Category Archives: Culture

Cameron’s Fatal Blunder Over Web Monitoring

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It has been a calamitous few weeks for the PM with his and his parties poll numbers falling through the floor. The only saving grace is that the other parties and their leaders are disliked just as much.

The debacle over jerry cans and the budget has been bad enough but it is the issue of civil liberties that has permanently damaged the PM.

One can only wonder as to why Tory strategists weren’t running around in panic when the crazy idea of ‘web and email monitoring was raised’. What where they thinking? How was the PM’s finger so off the political pulse? Cameron compounded the error by publicly coming out and defending the policy, a fatal misjudgement.

Has he been blind to Ron Paul movement in the US? Did he not see the response to SOPA? It was the NO2ID movement which did so much damage to the Labour party. And it was the brave actions of David Davis (who would  now be home secretary had he not sacrificed his career)  and the subsequent Conservative plan to abolish ID cards which brought so many over to the conservatives at the last election.

They should have learnt. YOU DO NOT PISS OFF THE INTERNET IF YOU WANT TO WIN ELECTIONS. No one understands this better than Obama and his strategists. This is why he ditched his support for SOPA. Already the government is facing a backlash from ‘Anonymous’ who have been launching attacks on the Home Office website, although it would be a mistake to think that theses extremists are the problem.

One can only conclude that Tory HQ thought this policy would further damage the Lib Dems. It has certainly achieved this. But this in itself doesn’t make a huge amount of sense as Cameron has tried so hard previously to placate his coalition partners.

But if they thought this was an issue which was only important to Lib Dems they have severely miscalculated. This is a policy which many conservatives feel is fundamentally un-conservative. A further unnecessary intrusion of the state in our lives. Cameron should know that these neo con policies have very little support on this side of the Atlantic.

As a result the Conservative party has only succeeded in splitting itself. Prominent members such as Mog, Raab, Davis and Goldsmith have come out in furious opposition.

Once again the Tories have been tarnished as the nasty party. The painstaking re branding has been ruined. This decision may well be the one which costs Cameron the next election.

 

Pixie Lott Helps Showcase Live Celebrate

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Having enjoyed the presence and support of pop princess Pixie Lott at their fifth birthday celebrations in February, Showcase Live will once again open its doors, or rather those of Stamford Bridge’s ‘Under the Bridge’ Club, in Fulham, to an eclectic bunch of musical talents on 16th April 2012.

The live music event, which has been running for five successful years, since being founded in 2007 by Director George Eason, is set to be hosted by presenter and stand up comic Lee Collins. Lee is a regular on Lisa Snowdon and Dave Berry’s breakfast show on Capital FM as well as on the comedy scene.

Showcase Live is a great platform for new and unsigned artists and has been a starting point for many UK artists including Lawson, JLS and Jessie J. Showcase Live has seen support from many industry leaders and artists, including The Wanted, Fearne Cotton, JLS, Parade, Dionne Bromfield, Twenty Twenty and Westlife.

The next big event, on 16th April, will see London based Trio, Mitsotu perform a selection of their own material including “break your heart”.

Showcase Live favourite, Alex Buchanan, is back. Alex, originally from Manchester, has seen massive success when landing the role of the lead in the West End Musical, Thriller. He has successfully choreographed two music videos and has since been working on his debut album.

Daytona lights will also be performing at the event, offering us some enjoyable upbeat pop. Daytona Lights are a male five piece from London.

Domino Go, who are based in London are currently busy writing and recording their debut album with Atlantic Records will be sure to entertain the crowd with their breathtaking vocals on the night.

Artists that have featured in Showcase Live in the past have gone on to sign with Epic, Polydor, Global Talent, Columbia, Warner Music, Atlantic and many other record companies.

Tickets can be purchased now from See Tickets.

http://www.seetickets.com/Tour/SHOWCASE-LIVE

Picture: Pixie Lott with group ‘Times Red’ from the last showcase event on February 20th.

