Editorial - Wessex Scene

20th May 2008
Editorial
Hello beautiful readers.
Welcome back to the world of the living
(and sleeping/smiling/eating) for those of you who
have been cocooned in the joys of dissertation
writing for the past few weeks. I hope it all went
well, and now that it’s over you can treat yourself
to some great visual and sound entertainment as
recommended by your very own Edge.
In this issue we have some great records
under the microscope including the brand new
one from Portishead, The Courteeners eagerly
awaited debut as well as offerings from The
Futureheads and Crystal Castles. Singles wise
we’ve taken a listen to Lightspeed Champion, We
Are Scientists and Helen Boulding. On the road
we’ve been enamoured by the likes of Mark Ronson and Oceansize.
So there we have it, we are, as boys to
men so eloquently put it, at the end of the road.
This is the last edition of The Edge and consequently the end of my reign over Southampton’s
best (and perhaps only?) entertainment newspaper. The past year has been a blast, there have
been highs and lows, and we’ve all shared tears
and laughs (well, maybe not tears, we’re not that
close). I would like to thank my amazing editorial
team, Dean, Pete and Phil for all their great work
this year, as well as all the contributors for their
beautiful words and you the reader, for reading.
Good luck to everyone taking exams and
happy holidays to all.
Tara…
Helen
The Edge Team:
Editor: Helen Wilson
Record Editor: Pete Benwell
Live Editor: Phil Reynolds
Film Editor: Dean Read
With...
Conor McGlone, Dave Thompson,
Hannah Calcutt, Claire Wilson, Nicholas
Brown and Adam Vaughan.
The Edge
University of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
023 80595230
023 80595252
[email protected]
Editorial
Capital of Culture 2008
At the risk of sounding too much like Adele
this years Capital of Culture is Liverpool, your
very own Edge editors home town...this in mind
we take you on a guided tour of the people of Liverpool and how music influences their lives...
There are several distinct style groups
amongst the population of Liverpool. Not including the scallies (a scouse word for chavs…in case
you were wondering) I would say there are no
less than five different sectors of the community
whose clothes aren’t influenced by the latest fashions, but by the music they listen to.
Let’s start by looking at the Indie Kids, by
far the largest group. The male Indie Kid is never
seen without his skinny jeans, a fitted paisley shirt
(or occasionally a retro band t shirt…let’s say the
Ramones.) well worn pumps (holes a must) and
depending on the weather, maybe a beaten up,
fitted leather jacket. Their hair is often overgrown
and in need of a wash while the lucky ones are
blessed with natural curls. Their female counterparts also sport skinny jeans and retro t shirts, although occasionally these are swapped for floral
print floaty skirts or dresses and footless tights.
Flat, ballet style shoes are an integral part of the
Indie Girl’s wardrobe. Their hair is less easy to
define, they tend to favour the messy “just out
of bed” look…The Indie Kids of Liverpool are by
far the most snobby group. They hang out in the
“cool” bars and clubs, where they are frequently
seen exhibiting the “bouncy side step” dance (not
so cool now, eh?!) They rarely mix with any other
group. They’re either in a band, have a boyfriend
in a band or are groupies. They look down on
other groups, who they don’t deem to be “cool”
enough to mix with. In the eyes of the Indie Kid,
you’re nobody unless you’ve got the Arctic Monkeys, Led Zeppelin and The Pigeon Detectives on
your iPod.
A group who certainly aren’t cool in the
eyes of the Indie Kids are the Moshers. They are
frequently on the receiving end of abuse off the
scallies, who mistakenly call them Goths. They
are characterised by their baggy jeans, oversized
band t shirts or hoodies, long hair and a facial
piercing of some description. They listen to metal
and the occasional heavy rock group and tend to
wander round town in groups, often with skateboards tucked under their arm. They’re generally younger than the Indie Kids, although some
of them have managed to infiltrate the local rock
club, where they can be seen swinging their long
hair round to the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden
and Cradle of Filth. They don’t dress up to go out,
their clothes fit all occasions. The Moshers are
accepting of most groups, apart from the Emo’s…
who we will come back to later.
The Industrials are an interesting lot.
Their clothes vary in clothes style, although they
do favour combats or baggy jeans. They have several distinguishing attributes, the most important
of which is dreadlocks. Natural, synthetic, multi
coloured, single coloured, long, short, it doesn’t
matter, they all sport this easy to maintain style.
They also have a large number of piercings, especially concentrated on the facial area. You name
it, they have a piece of metal pushed through it. A
splinter group is starting to develop a significant
presence on the Liverpool scene…the cyber
Goths. Their dance move of choice is the robot and
they too sport dreadlocks and a plethora of piercings, but their clothes are more futuristic and
fitted than those of the original industrials. Their
growth is perhaps being inhibited by the lack of
a “cyber goth scene” in Liverpool, but there has
definitely been a surge in the popularity of this style
over the last 12 months.
A second hybrid group consists of the Retro
Pin Ups and the Electro Heads (top marks to any
dreadlocked cyber goth who noticed the misplaced
Combichrist reference there…). They all like to
wear vintage clothing…the older, more musty-smelling the better, and the girls don’t leave home without their red lipstick and slick of black eyeliner with
a wing. There are two distinct differences between
the Pin Ups and the Electros. Firstly, the music they
listen to. While the Electros favour, erm, Electro, the
Pin Ups like the music that was around at the time
their clothes were made…music to jive to. The other
distinguishing feature is the hair. The electros,
without exception, have short, asymmetric, blunt
cut bobs. Short fringes are a must. The Pin Ups on
the other hand, wear hair reminiscent of the styles
worn in post war Britain. Set curls, side partings,
and stiff as a board, you will never see a strand out
of place on a Pin Up. Most of them have no fringe,
although you will see the occasional Bettie Page
fringe…super short and curled under.
And finally…we come to the most hated of
all groups…the Emos. They are the second largest group in Liverpool and the most dramatically
styled of the lot. Liverpool Emo’s are different to
Emo’s elsewhere. The uniform consists of super
skinny black jeans, a studded belt, converse boots,
a slogan t shirt and a star-adorned hoodie. The uniform MUST be worn at all times. The hair MUST be
backcombed to within an inch of its life. If it doesn’t
add a foot to your height, you’re not a proper Emo.
The girls often wear clip in hair extensions. The
fringe MUST impair your vision out of one eye.
Liverpool Emo’s can only see out of one eye. Both
eyes must be lined heavily in black and finally, the
Liverpool Emo has to have a side lip ring, although
a stud will do in extreme circumstances. Emo’s
cover themselves in star tattoos and every accessory should have a star on it somewhere. The Emo’s
are frequently abused. The Moshers don’t like them
because they don’t like their musical taste…it’s
not hardcore enough. The Indie’s don’t like them
because they are not “cool” and the scallies don’t
like them because they’re too “alternative”. The
group have spawned several derogatory terms…
When someone is upset, they are crying “emo
tears”. When someone is on a downer, they are “going emo”. When someone is being a drama queen
they are “a big emo”. Are the Emo’s bothered? Of
course they are, but they have already accepted
that nobody understands them…and someone is
always going to screw them over. *Sob*
So that’s a brief introduction to the Liverpool
music/fashion scene. If you ever make the journey
up to the Capital of Culture, perhaps you can play a
game…spot the stereotype? It’ll be like bird watching, only much more amusing…
Words: Claire Wilson
20th May 2008
Records
20th May 2008
loses pace. ‘Good Time’, ‘1991’ and
‘Vanished’ do little to continue
the atmosphere laid down by
the intriguing first section, and
my thoughts return to Pimms,
sunshine and barbecue. It takes
the superb ‘Knights’, which its
pounding bass and gameboy
effects, to jerk my mind away
from overcooked burgers and
back to the dark, computerised
cacophony infecting my brain
through my headphones. As the
album builds towards its close,
this eerie soundscape builds
and develops. ‘Love and Caring’
and ‘Through the Hosiery are
insistent squalls of futuristic noise.
‘Reckless’ and penultimate track
‘Black Panther’ are more dance
orientated, infectious and it is
these tracks that can draw the
most credible comparisons, if
there are any to be drawn, to the
supposed movement of nu-rave.
In comparison to its predecessors,
closer ‘Tell Me What To Swallow’ is a
revelation. Short and sweet, it sees
Crystal Castles drop most of their
electronics and pick up an acoustic,
with stunning effect. Alice Glass’
lush vocals float delicately around
the track, and the record closes
with an unexpected poignancy.
Crystal Castles - ‘Crystal Castles’
****
By Pete Benwell
After an afternoon spent lazing
on the common in glorious
sunshine, followed by barbecue
and a general sense of summery
contentment,
Canadian
electronica isn’t the most obvious
or easiest choice of listening.
The Montreal duo’s music jars
uneasily with my bloated, slightly
tipsy, early evening ‘vibe’, but
somehow, I’m still intrigued.
