College Tribune: The Siren Issue 3

INSIDE

THE GOAL IS SOUL LEGENDARY PERCUSSIONIST STEVE REID PAGE 3

MARK DOHERTY GOING DEAF AGAIN DUBLIN ELECTRONIC ARTS FESTIVAL PREVIEW PAGE 4

STAR OF ‘A FILM WITH ME IN IT’ SPEAKS PAGE 10

MOTÖRING ALONG EXCLUSIVE MOTORHEAD INTERVIEW PAGE 6

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College Tribune Arts & Culture Supplement | 14.10.08

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

Documenting the rising Rise Against come from a long line of Chicago punk bands who came to fruition in the late nineties. Like most bands who came up through Chicagos’s legendary fireside bowl, the band developed a set of blue-collar work ethics, which is clearly evident in the regularity of their harsh touring schedules. So it comes as no surprise that Appeal To Reason has been completed within mere months of finishing touring with their 2006 release The Sufferer & The Witness, and now the band are returning to the road to promote their latest installment.

Aside from a line-up alteration, with Zach Blair taking over lead guitar duties, not much else has changed for this album. The band’s signature harsh, heavy guitar sound is still present, as are Tim McIlrath’s lyrics of un-

rest, dissatisfaction with society and the apathy of the population. Once again, McIlrath gives his own sociopolitical commentary from first verse to final chord of the record.

It was always going to be a challenge to produce a follow up to their impressive 2006 effort. For the most part Rise Against have succeeded, although in places the songs lack some of the urgency and passion that characterised their past releases. Lyrically Appeal To Reason is consistent with previous releases from the band. Recently describing the band’s material on this album McIlrath said; “This is music that appeals to reason – the reasonable parts of the human psyche”.

On being described as radical and controversial, he stated; “I don’t see anything real radical about what it is

we do. Only in a world this screwed up could concepts like being fair to people, being fair to each other, and growing up in a world that gives everybody a chance, only in today’s world could that concept be radical or be considered radical.” Undoubtedly, these concepts are recurring themes throughout the album.

On the opening track from the album, Collapse (Post-Amerika), McIlrath voices his disgust with the human neglect of the planet; “A world too proud to admit our mistakes, we’re crashing into the ground”. One of the highlights of the record is the first single to be released, Re-Education (Through Labor). Perfectly layered guitars provide a sonically flawless backdrop for McIlrath’s anthem of defiance against the powers that be.

RISE AGAINST APPEAL TO REASON

★★★★★ Equally hostile, Hero Of War explores the world of military conflict and the modern soldier from a very different, and thought-provoking, viewpoint.Along with the aggression and turmoil, there are more mellow moments present, that deal with issues ranging from the loss of childhood in Audience Of One to matters of the heart in Savior, and McIlrath once again displays his diverse songwriting abilities.

While the band has produced a

SEASICK STEVE

IGLU & HARTLY

BEN FOLDS

I STARTED OUT WITH NOTHING AND I STILL GOT MOST OF IT LEFT

& THEN BOOM

WAY TO NORMAL

For those of you who would be expecting something different from the proclaimed hobo of blues guitar, you won’t actually get it, but that is not to say that his new album is without merit.

I Started Out With Nothin...’ is a thoroughly interesting and completely engrossing release. It is presented in such a personable way, as those who are familiar with Steve’s preceding records would be glad to know. He introduces several of the tracks in his deep drawling voice, giving the listener that bit more of a connection with the songs.

Possibly the most interesting part of this record is the few collaborations that appear. The most exciting one of these is the input of Nick Cave with his Grinderman project on Just Like A King.

Predictably, it stomps and thuds, yet still has the rough edges that are characteristic of a Seasick Steve record.

Another surprise is the contribution of KT Tunstall. This works far better than one would expect, and her voice perfectly underscores Steve’s on Happy Man. This is probably Seasick Steve’s most cohesive and solid release to date, but it keeps the same old rustic charm that has propelled him to this place of renown he currently occupies. Listen up and be converted.

EOIN BOYLE

★★★★★

Even in the electro-saturated market, & Then Boom - that’s right, this Californian quintet positively love using ampersands - holds it’s own against the likes of MGMT and Gym Class Heroes. This is an impressive feat, especially given the fact that the insistent obnoxiousness of this lot almost predisposes a reviewer towards negativity before so much as a single track has played. Kudos Iglu. Kudos Hartly.

As an album, it’s an interesting mix of alternative, rap and electro. In This City, a Phantom favourite, is by far the strongest track on the album and demonstrates the band’s affinity for their synthesizer. The only real qualm one could have about this album is that the boys are obviously fans of the ‘nothing like a line repeated constantly to get you hooked eh?’ school of thought, and to be fair it does work on some tracks.

However, it does begin to grate when you listen to the full album, most notably on Whatever We Like where, ‘FYI’, they can do whatever they like, whatever they like... whatever they like.

It may not be eclectic or daring but & Then Boom is a fun and easy album, guaranteed to make you break out your old Casio keyboard, press demo and dream of being the next electro kings.

What, just me?

CLARE GILLETT

★★★★★

very good record, it does tend to run over the same ground both lyrically and musically as their previous releases, while also being slightly tamer than fans may expect. Granted, this album may not be Rise Against’s finest effort, but there are enough great tracks on Appeal To Reason to ensure that it does not diminish the bands standing as one of modern punk’s most respected acts.

Way To Normal, Folds’ third solo album release, is far from flawless, but what Ben Folds album isn’t? Similar to previous Folds’ albums, Way To Normal sets out to document the trials and tribulations of a relationship meltdown. From You Don’t Know Me, featuring Regina Spektor, to Bitch Went Nuts, Folds establishes the feelings and thoughts of a couple almost to a confessional level.

As usual, his lyrics are questionable and it would be true to say he crosses the line from time to time, but it is Folds’ charisma and humour that insists we listen and observe. Rather than Folds becoming more mature with his years, he seems to be regressing. Although the melodies are as catchy as ever, the tracks lack consistency. Free Coffee is a good example: Rather than building up to

JIM SCULLY

something, it quite steadily crescendos, but never quite reaches the finale, leaving the listener unsatisfied.

Ben Folds is a mischievous songwriter, but his latest release displays more of a childlike quality, as opposed to an adult poking fun. It is in parts an uncomfortable album to listen to, most particularly Brainwascht and Effington, sounding amateur and unpolished to say the very least. Way To Normal is a disappointing album, leaving the listener expecting more from each track, but never being indulged. Maybe it’s a grower…

RACHEL BOYLE

★★★★★

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

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Reiding the rhythm Legendary jazz percussionist Steve Reid, a man of immense energy and spirit, shoots the breeze with Bryan Dunleavy Steve Reid is, beyond doubt, a jazz hero. He has played with artists as diverse as James Brown to Miles Davis right through to Chaka Khan in a career that started in the late 50’s. Yet he remains unknown to the masses.

This is unquestionably due to the fact that he refuses to stand still. It is this particular quality which saw him record with an ensemble consisting of local African musicians as well as English electronic virtuoso Kieran Ebdon (Four Tet) in Dakar in 2007. “Its all good when your playing in New York or London, but you can’t forget the others.”

For Steve, working with indigenous musicians cuts out the middle man.

Roots are deeply ingrained in his musical makeup. He names his desire to change direction as the yin to the prolific yang - in other words, why he‘s produced a relatively small number of records. His next project is a planned Latin drumming escapade. He is, however, currently touring with the Dakar project. West Africa, which he defines as the “origin of all world rhythms”, has been a regular haunt of his for many years. The last time he visited the area was during the Vietnam War, and on his return home he received a four-year sentence for dodging the draft. “The Quaker religious group gave me some drums there and we turned it into a positive experience.”

In fact, his positive outlook on life without doubt transcends into the music and, regardless of genre, he states that all his music has medicinal properties. “The people deserve it, the extremists in religion and politics are taking over.” He describes his live

show as a giving-and-receiving experience. “We give love and spiritual vibes to the people for looking beyond television and radio and seeking out new music….also we want them dancing; this isn’t an intellectual exercise, this is about fun, about something they can follow and understand.”

