FRESH ONLINE

Long on laughs

2009-03-14T23:15:23Z

Londoner Josie Long’s wide-eyed humour has been a breath of fresh air ever since she won the If.comedy Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006. Malcolm Jack caught up with her ahead of a show at the Glasgow Comedy Festival to talk Stephen Fry fantasies, TV time-travelling and writing for Skins Your upbeat, scatty style has been frequently described as a welcome contrast to the conventionally crude, glossy and male-dominated world of stand-up comedy. Was that intentional? It’s just sort of the way it’s come out – I’ve always just written about what I’m interested in and what I’m enthusiastic about. But I did make a conscious decision when I started writing my own shows that I wanted them to be about the better parts of my personality, because you have to perform them so much – it takes up about an hour of your life, every night. I’d rather always be positive than every night pretend to be angry about, like, photocopiers. Your shows often feature you doodling and crafting things, and you produce your own fanzine. Were you good at art at school? No, I was quite rubbish. I think it comes from when I was really young and my mum used to have this thing called the Making Box, and me and my sister had a hobby of making stuff out of junk. My mum was really into us trying to be creative in our lives – for the sake of it, and maybe to shut us up as well! As for the fanzine: I just liked the culture of them, which I found out about when I used to go to gigs aged about 14 or 15. It’s a really nice outlet for ideas that you might not be able to do onstage but are still fun. You started out by taking a resolutely DIY approach to comedy – putting on your own shows and promoting them via the internet. Do you think it’s easier than ever these days to launch a comedy career? You can definitely take things into your own hands – you’ve got the power to make your own cultural space and your own artistic output. It’s easy to self-promote and self-release, especially now you can podcast and put things on YouTube. It feels like it’s all at your fingertips. It makes me really happy when I find podcasts made in, say, the United States that don’t have any financial backing – it’s just people in their rooms doing their own things. Sometimes they’ll be rubbish and sometimes they’ll be glorious, but at least everyone’s got the chance. What’s been the most nerve-wracking show you’ve ever done? It was pretty terrifying doing Never Mind The Buzzcocks on TV with Stephen Fry. I didn’t know that Stephen Fry was going to be there, and in my head he’s like my imaginary uncle. So to meet him in the flesh and to be sitting next to him was pretty terrifying. I didn’t really know how to deal with that. I tried to tell him about the imaginary uncle thing, but it’s very difficult to fit something like that into a conversation without sounding creepy. You work as a writing consultant for E4’s hit teen drama Skins. How did that come about? They saw me at a gig about three years ago, when they had just started, and asked me if I wanted to come along to some writers’ meetings. I contribute to the story arc and the characters and what might happen between people. I’m so involved with it that I feel like the characters are my friends and I know them. It’s really weird. You’ve also done a little bit of acting in Skins, too. If you could star in any show in TV history, what would it be? I would like to have been in Blackadder, but I would have been two years old at the time. Am I allowed to travel through time at this age? Or can it be in 20 years’ time, when I might be a bit funnier? Well, if me in 20 years’ time could travel back and do things in the 1980s and 1990s – stuff like Reeves and Mortimer – then I’d like to do that. At 26, I’m still a bit rubbish, but when I’m 40 I’ll be on top of my game. What else is on the horizon? With the credit crunch, who knows what anybody will be doing in the future? Probably just weeping into their soup at a soup kitchen. At least we can look on the bright side, though – we can make podcasts about it. We’ll have a good time. Listen to Josie Long’s Radio 4 show All of the Planet’s Wonders at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4. www.josielong.com

Topshop? just give me a fair isle knit

2009-03-14T23:12:24Z

Our columnist, Anna Meldrum, shares the joys of Highland holidays and reveals her top three things to take … and leave I HAVE never been to Disneyland. My childhood holidays were spent on the north-west coast of Scotland in the cottage that my granny was born in. Actually, to say they were spent in the cottage is perhaps a slight exaggeration, because most of my time there was actually spent in a tree-house that my sister and I named the Millennium Falcon. It didn’t speed through space, but the wind that howled through the branches made it almost feel that way. When I reached my teenage years, however, the attraction of the spaceship-tree began to wane. Given that I was a bit of a material girl, our Highland holidays had lost their lustre for me by the age of 15, largely due to the distinct lack of a Topshop in the vicinity. Until I went to the Isle of Mull last week, I hadn’t been back to the north-west for five years. I have therefore compiled a list for material girls (and boys) of items to take, and items not to take, on a trip to Mull. Top three items to bring: 1. A cosy jumper. The fashion magazines are lying: it’s not spring yet. At least, not on Mull. A cardigan won’t cut it in that climate: only the woolliest knitwear will do to keep out the cold. If you want to stay well ahead of the game and blend in with the locals, sport a Fair Isle knit. 2. A spider eradication unit – otherwise known as a friend who’s not afraid of the things and can get rid of them for you. Extra points go to those who dispose of the spiders humanely, for example by trapping them in cups and letting them crawl out of the window rather than squishing them flat in a panic. 3. A Thermos flask. Locals are extremely friendly, and if you are seen holding a Thermos – or indeed a mug – for long enough then it will probably be filled with hot tea. How many sugars … ? Top three items not to take: 1. Too much enthusiasm for Balamory. The popular children’s television programme is in fact filmed in the town of Tobermory, the main town on Mull. However, when visiting Tobermory, it is inadvisable to talk too extensively about one’s love for Miss Hoolie. Unless you want to annoy the real locals and don’t want that cup of tea. 2. Sea-sickness. If the ferry trip from Oban doesn’t upset your tender tummy, the roads surely will. Those of a delicate disposition are unlikely to endure the winding single tracks, which are liberally sprinkled with potholes. Nobody wants vomit stains on their Fair Isle. 3. White shoes. The day before my visit, I bought a brand new pair of plimsolls. They started the trip as brilliantly white as the snow we were driving through. On the return journey, the snow had melted to reveal the dark earth underneath, and a similar colour change had occurred where my shoes were concerned. They had built up a gallery of Mull souvenirs: some grass stains, some mud stains and definitely some tea stains. I just hope there are no spider remains clinging to the canvas. I have never been to Disneyland. But I have been to Mull. And I didn’t miss Topshop one bit.

