the edge (march 2013)

theedgesusu.co.uk - Issue 13 - March 2013

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Featured Contributors

Jamie Barker, Hannah Mylrea, Megan Downing, Christopher Mifsud, Kat Mortram, Pete Bridgewater, Amy Sandys, Howell Davies, Nátt Day, Matt Timmiss, Tom Saunderson, Jan Kobal, Barnaby Walter, Bex Beesley, Natasha Raymond, Jack Harding, Rebecca James, Lily Bangs, Annie Partridge, Dan Flynn, Elinor Day, Megan Downing, Phoebe Cross.

Edge Committee 12/13

Editor: David Martin

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Deputy Editor: George Doel

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Records Editor: Howell Davies

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Features Editor: Andrew Ovenden

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Film Editor: Barnaby Walter

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Culture Editor: Cally Beckley

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Live Editor: Megan Downing

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Online Editor: Tasha Onwuemezi

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Online Manager:Matthew Higgins

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Head of Design: Matt Timmiss

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Head of Relations: Dan Flynn

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Head of Publicity: Corinne Gurr

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Editor In Chief: David Gilani

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It’s hard to believe that this is now the sixth out of our seven issues this year. How times does fly!

As the days hopefully get warmer, and we move away from a hectic few months of exams and elections, there comes a time to start reflecting about what has gone on in the year so far.

The Brits certainly celebrate some of the music talent that’s been on offer over the past year and one of our committee members was fortunate enough to catch the action live, so head on over to our Features section to read all about it.

Spring also brings back a mixture of some of our favourite artists, and also the emergence of some new acts, both of whom are talked about in the Records section. Let’s not forget about the return to screens of the rather divisive Glee series. In my opinion, the less said about that the better.

It’s also been nice to see an influx of new writers for this issue, and long may this continue into the future as soon enough, this worn out, and dedicated committee will be replaced by a bunch of eager new recruits.

David Martin


[email protected] 32What’s Inside Issue 13

Features

Film

Culture

listings

Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse

Bastille - Bad Blood

Dizzee Rascal - ‘Bassline Junkie’

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The Brits 2013

An Interview with Local Natives1012

A Good Day to Die Hard

Beautiful Creatures1516

Glee: Season Four

Kiss Me Kate @ The Old Vic2022

NME Tour @ 02 Academy, B’mouth

Kerrang Tour @ Guildhall24

26

live

30

reCords


[email protected] 4

Thankfully, the answer is a no. Frightened Rabbit (Frabbit) state their intent in opening track ‘Acts of Man’ which begins with a peculiar piano riff which grows on you. After this we have ‘Backyard Skulls’, ‘Holy’ and ‘The Woodpile’. A mix of catchy riffs, experimenting with production and crescendo set the pace for the rest of the album. One of the highlights of the album comes soon after in ‘December Traditions’. It’s a quick, poetic song which builds up from a few guitar notes and Scott’s voice to a well-layered track. Similarly ‘Dead Now’ is a great track, reminiscent of their last album The Winter of Mixed Drinks.

Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse

‘State Hospital’, coming just over halfway in the album, is a classic Frabbit song. It, and final song ‘The Oil Slick’ are delicate but filled with emotion; delivered perfectly. Throughout the album Scott Hutchison’s voice is as honest and cutting as ever but it is in ‘State Hospital’ and ‘The Oil Slick’ where we hear this at its best.

In all, Pedestrian Verse is a solid addition to Frabbit’s back catalogue. That said, it does seem like a diluted version of their usual refreshingly honest and blunt style.

Jamie Barker

Has fourth album from Scottish shoe-gaze band Frightened Rabbit sacrificed the band’s artistic vision for some mainstream success?

We The Kings - Friday Is Forever EPThe new EP from the Florida based powerpop band is an odd compilation which leaves much to be desired

I honestly don’t understand why We The Kings have released this. The EP features five tracks, lead single ‘Friday Is Forever’, old fan favourite ‘Check Yes Juliet’ and three previously unreleased acoustic tracks. The band has evidently feeling the need to fill the gap between their 2011 record Sunshine State Of Mind and their upcoming fourth album (currently untitled), to be released later this year.

The thing that really baffles me is the choice of songs. ‘Friday Is Forever’ the track the EP was titled after, was the lead track from their last album and released as a single back in 2011, so why is there now, in early 2013, a whole EP based around it? That being said, it is a really catchy, well produced pop song.

The next track, ‘Check Yes Juliet’, is arguably the weirdest choice for the EP. ‘Check Yes Juliet’ was released as a single back in early 2008; back when the band were sticking strictly to a pop punk sound.

Nowadays, We The Kings are no more than a pop group with long hair and guitars, so ‘Check Yes Juliet’ doesn’t really fit with the sound of the rest of the EP. Nevertheless, it was their biggest billboard hit, so perhaps they are trying to reignite the success of the single. As pop punk songs go, it is really good; but it sounds dated, especially sandwiched between tracks that employ We The Kings’ new, more pop orientated sound. The last three tracks on the album are acoustic versions of recent tracks. They’re all nice enough, well at least for the first 30 seconds and then they begin to get boring.

Overall, a very poor effort from We The Kings. It’s such an arbitrary bunch of tracks, and you’d think if they were just going to pick songs from random points in their careers they’d pick the good ones. It’s almost as if they just picked the songs out of a hat, and thought ‘that’ll do’. A big disappointment.

Hannah Mylrea


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Recorded in a box-sized studio and held away from the public for months, Bad Blood has finally been perfected and it has emerged for us all to enjoy. As Dan said in a recent interview with The Edge, it’s difficult to choose a ‘twelve track impression’ of what you’re trying to achieve, and then to give this to the world. However, the twelve tracks on Bad Blood are diverse, epic and beautiful, all at once.

The album opens with the band’s latest single ‘Pompeii’: a track which is anthemic and epic, yet laced with genius lyrics including, “how am I going to be an optimist about this?” ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ has always been a live favourite and has thankfully made it onto the album. It’s slow and sparse beginning soon turns into a chorus screaming out for a sing-along. The album’s title song is next, ‘Bad Blood’ leading into ‘Overjoyed’: a track that demonstrates the softer, calmer side of Bastille. The electronic drum beat paired with the vocal harmonies of the group show their diversity and ability to capture the listener so minimally.

‘These Streets’ and ‘Weight of Living PT.II’ are tracks that I’d only ever heard a few times prior to the album and now after multiple listens of the perfected versions

they definitely live up to the high standards

set by other tracks. ‘These Streets’ is a wonderfully upbeat, incredibly catchy

track; a highlight on the record. ‘Weight

of Living PT.II’, you may have heard on the FIFA ‘13

soundtrack, is another fast-paced track

with a constant drum beat topped with brilliant layers and a catchy chorus sang out by the b e a u t i f u l

Bastille - Bad BloodAfter being hotly tipped for 2013, Bastille release their long-awaited debut album, not to be missed when it is released on March 4th

vocals of Dan Smith. It’s a track that captures the eagerness of wanting to grow up but then the fear that life is going too quickly.

A band that can successfully sing about mythology is in my eyes one that stands apart from the rest. ‘Icarus’ is a strong contender as one of Bastille’s best songs, as even after the fiftieth listen it is still as epically fantastic as the first time with Dan telling the well known tale of Icarus and his hedonism. The opening humming and drum beat sends shivers down the spine and feels as though it could have easily just stepped off the soundtrack of Troy, the album version sets it apart from previously heard recordings of the track. It’s stunning. The track tells of an intimate moment in which someone is telling their passed out friend that “however hard they try, they can never manage to follow them to whatever level of inebriated escape they manage to get to”.

