Justice: This Is Not London

As 2,599 people push and shove around me at Matter, O2, London there is a tangible sense of tension floating through the air. The crowd are already sweaty, hyped and pumped from the hip-hop infused electro of SO-ME, DJ Mehdi and Busy-P, but are now craving the real deal, raw, filthy, undiluted, brutal electro and the Justice boys never fail to deliver.
As ‘Genesis’ stirs up through the speakers and Xavier De Rosney and Gaspard Augé take their place on stage a ripple of applause soon turns to a wave as the Parisian electro house duo start spinning the wheels of steel and treating the capacity crowd to a master class of the cut and paste technique they have become famous for.
‘Genesis’ turns to ‘Phantom Pt. 1’ through to ‘1.5’ which then seamlessly transforms into crowd favourite ‘D.A.N.C.E.’ at this point it all hits the fan.
The beats seem to get heavier and heavier with the PA chewing up and spitting out classics like ‘DVNO’ and ‘Let There Be Light’ like you’ve never heard them before, the bastard children of their tame by comparison album counterparts.
Crescendos hit peaks you never thought they could and dropped beats hit you like a car wreck as melody and dissonance mix into something never heard before, something new.
The unrelenting set gives you a breath half way with a mash-up of Vampire Weekends ‘A-Punk’ but that’s all it is, a breath, before your being dragged right back into the action.
Water’s of Nazareth follows and the fierce synth line seems to tear right through the sea of movement and unify it, as people rise and fall with almost military precision.
De Rosney then drops a line of ‘We Are Your Friends’ into the mix while Augé, hands in the air, rallies the swarm to scream it in unison, a new instrument is added to the mix, the peoples voice.
Everything stops.
The bass line drops.
The horde finds something else as the atmosphere climbs to a fresh plateau, a new flux descends on the gig and everyone, without exception, is dancing.
‘We Are Your Friends’ suddenly drops into a mix of Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing In the Name Of’ added to the mix is Metallica’s ‘Master Of Puppet’s’ Justice are mixing genres in the purest way possible, live.
Once the music had reached a cacophony of guitar’s, synth, bass and drums as quickly as they had come they were gone, waving goodbye to the 2,600 people that desperately wanted more.
The 50’s had Rock & Roll, the 60’s - Flower Power, the 70’s had Punk, the 80’s had a New Romance, the 90’s the Rave Scene.
Now in a cold and rainy London street I feel like I’ve found it, my generations Rock & Roll, it began in underground clubs in Paris and found its way too me through Justice, its latest exponents.
Hard.
Fast.
Loud.
Dirty.
Electro.

Class A dealer gets 5 year stint

A local man was today jailed for five years at Bournemouth Crown and County Court after supplying a police operative with class A drugs on two separate occasions.
Michael Francis McDermott pleaded guilty to charges of supplying heroin to a police officer on both the 1st and 20th of March, which totalled almost 400mg of 51% and 45% pure heroin.
McDermott was caught out in the new police initiative, Operation Quarrel.
Which puts police operatives onto the street, posing as addicts to try and catch low-level dealers.
McDermott is no stranger to criminal activity, with 28 convictions for 53 offences before today and a sentence of five years imprisonment in 1995 for an almost identical offence of supplying class A drugs, again Heroin.
The defence tried to convey a picture of a man ‘on the road to recovery’ pleading for a ‘reasonable and viable alternative,’ to prison.
Defence barrister Charlie Gabb claimed that ‘at 43, if there’s ever to be a time for reform it is now’ adding ‘Mr McDermott could be paying taxes as apposed to sucking them up.
Judge John Harrow retorted by saying, ‘dealers of class A drugs must expect to go to prison, there will be credit for the early guilty plea and tackling your addiction, but prison is the first stop.’
The Judge then went on to give McDermott two-and-a-half years for each offence, totalling five years, to serve at minimum, half of that.
As McDermott was lead away he called ‘see you later love’ to his attending spouse.

