead a more inconspicuous existence, such as that of a chutney making grandmother with a penchant for Communism . what do they wear?

They're masters of disguise, my dear sir. Who knows what they may be wearing! Having said that, many noted secret agents have favoured a smart suit, a debonair hat, and that all important briefcase for hiding awesome weapons in. You also need a number or code name for this lark; 007 has already been taken , but higher figures remain available. where do they go?

They go to secret underground kingdoms run by power-crazed genii, deep in the Far East. Or to Russia, whereupon they encounter a beautiful blonde spyess. Or to darkest Africa.

You might think that knowledge of a foreign language, Mandarin Chinese or Tamil perhaps, would be advantageous, but there you would be wrong, for the Queen's English is understood by baddies world wide. Some of them, however, just stay in the Home Counties. · where will they go?

Hard to say, but a glance at the diary of an average secret agent indicates that yachts, exotic islands, Tesco's and that MI5 building in London we're not supposed to know about are all likely destinations for the secret agent of today. Exile in France is also a possibility for liiliiiliillliil thm;~ who fare less well.

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opera. fat italians with warbly voices. but now it's getting millions from the national lottery. Iuke turner asks if such an elite institution should be given so much cash ...

The claim used by lottery organisers Camelot to justify this greed-driven pursuit is that people really play to benefit the charities or arts and heritage organisations that receive a proportion of every ticket sold.

Now I may be a bit of a cynic, but it does seem that this is a frail argument used by Camelot to disguise the fact that they pretty much have a licence to print money.

Last week the broadsheets were full of news about an extremely unlikely lottery winner, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, awarded £17,530 towards the restoration of a London town house she purchased for a measly £695,000.

Westwood defended accepting the money by cla iming that by restoring the house she was saving British culture from the evil of Americanisation; a noble intention, but quite how owning a house so steeped in history (Captain Cooks old ma was born there) that it would never be demolished anyway saves us from Yank cultural imperialism remains to be seen. And once the restoration is completed what benefit does the public gain? I can't imagine Viv being terribly pleased if one was to knock on her door and request a guided tour.

The £17,530 donated to Westwood pales in compa rison to the £78.5 million given for the regeneration of the Royal Opera House in Covent Th is rather crass display of avarice is the lamentable Garden. and pretty much inevitable consequence of The lottery money was vital to the continued something like the lottery, where the sole reason success of the Opera House; a desperately needed anyone plays is for their own personal gain. restoration and redevelopment project without which it may have had to , . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . close. n Britain the most common topic of conversation is meant to be the weather.

We're supposed to be obsessed with the stuff over 'ere; always whinging about that terrible Norfolk wind mixed with drizzle that makes the UEA campus so pleasant on a dark winters day.

However, since 1995 the British public has found a subject rather closer to their avaricious hearts, namely the National Lottery, and what they would do if the won it.

On previous form it seems that the average lottery winner seems content to go out and blow their winnings on an enormous and featureless modern house complete with multi door garage in which to park their collection of equally flashy sports cars.

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the royal opera was built facing away from covent garden market so the toffs wouldn't have to mix with the riff raft

lt would have been a shame to see t he end of an institution that over the yea rs has made a va luable cultural contri bution to the arts of Britain .

However, it is not hard to feel a little • • • uneasy when one · thinks of the huge sum of money that has been spent on what can easily be perceived as an institut ion of a cultu ral elite.

Throughout its history the Royal Op,era has been an

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upper class institution - it was even originally built facing away from Covent Garden Market so that the toffs wouldn't have to mix with the riffraff. lt would have been hard for the Royal Opera to justify receiving so much money if they were merely to continue in this restrictive, narrow vein .

In fact, the Arts Council was so concerned about possible criticism that they made a condition that if it wanted the money the Opera House must make itself more accessible for people from all walks of life, mainly by reducing admission prices.

The Arts Council has a list of criteria by which all organisations applying for lottery money must abide.

Number one is that any project must be for "public benefit", and that "Our aim is to give the maximum benefit to the public by supporting arts projects that make a significant and lasting difference to the quality of life of people throughout England.· When one considers that the average attendee at an opera is likely to be white and middle or upper class

money from the lottery should be used to aid organisations that will benefit the greater public good, regardless of class or income it is easy to begin to question the £78.5 million that the opera received . Gerard Lemos, the acting Cultural Director of the (bit of a mouthful) Cultural Diversity Advisory and Monitoring Committee (responsible for ensuring that money goes only to causes for the "public benefit") reckons that "There can no longer be any question that responding to cultural diversity is a mainstream and not a marginal issue. Nor cao there be any question that equity in the arts at all levels affects our whole cultural life.· Perhaps the only "diversity" at the Royal Opera is that they also produce ballet; once again not really an art form that has mass appeal.

The Royal Opera have included in the new building space in which to demonstrate more "avant garde" operatic performances, and cite this as an example of increased accessibility. Surely these will merely be even more obscure than the large scale mainstream productions, even more alienating to the general public?

But even if the average wage earner wants to go and see a performance at the Royal Opera they have to surmount the barrier of the admissions charges.

Apparently the Royal Opera was told to reduce ticket prices drastically in order to fulfil the criteria of providing art for all, and as such have cut admission by around two thirds. However, the cheapest seats still cost around £40, and the most expensive £150. There are restricted view seats at the price of £6, but my personal experience of restricted view seating in the theatre involves spending the entire performance staring at a bloody great pillar.

What is at issue here is that such a large sum of money has been given to an arts organisation whose audience is predominately rather well off; most people would find even the new seat prices at the Royal Opera well beyond their means. Surely money from the lottery, which takes its revenue from people of all wal~ of life, should be used to aid organisations that will benefit the greater .public good, that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of class or fneome'?- - • • - - • .. • - • • • •

Here in Norwich lottery money went towards the redevelopment of the Norwich Arts Centre and the Playhouse Theatre. The former was able to vastly expand its range of events, while the latter was saved by the injection of funds.

What these projects, and many like them all over the country have in common is that they are accessible to all; anyone can go along, attend a gig, play, recital or whatever, and appreciate what is on offer. Even if you're just popping into the Arts Centre for a drink in the bar area, you can still see exhibitions by photographers and artists of a very high standard - and it's free!

In the same way I believe that one cannot object to public display works that have received lottery money; for example the immense Angel of the North statue that glowers over the A1. Although the statue attracted controversy for the amount spent on its construction it does have the huge positive that everyone can see it; everyone can form their own personal opinion on what they think of the art.

Unlike the works on display at the Norwich Arts Centre, or the dominating Angel of the North, the Royal Opera can only be attended by a privileged few, heightening public perception of opera as a stuffy, snobbish upper class pastime.

The lottery seems to have given a huge sum of money to an institution that is primarily attended by members of a.social and perceived cultural elite. (Though the way in which classical and opera are regarded as culturally superior to pop, dance, drum & bass, punk or whatever has always slightly confused me) Rnally, to put things in perspective it is interesting to compare the £78.5 million given to the Royal Opera with the total distributed to London as a whole: £203.759 million. This seems to be a ridiculously high proportion of the total amount, especially when one considers how so many small-scale community arts projects are screaming out for funding. While schemes such as the redevelopment of the Norwich Arts Centre can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life and social backgrounds, the Opera House has as its key target group those with plenty of money and plenty of self belief in their cultural superiority to the rest of the population. "it could be you". it's probably not.

THE NATIONAL

LOTTERY'"

small talk: the neutrinos the event: you've just played In the city · how did that go?

JON (bass, programming, vocals): lt was great, we had a really packed gig. We played at a label launch for Clear Recordings. We were actually called the most innovative band of the whole festival, and there were over 100 bands playing, so that was really nice.

I think you sound like boss hogg, jon spencer blues explosion or a more trip-hoppy garbage - is that fair?

I don't think you're very far off the mark actually. We're definitely influenced by those types of bands.

There's a big hip-hop influence in there as well. you're playing the waterfront soon, aren't you?

Karen (vocals): Yeah, on October 14. We've got the Scammers supporting us. We're hopefully going to have two mystery men working behind the scenes, tapping away at computers live and throwing out some visuals. lt should be exciting. what sort of people make up your fanbase?

Jon: At a show recently, the age range was just crazy - we had kids of about 12, 13 and we actually had a guy who was about 70! He probably found it a bit too hardcore though!

Karen: We're a very visual band -we're performers, so people have got something interesting to watch.

We don't believe in staring at our shoes. who are your favourite bands on the norwich music scene at the moment?

Jon: There's some great stuff going on but there hasn't been that much press attention. Probably the band that's done the best is Magoo - they're really good, quite experimental. There's a band called Schemer, and it can 't be long before they get a deal.

Karen: A band that we absolutely adore is the Pom who are opening the Fringe Festival.

Jon: There's also a hip-hop crew called Def Techs.

They've been doing really well, but mostly just in the hip-hop press. so, when's your single coming out?

Jon: lt should be out before the end of the year, probably well before Christmas. safiya waley

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cuttin mix together a crashed lorry, hip hop, fish fingers and compulsion, and what do you get? jack knife lee, that's what. martin brock finds the man behind the funny sounding name ... 'mon people, help me out here. I've got an interview to do , and I don't know what the bloody arti st sounds like . Someone throw me a bloody bone, why don't you ?

"Hold on a minute and I'll connect the computer up to the phone", says Garrett Lee, aka Jacknife Lee. ''I'm working on the new single at the moment. 1 cou ld ruin it, because I'm look1ng for a ct1orus. " Into my ears flows a fantastic mixture of sounds.

Funk, reggae, a bit of hip-hop , even a blues guitar.

Garrett Lee didn't always used to make music like

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i used to like fish fingers, but apparently they lower your sperm count this though. Th ink back to the early nineties and the punk rock sounds of Compulsion, who Lee once fronted. So, why th e drastic cha nge?

"I got sick of rock music. it was depressing and I wanted to have some fun. Oasis and Radiohead, they take themselves too seriously. I was just getting into beats, then I got seriously into hip-hop when we were touring the States. On ou r return I was listening to a load of Pussyfoot and Mo-wax stuff and I thought: 'That's what I should be doing'."

So Garrett was signed on to Pussyfoot, Howie B's label. What's he like to work with?

"He's bril lian t. We recorded toget11er once but he's a dangerous man. I was getting totally destroyed, I could n' t speak. I thi nk he's going to mix some of this record for me." Jacknife Lee has his finger in several pies. As well as a new albu m com ing out

WIN!

• sheffield, the city that bought us stainless steel now offers up the suitably technical sounding, plone. a/ex pollock bends an ear ... next year, h1 s last Pussyfoot release, Cookies, featured on the soundtrack of the cri tically acclaimed clubbing movie, Human Traffic. How did th at come about? ''That was a b1t unexpected because I didn't think it was a Pete Tong type of track bu t he seemed to like it. I didn't thin k I was going to like the fil m but it was very funny and th e mus1c was great. " Jacknife Lee will be returning to the big screen for our aural pleasure next year. "I 've just fi nished a soundtrack for a movie ca lled Tile Criminal, starring Eddie lzzard. it's a type of Hitchcock thing. I did a peepshow scene. You don't really get to see anythrng, JUSt hear a lot of moaning! " Therefore, with such a busy schedule, will he have time to come to Norwich? " I'd l1ke to play but I haven't been booked yet. I will be touring next yea r. If I come, I can promise a night of delicious funk."

In case you have been wonderi ng, Jack kni fe Lee chose his name simply because he liked the sound of it. He thought it was a road accident and didn't realise it was a type of knife, kn ives being something he general ly dislikes - except for cooking with. At this point he lets me into a scary cu!inary secret.

"I used to like fish fingers, but appa rently they lower you r sperm count, I don't know why.

There 's so much rubb1sh in them, so you have to make your own. Get a nice piece of cod or haddock and bread it. Freeze them and you' ll be fine, although the bread crumbs aren't as nice."

So if you ever meet th is man , shake his hand as he could have saved you r family plans. Jackn ife Lee, top DJ.. .and saviour of the human race.

For all those of you out there who 've had enough of the staple Sheffield cultural exports of Pulp and The Full Monty we at The Event have a little treat!

All you have to do to win a very sexy

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

ust imagine it. You 're a member of an imaginative, expenmentalist post rock band on tile much revered cutting edge Sheffield la bel Warp. Sounds great, huh?

You spend your nights sou ndtracking the apocalypse and your days licking windows with the Aphex Twin. You 're so experimental that even run of th e mill affairs like Interviews have to be experimental. Oh yes. So this is a post Interview with Plone . In a post interview, you see , there 's no need to listen to anything by the band, or even quote them at all. The post Interviewer already has all the answers, you see,

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spend your nights soundtracking the apocalypse and your days licking windows with the aphex twin and rea lly only needs monosyllabic responses to any questions he asks.

Billy from Plone knows this. He knows that he and his two ma tes, Mark and Mike formed tile band in 1994, getting their big break, a support slot with fellow Brummies Broadcast and Pram, two years later. He also knows that they went on to release a single called Press A Key on Wurl itzer a year aft er that. He knows they've just released their long-awaited debut album, Timeless Electronic Melodies. Wel l, he would, wouldn't he? He knows that I know that too,

Warp records anniversary sampler is write down something really , well , warped on a postcard and stick it in the Concrete competition box in the Hive.

