Somewhere

To the people who thought that in Sofia Coppola’s second directorial outing - Lost In Translation - not much happened and the plot went nowhere, I offer you a caveat, do not see this movie. In fact, Coppola herself seemingly gives this message with an opening static shot of a Ferrari driving around in circles. For those who enjoyed Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson finding comfort in strangers in a far away land then Somewhere may have something for you.

Stephen Dorff plays a successful actor disillusioned with the world around him, living in the famous Chateau Marmont while stumbling through encounters with various women, two painfully bad pole dancers press reporters asking both mundane and existential questions. A change to his routine is presented in the form of his 11 year old daughter Cleo - played by Elle Fanning with an upbeat yet understated charm. The two then spend time together doing nothing of great significance on a backdrop of one of LA's most famous hotels and on a trip to Italy.

While the accusation of nothing happening is certainly a quite valid one, there's still some joy to be found over the 95 minute running time. Central is the relationship between Johnny and Cleo; even in something as trivial as a game of Guitar Hero or watching a dubbed episode of Friends, there's a subtle sincerity to their relationship. Praise must be given too to Chris Pontius - yes, Party Boy himself - who in what little screen time he has as a blow in friend shows a more amicable and caring side than any of the co-stars of Entourage could have hoped for in seven seasons.

If there's one thing Lost In Translation showed, it's that Sofia Coppola knows how to make a hotel look good. From the cold and lifeless scenes in the Chateau Marmont to warmer moments between father and daughter in the Italian hotel, Harry Savides - familiar with slow burning pieces from his work with Gus Van Sant - captures the beauty in simplicity between four walls. It also pays to have a famous musician as your significant other, while music is used very sparingly throughout, French alt rockers Phoenix add perfectly to the films more tender moments.

Somewhere is not an easy watch but is a certainly rewarding one. It's hard to empathise with a bored celebrity who seemingly has it all but the core relationship of a family reacquainting with each other is worth it.

Ireland vs Estonia: Under-21 Qualifier

The biggest game in the Irish international football team's calendar takes place today in the newly opened Lansdowne Road (still not calling it the other thing) against World Cup quarter finalists Argentina. Unfortunately I won't be attending as I'll be putting myself through the torture of playing a game and most likely being dished up another serving of stale beatdown pie. Feeling my need to support my countries footballing exploits in the live arena I headed along to the Tallaght Stadium to see the Under 21 team take on Estonia in a European Championship qualifier.

Consulting the FAI website informed me that the team was bottom of the table by a long shot in a group including the titans of Estonia and Armenia. They had also been on the receiving end of a 4-1 beating from the latter. Seriously? I thought the Irish youth system had a fairly respectable set up and history stretching back to the glory days of Brian Kerr. I was soon informed later by a mate that a lot of the previous results can possibly be put down to previous coach Don Givens whose relationships with players was far from fruitful to put it lightly. A new beginning though and a new coach in former Irish women's team manager Noel King.

All this lead me to feel quite uneasy about what kind of performance I'd see, following the senior team normally results in nights spent on the stand watching drastically ugly football, tonight however was not going to be the case. Quite a few in the starting line up had already gained caps such as James McCarthy, Anthony Stokes, Cillian Sheridan and captain Eddie Nolan while I was familiar with players such as Seamus Coleman and Owen Garvan from their Championship exploits.

The game started off rocky enough with Estonia having the better of the opening 15 minutes and keeper Stephen Henderson making some good saves in what seemed like an all too typical Irish performance - Henderson playing the role of Shay Given the saviour. Fortunes all changed on the 15 minute mark when Anthony Stokes took the ball from the left flank, cut in and got the first albeit with a nice deflection. Expecting a state of panic from the team on what to with the lead, I was surprised to see that this team just took over and set about killing off the competition. 15 minutes later and again Stokes was attacking from the left, this time being taken down in the box and then unleashing an audacious penalty reminiscent of the final penalty in the Uruguay and Ghana game in the World Cup. That said, he just about got it under the bar. The second half as more of the same, some great work from Stokes set up James McCarthy to add a third, even more fantastic play from the Hibs man - this time using a bit of skill that'd make a Brazilian blush - resulted in a goal for Seamus Coleman which he knew nothing about and finally the man of the match finished it off by setting up Owen Garvan for a simple tap in.



