The event issue 235 17 11 2009

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house all night long DJ David Dunne

27/11/2009 £ .SOadv nus

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YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE SOME CHANEE sPEAK UP AND GET HEARD REFERENDLM 2el:)g

Campaigning for this years referendum begins Tuesday 17 November. Look out for manifestos and campaigners around campus.

Voting

for this years referendum will take place Tuesday 24 November 9am - 7pm in the Hive. Make sure you use your voice and get involved and vote!

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Country and fashion are not usually two words seen together, with couture rarely leaving its metropolitan home.

However, brands such as Pringle and Ralph Lauren, with their connection to rural sports, have always advocated luxurious country chic. Patterns, textures and earthy colours capture the essence of the current country clothing trend, combining traditional plaids and tweeds with neutral knitwear to create a soft and soph isticated look.

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(()[ () [L Mt T\HI) Sat in an air of elegant pomposity I am alooffrom those around me. My outfit reflects my status and my. profession; the khaki trousers reminiscent of work wear. These, however, are smarter with the low hips and woven thread, I won't be running around battlefields in them but they reflect my authoritative position.

The shirt in its autumnal colouring shows my warm nature; even an old soldier like me has a heart. After spending many days with the troop, dabbling in the luxuries of cravats and thick structured overcoats are my new found pleasures, along with a good whisky and silent solitude. Yet for anyone who disrupts my peace, old habits may not die so hard.

Tom Goldsmith

I stand here in my sleek, red dress trying to catch the eye of Colonel Mustard; I am a vixen ....,__ _'"'! of danger. My leopard print coat brings out the i!nimal in me: it is wild, maybe savage.

The fit of the dress gives me defined curves, the fa~ade o.f an everloving woman and the shine of the material adds a touch of glamour. The colour is striking and attention-grabbing, making inner confidence a vital part of the ensemble.

The shoes, covered in siren red sequins reflect so much light that they could blind anyone who steps in my path. If I'm not heading for prison then I could follow the yellow brick road for a first class ticket to Oz. KatJones

If cleanliness is next to godliness, then being fashionable doesn't come too far behind. That's why as a respectable member of the clergy I always try my best to look my best.

My green cardigan gives me a homely air with a dapper edge while the white shirt and skinny tie help complete this look of effortless modernity.

In this outfit I can go another tedious tea with the archbishop to a poli~e investigation and blend in while standing out. Just as a chameleon's neutral colour is green, so the cardigan can be worn with-anything. Green also emanates an aura of n tural beauty so what could be more trustworthy than a m~m of the cloth dressed in green cotton? And who wouldn' trust a man in a cardigan?

Robert van Egghen

So I know the test for seeing if oxygen is present, and I have a great knowledge of molecular structures but that doesn't mean my fashion taste is sparse. Scientists, as a breed, may be hidden away in labs but at this social gathering my style of choice is just right.

My dark jeans hide any spills from experiments, be rt ash from a Bunsen burner, iodine from a chemical reaction or blood from a wounded victim. My black waistcoat with a deep purple, collared shirt are two elements that always work together. By rolling up the sleeves of the shirt the look is relaxed, without looking like I haven't tried. Attention to detail is everythrng KatJones

Clearly I am innocent of this brutal murder, blue is seen in many cultures as bringing peace and being calming, so how could I do something so violent?

I chose the dress I am wearing as it shows a stylish elegance, while the accessories hint towards a more frivolous side. The deep, sea blue colour is associated with intelligence and unity, so can lend itself to any occ1tsion.

The ros~ print cardigan adds to the outfit bringing in a different texture whilst still being practical, generally showing incorruptibility. While the heels show that I can rise above the pettiness of the argument which led to the murder.

Stephanie Bayston

MISS WHIT[ As I pour the tea for the guests of the house, the white that I wear reflects my nature of kindness and innocence. I wear a white hat, which is a great accessory in winter, as it can be used to add brightness and warmth and can finish any outfit.

The dress is fitted yet versatile as it can be worn everyday, like I do, with a simple white top underneath. lt can also be dressed up with accessories for an evening out ... l should be so lucky. The plain white top is great for everyday wear, whether worn with trousers or worn underneath a dress.

When the police declare my innocence, I shall be taking a night off and having an evening out in this dress.

Natasha Golley

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Lucy Basing da nces her w ay to the thea t re

The Comedy Store is the origir.al and the best of its kind; it was set up in 1979 in a tiny venue in So ho but has since graduated to its Leicester Square home. Previous comed ians to perform here include French and Saunders, Ben Elton, Rik Myall, and Paul Merton (a rema ining member of the improvisational group The Comedy Store Players).

The inspiration for The Comedy Store ca me from a comedy club of the same name in LA. Notable alumni includ e some major stars such as Bil l Hicks, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Saget, Jay Leno, and Richard Pryor.

As wel l as staging shows most nights in the club, the English version tours across the country, stopping at ou r ve ry own Norwich Forum. In the next two months there will be perform ances from Trevor Crook, Josh Howie, Adam Bloom, Wayne Deakin, Pierre Hollins and Rob Rouse.

In the past, ac ts like Michael Mclntyre, Russell Howard and Alan Carr have graced th e Forum stage for the Comedy Store, many of whom have become regula rs on te levision programmes such as Have I Gat News for You, Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo. Comedy is at the pinnacle of its popu larity at t he mome nt and these fresh new talents wi ll entertain wi t~ th eir acts t hat are likely to re invigorate these pri me ti me sta lwarts in th e nea r futu re.

One of t he highl ights of the Comedy Sto re's latest visit is Trevor Cook. The vete ran of Austra lian come dy now lives in Britai n after years of worldwid e to uring and co ntinu es to spread his Au ss ie humour. Next is Josh Howie, a relati ve newco mer to co medy after a ca ree r in th e media, but will no doubt have 'madca p' stori es includin g getting kicked out of Rabbi school for being cau ght naked with

If you've kept up with the last few issues of The Event, you've probably seen, nestled in the corner of th e Arts page, an advert featur ing a pair of dancers. A woman is perched, seeming ly weightless, on a man's thigh. Th e pair lean away from one another, in a perfect counterbalance, and though they make it look effortless you can't he lp noting the impressive muscular forms of the two dancers. This is the Rambert Dance Company, and their new show is about to reach Norwich's Theatre Royal.

a girl. And no, she wasn't Jewish. Ending the night wil l be slightly nerd y loo kin g Ada m Bloom, racing through his repetoire of killer punchlines.

Doors open at 8pm both nights and are for 18 year olds or over. Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 01603 630000 or UEA Box Office on 01603 508050.

con ti nues t he innovative sty le th at has become the gro ups hallm ark. The tour hono urs t he bice ntennial of Cha rl es Darw in 's birth, and celebrates 150 years since the publication of The Origin of Species. The performance co nsists of three different interpretation s of th e Darwini an principl es, and includes a preshow talk at every venue about the sc ience behind the show.

Whether you're a fully-fledged fan, or just curious, The Event recommends you go to this show, and discover an ever-evolving company.

Founded in 1926 and origina lly named Ballet R!lmbert, the co mpany has its roo ts fi rml y fi xe d in th e ball et t raditi on. Don't despair if you like your dance a li ttle more abstract; their work wit h co ntemporary music ians, cho reogra ph ers and artists means th at a Rambert Da nce Company show is neve r predictabl e.

Th eir pe rform ances ofte n carry a th emati c or narrative threa d, crea ting dance th at is both releva nt and th oug ht-p rovo ki ng, and always packed w ith incredib le choreography.

Rambert Dance Com pany's cu rrent tour, Comedy Of Cha nge,

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David Biggins fol lows th e dead end road Dead End Rood by Norwich-based Richard Wink is a collection of

poetry that basks in the humdrum and the mundane. For Wink, time can be measured in microwave bleeps, telesales cal ls and washing machine spins. He _tends to describe life at its most sim ple and uninspiring. However, th ere is always a clear sense of something melancholic and defeatist lurking through lines like: 'Sausages in the fridge expire, the seco nd s weep and tire'.

Although Wink's fascination with th e dull and everyday has its strengths, in some poems he ventures a little bit too far by writing about things that are unavoidably dull (in cluding a quick trip to Tesco Metro in one of your poems can never be a good idea). Fu rth er warning signs creep in when our poet cla ims that he w as late to a stude nt party by the considerab ly ea rly time of 7.55pm. His poetry, probably intentionally, lacks vigou r and things that shou ld be naturally stirring or tender, remai n stati c on the page.

Th ere is a daydream-like quality to Wink's work, which is both comfortable and famili ar. The wandering train of thought in the poem An Honest Mistake captures both th e amusin gly ran dom nature of consciousness (noticing that a fresh shaving cut looks a bit like a vampire's bite), and also how memory springs from simp le t hi ngs li ke havi ng to ca tch a bu s, and reg rettin g t hat fact .

When he moves out of this territory, he notice ably loses his way. In a poem that assumes th e voice of a paparazzi, Wink's use of lines like 'letti ng the mornin g light clea nse me' and 'va ni shing into vap idity' simp ly does n't ri ng tru e wh en desc ribing the often lou d-mout hed, ru de, and parasitic ph otog raphers. In a far more di sastrous poem, titl ed Benefits, he bl ends th e word s 'nowt' and 'fella' w ith more obviously poe ti c lin es like 'during th e ga p in ti me'_ it's a ju dde ring and patro ni sing way to write a poe m, and it hardly cap tures t he worki ng class vo ice.

Simil arly unconvincing poems appear about models and the inhabitants of Anglia Square, so when you first see the titl e Addicts it 's easy to despair over th e ludi crous poss ibilitie s.

However, mercifully the objec t of the addiction is tea, the personification of the routine and everyday theme that flows through Wink's work and it is by far his best poem.

0 ad End Road What can definitely be said about the new Creative Writing Anthology 2009 is that it appea ls to a wide set of tastes. From young women trying to make a way for th emse lves in the world to naked men turning up uninvited on beds, the Anthology keep s you turning the pages, eage r to find out what hap pens next.

A foreword has been written for each section, describing what the wri ters have trie d to achieve and what makes creative w riting successful.

In t he first secto r t he reader is met with many diverse examples of prose. Here, a spec ial mention real ly should go out to Ash ley Anderso n who capture s a conversation taking pl ace on a tra in invo lving a crossword in a clever and authentic way. Gavin McCrea also bri ngs a un iqu e style of writing to t he Anthology, by hi s cunni ng use of brackets, which rea lly gets the reader th ink ing abo ut The Real M e.

Scriptwriti ng is also feat ured in the Creative Wri ting Anth ology. Here th e phrase 'like chalk and cheese' ca n ce rta inly

be applied as the plays play with the idea of student historian relationships and ideas behind time. The script titled Lovestruck really stood out because it took such an ordinary sequence of events and turned it into an entert aining and engaging piece. In addition to this, Moving On slowly unravels a tragic story as time jumps back and fla shes forward.

Lastly the Life Writing should not go unmention ed. Alt hough there is only one contributor to t his section, it is by no means less relevant. Philippa Stewart investi ga tes the lives of th e Garrett family in and around Lon don in a witty and interesting chapter.

In conc lusion, th is book is well worth exploring. With such a wide rang e of writing technique s and topi cs, everyone w ill find something that leaps out at them and keeps the ir brains ticking away long after the vo lume has been closed.

Rosie Barcroft

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poems by

Richard Wink

7

17nov09

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concrele.arl:s@uea.ac.uk

LIT[RATUR[> INT[RVJ[W> LUK[ WRIGIIT Kirsten Peter talks to one of poetry's rising stars

Graduate job websites don't have much call for poets. Yet with several published works, a TV show and various live shows under his belt, UEA graduate and former Event editor Luke Wright has clearly earned the right to take on the mantle. But how does a humble student begin to harness the power of the pen? Grab some equally talented friends, then start early and under your own steam, it seems. "(We -started] about 2000 at UEA, at a comedy night in town, but then the guy stopped running it, and some of the people who were left thought 'well, OK' and we started to run our own night at Cafe Dal on Baker Street in town , we held it there for a bit - it was a really cool place - then basically, after a while out and about we started to call ourselves Aisle 16, but it was a night that became a collective, basically."