The life of Reilly

2009-03-14T23:10:53Z

Tommy Reilly can still hardly believe he won Channel 4’s Orange Unsigned Act contest. Now the 19-year-old Glaswegian has a record deal and, he tells Kenny Hodgart, plans for plenty of gigs NOBODY commented on the similarity but I for one am convinced that, as Glasgow’s Tommy Reilly strummed his way to success on Channel 4’s Orange Unsigned Act programme, one of the judges must have had an uncanny feeling of recognition. Surely to goodness Blur’s Alex James saw in the 19-year-old more than a shade of his own former band-mate, Graham Coxon. Like Coxon, now a much-admired solo artist in his own right, Reilly is a bundle of nervous energy, quirkiness and vulnerability. Audiences and panel – not least James – were visibly mesmerised by Reilly’s performances on the show; but perhaps unsurprisingly the young man himself was a wee bit spooked by the whole experience. “It was very weird playing in front of Alex James for the first time,” Reilly told fresh before a performance at Glasgow’s Avalanche Records. “Blur were one of the first bands I was into, and here I was playing in front of one of them. It was quite hard to get my head round that.” When he first went in for the show, which finished in January, Reilly had fairly modest expectations of what he would get out of it. “I really just wanted an objective opinion on my songs and I wanted to get some more gigs,” he says. “I thought if I can get on the telly once that’ll help me get some gigs. I’d been gigging pretty solid for a while but it was hard to get any real momentum going. In Glasgow it’s really hard because there are so many bands and songwriters and the standards are very high.” In actual fact, he’s being typically modest. Before going on television, Reilly managed to play most venues in Glasgow, including the ABC, in between part-time work and university. He also headlined at London’s Proud Galleries, was named Unsigned Artist of the Month on Clyde FM and made the short list in last year’s T Break competition. Not that his modesty is an unendearing quality. It certainly helped charm James and his fellow judges Lauren Laverne and Simon Gavin, the head of A&M Records, the label with whom Reilly has now penned a deal. And it comes across in the songs themselves – heartfelt, skiffly numbers, many of which are about Reilly feeling a bit intimidated by girls. (Sample lyric: “I don’t like coffee, but I’ll drink some for you.”) “No, I’m not that great with girls; I always say something silly,” he says, then corrects himself: “Ach, I’m not that bad! The songs are probably a mild exaggeration. Anyway, I don’t get time to talk to girls now; I’m just running about everywhere. I can talk to females, you know, it’s not like I crumble. The songs are kind of about what’s going on in your mind when you’re doing it.” Yet behind the soft-hearted exterior, one suspects there lurks a steely self-belief. As he puts it: “I’m quite shy on a lot of levels but I totally believe in the songs. I wouldn’t play someone a song if I wasn’t personally really happy with it. I put a lot of love into the songs, but I didn’t think people were going to be so nice about them. And to think everyone voted for me was mental.” Nor did he expect his first single to go to No 14 in the charts last month. “That was amazing; I got speak to Ferne Cotton that week,” he enthuses. “And I got all my mates round my house to listen to Radio One on the Sunday. It was some feeling. I hadn’t listened to the charts since I was a wee guy, but we listened that night. It was like ‘did he just say Tommy Reilly?’” Channel 4’s Orange Unsigned Act show is a sort of indie version of X-Factor and therefore not a context in which being compared to Bob Dylan could be construed as a bad thing. (Can you imagine Simon Cowell doing anything other than rolling his eyes if the real Dylan turned up on his stage?). In any case, Tommy Reilly was the subject of such a comparison when guest judge Amanda Ghost just couldn’t stop herself one week, and the label has kind of stuck. Reilly himself, though his hair looks similar to the young Dylan’s tousled mop, is having none of it. “Dylan is a genius so I wouldn’t compare myself in any way, shape or form to him. It’s probably just that he’s the most famous guy in the world who ever played on his own with a guitar. Okay, he’s a big influence, but I’d never dream of putting myself in that league.” Although he has been performing alone with an acoustic guitar now for some time, Reilly says he grew up listening to bands and “rockier stuff.” “I was really into the whole Britpop thing,” he says. “Someone gave me the Oasis album, What’s the Story Morning Glory, and then I went to see them about five, six years ago at T in the Park. That was it: after that I picked up my dad’s acoustic guitar and learned to play every song on the album. ” He adds: “It’s still predominantly bands I listen to, although I’m getting more into other songwriters these days.” Reilly played the piano from the age of six and says he always wanted to write his own songs, but was too shy. In his mid-teens he joined a band as a drummer then moved onto guitar and backing vocals. “That’s what got me in front of a microphone,” he says. “Eventually I quit the band and went solo; so it was all bit by bit, how I came to be a singer.” “I started writing my own stuff when I was about 15. I’d been writing tunes before then but I was always dead embarrassed about writing words. They’d always turn out cheesy. It’s something that you have to practice before you come up with something you’d sing in public. “I used to go every Wednesday and play at an acoustic night in Oran Mor. I think that’s great practise. Everyone who is on before you and after you is better than you; so you get really thick-skinned about your own music.” Playing acoustic nights around Glasgow has shaped Reilly in more ways than one. Apart from his shyness, the thing most commented on about him on television was his Scottish accent. “I thought I was just singing until I went on the programme and everyone was saying how great it was that I sang in my own accent. I had never even thought about it. I think it sounds like hard work singing in another accent.” Clearly the days when Scottish singers felt they had to put on American accents is over, and Reilly is further ‘keeping it real’ by continuing to live at home in Bishopbriggs with his parents and trying not to spend too much of his advance. After a Scottish tour at the start of this month, he’s looking forward to recording his debut album, and getting back to what he loves most: performing. “I feel really chuffed to be able to play gigs,” he says. “I couldn’t get my mates to come and see me a few months ago; now my gigs are sold out. I don’t think there’s anything more fun in the world than playing a gig. Once the album’s done, I’m hoping to tour as much as my body will allow. You know, this might not be happening next year, so I’m going to milk it for everything it’s worth.”

