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WE'RE BACK!!

Well kind of. Back in the late Nineties this site became a champion for small
bands, giving many their first web presence way before things like MySpace,
reviewing the music and promoting the gigs. Alas it became too successful, and
in 2002 it was a case of too much content and not enough time, so the site was
retired until like got less hectic. After a decade and a half of slumber the new
Steamhead will still be helping promote local music, but go beyond that to cover
other forms of entertainment along the way, but usually stuff a little off the
mainstream. As technology has revolutionised the way entertainment can be
developed and presented, we'll be covering some of that as well.

Over the next few weeks you should start to see some content emerge on these
pages, but until then you might see a bit of scaffolding and cans of paint, with
the off bit of ancient latin wallpaper peelng back here and there, just so you
can see what it's all going to be like when we're done.


BUMPER FUN AT THE ROYAL



Been a busy 8 days! 2 trips to the theatre, 1 trip to the movies, 1 band
rehearsal, one night in the studio engineering someone else and a bit of
remixing on the side. As a result, I've got a few reviews to catch up, so lets
start with an easy one, the lashings of joy that is Bumper Blyton at Nottingham
Theatre Royal.

Well, Bumper Blyton is exactly what it sounds like, a hamper full of nostalgia,
bursting with enthusiastic young heroes, excitement and peril, but fortunately
without the rampant 40s xenophobia :-)

What you get is a two hour improv performance, all in the style of the prolific
children's author Enid Blyton. Elements of the story are suggested by the
audience at the beginning, all expertly weaved into a wondrous, perilous tale,
that leaves you going home with a satisfying smile on your face.

But two hours of improv, are they up to the task, do they pull it off without
hesitation, deviation or repetition, and just who's line is it anyway? Well
you'll have to read on to see how the gang coped in this evening of cliff-top
peril, and malfunctioning bells.

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MISSY SERIES 1



You wait ages for an audio drama review and then two come along at once. Well I
did win this one on the Big Finish Podcast, so it's only fair I do them the
honour of a review.

When Big Finish first started, their license was limited to the classic series,
just the first Eight Doctors, but in 2015 their horizons were allowed to expand
into post-2005 territory adding New UNIT to the ranges, but since then they've
added many other ranges, covering all Doctors and characters right up to the
previous series, and this one is the first series for Michelle Gomez,
delightfully reviving her incarnation of the Master - Missy.

But does Missy work as well in audio as she does on screen? How can Michelle
Gomez eat up the scenery when there isn't any? Well I'm sure I can only say
something nice.

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DOCTOR WHO - THE SYNDICATE MASTER PLAN 1



Taking a break from reviewing stage dramas, it's time for a bit of audio drama,
this time a bit of new Doctor Who. Now the picture might confuse you a bit, what
with it having Tom Baker on it, but it is absolutely brand new vintage Who from
Big Finish Productions.

But is it any good I hear you say, have they managed to bottle lightning again,
can they take us back to a rainy Saturday teatime in the late Seventies again?
Well the short answer is yes, because they have a real time machine. Want to
know how they pulled it off? Read on!

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MISSING - GECKO - NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE



The thing about going to see a Gecko play, is you never know quite what you are
going to get. Sometimes even when you've been to see it you still might not be
sure what you just saw, but you're always entertained. Missing by Gecko was not
my first trip with them, and trip is probably a good word to describe their
style, in more ways than one. Their shows take you on an emotional journey, and
quite often into the world of the bizarre and surreal. But if you've never been
to one, a Gecko show is a wonderfully blended mix of dance, physical theatre,
ballet, mime, puppetry and incredibly well thought out staging and lighting.

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THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE III



The show could be summed up in one word - astounding. But that wouldn't make for
a very good review. The Madness of King George was like watching an iMax movie
on stage, it filled your field of vision and dominated your senses. Using high
definition detail and incredible sets, this has to be one of the best pieces of
drama I've ever seen on stage, and I've seen a lot.