Presendential Debate - Who Britain Want's in the Whitehouse

With a hotly debated and controversial presidential election just around the corner, which could see the first black man or the oldest president ever in office. We ask the British public what they think of the current candidates and whom they would like to see voted in on 4th November.

The initial lack of interest was surprising with many feeling that whoever got into power it was America’s effect on Britain that was the real issue.
The whole election campaign underwhelmed 18-year-old Poppy Lane, a charity worker from Norman Hill, Huddersfield. ‘I don’t know who the candidates are. All I know is that there’s a woman who keeps going on about hockey mums - I don’t like her.’ I think it’s unlikely to affect us who wins until they start interfering with our own countries decisions, which I guess they eventually will do. Politics really doesn’t interest me.’

Gillian Merrett, 55, Care worker from Boscombe, Dorset favoured Obama but was similarly uninterested in the proceedings. ‘I’m not really interested at all, if I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Obama. Whoever gets in though, I don’t think anything they do over there is going to affect us. Not any more than it has done already.’


Maintenance man Neil Smales, 49, from Holm on the Wood, Hull was equally flippant about the whole thing but highlighted Obama’s media campaign as well as the poor job George Bush has done in his time as president. ‘I’m really not bothered with it but I think Obama will win because of the way he’s been portrayed in the media, like some sort of hero of something. I don’t know if either of them will make a difference over here but I suppose they cant do a worse job than Bush.’

Another Bush-basher, 45-year-old social worker Diana Marsh from Keswick Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth also thought Obama would win citing a lack of faith in Republican leadership as the main reason. ‘ I don’t feel that the American election will affect me this time around. Obviously Bush really ruined thing’s for the whole world, and Blair was basically his pet. I think the Americans will vote for Obama this time around. I think the Republicans have got a backlash on their hands after eight years of, you know, basically total danger!’

The general rancor felt by the public towards both the Republican government and its supporters was back up by James Keighley’s comments, which also highlighted the implications of the racial side of the campaign. The 27-year-old Restaurant manager from Ruskin Road, Tottenham, London said, ‘I want Obama to win because everyone’s had enough of Republicans, I wanted Hilary Clinton in to be honest, I thought she was a better suited candidate, but I suppose as long as the Democrats win its alright. Obama is obviously better for the world in general but there are a lot of right-wing Americans over there that just aren’t ready for a black president, its going to be tight I think but I hope Obama scrapes through.’

Obama supporters where not hard to find and soon enough Grace Carley, a 17-year-old student from Launceston Place, South Kensington London was telling us why she thought Obama should be in the Whitehouse. ‘Obama for president! I like him because he seems to be neutral; he just wants what’s best for America I think. McCain’s a bit of an idiot and some of his views are just ridiculous, like no abortion, what’s that about? I loved it when he said he was going to “find Osama Bin Laden” I thought that was hilarious, shows he was desperate though, making claims like that.’

Dementia care trainer, 50-year-old Jackie O’Tool from Upper Hinton Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, also felt strongly that Obama should win, as well as being anti McCain. ‘I really hope Obama wins; there’s a real need for change over there. I think he’s a peace loving man and Americans are really too gung ho with their guns, so maybe he can do something about that. I don’t like McCain, I’m not too keen on his proposed war, I think it would be really bad if he got into office.’

Sharon Reid, 40, housewife from Bagshot Road, Ascot, Winchester, held a similar belief, believing that McCain’s policies as his downfall. When they debate I don’t think there’s much to choose between the two really. I don’t agree with a lot of McCain’s policies though like his views on guns and war, I think Obama would have a stricter view on the gun laws, which would be good. Sarah Palin doesn’t really seem to know what she’s doing either; McCain just plucked her from the middle of nowhere as a publicity stunt. McCain’s been too involved before as well, I think he’s probably been corrupted already, at least Obama has a chance not to be.

