The Enemy/Lethal Bizzle live at At Proud

The smell of smoke lingered in the Camden air last night. However it wasn’t from the recent blaze but the friction caused by so many skinny jeans rubbing together in one place.

It was the reopening night of At Proud and they kicked off with their flagship evening, Another Music= Another Kitchen in a brand new venue.

Set inside The Horse Hospital, Stables market- it's an old horse stable and is one the most unique venues in town. Amongst the chatter from the revelling masses I swear I heard the sound of hoofs cantering around the premises.

Earlier Nick Grimshaw and Jodie Harsh amongst others had taken turns spinning a few contemporary and classic indie, house and rock tunes on the decks. Hands were waved and general merriment was had amongst one and all.

Later flashing light bulbs and the hustle and bustle of the paparazzi heralded that one of the free London papers favourites was out and about- Pixie Geldof was tonight’s main attraction.

Something else that struck me was the sheer volume and beauty of the barmaids. Never before have i seen so many attractive women serving beverages with such speed. Also service with a smile and a little banter chucked in. Wonders will never cease. Normally in other bars it's some bloke with a sense of humour bypass who can't make eye contact for fear of actual customer interaction.

Another attraction at this venue are the stables. You can hire out a stable and have your own little private area amongst the madness surrounding you. Obviously they are now filled with comfy seats, tables and bars instead of mounds of manure.

Bizzle being interviewed by Grimshaw in front of a stable

Lethal Bizzle took to the stage clad in an almost regal purple and gold hoodie. Telling his guy on the decks to turn up the mike and the tunes he launched into “Pow” and never looked back.

Other tracks included “Oi” and “Jump Around” by House of Pain which had the crowd coincidentally jumping around at the time.

Drinks on top of the speakers near the stage bounced and fell to their demise on the stone floors from what looked like the reverberations of the bass. But a few of us saw what really happened as the translucent hoofs of long gone stallions kicked and bucked in appreciation.

He finished off his set with the lethal anthem “Bizzle Bizzle”.

The Enemy were next up on stage. The unassuming yet quietly confident lads from Coventry sat down with guitars in hand ready to start their acoustic set. Also accompanying them were keyboards and a string quartet.

Taking tracks from their album 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns' they played songs that included “You're Not Alone”, “This Song” and “Away from Here”. Mixing guitars, violins and the cello added a unique sound to already catchy tunes.

Their last song of the night was a rendition of “Cosmic Dancer” by T-Rex. Not needing to scream or shout and letting the lyrics and melody speak for themselves, Tom’s vocals spread across the old barn and touched the wood paneling on the ceiling.

Looking down from the celestial equine plains I’m sure a few of the former residents doffed their manes in appreciation at a great night in their old home.

Arctic Monkeys Live at Alexandra Palace

The Arctic Monkeys are a different type of band. Usually when I go to a gig I’ll tell my parents I’m off to see the Pigeon Detectives or Scouting for Girls and they’ll be like “that’s nice. Could you turn the lights off” but when I said I was going to see the Arctic Monkeys my Dad replied “Alex Turner could be described as a modern day Plato or Socrates because of his powers of perception and lyrical flair. They have resonated across the generations and risen to global success because of their unique sound and skill with their instruments. Especially Matt Helders on drums. Some might say they can become quite repetitive, I would say talk to me after you’ve listened to The View from the Afternoon.

I just nodded my head in agreeance.

Saturday night arrived and usually the thought of taking a bus then going 14 stops on the tube would be enough of a deterrent but at the end of this epic voyage lied Alexandra Palace who was playing host to one of my favourite bands. The journey zipped by and soon enough we had arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed. Standing at the foot of Ally Pally I was greeted by one of the best views of London I have ever seen. Zeus would have even look down in envy at the perfect sight of a million lights sprawling into the horizon. However when we came back down from the celestial sphere we were greeted by bone chilling winds and theme park like queues. After collecting the tickets the queue which had been shuffling along slowly suddenly became a brisk walk and before Jack Frost could do anymore damage we were inside. I’ve never been to this venue before and I must say I was really impressed whilst the other half felt it looked like a lido. Got the tickets which you had to buy to get beer (worked out at about £4 a pint I think) and went into the main area where the stage stood somewhat boastfully knowing who was going to be making an appearance this eve.

