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Issue 626

Sorted by date / most viewed. Showing 25, 50, 100 per page.

Orgy of Tolerance

Orgy of Tolerance

2 Apr 2009

A quick glance at the poster for Jan Fabre’s latest show, Orgy of Tolerance tells you the Belgian artist clearly isn’t afraid to push people’s buttons. On it, a bearded, long-haired performer stands wearing Y-fronts, a gold-link chain and a crucifix…

The BFG

The BFG

2 Apr 2009

PREVIEW STAGE ADAPTATION Nineteen years after his death, Roald Dahl remains as popular as ever with the bedtime crowd. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches – the list goes on, each of them bringing delight to…

Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot

2 Apr 2009

CLASSIC The prospect of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen sharing a stage as the leads in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is both thrilling and slightly intimidating. The two thesps have known each other since the mid-1970s when they were members…

Artist Rooms

Artist Rooms

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

GROUP SHOW One of two flagship group shows to stem from Anthony d’Offay’s gift to the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate last year (the other is at Tate Modern), Artist Rooms is bright and inspiring and bulges with defining work from some of the…

Sharp Shooting

2 Apr 2009

Following its notable success last year, The List is pleased to see the return of the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP), to Edinburgh’s Cameo cinema at the end of May. Filmmakers from across Scotland will be offered the opportunity to spend a weekend making…

Glasgow Necropolis

Site Specifics: The Glasgow Necropolis

2 Apr 2009

What is it? A Victorian Gothic fantasy of what a cemetery should look like. At least 50,000 Glaswegians have been buried there, in 3,500 tombs and mausoleums. You want us to go to a graveyard? It’s not just a graveyard. It’s a fascinating look…

Let The Right One In (Lat Den Ratte Komma In)

Let The Right One In (Lat Den Ratte Komma In)

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

DRAMA/HORROR Let the Right One In is a chilling Swedish coming-of-age story that breathes new life into a tired vampire genre marred by American high school teenagers and Christian lobbyist novelists (Stephanie Meyer, Anne Rice). It’s the early…

Secret Wars

Secret Wars

2 Apr 2009

The first rule of Art Club is: you don’t talk about Art Club. Unless you’re writing a piece in a magazine. We’re not really sure what an event describing itself as ‘like Fight Club, with artists’ entails, but this live art battle has been running at…

Pablo Larrain

Profile: Pablo Larrain

2 Apr 2009

Name Pablo Larrain Born 19 August 1976, Santiago, Chile Background Pablo Larrain studied film at the UNIACC university in Chile. After working as an assistant director on several films, he started to direct commercials. His debut film Fuga…

Jamie Jones

Off:beat

2 Apr 2009

New night of deep house and techno as Off:beat launches at the Caves. Special guest for the opening night will be Jamie Jones (Crosstown Rebels) who earned his stripes on the warehouse party circuit and in Ibiza and who will be dropping minimal, house…

Take Me Out

Take Me Out

2 Apr 2009

From cycling, pirate ships, dolphin watching and woodland walks to face-painting, castles, beaches and alien designs, Anna Millar handpicks some of the finest days out and events this Easter, whether you’re a big or a little kid

Larry Charles: Beyond Belief

Larry Charles: Beyond Belief

2 Apr 2009

‘The controversy of people standing in front of a theatre with placards means nothing to me,’ announces Larry Charles. The Borat director and US comedy colossus, famed for his creative input into genre-redefining TV shows Seinfeld and Curb Your…

Mark Radcliffe

Mark Radcliffe - Thank You for the Days

2 Apr 2009

Showbiz is, as many will attest, a fickle business. Radio DJ, TV presenter, musician and all-round music boffin Mark Radcliffe has managed to exist on its periphery, trousers and dignity both relatively intact, for over two and a half decades. That’s…

tePOOKa

Fool’s paradise

2 Apr 2009

The large scarlet doors marking the entrance to the former Lawson’s Timber retail site on Edinburgh’s Lady Lawson Street look innocuous enough. What the guidebooks don’t tell you is that this is actually a portal to another world. Behind the Big Red…

Whistler: The Gentle Art of Making Etchings

Whistler: The Gentle Art of Making Etchings

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

ETCHINGS ‘That in Art, it is criminal to go beyond the means used in its exercise,’ wrote James McNeill Whistler in his book The Gentle Art of Making Enemies. Referring to the size of the copper plate used in relation to the fine pointed needle to…

