R: Hi Dizzee

D: Hi
R: Ok, so, you’ve got a new album coming out in September?

D: Yeah, Tongue ‘n’ Cheek

R: Can you tell me a bit about it?

D: Er, yeah. Basically it’s a crazy pop album, it’s the kind of album that you can like, have a party to, that was the idea, but yeah, there’s a lot of really up tempo, er, quite happy sounding tracks on it. Bits of dance music elements in it, elements of hip hop, and stuff like that.

R: You’ve done a few collaborations now with the likes of Calvin Harris and Armand Van Helden, are there any more on the new album.

D: Nah, that’s it now

R: Have you got a new single that’s going to be put out before the album?

D: Yeah, it’s another big tune, that’s been produced by Calvin Harris, but he’s not featured in it. It’s called’ Holiday’, and that’s coming out in August.

R: What’s the best thing about being Dizzee Rascal?

D: Just being able to do what I love, to make music and get people dancing is pretty amazing.

R: You’ve had quite a rebellious youth, apparently robbing pizza delivery boys and fighting with teachers, have you lost your wild ways?

D: I’m just getting on with work now.

R: What do you feel proudest of?

D: I guess having a career this long and getting stronger and building the fan base makes me feel proud.

R: And what can we expect from your set tonight?

Er, just a lot of vibes, a lot of energy, that’s what we’re going to bring to the stage tonight.

(l-r Zosia Swidlicka, Dizzee Rascal, Rajina Gurung)

Rajina Gurung

PLUS: HUGE INDUSTRY SUPPORT AND SECRET GIGS / SUN SET TO SHINE ON BBL 09!

16^TH – 19^TH JUNE 2009

BREAKING NEWS**NEW SITE: PORT LYMPNE SAFARI PARK / KENT

www.beachbreaklive.com

DIZZEE RASCAL/ THE ZUTONS/ MYSTERY JETS/ FRIENDLY FIRES/ LADYHAWKE/ HADOUKEN / DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP / THE WHIP/ CUBAN BROTHERS/ WILL AND THE PEOPLE / RED LIGHT COMPANY/ EBONY BONES/ DAN BLACK/ VV BROWN/ ESSER/ DELPHIC/ OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT / FLASHGUNS/ ZARIF/ RODNEY BRANNIGAN/ ALESSI’S ARK/ OU EST LE SWIMMING POOL?/ THE HITCHCOCK RULES/ VICES/ YEARNER BABIES/ 8 FOLD/ SPIRES/ THREE SEEDS IN PARIS/ ROKHSAN/ FRE3 PEACE/ THE DIRTY DISCO

You’re the most hyped band of the year with the NME hailing your album, “the best album of the year,” how do you feel about it?

I agree with them, I think it’s the best album of the year! In terms of pressure, the pressure was when James was writing the album and no-one knew who we were and we were lucky that everyone in the press seemed to like it. There are different pressures now like getting out of bed in time!

Your album was beaten to number one by Metallica, any bitter feelings?

None at all, I went to the bookies and put money on them, so I got something out of it! We knew from day one that they would get to number one as they’re one of the biggest bands in the world. We weren’t that far off, we’ve sold a lot of albums and I’m surprised at that.

How would you describe your sound to new listeners?

It’s quite hard to describe, it’s a big sound and very orchestral.

Your music is quite wall of sound like, was Phil Spector a big influence on the music?

When we started we listened to the Spector Christmas album a lot. We love the girl groups stuff, the 60’s was an
incredible time.

What do you think of other so called 60’s soul singers like Duffy?

I think she’s got a great voice but there are many people like her trying to do the whole 60’s thing but it still comes out very pop sounding and not very original at all. I don’t think there’s a lot of stuff going on and people could do something really good if they tried.

If only you were all girls, you could have been the next Ronettes!

We could have also been the next Westlife!

You’ve also been likened to Jesus and Mary Chain and Oasis, how do you feel about the comparison?

I guess the main issue is the stand up drummer and the feedback on the guitar, but other than that I don’t see the comparison with Oasis, it’s probably because were friends with the man responsible for Oasis, Alan McGee.

Is he a nice chap?

He’s an incredible guy and to be friends with him is bizarre because when I was growing up Oasis was my favourite band and to be friends with him is so weird.

You’re supporting 80’s legends Echo and the Bunnymen on their Ocean Rain tour, were they an influence on you growing up?

Not really, the first time I really listened to them was last year, I always knew all the hits but then we did a festival with them last year and they blew us away. I was with the band yesterday, we were at the embassy getting our visas and one of them collapsed and fainted because he got wasted the night before and Ian McCulloch just walked and left him. The guys a legend.

