Truro Choral Society's Tippett A Child of our Time

A rather introspective programme was presented by Truro Choral Society and Truro Symphony Orchestra, a Rachmaninov first half followed by Michael Tippett’s secular oratorio, A Child of Our Time.

The choir opened with Bogoroditse Devo, the last movement of Rachmaninov’s famous Vespers, a setting of Ave Maria. This first item was conducted by Truro Cathedral’s organ scholar, James Orford, making his directorial debut. The chorus were supported by the string section, giving the sound an extra luminosity. Orford’s simple yet definite conducting allowed the music to speak for itself without any fussiness unbecoming of the piece, while the choir’s diction of the Russian text spoke well into the Cathedral acoustic.

All change at the front for the second item, Rachmaninov’s C minor second Piano Concerto, as Martin Palmer took the stand alongside the soloist, Paul Comeau. While the second movement is probably the most familiar (a favourite of Classic FM Hall of Fame, no less), this performance showed us that the whole work is just as approachable – the opening Moderato: allegro finds the piano sounding out the deeps before the orchestra joins, more or less taking the spotlight away from the soloist before a majestic climax that restates the initial theme, taking us to the sparkling cadenza. Comeau was surely in his element here, at turns deftly maintaining his part in the orchestral texture, before blazes of sheer virtuosity, relayed throughout the Cathedral via the cameras so those further back wouldn’t miss out – a real delight!

The second movement, the Adagio sostenuto, was a super-smooth episode of pure romantic relaxation, with eloquent solos from flute and clarinet. The finale, the Allegro scherzando, allowed for more dramatic elements to surface, balanced by the lyricism of the orchestral woodwinds, before building tension considerably to the final cadenza – Comeau once again holding the attention of the entire Cathedral.

What elevated this performance, for me, was not just Comeau’s undeniably sublime playing, or Palmer’s well-mannered and sympathetic conducting, but the communication between the two of them, giving the concerto a calm, collected air. A rousing ovation followed, with plenty of well-deserved cheers for Comeau, a real local hero on Truro’s musical scene.

As the programme reminded us, A Child of Our Time "…can never be comfortable"; a deeply personal statement by the composer conceived as a musical protest. The atmosphere was electric from the opening chords, with Palmer’s clear direction inspiring the choir to come in confidently on some exceptionally difficult leads. The young team of soloists added to the mood, their voices commanding in their own right, yet blending well when together. The five Negro Spirituals were particularly moving, Steal Away as a stand-out triumph, with a beautiful, sustained tone from the soprano soloist.

While this concert’s programme was more inward-looking than one might usually expect from Truro Choral Society, they acquitted themselves with a dignity befitting the music during another evening of exciting music making.

By Paul-Ethan Bright

Published 18th of June for Truro Choral Society website

Published 22nd of June for the West Briton website

...Khan? : Retrospective

Due to both ill health and a rapidly approaching deadline, I am somewhat behind on my Week B schedule.  However, I offer this as a stop gap post for now, written originally in one sitting which is another transposed post from my former blog, which has been updated appropriately... First published 10th June, 2013.

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Since first seeing it some... Oh I dunno, thee weeks ago, I've gradually been coming to terms with Star Trek Into Darkness.  Of course, this amazing summer movie has been nothing short of an event, whether you liked it or not.  The thing is, I absolutely fucking loved it.  Went to the cinema, saw it in 3D, waved my arms about, probably shouted out loud a few times, and cried at the appropriate moments.  I did say I was going to see it again and take notes on all the 'Old Trek' universe references, but the time has been and gone and it's now no longer on at The Plaza on the cheap night.  What I did do however, was track down the classic 1967 episode of The Original Series Space Seed.  I don't really need to watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan again (it's not a necessity at least), because various parts of that film are BURNED INTO MY MIND AND WILL NEVER GO AWAY.  Because of being steeped in Trek history, I basically have three major problems with the film:

• The emotional crux of the film is essentially empty
• Not only is it empty, but it becomes a race for the McGuffin
• It is one reference after another and cherry picks elements from the above mentioned Khan stories
  

 Also a really funny thing I came across in one of trawls through the internet is that this film is like the John Harrison Ford action movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the film opens with the protagonist being chased by angry natives, and closes with the super-weapon being safely locked away... Who says Hollywood has run out of plots?  Anyway.

Are you sitting comfortably?  Are you ready to hate me, possibly yourself and maybe everything you know already?  Let's go then.  Don't worry though!  Because I hate absolutely everything already, so I am way ahead of you.  DID I MENTION I WILL SPOIL LITERALLY EVERYTHING IN THE FILM JESUS CHRIST YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE EVEN READ THE TITLE.

 We open to a brilliantly shot set-piece with Bones and Kirk pegging it through a jungle away from spear-toting natives, cut with Sulu and Uhura in a shuttle, about to dangle Spock (dressed as a disco ball) into a Volcano.  Turns out the Enterprise has been sat in the sea for the best part of two days, on a self-ordained mission to rescue the planet (without disturbing the natives) from the cataclysmic eruption of said volcano, by dropping a cold fusion bomb that freezes the eruption.  The one important moment in this section is where we end up with Spock stranded in the volcano READYING HIMSELF TO DIE after the immortal line 

• "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... Or the one."
  

