Exit International - The Talking Heads Southampton - 11th December 2011

Amy LaVere - The Lexington London - 7th November 2011

Photo Diary - BBC Lowtide Showcase - 1st November 2011

Review And Photos - Mini Cooper S Coupé Launch 1st October 2011

MINI Cooper S Coupé Launch
Snows MINI Portsmouth

Today the 1st October 2011 sees a new experience the release of the New MINI Coupé titled as the first British two seater thoroughbred sports car to be released since the production of the British MG TF ceased in 2005. I was invited along to the launch at snows Mini in Portsmouth where they unveiled this new beast of a sports car the in the guise of the Cooper S version Boasting 184bhp, a staggering 62 bhp more than the standard coupe, there is even the option for a not to be sniffed at 143 bhp diesel engine. 

The car itself has the front end looks of its predecessors and current family line-up incorporating a further aerodynamic approach to the brand, Sleek stylish and very mean looking although I would say it has taken more of beauty's looks than the beast it truly is, The one they had on show today was the MINI Cooper S Coupé featuring a twin-scroll turbocharger that develops 135kw (184 hp) which gives it enough grunt to propel it to its more than capable top speed of 130 mph, the back end of the car has also been reinforced with torsion bars to ensure it is still fully agile at high speeds and features a speed activated spoiler which cuts in at around 50mph to reduce lift at the rear wheels and ensure the back end sticks firmly to the ground on the straights and of course around those all important corners to which MINI's are famous. 

Unlike most sports cars this is rather comfortable and benefits from extended headroom which is achieved using special elliptical spaces in the roof lining, an idea I can fully appreciate being 6' 3" but the biggest interior achievement is the rather large load space of 280 litres. The boot is also accessible without getting out of the car via the through-loading hatch behind the seats all in all there is more than adequate space for most if not all excursions. (You would be hard pushed not to be able to fit in the big shop). Although I must say I would rather be driving along the Cote D'Azur than going shopping if I was to own one of these ! 

It was the ideal day and location for the launch what with the dealership being right by the seaside and the sun making an appearance to add to the scene, Snows MINI put on a very inviting spread complete with canapés some nice wine and fresh cold orange juice of course for the drivers amongst us. 

With Coupé prices starting at around £16,500 with more bolt ons than the o2 shop: servicing packages and customisable interior/exterior options you can make this your very own unique sports car at a relatively low price. For more info or to book a test drive feel free to visit the snows website and tell them who sent you. 

http://www.snowsportsmouthmini.co.uk/contact_us/testdrive.html

Review And Photos - Goodwood Revival - 16th - 19th September 2011

words and photos by Martin Hoare

Ahh the smell of burning rubber, burning fuel and the noise of rumbling engines and screeching tyres, then all of a sudden the sound of merlin engines above…this can only mean one thing, day two of Goodwood Revival. The sun is out albeit very low and spitfires are flying around above my head, famous drivers are jumping into their classic cars and racing them around the Goodwood racing circuit. Pretty much everyone is wearing some kind of attire to fit their favourite era, including the women.. Lord March has pretty much created heaven and dumped it on his doorstep.



On my way to one of the races I bumped into Murray Walker and asked him if he had any highlights he could share to which his response was “I’ve just had a full English breakfast looking out at a view of 6 spitfires, it was fantastic”

One of my favourite races was the Whitsun Trophy, a 25 minute race featuring sports racing prototypes that raced between 1963 and 1966, This was also the fastest race of them all with some cars reaching a startling 108 mph on this 2.4 mile long track, The race was pretty much won by two 1966 Lola T70 Spyder’s right up until the last hairpin when they had a slight touch resulting in Paul Knapfield’s car (#18) spinning off into the verge and allowing Jay Esterer to win this race in his 1966 Chinook Chevrolet Mk2 (#1), and Gary Pearson ended up in second place in his Lola T70 (#19).



As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the E-Type Jaguar and as a commemoration to the “Fordwater Trophy” there was a featured  2 driver 29 E-Type race, spanning 45 minutes. Unfortunately, Desire Wilson(#10) had to end the race early when her brakes locked up on the grass and ended up sliding into the barriers. Gerhard Berger was in the lead for a majority of the race as he drove Adrian Newey’s Lightweight E-Type (#25) to the max but lost valuable time swapping drivers in the pits. Adrian Newey took over but ended up second to the combined efforts of Jon Minshaw and Martin Stretton (#28).