Steve expresses his concerns about the commercialism evident in modern music: “Less and less importance is given to the music - today people are more concerned with becoming a star than being a good musician. Stand up for what you do and don’t follow the money. I’m pre- all that. I’m preinternet, pre-mobile, pre-digital.” He asserts that he is not a technophobe, in fact praising the internet as a bastion of creativity. He does however regard the live show in higher esteem. In his quest to spread music Steve Reid has travelled every corner of the globe; “I could maybe have been famous if I stayed on the Motown and pop scene but I didn’t, I believe in the little guy,

“I believe in the little guy, I believe the good guys will always win” I believe the good guys will always win.”

The Dakar record itself is a rhythmic adventure. The melodies and the harmonies are generated from the drum rhythms laid down by Steve and Senegalese djembe player Marmadue Sah. “It’s difficult for the non-percussionists in the band, but these guys can pick a hair off the ground, and anyway life is a groove, absolutely everything has a rhythm.” The other members of the group are all in their late twenties and early thirties. Steve recognises the benefits of playing with younger guys.

“Sometimes they want to learn and

sometimes they don’t, so in effect I‘m passing on my exploits and at the same time picking up new ones ...If I was playing now what I played thirty years ago it wouldn’t be challenging or satisfying, fortunately many young people are pushing forward the boundaries of the so called jazz music”. However, he adds jokingly that the only reason he’s been leading his current band for seven years is because all his contemporaries are gone.

Before any poignancy can take hold though, he follows the statement with an idiosyncratically heart warming, yet bowelshockingly deep African -American laugh. Long may his joyful vigor continue.

» The Steve Reid Ensemble featuring Four Tet play The Button Factory on October 26th

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM

AC/DC

THE ‘59 SOUND

IF YOU WANT BLOOD, YOU’VE GOT IT

Following the success of Hot Fuss, the Killers went all megalomaniac and decided that they were the best band in the world. Searching for a sound big enough to fit the title, they decided to copy Born To Run-era Springsteen and all of a sudden the Boss was resurrected from Dad’s CD rack.

Now every band has its influences but the Gaslight Anthem reek of Springsteen, and with lead-singer Brian Fallon sounding like a more manly Brandon Flowers, they bear a kind of skewed resemblance to the Killers. Think Sam’s Town, only with basic punk rock arrangements and no synthesiser. As for the Springsteen checklist, it’s all here; soaring choruses, simple chord progressions, songs about running away...

The album is populated by tough ‘heart of gold’ wanderers all full of that vague ‘American Dream’ of yearning for something better; be it freedom, love, Saturday night... It’s a familiar

formula, and while it allows easy access to the characters’ world it sometimes feels like the songs are written about archetypes as opposed to real people.

Bands like No Age and Titus Andronicus are doing far more interesting things with punk rock at the minute but these guys are good at what they do, however limited their ambition. If you like your rawk big and easy then this might be for you.

DIARMUID LAFFAN

★★★★★

What happened this week forty years ago? The answer from most people would be… not much! One thing that springs to mind is the explosion of Australian rock legends AC/DC onto American and European turf, sporting their latest gut-wrenching, adrenaline filled, high voltage album, If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It. This was the Aussie boys’ ninth record to be released, and became an immediate hit. It captures an electrifying performance one night during the Powerage Tour, recorded live in Glasgow seven months prior to its release. The album celebrates the unique blend of the pure and perverse sound AC/DC are famous for, and places you straight in the middle of this in-theflesh unholy union, and promises some serious headbanging. The image on the cover says it all.

As live albums go, it definitely deserves a tip-of-the-cap; showcasing gritty, raw lyrics about problem children, bad boy rockers, and groupies sang over three simple chords played loud, proud and with little restraint… and this is all present from the word go. The opening track Riff Raff takes you front and centre at the concert as guitarist, Angus Young, plays the opening strains

RELEASED: OCTOBER 13TH 1978 while the increasingly rowdy audience claps in unison to then be met by the track’s powered up 50’s-style boogie beat and rhythm. The song is turned up another notch by the energetic - and groggy - vocals of Bon Scott, which in turn seal the deal.

Keeping the level of manic euphoria up, they jump straight into Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be, a song about the joys of an unbalanced relationship, and how it sucks, coupled with a simple - and catchy - main riff. The Jack cools things down by introducing some blues into the equation. In saying this, Scott’s little sing-along just revs the listeners up for more.

Other tracks that are a must listen are the cheeky Problem Child, that makes you want to give two fingers to anyone who stands in the way of you doing what you want. Whole Lotta Rosie shows us a ballsy AC/DC with

its chunky memorable riff, and lyrics telling all about sex with a nineteen stone woman while the crowd chant “Angus”. The iconic Let There Be Rock shows us that these boys from down under can really bring the house down, using preachy lyrics and massive, fiveminute, electrifying solos.

If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It is an impressive album that takes hits from pervious albums, such as Let There Be Rock and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, and builds on them, making them louder and more powerful. It is the sound of AC/DC, and their fans, living in the moment of high-voltage rock’n’roll. It is definitely a worthy addition to anyone’s collection, as it is one of the greatest live albums ever made and proves that they were - and are the loudest and dirtiest band alive.

SIMON KEATING

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

Atomically correct Nicholas Appleby, lead singer and guitarist with unsigned garage rock band The Mighty Atomics, chats to Heather Landy about influences, the Irish gigging scene and how 60’s music is making a comeback The Irish scene is currently pulsating with an assortment of unsigned acts gigging relentlessly in the hope of clinching a record deal, or at least gaining notoriety on the music scene.

One band who have emerged in recent months among the current crop are the Mighty Atomics, a Dublin based unsigned band who infuse garage rock with energy and raw drive to create music that unwittingly sends the audience into a nostalgic frenzy. Their music certainly sounds like it was transported from the 60’s heyday of the Beatles and Velvet Underground, but is it really an ode to the 60’s in a musical sense? Nicholas explains; “It is the kind of music we like to play. We don’t dig on electronica and that sort of crap. We just like it plain and simple, wear your heart on your sleeve, if you know what I mean.”

The band possesses a definitive edge over the hordes of the unsigned competition; not many acts would boast such unusual influences as the Mighty Atomics. “Our biggest influence is the Sonics, a band from the mid-1960’s hailing from Washington. They played with a consciously raw and wild sound. They would be considered antipop. They created the blueprint for pop-rock.”

Boasting such edgy influences would definitely intrigue those with a taste for garage rock, which has in the last couple of years enjoyed a revival: The White Stripes and The Strokes, along with some lesser known bands such as Von Bondies and The Detroit Cobras, spring to mind. Garage rock was seen by some as one of the underground music genres of the 1960’s and had a certain level of cool attached to its sound.

From the Yardbirds to The Wailers, garage rock slowly began to emerge as a more raw and passionate substitute to the soul and pop music of the day.

The next logical step for an unsigned band is to get in the recording studio, to produce a single or EP. Nicholas laughs; “We have a few bits of recording equipment in our back garden which we have been messing around with. We haven’t gotten into a studio yet but maybe that is something to

think about for the future but for the moment we are concentrating on playing loads and loads of gigs because that is where we feel our sound really is. We are a live band and we feel that it is the best way to get our message across.”

For a band of only six months they have done pretty well for themselves: The Mighty Atomics have played at the King Kong Club in Pravda as part of the annual battle of the bands contest and have gigged extensively around the vicinity of Dublin and Wicklow. Last week they played Eamonn Doran’s with a number of other unsigned acts, and soon they will play Whelan’s.

Nicholas muses, “It is quite intimidating to be playing in Whelan’s so soon in our short career.

We have only been around for six months; it all seems a bit mad but hopefully it will all go down well!” The Mighty Atomics are a band primarily comprised of students. We all need to know how a band can juggle work with play. “I wouldn’t call it juggling. I would call it dropping your studies and concentrating on your music.

We wouldn’t be very good jugglers. We practically have no hours in college so we practice twice a week no problem.”

It is always interesting to learn how a band goes from being a dream to a reality. “A friend of mine was putting on a gig for the charity Suas and he asked us to put on a gig. Conor [drummer] I knew from playing in another band, Chris was our keyboardist but he has left us now, and Maurice [bass] I knew from a friend of a friend, so it’s now currently just the three of us. It was all a spur of the moment. We had only been together for two weeks before our first gig.”