First of the supporting acts up were The Rascals. Not much to say about them really apart from the fact they sounded and looked rather similar to the headline act. I’m already at an Arctic Monkey gig so why would I want to see a version not as good as the originals?

Next up where The Horrors and they had a rather rough ride. Straight away you could see that most of the crowd didn’t take to them and so the bombardment of the stage with cups of beer, loose change and glow sticks began. They seemed like old pros as they effortlessly dodged and out manoeuvred the multicoloured assault. The type of music they play isn’t really my cup of tea and I wouldn’t particularly go out of my way to watch them play but I found myself nodding along at some points. The only problem is I couldn’t tell you one word he said and was more interested in their apparel and hair styles then their music. Spider web on the combo organ looked like a gothic medieval jester in black skinny jeans. After each song ended there was a spattering of applause from some appreciative fans but that was drowned out my mainly boos. After a while lead singer Faris Rotter quipped “B.O.O if you put a K at the end then you would be a little more educated”. I found it rather funny at the time.

Finally the Arctic Monkeys took to the stage and jumped head first into ‘This house is a circus’ I think. I can’t be 100 per cent certain as I don’t actually remember the first song as I spent that time in what can only be called a battle royale. Usually you would expect a little pushing and shoving right at the front but this was right throughout the crowd. At first I was pissed off but after a while you can loose yourself in the madness. It also acted as a Charles Darwin/ Herbert Spencer example of survival of the fittest as you could see the small, young and old running for their lives to the back of the gig. They mixed up the sets with lesser known songs from both Favourite Worst Nightmare and Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Tracks like Brainstorm, Teddy Picker, Fluorescent Adolescent and Leave Before the Lights Come On showed how much depth the band have without playing the big crowd pleasers.







In between songs Alex joked and interacted with the audience and those who know me are aware of the fact that I like a bit of good band banter between songs. Talking point of the night was Ricky Hatton. Then they started rolling out the big guns with I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, When the Sun Goes Down, Fake Tales of San Francisco, Mardy Bum and The View from the Afternoon. The pushing had turned more into bouncing and I found myself hugging and singing with blokes along to some bloody good songs. I also did have quite a few Carlsbergs by that point. I’m not sure what type of crowd I expected the band to attract but I was surprised by the amount of geezers in wife beaters that were everywhere. At one point they created a circle and started wrestling.

They exited stage for a few minutes and giving the crowd a little breather that even the most hardcore of fans would have been thankful for and then began again with a few more album tracks. Then from nowhere Dizzy appeared on stage and they performed Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend and he disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

On the home straight now they played Dancing Shoes, Riot Van, Still Take You Home, Do me a favour and my personal favourite A Certain Romance. The last song of the night was If You Were There, Beware and after finishing that they were gone. Lights came up and it was time for the sweaty revellers to go home.

On the way out I got about six beers for the price of two and stumbled back to the tube. Heading to Clapham Common for a more few drinks I noticed a few people staring at my once white converses that looked like I had been rolling about with swine, which I suppose I had been.

A great gig by the Arctic Monkeys and one of the best I have been to in a long time. Alex is a great front man but for me Matt on the drums is one of if not the best young drummer in the country. Those who missed it certainly missed out.

Mancini interview

Justin was a little lazy by only bringing sexy back with him. Mancini have taken up the challenge and have brought sexy and a lot more back to the table. You may have seen them on Mobile Act Unsigned on Channel 4. You might have been lucky enough to hear their sweet sounds reverberating through a gig and ascending into the heavens above. Here are their thoughts on illegal downloading, being on TV, skinny jeans and stage invasions.

Ok let’s begin shall we:

Hello there Mancini, why don’t you introduce yourselves and say a little about what you do in the band.