Also, due to it being the 75th anniversary of the Spitfire this year, there were around 14 Spitfires on the airfield. Occasionally groups of two or three would take off and perform displays. On Sunday, all of them were expected to be scrambled and perform a special display, with the Avro Lancaster also making an appearance on Saturday and Sunday, There was also a selection of the worlds most concourse aeroplanes on static display featuring the B-17 Flying Fortress “Sally B” which appeared in the film Memphis Belle.



There were actors and dancers aplenty, dotted around the site, setting the scene from the 40’s all the way up to the 70’s, including period marriages and shotgun weddings performed in a chapel to the side of the track, tree hugging hippies, Hare Krishnas and police pursuits. In addition, a street made out with full sized shops, Tesco, Kenwood and Delonghi were some of the brands who brought their own unique taste of the past with them with retro branded products to look at and some were even for sale.

The dates for the next revival have been set as the 14th,15th and 16th September 2012 so we hope to see you all next year.

Photos - Sonisphere Festival - The Dirty South 17th July 2011

Photos - Club NME @ Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth - The Dirty South 17th July 2011

Review And Photos - Goodwood Festival Of Speed 2011 - The Dirty South Magazine July 7th 2011

words and photos by Martin Hoare

Hillclimb Heroes
Goodwood Festival Of Speed has a reputation for bringing some of the world’s greatest cars to the glorious landscape of Lord March’s Goodwood house. The cars are separated into different classes and get to run up the famous 1.16 Mile Hillclimb. Over the 3 days, some of the most competitive drivers take the hillclimb very seriously and try their best in the timed runs with the top 20 drivers ending the competition by means of a final shootout on Sunday.

The Paddock
The paddock areas are where you will find most of the cars and bikes, again, these are all set out in their various groups and classes and cover all eras of motor sport history. The oldest I saw being a 1907 Fiat, all the way up to some of the concept vehicles and innovations that we may well see a lot more of in the future. Many current manufacturers’ stands were there also, filled to the brim with new cars to attract the eye of prospective new car buyers. I get the feeling that this has definitely got to be the most expensive car park in the world.
But then for the lucky few it’s not all about the cars; some get invited to Goodwood House for an exquisite banquet, laid on by Lord March. There were many celebrities in attendance, dressed for the occasion in black suits and evening dresses.

Some of the highlights of the weekend for me had to be meeting and being within 5 feet of some of the greatest motorsport heroes of all time: Emerson Fittipaldi; Damon Hill; Nigel Mansell and the legend that is Sir Stirling Moss. I even got to meet some of today’s greats: Jenson Button; Lewis Hamilton and Ken Block.

For those who cant wait a whole year for more high octane fun, the Goodwood Revival is to be held between the 16th and 18th September at the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.

http://www.goodwood.co.uk/revival/what-is-revival/what-is-revival.aspx

Preview And Photos - Godwood Moving Motorshow - The Dirty South Magazine 1st July 2011

words and photos by Martin Hoare

Today saw the return of The Goodwood Moving Motor Show, sponsored by Autotrader. The main aspect of today was so that you could test drive some of the latest cars on the market from the leading manufacturers up the world famous Goodwood Hillclimb.



Autotrader had a vast presence, with a unique exercise to help build their new comparison website. They were asking the public to write reviews of their own vehicles so as to give a better scope to their reviews and to ensure that they are as unbiased as possible (Anyone that has worked in the motortrade will tell you that if a customer has even the slightest problem with a car they will more than likely tell everyone about it) The new website will also have a dealer test drive booking application.

On top of this, the entrance also included a preview of what The Goodwood Festival Of Speed has to offer. Once in, you are totally free to roam around the festival site and view the vehicles due to run up the hill over the weekend in their various paddocks, stands and stalls. The Red Arrows also put on a spectacular show – despite Red 8 being unable to fly.

In essence the “Moving Motor Show” was a great day out, for around half the ticket price of the Festival of Speed, and slightly less hustle and bustle. It’s the ideal day to take the family, there are loads of goody bags being given out and various attractions for the children to enjoy, along with the usual full-sized Wacky Racer cars. “Finn McMissile” from Disney Pixar’s Cars was there and, I’m told, “Lightning McQueen” couldn’t make it in time for today but will be arriving from Belgium tonight (Something to look forward to tomorrow )

Review And Photos - Anti Flag & Less Than Jake - Southampton Guildhall
The Dirty South Magazine - 2nd June 2011

Review: Less Than Jake @ Southampton Guildhall
Published: June 2, 2011
Posted in: Bands
Tags: Anti Flag, Less Than Jake, Southampton Guildhall
words and photos by Martin Hoare

I walked into a half-empty Guildhall to catch Anti Flag (the first time I’ve ever seen it this low on punters. If I were to guess I would say around 300 people) It was so empty there were people sitting on the floor whilst the band were playing, something akin to a festival in the open fields but never have I seen this inside a music venue before, intermission maybe, but whilst the bands are playing! How rude!

