The event issue 242 20 04 2010

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fashion

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SPRING WATCII2010

This issue we take a look at two designers flourishing with the warmer weather, evaluate one of the season's hottest trends and celebrate the anniversary of a much-loved label.

SPORT Luxf Alexander Wang Rucksack>ÂŁ799

Louis Vuitton Spring 2010

There I was; a smal l squirt of a person with big brown eyes and scruffy golden hair, wearing bright, red tights and clutching my daddy's hand . I stared at all the big boots with fascination, the thick soles, the neverending laces and the long tongues poking out at me; was this a shoe that a girl with no more than seven years under her belt could pull off?

I left the shop with much heavier feet than when I entered it. My new, bright yellow " DMs" with an all over red flower print and red laces put a smile on my face. Like most shoes, they didn't stay bright and new for long as soon they became scuffed and worn with additional patterns of mud and frayed wet laces. They were certainly much loved and worn to every occasion from feeding the ducks to an auntie's wedding, oh how I adored them .

Fast forward and Or Martens has reached its 50th anniversary and not only this fashion editor a fan , but a few celebs are in tow as well. Models such as Daisy Lowe and Agyness Deyn have been seen rocking this fashion cult which was developed in the sixties. The Noisettes and the Duke

Strutting down the Spring/Summer 2010 catwalks was the idea of sportswear as daywear. The idea was to look effortless, cool and whimsical.

The key to this was the looseness of the garments worn; Louis Vuitton cinched in thick cricket jumpers with delicate belts and teamed draped harem pants with fitted, curve enhancing tops to retain femininity.

Neutral colours worked best with less danger of appearing chav-tastic; bright colours nod a little too much in the direction of Little Britain's Vicky Pollard. Expensive-looking material is also key; lycra should be avoided at all costs unless you want to look like you ' re off to the gym . Nylon and army canvas should be layered with silk for a luxurious utilitarian look.

If the idea of embracing the sportswear trend wholeheartedly doesn' t appeal, an easy way to

update a lethargic wardrobe is to accessorise with one piece, a gentle tribute to on-trend sportswear. .You could invest in Alexander Wang's grey leather rucksack; kitten soft, it really is a thing of beauty. However, at ÂŁ799 it's a bit steep for most student budgets. The same amount of money could buy you a grand total of 1598 packets of Supernoodles ...

So, instead of blowing your student loan, head to Topshop or Zara for their alternatives; Topshop's studded sportsack is particularly special.

Finally, the sportswear look is not purely casual. Heels can add a bit of glamour to take a relaxed sportswear outfit from day to night. At Alexander Wang, modified, ribbed, athletic socks were tucked into silky shoes for an interesting paradox. This trend has versatility, run with it.

Hannah Britt

TIIf RooT's RIRTIIDAY To celebrate Dr. Martens' 50th birthday, Kat Jones shares her fond memories of the iconic boot ...

Spirit are also followers.

Since arriving in Northampton in 1960, Or Martens were the baby of German designer Klaus Marten .

The strong, thick form gave the footwear an anarchic vibe which was favoured by the bikers and punks of the seventies. The boots are unique in the fact that they are both fashion and anti -fashion, and they are the only shoe brand to have such a great association with British culture.

Everyone has a Doe Marten memory, and if you don't then get on the web at to www.drmartens.com continue the tradition .

OaJJr 10 Issue

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<Two DbSIGNbRS toR ON-IRrnD J;'AsiiiON> • This fresh-faced starlet has graced numerous best-dressed lists and is applauded on the red carpet with her choice of vintage gowns. Harry Potter's Emma Watson has grown before our eyes from pre-teen wizard to an elegant English rose who has unleashed her other creative side by designing a range of fairtrade clothes with the ethical clothing brand People Tree.

The collection consists of items for both girls and guys and has a preppy summery feel, very casual and relaxed .

Items include Breton tees and Oxford jumpers for girls, and casual hoodies and shirts for guys. Unlike most items on the high street, each piece is made in Bangladesh, India or Nepal, and the workers not only get a fair wage but People Tree also help their communities too.

One of Emma's personal favourites is a necklace made from recycled sweet wrappers which comes in its own recycled gift box, "I love this jewellery. lt looks so amazing and has a great story."

Emma has found time in between her studying at.Brown University and filming for the final Harry Potter film to create this range, something she feels very passionate about. "lt is hard to know what is good and what is bad on the high street and equally hard to find fashionable or youthful ethical clothing," she explains. "So I decided to work with People Tree to put together a collection I could be proud of in terms of both ethics and design."

Key pieces include a grey t-shirt dress with the slogan 'please don't panic ... I'm organic' for girls, and a casual v-neck with a 'fairtrade fashion award' military style print for guys.

Sarah Hemsted

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Sunshine at last! The first rays of hope that winter is beginning its end are slowly warming our shoulders. High street shops are showcasing the springtime fashion of romantic, dusky hues of ivory, champagne and duck egg blue along with a stream of all things denim; these items will line our bodies from now until the peak of summer, yet at the New York Fashion Week, earlier this year, the Moncler Autumn/Winter 2010-2011 Grenoble collection set the bar for the colder months we will be dreading.

A huge, scaffolding structure of four storeys high stood in front of the beautiful night-time back drop of New York. Beams from helicopters illuminated square sections within the frame to reveal models in silhouettes verging between alien and astronaut shapes; th ink The Matrix fused with powerful elegance. A wind draft enforced an icy chill on this surrealist atmosphere, which was enhanced by the melodic sounds of Brahms' first concerto.

The figures stood still and tall, clad in metallics of great volume, forming armour of quilted jackets with helmets of sculpted hoods, they became a space-age army winning the battle against the cold.

One would certainly be a well-suited warrior of the Moncler army on the ski slopes of France, but each piece of this collection are made to acclimatise to urban surroundings as well, for

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example in the slim cut of trousers. This is a concept that the three founders of Moncler have had since the brand evolved from tents and sleeping bags to fashion . Their idea was to create marriages between different worlds; mountain with city and nature ~ith technology. Every element possesses a quality and an intelligence to fulfil th is need.

The Moncler Gamme Bleu Spring 2010 collection for men can be seen as a smooth transition period which will lead effortlessly through early spring to the on and off-piste style of the coming autumn . Moncler enlisted Thorn Browne and his eclectic knowledge of suits and tailoring to create a line of contemporary class with a relaxed air of athleticism. While womenswear focuses on floral tones and pretty pastels, Gamme Bleu concentrates on shades circling between blue and grey with hooded anoraks in sheer charcoal, slate down-filled blazers, white transparent trousers and silver lined draw-stringed shorts eluding the sportluxe look. Strong, navy overcoats are assembled with crisp, white shorts, flip flops and bowties touched with bright red stripes; the metropolitan sailor makes his entrance, whilst the Grenoble soldier waits in Mont Blanc's snowy wings.

Kat Jones

Emma Wat son's collection is available now from www. peopletree.co.uk and www.asos.com

Moncler can be found at its London branch on Sloane Street, but a little closer to home is Phill ip Browne in Norwich city centre. If you haven't ventured to this unique gem of a shop yet, then you are certainly missing out on an urban utopia of Narnia found in the wardrobe of the 21st century man.

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ARTS> ALI£RNATIV£ AciiVITI£S ART>Ill[ CLASII £Xl-llRITlON

LJT[RATUR[> RDTISlON R[ADS Nobody likes to talk about it, but exams are fast approaching. For some these are th e last exams of their academic life. it's a scary thought standing on the precipice of adu lthood; a theme covered in David Nicholls' One Day. Nicholls, who notably wrote Starter for Ten (later turned into a mediocre movie), is the new Ni ck Hornby, but better. In this moving novel Nicholls leads us throu gh the meanderings of life after university in bittersweet vignettes depicting where two graduates are in their lives each subsequen t yearafterg~duation.

A QPR picture smeared with Pete Doherty's blood would be eccentric eno ugh on its own, but it is just one of the unusual items in the Mick Jones exhibition entitled the Rock and Roll Public Library shown at the Norwich University Arts College (NUCA). The exhibition is an Aladdin's cave of iconic bric-a-brac that appears deceptively normal at first, li ke the Glastonbury wellies designed by Kate Moss for Mick or the sh irts the band wore that decorate the wall s.

Mick Jones didn't just intend people to look at the collection however.

The tactile exhibition encourages the viewers to browse through the Marvel comics and classic detective novels or watch the Carry On videos that line the she lves. Alongside Mick Jones personal memorabilia are certain items that are gold to a Clash fan, such as the scribbled note from Joe Strummer, the musical equipment or the gold disc for London

Calling . Quietly playing over th e exhibitio n

is a so undtrack handpicked by Mick and occasiona lly his voice can be heard intervening over the tracks. lt is not surp ri sing Mick Jones chose the art col lege to house his exhibition. Three of the Clash members, including himself, are former art stude nts. The choice of location, however, cou ld not have come at a better time as Norwich is requ esting to be the first eve r City of Culture by 2013. The Principal of NUCA, Professor John Last, comments that th e "exhibition highlights the growing recognition Norwich is earn ing as a thriving cultural centre and can only strengthen the bid for National City of Culture statu5."

Aniqah Choudhri

Nicholls tackles the gripping fear of graduation and all that comes after with tenderness and care, but making sure not to take away from the painful realities of it all.

Nicholls is the perfect read, but in particular for students. He is a breath of fresh ai r, portraying authenticity in the shades of grey it demands but also allowing for a book so engrossing that you won't want to put it down. One Day is the perfect opportunity to truly get immersed in a book and clear your head, before spurring you on to do more work!

The Secret History is a class ic novel. lt may have only been published in 1991 but it touches on universal themes, feelings and desires. lt would be a classic campus novel if it weren't

for the expertly delivered murder plot. Donna Tartt opens the book with the unaffected declaration of co ld -blooded murder before tracing backwards to its motives . The prose and story keeps you enthra ll ed through every page, forcing you to be charmed by cha ra cters you thought charmless, describing complex si tu ations with such accuracy you can't help but empathi ze with decisions made, and making you both glad and sorry that yo u're not on that destitute, debauched New Hampshire ca mpu s.

If you're looking for brash but witty humour, speckled with larger than life characters then Wilt by Tom Sharpe, first published in 1976, is a great option. If One Day and The Secret History are about students Wilt turns the tables and lets us glimpse into the world of a demoralized assistant lecturer. Wilt promises a welcome break to monotonous revision filled with sexual innuendo and murderous thoughts; this farcical novel will have you guffawing. Tom Sharpe's writing is droll, biting and astute which makes the preposterous situations seem believable.

His irreverent descriptions of his wife-swapping neighbours (this is the seventies after all!) and the like are the perfect way to escape the world of nash cards and the library.

Fiona Howard

Tn r:ATI~r: > Osc\f~ W1Lnr: i\ ND II L\I?I NC

VoH JS

Mick Jones: The Rock and Roll Public Library is

on display at the NUCA gall ery unti l the 22nd of May

A~T > [XTI~r\ [X11 11~1TIONS > Ilii~I)L-\C[ i\ NI) SCVA

A competition run by popular student haunt The Birdcage comes to a clim ax this month.

Since January, they have been asking Norwich creative types to create art and photography on the theme of the circus. From the 16th April the work will be available to view. All the work is for sale at student friendly prices of a fiver to an eccentric loan blowout of around £200. Go down, have a look and enjoy a drink of coffee,

or someth ing stronge r. Any excuse, eh?

There are opportunities to do something different at the Sainsbury Centre this month .

On the 21st and the 28th of April there opportunities for the artistica lly inclined to put pencil to paper in Artslab, an afternoon observational drawing class, perfect for relaxing and letting your creative juices now. This will be popular so be sure to book ahead on 01603 593199.

Also on the 21st, the on -campus art gallery brings us the late shift, a chance to wander round until 9pm, with some extra art thrown in. If nothing else, go down on a revision break and have a look around. it's free if you take your campus card, and the lovely cafe on a summer's day is hard to resist.

On Oscar Wilde's old house is a plaque stating it was the Home of Witty Banter, a phrase hijacked by comedy channel Dave. While this is just a lame joke at least fifty times weaker than Wilde's worst offerings, the sentiment remains true. Oscar Wilde is damn funny, and DramaSoc is putting on his most famous work, The Importance of Being Earnest at the Puppet Theatre on 22nd and 23rd April. Check out the words of the man who told us that 'Nothing worth learning can be taught.' Although it might

be wise to forget that while you work.

If something a little darker is your cup of tea, check out Clare Summerskill's Hearing Voices at The Garage on Thursday 29th April. The play is based on the playwright's own experiences in a secure psychiatric ward in London, th e script formed from real patient's interviews and her own diary writing. This touring production is something distinctive to check out.

Kirsten Peter

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ART> GRAC[ K£LLY iliiiRITION The phrase "style icon" is much over-used these days but Grace Kelly had a chic elegance and d'emure beauty that modern day pretenders can only dream of and the life story of the 1950s actress was also nothing less than fairy tale. · lt was the Philadelphian blonde's serenity and presence that made her the muse of Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her in three of his most prolific pictures, and that attracted the attention of Prince Rainier of Monaco. In 1956, Kelly became Princess Grace, and although this brought an end to her Hollywood career, she continued to set trends and charm the world with her ethereal allure.

April sees the launch of an exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum showcasing the dresses, bags and accessories worn by the Princess from her early days as a theatrical actress up until her tragic death in a car accident in 1982. The gowns, designed by fashion giants such as Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Yves St Laurent, feature alongside film clips, photographs, posters and Kelly's 1955

LITbRATURb > UlA

Academy Award for best actress.