So are we to expect the Mighty Atomics to embark into the serious realm of music or are they purely just playing for a love of music?

“We all love to play but it is early in the game to be saying that, but it is always a dream. Anyone who has a guitar has a dream of playing on MTV and that sort of crap. Our main goal primarily is to be playing loads of gigs.” Catch the Mighty Atomics before they explode.

» The Mighty Atomics play Whelan’s on October 18th www.myspace.com/ themightyatomics

ELECTRI EXTRAV Stephen Shannon, production master, technical wizard and founder member of Halfset, finds time to discuss the finer points of their long-awaited second album with Sebastian Clare and The Mailmen

The Dublin Electronic Arts Festival is now in its seventh year, and during the forthcoming October Bank Holiday weekend it will be taking over Dublin. Following on the Asian theme of last year, DEAF is bigger and broader in its ambitions and scope. Between Thursday the 23rd and Sunday the 26th of this month, DEAF will be hosting a total of 52 events throughout the city; from bigger venues, like Vicar Street and Whelan’s, through to the small independent galleries. DEAF is not going to let you avoid it.

DEAF represents everything that is great in Irish and International electronic arts. The growth over the past two to three years of independent Irish promoters and music collectives means that the audience for electronic arts has grown exponentially. The diversity of sounds, basis for experimentation, and general willingness of the ipod generation to listen to music which is never going to hit the charts has grown along with it. This smorgasbord of ingredients make this sort of festival viable, both in terms of feasibility and the wide range and quality of acts on show.

With so many acts, giving this festival the fullest consideration is a fool’s errand; it is almost impossible to give a digestible preview that covers every morsel of the feast. Instead, here we will pick out a few acts and explain just why people need to get involved. These will inevitably concern the bigger gigs but there will be free events, talks and demonstrations going on everywhere all weekend.

Thursday 27th: NURSE WITH WOUND AND STEPHEN O’MALLEY, ANDREW’S LANE, €22.50 Nurse With Wound are true legends. They have been around in various guises since 1978, with the only constant being Steven Stapleton.

Members have included Jim O’Rourke, Stereolab and many more. There are now over 40 fulllength Nurse With Wound titles. Stapleton’s eclectic tastes in art, film and music are often reflected in the broad and often unpredictable and unlikely music of Nurse With Wound - the output of which draws directly on nearly every musical genre imaginable, yet consistently retains a distinctive and recognisable Nurse With Wound ‘sound’.

Another reason for checking this out is that with the ticket you get free entry into another gig that is on afterwards in ALT, featuring Mad

EP, Ebola and Ed Devane. As we’ve come to expect from Kaboogie and Foggy Notions, this line-up hints at an eclectic night mixing electronica, dubstep, glitch and whatever else the artists can find.

Friday 25th: M83 AND CHANNEL ONE, VICAR STREET, €23 M83 released the brilliant Saturdays=Youth this year, and is now set to further establish his name through his appearance at DEAF allied with the recent announcement of his supporting slot for the Kings Of Leon European tour this autumn/ winter. M83 channels Blade Runner styled synths over exquisite production, creating something both beautiful and playful at the same time.

Support act Channel One are definitely a band to keep an eye out for in the coming months as they finalise their first album. Employing a mixture of electronics and live instrumentation, Channel One have been wowing audiences across the world - including the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) - for a few years now.

Saturday 26th: SYNTH EASTWOOD PRESENT CYCLES, MEETING HOUSE SQUARE, €0 Rapidly gathering fame for their audio/visual/ technological explorations, this will be the sixth Synth Eastwood extravaganza since their inception in May 2006. Synth Eastwood are a group who collect pieces from a range of disciplines under specific categories and organise shows to display them. But this isn’t an art show - this is a gig with a focus on interactivity and versatility. The visual pieces will be accompanied by the Synth Eastwood band and other guests.

Sunday 27th: DEAF CLOSING PARTY, €35 Where can you begin with this one? What the creators have basically done is build a festival

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

MUSIC

C AGANZA

on Wexford Street.

The range of choice is staggering; from the beautiful guitar and visual show of Chequerboard (highly recommended), to the majestic rage that is Fuck Buttons, from the amazing dubstep provided from the Wobble DJs to the techno supergroup that is Model 500.

This event is being held in the main Whelans venue, upstairs in Whelans and the Village. With over 20 acts plus DJs and then visuals, this will definitely be the highlight of the year in terms of gigs

in Dublin.

It will be particularly exciting to see how the Dublin acts, such as Chequerboard, Rollers/Sparkers and Legion of Two, hold up against the giants of electronica, like Laurent Garnier.

To highlight one act; Model 500 are another of the acts playing who truly deserve the tag of ‘legends’.

Their mission: to bring live techno to the masses and rediscover the soul of this seminal sound. It’s the first time Atkins has performed live to an audience and the show comes with a “no fuck-ups not guaranteed” caveat, but as Banks argues, that’s what makes it interesting for the audience; the fact that you’ll hear the tracks as you’ve never heard them before, even if they don’t always get it just right. This is a rare opportunity to see a genuine techno supergroup, so we would advise you to get your Closing Party ticket and start practising your chinstroking now.

Again there are so many things happening that we don’t have space for them all here but one thing to mention are the free workshops being organised throughout the city BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Totally Wired film/Q+A, FAW workshop are both happening in the Digital hub, and the Kaboogie DJs will hosting an workshop on production and DJ-ing for free from 3pm upstairs in Anseo on the Sunday.

» www.deafireland.com

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A sideways look at...

Insipid Anodyne Shitrock Everybody hold on to your carefully groomed stubble, Chinos, and loose fitting shirts. That’s right; Coldplay will be back with a new release, this year! Anybody hoping that it will merely be a mediocre Christmas single is in for a big disappointment as the band have apparently managed to concoct a whole new mediocre album! That Christmas release slot for albums is so mightily profitable that the lads must have been sweating blood to have it done in time. That or they’re just slapping together the leftovers of Viva La Vida.

You’re forced to wonder how it all came to this; a band of such banality, led by a man made of plywood who somehow contrives to end up marrying a Hollywood actress (admittedly an equally boring one), selling out stadiums.

Well, obviously the blame goes towards wh at ev e r gormless sods buy their shite.

More importantly, they’ve only gone and encouraged more of this Ryvita brand of rock. As we may have all gleefully forgotten,

this year has been immense for narcolepsy-inducing rock. Kaiser “Ahahahahah” Chiefs, Snow Patrol, Keane, the aforementioned Kings of Sleep-rock Coldplay... They will all have released new albums by the end of this year, and all will have been forcibly shoved down the public’s collective gullet.

These bands are generally the most likely thing you will hear while handing over that 50 quid for a pair of socks in BT2, or whilst finishing that bottle of Heino as quickly as possible in order to escape those business types you were conned into going to a party with. More to the point, all this tripe only serves to feed perhaps the biggest shit-peddlers of the past decade with more publicity. That’s right, every time one of these bands stain the planet with their work, Noel or Liam will inevitably pop up and say something insightfully clever; “Keane? Shit!”. It may be true, but replace the word ‘Keane’ in that statement with the word ‘Oasis’ and it doesn’t get any less true.

However, all is not lost in today’s world of overly standard rock; Pete Doherty recently offered to climb into a coffin with live rats. True.

