The Edge (September 2010)

EXCLUSIVE: MATTHEW LEONE INTERVIEW!

The University of Southampton’s Finest Entertainment Publication

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Issue 1

24th September 2010

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Avenged Sevenfold NIghtmare

+ BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB INCEPTION BLINK-182 PINK FLOYD CHRIS PATE CYANIDE & HAPPINESS MADMEN GLASSER WEEZER

EDITORIAL From your editors...

First editorial, first page, first edition; these are exciting times! Here at The EDGE we have pulled out every single solitary stop for a cracking new approach to your own personal entertainment magazine. We have a shiny new team (some more shiny than others), new sections, and so much more to provide you with a welcome break from the trials of student living.

We are immensely pleased to announce a load of new features to Southampton University’s premiere entertainment publication. Alongside our new comedy section, we have also introduced a brand spanking new feature entitled Rewind. This section is designed to give you lovely readers an overview of what it is, old or new, that we at EDGE towers have recently been getting involved with. Be it watching, listening or throwing crazy disco shapes to, this is the stuff that has really grabbed our attention; it is well worth investigation.

And, of course, we shall continue to offer top-class articles on the very best of the media beast’s providings; records, films, interviews, we will do our utmost to keep you hip young things well abreast of everything going on inside and outside the uni.

So there you go! All that remains for us to say is that this paper is written by and for you wonderful people, so please do get involved. Our writers’ meetings are a great place to find out more about what we do, and also a chance to pick up free albums, singles and gig tickets.

We are all very friendly, and are constantly looking out for new contributors for the paper. So if you are flicking through The Edge for the first time, or if you are a regular reader, make this the year you get your name in print.

So here’s to a new start. Enjoy, people!

THE EDGE PLAYLIST What’s Been Playing On The Edge Radio Show..

The Team Editor - Dan Morgan Editor - Hayley Taulbut Features - Hadley Middleton Live - Josh Treacher Records - Will Hayes Film - Adam Vaughan Culture, Comedy, Live and Local - James Miller Editor-in-Chief - Charlotte Woods Contributions from: Tom Mallett, Andy Baber, Sam Thomas, Chris Pate, Alex Payne, Ed Wilkes, Adam Ford

Advertising Enquiries: james@susu.org

Edge Radio Playlist (Surge) - Saturday 1pm - 2pm

1. LCD Soundsystem - All I Want 2. The Script - For The First Time 3. Brandon Flowers - Crossfire 4. Arcade Fire - Month of May 5. Travis McCoy - Billionaire 6. Katy Perry - California Gurls 7. Roll Deep - Green Light 8. Megadeth - Head Crusher

We are constantly on the look out for new writers that want to get Want To Get Involved? involved with The Edge. For more info email; theedge@soton.ac.uk

REPLAY

The sights and sounds The Edge team are loving at the moment...

Hayley Taulbut Editor

Dan Morgan Editor

Glasser - Home

Woody Guthrie - This Land is Your Land

Opening with what sounds like a xylophone falling down the stairs, Glasser’s stuning track Home has the power to take your expectations and fully reverse them.

At first hearing, ‘Home’ comes across as a record trying just too hard to be different, pairing contrapuntal sounds together in a way that has been done before. But as the track gets underway, the quirky sounds of the staircase combine with Mesirow’s stunning vocals in a harmony that truly is mesmerising. Home is no longer where the heart is, but where things fall apart: “Naturally collapsing/Our homes and beds and wedding rings” goes the refrain. Truly dazzling.

As the summer stutters to a typically anticlimactic end, I have tried to cast my mind back over what music I have been listening to during the season. For me, summer is all about acoustic music. This year has been no different in this respect, but what has been different is how far I have plunged back.

Folk-legend Woody Guthrie’s most famous track, This Land is Your Land, was my favourite discovery of the summer. Written in response to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America, and was instantly adopted as a protest song by the working class at the time.

Despite being recorded way back in 1944 (and released 6 years later), this song is still an anthem of the American left-wing. Bruce Springsteen performed it at Barack Obama’s innauguration.

It is the simplicity of this song that is the most striking factor. Recorded onto vinyl, when doing so was still a very unfinished art, all we hear is Guthrie’s voice and his guitar.

With a gently lilting melody, the style echos the folk recordings that would later develop into mainstream country & western music.

The lyrics, which undermine Berlin’s rightwing song, are as perfectly suited to summer as any song I have ever heard. If you listen to any new music this week, albeit technically old, make it this.

Protest singer Woody guthrie Glasser

James Miller Culture & Comedy Editor Disturbed - Asylum Over the last few weeks I’ve been going through the back catalogue of the metal band Disturbed. Their new album Asylum was released at the end of August and sadly it turned out to be a disappointment (see the next issue for a full album review). I decided to remind myself what a great and original band they can be by listening to their earlier releases. A personal favourite is the 2005 Ten Thousand Fist album and in particular the single Stricken. It’s a fantastic song if you like the metal genre, with a brutal fast paced riff right from the outset and David Draiman’s signature lyrical and vocal style.

It’s a stress relieving track, and belting out the words alongside Draiman or (if you can) playing along with the single is more cathartic than any stress reliever you can get hold of. If you like the genre but haven’t give the band a chance, check them out.

EDITORIAL Hadley Middleton Features Editor

Josh Treacher Live Editor

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Nas & Damien Marley - Distant Relatives

Formed in Nashville in 2006, Countrymusic trio Lady Antebellum have barely received a mention in our music press. Meanwhile, their sophomore album, ‘Need You Now’ has crept into our Top 40 Albums chart like a dangerously infectious musical fungos.

The album’s lead single ‘Need You Now’ is quite possibly the most-sophisticated attempt at describing a late-night, drunken, disastrous phone call I have ever encountered. The lead vocals by Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott have a defiant, raw quality, and their harmonies even render the line ‘I’m a little drunk’ as seeming remotely meaningful opposed to outwardly ridiculous.

There is a stigma attached to country-music: it’s cloying, slap-in-your-face cheesiness is difficult to take, but Lady Antebellum are able to inject a realistic melancholy into this record. With its blend country-twang and a generous dose of sensible pop hooks, ‘Need You Now’ seduces one into believing that inebriated foolishness is in fact a legitimate and emotive drama. I can only urge you to listen now before Cowell and his minions get hold of it on The X Factor, or Joe McElderry turns it into a vacant, asexual display of noncharisma. I have always feared that countrymusic, as a genre; will never fully come out of its closet of embarrassment; but records like ‘Need You Now’ can at least help others to open the door.

Nas, one of the founding fathers of modern hip-hop, recently got together with the son of the most famous man in reggae, to create what was always going to be one of most interesting and eclectic albums of the year.

‘Nah Mean’ is the track that hit me square in the face after a cursory first listen. All pent up anger and fury, this beautiful little number brings the best of Nas circa. 1994 kicking and screaming into the 21st century - all be it with a typically wonderful Marley tinge. ‘As We Enter’ the lead single from the album is also just as instantly likeable, it’s here that Damian comes into his own; his rasta drawl contrasting perfectly with Nas’ sharp tongue.

It’s not just the vocal chemistry on this album that makes it worth listening to though; Distant Relatives is also a concise study of the African identity through American eyes.

Lyrics like “We was good before / Till I saw what type a dude you took me for / We had a chance to take paper down / What I took was more” pervade the album and the wide range of social commentary should strike a chord with anyone who cares remotely about the world around them.

HBO’s Madmen

Will Hayes Records Editor The Smiths – Bigmouth Strikes Again The Smiths have so many great songs across their back catalogue, but I always find myself coming back to this track whenever I want something to listen to. As soon as the song begins you know that you’re in for a good three minutes of music.

The track is a perfect example of the pure delight of Morrisey’s lyrics, which I actually find quite funny to listen to, especially when placed in such high contrast to the relatively pleasant sounding melodies Marr creates.

The very first line has the singer declaring that “sweetness, I was only joking when I said I’d like to smash every tooth in your head”. Despite how miserable the lyrics are, they work so well, not only because of the musical juxtaposition they create with the rest of the band, but because they are delivered by Morrisey’s voice, arguably one of the best and most unique ever. The song strikes a perfect balance between vocals and music with the quick instrumental breakdowns slotted in between the choruses and verses.

For anyone who has never had the pleasure of listening to The Smiths, ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ is definitely a great song to listen to and get an idea of what the band is all about.

Adam Vaughan Film Editor Madmen There’s cigarettes, whisky, and extramarital canoodling galore in this slow-burning, Emmy-award winning series centred around 1960s advertising tycoons in New York. Featuring a plethora of characters, including Jon Hamm’s enigmatic high-flying ad-man with a secret past, subtle and elegant writing, and beautifully measured performances from everyone involved, you’d be mad to miss it. (Had to be done.)

LIVE & LOCAL The Widowmaker The Widowmaker, aka Andover-born Ian Easton, has had a year to remember. Not only was his debut album released this year and snapped up like gold dust, but he also has a string of festival appearances under his belt, playing at the likes of Camp Bestival and Glastonbury to name but a few.

Easton, broad and brooding, is the exact opposite of the folk stereotype – gone are the dungarees and gawkish appearance usually associated with the genre. Instead The Widowmaker, whose music falls half way between Folk and Blues, recaptures and reclaims a sound that many believe died a long time back, making Folk not only relevant, but sexy. Hayley Taulbut caught up with the man himself on his return from Pulse Festival: Firstly, can you introduce yourself?

