NE Online Magazine Issue 25

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 .

To s a y t h i s h a s b e e n a t o u g h issue to put together would be an understatement. The lurgy has hut NE with a vengeance, but better l a t e t h a n n e v e r. We h o p e y o u e n j o y the final issue of 2016 and we look fo r w a r d t o 2 0 1 7 , w e h o p e y o u a l l have a very Happy Christmas and a v e r y M e r r y N e w Ye a r 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

SPONSORS Cineworld Boldon www.cineworld.co.uk The Theatre Royal Newcastle & Newcastle City Hall www.theatreroyal.co.uk/ 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

CONTRIBUTORS Ian Berry Photographer www.ianberry.co.uk info@ianberry.co.uk Martyn Jones Photography www.martynjonesphotography.co.uk/ martynjonesphotography@hotmail.co.uk Derek Brettle www.facebook.com/ lastlaughcartoons lastlaughcartoons@gmail.com Roly Todd - Hero Images Facebook Roly Todd LeeNemsPhotography www.ne-ms.co.uk

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P6 KT Tunstall P12 The Fudge Parlour P20 A Magical Christmas - Kathryn Burnett P24 KingCon at the Stadium Of Light P32 Duel With David Weild

P42 Geekdom 2016 P48 Nethermined 2017 P54 UBBAD - BKB 2 Newcastle P60 Cineworld Film Round Up P72 SOULHEAVEN

Bouncing onto the stage to tumultuous applause from a sell out crowd, Scottish songstress KT Tunstall raised the roof off The Sage in Gateshead.

Kicking off the evening with a lively rendition of her hit ‘If Only’ from her 2007 album, Drastic Fantastic, KT delighted the audience with

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her infectious charisma and undeniable talent for almost two whole hours, playing songs from her entire back catalogue.

words, were written “by accident” at a time when she was supposed to be on hiatus from music.

Having first exploded onto the music scene back in 2004 after performing her first single, ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ on the Jools Holland show, KT’s prowess as a singer songwriter has only gone from strength to strength. Her catchy melodies and rocky vocals have earned her not only the respect of the critics, but a fiercely loyal global fan base.

The album’s title track, ‘Kin’ is a gorgeously sentimental

Now onto her fifth studio album, KT has grown as an artist with each record she’s made. Drawing on influences from the likes of Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac, her latest musical offering, Kin is a collection of gritty, heartfelt, pop-rock songs, which in KT’s

ballad about the love that you feel for the people around you after they have helped you through a difficult time, which is KT’s discreet way of acknowledging some of the tragedies which have marred her personal life in recent years.

Her emotional, stripped-back performance of the track on the night, which involved just a lone spotlight and her signature Gibson Dove semi-acoustic guitar, was for me, one of the stand-out performances of the entire show.

Another show-defining moment came later in the evening, when KT was once again alone with just an acoustic guitar and she played her single ‘Invisible Empire’ from her last studio album.

With a much more traditional folk vibe to it, KT explained that the track was inspired by the landscape of the great desert plains that she saw whilst on a road-trip across America following her Father’s passing.

The raw emotion instilled into her acoustic performances compared to the boundless energy injected into the rest of the show silenced the crowd, and left everybody feeling more than a little bit spellbound.

Although KT managed to pack a lot into her set, the show didn’t stop when the music did. In-

between songs, KT regaled the crowd with an array of funny anecdotal stories about her life, both professional and personal, as well as an interesting range

of facts. “Anyone who follows me on my socials will know, I love facts, even facts that aren’t true!” she told the crowd, before reeling off a string of increasingly bizarre facts about the Octopus, leaving the crowd helpless with laughter before launching into her next song.

As the saying goes however, all good things must come to an end, and following fantastic renditions of her hits ‘Saving my Face’ and ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ (which somehow managed to segway into a kazoo solo-led cover of The White Stripes’ classic ‘Seven Nation Army’ half way through,) the show came to a spectacular close with a standing ovation from the crowd.

Naturally, we all screamed for more, and KT graciously obliged

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with not one, but three encores, eventually ending the night once she had everybody up and dancing with her smash hit single ‘Suddenly I See’.

As a venue, The Sage was built for artists like KT Tunstall, the unparalleled acoustics of the building lent themselves perfectly to KT’s signature sound and made for a spectacular night of music. KT herself even commented on how much she loved the venue, which she affectionately described as a: “shiny space bubble.”

Well, the ‘shiny space bubble’ loved you too KT. Come back soon!

Photos and review by Leanne Tonks

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The Fudge Parlour

Hi Debbie and welcome to NE, can we start off nice and easy with a little introduction?

Hi Wayne, I am a One woman band originally from Whitley Bay, I have two children Matthew and Emma who are both currently at University. For most of my life I have been involved in the Creative and Art based fields of employment (I have had my own shop, made jewelry, designed and made clothes etc etc) . In addition I have always enjoyed cooking (a very positive thing with two kids to bring up!)

So The Fudge Parlour, tell us more about it and how it all came about?

The Fudge Parlour grew in 2011 from a previous incarnation as the Northumbrian Sweet Emporium (This was a travelling old fash-

create something which I felt was more authentic than the fudges I had come across during the sweet stage.

ioned sweet shop!) and started because I wanted to be more involved in the actual making and presentation of what I was selling. Part of this was because of my background, I wanted to

What made you want to create and sell Fudge as it is quite time consuming and is hard work making it all from scratch?

As I use Whole Milk and Double Cream my fudge is essentially a Fresh product and is very hard work with all the stirring and beating but I feel it is worthwhile for the taste and texture, and as far as I am aware, no one else does this as the shelf life is too short for others. Basically the reward for all the hard work is fudge that really is second to none.

