Luton Music profile-David Boa

David Boa has always been one of those interesting people whilst I was at sixth form collage, he was a year above me but he stood out to me during my time at Luton sixth. He seemed really dedicated to his courses and I always remember him stuck in one of the art studio’s most of the time. Even on lunch breaks when most kids sat quietly in the canteen or tried to impress girls by playing football David would always be working away at something.

But my interest in him was fascinated by his desire to do well and just always work. Not to mention whatever David seemed to touch graphically looked fantastic if slightly left field and odd. I clearly remember one drawing David which just made me smirk, the image stood there triumphal and indeed stayed there long after David moved onto university in Norwich.

Yet I never really knew David or Boa as he likes to be called that well. I kind of knew him through friends really, but not that well. However that all changed as through our hobby we met up created a secret society called SHH! (No joke) and we all done our said hobby together. It had a relative amount of success, and our secret hobby lead us to run and play evenings all over the country, Ill leave David to explain more.

Now I am able to catch up with David in a dingy basement of local nightspot Manhattans in my home town of Luton, much has happened in-between that drawing that made me laugh so much. That’s why I decided to interview David to see what’s going on with him particularly in relation to a hobby he started whilst at university.

MF: So David want to give us some insight into your dj’ing and how you got involved with Dark Party and the Basement

D.B: Well a group of us in Luton just started to DJ just before I went off to university it came from us all going out to the same places in Luton. We just got together thanks to this guy Ginger John and we just put a night on. We didn’t really know each other and we all played the same stuff and we went from there.

MF: So what kinda stuff did you and the other guys play?

D.B well the style has changed a lot, I basically house music it’s a mixture of tech house & electro and jackin’ beats kinda stuff. It’s pretty much electro with loads of Indie remixes which I guess goes down well with the crowd who goes to Dark Party. The music we play is easily accessible and it’s very jump up and fun.

MF What about this Ginger John guy don’t you think it was a great idea to get us all together?

D.B I Think Ginger John massively helped us out I don’t think I would be Dj’ing as much without his help. Just by noticing about us guys and what we did. I mean we had a couple of Indie Dj’s like yourself but also a few electro Dj’s and he just brought us together and off the back of this we have all become friends like me and you but also all the other guys as well. But off this it’s good to network as well because Alex & Craig are still studying at the moment and it’s nice because you have the opportunity to take the dj further afield. I and the guys have dj’ed in Bournemouth together and we are also djing in London soon which should be fun.

M.F Do you think by playing out in Luton helped you hone your dj skills at university in Norwich?

D.B Yeah definitely, it worked both ways. Because when I was first playing out there was a big party scene in Luton, but also the night I do in Norwich called Pow which I still do are both very similar value. Both Indie party based but at the same time have some very good dj’s . It defiantly helped playing out to different crowds in different parts of the country but both have similar vibes, which made it great.

M.F Do you think by also playing to similar crowds that helped you in terms of creating the mixes that you put up online?

D.B I improved as a dj from playing out; it’s a totally different experience from being a bedroom dj to playing out live. It was a really exciting transition to have especially at university because it was such a great place to do it.

M.F OK, So how about the perks of Djing I mean it’s a pretty sweet deal, free drinks and free entry is it about that for you or is it all about the music?

D.B For me dj’ing is always going to be a hobby, I am never going to become a superstar dj, although I would quite like to.

M.F But the people around us such as Craig & Alex are doing really well with it, I mean when you see those people do you feel a sense of pride seeing them do so well?

D.B Definitely especially for Craig and Alex, for me it’s still a hobby and it always will be. But for Crack Your Skull is definitely a big name in Bournemouth for sure and they are taking over the south really, with some big nights in Bristol and when they played Nag, Nag, Nag which has finished now but was one of the best nights in country at the time. That was such a good night and it was wicked seeing your friends do it and make it, because they enjoy djing and they definitely wanna do it and it’s refreshing to see somebody have so much fun with it.

M.F Looking forward would you like to release any production in the future in a similar vein to what Alex (Victoria Wreckham) has done? Would you like to go into that area?

D.B It’s one of my New Year’s resolutions actually to make new tunes. When I was younger I used to be in a band and ive always been quite musical and enjoyed music a lot. I think that my drive now is to make dance music as opposed to rock music.

M.F Right, fantastic David Boa thank you

D.B oh no thank you.