FORESHADOWING.  No?  Anyway, it wouldn't be much of a film (seeing as this is an impersonation of Wrath of Khan rather than The Search for Spock) if they killed Spock off before the opening titles, so of course, they raise the leviathan from the waves and rescue the green blooded son of a bitch.  We know that this isn't the only Star Trek sequel that does the old bait-and-switch on Spock dying.  For once we get to see the great and mighty ship in the atmosphere, which is something I really liked!  I remember that they put landing gear on the crate in Voyager, but I only saw the one episode where they landed the big ship?  There may be more, I didn't see every single one.


Okay.  We get introduced to 'John Harrison', the man with the magic blood (remember that).  The ultimate expression of Sherlock Holmes - cold, calculating, intellectually superior, misanthrophic, a gifted tactician and a talented combatant.  Just say if you know any old Star Trek, just say, who else do you know fits all those categories?  No... It can't be him?  Anyway.  He orchestrates the explosion of some super-secret research facility in the basement of London, not a stone's throw from Wren's St. Paul's OF COURSE IT'S STILL THERE Seriously guys they still have red buses.  Sherlock also performs a daring assault on Starfleet high command (only seconds after the comedy block-head Kirk works out why they've all been gathered there on that day ahead of everyone else in Starfleet including Spock) before beaming off to the Klingon Homeworld when Captain First Officer Kirk knackers up his snub-nose starfighter (transworld beaming because Starfleet pinched the transwarp equation without crediting Scotty - some sort of satire on Intellectual Property rights I think?), only moments before Kirk swears ADMIRALS' REVENGE.  The Wrath of Kirk!  After a tense meeting with Admiral Marcus, as portrayed by Robocop (check the desk out for yet more classic references), Kirk gets his Captaincy restored, his Spock returned, the Enterprise given back... and orders to kill 'John Harrison'.  Further to this, the Enterprise is armed with 72 super-secret long range proton photon torpedoes (does that number mean anything?).  When this magic missile payload appears in the engineering section, Scotty won't sign for them!  Not at this address mate!  He's not happy because they won't let him look at the secret ingredients.  The upshot of this is that Scotty gets kicked off the Enterprise, complete with his little wee Ugnaut man.  This frees him up to advance the plot later on after being absent for at least an... hour?  In his place, Eastern European stereotype Chekov stands in.  Alongside the torpedoes arrives Carol Wallace, who occupies the 'fit bird eyecandy' character archetype, that all Sci-Fi must have.  When they reach Qo'noS, holding position miles out with the magic missiles pointing at 'Harrison' Ford, while Kirk, Spock and Uhura (with two redshirts) dress up as smugglers and fly the Kessel Run in a prototype for the Millennium Falcon.  Spock and Uhura have a full on domestic in the Flying Hamburger. While all this is happening, Sulu is sat in the captain's chair (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, anybody?  Sure, it's no Excelsior...)


Another high-speed fight scene gets cut, with the mirror universe Klingons... who look just like their Prime Universe (thankfully.  Right?) counterparts, which starts to get pretty hairy...until Sherlock appears and literally just kills the shit out of everybody who isn't in the principal cast.  He surrenders instantly after a grueling battle once he learns the exact number of torpedoes pointed at him.  Why?  Why would such a furious badass simply yield in a heartbeat like that?  What importance does the number 72 have?  And then Kirk punches him alllllllllllllllllllll day without Holmes even flinching.  They drag him back to the Enterprise where it is finally revealed that yes, Sherlock Holmes IS Peter Guillam!  Ho ho!  Of course, he is Khan Noonien Singh, the most dangerous of all the despotic genetically modified human beings from the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s in the Star Trek Universe (multiverse?).  Remember, the timeline only split when the Kelvin was destroyed at the start of the first film of this franchise.  Literally everything else up until that point was exactly the same -  Enterprise is still canon at this point, technically.  Where does that leave First Contact though?  I hope you remember the models on the desk - not just another nod, for once. After the underplayed reveal, he soothingly rumbles about the torpedoes, what's inside them?  What's inside is a game changer, and explains why the SS Botany Bay  isn't in the film, because we discover that as well as a highly explosive payload, they each contain a cryo-stasis pod with Khan's crew safely tucked away.  Before this we see Carol Marcus Wallace in her underwear.  Phwoar: It serves no narrative purpose.  Around this time, Khan gives Kirk a space postcode (spacecode?), which moves James Tiberius to call his friend and now free agent... Montgomery Scott!  Who is drinking whisky in a club.  He drives a shuttle craft over and discover a huge shipyard and manages to infiltrate... Dr. McCoy also takes a sample of Khan's blood.  Keep hold of that.