Huge Protests Inspired by Suicide of Greek Pensioner – How Much More Can Greece Take?

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A 77 year old Greek pensioner took his own life outside the Greek parliament building on Wednesday morning. Retired pharmacist Dimitris Christoulas shot himself in the head with a handgun. In a suicide note, Christoulas linked his tragic act to the country’s economic crisis. In the note found by his daughter he wrote, ‘I have no other way to react apart from finding a dignified end before I start sifting through garbage for food,’

The act immediately sparked widespread sympathy and anger. An impromptu anti-austerity rally was launched on the same day and there were clashes with police. Police clashed with around a thousand protesters for a second day on Thursday. Some were blaming politicians and EU leaders for the death. The protestors chanted, ‘Killlers!, Killers!’.

Christoulas is thought to have attended anti-cut protests the previous year and has been described as politically active. Sympathisers called his actions, ‘A clear political act … he was giving his life to change the situation’.

Suicides in Greece have doubled since 2009 having previously been the lowest in Europe. Greece is struggling to cope with the heavy austerity measures which have been forced upon in by the bigger European economies in exchange for bailout funds.

Already the recent bailout is looking like a distant memory. As I mentioned in an earlier article  it was extremely disappointing that EU leaders did not attempt to solve the problem once and for all. Already we are getting suggestions that a third bailout will needed. The Greek growth predictions are extremely optimistic given the levels of austerity it will need to bear. Yields on the new Greek PSI bonds (the bonds investors were forced to swap their existing holdings for) have soared to over 21% in the last couple of days.

As the actions of Christoulas show, the EU leaders and economists, have underestimated the Greek people. There is only so much the Greek people will take. The real crunch point is likely to come in June when cuts worth about 7% of GDP are expected to be announced. How much more will the Greek people take?

My guess is that we are close to the breaking point. Christoulas’s tragic act may be the symbolic trigger which sets everything off. One of the major issues Greece faces (which people often forget) is that Greek banks, pension funds and other Greeks hold most of the Greek government debt. This is why some in Greece are so reluctant to leave the Euro. Nevertheless something will have to give.

 

 

Join Cosmo’s Online Protest For Equal Pay.

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UNITE TOGETHER AND FIGHT FOR EQUAL PAY WITH COSMOPOLITAN’S ONLINE PROTEST

CALL FOR WOMEN TO TAKE PART IN COSMOPOLITAN’S CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE WIDENING PAY GAP

Cosmopolitan, the magazine for smart spirited women, has teamed up with a host of celebrities to lead an online protest via Facebook and Twitter to highlight the current 15% pay gap and urge women to fight for their right to an equal pay packet.

Cosmopolitan and its celebrity supporters will lead the protest with the hashtag #4Kequalpay spend it YOUR way, encouraging women to retweet and comment on how they would spend the extra money. ‘4K’ signifying the average amount of money that women are missing out on each year from their salaries.

The online protest follows the controversial moves announced recently in the Budget to cut salaries of public-sector workers, meaning the pay gap is set to widen with women bearing the brunt of the government’s austerity measures.

All tweets and Facebook posts will also include a link to the Cosmopolitan Equal Pay Petition, asking everyone to sign up to make it mandatory for companies who employ 250 people or more to carry out a public, annual equal-pay audit. Over 100,000 signatures need to be collated for the petition to be taken to David Cameron later in the year.

Louise Court, Cosmopolitan, Editor, said: “With the government recently announcing further cuts to the Budget and the likelihood of the pay gap widening further, it is time for all women across the country to stand up and take positive steps in finally getting equal pay for British women.”

Follow the Cosmopolitan Twitter for updates: @CosmopolitanUK

Patrick Dempsey to Race Lola in the American Le Mans Series 2012

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Dr Dreamy, Grey’s Anatomy’ star Patrick Dempsey is to race a Lola LMP2 car in the American Le Mans Series 2012. The multi-talented actor is branching out.

