Review – Middle Age Fanclub

Book Review : ‘I’m not with the band’ by Sylvia Patterson.

If you’re a music lover you may well have given thought to how you might get yourself a slice of that there scene, at some point. Growing up as an avid reader of the NME and Melody Maker, amongst other music based publications, writing for them was something I wondered how to do, but never dreamed that I’d be able to do it. I couldn’t play an instrument and would have been far too nervous a boy to give signing a go, so writing came in as a close second. But in those pre-internet days, and with only a school careers officer and the local library to rely on, I never worked out how to follow my dream and by the time I did, it was far too late.

Sylvia Patterson, on the other hand, found that music was among her only real interests and, force of nature that she seems to have been, found herself a job that would lead to her writing for the NME, not just reading it! And she’s been writing about music ever since.

‘I’m not with the band’ tells of her adventures in music in a career that, at the time of publication, had just gone beyond 30 years. As you’d imagine there’s lots of the expected hedonism of following bands and artists around. There are tons of tales of the somewhat anarchic and also juvenile things that happened when Silvia was a writer on the sadly missed Smash Hits. It seems that their motto was something like ‘either make it up, take the piss or both’ which sounds right up my street!

There’s also loads of really interesting stuff about big hitters like Madonna, the Manics, Prince, U2, Beyonce, New Order and Oasis and yet you’re often left with the reality that Patterson’s life as a writer isn’t at all as glamorous as you’d imagine. In fact, at times I was thankful for falling into being an English teacher just for the sake of my own safety and sanity! But then you read stuff about people like Black Grape and a notorious trip to the Caribbean to record a video, as well as Cypress Hill and Eminem it helps you to see that while life as a music writer isn’t glamorous, it’s rarely dull.

And ultimately, that’s the saddest part of this memoir. I’d set out into reading it thinking that meeting all of those musicians and following them round the world would be enormously fulfilling and glamorous. But it doesn’t seem to have been so for Patterson. The pay seems barely enough to get by on and the perks never really seem, well, perky enough. In fact our writer seems at her happiest just when taking the piss out of pop stars early on in her career at Smash Hits.

Patterson also details the decline of the music press as well as the closure of many magazines that we may well have read back in the day. The internet has a lot to answer for and part of it is that writers like Sylvia Patterson are forced to work as freelancers, surviving on scraps really. Again, not what we’d expect from someone who on the surface of things, seems to have the kind of job we’d all kill for.

‘I’m not with the band’ is a fantastic, illuminating read. For starters, it’s just very, very funny. But then there’s also a great deal of depth too. Patterson clearly thinks that music – and writing about it – is something life changing. And she’s right. And so the book is equal parts vibrant, honest and thoughtful. With tales of just anyone you could think of within the British music scene of the last 30 years, ‘I’m not with the band’ is a must read for all music lovers.

I give ‘I’m not with the band’…

Comedy Review: Chris Ramsey at Halifax Victoria Theatre.

In our house, I know there’s going to be a good night when we have an early tea. Usually, we eat anywhere between 8 and 9pm – late, I know, but we’re very continental, don’t you know – but when we’re off out, it has to be early. And tonight, we’re off out to see Chris Ramsey in Halifax, which is about a 35 minute drive away, so it’s a case of wolfing down a pasta bake after work, getting ready and then out the door!

Support tonight is provided by Carl Hutchinson. Like Chris, he’s a Geordie and a very funny one at that. And it’s always great when the support act is worth watching, especially when it’s someone that you were previously unaware of.

Carl’s set centres around marriage and fatherhood and how basically, it’s ridiculously hard work. As a fellow dad, it’s a very relatable set and there’s lots to laugh about. There’s a particular bit about the instructions for flat pack furniture which really rings true!

There’s laughs from both of us when he’s discussing the peaks and troughs of marriage and children though and it feels particularly satisfying when Carl tells us about older parents looking at his toddler and telling him, ‘Enjoy her when she’s this age’! I’ve even said it myself very recently when I know that the truth is more than likely that you’re really not going to enjoy the sleepless night, the nappies and the copious amounts of kid vomit!

