A slap on the wrist from EMI Records

Following on from my misadventures with eBay last week (see my post from Saturday 26th March) I've now been targeted directly by EMI Records. This is what they had to say:

Via email [and recorded delivery]

Dear Sir,

Re: Fischerspooner- Odyssey

It has recently been brought to our attention that you have purported to sell a promotional CDR via the eBay website under the name of Fischerspooner- Odyssey (the "Promotional Records").

If the Promotional Record is a genuine copy released by a label or subsidiary of the EMI Group plc (collectively "EMI") it will bear the express notification that the Promotional Record cannot be sold and that ownership and title remains vested in EMI. Therefore any attempt to sell such a Promotional Record is an attempt to sell EMI's property which, it will not surprise you to note, is illegal.

Equally if the Promotional Record has not been manufactured by EMI but as it would appear bears sound recordings owned or controlled by EMI then such copy is an illegal copy and you have been attempting to sell counterfeit product.

Therefore we believe that your sale constitutes an unlawful breach of EMI's rights and we therefore demand from you:-

A. The immediate return of the Promotional Record. You should send the Promotional Record to this office marked for the attention of the Content Protection Department if it is still in your possession, custody or control.

B. The immediate return of all and any copies of the Promotional Record made by you or manufactured for you which are in your possession, custody or control.

C. Your written:-

(i) undertaking not to further infringe our rights in and to the Promotional Record;

(ii) undertaking that all commercial activity with respect to the Promotional Record ceased immediately upon receipt of this letter, if not prior thereto, and will not be resumed in the future;

(iii) confirmation of the specific circumstances surrounding your acquisition of the Promotional Record including, but not limited to, the identity of the individual or individuals who provided the Promotional Record to you, how you became aware of its existence and the amount of money (if any) paid by you in exchange for the Promotional Record;

(iv) confirmation of the name and address of the entity or person(s) who purchased the Promotional Record at auction. How much did you sell the same for? We require written proof of the sum paid;

(v) confirmation of details of all other media, including other internet sits, through or via which you have offered the Promotional Record for sale.


EMI views your infringement of our... (sentence missing)... Wednesday 7th April 2005, we will not hesitate to pursue any and all available remedies whether at law or in equity (and including but not limited to damages). In the meantime we would ask you to note that this is not an exhaustive statement of our rights and/or remedies as against you and in consequence all such rights and/or remedies are hereby expressly reserved.

Yours faithfully

EMI Content Protection
EMI Music
27 Wrights Lane
London W8 5SW
UK

So... I'm not gonna drag this out, I'll do the right thing and send them back their precious CD. But it does wind me up just a little bit. First off, perhaps EMI ought to exercise stricter control over who is given promos in the first place. There's a plethora of promos that find their way into every secondhand record shop, record fair or online auction site, so there's obviously a lot of reviewers or DJs who are happily flogging their copies. Quite why EMI don't target the primary source of these promos - namely the record shops or record fairs (which is where I bought mine) - I don't know. And I'm still curious to know whether EMI are this heavy-handed about all promos, or just ones that haven't had an "official" release yet - for example, just browsing eBay today brings up over 90 different promo CDs for Blur, another band signed to EMI Records.

I feel like I've been given a criminal record... well, a criminal CD.

Nouvelle Vague at the Komedia

You've probably never heard of Nouvelle Vague, www.nouvellesvagues.com. They're a French collective who specialise in covering eighties punk and new wave classics in a laid back, bossa-nova style. Sounds horrible doesn't it? But surprisingly it works, and their self-titled CD was one of my favourite albums of last year. The different female vocalists reinvent each song into languid, impeccibly cool numbers, thankfully without a hint of cheese wafting over the whole project. I wondered how this would all translate live but I'm pleased to report it worked amazingly well; the two singers alternated vocal duties and came across as chic, gawky, sexy and witty individuals, backed by the Nouvelle Vague industry room of guitar, piano and drums. In addition to the majority of tracks from their album they also included covers of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle, The Buzzcocks' Ever Fallen In Love, The Cramps' Spanish Fly and Bauhaus's Bela Lugosi Is Dead. Merci, vous etiez magnifique!

