20 rubbish reasons for 20 weeks - Daily Mail Bollocks

The Daily Mail, that great bastion of 'truthful' reporting reached a new low yesterday with their article on Tory, Nadine Dorries MP's campaign to change the abortion limit from 24 to 20 weeks. I've already gone in to why there is absolutely no need or indeed scientific proof for this suggestion, but the fact that this plan is taken as credible by the paper really got my knickers in a twist.
Apparently, Britain is becoming the abortion capital of the world. Fair enough. If the statistics saying there was 193,700 abortions is true then nobody can deny that this is shocking. However, why do these people suddenly think the problem will go away by cutting the time limit? Attacking the limit just puts the people who are the most desperate at a severe disadvantage. Lets remember that only 2% of all abortions take place after 20 weeks and the majority of these women are suffering from severe hardships and situations. If you want to cut down the number of abortions then surely the answer is education. Nobody can argue that women like having abortions. Better sex and relationships education, more conversation in PSE and more support is the answer to stop unwanted pregnancies.
But instead of the logical answer, the ex-nurse and her pro-life cronies have come up with 20 ridiculous reasons for 20 weeks. You've got to admit that it's catchy but that doesn't make them credible. So here they are:

TWENTY REASONS FOR TWENTY WEEKS
Why the campaigners led by Tory MP Nadine Dorries say the abortion limit should be cut:
1. Two thirds of GPs and two thirds of public - including three quarters of women - support reduction in upper age limit, say polls

Ok, well this is different to Abortion Rights statistics but how do you judge these things? Nobody has ever asked me to be involved in a poll.

2. More babies surviving well below 24 weeks, including world’s most premature baby Amillia Taylor, born at 21 weeks in 2006

There is no overwhelming evidence to support this argument. There has been no significant improvement in foetal survival before 24 weeks.

3. High-resolution 3D ultrasound images showing babies ‘walking’, yawning, stretching and sucking thumbs in the womb

These images are highly emotive. These pictures are not 'babies' and could not survive outside the womb. They are foetuses and they are not 'walking' or 'sucking their thumb', they are moving. This is claptrap.

4. Two thirds of babies born at 23 weeks survive in top neonatal units

Surely this is still reason 2? Again no evidence.

5. Foetuses can feel pain as low as 18 weeks, research suggests

Whose research? I can do research but I'm no Doctor. The British Medical Association and The Royal Obstetricians and Gynaecologists defend the limit and surely they would think again if foetuses could feel pain.

6. Mothers first feel their babies kick at 19 weeks in a first pregnancy and at 17 weeks in a later pregnancy

Kicking is primitive movement. Not communication. This isn't a reason, next!

7. More babies being born alive after botched abortions - some as young as 16 weeks

Where is your evidence? I will repeat again, there is no evidence to say that babies are surviving better before 24 weeks. To say that these babies are born perfectly fine is rubbish. Most suffer severe brain damage and die before there first birthday.

8. Rising number of abortions being carried out between 20 and 24 weeks

How is this a reason against? Yeah maybe it is rising, but it still is a tiny proportion of overall abortions and the women who have an abortion are often in dire need. Are you suggesting that a women raped, suffering from severe trauma should be forced to have her child? These groups (or papers, like the Daily Mail) bemoan teenage mothers but by cutting the limit, they are increasing the number.

9. Leading public figures such as Tory leader David Cameron calling for a cut to at least 20 weeks

How is this a reason? Have I missed something? Is David Cameron somekind of demi-God that we should start praying to because he has all the answers? This is the most ridiculous reason yet.

10. Britain’s abortion laws among the most liberal in Europe: The 24-week limit is double that in France or Germany, and six weeks later than in Sweden or Norway

So we should all follow are friends in Europe? Is that in-line with Conservative policy now? Watch it, we will have the euro next! What would Maggie say, eh?

11.’Abhorrent’ methods used to abort a post 20-week baby, including a lethal injection to the heart, and dismembering the body and removing it from the womb limb by limb

Argh. It is not a baby. It is a foetus. And yes, abortions aren't nice but it is the living woman that should have priority. Foetuses at this age cannot feel pain and it is a group of cells.

12. A possible link with mental illness for late abortions, say psychiatrists

What for? The woman or psychiatrists? Hang on, what do you think would cause more mental illness: a late abortion or being forced to have a baby against your will? Women who have terminations after 20 weeks take the decision very seriously and often could not go through with it before.