‘Daniel in the Den’ is another new track which is simple yet immediately encapsulating. The chorus demonstrate Bastille’s competency when it comes to harmonies, something they have become known for. Next is another contender for my favourite Bastille song, ‘Laura Palmer’. Upon recently becoming obsessed with David Lynch’s 90s TV series Twin Peaks this song is all the more appealing. Again, the track has been perfected in the studio and the ‘heartbeat’ through out keeps up the pace. Dan sings about the show’s main focus, Laura Palmer, with lyrics that are brilliantly infused with the show’s influence. The album finishes on ‘Get Home’ which again shows off the band’s effortless harmonies. However, I must admit, it was always one that I would brush over on the album but now I’ve given it the time of day it deserves, I can understand why it made the cut.

Overall I don’t think I could paint a prettier picture than the one I have offered above, but if there’s anything you decide to do on March 4th it should be to buy Bad Blood. I assure that you will not be disappointed by this exceedingly gratifying debut which is not be missed.

Megan Downing


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The iconic hardcore punk band Gallows had soundtracked my life from the day they released Orchestra of Wolves to the day I watched them with Frank for the last time, and no-one could dispute that while the band as a whole were an incredible force, a landmark even, for the underground music scene of the UK, Frank was a big part of that. His stage-presence suitably obnoxious, his lyrics blunt and to the point, and his take-no-shit attitude towards people who pissed him off made the band what they were However, listening to Anthems, I can’t decide what is worse: Gallows without Frank Carter, or Frank Carter without Gallows.

The record opens with ‘She (Makes The Devil Run Through Me)’, and if I am honest, it’s a difficult opener to refuse to enjoy. The riffs are in full force, and Carter’s unique singing voice has an element of rugged yet suave charm to it.

Alas, once I had ventured past the first rousing ‘stadium anthem’, I began to realise just how banal the average ‘stadium anthem’ is. The previously released tracks, ‘Bury My Bones’, ‘Beach Of Diamonds’, and ‘Handsome Devil’s Club’, are by no means bad, but that is the very issue with the record. It is the sort of music that you would suggest to people that you were not too familiar with in a hope that they would find you inoffensive, pleasant, normal. However, without wanting to sound like that guy, I am neither inoffensive, pleasant or normal. In fact I would consciously refuse to listen to this garbage lest someone mistake me

for any of those three things. ‘Stadium anthems’ they may be, but I imagine that that says more about ‘stadium anthems’ than it does about Pure Love...

My main qualms with Anthems though is the intense average-ness of the entire affair. Sure, the riffs will make you nod your head, and the solos will make you want to grow your hair and rip holes in your jeans. But above all, listening to it made me want to listen to AC/DC instead. For their generation, Angus Young and Co. were arguably at the cutting edge of ‘alternative’ music, and had Pure Love been conceived in the ‘80s by four dudes in a basement wanting to rock out, as opposed to in 2011 by two self-proclaimed disillusioned punk dudes, I might have been convinced. But Frank Carter has gone from scathing vitriol against date rapists, abusers, muggers, thieves, politicians and child abusers in Gallows to half-hearted lyrics about a “beach of diamonds” (what?) in Pure Love. Do not let them fool you, they are not AC/DC. If you want air-guitar, and cringe lyrics a la “We are the young and unimpressed / We are the Handsome Devil’s Club”, listen to Back In Black, not Anthems.

In fairness to Carter though, the track ‘Bury My Bones’ does address this enormous discrepancy between what he was doing then and what he is doing now, where he sings the words, “I’m so sick of singing about hate / it’s never gonna make a change.” In fairness, maybe that was what got to him about Gallows and their relatively serious subject matter; playing in front of a bunch of sweaty kids in basements or even proper venues doesn’t stop any of it, so why not let it go? And after all, who am I to tell an extremely cool guy with some incredible records to his name what I think he should be doing? But what I can tell you is that Anthems, unfortunately, is not one of those incredible records. It’s definitely no Orchestra of Wolves, but then again, Pure Love are definitely no Gallows.

All things considered, my advice would be to give Anthems a chance and listen to it. But while you do, bear in mind the incredibly powerful stuff that Carter has created before.

Christopher Mifsud

Pure Love - AnthemsFrank Carter leaving Gallows enraged many, and his new band Pure Love fails to impress with their debut record Anthems


[email protected] 8In Dizzee Rascal’s return, we find him honourably discouraging drugs and alcohol and preaching the religion of bass instead; only he could make this work. In 2010, Dizzee announced that he would never take drugs or drink alcohol again, so this song seems to be an extension of his way of life which he wants others to realise. While the lyrics are aggressive, the song is catchy and the music video is hilarious and as such Dizzee is able to present and encourage his message more effectively.

Some may find the video controversial; Dizzee threatens a child at the beginning and it shows particularly vivid footage of a prisoner having drugs removed from his mouth to cleanse him. I’d recommend it to all for this unusual music video at least. Nice one Diz

Kat Mortram

Dizzee Rascal - ‘Bassline Junkie’

After going on indefinite hiatus in 2009, Fall Out Boy return to the scene with the promise of an album (Save Rock and Roll) and a song which, has a quirky, long name, but which is disappointing.

The song isn’t all bad, however. The vocals of Patrick Stump have lost no effect and the same rhythmic effect and clean pitched tone is plentiful in verse. The layering of a high pitch guitar melody of the chorus is also well done. Alas, this is the only minor praise I can muster for the song.From the beginning of the song with sampled note

Fall Out Boy- ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light ‘Em Up)’

and the chanted vocals, the whole ordeal simply feels wrong. The band has attempted a stripped down sound but the result is hollow and incomplete. The effect of this almost non-existent piece is a rock band trying arduously to sound mainstream.

Fall Out Boy won’t be saving rock and roll. They are simply returning with a track which will prove to be a disappointment to any fans hoping for the upbeat, catchy rock that earned the band two platinum albums.

Pete Bridgewater

Bridgit Mendler - ‘Ready or Not’

‘Ready or Not’ is the first single from Disney channel star Bridgit Mendler’s debut album Hello My Name Is…. Her previous musical releases have mainly been Disney songs, including the cringe worthy tracks from 2011 Disney Channel movie, Lemonade Mouth (I feel like that title explains perfectly quite how sickeningly sweet the film is).

However, ‘Ready or Not’ is a catchy pop nugget, and I’m blown away with its maturity. Although the lyrics are typically innocent they include witty references to popular culture (‘You’ll be my William, I’ll be your Kate’) normally the sort of lyrics I’d hate but they work in the context of the song. The use of ‘reggae-fusion’ in the bridge is particularly effective, setting her aside from all the other Disney starlets with their albums of clichéd bubble gum pop. It shows Mendler has something different to offer, she’s not just a cookie cutter star. I’m expecting big things from her!

Hannah Mylrea

8 theedgesusu.co.uk - Issue 13 - March 2013

[email protected] 9Having loved the first offerings of British indie newcomer Tom Odell, an artist featured on the BBC Sound of 2013 list and the first male artist to win the Brits Critics Choice prize, I had high hopes for his newest single ‘Hold Me’.

A faster tempo than tracks featured on his debut EP such as ‘Can’t Pretend’ and ‘Another Love’, this latest offering kicks off with an impassioned shouting of ‘1, 2, 3, 4!’, before Odell launches into a piano-bashing opening sequence. Although his soulful, endearing voice is somewhat lost in the howled vocals of each verse, there is no doubt that this 22-year old’s individuality shines through; it’s clear

Tom Odell - ‘Hold Me’why he has been tipped so highly in recent months.

Perhaps it is all this acclaim which has caused Odell to step out of his comfort zone. The choruses are catchy and the rockier pace of the anthem is reminiscent of a slightly deranged Chris Martin, but fans of Odell’s more slow-paced songs might be slightly disappointed with his lastest offering.

Having said that, after the third listen I became more accustomed to the upbeat tune and as it softens out towards the end, ‘Hold Me’ continues to show off Odell’s superior song-writing abilities.

Amy Sandys

Icona Pop have been achieving success in countries around the world in the last 18 months, with the UK remaining seemingly oblivious to the music of the Swedish duo. The pair have now announced the release of their first big UK single, and it’s one that will not disapppoint. Having already already been hugely popular in several countries including Australia, France, Germany and their native -Sweden, the track which was written by bubblegum-pop star Charli-XCX has finally hit the British shores.

