Albion Continue Poyet Inquiry

By Henry Smith

The saga of Gus Poyet’s suspension continues as Albion Chief Executive Paul Barber has announced ‘inquiries will take as long as necessary.’

Poyet was suspended last month along with first team coach Charlie Oatway and managerial assistant Mauricio Taricco.

The Uruguayan has been manager of Brighton since 2009 and won promotion from League One in 2011.

The problems began after Brighton’s 2-0 loss to arch rivals Crystal Palace in the Championship semi-final of the playoffs.

Brighton officially apologised to The Eagles after excrement was found in the visitor’s dressing room, although no evidence suggests an Amex staff member was responsible.

Barber expressed sympathy to the fans saying, “I appreciate that the issues we have had to face in recent weeks have created some uncertainty and concern for some of our supporters.”

He added, “Unfortunately, this is something we must all live with for the time being.”

Poyet is under contract at Brighton until 2016 but has recently made no secret of his ambitions to manage at Premier League level, despite turning down an offer to manage Reading.

He said shortly after the Palace defeat, “I will analyse where we can go and myself as well. I have got to think about myself as well sometimes.”

There has also been a recent outcry in Spain, with fans of Real Zaragoza, where Poyet made his name as a player, calling for the club executives to make a move for the Albion boss.

Zaragoza’s current boss, Manolo Jimenez, is expected to leave at the end of the season after the club were relegated from Spain’s top division, La Liga.

Poyet’s future will be on mind of every Albion fan, who still seem to be backing the Uruguayan, who guided Brighton to a fourth place finish in the Championship this season, their highest since 1983.

Eastbourne Aegon 2013

By Pippa Birchall

The sleepy seaside town of Eastbourne on the South East coast of England is probably the last place you would think to find some of the world’s finest tennis players battling it out before Wimbledon.

But you may be pleasantly surprised to find out that this is in fact true! The likes of Laura Robson, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic and Gilles Simon will all be playing at Devonshire Park from the 15th – 22nd June in preparation for the All England Club Championships.

The event has been such a big success in recent years that the BBC will be covering the event from the 18th of June until the finals on the 22nd of June after a five-year break.

On the opening day it will also be completely free to enter the grounds and seats on Centre Court and Court No.1 will be unreserved, so there is no excuse to miss out! and for the hardcore tennis fans there will be an exciting Legend’s Exhibiton match on Sunday 16th June which will feature Greg Rusedski and Mark Philippoussis partnering up with Rennae Stubbs and Lindsey Davenport.

To view the list of players participating click here.

To book tickets click here: https://www.theticketfactory.com/lta/online/ There are also discounts for British Tennis Members!

One year on: François Hollande

By Nathalie Jacquemard

It is the story of a popularity in free fall. For the first anniversary of François Hollande’s presidency, numerous are the criticisms.The Cahuzac scandal. A stagnating economy. Unemployment levels going through the roof……..many reasons to be angry. Are we already to conclude that François Hollande underestimated the difficulty of the presidential post? According to Marie-Eve Malouines,head of the political department of France Info, it is more a case of Hollande having taken a clumsy approach to it.

“A normal president, that was a good tactic in a campaign opposite Nicolas Sarkozy but once he arrived at the Élysée, it was clear that it didn’t work. People want a president who knows about his prerogatives, who exhibits his authority. François Hollande just appeared weak and without authority.”

Calm, almost to a fault……that is François Hollande’style. But it’s not ideal in a time of crisis, when people want to know where they are going and want to know that somebody is safely holding the reins and in control.

François Hollande is not a very good communicator. He probably knows where he’s going but he doesn’t necessarily know how to explain it. It seems that the Hollande camp has cottoned on to the communication problem as the “60 promises of the presidential campaign” have just been published on the Matignon web site. The aim seems to try to show people that most of those promises have already been fulfilled.

The problem is that any measures decided on take time to be implied, and in a time of crisis such as France is facing now, people want results right away. If François Hollande had that elusive charisma, he would be able to “talk” his way into making people accept that things do take time.

Are the French so deeply and rapidly disappointed in Hollande because they expected too much of him? It is very possible. He was seen as a kind of saviour during the presidential campaign. A man who would finally end the reign of the ”king” Sarkozy. Sarkozy was so hated by the end of his mandate that the presidential elections became a “let’s get rid of Sarkozy” vote rather than “let’s elect a president” vote. The euphoria that followed was always going to be short-lived, once reality hit again. It is a heavy burden for Hollande to carry. Once Sarkozy was gone, some of the French voters woke up with a hangover and wondered who that man they had chosen actually was.

The Cahuzac scandal has made things worse. Hollande’s selling point during the presidential campaign was the fact that he wanted to “do politics in a different way (to Sarkozy), without the bling, without the focus on money”……and the Cahuzac scandal is pure bling. So it is obviously a hard knock for the president. Several proposed bills are stuck, the 75% tax on high salaries is at a dead end. The opposition says that Hollande is useless, that his plan to reorientate Europe has been an unquestionable failure.