Wednesday 15th October: Enter Shikari, Ambassador, €29, doors at 7.30pm Mongrel, Academy, €18.50, doors at 7pm

Wednesday 22nd October Pivot, Whelan’s, €12.50, doors at 8pm

Friday 17th October Times New Viking feat. No Age and Los Campesinos!, Whelan’s, €15.50, doors at 8pm Saturday 18th October Cyndi Lauper, Tripod, €40, doors at 7.30pm Fall Out Boy, RDS, €37.50, doors at 7.30pm Messiah J & The Expert, Andrew’s Lane, €15, doors at 8pm Carly Sings, Sugar Club, €10, doors at 7.30pm Sunday 19th October Jenny Lewis, Button Factory, €17, doors at 7.30pm Monday 20th October Holy Fuck, Academy, €17.50, doors at 7pm Nizlopi, Whelan’s, €15, doors at 8.30pm Tuesday 21st October Black Kids, Academy, €17.50, doors at 8pm

STEPHEN TUOHY

Thursday 23rd October Vampire Weekend, Ambassador, €28, doors at 7.30pm Nurse With Wound, Andrew’s Lane, €22.50, doors at 8pm The Flaws, Whelan’s, €14, doors at 8pm Friday 24th October M83, Vicar Street, €23, doors at 7.30pm Trans AM, The Village, €20, doors at 7.30pm Sunday 26th October DEAF Closing Party, Whelan’s & The Village, €35, doors at 7.30pm Justice, Ambassador, €28, doors at 10.30pm Steve Reid Ensemble feat. Four Tet, Button Factory, €21.50, doors at 7.30pm Monday 27th October Elbow, Ambassador, €34, doors at 7.30pm Throw Me The Statue, Whelan’s, €14, doors at 8pm Seb’s Pick: Jenny Lewis plays the Button Factory this Sunday

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

Motörhead’s Mikkey Dee took time out from their hectic tour schedule to chat about rock’n’roll, dumbass critics, the faults of the modern rock scene, and, inevitably, about being genuinely old school, with Fergal O’Reilly Had Motörhead called it quits twenty years ago, they could have done so, content in the knowledge that they were one of the most influential rock acts of all time. After all, they were the progenitors of what is now known as ‘speed metal’; a fusion of punk and heavy metal that paved the way for the likes of Metallica, Slayer and a whole slew of modern heavy rock and thrash bands.

But none of this matters because they’re still going strong and cranking out high octane rock’n’roll, and after 30 years and 19 studio albums they show no sign of even slowing down. For the last 16 years, Swedish-born drummer Michael Kiriakos Delaouglou, aka Mikkey Dee, has been a driving force behind the band’s relentless forward momentum.

Since taking over on sticks duty for the enigmatic - and imaginatively monikered - Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor in 1992, Mikkey has recorded

on, and toured with, ten Motörhead albums.

Despite being the baby of the band, he is now 44 and a father of two. Yet his enthusiasm for making no-frills rock’n’roll is showing no signs of waning. Consequently the band has been in a rich vein of form ever since Mikkey joined. It appears that the trio are now in a much more comfortable position: Gone are the revolving-door line-ups and the strained relations with record companies that marked much of the band’s early career. The band, now comprising of Mikkey, Phil Campbell and Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, resemble a closely-knit band of brothers.

Mikkey explains that they’re still enjoying what they do and that it’s only getting easier: “You know it’s easier, not easy. But it is easier to write and be creative if you or the band is doing well and you have been doing well on the tour.

And I think it’s just natural that it’ll come out a little better. Let’s say you struggled on the tour and you think you’re not playing that good, or we don’t have a good harmony in the band, then I’m sure, I’m convinced, it will reflect in records. It’s always as I say that each record that you do is,

“Each record that you do is a reflection of the past year. It’s kind of a doctor’s bill, for how the band is doing”

at least for me, a reflection of the past year. It’s kind of a doctor’s bill, you know, for how the band is doing.”

If this is the case, then life must be pretty hunky dory in the Motörhead camp, because the new album M ot o r i z e r sounds as vital as anything from their much romanticized golden-era of ’77-’82.

It was of course in this period that such classic anthems as Ace Of Spades and B o mb e r emerged.

But new tracks like ‘Runaround Man’ and ‘Rock Out’ sound as forceful and in-your-face as both of those aforementioned classics.

Of course, there’s nothing radically new on this album, and you could pick out just about any song of this record and identify it as a reprisal of some earlier gem; but then the fans expect just that. “Each record has to be sounding like a Motörhead album”, explains Mikkey. “But I do believe we are taking a small step forward with every record, but we don’t want to take a big step. It should be a new Motörhead album; it has to sound Motörhead. Some bands you listen to, there from one record to another, you don’t even think it’s the same band.

So we have to be very careful there.”

It is the band’s uncompromising attitude that has won them legions of loyal fans over the years. You are never going to be caught off guard with any new Motörhead release because they’ve stuck to their own tried and

tested blue-print from day one. They have willfully eschewed the pomp and theatrics of some of their 70’s contemporaries in favour of a more primal sound. One might then criticise the band for their lack of progression, yet this is what the fans respect most about their heroes. Undoubtedly, it’s a double edged sword; the stasis for which they are revered is also what attracts the most criticism.

So is Motorizer then, just another typical Motörhead release? Mikkey both accepts and counters any such criticism. “You have a bunch of dumbasses that really don’t know much about Motörhead or have followed Motörhead and comes out with a comment like: ‘Here’s just another Motörhead album’. And I’m sure to some people it does sound like that.

But for the ones who actually follow every record and know us, they can

Taking

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totally tell that it’s not just another record. It’s a new album. They’re new fresh songs. It does sound different, but yet at the same time it is very much a Motörhead album.”

Dee is himself a product of heavy metal’s halcyon days, having cut his teeth as drummer for 80’s metal superstars King Diamond, Helloween and Don Dokken. Additionally, he cites Thin Lizzy’s Brian Downey and Deep Purple’s Ian Paice as his two biggest influences. It should come as no surprise then that his core values regarding recording and playing live are very much shaped by his oldschool background. It is unsurprising also, that he has a particular disdain for the folly of ‘getting ahead’ in the music business today. Mikkey explains just what it is about the mentality of the modern rock band that grinds his gears: “They over-produce

in the studio. I mean today to write a record it’s so easy. You can do it in your house. You can create insanely good music and then you’re supposed to play it live and it just doesn’t work.

Motörhead is coming from the old school where you actually you flick that switch and you have to roll the tape and record. There was no cheating. Anytime I was recording there were never any pro-tools, and you couldn’t cut and cheat the way you can today. So we still record in a very honest way and I think that comes across when you listen to it. I mean when I go back to albums like Made In Japan [Deep Purple] or Live and Dangerous [Thin Lizzy]...I mean, come on! These live records are insanely good! Because they could play and they knew what they were doing. They were playing because they loved to play not because they loved

MUSIC

to release a record.”

One might mistake the grumblings of the man to be symptomatic of a rose-tinted view held by some ageing rock star. But Mikkey Dee holds firm that honesty matters and treating music as a craft to be perfected with hard-work over time, and that is hardly something that you could hold against him.

Mikkey and the band do not hate everything about the modern rock scene; just certain aspects of it, namely the hunger for fame and glory. “Well, it’s a quick buck today, that’s what it is and prestige and fame and fortune and if they have to play an instrument too, oh what a bummer – but I guess I have to!” quips Mikkey.

However, there are still some good guys out there for Motörhead it seems: Their most recent album release Motorizer was recorded in Foo Fighter’s front man Dave Grohl’s own 606 Studios in Los Angeles and produced by Cameron Webb – a man who has worked with some of the most commercially successful acts of recent times, including Foo Fighter, Limp Bizkit, Ben Folds and Buckcherry.

Was there any chance that the band was hoping for a piece of that fame and glory for themselves by calling in such a successful producer?

Mikkey dispels the notion of any such compromise: “I mean, we’re running the ship. With Cameron behind the wheel it doesn’t mean that he’s going to come in and decide, ‘this is how I want you guys to sound’. That would never work. We have had producers come in, talk to us and meet us, and wanted to work with us. But the approach they had was completely wrong. They can come up to us and say, ‘well I know exactly how this album is going to sound and what I want you guys to be like’ and the next thing that happens is that we say: ‘Well thank you very much, and we hope you do well...with some other band! But you ain’t gonna work with us - because that’s not how it works with us.’ We decide what to do and Cameron, for instance, is so competent and good that he’ll work around us. He’ll give us ideas and suggestions and we’ll listen to him of course and we’ll work it out.”

That they have managed such a prolific output throughout their carreer - roughly averaging an album every 18 months - is down to the way they write and record. They obviously don’t spend a massive amount of time making each album, plumping instead for a more spontaneous approach to the process. Mikkey concurs; “It’s very spontaneous writing. We’re not a band that can write. Let’s say we go in and start writing songs and then demo it and go back in again and

“I go back to albums like Made In Japan [Deep Purple] or Live and Dangerous [Thin Lizzy]...I mean, come on! These live records are insanely good!” change it and nit-pick at the stuff...