Read right

2009-03-14T23:09:12Z

What do young reading enthusiasts make of a novel about a group of teenagers on a remote island with a terrible secret? fresh finds out Enthusiastic debate, hilarity and informal chatter: it’s not quite what you expect to find in the library. Yet while adults groan about the amount of time youngsters spend in front of computer screens or playing the X-box, Dunbar Library’s teenage reading group is proving reading isn’t just something you’re forced to do at school, and that books are just as engrossing as any video game or online social network. The three boys and seven girls who make up the group do their English homework just like everybody else, but they’re also learning that reading can be fun away from the context of essays and exams. Last year they won the “older readers” category in the Review Writing Competition organised by the Scottish Book Trust as part of the Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books. Then, just last month, they received a visit from JA Henderson, who won the overall prize for his book Bunker 10. Henderson was there to talk about his new book, Colony, and a week later fresh was invited along to a follow-up session to pick over its plot, themes and characters. The group gave the book a creditable score of 8 out of 10 and even came up with a new word to describe its ending. “It all goes ‘plodge’,” explained 12-year-old Morna Renwick. “Plodge” seems pretty accurate. There are many strands to the plot of Colony and lots of different characters with different motivations and personal stories, but at the end all the threads come together in a big, climactic explosion of action and, thankfully, resolution. The story begins 30 years ago with the destruction of a secret army facility in the Mojave desert. It is overrun by millions of ants and the people there start killing one another – all but two survivors, that is, who flee the carnage unaware that something terrible has escaped with them. In 2009, a group of teenagers discover that they are linked to that fateful day. Living on desolate Kirkfallen Island, 150 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean, due west of the Hebrides, they start to ask their parents why they’re living in such an isolated and harsh environment. Little do they know that, as their 15th birthdays approach, they are ticking time bombs, about to release pheromones that will result in homicidal carnage. The only person who can stop a massacre is Dan Salty, a man who, as a boy, was part of the original experiment that spelt disaster for the military base. A secret military unit wants to find the teenagers first, however and so begins a thrilling game of hide and seek across the years and continents. The Dunbar group’s favourite character turns out to be Salty himself – slightly worrying given that he’s a sociopathic killer ... although we learn there’s a bit more to him than that. The discussion, though, leaves fresh struggling to get a word in edgewise. We had, in all honesty, found the book’s plot a little confusing, so we felt it best to let the experts have their say. Here are a selection of their thoughts on Colony ... Morna Renwick, 12: “You had to read it really quickly otherwise you had to keep looking back through the passages to remind yourself who the characters were or what had happened to them before. So it was quite frustrating sometimes. “I’d probably say you should read the book twice, once just to get to the end and find out what it’s about and then once more to see how everything fits together.” Linna Pumphrey, 13: “I liked the story jumping around and I liked having lots of unanswered questions at the end of each chapter. I think it held your interest more than if everything was happening just in the one place or the one time. “I liked the action because if your head was hurting from all the complicated plot going on, you could enjoy the bits where all the action was happening.” Danny Munroe, 15: “There’s not a lot of description of the characters and what they look like, or of the places they’re in, so you can imagine being in the scene yourself. They’re well-developed and 3D characters nonetheless, but you can sort of imagine your own version of them in your head.” Timothy Miller, 15: “I don’t think there was any obvious big message at the end. It was just that all the stories came together and you understood what was going on, finally. I suppose maybe the author is trying to draw parallels with Guantanamo Bay – with the government hiding people away whom they don’t want to have to deal with. “I found some of the plot a bit far-fetched, like the government sending the military out to kill people from their own country.” Nicole, 16: “I think it was more believable than the other books I’ve read by JA Henderson, because even though drastic things happen in it, it’s really character-driven. I liked Apathy, Dan’s daughter, because you’re like her in that you don’t really know what’s going on and you find out as you go along.” Harriet Taylor, 13: “I could imagine see Colony being turned into a film, but it would be quite hard to do it without confusing everyone because it jumps around in time so much. If it was a film they’d probably put more romance in it, because there wasn’t much romance in the book.“ Connal McLeod, 12: “I liked the character of Colin, who’s Dan Salty’s friend. He’s really smart and cunning; he’s a conman and the things he does are really funny and smart. He’s also quite mysterious, because you never quite knew what he’s up to. “The dialogue is good and there’s a good balance between dialogue and other stuff. “There’s not a whole lot of description of objects or characters so the dialogue helps to push it along.” “I think there’s a kind of anti-war message because the military are trying to use these people as weapons to spread conflict around the world.”

