One of the success stories of the season so far is Wolverhampton Wanderers who are currently sitting pretty seven points clear at the top of the league. The 58 points already notched up by the midland club puts them only 12 off their total from the whole of last season.

However, this notable points tally hasn’t put Wolves out of reach at the top and the likes of Birmingham and the ever impressive Reading go in to 2009 snapping at their heels.

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy kept up his reputation of making successful signings as summer acquisitions Richard Stearman and Chris Iwelumo along with loan signing Michael Mancienne cemented their places in the starting 11. The wide combination of Michael Kightly and Matt Jarvis terrorised defences while the ever consistent Kevin Foley justified many fans belief that he possesses all the talent and desire to be a Premier League player.

The biggest surprise came in the form of striker-turned-left-back Stephen Ward who greatly impressed fans and the boss who regularly heaped praise on ‘Wardy’ for his solid displays in a position he is relatively unfamiliar with.

Wolves started the season strongly and after a disappointing opening day draw away at Plymouth, dominating home displays against Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest displayed the teams hungry set of young players.

September brought along more wins including a 3-1 defeat of Charlton at the valley.

The clubs first and only home defeat came at the hands of Reading, who fielded a team filled with players fresh from the Premier League and in a totally one sided affair the visitors eased to a 3-0 win.

Further losses at the hands of Swansea and an embarrassing 5-2 defeat to Norwich meant the club slipped to second place behind local rivals Birmingham.

A brilliant display of away support helped the club over come Watford in a tight game at Vicarage Road and marked the first in a series of seven straight league wins. A 3-1 win away at Sheffield United saw on-form strikers Chris Iwelumo and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake both hit the net.

The end of November saw a televised top of the table clash against Birmingham at Molineux. A tight encounter ended in a 1-1 draw which saw both sides pushing hard in vein for a winning goal.

The string of good results in November led to boss Mick McCarthy winning his second manager of the month award of the season.

A loss at the start of December to QPR was followed by three straight wins against Derby, Barnsley and Doncaster. A sold out Boxing Day clash against Sheffield United gave Wolves a hard earned point after a Neill Collins header was cancelled out by James Beattie strike in a 1-1 draw.

The clubs final game of the year was away at Blackpool and in freezing temperatures a late equaliser by former Wolves player Rob Edwards saw the spoils shared in a 2-2 draw.

Many Wolves fans are hoping their early season successes can last right till the end and with Hull City currently flying high in Premiership, both the team and fans can have high hopes for next season.

Pammy Modelly of Mosaic Close, Southampton quickly carried out cardiac massage and gave Matthew Wing oxygen until an ambulance arrived.

The two year old uses a ventilator after undergoing a tracheotomy operation and was discovered by his mother after he had removed a tube that keeps his airway open.

He was taken to Southampton General Hospital’s paediatric unit and doctors say her actions during those precious minutes helped save his life.

Surely after so much build-up surrounding the band’s live show, the only possibility is leaving disappointed by nothing but unfounded rumors, right?

“We’re Gallows and we’re here to ruin your night”, announces the tattoo-laden vocalist Frank Carter, maneuvering his mic stand to the middle of the dance floor where it proceeds to remain for the rest of the show. You see, Gallows are all about the live show and they are currently building a reputation as one of the most ferocious live bands to tour the UK club circuit in a long time; so much so, that they have just been offered a slot on this years Warped Tour to unleash their unstoppable touring monster upon unsuspecting US audiences.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the band at the moment and it is becoming more and more difficult to open music magazines and not see the 5-piece smeared all over it. In the coming months, gigs at venues such as the 120-capacity Little Civic will become a rare occurrence and even though tonight the venue is only half full, there is an undeniable feeling amongst the fans that this may be the last time they will play here.