On entering the theatre you are greeted with a beautiful hand painted screen
gauze of the finest velvet and gilded curtains. With this level of detail just
for the screen, you know you are in for something good.

And from the moment the footman peeks under the curtain to tell you the King is
coming, you are transported into an almost Rogers and Hammerstein opulent world
that will be your home for the next couple of hours.

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DEPTFORD WIVES - THE CORBETT THEATRE



I hadn't intended another night at the theatre so soon after Rebus, but I was 30
minutes away from Loughton, and only an hour to curtain for Deptford Wives, East
15 Acting School's Third Year development play. I had no idea what it was about,
but that's never stopped me going to see something.

Imagine if you took a true story, threw in some Shakespearean cross dressing and
deception, a dusting of star crossed lovers, 18th century sailors and a 21st
century twist. Oh and make it an huge ensemble cast West End style musical too,
that's important! An impressive concept for seasoned producers and performers,
let alone a group of young actors still honing their craft.

Intrigued? Want to know if they pulled it off? Read on McDuff...

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REBUS AT THE ROYAL CENTER NOTTINGHAM



I have to admit, I've never read a single Ian Rankin book in my life, I'm more
of a Pratchett man myself when it comes to reading. So going to see the brand
new Rebus play at Nottingham Theatre Royal might have been an odd choice, but
I'm always up for a good thriller on stage, and this was a great one!

But do you need to know who Rebus is before seeing this play? Does it work for
the uninitiated?

Read on and find out.

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TESTAMENT - STRIPPED DOWN DRAMA AT ITS BEST



I'm sure you've heard that the book is always better than the film, because it
can say so much more.

Well that same could be said about theatre, whilst block buster movies can fill
in so many details with photo realistic CGI, the high level of detail is
competing for your attenntion can often take your attention away from the
important thing - the story.

A good play can strip out lots of detail and still be able to tell a great
story, even more so without unnecessary images, no matter how accurate, shouting
for your attention.

Testament is a play that illustrates this perfectly with a production stripped
bare to just the essentials needed to tell the story, and boy does it tell a
story...


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THE G-STRINGS NEED YOUR HELP AT CLAPHAM FRINGE



"It's New Year's Eve 1999, and the G-Stringz are getting ready for the gig of
their life! They need a big crowd behind them to help persuade Diamond Records
this is THE band to sign. It's tonight or never!"

Well the G-Stringz need your help again, after a successful run at the Edinburgh
Fringe Burnt Lemon Theatre bring their award winning play Half Moon Shania to
the Bread and Roses Theatre as part of the Clapham Fringe this coming weekend
(5th, 6th and 7th of October at 5pm). With great reviews, and Best Musical
awards from both Musical Theatre Review and our own Head of Steam award, this is
definitely a show not to miss if you're in the London area next weekend.

More Event


YANKEE AND THE FOREIGNERS STORM THE RED LION



Every so often you get that feeling that you just have to go and see a band.
When a good friend of mine shared a link last week of a band due to play in
Winsford, I got that feeling, and got in the car and drove 2 hours to go see
them. Never has a gut feeling been so well rewarded - I think I may have a new
favourite band!

The link that drew me in was a cover of Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen, always a
favourite song of mine, and a notoriously difficult song to pull off with the
beautifully layered vocals. But pull it off they did, and they made it their
own, making it sound like it's always been a song with bluegrass roots. Now
there was a danger with such a quirky cover that this was just an attention
grabbing gimmick (and it certainly grabbed my attention), but it was no gimmick,
this high energy and consumate musicianship pured out of every ounce of the
music they played last night, an absolute joy to behold.

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STEAMHEAD 2.0 IS HERE



After a soft re-launch a few weeks ago, using the old Nineties structures the
orginal site was made with, the new Steamhead 2.0 is now with us - Yay!

The soft launch was to make sure there was something out there for our visit to
the Edinburgh Fringe, but it didn't work too well on phones, but now we have our
new shiny mobile friendly site up and running, so it's now readable on any
format. So come on in, have a good look around and tell us via Facebook or
Twitter if you find bits that don't work on your device.

