Clean Bandit – New Eyes: Review

In the wake of Disclosure’s success in bringing house music to the top of the charts, as well as to the dancefloors and iPods across the country, their particular brand of music has been almost inescapable.  Countless copycat acts have emerged from the underground woodwork, showing off the same type of funky dance music that London’s top duo have helped popularise. Clean Bandit fall into this category, but provide their own unique twist on the genre.  The quartet, who met each other at university in — Read more →

30 Rock – Season 7: A Belated Review

My favourite comedy show of the last decade is undoubtedly 30 Rock.  A sitcom that revolves around the makings of a Saturday Night Live-esque sketch show, TGS (The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan), its capacity for relentless off-the-wall jokes is unmatched.  It’s a show that fits my sense of humour perfectly. Sadly, 30 Rock came to an end in January 2013 with a shortened Season 7.  It was a critical darling, with Emmy nominations galore each year and great reviews, but it didn’t quite pull — Read more →

Songs of the Month: May 2014

May’s been a month dominated by the spectre of revision for me, and the longing desire for summer, so it’s meant I’ve spent many an hour listening to my eclectic iTunes mix of music.  Here’s a few of the songs that I’ve played most often this month, with some new ones and old ones mixed in: The Killers – “Just Another Girl” One of the new songs from last year’s “Best Of” album by The Killers, Direct Hits, I really don’t think I gave “Just — Read more →

The Qatar Conundrum

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup was essentially ‘bought’ by Qatari bid committee officials making payments of up to £3 million to members of FIFA’s executive committee.  The news shocked few in football, and is the latest in a damaging string of high-profile corruption allegations against the game’s governing body.  But with the scale of these claims, against the organising of football’s flagship event, it might be the one that enforces real change at the top of — Read more →

World Cup 2014 Country Guides

The excitement for the World Cup is building nicely with the football extravaganza under two weeks away! As part of Scotzine’s World Cup coverage I’ve contributed some articles about some of the sides that are outside the spotlight of most World Cup previews.  They cover the side’s international football history, road to the finals, key players and how I expect each team to fare in their group and beyond.  If you’re interested in World Cup trivia, or looking for some tips for your sweepstake or — Read more →