Hutchinson saves both the best and worst tale until last and the story of his traumatic holiday poo – yes, really – is both cringeworthy and absolutely hilarious at the same time. He’s touring in the autumn and I’d highly recommend him if you like a laugh.

After a twenty minute break it’s time for Chris Ramsey and he strides on amidst a load of dry ice, loud music and flashing lights. Some entrance, but one that his comedy will definitely live up to. And when he tells us early on that tonight’s show is packed with stuff he can’t talk about on his podcast we know we’re in for a night of juicy tales!

Like Hutchinson before him, Chris spends a lot of his time on stage talking about life as a husband and father, all with the underlying proviso that we remember ‘but I love them, couldn’t live without them…’ which only serves to make it all even funnier.

Ramsey has been very successful in the last few years as the podcast that he does with wife Rosie has really taken off. Coupled with his individual success it has led to the pair ‘moving up in the world’ or as Chris himself puts it, getting above our station. So the show looks at life as a husband and parent having moved out of his home town of South Shields and out to leafy Northumberland. There’s no arrogance and no side here, by the way, he’s just as personable and funny as ever about it all. In fact, he’s very open when he tells us that it just didn’t work out and that they’ve been dragged back down by the universe!

Stand out moments here include his ‘remodelling’ of the Northumberland house complete with some ducks who ended up taking a very disappointing holiday in his back garden after he’d filled in the pond. There are tales of wanting to fight other dads – Chris is a blue belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu while also being, in his own words, ‘soft as shite’ – as well as the sharp theatre wide intake of breath when he declares that being a dad is harder than being a mam! And it’s no surprise when I find my wife laughing harder than me at this particular section!

Ramsey also does a little bit about the difference between being a ‘mummy’ and being a ‘mam’ which, being a Geordie with a mam, has me laughing like a drain.

The second half of the set covers how his professional life also took a bit of a battering after appearances on Soccer AM – he was subsequently banned from the show for life! – This Morning with Phil and Holly, where him and Rosie were the last guests before the presenting team, shall we say, ‘changed’ and appearances on the Graham Norton Show alongside P Diddy and then Will Smith. If you have a think I’m sure you can work out why he feels he might just be cursed!

The show closes with the tale of that appearance on Graham Norton with Will Smith. Or at least it sort of does, because the appearance that we may have witnessed on TV was not quite how it actually went. But don’t worry, Chris’ management have a video of how it really went which absolutely brings the house down!

While an early tea hints at a good night to follow, in our house we also gauge how funny something is on a sliding scale. At the top end of that scale you’re either crying laughing or your face hurts from laughing. Or both. Tonight, Chris Ramsey is at the top of the scale from beginning to end and leaves the stage to a thoroughly well deserved standing ovation.

Film Review: Extraction.

Different people want different things out of a film. Some want to see authenticity, gritty realism and some kind of rollercoaster of emotions that carries them along for a couple of hours before spitting them out the other side, exhausted. Other people just want to be entertained and watch from the edge of their seat. And if this is you, then ‘Extraction’ might just be right up your alley.

‘Extraction’ is a 2020 thriller starring Liam Hemsworth as a former Australian black ops soldier now working as a mercenary. And, with little regard for his own safety – in fact you could say he’s got a deathwish – he’s about to take on a stupidly dangerous mission. Cue much edge of the seat action and shoot ’em up fun!

Hemsworth plays Tyler Rake, a disaffected military mercenary who takes a dangerous mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh to extract the son of a drug dealer whose life is in grave danger. Little does he know that there’s more than one group hunting for his extraction target, Ovi and therefore more than one group hunting him down. Rake pulls out all the stops to battle through everyone from Ovi’s captors, to his so-called bodyguard Saju, a local drug lord and even the corrupt police. See what I mean about entertainment?