But it seems that this Khan is not a bad Khan?  It transpires that the Botany Bay was found in space, just like it was in the 'real' universe, but this time by Admiral "Robocop" Marcus.  Khan was awoken and used, used I say, to create weapons of mass destruction for space war (this is most unlike Khan Prime) with the Klingons.  Khan's crew are used as leverage by Marcus, and are included in the payload of each and every torpedo that was supplied to the Enterprise.  All of a sudden, loyalties are compromised.  A new ship appears, the USS Vengeance.  The captain is none other than Admiral Marcus, who is hunting down Khan as well.  Marcus orders that Khan be transferred aboard the Vengeance, as he is a war criminal and must be executed.  I've missed out part of the debate here (most of which happened before the torpedoes' cargo was discovered) but basically Kirk, rather than follow the orders of his Admiral, follows Spock's suggestion of bringing Khan to trial on Earth, a deeply legalistically ethical suggestion.  It's what Kant would have done.  Marcus, of course, doesn't like this one bit.  The Enterprise escapes at warp speed... But is chased down and fired upon!  This is a real surprise to see one ship not only caught up on but attacked while in hyperspace at warp.  It's really amazing on screen, make no mistake.  The Vengeance makes a fearsome noise.  Still, it adds up to make this Khan almost a sympathetic enemy at the least - yes, he may be the Khan of the Eugenics Wars, but so far he hasn't seemed to be trying to take control of the Enterprise and his crew are in danger and he has been kept prisoner and taken advantage of.  All things that can be sympathised with. 

Okay, let's relax on the whole plot synopsis here.  There's one point I haven't yet addressed which I'll get to, but I'm sure if you've seen it already you know what's happening, if you haven't seen it but don't mind finding out there are several, less cynical and more detailed synopses, and if you want to see it but haven't WHY THE HELL HAVE YOU GOT THIS FAR.  Let's get to the cut and thrust of this...review?  I dunno, but the climactic death scene.  As I said earlier, this film oscillates between Space Seed and Wrath of Khan, and by now it's definitely swung into the latter.  However, this is the mirror universe so it's not going to play out quite as you expect.  Or quite as you remember.  The Enterprise is wrecked, barely holding together in Earth's upper atmosphere.  The power's out, because the warp core is misaligned due to the preceding battle, and time is running out before the ship crashes and the crew liquidised by the force.  Thing is, Bones is in the Medical Bay, and Spock is strapped into the Captain's chair as per the space jump that Khan and Kirk did in order to infiltrate the USS Vengeance.  Scotty and Kirk are in Engineering.  So the usual "you can't go in it'll kill you!" happens, and Kirk... Punches Scotty out.  That's it.  Sits him in a chair, and puts his seatbelt on... and goes in the reactor chamber.  What.  Seriously.  Kirk goes off to his death.  Let's cut here.



Now, there are three critical things that raise Wrath of Khan above other Star Trek films primarily, and these are as follows:

• Ricardo Montalban straight up OWNING every line (the performance of a God)
• The Enterprise and the Reliant playing Battleships in 3 dimensions
• The death of Spock

Aside from this, the scenario where the crew are beginning to age (Kirk gets reading glasses for his birthday!) and the stirring faux-naval score really help the sort of campy atmosphere.  You will notice that Into Darkness has none of these things.  The 18 year gap between Space Seed and Wrath of Khan is almost exactly mirrored in real time, the episode coming from 1967 and the film from 1982. 

As noted earlier, this Khan does not think in three dimensions.  The superbly played and brilliantly tense final shootout between the Reliant and the Enterprise is at a stalemate...until Kirk remembers that unlike the sea, space operates in three dimensions (with which Khan is not experienced), and uses this to his advantage.  As a final act of bitterness, Khan, shattered and dying, makes one last-ditch attempt to vanquish his enemy by setting off the Genesis device before expiring.  The Enterprise limps away, but can't break into the run that Warp speed is because the warp core is misaligned.  Engineering is cut off due to the inhuman amounts of radiation pouring out of the warp core, and there's no way to get in... Or is there?  Not all of the crew are human, remember.  It is at this point that I start weeping with no sense of regret.  The only crew member who could biologically withstand the radiation is... Mr. Spock. 

Spock's self-sacrifice is the emotional climax of the movie.  It is Spock's Kobayashi Maru test - by his own admission.  He slips off quietly while everyone else is panicking, and gets it done.  Bones tries to stop him, but Spock nerve pinches him and then mind melds.  "Remember".  Of course, he manages to fix the vital component of the reactor in time for the Enterprise to escape, but fatally irradiates himself in the process.  His final breath is so touching not because it's Spock and Kirk, or the fact that they're in space or anything... It's seeing a man watch his best friend of almost twenty years die in front of him, totally unreachable.  The one person he needs, he can rely on is... just slipping away behind the glass.  Just give me a minute you guys.  I'll be okay.

This is where Wrath of Khan pulls ahead, because it's also about the way that their lives have changed through time.  This theme continues through all the original cast films, as the surviving cast of Star Trek TOS have a combined age that is greater than the Rolling Stones.  These guys in the mirror universe haven't even gone on their 5 year mission, they've known each other for all of 5 minutes, so the death of Kirk is deeply unfortunate and still pretty sad - rather than deliberately choose himself, he is the one man who makes the choice.  The emotional hook in this is remembering Spock's death, and, rather than the Captain being trapped inside the planet, it is in fact the mirror Spock who utters the famous scream before chasing Khan down on foot, so that famous Vulcan physiology gets referenced after all... After a fraught punch-up on aerial platform vehicles, Uhura gets beamed down and stuns the living shit out of Khan with a phaser.  They need him alive for (drum roll yes that's right it's McGuffin time) his magic blood!  If it can resurrect a tribble, it can resurrect a Kirk!  I have another problem with this, that I realised even in the cinema was there are 72 frozen supermen on board in Medical who have the same genetically superior blood.  They even turf one of the Botany Bay crew out of their cryo-pod in order to preserve the gradually decaying body of Kirk, so they can pump him full of Khan's blood... Whaaaaaat?  Why can't they use that one?  IT ALWAYS HAS TO BE KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN.