Crystal Castles’ music is
nothing if not noticeable. Named
after an eighties arcade game, it
is truly deserving of its electronic
tag, unlikely much of the stuff
that gets lumped in with that
genre these days on the basis of
involving a crappy keyboard and
some downloaded beats. At times
the bleepy, itchy, jerky sound is so
reminiscent of video game music
that the mind wanders off into
memories of the nineties, Sonic
the Hedgehog and N64. It isn’t all
plain sailing either – whilst parts
of the record are truly memorable,
catchy and insistent, others are
repetitive and unnecessarily
harsh sounding. The whole record
has a very dark feel - whilst their
futuristic sound has lead many lazy
observers to slap them with the
‘nu-rave’ tag that gets plastered
over anyone that goes anywhere
near a synth and a pop hook
these days, Crystal Castles are an
altogether gloomier, more sinister
proposition. Alice Glass’ vocals
will either grab or turn away the
listener within seconds – breathy,
wailing, and laden with effects,
sometimes chopped up and put
back together. The album’s also
very overlong – sixteen tracks
seems at least four too many,
and it may prove an ordeal for
some. However, in places, there
are moments of pure fascination.
barbecue,
are
resoundingly
banished as soon as opener
‘Untrust Us’ begins with a cyclical
synth line that recalls electro
counterparts The Knife, an
obvious, but relevant comparison.
Its sombre but danceable
atmosphere is quickly supplanted
by the swirling mass of noise
that makes up ‘Alice Practice’, a
confusing yet brilliant headrush
of a song (I use song in the loosest
possible sense - headf**k would be
more appropriate, if unprintable
here). ‘Crimewave’ and ‘Magic
Spells’, following up, are perfectly
adequate, if unremarkable pieces
of electronic pop, before a return
to more mental pastures with
the brief but brilliant ‘Xxzxcuz
Me’, and the dark pulse of ‘Air
War’ and ‘Courtship Dating’, on
which Alice Glass’ floaty vocal wail
is used to mesmerising effect.
Any thoughts of simple
summery satisfaction, or leftover
As with so many records, over
the middle section the album
This
unexpected
closing draws away some of the
criticisms of repetitiveness that
may be levelled at Crystal Castles.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying
that the album is overlong, and,
in places, a little dull. Some might
get put off by the uneasy, eerie,
futuristic sound that dominates
the record. However, there are
also moments of brilliance, often
gloomy but danceable, often as the
result of Alice Glass’ memorable
vocals. ‘Crystal Castles’ sure aint
for everyone, and isn’t advisable
as a soundtrack to the oncoming
summer, unless you want to spend
the whole time sat inside with the
curtains drawn, gently rocking
and playing vintage video game
consoles. However, if you fancy
a break from the relentless slew
of dull guitar bands dominating
the current music scene, and, to
be honest, this fine publication,
give Crystal Castles a shot.
Crystal Castles’ is out now on
PIAS Records. Crystal Castles are
touring the UK throughout June.
Tired Irie ‘Tired Irie E.P’
*****
By Pete Benwell
If you’re a fully paid up passenger
of the current Foals adoration
bandwagon, look no futher for
your next musical fix than Tired
Irie. The Leicester four piece
plough a similar itchy, irresistable
‘math-pop’ furrow, but are no
simple copyists. Tired Irie have
been around for just as long as
Foals; and their sound is fuller
and fatter. Over the four tracks
on this E.P., they wow the listener
with a heady concotion of strong
dual vocals, splintering stabs of
guitar, frantic percussion and
bone shaking synthesised bass.
Kicking off with the
furious disco march of ‘Sumerian’,
Tired Irie make my leg spasm
in a joyous dancey fashion,
increasingly intensively as the
swirling vocals and sharp clangs
of guitar of I’m Keller’ rocket the
E.P. forwards. The oddly eighties
recalling ‘Terra Firma’ burrows
firmly into my head, and by the
time ‘Skipteque’ succintly closes
the short E.P. I’m well and truly sold.
If we weren’t so overwhelmed by
danceable, disco-ey guitar bands
then Tired Irie would be more a
relvelation. Instead, they’re just
bloody good. Check ‘em out live
as well if you get the chance. It
would be putting it mildly to say
that you won’t be dissapointed.
‘Tired Irie E.P.’’ is out now on
Try Harder Records. Tired Irie are
playing U.K. dates during May and
June.
Records
20th May 2008
Jamie Lidell - ‘Jim’
****
By Conor McGlone
I’m enjoying the blazing
sunshine, outstretched on green
grass, acquiring a lobster like
appearance that will hopefully
eventually resemble a tan and
Jamie Lidell’s latest work is the
perfect accompaniment to a
summer’s day. Inherently feel
good from the off, the simply titled
album ‘Jim’ recaptures the soulful
funky melodies of a bygone era.
A little bit of everything that was
good in soul, funk and rhythm
and blues can be heard in this
album and, whilst Lidell is paying
tribute to great music of the past,
it’s not at the expense of musical
progression and sophistication.
Lidell, who hails from
Cambridgeshire, is renowned
for his electronic style but this
album sounds far more retro
and the jangly guitar sounds are
reminiscent of the sixties. The
unrelenting energy and passion
to which the listener is exposed
are what defines this genre and
it is easy to see that influences
like The Blues Brothers are at the
root of this music. In fact, it’s not
hard to imagine them, adrenaline
pumped, performing their over
the top, twenty foot summersaults
to such frenzied tracks as ‘Out
of My System’ and ‘Hurricane’.
Do not be fooled, this is not
a one-dimensional affair.
There is more
than one musical
force at work
here and just a
few similarities
that spring to
mind are the
Commitments, Sam and Dave,
Otis Redding and Joss Stone.
However, less likely sources
become apparent with tracks like
the inspirational ‘All I Wanna Do,’
which, with an abrupt change
from up tempo grooves to a
touchingly sensitive ballad, has
Van Morrison written all over it.
The final track ‘Rope of Sand’
allows Lidell the chance to show
off not only his powerful voice
but also his abilities as a lyricist.
The song ‘Figured me Out’
demonstrates an innovative use
of Lidell’s electronic side and the
result is a Jamiroquai-sounding,
ultra smooth vibe. In these songs
it is clear that, whilst Lidell is
looking back, he is also stepping
forward and imposing his more
modern and experimental tastes
on tried and tested ground
– and the result is stunning.
The main attraction of this
album has to be the aptly titled
‘Little Bit of Feel Good’ and it does
exactly what it says on the tin.
Clearly indebted to the late James
Brown this piece is so funky and
such a perfect halfway point that
if this tune doesn’t make you want
to get up and dance in the most
inappropriate of places, then
nothing will. While some may
argue that Lidell is stuck in the
past, true music lovers know
that great music is timeless.
‘Jim’ is out now on
Warp Records.
The Futureheads - ‘This Is Not The World’
***
By Pete Benwell
It’s not quite happened yet for The
Futureheads. They always seem
to be around, gaining moderate
attention, reasonable airplay;
but they never seem to quite
get what seems to be coming
to them. Hotly tipped alongside
Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs in
2005, the Sunderland four piece
seemed, with their superb
cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds
of Love’, to be on the cusp of
something big. However, they
didn’t match the success of their
contemporaries and their fame
waned. The following year they
were dropped by the label, only
to bounce back with second
record News and Tributes.
Now on their third album,
The Futureheads still seem to
have the distinctive spring in their
step that endeared them to fans
with their first flush of singles.
They sound confident, and, as an
album as a whole, This Is Not The
World sounds fatter, punchier and
more belligerent than previous
efforts. However, despite this new
strength, it’s hard to see where
this album will take them. Whilst
there are some bona fide tunes to
be had, it’s hard to see this record
really making a major mark on
the contemporary music scene.
Unsurprisingly, the singles
from the records are the most
immediate. Opener ‘Beginning of
the Twist’, with its dizzy chorus,
and the eighties-feeling ‘Radio
Heart’ are the tracks that grab
on first listen. However, over
repeated plays, other strong
songs come to the fore. ‘Walking
Backwards’ is a potential future
single, with its anthemic chorus
and no-nonsense delivery, whilst
‘Sale of the Century’ is a punky
tune driven by sharp stabs of
guitar. ‘Work Is Never Done’, a
song seemingly about hometown
unrest, is another memorable
moment with its insistent riff.
The key elements of The
Futureheads’ sound are all here.
Taught, choppy guitars, a thick,
solid rhythm section, but most of all
strong vocal harmonies delivered
in an unmistakably north-eastern
accent form the basis for all of
these songs. In keeping with the
meatier sound of the album, the
slower songs that permeated their
self titled debut are missing. Some
listeners might appreciate this
more straightforward direction;
personally, however, I feel the
album seems a little incomplete
without them. Unless listened
to purposefully, the consistently
fast pace of the record means
that it slips past easily, many
of the tracks blurring together.
‘This Is Not The World’is
undoubtedly a good album. There
are strong tracks here, in places
catchy, and the meatier sound
of the record as whole makes it
perhaps slightly more immediate.
There are no bad tracks. The
problem is that nothing really
stands out either. There’s nothing
with the immediate quality of
past efforts like ‘Hounds of Love’
or ‘Decent Days and Nights. Three
albums in, and with nothing
to really better past glories,
it’s hard to really see where
The Futureheads can go next.
