Wednesday 28 February 2007

PRIDE 07 - Gay Community

I have been reseraching and making contacts regarding GAY PRIDE in Birmingham this year.


The BBC regional news website for Birmingham has released a statement from the events director, and is as follows:


The plans for Pride 2007 have been revealed. Events Director David Babbington tells us why he believes this year will be the best ever.
"Birmingham Pride began in 1997 and now, in 2007, it’s time to make some changes. Lots of work has been going on between the gay community and Birmingham City Council to give the event some stability, growth, financial input and make it into an event the community and Birmingham can be proud of.
Sparkle at Pride
I am pleased to say we are now moving together under the umbrella of Birmingham City Council, making the event bigger, better, transparent and putting the community at the heart of what happens. The theme for this year is: “United for Equality”". http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2007/02/09/birmingham_pride_preview_2007_feature.shtml


There is much excitement surrounding this years event, and with it being a decade of this event happening, then I can't think of a better time to do a large coverage piece for this- feature, photographs, and I have contacted David for a possible interview. I am also going to persue further articles surrounding the PRIDE event, and interview gays/lesbians that are students at UCE.

GAY PRIDE 07 is going to be my main article as part of the 'Gay' section that I am covering as part of 'Community' section of the UCE newsite that we are to produce in our Online Journalism Module.

Lets Get a Grip = )

As part of my University course at UCE in Birmingham, I am undertaking a module in Online Journalism. As part of this Module, myself and class mates are to create an online news site, research, write and post our own articles.

Our lecturer has had difficulty in commiting us, as a group, to this task.

My first thoughts on the fact that we haven't actually got 'stuck in' are that as a group, we don't communiate very well. Either being in class, or online, nevermind on moodle. Why is this?

Moodle in my opinion has become something to catch up on that lecture that you may have missed or to have 'a-go' at a course, or the people on said course, that in reality you don't hardly put any input into!!!
Maybe all this energy (and I am also speaking about myself here) should be put into making something out of this module- An Online News Site, run by not only students, but up and coming journalists. This is an opportunity that we can't afford to pass up.

In my opinion we need kicking in to touch, we need to learn to embrace the course, and work well as a group, and have that 'fuel' for the news individually, or this news website is never going to get on the way.

We wanted a challenge- so lets step up to it!

Its not just Paul we are letting down, we are letting down ourselves. More specifically, Yourself.



Tuesday 20 February 2007

Brief Interview

On the Couch with Dead Disco

……a rather comfortable, expensive, once was a very large cow kinda couch to be precise. Not that I sat on it! However, I did prop my posterior on the sinks in the Lav’s, where my laid back chat (actually horizontal at this point, I blame it on the vodka) with Lucy Catherwood, Marie France and Victoria Hesketh took place.

Okay so first of all girls I’m sorry that I’m actually half cut at the moment

Lucy: Oh don’t worry its not that we are actually sober to be honest, Victoria’s had a few
Victoria: Yeah I think we have a matching problem with the Vodka

(Laughs)

Amazing set, did you enjoy it?

DD: Oh yeah….Definitely
V: It was a lot better than I thought it would be
L: I hurt my finger during the set (shows me a slightly bloody finger) I need like a Simpson’s plaster, that would sort me out

So, What’s the workload been like up until your single launch?

V: It’s not work its pleasure
Marie: Yeah, I wouldn’t call it work
L: We have had some late nights though, we didn’t get back in Leeds till 4am today after recording, then we had sound checks here earlier
M: And there was the balloons that we had to blow up as well

Yeah, I noticed. You’ve got a space theme going on out there, did you get your hands dirty with the paper mache planets?

L: Yeah we got well into it (laughs); we wanted more space stuff out there though
M: we were gunna dress up and everything
L: but there isn’t a fancy dress shop anywhere in Leeds that sells space costumes, like from the Jetsons.
V: Yeah. What’s that about?
L: Sort it out
M: Dya remember that maid from the Jetsons?
V: That robot, Oh yeah (stands and does strange robot movements)

The space theme seems to have gone down well with the merch…..