Hi - Mancini is Amy, Josh and Iraina. We all write together - but basically Iraina does Vox, Amy Vox and keys and Josh takes care of production and guitars but we're all multi instrumentalists and all contribute to the songs and sound.

How long has the band been together and how was it formed?

Mancini has been in this form for just over a year now - Iraina and Josh were in another band together but decided to split off and work solely together. Amy joined at the end of last summer.

If you were to describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard it before what would you say?
Glam Electro Pop - with an edge.

What’s the mobile unsigned experience been like? Must be quite tough being on the road but cool doing what you love on TV. Actually the road was great and the TV stuff more draining - there's so much waiting around with TV stuff. The whole show has been amazing - really proved we can cut it, handle the pressure and let us know what to expect from a full time career in music.

Since being on the show have you been getting any double glances from your growing celebrity or have you met any stars?

We've met stars who've appeared on the show - Kate Nash and New young pony Club for instance and had a few moments of recognition on the streets. It hasn't gone through the roof or anything though.

What has been the best gig experience you've had thus far?

Probably last Sunday's gig at Nambucca - when we got a stage invasion during 'Up Country' it was fantastic.

I recently got an ipod touch and was blown away by the science fiction like technology. What if anything has amazed you recently?

My friend's Iphone. He showed us on Mobileact - it looked CRYSTAL.

A little bit of a clichéd question but what is/are your musical influences? What’s the best track you heard in the last few months?

We like a real range of stuff from Led Zeppelin and The Stones up to current bands such as New Young Pony club and CSS. 'The Bomb' by NYPC has been a real band favourite.

Where would you recommend as somewhere to go and listen to cool music on a weekend?

The Breaks scene and the Electro House scenes are really strong at the moment. SeOne are doing some cool nights - and then there's City Breaks at The Jamm. And there's a pretty amazing DJ at 22Below called Dominica Scott.

Bands and artist nowadays are very much involved with the internet and social networking but on the flip side is illegal downloading. How do you feel about the net or someone getting all your material for free after the effort that’s been put into it?

If it means they get down to the gigs then its worth it - bands never made money from record sales anyway – it’s the labels that should be worried more than the bands. It has made getting signed harder as the budgets are much smaller now.

Is being in the band fulltime or do you have other jobs?
It has been through mobileact - we all do part time jobs when we can - guitar teaching, djing etc.

Music is obviously a great passion of yours but aside from that what else rocks your boat?

Film and fashion come to mind as something we love.

Let’s say you’re in a club having a good night. Then ‘Up Country’ comes on. Do you jump on the table and start cutting a few shapes or do you dive for cover under the nearest shelter and boogie under there?

Probably have a really good look to see how it goes down with the kids.

Now heaven forbid but if you don’t win the competition what’s next for Mancini?

Festivals are already being booked - we've had a load of interest already so its all looking really good regardless of Mobileact.

Last question, is there anything you would like to say to your ever growing fan base?

Sure - thanks so much for the support over the competition and for pushing a band that isn't just about skinny jeans, pointy shoes and a haircut.

Keep checking our Myspace for news/gig info and new tracks:

www.myspace.com/manciniband

X Mancini

Ladies and gentlemen please put your hands together in appreciation for the terrific trio that is Mancini.

My Loaded column on the perils of technolgy to your love life

Sadly this is not still available in the stores so thought i would chuck it up here for those who missed out. This is a column piece i did for Loaded magazine about how technology/facbook/moblies etc is stopping us blokes from living a care free life and instead always having to be set to defcon 1. Enjoy.

Summer, summer, summertime 2007

Thought i would do a little recap of some of the highlights (or what I can remember) of my adventures over the summer months and what places i attended. Didn't really think about blogging as a method of regaling my tales to the masses and instead wasted them on people i knew already. Such a misuse of my time as those who know me already are aware of my brilliance. Think of this as one of those sunday papers jam packed with goodness that you come back to a read over the week.

