NE Online Magazine Issue 15

Hi Chris and welcome to NE Magazine, for the few readers who must be living in a cave somewhere and don’t know who you are how about giving th em a quick l ow- down o n yourself?

- Hello! Can’t help but think I’m writing your interview introduction for you here, oh well… I’m a stand-up comedian from South Shields and I’m also a bit of an actor now and then… but mainly a comedian… that might not come across as well as it should in print form, but I am.

So there.

At the moment it’s hard not seeing you on the TV when we switch it on as you’re everywhere, but what has been the highlight for you so far?

- Not everywhere though am I? If you turn on QVC and I’m selling a frying pan, just assume you’ll find me floating face down in a river very soon. The highlight for me so far was probably being in Hebburn. Since starting comedy I always wanted to try my hand at being in a sitcom too so I was over the moon to do one with my mate and so close to my heart, and I got to work with Vic Reeves.

I know you had a bit of a crazy time with fans wanting pics and autographs when you were having a few drinks in a South Shields bar recently, how are you finding this, does it put you off going out?

- Not at all. Any person in that position who has been on TV or whatever and people want photos (I’m trying my best not to say celebrity here!) who pretends they hate the attention is a liar. You don’t go for a career on TV because you don’t want anyone to notice you. As long as I’m not eating or having a shit when you want a photo then it’s no problem at all… I meant, like on the toilet, not just in the middle of the dancefloor.

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Have you had any weird fan requests or incidents?

- Not really. The odd person will show up to a gig with my face on a T-Shirt, or bake me a cake, or send me a dead animal in the post but other than that it’s just photos and autographs. A little kid in Hebburn when we were filming asked me to sign his micro scooter… that was a bit weird.

As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats you are now starring in the North East based sitcom Hebburn, how did that come about?

- My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decided to write a sitcom about the town he was from, Hebburn, and he actually wrote me a little side part which he named after me. But when it came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the main character, and when I got it, Jason took the part that he’d written for me! It came about so gradually that I didn’t really realise the enormity of being lead role in a BBC2 sitcom until I saw the advert on TV. I nearly passed out.

How has the response for Hebburn been so far?

- Overwhelmingly positive.

And we just won Best Drama at the RTS North awards too. And we’ve got a second series!

You are now embarking on your biggest tour to date, how do you feel about this?

- Yeah incredible! It’s an extension of my last tour, Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates in 2012 but the demand for tickets was so high and people enjoyed the show so much that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much bigger venues. I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

Are there any venues on the tour that you are looking forward to playing or any you’re quite nervous about?

- The Theatre Royal in Newcastle. I absolutely can’t wait. I used to watch panto there when I was a kid. I’m

We l c o m e N o t e .

I can’t beleive how quick time is flying, i t i s n e a r l y E a s t e r a l r e a d y ! We h a v e b e e n v e r y b u s y a r ra n g i n g s o m e g r e a t interviews, some in this issue, some c o m i n g s o o n . We h a v e a l s o g o t s o m e great competitions coming your way so m a ke s u r e y o u l i ke o u r Fa c e b o o k p a g e so you don’t miss out on any of them.

As always, if you have something you want to see in a future issue then d o n ’ t fo r g e t t o d r o p u s a n e m a i l t o wayne. groves@neonlinemagazine.com P l u s r e m e m b e r t o fo l l o w u s o n Fa c e b o o k a n d Tw i t t e r fo r o u r r e g u l a r updates on events and competitions.

Till next time Ta ke c a r e Wa y n e

EDITOR & DESIGNER Wayne Groves wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com CONTRIBUTORS Ian Berry Photographer www.ianberry.co.uk info@ianberry.co.uk

SPONSORS Cineworld Boldon www.cineworld.co.uk SCREEN-CON www.screen-con.com The Sage Gateshead www.thesagegateshead.org Ocean Beach Pleasure Park www.oceanbeach.co.uk Quasar Elite South Shields www.quasarsouthshields.co.uk For all queries or if you would like to feature or advertise in NE Magazine email wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com Unless stated otherwise all competition entries should be sent to win@ neonlinemagazine.com Plus you can catch up with us online for news, events, blogs, competitions and more at www.neonlinemagazine.com Follow us on Facebook - www.facebook. com/pages/N-E-Online-Magazine join us on twitter @NEOnlineMag

Greame Baty Photographer www.facebook.com/ GJBPerformancePhotography g.j.baty@gmail.com Nicholas Dunn www.facebook.com/NJDunnPhotography Derek Brettle www.facebook.com/ lastlaughcartoons lastlaughcartoons@gmail.com Jon Dea Photography www.facebook.com/JonDeaPhotography

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P6 Impossible Gears P13 Sunderland Comic Con P14 Ruben Romero T.A.P. P 20 A.R.C. Member James Brown P 28 Alex Enlund CWFC World Champion P 36 Amir Subasic Super Fight Series P 40 Emma Choudhury P 46 Damage P50 Mike Giblin P52 Peter James Adams P56 Mark Dorsi Bubble Football NE P60 Keith Lynn KL Metal Arts P64 Strangeness in Space P70 Nethermined

SCREEN-CON has firmly established itself as the fan favourite of all the conventions that take place here in the North East. It is a well ran event ran by fans for fans, something that clearly shows.

Despite the pressure and bully boy tactics of some of the bigger conventions, SCREEN-CON is back and it is even bigger!

Saturday May the 3rd will see the Park Leisure Centre in North Shields invaded by all manner of creatures, monsters and very recognisable people from the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy., Film and TV, Comics and Books, even the odd Computer Game Character thrown in for good measure.

Expect to see all of your favourites from Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Marvel and DC plus a whole hos of characters you may not be so familiar with. One thing that is guaranteed...every one is going to have an amazing time.

Doors open at 10am for those with the early bird tickets, those paying on the door will be let in from 11am onwards, but judging from the previous 2 SCREENCONS I would suggest you

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get there early to make sure you don’t have to wait ages.

Though the one thing that is guaranteed, unlike other supposed “Big Conventions” who shall remain nameless, If you come to SCREEN-CON then YOU WILL ALL GET IN! Granted, you may have to Q for a little while, you won’t be stuck outside in the cold all day. This convention does actually look after it’s fans and will make sure you are not left waiting for hours.

The line up for SCREEN-CON 2014 is looking fantastic.

They have some great guests in attendance, all wowing the crowds with photo’s, autographs and some good banter. You will have to pay extra for autographs but you won’t be charged silly money for them and you won’t have

to pay more for a photo and you will not be herded through like cattle only there to fill someones bank balance. As I said earlier, this is a convention ran by a fan for the fans.

So this issue will introduce you to the guests appearing at this May’s SCREEN-CON as well as showcase last years SCREAM-CON which was held at the Park hotel last October.

We will have the winner of the Horror Short Story Competition plus we will be showing off the photo’s that you all sent in from SCREAMCON with prizes going to our favourite photos. It is time to wet your appetite and get you all excited for Saturday May the 3rd and the return of SCREEN-CON 2014...I can’t wait!

Did you know Steampunk is a pretty big thing here in the North East? No...well we caught up with someone who will educate you and open your eyes to the wonderful world of Steampunk.

Hi Daniel and welcome to NE. Before we start on Impossible Gears, how about you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi, sure – I’m Daniel Dunlavey, I’m 41 apparently but don’t feel a day over 22 – I’m a local lad, born in Gateshead, grew up in Washington, and I’m currently near Houghton. I’m a life-long nerd and proud of it – and I’m very glad there’s so many more of us these days!

So what exactly is Impossible Gears?

Impossible Gears is a company I started in 2011, I make Steampunk jewellery, clothing and props. I’d been unemployed for a while and was struggling to find work after the economic downturn; I’d ended up on one of the countless ‘courses’ you get put on in that situation – and absolutely hated every moment of it. I’d built up skills in various crafts over the years, and it finally dawned on me that I could use those skills to work for myself Can you explain to our readers what Steampunk is?

A surprisingly tricky question – if you lined ten steampunks up and asked each of them that

question you’d probably get ten different answers! To me, Steampunk is an exceptionally creative subculture based on a combination of Victorian style and Science Fiction.

Unlike most subcultures that are based around music, Steampunk came from literature – Tim Powers, James Blaylock and K. W. Jeter

design, music, film and art – it’s likely that everyone knows something Steampunk, even if they’re not aware it has a name...we’re everywhere!

coined the term in the 80s, but most ‘punks would include the speculative fiction of HG wells and Jules Verne and some of Moorcock’s work in the mix too. Over the last 30 years or so the genre has expanded hugely, into fashion, writing, games,

Where did your fascination with Steampunk come from?

I grew up on old movies – 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Time Machine and that sort of thing – and had a fascination with libraries, museums and historic buildings and technology...

Who came up with the phrase “Skintpunk” and what does it mean?