I’m Ian Easton, known onstage as The Widowmaker.

How did The Widowmaker come about?

When did you first start playing under that name?

The Widowmaker came about after I left a band called Lowly Gallows. We played blues, folk, rock, groove-type stuff, and things didn’t quite work out. So I decided to play solo, as I wrote the songs for Lowly Gallows anyway. So I needed a name and The Widowmakers was the name of my current Fantasy Football team. Therefore I decided to omit the ‘s’, and call myself The Widowmaker.

What have been your primary influences?

Influences include English Folk, Americana Folk, Blues, Bluegrass, 1960’s counterculture ideals, intricate finger-styles and anything that you can stomp your foot to. As far as artist/band influences go - The Tallest Man on Earth, Dark Horses, Mumford and Sons, Bright Eyes, City and Colour, Peter

“I enjoy playing in Southampton because the venues are cracking!”

Hayes, Pentangle, Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, Led Zeppelin, Pete Doherty, and The Avett Brothers are probably my most primary influences.

The Soundtrack to Reality was finished this year - how has it been received and what was the idea behind it?

The album has been well received I think.

It has reached much further than my expectations, just because of some of the shows I’ve played off the back of it. It’s going to be on iTunes soon as well, so that also provides another platform from which people can buy it.

The idea behind the album... Well it’s merely a collection of my favourite songs that I’ve written over the last 6-7 years. I mean, there are certain subjects that crop up more than once; the occult, lost love, love, disillusionment with life, satire, irony and sarcasm. I’ve mainly written about my personal experiences; yet tried to leave them open for interpretation for the listener.

How much does your home town, and Southampton, influence your music?

Andover (my hometown) and Southamp-

The Widowmaker’s fantastic album art work for his album “The Soundtrack to Reality”

The Widowmaker combines Folk and Blues elements in his song writing in a nod to his influences, who range from Led Zeppelin to Laura Marling. ton (where I live now) certainly influence a lot of things. I mean Andover has influenced a lot of my songs; it’s where I’ve experienced and lived through the things I’ve written about. In terms of musicality there is a lot more on offer in Southampton and a more eclectic mix, which also influences me because I can really drill down on the type of act I want to go and see. There are also the venues; I enjoy playing in and around Southampton because the venues are cracking!

With a string of festival appearances this year, could you pick a favourite? If so, why?

It has to be Glastonbury, simply because I’ve been going for a decade now and it holds a special place in my heart. When I first got in for £10 over the fence in the year 2000, I could but dream of playing there; and now it’s happened. It’s certainly a dream come true for me to play on such a big, pro-

fessional and well-run stage on The Glade stage. It was superb, and I’ll never forget it.

What have you got lined up for the future, both in terms of new music, and live shows?

I’ve got a few cool gigs coming up… I’m going to gig, gig, gig and write, write, write in order to achieve more of the same. I feel like I’m riding quite a wave at the moment!

by Hayley Taulbut

Catch The Widowmaker live at Hamptons on October 4th, check out his first music video on his Youtube channel, or head over to his Myspace to get a taste of “The Soundtrack to Reality” www.myspace.com/thewidowmakerlive www.youtube.com/user/ianisthewidowmaker

LIVE

St. Georges Church

Bristol WEDNESDAY, July 14th

Bombay Bicycle Club (Acoustic Set)

Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/mrkmrk/ The quality of a song can always be measured by hearing it in its most basic form. The acoustic version of a song can reveal its true beauty, if it still engages you, then it must be good. Having already built up a passionate following after their debut album, I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, Bombay Bicycle Club decided to change direction, and duly released their acoustic album titled, Flaws. It was certainly a risk to ditch the electric guitars barely a year after the release of their incredibly successful debut; however, it has proved to be a risk worth taking. Flaws is a beautiful album, one that has been further enhanced by the band’s decision to promote the album on a tour around the churches of the United Kingdom. This decision was completely justified by the simplistic surrounding and brilliant acoustics provided by St George’s church in Bristol.

The church setting provided the perfect complement to the music, enabling the beautiful ache of Jack Steadman’s peculiar yet wonderful voice to echo throughout the

venue. The set started with the Flaws opener, ‘Rinse Me down’, a song comprising of simplistic plucking on the acoustic guitar and banjo, backed by a steady drum beat.

It appeared so easy, yet at the same time it sounded wonderful. Following the opener was another new track from the acoustic album, ‘Many Ways’, a song that is dominated by the coherence between the banjo and Steadman’s voice.

The North London quartet then played acoustic versions of two songs from their debut album, both to marvelous effect. ‘Dust On The Ground’ was one of the highlights of the performance, a hauntingly beautiful version, which proved enchanting in such minimalistic surroundings. Whilst not on the new album, ‘Evening/Morning’ lifted the mood with its high tempo, and thoroughly jovial banjo capturing the essence of the electric original.

Steadman is undoubtedly the focus of Bombay’s new acoustic direction; in fact, his bedroom is where most of the album was produced. His unique voice is the focal point of the album, and consequently the live

“Flaws is a beautiful album”

show is equally reliant upon the young front man. As the rest of the band came and went around him, he remained seated throughout the show. His heartbreaking cover of Loudon Wainwright III’s ‘Motel Blues’, with the rest of the band leaving the front man to his own devices, emphasised his integral role in the production of Flaws. However, normal service was quickly resumed as the rest of the boys returned for a brilliant version of ‘Ivy & Gold’, the first single from Flaws. Unfortunately, the end was drawing near, but not until Bombay delivered a stunning performance of ‘The Giantess’, the final song from I had The Blues. The boys then exited the stage briefly, before returning for an encore comprising of the brilliant, ‘Always Like This’ and ‘Swansea’. Bombay Bicycle Club provided a show that demonstrated their seamless transition from electric to acoustic, in a live performance that will live long in the memory.

by Andrew Baber

Good: A great setting for a very personal acoustic set.

Bad: Not a lot.

10.

Albums I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose Released all the way back in 2009, this their debut receieved mixed but generally positive reviews. The title was taken from a song by alternative hip-hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest.

Flaws Their second album released this year, marked a change in direction or possibly a pause for reflection after their successful first. Containing only acoustic tracks it has charted higher than their last, peaking at number 8.

mrk/

Dan le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip

LIVE

Bestival

Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight Friday, September 10th Dan le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip and Bestival are a match made in heaven. Being signed on the Sunday Best label, the label that runs Bestival, this might be expected but this is more than just a commercial tie. This runs deeper.

Bestival is a strange mix of things; at night it’s a dance festival with some of the biggest names in dubstep, electro and house being present but in the strong light of day it offers space to mainstream alternative acts such as Mumford and Sons, Dizzee Rascal and the achingly beautiful XX. The variety of bands on offer is, in a way, a signifier for Bestival’s vision of what a festival in the year 2010 should be. This vision is probably best seen in the many art installations around the site as old peace symbols that your hippie aunt might recognise mix freely with the yellow smiley face of past raves.

It’s in front of this refined symbolism that Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip seem to fit so well. These guys though, unlike the festival, aren’t subtle about their mission. Dan le Sac lays down simple danceable beats

whilst Scroobius effortlessly lets his positive, inoffensive rap roll off his tongue. Lyrics like, “they confuse love at first sight with lust at first light / it must have hurt right when trust first took flight / you’re young, you’ve no rights, you long for new heights / but some of those nights leave more than love bites” from the instantly likeable ‘Get Better’ are a perfect example of how Scroobius tries to make our generation think that little bit harder about their actions.

Live, their upbeat way of going about things works more than in mp3. The chorus from the previously mentioned ‘Get Better’ is simply the phrase “Get Better” repeated many times, boring? I don’t think so, hearing a crowd pour their hearts out and sing those two words with such passion is a powerful thing and shouldn’t be underestimated. Around half way through their set Scroobius pulls out a Bible and you almost feel the crowd cringe around you but thankfully it’s only for the brilliantly secular “Letter from God” a track that is meant to be God writing a letter to man. It’s a beautiful track

that doesn’t set out to offend but simply tries to readjust the blame for the world’s problems onto those responsible, humans themselves.

This sort of thing might seem a little heavy for some but even if you give a cursory glance at Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip below and take in the regal sight of Scroobius’ beard you’ll realise that these two just don’t take themselves too seriously.

This is why Bestival and Dan le Sac vs.

Scroobius Pip are so well suited. They both are trying hard to promote real and positive messages, be they promoting environmental issues or sexual responsibility but in a way which is actually enjoyable and not preachy and it works. It’s the best bits of the sixties remodelled for the new dance generation.

by Josh Treacher

Good: Scroobius Pip and co. crank out the hits to great effect.

Bad: Girls with beardophobia beware.

8.

LIVE Blink-182 Reading Festival Reading Sunday, August 29th

In 2005, Californian pop-punksters Blink-182 decided to call it quits, announcing an ‘indefinite hiatus’, that looked like the end of the trio for good. Five years, and two unsuccessful side projects later, Mark Hoppus, Tom Delonge and Travis Barker put aside their differences to embark on what was hotly tipped to be the reformation of a life time.