And look at that.  Ten minutes later, (two weeks in the movie time) and we cut to Kirk in bed.  Laid up with a case of the Khans, he has miraculously recovered from being dead (just like that tribble earlier), and Khan himself is safely locked in his chiller cabinet with the rest of the surviving Botany Bay, who knows how long for this time.  The one thing I said I was going to come back to was when Kirk and Khan do their space jump (in which Khan saves Kirk's life no less!), he calls Spock Prime on Space Skype in order to ask him about Khan.  Khan is a bad man, and was only defeated "at great cost" (although this cost is not elaborated on).  Spock to Spock, we finally hear what we knew about Mr. Noonien Singh all along, "He is brilliant, ruthless, and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you".  This brutality was seen on Qo'noS, and also in the corridors of the Vengeance, where Khan, Kirk and Scotty work their way up to the bridge where Khan has his showdown with Admiral Marcus.  During the course of this Mexican stand-off, it is finally revealed that Carol Wallace is in fact Carol Marcus, the Admiral's daughter and another classic Trek reference.  That's not terribly exciting, sorry. 

Even though I found the experience of watching Into Darkness deeply enjoyable and very exciting, I ultimately feel a little disappointed.  A plot jammed with elements from two old stories (one of which is a feature length resolution of the first), laced with top of the line special effects and visual set pieces, then mixed in with more references to classic Star Trek than you can shake a stick at to keep it all together.  Lens flare does not replace character development.  Disappointed is the wrong term, too strong perhaps.  Underwhelmed?  Now I've had the time to think about it (and write it all out) especially.  I'll definitely watch it again, buy the DVD you know it, but still...  Having split the timeline in 2233, and planet Vulcan being destroyed in 2258, the alternate universe is different enough already, without comparing how much more emotional this particular Spock is: we see him and Uhura conduct a relationship in public, something that Nimoy's Spock would never do.  Chronologically speaking, there was no need to make Khan the villain of the piece, seeing as the film is set 8 years before the Prime crew discover The Botany Bay (or perhaps this is another repercussion of being on an altered timeline?) anyway.  I feel that it was a hell of a cheap shot using the exact same plot device in the shape of the damaged warp core, even down to the critical use of the word "friend".  By making Khan's blood the only thing that can save Kirk, they make the baddie into the deus ex machina, and also make sure the other augmented humans are left inhuman by leaving them as the cryo-pods, basically.  However, the memorial presided over by Captain Kirk at the end of the film rededicates Starfleet's purpose: rather than prepare for war either in secret or openly, and the famous five year mission is finally launched.

A reboot like this would always be tough.  Imagine if they rebooted Star Wars like this, where perhaps... I dunno, Qui-Gon Jinn survives the lightsaber duel but Anakin Skywalker still becomes Darth Vader in a series of very strange but similar events?  Maybe it was some sort of attempt on the writers' and director's parts to make a statement that these characters are destined to interact in this way, regardless of where we find them.  Or maybe they wanted to put their spin on an established part of Trek history.  Or... I don't know.  Even though Wrath of Khan's no world beater itself, I think Into Darkness can't even dream of touching it.  Sorry, but Montalban beats Cumberbatch any day.

Oh, Khan.  To the last, I grapple with thee; from hell's heart, I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.

The sun never sets on the HUBBOX Empire: Eat It

Not content with eating things that I've cooked myself, I often like to go out and exchange money for food, and also to pay my way out of having to wash up.  Nobody likes doing the washing up.  Especially not KPs... 

What started out as a restaurant on the Wharf of St. Ives in 2003 has currently expanded to a converted shipping container serving fried chicken on Lemon Quay in Truro, a new restaurant opened in the old converted chapel at the start of Kenwyn street, also Truro, and another converted building in the centre of Exeter.  It's taken little over ten years for them to reach this position, and long may they reign...

My first experience of the HUB was when they opened a shipping crate in front of Marks and Spencer's in Lemon Quay.  Painted in an unassuming green, it sat there at the edge of town issuing the smells of grilling meat, the smell of temptation on the wind... Unless you don't like the smell of grilling meat wafting across the metropolis (I gather there are several people of this opinion.  Who knew?).  Serving a range of gourmet burgers, bottled craft ales and lagers at prices not too steep accounting for quality, I was a regular offender (as I continue to be) at the take out window cut into the side, filling up loyalty cards one after another: 10 stamps equal a free burger - the prices haven't changed so I'll let you do the math on that one.  Petitions went back and forth to either remove or maintain it at that position, with the latter seemingly holding out.  In the summer of 2014, they finally closed the container and moved in to the chapel on Kenwyn street, the former site of the One Eyed Cat, which has disappeared into memory... In 2013, the box in Exeter opened its doors, which I have yet to visit on my semi-irregular visits, and on the 5th of November, the doors opened on the Chick Inbox in the Lemon Quay shipping container, which is the first of a new outdoor food court that will reclaim the paddle steamer that currently sits empty (well, sits with restoration work taking place actually).