Skintpunk came about accidentally – I was taking part in a crafting competition making Steampunk props for fun, and decided to impose a spending limit on myself because I’d just started the company and was pretty skint...hence ‘Skintpunk’.

Afterwards it got me thinking – there’s lots of people who like Steampunk and lots of them aren’t too well off at the moment, so why not keep my costs down and make things that are affordable for everyone? I’ve tried to keep that going ever since – people are way more important than profit

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and went on from there. There’s been a huge level of support from local Steampunks like the North East Steam Society, the Teesdale Steampunk Society, The Victorian Steampunk Connection and local groups like The Bartitsu Amateur Forum (a Victorian martial arts group – they’re incredible) and people like my good friend Dale Rowles from the band BB BlackDog. They’ve all made it so much fun, despite the stress and hard work that goes into organising the events

The whole ‘look’ of Steampunk instantly grabbed me, wood, brass, leather – weird and wonderful hand made gadgets and gizmos!

What’s not to like? Getting to know the vast and splendid Steampunk community only strengthened that – they’re a welcoming and amazing bunch of people united by a love of creativity, tea and being splendid to one another!

What kind of items do you make?

Mainly jewellery, but also gents clothing and props like weapons and gadgets – many of them made to order.

Have you had any weird requests from any customers?

Quite a few – I’m currently working on a couple projects for Cosplayer’s who are Steampunking some popular Sci Fi and Superhero characters...I’d tell you more but I’m sworn to secrecy and would have to silence you - possibly with some sort of steam-powered silencing machine haha Where do you get your inspiration from?

Many of my creations use vintage or salvaged parts from things that – due to their age or lack of care - don’t do what they were originally made to do; broken clocks, knackered old machines, torn books...but that doesn’t make them worthless, it just gets you thinking ‘what could that become?’; that’s where my inspiration comes from, imagination and the inability to just let things fade away. Some things are so broken you can’t fix them, but it doesn’t mean they can’t become something wonderful You also run Impossible Events, tell us a bit more about that?

I noticed a lot of local Steampunks were heading out all over the country to attend events and got to thinking ‘why isn’t there more events here? We have great venues and a proud Victorian history’. So I thought I’d give it a go and started Impossible Events as a side project – ended up running three events last year

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What events have you got coming up?

This year already we’ve had a few small tours of historic buildings in Newcastle – including some places not accessible to the general public, they’ve been absolutely fascinating.

In March we had The Brass Market, a free event at The Mining Institute in Newcastle on the 22nd, we had traders of all kinds – loads of Steampunk crafters, goth and alternative stuff, food and drink plus a demonstration by the Bartitsu Amateur Forum

On May 17th we’re making a jaunt up to Alnwick to bring some Victorian style to the Poison Garden Then there’s our main summer

event on the evening of June 6th, ‘Welcome to Steamtown’.

We’re using the town within Beamish Museum as the backdrop to an immersive Steampunk experience where visitors can meet and interact with various characters and live life in a Steampunk world without modern distractions!

We have a music from Driven Serious, BB Blackdog, Pocketwatch and Tom Slatter; an exclusive market, Victorian entertainment and side shows, swashbuckling air pirates, guided tours of the dangerous back streets and loads more...it’s a huge project, but it’s going to be great fun.

After the excitement of Steamtown we’ll be taking a trip up to Cragside on July 19th and a second Christmas party in December Busy year!

You have done a variety of events but what has been your favourite event so far?

Our Christmas party – ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Steampunk’ was amazing.

We managed to get Professor Elemental to call up and do a set (he does ‘Chap-Hop’, basically Steampunk rap...it’s fantastic, check out ‘All in Together’ on YouTube) – it was his first time in Newcastle and put on a great show. It was a really fantastic night

and prone to binge-watching (isn’t everybody?). Huge music fan, there’s usually something good on in town – we’re lucky enough in the North East to have a lively and passionate music scene for pretty much any genre of music. I love my food – I cook and love trying new restaurants and eateries, even better if it’s with good company. My first love is film – I basically live at the cinema so much that my blood type is Nacho cheese positive!

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I’m most annoyed by people who say ‘barter’ when they mean ‘haggle’ – it just winds me up way more than it really should haha.

When you are not busy making things and planning events what do you like to do with your free time?

I’m a roleplayer and run games at Heaton Games Society every Sunday. I’m a bit of a Netflix junkie

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I live by a strict code of not hating anybody or any thing... apart from earwigs, ‘’cos they’re creepy (shudders) I firmly believe that foam banana sweets are one of the greatest creations of modern society.

unique happenings for all kinds of lovely people – If you want to promote them at any of my events then just get in touch and I’ll sort it out, anything that benefits the North East Geek Community benefits us all – Geeks Unite!

What can we expect from you in 2015 and beyond?

More events, more crafting...I’ll keep doing this as long as it’s fun – and it’s still a huge amount of fun!

Well thank you for taking time to chat with us, good with your upcoming events we look forward to seeing soon.

Thank you!

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with

Impossible Gears and any Impossible Events?

Either at www.impossiblegears. com or the Facebook page www. facebook.com/ImpossibleGears – there’s links to the event pages on there too. You can always say ‘hi’ at events as well, I’m quite friendly...The North East Steam Society www.facebook.com/ groups/228642263846848 meet up monthly at various pubs in Newcastle and I’m almost always there, so feel free to pop in Is there anything you would like to add?

Yeah – I know there’s a lot of other people out there doing amazing local events, really cool,

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the luck and you

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event on the evening of June 6th, ‘Welcome to Steamtown’.

We’re using the town within Beamish Museum as the backdrop to an immersive Steampunk experience where visitors can meet and interact with various characters and live life in a Steampunk world without modern distractions!

We have a music from Driven Serious, BB Blackdog, Pocketwatch and Tom Slatter; an exclusive market, Victorian entertainment and side shows, swashbuckling air pirates, guided tours of the dangerous back streets and loads more...it’s a huge project, but it’s going to be great fun.

After the excitement of Steamtown we’ll be taking a trip up to Cragside on July 19th and a second Christmas party in December Busy year!

You have done a variety of events but what has been your favourite event so far?

Our Christmas party – ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Steampunk’ was amazing.

We managed to get Professor Elemental to call up and do a set (he does ‘Chap-Hop’, basically Steampunk rap... it’s fantastic, check out ‘All in Together’ on YouTube) – it was his first time in Newcastle and put on a great show. It was a really fantastic night When you are not busy making things and planning events what do you like to do with your free time?

I’m a roleplayer and run games at Heaton Games Society every Sunday. I’m a bit of a Netflix junkie and

prone to binge-watching (isn’t everybody?). Huge music fan, there’s usually something good on in town – we’re lucky enough in the North East to have a lively and passionate music scene for pretty much any genre of music. I love my food – I cook and love trying new restaurants and eateries, even better if it’s with good company. My first love is film – I basically live at the cinema so much that my blood type is Nacho cheese positive!

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I’m most annoyed by people who say ‘barter’ when they mean ‘haggle’ – it just winds me up way more than it really should haha I live by a strict code of not hating anybody or any thing... apart from earwigs, ‘’cos they’re creepy (shudders) I firmly believe that foam banana sweets are one of the greatest creations of modern society What can we expect from you in 2015 and beyond?

More events, more crafting...I’ll keep doing this as long as it’s fun – and it’s still a huge amount of fun!

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with Impossible Gears and any Impossible Events?

Either at www. impossiblegears.com or the Facebook page w w w.fa c e b o o k . co m / ImpossibleGears – there’s links to the event pages on there too. You can always say ‘hi’ at events as well, I’m quite friendly...The North East Steam Society

w w w.fa c e b o o k . co m / groups/228642263846848 meet up monthly at various pubs in Newcastle and I’m almost always there, so feel free to pop in Is there anything you would like to add?

Yeah – I know there’s a lot of other people out there doing amazing local events, really cool, unique happenings for all kinds of lovely people – If you want to promote them at any of my events then just get in touch and I’ll sort it out, anything that benefits the North East Geek Community benefits us all – Geeks Unite!

Well thank you for taking the time to chat with us, good luck with your upcoming events and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you! n - The North East comic book festival Sat 21st and Sun 22nd February 2015 !

Sunderland Comic Con, The North East Comic Book Festival, is drawing ever closer and will be taking place over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of February at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland. It will see guest comic book writers, artists and creators from all over Britain, making the North East the focus for comic books and graphic novels, with thousands of fans attending from across the region and further afield.! !

Award winning creator and one of the event patrons Bryan Talbot said “It will be amazing to have an event like this in my back yard, shining a light on the many new talented creators in the

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Sunderland saw their very first Comic Con last month with a hole host of big name guests from the world of comics. A big thanks to Mark Boyle for looking after us at the show and helping us get a few more autographs on our charity banner including the main man himself, Judge Dredd creator, Robert Wagner. We really enjoyed the talk with the artists and writers of the Beano as well, it was a great insight into what is without a doubt, a national institution.