The general view of McCain was of a man who was too old to do the job with right wing beliefs and underhand tactics. Simon Jones, 30, Fireman from Celtic Crescent, Dorchester, Dorset savaged McCain with his appraisal of the campaign. ‘I hate McCain he’s far to conservative and America needs some fresh ideas at the moment, that’s why I want Obama to win. The other side have been trying to paint a bad picture of him lately though, which shows how worried they are I suppose. Like pointing out things like the fact he’s Muslim and stuff like that, you really shouldn’t use things like peoples religion against them, especially when McCain’s views like the whole pro-life thing are so far-right, it’s a pretty silly game to play.

The attacks on John McCain’s suitability as a leader and the reputability of his office continued with Dennis Grainger, a 53-year-old retired business manager from Marble Street, Salford, Manchester. He added ‘Obama, if McCain gets in he’ll pop his clogs or something. I don’t like Palin, there’s something about her that I don’t trust. To be honest I haven’t really been following it although I saw something in the paper about a neo-Nazi group planning to assassinate Obama because he’s black, I think that’s disgusting, I think that just shows everything that’s wrong with America really.’

Robert Wirrall, 36, Businessman from Dorchester, Dorset was vehemently anti-McCain and also dislike Sarah Palin not believing that she had enough experience to do the job properly. ‘Well obviously I want Obama to win. Apparently the hype for him over in New York is incredible, but New York is one of the liberal states, so you cant really read too much into it. McCain’s views scare me, and that Sarah Palin has no experience in the field at all. I read somewhere that her degree is in journalism, which is bad for a woman who could potentially be president – no offence! But McCain is so old you know? I don’t know if he’s got four years left in him, and if Palin becomes president, I cant see how anyone could sleep at night!’

Becky Jackson had the most extreme stance on McCain’s views. The 25-year-old teaching assistant from Fleet, Hampshire said, ‘I think you’d have to be crazy to want McCain to win – his views are insane. Having said that I do think that the sort of, Deep South Americans strongly believe in him, although surely they can’t be pro-life! Obama is the change America needs – the change the world needs really. It’s terrifying to think of another four years under a Republican president because it affects the entire world.’

Overall then public opinion, in Bournemouth at least, is pro Obama, anti McCain with Obama’s peaceful nature and less controversial policies winning out. McCain’s hard lines on abortion and foreign policy appear to be alienating him from public en masse and many see his appointment of Sarah Palin as running partner as a publicity stunt. Who will get voted in on November 4th? Nobody knows, but if the election where held in Bournemouth, I would put my money on Obama being the first black president of the USA.

Britain's Forgotton Soldiers

In the past year The Royal British Legion have claimed to have had 1,485 calls from ex-servicemen who are now on the street, with numbers expected to increase as more manage to find a voice.

Homeless ex-Lieutenant, Mark Thomas, 56, who served in the Falklands and Iraq during a 17 year army career said ‘I’ve seen my friends dying, being blown to pieces. Once a friend was shot right onto me, it was either leave him behind and risk getting shot myself or use him as a body bag. I still got him home, gave him the funeral him and his family deserved. Nothing prepares you for something like that.’

Once his army career was over Mr Thomas expected to be looked after by the country that he had served in what has in the past, and is to this day marketed as a noble and selfless career choice.

Army, be the best is the motto used to enrol new recruits, but it seems the best don’t get the best treatment upon leaving.

‘I was honourably discharged and when I was of no more use to the crown I was forgotten about.’ ‘I think it’s disgusting, I feel betrayed by my government and by the country that I love’

Now on the street and feeling let down Mr Thomas sees no way out of the vicious cycle of surviving day-to-day.

‘I can’t see a future, it breaks my heart to know I invested so much into my country and they give nothing back, it’s disgraceful really.’

Interview with a Journalist

Sitting in a café across from an uneasy and awkward informant, keeping your cool as you try and garner information from them, always aware of race against time to get the job done.

