My weekend of pain...
Blood covered floor, crazed men wandering the streets, debris flapping around in vomit covered bins. This is not the apocalypse, this is the after math of a bank holiday in Sheffield Town Centre, most notably, West Street.
As I have recently left the student life behind me and no longer frequent bars in the week, the concept of Bank Holiday is a new and all together frightening one. I work in a bar on West Street, not the nicest of bars, but pretty much the same as the other establishments, which act as pseudo brothels/asylums for the recently paid and animal like creatures which drag themselves with blistered bare feet, up and down this mating ground.
I am a hypocrite, I am obviously a part of this drunken haze of a lifestyle, as I have already said I was a student until very recently, but the kind of hell I experienced working on a bank holiday feels like I have been hit round the head by a Jagerbomb and have come to the cold hard realisation is that to ‘live for the weekend’ and most notably, Bank Holiday is to live to be a mess. It’s an overwhelming depressing state of affairs when there lack something else to live for, so yes, drink, be merry, just don’t make me clean your blood up.
All night the usual stream of evil doers and ‘lads’ poured in the door until the place was brimming with nasty, nasty grinding and slurred speech; then midnight hit and you could barely move without treading on the debris of WKD bottles and high heels flung around the floor.
This is what you are to expect going out on a night, and I understand this, I just do not understand how, on a Sunday night, mothers, daughters, 9-5ers, dad, boys, granddads can come together and choose to brawl, full on brawl. I heard mothers say to their daughters things that even Jeremy Kyle would try to block out. I also saw a big, big fight. Two lads bumped into each other, and then into another two lads, and then into another, it was like watching vodka filled particles colliding to create a new world, this world has bottles raining from the sky, blood spurting out to cover innocent bystanders (I say innocent I mean girls just ‘getting low) this continued until the police came to shut us down. At this point, the poor things gathered around the watering hole were still trying to get served, still clutching desperately onto the bank holiday mentality although they could see through the bleary clouds of sambuca, their night was coming to an end. The venom I feel towards this night is not that people like to get drunk, it is that, personally, if I were to go out knowing I would 1. Call my mother and pretty much everyone a slag, 2. Get covered in blood, 3. Have to go home at 12 because no one would let me in due to points 1 and 2, I would board the windows up, sit at home eating my weight in cakes waiting for the next weekend, where perhaps, if I was lucky, I could get home without losing completely the shred of dignity I attained from working hard all week, although that is difficult from the offset because, as one of them, I probably am wearing a napkin and calling it a dress. If only they had burnt it all down.
Sunday 5 September 2010
Gaisbourg review
Gainsbourg
The bio-pic is becoming a staple in the world of Hollywood and the British film industry. Be it action packed historical pieces following great men and their troubles, or modern day celebrities and their troubles. All these films choose to follow the turmoil of the spotlight; Walk The Line, a wonderful exploration into the anguish of Johnny Cash, Ray shows the plight of the genius of Ray Charles, and although boys these films are affecting, full of talent and all round enjoyable, they pretty much follow the plot line of boy is born, boy is hurt, boy sleeps around, boy takes drugs, boy usually meets salvation. This formula is not always quite so exact in the British exploration, films such as Nowhere Boy add an artistic flourish to a boy grows up, boy gets hurt… oh. These film have a tendency to focus on the agony and the consequential affect on a psyche, all shown through pained close-ups and monologues where all the deep, dark truth of the past is dragged out. Gainsbourg is a different type of work, not all together different, how could a life of a celebrity not involve beautiful women, pain, drugs? But what differs is that opposed to the usual signifiers of an artists suffering i.e. violence and tears, is that the psychology, is shown right next to the artist in question. This is done by life size models of what is troubling him; his doppelganger, his id, his devil on his shoulder -the point is to want fame, you must reject what you were and physically face the dichotomy every day. The conflict between the artist and the business man, the good or the bad is expelled to the surreal in this film. You see it without having to be told, this work is therefore somewhat removed from what you expect from the biopic. This film is not what you expect.