L: yeah we were trying to keep it all with the art work and stuff from our singles and all that
M: the T-shirts we’ve got with the woman Cyclops
V: and the robot badges…and the flyers saucers
L: oooh the flying saucers

Yeah I have had way too many of them, I think I was reliving my childhood a bit too much, so anyway what’s the best thing about being in Dead Disco?

V: the free make up

(All laugh)

L: we get loads of it
M: what’s the name of that one….

…Mac?

M: no, Versace
L: we do get quite a lot, loads more names
V: Ruby and Millie!!…Mac Schmack!


Ive seen the results of your shoots on your myspace page, they good fun then?

L: yeah definitely, even if from time to time the gay make-up artist does try it on
V: people have said I look like Annie Mac on the pictures (stands and looks rather annoyed)L: they say it all the time
M: people always say we look smaller as well
L: It’s the best thing ever though when you go on someone else’s page and they have your song on their profile
M: its like ‘arrrrgggh
V: that’s OUR song!

How was shooting your video?

V: So much fun
M: And our director Sann was brilliant!

It’s your first and last single release on the Fierce Panda label, right?

M: yeah, hopefully we’ll do want everyone else has done after getting a single out with Fierce Panda…..go on and get an album out and just keep going and going. Hopefully.

How was Leeds Fest for you?

M: I enjoyed Leeds sooo much
V: Yeah it was brilliant!
L: Absolutelty! We would have loved to have got weekend tickets and seen the whole festival but we can’t hack staying in tents
M: We got there on the Sunday, but enjoyed every minute of it
V: I don’t think I could have stayed in a tent, why would you want to stay in a bin bag propped up with sticks?
M: She wouldn’t have been able to cope
L: Yeah, her without her ghd’s, she can’t cope without them, look at her hair

But it’s curly?

M: yeah she does it with the straighteners
V: clamp and twist though, clamp and twist, I wouldn’t have been able to cope
(Laughs)

So what happened to Reading?

M: was there an unsigned stage there?
L: it was just regional wasn’t it, up north
V: we were asked about Leeds but Reading wasn’t mentioned
M: yeah but we would love to be there next year.
DD: yeah next year definitely
L: would be brilliant.



And at that we leave the pleasant settings of Coco toilets and head for the bar yet again, and I’m off to munch more of those flying saucers, the sherbets got a kick!!!

www.deaddisco.co.uk

Published Work

Written for ‘No-TiTLE’ Magazine
DEAD DISCO single launch party
w/ The Clerks, Heads We Dance

Coco, Lower Briggate, Leeds
September 2006
Jessica Barlow


The night started off with me stood at a bus stop frantically looking for a pen, or any sort of similar instrument of which to write with. With no I idea where the hell I was going when I was just a mere spectator in the evenings plans, I now was reviewing the little shindig and had the task of getting my scatty and at this point rather panicked self to a little place known as Coco at the lower of Briggate.

Easily said and done, situated next to the newly refurbished Mission, Coco is nicely tucked away in the cobbled gay quarter at the lower end of Leeds. I quickly found it’s cute, cool and chrome ways urging me to spend more than I could on the very impressive cocktail list. Coco seems at this point a perfect little hide away for the launch party for single ‘Automatic’ from the trio Dead Disco.
Automatic, a perfect eltro-indie wave single, which can be compared to that ever so familiar sound of Blondie, is the last release on Fierce Panda Records, and in my opinion is definitely a high note to leave the panda with thanks to the Leeds lasses. The B side single ‘Too Late’ is worthy of a release on its own, continuing the ladies strong new wave sound. The EP is even blessed with a remix for the title single and enhanced with the Video to ‘Automatic’ which was directed by Samm of the Klaxons.

With all that under their belt before the night even began I was very much excited about shaking my arse and drinking excessively to celebrate this launch. The girls, Catherwood, France and Hesketh were headlining the night, for obvious reasons, accompanied by a Perisian/Mancunian based power indie/pop punk band ‘The Clerks’, and the newly established local four piece band ‘Heads We Dance’, who kicked off the party like a newly born mule with extremely large feet.