Female Prisoner Scorpion Trilogy

Female Prisoner Scorpion Trilogy

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

CRIME/ADVENTURE/BOXSET No one makes films like the Japanese filmmaker Shunya Ito, and his early 1970s exploitation film trilogy about the travails of a sexy young female prisoner Matsu (Meiko Kaji) are very likely to be his abiding legacy, in the…

Vintage Clothes Customisation: Sew much better

2 Apr 2009

Over the last decade or so, as we’re sure you’re aware, it’s become not only socially acceptable, but positively necessary, darling, to wear second hand clothes. The vintage business is big – entire empires are built upon a few 50s prom frocks and some…

Natalie Press

Profile - Natalie Press

2 Apr 2009

Name Natalie Press Born 15 August, 1980, London Background Just three years after the elfin actress made her professional debut in television soap Holby City she hit the big time with Pawel Pawlikowski’s rapturously received 2004 film My Summer…

Cabaret

Cabaret

(2 stars)2 Apr 2009

MUSICAL Kander and Ebb’s signature musical beautifully harnesses source material by Christopher Isherwood to recreate the exhilarating debauchery of Weimar Berlin, shot through with punchy reminders of the Nazis’ rise to power. This award-winning…

Food For Thought - Fiona Houston

Food For Thought - Fiona Houston

2 Apr 2009

Breakfast in our house is a chaotic affair, fruit and cereal, eaten in between organising kids’ homework and PE kit. I try to make carrot and apple juice, if I have time. Living close to Stockbridge in Edinburgh, I have no excuse not to eat local, and…

DOOM - Born Like This

DOOM - Born Like This

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

HIP HOP So the MF is gone and underground hip hop’s most malcontent son insists on uppercase only for his moniker, but other than that it’s business as usual for DOOM who follows his 2005 Dangerdoom collaboration with Gorillaz and Gnarls Barkely…

Trouble Weekender

Trouble Weekender

2 Apr 2009

Tearing up the rulebook: that was the basic premise when we started Trouble in 2002. Jay Feeney (Freak Music) and Erik d’Viking were programming a new live music/club venue sponsored by legendary US jazz label Blue Note Records and wanted me to run a…

Dananananaykroyd

Dananananaykroyd

2 Apr 2009

You’ll probably have been aware of the name Dananananykroyd being shouted from the rooftops of the Scottish music scene for a few years – it’s so joyfully unwieldy you could hardly have missed it. Yet, only now are the self-styled ‘fight-pop’ Glasgow…

Edinburgh International Science Festival: The Appliance of Science

Edinburgh International Science Festival: The Appliance of Science

2 Apr 2009

With 170 events taking place in 26 venues, it’s safe to say that Edinburgh International Science Festival has got everything pretty much covered. The star of the show this year is ASIMO, the world’s most advanced robot. Appearing four times a day at the…

Gun Crazy

Gun Crazy - Poverty Row

2 Apr 2009

Since I heard that his ‘lovers on the lam’ film noir Gun Crazy was to be revived I have spent a lot of time trying to get hold of Joseph H Lewis’ other films. If ever there was a wonderful filmmaker who deserves his own DVD box set, it is Lewis. My old…

Neil Clements: Built. Lacking.

Neil Clements: Built. Lacking.

2 Apr 2009

While primarily known as a painter, whose shaped canvases based on the designs of classic rock guitars were shown at DCA last year, Neil Clements’ new series of works for Edinburgh’s doggerfisher has required him to adapt his usual working methods. ‘I…

In The Frame

In The Frame

2 Apr 2009

A glut of ceramic centres has sprung up recently, offering lots of creative fun – but at a price. If you can only run to a pottery painting session every few months or for a birthday treat, there’s no need for the kids to miss out on a regular dose of…

Parklife

Parklife

2 Apr 2009

With a family ticket to the average theme park costing close to £100, it’s worth remembering that a day out at one of Scotland’s country parks can offer just as much fun – for no money at all. None of the parks listed here charges for admission or…

Beach Babies

Beach Babies

2 Apr 2009

Portobello Back in the swinging 60s Portie was a popular seaside destination. After getting a little rough around the edges in 70s and 80s, it has once again become an enjoyable jaunt for visitors and locals alike. Walk along the beach, play on the…