The exhibition charts the two different stages of Grace Kelly's life, and though her

The Grace Kelly: Style Icon is running at the V&A Museum from 17th April-26th September.

Admission for students is £4.

Grace Kelly Style: Fashion for Hollywood's Princess is published by V&A, rrp £19.99

wRITbRS > CLARb AiLAN

Clare Allan may not be as famous or prolific as some of UEA's MA creative writing graduates, but her novel is an affecting piece of work that has been adapted successfully into a popular television drama.

Poppy Shakespeare follows the character of the same name, thrown into the mental health system in the form of a colourfully-cast day hospital, for reasons that are never made fully clear. Inside she meets our narrator, a character known only as 'N' who is an expert at performing the necessary functions to survive in this detached, institutionalized world . lt would be easy to say that the book

careers as actress and princess were . vastly different, they were equally prolific and largely dependent on Grace's impeccable and finely cultivated image.

Princess Grace's fascinating and diverse life makes the V&A's exhibition interesting to fashion and film fans in particular, but also to those intrigued by what it could have been like to be a 20th century princess.

The exhibition is encapsulated in the coffee table book Grace Kelly Style: Fashion for Hollywood's Princess, co-edited by V&A's Textiles and Fashion curator Jenny Lister, making this style bible a must for any aspiring princesses.

shows a part of society that is locked off from the real world, but this would devalue the everyday lives of the characters that this book is portraying. lt is grey and unpleasant for the reader and the characters, but for N and her fellow 'dribblers' it is all they have to cling to.

When Poppy arrfves and immediately wants to get out, the idea is dismissed as ridiculous.

Despite this, N decides to help Poppy .

The book's strength lies in its exposure of the desperate ironies of the system Poppy finds herself stuck in, and a juxtaposition of characters with strong identities that have nonetheless, lost themselves. lt is telling that our narrator's name had been reduced to one paltry letter.

The book contains black humour in its strong narrative voice - it is written in a colloquial style that at first may seem jarring, but goes on to make more sense, fitting the tone of the book exactly; at times it seems almost poetic.

Allan leaves us with a conclusion that is perhaps expected, but still shocking and frustrating for the reader, who by now will be aware of the perversities of the system as it is presented.

The author writes from personal experience of ten years in similar facilities to her character's, and has a regular column in The Guardian on mental health issues, challenging the stigma that still exists on this issue, wh ich is mainly based on a lack of understanding from the general public. She is still plann ing to continue her fiction writing career. lt will be interesting to see what subject matter she tackles next.

Watch this space .

Kirsten Peter

7

general elealon

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STUDENTS

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General Election has been called for Thursday 6th May! This election will decide which person will represent you when it comes to determining the price of University education, the quality of public transport and housing, the future of our planet and your job prospects when you graduate.

candidate •

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queStiOn time

s.3opm 1 Thursday22ndAprill TheLcR

This is your chance to ask the candidates who want to be the next MP for Norwich South, the constituency where over 10,000 UEA students live, what they will do about the things that matter to you if they get elected in the General Election.

NORFOLK AND NORWICH

STUDENT MANIFESTO visitwww.ueastudent.com Find out what all the candidates in Norwich South and some of the candidates locally have said about the five things students in Norwich want from their MPS- fairly funded higher education, a low-carbon sustainable future, sustainable transport solutions, quality student housing in cohesive communities and good opportunities for Norwich graduates.

VOTE FOR STUDENT

visit www. voteforstudents.co.uk

MPs elected in this General Election will be making decisions about a possible rise in tuition fees. signing up to Vote for Students will mean you'll be emailed the details of the candidates that will vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and will pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative.

Remember the more students who vote, the more likely it is MPs and government will take students' views seriously. So make sure you use your vote on 6th May to help make students' lives better.

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20aprJO issue242

crear1ve wriTing Alrm_[ PI[([ or Ilo~t[ The cavernous sky casts a shadow on the meadows below, Which a mother and child traverse bedraggled and cold.

The Little One caresses the cobble in her hands, (That treasured keepsake from the unquiet lands), But her fingers clasp it close to her chest as soon as the heavens bellow, For she'd guard it with her life, Because it is all that remains of all she used to know.

J H[ Rm[ARSAt His second act costume weighs fifteen pounds, and he must dance in it under hot lights while singing with an alto whose voice sounds like a full moon blazing on summer nights.

AT Tll[ RALLIJ R[H[ARSAL

Smiling all the while, he must project ease, the wit of a rogue prince whose true passion is for battle, and grace enough to please this young partner. But his face is ashen,

where metaphor

brow drenched. Breath is elusive as the birds he tries to describe in this endless song.

But now she must move and she must keep moving, She must find the strength for she must keep moving.

The lachrymose Sun tumbles through the breaks in the sky, And dims, doused by a fountain of tears as he cries; "I don't want to be alone in the abyssal night!

Come back! Come back! Please, keep me alight!"

But the Sun continued to sink and with no relief, And Little One's afraid, For as she stumbles in the gloom she can hear Strife's macabre glee.

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where speculation

He stops . If he could recall the rhymed words that take him offstage now, he would be gone

where the girls at the ballet rehearsal knee-locked and stiff-armed up into

for good. Nothing comes to him. There are wings everywhere, action shattering the still moment he hoped to create. Hazy rings,

路the bright ceiling of the studio of light, behind which an audience will

But now she must move and she must keep moving, She must find the strength for she must keep moving, Because lanterns are lit in the windows ahead, Though she cannot yet see them, it's what her mother has said, And this promise lets her forget the doubt in her heart, And keeps her hoping as she gropes in the dark.

want to be perfect want to be lifted up

be applauding at this time tomorrow, fade as he awaits the falling curtain now, lost in a soft, rapturous sorrow

light as no-body even if where nothing moves and nothing is certain . they are all body now:

From out the black expanses come bloodcurdling howls, And vultures rest easy up high in the boughs, Of trees that are withered and grossly gnarled; As Little One's close in the arms of her mother, Clutching the cobble as she dreams of dearly beloved, With her- together- in a world recovered, Whilst by the shadows she is gently smothered .

Lloyd Fenton torso and thigh and smile and their arms arced like how do search for a word Denouement falling into place

And now she must rest for she cannot keep moving, She must lay down her head for she cannot keep moving, But the lanterns stay lit in the windows ahead, Though she cannot yet see them, it's what her mother still says, And this promise lets her forget the doubt in her heart, And keeps her hoping as she gropes in the dark.

Stephen Gates

DR[SS Rm[ARSAL and falling slowly and everything else suddenly inevitable and better.

Zara Lang

Tll[ LIGHT J[CIINICIAN There is an art to lighting up the stage, 路 illuminating actors, changing scene; for players wrapped in gloom cannot engage an audience that can't see what has been!

The brilliant beams of spotlights and fresnels, of follow-spots that dance to light the stars, and coloured light that's sieved through plastic gels, blaze forth from lamps hung high on metal bars.

For all the splendid majesty of light, or atmospheric mystery of shade, the cast must thank their Banisher of Night, the Brightener of Every Scene Displayed .

He goes by many names; for now, just know : without the Light Technician there's no show.

Adam Dower

Branches etch the film of ice on the studio window. A crow looks in, hopping and shrieking when I dance in my black tutu, trimmed with silver.

The ballet master says, you are its mother.

But in a crow's sky-knowing mind could I be so misconstrued?

Out of the blackest cold-wet air, the crow seems molded.

The stars will not wake up to guide it back to the creek of shadows where it was formed . Practice, practice.

I am smoke in darkness, climbing away from a burning hut, in an otherwise empty field on which the fire is slight and low, and the rest of it is snow.

Chloe Honum

10

lelevision

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issuc2-12

TII[ TW[NTY-lfN TV lAST[ lfST

D [ADWOO D [ PI SOD[S 1- 3 Disappointingly not a drama following Jedward's rebound career as assassins, Deadwood is another ultra -vio lent adu lt venture from HBO, yet, desp ite being an avid viewer of the network's other stalwarts like The Sopranos and Rome, until recently the idea of a drama set in 1870s America never appealed.

In typical HBO fa shion , Deadwood features a large ensemble cast, yet even by the end of the first episode lan McShane's brothe l proprietor, AI Swearengen, stands out, offering much of the show's notorious strong language (with a certain f-bomb dropped 43 times within the first hour). whilst providing an instantly layered antihero. Not as successful is Timothy Olyphant's sheriff who, at least initially, appears rather onedimensional. . However, these are early days, and already the tension between the two leads provides ample reason to continue watching.

As impressive as the cast is the show's scale . At

Six AND T11[ C1Nr~tA Film versions of TV series are notoriously hit and miss, panned by critics, derided by fans and difficult to market to the general filmgoing public. The transition from silver screen to cinema is so frequently di sastrous that one wonders why it is even attempted.

Which brings us to Sex and the City.

Launched in 1998, the original series was one of cable TV's biggest success stories, almost singlehandedly launching HBO as the home of quality TV and amassing six seasons, 94 ep isodes, and gaining over 50 Emmy award nominations and plaudits from critics and audiences both sides of the pond.

SATC was undoubtedly a money spinner for all those involved, from lucrative product

RATILI~STAR GALACTICA

Tll[ M INI SIJn[S

To say that we're in the golden age of American tel ev ision is an understatement. The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Oz; the list is endless, and grow ing all the time.

Battlestar Galactica, despite being held in similar regard to these classics and recommended by a wide and diverse range of people, has always lingered near the bottom of my 'must watch' list. Why? Well, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan (Stargate and Heroes season two burned a lot of th e bridges that Firefly

and Deep Space Nine worked so hard to build). and the show is a remake of a series from the 70s which is camp enough to make William Shatner's Captain Kirk look like Stringer Bell.

Nevertheless, I put aside my reservations and placed the mini-series - a short prequel to the first series - in the disc-drive.

Holy mother of God. Label ling BSG a scifi is as unjust as filing The Wire under 'police procedural'. The writing is superb, the special effects and se t design are supe rior to anything

one time the most expensive set ever created, the town of Deadwood can often feel truly alive, creating a gritty realism rarely seen on te levis ion.

TvV IN PuKs [ PlSOD[S I - 3

W ill you w atch disc two?

Whilst the language - both its strength and its surreal sub-S hakespearean style - may put some off, I for one highly enjoyed my time in Deadwood, and will certainly be returning.

Gareth Rees-White

it may be an oldie but Twin Peaks is the kind of show that gets regular praise and is ingrained into our conscious from so many spoofs (from The Simpsons to Sesame Street). while remaining a complete mystery in terms of what it's about (including to some of those who have actua lly seen it). So on behalf of your collective curiosity, I decided it was time someone investigated.

As with every story, it all starts with a girl, Laura Pal mer, who wa shes up on the shore in the American town of Twin Peaks. The pilot eases you into the show with few of David Lynch's trademark odd itie s. In fact, it all fee ls路 a bit like a crappy daytime melodrama, with the soft music and the emphasis of the impact on the small town and Laura's school friends. This said, the atmosphere suggests there are subversive elements at work, and Lynch being Lynch full scale weirdness is undoubtedly just around the corner. Throw in Kyle MacLachlan's quirky FBI

-placement deals with the likes of Absolut vodka, to the revival of the careers of its four

the box office. Hardcore fans, however, were left justified in their belief that a new season of

protagonists. The series' creator Darren Star paid New York sex columnist Candace Bushne ll $50,000 for the exclusive and unrestricted rights to her work, an investm ent that has proved extraordinarily profitable.

the series would have been a far more satisfying outcome to the four-year wrangle to bring the girls back together.

Channel 4 would certainly have agreed . The broadcaster was the first in the UK to air the show which attracted huge advertising revenue to the channel. The timing of SATCs finale added a further blow to the network, whose other flagship imports, Friends and Frasier also made their final outings in 2004, leaving not only a void in their schedules but a devastating hole in their advertising coffers.

Though a new season would have been a marketing goldmine for the European industry, HBO did not have the same incentive. Home to other big-hitters such as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, the cable network is a subscription only channel and so is free of adverts. HBO's commitment to innovative, provocative and

After six years, the series ended with a blockbuster final seaso n amid rumours of infighting between executive producer and lead Sarah Jessica Parker, and her eo-stars. However, it wa s not long before rumours of a featurelength version of the show began to circulate and after much haggling over the actresses' sa lari es, the film finally hit cinemas in summer 2008.

Fans were fairly content with the grandiose, saccharine picture which saw Carrie Bradshaw eventually marry her long-term love interest Mr Big and, despite a lukewarm reception from reviewers, the film grossed over $400 million at

on television , and the cha racters - from the weathered Captain Adama to the enigmatic Number Six - are beyond compel ling. There is also a subtlety and darkness that is noticeably absent from most contemporary sc i-fi.

Will you watch disc two?

I don' t want to watch the rest. I need to.

Dunca n Vicat- Brown

detective and it becomes clear, after 20 years, Twin Peaks still has enough comedy, threat and drama to make it a satisfying watch.

W ill you watch disc tw o?

Kyle MacLachlan's portrayal of a big city agent butting heads with small town yokels is worth the admission price alone. The promise of some answers at the bottom of this mystery is ju st a bonu s.

controversial new productions that were too risque to be screened on mainstream American television was rewarded in a boom in viewing figures, with nearly 30 million subscribers in 2005. With the popularity of DVD box sets far more significant than when SATCs inaugural season was aired ten years before, a seventh season was not going to warrant enough new subscribers to make the venture financially viable.

And so that leaves the inevitable film franchise. Even though SATC2 is not released until the end of next month, talk of SATC3 is already swarming the gossip blogs and it seems that the obscene earning potential ofthe seq uels is irresistible to all tho se involved. But for the people that really matter - the humble fans the milking of the SATC cash -cow threatens the integrity of a TV classic that needs leaving well alone.