With the hype surrounding their Reading and Leeds Festival appearances bigger than any other of the weekend, Blink-182 had a lot of high expectations to meet.

And I am sorry to say, they fell a long way from the mark.

Yes, they were fun. Yes, they played the ‘classics’. Yes, they were energetic. In short, they were practically everything we remember Blink being and loved them for at the time, but there was something missing.

At first, they looked promising. They launched straight into ‘Dumpweed’ with an enthusiasm and vigour that was frankly unexpected – I was half anticipating Blink-182 to have grown up. And although I was wrong, this surprising vitality did little more than temporarily disguise what turned out to be a lacklustre and disappointing performance.

The music itself was not terrible. Although Delonge’s vocals were characteristically shaky, crowd-pleasers ‘First Date’, and

‘Rock Show’ went down well. DeLonge then proceeded to lay into Britain’s terrible twosome Jedward, mockingly thanking the boys for allowing Blink-182 to play ‘All the Small Things’, that John and Edward have recently covered. Even tracks from the self-titled album were executed well, with ‘I Miss You’ being a personal highlight.

They then went onto mock Axl Rose and co, following their shambolic Friday night performance. Frontman Mark Hoppus said “I’m sorry you guys missed out of Guns n Roses Friday night, but Tom is going to play Sweet Child O’ Mine instead”. DeLonge’s poor (but hilarious) attempt at the intro followed, making several attempts at the opening before giving up: “I haven’t practiced it!” he said, “Axl Rose is naked with my Dad!” It was the show I had hoped for – the skits, the music, the enthusiasm – but somehow it was not quite right. The threesome came across as false, and their jokes felt rehearsed. It was like hearing a nun condoning sex and alcohol – they’re hearts simply weren’t in it.

Not even a phenomenal drum solo from Barker, which he performed

“They fell a long way from the mark”

Photo: Ophelia Poe

not only suspended in mid-air, but twisting around in all manner of angles, could make this performance anything other than ordinary. They reused jokes that went down well at during the set at Leeds on the mainstage at Reading, and DeLonge’s characteristically whiney voice began to grate toward the end of the set. He even managed to forget the lyrics to songs that he wrote himself.

Perhaps it was the build-up. I have been waiting for a Blink reformation for too long, and perhaps my hopes were too high. Perhaps they are just not as young as they used to be. Whatever the reason, there really was something missing from tonight’s performance. Even the encore, consisting of ‘Carousel’ and ‘Dammit’, could do little to lift my mood. Don’t get me wrong, they were great renditions of classics that reminded me of my teenage years, but it was just not what I was expecting. Perhaps a lesson can be learned here – don’t believe the hype.

by Hayley Taulbut

Good: Phenomenal drum solo, and a set that was frankly hilarious Bad: Too much from the self-titled album, and being a little too rehearsed.

6.

LIVE

Muse Manchester County Cricket Club Manchester Saturday, September 4th Extravagant? Check. Ridiculous? Check.

Impressive? Check. Muse are certainly going to leave a big void in the world of live music when they take a break from touring after this current three-gig run. Muse have been wowing crowds for years now, and I expected the show to be impressive. However, what I didn’t expect was the huge triangular stage, lots of flashing lights, a big roaming eye, flying saucers and an overworked projectionist. Exaggerating? Only slightly, it really was a spectacle. With the world seemingly coming to an end, it would be easy to forget that the music is what everyone was there for in the first place.

However, starting with ‘Uprising’ and ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, Muse quickly reminded the audience that it is their music that has made them the greatest live band in the world and they were certainly in fine form as they stormed through ‘New Born’, ‘Map Of The Problematique’ and ‘Butterflies & Hurricanes’. Keeping chat to a minimum, the threesome then played ‘Guiding Light’, probably the weakest song from their most recent album, The Resistance. However, the atmosphere was reignited again with ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Citizen Erased’, two epic songs from Absolution and Origins Of Symmetry, respectively. Bellamy demonstrated his real guitar hero skills, often jamming in between songs, leaving the audience spellbound.

during which, Bellamy was raised on a platform from the stage, dressed in a flamboyant red/blue lighted suit.

After Bellamy had come down from that literal high, he went straight into the stunning guitar riff of ‘Plug In Baby’, which led to the raucous but inevitable sing-a-long that always accompanies it. However, there was still time for one more. Closing with ‘Knights of Cydonia’, the serial closing song, Muse ended with aplomb.

The entire show was a surreal experience, and as the band left the stage and the thousands of fans began to filter from the stadium, the whole performance still failed to register. In fact, Bellamy’s ability to do ridiculous things with the guitar, whilst also hitting every note with his falsetto voice, defies belief on its own. Not to mention the incredible stage inspired by the dystopian themes of George Orwell’s novel, ‘1984’.

It was a superb show, not perfect though, due to the inclusion of the weak Resistance tracks ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘Undisclosed Desires’.

Yet, this was only a personal niggle. Muse might not be to everyone’s taste, but whether you’re a fan or not, it would take a very strong-minded

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Good: Something good goes here More songs off The Resistance followed, yet the new stuff often paled in comparison to classics such as ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘Time Is RunningBad: Out’,Something which sentbad the crowd into goes here hysterics from the opening notes. There was still a lot more to come though, and the first encore, including ‘Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, was just a taste of what was to come later.

After a brief interval, Muse returned for a second encore, starting with ‘Take A Bow’,

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by Andrew Baber

That’s right! You can find even more live reviews and upcoming gig news at; www.wessexscene.co.uk/the-edge

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ENTERTAINMENT (105) DAYS OF SUMMER Lindsay got locked up and the UK Film Council closed up. The EDGE has missed an eventful 105 days of Summer.

Though the summer looked like it would be ruled by a blue-haired Katy Perry in a sweetie kingdom, our Summer anthem seems decidedly divided by two polar extremes. Whilst B.O.B meditated on missed opportunities in ‘Airplanes’, the majority instead found themselves drawn to a different beat...namely one of ring-tone esque pounding repetition and a 1950s Italian songster lamenting his abilities to speak ‘Americano’.

This year, there was no ‘SuBo’ ((Susan Boyle Boyle) reminding us that a Scottish lady in slippers can achieve 9 million units of worldwide chart domination...instead, the world would much rather be preoccupied with the talents of a pre-pubescent boy claiming to be best friends with Usher. Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ has not only seen off competition from Lady Gaga to become YouTube’s most watched video of alltime, but both...yes both...of his albums are Platinum world-wide.

If only Christina Aguilera could have the same fortune. We praise her for having better vocals, for sustaining a marriage, for having a degree of, albeit small, artistic merit...but we are still more interested in her shaven-headed rival Whilst Britney spent the year finishing off liposuction and a world -tour showcasing some stellar miming, Christina tried to be edgy with new album ‘Bionic’. Maybe it was the embarrassing display of pseudo- sadomasochism, perhaps or just the fact that ‘Not Myself Tonight’ is truly awful... regardless, the single propelled the album to become the lowest selling number one debut in UK chart history. Perhaps too dirty this time Christina?

On the box Glee and Modern Family are dominating award-shows and ratings, as the two US hits prepare to debut their second seasons this month. Earning an impossibly brilliant 33 Emmy Nominations between them, (and not forgetting the fact that the piercingly auto-tuned ‘Don’t Stop

Believing’ still hasn’t gone away), their positions are secured at the forefront of Prime-Time comedy. Whilst season two of Glee promises guest stars including ‘SuBo’ and Javier Bardem...yes, you read correctly...the Academy Award Winning Javier Bardem.. Modern Family continues with intricate and interesting comedy, where the seemingly mundane will fail to become anything but utterly bizarre.

Yet, it seems little can stimulate our population more than the opportunity to applaud the male form. There was nothing more satisfying, or more frightening this summer, than attending a midnight screening of Eclipse,, the third instalment in the Twilight Saga. The plot was the same, Bella’s incessant lip-biting was the same, Robert Pattinson’s evident boredom was the same...but the reaction to Taylor Lautner’s abdominal muscles...an entirely different story.

An over-excited gasp will no longer suffice: one can now expect teens literally applauding his pecs at most showings. However, not only Edward Cullen broke box-office records this summer. A mixture of charm, childhood and tears accompanied the 3D exploits of Woody and Buzz in Toy Story 3, whilst Christopher Nolan’s Inception earned the director over 200 million dollars in his back-pocket, as well as a league of captivated, if somewhat confused, fans.

So, what’s to follow our 105 Days of summer? I’m predicting a further storm of internet fury concerning our newly cast Spiderman (British actor Andrew Garfield), that Paranormal Activity 2 will get everyone’s panties in a twist and that both Ke$ha and 3Oh!3 will continue to make terrible music of the ‘Sing-but really we’re only talking’ variety that is ever-so slightly genius. Should I also be taking bets on when Bieber’s voice breaks? Or when we may eventually ? I fear become bored by Lady Gaga? that neither are a possibility.

by Hadley Middleton

: E e R e U W T d A E n F a . .

E . r G n e o D t s a E a e S l W a v i , t s s e e F i e l h l T e m o r W F s e i r ia

D

The Festival; the

epitome of musical euphoria…and if it weren’t for the portaloos, the drunken regrets and the traditional tent-burning ceremony, the music would be all that we remember. From the big-leagues of Glastonbury and Reading, to the comparative intimacy of this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, our EDGE writers have experienced it all…and fortunately for us, they also aren’t afraid to hand over their festival diaries – divulging all of those not-sonice details that came with the foray into this year’s fraternity of festivals.