Aisle 16 has grown and flourished , keeping a regularly updated website of their work and still occasionally gig together, having a night called Homework in London . Luke wrote his humorous destruction/celebration of everyday writing (from smoothie bottles to spa me-mail) Who Writes Th is Crap? w ith fellow Aisle 16 member Joel Stickly.

So how did he make the leap from talented amateur to polished professional?

"After university I went to London and I gave myself three years just doing whatever job, and after about eighteen months I managed to start scraping together a living.

Then when I did my first solo show I noticed a big change in the money I was making and it all took off from there really. Hopefully I won't have to go back and do odd jobs again! " The TV show Seven Ages of Love, which Wright wrpte, was widely critically acclaimed and rightly so. Artistically shot yet access ible, the programme is a brilliant demonstration of

how poetry should be presented on television , telling the real stories of love and loss of ascending age groups.

"They' re all first-time directors; th ey pair you up with a production company. To be honest, what they did with a lot of directors is give them a camera, tell th em to go out and film as mu ch as they like, and give them an editor to edit a Ch an nel Fou r docum entary, but w ith th e poetry, beca use it's al l about t he live performa nce, they cou ldn't do t hat w ith us; it w as quite a strange thing, and fantastic.

The direct or didn't want someone to come an d over-edit her work and I think she had quite a battle with the production company, but a positive battle. We came out of it rea lly pleased, so it was an amazing experience. I hope t o work wi t h her again; it's more a case of when ."

The programme uses th e rea l people t he stori es are about, weaving together short interviews and Wright's poetry. " I went down and met a lot of the people involved - normally when you're writing a poem you' re inventing the characters, you can change little details here and there to make it scan or make it rhyme or whatever right, it doesn't really matter ...you can change names and that sort of thing but you can't do that; [when it's being acted out] you've got to get all those details absolutely right and still make it work ."

Wright's next published work High Performance is poetry in pamphlet form published by Norwich-based publishing house Nasty Little Press. "it is an interesting way of doing it ... the way that people sell poetry books now, unless you' re pretty big, there's no point in having a distribution deal if none of the distributors want to buy your book. it's just kind of the way. You go in to any big poetry section of a book shop and look at the names there, there are thousands of contemporary poets, but how many do you see in a shop?

Very few, so why give 90% of your book's income to a publisher? " You can do different things now, you can reach your market directly, you don't have to go through the old channels."

Talking of old channels of communication, how does a performance poet publish his work when it is built for the stage?

"There are obviously some poems that don't work very well on the page but I don' t publis:1 those poems really. I think they'll be flimsy and lightweight on the page. To be fair I haven' t got a huge amount of poems like that anymore in my set. I tend to consider form an awful lot more when I write ... ! mean a lot of people prefer hearing poetry; it doesn't mean that it doesn't work on the page, it just might mean that it's more exciting spoken aloud and I also try and make my work on the page lend itself to being read aloud, like someone

could pick it up read it aloud and get how it's supposed to sound . The poetry I write is sonorous, it should sound good; it 's a very important part of it. I think talking about a poet be ing a page poet or a performance poet cages them in unnecessarily. The best stuff works live and on the page . There's a whole generation of poets where it sounds great but it has literary worth on th e page. That 's a good line to tread ."

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High Performance is published by Nasty Little Press www.nastylittlepress.org Luke w ill be performing at The Poetry Link at Norw ich Arts Centre on 23rd November and again on 12th December at Jurnets Bar as part of Cafe Writers.

You can find more about Luke and his work at www.lukewright.co.uk

Design

by

Samuel Ratdiffe

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A chill in the silent night Marble eyes alight Alert, watchful, statuesque White-hot sun, bleaching sky, baking the plains, The chosen creature, hidden single jogger, pounding their breathless trench Last night my dreams came back to me

Quivers in its fear out of my vision, pounding for our pains,

And in them I had babe and she

Then makes a break for the hedge this billowed lux, vault of pale blue, trees The grass waves in a strange wind

Was beautifully fat with love

A flexible neck of fucking paradise, are deserted

That I must have given her,

Whips around as legs push off and perfect again, I say to myself

I was enough for her.

Talons outstretched, impatient dive this is unbelievable, and Norfolk One of the unlucky: replies, 'lt won't last and ephemeral Flying, flailing sacrifice.

So knowing I would one morn wake

A squeal, muffled by the sky: is the word you're searching for, and these trees Heavy density

I searched out love, for her sake Black ash and Birch by the way, and fruitless,

Dampens the frantic scurrying:

I hurt myself irreparably is that your idea of a paradise?

Frightened rodents darting out

To find her a mother, Red-eyed and trembling, kitchen window boy,

Marking an escape

I know she won't remember me coughing up last nights cheap smoke and spirits

While the moon stares on, unseeing

And I can not visit that dream. couldn't you wait 'til I brought this morning'

So is life, so is nature,

In another life I have a child

So is sacrifice.

Fat with love I've given her.

Kieran McMahon

Broken hope rejuvenates: While Victim loses the game, Predator soars off Free of gui lt, and unconscious.

Robyn Comfort

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Armed with a N.ikon 060, ~achel Pillai took a journey around India with the inte~tion of returning with more interesting photographs th~n her usual selection of LCR sweaty back-of-head shots. 16spired by the anarchic culture of the self proclaimed 'worjds' biggest democracy', here is a selection of her favourites, mainly centered round the beautiful sta e of Rajasthan.

1. View Of the Taj Mahal from Arched Doorway The breathtaking first glimpse of the fabled monument.

Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

3. Terracotta Pots Seller

5. Construction Workers in

Man sits forlornly aside his magnificent tower of cooking pots.

Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Delhi Young men take a break from their work and sit looking over the Delhi early evening traffic.

2. Boy With Milk Pail at

4. Tourists at Jodhpur Fort A group of well-dressed Indian tourists look out over the spectacular views of the city from Jodhpur's fort.

6. Metro in Mumbai The women-only carriage in Mumbai's overground train network.

Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Mumbai, Maharashtra.

New Delhi.

Roadside

Young boy watches, fascinated by a group of camels on the other side of the road.

Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

7. Jodhpur Rooftops in Early Evening The inhabitants of Jodhpur city end their day by enjoying the early evening sun from their rooftops.

Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

8. Man Works on House Steps An elderly man sits outside his house concentrating on some needle-work.

Jaisa/mer, Rpjasthan.

9. Baby Plays with Mother's Market Wares In Jaisalmer Fort a baby lies on its mother's mat of goods as she sells souvenirs to the many tourists visiting the fort. The baby occupies itself by playing with some traditional Hindu beads.

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

10. Man Selling Pomegranatef A market seller displays his

colorful collection of carefully stacked pomegranates.

Jaipur, Rajasthan.

11. Army Prepare for Ganesh Celebrations路 In the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, the military gather on the roadside anticipating the Ganesh festivities and street parades.

Jaipur, Rajasthan.

10

lelevision

SIIOOTINGSTARS In honour of Re mem brance Day Th e Event sets its sights on war TV. Remembrance Day may have passed, but with Movember still going strong we present all you moustachioed Movember men (and women) out there with four fine examp les of war on TV. Some shows that didn't make the jump from the shortlist in clude the exce llent Iraq war drama Over There, which only suffe rs from being

David Simon (The Wire) brings his latest HBO offering, and if you thought West Baltimore wa s a war-zone ...well, the thou ght finishes itself.

And while the plot of this mini -series is understandab ly simpler than th e labyrinthine web of ca use-and-effect betwee n th e pushers and police of The Wire , Simon's method of storytelling is sti ll se lf-evident as the audience is dropped in to this fully-formed world without explanation or a foreign phrase-boo k and challenged to sink or swim. As with hi s previou s work, the result is challenging but rewarding television and before long you're following every nuance of war-time bureaucracy and describing every situation as a 'cluster f* **'.

And if an ythin g, Generation Kill is abo ut

easily confused with Generation Kill. Bond of Brothers, as well as Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' other upcoming war project The Pacific,

are worthy mentions and add to the increasingly psychologically unhealthy omnibus, which is only topped off by Dad's Army - less obviously distressing granted, but all the more emotionally

stupid and dangerous platoon commander that will happily mow down women and children with a sto len AK but will freak out in hysterics as soon as a gen uine threat shows its head.

Based on the eye-witness report by Rolling Stone co lumnist Evan Wright (played by Lee Tergesen in the show}, Generation Kill benefits from the sa me feel of authenticity that made The Wire so real, and li ke The Wire that is what makes it so terrifying - as well as so intensely watchab/e.

Josh Butler

damaging for it.

And that leaves us with the below juggerna uts of conflict television. We've strived to bring you a variety of perspectives of war representation, whether it's comedy or drama, UK or US, Earth or space; and then there's Generation Kill, because it's just plain awesome.

One of the gia nts of both the war and sciencefiction gen res and lead by a superb cast of actors (including the 路return of Edward James 0/mos and M ary McDonnell}, Battlestor Galactico gives the audience a dirty portrayal of space; with grimy set design, and a brutal view of how robots would act, which defecates all over th e golden boys of Star Wars. This is a real man's sci-fi.

In a far-flun g part of the universe the humans of the twelve colonies create and then are destroyed by the artificial intelligence known as the Cylons. All that remains of the human

bureaucracy. You might forget what country it's in (Iraq}, wh at branch you're fo ll owing (US Marine Corps), or which humvee exact ly is 'Hitman Actua l' (I forget), but you will never forget that 'Godfather' is the expe ri enced yet blinkered battalion commander who talks like Mar/on Brando, or th at 'Ca ptain America' is the

race is th e battleship 'Battlestar Galactica' and about 50,000 civilian s. Th e story follows this small band throu gh their attempts to survive, and the rea l draw is in these characters . Who can you trust in a society built in the co nstant fear of robotic annihilation? lt's a conundrum which , minus th e iconographi es particular to sci-fi , is an actual threat for many people in the world. it would be easy to dismiss Battlestar as the brooding cousin of Captain Kirk and eo. but that would be ignoring the contextual issues that it raises; a civili an underclass being controlled by an underequipped military which cannot poss ibly control the situation let alone face an enemy which refuses to prese nt itself.

This is all a deliberate reference to the current wars in the Middle East and is what makes this fantastic science-fiction series relevant.

The high quality specia l effects and the characters' ever changing allegiances are just the cherry on top of this sci-fi pioneer.

Tom Dolt on

more se ri ous, drama based plots with more obvious political and m.oralistic views. They also

When thinking of war television, it's difficult not to immediately think of Blackadder.

Not only is it a brilliant piece of British co medy, it is also a moving and traditional representation of WWI life in the trenches.

We see the sa me collection of characters in every British play, film, and TV show about war; the hardened captain (Rowan Atkinson}, the new li eutenant wh o looks up to sa id captain intently (Hugh Laurie), the idiotic private (Tony Robin so n, eno ugh said}, the soft-spoken general who can still strike fear into the characte r's hearts (Stephen Fry}, and not forgetting the lapdog of th e general (Tim Mclnnery).

The dark humour deals with the topic of war without making the show too ten se to watch a feature of so me war tel evision that ca n be off-putting - and the main chara cters become

familiar friend s (possibly as it's the 4th series of these characters through time) to th e point that we care about the scrapes and minor annoyances th ey get into over th e co urse of th e se ri es.

By far the most poignant moment of the show is in the final ep isode. Throughout the series there is the ever looming threat of 'goi ng over', th e big push that would advance them in the battle and so the last episode ends with their discu ssion of how afraid they are before fin ally biting the bullet and we see th e men running, slow-motion towards the camera, as pyrotechnics go off, before fadin g to the image of poppies in a fi eld and assume the rest.

