The National Student Magazine May 2009

May 2009

Asher roth

The summer starts here... It’s that time of year again where we at magazine gear up for another summer of musical fun and frolics. This issue we continue our look at the pick of this year’s festival action.

by Rob Stares

July Wireless Festival

Hyde Park, London July 4-5 Wireless returns with another double-header of big name headliners Basement Jaxx (4th) and Kanye West (5th). With them comes a support bill that ranges from the exciting to the potentially terrible - especially with their frequently ropey sound system. Line-up: Basement Jaxx, The Streets, Dizzee Rascal, Frankmusik, Sneaky Soundsystem, N.A.S.A., Kanye West, Noisettes, Q-Tip, Flo Rida, Kid Cudi, Tinchy Stryder, N-Dubz, Zarif, Lady Sovereign, Chipmunk

wirelessfestival.co.uk

GuilFest

Stoke Park, Guildford, Surrey July 10-12 Over seven music stages, GuilFest is fundamentally focussed on making sure everyone has a good time, with a ‘truly festive atmosphere’ planned. Families might be sparse for Friday’s headliners Motörhead, but former Beach Boy Brian Wilson is sure to bring the good times to Surrey. Not sure about the Happy Mondays, though… Line-up: Motörhead, Brian Wilson, Happy Mondays, Will Young, The Stranglers, The Charlatans, Pendulum (DJ Set), DJ Yoda, The Wailers, The Lightning Seeds, Rusko,

guilfest.co.uk

Glade Festival

Matterley Bowl, near Winchester July 16-19 This year a new location and smaller stages will be hosting some of the finest electronic music in the world. It may be five years old, but it’s steeped in history. Glade is a mainstay at Glastonbury festival, and with Carmageddon and Chillout areas in place, they’ve definitely learned from the best. Line-up: Underworld, Booka Shade, Squarepusher, Freeland, The Japanese Popstars, The Qemists, The Bays featuring Beardyman, Dub Pistols, Femi Kuti, Nitin Sawhney, Finley Quaye, Atomic Drop.

gladefestival.com

Latitude

Henham Park Estate, Beccles, Suffolk July 16-19 Latitude has gone all retro on us this year, with both Grace Jones and Pet Shop Boys booked in for headline slots. There’s a raft of emerging acts to hunt down, as well as an exciting comedy line-up, including Dave Gorman and Stephen K Amos. With a focus on literature and poetry, Latitude is, essentially, the mispronounced sister of Reading. Line-up: Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Regina Spektor, White Lies, Squeeze, Mew, Ladyhawke, Teitur, Bat For Lashes, Spiritualized,

latitudefestival.com

Lovebox Weekender

Victoria Park, London July 18-19 With both Duran Duran and New York Dolls on the same bill, Lovebox is certainly eclectic - but it doesn’t just end with the music. As well as Doves and VV Brown, you get a farmers market, performing arts, freak shows and a ‘healing tent’. Blimey! Line-up: Duran Duran, N*E*R*D, Groove Armada, Doves, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Florence & the Machine, New York Dolls, Ladyhawke, Noah and the Whale, Simian Mobile Disco, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Friendly Fires, Gang Of Four, Mr Hudson, Dan Black, DJ Sneak, Dananananaykroyd.

The Prodigy

lovebox.net

thewickermanfestival.co.uk

The Secret Garden Party

Camp Bestival

Near Huntington, Cambridgeshire - Venue TBC July 23-26 If you love to whisper “Shhh Tilly, it’s a secret!” then this is the festival for you. As the title suggests, SGP keep the festivals’ location a secret until nearer the date - although it is in the Huntington area. An eclectic line-up (EMF and Toots And The Maytals?!) could make this one of the best investments this summer. Line-up: Jarvis Cocker, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Emiliana Torrini, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Those Dancing Days, Little Comets, Bombay Bicycle Club, Detroit Social Club, Toots And The Maytals, Emmy The Great, Fight Like Apes, Slow Club, EMF, The Qemists,

secretgardenparty.com

Global Gathering

Long Marston Airfield, nr. Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire July 24-25 The three headliners are doing the rounds this year, but it’s here where The Prodigy, Orbital and Pendulum really clean up. If you love electronic music, then there should be no needs for introduction - 50,000 people, all over 18, and now with a permanent festival licence. Global Gathering is here to stay - and a worthy alternative to Creamfields. Line-up: The Prodigy, Orbital, Pendulum, Paul van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta, Carl Cox, Eric Prydz, Does It Offend You Yeah?, Sasha, Erol Alkan, Fedde Le Grand, Judge Jules, ATB, Plump DJs, Digitalism,

globalgathering.co.uk

Wickerman Festival

Kirkcarswell Farm nr. Kirkcudbright, Galloway, Scotland July 24-25 Music and fire - they‘re long standing friends. At Wickerman, you get both. This year, you also get a clothing theme (kilts and camouflage), festival golf, mountain bikes and tanks. It’s all topped off with the burning of a 25ft wicker man on Saturday, although for some, not seeing The Magic Numbers on fire would probably be a slight disappointment. Line-up: The Human League, The Zutons, Candi Staton, Hot Chip (DJs), Danny Rampling, The Magic Numbers, Billy Bragg, Idlewild,Utah Saints, The Dickies, Kid British.

