This tender, witty, charming film, which pays tribute to the classic silent movie era in Hollywood, is the best thing to hit our screens in a long long time. Sound like an exaggeration? Then you haven't seen the film!
We’re always looking for fresh blood at Culch, because somewhere in Sinead’s attic is a portrait getting... Never mind. The point is that we are rather delighted to introduce New Girl Jen into the Culch mix, to which she has sworn to add passion, intrigue, and many pictures of George Clooney. Oh look, she’s started already.
The video might be a bit dim and vague and hipster-stroking, but the tuneage is as solid as Eamon Gilmore’s bonce.
The Sleeping In The Woods EP is out February 13th. Expect big things.
Dedicated readers (hi, Nana!) will remember that The Dying Seconds‘ Glimmerers was one of our Albums Of 2011. You’ve probably bought it already, seeing as Culch’s opinion is a weight around your neck from which not even an iron spine can save you, but just in case, Glimmerers is available digitally – on iTunes – from today.
To celebrate the melodious witchcraft of the Information Age, the Seconds are making album closer, All In The Dark, available for free download from today from their website. Jolly generous of ‘em. G’wan, grab a taster and roll it round your earholes.
Capital comedy club celebrated its 7th birthday last Sunday. Seven years on and the club has a loyal following, that much was evident in at least two things throughout the night.
Simon O’Keeffe is the regular MC for the night and was of course there on Sunday. I am a fan of Simon’s but on Sunday night, surrounded by his own regular crowd he came across as being very comfortable, maybe a bit too comfortable? Don’t get me wrong, the man is funny. But throughout the show he mentioned that he had a good few regulars in a few times and if it was my first time to the club and I was sitting in the audience I would have felt excluded.
Robbie Bonham
Robbie Bonham was on stage first. Robbie’s opening prop related jokes had the crowd instantly on his side. His ability to tell a story in such a way that makes your ribs hurt from laughing is in itself a fantastic skill. He almost looked angry throughout his set, though you know that deep down he is a happy person, or at least you like to think he is. The audience even got some compliments from him, I’m sure the fact that everyone loved him had nothing to do with this though…
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Niall Hanly is addicted to Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo. He attempted to break the world record in 2011. This is his story.
Any dismissal I’ve heard of Delorentos’ charm seems to centre on the undeniable fact that they’re easy to listen to. They’re not challenging. You don’t have to wince through an album twice to “get” them. They don’t grow on you. They are immediately accessible, stirring from the get-go, and joyfully addictive. Anyone who believes this makes them a lesser band, or that they need to somehow atone for their user-friendliness, is a sneering numpty who needs to be clattered with an anvil.
That said, there’s no doubt that new album Little Sparks is greater than the sum of everything that came before it. It’s an expansion of Delos’ sound, reintroducing them as an almost hyper-real version of themselves. Their trademark hooks are even punchier, their melodies sweeter, their danceability more likely to imperil the soles of your shoes.
Album opener Did We Ever Really Try? is classic Delos deliciousness, hookier than a pirate pick-up artist. There’s an instant change of groove to shoutalong, stompalong Bullet in a Gun, perking your ears again, catchy all over again. Care For It shifts in a folkier direction. Three songs in, and that’s three immensely singable monsters, all instantly recognisable and unique. Score.
Right To Know is a rousing anthem I’d take over any of Phoenix’s or Temper Trap’s. Waited For You So Long is a gossamer joy. Swimmer is, against either logic or cynicism, an emotionally mature mood-manipulator. There’s nothing effortless in such achievements, no matter how sweet or simple these melodies, how instantly graspable the sentiment in these lyrics. Little Sparks is a pleasure to listen to, from beginning to end.
I came to Little Sparks at the end of a long, creatively frustrating day, treating it as yet another task to cross off my list. Not only did it cheer me up, but it energised me, got my blood pumping and my eyes wet. This is the easiest album I’ve had to review in ages. This was a review that didn’t once feel like work. Little Sparks deserves to be massive. It deserves to be devoured and loved and roared along to. It won’t make your heart stop, but if it doesn’t make it soar, Culch implores that you get yourself to a cardiologist.
Little Sparks is released tomorrow. Go gobble it.
Before we get started, it should be noted that I am an avid Underworld fan. With this in mind, I will be as unbiased as possible, except when referring to THAT outfit.
