WWE stars raise arena roof

WWE Live @ Trent FM Arena

MY idea of wrestling has always been sitting in front of the telly as a youngster with my Gran watching Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy pound the living daylights out of each other on a Saturday afternoon.

Boy, how things have changed!

An all star cast of lycra-clad warriors proceeded to enthrall the Trent FM Arena crowd for two and a half hours of jaw dropping entertainment straight out of the weird and wonderful world of WWE wrestling.

The crowd turned out in force with their fair share of cheers, chants and infamous poster signs plastered in slogans supporting their personal favourites. They certainly weren’t disappointed.

From Charlie Haas and Kofi Kingston to the notorious Big Show and Edge – some of wrestling’s finest athletes took to the ring to strut their stuff, culminating in a fantastic World Heavyweight Championship tag team fight between John Cena and Ray Mysterio against the Big Show and Edge.

It took a move out of the WWE highlight reel from Cena to win the bout and claim the belt for his team, but this was just one of many entertaining highlights on the night.

The crowd showed they were in fine voice when they illustrated their disapproval of being labeled as ‘losers’ by Chris Jericho. They also witnessed a sneak preview of this year’s upcoming return to the Nottingham venue – the legendary Undertaker’s Rest In Peace Tour – as the star’s coffin was paraded about the walkway by a trio of phantom ghouls.

The bustling mix of wide-eyed children and veteran wresting fans also got to witness the Divas hold their own in their own riveting contest.

All in all, the show was a great success, perhaps made even greater by the early start on the last night of the Easter break.

If you yourself have spent afternoons or evenings watching the stars on screen and you get a chance to go and witness them live then don’t miss the chance – you won’t regret it!

Warm reception for snow cold

indie stars

Music: Snow Patrol @ Trent FM Arena

ENTERING the arena I was welcomed by the evening’s opening act - Fanfarlo.

Violins and flute gave the uninspiring impression that this was a group of classically trained music students who got together

simply to see what they could do. The result was overkill.

With seven plus members in the band, there were too many instruments drowning each other out and the lead singers voice faded somewhere in the distance.

Too many members, too many instruments and too geeky - too bad!

Next up was the immediately more engaging Animal Kingdom.

With much more of a cool ‘rock n’ roll’ feel about them the front man was a strong performer with a good voice and the upbeat tempo of their music lifted the crowd after the mediocre Fanfarlo performance.

Pitching yourself somewhere between Oasis and The Arctic Monkeys can’t be a bad thing so remember the name – I’m sure we’ll hearing a lot more from them.

Last but not least, the main event.

I have always been rather impartial when it comes to Snow Patrol. To be honest, their music is a little too deep and on the depressing side, however after witnessing their performance they have gone up in my estimations.

Slow and moody introductions to their songs sucked me in and as the tempo and volume continued to rise I was lifted along with it.

The front man was far more charismatic than I had imagined and his vocals were delivered with real conviction.

The set was a mixture of old and new. Martha Wainwright made a cameo appearance for ‘Set The Fire To The Third Bar’ and Gary Lightbody reminded us that ‘Run’ was a Snow Patrol song, subsequently delivered a fantastic acoustic version.

‘Chasing Cars’ and ‘Open Your Eyes’ were also both cracking crowd pleasers.

All in all, it was a packed house and I am sure that everyone went home very satisfied with what they had seen.

By Craig Pearson

Piano prophets

Music: Keane @ Trent FM Arena

From ‘Sunshine’ to ‘Snowed Under’ in only three songs - who would have thought that Keane could have predicted last week’s weather so well?

Over the years the humble indie trio have done well

relying on the musical simplicity of blending piano and drums with Tim Chaplin’s effortlessly effective vocals.

However, during the course of their two most recent studio outputs Keane have tried to reinvent themselves by simultaneously respecting their vanilla origins and at the same time breaking free from their box with a Tutti Frutti of guitars, effects and - as seen at Nottingham’s Arena - a walkway ramp extending out into the crowd.

They might sound more lullaby than rock anthem, but there’s no doubt that the threesome are making a clear statement of intent, and certainly made the most of their fun stage additions.