Is there anyone else you want to work with in the future?

Kate Bush, she’s incredible and most of the people we’d like to work with are dead!

Coming from Glasgow would you say that there’s quite a tight music scene in Glasgow?

I guess it depends where you go in Glasgow, we weren’t involved in the arty scene because we came from the East End and all the other bands like Belle and Sebastian and Idlewild come from the West End. The East End is more deprived, people aren’t really into music they’re into smoking dope and drinking and that’s about it whereas the West End is quite arty.

A fan described your music as ‘life changing’; do you believe that your music has the ability to change lives?

I think all music can because music’s done it to me before, it’s a subjective thing. I think with us people either really love us or think were totally shit. So you’re like the marmite of bands? Do you know what I’m going to use that! It’s always one way or other, if someone’s said that then we’ve achieved what we set out to do.

Have you got any advice for any other bands trying to make it?

We got put down a lot for what for what we were doing, we’d play ‘Daddy’s Gone’ and people would say we were a joke but we just kept on at it.

If you weren’t in a band what would you be doing now?

I wanted to be a teacher and I also wanted to be in a band but I was told that it would never happen…guess they were wrong.

Rajina Gurung

Whilst working for the U.S Government Lucy’s father had become increasingly and intricately involved in the development of a unique and lethal virus strain. Shrouded in secrecy and amid whisperings of a government funded conspiracy, when a vial disappears from the lab the press drum up a hate campaign so vehement that it leads to his suicide. This trauma coupled with increasingly strained relationships with both her mother, now dependant on class A drugs, and her religious fundamentalist sister, makes Lucy’s personal journey to recovery particularly poignant. Romping across the country, from Southern California to the rural Pennsylvania, Lucy embarks on a road trip to a Texan rehab centre, telling us uproariously, every last detail.

Absorbing from page one this novel taps into the frightening reality of 21st Century America, tackling everything from substance abuse to bioterrorism, religious fundamentalism to the deliberate instigation of fear within ethnic communities. Wickedly funny and at times excruitiatingly candid, the frenetic narrative deftly portrays the ambivalence, yearning and hopelessness of addiction and the cynicism felt by many addicts as they dip their toes into the depths of recovery. Narrated in a deadpan and distinctly conscious voice, it refuses to shy away from the realities of dependence, with moments of particularly poignant introspection and confession.

As a reader one becomes surprisingly fond of the characters and deeply involved in their chaotic lives. Take for example Lucy’s on and off lover, reeling from the death of his wife, we become acutely aware of his delicate mental state, and begin to see him as threat, seeking something far more sinister from her than love and comfort. A fascinating examination of human frailty and desperation to be loved I found some parts of this novel deeply moving.

It’s one weakness is perhaps the sense of being a little cluttered. The narrative voice, simultaneously reporting, speculating and reflecting is at times so densely packed that it can feel heavy and difficult to get into. The development of various subplots scattered here and there does not lend itself to clarity. However, persistence here is key, as much for Lucy as it is for her audience.

As a whole Last Last Chance is a sophisticated, stylish and yet humane and utterly vulnerable portrayal of need and survival. A novel entirely of and about our times, revealing people desperate to love and be loved but afraid to do so, voices unheard, and a country running from it’s fears, both real and imagined. An utterly astonishing debut infused with humour, compassion and timely wit, and absolute must read.

Lucy Knell-Taylor

First players must attract Pinata’s to their garden. The player does this by creating the ideal conditions for each creature, which is at first a confusing process, as it can include planting the correct plants, having the right amount of grass etc. Having done this a few times with the help of a well designed tutorial system, the player is much more comfortable with attempting to introduce more challenging Piñata to the garden.

This is the second ‘Viva Piñata’ game, and its creators have attempted to improve on the depth of game play. New features like the two to four person co-operative play (on or offline), more worlds to explore (including dessert and snow ‘realms’, with region specific Piñata), scores, more Piñata to control, plus some smaller in-game features. These additions make it much more versatile, online play only adds hours to the game’s life. If you’re not online don’t worry, there are masses of Pinata’s to be caught.; the game is never really over.

Sadly though, the game gets confusing with the sheer amount of things on the screen that are flashing, or demand attention. This is no children’s game. What to do next can be a challenging decision on this game, and that makes it aggravating to play at times. But this aggravation doesn’t last, because ‘Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise’ is disturbingly addictive to play. Catching Piñatas is not easy, and as the game moves on, aided by a basic storyline, Piñata become even more challenging to catch.