David is currently working as a graphic designer in London; he can’t name them for some reason. In his spare time David is Dj’ing at the basement of Dark Party which is every Saturday at Manhattans in Luton. He also DJ’s at POW in Norwich also, look out for David playing out in London and most of southern England soon. David is currently produces mixes regularly, to find them just type in Brap Dj Collective into facebook that shall give you all you need.

White Lies-To Lose My Life- Album Review

White Lies are pretty Gloomy, and there debut album highlights the band’s bleak outlook on life. The first song on the debut album “to loose a life.” Is previous single death, Lead singer Harry Mc Veigh clambers into the microphone proclaiming “that the fear has got a hold of me.” But the song is strangely uplifting bar the grim subject matter and is sure to encapsulate many a fan.

Next up is by far one of the better song in the album which is the title track “to loose a life.” The young band again deals with the heady gloomy issues of life and death, but this song has a slick intensity which will surely emulate White Lies into the big leagues this year. For a start they have been hotly tipped by music magazine NME, The Guardian, and every other finger on the pulse music outlet in the U.K & indeed the listening masses seem to be feeling White Lies. To quote my very trendy pal Lee in a recent conversation about the current music climate in England “Nothing is really doing it for me, nothing is holding my attention that much apart from those White Lies, and it seems like the only album im looking forward to.” Well said Lee, as in many ways this album is the curtain raiser for the new music 09 convention.


But back to the album and third track “A Place to Hide” shows another creative string to the west London three. The fact that they can create a simple guitar pop song with a certain amount of kick, and more worryingly has that same uplifting quality to it vast the doom and gloom which is conjured by Mr Mc Veigh. Expect to be hearing this on your radio come September when the band realise the third single off the album.

Carbon copy “Fifty On Our Foreheads” again has that strangely uplifting tone to the band, and like many a critic who have compared them to a pastiche of Manchurian legends Joy Division I can see some similarities in White Lies. The key amount of drone bass delivered by the eloquently named Jack Lawrence-Brown. But I also see a nod to peers Glasvegas who indeed offer similar gloomy undertones powered by heavy bass-lines and high keyboard playing, that wouldn’t sound out of place at a funeral.


The funeral themed organ runs into the next track “Unfinished Business.” Similar amounts of gloom, doom and general death are thrown out as Mc Veigh claims of a “of a light in the distance,” yet he calmly reassures us that “he will wait for you.” A lovely sentiment perhaps in a song which is so clearly about a love lost. A forlorn Mc Veigh looking back onto what could have been, all with the unsettling spectre of death looming over the piece, spooky stuff.


The rather cryptically titled E.S.T rumbles into my ears and you can clearly hear the influences of My Bloody Valentine and again Joy Division, the churning rolling combination of key board and steady drumming creates a hypnotic consistent rhythm which points to Loveless circa 1991. But again the triumphant vocals of Mc Veigh, gives the track another dimension which again has this by now bone chilling amount of uplifting tones.


Next track, “From the Stars” could be earmarked as a potential single as Mc Veigh opens up the song with the tale of a friend he noticed at a funeral, again with the death. But thanks to some truly grandiose guitar rifts, the introduction of some orchestral strings and of course the delivery from Mc Veigh you get a rather marauding tale of how fantastically huge the universe is and how we are just small and inadequate in the scheme of things. It’s this kind of imagery which is given from the song which will keep you dancing along with White Lies.


We then move onto the weaker songs on the album which is “Farewell to the Fairground” in which a certain bolt of overwhelming positivity is thrust into the song. Something that I found relatively jading whilst listening to the album, I much preferred the gloom & misery piled on in “Death”. Along with the subtle uplifting hint. But this track just offers out and out positivity especially when Mc Veigh claims “there is no place like home” Ala Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, it certainly doesn’t sit well especially those honky tonk style guitar rifts, not appealing in the slightest.


Onto the Penulatamate track of the album and the start imagery of doom and gloom return in “Nothing To Give” as in his lowest and saddest tones Mc Veigh admits that he has quite finally notes “As you said goodbye I almost died.” A very bold statement indeed over the top many would note but I think that this angle sits well with the band, the one of overall seriousness. So don’t expect an cheeky disco anthem to be produced anytime soon.