Bizarrely, a circle pit appeared despite the lack of audience. During, “Fuck Police Brutality” the drums can be heard echoing around the room along with the bassline, The singer crowd surfs, despite the masses of notifications and warnings around the place saying you will get ejected if you crowd surf. Upon returning to the stage, they break into “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”, stopping the song mid chorus to shout at the people still sitting down.

At the end of the set, the drummer decided to go for a wander and started playing from the crowd, something I’ve seen with singers and guitarists before but never a drummer… however, it all seemed to take an age to set up. Maybe next time guys, if you’re gonna do it, have a spare set on stand by.

I had my 3 songs in the camera pit for Less Than Jake, then headed to the back of the venue scrambling across all the beer bottles, crisp packets and 14 yr olds, strewn across the floor.

Following “All My Friends Are Metalheads” the bouncers help to drag a couple onstage, who were then made to stand apart, on opposite sides of the stage, walk towards each other and make out to “Look What Happened” Chris from Anti Flag came on and helped sing along with the chorus. This was then followed by the theme from Spongebob Squarepants and a brilliant ode to McDonalds.

They then played “Nervous in the Alley” The whole band have so much fun onstage, as do the crowd with syncro beer throwing and a huge circle pit formed full of emotional teens spanning the whole room.

There was a 2 song encore starting with “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts” and “The ghosts of You and Me” The sound still seemed slightly muffled! Bass and drums were pounding through the walls and floor with so much depth.

Another gig over, I walked out to find a guy who had earlier harassed the pit crew being watered down by paramedics and the police with some annoyed looking friends by the side of him, The trouble with Southampton guildhall gigs is that it always seems to attract young people that let the side down and ruin their friends nights.

Photos - A Division Like Silence - Stray Bullets Kill - Puresist - The Edge Of The Wedge
The Dirty South Magazine - 30th May 2011

Review And Photos - Wood The Monkey - The Cellars
The Dirty South Magazine - 20th May 2011

Review: Wood The Monkey @ The Cellars

Published: May 20, 2011
Posted in: Bands
Tags: Foreign, The Cellars, Vic Vincent and the Firebirds, Wood the Monkey

words and photos by Martin Hoare

I rushed in to catch a few songs by Foreign. They were playing mostly covers, and produced a very good version of “Beer” by Reel Big Fish. in fact, I was quite shocked, as it sounded better than when the actual band played it at the Pyramids in 2009. One of the main features of the song was how well the bassist did, I think he is coming along very well, they then ended on a Ceelo Green track. I wish I could have made it there sooner to see what else they had to offer!

The next band up, Vic Vincent And The Firebirds, started off with 2 original songs, which seemed a bit slow to be honest. This was backed up by the crowd, as compared to the last band there was hardly any interaction. This was until they played a song by Green Day spin off band, Foxbro Hottubs. They cleverly linked the end of this song in to the Green Day track “When I Come Around” Its such a shame the guitars didn’t sound quite dirty enough and, dare I say it, a bit slow and slightly out of key with each other. Arctic Monkeys’ “Mardy Bum” was up next and was an ok cover. The penultimate song, “Little Lion Man” by Mumford And Sons, caused a bit more of a stir within the crowd where they were pretty much all infused with the music and chanting the chorus (A word of advice guys, scrap the punk and pop covers – this is the sort of song you should be playing) They then ended on an original song called late one night, bit more jumpy from the start, although it sounded a bit old and too much like The Model Village for my liking.

The Silent Five were up next. They started with a slight intro stating that the song was about Portsmouth and the government “take take take” very catchy pop punk. Next was the first song they ever wrote called “2 ft wind-up” this had an early Arctics feel to it – you know, before they started writing about pulling chairs out and cling-filming the toilet seat. I mean, back when they were good. I’m getting that these guys are a very tight band, with great key changes and very quick ska-pop vibes. The guys then played a cover of Blur’s “Parklife” the only bad points about the whole set was that they missed out the Phil Daniels shouty bit at the beginning but still very good, they even had the actions down, with the singer thrusting away as the gut lord, and drinking a cup of tea so on and so forth Not much crowd movement although a majority of the crowd looked too young to know what the song was, The next song “Jack The Lad” was introduced as a song about one of their friends. Their own songs are all very catchy but also tell a story, something akin to early Arctic Monkeys.