Old classics like ‘Everybody’s Changing’ and ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ are warmly welcomed with open arms while new tracks from the Perfect Symmetry album do make a positive impression, but seem at times cluttered by the unnecessary presence of unofficial fourth member - Jesse Quin.

The results are hit and miss - but do more than enough to leave the crowd thoroughly satisfied and chanting for more.

The encore was hauntingly kicked off by a Tom solo version of ‘Playing Along’ and crowd’s participation during the swansong of ‘Bedshaped’ nearly raised the roof.

It's not just about a,b and c...but also p!

DVD: Elmo's Potty Training

RELEASED on March 2 by Abbey Home Media, and brought to you by the letter P…it’s Elmo’s Potty Time, the perfect tool for potty training! Potty training is always a concern, and who better to excite children about ‘going potty’ than Elmo and his friends!

Potty training can be fun, especially when Sesame Street’s Elmo is on hand to help out. Elmo’s Potty Time creates a positive potty time experience for children with Elmo, Baby Bear, Grover and other Sesame Street pals giving advice and encouragement along the way, and providing useful and stress-free strategies for parents and caregivers. Brimming with amusement and song, this DVD teaches children that everyone - mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends and even monsters have had to learn to use the potty. Children will learn that accidents are okay and it takes time and practice before they can use the potty on their own.

Sing, dance and laugh with your child, through lessons of confidence building skills and healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Elmo’s Potty Time is available to own on DVD from 2^nd March 2009, priced just £7.99, courtesy of Abbey Home Media.

For more fun with Elmo, check out Elmo’s World on Milkshake (five).

Title: Elmo’s Potty Time

Format: Single disc DVD

Release date: 2^nd March 2009

Cert: Uc

RRP: £7.99

Kings of the big stage

Music: Kings of Leon @ Trent FM Arena

WHEN front man Caleb Followill thanked the crowd in his trademark southern drawl, you could tell the humility was sincere.

“You made us a bigger band than we ever thought we could be,” was just one of numerous gestures that revealed this Tennessee

quartet are just as surprised as I am at what stands before them.

As arenas go, Nottingham isn’t exactly groundbreaking; but Tuesday night was just one of many dates on a UK tour that will see thousands lose themselves in the rough and tumble blues rock of Kings of Leon.

Is this the same band that just a few short years ago could have faded into the night as another one of NME’s flavour of the month?

The answer, we quickly find out, is no.

Opening with two songs from their chart topping new album, ‘Only By The Night’, the Followill’s immediately pack the rafters with fuzzing bass riffs, crunchy guitars and infinitely groovy drum lines. The crowd reply with equally enthusiastic cheers and chants.

KOL have always had a rock and roll beat for a pulse, but recent efforts have showed off a more polished article, ideal for an arena tour of this magnitude.

Old classics like ‘Molly’s Chambers’, ‘Four Kicks’ and ‘The Bucket’ all received a warm welcome, but the recent success of this band was clearly evident when the majority of fans played favourites with recent singles ‘Sex On Fire’ and ‘Use Somebody’ and a healthy smackering of tracks from the third album.

They were slick, self assured and looked right at home on the big stage.

Kings of Leon rarely leave much in the locker and after two hours of body rocking tunes and the odd mellow ballad they left the crowd thoroughly satisfied and in need of a good lie down.

More Bourne than Bond

Film: Quantum Of Solace

SHAKEN and stirred. Licensed to thrill. 00-Heaven. With those out of the way Daniel Craig takes up the mantle of 007 once more. And it’s a good thing he did, as Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace hits the big screen with all the force of a bullet through a plate-glass window.

The film follows on directly from Casino Royale and sees Daniel Craig’s flawed and fallible hero seek revenge over the death of his traitorous lover, Vesper Lynd. Stronger than its predecessor, the film also heralds the return of some familiar faces – Jeffrey Wright as the CIA’s Felix Leiter and Giancarlo Giannini‘s shadowy Rene Mathis return to the fray.

Gemma Arterton as the very sixties, very naive Agent Fields is also a welcome addition. The realism returns too and Forster’s film sometimes feels more Bourne than Bond.

