Just a quick one for tonight, but for anyone who saw Harry Hill's TV Burp this weekend, or especially those that didn't, enjoy...
Sunday 30 October 2011
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Review: Quorndon Muffins
Posted on 16:49 by Unknown
A week or so ago the Students' Union bars got in new muffins, with "traditional British flavours" such as jam and custard, apple and custard and spotted dick, among others, basically traditional British desserts in muffin forms. And tonight was my first chance at trying one.
Manufactured by 'Quorndon', which sounds like the vegetarian godfather, they have appeared on the bar in a very eye-catching bar-mounted display case.
Priced at £1.20 they are nearly twice the price of the muffins from the shop, about 2/3rds the size, and half as tasty. They're not bad muffins, in fact they are quite tasty, but don't quite reflect the flavour labelled on the packaging. I tried the spotted dick flavour, a dessert I enjoy but haven't had the chance for many years, and it didn't really taste of it. It was basically a muffin with raisins in and a weird yellow custard-style splodge within that didn't taste of custard and was the consistency that could lead to a crude joke involving spotted dick and an STD.
The muffins do proclaim themselves to be enjoyable warm or cold, so maybe heating them in the microwave brings out their flavour, but unfortunately it's rare you go down to the bar with such a piece of electrical equipment and, if you do, what are security doing letting you bring in large kitchen appliances?
Overall, not a bad tasting muffin but for 80p would rather try the bigger and tastier shop muffins and their supposed flavours are misleading. I shall try and pocket one later and warm it up to see what it tastes like. After paying for it, of course.
5/10
[And, yes, I know it's nearly one in the morning and I'm reviewing muffins... time for sleep methinks!]
Manufactured by 'Quorndon', which sounds like the vegetarian godfather, they have appeared on the bar in a very eye-catching bar-mounted display case.
Priced at £1.20 they are nearly twice the price of the muffins from the shop, about 2/3rds the size, and half as tasty. They're not bad muffins, in fact they are quite tasty, but don't quite reflect the flavour labelled on the packaging. I tried the spotted dick flavour, a dessert I enjoy but haven't had the chance for many years, and it didn't really taste of it. It was basically a muffin with raisins in and a weird yellow custard-style splodge within that didn't taste of custard and was the consistency that could lead to a crude joke involving spotted dick and an STD.
The muffins do proclaim themselves to be enjoyable warm or cold, so maybe heating them in the microwave brings out their flavour, but unfortunately it's rare you go down to the bar with such a piece of electrical equipment and, if you do, what are security doing letting you bring in large kitchen appliances?
Overall, not a bad tasting muffin but for 80p would rather try the bigger and tastier shop muffins and their supposed flavours are misleading. I shall try and pocket one later and warm it up to see what it tastes like. After paying for it, of course.
5/10
[And, yes, I know it's nearly one in the morning and I'm reviewing muffins... time for sleep methinks!]
And The X Factor Did The Right Thing!
Posted on 16:45 by Unknown
"Charity forces X Factor band Rhythmix to change name" as it clashes with the name of the charity.
Yes, like a lot of things out there that share names - Polo car and Polo mint for instance - and don't clash and I think, at the end of the day, this doesn't necessarily clash, but it's nice to see them taking the high ground and doing it.
Eek.... I'm praising the X Factor. It must be late. Or I must be ill.
Yes, like a lot of things out there that share names - Polo car and Polo mint for instance - and don't clash and I think, at the end of the day, this doesn't necessarily clash, but it's nice to see them taking the high ground and doing it.
Eek.... I'm praising the X Factor. It must be late. Or I must be ill.
Tuesday 25 October 2011
It's Criminal That It's Not Better
Posted on 15:00 by Unknown
A week ago on blog post "Ooh, err, she did it again" I mentioned Britney's steamy new video for 'Criminal', and now you can finally view it on YouTube and below.
But, put down the tissues, as there's not much raunch. It just involves bad acting from Britney, violence, a chap who sounds like he was rejected for the Godfather and a video so pretentious even Bono would laugh at it.
It's no more raunchy than, say, 'Somethin' Stupid' by Robbie and Nicole Kidman, and even contains a chap who is such a bad man that he brings you a cup of tea in the morning. He might be a criminal with a gun, but he's no stranger to the kettle. You do get a shot of them naked with his hands around her thrupney bits but otherwise it's hardly x-rated.
But do watch if the thought of Britney going 'Bum, bum, bum' makes you laugh, want to hear a stereotypical cockney policeman at the end; and enjoy Britney snogging the face of a man whilst avoiding being shot in a hail of bullets.
It's not actually too bad a song if a little unremarkable but is quite catchy even after the first listne and I'm undecided on the flutey bit that mimicks the riff line but sounds like it was played by a schoolkid. The video is sexier than, say, the Lion King but hardly even soft porn, and the storyline is so cliched it could well be a porn film but without the sex.
Song: 6.5/10
Video: 4/10
But, put down the tissues, as there's not much raunch. It just involves bad acting from Britney, violence, a chap who sounds like he was rejected for the Godfather and a video so pretentious even Bono would laugh at it.
It's no more raunchy than, say, 'Somethin' Stupid' by Robbie and Nicole Kidman, and even contains a chap who is such a bad man that he brings you a cup of tea in the morning. He might be a criminal with a gun, but he's no stranger to the kettle. You do get a shot of them naked with his hands around her thrupney bits but otherwise it's hardly x-rated.
But do watch if the thought of Britney going 'Bum, bum, bum' makes you laugh, want to hear a stereotypical cockney policeman at the end; and enjoy Britney snogging the face of a man whilst avoiding being shot in a hail of bullets.
It's not actually too bad a song if a little unremarkable but is quite catchy even after the first listne and I'm undecided on the flutey bit that mimicks the riff line but sounds like it was played by a schoolkid. The video is sexier than, say, the Lion King but hardly even soft porn, and the storyline is so cliched it could well be a porn film but without the sex.
Song: 6.5/10
Video: 4/10
Bradford Monopoly [Review]
Posted on 14:59 by Unknown
I have always been a massive fan of Monopoly since I was a little kid. It’s one of my very few claims to fame that, in 1997, I was the second best young Monopoly player in the UK, not a bad achievement really even if it does involve a particular year, the word ‘young’ and, of course, second. But, I did get to play the game in the Bank of England with real money even if I did miss the chance to go to New York as first prize.
But, I digress. Since then I have been a collector of Monopoly boards, snapping up ‘Here and Now’, ‘Classic’ in a wooden box replicating the original 1930s version, ‘Yorkshire’ and ‘Revolution’ versions, not including the old traditional one I have, plus the one for my home town, ‘York’. At one point I did contemplate buying every UK version ever made until a quick visit to Wikipedia made me realise just how many Waddingtons / Hasbro had released, and that I didn’t have rich parents or a swelling trust fund to help me fill my dreams.
As we near the end of 2011 the number of local themed Monopoly boards has become considerable – there is even a Leeds University one for heaven’s sake – and now we finally have one for Bradford. However, though I’m not scoffing at my adopted home town finally getting a board of its own, it doesn’t half smell of a cash-in.
At this point I’m going to disappoint some of the readers and say I’m not going to review the game of Monopoly. Chances (haha) are you’ll know if you like the game or not so changing a few place names won’t really make a difference to your enjoyment of the game. For those of you that haven’t, there is not enough time for me to spill out the rules of the game in this review, and certainly no reason to without boring the socks off the majority of readers.
You insist? Well, in a nutshell, up to six players journey around properties on a square board, buying them up and charging players who subsequently land on them rent, with the aim being to grab up sets of properties, build properties on them, and bankrupt the other players, all the time also having the opportunity to receive random gifts and benefits in the form of chance and community chest cards, whilst also trying not to be trapped at the dining table with your family for four plus hours waiting for someone to become skint or throw their money over the board in frustration. Satisfied?