So prepare to imagine you’re back in those wellies, as The EDGE fondly remembers another eccentric and exciting festival season.

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ayne NAME: Alex P one, Kent FROM: Maidst ington ownload, Donn FESTIVAL: D oon on the n by late aftern to nts, othg in n on D ea e retr ted to teund. We, ing in om ew S br . ed as w en m op or s ro rg ven A st hers stood theillboard – albeit, at 4pm the hea bi Sunday, and t emergency macs and ot r la u g trian ely ers whipped oued to take cover at a nearbyapting badly, and fortunatous ri id ad se ec e d ed need er som however, ed potential. Aft aked. Our idea still getting soster had unrealised shelter-dy visionary, we had formms ea ar for us this po yself and another rain-r ting our fellow holders as oldpulling by mg up our sections and rota the unthinkable, a poster-htil a a line, pickinin. You’d think we’d done . All was going dandy un sly began to stra relative strangers. If only penis and urinate, generou ent ing league of -goer chose to whip out his nation aside, a scouser spurse fellow festivaly good friend nearby. Uridly at his phone, and of co ed a splashing m etainment screaming wil , calm down’ as he discussnder most of our d famous words ‘calm downonly an hour and a half u . After uttering the in the previous day e. et pl m near-fight from fe is now co iller a poster...my li ecuting his kwith ex , rm fo p to was he on ; he was also partnered sh. Not only Best Act: Sla skills with great precisione Velvet Revolver front-man h ar l even Axl awesome guit cellent Myles Kennedy. T ability to riva an h it ex w l ly ia al er mat the equ uns N’ Roses handled the G. t his set Rose himself as the rain, bu help an w it be ay M .

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FEATURES “Over here you guys are all about the music”

The EDGE Exclusive

Madina Lake Bassist MATTHEW LEONE on Muse, Meditation and Music.

Back in April 2010, The EDGE were lucky

enough to catch up with Matthew Leone, prior to an outstanding show at the Porstmouth Wedgewood Rooms. Just months later, Leone was hosptialised and left in a critical condition following an act of unrivalled heroism in which he defended a woman being beaten by her husband near his home in Chicago. The Madina Lake star was flooded with wishes of health, culminating in a charity show hosted by none other than The Smashing Pumpkins, in an attempt to raise the funds for Matthew’s hospital treatment. Leone is now on the steady road to recovery.

Firstly, it’s great to have Madina Lake back in the UK – what have you guys been up to?

Thanks, it’s been a pretty crazy few months. We’ve just come back from the best tour of our lives. It was intense, actually. We were touring for two and a half years almost constantly, then we went home for a few months - we needed some time for our personal lives! But now we’re back here, and this has been the best UK tour so far!

It must be pretty hectic – how do you stay so chilled out?

Yoga. No really. And audiobooks. And meditation. Our bus is a real rockfest… (laughs) Now the UK tour is coming to a close, what have you got planned for the next few months?

First of all it’s the European tour, then Give it a Name International, and then another US tour straight after that.

And how is that, going back to the US – must be like a homecoming for you guys?

Yes and no. Chicago is obviously a big show for us, but we actually prefer playing the UK (laughs).

Really?

Well, yeah! There is something superficial and material about playing in the US. Here you guys are all about the music!

Can we take a few minutes to talk firstly about ‘Attics to Eden’? There is undoubtedly a shift from the previous record – was this a conscious decision?

And one last question, where do you In the UK, our Summer of festivals is a pretty big deal – to round things off, do see Madina Lake going in the future? you have a favourite festival to play at, or Creating music, hopefully. As long as to attend as a spectator? what we are doing is gratifying, then I don’t Sonisphere is pretty cool, but we played care. At the moment we are addicted to pera show at Reading and Leeds last year, and forming, it’s an expressive outlet and we are that tops it all. They are the definitely the going to keep it up as long as possible. New best UK festivals. Although anywhere where songs, new experiences, holing ourselves we could support Muse would be amazing, up in a studio, who knows!?

Muse are f*cking retarded (laughs).

For more information on Madina Lake and the release of their new EP ‘The DresRetarded? den Codex’ visit: www.madinalake.com (Laughs)…Don’t print that! No, I just mean they are fantastic, they are an amazing Brit-ish rock band, and I think what they do is great! It’s an American thing, obviously!

by Hayley Taulbut

At the time, no. It was just a reaction to what we saw on tour. You see 30 different bands, and they all sound the same, they are all worried about which way to wear their hair, or what shoes to wear.

They are part of a certain kind of success that we didn’t want. So retrospectively, I suppose it was a conscious decision. But we just want to play and write music that moves us, anything we can get enthusiastic about.

Make contact.

Career fairs Business, Finance & Management

Tuesday 19 October 2010

IT, Science & Engineering

Wednesday 20 October 2010 11.00am–3.30pm Garden Court, Building 40 Highfield Campus Open to all students

And what about the “Dresden Codex EP”?

Where does this fit with the Madina Lake story, and what can audiences expect?

It wasn’t part of the original plan – we had an idea to unfold a story over three records, which the other two records have been part of, but with Dresden, we don’t really know what it is going to be. It’s a blessingin disguise really, as we are still learning and discovering it.

Sponsored by Leone (Second from left), with Madina Lake

It’s true! You can now follow Follow Us On Twitter! The Edge on twitter; @theedgesusu

www.soton.ac.uk/careers

RECORDS Klaxons If the album cover to Klaxons’ Surfing The Void carries any message (other than that of an astronautic pussy cat) it is one which acts as a visual metaphor of what the album holds in store for the listener. The strange effect of seeing this feline spaceman is very much like hearing the psychedelic, experimental indie that Klaxons produce.

This sound brought attention to the band back in 2007 with their debut Myths Of The Near Future, one of only a very few albums from the short lived ‘nu rave’ genre, a fusion of ‘90s rave and 21st century danceindie. Three years later and Klaxons are back with their second album. Surfing The Void has that same manic energy that the previous album had, although this time that energy isn’t channelled through many particularly good songs. Most of the tracks have similar ingredients which have given the band their success before: the fantastic combined efforts of the bass and drums, the crazy synth noises floating around in the background the whole time, and the unmistakably odd Klaxons vocal harmonies. Sometimes this does work, with a couple of great songs on the album. Opening track ‘Echoes’ is a good indie number, as is album highlight ‘Twin Flames’, both of which are bound by great bouncy rhythms and see the band brilliantly coming together in their respective choruses. Similarly ‘Venusia’, with its

TRACKS TO DOWNLOAD: Echoes, Twin Flames, Venusia

‘80s-sounding synths and punk vocals, is also a highlight of the album.

But for the rest of Surfing The Void, these ingredients don’t seem to be put together into songs which are consistent with what Klaxons are capable of. Whereas with earlier hits, Klaxons allowed you to step into their mad world and enjoy the music with them, Surfing The Void for the most part keeps you set apart from the music, preventing you from really getting into the songs in any way. Having opened so well on ‘Echoes’, the album then rapidly falls with second track ‘The Same Space’. Melodically the song sounds so promising, but is horribly ruined by an awkward slow drum beat which stops the song from ever taking off and being transformed into a classic Klaxons track. Title track ‘Surfing The Void’ is a

bizarre offering from the band, with incredibly abrasive vocals running throughout; vocals which in fact become increasingly irritating as the album progresses, so that by the time you get to the final track, ‘Cypherspeed’, you have had enough of not just the ridiculous sound of the band’s singing, but also the harsh tones of the guitars which accompany it.

Surfing The Void can best be described as inconsistent. When it’s good, it’s very good; so good that on hearing the few tracks that do actually work on the album, you’d want to come back and repeatedly listen to them again and again. But in stark contrast to these successes, the rest of the album is filled with irritatingly alienating songs which are not only weak, but actually serve to annoy you.

Good: A few great pyschadelic indie numbers.

SURFING THE VOID

by Will Hayes

POLYDOR RELEASED AUGUST 23

Weezer It’s okay Weezer fans, you can breathe that huge sigh of relief right now…Hurley is good. In fact it’s even better than that.

This is the third album that they have released in three years; 2008’s Red album had a few high points but was ultimately disappointing, whilst 2009’s Raditude was simply very poor. It’s not that those who worship lead singer Rivers Cuomo don’t want progression, because they do, it’s just that Weezer strayed so far from the insanely catchy, raw and witty heights of Blue and Pinkerton that after some pretty poor records, all anyone ever wanted was something reminiscent of what they used to be. This record very nearly strikes that balance between old and new.

Weezer have always had a sense of humour and you don’t even have to listen to the record to realise this is still the case on Hurley: the artwork for the album is brilliant - if not a little weird (but in a good way!)

Opener and lead single ‘Memories’ is such a raucous and brilliant ode to the ‘90s that it seemed completely

Bad: Most tracks are alienating and irritating.

HURLEY

Good: Strikes the balance between old and new

EPITAPH RELEASED SEPTEMBER 14 genuine slotted in perfectly to their recent barnstorming set at Reading (always a good sign), where Cuomo stole the show.

