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BBC ATL Review: The Magic Numbers
BBC ATL Review: Rams' Pocket Radio, A Northern Light, Serotonin
Twas a cold winter night last saturday when I stepped from the streets of the Cathedral Quarter modern day Belfast into the time machine that was the black box and was transported all the way back to Victorian times and the messrs Pigeon and Plums Vaudeville Circus. This is about the fifth year in a row I've been and after a year or 2 of not dressing to the occasion decided it was high time to do it right again this again! The majority of the audience had the same idea and i could see top hats and puffed out skirts galore. We indulged in the Hog roast dinner (with all the trimmings) lined up a local cider (Tempted? cider from Lisburn - very nice) and the show began. As you can see from the picture above the Black box is done up like no other night, dressed head to toe in red velvet and with large picture frames around the stage and entrance, small velveted nightlights hang from the walls and the moment you walk in you're greeted by a full size vaudeville ticket booth. Songs of the era play as you mill around with the likes of " I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts" and "who do you think you are kidding Mr. Hitler" being in heavy rotation. Our MC for the night Mr Peregrine Ravenguard is with us all night introducing acts in tongue twisting fashion, making us laugh and even addressing the Bomb the night before (they refused to leave even when the Police told them to "Variety theatre must go on!") everyone is in great, defient even, form following the actions the night before. What follows is a smorgasboard of variety acts too numerous to mention, Jugglers, contortionists, Ariel acts, Magic, strongman, Comedy, singing, you name it it's probably there. Act of the night for me (and worth admission alone) is Paul Currie's slap dic...i mean slap stick act with a microphone, a taped up phone book and his...erm...member. Unbelievably funny. I also loved the funky burlesque that the lady did to "I am the walrus by The Beatles and then "Whip it" by Deevo. I didn't catch her name, however both utterly mesmerising, irreverent and entertaining! Pigeon and Plum has become a fixture on my christmas calender every year now and with good reason, theres something for everyone and every year they get better and better at what they do. I recommend keeping them in mind for next Christmas when you're looking for a night out, you won't be disappointed. Who wrote this?Sir Christopher J Caldwell. I enjoy wrestling, films and nautical adventure. I've just finished making a short film which you can see here. I also DJ sometimes. You'll see me out and about eating or drinking. Sometimes even both whilst walking. I have written for The Big List. I currently also write for BBC Across The Line.
BBC ATL Review: The Magic Numbers BBC ATL Review: Rams' Pocket Radio, A Northern Light, Serotonin
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With all the kerfuffle (is that spelled right? Is there a right way to spell it?) that went on Friday night at St.Annes Square it's important to show the pricks that did this that we'll not be deterred from doing what we do best. Generally thats drinking, followed closely by heckling people trying to perform. So why not combine all these by coming to The MAC in St Anne's Sq and having a few drinks and heckling Ireland's greatest (well definitely funniest) dance troop in their now legendary Pony Panto. Read our review of last years here and our review of their last show "Ponies don't play football" here When: Every night until Wed 18th Dec @9PM Merry ChristmasSir Christopher J Caldwell. I enjoy wrestling, films and nautical adventure. I've just finished making a short film which you can see here. I also DJ sometimes. You'll see me out and about eating or drinking. Sometimes even both whilst walking. I have written for The Big List. I currently also write for BBC Across The Line.