Through the interrogation of the elusive Mr. White, Bond discovers the organisation behind Vesper’s betrayal – ‘Quantum’. Allying himself with the official kick-ass Bond girl Camille (Olga Kurylenko) 007 begins his deeply personal vendetta.

Cue Mathieu Amalric as the emotionally driven environmentalist, Dominic Greene, stealing every scene his creepy face appears in as pure power play unfolds between the blurred lines of good and evil.

Don’t let the dark side fool you - at its heart Quantum is old-school Bond from an array of dazzling locations, fistfights and gun-play to the crazy scheme of stealing the world’s fresh water supply and the exotic forms of transport on land, sea, air and ice.

This is still a deep film – a rough, tense, character profile of a dangerous lone wolf. But it feels like a genuine 007 thrill-ride of a movie.

The evolution of 007 is complete. James Bond will return...

By Sam Steeple

Rewriting the script

Music: The Script + Gary Go @ Rock City

AS Danny from The Script aptly mused, in his sexy Irish brogue: “How the **** did we get everybody in here? Nottingham you’ve got a set of lungs on you! Best gig of the tour so far!”

This pretty much summed up the atmosphere at Rock City.

A couple of hours previous, as anticipation grew eclectic, an excited yet congenial mix of people could already be heard singing extracts from ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ whilst bustling for a good view of the stage.

First up, Gary Go - and though I’m a little prejudiced in general towards warm up bands, never expecting too much, I have to admit I was blown away.

Opening song ‘Open Arms’ was their best song of the evening. Starting out quietly and unassuming, it builds into a powerful and memorable tune with a chorus reminiscent of The Police classics.

Unfortunately the momentum soon lagged as less memorable, punchy songs followed but then mid-set they were back on form with ‘I am wonderful’ - a fantastic anthem.

I found myself singing along and actually buying into their mantra, thinking ‘I am wonderful!’ - at least until the end of the song.

Overall, Gary Go has tons of potential and the amiable, suit wearing lead singer (whom I would be proud to take to tea with my granny) really won me over. I say ‘Go Gary, Go!’

Now properly warmed up, the crowd was ecstatic to finally see The Script appear on stage.

Huge cheers followed as ‘Before the Worst’ played. With every lyric clearly heard, their namesake ‘The Script’ seemed fitting.

In typical style of all Irish greats, this prophetic and passionate group sang about everything from God and religion to love and despair. Though the crowd was most responsive their chart topping tracks such as ‘We Cry’, the best song by far was less known ‘Rusty Halo’.

This heavy metal, Metallica-sounding tune was a brave digression from the heartfelt ballad approach of ‘The Man Who Cant Be Moved’, which had made them such as household name.

In the end, I was surprised by how I much I liked this group. Lead vocalist Danny had charm and charisma and sparked a connection with the crowd with his witty banter. They really proved themselves as one of the few bands who pull off great rendition of their songs - live.

By Danyelle Parke

A chilling success

Theatre: Vertigo @ Nottingham Playhouse

THE spotlight was well and truly on the cast of the infamous Hitchcock thriller ‘Vertigo’.

Not only were there just four players, but also the quartet spent the majority of the performance pinned to the spot by soul-searching spotlights whilst the audience

were rooted to the edge of their seats.

The chilling performance embodied all the nerve-tangling elements of the story’s previous outings but clearly benefited from ruthless direction that stripped the play bare and left it feeling as clinical as the doctor’s surgery set.

The minimalist feel left the stage clear for the acting to shine as bright as the spotlights and the performances more than stood up to the rigours of a tight cast.

Phillipa Peak played the Femme Fatale dual-role to unsettling perfection and the eerie terror culminated in a fabulous bath-drowning scene worthy of being captured by Hitchcock’s own cameras.

There was little respite throughout the play, although the tension was sometimes weakened by the slightly tedious, albeit essential, narration in various points.

Ultimately this was a triumph of small theatre that showed that a handful of talented actors and some well-choreographed lighting can take a thrilling story and make it shine.

By Miriam Lewis

Bryn-ing with confidence

Music: Bryn Christopher @ Bodega Social Club

BRYN Christopher might not think himself much of a prophet, but he most certainly is on a ‘Quest’ up the charts, constantly ‘Smilin’ in the process.