You don’t just sell the traditional varieties of Fudge, you have

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happened. Last Christmas I made some Mulled Wine flavoured fudge which was to die for but nobody had the courage to try it!!!

Bah Humbug!

What is the process of creating a new flavor or product?

Things just come to me when I am standing hour after hour stirring fudge!!!

It is also influenced by the time of year etc

become the Willy Wonka of the Fudge world creating a variety of new flavours, so what kind of treats do you sell?

The flavours I make along with the presentation are constantly changing and evolving. This creative part of the process is my greatest passion. The putting together of flavours and presenting them in different forms is both motivating and rewarding. At the moment I have various sized fudge bars, Shot Pots, Lollipops, Stir-Ins and Individual Flavour Fudge Selections.

What would you say is your biggest seller so far?

To be honest it all sells, but strangely different things and different flavours appear to be preferred at different markets but which particular ones are impossible to predict!

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Is there anything you didn’t think would work but has gone on to be popular?

Not really but the opposite has

Is there any part of fudge making that you wish you could change or speed up?

The speeding up of both the Stirring and the Packaging would be a godsend!

How can people buy your Fudge?

My regular markets are the Newcastle Farmers Market, Newcastle Quayside, Jesmond Food Market on Armstrong Bridge and Morpeth Farmers Market. I also supply Belsay Shop, Corbridge Larder, Kirkharle, The Deli Round the Corner in Tynemouth , The Paddock Farm Shop and for those lucky enough to be employed at Virgin Money their own shop.

Other events/food festivals throughout the year as published on my Twitter and Facebook accounts With Christmas just around the corner what would you recommend as a great gift for loved ones?

Well … My favourite is the Christmas Pudding/Cake fudge laced as it is with oodles of Apricot Brandy and Rum

Smerks tabs but only Black Sobraine……Prince Addict …. Can’t Sing!

What can people expect from you in 2017?

It’s a secret Do you have any new flavours in the pipeline that you can share with us?

Looking ahead I am thinking of Raspberry and Rose plus a few others safely tucked away until Spring.

Where can people follow you and

keep up to date with new treats or any event appearances?

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as The Fudge Parlour Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and we look forward to tasting more of your amazing fudge.

When you are not hard at work what do you like to get up to with your free time?

French Martini Please!

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

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Wednesday 14th December at Cineworld Boldon, You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy!

The biggest film of 2016 is almost here with the arrival of Rogue One - A Star Wars Story.

Following on from last years Star Wars midnight screening, Cineworld Boldon have used the Force to make sure everyones favourite Star Wars characters will be there before the film is shown at midnight, giving fans a chance to pose for photos and raise money for a fantastic local charity called Cruise Crew. Join the fun from 10pm at Cineworld Boldon.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS

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A Magical Christmas

Hi Kathryn and welcome to NE, how about a little introduction?

Hi, I’m Kathryn Burnett from Seaham, Co Durham.

You have become a bit of an internet sensation, can you tell our readers why that is?

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Well my two favourite things are Christmas and Harry Potter and one day I was sitting there and thought wouldn’t it be nice to have a Harry Potter themed Christmas tree. I then started to sketch an idea down and I got really excited about the idea. The tree took

8hrs to complete and most of the decorations were picked up from my 11 visits to Warner Bro Studio tour or eBay. I couldn’t find crescent moons anywhere so I end up making them myself.

So how did it all come about?

touch, in fact we will even arrange a prize for someone if they can help!

After completing the tree I then shared my album on fb before I went to bed and a few of my friends reposted my album.

When I woke next morning i was shocked to find my album had been shared over a thousand times! I couldn’t believe it.

The notifications didn’t stop.

Before I knew it I was shared over 10k times!

to sit down as I was in shock.

Do you have a favourite and if so why?

I have two favourite items on the tree and they are the Cornish pixie at the top and the Hogwarts express. I also love the Slytherin crest as that’s my house.

What makes Harry Potter so special for you?

Why is Harry Potter special to me? Well I’ve always loved it and grew up with it.

Is there any Harry Potter decoration or item that you don’t have but would love to own?

There’s one decoration I’m looking out for to add to the collection and that’s the Shrunken Head off the Knight Bus. So if any of our readers can help Kathryn with this please get in

J. K. Rowling has even liked your tree, how do you feel about this?

One of my friends then shared the tree on twitter and J.K Rowling herself liked it. I couldn’t believe it when my friend showed me. I had

So now that you are famous have you had any strange encounters or anything that has happened because of your tree?

It’s been a fun two weeks and the tree has had over 120k shares, loads of write ups on line, newspaper write ups, I’ve had radio interviews and thousands of friend requests and messages from around the world. It’s been nonstop and sometimes hard to keep up with replying to everyone’s messages.

To me it’s just my little tree with everything I love on it so the response on it still hasn’t really sunk in.

Well we think this is a fantastic festive story Kathryn so thank you for sharing it with us, we hope you have a very happy Christmas and a great new year

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KingCon had been a huge hit in Durham but due to the venue being a bunch of morons and the event being so busy, they decided it was time to search for a bigger venue and that was the Stadium Of Light in Sunderland. NE were invited down to experience KingCon for ourselves and we were not disappointed.

Now yes there were a few teething problems with it being a brand new venue and a venue that had never held a film and comic style convention, but problems aside it was a good weekend had by all.