Basically, the Bradford edition is like any of local adapted edition: the traditional Monopoly board with a makeover, with locations from London replaced with Bradford and West Yorkshire landmarks, buildings and areas, and a photographic montage stuck in the middle. Sadly, the houses and hotels don’t get replaced by mills and student accommodation, nor do the chance cards have ‘You receive a speeding fine for your quad bike’, ‘You come second in the Omar naan challenge. Receive £10’ or ‘You are assessed for building repairs but you are not Unipol registered so don’t have to worry’. Actually, scrub that, they have paid some attention to the cards. ‘You’re late for a show at the Alhambra Theatre’ (we’ve all been there); ‘You won a trolley dash around Morrisons’ (Clean up on aisle three); and ‘You have been caught littering on the streets of Little Germany’ (that was probably me, I live there), plus others, are included, so some imagination has gone into it. But still no mention of quad bikes.
And, before any typical Telegraph and Argus trolls comment, there isn’t a large hole in the centre of the board to reflect the failed Westfield development. Jeez.
What you do get is seven playing pieces, two dice, a speed die, a wad of money, houses and hotels, a cloth bag, chance, community chest and place cards, an instruction manual, of course the board, and a nice new smell as you open the box. And the ability to mortgage Ilkley Moor, something I’m sure Bradford Council have considered between ruining the old Odeon and cocking up the City Park by opening it in, er, January.
The board, of course, lives and dies on its properties, and it’s on this where there is much more of a sense of commercial input that on, say, my York board. Yes, there’s been a lot of sponsorship of squares by local radio stations and papers on previous boards, but it’s taken to all new levels on this one. As well as the usual suspects of the Alhambra; the National Media Museum and Odsal Station, we also get ‘Richard Dunn Sports Centre’, clearly valid to share a set with Odsal Stadium and Valley Square; Bronte Water Coolers instead of water works balanced against, er, the standard electric company (Yorkshire Electricity missed a trick there) and two squares dedicated to ‘Prestige Car Care’ and ‘Prestige IT Support’. I mean – who? What? Clearly they paid to be on there (presumably about half-way along the rate card as they are on the orange spaces) but, is it just me, or would you personally rather pay a few extra quid for the board and have some proper properties on there, like perhaps the University or Little Germany or Lister Mill? I don’t think ‘Advance to Prestige IT Support’ has the same ring to it – face it, you’d get there, they’d umm and err, put you on hold and tell you to turn it off and on again – as many others and just adds to the smell of corporate cash-in.
Elsewhere the properties are as expected – though I’m not sure how happy Haworth will be with being stuck in the poorest properties – even if additions like the ‘City Park’, which isn’t even finished yet are not totally unexpected but weird. Maybe they should have stuck in a current photo of it unfinished and then Hasbro could post out a sticker of the finished version when they finally get round to it.
Overall, the Bradford Monopoly board is a worthy purchase if you live in our fair city. Effort has gone in to customise some of the chance / community chest cards to expand on the properties featured, and there’s not many other opportunities you’d get to own ‘Bingley Music Live’, the ‘Wool Exchange’ and the ‘Telegraph and Argus’, though the latter at 220 Monopoly pounds if quite steep considering it was under a quid last time I picked up a copy.
Sure, the board smells of a Hasbro call centre calling up local businesses asking for sponsorship (“Come on, shove your logo on a community chest square”; “ A square for Kirkgate Market? Nah, what about a car care company we’ve not heard about?” (that said, all the free publicity they’re getting in this review must make it worth it for them); or “Shall we PhotoShop the miserable looking chap walking in front of the Alhambra Theatre? No. OK.”) and I would rather pay more for the board than random sponsorship, but it does what it says on the Bradford-photography-laden box (Ooh! That Mosque near Laisteridge Lane! Ooh! A Dalek! Ooh! East Riddlesden Hall!) and for £25 it’s nice to have something more relevant and local.
Positives: Nice customisation of cards, well built, if you like Monopoly you’ll like this.
Negatives: Poor choice of some places due to sponsorship, if you hate Monopoly you’ll hate this.
7/10
But, I digress. Since then I have been a collector of Monopoly boards, snapping up ‘Here and Now’, ‘Classic’ in a wooden box replicating the original 1930s version, ‘Yorkshire’ and ‘Revolution’ versions, not including the old traditional one I have, plus the one for my home town, ‘York’. At one point I did contemplate buying every UK version ever made until a quick visit to Wikipedia made me realise just how many Waddingtons / Hasbro had released, and that I didn’t have rich parents or a swelling trust fund to help me fill my dreams.
As we near the end of 2011 the number of local themed Monopoly boards has become considerable – there is even a Leeds University one for heaven’s sake – and now we finally have one for Bradford. However, though I’m not scoffing at my adopted home town finally getting a board of its own, it doesn’t half smell of a cash-in.
At this point I’m going to disappoint some of the readers and say I’m not going to review the game of Monopoly. Chances (haha) are you’ll know if you like the game or not so changing a few place names won’t really make a difference to your enjoyment of the game. For those of you that haven’t, there is not enough time for me to spill out the rules of the game in this review, and certainly no reason to without boring the socks off the majority of readers.
You insist? Well, in a nutshell, up to six players journey around properties on a square board, buying them up and charging players who subsequently land on them rent, with the aim being to grab up sets of properties, build properties on them, and bankrupt the other players, all the time also having the opportunity to receive random gifts and benefits in the form of chance and community chest cards, whilst also trying not to be trapped at the dining table with your family for four plus hours waiting for someone to become skint or throw their money over the board in frustration. Satisfied?
Basically, the Bradford edition is like any of local adapted edition: the traditional Monopoly board with a makeover, with locations from London replaced with Bradford and West Yorkshire landmarks, buildings and areas, and a photographic montage stuck in the middle. Sadly, the houses and hotels don’t get replaced by mills and student accommodation, nor do the chance cards have ‘You receive a speeding fine for your quad bike’, ‘You come second in the Omar naan challenge. Receive £10’ or ‘You are assessed for building repairs but you are not Unipol registered so don’t have to worry’. Actually, scrub that, they have paid some attention to the cards. ‘You’re late for a show at the Alhambra Theatre’ (we’ve all been there); ‘You won a trolley dash around Morrisons’ (Clean up on aisle three); and ‘You have been caught littering on the streets of Little Germany’ (that was probably me, I live there), plus others, are included, so some imagination has gone into it. But still no mention of quad bikes.
And, before any typical Telegraph and Argus trolls comment, there isn’t a large hole in the centre of the board to reflect the failed Westfield development. Jeez.
What you do get is seven playing pieces, two dice, a speed die, a wad of money, houses and hotels, a cloth bag, chance, community chest and place cards, an instruction manual, of course the board, and a nice new smell as you open the box. And the ability to mortgage Ilkley Moor, something I’m sure Bradford Council have considered between ruining the old Odeon and cocking up the City Park by opening it in, er, January.
The board, of course, lives and dies on its properties, and it’s on this where there is much more of a sense of commercial input that on, say, my York board. Yes, there’s been a lot of sponsorship of squares by local radio stations and papers on previous boards, but it’s taken to all new levels on this one. As well as the usual suspects of the Alhambra; the National Media Museum and Odsal Station, we also get ‘Richard Dunn Sports Centre’, clearly valid to share a set with Odsal Stadium and Valley Square; Bronte Water Coolers instead of water works balanced against, er, the standard electric company (Yorkshire Electricity missed a trick there) and two squares dedicated to ‘Prestige Car Care’ and ‘Prestige IT Support’. I mean – who? What? Clearly they paid to be on there (presumably about half-way along the rate card as they are on the orange spaces) but, is it just me, or would you personally rather pay a few extra quid for the board and have some proper properties on there, like perhaps the University or Little Germany or Lister Mill? I don’t think ‘Advance to Prestige IT Support’ has the same ring to it – face it, you’d get there, they’d umm and err, put you on hold and tell you to turn it off and on again – as many others and just adds to the smell of corporate cash-in.
Elsewhere the properties are as expected – though I’m not sure how happy Haworth will be with being stuck in the poorest properties – even if additions like the ‘City Park’, which isn’t even finished yet are not totally unexpected but weird. Maybe they should have stuck in a current photo of it unfinished and then Hasbro could post out a sticker of the finished version when they finally get round to it.