Most disgusting answer wins.

because I tell him, and he agrees. We're both quite bored by th is point, but we both carry on regardless, because we both know that you're interested , and that's what counts.

I tell him about Plane's influences, which are quite diverse, almost con fusingly so. Kraftwerk, The Beach Boys, lsaac Hayes .. .. chuck in a few you won't have heard of... The Upsetters, Sil ver Apples, Flying Lizards ... Can you te ll what it is yet? Nope? Wel l, it's either the formula for 80's elec tro pop tinged keyboard experimentalrsm or a complete bunch of arse. You decide. Billy certa inly cou ldn 't.

Anyway, it's Warp Record 's tenth anniversary, so Billy and his chums are planning a party. And you' re invited. They're pl aying a series of Warp nights up and down the country, which sadly Billy's being a bit secretive, or clueless, about. Expect something a bit special though . After that they're heading off across Europe, to Germany among other places , where they'll be supporting king of rawk David Hasselhoff.

Maybe.

And if you haven't alrea dy passed out from excitement then be sure to listen out for the Plone Peel Session on a radio near you. Soon. Assuming he managed to get a song or two out of them . Like, for instance, thei r remix of early Warp artist Tricky Disco's tune of the same name. They recorded it for the label's forthcom ing com pil ation, and, according to Billy it's got a bit of an acid house vi be to it.

In all seriousness, I'm sure Plane are avant great.

In a music industry more diluted tha n a weak lemon drink by major label commercia lism, they're signed to one of the few independents that are creating something approaching a scene with a comm itment to music that's pu shing back the bounda ri es.

For that, Plane, we salute you.

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dumbing down, or just an excuse to give actors more prestige, a/ex mcgregor finds out if the crossover between stage and screen can really be good for theatre ...

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he stage was once regarded by all actors as the pinnacle of the profession.

However, not too long ago something strange and confusing happened and that enigma was the magnificence of cinema. As the cinema swiftly rose to become not only the United States most profitable export commodity but also the dominant form of media affiliated entertainment it took the talent with it. And whilst it is true that over the past twenty years the stage has certainly retained it's credibility and prestige it would also be fair to assert that the stage has been seen by many of today's leading actors as but a large hill to be climbed before progressing to the A-Ust of Hollywood. And it is not just pretty actors, but genuinely impressive talent is to be included within this statement. The effect has also proven to cross the generation pond. For example, take both Kenneth Branagh and Sir lan McKellan, both these men conquered the stage before even attempting to triumph upon the screen. And here is the clincher, both consider the screen to be their home now.

However in the last couple of years the reverse has begun to happen. Hollywood A-Usters are coming to the stage like a swarm of biblical locust. We've had Kevin Spacey at the Almieda doing The Iceman Cometh (eventually), Uam Neeson playing that notorious whoopsie Oscar Wilde, (badly apparently), and gun loving, Republican supporting, ape bashing Charlton Heston exchanging letters of love with his real life wife. For two hours. And they call that entertainment? Surely it would be more enjoyable to strap the audience into a chair and subject them to some kind of Clockwork Orange brainwashing treatment. All of which is not to mention Nicole Kidman going au naturale in The Blue Room, Ralph Fiennes in Checkov's lvanov and Juliette Binoche even broke her foot treading the boards for the aforementioned Almieda Theatre.

This trend is not localised solely to the shores of Great Britain either. Our American cousins soon gained ground with Broadway productions of Amy's View with Judi Dench and a somewhat sexy, slithering version of MacBeth starring Alec Baldwin and Angela Bassett, as probably for the first but hopefully not the last time, a black Lady MacBeth.

Indeed Shakespeare has probably been the most

popular author of this revival. In addition to Angela Bassett none other than Aussie pop bum out Dannii Minogue has recently assumed the role.

In yet another production, Rufus Sewell left the confines of the Dark City to have a jolly good stab at that most unplayable of roles. And of course Ralph Fiennes, who won every award possible on both th is side of the Atlantic bridge and the other for his

hollywood a-listers are coming to the stage like a swarm of biblical locusts bamstorming performance in Hamlet.

A production which not only had an A-Ust cast but also an A-Ust audience. For seen in the stalls on Broadway were Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Tom and Nicole and even Harrison Ford left his ranch in Wisconsin to see Ralph lament and die, not literally of course. And it was arguably this play and this actor who began this trend and also brought Shakespeare back to popularity with the disgruntled masses much in the same way that Marton Brando did with his portrayal of Marc Anthony in the 1957 film version of Ju/ius Ceaser. Both men played in classic texts and produced performances that redefined how Shakespeare should be played.

So armed with undeniable proof of a stage renaissance one must ask the question, why? Well, firstly it must be noted that that all of the above productions were relatively small scale and of a limited run. And not a single production continued after the lead actor fulfilled their contractual obligations and scarpered. This would suggest that it is not so much the actual stage which is of importance as compared to that of the text being performed.

Guilgood theatre chose to produce instead of Harold Pinter's latest work which had to remain in the hollow emptiness of regional theatre. And indeed another reason for so many A-Usters going to the live forum could be something as simple as wanting to experience an aud.ience reacting there and then

treading the boards as Miine Driver was slated to perform in Romeo and Juliet at the Norwich Theatre Royal. The latest news, however, is that the perfromance has been postponed - watch this place to see the ressurection continue .. .

action happens.

An experience that cinema, inherent to its nature, could not produce for an actor.

But does any of this matter to those die hard , coach tripping, theatre regulars? And that's a difficult question to answer, especially as recently the Theatre Goers Club of Great Britain voted Judi Dench the most popular West End actress of the last two decades.

Although Dench is clearly a Hollywood star the stage has always been her home. This is backed up by the winner of the Best Actor award which went to Tom Conti, star of last years hit Christmas play, Jesus, My Boy, but shall always rema in to this writer best remembered for those Vauxhall adverts he used to do with Nigel Hawthorne.

There was to be a pleasant and appropriate footnote to all of this nonsense, as patrons of our very own university should have had the chance to judge the value of Hollywood celebrities

n addition to this, financial matters could also play a part in explaining this current phenomena. Seeming as the Almieda only pays two hundred pounds per week, the celebrity involved is clearly not there for the cash rewards but rather their presence can bring in vast quantities of ticket sales which, in turn, would bring in vast quantities of capital which can keep a theatre, dedicated to less mainstream productions, alive and open.

There may be no financial gain for the star but they may still gain from treading the boards and this would be a gain in prestige. One could prove that one can act and is far more than merely a "star". Ewan McGregor, for example, proved that his charisma can translate when he performed under his uncle's direction in the stage revival of Uttle Malcolm And His Struggle Against The

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Eunuchs.

Another factor to add to the Prestige column is that an actor can gain prestige and credibility as a talent by distancing themselves from Hollywood and it's assembly line of High Concept blockbusters by fleeing ~ the stage. However one could argue that the theatre has been "dumbed down" equally as much as cinema. For example, Hollywood gives us the fatuous Batman and Robin, meanwhile the West End thrusts down our unwilling throats, Boyband, which the

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

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she 's another great british film hope, but can anna friel shake off the brookie image and have success on the wide screen? max alien chats to the star about her next project, mad cows ... here was a time, after leaving Brookside, that Anna Friel was becoming something of a tabloid hobby horse. The Lesbian Kiss, Darren Day Dumping and Ro bbie Wi ll iams Shocker were all fodder for the screaming masses. There reached a point where a promising ca reer was being blighted by the easy headline, cheapening the ta lent of an actress who appears to be one of our grea test hopes for the future. She is currently in town to promote her fothcoming release Mad Cows, an adaptation of Kathy Lette's best-selling novel. Lancashire born

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my next film is boys and girls, its more commerial but I need a studio film, my name is not good enough to finance a film Anna, 23, has been in the spotlight for seven yea rs now, entering the public domain at the age of 16 after landing the part of Beth Jordache in Brookside.

Joining at the height of the show's popularity (before it got si lly and the body count rose higher than a Shakespearian tragedy), some might say she was the cause of the show's rejuvenation. Friel was given the task of tackling many of Brookside's most sensational storylines: from her onscreen com ing out, to the mu rder tria l for the kil ling of her abusive father. As a result of such sensationalism, the programme helped launch her career. The role also

gained her a loyal gay fan base, something Anna revea ls was quite an issue when she starred in the Broadway adaption of Closer this summer. "lt has nothing to do with my part in Brookside. A lot of girls came on to me in New York . Not just in New Yo rk, either. These are really girly girls who you'd never th ink would be interested. lt is quite flattering, but I'm not interested, " she insists, " I think of myself as a sexual person, but not in that way."

Anna Friel's rampant heterosexuality is particularly evident in the enthusiasm with wl1ich she ta lks of her male co - stars. Of Dominic West, in recently released A Midsummer Night's Dream , she is very forthcom ing, "I love Dominic- he's the best guy," she laughs before setting the poor bloke up for a fa ll. "My character, Hermia , looks around at his penis on screen and has to laugh. But I did laugh naturally." She goes on to explain why. "lt was freezing cold and there were branches everywhere.

There was not much chance or opportunity for anyone to get turned on. I think it made it shrivel and whimper away!"

Wh ile A Midsummer Night 's Dream saw Anna opposite such big-name stars as Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett and Calista Fl ockhart and she is also noticeably enthused by her new release Mad Cows in which she stars as Maddy, a wild Australian single mother who has a string of misadventures with her baby son in London . "lt is new, fresh and I liked the way it was shot. lt was filmed a yea r ago, but it seems light years since as so much has happened." lt wasn 't an easy film to make, though , something Anna is ph ilosphica l about: "That's the price you pay for a small -budget fi lm. lt was six days a week, 16

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1 999

hours a day, for six weeks. " However, the end product far outweighs the gruelling schedule. "lt was a great experience and everyone had a laugh. " The past year has seen Anna stunning American audiences on Broadway, mainly because of her powerfu l performances but also due to the nudity involved. For an actress who has never shied away from taking her clothes off; her threesome in The Tribe really gave the puritans at the Daily Mail something to shout about. imilarly in A Midsummer Night's Dream some strategically pl aced branches were all that covered her. Anna, however, remains blase about it. "I felt so naked and raw as an actress," she muses, "I woul d not have felt any more exposed if I had been totally naked. By the end of it, it was leg up and do thi s and that, and it was Alice, the character, doing it , and not me. " Despite rave reviews for her performance, she was ready to leave at the end of her run, primarily for financial reasons. "Closer didn't pay me well," sh e explains, "it really cost me to be in New York and I was ready to fi nish at the end of my con tract" . The bright lights of Broadway were followed by an enviably long holiday, a three week stay in Bali with friends. Sounds suspiciously like an opportunity for a major piss up. Not so apparently. "I sat totally content, looking at beautiful

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"it just shrivelled up and whimpered away", anna on co star dominic west 's manhood palm trees and being totally spoilt with three maids, a driver and two gardeners." The words "lucky" and "cow" immediately spring to mind. lt comes as somewhat of a sadistic pleasure, therefore, to hear about her hellish journey home .

Only a brief resp ite, however, from the pressures of promoting and nurturing a career which by

Hollywood standards is still only fledgling. Havi ng survived a hurricane on the way back to London, an hour and a half delay at immigration, a tedious wigfitting and a screening of Mad Cows she was well and truly back in the rat race . Only time will tell whether Anna's work will be enough to propel her into the big leagues but she is givi ng it her best shot. Her next film after Mad Cows, Boys and Girls, is a step into a more commercial field and will hopefu lly make her name more recognisable in America, something she realises is inevitable if her career is to progress . "lt has to happen if I am going to get the opportunity to get the parts I really want to play. lt is much more of a studio thing and my name is not good enough to finance a film." lt seems her days of fear at the hands of the tabloids are over, at least for now. Now recast by fickle editors as a media darling, pictured with mate Kate Moss at all the right places, it seems only a matter of ti me before her name is an asset rather than a hindrance.

With no more holidays in Bali in sight, th is coming yea r will be a busy one for Friel but, as she showed on Broadway, she is more than up to the task.

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help the aged

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pj harvey

net aid is the latest attempt by pop stars to raise money for those worse off than their jet setting selves. andrew goodson asks if the charity has been forgotten in favour of boosting flagging record sales ...

Even if this overwhelming audience response were a result of an irrepressible desire to help those less fortunate, it still creates a difficult stance for the musicians 1nvolved. While Linda McCartney avo1ded accusations of seeking publicity by anonymously sending food products to Sarajevo, it could be challenging for bands and musicians to remain anonymous once on stage. They hope that the gathered crowds will see a display of ethically

live aid was a catalyst for the careers of many of the artists involved

he famt possibility that perhaps all IS not perfect on our little planet IS often suggested when conversations about the weather start to dry up . Then there IS the equally faint possibility that the careers of several forty and fifty-something musical giants are limping towards the mediocre. On October 9th both contentions consp1re to create an atmosphere of what some dub "the feel -good factor" and others brand "amoral and commercial revivalism ". Net Aid , a set of three linked concerts in London, New York, and Geneva, will occur next week, and feature the likes of David Bow1e, Jimmy Page, George Michael, Robbie Williams, Sting, and the Eurythmics. The revenue reaped from the three concerts, to be broadcast live on television and the intenet, will be directed towards the war v1ctims of Sudan and Kosovo.