Micha Butler

Minus the asterisks, M*A *S*H means Mobile Army Surgical Hospi tal and is quite obviously the 'sit' in this sitcom. Over it's eleven season long run th e show added the necessary dark undertones for the subject matter (the Korean war) yet continued to show the characters using humour to get through it all. The ensemble cast is huge but centres around the constant characters of Hawkeye, the womanizing man of conscience; Father Mulcahy, the wisdom -filled amate ur boxer; 'Hot Lips', the strict but saucy nurse and M axw ell Q. Klinger, the cross-dresser with a purpose. it's sa id that many of the ea rly seasons are based on comic rea/life tales of M.A.S.H surgeons but the stories in later episodes developed into

infused the later storyline s with changes in popculture, world events and medical developments from the three -yea r Korean war time period, giving an authentic feel to the events.

Some great reasons to watch include: the classic exa mple of a syndicated show long before Friends had its first series (which is currently on Comedy Central Extra}, being th e first American network series to use the phrase "son of a bitch", and it's final episode causing everyone in New York City to head to the toil et at the sa me time at ad breaks, damaging the plumbing system.

Under its level s of comedy M*A*S*H is still, at its heart, genuine ly moving and thou ght-provoki ng. One quote that stands out in thi s way goes like this: Col. Potter: "By the way, what war is this?"

Hawkeye: " The latest war to end all wars."

Natalie Stephenson

lelevis:ion

J7nov09 issue23j

PRI~1ITitvJI- Russ~;lL llowARo's Gooo Nrnrs Russell Howard is best known as a panellist on Mock the Week, a regular guest on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and for his sold out live tours, but that's enough from his pressrelease. His new show marks new ground for both himself and BBC Three, as he fronts his own programme for the first time and BBC Three explores new territory as they attempt a comedy show that makes people laugh.

This new venture had the potential to fail miserably, but something about it just seems to work. Comedy news-shows are obviously nothing new, but these are generally stuck firmly in the panel format, and so the new set-up succeeds in shaking up a recipe that works well but can sometimes be over-done.

Russell's unique take on the week's news is

S[NS[ AND ([NSORING What do Anne Frank, the Royal family and disabled soldiers have in common? If you think that sounds like the set-up to an interesting, yet unpublishable joke you're about hal(right because these are all topics that have elicited various shades of outrage when put into a comic context and broadcast over the last few weeks.

Censorship in the arts - particularly comedy - is a topic that always simmers away gently; various situations providing the extra heat to make it come to the boil. it's all too easy to dredge up Jonathan Ross and Russell

GRAP[VIN[ So, Brett Easton Ellis has announced that he's making a satirical HBO series about New York couples seen through the eyes of their stalker, which I hope will be like Friends filmed from the perspective of Patrick Bateman. Rescue Me's Denis Leary is adapting the underrated Ethan Hawke-fest Gattaca as a police procedural and Gary Glitter was executed live on Channel 4 in a show I haven't watched on the principle that the title gives away the ending.

Oh and 3D: Channel 4 miss a trick by not

fresh and interesting, but more importantly it is genuinely funny. He ends the show on a high note each week with a heart-warming story, serving the very important purpose of cheering us all up after all those serious world matters.

Unfortunately it's a common experience to find these panellist-type comedians to be less than enthralling in a different setting. With no table to hide behind, and no-one else to bounce ideas off, it can be challenging for a performer to really relate to the studio audience. With Russell's new show however, they have taken away all the props and distractions, and Russell shines through as a result. Something he didn't always get the chance to do on Mock the Week .

The format is such that. it emphasises what Russell is best at, stand up comedy.

The show can seem at times like the Have I Got News For You prompter delivered as a stand up routine, but with Russell's delivery the material takes on a weird and wacky quality, unlike that of lan Hislop's take.

Things we wouldn't find humour in are made hilarious by this young and endearing comic.

With all the doom and gloom that is in the press, it is a refreshing change to get away from the intent satire and political criticism we see so much of, and just laugh. So tune in and see for yourself that Russell Howard really is the good news we've all been waiting for.

Caroline Walker

THl 1nSDt\YS 1o.30P~I RRC3 Brand to prove this, but they do provide a convenient mile-stone along a journey the public is taking as they become quicker to anger and TV bosses more desperate not to incite that anger and so avoid the ice that, if broken, would tumble them once more into a lake of cold tabloid-bated outrage.

Art's great blessing - from the epic poems of The Iliad to the epic fail of I'm a Celebrityis its ability to create emotion; whether it be laughter, disgust or, in the case of controversial comedy, a mixture of the two. And while it would probably be much easierforbroadcasters if the idea of common taste and decency could easily be plotted on a graph, humour lies slap

11

DoWNLOAD - Dottuous[ When Dol/house first arrived, many were apprehensive about its future. Of course the odds were stacked against it from the start, with the scrapping of the original pilot and a rocky relationship between Joss Whedon and the network stemming from the cancellation of his show Firefly in 2002. And the first five episodes did nothing to quell these fears. The network-imposed episodic structure didn't help the convoluted premise and gave the feeling of a creative team running scared, but then something wonderful happened: the airing of episode six, 'ManontheStreet', inwhichtheshow finally found its feet, and hasn't slowed since .

The show follows Echo (Eiiza Dushku), one of the dolls controlled by a secret underground institution designed to meet people's 'needs' through imprinting dolls with any personality the client desires. At the end of each engagement, the doll's brain is wiped clean of all memories, leaving them in their blank state and ready for the next engagement. The Dollhouse's only threat comes in the form of FBI agent Paul Ballard {Tahmoh Penikett), who is closing in by tracking down Echo's original identity.

One major hurdle for the writers was trying to make Echo a character who is fundamentally a different person from week to week, into someone we care about. Sadly, pushing what could be considered the weakest aspect of the show to the forefront of the narrative every week made for frustrating viewing, as with every episode we saw another facet of Dushku's many talents and yet were none the

wiser about her character. Fortunately, with characters such as Sierra (Dichen Lachman) and Topher (Fran Kr(lnz) now taking a well-earned lead, the episodes benefit from exploring more ambiguo4s and compelling territory.

For those hoping to catch-up, the first season is now showing on ITV4, but with FOX's recent cancellation of the series it's unclear when season two will return from its hiatus, both over here on Sci-Fi or in the US on FOX. And although recent episodes suggest that the show was finally reaching a satisfying momentum, it's tempting to believe this is a better end for Dol/house as it can exist as a concise short-run rather than stagnate over time like so many Stargates . it's always a shame to see unique and different shows go under but there's still time to catch this the first time around. To save time in the long run, fansmaywantto begin campaigning to save Joss Whedon's next TV show now.

Caroline Preece

MoNDAYS 9P~t

ITV4

bang in the middle of a grey area - where one person's poke at women is another's grievous attack on their gender. That's what comedy does, it divides us and it makes us think; it always has. A laugh that carries with it serious implications is a double whammy.

Ultimately, censorship involves drawing a line in the sand and deeming one side acceptable and another not, but in a genre as reliant on its accessibility as its creativity, drawing that line will inevitably be met with resistance.

The answer? Just turn over. Because TV that's been censored is just a turn off.

Kirsten Peter

combining their shocking paedocumentary sentence that said 'at risk'. However, it's difficult with their 3D season this week, instead opting . to do too much gnashing of teeth and tearing to show Friday the 13th Parte Trois and Hannah of clothes when there are joys in the world like Glee. Look it up now- it truly lives up to its title.

Montana in concert which coincidentally would Next issue we get altogether too festive also benefit from a cross-over. Why exactly good TV has to come from bad cinema gimmicks for the 1st of December and tell everybody is left unclear, although Derren Brown's the box-sets we want under our tree this year, contribution is to be looked forward to as because we know how you care. But that's maybe the third dimension will finally make his it for this issue though as I'm now facing the illusions work on more than 10% of its viewers. unforgiving red wall of the Alco Call ad ... and if Get your free glasses from Sainsbury's now. I'm really honest, forms of their wares are the Also Dol/house is cancelled the day before only things that will be under my tree this year.

Josh Butler deadline prompting some urgent editing to every

01951 424 363

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<GAMING> <R£VIfWS>

CALL or Durv: Moo[RN WARrAR[ 2_

------~~~~-~-~~---~~--~--------~~-"------~~~----~

Gary "Roach" Sanderson , under Soap's command. Again yo u also

the information you need to know abo ut yo ur character, is minimi sed

command an American Private, Ramirez; and quite controversia lly,

to the bottom right corne r leaving the re st of the screen free for

a covert operative who is placed into a undercover te rrorist

t he game to throw eve rything it has at you. It s rea lism is also

the year, scaring off other releases back to the early months of 2010.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, for

organization. Without wanting to give away too many spo il ers the game takes place in many vary ing

realised in environmental effects, blood splattering across your

orig in als sim pl istic pe rks and level system. Also thrown in is t he new Special Ops mode that contains

those who don't regularly follow games, is t he sixt h tit le in the Call of

locations and with new weapons and technology; such as a gun with

vision, dirt clouding yo ur screen when a grenade goes off and riot shields shattering in your hands

sma ll sing le playe r or mu ltiplayer mi ss ion situations. However, there ha s been so me negativity from

Duty series and is a direct seque l to the massively popular Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Unl ike the

a heartbeat monitor to track where enemies are in the snow, and an amazing set piece conflict within urban Wash ington D.C. against

as bu ll ets ricochet off them . This increasing realism has, however, already managed to cause a fuss with in the press and a debate in

PC gami ng community regarding the remova l of dedicated servers for multiplayer, and Activi·sion have stated they are "not overly

Russian forces, which shows urban warfare in a beli eva bly dystopian

Pa rliament, leading to the creation of a Facebook pressure group by

by th is reacti on conce rn ed" from fans. There will also be no

way t hat hasn' t been portrayed before in a game. However as

Labour MP Tom Watson to combat the ever- in ~reasing criti cism th at

possi bility for fan -made mods.

Hopefully t hi s w ill not impact the

with the original Modern Warfare, you do have to take the fictional

games face from the mainstream press.

Even thoug h Call of Du ty: Modern Warfare 2 maintains, and

PC multiplayer experience too badly, but alienating some of their fans is certain ly not something Infinity Ward was looking to achieve.

Overal l this game is we ll wo rt h

For many this game needs no introduction. With more preorders than any other game in history (a tit le previou sly held

by Grand Theft Auto IV with 3.6 million) this is the biggest game of

majority of the CoD titles, which are ba sed on real skirmishes from World War 11 , Modern Warfare, as its name suggests, takes place in modern combat situations in a fictional conflict involving America, Brita in and Russ ia, and the growth of M iddle Eastern terrori sm. Other than being a touchy subject matter, it brings a new li fe to the sta le natu re of the growing number of war-based First Person Shooters Modern Warfare 2 is set five years afte r the dramatic climax of its

story with a pinch of salt as it is written much like a Hollywood blockbuster script rather than a comp letely believab le piece of fiction - so mething some fan s may find disconcerting, given th e very plausib le plot of the orig ina l

even increases, the pace set by its predecessor in near ly every way it does have so me downfa lls.

They are relatively minor niggles.

predecessor. Rather than continue

Modern Warfare.

l.n some insta nces allies may run into your line of fire, thus causing

play ing as the origina l protaginist 'Soa p' McTavish, players in stead

This theme continues throughout the game as the Head s Up Display (HUD) that contains all

you to fail missions for friendly fire.

Furthermore, especia lly given the unusually high price of t he game,

take on the role of a new character,

the single player could last a litt le longer, clocki ng in at around a libera l 8 hou rs or so. This is negated by the fact that its online multiplayer is fantastic, bui lding upon the

purchasing, despite its high price tag, because of the longevity the replay value afford s and the ro llercoaster journey the game takes yoo on.