Since their move to Kenwyn street, I've once again become a regular customer, (usually on gentlemen's luncheon with Cardinal Sin) already having eaten most of my way through that menu, and also working my way through the options at the Chick Inbox bit by bit.  No wonder I don't have any money...

Let's face it: HUB make great burgers.  Like, really good.  Hilariously, they're sat over the road from Truro's Burger King (the great signpost), but the gulf between them is far greater than mere Kenwyn street, and I don't really think their proximity has had any real effect on their respective customer bases.  The menu starts with the classic plain beef, and quickly escalates to the Big Kahuna, which is a tasty burger, even if doesn't have any pineapple rings (they serve it with onion rings though, I guess they break even on that one).  There's the mackerel Mack Daddy, and a couple of vegetarian options available as well, including the 'NYC Super Salad', the Plate of Rad, which comes with felafel balls.  Although a kitchen, toilets and bar is cut into the inside of the building, things like the interior stonework, clerestory windows and the stained glass in the north-west wall have been thankfully preserved, befitting its status as a Grade II listed building.  Funnily enough, there was a shipping crate that opened up, gull swing style into a bar sat next to the building in its previous guise... But that didn't last at all.   That said, the entrances to the kitchen, DJ booth and downstairs toilet are painted as an ersatz container, continuing their former aesthetic. 

Seating is spread over two floors, and the building's high ceiling continues to be a credit, allowing the place to seem much lighter; the clear window (almost in rose form) above the entrance lets in a lot of light during the day, and suspended strips and low power bulbs in booths help shape the rough charm of the establishment.  The staff range from very to extremely polite, and the attitude is "we're cool if you're cool" - kind of casual but helpful when you attract their attention.  A range of interesting hairstyles, tattoos and piercings abound, including the manager's enormous and fulsome beard.  Soul, funk and hip hop are the usual day time sounds piped over the speakers, all contributing to this rough charm idea - after all, if the menu is inspired by the Williamsburg neighbourhood of New York, why shouldn't the surroundings be as well?  They can often be quite busy, which is of course, THE PRICE OF SUCCESS.  The waiting time for food is what it is: I find it to be no better or worse than any where else really.  It's always worth asking for the current wait on, and deciding for yourself if you're prepared; don't blame them if you accept a sit down on a 40 minute queue.

While the prices are a step above a Whopper meal, they are worth it.  True, the fries are extra, and it can often be a challenge not breaking over a tenner, something in the region of £15 will get you any burger, fries and a bottle of craft beer, imported or not.  They serve from the tap as well, in third and half measures, and offer a flight of beers for tasting too.  There's the usual range of soft drinks available, along with sweet maltshakes (dreadfully tempting but not worth the possibility of lactose pain), which I am assured are fantastic.  They also offer a smoked brisket sandwich and a roll full of the ubiquitous and world-conquering pulled pork... Pulled pork?  How has that taken over the world?  The Hot Dogs are slightly more affordable than the burger range, and are just as excellent and filling; my favourite is the 'Double Double', which comes with pulled pork and sauerkraut.  When it first opened, they also offered wings and a rack of smoked pork ribs - these are currently retired, though hopefully not permanently.  Currently sat on top of the 'BBQ' section and pride of the menu is the smoked brisket: A tray that comes with a hefty piece of beef, covered in BBQ sauce, on a bed of fries, with pickles and slaw on the side; truly the best bang for buck ratio in the whole place but a big meal for one.

Chick Inbox, on the other hand, is an altogether more direct, "Ronseal" approach to fast food - they serve chicken, in a box.  Let's not mince words here, I think it's absolutely amazing.  This is what KFC wants to be when it grows up, what it dreams of while filling in a UCAS application.  The prices almost seem too good to be true, walking away with 4 pieces of fried chicken covered in sauce with fries, slaw and a pickle for a princely £10.  They recently introduced boneless strips, and serve wings and a range of burgers too.  The three sauces, lemon and herb, Korean barbeque, and (five nights at) Freddy's hot sauce come with the pieces or strips at your choice, or are included in the burgers themselves.  Geographically, it sits in the old HUBBOX site, but with the interior redecorated and doors painted in a screaming yellow to attract the good folk of Truro.  There are no inside seats, but benches outside underneath an open canopy, but there are plans to sure up the seating.  It is the first in a food court, which will soon be joined by a Pizza stop, a new stop for 108 Coffee, and, if reports are to be believed, a pub on the boat!  

It's far easier to avoid the demon cheese at Chick Inbox than HUB.  Sadly, it's taken four returned orders for them to get into the swing that I need the cheese leaving out of burger orders at the Kenwyn street venue - the buns are brioche, which contain more than enough milk in the first place.  I hate sending food back full stop, it's no fun for anyone, either side of the pass.  However, I'm pleased to say that there have been no problems since the start of the month.  The only other real problem I've had is drink service once they close the kitchen.  Sometimes it's been tricky to have been served, as they become a cocktail bar in the evening when they close the kitchen at 9pm.  I'd say that this is less a kind of instant choice venue, more a planned night.  Cocktails, as delicious as they may be, aren't cheap.  There are 2-4-1 offers on Friday and Saturday nights, and if you can't see a familiar beverage on the menu then feel free to ask: The staff are as knowledgeable as they are approachable.  