That the acclaim received by the ong1nal chanty concert, 1985's Live Aid, should inspire successors such as the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour (1988). the Mandela Tribute (1990), and now Net Aid is hardly surprising. The amount of resources gleaned by Live Aid has meant that even the harshest critic of its organiser, the Hon . Bob Geldof, cannot deny its positive repercussions. Whi le the vision of twenty musical icons with swollen egos and blow-dried coifs holding hands and singing they were the world may not have been everyone's picture of perfection, 1t did at least enable Africa to take advantage of donated aid.

Now, however, as David Bowie and six other Live Aid participants again don their shiny suits and makeup in the name of Net Aid, the spontaneity and originality displayed fourteen years ago appears to have been lost. In its place stands the record industry, with a smile as wide as Elton John's centre parting, and the loosely disguised hope that charity concerts boost album sales.

For a number of the artists involved , Net Aid could be the one event which helps them back into the limelight. Bryan Ferry and Jimmy Page have stumbled almost completely out of the musical world, whilst Sting's recent single flails aimlessly in the lower echelons of the charts. The Eurythmics, meanwhile, manage to under-perfo_rm all three, having not released a single for an entire decade.

The light at the end of their tunnels may be the realisation that Live Aid worked as a career catalyst for many of the musicians who performed.

Madonna, was born into the incarnation of globedominating diva, and U2 received a swift kick into the world of stadium rock. Tracy Chapman went from virtually unknown songwriter to practically

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mescapable star within a week of L1ve A1d , as her album soared to number one in both Bnta1n and the United States. David Bow1e collaborated w1th M1ck Jagger on Dancing In The Streets, and the publicity prov1ded by Live Aid earned them to the very top of the singles charts. In fact Mr. Bow1e has not glimpsed number one chart status s1nce Live Aid, and it is here that the unassailable altru1sm of he and his mus1cal mates can fall temporanly into question. What a coincidence that his new album Hours ... should be released four days before Net Aid. And whoever would have predicted that the

in place of spontaneity stands the record industry, with a smile as wide as elton john's centre parting debut of the Eurythmics' first new single in over ten years should be made on the very same day?

How remarkable that Annie Lennox had her solo career practically conceived by Live Aid. ome musicians have found these slight conflicts of interest about as coincidental as the link between Aqua and rising suicide rates in Dennark.

In 1990's Mandela Tribute concert, South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela refused to play as a result of the minuscule number of African musicians selected. The subsequent dominance of white acts involved in the concert served as proof for his argument. With Net Aid, however, there are no questions of race or gender. In fact there are no questions at all. That the headlining musicians could have been plucked from the charts of 1989 rather than 1999 seems to suggest that a fresh approach to the charity concert has been categorically rejected. The public, as both the audience for the music and the group donating to Net Aid, appears not to care.

Tickets .to all three venues are in great demand in spite of costs hovering around thirty pounds (the London tickets cost £35), and highlights will be aired on three BBC channels as well as Radio 2. The radio audience for Net Aid is predicted to be the largest for any live event ever.

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concerned music rather than musically unconcerned ethics. Apparently unconvinced, the Eurythmics have s1de stepped questions about their intentions by donating all proceeds from their upcoming world tour to Amnesty International and Greenpeace.

Brian Eno, a central figure in both the War Child charity and the production of the Help album denies the importance of conflicted interests, asking "Does the possibility that someone's mot1ves may be mixed invalidate what they do?"

Ultimately the success of Net Aid depends upon how much support war victims in Kosovo and Sudan receive. Although it may take a gargantuan effort to get Bryan Ferry's career off the ground again , helping Kosovan and Sudanese c1t1zens help themselves IS an even larger and more challenging task. While any situation that results 1n the Eurythm1cs be1ng unearthed should face severe questioning, Net A1d seems to have a goal that almost compensates.

Unfortunately as we go to press there IS still no word on dates for the charity gig in aid of those forever scarred by a duet effort from Robbie Willrams and George Michael.

what 's the big fuss then?

Where do I begin ? Since emerging from the inauspicious county of Dorset early in the 90s, Polly Jean Harvey has made five bnlliant and distinctive albums and never appeared in Loaded once.

She is also implausibly pretty and thin, wears cool clothes, and doesn't warble pathetically about how her baby JUSt left her, which always helps. Recently she inadvertantly courted controversy by mak1ng pro fox hunting comments, believing the sport was a vital part of the rural life in which she was brought up.

who does what?

Songs are written and sung by Peej herself these days.

Until a few years ago there were two blokes, Rob and Steve, who played bass and drums and lurked in the background furtively. There was an amicable part1ng of ways, and now she's solo.

PJ has also worked with a variety of other artists, most notably with Nick Cave on his beautifully disturbing Murder Ballads album.

sold a few records then?

Not as many as Celine Dion, put it that way. She has lots of critical respect and keeps getting hailed as Britain's best female artist and stuff, but. bar the odd TFI Friday appearance. she rarely occupies the top end of the charts.

which is the best?

Well, that's the question. 1998's Is This Desire is probably her best so far, although some retain a fondness for Dry, her debut. Steer clear of Rid Of Me unless you're feeling neurotic.

bit angst-ridden, Isn't she?

Okay, well some albums, like Rid Of Me are rather full of post relationship misery, with a lot of screaming as well. But a bit of gloom now and then is preferable to inane, bland, Spice Girls-esque happiness any day. And it's never hurt Radiohead.

so what does the future hold?

With any luck, she'll carry on living quietly in Dorset and making great albums on a regular basis for a long time to come.

In retrospect ...

You came from heaven is all he said I You came from heaven and came here to me ...

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

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11

your average supermarket carrot is covered in more chemicals than the inside of tara - palmer whatsit's nose. could organic produce save us from ending up in detox? amanda akien finds out more .. here was a time, not too long ago, when the casual mention of 'organic food' would conjure up an image of long haired, vegetarian hippies spending their dole cheques on beans and lentils. Thankfully those days have passed. Now organic food has never been cheaper or more accessible to the general public. In recent years organic food has become big business with more and more people choosing to buy into it for health and environmental reasons.

Organic fruit and vegetables are not always as tempting visually as their conventionally farmed rivals, but there is a high price to pay for picture-

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the ment ion of 'organic food' would conjure up an image of long haired, vegetarian hippies and beans and lentils perfect looks. Vast amounts of conventionally farmed products fail to make the grade each month and are left to rot in fields. In 1996 thousands of eating apples were rejected for this trivial reason.

I must admit the words 'organic food' have never really appealed to me. I like to eat potatoes which are free from dirt, apples which are polished and lime-green and vegetables which can last for months on the vegetable rack and not just a few hours.

However, the word 'organic' is appearing even more than ever on the supermarket shelves. The 路o路 word has gradually gained credibility in the English language but what exactly is it? Organic food is produced naturally without the use of the chemicals, fertilisers and artificial pesticides which farmers normally use in huge amounts. Undoubtedly such a definition makes organic food sound as appealing as a bowl of Iuke - warm semolina. Nevertheless, if you think that a tomato may have been treated 40 times with up to 100 different chemicals before being harvested, the idea of eating 'organic' seems increasingly appealing.

Despite the fact that many supermarkets have pledged to eliminate the vilified genetically modified organisms (GMO's) from their own label foods, gradually they're seeping their way onto the supermarket shelves. At present organic standards ban GMO's, making organic foods a safe eating option. However, with over 140 GMO test sites in Great Britain, the possibility of cross pollination is a

THE EVENT, IWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999 ,

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major concern for farmers today. As a result organic growers face having their certification confiscated if any crops are grown within a six mile radius of a GM crop site.

Organic foods are free from the pesticide residues which often end up in conventional foods. A report in 1996 proved that over 40 per cent of milk, butter and cheese in the UK contained traces of the dangerous insecticide Lindane. lt was only in July this year that the Government restricted the use of Lindane's use due to its proven links with numerous health problems including breast cancer and birth defects in new born babies.

In the last 30 years the use of antibiotics in conventional farming has increased by a huge 1,500 per cent. This over prescription of antibiotics has been blamed for the substantial rise in the number of so called 'superbugs' - antibiotic strains of bacteria that have become immune to medicines and chemicals currently in use.

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rganic foods are cheaper today than ever before, but they still cost more than conventionally produced alternatives. With more and more farmers opting for organic agriculture it is inevitable that we will witness a drop in the number of expensive organic imports needed to meet the growing demand from consumers in Britain today. At present, 70 per cent of organic food sold in this country is imported from the more health conscious countries abroad .

Indeed, there is so much more to organic food than once thought. Its health and environmental benefits are numerous. So where can those abandoning conventional food go for 'back to basics' organic food? Probably the best bet are supermarkets, which now stock continually growing ranges of organic products.

Back in 1981 Safeway was the first supermarket to sell organic foods. Today you will find these types of fruit and vegetables in every store, as well as organic bread , coffee, milk and other essential food items. Waitrose was keen to follow in the footsteps of Safeway, and today provides over 400 organic products to choose from. Despite the fact that Marks and Spencer's is renowned for its high quality food as well as underwear, they only introduced organic products last year. The store is catching up with more and more original organic options - they have produced their very own organic ciabatta! For the great number of animal friendly people who care more about their pets than feed ing themselves Tesco sell organic dog and cat food.

For further information on organic food the Soil Association Tel: 0117 929 6661 is a useful directory or farm shops and stores. The Fresh Food Co. is Britain's largest organic home delivery service and specialises in fine foods such as seafood, wine and beer. Visit http://www.Freshfood.co.uk for more information.

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ID crime?

meg and tom, julia and richard, tom and jerry; all great film partnerships or just hollywood's excuse to cash .in

on a established double act, a/ex mcgregor investigates ...

ove's great, Beth but it's not money in the bank", or so said Brad Willis during the dizzy heights of Neighbours' hay-day.

Well, in Ramsey Street love may not be money in the bank, but in the vacuous, silicon enhanced hills of Hollywood a long term screen romance is nothing but a license to print moolah. And here, my friends, is a case in point: On October the eighth cinemas across the nation will be packeds as the hordes wait in nervous anticipation for the opening of US smash hit The Runaway Bride. So why is there such a fuss about a film with a contrived plot where a reporter is"sent t~ cover a story concerning a woman who jilts prospective husband after prospective husband at the altar? The fuss is because the reporter is none other than Richard Gere (insert own joke here), and the titular runaway bride is the flame haired (very haired) lovely, Julia Roberts. Yes, these two Hollywood idols are appearing together on screen for the first time since Pretty Woman, the film which presented Julia Roberts to the world, and gave Richard Gere·s flagging career a much needed boost.

Runaway Bride has recreated the success of Pretty Woman by raking in a massive $150 million at the U.S. box office. However, surely the mammoth takings of this film cannot be put down solely to the fact that the two leading actors have starred together before? Well, as cynical as this may sound, the answer could well be yes.

Romantic comedies serve, broadly, two demographic audiences. The first are loving couples or unashamed romantics who like to watch the

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treacle covered Hollywood love affairs as a reflection of their own relationships or sensibilities. The second are those who like to watch treacle covered Hollywood love affairs as a replacement for their own relationships or sensibilities. For this second group both the characters played by Roberts and Gere, and perhaps the actors themselves, become their friends. These people want to see Julia and Richard again and again. However after watching

you all went to see it before you all loved it. now can you can see it all again only bigger. why do we need anything new?

Pretty Woman for the seven hundredth time the magic may just begin to fade a teensy weensy little bit as the adventure of luurve gets a bit stale.

Or probably more accurately they want to see Julia and Richard in the same adventure for the very first time, to recapture the magic, so to speak.

This is where Runaway Bride comes into the equation. Chuck in the fact that it has the same director as Pretty Woman and we're pretty much assured that we're in for the same ride as before.

After all familiarity is a strong pull at the box office.

And maybe this is why the repetition of screen partnerships has been popular for as long as the cinema has being in existence. Just think of how

many times Errol Aynn teamed up with screen love Olivia De Haviland in swashbuckling adventures ranging from The Adventures of Robin Hood to Captain Blood.

However do not convince yourself that these reprisals are solely the domain of the romantic comedy. Take the action genre, for example.

Director James Cameron has teamed up with big Arnie for three movies, Terminator, Terminator 2 and True Lies. Yet it may not end there, for on the horizon are the possibilities of a True Lies sequel (very likely) and even a Terminator 3 (quite likely).