After two bands so derivative and bland that I can hardly bring myself to mention them (The Southern Cradle, All or Nothing) Gallows, almost literally, explode onto the stage. Blasting straight into the ripping hardcore punk sounds of ‘Just because you sleep next to me doesn’t mean you’re safe’, the venue kicks into totally anarchy. Gallows play with a vigor and downright fuck you attitude echoing the Washington DC scene of the early 80’s and their raw, fast paced aggression transforms the floor into a seething pit of flying bodies and flailing limbs. However, it is not all in good fun and a few songs in, the first sign of trouble starts to rear its ugly head. A couple, who obviously take great offence to being treated like rag dolls (your own fault for starting next to the pit, dumbasses) start throwing fists and lashing out at anyone within their reach. After being promptly dealt with by security, the band, pretty unfazed plow on and I got the distinct impression the spectacle of people being literally hurled out of their shows was not a new sight for them.

Minus the inclusion of one new song, the set is compromised entirely of tracks from their 2006 debut ’Orchestra of Wolves’ and the crowd sing along to all the songs with such conviction, you could be forgiven for thinking the album was 10 years old. The whole band put 110% into their performance, lashing their instruments around the stage and superbly managing to remain sounding tight and edgy whilst never once looking like they aren’t totally enjoying the moment. Frank Carter bounds and struts around the floor with endless energy, heavily involving himself in the mayhem that ensues each song and occasionally standing back and watching the crowd with a cocky sense of satisfaction plastered on his face.

As Frank offers the microphone into the audience to help draw the albums title track to its conclusion, I was content in the knowledge that I had managed to experience one of the up-and-coming stars of British hardcore punk in their prime. Gallows totally owned the place tonight and if there is any justice, they will be destroying much larger venues very soon.

Condoleezza Rice, Courtney Cox and now this. Birmingham, Alabama – The city that keeps on giving…

David Hickox – (vocals, guitar)
Darryl Jacks – (guitar)
Brad Davis (drums)

Plate Six formed in the late part of last century while the band members were all still at high school. The present three-piece set up was decided upon after various unsuccessful attempts to persevere with bass players prompting the band to announce “bass players were worthless and it was no advantage to put up with them any longer”.

All hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Plate Six built up a solid fan base by playing around the towns burgeoning hardcore punk scene. BHFANR is the band’s first release on the prestigious independent One Little Indian label. Like their labelmates, the now defunct Hot Snakes, Plate Six play a diverse blend of post-hardcore, post-punk and indie-rock and avoiding skirting the inevitable issue further, yes it does sound like Fugazi…a lot.

Hickox’s vocals amazingly manage to sound like both Ian Mackaye (never more evident than on the prog-rock stylings of ‘As The Pinson Turns’) and Guy Picciotto (the slower but equally aggressive ‘Instant Fence’) and even the noisy instrumental tracks ‘Hymn Of The Majuscule’ and ‘Hymn To Denounce Time’ demonstrate echoes of the Red Medicine-era. Not that these are bad things you must understand, it’s just for a music snob like me, replicating a band I really love is a very dangerous path to walk down. However, once I had completely removed my head from my own ass and proceeded to actually listen to the album, I was suitably impressed by what I heard.

Short of any instrumental wizardry and breathtaking effects it might be but ‘Battle Hymns..’ is choc full of wonderful chord melodies and some truly poignant song writing. The vocals are constantly brimming with emotion and occasional frantic hostility which both prove successfully to add the songs with another layer of mesmerizing sound.

Certain tracks (‘Red: The New Black’) show a heavily textured, deep wall of noise and a seemingly endless journey of twists and turns that could be traced back to earlier bands like Sonic Youth and Polvo. Others like ‘Concrete Mouth Of Safety’ encapsulate a more modernized sound, combining gentle ambience and frenzied build ups that take the listener to the edge of their seat time after time. ‘Maximalist Anthem’ provides an epic finish to the album, the wonderfully eerie yet melodic feel and seamless switching of softly sung and shouted vocals make it one of the most unpredictable but complete songs on the record.