Lulworth Castle, Dorset July 24-26 It may be the sister festival of September’s Bestival, but it’s just as good. P J Harvey is making her only UK solo show, and you can hire a gypsy caravan! What’s not to love?! Another festival exclusive is found in Frankie Boyle joining the comedy stage, and - as always - there is a fancy-dress theme. 2009 is all about Animal Magic. Woof. Line-up: P J Harvey, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Mercury Rev, Chic feat. Nile Rogers, Bon Iver, Candi Staton, Will Young, Florence & The Machine, Laura Marling, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, Frank Turner, VV Brown, Roots Manuva, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip.

campbestival.co.uk

Supersonic

The Custard Factory, Birmingham July 24-26 Maybe all the other festivals sounds a little bit… well….normal…and you’re looking for something to blow-your-sense-apart? If so Supersonic’s celebration of all things avant-garde is for you. The festivals seventh-year brings another colossal line-up taking in electronic-madness (Venetian Snares), experimental doom metal (Corrupted), avant-folk (Nancy Wallace) and everything in between. Line-up: 65 Days of Static, Venetian Snares, Pram, Goblin, Corrupted, Nancy Wallace, Earthless, Head of David, Caribou

capsule.org.uk/supersonic

t Augus

Truck Festival

Hill Farm, Steventon, Oxfordshire July 25-26 We love Truck! Make your way up to Hill Farm, and join the revellers at a truly feel-good festival. Once again they have attracted two big-hitters to the headline slots in Supergrass and Ash, and expect to see an eclectic array of great artists in intimate settings. Line-up: Supergrass, Ash, Red Light Company, Detroit Social Club, Yacht, And So I Watch You From Afar, Pulled Apart By Horses, Calories, Data Select Party, Errors, DJ Food, Sportsday Megaphone, Nervous Testpilot.

thisistruck.com

Indietracks

Midland Railway, Butterley, Derbyshire July 24-26 It’s twee-time! Indietracks is the ultimate festival for ‘real’ indie-kids, with more jangly indie-pop than you can shake your cardigan at. With headliners Camera Obscura and Emmy the Great, plus the opportunity to ride steam trains what more could you possibly need on a summers weekend. Line-up: Camera Obscura, Emmy the Great, BMX Bandits, Au Revoir Simone, Butcher Boy, The Frank and Walters, The Manhattan Love Suicides, The Smittens, Tender Trap.

indietracks.co.uk

Sonisphere

Knebworth House, Hertfordshire August 1-2 The stately home of rock is the scene of the hot metal ticket this summer, boasting the finest metal talent both old (Metallica, Anthrax, Alice in Chains) and new (Mastodon, Slipknot, Lamb of God). Line-up: Metallica, Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Machine Head, Nine Inch Nails, Fear Factory, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Thin Lizzy, Feeder, Taking Back Sunday, Skindred, Frank Turner, The Sword, Mastodon, Airbourne, Killing Joke, Lamb Of God.

uk.sonispherefestivals.com

Relentless Boardmasters

Watergate Bay, nr. Newquay, Cornwall August 5-9 Held to coincide with the international 5 star WQS Surf Competition in Newquay, Boardmasters has a multitude of skate and BMX competitions in conjunction with a hefty musical line-up in the evening. It’s always a massive draw, so you’d better move quick. Line-up: The Streets, Cypress Hill, Calvin Harris, Dreadzone, Roots Manuva, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, The King Blues, Master Shortie, Fionn Regan, Noisettes, The Ghost of a Thousand, Fanfarlo, Filthy Dukes, Chew Lips, Tommy Sparks, Hexes.

relentlessboardmasters.com

Roskilde Roskilde, Denmark, July 2-5

As continental festivals goes none parties harder than Denmark’s Roskilde. For the Danes four days of musical madness just simply isn’t enough with hundreds of quality acts over seven stages just isn’t enough. Roskilde kicks off four days earlier for the ‘partying and good times’ of the events ‘warm-up period’. Once the official festivities kick off you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more exciting and eclectic line-up. With a main stage capacity at 60,000 the bands gracing that stage are equal-

Lil’ Wayne

Big Chill

Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire August 7-9 With plenty to offer both families and ravers, Big Chill is also looking to recruit zombies for this year’s festival. They’ve teamed up with Film4 and Warp Film to create the world’s first (and largest) audience participation zombie movie. Get there on Thursday to find out more - but stay for the great music too. Line-up: Basement Jaxx, Orbital, David Byrne, Gong, Lamb, Magistrates, DJ Derek, Chris Cunningham, The Ex, Andrew Bird, Noah and the Whale, Emmy The Great, Amadou & Mariam, Friendly Fires, Norman Jay, Ludovico Einaudi, Calexico.