There ARE a few victories to counteract those failures: Mali, same-sex marriage…..but this one has divided opinion. For François Hollande, same-sex marriage is a  great reform but he thinks only time can show that……….and that he will be given full credit and praise for it in the future.

He needs time. That’s unlucky for a president whose slogan during the presidential campaign was : “Change, it’s now”

Comedian set for Brighton return

By Sam Evans

A talented up and coming comedian is set to return back to the Brighton comedy circuit after two years of acclaim and sell out shows.

Stephen Foster, winner of 2011 Search For A Star and finalist of Sky 1’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’, will be performing at the Duke Box Theatre alongside fellow comedian Phil Reid.

The venue, officially named the Iron Duke pub, is based in the Waterloo Road area of Brighton and has a name for showcasing local talent in past Fringe Festivals.

Horsham based Stephen explained how much of a success the show has been during their tour of the country, and gave an indication of what the audience have in store by saying:

“If you have a mucky and dark sense of humour, this show is definitely for you!”

Please see details on how to buy tickets for the show below.

STEPHEN FOSTER & PHIL REID: One Up, One Down

Live at the Dukebox Theatre (The Iron Duke), Waterloo Road, Brighton.

Friday 14th June at 8pm

Tickets £6 each available at http://www.wegottickets.com

Bianco: Brighton Fringe review 2013

Bianco at Brighton Fringe Festival

By Rosie Murphy

Bianco by NoFit State is a health and safety-defying display of human acrobatics set in the Big Top on Hove Lawns.

The award-winning show demonstrates an abundance of elegant yet athletic gymnastics, with an often awe-inspiring affect.

Set to the tunes of a impressively versatile four-piece live band, the performance combines dignified displays of endurance with energetic and humorous pieces set in swim suits.

Brighton rocked after three members of the backroom staff are suspended

BREAKING NEWS:

By Sam Evans

Brighton and Hove Albion have sensationally suspended manager Gus Poyet along with two other members of the backroom staff for an alleged breach of contract.

The Albion, currently reeling from being beaten 2-0 by arch rivals Crystal Palace on Monday; have also suspended Assistant Manager Maurico Tarrico and First Team Coach Charlie Oatway.

The news comes after Poyet revealed in his post-match comments that he was “considering his options” after his side missed out on a chance to go to Wembley in the Championship Play Off Finals.

All three members of the coaching staff have been instructed not to contact first team players or go near the south coast club.

The suspension, handed out by Chairman Tony Bloom, looks like it is the end of a successful three years for former Chelsea star, Poyet, who ends his reign at Brighton as the tenth longest current serving manager.

The man who gave the US authorities the middle finger. Profile: Kim Dotcom

- By James Allen

Megaupload.com used to be the pinnacle of internet sharing and storage hosting. For those of you not in the know: megaupload allowed users to upload data (in the form of videos, pictures, mp3s, etc) and let other users download them for free. It sounds like an internet mecca, a golden peak of the World Wide Web, and indeed it was. This glorious site, which, just before closing, had 180m registered users (roughly one tenth of facebook’s user count) and at least 500m other monthly non-registered users, became a second home of the internet pirates. Along with megaupload, and its sister site, megavideo, users were sharing billions and billions of dollars’ worth of illegal content, pirated movies, bootleg mp3s and illegal images. It became the target of every major anti-pirating agency on US soil: The FBI, the department of justice, and the IPR (intellectual property rights) center. The website was seized, closed, and made an example of to others who considered founding a similar site. This was probably one of the most significant days of the internet since it’s very founding, a bloody battle (more of a slaughter) that left its (now famous) German-born creator, Kim Dotcom, looking for payback.

(see the seized website here, an eerie, yet fitting, gravestone for this slice of internet history)

Well, the day of reckoning is upon us. After a year of solid work, Kim Dotcom, on this very day, January 19^th, 2013, will open a new site simply named “Mega”. A new, revamped, encrypted site, modelled on the original megaupload.

So how is he not expecting history to repeat itself? Surely he, of all people, has reasons to avoid this (I’m sure the military helicopters that swooped in to arrest him in his New Zealand villa left him slightly afraid of Big Brother), but he assures his loyal followers (myself numbered among them) that failure is not an option this time round. The site will use new encryption software that encrypts data that uploads WITHIN the browser, instead of on your computer as it did in megaupload. This new model has been made possible thanks to new HTML5 browsers, powerful enough to handle the code involved in such a project.