Next up is ‘Ruling Me’, another fast paced piece of pop rock that is still hugely enjoyable after multiple listens. Not bad for a band that wrote ‘Can’t stop Partying’, which is probably up there with any Jedward performance as one of the most hideously awful moments in musical history.

‘Unspoken’, ‘Hang On’ and ‘Smart Girls’ are standout tracks of this record; they showcase everything that made Weezer brilliant in the first place; wit, honesty, charm, and an ear for unforgettable, timeless hooks. ‘Hang On’ is particularly awesome; featuring actor Michael Cera on backup vocals/guitar, I can’t think of another song this year that tops it.

This said, Hurley isn’t perfect, and there are a few dud tracks on there; ‘Trainwrecks’ and ‘Brave New World’ are pretty bland. You get the feeling that they may not have been on

5.

Bad: Some songs seem to have been rushed

the album if Weezer weren’t so intent on putting the album out as quickly as they could. ‘Where’s My Sex?’ is amusing the first time round but then starts to drag on. These tracks aside, this record is a return to form that should be savoured. There’s no knowing what they’ll do next, but Hurley is definitely a huge step in the right direction.

by Tom Mallett

8.

TRACKS TO DOWNLOAD; Unspoken, Hang On, Smart Girls

Arcade Fire THE SUBURBS

RECORDS

MERCURY RELEASED AUGUST 2 TRACKS TO DOWNLOAD; Month Of May, Sprawl II, Empty Room

It may take an irritatingly long time for Arcade Fire to release an album, currently working at the pace of one album every three years, but when one is finally released it becomes clear just why it took so long. Arcade Fire aren’t like most bands around today. They don’t simply respond to the musical trends of the time, lowering themselves to some generic rubbish that every other band is playing. They take time to write their music, carefully constructing the complexity of their songs and tackling deep concepts in their lyrics, avoiding the tedium of simple verse/chorus structures. What results is a fantastic folk art-rock cocktail, bringing together many influences delivered through a huge range of instruments, many of which are rarely heard in modern music.

The band’s third album, The Suburbs, is a perfect example of this unique sound so brilliantly created by Arcade Fire. All the components are there which made their previous two albums such phenomenal pieces of work, making this album not too dissimilar from their other work. What is noticeably different though is that the exciting young sound of Funeral and Neon Bible has gone, with Arcade Fire now taking the role of wise old musicians, reflecting back rather than looking forward in their music. Their first two albums gave the impression of a band itching to

break out and shout to the world through the medium of music, but on The Suburbs, they seem sorrowful and sentimental. But this is not a bad thing; the album is all about vocalist Win Butler’s upbringing in the suburbs of Houston and the care-free life of adolescence that accompanied it.

This is certainly clear when listening to the album as something truly tragic keeps surfacing from song to song, which you finally realise by the end is a desperate longing for the past which walks hand-in-hand with getting old.

Although this new approach means that anthemic songs, like the chant-inducing ‘Wake Up’ from Funeral, are not present on the album, the music is nevertheless still brilliant. Songs like ‘Half Light I’, a beautifully delicate synth-led number, or ‘Sprawl I (Flatland)’, a brutally sad offering from Win Butler and his piano, show the band’s gentle side. Album highlights ‘Empty Room’ and ‘Month Of May’, however, show that the band can still rock, with these songs offering fantastic up-beat music which acts as a great contrast to the equally brilliant slower numbers of the album. Everything else on the album falls in between these two extremes in a typically Arcade Fire way, although occasionally turning towards epic musical climaxes, such as with ‘Half Light II’, or 80s electro-sounding ‘Sprawl II

(Mountains Beyond Mountains)’.

The album’s lengthy 16 tracks may seem a bit too long for an album, and certainly Arcade Fire have taken a risk with putting so much on The Suburbs, but luckily for them it works perfectly. With a bit of patience, the 16 tracks are easily digestible, helped by the seamless flow of one song to the next throughout the album. By the time you get to the final track, ‘The Suburbs (Continued)’, it seems worth the wait and the concept of the album is neatly concluded by Butler and fellow singer Régine Chassagne echoing the lyrics of the very first song.

With an album so similar to the band’s earlier work musically, yet markedly different in feeling and emotion, Arcade Fire can hardly go wrong, and The Suburbs will certainly be held in the same regard as their first two releases.

by Will Hayes Good: Typically brilliant Arcade Fire, but with a more sorrowful sound.

Bad: Fewer anthemic songs than before

10.

RECORDS Avenged Sevenfold

NIGHTMARE WARNER BROS RELEASED JULY 26

The first track to dip your toe into is the album’s first single ‘Nightmare’, and for a six minute track you most certainly get your money’s worth. The track oozes with the pulsating drumming/bass camaraderie and the deliciously twisted guitar riffs that made their two previous albums such massive successes on the mainstream rock and metal scene. A phenomenal track yes, but you may get the feeling afterwards that you’re getting set up for more of the same from the Huntington Beach rockers.

For Avenged Sevenfold fans and rock aficionados alike, Nightmare has been one of the most highly anticipated albums of the summer. It would be a lie, however, to say that all of this anticipation was in good faith. It’s no secret that the band’s drummer, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan, passed away in December 2009, and since then the production and even the release of this album has been on unsteady footing. But out of the shock and mourning by all Avenged Sevenfold fans, who respected and adored Sullivan for his relentless musical skill and overall role in the band, Avenged Sevenfold persevered and completed the album, with the assistance of legendary drummer Mike Portnoy, formerly of progressive metal band Dream Theater. Needless to say, the state of the album, as well as its overall nature and sound compared to previous albums, was under severe speculation prior to its release. It is also needless to say, for those who rushed out to buy and pre-order the album that it has established itself as one of Avenged’s most daring albums to date.

REWIND Pink Floyd The Dark Side Of The Moon is Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, and in fact one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of recorded music. From start to finish, the album is an epic musical adventure, boasting an impressive mix of art rock, jazz fusion and blues, underpinned by emotive guitar melodies, sonic synth patterns and beautifully crafted vocals.

Only briefly does the album take a moment to pause, as you are instead fed an almost constant stream of this musical wonder. Rather than simply listening to a collection of songs gathered together on one record, Pink Floyd have created an album in its truest sense – an impressive musical project, divided into its various sections across the span of the album, but united in its meaning and connotative sound.

As the first heart beats fade in at the start of the album, Pink Floyd’s journey begins, and we are taken along with them, gripped to every sound right through to that same heart beat at the very end. While at one moment the album is slowly pacing its way through the delicate, smooth sounds of ‘Breathe’, or the even more beautiful piano-led ‘The Great

TRACKS TO DOWNLOAD: Welcome To The Family, Tonight The World Dies

But don’t be disheartened, as the tracks that follow are purpose made for shock. There have been several mentions that many of the songs on this album offer a sort of cap-tip to rock veterans such as Metallica, and in many ways a more sustained and refined metal sound can be heard seeping through Matt Shadow’s melodic and often less aggressive vocals in tracks such as ‘Buried Alive’ and ‘So Far Away’. But any homage to more established rock outfits – including traces of Megadeth in the riff work on ‘Danger Line’ – more often than not rears its head in the form of extended guitar solos.

Tracks like ‘Natural Born Killer’ and ‘God Hates Us’ have more of a step-backward quality to them, employing a volatile playing and singing style that hasn’t been heard much since the early albums, like Sounding The Seventh Trumpet. At this point we’re thinking “this is flashbacks and tributes, show us something new”.

But then we get to tracks like ‘Welcome To The Family’ and ‘Tonight The World Dies’, which ring true with a quality of addictive tonal darkness that can’t be replicated; you’re reminded why this band has consistently set itself apart from others. Nightmare is a coming to terms with change, and even though it’s really only a stepping stone it shows hints of a whole new mutation of the band.

by Sam Thomas Good: A stepping stone towards a new direction for the band Bad: Occasionally dips back to old sounds

7.

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON HARVEST RECORDS RELEASED MARCH 1973

Gig In The Sky’, it quickly resumes the tension hinted at from the beginning, whether it be through ‘On The Run’, the extraordinary introduction to ‘Time’, or the more rocky ‘Money’.

In subject matter too, The Dark Side Of The Moon flips from one topic to another as each new track emerges from the magical sounds of its previous song. Pink Floyd wrote the album intentionally as a concept, looking at the various stages of human experience and issues affecting people’s ALBUM FACTS: - sold approximately 45 million copies worldwide - spent 741 weeks in the top 200 chart, between 1973 and 1988

Want More? Course You Do!

everyday lives. The mundane aspects of life are dealt with in ‘Breathe’ (“all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be”) and are quickly transformed into something more sinister in ‘Time’, which acts as a warning to those wasting their lives doing nothing. The tragedy of death is channelled through ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’, with session vocalist Clare Torry’s screaming acting as a musical metaphor of the concept, and mental illness and madness underlie the lyrics of ‘Brain Damage’, themes which regularly rear their dark head throughout the album.

