A Refreshing Addition to the London Fringe Scene

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A Weekend at Vault

According to the publicity, Vault transforms a newly discovered labyrinth of tunnels underneath Waterloo to offer London three weeks of kaleidoscopically varied entertainment between 9 and 26 February 2012. Many of the shows in the festival are in the immersive theatre style, and whilst I have been a cast member in several immersive, promenade, and physical theatre shows, I have never been a spectator (aside from Alien Wars in the Trocadero many years ago). With this in mind, I went down to check out the opening weekend on behalf of Frost.

This was my first visit to the Old Vic Tunnels, and there was a certain frisson to arriving at Waterloo Station on a frosty February Saturday night, walking down the almost deserted street and descending the staircase into the graffiti covered underpass. Once at the door however, I was warmly welcomed and directed towards the bar to await the start of the 8pm performance.

Don’t Stray from the Path by the Wonder Club

I was excited about seeing this production, described as a beautifully dark spectacular promenade performance based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. It started very well, with the action beginning in the bar as both Little Red Riding Hood and a musician sat on top of a couple of lockers, and other cast members came to talk to the soon to be audience. Eventually, we were all lead down the tunnel to the “Forest of Elsewhere,” where the adventure was to begin.

How to describe Don’t Stray from the Path? There was a strong physical theatre element to the show, including some excellent circus skills, and the promenade aspect was certainly there: however I think I have to come down on the side of performance art, as it was the meticulous attention to detail that really impressed me.

The Wonder Club made the decision to divide the venue into two levels, which almost doubled the room for installations, but I think it might have been better to use the height to elevate parts of the performance, particularly the aerial work, as the volume of people made it hard to see what was going on at times. The music was lovely, and one particular song held my attention during a dance where I could barely see the tops of the performers’ heads. The acting in this piece was dramatic rather than naturalistic, which I assume was a stylistic choice on behalf of the director. The ending was particularly good, with Red Riding Hood and the Woodsman bringing us full circle. The girls eerily smeared with chocolate on the way out were also very evocative of the dark side of fairy tales.

Overall, I enjoyed Don’t Stray from the Path, and would recommend it to fans of fairy tales, promenade theatre, and performance art. There were some very good ideas, and striking physical and musical performances from all concerned – it was a truly collaborative ensemble work, which makes it impossible to pick out anyone for special mention. I admired it on an intellectual level, but with a smaller audience and/or a bigger space, I could have really felt the Wonder.

Don’t Stray from the Path finished its run on 12 February. Visit http://thewonderclub.co.uk for details of future performances.

The Furies by Kindle Theatre

While waiting to get into the next performance, the queue was patrolled by bouncers, and T-shirts and CDs were on sale nearby. We entered a sweaty basement club, where we were greeted by the sound of pounding drums and guitar (Russell Collins and Phil Ward). And then came the girls.

The Furies is basically a rock opera telling the story of Clymtenestra. It is billed as a fusion of rock, metal and soul songs, but I would say that it is also heavily influenced by classical opera. Emily Ayres, Samantha Fox and Olivia Winteringham all have powerful voices and strong physical presence, and there wasn’t a dull moment either musically or story-wise in this audiovisual extravaganza. Clymtenestra was an operatic diva, some group songs wouldn’t have been out of place in a pop musical, and others, particularly those by Agamemnon, were pure heavy metal.

This wasn’t a promenade performance – the audience were not moving around following the action. As there was no seating, this meant standing in one spot for an hour, which for me meant being distracted from the enjoyment of the performance by physical discomfort. It wasn’t until I moved to the side and held on to a lighting rig, that I was able to be carried away by the music. Putting in seating appropriate to the setting, ie, rough chairs and tables, would only add to the atmosphere and make the audience’s experience more enjoyable – it would also make some of the show easier to see.

The Furies starts on a high and keeps getting higher, climbing to a spectacular finale. Although the staging is interesting and atmospheric, it would work equally well in a traditional theatre setting. Unfortunately I had to leave before the encore, as the next show was due to start. This is definitely one to watch. Thoroughly entrancing, mesmerising music.

The Furies is playing at Vault for the rest of the festival, ie, Thursday – Sunday until 26 February. Visit www.kindletheatre.co.uk  for more information on the company.

