Latest 7 magazine

Nick Aldwinckle was in attendance at the Hop Farm Festival Paddock Wood in Kent on Sunday 6th July 2008

The inaugural year for Mean Fiddler founder Vince Power’s newest festival has a lot to contend with. Firstly, though set in the scenic Kent countryside, today, it’s, frankly, p*ssing it down; windy, cold and generally a pretty miserable scene for anyone ready to brave the elements in search of good music.

Neil Young at the Hop Farm Festival

Secondly, bad sound problems are apparently making decent bands sound distinctly sub-standard. Not a good sign, so after numerous delays (traffic; gathering of wet weather survival gear) lead to missing out on Carbon/Silicon, Everest and Laura Marling’s early sets, the day’s shaky start is given an early boost by Guillemots’ **** impressive show. The band are brazenly loud, almost operatically so, with an element of Muse grandiosity mixed with the emotive vocals of frontman Fyfe Dangerfield. They give their all to try and raise the largely dampened spirits of this long-suffering crowd, and the more bombastic numbers from latest record Red go down a treat. A nice start, though you get the sense that everyone present is already starting to flag.

Read the rest of this article »

Wall-E (U)

Director: Andrew Stanton

Pixar blitz the opposition in this animated masterpiece. The story follows itty-bitty robot Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) who discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE.

With a host of superbly imagined characters and a lead character who utters no more than three words throughout, this is classic Pixar tomfoolery. Chuck in a whole bucket of cuddles, a refreshing dose of surreal humour, a touching environmental message and a race across space and you have pure, unadulterated cinematic pleasure.
5/5

Showing at Cineworld and Worthing
Read the rest of this article »

New venue, new CEO and a new ticketing system for Brighton-based Komedia

Expansion is top of the list for Komedia this summer as the awardwinning live entertainment company in Brighton announces a new venue, a new CEO and a new ticket system.

At the end of June, Komedia signed and exchanged lease papers with Bath and northeast Somerset Council, granting the company permission to begin building works and refurbishment in the former Beau Nash cinema. Komedia directors, along with architects Stubbs Rich and builders Sturland, expect to open the new venue in November 2008.

Read the rest of this article »

Andrew Kay’s tongue goes dancing at Santiago on Brighton seafront

Of all the cuisines in the world my least favourite has always been Mexican. Oh I can cook a mean Texan chilli for sure but most of what is presented on a plate under the name of Mexico looks like it has been reheated if not regurgitated several times.

I did however have a real soft spot for El Taco Way on the lower promenade on Brighton’s seafront. Here, in the summer months only, I would happily sit down to a Dos Equis and a plate of tortilla chips with splodges of ‘stuff’. It wasn’t great food but it had the best atmosphere.

Now El Taco Way has been replaced by Santiago, and the Mexicana replaced by a far more sophisticated menu of modern cooking. There is also indoor seating which I am sure I never saw in the former incarnation, so the plan is to stay open all year.

Read the rest of this article »