So?  Go.  You might as well try it.  There are lots of options for grilled, American-style food around and this is definitely one of the best.  The Truro restaurant accepts bookings for parties 10 and above, and remember that lunchtime and early evening are bound to be the busiest servings.  Check out the respective websites, with pictures, maps and menus for more!

HUBBOX Truro       Chick Inbox       HUB St. Ives

 

All information correct at time of publishing.

Major: Now Playing Retrospective

Major holds a place shared by only two others in being bought instantly without even thinking about having to check well... Anything.  Except for the artistes responsible, of course.  It's fellows, Fluent in Stroll and Audio, Video, Disco are similarly well-made purchases. 

Fang Island are still of Brooklyn, formerly of Providence.  This second album was released in 2012, some 30 months ago from now. 

With its stony cover, it's almost as if we're in for something different... But not.  This is really Fang Island part 2, but that's not exactly a bad thing either.  The cover art might be less nonsensical than their previous effort, but the fun really starts inside this cardboard envelope, with our three main players of the band, Jason Bartell, Chris Georges and Marc St. Sauveur Jr., reaching out to us in perfect monochrome.  Georges in particular holds the centre, with an intense had gesture, delicate coiffing and the finest Indie Rock mustache.  The list of credits is far longer this time round, with an additional guitarist and two different bassists joining them over the course of the songs.  Also, the "Fang Island Choir" are named for posterity, giving a real sense of scope this time; with the changes are subtle, the entire enterprise is much bigger.

The opening track, 'Kindergarten', uses their signature guitar harmonics, slowly creeping across the stereo field.  It begins with solo piano though, giving this album a kind of "indoor" feeling that continues through the whole record.  Time signatures are much more settled, with far fewer of those whip-round changes from last time.  Maybe that's another reason they chose the cover art?  Carved in stone, to the weather the tides...

The first three tracks, 'Kindergarten', 'Sisterly' and 'Seek It Out' are all pretty muted affairs as well, quite calm and steady with solid riffs that use an accentuated mid-range.  It's almost as if they're finding their feet, as 'Make Me' and 'Never Understand' go a long way to returning to the previous album's aesthetic, with catchy riffing, third harmonised melodies and a smattering of Drawbar sound.  The crowd noises behind the sound in 'Never Understand' give it the feeling of a particularly well behaved gig, or festival stage.  Maybe a restaurant-turned-cocktail venue at a weekend? 

Curiously, on the back there's a whole line space before 'Asunder', and there is a kind of directional change here in the sound too - there's more energy and the guitar sound steps up, no more the calm and mid-heavy production of the first 5 tracks.  A shout out to St. Sauveur's drumming in this sixth track too, perfectly combining with Michael Jacober's fine bass work, allowing these two rhythm players to become more than the mere sum of their parts.  'Dooney Rock' is the high point of the show for me, and well worth the price of entry: A fun little instrumental, with a finger-picking sound on that E drone, joined 14 seconds in by the kick drum on every beat helping to ramp up a feeling of excitement that's really been essentially missing from the otherwise tuneful material we've heard.  Fuller sections follow the recurring drones with a whining guitar solo cutting across the texture.  At 2:10, they change gear and really put the pedal down, full of outbursts of shredding with extra distortion and harmonics to fill out the texture.  Next up, 'Regalia', keeps up the strength of movement, with a real stylistic return to form - crowd-sourcing vocals, dramatic pauses, a few quick shifts in the beat, and a euphoric lead sound, but still with that more solid mid sound behind it.  Synthesized strings and a piano are there in the fade out before the before diving right back in to the instrumental.  'Chompers' is the summation of the best of the two preceding tracks, helping form a little unit of just pure fun.  The best aspects of the album really are here, focused into tight riffs and catchy solos.

The closing act, comprised of tracks 'Chime Out' and 'Victorinian' tie these two different halves of the record together.  'Chime Out' starts slowly, like 'Make Me', but builds a lot quicker, which is arguably more effective, with a huge wall of guitar chugging and EQ'd harmonics, with the sound of chimes tinkling away above it all.  'Victorinian' starts with a Shakuhachi solo, complete with applause and cheering, before bursting into a hyperactive Piano line.  This time, it's like there are different time signatures happening across the same instrument, and it's almost four minutes gone before a fuzzed up guitar comes in to double the melody.  The chord sequence is highly reminiscent of the opening, just like the last disc they cut.  A rumble of thunder heralds not just the end of the track but the end of the whole as well...

Out of the two musical Ourobouros that Fang Island have given us I'm hard pushed to call a preference.  2010's offering has much more energy over all, a big punch through a wall, telling us that "Yes!  This album is here!  We will bring you joy!" It was happy and energetic and just bounced off the walls for the sake of it.  This one is much more serious, and it doesn't quite succeed for it.  The first act is stodgy, even compared to the throwaway enthusiasm of the first part of Fang Island.  By the second act, they know who they are again, as do we, and by the end there's been some reconciliation.  'Dooney Rock' and 'Chompers' stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of 'Daisy' and 'Sideswiper', but the other material does feel even as if they themselves aren't exactly thrilled to be their.

I feel a bit bad ending on that kind of note!  I still think it's a good record, and I'm glad I bought it &c &c... But it kind of needs the first album to work best, so you know where it's come from even if you're not sure where it's going sometimes.  Over all though, it's great stuff and as a piece of Indie-noise-instrumetal-nonsense rhymes, it still works just great.



