Album Review by Alexandra McLoughlin

Despite being released back in March 2009 after nearly 2 years of preparation,  Hatcham Social’s debut album  ‘You Dig the Tunnel, I’ll Hide the Soil’ is a mandatory inclusion on any list of greatest albums for the summer of 2009.

The album which was produced by the experienced musican Tim Burgess (from The Charlatans), overflows with sunny feelgood tone and flawless melodies yet featuring melancholic vocals by frontman Toby Kidd.

Previously a trio (please see my last post/introduction on Hatcham Social) and now a four-piece band after the addition of multi-talented Jerome Watson, Hatcham Social are an 80’s influenced indie band from South London and although still “babies” their success is predicted to last for a long time mostly because of their enthusiastic and energetic live performances.

As for the album I can best describe it as an EXUBERANT MASTERPIECE.

Check out Hatcham Social Myspace on:

http://www.myspace.com/hatchamsocial

BAND MEMBERS:  Toby Kidd , Finn Kidd , Dave Fineberg, Jerome Watson

RECORD LABEL:  TBD Records (USA), Fierce Panda (UK & Europe)

TRACKLIST:

1. Crocodile

2. Sidewalk

3. Murder In The Dark

4. Hypnotise Terrible Eyes

5. So So Happy Making

6. Superman

7. I Cannot Cure My Pure Evi

8. Jabberwocky

9. My Opinion

10. Penelope (Under My Hat)

11. Give Me The Gift

By Alexandra McLoughlin

Are they monsters? Are they explosive metal machines? Or are they just masquerade mutants in limbo? They are everything that has been mentioned and more… we are of course talking about the 9 piece metal band from Iowa, Slipknot that have been busy entertaining huge crowds at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.

Corey Taylor and Joey Jordinson by Alexandra McLoughlin

Every time that the Grammy Award winning band Slipknot, produce an album each member makes a distinctive change to their mask and as this tour was based on the new album All Hope Is Gone the fans were very excited and looking forward to seeing what masks they would be revealing this time.

Slipknot On Fire - Pic by Alexandra McLoughlin

When the band finally appeared on stage the waiting was over, there was a huge explosion of sound coming from the drums and lead man Corey Taylor started to shout at the crowd. It became obvious that chaos was on its way…

Shawn Crahan looked hilarious as he kept zipping and unzipping his mask whilst their sound and lighting effects went beyond expectations, with pyrotechnics and a phenomenal strobe effect with a pinch yet an electrifying darkness!

Shawn Crahan – Picture by Alexandra McLoughlin

The crowd seemed that they couldn’t get enough of Corey’s aggressiveness, although having said that, the mosh pit was a huge success and unstoppable even after when a few fans had to be dragged out to recover.

Corey Taylor - Pic by Alexandra McLoughlin

It wasn’t until Corey screamed these words “F..k it all, f..k this world, F..K EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR!” that loud gunshot noises came out from Mick Thomson, Jim Root and Paul Gray’s guitars and the crowd became even more uncontrollable.

The screams were so loud that at one point it appeared that the ceiling was going to collapse especially because the ground was vibrating intensely.

To make things even more exciting Shawn Crahan’s elevating drum kit ended up in the air as it slowly spun and Sid Wilson decided to dangle off it and start swinging. When he wasn’t attached to Shawn’s drums, Sid Wilson continuously ran around the stage and even jumped onto Chris Fehn’s drum as it tilted backwards and forwards.

Shawn Crahans Elevating Drums by Aleaxandra McLoughlin

Craig Jones’ spike mask looked lethal whilst he was head banging along to the to Joey Jordinson’s sensational drumming. Both members were definitely having a good time and putting all their energy into pleasing the crowd.

Craig Jones (Picture by Alexandra McLoughlin)

All in all the show was extraordinary, unpredictable, fierce and had everything you could possibly expect from a “metal band”. Spectacular!!

Joey Jordinson pic by Alexandra McLoughlin

*My rating* 10/10

Review by Alexandra McLoughlin

By Alexandra McLoughlin

Simple Plan playing at London Forum pix by Alexandra McLoughlin

After having sold over SEVEN million copies worldwide on their two albums the Canadian boys SIMPLE PLAN were back in town to promote their third self titled album “Simple Plan” which has already gone Platinum in Canada and Gold in Mexico.