‘This Is Not The World’ is out
26/05/2008 on Nul Records. The
Futureheads are touring the UK
throughout May and early June,
and playing Glastonbury, V and
Rip Curl Boardmasters Festivals
this summer.
Records
20th May 2008
The Courteeners - ‘St Jude’
***
By Helen Wilson
‘St Jude’ is the long awaited debut
album from the Mancunian four
piece The Courteeners. It seems
to me that the hype and critical
acclaim has been louder than
the actual songs and despite
knowing the name well, I hadn’t
actually heard the band until I
found ‘St Jude’ in my mail box. So
I was curious to hear what all the
fuss what about. Since signing
to Polydor Records in 2007 they
have supported The Coral and
hooked up with Babyshambles
producer Stephen Street, but
I won’t hold this against them.
To be honest I’ve stopped
listening to the raving critics
and the deeply exhaled sighs of
overenthusiastic radio presenters
and moreover I have never been a
fan of the pop indie ‘the’ scene. It
seems that musical genius is, in the
music industry, actually the code
word for a junky and the music
is less than inspiring, sounding
more like something three
monkeys could write in a room full
of typewriters....(or synthesizers?)
I am impressed however to
learn how ‘St Jude’ evolved as an
album, apparently the band has
been touring with a catalogue
of songs, which they have been
improvising and improving on
as they go. The opening track,
‘Aftershow’ is less than impressive
with a boring indie riff and never
really gets going. The following
track ‘Cavorting’ is a different
matter altogether, a frantic and
charismatic number which might
be a future single. ‘Bide Your Time’
is another upbeat number, about
being on cloud number nine. At
this point it’s impossible not to
notice how clichéd front man
Liam Fray’s vocals sound, this
could be Luke Pritchard or any
number of other indie front men.
The album takes a few listens
to appreciate it. After a first listen
one might disregard the latter
half of the album, accusing it of
being repetitive, or at least I did.
But persist and every one of the
tracks are actually individually
quite charming and upbeat.
Hailed as the best thing to
come out of Manchester since
Oasis, when you consider how
little has actually come out of
Manchester in the past decade
it’s not actually that bold a
statement. Fray has been accused
of trading in on the cities musical
heritage and has annoyed many
potential fans by comparing
himself to Morrissey. Personally
I think the Courteeners sound is
incomparable to The Smiths, not
because of its quality but just
because they sound nothing like
each other. Indie has got a lot
faster, a lot sharper and a lot more
intense. As debut albums go, it’s
not The Smiths but with songs like
‘This Charming Man’ and ‘Hand
In Glove’ that’s quite a debut to
compare it to. ‘St Jude’ is good in
its own right however, it’s cheerful
and a great summer pop album.
‘St Jude’ is out now on Polydor.
The Courteeners are playing
UK festival dates this summer.
Portishead - ‘Third’
*****
By Dave Thompson
USB sticks and hard drives have
enabled me to have a truly eclectic
music collection, for better or for
worse. Through the joys of party
shuffle you need to make an speedy
decision of twist or stick, and from
the first encounter of Portishead
I stuck then searched. After
finding the whole back catalogue
I was amazed by how individual
yet accessible Portishead are.
Heavy emphasis on rhythmic
foundations, clever sampling
and Beth Gibbons iconic voice
defines the Bristol band. It’s been
11 years since their eponymous
last album and the big question
on everyone’s lips is that of has
it been worth the wait or could
it destroy the band’s reputation?
Over eleven tracks, hopefully
the former will become true.
The Spanish (I think) recording
over the first track seems
initially uneccessary, but as the
track unfolds the classic
Portishead comes true with
driving drums, muddy bass and
strings that slice the track into
neat sections. It’s very reminiscent
of earlier works with similar sparse
feel, but certainly not boring. It
ends without warning, almost mid
bar, catching you by surprise. This
sudden stop bumps you into ‘The
Hunter’ which for a second track
is not upbeat rather melancholy
and evocative of a 60’s bond film.
The first single of the album
is ‘Machine Gun’, and like its
namesake it makes an impression
with electronic drums shooting
through the ever-elegant vocals.
The track seems wants to state
clearly that it is different, climaxing
in a futuristic terminator style synth
solo, and is resultingly brilliant.
‘The Rip’ is hinted to be the
next release and in contrast, it
is similar to Portishead of old,
gentle, haunting yet driving
forward with rhythmic edge.
Indeed, there is little that could be
said to be completely new about
this album. Whilst Portishead
haven’t gone away and reshaped the wheel, they’ve kept
the elements that made them
so good in the first place, but
freshened them up for 2008 with
a little further experimentation
and a more modern edge.
The trusty combo of shift F7
can only come up with thirteen
variations of the word melancholy.
Third should be number fourteen
as the album personifies this
sadness and unease, an unsettling,
downbeat, but brilliant record.
Portishead are back to their old
tricks but that doesn’t mean that
they have just made a carbon copy
of previous albums. This album
has a clear air of experimentation,
engendered by Portishead’s
keeping on top of developments
in music technology. Portishead
used to scratch; now they drag
and drop. It may have been eleven
long years since their last record,
but Portishead have used the
time well. It’s been worth the wait.
‘Third’ is out now on Island.
Records
Radioactive Man - ‘Growl’
***
By Helen Wilson
Radioactive man is apparently
no relation to the cartoon hero
of the same name who features
in the Simpsons. He is in fact
Keith Tenniswood, a regular DJ
at Fabric and one half of the
infamous 90’s electro outfit
Two Lone Swordsmen. Growl
is Radioactive Man’s eagerly
awaited third solo album, the first
since his self-titled ’04 long player.
Personally I’ve not heard
of the chap before, but more
the fool me because he is the
mastermind behind over a
dozen albums and notorious
on the electronic house scene.
Describing the premise behind
this album he says “I wanted it to
be pretty dancefloor, but still the
kind of album you can pop on at
home and enjoy on headphones.”
The opening two tracks don’t
sound to me like something I’d
enjoy listening to on headphones.
‘Basement Business’ is four
minutes of electronic noise, which
sounds strangely like the contents
of a Comet store malfunctioning .
Whilst the longer ‘Pieces of Eight’ is
more of the same repetitive beats
and strange beeps and blurps.
20th May 2008
Persist until track three however
and you will be rewarded, by
‘Nothing at All’, featuring vocals
from the beautifully talented Dot
Allison and a brilliant anthem.
With an acid laced background of
funky beats and the dulcet tones
of Allison, this is a euphoric dance
floor filling number. ‘Double
Dealings’ is another track to make
use of vocal sampling, this time
it’s the dark and menacing vocals
of Andrew Weatherall (the other
half of Two Lone Swordsmen)
who stabs his lyrics over the track.
Listening closely I can perceive
some crazy light sabre sounds
and some kind of fog horn or
something deeply disturbing
going on in the background,
which would sure wake you if
you happened to be dozing off
at this point. This track marks
the half way point and a turn in
the direction of the album, with a
darker dirtier electro sound being
employed in the latter tracks.
‘5 Armed Skeleton’ is as strange
as the title suggests, sounding
like a house track played through
water, coming out sounding like
electro-wob. Radioactive Man
has said on paper that he doesn’t
obsess over the technology and
the process of the music, he’s just
intent on making something that
sounds good. The latter half of the
album however sounds every bit
like the guy has been flicking the
switch on every sound effect he can
find. ‘Up In The Air’ serves as light
relief from the intense pulsating
stabs of sound, with a dreamy
floating slightly fuzzy piano riff
ascending peacefully through the
sound waves. Alas, it is only an
interlude and Radioactive soon
glows true to his acid roots again
with the manic techy triptych
‘Dalston to Detroit’, a hectic slice
of beats and boomerang beeps.
There is no doubt this is an
underground sound, a specialised
album for fans of the genre. I’m
sure I haven’t really done it justice
given that I’m not the biggest
fan of this type of music. To me,
this kind of Brit acid, with its
twisting and jerking beats and
repetitiveness is indigestible, but
given that even to my amateur
eye there are some good tracks,
I’m inclined to think this might
be a good Brit acid album.
‘Growl’ is out now on Vital
Alabama 3 - ‘Hits and Exit
Wounds’
*****
By Helen Wilson
Alabama 3 are like nothing I have
ever heard in my life. Imagine
eight cowboys, one cowgirl all
playing punk rock blues, which
sounds like a sample from a Cut
Chemist song. Strange. But
true. They describe themselves
as country techno situationist
crypto-Marxist-Leninist electro
band, they sound like a surreal
country dreamscape. Hailing,
not from Alabama but Brixton,
London and formed way back
in 1996. Best known for the
Soprano’s theme tune, ‘Hits
and Exit Wounds’ is the bands
seventh full length studio album.
I couldn’t even begin to
describe the sounds that are
contained within the album.
Comedy techno, scratchy hip hop
sampling, country and western
swing and blues heart is poured
in unequal measures, into each
of the tracks on the album.
Comparing this to another
band would be as fruitless as
counting to infinity, you won’t
hear anything like this anywhere,
because there is nothing like this
in the world. Let me explain...
