Press Play Issue 1

y s s a e l Pr P music

film

tv

ng i m ga

Our hollow, our home the behemoth salt cathedral marvel vs. dc young fathers virtual reality eva plays dead red love

NATALIA TENA a force to be r e c kone d wi t h

issue 1 / february 2017

game of thrones,harry potter & MOLOTOV JUKEBOX’S

2

contents

music

4

The Press Play magazine and website is produced by students on the BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism course at Southampton Solent University. The views expressed in the magazine and website are the contributors’ own and as such the University and its staff can not be held responsible.

6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14

film

tv

gaming

Josh Franceschi Takes On Ticket Touts

The You Me At Six frontman fighting for music fans

Introducing:

Eva Plays Dead

We speak to guitarist Matt Gascoyne

catch up:

it’s always sunny in philadelphia Why you need to be watching the 12th Season

Introducing:

galactic empire

“Providing the galaxy’s most impressive metal!”

preview:

horizon zero dawn

“Wait until you see the world of animal machines.”

the sound of t2:

young fathers

Inside the soundtrack to the Trainspotting sequel

interview:

salt cathedral

We chat with the ethereal Brooklyn pop duo

vr gaming is the future

“ This could take the gaming industry anywhere.”

from a silver mic to a silver screen

“Who says you can’t have an Oscar and a Grammy?”

3 From the Team We are so happy to finally be presenting you with our first issue of Press Play Magazine. We’ve worked very hard putting as much effort into making this our best work possible and bringing you the latest and greatest of both the music and visual culture of today.

We’re very fortunate to have the amazing and talented Natalia Tena on our cover. We speak to the Harry Potter star and Molotov Jukebox frontwoman about death scenes in Game of Thrones and the drawbacks of being a mermaid.

We also delve into the Marvel and DC universe, looking at the ongoing battle between the two fandoms, and give you a sneak peek at this year ’s most anticipated releases in film and TV. On the gaming front, we’ve got an in-depth interview with The Behemoth’s art director and co-founder Dan Paladin, discussing upcoming title Pit People as well as virtual reality and the everchanging technology of video games.

Expect reviews because we’ve got lots of them, including insight into what we thought about the A Series of Unfortunate Events reboot as well as the new season of everyone’s favourite highfunctioning sociopath, Sherlock.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed and helped make this magazine happen, and thank you for taking the time to enjoy all of our hard work. Please sit back with your copy of the issue, and press play on all of your favourites. We hope you love it.

team Editor / kaitlyn ulrich Reviews Editor / martha gregory Features Editor / chloe rose eaton Print Design / adrianne goron Web Design / gabbi kimber

Contributors Chelsea Batt, Jason Blight, Emily Gunn, Daisy Hearn, Hollie Ingram, Alex Lewis, Kate Martin, Callum McCormack, Charlie Scholey, Harriet Stanley, Vicky Swain, Rupert Taylor

Contact pressplaymagazineuk@gmail.com www.

b a

www.pressplaymagazine.co.uk facebook.com/pressplaymusicmag @press_play_mag

16 18 20 24 26 27 30 32 38 39

interview:

the behemoth

We speak to Dan Paladin about Pit People

thnks fr th mmrs albums turning 10

Featuring Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and more

interview:

natalia tena

We catch up with the musician and actress

versus:

marvel versus dc

Two comic book universes collide

songs made famous by films

From Titanic to Toy Story to Dirty Dancing

editors picks:

2017’s anticipated releases

Here’s what our editors can’t wait for this year

interview:

our hollow, our home

We chat to vocalist Connor Hallisey

reviews

Featuring Ne-Hi, La La Land, Sherlock and more

q&A:

camel 101’s ricardo cesteiro

Co-owner and producer on new game Syndrome

upcoming

New releases to watch out for

feature

4

you me at six’s

josh franceschi takes on ticket touts

By Adrianne Goron

B

uying gig tickets to see an artist you love is always stressful. You set an alarm to make sure you get up early enough, you refresh multiple tabs and you wait in queues, hoping that you can get through filling in your details before it sells out. If you do, the stress disappears instantly and excitement sets in, but if the dreaded words ‘tickets unavailable’ appear, you add disappointment to the mix. What makes it worse is knowing that as many as 30% of the tickets would have been bulk bought by professional touts, so that they can sell them for several times their initial value – and even more so, you’re often willing to pay it.

Until now, this has been a huge issue for music fans, but has remained fairly unacknowledged by the artists themselves. This is what You Me At Six frontman Josh Franceschi has been fighting to change, telling the BBC, “Ultimately I don’t want to see

the industry that I’ve grown up in and love, shy away from making the right decision for the people who pump money into it and keep it afloat which is the fans of music”. As well as selling tickets to fans face-to- face, Franceschi launched an online petition to “Enforce the Consumer Rights Act to protect music, arts and sport fans from touts”. The petition was widely shared, with other artists such as Alt-J and Mumford and Sons expressing their support for the cause, and although it only managed to receive 80,000 of the signatures required to take the cause to Parliament, the attention it received saw that it would reach the House of Commons regardless.

The Culture, Media and Sports Committee held an evidence session in November investigating ticket touts and the software used to buy large numbers of tickets from selling sites such as Ticketmaster and Gigwise, to

resale for inflated profit, as well as the harm this has on the industry and fans. Franceschi was in attendance to provide information, alongside Wildlife Entertainment ’s Ian McAndrew and Music Managers Forum’s Annabella Coldrick. Franceschi said, “Money’s being taken out of the industry and put into the hands of people who are only concerned with lining their own pockets. We need to change the situation so the live scene can thrive”.

He also expressed his hope for change in the Manchester Evening News, “Hopefully, ticket sites are under pressure from not only us but also the media and the industry. There’s a feeling that people do want to do something about it and they are working towards it. Time will tell how much substance their words carry, but I’m hopeful”.

Now that other successful artists are on board, such as Adele, who

5

“it’s about the next generation, we have a responsibility to them to change things”

dice: gig tickets with no fees

By Martha Gregory

wants to help cut touting by only allowing entry to shows if your name is on the ticket; a ‘ticket tout bot ban’ was passed in December in North America - implementing the ban at a US-wide federal level and allowing the FTC to pursue cases against those using specialist software to buy large quantities of tickets for resale. We seem to be on the brink of action to prevent this crime in the UK. However, Mike Andrews of the UK’s National Trading Standards’ e-Crime Unit told the BBC that budget cuts make it difficult for trading standards officials to invest the time into enforcing rules on things like ticket touting. This is why the wave of support the campaign has received so far can’t be allowed to settle. The issue has a huge effect on artists and fans alike, and as Franceschi told the House of Commons, “It ’s about the next generation, we have a responsibility to them to change things.”

h

opefully you’re fed up of ticket touts forcing you to pay ridiculous amounts to see the artists you love, new app DICE might help quell your dread.

DICE was established in 2016 to combat the extortionate and unfair prices of secondary ticketing sites and are dedicated to selling gig, club and festival tickets at the rate they should be paid for - the ticket price. With no hidden fees from their sales, DICE provide a service that is not only affordable, but also reliable; they don’t even have booking fees! And if you can no longer attend an event and that event has a waiting list, then you can offer DICE the chance to buy the ticket back off of you so that another dedicated fan can get their hands on the ticket they want at a fair price everybody wins!

Dice say that they “love the artists that make music as much as we love the nights out watching them, so at DICE we respect the wishes of musicians. And that means protecting their tickets from touts. We only sell tickets from the DICE app so we’re immune to Bots that scalp ticketing websites and hoover up stock to sell on at exploitative prices...It ’s secondary ticketing done in a way that ’s fair and transparent.”

6

INTRODUCING

For fans of Paramore, Letters From the Fire and Halestorm - this band is one to watch out for!

By Kate Martin

C

ompared to your previous releases ‘Wonderland’ and ‘Live Again’ your new single ‘Bones’ appears very much more personal in delivery and vibe. What’s the story behind the song? “ Tig ’s lyrics have always been very personal and stem from her experiences, but she went deep with ‘Bones’. It is about the expectation that we place upon ourselves and others to do the ‘right thing ’, despite there being no such thing! We’re all just trying to find our way, our purpose, and do what is best for us, but there is always criticism no matter what you do.”

With all of the positive feedback on the new single, how does it feel to be a part of Eva Plays Dead right now?

we chat to matt gascoyne, guitarist for the nottingham rockers

eva plays dead

“We were nervous about releasing new music a year after the last single, but the response has been great and an overwhelming ‘welcome back’. Since it ’s come out we’ve started to become more excited about the future as we’ve been constantly writing since moving in to our new rehearsal room.

All of the struggles we have had in the last year have pretty much been flattened out and we have landed back on our feet.”

Describe your band life - how much time do you guys spend together?

“It depends on what we’re doing at the time. The last year has been less frequent because of things happening in our personal lives, but we hang out a lot more now that it has all settled down. Our writing sessions can last for a couple of hours or days on end, but it can’t be predicted. We don’t like to force music when we’re uninspired but if the creative juices are flowing, then we don’t want to stop it either.”

In the second half of 2016 your gear was stolen from your van, and there was a big outcry both from your fan base and local community about the break in - a tough set back mid festival season. What happened and how did you get back on your feet?

“We were on the hunt for a new rehearsal room so had our

catch up

gear in the van, and as Zach had recently moved house, we didn’t have anywhere to store the gear overnight. We were due to move it all to a storage unit the day after whilst we found somewhere permanent to rehearse so we left the gear in the van on a private gated driveway as we thought it would be safe from 11pm.

“

nottingham is incredibly vibrant with diy music

”

The day after at 11am, we got a call saying that we needed to get there right away because the van doors were open and things were missing – it was horrible. We called the police who weren’t any help at all, looked through the CCTV across the road but it was too dark to see anything, and even drove around the area looking for some clues. We put out a video appeal asking fans and friends to keep an eye out in local music and pawn shops, eBay, Gumtree and anywhere that might be selling our list of gear and to our surprise, it was shared by thousands of people across social media including some bigger bands that we’re fans of.

“

we were nervous about releasing new music, but the response has been great

”

Out of nowhere, a fan had set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to replace our gear, we had companies such as KHDK (Kirk Hammett ’s guitar pedal company) and Doc Martens donating gear and money to contribute and we were encouraged to sell t-shirts to help as well. We were absolutely blown away. Luckily, we replaced enough of our backline to play FortFest and Macmillan Fest in September.”

You’ve been playing a number of shows in 2016 including supporting Alien Ant Farm and Dorje. How did that come together?

7

make sure you dont miss out catch-up on it’s always sunny:

“Yeah those shows were great!

We also supported New Years Day and SOiL which were incredible experiences allowing us to play in front of so many new people. I think Alien Ant Farm was the only show that we had planned far in advance, whereas the rest were last minute that the promoters asked us to play, and we had to say yes! New Years Day was quite funny as our manager messaged us five days before the tour saying we’ve been offered it. We confirmed straight away and figured out how we were dropping the rest of our plans later on.”

With grassroots music venues increasingly closing throughout the UK it’s getting tougher to find local live music in many parts of the country. How is your local music scene doing?

“Nottingham is incredibly vibrant with DIY music and we also get big touring bands passing through, so we get the best of both worlds. There are great big venues such as Rock City and Rescue Rooms which we love to play. There is also a great bunch of independent venues such as The Maze, Jam Café, Chameleon Arts Café and Ye Olde Salutation Inn which have awesome underground bands passing through.”

