Read my Rupture Dogs review from Animal Disco at Auntie Annies on Friday night over here at ATL! Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, GO ON!
I was quite pleasantly surprised by these lads. They have a lot more going on than just the loud, dirty rock thing. They have some really interesting moments that show quite a bit of depth and potential to carve out their own little niche in the rock scene here (and beyond, to be fair). Which is saying a fair bit, given that we've got so many decent loud rock bands (many of whom were representing in style on Friday night) in this tiny little country of ours, each doing their own thing and doing it damn well. And they've got a great stage presence - assured without being too cocky or arrogant, just getting on with doing their thing.
I'm very curious to see what happens next for them - I'll definitely be keeping an eye out.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
NEDS - film review
NEDS stands for Non-Educated Delinquents – it’s the story of young John McGill, a bright and quiet boy growing up in 1970s Glasgow under considerable strain stemming from an abusive father, and being tarnished by the reputation of his older brother Benny, the local hardnut. He falls in with the wrong crowd and becomes one of said delinquents. At first glance, then, you might expect it to be ‘This Is Scotland, 1976’. Which, it sort of is, but also isn’t.
Director Peter Mullan employs a very realistic and almost naturalistic style throughout the film, from the cinematography to the acting. The cast are comprised of a bunch of unknown non-actors, which lends a stark rawness to the film that would be difficult to achieve any other way.
Glasgow looks very different to the depictions that we usually see on screen. Instead of a grey, miserable, dilapidated metropolis, there’s a lot of leafy greenery – lush gardens, estates surrounded by greens and stretches of grass and forest. This helps to draw us in, rather than reject the film as just another tale of violence and crime in the city.
So too does the humour in the film. There are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, and the young cast display expert timing. As the film goes on, however, the humour becomes progressively more and more jarring next to John McGill’s dark descent into sociopathy.
Definitely worth checking out, if you’re in the mood for a thoughtful, bleak, and provocative film, which will stay with you for quite some time.
If you want to see it, go to www.queensfilmtheatre.com and book tickets using the code ORLA10 for discount!
Fight Like Apes - gig review
And it seems that I also forgot to link up my ATL review of Fight Like Apes from before Christmas. Whoops. So there it is.
Anyone familiar with Fight Like Apes shouldn't be at all surprised to read that it was a brilliant gig. They never don't do brilliant gigs. They're one of my all-time favourite live bands, anywhere, for sure. If you manage to go to one of their gigs and come out anything other than a huge sweating, grinning, exhausted mess, then you're doing it wrong. They are more fun than should be legal, to be honest. Even though it was a really quiet night, numbers wise, thanks to the uncanny impression of Siberia that our climate was doing at the time, it didn't take long for everyone to let go and have an absolute ball.
And what I love about FLApes, aside from their absolutely cracking music, fantastic party atmosphere (I mean, they get people waltzing. WALTZING), boundless energy and enthusiasm and their consistency to always deliver, is that they seem so lovely. They have the whole crazy rock persona thing down, but they all - MayKay especially - just seem so nice and lovely and appreciative of their audience that you can't fail to be endeared. I mean, they gave a guy a present cos he was on his way to their cancelled gig in Derry the night before when he found out it was off, and managed to make it to the Belfast show instead after finishing work. That's the kind of gratitude and affection you don't often see from a band to their fans.
But, I could enthuse here about them all day, frankly, so I'll just leave it at that for the time being and save the rest for the next time I see them live!
Anyone familiar with Fight Like Apes shouldn't be at all surprised to read that it was a brilliant gig. They never don't do brilliant gigs. They're one of my all-time favourite live bands, anywhere, for sure. If you manage to go to one of their gigs and come out anything other than a huge sweating, grinning, exhausted mess, then you're doing it wrong. They are more fun than should be legal, to be honest. Even though it was a really quiet night, numbers wise, thanks to the uncanny impression of Siberia that our climate was doing at the time, it didn't take long for everyone to let go and have an absolute ball.