The band kept their promise of treating their British fans to a signing section at the HMV Store in Oxford Street. The event which took place on the 29^th November 2008 at 5.15 in the afternoon had fans lining up at the store as early as 8.00 am however no one was disappointed having the opportunity of not only meeting the guys on their last day of their UK tour but also the chance of grabbing their latest album.

The band sold out gig at The Forum in Kentish Town London was another huge success in a goody bag full of funny surprises and great entertainment. Despite having plenty of energy to feed those starving fans with greatness and glory and yet they have managed to leave them feeling hungry for more.

Their new single “Save You” was written in tribute to Pierre’s brother who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 28 and the boys are trying to increase awareness of this illness by setting up the SIMPLE PLAN FOUNDATION where all the proceeds from each download sale will be distributed through their foundation to cancer charities around the world.

Hatcham Social with Alexandra McLoughlin at the Great Escape Festival

AN INTRODUCTION TO HATCHAM SOCIAL

by Alexandra McLoughlin

Hatcham Social are a trio formed in New Cross, London. They are composed of brothers Toby and Finnigan and their friend Dave. Although they were formed in 2006, their influences are from indie pop bands from the 80s and 60s such as The Pastels, Orange Juice, and Josef K, as well as post-punk and shoegaze bands such as The Jesus & Mary Chain and The Fall.

Most fans of Indie music however will find that these guys sound quite different from any band out there as their music has a certain consistency on the beat which produces a nostalgic happy vibe. Not surprisingly the group has been welcomed by various music critics with some great remarks, The Guardian for example described them as ‘irresistible’ whilst Alan McGee (founder of Creation Records who also signed Oasis and managed the Libertines) once described them as ‘a wonderful pop group with the world’s coolest Drummer‘.

There is something special in the way Finnigan hits those drums, he actually manages to hit them pretty close to dead centre with a sharp rap. In the music business this is something that only the genius can do.

As for the vocals, the charismatic Lead Singer, Toby, has an unusual melodic tone to his voice which gives an incredible smooth sound to their music and yet uplifting.

The Bassist Dave has a pretty tricky way of combining the sound of his bass to Toby’s guitar. Unlike most bass players that have pitch problems in the upper positions, Dave has a convincing technique that stops from that to happen which proves him to be a talented musician.

In a whole, the three band members work as a unit so they all share the same energy that rev up the crowd. They are obsessed with getting the crowd to go mad and yet they have the ability of keeping everyone in calm mood however hyper they might be. It is like being in “limbo” and yet thoroughly fun to watch.

Finally, their debut album will be out soon as according to a blog in the band’s myspace they have been busy working with Tim Burgess and Jim Spencer recording tracks. So watch this space.

Check out the band’s Myspace and listen to some tracks on:

http://www.myspace.com/hatchamsocial

Background Information:

Members

Toby

Finnigan

Dave

Record Label TBD Records

Type of Label Indie

Releases:

Crystal World

So So Happy Making

Found in the Woods

Til The Dawn

Dance As If…

How Soon Was Then?

Love in a Torn Land

Love in a Torn Land by Jean Sasson

Reviewed by Alexandra McLoughlin

Synopsis:

Best-selling author Jean Sasson tells the dramatic true story of a young woman caught up in Saddam Hussein’s genocide of the Kurdish people of Iraq. One morning Joanna, a young bride living in the Kurdish mountains of Iraq, was surprised to see dead birds drop silently out of the clear sky. They were followed by sinister canisters falling from bombers, bringing fear and death. It was 1987, and Saddam Hussein had ordered his cousin ‘Chemical Ali’ to bombard Joanna’s village, Bergalou, with chemical weapons. Temporarily blinded in the attack, Joanna was rescued by her husband, a Kurdish freedom fighter. After being caught in another bombardment and left for dead in the rubble, they managed to flee over the mountains in a harrowing escape. Now living in the UK and working for British Airways, Joanna has told her story to Jean Sasson, the best-selling chronicler of oppressed women’s lives in the Princess trilogy and Mayada.

My Personal Review: This book although it is easy to read and understand I must warn you that it can be quite intense due to real facts which occurred at that time and had to be told otherwise it wouldn’t be a “true story”. You will be dragged into a world that you would never have imagined existed and wonder how reality can be so distressful. Reading this book you will be taking your emotions to a certain limit where you will be glued to the story to a point that you will forget to eat, drink and perhaps to breathe.