5-0, I was not expecting that. It certainly bodes well for the future of Irish football if this team can continue to perform like this. Players like James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman should not just be in the senior squad but should be given a shot on the first team. In the case of Coleman, he's one of the most exciting right backs I've seen in quite some time, not afraid to take people on, a good passer and defensively solid. Surely he's worth a punt over Paul McShane? His fellow full back Gavin Gunning looked decent in a position - left back - we've been without a specialist at that slot since Ian Harte.

What struck me most was the size of the team - the majority being under 6 foot I imagine - and how they actually played football, each goal scored was a true team effort, simple passing and movement was in every move. It has me wondering why the senior team can't follow suit and get away from the long ball tactics we continuously resort to. These kids can play so when they get their chance I can only hope they're allowed to. Maybe Trapattoni had a live feed in his hospital bed in the Mater, I can only hope he did.

Interview With Michael Roe of Adebisi Shank/Richter Collective

About a month ago I presented a show on Open FM called The Wall Of Sound, I had been producing the show but my two presenters were off in sun and rain drenched places respectively for the final show. I was joined in studio by head of the Richter Collective label and Adebisi Shank drummer to talk about the challenges of setting up a label and where the music industry is going in the future. He also picked some tracks to play.

Please ignore any references to a competition as it is long long gone. Same goes for the World Cup. Also please check out their new track on the awesome Nialler9 blog here.

Interview/Tracks with Michael Roe by heeegons

A Premier League Overview

With the World Cup done and dusted and the vuvuzela’s hopefully never to be seen again, the attention in the footballing world turns back to domestic leagues - what lies in store for the season ahead, who’ll be contenders, which teams are looking at relegation, who’ll end up where and just how much money can Manchester City overspend on players you wouldn’t give a king sized packet of crisps for?

The fallout of last season was a somewhat interesting one as it seemed that the reliable nature of the Premiership and it’s “Top Four“ was finally starting to transform with the emergence of Tottenham and Manchester City as genuine contenders for the 3rd & 4th place spots at the expense of a faltering Liverpool and an Arsenal side that rarely replaces the players it sells. Couple this with a reasonably strong Aston Villa and Everton (when at full strength side) and it’s not implausible to imagine at least five teams battling it out for the final Champions League spot this season.

Much of how this season pans out will surely be decided in how teams go about retaining and recruiting players this summer. For all the talk in the papers and online of where the final destinations of Senor's Fabregas and Torres will end up this season there has been very little activity in the transfer market outside of the seemingly endless shopping spree taking place in Manchester.

Time to take a look at each team and where we can expect them to be at the end of the Summer transfer window and the season starting with champions of last year.

Chelsea
Winners in a year where the teams around them got worse - United lost Ronaldo, Liverpool imploded on themselves and Arsenal suffered strings of injuries. Chelsea were still an extremely convincing team, putting seven past both Stoke and Villa - no easy feat in itself. They are however an aging team with Terry, Lampard and Drogba all in their 30s. The addition of Benayoun seems a particularly uninspired one with Joe Cole exiting. A lot will come down to if they can lure Torres away from Merseyside. A returning Michael Essien will a huge boost, especially with Ballack's departure leaving him free to press further forward leaving Mikel to clean up in front of the back four.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 2nd
PLAYER TO WATCH: Michael Essien