There was lots to see and do at KingCon, which is always a good thing, unfortunately the layout of the venue was a blessing and a curse. The blessing was that it wasn’t so busy that you couldn’t move around or look at things properly because there was no

room, a problem that you find at smaller venues. But this extra space was also a problem, because the layout of the venue meant that everything was spread out over 3 floors and several sections of each floor, so you did have a lot of

walking along the rather long corridors to get to the next section, which meant you did get a tad lost at times or confused thinking you had gone the wrong way because of how far you were walking. But these are not the end of the world,

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CG body builder. He was also in Star Wars The Return Of The Jedi where he played both Tessek – AKA Squid Head and the Mon Calamari Officer Captain Verrack. He was really funny telling us how he has acted as the official ambassador of S.W.O.R.A., the Star Wars Outer Rim Alliance, and even has his own member’s only collector’s card.

it just means the team will know how to improve things the next time.

The guests were top class with each and every one of them all taking the time to chat with us and sign our charity banner.

First off was Jerome Flynn, a guy who I grew up watching on Soldier Soldier playing Paddy Garvey. He also sang a few songs as part of Robson and Jerome, but the less said about that the better haha. He has become a household name again all thanks to his roles in Ripper Street and Game Of Thrones. He had said he was looking forward to coming to Sunderland to meet the fans because he had heard great things about them and he wasn’t disappointed, he was great, taking the time to chat with everyone and pose for

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photos.

Another blast from the past was Gerald Home, who was the Original Mr Muscle…before they swapped him for a terrible

The craziest most entertaining guest was without a doubt Super Mario himself, Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario.

Asking for an autograph was money well spent indeed, unlike some guests who give you a squiggle and send you on your way, Charles signed the picture with a signature, doodles, sound effects and catchphrases all the while going through all of his character voices and impressions. He was so funny and entertaining plus a real genuine guy donating extra signed pics for our charity and even doing a video for us, he was brilliant.

The final guest we spoke to was

Jude Robson and Leo Hackett with Charles Martinet

gentle giant Neil Fingleton who has appeared in Game Of Thrones, Doctor Who and The Avengers – Age Of Ultron. I’m quite tall, standing at 6”2, yet standing next to Neil, I felt tiny. Neil was so friendly, we didn’t even talk about his roles in film and tv as we ended up talking the charities we were raising money for with our banners and we spoke about the local charity he was collecting for, more of that in a future issue when we chat about it more in depth as we have said we will help him to raise money for them too.

Que to get in were entertained by Dalek Bruce, who was a great hit with the kids, giving the parents a bit of abuse, it was funny to see the young toddlers were fine with him

and yet the parents were scared of him, I guess some fears are with you even when you grow up haha.

With a great variety of traders sell-

As well as the official costuming groups there it was great to see so many customers come in costume as well, it really did create a fantastic atmosphere. The people in the

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ing all kinds of merchandise and collectables, lots of variety with talks, workshops and games going on as well as the guests I have to say KingCon was a really good day out with plenty of great comments from people who were attending their very first ever convention, through to people who you see at pretty much all of the other cons around. Well done to Dan and all of the KingCon staff and we look forward to an even better one in 2017.

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Best Photobomb EVER! By Miltos Yerolemou on Debbie Stephenson’s pic

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been involved in martial arts since around the age of 7 years old, starting out in traditional Wado style karate, but ending up mainly focusing on freestyle karate and kickboxing. I’m married with 3 kids, and I’m a partner in a function room.

Hi David and welcome back to NE, it’s been a while since you last appeared so can you give the readers a quick introduction?

Hi Wayne, Good to see you again.

OK what would you like to know first? I am a part-time fight promoter and owner/operator of the Duel Fight Sports brand. I have

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Well to say 2016 has been a busy year would be an understatement, first off congratulations on the birth of your daughter, how are you managing to adjust to having a baby around again?

Yeah, it’s bloody hard work to say the least!! As you know, promoting is a very part-time affair for most involved in the scene, yet takes up so many man-hours of your time that if not managed correctly, it can end up consuming nearly all of your spare time.

On top of expanding your family things have changed on the DUEL

front too, from the beginning of the year and talk of you not doing any more shows to some big plans for 2017, can you tell us all about it?

Sure, no problem. To keep it condensed, I feel that the current DUEL brand may have run its cause, though I may be wrong.

There is an increasing number of shows popping up providing a similar product to what Duel offers, however, being brutally honest, I don’t think it’s of the same calibre, though obviously I’m bias.

Having noticed that the popular ‘Main Event’ promotion has gone, I just felt that with the right team, DUEL could grow into the number 1 Kick & Thai promotion for the whole of the North East region, and maybe further afield. So, after a few meetings, a new team of partners was created, and thus DUEL GRAND-PRIX was born.

The team consists of myself, Craig

Jose of Northern Kings Gym, Alex Wright of Fightstore Newcastle, and our partnership with RevGear Europe.

So what was the reason for the changes you are making to DUEL? Bigger. Better. Faster. Harder.

Those four words I feel sum up the aims of DUEL GP. The North East needs a premier brand promotion, and with the production that we’re planning, the 2500 seater venue, the media partnerships, and the amazing fight teams that have signed with us, I really think that within 3-4 shows DUEL GP will get right up there with the likes of Yokkao, etc.

What has got you the most excited when it comes to DUEL in 2017?

February 4th. This is a big date for us. The inaugural event. Two 4-Man tournaments for very good cash prizes. We are also negotiating an amazing headline bout, as well as a solid undercard. The whole excitement of launching the

Grand-Prix, as well as the huge potential it has, really does excite me.

Where can fans keep up to date with any DUEL announcements?

