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View as published at NG-Magazine
It's amazing how the Chuckle Brothers continue to make audiences laugh after more than two decades of Chucklevision. Not many comedy acts can claim that even today's children know the catchphrases from their 20-year old act. Their slapstick comedy is pastiche to some of the earliest TV comedy acts, such as Laurel and Hardy & Charlie Chaplin, which sees them inexpertly moving furniture, falling down manholes and slipping on banana skins.
As the house lights dipped to cheers, Butlins style holiday entertainment music takes over, and the audience start clapping in unison. The brothers haven't even been seen and the audience are raving. This is quickly put to a stop by 'Widow Twanky', played by sprightly stick-thin actor who struggles to speak high-pitched and with a mock northern accent at the same time. The part is one of a strong woman, and the poor actor cast to play it struggles quite visibly. Against the really quite simple painted set, the first ten minutes feel like you're sitting in the local secondary school, though I'd expect they might have done a better job. The audience is waining, time to bring out the brothers? Alas no, not yet.
The scene changes to that of the princess in her palace. She and her sidekick; 'Sunshine' (cringe) suddenly break into ' I can show you the world', the famous song featured in the Disney adaptation. Of course this is put to an overly choreographed dance routine featuring scantily clad backing dancers. For some reason pantomime dance routines insist on moves and costumes that continually flash the dancers' underwear. Obviously this isn't for the children's benefit. More likely it's to attract the men's attention. This left me feeling a bit sick though as every dancer was around the age of 16!
A half hour into the show the Chuckle Brothers finally appear to shouts and cheers. Despite the dodgy set, questionable stage-writing and baffling performances from the supporting cast, Barry and Paul kept us highly entertained. It was brilliant to hear all the children echo the brother's catch phrase 'Elló' welcoming. I had no idea they were still big on children's TV, but with the BBC commissioning a fifteenth series from the 60 & 63 year-olds, the boys are obviously doing fine.
For many children pantomime is their only experience of theatre. Saying that; the same is true for many adults. As pantomime's go, this one lacked any kind of all-round quality or production value. I know it's just a panto, but even still, the show shouldn't rest on the laurels of it's lead actors.
If you want to see the Chuckle Brothers then this is the show for you. Long-time fans will appreciate the inclusion of the skit which won the pair (along with two of their other brothers) ITV's 'New Faces' talent contest in 1979. If you want one panto to watch this year then this isn't it. There are bound to be better alternatives available. The show is still laugh-out-loud funny, but you get the feeling the weight of the show is carried by the Chuckles.
"To me, to you"
View as published at NG Magazine
On a stage covered with frilly red curtains, vases of flowers and porcelain figures, Kate Nash looks like she's sitting in a Granny's living room. Or she would do if Granny’s had a penchant for 8ft speakers and electric guitars.
Playing at Nottingham Trent Students Union, Nash was greeted by torrents of support from the many fans that had turned up to the sold-out gig. It was great to hear that most of the people present knew all the words to every song on the album, not just her single releases! For an artist who emerged on the popular music scene less than a year ago, that's pretty impressive.
Through her videos, Nash comes across as a very poppy, pissed-off mockney lass. On stage however, this impression is shattered. She plays the piano and guitar, and not for just a few songs like some other pop artists. She is the only pianist on the stage and is very competent too.
She's nothing like the Nash we see in the Foundations video. Onstage she is shy and humbled by the crowd's support, blushing as someone shouts a declaration of love. A revelation for those unfamiliar with her work is that the majority of her songs are heart-felt, passionate and sung in this way too.
There are plenty of tongue-in-cheek lyrics, not unlike those of the Arctic Monkeys or The Streets. Such a song is Birds, which if people were still allowed to smoke in venues these days, would have been received with a sea of lighter-flames. The song is a passionate story of love, but relayed in Nash’s typical cheeky style: "Birds can fly so high and they can shit on your head/Yeah they can almost fly into your eye and make you feel so scared/But when you look at them and you see that they are beautiful/That's how I feel about you.”
Another of the crowd favourites was the song Dickhead; at least, it was with the female demographic. An Estuary English accent coupled with bad grammar seem to be the vital ingredients for creating crowd-rocking songs these days. Not needing to think about using the correct tense probably helps the crowd to rock-out that little bit better.
Inevitably, it was Nash’s singles that generated the most noise from the audience. Talking to the crowd whilst sipping a cup of tea (Yes, the lyrics to Mouthwash are true!), only underlines the surprising fact that Nash is actually quite shy and mousey. At least she is when talking.
During her more upbeat tracks, Nash bobs up and down on her piano stool like a child having a tantrum, such is the ferocity of her musical passion. Mouthwash and the final song of the night Pumpkin Soup were such numbers, and had much of the audience dancing.
For an artist labelled as sitting in the mainstream pop category, Nash maintains a huge level of musical talent. The fact that actual instruments are played and there isn't a mime-track in sight brings hope and strength to the fact that real live music is here to stay, and isn’t the sole preserve of less mainstream acts. More artists like Kate Nash please!
View as published at NG Magazine
Funny really, how retro works. Styles and fashions seem to recycle themselves. New generations copy the innovations and statements of those previous and claim them as their own. Some fashions, like mini-skirts, we welcome back. Others, like 80s day-glo t-shirts, we don't. The style of Darren Hayman's new album however, oozes a refreshing seventies sound. It's like Ziggy-Stardust just had kids.
In fact David Bowie and Darren Hayman are two peas in an iPod. From an album dubbed as being an introduction into electro-folk music, it has the same kind of fitful sub-conscious lyrical haze as the songs from the original seventies revolutionary.
As you'd probably guessed the album is based around the goings-on in a secondary modern school, for many listeners, furthering the melodic trip back in time. Tracks tell stories about Art & Design teachers, escapades in shoplifting, star pupils and such like.
At first the prospect of electro-folk seems kind of daunting. The cover art consists of an oil-painting of a sheep dog. It led me to believe the album was going to be the kind of folk that consists of beard-stroking, woolly jumpers, pipes and slippers. One should never judge a book by its cover though, or an album by it’s sleeve design.
The double struts of electric-guitar power chords, overlaying a rolling melody played on a Banjo, work together fantastically. Rochelle is such a track. Another example of the delightful way Hayman fuses electric and acoustic overtures is in the song Elizabeth Duke. A violin follows the vocal melody, whilst a harp, electric piano and a half-dozen other electronically produced sounds combine to create a song which flows so easily into a summer's day driving song.
Let's Go Stealing is probably my favourite track on the album. I cannot help but smile when playing it. It's one of those songs you ought to play before going to work because it'll put you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
Hayman's band Hefner, with whom his last work was produced, was a favourite of the the late, great John Peel. Like typical Peel tender, The Secondary Modern isn't necessarily an album that will have you humming the tunes straight away. Given a few revolutions in the CD player however, and it easily grows on the listener. In no time you'll find yourself singing "Let's go stealing". Probably best not to wander round the supermarket singing it though.
Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern is available through Track & Field from November 5.