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Ruben Romero...living the dream Being from the USA I am going to say it is a safe bet that our readers don’t know who you are so how about introducing yourself?

My name is Ruben Romero, born in Venezuela and raised in Miami currently living in Tampa, Florida. I am married to my best friend and President of Think Alike Productions Bethany Romero.

Now the reason you are here talking to us is down to a comic book series called Salvagers by Bob Salley who we featured last year, how did you come to join forces with each other?

It was all over a little thing we like to play called “Fantasy Casting”. What we do is put together a cast of TV/Film stars for our property The Agency and say we would love to see a movie based on The Agency with these cast members. Bob saw this on Facebook and reached out and said “I love this idea, do you mind if I borrow it?”

And the rest is history as the saying goes.

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You are one of the guys behind Think Alike Productions, what exactly is that and what do you do?

Wow, let me see if I have a short answer for that.... Think Alike Productions is an up and coming indie comic book publisher, we are a home away from home for creators.

We think of ourselves as an aspiring Image or IDW. We want to bring the world of indie comics great stories that are out of the box with

eye-catching art and innovative story telling.

I am the Chief Creative Officer of Think Alike. I over see projects; work with creators, and am the head writer of or existing titles. I also work very closely with Roger Cabrera, our Submissions Director and CoCreator of The Agency.

You are also the writer and cocreator of The Agency comic book, tell us some more about that?

For those that have never read it it’s a book that blends magic and espionage in really fun way. We like to say its Harry Potter meets Mission: Impossible minus the wands. Our government is forced to respond to magical terrorists and can’t send the FBI or CIA, so we created the IAM, the Internation Agency of Magic.

We’re incredibly excited about it, it’s our flagship project and our baby and has already been so well received. We’re very proud.

So now that you have teamed up with Bob Salley what does that mean for Salvagers?

I think it means that Think Alike now has another very strong tittle under its banner. I fell in love with Salvagers and it’s characters right away, so I know fans will embrace it immediately. Bob has a very unique way of telling this story and I think comic book fans and Sci-fi enthusiasts will really gravitate towards the book.

What else can we expect from you during 2015 and beyond, either with Bob or on your own?

We have a lot on the horizon for 2015. We have a slew of conventions we will be attending. We’ll be releasing other titles from other creators under the TAP banner such as Max Hunter: Snowfall, Sekuro, Prey For Angels and continuing to release issues of The Agency and Salvagers. As for the future, we are always looking for more titles to distribute and continue to grow the TAP library. We are also actively looking to shop our titles as live action movies, TV shows, animated features as well as video and app games.

would love. I’ve been a huge fan of comics since a young age, so when it came time to decide what path I’d take to express myself creatively, I figured comics might be an easier path than screenwriting and movie making. Boy was I wrong!

What advice would you give to any of our readers who are wanting to write or create their own comic books?

My advice is simply DO NOT GIVE UP. No matter what, keep moving forward. Not every idea is gold, so never be so in love with an idea that you are not willing to accept criticism or feedback on it. I can sit here and spit out every cliché under the sun but it won’t do you any good if you do not believe in yourself and the people around you. Work hard and that hard work will be rewarded in one way or another.

How do you feel about the amount of comic book movies and tv shows that have become the in thing in recent years?

I think it’s great. I’m a big fan of those movies and shows myself!

I think at some point, the masses will want more than just super hero and vigilante shows and I think that’s where the stories TAP is putting out there will be put to use.

Unfortunately it is still very

mainstream with most people only really wanting to read or watch things about characters like Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Spider-Man etc, so why should our readers try going for more independent titles like The Agency and Salvagers?

Well, those stories have been told and retold. Always with something new and awesome added, but how many times can we watch Parker be bit by a spider or Hal loose his will to wear the power ring? Let me be clear; I have a huge collection of comic books and love what Marvel and DC do and I’d love the chance to work with those characters. But if you want to go on a ride you have never been on, what better way is there then picking up a new comic book with characters and stories you’ve never read?

What is your all-time favorite comic book series or character?

I would have to say The Walking Dead really has my heart right now. Robert Kirkman is an amazing storyteller and such an inspiration. As for favorite character, I must go with Batman because I grew up wanting to be a vigilante and he was always the source of those fantasies. He’s clearly the best.

Who would you say has been your biggest influence when it comes to comic books, either

So what made you decide you wanted to live the dream and get into comic books?

I have always had a wild imagination and a burning desire to share my stories with the world. I grew up watching Star Wars, Indiana Jones and admiring the Lucas’ and Spielberg’s of the world and I credit them with giving me those larger than life dreams. I was just really inspired to create something people

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I’ve read the novel Jurassic Park about 15 times.

I think LOST is the greatest television show of all time When you are not working, what do you like to do with your spare time?

I’m not familiar with the term “Spare Time”? (LOL) In all seriousness though, I enjoy spending time with my wife and my son (who thinks I’m the coolest dad ever). I also love hanging out and watching TV with our English bulldog Desmond, and occasionally going with my brother to go hit some golf balls.

How can people follow you and keep up to date with you and your projects?

Okay shameless plug time.

We’re on Twitter @thinkalikepro and are also on Facebook, just search Think Alike Productions and give us a LIKE. We can also be found on Instagram @ thinkalikeproductions. Please make sure to visit our website, www.thinkalikeproductions. com Is there anything you would like to add?

I’d like to say we are also on ComiXology France! That goes for The Agency and Salvagers, our other titles to follow. If you have a local comic book store and they deal with Diamond, please ask them to order The Agency. I promise you’ll love it! writing or creating them?

I would say Brian Michael Bendis, Robert Kirkman and Joshua Williamson all resonate with me and all three of those guys have influenced or affected my writing in way or another.

Who is your favorite writer and artist, past or present?

It’s a tie between Kirkman and Williamson right now as far as writers go. Artist I would say Past George Perez, Present Steve McNiven and David Finch, Future Sajad Shah. He’s

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an up and coming artist that the comic book world will be getting to know very soon.

If we are talking mainstream, I have to ask…Marvel or DC? Both. I really am a house divided when it comes to those guys. If I had to give you an answer though I would say Marvel...DC. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I love watching movies I’ve seen over and over again.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Ruben and we look forward to seeing future projects from you and Bob Thank you for having me!

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A.R.C. TOP SECRET FILES

A.R.C. MEMBER 001 JAMES BROWN 20

A.R.C. MEMBER 001 - JAMES BROWN Each issue we will be delving into the Top Secret Files of A.R.C. and introducing you to their members, we start off with core member James Brown Hi James and welcome to NE, You have had your picture in several issues of NE and have even worked with us on some of the events we have done including some of the film premiers like Iron Man and Captain America but most of our readers will not even realise because you were in costume, so it’s great to finally get you in the magazine. Why don’t you introduce yourself to our readers?

Evening viewers, my name is James Brown (yup my parents hated me) age 40 something (mental age never been tested), I’m from South Shields and currently work at South Tyneside Hospital as a Porter. I am Married with 2 daughters.

You are one of the core members of a costuming group called

A.R.C., tell us a bit more about that?

Basically it’s a COSTUMING Group with a wide range of characters from mostly all Movie genres Star Wars, Marvel, D.C. T.V. Comic books, gaming, with members based all over The North East of England.

Why did you help set up A.R.C. and what are the aims of the group?

We started Authentic Replica Costumes (A.R.C.) because at the time there was only a Star Wars costuming group 99th Garrison in our area and we wanted to do other costumes so we started another group which turned cosplay and died because of too many arguments regarding in-group Bolliticks (Politics and

Bollocks). Then A.R.C. was born Our aim is to make kids (old and young) believe they’ve met their Heroes, be it Iron Man, Batman, K.I.T.T from Knightrider and even a Dalek. We try and collect money for charity, at the moment we are doing a lot for Metro Radios Cash for Kids and at the same time look good doing it, being as close to screen accurate as possible is our aim and not just some bloke with a painted mask on.

I know one of your pet hates is people calling you a cosplayer and not a costumer, can you please explain what the difference is so our readers can understand it more?

About £500!

How did you get started in costuming?

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get, but probably The Penguin because I can get away with being a twat to the crowds.

What event/moment in costume stands out the most for you?

Probably the Vader piping up ‘Your powers are week old man’ at a very sombre time after a speech from a top ranking army bloke, I would go into it more but if you ever see Craig Elliott about, whether in the street, shopping or at work ask him about it if you have an hour or two to spare (just don’t ask him about Nuno Bettincourt from Extreme) Conventions are well known for having big name guests, who would you like to meet and why?

There’s only one answer for this…Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund. Oh aye Doug Bradley (Pinhead) and Kane Hodder (Jason) and Nicolas Cage (what the hell were you thinking doing GhostRider 2).

A ‘Friend’ Craig Elliott was a member of the 99th Garrison and he knew I loved Star Wars so kept pestering me to join up, so drunk one night at one of his gigs I agreed and never been so skint since.