Plate Six have done well in creating an album that is both diverse and interesting even if it is lacking somewhat in true originality. While I cannot see ‘Battle Hymns’ as being particularly mainstream accessible, it is totally listenable and hopefully people will be willing to sit up and take notice when it is released in April.

Where: Railway Inn When: March 30th Cost £4

The first time this band came to my attention was at Generator’s acoustic evening a few months back. Lead singer and guitarist James Moss played a short set, during the length of which I was completely captivated by what was being projected from the stage. Frankly, the acoustics were crap and wasn’t helped by the fact that there were about 25 people in a room that could have comfortably held 250 but James’ voice still managed to deliver his clever and brilliantly emotive lyrics with total professionalism.

Having been truly won over by his performance I promptly went home to check out his Winchester-based band Caesura and happily, I was not disappointed.

I am consciously trying not to be lazy and say, Caesura sound like a cross between Minus the Bear and Mogwai jamming with Mew…and so on. The truth is that yes, they do sound like these bands along with many others you could easily pick out when you listen to their songs. They play a brand of inventive post-rock complete with epic soundscapes and heart-rending lyrics about subject matter including love and loss, nothing out of the ordinary but there is an identifiable something extra that gives Caesura their own edge and style that separates them from their immediate influences.

Their songs are dense layers of ambient noise that suddenly explode into heavy rock without warning, leaving the listener wondering whether it is in fact the same song. James adds an energy and vigour with his (thankfully!) un-Americanized vocals and proves he is totally capable of taking control and dictating the pace of the songs.

Caesura’s first album, ‘Dear Light Outside’ perfectly demonstrates a band with heaps of potential and highlights an undeniable ability to craft interesting and memorable rock songs.

The band have warned fans that this will be their last hometown show for a while and have also promised a whole new set so expect a few surprises.

Clear you diaries and go and show your support.

Matt Clifford

Alfie Online

Online retailer My Voucher Codes has recorded a 50% increase in sales of Easter gifts and is just one of many websites that has reported a massive boost in figures from sales in comparison to this time last year.

Speaking about the statistics the Managing Director of My Voucher Codes, Mark Pearson said:

“2008 has seen a massive increase in people using the web to make Easter related purchases and it looks as though; just as it is for the celebrations such as Christmas, people want to get the best deals and are hunting down the best bargains and discounts via the web”.

He continued:

“There are very few events in the social calendar where High Street retailers have the dominance over web sales and some of the huge offers and discounts on Easter related goods by the big four supermarkets shows that they are going to fight hard to keep their market share”.

Easter has always been dominated by High Street sales but this year has seen a sudden and comparatively large spike in sales rather than a steady switch to shopping online for the Easter season.

Historically the big retail periods such as Christmas, Mothers Day and Valentine’s Day have seen a more gradual increase in buyers using the Internet instead of the High Street.

It is estimated that people in the UK will spend a £431 million on Easter presents this year.

(By the way, I know this isnt exactly the most exciting story to read but I saw it in a press release and decided to try and turn it in to some sort of news story anyway!)

Mil Millington is the author of the novels Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, A Certain Chemistry and Love And Other Near Death Experiences. He also currently writes a weekly column for the Guardian newspaper and is the creator of the cult website www.thingsmygirlfriendandihavearguedabout.co.uk and is also a co-writer/creator of www.theweekly.co.uk.

When did you first decide you wanted to become a writer?

“I was always writing for fun and my first writing job was for a satirical show on radio 4. It was only occasionally and I was never making a living off doing it. Much later I wrote for computer games magazines, it was very part time I mean I would do a feature once every 6 months or so. The webpage (www.thingsmygirlfriendandihavearguedabout.co.uk) I was doing really for my own amusement and I didn’t think anyone would go there. I was working as an IT manager at Wolverhampton University, which was really stupidly time consuming and I knew that if I decided to write a book and kept working there it would take me 18 years to finish so I had to make a decision do I take up the offers to write a book or do I stay working there I knew it was either or so I decided to try writing a book.”

