Album Review: The Chemical Brothers - Further

Words: Jon Sidwell

Chemical Brothers - 'Further'


Imagine being referred to as pioneers of what is arguably the most successful strand of electronic music, ever. The 90’s saw a young British duo take their form of dance music, now commonly known as “big beat dance”, to mainstream success not just in the UK but across the globe. That sort of tagline or billing has affected many artists before; they simply cannot live up to their former glories and slide away into the musical abyss. It is no small feat then that 15 years since the release of their debut album 'Exit Planet Dust', The Chemical Brothers return with a brand new album for 2010, still pushing boundaries and certainly all the right buttons.

Film Review: Robin Hood (2010)

Words: Paul Dean

'Robin Hood' (2010)

Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong.


I'm a little late jumping on the 'Robin Hood' review horse and, to be fair, the thing really has bolted by now anyway, but I still think it's worth saying something about this film simply because I feel the criticism it's received has been unkind.

Surfacing: Sunday Girl

We're all miserable after England's abject "football" performance earlier today so hopefully here's something to lift you out of depression. And all the more appropriate, bearing in mind that it's Sunday.


Jade Williams is a twentysomething Londoner, who goes by the moniker of Sunday Girl. Not because she's into Blondie but because she used to work in a pet shop on a Sunday. I imagine pretty much every review ever will mention this. Anyways, she's moved from pets to major labels, having signed to Geffen, and has worked with "shit hot" producers Diplo and Jim Eliot. Not withstanding that she's a fittie too. The future's looking good.

Short: The Black Hole

"Championing undiscovered talent". That's a good tagline. And one we embody here on this blog.


Basically, Virgin Media are running a competition for budding filmmakers to submit short films (by noon on Monday 28 June) of up to 140 seconds length and have the chance to win all kinds of pretty snazzy prizes. Most notably, one winner will receive £30,000 funding for their next film, while 12 people will also have their shorts screened in cinemas across the UK. Head to virginmediashorts.co.uk to enter. And hurry!

As it happens, I saw one of the 2008's winning short film in the cinema a couple of years ago, and I wanted to share that with you.

Album Review: The Drums - The Drums

Words: Alicia McBride

The Drums - 'The Drums'


Oh, The Drums, you poor Drums. The band have constantly been compared to the English C86 bands of the late 80s, whose rebellion against the Thatcherite era imbued the music with passion and intelligence. Yet The Drums have come under fire for perfecting the style, but losing the substance. All I can say is, who cares? When music is this fun, I don’t need substance.

BBC iPlayer: Zidane A 21st Century Portrait (2006)

Watch until 5.59am, Sun 27th June (UK users only)


SYNOPSIS: "Impressionistic and captivating film about the art of a great footballer and the intensity of a live experience. 17 cameras follow Zinedine Zidane ceaselessly during Real Madrid's home match against Villareal in 2005, and the resulting film depicts the entire 90-minute match entirely from his perspective." (BBC.co.uk)