Easter Eggcitement

Easter Eggcitement 2009

2 Apr 2009

Chicks, Eggs & Bunnies Week Mon 6–Thu 9 Apr, 10–11am. £8 per day. Imagination Workshop, 136 Marchmont Road, 0131 466 0148. Make a chick, egg or bunny in this Easter-themed workshop. Price includes a chocolate egg. Ages 6+. Easter Egg-citement…

Al Murray

Al Murray

2 Apr 2009

CHARACTER COMEDY As Al Murray’s cabinet of characters expands from just the one well-developed incarnation as the Pub Landlord to a whole myriad of personae in his current ITV1 series Al Murray’s Multiple Personality, he notes that he never really…

sh[OUT]: Contemporary Art and Human Rights

sh[OUT]: Contemporary Art and Human Rights

2 Apr 2009

PREVIEW EXHIBITION Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex life is placed centre stage this summer as part of GoMA’s biennial social justice programme, which explores human rights through the lens of contemporary art. While there are few…

Catching a View

Catching a View

2 Apr 2009

Dolphin watching Bottlenose dolphins are plentiful in the Moray Firth and the best land-bound spot to see them is the Black Isle. The Dolphin and Seal Visitor Centre consists of a hut with interactive displays and simulated dolphin noises, so stretch…

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!

(5 stars)2 Apr 2009

Show Your Bones almost broke them, but if any band could survive their self-professed darkest period and come back all cylinders firing it’s the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Snooty types have always been quick to pooh-pooh the art rock trio’s muso credibility…

Richard Curtis

Interview - Richard Curtis

2 Apr 2009

Richard Curtis’s pirate radio romp The Boat That Rocked could be seen as a step into new territory for the Love Actually director, as it is noticeably free of his two main preoccupations up to this point: romantic love and Hugh Grant. But according to…

The Associates

The Associates

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

ANNIVERSARY GROUP SHOW The DCA celebrates its tenth anniversary with this show of 17 now major artists weaned on its doorstep at Duncan of Jordanstone College. Named in homage to the most flamboyantly brilliant pop group ever sired in the city, pop…

The Boat That Rocked

The Boat That Rocked

(2 stars)2 Apr 2009

COMEDY/DRAMA Richard Curtis’ return to the big screen after six years back working in television is not as rockin’ as it is rolling, loose, baggy and freewheeling. It feels like a very long musical montage with little structure or direction. Some…

Neil Landstrumm

Substance

2 Apr 2009

TECHNO/DUBSTEP/RAVE In terms of Edinburgh’s electronic musical heritage Neil Landstrumm and Tobias Schmidt certainly rank in the upper echelons of the Capital’s techno innovators. And Substance have secured the talents of both Landstrumm and Schmidt…

Wells Tower

Wells Tower - Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

(Granta) SHORT STORY COLLECTION Another month, another hotshot North American writer comes our way. With a splurge of fanfare arrives this debut collection from Wells Tower, who has previously contributed to the cult literary likes of McSweeney’s…

The Curse of the Starving Class

The Curse of the Starving Class

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

AMERICAN DRAMA In Sam Shepard’s still-relevant 1978 black comedy we meet an alcoholic father (Christopher Fairbank) whose violence towards the structure of his own dirt-poor rural house looks like threatening put-upon wife (Carla Mendonca). Her…

Tony Manero

Tony Manero

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

DRAMA As any self-respecting Saturday Night Fever fan will tell you, Tony Manero is the name of the white suit-wearing dancer who made John Travolta a by-word for cool. The premise of Pablo Larrain’s sophomore movie is like a disco nightmare. It’s…

Religulous

Religulous

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

DOCUMENTARY The Richard Dawkins offensive has a powerful new ally in Borat director Larry Charles and comedian Bill Maher’s new film about faith and its associated idiocies. Beginning with the premise that religion is detrimental to the progress…

Big Ned

Big Ned

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

POST-BLUES To say that Glasgow’s Big Ned are the first signing to the newly-inaugurated Optimo Music label (formerly Oscarr) might give some idea as to where they’re coming from. An exciting and challenging place, sure, but possibly one which has…

The Noisettes

The Noisettes

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

POP Originally signed to Side Salad Records, this London trio started off life as a post-punk revival band but if tonight’s showcase of their soon-to-be-released album Wild Young Hearts is anything to go by, have changed their directon rather…

