Culture Bomb Magazine, January Issue

Latex and Christmas at the aLternative and BurLesque Fair

Cultimate looks at New Year’s evil

All the best

film and music reviews

the sCienCe in

tattooiNg

Georgi BombEditor

Gregor CrawfordTattoos Writer

Robert J BayleyFilm Writer

Michael LongDesigner

Michelle ButterworthFashion Writer

Culture Bomb 03

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you haven’t over indulged this year and if you have, so

what? Come and let us know your New Year’s Resolutions @Culturebombnews on Twitter. This issue is quite an exciting one, with a follow up feature to The Alternative and Burlesque Fair with a lovely review. Then things take a darker twist with Cultimate’s New Year’s Evil piece.

One of my personal favourites is the tattoo feature with Gregor Crawford this month, looking into the science behind the art.

Hope you enjoy the magazine anyway and have a wonderful New Year!

Georgi B

05 Editors Letter

Contents

Editor

04 Culture Bomb Culture Bomb 05

Music10 Devil Townsend, Fear Factory, Tesseract Live Review12 Music Reviews

Film16 Cultimate Edition New Years Evil18 Film Reviews

Fashion22 Christmas and Latex

Tattoo30 Tattoo Science

Street Fashion

GRaphic desiGn | photoGRaphyM cargocollective.com/mlongcreatrive

10 Culture Bomb

Music

Devin Townsend, Fear Factory, TesseracT

A rather packed venue before the opening band even begun led people to believe this was going to be a rather memorable evening. TesseracT’s unrivaled groove and stunning grace shone through while vocalist, Ashe O’Hara’s perfect voice rung out without competing.

Fear Factory up next, and they waste no time in getting things moving. It seems most of the crowd are here to see FF tonight, with Dino back on bass; these guys are pros on all counts of musicianship. There are all the classics here, Edgecrusher, Replica, Linchpin and others from Obsolete, Demanufacture and Digimortal. There were some impressive tracks from their new album, The Industrialist, including Recharger, which showcases that classic FF sound of classic, pummeling metal mixed with industrial beats and sounds.

live review

14/12/2012, ABC Glasgow

One, rather unfortunate, turn of events was when front man, Burton C. Bell, tried to sing the melodies from the back catalogue, clearly the years have not been kind as it went beyond awkward hearing him sing completely off key and could barely muster enough power to get the sound out. The backing track behind him was clear as a bell and the two combined sounded like sewage being mixed up with dirty bath water. Truly a shame though, as Bell knows how to approach the crowd and give a stellar performance, while Dino Cazares and Matt DeVries switch sides throughout, showing off their old school approach in performance.

Only Devin Townsend would be able to entertain the crowd before he even gets on stage. A backdrop of videos plays during the changeover. Featuring our good friend, Ziltoid along with classic YouTube viral videos like the Badger and Mushroom, feat Ziltoid of course and a personal favourite, Techno Viking. The videos continue throughout the show, playing out official videos such as during the addictive Juular. Another catchy number, Lucky Animals is accompanied by audience participation, Devin instructs jazz hands throughout the number and about 97% of the crowd complies.

No one can compete with Devin Townsend’s banter and crowd interaction, and the people love it. His music has groove, comedy and everything is completely light hearted, which always makes for a refreshing change in the serious world of metal. The set compromises of covers too, Vampira, War, Truth and the whole set is brought to a sad close with Liberation, an electrifying rock tune from his new material on Epicloud. Devin bids a farewell and never fails to impress his audience.

by Georgi B

Only Devin Townsend would be able to entertain the crowd before he even gets on stage.

It seems most of the crowd are here to see FF tonight, with Dino back on bass; these guys are pros on all counts of musicianship

Culture Bomb 11

A real classic acoustic EP here, with the majority of its profits going towards the Make A Wish Foundation. The opening track has a real stadium feel with a cheesy piano and layers up slowly. Filled with emotional lyrics, powerful chords and something quite delicate is hidden away somewhere in there. What can’t be avoided is the cheesiness and starts to feel like something Scorpions would have produced, particularly on Edge of a Broken Heart. There is a nice Spanish quality here with harmonies and a few solos but remains dated.

Blackened death metallers from Canada certainly set a high bar with their debut. Intense grind noise and black metal cries flitter amongst the tranquil and contrasting breakdowns. Structured without structure, this album is sure to take a few listens to really absorb it in its entirety.