Are there any favourite venues you perform in or festivals you are most excited about?

“It ’s always fun playing in Nottingham and Derby as the hometown crowds are insane.

We’ve just been confirmed for Wildfire Festival 2017 in Scotland which looks like it ’s going to be killer! It ’s our first time but we’ve heard great things.”

What’s next for Eva Plays Dead?

Any new singles, a tour or an album perhaps?

“2017 is shaping up to be quite exciting so keep an eye out.

Let ’s just say it ’s been too long since we released our last E.P.”

its always sunny in philadelphia season 12

By Adrianne Goron

I

f there’s one thing you need to be watching right now, it ’s the new series of Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Starring Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito, the show follows ‘the gang ’ – politically-incorrect narcissists who own an Irish bar.

Continuing to boldly redefine the margins of what is considered offensive, the opening episode to season 12 is no exception. The first musical episode since fanfavourite ‘ The Nightman Cometh’, ‘ The Gang Turns Black’ manages to explore with humour the issue of the gang ’s struggle to understand what its like to be black in America. ‘ The Gang Goes to a Waterpark’ sees the ‘gruesome twosome’ at their best, whilst Mac (McElhenney) and Dee (Olson) cause a pile-up after getting stuck in a slide; as usual, shocking disaster follows the group wherever they go. ‘Old Lady House: A Situation Comedy’ cleverly allows the show to explore stereotypes of TV comedy, whilst spying on Mac and Charlie (Day)’s fighting mothers.

The first few episodes of Season 12 have seen It ’s Always Sunny at its best, fearless in their effort to push the boundaries.

With titles such as ‘Making Dennis Reynolds A Murderer ’, ‘ The Gang Tends Bar ’ and ‘A Cricket ’s Life’, it seems certain to be one of the greatest series to date.

8

INTRODUCING

love star wars? love metal? then check out...

galactic empire

By Martha Gregory

A

long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…well actually not that long ago and in a tour bus outside of Southampton’s The Joiners, we caught up with Galactic Empire, “providing you with the galaxy’s most impressive metal!”

Having just released their debut self-titled album on Rise Records, this is just the beginning for Galactic Empire’s rise to power.

How did you come up with the idea for a Star Wars band?

Grant - “I would say it ’s either 2013/2014 I put together a drum play-through video of ‘ The Imperial March (Darth Vader ’s theme)’. I played drums along to the London Symphony Orchestra’s recording of ‘ The Imperial March’, with just

basically a drum arrangement on top of that. And I put it on YouTube and that was fun to do. [Then] one day when I was bored at the studio that I own with Carson, I sat down and recorded guitar to the drums I had done.

My idea was to basically to try to create every single layer of the orchestra just all on guitar and not have any original orchestra, so it was all just heavy metal versions of Star Wars. That was awesome, [and] then before you know it, we have 11 songs, [and I] had contacted Chris and asked him if he wanted to be involved in a Star Wars band and he said ‘dibs on guitar!’”

Carson - “Obviously when an orchestra piece is arranged it ’s not arranged with a rock band format in mind, it ’s a completely different animal. So translating that to the rock

band format was super confusing and it took a very long time just to figure out all the stuff that was going on.

John Williams doesn’t really know it, but he writes prog metal.”

How did you come up with each of your characters? Are they your favourite Star Wars characters?

Chris - “We wanted to do the Empire stuff just because it ’s all bad guys and we’re playing metal, and so the dark side fits in with that. We’ve had questions before like ‘Did you ever think about putting Han [Solo] or Luke [Skywalker] or anything in [the band]?’ and, well, they don’t wear costumes or masks or anything.

Like they have costumes but they’re outfits. So if it ’s just somebody in Han Solo’s outfit, it ’s not actually Han Solo if you know what I mean?

It ’s a lot easier to get people stoked [when you’re] looking like the actual

9

preview Galactic Empire are: Carson - Storm Trooper CJ - Shadow Ranger Chris - Dark Vader Mike - Red Guard/Big Red Grant - Boba Sett

“ you may think dragons are magical but wait until you see the world of animal machines.”

“ John Williams doesn’t really know it, but he writes prog metal ”

HORIZON ZERO DAWN

By Gabbi Kimber

characters. And the Empire’s more badass.”

Carson - “I’m called Storm Trooper just because I’m kinda the airhead, so that works.”

Grant - “I would argue that Darth Vader is the most iconic sciencefiction villain of all time.”

CJ - “I think even if people haven’t really seen Star Wars they know about Darth Vader. The breathing noise and all that stuff. It ’s pretty hard to find somebody who doesn’t know who that is.”

If you could describe your album in three words, what would they be?

Carson - “Fun and nerdy.”

Chris - “Utterly fucking stupid!”

Grant - “Star Wars Metal.”

Galactic Empire’s album is out now.

his year is going to be a great one for the gaming community with new titles being released such as Nioh (PS4) and For Honor (PS4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows), as well as old remastered classics like the Crash Bandicoot series (PS4). However, with all of these new exciting titles coming out, the one that’s most eye-catching is Horizon Zero Dawn.

then used to craft and upgrade weapons, thus making you the hunter instead of the hunted.

Horizon Zero Dawn will bring a new definition to the everyday open world of RPG, and gamers who are a fan of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will definitely join lead character Aloy on her journey throughout the treacherous world of this new game. You may think dragons are magical, but wait until you see the world of animal machines.

This game had a mention at the E3 gaming conference in 2016, the trailer and gameplay shown absolutely incredible. Horizon Zero Dawn is not your everyday RPG (role-playing game) that allows you to explore the open worlds, instead offing you an exploration of the beautiful wilderness where you are accompanied by machines that look like animals. These machinelike animals are to be taken down to collect parts, which are

Unfortunately Guerrilla, who developed Horizon Zero Dawn, have only made the game exclusive to the PlayStation 4 console and PlayStation 4 Pro. The graphics of the game are rich and have been improved to match the PS4 Pro standard, which will be beneficial, however the basic PS4 will still withstand the impressive graphics of the game without the PS4 Pro edge.

Horizon Zero Dawn will be released March 3rd.

T

10

FEATURE

THE SOUNDTRACK:

TRAINSPOTTING 2

Iggy Pop

Lust For Life (The Prodigy Remix)

High Contrast Shotgun Mouthwash

Wolf Alice Silk

Young Fathers Get Up

Frankie Goes To Hollywood Relax

Underworld and Ewan Bremner Eventually But

Young Fathers

Only God Knows

The Rubberbandits Dad’s Best Friend

Blondie

Dreaming

Queen

Radio GaGa

Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins It’s Like That

The Clash

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais

Young Fathers Rain or Shine

Fat White Family

Whitest Boy On The Beach

Underworld Slow Slippy

THE SOUND OF

T2:

YOUNG FA

11 Photo by Junn

ATHERS

By Adrianne Goron

T

he first Trainspotting film was iconic, so much that 21 years later its following is still growing rapidly. Its characters are unforgettable, its story is gripping, and its soundtrack perfectly embodies the time, as well as Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie and Spud – heroin addicts with insurgence in their hearts.

There’s a lot of pressure when it comes to the sequel. Part of a recent trend in re-making existing films or reuniting casts after an extended break, Trainspotting 2 first seemed promising once it was announced that all of the main cast members were on board. The film’s trailer was bold, creating huge amounts of nostalgia in seconds. It also gave us the first hints at the soundtrack, beginning with Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’, known for the infamous toilet scene, and following with grungy North London four-piece, Wolf Alice’s ‘Silk’.

The speculation was whether the new soundtrack would match up to that of the original, or whether they would use newer artists as a backdrop to the follow-up. The soundtrack has successfully blended both, including updated versions of songs from the original film. It perfectly encompasses the broad audience of the film, and feels realistic and in keeping with its predecessor.

The most memorable tracks could not be forgotten, with Iggy Pop’s anthem ‘Lust For Life’ remixed by The Prodigy, as well as ‘Born Slippy’

by Underworld, this time appearing as ‘Slow Slippy’. Other big tracks include ‘Relax’ by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, ‘Radio Ga Ga’ by Queen, and Blondie’s ‘Dreaming ’. Post-Punk Fat White Family and the comedy hip-hop of Limerick City’s The Rubberbandits contrast these, however the tone of the soundtrack is consistent.

“

You’re always looking for the heartbeat of a film. for t2, it’s young fathers

”

The stand-out stars, however, are Mercury Prize winners, Young Fathers, the Scottish threepiece with six tracks used in the film, and three in the official soundtrack, including an original composition in anthemic ‘Only God Knows’, featuring the beautifully powerful accompaniment of the Leith Congregational Choir. Its frenzied pace and style mimics the Trainspotting vibe with ease. In a press release, director Danny Boyle explained that “ Trainspotting, the original book, is like a modern Ulysses. It ’s unsurpassed I think, and reading it is still like the ‘rush of ocean to the heart ’. You’re always looking for the heartbeat of a film. For Trainspotting, it was Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’. For T2, it ’s Young Fathers. Their songs are my heartbeat for the film. And ‘Only God Knows’ is that rush again. The ocean. The heart ”.

Young Father ’s ‘Low’, ‘No Way’, and ‘Dare Me’ can all be heard in T2, with ‘Get Up’ and ‘Rain or Shine’ joining ‘Only God Knows’ on the official soundtrack, which in itself is a well chosen framework for the lives of the already-beloved characters.

12

INTERVIEW

INTERESTING LINE OR QUOTE FROM THE BEHEMOTH INTERVIEW

salt

cathedral

By Martha Gregory

B

rooklyn has produced some of the world’s finest musicians from the likes of Lou Reed and Jay Z, and now ethereal Colombian-born pop-duo Salt Cathedral are set to burst from the legendary scene. With critical acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, the band deservedly has a hype surrounding them - and all before they’ve even released their first full-length album.

“It ’s good to be recognized by music media and we’re very grateful for all the love,” says singer Juliana Ronderos.

we spoke to the ethereal pop duo who are making it big in the new york scene

However, it ’s not the media attention Ronderos cares for, it ’s the duo’s fans.

“Art and music take on a different value with each person that interacts with it - it ’s like a math formula where your constant is the music and your variable is each person the product will always be different.

Something like a heartfelt message from someone who’s been moved by our music, or felt accompanied by it, takes on a greater personal value for us than a media review.”

“we’ve been playing our more down-tempo songs for a while so its going to be nice to have material to make people dance” Talking of the band’s latest single release, a duet with famed reggae singer Matisyahu titled ‘Unraveling ’, the band are understandably excited. “[It ’s been] great! [We’ve been working with] Assassin and Matisyahu (of Kanye West ’s Yeezus and Kendrick Lamar ’s To Pimp A Butterfly fame) who are very talented and unique musicians. It was incredible to see their take on it,” says Ronderos. “ To be honest with you, it was a total surprise that it worked out,” the second half of Salt Cathedral, Nicolas Losada, states. “Every collaboration has a 50/50 chance or working and surprisingly, it ’s been working for us.”

“someone who’s been moved by our music takes on a greater personal value for us than a media review”

opinion

Still in the studio adding the finishing touches to their album, Big Waves/ Small Waves, the duo are most looking forward to playing their new songs live. “We’ve been playing our more down-tempo songs for a while so it ’s going to be nice to have material to make people dance.