Manchester United
It's safe to say the Michael Owen experiment failed, United still managed quite a respectable season for a team who didn't replace a 30+ goal player. Valencia came into his own as the season wore on but you still get the feeling another world class striker is needed. Berbatov isn't cutting it. New signing Javier Hernandez looked decent in the World Cup but it'd be a big ask for him to chip in over 15 goals if he get's the chance. There's a solid youthful team there in Smalling, Evans, Fabio, Rafael, Gibson, Diouf, Hernandez, Welbeck and Macheda. Expect to see more appearances from them as Ferdinand, Scholes, Giggs and Neville take more of a back seat.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 1st
PLAYER TO WATCH: Antonio Valencia

Arsenal
A season likely to be defined on whether their captain stays or goes. Arsenal have got by before in similar situations when Viera and Henry left but it could be argued that they'd run their course with the Gunners while Fabregas is coming off the back of his best season - one where he added goals to his game. New additions Chamakh and Koscielny should complement an improving team, although more cover is needed in defense with the expected departures of Gallas and Silvestre. Priority number one has to go be convincing Fabregas to give them one more year.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 3rd (Provided Fabregas stays)
PLAYER TO WATCH: Cesc Fabregas (Provided he stays)

Tottenham Hotspurs
I'll go out on a limb and say I don't think Spurs will make the Champions League again next season. This is nothing against them but I fear that Manchester City will be taking this place for themselves and staking a claim for third place as well. New addition Sandro should provide a bit more versatility in midfield. Like Arsenal, cover in defense is a must with both Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate being desperately unfortunate with injuries. An assault on all fronts including Europe may take it's toll on them as the season wears on.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 6th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Luca Modric

Manchester City
Mancini needs to make big strides this season, anything bar a top four finish and a domestic cup will surely only be viewed as a failure. New boys David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng should all adapt moderately well to the gritty nature of the Premier League. The recruitment of a world class striker and it's possible to see them pushing the top of the table. Expect Adam Johnson to have a breakout season.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 4th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Adam Johnson

Aston Villa
Things could be looking very dull for Villa fans next season. A pretty threadbare squad is looking to get smaller with Milner likely to be gone to City, they'll have great difficulty replacing him too. A best bet is money and players no longer needed at City. Another striker is a major priority too with Carew and Agbonlahor only managing 23 goals between them.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 8th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ashley Young

Liverpool
Last year's disaster story. How a team who almost had the title the year before were so awful will remain a mystery. A wise move has been made in bringing in both Roy Hodgson and Joe Cole. First order of business should be selling Torres. If someone offers a reported £50 million for a consistently injured player, bite their hand off. That money can be spent on another top class striker and essential recruitments in midfield and at left back. Don't expect Liverpool to be anywhere near as bad next season if they do this. Joe Cole should flourish playing in his proper position with the Anfield faithful behind him.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 5th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Joe Cole

Everton
Everton were desperately unlucky with injuries last season. With Arteta and Jagielka out for the majority of it they never really got going until the new year. A full bill of health and they'll cause a lot of teams problems. A more consistent striker than Yakubu and Saha would be a nice addition, although it seems the Goodison Park faithful will have to hop Jermaine Beckford can turn occasional FA Cup heroics into goals week in week out.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 7th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Jack Rodwell

Birmingham City
A bit of a surprise package last season, a mid season 15 game unbeaten run in all competitions helped them solidify an extremely respectable mid table finish. Much of whether they can improve on that this season rests on their two marquee signings Ben Foster and Nikola Žigić. If Foster can repeat Joe Hart's heroics remains to be seen while the 6'7 Serbian has the potential to terrorise defenses across the country in that he's taller than Peter Crouch but is actually quite decent in the air.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 12th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Nikola Žigić

Blackburn Rovers
A strong finish to the season including wins over Arsenal and Villa left Blackburn in the top half of the table. As of writing, they've yet to recruit anyone which can't bode well as the teams around them get stronger. Nikola Kalinić was a massive failure last season so you wonder where goals will come from. They'll be difficult to beat as usual.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 14th
PLAYER TO WATCH: David Dunn