Teaming one of the finest action directors with one of the world's most foremost action stars with an ever increasing budget says "you all went to set it before, you all loved it. Now you can see it again only bigger·. Why do we need anything new? or a sequel to be deemed financially successful by the producing studio it must make sixty five percent of the gross income of the original. Now nobody can object when a sequel retains it's artistic integrity and attempts to provide the audience with a new experience, as was the case with the GOdfather or Alien series'. owever, now it is often the case that money takes precedence over quality. This in tum seems to make those executives in charge of green lighting a project extremely lazy. None of these bigwigs are going to OK a romantic comedy which is slated to star Christopher Walken and Unda Rorentino when both Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are available. Here we have another example of stars working together repeatedly: Tom and Meg fell in love in Sleepless In Seattle, and the world fell in love with that film. Cut to a couple of year later and Tom and Meg fall in love over the intemet in You've Got Mail and the world falls in love with that film.

Once again it reunited the stars with director of Sleepless', Nora Ephron, plus their was the added treat of it being a remake of a classic James Stewart movie, The Shop Around The Comer. The cheery folk at Warner Bros. saw the success of

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You've Got Mail and thougt,t to themselves "hmmm" as the cash registers began to ker-ching. A winning formula! However, this begs the question, does the success of such films breed mediocrity?

Possibly so. Who didn't think that teaming Will Smith with director Barry Sonnenfeld in another off· beat, spy related, comedy-adventure film would be a bad idea? The vast majority of the globe were indifferent, and despite the fact that Wild Wild West made over $120 million at the U.S. box office, production company Warner Bros. were expecting it

the bigwigs aren't going to approve a romantic comedy which is to star ~hristopher walken and linda fiorentino when tom and meg are available to take somewhere in the region of $180 to $200 million. So you'd think that after being given the critical thumbs down messieurs Smith and Sonnenfeld would call it a day. Thankfully not, though. They are once again working together, this time on a biopic of the legendary Mohammed Ali, with Smith as the titular lead. Could this mark the turning point? Here we have a highly successful film partnership working with each other again, but this time to produce a film in an entirely different tack from their previous work.

Maybe judging a new film by the past productions of the partnership is somewhat self defeating. Just because Casino is not the film that Raging Bull was doesn't mean that Casino is a bad film, does it?

After all, the audience is lucky if a director (in this case Martin Scoroese) can find an actor (Robert De Niro) that can wholly present his or her vision on screen.

Take nm Burton and Johnny Depp for example. Edward Scissortlands and Ed Wood are both remarkable, unmistakably Burtonian movies that are constantly a joy to watch. And • their third collaboration, an adaptation of the gothic yam Sleepy Hollow, is a mouth watering prospect and seems tailor made for both parties.

Ultimately when the work is strong, bold and inventive we are grateful to see the same team work together again and again; it serves as a seal of quality.

However, when the partnership is 'inspired' by box office success or as a shot in the arm to an ailing career, then it becomes an insipid, unwelcome reflection on a world of easy options where Hollywood's artistic crediblity is substituted for bland and tame films guaranteed only to rake in the dollars.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

thought about heading for the big time as a comedian? alex mcgregor looks at the stops on the road to success...

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

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~event) tom jones fi'®D®®~ Tom Jones is cool, it's official. The original entertainer has made something of a comeback in the UK recently, the icing on the cake being his latest album, Reload, which consists of Tom singing duets with seventeen other major stars. All the songs are cover versions, but this does not detract from the fact that Reload is a refreshing album full of quirky new takes on old classics. If you've heard the disappointing Robbie Williams and Cerys tracks, don't be put off. Listen out for duets with Heather Small (of M People fame), Mousse T and the outstanding Burning Down The House number, which features the Cardigans.

All of which proves that, despite choosing to give the album the same name as a recent offering from hirsuite metallers Metallica, Mr Jones still knows what he's doing and still, definitely, has 'The Voice'.

Sandra lson

campag velocet IID©l1il ©fruo©9 IID®l1il $ ®l1ilU'® Campag Velocet take their name from Clockwork Orange and this album title is from a French S&M magazine - clearly a band with an interesting set of influences. And okay - they've made an 'interesting' album. The 11 tracks are diverse in nature, from the

big beat miniature title track to the 9 minute post rock of Skin so Soft.

But 'interesting' doesn't always easily translate as 'actually any good', and, whether you like Bon Chic•.. depends largely on whether you like Pete Voss' shouty vocal style. Smooth keyboard parts and guitar noises lurk behind most tracks, but there are times when Voss' 'Billy Bragg having a rant'-type singing limits their potential. There are even genuinely worrying moments reminiscent of Carter USM or the Rebel MC (remember Street Tuff?). Safe to say then, that Campag are at their best in moments of instrumentalism. Just make sure your James Brown. 'skip' button works.

kojak ©U'OITUi)® ~l1il ~fru® ©O~W Sadly not the lolly licking slaphead 70s TV detective, but still just as funky, Kojak are the latest exports from the burgeoning French dance scene. Groovier than Air, jazzier than Daft Punk and smoother thafl Cassius, Crime In The City is the perfect antidote to those shamelessly repetitive Ibiza anthems. The emphasis here is on house la early Leftfield, but with enough variation to keep it fresh. nie album starts off with relentlessly pounding beats and bass, as on the·title track, while the later tracks have a loungier, more chilled out feel to them, Soulful mixing bluesy vocals and a hip-hop beat for a more evening sound.

Overall, this is a tour de force of different styles and genres that comes ·together to create something refreshingly different, as only the French can. If this is a taste of. things to come then look forward to an exciting winter in the clubs, Spankingly gorgeous.

A/ex Po/lock

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the waterfront Playing to a packed out Waterfront tonight are Skin and her clan of rockers, otherwise known as Skunk Anansie. Recently back from a four week tour of the United States to promote their latest album Post Orgasmic Chill, what better way could there be to welcome them back to their homeland than to play in front of hundreds of UEA students who get to see the gig for nothing. This was thanks to Georgina Drake, a chemistry student who last year won a competition to have the band play in Norwich.

Their was no support act, so the crowd had to endure a particularly long wait, but who cares 'cause

tonight we're here to see one band and one band only.

Lead singer Skin is looking as scary in real life as she does in photographs, almost fo·rcing the crowd to surge back instead of forwards. lt was also quite hard to take Ace (the guitarist) seriousll',_sporting as he does a cut off t -shirt with the word 'Peckham' emblazoned upon it. This, obviously, serves no purpose other than to conjure up images of Del Boy and Rodney Trotter.

Tonight Skunk Anansie kick off with Alone and follow up with the powerful Twisted during which Skin invites the crowd to dance, inevitably sending them into a frenzy as the lead singer attempts a crowd surf.

Other tracks played included top ten hit Weak, something the band definitly weren't as they leapt around the stage, trashing equipment. Skin tells us that she's just got back from a week in Ibiza, but its done nothing to take away her energy.

Later they take things down a notch with Secretly, giving both band and audience time t o take a breather before the climax of the gig - by this time the sweat is visibly running off the walls and ceiling.

Energy levels were running at the max tonight - it's surprising Eastern Electricity didn't have their systems overloaded!

Amanda Perkins

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCl'OBER 06, 1999

it's Dearly impossible to review anything by the Aloof without mentioning the word 'dark'. Every time you open your favourite musical weekly to see an article on the Aloof you're greeted by phrases like "Dance music. doesn't come much darker than this"; but the th ing is, it does, and it also comes a lot better.

The Constant Chase For Thrills may be full of lush melodies underpinned by laid back beats and grooves with brooding, melancholic vocals, but it never quite wins you over. it's a lot better than most chart I dance fodder, but as the last track comes to an end and the CD stops you can't help feeling let down. it's dark but never makes any real emotional connection, it's uplifting but never quite achieves what it set out to do. Think of a sweet you quite enjoyed while you were eating it, but had a strange aftertaste that put you off buying said sweatmeat <!gain. Disappointed, weren 't you?

Phil Stephan

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LEFTFIELD rhythm and stealth

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SHANIA TWAIN come on over

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TRAVIS the man who

SUPERGRASS supergrass

GOMEZ

OS liquid skin

06 07 08 09 10

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE one from the modern

MARTINE MCUTCHEON _ you, me and us ANDREA BOCELLI sogno STEREOPHONICS . perfromance and cocktails DANIEL O'DONNEL greatest hits

the charlatans \f©r:r®W®U' The seasons may be changing but this song brings back the blue skies. Forever sounds huge. Bass tumbles and drums crash all around as organs soar towards the heavens. In the eye of the storm stands . singer Tim, huge grin, singing his little heart out.

With a vibe this good expect an Indian summer courtesy of the Charlatans. Outlook is sunny.

Merek Cooper

younger younger 28s ~fru® l1il®~~ liD~~ ~fru~l1il~ Optimistically titled Next Big Thing, t he second single from YY28s is a cross between Human League and St Etienne. Unfortunately, their collection of limp electronic beats and weak vocals comes out sounding like an 80s version of Steps.

Younger Younger 28's press release claims this is 'a great pop tune'. This is a complete lie.

Luke Chilton

ben harper IIDMr:rOil ~® ~frufiiTil® This is less a single than a sampler for Harper's forthcoming album of the same name. Containing six tracks, it is, disappointingly, unimaginative and uninspiring. lt includes some nice moments of soulful balladry, but isn't a patch on his best work, James Brown notably the Will To Uve album.

smog ©©0@1 IIDD©©tru®@l ~DO ~~ITUi)®~ After listening to this a few times, it became bearable, but still doesn't impress. Cold Blooded Old Times, released from the critically acclaimed Knock Knock album, doesn't have the catchy rhythm that would make it a success. However, it was Single Of The Week on Mark and Lard's Radio One show- but I don't know how.

Katie Hind .

.

bernard butler Sf©llll IJffilllll©~ ~®

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Too busy with his own creative urges to be sitting around with Morrissey and Ian Brown thinking of what might have been, Bernie Butler gives a taste of his sophomore solo album with this foot stomping, whammy-bar yanking, smile inducing, dayglo, Bowie/Stones hybrid. You must go on, indeed and A/ex M cGregor with undeniabl~ talent.

IB showing from: playing at: starring:

Out now Odeon Robert De Nlro Billy Crystal Usa Kudrow

A few years back Robert De Niro expertly deconstructed his Mafioso psychotic image when he played a meek police detective in John McNoughton's Mad Dog And Glory, a film in which De Niro and eo-star, Bill Murray, essentially swapped their normal roles with Murray playing the villainous Mob boss. This time however, De Niro sprints headfirst into a direct parody of roles he himself has played to Oscar winning effect before.

The basic plot concerns mob boss Paul Vicci (De Niro) finding himself the victim of uncontrollable emotional outbursts. He's concerned he is falling apart at the seams; he cries at adverts and just can't summon the killer instinct that he used to find with such malevolent ease. Concerned that the embittered leader of a rival family, Chaz Palminteri, may take advantage of this apparent weakness he hires an uptight psychiatrist, played by Billy Crystal, to put right what's wrong in his head before he finds himself extinct.

Initially Crystal, who has not been this good for a very long time, is confused and reluctant to say the least: "What's my goal here? To make you a well adjusted gangster?" However, after temporarily swimming with the fishes (sharks to be accurate) Crystal decides it would be less trouble to focus solely upon his new patient. This way Crystal can quickly be rid of the mobster and get back to what he considers his true priorities, namely marrying

fiancee Usa Kudrow and raising his chubby, droll son.

Uke all the best Mafia comedies, Some Like it Hot, The Freshman and even Honeymoon In Vegas, Ana/yze This strikes a balance between screw ball humour and a slightly unnerving darker edge; there's plenty of strong, and the violence, whilst never threatening, underlines the fact that we're not talking about cuddly, fluffy gangsters.

Director Harold Ramis exorcises the ghost of the painfully flat Multiplicity to create a wonderfully measured tone set off by performances that are priceless examples of timing and ensemble acting.

Both Crystal and De Niro play off each other superbly; to such an extent that the film is not reliant upon punchlines - the feedlines are often as delightful. In addition to this the individual scenes are self-sustaining but also never detract from the completed whole. All of which gives the film a longevity that should mean it will take its place with the aforementioned Mafia movie greats.

Highlights include an outstanding Godfather homage, which only five percent of the audience will get, and a fabulous scene where De Niro plays shrink to Crystal. If you're looking for flaws, Usa Kudrow reprises her role from Friends, but fortunately is not given too much screen time. And maybe this is nit picking, but one can't help but think that the sight of De Niro spoofing himself would be far more resonant if he hadn't become such a jobbing hack during the Nineties.

Nevertheless he once again proves what a unequalled and versatile talent he is.

A great surprise, an effortlessly watchable film.

A/ex McGregor.

showing from: playing at:

starring:

October 8

Odeon Julia Roberts Richard Gere

Runaway Bride sees Julia Roberts reunited with Richard Gere for the first time since Pretty Woman in 1991, and you couldn't have expected a more different film. Gere plays lke Graham, a New York newspaper columnist with nothing to write about.

That is until he meets a drunk in a bar who tells him about Maggie Carpenter (Roberts), the eponymous bride, a woman who seems to have an aversion to actually going through with her weddings. Without even meeting Maggie, lke makes her the subject of his column, and subsequently loses his job when she threatens to sue for slander.