We trialled two of these songs at a couple NY shows and the audience response was unbelievable - everyone was dancing!” exclaims Ronderos.

The band is also excited about giving their sound a visual edge. “A dream would be to collaborate with a film director,” says Losada. “Having this composer/ film maker camaraderie like what Denis Villeneuve and Jóhann Jóhannsson [and] getting out of the pop format and actually experimenting and blending in with somebody’s vision would be an incredible experience.”

Having already toured parts of the world, Salt Cathedral are big fans of enjoying the different cultures they encounter. “We toured Japan two years ago and it was such a shock to experience that country. Everything is completely different. The crowds, the logistics, the food, the people. I saw a Radiohead interview talking about the Japanese crowds being so silent and polite during the concert. It really is like that. Between each song there’s complete silence and you don’t know if they like it or not. [It was] our first cultural shock for sure,” remarks Losada.

With influences from the likes of Bob Dylan and The Beatles, to Atoms For Peace (“ I’ll never forget when Thom Yorke played Atoms for Peace on his guitar solo [when we saw them in Boston], [it was] such a special moment,” says Juliana), we can expect a genre-defying, dancehall beats-filled debut album from Salt Cathedral.

Salt Cathedral’s debut album Big Waves/Small Waves will be out later in the year.

vrI

By Rupert Taylor

13

Gaming is the future

n 1972, Atari released their world-famous Pong.

Almost half a century later, the gaming world has seen a leap forward bigger than a Crash Bandicoot double jump.

No longer are the eyes of gamers fixated on a single pixel scarcely imitating a ping-pong ball, floating across the screen like a lost Windows icon.

Instead of peering through a monitor, controlling your character ’s actions like a divine intervention, you can be the character. With Virtual Reality (VR), the actions and impulses of your own body become those of the protagonist. You can be Batman in Gotham City, or a member of the Federation on a Starfleet ship. This could take the gaming industry anywhere, surely.

Sceptics would be shouting out in protest faster than you can say Sonic, claiming they’ve “seen it all before”, and they wouldn’t be entirely incorrect.

Practically every manufacturer has had a stab at the motion sensor model; rarely seen since Christmas ‘08 (bar the two occasions you’ve craved a Mario and Sonic at the Olympics session), Nintendo’s ‘Wii’ has hardly endured the changing of times as well as they might ’ve hoped.

Microsoft ’s ‘Kinect ’ and Sony’s ‘Move’, though potentially more advanced, are still a secondary thought against lazily sitting with a controller in hand. Why bother struggling with temperamental tech when you can stick to what works?

VR headsets are still a clumpy mask of weight and uncomfortability, and their sensitivity (or lack of) can be tiresome when you know the same tasks could be completed with the touch of a button.

But is that not the fun? The gimmick relies on the user having to “mature” to the movements and techniques required, like a child learning the way of the world with trips and stumbles included (referring directly to five-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan’s teething problems).

Video games lose their appeal when the objectives and obstacles are too basic for the user - kind of like guarding a wall from a slow-moving pixel…

If that ’s not enough to convince critics that VR gaming is a worthwhile venture, consider this: the vast majority of video games now strive to look, act and feel like the real world.

What could possibly be more ‘real world’ than your entire surrounding environment seemingly altering and reacting to your physical presence?

“This could take the gaming industry anywhere” Possibly the most digestible argument posed by VR opposition is that it ’ll never outlive classic games in the way they’ve survived the past 25 years. We all love to revisit our favourite games and relive hours spent controlling our choice characters, and VR certainly doesn’t hold the same nostalgia or sentimentality.

Nonetheless, this town is definitely big enough for the two of them. Especially when you realise that VR technology serves purposes above and beyond the call of temporary entertainment.

The world of medicine is changing before our headsetcovered eyes. The ability to experience live operations through the view of the surgeon, or even simulate your own surgery, could prove successful in the education and training of doctors, diminishing expenditure towards a finite amount of equipment and resources. Hand in hand, the realms of gaming and medicine could be revolutionised.

It ’s hard to argue with the logic of personal preference - if people simply prefer sticking to their guns for the classics, fair enough. But a downright refusal to enjoy new ideas is a conservative middle finger to the potential progress of gaming technology.

14

FEATURE

“

who says you can’t have an oscar and a grammy?

”

15

OTHER Popular Musician Appearances in Film and TV: lady gaga American Horror Story (2015 - Present)

Machine Gun Kelly Nerve (2016)

the new wave of musicians-turned-actors

By Chelsea Batt

L

ooking back on 2016, it has been a busy year for Rihanna.

From releasing her anticipated eighth studio album Anti in January and embarking on a ninemonth world tour, to recently being nominated for eight Grammys – what more could she want? There is no slowing down for the Barbadian superstar as it seems she’s expanding her reach in the entertainment world.

After checking in to the American horror series Bates Motel and nabbing herself the legendary role of Marion Crane, she’s also managed to grab another major gig this year: playing one of the main characters in the all-female spin off of Ocean’s Eleven.

However, she’s certainly no stranger to the big screen. Anyone remember 2012’s Battleship? Although most critics panned the sci-fi action film, Rihanna was praised for her first ever, big screen debut.

“

summer over the last 20 years.

The breed of double-threats has become a new phenomenon, and nowadays it is seen as a necessity for musicians to, at some point, shed their chart-topping skin, making it rare to find an artist that hasn’t dipped their toes in the acting pond.

Music videos have even become more and more movie-like over the years, providing a chance for artists to flaunt cinematic potential. The entertainment world has increasingly made it easy for musicians to expand their careers, especially with shows like Saturday Night Live, whose musical guests join in with the comedic skits and showcase their performing talents.

It is a huge risk for musicians to expand their reach, and sometimes these risks do not pay off. Whilst

the breed of double-threats has become a new phenomenon Rihanna is not the only singer to attempt to lend their talented hands to the acting world. She follows in the footsteps of many victorious (and not so victorious) stars who’ve managed to establish themselves as versatile and multi-talented in Hollywood.

Some have even completely transcended their careers and left their musical days behind. Not many still remember that Will Smith started out as The Fresh Prince of hip-hop before he was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After many successful feature films since his Bad Boys days, he’s now one of the most sought-after and bankable stars on the planet, raking in $20 million for his latest box office hit Suicide Squad. Combined with Mark Wahlberg, formally rapper Marky Mark, both have radically dominated our screens with hits almost every

”

bringing an already acclaimed artist on a TV/film set can bring a whole new audience, there is the factor that the audience’s experience can potentially be affected by the preconception of their stardom. It can become a challenge of balancing how famous a person is versus how well can they act. This providing the ultimate question – should they just stick to music?

However, in light of Donald Glover (also known as rapper and singersongwriter Childish Gambino) winning a Critic’s Choice Award for Best Comedy Actor for his work in FX’s Atlanta, it seems the crossover between musicians and TV/film can be triumphant with sheer determination.

Who says you can’t have an Oscar and a Grammy?

jennifer lopez The Boy Next Door (2015)

p. diddy Get Him To The Greek (2010)

Drake Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001 – 2009)

Beyoncé Obsessed (2009)

dave grohl of foo fighters Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny (2006)

50 cent Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (2005)

Eminem 8 Mile (2002)

David Bowie Labyrinth (1986)

INTERVIEW

16

INTERESTING LINE OR QUOTE FROM THE BEHEMOTH INTERVIEW

WE SPOKE TO

the

behemoth’S DAN PALADIN

By Kaitlyn Ulrich

“

I

find myself wondering what the world must ’ve been like before the bear crashed into our frail planet,” a voice murmurs ominously from the shadows, “transforming all we once knew into a colorful kaleidoscope of delicious chaos.” Thrown into a world of rampage and destruction, it is up to you to “rally your troops and steel your wits” if you have any hope of surviving through The Behemoth’s latest adventure.

Widely recognised for their unique 2D animated style and quirky characters, not many gaming companies can make you laugh and cry at the same time quite like The Behemoth. Where else can you pilot a UFO, get chased by a rabid antler-wielding raccoon, or have your gameplay halted to watch as an owl shits in the forest? The San Diego-based outfit is an indie video game developer and in-house publisher that ’s 100% self-funded, with support from their fans. Founded

by John Baez, Tom Fulp, and Press Play interviewee Dan Paladin, their video games are based around everything fun and memorable. With action-packed adventure classic Castle Crashers, as well as other

ABOUT NEW TITLE

collaborations for the company, usually making the art while the other person handled the programming.

Paladin has also worked for Presto Studios and web-comic Cyanide & Happiness, where he composed the polka-style closing credits melody for the animation. After The Behemoth was founded in 2003, Paladin’s work with Castle Crashers won two awards at the 2007 Independent Games Festival: ‘Excellence In Visual Art ’ and ‘Audience Award’.

Sinister robots and deadly vampires and brutally adorable cupcake people! Oh my! As The Behemoth’s first ever turn-based strategy adventure, Pit People employs a cast of unique creatures that populate the “apocalyptic wonderland”. Among some friendly (or not so friendly) faces like Cyclops and Troll Mom from Castle Crashers, fighters also include pixies, mushrooms, and gnomes.

The game differs immensely from its predecessors, challenging its players to equip a team of their own creation and engage in a strategy to make their way across the game board.

It ’s a “fast-paced, turn-based, co-op adventure [where] you’ll quest and explore, find awesome loot, customise your fighters, and recruit strange species!” the official website explains.

“ BEING ABLE TO SELL GAMES DIGITALLY HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST POSITIVE CHANGE IN TECHNOLOGY OVER THE YEARS FOR THE COMPANY”

titles BattleBlock Theatre and Alien Hominid HD already a hit among the gaming community, The Behemoth is back in action this year with new title, Pit People.

Paladin is one of the masterminds behind all of the action. Widely known for his cartoony art style, he is art director and game designer for The Behemoth. Prior to his relocation to San Diego, the Ohio-native worked for years alongside Fulp’s media company Newgrounds, making Flash animated games such as Sack Smash 2001, Chainsaw the Children, Dad ‘N Me and Alien Hominid. He was an active contributor to many gaming

“We’re excited to see the team compositions players will come up with, the strategies people will use in the game, and how they will fight against one another in the Pit!” Paladin states excitedly. Though the game play may differ, he reassures, “we’ve brought back tons of collectible items to customize fighters – even more so than Castle Crashers and BattleBlock Theater!”

What makes The Behemoth’s games so unique is their mastery of churning out new and fun adventures, yet each with their own unique game playing style. Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid HD play as side-scrolling beat

PIT PEOPLE

17 ‘em up and shoot ‘em up adventures respectively, each with their own unique flair, while BattleBlock Theatre is a platformer, using Super Mario Bros. style game play to jump around levels while using your partner to further yourself in the game. “We have to be sure to avoid any “more of the same” kind of vibe a sequel can sometimes fall victim to,” Paladin explains. “One of the better ways to do that is to make completely different types of projects. We’ve learned so much going from a shoot-‘em-up to a beat-‘em-up to a platformer to a turn-based game.”

While Pit People may be the company’s fourth title, it still encompasses the signature 2D animated style that has followed the game developers since their start.