Overall, the Bradford Monopoly board is a worthy purchase if you live in our fair city. Effort has gone in to customise some of the chance / community chest cards to expand on the properties featured, and there’s not many other opportunities you’d get to own ‘Bingley Music Live’, the ‘Wool Exchange’ and the ‘Telegraph and Argus’, though the latter at 220 Monopoly pounds if quite steep considering it was under a quid last time I picked up a copy.
Sure, the board smells of a Hasbro call centre calling up local businesses asking for sponsorship (“Come on, shove your logo on a community chest square”; “ A square for Kirkgate Market? Nah, what about a car care company we’ve not heard about?” (that said, all the free publicity they’re getting in this review must make it worth it for them); or “Shall we PhotoShop the miserable looking chap walking in front of the Alhambra Theatre? No. OK.”) and I would rather pay more for the board than random sponsorship, but it does what it says on the Bradford-photography-laden box (Ooh! That Mosque near Laisteridge Lane! Ooh! A Dalek! Ooh! East Riddlesden Hall!) and for £25 it’s nice to have something more relevant and local.
Positives: Nice customisation of cards, well built, if you like Monopoly you’ll like this.
Negatives: Poor choice of some places due to sponsorship, if you hate Monopoly you’ll hate this.
7/10
Monday 24 October 2011
REVIEW: Lady Antebellum - Own The Night
Posted on 12:59 by Unknown
Having really enjoyed the first album by the group, I thought picking up the second would be a good idea, and I'm glad I did.
Though not really breaking any new ground compared to the first album it's a very emotional, touching journey through thirteen tracks, including the cracking single 'Just A Kiss', even if they do questionable include a new version of their biggest hit 'Need You Now', tagged onto the end in the most pointless inclusion since 3OH!3 did something with their third album and 'Starstrukk'.
Don't listen to this album if you are feeling down as it's likely to make things even worse but, for a casual listen in front of a flickering fire place, you can't go much wrong.
It's a very pleasant, soothing listen and the male and female vocals play off each other well once more.
7/10
Though not really breaking any new ground compared to the first album it's a very emotional, touching journey through thirteen tracks, including the cracking single 'Just A Kiss', even if they do questionable include a new version of their biggest hit 'Need You Now', tagged onto the end in the most pointless inclusion since 3OH!3 did something with their third album and 'Starstrukk'.
Don't listen to this album if you are feeling down as it's likely to make things even worse but, for a casual listen in front of a flickering fire place, you can't go much wrong.
It's a very pleasant, soothing listen and the male and female vocals play off each other well once more.
7/10
Ho ho ho! Christmas is coming!
Posted on 10:59 by Unknown
Yes. It's official. Even though we have yet to reach the end of October and, indeed, past Hallowe'en, the first Christmas song has entered the UK charts, in the form of Justin Bieber's 'Misteltoe'.
I've not yet heard the song but the thought of Justin Bieber, teenage fans and a sprig of misletoe, worries me.
So, it'll be Kudos to the first person to get an Easter song in the charts before the end of the year.
Come on Rebecca Black. You know you want to.
I've not yet heard the song but the thought of Justin Bieber, teenage fans and a sprig of misletoe, worries me.
So, it'll be Kudos to the first person to get an Easter song in the charts before the end of the year.
Come on Rebecca Black. You know you want to.
Sunday 23 October 2011
Noel Gallagher beats Matt Cardle to Number One Album
Posted on 15:24 by Unknown
Noel Gallagher has beaten X-Factor winner Matt Cardle to the number one album spot by 40% extra sales - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15423667 - going some way to prove that, with The X Factor ratings on the slide, maybe the reality bubble is going to burst...
And I'm happy that it is, even if Matt's lead single is actually good. And not a cover.
And I'm happy that it is, even if Matt's lead single is actually good. And not a cover.
Saturday 22 October 2011
We'll Soon Be Able To Rock Again, DJ...
Posted on 10:32 by Unknown
"Robbie Williams to release solo album" reveals this BBC article, confirming his split from Take That and his new release next year.
I, for one, am looking forward to it, if it continues his work on his previous solo album and Take That one.
I, for one, am looking forward to it, if it continues his work on his previous solo album and Take That one.
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Ooh, err, she did it again
Posted on 14:34 by Unknown
"Britney Spears romps with real-life boyfriend in new x-rated music video" reads this disgusted article in the Mirror before delving into lots of screenshots and a video which, disappointingly, has been removed from YouTube.
Apparantely it includes Britney being hit one more time in it too, maybe suggesting that it's all about the video and not so much about the music, but we'll see when the video appears again!
Apparantely it includes Britney being hit one more time in it too, maybe suggesting that it's all about the video and not so much about the music, but we'll see when the video appears again!
Monday 17 October 2011
Kelly Rowland is a Right Tit... and a left...
Posted on 14:41 by Unknown
"X Factor's Kelly Rowland in another fashion boob with see-through top" says this article, which suggests the ex-Destiny's Child singer is trying to grab headlines again.
Well all publicity is good publicity. But one wonders if it's the solution to "The ex-X Factor? Ratings slip for new series of Simon Cowell flagship show".
Well all publicity is good publicity. But one wonders if it's the solution to "The ex-X Factor? Ratings slip for new series of Simon Cowell flagship show".
Sunday 16 October 2011
Dave Gorman’s PowerPoint Presentation, St. George’s Hall, Bradford, Saturday 15th October 2011 @DaveGorman @jayforeham
Posted on 05:55 by Unknown
Dave Gorman’s PowerPoint Presentation, St. George’s Hall, Bradford, Saturday 15th October 2011
Supported by Jay Foreham
My road to seeing Dave Gorman live has been like a story about the worst ever stalker. I’ve been a fan of the comedian since watching his ‘Astrology Experiment’ on television many years ago, then picking up his books, and keeping up with his work through his writing, stand-up DVDs and shows like ‘Genius’.
Come last year I finally got the opportunity to see him live but, due to a combination of a burst ear drum, a brain infection, bells palsy and being admitted to hospital (I’ll put my violin away in a minute) I had to miss his tour due to being locked up inside Leeds General Infirmary and my ticket going to waste.
Fast forward fourteen minutes and, in full health, I finally managed to catch up with Dave at the Student Radio Awards in Hatfield where I finally got to talk to him about radio and finally meet someone on my list of people-I’d-really-like-to-meet. (Next up Rowan Atkinson, Nick Park and Danny Wallace if anyone knows there addresses).
Move forward another six months and I see that Dave is due to perform at St. George’s hall, about ten minutes from my front door: an opportunity not to miss! Unfortunately I knew I’d have to miss it because I was off to Wales with a friend to DJ with manager’s best friend’s wedding in a field in Wales, so I didn’t bother getting a ticket.
It was only two hours before the gig when I was surfing on Twitter with a pint of cider while two friends soldered some XLR cable (honestly I’m not making any of this weird intro story up yet) that I realised he was in Bradford on the night and, now not having to visit the land of our fathers, I was free, so a quick call to the theatre bagged me a ticket. All that was left to do was stumbled to KFC an hour before the doors, wolf down some fried chicken as all the other proper restaurants were full, and head over to the theatre.
Amazingly, as I am a sad individual who goes to the theatre on his own (last night’s excuse was I’d only bought the tickets within a film’s length away from the start), I actually managed to bag a decent stalls seat at the end of a row so got a good view of the two hours of comedy.
The gig was opened with a thirty-five minute set from probably the best comedy support act I’ve ever seen. I always enjoy seeing the support acts as they can bring something new to the table; I even bought tickets to see Al Murray just to see Chris Ramsey support, but found the main act just as good of course. I’ve not quite reached the level of some people who bought tickets to a film just to see the new Harry Potter trailer before it, as has happened.
The opening act was comedy singer Jay Foreham who performed a dozen or so comedy songs plus some other small skits, all of which were fantastic, especially ‘Stealing Food’; his musical take on the Royal Wedding which opened the set; and closer ‘Moon Chavs’, which he promised would stick in people’s minds for ages and ruin their week. Yes, it’s still circling in my head. It seems that I’m late to the game with Jay as, posting ‘Moon Chavs, Chavs on the Moon’ on Facebook during the interval gave my friends the opportunity to post the successive lyrics on my profile. Clearly someone who is popular with a lot of people.