Well, we have very active facebook, instagram and twitter pages that are constantly updated. An official website will be launched soon at DuelGrandPrix.co.uk, and you can also find information on

Duel GP on the MMANewcastle. co.uk website.

One star of the DUEL stage has really caught the attention of the media all over the world on several occasions and that is of course Fred “The Joker” Cordeiro, give us your thoughts on this incredible fighter?

Well, he’s just a 5ft 5inch, 57kg ninja, isn’t he? Ha. Such an amazing talent. When you first meet Fred you notice how quiet and polite he is, and how much of a student he looks. However, you then see him inside the ring and you notice just how thick set and powerfully built he is, and of course then you see all the flying and spinning s*#$ he does and you’re like “Wow”!! For someone that I believe has just turned 20 years old, he’s achieved a lot already.

Asides from knocking out some of our highly ranked lads; Andy Hughes, Connor Long and Gary Laws, he also went the distance and lost an exceptionally close ISKA World title fight in Japan, at the world famous Karueken Hall.

Fred will be back in February, that’s for sure.

If you could have any fight as a main event in 2017, who would it be and why?

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that the fighters receive complete fairness when partaking in a WKA sanctioned event. There’s dozens of so-called organisations out there that claim to do similar, however, when you dissect it, you notice that all they are doing is selling their titles or officiating services, with no real interest in the actual regulation of the event itself. With the WKA, I pride myself on attending a WKA sanctioned event with a solid set of rules & regulations that must be met by the promoter, fight teams, and officials. The safety and fairness of the event is paramount before selling titles to raise association revenue. A lot of shows are run completely at the promoter’s discretion, and when a promoter sanctions their events, it can be a bitter pill to swallow to hand-over control to a third-party, but that’s what governing bodies do.

Man, that’s so hard. DUEL is all about raising the profile of the North East scene, and bringing in top-level opposition to fight the local athletes. If I were to have literally anyone on the card, I’d go for Alexander Overeem vs Badr Hari. However, keeping it more UK-based, I’d have really liked to have seen Mick ‘The Manor’ Terrill vs Andrew ‘King Cobra’ Tate.

A fight that was brewing for a long time, and fell through twice.

If that wasn’t enough work for you, you now have an even bigger role in the North East’s fight scene; can you tell us more about your

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new role?

I was recently appointed as a regional director for the WKA – the World Kickboxing Association – the oldest and largest governing body for kickboxing sports in the World. I mainly concentrate on the professional side, though as an association the WKA also runs many amateur events globally.

What does your role as Director of the WKA mean, what will you be doing exactly?

I’m a big advocate of doing things right. The WKA provides an essential role in regulating events for promoters, in order to ensure

The North East is without a doubt the most active region of the UK when it comes to fight shows with several fighters making it onto the big stage of their sports, why do you think the North East is so active?

Do you know what, I really don’t know. The region does have a high

number of fight gyms and clubs, so naturally this would encourage more promoters and events. Then again, it could be because the people of the north east just like to fight! Between boxing, various Kickboxing styles, Muay Thai, and MMA, there are literally dozens of shows going on run by different promotional entities.

There is pretty much a combat show of one kind or another taking place every single week somewhere around the North East, sometimes there can even be 2 or 3 shows taking place on the same night, do you think this is a good or a bad thing?

Ultimately, and this may sound odd, but I think it’s good. Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter which show it is, they are currently attended by fans who purchased their tickets from the fighters, or their clubs/ gym direct. I’d say on average, 9095% of attendees are friends and family of the fighters, so as long as shows have a decent number of fights, then they should have decent attendances. Plenty of shows means plenty of opportunity for fighters to remain active, and plenty of choice for fans. The only people that may be affected negatively, are the promoters that don’t really stand-out from the rest. The best promotions will work their way to the top, and the rest will just be pretty much inseparable from each other. Whereas DUEL in the past has been happy to carve out a reputation for important fights featuring well-known names, and deliberately not paying attention to the actual production aesthetics, it is the opposite for DUEL GP, and it is the top where DUEL GRAND-PRIX aims to be.

“Collaboration, not competition” has been your motto for a long time and something we have often talked about over the years, but

why do you think others find it so hard to work with other promoters, instead choosing to go their own way?

This could open a can of worms here and have an adverse effect on what I’ve tried to achieve ha.

There could be many reasons why certain groups won’t work with each other; I think a lot comes down to either greed, jealousy, or ego. Sorry, but I will be very generic here and not ‘stir the pot’ so to speak. Obviously, there are many promoters and coaches that do work with each other and that is fantastic, but from my time within the game I’ve found that there’s a lot of tit-for-tat rivalry

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between certain people. Whether it’s boxing promoters slating each other, Thai boxing groups arguing over how to score, kickboxing clubs refusing to work with anyone outside of their click, or MMA promoters who think every other MMA promoter is inferior to them, somewhere along the line their respective sports are losing out because certain fights & opportunities never get to happen.

So far, i’ve reached out to several coaches and promoters in order to collaborate with them on events.

As promoters, why see each other as rivals when you can see each other as tools (no pun) to enhance

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your own brand? ‘United we are stronger’.

This year has seen your motto finally see some fruition, can you tell us a bit more about that and how these collaborations will be good for the North East?

Sure. There’s several going to be happening in 2017. Firstly, the most obvious is the DUEL GrandPrix event. I run Duel Fight Sports, Craig Jose runs his Stand up and Fight, and Alex is the contact for RevGear Europe, our key sponsor. Together, we hope to create something that will help all of the gyms in the area to raise their fighter’s profiles, and provide a top-class kick-thaiboxing event.