We’re not a band like that. When we feel like ‘This sounds great!’, then we’ll try and get it on tape.”

Above all it is in a live setting that Motörhead really excel and it is something which Mikkey really prides himself on. “I think we’re very honest to ourselves and to our fans.

If you hear a new album from us you pretty much know that this something that the band wrote - this is not something that the record company, band and management wrote together.

This is something that we wrote and we will later go out and play live.

That’s where we really have to get undressed and show we still sound better than last time you saw us.”

Indeed, the band’s live shows are the stuff of legends, and live albums No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith and Everything Louder Than Everyone Else are deemed every bit as essential as any studio album.

The band’s powerful live shows have been vital to securing their hallowed place in rock’s upper echelons

and countering the occasionally negative press heaped on them for being unfashionable – Motörhead notoriously were described by NME as ‘The best worst band in the world of 1977’. Mikkey remains unfazed by the prospect of being either fashionable or not, stating; “we keep slugging it out and we keep forcing our shows to certain areas where it is tough - because the bottom line is quality will always prevail. And I have to say this is great, great quality, compared to a lot of shit that’s out there. We do sound great live and we still have to prove ourselves every night.’

The band play The Ambassador on Halloween and you’d be a sucker to miss them. Love them or hate them, and it is doubtful that they care either way, Motörhead are not going away anytime soon. Mikkey assures us of that: “We’re like a nightmare, we always come back”.

» Motörhead play the Ambassador on October 31st and November 1st

g the Mikkey

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Siren HEALTH the

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

Dark side of the moon Counselling psychologist Leslie Shoemaker speaks to Aoife Ryan about when sadness becomes a disorder There is not one person who can say they have never experienced a thoroughly, unforgettably bad day.

Most of us can recall a dozen experiences in the last week of an aggravating nature without much hassle in fact. It is, to give ourselves credit, only human nature. If we didn’t have the occasional low moment we would be in serious danger of becoming clones of Alec Baldwin’s character in his guest appearance of Friends; so ecstatic we made those around us depressed.

However, it is when these occasional feelings of sadness become the expected that we should begin to survey our health.

In the last number of years the stigmatisation of mental health has been greatly removed. Government funded mental health awareness advertisements now have great

prominence in the media and online forums are available for those who want to either learn more and confide to fellow sufferers. Social attitudes towards mental health have evolved so much that jokes are frequently made about yuppie trend followers attaching themselves to psychological disorders in order to appear more complex and elusive.

Nevertheless, behind closed doors and out of the public eye, mental illnesses such as bipolar depression still retain a darkened, exaggerated image that can play havoc with the daily lives of sufferers.

Counselling psychologist Leslie Shoemaker comes into contact with various mental grievances such as bipolar depression, and the lesser known seasonal affective disorder, on a frequent basis. Bipolar depression is rapidly becoming a more comprehended disorder on the whole as symptoms become more defined and diagnosis made more possible as a result. A disorder which two decades ago would have been an unrecognisable medical term for the majority of the public is now widely familiar, which begs the question whether seasonal affective disorder will in a short space of time become a household term.

“S.A.D. relates to the effect the change of seasons to autumn and winter, when there is less light around, has upon certain people.

At this stage it is difficult to determine whether many are affected by S.A.D. because definite statistics on it aren’t widely available but it is most likely on the increase in diagnosis because it is accepted now as a real disorder”, states Shoemaker. Research shows that the depression is linked to our need of sunlight, which regulates our body clocks.

The amount and intensity of sunlight decreases come winter, which can cause a depressive attack.

V a r i o u s hormones and chemicals, as well as disrupted sleep and the disturbance of serotonin levels, which control our

appetite and mood, are thought to be factors in the causes of S.A.D. The symptoms are similar to other depressive disorders; socially withdrawn, irritable and moody, concentration difficulties and anxiousness.

“There are a number of ways you can treat S.A.D., one of which is light box therapy. Essentially, this involves exposure to strong artificial light that mimic daylight.

Another form of treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy or medication. This disorder is still really in

‘bad and extreme’ as those on the show. It is important to stress that this disorder, like all, occurs on a spectrum from mild to severe.”

One of the greatest problems in dealing with bipolar depression is not only coping with the dangers one faces when experiencing a low but the physical dangers that can occur during the highs. “The problem is that when people with bipolar are elated they don’t think about the consequences of their behaviour at all. In a Richard Gere film, “Mr. Jones”, there is a scene which accurately portrays this. The character is at a building site doing dangerous activities but he cannot recognise that they threaten his safety.”

Although the cause of bipolar is not definite, it is assumed to be genetic. Myths surrounding the susceptibility of highly-intelligent people are now being dispelled. As it is a lifelong disorder, control and stability need to be established in order to allow the person to continue with their life. “Medication controls the symptoms but cannot get rid of the problems that the person may be having with their family and friends. If they feel good sometimes the person decides to come off their medication, which only exacerbates the difficulties they experience daily.”

Many people face the worry whether medication will effect judgement negatively or alter the personality of the sufferer. However, Shoemaker denies the possibility of this. “Medication addresses the physical manifestations and cannot stop a person from feeling or impact upon the personality.”

Among the number of misconceptions surrounding depression, is that sufferers cannot empathise.

Rather, it is that they may find it difficult to express empathy due to feeling entangled in their own personal problems. It is known as the selfish disorder; an image which does not aid any possible sufferer’s desire for diagnosis, or the stereotype and social stigma. “People are afraid of being labelled ‘crazy’, which does happen. If we are to progress, we need to wipe clear any preconceptions, which only categorise and belittle people.”

“People are afraid of being labelled ‘crazy’, which does happen. If we are to progress, we need to wipe clear any preconceptions, which only categorise and belittle people” the early stages yet and needs to be further explored before treatment can be made more definite.”

Similarly, sufferers of bipolar depression often experience restlessness and irritability among many of the possible symptoms. Despite allusions in available public texts that the two are linked somehow, Shoemaker denies any correlation. Both are, instead, critically important disorders in the depression range that need to be understood if advancement is to be made in either.

“Bipolar depression is also known as ‘manic’ depression. The one feature that differentiates this from depression is that in addition to feeling down, people with this type of depression become elated.

They feel they have lots of energy, racing thoughts and difficulty sitting still.”

The question of representation once again raises its head with mental health. “Stephen Fry actually did an amazing television program that discussed his bipolar depression. The purpose was to educate the public and to reduce stigmatization. The only downside to this program was that he interviewed quite extreme sufferers. People I know who suffer from bipolar now feel they are viewed as being as

» www.aware.ie

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

FASHION

A cut above the rest With boyish cuts replacing long threads, Jessica Whyte examines this new daring movement Last month Vogue UK announced that the most influential hairstyle of 2008 belonged to that of Miss Agyness Deyn. While it cannot be denied that Agyness Deyn has been making headlines all over the world as a cutting edge model, it might be difficult to come to terms with Vogue’s opinion that her boy short hair would ignite a scissor revolution.

After all, since 2005 long luscious locks have dominated the fashion circuit. Three years later, and major changes abound. Forget about this season’s latest garments, almost every collection featured models with short hair. Even Claudia Schiffer had swapped her golden tresses for a dark, sophisticated bob as part an advertisement for the Chanel Autumn/Winter collection.

The general opinion of short hair amongst women tends to be that of a love/ hate relationship. On the one hand it is edgy, sexy and daring yet on the other hand it is severe, boyish and lacks versatility. There is also the concern of exposure. When someone cuts their hair short there is less there to cover up, to conceal or to distract. Your facial features are on full display. Yet it is for precisely these reasons that a short hairstyle can be so striking. By drawing out a woman’s features and illuminating the face, you can convey so much with such little effort. Short hair has, without question, more positives attached to it than negatives.

The infamous ‘bob’ hairstyle came into being out of necessity during the First World War as women were forced to replace men on the factory benches. Large in-

dustrial machinery and long tresses were not the ideal combination, and this led to the cutting of locks and the s u b s e q u e nt creation of a new, refreshing hairstyle.