I first heard Nouvelle Vague at last year's Frightfest, and this leads me very nicely on to news of this year's premier UK horror and fantasy film festival which has just been confirmed to take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend in central London. Hop over to their website www.frightfest.co.uk for full details and a lively discussion forum.

Zeroes to Heroes

"Opinions are like arseholes - everyone's got one"

Like many people I form my opinions on people in the public eye based on all sorts of personal bias or the most tenuous of reasons. Inevitably there are certain "celebrities" that in my eyes are utter w*nkers. And then, just occasionally, something will happen - maybe an interview, or a television programme - that makes me completely rethink my views, and I have to hold my hands up and say that I got this person all wrong. They're actually good, decent people.

Last year it was celebrity mind-bender Derren Brown.
This year it is celebrity chef and school dinners campaigner Jamie Oliver.

Easter Weekender

An Easter Eggs-hibition

I hope you all had a good break over the Easter weekend. I spent mine with friends Troy, Rom, Steve and Chrissy for a marathon viewing of the Lord of the Rings trilogy - the extended editions no less. That's nearly twelve hours of movie to stay awake through... or doze off through in my case. We also found time to decorate some Easter eggs (see above)... this seems to be a continuation of the creative streak which began with our pumpkin carvings last Halloween.

On Saturday evening we welcomed back Doctor Who to our television screens. I have to admit I used to love that programme back in the eighties when I was a young kid... so like most people my age, was a little wary at the news that the BBC were bringing the show back. However, on the basis of the first episode I reckon they've made a decent stab at updating the show for a new generation of viewers. Christopher Eccleston is a great choice as The Doctor as he can really act and he brings a real confidence to the role. Billie Piper as companion Rose seems okay and her character gives her a more equal role, rather than just have her stand around screaming. With a new format of single forty-five minute episodes the stories might feel a little hurried compared to the adventures of old, but I know there's at least a couple of two-parters to come later on in the series. Okay, it wasn't perfect - a couple of CG scenes looked a little awkward - but it was never less than entertaining, and that's a major achievement considering the weight of expectation on their shoulders. Apparently it clocked over 10 million viewers on Saturday night, so the signs are positive. Here's looking forward to episode two!

Oh yeah, and I also bought Waiting for the Sirens' Call by New Order and it's ace.

A slap on the wrist from eBay

Fischerspooner - not allowed on eBay!

I've started selling some stuff on eBay recently, mainly CDs I no longer want. All was going swimmingly well until this week when I received an email from eBay telling me that they'd been asked by EMI Music (UK) to remove my listing of Fischerspooner's new Odyssey promo CD! And then warned me that if I repeat this offence then I'm likely to have my eBay account suspended! Okay, I'll concede that the CD in question is not actually available to buy in the shops until next month, so I can kinda understand that the record company might be a bit pissed about it... but where is this Big Brother heavy-handedness gonna stop? This begs the following questions:

• Do record companies object to ANY promos being sold on eBay... because let's face it, promos are collectable and eBay is overrun by them, it's gonna be a big job to try and enforce that particular measure.
• Do EMI Music (UK) actually employ someone just to trawl eBay looking for naughty boys and girls who are trying to flog their promo CDs?
• Why don't eBay actually try and stamp out the constant stream of obvious counterfeit CDs and DVDs that still populate their listings instead of worrying about promotional items?
• Does anyone want to buy a promo copy of the new Fischerspooner CD? Yours for a fiver, no questions asked...

Brighton Festival Fringe launch party at the Sea Life Centre

The Life Aquatic without Steve Zissou

Lucy and I got invited to the launch party for this year's Brighton Festival Fringe on Thursday night at Brighton's very own Sea Life Centre. You can check out all of this year's fringe events at www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk. In addition to the customary speeches and mix of promoters, performers, press and general liggers, this year's party also provided us with entertainment from an array of musicians, stilt-walkers, transvestites, comedians and DJs until the early hours of the morning. The biggest attraction however was the venue itself, open for us all to wander around as we liked. There was something quite surreal about staggering around the various tanks and aquariums gazing at the numerous different aquatic creatures, whilst under the influence of the bar's finest spirits...

A shark's tale

This is what happens when you're let loose to wander through an aquarium full of baby sharks with a bottle of beer in one hand and a tumbler of Jack Daniels & coke in the other.

