Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice spoiler free review - A steaming pile of incoherant rubbish

I'm struggling with where to start. I guess, firstly, the pros; Ben Affleck is great as a vengeful Batman, and the low key one on one combat scenes with Affleck and armed guards are well executed. It's clear Affleck took getting the look for this character right very seriously!

However, everything else is cons. The storyline is convoluted, incoherent and messily arranged; Henry Cavill isn't given anything meaningful to do and is just left to look moody and scowl occasionally; it takes 90 minutes to set up a seemingly endless fight that has no substance; and finally, Jesse Eisenberg is awful as the maniacal Lex Luther.

Let me break that all down a bit for you.

The film begins the other side of the end of Man Of Steel with Superman fighting Zod and destroying most of Metropolis, with Bruce Wayne watching broodily on. Zach Snyder, who also did Man Of Steel, has real trouble balancing the storyline with fight scenes and in the end we get both but without any meaningful link. We're never entirely sure why Batman and Superman start fighting, and then when it ends on the mention of Superman's mother, Martha, it's all a bit anti-climactic; like, is that it? The reason for why Lex Luther brings back Zod as Doomsday is never explained, and appears to have been put in just to fill the last 30 minutes and give all three superheroes something to come together for.

There are far, far too many elements being juggled for the ending to make any sense. They spend so long on the final fight with Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman against Doomsday, that they forget they need to somehow set up the film coming after this one. To set up the film, while at a funeral, Bruce Wayne and Wonder Women discuss setting up a squad to fight with all the meta-humans Bruce found and showed her from Lex Luther's hard drive. It's so messy. As if they finished the final cut and thought, "Oh crap, we forgot to set up the next one!" so just put one quick scene in an the end to save themselves; it hasn't worked.

Add to that the seriously annoying presence of Eisenberg's Lex Luther. He's going for crazy psychopath, but instead comes across as over the top and trying too hard to make the character his own. It's his weird Mark Zuckerburg turned up to 11. 

And then there's the question why Lois Lane is even in the film. She starts off as a credible journalist and doing lots of investigative work - great - but by the end is just the girl who keeps finding and dropping the object that's pivotal to the ending. In addition to that, Wonder Woman, with her lasso of truth, is the only superhero that can keep Doomsday in one place in the final fight; a dirty metaphor perhaps?!

Verdict - 2/5
Not much else to say except very disappointing. I wouldn't say don't see it, but it's not worth getting excited about.

Inglorious album launch gig review

It'll go down in history as one of those "I was there" moments. At the Islington Assembly Hall, on 21 February 2016, a new chapter began in the history book of rock and they named it; Inglorious.


L to R; Will Taylor, Colin Parkinson, Phil Beaver (back), Nathan James and Andreas Eriksson
Photo credit: Dan Haygreen

I'm really struggling to find words to describe the experience of seeing Inglorious because it was so phenomenal, but if you can imagine Deep Purple in their pomp them you will get some kind of idea. Heavy, driving riffs and solos, controlled aggression from the rhythm section, and incredible vocal range make Inglorious an absolute joy to behold, both live and on their debut record.

Their musicianship and seamless chemistry is quite staggering to watch. Andreas Eriksson and Will Taylor share lead and rhythm duties song by song, and are equally comfortable doing a joint solo; blowing many minds in the process. Colin Parkinson (bass) and Phil Beaver (drums) take on the enviable task of driving the Inglorious train forward, in a partnership that is reminiscent of John Paul Jones and John Bonham. Between them they even took on a tight drum and bass instrumental while the rest of the band took a few minutes break. As immensely talented as those guys are, Nathan James' voice steals the show. I'm not exaggerating to say his vocals are an amalgamation of Ian Gillan, David Coverdale and Dio - simply fantastic.

Inglorious rocketed through their set with as much, if not more, power than is presented on their album. Opening with the incredible Until I Die, running through a mash up set of the album's tracks, and throwing in Toto, Rainbow and Deep Purple covers for good measure, Inglorious just got better and better as the night went on.

The biggest surprise for me was Holy Water; as close to an Eagles/Deep Purple song as you're likely to hear. Nathan James described it as only taking 40 minutes to write and rather an 'after thought', for want of a better phrase, to finish the album. It was surprising purely because of how good and different it was in relation to the other 10 tracks on the album, and also probably the best song on the night for audience participation on the chorus.

I was also pleased, but not surprised, at how nice and personable all the members were after the show. I had a decent chat with each of them, except Nathan who was rather rushed away by security, and they all signed my CD and ticket.