Heads We Dance, (and my god we did), played their first ever gig tonight and by golly gosh it was good! When they announced that they had been together for just FOUR WEEKS I nearly choked and ate my cigarette. And if that doesn’t explain how good these lads are then I don’t know what else I can try and eat that isn’t edible. HWD are a very healthy mash up of raw Killers and Franz Ferdinand with a massive electro synth feel. And it feels good. As first impressions go I don’t think that they could have hoped for a better one, I would expect to see these three guys and their girl, popping up all over the fucking place with more gigs up in the North, make sure you catch them before they start charging for their pins- which they were handing out like sweets.

Middle man The Clerks later powered out a song titled ‘The Fight’, and this was pleasantly received by the party people. It was raw and heavy yet still managed to keep and electro punk sound pumping. The male vocals of Max, think a very straight sounding Brian Molko, worked more than well with the female harmonising. From song to song male and female vox swapped around and mixed together, meaning that their sound kept bringing something new to the crowd through the set, and they loved it. Add The Clerks to your ‘things I like from France list’, tres bien!

Dead Disco closed the nights celebrations in true style. Their set which started with City Place, an earlier release on the Dance To the Radio label this year, followed by their new b-side song Too Late, and The Treatment which is unbelievably catchy and my personal favourite, was bloody brilliant! More of the set saw…Riding Low, Stop The Clock and the finale, single release Automatic, saw DD put on the best live performance that Elaine, aka Mama Catherwood had ever seen. Quote.

Their new release Automatic, is available on CD for 3.99 and Vinyl for 2.99 in Crash and Jumbo Records in Leeds, Amazon and on I-tunes to Download. Yet I doubt by the time you read this they’ll be any copies left, after the single and undoubtedly their whole set went down a storm!
Dead Disco’s stage presence is fun and full of life, and they really get into their music, I can see DD heading for the bright lights of stardom at an extremely nauseating speed. These girls look, sound and should be the part!

With what is becoming an era where female fronted bands are breaking the business with the likes of The Long Blondes, Metric and Be Your Own Pet hitting the indie scene running, Dead Disco are not going to fall flat on their pretty little faces!

Go buy Automatic, it would be a crime not to.

www.myspace.com/deaddiscohq
www.myspace.com/theclerks
www.myspace.com/headswedance

Digitalization Of News- An Extract

Information Super Highway

The internet has had a global effect on communication, where the creation of virtual communities exists online. These online communities are ever more reliant on receiving their news online and in ‘real-time’, within the new online economy electronic communication is instantaneous, making the concept of ‘real time’ news a reality. The internet “is a medium of multimedia content, interactive communications, electronic mail, and much more” (p.61, J.V Palik, Journalism and the New Media, 2001) which can only fuel further advancements in the field of online journalism.

Technological advances mean that we are now ‘real-time consumers’ of news through the use of an online format. “print news organisations update their online product every ten minutes throughout the day, assuming that the public is increasingly impatient with anything less than real-time information” (p.97, Going live, P. Seib 2001). Technological advances have always changed the way in which we consume news through the use of not only the internet, but from the earlier advancement of the ‘writing tool’, from typewriters to ‘Ceefax’ on BBC channels. Now it is having to adapt to our ‘needs’ and assumes that as an online community we want the news as fast and updated as the technology itself.

Within the 1970’s researchers in the field of advances in journalism within the United States had “a hunch that paper may not be a viable means of distribution for much longer” (p 49, New Technology and the Press, R. Winsbury, 1975). Although an obvious statement, even early on in technological advances, figures in the field of media were aware that advances in technology and the globalization of news, would certainly have an effect on the distribution, and ultimately the consumption of news. Even the way in which journalists themselves would carry out reporting the news, and the medium that they would use was questioned, it was considered that eventually contemporary methods would be “replacing the traditional type writer and altering their work style” (p. 45, New Technology and the Press, R. Winsbury, 1975), something that the internet and the explosion of an online community and news consumers can only support.