13. Most late abortions take place in private clinics, charged to the NHS - meaning there are financial vested interests involved

This is crap. Yes some people make money from healthcare but there should be better provision for women on the NHS. A significant number of GPs actually obstruct women from having terminations or are lost in the system. Private clinics may not be ideal but they give women a way out.

14. Babies can now undergo surgery in the womb under 24 weeks, such as Samuel Armas who had surgery at 21 weeks for spina bifida

Why is this a reason? It still wouldn't survive if you took the foetus out the womb at that age.

15. Few UK graduates willing to perform abortions beyond 16 weeks and most who do so are from overseas

Oh here we go. You can almost here the Daily Mail singing 'Send the buggers back!'.

16. Guidelines from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, supporting 24 weeks, should be updated in line with latest evidence on neonatal survival

There you are folks. Leading medical UK bodies are out of date, apparently.

17. 1,000 doctors signed petition against the British Medical Association’s support for 24 weeks and the Royal College of Nursing has not consulted its members

How many Doctors are there in the UK? A bit more than a 1,000. Plus how many of these Doctors are women who would actually be affected by this limit.

18. Pregnancy testing kits are freely available at chemists, so there is little excuse for not diagnosing pregnancy before 24 weeks.

Some, often young women do not experience the typical signs of pregnancy such as regular periods stopping. Other women, like those nearing the menopause do not expect to get pregnant. Better education at school-level about women's bodies would make a difference. Also, pregnancy tests are expensive and embarrassing. A lot of young people are in denial about their sexual experiences and leave it too late.

19. The Commons science and technology committee was heavily influenced by pro-abortion witnesses

So the evidence you got is not heavily-influenced by pro-life and religious groups? And what eveidence do you have?

20. Picture of a 20-week foetus (Above)

Reason 3 repeated. Emotive picture of foetuses are not photos of babies that would be able to survive outside the womb.

Victory for Yapping Virgins

On Monday I heard conclusively that ASK, the developers behind Leopold Square in Sheffield had decided NOT to continue talks with the Hooters chain. They had finally realised that this proposal would mean shooting themselves in the foot. For the past year, ASK have worked hard to create an upmarket and prestigious dining area, safe for families and single people alike. Hooters would not only be a step backwards for the square and for Sheffield, but it would also be damaging for the surrounding businesses.

Lets take a look at the concept for a moment. Hooters claims to be 'tacky yet unrefined'. This is not only a motto but is sprayed across the back of the waitresses t-shirts, along with 'HOOTERS' across the chest. So not only are women labelled as a derogitary word for a woman's breasts but they are also told what to be. Tacky and unrefined.

Hooters likes to call itself a 'sports themed restaurant'. I've been to a sports themed restaurant, namely Champs on Ecclesall Road. None of the waitresses there where shorts and vests with the body parts labelled for easy viewing. Wings over England, the company behind the UK version of the chain also like to say that the bar is suitable for families. This is ridiculous. What kind of society do we live in where parents think is is acceptable to take their impressionable youngsters into a restaurant which had bikini competitions, stag nights and a soft-porn magazine? Because this is exactly what Hooters is: A bar which is based on sex. A bar where there online site sells calendars of the girls and where there girls pose naked in Playboy: http://www.wwedaily.com/the-women-of-hooters-from-playboys-february-2008-issue/

Don' t get me wrong, I do not hate sex. I'm not a virgin, a prude or a man-hater. What I do hate is sex appeal brought to the lowest common denominator. People telling us 'Look at that pair of breasts, aren't they great? Now lets get drunk.' I hate women being put into boxes, that of breasts, leg or thigh. I hate the fact that this company insults the intelligence of men out there, because not all men like this. Not all men read Zoo or Nuts. However the ones who stand up and express their opinions about this raunch culture we live in are vilified. Many men who have wrote on the 'Yes to Hooters in Sheffield' group have been called gay or poofs, just because they stood out of line.

Wings Over England contradict themselves, first saying their for families and then saying "Sex appeal is legal and it sells. Newspapers, magazines, daytime talk shows, and local television affiliates consistently emphasise a variety of sexual topics to boost sales." Oh so you admit it then? I want to be employed on the basis of my intelligence not how big my breasts are. I want my children to grow up without a t-shirts like this: http://www.hootersgear.com/Merch/MerchItemDetail.aspx?webitem_seq=872

Oh and I want them to figure out what sex appeal means, not this socially constructed raunch culture where women kiss each other to turn men on and girls where Hugh Hefners logo of crap.

