Pet Shop Boys: Live Review

On Tuesday 13^th of July, I attended the first date of The Pet Shop Boys 2010 tour. Among the highlights were Chris Lowe in an orange wig, dancing blocks, a tribute to the late Dusty Springfield and Neil Tennant’s personal homage to children’s television by dressing up as a disco Mr. Ben.

The venue for the night was the Wintergardens’ Empress Ballroom, Blackpool and it was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation.

The night had one support act, in the form of the gorgeous and talented Sophie Ellis Bextor (daughter of Blue Peter’s Janet Ellis) and what a start to the festivities she was! Her band was more than competent, all dressed in the finest garb of the high street and the quality of their performance was all one would expect of trained professionals, but the true highlight was the child-like nervousness in Mrs. Bextor’s as she announced that this was her first performance in Blackpool.

Now it was time for the headlining act: The Pet Shop Boys. The lights dimmed and a familiar sound of synthesizers filled the hall as animated blocks emerged onto the stage. The synthesizers and drum machines flourished as this sonic landscape before us somehow mutated into heart, at which point one of the ‘blockmen’ produced a microphone and started singing the first line, “every time I see you”. A few songs into the performance, two of the ‘blockmen’ removed disappeared from the stage and within moments we were greeted by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. I was blown away by this performance but sadly I seemed to be the one of few as the (older) crowd were simply standing on the receiving end of this experience. Where was the dancing? Where was the harmony? Not so much as a clap from the older generations and I was furious at their refusal to interact. The crowd had shunned Mrs. Bextor but I simply wrote that off as an age thing. This, however, was bordering on sacrilegious!

As the event went on, audience participation stayed at this appalling level until a cover of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida came waltzing with ill-deserved confidence in the direction of the gig. Astoundingly, the audience lapped it up! The Pet Shop Boys were clearly thinking of their audience with this one, particularly as Mr. Tennant had traded in his Mr. Ben headwear in exchange for a crown. During these few minutes, the audience and the band were in perfect harmony as they sang the pseudo-religious chorus, “I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing...” And so on.

The performance was spectacular: The flawless music; costume and set design; scantily clad dancers; projected image of Dusty Springfield during the performance of ‘What have I done to deserve this’ (which features the recorded vocal of the late, great Ms. Springfield from the original collaboration in 1987) and the heartfelt performance of Glad All Over (Blackpool’s official football song) which featured Chris Lowe in a curly tangerine wig and a sentimental speech before bidding us all goodbye.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles Review

I have eagerly anticipated a game in this series in which we get to see not only the origins of Jack Krauser, but the story behind Leon’s status in RE4. However, after playing Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, the previous instalment in the franchise, I was not overly keen on playing another ‘first-person shooter’ interpretation of Resi’s past events. Eventually I buckled and purchased the game, and now I feel even more dissatisfied than before I played it!

The game-play is nothing special; in fact there are times when I find myself shooting everything on screen (including allies and my own reflection) just to break away from the tedium. Also, the playability is constantly interrupted by ‘shakey’ camera work and Blair Witch styled fleeing from enemies, who usually could be killed within a matter of seconds. To top this off, any gamer equipped with moderate skill and a reasonable grasp of common sense will find the Boss fights ending a bit too quickly, as the character’s dialogue makes very clear, “Claire, we can’t stop it!”*Boss falls down, dead*

Throughout the game, we are constantly barraged by circus freaks, clichéd locations and acting that wouldn’t look out of place in a 90’s Teen Horror. Despite all this, you keep playing, because the game does have its moments, such as Albert Wesker’s cameo and Alexia Ashford’s hibernation chamber.

Alright, the storyline is predictable, but this is horror we’re talking about! The genre is crammed full of predictability, and when it is not predictable we find ourselves gawping (with a sense of gloom and despair) at a Human Centipede! I, for one, like the storyline behind the whole RE franchise and will never view it negatively. The plot somehow bypasses my cynicism and takes me back to my childhood with every blood-spattering, gun-wielding, parasite-eradicating moment.

In short, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is adequately successful in filling in some of the blanks of Resident Evil’s Story. However, as a game, it is quite ordinary and pretty forgettable to play.