We now have the backing of the Newcastle Chronicle and Mirror newspapers, which is massive for exposure.

Next, we have the third instalment of the Duel vs Budo FC shows; k-1, boxing and MMA in the cage, and is partnered with Chris Clarke. We also hope to travel to Malta with a small contingent to compete over there, and finally, the most crazy idea I’ve had, is that I’m actually going to be copromoting and event in Nigeria in May. Talks are well underway with the local tourism board there, and sponsors are getting involved.

Already, we sanctioned a few DUEL titles out there to gauge

the standards of event and was pleasantly surprised. The Nigerian press is constantly emailing over requesting information on which UK fighters will be going, however, as of yet, none of this has been released yet so NEOnline has a first on this.

That is indeed great news and thank you so much for the exclusive. So how can other promoters get involved?

Just communicate with me.

Whether they want to be part of the current Duel Fight Sports, or of the new DUEL GP, I’m always happy to hear from new contacts to discuss possible partnerships.

DUEL GP really does have the potential to go on the road eventually, but that is something I’ll go into nearer the time.

So what can people expect from DUEL in 2017?

February sees the inaugural event that will have a solid headline fight, two 4-man tournaments, and a rock-solid undercard. The first DUEL GP will also have a day-time junior k-1 and Thai show

run separately, headed up by Jim Burn, the regional WKA Director for Muay Thai, with the assistance of Tony Cunningham, promoter of The Home Show. So here is another example of a great collaboration.

The traditional Duel events won’t be happening for a while, however, there are at least Duel co-promotions planned, and hopefully a second DUEL GP event if there is a market for it. We do not want to do too much in the first year as there are other promoters actually helping us, so we need to also

return the favour.

Well thank you for taking the time out of your very busy t to chat with us. It looks like all of the hard work has finally started to pay off for you and that is great to see. We look forward to seeing what 2017 brings you and we wish you all the very best.

Thank you for having me back again, Wayne.

DUEL 7 Fight Pics by Vlad Cocos

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December 4th saw Geekdom materialise at the Nissan Sports and Leisure complex in Washington.

This was the very first Geekdom event and it was organised by Paul and Carolyn from The Funky Patch. For a first event they did an amazing job, with 3 rooms full of things to see, do and buy, you were spoilt for choice. From a whole host of props and replicas like the Tardis, to the Captain’s Chair from Star Trek, K.I.T.T. from the tv show Knight Rider and even an army of Daleks plus lots of costumers and cosplayers so plenty of great photo opportunities to be had. When it came to stalls you were spoilt for choice as you could buy everything from collectable figures and merchandise to signed photos and handmade geeky jewellery and everything in between,

so no matter what you were into, you could find something that you liked.

Geekdom also had some fantastic guests who all got up on stage for a Q&A as well as posing for pho-

tos and signing autographs. First up we had David Sterne who is an actor, known for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Red Dwarf, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and 300: Rise of an Empire to name but a few.

Next up was Jon Davey who has played pretty much every villain in the Doctor Who universe, including its spin off show The Sarah Jane Adventures. Cybermen, Daleks, Judoon, Ood, UNIT Soldiers, you name it, Jon brought them to life. Jon has said he will appear in a future issue of NE in the new year.

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A favourite guest of mine was Jeff Anderson as I grew up reading the Transformers comics and Jeff was one of the original artists, in fact he was the first person to draw Galvertron in the comics which is a great claim to fame. So getting

an original comic signed by Jeff was a highlight for me. Hopefully we can get Jeff in a future issue depending on his busy schedule.

Finally we had local artist Rob Ritchie who was the animator on the new Power Of The Daleks dvd and blu-ray, which is an animated restoration of all six episodes from the 1966 serial of the BBC sci-fi show starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. The visual footage was lost or destroyed but the audio was still intact, so now you can enjoy the lost episodes yourself.

Another great local conven-

tion was in attendance and they brought some of their own guests

to Geekdom. Nethermined started off as a convention for all things Minecraft and featured some big names from the world of YouTube, some of whom came to Geekdom to chat on stage and meet the fans. Nethermined has since evolved and will feature a lot more than just Minecraft at their show in February, but you can read more about that further on in this very issue.

So with plenty to see and do, Geekdom was a success as far as the customers were concerned as everyone I spoke to had had a great time. They liked the fact that it wasn’t overcrowded as there’s nothing worse than when a con-

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vention is so full you can’t move which means you can’t really look at the stalls properly. The biggest criticism was the location as the Nissan Sports and Leisure complex is a bit out of the way, it’s not as central as some conventions are, but it wasn’t difficult to get to. I got a bus there from South Shields and it was no different, time wise,

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than if I was going to the Metro Radio Arena, though there were fewer options when it comes to public transport, it would still take the same amount of time.

So the customers all enjoyed it, the guests had a great time meeting the fans and the traders were happy, so for a first convention I

would have to congratulate Paul and Carolyn as the hard work and stress of putting it all together paid off, they have lay the foundations and can build on this to make future events bigger and better, so watch this space in 2017.

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BACK FOR ROUND 3, NETHERMINED….

The hugely popular Nethermined event is back in the North East for the third time, following a successful first two years.

Last year’s event saw YouTubers entertain the crowds with panels on 2 stages, some live gaming, a small number of hugely popular workshops, some retro games and merchandise stands.

YouTubers such as local lasses SirCutieYuki and lolalove33 and the local lads JackSucksAtLife and The Turkey Dinosaur took to the stage with other YouTubers such as False Symmetry and Scotland’s Dangthatsalongname!