Eerie and persistent and in nature. The blast beats hit extreme speeds while the guitars acceleration is admirable. It’s not all chaos though. Slaves To A Flame Undying sure has a decent hook and Dregs of sanity may raise the BPM but that underlying catch still remains. One thing that refuses to change is the album’s energy, may this remain for the foreseeable future.

auroch,From Forgotten Worlds, Hellthrasher Productions

A rather scary intro leads into some Children of Bodom style power. The vocals kick in with pure aggression and there’s a decent edge to the album. The riffs sound sweet as sugar and the drums physically demand attention, the vocals have a great range too. It’s impossible to categorize this with the mix up of power, thrash, black and death metal in places, it refuses to give up.

The Amon Amarth sounding track, Nightfall is a definite highlight and Silent Through The Screaming Crowd creates atmosphere, building gradually and unsuspecting. It gives a different side with clean vocals and more rock like.Nothing remains tranquil for long, does appear to get lighter as the album progresses.

Lahmia, Into The Abyss, Bakerteam Records

Music reviews

When BTD decided to release a live album, they wouldn’t do it the normal way. No airbrushing or ironing out mistakes, this is recorded from start to finish and has been left untouched. Blasting through the two opening tracks from their Xes and Strokes album as soon as they walk on stage. Their live performance seems to be captured perfectly. Manic, intense and above all, insane.

This is a chance to hear some new offerings too, Vinni Butterfly sounds brutal as hell, a total down tuned and unrelenting noise bucket. Krepsekamp is much the same but with more of a hardcore edge rather than death metal. Whatever emerges from their second album, this is prove it is bound to be all things immense.

Beaten to death,Live at Rockefeller, Mas Kina Recordings

Overture is quite sweet sounding and feels like a film score. Nothing compared to the monster that is waiting to be unleashed. Ferocious riffs and classic metal vocals. Drums blasting out the speed and blasts and the guitars giving it a chunky edge whilst maintains some harmony.

Hatebreed hardcore edge but throws in the melody. Definitely an innovative sound amongst a sea of similar sounds. Chariots of the Gods definitely seem to offer something that little bit different. Taking the generic metal sound and throwing in delicious guitar solos with a conflicting vocal.Upbeat without being cheesy.

Chariots of the Gods,Tides of War, Self released, Released 29.01.2013

True and honest are two words used to describe the themes in ALD’s new offering. There aim is to hit you at the part where your deepest emotions hide, trying to urge you to break free from your daily monotony. Lyrically, this definitely comes across with hooks like, “We are the lost” in Lost, and then there’s Game Over and Feel. Team this with a musical accompaniment of gothic, industrial sounds. Nothing too challenging but oh so very catchy, then you have The Great Escape.

It’s an enjoyable album, for those times when you want to sit back and listen to something that doesn’t make your ears bleed. No hidden messages or cries to Satan, just tantalizing electronic metal, perfect for dancing like an idiot to.

a Life divided,The Great Escape, AFM Records, released 18.01.2013


Music reviews

rob mancini,United We Stand, GMG Records

Center Of The Great Unknown

Melodic Metal meets enchanting female vocals.

For fans of old Nightwish, Kamelot & Epica

a high-class, rich and varied album that will appeal to music lovers from Power Metal to Classic Rock!

Mixed and mastered by Markus Teske

(Vanden Plas, Saga)as CD, ltd. digipak and ltd. vinyl

Out on October 26th

The Latin Metal pioneers return with their outstanding new album!

Strong, characteristic songs

in best ILL NIÑO tradition!

first edition comes as digipak!

Out on October 26th

A POWER METAL MONUMENT! “TO THE END” TAKES TRADITIONAL GERMAN METAL TO THE YEAR 2012!EXPECT HEAVY RIFFS, EPIC MELODIES & A MODERN PRODUCTION!

ON EUROPEAN TOUR IN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

WITH LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY!