The track exceeds all expectations of what you might think of the typical euro-pop single. Make no mistake, this is no Eurovision pop song. It seems that ‘I Love It’ has been almost scientifically crafted to be a perfect pop song. It is euphoric and feel-good, and oh-so -danceable, as they shout the simple but effective lines “I crashed my car into the bridge / I don’t care!”, and later proclaim “I’m a 90’s bitch!” The huge club beats could easily be passed off as a creation of Calvin Harris, but these girls don’t need his name added to this. The crashing drum beat and buzzing synths make this a track which it seems unfair to hold back from the British public for any longer.

Howell Davies

Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX - ‘I Love It’

‘Miracle’ marks the beginning of Hurts’ Exile era and, as the album title suggests, it’s a whole lot darker than anything its’ predecessor brought to the table.

Swapping their synths and grandiose pop sound—‘Miracle’ edges more towards the rocky end of the spectrum with guitar aplenty. But despite the lead instruments altering, there’s still little chance you’d mistake it for anyone but Hurts. It is still laden with emotions and theatrics as Happiness was but instead of refining and controlling them - Hurts have opted with channelling everything in its rawest, most exposed form to make something more intense than before.

There’s also something about ‘Miracle’ that makes it sound like the monochromatic sister of Coldplay’s ‘Princess of China’. It’s got the arms-stretched-out chorus and the same sing-along-able moments but it feels more sincere with Theo Hutchcraft’s smooth vocals and lyrics full of darkened religious imagery. It’s very much a no-holds-barred approach to their reappearance on the scene.

Nátt Day

Hurts - ‘Miracle’



The Brit Awards 2013

So The Brit Awards was on Thursday and what a show it was! Usually I’d be sitting at home with a cup of tea jealously eying up all the celebrities fraternising with their tables, free champers and famousness, but this year was different as I was lucky enough to go and see it first hand at the O2 Arena (aka the Millennium Dome)!

Emeli Sande seemed rather pleased with herself for being crowned the unofficial “Queen of the Brits” by James Cordon due to her three nomina-tions and two awards, one of which being the most prestigious “Best British Album”. To my mind if her two awards make her the “Queen” then Ben Howard’s two awards certainly make him “King”, especially as he sat on his throne of light to give a moving acoustic rendition of his hit ‘Only Love’.

One of the best things about being there in person was definitely the celebrity watching/stalking. Posi-tioned just above the tables we had a perfect view of all the tables and it didn’t take us long to spot Keith Lemon and Paddy McGuiness on the table be-low us having a right old time of it dancing in the isles and checking out the girls from TOWIE. Feel-ing rather like Alan Titchmarsh as I stared across the room with my hands cupped into sad binoculars I spotted, to my infinite excitement, Simon Cowell.

Keeping his table in my sights all night I saw him hug One Direction, have an in depth chat with Emeli Sande (before she was dragged away, giggling by Pal-oma Faith), get patted on the back and have a little whisper with Labrinth and, of course, having a bit of banter with Olly Murs. Celebrity watching, however, wasn’t limited to the tables and we had a great view of the awards podium during the VTs: Sharon Os-borne had a little (drunken?) stumble and was caught by Dermot, whilst Harry Styles gave Robbie Wil-liams a cheeky bum pinch whilst nobody was looking!Celeb stalking aside, it’s probably time to move onto the performances!

The Brits opened with Muse. Having had a big part in the Olympic closing ceremony (you might remember Matt Bellamy’s sparkly Elton-John-esque jacket), Muse are definitely among the most well known of all current British bands and often used as a symbol of contem-porary British rock (and earlier metal). Despite having such an impressive reputation however, or perhaps because of it, Muse’s opening was disappointing. Far from being a groundbreaking and symbolic band, they seemed rather flat: lacking any charisma, even when spiced up with a load of pyro and a full orchestra, the performance of ‘Supremacy’ was entirely forgettable. Contrasted to the other big band of the night

Matt Timmiss visits the O2 Arena for an inside view of this years Brits


[email protected] 1110Mumford and Sons, Muse were small fries.

Mumford showed Muse up as dated old news and judging from the crowd’s reac-tion to both Mumford and Ben Howard’s beautifully moving and gentle performance, acoustic/folk rock has stolen the spotlight.

The two male blast-from-the-past perform-ers, Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake were both very different. Both had big pro-duction for their performances: Justin had a huge diamond encrusted cube like curtain for his song ‘Mirrors’, dazzling the crowd with its red glow, whilst Robbie had a whole team of dancing brass players in chequered uniform (although being in the audience did take away the anticipation as we saw him sneak up the stage under his disguise costume). While Jus-tin’s performance was confident, suave and just a little bit sexy, Robbie seemed clum-sy and (as he’s well known for) incredibly nervous. The fear in his eyes was obvious.

By far the best performance of the night was Taylor Swift’s ‘I Knew You Were Trou-ble’. Beginning in an ethereal white wedding dress which she shed half way through to reveal a jet black corset, the song was lively, the dancers were fantastic and mesmeriz-ing and the dubstep breakdown in the mid-dle of the song shone a new light on an art-ist mostly written off as innocent and girly.

For more on The Brits including a review of performances by One Direction and Emeli Sande as well as a review of The Brits after-party visit our website theedgesusu.co.uk



Jan: How was it working with Aaron Dess-ner [Producer, and member of The National], did he change the dynamic at all? I know you guys have a very team based approach to writ-ing, how did that change when Aaron came into the mix. I know you guys were friends.

Kelcey: Sure. We weren’t super close, but we were close enough to feel comfortable asking if he wanted to help out, and he was great at hav-ing one foot in the creative process and one foot out so he gave us some perspective. We often overthink things, so he helped us step back and see the forest for the trees and say ‘don’t wor-ry about this mistake, it’s awesome, leave it in.’There are parts I wanted to change and now looking back it works so well.We respected his opinion so it was cool hav-ing him around to bounce ideas off of.

Jan: This is a bit of a controversial question, but what would you guys say to the people who have mentioned your influences maybe being detrimen-tal, because I know that could be very annoying.

Kelcey: Which influences?

Jan: There are comparisons that get thrown out, just because of the producer people often imme-diately say ‘they were influenced by The National’

Kelcey: That’s probably the most annoying oneMatt: I think it’s just hard for people to sepa-rate the fact we worked with Aaron, they go into it with a different mind-set and nit-pick it. We wrote about 90% of the songs before.Kelcey: Writing is the melodies and drum parts too, we had most of that written before we start-ed working with Aaron. Aaron was really good with helping us finish that last 10% of the writing. His knowledge of different guitar tones, and from an engineering stand point, he’d just been doing it for so long that maybe the tones might be more similar, as he’s been producing The National stuff.

Jan: Yeah, it’s like if you look at Nigel Go-

drich, everything he produces sounds dense and gets compared to Radiohead.Tom: Okay. Tourism and travelling often show up in the lyrics. What are your feelings towards that, do they influence your writing much?

Kelcey: Yeah, we always write about experience and what we’ve been through, so that definitely has its place. It’s mainly travelling through touring so you just pick up little bits along the way from different cit-ies you get to experience. It’s hard because you don’t get to experience the actual city as much as you’d like because all you know about it is maybe the venue and a place you ate at next to the venue. It’s hard.

Tom: Have you had a favour-ite venue or setting you’ve played?

Kelcey: Umm, I like that question better than ‘favour-ite city’, so I’m glad you asked it. Favourite venue...Well actually the very first festival we ever did any-where was Latitude, and that was one of my favour-ite ones, because, I don’t know, my wife is all about being green and recycling, so that whole thing is there and that’s cool. But the setting is really beauti-ful, it’s all foresty.

