 | Global Language! get up to date with the lingo the clubbers are using these days 2010-06-23 * Monkey juggler- the lone festival dancer, dancing wildly to a rhythm only he can hear * Camp Tramp - he hasn't washed, hasn't changed his clothes for three days and now here he is, beggin for ciggys * The tent commandment - thou shalt not leave the putting up of thy tent until 3 in the morning * Trespassing out - passing out in a tent that is not your own. You don't know how you got there. You don't know who these people next to you are.... * The Ejector Selector – bouncer * Tesco disco – club where everybody’s ‘stacking the shelves’ * Doomcore – very dark techno genre – often played at clubs with names like ‘3rd World War’ * Shape Shifter – particularly bad dancer – no particular style * Keeping it Tidy – keeping yourself nice and not ‘losing it’ in a club * Luft-wafter – a topless German techno enthusiast with body odour issues * Mum 'n' Bass - a woman of advanced years still giving it large on the dancefloor * Big Fish Little Fish Cardboard Box – popular early rave dance * Shed – a new music style- somewhere between house and garage * All gone Pete Tong - everything's gone wrong * All tong gone Pete Wrong - everything’s gone very, very wrong indeed * Its All Gravy – everything is cool * Beefa - Ibiza * Neckless wonder - bouncer * Moon-burnt - pale from too much clubbing * A bit chish and fips - a confused state * Ounce-bouncer - fat dancer * The Crapocalypse - when you enter a festival/club toilet, desperate, only to find it unbelievable filthy and without any paper * Rave flu – popular affliction affecting the hardcore clubber and the cause of many Mondays off work * Giving it 'shaggy' - adopting the expression and refrain of Jamaican popstar Shaggy when a bouncer has smelled a cigarette and is searching around you - "it wasn't me" * Hooves - decent speakers; "they hoof it" * Dibble - those who confiscate hooves * Nice one - party without dibble * Golden Hour - An hour before the club closes, best chance to pull * Dance-apella: A dance performed without music. Usually absent-mindedly, or to burn off excess energy. * Deja-moo: The feeling you've seen that cow somewhere before at another rave. * Disco nap: Going to sleep one or two hours before a big night of clubbing. * On a mission – a trip to the shops to buy food at 4am – usually preceeded by an hour long debate on who will undertake the ‘mission’ | |
 | GLOBAL GATHERING 2010 Hotting up to be a landmark event......... 2010-06-07 All the biggest names will be gathering from every genre into a big old airfield near Stratford Upon Avon for what is truely going to be an amazing weekend. Also new for this year those lucky enough to be kicking it in VIP area will play witness to open space design done by the 'Do Lab'. There spaces are amazingly designed and are definatly going to add to something special to the VIP area. The live stage also returns to give you a little bit of a change if you fancy it. All this along with 4 spectacular headliners, The Godskitchen BoomBox and several fully live acts this will be the only Dance Music Festival you really need attend this year. Get to the website to book your VIP, Normal & day tickets now! Saturday only tickets have just gone on sale so grab them while they are hot. Also in my personal opinion its going to be well worth forking out the extra cash for a VIP ticke. Get Tickets Here! www.globalgathering.co.uk | |
 | Sonisphere 2010 2010-06-05 After last years Sonisphere having Metallica and Linkin Park you would be forgiven for thinking it would be hard to top such a line up. This year is set to be bigger and better the last year so Knebworth is the place to be between 30th of July and 1st of August. This year the bands which span its epic six stages include CKY, Soulfly, Fear Factory, Slayer, Alice Cooper and so many more that my fingers would snap if it was to type all the name here. The classics will be represented at Sonisphere with Motley Crew and Iron Maiden as well as up and coming bands and comedy acts to keep you entertained it should be the festival to attend this year now that download seems so pants. Check out the next issue of Maddog for more details and check out uk.sonispherefestivals.com/ | |
 | Bloodstock Open Air 2010-06-05 From the 13th to the 15th of August 2010 Catton Hall in Derby plays host to the most brutal festival of the year. With its line up being the most intense and fastest metal bands it definitely wont be one for the indie kids and emo's. Some of the highlights of the line up include Bloodbath, Gorgoroth, Meshuggah and Suffocation. There are also GWAR who will be highly entertaining to say the least and Twisted Sister will be awesome. Best of all my two personal favourite metal bands will both be there Cannibal Corpse and Children of Bodom. Look for more news on Bloodstock Open Air in the next issue of Maddog or check out www.bloodstock.uk.com | |
 | Global Gathering- Announce Headlines! 2010-03-12 Thats right people Dance superstars Faithless have been booked for Global 2010 along with Dizzie Rascal! Faithless will undoubtledly be pumping there classic trip-chanting style tunes for the croud to jump around to and are not to be missed. Dozzie Rascal will be bringing something new to the Global vibe with his hip hop lyrics over his fresh dance style beats. Il be there and il see 50,000 of you loons there :-) | |
 | Fingertips.net a new one-stop site for news 2010-01-21 Fingertips.net is a new news site with a twist, It grabs news from all over the net and pools it into one site. There you can customise the news feeds to your needs and interests. Offering a conventional format allied to a wealth of choice, Fingertips intends to deliver each user with an intuitive and fresh service, independent of political or commercial factors. Once provided with the information they want from the sources they choose, Fingertips then connects users to networks of News Buddies with shared passions and interests. Check out www.fingertips.net | |
 | Alice in Chains interview in next month's Maddog 2009-10-20 Following the release of latest album Black Gives Way To Blue, rock juggernauts Alice in Chains took some time out to speak to Maddog's Alec Plowman... pick up next month's magazine to check out the interview! | |
 | Indie Rap Artist Master Shortie sets off on A.D.H.D Tour 2009-10-02 Recently described by the Guardian as the "poster boy of a DIY underground scene", this month sees Master Shortie flaunting his fresh, energetic sound across the UK on his first headline tour. The 20 year old entrepreneur/indie-rap pioneer released his album, A.D.H.D (said to be named after his short attention span) earlier this year, and it is the exciting result of his "aversion to being stereotyped". Shortie's kaleidoscopic brand of music makes it almost impossible to categorise, and his shows are set to be an exhilarating mixture of electro-soul, hip hop and power pop guitar. For a full list of tour dates, and other info, visit: www.myspace.com/mastershortie Katie Shevlin | |
 | White Air 2009 18-20 September 2009-09-16 White Air is Europe's largest Extreme Sports and Music festival and we're back for another year of hardcore action in a new venue - White Air is now based at the world-famous Madeira Drive in Brighton on a fantastic site accommodating over 40 sports and music arenas and events on water, land, air and beach! The live stage will feature Doves, Biffy Clyro, The Cribs, White Lies, British Sea Power... with more announcements soon. Meanwhile, Europe's largest action sports arena will showcase the amazing White Air freesports park, covering multiple sports with top level competitions in BMX freestyle & flatland, Skateboard street, ramps and slalom, Mountain Board, Inline, Streetboard, Mtn Trials Bike & freestyle and Parkour and the stunning arts of Street Dance, B Bop, Graffiti Jams and park Djing, which will create the focal point for the urban sports. The beach will also be packed with action sports and entertainment including the world’s very best High Divers throwing themselves into a 12ft deep pool from 90 ft, the Mixed Martial Arts village, Volleyball, new action sports such as Slackline and Ropeboarding, and the sea will be occupied by Thundercats, Jetskis, Windsurfing Freestyle and Racing Championships, Surfing, Kitesurfing on the White Air slider park, Wakeboards, Paddle Boards, Sailing, Canoes, Aquathlon, the tough Brighton Triathlon, Aquathlon, the 56 miles off road race starting in London and finishing at White Air in Brighton and the Marines fast support landing craft. Look to the sky you’ll see the incredible Red Arrows and RAF Falcons, and the awesome Chinook helicopter displays - this year’s elemental White Air festival covers Air, Water, Earth and Fire! The history behind White Air White Air was founded in 1997 by extreme sportsman Nigel Howell. Starting as a wind and surf-based event due to the attraction of the UK's superb beaches, it has rapidly expanded and now is the most prestigious international festival on the calendar involving some 40 sports on water, land, beach and in the air - combined with arts, music fringes, and extensive entertainment including the awesome Live Stage which features 2 huge nights of music on the beach front with top level groups each year. 2009 promises to be White Air's biggest year so far: you'd be mad to miss this extreme extravaganza! More Information Tickets £65 for the Weekend For more information on White Air, the events, ramps/multi-sport park, trade shows, TV and sponsorship please contact; White Air event management; EMAIL: info@whiteair.co.uk | |
 | Festival Annual - Upload your images! 2009-09-11 Upload and tag your pictures at www.MySpace.com/FestivalAnnual Play your part in history by contributing to a groundbreaking new festival book alongside Jaime Winstone, Edith Bowman, Orbital, Metronomy and many more… The UK’s first ever annual dedicated to festivals is to be launched this summer. Festival Annual will be the first ever ‘user-generated’ annual as festival-goers themselves will play a crucial role in the book’s creation. The photograph-led book will be a collection of iconic imagery and stories from the UK’s leading festivals. With more than 100 festivals taking place across the British Isles this summer, there are plenty of opportunities to capture once-in-a-lifetime moments. Whether it’s finding love in the Stone Circle, spending the weekend dressed as your favourite super hero or drinking your own body weight in pear cider, Festival Annual is calling out to you to share your most memorable experiences. Upload and tag pictures on Festival Annual’s digital galleries and share stories through comments and status updates. Every single contributor will get their name in the book, with the best photos and stories featuring throughout its pages and at its online home at www.myspace.com/festivalannual. Festival Annual 2009 will be the first of an annual celebration of each year’s festival season - the photographic embodiment of each and every summer - for all those who rejoice in festival culture, being outdoors and of course, covered in mud. It will feature chapters for each of the key festivals, running all the way from Isle of Wight to Lovebox and Latitude, right through to Bestival this weekend. UK celebrities will be making their own contributions to Festival Annual too – each chapter will also feature images and musings from some of the more famous die-hard festival attendees, there to experience exactly the same kinds of thrills as your average punter. Actress Jaime Winstone is regularly snapped at festivals: “I'm a proper festival-goer. I love having the excuse of going and getting messy in a field and rolling around in mud. This year Glastonbury was absolutely amazing, but it was a bit different for me as I had a Winnebago, so I got to have a shower and hang out with loads of mates in the VIP bit, but it