Grace Simpson

lelevision

20apr10 issue242

PRIMITIM[> }ONATIIAN (R[[K This Easter Q/'s resident numpty Alan Davies returned to his debut dramatic role in a special 路 outing for everyone's favourite paranormal murder-mystery debunking magician, Jonathan Creek. The new episode saw the reappearance of the supernatural sleuth and his latest sidekick, Joey (Sheridan Smith), in their second feature-length outing since the BBC show vanished from our screens five years ago.

Jonathan Creek was a primetime favourite in its six year heyday from 1998 to 2004, thrilling its audiences with a unique mix of comedy and drama, trickery, illusion and crime investigation.

The series attracted illustrious guest stars such as Jack Dee and Bill Bailey, joining the charismatic Davies and his paranormal pals, Caroline Quentin and later Julia Sawalha.

His latest yarn, 'The Judas Tree', sees the affable magician and his feisty companion investigate a classic haunted house case, where strange events start to mimic an unsolved

murder that took place a hundred years earlier.

Green Lanterns, the suburban home of a successful crime writer and his wife, saw the death of former owner, Dr Northcote in 1889, who was by all accounts cursed by his beautiful Egyptian housekeeper. The pretty 21st century housemaid Emily (for when one love interest just won't do) appears to have been possessed by the Victorian sorceress when she apparently murders her boss's wife.

As always, Creek unravels the enigma of the two deaths with a dash of cunning and a heavy dose of common sense. The concurrent mysteries of the plot are so tightly wound that even a master of riddles such as Creek struggles to fully enlighten the audience . The Drain-wracking is pleasantly relieved with the customary comic interludes; Jonathan's colleague Adam Klaus is the victim of an ultra-modern ruse when his YouTube videos are edited by an unidentified cyber pirate to hilarious effect.

Yet again writer David Renwick strikes a balance between the fantastical, the farcical and the intricacies of the crimes themselves.

However, despite the 90-minute running time, it does seem that this complex and non-linear plot is too hastily wrapped up to fully satisfy the intrigue provoked by the story, giving existing fans enough to want more from the dufflecoated one, but leaving the newcomers as perplexed as Creek himself.

Grace Simpson

11

DOWNLOAD> SMALLVILL[ If the rumours had been true, and season nine of teen Superman prequel Smallville (currently airing in the US) was set to be its last, then it would have gone out with a bang. Finally the series feels as if it is again embracing progression and fans are finally getting to see some of the mythology and iconic imagery they have been waiting for since Clark Kent (Tom Welling) first donned his red and blue jacket and t-shirt combo.

Long-term fans of the show remember the seventh season as the weakest, but thankfully with the significantly stronger eighth season most of these annoyances, such as Clark's disintegrating relationship with the whinierthan-thou Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) and a version of Supergirl more suited to America's Next Top Model than an established sci-fi series, have been eradicated . With the departure of Kreuk and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), the show was granted a much needed makeover, and with it became somewhat darker and more focused on the more adult issues of a cast of characters now in their mid-20s.

The first episode sets up the season-arc of kneel-before-Zod's (Callum Blue) return nicely, and with the consequences of (spoiler alert) Jimmy's death at the end of last season driving a wedge between Clark and his long-time sidekick Chloe (AIIison Mack), it becomes clear that the show has escaped the pull of the generic this time around. Relationships have changed - a depressingly rare phenomenon in Smallvil/e and so one of the biggest pay-offs of this season's

initial run in the US has been Clark's relationship with Lois Lane (Erica Durance). Laying the ground-work for such an iconic couple has been no small feat, and yet the show struggled far more developing the dynamic between Chloe and Oliver (Justin Hartley), which comes off as more of a drunken rebound when compared to the natural chemistry between Welling and Durance. That said, the scenes between Oliver and Clark still light up the screen and Blue's portrayal of Zod is one of the most compelling and multifaceted performances the show has seen so far. One thing is clear, if the show's tenth (and possibly final) season lives up to the quality of these episodes, it may finally capitalise on its initial promise .

Caroline Preece

lives on for the generations who watched it so keenly in the first place. Introduce competitions to become The One Show badge-winners, and we're laughing..

Kirsten Peter

For those of you brought up under a regime of bring-and-buy sales, sticky-back plastic, onesthat-had-been-made-earlier and the holy fear of holding a sparkler in an ungloved hand, BBC's The One Show will seem awfully familiar. With its studio-based chatter interspersed with short films on traffic light colours and fish-related skin removal techniques, the strangely comforting weeknight staple is Blue Peter's older, worldweary cousin .

The show's VTs often cover subject areas of a slightly blander persuasion, with insurance and home protection being regular favourites.

However, two significant factors numb what

would otherwise be insurmountable boredom.

Firstly, the show drags in a different celebrity every day and quizzes them on whatever issues they are covering. Consumer rights have never seemed so interesting as when Patrick Stewart offers his considered opinion on them, but weightier issues gain a comforting sheen of detachment. If the celebrity they've invited on obviously doesn't have the energy to muster up an opinion on the subject, there's no way you're going to force your early evening, tea and biscuits fogged brain to have one either.

Secondly, the show has the same sense of self-awareness that has pervaded American

teen-dramas for years . When Adrian Chiles, a man whose brilliantly dry delivery never fails to flatten the wide-eyed child inside us all (metaphorically speaking), announces an item on jam making, the laughter from the production team suggests they have little idea why you'd be sitting through it; but you do.

For the last decade we've been watching people in houses with cameras in the walls performing highly constructed tasks and calling it reality. The little glimpses of life we see in The One Show - from owl trainers and roundabout enthusiasts to reports on the effect of TV catchphrases on our everyday conversation are a far better picture of reality.

While the BBC's flagship children's show may have sailed past its heyday in an internet age, it

So, quite a dry week for TV then. A nation skips the last 30 minutes of Nick Clegg proving he'd be the most eloquent Prime Minister ever to not get elected because Outnumbered is about to start on the other side, while Have I Got News For You competes defiantly for those viewers who are apparently only interested in the news when it's being lampooned in increasingly tired ways.

Moving swiftly on from the debate - which by the reading will probably have been debated

itself with more detailed analysis and on-thestreet discussion than whether or not Lady Gaga has a mangina - Doctor Who is back (yay) and ... well, truth be told I don't watch it, but from what I've seen David Tennant's looking young these days.

Joanna Lumley continues to make up countries in order to visit them ('Sudan' - that doesn't even sound European), Ross Kemp visits the Amazon in a documentary that has shed its working title of Ross Kemp 's Hardest Brazil Nuts and Heston Blumenthal proves that not only do you not need to speak Queen's English to be a

TV chef these days but now you don't even need Gervais again brings us the same tired schtick to be sane. Ashes to Ashes carries on buoyed up with different branding. Through some magic by more than a healthy dose of nostalgia and a of cinema, Gervais' transition to Hollywood complete denial of the fact that it's utter crap, . managed to completely relieve him of any of Outnumbered shocks Britain by revealing that the empathy that made his comedy so true to kids are cute and middle-class people like to life. it's very possible that a return to TV will be laugh at them and I manage to run out of things a return to form but the truth is that the star to be sarcastic about before I even hit the fourth of this format since the podcast is the 'is he for real?' oafish declarations of Karl Pilkington column.

Ah! The Ricky Gervais Show - there we go. while Gervais merely provides celebrity canned Originally a podcast people could download laughter. Still, I hope it's good; by the sounds of for free, then a podcast people had to buy, this column I need a good laugh.

Josh Butler now a cartoon on a US cable network, Ricky

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tiNAL tANTASY XII ---.......

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Those of you out the re who remember the路

and confusing, riddled with stats and number

superb 2006 re lease trai ler with glee have probab ly 路already gotten yo ur mitts all over t his

crunching, and has a disappoi nting ly slow start,

game and, by now, eit her fin ished t he sto ry or

2010, so far, and arguab ly the best of the last few yea rs too . No game in a long ti me has

it is ge nuinely th e biggest and best game of

made your wa y thro.ugh a cons iderab le chun k of the game. Clocking in at arou nd 60 hours for

aro used suc h a range of emoti ons; hat red, glee,

the story, at a breakneck pace it wou ld probab ly still take 55 hours or so, and then with at least a

reli ef, sympathy and fear. Every batt le is a test of skill and st rategy and fo r t hose out th ere th at love thinking on t heir feet, nothing ca n test yo u

further 20 hours worth of side-quests, character bui lding and exploring to do after comp letion ; the scale is daunting. This is by no means a short pick up and play game.

to show differences from its predecessors.

such a masterpiece.

more than figuring out how to defeat a monster many times more powerful t han you in a coup le of minutes .

Although it may be the thirteenth game

Firstly, in FFX/11 you no longer control the

Visually no game can compare. Wired

With a learning curve anybody can handle

in the series, like each of the other games it stands comple t ely ind epe ndently. Final Fantasy

entire party; instead you onl y have direct control of the leader and indirect control of

played the game on the PS3 which boasts better

and the ability to either dive as deep into the

the move sets, or paradigm as th e game ca lls

visuals and loss less music tracks, compared to the 360's compressed visuals and audio to make

story and environment as you like or just enjoy

XIII may as well be a brand new franchise for

Sq uare-En ix's Role Pl ayi ng game series . it 's set in the worlds of Gran Pul se and Cocoon, which

them, of your team mates. Secondly FFX/11 ha s removed t he imposing st oryline aspect, allowi ng

are loo ked after by the Fai'Cie; creature s that transcend hum an compre hension. Th ey wage war between Cocoon and Gran Pul se using I'Cie - hum ans that have been turned into we apo ns

you in stead to just play your way through the game. You only have to follow the story of your characters, not of th e enti re universe it sit s within . And the third major difference is that it

and slaves that do th ei r bidding .

is incredibly linear.

it fit across multiple disks comforta bly. In fact, one scene in the later stages of th e game looks genuinely photorealistic, putting blockbuster film s like Avatar to shame, and even the inga me models and envi ronm ents are rend ered in comp lete real -ti me, never clipping, glitching or dropping frame rat es.

and

lt literally plays like a bottle of shampoo

Visually this is a sight to behold in High

her comrades are drawn t ogethe r by pure coincidence but upon becoming I'Cie they

in struction s (attack, run and repeat ) for the first five hours or so, then you gain the ability to

Definition, and t hat's how it deserves to be played. Gamep lay-wise it's the comfortab le

decide to band together to focus on thei r goa l: saving Cocoon and calming the war between the worlds. The story may sound confusing but it is one of the fi rst sto ri es in a game for a long time t hat has crea t ed a be lievab le cast and a world of wo nderful crea tures and amaz ing set pieces . However, if yo u sti ll are co nfused by t he na rrative, it never in te rferes w it h gamep lay unless yo u rea lly w ant to read t he backlog of info rmation avai lable to you. Here FFX/11 beg ins

change rol es and finally it begins to fully open up around twenty hours in, w ith the res ult that by the tim e you reach chapter eleven and fi na lly venture int o a huge landsca pe you won't fee l as

turn-based system, however it now moves much faster and smoother with a new acti ve batt le time ga uge which denotes what moves are ava il ab le t o use. Gone are the M ag ic Points of o ld and the wait bars . Now you can im pl ement a move as soon as your gauge is full enough to perform what you desire, and t his is a breat h of fres h air into a genre t hat was slow ly becoming st ale t o all bu t hardco re fa ns.

The

main

protagonist,

Lightning,

overwhelmed by the f reedo m o n offer. Chapter eleven shows th e game at it s best, highlig hting t he incred ibly tight and flui d fi ghtin g system and th e slick visua ls. lt becomes obvious w hen yo u see t he sca le of t hi s ga me wh y it t ook over four years of deve lopme nt and polis h to create

Eve n t houg h t hi s game so unds da unti ng

the gameplay, FFX/11 is the perfect Final Fantasy for beginners or veterans. it's just a shame it doesn' t feel entirely like the FF's of yesteryear.

Still, thi s is the best sixty plus hours you will ever spend playing a game, and yo u won't regret it.

Vaughn Highfield Available on: 360/ PS3 Price: 拢so

Gooo STun~ -Great characters and story -Graphica lly extremely impressive

;\I> Tl 11T -Linear progression -Lack of conte nt ou t side main storyl ine

8/10

Monkey Ball. The game describes itself. A

difficulty. Anot her pos itive is that you 're given

monkey in a ball, rolling around a level, trying to

access to more worlds at a time.

reach a goal. The series was born on Nintendo's previous console, the trusty little GameCube,

Mini -games have always played a big part in Monkey Ball, and this ti me ?round long-time

and has since spawned several sequ els . With th is new entry into the series comes the expected new array of levels, a new lin e-up of

classics Monkey Race and Monkey Target make a well -earned return.

Another chance to see the Monkey Ball

mini-games, and support for Wii Fit's Balance Board controls.

train on a track. As someone who has played all Monkey Ball games to date, the repeated use

In many ways, Step & Rail t akes th e series

of these devices level, afte r level, after level , was kind of confusing. lt makes the game's genera lly longer levels more about snaking your

back to basics, elimina tin g many of the poorly conce ived additions of its predecessor, Banana Blitz. Thankfully gone is the m uch riled-against ability to jump, as well as any attempt at a storyline or boss fights (a nice idea, but there are rea lly only so many ways a monkey in a ball can fight). A couple of levels even bring back the switches from Super Monkey Ball 2, although

way through them in time than about actual accuracy, and in fact many are made so mazelike with obstacles it will take you more than one turn, or a good look at the level map, to work out your route .

their use is (also, thankfully} more limited .