Kim has completed this project while held under house arrest in his extravagant Villa in New-Zealand.  When the final megaupload court case was closed, it left Kim with a large part of his vast wealth safely back in the pocket of Hollywood studios, angered with the loss of billions of dollars from Kim’s site, and still complaining that it was not adequate compensation. However, I assure you that this did not get in the way of this slightly odd man’s crazy lifestyle, that involves his own golf course, a superyacht named ‘Amnesia’, a selection of supercars (each with carefully selected license plates: “GOD”, “HACKER” and “MAFIA”), and of course, a stunning modern villa with huge grounds and a maze. While I sadly have not had the chance to meet the man himself, those who have say he is just a jolly German guy who has no bad intentions, and a heart of gold. Pictures taken by the Guardian with him posing around his house, cars and on his yacht reveal some hilariously ludicrous images of a man lost in the life of a Bond villain. Those images can be found here.

I started writing this article but a few hours ago, and Kim promised early this morning that the site would open any time now. Those of us who relish the opportunity to use a site like mega have our eyes carefully glued to the screen and our mouse pointers hovering over the refresh button. Join the wait and prepare for a new page of internet history to be written at http://mega.co.nz/

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

By Nathalie Jacquemard

In The Passage, Justin Cronin imagined a terrifying world, born after a government experiment unleashed the apocalypse. 
Today, the adventure carries on with The Twelve, the second part of the monumental trilogy by Justin Cronin.

Nowadays: while the plague triggered by man unleashes, three strangers navigate among the chaos. Lila, pregnant, is so overwhelmed by the propagation of the violence and the epidemic in a devastated world that she carries on with the preparations of the birth of her child as if nothing was happening.

Kittridge, nicknamed “Combat in Denver” for his bravery, is forced to flee to escape the viral mutants, armed but alone, and aware that a tank full of gas will not take him very far.

April, a teenager with fierce willpower fights in a ravaged and bleak landscape to protect her younger brother.

All three soon discover that they haven’t been completely abandoned – and that hope remains, even in the darkest of nights.

A hundred years later: Amy and her “disciples” – the heroes of the first book of the trilogy, who fought in The Passage for the world’s salvation – don’t know that the rules have changed. The enemy has evolved. The 12 modern vampires, the original source of the proliferation of the virals, have given birth to a new occult power, incarnated by the evil Horace Guilder, who has an infinitely more terrifying vision of the future.

If the 12 are to fall, one of those who have joined forces to destroy them will have to pay with their lives.

An extraordinary parable on the theme of sacrifice and survival from the fertile mind of Justin Cronin, The Twelve will fulfill the expectations of the many fans of The Passage, international best seller unanimously hailed by the critics, as much as it will enthrall those who have yet to discover the prodigious universe created by Justin Cronin.

Brilliant, thrilling, poignant, the 800 pages of The Twelve are guaranteed to give you sleepless nights.

 

North Korea’s hidden internet, and hacking warriors ‘unit 121′.

- James Allen

As the Korean peninsula braces for war, the first conflicts have already begun as underground hacker groups race to gain access to North Korean networks, both military and public access.
In this article, I interview a notorious hacker, known only as “Jester”, and contactable only through his twitter account @JΞSTΞR™. He casts speculation on the danger of North Korea’s government run “Unit 121” hacking squad and reveals his own personal efforts behind the attacks on North Korean cables.

On April the 16th, the hacker collective “anonymous” claimed responsibility for hacking 5 North Korean sites which usually broadcast propaganda. The hacks took place on the 101st birthday of North Korea’s founder, an extremely important day in North Korea, also known as “The day of sun.”

Anonymous claims it was able to plant defamatory images on the sites, depicting Kim Jong Un complete with pig ears and nose, with the text “Wanted. Kim Jong Un.” sprawled at either end of the image.

However, the lone wolf hacker ‘Jester’ has a different story to tell. After a few attempts to interview him about his work, he agreed through a direct message on his twitter account to a short interview. I was keen to see just what he made of the ongoing conflict and what his involvement in the recent hacks

@jjamieallen: So what do you make of the recent anonymous hacks of North Korean websites? do you feel there is a genuine intent behind them or is it just a sporadic uncoordinated attack?

@JΞSTΞR™: I was quick to highlight on my blog that I started these attacks and provided the foundation for the hacks. Anonymous ‘hi-jacked’ my efforts, and whereas is started out as a genuine attempt to gain an insight into North Korea, it ended up being a media showcase, a chance for anonymous to claim the spotlight.

@jjamieallen: I’m sorry to hear that, having read about your efforts, I am aware just how much your exploits go unseen by the media. The western world has quite a good insight into North Koreas technical abilities, with various defectors and other sources clarifying what the North is capable of, but what parts of North Korea’s electronic arsenal remain unseen? What do you know of their ‘hidden internet’?

@JΞSTΞR™: The vast majority of North Korean internet surfers have never actually seen the Web. At libraries and educational facilities, they log on to something called Kwangmyong (roughly translated as “bright”). It’s been around since the early 2000s and it’s a completely closed intranet system, operating via fiber optic cable. It most likely has no more than a few dozen sites, most of them for education or propaganda. We have a relatively good view of the server layout of this network, however, and hidden military cables remain to be seen.

