Nine Black Alps @ Bodega Social for NG

The Bodega Social in Nottingham is buzzing tonight and it is little wonder as the Nine Black Alps have rolled into town. The Mancunian quartet have been causing a stir with their grungy rock sound and this small venue on Pelham Street is absolutely rammed in anticipation.

Second album Love/Hate has been released to rave reviews and the band have even been described as the Saviours Of Rock in some quarters. There is definitely expectation for a top notch performance and luckily the lads deliver - and then some.

From the get go, the Alps launch into an exciting, energetic and damn right entertaining set. Catchy guitar riffs and distinctive choruses mean that practically every song could be a potential anthem, played at Indie discos across the land. The crowd seem to know most of em, jumping and dancing along throughout - it's as if the Alps are already playing a greatest hits set.

Crowd interaction is kept to a minimum but this hardly matters as it gives the band time to play loads of songs from their arsenal of gems. There is a hardly time to breathe as tune after tune arrives in quick succession, the gig rocketing along at an exhilarating pace.

Bitter End and Unsatisfied induce brilliant sing-alongs and Every Time I Turn forces me to bring out the air guitar. I would have felt like an idiot but fortunately several others are doing the same.

The similarities to Nirvana are obvious and in the smoky venue it almost feels as if we are in the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit. But the band also stamp a bit of their own style on proceedings to create a hugely refreshing and original sound. A little bit of Oasis creeps in to show that the boys have not forgotten their Manchester roots.

Rapturous cheers greet the end of each song and it is clear that Nottingham loves the Nine Black Alps. And when front-man Sam Forrest and guitarist David Jones don Robin Hood hats it appears that the feeling may be mutual.

We eagerly await their return, but one feels that they may be playing somewhere slightly larger next time. It was a privilege to watch them at somewhere as intimate as the Social, because if they are not playing bigger venues pronto then it will be a great injustice.

You Know You're Right: Dan Palmer

With The Lights Out: Lisa Mayfield

http://ng-magazine.com/Diary/Music/In_Bloom:_NG_Magazine_reviews_Nine_Black_Alps/

Mongolia, for Platform

Mongolia is one of those funny sounding places that you would never really dream of going too. And, after all, why would you want too? The country lies slap bang in the middle of nowhere and is sodding miles from anything that could actually be considered important. Add to this the capital city of Ulaan-Baatar, which has earned the unispiring nickname of 'ugly-baatar' and it becomes obvious why this is not many people's number one tourist destination.
But for all of these reasons it was a place where I was itching to go. The fact that it was off the beaten track made the place appeal to me much more, and the sense of adventure was overwhelming. This was a journey into the unknown, a trip that would take me away from the tourists hoardes to somewhere different and exciting.
Only 3,000 Brits a year come to Mongolia so I felt ridicliously privileged when I strutted into the country. I board a train at the border town of Sukhbaatar and start to head north. It quickly becomes clear that this is a pretty empty place. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but sand and grass and it presents itself with an eeriness that is hard to describe. The thing is, although there is nothing to look at, there is still everything to look at. The void is the attraction of Mongolia. Imagine a landscape which is completely devoid of anything. There are no twenty-first century intrusions, no ugly eyesores. Just a 360 view of absolutely sod all. And it is beautiful, completely haunting. I find myself drifting off as I stare out at the horizon through the sea of complete emptiness.
The train eventually enters the Gobi Desert and the blanket of grass turns to a blanket of sand. It is equally stunning, with the feeling of isolation being one to behold. It was a shock to realise that our hectic, vibrant society can be escaped so rapidly. Was I really on the same planet as our chaotic towns and cities? It just didn't seem possible. Mongolia really is like entering another world.
Eventually we reach the town of Choir, which is basically just a collection of tin shacks. I can't really imagine what life would be like here, so far removed from everything we take for granted. The train continues north and as night approaches we are treated to a stunning sunset over the desert. With nothing to intrude our view the sun is left with the entire sky as its canvas. It makes use of every last bit, spreading colour and light in every direction in a beautifully magical display.
The next stop is Ulaan-Baatar, the urban island in the middle of the ocean of nothing. About a million people live here, around a third of the total population. You can sense it approaching from miles off, the sight of smog on the horizon the give-away that something big looms admist the emptiness. And on arrival, you can see why it earned it's ugly-baatar monkier. The city is a communist inspired, concrete mess, but for me that gave it an odd type of charm. It wasn't the most attractive of places, but this certainly made it interesting. The lack of tourists also meant that this was a genuine travel experience. I was seeing somewhere how it should be, a far cry from South East Asia which has been ruined by the overwhelming numbers of visitors.
Sukhbaatar Square is the city's focal point and is home to parliament, as well as a statue of Ghengis Khan. They really milk that fella in these parts. During my stay I had a Ghengis Beer in the Ghengis Pub on Ghengis Street. A statue of someone in the square was being pulled down to make way for yep....a statue of Ghengis. I suppose everyone needs a hero.
I was in town during the Naadam Festival, which is a big deal in these parts. Events include Horse Racing, Archery and Wrestling and the event was the equivalant of our FA Cup final. Taking in some wrestling was a unique experience. There are no weight divisions so the biggest bloke usually wins. It seemed a bit unfair but it was a pleasure to imberse myself in a bit of the country's culture.
The food also deserves a mention. Mongolian barbeques were numerous in number around the city, and you could frequently pick up a cheap piece of steak or kebab. These were ridicliously tasty and went well down a treat with the local beers, Khan Brau being a particular favourite.
On my last night, I went for a stroll up a large hill and watched the sunset again. On one side of me sat Ulaan-Baatar, on the other, absoultely nothing. This seemed like such a peaceful existance, out in the middle of nowhere, away from crime, terrorism and all the other problems this world faces. It seemed such a shame that soon, I would have to return to them.