Potential implications for news companies have arisen because of developments in technology, where these advancements have to be followed and kept up to date with by the newspaper companies. This is in order to deliver news through the medium that consumers are demanding. This development of online technology and the growth in use of the World Wide Web, and the power of computers- “ in the first part of the twentieth century, computing power was doubling every three years…now it doubles every eighteen months” (p. 186 J.V Palik, Journalism and the New Media, 2001)- means that the mass media have also had a drastic change in the way in which news is displayed, because of increased amounts of technology. This increase in technology changes the way in which news is visibly displayed to us, it’s now on a screen, and ultimately the way in which we as society actually consume news. This increase in computing power has obviously lead to the increase of online news consumption, with web pages being up dated by the minute, and website hits increasing, this is the birth of the Online Newspaper

The Online Newspaper

Interactive News

An aesthetically pleasing web site can only add to a larger amount of consumers of news. The webpage that is displayed is a great factor in the audience figures that a news website attracts, and it has to provide what the consumers of news expect.

“Contextualization is paramount in online news coverage; links, easily accessible background material, and effective search tools should allow the news consumer to find additional material to help place a current story into its historical or other context.”
(p. 45, Journalism and the New Media, J.V Palik, 2001)

These attributes of an online newspaper is what ultimately attracts the reader. After studying two separate news websites, The Daily Mirror and The Birmingham Post, it is apparent that online newspapers, as a print newspaper would, follows certain design rules. The visible display of an online newspaper is obviously different to that of a traditional print newspaper, yet there is a definite set of ‘rules’ that are followed, even by separate newspapers. This is something that through changes to online journalism, consumers have expected, this is what

“news consumers want; the opening screen should draw attention to what’s new, whether it’s through scrolling text, well executed information, graphics, or some other technique” (p.44, J.V Palik, Journalism and New Media, 2001)

Online news has become increasingly popular with consumers being able to interact with their newspaper, responding to posts and involving themselves as ‘citizen journalists’;

“the internet is a medium of multimedia content, interactive communications, electronic mail, and much more” (p.61, J.V Palik, Journalism and the New Media, 2001)

The internet is not only fuelling an online journalistic profession, but is also allowing consumers themselves to ‘interact’ with their news and allowing that ‘much more’ to occur.

Thursday 8 February 2007

WHY?

hmmmm............Online Journalism......why?


Well one reason is, your reading this right now, and if your reading this now you are part of a heavily expanding online readership.

The internet at the moment provides far more than getting travel insurance on the cheap, that designer bag or a thai bride, for those that way inclined, it's a whole new open world of thoughts and feelings, opinion pieces and ultimately front page news.

Online journalism is become something that up-and-coming journo's not only need to consider, it is becoming something that they must embrace. News consumption online is ever expanding, and as technological advancement is ever going on, then the role of the traditional journalist must also change in its advancement.

With the 'help' of the internet, journalists are able to create a 'real time' news situation, where the reader is aware of the stories as soon as they happen, rather than waiting for the six o'clock news bulletin or for it to appear on the evenings front page. Not only do readers have a hightened level and speed of news intake on the internet, they have the ability to interact with the news inself. Posting responses to breaking news bulletins, and being involved in news forums and developing further informed disscussions within an 'online community'.


Hmmm....BLOGGING....what I am doing right now, and what you my friend, are reading. A somewhat irrelevant and pointless speech (to you), about why online journalism is so important, a point in itself, that online journalism reaches a wider scope compared to traditional print journalism. Blogging is an opportunity for anyone to voice there opinion to the world, this is also true of the news on online, online journalism has created the 'citizen journalist', a concept that print journalism cannot offer. Everyday citizens are able to provide the news, aswell as contribute there opinion on the day's news story, an example would be the images used in the London Bombings. Grainy, raw and original images from the source of the breaking news story, as it happens, at the scene.

*cue sales pitch*

So get the news as its hot! HA! Switch to Online.