BBC ATL Review: The Magic Numbers BBC ATL Review: Rams' Pocket Radio, A Northern Light, Serotonin vi·ral /ˈvīrəl/ Ireland's undisputed kings of Hilarity have just released this cracker onto the web, it's a song about Boyzone wouldn't ye know. Sure have a listen and let us know what you think. Who wrote this?A couple of weeks ago we donned our scarves and hats to brave the icy cold for Mount Stewart's Festival of Light. As we pulled into the car park (just a big field), it was pitch black, with nothing but lanterns hanging from the tree branches to guide our way to Mount Stewart house. It was all very magical, until we reached the house itself and were confronted with a whole new wonderland of light. A massive teepee (or a Yurt, what's the difference?) glowed warmly in the foreground, with smoke from a log fire drifting up to the sky, while the forest all around lit up with hundreds of multi-coloured lights. As if that wasn't enough, etherial music guided us around the lake. Tri-pods at the ready, we think we got some cracker shots of the whole thing! About the PhotographerLaura Caldwell
I'm 20 years old, studying Journalism with Photo-Imaging at the University of Ulster Coleraine Campus. I have an undying love for Belfast and all that it has to offer, an undying love for sleeping, Tegan and Sara, trashy tv shows, foreign snack-foods and being irresponsible with money. I also quite like origami, reading, jazz, hip-hop, dubstep, anything acoustic and Food Network TV. I've written for The Big List, Culture NI, Chatterbox and The Echo, as well as currently writing for BBC Across the Line. This isn't going to be a review as such, i don't know anyone that can go to 12 bars (having a drink at each) and write a coherent review of how it all went down. Basically the 12 bars of Christmas is a tradition that I have been taking part in for the last 5 years or so and so i thought i'd out line how it works, the 12 bars that we used and throw in the fact that i'm pretty sure this falls way out of your recommended units for the week as far as booze is concerned. With so many new bars opening in Belfast we decided to stick as many of them on as we can, variety being the spice of life and all, we also decided that since the "nicer" (and slightly more expensive) bars are all in the Cathedral Quarter, that would be a good place to start. The timings and order look like this: 2.45-3.30 - The National 1 drink minimum per bar is the rules. Most of the guys i done this with hadn't been to the National, The Dirty Onion or the Harp bar, so it was good to show them something new. The Dirty onion and The John Hewitt had trad bands on in both which was pretty festive. All the bars now seemed to have a good selection of local beers and ciders which is a nice touch and good to see them support the local brewers. It all gets pretty Hazy after about bar 6, but i woke up in one piece and no-one ended up in hospital, so I guess I'll be doing it all over again next year! Who wrote this?We're going to be a bit biased this week and suggest that you get down to Voodoo on Thursday after the return of (most of) Black Sabbath in the Odyssey, where Pastiebap's very own Chris (DJ Trampcorpse) will be kicking things off DJing at the after party. Darren Craig of Radiation Club and the Cap'n of the monster that is Voodoo Fiend Club Stephen Currie rounding off the night. So come down and get yer mosh on why not... Where: Voodoo When: Thusday 12th December The Damage: £3 B4 11PM or with Sabbath ticket /£5 After or with no ticket Who wrote this...?Laura Caldwell
I'm 20 years old, studying Journalism with Photo-Imaging at the University of Ulster Coleraine Campus. I have an undying love for Belfast and all that it has to offer, an undying love for sleeping, Tegan and Sara, trashy tv shows, foreign snack-foods and being irresponsible with money. I also quite like origami, reading, jazz, hip-hop, dubstep, anything acoustic and Food Network TV. I've written for The Big List, Culture NI, Chatterbox and The Echo, as well as currently writing for BBC Across the Line. vi·ral /ˈvīrəl/ This is a fresh one today but is already spreading fast! Todays viral comes from The Cresent at Portstewart courtesy of Ocean Warriors (the local surf shop). Just an example of how quickly our weather can turn and how ferocious it can be! Post by Ocean Warriors. Who wrote this?I went to Yardbird on Monday when the place was but 5 days old, a young chick so to speak. Just opposite the Black Box box Yardbird is the restaurant section (upstairs) of The Dirty Onion - Belfast newest bar. As you ascend there is plenty of exposed walls, reclaimed wood and 18th century beams in what claims to be Belfast's oldest building! The first thing you're greeted with is a giant wall thats covered in all sorts of welcoming