Live / Bloc Party, Earls Court, 22/02/13

Back from the dead, back with a stunning new album, back at the very same venue they raised the roof at four years ago; Bloc Party’s return to Earl’s Court was a recipe for success. And yet the indie rockers are here for just one night only as opposed to 2009’s pair of headline sets, and pre-show buzz doesn’t seem to be reaching the peaks that it did back then. Perhaps not everyone has stuck with them through the last few years; what with an uneasy hiatus that saw rumours of a complete break up accompany the release of frontman Kele Okereke’s solo work.

Live / Brad, 02 Academy Islington, 10/02/13

That it’s taken Brad some 20 years to make it to the UK is no surprise. While the Seattle band has found time to put out five albums since its inception in 1993, frontman Shawn Smith is kept busy with two other projects and a solo career, while lead guitarist Stone Gossard gets more than his fair share of worldly travels done with that other band of his.

Game / Dead Space 3

There’s a line of thinking that just because a horror game isn’t scary, said game is, as a whole, rubbish. The Dead Space series is a common victim in this argument, often barraged by ‘brave’ gamers, beating their chests about their nerves of steel and clean underwear. But I’ve always thought that’s a touch unfair.

Movie / A Good Day to Die Hard

I’m glad A Good Day to Die Hard exists. I remember when it was originally unveiled, some of my friends were upset that the studios were marking a fifth film out of the classic franchise, but I was ready to abandon my anti-cash cow snobbery welcome the return of John McClane. Having seen it this week, that’s no longer the reason I’m happy it’s been made. Instead, I’m delighted that my brother and I no longer have to argue about which is the worst film in the series, because it is easily A Good Day to Die Hard.

Movie / Lincoln

It was more with a sense of duty than anticipation that I went to go and see Lincoln a few weeks ago. I’m a big fan of awards season, even though I rarely fall for the same films that the more prestigious film viewers among us choose to nominate. With a mind-numbing 158 minutes ahead of me, complete with patriotic scores and ‘award-winning’ performances that involve some crying here and some shouting there, I was convinced Spielberg’s latest wouldn’t buck this trend.

Movie / Django Unchained

It’s taken me a whole week of tossing and turning on Django Unchained. I saw it last Sunday, but to truly unravel my thoughts on it has taken the better part of the week. Which is funny, really, because, at its core, Django adheres to the most simplistic of Tarantino rules: funny, vicious, unique and yet overly-long, with far too much fluff to ever truly be considered a classic.