‘Extraction’ is classic good guys versus bad guys fun with the added twist that it’s actually difficult to work out who’s on the side of good on more than one occasion. Tyler and Ovi face death on multiple occasions with the brilliant bit of the plot being that just when you think one or both is about to meet his maker, fate intervenes. You’ll rarely leave the edge of your seat in this adrenaline fuelled thriller! And while the thrills are plenty, it’s also pretty amusing at times and the suspension of your disbelief is required with pretty much every kill. But will Tyler and Ovi make it out of Dhaka? Well, that’s anyone’s guess!

There are plot twists aplenty throughout the entirety of Extraction’s almost 2 hours. But every time you think that Tyler and Ovi are sure to be hooked by one of their many pursuers, they manage to wriggle free, which for me is a huge part of the attraction here. I don’t mind the implausability of it all – although my special ops experience is pretty minimal, so who am I to comment on implausability? – in fact I absolutely loved it.

There are some cracking performances here too. Hemsworth is excellent as mean and moody Tyker Rake, bur Rudhraksh Jaiswal as Ovi and Randeep Hooda as the shadowy Saju both add a bit of something to the mix.

If you like a bit of action and jeopardy, ‘Extraction’ is definitely a film you should have a look at. A fast moving thriller that, if you’re anything like me, will keep you involved from minute one and even having yelling and yelping at the screen from time to time. What more could you want from your entertainment?

I give ‘Extraction’…

Review: Stereophonics at Sheffield Arena.

As a music lover, it’s safe to say that I’d give my right arm to be in a famous band…although maybe that wouldn’t then be overly practical. You know what I mean though, right? And when Stereophonics take to the stage in Sheffield tonight and Kelly Jones strides down the catwalk that stretches out into the crowd, all leather jacket and cool quiff, that feeling is amplified x 10, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Some lucky people just exude cool and Jones has always had it. So tonight, as the band kick things off with a raucous ‘Vegas Two Times’… it’s difficult not to focus on just him.

But this is much more than just the Kelly Jones show. The staging is superb, with big screens and graphics combining with an audience cam – briefly featuring me and Mrs C stood either side of an Amazonian giant of a young woman – and even the occasional lyric being projected behind the band. This means that your eyes are everywhere while the rest of you is busy getting pretty much blown away by the sound.

The early part of the set features a series of singalong Stereophonics’ classics and tonight’s crowd don’t fail to indulge, meaning that, despite the fact that this could just be regarded as a soulless a 15,000 capacity concrete bowl, the energy is palpable. This is a band well versed at playing this size of venue and then some and it’s a great start to the gig.

In the middle of the set is a mighty version of ‘Geronimo’, featuring a bit more catwalk action and some rock and roll superstar poses. This is then followed a few songs later by the welcome return of raucous early classic, ‘More Life In A Tramp’s Vest’ before the frenzy is calmed with the unlikely appearance of Kelly playing a ukelele version – or at least the start of a version – of ‘I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio’.

Later in the set it’s ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ that has the crowd singing along before an excellent version of the altogether more soulful ‘Fly Like An Eagle’. And then it’s time for the final song of the first part of the set and a thunderous rendition of ‘The Bartender And The Thief’ which leaves everyone in the crowd hungry for more.

For the encore, there’s ‘100MPH’, ‘Traffic’ ‘C’est la vie’ and then an almighty version of fan favourite ‘Dakota’. A brilliant ending to a brilliant gig. On a cold and windy December night in Sheffield, Stereophonics have proven once again that they can warm any room right up!

Theatre Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Leeds Playhouse.

It’s bitterly cold and raining heavily on what it turns out is a chaotic night on the roads into Leeds City Centre. As a result, once we’re finally parked, it’s a mad dash across a couple of busy roads and through the theatre in order to just get sat down as the curtain goes up and the music begins to welcome us to the world of Dickens’ London.

On stage, there’s no rain but ‘snow’ is falling and while nothing is chaotic, there’s certainly an all action start to ‘A Christmas Carol’ with plenty going on in Scrooge’s factory. The song – and those that follow – is unexpected, but makes for not only a welcome surprise but an amazing start to the play.