Available on : PC, 360, PS3 Price : £40 (PC)

I £55 (360, PS3)

GOOD STtJIT -Great story line and scripted eve nts -Fairly realistic -So lid replay value and multi player -Sco re by Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer

-High price -No dedicated servers for PC multi player -Single player campaign could be longer

4)

Vaughn Highfield

I f)

tOOTllALl MANAG[R 2010 What makes FMlO different to FM09, or indeed any of t he earlier versions' it's stil l a glorified spreadsheet, albeit an addictive one. The biggest difference is that the user interface has undergone a complete overhaul. Ever since

individual player instructions at

signed

the click of a button . You can still fiddle with the intricate and minute details of player instructions, but

novelty wears off fast, and you'll find yo urse lf sending you r ass istant manager to do it rather than having

a new player,

but the

it's a lot easier and quicker to set them up how you want.

The 3D match engine that wa s

to sit through the sa me question s from t he media repeatedly. This lead s to losing your temper with

astray. it makes it easie r to spot a weak link in the team, making the game more enjoyab le. its

As always wit h FM, one of main strengths is the fact

that you can scout players from around the world. Ofte n you w il l

Mi les Jacobson, Managing Director

introduced in 09 has also been

the ineptitude of your assistant

be

of Sports Interactive (SI), leaked a sc reenshot of the game on Twitter

improved. Goalkeepers no longer look like dogs when they dive, and

manager, and his uncanny abi lity to upset every single member of your

during a drunken night in, the FM comm unity was abuzz with pra ise and shock in equal measure.

Some thou ght it was a joke, others tho ught it an abomination.

th e players aren't restricted to perform ing the sa me movements

team on three separate occasions in the space of a week.

after playing FM, and say "''ve managed him," because, if you play a lot of games, you inevitably wil l.

over and over aga in. There are now so me differences to how someone like Xavi plays football in compa ri son to someone like Steven

Fina lly t he bac kroom advice section has been improved drastically. Th e AI is now able to

However, the overriding opinion wa s that the new interface looked slick and professio nal. Everything is now in tab s, making it eas ier to flick between scre ens compared to earlier versio ns.

The seco nd th ing that you notice when you start playing the new game is that the tactics system has been complete ly revamped.

No longer are you required to try five hundred different variations of the "hit it long" school of thought, instead you are now able to tailo r

Gerrard. Also adding to the matchday experience is the new ability t o shout touch line instructions, like a real man ager. This mean s that if you want to go apoplectic with rage, much like Steve Bruce, you can. it probably won't get you anywhere, though.

Some improvemen t can be seen in media interactio n. In retrosp ect, perhaps 'im proved' is the wrong word. You ca n now cal l press co nferences when

you 've

te ll you exact i.Y where your team went wrong during a match, and is always offering suggestions on how to get t he best out of your players.

This is incredibly usefu l if you lose interest in watching the team pl ay every match, and so want all th e deta ils at your finger tips rath er th an having to make copious amounts of notes. Before, during and after a matc h, it is possib le to see any stat which you would wi sh to, including tackles made, shots taken and passes which have gone

watching

a football

match

Sports Interactive are very good at working out who wi ll be the next big thing before they really are, and it's always nice to see a player who you've see n develop in-ga me turn out to fu lfil his pote ntial in real life as well.

SI take an active involvement in the FM community, giving players the opportunity to get together and discuss ideas and opinions about the games on forums. This is one of the reasons why the FM franchise is consistently improving - th e developers li sten to what the consumers want - and as a result this is the best FM game to date.

Jon Bent

Available on PC, Mac, PSP Price: £40 (PC/Mac)

I £30 (PSP)

Goon Sn r.r.

-Greatly improved user interface -Bette r animations in the 3D Match Engine -Deve loper very involved in community

n.\1 >Swrr -Rather steep learning curve -Can be very tim e consuming -Irrit ating nature of media interaction

wired

17 nov09 lssuc235

13

< J[CIINOLOGY> 3, Whilst some argue that the PC is the ultimate medium for gaming, many thousands use specialised gaming consoles to meet their gaming needs. But which of these consoles is best for you?

The Wii is the first mainstream console to include the motion sensor technology as a prime feature, skyrocketing its popularity amongst the mainstream crowd and being perhaps the first console to gain a large portion of the older demographic as well as Nintendo's usual young user base, selling 56 million copies.

Unconventional "games" such as WiiFit and a host of similar titles that make use of the Wiimote in different ways have opened up gaming to an even wider audience than before; one shouldn't be surprised to find a Wii in many pensioners' households, making it as commonly accepted and understood a household appliance as a television .

Nintendo's consoles have always had a strong selection of first party titles, and the Wii also has the current generation of Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bras and Mario rehashes. However, apart from these admittedly good games, there isn't really much else for the Wii to offer, except for the numerous shovelware games based on TV/ Media brands that cater to younger audiences and are generally regarded as lousy, poor games.

The Wii also has vastly inferior on line playability, with the clunky and infamous "friend code system" that feels more like putting in a serial code rather than adding a friend . Whilst users can send messages, most games do not support online multiplayer. The Wii is a fun console to play the more casual games with your offline friends, but it falls down when it comes to single player, and its lack of online functionality may result in your Wii gathering dust in the months you wait for an engaging single player game to come out.

Games are the most important aspect of judging a console, and Microsoft's Xbox 360 is the hardcore gamer's console with strong 360

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console exclusives such as; Halo 3/0DST, Mass Effect, Fable 11, Gears of War, Left 4 Dead, Lost Odyssey and many more. The 360 places a large

emphasis on online playability, with Xbox Live being an excellent console based online gaming system with a multitude of features including gamer score, gamer cards/profiles, innovative

friend lists, a superb user interface, joinable voice chat parties (as in group), online marketplace, an entire section devoted to downloadable content, and inter-game chat. This comes at the somewhat hefty price of £40 a year, but is well worth it if you are an avid on line gamer.

In terms of negative aspects, the notorious 'Red Ring of Death' {RROD) comes to mind.

Microsoft have been plagued by controversy about the high levels of 360s breaking down, signalled by the green LED ring turning red, to the dismay of thousands around the world .

Although thi s is less of a cau se for concern than it used to be due to the problem being lessened with a new generation of 360s, no Xbox is safe from it and even leaving it on for too long may cause a 360 to overheat and RROD if it is not kept cool. Overall, the 360 is definitely a high tier console that should heavily be considered if hardcore games with online play are two of the most important factors in deciding which console to buy.

The PS3, like the 360, caters to a more 'hardcore' audience than the Wii and this is

showcased by its library of mature games and a focus on online play. lt is also the only console to include Blu-ray functionality, enabling one to view movies, as well as games, in high definition.

Again, like the 360, the PS3 has a wide range of games that cross multiple genres. ~ome of the highest rated include Demon 's Souls, a highly challenging dungeon crawler with epic boss battles, Killzone 2, a critically-acclaimed firstperson shooter with some of the best graphics seen to date, Metal Gear Solid 4, the final chapter in the engaging tale of Solid Snake, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, LittleBigPianet, and God of War 3. However, it certainly has less console exclusive games than the 360, and it has taken longer than expected to build up a large catalogue of games.

In fact, the 360 has 65 more console exclusive games than the PS3 .

In addition to this small · sample of great games, the PS3 also has arguably one of the best online services. The Playstation Network {PSN), as opposed to Xbox Live, does not require a monthly fee. However, it lacks some of the useful

features that XBL has and crucially, is missing cross-game chat. Sony is also moving toward the future and is trying to embrace not only the original 'hardcore' demographic, but the casual gamer as well. At the 2009 E3 trade show they unveiled a motion controller similar to the Wiimote that will incorporate motion sensing play into future games. The PS3 does not suffer hardware failure as frequently as the 360, but it is still known to get the "yellow light of death".

The PS3 has been reduced in price recently with the PS3 slim, making it more affordable, but it still has no games, or at least very few games that cannot be bought on the cheaper 360 system.

One of the best arguments for purchasing a PS3 was that it had superior graphics to the 360.

Besides the fact that this promotes graphics over gameplay, tests indicate that graphically the two consoles can produce graphics that are almost identical in quality. Overall, the PS3 is a good choice for purchase if you enjoy hardcore games, online play with your friends, and an engaging single player experience.

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Set up last year by former UEA student Quaam Animashaun, as soon as you joined "Overheard - University of East Anglia" you knew the true brilliance of it. Yet, it has only been with t he recent Facebook successes of "Get A Room ... The Revival" and " What UCAS forgot to tell you about UEA" that this group has really taken off, now with over 1, 700 members.

The concept is pretty simple: if you have ever eavesdropped into a conversation and heard something utterly ridiculous/hilarious/crude put it here for our mocking pleasure. So far many gems have been posted, especially one by a certain pop star's brother.

The group is just a bit of fun, yet with t he returning success of "Get a Room ..." students find themselves not only worrying about engaging in a cheeky snog in the LCR's darkness, but also what they may say on a daily 25 bus ride home from campu s.

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Open' AI cor<eot • pci>lc to the LEA

Karine Wach-Donovan

VIP cards available to all UEA tudents.

Nurw1U1 s prem1er stLJQ8nt i:ICcommodatlon Qgen ;y I

Open until 3am riday & at night Subway Norwich, 101a Prince of Wales Ad .

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Anticipating the imminent release of their new album Your History is Mine, Funeral For A Friend guitarists Darren and Kris chat to Helen Thomas about how the band have changed ...

Why is the new album a 'greatest hits'?

K: I wouldn 't call it a greatest hits; it's an

K: I don't think our sou nd has changed over th e

antho logy, from the last seven and a half years from where we started to where we are now.

Atlantic approached us about doing a greatest hits wh ich w e weren 't really interested in. They would have gone ahead and made it without our permission though, so we thought it'd be

always bee~ one of those bands who've always wanted to progress, never wanted to make th e same sounding record . Go challenge yourself!

0: At the end of the day, we always please ourselves first and foremost. Even if there are

The Show: Seeing Funeral for a Friend at the LCR was like being a snowy white dog amongst sheep.

Although playing 'spot the fringe' game became less of a challenge and more of a given win, the fans, populating a severely undersold venue, offered the perfect chance to regress unashamedly to being 14 for the night.

something worth doing rather than cheapening

people who don' t like the new direction we've

Having spanned seven and a half years, four

our name .

Does this signify the end of Funeral for a Friend?

gone in, at least they can't say we've tried to [con them] by giving them the same stuff over again.

albums and two major EPs, the band executed the perfect setlist for both long-term fans and

0: Common misconception. I don' t think bands

What direction do you see yourselves going in

those they 've picked up along the way. Singles

should put anthologies out until they've had like

next? The sound of the new single is reminiscent

ten albums. At least we can make it the best it

of your earlier sound.

K: A big part is down to Gav joining the band and

from Casually Dressed and Hours occasionally dominated the show, yet the half-full capacity of

being a fan of th e band. it's nice to have someone

the LCR became apparent in what soon became less than recognition for Funera l's biggest

K: We initially wanted to do a 3-disc version too th at would have eve rythin g we've ever recorded

come in who has a different perspective, saying what he missed from our music and what he

successes from over five years ago. Nonetheless, the likes of Bullet Theory, Streetcar and Escape

on it, like the demos.

0: We used to record on an 8-track and I mixed them down to minidisc. 1 couldn't find the

liked. He brought a lot more energy to the so ngs

Artists Never Die, played as though they were at

and we're kind of getting that fast intensity back.

0: From doing different albums and trying

th e height of their fame, sa ng out as more than crowd-pleasers and proved that the band have

different styles of so ngwriting, as a result we've become better songwriters and we can do what we were doing with our earlier stuff far better

retained their charisma over the musical changes they've gone through. Guitars set to distort the melodic intricacies in what ha s become

because we understand the songwriting aspect a

recognisable as Funeral's once ' unique' sound, and Matt Davies' intermittent whine, screech, but mostly standard Welsh rock enunciation, fought

can poss ibly be, we're putting 4 new songs on it anyway to make it a bit more exciting.