What characters have our readers seen you as so far, even if they didn’t realise?

First costume was a T.I.E. Pilot, also Ghostrider, Ed from Shaun of the Dead, Danny from Hot Fuzz, Ghost Buster, Freddy Krueger, Spidermando, At-At- Driver, At-St Driver, Stormtrooper The Penguin,

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and Ironman’s body guard Happy Hogan.

If you could bring any character to life who would it be and why?

My ultimate costume is a Gammorean Guard from Star Wars Return of the Jedi, I just love the character and it is my body shape.

Out of all of your costumes which is your favourite and why?

I love doing Ed and Danny from 2 of the Cornetto Trilogy because of the reception they

Have you had any funny or embarrassing incidents?

Usually getting caught by people with my head too close to Ironman’s arse.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

Got my head split open by a recorder when in second year juniors.

Got knocked over by a dog and got amnesia.

Likes the word S**t as it has so many uses, Star Wars is back this year, tell us your thoughts?

I hope it’s not s**t.

Superheroes are the mainstream now with so many

movies and TV shows, is this good or bad and why?

It’s Brilliant it gives us as a group a chance to try do as many costumes as possible and not be seen in same costume over and over again, It was getting too a point when at one event a kid was like “look dad a stormtrooper” and the dad said “yeah we saw them last week in the Metrocentre”. Variety is important.

What character/comic would you like to see made into a film or TV show?

Slaine, Strontium Dog and Rogue Trooper from 2000A.D. and The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers What is your biggest pet hate when at events?

Definitely troopers taking their lids off in public, it can spoil the illusion for some kids if

seen. Second is the little s**ts who think it’s ok to press, pull and prod on your costume What advice would you give to anyone that wants to get involved in costuming?

DON’T! No but seriously, have a good think about what you want to spend, research your costume, don’t just go on

ebay or a certain Jedi shop and buy something that says 100% screen accurate, they probably won’t be. There is a lot of knowledge in the costuming community who will only be too happy to help.

What can we expect from you during 2015?

There’s a few small events coming up, also Superhero day in May (I think) for Cash for Kids, a Couple of Cons in Yorkshire, then we’ve got Woodhorn Invasion in Ashington in July which is a cracking day out with free entry to everyone at this one, also Screen- Con 2015 in September, the original and friendliest Convention in the North East, and Teeside Unleashed in October.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with A.R.C. events and appearances?

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On facebook A.R.C. Fan Base but we are currently setting up a website, where we will putting on character profiles, up and coming events and other stuff, (was going to say other s**t but got slapped off wife)

Is there anything you would like to add?

At the time of doing this interview Leonard Nimoy died so as a mark of respect Live Long and Prosper (friends who know me will understand how

hard it was for me to put that) I’ve met some great people doing this hobby, people I’m proud to call friends, also some right C**ks (which some people will say I’m one of them and I can’t argue).

Well thanks for taking the time to talk to us and we will see you at the next event.

Cheers Bud, I also hope I’ve not been too s**t and can’t believe anyone’s got this far reading.

Photos by JonDea Photography & NJDunn Photography

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ALEX ENLUND

world featherweight champion We catch up with South Shields very own World Champion , Alex Enlund, for another set of questions, this time with a bit more bite, so get ready for round 2 Hi Alex, it’s great to have you back in NE. Now the last time we spoke was the back end of next year, just before you had a little fight, tell us a bit more about that?

November last year I fought for the Cage Warriors featherweight World Title against Nad Naramani, the fight went all 5 rounds and I won a unanimous decision.

It was an amazing night. To win the belt at the Metro Radio Arena in front of my friends and family was nice.

Somehow though it just isn’t enough I feel I have a lot more to accomplish still.

So after years of hard work, you are now officially the Cage Warriors Featherweight World Champion, how does it feel to be a World Champion?

Winning the belt is a big deal and a lot of the people who have had CWFC titles have gone on to be very successful and I’m proud to have my name on that list.

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I was lucky enough to be there to see you take the title in what was a very tough fight, give us your thoughts on Narimani and how the fight went in your eyes?

If I’m honest he made the fight difficult but I never felt in danger, I’m a go forward kind of guy and I wanted to get the finish. His plan may

have been to frustrate me but he left it too late to have a chance of winning. I’m hard to stop and despite the nice guy exterior I’m tough and a competitor. I felt like he would have to kill me to win.

Was there any aspect of your fight that you were disappointed with?

That I didn’t get the finish, but

like I said he made it difficult and made no mistakes. I came close twice but it gives me something to work on.

If you can, tell us what was going through your mind waiting to hear the MC announce who won?

I knew I had the first 3 rounds and maybe the 4th, but hearing Joe Martinez announce me as the new champion is a memory I will carry forever!

How does it feel to make a lot of grown men cry, because there were quite a few of us who got teary eyed when you won lol?

It’s okay for men to cry, I cried after and always cry before a fight. This sport and being a success means so much to me. Real men cry!

Has your life changed in any way since you became the World Champion?

More people try to pick fights with me on Social Media that’s for sure!

How do the other fighters treat you since you won?

I get a lot of respect, I think an achievement like the CWFC belt doesn’t come without hard work and sacrifice. There have been a few guys picking fights with me on Twitter.

Has there been any jealousy from anyone so far or are most people supportive?

There has been a lot of support especially from the young guys who I coach and who make me their role model. It’s a lot of the pressure because a lot of these kids will be better than me no doubt.

Have you had many people stop you in the street or ask for your autograph since you won?

Not autographs but I have been asked for photos, too which I always awkwardly oblige. It’s nice to be and feel

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Have you had many people want to join Sixth Sense MMA since you became the World Champion?

To be honest my new members rate is not the highest, my gym is more attractive to guys from other gyms who want to step up their skill set. We do get a few new people coming to train but not as many as you would think. The success of the gym and myself is a deterrent and only the motivated seem to walk through my gym doors.

You are often referred to as one of the best corner men in the business, why do you think that is?

My students trust me, so it makes me look good especially when they do exactly what I tell them. It’s great to have guys who listen during a fight, a good corner has to work on both ends, fighter to coach. A common mistake you see when guys are fighting is coaches telling a fighter what to do not how to do it. The fighter may be in the guard he knows he needs to pass so the common “pass his guard” call I hear regular at shows is a waste of time a fighter needs told step by step how he should act.

So what is next for you?

I’ll defend my belt when Cage Warriors returns. There is a lot of good fighters at featherweight in Europe and I’m ready to prove that I’m better than them all.

my work is appreciated.

Not only do you fight yourself but you run one of the top North East teams with Sixth Sense MMA who are also having great success, how does that make you feel as a coach seeing them do so well?

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I’m always proud of the guys at the gym, they are my family we train together, we laugh together, cry together, win together or lose together.

Seeing them all doing so well is testament to their hard work and belief in me as a coach.

You went to The Ultimate Fighter try outs a few years back, was that a good experience for you, taking part in that way?

The trip to New York to try out was amazing but unfortunately I didn’t get on the show. There is no way I was ready I still hadn’t matured as a competitor or martial artist.

Did it deter you or did it motivate you to get into the

UFC yourself?

I have never aimed to get in the UFC that’s an empty hope, the real aim is to try and be the best I can be.

Too many people are happy to just be there and make up numbers I would want to make an impact. Of course it’s my dream to fight the best guys in the world, I have no doubts that with the skills and determination I have and the support of Intensiti FM that I will keep progressing in my career.

The North East has seen several fighters make it to the UFC with mixed results, tell us your thoughts on that?

The North East have had a lot of fighters in the UFC and only Ross Pearson stands out from them all. For me Ross went in with enough fight experience.

It’s difficult to know if it’s too early when you get an offer as you can’t really turn it down as the money is a big jump from that in UKMMA. I know you wanted to go and train abroad, tell us a bit more about that?

Having already travelled to America and across Asia, for me I feel it important to go to Brazil to train BJJ. Unfortunately there is not a lot of money in MMA and sponsorships are hard to come by so my trip will have to wait.

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Are you looking for help funding your trip?

It would be great to get some funding for sponsorship to be able to travel and train with the best guys in the world and it would only help me surpass my potential whilst training here in the UK. So if any companies out there would like to sponsor a World Champion and have me help to promote you then please get in touch with me either through the magazine or you can find me on facebook and twitter and message me there, but please do get in touch if you are interested as we can definitely help each other to succeed.

If you could train with anyone, who would it be and why?

If I had the opportunity to train anybody in the world it would have to be George St Pierre. Having watched him fight for years studied how he fights and his complete domination of his division in the UFC was truly inspiring.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you?

I’m on Twitter @AlexEnlund or on Facebook and Instagram be good to connect!

Is there anything you would like to add?

I have a great team behind me and working alongside me at Sixth Sense MMA and a host of sponsors:www.fightstorepro.com Rise High Apparel Lean Greens Momotaj Coxons electrical services But mostly an amazing partner who would do anything for me!