And what I love about FLApes, aside from their absolutely cracking music, fantastic party atmosphere (I mean, they get people waltzing. WALTZING), boundless energy and enthusiasm and their consistency to always deliver, is that they seem so lovely. They have the whole crazy rock persona thing down, but they all - MayKay especially - just seem so nice and lovely and appreciative of their audience that you can't fail to be endeared. I mean, they gave a guy a present cos he was on his way to their cancelled gig in Derry the night before when he found out it was off, and managed to make it to the Belfast show instead after finishing work. That's the kind of gratitude and affection you don't often see from a band to their fans.
But, I could enthuse here about them all day, frankly, so I'll just leave it at that for the time being and save the rest for the next time I see them live!
Whoops...
Yeah, so I was supposed to do a lot more of this blogging thing over Christmas. Perfect opportunity, I thought - write about all the Christmas movies that I love since I know them so well, I thought. Well, see what thought did? Yeah, not an awful lot.
It is my intention to try to get out a lot more this year and be a bit more social and get to more gigs and what not, so hopefully I will have a lot more motivation/impetus/reason to blog a bit. Maybe. Kinda. I hope.
In the mean time I leave you with this thought - the Black Eyed Peas need to be banished forthwith. I'm pretty sure that 'The Time' abomination is going to entrance me into a killing spree one of these days...
It is my intention to try to get out a lot more this year and be a bit more social and get to more gigs and what not, so hopefully I will have a lot more motivation/impetus/reason to blog a bit. Maybe. Kinda. I hope.
In the mean time I leave you with this thought - the Black Eyed Peas need to be banished forthwith. I'm pretty sure that 'The Time' abomination is going to entrance me into a killing spree one of these days...
Seven Summits - gig review
So, here's my review on ATL of Seven Summits from Friday night at Animal Disco in Auntie Annies.
First of all, I have to say that Animal Disco is really a cracking wee night. I can't say for certain without commissioning a full market research report, of course, but I'd imagine that the combination of DJs playing some class indie/rock/dance/hip hop type tunes with just a wee sprinkling of some magnificent cheese, with a local band on is a pretty good way of getting a few more folks involved in the local music scene and exposing them to gigs and bands that they might not be so fussed on ordinarily. It's a really great combination for a brilliant Friday night out, and creates a cracking party atmosphere. Also, playing Horse Outside = massive, massive win.
And onto Seven Summits. As I said in the review, they have a lot of promise. They're very together and assured on stage, and in Burning Heart they have one hell of a cracking single. It's catchy, it's radio-friendly - it's a gem, and if they can keep that sort of standard up they really should go far. But as their debut album contests, they are more than just a band who can crack out a decent wee indie pop tune here and there - they have a lot of depth, subtlety (sidenote: is it just me, or does that work never look like it's spelled properly?) and substance to them. They're definitely ones to watch for the future.
First of all, I have to say that Animal Disco is really a cracking wee night. I can't say for certain without commissioning a full market research report, of course, but I'd imagine that the combination of DJs playing some class indie/rock/dance/hip hop type tunes with just a wee sprinkling of some magnificent cheese, with a local band on is a pretty good way of getting a few more folks involved in the local music scene and exposing them to gigs and bands that they might not be so fussed on ordinarily. It's a really great combination for a brilliant Friday night out, and creates a cracking party atmosphere. Also, playing Horse Outside = massive, massive win.
And onto Seven Summits. As I said in the review, they have a lot of promise. They're very together and assured on stage, and in Burning Heart they have one hell of a cracking single. It's catchy, it's radio-friendly - it's a gem, and if they can keep that sort of standard up they really should go far. But as their debut album contests, they are more than just a band who can crack out a decent wee indie pop tune here and there - they have a lot of depth, subtlety (sidenote: is it just me, or does that work never look like it's spelled properly?) and substance to them. They're definitely ones to watch for the future.
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