18 & Life

From BrigNewspaper.com.

A Starr is born: Steel Panther.

For what is only their second visit to Scotland, Steel Panther possess the impressive ability to drag a good half-venue of Glaswegians out on this icy December eve. There’s a fundamental irony in so many showing up to watch a brutal, wig-wearing lampoon of ‘80s era heavy metal, comically detailing the type of excesses that were, at one point, embodied in a serious manner by tonight’s co-headliners. Perhaps this lack of criticism for the Panther arises from the fact that the two ‘serious’ bands being parodied here once wrote hit songs about overdosing, dying, coming back to life, hitching a lift home and overdosing again (and that’s just one song) and masturbating over a picture of Marilyn Monroe. The laughter track has always been playing silently in the background of their careers, perhaps desensitizing fans to the point where not even a piss-taking pseudo-tribute act can expose the ridiculousness of such antics. Or maybe the satire just completely passes over the heads of the girls who sit on boyfriends’ shoulders, screaming and exposing themselves to the misogyny of 17 Girls In A Row and Community Property. Either way, they’re entirely entertaining, and provide some respite from a metal scene that often forgets how to have fun.

Continue reading “Def Leppard + Mötley Crüe + Steel Panther, Glasgow SECC, December 2011” »

From WheelScene magazine.

The Oxford Dictionary describes locust as:
noun
A large grasshopper with strong powers of flight. From time to time it migrates and causes extensive damage.

In a way, this insect shares a work ethic with American metallers Machine Head. Their last release, 2007’s The Blackening, sent them on an extensive tour which included several treks across the world, during which they rubbed shoulders and shared bills with Metallica, Slipknot and Heaven & Hell. Such tireless globetrotting cemented them as one of the best, most defended and most sought-after bands in heavy metal, vocalist Robb Flynn recently revealing his fear for the fans’ safety amidst the intense frenzies that the band invokes in their live audiences. Now, after a well-earned rest and with the release of new record Unto The Locust, the destructive Californians are ready to swarm the world once again.

Continue reading “Machine Head Interview, November 2011” »

From Brig Newspaper.

Jonny ‘Itch’ Fox finishes off a hamburger in an underground dressing room in the heart of Glasgow. A few hundred miles may separate him from his native London but, apparently, very little distinguishes the inhabitants of each city from another.
‘People are different everywhere. There are nice folk and dicks no matter where you go.” he laughs, swivelling his chair away from the mirror.
He would certainly know, having spent the last few months touring Europe with his band The King Blues. However, ‘band’ is too insultingly broad a term. Their sound, particularly on latest album Punk & Poetry, is a hard one to define: a pendulum of punk, hip-hop, ska and folk, swinging between cheeky pop sensibilities (the bittersweet harmonies of Everything Happens For A Reason) and compellingly unsettling vitriol (the snarling call-to-arms of We Are Fucking Angry). That’s not to mention the poetry juxtaposed with their more energetic offerings, the lyrical themes of which range from Itch’s respect for women, despite his inability to understand them, to his tongue-in-cheek branding of certain politicians as fascists.

The kids are united: The King Blues (Itch, second from right)

Continue reading “The King Blues Interview, November 2011” »

From WheelScene.co.uk

At least two things have been unexpected for Gomez; their name and their success.

Their first gig, in 1996, saw the lads leave a sign reading ‘Gomez’ outside the venue to direct their friend, who went by the name, to the show. This led to the audience believing it to be the band’s name, a moniker that stuck. A short while after that, the quintet recorded a demo in Southport, an area that most of them could still call home, with their families still living there. With the help of Virgin-owned Hut Records, this tape evolved into their debut album, Bring It On, which instantly catapulted the band onto the stages of major festivals and earned them the 1998 Mercury Music Prize, over the likes of Robbie Williams – the UK’s most successful solo artist. It went triple platinum, selling over one million copies, a notion that vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Tom Gray incredulously calls ‘ridiculous’. Thirteen years, five full-length releases and no replacement members later, they prepare to release Whatever’s On Your Mind.

Continue reading “Gomez Interview, June 2011” »

I was thrilled to be asked to write an article for the Download Festival website. Photography is by Hevs.

After the celebratory blowout that was the 30th anniversary of rock at Donington Park, everyone has just about recovered in time for another weekend of reckless abandon at Download Festival 2011.

Once again, the admins have taken the lid off the bubbling pot of raw talent that is the forums and served up a banquet of musical delights in the form of The Boardie Takeover.

Offering little bands and DJs the chance to perform with the big boys and to provide the entertainment before the festival truly kicks off, the Takeover stands as a visual and visceral tribute to the rock ‘n’ rollers who shape Download into what it is.