Stoke City
Big, tough, ugly and resilient, Stoke aren’t going anywhere for a long time. They seem destined to be an immovable object around the lower end of mid table for many years to come. No new signings means more of the same this season.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 11th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ryan Shawcross

Fulham
No Roy Hodgson to work his magic and a possible player exodus doesn’t bode well for Fulham. A solid manager is needed but Martin Jol turning down the job the faithful at Craven Cottage are in for a long and difficult season. Losing Smalling is bad for long term business too.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 14th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Clint Dempsey

Sunderland
The jury is out on how new signings from Paraguay, Egypt and Argentina will slot into a fairly good squad. The logic of signing Titus Bramble is also a bizarre one. A heavy reliance on Darren Bent’s goals will be there again.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 9th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Darren Bent

Bolton Wanderers
A great addition in Martin Petrov should see them be safe enough in the mid table region. If they can secure Jack Wilshere on loan again, chances are they may climb into the top half of the table.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 13th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Martin Petrov

Wolverhampton Wanderers
Surprisingly big spenders in the off season, the additions of Stephen Hunt and Steven Fletcher look solid ones. The wonderfully named Jelle Van Damme has the jury out. Retaining Kevin Doyle is crucial.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 15th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Kevin Doyle

Wigan AthleticWigan Athletic
A lot will be placed on big budget signing Mauro Boselli who will hope to carry a great scoring record at Estudiantes but pre-season signs have looked promising so far. The worst defense in the Premier League still needs to be improved though. Expect
END OF SEASON FINISH:18th
PLAYER TO WATCH:Charles N’Zogbia

West Ham United
Expect a much stronger West Ham team this season. A solid manager in Avram Grant and some excellent acquistions in Hitzelsperger, Piquionne and Barrera who had an excellent World Cup for Mexico with more expected to come.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 10th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Pablo Barrera

Newcastle United
Fans at Tyneside need to learn, they’re not the club the once wore, stay within their means and Newcastle should have a safe enough season. Rebuilding is key. Dan Gosling was an excellent signing and if Chris Hughton is given time he should be able to wake this sleeping giant again.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 16th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Kevin Nolan

West Brom
Losing Robert Koren was a bad sign for the Baggies. The addition of an injury prone Steven Reid and untested Pablo Ibanez don’t look like too good business either. Their tendency to actually play good football will probably be their down fall once again.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 19th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Graham Dorrans

Blackpool
Ian Holloway worked wonders to get the seaside town into the top flight but it’ll be hard for a small squad by Championship standards giving most Premier League teams any trouble. Don’t be surprised if they finish with an all time low of points.
END OF SEASON FINISH: 20th
PLAYER TO WATCH: Charlie Adam

The Antlers - Wish You Were Here

First off, I love this band, I'd listen to them perform the music from infomercials while singing names out of a phonebook if I could. Their album Hospice is one of the most beautiful, breathtaking and heartbreaking records I've heard in quite some time and the way they transform each song into something different live is truly wonderful. Looking around the excellent NPR Music site I came across them tackling a Pink Floyd classic Wish You Were Here, no easy feat and here it is in all it's glory.


The Antlers cover Pink Floyd

An Open Experience

I recently produced (and presented) a show on the temporary station Open FM in what was the last act for me in what's been a truly wonderful learning curve and time. It all goes back to about 3 and a half months ago when I first saw the ad on the radiowaves site looking for people to volunteer for the station. At the time I was in dire need of getting more work in the radio world if I was to put my college degree to use and pursue the path I'd chosen. At first I was curious as to just what a "gay station" would be like. Rushes of stereotypes and bad Wham, Culture Club and Village People songs went flying through my head. I emailed anyway and went along for an interview - laughably now wearing all the purple I had, I think somehow in my head I thought this choice of colour in my clothing would make me a more appealing candidate to be on radio, I am at times quite the nonsensical boob you see.