What Step & Roll's levels do have a lot of though is obstac les - many, many pillars you

This design choice can only, this reviewer has conduded, have been implemented to accommodate the Balance Board control s. it's harder to "fall out"; instead the player finds

must navigate around and grooves in the floor, which yo ur monkey can t hen ro ll along like a

him/herself more focused on dodging and winding around simp ler leve ls at enough speed

More worrying still is the addition of a Co-Op mode, where the mess of pillars/rocks etc . can

gang is always welcome, although next time around we'd prefer less obstacles, and a further return to the classic level desig ns. Step & Roll

be blasted away by the second player. it's like Sega are saying : "yes, we know these obstac les

reigns back some of the wackier elements of its predecessor (we're back just the origina l gang

are annoying ", but are also forcing you to have friend on hand to fix thi s.

The main game has a different feel about it, but is not broken enough to be unplayable. it's irritating that Sega have had to change it so drastically though just to suit a control scheme we assume the majority of garners will not be

of four mo nkeys, too}, but accommodation of the Balance Board has shifted gamep lay in yet another unwelcome direction. it's not as good as the original two titles, but Step & Rail can sti ll be recommended for newbies who won't be

using. We couldn ' t real ly get used to Balance Board controls, and switched back to the Wii mote early on. Earlier levels will take no time to beat, while later tracks still retain teeth -grin di ng

able to tell the difference, and long-term fans of the series who may be curious to see exactly what has changed.

Tom Phillips

7/ 10

Wire路J 路

20apr10 issue242

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Video game violence; it's a topic that has been debated for aeons, on internet forums, in the printed media and in the street" atop upturned crates. Last month, it was the turn of Alan Titchmarsh and a handful of so-called 'experts'.

The fact that Titchmarsh felt that 'Are violent video games corrupting the nation's youth?' was a topic that could be reasonably discussed on his daytime chat show is baffling, as most people, when looking for video game related expertise, will probably not turn to their gardener. The guests chosen, however, were even more ridiculous. The defence, Tim lngham, editor of www.computerandvideogames.com, is an intelligent and reasonable man, but the show's target audience of middle-class housewives are unlikely to hold the words of an internet journalist in high regard .

Representing the prosecution was Julie Peasgood, a Z-list actress and presenter who tries her best to be Joanna Lumley at every opportunity. She is also The Alan Titchmarsh Show's resident sex expert; clearly they're selective when choosing what is suitable for daytime audiences.

Also on the offence (because, of course, every reasonable discussion needs .a badly balanced panel) was Kelvin McKenzie, who edited The Sun at the time of the Hillsborough coverage scandal, as well as many high-profile stories that turned out to be fabrications. Is it really acceptable to promote the opinions of a man who once said 'Libel can only have a value if there has been some kind of damage.'?

Naturally, the ensuing 'debate' erased all the credibility Titchma~sh earned when kicking John McCririck off his show two years ago (for questioning lngrid Tarrant's sexual prowess, bizarrely). lngham started with some good

points, asserting that video games have age certificates, and comparing their violence to that of films (Titchmarsh betrayed his ignorance fast by revealing that he was unaware of video game age restrictions).

Peasgood started shaking her head before he had finished speaking, an example of horrific debate etiquette, then launched into the kind of ill-informed tirade that Mary Whitehou~e used to claim was her 'thing'. Kicking off with 'Video . games are addictive; they promote hatred, racism, sexism', one of the most broad and ill-informed statements ever committed to tape, she continued to break all sorts of rules; she neglected to name sources, shouted down the defence and repeatedly used unprovable, blanket statements.

McKenzie, surprisingly, offered a more considered and even-handed point of view, though he showed his tabloid roots when citing the influence of video games in the Jamie Bulger case (which occurred years before video game violence was even a palpable concern) . lngham's repeated assertions that these games are not intended for children, and that parents need to stop buying them for their kids, were repeatedly ignored (heaven forbid that the show should question the morals and practices of its target audience!). Towards the end, he exclaimed 'I know I'm the bad guy in this programme.' Is that really acceptable for a so-called reasonable debate?

Naturally, the gaming community have taken to the streets over this. Scrutiny of Peasgood's credibility have revealed that the woman who claimed that she is 'categorically against violence for entertainment' has previously lent her vocal talent to a survival horror game, Martian Gothic: Unification. Suspiciously, details of this have

Footballers are hardly the most eloquent of creatures and spectators are usually quite happy for the players to do the talking with their fancy footwork rather than their refined articulation. The language barrier facing many players in the Premier League's multi-national

teams often means that any sparkling wit they may possess is lost in translation .

However, Arsenal's "little Russian", as he is affectionately dubbed by commentators, shares is Yoda-like opinions and bizarre sense of humour on his own website. The cheeky charm that the midfielder Andrey Arshavin displays in interviews is evident in his replies to fans' questions on the Ask Andrey page. Here are a few of the most surreal: What do you think of Grigory Rasputin?

Thts man had a certain talent that allowed hilT' to wield power over people. I think that he was an eccentric person Andrey, are you frightened of bears?

On the contrary, I like bears.

Ask Andrey . a question at www.arshavin .eu, maybe the rapid Russian could help with your exam revision ... or fighting bears.

Grace Simpson

recently disappeared from her website. There are also numerous petitions to have legal action taken against the show, citing the improper conduct of the debate (lngham has since claimed that the studio audience was encouraged to applaud the offence) and Peasgood's inability to name her sources.

This debacle brings a number of important issues to light. First of all, media personalities are continuing to feel that they should comment on topics about which they know nothing. Secondly, many parents feel they are not responsible for the content of the materials that they purchase for their children. Thirdly, games, more than even films and music, will always be a scapegoat.

What needs to be understood is that the basis of any economy is supply and demand. Violent .content, whether in games, films or literature, exists purely because people are happy to buy it.

No-one is forcing children to play violent games.

13

Violence is gradually becoming a mainstay in popular culture because there is demand for it.

But is this demand as extreme as shrieking hysteria would have you believe? Hardly. As lngham asserted with what little time he was given, only one in twenty video games have an adult rating. The HMV DVD chart contains three titles in the top twenty that share the same rating, and the Amazon top twenty bestselling books has four titles with violent content (not to mention the frankly irresponsible Twilight saga).

Will the Alan Titchmarsh s-how ever run a debate on violence in literature, a medium ' ),no age restriction but which contains the most extreme violence available? Of course not. Video games are seen as immature, debilitating and without intellectual or artistic merit. Until this outdated perception changes, Julie Peasgood will always be applauded.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

ToP 10 WAYS To MISTR拢AT YoUR SIMs In The Sims, players have complete control over their characters lives. The Concrete Team reveal their Top Ten favourite ways to abuse their Sims.

Sims Abuse Method #5: Josh Butler Make them wet themselves repeatedly until the only full happiness bar is bladder.

Sims Abuse Method #10: Duncan Vicat-Brown

Sims Abuse Method #4: Duncan Vicat-Brown

Make their husband bang their sister.

Tell them there is no God, only YOU.

Sims Abuse Method #9: Grace Simpson Make them lick the toilet seat.

Sims Abuse Method #3: Kirsten Peter Making them shower repeatedly is probably

quite close to water boarding.

Sims Abuse Method #8: Will Donovan

Put them in the pool, sell the steps to get out.

Sims Abuse Method #2: Fiona Howard Set the stove on fire and block the doors so

Sims Abuse Method #7: Steph McKenna Plant fireworks indoors and remove the door?

nobody can get in or out to help.

Sims Abuse Method #6: William Moran Have a mechanically unskilled Sim try to repair something electronic while in water. The result is

rather... shocking.

And from Grace Simpson comes Sims Abuse Method #1, the greatest way to abuse a Sim of all time: Make them marry the "Grace Simpson" si m. "'

14

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MAIN t£ATURf DtAR}OIIN The story of Dear John appea rs to be a pretty formu laic romance, although the film does live up to first impressions to an extent. Yet, even though it is sentimental, the inclusion of some unexpected twists and weighty issues make this romance worth a watch. lt is adapted from a novel by Nicholas Sparks, a number of whose stories have been adapted into films, the most well·known being The Notebook.

Audiences -,. can expect a similar tale of redemption, sadness and separation here.

John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is a Special Forces officer who has been brought up by his dedicated, but

difficu lt, single father. John meets Savannah (Amanda Siegfried) at the beach where he is instantly called upon to show his heroic qualities.

Savannah, apparently smitten, invites him to a barbeque she and her friends are having.

When they next meet the couple discover unexpected traits in each other. Savannah learns that John has a past of initiating fights and that he is loyal, but somewhat ashamed of his socially isolated father. You get the feeling that the strong, often silent, reformed bad boy is going to become Tatum's stock rol e.

In the meantime John learns that Savannah is more than a carefree student on Spring

First, think of a controversial religion of today, perhaps the Muslim faith. Then combine it with a historically taboo religion, Judaism for example.

Now if we were to combine the two with the element of comedy, what would we get?

The Infidel.

Mahmud Nasir, a semiliberal Muslim played by Omid Djalili (you probably know him from the Money Supermarket advert) discovers his mother has died, finds his birth certificate when clearing out her home and discovers he is adopted and Jewish. This leads to him questioning his identity and going on a quest to find his Jewi sh roots, and so the quest of self-finding unfolds.

On the one hand, Mahmud is

trying to be a devout Muslim to impress his son's prospective father-in-law; on the other, he's under instruction from a Jewish friend to pass himself off as a legitimate Jew so he can meet his elderly birth father.

This film touches on some taboo issues relating to religion with a playful and humorous nature. However, it is less convincing when the narrative has to take over and resolve the social, political and theological · issues of the film, and fails to bring about a formal resolution that's both funny and satisfying.

Gemma Boyle

"'

6/10

break. Siegfried puts in a solid performance but her character does not provide much originality within Nicholas Sparks' work. She seems a little too perfect, apparently devoid of vices, her only fault being neglecting her own needs.

Savannah's charitable nature is attractive to John but comes between them when she impl ies there is a more serious explanation behind Mr. Tyree's eccentricities. Her suggestion, although initially ca'using a rift between the

couple, begins to heal the al ienatio n between father and son. This relationship is paral leled by Savannah's kind ly neighbour and family friend Tim, whose young son's behaviour traits are has similar to those of John's father. This becomes a side-plot, and one of the more surprising and realistic elements of the film .

When John's leave is over and Savannah returns to college they make the promise to keep in contact. As John's postings must remain confidential, and the army camps of war-torn places lack internet connection, they cannot communicate by phone or email. Here the romance creates some nostalgia for letter-writing and

The delectable, academy nominated Julianne Moore delivers once again in this macabre supernatural thriller. However, the film's lt plotline is questionable. meanders through 112 minutes of psychiatrist Cara (Moore) investigating local man's (Rhys Myers) multiplepersonality disorder, whi ch slowly develops to become more when one of his personalities is that of a recent murder victim . lt might be an interesting concept, but it is poorly executed . Its formulaic approach demands very little guess work from the audience, and delivers very little in the way of tension. Faith and religion, whi ch sho uld have been the keystone of the fi lm,

are used as mere plot devices, which the directors fully expect

Ricky Gervai s and Stephen Merchant continue their quest

the audiences to swallow.

The conventional dark, austere soundtrack helps to create a moody tone, and there are some stellar performances from both the leads. But this does not abscond from the fact that the script suffers from any ingenuity or originality, relying on specia l effects to drive the film's narrative. lt is this poor combination which only confirms · that you have been sitting in the cinema for exactly 112 long minutes, and that is all.

Paul Martin

to reclaim their glory days as the creative team behind The Office with this coming-of-age tale, and, although it still falls way short of that pinnacle, it is at least a sign that they might actually pull it off one day.

The first problem with the film is that, altho ugh Gervais may have previously satirised formulaic material, Cemetery Junction is as formulaic as they come . If there is a single aspect of the plot that you have not already predicted by the time it happens, perhaps you shouldn' t be allowed to watch films. The drama aspect is also very hammy in places, too often bogged down by cliches and recycled lines from every

5/10

an interesting se nse of an oldfashioned love sto ry as the co uple anxiously waits for each other's replies.

Whil e Dear John can be predictable at times there are moments of realism that provide the film with narrative depth . The inclusion of issues such as autism and cancer, and the distress of 9/11 on the lives of American soldiers, are often poignant and thoughtprovoking. Those going to see the film with low expectations are likely to be surprised.

Emma Featherstone

6/10

British script post Look Back in Anger. However, this tidies up

towards the end as a degree of subtlety seeps in, and there are some lovely moments of resolution throughout the last 20 minutes.

What is very impressive is that this film will make you laugh, much harder and more often than you would expect, and for that alone it is worth your money. A final minor point: no other film repeats its own title quite as often as Cemetery Junction, except maybe Shaft.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

7/10

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The Ghost Writer, an adaption of Robert Harris' bestseller, is a film of thrills and guesswork where certain aspects remain hidden and the truth is never fully revealed . The plot commences with an abandoned car on a ferry and ends with sheets of manuscript being blown down a street in London.

Pierce Brosnan plays the exprime minster (Adam Lang) who is having his memoirs re -written and spiced up by Ewan McGregor, his Ghost following the suspicious death of the previous memoir writer.

The atmosphere of the film is very dark and dreary, with a lack of effective cinematography, depicting

only rain . lt maintains this foreboding tone from the start. Yet · The Ghost Writer does have its comical moments; for example when McGregor takes a trip in the car provided for guests and is constantly told he is going the wrong direction by the inboard satellite-navigation .

Director Roman Polanski maintains the film's tension with supposedly locked doors being left open and car stalking, which combine to create a very watchable and 'enjoyable political thriller.

