Students campaign against coal, Student.

{ September 23, 2008 @ 5:50 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , } · { Leave a Comment }

STUDENTS FROM the University of Edinburgh have taken a more direct approach against global warming by joining the 1,500 protesters at the prospective new coal plant in Kingsnorth, Kent.

The German company E.ON intends to replace the existing power station with a £1.5 billion coal fuelled plant and build a further six coal plants across the UK if granted by Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. It has been estimated that the Kingsnorth plant alone would emit between six to eight million tons of carbon dioxide a year, making Britain’s target of reducing carbon emissions impossible and increasing the likelihood that global warming will spiral out of control.

The Government’s antipathy with green issues has led to many people taking a more direct approach to encourage climate action and increase the pressure on energy companies to put people and the planet before profit.

Climate Camp is one recent form of direct action that has been taken, in which volunteers spend ten days at an organised location. Climate Camp is not just about the marches and protests that are publicised in the media. It also includes workshops on tackling global warming, education on sustainable living and creates an awareness that social change is needed in order to save our planet.

However, Climate Camp has been heavily criticised not only by the Government and subsequent police presence, but also in some forms of media for disguising criminal activity with a moral and selfless motive.

Amanda Grimm, University of Edinburgh student and a member of People and Planet, said that Climate Camp “was an amazing experience. Direct action is the best way to achieve social change by capturing media attention and creating public awareness”. It seems that green activists believe that direct action is the only way forward in the Climate Change Movement.

Public opinion certainly does seem to be changing because of the direct action in the Climate Change Movement. Jury members recently acquitted six Greenpeace activists for criminal damage against the Kingsnorth plant in October 2007.

It appears that Climate Camp and direct action is getting the message across to the public that something needs to be done about global warming, while politicians and fuel companies, ignoring the Green message, continue to drive the planet to combustion.

Girls on Top, Fresh Air at the Festival.

{ August 17, 2008 @ 5:47 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Oxford University’s theatre group, Girls On Top, fittingly choose Caryl Churchill’s play Top Girls to take to the Edinburgh Fringe. The theatre company successfully delivered Churchill’s unconventional play that criticises the ever-present patriarchy in society and the Thatcherite feminism of the eighties that continues to prevail in 2008.

Churchill’s play is based around a career driven woman, Marlene, and her development from an individualist and hard-hearted woman into a woman that realises that feminism and strength is not about the individual, but about a collective in which women are empowered by working together.

Churchill addresses the conflicts that women have to face, not only in modern society, but also historically. Churchill uses non-linear methods to introduce a climatic scene in which five historical heroines celebrate Marlene’s promotion. Through their broken dialogues, during the dinner party in act one, the difficulties that woman are constantly faced with and the sacrifices that women have to make daily are portrayed. The audience were able to draw comparisons through the heroines’ gender issues with issues that women continue to face in modern life in this passionate performance.

Girls On Top revived Churchill’s seemly forgotten play with their sharp performance and director Sarah Branthwaite cleverly adapted Churchill’s sparse directions to produce a thought-provoking performance. The thrust stage set up made the audience aware of the differing viewpoints in the small theatre, which nodded to the various viewpoints upon the subject of working women and feminism that Churchill questions.

The acting was superb and Churchill’s infamous overlapping was successfully executed. Each character was given an existence and became fully animated on stage, making the performance poignant and delivering Churchill’s strong message which can sometimes be understated when read.

Girls On Top gave a thrilling performance and awoke a socialistic feminism that seemed to be dying out. It produced hope, as well as thoughts, for the future of women.

Clarkson and Crouch, Fresh Air at the Festival.

{ August 15, 2008 @ 5:46 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Clarkson and Crouch’s comic debut show, Away With the Fairies, was a pleasant success from the unlikely pair with a background in acting. I was intrigued by their innovative idea of merging the supernatural with comedy and was looking forward to their final result.

The set of sketches turned out to be fast and furious; being jammed packed with ideas and characters that sent all of the audience members into hysterics.