The Great Puppet Horn by Pangolin’s Teatime

The final show of the evening was The Great Puppet Horn. Comfortably seated in the front row, I looked forward to something that would once again be a complete contrast to what had gone before. Accompanied by the Harry Potter theme music, Jeremy Bidgood and Lewis Young appeared on stage to introduce their show (the horn is ambiguous, apparently).

Puppets and political satire proved to be a serendipitous combination, and I was soon howling with laughter at The Boy Who Lived – in the East Wing (David Cameron). The audience were treated to magical explanations for university fees and immigration policy, and told about the influence of boy bands on the economy. There were also other non-political topical comedy sketches, such as The Life of Brian (Cox). But my personal favourite was Grammar Cop. Being somewhat of a pedant, grammar-wise, and a part-time English teacher to boot, it was hilarious to watch him battle his arch-enemy Mr A Postrophe.

This is basically a traditional comedy show with shadow puppets – which were excellent by the way: the skill in both their manufacture and use was evident. The only audience interaction was when, during the Grammar Cop sketch, there was a threat of reading Molly Bloom’s soliloquay – I couldn’t help begging them not to.

The Great Puppet Horn was well-paced, with the laughs coming thick and fast, and I had tears in my eyes by the end of the performance. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Pangolin’s Teatime on our television screens soon. Catch them if you can.

Like The Wonder Club, Pangolin’s Teatime finished their run at Vault on 12 February. Visit http://pangolinsteatime.com for news of future shows.

Vault Lates – Itchy Feet

As the puppet show was 20 minutes late in finishing, the vintage dance party was well under way when I returned to the bar area. If I say that Booker T & the MG’s Green Onions was playing when I entered, and that the last song I heard was Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson, it will give you a flavour of the sort of floor fillers being spun by the DJ. The floor was hopping, though not unpleasantly crowded. If I’d had a friend with me I would have danced the night away, but, as I was alone, I left, like Cinderella, at midnight, to catch the last train home, already looking forward to returning the next night.

One night only at Vault. www.itchyfeetonline.co.uk

La Boheme by Silent Opera

Audience members at Silent Opera are given headphones to wear throughout the performance, through which the live singing is mixed with the pre-recorded score. This is a very clever means of having a full orchestral sound in a fringe venue. The sound quality was excellent throughout, which I assume was due to Sound Designer Ed Currie.

After checking our coats in the cloakroom, the audience found ourselves wandering round a Christmas market where Colline (Tim Dickinson) tried to interest me in a Greenpeace campaign. We were then escorted upstairs to Marcello, Rodolfo, Colline and Schaunard’s flat, where the opera began.

We were moved between several locations during the course of the show: some worked better than others. The flat, for example, was excellent, with various forms of seating round the outside (I sat on a blow up chair the first time) and the action taking place in the middle. The scene in the bar worked pretty well also. However, the occasions where the audience was standing three deep against the wall didn’t make for good visibility (I kept missing all the snogging bits!) and I would have found Mimi’s death scene more moving had I not been sitting on a cushion on a crowded floor.

I am a bit of a sucker for opera, and have been lucky enough to see both the Royal Opera and the ENO over the years. Musically, Silent Opera gave them both a run for their money. The score, by the London Symphony Orchestra, was wonderful, and all of the singers gave flawless vocal performances with emotion and pathos. The acting was strong, particulary by Mimi (Emily Ward), Rodolfo (Alistair Digges), and Colline (Tim Dickinson), as well as by those in the non-singing parts. Daisy Evans’ libretto was clever, interesting, and quite funny in places. The setting of modern day London worked well, and the headphones seemed to add, rather than distract from, that sense of being absorbed in the story which to me is the sign of good theatre (particularly opera or musical). I would have no hesitation in recommending this production to anyone, whether an opera buff, or someone experiencing the genre for the first time.

Silent Opera is playing at Vault for the rest of the festival, ie, Thursday – Sunday until 26 February. Visit http://silentopera.co.uk  for more information on the company.

So, after spending the weekend at Vault, what are my feelings on immersive theatre? They are mixed. Don’t stray from the path was a promenade performance with lots of audience interaction, but with the other shows the audience interaction was limited and sporadic. Yes, I was close to the performers, but that is generally the case at fringe venues. I think perhaps there is a delicate performer/audience balance that needs to be achieved – although I am not suggesting one audience member at a time, as happens in some productions.

In conclusion, I would encourage one and all to visit Vault before 26 February when the festival finishes. All the performances have something to recommend them, and the venue is warm and welcoming. It truly does offer a kaleidoscope of entertainment. A refreshing addition to the London fringe scene.