did kind of take away from the experience as well - you can stay in a caravan in any field. Festivals are about everyone coming together and all sharing a brilliant time.” Radio One DJ Edith Bowman commented: "Six months of my year are devoted to festivals - my favourite time of the year actually. There is so much more to festivals in the UK than just the bands. There is real camaraderie that goes on with the people who devote their weekends to hanging out in fields up and down the country. Whether they are knee high in mud, dressed as goth fairies or discovering some new band, Festival Annual 09, with the help of these people, is documenting the essence of the UK festival season so we can look back in years to come and remind ourselves of the good times." Throughout the summer there'll be prizes for the best pics and you can cast your vote for the monthly winners of the Festival Annual Awards. This year's categories are: The Best FestiDress Award, Team Festival Award, Festifunniest Award and the Spirit of the Festival Award. The monthly winners and best of the nominees will be featured in the book. In its glossy, gorgeous, physical form, Festival Annual will be arriving on shelves and available to buy online in the Autumn but you can pre-order now online - the perfect end-of-year gift for the festival-loving, story-telling, digital generations. In the spirit of the festival season, Festival Annual ‘09 will donate 10% of all profits to Oxfam. How Do I Get In Festival Annual? • Upload Image to www.myspace.com/FestivalAnnual • Tag everyone In the picture • Everyone tagged will be in the credits • Best pictures go into book Need we say more? Get online and get involved, upload your own photos, tag you and your mates, and who knows, next year it could be your face on the front cover. Pre Order Festival Annual Online: www.festivalannual.com/shop Early Bird Discount: £20.00 (RRP £25.00) | |
 | Need For Speed: Shift 2009-09-10 Need For Speed: Shift is the latest in EAs long line of Need For Speed games. With 72 fully-licensed cars and 125 events to place first its set to be the best one so far. One of the features that really sets it apart from the last games is the highly detailed in car view with its realistic feel. As always cars can be tuned up inside and out and the dynamic crash effects are set to truly make the player feel like they were in the crash themselves. Need For Speed:Shift is in the shops 19/9/09 for more info check out www.shift.needforspeed.com | |
 | A Boy And His Blob 2009-09-05 When Blobolonia is threatened by an evil emperor, the blob comes to earth looking for help. Instead, he finds a young boy. Help the blob dethrone the evil Emperor that’s terrorizing Blobolonia and establish a friendship with the blob that will last a lifetime. A boy and his blob returns with an all new game play experience! True to the NES version, playing the boy, you feed your Blob jelly beans and watch it transform into cool and useful objects to solve puzzles and escape danger. With its robust and emotionally driven story, challenging puzzles, and visually impressive art style, a boy and his blob is nothing short of a heartwarming experience. | |
 | Mad Dog McCree hits the Wii 2009-09-01 Majesco Entertainment Company, an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack for Wii has shipped to retail. When ruthless outlaw Mad Dog McCree goes on a rampage with a nasty pack of wanted fugitives in tow, they leave death and destruction in their wake. You are the only gun-slinging bounty hunter who can take him down in this three-in-one collection of classic arcade games that includes: Mad Dog McCree, Mad Dog 2: The Lost Gold and The Last Bounty Hunter. Players use their Wii Remote or Wii Zapper accessory as the ultimate six shooter in this Wild West adventure featuring live actors. Fast reflexes and precision shooting are the keys to survival when outlaws ambush from every angle and nail-biting showdowns are only a bullet away. As they pursue Mad Dog and four other wanted fugitives, players can choose from three different difficulty levels to hunt them alone or join forces with others in two multiplayer modes - Posse and Rebel. In Posse Mode, players work together with up to three friends in pursuit of a combined high score, while in Rebel Mode they work independently with up to four bounty hunters for individual high scores. Whether sharpshooting solo or with a posse, the Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack lets players deliver their own brand of Wild West justice and walk away with their gun smokin'! | |
 | GTA on PSP and Iphone 2009-09-01 Rockstar Games Announces Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for iPhone and iPod touch New York, NY - August 31, 2009 - Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is pleased to announce that the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars from Rockstar Leeds, the winners of the 2009 Develop Award for Best Handheld Game Studio, will be making its way to the iPhone and iPod touch this fall. "Chinatown Wars is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "We are very excited to bring this incredibly ambitious version of Liberty City, with this level of detail and immersive gameplay on Apple's new gaming platforms." Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is currently available for the Nintendo DS and is also coming this fall for the PlayStation Portable system. The game follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father. Players will navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/chinatownwars. | |
 | Postal 3 (new) 2009-08-31 Our friends at Running With Scissors just sent us a Maddog exclusive pic of the dude eating ice-cream, dont forget you can get all the info you need on postal 3 at www.gopostal.com/pr/postal3 enjoy! | |
 | Forza 3 2009-08-31 Launching this October exclusively for Xbox 360, "Forza Motorsport 3" unites the racing game genre making it possible for everyone to experience the thrill of the world's most exotic and exquisite cars. Live the most realistic racing experience ever as you take the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. With breathtaking HD graphics and the most advanced vehicle performance modeling in a video game, "Forza Motorsport 3" includes a host of driving assists and adjustable skill levels to make the game a gripping pick-up-and-play experience for audiences of all ages and skill levels. Your escape into the world of car culture in "Forza Motorsport 3" doesn't stop at the track. Turn 10 is a proven leader in user-generated content creation in games. "Forza Motorsport 3" further fuels the imaginations of its evergreen community of painters, tuners and photographers with improved customization tools and brand new ways to share creations with the world via Xbox LIVE*. Xbox LIVE makes your journey into the "Forza Motorsport" community and the world of user-generated content easy and fun. A love of cars lives in all of us. "Forza Motorsport 3" is the automotive playground we've all been waiting for. For more info check out www.forzamotorsport.net/ | |
 | Just Cause2 2009-08-31 The orders are simple: hunt down and execute a rogue agent that has stolen top-secret intelligence and millions in Agency cash. For agent Rico Rodriguez, the mission is anything but routine. The target is Tom Sheldon, Rico's former commanding officer, mentor and friend; a man who knows Rico better than he knows himself. Sheldon went dark while operating in the corrupt island nation of Panau. There, three rival gangs wage war in the streets while the ruthless dictator Baby Panay rules the island with an iron fist. With the resources of the Agency at his disposal, Rico must infiltrate the island and locate Sheldon, setting off a violent chain of events that will set Panau ablaze. Each of Rico's assignments can be tackled by land, sea or air with more than 100 vehicles including tactical jeeps, attack helicopters and jet fighters. As the Agency's best, Rico can execute a range of breathtaking new stunts, utilizing his trademark parachute and upgraded grapple to reach any location in Panau. Somewhere on the 400 square mile island of white sand beaches, scorching deserts and snow-capped peaks, Sheldon awaits. | |
 | Codemasters F1 2009 2009-08-31 F1 2009 will offer a fully authentic FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP experience with all the teams, drivers, cars and tracks from the enthralling 2009 season. Due for release this autumn, F1 2009 on the Wii version will set new standards for racing immersion and authenticity while remaining accessible for the entire family and the PSP version will allow fans the opportunity to enjoy the world's most thrilling and glamorous sport on the move. | |
 | Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising 2009-08-31 Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is the complete antithesis of the on-rails, run-and-gun shooter. Players are empowered with the freedom to handle military crisis situations on their own initiative, deploying the weaponry, vehicles and equipment of a contemporary fighting force. In Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising gamers play the decisive role in defusing a military flashpoint between two global superpowers that threatens the entire world. Players take the role of US Marines and Special Forces operatives dispatched to take back the oil-rich Russian island of Skira from an invading force of Chinese PLA. The 220km island becomes the ultimate open-world battlefield as players are empowered to make their own choices, deploy their own tactics and fight war on their own terms. Objectives are set - how they are accomplished is always up to the player who has the full resources of the US Marine Corps at their disposal and the ability to attack from any direction. Intelligent squad and enemy AI, based on authentic military tactics, react in real-time to situations as they unfold to ensure that no two games will ever play out the same. Players will become immersed in a stunningly realistic conflict with unprecedented levels of detail, freedom and authenticity. Every decision counts, every action has a consequence and every bullet can kill as Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising recreates the lethality, tension and adrenaline of real war like never before | |
 | Postal 3 2009-08-31 Tucson, AZ Almost a decade after the release of POSTAL, Running With Scissors (RWS), the creators behind the dark comedic video game franchise has announced development of POSTAL III, the first game in the long-running series aimed at both the computer and videogame console markets. Currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PC systems, POSTAL III will employ the Source engine (the same technology Valve created to drive Half-Life 2) to deliver a new and advanced technical level of social satire and politically incorrect virtual violence. "We started this series back in 1997," recalled RWS CEO Vince Desi, "and while the franchise has grown into an international computer game sensation during that time, it has always been our goal to bring it to the videogame console marketplace. For many years I've been asked by gamers around the world when POSTAL will appear on console. I'm so proud to be able to answer our fans' prayers." POSTAL III will include motion-captured performances by a wide array of celebrities - from film stars to Playboy Playmates - as well as a storyline that offers gamers vast latitude in terms of their behavior. "We've always maintained since publishing the original POSTAL that the game is only as violent as the player wants it to be and we're committed to expanding this unique form of gameplay in this next addition to the ongoing storyline," Desi vowed. Andrew Belkin, Producer for Akella stated "We here at Akella are big fans of the POSTAL series and so being involved in production of POSTAL III is both great fun and an honor for us. In cooperation with RWS talent I believe POSTAL III will be the sickest and craziest game ever! Definitely, this is the first project of such scale and a major step forward for our company" The player will once again be cast as the nameless "Postal Dude," the star of all previous versions of the game, including POSTAL 2: Share The Pain and POSTAL 2: Apocalypse Weekend. POSTAL III is scheduled for release some time in 2008 for more info on postal 3 check out www.gopostal.com/pr/postal3.php | |