Tom: Yeah, they have a stage set up in the woods

Kelcey: That’s the one that we played, in the middle of the woods.Matt: It was awesome.Kelcey: Really cool. I really loved that festi-val. What about a venue that you really liked a lot? I always think of the Rotunde in BrusselsMatt: Shepherd’s Bush Empire we’ve played a couple of times and that’s a pretty memorable experience.Kelcey: A beautiful theatre, it’s amazing. Recently we did The Fox Theatre in Oakland, that place was really amazing. It was a theatre in the ‘40s and it closed in like ’68, then about 40 years later they renovated it and started doing shows again, it’s really cool there.

Jan: A few alternative questions, just be-cause we have to. The first thing you guys do when you get to the UK is…

An Interview with Local Natives (13/02/13)Tom Saunderson and Jan Kobal chat to Kelcey Ayer and Matt Fraizer be-fore their show at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms to discuss the new

album, prodution, food and a whole lot of T.V.



[Kelcey is holding something back, grinning]Matt: What were you gonna say?Kelcey: Well… we really like GBK, Gour-met Burger Kitchen, it’s like a chain of burg-ers. It was the first good meal that we had here.Matt: It’s not that it’s mesmerising or anything, it’s just that it’s nostalgic for us because the first time we ever came out here it was right around the corner from where we were staying and we stum-bled across it. There are some outside of London.

Jan: Objectively though, how good is it?

Kelcey: It is really good! It’s a really good burger.Matt: I don’t know if it’s travel worthy though.Kelcey: It’s a really good burger, it’s a good ordering sys-tem. It’s not the best burger on the planet, but it’s okay.

Jan: On tour, what’s a T.V. show or a movie that you guys can sit around, or something you do often on tour to kick back and relax.

Kelcey: Well, the relaxing one is for us all to just watch Seinfeld.

Tom: You did a 6music live session with Lauren Lav-erne for Hummingbird. How was that? I like her show.

Kelcey: Yeah, she was cool! Re-ally nice. It sounded good I think.Matt: Yeah, they’ve been really good to us, so I’m stoked to do that stuff. Back to the things we watch, everyone except for Ryan is super into Breaking Bad.Kelcey: Yes!Jan: Yes!Tom: Yes!

Tom: I hate to break the flow but I’ve actu-ally got one more question. This goes back to your first album, you said that you really want-ed to make sure it sounded great live. Hum-mingbird is a lot more experimental. Are there any songs which are hard to replicate live?

Kelcey: We’ve actually been able to successfully pull off every song.Matt: The only one that was kind of an oddball, I think, would be for me, personally, was ‘Three Months’, because it’s all drum samples that Ryan pieced to-gether from old Mo Town songs, so interpreting that into a live setting was interesting. It’s all on the SPDS pad, it’s like loops playing the loops. It’s a fun ex-perience. It’s a little awkward, but we’ve got it now

For the full interview visit The Edge website.

An Interview with Local Natives (13/02/13)



Mama

Zero Dark Scary

Directed by Andrés Muschietti. Distributed by Universal Pictures. In Cinemas Now.

By Barnaby Walter. The biggest disappointment of the year so far, Mama is a feeble and thoroughly ridiculous horror from Guillermo Del Toro. Now working more as a prolific producer than a director (his recent efforts include Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians), Del Toro is becoming something of a brand name to be slapped on posters.

Co-writter and director by Andrés Muschietti, who made the 2008 short upon which it is based, sets the scene rather efficiently, with a panicked father driving like a maniac along an icy road. Something terrible has happened and he is desperate to get away from his home. His two children are with him, and when he loses control of the car the three seek shelter in an abandoned cabin in a forest. From within, a strange force takes control of them. After this we then cut to the present day. Some years have gone by, but the father’s twin brother (played by the same actor, Headunters’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) hasn’t given up hope of finding the missing three. The girls are eventually found, but they have gone wild and there is no sign of their father. So the hot uncle and his goth partner (Jessica Chastain) take the kids in.

The early scenes involving the children evoke stories of intense privation, such as the one depicted in Samira Makhmalbaf’s poignant film The Apple. Unlike that film, Mama doesn’t attempt to make any deep social comments. To be fair, this film never lies about what it is: it is a horror movie. And supernatural nonsense

makes up the main bulk of the running time.

This is the type of film that could have been really terrifying if Muschietti had stuck to a less-is-more mentality. Sadly, he soaks the movie in ill-conceived CGI. Some of the moments feature the most unconvincing computer effects seen in a mainstream horror movie for a long time. And as soon as we see the evil force in all its fakery the atmosphere is ruined forever.

As I said in my review for Zero Dark Thirty, Chastain is a superb actor, but even her talents can’t rescue this dire little picture. Though she does her best to inject energy and personality into her underwritten role, the fear her character conveys is impossible to empathise with. The film just isn’t very scary.

The final scenes aspire to the moving closing moments moments of Pan’s Labyrinth, but this does not prove to be a flattering creative decision. The climax is a mixture of absurd coincidences, garbled plot explanations and ineffectual attempts at profundity. It’s an insult to the viewer’s intelligence, and a particularly gruesome final reveal borders on the distasteful.

Universal Pictures has orchestrated a clever marketing campaign for the film. You’ve probably seen the posters all over shopping centres and inside newspapers. I’m sad to report that the promotional materials for the movie are far creepier and more interesting than the movie itself. Such a pity.



Song for Marion

Love Live Grey Pride

By Barnaby Walter. Film companies and distributors have hit on a demographic with ready money and lots of leisure time: the retired and elderly. I think this is a very positive thing: the more people who go to the cinema the better.

Song for Marion is a lovely, well-made drama with a great central performance from Terrance Stamp as the partner of a cancer-suffering wife (a moving performance from Vanessa Redgrave). She sings in the local community choir (run by a chirpy Gemma Arterton), but he cannot understand her love for singing. But the title gives away all you need to know: a grumpy old man will have to overcome his nerves and sing a song at a choir competition for his family, for himself, for his son and granddaughter. It’s all pretty cute and very predictable, but it’s done with such heart and passion

it’s hard to feel any animosity towards the film.

The most interesting thing about it is where it’s come from. Paul Andrew Williams directed the harrowing thriller London to Brighton, one of the most effective and memorable British films of the past ten years. Since then he’s concentrated on grisly, gory horror movies, including The Cottage, Cherry Tree Lane, and the story for Tom Shankland’s excellent little horror The Children. To see him directing something as safe, sweet and warming as Song for Marion is quite a surprise. Though there isn’t that much to it, Williams has shown what a remarkably versatile talent he is. Now that really is something to cherish.

Paul Andrew Williams. EOne. Certificate PG.

A Good Day to Die Hard

Bruce is back as world-weary veteran cop John McClane, this time travelling to Russia to find his estranged son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who has been arrested for assassinating the accomplice of a high-ranking corrupt government official, Chagarin (Sergei Kolesnikov).

There is no heart to this story. I have never seen an action film so boring, so soul-destroying and so utterly devoid of feeling. It made my eyes and ears bleed. Bex Beesley.

Dir. John Moore. Fox. 12A.


[email protected] 16This is 40

By Barnaby Walter. They say things get better with age, and Judd Apatow certainly has. The films he wrote and/or produced in he past used to be full of puerile nastiness and misogyny. His last writer/director effort, Funny People, was not a major hit (it didn’t deserve to be; it was self-indulgent, unfunny and rather cruel). This is 40, on the other hand, is a warm-hearted, amusing and well-acted comedy drama.

Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are a middle-class couple with two kids. She works as a manager of an up-end independent clothes store. He works in the music industry, desperately trying to bring old bands to a new market. They have two kids (played by Mann and Apatow’s real life children) who argue a lot.

A lot of the situations that occur are remeniscent of the BBC’s brilliant sticom Outnumbered, albeit in sunny California rather than grey London. But instead of leaving it at this, Apatow builds on the comic situations something to create a rather deep and probing drama which shines a light on the stresses that go with marriage and family life.