Ass-kicking bombshell Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two Underworld films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Yep, this is essentially the storyline for popular Underworld flick number 4, Underworld: Awakening. The writers, wisely decided not to mention flick number 3 ‘Rise of the Lycans‘ so our story continues where underworld 2 left off.
12 years have passed since the events of the second film and Selene (Kate Beckinsale) awakens in a lab and escapes into to a world where the human race has virtually eradicated both Vampires and Lycans.
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XMusic and Dublin City fm PROUDLY PRESENT- RoySeven, The Original Rude Boys and Red Empire.
103.2 Dublin CIty FM will broadcast live from the X Music Superstore, Red Cow Retail Centre this coming Saturday 28th January from 2-5pm and you are invited to come along to this FREE [and fair play lads etc] music gig.
Royseven, The Original Rude Boys and Red Empire live and also The legendary Mik the Who and his ’Classic Rock’ programme will also broadcast live from the store. If you can’t make it to The X Music Superstore – the place to visit with it’s huge range of musical instruments and accessories [that tagline goes in coz fair play to them for not being cheezy and Royseven rule].
More info via X Music on Twitter or on the Facebook Memo.
A couple of months back, we were all very excited about Lana Del Rey. Oh, buzzin’ at the chops, we were. A doe-eyed meta-ingénue with big hair and cartoon lips, calling herself a “gangster Nancy Sinatra” and droning like an orgasmic swarm, she was hipster-fodder of the most wonderful composition. And then there was Video Games, her gorgeously retro launch song, which was accompanied by a video that looked home-made and augmented her ethereal growls so beautifully, the entire effect was nigh-on creepy. Lana Del Rey was perfect.
But, like everything that the cool kids enjoy, she had to be torn down and picked apart by the cooler kids. What they discovered was that Lana Del Rey’s real name… wasn’t Lana Del Rey. That, far from being a bedroom dreamer who spliced together her own music videos from footage she kept on projector rotation, she was… a professional artist. With a record company. And managers. And PR people. Oh, the deception.
Everyone’s extremely tumultuous emotions came to a head after Miss Lana’s SNL appearance in the US, with the coolest kids birthing kittens over the idea that such an unproven artist would ever be allowed guest in the hallowed… erm, TV sketch show. Indeed, it seems we were lucky her mere presence alongside such past luminaries as ‘N Sync, Justin Bieber and Eagle Eye Cherry didn’t upset the Earth’s gravitational field and bring about Armageddon. The performance was so sacrilegious, it even managed to upset professional kook Juliette Lewis. Looking at Lana’s piece afterwards, I didn’t see anything particularly etiquette-shattering about it. In fact, I don’t think I saw anything particularly particular about it. It was less heart-stopping than stop-gapping, neither here nor there, really, but certainly not a bad effort from a new artist who’d been catapulted into the public eye like a midge onto a windscreen.
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Had I gone to see this alone, this review would have been very different. Although I quite enjoyed the movie, I thought the characters a little too bland, that there was too much talking and way too much mushy stuff for it to appeal to kids. How little I know them. I took along four boys aged between 4 and 7 and they all loved it.
The lead character Emile (Jay Harrington) is a timid lovelorn cinema projectionist who gets dragged astray by his friend, delivery man and wacky inventor Raoul (Adam Golberg) when they meddle in a Professor’s laboratory to the horror of the resident monkey Charles. They manage to accidently create Franc (Sean Lennon) a monstrous gigantic flea. (Not of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers variety – unfortunately). The nasty Commissioner Maynott (Danny Huston) thinks his chances of becoming mayor will be improved if he can rid paris of the monster but Franc reveals his misunderstood artistic musical streak and becomes popular accompanying the feisty, beautiful singer Lucille (Vanessa Paradis) who coincidentally also happens to be the object of both Raoul’s and the Commissioner’s affections. The mission becomes to protect Franc from the Commissioner.
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Anyone with ears should cast cheers at The Cast Of Cheers.
To borrow a phrase from me nana, The Cast Of Cheers is one of the very few Irish bands that put the heart crossways on me. If I was a mutant I’d give them seven thumbs up.
While I feel compelled to tell you that, yes, this year’s Oscar nominations have been announced (hurrah!), I also must tell you that all of us here at Culch are a little devastated. That’s right, The Fass has been over looked for an Oscar this year. *throws bricks at Academy members* And quite frankly, I just want to know why. To quote Joey from Friends : “Why, God. Why are you doing this to us?!” I have a feeling it’s to do with the Rated R aspect of the film but still. That’s no excuse. Anyway, the brick throwing much sums up our feelings on the matter. And while this means that I shall never again look at the Oscars the same way (EVER), I must press on and congratulate all the other nominees and films that did make the cut.