;:-

past seven and a half years, more that we've been influenced by different things. We've

minidiscs but maybe that's something for the future .

Your sound has fluctuated throughout the years; where in the mainstream would you place yourselves?

II

' I.' I ~NT

lot more; the new songs are better and different but still have the intensity of early material.

At times the stories seemed quite interlinked,

Do you think it's harder for younger bands?

your current tour. How have you been finding the tour so far and what can we expect from the show?

The tour 's been great. Fans have been amazing and t onight you can expect more of the same.

almost like a concept album ...

I don' t know about that. lt wasn ' t the intention.

More so on this record I think every song stood

Yeah, but it's also goes back to the ba sics of rock and roll which is play shows, play as many shows

its own ground. lt had a starting and ending point within that so ng. I think about it like a book format . Every chapter is a different story, but it's all under the same book .

as you can and get in front of people. You can't fake that. People connect with that. People still love going and watching rock concerts . You ' re not going to be a big, rich, famous rock sta r

reasons . Play music for people that you love and write good so ngs.

seem to figure out the code. Then I became a fan of it because we were independent for eight or nine years, slugging it out, doing everything for ourselves ... when we got a break we capita lized upon that break . Things started happening and this evil machine started working for us

The Show: "I'm proud to be a college drop-out ", Billy Talent front man Ben Kowa lewicz exclaims between songs at tonight 's show. To so me, his comment is an amusing offhand, to others, something of a

and I. There are so many different points of inspiration and all tho se little moments make a thumbprint of who you are. Indirectly wh en you write a song, every single one of those experiences are cultivated and expressed.

and helping us . Then I saw a very ugly side of it and I've never rebounded back from that.

Now I feel bad for it and kind of ashamed of it in a lot of ways; although I was never part of it.

stage at the LCR might not dispel the harshest of critics it certainly casts Billy Talent, at least to some eyes, in a different light. Clad in sleek black and uniformly tight, Billy Talent graft for a living. There's a sense of workmanship as they play, a devotion to a craft without pretension and a commitment to consistency of quality performances. True, they might not have the

is with the music industry because you can't

songs, the way songs sou nd without any lyrics ... that inspires the se things. You just go with it.

Th ese characters are deep ly hidd en within lan

pays t o allow yourse lf one even ing of the fun of what we once knew as anthems growing up .

air of, say, a young Led Zeppelin, but in an age where the reality star is the new rock star, perhaps that's no bad thing .

do these characters come from? What are the ideas behind them?

ske leto ns ou t of the closet , out of each other's closets. Al so, melodies and harmonies and

Funeral for a Friend may be diminishing in popularity, especially in university circles, but it

The allure of all of it is ... it 's like a Halloween party where all of a sudden the lights are on

How do your experiences with the music industry compare to when you started in 1993?

I started off really jaded, as any young musician

have taken us to different places. When we meet and play music, I guess we're bringing the

would seem an appropriate encore, Juneau, which received less than an excitable reaction.

anymore. lt doesn' t work. The money is a myth .

Your latest record seems to tell the story of a cast of broken characters who are almost trapped in the culture they inhabit. Where

You know it's a strange process that happens between lan and I. Both of our journeys in life

gave new energies to identifiable refrains. What the band lacked in physical energy got injected into the crowd respon se, only flawed by what

The Event's Alec Plowman speaks to Ben Kowalewicz, front man of Canadian punk-rockers Billy Talent before catching a glimpse of their fantastic sell-out show at the U EA's LCR ...

You're playing at the UEA LCR tonight as part of

Lots of old songs, lots of new songs. it's gonna be fun.

over new bass enhancements from the band's latest member, resulting in pounding tunes that

and everyone 's in costume. Do it for th e right

cliche. To a strong proportion of the 1000 strong audience however, his words speak volumes, a wishful sentiment to many of the high-school

These people from the record companie s just

aged teens who have camped themselves at the front of the hall. Billy Talent might have a

got too greedy and too gluttonous and ripped off people for way too long. All of a sudden thi s internet thing comes up and ruins the whole party for th em ... which is good and bad .

reputation among some circles as a kid 's band, little more than a stepping stone for young ears into the wider world of rock music . While the performance witnessed on

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[Hf Joy J:'ORMIDARLf Tonight's the last night of the tour with Editors, how has it been and will there be any last night celebrations?

Ritzy: it's been a great tour. Tonight we'll probably be a bit quiet as every night has had it's own celebrations. We're just going to go home and have some cocoa. Which is in Wales, so yeah it'll be a late night as we're driving back tonight.

Rhydian: Yeah we'll probably have a few drinks, say goodbye to the chaps. They've been really nice to us. They gave us champagne on the opening night and a little note saying 'welcome'. it's stuff like that that's made the atmosphere of the tour so nice.

Where are you most looking forward to playing on your next two tours with Passion Pit and The Temper Trap?

Rhydian: All the ones we haven't been to before I think.

Ritzy: Definitely all the European dates, we haven't toured Europe before.

Rhydian: Well not headlining anyway, we've played in Europe before.

Ritzy: All right! lt doesn't matter does it? What do you have to be so pedantic for!?

If you had to pick a highlight of your summer, what would it be and why?

Ritzy: Reading and Leeds without a doubt.

Johannesburg would have been, but we didn't actually get to play Johannesburg.

Rhydian: About ten minutes before we were due to play, the stage completely collapsed .

15

l7nov09

Music Editor Paul Cook catches up with three-piece indie pop band The Joy Formidable about their support slot with Editors.

Matt: That wasn't a highlight!

Ritzy: Yeah please don't put that our highlight was the stage collapsing and people getting killed! The festival itself, apart from that, was incredible, probably the best festival of the summer.

Could you enlighten us 4?n the meaning of the album title A Balloon Called Moaning?

Rhydian: it's more like a feel than a title. lt does have substance though. lt comes from a play with words and just the feel we had when we were writing and recording the album. it's not your debut album however so is there a debut on the way?

Ritzy: No it's not. lt is basically just a collection of songs we put together, we wanted to put a bigger body of work out there. lt just doesn't feel like the complete debut album I wanted to release.

Rhydian: Well you can call it an album if you want. it's whatever you think it is. Let's not have an argument about it though.

Ritzy: No let's have an argument! I'm only joking!

You're all keen on following new music, have you got any new bands you could recommend to us?

Ritzy: There's a band in London that I've yet to see but I like what they're doing, what they've recorded. lt is a bit Lo-fi but I like it. They're called 'Dead Wolf Club.' I'd like to see them live but I keep missing them. Another band called

IW1N CoPI[S or Iur: Nr:\v NM[ Au~L ~I CouRTfSY or CoNcRa[ Mus1c!

We have 3 copies of the brand new NME compilation The Album 2009 up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning a copy of the 40 track CD fe!lturing Biffy Clyro, Kasabian, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Cribs, The Prodigy, The Maccabees, The Temper Trap and many more, all you have to do is tell us:

The Citadels who do really nice summery music.

We're certainly always on the lookout.

In which year was the New Musical Express first published?

a)1950.

Your last show this year is in Norwich, nave you got any support bands in mind?

Ritzy: Well it's funny because we know a promoter in Norwich who put on one of our very early shows here for us and now we're really good friends with her and we always stay at Annie's house and have too much red wine and East Anglian cheese and things. She sent us a whopping list of local talent so we'll be choosing from that soon hopefully. Norwich is one of the best places that's sort of adopted us. There's always a really friendly atmosphere. And it's so beautiful and surrounded by nice countryside. If I drive here I can hardly concentrate because I'm always looking for reinde~r ... l mean deer! Not reindeer!

The Joy Formidable will be playing their last headline show in the UK at Norwich Arts Centre on 11th December.

b)1952.

c)1955.

d)1959.

Send your answers with your name and contact number to concrete.music@uea. ac.uk. Good luck!

-:·

KASABIAN 'YCLYRO

FRIENDLY FIRES JAMIET

TEMPER TRAP WHlTELIES PARAMORE

The Event's Emma Webb discusses music's most egotistical frontmen.

When the split of Oasis was announced following their last-minute abandonment of this year's V Festival, the fans left behind were unquestionably divided into the truly distraught, and the thoroughly unsurprised.

Warring brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher frequently found themselves in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, as their battle for control over the band slowly tore apart the 18 year standing of Oasis at the forefront of British rock.

Hardly a unique moment for the global music industry, when you consider other bands the world has lost due to an individual attempting to get bigger than the band.

Many here at UEA are too young to remember 70s/80s rock sensation Genesis in their heyday, initially fronted by Peter Gabriel.

Genesis felt the 'Gallagher Effect' not once, but twice during· their existence, as Gabriel's incessant love for the wildly theatrical led to his forced exit from the band as he performed in various bizarre costumes, finally edging the band to breaking point when he arrived in a Slipperman outfit too humungous for him to move onstage, bringing that night's performance to a standstill.

Phi I Coli ins stepped up to take over vocals for Genesis on Gabriel's exit, and platinum-selling

albums were made. But with Collins' sudden departure for a solo pop career, the commercial failure of Genesis' next album with Ray Wilson as his replacement was the unmitigated end of Genesis. The extent to which he was aware of the consequences for the remaining members is a question unresolved . lt seems highly unlikely that he expected the multi-million sales to

continue in his absence . Whether the sacrifice of Genesis in favour of overplaying Against All Odds at high school proms was worth it, remains a matter of opinion .

Across the pond in the late 80s saw similar destructive action in the madness of Axl Rose, frontman for rock legends Guns 'n' Roses . The band enjoyed whirlwind success with their

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debut album Appetite for Destruction, and released five studio albums and a live CD in quick succession by the early 90s, only for it all to fall apart spectacularly at the hands of Axl Rose. Following the recording of their last studio album The Spaghetti Incident, Axl forced all members of the band to sign over the rights to the band, leaving him free to dismiss and replace them all- which he did, with immediate effect.

Although he still functions under the moniker of Guns 'n' Roses, it took ten years for another stud io album to be completed, to be greeted with lukewarm reviews . lt appears Axl still believes in the continued success of himself as the last original member in what is unquestionably an entirely new band, when the starting five of 1986 held such exceptional promise for a career that could have spanned decades.

What remains of the ego monsters now is a plethora of shattered Oasis fans and the sugary pop hits of Phil Collins. How many more promising and widely successful groups will fa11 apart as the frontman takes control, and the charts are littered with solo careers and exmembers of the fallen? Only time will tell .

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As the crowd began to grow impatient, the lights dimmed and Biffy Clyro took to the stage. lt all kicked off with the second

along with James Johnston's vocals in the chorus.

Machines gave everyone a chance to relish in melody (and

single from their fifth record Only Revolutions; a pit formed immediately and we were neck deep in the energetic guitar riff of That Golden Rule . Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies followed as expected, generating one of the biggest sing-

catch their breath) as Simon served it up with real emotion. The purple up-lights and crowd involvement were very reminiscent of Biffy's festival performances from the last year- a welcome

and Who's Go t a Match?, undoubted ly two crowd favourites sin ce t he success of Puzzle. Sa fe? Per haps, but probab ly for th e

move by Biffy using two recent songs, however crowd reactions to older Blackened Sky and Justboy highlight that Biffy know t he

best as it may have resu lted in a drop in atm os ph ere had th ey thrown all the ir new stuff toget her at once. Bo rn on a Horse is followed by the head-banging chant of 9/lSths, serving as an

dedication of their audience.

After a successful reception of The Captain, the encore began with Joy. Discovery. invention, a happy relief for early fans

intense build to the insanity that was 57, when Biffy owned the venue for the first time that evening. The set of ang led

Mental an d the hugely popular Mountains, leaving the entire

refreshment. The rhythms of Now I'm Everyone and Love Has a a-longs of the evening.

