2009 preview

January 2009

By all accounts we're doomed. The economy is in a mess and it's only going to get worse. Yeah, and a happy new year to you too. While the signs all point to a miserable 12 months ahead, that's not the case for the world of entertainment in Nottingham.


1. The year of the Horne It is going to be Mathew Horne's year. The 30-year-old from Burton Joyce, fresh from the success of the brilliant Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special, will first be seen presenting the BRIT Awards with co-star James Corden next month. The pair will be joined by Kylie Minogue, who also appears in the duo's brand new sketch show Horne & Corden which will air on BBC Three in February. A month later they'll be making their big screen debut in the comedy movie Lesbian Vampire Killers. And as revealed over Christmas, a third series of Gavin & Stacey will be made, hopefully by the end of 2009.

2. Bronson The big screen biopic of Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson a.k.a. Michael Peterson will be released in cinemas on March 13. Starring Tom Hardy (Black Hawk Down, RockNRolla) it was filmed entirely in Nottinghamshire and tells the story of the 55-year-old who has spent 34 years inside for repeat violence against fellow inmates and prison officers. It will also feature Amanda Burton (Silent Witness), Matt King (Doctor Who, Peep Show, Inkheart, RockNRolla) and James Lance (Spaced, Smack The Pony, I'm Alan Partridge).

3. Chart idols Some of the biggest chart names are heading for the Arena in 2009, among them The Killers, The Pussycat Dolls, Pink, Kaiser Chiefs, Metallica, Girls Aloud, Keane and Snow Patrol.

4. TV on tour Three of the biggest TV shows of 2008 go out on the road this year and each will stop off at the Arena in Nottingham, starting with Strictly Come Dancing on January 27, returning for three more shows. Alexandra leads the stars of The X Factor -- including the loonies -- on a tour that comes to the Arena in March, then Torvill & Dean mark the 25th anniversary of their world famous Bolero routine by bringing the stars of the forthcoming Dancing On Ice ITV series to the Arena for two shows in April.

5. Nottingham pops Castle Donington may have given birth to this electro-rock quartet but they consider Nottingham their home city. Probably as they live in Radcliffe-on-Trent these days. Their debut album Fantasy Black Channel was a critical success, landing in the Top 20 of the HMV Poll Of Polls 2008 -- collated from end of year polls by 35 key publications and websites. All they need to do now is translate that in to chart success and we'll be on the music map of Britain (finally). Or that may happen with Sam Beeton. After a shaky start, Carlton's 20-year-old singer-songwriter will finally see the release of his debut album on the Sony BMG label in March.

6. . High School Musical Disney's teen movie phenomenon -- think Fame without the legwarmers -- makes two appearances in the city this year, the first of which is an ice show at the Arena next month. Troy, super popular captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella, super smart transfer student and a genius in science class , then returns in May for the stage version at the Royal Concert Hall.

7. Old school musical Pop nostalgia is still going strong it seems with the astonishing popularity of Take That in 2008. On the back of that the West End musical Never Forget, featuring the songs of Take That, will tour the provinces including a four day run at the Theatre Royal in October. Boyzone, seeing the demand for their forefathers, returned to the pop game last year and sold out the Arena in the process. They'll be back If they're just too modern, there are a host of eighties pop idols coming to the Arena on the Here & Now Tour in May. Kim Wilde, Pete Burns, Altered Images, Brother Beyond and Hazel O'Connor were to be joined by Boy George but he may be otherwise occupied. The former Culture Club leader will be sentenced for falsely imprisoning a male escort on January 16.

8. Belly busters Ahead of his latest tour that will be dropping in to the Royal Concert Hall in April, Ross Noble will be warming up at Just The Tonic at The Approach on February 22, a rare opportunity to see the Geordie wit in a club setting. Manuel-bothering lothario Russell Brand will be making his Arena debut on February 20.

9. Summer fun DOWNLOAD will be back at Donington in June, McFly have been confirmed for one of the outdoor shows at Sherwood Pines Forest Park the same month and though the date has yet to be set, Splendour will return to Wollaton Park this summer. Nottingham's brand new music festival last year featured Kate Nash, Rufus Wainwright, The Lemonheads, Paolo Nutini and dozens of local bands.