This style is largely thanks to Paladin, his drawings and designs breathing life into the large cast of The Behemoth’s eccentric, yet loveable, characters. Paladin assures that

Though straying from 3D for now, the decision of format also brings into question the latest kick of VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) in the gaming industry, as well the popularity of gaming on the go – especially with the announcement of the new Nintendo Switch. Paladin’s take on it is that, “having more ways to play is always exciting. Seeing the phenomenon that was Pokémon GO was almost surreal, and really showed us the potential reach that games have. Such power!” VR technology “is a really interesting beast [that] opens up all kinds of new experiences for players,” he states. “Any specific ideas I have beyond that are going into my “secret ” pocket, though, and shall not emerge until incubated (if incubated at all)!” As far as future games go, The Behemoth is unpredictable. “We have no idea what we’re making next until it is time to sit down and make it. And then when we sit down and make it we don’t actually know what it will be until it is time to release it.”

“ there’s a certain sense of duty we have to visit the unexplored” straying from the signature design wouldn’t put fans off, as they have such a “solid relationship”. But it is, most definitely, the surest sign of a Behemoth game – always seemingly drawing a spark of interest when the visuals are displayed. “Some may say there is a familiarity to our look which I think helps us establish a link with players,” he explains. “ They might even find that they have an interest in whatever genre we’ve delved into next. People never seem to feel too intimidated to pick up and play our games, which also helps a lot. We try to make our games nice to you most of the time (while not being afraid to show some ‘tough love’ here and there, either).”

The Behemoth has always been a company to do things in their own way. Being a 2D-styled game developer in a largely 3D dominated world can’t be an overly easy feat, and on top of that they choose not to release physical copies of their games. This being said, it ’s a largely smart scheme, breathing fresh air into a cookie-cutter industry, and one that shows they’re putting the thought necessary into the rapid technological advances of present day. Previous employment of the founders has included 3D work, so Paladin states they’re “definitely not shy from it ”, but it just hasn’t seemed like a choice that would have been the best fit for any of the games thus far. The unique designs and funny animations set their games apart from the library of life-like 3D games that mimic the real world virtually seamlessly.

Being able to sell games digitally has been the biggest positive change in technology over the years for the company. With the release of Pit People through the early access schemes earlier this year, as well as regularly selling on both Steam [PC gaming platform] and the Xbox digital store, Paladin explains that selling physical copies is “a large expense that seems less necessary as each year passes… All the shelf space, the truck drivers, the disc burning, the box printing, and the three or four months of time you have to sell the game – [plus] the inability to update those discs out there; all that stuff Retail was flipped on its head.

People paid less for their copies and developers tend to see more money per sale, even at that lower price!”

Even with the massive success that was Castle Crashers, The Behemoth is always looking onward to the next new and exciting gaming creation.

“Each game we’ve made has helped heavily inform elements in the next game in some unique way,” Paladin states. “It ’s super exciting to work in a new space that we’ve never explored before. We try to make an effort any developer makes to help adding all the shapes, sounds, ideas, conventions and colors that weren’t there before. There’s a certain sense of duty we have to visit the unexplored.”

Pit People is now available through Xbox One Game Preview and Steam Early Access. A full release date has yet to be announced.

anniversary

our favourite albums turning

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs.

10 this year

18

FALL OUT BOY

PARAMORE

RADIOHEAD

By Daisy Hearn

By Charlie Scholey

By Callum McCormack

Infusing a carefully devised pop element to their already established guitar-heavy sound proved a success for Fall Out Boy. Where From Under The Cork Tree had showcased their relentless energy, Infinity On High brought the group into the limelight once again. From the catchy hook of ‘ This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race’, to the gritty, guitar-ladened sound of ‘Carpal Tunnel Of Love’, the record provided a soundtrack to many a teenage dream, with ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’ eagerly waiting for when you want to stick a finger to the world, boasting a strong sense of tongue-in-cheek that often goes amiss in records today.

Paramore’s definitive second album was one of the key pop punk releases of 2007, with its lead single ‘Misery Business’ still being a favourite track for fans to this day, alongside platinum-certified ‘crushcrushcrush’ and ‘ That’s What You Get’. Offering a distinctive sound and fronted by a strong, female role model, the band stood out in the scene and managed to land second on the UK Rock albums chart. Riot! set Paramore up for their future with 11 emotionally-packed tracks – traits which have only developed in their following records.

In the space of ten days back in 2007, Radiohead announced and released their 7th LP In Rainbows. A band at the peak of their powers allowed people to buy the digital copy of the album for whatever price they wanted – changing the way we saw and valued music forever.

It was an absolute crazy idea and one only Radiohead would have the balls to do. Looking away from the controversy of the release, In Rainbows was a masterpiece with songs such as ‘Reckoner ’, ‘Nude’ and ‘Weird Fishes’ all proving that intricacy and ethereality only add to the band’s genius.

INFINITY ON HIGH

RIOT

IN RAINBOWS

19

PIERCE THE VEIL

A FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC

By Kaitlyn Ulrich Pierce the Veil emerged on the scene with their self proclaimed ‘mexi-core’ sound blending eloquent Spanish riffs with unclean vocals. Their debut gave us a rawness of a band yet to be fully defined – a reminder of ambition and evolution that makes this record that much more special ten years later Though underappreciated and underplayed at gigs, A Flair For the Dramatic gave us gems like ‘Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides’ and ‘Yeah Boy and Doll Face’ that still give us shivers.

ALL TIME LOW SO WRONG IT’S RIGHT

By Charlie Scholey All Time Low’s second album proved that the band were worthy of becoming one of the most successful pop punk acts of today. The upbeat sound, memorable lyrics and distinctive vocals make their songs catchy and always creates a great atmosphere when played live. Though written early in their career, the record’s singles ‘Six Feet Under the Stars’ and ‘Poppin’ Champagne’ are some of their greatest triumphs to date, still popular yet nostalgic for their loyal fan base. Even now, the track ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’ is still aired frequently on music channels.

ARCTIC MONKEYS

FAVOURITE WORST NIGHTMARE

By Rupert Taylor A year after their groundbreaking, genre-defining, cliché-worthy debut, Arctic Monkeys had to heave a mountain from their path to maintain relevance. No other album could have followed up What I’m Not like Favourite Worst Nightmare. The riffs and solos are on a level of complexity way above anything before, and the lyricism devoutly sticks to Alex Turner ’s 2007 “Gain fame, keep face” persona. Nothing can overshadow the sentimental value of their debut, but the importance of their follow-up is regularly overlooked.

CHIODOS

BONE PALACE BALLET

By Kaitlyn Ulrich It was quite amazing when a post-hardcore band known for screams and formidable breakdowns topped the charts with their ‘neo-classical’, career-defining second release.

Though hardcore components would not seem to lend themself well to classical music, the record can only be described as hauntingly beautiful – orchestral elements combined with powerful screams that echo around the soundscape seamlessly. With tracks like ‘Is It Progression If a Cannibal Uses a Fork?’, Chiodos created a record that will be looked upon in admiration for years to come.

20

INTERVIEW

INTERESTING LINE OR QUOTE FROM THE BEHEMOTH INTERVIEW

21

don’t call me

nymphadora natalia tena tells us what it’s like juggling two high profile professions and gives us the low down on her band molotov jukebox, as well as harry potter and game of thrones.

By Harriet Stanley

I

t ’s hard work to be a touring musician – the long hours, exhausting nights with barely any sleep, and extensive travelling is enough to take a toll on anybody. Yet, imagine also being a full-time actress on top of that. Sounds impossible, right?

Nonetheless, Natalia Tena manages to perfect this balance effortlessly, and she’s certainly a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps you recognise her (you probably live under a rock if you don’t) for Tena was the enchanting, fiery Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter series along with portraying the hardened survivor Osha in the explosive franchise, Game of Thrones. With two large projects under her belt, it ’s hard to believe that in between all of this she’s managed to become the successful frontwoman of Molotov Jukebox, a genre-dodging six-piece who have taken the festival scene by storm with their energetic performances.

David Verdaguer.” Tena laughs at this, unable to hide her surprise. “[As We Like It] was the same crew again, plus he added one of my other really good friends in the world, Oona Chaplin. She played my lesbian lover in it. From that, we had like one day to do a music video and they said, “We’ve got all these cameras and we’ve downloaded the mp3 [so], right. Let ’s just do it.”

Excitement fills Tena’s voice as she discusses Molotov Jukebox’s latest venture. Gigs thus far have brought rowdy crowds, especially in their hometown of London. The tour itself is special to the band of course, but not just because it ’s a celebration of their latest single and music video for ‘Just the Thrill’ – also because it comes with its own dress code. “Last night there were actually two mermaids,” Tena comments with a chuckle. “ The thing is, it ’s a nautical theme so you could come as a lobster if you wanted…We saw a couple of pirates and mermaids so it was great.”

i nearly died! i had an hour in the water and it was fucking freezing!

The mermaid theme ties in with ‘Just the Thrill’s music video, where Tena is delicately swimming in a gorgeous mermaid costume. Whilst it ’s beautiful to watch, it was a lot harder to film than one might think. “At the time I was working on the last film I did called – working title – As We Like It, which is a movie set on the canals of London, with my favourite director, Carlo Marques-Marcet,” Tena explains. “I did a film with him three years ago called 10,000 Km and I immediately wanted to work with him again. We became really good friends in real life, as well as the other actors like

For the music video, Tena and Chaplin had to do a pickup scene in a swimming pool to augment the scenes of them falling into a canal, due to the health and safety elements that were involved. “[Since we were] both [working] in water - [we thought] mermaids!” Tena exclaims with a loud laugh. “We rustled up, somehow, last minute fucking mermaid outfits and we just had this idea - I think it worked?” It certainly did, with the final video containing glorious, ethereal scenes of nautical beauty, but it didn’t come

“

”

easy. “Oh yeah, I nearly died!” Tena chuckles, “I had an hour in the water and it was fucking freezing; I had blue lips when I came out. I had an emergency bit of dark chocolate and tea waiting for me as soon as I got out.” The tail itself wasn’t the easiest to navigate either. “I did feel like I was going to drown. I’m a good swimmer [and] I love swimming, but this was like… oh my God! I was trying to borrow a tail off a woman who said that she was a professional mermaid – that ’s a job and that ’s amazing – but her tail was too expensive.

It ’s like an actual proper tail and was like ten grand to borrow it, so I was like, ‘Noooo, sorry!’”

‘Just the Thrill’ features on Tropical Gypsy, Molotov Jukebox’s second studio album. The record was funded via a pledge campaign which smashed its target by

22

INTERESTING LINE OR QUOTE FROM THE BEHEMOTH INTERVIEW

reaching 127% of its original goal; the process is one that Tena’s fond of, having already used it once before. “I think that there’s a lot of amazing things that it does,” she explains. “When we did this pledge campaign, it was incredible because it felt like a symbiotic relationship between the fans and you. You’re doing something for them and they’re helping you do that, [giving] them a little bit to get involved with.” It ’s not to say the process doesn’t come with its negatives however, with Tena remarking on, “ The date. You have to release the record on that date – and that ’s great because it gives us a deadline – but it ’s also a bit problematic in case you feel like you’re rushing stuff at the end.

Next time, we would maybe try doing it off our own back.”

Although Tena mentions the fans helping them, they were also helping an incredible cause named Womankind Worldwide, a charity chosen by the band that received 5% of every pledge in order to continue their work. Its aims are to raise the status of women, and it ’s a subject that Tena feels incredibly strongly about – and rightly so. “Personally, I think it ’s unfair, and not only unfair but brutally disgusting, that just because you’re born with a vagina you can’t have the same equal rights as men,” she said with bitterness on her tongue. “And it ’s every right. From getting paid, to what you decide to put in and out of your vagina, some man’s telling you that it ’s morally wrong… and I think it ’s fucking awful.