Not the plot for the latest spy flick, but the electrifying and action packed life of 34-year-old professional news reporter Booth, Guardian, who still speaks with an earnest vehemence about his profession and makes any other career path seem positively prosaic in his rhapsodic wake.
Although having to report the zeitgeist, as a journalist he is also expected to make news by hunting down any stories of worth.
‘The job is so varied, I get to follow my own interests, it’s stimulating.’
Good reporting is about news sense, knowing what’s important.’
Booth has sound erudition and a variety of tips for anyone hoping to get into the profession.
‘Good reporters need to be approachable people an open book,’ ‘they must be confident in nailing stories,’ ‘persistent and aggressive in pursuit of a story, they must have an element of ruthlessness,’ ‘think about the readers and write for them.’
Of course being too brutal can be a bad thing so it’s also essential to rein it in now and again.
‘It’s hard sometimes I remember I had to interview a recently widowed woman about her late husband and it was really difficult to get what I needed without pressuring her, although it sounds cold I enjoy the challenge of things like that, constantly walking a tightrope of taste I suppose.’

The journalism career path is also seductive for other reasons, certainly the money is right, ‘when I first started I was on about £13,000 a year and I’ve known people to be on up to £100,000.’
The dramatic film-noir imagery, ‘at lunch I’ll normally meet a contact and maybe the same at dinner, or some sort of event.’
And the overall flexibility the job offers, ‘I get into the office about 10, pick up my assignments from the news desk and crack on.’
‘Varying hours, I work a nine day fortnight.’

Although it seems Booth has landed his dream job he didn’t always want to be a journalist, he just wanted to write, ‘I wanted to use the one skill I had, writing.
‘I got involved in print and thought it was interesting.’
15 years after his first publication Booth’s is currently writing at the Guardian, one of the world’s leading newspapers and couldn’t be happier.
‘I love my job, it gives me the opportunity to do what most people never can, what I love every day.’
‘You never stop learning, I would recommend a career in journalism to anyone who loves to write.’

Derry Tribble: Reform never comes too late

Meet Derry Tribble, an 83 year old retired undertaker and now devoted husband, a reformed man who in his own words was a ‘little tearaway,’ his earliest memory being one of rebellion and revolt, running away from school before he’d ever set foot in the place.

He is now living out his consummative years in the peaceful and beatific town of Bournemouth.
An average man in many ways but transcendent in others the clearest example being his zealous love for his wife that is still lucidly transparent after 59 years of happy matrimony.

Although at first Mr Tribble’s seemingly brash and irascible exterior was daunting the façade was soon felled and he showed himself to be a sweet natured and benevolent family man, who has no interests outside of looking after his wife Emily, who recently broke her hip.
He spoke of his extensive family with a corybantic fervour telling me of his three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Mr Tribble’s life has been far from straightforward and before becoming the soft and loving person he is today he was what he put as ‘a terrible little tearaway’.

As if proof were needed of this statement Mr Tribble’s earliest memory is a ‘frightening and horrific ordeal’ that we all go through at some point, our first day of school.
‘I remember walking up to the gates and deciding it wasn’t for me, it wasn’t my thing, wasn’t my scene as a youngster. I was four years old and being forced into an old and scary building, no, not for me.’
Mr Tribble then took the course of action that would shape his life, he ran.
‘I just ran away, I couldn’t be bothered with it.’
This rejection of the education system was to carry on for many years, ‘I just couldn’t wait to leave and get a proper job, be a working man,’ until finally he was old enough to start on his own, taking a job as an undertaker, the ironic twist that marked the death of his relationship with traditional schooling.

Mr Tribble went on in his role of undertaker for the remainder of his working life, retiring 16 years ago and making the move to Bournemouth 10 years ago with his wife for the ‘peace and sea air.’

Speaking highly of Bournemouth he claimed that it was ‘one of the nicest places I’ve ever been’ and ‘the perfect place to retire too.’
A well deserved and merited haven for a man that has tirelessly worked for his family and still does so to this day; my respects Mr Tribble.