Although The Wonder Club and Pagolin’s Teatime have both finished their run at the vaults, the studio performances are constantly changing. Both The Furies and Silent Opera are running till 26 February. More Vault Lates are on 17, 18 and 24 Febuary. There is also a cinema, where the Flicker Club hosts a season of horror films (mostly Hammer). Visit http://www.thevaultfestival.com for more details and booking.

 

 

"It's the Audition, Stupid!" Book Review and Interview with the Author.

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“It’s the Audition, Stupid!”

It’s a brave opening gambit; a book that insults without giving you a chance to buy it a drink first. But if that upsets you then you’d better grow some thicker skin because Brendan McNamara’s 2011 book about casting doesn’t shy from delivering a few home truths.

And quite right too.

If you purchase the book then you probably are, or are intending to be, an actor. Good luck.

It’s a cruel and unforgiving career and, while the book gives invaluable advice on casting, the real value of “It’s the Audition, Stupid!” comes from its realism – a realism which newcomers to the industry would do well to embrace.

The book itself discusses the intricacies of the casting process in refreshing detail. As an actor popping in and out of castings, which may, on occasion, only last 2-3 minutes, it seems a very arbitrary and mysterious process.

Casting directors too can seem a mysterious and distant bunch, with many actors sending off CV after CV and never hearing a word back. Brendan McNamara’s book does a great job in explaining the casting process and humanising casting directors.

Much of the advice given by the book seems, in retrospect, to be common sense – but it’s amazing how un-common common sense can be. The advice is frank, clear and given with tremendous goodwill.

The book is not just about improving actors’ attitudes towards auditions, it covers everything from drama school training to how to approach the right people. It also talks over the differences between auditioning for stage and screen work and the gulf between the two.

It’s a fascinating and valuable read, and if you’re an actor, it may just become your new best friend.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Brendan himself recently. You can find a copy of the interview below.

“It’s the Audition, Stupid!” is available now in paperback. You can find out more at www.pinterandmartin.com or buy a copy of the Kindle e-book version at Amazon. It’s the Audition, Stupid!: The actor’s essential guide to surviving the casting and getting the part

Tim Austin is a stage and screen actor based in the UK. You can read more about him at www.tim-austin.co.uk

 …

Frost Mag;

Hello Brendan. You started off as an actor – a pretty successful one too. What was it about casting directing that made you move away from the acting? And would you go back to acting full time?

Brendan;

I don’t think I’d ever act again. I was very confident as a child, I was quite quirky,… [but] I didn’t have a craft and the more I see great actors, I see a craft.

I’d no time for doing accents, which was very limiting. I was cast as a West of Ireland “cheeky chapy” and that was the extent of it, and that bored me senseless. A career of that wouldn’t’ve made me happy.

I got into casting because it started as a part time job when I was trying to pick up auditions and just became an obsession and love, basically.

Frost Mag;

Have you kept the same contacts from your acting and has that helped you in your casting?

Brendan;

Not really. A lot of contacts would’ve been in Dublin. If what you’re alluding to is “Are contacts important?” then yes. In every regard. Networking and contacts are, for an actor especially, or any industry professional, immense. You’ve got to have them.

Actors have to be pro-active. They should go to festivals, they should go to screenings and opening nights and everything because you don’t know who you’ll meet and it can help.

Frost Mag;

Do you feel that your past as an actor has given you an advantage as a Casting director? Does it, perhaps, give you an edge?

Brendan;

I think its definitely had an impact, I don’t know about giving me an edge, but it certainly helps me when I work with actors.

Essentially my job is to get the best performance from actors when they come to audition for me. The fact that I relish reading in with actors and do my best to give them something when reading opposite helps the actor and helps me.

Frost Mag;

Having spoken to fellow actors at castings and networking events, I’ve found that many of them consider casting to be a tad, if I may say, “elitist”. By that I mean, only interested in graduates of certain schools and certain universities. I don’t know if that’s true. I personally react a little against that.

Brendan;

I think that’s rubbish. I mean there might be casting directors who favour those schools and obviously I can’t speak for everyone but in my own terms, I have never brought someone in because they went to those schools. To be honest, I don’t even look for that any more.

I like nothing better than bringing in someone new. Who isn’t even based in London, who doesn’t even have an agent, who I’ve seen in something, I like their CV or I’ve spoken to or met them.