‘Hypo Full Of Love (The 12 Step
Plan’) kicks off the album with
a bit of record scratching and a
deep Southern twang, Elvis-like
voice talking us through the ’12
step plan’. Add to this a muffled
drum beat, a harmonica and a vox
amplified guitar solo and you have
an opening track. This is followed
by ‘Woke Up The Morning’, which
wouldn’t sound out of place on a
Faithless album with its dark and
eerie singing and gospel choir.
Next track ‘Hello...I’m Johnny Cash’
is perhaps one of the best tracks
on the album. An ode to Johnny
Cash, which sounds like one of the
greatest modern blues songs. The
vocals, despite their English roots,
are hauntingly similar to early
Cash and the lyrics incorporate
countless titles of the late, great
mans songs.
Meanwhile the
chirpy riff is a toe tapping trot. ‘U
Don’t Danse to Tekno Anymor’e is
another great slow blues number,
and shows were the bands real
strength lies. With its bottle neck
blues riff and barn dance swing it’s
a funky number. The band soon
revert back to the acid side of their
country and acid mix, with the
almost rap ‘Monday Don’t Mean
Anything’. With the high pitch
squeals of singer bfefw, pounding
drum beat and interjecting horns
this sounds like a great song to
dance to, as writer Irvine Welsh
commented about the band “this
is the first band I could ever dance
to in the daytime without chemical
assistance...and that says a lot.”
There isn’t enough room,
nor enough adjectives to describe
every one of the eighteen tracks
on this album, suffice to say they
are all equally strange and brilliant.
From the gospel-esque ‘R.E.H.A.B.’,
to the dark and poetic ‘Too Sick To
Pray, to the country epic Peace In
The Valley, this album is amazing.
Sometimes listening to album
after promotional album I fear that
there is no such thing as an original
sound anymore, everything
just sounds like a re-work of
something else. Alabama 3’s
originalitly needs to be savioured.
This is as unique as it gets.
‘Hits and Exit Wounds’ is
out now on One Little Indian.
Records
Late Of The Pier - ‘Space And A Silent Film ‘Sleeping Pills’
The Woods’
*****
****
20th May 2008
By Helen Wilson
By Hannah Calcutt
We Are Scientists - ‘Chick Lit’
****
Late Of The Pier are a band that
originate from Castle Donington,
home of the world famous
Donington Park, which hosts the
download festival every year, and
in 1993 held a Formula One Grand
Prix. Aside from originating from
this famous village, Late Of The Pier
are known for their 80’s revival style
of music, strangely describing their
music as “music to have asthma to”.
Reminiscent of Gary Numan, they’re
yet another band bringing back the
synth. This electro-pop gem of a
new song is called ‘Space And The
Woods’, and despite its strange title,
it ticks all the right boxes. A strangely
addictive chorus comprises of just
a riff which will have you singing
‘na na na na na na’ before the song
is out. If we could resurrect the
union’s Indienation night from
the dead, you would find this
song here playing out amongst
the sounds of long lost alternative
music. This song is definitely
worthy of some attention, and
what’s more you can receive a
free remix off their myspace.
‘Space And The Woods’ is out
now on Parlophone. Late Of The
Pier are performing at Portsmouth
Party On The Pier on 02/082008
By Pete Benwell
Now minus a drummer, We Are
Scientists still have the same irresistible pop heart that endeared
them to many, and the same
slightly forced wackiness that
put equally as many off. Chances
are, you’ve heard enough or
read enough zany interviews
to already be aware of the New
Yorkers to have already decided
whether you like or loathe this
single, but, even for sceptics, it
deserves a chance. Starting unpromisingly with a sleazy groove
that permeates throughout the
verses, the song takes off when
it hits the chorus, a big, slickly
produced monster that pummels the song forward. After this
the previously dodgy sounding
verse begins to make sense, and,
after repeated listens, ‘Chick Lit’ is
firmly cemented in the cranium.
Well worth a listen.
By Helen Wilson
Who is Helen Boulding? I don’t
know and the picture on the
front of her latest single is
nothing more than a shadow so
doesn’t make things any clearer.
Listening to the track she sounds
like a young Shania Twain, or
‘Sleeping Pills’ is out now
(download only) on Xtra Mile.
The
Futureheads ‘Radio Heart’
***
‘Chick Lit’ is out June 9th on Virgin. We Are Scientists are playing
UK festival dates this summer.
Helen Boulding - ‘Way To Go’
***
maybe a long lost member of
the Corr family. The Way To Go
is one of those typical female
singer/songwriter songs, the
obligatory insecurity expressed
in the lyrics ‘I am here in the new
red dress...will it be alright?’ even
though she has probably had
promotional guys left right and
centre telling her the red dress is
perfect and of course there lots
of high notes and a few lingering
string sections which build into
the final climax of the song. This
isn’t a bad song, if you like this
genre. Boulding has a strong
voice and the song is quite catchy.
A Silent Film are one of the few
bands whose name just brilliantly
encapsulates the sound of their
music. They have a fantastically
unique sound of eerie jazz rock,
which is not only catchy but
infectious.
‘Sleeping Pills’ is a
fast paced number with calming
melodies alongside a frantic and
energetic drum beat. The song is
about finding yourself and seems to
document the protagonist’s journey
to he doesn’t know where, but the
great and unique thing is that the
music compliments this brilliantly.
The streamlined drum beat carries
the momentum of the song, like a
train steadily carries its passengers,
whilst the soothing vocals and
muffled guitar riff is mesmerizing
and absorbing like the psyche of the
passenger. A brilliant debut single.
Lightspeed Champion ‘Galaxy of The Lost’
****
By Pete Benwell
I have to admit, I’d not really heard
much of Lightspeed Champion
before this track. My only real
experience of head honcho
Dev Hynes was his time in
the frankly quite awful
Testicicles,
so
I
approached
his
current
folk-pop
project
with a certain degree of
trepidation.
Beginning
with some country guitar
pickings, the song develops
into a melancholic lament,
‘Way To Go’ is out now on furnished by soft touches
Maid In Sheffield. Helen Boudling of piano and flourishes of
is playing UK dates in June drums. Hynes’s pining voice
is reinforced by some sweet
guest vocals from Emmy the
Great, the whole song has a
nicely retro feel to it, without
me being able to place a finger
on exactly why. It’s not going
to set the world alight, but,
as an
introduction
to his music,
there’s enough
e v i d e n ce
here to suggest
that Dev Hynes might
be onto a winner.
By Pete Benwell
The second single from new album
‘This Is Not The World’ (see review
elsewhere in this issue) ‘Radio
Heart’ is standard Futureheads. The
components are there, namely the
wiry, taught guitars and the strong
vocal harmonies resounding with
an unmistakably Sunderland twang.
The sing-song chorus is moderately
catchy, but fails to grasp that wow
factor that guitar-pop really requires
to worm its way to success in terms
of mass appreciation. Instead,
it’s just adequate – radio ‘C’ list,
moderate airplay. Not bad at all,
just good, and ultimately not great.
‘Radio Heart’ is out now on Nul
Records. New album ‘This Is Not The
‘Galaxy Of The Lost’ is out World’is out 26/05/2008., review in this
issue. The Futureheads are playing
now on Domino. Lightspeed Champion are play- various UK festival dates this summer.
ing UK festival dates over
the summer months.
20th May 2008
20th May 2008
Feature
FESTIVAL EXPRESS
It’s summer time and that means only one thing in the music calendar – festivals galore! There is nothing like pitching up a tent in a field full of strangers and settling down to some
serious music appreciation. There are of course the classics as always, Download, Leeds and Reading and the Isle of White festival. But as big and mouth-wateringly exciting as their
line-ups are the sad fact is for those us just waking up from an exam coma, the tickets have already sold-out! Not that they were realistically in our price range anyway. So here is
the lowdown on a couple of alternative festivals, with equally impressive line-ups...
EVOLUTION FESTIVAL
beach break live
Where: Newcastle Gateshead
When: Monday 26th May
Where: Polzeath
When: Monday 9th June – Thursday 12th June
Evolution is a one day affair spread out over two venues, Spillers Wharf and Baltic
Square. It’s an impressive line-up with The Streets, Kate Nash and CSS headlining. The
best thing about this is the price though, booked in advance, tickets are a mere three
quid plus booking fee. Not bad and moreover profits go to support the charity water
aid. On top of this there are also additional indoor sets throughout the city (at extra
cost). They include DJ sets from Armand Van Helden and the Audio Bully’s and live sets
by acts ranging from Seth Lakeman to Tiga to the Blackbyrds.
Beach break live is a festival designed exclusively for students, with tickets only available
to those with a valid student or N.U.S. card. There is a great line up including acts like
The Wombats, The Enemy, Sway, Johnny Flynn, Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly and Scratch
Perverts. There is another unique twist to this weekday festival. The ethos is to create an
environmentally friendly festival and their pact with the environment is to reduce carbon
emissions. This means that the organizers are making it difficult for people to travel to
the festival by car, by slapping large prices on the car park and putting it miles away
from the festival site anyway. Instead they have an intricate network of coaches which
are leaving from every University in the country, and which cost a fraction of the cost of
the car park. Moreover there is a competition for the even more eco-friendly among you.