For years, Hollywood has been churning out comedies depicting wealthy people in comfortable bliss. Now we are seeing a change. This is 40 depicts a family who have lived in luxury suddenly realising they will have to downsize to stay afloat. I’m not saying it’s a Ken Loach-esque look at poverty, and some will find the smug huge-house-and-pool owning couples annoying. But as a whole, this film works well both as a comedy and as a drama, and in spite of its 2-hour-plus running time, it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Directed by Judd Apatow. Fox. 12A

By Natasha Raymond. Beautiful Creatures, a supernatural romance, is the latest film in a long line of book adaptations.

In a small, God-loving town in the South, Ethan Wate finds himself drawn to a new girl named Lena Duchannes. After much persistence and awkward foreplay, Ethan discovers Lena is a witch, or ‘Caster’. And she only has a few weeks until she turns 16, after which her powers will be claimed for the Light or the Dark. To complicate matters even further, Lena and Ethan fall in love, which triggers a curse that will turn Lena Dark unless she breaks it. Will she turn Dark? Will she choose the Light? Does anyone actually care? Because, lets face it, I’ve seen more chemistry in a biology lecture than between these two actors.

The plot of the film was rapidly paced through, scenes which may have been important skimmed over in a hurried manner. The only time when the film seems to slow down and allow the audience to catch up is when Emmy Rossum’s character enters. But her character seems to have little purpose. Time spent showing what a cold bitch she is could have easily been allocated to the actual romance of the story, which I felt was lacking in development.

Sadly, even supporting turns from Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons can’t bail this film out of the pits. With cheesy special effects, a love that seems to blossom for no reason, and a disappointing, uneventful climax, this film was a big, ugly mess.

Directed by R. LaGravenese. EFD. 12A.

Beautiful Creatures



Barnaby SouthcombeTHE BIG FILM INTERVIEW

Film Editor Barnaby Walter talks to another Barnaby, director Barnaby Southcombe, about his feature film debut I, Anna.

The film has a very distinct look to it; how did you and your cinematographer Ben Smithard come up with that?

We took inspiration from a lot of similar films – a lot of Spanish films – and a smattering of American noir films. The visual aspect of the film is usually attributed to cinematographers but it’s very dependent on production designs, so with Tom Burson we found this slightly out-of-time context. In terms of colour, we wanted to make a film in perpetual twilight, as if we shot in magic-hour every day (of course we couldn’t afford to), but we wanted it to look like that; that moment when the sun sets but it’s still daylight.

I’m sure you get asked this all the time but was it odd directing your mother, Charlotte Rampling, particularly in the more intimate scenes?

We were more apprehensive going into it and it turned out the thing was much easier than we both anticipated. The relationship between and the director and actor is one of trust, and an actor is in a very vulnerable position with a director so can become very guarded, and it makes for slightly more conservative performances and I think that we had an advantage by knowing each other, so that was a great and very liberating thing to play with. It gave us and a lot of freedom; freedom that maybe she would not have had otherwise.

Charlotte has great chemistry with Gabriel Byrne. What lead to his casting?

I dreamed them up together. They were both the one and only people I imagined for the film. They had never acted together and didn’t really know each other, and I felt this was a cinematic pairing that needed to take place. I felt their chemistry would really work and I finally got them together and I heard they would both be in New York at the same time, so I managed to pretend I had a meeting in New York and got them together and I could just see the chemistry was going to work.

This was a British German co-production. Do you think international co-production is important for British cinema? It was very necessary for us, we wouldn’t have been able to make the film otherwise. They [European co-funders] were very instrumental in making the film possible. I had these visual and design ambitions which I couldn’t have realised if we’d made the film souly out of the UK so they were very supportive. In spirit I felt this was very much a European film rather than a British film, so I felt it worked well in that respect. I don’t imagine that a film like Sightseers would benefit from a UK co-production but certain films can and do.

Anna is out on DVD on 25 March 2013 from Artificial Eye. For our complete, extended interview with Barnaby Southcombe, go to www.theedgesusu.co.uk.


[email protected] 18Archive Review

Donnie Darko (2001)

By Jack Harding. Donnie Darko is often described as a cult film. But what is it that makes a film ‘cult’? Well, they usually have a hardcore fan following formed on the basis of the film having quotable dialogue, memorable characters and/or scenes, a low budget and a rather eccentric plot. Donnie Darko falls into all these categories with ease; especially the latter. It’s one of those films that invite more than one viewing, maybe more than two. So, what’s it all about?.

Explaining to someone what Donnie Darko is actually about is about as easy as mastering a rubix-cube in less than 30 seconds, in the dark, underwater. Admittedly, it’s a ridiculously perplex film but there’s something just, well, brilliant about it. It’s a melodrama-cum-sci-fi- cum-black comedy-cum-teen movie, with a truly mystifying plot that’ll prompt all first time viewers to scratch their heads and question everything. And even though there are many who still don’t really “get it” thus opting to label “it” as some strange form of sci-fi crap, there are many (myself included) who consider it to be one of modern-American cinema’s most understated masterstrokes. OK, so, with that said, here it goes; Set in 1988, the film revolves around this grinning, groggy-eyed teen’, Donald J.

Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal). Not only does Donnie get into regular trouble at school, he’s also prone to depression, schizophrenia, sleepwalking, waking up on golf courses, hearing voices and visualizing a giant bunny-rabbit called Frank. Donnie’s one messed-up kid, then, and what-do-you-know- things get even worse when Frank tells him that the world’s going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Oh, and there’s also this book on time travel. And Gretchen. And Grandma Death. And there’re these worm holes that kind of appear from people’s chests. There’s a tornado as well. And Patrick Swayze plays a pervert.

Yep, Donnie’s world, or parallel world, sure is a mad one but he tries his best to make sense of his ghostly visions; do they hold any value or truth? Is he a modern-day messiah? Or just plain bonkers? And why has a jet engine from an unidentified aircraft landed his room? The answers do become clear-ish as Donnie unravels the mystery surrounding, well, everything; discovering what he has to do to bring a halt to the madness and ease his pain. Happy ending? Sad ending? You decide.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Distributed by Entertainment. Certificate 18. On Blu-ray and DVD now.

The Cult Film to End All Cult Films

18

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Rebecca James comments on the hit series’ latest season

Glee: Season Four

To watch Glee you have to suspend disbelief and just go with the flow. Otherwise you start asking questions that you can never get satisfactory answers for. Why has Sue Sylvester not been fired, despite the fact that she's assaulted several members of staff and students? How can these students be pitch perfect and in time regardless of the fact that they've never sung this song before? Do any of the teachers at McKinley have a normal relationship with their students? How many different combinations of relationships can one group of twelve have? The list is endless. So disbelief and a love of music/musicals needed for one to really enjoy the madness that is Glee. But recently it has certainly required a lot of disbelief. With season four has come a dramatic shift in the show, as the original school kids have graduated. Instead of switching to a completely new cast, the focus has split, between McKinley high school in Ohio, and New York, where several of the graduates live.

There are benefits to this change. We get to see the development of the characters we have connected to for the previous three seasons, who have spread out to colleges all across America (although for supposed busy college students they do manage to fly back to Ohio a lot of the time. Its as if they don't have any lectures, classes or assignments.) We get to see a mixture of old favourites, and new characters. This however, is as much of a curse as it is a blessing. While its nice to see characters that you have connected to, and meet new ones, the problem with this format is the sheer vastness of the cast. To keep screen time anywhere near equal

is impossible when trying to make thoughtful and fully developed story lines (though at times Glee does neither of these things well.) It results in several well developed characters, and ones which could be best described as stereotypes, or one dimensional shades.

While Glee can and has done hard hitting and emotionally affecting story lines well, such as the domestic abuse storyline last season and dealt with developing sexual orientation in a multifaceted way, as explored in season two. However, it also manages to create some particularly ridiculous stories as well. Season four is no different in this respect. In six episodes so far there has already been a student running to be the 'first two term senior class president', former students turning up to act in a high school musical, and a college dance teacher sleeping with a student to get revenge on another student. And while you can accept these kind of ridiculous story lines up to a point as one of the foibles of the show, there is a point when you have to stop, and when you do, the aforementioned questioning begins.