Phil Nichol

Five Things You Might Not Know About - Phil Nichol

2 Apr 2009

1. His CV reports: ‘born in Scotland and raised by wild rabbits in Canada.’ One of these statements seems to be half-true. 2. He has something of a streaker instinct. Prior to winning the if.comedy prize for his Naked Racist show, he stripped right…

Paper Planes

Paper Planes

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

INDIE/PUNK One part American, three parts Scottish and all parts pretty exceptional, Glasgow’s Paper Planes have struck on a great formula. New Jersey-born front woman Jennifer Paley is as photogenic as a young Chrissie Hynde and caterwauls as…

Alyth - People Like Me

Alyth - People Like Me

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

FOLK Derby-based Navigator Records has established a significant presence on the Scottish folk scene in the past year or so, and now adds Alyth to a roster that also includes Lau, Kris Drever, John McCusker, Martin Green and rootsy singer-songwriter…

Enrico Rava - New York Days

Enrico Rava - New York Days

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

JAZZ Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava presents a new line-up on this quintet outing, in which his protégé and regular collaborator, pianist Stefano Bollani, is joined by an American trio of saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer…

Paul Clarvis & Liam Noble - Starry Starry Night

Paul Clarvis & Liam Noble - Starry Starry Night

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

JAZZ A delightful duet release from percussionist Paul Clarvis and pianist Liam Noble. The premise is simple – take a set of songs, ranging from established jazz standards to contemporary material like Don MacLean’s ‘Vincent’ (the Van Gogh link is…

Le Reno Amps - Tear It Open

Le Reno Amps - Tear It Open

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

GUITAR POP This third offering from the Scottish popsters doesn’t fit in with any current trends, which is all the more reason to take them to your heart. From Aberdeen by way of Glasgow, the Amps here deliver an unashamedly upbeat and melody-strewn…

Crystal Antlers - Tentacles

Crystal Antlers - Tentacles

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

PSYCH ROCK This debut long-player from Californian psych-rock hairballs Crystal Antlers is ablaze with acid-fried garage, solar free-jazz, lo-fi blare and scorchio freak-pop. Yet its escapist clamour is offset by an apocalyptic lyrical…

A Made Up Sound (2562) - Shortcuts

A Made Up Sound (2562) - Shortcuts

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

DUBSTEP Known for his finely polished productions on Tectonic and Subsolo, Dave Huisman’s has cleverly crafted a name for himself, wedging himself nicely between the worlds of Techno Soul and Dubstep. This latest MP3 only offering was put together…

Denise Mina

Denise Mina

2 Apr 2009

The award-winning Glasgow crime writer takes time out of from her play, short story and novel writing to set her stall on home turf and talk about her collection of works, including her newest, Still Midnight. Thu 16 Apr, Lost in Fiction, 114 Byres…

Behaviour

Behaviour

2 Apr 2009

Theatre, it’s fair to say, suffers from an image problem. Despite being an utterly flexible and inventive art form, most people still associate ‘theatre’ with a red plush seat and the passive consumption of a story for two hours (perhaps pausing briefly…

Crabshakk

Crabshakk

2 Apr 2009

Nestled between the brightly coloured Kelvingrove café and a launderette, Crabshakk’s exterior exudes a calm, grown up sophistication. Painted in battleship grey, and lacking any signage, it puts one in mind of a word of mouth club or private members…

Carl Cox

First Word - Carl Cox

2 Apr 2009

What’s the first record you ever bought? It was in 1975. It was Tamla Motown, it cost 75p from HMV in Sutton and was Diana Ross, ‘Love Hangover’. When was the last time you were chatted up? Last weekend actually, very nice. I don’t really go out…

PlayList

PlayList

2 Apr 2009

In tune with the arrival of Nicolas Cage’s latest ‘I-can-see-the-future’ drama Knowing at our cinemas, this month’s PlayList offers to take you back to the future, or at least the retro-tinged visions of the future created to exploit the common…

Fangs

Fangs

2 Apr 2009

PREVIEW For a band who seem like they just sprang forth as a leather and lycra-wearing, Kohl-retouched embodiment of the NY punk scene circa ‘77 (with added electronics), Fangs have done a bit of evolving. Anyone who’s been around the Scottish scene…