After meeting with Liam and Emma, my whole perception of what the station might have been was completely flipped on it's head. Here were two young adults probably younger than me devoting all their free time to putting on a station for something they felt Dublin was severely lacking, to say I was more than impressed would have been a gross understatement. I immediately got on board with what their vision was and also felt quick ridiculous at my purple trainers, t-shirt, hoodie combo. Soon enough after they contacted me to let me know I was part of the family - maybe the purple had worked after all.

Soon enough, there was a meeting with everyone who had volunteered to get involved and there first thing I noticed that there was a lot of us, I mean a small army lot of us. Talking to people before and I became I was not the only "straight in the room" and that there was a truly wonderful mix of people on board. Some team bonding took place which I'm always a bit sceptical of but it proved it give a good insight into people's backgrounds and what brought them to the project. Next was the decision on what shows we'd all be working on, I got a mail to say I'd be working on a Saturday afternoon music show and to meet with Niall my co-anchor for the show that weekend along with Sam the station manager. What conspired was a really productive brainstorm where we were told that we basically had free reigns to do whatever we wanted to something I found completely refreshing, there was no preset rules or structure to the station, that was being put in our hands to create. After an hour or so sitting atop Stephen's Green while families crammed buffet food into their gullets. A basic premise for the show was formed, predominantly new music with a focus on comedy which seemed to cater to both myself and Niall's taste.

Weeks went by and there were pre-production meetings where things were ironed out including but not exclusively the toning down of the comedy elements slightly, the introduction of a guest presenter for each show, the arrival of a sports section, a new co-presenter in Mark (with me taking a back seat to producer happily thus avoiding being on air) and other things I'm sure I've forgotten in the 4 days since I've finished. By time it was we were ready to on air we had assembled what what I and the others felt was an extremely strong and stacked show.

And those shows, I think it's ultimately a true shame that the station for the moment only existed on a temporary license as by the time we'd got our second show of three we had only really got into the groove of things what with it being our first time working together. That aside I thought the shows went really well and never ceased to have something there to entertain or enlighten, be it from insightful discussions into the world of hair replacement, how to run your own record label, the Civil Partnership Bill, who was the best looking player at the World Cup, what it's like be on the set of a porn film or from the exposure given to new music from home grown talents like The Blue Choir, Autumn Owls, LaFaro and many many more.

A personal challenge and I suppose now highlight for me was having to take the lead on the final show as Mark and Niall were both tied up respectively in the rain at Oxegen and in the beautiful surroundings of Malaysia, I know for definite who I envied more. I hadn't presented anything on radio since my college days over three years ago so needless to say I was shitting it. The support I got from everyone at the station made it all go away fairly easily and everything ran smoothly bar playing a hip hop song which may have had some choice language in it.

So now I find myself wondering what the future holds for Open FM. I'd like to think that what we all achieved with it was only the beginning of something much much bigger, a sort of teaser trailer if you will. The fact that over 85 if I'm correct people were all working completely for free and out of the belief in this project speaks volumes about it and I think that what we have here is far too important to let go out. What I first saw as just getting a bit of experience has gone on to mean so much more to me and has been a huge personal growth in a lot of areas, I only hope that long may it continue. I read a quote recently from Churchill - the prime minister not the insurance selling dog - recently that I feel sums up for what the last three months have meant.

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

Phase two can't come quick enough.

A Converge Experience

A friend recently made the comment on hardcore music of "wasn't that popular like 10 years ago" and while I wouldn't wholeheartedly agree with this statement, it does have some truth to it for me.

So it was a bit of somewhat unease that I found myself in Whelans on a Monday night to see not one, two or three but four hardcore bands. I was of course like most people there to see Converge but if a good - read as safe and comfortable - spot was to be got I needed to be in moderately early and there to see the support acts Kylesa, Gaza and Kvelertak.

On a sidenote before I'm attacked by pedants, I'm aware not all these bands fit into what I'm calling the "hardcore" genre but if you think I'm referring to them in the barrage of pseudo genres seemingly created at will by magazines searching for a new trend then you're in the wrong place.