bigchill.net/festival

Bloodstock Outdoor

Catton Hall, Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire August 14-16 Bloodstock looks to blend the European feel of rock festivals, and mix it with the spirit of Castle Donington to create the ultimate metal festival. With exclusive UK performances by Carcass, Arch Enemy, Blind Guardian, Cradle Of Filth and Europe (?!), this is the place for proper metal-heads? Line-up: Carcass, Arch Enemy, Blind Guardian, Cradle Of Filth, Europe, Sabaton, Enslaved, Turisas, Fear Factory, Amon Amarth, Saxon, The Haunted, Girlschool, Katatonia, Candlemass, Satyricon.

bloodstock.uk.com

Bloom Festival

West Littleton Down, South Gloucestershire August 14-16 Suited to those with a musical thirst for beats and bass, Bloom comes with the traditional festival trappings, as well as burlesque strip tease, kung fu, tai chi, flamenco classes and garden gnomes. You’d be advised to not get some of those mixed up in a drunken stupor. Line-up: Noah & The Whale, The Whip, Chase & Status, Dub Pistols, Tom Middleton, Just Jack, Filthy Dukes, Jack Beats, Alessi’s Ark, Drums of

ly as colossal: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, stadium-indie giants Coldplay, Oasis, Pet Shop Boys and hip hop superstar Kanye West will all rock the crowds. Taking in the other main stage attractions metal fans are in for a treat. Reformed genre-hopping metal legends Faith No More are a must see, with numetal maniacs Slipknot and industrial behemoths Nine Inch Nails adding to the excitement. Roskilde has music for everyone with a startling array of musical talent across all genres. Indie fans can take in Fleet Foxes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Glasvegas, The Dodos, Baddies and White Lies whilst punks can mosh their legs off to the sounds of The Bronx, Fucked Up and Social Distortion. More metal madness can be witnessed in the form of super-group Down, Amon Amarth, Dawn of Demise, and some majestic experimental metal from Isis. If bangin’ beats are more your style you can shake your thing to the likes of Royksopp, DeadMau5, mash-up legend Steinski and hip hop heads can witness the hottest rapper on the scene Lil Wayne. Also the Pavilion Junior stage offers loads of great new bands from across the world who could be the next big Death, Esser, Utah Saints, Jake Morley, Jamie Ley, Kid Fiesta, Lo-Fidelity Allstars.

bloomfestival.com

Summer Sundae Weekender

De Montfort Hall, Granville Road, Leicester August 14-16 Once again there are many things to enjoy at the Leicester inner-city shindig, reasonably priced beverages being just one other them. It’s also pledging to offer high production values at the festival, so expect quilted toilet paper in the portaloos, and stewards in tuxedos. Or maybe just a well-oiled operation. Line-up: The Streets, The Charlatans, The Zutons, Bon Iver, Baddies, Dan Black, First Aid Kit, Frank Turner, Future Of The Left, Karima Francis, Micachu & The Shapes, Mystery Jets, Noisettes, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Saint Etienne, The Qemists.

Coldplay

roskilde-festival.dk

Reading/Leeds Festival

Creamfields

Richfield Avenue, Reading. Bramham Park, Leeds. August 28-30 If you’re looking at getting a ticket for Reading or Leeds this year, then good luck, pal. It’s long soldout, and with the likes of Radiohead, The Prodigy and Arctic Monkeys on the bill, it’s no surprise. Kings Of Leon finally make headliner status after being main stage bridesmaids twice before. Line-up: Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon, Radiohead, The Prodigy, Maximo Park, Ian Brown, The Courteeners, Enter Shikari, Eagles Of Death Metal, Bloc Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, Brand New, Faith No More, Kaiser Chiefs, Placebo, Fall Out Boy, Deftones, Funeral For A Friend, Gossip, Glasvegas, Lostprophets, Jamie T, AFI, White Lies, Billy Talent, Rise Against, Anti-Flag, Alexisonfire, Bouncing Souls.

readingfestival.com / leedsfestival.com

creamfields.com

Clapham Common, London August 29 30 The Clapham Common festival double header returns, with both focusing on dance-orientated sounds this year. South West Four features Sasha & Digweed, Layo & Bushwacka!, Richie Hawtin, David Guetta and Eric Prydz and Get Loaded bringing another eclectic beatific mix to day two with Orbital, Royksopp, Sneaky Sound System and Peaches. Line-up: Orbital, Royksopp, Laurent Garnier, Booka Shade, Carl Craig presents Innerzone Orchestra, Roni Size Reprazent, Peaches, Freeland, Sneaky Sound System, Pendulum (DJ Set), Felix Da Housecat, Chase & Status, Crookers, Rob da Bank, Esser. getloadedinthepark.com