Inglorious - Inglorious album review

There aren't many albums I could listen to all day, but this is one. A collection of pure, unequivocal rock 'n' roll. This album represents everything that classic rock should be; raw, unadulterated rock 'n' roll, powering forward with high energy and dynamic attitude!

Inglorious' debut album cover

Inglorious' self-titled debut has been a long time in the making. Formed in 2012 by brilliant lead singer, Nathan James, formerly of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical production, Superstar, Inglorious has been put together through mutual friends and a mutual love of British classic rock legends of yesteryear - Rainbow, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin etc etc etc.

Somehow, Inglorious have created a sound that not only harks back and takes influence from those legends, but also sounds fantastically fresh and vibrant. From the riff of Until I Die to the faded piano at the end of Unaware, Inglorious bounds forward with all the vigour of an excited puppy, but with the control and grace of a high flying eagle.

The stand out track on Inglorious for me is the aforementioned Until I Die. Riffs are a tricky thing to get exactly right, but when done simply and effectively it's hard to argue they're a thing of beauty. From first hearing the riff of Until I Die on Planet Rock months ago, I fell deeply in love with it and haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since - which of course is what a great riff is designed to do!

As well as the hard rocking tracks on this album, there are equally tranquil, ballad like songs, Holy Water for example, which glides along effortlessly. The most tranquil example on Inglorious is Wake, a beautiful, moving track which is almost beyond description, especially with the piano section at the end.

When it comes to the hard rocking tracks on Inglorious, it isn't all the same. Girl Got A Gun is structured to cleverly it's a wonder it's rarely done by more "mainstream" rock bands. A calm intro flows into a drum and bass lead verse, which suddenly dives into a sumptuously heavy pre-chorus riff before a Gillan esque chorus; simply fantastic!

Verdict - 10/10

I have absolutely no reservations giving Inglorious a 10/10 for their debut album. It's nostalgically classic yet fresh enough not to sound like they've blatantly copied what came before. Some will say it's too similar, but how can that be a bad thing?! In a time where rock is supposedly "dying", why shouldn't a group of fresh faced rockers bring back a flavour of what was, and always will be, classic rock?

Davide Pannozzo - It Hurts Me Too track review

Italian Blues man, Davide Pannozzo, approached me on Twitter to take a listen to his cover of Elmore James' It Hurts Me Too, and here's my assessment.

Pannozzo takes this iconic song and turns it almost entirely on it's head. The slide guitar has gone and where once was piano is now guitar fills. He's also doubled the length of the track, from three minutes to just over six.

His guitar playing is very interesting also - a salute back to the legends of Eric Clapton and BB King - favouring short sharp runs as opposed to lengthy, overly elaborate solos, which is fresh and certainly a different take to that of most contemporary Blues players. It's more Live at the Regal than Tour de Force: Live in London that's for sure.

Innovation is certainly not something Pannozzo's afraid of. There are tiny nuances that gives this cover a very interesting sound, for example doing multiple up and down bends on one note rather than one long vibrato, and sharp slides mid note that liven up the piece. I can't say I've heard these techniques very often.

Pannozzo's voice is great too. Softer than that of gritty Blues singers like BB King, but full of tone and warmth, and compliments his playing.

Verdict - 8/10
It's a very nice cover of a classic track, and Pannozzo has put his own spin on it without losing the class of the original.

If you prefer softer Blues than you should definitely check out Davide's Soundcloud page and subscribe to his newsletter.
https://soundcloud.com/davide-pannozzo
http://davidepannozzo.fanbridge.com/

Philip Sayce - Peace Machine album review

There are times in life when you find something you can't believe you've been without your entire existence until that point. For me, at this moment, that something is the music of Philip Sayce; the Blues Rock maestro with the playability of Jimi Hendrix with a touch of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and trust me, that's no exaggeration.

Sayce's first album with Warner, Influence

I was tuned into Planet Rock last Sunday evening, listening to the 'My Planet Rocks' programme whose guest was South African Blues man, Dan Patlansky. I had heard of this guitar-smith but not paid much, if any, close attention to his music. It was another man's music, though, that caught my ear during the programme. Patlansky was asked by presenter, Wyatt Wendels, to reveal his final song which was Out Of My Mind from Sayce's 2015 album, Influence. I was absolutely astounded, knocked back, and left with my mouth gapping! What on earth was that?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKJaeAcElEo

I was so enthused I jumped straight onto my computer in search of the musical wonders I had just adhered to. The first thing I came across was in fact Influence, a delicious mix of Blues, jazz, hard rock, and more commercialised blues tracks. However, diving into his back catalogue I stumbled across the golden nugget that is Peace Machine.



