Monthly Archives: December 2013

Cuckoo has flown the nest for the holidays!

Posted on 24 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

We’ll see you back here on 2nd January but in the meantime we’d like to say a big thank you to all our contributors and readers. Cuckoo wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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Cuckoo Playlist: A Non-Typical Chirstmas Mix

Posted on 24 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Playlist: Rachel Atkinson Everybody likes Christmas to some extent, but not everyone likes Christmas songs. At first, they’re cheery and jolly and happy and wonderfully festive… but then you hear them again, and again, and again. They become a little … Continue reading →

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Suggestibles: Impro Pantso

Posted on 23 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

http://www.northernstage.co.uk REVIEW: Matilda Neill The North East’s very own Suggestibles, a now nationally recognised improv troupe, returned to Northern Stage for the seventh year running to perform their ‘Impro Pantso’ – a twist on the classic Christmas time entertainment where … Continue reading →

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The Worst Of 2013: Glee (Season Four)

Posted on 22 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Feature: Ben Oakes Allow me to take you back to a better time. When everyone who could sing did, when all the story lines (somewhat) made sense and when Santana got herself some solos.Yes, I am talking about Glee Season … Continue reading →

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The Best Of 2013: My Bloody Valentine

Posted on 21 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

FEATURE: My favourite album of 2013 also gave me the best experience of listening to an album for the first time of this, or any other, year. People go on about putting the needle on a record and holding the … Continue reading →

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Cuckoo Playlist: Alternative Christmas

Posted on 18 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Playlist: Matilda Neill This little playlist offers a selection of alternative Christmas songs. I’ve picked a collection of songs that capture that Christmassy feel and bring out that warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feeling that comes with the advent countdown. However, none … Continue reading →

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A Tribute to Tony Soprano

Posted on 9 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Feature: Ben Taylor Tony Soprano’s brooding presence haunted my dreams this summer. Binging on three or four episodes before bedtime, I would close my eyes and see him staring back at me, his face inevitably contorted by some obscure rage. … Continue reading →

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Stornoway and The Lake Poets

Posted on 8 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

O2 Academy, Newcastle http://www.stornoway.eu/ http://www.thelakepoets.com/ Review: MATILDA NEILL It looked like a potentially quiet night at the O2 Academy, with the crowd slightly sparing and somewhat lacking enthusiasm, but it was soon turned around with the energy and excitement that … Continue reading →

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Badgerlands: The Twilight World of Britain’s Most Enigmatic Animal by Patrick Barkham

Posted on 7 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Published by Granta ISBN: 9781847085047 Review: KATE TAYLOR Badgerlands by Patrick Barkham is a richly descriptive work of nonfiction, reminiscent of Sara Maitland’s Gossip from the Forest. However rather than a whole forest he chooses just one woodland inhabitant: the … Continue reading →

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Peace

Posted on 6 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Digital, Newcastle www.peaceforever.co.uk Sophie Heward With their debut album In Love charting in the top 20 and having a place in BBC’s Sound Of 2013, this year has been quite a memorable one for indie-rock quartet Peace. The Birmingham boys … Continue reading →

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Cuckoo Playlist: Alternative Christmas songs

Posted on 5 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Playlist: Hannah Grencis With the weeks until Christmas gradually dissapearing, all the shops and Christmas adverts seem to be playing the traditional. When that all gets too repetitive, here is a playlist featuring some alternative and original Christmas songs. Home … Continue reading →

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The Selfish Giant

Posted on 4 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Dir: Clio Barnard Starring: Conner Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder, Lorraine Ashbourne, Ian Burfield, Steve Evets, Siobhan Finneran, Ralph Ineson 91 Minutes, Cert. 15 Review: Josh Brown The Selfish Giant is a difficult film to watch. Its underclass setting is … Continue reading →

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Song that changed my life: ‘Alright Now’ by Free

Posted on 3 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Feature: Free’s Fire and Water was released in June of 1970. Over forty years later I found one of Free’s songs, ‘Alright Now’, on a dusty CD in the glove compartment of my step-father’s car. Something of a snowball effect … Continue reading →

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It’s Raining Men by Milly Johnson

Posted on 2 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Simon & Schuster UK ISBN: 9781471114625 http://www.hive.co.uk/ebook/its-raining-men/17813372/ Review: Sarah gonnet ‘It’s Raining Men’ is just naughty enough. It’s an engaging romp through romance and friendship; without being too heavy-going. Themes of adultery, friends with benefits, and what sex really means to … Continue reading →

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Interview with Simon Fisher-Becker

Posted on 1 December 2013 by Laura Brewis

Feature: Luke Davis I love Doctor Who. I also love – despite what my past self may have said – Harry Potter. So, of course, interviewing someone from both of these brilliant franchises is something I never thought would happen. … Continue reading →

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