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Simon
Simon O’Keeffe presents his debut solo show in the Workman’s club on February 18th. Let’s face it, with a name like that why wouldn’t you want to go, eh?
Simon is the regular MC at the Capital Comedy Club in the Ha’penny and has decided that it’s about time he branched out and gave his audience what they want: a whole hour or thereabouts of his fabulous humour.
Support on the night will be provided by the rather funny Matt Saddlier who has supported Eddie Izzard (so therefore must be good!)
The critics love Simon anyway…
“A treat to watch.” www.dublinks.com
So come and join him as he takes the leap and presents his first solo show, you are guaranteed a laugh at least. Tickers are available from Ticketmaster or on the door on the night.
Where: The Workman’s Club
When: The 18th February 2012
Time: 9pm
Cost: €10
Aidan Killian is the thinking man’s comedian. He is the regular MC at Anseo on Camden which recently won an award for best comedy venue in Dublin. I recently described Aidan as a “very intelligent comedian whose observations on life’s problems are hilarious”. I sat down to have an intense chat with Aidan about Anseo and all things comedy related.
What does it feel like to have won an award for best comedy venue on Dublin?
It feels great. I love it. It’s just really cool that more people voted for us than for Enda Kenny. I already know what it is, it’s a small room with a great atmosphere and we get great acts. The truth is it’s not the best comedy club in the world, it might be the happiest or the most fun, it’s not the biggest or the most profitable but it’s a lot of fun to play. The acts like it, the audience like it and I love it. The award is irrelevant. It’s not going to make it any better or worse but it just feels good to get acknowledgement. It’s kind of like when you do well at school and your Mum and Dad say “Well done son, we love you even more now”. It’s nice because it came from the audiences too. You could also look at it from the point of view that I am a successful harasser…
You made quite the career change from investment banker to stand-up comedian. What made you do it? And do you have any regrets?
Well, I knew if I stayed in banking that I could be successful. What successful meant for me at that time was making money, but when you already know you can achieve something, then you’ve sort of achieved it, but it didn’t make me happy. I didn’t care. I had more money than I could spend at the time and that didn’t make me happy. Now I wasn’t unhappy, I wasn’t suicidal or miserable, but I realised that this wasn’t the right road for me and I wasn’t adding to society. I was just a pawn in a game which is about making money and when you realise money is just notes and is backed by nothing and is just meaningless anyway and it’s all just one big con, well then, who cares? It doesn’t make any difference. So I just decided to do what I love and comedy is what I love doing. In relation to regrets, I don’t have any. I even had a dream recently where my old boss approached me and offered me a job for a short period of time and said he was willing to pay way more than normal so I could have worked for three months and made lots of money. I just laughed at him. But that’s the reality. I wouldn’t do it again.
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‘The Descendants’ is a quiet film, set over a few days, which sees Matt (George Clooney), as patriarch to his own immediate family and trustee of the interests of extended family, confronted with a wife suddenly in a coma and a realisation that he is ill-equipped to guide his daughters through this nor any other crisis to come. Nothing about the movie is overdone – there is no overacting, no simplification, no unneeded exposition. The film opens with a voice over narration, which can sometimes throw up flare shots of poor story to come; in this case it is scene-setting and puts Matt’s crisis front and centre before letting the film unfurl of its own accord.
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Hiya. You’re gorgeous. Did anyone ever tell you that you have lovely eyes?
Will you do us a favour?
Our mates Colm and Andy (who also write for Culch, if that sways you in any way, WHICH IT SHOULD) have entered Empire’s Done in 60 Seconds Competition. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s where competitors come up with a 60 second video that tell’s the story of a film that came out in the past year… with any kind of twist they like. There are loads of rules and stuff, but all you really need to know is that the guys have done Shame in 60 seconds, it’s deadly, many scenes were filmed in Culch Towers so you can actually see our beds and stuff if you’re really interested in creeping on us and the guys are hoping to get to the next round of the competition. It’s all the in the hands of a judging panel, but if you wanted to be nice anyway you could give it a view and a Like…
We’re not saying it’ll make you cooler, but it will make us like you more.