I felt stuck in a little bubble and refused to put the book down, I had to finish reading it; I had to know what was going to happen next and to understand the reason why all these dramatic events took place somewhere in the world whilst I was living the most “wonderful” life.

“Love in a Torn Land” tells the dramatic life story of Joanna Al-Askary Hussein. From her childhood to adulthood living in Iraq where there was constant war to when she falls in love with a man whom she suffered so much during that time in order to be with him. She also lost many people in her life and yet has still come out stronger then ever. Joanna is a warrior and a survivor with an amazing personality. Her dramatic story makes me appreciate life even more than ever and all those things that I took for granted.

One of the most shocking parts of the story is when Joanna’s uncle was put in a prison under Saddam’s orders, however this wasn’t an ordinary prison; he was put in a hole underground. The hole was only big enough for one person to stand in the upright position; He had to stay standing for many days inside that hole. Can you imagine his pain? I certainly could and even smell the drains in that village made worse due to the extreme heat.

Despite many dramatic events mentioned in this book, the story has a happy ending and that’s why it is so interesting the read.

If you ever feel down and believe that life is not worth living, after reading this book I promise you that you will appreciate life more. I am only 18 years old and this story has already changed my life and my way of thinking about others. How life is heaven compared to those people who live in a place under constant war.

Joanna is an inspiration to everyone; she is a fighter and a winner. Fight like Joanna, never give up and believe in yourself. My rate: AAAAA

Reviewed by Alexandra McLoughlin

Whilst viewing the photos you will hear a song which I have added to my montage called: “Seen It all before” by my friend Gino D’Andrea.

If you enjoyed the song please visit GINO D’ANDREA’s myspace on http://www.myspace.com/afraidoffear

Don’t forget to check out my other videos on youtube and my interviews with bands at: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=AidenQueen&p=r

BAFTA TV Awards 2008 –

What really went on the Red Carpet By Alexandra McLoughlin

After trying hard to get press access for this years TV Bafta Awards and with the disappointment of not even getting a reply from the organisers I had no option but to line up in the street and join the other fans outside the London Palladium in the hope of catching some good pictures of the celebrities invited and perhaps some autographs for my private collection, however it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

Despite arriving at the venue quite early at around 12.00 PM, the street was already lined up with people luckily I managed to get, what I was hoping to be a good spot which was next to the main entrance of the Theatre, right by the door. However it turned up to be not as good as I thought as by the time the stars got out of their cars and walked along the red carpet and by the time they reached the area where I was standing, they were already tired of signing autographs and some of them actually pretended not to hear me calling them and run quickly inside the venue to catch pre-show drinks.

Once the recognisable faces started coming out of the cars and arriving at the London Palladium, the first one who caught my eye was the amazing News Presenter from channel 4 Jon Snow. He was really nice and very friendly. I had a picture taken with him and he asked me for my name as he signed my autograph book. Another News Presenter that I met who was vey sweet was Louise Minchin (from the BBC programme called Missing Live).

I had the pleasure of meeting the legendary Patrick Duffy best known for his role as Bobby Ewing, on the US sitcom “Dallas” who apart from the greasy grey hair, still looked amazing for his age and seemed really down to earth.

Having said that, Dame Judi Dench despite looking good for her age and wearing a beautiful dress, everything seemed a bit too much for the mature lady who couldn’t handle the long walk on the red carpet as she only had the time to sign a few autographs before getting inside the venue to find herself a chair to sit on. She was very nice though.

After that things started to go really down for me with my first disappointment being with Alan Dale (who is known for his roles in Neighbours and Ugly Betty). He passed in front of me after I called his name, he actually looked at me as he approached the barrier but, he was immediately grabbed by one of the PRs who directed him to the professional photographers pit, although he said he would come back, unfortunately he didn’t keep his word and never did but I could still see him chatting with some guests by the entrance door of the venue only a few steps away from me.

The next disappointment, which I personally found the most annoying, was when James May (co-presenter of Top Gear) which I was really looking forward to meeting as I always thought highly about him, as an award-winning journalist and an aspiration to me, unfortunately like many others he didn’t even look at the crowd who were shouting his name, instead he stayed there at the front door chatting with his mate Richard Hammond who also decided to ignore everyone. What a disappointment! They must have been desperate to grab their free drink before it ran out.