The band don’t disappoint on final track “The Price Of Love” which is a powerful, staunch piece of story telling from Mc Veigh again around the now almost predictable themes of death, doom, gloom and crucially heartbreak as a tale is told of a husband leaving a wife. All set to rather epic tones conducted in part my the relentless drumming from the rather mysterious and shy fourth member of the band who is never pictured in official band photo’s. The album again ends with tense orchestaral strings which wrap up the album in a frantic and almost timeless manner, putting the curtain down on the first album from the class of 09’s ones to watch.


Overall I must say that I quite enjoyed the album as a listen, yet im also a fan of doom and gloom and so I guess it was always going to sit well with me. But I feel that White Lies for all the creativity and epic songs will find it hard to shake of the monkey off there back in the form of Ian Curtis. For all the excitement and hype behind the band I think that many will note the distinct nod to Joy Division, and merely dismiss the band.

But that said, the ball has already started rolling for White Lies, signed up for the prestigious NME awards tour along with hot new things Florence and the Machine. But more importantly in a recent interview it seems the band have a quality and a desire to improve, and perhaps by boastfully claiming “We’d feel very comfortable playing Wembley Arena.” Shows the confidence that this band posses and who knows off the back of 09 perhaps White Lies could be “the band of 2010” which sounds fansticly grand in a futuristic kind of way.I guess we will just have to wait and see.

World Football- Christiano's Car, Snowballs, Golden Balls and the Magic of Messi

Across Europe a seasonal cold snap caused mayhem, with many of the games in England and France being called off. The highest profile match was the relegation battle between Portsmouth & Manchester City at Fratton Park. But the lower leagues in England suffered significantly with over ten games being called off in league 2.

However the cold snap in Spain lead to a snow ball fight in the game Between Atletico Madrid& Atletico Bilbao. The game had to be halted for a minute, as the Atletico Bilbao keeper Gorka Iraizoz was being pelted by snow balls by the home fans. A quick announcement over the speaker system put stop to the impromptu fight and the game then went ahead. Unfortunately the actions of the home fans did not serve to help Atletico as they crumbled to a 3-2 defeat. Elsewhere in Spain a resurgent Real Madrid dispatched with Mallorca with a comfortable 3-0 victory the goals coming from Raul, Arjen Robben and a first goal of the season for Spanish Defender Sergio Ramos.

Barca however struggled away from home to overcome relegation threatened Osasuna, by winning 3-2. In a foggy night in Pamplona Barcelona looked comfortable with Argentine ace Leo Messi prominent in attack. They soon took the lead a minute before the half time interval courtesy of Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto. However in the second half Osasuna took the game to Barca and consequently equalised and took the lead through goals from Miguel Flano & Walter Pandiani.

With Barca staring defeat in the face they rallied again and equalised through Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez on the 80^th minute, Barca won the game thanks to a superb effort from Leo Messi who’s individual flare is a real joy to behold, he ran unchallenged for over 30 yards before cutting back onto his left foot and delivering a blistering shot into the top corner. The performance underlined the prominence of the young Argentine who looked unstoppable at times. What is scarier is that he is only 21 so expect the little Argentine to be on the world stage for some time.

The big game in the Premier League at the weekend was a 2^nd verses 4^th battle as Manchester United took on Chelsea at Old Trafford. The first half was a relatively cagey affair with Chelsea passing the ball all over the pitch, but with no real cutting edge in the final third. The Red Devils seemed subdued and surprisingly registered there first shot in the 20^th minute. But they quickly took the lead on the

stroke of half time thanks to a well worked corner, Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic on hand at the back post to nod past Chelsea keeper Peter Cech.

The second goal came just after the hour as Wayne Rooney turned in left back Patrice Evra’s cross to put Manchester United on the right track for a deserved three points. But the game was put into little doubt when Bulgarian Striker Dimitar Berbatov scored from close range with four minutes to go. The result see’s Manchester United five points behind league leaders Liverpool with two games in hand.

Across the continent footballers and there driving habits have taken some headlines. In England Manchester United winger Christiano Ronaldo was involved in a crash which saw him totally write off his Ferrari sports car. Luckily team mate Edwin Van Der Sar was behind him to pick him up and get him to training on time. It’s not just Christiano who has been making the headlines for reckless driving. Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery decided to pull a prank on his team mates which back fired in spectac

ular fashion. Ribery decided to scare his team mates who are currently on tour in the U.A.E by jumping onto the team bus and proceed to start driving it. Whilst driving around the hotel complex Ribery managed to crash the

team bus a fantastic three times.