I could probably go on and on but my fingers are tired and I'm fed up of writing on this french computer (where's good old qwerty when you need it, eh?)

Abortion limit under attack

Some MPs are planning to use the upcoming government Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to attack abortion rights for woman, particularly cutting down the time in which a woman can have a termination. Supported by Pro-life campaigners and religious groups, they argue that better technology has ensured ‘babies’ are now able to live before the 24 week limit. However all of the major medical boards, including the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists plus the governments own cross-party parliamentary Science and Technology Committee state that there has been no significant improvement in foetal survival below 24 weeks since the law was last reviewed in 1990.

Pro-choice campaigners like Abortion Rights maintain that as well as there being no evidence for a change, women will undoubtedly suffer from a smaller time limit. They argue that a tiny proportion – less that 2%, of abortions take place after 20 weeks. The overwhelming majority, 89%, are carried out at less than 13 weeks. The 2% of abortions that take place after 20 weeks are not taken lightly, often due to complicated and different circumstances including:
● Late identification of pregnancy – some young people do not realise they are pregnant early on, due to lack of sex education and an ignorance of their menstrual cycles. Older women may believe they are experiencing the menopause.
● Change in personal circumstances – a wanted pregnancy may be impossible due to domestic violence, loss of partner or problems with existing children.
● Denial in pregnancy signs – Some women may be in denial. These are often young women, with poor mental health or who have conceived in traumatic circumstances like rape.
● Delays in service provision – Some NHS abortion services have long waiting lists, 2 and a half months in certain areas. Others are obstructed by Doctors unwilling to provide an abortion or misdiagnosed.

A women’s right to choose on abortion in supported by an overwhelming three-quartes of people in Britain. Abortion Rights say that women should be listened to on whether or not to continue with a pregnancy and should be allowed to make fundamental decisions on their own body. If you support a woman’s right to choose, write to your MP and visit http://www.abortionrights.org.uk/

Out of Luck - 'Three and Out'

Funny man, Mackenzie Crook stars in new British Flick, Three and Out as ‘down and out’ tube driver Paul who dreams of moving to the Scottish highlands and becoming a writer. Accidently killing two people in one month on the London Underground, he hears about the ‘Three and Out’ rule. Three under in a month and you’re out, but with a big pay-off. Sounds like the big break Paul needs to realise his dream…

The premise is good but unfortunately things start to unravel pretty quickly for this film. Paul proposes that suicidal drunk, Tommy (Colm Meaney) should jump in front of his train after Tommy has made up with the family he ran out on in Liverpool. Cue Tommy visiting his old haunts with Paul alongside, as some sort of Dickensian ghost of Christmas Future. Their sudden closeness is unbelievable, especially as Paul sleeps with Tommy’s grown-up feisty daughter, Frankie (Gemma Arterton) in an unlikely (and rather graphic) night of passion.

There are some glimmers of hope though. Paul’s despair at having to kill Tommy after their weekend of reconciliation is dramatic and moving. Imelda Staunton is great playing Tommy’s wife, Rosemary as a strong and together woman who has moved on without her man. Comedic moments are brought by Maurice, the French cannibal who Paul meets whilst searching for a willing participant in the suicide pact. His creepy “I want you to eat my penis” phone calls bring some light relief in contrast to the darker points of this movie.

Unfortunately though, the film script is not tight enough and eventually lets it down. This film could be much funnier and much shorter. The end, in an attempt to pull together any loose ends and close with some romance is laughable. ‘Three and Out’ is a perfectly fine way to spend an hour or so but unlikely to win any awards.

‘Three and Out’ is in cinemas from Friday 25th April

Some Ting Different?

One of the hottest new groups of 2008 is undoubtedly The Ting Tings, a pop duo from Manchester. Formed from the remnants of various groups, Katie White and Jules de Martino became housemates in Salford’s hip Islington Mill. Inspired by the great scene surrounding them, they became The Ting Tings. “I used to work with a girl called Ting Ting” says singer Katie, “and she said it meant an old bandstand in a park or the kind of ting sound on a percussion instrument. We were doing lots of sounds like that so Ting kind of fit.”
Their name isn’t the only thing that is different about The Ting Tings. In the music scene where skinny indie boys with guitars rule the roost, the band are unashamedly pop. Single ‘Great DJ’ has been a firm favourite of Radio 1’s Zane Lowe and named most popular independent track by song identification service Shazam. The buzz around the band is huge and 2008 should be their year.