OUT ON OCTOBER 26TH AS CD, LTD. DIGIPAK (INCL. BONUS TRACKS & BONUS DVD), LTD. SPECIAL EDITION WOODEN BOX & LTD. VINYL (250 IN BLACK, 250 IN CLEAR ICE VINYL)

´TO THE END`

Film

Cultimate edition New Years Evil

16 Culture Bomb

This obscure slasher/thriller is at the deep, dark corners of the cult film dungeon where only the hardiest Cultist dares tread. To those who have seen this, my respect.New Year's Evil takes place, obviously, on New Year's Eve. Diane Sullivan AKA Blaze, is hosting 'Hollywood Hotline', a show that will ring in the new year over four time-zones, all the while conducting a phone-in to decide the most popular new wave music of the past year. Soon the subtly named psychopath Evil rings in to tell Blaze he's going to kill someone as each time-zone hits midnight, culminating with someone very close to Blaze herself. It's incredibly dated yet there's something refreshing about New Years Evil. We get to know Evil himself; action follows him as much as Blaze, allowing us to see him for what he is, a somewhat handsome man. He's also fairly skilled and resourceful, a master of disguise and able to think on his feet.

There's also a weird and intriguing sub-plot involving Blaze's son, but what's really notable is its decision to literalize themes of its genre into the film. Hollywood Hotline's house band, Shadow, sing the memorable 'Dumb Blondes' while there are several comparisons made between 'today's youth' and the mental patients at the sanatorium that Evil calls home. There's also Evil's explicitly sexist motivation, laid out in his "women are not good people" monologue; it's a film which says what other slashers just imply but really differentiating it from the crowd.Towards the end the story is particularly strong as the characters' motivations and relationships really affect how this horror plays out and it becomes all the more engrossing because of it. If you're a student of slashers this is well worth seeking out to ensure this New Year's, you're invited to a killer party.

There’s no denying it’s great to be back in Middle-Earth. Director Peter Jackson’s adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world is one of the most brilliantly realised fictional universes in cinema. At 169 minutes, the film is much too long and the pacing very choppy. However while one is always aware of the time you’re never bored. The actors, (Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Sylvester McCoy especially) are great and the film’s balancing act between light and dark is commendable. Combined with inventive action scenes this is a festive treat.

Ben Affleck directing and starring? Doesn’t stir much hope. Yet Argo will confound all your expectations, and not just because it’s heavily influenced by Gigli himself. Not since the brilliant, The Debt, has a period political thriller managed to set the nerves on edge with such electricity, and unlike the ponderous Munich, done it with so little violence. Affleck is, at a disconcertingly regular pace, brilliant, as are his supporting players. Alan Arkin and John Goodman play their usual selves, but it fits greatly here. Exemplary, thought-provoking cinema. A movie of the year.

Film reviewsthe hoBBit:aN UNexpeCted JoUrNeY

argo

There’s some fun to be had in this remake of the 1974 Christmas chiller, but not much. On the plus side its unafraid of embracing the ground unexplored in the original and fashioning its own mythology from it, radically departing from the source. Unfortunately it doesn’t do it well. Writer Glen Morgan struggles to find a new hook for a slasher maniac and ends up with bright yellow skin. Some sleighings (sorry) are admirably gory but even Mary Elizabeth Winstead can’t make her character memorable. The sorority house also has a construction so baffling that it’s surprising to see it standing.

As a reviewer from Yorkshire, this seemed such a promising piece. Inbred bills itself as the ultimate mickey-take of God’s own county, in which a troubled-youth group arrives for a weekend at what seems to be the most idyllic, charming rural village. All is not what it seems; unfortunately that’s not only true for the concept. The humour lands incredibly wide of the mark, being very poorly observed and leaving yawning holes that could be filled with more exploitation of Yorkshire culture. Plotting is awful, there are no character arcs and the ending goes leaves you wondering why you bothered watching.

iNBred

Film reviews

BlaCk ChristMas (reMake)

Culture Bomb 19

It’s been a storming year for Joss Whedon as a writer. He was the scribe behind the flawless Avengers Assemble, which turned the super-hero genre on its head, then managed to coerce lightning into striking twice with this rollercoaster. If this were a straight-up love-letter to the teen-horror this would still be great filmmaking. A tight and inventive direction from Cloverfield’s Matt Reeves and strong leading performances, including Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. But as events rattle on, it becomes clear this film isn’t operating by the rule set we’re expecting. Great and surprising fun.

the CaBiN iN the woods

Based on the book Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies is a darkly fascinating film. Set from the moment legendary director Alfred Hitchcock (Toby Jones) lays eyes on Tippi Hedren (Sienna Miller) and chronicling his pursuit of her through the making of The Birds and Marnie. Always excellent Jones delivers a genuinely chilling and skin-crawling performance as the complicated and self-loathing director. Communicating great depression, pathos and malice while eliciting sympathy. Miller improves with age and here is excellent as the tormented actress caught between pressures of her career and her mental wellbeing.