Dempsey Racing has confirmed plans to race in the American Le Mans Series 2012 with a Lola B12/80 LMP2 coupe chassis. Team Principal Patrick Dempsey – star of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and a number of Hollywood titles, will race the Huntingdon designed and built LMP2 coupe.

The team is gearing up for a possible debut at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May before competing in more races in this year’s American Le Mans Series. Dempsey and his team partners Joe Foster (team principal/driver) and Henri Richard (Silicon Tech Racing) have stated it is also their intention to race at the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours. The Lola B12/80 LMP2 coupe will be powered by Judd.

Dempsey, who established the Dempsey Racing team in 2003 has a real passion for the sport and has participated in many racing series, including ALMS and Grand-Am. The partnership between Dempsey Racing and Lola is an exciting time for the British company, who have achieved a number of accolades in recent years including taking the 2011 ALMS manufacturers title and finishing as the highest placed petrol powered car at Le Mans last year.

On the partnership with Lola, Patrick Dempsey said, “It is no secret that I really enjoyed my experience at Le Mans in 2009. Lola is a famous name throughout the world of racing. I kind of knew what they did at Indy and in sports cars from when I was a kid. I am relishing driving this brand new LMP2 design”.

Lola Executive Chairman, Martin Birrane said, “We welcome Dempsey Racing in to the Lola LMP family. Patrick, Joe and the team have shown in recent years that they are a professional and ambitious team but also one that recognises they need expertise and cutting edge technology and so have chosen to partner with Lola who will provide the very latest LMP2 design and engineering know-how for their programme. It has been a pleasure to work with the Dempsey team to make this announcement possible and we appreciate and recognise their methodical approach to racing”.

Another day, Another new podcast by Richard Wright

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Podcasts. You either love them or you’ve never listened to them. They are the democratisation of radio on the internet where anyone can create and distribute an audio show of their own all over the world via the internet. That was a mouthful. This is clearly why I’m not a professional writer. But if you could stick with this then I promise to try harder. Ok. Much like podcasting let’s just plug it n and begin. It’s not the future of media anymore it’s the absolute present. With shows like AMC’s Comic Book men becoming a TV show based on the antics of a podcast it’s no longer just a bit of something extra. People like Kevin Smith & Joe Rogan have turned podcasting into an art form and a business. There are a lot of podcasts out there and if you want proof of that just check the itunes store when you have a spare minute. The competition for listeners is fierce and now the landscape of podcasting has another voice. Yes another deluded, well intentioned person giving their opinions like people should care what they think. And the person behind that podcast is…me.

I realise you don’t know who I am and that is perfectly understandable. I am an “emerging” Stand Up comedian and part-time writer and director of films. What films have I made? That is none of your business. What films have you made? See. You can’t answer it either. Unless you did in which cause I haven’t seen it. Unless I have in which case I didn’t enjoy it. Unless I did in which case well done. You see the rambling? That’s my podcast. I co-host with another brand spanking new comedian called Richard Casey and our podcast is called The Comedy Autopsy. I do tend to murder quite a lot of jokes, I’m just starting leave me alone, and so hence the name. We talk about comedy, film, stand up, occasional pro wrestling references no one will get and, if this first episode is anything to go by, pigeons. We are planning live podcasts with a bunch of audience interaction for the live crowd where the shows will include stand up for a very reasonable fee. We are going to have guests to talk comedy and film and maybe even pigeons. The podcast will be out every Thursday and will be roughly speaking an hour long. And you know what the really cool part is? It’s free. That’s right free I tells ya. We know we aren’t the funniest podcast in the world but we are funny enough.