“We’ve kinda ignored the buzz around us because we don’t read reviews and stuff. All we know is that if we make a record and we like it, we’ve fulfilled what we want to do.”
“We’re always chasing something,” Drummer Jules chips in. “We’ve made the single, done the artwork, and produced it ourselves and really enjoyed it. We love just being creative and making our own records and the tour has taken us away from that. It’s taken off to another level now, we’re going to the States for a month and then releasing our album.”
There is no doubt ‘Great DJ’ is a catchy number, combining Katie’s pop voice, funky electronic beats and indie sensibilities. ‘That’s not my name’ is also a hit live, a female declaration of independence.

The Tings Tings are in Sheffield as part of the NME Awards Tour, supporting The Cribs, Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong. I ask them if their sound fits the bill.
“No! The Cribs rock out more but I suppose with Does It Offend You, Yeah?, it makes sense as they are kinda different” says Katie.

The Tings Tings are planning to release their debut album in May, which they have produced themselves and designed the artwork. “I think people may have an idea of us when they hear about our pop background and it’s a nice surprise when they hear we have produced this all ourselves.”

"Radiohead bottled it"

Interview with The Futureheads

The lads from Sunderland are back, this time with a new album and on their own record label. ************* meets opinionated guitarist, Ross Millard and talks to them about a comeback on their own terms and the state of the music industry.

What have you been doing since your last album, News and Tributes in 2006?
We basically had a little bit of time off and then started some new tunes. It was difficult at first because we didn’t know how we wanted to do it but we started our own label and then the songs came pretty quickly once everything was resolved.

Are you excited about the new album? Does it sound different to your old stuff?
Oh most definitely, I have a good feeling about this one and I think it’s definitely our best record. We’ve kinda gone through the mill this year and now we can see the four of us are really buzzing again.
With our last album, the sound was completely different to the first one (The Futureheads) and people didn’t seem to go for that! I think we’ve figured out what we’re best at and the new album is somewhere in between those two. It’s a mixture between the energy of the first and the song writing of the second.

Were you disappointed with the reaction to your last album?
Yeah, ‘679’ (their previous label) didn’t do a very good job at pushing it and I’m not afraid to say that. But on top of that, if Radio doesn’t play you then people don’t buy your records. There’s not that many people in this country that are totally enthusiastic about music, you know. I lot of people wash their cars on a Sunday morning, go to Tesco and buy their albums there and our second album totally passed that lot by. That’s fine but it’s not the end of the world and I think in time that record will do us alright cos we’re proud of it.

What do you think of the new music that has come out since you’ve been away?
New Rave is alright, I dunno, I think a lot of those bands are quite shambolic live. The Klaxons have made a really great record but every time I’ve seen them live they’ve been pretty appalling. But they’ve made a good record and that seems to be what counts.
We’re all into DJing at the moment. I love bands like Digitalism and Glasvegas, I’d love to do something with them.

Do you still enjoy touring? What about the student dates of the tour?
Oh yeah, I mean it’s the reason we got the band together. You never sure if you gonna make an album or get a record deal but you are sure that you can give it all you’ve got live and have fun.
This tour has been great playing to students and took us to a lot of places we haven’t played before that we missed the first time around. The set list is a mixture of old and new and we want people to have a good night. We don’t get annoyed playing the hits like ‘Hounds of Love’ and it would be foolish as it’s better to have hits then no hits! It’s kinda ripping people off not to play the favourites.

What do you think of the state of the music industry today? Is the album dead?
Well I think it would be awful for us to think that the album is dead, it kinda renders our job pointless in a way. We’ve set up our own label for our new record and I think that’s the future for a lot of music. Young bands should probably think about taking that road rather than looking for a record deal because companies are scrabbling around taking shares of bands like merchandise and stuff which they have no right to take. For me, I feel that we’re one of the first bands adopting this new model of business. Even Radiohead have farmed their business off to XL (who released their album on CD) and bottled it a bit. They’re ok to stick their new record online and say you decide what you wanna pay for it because they’re already millionaires. It’s not as brave as they could have been and I think what we’re doing a lot of people will do in the future. It is a bit make or break, and if it fails we’re fucked but at the same time it’s quite exciting.