Reviewed on a Philips AX1100/00 CD Player through Philips/O'Neill 'The Snug' SHO8802/10 headphones and Logitech Z323 2.1 Surround Speakers.

Now Showing: Sound and Fury

Now, this isn't going to be easy, is it...

In the opening lines of last week's review of Fang Island, I made mention of how it was the first time I had written about something someone else had done blah blah blah... Completely forgetting that I had done a piece on Hercules, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!  Turns out I've been wanting to break out into talking about things other than my own screaming inadequacies for ages now oh well haha!  But to be fair to me, it was really just a one-shot, rather than part of a concerted effort like all this is, so you know, swings and roundabouts.  

I remember the point that I was making that it was probably the closest we'll ever get to a real Dungeons & Dragons or Fire Emblem movie we'll ever get; instead of using beloved and often bitterly defended characters and situations from those two properties, it uses a generic action adventure template with a simple team dynamic laid over a mythic, faux-ancient history setting, to stage a quest to save a land from invasion and a people from their own corrupt ruler.  Sound familiar?  It's pretty much the same basic plot that Intelligent Systems have used ever since 1990.  I'm not saying it's a bad one either, as really there's a lot of room for character development once you have that outline to hang things on.  

Thinking more about that piece also points out some things about my general film-going habits: I love uncomplicated blockbusters, hence the subtitle.  But looking at my shelf of DVDs you'd be forgiven for thinking that's some kind of red herring, what with my interest in foreign film, character-driven drama, intelligent sci-fi and of course, Batman.   I also have an unexpected love for the "oeuvre" of Steven Seagal, because there are times in all our lives where we just need a guy in a ponytail executing the most insane martial arts fight scenes to cheer us up.  I think my real favourite is The Glimmer Man, because it's just before he stops doing (mostly) his own fighting and stunts.  It's a 'buddy cop' film taken to an illogical and egregiously hilarious extreme, and I like that.  I like that a lot.

I also hold my hands up to liking some straight up terrible films as well.  For every La Vie en Rose there's Michael Bay's Transformers trilogy, for every Big Fish there's a... Uh, um, Matrix Revolutions?  I'd have said Keanu Reeves' Constantine but I actually thought it was quite good, bar the fact that they use character names and (tenuous at best) likenesses from Vertigo's Hellblazer - if only they had thought of an original set of names it might have garnered some light respect rather than the rough kicking it deserved as a film representation of "the" John Constantine.  I gather that the TV series is doing a bit of a better job, bar the fact that their Constantine is, well, clean.  As I read in the recent Comics Alliance article, Hellblazer's Constantine is the guy who gave Satan the middle finger, probably before, during or after calling him some choice names that couldn't possibly be published here, in time for last orders and chaining a pack of ten fags - not something that would really go down well on American Network prime time.

I'm also conscious of having no real or formal training in any kind of film study, no matter how much I throw the term "non-diegetic" into conversation, which makes me feel a little nervous in leaping in like this... But then how many people do their own blogs publishing reviews who have no similar experience?  At least in reviewing albums I have the fact that I'm an actual musician and have played bass guitar, banjo, keyboard and sang live, and also have recorded all of the above at some point, even if for GSCE and A-Level examination, that can stand up to scrutiny -  although if I ever use the phrase "as a professional musician" I demand that somebody comes and kills me.  Reach through the monitor and throttle me if you have to.  On the other hand, perhaps not having a formal background in film might help.  After all, it's about me and my reaction; you have not and could possibly not have had the experiences my life has (as I could not yours) that govern my judgements and my approach and appreciation of anything, really!  Just like with music, sometimes an op-ed, reactionary piece is much more effective in communicating how you might enjoy it, rather than a hardline technical analysis.  

In fact, there's yet more meaning behind the subtitle; I am a hyperactive adult with a mercilessly short attention span.  I have a lifelong love of comics, cape or not, Transformers, video games, anime, and all the associated trivia that goes with all of them, I often seek out loud films with out very much plot most of the time - hence Transformers (well) quadrilogy.  Fight Club is an excellent foil however, as not only is it full of explosions 'n shit and fighting and plot twists, but it's pretty close to the plot of the book, if slightly less disturbing by the end.  I really need to see Choke with Sam Rockwell and Angelica Houston to follow up my Chuck Palahniuk obsession.  But anyway, that's why most of my films are fast-pased action or brightly coloured comedy (Batman Movie 1966, I'm looking at you), because I like shiny things, basically.  My interest in foreign films stems from one of my ex-girlfriends from long ago, who would take me to an art house cinema as our dates (avec les sous-titres, naturellement); not exactly a natural habitat given my reputation but one must strive for a bit of class eh.

I'll be back, ev'n in the time appointed to bring you news from my local, The Plaza on Lemon street.  In fact, I'll wrap this by setting the scene... And don't forget to visit their website!


-"The Plaza Cinema is ideally situated on Lemon Street, slightly up the hill, taking it away from the bustle of the high street and the Hall for Cornwall, the city's venue for live performances, but close enough (much like everything else in Truro) to be no more than a ten minute walk.  Although there are only 4 screens, this is perfectly ample, with 1 being the largest and the following three gradually, but not markedly smaller.  In fact, I'd say that the smaller screens have as much going for them as the larger, allowing The Plaza to put on films with more intimate settings on a screen and room size that reflects the setting: Summer blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy and Transformers: Age of Extinction (and by extension all the upcoming Marvel and DC comic book films &c) belong in screen 1, while the modestly statured comic  A Thousand Ways to Die in the West and period drama Belle are complimented by the smaller setting afforded by screens 3 and 4, say.  'Found-Footage' style and other horror films also benefit, although in their case the rooms accentuate the claustrophobia. 

