Possibly the Next Big Thing?

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So what would happen if you got signed? “I’d say 'See ya later Callum'!” says David about his absentee drummer, who unfortunately for me pulled out of my interview last minute, something more important came up. This, however only gives ammunition, to the remaining Possibles members for abuse… although I am not sure they really need ammunition. Having the privilege of being the first to the interview The Possibles, I don’t have to worry about boring them by asking the obvious questions, so I start with who actually are The Possibles? 

 Left: David, Callum and Mark.  Right: Mark, Chris and David

“Hi my names Maria… I’m David and I am the poet”

“{Chris} And I am on the strings… {directed towards Mark} the proper strings. Guitar”

“I’m Mark and I’m on the bass”

After I request someone speaks on behalf of Callum, David exercises his best acting skills, and dons a deeper voice, “Hi I’m Callum, and I play drums”, much to the amusement of Chris and Mark (and myself).  



So David Moore, Chris Walters, Mark McCullough and Callum Hughes form this new four some from Liverpool, claiming to sound like Joy Division (moody?), The Smiths (gloomy?) and The Doors (swinging?), coming together to make a combination of melancholy guitar riffs, sullen vocals, heavy bass lines and keyboards. The band is, obviously lacking a keyboard player, but are in the market for one.

Chris “{on having a keyboard player}… get an extra element going, it is a bit empty at the moment {when performing live}….usually have two guitars when we have recorded.”

So the creation of The Possibles, a ‘mash up’ in itself, coming together after previous failed bands: David, Mark and Callum leaving one band and Chris leaving an other. On the look out for a guitarist, Mark drafted in Chris who both met in university, and as Chris puts it “He saw potential straight away.”, “I think Mark fell in love, from the start” suggests David, and so there was The Possibles, a slightly romantic insight into the making of. 

 What is endearing about The Possibles is their casual attitude towards the band, it is something they all enjoy and invest in but all have other priorities in their life such as university and jobs. At the moment they are playing purely for the pleasure, which could be one of the best qualities to have whilst being in a band. In regards to getting signed, they are on the look out, they claimed to have no worries about leaving their jobs, even bassist Mark, who is currently studying to become a teacher (how very Sting of him), said he would not miss out on such an opportunity.

It is clear that music is off great importance to The Possibles as discussion of music dominates general conversation, after Mark and Chris discuss who the band of this generation is (The Libertines or Arctic Monkeys) they join forces in trying to convince David that the 90’s was a better decade for music than the 80’s. David however, set on the 80’s, proves his point by creating an 80’s playlist on the juke box. After much deliberation the three members agree on the 60’s, which bring me to influences. Comparisons have been made by friends and fans, in particular reference to David’s style of singing, to Joy Division his voice is very melancholy and the music is very bass driven, a bit of 80’s nostalgia for the 21^st century.

Having played previous gigs in their other bands predominately to friends, the band wanted to perform to a crowd of unknowns to gain some fans. So arranged by Mark The Possibles played to the Liverpool Hope University halls of residence, set up in the common room and minutes away from performing the act was cancelled.

Mark says “Got cancelled before we had even played a note” Chris adds “Yer I was ready to walk home!”

“But Mark just saw red and got us back on… other than that, it went alright, usually first gigs you’re a bit shaky” says David.

Minor problems occurred during the set with the microphone equipment they were given to work with was, perhaps slightly inadequate. The instruments were a lot louder than the vocals, however audiences were impressed and it was clear that the practice they put in pays off.

The Possibles are taking things slow when it comes to recording, sticking to two songs per session, at the moment they have four recorded songs creating an EP style CD.  “I think I’d enjoy it {recording} more, if I didn’t have to sit there and hear 'Alright Callum we’ll do another take please'” says ‘one take Dave’. With one new song done and another in the pipeline another trip into the studio isn’t too far off.

2011 is supposed to be the year guitars come back into the charts, so this could be the perfect year for The Possibles, with realistic future goals set on getting more gigs, and improving the sound of their music, things do look promising. “I think in the future we just don’t slag off fellow band mates!” suggests David.

Look out for The Possibles be sure to vist their Facebook and Myspace pages.

Source Code: Preview

 

Looking just as head scratching as “Moon”, Duncan Jones’ new film, "Source Code" looks set to be explosive. On first impression it looks like a cross between “Twelve Monkeys” and “The Matrix”, the film sees the world with two realities, in which Jake Gyllenhaal travels between.

“Source Code” is about a computer software programme which gives allows a person the ability to take on another person’s identity in the last seconds of his life. An American experimental organisation uses this software to investigate a train bombing and try to prevent another terrorist attack, cue Jake Gyllenhaal being blown up every eight minutes, enough times to make him try to alter the past, in order to save fellow passenger Michelle Monagham.

Jones' second project looks to have a bigger budget than "Moon" and the cast is just as big, but what does seem interesting is the writer Ben Ripley, relatively unknown, it shall be interesting to see how that comes about.

Sounds a little confusing, Jones clearly has a strong interest in the psychology of the mind, regarding his characters and audiences, instead of clones commanding a moon base, it’s a person taking on another mans identity to prevent future terrorist attacks. Similarities to "Moon" is claustrophic location were the film is set.

Despite being English born, and predominantly being raised in England, Jones has opted for another American film. However a terrorist attack on a train sounds remarkably similar to the London bombings, so his British roots are perhaps not entirely lost. Besides the chances of an experimental government organisation such as the “Source Code”, happening in America is far more likely than anywhere else.

“Source Code” is out March 11.

"I think people want to stick me in a small place, a train is bigger a moon base though. Next it might be a yatch, eventually it will be the Death Star…” Jones

Danny Boyle: 127 hours

On his upcoming film “I saw it as compelling beyond belief.”


Director Danny Boyle

Director of cult classic ‘Trainspotting’, horror hit ‘28 Days Later’ and multi –award winning Indian drama ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, Danny Boyles next move is “127 Hours”. The true story of a lone hiker Aron Ralston, who gets wedged between a rock in the Blue John Canyon (based upon the memoir Between a Rock and a Hard Place)  ‘127 Hours’. So how is Boyle going to fill these, metaphorically speaking, 5 days worth of film?  With James Franco as the lead and pretty much only actor, it suggests that Boyle has a lot of visual work to be done.

Talking to Empire Magazine Boyle says “…But listen, I’m 54 so I’m no virgin lad suddenly thinking, ‘I am tops!’ I’ve seen it come and go, not once but a few times. I can keep a perspective on it. But I did use the confidence to take this through other people’s scepticism and caution.”

In an interview with Danny Boyle at Movie – Con (16 Aug 10), found at Empire Online, he very passionately talks about his upcoming film, and discusses the use of video dairy footage that Ralston recorded during those five days, believing he would die, this gives room for some dialogue and interaction rather than him just talking to himself. These video diaries which Ralston let Franco watch, helped him tap into his emotions. “I probably will never get anything like that again for a role.”

Already having been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 12, 2010), the 2010 Telluride Film Festival and the 2010 London Film Festival (28 October 2010) it has had positive reviews , with 93% of 143 professional critics on Rotten Tomatoes positively reviewing it.  

The notorious amputation scene, which left two audience members requiring medical attention, was shot in one take using numerous cameras filming from various angles. Lets just hope we can keep our popcorn down to see if it's a happy ending.

127 hours opens 7 January