Luckily for me, things started to improve especially when I had the opportunity to meet the charming Martin Kemp (former member of the 80s band Spandau Ballet and actor who played the role of Steve Owen in EastEnders). What a nice guy! He chatted with me and my mum for a while and even took the time to have a picture taken with me and shake her hand. Then I had my eyes fixed on the gorgeous Nicholas Hoult (from the new TV series Skins). He was very sweet and not only signed my autograph book but he also had a picture taken with me. I was speechless at that point.

After that I met the gorgeous singer Alesha Dixon from the R & B girl band, Mis-Teeq and she was also the 2007 winner o the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. I also had the pleasure of meeting Matt Di Angelo also from Strictly Come Dancing; he was there with his girlfriend and dance partner Flavia Cacace. They were lovely and looked like a nice couple. I met Claudia Winkleman from the same show that was also very friendly, but I was over the moon to meet the co-presenter of the Strictly Come Dancing itself, the sweet Tess Daly. She looked lovely in this beautiful long hot pink dress by the designer Martin Grant. I was happy to have a picture of me with her although I know for sure she looked a lot better than me in the picture..

Then my luck went down again when Kelly Brook passed very quickly by me and ignored most of the fans that were calling her. She looked amazing as she rushed to the photographers pit and spent a great amount of time having pictures taken. She knows all the papers and magazines were probably going to put her on the front cover but unfortunately she didn’t seem interested in her fans and was too much in a hurry but I can honestly say that who really seemed in a hurry was the TV Comedian Harry Hill. Shame on you Harry!

Other runners who decided to avoid the fans and ignore completely the crowd were Simon Pegg (I heard some fans shouting his name and I thought to myself…Who is he anyway?).

Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer were also on the run together side by side although you would have thought as they have just returned to Eastenders, they would like to promote themselves and be a bit nicer to their fans and perhaps make good publicity for themselves but on the contrary they were rushing straight inside towards the free booze. I was happy when Charlie Clements came in to say hello (he plays Bradley in Eastenders) He was quite shy…bless! Another Actor that I met who plays Max Branning in Eastenders was Jake Wood (what a nice guy!).

Apparently Justin Lee Collins & Alan Carr were also there among the celebrities, they must have been hiding as no one noticed them but what was really noticeable was Amanda Holden being dragged away By Piers Morgan as she tried to reach for a fan’s autograph’s book. It was distressing seeing that happening.

Joanna Lumley was dressed in a bright orange gown and but like many others, she was more interested in showing off her dress to the professional photographers hoping to get her picture on the cover of some newspapers or magazines.

James Cordon was also in a terrible rush but I quite forgave him as he looked at me and as he was giving me the most adorable smile, from a distance I could read his lips saying sorry and running to the Photographers pit.

After that I met the comedian Rob Brydon and the extremely beautiful Melinda Messenger, he was very sweet and as for her…she looked so lovely that it was as though she was a Disney Princess. They both had photos with me and chatted for a bit. I was so happy! Then Michelle Collins and stopped by to speak to the fans. She was very nice.

I was thrilled to meet again the adorable Graham Norton who came to say hello to me as I met him last year also at the BAFTAS. He was lovely and I didn’t want to keep him too long just took a quick photo and let him go as he was the host presenter for the awards so I knew he had to go for rehearse.

Last but not least, Bruce Forsyth and his wife were one of the last ones to arrive, they looked wonderful but it started raining so they had to run quickly inside the venue.

Student Network Sussex by Alexandra McLoughlin

The Student Network Sussex is a website ( http://www.studentnetworksussex.org.uk ) funded by the Sussex Learning Network and it is aimed at Vocational Students already studying in Sussex and people considering taking a vocational course.

What makes this website to standout from many others is the fact that it is MADE by students FOR students.

Initially, we were given tasks of building the website for other vocational learners in Sussex. I am one of the students engaged to work for the project as a student journalist. I am part of the Editorial Team and was one of eight Media Students chosen from Colleges in Sussex. My role involves interviewing other learners (in video debate as well as in radio and text interviews) and writing articles

Check it out on: http://www.studentnetworksussex.org.uk

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Please check One Night Only’s
website/myspace on:
http://www.onenightonlyonline.com/
http://www.myspace.com/onenightonlyon…

Hope you enjoyed this interview. Sorry for the background noise.

Please check out my other videos and interviews on youtube.

© Alexandra McLoughlin

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