So far season four has been a little hit and miss. The development of characters like Rachel, Kurt and Finn beyond high school is interesting. But the show seems to have lost some of its sparkle. Its getting harder to suspend disbelief and go with the flow. That being said, I won't stop watching it any time soon. If only for the musical numbers. Glee: Season Four is on Wednesdays at 9pm on Sky.


[email protected] 2120HHhH - Laurent Binet

HHhH is the first novel of French writer, Laurent Binet. I say novel, but it is not so simple as that. Based on a relatively unheard-of assassination known as 'Operation Anthropoid' which took place in World War II Prague, Binet follows, through his own research, two Czechoslovakian soldiers from their nomination to their deaths.

While HHhH is not a mere clinical documentation of historical facts, neither is it a wild dramatisation. Binet manages to present the facts, as he knows them, but with the flair of a novelist, authoring vivid descriptions of the target, Reinhard Heydrich, and the suspense that the two soldiers experience constantly evading the notorious SS. However, the book, with its intertwining and eventually converging storylines, is interspersed with personal snippets from Binet himself, depicting his own dilemma between sticking religiously to journalistic integrity and creating an entertaining story. He admits to embellishing some of the details - “If my dialogues can't be based on precise, faithful, word-perfect sources, they will be invented.” - but only so as not to leave us with too many blanks in the course of the books; and he is meticulous about distinguishing between what he is reporting, and what he is creating.

What comes of this unique style is a fascinating read. Through Binet's writing, I found myself determined to see the assassination attempt through to the end in the company of the two soldiers, simultaneously entertained and informed. This effect is almost certainly helped by the unusual format of the book: unlike every other book that I have ever read, HHhH does not have page numbers. If I were to guess, I would put it at about 300 pages long, and within those pages are no less than 257 chapters. Some are a sentence long, summing up substantial events with incredible and effective impact; while others are several pages long, going into intense depth about events which undoubtedly occurred over the course of a few minutes. Writing as he does, Binet creates suspense where appropriate and provides conciseness where necessary.

Were I to be asked what I thought about HHhH overall, the first thing that I would say is that you should not be put off by the fact it is a World War II novel based on fact. Such a description would usually signify 500 dreary pages of either blind hero-worship or blood-and-guts. That is not to say that Binet does not regard the actions of the two soldiers to be heroic; however, he is careful not to paint them as infallible and god-like. They are simply willing to

at least attempt to rid Europe of a man who was on his way to manufacturing 'The Final Solution'. If anything, they are victims of circumstance, thrown into a mission that they have almost no chance of accomplishing. And it is only by reading until the end that you discover whether or not they succeeded.

I think that the ultimate charm of HHhH is that 'Operation Anthropoid' is not really a commonly referenced event of World War II. As such, you are not only reading for the novel itself, but out of genuine interest to discover the outcome. While so much literature regarding the same period concerns itself with events that everyone knows the results of, and so is merely repetition, Binet's novel allows itself some artistic licence, and justly so. By doing so, HHhH becomes a book that should by rights attract both those who are interested historically, and those who wish to be entertained. An absolutely superb piece of work. Christopher Mifsud HHhH was translated by Sam Taylor, and published in 2012 by Vintage Books.


[email protected] 22Revenge: Season 2

Revenge’s second season on E4 is going from ‘strength to strength’ with anything

you could ask for in a TV series. Lily Bangs explains why

I am not ashamed to admit that I am partial to the odd bit of 'trashy' American television. From One Tree Hill to the ever popular 90210, I confess that I do enjoy the drama when it's happening to fictional characters, especially when they deserve it. I do also like seeing how the other half live, although it always turns me green with envy. However, one show I can speak about without receiving disapproving side glances from others around me is Revenge.

Many of you may have already seen the first season when it aired last year on E4, but for those of you who haven't, you're missing out. The show focuses primarily on Emily Thorne's (Emily VanCamp) return to The Hamptons many years after her father was framed for a crime he didn't commit. She aims to seek revenge on all those who were involved, but it isn't always that straightforward with shocking revelations coming to light on a regular basis.

The first season performed exceptionally well with consistently high viewer numbers, so it is only right to assume that the second season will effortlessly follow the same path. There is absolutely no doubt that it will be able to achieve further success as the plot continues

to become darker, more mysterious with many twists and turns that keeps the audience on their toes.Back in early October, we were left with many unanswered questions. Is Victoria Grayson really dead? What happened to Emily's mother? Will Charlotte Grayson survive? I could write an article solely on the questions raised in the finale, but I digress. The first episode of the second season manages to answer many of them, but in true Revenge style, it also manages to raise many more. Still, this ensures that there is never a dull moment as we, the audience, develop our own theories regarding what is really happening and the consequences of each character's actions.

The series seems to be going from strength to strength with a balanced mix of mystery, murder, drama and romance. There is no doubt that it will be around for many years to come with a broad audience, strong plot lines and high ratings which rival that of Lost back in 2006. However, I think us fans are keeping our fingers crossed that unlike its predecessor, it will reach a satisfying conclusion, but not just yet. Revenge Season 2 airs on E4 every Monday at 9pm.



Kiss Me Kate The Old Vic, London

Bringing together the timeless plot of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, the wit of writers Sam and Bella Spewack and the lyrical and musical genius of Cole Porter can only be a good thing. And The Old Vic’s production of Kiss Me Kate is the perfect hilarious, stylish, entertaining and heart-warming embodiment of this dream team.

The behind-the-scenes musical follows the crummy Baltimore opening night of a musical adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. Its stars are the megalomaniac Frederick Graham and his ex-wife Lily Vanessi - proud owner of “the worst temper in show biz”. The show must go on amid their (often violent) spats both on and off stage, the arrival of two hoodlums looking for payment and the general mayhem of a cast of amateurs.

The two leads Hannah Waddingham and Alex Bourne are spellbinding in their performances of Porter’s vocally challenging score and the Spewacks’ sharp script. They sweep up the audience just as powerfully in their heart-felt love songs as they do in their outrageous comedy numbers and bitter exchanges.

Their supporting cast are on the whole brilliant. The comedy duo of hoodlums David Burt and Clive Rowe had the audience in hysterics with their deadpan delivery of gangster rhetoric and especially with their charming rendition of the wordy and hilarious Brush Up Your Shakespeare. Extra special mention, however, must go to the triple threat Adam Garcia (best known as the cheeky Australian hunk

from 90s teen classic Coyote Ugly). His voice was rich and beautiful and he is the best tap dancer I remember seeing on the stage in years. The only disappointing lead was Holly Dale Spencer as the careerist nightclub singer Lois Lane. While she portrayed as good a bimbo as anyone, she hammed it up horribly and was loud, but just not that fun.

There is not one dud number in Porter’s score, and the cast did justice to every hilarious ditty and touching love song. However, at the interval you could not help but feel that opportunities for dance numbers had been wasted – with the cast limited to only the occasion kick and turn for the whole act. Nevertheless, I was thrilled by the sexy and Fosse-esque opener to the second act, Too Darn Hot – led by the apparently superhuman and boneless Jason Pennycooke. Fantastic dance numbers continued in the second act, including the all-out tap dancing number Bianca in which Garcia shows his full potential.

I have so much more praise to give but will limit myself to one final remark on the ingenious set, which manipulated the perspective wonderfully, making the curtain of the “real” stage seem endless. Scene changes were brilliantly crafted by chorus members erecting white sheets with painted back-drops – this sounds quite shoddy now I read my description back, but the result was simple and very effective. Annie Partridge.

Verdict: 9/10 Kiss Me Kate will be running at The Old Vic

until 2nd March



The reaction to the news that Miles Kane was not going to be playing the Bournemouth date of this years NME Awards Tour because he was ill (assumedly he tried SO hard to be Paul Weller that he burst a blood vessel or something), was that of frustration rather than disappointment. The lineup was already random; for a show that last year hosted Two Door Cinema Club and Metronomy, the choice to feature arty Django Django, marmite rockers Palma Violets and pyschadelic types Peace, was an interesting one. Kane’s withdrawal was another blow to a show that had already created a residing ‘meh’ amongst the general public upon its announcement. The low expectations the night held gave it the advantage of being able to easily surprise its Southern audience.