Diameter had the crowd nodding with the bea t s again and led Next came new so ng Bubbles, flanked by A Whole Child Ago · us beautifully into the melodic God and Satan. Another safe

meta l girders came alive with flashing lights, the strobes were on overtime and the crowd was alive with passion, screaming

and a great sing-along for the crowd. The set ended with Semivenue on a high.

Michael Hammon d

After waiting for an acceptable number of bodies to brave the Waterfront dance floor (about 11) the first act, Scholar, broke

Hundred Reasons kicked us off with Broken Hands, a glorious starter that was weakened for those at the front who

the ice. The Fourso me from Hemel Hampstead were tight, executing a clash of echoing yet sharp guitar riffs, shredding vocals and booming synth, a sign of things to come over the

couldn't quite he ar the vocals. After bassist, Andy Gilmore, turned his amps up , this vocal drowning only worsened , as the hugely popular No Way Back from the latest album was

course of the evening. The ice however was merely cracked as many slowly retreated to the bar for their first merry drink.

After setting up their own instruments, a group of five

only sung half-heartedly by the crowd, we strained to hear Colin Doran's vocals. The set soon took a turn for the better however, as they belted out the heavier numbers from the

teens, Canterbury, took to the stage for what was an explosive performance. Huge synthesiser ch i mes, two outstanding rock vocals and a few drop D bass lines reflected a youthful hybrid

third album, sending Colin emotionally t o his knees and al lowing us an inspired mosh and a head bang t o a sty le t h e

of what might be described as The Killers meets Fall Out Boy. The lads enjoyed every second, bellowing out the fantastic Set Your Right and Friends ? We 're more like gangs, which were, in an ironic tone, dedicated to "a ll those who have actually

The classics Falter and set-closer if I Could, clear ly conjured euphoric childhood familiarity among the spec t ators, screaming out the lyrics to their friends along with a sea of waving mobile phones . Overall, a great night of 'rocking out ' and second band, Canterbury, are certainly worth the free

heard of us" which only attracted further admiration from the crowd. And so, enchanted by this unexpected vibrancy, we waited half an hour for the headliners.

T111~ KARr[Dif:S > WATIJ?rRONT > TIH IJ?SDAY 29TII OcTORII~ The 'one man, one acoustic guitar' type show has become dull, what with the vast number of similar songs broadcasted over the airwaves in recent years. However, Ed Sheeran does something different. Yes, he is a singer-songwriter, but he also uses fancy trickery to samp le and loop what he does, harmonising and beat box ing- in effect , creating his own back ing band. Imagine mi xin g Newto n Fa ul kner and Jam ie T together; the resu lt is very impressive.

Vanil la Kick couldn't be more of a contrast. They were a little bit 'Radioheadesque'; their opener starts with a soaring voice over, odd chord progressions and complex time signatures which soon descend into post-rock, with a riotous wal l of sound hitting the crowd. They focus their brilliant craftsmanship into bui lding different layers throughout a number of epic songs. A huge sound is produced from a variety of instrument s, despite there be ing on ly three members. They were amazing, but cou ld eas ily alie nate a less hos pi tab le crowd.

The Loyal Few are an 'Americanised' pop-rock band who use big, sing-a-long choruses, upbeat drums and a charismatic frontman to win over the crowd. They are musically adept and, despite being the simplest band of night, still manage to be infuriatingly entertaining, especially with darker song Walls.

The Kabeedies adorn the stage with apt album launch paraphernalia; shredded magazine 'snow' and mu lti colou red ba lloons set t he scene fo r an evening of j oyous ind ie. They hammer through all of the ir simply brilliant 'two-minute wonders ' from debut album Rumpus with a sense of urgency that did nothing but provide uproarious cheers amongst the crowd after every abrupt end. lt could be the band's graciousness, the best dancing singer/guitarist combo in indie at the moment, the plethora of catchy pop songs or just the sheer excitability of the crowd; whatever it was, the gig was superb and The Kabeedies have a new fan.

Alex Throssell

band appear to be most accustomed to.

album download on their Myspace.

Peter Walker

T

17 nov09 lssue235

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S>A UMS ~hiZÂŁR RADITUDt

lt wasn't exactly a shock to find when first listening to Raditude that Rivers Cuomo had thrown another curve ball. In a change of direction from the pop-culture-laden, black comedy of their last effort, Weezer have opted for the full-frontal hormonal teenager assault.

However, the geeky sarcasm and uniqueness which have made them kick twice the amount of ass with the same four chords as their contemporaries seems to be subdued under the pop-perfect, just unwrapped production style of Butch Walker.

5/ 10 lt would be easy to criticise this album .

Too easy. Shallow and seemingly insincere pop effo~s like Can't Stop Partying are confusing for fans of the band . However, as a pop-rock album it's not so bad; the production isn't as Weezer as past albums, but it's something new, and the album certainly sports a few highlights like the infectious I'm Your Daddy and Let it All Hang Out, or Put Me Back Together_ The main gripe with this album is that Weezer is a band who've already conquered the "1-just-wanna-partyj a ck-off-a n d- p Iay-dungeon s-and -dragons" mind-state so well that they've practically created their own nuance within the genre; it really doesn't make sense for the 30-40 year old rockers to try and relate to a new generation of kids, which materialises as a general lack of substance consistent throughout.

Do we really need this album? Probably not. After 13 years we' re still not tired of Tired of Sex, but after a week, we're pretty bored of Raditude and the misanthropy it creates certainly doesn't contend with such a celebration of superficiality. However, the simplicity of loving and pa.rtying as a teenager without a care? We can still dig that.

Jake Wieczorek

Tegan and Sara: probably Canada's most successful duo, mi llions sold, releasing their 6th studio album and yet, care to breathe their name in Britain and you'll be met with blank faces . "Maybe this will change now though!" you say, but alas no; and it's unfortunate that with this new album comes little hope for change or improvement. it's almost like the cake you see in the shop and spend all day thinking about how nice it will be, only to find it's a little bland. Openers Arrow and Hell are the ic ing - fancy, good

looking, good tasting and set a precedent for more goodness to come . Red Belt is almost the jam in the tniddle of the sponge, the bit that keeps you hungry for more, amongst all of that fluffy stuff... and so greedily you finish it all, only to find yourself feeling stuffed and a little disappointed . it's a shame when previous efforts from the band have been infectious and almost a 'secr~t' that only you and a few other fans could indulge in. lt seems that with Sainthood, Tegan and Sara have adopted the fun, fastbeat side of previous album, The Con, thinking that this was the secret to their success.

Perhaps not a recipe for disaster, the album, unfortunately, just leaves little to be desired, little taste and- moreover little impact. Give it another season of One Tree Hill or any similar US sitcom and half the album will be playing back at you amongst some killing/tragedy/ crying teenage angst, but for now, Sainthood holds little integrity or interest to power Tegan and Sara into the global heights where they ought to be.

~

Emma Lehane

LYRO

ONLy REVOLl !liONS

In 1986, Slayer released Reign In Blood, the alleged 'heaviest album of all time'. This is debatable, but it's an undeniably seminal thrash masterpiece which set the benchmark and has remained unchallenged ever since. Combining ferocious intensity with memorable hooks and impeccable musicianship, it's the metal album all indie kids love. Normally, you'd expect Slayer to have spent the rest of their career trying either to exceed this or distance themselves from it. So, naturally, they haven't done either; churning out consistently listenable thrash metal that follows

a simple blueprint. While other trailblazers of the scene changed their spots (Anthrax went all hard rock, and Metallica, well. ..have you heard St. Anger?) Slayer have diligently ploughed their own furrow, and so retained their credibility. This furrow is surrounded by barbed wire, and may quite possibly be on fire.

That said, World Painted Blood does make some deviations from the standard grind; in fact, some of the more accessible and interesting moments can be found when things calm down a little. Human Strain and Playing With Dolls lower the tempo and are all the better for it, and standout track Beauty Through Order features Tom Araya pulling off something that could almost be described as singing, and sounds like it could even be a successful single one day. The more traditional thrash monsters, such as Unit 731, are stunningly intense; Kerry King's lightning fast fretwork continued to impress. There are a few duff tracks; Snuff and Not of This God are basically the same rubbish song, and the latter feels half-heartedly tacked onto the end . Not to worry though, this is business as usual, and cousin, business is a-boomin'.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

One of the most eagerly anticipated releases of 2009 begins with a gradual crescendo of footsteps along wooden floorboards as The Captain sets the sail aloft for Biffy Clyro's 5th studio album.

In a string-laden, trumpet accompaniment, Biffy begin with a strong chorus hit, which may well be their best effort to date.

The string theme is continued with That Golden Rule, with a more fast-paced guitar riff.

A definite live favourite for all fans, especially during their current tour. Next up is Bubbles, one of the best songs on the record . lt builds up to a

cataclysmic climax, with the help of Josh Horn me, to create a powerful guitar riff likened to The Ideal Height from The Vertigo of Bliss. God and Satan calms the pace briefly with cleverly chosen and easy sing-along lyrics. This acoustic classic, often appearing in their recent set lists, may even rival Machines. Born on a Horse shows off the new found funk element absent from their previous work, which is likely to have been influenced

by Simon Neil's side project, Marmaduke Duke.

The second half, although lyrically not as strong as the first, cannot be ignored. Cloud of Stink showcases one of the bands heaviest riffs, while Many of Horror is another slower-paced, stringgem of a hit in the making, akin to Folding Stars.

What Biffy Clyro have produced is an album appealing to all types of alternative rock music lovers. The record engages fans who have loved them since the beginning, intrigues those that became interested with Puzzle and now captivates new followers with the continuation of the bands mainstream success in Only Revolutions. A definitive album of 2009. M on the Biffy!

Seb Crane

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5/ 10

Bro ther Sp ort, th e new single fro m Anim al

8/ 10

Hun g Up is th e third single by Suffo lk boys The Cheek, who were (un ti l rece nt ly ) know n as th e som ewh at le ss snappy Ch ee ky Cheeky and th e Nose bleeds. lt all start s off promi singly w ith a nice guit ar li ck and a hypn oti sin g drum bea t. Then th e over eager voca ls start and it qui ckl y beco mes app are nt th at thi s is ju st anot her New Wave of Bri tpop ba nd devo id of any so rt of orig in ality, to t he ex tent th at it is quite poss ible t hat Hu ng Up is actu ally a none too subt le rip off of The Buzzcocks Ever Fallen In Love. Because of this it manages to ca rry so meth ing rese mbli ng a catc hy hook, not as instant as in the likes of Chelsea Dag ger bu t probably bett er for it . Even so, th e ch o ru s of 'We're so yo ung and hung up' is so massivel y clic hed th at it almos t esca pes self-parody.

Certainly not th e worst thin g ever co mmitted to disc but a long w ay off bein g track of t he yea r. Almost definitely anoth er hit fo r th e Hall yaaks ge nerati o n th en.

Elli e Goulding is th e latest addi ti on to 2009's co nsistent po p assembly-line of "qui rky " fema le arti sts (Little ·Boots, La Roux, Florence etc), eac h of whom have brought t heir own uniqu e defin ing qu aliti es into th e mix. With her brea kthrough single Under the Sheets, in clud es t he qu alities of dark sy nths, omino us drums, wi spy, breathy voca ls and lyri cs that vee r bet ween des pair ·and w ea rine ss ("Yo u' re not th e an swer, I should know/ Like all th e boys before ..." ). Whilst it possib ly wo n' t be an instant fl oor-fille r in your local nightclu b, Un der th e Sheets is subtl e, moody elect ro- influ ence d pop and is sure to be a grower as tim e goes on .

With a Mark Ro nson -produ ce d album on the w ay, a recen t UK tou r sup po rting Little Boot s and a co llabo ration wi t h Frankmu sic al ready und er her belt, Goulding's is on e name yo u' re very li kely to hear more of soon - j ust as long as she does n't get lost ami dst a sea of La Roux wann abes.