The audience ends up with a strange experience where reality and the surreal merge together into the traditional format, but, not quite. There is difficultly in attempting to review a film which seems as though it is about 7 films all tied up and drowsily, elegantly coming together under a veil of French cigarette smoke. The film begins in Nazi occupied France with Serge Gainsbourg as a child, this, is perhaps the most enjoyable segment of the film, it flows with ease and humour, the surreal fits perfectly with an infant imagination. The next portion is the adult Gainsbourg, more haunted by his childhood demons, but the haunting is a wonderful example of black humour and the torture of a soul by himself, not just by the drugs. In this film Gainsbourg’s vice appears to be women, and some of the most beautiful creatures I have seen on screen; Laetitia Casta who plays Bardot is every inch perfection, the women combined with smooth dialogue and archetypal French-ness plays out beautifully and easily. On the other hand, there are the songs… a man most notably famed for his heavy breathing with Jane Birkin is famed for this song for J’taime for a reason, the others are nothing, blips in the film which do nothing to propel the narrative, nothing to move the audience. The film can not have been made to demonstrate Serge’s musical prowess, the film acts like an experiment in storytelling and an experiment with the weird, with a few numbers thrown in. This is the flaw, the film doesn’t fit together, interjecting the likeable dark, jazz filled rooms with brightly coloured and uncomfortable moments of song and dance. They appear as vehicles to demonstrate the ups and downs of life but they remain irrelevant, other aspects of the film handle this with much more ease.
This film does not offer musings on the weight of fame, it instead shows a man and the affects of fame, through his own mind. Audiences are to watch, admire and infer. To be shown and not told is a relatively fresh approach, but not necessarily easy to follow. Although engaging and poetic, Gainsbourg begins to lull and drag as the epitomes of biopic emerge; divorce, violence, tears, until a decrepit shadow of a man is portrayed. The film decides to put on screen a man in a surreal world of his own, a man which mirrors the style of the film perfectly, flawed, but entertaining.
The bio-pic is becoming a staple in the world of Hollywood and the British film industry. Be it action packed historical pieces following great men and their troubles, or modern day celebrities and their troubles. All these films choose to follow the turmoil of the spotlight; Walk The Line, a wonderful exploration into the anguish of Johnny Cash, Ray shows the plight of the genius of Ray Charles, and although boys these films are affecting, full of talent and all round enjoyable, they pretty much follow the plot line of boy is born, boy is hurt, boy sleeps around, boy takes drugs, boy usually meets salvation. This formula is not always quite so exact in the British exploration, films such as Nowhere Boy add an artistic flourish to a boy grows up, boy gets hurt… oh. These film have a tendency to focus on the agony and the consequential affect on a psyche, all shown through pained close-ups and monologues where all the deep, dark truth of the past is dragged out. Gainsbourg is a different type of work, not all together different, how could a life of a celebrity not involve beautiful women, pain, drugs? But what differs is that opposed to the usual signifiers of an artists suffering i.e. violence and tears, is that the psychology, is shown right next to the artist in question. This is done by life size models of what is troubling him; his doppelganger, his id, his devil on his shoulder -the point is to want fame, you must reject what you were and physically face the dichotomy every day. The conflict between the artist and the business man, the good or the bad is expelled to the surreal in this film. You see it without having to be told, this work is therefore somewhat removed from what you expect from the biopic. This film is not what you expect.
The audience ends up with a strange experience where reality and the surreal merge together into the traditional format, but, not quite. There is difficultly in attempting to review a film which seems as though it is about 7 films all tied up and drowsily, elegantly coming together under a veil of French cigarette smoke. The film begins in Nazi occupied France with Serge Gainsbourg as a child, this, is perhaps the most enjoyable segment of the film, it flows with ease and humour, the surreal fits perfectly with an infant imagination. The next portion is the adult Gainsbourg, more haunted by his childhood demons, but the haunting is a wonderful example of black humour and the torture of a soul by himself, not just by the drugs. In this film Gainsbourg’s vice appears to be women, and some of the most beautiful creatures I have seen on screen; Laetitia Casta who plays Bardot is every inch perfection, the women combined with smooth dialogue and archetypal French-ness plays out beautifully and easily. On the other hand, there are the songs… a man most notably famed for his heavy breathing with Jane Birkin is famed for this song for J’taime for a reason, the others are nothing, blips in the film which do nothing to propel the narrative, nothing to move the audience. The film can not have been made to demonstrate Serge’s musical prowess, the film acts like an experiment in storytelling and an experiment with the weird, with a few numbers thrown in. This is the flaw, the film doesn’t fit together, interjecting the likeable dark, jazz filled rooms with brightly coloured and uncomfortable moments of song and dance. They appear as vehicles to demonstrate the ups and downs of life but they remain irrelevant, other aspects of the film handle this with much more ease.