Deborah MacAndrew’s adaptation of this festive favourite is excellent with the opening song and the neon ‘Scrooge and Marley’ sign the first hints that this will definitely be a move away from what we might call the traditional version of the tale. The show is absolutely joyful and a real feast for the senses that will leave you buzzing with festive cheer, not least because of the addition of some of the biggest, brightest and shall we say, interesting Christmas baubles that you’re ever likely to encounter!

As an English teacher, I know what I was expecting. There are only so many times you can read through the novella before you find that you can ‘hear’ the same voices and ‘see’ the same settings and having never seen ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the stage before I found this version more than a refreshing change. That said, when the Ghost of Christmas Carol didn’t sound like Brian Blessed my mind was temporarily blown! The ghosts though are all superb with Claudia Kariuki bringing a real sense of sparkle to the Ghost of Christmas present, while the presentation of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is quite stunning and might even feature in a few Christmas nightmares in the audience.

The play is set in Leeds and revolves around Scrooge and Marley’s factory in where the workforce toil in a permanent state of fear of their boss, Ebeneezer Scrooge. And then, when he’s visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley, we’re taken on a familiar journey towards redemption as the three ghosts show Scrooge what he was, what he is and point him in the direction of what he perhaps should be.

The cast are superb throughout, making even scene changes and scenery shifting some kind of almost balletic event and there’s never a dull moment. Obioma Ugoala is a terrifying Jacob Marley – something else I wasn’t expecting – as well as an appropriately jolly and benevolent Fezziwig, throwing huge amounts of energy into both roles. Meanwhile Danny Colligan is perfect as Fred, the very antithesis of his uncle Ebeneezer. And a word too for Rosie Strobel who does an excellent job of scene stealing as a rather raucous Mrs. Dilber!

Reece Dinsdale is excellent as Scrooge, throwing around Bah Humbugs with an extra large helping of disdain. And then, when the ghosts start to exert their influence he’s appropriately vulnerable and shows signs of humanity that we don’t always associate with Scrooge before his redemption. A fitting performance for such a classic character.

Overall, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is nothing short of a triumph. A fast paced, festive production that will make you laugh, sing, clap along at times and maybe even shed a tear. Having not felt particularly festive going in, I came out pretty much full of Christmas cheer, which for me was about a fortnight early! A cracking Christmas production!

I give ‘A Christmas Carol’…

Middle Age Gigging: The Bluetones at Academy 2 in Manchester.

Saturday was a busy night for the Britpop revival in Manchester. Fresh from the success of recent Oasis support slots, Richard Ashcroft was crooning out his anthems at Co-Op Live. And meanwhile, far more refreshingly for us, The Bluetones were treating us to their indie pop joy at the Academy on the other side of town without a bucket hat in sight.

As ever the ‘Tones were on fine form and there was much to please a lively crowd.

First up though were The Supernaturals and a bit of a pleasant surprise for yours truly. I wasn’t a fan first time around and their hit ‘Smile’ left me doing anything but. Tonight though, I’m proved wrong – don’t worry, it’s a regular occurrence – as their set is excellent showing that the band have a depth that I’d never been aware of back in the day. The Manchester crowd are a little quiet to begin with, but it’s not long before we’re all enjoying ourselves. The set features stuff like the more upbeat ‘Smile’ and ‘The Day Before Yesterday’s Man’ but there’s also the more reflective ‘Don’t Let The Past Catch Up With You’. The highlight for me is the excellent ‘I Wasn’t Built To Get Up’ and all in all, The Supernaturals have definitely turned my head.

After a short break, our heroes The Bluetones emerge to a rapturous welcome. This tour comes on the back of some new releases, the most recent being the ‘London Weekend Television’ EP and there’s a healthy smattering of new stuff in amongst some well known classics, as well as one or two lesser known tracks. So, with a crowd made up of both Bluetones nerds like myself and my wife and folk out for a night of Bitpop nostalgia, frontman Mark makes a quick mock apology for the songs that some people won’t recognise.