@jjamieallen: Interesting, so there may be less of a military presence in North Korea’s internet network than previously assumed. One story that surfaces every now and again in conversations about North Korea’s technical capabilities is something named ‘Unit 121’, an undercover army of North Korean hackers. What do you know of them, and do you consider them a genuine threat?

@JΞSTΞR™: I don’t think NK cyber threat is anywhere near as advanced as PLA/China, for them to have competitive edge in the cyber world they have to be part of it. They have to have a pool of talent to recruit from, and considering nobody in NK can get on the web, there is no talent. The biggest threat is the fact their ‘glorious leader’ is a basket case.

@jjamieallen: Certainly reassuring words. Some journalists have compared North Korea’s military power to be only marginally more powerful than Ethiopia’s…

@JΞSTΞR™: Their capability may be lacking but the fact Kimmy is crazy makes up for it. After all this shit-talking for weeks, he has to do something or he will never be taken seriously again on a world stage. He knows this.

@jjamieallen: This means they will be using outdated communication methods and very little electronic warfare should they choose to act. Does South Korea have any grassroots hacker programs throwing stones northwards, or are the efforts entirely from American soil?

@JΞSTΞR™: I am pretty sure South K have got their own talent ‘throwing stones’ even if it’s not officially sanctioned. But again, targets are very slim, if you look at NK address space using SHODAN there’s under 20 targets, for the whole country.

Read more technology features from James Allen Here

Love Supreme Festival

By James Rugg

It’s here, it’s here! And after that horrendously long winter it’s about bloody time too.

The sun has been out long enough now to warrant short shorts and summer dresses and some of us have even managed to attain that much desired radiant lobster-pink glow already. Our thoughts are already turning to the possibility of a summer filled with music, sun block, cool shades and cider.

We dream of a chance to forget about the stresses of work through scarcely-clothed, somewhat inebriated dancing. But where can we fulfil all of these desires in one convenient place? Well, a music festival of course!

With a world filled with notorious festivals ready to drain your wallet faster than an intoxicated casino visit, it is perhaps time to look at the smaller, lesser known options available. For those of you who have an insatiable appetite for all kinds of swanky music – Jazz, Soul, Funk or the Blues – I am happy to present Love Supreme festival.

The Love Supreme Jazz festival is taking place from the fifth to the seventh of July within the grounds of the Elizabethan manor house, Glynde Place, Sussex. In association with Jazz FM, Love Supreme will play host to some of the finest musical talent that the worlds of jazz, funk, soul, blues and fusion have to offer. It is also the first greenfield three-day jazz festival in over 20 years!

The line up has a little something for almost everyone and includes the legendary Bryan Ferry & The Bryan Ferry Orchestra, Jools Holland, and the jazz saxophonist master that is Courtney Pine. Here is a link to the line up thus far: check it out.

Personally, I can’t wait to bop soulfully to the funky Snarky Puppy and relish in the jazz-hip-hop fusion that is Soweto Kinch. And all while basking in the sun’s rays… Hopefully.

Weekend tickets, including camping and booking fee, are £129.60 and can be bought here.

Dreadlocked Banana finds a new home

Lucy Songi

A man spent his life savings on a carnival game, baffled commuters were shocked to read on their journeys to work early last week. Henry Gibbohm, from New Hampshire USA spent $2,600 on a game called ‘Tubs of Fun’ at a carnival in Manchester, New Hampshire, run by ‘Fiesta Shows’ while attempting to win the top prize of an X-Box Kinect.

He has commented in an interview with WBZ News, ‘it’s not possible that it wasn’t rigged’, defending his loss. He added that the decision to dip into his life savings came after the men at the stall had offered to refund his money if he won as he had gathered such a large audience.

The unlucky contestant returned home with only a stuffed banana complete with dreadlocks. He said in an interview with CollegeHumour ‘I had to actually walk away to figure out how I was ‘gonna handle this. I didn’t think that they could up and vanish like carnies do.’

After a week of mockery from all over the US, Henry’s luck took a U-turn. CollegeHumour, an American comedy website, bargained that if their Facebook page of the story got over ‘30,000 likes’ they would buy the Rasta banana from the Henry for $2600 and give him the X-Box Kinect he so desperately wanted.

Exceeding the target, Henry is now making others question whether good things can come to those who fail. CollegeHumour stuck to their word and Dreadlocked Banana now has a permanent residence in their office.

Having been captured doing some pretty extensive office work, it seems Dreadlocked Banana has become an integral part of the CollegeHumour team. I’m sure we all wish him well in his new career and will see him as a testament to how far you can come in just a week!