Green Man Festival Glanusk Park, Powys, Wales August 21-23

thegreenmanfestival.co.uk

Daresbury Estate, Halton, Cheshire August 29-30 The daddy of dance fests returns for its eleventh year, with the two-day format now a permanent fixture. The bill is predictably strong, with a smattering of Radio One endorsed DJ’s added to the mix alongside rising stars such as Deadmau5, Friendly Fires and Chase & Status. Line-up: Tiesto, Basement Jaxx, Laid Back Luke, Eddie Halliwell, Paul Van Dyk, Dizzee Rascal, 2manydjs, Calvin Harris, Mylo, Laurent Garnier, Erol Alkan, Crookers, Boys Noize, Friendly Fires, Kissy Sell Out, Hype, Chase & Status, Dave Spoon, Erick Morillo, Sasha, Ferry Corsten, Deadmau5, Andy C, High Contrast, Friction, Filthy Dukes, Timo Maas, Tidy Boys, Toddla T, Showtek, Kutski, Tidy DJs, Cassette Jam.

South West Four/ Get Loaded In The Park

summersundae.com

Green Man has a mind-expanding array of fine sounds from psychedelia, stoner-rock and dub reggae to folk and indie. A chilled out vibe in the plush Welsh countryside, is the perfect place to catch the trippy sounds of Animal Collective, the earth-shattering beauty of Bon Iver and some end of set carnage from British Sea Power. Line-up: Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, Wilco, Bon Iver, British Sea Power, Errors, James Yuill, Emmy The Great, Noah And The Whale, Swanton Bombs, The Aliens, Four Tet, Grizzly Bear, The Phantom Band, Pivot, The Amorphous Androgynous (AKA Future Sound Of London)

Roskilde has launched the Green Footprint initiative that gives festival goers the chance to earn an exclusively reserved camping spot. Find out how you can obtain green footprints on the road to the festival on their website. So for the ultimate continental feelgood party invest in your ticket and book that budget flight to Copenhagen right away.

thing. Running since 1971, Roskilde is the third largest festival in Europe and by attending you can also feel good knowing you have done your bit to make the world a better place. Each year, The Roskilde Festival Charity Society, which is the association behind Roskilde Festival, ensures that the profits from the festival are donated directly to humanitarian and cultural purposes.

southwestfour.com Animal Collective

Continued on page 6

KID

H T RO

First impressions count for a lot - so has Asher Roth tainted his career before it’s truly begun? Rob Stares investigates the man behind ‘I Love College’… It’s 3:45pm on a typical spring weekend. While the majority of Britain is socialising, shopping or avidly following their sporting heroes, Asher Paul Roth can be found by a desk in a foreign land, staring at his laptop. Instead of settling down to an afternoon of internet porn amongst a sea of crushed beer cans, used condoms and bags of weed as his debut single (and frat-boy anthem) ‘I Love College’ suggests, he instead picks up the phone and wearily accepts an incoming call from another journalist.

at Universal soon after. A free online mixtape entitled ‘The Greenhouse Effect’ appeared soon after on Roth’s website, The Daily Kush - named after the family pet - before attentions turned to the debut album, and THAT song. While Roth wants to be known as an artist with both a serious and a funny side, releasing your first single about drinking, sex, smoking weed and tales of fresher humour will enamour few, and irk many more.

It’s his fifteenth (and final) phone interview today. As the 23-year-old Pennsylvanian shrugs off the relentless promo schedule with a simple “You know, it happens,” the notion of Roth being a moronic graduate from the American Pie era slowly ebbs away.

To his credit, he’s fully aware of this. He admitted in Chicago’s Time Out magazine that he “might have screwed myself” on reflection, and that even he isn’t the song’s greatest fan. How can he hope to win people over when first impressions count for so much?

In some ways, he’s more akin to Kanye West’s ‘College Dropout’ than Stifler and co. He left West Chester University in his sophomore year after being spotted by soon-to-be manager Scooter Braun, a then vice president at Atlanta-based So So Def Records in 2006.

“That song is very much a gift and a curse,” he admits. “It got the exposure, but at the same time, obviously, first impressions are everything. Time is going to be my best friend; the more exposure I get as I grow up, people are going to be able to grow with me for one, and two I think they’ll have no choice. I’m going to force it upon them to understand there is a lot more to me than just ‘Hey, I love college’”.