The highlights of the numerous sketches include the Pearl and ‘Chelle sketch. In which Clarkson and Crouch superbly take the role of two Cockney women who chatter over tea and plot to gain revenge upon Pearl’s neighbour, Darren Brown, for his magical, if rather noisy, bedroom antics through the use of mind power classes.

The intelligent sketch based upon the poetry of Byron and Shelley is set in an advertising agency, where Clarkson and Crouch wittily impersonate the dead poets and enact ideas for a sanitary towel range. Crouch takes on the role of Byron and laconically suggests a tagline for the campaign that will put a “plug” in the “crimson piper that plays at a woman’s gate during Blow Job Week”.

A few sketches, admittedly, go over my head mainly due to my lack of knowledge about Superheroes, especially Spacecats. But Clarkson and Crouch swiftly move on to a new scenario, and set the scene alive again with their satire about Tramps.

Clarkson and Crouch displayed magnificent acting skills as they transferred from scene to scene with a professional ease. As well as successfully executing their various and differing character roles, Clarkson and Crouch also showed that they are actors who can deliver a cracking punch-line just as well as the professional comedians on at the Edinburgh Fringe.

This is definitely a must-see show of the Fringe, for the innovation of adapting modern urban life to an outer-world experience. So prepare yourself to be intensely entertained for the hour.

Laura Marling Review, Fresh Air at the Festival.

{ August 14, 2008 @ 5:45 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

It was always going to be a come-down from Glastonbury to the diminutive venue that is, Bannermans. But I was excited to see such a high-profile artist as Laura Marling, at such an intimate venue.

Laura Marling was shielded by her entourage through the cramped, perspiring crowd and taken onto the tiny stage at the front of the vault on the Cowgate. She opened her fifty-minute long set with an acoustic-version of Shine which mellowed the atmosphere after a dynamic set from support band, Mumford and Sons.

Mumford and Sons set up the evening of folk music with lead singer, Marcus Johnstone’s gritty vocals and fervent lyrics. Mumford and Sons displayed their skill as musicians in their ardent love song White Blank Page; which admittedly was the highlight of my evening.

Marling took to stage shortly after and played as laconically as ever, staring into the distance as if mesmerised by her poignant lyrics.

My Manic and I was performed acutely with support from Marling’s full band, in which Marling finally released her hidden passion and sung with an intense tone of vexation in parts.

Marling continued to demonstrate her exceptional vocals in new tracks Blackberry Stone and Rebecca, which was applauded by the audience as vigorously as her well-known tunes.

Night Terror was performed passionately and led straight into the encore which included Cross My Fingers, Crawled Out of the Sea and Marling’s infamous extended live version of Alas I Cannot Swim. Marling coyly thanked her audience and promised that she would be back in a week to enjoy the rest of the festival with them.

The response was rapturous even though the flow of the set was inhibited by the constant re-tuning of guitars due to the extreme heat. But it must be acknowledged that Laura Marling has comfortable seated herself as an unforgettable live act, in both large venues such as the Glastonbury Park Stage, and Edinburgh’s Bannermans.

Jarlath Regan, Fresh Air at the Festival

{ August 14, 2008 @ 5:44 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Jarlath Regan’s new show, Relax the Cax, is his most self-deprecating yet, as Regan jokes about him facing up to his fear of fighting.

Regan sweetly thanks the packed out room for coming. He instantly mocks the people on the front row, likening them to the friend who gets stuck in the front of the taxi, while the others are “in the back, having the craic!”

The anecdote of when a traffic warden squared up to Regan sets the basis for the show, in which Regan comically acts out the “de-masculating” experience of timidly accepting the car clamp and wandering back hurt, emotionally, to his fiancé who merely laughs in response.

Regan also introduces some audience participation in this light-hearted show. At one point asking an audience member to perform a heckle that Regan had seen directed towards a compére at an Irish comedy festival, which led to rapturous applauds and giggles for the excellent performances of Regan and Dave the audience member.