Review: Muse – The 2nd Law

By Tom Groom

Intergalactic gets a little bit brought down-to-earth

Album info

• Release date: October 1, 2012

• Producer: Muse

• Label: Helium 3, Warner

• Fact: The album is based around the 2^nd law of thermodynamics which states that no system can exist while maintaining endless growth.

 8/10

Not many artists describe their latest work as a ‘christian gangsta rap odyssey, with some ambient rebellious dubstep and face-melting metal flamenco cowboy psychadelia’, but then again not many artists are Matt Bellamy. Though Bellamy’s obsession with corruption and anti-politics may not be healthy, it sure makes for some heavily ambitious music, demonstrated on the band’s sixth meteoric album. ‘The 2^nd Law’ begins with the Devon-born frontman quoting that ‘policies have risen up and overcome the brave’, which pretty much sums up the political angle of the album: they don’t like politics. The head-banging, bombastic, overdriven riff of ‘Supremacy’ has a rising effect reminiscent of the band’s famous ‘Knights of Cydonia’ breakdown, and also the more politically-driven ‘Uprising’ from 2009’s ‘The Resistance’. Despite claiming this album was going to be ‘more personal’ and that there would be ‘a few love songs’, I don’t think Bellamy could resist the temptation to try and start a mass overhaul of government with the first song on an album. Political slamming first – love songs after. Electrically driven ‘Madness’ is the first example of the latter; a smooth, almost hypnotic tune (the “ambient rebellious dubstep” discussed earlier), with a bassy background and a crescendo-like finale, as more elements of the song come together, culminating in an earth-shattering note capable of melting insides to goo in no time at all. Some fans may not enjoy this side of the album, and indeed it does seem that the superstars have gone soft in one or two of the new songs. However, I am sceptical you will find more emotion in a song than is present in ‘Follow Me’, a collaboration of sorts with electric artists Nero. Matt uses his newborn baby ‘Bing’s’ heartbeat as the intro for crying out loud, and the song itself is a powerful message to his son, one that he need never be afraid as long as Dad’s around. While the beat to this tune may not feel out of place in a nightclub, Muse make the sound their own in a typically Muse way, as Bellamy produces more of his outstanding vocals to fill the song to the brim with raw emotion.

A highlight of the album is the groovy ‘Panic Station’, which draws inspiration from funk artists such as Stevie Wonder and Chaka Demus. Chris Wolstenholme starts to ‘slap de bass’ for the first time in Muse’s grand history, and the distortion usually found on Muse’s electric guitars is toned down to create a funky clean sound, reminiscent of that found in Wonder’s ‘Superstition’. Again, this is like nothing we have heard from Muse before, but it is this new direction and these new sounds that make this album great. Back to the emotional, passionate side of the album and soft-rock ballad ‘Explorers’, during which Bellamy states his worries about the planet being ‘overrun’. The song is slow and peaceful, so fans of the hardcore first albums may be feeling a little disappointed, or even angry, at Muse for ‘softening up’ on this album, but altogether each song contributes to a greater aim and a more complete album.

One thing many Muse fans will have been anticipating is the emergence of bassist Chris Wolstenholme as a lead singer for the first time in the bands’ history. The Devonian takes the main stage on ‘Save Me’ and ‘Liquid State’ – both of which are also written by Wolstenholme – and while he may not have the powerful range of Bellamy, the songs he offers up are full of emotion. ‘Save Me’ documents a little about his battle with alcoholism and Muse fans will be pleased to know the bassist nails the vocals and makes this song one of the best on the album.

The 2^nd Law comes to a crashing end with a two-parter – ‘The 2^nd Law – Unsustainable’ and ‘The 2^nd Law – Isolated System’. The former is a further example of Muse’s ambition and willingness to reach an audience previously untapped by their brand of prog-rock, as the other-worldly group attempt to make their very own ‘dubstep’. The track begins, however, with an orchestral build-up similar to that in the ‘Exogenesis Symphony’ trilogy of the previous album. Then Matt crashes in on a heavily distorted guitar, sliding up and down the fretboard to produce the back-and-forth bassline commonly found in dubstep tracks, all the while belting out another spine-tingling note guaranteed to make anyone go weak at the knees. It is a fitting finale to perhaps their most far-fetched, aspiring album yet.

News: Mourinho keeps us guessing

By Tom Groom

 Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho insists he has not decided to leave the Spanish giants despite being heavily linked with a return to former club Chelsea.

Speculation linking the Portuguese coach with his former employers began when earlier in the week he said he wanted to go ‘some where people love me’.

Mourinho left the Blues in 2007 after a fall-out with owner Roman Abramovich, but remains the club’s most successful manager, having won two Premier League titles and three domestic cups.

Mourinho said: “When I decide on my future, my wife and kids will be the first to know, then the president and general director (at Real)”

“I’m working with total professionalism and I still have the same honour and pleasure to work for this club as I did a month or two ago”.