Things started to snowball after he then moved to Atlanta. Courted by major labels across the States, Roth later found himself unexpectedly auditioning in front of Jay-Z, before signing up with Steve Rifkin (who gave the Wu-Tang Clan their break)

The other reason why ‘…College’ has attracted its fair share of criticism is due to

Asher’s background. He’s a white, middleclass guy who grew up in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; the epitome of the suburbs. Instead of the struggles in Brooklyn and with police brutality, Roth was influenced by “Top 40 music, whatever’s on the radio and mainstream music, because that was the stuff that we were exposed to in the suburbs. Especially if you weren’t in the scene,” he states. His first tape was Billy Joel’s River of Dreams, whilst his first CD was Crash by (American rock group) Dave Matthews Band, released in 1996. It wasn’t until 1998 that he finally got hooked on hip-hop after hearing Jay-Z’s ‘Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)’ in the back of a Subaru. It means Asher is only too aware of his key demographic. Instead of the hostile looking crowds that are associated with main media comparison Eminem in Hollywood biopic ‘8 Mile’, Roth’s crowd is surprisingly younger than first thought. Asher explains: “I understand that my main audience is going to be 10 to 14 year olds. When I was 10 to 14 years old, listening to hip hop music, they were telling me how to dress, what to look like, what to do in my spare time, and that’s kinda the role and responsibility that we have now and it’s going to be important to steer those kids in the right direction.” It’s a completely different market to those

of drunken students at house parties. On first look, it’s a slightly worrying moral prospect, as it would appear Roth is targeting impressionable children who are dangerously under any legal age restrictions. But taking another look at what he calls his “project” starts to reveal an intriguing plan. During the interview, Roth twice states that he believes “Time is going to be my best friend” during his career. It’s not a startling revelation, but he is keen to stress the emphasis of patience, with a near predetermined outcome. With what is essentially a ‘novelty record’ in ‘…College’ that will never become outdated, and a young troupe of followers aspiring to be freshmen (and women), being a hit for young teenagers doesn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. From a financial perspective, at least. Monetary gain is itself a contradiction in Asher Roth’s terms. One of Roth’s synonymous moments prior to ’…College’ has come in the form of remixing Lil’ Wayne’s hit, ‘A Milli’. Instead of waxing lyrical about wealth and grandeur like the original, Roth flips it in its head, denouncing that “Selfcentred humans be the root of all evil,” and how it has no place in hip-hop. With these contrasting values, where does Asher’s heart lay? Somewhat ironically, the answer can be found back at college, where he was originally studying to become a teacher.

“[Teaching is] definitely something that I’m into, as far as it’s one of the few occupations that I would be able to do after having a dibble-dabble and success in the mainstream!” jokes Roth. “If I go back, I’ll teach 5 to 10 year olds that have no idea who I am - we’ll see what happens. It’s absolutely something that tickles my fancy, but at the same time there’s kind of a direct correlation between teaching and this hip hop thing; it’s just the look of the classroom and the curriculum has changed a little bit.” Seeing a direct correlation between hiphop as a positive influence and teaching children - would he ever be interested in being a political spokesman or figurehead? “Politics is a very scary word for me, as in it’s very tainted - it’s kind of a mess, if you will. There’s a lot of stuff involved that people don’t understand - that I don’t understand - that I’m very ignorant to, so I don’t know about politics.” “Using my voice as a positive influence? Absolutely. Whether that means politics and the literal sense of the word, or just in terms of leaving the world a better place that when I came in. Bob Marley didn’t run for president, but he very much impacted the world in terms of mentality and attitude, and that’s something that I look forward to.” Does he feel that he spends most of his time in interviews on the defensive? “I’m pretty much desensitised to it now, it just is what it is. I’m a 23-year-old kid, putting my first album out with my [producer] Oren Yoel who’s never had a placement before in his life. It’s so drastically different of a project, that as people slowly get to wrap their heads around it and the more exposure that I get, I think people will start to understand it’s really different.” During the interview, Asher portrays himself as an articulate, optimistic individual who can put across his feelings well, and it was his final answer that raised the most intriguing result. He’s not been backward in coming forward about his views on marijuana in his songs, nor in the press, but with his stock rising (and with the memory of East 17’s Brian Harvey still looming large today), he could be advised to be careful over

the wording of his argument in an oversensitive press. When talking about what the average individual gets from hip-hop these days, Roth matter-of-factly says: “I have eight year olds telling me they want to go to college because of my [single], and the reason why is incentive. We have to get these kids interested in learning; you can’t just force feed them knowledge; you have to relate the information.” “That’s what we’re going to have to do to really get these kids interested and to have some sort of incentive - and if that means rolling up and having a drink with them, then so be it. He continues: “The thing about marijuana - first of all, I’ve never done a hard drug in my life, if anyone’s going to tell me that outlawing a plant - marijuana - it’s a plant that grows and has been around forever. What it comes down to is people can get on me all day about drinking beer, but I never promote binge drinking, I never promote unprotected sex, it’s all about moderation and knowing your limits, and that’s going to come down to their discipline, it has nothing to do with me.” “But, drinking a beer and smoking a joint now and then is not the end of the world, and if it takes that to get these kids to listen, to really the underlying message, then I’m all for it.” While it can be seen that Asher is portraying his own - and only his own - opinions; in a manipulative world with papers to be sold, it could easily be spun into an all too ugly headline. With his career still on the rise, and little interest in polarising opinion in a way Eminem and the Beastie Boys have done, Asher leaves himself in a dangerous position of having his ’nice-guy’ viewpoint attacked with little mercy, or worse still, completely disregarded. And while his generally scruffy appearance and positive perspective may have its charm, it’s also something that - rightly or wrongly - the media turn their noses up at too readily. While he has every right to view the future with a positive outlook, he may yet have to graduate into the wider world.