Fight club

2009-03-14T23:05:19Z

There’s a new version of the mother of all fighting games – and a Scot has got the dream job of promoting it, as Graeme Virtue finds out If there’s an ultimate champion of fighting games, it has to be Street Fighter II. First released by Capcom as an arcade game in 1991, this legendary one-on-one brawler married vibrant character design with deep strategic possibilities, and set the template for an entire genre. It also inspired a dreadful movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in 1994 (and another pretty ropey one with Kristin Kreuk due later this year). After years of re-releasing refined versions of SFII – and then, eventually, the demanding Street Fighter Third Strike – Capcom last month finally unleashed the gorgeous-looking Street Fighter IV on Xbox 360 and PS3. Bursting with colour and humour, it’s part love-letter, part re-imagining, all masterpiece. But while fans are still getting to grips with the complex moves required to pull off Super and Ultra combos, one man has already been playing it for six months: Capcom’s UK PR manager Leo Tan. “We got the arcade machines in the office before they existed in Tokyo, albeit in unfinished form,” says Tan in his enthusiastic Scottish accent. “I feel confident now in telling you that it’s the greatest game of all time.” Tan seems fired by a genuine fan’s passion, but let’s try and keep the PR spin to a minimum: can he describe the game in just five words? “Greatest. Game. Of. All. Time.” He laughs. “That’s cheating, right? Let’s go with accessible, beautiful, rewarding, communal and OMG.” Tan joined Capcom just before the announcement that SFIV was in development, a career move that was due to luck, timing and “a desperate need to be the man promoting Street Fighter IV”. The packed promotional schedule of launching a massive game has certainly kept him busy. “I’ve got to meet so many amazing people through Street Fighter, including one of my childhood heroes, Dominik Diamond,” he says. “Dominik put up a decent fight. I also got to hang out with the Radio 1 and Radio 1xtra guys, and made the comedian Rufus Hound sign a contract stating that I was ‘the greatest in the world ever, at everything’, because he lost to me at Street Fighter. I completely and utterly have the best job in the world.” How would he describe the game to someone who had never picked up a Street Fighter title before? “Street Fighter II basically set the template for all 2D fighters, and also the basic ground rules for blocking and recovery times that govern fighting games in general. It’s part game, but also part fighting tool. It’s a means with which to pit yourself against other gamers, testing your reflexes, strategic thinking and ability to read your opponent.” Born in Bermuda, Tan moved to Scotland when he was five, growing up in Kilwinning, where he went to Kilwinning Academy (“Hello Mr Thompson!” he says). While his job is in London and involves trips to Japan, where Capcom is based, he still thinks of Scotland as his home – although he’s keen to point out he didn’t have any input into the Historic Distillery level of SFIV, which features burly red-headed Scotsmen in tartan aprons staggering around in the background. So when did Tan first experience Street Fighter II? “When it first came out in 1992. One thing I can remember was paying £80 for a copy of Super Street Fighter II on a trip to Hong Kong when I was 15. Well, my dad paying for it. £80!” Throughout the series, Tan has remained faithful to one character: Ryu, whose fireball cry of “hadouken!” has become a series trademark. “I’ve spent more time with Ryu than maybe any single human being in my life outside my family,” laughs Tan. “I’m comfortable with him, and sticking with what I know lets me play against much better players who are experimenting with different characters.” And does he have a bogey character he doesn’t like to face? “Right now it’s Sagat, but that’s more due to the players in the London scene who use him rather than the character himself. And I guess Balrog, for the same reasons.” Even during the current financial meltdown, the global games industry is expanding. Tan got his breakthrough posting on official games forums, and while he doesn’t necessarily recommend trying the same approach, he admits that “sane, thoughtful and literate” posters do stand out. “Passion and knowledge are also important,” he says. “And by that I mean a good working understanding of all games, not just 1000 hours logged on Call of Duty or Pro Evo.” So what’s the best advice for young people who want to make it in the games industry? “It’s demanding, with small teams often working long hard hours in stressful environments,” says Tan. “The passion has to be backed up by the commitment to get the job done, and that drive in a person should be evident in their academic achievements and extra-curricular activities. So go to school and do your homework! For the geek shall inherit the earth.” Street Fighter IV is out now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Hadouken! Reviews Sega Megadrive Ultimate Collection Formats: Xbox 360, PS3 The Nintendo Wii is the place to be for retro games at the moment, with its Virtual Console facilitating downloads of classic Nintendo and Sega games. But what if you’ve made the leap to the super-powerful next-generation consoles? Don’t worry: master recyclers Sega have just the compilation for you, packaging up over 40 classic Megadrive games, including seven Sonic titles, three Golden Axes and two Ecco The Dolphins. The quality varies wildly, and Altered Beast is going to be rubbish whatever you play it on, but if you can get it for a decent price, this is retro nirvana. Good bits: Classic games, presented with care. Bad bits: Altered Beast? Again? Overall: 3/5 Noby Noby Boy Format: PS3 More of an experience than a game, Noby Noby Boy does away with high scores, checkpoints and combat and just allows you to play. As “Boy”, a weird four-legged blob, you wander round colourful 3D levels populated by whimsical creatures. You can stretch out your middle – a bit like the springy dog in Toy Story – and use it to round up other creatures, wrap yourself around the scenery or even catapult yourself into the air. Designed by Keita Takahashi, who created the Katamari Damacy series where you had to roll a ball around landscapes picking up stuff as you went, this is pure blissful gaming, and for only £3.49 to download, is definitely worth a go. Good bits: Mesmerising gameplay, beautiful sound. Bad bits: Some people may not see the point. Overall: 5/5

World vision

2009-03-14T23:01:53Z

Artist David Shrigley tells Graeme Virtue why he invited art students to his Glasgow studio as they prepared for a Ctrl.Alt.Shift exhibition based on the conflict in Colombia Though he was born in Macclesfield, David Shrigley is very much a Glasgow artist – it says so on his website. A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, he has lived in the city for 20 years while exhibiting his distinctive work all over the world. Although he’s best-known for his unsettling, often demented illustrations, he has also created sculptures, animations and even record covers for various bands. Shrigley is currently preparing shows in Switzerland and France, but is also involved with Ctrl.Alt.Shift, an initiative that aims to engage young people in issues around global development. Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s latest cultural intervention is a major exhibition at Baltic, a huge converted grain warehouse in Newcastle, featuring work by a group of young art students who were asked to consider the theme of “conflict”, in particular the current turmoil in Colombia. The exhibition opened this weekend, but last month, while the young artists were still creating their work, they travelled to Glasgow for a workshop with Shrigley. So what did the eccentric artist tell them? Fresh tracked him down to find out. What’s your role with the Ctrl.Alt.Shift exhibition? I’m the creative ambassador, which means I do a bit of publicity. It’s a way of using art to encourage young people to engage with things that are happening in the world. It’s important to raise awareness and to get people to discover for themselves that there are a lot of really terrible things going on. How was your workshop with the Ctrl.Alt.Shift artists? Basically, they all turned up at my studio at Glasgow Sculpture Studios a few weeks ago and I showed them around. My studio is really cold, so we went to the communal bit, which has radiators, and I talked a bit about how great it was to be an artist and what a great opportunity it is to show at the Baltic. I told them to ignore their tutors and stuff like that. So I gave them a pep talk but they have other artistic mentors who help them on a studio basis. What is your studio like? I’m fortunate in that I have two studios. I have one in my flat, a big room with a computer where I do drawings and animations – all the clean stuff. All the messy stuff I do in Glasgow Sculpture Studios, which is where I can make a mess and a bad smell and get dusty and dirty. It’s cold but when you’re welding, it warms parts of you up. Did the students have a clear idea about what they wanted to do? I think they were just starting out. They were excited, but it’s also quite daunting when you’re an art student to be showing in such a significant art space. I actually did a solo exhibition at Baltic last year and that was quite a big deal for me – and I’m 40 and have been a professional artist for a long time. I said you have to enjoy the opportunities you get and use them to your advantage instead of worrying about them. What else did they want to know? We talked about how to make an artwork about a particular issue, because there was a very specific brief for this project: the conflict in Colombia. The way I go about making an artwork is I start with a blank sheet of paper and just fill that paper up. Even when I’ve got a brief, I don’t think too hard about it – so if you’re doing a project about Colombia, you fill your head with research, then have a cup of tea and away you go. The Baltic centre is pretty big. After exhibiting there last year, did you have some advice about how to use the space? You make work to go in a particular space so, hopefully, the students have thought about the Baltic space and how to use it. When someone gives you a huge space, your first impulse is to fill it physically, but you can also fill it with ideas. Volume isn’t necessarily a good thing. Small things can be big things too. There’s a lot of humour in your work – is that an appropriate way to engage with serious subjects like conflict? I think people involved in the tragedies that have transpired in Colombia would endorse the point of view that you need a sense of humour to get through it. I see everything as having a light side and a dark side. I like to laugh at things but making things humorous is just one facet of the artwork. It’s hopefully the sugar on top that makes it more accessible. Ctrl.Alt.Shift is associated with Christian Aid. Do you think charities will struggle in the credit crunch? Not necessarily. People do work for charity not because they have surplus income but because they feel it’s a worthwhile thing to do with their time and money. If you looked at the demographic of how much people give to charity relative to their incomes you might be surprised. I’m quite optimistic about people’s good nature. When did you first realise you wanted to be an artist? I grew up in the suburbs of Leicester, which could be the suburbs of anywhere really. And when I was about 12, I got the inkling I wasn’t going to be a professional footballer because I couldn’t even hold down a place in the school team. So I decided that I wanted to be the guy that designed record covers for Adam and the Ants – I figured someone had to do that. Did you have good art teachers? When you do your first art exams, you draw an apple and a wine bottle and that’s it. But one of my teachers realised that art was something that I maybe wanted to go to college to do so he encouraged me to look at the history of art: Dada, surrealism, modernism, conceptualism … looking at the work of other artists. And I was really inspired by that. So what was your early work like? I remember for my A Levels [the equivalent of Higher Plus] I made this big collage – I think the Queen was being attacked in it, which was the most subversive thing I could think of at the time. I used the certificates I got for my O Levels in it. I cut them up and put them in the collage. That was my anarchist statement. The Ctrl.Alt.Shift exhibition is at Baltic, Newcastle until April 26. For more details visit www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/baltic. To find out more about David Shrigley, visit www.davidshrigley.com

