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Day: 23 June 2015

Festival: Gottwood 2015

Written by Patrick Hinton on . Posted in Music.

11th – 14th June

Llanfaethlu, Anglesey

9/10

Having spent the previous weekend at a vast and soulless inner-city festival, arriving at Gottwood’s charming and secluded site is an invigorating palate cleanser.

A contented excitement swells as I take in the scenic landscape; it’s an unusual, slightly conflicting feeling, yet it lasts through the weekend. Gottwood finds that happy medium between both the serene escapism sought from festivals, and the hedonism of underground dance culture. You may be wildly dancing to Hunee dropping Josh Wink’s acid fuelled ‘Higher State Of Consciousness’, but you’re doing it beneath a backdrop of prettily illuminated foliage, the surroundings demanding as much attention as the sounds. Being at the festival feels like basking in a sensual array of aural and visual delights that are simultaneously grounding and elevating, trippy and engaging.

It’s a complementary balance that ensures the atmosphere from the start is buoyant. Artwork and Jigsaw feed off the opening night’s energy, raising hands to the sky with Lovebirds’s emotive ‘Want You In My Soul’.

As their memorable b2b draws to a close Jigsaw pulls out Derrick May’s timeless ‘Strings of Life’, taking a step back from the decks as the crowd respond in jubilation, enjoying what seems set to be a perfect final track. But by this time Artwork is having perhaps too good a time, unable to let go he overzealously steps back up and clangs a dodgy final mix. One of the few occasions where “one more tune!” was not desired, but you can’t blame him for wanting to keep the party going on a special night.

The sun endures the following day as I venture the short walk down to the beach, making the most of Gottwood’s idyllic location. A plunge into (and hasty exit out of) the North Sea revitalises my mind, before it is promptly blown again that evening. Firstly by Steevio with his modular wizardry, manipulating equipment to unleash chaotic sounds.

Over at the Trawler stage Zip looks poised behind the decks in front of the packed out audience. He’s clearly one of the festival’s biggest pulls, and it’s plain to see why once he sets off on a well-constructed journey through typically obscure cuts of house and techno. Zenker Brothers pack the biggest punch of the weekend with robust techno that is perfectly hosted in the enclosed space of the Walled Garden. Their set builds with the booming kicks and disorientating textures of ‘Music Box’ and Vril’s ‘Thronwagen’; the high point arriving as the unmistakable drum loop of ‘Rave (Dirt mix)’ pumps through the system to delirious effect.

Saturday marks D-day for Gottwood; or, Move D-day to be precise. The veteran selector dominates proceedings, treating the crowd to two hours of disco classics in the early evening and three hours of eclecticism in the late night. The infectious strings and horns of Johnnie Taylor’s ‘What About My Love’ and powerful vocal of ‘All Along The Watchtower (Rayko edit)’ get the crowd jigging during the disco set. However, it’s his night time slot that really kicks off; it’s an indisputable masterclass from one of the best DJs in the game.

Opting for the woozy ‘Feel Me’ by Manchester’s own Willow early on, Move D then crafts a singularly brilliant set. Exultant jams such as ‘Do What You Feel (body rock mix)’ and DJ Shanté’s ‘Turn Around’ rise out of and blend into the mesmerising cuts of ‘Szikra’ and ‘Otaku (Atypic)’. There’s a smattering of classics: ‘I Can’t Kick This Feeling When It Hits’; ‘Lady Science (NYC Sunrise)’; and even ‘Eastman’, a rare play of his own material. (Something we lamented the lack of in Move D’s sets during our interview last November). An irrepressible sense of euphoria fills the crowd; dancing bodies pause only to share exclamations of elation with each other.

The best moment arrives with the absolute stonker of a curveball that is The Streets’s ‘Has It Come To This?’. The explosive reaction is visceral: cheers erupt from the depths of lungs with instinctual delight. No one expected it, and no one was quite in control of their response – intoxicated as much by the DJ and his records as by anything else consumed that evening.

Despite three hours of ceaseless dancing, energy levels remain at optimum by 4am as Rosinha De Valencia’s ‘Summertime’ is spun to close the night. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disappointed for a DJ set to end. Although, the following day Ben UFO and Craig Richards adeptly bringing the festival to a final climax runs it close.

The set marks another instance of fine scheduling by the Gottwood team, giving the pair 7 hours to work with. They alternate at roughly four track intervals throughout the marathon b2b; enough time to stamp their personal touch, but also not get too comfortable and test each other with weird and wonderful records.

Ben UFO pips his peer in terms of selections: he digs into the catalogues of legends such as DJ Koze and Matthew Herbert, and provides a proper “moment” with Floating Points’s ‘ARP3’ in the small hours. You know a set is good when not even the prospect of Motor City Drum Ensemble playing a matter of metres away can convince you to leave. Richards takes charge of spinning the final few records of the festival, then just like that it’s over.

It was striking how much fun all of the performers appeared to be having along with the punters at Gottwood: Artwork couldn’t tear himself away from repeatedly declaring “best festival ever” down the mic on Thursday night; Hunee’s enthusiasm behind the decks was palpable, dancing just as hard as the peppiest crowd members; and whilst Move D seems to be one of the most perpetually cheerful men on the planet, he looked in especially high spirits, choosing to stay on and enjoy the festival another day after playing.

The organisers have everything in their control spot on at Gottwood: from the small things like art installations, to the potential weekend ruining features like the security, who are amongst the friendliest encountered at any event. The triumvirate of setting, atmosphere and line up combine at Gottwood so that everyone is having the time of their life. Any sadness at the end is trumped by the warm afterglow of four fun days, and the already tangible anticipation for next year.

The British Soap Awards

Written by Matthew Gormley on . Posted in Theatre.