Photos by NJDunn Photography

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The new Star Wars movies start this December with The Force Awakens, along with rumours of a Boba Fett movie, how do you feel about both of these?

I am looking forward to seeing the new film, and do hope that Boba gets resurrected in the future.

You have become a fan favourite at conventions all over the world, what do you enjoy the most about doing these?

Meeting the fans who are so enthusiastic about Star Wars in every country I visit.

I feel honoured to have played such an iconic role.

get some fan mail from there, and I would love to go back to Hawaii.

(I went there for one of my very first conventions) Where can people keep up to date with you and the events you are attending?

My website www.jeremybulloch.com Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us and we will see you again at Teesside Unleashed

You can meet Jeremy Bulloch at Teesside Unleashed 5 (Teesside’s Comic-Con) Sat 7th Feb 11am-4pm Marton Country Club £3 entry (under 12s only £1) For more info check out Hall or Nothing Events on Facebook

What has been the strangest fan request you have had?

Many fans want my autograph on their tattoos which I find a bit scary.

If you could’ve played any role more, which one would it be and why?

I quite fancied playing Han Solo.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I failed my 11 plus exam at school and went straight to Drama School at the age of 11.

If I had not been an actor I would liked to have been a professional soccer player- I was quite a classy centreforward.

I am quite a good artist – specially drawing Boba’s helmet Did you ever turn down any roles that you wish you hadn’t?

Not really.

You have been all over the world, is there anywhere left that you would still like to visit, either for the very first time or to re-visit?

Russia might be fun, as I do

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Amir Subasic is well respected in the fight community, he takes a few minutes out of his very busy schedule to chat with us and tell us more about the biggest fight show to hit the UK. Hi Amir and welcome to NE. First off can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Thank you for having me and greetings to everyone. I am Amir Subasic, 21+ years old at heart. I was born in Bosnia, originally former Yugoslavia but I grew up in Germany and lived here in Sunny Luton since 1999. I am the founder of Storm Gym in Luton and I am Andrew Tate’s coach as well as Lukasz Krupadziorow and Nigel Thomas who will fight at Wembley on May 16th at Super Fight Series. My family is back in Bosnia and I have got two brothers, one sister and my Mother, I lost my second brother and father in the War unfortunately.

So you are one of the people behind Super Fight Series which has its first main event coming up soon, which is shaping up to be an incredible show, but there’s more to Super Fight Series, can you fill our readers in on this and how it all came about?

I am indeed, SFS was initially found by me and is/was a romantic idea and fusion of many many things as I would like to describe it, however I partnered up with an amazing person and business man Paul Palcic who is very active in Taekwondo across London for many years. He shares my vision and passion, together we gelled so well that all this is finally happening, everything from the artwork and website

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to matchmaking etc. As a team we can make this as we say Epic and we will! SFS has 1 main objective and that is to raise the level of pay and exposure to British Fighters by fighting for real prizes hence the £10.000, £5.000 and £2.000 tournaments etc.

The main difference in SFS is the 4-MAN format because how many times did we see 8-MAN tournaments fall through...correct every time.

This is easier faster paced and better on the fighters and public eye. The other difference are the rules, they will suit all the stand up practitioners from Muay Thai and Kickboxing etc. All rounds are 3x3 minutes and in case of a draw up to 2 extra rounds are added. It is all about fighting and aggression and pleasing the audience.

Most shows start small and grow…you are kicking off with

what looks like an epic event to rival the big guns in an amazing venue, how long has this taken you to get sorted and how difficult a journey has this been?

You are right there, the reason for that is we want to bring back the excitement and wake up the sleeping dragon that this country is when pulling together; UK has some of the best fighters in the world across the board, we have some of the best facilities and stuff that comes with it and now we have all of that at Wembley for SFS I…so why not start Big?! The planning and stuff, the initial idea etc took probably a year, to solve the venue and other requirements, about 4-5 months and still ongoing from production to logistics, the list goes on hahahah. As many promoters will tell you it never ends. As support for SFS Event do have a smaller feeder show called Future Stars League that will allow fighters to still fight at Wembley and they are rightly called WAY2WEMBLEY... it is a perfect platform and the fastest way to Wembley.

First show was March 21st at Harrow Sports and Leisure Centre and second show will be confirmed very soon with date. Plus as you can imagine we planned for FSL Way2Wembley as a franchise option and will announce the first event very soon too; stay tuned.

The name Super Fight Series has not just appeared overnight, in fact you have teamed up with a few other promotions including one right here in the North East with DUEL, how did this come about and what was the aim?

Yes as the name suggests it as a series of super fights allowing top fighters to meet for the right purse on a proper and might I add deserved platform... we have so much planned for the fighters and public that it just will be nothing else then game changing and Epic.

David is a good friend of mine and a passionate Martial Arts enthusiast, the same as Kieran Keddle in East London, Andy Chambers in Hastings and Nic Bale around Bournemouth. It basically allows local genuine promoters to have fighters qualify through to our Wembley show.

The fact that you have teamed up with and are working with other promotions can’t be easy as I know some promotions will only look out for themselves and their interests, how have you found it working with other

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else because IF people would really be aware of how much time and effort as well as money goes into the show they all would be way more appreciative of this part of the show...we as SFS work well together with all promoters and have the doors open for anyone who wants to work and genuinely contribute to the progress of this sport. The amount of great British fight talent secured is immense and we have them from all corners of the UK which we are very proud of and I am sure all the fighters are one thing…HUNGRY TO PROVE WHO IS THE NO 1!!!

promotions who are in the same business as you, surely that can’t be easy?

To be very honest in every Industry you have the good and bad seed but I focus on what I do and work with the good ones. In the end we are in the same boat, the whole lot of us, and I am sure we have the same interests; however our approach might be different. For me there is only a few Big promotions in the UK and most of them are mainly in Muay Thai like Main Event, now Yokkao and many smaller ones but those two are the biggest ones, K-1 on the other hand has no big show on its own and this is where we will come in with

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SFS but with our set of rules that will suit all styles and give the audience what they desire most - a good fight.

Your first Show on the 16th of May is at Wembley SSE Arena and is being hailed as the largest show of its kind in the UK and promises an unparalleled number of British world class fighters on one show, which is one huge undertaking, so well done.

Apart from how many fighters you have on the show how is your show different or better than other shows out there?

Yes in its own right the show is massive and I would not like to say or neither do I think we are better than anyone

Not only have you teamed up with a North East promotion but you also have a North East Champion fighting on the show with Micky Terrill, how do you rate his chances?

Yes as mentioned above, we included fighters from all over the UK including Mick Terrill and Joe McGovan etc.

He has got a great record and has made some waves abroad with fights on Super Kombat which is great experience and I am looking to feature him as regular fighter on SFS (SFS II he has a great fight coming up for him) and to be honest I am very excited for the £10.ooo 4-MAN tourney he is in because I have got 4 fighters together that usually would next to never meet in the Ring! It is a 4-Man tournament, 2 fights in one night and one never knows; I want to wish them all a great experience, a great fight and I look forward seeing them well prepared and in best shapes of their lives for the purse of their lives so far giving the audience some battles they will never forget.

There are some great fighters here in the North East but what made you chose Micky Terrill?

Micky and Andrew Tate have a bit of online history hahahaha so I guess he was a natural

choice but he also is the no 2 in the UK Independent K-1 Rankings at -90kg (https:// w w w.fa c e b o o k . co m / groups/643558975685295/) so naturally he has to be in there. Besides that this is the entertainment Industry and we need characters like Mick and Tate and others to highlight this sport to Joe public. He is a great fighter and one of the best fighters at that weight division he is a natural choice!!

So when you are not planning SFS what do you like to do in your free time?

My free time to be very honest is very limited, I am either training the Storm Gym Fighters or teach classes and work on SFS. I must admit I am a workaholic and love work so nothing is difficult for me as long as it’s challenging and ohhh another fact is I HATE and I repeat I HATE LOOSING. I like to think that I am a genuine guy with a genuine interest in the growth of this sport and general wellbeing of the entire human race. As this is not my 1st show but my 17th; the 1st on this scale though. Everyone that knows me can confirm that, I hope hahahahaha...Previously to SFS I run with my old business partner and Friend Gerry Jackson the Pure Force events and as I now know paid way more in purses then many of the events abroad AND THAT IS my issue Why oh Why should our UK fighters be humiliated in a way with low purses just for exposure; well now with what it is happening in the UK with not just the Super Fight Series but with Main Event and Yokkao all will change...we already in show 2 we have planned to bring them over to our turf and battle it out on all levels; I am so excited to announce some big names secured but hey lets deal with show 1 first.

what can we expect from you during the rest of 2015?

Indeed...we have the Future Stars League March 21st kicking off with 5 £1000 4-Man tournaments at 5 different weight divisions and the chance for one of the finals to be at Wembley and then of course SFS II...hmmm...it will be unprecedented and epic. That is all I can say at this stage….no no no SUPER MEGA EPIC!!!

sponsorships?