Don’t you feel that now though you’re businessmen and not musicians?
No I think it’s the other way round because now it’s solely for the music. The minute you make the decision to put an album out there, you have to think about the whys and wheres, how it’s being marketed and how it’s being received because otherwise it’s not yours anymore. The stupid people in labels just see you as a product like a bottle of water but now we’re in charge and doing the job for the right reasons.

New single “Beginning of the Twist” is out 10/3/08

This is what a Feminist looks like

Saturday 10th March 2007 saw FEM 07, a national conference for women and men at Sheffield University Union. The third FEM conference to discuss gender inequality in society offered a range of lectures, seminars and workshops ranging from a ‘Bluffer’s Guide to Feminism’ to ‘How to set up a Feminist Group’.

The day was just one example of the resurgence in the UK of the Feminist Movement. Some may have thought the campaign for gender equality was killed of by depictions of bra-burning, hairy legged, dungaree-wearing lesbians, portrayed by Viz’s ‘Millie Tant’ and discussed in the seminal book, Faludi’s Backlash. However, groups and magazines are cropping up everywhere, men and women, desperate to show how women’s inequality remains as entrenched in our society as ever.

The facts are staring at us in the face.

● Only 6% of reported rape cases end in the rapist being caught and punished.
● Two women a week are killed by their current or former partner.
● Men make up more than 70% of local councillors and 80% of MPs. The huge majority of judges are men and so are 96% of executive directors in the UK’s top companies. Black and Minority Ethnic Women are even more excluded from power in all these areas.
● The average woman working full-time is paid 17% less an hour than a man – and 38% is her job is part-time.

FEM 07 was an opportunity to learn about the issues surrounding gender inequality, make links with organisations and to find out how we can make a difference. Founded by Kat Banyard in 2005, the day provided lots of interesting opportunities for attendees. A presentation of films by Vera Media, a Leeds based group, told the history of Feminism in the Leeds area. The film showed how the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ murders in the 1970s caused thousands of women to live in fear of becoming the next victim in Peter Sutcliffe’s reign of terror. Advised by the authorities to stay indoors at night, the women took a stand and decided that they should not be the ones trapped in their homes. ‘Reclaim the Night’ marches were formed where the groups marched through the city with banners and torches, proclaiming their right for freedom. ‘Reclaim the Night’ marches are still popular, to protest about violence against women.

Seminars gave the chance for attendees to learn more about specific gender related issues, such as women in higher education. Evidence from Sheffield Hallam University Professor, Liz Doherty showed that women working in higher education are subject to a ‘glass ceiling’, often unable to reach the positions of Senior Management. The session provided suggestions to women for how they can improve their own career prospects and implement institutional change.

The most interesting seminar I went to was ‘Porn as the Norm – What can YOU do about it?’, a thought-provoking discussion provided by Dr Sasha Rakoff from the group, Object. Object is a UK group challenging media misogyny, targeting specifically lad’s mags. Passing round examples of Nuts, Zoo and Loaded and hanging up posters of typical responses to the debate (“It’s natural to look at porn”, “the women enjoy it”) was fascinating. But it wasn’t just lads mags that were under the microscope but Tesco and their ‘Peekaboo Pole Dancing kit' aimed at kids.
Charliegrrrl, a feminist blogger also spoke about her own campaign, where she goes into high street shops and defaces lad’s mags with permanent marker. The crusade is not all serious though. Rather humorously, she dresses up as a pink ‘Porn Detective’ and accosts men entering porn shops or buying magazines. Her actions achieved much publicity last year at the Labour Conference when she made banners featuring Tony Blair’s head on bikini-clad girls and shouted Lads mags headlines such as “Get your girl to dress like a Prostititute” (Front) and “Wanted: 100 Hottest Virgins. Do you know a lady who is still ‘intact’?” (Zoo).

Throughout the day, an Exhibition area showcased the work and services of organisations and groups such as The Fawcett Society, the UK’s leading campaign for equality between women and men. Supporting the conference, the society traces its roots back to 1866, when Millicent Fawcett campaigned for women’s vote. The group advertise their campaign by getting celebrities to wear their “This is what a Feminist looks like” t-shirts. Other groups included Ladyfest Leeds, a festival supporting female musicians, bands, comedians and poets, and Subtext magazine, a new publication with stimulating opinion about feminist issues.