Ribery Up to no good in the U.A.E

Over in Italy and David Beckham made his A.C Milan Debut against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti surprised everyone by starting Beckham, when he previously indicated that Beckham would be starting on the bench. However the game seemed to pass Beckham by, and looked lacking for pace against left back John Arne Reiise for Roma’s first goal. However Beckham did get back into the game by delivering a number of dangerous crosses. Beckham was replaced in the 89^th minute and looked a little jaded for his efforts. The final score was 2-2 thanks in part to a well taken brace by Brazilian wonder kid Pato.

Golden Balls & Pato the best of friends

Finally Portuguese winger Christano Ronaldo has been named the 2008 World Player of the year in Monaco. Ronaldo beat the likes of Leo Messi, Fernando Torres & Xavi Hernandez to the prestigious award. “It’s an overwhelming moment in my career and I'd like to dedicate this award to my family, friends and colleagues.” Said Ronaldo on receiving the award, the pacey wingers record tally of 42 goals helped Manchester United sweep to a European & Domestic double. Ronaldo is only the second Portuguese player to win the award after Luis Figo picked up the award in 2001.

Euro Football Review

Just some Writing im doing for the Website http://futera.com/ Im going to be the new man in the stands....... which sounds nice, this is my first post, coupled with some nice pictures to make everything seem nice.





The turn of the New Year signals the January transfer market across Europe with many of the top teams on the continent on the look out for that key signing that can make or break their season. One such team is Arsenal who are reported to be interested in Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin. The Zenit Saint Petersburg player has been granted a transfer request, with Arsenal at the front of the queue for his signature as they look to replace their injured captain Cesc Fabregas.

The start of the month also welcomed the magic of the third round of the F.A cup, when minnows from the lower leagues had the opportunity to pit wits against the premiership elite, with the faint hope of taking a scalp. Nottingham Forest had the result of the round with a convincing 3-0 victory over “the richest club in the world” Manchester City.

Newly appointed Forest manager Billy Davis had the midas touch as goals from strikers Nathan Tyson & Rob Earnshaw ensured Forest had a commanding two goal lead before half time. Other noticeable results include Hartlepool beating Stoke by 2-0 and also Southend United holding Chelsea 1-1 at Stanford Bridge, thanks in part to a last gasp equaliser from defender Peter Clarke.

Else where in Europe Real Madrid quickly snapped up the signatures of Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and defensive midfielder Lassana Diarra from Ajax and Portsmouth respectively. New coach Juande Ramos is looking to catch up on arch rivals Barcelona who are currently twelve points clear of the Madrista. Barcelona are still the ones to beat this season though and Pep Guardiola’s brand of fast paced passing football has blown the entire league away. With Lionel Messi & Xavi Hernandez the leading lights in the squad.

Over to Italy and Inter Milan remain at the top of the league before the Christmas break, Jose Mourinho’s men battled to a two one victory over midtable Siena thanks to two goals from Brazillain right back Maicon. On the other side of Milan A.C officially unveiled loan signing David Beckham to much fanfare at the San Siro Beckham was welcomed to a less than impressed San Siro crowd who unveiled derogatory banners aimed at his wife, Victoria. AC Milan also strengthened defensively with the accusation of highly rated Brazilian defender Thiago Silva who starred in the Beijing Olympics winning a bronze medal.





Beckham Tries some Italian..........







In Germany minnows TSG Hoffenheim are still in dreamland topping the Bundesliga on goal difference from arch rivals Bayern Munich. The team from the South-West Germany have continued a meteoric rise up the German leagues having only been playing in the regional leagues of Germany in 2002. Thanks to the backing of software millionaire Dietmar Hopp who has invested over one hundred million Euro’s into the team. They have also managed to snap up German keeper Timo Hildebrand from Valencia C.F after his contract was terminated by mutual consent by the club.

Bayern have also looked to strengthen there squad for the title race, which in Germany is particularly tight with just three points separating the top five in the league. They have quickly jumped at the chance to sign Croatian Striker Ivica Olić on a three year pre contract from rivals Hamburger SV. The big Croatian has vowed to leave Hamburg with a trophy, and ironically Hamburg meet Bayern on the 30th of January to mark the official start to the second phase of the Bundesliga season.