There’s so many myths about casting directors out there, made up by people; drama schools or people who just aren’t getting work. You have to realise – my job is very simple; I bring in the best people to make me look good because if I can bring in the best people and they all do great auditions then I look brilliant.

If you come in as an actor and don’t do a god job, I look bad. My job is to make you do a good job. Every actor that comes in I want them to be brilliant, I want them to be prepared, I want them to the best they can do because they make me look brilliant.

All these myths about a casting director being obstructive or getting in the way is rubbish.

Frost Mag;

What is it in a showreel that really jumps out at you, or is that different for every project that you’re casting?

Brendan;

Sometimes I don’t need to refer to it because I’ve seen the work that the actor has done or I’ve met the actor.

I sometimes have to refer to a showreel to check someone’s physicality or their accent or if I’m unsure how they look in their photo. But obviously if you’ve got a reel that has a great performance on it that’s what I’m going to tune into as well.

I don’t think there’s one thing. It could be anything; it could be a flash of the eyes.

For us it’s a reference or it’s something that I could send to a director and say “I like the look of this person, what do you think?” So if the work on it is strong or a good representation of the actor then it’s a very useful tool, basically.

“It’s the Audition, Stupid!” is available now in paperback. You can find out more at www.pinterandmartin.com or buy a copy of the Kindle e-book version at It’s the Audition, Stupid!: The actor’s essential guide to surviving the casting and getting the part
Tim Austin is a stage and screen actor based in the UK. You can read more about him at www.tim-austin.co.uk

 

RIBA Restaurant Review.

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RIBA restaurant at art deco gem 66 Portland Place, London W1

 

I have had many a party at RIBA, it is a wonderful venue. I had never eaten at the restaurant before and was incredibly impressed by the food and the service. No one likes to eat alone so I went to review this restaurant with my friend, New Statesman columnist Nicholas Lezard.

 

The venue is bright and airy, in the summer you can eat outside. There is always a lot going on at RIBA.

 

What I ate.

 

Middle white pork belly

 

Black pudding, quince

 

Jerusalem artichoke and red onion fritters

 

Braised lentils, grilled artichoke hearts

soft poached egg

 

Baby leaf salad, cherry tomatoes, cucumber

 

White chocolate mousse

 

Dark chocolate honeycomb, gold leaf

 

What Nicholas ate:

 

Seared scallops

 

Leeks, candied hazelnuts, black olive powder

 

Braised Yorkshire venison

 

Sautéed girolles, truffled mash, redcurrants

 

Sticky toffee pudding

 

Clotted cream, butterscotch sauce

 

Curly kale, garlic butter

 

The starter comes on black, granite slabs, a touch that I found different and original. They are very good at presentation. My pork belly was done perfectly.

 

The food tasted like heaven, the fritters I had were absolutely delicious. The different consistency of the ingredients of my main meal worked brilliantly. I didn’t know lentils could taste so good. My egg was poached perfectly. The fritters were crispy, as all fritters should be. At first I wasn’t sure how all the ingredients would work together, but they do, beautifully.

 

I had a side salad with my main even though it wasn’t necessarily needed. The main was very filling. I liked that they put balsamic vinegar on my salad. The staff were also attentive and eager to please.

 

My white chocolate mousse was absolutely divine and was a visual treat too.

 

To drink I had port and coca cola. Nicholas had red wine and port.

 

RIBA is a good restaurant, the food is divine, the staff expert and the location incredibly up-market. I highly recommend. I will definitely be eating here again.

 

 

Ink Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery

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Ink
The New Ink Art from China
at the Saatchi Gallery 16-28 June 2012
and at Asia House July 2012

Xu Lei, Tree of Blue Underglaze, 2008, Ink and color on xuan paper, (213 x 125 cm)

Ink is an exhibition featuring the finest examples of contemporary Chinese Ink art at London’s landmark Saatchi gallery and subsequently at Asia House. The exhibition, curated by Michael Goedhuis, is the first comprehensive display of this genre to be shown in a public gallery of international standing and draws together major examples from distinguished private collections. Timed to coincide with London in June when art and antique collectors from all over the world descend on the capital, this cutting-edge show will feature ground-breaking artists from the internationally recognized Xu Lei to the avant-garde Qiu Anxiong. Ink will run from Saturday 16 June to Thursday 28 June 2012 at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s Square, London, SW3 4SQ.