Crunch time

2009-03-14T22:59:58Z

With economic gloom and scare stories in the papers, fresh takes a look at how young people can get a clear picture on money matters PICKING up a newspaper these days can be quite a depressing experience, what with all the unremitting gloom surrounding the economy. Bankruptcies, home repossessions and unemployment are all on the rise; share prices, consumer spending and the value of the pound are plummeting. Banks have had to be bailed out and nationalised and people’s savings and pensions are under threat. If you’re not slightly scared then chances are you’re confused. What is a sub-prime mortgage? What is the difference between inflation and deflation? Why is that guy from the Royal Bank of Scotland being allowed to walk away from the whole mess with a £700,000 a year pension? No-one is immune from the effects of the current crisis, and that means young people too. For many it simply means doom and gloom on the news or at the dinner table, but for others looking for work, getting involved in their first serious relationship and thinking about setting up home, the so-called credit crunch presents real and pressing concerns and obstacles. Luckily no-one is alone in facing these difficulties and to anyone aged 11-26 in Scotland, free advice and information on all money matters is available from Young Scot. The agency provides masses of helpful information on everything from shopping and spending to benefits and tax, either online or via its helpline, Infoline. Young Scot’s Gregor Urqhuart told fresh: “This is the first time in a generation that we’ve faced a recession like this and it can be quite daunting to young people. Many young people will be making the transition to independent living and it is a challenging time for them, setting up home, trying to get a mortgage or working out how to pay their rent. Others will be deciding whether they want to try to get a full-time job or carry on their education. Knowledge is power, so it’s important for us to provide information whatever the paths young people are choosing. We find a lot of the time people are confused by financial jargon and so on, so we also have a key role in making concepts to do with money accessible and easier to understand.” Infoline was launched by Young Scot some three years ago in order to meet demand from young people regarding financial help and advice. Since then the agency has also been working closely with the Scottish Government, the Financial Services Authority and Lloyds TSB Scotland to create a wealth of resources – in the form of help guides and videos – covering everything from saving, budgeting and banking, to mortgages, spending, credit and debt. “We’re a source of information that young people know they can trust,” says Gregor. “If young people are empowered to take control of their finances from an early age, it’ll benefit them in the long run. A lot of people get in to debt because of a lack of understanding of what they’re signing up to, whether it’s store cards or credit cards or mobile phone use. The more aware they are the less likely they are to get into debt. “Obviously things are very difficult for a lot of people right now but sound financial sense is something you need no matter what’s going on – planning ahead and budgeting and so on. And if you wanted to try and look on the bright side, there’s also the angle that with house prices falling, that’s good news for first-time buyers.” So, despite the overall dispiriting picture, it’s not all doom and gloom. And, of course, Young Scot also offers practical help in making ends meet in the shape of the Young Scot card, which guarantees discounts at thousands of outlets around the country, not to mention across Europe as well. “A lot of our discounts are in places like clothes shops and cinemas and high street stores,” says Gregor, “but there’s also an emphasis now on things like driving lessons or discounts on suits and smart clothes for job interviews, and even pots and pans. We’re trying to ensure the discounts are relevant to what young people are experiencing.” So, there you have it: Young Scot won’t make the credit crunch go away, but they will help your money go that bit further and help ease your financial fears. Young Scot are online at www.youngscot.org. The number for Infoline is 0808 801 0338

Splat's all folks!