The event was hosted

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by AdamPlaysYT and PerpetualJordanYT who also gave the kids tips on how to make it on YouTube!

Photos attached to email

Nethermined 3 is happening at NSU in Newcastle on 11th and 12th February 2017 and is set to be a bigger and better than ever event, with live gaming, education and online safety at

the forefront of the two day event.

The only event like it in the North, it is an unofficial Minecraft event for all fans across the UK that draws people in from across the entire country.

There’s plenty to do across the two days – exhibitions, games, activities and plenty of YouTubers to meet, including SeePeaKay, JackSucksAtLife, DangThatsALongName, TheOrionSound, Dragnoz and SirCutieyuki.

In fact, at least 12 worldwide famous gaming YouTubers will be there and with a VIP pass, you get early entrance at 10am to meet them all!

For the parents, there is a dedicated education zone to help you understand the world your child plays in. Hands on guided experience that will mean you can converse with your child on their hobby and ensure they play online safely.

With interactive experiences, hands on gaming, merchandise and sweet stalls, thousands of people of all ages are expected, and with ticket sales launching just this week, it is anticipated the VIP tickets will sell out fast.

New director of the Nethermined team, Mark Stevens, said: “Michael and Michelle, the owners of Nethermined have done an amazing job the last two years and the event is firmly set in many people’s calendars.

We are really looking forward to the third event, next February, as we have some amazing online ‘celebs’ and know that with the extra messages and education on online safety and security, it will be a hit with all age groups and with gamers and parents alike.”

Daily tickets are £18 each and available at www.nethermined. com/tickets/ The VIP Ticket also includes a t-shirt and wristband, and is

priced at £30 each – please not the VIP tickets are suitable for under 16’s only.

Youtubers attending and the programme of events. Please visit www.nethermined.com

For more information on the

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When you think of Bare Knuckle Boxing I’m sure most people will think of travellers fighting in car parks or some of the call out videos, both of which you often see popping up on youtube and facebook. What people don’t realise is that over the last few years a company called UBBAD have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring BKB out of the shadows and into the mainstream.

They already have some top level fighters on their books, but in recent months they really have pulled out all of the stops with signings like North East fighter Michael Terrill, who is a Champion Kickboxer and who this year won his first ever Bare Knuckle fight defeating Cowboys Michael who was undefeated in 200 BKB fights. There have been a few occasions where Terrill was due to face current UBBAD Champion Michael “The Real Deal” Ferry on other promotions but it has yet to

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happen, hopefully now that they are both signed to UBBAD there’s nowhere to hide and this eagerly awaited fight won’t be far away. It will be a fan favourite fight when it happens seeing as Ferry’s fans think there is no competition left for him to face, whilst Terril’s fans think Ferry is ducking Terril because he knows that he will lose

his title and has been avoiding the hard fights to keep it. With this kind of talk there can only be one outcome and that is for the fight to take place, which will be great news for neutral BKB fans.

Another of the big name signing is former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard who is a well-known striker

and a massive household name to be added to the UBBAD roster.

He will be taking on the winner of the upcoming Jimmy Sweeney and Dann Henry-Welsh fight. Sweeney is the current UBBAD Champion and himself a devastating striker, so many fans see him walking through Dann and then on to face Melvin in his UBBAD debut which will be an explosive fight.

The 5th of November saw UBBAD return to the Newcastle for BKB2 at the Lancastrian Suite with a stacked card and we were there sitting ringside with UBBAD Medic and legend Bill Ellis watching the action. Bill was explaining the new safety element that UBBAD had introduced and that was the Red Towel, which works in the same way as the corner throwing in the towel if they thought their fighter had had enough, except this would be thrown in by the medic rather than the corner, so if Bill thought a fighter was in serious trouble and at risk of a bad injury he could throw in the towel

himself ending the fight. Bill didn’t really want to do this but he did use it once during the night and it was 100% the right choice, it was a great stoppage and it showed that the health of the fighters is a real priority.

I’ve seen a few videos of past shows/fights and I have to say, I thought I would really struggle listening to the constant commentary of notorious gangster Dave

Courtney shouting out on the mic during the fight as he tells the fighters to “F**king smash him” but I have to say, I actually found myself laughing at the comments and he really did spur the crowd on and get them cheering for the fighters. This is unique to UBBAD and wouldn’t work with anyone else but Dave. When he took to the ring to co-mc the show and have a bit of a joke with the crowd I have to say, he really impressed

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draw.

me, he was a really funny guy and he was often joking on with me and Bill between the fights. I really hope he will be at Hartlepool for the next show on the 17th of December. It will be worth getting your tickets for this show just for Mr Courtney, plus there’s some great fights including local fighters Michael Terrill and Liam James fighting for a world title.

BKB2 also saw the return of one of the biggest names in bare knuckle boxing and that is the one and only Jimmy McCrory who took on Ricky Nelder in what was a 3 round war! The crowd were going crazy and cheered them both on, they really did leave it all in the ring with the judges declaring it a

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Another fan favourite is Billy “Bang Bang” Hawthorn who was taking on Adam Downie. The fight started off with Adam really giving Billy a hard time and was in control of the first round and most of the second in what was looking like a defeat for Billy, until he did what he does best and that was to catch Adam clean on the chin and it was lights out for Adam Downie as he hit the canvas…out cold.