This film does not offer musings on the weight of fame, it instead shows a man and the affects of fame, through his own mind. Audiences are to watch, admire and infer. To be shown and not told is a relatively fresh approach, but not necessarily easy to follow. Although engaging and poetic, Gainsbourg begins to lull and drag as the epitomes of biopic emerge; divorce, violence, tears, until a decrepit shadow of a man is portrayed. The film decides to put on screen a man in a surreal world of his own, a man which mirrors the style of the film perfectly, flawed, but entertaining.
Tuesday 27 July 2010
Blues in Britain Magazine, Sean Taylor Review
Sean Taylor - Walk With Me
SGO Music
A release of an album from any young musician is a difficult move, especially if you want to call it Blues. Sean Taylor manages to combine sentimentality and acoustic guitar to a genre which is incredibly difficult to be a part of without going over old ground and using clichés. Taylor’s album is far from being a copy of Blues acts and more of a remaining. The first track is a slow, almost country song, which is not really in keeping with the skill the rest of the album portrays; there is real passion here and this is displayed with the introduction of Hold On. This song allows the listener to get a feel of what will be on the rest of the album, an understanding of the depth needed to be part of the Blues. I attribute this to the contributors on this album, BJ Cole on pedal steel who has worked with Elton John, Sting, REM, Vyvienne Long on Cello (Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan) Justin Carroll on Hammond Organ (Van Morrison), Dave Hingerty (The Frames, Josh Ritter) on drums and Michael Buckley (Joss Stone, Mary Coughlan) on sax. Walk With Me fluctuates between poignant county to a slightly week attempt traditional blues. Taylor’s voice thrives in the balance of acoustic and real Blues in the title track Walk With Me. This album needs a few listens to try and pin down the sound Taylor is trying to achieve but is near perfection in songs where his style is defined, such as For You and Feel Alright. There are some really beautiful songs on this album and passion is embedded in every note, perhaps a little more maturity in voice and a few more songs like Walk With me would allow the listener to hear more of the raw and intelligent music he sings.
Rating- 6
SGO Music
A release of an album from any young musician is a difficult move, especially if you want to call it Blues. Sean Taylor manages to combine sentimentality and acoustic guitar to a genre which is incredibly difficult to be a part of without going over old ground and using clichés. Taylor’s album is far from being a copy of Blues acts and more of a remaining. The first track is a slow, almost country song, which is not really in keeping with the skill the rest of the album portrays; there is real passion here and this is displayed with the introduction of Hold On. This song allows the listener to get a feel of what will be on the rest of the album, an understanding of the depth needed to be part of the Blues. I attribute this to the contributors on this album, BJ Cole on pedal steel who has worked with Elton John, Sting, REM, Vyvienne Long on Cello (Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan) Justin Carroll on Hammond Organ (Van Morrison), Dave Hingerty (The Frames, Josh Ritter) on drums and Michael Buckley (Joss Stone, Mary Coughlan) on sax. Walk With Me fluctuates between poignant county to a slightly week attempt traditional blues. Taylor’s voice thrives in the balance of acoustic and real Blues in the title track Walk With Me. This album needs a few listens to try and pin down the sound Taylor is trying to achieve but is near perfection in songs where his style is defined, such as For You and Feel Alright. There are some really beautiful songs on this album and passion is embedded in every note, perhaps a little more maturity in voice and a few more songs like Walk With me would allow the listener to hear more of the raw and intelligent music he sings.
Rating- 6
Blues in Britain Magazine, Dale Storr Review
Best Blues I've seen.