I feel at this point I should introduce you to our technician. His name is Steve and not only is he terrible at his job he is also not real. That’s right. We made up a technician. Why? A number of reasons. Firstly it’s funny. It is. No it is. And secondly so that we can take all the negative things people will say about the podcast and blame Steve. It’s not our fault it’s Steve. On our podcast we will be getting to know the speechless one known as Steve through our section called “Apparently Steve” where we will share facts we know about Steve. If you know Steve then you can hashtag on twitter #ApparentlySteve and we will see those and use them in the podcast. Maybe you drink with Steve, share a hobby, once dated Steve or you know his mum. If you do let us know with the hashtag.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Frost Magazine for this chance to, basically, pimp our podcast in this fine publication. You didn’t have to do and we are happy that you did. Maybe we can work out some kind of sponsorship deal – we’d be very cheap *wink wink*.

(PS: if you have complaints regarding spelling in this article, if you can call it that, then remember it’s all Steve’s fault!)

Glasvegas + Es Muss Sein – Relentless Garage, London | Music Review

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Es Muss Sein

Tonight’s show was opened by Es Muss Sein, a 16 year old singer-songwriter from Kent. EMS was personally invited to open the show by Rab from Glasvegas who found her via her facebook page. Her debut EP has been earning her rave reviews, including here at Frost, and so we took the opportunity to catch her at her biggest live performance to date.

At four songs short it was a quick set. “Wave Goodbye”, “Sail”, “Seeping” and “Those Eyes” give off little more than the EP did. Hauntingly soulful, achingly beautiful. Nerves showed at the start but she grew in confidence with every  strum of her guitar. She told me afterwards that she”doubted she was good enough” and that she was “very scared”. On this performance the only thing you doubt is that she’ll be bottom of the bill for much longer.

Glasvegas

It’s been a few years since I last saw Glasvegas, atop a mountain near Bern, and it’s fair to say a lot’s happened. In those two years the band have released a new album, Europric Heartbreak, lost their original drummer, Caroline McKay, gained a new drummer, Jonna Löfgren (more on her later), but the most striking change in them is they’re no longer fresh faced new kids on the block. They’ve less teeth and more tattoos yet still, after battling the drugs, perils and heartbreak of fame appear to wear the “happy to be here” look.

Frontman James Allen, as usual dressed all in black, looks exactly like Joe Strummer but despite his attire and the fact that he has the look of a man who may bite your neck at any moment, his autobiographical lyrics about his absent father, his social worker and the struggles of growing up in working class Britain gave him an air of vulnerability that had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

They began with songs from Mercury Award nominated debut album Glasvegas. Opening song “Flowers & Football Tops”, or in Scottish “Flowers & Fitba Tops”, was written about the reaction to the racially motivated murder in Glasgow of Kriss Donald, a Celtic fan – the same team the band support. It works equally as well as a eulogy for their arch rivals Rangers Football Club, a club staring into the abyss. “Geraldine” comes next, followed by “It’s my own cheating heart . . . ” and the band are on a roll. Hit after hit with the audience. Anthem after working class anthem. It’s a brilliant talent of Allen’s, much like that of Alex Turner and Jarvis Cocker, to turn the mundane aspects of life into anthemic greatness.

Sounds from “Euphoric Heartbreak” didn’t quite stir the same excitement as songs from their previous record but it was an interesting sound and certainly a bit of a departure. Less straightforward rock n roll and a bit more experimental.

It must be said though that new drummer, Jonna Löfgren, is the star of the show. She’s taken over from James Allen as the band’s sunglasses-wearer and oozes rock ‘n’ roll swagger. No sitting down for her though. She stands. All the way through. What you get is pure energy. Imagine Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk dosed to the max on cocaine and pro plus and you’re only halfway there.

Glasvegas tonight in London felt like they were beginning something again. The audience saw a band testing themselves and their boundaries but also a band looking at the mountain off success that they scaled with their first album and thinking “I’ll climb that”. And so they just might!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In that two years the band have recorded a new album, lost their original drummer – Caroline McKay, gained a new one – Jonna Löfgren, bassistPaul Donoghue has lost some teeth, guitarist Rab Allen got some tattoos and singer James Allen nearly lost his mind.