The New York Post have written a rather funny, scathing, wedding announcement on Kimye.
The wedding announcement of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian was short but sarcastic. “Two jackasses got married in Italy Saturday,” it begins and calls Kardashian a “sex-tape star” and Kanye an “egotist.”
What do you think? Funny or just mean?
Release Date: Thursday 12th June 2014
Format: Digital Download
“The Dancer weaves its hypnotic magic from the off, with Ben Earnshaw driving the front vocals over yearning guitars, synth and tribal drum beats – the latter excelling where the track rides to its closing notes.”
Little Indie Blogs
Hailing from Lancashire, Villiers are an Alternative/ New Wave outfit who cite the iconic sounds of New Order and Echo and the Bunnymen as major musical influences. Lyrical inspiration comes from dystopian writers such as J.G Ballard and George Orwell. Since their formation in 2011 the band have released three studio EPs (Light the Fuse, Into the Haze and VLRS) earning them praise and recognition from radio DJs, bloggers and music magazines across the world.
Last summer saw Villiers break onto the UK festival scene with a slot at BeatHerder alongside Clean Bandit, TOY, Temples, Chic ft Nile Rodgers and Groove Armada. This year they played their first headline show at Manchester’s Night and Day, a performance that sealed their reputation as one of the region’s most exciting and innovative new bands.
‘The Dancer’ was recorded and engineered by Nick Gizzi at The Den.
See Villiers live at The Grand, Clitheroe on June 21st 2014 with more dates to be confirmed.
![TopDogStill2[1]](https://www.frostmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/TopDogStill21.jpg)
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How many superlatives can be used to describe ‘Top Dog’? I can think of many that have been used in other reviews, but let’s just keep it simple… this new offering from Richwater Films and Universal Pictures UK and directed by Martin Kemp, is just plain ‘good’… damn good.
Produced by Jonathan Sothcott (‘Vendetta) and exquisitely constructed, this is Martin Kemp’s (‘The Krays’, ‘EastEnders’) second outing as a film director, a testing piece of work that lays its cards on the table and dead body on the mortuary slab right from the outset. Blood, a tense opening narrative, you get the gist that this is going to be messy.
In the adaptation of the novel by Dougie Brimson (‘Green Street’), Leo Gregory (‘Green Street’ and ‘Cass’) plays a formidable and believable part as Billy Evans, a thirty-something East End car salesman who’s got it made, trophy wife, child, home, car, job, wants it all and wants the top dog position that will allow him to reclaim a family member’s pub as the home of his football firm, ‘Acton Casuals’. With the goading of the ‘AC brethren’, cocky Billy takes his lust for leadership one step further, violently cutting swathes through a trajectory that brings him face to face with gangland boss Mickey, played to perfection by Ricci Harnett (‘Rise of the Footsoldier’, ’28 Days Later’) who isn’t about to hand the title over without a fight. Vincent Regan (‘Clash of the Titans’, ‘St George’s Day’), with his mellow Irish tones, acidly accentuates the backbone of fear that runs through this film. It sounds a simple plot, but the exchanges of violence are as charged as I’ve ever seen in a film of this budget, and the spiralling depths to which the emotions sink are hard-hitting and raw.
Martin Kemp intended this film to be a ‘kitchen sink’ drama, void of Hollywood gloss, powerfully showing the perils of being top dog, being number one and of saying ‘I’m the leader’. The wives and partners play strong and potent roles, showing the realism of households living with the underlying deceitfulness and tensions associated with hooliganism and gangland violence. Danielle Brent (‘Cockneys Vs Zombies’) as Billy’s wife Sam, Lorraine Stanley (‘The Hooligan Wars’) and rising British acting talent, George Russo punctuate the storyline, stepping up to the mark with the confidence this gritty film demanded.
It’s not a pretty film, it’s not a clever film, it works within the boundaries of the budget, but it’s the sort of film that is truly British, an insight into the deep and ugly world of football hooliganism and gangland rivalries that existed in the depths of London in the 80s and 90s.
TOP DOG – in cinemas from Friday 23 May and is out today to own on Blu-ray £15.99) and DVD (£12.99) through Universal Pictures UK
A re-written version of ‘Top Dog’ by Dougie Brimson is soon to be published through Caffeine Nights Publishing.