t Augus Electric Picnic

Stradbally Hall Estate, Co. Laois, Eire September 4-6 Aiming to be the most eclectic music festival available in Ireland, Electric Picnic harnesses the well trodden themes of Glastonbury by not only providing music, but also an array of theatre, spoken word and ‘eco-friendly initiatives’. Line-up: Orbital, The Flaming Lips, Basement Jaxx, Madness, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Klaxons, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Chic, Seasick Steve, 2manydjs, ABC, Alabama 3, Bat For Lashes, Zero 7, Roots Manuva, The Sugarhill Gang.

electricpicnic.ie

Jersey Live

Royal Jersey Showgrounds, Trinity, Jersey September 5-6 Although the initial line-up had a few familiar headliners within, Jersey Live is steadily proving its worth as September grows nearer. A mixture of dance, drum and bass and rock will please most twentysomethings, although it could be a good idea to check out Jersey Live’s rules and regulations before heading off for hedonistic fun. Line-up: Basement Jaxx, The Kooks, 2manydjs, Andy C & MC GQ, London Elektricity & MC Wrec, Beardyman, Birdy Nam Nam, DJ Yoda, Dan Le Sac & Scroobious Pip, Spinnerette, Twisted Wheel, Casiokids, The Boxer Rebellion, Esser.

jerseylive.org.uk

Offset

Hainault Forest Country Park, Redbridge, Essex September 5-6 Offset looks to bring bands (and the artists that have inspired them) together in a warm, fuzzy unison. Costing under £60, it provides great value - especially now The Horrors have become less boring.

Line-up: The Horrors, The Slits, A Certain Ratio, Future of The Left, Architects, Rolo Tomassi, Throats, Holy State, Factory Floor, Nuke Them All, Maths, Douglas Hart, Jesus And Mary Chain (DJ Set).

offsetfestival.co.uk

End of The Road

Larmer Tree Gardens, Salisbury, Wiltshire September 11-13 Born in 2006, EOTR looks to provide longer set times to artists, allowing fans and bands alike to have a good time and get their moneys worth. With the headliners having a familiar mellow vibe amongst them, don’t expect a rave-fest here. What you can expect is a Scandinavian vibe (as one of the organisers hails from Sweden, apparently) with peacocks and large parrots roaming freely. Line-up: Fleet Foxes, Explosions In The Sky, Mumford & Sons, Malcolm Middleton, Steve Earle, Bob Log III, Alela Diane, Herman Dune, Archie Bronson Outfit, Charlie Parr, Howlin’ Rain, Joe Gideon & The Shark, The Low Anthem, Peter Broderick.

endoftheroadfestival.com

Bestival

Robin Hill Country Park, Downend, Nr Arreton, Isle of Wight September 11-13 Tagged as the final big festival of the year, Bestival always gives summer a suitable sendoff. As always, a fancy-dress theme is in place (Outer Space!), and a mixture of the sublime to brilliantly eccentric perform on stage - although there are quite a few similarities with other small island festivals such as Jersey Live. Line-up: Kraftwerk, Massive Attack, Elbow, Doves, MGMT, Soulwax, Fleet Foxes, Lily Allen, Seasick Steve, Klaxons, Bat For Lashes, The Beat, Squarepusher, Little Boots, Friendly Fires, Florence & The Machine, The Beat, Bjorn Again, Metronomy, Dub Pistols, Buraka Som Sistema, DJ Yoda, 65 Days of Static, Hockey, Napoleon IIIrd.

bestival.net

Review

Camden Crawl Alessi’s Ark softly bridges a divide between the vocal quirks of Devendra Banhart or Joanna Newsom and the velvet touch of Marissa Nadler, Alessi takes the suitably impressed venue by soft storm armed with nothing more than a carefully played acoustic guitar. Her recent album has received very warm reviews and judging by her short set this late afternoon, it’s no surprise. Not having been blessed with a listen to her LP myself I can’t comment on it’s ability to transfer her transcendental tone and raw beauty out of the live setting, but maybe it’s a beauty best enjoyed gently from close range in an intimate setting. Even with Madness setting up for a special surprise show in the street outside Alessi kept her crowd to the last breath. Essex’s Baddies strut their stuff with an angular post-punk vibe, tight matching blue shirts done up to the collar, twin brothers Michael and Jim Webster carry the band through a sharp edged set of what can only be described as absolutely storming tracks. Potential single after potential single follow the early outing of breakthrough 7” ‘Battleships’, the three-pronged call/response vocals viciously dragging the rhythm section along in a constant tug of war for attention. Fantastically styled and brilliantly executed angular dancefloor rhythms. Peggy Sue & The Pirates suitably enthral with their ramshackle stories of love and loss. Fantastic stuff! Unfortunately it seemed that the majority of Peggy Sue’s set didn’t translate that well to an already quite well lubricated Camden audience. Instead of capturing the attention of the venue their soft voices became lost in a haze of lager and laughter, a real shame.