To say it hadn’t sold out would be an understatement: there was enough room to swing a cat, they hadn’t bothered to open the upstairs bit in a bid to make it look busy, and to be honest, the audience looked bored. With our expectations low, we stood and waited for Peace to come on..Perhaps one benefit of Kane’s withdrawal was that it gave the other acts an extended set length, meaning we were treated to a longer set from Peace, the most exciting band in the current British music scene. They stormed through a set featuring new songs (one of which had a refrain ‘I wanna get messy with you’) and old, with ‘Wraith’

NME Tour at the O2 Academy, Bournemouth

(20/2/2013)

and fan favourite ‘1998’ being particular highlights. Despite playing that dreaded first slot, the band managed to grab the small crowd’s interest brilliantly.

Next up were Palma Violets, NME’s latest inexplicable passion. The band had everything; attitude, shouting and a Libertines-esque nonchalant sound, but their set still managed to be about as enjoyable as skinning your own leg. They really managed to create the impression that they thought they were ‘this generations Strokes’ or something; sorry lads, you’re no generations nothing. One can only hope that they will join Viva Brother on the ‘shit bands that NME hyped then ditched after realizing their influence over music isn’t strong enough to polish a turd’ bandwagon. ASAP.

Django Django were the last up, and what a treat their set really was. Playing mostly from their debut, the band’s unique, danceable, mental, incredidible sound really transferred well to the stage. During their set, my earlier concerns over the emptiness of the venue causing the atmosphere to be dull seemed ridiculous, as the crowd received the set rapturously. Highlights came in the form of ‘Default’ and ‘Life’s a Beach’, their two most recognizable songs.

So, despite Miles Kane’s absence, the show proved to be a success. As someone who has gone to this event for the last three years, I can unfortunately confirm that it was not the best edition NME have provided, but it was nonetheless a great night’s entertainment that was well worth the money. It would have been even better if it was just Peace and Django Django, with Palma Violets watching in the crowd where they could actually learn something about good music. Ouch. Dan Flynn



The Kerrang Tour 2013 was always going to be controversial, with a band as polarising as Black Veil Brides headlining and an eclectic support line-up including the recently reformed Chiodos, Australian pop punk band Tonight Alive and rising stars Fearless Vampire Killers, with William Control handling DJ duties.For the legions of young teenage fans that descended on the Guildhall, Black Veil Brides are definitely the main draw and the teenage hysteria was at fever point before many of those queuing were even in the door.

First up are the Fearless Vampire Killers, with a sound that combines the best of My Chemical Romance and Queen, but still manages to be completely unique. They manage to escape the curse of crowd apathy and deliver a set of catchy, well performed songs to an enthusiastic, bordering on hysterical, crowd. Particular highlights were a hard rocking cover of I’m Still Standing, which got the entire crowd jumping up and down and singing along, and the closing number ‘Could We Burn Darling?’, a near perfect slice of operatic rock goodness.

Next on the bill are the Australian pop punks Tonight Alive. They are often dismissed as an Australian version of Paramore, but in person this comparison does not do them justice. Their live sound is raw and powerful, and owes as much to hard garage rock as it does to pop punk. They dived straight into a blistering set with ‘Breaking and

Kerrang! Tour at the Guildhall (07/02/13)Entering’ and managed to keep the crowd hyped up with a set of upbeat anthems, tightly performed. Following Tonight Alive were Chiodos, playing their first major shows since the return of original singer Craig Owens in early 2012. Chiodos are undeniably a talented band; they play the complicated metal riffs of their songs with precision and the strong vocals of engaging frontman Craig Owens sweep from high pitched, eerie clean vocals to guttural screams with ease. However, their wordy metal epics soon blend into each other and the overall effect was a little like watching an exorcism, with the constant switches between ethereal and crushingly heavy sound.

Finally, after an hour wait, during which William Control’s excellent choice of music just about kept the crowd from rushing the stage and physically dragging Black Veil Brides out to perform, the headliners arrived. From the first note they played there was no way anyone in the room was paying attention to anything but the Black Veil Brides. Opener ‘I Am Bulletproof’ begun in a deafening swirl of guitar riffs reminiscent of Avenged Sevenfold at their best and progressed into a superb, anthemic rock song. The incredibly charismatic lead singer Andy Biersack held the unwavering attention and devotion of the crowd from the first note he sung. The set was mostly made up of songs from their new album, with a few old numbers mixed in, including a brilliant metal cover of ‘Rebel Yell’. This was a truly amazing concert, full of raw musical energy and it shows Black Veil Brides certainly deserve better than being written off as the ‘boy band of metal’. If you can look past the music snobbery and rabid teenage fans, it’s easy to see they’re a band playing anthemic hard rock as it should be played.

This year’s Kerrang! Tour at Southampton Guildhall proved to a pretty spectacular night

for Edge Writer Elinor Day.



Preview: Bastille at Mo’ Club (08/03/2013)

Bastille are set to play at the Mo' Club on 8th March 2013 and it is the 6th show on their sell out headline tour. For those of you who were lucky enough to get tickets you are in for a treat. Bastille's live sets are known for their insane amount of energy and perfect execution of their most loved tracks. Just days after the release of their debut album: Bad Blood, I'm sure the crowd will be preparing themselves to be singing along to every word during the night.

Bastille have officially played Southampton before (three times if you include their brilliant Guerilla

gig in the park). Once at The Joiners on their 'Overjoyed Tour' and then they returned earlier this year to support Two Door Cinema Club at Southampton Guildhall. A pretty remarkable step up in venue size and a significantly different set.

This time we're going to see Bastille in all their glory with a headline slot including tracks from all the previous mix-tapes and of course those tracks that appear on the long awaited debut album. Previous crowd favourites include latest single 'Pompeii' and (hopefully a future single) 'Laura Palmer'. Being a person that has seen Bastille live in varying forms, for example, a secret acoustic show in a park in Southampton to seeing them fill the Festival Republic tent at Reading, this night is not one to be missed.

Megan Downing previews the long awaited Bastille ‘Bad Blood’ tour as it comes to

Mo’Club, Southampton.



Having only ever released an EP and two splits, Ker-ouac's setlist was destined to be only as long as their discography. That said, it is even more impressive that they received the reaction that they were about to.

The gloomy notes of Heavy Hearted kicked things off and it only took about a minute before the first per-son dived off the stage into a now-riled up crowd, setting the tone for the next half an hour. Launch-ing fist first into next track ‘I Owe Some People The

World But I Owe You Shit’, the head-crawling and mic-grabbing continued in earnest, not stopping un-til vocalist Thom paused proceedings to announce his gratitude to everyone for being there, and prom-ising that, for anything other than lame metalcore bands, the scene is not dead. The strained guitars of Porcelain marked the halfway point, and the crowd once again launched themselves at the stage, at Thom, at each other, limbs flailing everywhere.

There is absolutely nothing that beats the vibe of a show like this; it's a vibe that cannot be captured on record, behind a safety barrier, or five tiers up in a stadium. Eventually, the unmistakeable drum in-tro of A Sheep. A Well. signalled the end of the line and as Thom flew into the crowd screaming “Mean what you say what you mean...”, the crowd didn't let up one bit. An absolutely incredible set from a band that never got as far as they should have done.I'm sure over the next few months, The Joiners will be holding more benefit shows, of every genre, so even if you don't like the sound of people trampling on your head, there will be something for you. Go to a show, buy a beer, watch the bands, support a bril-liant venue. No scene is dead. Christopher Mifsud

Kerouac at The Joiners (9/2/2013)

Frightened Rabbit at Wedgewood Rooms (13/2/2013)First to take to the stage were Washington Irving, a band from the same area of Scotland as Frightened Rabbit and instantly I could see why they'd been selected as support. Their gutsy Glaswegian vocals and lyrics heavily influenced by Scotland’s highlands perfectly warmed up the audience ready for Frab-bit. Next on were Canadian band Wintersleep. Al-though there was nothing wrong with their technical ability, overall, and disappointingly, their perform-ance was somewhat bland and lacking in energy.