 | Get StokEd! 2009-08-31 Head into the backcountry and experiance StokEd, an open world snowboarding game that lets you choose where, when and in what conditions as you owork your way up the ranks of the sport to become the hottest rider in the world! Every single inch of five huge mountains can be explored, complete with dynamic weather conditions that change how and where you can ride. Set a trend with style crafting as other riders on the mountain adapt to mimic how you ride and how you dress. For more info check out www.gettingstoked.com | |
 | Colin McRae: DiRT 2 2009-08-31 Melding turbo-charged off-roading with extreme sports attitude, the eagerly anticipated next chapter in the legendary racing series, Colin McRae: DiRT 2, will deliver a thrilling and stylish off-road racing experience. Colin McRae: DiRT 2 takes off-road racing games to a new level with thrilling new race types, big event atmosphere, stunning locations, a new breed of off-roading heroes and feature a peerless line-up of super-charged speed machines covering seven vehicle classes. Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will take players on a World Tour of adrenaline-fuelled extreme off-road events in stunning real-world locations. Events include exhilarating rally cross in the massive Los Angeles sports stadium's Stadium King Shootout, edge-of-control canyon racing of Utah's Creek Trailblazer event, the Rawang Rally Run along treacherous Malaysian rainforest tracks and the Battersea Battle, where night races are staged at the iconic London power station.Building on the technical and gameplay benchmark of Colin McRae: DiRT and borrowing from snowboarding and skateboarding lifestyle and culture, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will also add full online multiplayer and social networking functions, inviting players to become part of an extreme sports community. For more info check out the official site www.dirt2game.com/ | |
 | Beaterator - PSP's new music production software brought to you by Rockstar Games! 2009-08-26 Beaterator is the most advanced music production software brought out on the PSP, and possibly any hand-held format. The software of course uses alot samples made by Rockstar games, but they have managed to source one of the biggest names in popular music to do alot of them Aswell! Timbaland has jumped in to put his own twist on things with these samples so you can be sure you will be pumping out club anthems within a few hours. | |
 | DanceEast's new dance studio opening in September 2009-08-05 DanceEast's Jerwood DanceHouse opens its doors for classes and workshops on 14 September 2009. This is an exciting time for DanceEast, as all Ipswich activities will now take place at the brand new purpose built Jerwood DanceHouse, on the Ipswich waterfront. All classes at the DanceHouse run on a drop in basis, so why not pop in on your way to work, in your lunch break or in the evening, and try one out. From jazz and tap to contemporary technique and Egyptian Belly Dancing, there is something for all ages and abilities. For the first time DanceEast will offer a full Saturday programme of activities, and are thrilled to be opening a new cafe, danceeats, on the waterfront, the ideal meeting place for the community. DanceEast also brings opportunities to audiences around Suffolk, with its exciting programme of dance groups for young people and adults. For a copy of the autumn/winter class brochure call DanceEast on 01473 639230 or email 'Class brochure' to info@danceeast.co.uk leaving your full contact details. | |
 | Check out our preview of the Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009-07-28 The Edinburgh Interactive Festival takes place on the 13th and 14th of August is an annual festival celebrating the creative culture of interactive entertainment. Spanning across a broad range of industries including videogames, social networking, mobile entertainment, education, film, music and television, Edinburgh Interactive attracts people from all walks of life such as conference delegates and industry luminaries from around the world, families, gaming fans, academics and students as well as national press. Edinburgh Interactive 2009 will pack in exclusive hands-on previews of the year's biggest titles as well as speakers from the key sectors of the videogames industry; all in one fantastic venue. The videogames market has more than doubled over the last five years. Last year, hardware and software sales combined totalled over 4 billion pounds. In addition, the current generation of hardware has now sold 24 million units - equalling the total estimated number of UK households. EI 2009 is all set to revel in those achievements, with the biggest industry names gathering to offer their thoughts on the past, present and future of videogaming. Alongside exclusive first looks at the likes of Batman: Arkham Asylum, FIFA 10 and Wii Sports Resort - this year's EI 2009 is simply unmissable. Read our full preview here and keep your eyes peeled for our exclusive festival coverage next month! | |
 | It's Rush Hour All Day Long in Empire of Sports New UK City 2009-07-15 Empire of Sports, the first virtual world entirely dedicated to sport, has announced its partnership with legendary Welsh footballer, Ian Rush. His involvement in the game will coincide with a raft of in-game improvements and new features, foremost among them a brand new city for Empire of Sports - in the UK. The new UK location will allow English-speaking players to meet and plot their achievements within Empire of Sports. While former Liverpool and Juventus striker, Rush, will be featured in-game as an NPC (non-playable character), where he will be on standby to issue all players with special missions and new tricks. Alexis Galley, CEO of Empire of Sports, said: "We are delighted to announce the UK as a city within Empire of Sports. It has been our wish to incorporate this city as quickly as possible to make it more enjoyable for British players to play the game in their own language. We know that many people have been eagerly awaiting this version of the game and we hope they enjoy it." To celebrate the launch of the UK city, the first official video competition titled 'Good Morning UK' is being held for the Empire of Sports community. All you have to do to take part is visit the new city and be as creative and imaginative as possible, basically just show off and highlight some of its best features! More information on the competition can be found here If you are keen to check out the new UK city for yourself, all you need to do is download the game client from www.empireofsports.com (900 Mo), register and start playing for free! Empire of Sports is currently in the Prologue phase: this phase allows the game to expand progressively, with the help and feedback of its vast community of online players. | |
 | Nick Moran at Ipswich Hollywood Cinema to introduce Telstar this Sat!!! 2009-07-10 Nick Moran, star of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and writer/director of Telstar, the story of 60's music producer Joe Meek, will be stopping off at Hollywood Film Theater at The Corn Exchange Ipswich on his tour of the UK to promote his film. This is a rare and unique opportunity for film and music buffs in Ipswich. Adapted from the play by James Hicks, Telstar is a biopic of Joe Meek, the flamboyantly gay, songwriter-producer behind the '60s hits 'Have I the Right?', 'Just Like Eddie,' 'Johnny Remember Me' and 'Telstar.' The date of this special performance is Saturday 11th July at 7pm-10pm and tickets will be charged at the normal rates - £3.99 concessions/£6 standard adult For further details click here. | |
 | FC Barcelona joins Empire of Sports 2009-07-09 Legendary football club, FC Barcelona today opens its 'VIP Room' inside the virtual world of Empire of Sports Empire of Sports, the first virtual world entirely dedicated to sport, is proud to announce further developments with Europe's brand new football champion, FC Barcelona. This week saw the opening of the VIP room in the virtual Barça Club house, where subscribers can enjoy all sorts of exclusives benefits. Further to the hugely successful partnership created earlier this year between Empire of Sports and FC Barcelona, many exciting new developments have taken shape both on and offline. While Barça has been taking the Champions League by storm and claimed the title to Manchester United, the virtual world of Empire of Sports has welcomed a substantial number of new Barça fans who have signed up to experience the joys of up to 10 vs. 10 football. The virtual Barça club inside Empire of Sports provides FC Barcelona with a unique opportunity to offer its fans a virtual online meeting place. No matter where they are in the world, fans can interact with each other through their avatar - their virtual three-dimensional representation in the game. Today, FC Barcelona further enriches its partnership and involvement with Empire of Sports by throwing open the doors to the new 'VIP room'. The VIP room will be situated within the resident virtual Barça club house and will provide subscribers with all kinds of exclusive benefits, such as a complete Barça strip for their avatar, reserved missions, events and competitions. If you love the 'beautiful game' and want to show your support for FC Barcelona, all you need to do is download the game client from www.empireofsports.com (900 Mo), register and start playing for free! Empire of Sports is currently in the Prologue phase: this phase allows the game to expand progressively, with the help and feedback of its vast community of online players. | |
 | Damon Albarn Wins Indesit Sweatiest Musician Award 2009-07-02 Following a scorching hot Glastonbury this weekend, Indesit have awarded the sweatiest celeb prize to Blur's Damon Albarn. The sun shone over the festival as Blur closed it with a career-defining set. With Blur having recently reformed, it's perhaps a while since they did anything quite so energetic, with Albarn and the crowd really getting into it and working up, well, a sweat. To celebrate their comeback and help to get rid of the sweat, Indesit have offered a new Indesit Prime washing machine to Mr Albarn so he can get his Fred Perry t-shirt looking like new again. Indesit have given the second place sweatiest celeb award to Tom Jones, followed by Lady Gaga, who may also benefit from the delicates wash on the Indesit Prime washing machine so she doesn't run out of undies... | |