Camden, London April 24-25

Marina & The Diamonds infused the Cuban Bar with a perfect blend of pop and style; believable and genuine yet not taking herself too seriously and endangering her pure pop sensibilities. Layering hyperactive vocal lines over intense instrumentation, she’s a live force to be reckoned with. Catching a glimpse of her forthcoming album material is also a rare treat, and naturally it is saturated with the rich depth and infectious hooks that separate Marina from other female songstresses emerging at the moment. Little Boots feddles a seemingly fashionable blend of 80’s grooves with a dash of electro. Catchy stuff, as her recent soft releases of ‘Meddle’ and ‘Stuck On Repeat’ testify. Forthcoming single ‘New In Town’ is an absolute killer tune if ever there was one. A constantly ducking and diving mass of synth hooks and infectious vocal lines; the previously unwritten soundtrack to a remake of Tron set in L.A. Unmissable in her potential for dancefloor mayhem, Little Boots is a clear contender for La Roux’s currently held synth-pop queen of 2009 crown. The Maccabees launch lead single from their new album, ‘No Kind Words’. A strong chorus surround by loops of punchy, rhythmic verses; it’s a prefect opener. With the band apparently trying to shake their previous “Thamesbeat” scene association, tonight seems to be all about a second chance at innovation. Despite the new material seeming solid it also fits in alongside their old stuff well, perhaps too well. By trying to mature The Maccabees may also isolate and alienate their previous audience. by Liam Haynes

Find an extended Camden Crawl review, plus more previews and reviews at thenationalstudent.co.uk/festivals09

Manchester Apollo May 3 2009

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eunions are rubbish, aren’t they? Past it musicians cashing in on the misguided nature of nostalgia and people’s longing for those mythical ‘good old days’. And so the reunion of 2-tone legends The Specials brings with it the possibility of disappointment. Much of the audience, packed with original skinheads and rudeboys, is high off the nostalgic power of the moment, and some modern rudeboy swagger from support Kid British and some sing-a-along ska classics whips up an air of excitement so thick that it can almost be chewed. The lights go down, the chants start up ‘Rudeboys, Rudeboys, Rudeboys’, the curtains part, an echoed playback of ‘Enjoy Yourself’ booms as the band stand silhouetted behind a white sheet. The sheet drops and under a massive band logo The Specials blast straight into ‘Do The Dog’, the place erupts – all doubts are blown away, from the first moment it is apparent this is not simple nostalgia, The Specials are as relevant now as they have ever been. The gig is not amazing just because of the exuberantly flawless musicianship and boundless energy on show (made all the more impressive by the fact that at 50 vo-

calist Terry Hall is the youngest on stage), which forces each and every member of the crowd into frenzied dancing at least once during the set, but it is also how meaningful these songs are. Hall is on fine form, dropping witty banter into between song gaps and the whole band play like it is their first gig and not a reunion tour. One of Britain’s greatest and most culturally significant bands The Specials were arguably the first act to truly distil the essence of multicultural Britain, matching the party-vibes of Jamaican music with the power of punk, and the hooks of pop. Finished with witty, dry but astute social observations and cynicism The Specials have been rightly lauded as one of our greatest groups. Maybe it is a coincidence that today’s uncertain times eerily reflect the problems of the era that spawned the classic number 1 single ‘Ghost Town’, but its lyrics resonate totally with those affected by the current recession. ‘Too Much Too Young’ their other brilliant hit’s unrepenting comment on teenage pregnancy is still so meaningful today, and ‘Nite Klub’ is a still-so-true attack on rubbish clubs…maybe lines like ‘I can’t dance in a place like this, all the girls

are slags and the beer tastes like piss’ prove exactly why 30 years on people still in awe of this band’s songs. For all the doom and gloom of the lyrics The Specials are the ultimate party band, who reduce the gathered throng to nothing more than a sweaty, skanking mess. Ending on the aforementioned ‘Ghost Town’ the shouts for more, brings a mind-blowing encore of ‘Too Much Too Young’, into a medley of ska classics ‘Long Shot Kick De Bucket’, ‘Liquidator’

(with the bands ‘Nobody Hates….Specials chant’) and ‘Skinhead Moonstomp’. The onslaught is topped-off with their cover of Prince Buster’s ‘Enjoy Yourself’ which is the perfect track, and mantra for these depressing times. The rude boys are back with a vengeance, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime evening (although they are touring a bit). At the end of the day ‘Nobody hates….Specials!’ by Chris Marks