Intrigued by the woman who ruined his career he sets out to write a story on her next wedding with the hope that she again jilts her groom at the altar.

The year 1999 has been good to Julia Roberts.

Runaway Bride and Notting Hill have seen her lose the faux-Lucille Ball antics that made some of her earlier performances so grating. Instead we are now given a more graceful, relaxed screen persona making which is far more watchable. While her

character is, at times, tiresome, this is more the fault of the script, which offers her little room to shine. You can't help but feel that you've seen her do this type of role before, but with more chance to charm.

Gere too seems to have recovered from a seemingly endlesS run of bad films. Come to think of it, wasn't Pretty Woman his last good film? At times his roles have appeared so relaxed that he seemed to be verging on a coma! This style of acting, if that is what we can call it, actually does work here, creating a more interesting and amusing character than any of his more recent efforts.

The trouble with Runaway Bride lies not with Gere and Roberts. Rather it is the setting of small town America (all hardware stores and white picket fences) which slows the pace of the film down. The portrayal of it's inhabitants at times runs the risk of pastiche, thus setting them at odds with the two stars. So much so that many of the ensemble scenes become tiresome, especially in the middle of the film.

A lost cause? Not so. The last forty minutes seem to belong to a completely different and far more enjoyable film. Wittier and faster than earlier scenes, director Garry Marshal! almost manages to erase memories of the patchy and sporadically funny first half, providing an uneven but entertaining Adam Chapman movie.

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....

cill速速[W [Q)~ M速 ~@CID Deep Blue Sea sees Hollywood attempting to bring Jaws into the Millennium, but its success is debatable. The makers of the film claim that they've taken advantage of new computer animation technology to enable them to bring one of the world's most feared and mytholigised creatures into the cinemas. The film combines real shark footage, models and computer animation to create a life-like Mako shark that proceeds to attack any person within range.

But unfortunately, even new technology cannot help the tired plot. When will these people learn? - if you mess with sharks you will probably get eaten. The story line is a rather pedestrian one from the sounds of it. Dr. Susan McAiester (Saffron Burrows) is a scientist trying to create medical history by genetically re-engineering the DNA of sharks. By increasing their speed and skill, she has turned the sharks into

.,

invincible killing machines, and inevitably the monsters turn on their maker. Not even the presence of Samuel L Jackson does much to lift this film, although the casting of LL Cool J is an interesting choice.

Renny Harlin, who has also directed Nightmare on Elm Street N: The Dream Master and Cliffhanger, is not new to the thriller genre, but he is excited by his new project and fts technological advancements.

"You can swim, but you can't hide" is his motto for the film.

So, if you're into blood and sharks, you might enjoy this new version of an old story. If you had enough of Jaws during your mis-spent youth, then you probably won't. Many of the ocean scenes were filmed in the same facilities as James Cameron's Titanic - it will be interesting to see if this film sinks Debbl Mare or survives at the box office.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999 ' ~ ~~--- __ __ ____j

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@:event) ma fine arts graduation exibition, norwich gallery Like Oedipus and his mother the writing is on the wall when one is invited to an art gallery only to find that whilst the entrance IS free the booze IS not. it doth not bode well. Wh1ch IS somewhat unfortunate given that 1f I'd actually been drunk it m1ght have made this turgid, uninspired, ever so slightly pretentious exhibition seem a little more tolerable.

As it was they didn't even have a cloak room and with the heating systems turned up on full, the gallery was hotter than the current politicaj climate in East Timor. So with this shambolic organisation to welcome patrons in from the cold like a thousand spies, or more accurately perhaps, a Vietnam veteran, my expectation were thus suddenly not high. First to catch my eye was a p1ece entitled Moment No. 4: Pub by Cora Glasser. This was a collection of photographs depleting a p1nt of lager sitting on a table in a pub. As the photographs progress the lager is drunk by a woman. An insight into pub culture? A sad indictment upon ladettes?

Suffice to say there were several more Instalments in the Moments series.

Other pieces on display included one by Esmond B1ngham with the g1ven name of Gainsborough Princess 1. Which was a dress constructed out of what appeared to be brown paper. However this dress was merely for display and would certainly not withstand anybody actually wearing 1t.

To understand the mmdset of these graduating students one could refer to self scribed testaments, a sample of wh1ch by Marilyn Mann follows, "I had to destroy the ego ... Craftsmanship was JOStling for centre stage with my need to make a statement about myself". Marilyn Mann's most arresting piece was a work ent1tled Brief Encounter With Fire, which featured a striking image of a charred but textured canvas. it was an impressive piece until the realisation shined like a lighthouse 1n one's mind that surely it's the fire that deserves the credit. After all, 1t was the fire that d1d all the work.

Bland, passionless, without direction .The Norwich School of Art and Design is supposed to be one of the finest in the country, but last year must have been a lemon.

A/ex McGregor

norfolk and norwich festival

international literary festival Last year the International L1terary Festival brought to campus an ent1re library of wntmg talent to read and d1scuss their work. These ranged from authors w1th close t1es to UEA such as Char/le H1gson and Creat1ve Writ1ng graduate /an McEwan, to mternat1onally renowned g1ants, for example Gore V1dal and the celebnty status of Richard E. Grant.

Th1s year the /me up has proved no different, 1n terms of quality not the actual writers VISiting, obv1ously. Lecture Theatre 1 w11/ be graced th1s semester by UEA's very own employee and, of course, Poet Laureate, Andrew Mot1on. Hopefully Motion w11/ be reading from his latest volume of poetry ent1tled Salt Water and discussing his work as a biographer, most notably of Ph1ilp Larkin and John Keats, and his controversial appointment to the pos1t1on of the <;)ueen's offic1al poet.

Other highlights mclude a v1s1t from one of the twentieth centunes most g1fted art1sts, Joseph Helier, author of the polymesmenc Catch 22, and 1ts long awaited sequel, Closing Time. In addition to

this former UEA graduate and past winner of the Sunday Express Book of the Year, Rose Tremain will also be poppmg along to discuss, no doubt, her latest novel , The Way I Found Her. However Trema1n is probably most revered for her novel Restoration wh1ch was made 1nto a lavish Hollywood picture featuring Robert Downey Jr and /an McKellen.

In continuation of the script motif, Michael Frayn is also a h1gh profile and very welcome addition to the fest1val. Frayn, JUSt for your own personal edification, wrote the screenplay to the John Cleese vehicle Clockwise and the mult1-award winning stage play, Copenhagen.

Th1s truly international line up also includes Kazuo lshiguro, the Japanese born novelist who came to Britain at the age of five, and went on to graduate from UEA's creative writmg programme. His Illustrious work includes An Artist of the Floating World and the booker prize winning novel, The Remains of the Day. For tickets (拢2 for students) call 01603 508050 .

faust at the theatre royal There are so many vanables to cons1der and remember when about to view an opera mounted by a semi-professional troupe in a theatre which 1s not the1r natural home, that one can almost convmce oneself that the following performance will come dnppmg w1th sweat stra1ght from the small of Satan's back. The acoustics, for instance, are one of these variables. The Theatre Royal, whilst a fine venue, is hardly the Colliseum. Which is why it comes as a wonderfully pleasant surprise to be charmed and won over when the goods are delivered, desp1te the odds. This latest retelling of the class1c story of Faust, fi rst made famous by Goethe, certainly falls into th1s category. The story of Faust begins with the ageing philosopher striking a barga1n with The Devil. In return for g1ving Luc1fer his soul, Lou will return Faust's lost youth. However, Mephistopheles, as is the correct moniker, causes Faust to fall 1n love with the delectable and innocent Margarita . it all ends in tears, of course, with Margarita driven mad and imprisoned. Faust attempts to persuade her to foll ow him and Mephistopheles to Hell but she renounces him as evil and ascends to Heaven, leavmg Faust to rue his fate. Staging a production of this repute and scale would be a monumental endeavour for even the most fu nded of professional outfits, so naturally this production, staged by the Norfolk Opera Players, has many naws. Some are generic problems of

mounting an opera of this s1ze, such as a resolution not being found to silence the sound of feet scuffing across the heav1/y amplified stage. This causes an mtrusive interruption to the dramatic ebbs in the opera. Other faults are those such as misjudged metaphors. For example, Mephistopheles seems to bedesigned in his human guise as an Elizabethan era Spaniard. Most of these and other more noticeable mistakes occurred during the lengthy first half and were probably the fault of extensive nerves.

This manifests itself in the physicality of the players which seemed to be forced and deliberate where they should have been flowing and lucid. This included key members of the cast bumping into the set, and the lead violin in the orchestra noticeably failing to sustain a note during their solo. However there still remains a great deal to upon which to commend the Norfolk Opera Players. The extravagant and expensive looking set, for one, which was apparently built by the Players themselves, was outstanding and truly reflected the soul and spirit of the production and story.

Highlights of this design included a screen for back projection which featu red moving clouds over a blue sky which gradually turned blood red. Faust proved to be an example of "Stand and Deliver" theatre. it was a great effort that was not fully rea lised but was sti ll as good a semi-professional opera as one wi ll see in provincial theatre.

Alex McGregor

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

The long runn1ng and much revered Norfolk and Norwich Festival takes place th1s year from October 1 through to October 17, and takes 1n a variety events ranging from dance to evenings of spoken wBrd to recitals of classical music. In additiOn to the festival Itself there also runs, as with all great and mighty explosions of performing art, a fringe festival in a variety of different locales. Among the highlights at this years fringe festival are Barry Kitson's "From Gotham to Norwich". This IS a collected of art work from the man the big wigs brought 1n to redes1gn Batman for the millennium. Kitson 1s also well known for h1s work on Superman and Judge Dredd.

Also heading eastward are the FrantiC Assembly, the 1998 T1me Out Live Award winners, w1th the1r new show, Hymns, wh1ch features the1r own, un1que brand of physical theatre. In addition to th1s Lecture Theatre 1 plays host to the 1999, What the Norf***K's Going On, a conference where an

assortment of DJ's, promoters, musicians and music shop owners congregate to discuss just why it IS that Norfolk IS considered such a cultural backwater.

Then on October 17 at Liquid there is the End of the Fringe Party, which features the presentation of the Colman Award for "HottAst Act of the Year".

Presumably we're not talking about temperatu re.

Highlights of the Fest1val proper include a rare performance of Handle's three "Oxford" Water Mus1c Suites, as performed by The Brook Street Band. On Fnday, October 8 the festival presents The Winged Lion, a programme trac1ng the glonous and long lived mus1ca/ trad1t1on of Ven1ce from Monteverd1 to Vivaldi. Finally, another event to mark 1n the diary is the even1ng of stories, mus1c and song celebrating the anc1ent relat1onsh1p betw1xt men and horse, entitled Psalms from the Horses mouth.

Check listings for ticket and venue information.

Cevenf)

iS From the outset arcade style kart racing game Speed Freaks sets out to compete against the likes of the Nintendo 64's Mario

Kart.

Developed by Funcom, the game is pure eye candy from the moment you insert ¡the CD into your Playstation. Smooth scrolling, detailed 3D worlds filled with vivid colours and a teeny-bopping sound track your twelve year old sister would like could actually make you think you actually are playing a Nintendo 64.

But looks aren't everything; it's the game that counts. Speed Freaks pits you as one of six toddlers vying for first place as they race twelve tracks (initially only four of these are accessible, progress through the game reveals the rest).

Each toddler appears to be levitated above a set of four wheels, which constitutes a kart.

Although this configuration seems somewhat unbelievable, the game uses a real physics engine to accurately model the behaviour of the karts as they tear around the sharp bends and chicanes contained within the tracks.

During racing, a multitude of power ups and bonuses are available for those with a k~n eye. From rockets and machine guns to

speed boosts, you can guarantee the opposition will not be happy when they see you disappearing over the horizon. Each track also incorporates a number of jumps and hazards, such as lava pits and rivers as well as hidden short cuts.

Playstation owners with friends are in for a treat. Speed Freaks supports not only the traditional two player split screen multiplayer mode, but also a four player version with the screen quartered. To access this, you will need to own a Multi Tap as well as four game pads. The single player game, although containing tournament and time attack modes, pales in comparison to the multi player game. When playing with a bunch of mates the atmosphere in the room heightens as you tussle for a coveted first position and a chance to prove your racing skills.

However, if it is realism you are after, Speed Freaks will not be your cup of tea.

You can't help but feel cheated when you are robbed of your first place by the computers impeccable aim. The karts themselves also handle nothing like a car you or I could drive.

But if it is the fun and competitiveness of racing that you want, then you will find Speed Chris Wood Freaks will not let you down.

.â&#x20AC;˘

.. ...