Dale Storr and Band, The Coach and Horses, Dronfield, 18/07/10
A pub in an unknown village, on the side of a busy road, on a relatively cloudy Sunday do not tend to be the criteria that prepares one for the kind of entertainment that occurred at the Coach and Horses in Dronfield. There was wonderful union between the Real British Ale, Real Deep South BBQ and real talent which culminated in an evening unlike any others I have experienced. Dale Storr is a known musician in the Blues scene in Sheffield and his departure from solo New Orleans Pianist became a seamless transition to playing with a bassist, Jeremy Meek, trumpet player Ian Sanderson and drummer, Dave Raeburn. After one band practice the band took it upon themselves to play a gig, I was lucky enough to be there. The set list covered all the bases, a backlog of songs which any discerning blues fan would cry out to a performer in hope of hearing live. Amongst their flawless renditions were songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and Hank Snow. Their impeccable Ray Charles cover of Marrianne got roars of recognition and smiles from all the audience. The skill in which these musicians performed in the first half was clearly admired by the audience consisting of a healthy balance of Blues enthusiasts, families, teens and the men who were somewhat swayed by the ale. In the second half the admiration was transposed to amazement when the band took it upon themselves to, not only play some of Dale’s songs from his upcoming EP such as Radiate the 88, but added more wonderful renditions of other classics. Something seemed to occur in this half, a poignant and stunning cover of Summertime, with Ian taking the forefront, left the crowd in awe. What struck me most is, despite the lack of practice, you could never tell, therefore there was no separation from this band from any of the greats. This demonstrates an undeniable passion on all accounts. I cannot stress how much enjoyable this evening was, everyone in the audience were clapping, singing, and shouting through every song; whether it was well known, for example a Blues cover of The Beatles’ ‘I saw her standing there’ or other, less famous classics such as Barefootin’ by Robert Parker. Regardless of the song or style, everyone was engrossed. Despite the fact it’s early days for this band; with their skill, prowess and ability to get four encores like they did on Sunday, I can only predict great, great things.
Dale Storr and Band, The Coach and Horses, Dronfield, 18/07/10
A pub in an unknown village, on the side of a busy road, on a relatively cloudy Sunday do not tend to be the criteria that prepares one for the kind of entertainment that occurred at the Coach and Horses in Dronfield. There was wonderful union between the Real British Ale, Real Deep South BBQ and real talent which culminated in an evening unlike any others I have experienced. Dale Storr is a known musician in the Blues scene in Sheffield and his departure from solo New Orleans Pianist became a seamless transition to playing with a bassist, Jeremy Meek, trumpet player Ian Sanderson and drummer, Dave Raeburn. After one band practice the band took it upon themselves to play a gig, I was lucky enough to be there. The set list covered all the bases, a backlog of songs which any discerning blues fan would cry out to a performer in hope of hearing live. Amongst their flawless renditions were songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and Hank Snow. Their impeccable Ray Charles cover of Marrianne got roars of recognition and smiles from all the audience. The skill in which these musicians performed in the first half was clearly admired by the audience consisting of a healthy balance of Blues enthusiasts, families, teens and the men who were somewhat swayed by the ale. In the second half the admiration was transposed to amazement when the band took it upon themselves to, not only play some of Dale’s songs from his upcoming EP such as Radiate the 88, but added more wonderful renditions of other classics. Something seemed to occur in this half, a poignant and stunning cover of Summertime, with Ian taking the forefront, left the crowd in awe. What struck me most is, despite the lack of practice, you could never tell, therefore there was no separation from this band from any of the greats. This demonstrates an undeniable passion on all accounts. I cannot stress how much enjoyable this evening was, everyone in the audience were clapping, singing, and shouting through every song; whether it was well known, for example a Blues cover of The Beatles’ ‘I saw her standing there’ or other, less famous classics such as Barefootin’ by Robert Parker. Regardless of the song or style, everyone was engrossed. Despite the fact it’s early days for this band; with their skill, prowess and ability to get four encores like they did on Sunday, I can only predict great, great things.
Now Then Magazine, Heebie Jeebies
The Heebie Jeebies, Friday 11th June, The Harley
Considering the wind, the football and the fact the band didn’t start till about half 11, The Heebie Jeebie’s had a huge turn out in The Harley for a gig. The glitter and the colours which decorated the stage ignited excitement in the crowd and the equally exhilarated three band members maintained this feeling of fun and a party atmosphere throughout the gig.
The band opened with Murderous, their new single, an upbeat song which continued their combination of a punk and pop mentality in their stage presence. The band were an impressive act to watch, keeping the energy and enjoyment high enough to keep the crowd engaged through their twelve song set. The evening ultimately became more about the band and the atmosphere they expel as opposed to the songs themselves; the band themselves say, in terms of their development, ‘we don't waste our time trying to write good songs, its easier to just go with the flow and see what happen.’ What happened was a ‘flow’ unlike many others of the Sheffield landfill ‘indie’ scene and it resulted in a sound which involves pop, calypso, disco and punk which kept absolutely everybody dancing.