Oh yes, the cost factor is immense as you can imagine and sure, we welcome any business that is looking to assist us by promoting themselves at this Historic UK Event. For sponsorship opportunities please contact our sales office in London on 02036420775 or e-mail sales@superfightseries. co.uk and Thank you.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you and your events?

Please follow us on facebook htt p s : / / w w w.fa c e b o o k . co m / superfightseries literally everything is on there first and of course our amazing website that is www.superfightseries.co.uk.

Well we are definitely looking forward to the first episode of Super Fight Series and we look forward to catching up with you soon.

Thank you very much for your interview and may I kindly ask everyone to spread the word about this show and come support your local fighter or just have a good day in London’s famous SSE ARENA Wembley.

Thank you

I can imagine show of this magnitude is not easy to pull off are you still open for

So the next few months are looking very busy for you but

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The warmer weather is on the way and there is no better place to be that at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields, so we catch up with Emma again to see whats happening in 2015.

Hi Emma and welcome back to NE, it’s been a while since we had you in here but give our newer readers a quick introduction to yourself?

Hi Wayne, thanks for inviting me back. Well since last time I was in here I have been married (6 months now) so now Emma Choudhury and still living in South Shields!

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So this is a little bit different to most interviews as we are actually speaking to you about a few things you are doing, so we will start off first with the day job at Quasar and South Shields Pleasure Beach, what job role are you doing now?

Yeah I have a few things going on at the moment, you know me, I hate having nothing to do and get a bit bored just relaxing all the time so been throwing myself at some new projects.

So the main one is the day job at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park and Quasar. I’ve been there just under 4 years now

and still enjoying it – every day is different so keeps it interesting. I manage the Quasar centre as well as helping look after things at Ocean Beach which includes staff, advertising/marketing and a whole load more really interesting admin jobs!

Easter is just around the corner so I know you are going to be busy getting ready for that but give us a quick rundown of what this has entailed?

Although we open in February things really get going heading towards Easter so that involves a lot of recruiting, organising advertising campaigns and ensuring that everything is ready for the customers.

Recently we have been sorting out our TV advert (which will be running over Easter Weekend on ITV1), arranging adverts in local press and looking at other advertising options for the rest of the year. We

also have some great rides coming in for Easter so we are getting ready for those arriving.

Parents love the fact all they need to do is bring the kids and a cake and we arrange the rest.

Quasar has now got a bit of competition from other laser game venues that have popped up recently, but what still makes you the number one place to go to?

We are the original and the best! Being based down the seafront for over 20 year now we have a strong reputation behind us and a lot of returning customers.

Our parties are becoming more and more popular and we are always looking for something new to add. In October we installed a Laser Maze in the arcade which has proven very popular, not only with kids but adults too!

You run a Top Gun Competition, tell us a bit more about that?

This proved quite a hit with customers. Everyone gets the chance to enter our “Top Gun Competition”. The highest scorer from each game fills in a results sheet and at the end of the week we see who has the highest 3 scores. We ran this in the summer holidays and each week players had the chance to win either an Android Tablet, Android Phone or Ride Tickets. We will be running this again, every week, from Tuesday 7th April. There will be a variety

of prizes ranging from small cuddly toys to electronic items.

Have you got any funny stories or incidents that have happened at Quasar that you can tell us about?

Not funny stories as such, but I do tend to find that adults are a lot more competitive when playing – even if it’s with their own kids. I did have a Football Coach who made the kids do 2 minutes of standing on the spot sprints because he didn’t win!!

In the past you have always helped local charities whenever you can, including Metro Radio’s Cash for Kids, will that be returning again this year?

Yes, we are looking forward to having them back down again. It will be on Saturday 23rd May and it will be a great day again helping under privileged kids enjoy a fun day out. We do like to help out as many charities, groups and fundraising events as we can but as you can imagine we get a lot of requests.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with offers and events at Quasar and South Shields Pleasure Beach?

We have Facebook and Twitter for both attractions

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Facebook: OceanBeachSouthShields and Quasar.Shields Twitter: @OceanBeachSS and @Quasar_SS The second thing we want to talk to you about is a new venture you have undertaken with Forever Living Products, can you tell us a bit more about that?

I started this in January after speaking to a family relative who does this. Forever Living Produce and distribute Aloe Vera products. There is a great range including health, wellbeing, skincare, weight management and home products. I used a few products before joining so now I have them spread everywhere (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, handbag, work).

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How can people check out what you stock or even place an order for your products?

I have an online store where people can see the products, order or get in touch emmasaloeshop. myforever.biz and I am also on Facebook “Emmas Aloe Health & Future”. The shop has a full range of products which people can order through but it is worth speaking to me direct as I

often have special offers and discounts available.

What has the response to Forever been like so far for you?

It’s been a good one. I already have returning customers because they love the products. The best seller is the Aloe Vera Gel drink which is a cocktail of vitamins and nutrients in a bottle. One shot every morning is all you need. It’s great seeing the positive reviews that people leave and text me.

What made you get started with Forever, considering how busy you are already?

I have seen the potential that it has as a “work from

home” business, it doesn’t take up much of my time and it’s a little bit of pocket money at the end of the month. I am looking for people who would like to make themselves some extra money each month.

There are no targets, no pressure and you work at your own pace and around any commitments. Anyone interested can contact me via my Facebook page and have information sent to them.

Well thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to chat with us Emma and we look forward to seeing you at some of the up-coming events.

Thanks Wayne and keep up the good work with the magazine.

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ITS

back!!!

2015

5th

September

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We catch up with 90’s R’N’B Boy Band Damage ahead of their Ghetto Romance Tour which stops off at the O2 Academy Newcastle on Saturday the 25th April, so take it away Andrez Harriott, Jade Jones, Rahsaan J Bromfield and Noel Simpson.

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You were one of the most successful British R&B boy bands of the 90’s with 11 hit singles, including four Top 10 successes on the UK Singles Chart, but the question I want to ask each of you is which song was your favourite and why?

Andrez: So my favourite song has to be ‘Let It Be Me’ on our first album. It was recorded in the early hours of the morning and turned out to be one of the strong ones on the first album – it just holds a special place in my heart.

Jade: This seems to change for me every day but at the moment I’d have to say ‘Still Be Lovin’ You’. It’s got a great groove to the song and the video was really fun to do.

It was the first time we ever got to smash a car up in a video. Good times.

Ras: My favourite song from the ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ album is ‘So What If I’ remix.

The video was pretty cool as we went from the original

mix to the remix which was real funky and had an element of old school 70s funk.

Noel: My favourite song would have to be ‘In Your Eyes’ from the ‘Forever’ album. I can recall it was one of the first songs I played to one of my ex- girlfriends, so of course she feel straight in love with me!

When you guys split did you ever think you would get back together and tour again?

When we first split up we fell apart and didn’t speak for a number of years so I think nobody thought or felt that we would ever reunite and end up touring again.

However now that we are here, we’re loving it and enjoying it even more than we did before #GoodTimes!

How has it been performing together again after so long and without Coreé Richards?

At first it was strange looking

over to my left or my right and seeing a band member missing, but as time went on we understood that it was just us and it works so much better without him.

You all appeared on Big Reunion alongside Coreé Richards, which couldn’t have been easy for you but did it help matters or just open up old wounds?

It seemed to open up old wounds; we tried our hardest to resolve our issues but I think we’ve all just moved on and need to leave it where it is. It was a shame as for the fans it would’ve been a great thing to see us all together again but unfortunately it didn’t work out.

How has it been, being back together and performing again after so long?

I would say at first it was scary as you’ve only ever been a five piece but in saying that, now, it feels more natural than ever. We

all really understand one other and bring out the best in each other on stage. Being older it’s funny how you seem to have more fun than when you were younger!

What has the response been like since you appeared on Big Reunion?

Since appearing on The Big Reunion the response has been absolutely phenomenal, it has allowed us to perform up and down the country to huge audiences and reunite with our friends that we haven’t seen for over 10 years. It has allowed us to create new memories.

Have you got any embarrassing moments from touring (past or present) that you can share with us?

Embarrassing moments would be trousers ripping on stage maybe falling over once in awhile, calling somebody else the other band members name and forgetting lyrics to songs.

So is this tour going to be a one off or will you be getting back into the studio to record some new material?

We’ve actually been in the studio already recording new material. We have an EP on release at present called ‘Acoustically Yours’. As for the tour we are doing the whole of the UK and there

will be more dates and new tours in the future - this is not the last you’re seeing of Damage.

How do you feel about shows like X-Factor and The Voice?

These shows give people a great platform. Many people who would never of got an opportunity like this now have a chance to go before huge audiences. Only bad side to it is that some seem to never get a career.

What advice would you give to anyone that is trying to break into the music industry?