The true magic of The Dark Side Of The Moon is something too difficult to put into words. Only by listening to the album do you experience the incredible emotional response triggered by the music and the lyrics, and begin to understand just why it is one of the greatest and most unique records ever made.

by Will Hayes

Well, good news! There are even more record reviews available at; www.wessexscene.co.uk/the-edge

SINGLES

Kings Of Leon ‘Radioactive’ October 11 ‘Radioactive’ is the first single from Kings Of Leon’s much awaited fifth album, Come Around Sundown. Although not a complete return to the feisty, raw sound of early albums, the song at least takes a step back from the stadium-filler tracks which filled the band’s last album. It lies somewhere in between the two sounds of the band that were witnessed on Because Of The Times; a blend of that American guitar sound of the southern states mixed with something a bit more sophisticated than just three minutes of chaotic trashy rock. Two reverb-heavy guitar melodies run alongside each other

“The song takes a step back from the band’s stadium-filler tracks” throughout most of the song, coupled with a typically alternative drum beat played on rims. The vocals are constantly expanding, with Caleb Followill adding his wolf-like wailing in the third verse, immediately followed by an African choir chanting with the band until the end. The cynics who can’t stand hearing the band justifiably maturing in sound may be disappointed with ‘Radioactive’, but for those who have loved all of their work, the track is a great offering from an album set to be huge.

by Will Hayes

8.

Manic Street Preachers ‘(It’s Not War) Just The End Of Love’ September 13 If ‘(It’s Not War) Just The End Of Love’ doesn’t get you excited about the Manic Street Preachers’ upcoming 10th album, Postcards From A Young Man, then something seriously isn’t right. The band’s guitarist and singer, James Dean Bradfield, has promised an album of big radio hits, assuring fans that it’s going to be huge, full of the type of rock anthems that made the band so likeable back in the ‘90s. ‘It’s Not War’ is just this. The song opens with Bradfield’s signature punchy guitar sound, and is soon

“full of power and littered with catchy vocal lines” joined by an array of strings, the sounds of which never fail to act as the perfect complement to great rock songs. The choruses are typically huge, full of power and littered with catchy vocal lines, securing the song a long stay on radio playlists over the coming weeks.

by Will Hayes

8.

Brandon Flowers ‘Crossfire’ August 23 Breaking away from a band that is already on top of the musical world and trying to go it alone is always going to be a risk; fans will long for the sound of previous hits, whereas critics will scrutinise any similarities. With ‘Crossfire’, Brandon Flowers’ first offering from debut solo album Flamingo, the latter is difficult to avoid. The song wouldn’t sound out of place on a Killers album, with those familiar synth melodies from recent hits back again, and Flowers’ vocal work offering nothing new to what we’ve heard before from his band.

But this rather begs the question of what exactly is to be achieved from solo work? If it’s simply to write good songs, then ‘Crossfire’ is a success. The song is a perfect example of pop-rock, shifting from delicate verses made up of actually very little, to full-on choruses where synths and guitars combine with Flowers’ great voice to carry the song forward, creating catchy patterns along the way.

But if the idea is to move on and become disassociated from previous work within the space of the new solo music, then ‘Crossfire’ makes very little progress. True that the rocky edge of Killers songs has disappeared slightly, with distorted guitars and thrashy drums fading into the background to put more focus on the vocals, but the basic sound is still there.

by Will Hayes

7.

COMEDY The Good, The Bad, And the ...Fungi?

With the new academic year and a fresh Edge for all you wonderful readers, we would like to proudly introduce our new Comedy section. This issue we have Southampton Comedy Society’s very own Chris Pate giving us an insight into what’s caught his eye in the news recently; namely a rather unfortunate outbreak of fungus attacking some of the world’s classic film reels. I’ll leave being funny to the professional...

The history of film could well be in jeopardy after it has come to light that several sneaky species of mould are destroying ancient movies, scene by scene, right under our noses.

Researchers investigating the North West Film Archive (NWFA) at Manchester Metropolitan University have recently discovered fungi deviously eating away at the gelatine coating of the reels of film, completely and irreversibly ruining the image on each still.

Although the mould is most commonly found on poorly stored home movies, cine-films and archived historical footage, scientists are concerned the problem will spread to big blockbusters too.

The fungal infection, which seems to be more a job for Super Mario and his knowledge of mushroom disposal than for Superman Returns, could be combated and cured by special mould sensors to detect where it strikes; usually where we least expect it! It just goes to show that censorship in film can be a good thing…

Scientists and film critics alike are on their knees praying that the global film collection will remain unharmed by the fatal fungi, ex-

One, two, The mould is coming for you.

Three, four, Better lock your door...

cept for High School Musical and its sequels, in which case they are unanimously agreed that an outbreak of mould covering Zac Efron’s face will definitely make the movie more enjoyable.

First the bacteria killed the aliens in War of The Worlds,, now they’re killing the movie itself. Where will this all stop? It seems that soon cinema goers could be uttering the infamous catchphrase “I love the smell of mildew in the morning…”

So could we soon be seeing Anthony Hopkins with mushrooms instead of eyebrows? Or Angelina Jolie with a toadstool for a nose? (Well now that you mention it…). What does this new revelation mean for our films, our fungal foes and ourselves? Well, the short answer is very little; there is no long answer. Fewer than 100 out of 20,000 films at the NWFA have been targeted by the mould with its large appetite for chick flicks, rom-coms and thrillers.

A Comic Review...

Stephen K. Amos Reading Festival Alternative Stage.

Friday 27th August Appearing on the Reading Festival Alternative stage was Stephen. K. Amos. After appearances on most of the BBC panel quiz shows and Live at the Apollo I pretty much knew what to expect, but I was curious nonetheless. Obviously from a short slot at a festival, you probably shouldn’t expect a comedian to break much new ground, but a large amount of the material he used in the set I had already heard. He touched on regular themes like his strict Nigerian upbringing, and made his favourite joke, that just because he’s a successful black comedian on television, it does not mean that Lenny Henry is dead. While I laughed it was nothing I hadn’t seen before. Luckily the majority of his set was audience interaction and improvisation, tied together with his own material, and here he demonstrated why he is such a popular and successful performer. Engaging with the audience with ease and dismissing hecklers at will he was well received, even if some of his efforts were a little on the predictable side.

Easy observations about festival goer’s aside, his set went down a treat with the audience and certainly kept me entertained. He gives a good energetic performance; just don’t expect him to do anything too different from his earlier performances.

“First the bacteria killed the aliens in War of the Worlds, now they’re killing the movie itself” Mark Bodner of the NWFA told the BBC, ‘It’s a drastic situation’. A bit O.T.T. Bodders; it looks like he may have adopted Tarantino’s love for exaggeration. Despite this, the British Film institute is building a warehouse capable of storing the films at subzero temperatures to tackle the problem. It almost seems like something straight out of the Cold War. For now, we have the upper hand against the mould in a fight bigger than the Persians and Spartans in 300, and as long as the fungus doesn’t leak out of the film and into the popcorn, it should stay that way. But as the scientists were closing the investigation, a researcher swore he heard a tiny fungal whisper in the form of “I’ll be back…”

Good: Interacted well with the audience.

Bad: Relied too heavily on older material.

by Chris Pate

by Adam Ford

6.

CULTURE Top Five Web Comics The word ‘culture’ holds a rather large and varied meaning with students and it is with this in mind that we at The EDGE would like to kick off the new academic year with a laugh. This month we’re starting the new term in high spirits with plenty to look forward to, such as Freshers’ Week debauchery, missing your first lecture of the year and grabbing your favourite student entertainment magazine for a look at internet comedy in the form of web comics; a top five to be precise.

1.

Being consistently both exceptionally well animated and well written, Nicholas Gurewitch’s Perry Bible Fellowship (PBF) has earnt the top spot. Starting in 2001, PBF ran until 2008 with weekly updates on Sundays. With so many updates the comic has a wonderfully diverse archive. The comic has no real theme and very few recurring characters, and both the styles of humour and artwork are very broad, which is probably PBF’s greatest strength – there’s simply a plethora of good writing. The only constant within the PBF universe is that it’s really quite dark, often using child-like simplicity to set up a darkly comic joke that’ll have you reeling with laughter. So if you want to be giggling away like a manic child all afternoon check out www.pbfcomics.com and have a browse over the archive.

From beautifully crafted comic strips to colourless stick-men, xkcd takes the number two spot. Drawing is not Randall Munroe’s specialty, but what the comic strip lacks in terms of art it more than makes up for with humour. Often dark, at times silly, but always funny, xkcd is one of the most intellectual comics around. Munroe is a physics graduate from America who, before working full time on the comics, was an employee at NASA; which makes it understandable that some of the humour can derive from mathematics, computing and science. That doesn’t stop it being ridiculously funny. It’s still running and is updated three times a week without fail so it’s got a great archive to delve into, and my advice is to just get yourself onto xkcd.com and hit the ‘random’ button for hours; I’m not exaggerating when I say your sides will hurt the next morning.

2.

3.

Next are the Cyanide and Happiness comics; highly recognisable with their simple not-quite stickmen characters and their dark and inappropriate humour. It’s the best kind of inappropriate though. No subject is taboo for the four writers, with jokes being made about sex, drugs, cancer, AIDS, gender, race; the list goes on. If you shouldn’t make a joke about it then C&H probably already have. The comic is updated daily, which is a mixed blessing; the quality of writing can differ massively between the four. But for every comic that leaves you stony faced there’s a dozen that’ll have you grinning like a madman. Check out the expansive archive at www.explosm.net and enjoy yourself as you cry laughing. Or cry at the inappropriate subjects they touch on. Either way you’ll cry, but they’ll keep writing the comic.