 | Playfish and former Edge editor confirmed for Edinburgh Interactive Fest 2009-06-23 Third Wave of Speakers confirmed for Edinburgh Interactive Festival. The Edinburgh Interactive Festival yesterday announced that Kristian Segerstrale, CEO and Co-founder of Playfish, and respected industry consultant, Margaret Robertson, are both confirmed to speak at this year's event. Segerstrale and Robertson join an impressive list of guest speakers: including, among others, Peter Moore, President of EA Sports and Peter Cowley, Managing Director of Digital Media for Endemol UK. Segerstrale will be addressing the audience with a session titled "Lessons from Social Games - or How Today's Social Networks Will Change the Way You Make, Play and Sell Games Tomorrow". He leads Playfish, one of the largest and fastest growing social games companies in the world, which creates titles for friends to play together over social and mobile platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, iPhone and Android. Each of the company's seven games has been a top 10 hit on Facebook, including Pet Society, the platform's most popular game enjoyed by more than 11 million people every month. Segerstale will discuss how social games - or games designed for play with friends on social networks such as Facebook and MySpace - have experienced explosive growth and are right at the centre of broader industry trends such as free-to-play, games-as-a-service, social game design, user-generated content, and digital distribution. He'll also offer some predictions of how the game industry might change as a result. Industry consultant and former EDGE magazine editor, Margaret Robertson, will offer the Edinburgh crowds a rare insight into the videogames industry with a session titled 'Stop Telling Tales'. What if someone told you that you could make fans just as happy for a fraction of the effort and cost? Typically, fans of triple 'A' game titles expect lavishly told and epic stories. Though anyone who's been on the thinking end of the development process for such titles will tell you that it's a very expensive, cumbersome and inefficient process - which can often take its toll on the overall quality, budget and deadline of a game. As a consultant and advisor to companies such as EA, Sony and Channel 4 on game design and industry trends, Robertson will draw on her consultancy experiences across a wide range of story-based games. While breaking down concepts and highlighting elements to which fans relate and demonstrating how studios might deliver these to consumers in a more timely and cost-effective fashion. Now celebrating its seventh year, the Edinburgh Interactive Festival is powered up to showcase the continued popularity, growth and influence of video games. The Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009 will again host a Free Game Play and Recruitment areas specifically tailored to cater for the public - allowing them access to the latest games and job opportunities in games. | |
 | Pulse 09 Hits a New High 2009-06-20 This year's PULSE Fringe Festival, produced by The New Wolsey Theatre, ended on Saturday 13 June on an incredible 82% having sold 2,900+ tickets for 35 events. PULSE 09 saw an unprecedented demand for tickets with 14 completely sold out shows including Gecko's No 5 and Linda Marlow's The World's Wife. The festival opened on 27 May with Songs from a Hotel Bedroom, and featured a mix of physical theatre, new writing, performance poetry, visual art, comedy, dance and drama including new pieces from The Ornate Johnsons, return visits from Tam Hinton, Axis of Evil Productions and Kath Burlinson and ended with The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley by Queer Up North. "The quality and range of work presented in this year’s festival has been mind-blowing," says Stephen. "We had hundreds of applications and the selection process is not an easy one but I am very happy with the choices we made and applaud the participants for giving us such an amazing festival. Audience feedback has been wonderful and I'm looking forward to finding lots of great work for 2010." With events at 6 venues it's impossible to see everything but Stephen only missed three shows. "It has been a very busy couple of weeks and I think I became slightly addicted to seeing at least one show every day. I'm feeling a bit bereft now that it's all over. Highlights for me included Paperweight which is a really unique event and also Horse from Company FZ performed by the amazing Flick Ferdinando." New Wolsey Chief Executive Sarah Holmes is equally proud of what PULSE has become. "We established PULSE as a platform for new and emerging talent and it has become a stepping-stone for so many performers. The quality of work is undoubtedly rising year-on-year and the festival is now attracting work from abroad as well as the most exciting UK based companies. PULSE has achieved national recognition and is listed as one of the top 50 festivals. We have big plans for its future development and with the support of local media, the growing demand for new and exciting work and the support of other venues in Ipswich we are confident that PULSE will continue to grow." This year's festival featured work by six companies from the eastern region who are supported by Escalator, an Arts Council England, East initiative which aims to identify, nurture and develop artistic talent in the East. PULSE 2010 will also include Escalator supported artists many of whom present work which is en route to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. "I'm heading north myself in a couple of weeks," explains Stephen. "I'm going to spend a couple of weeks in Edinburgh looking for work for PULSE 2010 and meeting companies at the cutting–edge who we will invite to next year’s festival. The application process for 2010 will open in August and we hope to present a bigger programme next year with more venues and even more choice." If you are interested in knowing more about PULSE visit www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/pulse from 29 June. | |
 | Rockstar Games and Take 2 announce Agent 2009-06-04 Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, has just made the exciting announcement that they will be working on a new title called agent. Developed by Rockstar North, the people behind Grand Theft Auto, Agent will be available exclusively for the PLAYSTATION 3, and may be just the title the console needs to boast its profile. Agent is a game that Rockstar have clearly been dreaming up for a while. "We have always enjoyed making action games, and with Agent we are making what we believe will be the ultimate action game," says Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "Agent is a game we have wanted to make for a long time. The team in Edinburgh is doing an amazing job combining intense action, atmosphere and story in a great period setting to create something that feels quite unique. We cannot wait for people to experience this game." Well Sam, we can't wait to experience it! not many details are available yet but Agent will take players on a paranoid journey into the world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations during the height of the Cold War at the end of the 1970s. We'll bring you more details as they become available, in the meantime check out the Rockstar website. www.rockstargames.com | |
 | Full line up announced for guitar Hero 5 2009-06-03 The full line up for the eagerly awaited Guitar Hero 5 has just been revealed and features the most diversified set list to date, comprised of songs from some of the hottest bands of today to all-time favourite classic anthems, with music from a variety of genres including hard rock, classic rock, indie rock, metal and more. Get ready to shred, drum and wail with any in-game instrument combination as Guitar Hero announces the full list of artists and bands that will be offering up some of their greatest works to living room rockers everywhere. The complete list of artists and bands to be featured in Guitar Hero 5 when it hits store shelves this autumn will include songs from: • 3 Doors Down • A Perfect Circle • AFI • Attack! Attack! • Band Of Horses • Beastie Boys • Beck • Billy Idol • Billy Squier • Blink 182 • Blur • Bob Dylan • Bon Jovi • Brand New • Bush • Children of Bodom • Coldplay • Darker My Love • Darkest Hour • David Bowie • Deep Purple • Dire Straits • Duran Duran • Eagles Of Death Metal • Elliott Smith • Elton John • Face to Face • Garbage • Gorillaz • Gov't Mule • Grand Funk Railroad • Iggy Pop • Iron Maiden • Jeff Beck • Jimmy Eat World • John Mellencamp • Johnny Cash • Kaiser Chiefs • King Crimson • Kings Of Leon • Kiss • Love and Rockets • Megadeth • Motley Crue • Muse • My Morning Jacket • Nirvana • No Doubt • Peter Frampton • Public Enemy Featuring Zakk Wylde • Queen and David Bowie • Queens Of The Stone Age • Rammstein • Rose Hill Drive • Rush • Santana • Scars On Broadway • Screaming Trees • Smashing Pumpkins • Sonic Youth • Spacehog • Stevie Wonder • Sublime • Sunny Day Real Estate • T. Rex • The Bronx • The Derek Trucks Band • The Duke Spirit • The Killers • The Police • The Raconteurs • The Rolling Stones • The Sword • The White Stripes • Thin Lizzy • Thrice • Tom Petty • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers • TV On The Radio • Vampire Weekend • Weezer • Wild Cherry • Wolfmother | |
 | See Out West Gate at the Pulse Festival 2009-06-02 The Pulse Festival is now in full swing and is keeping the crowds scurrying from one packed out quality performance to another, with barely time to down an espresso in between. One highlight coming up that should be marked in everyone's diary is Out Westgate showing at the New Wolsey Studio at 7.45pm on Saturday 6 June, which is about growing up in Suffolk (something many of us can relate to). Set on the day of John Peel’s funeral in 2004, Out Westgate, written and directed by Drew Taylor, is a blackly comedic 21st century drama. Set in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, the play explores our need to suppress, forget, and “carry-on-regardless”. Our forgotten childhood misdemeanors will always return to haunt us as adults... Drew, from Bury St Edmunds and now living in Glasgow where he went to Drama College and subsequently set up proudExposure with fellow performer/dramaturg Fi Alexander, is a young man with serious prospects. Recent productions include, Natural Selection [Site specific piece at Brunswick Hotel, Glasgow], Sub-Opera [As part of Glasgow’s Underground Festival] and a Scratch performance of our newest piece The Family at the Arches Theatre, Glasgow. Out Westgate is based on Drew’s experience of growing up in a small town in rural Suffolk and the limitations he believes this placed on him as a young person. This was further reinforced when he left Suffolk to study in Cambridge and later when he moved to Glasgow and realized how much support was available in bigger cities. “I loved growing up in Bury St Edmunds. It’s a wonderful town and will always be home but I became aware of a sense of predetermination, a feeling that my life was set to take a set course and that difference was not tolerated and definitely not encouraged. I knew I wanted something more but I only found it by moving away and Out Westgate is my attempt to show that rural Suffolk may be safe and beautiful but it’s not perfect and is not always providing the support young people need to become the best they can be.” Drew is clearly a young man with drive and ambition and his success to date is proof that he is also a man with talent. His first script, Quality Control, was short listed for an Old Vic New Voices Award, an award scheme which aims to support young and emerging talent. “Fi and I set up proudExposure to tell tales in the most interesting ways. We seek to present work that has a strong story rooted in traditions of literary practice – but developed and presented in a modern theatrical medium – utilising varying verbal and physical performance styles and production design techniques,” explains Drew. “To this end, our work is multi-faceted: we work in site specific locations, devise large ensemble productions and specialise in new writing development. Our work is always wholly collaborative with each project being closely developed alongside our ensemble of performers, each of whom brings a different skill-set to a rehearsal room.” “I am delighted to have the opportunity to present Out Westgate at PULSE and applaud the festival for providing a platform for new talent.” You can see Out Westgate at New Wolsey Studio at 7.45pm on Saturday 6 June. Tickets are just £5 and can be booked by calling the PULSE Ticket Hotline: 01473 295900 There's also a wealth of other pieces to see at the festival read our previews here: here Or check out the official website | |