Regan rounded off his set with his infamous greeting cards “for situations that modern greeting card companies don’t currently cater for”, which sent the audience into fits of laughter.

Relax the Cax was an hour of Irish charm, cheeky one-liners and heart-warming giggles. It is Regan’s dulcet Irish accent that really sets the tone of his set and relaxes the audience into a late-afternoon stand-up show, but don’t expect to be laughing out loud.

Morgan Murphy Review, Fresh Air at the Festival

{ August 8, 2008 @ 5:40 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Morgan Murphy-I Don’t Know Who I Am Either- The GRV-Thursday 7th August, 6.30pm-7.30pm. Until 24th August.

Morgan Murphy has hit the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time with her most self-conscious and personal show to date, I Don’t Know Who I Am Either. Murphy sardonically addresses the fears of a new comic debuting at the Edinburgh Festival, yet her cynical humour and the audience reaction allow Murphy to display her true talent as a stand-up comedian.

Murphy epitomises modern Western culture through her cheeky one-liners and hilarious anecdotes about “eco-friendly” electric cars, Skyping her Therapist and her addiction to day-time TV.

The highlight of the hour long set was when Murphy displayed the extent of her dark humour during the anecdote about her electric car being so useless that she envied the car battery’s death. Murphy’s deadpan approach to profound subjects like suicide, societal problems and psychosis make this show an intellectual escape from reality.

Unfortunately, I Don’t Know Who I Am Either has not been as successful as Murphy had hoped, with poor show attendance and difficulty is translating her American humour to a British audience. Her self-criticism has visibly affected her performance as Murphy deviated from her show into a bundle of self-pity, which brought down her superb opening.

However, Murphy left the stage with a huge smile and an applauding audience in the knowledge that she has proven that she is a gifted comedian and that, with confidence, her shows can only get better. She is one to watch out for as Murphy becomes more and more accustomed to the dog-eat-dog nature of the Edinburgh Fringe and is growing out of her shaky start.

The Improverts, Fresh Air at the Festival

{ July 31, 2008 @ 5:41 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Fringe Festival veterans, that is, Edinburgh University’s improvised comedy act, The Improverts, are hitting festival goers with their famous spontaneous sketches for the 19th year in a row.

Five budding ‘Players’ raised the Bedlam Theatre roof last night by the amount of laughter they generated through their lightening delivery of comedy, all at the request of the audience. The audience threw the actors in at the deep end with their bizarre suggestions, which the Bedlam ‘Players’ expertly changed into a seamless comedy sketch which had the crowd laughing out loud and applauding mid-scene.

During the one hour set the ‘Players’ performed various games in which the audience suggested the topic and direction of the scene, making sure that no two shows are the same. The highlight of this particular show was ‘Marriage Counsellor’, in which director Robin Stewart and fellow ‘Player’, Michael Whitman made the audience howl with laughter as they acted out a sketch about a married couple who had a problem with the others’ obsession; the former with teacakes and the latter with peacocks. The show closed with the game ‘Freeze’ which allowed further audience participation with the audience joining the ‘Players’ on stage.

The energy from the show was heightened by the masterful lighting and synchronised music, which was rapidly adapted to the audience’s suggestion for each scene.

The finale concluded with a bow from the ‘Players’ and rapturous applauds from the crowd. The audience exited the old church venue fully entertained, exclaiming ‘I loved it’. The Improverts is definitely a must-see show of the Fringe.

***** Expect lots of audience participation and lots of laughs.

The Kook Review, Fresh Air

{ April 24, 2008 @ 5:43 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Brit-pop, Sweat and … The Kooks?!

Ok. So The Kooks aren’t the coolest band to profess to have seen at one of their own gigs. But I wasn’t the only person there at their sold-out gig at the Corn Exchange, Edinburgh.

The crowd was buzzing with excitement and were eagerly awaiting the performance of the recent album chart number ones. The audience varied from chavs to Rahs, screaming girls, Pritchard wannabes with trilbies alike, and people as old as my parents. The Kooks have certainly worked magic with the music on a grand-scale, reaching out to all different sorts of fans from the nation.