Their new track released on Melted ONE
Come Up and See
Release Date: May 30th 2014
Format: Digital Download
Father and son, Mark and Jake Haslam have come together to form Tree Dwellers, a project born to push the boundaries between funk and electronica. Beautifully produced drums, groove filled basslines and intricate strings evoke images of watching the sunset from the terrace of Ibiza’s Café Del Mar.
Tree Dwellers appear on Melted ONE, a compilation featuring a range of artists who are uniting to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and The Teenage Cancer Trust. All the profits from the sale of Melted ONE will be donated to both charities.
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The Melted ONE project is proud to be part of #greatmusicforabettercause, a movement that unites a diverse group of musicians who are all lending their support to this initiative.
Melted ONE will be available on iTunes from May 30th. All those who purchase the album will receive a bonus ‘Thank You’ Track.
Release Date: Monday 16th June 2014
Format: Digital Download
JAKE EVANS, songwriter and co-frontman of Bad Lieutenant alongside Bernard Sumner, and featuring Stephen Morris and Blur’s Alex James, releases his highly anticipated second solo single.
Based in Macclesfield, in the north west of England, it was the reputation of Jake Evans’ first band Rambo & Leroy that brought him to the attention of New Order’s Bernard Sumner. The subsequent success of Bad Lieutenant earned Jake his status as one of the UK’s most exciting musicians, leading to invitations to open for Paul Weller, New Order, Johnny Marr and Doves’ Jimi Goodwin. Jake is now so well established it comes as a surprise to many that ‘This Is Life’ is only his second solo single release.
With the likes of Bernard Sumner describing Jake’s debut single as “triumphant”, Xfm’s Clint Boon declaring that “it doesn’t get much better than this”, highly praised appearances at Festival No 6 and the iconic Jodrell Bank music festival, Jake Evans is attracting a large and ever-growing following of fans who are hooked by his heartfelt lyrics and effortlessly cool brand of post-rock indie.
This Is Life is a sweeping anthem blending influences from pop, rock and soul to create a euphoric soundscape, driven by Jake’s masterful guitar playing and unmistakable vocals.
Their New Single
Relic
Release Date: Monday 30th June 2014 as a digital download
Relic is a heartfelt and gentle song that showcases singer Paul Herron’s accomplished vocal performance against a simple yet effective piano and guitar accompaniment, but the song’s lyrics come from a place of mourning for what has passed.
L-R: Roger Millichamp (Drums), Paul Herron (Vocals, Piano & Guitar),
Steven Herron (Vocals, Guitar & Keyboards), Stewart English (Vocals & Guitar), Lee Blades (Vocals & Bass).
The Sons, an independent British five piece from Derby, draw inspiration for their alternative guitar pop from the likes of Crowded House, Wilco, Paul Simon and Fleetwood Mac, to create a current sound with a timeless feel.
They are masters at coupling upbeat, catchy songs with rather dark, complex lyrics about the pains and hardships of life. Having toured the UK & Europe extensively, The Sons have attracted a large and a very loyal following with fans fully funding the making of the band’s third studio album, ‘Heading Into Land’. This record hit the UK album charts upon its release in March 2014, marking a new chapter for the band.
The premiere single from the album, ‘Death Love Money’ was released in January 2014. The video received 20,000 views within a week of release and Sony then chose the band as a feature artist for their Xperia Lounge app. The Sons have been featured on BBC Radio’s ‘Introducing’, chosen as Tuborg’s ‘Spotlight Artist to Watch’ and included on Jonathan L’s list of ‘Ones to Watch in 2014’.
‘Relic’, the band’s second single from their new album, showcases their softer side. This alt-pop ballad features Paul Herron on piano and tells the story of a man who feels a universal, post-break-up emptiness – “I’m just what’s left of you and me”. He continues to pursue his big dreams and as the song progresses, he becomes more and more successful, finally becoming the “creator of every particle you see”, yet he still feels only emptiness, a shell of the man he once was, a relic.