Now i cannot claim that these events are in chronological order as times and dates do tend to meld into one. I could check and verify the dates and times but that would require effort and alas i cannot be asked, so sit back, relax and gather everyone around for the mystical and magical tale of summer 2007 is about to begin.

Now my summer began like any normal persons, I was in west Philadelphia born and raised on the playground was where I spent most of my days. Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and all shootin some b-ball outside of the school. When a couple of guys who were up to no good and started makin trouble in my neighborho.... no sorry that didn't happen to me. That's another story retold everyday on Trouble.

The Roots

One of the first events i went to was a band called The Roots at the Somerset House. Now I love music and pride myself on knowing a thing or two but when asked I was a little nonchalant because I didn't have a clue who this band of renegade rappers were. I texted one of my mates to ask if he knew who they were and would he be interested in going with me. I believe that I received his reply even before I had finished sending my message. He said something like “oh my God" and "I don't care how much it cost and if needs be I would perform acts of Fellatio as means of payment". I told him this wouldn't be necessary right now and just to met me later outside the venue. Got there and was given some free drinks coupons which I quickly exchanged for beer and instead of waiting for the support act went for a cheeky Wagamamas. When we got back the sun was beginning to set and as it was an outdoor gig the orange lights bounced and danced off the walls of the historic building. Now all I can say is that The Roots blew me away. That’s how hip hop should be played with passion and pride. ?uestlove is a magician with the drums and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter not only rapped with skill and precision he also had a bit of banter to him which is always entertaining. In their set they mixed classic beats from missy to the beastie boys. Lead guitarist Kirk Douglas performed a cover of Bob Dylan’s Vietnam song Masters of War which resonated with almost everyone in the audience and rings as true today as it did then. They performed for a few hours and it was dark when they left the stage and came back on again for a few more tracks. Was truly a privilege to watch these men perform.

Carmen Jones

As part of duties at Live magazine (a bunch of lovely guys and girls who produce a fine magazine for kids around the capital) I went to cover Carmen Jones at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank. Now this is not the first time I’ve been to see opera but those other times were forced upon me as a school kid and this was my first time out of free will. So the opera was good and the actors performed rather well and interacted nicely with the set. I had met the actors a couples months before at a photo shoot for their press images and they were all lovely and I got some nice quotes, so was good to see them on stage doing there thing. Highlights for me would have to be the performance by Sherry Boone who played the love sick sap Cindy Lou. Her solo raised the roof and if everyone wasn’t so stiff should have got a standing ovation in my opinion. Also the boxing scene at the end was very inventive and the use of lights and slow motion nearly made it look as realistic as Fight Night on the PS3. Afterwards we headed to the after party and was greeted as I entered with the sounds of Latino band playing their hearts out. Got a seat and was instantly offered food, now don’t get me started on the food as it was so nice. Plates of meat and meat wrapped in meat and meat on sticks filled me up for the next few days. Also there was the longest table I have seen that seemed to contradict the laws of time and space and on it was booze. I haven’t drunk that many Coronas before. After that we took a little walk down the South Bank and in my humble opinion there is no better sight than the view here at night, of course someone tucked up in bed next to Jessica Alba might disagree.

Robin Thicke interview

Robin who? That was my first reaction. The bloke with the high voice was the response. So I was tucked up in bed feeling as rough as hell with the flu when I got a call and was asked if I could do a phone interview with Robin in the next few hours. I could of said no because I’m ill and there’s a man standing by my bed in a black robe, holding a sickle and wanting to play a game of chess.

But being a pro I dragged myself out of bed and straight onto the net to do some research and preparation. A few hours later I get a call from his PR lady and she says we have Robin here for you. After doing my research I was rather excited about chatting to him as he’s actually quite a player in the music scene having been making beats since he was young and being on shows like The Wonder Years. So we chat and he is really nice and polite. He talks about how Pharrell is his boy and having famous/rich parents is not always that great. I was meant to have about 20 minutes with him but according to my dictaphone I only got just over 10, but still enjoyed our chat. Then Lost without you blew up over here and I was like that’s my boy!