Though it was a basic set-up of just him and a mic, there was a smattering of interesting extras thrown into his set, from lighting changes to a song-duet with a member of the audience, and though not all the songs was massively laugh-out loud funny, they were some of the best original comedy songs I’ve heard in a long time and all brought a smile to my face, up there with Weird Al and the Barron Knights. Plus, he was selling his CD during the interval for a fiver, one of which I snapped up – bargain! – so I’d recommend you grab one of them if you see a tour date.
Jay Foreham was a fantastic opener to the set; at thirty-five minutes it was far more than you’d expect from an opening act, the songs were catchy, funny and memorable, and he was a likeable person, even going out to meet people in the lobby.
After a twenty-minute interval it was time for Dave Gorman to come on stage, possibly one of the funniest Jewish comedians around. And if you don’t get that then go and see his show!
Armed with nothing more than a large screen, a clicker for swapping slides, a laptop and a lapel mic, Dave jumped straight into his PowerPoint Presentation, though arguably it really should be a KeyPoint Presentation as his laptop was by Apple, but calling it by that name would make it sound like it’d be a businessman showing off pie charts and graphs on economic strategy development. I also knew it wasn’t PowerPoint as there was no animated GIFs to be seen.
It is difficult to describe the show for two reasons: firstly, not to give away the hilarious jokes, which I won’t; secondly because, like surfing around on the Internet that makes up the basis of the show, the stand-up routine jumped from topic-to-topic so quickly it was like one of those conversations you have in the pub that you can’t remember how you got onto it from talking about something unrelated. It’s a tribute to the structure of the show that the majority of the topics came from him listing his vital statistics such as facial hair, religion and marital status.
There are too many topics to mention but his takes on Twitter, mobile phones and comments on Internet news articles were amazing, and because of the way he laid them out everyone leaving the theatre will be observing things as they go through their daily lives and these triggering memories of the show. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at a mobile phone advert, in particular a HTC one, again in the same way.
His stand-up was supported by great screen shots, graphs, videos and photos and all combined to make it a visual and engaging show and, though themes would jump from one to another, he’d written in lines that harked back to completely unrelated stories and it all gelled really well. Plus, it’s a show connected to real-life as a lot of it spanned from his actions on Twitter and out there in the wide world and, yes, after the show I found the posts he would refer to, showing it was indeed all based in truth. Observational, and real-life, comedy, after all, is the best.
I really enjoyed Dave Gorman’s stand-up on Googlewhack and, if you enjoyed that, you will love this even more. At just over an hour it was maybe a little shorter than I’d like but he’d packed in plenty of observational humour into that time and I can’t complain as it was one of the best stand-up performances I’d seen, even if at times the speed of his delivery meant it wasn’t always easy to follow what he was saying. Plus, the timing of the show was crucial for one more joke which was possibly the best planned ending to a show ever and tied in nicely with everything, continuing the theme of tie-ing up as Jay Foreman was brought back onto stage during the show to support the encore.
If you can still get tickets to any of the later gigs on the tour I would highly recommend you do. A laugh-out-loud two hours from a solid support and excellent main act that, through the choice of subject matter and its relation to our everyday life in 2011, will stay with you for a long time. I just hope they bring it out on DVD so I can share the laughs with other people who may miss this.
9/10
Supported by Jay Foreham
My road to seeing Dave Gorman live has been like a story about the worst ever stalker. I’ve been a fan of the comedian since watching his ‘Astrology Experiment’ on television many years ago, then picking up his books, and keeping up with his work through his writing, stand-up DVDs and shows like ‘Genius’.
Come last year I finally got the opportunity to see him live but, due to a combination of a burst ear drum, a brain infection, bells palsy and being admitted to hospital (I’ll put my violin away in a minute) I had to miss his tour due to being locked up inside Leeds General Infirmary and my ticket going to waste.
Fast forward fourteen minutes and, in full health, I finally managed to catch up with Dave at the Student Radio Awards in Hatfield where I finally got to talk to him about radio and finally meet someone on my list of people-I’d-really-like-to-meet. (Next up Rowan Atkinson, Nick Park and Danny Wallace if anyone knows there addresses).
Move forward another six months and I see that Dave is due to perform at St. George’s hall, about ten minutes from my front door: an opportunity not to miss! Unfortunately I knew I’d have to miss it because I was off to Wales with a friend to DJ with manager’s best friend’s wedding in a field in Wales, so I didn’t bother getting a ticket.
It was only two hours before the gig when I was surfing on Twitter with a pint of cider while two friends soldered some XLR cable (honestly I’m not making any of this weird intro story up yet) that I realised he was in Bradford on the night and, now not having to visit the land of our fathers, I was free, so a quick call to the theatre bagged me a ticket. All that was left to do was stumbled to KFC an hour before the doors, wolf down some fried chicken as all the other proper restaurants were full, and head over to the theatre.
Amazingly, as I am a sad individual who goes to the theatre on his own (last night’s excuse was I’d only bought the tickets within a film’s length away from the start), I actually managed to bag a decent stalls seat at the end of a row so got a good view of the two hours of comedy.
The gig was opened with a thirty-five minute set from probably the best comedy support act I’ve ever seen. I always enjoy seeing the support acts as they can bring something new to the table; I even bought tickets to see Al Murray just to see Chris Ramsey support, but found the main act just as good of course. I’ve not quite reached the level of some people who bought tickets to a film just to see the new Harry Potter trailer before it, as has happened.
The opening act was comedy singer Jay Foreham who performed a dozen or so comedy songs plus some other small skits, all of which were fantastic, especially ‘Stealing Food’; his musical take on the Royal Wedding which opened the set; and closer ‘Moon Chavs’, which he promised would stick in people’s minds for ages and ruin their week. Yes, it’s still circling in my head. It seems that I’m late to the game with Jay as, posting ‘Moon Chavs, Chavs on the Moon’ on Facebook during the interval gave my friends the opportunity to post the successive lyrics on my profile. Clearly someone who is popular with a lot of people.
Though it was a basic set-up of just him and a mic, there was a smattering of interesting extras thrown into his set, from lighting changes to a song-duet with a member of the audience, and though not all the songs was massively laugh-out loud funny, they were some of the best original comedy songs I’ve heard in a long time and all brought a smile to my face, up there with Weird Al and the Barron Knights. Plus, he was selling his CD during the interval for a fiver, one of which I snapped up – bargain! – so I’d recommend you grab one of them if you see a tour date.
Jay Foreham was a fantastic opener to the set; at thirty-five minutes it was far more than you’d expect from an opening act, the songs were catchy, funny and memorable, and he was a likeable person, even going out to meet people in the lobby.
After a twenty-minute interval it was time for Dave Gorman to come on stage, possibly one of the funniest Jewish comedians around. And if you don’t get that then go and see his show!
Armed with nothing more than a large screen, a clicker for swapping slides, a laptop and a lapel mic, Dave jumped straight into his PowerPoint Presentation, though arguably it really should be a KeyPoint Presentation as his laptop was by Apple, but calling it by that name would make it sound like it’d be a businessman showing off pie charts and graphs on economic strategy development. I also knew it wasn’t PowerPoint as there was no animated GIFs to be seen.
It is difficult to describe the show for two reasons: firstly, not to give away the hilarious jokes, which I won’t; secondly because, like surfing around on the Internet that makes up the basis of the show, the stand-up routine jumped from topic-to-topic so quickly it was like one of those conversations you have in the pub that you can’t remember how you got onto it from talking about something unrelated. It’s a tribute to the structure of the show that the majority of the topics came from him listing his vital statistics such as facial hair, religion and marital status.
There are too many topics to mention but his takes on Twitter, mobile phones and comments on Internet news articles were amazing, and because of the way he laid them out everyone leaving the theatre will be observing things as they go through their daily lives and these triggering memories of the show. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at a mobile phone advert, in particular a HTC one, again in the same way.