But there’s nothing to apologise for as we kick off in well known territory with ‘Bluetonic’ and everybody’s singing along. It’s followed by the brilliant ‘New Athens’ and ‘Solomon Bites The Worm’ ensuring that it’s been a whirlwind start to proceedings. Last year’s single ‘Drive Thru’ – a bit of a personal favourite – follows before there’s a change of pace with ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’. All killer so far, no matter what Mr. Morriss might be joking about!

In between songs, as ever, Mark is a master at working the crowd. Tonight, we’re jokingly told off for singing along with a stern ‘No!’, get the tale of how The Bluetones featured on both Bargain Hunt of all places and Sunday Brunch and hear of a time when Mark saw Duran Duran in America and their new songs turned what had been the best night of his life into the stuff of nightmares. There’s even an in gig band meeting when Mark tries to tell us about songs that are instantly known for their first chord strike while Adam insists on playing riffs. He was only talking about the first strike, mate!

Tonight, the new songs are well received and more than hold their own alongside the old hits that the ‘Tones are probably much more well known for among tonight’s crowd. Consequently, ‘The Aristocrats’, ‘Cheap Hotel’ and Madeline blend in seamlessly alongside ‘Cut Some Rug’ and ‘Slight Return’ because the truth is that these lads have never lost the knack of writing a cracking tune. In fact, for me ‘The Aristocrats’ is one of the stand out songs tonight.

The set closes with the brilliant ‘Never Going Nowhere’, which is followed by some good natured and Bluetones approved booing – props to Jimmy for the sign – because we’re all complicit in the lie here; of course they’re coming back for a couple more! I do have a tiny complaint to make here though and perhaps a reason for a small boo. There was no medley at the end of the song…no Eurythmics, no Van Halen and none of the other little surprises which have been blended into the set closer. I’ll let it go this once though…

And so, having also been booed back onstage, the boys are back to finish with the aforementioned ‘London Weekend Television’ an impromptu version of ‘My Way’ and then the sure-fire crowd pleaser that is ‘If…’. Once again, The Bluetones have been outstanding and given us yet another night to remember. Here’s to a new album soon and many many more nights like tonight. Cheers, lads!

Book Review: The Kingdom by Jo Nesbo.

If you’re into your crime thrillers then you’ll know that there are a number of reliable writers in what has fast become a bit of a saturated market. Jo Nesbo though, with his somewhat dark Scandinavian landscapes is undoubtedly one of the best and one of the world’s biggest selling crime writers.

The Kingdom is the tale of two brothers with a dark, mysterious past and more than a few secrets. Roy, the older brother still lives on the family smallholding in remote Norway while holding down a job in the village that they grew up in. Younger brother Carl has emigrated to Canada to make his fortune and perhaps to escape his past. However, when he returns in a blaze of glory, everything changes and a few skeletons begin to threaten to emerge from the cupboards.

The Kingdom is, as you’d expect from Nesbo, a well written thriller full of grisly death and with more than enough twists to keep the reader guessing as to what might happen next and what fate might hold for the two brothers. Dealing with issues like the intricacies of life in a small, insular town, brotherly love and even child abuse, this is much more than just your average crime thriller. Sure, the body count begins to rack up as the story unfolds. but there’s more than just gory mysterious death to this one.

Nesbo’s characters are, as usual, rather complex. In the case of older sibling Roy it felt like the surprises about his character just kept on coming and I never really felt that I’d got to grips with exactly who he was. Maybe this was to do with the conflict between his fierce loyalty to his younger brother and his growing attraction to his sister-in-law, Shannon. And Shannon herself is a pretty dark horse. But then there’s also the younger brother Carl and a whole host of either villagers or mysterious visitors to keep us on our toes.

Such is the sprawling timeline of the narrative that I never felt like I knew exactly what was coming next. And the unpredictability here acts as both a good thing and a bad thing. There was that delicious feeling that you get when the penny starts to drop about what’s going to happen or the time when something is revealed that you truly weren’t expecting, which can be fantastic, but also the distinct feeling that sometimes there might be one character or detail too many. So while I never really lost track, there were times when I hoped that things would move a little faster.