After the interview though I slumped back into bed and challenged the robed man to a game of Pro Evo and even doped up on Lemsip I still whooped his skeletal arse.

The interview would located here if you wish to give it a looksie.

V Festival

Saturday-
I was given the opportunity to attend this years V Festival because thanks to a friend or fairy godmother as I like to call him, I was asked to write in the official programme for the festival.

So the day arrived and I headed for Euston station with my bag of clothes on my back, my mates 2 second pop up tent in hand (more on the tent later) and my mums bag of snacks in the other hand. First lesson learned is be very minimalist in regards to what you bring because you will have to carry it and arms get more tired as time goes on. Stupid evolution should have given us bigger arms instead of brains. Got on the train and travelled to Stafford (why I didn’t just go to Chelmsford eludes me right now) and was greeted with rain and clouds. Took a little while to get in as the security wouldn’t let us through without our names on the list but the list was at the office located in the grounds, but we made it. Got to the office and expected to get my wristbands, one for camping and the other VIP. The camping was no problem but I was told I would have to a 20 quid donation to get my VIP pass that belonged to me. Now that’s not a donation, it’s more like Dick Turpin or the Scarlet Pimpernel mugging me then selling the goods back to me for a profit. I don’t even know what charity it was but in the end I begrudgingly gave them the cash and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I made (relatively cleans toilets and a VIP bar to keep the rain off my head).

We then trudged through the ever increasing mud paths and made our way through the camp sites. I know now how Mary and Joseph must have felt when they couldn’t find any rooms in the inns. We ended up in the silver camp which was probably the furthest away from the site and these two pretty girls pointed us the direction of a free spot, probably hoping to get their wicked way with me at the end of the night but that was the last time I saw them. Whilst all the other shmucks constructed their tents I merely took mine out of the bag, undid some straps and like a robot in disguise it transformed from a circle into a huge tent. Job done and the partying commenced. Now I could take the next couple days to talk to about the music and what bands I saw but think that I’ll just go into end stage of my evening watching bands on the 4music stage. So Mark ronson ‘played’ some songs from his new album of covers. Now if I take a song and get someone else to sing on it does that make me a musician? Ok he does play the guitar and is a really good producer but if he got Shabba to sing Park Life and he hits a triangle every now and again is that really making music? Stop Me and Toxic were good and some dude did the tune from The O.C. On after was Lily Allen who was sick and was taking medicine or jagermeister as she called it. She was actually quite good live and could hold a tune when she wasn’t gobbing up on stage. She shook her hips and called Bush a few rude names. She also talked about how men with small winkles shouldn’t cheat on girls as women tend to talk. Her set over ran a little and she said something like it’s only the bloody boring Manic Street Preachers up next which got a few boos and hisses which made me chuckle.

The Manics were up next and I missed Australia because it was my turn to get the beers in (I also must mention when I say beers I mean two bottles of Carlsberg each which we did throughout the day) and they rocked the joint. Design for life was naturally the finale and then I was faced with the choice of watching The Killers or Basement Jaxx. As I think The Killers are overrated and quite poo I saw The Jaxx and what a fun night I had. You can read my review here but I jumped and bounced and cut some shapes on the muddy floor. The rain stopped and the tunes ripped through my soul like one of those mega fireworks on bonfire night. The ones that rise silently into the air until the explosion reverberates though your bones. I almost lost my phone when it got knocked out of my hands whilst jumping but the people around kindly helped out and I didn’t take my phone out again as it felt like I had lost a limb.

After that we headed to the VIP tent which was now like a club and drank way too much beer and danced to The Smiths and Aretha Franklin. I also seem to remember jumping about in a circle with loads of guys to Oasis whilst pretending to be from Manchester. Happy days.