Scottish Ballet Spring Season

Scottish Ballet Spring Season

2 Apr 2009

BALLET With the news that Scottish Ballet is returning to the Edinburgh International Festival this year, and its new home at Tramway nearing completion, the company has never been in finer fettle. When he first arrived at Scottish Ballet, artistic…

Delis

Taste Test - Delis

2 Apr 2009

Earthy 33–41 Ratcliffe Terrace, Edinburgh, 0131 667 2967, www.earthy.co.uk Mon–Fri 8.30am–7.30pm; Sat 8.30am–6pm; Sun 10am–5pm. This indie supermarket sells fairly-traded, local, seasonal and organic produce, from in and around Edinburgh. Choose…

Labels of Love - Avalanche Records Album Club

Labels of Love - Avalanche Records Album Club

2 Apr 2009

Based in Edinburgh Roster Not a roster as such, but they dip into the finest indie music from around the globe, with a Scottish accent on things. The gaffer Kevin Buckle, owner of Avalanche Records for an impressive 25 years, ubiquitous…

Interiors

Interiors

2 Apr 2009

NEW WORK We’ve all seen those moments when a friend wants to stay in the pub for an inordinate length of time, less for the need to drink than for pure companionship. Matthew Lenton, artistic director of Vanishing Point is looking toward that sense…

Setting the stage - Edinburgh International Festival

2 Apr 2009

EIF artistic director, Jonathan Mills, referred to the ‘menace and magic’ of this year’s festival programme, as he unveiled the highlights last week. In keeping with 2009’s Homecoming celebrations the Edinburgh International Festival launched works rich…

Puppet Animation Festival

Puppet Animation Festival

2 Apr 2009

PREVIEW FESTIVAL Tall oaks from little acorns grow, and the Puppet Animation Festival has grown into quite an oak. From humble beginnings at the Netherbow Theatre in Edinburgh, the Festival has spread its seeds to cover the entire country. In 1984…

Briefs

2 Apr 2009

Glasgow’s Concert Halls has announced an International Classical Season from Oct 2009– May 2010. The programme will boast artists from all over the world, with four concerts at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, two mini-series of chamber ensemble…

Pacou

Introducing...

2 Apr 2009

Guests The headline slot goes to Dave Tarrida, a man who has helped shape Scottish techno with his seminal nights Test and Sativa (in Glasgow and Edinburgh, respectively). Current resident at Berlin’s legendary Tresor and with releases on the label of…

Side Dishes - Food News

2 Apr 2009

For over-the-top decor and big show-off budgets, Glasgow’s eat and drink scene has no peer. Now G1 group has taken over the old Hallion on Bath Street. Hummingbird opened last weekend to a mix of cooing and guffaws at the sheer, brazen vision of the…

Monsters VS Aliens

Monsters VS Aliens

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

ANIMATION/SCI-FI As with the cheerfully vacuous Bolt, Monsters vs Aliens exemplifies the virtues of today’s 3D cinema – eye-popping to watch, leavened with self-referential humour that makes it easy to digest, but also playing things so painstakingly…

Also Released - Film

2 Apr 2009

Gun Crazy (PG) 87min ●●●●● Joseph H Lewis’ thrilling 1950 B feature re-released. See feature. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 3–Thu 9 Apr. Dragonball: Evolution (PG) 83min ● Puerile Hollywood film version of the Japanese manga phenomenon. This…

Deepchild

Seinan Music

2 Apr 2009

TECHNO Producer and DJ Rick Bull, aka Deepchild, has just woken up on a Friday morning in Seattle and is in contemplative mood. ‘I was in Detroit a couple of days ago,’ he says, ‘and it’s hard not to be moved by the desolation of the place. There’s a…

Cabaret Baby

Cabaret Baby

2 Apr 2009

CABARET It’s a brave man who throws off the shackles of his classical traditions and embraces a bit of Dolly Parton. But Stephen Deazley is just the man for the job. Inspired by a suitably colourful youth basking in the joys of late 70s, early 80s…

The Big Pink

The Big Pink

2 Apr 2009

PREVIEW Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze have come a long way since their days of running club nights in a disused horse hospital in Islington. ‘We were both really into industrial noise,’ says Cordell. ‘Just noise. Like kkkssshhh. Kkkrrr. Distorted…

Exposure: Unicorn Kid

Exposure: Unicorn Kid

2 Apr 2009

At just 17, Leith-dwelling wonder-boy Oli Sabin, aka Unicorn Kid, has already had more than a million MySpace users tuning in to his manic brand of pop-eyed toy box techno. He played the London and Glasgow launch parties of teen TV drama Skins, and has…