Stag Night is a predictable and shoddy low-budget horror with no pretensions to be anything more than just another goretest.

Taking its cue from 70s films like Dead End and C.H.U.D, but most notably low-budget 2005 Brit horror flick Creep, Stag Night is the tale of a group of low-IQ youths who have a nightmare stumble home from the pub.

They are subsequently stalked in a deserted underground station by a cast of savages,

who resemble a cross between 1970s power rock cast-offs, Rastafarians and Neanderthals.

Needless to say, they're hungry, and the blood of our urbanite contemporaries can only sate their taste for human flesh.

Reeling off a list of cliches via a poor screenplay, the film contains some unusual death scenes that have perhaps not featured elsewhere, but it mostly sticks to the usual formula - slices, shots, shaky camera work, frenetic cutting, incongruous events, plus the

Tasha Percy

If you believe everything you read, then this film is wildly profane, sets new levels for screen violence and is a paedophile's wet dream, whilst simultaneously being the best and most irresponsible movie ever made. In reality, it is simply more violent and profane than most comic book movies, features the best character for a young actress in recent memory (any sexual context is entirely unintended) and is, yes, very good indeed.

Chloe Moretz has rightly received plaudits for her stunningly confident turn as Hit-Girl, but Nicholas Cage subtly delivers the film's best performance as her father. He may be impersonating Adam West, but when he finally gets

to take out a room full of hoods (a phenomenal, one shot setpiece) your heart will be in your mouth. The title may be KickAss, but it's the Hit Girl and Big Daddy show.

But to say they are the only impressive elements is to do the film a massive disservice.

Everything works, from the stylish visuals and the humour to the effective soundtrack (which, at its emotional peaks, is essentially a John Murphy greatest hits compilation) and the harrowing moments of real darkness. Only true greatness attracts such critical frenzy.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

usual stock of dumb (and inexplicable) decisions.

Even by relative horror movie standards, subterranean scares make little sense - how would a lack of sunlight and edible food give underground humans massively increased strength? Before you can note the crazed spontaneity of these events, bang - it's all over in 84 minutes. Phew.

George Gilbert

The Men Who Stare at Goats depicts Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) a Daily Telegraph reporter on the search for a compelling story that he hopes will enhance his journalistic career. After meeting Lynn Cassidy (George Clooney) who is a member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, Wilton finds himself at the heart of their new age, seemingly peaceful tactics.

The film contains many comical attempts by the Army officials to end the war as

2/10

9/10

Imagine a world in which any organ in your body can be replaced ; for a price of course.

If you cannot keep up with your repayments, Repo Men will break into your home, cut your body open, and reclaim their property; survival of this is highly unlikely. That is the interesting premise of this exceptionally gory sci-fi thriller.

The film depicts Repo Man Remy (Jude Law) who suffers a cardiac arrest. Waking up to find himself fitted with a stateof-the-art mechanical heart, Remy is soon unable to keep up with his payments, and is forced to go on the run from his old partner (Forest Whitaker) .

Guaranteed to strike a nerve within our debt-ridden society,

it is unfortunate that the film 's deep political message soon becomes lost in an increasingly frenetic plot.

Whitaker and Law give convincing performances as long term friends and rivals, and a corridor fight providing a nice homage to Old Boy. However, whilst the twist at the end is unexpected, it h~ also been done many times before. If you can stomach the gore, Repo Men has some interesting ideas, but sadly never seems to fully exploit them.

Lindsay Harris

we know it, through a range of diverse psychic methods.

However, these comical moments detract from the film's potential to have forced its political ideolo~ about the tactics used in war today, and the effects that this can have on the soldiers and innocent citizens alike. Thus, the film's strong core is surrounded by meaningless moments that are designed to relieve some of the film's serious social commentary. However, after a third of the way into the film,

the comedy turns lacklustre and somewhat unnecessary.

Clooney's performance is strong throughout and so is McGregor's, albeit the latter a little unyielding in parts, Overall, the film is a potent social commentary that is overshadowed with moments of comedy wh ich are proved to be redundant.

Adam Scales

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RAT[D OR SLJ\J[D? IRON MAN 2: A STRONG S[QU[l?

The first Iron Man fi lm came out of more or less nowhere in 2008, to win over film fans "and ach ieve financia l success.

The Marvel character had a troubled time in deve lopment, with the rights to the franchise being passed aro und the major studio s for 16 years, before Marvel created their own production studios to make the film. Critics and fans were unsure what to expect: the production company was inexperienced and Robert Downey Jr had been cast in the lead role, an actor infamous for his troubled personal life. In addition, the director, ~ ;evious ly untested with a big budget, had been hired in the form of Jon Favreau, a director whose previous biggest hit had been the Will Ferrell Christmas vehicle Elf. Despite these worries, the film 's humorous story of an egotistica l billion aire weapon s manufacturer, brilliantly played by Downey Jr, who is captured by rebel forces in the Middle East and coe rced into making a sui t of meta l in order to escape, was a huge success, making nearly £600 ;;illion at the box office . The bright colours and excessive exp losio ns marked a hu ge departure from the gloomy storylines of other superhero films at this time, such as The Dark Knight and Spiderman

3, something fans we lcomed with open arms. Hopes are therefore high for the seque l, which is released in cin emas at the end of April.

Th e plot has remained a close ly gua rd ed secret; however, it ha s been revealed that the seq uel will continue six months after the first film ended. Tony Stark has revea led himself to be the armoured super hero and revels in the attention this brings

him. However, Sta rk comes under increasing pressure from the U.S. government to share the technology with the military, something · he is unwil li ng to do, fearful of the information falling into the wrong hands. Along with this, Iron Man will also have to face a new nemesis in th e form of Whipl ash, played

by Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke. Th e addition of BAFTA winner Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwel l (fresh from his

success in Moon) and Robert Downey's continuing success as a leading man afte r the release of Guy Richie's new t ake on Sherlock Halmes, shows the makers are pushing hard for critical as well as commercial success.

The biggest controversy surrounding the film's production has been the replacement of Terrence Howard by Don Chead le, in the role of Lieutenant Colonal James Rhodes, Starks' longtime friend and ally in the form of Warmachine. Howard was apparent ly repla ce d after his supposedly rocky relationship w ith Favrea u during production and a disag reem ent over money.

Osca r-nomin ee Don Cheadle is a very well respected actor, but it is yet to be seen if he can manage to obtain the same kind of chemistry that Howard and Down ey Jr discovered in the first film . If the trailers, with the massive exp losions, heavy metal soundtra ck and funny one liners, are anything to go by, Favreau has in Iron Man 2 created the superhero film of any comic book fans' dreams. Here is hoping the trailers are just a taste of the brilliance we can expect from tl<le film when it is released at the end of this month.

Katy Quigley

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DR. CAIJ(;ARI

What is the truth? What is real? Who ca n we trust? These are all questions at the hea rt of one of the most influential and important si le nt films of the 20th century, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Th e film was made in Weimar Germany, the heart an d soul of culture in Europe at this time, that produced a movement in art that had a profound impact on the creative arts. The Expressionist movement had an aim of presenting the world of the individual, thus exaggerating it to depict the emotiona lly vivid images of the individual's moods and ideas. lt sought to project as much as possible the meaning of 'being alive', the reality of the mind rather that the physical reality. lt emerged as an avantgarde movement in Berlin during the 1920s du e to a recovering Germany after WW1. The economically weak country (that suffered severe economic destitution due to high reparatio ns imposed by the victors of the war) could not finance magnificently extravagant films like that of the Hollywood film industry and so the filmmakers used the symboli sm and mise-en-scene of Expressionism to create effective cinema. According to Siegfried Kracauer, this fi lm wa s an indication of th e

(1920)

rise of Nazism, seen as the representation of the sick soul of poo r Weimar Germany that was suffering at the hand of the 'Big three' {France, Britain, U.S.A). The German expression ist movement's fe atures can all be found in The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

The film focuses on the dark fringes of human experience, depicting the mind of the insane. Throu gh most of the film , we are unaware of

the fact that the story is told by a madman and thus the dark style of the film is seen as a stylistic cho ice for aesthetic purposes. As the plot thickens we start to understand that the slanted houses, the crooked streets and the intensely dark shadows are a representation of a state of mind, a mind deeply disturbed by the understand ing of reality. The plot revolves around the narration of Franci s, whose

flashbacks provide the images of the film. He describes a se rie s of myst erious murders that occurred in a sma ll vi ll age in Germany, Holstenwall, and his, Alan's and his betrothed's relation to these murders that seem to be carried out by a Dr. Caligari an d his somnambu list.

Thus the film is gothic, in its choice of subject matter that deals with death, betrayal and deception, which it presents using extreme aesthetic choices, because not only is the set built to resemble the mind of the insane but also the acto rs themselves exaggerate their movements and appearance, with dark dishevelled make-up and cloth es and hair. Just like a dream, all the element s of the film have a relationship to the physical reality of the narrator, where, for example, the appea rance of the cha racters in Hol ste nwall is si milar to that of the inmates in the asylum or the name Caligari is that of the Doctor trying to 'cure ' Francis.

The film has influ enced many filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock and Tim Burton and it al so led to the style of the Film Noir films of the 1940s. lt is most certain ly one of the most importanf films in cinematic history. lra Lorandou

TRIVIA TIMf • Desperate Housewives st ar Eva Longoria Parker has left the bizarre happenings of W isteria Lane behind to film a new horror movie, scheduled to start next month. The film, Tenement, has apparently used The Exorcist, Amityville Horror and Rosemary's Baby as its main influences.

• Cannes Film Festival has announced their line-up for this year's award ceremony.

Unsurprisingly, there are but a few American directed movies, with the exception of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood; but what is on offer will appeal to

international filmgo ers. If not, you can always check out the other films being screened.

• lt has recently been reported that teenage heartthrob Zac Efron has taken a day off from his usual cliched American jock role to pursue the lead in a new Swedish film remake of drama Snabba Cash. He wi ll be playing the role of a taxi-drivercome-cocaine-dealer. A clear attempt to break free from his blue-eyed-boy stereotype.

• Vin Diesel, a name we have not heard in a while, is back in his too comfortable role of

Riddick in what must be one

of the more absu rd titles of the year, Dead Man Stalking.

Thi s will be the third time that Diesel tackles the crazy and wild character. Many will want to be li eve it will be the last time.

• All round entertainer Jamie Foxx will be producing and staring in new animated fi lm Welcome to the Jungle. The project is staying quite illusive at the moment, although it is fair to say that Foxx will probably drop a cheeky song or two into the mix for good measure.

•Th e trend of remaking musicals seems to have no end in sig ht. After butchering Fame, it seems that Hollywood wants another stab at 'murdering' legendary fil m Footloose. However, it seems

that th ey have hit a number of problems incl uding having to find a new lea ding man twice as both dropped out. Can they not take the hint?

•Talking of Footloose, Kevin Bacon has recently signed onto an as of yet untitled comedy alongside Steve Carell. Bacon wi ll play Carell's wife's lover in th e film, played by Julianne Moore, who motivates Carell to finally sort out his life through the help of life coach Ryan Gos ling. Will Care ll, Bacon and Gosling really all feature in one film?

•And finally, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar in the history of the Annual Academy Awards, for her film The Hurt Locker, last mont h.

While this is an achievement in itself, as only 7% of the 13,400 members of the Directors Guild of America are listed as fema le, it has long been overdue . Only four women, including Bigelow, have ever been nominated for the Best Directing Oscar. This sig nals a huge breakthrough for female directors globally.

Rebecca Harrington

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> CIIUCK RAGAN When hardcore hero Chuck Ragan took a trip to our waters in support of Frank Turner, The Event's Steph McKenna sat down for a chat with him about the challenges of going solo and taking his music back to its folk roots .... into the studio and not even being sure what will happen, just letting it all fly. The Bristle Ridge record (with Austin Lucas) was recorded in six days, and none of us had met everyone yet! When we left, it was like: "Wow what just happened? Did we just do that? lt was amazing." I guess it can go both ways.

Are there any tracks on the new album that are of special significance to you, or that you enjoy playing live?

That's a tough one, all of them! But the first one that sticks out in my mind is a little love song called 'Rotterdam'. I really enjoy that one- especially on the road . My wife's not with me on this run and normally she is, but... last year we got a new puppy, and she's at home looking after that. She does a massive amount of work for the music and the Revival tour, just organising a lot of stuff from home. it's amazing and really tough but... that's the nature of the beast, unfortunately. I really look forward to playing that song of!"" this tour.

What else have you got planned for 2010?

We're bringing the Ri!vival tour to Australia in April, which I'd also love to bring to the UK and Europe, possibly next year. You will love it! Right now I'm writing a record with Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem). We're really fired up, I love the songs, I love the energy of it. The plan is to record at the same place where I made Gold Country, and produce it ourselves. We've got some other great instruments and artists who are interested in the project too.

We're really looking forward to it... but I'm anxious!

I'RANK TuRN[R: You are currently on the road with Frank Turner. How is it going so far? lt's been great. We're only about three shows into it now but we've just been having a blast. I've played with Frank before on the Revival tour that my wife and I organised, and we really loved his music and hit it off with him. Frank's got a great crew on this tour- just a lot of good people involved- and it's a pleasure and an honour to be here.

In June, you return to the UK with your band Hot Water Music.

How is that transition, from a folk to hardcore sound, for you?

Is it a lot to get your head around when you take to the stage?

The mind set sort of changes when you're there. Once I stand up with those boys, and we get around each other, it all falls back into place. I feel really lucky for that. lt is tough on the body and the voice, but I enjoy it and I'm really blessed to have the opportunity to experience both sides; to play stripped down folk songs and then to just ... let it rip.