Arriving at the venue and Kvelertak were already on and almost over. I actually didn't catch any of them but from what I could hear from outside they were loud, really fucking loud. I was immediately cursing my lack of earplugs to hand and the inevitable tinnitus this gig would lead to. Entering the venue and it was a quick beeline for the safety of the balcony upstairs. I'd like to take this time to express my love for balconies, perfect few, never too many people there and sometimes the most wonderful of all things - seats. No seats today but I guess a good old fashioned wall leaning was good enough.

First band of the night for me Gaza. Here we go. The first thing I took note of was how the singer was using the microphone stand which correct me if I'm wrong is normally a rarity when you're not playing an instrument. How was he supposed to prowl around the stage and swing the microphone? He had a trick up his sleeve though, a mic on a stand lives both arms free to point with both hands at a time and also my personal favourite, imitating cutting your own wrists. Gaza lead singer, I salute you. Musically, they were certainly a talented and tight band if lacking any kind of real hooks or imagination for their songs. If they'd just slogged on with their tunes and exited stage left I'd have been fine with them, but no, they had to be political. I've often said that there's only one thing worse than a bad hardcore band and that's a bad political hardcore band. Saying this song is about George Bush and Tony Blair or the Women's Liberation Front doesn't make your music any more interesting or meaningful, just that bit more annoying.

Next up were Kylesa who perked my interest when I saw the presence of two drumkits, and there was a girl in the band! I bet she has a better death growl than half the guys in the place. After what seemed the longest soundcheck I've ever bore witness to it was go time. The first song was a pretty good one, a nice dual drummer intro and more of a slower sludgey riff driven song than I assumed I was going to get. And I one the bet, the female singer did in fact have a doom chant on her that would have made your average metal vocalist blush. From here it can of got for lack of a better word samey. Each song in their set wracking in about the six minute mark each went a fairly similar path, male vocalist for some screaming verses and then female vocalist for the volcano erupting bellow chorus. Unfortunately the two drummers never really added much to the proceedings save for the odd dual breakdown. I will say though that I think that Kylesa are probably a grower of a band, just a shame their live show didn't make me want to revisit them anytime soon. On the plus side, they were neither political nor did they spend the gap between talking shite. For this I commend them.

Time for Converge, I'm excited, they're one of few bands from the "hardcore" genre that I still listen to these days and I've never seen them live before tonight. Another long long changeover and soundcheck ensues with all members on the stage and Jacob Bannon pacing around like a rather pissed off lion, albeit a skinny tattooed and maneless lion. One thing I'll give the man though, he runs a tight ship, everything near the stage is cleared and my god does he enjoy a dry floor. You immediately know that things are going to get a little batshit bonkers up here. And they do, no sooner have they ripped into new song Dark Horse and the place has gone mad, people are flying off stages, girls look to be getting crushed and it seems we've reached the end of days. Converge play with an intensity I don't think I've ever seen in any other band, one song finishes only to be greeted with another only mere milliseconds later. There are a few breaks to thank the crowd, give the usual "gig of the tour" or "favourite city to play in" spiel but it's mostly all business. Tracks from new album Axe To Fall blend in perfectly alongside those from Jane Doe and You Fail Me. By the end of an adrenaline fueled 60 minute set it's amazing how people are still giving just as much as they did before the first beat of a drum. I'm almost certain I saw one guy stage dive at least 8 times and each time only managing to initiate a head on collision with the floor. Everyone walks out being well and truly metaphorically kicked in the face, some actually being kicked in the face. An outstanding performance from a band not only kings of their genre whatever you may call it but on top of their game in the live arena.

On a final note, I must mention the moment of the night for me. After a fan managed to crowd surf on stage for some sort of solace from the chaos they had just left, I imagined that Jacob would have seen this poor sight of a paying member of their loyal fan base almost half unconscious and picked him up and ushered him to the side of the stage, but no, instead he launched a leg drop on him that Hulk Hogan himself would have been proud of.