The day culminated in FemFest 07, a live gig and club night at the Raynor Lounge featuring all female DJs and bands with female members such as Sheffield’s Slow Down Tallahassee, Vile Vile Creatures, and Service Users.

In the Valley of Elah

Paul Haggis, the Oscar winning Director of Crash and famed writer of Mystic River, Casino Royale and Million Dollar Baby unleashes his newest and most provocative film onto British audiences this month. In the Valley of Elah is a thought-provoking and controversial film, focusing on US Army Veterans serving in Iraq and the effect this extreme conflict has on them and their families.
Starring Tommy Lee Jones as the father of a missing soldier, it charts his search for the truth. With the help from Detective, Charlize Theron, they uncover the startling reality behind the Veteran’s disappearance. Based on true events, Haggis looked for a challenge after his Oscar win.
“I said to the production company, find me a story that you know in your heart will never be made into a film and give it to me.” The story began from an article in Playboy and although the film is fictional, the majority of the story behind Tommy Lee Jones’ character is true. Jones is amazing as the tortured father and Vietnam Vet, dealing with the realities of his sons own actions at War.
Haggis is not a man who is afraid of strong political statements. His previous films have dealt with emotive issues such as Race and Child Abuse, this time his focus is on Iraq and our responsibility. “I’ve taken a lot of shit for this but I tried to be non-partisan. I don’t want to let people of the hook. Everyone has started blaming Bush in America but it’s not his fault. We should blame ourselves. They are over there in Iraq in my name and we cannot take the moral high ground.”
The film takes its name from the biblical tale of David and Goliath and this is an important motif in the film. “A lot of the real Vets in the film signed up on the
12th September 2001, wanting to be David. What I wanted to look at was, ‘What happens when they realise they’re not David, but Goliath?’”
The film does tackle these issues around Iraq, subverting the message in the guise of a compelling murder mystery, therefore avoiding moral overload. Haggis tries to entertain as well as teach, so the minutes fly by in this rousing and amazing film. A masterpiece.

Rotary Ten

‘I spent most of the Glastonbury weekend in my tent, crouched in the foetus position being sick. I don’t know if it was food poisoning or just a stomach bug, but I missed all the bands I wanted to see and only managed to catch the Bootleg Beatles on Sunday night.” says Guitarist Steven. Not very rock and roll.
Steven is part of foursome, Rotary Ten, a band that have been collecting rave reviews from the music press and comparisons as varied as The Libertines to The Smiths. However, one thing rings true, that this indie band are armed with intelligent lyrics and ambition. The foursome has released two self-funded 7in singles by their own record label, Quick! Records, produced by the esteemed Alan Smyth. ‘Idols of Our Own Design’ has graced the playlist of Radio 1’s Steve Lamacq and second single, ‘We Travelled without Mentioning It’ has been played by Radio 6 daytime DJ, Gideon Coe.
I meet up with two of Rotary Ten, Steven and his older brother, James for a drink and a chat in the Washington pub. Other band members, drummer Rory and bassist Richard are back home in their native Lincoln. “We grew up in the same villages and so we’ve know each other since childhood,” James enlightens me. The band got together through a shared love of music, eighties bands like Pixies and The Smiths, as well as Post-Rock, New-Wave American bands such as Death Cab For Cuties and Explosions in the Sky. James and Steven grew up on a farm and came to Sheffield to study at University, managing to stay in touch with their band-mates. So are they a Sheffield or Lincoln based band?
“Sheffield. We rehearse back home in our barn but we record and play most of our gigs here. It’s Sheffield that has given us the opportunities we’ve had. I think culturally, Lincoln is twenty-five years behind a city like Sheffield. When we left, there was one gig venue and virtually no music scene. Now you’ve got some cool places and a growing industry. Bigger bands are even venturing to play there.’ Evidently so, as the band are playing Lincoln University soon, supporting British Sea Power.
I ask whether they see themselves as part of a Sheffield scene.
“I don’t think there is a specific scene, there tends to be certain cliques. We associate ourselves with bands because we’re friends or we’ve played together before. I live with two members of Letters and Colours and we’re good mates with Fury of the Head teachers.” Steven chips in “Sheffield bands seem to be divided by the native older crowd who’ve been around for a bit and tend to sing in colloquial accents. We’re the guys who’ve moved here but there is no hard feelings. But I do think we’ve gained respect by gigging, so we’ve paid our dues!”
In October last year, the band embarked on a ten date tour throughout the UK and picking up fans along the way. “The Lincoln dates are always well turned out by our supporters and all our old uni mates turned up in Sheffield too. We get excited playing places like London, but they tend to be the worst. People seem to be more reserved, like their not there for the music.”
However their music is gaining recognition and rightly so. ‘We Travelled Without Mention It’ is an excellent example of what these guys are capable of, maturity and heartfelt lyrics that are reminiscent of The Cure. Like Robert Smith, Steven’s voice is delicate and almost strains at the peak.