Why is it that there seems to be a lot of artists with punk or hardcore roots performing acoustic/folk music?

The majority of early Hot Water Music material was written acoustically, so it's a huge part of the process. For me, what I love so much is that the words and the art are clarified, the songs simplified. When you stand up in front of folks and all you have is your voice and your guitar, it can be a very, very humbling situation. There's not a whole lot to hide behind. I started playing guitar because of my grandfather, and so a lot of it brings me back to those first basic instincts and steps. I can speak for a lot of good friends that are doing it like that too.

A lot more attention is drawn to it than there used to be, but it

will come and go. The folks that are doing this wholeheartedly will keep on truckin', whilst others will migrate on to something else.

That's how we all live as music lo~ers. Life deciphers what is true or false, what we love and what we don't.

You say that playing this music is like a 'basic instinct'- would it be right to say that your solo sound comes more naturally to you, then?

Definitely. Even with Hot Water Music, we all wrote individually in our own ways, then we'd come together, tear the songs apart and put them back together again. For me, it feels natural and it's simple, much more simple to me to sit down with an acoustic.

Going solo is completely liberating, but at the same time you don't have the support group behind you to say, "hey, that's a really bad idea." So I have a lot of good friends that I bring to the sessions, who inspire me. That makes all the difference in the world for sure.

Gold Country was the first record you produced alone. How was that process? lt was tough, in the sense that it was the first time that I had complete control with the time and the budget, but that was what I was shooting for, a more relaxed session. The sessions I'm used to would involve running into the studio and working around the dock until it was done; anywhere from a day, to a month and a half or so. With Gold Country, it was really nice to have the support when I said I wanted to produce it myself and they said, "yeah, take your time, ring us when it's done." I just wanted to break it up and let the record be finished when it was finished . Every time we went into the studio I truly wanted to be there, and I don't ever want to do it any other way.

Although, there is sometimes a lot to be said about running

UIA LCR.

MoNDAY

MARCH22ND Every now and then, the LCR gets quite full; Socmart, DayGio rave, the end of term bash. But none of those even come close to how densely packed it was on March 22nd.

Now, consider the fact that this gig was originally meant to take place at The Waterfront and you get some idea of quite how much Frank Turner's star has risen over the last 12 months.

With a voice somewhere between a chainsaw and an enraged bear, Chuck held the attention of the LCR throughout his set, successfully channelling the spirit of Bruce Springsteen through the country sensibilities of Willie Nelson. Though unfamiliar with most of the material, the majority of the crowd ended the set as new Chuck fans.

Any long term Frank Turner fan will tell you that his live show is integral to his appeal. The man lives to gig, and has been on tour pretty much constantly for about four years.

After apologising for only playing in Norwich once last year (and commenting on the veracity of East Anglian hate mail), he ripped into a set spanning all three studio albums, as well as some more obscure tracks; the crowd watched his rendition of The Postal Service's 'District Sleeps Alone' Tonight in awed silence.

Every track gained a new energy and some, most notably the normally leaden 'lsabel', were noticeably improved. In fact, the gig's only real negative point was the two anarchists at the back with their persistent and futile song request; if you're reading this, you know who you are.

Everyone thinks you' re idiots, so please don't路come back.

Duncan Vicat-Brown

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In the midst of their biggest headline tour to date, met w ith Max He lyer and Chris Miller of You Me At Six, to discuss arena tours, on line critics and what it's like to be the new faces of the British pop punk generation ...

~

You guys are coming to the end of what must have been an amazing sell out tour. Tonight's date sold out in a couple of days and people are queuing outside already...

Chris: Ye p, t his was t he fi rst show to se ll out.

Max: This and Nottingham, it 's awesome.

Have there been any stand out dates; any night that has been particularly special?

C: Every show has been abso lutely ou tstand ing.

M : Thi s has defin itely been the best tour for us.

C: ... Our best headline to ur.

M : I think these are the tightest shows we have pl ayed as a ba nd.

Having t hat tim e off after Christ mas rea lly helped us out, because we were quit e burnt out by the end of last year.

,,_

I heard you played 126 shows, or something like that, last year ?

C: I think it may have even been a bit more! We' re hoping to do about 200 this year, or so.

World domination ... ?

C: Yeah, for sure!

M: This has been the best tou r thoug h. it 's nice to see- th e kids are stil l com ing out, because obviously we are t ryi ng to go a bit more internationa l now as we ll ; so we're rea lly trying to make sure t hat these shows are the best we can put on, if we are not playing in the UK so much.

I read that it has always been an ambition of the band to play

the Astoria, which you sold out before it shut down. Then you set yourself the target of playing Brixton Academy, and ~ m orrow you play a sold out show there too. Must be a special way to end the tour, and a great indication of the progression you have made as a band.

M : Brixton is the big one for us.

C: Yeah, it 's a dream .

What's the next ambition on your list?

C: We have al ready played Wemb ley (with Para more} but I don' t really think we are an arena band . I don't think we w il l ever head line arenas.

M : If it ever gets to that point ... I don' t think we are ready for are nas at t hi s time and mo ment.

C: I'd say Hammersmith Apollo is my next ta rget.

M : That must be one of the only venues in London we haven 't played .

The British music scene seems to be flourishing at the moment.

I understand you are quite good friends with Bring Me The Horizon and The Blackout, who like yourselves are doing really well, and are similarly signed to Epitaph in America. Do you feel that UK bands are starting to get the recogn ition they deserve?

C: Yeah, definitely. !Yl=I think more fan s and magazines are starting to take t hi s onboard too, becau se it seems to me t hat a lot of the music magazines only care about the American ba nds. Why do Briti sh magazines not care about t heir own bands? They need to cater for t heir home au dience and promote t he nati o nal mu sic sce ne.

Are there any up and coming UK bands that you think will have a good year, or who we should look out for? ; I'm psyched on the new Young Gu ns CD, and th e new All

Forgotten reco rd, t hey have an albu m comi ng out th is year.

C: The We Are Th e Ocea n CD was great too.

M : Deaf Havana, from around t his area, too . They're my boys, they are do ing good th ings.

I've heard that you are all big fans of the Drive Through Records bands, and pop punk?

M: Yeah we love it ! Like The Starting Line, New Found Glory, RX Bandits ...

C: I remember listening to a Drive Through compilation and just playing The Starti ng Li ne on repeat . Early Sta rtin g Line and Midtown and Finch; they are al l so good. lt seems to me that there is a big pop punk resurgence at the moment - do you guys mind being defined as pop punk?

C: At th e start we we re defini tely pigeo nho led as being. a pop punk band, "a nother Fall Out Boy" type of thing, and I didn' t mind that because at least it gave us press and kids something toM :- to compare us to.

C: Yea h, but now I th ink we have grown into our own . I don't think we are a pop punk band; I think we're a rock band , a pop rock band .

M : Bands like Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday; they are some of our biggest influ ences, and I'd say they are rock pop bands. As Chris says, I th ink we have moved on f rom pop punk a bit, and we are just trying to be us as- a band and enjoy what we are writing. You've got to cater for th e fans, but it 's rea lly important to like what you're writing . So if people like the music we are writi ng it's an added bon us.

Hold me down has been out a couple of months now, and it's been really well received, obviously reach ing #5 on the UK album chart. lt seems that your sound has really matured on this album; the band has really found their own sound. Did the

writing process or the way you approached the album change compared to Take Off Yo ur Colours?

C: lt was a m uch lo nger process. The first album we recorded in t wo and a half weeks, and we spent about seven and a half on this one.

M: We just had th e opportuni t y to make sure th at eve rythin g was perfect; if we weren' t happy wit h anyt hi ng we had t he tim e to go back.

C: And obviously because we do it all ourselves, we put ourse lves under a lot of pressure to make sure everyth ing was right. We were des perat e to make th e best CD we co uld, an d I think we real ly pulled throug h with it.

And finally, the 'Underdog' EP includes " Fact-tastic", which portrays the band's feelings about certain people who are easily influenced by message boards and forums. I take it the song is a shot at Punktastic?

M : lt is a shot at Punktastic but not at the peop le that run the website; it's a shot at the people that sit on these for ums and moan about us. it's pat hetic t hat people have th at much tim e to sit at t he compu t er and say t his ba nd "f*cki ng suck", " th is band don' t write their own so ngs".

C: it's funny because these peop le don't kn~w anyt hing about our band!

M: They need to get their facts ri ght. These peo pl e don't eve n give our band an attempt, like, if t hey gave us an attempt and they still say the same thing, at least they are judging us on our music.

C: The funniest thing is when people are like, "t his band don't even w rite th ei r own songs", and li ke, "o h a band li ke so and so write their own materia l, when You Me At Six don't write any of their stuff. They don't deserve their success", when we sit for hours and write our stuff!

C: Exactly, we 've worked really hard for this and we are go ing to enjoy it.

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Perhaps the most unintentionally apropos summary to be made of Frightened Rabbit was provided by a member of the NAC crowd as the Hutchinson brothers first walked on stage: "They're very hairy." What we had come to expect of this indie-folk band, prior to their latest album The Winter of Mixed Drinks, was exactly that endearing messiness, found in their sad, candid lyrics and spirited delivery. Now midnight has turned into the morning after; they have more optimism and shine, but can those translate into FR's live performances?

Airship proved to be a competent support act, hammering the crowd with a set featuring the noisy opener 'Kids' and their first single 'Algebra', typified by its overpowering synthesizer riff, before leaving with a moody, percussive dirge. Their strums, topped with the sharp Mancunian tones of their long-haired front man, made them sound like an edgier Starsailor: perfect for an early evening slot at a field festival, with universality key to their appeal.

Once Frightened Rabbit stepped up, it became apparent very quickly that Airship's reliance is almost opposite to theirs. The new songs, like the erupting 'Skip The Youth' and the celebratory stomp of 'Living In Colour', were certainly enjoyable in their greater size and polish, but occasionally felt a little distant compared to Midnight Organ Fight favourites like 'The Modern Leper' and the brutally honest 'Keep Yourself Warm', whose strength came in the painfulness of their messages.

The warm presence of the Hutchinson brothers permeated the show; while Grant pounded the drums with relish like the Cad bury gorilla, Scott's animated yelps showed clear release. The intense connection 'Poke' made, performed alone by Scott right over the audience, could not come to exist in an arena. Let's hope that, as they attain further success, Frightened Rabbit don't lose the intimacy that makes them appealing in the first place.

Chris Ogden

After headlining the second stage at Download Festival in 2009, the LCR doesn't quite seem large enough to house the crowd's anticipation and enthusiasm for this Florida-based metal quartet; amplified by the heavy metal and death-core supports whipping the crowd into a frenzy. First up are Unearth-influenced Rise to Remain, with a great rhythm and Austin Dickinson as frontman. Whilst his screams and growls are fitting, his clean singing seems out of place. This, however, doesn't detract from a great young band. Next are Whitechapel - an acquired taste with their overblown brutality - but who nevertheless had the LCR in the palm of their hand, a quality which Chimaira also displayed with the already lively crowd .

Next, Trivium - and the result of playing a venue this size is an intimate, ear-thrashing set, each song delivered with chaotic precision; the sustained and complicated solos from Heafy and Beau lieu see their raw, technical abilities come storming through.

Trivium are tight, ensuring the sound is amazingly faithful to that laid down in the studio. Even with the recent departure of original drummer Travis Smith, the band have continued to thrive, not missing a beat on songs such as 'Like Light to Flies' and 'Drowned

and Torn Asunder' from their second studio album, Ascendancy.

Trivium do not pause to allow the mosh-pit to cat.ch a much needed breath, but instead introduce songs from Shogun, adding their Sepultura cover 'Slave New World' and proving that whilst Ascendancy has stamped their mark on these shores, their subsequent efforts should not be ignored. As the songs continue to batter through, the crowd respond to the calls of "circle, jump and do whatever you want, but just do it fast" by Heafy, who commands both audience and stage with a presence that belies his young age.

Closing with the rapturously received 'A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation' and 'Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr', Trivium show that their arduous praise is well deserv .

At face value they could be categorised as cliched with every metal tradition on show: spiky guitars, swirling head banging and a jaw dropping fret-fest; but live they combine humility, respect and outstanding musicianship to welcome old and new fans into the same arena- where the veterans can lose some more hearing, and the young can be taught how it really should be done.

Laura Riggs

osu PYKI & [~I~It\ l)ottocu >AHTS Cr:~n~[ >Tu TJ~s 18TH MARCY The night began with a collection of catchy, upbeat songs, courtesy band Madames et Monsieurs. A winning mixture of indie, pop and rock, the band set the tone for what was shaping up to be a remarkable evening. Though the room was relatively empty, the young band was not to be deterred; raw, talented and likeable in the way that only unsigned acts really are, they churned out a reel of lively, quirky songs that soon had the audience motivated, capably filling the space before the main performances.

Singer/~ongwriter Em m a Pollock began her own performance with an amusing anecdote, effortlessly loosening up the atmosphere of the room, and casually assuring the audience of her confidence on stage. The former Delgados member of local

played songs from both her debut (Watch The Fireworks) and most recent (The Law Of Large Numbers) albums, captivating the audience with her passionate vocals, and, more notably, her strong Scottish accent. She and her support began with a few relatively heavy tracks; but as the evening progressed, the songs became lighter and more mournful. The popular 'House On The Hill' was the highpoint of her performance: the stage

lights dimmed as she delved into the moving, evocative ballad, _her voice carrying powerfully through the old, renovated church room.

With Josh Pyke's performance, the tone shifted again.