In the end Nesbo draws all of his strings together well, but the twists and turns just keep on coming, meaning that you’re never quite sure who’s going to survive. All this action, drama, blood and backstabbing in a sleepy mountain village. Who’d have thought?

The Kingdom is an epic tale and a hulking great book, but it’s well worth a chunk of your time. And while it can be a little slow at times, it remains an excellent page turner that’s chock full of surprises.

I give The Kingdom…

Theatre Review: ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ at the Leeds Playhouse.

Every once in a while you come across something that is so good you don’t really have the words to describe it. This however, is not a great deal of use when writing a review of said thing!

Afterwards, while walking across Leeds having watched ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, it struck me that I didn’t feel that I could accurately describe just what I’d seen and how much I’d enjoyed it. We exchanged superlatives – ‘fantastic’, ‘amazing’ – but the conversation didn’t exactly flow. It seemed we’d been stopped in our tracks. This would only get worse when we walked up the stairs to level 7 of the car park and the knees and thighs overtook the brain in terms of some kind of exhaustion. Still, there was a review to write!

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ tells the tale of a rape trial in America’s deep south; a local black man is falsely accused of the crime and the story unfolds against the backdrop of horrific prejudice, the Great Depression and a distinct lack of hope or justice.

Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of this American classic, directed by Bartlett Sher, is particularly special. The story itself is, of course, incredibly well known and well loved but there’s something in the way that the tale is presented here that elevates things just that little bit more. While it’s impossible not to be moved by the events unfolding before you, Sorkin’s script allows for frequent lighter moments meaning that the audience is taken on a very emotive journey indeed across the course of the play.

The cast are superb. The narrative is driven mostly by the children – Scout, Jem and their friend Dill – and we’re taken back and forth between the fateful night when Mayella Ewell is attacked and the events before, during and after the trial. Anna Munden as Scout stands out here; a carefree child at times, yet vulnerable and shocked by what the world seems to be throwing her way in a heartbeat. The relationship between her and Jem (Gabriel Scott), juggling the onset of manhood during these troubled times with the fact that he’s just a boy trying to enjoy what feels like yet another endless summer, is a pleasure to watch. A word too for Dylan Malyn who is brilliantly cartoonish, displaying excellent comic timing as well as a genuine sadness and bewilderment, as Dill.

Aaron Shosanyo delivers an emotive shift as the accused Tom Robinson, displaying a calm frustration at his predicament, rather than the anger that would be so understandably justified.

Richard Coyle’s performance as town lawyer Atticus Finch allows no one to steal the show though. He is quite simply outstanding here. Coyle is superbly convincing, portraying Atticus’s struggle to remain calm, kind and understanding among the racial tension and tremendous injustices that have found their way to the quiet Alabama town of Maycomb. This really is a performance to shout from the rooftops about.

The set is used incredibly effectively too with different settings being rolled into place by the cast as we switch both times and places seamlessly. And while it’s quite sparse, there is no doubting the seriousness of the courtroom or the calm, homely feel of the Finch house’s porch.

Aaron Sorkin’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is a must see. A simply outstanding piece of work that will take not only your breath away, but maybe even your ability to string sentences to together too. At least for a short while!

I give ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’…

Film Review: ‘Jules’

A bit of an understated gem this one. ‘Jules’ tells the tale of pensioner Milton Robinson (Ben Kingsley) whose life changes overnight when a UFO crashes in his back garden.

Milton is a widowed 79-year-old living rattling around alone in his great big home. His daughter, a local vet, is worried about his mental health, suspecting that her dad is showing signs of early onset dementia. Meanwhile, Milton busies himself by attending the same local council meeting week after week after week and having his requests for more pedestrian crossings turned down. Luckily for him, two other pensioners make the same weekly pilgrimage and both might just be fighting for his attention.