Another eagerly awaited fight was Dan Hunter Vs Jimmy Sweeney for the World Title. There is a lot of hype behind Sweeney in and out of the ring including a recent call out of UFC’s Conor McGregor, though this caused mixed reactions with some calling it ridiculous and a joke and others saying it would be one hell of a super-fight. So with all of this going on out of the ring all eyes were definitely on Sweeney in the ring for this one. With a walk out to rival that of Prince Naseem Hamed, Sweeney took his time to get to the ring, posing for

the crowd, with his belts and flag bearing entourage, the walk out actually took longer than the fight, but Sweeney showed that the hype is real as he finished the fight in record time making easy work of his opponent.

So all in all I have to say hats off to UBBAD, they really have turned the BKB scene around, gone are the fights in fields and car parks and in with the big show production filmed and broadcast for the fans who couldn’t make the sold out show. If you want a great night out then make sure you get your tickets for Hartlepool on the 17th of December, or follow them on facebook to keep up to date with future signing and shows.

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Ever wondered how you would escape if you were swallowed by a whale or buried alive in an airtight coffin… with only an angry beaver and a foot-long hot dog to help you? Well, we’ve got something special for you.

A delightfully dark party game known as Bucket of Doom.

The game begins with a single scenario card. These cards describe a wealth of troublesome scenarios, such as “You wake up and you’re the backend of a human centipede” or “You’re a sperm and you’re not winning this race”.

Upon reading out the scenario, you are all (unfortunately) placed into peril. Each player has eight object cards at their disposal. The challenging part, however, is that these objects tend be as useless as possible, such as a “Duck Whistle” or a “Valentine’s Card for someone called Ian”.

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Armed with your arsenal of impractical objects, you must devise a cunning plan to escape the

scenario at hand. Since the round ends with a vote for the most impressive getaway, you’ll need to get creative if you hope to come out on top.

For example, suppose the game began with the following scenario: “Walking home after a night out wearing Lady Gaga’s

meat dress you are attacked by militant vegans”. One player, thinking quickly, brings out his “Defibrillator” card. Using it on himself, he quickly revives the meat dress into a healthy cow, pacifying the vegans. Another player grabs her “Soft Rock Power Ballad” card, channeling the spirit of Michael Bolton to fight off the angry activists.

Once each player has presented their equally-impressive escape to the group, everyone votes for their favourite. The player with the most votes takes the scenario card for that round.

New object cards are distributed, a new situation is read out and the next round begins. The first player to successfully collected three scenario cards is the winner.

The perfect preparation for unexpected emergencies, Bucket of Doom is a constant reminder that when the s**t hits the fan, you need a plan.

To buy BUCKET OF DOOM visit

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We have double the fun now as we have teamed up with Cineworld Boldon and the new Cineworld Dalton Park to give you a quick run down on a few films that are coming soon and really have got us excited.

Plus make sure you check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with their daily competitions and updates. Boldon and Dalton Park

Assassin’s Creed Release date: 1 January 2017 Dynamic Macbeth stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard reunite with each other and director Justin Kurzel for this epic video game adaptation.

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Callum Lynch (Fassbender) is a dangerous criminal scheduled for execution – but his life is saved when he’s rescued by the mysterious Abstergo Industries, the modern day equivalent of the Knights Templar. Under the instruction of scientist Sophia Rikkin (Cotillard) and her CEO father Alan (Jeremy Irons), Callum is forced to take part in the Animus Project, whereby the company taps into his genetic memories. Soon Callum is reliving the deadly, action-packed life of his 15th

century ancestor Aguilar, an Assassin during the time of the Spanish Inquisition.

Soon he gains the skills and knowledge to confront the present-day Templars who have him trapped.

Based on the sensational franchise, blending eyepopping visuals with star power and the vision of director Justin Kurzel,

Assassin’s Creed promises to be the video game movie to end them all.

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Michael K. Williams, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Ariane Labed Director: Justin Kurzel CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

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Monster Trucks Release date: 26 December 2016 A high school senior teams up with a strange creature who is able to control cars.

Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp

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(Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oildrilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend.

Newcomer Lucas Till heads up this thrilling new family action film from the director of Ice Age and the writer of Jurassic World.

Cast: Lucas Til, Jane Levy, Barry Pepper Director: Chris Wedge CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

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A Monster Calls Release date: 1 January 2017 A troubled boy is mentored by a tree monster in this emotionally powerful fantasy-drama

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Life is tough for 12-yearold Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall). His mum (Felicity Jones) is battling a terminal illness, while his distant, divorced dad (Toby Kebbell) has started a new life in the US. He’s bullied at school and beset by nightmares. And his only adult companion is his severe, brittle maternal grandmother (Sigourney Weaver). Then something fantastic happens. A giant yew tree (Liam Neeson in performance-capture mode) springs to life, stomps over to Conor’s window and begins to tell him astonishing fairytales. Adapted by Patrick

Ness from his own acclaimed young adult novel, this intimate, ultimately heartwarming fable about a boy coming to terms with the messiness of real life is all the more moving for being rooted in genuine fears.

Director J.A. Bayona, of ‘The Impossible’ fame, delivers a stunning spectacle, blending beautiful animation and

incredible special effects with amazing sets.

Cast: Lewis MacDougall, Toby Kebbell, Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Geraldine Chaplin Director: J.A. Bayona CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

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Rings Release date: 3 February 2017 Running time: 120 minutes The possessed videotape returns to terrify a new cast in the third spine-chilling Ring movie.

but this latest instalment revitalises the series with fresh new talent. Behind the camera is Spanish director F. Javier Gutierrez, who made quite a splash with his award-winning sci-fi film Before the Fall. Continuing the franchise’s tradition of strong female leads, Italian actress Matilda Lutz stars

alongside Brit Alex Roe and Johnny Galecki of The Big Bang Theory fame.