Launching immediately into a song from his first full album, Memories and Dust, he soon had the audience swaying in time to the gentle rhythm of his music. At first appearance, he may have seemed just another 'one man and his guitar', Jack Johnsontype, but Josh's performance soon dispelled this illusion. Like Emma Pollock, his accent (Australian) carried into his vocals; and his evocative lyrics were almost poetic. The majority of the

I

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songs played came from his second album, Chimney's Afire; both nautical and intensely nostalgic, the tracks were sentimental and inspiring- 'Our House Breathing' and 'Make You Happy', in particular, had the audience yearning for more. The performance ended on a somewhat mournful note, with 'Vibrations In Air', a song reminiscent of memory and loss. Definitely a night to be remembered. lmogen Kn owelden

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l SPG, \K llGc \l sr I LM路.; coming home. 'I Know You' is a far more intimate affair. Conor hasn't sounded 'so torn-from-thediary' since Fevers & Mirrors. it's very promising.

Of the older stuff, 'Black Comedy' plays like a swan-song to the primal, heart-in-his-throat approach to song-writing Conor championed until 2005's I'm Wide Awoke, it's Morning. The other tracks seem like practice-runs for the more country-centric offerings of his post-Lifted career; more curiosity pieces than fully-fledged

'-~re will be a new Bright Eyes album, one last one, this year. But this is a split-LP. And only half of it is new material. And only half of that is new Bright Eyes material. So why, then, has the buzz around this paltry little thing been so buzzy?

Well, because Conor Oberst is a big deal, and while other music, by other bands, can be goodsometimes great- it's lacking the inherent Bright Eyes-ness that makes Bright Eyes so Bright Eyes.

Conor's new stuff is gland-grabbingly Bright Eyes - more Bright Eyes than Bright Eyes has been since 2002's Lifted. 'Happy Accident' is a fist-shaking, air punching triumph - it feels like

songs.

Neva Dinova pale considerab ly by comparison. There's nothing wrong with them, they're just missing that indefinable quality that Conor has always possessed - the one that leaves an audience hanging on his every syllable.

Of their half of the record, only 'Someone's Love' really stands out as a solid barroom lament.

While there are moments of excellence woven throughout, the record feels arbitrary.

The 2010 tracks would have made a serviceable EP without dredging up the past ventures best left where they were; in our memories, rosetinted and safe from the judgment of our worldweary future selves. Still, as Conor explains, "I guess the past's good for a laugh - a comedy so dry and black".

Tom Mclnnes

LAU~A

MARLI G ' ' ,,

A lot has happened for 20-year-old Laura Marling since the release of her debut LP, Alas, I Cannot Swim. Since establishing her whimsical ballads firmly at the centre of the London folk scene, she has played sold-out shows for thousands, gratified the BBC with Radio One sessions, and reportedly made a surprise appearance in a Glastonbury cafe at last year's festival.

However, is it all too much too soon? I

the thoughts of a woman. As the li stene r follows Marling into maturity, we experience the anger and frustration of history, love, responsibility, and the pleasure of song. Never the optimist, she takes the grief of widows, the fear felt by children, and 'fleeting failure' to voice familiarity with the world that is surely beyond her years.

The closing track,opens with a story in which 'my husband left me last night', and, failing to concentrate on the epic orchestration, fluid chords and heavy piano drive, one would assume Marling has finally run out of personal experiences and is basing her future on a cynic's perspective. All songs absent themselves from the perfect combination of lyrics, melody, orchestration, or tone. 'Hope in the Air' resorts to a fury of strumming and a repetitiveness that provokes irritation; 'Made by Maid' is too tame for such an early appearance in the track listing; in fact, the only track that maintains musical interest is 'Alpha Shallows', which found fame on the 2008 Night Terror EP. Saying this, the album is not disappointing.

Keeping in mind Marling's sophomore attempts,

Speak Because I Can - 2010's answer to the

however, she set the bar far too high in her

underground scene moving into the mainstream, peaking at number four in the UK chart - takes the girlish themes of Alas and warps them into

teenage years and may not be ready for such musical responsibility yet.

Helen Thomas

7/ 10 although Slash does manage to create a satisfying Sabbath-esque chug to complement the dreary vocals.

The collaboration with Fergie is surprisingly effective, as she manages to pull off an Axl Rose impression unsurpassed anywhere else on the album. 'By The Sword' is a fantastic homage to early 70s heavy metal, featuring Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother, whose scream

Slash's first solo album is a mixed bag. Featuring a wide array of collaborators, with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and lggy Pop to Adam Levine and Fergie, the iconic gu itarist cannot be accused of narrow-mindedness. The main issue is that there are so many different voices on Slash that it stops and starts without any real feel of cohesion.

Admittedly, although the album doesn't flow well, there are a few real gems that make up for it. The opener, 'Ghost', features an aging Ian Astbury demonstrating a battered growl underpinned by a riff stolen directly from 'Sweet Child 0' Mine'. This is immediately followed by t P Ozzy track which disappoints somewhat,

perfectly complements Slash's furious shredding.

Unfortunately, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 makes an appearance directly after this. His whiny vocals leave a bitter taste and struggling through the entire song proves to be an arduous task. The final track features lggy Pop rolling out the largest number of lyrical cliches ever recorded in one song. Beginning with the couplet, "Gee I really like your tits, I'll say anything that fits", it becomes an embarrassment by the chorus: "Pee on the Ground, And jump around". Seriously lggy, you could have done better than that.

Although Slash has demonstrated once again that he is one of the most accomplished modern guitarists, lapses of judgement, specifica lly the collaboration with Adam Levine, show that he is better off sticking to one singer.

Jack Loughran

otherworldly way he moulds his voice around the music on Beauty School and Sextape.

Despite the band's recent trouble s, the lyrical content is optimistic and fantastical, in a similar vein to White Pony, and is some of the best work they have ever produced.

Carpenter's guitar work is just as virulent as the vocal delivery. On tracks like CMND/ CNTRL, Carpenter manages to push some simple progressive ideas extremely far, in a way which doesn't condescend the listener, yet still remains original. But Carpenter also

The sparse, psychedelic atmospheres that we've come to expect from Deftones are still heavily present, however, Deftones don't do much re-treading old ground with Diamond Eyes. it's difficult to pin-point a single aspect of this record to att ribut e to its success; the band is so tight - all the more encouraged by the deep groove of drummer Abe Cunningham - and every player is laying aces all over this record.

shows ingenuity and re straint on the more psychedelic tracks, maintaining that unique sound which makes Deftones' nigh impossible to imitate.

Special mention should also go to the synth work of Frank Delgado, who really goes far in complementing the atmosphere of the record and adding a new dynamic to the Deftones' so und . This is as incisive, purposeful and engaging a record as Deftones have ever produced; and you'd be forgiven for forgetting they've been putting out for nearly twenty years now.

Moreno's vocal performance proves that he's almost peerless. The range of delivery on the record is excellent, from the unreal centre -piece scream on Royal to the haunting,

Jake Wieczorek

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> SINGlfS RoUNDUP The month of May sees a number of old faces likely to make a welcome return to the singles and albums charts, including Foals, Paul Weller, Faithless and Gorillaz.

'This Orient' is the second taster that Oxford quintet, Foals, have given us from their forthcoming second album Total Life Forever.

Whilst retaining the trademark elements of stabbing drum rolls and playful guitar plucks, the lyrics on the single lack the conviction and catch that featured on the debut, Antidotes.

Thus far, 'This Orient' and the earlier released 'Spanish Sahara' suggest that the second album is to be far more mellow and melancholjc than the first.

Following that, 'Superfast Jellyfish', the second single from the recent Plastic Beach album by Gorillaz, will get it's official release next month. The bizarre and the quaint come in equal measure as the track opens with

a sample from a mid-80s ad' for Swanson's microwavable 'Great Starts Breakfasts!' The track's tale of a tasty quick fix in the morning is told by De La Soul, who provides the hip-hop verses whilst Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys

provides the surreal chorus.

Next month will see Paul Weller take his solo album tally into double figures with the release of Wake Up The Nation . The first single to be released is 'No More Tears', a simple yet effective ballad number. The track offers a nostalgic mix of piano, guitar and bass that hark back to several examples from Weller's back-catalogue. This is most notably due to the contributions from ex-Jam member Bruce Foxton (his first work with Weller since 1982) and ex-Style Council keyboardist Mick Talbot.

And finally, prior to a summer full of festival appearances, Faithless will release the new single 'Not Going Home', taken from forthcoming album The Dance. The track unfortunately does not live up to the benchmark of the band's typically infectious sound. Lacking the euphoric chorus quality of tracks like 'Insomnia' and 'Mass Destruction'

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and replacing it with a generic, mind-numbing bass line ,the song's only saving grace is the calming vocals of frontman Maxi Jazz .

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Paul Cook

> DAN lf SAc vs. ScROORIUS PIP The Event's Jake Wieczorek catches up with London lyricists Dan Le Sac and Scroobius P1p to discuss the duo's latest long-player Logic of Chance, their busy tour schedule and their rose-tinted retrospective on a perfect concert lineup ...

With an extensive UK tour coming up in support of new album Logic of Chance, we still see Sac 'n' Pip staying true to their roots. However, this time you have introduced newer beats and elements. What was your approach when constructing this album?

DLS: To be honest, because we'd been touring 'Angles' since Thou Shalt {Always Kill), which happened back in 2006 ... so we've been touring for about four years, and I guess you just start getting sucked into that live thing - every time it goes off in a set, every time "the crowd go wild" to quote the cliche, you get addicted to it.

So the beats on the album are still attempting to be subtle and compliment what Pip's doing, but also still trying to grab the audience to get that response. You know it's the musical crack addition, sort of (laughs).

So in terms of complimenting Pip ...

Yeah, I never compliment him. (Laughs) One thing about your music is that it's very cohesive, it doesn't necessarily sound like a traditional MC/Producer structure; the two elements compliment each other well. Was this a conscious part of your song-writing for Logic of Chance?

Well, we don't really sit down like this; there is a bit of back and forth e-mail wise, but not too much to be honest. Pip kind of picks the beats in a sense; he gets a lot of material from me and then certain beats will spark and interest him.

The fact that they're the beats that he chose to write for sort of leads that cohesion. We will sort of grumble back and forth: "That's not good enough, that's not good enough!" but when we meet there's no real tension, even if the e-mail was: " (frowns)Listen you f*cker! Just f*cking rerecord it man!". Because by the time we meet it's like, "(smiles) Ha ha you f*cker, just re-record it man!"

Could you shed some light on your experiences when working across the pond with Sage Francis, and releasing a record on his label, 'Strange Famous'?

With Pip and I, one of our few common musical areas of interest is that brand of hip-hop, so obviously that was one of the points we could talk about. When we worked together in HMV we used to go to the odd gig together and see Anti-Pop Consortium and New Flesh For Old, so it was just a clucking treat to get involved. When Thou Shalt (Always Kill) went up, Sage posted a comment on the MySpace; it was just a typical, you know... "Cool beat" comment, but then a year later, to be able to go to Sage and say, "When we get a deal in America, do you wanna give us a hand?" With him not only giving us a hand but having to go through a lot of trials and tribulations to do it and give it the justice he did.

We've also got one of those American's on tour with us now, and touring with B. Dolan in the states was eye-opening for us, so we wanted to bring him round with us.

Looking back on the making of your second album, are you in a rush to record again, or looking to take it easy for a while after the tour?

Well, we'll just have to see what we come up with. Some of the stuff we tend to write, you know, here and there, and it's just what inspires to be honest. If Pip is suddenly inspired to write a load of stuff I'm already ready with a ton of beats. it's a really weird thing to be honest because when we were writing Logic of Chance Pip was way ahead; he'd already written around 10 tracks and I had only finished the first one! What tends to happen is that he writes everything and then tends to play his Playstation in his pants, whilst I'm sitting in the studio going: "Oh god, I've got all these things to write!" Then I'll write way more than I need to, so after the albums out

I've got like 20 beats thinking, "How am I going to use all this? C'mon Pip write something!" So hopefully I'll get him to start writing and we'll get some new stuff out.

Finally, if you could put on your perfect gig, where would it be? Who would you have?

I guess I'd probably have to go back in time and play Preston Warehouse in the early 80s, before lan Curtis died - so play with Joy Division. The venue would have to be time-travelling itself, so first on would be Joy Division, and then headlining would be Joy Division. lan Curtis would die in front of us all in a corduroy jumper. lt would last nine days because it would be every act ever signed to Factory, finishing with the Happy Mondays and loads of drugs!

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They were amongst the best players in the country at the time. Canvas looks at how the highest scoring strikers in the 2003 -4 ~emier League season have fared in the years t hat followed and what they are curre ntly up to on and off the pitch .

France's record goal scorer was the man to watch as he spearheaded the title-winning Arsenal team which became known as 'The lnvincibles' following an unbeaten league season in 2003-4. He left the Gunners in the summer of 2007 for a fee of £16.1millon, w hich was less than Totte nham Hotsp ur pa id out for Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent.

After a successful start in Spain, including one of the most prolific partners hips in modernday football alongside Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Mes~i. which last season yielded 100 goals, t~32 year old has recently found his chances limited. He is often deployed as a substitute and was overlooked in favour of right back Danie l Alves in the recent 'clasico' against Real Madrid leading to questions about his place in France's 2010 World Cup sq uad.

After fi nishing second on ly to Thierry Henry as highest scorer with 23 goals in the 2003-4 season the Colombian never again hit those heig hts. The 35 year old marksman, who cost Aston Villa £9.5million in 2001, is now turning out for the New York Red Bulls w here he recently became the club's all time reco rd goal scorer.