Lilly at V

Sunday/Monday-
Stepping out of the tent I felt weaker than Pete Doherty’s will power and was shaking like Mohammed Ali. But strangely no hangover, must have been all the rain water I consumed over the course of the previous day. Today wasn’t about going mental as I did yesterday, it was more about trying to find a dry seat, getting some food down me (I had the worst bap ever which had some pork that tasted like shite) and seeing a few good bands. Morning was quite crap for music and didn’t really bother leaving the tent and just chatted to a few girls. We decided that we should go see Kayne on the main stage. Now you here a lot of stories about him being up his own arse and I couldn’t comment as I’ve never met the man but after doing his diamonds song he turned his back to the crowd and chatted to his DJ for what seemed a couple of minutes. I wasn’t here to watch Mr West’s back so I fucked off to go watch Dizzie instead. We arrived at the tent a little early and there was this little bald chubby bloke on stage. He was singing some folky song in quite a high pitched voice. When he finished he said “sing along to this one if you know it. It’s my song called Nothing compares to you” and so Sinead O’Connor sang one of the best tunes of all time.

We waited a while for Dizzie to come on but he was going to clash with Babyshambles so we left to go see them. After waiting for a while it became evident that Pete wasn’t going to show when there were no instruments on stage. The announcer said something about them being stuck in traffic and he rightly got bottled. Back to Dizzie Rascal and we caught the last 5 minutes of him but were right at the back of the tent which was filled to capacity. He did old school whilst I was barging my way through the crowds.

Also the people at the festival had lost their sense of humanity by now and were just rows of guys and girls pissing up against any wall they could find.

Waiting for Pete to headline at a smaller stage later I saw Plan B who was really good and his song Charmaine was as catchy as it was disturbing. Then finally a little late came Pete and his motley crew and Babyshambles took to the stage. To their credit they performed well and tunes like Kilimanjaro got the crowd going. I have quite a few videos on my phone but they mostly consist of 20% Pete and 80% me singing along. People were constantly chucking things on stage and Pete quipped at one point “you guys use to throw really beautiful things at me like beads and crosses now you just chuck cups of piss”. Pipe down, sedative and finally Fuck Forever (if you don’t mind that is) closed the proceedings nicely. Was short but sweet and a nice way to finish off the festival. Pete chucked his mike stand into the stage and they were gone like a puff of coke. We went to the VIP for a few, charged our phones, then went to bed relatively early (about 2am I think).

The next day was just about getting home really. The only obstacle was the 2 second tent which took about 45 minutes to put down. We thought an epic battle of Spartan proportions and duelled to the death. It twisted, turned, spun and poked at me. I can still hear its mocking laugh whilst I sleep. I seriously considered leaving it behind and torching it but finally at the last minute it caved and folded back into its circular shape. Back in London and on the tube I realised just how filthy I was and dreamed of a shower and my bed. Both were great.

My trousers after V

Get Loaded in the Park/Metro weekender

This was a week after my V exploits and I really wasn’t feeling like jumping into another festival so instead of going to Reading I decided to keep it local and headed for Clapham Common. Thankfully this week the sun was shining and it was a bank holiday weekend so didn’t having to worry about Monday morning.

Again on entering I had to hand over cash for honours, no I mean cash for wristbands and this time had two. One pink and one black that matched my hat.

Looking at who was playing I was surprised to see Doherty was going to do an acoustic set, naturally he didn’t turn up though. I wasn’t that upset as I just saw him last week and plus I didn’t even know he was going to be here.

So I made my way to the VIP tent and found that I was being given free beer every time I went up to the bar. It was kind of like the dream I had as a child of being locked in Argos at night had come true. In the air I smelt chicken and as a South Londoner you are born with a great nose to smell out chicken. In the corner was a Nando stand and I asked the lady how much it would cost. She looked at me with sympathetic eyes, shook her head and stretched here arms open like an ancient prophet and said “take what you wish my child”. When I emerged with beer in one hand and chicken in the other, I had to give my mate a napkin to mop up his tears. Highlights of the day would be The Go! Team who not only played and sang well but they interacted with the crowd and got everyone boogying. Carl Barat and Dirty Pretty Things added a little indie spice to the mix and everyone waited patiently to sing bang, bang your dead.