The success of the Brummie’s first two singles means his first national headlining tour arrives at the Bodega on a

wave of expectation - dressed to kill in his trademark sharp suit and tie and ready to deliver an equally standout performance.

Bryn and his band of four have one uniting cause, an uncanny ability to fill the room with a sound so groovy you have no choice but to submit.

The quintet race through a triumphant set of uplifting contemporary funk sprinkled with the odd heart-felt ballad just to keep those dancing feet in check.

There’s no doubt that BC’s chops stand up to the live rigour and, if anything, are even more impressive live often out-jousting the raw energy of the music without ever sounding OTT.

Debut single ‘The Quest’ gets righteous fan approval and the crowd give Bryn and Co no choice but to answer their chants of an encore.

It seems strange to say, but the weakest song was a slightly lacklustre and sloppy version of recent hit ‘Smilin’ that brought a close to proceedings, but what Bryn proved tonight was far more important.

He is no one-hit-wonder. A whole album of catchy and vivid tunes entertained a satisfied audience, and will continue to put smiles on the faces of many more.

Lee makes it big

Comedy: Lee Evans @ Trent FM Arena

WHO is Lee Evans trying to kid?

His new tour that takes him up and down the country with his latest bag of comedy tricks is entitled ‘Big’ – begging the question, wasn’t the manically-sweaty stand-up already one of the biggest names in comedy?

He returned to the Trent FM Arena’s stage on the opening night of his tour refreshingly armed with a mind full of new material to strengthen his position as one of Britain’s top comic assets.

With topics ranging from pigeons to speed dating, Evans raced through a whole avalanche of laugh out loud stylings with his trademark enthusiasm of a five-year-old racing a tricycle down a hill.

Lee spews a continuous gaggle of jokes before a quick pit stop for a breather, and a less than discreet opportunity to wipe the plentiful sweat off his brow, before launching himself into his next humorous assault.

At the heart of his act though, and behind the over-zealous little boy routine, lies the heart of a man that really connects with his audience and comes across as the likable hero, leaving the audience eating out of his hand.

Throughout the show Lee is always keen to talk about his family, and after the final joke hit its target he was humble enough to meet and greet fans at the front of the arena.

Somewhere in the three-hour show Lee managed to throw in some of his wonderful piano-playing ability and built up to an amazing finale that left the crowd with no choice but to reward him with rapturous standing applause.

To see the ‘Big’ tour for yourself, keep your eyes open for Lee Evan’s upcoming live DVD of the show – released November 24.

A Psychological Rollercoaster

Film: The Dark Knight

SUPERHERO films aren’t what they used to be.

You used to be able to count on two hours of crude struggles between good and evil, and there would always be a clear victor.

The hero would be lofted on the shoulders of an ever-grateful city, the villains would be eradicated, their legacy quashed. Everything was black and white, and rarely was there any doubt that justice was done when the credits rolled.

Director, Christopher Nolan makes sure that under his watch the infamous Batman series has none of that, and The Dark Knight soars as a result.

Make no mistake, the cinematography plays a huge parts in keeping you on the edge of your seat. From the opening scene - a heist on a mob-owned bank, led by the Joker’s army of goons – there is a constant pulse of tension running through this film.

Moments of respite in the two and a half hour running time are rare, and often negated by an underlying fear of what lurks around the next cut scene.

However, the interplay between the film’s principle characters, and the internal struggles of Batman and Dent coupled with the focused insanity of Heath Ledger’s Joker, gives this film a depth beyond that of traditional superhero flicks.

The harder Batman tries to distance himself from the senseless ways of the Joker’s logic, the more he realises that they are a mirror image of each other, and may even need each other to justify their own existence.

There are enough high-octane action sequences to appeal to blood-thirsty action film lovers, but The Dark Knight ticks more film noir or psychological thriller boxes than simple thrillers.

You’d struggle to find a weak performance from any of the film’s cast. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman offer the perfect antidote of charm to Christian Bale’s monotone portrayal of Bruce Wayne – but ultimately it’s when Ledger’s much-talked about performance that steals the show.

Robert Macpherson