How long after you started webpage Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About did you realise it was becoming a bit of a cult hit?

“Well like I said I originally set up the page for my own amusement. I wrote about the first thing that came into my head, which was thing’s my girlfriend and I have argued about. Maybe a year goes by and I look at the server stats which was part of my job at the university and I thought hold on, that’s my personal webpage getting more hits than the department of languages is getting. There was no counter on the page and there was no e-mail link because I thought nobody’s going to e-mail me about the page so it baffled me for a while why these 10,000 people a day were visiting. This was around 1995 and it was 2000/2001 when it really blew up.

Your first book Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About is about a typical couple in love with all the usual drama that follows a long-term relationship.

Why do you think people like to read about couples that fight?

“Well I think one is the fascination of it really. When you go to Tesco and you see a couple arguing, there is a drama to it I suppose that’s very enthralling and entertaining, it’s just plain nosiness really. Also a lot of it is recognition comedy, one of the most common piece’s of feedback I get about the book is people who say the arguments between the two characters are almost exactly the same as arguments they have had with their partners. People seem to recognise themselves and their own situations being reflected in the book and I guess there’s a sense of relief and reassurance when people read the book and realise they aren’t the only people in a relationship who have arguments.”

Has there been any progress from working title about a possible film based on the book?

”I occasionally hear bits and pieces from working title but the process is so long. They will do about 20 drafts of a script before they start shooting. I’ve done 2 drafts and I think someone else has done 1 so it’s just a very long process. Whether or not it gets made, well, I don’t really know but it will be quite a while before it appears, if it appears.”

Did you find writing your second novel A Certain Chemistry as difficult as many authors claim it to be?

“It was an absolute breeze! I had wanted to write a book about free will, which is effectively, what it is about so I found it all came very easily. The thing about ‘Things my girlfriend…’ was it didn’t follow a normal pattern for a romantic comedy and I had to work within a lot of restraints. With A Certain Chemistry I wasn’t juggling as many balls when it came to telling the story so it was actually easier than my first book.”

Why did you choose to include the character of God in this novel?

“When I was writing A certain chemistry there were a lot of things that went through my mind. I knew I wanted to do a novel about free will and I decided to do it with love because that’s the thing that is most personal and most unpredictable. Then I scratched my head and thought well this is only going to work if you have got an outside narrator, someone that can try and give a sort of biological explanation for the things that are happening in the book. I originally thought of using the character of a scientist but I found it hard to explain why he was included in the story. I figured God can create but doesn’t really know how everything works once they are there so he could become quite an interesting addition to the story.”

I heard a rumour that you had an offer from an American company to turn your website www.theweekly.co.uk into a book.

Is there any truth to this?

“My partner on the site Jonathan Nash and me honestly couldn’t see how it could be turned into a book the whole reason for starting the weekly was a chance for Jonathan and me to write about things that we liked and wanted to write about. There are a fair number of people who like the site a lot. We felt that if the book came out in America in a blaze of publicity and made a lot of people aware of what it was then it might do well but we both knew it wasn’t going to happen that way. It would come out and sort of just fizzle away with no one really knowing about it and we didn’t want it to happen like that.”

Your third novel Love and Other Near Death Experiences is really about people who should be dead but because of certain favourable circumstances managed to avoid it.

What made you decide to take a fairly serious topic and make it humorous?

“With this novel I wanted to write about the old familiar feelings of what is the meaning of my life. I thought the best way of making this feeling come to the forefront of the story was to have a group of people who had by some means managed to avoid death. The four main characters in the story all suffer from common after-effects of a near death experience. For example one of the characters finds religion, another can’t make simple decisions, another suffers from survivor guilt and I wrote it comically really because that’s what I do. Every writer has his own style and someone else may have told the story differently but for me the theme interested me and I wanted to make it quite comedic.”

Is your new novel out soon?