Parklife also fitted in really well with the setlist as I’ve often thought that Demon Allbran(I meant to say that) had visited Leigh Park just before writing it! Just when this band couldn’t get much better they flew into a cover of The Libertines’ “Cant Stand Me Now” and fucked up the intro. They are playing The Edge Of The Wedge on Friday 27th May get along to see them you wont be disappointed!

The headline act, Wood The Monkey, then came on and the first thing I noticed was the bassist has gotten significantly better looking, oh wait, they changed bassist, as the old one joined Toxic Shock. I remember now. They were wearing custom “Wood” tees which were a nice touch. The crowd, just to set the atmosphere were all monkey chanting “Wood Wood Wood Wood” This is usual for a WTM gig.

The jam-packed set was opened with some very keen use of a loop pedal and swirly guitar effects the “Story So Far” had started then flying into “Hey Day”, “Ciao Bella” and “No Intention” Sounding like Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day, the guys put on a stellar show.

In Pictures - Tim Smith Fundraiser
The Dirty South Magazine - 14th May 2011

Photos - Ginger Wildheart Band - Talking Heads Southampton
The Dirty South Magazine - 10th May 2011

Review And Photos - Michael Monroe - The Wedgewood Rooms
The Dirty South Magazine - 11th April 2011

Review: Michael Monroe @ The Wedgewood Rooms
Published: April 11, 2011
Posted in: Bands
Tags: Ginger, Michael Monroe, The Wedgewood Rooms
words and photos by Martin Hoare

Upon making it into the venue, I was greeted by an almost empty room. What’s happened to the Portsmouth music scene, have all the punters been scared off by some sort of axe murderer on the loose in Portsmouth that I am blissfully unaware of? Anyway, I scramble to the camera pit to catch a few songs of the band “New York Alcohol Anxiety Attack“

To set the scene, the bassist had the most stupid Viking hat on and the silly outfits and props didn’t altogether make up for the lack of material. That said, they had the crowd by the 5th song as they got more into the swing of things, albeit a bit reminiscent of early Bush kindled with some Smashing Pumpkins. Frontman Mik Davis says “It’s a nice place, you should be proud to be from around here” The last track, “Your love is fucking with our head” was very psychedelic and a nice song to end on, would be great to hear this song playing out at the end of a summery festival. Although the frontman crouches down in a frog-like pose and looks at the crowd licking his lips, all I can think of is “did he steal his, ill-fitting, denim jacket from his little sister??”

Michael Monroe’s set begins with an almighty power chord, a trait seen from Ginger in most Wildhearts gigs, Michael Monroe bursts on stage playing the sax. Michael then had a bit of banter with the crowd, saying that he had food poisoning a few days ago but he’s glad he feels better now and had a chance to see the beach here. They perform the new single “78”, which possesses very punchy bass and gritty guitars. I’d be happy to listen to this cruising around in an old pimped out Mustang or Chevy. Good hearty rock and roll which also holds its own and doesn’t sound out of place in today’s rock music genre, this song certainly has a striking meaning with lines like “You can take the boy out of 78 the styles gonna change but the sentiment aint” and “it’s time to take the middle finger out of your ass”

The Portsmouth music scene redeemed itself, looking around to see a ¾ full room good turnout but I was kinda expecting more people to be there, some of my friends are big Wildhearts and New York Dolls fans and I was surprised to see they weren’t in the crowd to see Ginger and Steve Conte pounding their guitars.

After “Superpowered Superfly” MM said to the bassist “smack head fucking smack junkie man” the song that followed was very punchy, low basslines and loud beating drums rumbled through the floor.

Michael climbed onto the speaker stacks, picked up the sax and the crowd goes wild again for “Malibu Beach” MM hits the projector with the mic stand (made me laugh slightly then wonders if thee management saw it and whether they would bill the band, always thinking about costs, me)

The lights came on and it seemed like the end of a great night of rock and roll, but then out came Michael and Steve Conte to meet and greet the crowd, such showmen dedicated to the fans they stayed there till gone 12:00 making sure everyone who wanted got autographs.

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