This year, the glitzy ceremony took place in the stunning surroundings of Manchester’s very own Palace Theatre, having decamped from its usual home in the capital. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pair of tickets for the soap-fest, and the opportunity to attend this special red-carpet event in my home town was one I simply could not have missed.

Of course, it isn’t just my home, it’s also that of the nation’s biggest and longest-running soap opera, Coronation Street, and the Corrie cast were joined on their home turf by the stars of EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors. And from as early as midday on Saturday the 16th of May, the streets were alive with excited fans lining the pavements in the hope of catching a glimpse of their favourite soap stars as they began to arrive at the nearby Palace Hotel, which is where the official red carpet arrivals took place. Unfortunately, we had to be seated in the theatre before the stars took to their seats, meaning that I wasn’t able to witness the actors and actresses making the short but no doubt bustling walk across from the hotel.

Once inside, the elegant red velvet auditorium played perfect host to this stylish affair. Phillip Schofield hosted the ceremony for his tenth year. He promised when he came on stage that he would do his best to get the stars into the bar as quickly as he possibly could, and once we got into the swing of the prize presenting, there was very little sense of rivalry within the audience; nothing could dampen the celebratory mood. There were a total of 14 prizes awarded throughout the evening, with EastEnders cleaning up with an impressive total of goings, including the biggest of the night, Best British Soap. Their trophies also included both Best Actor and Best Actress, which went to Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) and Kellie Bright (Linda Carter), respectively.

Kellie did the double, also picking up Best Dramatic Performance, as did Adam, being awarded Best On-Screen Partnership with his screen wife Laurie Brett. No doubt the fact that EastEnders recently celebrated its 30th anniversary gave it the edge over its rivals this year. Rob Gittins, the show’s longest serving writer, was presented with the special Outstanding Achievement Off-Screen accolade; an extremely important award, in my opinion. After all, it’s the people who work behind the scenes that bring these magnificent programmes to our screens night after night, week after week.

Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Doctors each picked up one award; Sally Dynevor (Corrie’s Sally Webster) was awarded Best Comedy Performance, Jeremy Sheffield from Hollyoaks was the Villain Of The Year and Doctors’ Jessica Regan claimed Best Newcomer. Jessica joked in her acceptance speech that it had ‘been a while for Doctors’, and indeed she’s right; the last time BBC One’s daytime offering picked up an award was back in 2010. Sadly, Coronation Street received the fewest awards in the history of the annual ceremony. Whilst it may not currently be at its best, it still remains my favourite and I will forever be a die-hard fan.

The highlight of the night, I’m sure everybody would agree, was this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award, which honoured an all-time soap icon, Coronation Street’s Anne Kirkbride, who tragically died in January, aged just 60. Deirdre Barlow is one of the show’s, and indeed television’s, most recognisable characters. Whether or not you watched the show, everybody knows Deirdre, and the character was a part of so many lives for so long. On-screen husband William Roache (Ken Barlow) and close friend Beverley Callard (Liz McDonald) led the tribute, which also featured a look back at just some of Deirdre’s best storylines and an on-screen eulogy from Paul O’Grady. Anne’s husband, David Beckett, who briefly appeared on screen alongside his wife in 1990, was invited up onto the stage to accept the award on her behalf. He was understandably very emotional during his short but touching speech.

There were tears, there was laughter, there was clapping, there was cheering and as the ceremony drew to end, the stars prepared to head off to their VIP, no-expense-spared after party at The Milton Club on Deansgate. A superb night was had by all. As a self-confessed Corrie fanatic, I thoroughly enjoyed my evening hobnobbing with the show’s most famous faces and certainly won’t forget this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Here’s hoping the big bosses in the television world decide to bring the bash up north again in the future.

Review: 5 Soldiers – The Body is the Frontline

Written by Camilla Lindner on . Posted in Theatre.

How does it feel to live as a solder in a foreign country, having to face death every day? HOME theatre invited a newly formed group of young dancers of the UK, who tried to communicate this feeling through the medium of dance. The Manchester dance leader and choreographer Sam Broadbent created a strong performance through body expression, music, and screen. Their performance is based on Rosie Kay’s research at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre which works with injured soldiers. Furthermore, the dancers themselves spent time with the army in order to understand and perform a soldier’s character.

No voice is necessary for this performance. The body moves. Sometimes the bodies form one entity. At that moment there is no individual existing. Sometimes one body tries to escape the green-clothed and well-functioning collective. Then the Leviathan, the one body build out of several individuals, breaks. But the individual does not remain as such. He or she gets punished and soon vanishes in the mass again, where it has to function as an entity again.

The audience is faced with a reality which one normally tries to avoid. It illustrates parts of the live as a solder, a life before, during and after the war. The surrounding, the Army Research Centre in Rusholme, reinforces the feeling of army life.

During the performance, co-ordinates and military codes in different languages appeared on the screen at the same time as the dancers did push-ups. While they ran, one could only hear their shoes scuttling, creating a frightening rhythm while their breath started to go faster. Those sounds created a depressing atmosphere.

Some scenes might have been a bit too exaggerated, or even a bit too unrealistic due to their length which broke the unique atmosphere which has been created—for instance, the dance scene in which the solders danced to a Katy Perry song for a long period of time.

Otherwise, the scene in which the male and female dancer performed together was very strong. It displayed the struggle as a male soldier when loving a woman, and simply following the human instinct of having sex.

The end of the performance seemed rather long and forced the viewer to feel uncomfortable. A soldier had been wounded heavily in the war and lost his legs. He tries to start walking again without legs. 5 Soldiers leaves the audience astonished due to the brilliant and real performance of the five dancers. The medium of dance is a very powerful and very well chosen medium to convey the message, namely how the life of a soldier really is.