Strange Th ings, th e latest single from house

Co ll ective, is quite strange . Th e band's ot he r songs al bi et typi ca lly experiment al, provide an interesting cl as h of altern ative instrumental sec tion s and vocal hooks, but th eir latest release is ju st too peculiar. Extensive periods of confused inst rumentals pu sh th e so ng out to ju st under a lengthy 6 minutes, and seem to add li tt le to a so ng w hich has almost no substa nti al develo pment. The duo's idiosyncra tic Beach Boys-esqu e vo ca ls are im pressive throu ghout, however th e rep etiti on which th e song is reli ant on tires after a wh ile. lt is a sha me th at thi s song doesn' t im press as much as th e rest of Merriweather Post Pavilion as Anima l Collective are actu ally atte mptin g to change music w ith th eir un conve ntional creati ons. lt ju st seems at thi s time, wh en poppy tun es are dominating the airwaves, th at th e band's alternative sound wi ll remain so mewh at und erg round only appreciated by th ose in t he know.

Michael Blunt

Alex Throssell

Kate Hinksman

Michael Bond

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duo Th e Co unt and Sinden is a rath er od d track .

Using samp les of old schoo l reggae arti st John Halt 's 70s original so mbre single intermittently, its pu lsa ting blunted yelps of bass make for an interesting, if jil ti ng, song. Jos hua 'The Count ' Harvey and Grae me Sinden see m unfett ered by th e inhibiti ons of ex peri ence - t hey have stil l yet to release the ir de but album - and th eir expe rimenta l style catche s hold of th e ea r w ith a Doberm an like grip. Th e caco ph ony of drum machin es, alarms and pou nding bass, all interwoven with the cool wa ft s of Ja maica n spirit don' t necessarily flow w ith any coherence or meaning but are thrown at you with an untempered, raw exuberance t hat leaves you ree li ng. Strange Things would seem perfectly at home chucked out into th e midst of un de rground rave to t he rapturous appreciation of a crowd . A ro ugh, bold ro undhouse of a tu ne to leave th e ea rs stunn ed and th e feet moving.

seat luxurious waiting room collect from our new office ~ for your comfort and a CC1V surveillance on Prince Of Wales Roadjt·~';: syste~ for your SAFETY 24 hQurs a day. , opposite Roccos/Mercy. -~~' Securt~ Guards are on hand during ~usy J t h NUS d -.-. · periods to escort you to your taxi us s ow your car. . . .~. . _.~-~-~. :.; _:.:~..fi~'.;.- _and over see the general operation. '*D t.I{O li!Lb appL

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Horror and teen comedy movies probably get slated more than any other genre, so on paper it doesn't seem like the most practical idea to follow up a cute, Academy Award -winning indie-movie with a film about a man -eating cheerleader. This is more the case when. the cheerleader is played by the token eyecandy Megan Fox. Yet the team behind Juno should not be instantly written off, as screenwriter Diablo Cody and producer Jason Reitman have a trick or two up their sleeves.

Jennifer's Body takes place in the small Minnesota town of Devil's Kettle. Best friends 'Needy' Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried) and Jennifer Check .(Fox) go to see unsigned

band Low Shoulder, fronted by none other than Adam Brody. This triggers a series of mysterious circumstances, in particular Jennifer discovering

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an appetite for boys in the devouring them alive sense of the word. Thus the friendship between the two girls is tested as Needy is forced to fight her former best buddy in an attempt to save the school. lt isn't all doom and gloom, though . In fact there is very

little of that at all. Instead, Jennifer's Body carries the wittiest script of any horror movie since the first Scream film ; what it lacks in tension it makes up for in laughs. Cody has her characters live in the same world as those from Juno and so they are constantly apt at throwing out bitchy one liners and quasi-philosophical statements. lt works to such effect that it is almost easy to miss the fact that there are no scares here. Jennifer's encounters with her victims are laughable at best, even in the parts where they are not meant to be. lt is almost impossible to spot the difference between pre and post-demon Jennifer, as she is never that likeable in

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the first place . Why Seyfried's stereotypical geek character would be best friends with her is one of the mysteries that the film never gets around to an swering; also the halfexplained 'friends since the sandbox' story with its lesbian undertones really doesn't work . The much talked about kiss scene between Fox and Seyfried seems like nothing more than a stunt to attract a wider male audience to a movie which at the core is about the trials of female friendship.

Add to the equation Needy's soppy and quite frankly clingy boyfriend, Chip (Jason Simmons), and the result is something akin to a Bermuda Triangle in which even the film's plot is

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19

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eventual ly lost.

That sa id, Jennifer's Body is not a bad film, it just doesn't live up to the promise of Juno.

There is enough potential to suggest that Cody has another great screenplay in her somewhere. Until then, this will have to do. There will

be no Oscars this time around t hough.

Unassuming pensioner turned rogue vigilante, Harry Brown tells the story of the man pushed to extremes. When his best friend is murdered at the hands of a remorseless group of thugs, marine veteran Harry Brown (Michael Caine in a surprisingly dark role) takes it upon himself to restore justice and eliminate the evil personalities running the estate. This makes for very tense viewing. ¡ Like all our favourite British films, the movie is full of grit, realistic - though never excessive - violence and a plethora of true acting talent (Charlie Creed-Miles and Emily Mortimer included).

Slight criticism would be that the actors at times seem to

be so thoroughly involved In their own characters that the chemistry and cohesion between individuals when on screen is somewhat lacking.

Particular praise for Jack O'Connell (of Skins fame), ,whose transformation into the tortured aggressive chav Marky is flawless.

When the pace quickens and brutality escalates towards the end, we're left on the edge of our seats wanting answers: will the old man save the day? Believable? Okay, not quite. But entertaining?

Definitely.

Naomi Fraser

Michael Blunt

h/ 10

CRbbNS

The British period film appears to never be far from our cinema screens . Creation hit the cinemas just over a month ago and was about a troubled English botanist . This month we have Bright Star, which is about a troubled English poet.

Bright Star tells the story of the passionate love affair between John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his next door neighbour, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) .

Unsurprisingly, the course of true love does not run smoothly. Keats is poor and unsuccessful, relying on charity from his friends. His health is also failing, whilst Miss Brawne's family hopes for a wealthier match. Bright Star is innocent, gentle and

harmless. lt IS well acted and well scripted, but offers nothing new in the period drama genre. The first half moves along quite briskly, but the pace in the second half is so slow it seems as if it's almost going backwards. This affects the emotional impact that might have otherwise been achieved during the tragic ending. Overall, this is a must for period film fans, but others might not be so keen .

Katy Quigley

;to

The Fourth Kind is an interesting film presented in an innovative manner, which will keep the viewer on the edge of their seat

from beginning to end .

The narrative follows Dr. Abigail Tyler, a professional psychologist, who unwittingly begins to uncover the supposed truth behind the unusual number of disappearances in the small Alaskan town of Nome.

Tyler concludes that alien abduction is rife and is responsible not only for the disappearance, but the unsolved murder of her husband . The film mainly surrounds itself with her personal journey - trying to convince the authorities

and her colleagues that she is not in the middle of some psychological breakdown . film What makes this particularly scary is the footage that Dr. Tyler actually filmed and the accompanying audio cut which stars Milia Jovovich. The film uses a split screen to prove that the events are keeping in line with what supposedly happened .

The Fourth Kind is a thoughtprovoking, scary and at times disturbing film that surpasses the scariest of horrors and is not for the faint hearted.

RacheiCoxon

-8/ ' 0

8/ ' 0

20

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17nov0 11

Taking Woodstock takes a drug-filled trip back to the 1960s psychedelic era where sex, drugs and rock and roll ran amok.

We follow the true story of Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin) needing to save his parents' motel business by concocting a plan to stage the biggest mu sical fe stival in his smal l town, Bethel. With local town outcry but hippie support, the event proves to challenge Elliot's outloo k upon life.

The eve r multi-faceted Ang Lee injects some comedic elements into thi s light-hea rted drama, bringing the film to life with the brilliant British actress lmelda Staunton delivering her lines to perfection . However, with many poignant issues raised in this film regarding family va lu es, racia l prejudice

..........,. my ~ Jt- ({ '11 / norw c ~

and sexuality, it feels Lee merely whispers them to his aud ie nces, failing to tackle th em hea d on. Yet this film does not take itself too seriously, capturing the fleeting moments and casua l relationships which compl iment the 1960s lifestyle.

Although the film fail s to angle on the live festiva l itself, its solid musica l score and experimental cinematography acts as a hallucinogenic backdrop, capturi ng its feel good vibe.

Expect lots of drugs, nudity and hard man Liev Schreiber in a dress; what's not to like ?

Paul Martin

()

' DVD R[LfAS[S

Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) are caveman buddie s who, when forced out th eir vi llage, embark on a journey filled with biblical characte rs and ancient cities.

Writer and Director Harold Ramis offers the usual 'average guy' formula; embarrassing situation s and girl trouble, albeit in an historical an d savage se tting. it 's hard to di slike Black's routine . mix of delud ed se lf-confidence and

quirky charm, or Cera as Black's slightly more intell igent, but forever unlucky skinny sid ekick. The plot, however, isn't doing them any _favours.

Taking two 'no-hopers' out of the usual high-school/ life-on-the-do le setting and giving audiences a skewed history lesson is inventive, but as the film proves, it 's not in sta ntly funny. Th e crude humour th at often works well in th e buddy genre creates

After his brief flirtation with the American mainstream, with his flawless but pointless remake of his own film, Funny Games, Michael Haneke has gone back to his roots for his latest feature , with spectacu lar resu Its. The plot concerns a se ri es of mysterious incidents in a smal l German community just before the First World War, and from the re deve lops into a powerfu l med itation on morality, oppression and innocence.

Essentially a whodunnit, the point is not who is responsib le, but th e fact that anyone could be.

The so-cal led moral guardians of the town sleep around and engage in sexual abuse, while dealing out cruel, humiliating

them?

The White Ribbon is by no means an easy watch; it's very long and so me of th e more uncomfortable scenes of abuse and humili ation make for distressing viewing.

But persevere and you'll be rewarded by an intriguing and exquis itely paced plot, gorgeous black and white cin ematograp hy by Haneke regular Ch ri stia n Berger, and so me exce ll ent acting .

Th e children , picked after an extensive casting process during which 7000 were interviewed, are parti cularly impressive. A worthy winner of this year's Palme D'Or at Cannes.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

punishments for the most trivial misdemeanours; who wou ldn 't want to get back at

2012 gives us a foreboding vis ion of the very near future. Credit has to be given to Hollywood; this time they at least researched a reasonable explanation for the apocalypse , rather than making stuff up, Knowingstyle. Ye s, it's based on the Mayan myth that the world will end on the winter so lstice of 2012, but the audience have to wonder if America is just j ea lous because we have the 2012 Olympics and they don't.

The film as a whole 1sn't bad. lt has its funny moments (much more than was intended). it's visually stunni ng, and in some places it is genuinely quite moving,

the point that a group of people splas hing around in water begins to look like low-ren t porn . The touching momen t s are often tainted with a hint of chauvinism.

The script is good in places, but, more often th an not, it is so bad that eve n John Cusack co uldn ' t ac t his way ou t of it. However, the film is worth ext ra rating ju st for the display of Woody Har relson's bum.

M icha Butler

but this is fa r from a perfect mov ie. Some of the special effec ts are laughable, to

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the same di sgust, just minus the laughter. Year One does score some novelty points, quite a few of them provided

by Vinnie Jones as a Roman warrior. Meanwhile, for Jack Black fans, the DVD ha s plenty of extras, making up for the lack of comic value within the film itself.