Sayce's first album, 2009's Peace Machine

The cover itself gives you an idea of it's theme - hard blues rock with a late 60s, Hendrix, psychedelic flavour. There are 15 tracks (if you include Arianrhod, the bonus track), all of which take elements of classic blues rock - Hendrix, SRV - and incorporates in modern twists to give a similar style to that of contemporary blues master, Joe Bonamassa. Although I would argue Sayce plays with a bit more attack and with a harder edge than Bonamassa.

You certainly get a great plethora of different styles on this album. All I Want, for example, is as close to Hendrix as it's possible to get, and then, conversely, we have Alchemy, an extremely laid back instrumental that just listening to will make you melt into whatever you're sitting on. However, the highlight has to be song which gives the album it's title. Peace Machine is an 11 minutes Blues Rock romp that channels Hendrix so much, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was one of his own. The guitar work is simply mesmerising too, combining shredded blues solos and calmer SRV-like tones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLH6AyuV0sw

A notable difference between Sayce and Bonamassa is the style of playing. Bonamassa takes care of his instrument, carefully caressing every note and nuance. Sayce on the other hand thrashes his guitar until it literally screams. There are points on many Peace Machine tracks where the feedback, fuzz and whammy effects literally take over the resonance of the actual notes being played and create a swirling miasma of stunning technique and innovation.

Verdict - 10/10
If you're a fan of the Blues, Hendrix, SRV, you simply have to get this album or at the very least just listen to it. I guarantee it will blow your mind!

Primal Fear - Rulebreaker album review

To quote the late Lemmy Kilmister (God that's horrible and weird to say!), "The great strength of heavy Metal is that it doesn't progress. People love it the way it is." Nowhere is this more applicable to a band than Primal Fear. As with 99% of heavy Metal bands - the exception being Metallica - the formula stays the same because it's what works.

Primal Fear's new album - Rulebreaker

I mean no disrespect to Primal Fear when I say this, but they are a safe band. That's not to say their music is bland - because it most certainly isn't - but it's nothing we've not heard before. When I say they're safe it's in reference to the fact there are so many aspects of their music that has already been done by other Metal bands, and in a lot of cases, has been done better.

It's a true story that Ralf Scheepers, Primal's lead singer, went to audition for the singer's role in Judas Priest when Rob Halford left in 1991, and it's clear to hear how well he would have fitted had he been successful in landing the gig. Scheepers has an incredible vocal range, from high pitch screams to monstrous grunting lows, and it is put on show magnificently on this album. The problem is when you're listening to him, you find yourself thinking you're listening to a Judas Priest LP, which obviously isn't a bad thing because Judas Priest sound fantastic, but you get the feeling you've heard it all before and it lacks a special quality that's left wanting when Metal bands just rehash what's already been done. Sure, Metal is a constant, it doesn't follow rules or society - Motorhead being the obvious embodiment of that - but bringing some originality wouldn't hurt.

Admittedly however, the musicianship it great. With each new track comes a great new riff, and the accompanying thumping rhythm section makes a glorious combination that convinces you that it would be rude not to head bang.

There are a couple tracks I'll pick out as my favourites; Angels Of Mercy and In Metal We Trust. The first is a perfect template for the standard Primal Fear song; harmonies on the chorus line, ripping riff and excellent solo. The later is a step toward the symphonic side of Metal and almost could pass as a song by Dragonforce. It's a welcome diversification on what is a very steady record.

Verdict - 7/10
It's the Metal sound we all know and love, but there's always a thought in the back of your mind that makes you think, 'Where's the risk? Why don't they try something new?' It sounds fantastic; too bad we've heard it all before.  

London Sports Writing Festival 2015 - David Millar on retirement, the Spring Classics and his final Tour de France moment

David Millar has raced bicycles professionally at the highest level for 18 years, competing in the Grand Tours, the World Championships and Olympics for Great Britain and represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. And yet the man I see in front of me on the stage in the Thomas Lord suite of Lord's Cricket Ground, being interviewed by ITV's Ned Boulting, has an air of depression about him.

Depression in retired athletes is not a new problem but still remains a big taboo, in the main because it's hard for the general public to feel sorry for sports men and women who've earned a lot of money over the course of their career. It's Millar, though, who has a genuine, heart-breaking reason to be upset about how his professional cycling career came to an end.