Despite being under contract at Madrid until 2016, the ‘Special One’ hinted that he might return by talking about the ‘love’ he felt from fans in England.

Many bosses in the Premier League are already excited at the prospect of having Mourinho back in the Premier League next year, including Chelsea’s former charge and Mourinho understudy, Andres Villas-Boas.

The now-Tottenham manager said a return of Jose Mourinho to the Premier League would be a ‘spectacular’ event, saying: “he has a wonderful history in this league”.

Mourinho, 50, has won the Champions League with Inter Milan and Porto, and Chelsea fans were heard chanting his name in their Europa League semi-final last night.

However, it would take a huge £12million to free Mourinho from his Real Madrid contract, but then Abramovich has never been afraid to loosen the purse-strings.

In fact, trigger-happy Roman paid £18million to get rid of Mourinho and his staff in 2007, but will be eager to appease fans after the controversial appointment of Rafael Benitez as interim manager after sacking Roberto Di Matteo.

The Blues powered through to their second European final in as many years, thanks to goals from Fernando Torres, Victor Moses and a stunner from an invigorated David Luiz.

However, they have yet to guarantee themselves a Champions League spot for next year, and with big-spending French outfit PSG also after Mourinho, they could miss out on their former boss.

The former favourite Mourinho would certainly be welcomed back by the fans, but it was his tempestuous clash of egos with Russian owner Abramovich that caused the parting of ways.

The fans will hope at least that this time around Mourinho and Abramovich will put aside their differences and try to bring more major honours to the South London club. 

Interview: The Little Shocks

By Tom Groom

The Little Shocks are a teenage band incarnated in the heart of Chichester, the outcome of shifting line-ups in an already-existent band. A bombastic, guitar-driven, post-alternative indie sound gives this band it’s edge, and reminds you in part of a young Arctic Monkeys, with a little bit of Fratelli’s thrown in. The band consists of frontman Tom Herrington, Lead Guitarist Rob Brown, Bassist and backup vocalist Harry Caiger and manic drummer Elliot Jones, who I caught up with to interview about his band’s promising rise of success.

TG: What made you initially decide you wanted to be a musician?

EJ: I used to go to gigs all the time from the age of 11 after playing football from an early age. I picked up a bass first, but I was no good, so I got a cheap drum kit instead. It was all a bit random really.

TG: Who are your idols as drum players?

EJ: Chad Smith, Dave Weckl, Mike Portnoy, Dave Grohl and a bit of Travis Barker, people compare my style to him sometimes.

TG: How long have you known your fellow band members? And how did you meet them?

EJ: I’ve known Rob since I was about 5 years old and I was in a band with him a few years ago, we gig’d around Bognor. I met Tom and Harry in November last year on a music course at college.

TG: How did you guys decide you wanted to be in a band?

EJ: They (Rob and Tom) were already in a band for around a year, but the line-up always changed, and they never wrote much music. They asked me in November last year and Harry joined us in February after a couple more changes.

TG: So how long have Rob and Tom been doing it?

EJ: Since about February last year together

TG: Where do you see yourself and the band in 6 months/ a year?

EJ: Hopefully if everything pulls through we are looking to play some reputable Brighton venues over the next six months or so. We are looking to book a tour for the summer next year, but we’ve got lots planned in between the two, but that’s secret!

TG: That sounds awesome. Your Facebook page, facebook.com/TheLittleShocks, tells me you’re unsigned, have you had any offers yet?

EJ: We haven’t as of yet, but playing at Coalition turned some heads in the right direction. We have things to work on and get better at, it’s something to look forward to as and when it happens. We need to show everyone what we’ve got over the next year.

TG: I, regrettably, couldn’t make it to your Coalition performance, but I saw it on YouTube, you were ace. When’s the next gig?

EJ: It was nuts man, we are doing a minibus every time we go for a fiver each. We are at the Exchange in Hove on the 17^th of November and we are waiting for dates from the Prince Albert and the Hope in Brighton.

TG: Who, in your opinion, are the main influences on the band?

EJ: It’s hard to say really, but others say Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, The Strokes; these are the main ones people compare our sound to. People say a lot of different artists, we all like different stuff so the music and songs are influenced by lots of music.

TG: It’s good that way because you can get the best of everything. What would be your dream gig?

EJ: Yeah man we’ve got some hard-hitting tunes, some have grooves and funky melodies, it’s a nice mixture. Our dream gig would be without a doubt supporting the Arctic Monkeys! Realistically, if we work hard we want to try and get on one of the big festivals next year.

TG: Either of those would be awesome. What’s the best gig you’ve played to date?

EJ: Coalition without a doubt, we blew the roof off and got a good reaction from the judges and other Brighton venues afterwards. Looking back on it, that’s one gig we will remember forever, no matter what happens.