Cast: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki Director: F. Javier Gutierrez

Thirteen years after the events of The Ring back in 2002, the sinister cursed videotape is back in circulation! This third American film in one of the most blood-curdling horror franchises ever created continues the tale of the tape that leaves a trail of death in its wake. Anyone who watches it has just seven days to live. The only way to survive is to make a copy, allowing it to spread like a virus.

Plot details are under wraps,

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Unlimited Card Love Cinema. Join the club - £16.90 a month. You will receive...

Preferential Discounts Unlimited members get 10% off all food and drink bought in-cinema at any time of day, every day!* Plus, you’ll also receive discounts for all nonfilm screenings such as Live Opera in HD, Live National Theatre, Live sport in 3D and live gigs etc. (All discounts subject to terms)

Unlimited members benefit from exclusive deals set up by their local cinema*. These offers vary from cinema to cinema, but are a great way to save pennies. (All deals are subject to terms) *Until further notice Watch as many films as you like Are you mad about movies?

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Get access to Exclusive advance screenings As an Unlimited member, you can be among the first to see great movies at our special screenings. Just keep an eye on our Unlimited newsletter for your invitation.

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STEPNEY Tyres

new premises Unit 4, maurice road ind est Newcastle upon Tyne, Ne28 6by

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Hi Dale and welcome to NE. Now you are the man behind SOLEHEAVEN, but what exactly is SOLEHEAVEN? Our product range is hand curated, and forever changing. The products we select are not just based on the surface aesthetic, but for the heritage and passion behind the brands, and the thought processes put into each pair.

Combine this with our relaxed environment, knowledgeable, accommodating staff and our essential collection of lifestyle products, and you can truly immerse yourself in sneaker culture right here in the heart of the city.

You recently moved from Hoults Yard to Old Eldon Square, what was the reason behind the move?

Hoults Yard gave us quite a lot of creative freedom to experiment with brand and marketing concepts. We hosted pop-up skate parks, Yard sales and launch

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events which I’m sure Newcastle City Council would never permit in an NE1 postcode.

At the time we had cool neighbors like Unit44 Gallery and contemporary street artist ‘Hush’ so we worked a lot in collaboration hosting some cool underground events.

Once Soleheaven reached 5yrs old it was time to start looking at the business under a commercial microscope and the decision was made to move into the city centre enabling us to be truly multichannel.

How has business been for you

since moving to such a central location?

Business has been great, all our suppliers and customers alike love the store as things continue to move in an upwards trend.

What has been the hardest part about setting up and running SOLEHEAVEN? The marketplace is dominated by huge multinational stores, so competing with them is a big challenge. We have to be creative and nimble to take advantage of any opportunities we see in the market place.

In recent years trainers have really boomed as a collectable, why do you think that is?

Sneakers have always been collectable, but the rise of auction sites and social networking communities has made it easier to trade than ever before.

Sneakers are inherently cool, they always have been, and always will be.

People who collect tend to have that one item that is like the Holy Grail to them, the one item they long to have, is there a pair of trainers that you would say is your Holy Grail or have you completed that quest already?

Too many grails to mention, fortunately I get to see and touch products long before the customers see them in-store, so I get my fix on a daily basis.

The release of Kanye Wests trainers hit the news recently with people camping out for several days just so they can get their hands on a pair, some to keep, some to sell on for more money, what are your thoughts on this, would you say it is justified or is he over rated and people are buying into the hype rather than wanting a good pair of trainers?

I just see those ‘resellers’ as teenage ticket touts. They queue up for a pair, and within hours they have them listed online to sell with the hope of doubling their money.

The global audience for sneakers

is huge, so they will always have someone in America or Asia who physically cannot get to a store due to their location, and they are prepared to pay a premium to have something exclusive.

What would you say makes a good trainer?

They need to have true heritage. That means something was achieved in them, or the designer has achieved big things in their walk of life. They need that story behind them to give them greatness.

Colorways, and styles change with the times, but they need some greatness attached in my eyes.

Do you have any famous clients who come to you for advice or their latest pair?

Because we’re a big supporter of the art scene we tend to get musicians in like Mistajam, Example or Smoove of Smoove & Turrell fame.

With Christmas coming up, is

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there any advice that you can give to our readers for buying a pair of trainers for a loved one as a present?

Check their collection to sus’ out their size in different brands, because sometimes it varies. You want to make sure you get that perfect fit.

When you are not working hard what do you like to do with your free time?

I’m working most of the time to be honest, but when I’m not you’ll find me at the coast eating Ice Cream at Di Meo’s with my 2yr old son Artie.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

UK7 Family Man Started collecting sneakers in 1989 What are your aims for 2017 and beyond?

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Soleheaven will be getting bigger and better....that’s all I can say right now!

post 5 new products every day.

Follow @soleheaven and join our 58,000 strong army of supporters.

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

The best way is Instagram. We

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Dale

SOLEHEAVEN TOP PICKS NEW BALANCE 576 PRICED AT £119 Premium quality footwear from New Balances Cumbria based UK warehouse.

NIKE INTERNATIONALIST PRICED AT £67 The cult classic runner is still as street ready as always.

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Step into new levels of comfort.

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DICKIES NEBRASKA BOOT Priced at £120 Combat every season with this allyear boot.

JASON MARKK CLEANING KIT Priced at £16 Keep those grails in perfect condition with the Jason Markk essential kit for a premium clean.

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HAPPY SOCKS Priced from £8 Step up your sock game with Soleheaven.

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SOLEHEAVEN TOP PICKS 75

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