Hat-trick!

Hat-trick! is the brainchild of myself, Adam Harwood and Peter Fearn. It is a footy related radio show, which airs on Radio Norman at 2pm on February 8th. Another thing for the CV, and it should be good craic as well. Have been busy making jingles and the like and doing a bit of promotion. Former England manager Graham Taylor got involved which was good of him.

Non-League Daily

Recently I covered a couple of games for Non League Daily, which to be honest was pretty sweet. It's a national publication, plus I got payment and a byline for each. So not a bad deal all told. I did Basingstoke's home game against Weston-Super-Mare and our away match down at Bognor Regis. The Bognor one was a bit of an effort as I had to phone over the copy to get it in for the paper the next day. As a result it didn't read that well. I was also asked to do it at the eleventh hour when I was starting work on my third pint of the day. Bognor is a great away day, and I didn't want the report to ruin the fun. So at the match I was taking notes five pints down, which to be honest wasn't the best. Ah well.

Dragon's Den

A GROUP of enterprising students have entered the Dragon’s Den – and come out on top.
Budding entrepreneurs from the Holgate School, in Hucknall, saw off a host of rivals to take first prize in a competition based on the popular BBC 2 show.

John Bevins (correct), Amber Curtis (correct), William Hydes (correct) and Cairie Green (correct), who are all in years ten and eleven, wowed the Dragons with a clear, calm and professional sales pitch.

Their invention is an educational game where kids are taught to spell by jumping on panels on the floor, making it similar to Twister.

“It was a nerve-wracking experience, but I am delighted we won,” said John,(15).

The event at the Innovative Centre took place as part of Enterprise Week, an annual week of activities designed to develop the business skills of young people.

Head of Business Studies at the school, Brian Redgraves (correct), said: “Enterprise Week gives the students the chance to put into practice some of the skills they have learned in class.”

“It was a real benefit. They had to work as a team, and did really well to develop a concrete idea in such a short space of time,” he added.

The school were presented with a trophy as well as a cheque for £250, and each of the students was awarded with gift vouchers.

The Dragons consisted of Ash Narsey (correct), a director for an educational toys company, Ros Wragg (correct), proprietor of Kimellejoe, an online business specialising in children's party supplies and toys, and Amanda Pearce-Burton (correct), a managing director for a consultancy and training services company.

The FA Cup

THE LUCK OF THE DRAW

The FA Cup should be about the passion, the romance and the glory. But as Dan Palmer discovers, it’s really just about the money.