With this charity, it tries to get involved with the community. They don’t go in guns blazing saying ‘you need to change your views’.

They try and slowly expose people to [topics like] female genital mutilation, and they do some other really amazing things. For me, I think it ’s great that we can help the music give it a voice.”

Feminism is certainly something Tena has never shied away from, often vocally speaking out for the cause which of course is close

to her heart, especially having experienced prejudice first-hand.

“Another thing that happens - I know from experience – is they ask your name and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re the singer.’ It ’s an assumption, always. They never ask me, ‘What do you play?’ [It ’s always] oh, she’s the pretty thing that sings. Sometimes it ’s an incredible thing - look at how many amazing singers there are, like fucking Beyoncè - but it ’s just labelling someone as, ‘Oh, you can be the pretty thing that is the frame around the men doing ‘proper work’, essentially.”

Juggling two professions can’t be easy, and Tena knows the difficulties of performing in two such hard-grafting jobs. “On the acting side, every time – other than this last [film] we did – it ’s in a team, it ’s in character. As a musician, you’re working with the same group of people and it ’s the same thing [each night] with our songs that we write and create. You know there are different venues but the timetable is the same, and so it ’s a different world.” But despite their differences, neither profession is one that Tena could give up easily. “I always try and do both. It ’s more [about seeing] what happens, and sometimes you do have to make sacrifices for one job or the other, but obviously I want to keep being able to do both.”

With regards to her acting profession, Tena has been lucky enough to have two extremely high-profile roles within two huge franchises on both TV and film. However, the filming process between a feature movie and a television show isn’t the part that differs between the two, she says. “I think it ’s more to do with time. When films [have a larger] budget, it feels like [filming] goes fast, and then some TV [feels like] it actually takes ages. [With] Game of Thrones, they had more time. It ’s completely dependent on each [show], but essentially it comes down to the group of

23

“

When I found out I had scenes with Ramsay Bolton, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m dying.’

”

people that you’re going to do it with.” Over the years, Tena has been lucky enough to work with some incredible names, and even she’s become star-struck on the odd occasion. “[A actress] I’ve been massively star-struck over is Helena Bonham-Carter, she’s amazing! [Another was] Robbie Coltrane with his success from Cracker. I used to watch it as a kid - you know the really gritty TV show he did? I watched that all day and I loved it.”

“

Another popular character that reached a grisly end was the everchanging Nymphadora Tonks from the Harry Potter series who was killed in the battle of Hogwarts along with her husband, Remus Lupin. The proud Hufflepuff was both loyal and brave, along with having wit and intelligence, yet the Hogwarts house isn’t always shown in the most positive light as it ’s often associated with the weakest wizards. “I think it ’s quite funny,” Tena laughs. “You’ve

I think it’s unfair, and not only unfair but brutally disgusting that just because you’re born with a vagina you can’t have the same equal rights as men In her time during Game of Thrones, Tena had no idea the huge success it would be. “You know it ’s going to be amazing, but I don’t think anyone realised how big it was going to be.”

Her character, Osha, was a recurring character throughout the first, second, third and sixth series of Game of Thrones where unfortunately, and ultimately with any GoT character, she came to her demise at the hands of bad guy Ramsay Bolton. “When I found out I had scenes with Ramsay Bolton, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m dying.’” Tena laughs, “It ’d be quite nice to kill the baddie, you know?” Yet Osha, the wildling spearwife, unfortunately didn’t have the pleasure as she was stabbed in the neck by Bolton. “I would have quite liked to have been slain by him, like very slowly,” Tena muses. “Like being suspended by rope and slowly getting lowered down onto some spikes.”

”

got Ravenclaw as clever, Gryffindor as brave, the evil kids in Slytherin, and then Hufflepuff is just miscellaneous. I think it ’s awesome,” she says, clearly proud of her character ’s house. “Not fitting into anything, why not? And we’ve got a badger!”

As an incredibly busy lady, there is just so much left to look forward to in the future for Natalia Tena. “It ’s mainly just the tour,” she says, “but like I said, there’s also As You Like It, which – at the moment – is being edited. Earlier this year I did another Spanish film called Amar by Esteban Crespo, and I’m really excited about how those two [will] do. After that, I’ll be going to LA in January to do a pilot season over there.” It ’s obvious that there is no chance of her stopping any time soon, and it ’s simply a case of watching this space to see where she’s going to end up next.

24

OPINION

By Hollie Ingram

F

or years, there has been a huge debate around which comic franchise is better when it comes to making superhero versus villain films. There is a large following for both sides and avid fans will fight over which is best to the death. It is clear however, that Marvel wipes the floor with DC. Marvel has released many wildly successful films in recent years. One of their most recent, Captain America: Civil War, generated over $1 billion at the global box office. Doctor Strange, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Deadpool, just to name a few, have also been massive hits with lifelong fans whilst enticing a new audience fanbase they haven’t been able to reach previously with simple comics. Marvel shows no signs of slowing down – they’re a machine that keeps pumping away and pushing out amazingly well-shot action films. 2017 is something to get excited for as we can expect to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2, as well as Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok.

“

marvel HAS INTRODUCED US TO EACH CHARACTER BEAUTIFULLY, AND CINEMATICALLY DEMONSTRATED THEIR BACKGROUND

”

It is argued by some fans that Marvel films are preferred over DC because the characters are more enjoyable.

Marvel has introduced us to each character beautifully, and cinematically demonstrated their background. The films tell us the whole backstory of each one even if we haven’t read the comics and have no prior knowledge of the character. It allows a wider audience to enjoy the film rather than just exclusively avid fans. Marvel also has huge character diversity. Different races are included in many of their films, along with mentions of religions, and an abundance of female characters, whereas DC seemed to be more concerned with male heroes than their counterparts. The Avengers are amazing, and their on-screen chemistry is mesmerising. The dynamic and diversity of each character works well with each of their own storylines individually, but also that of the group’s.

They intertwine with one another rather than being completely separated, knocking the Justice League out of the water.

“

marvel has managed to balance their films to please all members of the audience

”

Marvel is mainly focused on good triumphing over evil. They always make the hero ten times bigger than the villain, more likable, and usually give them more screen time, a fact even seen present within the film trailers. DC is very well known for their villains, maybe even more so than some of their heroes. Marvel has managed to balance their films to please all members of the audience with a mixture of plot and humour. Never a dull moment, their films are either crammed full of action-packed scenes or you’re laughing until you snort.

TWO COMIC BOOK

25

By Alex Lewis

A

dmittedly, DC is trailing on the quality of their superhero movies when compared to Marvel.

Man of Steel was an enjoyable entry into the DC Expanded Universe but Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was met with negative reviews, as was the latest instalment of Suicide Squad. However, with Wonder Woman on the horizon, DC should be able to win back audience members and critics alike if it ends up being as good as it looks. The franchise should not be forgotten or written off just because their early efforts have not been standout. If you were to compare Marvel’s early films to now, you’d see just how far they’ve come.

Let ’s give DC a chance here.

DC has been attracting some serious talent as of late.

Look at Ben Affleck, who came off directing the Oscarwinning Argo into playing Batman. Say what you will about Batman V Superman, but Affleck’s portrayal was not one of its faults. Affleck is now immersed in this role, both in front and behind the camera, as an executive producer on the upcoming Justice League movie and directing The Batman, rumoured for a late 2018 release. As much as Marvel cast members may love working on the productions, they’re not operating behind the scenes in such a meaningful manner.

Acclaimed comic scribe Geoff Johns is also working on upcoming releases, meaning there should be more lightheartedness and a more positive vibe to the franchise’s tone – something that has been lacking from DC ’s films.

DC is not afraid to take risks. Suicide Squad may not have paid off (at least critically - it did so in box office returns) but asking audiences to invest in a team of super-villains is a bold move. DC is trumping Marvel with their first female lead in Wonder Woman, which is being helmed by female director Patty Jenkins. Captain Marvel, Marvel’s female lead, isn’t being released until early 2019 and is trailing behind on this front. It ’s 2017 and Marvel, after eight years and fourteen films, is still yet to release a movie without a white male lead. At least the future is promising with Carol Danvers’ (Captain Marvel) debut and Black Panther on the horizon.

“

dc is not afraid to take risks either

”

Where DC has Marvel beat is on the TV front. Marvel’s efforts are by no means weak – although Luke Cage had its downfalls, Jessica Jones and Daredevil are critical darlings. It ’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. where Marvel falls short, only watched by a few die-hard fans, and Agent Carter barely got a second season. While many of DC ’s TV shows are not connected to their films, Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow are all fantastic DC based shows that are fun and entertaining.

Recently they had a crossover involving all four shows, an ambitious feat for the network and some of the most delightful television of the year. Above all else, DC should be most praised for their hit series Gotham. Now in its third season, the show is a prequel to the Batman franchise, following a young James Gordon in his early days on the Gotham City police force. Compare this to Marvel’s TV offerings and DC is in first place.

uNIVERSES COLLIDE

DC has a lot of work to do to prove that they are a formidable foe to Marvel’s efforts, but 2017 looks as though they will begin to catch up. Justice League is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, seeing Batman, The Flash, Aquaman and Wonder Woman all sharing the big screen for the first time. There might be a rivalry between Marvel and DC, but the winner of the battle all comes down to the audience. But if every superhero film is a knockout, then we are the true winners.

26

10 top 10

SONGS MADE FAMOUS

BY FILMS

By Hollie Ingram Film soundtracks are incredibly vital.

They tell the audience what they should be feeling or responding to, and when a movie is hugely successful, it reaches the masses and introduces us into tracks we become addicted to. Here’s a list of some of the most successful songs made famous by films:

1

‘STAYIN’ ALIVE’ THE BEE GEES During 1977, Saturday Night Fever made the track ‘Stayin’ Alive’ what it is today. Whenever this song comes on there is no doubt we are singing along, the words basically ingrained in our heads from now until the end of time.

2

‘Maniac’ Michael Sembello In 1983, iconic movie Flashdance hit our screens. It helped ‘Maniac’ on its way to the top, with the upbeat dance scene adding a permanent visual to this song.

5

‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes Dirty Dancing (1987), one of the most recognisable films in all of history, is known for this song. When it comes on we can’t help but think of it marking the closing scene of this cinematic masterpiece. The Dirty Dancing soundtrack is compiled full of hits brought to our attention.

6

‘YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME’ RANDY NEWMAN Animated films can encourage a fan base for a particular band or an individual song and 1995’s Toy Story featured a track titled ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’. When hearing this classic we instantly envision Andy ’s cowboy toy friend, Woody, and the childhood memories that continue to live on through this song.

7

‘MY HEART WILL GO ON’ CELINE DION Titanic, released in 1997, was one of the most romantic films to date.

How could we forget Jack and Rose standing on the edge of the ship, intertwining with one another and falling helplessly in love? ‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Celine Dion sums up the entire movie in one tune.

8

‘I DON’T WANT TO MISS ATHING’ AEROSMITH Action packed with a hint of romance, Armageddon (1998) is loved to this day. You can’t help but get choked up when Bruce Willis and Liv Tyler ’s characters, father and daughter, saying goodbye before they’re parted forever. The feel good ballad ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing ’ matches perfectly with the sad storyline of the film.