Review

Star Trek Out Now

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veryone knows about Star Trek. Everyone. In the forty three years since it first appeared it has become a significant part of the cultural landscape. Though ostensibly the realm of sci-fi nerds who hang on its every word – in various alien languages – and detail, still the least enlightened individuals know about Captain Kirk, Spock, “live long and prosper” and that funny finger thing, and that a red jersey is the mark of death for any anonymous crew member beaming to the surface. In the ensuing decades, however, the name has slipped further into infamy and away from mainstream acceptance via a long line of semicolon sporting incarnations in film and TV. The time was right for a reboot of the Biggest Franchise in the World, taking things right back to the beginning with the original series’ characters, and Alias/ Lost/Cloverfield/M:I III head honcho J.J. Abrams seems to have been the perfect choice to do it. And it’s no easy task, what with raging fanboys poised by their keyboards to flame the hell out of it over the slightest flaw, while making it appealing to a new, mainstream audience AND delivering on the required spectacle of a summer blockbuster. Amazingly, it delivers on all these levels, with emphasis on the amazing. The film immediately takes off at warp speed while showing us the tremendous scale of the effects work with the appearance of an epic-sized and mean-looking Romulan ship captained by the equally mean-looking Nemo (Eric Bana) who’s just come out of a wormhole looking for a fight, and finds it with the USS Kelvin. The passengers of that ship who manage to escape are helped to do so by the brave sacrifice of one George Kirk, whose son, James, happens to be born at that moment. Then

we see him a few years later taking his step-dad’s car on a joyride and off a cliff, jumping clear at the last minute in a reckless yet perfectly-executed manner. Meanwhile, on Vulcan, Spock’s growing up all conflicted about his half-Vulcan half-human lineage and struggling to control his emotions. It’s all about character development, you see, one of the most important factors in any origin story. The main focus here is on the relationship between Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), polar opposites who start off disliking and distrusting each other but soon realise they must work together and use their individual strengths to save the day, gaining mutual trust and respect in the process. It’s the stuff all great movie partnerships are made of and will fit neatly into a film academic’s reading of the homoerotic subtext. The problem is that there are just so many other characters to introduce and have them effectively contribute to the plot. The other well-known names from the Enterprise crew are dealt sufficient character beats and/or comic moments to make them memorable, but it’s a struggle to do justice to the ensemble cast, with the film’s creative team perhaps looking ahead to future instalments to flesh them out and letting the Kirk/Spock ménage take centre stage. The poor schmoe who loses out in this deal is Eric Bana, looking bad-ass and barely recognisable in his alien get-up, who ends up mostly the one-dimensional, vengeful bad guy whose ship is more the imposing threat rather than

his own motivations. When will Hollywood find him the role that will raise him back to the heights of his amazing performance in Chopper? The main problem of the film, though, is the manifestation of the main obstacle of the filmmakers – appeasing the fanboys. While the creative team risked neck strain from all the knowing nods made throughout, the reverse thrusters are slammed on the breathless pace right in the middle of the second act as new, young Kirk meets… original, old Spock. “Woo! Yay!” cry the fanboys in full-blown nerdgasm, as Leonard Nimoy picks up his first paycheque in years that hasn’t come from a public appearance at ComicCon. He then explains to young Kirk through some stultifying exposition exactly what had him and the Romulans travelling through time to arrive here and start some world-destroying shit, and in doing so creating an alternative reality. That scene is also the writers not-so-subtly explaining to the fanboys what they’ve done here that allows them to keep in all the good stuff, but pretty much change whatever they want in this story’s universe while still keeping things canon. It’s a smooth move when you look at the bigger picture, but from the casual moviegoer’s perspective, it makes things drag when we should be watching THE AWESOME SPACE BATTLES! Getting back to those, the aforementioned problems can all be forgiven, as Abrams’ greatest success is putting in the elements that any previous

Trek incarnation was missing: a sizeable effects budget coupled with fast-paced, heart-pounding excitement. Here, the always-quite-lame phasers actually have a kick to them and look like they can do some damage. Meanwhile, perhaps Abrams picked up some tips from George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic on how to do a space battle properly – Star Wars style. Gone is the slow-paced naval warfare style of the traditional Enterprise in favour of a swerving and banking, all-out dogfighting spitfire of a ship, making for breathtaking sequences of jaw-dropping design. And while the old girl is no X-Wing, the big bad Romulan vessel, with its vicious barbs and gargantuan size, dicks all over the Death Star in terms of menace. It’ll fuel geek pub debates for years to come. Unlike most recent reboots, Abrams doesn’t feel the need to “go dark”. He sticks to the colourful, kitsch aesthetic of the original without overshooting into camp. Star Trek doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s bright, it’s loud, there are nice comic touches, the special effects are truly mind-blowing and most of all it’s fun fun fun! A guaranteed hit with universal appeal, we’re bound to see many more sequels to come. And with Wolverine bombing, Transformers looking pretty but soulless and Terminator not quite family fare, it’s already set to be the ultimate movie experience this summer.

by Phil Dixon