Millar and Boulting reporting on the 2015 Tour de France

2014's Garmin-Cervelo team selection came as a shock, both to Millar, who was 37-years-old at the time, and cycling fans, when Millar's Director Sportif, Charlie Wegelius, told him at the last minute he wasn't going to race in that year's Tour de France. Millar recalls: "I can't let that go. From my experience of 12 Tours de France and how I could turn that kind of fitness around, I could have gone. It wasn't the first time I'd been so terribly unfit and out of shape so close to an objective and turned it around; that was my thing. My biggest problem was Charlie. I was like, 'You know me!', and he was just saying, 'Yeah...not good enough, Dave. You've been terrible the last few months, you haven't finished a race'. I told him, 'This was my objective to get ready for the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships, I'll be fine, I've done this my whole career, without fail. Give me a break maybe? I'll do it'." According to Millar, his close friend and former team mate, Matt White, Sporting Director of Orica Green-Edge, would have given him the chance to get his fitness back: "He [Matt White] would have said, 'Dave, don't worry mate, you'll be fine, I trust you, you'll turn it around', and I just heard his voice in my head all the time".

Having essentially been retired by his boss, Millar, rather handily, was called by Boulting and asked to join their ITV coverage of the 2014 Tour de France. Although he'd left the sport, it wasn't on his terms and he felt angry, so his sister - Director of Business Operations at Team Sky - demanded he see Dr. Steve Peters, the well known sports psychologist, who'd he'd only seen a few times before, the first time being 2005 when Millar was released from jail in Biarritz: "My sister basically said, 'David, sort your shit out!'." It wasn't until he sat down and spoke to Steve over Skype that it suddenly dawned on him what was happening. "I sat down to talk to Steve for an hour and immediately he asked, 'How are you?', and I was just like, 'I don't know, I don't know how I am'. He was just like, 'Okay', and then he talked for 45 minutes. He said, 'David you have to recognise that you achieve things, and it's a good thing, but you have to put it to bed'."

Millar riding with Garmin-Sharp in the 2012 Tour de France

To achieve anything in any sport you have to train, but training as a professional cyclist is particularly excruciating. In a sport where ultra-endurance is the key factor in winning, it becomes even more important to train your body to cope with the pain of converting high pedal revolutions into maintained speed. In a typical 180km stage of the Tour de France, the peloton will travel at speeds up to 40kph and gradually increase the pace to drop weak riders until the sprint finish during which specialised sprinters will reach going on 70kph. It's brutal to say the least. Millar explains his relationship with training and how his opinion of it has changed over the years: "I loved racing when I was fit, I hated getting fit. But I think that's the same for all of us as human beings not just athletes. I started to like racing more than the training which is odd because you like the training and the results, what happened to me was I started preferring the racing and I didn't care about the results."

In anticipation of the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana - Millar's staple calendar Grand Tours - Millar rode the 2014 Spring Classics; Milan - San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris - Roubaix. Boulting points out as he asks about them, that he knows Millar has a love/hate relationship with the Spring Classics - although it's love with a lower case L and hate with an upper case H: "I got it as I got older and I loved it when I was a junior. The reason I got into bike racing was Belgium when John Barclay (who also mentored Ian Stannard and Mark Cavendish) took me there on a trip, and it was while I was there I was just like, 'Oh man, this is bike racing!'.

"I've said it, and even Bradley Wiggins has, Flanders is the ultimate bike race. Paris - Roubaix is such an iconic event, but Flanders for any bike racer is like" - at this point Millar exhales to demonstrate he can't think of a bold enough word to describe it - "Why?" ask Boulting, inquisitively. "It's so...BONKERS!" says Millar with look of wonder on his face and marvel in his voice which brings a chuckle from the audience around me. "There are times even as a pro, and I've been there at the sharp end of the race in 2010 with [Philippe] Gilbert and [Fabian] Cancellara, you just think to yourself, 'I have no idea where I am!'."

Millar had ridden Paris - Roubaix only three times before 2014 but never finished and so made it his mission to at least finish, not matter the cost, in the that year's edition. However after crashing within 15 kilometres from the finish inside the velodrome at Roubaix, Millar's mind set changed completely and then ultimately ended the race in rather embarrassing fashion: "I thought, you know what, I'm just gonna enjoy this now, I'm just gonna ride to the finish and soak this up. I got into the velodrome and there was a bunch of four or five riders but I didn't want to finish with them, I wanted to do it on my own. As I was coming round they'd all stopped, and I thought oh God this has ruined my whole moment. Instead of unclipping and asking them to move, which I didn't do because I have too much self respect, I just peeled off the track and said I'm done. I was like, 'Yes I've finished', but then my wife said, 'No, you haven't finished'. So I put my helmet back on and got back on the bike and rode my lap of shame to the actual finish line."