They will reward whoever makes it to the festival in the most inventive and environmentally friendly way. Sounds like a challenge. The festival also promises, on top of the live
performances, theatre and comedy and carefully curated chaos (duck racing, anyone?),
full-on fancy dress silliness and surf comps, all washed down with award winning local ales
and fine (locally sourced) food, set in the perfect location overlooking a sumptuous sandy
surf beach! Tickets for this event are £79.
rOCK NESS
Where: Clumes Farm Loch Ness
When: Saturday 7th June –Sunday 8th June
Despite the name, this two day festival has a strange amalgamation of artists in its
line up. On the one hand it lives up to its title hosting bands including Razorlight, The
View, The Editors and The Cribs. But on the other hand it’s also welcoming a wide array
of dance acts, most noticeably Fatboy Slim, Underworld, Calvin Harris, CSS, Soulwax
and Felix Da Housecat. It sounds like a typical radio one playlist, with a few eccentrics thrown in, even including Annie Mac and Rob Da Bank themselves. There are
two accommodation options at this festival. Traditional camping or Boutique Camping. Traditional camping, is as you might imagine just you are your fold down tent in a
muddy field. Boutique camping for the more discerning camper offers a more luxurious
option. Either pre-erected tents in the pleasantly name Tangerine Fields or a wooden
hut known as a Podpad. These options are of course insanely expensive, but the organizers do promise exclusive “high standard” toilet and shower festivals. Weekend tickets for
Rockness start at £85.
PRITCHATTSBURY
Where: Pritchatts Park, Birmingham
When: Saturday 7th June
Exclusively for students...this one day festival is a great way to see all sorts of great live
bands for absolutely nothing! The line-up at the Birmingham festival this year includes
The Holloways, Plan B, Natty and Ruarri Joseph all great acts especially considering the
concert is free. There is plenty of other entertainment on the day, including an acoustic
tent, performances from Circus Soc and lashings of food and drink available throughout
the gig.
STRUMMERCAMP
Where: Timperly, Cheshire.
When: Friday 23rd-Sunday 25th May
Strummercamp is in its third year and is an annual tribute to punk legend Joe Strummer.
With a line-up to reflect its cause, this is a great festival for those into their punk and ska
music. The headliners include Sham 69, Sonic Boom Six, The King Blues and Failsafe. The
festival itself takes place at a local rugby club and there is an option to camp, with full
showering and toilet facilities. Tickets for the weekend are only £59.50 and that includes
camping.
NASS
Where: Royal Bath and West Showground UK
When: Friday 13th June – Sunday 15th June
This is Europe’s biggest urban sports, music and lifestyle festival, combining sports with
music there are not only great bands to watch but some of Europe’s best BMX and
skateboarding talent. Music wise the line-up is impressive too though, with headliners
Pendulum and Less Than Jake confirmed as well as The Subways and Does It Offend You,
Yeah? Weekend tickets cost sixty quid, that includes camping and access to a host of
white-knuckle rides which will also on location!
20th May 2008
Live
20th May 2008
Mark Ronson
Hammersmith Apollo
Mark Ronson played the last
night of his short tour at the
Hammersmith Apollo to a
packed crowd of 5000 people.
Growing up close to this
venue he always dreamed of
playing this venue, on Saturday his dream came true.
Two bands supported Mark
Ronson; the Virgins, and Dan
le sac vs. Scroobius Pip. The
Virgins played to a sparse
crowd whilst people filed into
the venue. They are a ‘new
wave’ band who hail from New
York, sparsely known in this
country. They have a sound
reminiscent of the Strokes and
Razorlight and whilst they
have a rough appearance, the
guitarist resembling someone
who had arrived in a tractor,
their performance was good.
Following the Virgins the now
rather substantial crowd was
delighted with the sounds of
Dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip.
Dan le Sac appeared on stage
with a hefty beard and a flowery
box, followed by his musical
partner. The flowery box full of
a multitude of props such as a
periodic table which received a
loud cheer from all the chemists
in the audience. Well, at least
the sad one standing next to
me. Their sound is Hip Hop /
Electronica and they have found
some fame on You Tube thanks
to their unusual lyrics. Their
songs include ‘A letter from God
to man’ and ‘Thou shalt always
kill’ both worthy of a listen on
My Space or You Tube. Their
success undoubtedly due to
them coming from Essex.
About 9 o’clock when the
Apollo was packed tight Mark
Ronson graced us with his presence along with the 11 other
members of his band. This was
a star studded gig with special
guests from Daniel Merriweather to Adele. Mark Ronson
as a live performer can only be
described as phenomenal. The
first song, an instrumental ver-
sion of ‘apply some pressure’
rang round the Apollo theatre,
the impressive acoustics adding
to this tremendous performance.
Mark Ronson and co went on
to perform most of his latest
album ‘Version’ as well as many
other special performances. Artists such as and Candie Payne
filled in for Amy Winehouse and
Lilly Allen as well as performing
their own songs all produced by
Mark Ronson. Special appearances included the Pipettes and
Alex Greenwald. Some of these
people only available for the
London leg of the tour giving
this gig a feeling of uniqueness.
Alex Greenwald (lead singer
of Phantom Planet) performed
Mark Ronson’s cover of ‘Just’
originally by Radiohead. Alex
Greenwald proceeded to crowd
surf to the back and perform
there causing the whole crowd
to turn around. Tim Burgess
from the Charlatans and Jamie
Reynolds from the Klaxons also
made an appearance to perform
‘The One and Only’. There was
even time for a remix of ‘Back
to Black’ which Mark Ronson
wrote with Amy Winehouse,
which was performed by Charlie
from the Rumble Strips. It
wasn’t as good as the original
but still a worthy cover. This gig
was a fun packed extravaganza
filled with custom dancing and
amp climbing and I swear at one
point Mark Ronson even looked
at me. It’s difficult to describe
just how good 2 violas, one
violin, a cello, a trumpet, a tenor
sax, a baritone sax, bongos,
drums, a bass guitar, a piano and
an electric guitar sound together
when Mark Ronson is in charge.
If you ever get the chance to see
Mark Ronson don’t hesitate, you
won’t regret it.
Hannah Calcutt
Further Listening...
Albums...
2008 - Version
2003 - Here Comes The Fuzz
Download...
‘Valerie’
‘Just’
‘Stop Me’
‘Cold Shoulder’
‘Back To Black’
‘Lovelight’
Live
Oceansize,
Youthmovies,
Tubelord
Kingston, The Peel
26/04/08
I don’t want to kick this
review off with hyperbole....
but I’m going to anyway.
From the moment Kingston’s
own Tubelord kick into ‘Feed
Me a Box of Words’, it’s clear
to the couple of hundred of
people jammed into the tight
confines of The Peel that they
could well be watching the
Next Big Thing™. Already
Buena Vista Social
Club
Hammersmith Apollo
2/05/08
In the 1940’s the Buena
Vista Social Club was a popular place for musicians to hang
out in Havana, Cuba. The
club may have been closed for
over 50 years but the spirit of
the music lives on in records,
documentary films and live
shows such as this one, featuring a mix of original musicians
who played in the club in the
40’s and younger musicians
taking up the mantle of their
predecessors.
It’s hard to know how to
review something like Buena
Vista Social Club. With a
20th May 2008
touted by the likes of NME,
Tubelord stun tonight’s crowd
with a tight, energetic set of
pop-rock bursting with hooks
and riffs in equal measure. Keep
an eye out for them.
Next up are Oxford’s Youthmovies. An altogether different
proposition, they nonetheless similarly impress. The five
piece’s music has evolved over
the last few years from obscure,
borderline-pretentious post rock
into progressive, but poppy
genre-hopping brilliance. From
the riveting introduction of the
epic ‘If You’d Seen A Battlefield’,
via the hair-metal influence ‘Last
Night of The Proms’ and the
bizzarely danceable ‘Soandso
And Soandso’, to the frenetic
closer of ‘Ores’, Youthmovies
stun us with a range of styles, all
wrapped up into one deliciously
confusing package.
As the Youthmovies virgins
look duly impressed, whilst
those with prior experience do
their best I-knew-about-themfirst smug smiles, the anticipation builds for Oceansize.
Emerging to rapturous cheers,
the Manchester rockers kick off
in no-nonsense style with the
straightforward rock of ‘Unfamiliar’. It’s a pulsating introduction, but the first half of their set
is marred by sound problems,
the interwoven guitars blurring
into one fuzzy mass. However,
as the sound engineer begins to
earn his money and the sound
improves, Oceansize seem to
grow in stature and deliver a
constant stream of funky Cuban
rhythms, exotic brass and Latin
American lyrics it’s difficult to
discern
where
one
song
ended
and
another
began.
Not
that I
really
cared,
the
vibe in
the auditorium was electric (no
doubt in part thanks to London’s massive South American
community) and by the end of
the gig even I was on my feet,
clapping and dancing along. I
can’t really say much about the
musicians either as the line-up
changes so frequently you never
quite know who you’re going
to get. The deaths of Compay
Segundo, Rubén González and
Ibrahim Ferrer between 2000
and 2005 have forced a num-
ber of replacements, but every
member of the eleven piece
band that was on stage sounded
great, looked relaxed, confident
and most importantly like they
were having a good time.