TG: It looked pretty manic from what I saw! You hear a lot of crazy stories about rock and roll guys doing stupid stuff, what’s the craziest time you’ve had personally or with the band in the time you’ve been playing?

EJ: (chuckles) The most rock and roll moment of my life was playing in a mankini with a former band for our last gig. I think as a band, the funniest one was Rob’s birthday, we had a gig that night and he was trollied. We need to have a big night out together when my passport arrives.

TG: I saw pictures of that gig. How difficult has it been to get gigs and attention in a music scene dominated by pop groups?

EJ: Round here we have done well because there’s not much music that’s like ours. At Coalition we were the only band of our kind, so we just have to keep writing massive tunes like we have been, still lots to come over the next few months.

TG: In my opinion, you should keep doing what you’re doing. You have nearly 500 fans on Facebook now, that’s quite a landmark! How useful has the internet been in promoting what you’re doing?

EJ: The main thing is going to bigger places and writing bigger and better songs, it’s all in the name of fun. Facebook especially helps massively – we are looking into other methods including a website in the new year.

TG: I guess half of it is not losing sight of who you are as a band. Do you have any pre-gig rituals?

EJ: The boys are fat fuckers, they get as many kebabs as possible, I just chain smoke! Other than that we just get as pumped as possible.

TG: One more thing, if you could meet any one of your musical heroes, who would it be?

EJ: I want to meet Chad Smith, then my life would be complete. From the band’s perspective, it would be the Arctic Monkeys or Alex Turner for sure.

Gears of War: Judgment Review

By Tom Groom

Judgment may not be the revelation the first Gears game was, nor may it be as rounded as it’s predecessor Gears of War 3, nor does it have the campaign intensity of the franchise’s second instalment – but what it has over it’s 3 bigger brothers is innovation. Epic Games, minus lead developer Cliff Bleszinski, have had to create a game to re-energise the Gears saga, one of the most-loved game series’ of the 21^st century. So, where to begin. Let’s start with the campaign.

The focal point of the Judgment campaign is Lieutenant Damon Baird, a cocky, blond-haired young Gear who, to his credit, has an impeccable record with the COG. Him and squadmates Augustus Cole (ex-Thrashball player and fan-favourite), Garron Paduk (a badass ex-UIR fighter with a grudge against the COG) and Sofia Hendrick (a by-the-book pro still in training for the Onyx forces) are charged by Colonel Ezra Loomis with treason, theft of military technology and cowardice. The story is told through the narrative of Baird, with his witty insights shedding light on the situations he and his squad faced in the build up to their ‘war crime’. While the story may not have the significance or impact of those games before this in the series, it gives the audience a chance to hear a little bit more about the background of Baird and Cole, albeit with less of the latter.

I’ll get straight to it, if you’re looking for longevity – look somewhere else. The main campaign took me and a mate between 3-4 hours to complete, while the ‘Aftermath’ unlockable section (where we see what Cole and Baird got up to in their Gears 3 absence) took little over a hour. However, it does have it’s upsides. The new ‘Declassified’ options offer interesting alternatives to the action in this game, whether its killing numerous locust armed only with a pistol or dashing through an area before a Hammer of Dawn strike incinerates your ass. This adds to the intensity of the battle, as does the new semi-random Locust spawn system. The enemies you encounter change every time, so you never fight the same baddies twice. One attempt could see you facing innumerable pesky Wretches, while another could see you piling clip after clip of Lancer ammo into a stubborn Boomer. The Gears Judgment campaign also incorporates features of the game’s cornerstone seller – Horde mode. Something will happen, such as an order comes through to hold the fort, and you are told you have a certain amount of time to prepare and set up defences before facing waves of Locust, something entirely new to the Gears campaigns. The visuals are just as, if not more than, stunning as Gears 3, which is one of the most beautiful third-person shooters I have ever played, and the cinematic cutscenes are mastered to perfection.

The game’s multiplayer is totally unique in the series too, with game modes such as Free-for-all and Domination being introduced beside fan-favourite Team Deathmatch. These game modes are all self-explanatory and have featured in many multiplayer games before, but is the addition of the new ‘OverRun’ mode that makes this game’s online play so different. A combination of Gears’ trademark Horde mode and Gears 3′s Beast mode, you and a team of four others play as both the Locust and the COG. While on the COG’s side of the fight, you and your team set up defences to hold of the opposing Locust. The new class system in this game mode makes the battle very balanced, if a little in favour of the Locust. As members of the COG, you can choose to be: an Engineer (Baird) , who holds a blowtorch for repairing fortifications and an automatic turret; a Medic (Sofia) with a stim-gas healing grenade and Sawed-Off Shotgun; a Scout (Paduk) who grips his trusty UIR semi-auto sniper the Markza and spot grenades, which tag enemy Locust; or a Soldier (Cole) armed with a grenade-firing Booshka and ammo handouts, which come particularly in handy during the final stages of your desperate defence. Locust forces include a Ticker, Wretch, Grenadier, Kantus, Mauler, Serapede, Corpser and the all-new ‘Rager’ – a Locust with a bad attitude you won’t like when he’s angry.