Me and some mates enjoying the event (i'm not sure why i'm not smiling)

After they finished I went back to the magical tent of chicken and beer and was stopped by the bouncer. He told me very eloquently in a style reminiscent of Socrates that I didn’t have the right pass. I told him that I’d been in here about 10 times already and he said that had been a mistake. Speaking to the organisers I didn’t have the right pass as my pink one got me somewhere else. I think I needed the white Power Ranger Turbo classic super duper monkey pass. So I was thankful for the blagged food and beer and went and watched The Streets.

The end of The Streets set

I’ve Skinner and co a few times and as always they performed well but didn’t really excel on the day. A few crowd pleasers later and the night had come to an end and we walked into an overly rammed Clapham to weary to really enjoy the atmosphere. However on the way back through the park a band called Devils Gun played an impromptu set for about 15 minutes with rapping, guitars and even a little brass section. Sadly this little bit of fun ended in one of our friends wallet getting nicked and me foolishly thanking the man who ‘found’ the wallet minus the cash.

So here ends the recap of some of my summer adventures. Stay tuned for what I got up to over the autumn months. This includes how I cured the common cold and avoided assassination by the government. What happened when I went to the Mobo awards and saw the Beastie Boys and much much more.

Urban Music Awards 07

Man has gazed at the stars since in dawn of time. Captivated and enthralled by the majestic spheres that sparkle in the vast expanses of space. If however those fiery balls of gases decided to descend their gaze on Earth and upon London’s Covent Garden they would have been blinded by the amount of stars at the fifth annual Urban Music Awards. Well possibly that’s an over exaggeration.

The Urban Music Awards 2007 took place this weekend and kindly I was invited to attend of behalf 4music. Set inside the fabulously fancy New Connaught Rooms I was greeted by the flash bulbs from the photographers outside but for some reason they stopped and only started again once I’d passed.

Inside I was given my black press wristband and was quickly ushered into the press room which had a giant Kickers box that celebrities had their photos taken inside of. Maybe the word celebrity is the wrong word when talking about the man from the Halifax adverts or a girl who use to be in Channel Fives Harry and Cosh.

You may be wondering why the actual awards ceremony itself has not been mentioned yet. That would be because I was not allowed in and had to stay within the perimeter of the press room and watch the proceedings in the adjacent room on a couple TVs. Now that did nothing to help reduce my carbon footprint.

So with a complimentary Tuborg beer in hand, I look over to the plasmas that are positioned perfectly for viewing at the back of the room with about 20 plus people sitting and standing in front. However sadly there was no sound from the televisions. Why would you expect to have sound at a music awards? That’s like going to a restaurant and expecting to be served food. How silly of me.

As the evening progressed the winners enter from stage right and were placed on stage to have their victorious moment captured forever but by the end it seemed the photographers were taking pictures out of politeness or possibly just flashing the bulbs not wanting to waste the space on their 20 GB memory cards.

Notable attendees for sheer loveliness would have to be Linford Christie and Gabrielle (both of them I had to get a photo with). N-Dubz picked up best garage act and best newcomer Mr Midas from ‘Musicool’ fame kind of shrieked a few words at me that may have been English or possibly Jawa.

Having an awards ceremony that celebrates and recognises artists and individuals in the urban music market should be applauded but whereas this years MOBOs may have been a little soulless, it seems that the UBAs were just plain clueless. Also what made matters even worse was I thought I had broken a metatarsal in my big toe and was stumbling about like Amy Winehouse.

At the end of the event there was an after party and I was told that I would most definitely be able to enter. So it wouldn’t surprise you to find out that of course I was not allowed in because naturally I did not have the right colour wristband. Where are the So Solid crew when you wouldn’t mind things kicking off? Maybe I’m sounding a little too dramatic but I got my suit jacket dry cleaned and everything.

Apparently it will be shown on Channel U, so I’m going to tune in to see what the event was like and fingers crossed there will be sound.