3

9

4

10

‘Holding Out For a Hero’ Bonnie Tyler Footloose, released in 1984, made ‘Holding out for a Hero’ a very popular track in its time. The song has since been hyped up in more recent days by its feature in Shrek 2, allowing the younger generation to appreciate this classic song as well.

‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ Simple Minds The Breakfast Club (1985) soundtrack is iconic, making ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ blow up, the masses not being able to get enough of this track. Once again letting the younger generation get a listen, this song is featured in the more recent acaamazing film Pitch Perfect as well as in a spoof episode of Nickelodeon teen show, Victorious.

‘ALL STAR’ SMASH MOUTH ‘All Star ’ has been hugely successful track due to the animated film, Shrek (2001), and is another song that instantly transports us back to our childhood. Recently, this track was also an Internet sensation when Youtuber Jon Sudano sang the lyrics over other songs such as Adele’s ‘Hello’.

‘Lose Yourself’ Eminem 8 Mile (2002), a music-based actionpacked movie, helped promote and make rapper Eminem even more successful than he already was.

His track, ‘Lose Yourself ’ aided his climb to the top as one of the most successful musicians in history.

Eminem himself played a role within the movie, a white rapper who eventually makes it big.

previews

27

EDITORS’ PICKS

this year’S MOST ANTICIPATED: here is what we at press play think you should be checking out in 2017...

GORILLAZ TBC

By Adrianne Goron It ’s been a long seven years waiting for new music from Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett ’s animated group Gorillaz, who have been painfully quiet since the release of their third and forth albums in 2010, Plastic Beach and The Fall, respectively.

They’ve been hinting at the new record for a little while now, and following an eclectic mix ‘Noodle’ uploaded to their Soundcloud, we can see exactly where their main influences are coming from – which includes Kali Uchis and Grimes. “In search of new sounds and inspiration, I found these kick-ass women who in their own individual ways are true pioneers in the writing, production and creation of MUSIC. They have inspired me, and I hope they inspire you too,” the description read. Lets hope that the new album is, as Hewlett has promised, “really fucking special”.

LISTEN TO ‘NOODLE!’ ON SOUNDCLOUD

HARRY STYLES TBC

By Martha Gregory

T

here’s been no confirmed source stating that One Direction’s Harry Styles is releasing an album this year, however, speculation has been rife as the singer has been in and out of the studio over the past few months. Having reportedly been working with the likes of Dua Lipa and penning ‘Someday’ with Meghan Trainor for Michael Bublé’s latest record, it seems Styles still hasn’t hung up his musical boots for acting. We’ll most likely have to wait for the second half of the year to hear anything from Styles though, as he’s helping promote his first acting performance in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk due out in July. But whatever Styles releases, it ’s sure to be big judging from his song writing skills in One Direction.

Narrated by Delia Derbyshire and Evelyn Glennie Mystere De Voix Bulgares (Bulgarian Women’s Choir) – Kaval Sviri annameredith – Nautilus thislully – Slow D’s actuallygrimes – Realiti kaliuchis – Ridin Around fatima-al-qadiri – Szechuan empressof – Woman is a Word hiatus-kaiyote – Molasses laurieandersonofficial – O Superman darkwaveduchess – Vegas Mica Levi & Oliver Coates – Barok Main Delia Derbyshire – Doctor Who

DRAKE MORE LIFE TBC

By Chloe Eaton Canadian rapper Drake has been extremely busy these past years, with very little gap in between his releases.

His last album Views was released in April last year and his upcoming album More Life is set for release early this year. The album which is due for release from the label Young Money Entertainment, also features artwork which includes a picture of his father, Dennis Graham. Not only that, but he has also revealed three tracks from his upcoming release. ‘Fake Love’ picks up right where ‘One Dance’ left off with a very similar sounding sample in the background. Whereas, ‘ Two Birds, One Stone’ nods at friend Lil Wayne and ‘Sneakin’’ features a collaboration with 21 Savage.

28

POWER RANGERS 24TH MARCH

By Chloe Eaton It’s one of those films that you know is probably going to be terrible, but you want to watch it anyway. The movie is based on a book, that is based on Twilight fan fiction, so what do you expect? Rigid character, Christian Grey portrayed by Jamie Dornan is back again to woo love interest Anastasia Steele, played by Dakota Johnson. However, while the main theme of sexualitiy is still evident from the trailers that have been released, it seems the plot of this film may take a more sinister turn. The trailer shows a girl stalking Steele and Grey throughout the film and at the end of the trailer shows the girl with a gun pointed at Steele and Grey. At least when you go to the cinema to watch the follow-up to it’s prequel, Fifty Shades of Grey, you have the excuse that there is somewhat more of a storyline to this one.

DESPICABLE ME 3 30TH JUNE

By Kaitlyn Ulrich It’s not everyday that a successful film, never less an animated film, can keep audience interest through to a sequel, and even less likely to a third. This summer, Despicable Me 3 is breaking the mould with its third instalment following devious, but heart warming, villain Felonius Gru (Steve Carell) and his family of quirky characters.

Newly married Gru brings along wife Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to take on yet another antihero nemesis, 80s cool cat Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), who’s bubble-gum and Rubik’s Cube weapons won’t make him an easy target to defeat.

The loveable characters and creative Bond-like gadgets make each new film exciting and adorable. And of course, there are some minions.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII THE LAST JEDI 15TH DECEMBER

By Martha Gregory

T

he last instalment of the legendary Star Wars saga (Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens) left us on a cliffhanger (pun intended) with the long-awaited return of one of the series’ most beloved Jedis having been located by newly appointed Resistance member, Rey. With Rey’s backstory shrouded in mystery, yet having discovered she’s unnaturally gifted with the Force, leads to many interesting possibilities with the character ’s role as she begins to hone her skills.

However, adjacent to this we know that lead antagonist, Kylo Ren, is also undertaking his final training in the dark side of the Force having killed a vital member of The Resistance. The wake of this could lead to a number of possibilities for both The Resistance and The First Order, but may be the end of either force ever finding peace.

THE MUMMY 9TH JUNE

By Adrianne Goron The latest reboot of The Mummy, directed by Alex Kurtzam, comes a staggering 85 years after the original, and 16 years after 2001’s The Mummy Returns. The film stars Tom Cruise alongside Russell Crowe as Dr Henry Jekyll, with the former finally getting in on the franchise after being the first choice ahead of Brendan Fraser to play the lead of Richard ‘Rick’ O’Connell in the 1999 version. The story sees ancient princess Ahmanet, played by Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond star Sofia Boutella, awakened in the present day, unleashing a supernatural wave of horrors in her vengeance. If you’re not already convinced, the nonstop action trailer will leave you eagerly wanting answers to the questions it raises, such as what the hell Cruise is doing waking up in a morgue?

29

SOUTH PARK: THE FRACTURED BUT WHOLE TBC, PS4, XBOX ONE, PC

By Chloe Eaton With Season 20 of South Park, recently being aired in the UK on Comedy Central, it seems like the perfect time for the next game to be released.

However, the programme seemed to focus more on the current affairs in America, such as the general election, whereas the game has turned it’s focus to the latest craze of superheroes. Following on from the previous release, South Park: The Stick of Truth, this role-playing video game sees a falling out of friends, after Cartman’s planned film franchise separates the friends into two groups, causing a civil war between them. Sound familiar? The game which is set in fictional town of South Park will be released early 2017.

KNIGHTS AND BIKES APRIL 2017 STEAM, PC, PS4

CRASH BANDICOOT: N. SANE TRILOGY 30TH JUNE, PS4

By Kaitlyn Ulrich

By Adrianne Goron

We’re not sure what’s with the recent enthrallment with kids on bikes – first Stranger Things, now video games – but we’re loving it! Inspired by The Goonies and Earthbound, Knights and Bikes follows heroes Nessa and Demelza as they bike through a hand drawn 3D world of a 1980s island setting on their quest to find the truth behind medieval legends. Not only does it look endearing, the animated gameplay is sure to be imaginative and engaging.

Created by Foam Sword aka game developers Rex Crowle and Moo Yu (Tearaway, LittleBigPlanet, Ratchet & Clank), we can’t wait to team up with a pet goose and fling Frisbees at demons in this quirky and fully crowd-funded co-op adventure!

T

he latest in a long line of classic games being re-mastered, Activision and Vicarious Visions are finally releasing Crash Bandicoot: The N. Sane Trilogy on PS4. The game combines the original Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Developers have worked hard to unify the three games, using some of the original geometry, as well as creating all new aspects and assets. The game’s director Dan Tanguay told Polygon that the N. Sane Trilogy is for “old and new fans alike”. Not only does the teased gameplay look incredible, but with the familiar cast of characters including Crash, Cortex, Aku Aku and more, it’s sure to be extremely nostalgic.

30

INTERVIEW

OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME TALK ABOUT THEIR DEBUT ALBUM HARTSICK

Southampton-based metalcore outfit Our Hollow, Our Home are making their entrance onto the scene with their highly-anticipated debut Hartsick.

Aggressive vocalist Connor Hallisey discusses the creative process of making a record and what we can expect in the coming months.

By Kaitlyn Ulrich

C

ongratulations on the impending release of your debut album Hartsick. How did you find the process of writing and recording a full length compared to your previous EP work on //Redefine?

Thank you so much! The //Redefine EP, was essentially the first five tracks (excluding ‘Rest Assured’ & ‘Aversion’) we wrote together when we started the band. We are still immensely proud of the tracks on the EP, and we wouldn’t be where we are without them. I guess the easiest way to explain it is to treat the EP as a stepping-stone towards the album. Hartsick draws on every element from the EP, but turned up to 11! We’ve tried to make the heaviest parts heavier, the sing along sections more anthem-like and all whilst adding new elements into the mix. The process itself took just over a year and during that time we wrote songs, rewrote songs, took parts out of old material, and even finished songs only to deem them not good enough. We really wanted to make sure our debut full-length release was (in

31

“ Hartsick draws on every element from the EP, but turned up to 11! ”

our opinion) – “all killer, no filler ” – and we feel we have achieved that. We just can’t wait for you all to hear it!

Is there a cohesive idea that flows throughout the record or is each song its own entity? The tracklist hints some interconnection with titles like ‘ The Sea Will Sleep...’, ‘ The Wild Will Wait...’, and ‘ The Forest Will Fall...’.

Lyrically, Hartsick covers a wide array of topics from self-reflection to politics and religion. Each track is an individual piece in its own right, however, the track titles have a running theme across the record and there are only a few points of complete silence throughout. The titles are all linked through the common theme of nature/animals. We are all massive animal lovers at OHOH, and with the concept of using skulls and taxidermylike imagery for the artwork, we felt this tied in perfectly to set the album apart from other releases and brands it a separate entity in our catalogue entirely.

‘Worms Wood’, ‘ Throne to the Wolves’ and ‘Feast for the Crows’

have already been released to the public. How are you finding the response to the tracks, as well as your rising popularity and recognition in the scene?

Honestly we find it extremely humbling to receive the constant support and praise that we do from our amazing fans and peers. If anything, it makes us want to hone our craft even further and push this band as far as we can take it. We are always striving to be better, and to have such tremendous backing behind us already, things will only be moving forward from here!

What was the biggest obstacle you faced when completing the record?

Making sure we had everything together in time for tracking aha! We were lucky enough to have the incredibly talented Daniel Kerr of Avenue Studios at the helm of the recording /mixing /mastering process who made the whole thing as fun and straight forward as possible.