As we edged our way into the diverse masses the crowd (or I should say the fifteen year old girls in the crowd) screamed during the silences between the poorly mixed indie tape; while young men shouted for their idols while simultaneously chatting up any being with a skirt on within grasp.

The interlude finished and the clinical Corn Exchange went dark as the iconic neon sign “Kooks” shone brightly in the top right hand corner of the stage; which produced images of a dark back alley lit by a sign for the nearest lap-dance bar in my mind. I am not entirely sure that this was the image The Kooks were trying to project, but it is an image that is darker and edger than their early days.

Pritchard and his gang of likely lads trooped onto stage in full indie clad and immediately sprung into the opening of the first single of the new album Konk, “Always Where I Need To Be”. The opening electric chords sent girls screaming, parents applauding and young men pongoing to the front; while expertly singing out of tune to every word which, in parts, drowned out Pritchard’s vocals.

The band played all of the “classics” off their debut album, Inside In/ Inside Out, which was met with fervour from the audience, as well as an Oasis-esque sing-along performance with both band and crowd performing for each other.

Their summer classic, “Naïve”, received the greatest response and even I found myself getting into the pop spirit, singing and jumping along with an increasingly hot and sweaty crowd. Pritchard then attempted to give the crowd a break with the notorious acoustic track “One Last Time” from their latest album. Pritchard seemingly enjoyed bleating out his “abcd” lyrics while the full spotlight was on him, while the crowd swayed and sang along; boosting his ego to a new height.

After an extensive set of both the first and the second album the band left the stage pronouncing (in Pritchard’s lispy voice) “Thanks a lot, we’re The Kooks” (just as a reminder) and exited the stage. The crowd still wanting more of the carbon copy music screamed “we want The Kooks”. Pritchard granted his fans’ request by appearing solitary on stage, but for an acoustic guitar, for the encore in an unflattering white vest.

Pritchard, tentatively, began the infamous chords to their debut opener, “Seaside”, which for its acoustic brilliance was ruined by Pritchard’s shaky voice, stiff chord changing and the X-Factor style vocals of the whole crowd. Still it allowed me to reminisce about a fantastic holiday with friends in Newquay, summer 06’.

Pritchard was joined by the rest of The Kooks for the closing two songs; “Jackie Big Tits” and “Sofa Song”. They then left the audience in the dark again, only to be mesmerised by the neon “Kooks” sign.

Supergrass Review, Fresh Air

{ March 21, 2008 @ 5:39 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Supergrass, Blur, Suede and Pulp are all bands of an era gone by. An era in the 1990’s which was marked by the coolness of Britain and an enthralling new music genre called Britpop. To me Britpop signifies a time of childhood innocence, a time where I was liberated from adult responsibilities and a time of enjoying the summer months in denim mini-skirts leisurely watching the cricket. The artists that emerged over a decade ago embodied this ideal of innocence and freedom; singing about distinct issues that concerned the British youth. Britpop celebrated Britishness finely. Yet every good thing must come to an end and Britpop naturally declined.

After a long hiatus, one which seemed like an eternity, I was offered the chance to revive my childhood summers and watch the best Oxfordian band ever (argue with me all you like, but the lady will not be turned), Supergrass on their latest tour. The band, who have been quiet for the past few years, opened their tour of their sixth studio album “Diamond Hoo Ha” at the sold-out Edinburgh Liquid Rooms.

Feeling as giddy as a school girl yet with a pint of cider in hand I was packed into the tiny venue (too tiny for such a huge act) by music fans twice my age. For once in Edinburgh I felt too young to be at a gig rather than having an apparent mid-life crisis at the ripe age of 19 by being surrounded by 15 year old Emos at Klaxons’ gigs. The crowd seemed ennui and world weary in comparison, but when Gaz Coombes entered to take his position on centre stage the youth of the 1990’s was revived and everyone applauded in respect for the musical legacy of Supergrass.