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reunited with famous strike partner Dwight Yorke at Sunderland via spells at Portsmouth and Birmingham (loan) before joining Burnley on loan . After a spell with Nottingham Forest, in which he failed to score, the Arsenal academy product hung up his boots. Since retiring Cole has become a columnist for The Independent, where he recently revealed the reason why he has not spoken to Teddy Sheringham in 15 years, and coaches the Huddersfield Town strikers twice a week under old Newcastle United and Fulham teammate Lee Clark.

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The youngest of the top 20 scorers in the list, the 29 year old is currently playing Bundesl iga footba ll for Hannover 96. The 2003-4 season was his first at Birmingham City, on loan from Chelsea . Finn Forssel l sco red mo re goals in t his campa ign alone (17) than he ever did in the rest of his time at St Andrews, although this cou ld pa rt ly be explained by regu lar inju ri es w hich limited his progress. This season he has on ly played 136 minutes of first team football.

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Frontm an Ferdin and scored a quarte r of all of Leicester City's goa ls in their doomed attempt to sta y in t he Premier League un der M icky Ad ams. Already in the t w ilight of his caree r, an d re portedly training just once a week, the man who scored t he Premie r League's 1000th goa l moved on to Bolton Wan dere rs and subsequent ly Reading where he made mostly substitute appearances. After regu lar appearances on now defunct sports channel Setanta, the eldest member on the list can now be fo un d making occas iona l appea rances on Football Focus and the Match of the Day 2 sofa. Working alongside Tim Sherwood, he is a strike rs' co nsultant for Totten ham Hot spur, a role given to him by Harry Redknapp. The former QPR man set up the Les Ferdinand Summe r Soccer Camp, which ran in 2009 and produced six players who went on to join the academy at Wh ite Hart Lane, but it has since been terminated due to lack of interest.

17 > ANDI~[\V (OL[ (I{L\C ~I~ I ' I?N nov ri~S) After leaving Ewood Park fo llowi ng a spa t with Graeme So uness, the man know n by most as Andy Co le played for a staggering seven different clubs in four years. Afte r joi ning Ful ham an d fi nis hing as top score r with 12 goa ls under Chris Co lema n, he left for M anchester City, where he scored alm ost a goa l every t wo ga mes. He th en

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Arguab ly the least talented player on this list, the Jamaican is currently on the books at Blackpool, w he re ironically he found himself subject to racia l abuse in a 4-3 defeat to Stoke City. His career at Charlton was ended after an ongoing batt le with then manager Alan Curbishley in which Euell refused to be employed as a striker.

Th e upshot was th at he was regu larly benched befo re eventually being so ld to Middlesborough for £300,000. He never scored for the Teesiders and moved on to South ampton w here he began to start more matches. Unsurprisingly, tho ugh, in his second season th e side were relegated to Leag ue 1, at which point the 32-year-old moved along the coast to join up with lan Holloway, w here he been made club captain. Havi ng scored four goals he has helped to push the Tangerines to the cusp of the Championship pl ayo ffs.

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Having made his name at Bristol Rovers and Huddersfield Town, the forward is now plying his trade for in League 1 Exeter City under the astute stewardship of Paul Tisdale. After leaving Sunderland he joined the club he supported as a boy, Bristol City, before staying in the West Country with a move to Yeovil Town before tra nsferring to his current club. Deployed as an out and out striker for the majority of his career, the 37 year-old often finds himself on the right side of Exeter's midfield and has been instrumental in their recent success.

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Harris>LT1>6:30>£6 *Salsa Celtica>Arts Centre>8:30>£9 *POW!>LCR>10pm>£6 adv

*Murals & Modernism in India by Dr

Daniel Rycroft>Forum>6pm *La Joyoza>UEA School of Music>7:30 >£4 *Skylight (until 24th)>Piayhouse>8pm

*American Studies Sac's The Great Gatsby Baii>Sainsbury Centre>7pm>£15 *Show of Hands>WF>7:30>£15 *John Bishop (until 30th)>Piayhouse

>£10 *Chew Lips>Arts Centre>8pm>£7 *Jacks vs Geeks>LCR>10pm>£3.50

>8pm>£15 *Willy Barrett's Sleeping Dogs>Arts Centre>8pm>£9 *DJ Rukspin>Btrdcage>8pm *POW! >LCR>10pm>£6

* Ash>WF>7:30>£15 *Comedy Store>Forum>8pm>£10.50 *Shy Child>Arts Centre>8pm>£8 *C*A*B*A*R*E*T>Birdcage>8pm>fl

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*Music@ 1>Assembly House>1pm >£4 *In the Flesh>LCR>7:30>£12 *Balaclava Kid & Dad>Arts Centre >8pm>£4 *Easy Vibes>Btrdcage>8pm *LitSoc Spring Baii>St. Giles House Hotel>8:30>£15 *Silent Disco>WF>10pm>£4.50

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Familiar to the eyes of all UEA students, POW! is the Mustard Lounge's club night that has recently wormed its way into the LCR's itinerary to bring musical enthuse to our otherwise empty Friday nights. Self-confirmed to banish any student's worries about coursework, seminars and early morning lectures, POW! brings the best DJs to fill the room with everything from electro to pop, rock, dance and trance.

Having hosted its first LCR club night last term, the club night promises to deliver another sensational evening before the anxiety of exams sets in, aiming to fill the 1,800 capacity LCR as Radio 1 DJs and various themed rooms, including a garden rave, take over our campus venue.

Luring you in with the 'standard' sweets, treats, glowsticks and surprises, POW! is offering something different to the usual Saturday or Tuesday LCR night, with a genuine eclectic mix of music. Aside from the DJs' personal favourites, which are often obscure remixes

.... >Puppet Theatre>7pm>£15 *Laugh Out Loud> Rose Tavern>7:30 *The Duke & The King>Arts Centre >8pm>£8 *Western Night>Birdcage>8pm *The Other One & Harmony 01' Skool >LCR> 10pm>£4.50 *Meltdown & Wraith>WF>10pm >£3.50

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*Action and Live Music and Art Sale> Birdcage>TBC

>£12.50 *Canterbury> Marquee>8pm>£7

*Surrealism & Design by Dr Krzysztof Fijalkowski>Forum>6pm *The Caretaker (until 28th)>Piayhouse >7:30>£10 *Times New Viking>Arts Centre>8pm >£7 *Stich & Bitch>Birdcage>8pm *Black & White>LCR>10pm>£3.50

*Story of the Year>WF>7:30>£10 *The Futureheads>Arts Centre>8pm

by the underground scene's best mixers that wouldn't be out of place on a Monday night at Po Na Na's, POW!'s End of Term Extravaganza brings you 'Ed Bangin' electro, lndie Cindies, Pop Bitches, Fashionista Disco Dancers, Mods off their Rockers and Bassline Skankers' to meet the standards of all opposing music tastes.

Room One, the LCR, will play host to Radio 1 DJs Jaymo and Andy George, hailing from In New DJs We Trust Radio 1 shows and the standin slot for Annie Mac. As Zane Lowe's secondhand men at his DJ Hero Tour freshers' week event, Jaymo and George return to UEA before a busy summer of festival appearances and Ibiza dates, bringing us electro, disco, house, techno and indie mash-ups for POW!'s April date at the LCR. To warm up, Norwich favourites 'Party Boys' Juxtaposer b2b Fazhands are in to kick start the night, having gained popularity amongst UEA students from their appearances at the Garden Rave and Club Neo, and promise to deliver 'the odd curveball' with a unique blend of house, electro and techno. Alongside these deck superstars, internationally acclaimed DJ/ Producer and newby to the POW! family, Louis La Roche, is just 19, and is 'guaranteed to get you in the groove' with his Daft Punk-esque French touch/disco.

Outside, however, former UEA students and

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*AIIegri String Quartet>UEA School of Music>lpm>£4 *UEA Literary Festivai>Joanne

*Unknown Pleasures> LCR>7:30>£13 *Stewart Lee>Piayhouse>8pm>£14 *Nice Up Pt2>Arts Centre>8pm>£8 *The Management>Birdcage>8pm *Non-Stop '90s & L6aded!>WF>10pm >£3.50

~~mam~tm *Poetry & Prayer>Cathedral >10am>£3 * PBFA Book Fair>St Andrew's Hall>llam

>El * Jodi Picoult>St An drew's Hall >7pm>£5 *The Counterfeit Stones> Piayhouse>8pm >£18.50 *Max Raptor>Arts Centre>8pm>£6 *GoodMorningMidnight> Birdcage>8pm *Now 90s v Club Retro>LCR>10pm>£4.50 *Meltdown & Ska'd Up>WF>10pm>£3.50

active BreakSoc members R. B. and Faust bring you the heavier end of the musical spectrum with a vinyl dubstep and drum & bass set.

Whereas, POW! regular DJ Cable, two time UK DMC champion and guest mixer on BBC Radio 1Xtra, is bringing the garage and grime to dubstep in the Garden Rave, together with his own celebrated DMC-style scratching and juggling.

Perhaps the most interesting one to look out for at the club night will be Boa boa, a longtime member of POW!'s family and recently absent from the Norwich scene, having moved away from the area. Apart from spinning House and funky beats for the Dark Party, Boaboa is responsible for the entire POW! artwork and design. Certainly a talented guy, he's been described as a 'god behind the desks' and is teaming up with t~e multitude of DJs on 29th April for UEA's much needed mass chill out and rave.

Tickets for POW!'s End ofTerm Extravaganza are available for £6 from the UEA Box Office, from Soundclash Records on St. Benedict's Street, from POW! Ticket Reps, or for £8 on the door on the night. The box office can be contacted on 01603 508 050, and POW! remind everyone to bring photo I. D.!

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FOR BOOKINGS CALL 087 22 44 007 OR FIND US AT WWW.ODEON .CO.UK

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Helen Thomas

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compelilions Arnoss

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DowN 1: Large, disgusting (5)

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5: Italian word denoting brisk, cheerful musical tempo , oral gel (anag.) (7) 8: Fast, lo ng necked bird, pet of Johnny Cash {7) 9: Informal name for grandmothe r (5) 10: Beach and f requ ently t he town wh ich foc uses on it {7) 11: To co nvey an object to a place or person (5) 12: All possib le, to the greatest possible degree (5) 13: Intense mournfulness or sorrow (3) 15: To achi eve democrati c victory agai n (10 ) 19: To take revenge (6) 20 : Conducti ve metal, symbol Cu (6) 22: Rude ness (11)

2: Animal that co nsumes insects t hrough large snout (8) 3: Three part s whi ch make up a sing le entity (8) 4: Possible to do, something which can be reache d {10) 5: Weapon which fires arrows (8) 6: Rea l, truthfu l (8) 7: A fruit na med after its co lou r (7) 12: Nation whose patron saint is St. George (7) 14: Opposite of in (3) 15: To be w ritten in runes (5) 16: To shut (5) 17: To hint (5) 18: Fi bre whi ch co nveys imp ul ses to t he brai n (6) 21: Animal, famously Rod Hull's puppet

New York Gypsy punks Gogol Bo rde llo bring their famed live show to the LCR once again on Monday 10/5/10, bringing tracks from their new album Transcontinental Hussle which is re leased on 26/4/10. Co urtesy of the Union w e are not on ly giving away tickets to th e gig but th e opportunity to attend a meet and greet with the band!

For a chance of winning just bring your comp leted crossword or sudoku to the Concrete Office

by Friday 29/4/10.

E-mail :

Name :

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"'flATOUL CO EDY GUIIUS"

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Co~n~ AND f"IND Us!

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The Concrete Office is on the top floor of Union House and sig nposted from the top of the stairs. Come and see us to drop off competition entries or to talk to our editors if you want to get involved in any of our sections!

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OD[ON II<DTTun TIM~ MACIIIN[ tR[[ ScR[[NING RoNANZA Thanks to ODEON, Concrete is taki ng a trip to see a sneak preview of the word -of-mouth comedy sensation Hot Tub Time Machine, and all our readers are invited!

The event starts at 5.30pm on Tuesday 27/4/10- over a week before the film's official release - when we shall descend upon ODEON's Am bar for drinks. Fa nta stic offers include two cocktails for ÂŁ6, and t he rest of the bottle free when you buy two glasses of wi ne, plu s th e chance to mingle with all your favpurite editors and contributors.

The screening will be at 6:30 pm, and promises to provide hilarity from its stars, including comedy legend John Cusack (High Fidelity, Grosse Point Blank, Con Air) and Clark Duke (Kick-Ass, Sex Drive). Afte r a crazy night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub, four fr iends wake up, heads pounding, in the year 1986. This is their chance to kick some past and change their futures- one will find a new love life, one will learn to stand up for himself with the ladies, one will find hi s mojo, and one will make sure he still exists!

Following t his there is a good chance of an impromptu Concrete social, so get down for an opportunity to enjoy yourselves before exams start! Because of the film there will be an 80's theme so break out the hairspray and shoulder pads!

If you want to attend th is fa ntastic night t hen j ust sea rch Facebook for "CONCRETE SOCIAL: A fantastic event courtesy of ODEON !" and confirm as attending before 3pm on 27/4/10. Each confirmation of attendance is only valid for one person . Places are limited, so we can only guarantee that the first 200 people w ho arrive at ODE ON by 5.30pm on 27th April will gain admittance, howeve r you must have co nfi rm ed your attend ance on ou r face boo k event page beforeha nd . We look forward to see ing you all! "~ s event is for over 18's only. Concrete encourages res pon sible drinking. Your favourite editors may not be availa ble.

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Premiere bar and lounge

www.hottubtimemach1ne.co.uk