There is another new mode – ‘Survival’, but I’m not entirely sure what it’s there for. It involves you playing as the COG as you would in OverRun, but holding off against 10 waves of Locust without ever changing sides. So I’m sure many of you will be sticking to OverRun. All-in-all this game is a breath of fresh air to the Gears series, and exactly what it needed. The worn out third-person shooter needed this invigoration to pick itself up after the exhausting completion of the Gears story arc, and Judgment fully pays the bills.

Overall rating: 9.2/10

Profile: Muse’s Matt Bellamy

Bellamy playing his signature custom ‘Glitterati’ Manson electric guitar

By Tom Groom

For a man like Matthew Bellamy, abnormal is normal. The Devon-born Muse frontman started out his musical life by figuring out the Dallas theme tune and playing it on the piano for his brothers’ friends’ amusement. He then decided, at 11, he wanted to buy a guitar after seeing a recording of Jimi Hendrix’s famous fiery jam at the Monterey Pop Festival. The rest, as they say, is history. He and fellow Devonians Chris Wolstenholme and Dom Howard have gone on to produce 7 studio albums and sold over 10 million albums worldwide.

Bellamy, who never ‘had a dream of becoming a rock star’ didn’t have a normal upbringing – his mother and older brother used a Ouija Board to contact the dead and his mother also cursed him for breaking a mirror which led to his parents’ break-up. He says of the incident, “It was ok at home, middle class, we had money – until the age of 13. Then, everything changed, parents got divorced, and I went to live with my grand mother”. His father was George Bellamy, member of a band called the Tornadoes who were the first UK band to get a number one in America. Bellamy however, is normally not one for the spotlight, especially when out in public with wife and mother of his child, Bing, Kate Hudson. This prompted a bizarre stunt in which Bellamy wore a Tesco carrier bag over his head.

Matt is known for his extravagant vocals and guitar manipulation, and is probably the main reason for Muse’s success in the category for Live awards. What other people may see as incessant wailing, fans hear as g#5 in all it’s glory. What others see as guitar wankery fans hear as beautiful rock melodies. Muse aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and neither is Matt Bellamy. His capability of reaching such extremely high notes with relatively little practice can be attributed to the fact that a doctor once told him he had unnaturally small vocal chords according to bandmate Dom Howard, speaking at Route du Rock 2001. His beliefs in the supernatural and conspiracy theories lead many to believe he’s just a nutter with an axe, but there is an intelligence to the man, who holds an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Plymouth.

The 5ft 7in frontman (named Sexiest Man in the NME Awards 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013) tied himself down in 2011 to actress Kate Hudson, with whom he had his first child Bingham Bellamy, whose heartbeat was recorded and used on a track from The 2^nd Law, ‘Follow Me’. Despite his experiences with shrooms and alcohol in his younger years (and the latter during an interview with NME in 2011) the rocker has settled down, but still continues to play with Muse. Speaking about his experience with drugs Bellamy said, “I’m not afraid of seeing something horrible. It’s a way of connecting with yourself in a way that you can’t normally do”. However he always avoided ‘hard drugs’, and described a flat he moved into with a drug dealer aged 18 as a ‘scene from Trainspotting, white powders and mirrors and tin foil everywhere”. Matt holds the world record for most amount of guitars smashed on a single tour (140 during Absolution Tour) and can also say the alphabet backwards. He is one of rock’s most celebrated and strange celebrities, who continues to be able to sell out a 75,000 capacity Wembley Stadium.

So while Bellamy may not be the stereotypical rock star, there is something different about him, a kind of odd charm that doesn’t really coincide with the style of music he plays. Behind the brash, falsetto-belting dancing-around-the-stage exterior, there is a complex and intelligence to Matt Bellamy rarely viewed from the outside. Often though, shades of this bizarre brilliance filter into songs, such as the self-composed 13-minute three-part ‘Exogenesis Symphony’ featured on Muse’s 5^th album, ‘The Resistance’. The Symphony is composed by Bellamy, and according to him, “It is a story of humanity coming to an end and everyone pinning their hopes on a group of astronauts who go out to explore space and spread humanity to another planet”.

 

Not many people can predict what Bellamy is going to do next in his life as he continues to rise higher and higher with Muse. He once said he would like to ‘play a gig in space’ and also ‘in the constellation of Pleiades’ – a star system that (according to one of his favourite conspiracy theories) aligns with the Eygyptian and Cydonian pyramid systems, so be on the lookout for tickets to those gigs. For now though, him and Muse are beginning the second leg of their world tour in the UK, playing a host of stadium shows over the summer. Grab tickets if you want to experience being in the presence of one of the most fascinating men in rock.