 | Peter Cowley confirmed as speaker for Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009-06-02 Peter Cowley, Managing Director of Digital Media for Endemol UK, will present a session at this Edinburgh Interactive Festival. Cowley is delivering a session titled: ‘Evolution of TV Branded Games’ – a subject he’s well versed on. Endemol has established itself as a global leader in entertainment programming, becoming the largest independent TV, cross platform and digital distribution company worldwide. Their recent history boasts TV hits such as Big Brother, Deal or No Deal and Wipeout. They’ve recently teamed up with Microsoft to bring the hit game show 1 vs. 100 to Xbox Live Primetime for the first time in console history. In his session, Cowley will cover games that support TV shows, the rise of social gaming and the convergence of TV game shows within games. The session will be followed with a moderated Q&A, in which the audience can put questions to Cowley on the theme of TV production and gaming. Wendy Rosenthal, Director of Edinburgh Interactive Festival, said “I am really excited about this year’s line-up. Once again, we have an impressive list of quality speakers covering a number of relevant, timely and occasionally, controversial subjects. It should make for an engaging and thought provoking two days. “Each year, the Edinburgh Interactive Festival’s diverse programme attracts a bigger audience representing a broad range of industries. People are quickly learning to appreciate the importance of incorporating both interactive gaming and media into their products and marketing. There is no other games conference in the world that provides this level of depth and relevant content.” As well as its industry focus, The Edinburgh Interactive Festival also has a broad public strand. www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com The Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009 industry conference will run on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th August. The public showcase will run over Friday 14th and Saturday 15th August. | |
| Pulse Festival is Here! First show tonight 2009-05-27 Yes guys after all the lead up its finally here. The Pulse Festival Fringe is among us, and over the next fortnight will be bringing the lucky people of Ipswich and beyond the best new theatre and dance pieces, many of which are en route to the prestigious Edinburgh festival - so you can get a privileged first peek now! Tonight at The New Wolsey Studio at 6pm you can see a work in progress from Segue Theatre of 'Songs from a Hotel bedroom'. These excerpts from a new musical theatre production introduce the timeless and bittersweet songs of composer Kurt Weill. Set in 1950s America, the scenario tells of a love affair between a touring singer and a writer who are accompanied by two tango dancers. Kate Flatt with creative team Peter Rowe dramaturg, award winning singer and actress France Ruffelle, and dancers Amir Giles and Tara Pilbow will show 4material from their esearch and development phase. www.segue.org.uk You can check out our preview features on Pulse here Or visit the official website here | |
 | Hachfest Tickets now on sale! 2009-05-20 Adrian Edmondson & 'The Bad Shepherds' to headline Hachfest 2009 (31st July - 2nd August) HACHFEST runs over 3 days with 2 stages of live music of all genres, providing a great weekend of entertainment for all the family. Showcasing local musicians and supporting local charities. (All profits go to charity). In 2009, the event kicks off with 'Foot Stompin' Friday' - an evening of folk & rock, with some of East Anglia's best known bands, including folk band 'Murphy's Lore', Pogues tribute - 'Waxie's Dargle', and headlined by 'The Bad Shepherds' featuring Adrian Edmondson. Saturday is 'Live, Local & Loud' - A hard hitting day of rock and pop acts of all ages, culminating in a double headline by local 60s sensation 'The Wild Oats', and top tribute act - 'Counterfeit Quo'. Throughout the day there will be performances from Road to V contenders 'Underline The Sky', local favourites 'Umbrella Assassins', and new young bands 'Walkway' & 'I Know Jack'. Energetic original indie band 'Jade' & space rock band 'Mohawk' promise to have the crowd jumping. Sunday is 'Alternative', with an eclectic mix of music and dance including original acoustic pop from 'The Caution Horses', & amazing jazz piano from 'Judi Willson'. Feel good pop band 'The Marvelous' (who have supported Hard-Fi, The Bluetones & The Dogs), and local Brazilian act 'Samboomba', ensure the weekend is rounded off with a bang! Organisers of this year's Hachfest have deliberately kept prices low: Friday: £10 Saturday: £10 Sunday: £5 Weekend: £20 Kids under 12: Free Tickets available from the following places in advance, as well as on the gate throughout the weekend (subject to availability): Wickham Market: Teapot Tearoom Framlingham: Bridge Street Cafe The White Horse pub Ipswich: Tourist Information Office 01473 258 070 Online at: Seetickets.com For more information and to find out what is happening over the weekend please visit www.hachfest.co.uk | |
 | Pulse Previews - youtube links to some of the plays in this month's festival 2009-05-20 tickets for Ipswich's theatre festival performances, Pulse (27 May-13 June) are selling fast, so if you wait around too long you'll miss out. What exactly will you be missing out on? Only the most exciting Theatre festival East Anglia has to offer! For a taste of things to come check out some of the youtube links below and then get booking your tickets on 01473 295 900. the Adventures of Woundman and Shirley A quirky and surreal coming of age story. Check out the absolutely astonishing animation showcase by Adam Smith, who is producing original pieces for the show. The Truth is I Can't Stop Telling Lies The hilarious Tam Hinton delivers another delerious slice of stand up comedy/performance poetry/storytelling madness. Check out scenes from last years amazingThe Naked Soul of Kirk Godless Mississippi & October Revolutions If you need a reason to see either of these pieces by the Python-esque Ornate Johnsons check out this video set in HG Wells' drawing room. It's one of the funniest things you'll see in ages! Britain's Best Mates Fan's of Ricky Gervais' humour won't want to miss this. Check out a preview here. Two Bye Two Into dance? Check out out of many dance performances peppering the Pulse programme. Jude Simpson The female Bill Bailey, except with less facial hair. Is Everybody OK? For evidence of theatre Nabokov's impressive abilities see this trailer for their previous production based on Gore Vidals essays on the Okhlahoma Bomber. Oh What a Shitty War! What do you get if you cross South Park with Rainbow? Shitty Deal Puppet theatre of course! Check out the trailer to their previous show to see what you can be in store for. Lost in the Wind Floating between hilarious comic scenarios and spectacular visual sequences Lost in the Wind blends clowning, puppetry, object manipulation and delicate physical performance; taking audiences gently by the hand and leading them into a dreamlike other-world. check the trailer out here. Circus Workshops Ever dreamed of running away with the circus? Well now here's your chance! www.companyfz.com Bully Check out Richard Fry's powerful, lyrical and comic acheivement. For more info on these and other shows check the Pulse website. | |
 | Peter Moore President of EA Sports to be keynote speaker at Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009-05-19 Edinburgh Interactive Festival yesterday announced that Peter Moore, President of EA SPORTS, will deliver the keynote address for this year's Conference. The Edinburgh Interactive Festival Conference delivers a lively schedule from a wide range of industry sectors including games, social networking, mobile entertainment, education, music, film and television. It also plays host to a range of free events including a games showcase, Dare to be Digital's Dare ProtoPlay and the Games Screening programme. Moore, who is lined up to be this year's leading keynote speaker, will focus his session on the challenge of reinventing the iconic sports game brand. "I am honoured to be invited to deliver the opening keynote at the Edinburgh Games Festival. This event is a milestone on the interactive entertainment industry's calendar, and I look forward to contributing to this year's discussions." Edinburgh Interactive Festival Chairman, Chris Deering, said: "We are delighted Peter has agreed to give this year's Keynote. He is one of the industry's global leaders and his presence at Edinburgh is an indicator of the importance and influence of the Festival." Also confirmed to speak this year are Jim Crowley of Turbine Inc. (Lord of the Rings Online), Sean Dromgoole of Some Research and Martin Owen from Smalti Technology. The Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009 will open its doors to the most creative industry in the world during the week of 10th August, with the industry conference running on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th August and the public showcase running over Friday 14th and Saturday 15th August. Keep your eyes peeled for more coverage of the festival in maddog! For more info check out: www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com | |
 | The Asteroids Galaxy Tour Confirmed for Latitude and Secret Garden Party 2009-05-15 Copenhagen's retro soul popsters The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are back with a new single 'The Golden Age' released through Small Giants in September 2009. A psychedelic blend of retro funky beats, brass band mayhem and an insatiable sing-a-long chorus, 'The Golden Age' will put the Asteroids at the forefront of the summer soundscape of 2009. Since fronting the Apple iPod Touch advert worldwide with 'Around The Bend' the band have gone from strength to cosmic strength since being discovered supporting Amy Winehouse by David Enthoven and Tim Clark (T-Rex, Roxy Music and Robbie Williams). And with support from the likes of Jo Whiley, Sara Cox, Jonathan Ross, Dermot O'Leary and an appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks they have already began to make their decent onto UK shores. The Asteroids are the latest exciting installment in the new wave of hip Scandinavian pop hitting the UK (think Robyn, Royksopp, A Camp), formed just over a year ago they are heading for fame faster than the speed of light. Sitting at core of the band is Lars Iversen and Mette Lindberg Pederson who together have fermented their love of soul and kaleidoscopic pop, and spectacularly brought it to life through Mette's utterly unique and very cool vocal - described by The Guardian as the Asteroids 'secret weapon'. Live, the band grow to a six-piece. Including a fully fledged horn section of trumpet and sax players, clavinet sounds, a drummer and a guitarist taking audiences on a gloriously woozy funkadelic musical trip. This summer the band tour extensively around Europe and join the fabulous Katy Perry on tour which hits the UK next month. Also catch them on the festival circuit with appearances at Secret Garden and Latitude. The Asteroid Galaxy Tour live dates 15th May: The Luminaire, London 7th June: The Academy, Birmingham (Katy Perry support) 9th June: Shepherds Bush Empire, London (Katy Perry Support) 10th June: Shepherds Bush Empire, London (Katy Perry Support) 11th June: The Dome, Brighton (Katy Perry support) 18th July: Latitude Festival, Southwold 24th July: Secret Garden Festival, Huntingdon 'The Golden Age' will be released in September 2009, followed by the album 'Fruit' | |