2009-03-14T22:57:41Z

You don’t have to be big or fit, just smart ... and paintballing is a brilliant day out, discovers Kenny Hodgart LOOKING for a new hobby where you can get as messed-up and muddy as you like? How about one that gives you an energetic work-out but requires smarts and cunning more than outstanding athleticism? Paintballing is a game for just about everyone – it’s outrageously good fun, stokes up your sense of adventure and puts your team spirit and communication skills to the test. What’s more, it’s statistically safer than golf: an American study has revealed that you are 52 times more likely to be injured playing golf than paintball! Roman Rock started Bedlam Paintball in Edinburgh over 18 years ago. The company now has three sites throughout Scotland – at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Edzell near Aberdeen – and hosts visits from more than 20,000 players a year. This year, however, Roman has launched a new package for 12-17 year-olds: Game Bedlam is an exciting, all-inclusive day out for school groups, youth and sports clubs. “For £39 a head for the day you get five games, all your equipment, 400 shots of paint, a certificate and a photograph at the end of the day to take home,” Roman tells fresh. “Game Bedlam is specifically for young players – there’s no adult groups on the site on these visits and what we’re saying to schools is that kids are guaranteed a great day out away from their desks and their games consoles. It’s a real hands-on experience – you’re put in different game scenarios and you have to make decisions and come up with tactics to beat the other team.” Famous faces to have enjoyed Bedlam days out over the years include all the SPL football teams, the South African rugby squad and HRH Prince William. So, what’s the appeal, and what does it take to be a good paintballer? “One of the great things about the game is that it doesn’t really matter how big or how fit you are,” says Roman. “It’s a non-contact sport, and at the end of the day, you can still eliminate another player, so it’s more about how clever you are. You’ve literally got to keep your eye on the ball – you have to watch the way the pellet flies towards you and get out of its way. “The best players are team players. In each game, you have an objective, usually to go from A to B to collect something and pick up points, and as a team you have to come up with a plan to eliminate the other team’s players. Then you go out and create bedlam! Bedlam’s challenging scenarios and game zones include The Stagecoach Stand-off, the Bedlam D-Day landings – where players can re-enact war games – and a haunted church and fortress (The Black Fortress) where players have to eradicate all ghosts and spirits (aka the other team). The Stagecoach Stand-off came about after Brian Soutar, the owner of the Stagecoach bus company, gave Bedlam some old double decker buses. “Brian thought it would be a good way to recycle the buses,” says Roman. “We had them sprayed up in black, and had all the engine blocks and the windows and seats removed so they’re safe to run up and down in. We’ve positioned them about 40 metres apart and the teams have to reach the other bus and retrieve something from it. You can use your bus as a hideout from which to shoot at your opponents, and there are barricades to hide behind in the field between them.” One new zone in Glasgow that Roman’s excited about is based around Doctor Who. “The idea is that you’ve got to get the doctor from your base to the tardis and eliminate the Daleks and Cybermen. The person who’s nominated as doctor wears the doctor’s scarf, and if the doctor get eliminated on the way, the scarf is passed to someone else. So, it’s in keeping with the whole idea of the doctor being re-incarnated.” That’s the beauty of paint-balling, of course. Like the doctor, you’re always re-incarnated again at the end of each game. Remember, you’ve got five lives.

To find out more about Bedlam Paintball, visit www.bedlampaintball.co.uk

Here come the girls ... We Rock Like Girls Don't

2009-03-12T15:45:00Z

Girl power is back, but similarities between We Rock Like Girls Don't and the Spice Girls end there. This rocking duo stands out from the crowd, looking and sounding different to most girl bands in the charts. Originally a trio, the girls have been together since singer and guitarist Ros placed an advert looking for fellow rock 'n' roll freaks' to join her when she moved from Glasgow to London five years ago. When Vas, who also provides vocals and drums, applied the two instantly hit it off. But being one of the only all-female rock bands out there isn't easy according to Ros, who spoke ahead of the launch of their debut album How Did It Get To This. Q What is it like being one of the only female rock bands out there and is it harder for women - especially in your genre - to be taken seriously in the music industry? A The music industry doesn't like to take risks, especially on girl groups, so it is hard. The world definitely needs more female rock'n'roll bands. There tends to be one token girl group on the bill at a festival, and we all have to fight for it. Q Do you think you have had more freedom because of this? A You don't get more DIY than us. The two of us just travel about in our beat-up Volkswagen, lugging our own gear around, it's really not glamorous. But this has allowed us to be completely independent. Q How have things changed now you are a double act? A We met our bassist through a friend and we were really happy with the way things were going so when she left, to rejoin another band, we were gutted. At first, we tried looking for a replacement but we just couldn't find anyone that worked. Vas was more into the double act idea than me at first, I was worried about the amount of work and being up at the front of the stage myself but I have to admit, the two-piece just works for us. Q What is it about Glasgow that seems to breed some of the country's finest musicians? A The longer I stay in London, the more I miss Glasgow. I think London is almost too big; there are thousands of people all competing with each other. In Glasgow, all the musicians know each and the venues are so much better. Q And you will be back tonight for the launch of your debut album How Did It Get To This? A Yeah, I can't wait! We get to launch our debut album with all my friends and family there so I'm really excited. Miss the Occupier will be playing too and we got in touch with a few other acts who are all pretty new so hopefully it'll be a great night of fresh-female music. Q Your debut album has received some great reviews, how does that make you feel? A I remember someone said an album is never finished, just abandoned, and it is so true because I just can't believe it's finished. I'm so proud of it and I believe the 11 songs are the best they can be. We had to work so hard to make this, we had no record company, no producer and we were living off jobseeker's allowance so it was a real struggle but worth it. Q Finally what does the future hold for We Rock Like Girls Don't? A We're concentrating on promoting this album just now, then we can't wait to get the next one started later this year. An indie-label from Japan has also approached us, and we'd love to go over there and tour.