Fourth in the line-up are the delightful Dinosaur Comics, written by Ryan North. One of the most interesting and indeed impressive features of these particular comics is that the panels are fixed, they very rarely change – the characters, their poses, all the artwork are set and only the text around the images changes. They are rather text-heavy and can be hit and miss at times, but North manages to make a living by only writing the comic so must be doing something right. They’re highly witty and are known to deal with rather deep topics; God and the Devil sometimes feature from outside the frames to offer their own input to the dinosaurs.

Definitely worth checking out at www.qwantz.com. Unfortunately given the text-heavy nature of the comic the example to the left is only the top section! To check out the full comic go to http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1795.

4.

5.

Finally, The Doghouse Diaries. Once again the art style is very simplistic, the comic is rather like xkcd in that it relies on a simple art style and often intellectual humour. Where it falls slightly short is that sometimes the jokes just don’t hit the mark in quite the same way the others in the countdown do, and it’s not wholly unique. It’s a very funny comic series and well worth a look, but it does what other comic websites already do, as opposed to carving out its own niche. The three writers together have crafted a good comic, and it’s well worth checking out over at www.thedoghousediaries.com.

If you liked these...

I guarantee that this top five has something for everyone, from the intellectual to the silly, from beautiful artwork to black and white stick men. If you don’t find something to laugh at then comics just aren’t for you. If comics are for you, then you might like to check out one of Southampton’s own comic enterprises. Three of Southampton’s humanities students, Alex Mann, Toby Marshall and Catherine Heath have joined forces to create Tenapenny. net. The website is relatively new with a rather short archive at the moment, but this is sure to grow and is already host to some wonderful comics, with a varied art style and broad content. Check it out at www.tenapenny.net.

by James Miller

FILM Inception Our film of the summer... o atching to w n e e b d Leo ha movies... many Bond

DIRECTOR:Christopher Nolan STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page RELEASED: July 16 TAGLINE:‘Your Mind is the Scene of the Crime’ RATING: 12A

From Following, through to the jigsaw narratives of Memento and The Prestige, Christopher Nolan has proved himself as an intricate storyteller. However, after having made a billion on The Dark Knight, his latest brings narrational complexity to the masses. Released slap-bang in the middle of 2010 blockbuster season, Inception wasn’t your average summer release. It wasn’t a sequel, prequel or remake for starters.

Leonardo Dicaprio plays master Extractor, Cobb. He makes a living entering people’s subconscience stealing their ideas and secrets for engineering company, Cobalt. His is a troubled soul, overwhelmed with guilt after being accused of murdering his wife Molly (Marion Cotillard). Forced into exile by the mysterious company he works for, he receives a separate proposition which could see him return home and be reunited with his two children. This job offer comes from Mr Saito (Ken Watanabe), the CEO of an energy corporation, who wants to hire Cobb to perform the near-impossible task

of ‘inception’; the process of planting an idea inside a person’s mind. Cobb describes an idea, a genuine moment of inspiration, as the most resilient form of parasite that can take hold and shape the person who thinks it, defining or destroying them. To carry out such a complex task Cobb must assemble a skilled team. He knows that this is his only chance of redemption and he desperately wants to see his children again. Everything must go according to plan, but will ghosts from memories past jeopardise the mission?

It’s not surprising that it has taken nearly a decade for Inception to come to fruition, with various re-writes illustrating the tricky ideas and various sub-plots Nolan is juggling. There really is quite a lot going on. There’s the actual job of inception itself, a heist of the mind involving the construction of three layers of dreams-withindreams, Cobb’s inability to relinquish his memories and Ellen Page’s character, Ariadne, getting to grips with the ideas and technology involved in invading the subconscious. As do we. At one point she speaks for most of the audience when asking, “Whose subconscience are we going into exactly?” Go to the toilet during the film at your own peril.

But the world and technology Nolan has created is fascinating. He is clearly intrigued by the distinctions and convergences of the real and dream worlds. Linking the two, Nolan meditates on dream experiences we have all had. There is the ‘kick’ which is used in the film to jolt the dreamer from the dream world and is akin to that feeling of falling we know so well. Time is manipulated when sleeping so that hours spent in the dream are mere minutes in the real world. Each of the heist team carry a ‘totem’, an object unique to that person to assure them they have awoken and have left the world of the dream.

Ariadne, when learning how to construct dream-space, is warned by Cobb never to build places from memory for risk of losing sight of what is real and what is dreamt.

The look of the film is also impressive, with Wally Pfister’s cinematography gloriously representing the various dream and real-world locales. Nolan obviously wanted the two states to overlap aesthetically as well as thematically. From seeing Paris fold in on itself, paradoxical (Escher-esque) staircases and a cityscape netherworld filled with anonymous skyscrapers to the labyrinthine real-world urban milieus of Tokyo and Mombassa, each setting is captured naturalistically meaning that there is no easy negotiation between what is real and what is imagined – a central theme of the film. When special effects are called for, Nolan has attempted to realise them

Incep grosse tion has d million nearly $250 in the U over £ 30milli .S. and o UK so n in the far... mechanically as opposed to computer graphically. As Arthur, Cobb’s right-hand-man, Joseph Gordon-Levitt grapples with dream-world stooges in a zero-gravity environment. As they drop from floor to ceiling, the camera circles the specially constructed set destabilising and disorientating the viewer - as if in a dream.

The performances are great too. DiCaprio is really beginning to emerge as a mature and dependable actor.

Page, who shot to fame in indie-comedy Juno, shows that she’s not a one trick pony, doing a great job playing new recruit to the team and the audience’s surrogate on screen. Cotillard plays Moll with a tortured countenance, and her increasingly warped Anglo-French accent creates an ethereal quality to her performance that is consistently watchable.

I have always said that a great film is one that challenges and remains with you days after seeing it. Inception is an audacious and innovative piece of cinema that begs for repeat viewings. In a summer of sequels, prequels and remakes, Nolan’s latest comes as a breath of fresh air from Hollywood’s often stagnant ideas pool.

by Adam Vaughan

Inception is showing at

on Tue 2nd November at 7pm.

Good: A rare blockbuster with brains, and it looks breathtaking.

Bad: With so many complex ideas it’s easy to get lost. Stick with it and it’s worth it.

9.

Like this? Then watch: • The Matrix • The Dark Knight

FILM Like this? Then watch: • [Rec] • Paranormal Activity • Cloverfield • The Exorcist d ything goo n a r e v e n “There’s nings onday eve M n o y ll on te o-hum...” anymore. H

The Last Exorcism The shaky-cam-staged documentary is very much in vogue at the moment. It’s the cool new kid on the block that everyone wants to hang around with at break time, and the worrying thing is that it’s teamed up with the resident bully on the playground, the horror genre. The two seem like perfect friends being able to help one another in a dastardly game set out to put you in the shoes of some dimwitted documentary filmmaker and thrust you right into the action, letting you see what they see up close and personal. It’s worked well for the likes of Spanish horror [Rec], JJ Abrams’ Cloverfield and even the breakout hit of last year (that still leaves many with sleepless nights), Paranormal activity. Why is it then that the two seem out of sync in the latest offering to the big screen, The Last Exorcism?

The story centres around a young priest who is out to prove that exorcisms are in fact just all bravado and invites a documentary filmmaking crew along to expose the dark art for what it really is; all showmanship. However, all goes wrong when the case turns out to be an authentic possession meaning his tricks and slights-of-hand do nothing to cure the young girl. The premise is promising but the film simply plods along, giving the cast little to do but wait around for the next horrific thing to happen. Little time is spent on any sort of character development and we are simply to accept that what we see is what we get out of them.

The climax is very dissatisfying with the worst aspects of the genre coming through to leave a ‘clever’, openended final few minutes that has the work of Eli ‘Hostel’ Roth stamped all over it. When the lights came up the groans and dismay of the audience followed, with no one in the late showing seemingly impressed with much about the feature.

However, The Last Exorcism is not all gloom. There are some convincing performances, especially by Ashley Bell as the young possessed girl, Nell Sweetzer. She is both a gifted contortionist and able to move from

E prod li Roth u and N ced the fi his lo athan B lm n a rator g-time co rr - com ll pose abod musi the c

harmless Southern hick to demonic harlot with ease.

The scene where she steals the camera from the team is one of the film’s more chilling sequences. Patrick Fabian is also good as the priest, Cotton Marcus. He is a likable figure who you are able to identify with from the beginning.

However, this reviewer would have liked to see more of him regaining his faith in the church, as opposed to trying to find scientific explanations for the evil goings-on.

All in all this a very missable film, with plenty of better shaky-cam horrors out there. Let’s hope that, like the title, this really is The Last Exorcism.

“When the lights came up the groans and dismay of the audience followed”

by Ted Wilkes

Good: Some good performances and decent scares.

Bad: The last five minutes disappoint, and this idea has been done before and done better.

3.