the girl

Film reviews

20 Culture Bomb

Christmas and latex

Bird skulls on hair clips and rhinestones on masksLuxurious latex and breathtaking basques PVC whips that leave such a nice sting These are a few of my favourite things...

by Michelle Butterworth

Welcome, devious deviants and mischievous miscreants, to the Manchester Alternative and Burlesque fair, your one-stop mix-pot of everything your dark side could ever desire. Things that like-minded people who go against the grain have had to hunt down in underground boutiques, Camden town market and the few retailers we can find online.

If you read our interview with Heresy n Heelz organisers, Jules and his wife Shazzie in our last issue, you’ll know The Alt fair debuted in Manchester's Sound Control in September 2011 and has since ballooned in popularity and success. Just over a year later, Sound Control, which doubles up as a live music club in the evenings, provides the perfect setting for their Christmas special - the

stalls are spread over three floors, with the ground floor acting primarily as a meet and greet area by the bar, the upstairs floor dedicated to the burlesque, rockabilly and vintage scene, and the aptly-named Cellar of Sin, not too different in appearance to an actual dungeon, hosting the fetish and adult lifestyle traders.

Proving that the underground

scene is very much alive and literally kicking, Alternative Footwear draw you in to the fair with ease by treating you to an array of killer patent thigh-highs and quirky Mary Janes. Put a pair of those on and you know you're going to own the night, and every submissive that dares to stray your path.

Climb the stairs and you've stepped in to what feels like Sally Rand's private boudoir,

with traditional jazz humming in the background and an abundance of stalls pouring with every treasure a lady could possibly need for a night on the stage. A personal favourite was Katz Little Factory, a diverse collection of PVC flower hair clips, 'bugzy'

fascinators, gauntlets and, most impressively, laced neck corsets decorated with studs and chains. Nature is a strong source of inspiration here and her creations are moulded from everything from clock gears to guitar strings. The result is an array of accessories with an incredibly sexy and unique gothic twist that won't fail to get you noticed.

So what could possibly make this room any better? Enter the Eustratia Latex Winter

Wonderland Fashion Show. This really was the piece de la resistance of the whole event. Its stagecraft and designs being of the quality you would expect from London Fashion Week, but oozing with originality. Set in a snowy dreamworld full of magical creatures and fable

queens, the production seemed to draw its influences from the Nutcracker and C.S.Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, but with a slightly Burtonesque twist. The latex itself was impressively made, using plenty of ruffles and lace, and the audience was bewitched into complete silence until the final bows.

Not that that was the only performance on offer - down in the Cellar of Sin, Manchester's own Blush Dance Studios, a group of ariel performers

Climb the stairs and you've stepped in to what feels like Sally Rand's private boudoir

A personal favourite was Katz Little Factory, a diverse collection of PVC flower hair clips, 'bugzy' fascinators, gauntlets


Fashion

who are all about being 'fit, feminine and fabulous', brought everyone's jaws to the ground as Jenna Castle burst on to the stage with an explosion of energy and the group leader, Becky Campy, took over with a slightly more demure but equally beautiful performance.

Surrounding them in the cellar was a huge selection of stalls selling hand-made BDSM toys, lubes and shiners, bespoke leather accessories and PVC jewellery. For those of you ready to play out your own 50 Shades of Grey, one to definitely keep an eye out for is Floggermeister. From a distance their stall looks like any other BDSM stall selling collars, cuffs and canes, but take a closer look and you'll notice that everything has had a previous life. Floggermeister's products are completely eco-friendly and are expertly crafted using everything from yoga mats to washing lines, enabling the more environment-conscious of you to enjoy some completely guilt-free kink.

One thing all the stalls have in common, and something that completely differentiates this fair from any mainstream shopping experience, is that you can walk up to any stall-holder and speak to them openly about their products, where their inspiration comes from and where they source their materials. What's more, if you have something in mind

that you'd love to wear but that you haven't seen on display, they are normally more than willing to work with you to create a completely bespoke item tailored to your body and

taste. There is also a lot of cross-pollination throughout the stalls - they help each other out, and if they really admire another's work, they will promote it at their own stall.