Pupils’ coursework a lesson in how to build future of golf

2009-03-12T15:38:31Z

For an antidote to the ageing nature of Scottish golf you need look no further than a club with its own course in Coatbridge where the average age is no more than 10. It might be just six holes and measure a total of 280 yards with a par of 21, but St Stephen's Junior Golf Course is breaking new ground at the home of golf. It is believed to be the first golf course in Scotland attached to a local authority school, and it's going with a real swing. North Lanarkshire is ahead of the game. Last year it became the first local authority in Scotland to give every primary five pupil an introduction to golf. That amounts to more than 4000 boys and girls in 129 schools, and the children of St Stephen's have grasped their opportunity with a technically sound grip indeed. When the bell goes for lunchbreak, the children are out on the fairways in a flash, whatever the weather. Lottery funding has helped to provide rainwear and plastic clubs with oversize heads and large plastic balls which are safe to use and easy to get results with immediately but which also require skill to be struck with control to greens shaped like upturned saucers. Forget about any sense of class and privilege that is still occasionally associated with golf. This is one of the most underprivileged areas in Scotland, and much of the funding for development of the course came from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. It is sponsored by the police and local businesses and the success of the project is undoubted. Pupils have formed their own committee which has responsibility for putting out flagsticks, raking bunkers, ensuring the course is litter-free and that all equipment is back indoors before the bell goes for resumption of classes. "It's very much the children's course and it's good for them," said Mary Cruickshank, the head teacher. "It builds their self-esteem, makes them proud and it has a knock-on effect on everything they do. They have taken ownership of it and they have learned that with that comes responsibility. They want to keep that space for golf. They even write to local companies for sponsorship. It takes a decent hit to reach 35-40 yards which makes for good competition over a course that has four par-3s, one par-4 and a par-5 of 84 yards on an area less than the size of a football pitch. The course record of two-under-par 19 is held by Aidan Spencer, currentlyjoint club champion with Matthew Divine. What is particularly appealing in a school context is that the handicapping system in golf means that everyone can compete on a level footing unlike many other activities. "It is a sport you can participate in without necessarily being the fastest or strongest. Golf is for everybody," said Jim Moffat, the area's golf development officer. The other 128 primary schools in North Lanarkshire are all entitled to book to play the course that has been open now for almost four years and was developed on what had been spare ground. Children have been given an introduction to golf well beyond the requirements of clubgolf, the Scottish government-backed programme to introduce the sport to every nine-year-old in the country. The equipment is approved by the Golf Foundation, a partner in clubgolf. "Trained volunteers have given each pupil six hour-long lessons," said Moffat. "At the end of that we offered schools the opportunity to send staff to the appropriate training so that they could continue delivery. If they did that we then left all the resources as a legacy. Why create an interest and then walk away?" So far more than 300 volunteers have been trained. There are also plans to continue golf in secondary schools and to establish a junior academy at the driving range at the municipal Coatbridge club so that children have a clear pathway into the sport if they choose to do so. "Volunteers are like gold dust. Without them the cost of delivering this programme would have been way beyond anything we could afford," said Moffat who added that the support of the entire community was equally essential. It is part of an action plan devised by North Lanarkshire Junior Golf Development Group, a partnership between North Lanarkshire Leisure and North Lanarkshire Council. It also involves the 11 private and two public clubs in the area, local sports councils, clubgolf, the Professional Golfers' Association, the police and health board. The first hole at St Stephen's is sponsored by the PGA whose chief executive Sandy Jones comes from the area and said at the course's opening: "At this time of concern regarding children's welfare and health this is exactly the type of project we should all be supporting." DOUGLAS LOWE

Super award showing for Nintendo's Mario

2009-03-12T15:32:17Z

Veteran gaming character Super Mario was riding high yesterday after his latest adventure won one of the top honours in the industry. Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy, in which the moustachioed plumber ventures into outer space, scooped the Best Game Award at the British Academy Video Games Awards. The Japanese firm also triumphed in the handheld section with Professor Layton and the Curious Village. A spokesman for Nintendo said: "We're delighted and honoured the Academy has recognised both Super Mario Galaxy and Professor Layton. It is fantastic to have creative excellence rewarded by your industry peers in a year that has seen an unprecedented number of great, quality games." However, the big winner at the ceremony was Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which is a first-person shooter game developed by American firm Infinity Ward. Call of Duty 4, set in a contemporary war zone, scooped three awards: gameplay, story and character, and the Game Award, which was voted for by thousands of enthusiasts on a gaming website. One British winner was Race Driver: GRID, which triumphed in the sports category for its Warwickshire-based developers, Codemasters Studios. Codemasters vice president Gavin Cheshire said: "It's terrific that the industry is starting to receive the mainstream recognition it deserves."

Edinburgh derby again in Scottish Schools rugby final

2009-03-12T15:30:27Z

Stewart’s Melville College will face Fettes College in the under-18 final of the Bell Lawrie Scottish School’s Cup – completing an all Edinburgh finals day on the international pitch at Murrayfield (18 March, kick-off 6pm/7.30pm) – admission is free. 2006 champions Stewart’s Melville College were the first to claim their place in the final with an away win over North Berwick High School in the afternoon. A Scott Cook penalty gave Stewart’s Melville the lead after 20 minutes before winger Michael Doneghan crossed the whitewash. Scrum-half Cook added the extras to put them 10-0 up at the interval. After the break centre Sean Murchie added the visitors’ second, using his blistering pace to race from his own 10 metre line to score, before lock Craig O’Donnell dotted down following a great break and support play from forwards Stuart Shaw and Ben Johnstone. A Cook conversion followed by a penalty in the closing moments sealed the 25-0 victory. In the other semi-final Fettes College saw off city rivals George Watson’s College under the Myreside floodlights. The hosts opened the scoring after just five minutes with a try from back-row Mark Irvine who barged over from inside the five metre line after captain Duncan Finnie made the break. Full-back Jamie Forbes made the conversion. Twenty-two minutes into the half Fettes replied with two unconverted tries from centre partners Jack Greer (outside) and Stuart Daly (inside) to put the visitors 7-10 up at half time. With just one minute of the second half played Daly stretched Fettes’ lead with this second of the match. Stand-off Kit Gammell found his aim to seal the 7-17 victory and set up the side’s second successive Scottish School city derby.