WIth a huge cheer from the crowd, on came the mostly bearded and checked shirt wearing Frightened Rabbit. Kicking off with 'Holy', a song from new al-bum 'Pedestrian Verse' (a record which has received

some very overdue, praise for the band, having been in the Top 10), the set was off to an upbeat start with humming guitar riffs and Scott's soft accent-ed vocals loud and clear. Proceedeing this opener came a nice mix of old favourites and fresh tracks from their new record - particular crowd pleasers in-cluded 'Old Old Fashioned' and 'Backwards Walk'.

A stripped down sorrowful-sounding version of 'Good Arms vs. Bad Arms', with Andy Monaghan's echoing guitar notes definitely tugged at many people's heartstrings, but then classic 'Swim Until You Can't See Land' and then the encore includ-ing top charting song 'The Woodpile' bringing the set to a euphoric and inspiring end. Phoebe Cross

Local Natives at Wedgewood Rooms (13/02/2013)



Frightened Rabbit at Wedgewood Rooms (13/2/2013)

Steve Knightley’s gig at Centre Stage in Bourne-mouth may have seemed like a strange experience for the average gig goer. There was no mosh pit, in fact, everyone was sat. There was no support act; Knightley played two sets himself. Oh, and I was one of only five people under the age of forty there. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic experience.

The ambience was set by tea lights, which couldn’t even come close to matching the warmth of Knight-ley’s voice, as he played an all-acoustic set, featuring a few a’capella numbers which exemplified the versa-tility of his vocal range. He switched from mellow and delicate, to jumpy and energetic, all the way through to comic, as he played a number of original songs, covers and freshly arranged traditional material.

Knightley’s musicianship shone through just as much as his vocals did. This wasn’t a traditional acoustic set with just guitar and vocals. Like most folk artists he’s a true multi-instrumentalist and used harmonica, tenor guitar and what I found out after the show (as Knight-

Local Natives exploited the more pensive quali-ties of ‘You & I’ to ease us into the set. The song is the opening track of their latest album Hum-mingbird and thus fittingly introduces us to a band with an evolved sound. Both Kelcey Ayer and Taylor Rice’s vocals gave us the impression that this performance was going to be on point.

‘Colombia’ saw Rice swap to the Microkorg, and Ayer take point with an acoustic guitar and lead vocals. This set up was quite fitting considering the personal at-tachment Ayer had to the lyrical content of the piece. This song was definitely a high point, with the mel-ancholy building into an amazingly passionate finale.The one downside of the night was that none of the

Steve Knightley at Bournemouth Folk Club (10/2/13)ley had the good grace to come out and speak to the audience) was a specially tuned octave mandolin.

Storytelling was at the heart of Knightley’s perform-ance. Aside from ‘The Hook of Love’, which was main-ly emotive, each of Knightley’s songs gave a vivid vi-gnette of rural life. Between each number he presented the audience with anecdotes which were consistently hilarious. It’s clear that in his illustrious professional career (which has spanned over three decades) he’s refined his stage patter – so much so that he could easily have been a comedian, not just a musician.

All in all, it was a brilliant show… it was just a shame that there wasn’t a younger generation there. The older audience, although appreciative of the set, just didn’t have the liveliness that a younger audi-ence brings. It’s sad to think that, when artists like Steve Knightley are working so hard to keep folk music relevant and interesting, younger audi-ences just aren’t coming to the shows. I mean, it was only £8 a ticket…what’s stopping you?

front row seemed to be very excited to be there. Not to say that the crowd as a whole weren’t par-ticularly enthusiastic. This was more likely just a consequence of the fact that Hummingbird is a relatively new release, as when the early songs began, so did the nodding and singing. ‘Airplanes’ was clearly one of the most anticipated songs of the evening, It was during this song that even the more uninterested faces decided to join in.

I really appreciated the collaborative spirit of the band, from the vocal harmonies they’re known for, to the additional percussion, to the multi-instru-mentality. Four of the members of the outfit oc-cupied the centre stage collectively and this aided in their stylistic and harmonic cohesion. Not to say that drummer Matt Frazier didn’t serve any less im-portant of a role in the band’s sound, every track required his meticulous attention and the light-ing made sure he had our attention throughout.

‘Who Knows Who Cares’ was the highlight of the encore, featuring some of my favourite percussive patterns from Frazier which sent the song into such dramatic intensity. ‘Sun Hands’ ended the night bril-liantly with the almost aggressive chant “And when I can feel with my sun hands, I promise not to lose her again” leading into a tearing guitar solo be-fore finally fizzling out with the soft-again refrains.

Tom Saunderson and Jan Kobal

Local Natives at Wedgewood Rooms (13/02/2013)

monday

4

listingsMarch

tuEsday

tuEsday

saturday sunday monday

saturday sunday monday tuEsday

saturday sunday monday tuEsday

9 10

16 17

Olly Murrs@ BIC

11

Cancer Bats@ Southampton Uni

18

23 24 25

Tomb Raider (18),PS3, XBOX, PC,

Square Enix

Rich Hall@ The Nuffield

Theme Park @ The Joiners

Sleeping Beauty On Ice,@ The Mayflower

(-16th)

Save The Last Dance For Me

@ The Mayflower(-30th)

Tom Odell@ The BrookCaro Emerald

@ Pavillion Theatre,Bournemouth

Space@ The Old Fire Station,

Bournemouth

Eels@ O2 Academy, Bournemouth

Biffy Clyro@ BIC

Jake Bugg@ Portsmouth Guildhall

Gabrille Aplin @ Wedgewood Rooms,

Portsmouth

4Bastille

‘Bad Blood’

Stereophonics‘Graffiti On The Train’

The Courteeners@ Pyramids Centre

Kvelertak@ The Talking Heads

Wiley‘The Ascent’

Hurts‘Exile’

Justin Timberlake‘The 20/20 Experience’

Kodaline‘In A Perfect World’

Stornoway@ Wedgewood Rooms,

Portsmouth

tuEsday WEdnEsday

thursday FridaytuEsday WEdnEsday

thursday Friday

tuEsday WEdnEsday thursday Friday

tuEsday WEdnEsday thursday Friday

5 6 7 8

12 13 14

19 21 22

Oz The Great and Powerful (PG),

Walt Disney Pictures

Side Effects (15),Open Road Films

The Paperboy(15)

Lionsgate

The Last Exorcism Part II (15),Studio Canal

Welcome To The Punch (15), Momentum Pictures

15

20The Croods (U), 20th Century Fox

Jack the Giant Slayer (12A),

Warner Bors Pictures

The Host (12A), Entertaniment Film

Distributors

Good Vibrations (15),The Works

26 28 29Trance (15),

Pathe

GI Joe: Retalialion (12A), Paramount

Pictures

27

Tomb Raider (18),PS3, XBOX, PC,

Square Enix

Miss Saigon (School Edition)@ The Nuffield

(-9th)

Blues Brothers,@ The Mayflower

(-9th)

The Arrival@ The Nuffield

Theme Park @ The Joiners

Sleeping Beauty On Ice,@ The Mayflower

(-16th)

Bastille@ Mo’Club

Lewis Watson@ The Joiners

Rudimental@ Roxx

Biffy Clyro@ BIC

Foals@ Pyramids Centre,

Portswood

Kvelertak@ The Talking Heads

Reel Big Fish@ The Union

Breed 77@ The Cellar

Stornoway@ Wedgewood Rooms,

Portsmouth

the edge (march 2013)

Documents

megan downing

new acts

ntt day

elinor day

edge committee

committee members

dedicated committee

david martin