Its obvious that in the minds of the suits at Sony, extreme sports equal credibility, something that they have sought incessantly since the Playstation's release. Band wagon jumping aside, Tony Hawks Skateboarding is one of those games that you like more every time you play, which, with its superb graphics and speed, qualifies it as more than a spin off. Its easy to get into - all you need to be able to do is Ollie and Grind (check out my technical terms) to be completely absorbed into the heady world of Pro-Skaterdom. Once you've mastered this, less and less random button combinations get you tricks with cool names like Japan Air and Bennihanna (pronounced benny-hannah). Good tricks well done get you points and everybody knows points win prizes. In career mode the prizes to be had here are (video) tapes, which can also be gained by smashing stuff up in true skater style. They allow you to unlock locations to skate in, the first only needing two tapes to get into. This is good because you don't lose interest before you've gained technical skill enough to gain all the tapes in one location. You don't have to effectively complete the level to go to the next one, which makes for flexible game play and remember, practise can make perfect on the free skate option. I saw a drawback in that the game could possibly be quite easy to

complete. However the further you go the harder it is to gain tapes and there are also diversions.

Features like competitions (complete with cheesy crowd sound effects) and a two player option are available should you ever get bored of executing Nollie 180's and the like (more technical terms!

Thrilling!) Your chosen skater skates along automatically which is a bit disconcerting, but ensures there's no annoying need to hold down an action button all the way through, and there are few instances where you 'll need to slow down unless you are a complete cripple like me. Along with the large and interestingly laid out locations, real Proskaters such as Chad Muska are featured separating Tony Hawks Skateboarding from it's predecessors. The graphics are on a par with Coo/ Boarders 3, if not smoother and more imaginative.

Another cool feature is the frame by frame replay option, although this gets boring after a bit - nice touch though. Only time will tell if Tony Hawks Skate Boarding can stand up to the might and hype of the Cool Boarders games, probably it's the main competition as it leaves the others of it's genre behind. it shows that there is still plenty of fun to be had (and no doubt, credibility to be gained,) with extreme sports games: so go forth and purchase!

Kate Forbes

Girl power is back. Wel,l more accurately, Buffy is back. Yes the kung fu fighting, vampire staking Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy the Vampire Slayer has at last returned to our screens, on video at least. If you missed your fix over the last few months then don't despair, as to whet your appetite for the next series on terrestrial television the makers of the series have released two videos to keep you up to date. Welcome to the Hellmouth is the introductory episode from series one which sees Buffy arrive in Sunnydale and become the town's nineties superhero. Innocence shows two key episodes from the second series, revolving around the surprises in store for Buffy on her 17th birthday as she battles new demons, and her relationship with Angel (David Boreanaz) becomes under threat.

While fighting vampires might not trigger off many high school memories for most of us, the scripts don't take themselves too seriously, and there is enough humour to actually make it all seem somehow believable. And if that is not enough the double wham my of the boys getting to drool over Sarah Michelle Gellar and the girls swooning over the drop dead gorgeous David Boreanaz means that there is something for everyone. The series is fast becoming a bit of a cult classic on both sides of the pond, and with lots of up and coming actors in the

supporting cast there are plenty of opportunities to star spot. So just sit back, relax and watch as Buffy saves the world one more time. Who said vampires Carol/ne Jeater aren't real?

I& Following the great sweep of high school teen flicks, 90210 meets Alien in this predictable and slightly muddled chiller, out on video this week.

A stereotyped bunch of outcasts from Herrington High battle alien parasites that have taken over staff and students and look set to move on to have the world into the bargain. Every single standard teen flick character is here for registration. The weedy geek, the blond southern bimbo, the drug dealing drop out and the spooky Goth girl, whose obsession with Invasion of the Body Snatchers handily saves the day.

And, in the same vein as Scream, The Faculty tries its hand at self-reflexive irony. Not surprising really since it's written by the same guy. Unlike Scream however, it can't decide whether it wants to be serious or ironic and therefore fails at both.

The special effects are good but nothing new, with rip off aliens from countless other sci-fi films. Well paced and well timed, the slime, tentacles and dismembered body parts are scary enough to make you jump, but the rest of it is so laughable that you are ashamed of doing so afterwards.

Ultimately, the film shoots itself in the foot by confusing its message. On one hand it makes a vague attempt to comment on America's rampant conformity: the alien race offering a world free from outcasts and loners is defeated by the outcasts themselves in favour of diversity.

On the other however, The Faculty defeats its purpose by conforming to its own genre in which the weedy geek ends up with the cool girl, and the spooky Goth puts on her pink dress.

Slan Moles and Emily Hunks

..

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

~event) are you a vinyl junkie? budding dj? serious completist cure fan looking to own everything they've ever recorded on all formats? if you answer yes to any of the above the chances are that you 'll find the standard national record shop chains sadly lacking. so here at the event we've compiled a guide to all the tippermost toppermost independent record shops in norwich. darcy hurford and martin brock get snooping ...

.•

beat box:

ray's records:

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UDDCID(!S@JCID~®ITD ~~If®®~

atmosphe re: Beatbox consists of two tables or so nestled unobtrusive ly in a corner of Norwich's covered market. Its speciality is country music , unfortunately, but it does turn up a few surprises now and then.

Don 't let the brash fluorescent card sign put you off, oh reader, unappealing though it may look., as there's more to this little establishment than meets the eye. Fortunately the stallholer doesn 't try to promote his wa res in the style of the fruit and veg man.

atmosphere: Ray's is small but perfectly formed. lt sells music and computer games, which it also buys off you, the punter, if you want to sell anything. Most of the music on sa le is either mainstream chart or murky indie. Take your pick. Ray himself just stands unobtrusively behind the counter.

bargains: Depeche Mode's Ultra on CD at £4.99.

bargains: At the time of writing, Ray's were offering £3 off the price of marked albums. Inexplica bly, there we re 7 (SEVEN!) copies of Be Here Now on sale. Doesn't anyone wa nt Oasis these days? Anyone would think they'd got boring or something.

recommended if: ... you like Dolly Parton and/or are sheltering from the rain.

recommended if: you're after COs in particu lar. Or you're an Oasis fan.

'

circular sounds:

indoor market:

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atmosphere: Nice. Lots and lots of second hand stuff, with anything you cou ld wa nt on offer, from indie to Eighties synth pop via hip hop. They also sell autographed memorabilia and back issues of music and fi lm magazines. You could be a long time in here. The staff are nice too, and there's always a customer or two browsing through the racks in a peaceful kind of way.

atmosphere: Never was the old adage about not judging a book by its cover more true. Although most of the indoor market sel ls cheap clothes and household items, tucked away at the back is a surprisingly good selection of second hand COs, which look to be genuine, plus some 'vinyl', whatever that is. You could find some great stuff here, you' ll just have to look a while.

bargains: Seven inch of Stutter by Elastica at £30 (original), loads of other things.

Definitely Maybe for a fiver, Dubstar, Blondie and Depeche Mode's Ultra. AGAIN.

recommended if: . .. yo u're .a vi nyl junkie with money to bu rn . Or even a CD junkie, come to that.

the other shop: [Ji)@IJW~©[Jo UDDCIDIJIX\®~ atmosphere: Oh my, what a place. Li ke Beatbox, this. co nsists of a few tables, loaded with a range of second hand vinyl and COs, the calibre of which va ries considerably. This is a shop so secret, it doesn't even have a name. Li ke, wow. The man behind the cou nter looked a bit shifty, but then so did we at that point, following the 'take a picture and run' school of photography. bargains: Madam, do you care for some Kylie & Jason recordings at £1 each? Faling that, there were quite a few James COs, plus our old friends Depeche Mode, who clearly are the second hand shops' band of the moment. recommended if: ... you like shady pl aces.

bargains:

recommended if: you like to browse for a long, long time .

out of time: UDDCID(!S@JCID~®ITD ~~If®®~ atmosphere: You r usual second hand shop, which also does a lot of origi nal sixties' vi nyl. Interesti ngly enough , the COs on display in the window are more exciting than those on sale inside. Ah , such is life. Still , it's clearly named after an REM album, so it has taste on its side. Lots of more contempora ry stuff alongside the 60s vinyl mind you, so don't think that this place is just for your dad, 'cos it's not at all. bargains: Apparently, £4 for a Levellers' CD is considered a good deal , although some might still consider that as £4 too much. You cou ld buy Revolver by the Beatles in the Sixties' vi nyl edition for £20, which is quite good , seeing how much chain stores charge for a CD these days. recommended if: you like the 60s, or Doris Day. There's lots by her.

flux: [)i)®<IDII @u® LQJllil~ ~~CID~~©[)i) atmosphere: Dear God, I don't thin k we' re cool enough for th is shop, seeing as we don't recognise any of the artists' names adorning the gleaming rows of vinyl in th is establishment clea rly meant for dance experts .

Clearly meant for DJs, given that there are two tu rntabl es availa ble for customer use, and an unknown Breakbeat Era remix is pounding away overhead in a wicked, massive sort of way that makes the walls vibrate and the grannies standing in the bus queues strut their shopping trolleys with glee. Well, maybe. bargains: None that we understood, though the re probably were. recommended if: .. .you can scratch vinyl and have baggy trousers.

THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 1999

soundclash: LQJ@[)i)@@l~©~ ~~[(@@~ atmosphere: Oddly quiet. Soundclash looks really nice , and always has the latest releases, although it doesn 't seem to have much on sale, considering the size of the shop . All its stock is brand new, with indie, alternative and dance predominating. Perhaps as it has to support itself as an independent retailers, the prices can be a little bit on the high side. There never seem to be many people in Soundclash , but that could just be the times we go in bargains: Free postcards if you look recommended if: appeara nces matter. They also do nice carrier bags that will make you look really cool.

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python night

pornography: the secret history...

bbc2 channel4 thursday october 14

saturday, october 09

20:55

22:00 BBC Two have been devoting Saturday nights to 'themed ' television for quite some time now, and, quite frankly, the whole genre is becoming as tired as that other TV staple, the fly on the wall documentary.

How refreshing it is, then, to have an evening of entertainment guaranteed to make your sides split with laughter. The reason we can be so sure of this is that the evening will be a celebration of all things Monty Python, featuring not only a showing of the Python classic Ufe Of Brian, but also brand new sketches performed by the surviving members of the team . There are documentary programmes about the history and music of Python, with contributors as diverse as Meat Loaf and the creators of South Park.

A true scoop for the BBC, and reassuring confirmation of their desire to make some decent television for once.

Porn usually conjures up certain images in the mind, and exactly what those images are will probably depend on your moral views on people getting their kit · off and writhing around. For some it will conjure up the old men in a raincoat furtively slipping Razzle into a copy of Mac User, a world of exploitation. For others the idea of pornography is one of liberation, of sexuality explored in an aesthetically pleasing art for the enjoyment of both women and men .

Whatever your side of the argument, Channel Four's new series detailing the history of visual naughtiness should prove an interesting, and probably quite amusing.

The programme took an incredible ten years to make, and follows the history of porn from the simple scratched cave painting to today's internet and video revolution. On the way the programme explores societies opposition to pictorial depictions of sex, concentrating particularly on the prudish Victorians, who actually locked away pornographic art discovered in Pompeii - such as the sculpture reproduced here.

This series should prove a fascinating piece of television, and it should be watched by all of you out there even if the only pleasure you get is all the middle England Mail readers who 'll find it offensive

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soaps With Kathy's arrival back in Albert Square, the Mitchell brothers are in the limelight once again . But if this makes you th.ink perhaps missing a couple of future episodes wouldn't be so bad, possibly bored with the cliched Mitchell pursuit of action, don't be fooled. it' s Grant' s life in particular that is heading in a new direction. Not into a deep and meaningful relationship with Nina as we thought might happen last week, but instead he is changing channels and moving over to ITV in return for the tidy sum of £1.2 million. Yes, Ross Kemp, who plays Grant, has quit the show!

With this in mind, the dangerous and dodgy dealings with loan sharks Mulligan and Frater are to be watched carefully. So, if you have never been able to imagine Albert Square without dear old Grant, perhaps now is the time to start. On the other side of things there is of course the looming trial of Steve and Matthew to look out for - we've heard that October 8th is a particularly unmissable date. In Coronation Street things have calmed down after the storm of Judy Mallet's sudden

death. However, loving hubby Gary is coping badly. He blames himself for his wife's death, but self pity soon turns to anger and it's Terry Duckworth who gets the butt of it. Watch out for the episode on Sunday 3 'd October.

More enthralling action lies ahead in the far from sleeping village of Emmerdale. Hard done by Kathy Glover faces the prospect of losing her beloved niece to the wicked witch of Austral ia, Ailsa, and Eric Pollard is up to his old tricks again, dealing in dodgy antiques.

Whilst Chris Tate is still chained up, it remains to be seen whether Tate Haulage will stay above board seeing as Sean is stepping into risky business, much to the annoyance of honest worker Pete. Just when things couldn't get any worse, the inevitable circus of Paddy and Mandy Dingles' wedding is looming on the Yorkshire Dales.

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mobo awards

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channel four thursday, october 07

22:30 Justifying awards ceremonies is always going to be difficult.

Traditionally an excuse for any motley assemblage of stars to hug, cry and generally commingle, these peculiar rituals are usually little more than a mass display of public self love - rarely entertaining, often unhygienic and ultimately rather pointless.