 | New Documentary on David Lynch Forthcoming 2009-05-14 Two essential releases for any David lynch fan! Lynch (one) Over the course of two years, beginning as director David Lynch started working on a project that would eventually become "Inland Empire", a small documentary crew was allowed to follow the director during his day-to-day business on location and at home. The result was LYNCH (ONE), an intimate portrait of the David Lynch's creative process, coming to DVD on 22nd June 2009 courtesy of Scanbox Entertainment. Given Lynch's usual reluctance to discuss the subjects and themes of his films, LYNCH (ONE) is, perhaps, the closest fans will ever get to a "making of" documentary, in this instance, the making of "Inland Empire". Compiled from over two years of footage, the film provides a fascinating insight into the creative mind of one of cinema's most original and interesting filmmakers and, as such, is essential viewing for David Lynch fans and general cineastes alike. Dumbland Prior to the release of LYNCH (ONE), on 8th June 2009 Scanbox Entertainment will also be releasing David Lynch's DUMBLAND for the first time on DVD in the UK. Consisting of eight animated vignettes written, directed, voiced and animated by Lynch himself (he also composed and performed the show's music) originally produced as exclusive content for his official website, DUMBLAND has been described by its director as "a crude, stupid, violent and absurd series." And he's not wrong. Every bit as weird, profane and provocative as you would expect from the man responsible for "Eraserhead", "Twin Peaks", "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive", DUMBLAND may be absurdist and deliberately low-brow in nature but it is also very funny and will delight fans of the director's more 'out there' works. | |
 | Norwich Lanes Summer Fair Announced 2009-05-12 The 2009 'Norwich Lanes Midsummer Fair' will take place on 21st June, between 11am-4pm. The event, which has grown from the popular St Benedict's Street Fair, is a day of fun for all the family celebrating the wonderful independent and historic part of Norwich known as 'Norwich Lanes'. On the day, celebrations will be taking place throughout the Norwich Lanes area with the main festivities occurring on St Benedict's Street and St Gregory's Green in the heart of Norwich Lanes. Planned activities include live music performances, games, food stalls, textiles and arts & crafts offerings. Last year thousands of people of all ages got involved in the day's events and organisers are hoping for an even bigger turn out this time around. "We are very excited about the event which seems to grow each year. It's great watching the children have such a fun time and it's also a perfect time for the unique businesses in Norwich Lanes to get together and celebrate our independence", said Clive Rowe, co-owner of Walkers of Pottergate and Chairman of the Norwich Lanes Traders Association. As a mostly voluntary organisation, Norwich Lanes Traders Association needs to raise around £2,000 to make the event possible and is appealing for anyone interested in sponsoring any element of the day to get in touch. Volunteers to help run the event are also required. Two fundraising events will take place to raise money for this year's Norwich Lanes Midsummer Fair. Both events will take place at The Birdcage on St Gregory's Green in Norwich Lanes. The first event is a mini-fair and will take place on Sunday May 17th. Vintage clothes will on sale and there will be refreshments and a raffle. The event will also feature music from artists due to perform at the Midsummer Fair. Tickets for the event cost £4 (£3 concessions) and are available on the door. The second event will take place on Bank Holiday Monday (May 25th) and will feature a "Brains of the Norwich Lanes" pub quiz. Businesses within Norwich Lanes and all supporters of the area are invited to enter a team to see who has the top brains in the lanes. After the quiz there will be music from a DJ, the event starts at 7:30pm and entry is £2 per person. For further details or to offer any assistance with sponsorship or to volunteer, please contact comms@norwichlanes.co.uk | |
 | Trailer for Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar's new western, now available 2009-05-12 Last week we reported on the exciting news that Rockstar games are working on a game set in the Wild West called Red Dead Redemption. A trailer is now available from the official website, and demonstrates without a doubt that this game will rock. A gruff frontier voice over, lamenting the hard life of the west, plays over a lushly realised world filled with dust, gattling guns and tumble weeds, immediately demonstrating how much effort has been put into the fine details of the game. Excellent voice acting, a cinematic sense of scale and a clearly sandbox style of game play will ensure that this is the best western game ever. Look out for a preview in a future issue of maddog. Check out the trailer here | |
 | What do you get when a hip hop producer, an international junk band and a female vocalist combine their musical talent? 2009-05-10 "ECO HOP"! After pioneering the world of junk funk, international junk band 'Weapons of Sound' exploded onto the stage with high profile performances that include; opening the Commonwealth Games in 2002, playing along side a whole of host of stars at the Queens Jubilee (Buckingham Palace) and, more recently, wowing the crowds at The Champions League final, The Royal Albert Hall and many of the big UK and European festivals. Travelling the globe from the UK to as far as China and with fans such as 'Al Gore' and the legendary 'Neil Armstrong', the band try to continuously develop their unique sound, all crafted from recycled bits of junk! A project formed from the idea of up and coming 24 year old Uk producer 1 Step (Tom Sweetman) - who's previous projects include producing tracks for Akil The MC (Jurassic 5), Freestyle (The Arsonists), Dannu (Visionaries) and many more - to use Weapons of Sounds eco friendly sound as the basis for a new musical genre. The result is a thumping track by Weapons of Sound and 1 Step featuring one of America's rising female mc/vocalists Dominique Larue, based in Ohio. The trio are proud to have created a new musical genre that combines elements of hip hop, break beat and drum n bass. A stomping club number that leaves the listener wanting more! 2009 will be the year to remember - When 'Eco Hop' started! | |
 | Don Diablo and Example release their white-hot new track 'Hooligans' on June 29th 2009-05-09 An in-your-face, party-hard, club mash up, 'Hooligans' comes complete with a genius video that will make even the Skins blush and is unlikely to be seen on GMTV anytime soon. With its ultra hooky 'We Came, We Saw, We Killed The Crowd' chorus and deviant bassline, 'Hooligans' has already had the support of Zane Lowe on Radio 1. The track also comes with remixes from Noisia, Spor, Dooley, A1 Bassline and Don's Disco Mix. Meanwhile London singer/rapper/musician/producer Example is currently hard at work putting the finishing touches to his next album which is due for release very early in 2010, preceded by a brilliant new single in September. A true genre-busting musical eccentric, Example mixes up rap, electro, garage, drum and bass, pop and rock to produce a genuinely unique modern sound which led the NME to describe him as 'a dysfunctional electro pop sensation' Example takes his show on the road throughout the summer, with a range of his own headline shows, headlining the Wonky Pop tour and Calvin Harris support before going on to shows in Ibiza through the summer: May15th Doncaster Priory (HEADLINE) 25th Oxford Academy 2 (Wonky Pop Tour) 26th Manchester Roadhouse (Wonky Pop Tour) 27th Glasgow ABC2 (Wonky Pop Tour) 28th Liverpool Academy 2 (Wonky Pop Tour) 30th Newcastle Academy 2 (Wonky Pop Tour) 31st Birmingham Academy 3 (Wonky Pop Tour) June 1st Nottingham Stealth (Wonky Pop Tour) 3rd London Islington Academy (Wonky Pop Tour) 24th London Proud Galleries Camden (HEADLINE/SINGLE LAUNCH) July5th London Wireless Festival Aug 30th Liverpool Creamfields Watch the new video for ‘Hooligans’ at http://www.myspace.com/leadingbyexample | |
.jpg) | Aldeburgh Music celebrate's the opening of the new Hoffmann Building this weekend 2009-05-09 This weekend Aldeburgh music are celebrating the completion of phase one of their ambitious plans to renovate several empty buildings around the Snape Maltings Concert Hall, which was famously set up by Benjamin Britten and has since become one of the most important centres for music in the country. The new Hoffmann Building contains four new spaces including the Britten Studio and Jerwood Kiln Studio, both of which are ideal for rehearsals or performances. This weekend the new spaces will be put through their paces with a weekend of music and festivities including Mali Latino, and experimental electronica from Faster than Sound, featuring installations, innovative collaborations and appearances from Quayola, EXAUDI, Paul B Davis (DJ), the world premiere of a quartet by Salvatore Sciarrino performed by the Prometeo Quartet and an exchange with Barcelona's SONAR Festival in the form of Roland Olbeter's musical mechanical quartet Robots with new compositions by Tim Exile and John Hopkins. There will also be a giant ferris wheel from which to enjoy the scenic views around the Maltings and the surrounding reed land. If you're at a loose end this week and feel the urge for some great music and views then why not take a drive down to Snape? For more info see www.aldeburgh.co.uk | |
 | Win tickets to see the new Star Trek 2009-05-08 maddog boldly goes... to see the new Star Trek film. And guess what? It's pretty damn good. You can read our review here You can also win tickets to see it at Odeon Colchester from here. | |
 | Tombstone Bullets announce Summer tour. 2009-05-04 Tombstone Bullets are a hard rock band based in Milton Keynes, influenced by classic rock acts such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, and more modern acts including Pearl Jam, Radiohead and Rage Against The Machine. Tombstone Bullets have been playing sucessfully for three years and have played gigs in Buckingham, Milton Keynes and Bedford. Among the venues they have played are The Pitz Club, The Sno!Bar and Dannys Bar. They have also recently appeared in interview on BBC 3 Counties Radio. Having just recorded their latest EP, Broken Rhyme. Both the EP and the bands live performances have received several favourable reviews from publications including Ampjam.net, New Pollution magazine and the Bucks Herald. In support of the new E.P. Tombstone Bullets will be playing the following dates: 17th June Headjamz Luton 8th August Live!Zone Xscape Milton Keynes 15th August Top Bell Leighton Buzzard 22nd August Craufurd Arms Milton Keynes 27th August Band Jam Buckingham 28th August Fen Festival Ely Cambridgeshire 3rd September Sno!Bar Xscape Milton Keynes 6th September Ivory Hitchin For more info check out Tombstones Bullets myspace: Myspace Tombstone Bullets Or Tombstone Bullets Offical Page Picture by Robert Cook Matthew Bunkell | |
 | Ubisoft unsheath Red Steel 2 on the Wii 2009-05-03 Red Steel remains one of the most successful Wii titles and the only brand created specifically for the launch of the platform. Red Steel 2 is being developed by Ubisoft Paris and will be available for the 2009 holiday season. Set in a desert-bound, high-tech metropolis, Red Steel 2 is a revolution in the action-fighting genre, taking full advantage of the capabilities of the Wii MotionPlus accessory. Your movements are faithfully replicated on-screen, putting the emphasis on swinging, shooting and fun! With the ability of the Wii MotionPlus to sense the strength of a swing, you will literally be able to make an impact on your adversaries through power and precision. "Red Steel was a unique opportunity for Ubisoft to work in tandem with Nintendo to create a title exclusively for the launch of the Wii console," said John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft. "Red Steel 2 is another milestone for the company as it is the first Ubisoft title with full Wii MotionPlus integration." Just as Red Steel broke ground as the only third-party brand created for the launch of the Wii, Red Steel 2 will be the must-have game of Holiday 2009 for those who wish to stretch their own capacities and fully experience a game that was built from the ground up to take advantage of the Wii. For more info see www.redsteel2.com | |