It was for this reason that the bob became a s s o c i at e d with liberation, equal-

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BAG IT MANOLO WISH-LIST: Manolo blahnik shoes are finally available in Ireland thanks to Brown Thomas!

Get em on your Christmas wish list now as there slightly out of a student’s budget….

INNER GOTH: Layers of black lace, studs, cross chains, leather; bring black up-to-date by embracing your inner Goth.

BITS AND BOBS: EVA LONGORIA’S FAUX BOB (TOP) AND AGYNESS DEYN’S DARING CUT (LEFT) ity and power. Since its creation, this cut has appeared and reappeared on catwalks and magazine covers throughout the decades. The golden age of the bob was undoubtedly the 1960’s when it was resurrected by Vidal Sassoon and glorified by Mary Quant, a British designer whose clothes defined the swinging sixties.

So how does the bob of 2008 differ from that of decades gone by? The twist in the tale with the look this time around is the invention of the ‘faux-bob’, which has been sighted on almost every catwalk this season. The genius behind its creation is that women do not have to go under the scissors to achieve the look. A

handful of bobby pins are all it takes to position your tresses at the length and style of your choice.

Since the year 2000 hair has been totally and utterly abused. It started with good intentions: Jennifer Aniston looked simply adorable with those soft golden streaks through her shoulder length hair. Fastforward a decade and we have a hair epidemic sweeping through the capital. From hair extensions, to peroxide blond to the dreaded ghd’s, women’s hair has gone past the point of split ends. How can people believe that a back-combed, tangled main of dirty blond hair is in any way attractive or fashionable? Short hair in the 1920’s played a pivotal role in the creation of the new woman. Perhaps it’s time for the young women of 2008 to step off the conveyor belt and try something new. In the words of Mademoiselle Chanel, Fashion always changes-only style remains.

Student hair scares

ALEXA CHUNG: This UK ‘E4’ presenter is emerging as one of the coolest trend setters du jour! She is the epitome of quirky British style and rocks the androgynous look. Keep a close eye on her for style tips.

TOP TIP: Rub Bio-oil (available at pharmacies) into skin at night time or just after a shower to even skin tone, reduce scar marks, reduce stretch marks and re-hydrate skin!

BIN IT PEACHES GELDOF: Peaches G is off our cool list for snubbing the Harvey Nic’s party she was due to host and dj at in Dundrum! Diva tantrums are so last year!

Fiona Redmond hits UCD’s halls to ask the students some hairy questions When we open a magazine or flick on the TV we are confronted with a multitude of hair products that claim to be the best for our hair.

However without a thorough understanding of our hair type we risk never being able to find the products that emphasise our natural beauty best.

CURLY HAIR Elena Hevdonska, second year Politics student: “It’s really important to invest in a good conditioner. My hair is so curly that constant styling can make it a bit weak. The conditioner I have is especially for weak hair and I find that it really makes a difference. Sometimes hairdryers can make curly hair go really frizzy, so it’s better just to let your hair dry naturally. And as addictive as hair straightners can be, you’re really better off just avoiding them.”

Lynn Monaghan, final year Engineering student: “I’ve stopped using a hair straightener because it makes my hair really weak. Unfortunately normal shampoo leaves my hair too dry. To combat this I’d recommend washing your hair only twice a week. Also it’s important to get a quality conditioner and I find that ones you can buy in the hairdressers are most effective.”

THIN HAIR Nicky Devaney, MA student: “Having thin hair means there are many styles I can copy and yet it also means that I have to wash my hair every two days with shampoo and conditioner.”

MA student Jennifer Keeler: “I’m the same. I also find that its best not to dye my hair too much or it won’t stay in good condition.”

Joanne Howell, second year

English student: “Thin hair tends to get greasy easily and a product like 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioners doesn’t allow you to control the amount of conditioner you use. This means that the product just clings to your hair, even when it’s dry.”

THICK HAIR Eimear O’ Reilly, second year Arts student: “I use a serum every time I straighten my hair. The one I’m using at the moment is a mist so it goes on lightly. If you use too much of it your hair can look greasy. I try to let my hair dry naturally as much as possible so sometimes I use moose to make it curly. I find Wella moose is really good because it makes your hair curly without the wet look. This way my hair can look great and I know I am not damaging it through over styling.”

HAREM TROUSERS: More like clown trousers!

Seriously these don’t flatter any shape or size, if you’ve bought them bin them ASAP before you hear the sirens of the fashion police after you!

UGGS: These sheep-esque boots are still frequently spotted around the lecture halls of UCD! Opt for something cooler like converse or customise your own sneakers on NikeID.com!

BY RUTH O’NEILL

Siren FILM MUSIC the

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

IFI FILM

Hitting the Neapolitan nightmares Plot: The film concerns the Camorro; the Neapolitan mafia concerned only with money, power and blood. Gomorra depicts five interwoven stories concerning those affected by the criminal underworld. Totò is barely a teenager who is drawn to organised crime after being exposed to the perks involved.

Similarly, Marco and Ciro thinking themselves invincible, plan to replace Camorra boss. Franco, a corrupt businessman is making a fortune by arranging the disposal of toxic waste on mafiaowned land. Pasquale works as a tailor in a mob-owned fashion business. Don

Paranoid android Plot: Shia LaBeouf reunites with director of Disturbia, D.J Caruso, for his latest race against time thriller.

Following the mysterious death of his twin brother, Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) is acquainted with Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) who’s son has mysteriously disappeared. Soon, both find themselves framed for terrorism and are threatened to become part of a ruthless mission with unknown intent. Racing against time and FBI agent Moran (Billy Bob Thornton), both characters are drawn into the explosive antics.

GAMORRA ★★★★★

Ciro is reluctantly delivering money to the families of imprisoned Camorro associates.

Verdict: Gomorra is hugely engaging; you’ll find yourself drawn into each of the character’s diverse yet troubled stories. It’s a hard-hitting and contemptuous depiction of the organised crime that controls much of Naples.

The only fault lies in the film’s two and a half hour run which verges on taxing towards the end but the brutal and vicious portrayal is thoroughly gripping.

CATHY BUCKMASTER

EAGLE EYE ★★★★★

Verdict: This film really exploits the fear of technology which ensures a ridiculous plot. Nonetheless, with staggering action sequences the viewer can push aside the plot’s nonsensical twists and allow Hollywood to shove the film’s principle further than reality could allow. Ultimately LaBeouf nails the role of the average guy who gets unintentionally involved in the cogs of domestic intrigue. It’s not the next Bourne Identity, but if it’s cheap thrills you’re looking for, Eagle Eye delivers.

HELEN O’SULLIVAN

Writer and star of A Film With Me In It, Mark Doherty, chats to Cathy Buckmaster about drunken cast members who needed lines whispered to them, shooting the ‘madey-uppy’ film in 20 days in Dublin and his lack of career aspirations.

“It sounds a bit wanky, but a film only becomes a film, and a living thing, when everybody has added themselves and their particular talent to it, and has made it come alive”. So says Mark Doherty, star of A Film With Me In It. This film is the latest Irish film perched on the horizon full of homegrown talent. With rave reviews already starting to circulate and after making the official selection on the prestigious Toronto film festival, it looks like we finally have another film to be proud of.

Mark Doherty not only stars in the film but wrote the script. He further explains the exhilarating feeling of watching your script and characters come to life through the eyes of others. “The experience was exciting and fascinating. A film is very much a collaboration. You start out with a very definite vision and you hear each character talking.”

“Then you give the script to the director. Even though you go through everything line by line, scene by scene, and try to communicate your intention with each word, he still will see it in a slightly different way. Then actors come aboard, and they deliver lines however they deliver them.”

“Suddenly, the scene you envisaged has changed and developed and grown. So it’s a constantly changing, moving, rolling ball. When the collaboration works, then the whole

becomes greater than any individual contribution.”

He exclaims modestly, “The script is a bunch of words, it’s not a film.”

The film follows two deadpan but charming friends; a hard on his luck actor, played by the talented Mark Doherty and a dissolute script writer played by the always hilarious Dylan Moran. Unable to escape fate, they become entangled in a web a lies and end up with an impossible number of

I don’t work for ‘the man’ or the corporation but often that means not working at all.