Bell Ashley nted le-joi is doub emonic d - all her s in the ion contort ne by her do film are pecial efs with no s... fect

DIRECTOR:Daniel Stamm

STARRING:Patrick Fabian, Ashley BellRELEASED: September 10 TAGLINE:‘Believe in Him’ RATING: 15

FILM “Has somebody marshmallows?

taken

my

of eating too The side-effects ts... many blue swee

The Last Airbender

What has happened to M. Night Shyamalan? Ever since his masterful paranormal chiller breakthrough hit, The Sixth Sense, his films have deteriorated, becoming both perplexing and plodding and show no sign of his first film’s expertly constructed plot and eerie atmosphere. This unfulfilled promise came to a head in his last two efforts, Lady in the Water, a misjudged attempt at what seemed like a children’s fairytale, and The Happening, a clunky science-fiction horror indebted to The Day of the Triffids that most certainly wasn’t happening. His latest, treading similar generic water as Lady and seeing him adapt an existing source for the first time, shows no sign of bucking the trend.

In a far-off fantasy world the nomad factions of air, water, earth and fire are at war. In the absence of the Avatar, a saviour who can

“both perplexing and plodding, this shows no sign of bucking the trend” bring balance and harmony to the world, the evil fire nation are attempting to conquer the other tribes. The most skilled of each clan possess the ability to ‘bend’ their respective elements and the airbender of the film’s title is a young boy named Aang. He is the last of his kind and the next Avatar. With the aid of a brother and sister from the water tribe, he begins to master the bending of each element, embrace his great responsibility, and save the world.

It’s based on a Nickelodeon animé series, “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, the prefix presumably ditched thanks to James Cameron’s billionaire behemoth from last year. In fact, The Last Airbender’s first problem is its title in that it sounds a lot more fun than it actually is. There’s martial arts fisticuffs and

elemental bending aplenty, but Shyamalan’s uninspired script fails to venture past concept exposition with too much time dedicated to the whys and wherefors of the rather curious fantasy world and hardly any devoted to character, even if it does travel at an unusually swift pace for M. Night. There is an impressively staged concluding siege on an ice fortress which references the Helm’s Deep skirmish in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, but you get the feeling that, with Shyamalan’s screenplay, you need the three hours of such an epic to get to grips with the all-too-swiftly drawn players.

The cast is made up of largely unknowns.

Noah Ringer plays the next Avatar, fans of the Twilight series may recognise Jackson Rathbone, and it’s good to see Dev Patel (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) branching out into villainy as a banished Prince of the fire tribe who attempts to capture Aang and redeem himself in a strange and underdeveloped secondary plot.

Stranger still, however, is the assumption that the film will return for a sequel with plot threads left dangling. With a convoluted plot, an overreliance on slow-mo’d special effects and fight scenes, and an unengaging main cast, it’s difficult to see this franchise having any legs in it. The Last Airbender should be just that.

by Adam Vaughan Good: Some decently constructed action set-pieces.

Bad: Clunky, confused and dull.

3.

M. Night Shyamalan: The Story so Far...

The Sixth Sense: A chilling and moving ghost story. Shyamalan’s breakout film about a boy who can see the dead established traits he would consistently use: A Hitchcockian cameo, distinctive palette and a twist from leftfield.

Unbreakable: M. Night’s follow-up takes a fresh look at the superhero movie with a story about a seemingly invincible Bruce Willis.

Its innovative plot and foreboding atmosphere makes this an underrated entry in his back-cat.

Signs: Shyamalan’s distinctively small-scale alien invasion film saw Mel Gibson’s family pestered by threatening out-of-towners. It’s tense and well performed throughout.

The Village: His fourth feature, about a secluded community stalked by hooded ghoulies in what looks like the 19th Century, isn’t as bad as many people would have you believe. The twist is bonkers, but at least it makes sense - sort of.

Lady in the Water: This 2006 release marked a significant change of direction for M. Night. And it wasn’t a great one. Centred on Bryce Dallas Howard’s mystical ‘Narf’ trying to get back to her world, it boasted lots of mini-twists and M. Night in a supporting role. He may be an accomplished visual artist, but bless’im, he’s no Olivier.

The Happening: No sign of Mr. Shyamalan here, but plenty of subpar thesping is provided by Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel as they attempt to flee an invisible threat that makes people commit suicide. Is it a chemical gas? The wind? Who cares?

DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan

STARRING: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Jackson Rathbone RELEASED: August 13 TAGLINE:‘Four Nations, One Destiny’ RATING: PG

FILM Rappe rs The Ga me, Co mmon a nd Ice Cube were r umore d for th e role of BA Ba racus

DIRECTOR: Joe Carnahan

These bloke s were takin g the weekly office paintball outi ng a little too se riously...

STARRING: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel RELEASED: July 30 TAGLINE:‘There is no Plan B’ RATING: 12A

The A-Team When we think of blockbuster movies adapted from classic 80’s TV shows, which examples spring to mind? Well most likely Starsky & Hutch and Miami Vice, released and subsequently tanking in 2004 and 2006 respectively. Needless to say, we were naturally sceptical about a silver screen re-mastering of the A-Team, a show that was far more popular and infinitely more ridiculous than its cop show counterparts. But through sheer spectacle and pant-wetting action, the plan most certainly came together this summer.

Smoking Aces and Narc director, Joe Carnahan is certainly no stranger to riotous over the top action, and it definitely took a noholds-barred approach at the helm to get this movie off the ground; more than get it off the ground, Carnahan stuck dynamite to it and blew it into the stratosphere. The movie combines that vital level of silliness and self-mockery to compliment the eye-bulging amount of action that would otherwise be less enjoyable to watch. Sure, it’s fun to watch four men fly a parachuting tank, shooting the cannon over rural Germany under gunfire by air force fighters, but what makes it memorable are the groans and head-slaps of on-looking officers as Murdock tries to explain to BA Baracus that they aren’t on a plane anymore because it exploded in mid air after they knocked him out. Moments like these are a dime-a-dozen in this movie, but even mixing up their fake passports at airport security becomes as suspenseful as it is hilarious. But this balance couldn’t be maintained

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without the actors who make-up the A-team, and they more or less scream mix and match backgrounds. Between Liam Neeson playing Hannibal Smith and Bradley Cooper as Face – the former being more at home in serious leading roles and the latter being more of a comedic man-child – there’s already a mentor-protégée dynamic that makes the group a lot more than two-dimensional caricatures of their 80’s incarnations. The role of BA Baracus (which admittedly sounds like the coolest humanities degree ever) was always a point for concern, what with Mr T’s immense amount of hapless publicity wearing the character a little thin. Luckily, relative unknown Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson evolves the character just enough to make it his own without losing the classic appeal of Baracus’ no fool-pitying antics. Finally we have the inspired casting of District 9’s Sharlto Copley as Murdock, an actor who already looks fairly insane and can pull off a Texan accent just as effectively as his native South African.

As 80’s TV adaptations go, The A-team has without a doubt been the most successful in terms of its popularity, treatment and modernisation of what made the show great.

Even if you’re not a fan of the show, you’ll most definitely be a fan of the movie.

“It combines silliness ans self-mockery to complement the eyebulging action...”

Calling All Film Buffs!

n

Quinto

by Sam Thomas

Like this? Then watch: • The Expendables • Miami Vice • Star Trek • Starsky & Hutch

The A-Team is showing at

on Sun 14th November at 5pm.

Good: Lots of ‘knock-your-socksoff’ action that keeps close to the original T.V series.

Bad: Not much.

9.

If you love films as much as we do, you can find even more film reviews at; www.wessexscene.co.uk/the-edge

September/October TheGigGuide

FRIDAY

24

Bury Tomorrow @ Joiners 19.00

27

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

28 RecklessLove & JETT Black @ Joiners 19.30

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Sound of Guns @ Joiners 19.30 The Light Divided @ Porstmouth Wedgewood Rms 19.30

WEDNESDAY

5

4 Everything, Everything @ The Talking Heads 20.00

29

1

30 We Are the Ocean @ Joiners 20.00

The Deadstring Brothers @ The Talking Heads 20.00

FRIDAY

8 Science of 8 Limbs @ Joiners 19.30

Curved Air @ The Brook 20.00

Example @ O2 Academy, Bournemouth

The Widowmaker @ Hamptons

MONDAY

TUESDAY

11 Bowling For Soup @ Southampton Guildhall 19.00 Frequency @ Bridge Bar SUSU 20.00

Crystal Castles @ O2 Academy, Bournemouth 19.00

WEDNESDAY

12

Get Cape Wear Cape Fly @ Portsmouth Wedgewood Rms 20.00

Plan B @ Southampton Guildhall 19.30

THURSDAY

13 NME Radar Tour (feat. Joy Formidable) @ Portsmouth Wedgeood Rms 20.00

FRIDAY

14 Dinosaur Pile Up @ Joiners 19.30

SATURDAY

15 Beyond Helpl @ Joiners 19.30

The Detachments @ Joiners 19.30

SUNDAY

2 Stringerbessant @ Joiners 19.30

3

Go West @ The Brook 8.00

White Night @ O2 Academy Bournemouth 20.00

SATURDAY

7

6

26

25

SPARK @ UNIT 11.00

FRIDAY

THURSDAY

Lacuna Coil @ Portsmouth Wedgewood Rms 20.00

The Tennessee 3 @ The Brook 20.00

THURSDAY

SUNDAY

Howard Jones (Acoustic) @ Talking Heads 19.30

MGMT @ O2 Academy Bournemouth 20.00

MONDAY

SATURDAY

9

The Magic Numbers @ Portsmouth Wedgewood Rms 19.00

SUNDAY

10 Don Bronco @ Joiners 19.30