Emma Featherstone

1/10

Coco Before Chanel tells the story of the woman behind the legendary fashion house Chanel. We are taken back to Gabrielle Chanel's humble be ginnings; her childhood at the orphanage, her years as a poor seamstress by day and cabaret singer by night. She earns the nickname Coco from ari stocrat Balsan who, taking her under his wing, introd uces her to high French soc iety. Soon bored, she begins to des ign

hats, wear men's clothes and rebel against the strict reg ime of women's fashion .

As expected, the costumes are stunn ing, Chanel having contributed many of the pieces, but this film is not just for fashion followers. The scenes are beautifully shot by Fon taine, focu ssi ng largely on eoeo's life pre-success, meaning tlie plot does not rely so lely o n her fas hi on career.

Audrey Tautou gives a ste l-

lar performance, managing to portray Coca's vulnerability beneath the headstrong exterior. The DVD extras provide details on the making of the film alongside some exclusive interviews. Oyerall, a stylistic French film , well worth a watch and not just by label lovers.

Lorn a Pon tef ract

9/10

Tot 011702240240

17 nov09

WILD TniNGs To

21

CoMi? After the outrageously overMax king of their fantastical hyped Fantastic Mr Fox, it world. Yet, despite the seeming is reassuring to know that juvenility of its source material, another, no doubt more the film is certainly not imaginative adaptation of a exclusively for children. classic children's story, was Indeed, Sendak's book has padding a gigantic clawed and caused controversy since its furry foot enigmatically in its initial publication in 1963, being wake. branded by many parents as too Where The Wild Things Are, terrifying and even nightmarewhich is set for UK release on inducing for their children. lt is 11th December, is based upon no surprise, therefore, that the pictureMaurice Sendak's production of Where The Wild Things Are has been riddled book of the same name. lt centres around nine-year-old with confrontation. Reportedly, Max who, feeling neglected the film's director, cult auteur at home, escapes to a magical Spike Jonze, and writer David Eggers had to fight hard with island in his imagination. The inhabitants include a group of' producers to retain some of towering animal-like creatures the film's darker content that -the 'Wild Things' -who crown was seen as too dangerously

sinister for a family, audience.

As the third film from Jonze, who has built a reputation for his brilliantly bizarre and idiosyncratic style with films such as Being John Molkovich, one need not expect anything less from Where The Wild Things Are than a wacky and perhaps slightly disturbing extravaganza.

Watching the trailer alone is an exciting experience, offering a glimpse into the fantastical, dream-like world that Jonze has created.

We see Max gallivanting through cavernous grottos and exotic deserts framed by a clear sky. This is all to the melancholic beats of Wake Up by indie rock band

Arcade Fire.

The Wild Things themselves are impressive to behold.

Jonze has mostly rejected CGI (it is used only for the creatures' faces and some of thetr movement). which has attained a tiresomely ubiquitous currency in filmmaking. Instead, he opts for actors in life-size costumes, created by the imaginative genius that is the Jim Henson Company.

The phrase 'saving the best until last' would appear to have rarely been more apt, as Where The Wild Things Are will surely be the perfect film to round off

2009.

Michael Lovelock

(I £MATIC CLASSICS> TII£ WILD llUNCI-l, 1969 Sam Peckinpah 's 1969 western is a multi-faceted experience that satisfies in a number of ways. lt serves as a testament to the perfecting of the genre by that particular director, as an elegy delivered to all westerns past, as a sign of things to come, and, more generally, as a sign of the evolution of the content and style of American cinema.

Whether this trend has turned out to be for better or worse is for the informed reader to decide. What is perhaps not, so much, in question is that The Wild Bunch is a hugely

provocative piece of cinema.

Violent, rough-hewn and occasionally misogynistic, it captures the spirit of the time in the manner that all great films must, but, more importantly, alludes to the enduring humanity (or lack thereof) in us all.

The graphic violence in this film is what gained it immediate notoriety, but it is perhaps the seething potentiality that lingers longest in the memory. From the pessimistic opening scene, with a group of laughing schoolchildren tossing a

scorpion into a sprawling mass of ants to be devoured greedily, the tone is set within a film that strives for authenticity, and, unlike most, achieves it. That being said, there are flaws. The film is too long,

especially in the middle third, and unthoughtful accusations of sexism from some commentators have helped to expose the lack of diversity in the main characters. If one expects the portrayal of the

characters to be similar to that in, say, a superior modern Western such as Unforgiven or Open Range, disappointment is inevitable. These are larger than life characters, scenerychewing outlaws who want one last crack at the big time before being literally blasted into an enforced retirement.

Why is this film significant?

Firstly, in regards to how it portrayed violence on film, a theme that would become all the more obvious as cinema in general progressed towards the seventies. Secondly, it exposed the heroic myth of

the old West, which became a crucial feature of the genre, and continues to be so today.

Which Western since The Wild Bunch doesn't incorporate some aspect of revisionism?

Thirdly, and most importantly, it shows the advantage of having a director with a clear line of thought running through all his films. This creates a tendency towards controversy that stimulates some, not always meaningful, debate amongst lovers of cinema, as well as casual film viewers.

George Gilbert

Pm;:ss R£u:Ast: SPt:CIAL> In£ Mm Wuo STAR£ AT GoATS When Concrete Film received an invite to The Men Who Stare at Goats press conference in London, we excitedly confirmed straight away. We packed our bags and set off for a day-trip adventure that we hoped wouldn't disappoint.

After the train decided to experience signal failure, we tackled the underground maps and made our way to Oxford Street.

On sight of the Twentieth Century Fox building, our cameras were instantly raised in awe as we walked around Soho Square like starstruck loons, the Square also

inhabiting the infamous British Board of Film Classification building. We gleefully signed ourselves into the guestbook and picked up a copy of the production notes. The guestbook included national newspapers, television channels and other media outlets; we really were journalism amongst film royalty. Confronted by leather seats, Fox logos on the carpet and an incredibly fancy curtain covering the film screen, Concrete Film felt like very small fish in the mass sea of film journalism.

Suddenly, the curtain

was brought up and the film started rolling. The Men Who Stare at Goats was very funny and sophisticated, but didn't quite match up to our incredibly high expectations.

Ewan McGregor plays Bob Wilton, a journalist on the search for a traffic stopping story. After meeting Lynn Cassidy (man-of the moment George Clooney}, a member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, Wilton finds himself right at the heart of their new age, seemingly peaceful tactics. The founder of this Army unit Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) has gone missing, so

Cassidy explains the tactics of the unit's methods in the race to save Django. Hence the title of the film, as we see hilarious attempts by the Army officials to end war as we know it, through a range of difference psychic methods. The comical elements of the film take away the potential it could have had to really deploy powerful messages about the tactics used in war combat today, and the effect this can have on the soldiers and innocent citizens alike. However, the acting is faultless with Clooney, McGregor, Bridges and Kevin Spacey all on top form.

The film ended, the curtain came down once again, and after an eventful day, Concrete Film wandered back to the train station. A bowl of pasta and a light Monday night conversation about the differences between feminism and post-feminism later, we reflected on our day. Concrete Film hopes to receive more invites to events like this, hopefully next time looking less lost and star-struck.

Elizabeth Poole and Adam Scales

(

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22

venue

17 uod) ~ ) iss uc .' U:)

VfNUf> TII£ SIGIITS &SoUNDS oJ: TIIf Cuv

I _j pretty rea so nable, con sidering the prices some competitors charge. Adult tickets are relatively expensive at £7.50, but you'll be hard pushed to find another cinema in Norwich which has

can take th ei r kids to, who ca n then make as

Attempting to see a film at Cinema City, an d turning up at 8.30 (for an 8.40 scree ning),

th e warm atmos ph ere that Cinema City does.

In the co nverted Suckling House and Stuart

then turn up with a megaphone and a Slipknot

one expects it be easy to get tickets for four people th ere and then. Then being told that

Hall along St. Andrew's Street, the cin ema boasts a quaint charm that could never be acheived by

there were only three seats leh suggests th ere was higher demand than expected.

Damn.

Try for a seco nd time to see a film at Cinema City, turn up at 8.30 (for an 8.40 screeni ng), still expecting it to be easy to get tickets for four people there and then. Book tickets online in advance and it turns out it

Vue or the Odeon . lt is listed as being the oldest independent art cinema, with the property dating

was - it wou ld have been a rookie error not to.

Th e difference between Cinema City and any of the national chain cinemas is instantly noticeable. it's a lot smaller than you might expect an establishment ca lled Cinema City to be -Cinema Vil lage, or even Cinema Hamlet would have been a slight ly more appropriate name.

The small size adds to its charm though, its 3 screens specialising in showing independent, arthouse and foreign-language film s. They do also show their fair share of mainstream and classic films so there's usua lly somet hing for everyone.

)

back to as ea rly as the 13th century. Having been recently overhauled a coup le of years ago, walking into a church to watch a film is nothing short of weird. However, as a nationwide company, Cinema City, or Picture House, maintains a sense of individuality in each of its venues, perfect ly demonstrated by our very own Norwich branch.

The screens are clean-looking, and quite traditional, the red velvet curtain above the scree n being particularly reminiscent of an expensive London theatre. Th e seats themselves are also very inviting - they're ext remely comfy, like sinking

mu ch noise as they like without bothering anyone. Note though th at it is strictly limited to one-year-olds - pl ease don' t rea d this review lyric book. Anot her interesting even t is E4's Slackers Club, which is a free stud ents-only

bar, perfect for a few pre-fi!m drinks - they also al low you to take your beve rages into the scree n which is a nice touch . Th ere's also an in-house restaurant offering a " fabulous eating experie nce from the

a la

carte menu".

Additionally, the cinema is offering an apt dea l to al l new-comers to UEA; in the Freshers' deal, all first years are being offe red a free

screening of a film, earning a thrihy thumbs-up!

stud ent cin ema membership, which includes

The cinema also houses a rather smart

a free cinema ticket, a free bott le of beer and £2 discount on al l ci nema tickets for twleve month s. Howeve r, th e offer is on ly available for registration before 27th Novem ber, so it's highly advisable to get in there quick.

Overall, Cinema City was found to be an excellent venue to see the latest and greatest films . Although their film se lection is rather limited, the presentation is unrivalled. If you ever have the choice between see ing a film at Cinema City or one of the national chains, it's highly suggested you try out th e former; it might ju st becom e a stapl e of your cinema -going antics.

into th e soh fuzzy couch at your Granny's house.

The video and audio quality is also good, both being nice and sha rp for th e duration of the film.

Cinema City can be reached on 0871 704 2053, and their website is at www.picturehouses. co.uk. Listings can be found on the website.

Some of the special events that Cinema City hold are also quite fascinating . An example being

Jon Kitto

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OHN PI N[IT[ DVD CIV[A\Vr\Y! have a copy of I'm Starving, the hi llarious DVD from American stand up comic John

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your com pl et ed crossword to th e Conc rete office upstairs in Union House by Thursday

inette, to give away!

12/11/09.

Pinette was named Stand Up Comedian of he Year by the American Comedy Awards, and

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urtesy of Cinema City, we have a goody bag a pair of tickets to Where The Wild Things to give away!

Young's are offering one lucky student a se mest er's suppl y of

he long-awa ited project from di rect or Sp ike Jonze is released on Decem ber 11th an d

their new fish fingers, and for those who are not lucky enough to win this great prize, you can sample the product when the company visits UEA on Frida'f 20th November.

promises to be one of the year's best family films. We have a pair of tickets to watch the film at Cinema City, plus at-shirt and a kite for a lucky winner.

To w in, just send the answer to the following question to concrete. competitions@uea ac.uk by 11/12/09:

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Taste of Home Steak & Guinn ess Casse role So up is cra mm ed full of hearty ingredie nts, incl uding tender steak, flavou rso me Guinness gravy and chunky vegetables.

To win, just send the answer to the following question to concrete. co mpetitions@uea.ac.uk by 11/12/09:

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Which Yeah Yeah Yeahs musician wrote the soundtrack to the film?

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