Advice I would give for anybody breaking into the industry is practice, practice, practice. Whenever you get the chance to do a performance show gig give it your all, practice new things and try to become a unique artist.

If you could collaborate with anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?

It would be quite a few different artists we would like to collaborate with, past and present. I think the biggest would have to be the great MJ but we would also like to collaborate with people like Marvin Gaye, Nat King Cole or even something unique like Guns ‘N Roses.

What can fans expect from

you at your shows, why should they come and see you?

This is the first damage tour officially after 20 years of being together. Fans can expect an electric night of reminiscing and a night of pure fun. We promise that you will not be disappointed and we look forward to seeing you all there.

Where can people follow you all and keep up to date with you, either individually or as a group?

Damage are across all social media networks: Facebook.com/damageworld Twitter: @officialdamage @andrezdmg @rasdmg @ noeldmg @jadejonesdmg Website: damageworld.com Is there anything you would like to add?

Special guests on the night will be The X Factor’s rough copy and we also have a great artist called Kevin McDonald from Glasgow who will be sharing some of his music. We have a great DJ joining us too.

Well thank you for taking the time to talk to us and we hope you have an amazing time on tour guys and we will see you at the O2 Academy in Newcastle on Saturday 25th April.

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www.mikegiblinillustration.com Mike Giblin is an amazing North East based caricature artist who graced our pages a few years back, he is busy on a very top secret project for ITV, he can’t reveal all yet, but here’s some juicy bits to wet your appetite.

Mike has spent the past five months working on a new TV show entitled Newzoids, a satirical puppet show featuring high profile celebrities from the worlds of TV, music, sports, politics, and royalty.

The show will be airing on primetime ITV1 this spring, and he has designed 45 of a 70-strong cast of caricatures.

(Regrettably he is unable to reveal the names of these celebrities as yet, nor reveal any artwork until after the

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show has aired, but he has promised to come back for a real chat and a catch up soon).

The show is very much in the vein of the classic Spitting Image, in fact, many of the production team were involved in the creation of this show first time around, including Giles Pilbrow, whose other credits include the hit CBBC show Horrible Histories.

Newzoids, which is co-

produced by Pilbrow’s Citrus Television and animation specialists Factory, features a combination of old school puppetry and the latest digital effects.

To keep it topical, about a third of the show will be written and filmed close to transmission.

Newzoids is a six-part series and will star impressionists including Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson. So watch this space and we will bring you more info soon

Peter James Adams is a North East poet who had 3 of his poems featured back in Issue 11. We have had plenty of requests to get him back so by popular demand here he is with 3 brand new poems.

Don’t forget to pop over to his social media pages and show him some love.

You will find him on twitter @petehitmanhart and facebook www.facebook.com/PJAwriting .

Crossing The Border

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Can you reach that one place?

Where you will be content and at peace, Or perhaps you don’t believe in such a destination.

Confined to your dreams, close your eyes and see palaces.

You’re desperately seeking that one place.

Where you’re hoping to finally be at ease, To cross borders into a new location.

Anywhere is better than the hopelessness reality of the fortress.

The air at your current location is suffocating.

Silence, it’s just the voices in your head that are deafening.

The sour taste of people telling you ‘I told you so’ is disgusting.

Everything is cold, to the very point that you’re constantly freezing.

Questioning where you’re going, you’re hesitating.

The voices that were in your head are gone and that’s terrifying.

Ultimately alone the idea of somewhere new is satisfying.

Praying to a god who you know doesn’t believe in you is frustrating.

Do you really deserve to travel to this new place?

Perhaps it’s your destiny to stay and be tormented indefinitely.

Possibly you’re a little sadistic, secretly wanting to stay around in this state of purgatory.

Maybe you will reach the border and they won’t let you into paradise.

There’s a right time and a wrong time

Investigative Procedure

Like passing ships in the night,

Awaiting the dreaded call,

Just what is the meaning of this life?

It’s an idea that leaves itching under

The sleepless shapes hang onto the light,

arms.

And then into the darkness they vanish.

Will they request you to fall?

Most defiantly, unless you convince them

The darkest of your nightmares arrive,

with charm.

And so down to the river you stumble.

Play the game and don’t give away too

Stopping to look around you then realise

much.

all is not right,

No manic defence that will just fuel the

And then down into the shallow you

fire.

tumble.

Let them dictate pace, pretend you’re feeling the crunch.

Doomed to never be truly free,

Calm cool collected, you’re getting them

Freedom is never free and you’re losing

to tire,

the fight.

Now put the case across easily like a

Burning forever is the beacon of hope;

church choir.

the white tree.

They lap it up and you’re off the hook!

The hesitation to continue causes you

This isn’t North Korea!

such a great fright.

To stop, stare and be flatly still, Silently deciding whether to faint or keep up right.

It’s time to stand tall, speak out and act.

No matter what the cost always keep up the fight.

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Hi Mark, first off can we just say a big thanks for giving us that great prize of an hours Bubble Football to give away on our facebook page last month. Anyway, back to the interview, how about we kick off with some info about yourself?

You are more than welcome, as for the interview, I’m not very good at talking about myself but here goes lol.

That’s fair enough. Well why don’t we chat about something I know you are good at talking about, Bubble Football, so how did that come about, seeing as it’s a

bit unusual?

I originally came across bubble football through a YouTube video from Norway. I thought it was hilarious and wanted to play... I looked to see if there was anywhere in the UK that did it and at that moment in time there was nothing local to me so thought it would be great to set up... I spent the next few months looking for a supplier but with my wife due our 3rd baby it wasn’t very good timing to set up a business but when ever is.

Why should people come and play Bubble Football?

Bubble football is all about bringing the enjoyment back

into sport its hilarious to play and even better to watch...

And anyone can play even if you dont like football we can introduce various mini games to keep you entertained Is this for adults or kids?

Bubble football north east has just expanded with the introduction of 10 smaller balls suitable from the age of 6 and also 2 larger balls for a very very large adult so kids adults male female or mixed groups anyone can take part Do you have to be mega fit to play?

Not at all bubble football apeals to any fitness it’s all about having fun and enjoying yourself. It is very tiring though so remember to bring a drink Have you had any funny incidents/experiences since you have been doing it?

Every game is different but I still laugh now there’s nothing better than watching them getting stuck in laughing getting back up and carrying on.

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What can we expect from you during 2015?

As previously mentioned bubble football north east is expanding offering everyone the chance to play from 6 years to large adult plus there’s also some other ideas so watch this space Where can people keep up to date with Bubble Football North East?

I have a website www. b u b b l e fo o t b a l l n o r t h e a s t . co.uk Twitter @bubblenortheast And Facebook/ bubblefootballnortheast Is there anything you would like to add?

If you haven’t played bubble football yet what are you waiting for book now To book a game or for more info, contact Mark on 07909683847

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If you think spare nuts and bolts are just junk then think again. K L Metal Art takes them and makes them into works of art that you would not believe, so we found out more about it.

Hi Keith and welcome to NE. Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

My name is Keith Lynn, I’m 41 years old, born and breed in Simonside in South Shields. I’m married to Dawn and we have 3 kids Samantha, Jordan and Natalie and we have a granddaughter called Sophia.

I’ve been a welder/fabricator for almost 25 years working on oil rigs, earth moving equipment and most recently industrial sized conveyor belt manufacturer for tunnels and mines.

You have just recently set up K L Metal Art, what is that and how did you come up with the idea for it all?

I started making my things a couple of years ago as a hobby, just using some nuts and bolts I had lying around (I never throw anything metal away). The first thing I ever made was a little robot dog closely followed by my first motorbike, both

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I’m always on the lookout for more possible donations. I’ve also had a few kind people who have contacted me when they are having a clear out of their shed or garage and given me old tools and even an old metal bed. I must take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the people who give me stuff as without them I couldn’t do what I do and love.

of which I will never part with. The next few things I made for family and friends, Elephant, Giraffes, Dogs and Butterfly’s and everyone who seen my things gave me really good comments and praise, so I guess this is how and why K L Metal Art started.

What has been the biggest challenge for you so far?

One of the biggest challenges when I first started was getting materials to use, but with every bike shop and a couple of factories in south shields and other bike shops in Jarrow and Sunderland giving me some of their scrap metals I’m slowly building up a regular supply, although

It must be very time consuming coming up with the sculptures that you do, is there a process that goes into creating one or do you just make it up as you go?

I’m finding as time goes by that I’m doing more commissioned work as the word slowly gets round about what I do, this is how I want to progress in the future as I love the challenge each new build gives me. When I first start a commission I never really

know how I’m going to do it, I don’t draw it out or follow any designs or anything like that and I am sort of limited I guess as I can only use materials I have at hand but I feel that most things are possible to create once I’m given the initial idea from a customer.

Do you do custom/ commissioned work, if so how would someone go about getting something done?

If someone was interested in a commission the best ways are to contact me via phone call, my website or the most popular way for now is via facebook.

What is your biggest seller?