The erroneously-named dancing shrimp

Whoever christened this particular creature ought to be frog-marched (heh heh) straight down to the trades description offices pronto. Honestly, I stood watching this little fella for ages and he might just as well have been superglued to his rock for all the dancing he did. I mean, even with the DJ blasting out The Chemical Brothers "Galvanize" at full volume, did Mr Shrimp bother to shake a leg? No he bloody didn't. Frankly I'm disappointed.

Movie Haiku - The Machinist & Constantine

The Machinist
Dir: Brad Anderson
Cast: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Ironside, John Sharian

Walking skeleton
he has not slept for a year
who writes post-it notes?

I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening of The Machinist six months ago and I'm pleased to see that it's finally been given a proper cinema release here in the UK. The plot centres around factory worker Trevor Reznick (Bale), a man with chronic insomnia and a gaunt appearance that is frankly disturbing. But that's the point - this man is disturbed, but by what? There's a lot of questions to be answered. Who keeps leaving the cryptic post-it notes around his flat? Just what exactly is leaking from the freezer? And who is the mysterious bald chap who keeps appearing to guide Reznick on his journey of discovery? To be honest, with the glut of twisty thrillers we've had recently you'll probably have this one all figured out well before the end credits roll. But don't let that put you off, this film is worth seeing for many reasons. There's been a lot of talk about Christian Bale and how he lost nearly 60 pounds in weight to play this role - he really does look like a walking skeleton and his performance here is outstanding. He's ably supported by Leigh in another un-flashy role (as Reznick's hooker friend) and Ironside, as an unfortunate victim of a machinery / flesh interface... he must be getting a feeling of deja vu as he's now lost an arm in the last three films I've seen him in! Director Anderson (who also made the underrated Session 9) does a steady job too, creating a moody piece of work by washing the colour right out of the picture. Highly recommended.

soulmining rating: ****

Constantine
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou

He died and saw Hell
comic book mumbo-jumbo
but with cool effects

Here we go with yet another comic book adaptation and my expectations are duly lowered accordingly. This time it's the turn of Hellblazer, but I've never read the source material so the fact that many things have changed from comic to screen mean little to me. The story centres around Constantine (Reeves) who tried to commit suicide, took a trip into Hell, and is now back on terra firma keeping the demons at bay in an attempt to be granted access to Heaven. Or something along those lines, you know how it is with these comic book stories. To be honest, most of the plot just washed straight over my head, but thankfully it was directed with such gusto that it dragged me along for the ride regardless. These days I tend to get really frustrated with special effects-heavy films, but here the action scenes and other-wordly creatures are created with real flair and I was actually very impressed for a change. The acting however is hit and miss; unlike Hellboy which got it spot on, the central casting of Constantine is all wrong. Reeves is a vacant shell walking through this movie and just doesn't bring enough grit to his character. Weisz, as a cop investigating the apparent suicide of her twin sister, is never entirely convincing either. Constantine's sidekick Chas should never even made it onto the screen, and the character of Midnight (Hounsou) is sadly underwritten. Fallen angel Gabriel (Swinton) however is fantastic, for the small amount of screen time she has, and there's also a delightful cameo towards the end from Peter Stormare as the suitably deranged Lucifer. A bit of a mixed bag then.

soulmining rating: ***

Gary's Birthday

The birthday boy

It's the original grumpy shopkeeper's birthday today so a few of us went out last night for a game of ten pin bowling followed by a meal to celebrate the occasion. The big question of the hour was this: what do you buy the man who has everything? This is what we managed to come up with between us:

• A pot plant
• A novel by WWE wrestling legend, Mick Foley
• A Dalek-shaped biscuit tin
• An appointment for a session of colonic irrigation

I think Gary was probably relieved that he only got given three of the above four items.

Stephen and Caroline

Stephen and Caroline drove over from Southampton for the evening; they're getting married in August and Gary and myself have been asked to share Best Man duties. It was really good to see my ex-housemate again as we don't get to see each other very often since he moved back to his home town. I'd forgotten just how juvenile the two of us are when we get together and last night we were laughing so much over the stupidest things that we were doubled-up with tears rolling down our faces - much to the bemusement of everyone else. Note to Gary: please remember, the term is "cottage industry" and not "cottaging industry".