The story in the film, though, is madey-uppy! dead bodies on their hands.

As an actor himself, Doherty didn’t have to look too far for inspiration he admits. “Well, the situation is close to my own. I have been acting and writing for ages, 16 years in fact, and have been scraping by. It is exciting and liberating and frustrating in equal measures. I don’t work for ‘the man’ or the corporation but often that

means not working at all. The story in the film, though, is madey-uppy!”

Doherty jokes.

Concerning the Toronto film festival, the actor claims to be “Thrilled, of course. And thrilled to have been invited, and to see the finished product in a theatre with real, live, people!

You don’t think about these things when writing, or even shooting.”

The film was shot entirely on location in Dublin so an Irish audience are likely to recognise more than one setting. “It is a contained little piece, with a small cast, and limited locations, so it could really have been shot anywhere. It was tough though. We shot the movie in 20 days. Mental.

“For me it was a particularly hard time, because I was going home to do rewrites for the next day each evening after a twelve hour shooting day. I still felt some responsibility for every character, and got used to five hours kip a night. But I’m not giving out; you get quite high by pushing yourself farther than you would normally go.”

Doherty’s script leaves room for improvisation and director Ian FitzGibbon clearly let them run with it in the film. For this to work, the chemistry between the cast needed to be very strong, so it’s lucky that it really was.

Doherty is surrounded by a very strong supporting cast including laugh a minute Dylan Moran and a memo-

FILM RETROSPECTIVE

A satirical gem

Proud, but predictable Plot: Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, John Voight and Noah Emmerich all star in the newest cop drama, Pride and Glory. They are all part of a multigenerational police family in the New York police department. Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) must investigate his own family as his brother in law is involved in a corruption scandal that ended with the deaths of three policemen. He must find out who is responsible for the corruption, even if it means breaking up the department and turning his back on his family.

Verdict: Despite the all star cast,

PRIDE AND GLORY ★★★★★ Pride and Glory brings nothing new to the table. Norton is consistently very good but the lacking script almost leaves him with nothing to do. As well as this, we have Colin Farrell who is still clearly unable to pull off an American accent. Pride and Glory is only an average movie, but might be worth the watch if there’s nothing else on.

MAXIMILLIAN HARDING

The Hudsucker Proxy is one of the Coen Brothers’ most underappreciated efforts but this bizarre 30’s pastiche comedy deserves to be re-evaluated.

The film follows the exploits of Norville Barns (Tim Robbins), a classic Coen idiot. He is promoted from the mailroom to President of Hudsucker Industries by the Machiavellian board of shareholders, led by the late Paul Newman, following the owner’s suicide.

The board’s plan is to install an incompetent fool as President to drive down the share price allowing them to buy it outright.

This scheme begins to backfire however when Norville’s invention, the hula-hoop, becomes an instant success.

As you would expect of a Coen Brothers’ film, it is generally more interested in playful direction and the subversion of older genres, in this case the screwball comedies of Howard Hawks and Frank Capra. Unexpect-

THE HUDSUCKER PROXY

ed elements include the Hudsucker building’s clock possessing some sort of control over the workings of the universe, an aspect which ensures the film’s climax is never predictable.

Perhaps the main weakness of the film is Jennifer Jason Leigh’s performance as a journalist intent on revealing Norville as the idiot

puppet but her role calls for too much imitation rather than characterisation.

However to get caught up in questioning the roles in a Coen film is to miss the point. The mechanics with which The Hudsucker Proxy combines 1930s movies, Orwell’s 1984 and surrealism whilst maintaining a cohesive plot speaks volumes about the abilities of the brothers.

The Hudsucker Proxy was a box office disappointment in its day and consequently ended their relationship with super-producer Joel Silver who had given the Coens the biggest budget of their careers. Their subsequent work demonstrates however that they continue to take risks, well aware of the possibility that their audience may be unresponsive.

NICHOLAS BROADSTOCK

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

MUSIC FILM

5 films to...

Improve your grasp of foreign languages

Mark

AMELIE (FRENCH) Romantically living in Paris, Amelie is a wide-eyed neurotic young woman who enjoys spying on her weird and wonderful neighbours. Being very shy, she commonly resorts to her own magical way of seeing the world. After returning a lost childhood treasure belonging to a former occupant of her apartment, she devotes her life to making others happy.

While pursuing various altruistic missions, she encounters her love interest, an eccentric man who collects discarded passport photos. This is a film which can never been done justice with words but just has to be seen. It is rich, creative and fun and will undoubtedly charm anyone with its stylised yet simple story telling. rable turn from Keith Allen as their gruff landlord as well as David O’Doherty.

“They are all individual and completely different and brilliant.

David had little to do on paper, but has quite a presence. Dylan is Dylan. And Keith Allen is a very good, and technically brilliant, actor. He contributed a lot, and added some testosterone to a part that probably was quite weak and underdeveloped in the script.”

The cynical and deadpan humour in A Film With Me In It is often evident in the way Doherty answers questions. When asked about any

other career aspirations Doherty may have had, he simply and honestly replies, “I have never had any career aspirations.”

Concerning the difficult choice between acting and writing, he is in no rush to limit himself. “I’m happy doing both. I have never had a preference, or a plan. When somebody with a unique style and voice and far from anything I could write or imagine offers me a gig, then of course I jump at it. Other times, often during periods of unemployment, I come upon a little writing idea that I know could be funny and try to follow that through.”

PICK OF THE WEEK

Bloody hilarious Plot: Mark (Mark Doherty), A struggling actor trying to find his feet, clearly has nothing going his way.

He has to endure humiliating casting meetings, is behind on the rent for his dingy basement flat and his relationship with girlfriend, Sally (Amy Huberman), is crumbling around him. Isolated and despairing, Mark seeks refuge in the company of his friend and neighbour Pierce (Dylan Moran), a writer/waiter who spends his time in the pub chasing creative inspiration. Bleak as things appear to be, things are about to get a whole lot worse. A string of fantas-

tic accidents combines with a whole shower of implausible twists and all of a sudden these two friends have a lot more than money or relationship problems to deal with. Like a dead body ...or three... and a whole lot of blood in the kitchen.

Verdict: A Film With Me in It is an absolute gem. Darkly comic from the opening shot, this film finds its humour in awkward silences and delights in exploring quirky aspects of the Irish psyche. The film hinges on the relationship between Mark and Pierce, and even as we are presented with numerous gruesome

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As for the ultimate highlight of his career, the writer claims there’s far too many to choose from. “I don’t know,” he says “There’s loads of highlights, and loads of nightmares like being onstage with an actor who had been on the lock for 24 hours, and getting through the play by feeding him all his lines under my breath and getting away with it! But can’t mention the production, or the actor,” Doherty concludes mysteriously.

» A Film with Me in it will be released in Ireland on Friday, October 17th

A FILM WITH ME IN IT ★★★★★ deaths and colourful characters, their friendship offers a source of continuity. Mark Doherty and Dylan Moran are on the ball the whole way through the film, both turning in impressive performances. Moran is particularly hilarious as the droll Pierce who is always brilliantly inappropriate. This is the kind of film that sticks in your head and has you sniggering to yourself on the Dart a week after you’ve seen it. Irish film making at its best.

ORLA KENNY

PAN’S LABYRINTH (SPANISH) It is in 1940’s fascist Spain that we meet the imaginative and dreamy girl, Ofelia. With her heavily pregnant mother, she is moving to live with her new step-father, a sadistic military captain. While civil war rebels are hiding in the mountains, waiting to ambush the fascist troops, Ofelia is discovering a whimsical labyrinth. Here, she meets an ancient faun who promises to tell Ofelia her destiny if she completes three difficult, gruesome and sometimes terrifying tasks.

This delightfully dark film is a fairy-tale for adults. The allegorical way the horrors and monsters of reality and fantasy are blended together create an absolutely spellbinding tale.