The band plummeted into various tracks from their new album, which is out on the 24th March. The new album set bodies swinging and hands in rapturous applause, as Supergrass have continued to create ear pleasing music. Yet something has changed from the days of Britpop. Supergrass have finally said goodbye to the carefree entertainment of Britpop, and adopted a mature outlook obviously influenced by psychedelia and funk. The band have taken a glamorous rock musical direction highlighted through “Diamond Hoo Ha Man”, their first release from the new album, and their second single “Bad Blood” with embody a dark attitude, mixed with provocative sexiness. Supergrass appeared to have discarded their days of simple guitar chords, clanging keys and pop. Prioritising their sound with heavy power chords, intricate guitar solos and Goffey’s pro-active drumming.

Supergrass made my night when the lyrics “Moving. Just keep Moving” echoed around the room to a greeting of excitement. Supergrass created an intense nostalgia with their most famous track “Moving” in which every lyric was sung back to Gaz Coombes with as much passion and fervour as the song created when it was released back in 1999. The evening reached its climax when the introduction to “Pumping on Your Stereo” began in which all of the under-25’s (including myself) hypnotically swarmed to the front of the venue for a good old bit of light-hearted jumping around and sing-along.

Supergrass made a marvellous come-back, showing that they are a band that has survived Brit-pop unlike their contemporaries such as Blur and Pulp. Supergrass have entered 2008 with a band; reviving the current alternative British music scene, yet still maintaining their Brit-pop legacy by continuing to perform their songs that made the 1990’s a great time to grow up in.

Red Blood Shoes, Fresh Air.

{ February 21, 2008 @ 5:37 pm } · { Uncategorized }
{ Tags: , , } · { Leave a Comment }

A buzz of excitement filled the bare stone walls of the Edinburgh vault as the mixed crowd of music lovers gathered in anticipation for the most tipped new band of the year. The energetic, punk band Blood Red Shoes have been the talk of the 2007/08 music scene as their pop lyrics, mixed with the eccentric guitar riffs and ritualistic drumming ensures that even the most unwilling of listeners cannot be help but tap their feet to their tunes.

 

The Brighton duo which consists of Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell , which has led to conspiracies like those that surrounded the White Stripes with questions like are they going out or are they brother and sister?, have been together since 2005 and have numerous gigs under their belt. There were lots of expectations surrounding their sold out gig at The Hive, Edinburgh, as the band reached the point in their musical career when it was time to prove that they were not just a band that spilled out repetitive punk tracks, but a band with musical variety and live talent.

 

The evening did not begin smoothly however with support band Make Model’s lead singer bursting open his head, thus leading to the support band having to cancel at the last minute.
When Blood Red Shoes arrived on stage earlier than expected this heightened the atmosphere within the small rectangular room. The band began their set with a comedy cabaret, as Steven Ansell dipped into some stand-up comedy. The distinction between band and fans was merged by inviting a member of the crowd onto the stage to join in with the theatrical farce. However, this introduction led to boos from the audience as Ansell should more than definitely stick to his day job as the drummer because his jokes should be likened to a terrorist attack; lots of explosions, but ultimately disastrous.

 

After fifteen minutes of ‘comedy’ the band finally jumped into their set opening with their trademark repetitive guitar riffs. The band certainly got the crowd going especially when they played singles, “You Bring Me Down” and “I Wish I Was Someone Better”. The snare drum on “I Wish I Was Someone Better” thudded around the room and made it impossible for the crowd to keep still. So if you like punk/pop of The Subways then you must check out Blood Red Shoes, because they are basically reproducing the same genre yet Laura-Mary can actually sing.
It was only a short set of fifty minutes which shows that the band have yet to find that happy medium of quick, punk tracks that last two minutes thirty-seven seconds, by incorporating more ballads, as there was a distinct lack of slower tracks in this set. The band state on their website that they do not want to produce “cheap-shit predictable music”, yet the lack of variety in their set suggests that this is what they are pumping out, quick and easy punk/pop which everyone loves. But it certainly moves us.

Newer entries » · « Older entries