Nice, then, to see the rise of the MOBO awards, an ceremony with something of an agenda: the promotion and celebration of Music of Black Origin, being held at the Royal Albert Hall on 6th October.

Now four years old, the MOBO encompasses a broad range of genres, with this year's performances coming from hip hop artist Jay-Z, dancehall don Mr Vegas and R&B outfit Destiny's Child as well as Phats and Small, Another Level and a special joint performance from Des'ree and

BOUGHT AND SOLD FOR CASH MUCH \ COMPAO DISCS • RECORDS MORE THAN VIDEOS • BOOKS • MAGAZINES 1aJUST ACP ~ SHOP ~ AUTOGRAPHS • FILM • SPORT ~ AND MUSIC MEMORABILIA

Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Filling the obligatory 'classic artist' slot is rock leviathan Tina Turner, returning to British TV screens after a three year absence, whilst the whole event is hosted by Wyclef Jean and Mel G. Such an array of stars might raise questions of exclusivity as well as ratings - why, for instance, no exposure is given to any less famous/ more deserving acts, and similarly whether any popular music could not claim to be of black origin. Rock & roll came from the blues, after all. Despite such concerns, however, the awards have sidestepped any accusations of tokenism such as those often levelled at the Mercury Music Prize, and are certainly providing a rare network opportunity to see black music too often the sole preserve of MTV. Steve Col/ins

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~event) place vendome wednesday, october 08; thursday, october 07 , 17. 45 When she finds her late husband 's diamond stash, Catherine Deneuve becomes caught up in a web of intrigue. Gripping stuff. the debt collector wednesday , october 06; thursday, october 07, 20 .15 Billy Connolly stops being a funny man for once in a gri m and misogynistic fi lm about a poli ce man whose refusa l to accept a gangman·s new life leads to a bloody showdown love's labour lost friday, october 08, 1 7.45 BBC version of the Shakespeare comedy. henry v friday, oc tober 08, 20.15 Laurence Ol ivier's legendary technico lour specta cular, intended as warti me propaganda . Lots of Shakespearean postunng and "once more 1nto the breach" - ing. swingers fnday, october 08. 23.15 Effortlessly hip debu t from Go director Doug L11nan about a group of guys chasing women wh ile tryi ng to look l1ke they're not trying at all . romeo and juliet satu rd ay. octoiJer 09 , 14 .30: wedneclay, octoiJer 13, 17.45 The 1936 vers1on. descnbed as "more fascma ting than en terta1n1ng". Hmm.

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romeo and juliet sa turday, october0 9. 17.45 No, not a m1sprint, but the 1966 ve rsion of Prokofiev·s ballet Romeo and Juliet, wi th Margot Fon teyn and Rudolf Nu reyev. mildred pierce sunday, october 10, 17.00 Soap opera noir made in 1945 . starnng Joan Crawforcl as an unhappily married wa1tress who claws her way up to top management.

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macbeth monday, october 11, 14.30 ; 17.30 Polanski 's bloody interpretation of Shakespeare 's tragedy, featuring a ve ry young Keith Chegwin .

Watch out for Francesca Annis' nude Lady Macbeth sleepwalking scene. julius caesar monday, october 11, 20.15; Tuesday, october 12, 14.30 Marlon Brand o, of all people, stars in this passionate version, made in 1953, and gets to say "Et tu, brute".

big stars friday, october 15, 2 1.00 An eclectic mix of short fi lms, shown as part of the Fringe Festiva l, starring such luminaries as Ewan McGregor and Minnie Driver. there 's something about mary sunday, october 17 , 19.00 Last year's big hit, with lots of gross jokes involving zips and bodliy substances, as well as Camero n Diaz.

strangers on a train tuesday, october 19, 14 .30 , 20. 15 Naive tenn is ace meets a stranger on a train, and finds himself embro1l ed in a madman's scheme whereby each Will murder an enemy for the other pa rt of t11e H1tcllcocl1 season.

the eel monday, october 18, 18.30 After serving a prison sen tence for the murder of his wife's lover. Takuro Yamashita returns to the community and sets up as a barber. Will h1s past ca tch up w1t11 h1m though? A movmg if offbeat fil m.

human traffic thursday, october 0 7, 19.00 Nice John S1mm features in th is film about a weekend spent clubb1ng that also features Howard Marx. robot dancing McDonald's workers and a bit of drug taking too . texas chainsaw massacre friday, october 08, 21 .00 Blood and gu ts galore m th is 1971 orig1nal wh1ch has finally been released uncut after years of bei ng banned for be1ng too scary. metropolis sunday, octoiJer 10, 20. 00 Fri ll Lang's silent masterpiece, made in 1926, depic ts a nigl1tmare world of the futu re. which for thi s showing w111 be acco mpanied by specially written live mus1c .

twelfth night sa turday, october 09, 20. 15 lmogen Stubbs and Helena Bonham-Carter star in th is Trevor Nunn - directed ve rsion of Shakespeare's co medy with many cases of mistaken identity.

central station monday, october 11, 18.30 Thi s film , released last yea r. put Brazil firmly on t11e cinematic map. it's the story of an orp haned boy wl1o befnends an old woman , and the1r search for his family .

hamlet sunday, october 10, 19.00 Sexy, 1f slightly long at fou r hours. ve rsion of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy , starring Ken neth Brannagh and Kate Wi nslet.

superfly tu esday. october 12 , 21 .00 Ignore the dodgy cloth es, this IS a class1c Blaxploi tation film , with a Curlis Mayfield soundtrack, depicting t11e adventures of New York 's

american history x tuesclay, october 19, 2 1.00 A gritty drama, which explores the dark Side of rac1sm 111 the US. A wllite suprem1st w1th a conviction tnes to stop his younge r brother following 111 his footsteps.

big daddy R1d1ng on h1s new fou nd fame fro m The Wedding Singer. Adam Sandler grabs his cinemati c rev1va l opportun1t1es w1th both hands ... to make a twee, sligh tly crude (see t11e poster) film abou t adoptmg a small boy. analyse this Robert De N1ro and Billy Crystal (what a combination) team up for soft. 'comedy' gangster movie. See full review of th is fi lm on page 15 of The Event .

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the phantom menace What more needs to be said? it's this summer's big film , and you really ought to watch it sooner or later, if on ly to find out what all the fuss was about and hear Ewan McGregor's silly accent. austin powers - the spy who shagged me The film that sparked hundreds of drunk males asking "Do I make you horny baby?" . Powers (Mike Myers). with his new foxy sidekick Felicity Shagwell , goes on a quest to fo11 Dr Evil, who has evilly stolen h1s mojo. thomas crown affair Remake of a classic Steve McQueen film. th1s t1me starnng P1erce Brosnan and Rene Russo. never been kissed Fluffy Drew Barrymore plays a terminally un-h1p reporter who returns to l11gh school as an undercover JOUrnalist. Swee t. fun ny teen movie w1th absolutely no tw1sts. a midsummer night's dream Shakespeare w1th an all-star cast. Calista Fl ockl1art fights it out with Anna Fnel for 'who's the skin111est' award as Helena and Herm ia, while M1che lle Pfeiffer 1s a rad iant Titan ia. Lots of fai ri es, mischief and general ponc1ng about 111 a forest.

american pie Billed as 'ri otous and raunchy' - read as 'tasteless· .

The fi lm follows a group of losers attempt1ng to loose their virginity involvi ng jokes about masturba ti on an d breasts .

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runaway bride Julia Roberts an d Richa rd Gere team up again in a tale of a woma n who keeps runn ing out on her bridegrooms, poor love. Still, nice to see them reunited after Pretty Woman . See page 15 of The Event for a review.

mighty joe A fi lm about a large gorilla. Not likely to have high intellec tua l content, but for the more ape like amongs t you (not. like bei ng rude or anything) , there's a scanti ly clad Charlize Theron to drool ove r.

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south park This film has everything - singing, danci ng, swearing, and even a cameo from Sadd am Hussein - from the kids in the anoraks.

drop dead gorgeou s Yes, ANOTH ER teen movie . A pseudo-documentary about a midwest beauty pageant, which pits nice Ki rsten Dunst (blonde) against spoilt Denise Richa rds (brunette) . Bad taste . black humour, but a lot of pretty girls.

the matrix you don' t - incest, murder, etc . And it has Robert Downey Junior genmg stabbed in the middle of a blow job!

eyes wide shut Kubrick's last fi lm promises a lot (sex , cult sex, sex with prostitutes, sex on drugs etc), but fa ils to deliver due to Cruise's wooden central performance and a rambli ng plot.

the phantom menace Star Wars. Star Wars, we've heard enou~h about this film really, l1aven't we? Darth Maul is scary though . it has to be said, and the an1mation IS very impress1ve indeed .

richard iii If you think Shakespeare is boring and inaccessible then you clearly haven't seen th1s. lan McKellen stars as hunchback kmg wi th echoes of Hi tler in th is glamorous, Imagina tive vers1 on , se t 111 a 1930s.

Fascist -ruled Britain.

The set pieces and costumes are stu nning, and support for the absorbi ng McKe llen is provid ed by t11e excellent (as always) Kristen Scott Thomas. Although this IS a modern interpretati on, and therefore more eas1ly understandable. none of th e beauty or of the language is lost, as was the case in the recen t Romeo and Juliet. This film has everything you could possibly want big bloody battles and tanks, beautiful women in fu r coa ts and red lipstick, sex, '€t C! _. !3IUS go~ ·~LJffO •

the matrix thursday, october 13, 19.00 What IS the Matrix, we wondered over the summ er.

Kea nu Reeves is the main attraction in this ta le of a computer nerd caught up in a nasty virtual reality world.

get carter friday, october 15, 17.30, 20.15, 23.15; monday, october 18, 17 .30, 20.15; tuesday, october 19, 17.30 A London wide boy (who else but Michael Caine) moves to Newcastl e to investigate h1s brother' s death. A defi ni tive Briti sh gangster movie.

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black cocaine dealers with a few words about inequality and ghetto isa tion along the way.

Mmm ... Keanu Reeves ... in black leather with slick ha1r and big guns ... yea ll. and Carrie-Anne Moss looks pretty good too . 'Visually stunni ng' wou ld be a good way to descnbe The Matrix - even if you come out going "what? ", you have to admit that it looks good .

Keanu plays Neo, who is, according to Laurence Fishburne·s character Morpheus, 'The One· to fre humanity from the1r slavery of a virtual rea li ty world. Once your bram can stretch over this small implausi bi li ty (Keanu = du mb eye candy, not the MeSSiah ), it should be easy to relax into thiS film. it's fu ll of ·evil agents· . amazing spec1al effects and bnll ian t chase

sequences. Th e mind-boggling concept of the film is let down by the slightly cheesey ending (all is saved by love - aga in), but otherwise it's as exciting as the LCR disco. Or maybe even more .. .

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~event) sunday:

wednesday: @@~@@@[? @® superfly mojo's - club Seventies grooves and funk all night long at this enduringly successful club night. bouncy house and Balearic beats liquid - club Come large it at liquid for some lbiza-esque clubbmg fun, innit. girl of the week hys- club Hmm, not sure what that's all about, but it's 'legendary' apparently. £1, happy hour 0:00 - 01:00 rammed ikon- club Cheap and cheerful with lots of retro tunes. Pints are 80p, everything else is £1.20 £1 admission B4 23:30 with discount ticket.

Pure swing manhattans - club Uplifting swing for the people of Norwich.

21:00 - 2:00 FREE

thursday: @@~@@@[? @~

70 's night hy's- club Seventies grooves for the n1net1es. Or somethmg. £2 lcr disco] lcr - club Ah yes, the LCR, top Thursday student attraction and scourge of early Friday morn1ng lectures. £2.75 21:00 - 02:00 ninja turtles tour waterfront - g1g Dance label types hit Norwich for a n1ght wh1ch may or may not have something to do with Teenage Mutant Turtles. Features Dynam1c Syncopation, DJ Vad1m and Mr Thmg. £6/£5 advance 22:00 - 02:00 in the mix mojo's - club An enticing mixture of trance, techno and house, made even more attractive by the offer of cheap drink.

Free B4 00:00

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Ricks place ricks place - club Chart hits and party tunes all night.

Free for NUS 21:00 - 02:00 charity handbaggy the loft - club Long running and popular gay night. £3/£4

friday: @@~@@@[?

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hallelujah vs live 2 dance waterfront - gig Progressive house and trance in the ma1n room, including Stretch'n'Vern and Steve Thomas, with hard house upstairs and ambient in the cafe bar to help you calm down after all that largin' it massive stylee.

22:00- 06:00 £9 NUS advance/more on door.

saturday: @@~@@@[? @® meltdown waterfront - club Be not afraid, indie kids for tonight is your night for dancing. Plus General Zod's Disco from Uranus, with disco and lots of competitions upstairs in the studio.

