Band Of Skulls in concert

Their name might sound like a heavy metal band but Band Of Skulls fall more into the category of alternative rock. It's taken them a while to gain a much deserved fan base and recognition but the trio from Southampton have come a lone way since their inception in 2004. I am a fairly recent convert, having stumbled across them on YouTube. Tonight they were playing at Glasgow's Queen Margaret Union and apparently it was a sell out. One advantage of the venue was £2.90 for a pint of Magners cider served by attractive young students. Those at the gig were a mixture of young bright things and ageing rockers - I think I am falling slowly into the later category. I got there early enough to take in the support act. They were quite good but maybe it says something when their best song of the set is a cover version, in this case a haunting adaptation of Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game'. Another thing, they didn't tell the audience their band name, which for a fledgling young band is an huge oversight. I refuelled at the bar, spoilt for choice as to which barmaid shall serve me. I went for the blonde this time. By the time I got back the venue was almost full and I had to jostle to get a decent view. After much technical prep by the roadies Band Of Skulls arrived on stage to a roaring welcome. They launched straight into a song that I assumed was from their as yet unreleased new album. It was really good and set the bar for the rest of their gig. I noticed a difference between Band Of Skulls and their support act - the former had much better stage presence and just seemed to nail their songs with a superior sound and energy. Drums and bass were really tight and kept the groove, allowing lead guitarist and joint vocalist Russell Marsden to punch out rock riffs with expression and power. I didn't know all of their songs but it didn't really matter, they are a really top class live band. Quite noisy, so be warned. After the gig, as we all filed out of the Queen Margaret Union, a fight broke out; bouncers jumped in, screams and beer flying in every direction. It was probably the two barmaids fighting over me. Ah well. Only to be expected.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (film review)

Wes Anderson's latest does not disappoint. Witty, inventive, visually striking, delightfully offbeat and quirky are just some of the adjectives that I would use to describe The Grand Budapest Hotel. The assemble cast is outstanding, but it is Ralph Fiennes who really steals the show as the charming, eccentric and ever so slightly camp concierge who is framed for murder and endeavours to clear his name with the help of his faithful lobby boy Zero. The whole cast is great but Fiennes is absolutely brilliant, possibly his best performance since The English Patient. Anderson has great fun with it all and it is hard not to warm to his creativeness and charm. Top notch entertainment. 8/10

Rushmore (film review)

It's hard to believe that this was Jason Schwartzman's first stab at acting - he gives such an honest and accomplished performance as Max Fischer, an eccentric and precocious teenager at Rushmore School who is much more interested in extra-curricular activities than his grades. Teetering on the edge of expulsion, matters are complicated when he befriends a rich businessman, played brilliantly by Bill Murray, and also falls in love with elementary school teacher Olivia Williams. Wes Anderson's quirky and offbeat style really works a charm here, with Owen Wilson collaborating to hone a sharp, inventive and sensitive screenplay. The cool soundtrack is inspired, fitting in perfectly with Rushmore's tone and subject matter. Overall it's just such a loveable, bitter-sweet and funny film. 9/10

Deal Or No Deal versus Wayne Rooney

I enjoy watching a popular game show on television called Deal Or No Deal. It's a simple game; there are 22 boxes with varying amounts of money in them. The contestant chooses a box at random and then opens the other 21 boxes, revealing either high money or low money. After a few boxes The Banker, a character on the show, offers the contestant a certain amount of money. The contestant can either 'deal or no deal'. It's a game primarily of luck and knowing when to deal or to go for the big money. What I like about the game are the contestants. They are just good, ordinary people who deserve this opportunity to win life changing money. Their gratitude at winning, say, £10,000, is a refreshing antithesis to the culture of greed that seems rife throughout modern culture at the moment. Wayne Rooney's recent bumper contract of £300,000 a week really sickened me. No man or woman is worth that. It's unfair, unnecessary, and a slap in the face to the ordinary punters who work just as hard as Rooney but don't earn a fraction of what he is on. It's not good for Rooney either, for his ego or how he values himself as a person. It's something I get really angry about. So that is why I watch Deal Or No Deal. It keeps me sane. Most of the contestants have modest dreams and desires; a deposit for a house, treat the family to a holiday, etc. And I bet, at the end of the day, they value the money more than any Wayne Rooney will ever do.