His stand-up was supported by great screen shots, graphs, videos and photos and all combined to make it a visual and engaging show and, though themes would jump from one to another, he’d written in lines that harked back to completely unrelated stories and it all gelled really well. Plus, it’s a show connected to real-life as a lot of it spanned from his actions on Twitter and out there in the wide world and, yes, after the show I found the posts he would refer to, showing it was indeed all based in truth. Observational, and real-life, comedy, after all, is the best.
I really enjoyed Dave Gorman’s stand-up on Googlewhack and, if you enjoyed that, you will love this even more. At just over an hour it was maybe a little shorter than I’d like but he’d packed in plenty of observational humour into that time and I can’t complain as it was one of the best stand-up performances I’d seen, even if at times the speed of his delivery meant it wasn’t always easy to follow what he was saying. Plus, the timing of the show was crucial for one more joke which was possibly the best planned ending to a show ever and tied in nicely with everything, continuing the theme of tie-ing up as Jay Foreman was brought back onto stage during the show to support the encore.
If you can still get tickets to any of the later gigs on the tour I would highly recommend you do. A laugh-out-loud two hours from a solid support and excellent main act that, through the choice of subject matter and its relation to our everyday life in 2011, will stay with you for a long time. I just hope they bring it out on DVD so I can share the laughs with other people who may miss this.
9/10
Jay Foreman
Posted on 05:22 by Unknown
Last night I saw Dave Gorman live and his support was the hilarious Jay Foreman, who I've never heard of but a lot of my friends seem to have.
Check out his great song below plus more on his website at http://www.jayforeman.co.uk
I'd particularly recommend the above and 'Moon Chavs'. Plus he studied in my home town!
Check out his great song below plus more on his website at http://www.jayforeman.co.uk
I'd particularly recommend the above and 'Moon Chavs'. Plus he studied in my home town!
Thursday 13 October 2011
Something For The Lads
Posted on 11:15 by Unknown
Now, I'm not shamed to admit that, in the realms of movie stars, I do find Kirsten Dunst to be quite hot so what would I enjoy more on a thursday evening than her in a blue wig writhing around on floors singing a version of 'Turning Japanese' a song rumoured to be about, er, pleasuring yourself.
And on top of that she doesn't have too bad a voice on her, although it's practically a karaoke version of the Vapors track.
So, enjoy...
[Thanks to Liam for the link]
And on top of that she doesn't have too bad a voice on her, although it's practically a karaoke version of the Vapors track.
So, enjoy...
[Thanks to Liam for the link]
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Boyle's War
Posted on 15:54 by Unknown
"Susan Boyle to appear in musical based on her life" will lead to some confusing life-imitates-art moments.
As long as Simon Cowell doesn't appear too we'll be fine.
As long as Simon Cowell doesn't appear too we'll be fine.
Monday 10 October 2011
REVIEW: Electric Six - Heartbeats and Brainwaves!
Posted on 14:34 by Unknown
So, it's another October and another Electric Six album. Possibly the most prolific of bands outside of Sparks, 'Heartbeats and Brainwaves!' is their eighth album in nine years, which is some going.
As with every E6 album that has preceeded it, it's in a different style to anything that has come before it, making it more and more difficult to define what the 'sound' of the Detroit band is.
But, as with previous albums, the initial listen to the 52-minute 14-track CD leads to a scratching of the head, a puzzled luck and a cry of 'It's not as good as their previous material.' However, after a few listens this proves to be incorrect.
OK, not entirely incorrect. 'Heartbeats and Brainwaves!' is a more difficult listen than previous albums, as each one becomes subsequently more layered, complex and, frankly, weirder. There is, however, much of the E6 magic here to enjoy, even if there are more tracks than usual that are skippable. However, on flicking through online forums these prove to be different tracks to different people, proving how tastes differ and the only good judge of an album and how much you enjoy it is yourself.
Opener 'Psychic Visions' reminds me of 'Switzerland' opener 'The Band In Hell', a good track but not one that should really start the album, it being quite slow and pondering. But, it's ethereal tones work well and fit in with the theme of the song.
It's second track 'French Bacon' that really kicks off the album, with it's lengthy one-minute opener that throbs with its base-y notes, before kicking off to a speedy and catchy track with a repeated chorus that compliments the synth and guitar with some memorable rhymes that will get you singing along quickly.
'Gridlock!' is like Franz Ferdinand crossed with a superhero film. More poppy, the verses are great even if the bridgey-chorus thing can sometimes go on a bit. The 'Joker-Poker' bits work or don't work depending on your feeling. It's a song without a true chorus so, like 'Mr. Woman', 'Vengeance and Fashion' and others before it, is a different layout for the song but as catchy as those examples.
'It Gets Hot' starts like 'Down At McDonnelzzz' ended, and is the band's pastiche on r'n'b, including some great breaks, rapping and mirroring female vocals. One of the best on the album.
'The Intergalatic Version' is a synth-heavy ethereal track and, though not one on the strongest tracks on the album, is interesting to listen to from a production point of view.
'Interchangeable Knife' continues the synthy feel, with guest vocals alternative to Dick Valentine, and is another middling track.
'Food Dog', kicking off with some low quality sound effects, it my least favourite on the album, but I don't hate it as much as when I first heard it. Rockier than previous tracks, but still mostly synth, it just doesn't do it for me and sounds too much like 'The Lonely Island' and less like Electric Six.
But the best song on the album follows in the addictive 'Hello! I See You', with clapping, a great chorus, building verses, and multi-layered clothing. A must download and listen.
Then the album drifts away slightly. 'Bleed For The Artist' is nice, but that's all I can say about it, and it's similar compliments for 'We Use The Same Products'.
'Eye Contact' though, with its bongo-esque drumming, airy, effected chorus is great fun, and follower 'Free Samples, even starting with a sample that sounds like it was ripped off YouTube, is in the top five tracks of the album, with a great beat, opening, chorus and general feel.
Penultimate track 'I Go Through Phases' is irritating in parts but redeems itself in areas, those the reputation of the title gets boring quickly. However, closer and titular tracks is five minutes of win, or so the kids say, with a great mix of music, lyrics, production effects and instrumental sections, bringing the album to a neat conclusion.
I'm sure my opinion of the album and some of its tracks will change with more listens but, like 'I Shall Exterminate...' before it, it's a great album with a few too many extra passengers. I could easily see tracks 'Food Dog', 'Bleed For The Artist' and 'I Go Through Phases' jettistoned to make it a leaner, more consistent album but with many quality tracks onboard I can forgive these songs.
It's no 'Senor Smoke' or 'Zodiac', but it's another great release from the band, with a range of songs that other groups would, erm, KILL for to include.
[6.5 / 10]
As with every E6 album that has preceeded it, it's in a different style to anything that has come before it, making it more and more difficult to define what the 'sound' of the Detroit band is.
But, as with previous albums, the initial listen to the 52-minute 14-track CD leads to a scratching of the head, a puzzled luck and a cry of 'It's not as good as their previous material.' However, after a few listens this proves to be incorrect.
OK, not entirely incorrect. 'Heartbeats and Brainwaves!' is a more difficult listen than previous albums, as each one becomes subsequently more layered, complex and, frankly, weirder. There is, however, much of the E6 magic here to enjoy, even if there are more tracks than usual that are skippable. However, on flicking through online forums these prove to be different tracks to different people, proving how tastes differ and the only good judge of an album and how much you enjoy it is yourself.
Opener 'Psychic Visions' reminds me of 'Switzerland' opener 'The Band In Hell', a good track but not one that should really start the album, it being quite slow and pondering. But, it's ethereal tones work well and fit in with the theme of the song.
It's second track 'French Bacon' that really kicks off the album, with it's lengthy one-minute opener that throbs with its base-y notes, before kicking off to a speedy and catchy track with a repeated chorus that compliments the synth and guitar with some memorable rhymes that will get you singing along quickly.
'Gridlock!' is like Franz Ferdinand crossed with a superhero film. More poppy, the verses are great even if the bridgey-chorus thing can sometimes go on a bit. The 'Joker-Poker' bits work or don't work depending on your feeling. It's a song without a true chorus so, like 'Mr. Woman', 'Vengeance and Fashion' and others before it, is a different layout for the song but as catchy as those examples.