22:00 - 02:00 £3/ £3.50 re :fresh ikon- club Club anthems and hits, with regular guest DJs as a feature. £2 B4 22:30 and free dnnk B4 23:00 with a ticket. satisfaction hy's - club House and swing, that's the thing. I'm a poet, now you know it. £4 B4 23:00, £5 after.

tfi mancroft concert Kenneth Ryder - gig For those of you after a little bit of lunchtime culture, come ye oh come ye to St Peter Mancroft, and listen to an organ concert.

13:00, £4/£3 whamtastic 80 's mojo's - club As the name does rather suggest, a n1ght of 80s tunes where a double vodka costs but a mere £1.50.

Free B4 23:30

moJo's - club Celebrate Saturday with a mixture of mus1c Dance clubs Manhatten's - club Come and dance to a very late hour indeed.

21:00 - 04:00 rick's place - club Dress smartly and come round to Rick's for some party mus1c and hits. £3 B4 23:00, £6 after.

gorgeous manhattans - club Happy house club n1ght ton ight.

21:00 - 04:00 £5

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james uea lcr- gig Oh sit down, oh sit down, sit down and see Jamesl But you might want to stand up or the other people at the gig may step on you.

SOLD OUT international club mojo's - club Feel really cosmopolitan as you dance to music from here there and everywhere. £2 non members sunday service manhattan's- club House night 20:00 - 02:00 free

monday: @@~@@@[?

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sanctuary ikon- club Ikon's popular student night, with discounted drinks and a variety of music. A Club 18 - 30 holiday is being g1ven away each week for the next four weeks.

Free B4 22:00, a free dnnk B4 23:00 with a ticket. underground mojo's - club Lo-fi and indie night.

22:00 - 02:00 £3 carwash llqu1d - club Sevent1es d1sco night. Dress 1n appropnately retro clothes and you get 1n free Otherwise £3 .

elite 1kon -club Chart mus1c and fun at Ikon ton1ght. q B4 23:00 plus a free dnnk 1f you have a ti cket. hy times hy's - club Thank goodness it's Fnday, that's what I say. £3 rick's place rick's place - club Dance music, plus more commercial stuff. And Carling is 99p.

Free B4 23:00 or w1th a flyer, otherw1se £2.

james (ill@® ~@[?\) @(illmJ@®~ @@~@@@[?

:ll,@ Of all the bands t1tled w1th forenames - Astnd, Belle and Sebastian, Manfred Mann James are clearly the greatest.

And what with them being a pretty big and Important band and all that, it's extra specially nice that they've chosen to play a one off gig at our very own LCR. With any luck, James will regale us with some of the many favourites from their impressive back catalogue - this is, after all, the band responsible for such winning tu nes as She's a Star, Seven, Come Home and, of course, the one that even people who barely know where their rad1o is know, Sit Down , proving that there's more to them than a nice line in band t -shirts .

So, if you 're one of the lucky individuals who got hold of a ticket, you have an evening to look for.

ricks place EVERY THURSDAY £1.00 DRINKS ALL NIGHT EE ENTRY FOR NUS CARD HOLDERS

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THE MONESTRY OF SOUND FULLY AIR CONDITIONED DRESS: JEANS OK NO TRAINERS 9.30- 2am Ricks Place, Anglia Square, Norwich 01603 660288 .tHE EVENT., W~ONESDA I l • J

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~event tuesday: ®©~®LID®U' ~~ feeder waterfront - club Hard-working band Feeder are back on the road again, ably supported by Cay and Subcircus. £8 advance slinky hy's - club hy's' very own student night, with half price drinks all night.

Free with student ID, otherwise £1 live in the hive uea, the hive, - gig A free night of entertainment conveniently situated on campus, featuring a seventies funk night.

Special drinks promotions - keep your eyes peeled. student night liquid - club Very popular student night out. Drinks £1.

Free 84 23:00 with UEA card. babe I creative writing ma, uea studio readings from new anthology

wednesday: ®©~®LID®U' 51,~ prophet waterfront, upstairs - gig Tra la la, more jungle, drum & bass and breakbeat to dance very energetically to with Prophet.

22:00 - 02:00 £4 84 23:00, £4.50 afterwards therapy? waterfront - gig Meanwhile, downstairs, the Waterfront takes a turn

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for the RAWK with Irish old hands Therapy? Whose question mark you don't need to pronounce. £8 advance

thursday: @@~@@@[? ~~

kazauo ishuguiro ltl, uea The author of 'The Rema ins of the pay' and 'A Pale View of Hills' comes to talk about his work at UEA. 19:00 £3.50/ £2 students

lcr disco lcr- club Yay! it's the LCR and boys and girls campus-wide come out to dance and drin~ the night away.

supertly mojo's - club Dig out those groovy threads and get on down to some great funky grooves.

the neutrino's + the scammers waterfront - gig Recent In The City entrants, interviewed elsewhere this issue, play in their home town, accompanied

by The Scammers. £5.50 advance

rammed ikon - club Lots of retro tunes, with 70's, 80's and 90's classics. 80p a pint too. £1 84 23 :30 with discount ticket 10pm- 2am bouncy house and balearic beats liquid - club Relive any Ibiza experiences you may have here at Liquid tonight. ericsson/muzik awards, faithless + groove armada lcr- gig Big names sponsoring what looks to be a good night for groovy dancey type bands. Hybrid and DJ Paul van Dyke support.

19:30 - 01:00 sold out pure swing manhattan's - club it don 't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing, get down to dove street for the party vibe.

21:00 - 02:00 FREE

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in the mix mojo's - club Some trance, some techno and some house, lovingly mixed together with a few drinks offers.

Free 84 00:00 rick's place rick 's place - club Commercial hits and party tunes here tonight.

Drinks are £1 all night.

Free to NUS. 21:30 - 02:00 charity handbaggy the loft - gig Popular gay night. £3/ £4

friday: ®©~®LID®U' ~© the thatcher years waterfront - gig Here's some shameless nostalgia, based around

the decade that taste forgot. With 60s and 70s hits upstairs in the Studio.

22 :00 - 02:00 £4/ £3.50 whamtastic 80's mojo's - club More eighties excitement in a different part of town, with cheap vodka.

Free 84 23:00 rick's place rick's place - club More top chart tunes. Plus, Carling's only 99p!

Free 84 23:00 /with flyer, otherwise £2 elite ikon - club A busy party night to start off the weekend, with chart and party favourites . £2 84 23:00 and a free drink 84 23:00 with a ticket. gorgeous manhatten's - club Happy house club night 21 :00 - 04:00 £5

saturday: ®©~®LID®U' ~® meltdown waterfront - club 'lndie hits'; the term contradicts itself but this is the Waterfront's popular indie night, with Madchester baggy stuff playing upstairs.

22:00 - 02:00 £3.50/ £3 the stranglers

shed seven QJJ@CIDIJ ~©U'IJ ~QJJITD@CID~ ®©~®LID®U' ~ (J Oh joy, oh rapture, those ever lovable Sheds return to Norwich once more with their very own rough diamond brand of power pop. And Rick _ Witter wi ll do his strutting dance and Alan the drummer will play the drums and Paul the bassist will ... you get the general picture. I must say though, it's nice to see that the Sheds have come so far as to have their very own Greatest Hits

album released . Blimey, I remember the heady days of 1994, I do, when they were just starting out and I saw them TWICE when they played in the staid spa town I ca ll home, and they sounded JUST THE SAME then.

However, they are the only successful band from York, so we do have to give them some cred it.

Don 't we?

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THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, ·OCTOBER 06, 1999

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uea, lcr - gig I'm sure I don't need to explain who the Stranglers are, they don't actually strangle anyone, they're a band y'see. £10 advance re:fresh ikon- club Cl ub anthems and top tunes , with regula r guests to include DJs and cha rt acts. £2 B4 22:30, with a free drink B4 23:00 with ticket.

tfi mojo's - club Wahey! it's Saturday! Come celebrate this once a week phenomenon at Moj os with a mixture of music . ricks place rick's place - club Smart dress ton ight for some chart pop and club anthems. £3 B4 11pm, £6 after.

21 :30- 02:00 dance club manhattan's - club I think the title is pretty self-explanatory.

21:00 - 04:00

sunday @@IJ@[Q)(~

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international clu b mojo's - club Nothing to do on Sunday? Come, listen and dance to mus1c from around the world mstead of watchmg Songs Of Praise.

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sunday service manhattan's - club House night if you don't want to stay in your own house.

20:00 - 02:00 FREE shed seven uea, lcr- gig Rick Witter and pals descend upon UEA, brightening up our Sunday with their jolly tunes. The Dandys support. £11 advance extra smooth sunday garden house , upstairs - gig drum n bass and live instramenttion from one of Norwich's finest pubs

monday ®©~@[Q)(~[? jl@ underground mojo's - club lndie and lo-fi night 22:00 - 02 :00 £3. frank mccourt LT1, UEA The author of the Pulltzer-winning "Angela 's Ashes' comes to UEA and talks about h1s work.

19:00 £3.50/ £2 students sanct uary ikon- club Ikon's popular weekly student night, w1th current chart and retro class1cs. A Club 18 - 30 holiday IS

being given away for each of the first four weeks of term. Discounted drinks.

Free B4 22:00, plus free drink with ticket B4 23:00 carwash liquid - club Carwash was the cat on Will o' the wisp , wasn 't he? Anyway, this is a sevent1es night, and if you dress accordingly you get in free. £3 else.

tuesday: ®©~@@@[)' jl@ student night liquid - club Cheap and popular student night. Get there early to avoid the queues.

Free with UEA card B4 23:00. Drinks £1. live in the hive uea , hive - g1g Get down w1th 1t for free to an R n B and soul night, no James Brown impersonations please. slinky hy's - club Student n1ght at the club with the glass dancenoor, get legless w1th half price free dnnks.

Free with student ID or £1 .

Listings written and compiled by Darcy Hurford and Astrid. All details correct at time of going to press

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uea ceative writing ma iaunch ~ ©~ ~~\.:eojilll®)) IJ:UL®~@:CID~~ ©©~®liD@[)' ~~ W1th a ped1gree that Includes Booker Pnze wmn ing author lan McEwan and Merchant Ivory megastar Kasuro lshiguro, UEA's Creative Writing MA has quite a reputation to live up to. But the authors debuting their work at this reading from course anthology Babel have had the best guidance, from course director and poet laureate Andrew Motion, who will also be introducing the evening. Expect a

w1der range of styles than even Polon1us could come up with, as this yea r's graduates show off the1r literary prowess, nex1ng their metaphoncal muscles in the hope of landing that prestigious first comm1ssion . And even if you don't stumble upon a successor to Malcolm Bradbury (another literary giant associated with the course), you guaranteed a free glass of wine at the end of the readings.

10°/o discount on food with UEAJNUS card GREAT VALUE FOOD SERVED: Mon-Fri, Lunch: 11 .30am-2.30pm, Dinner: 6pm-1 Opm, All day Saturday and Sunday York Special Sunday Roast £4.95 Big 6' screen Satellite TV covering all major sporting events Large beer garden FREE Large function room with bar available for private bookings --------------. ring for details

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~!P.n.k" Unthank Road

York Tavern Junction of York St and Leicester St ())620918

*TWO POOL TABLES*

THE EVENT, WJ;DNESDAY,

OCTO~~R

06, 1999

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.. ...

The cheap student night out!

Live In the Hive Is an exceptional series of Free events every Tuesday night linked with unbeatable drinks prices at the barl Most events start at 9.30pm and end around 12.30am but some times laterl

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Tue

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12 Oct

70s I

N

FREE

Following the Blaxploitation movie at 9pm. Live music from funksters The Superfly Allstars supported by hip and groovy DJs spinning 70s disco hits and dodgy TV and movie themes like Starsky and Hutch. Dress appropriately • strictly flares, platforms and Afros. drinks promotion Vodka & Solstice £1.30

.

Tues

19 TUE 12 OCT £8

THERAP Y? •

+ Rl C0 WED 13 OCT £8 ADV

PROPHET JUNGlE/DRUM HBASS/HIP-HOP

Oct

FREE

LU -

Playing cool &sensuous sounds like TLC, Lauryn Hill & The Fugees etc plus silky live music from new contenders "Contempo".

IN THE STUDIO

drinks promotion Raw Spirit £1

WED 13 OCT £3 DOOR 10-2AM

There's a concert in the LCR but from 11 pm its fun and frolics in the Hive with inflatable games. drinks promotion WKD & Smirnoff Mule £1

THE TNEUTRINOS HE SCAMMERS .+

THUR 14 OCT £5.50 ADV

Tues HYPNOTIST AND 2 MINDREADER No\1

PET ·_ N

£2 Returns to zap you into the cos· mos • be there and be amazed.

This is a ticketed event, strictly UEA SU only, £2 or buy with a Carnival of the Bizarre ticket for the following night for just £5! drinks promotion V2 & Metz £1

p

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THE WATERFRONT STUDIO (WITH 2AM BAR ) CAN BE HIRED MIDWEEK AT VERY SPECIAL RATES TO UEA STUDENTS. PHONE FOR OETAI LS

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Look out for the dedicated Live in the Hive noticeboard outside UH for more detailed information

£2.75adv £3 on the door