BLACK BOOK (DUTCH) Black Book, set during the Second World War, tells the story of a Jewish Dutch woman, Rachel Stein, living in Nazi occupied Hol-

land. When she and her family are trying to escape to reach allied ground by boat, they are ambushed and her whole family is brutally shot. She seeks revenge by joining the resistance and using her beauty to seduce senior officer Muntze and penetrate German security. However, when she begins to have feelings for the man she is betraying she becomes embroiled in a web of double-dealing.

Although evidently over the top, its many intriguing twists keep viewer interest and make a thoroughly engrossing espionage thriller.

BATTLE ROYAL (JAPANESE) Set in the near future when Japan’s society is crumbling due to uncontrollable youth hooliganism, legislation is passed to send 42 delinquent Japanese school students to a deserted island, each with a bag of randomly selected weapons. They have to fight to the death until only one is left standing three days later. They’re also forced to wear a special collar that will explode if they break a rule. Sound brutal? It is.

The film is disturbing to say the least but the transfixing subject matter and the focus on how the children cope make for a gripping watch.

APOCALYPTO (YUCATEC MAYAN) Set in ancient Maya, we come across Jaguar Paw, an indigenous man acting the lad with a few of his fellow tribesmen. Their peaceful tribe is later brutally pillaged by a powerful invading civilization that wants slaves and humans for sacrifice.

Jaguar Paw hides his heavily pregnant wife and their son in a nearby hole. Soon after, he is captured himself and saving his family is looking evermore impossible. Despite the over the top gore and Mel Gibson’s involvement, Apocalypto is a surprisingly engaging and heart-pounding watch and who doesn’t need to brush up on their ancient Mayan?

CATHY BUCKMASTER

Siren MUSIC THE SKIP the

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College Tribune | October 14th 2008

SOCIAL ENDEAVOUR OF THE FORTNIGHT

THEATRE

Airfield Urban Farm Some might think it seems a tad unwise having an animal filled farm in the city but Airfield fits into its surroundings with surprising ease. Airfield urban farm is an old estate open to the public; with a small fee you can explore the huge estate with fields galore as well as an ornamental walled garden and the car museum. However, by far the best part is their wide selection of farm animals that will take you back to all those primary school field trips to the Glenroe farm you were undoubtedly forced

Brilliance of Beckett Caitrina Cody was at the Abbey to witness the disturbing spectacle that is Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days

to go on. Sheep, chickens and cows are all on location but the must sees of the farm are animals with character such as the donkeys, Michael and Smokey Joe and not forgetting Betty and Prudence, the saddle-back pigs. Airfield also has a very charming gift shop which is full of unnecessary but must have trinkets like classic toys, kitchen ornaments, jams, chutneys and honeys.

The Overends Café on the ground floor of the beautiful house on the farm is very cosy, serving delicious food. With all you can do for less than a fiver, it really is a great and very relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. However, mostly everything worth seeing is outdoors so dress for the weather. Tickets are €4 with a student card and it’s located just five minutes by car from Dundrum shopping centre.

CATHY BUCKMASTER

Happy Days is not a play for the faint-hearted. Taking place over two acts, it is the story of a woman who is imprisoned in the earth of a scorched and barren desert, with only her vacuous husband and the unrelenting sun for company.

Beckett is known for his challengingly symbolic plays and this one is no exception.

Fiona Shaw (who also plays Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter series) stars as Winnie, a seemingly superficial chatterbox who is visible only from the waist up for the first act and from the neck up in the second act.

The play opens with an arresting set – the stage is a vision of hell, dominated by an enormous mound of blasted earth, on top of which is perched a very civilised-looking lady in a sun-hat.

This is Winnie. Every morning Winnie and her husband Willy are woken by an ear-splitting alarm that signifies the start of another long day for the stranded couple.

Willy (played by Tim Potter) has a degree of freedom, in that he can seek shelter from

BOOKS

Wonderland woes Go Ask Alice is based on the actual diary of Alice, a fifteenyear-old drug user. Although first published in 1972, this story is every bit as relevant today as it was over thirty years ago.

When Alice starts to write her diary, she has just turned fifteen and has a new-found interest in boys, clothes and make-up. The love of her life Roger has just rejected her and her family is moving house. When she goes to stay with her grandparents for the summer, she is invited to a party by one of the ‘popular girls’ where she has her first experience of LSD. Frighteningly quickly, Alice is sucked into the world of drugs, trying pot, heroine, cocaine and anything else that comes her way. While in some

ways Alice’s writings are beyond her years, in others, she retains her young teenage innocence, falling in and out of love on a weekly basis and worrying about being one of the popular kids.

She eventually tries to escape the world of drugs so that she can make her family proud and be happy with her straight-laced boyfriend Joel, but the people from her past will not allow it. Alice endures bullying, blackmail, and even having her food spiked with LSD before she is finally left alone.

GO ASK ALICE ANONYMOUS Her diary concludes with a happy entry, explaining that she was grown-up enough now not to need a diary, and that she was looking forward to college life and eventually marrying Joel. Three weeks later, Alice died of an overdose, at home, alone. Nobody knows what happened, or why.

Keep the tissues handy while you read this book, but do read it. You’ll never forget Alice’s story, and that is exactly what her parents hoped to achieve by showing it to the world.

SUSANNE O’REILLY

HAPPY DAYS ★★★★★ the oppressive sun and Winnie relies on her unresponsive husband to be her audience as she shares her fragmented observations during the course of the play.

There is no explanation as to how Winnie and Willie arrived in this situation but instead the audience is quickly swept along by the hypnotic pace of her erratic monologue.

“Something of this is being heard, I am not merely talking to myself, that is in the wilderness, a thing I could never bear to do – for any length of time. That is what enables me to go on, go on talking that is. Whereas if you were to die – to speak in the old style – or go away and leave me, then what would I do, what could I do, all day long, I mean between the bell for waking and the bell for sleep? Simply gaze before me with compressed lips.”

This production, directed by Deborah

Batty boosh brilliace The hit radio turned TV show, The Mighty Boosh, has recently crammed their colourful and new age comedy routine into one very beautiful book.

This autumn collaboration invites you to join Naboo, Bollo, Vince, Bob Fossil, Old Greg, the moon and all of your other favourite characters on a unique journey ‘through time and space… to the world of the Mighty Boosh’.

The book is full of Vince’s child-like drawings, bizarre poetry, crimps, favourite quotes, amusing and angry photographs, Howard’s disturbing jazz fantasies, scrib-

Warner, is riveting and Fiona Shaw is completely believable as the tragic but stalwart heroine. Shaw herself explains that Winnie begins every sentence with a note of optimism but fails to complete them.

Shaw superbly embodies the stubborn optimism of Winnie and her refusal to give in to the nothingness of her life. She clings to halfforgotten memories and to her capacious handbag, examining its contents lovingly, its very presence a reassurance.

Winnie’s predicament is not simply the predicament of a woman imprisoned in the earth, but is symbolic of the human condition and the struggles that we face as we attempt to make our lives meaningful in a world of trivia.

Ultimately, this is a production that chills the heart while eliciting the laughs, a paradox that Beckett was extremely good as creating.

» Happy Days is playing at the Abbey th Theatre until the 25 of October. Student concessions are available.

THE MIGHTY BOOK OF BOOSH JULIAN BARRATT AND NOEL FIELDING

bled cartoons about being raised in a forest by Brian Ferry, Howard Moon’s arctic journal and millions more of the best bits from the show.

As well as all the old shenanigans, they have written out new material for hungry Boosh fans, including a book of Vince’s excuses for being late and Bob Fossils A-Z list of alternative names for zoo animals (from Mr. Nose Licker instead of ant eater to Mr. Clippity Clop man instead of zebra).

There is also a scandalous love affair between old Greg and Slash from Guns and Roses, the phases of the moon explained by the

shaving-foam-face itself and a brand spanking new story about Charlie, every ones favourite piece of Hoovershaped chewing gum.

If David Bowie, Monty Python and Anthony Burgess had ever joined forces with pens and crayons, it might have turned out something like this. The Boosh have given us a unique combination of silly and witty, childlike and suggestive, random and relevant.

The Mighty Boosh has never failed to surprise and amuse us and the book is no exception. The surreal, eccentric and even musical (impossible as that may sound) aspects make sure the book is well worth the read.

KATIE GODWIN