Tour Dates:
31 May – Hucknall Fake Festival
31 May – Summer Gathering Festival (headline set)
7 June – The Venue, Derby – Off Axis Show
20 June – The Cookie Club, Nottingham
28 June – The Goodship, London – Relic Release Party
Their new single on All Our Own Records
Radio
Release Date: 30th June
Format: Digital Download
“There aren’t many bands that are good enough to catch the attention of members of The Specials, but then there aren’t many bands like The Talks. Proving that hard work, persistence and a pocket full of irresistibly catchy tunes can pay dividends” – Music radar
L-R: Jody Moore, Pat Pretorius, Iain Allen, Richard “Titch” Lovelock
It’s an exciting time for The Talks and the release of new single ‘Radio’ is only going to add to the buzz that surrounds this four piece from Hull. The band have built up a reputation across Europe for bouncing, blistering live shows supporting the likes of The Specials, Rancid, Madness, The Beat, King Blues and The Toasters.
Their 2012 single ‘Can Stand The Rain’ featured the legendary Neville Staple of The Specials and had over 55,000 views in its first week on YouTube. 2013 saw the release of their ‘West Sinister’ EP, which received fantastic reviews and airplay on both Ska and mainstream stations across Europe, leading to The Talks being invited to appear at a large number of festivals across the continent, including the famous Mighty Sounds Festival (CZ), Rebellion (UK), Galtres (UK) and This is Ska (DE).
The success of The Talks last single ‘Don’t look behind you’ has brought the band to an even bigger audience and with sellout shows and invites to play across more European festivals including Boomtown (UK), Sapi Festival (FR), Camden Rocks and Fusion Festival (DE) amongst many others.
Lead vocalist Pat says “it is amazing to see so many people showing up to the gigs and seeing such great reviews from the likes of Team Rock, Punk Archives and Louder than War to name a few. Truly makes us happy to know that driving miles and miles in the tour bus is worthwhile when we know people out there are digging it.”
Further proof that The Talks are on the receiving end of a huge amount of attention from all corners comes in the form of tweets praising the band from big hitters ‘Less Than Jake’, ‘Sonic Boom Six’ and Itch from King Blues; glowing reviews, front cover features and appearances on various UK TV networks.
The Talks highly anticipated debut album ‘Commoners, Piers, Drunks and Thieves’ is released later in the year.
This year’s CrimeFest happened last weekend, May 15-18 at the Bristol Royal Hotel. So, what’s CrimeFest? It’s the annual gathering for anyone who has any interest in reading, writing, or simply talking about (sometimes quite loudly over several drinks) that curious and bloody phenomenon: crime. Especially crime fiction, but there’s always room for true crime, too. Why go? You want to meet authors? Find out what they’re writing? Try to work out how people with such deviant imaginations can be really great company? These are all good reasons. Mark Billingham, one of Britain’s best-selling thriller writers was one of the featured authors this year. His books are spell-binding and disturbing – and he gave one of the funniest interviews I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. At the rather less dark end of the spectrum of crime-writing, Simon Brett was on top form as a speaker. There was also masses to learn about the Iceland Noir writing which has acquired such an enthusiastic following on UK TV – you could even have won a trip to the Iceland Noir convention in Reykjavik.
CrimeFest4 B Forshaw EUROCRIME Panel
The long weekend is full of difficult choices: should I go to the panel discussion on historical crime or does it clash with the one which asks Does a crime novel have to have something to say? The one that deals with the problem of When your character isn’t qualified to solve crimes, or What have old thrillers ever done for us? Choices, choices, choices. There was a quiz on the Thursday evening when we discovered just how competitive we all were – who said you couldn’t argue with the judge? Not us. The Gala Dinner on the Saturday, was a triumph of organisation and good food, which kept us all comfortable in our seats, happy to celebrate the award of prizes for humorous crime, for e-books and audio books, for works in translation and for Euro Crime. And afterwards you could linger at the bar ….
The joy of CrimeFest is that it doesn’t discriminate between readers, writers (wannabe or distinguished), publishers or agents, nor does anyone show the slightest sense of exclusivity. You can find yourself talking to a top author or an ardent fan. You can discover how the Alibi Channel’s crime dramas Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and The Murdoch Mysteries have developed from page to screen; or hear the husband and wife team which makes up the author Nicci French (Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) discuss how they combine their relationship with writing international best-selling psychological suspense.
CrimeFest5 Alison Joseph, Felix Francis, Susan Moody
Alas it’s all over for this year – but it will happen again next year. If you enjoy crime writing or reading, or just want a slightly different weekend with a lively mix of people, all of whom seem eager to talk to you (I think writing, or reading, about terrible events must make people appreciate the good things about real life) then you might want to think about giving it a try.
Penny Deacon
Photos: thanks to Ali Karim of Shots Magazine