REVIEW: Franklyn

2009-02-26T15:44:53Z

IN the futuristic, multi-faith fantasy world of Meanwhile City, the masked Jonathan Preest (Ryan Philippe) stalks the streets and rooftops, where he growlingly narrates a detective noir in between beating up hordes of goons. In parallel with this is a narrative set in present day London, where an art student with a suicide habit (Eva Green) watches people, including a jilted loner (Sam Riley), from afar while Bernard Hill searches for his missing son. Though it's being sold as an action fantasy in the mould of V For Vendetta, Franklyn is in fact an often tedious but admirably ambitious drama about trauma and loss, albeit one whose reach too often exceeds its grasp. It's difficult to invest in any of the characters when we're given such small fragments, but interest grows as the stories start to converge, though Riley's character feels superfluous. For a film that talks so much about God and faith, it doesn't really have much to say on the subject, but it touches on grief and mental anguish with some degree of skill. Meanwhile City looks interesting, but its steam-punk Victoriana is derivative of many far better films, a charge readily levelled at Franklyn as a whole. PAUL GREENWOOD

REVIEW: Russell Brand, Edinburgh Playhouse

2009-02-26T15:40:40Z

It was probably not the first time Russell Brand has ruined Valentine's Day, but postponing his Glasgow gigs last weekend (on doctor's orders) will have scuppered many a tryst. Rescheduled gigs in April are small consolation to all those broken hearts. His recent - and most high-profile to date - dalliance with scandal did send him across the Atlantic for a while, but he certainly hasn't come back with his tail between his legs. His new show, Scandalous, revels in his infamy and Brand has structured his set around the "bad" press. Yup, there is no such thing (but don't tell certain tabloids, the Essex fop pleads). Brand may be an acquired taste, but the Playhouse fans were beside themselves to be in his presence, to such an extent that even Mr Anarchy himself threatened a rowdy girl posse with expulsion ("Is this what happens when oestrogen meets psychosis?") How very establishment of him. The best bits came from his own admission of falling flat at the MTV awards ("They didn't know who I was, and this hair doesn't work without fame; it's just mental illness!") and with readings from the script he was forced to ditch at the last minute - predictably wide of the telly taste mark, especially for the US. Then there was the chat about his "fame wand" - hilariously funny, even if the irony was lost on the groupies who mobbed him when he was true to his word and appeared in the foyer.

Meet Glasgow rockers The Phantom Band

2009-02-26T15:31:39Z

Every aspiring indie band on the planet claims to have eclectic influences; wide-ranging musical interests that make them stand out from the crowd. Mostly this is pure flannel - but, in the case of Glasgow's finest new outfit in years, The Phantom Band, it's a claim their fantastic debut album backs up. Checkmate Savage has just been released on Chemikal Underground, the celebrated Glasgow label run by former members of indie stalwarts The Delgados, and it's a scattershot masterpiece that blends old and new, art-rock and pop, melody and experimentation, folk and krautrock - and most points in between. So it is no surprise to hear that the six band members spend a fair bit of time discussing what to put on the stereo in the tour van. "Yeah, we're always arguing about music," says singer and occasional guitarist Rick Anthony - a man with a soulful, rumbling singing voice reminiscent of Will Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy) if he had been raised in the remote Highlands instead of the American backwaters. Keyboard player Andy Wake nods in agreement. "I think Led Zeppelin and The Stooges are the only bands that we all like." "Maybe the Beta Band as well," adds Anthony. The pair then detail what each band member prefers, genres as diverse as soul, death metal and electronica. "I think we cover everything from folk music to gabba techno," says Anthony finally, with a sly chuckle. On listening to Checkmate Savage, one of the immediately noticeable things about The Phantom Band is their absence of fear. This is an outfit comfortable enough in their own vision to slap an eight-minute instrumental called Crocodile into the middle of their album - and it ends up being one of the highlights. This is a band able to sound like Captain Beefheart and REM in the same song (Folk Song Oblivion), then follow it with monster riffage, moody seventies disco and consummate Scottish traditional folky sounds. Many of the songs sound not so much written in a conventional way as dredged from a murky communal subconscious into reluctant existence. It turns out this is at least partly down to the band's laziness in preparation. "We thought we'd written an album until we went into the studio and realised we only had half an album," says Anthony. "So we wrote a lot of it on the hoof. Some of it was kind of jammed, built on and improvised, and we dropped a lot of things we thought were boring." "In the studio, one day would be easy, the next would be a terrible, arduous trawl," says Wake. "We didn't practise enough beforehand. As a band, we tend to react to situations rather than plan things." It was certainly the case when the band formed. With various members loosely mucking around in a room since 2002, things didn't really get going until 2004, when Wake joined and became the catalyst for their current incarnation. Even then, the band didn't take themselves seriously. Each gig was performed under a different name (Wooden Trees and Robert Redford being two of the more sensible ones) and band members would play with bags over their heads. Partly this was them indulging their left-field art-rock sensibilities; partly it was them acknowledging they really weren't all that good yet. "We were certain we weren't doing what we hoped to be doing further down the line," says Anthony. "So we didn't want anyone to follow us while we were making up our minds what to do." "We knew we would get better and find our own sound," agrees Wake. "We never took it seriously at all but then, after some gigs, that started to change. More people started coming to the shows - like three instead of one, that sort of thing - and we started to feel a responsibility to the audience. Before that, we used to turn up and improvise on the night and not really learn songs, but we started to think maybe we should work on some and actually learn a set off by heart." The upshot is that in 2009, The Phantom Band are an awesome live experience. At a festival show in The Hague, the band tore the place up, mesmerising a crowd unfamiliar with their music and unleashing a dark, rhythmic riot on them, an organised mess of percussive experiments and primal howls, whisky-soaked riffs and home-made instruments. The over-riding vibe was one of complete fun, the group clearly sharing a love of putting on an eclectic and entertaining show with their spiritual forefathers The Beta Band and Super Furry Animals. "We like to take a chance playing live, playing songs we're still working on rather than finished things," says Anthony. "For a while we probably did that too much, but now we're confident enough to have a mixture of experiment and honed songs. We're experienced enough that we can play well and put on a good show and still keep it interesting for ourselves." As if to prove their love of experimentation, each of the six members of The Phantom Band is involved in at least one side-project. Some club together in Omnivore Demon (where they perform in white shrouds and ice-hockey masks); Anthony performs solo folk material as Rick Redbeard. "It's nice to have a place you can take things you brought to The Phantom Band and had rejected," says Anthony. "You can then take them away and say, fine, I'm keeping that. It can apply to things that are too left-field or too straight." "Maybe it works the other way round as well," says Wake. "Doing other stuff feeds into The Phantom Band sound, keeps it fresh." Fresh it certainly is. The album has had rave reviews across the board, and the band have seen their profile rise from virtual unknowns to being touted as a surprise breakthrough act for 2009. Yet this rightly confident outfit are taking it all in their stride. "Obviously we think the album's good or we wouldn't have released it," says Wake. "But it's nice when other people get it; nice to get that validation." "Yeah, we're quite confident," chuckles Anthony. "But hopefully not too big for our boots just yet."