Andrew's Birthday

1am Sunday morning, somewhere on Gloucester Place

It was Andy's birthday last week so we were out celebrating on Saturday night. Andy was wearing his new Ace Frehley t-shirt which he'd bought up in Derby recently...
Chris: "That's a cool t-shirt you're wearing."
Andy: "Thanks."
Chris: "Do you know which member of Kiss it is... I think it's the bass player, Ace Frehley."
Andy: "Oh, is it? Erm... I hadn't noticed it was actually a Kiss t-shirt."
Chris: "???... but he's wearing his full band make-up..."
Andy: "Oh... oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that..."
Chris: (sighs)

Movie Haiku - Hostage & Hitch

Hostage
Dir: Florent Siri
Cast: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollack, Jonathan Tucker

Makes deal to save kids
other crooks need disc in house
kidnap wife and child

So Bruce is back doing what he does best, the action movie, but unfortunately this is no Die Hard. It's an intriguing enough set-up; Bruce is the negotiator who is called to a situation when three young lads break into this rich family's house and end up taking them hostage. However they've chosen the wrong house on the wrong night, as the father (Pollack) is working with some shady Mafia types who just happen to need a disc which is hidden on the premises. Convoluted? Yes. So basically what happens is that the Mafia bosses kidnap Bruce's own family, so that they can control him to make sure that nothing happens until they get their precious disc back. Let's be honest, it's treading on thin ground here, especially as we're given little background into who these Mafia types are or what their business involves. Still, what it does do is to provide plenty of tension for the duration of the film, and newcomer Siri makes a decent attempt to keep things moving along, throwing in a couple of unexpected twists along the way, especially with the trio of budding criminals. The action scenes are fine, although things get a little silly when all parties meet for a final mash-up in the now burning building... but I'm in a generous mood here, it's worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.

soulmining rating: ***

Hitch
Dir: Andy Tennant
Cast: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Amber Valletta

He helps guys get dates
but own lovelife is nightmare
stop wacky dancing

This came as something of a pleasant surprise - Will Smith in a light, fluffy comedy role. And he's pretty good at it too, he should try it more often instead of all those wise-cracking action roles. This is pretty simple stuff, but very likeable and funny at the same time. Smith plays the "date doctor" who helps guys to get the dates they're after, like Albert (James) with his supermodel client (Valletta). Hey, it's a movie... you can't help rooting for this particular relationship to work and it's a shame these two characters don't get more screen time in all honesty. Smith's own relationship with reporter Mendes is less involving, but the irony (of course) is that he's pretty useless when it comes to managing his own lovelife. Anyway, you can probably predict the rest, and you'd be right. Good fun viewing, nothing more, nothing less. Loses points for a "wacky" scene of all the cast dancing during the closing credits which is just not funny. At all.

soulmining rating: ***

The Cat that gave birth to a Mouse

Yes, it's the final chapter in the long-running saga of the amazing hair-growing cat soap! For those of you who've been following this unique product, well I can now reveal that the soapy (now hairless) cat has indeed successfully given birth to a little shiny red plastic mouse!

Amazing hair-growing cat soap - the gift that just keeps on giving!

Play It Cool in March

I seem to have picked up quite a few CDs in this past month, mainly due to the Record Fair which was held at Brighton Centre at the beginning of the month. What can I say? Those poor CDs were just crying out to be given a good home! So here are the discs that have fought their way to the top of the pile this month, all highly recommended... except maybe for "the new Dido" (aka Jem) whose CD I've just flogged on eBay instead:

• Lemon Jelly - '64-'95 (XL Recordings)
• The House of Love - Days Run Away (Art and Industry)
• Daft Punk - Human After All (Virgin)
• Moby - Hotel (Mute)
• Jem - They: mixes (ATO) single

Looking forward to the new New Order CD released later this month, so that will probably figure high in next month's listening choices...