and fun phrases my favourite of which is the New Orleans favourite - Laissez les bon temps rouler. As you enter the restaurant the style is certainly in keeping but ramped up even more as the centre piece is a giant high table of wonderful wood, wonderful's not usually a word i use when describing wood, but in this case it's so darn impressive i feel it's apt. So I sat (with my wife) at the bar and perused the menu. The menu however has but one thing on it - Rotisserie chicken - it's very much a do one thing but do it right kinda restaurant. All birds are free range and dry rubbed before being cooked over the rotisserie. They have a few sides as well so I order the Quarter Chicken, fries and corn to share. I also have a Yardbird Craft Ale which is an American style IPA thats light and refreshing whilst still holding the body that you'd expect. We're sat opposite the massive rotisserie where it seems everything except our skin on fries is cooked. We watch a burly man cut it up with clever and within about 5 minutes waalaa, Dinner is served! The chicken came in baskets (as chicken should) and it was delicious and plentiful, i had worried about portion sizes but needn't have been as we couldn't even finish what we got. The chicken itself was moist and tender had very tasty skin and a great use of seasoning, with just a hint of heat. The skin on fries were crispy and well browned they had a rustic texture and taste that complimented the chicken. The corn was sweet and well cooked, the garlic butter that they poured over a nice touch. There were also 2 sauces on the table a Hot and a Smokey BBQ. The hot was my favourite - a spicy tomato based sauce to give the chicken a little more kick. The BBQ slightly too sweet for my taste but my wife really liked it. The bill came at a very reasonable £20.20 for both of us, the staff were polite and friendly throughout also and we were made to feel at home. This is definitely a welcome to the cathedral Quarter and a feather in the cap for Belfast as a whole. As the sign on the way in said "Let the good times roll!" Buck-caw-buck-cawAs winter is here we thought we'd put together some snowy, ethereal landscapes from around NI to show case just how beautiful the cold can look. About the PhotographerI’m Neil Carey, a photographer and artist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I have a deep love of nature and through my work I try to capture how it encroaches on our lives both in the countryside and in the city. I love the surreal and unusual and this other side of me can be seen through my digital art work and manipulations.
To see more of Neil’s work click here As Derry-Londonderry prepare to hand the torch of Culture over to Hull, they have certainly proved their worth as the first ever UK City of Culture this past year. We went to Lumiere festival of light, which saw the city transformed into a luminous cityscape full of colour and light. It's estimated that an insane 180,000 people attended the festival over the course of the four days. As the darkness drew in, the sculptures and buildings lit up, making Derry-Londonderry a sort of interactive artwork, with things to see around every corner. There was the newly commissioned Teenage Kicks, featuring a 30m long neon sign with the line 'A teenage dream's so hard to beat' residing over the BT building' in tribute to Derry band The Undertones' famous song, and with everything from the awe-inspiring 'travellers' flying high over the Peace Bridge, to the neon fluorescent balloon animals, there was something for everyone. The highlight of the entire evening was the world's oldest department store, Austin's being turned into an audio-visual artwork via projections called Voyage. There were hoards of people crowded in The Diamond all night long, waiting to catch the next show. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of people meant that the queues to get across the Peace Bridge were miles long, meaning we didn't get over to the other side of the city to see the fire garden at St Columb's Park, but all in all the city was transformed into a wonderland, the atmosphere was electric and locals and tourists alike saw all that Derry-Londerry had to offer. 2013 has been a proud year for Northern Ireland! Who wrote this...?Laura Caldwell
I'm 20 years old, studying Journalism with Photo-Imaging at the University of Ulster Coleraine Campus. I have an undying love for Belfast and all that it has to offer, an undying love for sleeping, Tegan and Sara, trashy tv shows, foreign snack-foods and being irresponsible with money. I also quite like origami, reading, jazz, hip-hop, dubstep, anything acoustic and Food Network TV. I've written for The Big List, Culture NI, Chatterbox and The Echo, as well as currently writing for BBC Across the Line. |