'It Gets Hot' starts like 'Down At McDonnelzzz' ended, and is the band's pastiche on r'n'b, including some great breaks, rapping and mirroring female vocals. One of the best on the album.
'The Intergalatic Version' is a synth-heavy ethereal track and, though not one on the strongest tracks on the album, is interesting to listen to from a production point of view.
'Interchangeable Knife' continues the synthy feel, with guest vocals alternative to Dick Valentine, and is another middling track.
'Food Dog', kicking off with some low quality sound effects, it my least favourite on the album, but I don't hate it as much as when I first heard it. Rockier than previous tracks, but still mostly synth, it just doesn't do it for me and sounds too much like 'The Lonely Island' and less like Electric Six.
But the best song on the album follows in the addictive 'Hello! I See You', with clapping, a great chorus, building verses, and multi-layered clothing. A must download and listen.
Then the album drifts away slightly. 'Bleed For The Artist' is nice, but that's all I can say about it, and it's similar compliments for 'We Use The Same Products'.
'Eye Contact' though, with its bongo-esque drumming, airy, effected chorus is great fun, and follower 'Free Samples, even starting with a sample that sounds like it was ripped off YouTube, is in the top five tracks of the album, with a great beat, opening, chorus and general feel.
Penultimate track 'I Go Through Phases' is irritating in parts but redeems itself in areas, those the reputation of the title gets boring quickly. However, closer and titular tracks is five minutes of win, or so the kids say, with a great mix of music, lyrics, production effects and instrumental sections, bringing the album to a neat conclusion.
I'm sure my opinion of the album and some of its tracks will change with more listens but, like 'I Shall Exterminate...' before it, it's a great album with a few too many extra passengers. I could easily see tracks 'Food Dog', 'Bleed For The Artist' and 'I Go Through Phases' jettistoned to make it a leaner, more consistent album but with many quality tracks onboard I can forgive these songs.
It's no 'Senor Smoke' or 'Zodiac', but it's another great release from the band, with a range of songs that other groups would, erm, KILL for to include.
[6.5 / 10]
Sunday 9 October 2011
McCartney Marries... Again
Posted on 04:18 by Unknown
"McCartney to wed on Lennon's birthday?" is just one of the headlines around the net announcing the wedding of the Beatle, his newest after his acromonious split with Heather Mills.
I'd like to wish the couple all the best for the future but I just hope he has thought this one through.
I'd like to wish the couple all the best for the future but I just hope he has thought this one through.
REVIEW: Johnny English Reborn
Posted on 03:50 by Unknown
Returning eight years after the first film, Johnny English Reborn sees English (Rowan Atkinson) returning to Britain after years in a Chinese Monastery, re-building his life after an "incident" in Mozambique, where the President was assassinated. His mission is now to stop a similar fate happening to the Chinese Premier, whilst trying to track down the three members of terrorist group Vortex, who are linked to it.
I loved the first Johnny English film, filmed with slapstick, funny lines and Rowan's ability to really bring a comedy film to life. It's a film that wasn't, maybe, as overall funny as spy spoof Austin Powers, but I have fond memories of it and re-watching it last week cerments it in my mind as a great comedy film with so many laugh-out-loud moments.
Though, to me, not as funny as the first film - though my parents who I saw the film with disagree - it's not the shameless cash-in it could have been, with a script that sees the titular character not as idiotic as he was in the first film, more Mr Bond than Mr Bean. That doesn't mean there aren't still the stupid, slapstick bits in it you'd expect, but the character himself is less stupid this time round.
Disappointingly, the trailer for the film did, as trailers do, spoil a lot of sections for me but there was still a lot to enjoy, and this time round the plot was much more twisty-turny and complex than the first film, feeling more like a movie rather than a series of sketches, even if I did work out who the mole is in MI7 from the back of their head, but it's not the point of this sort of film to make that a surprise.
There are a lot of stand-out moments in the film. My particular favourite involves the helicopter and navigational issues, but the running cleaner joke that punctuates throughout the film works really well, and there are scenes in it that stand up to the tow-truck chase in the first film.
Atkinson is once more on top form with his verbal and slapstick work, but credit also goes to Daniel Kaluuya as sidekick Tucker, who plays foil to Atkinson very well and the plot jokes of his age and living arrangements being some of the many laughs through the film, offering an alternative partnership to that of Ben Miller in the first film, who I would have liked to have seen cameoing in the film. But, if Twitter is to be believed, this cameo may have ended up on the cutting room floor so here's hoping for a director's cut on DVD and blu-ray!
Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike and Dominic West all play interesting, if maybe slightly underwritten characters, but Tim McInnerny, reunited with Atkinson from the Blackadder days, plays an excellent Q-type character, whose gadgets leading to a very funny conclusion to the film.
Overall, it's a film with lots of laughs and hilarious set pieces and, whilst maybe not quite up to the first film, is definitely worth a watch and one of my film highlights of the year. Make sure you stay around for the end of the credits for a funny extra scene that will bring a smile to fans of Morecambe and Wise.
[7/10]
I loved the first Johnny English film, filmed with slapstick, funny lines and Rowan's ability to really bring a comedy film to life. It's a film that wasn't, maybe, as overall funny as spy spoof Austin Powers, but I have fond memories of it and re-watching it last week cerments it in my mind as a great comedy film with so many laugh-out-loud moments.
Though, to me, not as funny as the first film - though my parents who I saw the film with disagree - it's not the shameless cash-in it could have been, with a script that sees the titular character not as idiotic as he was in the first film, more Mr Bond than Mr Bean. That doesn't mean there aren't still the stupid, slapstick bits in it you'd expect, but the character himself is less stupid this time round.
Disappointingly, the trailer for the film did, as trailers do, spoil a lot of sections for me but there was still a lot to enjoy, and this time round the plot was much more twisty-turny and complex than the first film, feeling more like a movie rather than a series of sketches, even if I did work out who the mole is in MI7 from the back of their head, but it's not the point of this sort of film to make that a surprise.
There are a lot of stand-out moments in the film. My particular favourite involves the helicopter and navigational issues, but the running cleaner joke that punctuates throughout the film works really well, and there are scenes in it that stand up to the tow-truck chase in the first film.
Atkinson is once more on top form with his verbal and slapstick work, but credit also goes to Daniel Kaluuya as sidekick Tucker, who plays foil to Atkinson very well and the plot jokes of his age and living arrangements being some of the many laughs through the film, offering an alternative partnership to that of Ben Miller in the first film, who I would have liked to have seen cameoing in the film. But, if Twitter is to be believed, this cameo may have ended up on the cutting room floor so here's hoping for a director's cut on DVD and blu-ray!
Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike and Dominic West all play interesting, if maybe slightly underwritten characters, but Tim McInnerny, reunited with Atkinson from the Blackadder days, plays an excellent Q-type character, whose gadgets leading to a very funny conclusion to the film.
Overall, it's a film with lots of laughs and hilarious set pieces and, whilst maybe not quite up to the first film, is definitely worth a watch and one of my film highlights of the year. Make sure you stay around for the end of the credits for a funny extra scene that will bring a smile to fans of Morecambe and Wise.
[7/10]
Saturday 8 October 2011
Music Catch-Up: Dave Stewart - The Blackbird Diaries
Posted on 03:13 by Unknown
And now onto my final CD for the moment, the first solo album by Dave "Eurythmics" Stewart in thirteen years. The most pretentious booklet piece aside, it's actually a very good album, mixing in country music with more soft-rock sensibilities, even if the lyrics do at times reflect the short writing time of five days.
Standout tracks include 'All Messed Up', 'One Way Ticket To The Moon' and 'Bulletproof Vest'. Though it won't win any awards for originality or massively stand out tracks, it's certainly one of the better CDs I've listened to over the past couple of days and well worth picking up if you enjoy emotive, genre-crossing easy-listening soft-rock tunes.
Standout tracks include 'All Messed Up', 'One Way Ticket To The Moon' and 'Bulletproof Vest'. Though it won't win any awards for originality or massively stand out tracks, it's certainly one of the better CDs I've listened to over the past couple of days and well worth picking up if you enjoy emotive, genre-crossing easy-listening soft-rock tunes.