Mention must be made of Orlando “Cachaito” López, the 75
year old double bass player, so
frail he had to be walked across
the stage to his instrument, but
solid set that takes in a range of
material from all three of their
studio albums, with the notable
exception of fan favourite ‘Catalyst’. Oceansize’s great talent
is to blend conventional rock
formats with more progressive
elements, this talent working to
especially great effect on ‘One
Day This Could All Be Yours’,
‘The Charm Offensive’ and ‘No
Tomorrow’. In other places,
they simply know how to, well,
without sounding too corny....
rock out, no more so tonight
than on a furious rendition of
‘A Homage To A Shame’. They
aren’t at their tightest by their
own high standards, but nonetheless manage to captivate the
neutral punters in the audience
as well as the t-shirt wearing
faithful, everyone in admiration by the time they close the
main set, ending with an epic
rendition of ‘The Last Wrongs’
touchingly dedicated to the
promoter’s brother, who died
recently. After returning for a
single encore with a beautiful
rendition of ‘Women Who Love
Men Who Love Drugs’, Oceansize leave us and, for a moment,
everyone is still and contemplative before heading out into the
warm night, exhausted by three
different, but great bands that,
sadly, have left me no recourse
but hyperbole.
Pete Benwell
once there he played non-stop
for the entire length of the concert, at one point playing a few
duet numbers with the pianist
while the rest of the ensemble
had a rest. It was as if the music
was the only thing keeping him
upright and conscious, truly a
sight to behold and the audience
loved him.
It’s hard to judge what I saw
on popular music terms, or even
classical terms. All you need to
know is that they are masters of
their craft, they enraptured and
entertained the audience for the
duration of their set and left me
wanting more. If you’re a fan of
Latin jazz and want to be transported back to a time of cigars,
rum and dancing, you can’t go
wrong taking a trip to the Buena
Vista Social Club.
Nicholas Brown
e
g
s
d
d
e
n
e
th omme
rec
With Summer almost
upon us and loans running thin, The Edge offers
you a rundown of the essential gigs of this summer season...
O2 Wireless presents festival: Counting Crows
6/07/08
Hyde Park
Price: Varies
Returning to our shores
for the first time in years,
what better way to spend
a sunny, summer Sunday
than enjoying the gentle
alt-rock sounds of the
Crows, supported by the
Goo Goo Dolls, The Delays
and Goldfinger.
R.E.M
30/08/08
Twickenham Stadium
Price: Varies
Arguably the greatest
rock band of modern
times arrives fresh off the
festival circut in August.
With the
harder rock sounds of Accellerate likely to feature
heavily, this is sure to be
the perfect end to your
summer.
The Zutons
Somerset House
16/07/08
Price: Varies
Indie Rockers
The Zutons play an exclusive London gig this
summer. Last time they
played Southampton they
were phenomenal. Make
sure you check them out.
Feature
20th May 2008
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downy Junior, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
and Gwyneth Paltrow
With Spider-Man, X-Men, The Fantastic Four and The Hulk all adapted for the
silver screen, it feels a little late for Marvel to be setting up their own production studio.
Especially when the only piece of real estate left open is Iron Man, a character who represents a risky investment for the comic book juggernaut.
But you’d be wrong. Instead of an unimaginative, cliché ridden first outing for
the character, Iron Man provides both Marvel and director John Favreau with an opportunity to rewrite the rulebook (or should that be comic book?) By turning an unfamiliar
character into one of Marvel’s strongest new franchises.
Not only is Tony Stark and his robotic suit virtually unknown to audiences outside of the comic book store, it is the story of a no-good arms dealer, who happily sells his
weapons and explosives to the most powerful countries
in the world, all in the name of peace. A far cry from
the mild peril of the Fantastic Four’s outings, or
Peter Parker’s endless lady troubles.
For the uninitiated, Iron Man tells the story of successful weapons manufacturer
and (of course) genius, Tony Stark, who is captured in Afghanistan and charged with producing one of his most devilish weapons for a terrorist leader. Instead, he creates a robotic
suit of armour, which he uses to escape, and refines into a super-powered crime fighting
outfit.
Compound this with a cast that includes a relative newcomer to big budget,
Hollywood blockbusters in the shape of
director John Favreau, and indie A-lister
Robert Downey Jr a man who admits he
was probably furthest from the Marvel
minds when talk turned to casting; and
Iron Man looks like a project doomed to
failure.
And that’s largely it. In a daring dismissal of superhero cliché, Iron Man is, for the
most part, a villain free film. Unlike Marvel stablemates Spider-Man and Fantastic Four
which are propelled by the arrival of a predictably silly evildoer in need of vanquishing,
Iron Man is a film driven by Stark himself and his torment. His villains are the weapons he
creates, the lifestyle he leads and the morally ambiguous position he finds himself in after
his daring cave escape.
In the hands of a lesser actor, or plot, a hero wrangling with his inner demons for
most of a film’s running time might fall flat (see Spider-man 3 or Ghost Rider) but for Iron
Man this doesn’t pose a problem. Robert Downey Jr brings Stark’s torment believably to
life, by switching between the arrogant billionaire, the tortured hero and the wisecracking
playboy at times within the same scene. Portraying them all brilliantly.
Feature
20th May 2008
Director John Favreau described his vision of Iron
Man as ‘a kind of independent film-espionage thriller’ and
in this respect, he succeeds. The film is dark and portentous,
with a surprising amount to say about the nature of arms
dealership in the modern world. But of course, this wouldn’t
be superhero territory if there wasn’t an absurd villain
in some form, and Iron Man certainly doesn’t disappoint.
But the appearance of ‘Iron Monger’ in the final reels feels
superfluous in Favreau’s grittily realised espionage drama. Jeff
Bridges’ performance as the villainous Obadiah Stane and his
clashes with Tony Stark flare with subtextual menace. There’s
no need for showy explosive scenes, or gunfights to build tension
when Downey and Bridges are a film’s hero and villain.
Yet Iron Man isn’t so bold as to deny audiences a good CGI
tussle. The battles, when they arrive, are brutal and explosive. Director
Favreau apparently trusted the ILM studios after seeing last summer’s
robotic smash Transformers, and the film feels like a spiritual sequel to
Bay’s blockbuster.
However, the real draw
of the film to fanboys and newcomers alike, will be Tony Stark’s Iron Man
armour itself; and ultimately, the film will
sink or swim on ILM’s ability to realise the
tricked out Bond gadget of every young boy’s
dreams. Luckily, they effects team has woven
their computer magic once more. The sights of
the Iron Man armour battling F-22 jets is nothing short of spectacular. The suit moves with a
convincing sense of speed, and power, and the
climactic battle between the two armours will
have audiences wincing as cars are caught
and blows are traded in truly epic fashion.
Missiles sprout from forearms, palm lasers and a display of
physical power that will astonish. But more than the special
effects legwork, the real power
of the suit is realised in the
deliberate way that the film
follows its creation and evolution. This isn’t Tony Stark’s
film, not really, this is the
story of the armour and its
journey from battered bullet proof shield, to shiny
supersonic techno-suit. .
Favreau and the writing team turn what is possibly one of the silliest conceits in comic boo
lore (that a genius can cobble together the world’s most advanced weapon in a grubby
workshop) and rework it into a believable origin story for the armour, showing audiences
its growing strength and speed in a series of often very funny montages that see Downey
teaming up with a series of robot assistants.
In all, Iron Man is exactly the shot in the arm that the saturated superhero genre currently
requires. Where others dare to go bigger, darker or more gimmicky – and inevitably fail –
Iron Man succeeds. This is a film propelled by a strong plot, a great cast of characters and
a believable origin story, and one that utterly dispenses with the superhero clichés we all
know and love.
Phill Reynolds
4/5
20th May 2008
Film
F
Forgetting Sarah
Marshall
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jason Segel,
Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis,
Russell Brand, Bill Hader
I
rock
s i n g e r.
Peter
is
understandably devastated
and is consoled by his stepbrother Brian (Bill Hader).
They both decide that Peter
needs a vacation and so he
jumps on the next plane to
Hawaii, only to discover
L
M
and so is able to produce the
odd giggle. It is just a shame
that these moments appear in
a film, which in its entirety
is close to shambolic.
heartbreak, I was there for
the laughs which do come
in dribs and drabs, but they
are by no means sustained
throughout
the
film.
To s t a r t w i t h t h e s c r i p t
is not nearly as funny as it
The real problem with
F o rg e t t i n g S a r a h M a r s h a l l
...or how I learned to
stop loving Judd Apatow
and
start
f o rg e t t i n g
F o rg e t t i n g S a r a h M a r s h a l l .
Editorial/
Judge Jules
Hello dedicated
Edge
reader,
you’ve
made it to the end of
the year and you’re
still here reading my
probably
very
trite
editorial… good work.
I want to assure you
all however that there
is a good chance I will
be continuing my time
as your dedicated film
editor throughout next
year as well. So let
me take this chance to
remind you to see lots
of films this summer
and write down your,
I’m sure very informed,
opinion of them. This
way
you
can
send
it to me in October
and get your name in
male character that you
are able to empathise with.