Dome Rangers 1 - 3 Brighton Centre XI

The Dome Rangers suffered a narrow defeat in their debut match against local rivals Brighton Centre at Braypool on Sunday afternoon. Centre were on the offensive right from the whistle and Rangers made their intention to battle for every ball quite clear with a couple of ferocious tackles flying in within the first couple of minutes. But for the first thirty minutes of the game nearly all of the play came within the Rangers' half, with attack after attack coming from the well-drilled Centre team. However Rangers defended well, with Marks commanding the back line and barking out orders at his team mates. Inevitably though the breakthrough came in the 26th minute with Centre scoring the first goal, a simple tap in after a fine save from Lewis. This sparked Rangers' best spell, with the team finally getting possession and managing four shots on goal within a ten minute period. The first of these fell to Bennett, a cross which he stretched to volley over the bar - and sadly pulled a hamstring in the process. With a couple of substitutions giving the team fresh legs there were then chances for Cameron who also spooned a shot over the bar, and for the two Hovey brothers who both hit shots wide of the goal.

Rangers reshuffled at half-time with Cotton and Plucknett moving back into defence, allowing Cameron and Andy Hovey to play more attacking roles. The tactics paid immediate dividends when Centre handled in the box in the 48th minute and Mike Hovey scored the resultant penalty kick. The game then became a real midfield battle as both teams went in search of a decisive winning goal. As the teams started to tire, Centre pressed forward again only to be denied by some excellent goalkeeping from Lewis, Rangers' man of the match. The deadlock was finally broken in the 71st minute when Centre scored their second goal, coming from a free kick which was headed in at the far post. With Jouanides back on the pitch as a striker, Rangers attacked again and created another chance to level but Mike Hovey shot over the bar. Centre then struck the killing blow, going further ahead in the 77th minute with a hopeful shot from way outside the penalty area which curled just inside the post to leave the keeper standing. But Rangers never gave up, they fought back again and Jouanides had a shot saved in the 89th minute after a frantic goalmouth scramble. The referee allowed the game to flow and kept his cards in his pocket, but Marks can consider himself lucky to have escaped a caution for two very late challenges on Piper, the latter coming in the appropriately named injury time. And so it finished 3-1 to the Centre lads, but the entire Rangers squad made an exceptional effort and there were some terrific individual performances on the pitch which the team can build and learn from. To victory next time!

Match Statistics

Dome Rangers Team:

• GKP Lewis
• DEF Jouanides (Plucknett H/T)
• DEF McAdam (Rynkowski 65)
• DEF Marks (Kirchin 23)
• DEF Cameron (Jouanides 68)
• MID Cotton
• MID Plucknett (A. Hovey 31)
• MID Rynkowski (McSorley 33)
• MID M. Hovey
• STR Robinson
• STR Bennett (Marks 38)

Goal: M. Hovey 48 (Pen)

Corners: 3 (Dome) / 6 (Centre)

Fouls: 6 (Dome) / 5 (Centre)

Offside: 0 (Dome) / 1 (Centre)

Shots on target: 2 (Dome) / 10 (Centre)

Shots off target: 6 (Dome) / 10 (Centre)

Bookings: 0 (Dome) / 0 (Centre)

Referee: Mr Jeff Pearce

Goodbye Kitty: Pickles 1996 - 2005

Pickles, December 2004.

It is with much sadness that I have to announce that our lovely cat Pickles passed away on Friday morning after suffering a sudden heart-attack. He was eight years old. Pickles was a big, gentle boy whose greatest hobbies were eating and sleeping. He leaves his brother, Pepper, and will be sorely missed by all of our family and friends.

captain's blog - london calling

captain dom, photo by matthew andrews

it's been a couple of months since my last update on the band, so i'm delighted to announce that good morning captain will be making their london debut later this very month. the date is wednesday 23rd march at 7:30pm, the venue is the ica, and the tickets cost a very reasonable £8.50 / £7.50. the other bands on the bill that night are it's jo and danny, tunng and lionshare. good morning captain's next brighton gig will take place at the volks tavern on tuesday 29th march. their double a-side single (with jacob's stories) is due for release next month on midmarch records - details to follow in the next update.