“I am delighted to be working with the Saatchi Gallery to finally be able to provide the general public access to The New Ink Art which is perhaps the boldest pictorial experiment in art today. Artists trained in, and deeply knowledgeable of classical painting, are meeting the challenge of creating a pictorial language that is a convincing expression of the world of TODAY and in particular the transformed world of China. It is the theme of this exhibition to define just how audacious and innovative the best of these artists are, despite, or perhaps because of, their deep study of the past. Just as Cezanne and Picasso assimilated the work of Poussin and Velazquez and other Old Masters in order to develop their own revolutionary language, so the ink artists are grappling with the same challenge – how to express the transformation of their society with works that are meaningful precisely because they take account of the past in order to make sense of the present”.

The New Ink Art is increasingly being recognised, not only in China but also internationally, as the most audacious and idealistic movement in contemporary culture and is poised to shortly enter the mainstream of the art-world’s focus.

Michael Goedhuis, who was the first dealer in the west to recognize the significance of these radical innovations in Chinese culture, has concentrated in the past eighteen months on identifying for this exhibition the artists who are in the process of shifting the axis of Chinese aesthetics. It is for this reason that informed art-lovers and collectors and indeed the public at large will be drawn to the Saatchi Gallery for this culturally ground-breaking initiative. Although this exhibition is a loan show and works will therefore not be for sale, it is significant that the price range for the best of contemporary ink paintings is still very accessible by international standards.

A highlight of the exhibition is Tree of Blue Underglaze by the internationally feted artist Xu Lei who last year was the chosen artist for the design of the 2008 vintage Chateau Mouton Rothschild wine label. Inspired by the significance of the year 2008 for the Chinese and to highlight Mouton’s stature in the Chinese wine market, Mouton selected a Chinese artist. Xu Lei himself is one of China’s foremost artists and a leader in the innovative field of ink painting; he serves as the art director of the Today Art Museum in Beijing and is the editor-in-chief of the magazine ‘Classics’.

Qiu Jie, Mao in the Cotton Field , 2007, pencil on paper, (150 x 168 cm)

Other works of note include Gao Xingjian represented by the painting Dream Mountain (La Montagne de Rêve), who was born in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province in 1940. A writer, translator and dramatist he moved to Paris in the 1980s as a political refugee. Here he immersed himself in nature creating semi- abstracted landscapes, believing that art should not be used for political activism, but instead should be an expression of the soul. He received the Nobel Prize for literature in 2000. Qiu Jie, who was born in Shanghai in 1960, grew up during the most violent phase of the Cultural Revolution and by the age of 10 was nurturing his talent making copies of propaganda images from local newspapers. He creates images blending stark themes from the Cultural Revolution with striking elements from contemporary culture (see illustration).

Artists to be exhibited include:
Gao Xingjian (???), Gu Wenda (???), Huan Yong Ping (???),Jennifer Wen Ma (??), Li Huayi (???), Li Jin (??), Liu Dan (??), Liu Kuo-sung (???), Liu Qinghe (???), Liu Wei (??), Lo Ch’ing (??), Lu Hao (??), Qin Feng (??), Qiu Anxiong(???)?Qiu Deshu (???),Qiu Jie (??), Qiu Zhijie (???), Wang Dongling(???), Wei Ligang (???), Wilson Shieh ( ???), Wu Yi (??), Xu Bing (??),Xu Lei (??), Yang Jiechang (???), Yang Yanping (???), Yao Jui-chung (???), Zeng Shanqing (???), Zeng Xiaojun (???), and Zhang Huan (??).

After the Saatchi Gallery, the exhibition will travel to Asia House where it will remain until the end of July. Founded in London in 1996, Asia House is the leading pan-Asian, non-profit and non-political organisation in Britain.

SHARING FEASTS THIS VALENTINE’S DAY AT THE RIBA RESTAURANT

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The RIBA restaurant at art deco gem 66 Portland Place, London W1 has created a truly scrumptious three-course sharing feast for diners looking for a secret surprise this Valentine’s Day.  Served at dinner (5.30-9.30pm) this celebratory meal is £49 per person to include a glass of pink bubbly.