Where else would you find that kind of community spirit in the world of retail?

People still seemed to be entering the fair not long before the stalls were due to close but if you want to make the most of the day and have time for a sneaky pint at the bar, it's best to get there early (most events start at 11:00am).

The fair will be expanding further in 2013 and gracing Sheffield's mighty Corporation with its presence for the first time on 13th April. Other dates include Birmingham on 23rd February, Manchester on 23rd March and another launch in Bristol on 11th May. So, if you want to enjoy this surreal shopping experience yourself, make sure you head over to the next event in your area. Head to http://thealternativeandburlesquefair.com to get the latest information and find out when they're next in your area.

Congratulations to Jules, Shazzie and the rest of the Heresy n Heelz team for hosting such a ground-breaking event and thank you to all the stall holders for being so welcoming and truly opening our eyes to what's lurking in the underground!

Alternative Footwear: http://www.alternative-footwear.co.uk/Katz Little Factory: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatzLittleFactoryAly Fell: http://www.darkrising.co.uk/ Pheonixx Designs: http://www.phoenixxdesigns.co.uk/gallery/latexEustratia Latex: http://www.eustratia.co.uk/Floggermeister: http://www.floggermeister.com/

Down in the Cellar of Sin, Manchester's own Blush Dance Studios, a group of ariel performers who are all about being 'fit, feminine and fabulous'


Fashion

Ever since the opportunity to write for Culture Bomb was seized by my wishful hands, I’ve learned a lot of things about the tattoo world. I’ve been amazed at how the community gets along, how the art work is carried out, the emotions and the reasons for tattooing. But there is one area in particular I’ve read into which I knew nothing about, and that is the science behind the art.

We can all spend hours on end admiring the inevitable end products of sessions that cover many hours, but do we ever take into consideration the biological changes we are making to our bodies? Now, this article is not any sort of ploy to urge you to reconsider getting tattooed or being involved in any way that you are (mainly because that’s the last thing I’d want to do, and I’m in no position to tell it). This article is purely being written as an eye-opener and hopefully even an interesting learning curve!

Modern tattooing methods with a tattooing machine is the art of injecting ink under your skin, we all know that. Though often it’s asked how the ink stays there, how deep into the skin it goes and what goes on during the healing period.

There are five main layers to the outside of your skin. Starting from the inside, you have your body tissue where hair grows from, the dermis where your sweat glands grow from, the epidermis, a few new skin layers waiting to surface once you’ve shed, and of course the skin surface.

Tattoo ink is injected just below the epidermis, into the dermis. If you look at your tattoo, you're seeing the ink through the epidermis. The cells of the dermis are far more stable than the cells of the epidermis, so the tattoo's ink will stay in place, with minor fading and dispersion, for a person's entire life.

If your artist tattoos too deep, which is highly unlikely, you risk scaring and a lot of pain. If your ink lies too near the surface, your tattoo may fade or wear off. Easy stuff. Ink is injected into your skin using an electric powered tattoo machine, often powered by use of a pedal. The machine moves a needle up and down to pierce the skin between 50 and 3000 times per minute, depending on how much the artist like you (kidding, of course). Despite moving past three aforementioned skin layers, the needle only reaches roughly a millimeter in. Each time the needle is pushed into your skin, a drop of insoluble ink is deposited.

After a period of time, between a few days to a few weeks, your tattoo will form a protective layer. If you do not keep it moist, it will form a hard scab and will crack when moved. If this happens, the ink sits within your scab and slowly heals into the skin. If you do keep your tattoo moist, it will instead form a protective membrane layer over the ink to protect it while it heals. If this happens, the layer will peel off like sunburn and coloured pieces of skin will fall off during the healing process. As likely as you all will probably know, do not peel at your healing tattoo, you will literally pull some of the ink out and your tattoo will be left with a pale patch.

I hope reading this wasn’t too dry and sciencey. I found it interesting when learning it and by no way consider myself interested in science or biology. Feel free to share any information or experiences you have by contacting me directly!

by Gregor Crawford

tattoos

Do we ever take into consideration the biological changes we are making to our bodies?

Tattoo ink is injected just below the epidermis, into the dermis.

30 Culture Bomb Culture Bomb 31Illustrations by Magdalena Werner

Photography by Michael Longstreet Fashion

Fashion

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Culture Bomb Magazine, January Issue

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