Even 18 years on from being a junior, Millar states he was still learning about how to ride the cobble stones of Paris - Roubaix even up until 2014: "All you have [to ride the cobble stones] is stronger wheels and wider tyres with lower pressure. For the first time last year I relaxed and everything becomes so Zen. You get on the cobble stones and you relax your fingers. In the past, I'd been holding on so tight that all the vibrations would hurt my fingers and I'd have to stretch all the knuckles. And then the last year, I didn't hold on. I just relaxed and was floating and I suddenly got it...18 years too late. The guys that practice Roubaix, they teach themselves to relax, but I'd never done it."

Some won't know how the Spring Classic differ, as Millar explains: "What sets Flanders and Roubaix apart is Roubaix is a war of attrition whereas Flanders is for that finale moment. San Remo has the best finale moment but each one has a thing that makes it stand out individually."

As the last question, Boulting asks what Millar misses the most and Millar repeatedly comes back to "my friends" - but not in the way you or I would use the word friends. Millar reels off name after name of pros and ex pros with whom he grew close to, but now he's retired, he never sees them anymore: "The weird thing about professional cycling is you make friends", he pauses and brings forward his hands to count, "Matt White, Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie, Brad McGee, Ryder Hesjedal, George Hincapie, the list just goes on and on, and these are guys I'd've never met in any other walk of life. We had such wonderful life experiences and I miss the comradery. Thing is we never bump into each other and we never will, it's not like we're all old university friends who hook up because we're all weird dudes anyway. We're not on Facebook, we don't hang out. I miss my friends and I miss my team. Don't get me wrong, riding was super hard, but it was superseded by the friendships we made."





Millar and Flecha on the Champs-Elysees in 2013 - his final TdF stage

The evening before stage 21, the final stage, of the 2013 Tour de France, Millar, admittedly in rather an alcohol induced state, proud announced to his team he was going to break away on the iconic Champs-Elysees. As the race began, Millar asked team mate Stuart O'Grady if he wanted to join him in the break. O'Grady refused, with Millar not knowing his best friend was going to confess to doping the very next day and with that, retire. Millar describes the feeling of riding alone at the front of the race down the Champs-Elysees: "I was with Stewie in the neutral zone and I said, 'I'm gonna go in the break, I'm gonna attack on the Champs, do you wanna come?', and he said, 'No, I can't Dave', and I didn't know why. The funny thing is I got to the point to attack and I thought, 'I can do this', and then as I went to attack and thought, 'I can't do this!' - this raises a massive ironic laugh from the audience - 'How the hell am I going to do that?! How am I going to break away on the Champs?!' But once you see the Eiffel Tower you become a racer again and think, 'Oh God, yeah! I'm not tired anymore I'm going to race this!'
"A group of four of us swung onto the Champs-Elysees, [Juan Antonio] Flecha, Cameron Meyer, I can't remember the fourth unfortunately. And I remember feeling stronger than I'd ever done in my entire career as we got onto the Champs. We dropped Cameron and the other guy and it was just me and Flecha. Up until then I was just focused on myself getting into the break to impress my team mates - Millar puts on a voice in mockery of his own idea - that I hadn't taken anything else in. We came round the Arc [de Triomphe] and Flecha was tapping me and said, 'You go'. At that moment I forgot my team mates, I forgot everything else and just enjoyed it. I was flying down the downhill section at about 70kph, slightly flicking the barrier and was just thinking, 'WOW!'. Coming out from the tunnel and back onto the main road was like entering Ben Hur - just a sea of people with flags cheering. It was that moment when I thought, 'This is fucking bike racing!'." Unfortunately, Millar wasn't able to cap his career with a win on the Champs-Elysees as Marcel Kittel won the sprint finish.

As the event draws to a close what becomes evident is how much of a tortured soul Millar sounds, like he had something precious viciously snatched from him. And the truth is he did. His final hurrah on the Champs-Elysees, already planned and after party booked by his sister, was coldly pulled out from under him. But Millar looks back reflectively on what was his final Tour de France with fondness, because he didn't know it was his last and therefore got the chance to actually race, rather than see it as a career coming to an end which would have happened had he been picked for the 2014 Tour.

It's a shame Millar's career ended so bitterly, but in a way it's a relief because he got to enjoy his final Tour de France moment on his own with the people of Paris shouting for him. It may have happened a year earlier than he'd wanted but at least one of Britain's most talented cyclists got it.