The Third Round Draw for the FA Cup is one of the showcase dates in the English football calendar. Up and down the county, fans nervously sit in front of television screens anxiously anticipating who their club are going to get. With the big boys of the Premier League entering the fray, it is an event that induces butterflies in even the most composed of supporters. This year, the most nervous fan was probably a man named Marcus Hackney, chairman of Havant & Waterlooville FC (correct). The previous day he had witnessed his non-league minnows embarrass the illustrious Notts County in their own back yard – undoubtedly the biggest day in the history of the club. But as he stared at the screen in a packed clubhouse, surrounded by a media frenzy of reporters and cameras, he knew that the history the club would write in the future was all dependent on what he was about to witness.

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, dating back to 1871. It used to be the major trophy in this country, the one that everyone was striving to win.
The magic of the cup would stir tensions up to fever pitch, and you only have to look at some of the retro black and white footage to see the levels of passion, romance and tradition that the tournament used to produce. It was every boy’s dream to grace the Wembley turf in the final, but in recent years the famous old trophy has begun to lose part of its shine.

A massive gulf in class is developing in English football, with the ‘big four’ clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United – dominating over all of the rest. One of these clubs has won the FA Cup every year since 1996, and it can be argued that they don’t even take it that seriously. With the Premiership and Champions League offering far more lucrative rewards, the big four have undermimed the FA Cup by placing it down the pecking order on their list of priorites.

So what does this all mean for the smaller clubs, who now find themselves in a tarnished competition which they have no chance of winning? Traditionalists will say that the passion and glory still exist, but in reality, like so many things in football, the FA Cup is just about the money. It would be nice to think that after their giant killing, Marcus Hackney’s main priority would be to see his Havant side advance in the competition. But what he was really after was a glamour tie with a big club and the financial rewards that would come with it.

In 2004 Exeter City got just that. The Devon outfit were in crisis, subject to crippling debts and for a time it looked like the club would go bust. But then they drew Manchester United in the third round and pocketed a cool £653,511. Even better for the Grecians was that they earned a heroic replay which was televised on the BBC. This added an extra £150,000 to the coffers and the debts were settled the next year.

“We may have gone into liquidation without that money, that’s for sure,” says Exeter fan, vice-chairman and sporting director Julian Tagg (correct).

“We had been fundraising for months, but with little success. With Manchester United, we really got the luck of the draw.”

Marcus was probably dreaming of the same in the Havant clubhouse as the draw rapidly approached, and the effect that sort of money would have on his club cannot be over exaggerated.

Currently lying mid-table in the doldrums of the Conference South, a glamour tie could propel Havant to dizzy heights that they they could previously only have dreamed of.

Supporter Mark Lynch (correct) was also in that same clubhouse with Marcus, biting his nails while he awaited the draw. A fan for ten years, he is quick to acknowledge the money side of things.

“Personally I would like a big four club away because the amount of money we could make could set the club up for three to four years,” he says.

“There is such a shortage of money at this level. A big tie could allow us to buy better players, sending us up into the Conference National, perhaps even towards the football league. It could completely transform us,” he adds.

“The FA Cup is really just about winning as many games and making as much money as possible.”

Havant have already netted around £37,000 from the cup run, big money at their level. Fellow non-leaguers Harrogate Railway received a windfall of around £70,000 when their game with Mansfield was televised.

In 2006, Burton Albion also took Manchester United to a replay and netted nearly £1,000,000. This money was pumped into their stylish new Pirelli Stadium, allowing them to build a hotel, restaurant and pub, which provided valuable extra income.

Another success story are Colchester United who in 2006 made the fifth round after a heroic run. They saw off Sheffield United and Derby County and were rewarded with a dream tie at Chelsea. The money made meant that they could pay the wages of their squad for the remainder of the season, and they were also able to sign talented striker Jamie Cureton (correct). The club, significantly aided by Cureton’s goals, won promotion to the Championship and are now an established side at this higher level.

“There’s no doubt the money has changed Colchester,” said a club spokesman.

Back at the clubhouse, Havant’s ball has been drawn and it isn’t good news. They’ve been given an away tie at League One’s Swansea City or fellow non-leaguers Horsham. A huge groan echoes around the room, but no doubt Marcus was groaning loudest of all. He didn’t get the luck of the draw.

School's Lessons In Health

My school health shop story made the Dispatch last week. In a change of pace though, they haven't just pasted my work in and have actually edited it quite a bit. They still used my quotes though.

http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/hucknall/School39s-lessons-in-health.3515919.jp