But it is hard to care for a
character that is depressed
(and overplayed as such)
to the point of annoyance,
and hat cries every ten
minutes. As an audience
we want a hero, regardless
of the genre of movie, and
this is sadly lacking in
F o rg e t t i n g S a r a h M a r s h a l l .
But let us not dwell on the
n e g a t i v e s a n d l e t ’s i n s t e a d
look at the good points...
or point. Russell Brand,
a rg u a b l y p l a y i n g h i m s e l f ,
is the best thing about this
overall disappointment of
a movie. When he is not
displaying his ‘best moves’
in the bedroom with Sarah
M a r s h a l l , h e i s e ff e c t i v e l y
doing
his
own
standup routine, which in my
opinion, is just about worth
the price of admission.
4 0 Ye a r O l d Vi rg i n ,
Knocked
Up,
Superbad
and
now
F o rg e t t i n g
Sarah Marshall have all
been worked on by Judd
A p a t o w. T h e l a t e s t s e e s
him
as
p r o d u c e r,
and
what a mixed bag it is.
F o rg e t t i n g
Sarah
Marshall concerns Peter
B r e t t e r ( J a s o n S e g e l ) , a T. V
composer for the fictitious,
imaginatively titled ‘Crime
Scene’ which stars his
girlfriend Sarah Marshall
(Kristin Bell). Peter is a bit
of a slob. The first thing
we see him doing is eating
breakfast cereal from what
can only be described as
a v e r y l a rg e d o g b o w l . A s
such, it is not a surprise
when Sarah gives him the
old heave-ho for Aldous
Snow
(Russell
Brand),
a
h i p p y,
nymphomaniac
20th May 2008
that Sarah and Aldous are
soaking up the sun on the
same island and at the same
resort. And so the hilarity
ensues, or is supposed to.
There are some genuinely
funny moments; the ‘sex
battle’ scene is laugh-outl o u d f u n n y, a n d R u s s e l l
Brand is in his comfort zone
this
of
most
prestigious
newspapers.
Now to the second
part of my unusually
dual title. Judge Jules?
W h a t ’s t h a t g o t t o d o
with film? I hear you
c r y. We l l I ’ m t h e f i l m
editor and I went to
see Judge Jules at the
C u b e s o t h e r e ’s t h a t …
also I need to fill some
space. I gotta admit,
I know nothing about
dance music whatsoever
and am probably the
least qualified person
in the Edge to write
anything about it. I can
say however that I had
a pretty good time. I
get the impression my
enjoyment was related
to the fact that Judge
Jules and the “posse” he
brought along with him
should be. It is a sign of the
quality of a comedy when
the script resorts to fullfrontal male nudity in the
first five minutes! The script
also gets sucked into the
problem of dwelling on the
shift in mood in the middle
of the film for far too long.
To b e h o n e s t , I d i d n o t r e a l l y
feel the need for emotion or
is that it is hard to care for
t h e m a i n c h a r a c t e r. I n t h e
past, the Apatow clan have
succeeded in creating a
s l o b b y, d o w n - t r o d d e n , o n t h e - v e rg e - o f - s u i c i d e m a l e
c h a r a c t e r,
that,
through
either romance or fatherhood
has been transformed into
a
clean-cut,
optimistic
and
slightly-less-suicidal
aren’t hardcore dance.
The tracks seemed like
they could be enjoyed by
quite a general audience
and with the help of
some cheap union booze
myself and the group I
was with did just that.
him on the decks, I had a
pretty good time and I’m
not really a fan at all.
It was on a Monday
night,
which
seemed
a bit strange for a big
Radio 1 DJ but there
was a reasonable turn
out (although in Jules
eyes it was probably
like a quiet night in). I
admit that in some cases
I actually recognized
portions of the music
they played (remixed
though it was), which
was a nice surprise.
I ’ m s u r e h e ’s p r o b a b l y
a good DJ and any fan
of popular dance music
would enjoy a night with
We l l b a c k t o t h e
films.
In
this
issue
we have three lovely
reviews.
Just
above
is
Forgetting
Sarah
Marshall which seems
like it could be a little
unusual for a typical rom
com. I was lucky enough
to go and see Speed
Racer and have given you
my (excellent) opinion
overleaf and finally we
have a nice write up
of the full Grindhouse
feature which played
at
the
Odeon,
fake
trailers
and
all.
Let me round off
by saying that I hope
you have all enjoyed the
year in film as provided
Ve r d i c t
An
extra
star
for
Brand, but an otherwise
overlong, vacuous and
rather
disappointing
experience that perhaps
s h o u l d b e f o rg o t t e n .
A d a m Va u g h a n
2/5
by the Edge and if
you didn’t, oh well,
I don’t really care
a n y w a y. H a v e a g o o d
s u m m e r, c y a n e x t y e a r.
Dean Read.
Film
20th May 2008
Directors: Andy
Wachowski, Larry
Wachowski
Starring: Emile Hirsch,
John Goodman, Susan
Sarandon, Christina Ricci,
Matthew Fox
Speed Racer is the
l a t e s t f r o m t h e Wa c h o w s k i
brothers, the sibling team
who brought us sci-fi tour de
f o r c e T h e M a t r i x ( l e t ’s j u s t
ignore the super lameness
of the sequels). This time
they are turning a kids
cartoon into a live-action
film. Although I believe
Speed Racer is much more
famous across the Atlantic
and therefore not as likely
to play to our nostalgia
it can still be enjoyed by
an uninitiated audience.
We s t a r t o ff w i t h
S p e e d R a c e r, t h e y o u n g e s t o f
t h e R a c e r f a m i l y. H e i d o l i s e s
h i s o l d e r b r o t h e r R e x R a c e r,
a racing champion, while his
dad Pops Racer (Goodman)
works
in
the
garage
building and
t w e a k i n g R e x ’s c a r s w i t h
Mom
(Sarandon)
being
1 9 5 0 ’s h o u s e w i f e o f t h e y e a r
looking after them all. This
idyllic situation is shattered
when Rex is killed during a
race, however we see that as
Speed grows up he becomes
a top racer just like his
b r o t h e r.
Speed
garners
the attention of Royalton,
head of mega corporation
Royalton Industries who
wants to add him to their
roster of winning racers.
Speed turns him down and
from there on he has to fight
o ff R o y a l t o n o n e v e r y f r o n t
with a little help on the
track from Racer X (Fox).
L e t ’s g e t s o m e t h i n g
straight before I start to
give my opinion of Speed
R a c e r, i t i s u n a s h a m e d l y a
family film. It is playing to
all the demographics from
grandmother to 4 year old
and if you are too “hip” or
“emo”
to
e n j o y
Pops Racer
s o m e t h i n g t h a t ’s n o t d a r k
or cynical or full of shades
of gray melodrama, then
first of all you’re a tool and
s e c o n d l y y o u w o n ’t e n j o y
t h i s . To f i n d s o m e t h i n g
close in tone you will have
to look towards Pixar and
their pretty much infallible
r e c o r d . Wi t h t h a t o u t o f
the way I can say that I
enjoyed Speed Racer for
m a n y d i ff e r e n t r e a s o n s a n d
the lack of “adult in-jokes”
which lesser family friendly
films resort to is one of them.
If you’ve seen the
trailer you will know that
visually Speed Racer is
something pretty incredible.
It feels like every single
frame was designed to look
an exact way and a lot of the
time there is far too much
detail on show to be taken
in. It will take multiple
viewings to fully appreciate
the backgrounds whipping
past in each race or the
nuances of the Racer family
home. Remember the first
time you saw the Matrix and
it was unbelievable the way
Tr i n i t y h u n g i n t h e a i r r e a d y
to dish out a kick, well I
found it just as remarkable
the way they have created
this fantastical world. Due
to the kinetic nature of
the film the living manga
backgrounds
never
Trixie
become familiar or fade
into purely your peripheral
a n d i t i s d i ff i c u l t t o i m a g i n e
the
man
hours
which
went into creating them.
Performance
wise
Speed Racer definitely goes
above and beyond what
you would expect from
your standard family fare.
It is clear from the big
names in the cast list that
t h e Wa c h o w s k i s w a n t e d
s e r i o u s a c t o r s w h o w e r e n ’t
going to turn in C-grade
performances just because
this is a family film. It is
d i ff i c u l t t o s i n g l e o u t a n y
one of them for a particularly
good performance as they
a l l f i t t h e i r r o l e s p e r f e c t l y.
I will mention however that
it is nice to see Matthew Fox
do something completely
d i ff e r e n t f r o m h i s L o s t
character and watching John
Goodman get back into the
big time is also pleasing. I
only have one complaint and
t h a t i s R o y a l t o n . Yo u a r e i n
no doubt from the second he
walks on the screen that he
is the archetypal bad guy and
he is just so heavy handedly
evil throughout that I feel
this is the only area in
which the film (and one of
the actors) condescends.
Overall the fantastic
Chim Chim
Racer X
Speed Racer
visuals and first rate score
make Speed Racer a sensory
experience unlike anything I
have seen before. Of course
it is not means perfect.