 | Pulse Website now live 2009-05-03 The brochure for the Pulse festival fringe has been out for a couple of weeks and now its been joined by a sexy user friendly website that will help guide you through the wealth of quality content coming up at this year's festival. Look out for May's issue of maddog which has five pages of previews on the festival outlining our personal highlights. You can also see this here. We hear there's another magazine trying to cover the festival, but we know which one you'd rather read! Check out the new website here Make sure you start planning and book your tickets now. They're selling fast. | |
 | Rockstar unveil two new titles 2009-05-03 Rockstar games, famous for the Grand Theft Auto series (read our review of Chinatown Wars here) have just announced two fantastic new titles in development for later this year. First up is Red Dead Redemption, an original title set in the Wild West. Let's face it we've all been waiting for a decent western video game since Call of Juarez, and this looks like it's positively oozing with the frontier! See screens here Most importantly, however, is the announcement of Max Payne 3, a next gen installment into the celebrated series that mixes the aesthetics of film noir with the style of the Matrix. see the game here The gaming future is bright people! | |
 | WARHOL FACTORY REJECTS presents TRASH 2009-04-29 Introducing the new Alternative Wacky Dress party for Norwich Pride 2009. We’re talking Trash glam art movement, super kitch, circo, basically, a disco bloodbath! With prize for most imaginative outfit!......think Leigh Bowery, think New York Club Kids, think art glam with nos. and Playing everything from dirty electro to retro dance party feel good tunes. The Alternative Wacky Dress Fundraising Party For Norwich Pride 2009 Sat. 23rd May Take 5 Crypt, 17 Tombland, Norwich Featuring the delights of...... Miss. Adventure DJ Spangle Porta-Party And man more.... The night runs from 8PM – 1AM Entry is only: 3 – Wacky Dress 4.50 – Normal Attire Including: Prize for most imaginative outfit visuals And more… Sponsored by The Ship of Fools 45 St Benedicts Street 01603 662194 | |
 | Sometimes I pretend to be a writer 2009-04-26 Talented young Norwich bass player and aspiring writer has been celebrated by family, friends and fellow musicians of the area, with a posthumous book and a tribute CD. Ben Shepherd was hot on the heels of success with his writing and music, before he died unexpectedly of a heart attack two years ago, aged just 29. Various bands from the city (and further) afield were rocked by the loss of a popular and passionate artist and so, decided to cover Bens work for a posthumous Book and CD to celebrate Bens life. Many of the artists who feature on the CD, Songs in the Key of Ben, will perform their interpretations live for the first time on May 15, the second anniversary of his death, at Norwich Arts Centre. The gig coincides with the publication of a collection of his lyrics, poetry and prose, entitled …sometimes I pretend to be a writer, which will be sold together, as one package, on the night. Ben played bass in Lalia, which got to the final of the prestigious EDP Next Big Thing competition in 2005, and also launched his own solo venture, We Are The Dots, which features on the CD. His former band mates, Angela and Rob, pay tribute along with Bearsuit, Andrew from Magoo, Cruiser Chimps, Alto45, Master Solo and many more. Advance copies of the book will be available from May 18 from Borders at Chapelfield, the UEA branch of Waterstones, Jarrolds in Norwich, Soundclash records on St Benedict's and a site dedicated to Bens life, www.birdsofmalta.com. Tickets to the gig are available from the box offices at the arts centre and UEA, priced £3. for more info : www.birdsofmalta.com www.norwichartscentre.co.uk franc botha | |
 | Pulse Fringe Festival Programme Launched Today 2009-04-20 Today sees the announcement of the exciting programme of the Pulse Fringe Festival in Ipswich, bringing the best new theater, dance and performance art to the region for two jam packed weeks of mayhem. It's like a mini Edinburgh festival on our doorstep! This year maddog is proud to be media sponsor of the event. Keep your eyes pealed for May's issue in which we will be running a massive preview of the festival as well as posting reviews on our website as the festival goes on. The annual PULSE Fringe Festival, hosted by The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, is a spring-board for fresh new artistic voices, as well as a home for risk-taking and cutting edge performance from more established artists. The Festival provides a platform for the development and presentation of work by regional, British and international artists of vision, nurturing artistic ambition and excellence across a range of art forms. Just like a proper festival Pulse takes place in several venues around the town including The New Wolsey, The New Wolsey Studio, Townhall Galleries, Sir John Mills Theatre and The St Nicholas Centre. "For 2 weeks Festival Frenzy takes over the town with audiences rushing from venue to venue desperate to see as many shows as possible," says festival director Stephen Freeman. "We have carefully scheduled events to make it possible to see almost everything but some tough decision will have to be made! Personally, I'm thinking of investing in a pair of roller blades so I can get from venue to venue in minutes. I can't wait and I know PULSE 09 will be a massive success." Tickets on sale now!!! www.pulsefringe.com | |
 | Anime and Italian Horror all nighters at the London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film 2009-04-18 This year's London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film will take place in the Apollo cinema in Piccadilly from 29th April to 4th May. Among the many events and screenings will be the festival’s regular Anime All-nighter plus a special Italian Horror All-nighter, both beginning at midnight on Saturday 2nd May. Screening at the Anime All-nighter will be GHOST IN THE SHELL 2.0, AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION, NARUTO THE MOVIE 3: GUARDIANS OF THE CRESCENT MOON KINGDOM, PANDA! GO PANDA! and ORIGINS: SPIRITS FROM THE PAST. In celebration of Arrow Video’s forthcoming 29th June DVD releases of Dario Argento’s SLEEPLESS and Lamberto Bava’s MACABRE, the Italian Horror All-nighter presents a rare chance to catch these two acclaimed classics on the big screen. This special event will also include screenings of Mario Bava’s “The Mask of Satan” and “Black Sabbath”. This festival is a must for fans of cult cinema in the making. Check out the full programme here | |
 | Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers - limited theatrical run at ICA 2009-04-16 The excellent Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers released by Third Window Films and reviewed by maddog this month is getting a limited theatrical release at the excellent ICA cinema in St James Park. The film is a deliciously dark and off kilter comedy set in rural Japan, in which three very different siblings are traumatically reunited after the death of their parents. It epitomises the brilliant new wave of comedy gems currently trickling out of Japan thanks to the efforts of companies like Third Window Films. It runs between 1-10 May with additional screenings on 16th and 17th. You can read maddog's review of the film here. | |
 | Godfather 2 hits the shelves 2009-04-10 Today sees the release of Godfather 2 on XBox 360, PS3 and PC courtesy of EA games. This delightful little hybrid of GTA style rampaging and Command and Conquer-esque RTS is sure to keep you closet meglamaniacs entertained for a good few days. Of course we've already been playing it for the last week or so and you can read our exclusive review here. It's an offer you can't refuse... | |
 | Fuzzy Lights from Cambridge on tour 2009-04-04 Cambridge-based group FUZZY LIGHTS are playing some gigs this spring in support of their album, A Distant Voice, released at the end of 2008 on Little Red Rabbit Records. Read maddogs interview with the band here. In addition to these dates, on the 8th of May Fuzzy Lights will perform a live soundtrack to Chris Marker's 1962 film La Jetee (the film that inspired Twelve Monkeys) in the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse cinema. MAY 02 Cambridge, The Junction Shed (w/ The Puncture Repair Kit + Richard Swift) 15 Leeds, The Packhorse (w/ worriedaboutsatant) 16 Newcastle, Cluny 2 (w/ worriedaboutsatan) 20 York, The Basement (w/ Tim and Sam's Tim and the Sam Band) 22 London, Wilmington Arms (w/ Audrey + Nat Johnson) 23 Bristol, The Folkhouse (w/ Manyfingers + Kukicha) 24 Brighton, The Druids (as a two-piece, nice weather for airstrikes festival) JUNE 18th Norwich, Arts Centre | |
 | Wildbirds and Peacedrums UK tour underway 2009-04-04 Wildbirds & Peacedrums have begun their latest UK tour ahead of the release of acclaimed second album The Snake. The Swedish duo deliver a haunting and hypnotic display of vocals and percussion, that must be heard to be believed, and recently returned from a successful outing at SXSW - where Dazed & Confused named them Best Performance. Two dates, including the London show at The Luminaire on April 7, are with labelmates volcano! (new single 'So Many Lemons' available Monday). www.myspace.com/wildbirdsandpeacedrums www.volcanoisaband.com Wildbirds & Peacedrums have also been confirmed to play an instore at Pure Groove on April 7 at 1.15pm. In the meantime, you can see Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin in action Bandstand Busking which was recorded at the beginning of March in London. This tour will see the band with steel drum in tow (see 'My Heart' on Bandstand Busking site): www.bandstandbusking.com Dean Bowman | |
 | Black Dog Theatre Co. presents : Failing Narcissus 2009-04-01 Black Dog Theatre Company, in association with Arts On 5, presents a play set in modern day Greece in the party resort of Malia, Crete. A physical, contemporary and absurd tragedy written and directed by Paddy Francis ****************************** FAILING NARCISSUS ****************************** Thursday 23 - Friday 24 April 2009 at Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Colchester Tickets Prices: Full: £7.00, Concessions: £5.00, Students: £3.00 Ticket Hotline: 01206 573948 for more info: www.essex.ac.uk/artson5 franc botha | |
 | Cinema Eye Honors winners announced in New York 2009-03-31 The Second Annual Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking were held last night at the Times Centre in New York. Over 350 guests from the independent film community, including directors, producers and distributors, attended the event - the only one of its kind to specifically recognise nonfiction film. The event was founded by Sponsor, IndiePix, the internet-based distributor of independent films, along with award-winning Producer AJ Schnack and Thom Powers, Documentary Programmer of the Toronto International Film Festival, to shine the spotlight on non-fiction filmmaking, which has reached an incredibly high standard in recent years with many titles breaking through into the mainstream. Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir', an animated documentary depicting the horrors of the 1982 Lebanon war, was the big winner of the night beating off 20 other nominees to receive four out of the ten awards including Outstanding Direction. The excellent Man on Wire took three awards. Of the 110 eligible films, which were released in 2008, 26 were nominated for the awards by a panel of documentary programmers from 15 different film festivals in North America and across Europe. Over 200 documentary professionals - including filmmakers, distributors and journalists - were invited to cast their votes on the final winners. For more information please visit the www.cinemaeyehonors.com Winners of the 2009 Cinema Eye Honors: Debut Feature: Up The Yangtze (Yung Chang) | |