Seating is spacious and comfortable, there's no feel of faded grandeur here.  The staff are polite and friendly, most of them are young (younger than I am anyway), which along with the smaller size of the actual place itself makes it feel quite local, and certainly not in a bad way; Truro isn't exactly in a need of a colossal multiplex, and the nearby towns of Redruth and Falmouth are served by their own cinemas as well.

While not every film makes it as far west as Truro, The Plaza manage to get in showings of opera, ballet and stage theatre as well.  Alongside their honouring of the now ubiquitous 'Orange Wednesdays', they also have offers for senior cinema enthusiasts for showings before 7pm, and on Tuesdays all tickets are just £5 in the evening.

It might be the only cinema in Truro, but it's definitely a fine one.  Rather than try and throw bells and whistles, The Plaza distinguishes itself by doing things right: With a small but useful set of ticket offers, clean seats (notwithstanding the occasional discovery of a previous patron's underseat hiding of rubbish), welcoming staff and even refreshment prices that aren't too bad, The Plaza is definitely an excellent place to get a film in."-

Fang Island: Now Playing Retrospective

Welcome to the first in what is a staggering departure for me and my house in writing an actual review about... About a thing that... That somebody else made and or did.  I hope you are patient while I settle in to this new routine.  I've chosen what I can only describe as a real old favourite to get started with, so at least I don't feel too strange doing something new.  Aha...

Fang Island, formerly of Providence and now of Brooklyn, released this eponymous album following Day of the Great Leap and Sky Gardens in '08 and '09 respectively.  In 2010, Fang Island came out and made all my Indie-Post-Instrumental-Progressive dreams come true, without me even knowing it.

I discovered this album, like all great things, completely by accident on a scrobbling session through Last.fm.  I can't even remember what I was searching for at the time, I think I might even have happened upon it in the "Math Rock" tag (because Math Rock is delicious), but I definitely recall the strains of 'Sideswiper' coming through my (then new) satellite speakers.  It was just excellent, that sweeping 3/4 opening giving way to 4/4 with a soft but definite distortion, before shifting back again (oh that's why it was in the Math tag huh huh huh), a big joyous sound like sunshine pressed into a CD and back again.  The next track, 'The Illinois' even starts with a big crown cheer before breaking into tremolo picking that enhances the sheer brilliance of the sound before gradually winding down.  The album is defined by this flow of energy, back and forth; a whole ebb and flow that really works when you just let the disc play.  Doing so preserves the banding between tracks (I still haven't found a digital player that keeps that continuous effect.  Any tips?) that allows these tidal forces to be even more effective.  The end of 'Treeton' into 'Davy Crockett', the latter of which just builds and builds until you feel like cheering them on yourself, is a real big hitter; softly softly and then a step by step build up... This is party music through and through.

It begins how it ends, with vinyl-esque popping, imitation fireworks.  Whistles and a synth riff accompanied by a heavenly Drawbar organ (through a Lesley, of course) welcome you, with open arms.  "They are all with in my reach/They are free" choruses across your ears before 'Careful Crossers' smashes through, threes against twos in heavy distortion with a squealing lead over the top and liberal use of the top edge of the cymbals really characterise not only this track, but the first half of the album.  The lead single, 'Daisy', is Fang Island in a nutshell, and that's a very good thing.  Chunky distortion in the rhythm lines, melodic lines harmonised in thirds, lots of Drawbar sound mixed in, abrupt drops in texture, euphoric chanting of seemingly nonsense lyrics, with a calm down before the stomping intro to 'Life Coach'.  

The last two tracks keep up the feeling, with 'Welcome Wagon' continuing the trend of foot-stomping intros and third-harmonised melodies, the syncopation of which cuts straight across the rhythm underneath.  At times this is the most generic-sounding of the whole line up being a straight-up drums/guitar/bass track, but that melody is pretty catchy, and the consecutive fifths near the end are worth keeping your ears open for.  'Dorian' rounds the day off, with a synth flying in like a violin over the top.  This is a real mellow end, with a soft shuffle behind the return of the organ, gradually coming down to the sound of distant fireworks and chirping crickets...

The band have been on paper describing their sound as "everyone high-fiving everyone", and there's no better way to say it really.  They have distilled that idea into this very disc, a celebration of fun just for the sake of being cheerful.  From the picture on the cover that looks like it might have been picked at random from an old family album to the jack-o-lantern pattern on the CD, there's a sense of amusement woven through the whole enterprise.  This isn't the bleeding edge of sound anymore, granted, but it really is still one of my absolute favourites that's sat on my phone for instant replay ever since I got it.

Next time, I'll follow this up with Fang Island's follow up, 2012's Major.  I hope I never understand!



Reviewed on a Philips AX1100/00 CD Player through Philips/O'Neill 'The Snug' SHO8802/10 headphones and Logitech Z323 2.1 Surround Speakers.