Begin your feast with an amuse-bouche of ‘heart shaped tomato palmiers with a shot of velvety artichoke soup’ followed by your choice of tantalising starters – ‘aphrodisiac platter of 1 dozen oysters served with shallot vinegar and soda bread’ or ‘charcuterie platter for two with pickles, relishes & grilled ciabatta’ or ‘rosemary goats’ cheese & pumpkin salad, pomegranate dressing, fine beans & heart shaped croutons’.

For main course tempt each other with delightful sharing dishes which include – ‘cote de boeuf-rare breed forerib of beef on the bone – with hand cut, triple-cooked chips’, and ‘whole sea bass with fennel & rosemary & flambéed with noilly prat, steamed ratte potatoes, seasonal green vegetables & vermouth caviar butter sauce’.

For dessert don’t miss out on the RIBA’s ‘mixed pudding platter’ which includes pomegranate creme brulee, prange blossom chocolate fondants and passion fruit almond tarts.  Or, keeping up with the heart tradition, try ‘poached quince & rhubarb pavlova served as a heart shaped for two’ or ‘English cheeses for two with spicy plum chutney, grapes, oatcakes & heart shaped walnut bread’.  The meal is rounded off with freshly brewed coffee accompanied by chocolate truffles.

Set in the Florence Hall of this magnificent art deco building, the restaurant offers one of the most striking dining settings in Central London. Flooded by daylight from the full height windows by day and uplight by night, the dining room offers private leather booths and window tables arranged on a stunning wood and marble floor and surrounded by a changing programme of fascinating architectural exhibitions.

To book a table, call 020 7631 0467 or 020 7307 3747 or email restaurant@riba.org|

 

UK PLC The new reality by Phil Ryan

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UK PLC – The new reality by Phil Ryan
I’ve been travelling around the country recently and I’ve become aware in some classic indicators that tell you a lot about the state of any country. So in this new series of articles I’ve decided to examine just a few of these indicators. To give you a brief idea of what I’m referring to I’d like you to consider the following. Many local high streets now have up to 30% of empty and shuttered shops. Larger closed shop premises are now being converted into housing. The fastest growing high street shop openings in the UK are now Pawn Shops and Money Lending outlets coming second to fast food outlets. Another huge growth sector are private bailiff firms and security firms. The biggest spike in TV advertising revenues has come from a plethora of constant afternoon and late night Loan adverts now running almost on a loop. Many local Church groups have turned into Food Banks ie they appeal locally for non-perishable foods and now run weekly drop in sessions supplying poor families with basic foods. And if this weren’t bad enough these groups are noticing the change in the financial and social makeup of these families not to mention the growing demand for assistance. Unsurprisingly there has been an exponential growth in the number of personal debt handling companies. These are the kinds of companies who combine all your debts into one monthly sum and deal with the companies you owe money to. And in a twist that I’ll explain in another article there’s also been an absolute explosion of gambling outlets including bookmakers, slot machine parlours and wall to wall TV, radio and press and poster advertising for national and local lotteries.
So to get us going I’ve picked one of these indicators at random. So let us take a quick peek at the online Personal loan sector. And let me be clear at the outset. The kind of people taking up these online loans are generally those who cannot get access to funds anywhere else due to poor credit history, no assets such as property or vehicles of worth and age and employment status. Just by Googling unsecured loans and entering a few requests I found deals depending on individual criteria starting from APR 9.9% then 175% and finally most at around 2,400% – 4,214.00%. Yes you didn’t misread those last figures. They make up the most common deals available. The most popular loans are for payday loans ie a loan to help people have funds to live on before their next pay cheque goes into their accounts. Previously most of these kind of financial acrobatics were carried out by people juggling credit cards. And of course this generally applied to the low and medium paid. However with living costs rising on all fronts the low paid net is embracing more and more people. This due in part to the fact that people’s wages are fixed and do not rise to reflect price hikes in fuel, travel, food and living accommodation expenses. And the access to credit cards has been severely reduced forcing many people into using the new high street and online ‘money supermarkets’.
So how does it work? It’s very simple to apply. You fill out a form with all your personal details on, you give the company almost complete access to your bank accounts and financial profile and within minutes they mail you an ‘offer’. Note that word. An ‘offer’. In other words virtually anyone will be offered a loan. However this ‘offer’ is often ‘time sensitive’ forcing people to make a quick decision and although it does offer access to money the rates it charges are often eye wateringly expensive. These ‘offers’ rely on a mixture of reasonable sounding language and the disingenuous ‘warnings’ regarding the fact the loans should be considered ‘short term’ only. So effectively people become trapped as they become mired in debts that they can in fact ‘service’. In other words by paying constant small amounts they can gain access to funds. But before you say they shouldn’t take up such terrible loans consider this salient fact. What else can they do? High street banks have stopped both personal and business lending to an absurd degree. The toxic criteria they now set are designed to bar most people. Just as an aside I thought I’d ask my ‘personal banker’ at a well-known high street brand for a small loan of £5,000 just to test the water for my article. Despite being in funds and having property, and being a customer of over twenty years he felt I could only have £3,000 BUT and this was almost Kafkaesque part I had to put £3,000 into my account before they would grant me the loan. Huh? I needed £3,000 but had to find £3,000 that presumably I didn’t have hence the need for the loan in the first place. Wow!
Anyway moving on. The new online loan companies are now mining a massive new client base of those who have no other avenue to funds. And let us be clear these are funds to pay for necessities and not fancy cars or restaurants. I am of course aware that it is the loan appliers own ‘choice’ to accept or not accept but despite all my thoughts of them changing jobs, moving to more affordable accommodation etc in many cases they simply cannot. They are in essence trapped by their own poor financial circumstances. And at the mercy of the high street and online loan companies who have in effect gained a client who cannot leave. And they cannot leave for the obvious fact that their financial circumstances are such that they can only pay off their loan in regular instalments – and now the hook – the instalments slowly rise and rise as the massive APR kicks in over time. As for the ‘these loans are short term only’ line put out by all these companies they know full well that anyone desperate enough to use them will struggle to leave in a short period of time. And so legally they can trap their clients into paying huge interest rates giving the loan companies huge profits and a compliant client group. Just for fun imagine borrowing £5,000 for a year at 4,000%.
So we’ll keep taking UK PLC’s pulse with a look at other indicators into what’s happening to its citizens right now on certain levels across the country. And I hope just this one tiny glimpse into the UK’s new financial success story has informed you a little. The shiny and bright online loan companies that provide money access to families and individuals with their friendly advertising and jokey campaigns. I’ll finish with the news that the boss of one of these wonderful companies recently received an award for services to the financial sector from a grateful government.