Victoria/Campo: Venizke

Victoria/Campo: Venizke

2 Apr 2009

DANCE THEATRE When mental instability is spread across the front covers of Heat and Hello, it’s easy to forget that a real human lies being behind the mask of celebrity. Deconstructing the desire to be famous – and the pleasures and pitfalls it can…

Be Near Me

Be Near Me

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

LITERARY ADAPTATION You can see what attracted Ian McDiarmid to Andrew O’Hagan’s novel Be Near Me. The tale of a cultured, flawed priest who takes over a small parish in a stagnating Ayrshire community, becomes enchanted by a shrewd but low-achieving…

Fifty Dead Men Walking

Fifty Dead Men Walking

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

THRILLER A Northern Irish Catholic Del Boy turns undercover informer in this liberal adaptation of Martin McGartland’s autobiography. Besieged by recession, shootings and paranoia (sound familiar?), west Belfast in the 1980s was not a great place…

Dave Milligan

Colin Steele & Dave Milligan

2 Apr 2009

PREVIEW This is the final element in Assembly Direct’s current series featuring trumpeter Colin Steele, and should be a memorable occasion. Steele’s plangent, lyrical trumpet work and Milligan’s harmonically sophisticated pianism is already a…

I Love You, Man

I Love You, Man

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

COMEDY The brotherly-love or ‘bro-mance’ genre that Judd Apatow developed and mainstreamed with Knocked Up and Superbad shows no signs of running low on testosterone, with I Love You, Man picking up where last year’s equally acerbic Role Models left…

Hayley Tompkins: Autobuilding

Hayley Tompkins: Autobuilding

(2 stars)2 Apr 2009

MIXED MEDIA Over the past ten years GSA graduate Tompkins has drawn recognition for her abstract compositions. On the strength of this show, however, hers is an oeuvre that seems to have (to quote American cleric/writer Norman Vincent Peale) been…

Cherry Blossoms (Kirschbluten-Hanami)

Cherry Blossoms (Kirschbluten-Hanami)

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

DRAMA Who would be a parent? Unloved, unthanked and ultimately abandoned. The eternal story of ageist betrayal gets a fresh Germanic twist in this new film. On finding out that her husband is gravely ill, elderly Trudi (Hannalore Eisner) decides…

5 Reasons to Go See - Beardyman

5 Reasons to Go See - Beardyman

2 Apr 2009

1. He’s got a world of music in his mouth Yes, it’s the wonderful world of beatboxing and Beardyman, aka Londoner Darren Foreman, is up there with the very best. It’s not just extraordinary beats the man can reproduce, but also copycat singing voices…

Race to Witch Mountain

Race to Witch Mountain

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

FANTASY/ADVENTURE Director Andy Fickman (She’s the Man, The Game Plan) revives one of Disney’s most venerable properties by pimping out 1975 ‘alien kid’ adventure Escape to Witch Mountain as a high-concept vehicle for the studio’s current star Dwayne…

We Like

2 Apr 2009

● Did anyone think CSI could recover from the loss of the mighty Grissom (William Petersen)? Well, the equally mercurial Laurence Fishburne has stepped into his sizeable shoes and with a few stumbles (dipping your tie in burnt corpse is not a good look…

The Johnny 7

The Johnny 7

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

CHARITY GIG Many crimes against humour are regrettably pardoned when Comic Relief night comes around, and in the grand scheme of things a few guys playing lounge covers of classic pop hits while wearing black polo necks and joke shop moustaches is…

Also Published - 5 True Crime Paperbacks

2 Apr 2009

Peter Woolf - The Damage Done Woolf grew up as a kid in London’s criminal underworld and is now dedicated to helping others avoid the deadly pitfalls. Bantam. Mazher Mahmood - Confessions of a Fake Sheik This investigative journo has helped expose…

Also Released - Records

Also Released - Records

2 Apr 2009

The Black Dog - Further Vexations (Soma Records) Techno-legends The Black Dog deliver an album of perfectly crafted soundscapes of glistening highs and the deepest bass. Further Vexations is a self-proclaimed ‘21st century response to the rat on your…