Movie Haiku - Boogeyman

Boogeyman
Dir: Stephen T. Kay
Cast: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Lucy Lawless

He's scared of closet
monster inside kidnapped dad
great if you're fourteen

Perhaps the scariest thing about this movie is that it was the Number 1 film at the Box Office in the US and has just achieved the same feat here in the UK. Actually, I'm being a little harsh; after the rubbish I sat through last week I was expecting the worst from Boogeyman but in fact it was a reasonably entertaining slice of horror. Obviously there's nothing original in the plot, but it's played straight and the fact that the lead actors are all in their twenties (rather than in their teens) gives the film a little more weight and credibility than you might have expected. The director uses every cliche in the book to good effect and seems hellbent on making the audience jump at every opportunity - I would imagine that if you're fourteen years old (just under the film's BBFC rating) then this is probably the scariest movie you've ever seen! Sadly the film runs out of steam towards the end and the final battle with the boogeyman character just kinda happens without any attempt to explain what's actually happening on screen. I imagine the production company are already dreaming up ideas for a sequel as I sit here typing this...

soulmining rating: ***

Lemon Jelly at the Dome

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we are Lemon Jelly

Look at our pretty lights and our wacky videos

Ramblin' Man

The Shouty Track

All the ducks are swimming in the water...

Tra la la la la la, tra la la la la la...

Thank you ladies and gentlemen and goodnight

I read it in books

Thursday's meme of the day, courtesy of Kumquat's blog.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of this sentence into your blog, along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around for the "coolest" book you can find, just the one that is next to you.

My sentence is...

"This is what I ask."

And I'll be very impressed if you can name the book that it came from!

Movie Haiku - The Sea Inside & Hide and Seek

The Sea Inside
Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
Cast: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Duenas

Paralysed in bed
man needs friends to help him die
Bardem looks so old

This has just won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year. It didn't sound like the most exciting of subjects, being based on the true story of a man who is fighting to commit suicide, but I figured it'd probably be one of those dramas that really draws you in and engages you, complemented by some terrific acting. Well, let's just say I did that rare thing (for me at least) and walked out of the screening with forty minutes of the movie still to go. It's not that it was that bad, just an incredibly slow, boring film... and with it being a true story I kinda knew the outcome without having to stay and watch to the end. Honestly, I've had more fun watching paint dry. However, what does lift this film above a one star rating is Javier Bardem's fine performance - he is amazing and was really unfortunate not to get an Oscar nomination for his work here. The make-up too is faultless - you'd never know there was a thirty-six year old actor underneath it all! Great performance, but a really dull film I'm afraid.

soulmining rating: **

Hide and Seek
Dir: John Polson
Cast: Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning, Famke Jannsen, Elisabeth Shue

Wife dies in bath tub
girl has invisible friend
I knew it was him

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I don't hold out much hope for the next film that I see as these stinkers always seem to come along in threes. Okay, I'm just gonna come straight out with it - it was De Niro all along. There, I've said it. Look, I'm sorry if I've spoiled the film for you now but really I'm doing you a favour here. This is the lamest thriller I've seen in ages. I should have known better really, what with De Niro - this generation's most overrated actor - taking the lead role. Honestly, as soon as he starts having nightmares / flashbacks fifteen minutes into the film you just know that there's something up with him. If you don't see the big "twist" coming then you either: a) have never watched a thriller before; or b) are stupid. I wish I could say that it's one of those films that's "so bad that it's good" - but no, it's just so bad that it's really really bad. Only Dakota Fanning comes out of the experience without looking too foolish, but then she is only eleven years old so she probably doesn't know any better. Hide and Seek? No, just hide this piece of sh*t and leave it to rot in peace.

soulmining rating: *

TSOOL at the Concorde

I must be getting old, (sighs). After being deafened by Soulwax the other week I stupidly ventured down to the front again to watch The Soundtrack of Our Lives on Monday night. And (whoa, big surprise) they were f***ing loud too! My ears were buzzing again all day yesterday. Hmmmm... maybe I shouldn't stand at the front next to the speakers in future (durrr!). Anyway, TSOOL put on a great show which is all that really matters. (Unless I go completely deaf that is.) Singer Ebbot prowled the stage like some demented cult leader and it wasn't long before he was off the stage and singing by the barriers. The band played a mixture of old and new songs and even took a few requests from the audience (In My Veins and Nevermore during the encore). They finished off the night with a rousing rendition of 21st Century Rip Off during which Ebbot finally clambered over the barriers and put himself at the mercy of his fans... great stuff!

Ebbot descends into the pit to meet the audience.

Yes, he really does look like the leader of some religious cult.
"You will listen to my songs and buy all of our albums... or you will burn in hell!"