We kicked off Steamhead 2.0 with a review including Dip who were one of the
bands to be featured on Steamhead the first time around, great to see them still
as fresh as ever. If you want to write reviews for Steamhead you are most
welcome, it's a non-commercial site so there's no dosh in it for you, just
satisfaction of a job well done. If you want to be a Steamie, just drop a
private message to me via the Steamhead Facebook Messenger (or Twitter Direct
Message), and I'll tell you how to submit your reviews. You will be credited, if
you want, and I won't hold copyright of the review so you're free to post
elsewhere.


DIP AND CRAZY DIAMOND ROCK THE GALLOWS



Saturday 8th of September saw a local double header at The Gallows Inn, in
Ilkeston, with Dip and Crazy Diamond. A powerhouse night of two well established
local bands at the top of their game. If you've never seen either of these bands
then that's a problem you need to fix. Keep your eyes peeled on the Steamhead
events page, as I'm sure these two bands will crop up some more.

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CHALKLINE THEATRE BRING TESTAMENT TO LONDON



Chalk Line Theatre have announced that Testament will be coming to London
throughout October!. Kicking off with the Clapham Fringe on the 10th and 11th of
October at 7pm and then their first Off-West-End run at the Hope Theatre in
Islington on the 21st, 22nd, 28th and 29th of October at 7.45pm.

Tickets are available now, follow the link below to the events for more details
of where they are and how to book.

Event


HEAD OF STEAM AWARDS 2018



OK, maybe not awards as such, but in honour of the relaunch of Steamhead, here
is a summary of the best examples of things I saw at this years Edinburgh Fringe
Festival. If anyone claims to tell you the best 10 shows at the Fringe, well
they're pretty much telling BIG porky pies. There are around 3500 different
shows at the Fringe, and around 300 shows on every hour, so nobody can possibly
claim to know the best, just the best out of what they have seen.

So with that in mind, to relaunch my site, here are the Head of Steam awards, or
the Steamies for short. Basically any act that has managed to build up a big
enough head of steam to catch my attention and become the best in a category out
of the small fraction of the shows I got to see.

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JAGO AND LIGHTFOOT FOREVER



So who are Jago and Lightfoot? Well Henry Gordon Jago is a theatre impresario
extraordinaire and Professor George Lightfoot is a pathologist for the Police,
teaming up in Victorian London to solve mysteries of a slightly unusual nature.
A more unlikely pairing you're never likely to see, but that's just it, you
don't see them, their many adventures can be heard in audio dramas from Big
Finish Yes you heard me, audio dramas! Yes they are still a thing, it's not like
the old radio plays you used to listen to on the dusty old wireless on a dark
Sunday evening, Big Finish produce high quality dramas equally as good as
anything on TV or at the cinema, with incredible writing and wondrous
soundscapes and of course the visuals are as good as anything you can imagine.

If you want to delve into audio drama for the first time then Jago and Lightfoot
would be a great start point, and you know enough about them now to make a good
start, but of course there's much more to tell if you want to find out more.

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ANATOMY OF A FROG JUGGLER



Well I had to kick the site off with something, so I guess a blog about myself
and where Steamhead comes from would be a good starting point.

The elements in the "Technology - Music - Drama - Life" strap-line may seem
strange bedfellows, but they pretty much sum up my interests, with the first
three primarily defining the fourth. So the Steamhead site is essentially a blog
site where I will talk about each of those things, either as opinion, or reviews
of "product" in those categories. Of course these days Technology can also be a
great enabler of the other three, so be prepared for cross-over blogs as well.

Whilst this site won't have any comment sections, you can still join in the
conversations via the Facebook and Twitter social media channels, I didn't see
any point trying to replicate what has already been done ;-)

But how have Technology, Music and Drama shaped my life, and brought me to this
point? Read on McDuff...

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