10. Naked ladies The West End production of Calendar Girls is one of the big shows heading for the Theatre Royal. The true story of the Yorkshire WI members who hit the headlines after stripping for a fundraising calendar, stars Lynda Bellingham, Patricia Hodge, Sian Phillips and Gaynor Faye. It has been adapted by Tim Firth, who co-wrote the screenplay for the hit movie starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. Other big hitters at the Theatre Royal in 2009 include The Graduate, West Side Story, Evita and The Witches of Eastwick.

Late Of The Pier

August 2008


ASHLEE Simpson didn't get him. The singer and sister of Jessica was clearly baffled by Late Of The Pier's synth magician Potter when they met for Channel 4's The Green Room.

"That was really fun, actually," he says.

"I said to myself I'm not going to think about it, I'm just going to be impulsive and honest and see what happens."

He was seen on the late night show, interrogating her as she squirmed uncomfortably.

"I just wanted to know who she was really. I'm not that good with new people. I am if you get me but if you don't I just confuse the hell out of people."

It's understandable. During our chat he insists: "I'm not even using my voice today, I'm using somebody else's."

He adds: "I was just trying to scope her out. And she wasn't a very nice person, to be honest. She was really plastic. Then when her boyfriend came in - I didn't know who he was at first. That Pete Wentz fella (of Fall Out Boy and now her husband), apparently I offended his perception of Britain. He was like 'is this British humour?'

"Kelly Rowland was amazing, though. The picture of elegance. A star. She was really friendly, really respectful. She was actually interested."

Even though it's late morning, Potter has just woken up.

"I've a bit of a fuzzy head and the sun's shining on it and making it worse."

Have you been sleeping outside?

"No but I'm outside now, topless, flaunting my nipples at all of South London."

You live in London?

"No, Radcliffe-on-Trent."

The quartet met at primary school in Castle Donington but consider themselves a Nottingham band.

"Basically Derby had nothing so we went to Nottingham and Nottingham gave us things."

Like what?

"The Liars Club and Wollaton Hall."

Eh?

"The place is beautiful."

You weren't there last weekend for Splendour?

"No. I think we got asked to play it but then they... didn't ask us. Which is weird because we are a Nottingham band. It's funny because I don't think people realise we're a Nottingham band."

The Liars Club at The Bodega Social Club hosted a number of pre-fame bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Scissor Sisters and was a regular haunt of the four-piece.

It was where they were inspired to inject dance in to their music.

"It was this kind of community thing and it was a little bit cutting edge and before its time. And there were some insane people there. Freaks and weirdos."

Under this influence, LOTP evolved from a "Gang Of Four rip-off" in to a type of band that is hard to pigeonhole. Load the forthcoming album, Fantasy Black Channel, in to iTunes and it'll say electronica but it's also indie rock and pop.

"We're trying to be pioneering," he says, citing a Cut Copy gig at The Liars Club as a big influence on them.

"The whole nation thinks we're a bunch of zany kids but we're deadly serious, kind of scientists of sound who want to do something quite important for the music world."

Comparisons to the Klaxons - or anyone - tend to grate.

"We try as hard as we can not to be compared to anyone," he says.

I can hear traces of Gary Numan, Van Halen, Duran Duran and David Bowie on the album - there is an 80s influence, he admits.

"It was a wildly experimental time in music and clothes and we can really relate to that. It was like you could get away with trying to do a lot more in them days whereas now people try to nail us into a particular area. But every song has different reference points."

The album is produced by Erol Alkan.

"We were going to do a completely electronic album but he brought out this band in us. We're using traditional instruments a lot more. A lot of vintage synths and stuff. He's really influenced by Joe Meek so he had us putting a guitar part through a ventilation shaft just to see what happened."

What happened?

"It didn't work. It just went upstairs in to an office.

"But we had loads of fun in the studio."

Last month they played The Eden Project with the Kaiser Chiefs.

"And White Lies. They're going to be huge."

He's also a fan Nottingham bands Clarky Cat and La La Lepus, name-checking local "heroes" on his blog on the band's website.

In the autumn Late of The Pier will be organising their own shows in warehouses and "weird venues" featuring other bands.

"We're a bit sick of playing daggy venues."

Their last local gig, at The Polish Eagle Club, included a pre-show kickaround on the Forest Recreation Ground. Sort of.

"It was a shambles. Our bassist organised it and none of us could do it," because they can't play football.

"It was ill-conceived, nonsense really."

Late Of The Pier will play a short set at Fopp in Queen Street on Tuesday August 5 at 5pm to promote the new single Heartbeat. The album Fantasy Black Channel is released on August 11.