The scenes in between the
big races can get a little
dull and there are 1 or 2
times where it is played a
little too much for a very
young age group missing
the broad appeal of the rest
of the film. These however
are minor complaints, in my
opinion this is one of the
releases the cinema is made
f o r, d o n ’t w a i t f o r D V D i t
c a n ’t p o s s i b l y b e t h e s a m e .
Dean Read
4/5
Film
Directors: Robert
Rodriguez, Quentin
Tarantino
Starring: Danny Trejo,
Rose McGowan, Bruse
Willis, Kurt Russell… et
al.
There comes a point half way
through Planet Terror, the first of
the Grindhouse double feature,
where an amputee go go dancer
with recently attached wooden
leg, is rescued by her
ninja, knife wielding
exlover from hordes of mutant
zombies. ‘This is ridiculous!’
She shouts. Ridiculous indeed.
But you’ll be hard pressed to
find a cinematic experience
more stupid, more daring,
or more enjoyable than this.
A ‘cinematic experience’ is
truly what Grindhouse is. For
those who missed Quentin
Tarantino’s typically hyperactive
promotional tour to promote his
much maligned movie series at
the end of 2007, a history lesson:
Grindhouse is the collaboration
between
cinema’s
biggest
geeks, Quentin Tarantino and
Robert Rodriguez. In typically
postmodern fashion, the film is
a pastiche of the old grindhouse
features of the seventies,
where audiences were treated
to two absurd, hyper-violent,
blood
splattered
features,
sandwiched between adverts
for
upcoming
attractions.
From
the
moment
the
lights go down, Tarantino and
Rodriguez inject viewers so
completely into the grindhouse
experience that it’s difficult to
know where the modern world
ends. Scratchy, misspelt title
cards offer ‘prevues of coming
attractions’ and in the place of
the omnipresent Indiana Jones:
And the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull or Dark Knight trailers,
viewers are treated to a trailer
for the imaginary Machete, a
superbly violent, knowingly
idiotic CIA
action
movie,
which
comes
dangerously close to self
parody
for
Rodriguez
and his El Mariachi series.
These short trailers are
technically
perfect.
The
scratchy cameras, the quick,
poorly framed cuts that prevent
anyone realising that Edgar
Wright’s contribution is filled
with loathsome English actors.
Even the deep, unusually
verbose James Earl Jones
imitation voiceovers will be
familiar to anyone who has
seen trailers for late sixties, early
seventies films like The Omen or
Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Rodriguez and Tarantino know
their subject unnervingly well.
And by the time Machete
has…well…macheted his way
through an entire cast of extras
in the trailer’s meagre run time,
viewers are neatly introduced to
the baffling world of Grindhouse.
Falling some way between
a modern action adventure, a
zombie horror film, and a trashy
20th May 2008
Steven King novel, Planet
Terror – Robert Rodriguez’s
contribution to the Grindhouse
experience is brilliantly bizarre.
Strung together in the language
of film cliché, Planet Terror
introduces us to go go dancers,
Texan barbeque restaurant
owners, a local sheriff and a
psychotic doctor and his lesbian
wife as they all deal with
the outbreak of a biological
weapon that mutates the
backwater town into a nation
of swollen faced creatures.
For the director, gritty, realistic
storytelling
and
character
motivation go out the window.
Vast plot gullies are elegantly
leapt, or casually ignored as
the go go dancer has her leg
amputated and replaced
with a high powered
machine gun, and Osama
Bin Laden is hunted down
and unceremoniously killed.
In the place of common
sense, Rodriguez ramps up
the gore. The red
stuff fountains
out of every flesh
wound, and people
are quite casually torn
in half and decapitated
as the camera gazes
on.
It’s
something
of a shock to a modern
audience, who breathlessly
wait for the respectful cuts
that we as cinemagoers have
come to expect when a knife
hovers menacingly over an
unsuspecting victim. A cut
that never comes, thanks to
Tarantino and Rodriguez’s
worrying
verisimilitude.
Yet, for a film that spreads the
ketchup like a bad burger bar,
Planet Terror remains strangely
chaste when it comes to sex.
After a credit sequence in which
audiences are treated to a pole
dance, the film quickly covers
up – indulging in the most
ridiculous levels of horror and
gore, but cutting playfully to a
‘missing reel’ as the female lead
gets busy with her mysterious
ninja lover. Perhaps this is
another playful, ironic comment
on the state of American self
censorship in the seventies,
but it feels a disappointingly
restrained for a film that has
so much fun in breaking every
other taboo of good taste.
Tarantino’s feature, Death
Proof, which arrives after trailers
for Rob Zombie’s Werewolf
Women of the S.S and the
brilliantly horrific Thanksgiving,
places viewers on more familiar
ground. Tarantino’s postmodern,
reference-heavy
filmmaking
style lends itself a little better to
the exploitation movie subgenre.
However, that isn’t to say
that Tarantino’s plot is any less
ridiculous than Planet Terror.
Death Proof tells the story of
Stunt Man Mike, a crazed ex
stuntman, who, for
no
readily
between Jules and Vic in Pulp
Fiction or the debate about
tipping at Reservoir Dogs’
opening, here Tarantino seems
to believe that all women talk
about is men and sleeping
with men. Worse still, his black
female lead’s dialogue is only
a little shy of flagrantly racist.
In a film with such a brief
run time, the endless patter of
Tarantino’s conversation quickly
drags, and it isn’t until the final
car chase that the film livens.
And what a chase it is. We are
spoilt with such beautiful, long
pans of the duelling cars as they
attempt to ram one another off
the road that they make even
The Matrix Reloaded blush.
There are no need for fast cuts,
or strange camera angles to
artificially inject tension into the
scene, instead, in a rare case of
Tarantino playing it straight, he
allows the balletic performances
of the cars to leave viewers
on the edges of their seats.
Individually,
neither
Death Proof nor Planet
Te r r o r
a r e
apparent r e a s o n ,
loves to kill young women by
smashing his ‘death proof’ car
into things, with them in the
unprotected passenger seat.
However, after offing one
young woman, he sets his sights
on a carful of girls, in whom he
just may have met his match.
Such a slim conceit is padded
by a good forty five minutes of
Tarantino’s trademark dialogue,
where characters seem happy
to discuss everything except
the plot of the film. Unlike the
brief and entertaining banter
spectacular
e n t r i e s ,
and
would
p r o b a b l y
disappoint
on
DVD. Instead, the real pleasure
of these films is seeing them
nestled between each other,
and the brilliantly funny trailers.
Taken together, the Grindhouse
Experience – a whopping three
hours of film lunacy, is rare
magic. A pair of films that revel
so deeply in their own idiocy that
you can’t help but love them.
Phil Reynolds
Planet Terror 4/5
Death Proof 3/5
The Grindhouse
Experience 5/5
ENCORE
Arts & Societies Guide
16th May to 14th June
AIESEC
Small Careers Fair
Date: Thursday 22nd May
Time: 4pm-6pm
Venue: The Bridge Bar
Contact: [email protected]
ArtSoc
Drawing and painting classes
Date: Wednesday evenings
Time: 7.30-9pm
Venue: SU Building, usually either Small
Meetings Room or Committee Room
Description: We run different classes each
week, so please get in touch for details
Contact: [email protected]
Ballroom & Latin Dancing
Summer Ballroom BBQ
Date: Saturday 14th June
Time: 12pm
Venue: The Common, meet at Cowherds
Description: Bring some food and drink and
join us for an awesome afternoon on the
common, we’ll supply disposable BBQs
Contact: [email protected]
Contemporary Dance Soc
Dance classes
Date: Every Friday
Time: 6-7pm
Venue: Multipurpose studio
Contact: [email protected]
SU Sinfonietta
History Society
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Date: Tuesday 20th May
Venue: Sobar
Description: Nautically themed naughtiness at
Sobar, cocktails and BBQ
Contact: [email protected]
Jewish Society
Friday Night Meal
Date: Friday 23rd May
Description: Friday night meal £2. A great
evening to sit and discuss Shavuot
Contact: [email protected]
Services
Date: Monday 9th & Tuesday 10th June
Description: Services at the synagogue with
nibbles afterwards, event held with the Jewish
community in Southampton
Contact: [email protected]
OnGoing Events
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 1.45pm
Venue: Chaplaincy
Description: Lunch and Learn in the Sunshine
weather providing
Contact: [email protected]
Summer Concert
Date: Sunday 1st June
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Turner Sims Concert Hall
Description: Tchaikovsky: Capriccio italien
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto in A minor
Beethoven: Symphony 5
Students £3
Contact: fl[email protected]
SU Singers
Summer Concert
Date: Saturday 24th May
Time: 7pm
Venue: Turner Sims Concert Hall
Description: Both choral and solo
performances covering a wide range of music
including Wicked, Avenue Q and Canon in D
Contact: [email protected]
Theatre Group
Showcase
Date: Friday 16th and Saturday 17th May
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Arts Annexe
Description: A collection of comedic and
dramatic pieces, written and performed by
SUSU Theatre Group
Contact: [email protected]
WANT TO HAVE YOUR SOCIETY LISTED? IT’S FREE!!! Email: [email protected]