Friday 7 October 2011
Music Catch-Up: Athlete Singles 01-10
Posted on 09:43 by Unknown
Another band I saw live at Bingley Music Live, like their live performance, the CD includes tracks that are not necessarily familiar from their title but when listening back to them bring with them a spark of recognition that shows, subconciously, they were the band of the last decade.
From track one through to nine they produce a range of familiar and enjoyable tracks, even if they are all delivered in their standard laid-back drawl, that serve to be perfect music to relax to chill to. It's only a shame that from track ten to fifteen, including the 'You Got The Style'-sound-a-like 'Westside', drift off a bit from the track of familiarity.
But, there's much to remember here and it's a nice album to put on in the background to drift away to, plus you get a second CD of bonus tracks to enjoy if, like me, you managed to grab hold of the limited edition version.
[6.5 / 10]
From track one through to nine they produce a range of familiar and enjoyable tracks, even if they are all delivered in their standard laid-back drawl, that serve to be perfect music to relax to chill to. It's only a shame that from track ten to fifteen, including the 'You Got The Style'-sound-a-like 'Westside', drift off a bit from the track of familiarity.
But, there's much to remember here and it's a nice album to put on in the background to drift away to, plus you get a second CD of bonus tracks to enjoy if, like me, you managed to grab hold of the limited edition version.
[6.5 / 10]
REVIEW: Steps - The Ultimate Collection
Posted on 07:51 by Unknown
In a week that saw me buy the new album by Aqua, I start the question what year it is, as the new greatest hits from Steps - dubbed 'The Ultimate Collection' - dropped through my door. I had to pick it up as they were one of my favourite bands from my childhood and the cheap price was not to be missed.
The first question to ask would be, why pick this up if you own 'Gold', the greatest hits the band released after they split up. Well, buy it if:
> You want to own a DVD of their twenty videos, even if some, especially the first two, looked like they've been ripped off YouTube even on a modest 28'' plasma
> You'd rather hear 'I Know Him So Well', 'You'll Be Sorry' and their new cover of Abba's 'Dancing Queen', than 'Baby Don't Dance', 'Only In My Dreams' (these two not singles, only on Gold) and 'Words Are Not Enough'
> You prefer tracks in chronological rather than music-following order
On CD one there's not much to complain about. I do prefer albums that list their songs in random order, not chronological as here, but it's not a deal breaker. It's nice to hear some new material, even if it is just a by-numbers cover of the Abba classic 'Dancing Queen', but would rather have had 'Words Are Not Enough' on it, though this is included on the bonus DVD. All the songs are there and sound as fresh as they did all those years ago.
Aside from a few quality issues aside, the bonus DVD is a welcome addition, even if scant on extras or even exciting menus, with all the videos there, from the Thunderbirds-spoofing 'Better Best Forgotten', to the movie-pastiches of 'Say You'll Be Mine', to Lisa's sexy doctor in 'Chain Reaction' to Lee's, erm, occasional singing appearances. Oh, and some dodgy CGI and blue-screen work as we look back on it through 2011 eyes.
If you hated Steps then you'll naturally avoid this like H does anything involving not being hyperactive, but if you enjoyed the music of the band then there's much to enjoy here, even if you already own 'Gold'. There's a few dodgy decisions in the ordering of the tracks and a few missed off - maybe a new original single would have been nice since they went to the trouble of going into the studio to record the Abba track - but it's a nice enough collection and the trip-down-memory-lane DVD of videos is a top inclusion.
[8/10]
The first question to ask would be, why pick this up if you own 'Gold', the greatest hits the band released after they split up. Well, buy it if:
> You want to own a DVD of their twenty videos, even if some, especially the first two, looked like they've been ripped off YouTube even on a modest 28'' plasma
> You'd rather hear 'I Know Him So Well', 'You'll Be Sorry' and their new cover of Abba's 'Dancing Queen', than 'Baby Don't Dance', 'Only In My Dreams' (these two not singles, only on Gold) and 'Words Are Not Enough'
> You prefer tracks in chronological rather than music-following order
On CD one there's not much to complain about. I do prefer albums that list their songs in random order, not chronological as here, but it's not a deal breaker. It's nice to hear some new material, even if it is just a by-numbers cover of the Abba classic 'Dancing Queen', but would rather have had 'Words Are Not Enough' on it, though this is included on the bonus DVD. All the songs are there and sound as fresh as they did all those years ago.
Aside from a few quality issues aside, the bonus DVD is a welcome addition, even if scant on extras or even exciting menus, with all the videos there, from the Thunderbirds-spoofing 'Better Best Forgotten', to the movie-pastiches of 'Say You'll Be Mine', to Lisa's sexy doctor in 'Chain Reaction' to Lee's, erm, occasional singing appearances. Oh, and some dodgy CGI and blue-screen work as we look back on it through 2011 eyes.
If you hated Steps then you'll naturally avoid this like H does anything involving not being hyperactive, but if you enjoyed the music of the band then there's much to enjoy here, even if you already own 'Gold'. There's a few dodgy decisions in the ordering of the tracks and a few missed off - maybe a new original single would have been nice since they went to the trouble of going into the studio to record the Abba track - but it's a nice enough collection and the trip-down-memory-lane DVD of videos is a top inclusion.
[8/10]
Music Catch-Up: Sugarland - The Incredible Machine / Young The Giant - Young The Giant
Posted on 06:55 by Unknown
Sugarland's 'The Incredible Machine' is a powerful album of tracks including the great single 'Stuck Like Glue'. Though with no major stand-out tracks, as an album it flows well and improves with each listen, showcasing some powerful vocals and interesting music. The first single is easily the most stand out track but there's also much to enjoy elsewhere inbthe album, including on tracks 'Tonight' and 'Shine The Light'.
6.5 / 10
Young The Giant's debut, however, is not as enjoyable. 'Apartment' and 'My Body', the opening two songs of the album, are great and memorable but the rest of the album seems to wander casually down a path of blandness with perfectly good songs but nothing that particularly screams out as being above average; might grow on future listens.
4 / 10
6.5 / 10
Young The Giant's debut, however, is not as enjoyable. 'Apartment' and 'My Body', the opening two songs of the album, are great and memorable but the rest of the album seems to wander casually down a path of blandness with perfectly good songs but nothing that particularly screams out as being above average; might grow on future listens.
4 / 10
Thursday 6 October 2011
REVIEW: Aqua - Megalomania
Posted on 13:58 by Unknown
First things first: if you are expecting a third album in the style of Aquarium and Aquarius, filled with bubble gum pop and family-friendly radio tunes, then you will be disappointed. Not that this is a bad album, in fact quite the opposite, but this is a serious maturing of the band even from their new tracks on their Greatest Hits album. Of course, this depends if your definition of maturity is making club tunes and throwing in liberal use of the F-Word.
This was always an album I was going to pick up. Aqua was one of my favourite bands of my childhood and tracks such as 'Cartoon Heroes', 'Doctor Jones' and 'Around The World' still stand up today, as well as their more mature offerings such as 'Turn Back Time', 'Be A Man' and 'Belong To The Sea', not to mention 'My Mamma Said' from a couple of years ago. It's been ten years in the making but has been worth the wait.
Opening with 'Playmate To Jesus', single number three, the album gets off to a slow start and is a questionable opening, considering what follows, but the track itself is a beautiful ballad with a great mix of vocals between Lene and Rene, that shows off their new lyrical maturity.
'Dirty Little Pop Song', unsurprisingly from the title, brings the first examples of Aqua potty mouth to the fore. Aside from this surprise to the unexpected ear (I was familiar already with track four so not too surprised) it's the first of many top class club tunes that would easily fit in with the current pop-club scene. With a catchy chorus and good bass it's a song that really kicks off the album.
The un-Aqua titled 'Kill Myself' is not one of the strongest tracks on the album but the chorus is great, and leads into the best track on the album 'Like A Robot', which is the closest the band will ever get to a sexy track, focussing on Lene's frustration of her partner failing to satisfy her in bed. A massive club track that is easily the catchiest tune on the album, again balancing the styles of the lead singers, and mixing the poppiness of their past with their new outlook.