GF Newman - Crime and Punishment

GF Newman - Crime and Punishment

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

(Quercus) GANGSTER NOVEL This London gangster novel doesn’t aspire to the lofty literary allusions of its Russian namesake. Eschewing Dostoevsky’s musings on the moral dilemma of murder, crime writer and TV producer Gordon Newman (Law and Order…

James Runcie - East Fortune

James Runcie - East Fortune

(1 star)2 Apr 2009

(Bloomsbury) FAMILY SAGA Featuring an ensemble cast of characters and set in East Lothian, this tedious novel is trying to be a modern family saga, but fails on almost every level. The story centres on the three Henderson brothers, all…

Lorraine Mariner - Furniture

Lorraine Mariner - Furniture

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

(Picador) POETRY COLLECTION It’s a far cry from Bridget Jones, but there’s still something about Furniture that is likely to appeal to the chick-lit generation. British poet Lorraine Mariner’s first full-length poetry collection is suffused with…

Driftwood

Driftwood

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

THRILLER Wrestling man mountain Diamond Dallas Page might not seem like the kind of brute you’d want to mess with, but in films like Driftwood, the big guy always falls that bit harder. And in this movie Goliath is taken on by little David Forrester…

Operation Valkyrie

Operation Valkyrie

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

DOCUMENTARY Just when you thought it was safe to dispel the image of an eye-patched Tom Cruise from your mind; here comes the documentary story of the doomed plot to kill Hitler in 1944. Set to an inappropriately throbbing soundtrack which could best…

Pat Mills and Various - ABC Warriors: The Meknificent Seven / The Shadow Warriors

Pat Mills and Various - ABC Warriors: The Meknificent Seven / The Shadow Warriors

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

(Rebellion) SCI-FI COMIC More British sci-fi action from 2000AD with the ‘Atomic’, ‘Bacterial’, ‘Chemical’ robot warriors, built to withstand any crisis. Going right back to their debut in 1979, The Meknificent Seven shows the formation of the…

Incendiary

Incendiary

(2 stars)2 Apr 2009

DRAMA The tale of a guilt-ridden mother losing her young son and husband to a suicide bomb attack should make for unbearably emotional viewing. Instead, it’s more likely you’ll be watching through your hands on account of the ham-fisted approach and…

First Love: The Litter on the Breeze

First Love: The Litter on the Breeze

(2 stars)2 Apr 2009

DRAMA Produced by Wong Kar-wai, and shot by his cameraman Chris Doyle, this doesn’t even pretend to pay much more than mere homage to the Hong Kong maestro. It’s a self conscious and self-reflexive take on filmmaker Erik Kot’s attempt to make a…

Mastodon - Crack the Skye

Mastodon - Crack the Skye

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

METAL Resisting any temptation to compromise their sound in pursuit of any continued commercial growth, Atlanta’s Mastodon run headlong down a dark path where giant nocturnal beasts ravage the land with the making of exploratory progressive metal as…

Royksopp - Junior

Royksopp - Junior

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

ELECTRONICA Royksopp are like good drugs: sweet, glistening, otherworldly and compellingly addictive. The initial headrush for their debut Melody A.M. remains that really great night out for all involved and 2005’s The Dreaming felt a little like…

A Band Called Quinn - Sun Moon Stars

A Band Called Quinn - Sun Moon Stars

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

POP Originally self-released last year, these sultry Glasgow-popstrels’ sophomore album gets a re-boot on local label Neon Tetra, with extra polish. Well, the cover art – featuring front lady Louise Quinn poised daringly on a Glasgow rooftop in a…

Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw

Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

GRIME POP Pony-tailed brat-camp rap star Lady Sovereign reaped copious props for her day-glo debut, Public Warning, in 2006 – not least in the States, where she was glorified by Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani and MTV. Now the UK emcee bounces back with a…

State Broadcasters - The Ship and the Iceberg

State Broadcasters - The Ship and the Iceberg

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

INDIE State Broadcasters: a gentle swirl of strings, harp, banjo and Scottish accents are the latest band to release an album on Stow College’s student-run label, Electric Honey. The Glasgow six-piece’s debut is an innocent folk-pop swoon, with…

It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar

It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar

(2 stars)2 Apr 2009

INDIE Despite the terrible twee band name, there’s initially something endearing about this Kent foursome’s debut album, opener ‘Q’ leaning heavily on dreamy mid-period Wilco influences to create something eerie yet uplifting. But while Wilco’s…

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