This is a fun, friendly and harmless game. Don’t expect to find an action packed adventure with a thrilling storyline, because it simply isn’t there. However, if making nice virtual gardens and collecting fluffy little creatures in the manner of “The Sims” is your thing, then this is the game for you.

Joe Allen

Thankfully, I was not disappointed. Brideshead Revisited is told in a series of flashbacks and forwards by Captain Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), who is stationed at Brideshead during World War Two. He recalls his time spent at Brideshead, an outsider seduced by the house, entangled into the aristocratic, Catholic Flyte family, in particular his intense involvement with siblings Julia and Sebastian.

For me it was Ben Whishaw who stood out with his performance as Sebastian, the effeminate, hedonistic but childlike toff who befriends middle- class Charles, after vomiting in his Oxford dorm. “All I want is to be happy, if I can”, sighs Sebastian at the beginning of the film. This should be his epitaph, summing up his desperation felt throughout the film.

Whishaw could have easily fallen into the trap of playing the role as a flamboyant fop but instead used subtle mannerisms, which helped make the audience of two (myself and the friend I dragged along with me) fall in love with the character through his downward spiral, fuelled by alcoholism and his infatuation with Charles. It was this relationship which I was more interested in, rather than the lukewarm storyline of Charles’ attraction to Sebastian’s God-fearing sister Julia.

Different from other period dramas, instead of class and society being the obstacle it is Catholicism which proves to dictate Sebastian’s life and cause the barrier between Julia and Charles. Although at times the Catholic motifs are over emphasised, with the camera zooming in on every cross and rosary bead in sight, this is a beautiful film. A poetically written and witty script, a stand up cast, where veterans Thompson and Gambon take a back seat and lesser known actors shine. I would recommend this period epic to any lovers of British film.

Kara Black

Based on the autobiographical book of journalist Toby Young, we watch as Sidney slowly and clumsily moves up the social ladder in order to fulfill his dream of mixing with the rich and famous.

After many disastrous attempts to enter the ‘elite’, he eventually finds work at the prestigious ‘Sparks’ magazine where he meets fellow writer Alison, played by Kirsten Dunst. However throughout most of the movie Sidney only notices actress Sophie Maes, (Megan Fox) an unintelligent and conceited example of what some our real life film stars are most probably like. Another character who displays these traits is a young, up and coming movie director, played by Max Minghella, but he is so insufferable with his self importance that when Sidney stamps on his trademark glasses in irritation, it is impossible to not feel pleased.

It seems that Simon Pegg has managed to make a swift transition from starring in Brit flicks to Hollywood blockbusters. It is unsurprising that his comic timing and strong performances in films such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were noticed by American filmmakers, although the material in this film can hardly be compared to that in the films mentioned. Pegg is forced to rely heavily on slapstick humour throughout and whilst some of these gags are amusing, on the whole there is nothing new within the jokes.

Overall, Pegg plays the ultimate klutz, who has absolutely no fashion sense (at one point he wears socks and sandals with a bright blue Hawaiian shirt) and is absurdly arrogant and I did
consider that this might simply be the personification of what the Americans think of the average English man.

For example, after Sidney nearly sleeps with a transsexual, Alison excuses him by saying ‘He is English.’ However, the fact that the film is autobiographical means that this could be exactly what Toby Young was like, although it is difficult to tell unless you read his book.

Luckily, Sidney redeems himself by the end as the audience warm to him, and as he realises that the lifestyle he aspired to have is not all it is cracked up to be. All in all, the film is certainly not as funny or clever as it could have been, especially with Pegg’s potential, but with its eventful script and interesting look into the twisted world of celebrity it is watchable and entertaining enough to go and see.

Laura Sivewright

Invaders Must Die shows a mix of their old skool rave roots, whilst bringing in more aggressive rock elements, particularly evident in Run With The Wolves, which is a track built around Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl’s drum part. Grohl’s rapid drumbeats mixed with Keith Flint’s anthem-like chants mould perfectly to provide a cutting edge track which is certain to have this year’s festival goers bouncing around. Other stand out tracks include Omen and Invaders Must Die which received chart success and echoes the likes of electro act Does It Offend You Yeah? Unsurprisingly, this comparison is aided by the fact that the Does It Offend You Yeah? singer James Rushent co-produced these tracks.

So have the Prodigy really brought us their best ever record? Arguably, its nothing completely different and new from previous records but it won’t fail to have the fans dancing their socks off with their glowsticks and whistles in hand.

4/5