Continue reading “Download Festival Boardie Takeover, June 2011” »

First sinking his teeth into the concept of the novel in Scotland’s own Cruden Bay, Stoker horrified the Victorian people with Dracula, some of whom went as far as to call it ‘the most blood-curdling novel of the paralysed century.’  When it comes to the theory behind the adaptation of novels into films, studies have been tainted by a ‘narrow one-sidedness that assumes [that such films] are merely cheap imitations’  but, while there has never been a firm explanation as to the reason(s) for adaptation, McFarlane surmises that the answer moves between poles of ‘crass commercialism’ and ‘high-minded respect for literary works.’  Given that the novel caused such a reaction, and bearing in mind its title as a Gothic classic, it is unsurprising that it has been recreated as several films, whichever of these suggested motives of adaptation the filmmakers aimed to satisfy. The question that arises, however, is how successful are the filmic versions not only in transposing the textual to a visual capacity, but interpreting it in a purposeful, worthwhile manner. Geraghty states that ‘any film that prioritises transposition over interpretation [is likely to] spectacularly fail’  while McFarlane adds that an established mood must be recreated and sustained (p. 7).

In light of these observations, this essay will examine and analyse the variations of the characters of Dracula and Mina in the novel, the 1931 film directed by Todd Browning, and the 1992 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In the novel and Browning version, Dracula is little more than a demonic fiend who leeches from the life force of those in his path, including the innocent fiancée of Jonathan Harker, Mina. However, in Coppola’s version, he is the immortal warrior Vlad Dracula, and is searching for the reincarnation of his bride, Elisabeta, who has been reincarnated as Mina. The aim is to highlight and compare what their characterisation (and other relevant literary and cinematic techniques) brings to the overall impact of the three media, or, indeed, what is under- or misrepresented. Attention will be paid to their development and interpersonal relations, in particular the bond that they share with each other, while relating this theme to accepted conventions and theoretical debates in the field of adaptation.

Continue reading “Dracula: A Study” »

From SleazeRoxx.com.

Emerging out of the 1980s UK glam scene, Tigertailz lit up the pages of the metal press in a burst of neon colour, jagged guitars and perhaps the best hair out of any of their British or American contemporaries. While often only linked to subtle-as-a-brick anthems like ‘Love Bomb Baby’ and ‘Livin’ Without You’, the Welsh quartet showed that deep down they were a hard rocking force to be reckoned with, through the likes of later albums like 1991’s ‘Banzai!’ and 1995’s ‘Wazbones’, the former even featuring Metallica and Megadeth covers.

They split up in the mid-‘90s before reforming almost ten years later, only for 2007 to see the sad and untimely death of bassist Pepsi Tate. The band, including founding guitarist Jay Pepper and best-known singer Kim Hooker, however, soldiered on, recruiting bass player Sarah Firebrand and drummer Robin Guy, and releasing a new live album last year, encapsulating the timeless quality of their genre-defying music.

Speaking backstage at the Cathouse in Glasgow, Scotland, Kim and Jay took the time to give an insight into life in the band.

l-r: Kim Hooker, Sarah Firebrand, Jay Pepper, Robin Guy.

Continue reading “Tigertailz Interview, May 2011” »

From BrigNewspaper.com

Image: pokecharms.com

These days existing in popular culture mainly as ironic, semi-nostalgic Facebook groups, Nintendo’s Pokémon video game franchise remains strong nonetheless; it is the second highest-grossing series of all time behind only Mario. Since the average Brig reader would have been around ten years old at the height of its popularity circa 1998, the RPGs – including original releases Red & Blue – have since sadly, but inevitably, been stored away by many in the locker of childhood memories amongst the yo-yos, Pogs and those squishy alien things that apparently had babies if you rubbed their arses together. However, to dismiss them is to undermine the entertainment quality and intricate detail woven into every instalment since the ‘90s, including the recently released Black & White Versions.

Continue reading “Pokémon Black & White Versions – Nintendo DS (4.5/5)” »

From BrigNewspaper.com

Don’t you find a true story always touches you so much more than a fictional scenario? The end of Marley & Me made me bawl like a little girl, while I Love You Philip Morris left me in disbelief at how someone who’s got some chutzpah can fairly easily undermine the American justice system. I am also pleased to announce that a film about a guy who gets his arm smashed and stuck between a rock and a cliff wall in the middle of nowhere and has to cut it off with a cheap pen knife is so much worse when it’s based on what actually happened to one poor chap called Aaron Lewis in 2003.

Image: digitaltrends.com

Continue reading “127 Hours Review” »

You may not recognise Michael Monroe, but you certainly recognise his influence. Frontman of Finnish glam rock legends Hanoi Rocks and the man that Axl Rose modelled himself on, he has inspired myriad bands including Poison, Alice In Chains and Foo Fighters. Now performing solo again, he recently toured the UK as main support for Motörhead and took the time in Glasgow to talk about his past, present and future.

Myself with Michael Monroe (centre) and Sami Yaffa.

Continue reading “Michael Monroe Interview, November 2010” »