“I was due to deliver it in October but because of circumstances at the publishers I’m not going to be able to give my novel till about mid 2007. Realistically your probably looking at about early 2008 until it actually gets realised so that’s not going to come out for a while.”

In your experience what do you believe to be the biggest myth about writing?

“One is the money. It may have gone up but the average writer in Britain earns eight or maybe nine thousand pounds a year. People don’t see that because the only time they hear about writing is a person like J.K Rowling earning millions or a celebrity being offered millions of pounds for their memoirs. They don’t hear about the normal run of the mill writers. A lot of people also think that if someone buys a book off the shelf two pounds of the money goes straight in the writer’s pocket. None of it goes in your pocket, it doesn’t work like that.”

Ever heard of any celebrity fans?

“I have had actresses contact me saying I’d like to do the film id like you to consider me to do a part. I did get, rather extraordinarily, Leonardo Di Caprio’s film production company contact my American agent and say has Mil got anything planned because they would like to do some stuff. Which is a bit strange because they hadn’t seen anything they were just asking for me specifically so wasn’t too sure what that was about.”

Can you offer any advice to wanna be authors?

“I’ve got a few points I put up on my webpage. A few of the main ones would be to write for you and don’t try and write the next Davinci Code. There is already one on the market and by the time yours comes out it will have moved on and the new big thing will be. Another main one would be to get an agent. Publishers get so many submissions everyday and the first and often only thing they look at is whether it come from an agent. If an agent has given their time to look at and send out a manuscript then to an editor it is going to look appealing and might be worth reading.”

Where: Railway Inn

When: April 24^th

Cost: £7

Sounds like: Billy Bragg, Bob Dylan, Neil Young

Frank Turner brings his brand of emotive, undeniably distinct and occasionally tongue-in-cheek folk punk anthems to Winchester in April.

The former front man of disbanded Brit post-hardcore posse Million Dead has enjoyed a host of critical acclaim since his first solo show back in late 2004.

Frank released his debut EP ‘Campfire Punkrock’ in 2006 and, although plagued by poor recording quality, the record proved to highlight a songwriter with intelligence and creativity and many “experts” suddenly began to sit up and take notice.

Since then he has released a selection of split EPs and singles followed by his debut full length offering ‘Sleep is for the Week’. More recently, he has exposed himself to a whole new selection of potential fans with big venue shows in support of the mighty Biffy Clyro.

His new album ‘Love, Ire and Song’ is set for release on March 31^st accompanied by an extensive UK tour. The 100 club show in London has already sold out and other venues aren’t far away so get your tickets quick, it could be the last chance you get to see Frank in a venue this size again.

Check back to Alfie soon for a full review of the gig and Frank’s second album ‘Love Ire and Works’.

Matt Clifford

Alfie Online

Physicians at the University of Southampton and Edinburgh along with their partners in the US and Japan were able to confirm the theory of the Standard Model, which explains all known elementary particles and forces, to a greater precision than ever before.

It is believed to be a giant step forwards in understanding all of the material that makes up the universe.

The project’s enormously complex calculations required researchers to design and build a supercomputer that was among the fastest in the world, capable of tens of trillions of calculations per second. The computations themselves have taken a further three years to complete.

Professor Chris Sachrajda of the University of Southampton’s School of Physics and Astronomy said: “Modern supercomputers and improved theoretical techniques are allowing us to explore the limits of the Standard Model to an unprecedented precision.

He added: “The next stage will be to combine such computations with new experimental results to unravel the next level of fundamental physics.”

The 30-year old theory has never been disproved and has always been considered the most valid in explaining the make up of all material.

Professor Richard Kenway of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics said: “Although the Standard Model has been a fantastic success, there were one or two dark corners where experimental tests had been inconclusive, because vital calculations were not accurate enough. We shone a light on one of these, but to our enormous frustration, nothing was lurking there.”

Scientists are still trying to find the missing pieces in the jigsaw that would extend the Standard Model into a complete theory of all the forces of nature.