 | Global Gathering 2009 Full Line Up Announced!! 2009-03-27 Hear it is guys! read and salavate at the dance music delights at Global Gathering for us lucky ravers this year! The Prodigy (Live) ~ Orbital (Live) ~ Pendulum (Live) Paul van Dyk* ~ Armin Van Buuren** Carl Cox ~ Above & Beyond ~ Eric Prydz ~ David Guetta ~ John Digweed Sasha ~ Richie Hawtin ~ Axwell ~ Dubfire ~ Erol Alkan ~ Fedde Le Grand James Zabiela ~ Steve Angello ~ Sander Kleinenberg~ Tiga Markus Schulz ~ Sander Van Doorn ~ Nic Fanciulli ~ Judge Jules ~ ATB Plump DJ's ~ Digitalism ~ Stanton Warriors Locodice ~ Scratch Perverts ~ DJ Yoda ~ Josh Wink ~ Andy C ~ Mark Knight ~ Lisa Lashes ~ Danny Howells ~ Magda Kissy Sellout (Live) ~ The Shapeshifters ~ Tidy Boys ~ John Dahlback Chase & Status ~ DJ Hype ~ Utah Saints ~ Hervé & Sinden present The Count & Sinden ~ High Contrast ~ Magnetik Man live Feat. Skream & Benga Andy Whitby ~ Rusko (Live) ~ Darren Styles & Breeze ~ DJ Marky ~ D Ramirez Altern 8 ~ Gaiser (Live) ~ Friction ~ Sebastien Leger ~ Menno De Jong Funkagenda ~ Fabio & Grooverider ~ Yousef ~ Micky Slim ~ Baby D (Live) Dave Spoon ~ Hixxy & Unknown ~ Noisia ~ Benny Benassi ~ Lisa Pin Up Paul Thomas ~ Joel Mull ~ Subfocus ~ Anne Savage ~ Caspa ~ Ratpack Mary Anne Hobbs ~ Kutski ~ A.T.F.C ~ Tom Middleton ~ DJ Sy & Gammer Hatcha & N Type ~ Josh Gabriel ~ Micky Finn ~ Dougal ~ Proteus ~ Gareth Emery Brisk & Ham ~ Nicky Blackmarket ~ Toddla T ~ Chris Lake ~ Hazard ~ Guy J Slipmatt ~ Rebekah ~ Pete Jordan ~ Jon Rundell ~ Mark Eteson ~ Kim Fai Re-Con & Squad E ~ Mark H ~ Robbie Long ~ Darkfire Dub ~ Stu Allen Garry K & Vapour + More to be Announced Its going to be awsome! | |
 | Royksopp's new album in shops 2009-03-26 Junior, the new album by Norwegian electronica legends Royksopp, is now in store and first impressions suggest that it will be the electronica release of the year. Especially interesting is the amount of collaborations, for instance with Swedish Singer Songwriter Lykke Li, Europop sensation Robyn, and two tracks with Karin Dreijer Andersson, formerly vocalist for the brilliant electronica duo the Knife. Forthcoming is the companion album 'senior', which appropriately is set to be a downbeat and introspective counter to Junior's bubbly enthusiasm. Read the full review here | |
 | Ridley Scott Awarded prestigious BFI Fellowship. 2009-03-24 The British Film Iinstitute (BFI) has just made *Ridley Scott *the 62nd recipient of a BFI Fellowship, joining other distinguished names in cinema history such as *David Lean*, *Clint Eastwood*, *Bernardo Bertolucci* and *Bette Davis*. Created in 1983, the BFI Fellowship is the highest accolade the BFI can bestow and is given in recognition of the outstanding achievement of those who have helped shape film and television culture in the UK. Director of */Thelma & Louise/*/ /(1991), */Gladiator /*(2000)/, and *American Gangster *(2007), /Ridley/ /Scott's first film */Boy and Bicycle /*(1965)/ /was made with the help of the *BFI Experimental Film Fund*. His career began in television in the mid-1960s, when he worked as a set designer, then director, on series such as */Z-Cars /*and */The Informer/*. He later moved into commercial advertising where he was renowned for his technical prowess and dazzling visuals. His debut feature film was */The Duellists/*/ /in 1977, which went on to win the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival; two years later he received universal acclaim with */Alien /*(1979)/, /which has since become a classic in the sci-fi genre. Following an on-stage discussion and celebration of his career to date at the *BFI* *Southbank*, the BFI Fellowship was presented by acclaimed director and former BFI Governor *Stephen Frears.* There was also a screening of Ridley Scott's magnificent sci-fi thriller */Blade Runner/* (1982), which took first place in the BFI's recent *75th* *birthday poll Visions for the Future*. The poll asked people to vote for one of 75 nominated films that they'd wish to preserve for future audiences. *Greg Dyke*, Chair of the BFI Governors said: Ridley Scott is one of the foremost directors of his generation. For me, /Thelma and Louise/ is among the most outstanding films of my lifetime. The scope and sweep of Ridley Scott's ambition, the astonishing detail in his portrayal of different worlds and different eras, is remarkable and unforgettable. Nearly all his films have become classics as his story-telling never fails to engage a huge range of audiences. But it is for his whole body of work that we celebrate with this BFI Fellowship. | |
 | What do you get when you cross a musical penguin, giraffe, monkey and an Eskimo child? 2009-03-24 There's not much we can tell you about the new four piece OneEskimO. Their charmingly twee and enigmatic biography begins: The little eskimO wondered and wondered. When he wasn't wondering he was thinking up stories, and singing along with tunes that lived inside his head. You see the little eskimO loved nothing more than to sing his little heart out. Eventually he teams up with a percussionist giraffe, a horn-playing monkey and a penguin who plays a mean guitar, and together they set off to the moon in the Eskimo's magic ark. It's unsurprising that the team behind the Gorrilaz is responsible for the traditional children's book style animations that accompany the bands songs, much like the wonderful 'Interstellar 5555: the Story of the Secret Star System' that accompanied Daft Punk's seminal album Discovery. Meanwhile Faithless producer Rollo lends his ample skills to producing the band's hypnotic electro-acoustic sound, which is reminiscent of Zero7 but with more melodic guitars (thanks penguin). But of course we at maddog know the identity of OneEskimo frontman to be reclusive singer-songwriter Kristian Leontiou, who received a modicum of fame some years ago as the 'male Dido', but left Polydor after being frustrated by how the music industry was twisting him into something he didn't want to be. Hence his radical reinvention, which he explains thus: I really wanted to make a beautiful, peaceful album, like a soundtrack to a film that didn't even exist. I didn't want my face slapped on the front, I thought it could be much more special to create visuals that represent the music I have always been Eskimo, it was a bit of an old nick name, and to me it represented something quite peaceful, making music in isolation. It seems OneEskimo's isolation will soon be over. After supporting Tricky at the Shepard's Bush Empire, the band embark on their own UK tour: May (with All Thieves and Bailey Tzuke) 6th - The Lamp, 2 Norfolk Street, HULL HU2 9AA, 7th - Korova, 39-41 Fleet Street, LIVERPOOL, L1 4AR 8th - MohoLive, Tib Street, MANCHESTER M4 9th - Brudenell Social Club , 33 Queens Road, LEEDS, LS6 1NY 10th - Hare and Hounds, BIRMINGHAM, B14 7JZ 12th - The Royal, DERBY, DE1 1EQ 13th - Bodega, 23 Pelham Street, NOTTINGHAM NG1 2ED 14th - ICA, The Mall LONDON SW1Y 5AH 15th - Fire Station Arts Centre, St Leonards Road, WINDSOR, SL4 3BL 16th - The Hippo, 9 Bath Street, PLYMOUTH 17th - Louisiana, Bathurst Terrace, BRISTOL, BS1 6UA 18th - The Joiners, 141 St. Mary St, SOUTHAMPTON, SO14 1NS 19th - The Cavern, 83-84 Queen St EXETER EX4 3RP 20th - The Perfect 5th, 61 High Street, TAUNTON, TA1 3PT 23rd - Cabaret Voltaire, 36 Blair St, EDINBURGH, EH1 1QR 24th - King Tuts, 272 St Vincent St, GLASGOW, G2 5RL One eskimO release their stunning, beautiful album 'All Balloons' on 1st June 2009. www.oneeskimo.co.uk | |
 | Shock and Horrors! 2009-03-24 After two long years Southend garage rock band The Horrors have finally returned with the release their new single 'Sea Within A Sea'. The song was released as free download on their website a couple of days ago accompanied by a dark psychedelic video directed by Douglas Hart of Jesus and the Mary Chain. Always keen to polarize opinion, The Horrors have taken on a completely different musical direction. Known for their short fast ferocious punk songs and Faris Badwan's deep snarling vocals, it will come as a surprise that 'Sea Within A Sea' is an almost 8 minute long track filled with spacey synths and mournful choir boy vocals. It starts off like 60s reinvention of 80s monotone art-punks Suicide, before taking off into the stratosphere with a beautifully epic Kraftwerk style finale. All of this however is still vaguely reminiscent of their cover of 'Shadazz' by Suicide, which was their only release of 2008. The biggest change is in Faris Badwans vocal style, which has been tamed and raised from the rock and roll crypt to a higher pitched chant like Morrissey, raising the dead with a voodoo prayer, seriously. Dare I say it, I believe The Horrors may have matured? All of this is a very exciting prospect for previous Horrors fans but also for those who were put off by their previous incarnation. Unfortunately some fans will probably be put off, 'Sheena Is A Parasite' this is not; 'Sea Within A Sea' requires a much longer attention span and a desire for more than just the noise onslaught of their first album 'Strange House'. The Horrors release their new album 'Primary Colours' on the 4th of May. Produced by Portishead's Geoff Barrow, NME's preview listen has suggested a gothic reinvention of shoegaze, lots of starry synths and surprisingly romantic lyrics. The Horrors will play an already sold out show in Rich Mix cinema in Bethnal Green before jetting off to tour the states with Kate Moss's favourite rock and roll band, The Kills. They then return to the UK for a tour ending with a show in the Electric Ballroom in Camden on the 5th of June. Words > Connor Crook | |
 | Libertines Reforming 2010? 2009-03-17 Since their break up in 2004 relations between Doherty and Barat have been slowly building. In April 2007 at the Hackney Empire, London, Barat joined Doherty on stage to play through some old Libertines songs together, their first live performance since the pair originally split. This obviously led to rumours flying about a reunion which have been denied by both parties each time they arise. However, according to multiple sources, Barat has recently stated that the pair were still the Libertines, while Doherty admitted that he had tried to "twist [Barat's] arm" about a reformation, before saying "2010" for a possible date. This gets us at maddog very excited, keep your fingers crossed! | |
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Global Language! get up to date with the lingo the clubbers are using these days |
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GLOBAL GATHERING 2010 Hotting up to be a landmark event......... |
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Sonisphere 2010 |
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| Date | Event | Venue |
| 06.08.2010 | Deaf Havana (Music) | The Junction - J1 |
| 07.08.2010 | Hardcore Ravenation & Dancekore (Clubs) | The Junction - J1 |
| 14.08.2010 | Warning (Clubs) | The Junction |
| 20.08.2010 | The Fiver (Music) | The Junction |
| 21.08.2010 | Pink Festival After-Party feat. Horse Meat Disco (Clubs) | The Junction - J1 |
| 19.09.2010 | Stick Man - Live on Stage (Family Theatre) | The Junction - J2 |
| 03.10.2010 | The Chalk Giants (Family Theatre) | The Junction - J2 |
| 17.10.2010 | Little Red Robin Hood (Family Theatre) | The Junction - J3 |
| 27.10.2010 | Who's Been Sitting in my Chair? (Family Theatre) | The Junction - J2 |
| 14.11.2010 | Twinkle Twonkle (Family Theatre) | The Junction - J2 |
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