Rupert Murdoch Flying to UK to Stop Sun Going Down.

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Rupert Murdoch is flying to London to meet staff at The Sun this week, after the arrests of five senior staff members over bribery allegations. The source told the AFP that Murdoch would fly to London “later in the week” and News International has said that Murdoch has given “personal assurance” that The Sun will not be closed like the News of the World.

The News of the World was closed on July in the midst of the phone hacking scandal.

 

News International chief executive Tom Mockridge said in an email to staff that Murdoch would stand by The Sun in the “greatest challenge” it faced.

 

“You should know that I have had a personal assurance today from Rupert Murdoch about his total commitment to continue to own and publish The Sun newspaper,” Mockridge said.

 

The Sun journalists that were arrested were deputy editor Geoff Webster, picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker and reporter John Sturgis.
News International has not made a statement on Murdoch coming to London, and neither has Murdoch himself.

 

Allegedly The Sun were furious at the fact that News Corp had handed over the information to police that led to the arrests.

 

Whitney Houston Dies Aged 48.

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Whitney Houston has died at the tragically young age of 48. Her death has left the entertainment industry in shock.

 

Houston was found dead in her room in the Beverly Hilton yesterday. The Los Angeles police said paramedics had tried to resuscitate Houston but they were unable and she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm local time.

 

Houston, who was one of the biggest selling artists of the 80s and 90s, had battled drug addiction. Police also said that there was no “obvious signs” of any criminal intent.

 

Houston had been due to make an appearance at the Grammy Awards tonight, and had been at rehearsals, as she was to perform for her mentor Clive Davis.

 

Aretha Franklin said: “I just can’t talk about it now, It’s so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy, her daughter Bobby Kris, her family and Bobby.”

 

Tributes have been flooding in for the singer. Mariah Cary said she was “heartbroken”

 

“Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston,” Carey wrote on Twitter.

 

“My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world.

 

“She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”

 

In a statement, Dolly Parton said: “Mine is only one of millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston.

 

“I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, “Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.”

 

Houston also starred in hit movies including The Bodyguard. She won multiple Grammys and sold millions of records.

As well as her drug addiction her 15-year marriage to Bobby Brown came to an end in 2007.

 

Brown told a sell-out crowd in Mississippi: “First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage.”