'Viva Las Vegas' is another good slice of pop with interesting production effects and is a contender for their next single, even if it does resort to both production and lyrical cliches at time. 'No Party Patrol' is possibly the weakest on the album but still a track worth listening to.
'Come N' Get It' is much more of a duet, sounding like the sort of thing Timbaland would make (whether that's good or not is down to your opinion on that producer!) and certainly fits in with the current popularity of RnB.
'Sucker For A Superstar' is back to the band's poppy past and, though dropping a few cringey lyrics, is a weird mix of Steps and Bowling For Soup, with the good qualities of both of those. 'Be My Saviour Tonight' returns to club / ballad territory and continues the flow before first single 'How U Doin' returns to full club territory with memorable lyrics and full singability, if that's a word.
The album closes and brings it just shy of the forty minute mark with the excellent ballad 'If The World Didn't Suck (We Would All Fall Off)' which is up there with 'Turn Back Time' as one of their great slower-tracks and brings the album to a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, this is an album that will be a shock to those familiar with their older albums but, if like me, you've gone from a teenager to an adult in the same time, will appreciate their maturing in musical style and lyrics and offering something refreshing. This could easily have been released under a different name and probably do better, escaping the poppy shackles that come with being called an 'Aqua' album, which is a shame as there is much to enjoy here that doesn't involve the bubblegum and cheesiness of their earlier albums. I love the old Aqua but I love the new Aqua. A great listen.
[8.5 / 10]
This was always an album I was going to pick up. Aqua was one of my favourite bands of my childhood and tracks such as 'Cartoon Heroes', 'Doctor Jones' and 'Around The World' still stand up today, as well as their more mature offerings such as 'Turn Back Time', 'Be A Man' and 'Belong To The Sea', not to mention 'My Mamma Said' from a couple of years ago. It's been ten years in the making but has been worth the wait.
Opening with 'Playmate To Jesus', single number three, the album gets off to a slow start and is a questionable opening, considering what follows, but the track itself is a beautiful ballad with a great mix of vocals between Lene and Rene, that shows off their new lyrical maturity.
'Dirty Little Pop Song', unsurprisingly from the title, brings the first examples of Aqua potty mouth to the fore. Aside from this surprise to the unexpected ear (I was familiar already with track four so not too surprised) it's the first of many top class club tunes that would easily fit in with the current pop-club scene. With a catchy chorus and good bass it's a song that really kicks off the album.
The un-Aqua titled 'Kill Myself' is not one of the strongest tracks on the album but the chorus is great, and leads into the best track on the album 'Like A Robot', which is the closest the band will ever get to a sexy track, focussing on Lene's frustration of her partner failing to satisfy her in bed. A massive club track that is easily the catchiest tune on the album, again balancing the styles of the lead singers, and mixing the poppiness of their past with their new outlook.
'Viva Las Vegas' is another good slice of pop with interesting production effects and is a contender for their next single, even if it does resort to both production and lyrical cliches at time. 'No Party Patrol' is possibly the weakest on the album but still a track worth listening to.
'Come N' Get It' is much more of a duet, sounding like the sort of thing Timbaland would make (whether that's good or not is down to your opinion on that producer!) and certainly fits in with the current popularity of RnB.
'Sucker For A Superstar' is back to the band's poppy past and, though dropping a few cringey lyrics, is a weird mix of Steps and Bowling For Soup, with the good qualities of both of those. 'Be My Saviour Tonight' returns to club / ballad territory and continues the flow before first single 'How U Doin' returns to full club territory with memorable lyrics and full singability, if that's a word.
The album closes and brings it just shy of the forty minute mark with the excellent ballad 'If The World Didn't Suck (We Would All Fall Off)' which is up there with 'Turn Back Time' as one of their great slower-tracks and brings the album to a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, this is an album that will be a shock to those familiar with their older albums but, if like me, you've gone from a teenager to an adult in the same time, will appreciate their maturing in musical style and lyrics and offering something refreshing. This could easily have been released under a different name and probably do better, escaping the poppy shackles that come with being called an 'Aqua' album, which is a shame as there is much to enjoy here that doesn't involve the bubblegum and cheesiness of their earlier albums. I love the old Aqua but I love the new Aqua. A great listen.
[8.5 / 10]
Wednesday 5 October 2011
Music Catch Up: The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts
Posted on 05:05 by Unknown
Another impressive band from Bingley Music Live, 'Rolling Blackouts' from 'The Go! Team' is a powerhouse of an album featuring lots of multi-layered up-tempo songs, with a handful of instrumentals and songs that could be TV themes thrown in, that combine the poppiness of Junior Senior with the indieness of, say, MGMT, though it is marred at times by muddy production values that make the richness of the layering more indistinct than they should be.
But for an album of energetic hum along tunes you could do worse than pick this up.
[7/10]
But for an album of energetic hum along tunes you could do worse than pick this up.
[7/10]
Tuesday 4 October 2011
Music Catch Up: Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Posted on 05:08 by Unknown
One band I've grown to like over the last six months is Lady Antebellum, on the back of their very emotive and catchy title track. Throw in album closer 'Run To You' and a selection of light-country pop tunes, and you have a pleasant album that, though wandering into the territory of not being sure how to approach love more times than is possible necessary over the course of an album, it's a great listen and the mix of male and female lead vocals works well off each other.
[7/10]
[7/10]
Monday 3 October 2011
Music Catch Up: Alice Gold - Seven Rainbows
Posted on 07:48 by Unknown
This time someone I saw live at Bingley Music Live, I've only heard one song on the radio by her, the excellent 'Runaway Love' but there are tracks on here such as the opening title track and the closing 'End of the World' which stand up with it. Though it does lose its way a bit two-thirds in it's a top album with some great tracks, even if it could do with being a little longer.
Music Catch-Up: Day 2 - Nerina Pallot - Year of the Wolf
Posted on 07:07 by Unknown
Having listened to her first two albums it would make sense to purchase her third and so I did, on the basis of her first two stonking singles.
Annoyingly, the album does what I hate and frontloads the two singles at the beginning which leaves you with few other hooks to grasp onto. Though there are pleasing tracks within it, much of the album aside from the two first tracks blend into one long piano and melancholy track. It's a pleasant enough album to listen to but not as good as her second album.
Annoyingly, the album does what I hate and frontloads the two singles at the beginning which leaves you with few other hooks to grasp onto. Though there are pleasing tracks within it, much of the album aside from the two first tracks blend into one long piano and melancholy track. It's a pleasant enough album to listen to but not as good as her second album.
Sunday 2 October 2011
Music Catch-Up #1: Dionne Bromfield - Good For The Soul
Posted on 04:24 by Unknown
Now freshers' fortnight is over and I can finally take a week off work, I'm catching up with my big stack of CDs that have built up by my bed... yes, eight to listen to I believe plus two more on their way in the post.
So, firstly, Dionne Bromfield's debut 'Good For The Soul'. Having seen her live last month at Bingley Music Live was impressed enough to pick up her album, which is a great listen throughout. 'Yeah Right', 'Foolin'', 'Ouch That Hurt' and 'Move A Little Faster' are the standout tracks, nicely spaced throughout the album, and an Olympics bonus track is thrown in at the end for good measure too!
The songs all flow well into each other and her voice is powerful enough to tackle the bigger songs. My only criticism with the album is that some songs can blend into each other, with their tunes not a million miles away from each other, such as 'Yeah Right' and 'Ouch That Hurt' but definitely an album to pick up and enjoy.
[7.5 / 10]
So, firstly, Dionne Bromfield's debut 'Good For The Soul'. Having seen her live last month at Bingley Music Live was impressed enough to pick up her album, which is a great listen throughout. 'Yeah Right', 'Foolin'', 'Ouch That Hurt' and 'Move A Little Faster' are the standout tracks, nicely spaced throughout the album, and an Olympics bonus track is thrown in at the end for good measure too!
The songs all flow well into each other and her voice is powerful enough to tackle the bigger songs. My only criticism with the album is that some songs can blend into each other, with their tunes not a million miles away from each other, such as 'Yeah Right' and 'Ouch That Hurt' but definitely an album to pick up and enjoy.
[7.5 / 10]
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