However, I think I overestimated how well I knew my lyrics for several tracks before getting in the studio; luckily I

managed to pull it out of the bag thanks to the help of the other guys. You live and you learn!

What can we expect next from Our Hollow, Our Home? Can we look forward to tour dates for the record?

You most certainly can! We weren’t able to tour as much as we would’ve liked to last year as we pretty much put all of our money, time and effort into writing and recording the album. We have been an independent band from the start (aside from our amazing manager Mike Goncalves, and the equally rad Matt Benton from Hold Tight PR) and this can take its toll when trying to deliver our music to our fans the way they deserve, in the highest quality possible. We will be heading out on a UK headline tour in support of Hartsick this Spring, and also be hitting up mainland Europe before the festival season!

Hartsick will be released March 3rd.

32

reviewS

reviewS

S

econd albums are often the make or break of an artist, but Chicago fourpiece NE-HI’s second offering, Offers, is a force to be reckoned with.

With its plucky, upbeat postpunk surfer style, first track ‘Palm of Hand’ provides the perfect opener for the record, drawing immediate attention with its flamboyant and detailed guitar riffs. This is a theme that ’s carried throughout the majority of the album, with stand out tracks ‘Sisters’ and leading release, ‘Stay Young ’, also featuring these guitar-lead characteristics provided by the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist respectively, Jason Balla and Mikey Wells. ‘Every Dent ’ allows drummer Alex Otake to demonstrate his skills with his intricate drumming that dances with the guitars, creating a fun and effortless feel to the rhythmic song.

“pixies-style melodies and dreamy beach boys-esque guitar”

FUFANU SPORTS

Disappointingly though, title track ‘Offers’ provides a dreary existence compared to the rest of the album, with its bleak and dragging “la”s towards the end of the track causing the prior uplifting feeling of the album to come crashing down.

Despite this, the track provides a slick, grooving bass line that finally gives bassist James Weir a share of the limelight, as his playing is somewhat inaudible on the rest of the album.

‘Don’t Wanna Know You’ provides a better attempt at a slower track with its Pixiesstyle melodies and dreamy Beach Boys-esque guitar, a common feature throughout the record.

By Kate Martin Icelandic trio Fufanu’s second album, Sports, sees the band return with their electronica laced post-punk techno sound. Produced in Iceland by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they released singles ‘Bad Rockets’ and title track ‘Sports’ in autumn 2016. Both tracks are laden with pulsating bass lines, brooding undertones and slowly building grooves.

Frontman Ian Curtis pushes each track on Sports forward with his omnipresent vocals laced with an undertone of melancholy, reminiscent of Peter Murphy (lead singer of Bauhaus). Whereas ‘Syncing In’, ‘ Tokyo’ and ‘White Pebbles’ make for easy listening with intricate guitar, keyboard and drum arrangements, ‘Gone For More’ and ‘Your Fool’ appear driven by more urgent rhythm and dance elements making them stand out with vibrant dynamics.

There’s rawness about this release which makes for interesting listening, but also allows for some of the lyrics to fall a little flat leaving melodies to seem chaotic in places such as in ‘Restart ’ and ‘Just Me’. Overall the album is a solid step forward from Fufanu’s debut release Few More Days To Go (2015) and builds intrigue for future releases.

By Martha Gregory

“the chicago music scene is as thriving as it’s ever been” NE-HI OFFERS

The chemistry between the bandmates is palpable throughout the eleven tracks on the record, with NE-HI honing a much sought-after craft and proving that the Chicago music scene is as thriving as it ’s ever been.

33

album, Flying Microtonal Banana. As this wasn’t enough for the psych rockers, they’ve announced a further four albums to be released this year as well.

KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD FLYING MICROTONAL BANANA

By Callum McCormack Prolific isn’t often a word that ’s used in the music industry; artists can frustratingly take years to release new music. However, prolific psych heaven is the perfect way to describe King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, a band with the greatest name in musical history. Having formed in 2010, the band have since released nine LPs, yep nine. And an EP. An astounding amount that even bands into their 20th year haven’t achieved.

King Gizzard have produced an array of spectacular sounds ranging from their unique blend of psychedelic sixties-inspired garage rock, to taking influence from folk, jazz and heavy metal. 2016’s Nonagon Infinity typified the band’s mantra, dripping in infectious psychedelia and producing the band’s most all-round sound.

The Aussie seven-piece return this year with the release of their ninth studio

Flying Microtonal Banana’s opener ‘Rattlesnake’ is an engrossing track that will have frontman Stu Mackenzie’s vocals whirling round your brain for days to come. The album’s penultimate track, ‘Nuclear Fusion’, produces a mindbending intro while flowing elegantly into a seductive bass line, giving the sound a Beatles’ Revolver feel, and ‘Anoxia’ has a seductive riff that is almost reminiscent of early Black Keys, ebbing and flowing beautifully.

The record moves away from the brain frazzling neverending beat cycle that its predecessor blessed our ears with, taking a more standard psychedelic vibe approach.

‘Melting ’ is a perfect example of this, with Pink Floyd-like vocals and an absorbing sound. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are a band constantly on the move, experimenting with new sounds and new instruments but always managing to produce the hypnotic sound that they are known and loved for.

Flying Microtonal Banana shows King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard yet again moving forward. The Aussies haven’t relied on the formula that gave Nonagon Infinity it ’s success, they’ve done what they do best; producing seductive psychedelic rock and mixing it with a vast array of different genres.

If King Gizzard’s ninth LP is anything to go by, 2017 is in for a treat.

By Hollie Ingram Previously the drummer for wildly popular indie band Bloc Party, Matt Tong has now taken his talents elsewhere and thrust his passion in a new and exciting direction.

Teaming up with The Mars Volta producer Alex Newport, Tong has formed a new sound and found his calling with their band, Red Love.

RED LOVE RED LOVE

“previously the drummer for wildly popular indie band bloc party, matt tong has now taken his talents elsewhere and thrusted his passion in a new and exciting direction”

Their debut ten-track album is full of gems. First track, ‘Gone Tomorrow’, sets the indie-rock tone that is present throughout the whole of the record. With prominent guitar riffs and echoed vocals, the song mirrors elements of Oasis. Third track, ‘Does It Make You’, really stands out, as the vocals are a lot more prominent than in other tracks. Although there is an undertone of dystopia to it, on the whole it ’s a funky song.

The beat is different, but they’ve managed to make it a part of their vibe with ease.

‘Sure As Day’ is something you can really groove and move to thanks to Tong ’s drumming – a common trait he’s perfected over the years – and ‘Float ’ and ‘Fully Reassured’ are bound to spread like wildfire.

The entire record has the feel of a masterpiece that ’s fitting for any situation. Want to unwind? Stick this on.

34

reviews

LA LA LAND

By Vicky Swain Tipped for awards season success following an impressive and record breaking seven wins at the Golden Globes, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land is certainly taking Hollywood by storm. But does the film really live up to these extremely high expectations?

In one word, yes. La La Land is a rare modern masterpiece.

Seamlessly fusing romance with musical numbers in a way that evokes the charming nostalgia of 1950s Hollywood films, it is clearly an ode to classical story telling. Chazelle brings the intensity of Whiplash (2014) to this tale of an aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone), and jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), as they face a choice between love and ambition. There is undeniable chemistry between Gosling and Stone, having previously made convincing couples in Crazy, Stupid, Love and

Gangster Squad, their collaboration here equally as effortless and real.

Featuring an original soundtrack composed by Justin Hurwitz and a new feel-good song from John Legend called ‘Start a Fire’, the music of La La Land certainly is something to sing and dance about. The tracks are a joyous journey through different musical styles from the vibrant opening number ‘Another Day in the Sun’, various moody reprises of the heartfelt jazz piece ‘City of Stars’, to Emma Stone’s powerful solo ballad ‘Audition (The Fools Who Dream)’. Both Gosling and Stone have a real fragility within their vocals, and this rawness makes the songs all the more beautiful and believable. Combine music with euphoric dance sequences, splashes of vivid costumes, and neon lights and what you will get is the irresistible La La Land. A film which demonstrates music’s power to make you laugh, cry and feel.

Essentially, La La Land is not only an homage to classical filmmaking, but a defining film in its own right and a compelling reminder as to why the arts are so important.

FINAL FANTASY XV

By Emily Gunn After a staggering ten years in production, Final Fantasy XV has finally been released. Originally called Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game changed just about everything from the development team, design and platform. The previous two numbered Final Fantasy games had a lot of trouble; XIII was heavily criticised for its “boring, bland and linear ” storytelling, while the MMORPG XIV had to be completely remade. Final Fantasy XV was Square Enix’s chance to breathe life back into the series and they do so with a dazzling spectacle reminiscent of Final Fantasy’s golden age – but that ’s not to say that it doesn’t have its imperfections.

Final Fantasy XV focuses on Noctis, a prince of the kingdom of Lucis, as he starts the classic ‘reclaim your homeland’ adventure.

Joining him are his three companions: Gladiolus,

Ignis and Prompto. If you haven’t seen the Kingsglaive film or the anime series, Brotherhood, then you’re missing out on a lot of pre-game context and lore.

Playing this as a brand new participant means you will have to play a bit of catch up to know each character, but it ’s not too hard to figure out their formulaic personality traits. Gladiolus, surprise, surprise is the muscle; Ignis, the brains and father figure, leaving Prompto as the comedy relief and the little brother of the group. The other characters you meet are fleeting and underdeveloped, often only appearing for a couple of quests in order to provide diversity to the party. It ’s disappointing and restricting to only get to know the main four, but it is the relationship between the four that grounds the story when it becomes lacking.

The open world is where this game excels. The design is second to none with some truly breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. It ’s in the open world where you fully see the close relationship between the group. The little things such as Ignis’s reluctance to let Noctis drive at night, or helping someone up in a fight, really help reinforce the idea of comradeship.

As the game develops the characters talk to each other

35 What makes this film different from the usual kidnap fare is that Kevin suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Kevin has 23 distinct personalities that constantly battle to control his body, each reacting in a different way to the circumstance that one of his personalities is a kidnapper. This is all that can be given away about the plot because, as always with M. Night Shyamalan films, the less you know, the better the experience.

based on the quest or location or even sing, which is a welcome relief from the stale, repetitive dialogue you get from other RPGs (role-playing games). That ’s not to say it doesn’t fall into the same boring side-quest pattern as other RPGs. For the most part, side quests are normally grab, kill, return, and repeat.

The levelling system mimics Dark Souls, an action roleplaying video game developed

by FromSoftware, the experience you gain stacking until you rest at a town or campsite. Here Ignis’s can cook a stat boosting meal while you can review photos that Prompto has taken throughout your day and save them into your own photo album.

These human qualities really make the game feel genuine.

You start to care about the characters as if you were there with them. At times they can get annoying – Ignis will stop halfway through a battle to tell you he’s “come up with a new recipe” – but at other times your heart will warm at a picture of Prompto taking a selfie with a Chocobo (a bird-like creature used as transport).

The combat system in FFXV has separated the fans of the series. Final Fantasy was built upon turn-based combat, however FFXV attempts to combine that with the fast real-time combat of recent RPGs. The result is a chaotic system where you can either go in blazing or use the ‘wait mode’ combat style, which allows you analyse the enemy and use a tactical approach.