The first part of the set consisted of songs that had a distinctive style from the outset, this became all the more apparent with the introduction of their song ‘Romeo’, an epic, soulful song which genuinely was striking. This part of the set and the following four songs showed a technical prowess and a musical ability that overcame the organised chaos of the first half. Their skill was demonstrated by the drummer Thom’s amazing energy and ability to play frantic drums whilst keeping the song in time and was impressive to behold. The bassist, Den, was leaping in to the crowd, dancing with the audience and never really missing a note. The singer and guitarist Owen, expelled happiness and showed an immense passion, as did the rest of them, for what they were doing.
With songs as impressive as this and others such as ‘Butchers’ and ‘Misery Guts’ the second song on the single, this band are obviously capable of being more than a fun act to go see on a night out, there are great songs in their back log. With various gig’s coming up at places like Glastonbury and Tramlines, the band are heading for bigger stages and I imagine an even bigger stage presence. If they continue to be as engaging and as interesting to watch, big things will happen for The Heebie Jeebies. Their two part single will be released on August 3rd , followed by a tour in Asia.
Considering the wind, the football and the fact the band didn’t start till about half 11, The Heebie Jeebie’s had a huge turn out in The Harley for a gig. The glitter and the colours which decorated the stage ignited excitement in the crowd and the equally exhilarated three band members maintained this feeling of fun and a party atmosphere throughout the gig.
The band opened with Murderous, their new single, an upbeat song which continued their combination of a punk and pop mentality in their stage presence. The band were an impressive act to watch, keeping the energy and enjoyment high enough to keep the crowd engaged through their twelve song set. The evening ultimately became more about the band and the atmosphere they expel as opposed to the songs themselves; the band themselves say, in terms of their development, ‘we don't waste our time trying to write good songs, its easier to just go with the flow and see what happen.’ What happened was a ‘flow’ unlike many others of the Sheffield landfill ‘indie’ scene and it resulted in a sound which involves pop, calypso, disco and punk which kept absolutely everybody dancing.
The first part of the set consisted of songs that had a distinctive style from the outset, this became all the more apparent with the introduction of their song ‘Romeo’, an epic, soulful song which genuinely was striking. This part of the set and the following four songs showed a technical prowess and a musical ability that overcame the organised chaos of the first half. Their skill was demonstrated by the drummer Thom’s amazing energy and ability to play frantic drums whilst keeping the song in time and was impressive to behold. The bassist, Den, was leaping in to the crowd, dancing with the audience and never really missing a note. The singer and guitarist Owen, expelled happiness and showed an immense passion, as did the rest of them, for what they were doing.
With songs as impressive as this and others such as ‘Butchers’ and ‘Misery Guts’ the second song on the single, this band are obviously capable of being more than a fun act to go see on a night out, there are great songs in their back log. With various gig’s coming up at places like Glastonbury and Tramlines, the band are heading for bigger stages and I imagine an even bigger stage presence. If they continue to be as engaging and as interesting to watch, big things will happen for The Heebie Jeebies. Their two part single will be released on August 3rd , followed by a tour in Asia.
Wednesday 9 June 2010
Exposed
Exposed told me to write 250 words for them..
Celluloid Screams is an event that takes over the Showroom Cinema from the 22nd-24th October to get us all ready for Halloween. They pride themselves in the unseen horror films by film makers from all around the world and have a tendency to show independent work as well as the big budget horror’s we all know and love. In the time before this event, the Showroom are screening double bills of Horror films, this allows for us cult followers to be completely submerged in the world of gore, guts and screams. I attended a screening of Rec/Rec 2 recently, Rec, a low budget Spanish horror film that takes documentary horror to another level, in the break between the two I had to keep looking over my shoulder and have a sit down to make my limbs work again. Consequentially the walk back to the screening room was a long and some what painful expedition and when the lights went out, I already felt my heart beating faster than those Zombies can run. Rec 2 is a sequel even scarier than it’s predecessor, an impressive feat in a genre so full of terrible remakes and re releases. This event left me shook up for a good few hours and I imagine the next few will not disappoint. Horror geeks and foreign film fans should be queuing up to see what the next event has to offer, just keep reminding yourself, ‘it’s only a film, it’s only a film.’
Now Then
I just got published on the Now Then magazine's blog, here is a link to it
http://nowthensheffield.blogspot.com/2010/06/film-review-killer-inside-me.html
This is the article I like the most.
http://nowthensheffield.blogspot.com/2010/06/film-review-killer-inside-me.html
This is the article I like the most.
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