Currently Steven and James spend their days working in menial admin jobs, but they find nothing worse than the current trend of bands moaning about everyday life. ‘We hate bands that go on and on about how shit their jobs are. I mean, there not working! Their touring the world and playing to thousands of people every night,’
So your not fans of Hard-Fi then? ‘Definitely not. I bet there working in their record labels offices as we speak, getting more material for their new album!’ laughs Steven. The band hope to record an album in the near future and continue touring but fame and the celebrity world is not top of their list. ‘We’d like to be able not to work…or most work part-time,’ says Steven. Aren’t you just moaning about work like Hard-Fi now? James jumps in defensively, ‘er…but we don’t sing about it!’ Good Point.

Singles ‘Idols of Our Own Design’ and ‘We Travelled Without Mentioning It’ are available from Jacks Records.
www.myspace.com/rotaryten

The Research and The Lodger @ Fuzz Club, Sheffield University Union, 13/12/07

There weren’t enough people to witness the live sets tonight, which was a big shame. People must have been saving themselves up for a night of snake bite and dj’s instead of catching some splendid live music from these brilliant acts, travelling all the way from West Yorkshire. The Lodger were as great as ever. With a new drummer since last time I saw them and a new album on the way, the set list was mainly filled with new delights. The band are tight and professional and the only problem is that the minutes fly by too fast. New songs like the delightful, ‘Getting Special’ retain the notable Lodger sound. Personally, I would have liked to have heard more songs from their first album but hey, bands have to move on. At least they played ‘Many Thanks (for your honest opinion)’.

It’s a night of threesomes and like The Lodger, The Research have changed too. Their latest incarnation sees them transform from keyboards to guitars and I have got to admit that I prefer it. Although you may argue that they are now less distinct from your average indie scenesters, the band seem more approachable and I dare say it, commercial. They even have a Christmas song, named aptly ‘For Christmas’. It’s brilliant and shows the band have still retained their unique charm and catchy melodies. Russell gives the audience a choice of which song to play at the end of the set, and the result is ‘Come on Chameleon’. It gets the crowd really going, which by now have finally turned up.

Why I love...Girls Aloud

I bet you won’t find many Music Editors (even of student mags) proclaiming their love of a girl band from the rooftop, let alone their music pages. But I am. I suppose it isn’t cool to listen to a manufactured band, especially one put together by a television show and even worse, by Louis Walsh. But I don’t care.

Of course, I could have used up the space to tell you of some other great bands I love and why you should listen to them too. The Smiths, Blondie, Belle and Sebastian, Jimi Hendrix, and The Beatles to name but a few that I daily listen to, admire and worship. However, I am aware that most of the music featured here is usually of the indie/alternative persuasion. That’s not any attempt by the ************ team to force our musical tastes onto the student population. It just happens to be the genre of CD’s that gets sent to us a lot. Also, people seem to be more passionate about indie at the moment and live gigs are at their most popular than they have been in the past fifty years. So lets have a bit of a change and express the love for pop.

Girls Aloud have been around for five years now making some of the most exciting and catchy music around. From the breakthrough funkiness of ‘Sound of the Underground’ to feisty ‘Biology’, the girls have constantly reinvented themselves with every single. After four albums (and a Greatest Hits), the girls have entered the Guinness book of records as the girl group with the most ever consecutive top ten singles, beating the likes of the Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child. Their live shows are breathtaking with amazing production and choreography, putting the ordinary concert to shame.

Okay, so some of the band members might be more famous for their tabloid exploits than the music but that’s mainly due to the nature of the media these days, taking five young women and manipulating an image for them. So they go and have a few drinks now and again, who doesn’t? It’s not their fault there’s a camera lens strategically aimed for that all-important ‘getting out of a taxi shot’. And maybe they don’t write their music, but to me that doesn’t matter. They don’t pretend to. Instead they are five girls who have achieved their dreams by performing and sometimes with two fingers up the industry machine and moguls which has created them.