Only when the aforementioned space ship crash lands in his back garden do things start looking up for Milton. He finds the injured alien and after a day or two manages to get it strong enough to enter his house. From that point on the two busy themselves watching daytime TV while Milton tries to figure out what to do for the best. But he’s getting nowhere fast. The local police put him down as some sort of crackpot and his daughter takes his plea for help with the alien as a sign that her dementia diagnosis is correct. But at least he has a cure for his loneliness now.

Things begin to move at pace when his two female admirers get involved with one naming the alien ‘Jules’. But Jules’ fate is nowhere near safe.

While Jules clearly needs to return to his home planet, government forces are working tirelessly in the background to find the alien and his craft, which they know has crashed to earth somewhere in Pennsylvania. Together these pensioners and their adopted alien must find a way to keep Jules hidden while also outwitting the agents that are hunting him down.

‘Jules’ is a really heart warming tale. The bond between Milton and Jules is an unusual one to say the least, but it helps the film deal with issues like ageing, loneliness and mental health quite beautifully. There’s a really subtle undercurrent of dry humour too, which is brought out brilliantly by some excellent performances.

‘Jules’ features a quite wonderful cast. Kingsley is fantastic as the curmudgeonly Milton and is aided and abetted brilliantly by Harriet Sansom Harris as Sandy and Jane Curtin as the feisty Joyce. There’s plenty of life left in these three old timers, that’s for sure, especially when it comes to keeping a lost alien safe!

As with any alien film, you have to suspend your disbelief a bit here. I mean, the fact that no one notices the loud shuddering smash of an alien craft crash landing has to be ignored for starters. But that said, there’s never a great deal of point in picking holes in a plot, is there?

With crusading pensioners, bungling federal agents, a mute alien and a whole host of dead cats, ‘Jules’ is definitely one to watch and it might just turn out to be the favourite film you never knew you needed! A quirky, funny and warm film that is guaranteed to at the very least raise a smile!

I give ‘Jules’…

Book Review: Half a World Away by Mike Gayle

Imagine living with a past that you could never shake off, regardless of how content you might be with life. Imagine living with the kind of secret that you had no idea how to address.

Kerry Hales is a single mum who does everything she can to provide for her young son and make the most of life on a south London estate. Meanwhile, across London her brother Jason lives a successful life with a wife and daughter. Now a top barrister, he knows nothing of the sister that he was once so close to. He’s not Jason anymore either; now he’s Noah. But Kerry has never forgotten him, whatever his name might be these days.

Kerry and Jason were separated as children when their mother admitted defeat in her quest to bring them up and had them taken into care. Kerry was ten and Jason almost two and while Kerry would go on to live through the system with chidlren’s homes and foster care, Jason was quickly adopted by a well to do family who not only saved him from what could well have been a troubled childhood, but change his name to something that they thought more fitting.

‘Half A World Away’ is in part the happy tale of how sister and brother are finally reunited. Sadly though, nothing of this magnitude could ever be simple and so there’s sure to be trouble and sadness along the way. I mean, being contacted by anyone out of the blue after 32 years without a word would be at the very least a little strange. But a sibling that you never knew you had? As Noah himself says, ‘it’s impossible to describe the range of emotions I felt upon reading the letter’.

Despite the fact that at first Noah believes that Kerry’s letter might be a scam of some sort, the two are eventually reunited. But it was never going to be straightforward.

What we end up with though, is just a brilliant story. I’ve read a few Mike Gayle books before but oddly not picked one up for years without really ever knowing how or why that had happened. In fact, this one was found in a box of books that I’d mislaid in the loft. I’m so glad I found it though. Gayle is a brilliant writer when it comes to relatable characters and emotions. And although nothing like this has ever happened to me, I found that not only could I just not put the book down, but that I was quickly invested in the relationships and the characters, which of course is always a good sign.

Covering themes such as love, family, race and class, ‘Half A World Away’ is a real page turner. It’s beautifully written with characters that you’ll instantly care about and feel like you almost know. Equal parts funny and heart warming, this is a story that is also gut-wrenchingly sad, so you might need a pack of tissues. Ultimately though, ‘Half A World Away’ is just a fantastic story and I’d urge you to give it a go.

I give ‘Half A World Away’…