Are we eroding away our basic morality?

By Andre McLeod



John Carpenters The Thing shows how greater imagery manipulation has led to gore and shock being the expected norm for most viewers. Many of whom would feel out of place without it.


Desensitisation.
This is a term that many people are most likely unfamiliar with. However it is believed by some that it can affect and influence the world's populace. Through the media, television and newspaper's bombardment of images of violence and war, the human mind is losing its state of shock and building up a level of acceptance. It has also been argued that exposure to mediums like videogames and movies can be directly linked to individuals committing acts of depravity and immorality. Does news, fiction and fantasy govern the state of someone's mind or is it down to the person and their own mentality

Over the past few weeks the world has watched and mourned the tragic events in Asia caused by the effects of the earthquake and Tsunami. Images of peoples houses destroyed and swept away and crying orphans, pictures of dead bodies floating and mass burials have not left the screens or the newspapers. Last year the Iraq war was the most interactive and covered war to date. Camera crews and journalist depicted all the areas possible and sent the evidence to a waiting audience. During the course of normality the crimes and sins of those around us are reported in the daily news round up. Murders, rape, drugs and hate crimes are just a few of the scenarios which will appear every day.

Leading human behavioral analysts believe that through constant exposure a person will incorporate and accept these events as a regular part of life. This is called desensitisation, when the extraordinary becomes ordinary.

However is this the case? If you put an image of a child dying from hunger in front of someone it will still touch their emotions. The public are oversubscribed with images of our mortality and the disintegration of society around us, however one thing still remains: humanity. Violent images may not have the same shock value but they still disgust. Images of the effects of the Tsunami may still appear on screens but the public still donate their money in an attempt to help. The problem is finding a balance so the viewers and readers do not become saturated with morbidity for there is still some light in the darkness. Natural disasters such as earthquakes or droughts will lead to public generosity and global aid. But what about manufactured violence?



This is a question which raises its head every so often and causes debate and divided answers; do violent films and videogames make people violent? It is believed that if someone plays a videogame or watches a movie that promotes the acts of violence or contains wicked or evil images then this will erode away the goodwill and conscience of the person. The consumer may then begin displaying symptoms of violence and corruption. Case studies have shown that children’s aggression levels might increase when playing videogames. Some murder cases have been blamed on the defendant being corrupted by violent genres which led them into committing the acts.

These cases may be true, but according to psychologist Karena Jones, it is “because of the personality of a person rather than the content of a product. Mrs Jones believes humans have the luxury of freedom of choice. Somebody can make a decision about their actions and continue down that path. If a person decides to murder another human being because of a videogame they have played then it was not because of the game but their state of mind. She feels that it is down to a persons mind frame if violent genres would have an adverse affect. Many boys, girls, men and women encounter violent fiction everyday but they do not kill. If somebody can be swayed into a state of debauchery and viciousness because of a book, film or game then I suggest we give them the help they clearly need.

Quentin Thomas, head of British Film Council decides the censorship ratings for films and deems what is acceptable for people to watch. Deciding that sex and violence is not acceptable for children and young adults viewing is endorsed and accepted by all. However, what right does another person have to tell another adult that they do not have the mental capacity to be able to handle watching a film?

Surely a consenting adult can choose what is appropriate for them? Also if the censor believes that the film would have an adverse affect upon the viewer then why does it not affect him? What separates censors from the rest of the general public? Surely if they are enveloped in cinematic abyss of degradation then they would be the most amoral abominations upon the face of the earth.

In any case, violence sells so it could never really be totally banned. Violence is controversial and controversy sells by the bucket loads. I got a couple of words that sums it all up: San Andreas one of the largest selling games of all time.

What would happen if these videogames and movies were banned? What would be seen next as the corruptor of society? The only solution to make sure nobody sees or hears anything that might upset or influence them would be for everyone to be locked in grey padded rooms away from human contact and civilization. Only then could we be sure that something that may possibly influence somebody would not.