My most popular items seem to be my owls, but I have sold or given away to friends, family and a few charities virtually everything that I’ve made and it has all been very gratefully received by the recipients. I have also given loads of things to some young boys and girls who have seen my work as they seem to be most amazed when seeing my stuff at craft fairs and seeing them so happy makes it all worthwhile and if I can make

some sales it’s a bonus.

Do you have a shop or do you only attend events/craft fairs?

I do have an etsy shop online which I have some of my more regular items listed in, I also have a small number of shops who also stock some of my work, they are Boutique Bijoux in East Boldon, Premier Hardware at the Nook, Village Gifts in Harton Village, Darke Cycles in Sunderland and the Allendale Forge Studio.

I’m also looking to do a lot more craft fairs this year, mostly local but looking to branch out a bit too.

When you are not in the workshop what do you like to do in your spare time?

I don’t really have a lot of spare time as I’ve never worked as many hours in my life but I guess what I do can’t be classed as work when I enjoy doing it so much, but I get to spend

loads of time with my granddaughter so she takes up a lot of my spare time.

Any time I do have I like to go to the pictures and for meals out with Dawn and the odd drinking session with my 3 best mates.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you?

Here is a list of my online places where you can keep up to date with me.

www.klmetalart.co.uk www.facbook.com/ klmetalart www.twitter.com/klmetalart www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ klmetalart www.instagram.com/ klmetalart What have you got planned for 2015?

At the moment I have very little planned for 2015 but I’m hoping for really big things and I’m hoping to get some time to make some of my most creative things that I have ticking over in my head that I’ve been wanting to do for a while.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I would just like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to get my work seen by all of your readers in your great magazine, and to thank everyone who has helped and supported me so far, it really has been over whelming at times but I’ve enjoyed every moment of my short journey and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

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Hi Chris and welcome to NE Magazine, for the few readers who must be living in a cave somewhere and don’t know who you are how about giving th em a quick l ow- down o n yourself?

- Hello! Can’t help but think I’m writing your interview introduction for you here, oh well… I’m a stand-up comedian from South Shields and I’m also a bit of an actor now and then… but mainly a comedian… that might not come across as well as it should in print form, but I am.

So there.

At the moment it’s hard not seeing you on the TV when we switch it on as you’re everywhere, but what has been the highlight for you so far?

- Not everywhere though am I? If you turn on QVC and I’m selling a frying pan, just assume you’ll find me floating face down in a river very soon. The highlight for me so far was probably being in Hebburn. Since starting comedy I always wanted to try my hand at being in a sitcom too so I was over the moon to do one with my mate and so close to my heart, and I got to work with Vic Reeves.

I know you had a bit of a crazy time with fans wanting pics and autographs when you were having a few drinks in a South Shields bar recently, how are you finding this, does it put you off going out?

- Not at all. Any person in that position who has been on TV or whatever and people want photos (I’m trying my best not to say celebrity here!) who pretends they hate the attention is a liar. You don’t go for a career on TV because you don’t want anyone to notice you. As long as I’m not eating or having a shit when you want a photo then it’s no problem at all… I meant, like on the toilet, not just in the middle of the dancefloor.

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Have you had any weird fan requests or incidents?

- Not really. The odd person will show up to a gig with my face on a T-Shirt, or bake me a cake, or send me a dead animal in the post but other than that it’s just photos and autographs. A little kid in Hebburn when we were filming asked me to sign his micro scooter… that was a bit weird.

Are there any venues on the tour that you are looking forward to playing or any you’re quite nervous about?

- The Theatre Royal in Newcastle. I absolutely can’t wait. I used to watch panto there when I was a kid. I’m

As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats you are now starring in the North East based sitcom Hebburn, how did that come about?

- My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decided to write a sitcom about the town he was from, Hebburn, and he actually wrote me a little side part which he named after me. But when it came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the main character, and when I got it, Jason took the part that he’d written for me! It came about so gradually that I didn’t really realise the enormity of being lead role in a BBC2 sitcom until I saw the advert on TV. I nearly passed out.

How has the response for Hebburn been so far?

- Overwhelmingly positive.

And we just won Best Drama at the RTS North awards too. And we’ve got a second series!

You are now embarking on your biggest tour to date, how do you feel about this?

- Yeah incredible! It’s an extension of my last tour, Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates in 2012 but the demand for tickets was so high and people enjoyed the show so much that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much bigger venues. I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

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Those 2 90’s Legends are back...but in Space, with Ace from Doctor Who, thats right folks, Trev & Simon are back, not that they ever went anywhere, but this time they have teamed up with Sophie Aldred and will be helped along by Clare Eden, so are you ready for “Strangeness in Space”.

Strangeness in Space is a new sci-fi comedy audio series that will be downloadable from the website or iTunes - for Free - for anyone to listen to on any of those devices we all now have!

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The series is written by, and will star, comedy duo Trev and Simon who for a decade dominated Saturday morning TV with their mad and unpredictable world of comedy, sketches and silly games on BBC1’s Going Live! and Live & Kicking. They Didn’t Do Duvets, or Perms or Discs, but they Did Swing

Their Pants! “We loved that parents seemed to enjoy our humour as much as their kids and we intend to bring the same sense of family fun to this. Strangeness in Space is daft audio entertainment for adults and children alike, in the spirit of Saturday morning TV before cookery shows were invented ... “ They will be joined in space by Sophie Aldred, companion Ace to Sylvester McCoy’s Dr Who, and the voice of Tom in Tree Fu Tom opposite David Tennant.

This trio of Spaceketeers

is also working alongside Clare Eden, producer of the award winning podcast series The Minister of Chance with a stellar cast including Paul McGann, Jenny Agutter, Sylvester McCoy, Philip Glenister, Tamsin Greig, Lauren Crace and Julian Wadham. “On Minister of Chance we literally started with an idea but no commissioning budget, and we ended up with a worldwide fan community financing an entire first season through crowdfunding as well as winning a Parsec Award and

once I’d seen Trev & Simon’s scripts I knew we had to try a campaign to finance this series too!”

The team revealed the project at 3pm on Sunday 15th March and announced the start of a Kickstarter campaign on Tuesday 24th March with bundles of cast signed goodies and opportunities to meet and interview the cast & crew as well as have your name in the script or be an Executive Producer... being nominated for a BBC Audio Award along the way!

Crowd-funding is a wonderful way for an audience to have a sense of ownership and real involvement in something they enjoy, and

The foursome first met at University studying Drama in Manchester. “50 years ago this month Alexei Leonov took the first ever walk in Space” said Sophie “ I find it hilarious that I am now

heading off to Space for adventures with Trev and Simon!”

Full details on the crowdfunding campaign, and when the series will be released, will be available from www. strangenessinspace.com Twitter: @Strangeness_in Facebook: www.facebook. com/pages/Strangeness-inSpace/563994667036684 Tumblr: http:// strangenessinspace.tumblr. com/ Illustration by Lee Sullivan (Dr Who, Thunderbirds, Transformers)

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Olympia Fightwear & Supplements is based on Prince Edward Road at the Nook in South Shields above St Claire’s Hospice charity shop. The shop stocks a massive range of Bodybuilding and Sports Supplements, MMA Fightwear, and Gym Clothing and accessories.

Olympia sponsors a few local gyms and athletes including Roker Rough House MMA Gym in Sunderland, Adam

Baroni (Bodybuilder and Actor) and Fighting Fit MMA Gym based in South Shields.

discount is available to military, emergency services and students.

The website address is www. olympiafightwear.co.uk and prices are very competitive in order to keep our customers happy. Delivery is free for mainland UK and for local customers we also offer a free same day delivery service.

For any queries please contact Tony on 0191 5975098 or 07585772739.

We can also be followed and contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Although prices are so cheap, an additional 10% in-store

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Minecraft started off as just an ordinary video game, where players would build things with 3d cubes and would create and explore a 3d land. with graphics that are meant to look pixelated and basic but with a great amount of gameplay and fun to be had, It has gone on to become one of the most popular games ever, winning numerous awards and spawning all kinds of merchandise. Minecraft has really captured people’s imaginations, none more

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so than that the organisers of Nethermined, the first ever unofficial Minecraft convention to be held in the North East.

Nethermined is being held at The Park Hotel in Tynemouth on Saturday 2nd and Sunday the 3rd of May. The organisers have teamed up with GAME for this event and will also be raising money for The Sunshine Fund during the weekend. They have brought in a whole host of youtubers for the event, with some Special Guest Youtubers who are attending to do Q and A’s and the Meet and Greets’s with their fans. The Other Youtubers will be doing vlogs for their channels as well as taking part in some of the live gaming events. There will

also be stalls selling official merchandise, arts and crafts and plenty of competitions and other fun. So if you are a fan of Minecraft then this is the event for you. You can find them on Facebook under Nethermined to keep up to date with the convention, you can buy tickets or find out more about the event and the amazing list of you tubers attending at nethermined.com.

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