Even if you go with the latter, the result is still a mass of bodies, most of the time resulting in you warping to a ledge to try and make sense of it all. It ’s clunky and hectic, but it can be a lot of fun once you get to grips with it.

Although the story dwindles in comparison to other recent RPGs, it ’s the little things that make Final Fantasy XV a great game. The combat can make you want to scream into the void and side quests can drag for ages, but Noctis and his friends are so damn lovable you just can’t hate them.

When the title comes up and the credits scroll you realise that despite the flaws, it was 100% worth it.

James McAvoy’s performance is outstanding and his ability to transform between different characters in seconds is one to be desired. It is not just McAvoy with a different voice, but the body language and movement of each character is unique. His performance as the nine-year-old Hedwig is an absolute joy to watch, the portrayal of a child on the edge of puberty believable, even though he is clearly an adult. It isn’t a long shot to say that without McAvoy’s performance, this would be a mediocre film. Just like every Shyamalan film, it still has the same flaws of poor writing and pacing issues. However, this movie is finally a step in the right direction for the director.

SPLIT

By Jason Blight

M

. Night Shyamalan’s directing career is, to say the least, a little bit of a disappointment. After the hugely successful The Sixth Sense (1999), Shyamalan has released some box office bombs that are unforgivable; until now. Split revolves around Kevin, played fantastically by James McAvoy, who kidnaps three girls and locks them in his basement.

Praise must be given to Anya Taylor-Joy who plays outsider Casey, one of the girls abducted by Kevin. As the film goes on we find out why she is introverted, the plot centering on the conflict between prisoner and warden, exploring the similarities and differences between the characters. The development of both characters is well done and this leads to a fitting climax. The horror is created by the presence of the Dennis personality who, menacingly with a calm voice, commands the girls and commands the film. The parallels with Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) are explicit, as Kevin is an unpredicatable character, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Split is a fun experience that centres on a thrilling McAvoy performance, but it ’s plagued by simplistic characters (aside from the main two) and some poor writing. However, it ’s a good thriller that must be a sigh of relief for Shyamalan’s future career, even his harshest critics deserving to give this film a thumbs up.

36

reviews

SHERLOCK SERIES FOUR

By Martha Gregory Filled with enough twists, turns and explosions to give you whiplash, season four of BBC ’s Sherlock saw its characters reach some of the highest highs (literally) and lowest lows of the shows history.

“family plays a central theme across the season with the addition of both new and long-lost family members” As ever, Sherlock was once again predictable in his unpredictability when a major, heart-breaking loss occurs in just the first episode, changing the dynamics of the problemsolving trio of Sherlock Holmes, John Watson and Mary Watson forever. Following this, fractures appear deeply within relationships that look as if they may never be repaired, and as mental states and drug usage threaten to destroy the beloved crime-fighters, it takes a neardeath experience with a mass murderer and the helping shove of a bad-ass Mrs Hudson for the hatchet to be buried.

“the last time we saw sherlock holmes, he was on an plane being extradited by his brother, mycroft” Family plays a central theme across the season with the addition of both new and longlost family members in both the Watson and Holmes parties.

But whereas one is a joyous addition, the other brings death and destruction, giving Holmes and Watson unthinkable choices with even harder consequences, resulting

in unexplained childhood mysteries - “Sherlock’s first case” - being resolved with horrifying acknowledgement.

But amongst all of this, there appears to be little foretold of the mystery of season three’s astonishing cliffhanger. The last time we saw Sherlock Holmes, he was on a plane being extradited by his brother, Mycroft. However, nearly as soon as the plane took off it was turned around as the image of Sherlock’s arch-nemesis, Jim Moriarty, appeared across screens throughout the UK with the shiver-inducing words “did you miss me?”

With Moriarty having died in season two’s finale with Sherlock as a witness, the curious return created a perfect scenario to draw viewers back.

However, there isn’t much acknowledgement of this plot until season four ’s finale, ‘ The Final Problem’, and even then the placement of the antagonist seems a little, well, forced and far-fetched. Then again, with far bigger characters posing more of an intrinsic threat, Moriarty’s presence isn’t overly needed.

That ’s something the show’s writers Steven Moffatt, Mark Gatiss and Stephen Thompson are masters in – creating outlandish and intricate storylines that can shift at a moment ’s notice.

With the entirety of the series being centred around matters of the heart, we see just how far our leading protagonist has progressed. For a change, he takes into consideration the emotions of those around him, even being empathetic towards them. This culminates in ‘ The Final Problem’ when we see a particularly poignant moment between Sherlock and long-time friend and love interest, Molly Hooper, as he, unbeknownst to her, desperately attempts to save her life in the saw-like riddle game he’s being forced to play to keep the people he loves alive. The progression of Sherlock’s character proves to be one of the finest points of the series, with character D.I. Greg Lestrade labelling the “high-functioning sociopath” as “not a great man, but a good one.”

37 Photo by Joe Lederer

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS [NETFLIX ]

By Martha Gregory

T

his is not better than nothing,” exclaims Klaus Baudelaire, the middle child of A Series Of Unfortunate Events’ lead trio, after falling under the abuse of their evil adoptive parent, Count Olaf.

And that exclamation sums up the first episode of Netflix’s new original series.

Based on Daniel Handler ’s Lemony Snicket ’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events book series, the first episode of the Netflix show is titled ‘ The Bad Beginning: Part 1’ after the first book.

Staying true to the text, the episode gives us the necessary details of how the Baudelaire children are placed in dire circumstances under the care of “either their third cousin four times removed, or their fourth cousin three times removed.” Although Neil Patrick Harris gives the grotesque Count Olaf his own dastardly spin, there is a certain sense that something is lacking.

The cinematography is reminiscent of the cancelled ITV show Pushing Daisies, a program that was visually vibrant in order to contrast the extremities of the dull and bland colours when times were bad. A Series of Unfortunate Events follows this with its overly bright scenery around the town the Baudelaire’s call home, with Count Olaf ’s distressed mansion being emphasised in its lacklustre appearance. However, the acting

performance from the vast majority of the cast seems over the top and forced, leading to an almost irritating edge to many of the characters. Then again, this may well be the aim to contrast against our three young intelligent protagonists.

We see much more of narrator Lemony Snicket (played by Patrick Warburton) throughout the series than in the 2004 film rendition of the books which was widely panned.

Although Warburton’s character has more screen time, as he features in many of the Baudelaire’s scenes, he isn’t necessarily needed, with his positioning more often than not irritating as he rambles his narrations.

Nevertheless, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire form a perfect casting in the form of Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes and Presley Smith whose onscreen sibling chemistry is spot on.

Unfortunately, this can’t make up for the rest of the shows mediocrity with the overall viewing experience tainted by the forced and, at times, poor acting from the senior cast members.

“although neil patrick harris gives the grotesque count olaf his own dastardly spin, there is a certain sense that something is lacking” Netflix’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events is a hit-or- miss attempt at the recreation of a beloved book series.

However, like many who have tried before at such a feat, it is unfortunate that the television series was ever made.

38

INTERVIEW

INTERESTING LINE OR QUOTE FROM THE BEHEMOTH INTERVIEW

Q&A WITH: CAMEL 101’s

RICARDO CESTEIRO What is your preferred platform to create games for?

By Gabbi Kimber

R

icardo Cesteiro, co-owner and producer at Camel 101, chatted about recent release Syndrome, a first person horror game that is set in space.

Though originally created for PC gaming, Syndrome is also available for gamers on PS4 and Xbox One. Where did the concept of Syndrome come from?

We jumped to the drawing board and started discussing ideas of what we’d like to do – something in space, where the player is confined in a ship with an unknown and deadly entity.

That’s how Syndrome was born.

“it becomes so much better when we’re creating games that we enjoy as players” What encouraged you to go from casual games to something like Syndrome?

Well, developing casual games wasn’t particularly exciting for us.

We’re developers, but we’re also gamers, and our favorite themes and genres don’t fit very well in the casual market. So while work is work, it becomes so much better when we’re creating games that we enjoy as players.

What projects do you have planned after Syndrome is released on PS4 and Xbox One? I can’t disclose specific details right now, but I can say that we’re working on different prototypes exploring several possibilities. We do want to focus primarily on titles that work both on PC and consoles.

Syndrome is very much a horror type of game – Do you think you’d create another horror, or are you going to explore different game genres?

We want to go further in the horror genre, but we also want to explore other ideas. Maybe even mix genres.

We have several ideas on the table about what to do next. Some of them are in the horror genre, others are more action oriented.

PC is completely overcrowded nowadays, but I would say it’s still my preferred platform.

Have films or TV series ever inspired elements for the games you develop?

Definitely. I think I can say that every game that I’ve worked on has been influenced by films, TV series or books. We always include some indirect reference or nod in our games to whatever inspired us.

What game have you most enjoyed creating?

I would say Syndrome was the most fun. It was really cool writing a horror story, imagining the characters and what they would do in a situation like this, and thinking about twists that could lead the player a wrong way.

It was also our first game in the first player perspective, and this allowed us to focus on details that weren’t possible in our previous titles. I love to hide tiny pieces of information and lore in the games, and Syndrome was perfect for that.

What are your views on VR (Virtual Reality) gaming and would you create a game specifically for it?

I’m a huge fan of VR. I think we still have a long way to go, though.

We need to create new genres and experiences specifically for VR. Most of the games right now are adaptations of ‘classic’ games to virtual reality. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – a horror game is terrifying in VR, it works really well. But we need to go further than that and create new and different things. I would definitely create a game specifically for VR. What advice would you give to aspiring game developers?

Start with small projects and forget the idea of easy riches. Your first game will probably be a flop, so don’t spend years working on it. You’re better off starting with a small game that can be developed relatively fast, and you’ll learn a lot with the experience. If you’re going solo, you’ll need that knowledge. If you want to find a job in another company, you’ll also need the portfolio. And these small games are excellent to show what you can do.

upcoming

39

Upcoming

ALBUMS, FILMS, GAMES AND TV YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS

fist fight Tough Ron Strickland (Ice Cube) and mild-mannered Andy Campbell (Charlie day) star as two high school teachers who solve their differences with a comedy fist fight after school.

3/3 our hollow, our home

3/3 logan

3/3 console launch

3/3 temples

3/3 fist fight

3/3 horizon zero dawn

10/3 circa waves

10/3 burning sands

7/3 tom clancy’s ghost recon: wildlands

10/3 The Shins

10/3 Kong: Skull island

24/3 creeper

17/3 beauty and the beast

31/3 mastodon

24/3 power rangers

31/3 jamiroquai

31/3 ghost in the shell

Hartsick

Volcano

Currents

Heartworms

Eternity, In Your Arms

Emperor Of Sand

Automaton

Hugh Jackman, Boyd Holbrook

Ice Cube, Charlie Day

Trevante Rhodes

Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston

Emma Watson, Dan Stevens

Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston

Scarlett Johansson

Nintendo Switch

PS4

PS4, Xbox One, PC

28/2 mike birbiglia’s thank god for jokes Netflix

2/3 QUANTICO Alibi

7/3 the americans FX

24/3 dreamfall chapters

17/3 marvel’s iron fist

28/3 kingdom hearts hd 1.5 + 2.5 remix

22/3 shots fired

PS4, Xbox One

PS4

28/3 dark souls 3: the ringed city DLC PC, PS4, Xbox One

Netflix

Fox

31/3 13 reasons why

YA Book Adaptation - Netflix