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34 AUGUST 2015 JB Hi-Fi
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Sleaford Mods
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With minimal musical backing, this
exciting, political, funny and sometimes
bitter duo of singer Jason Williamson and
musician Andrew Fearn connect with
echoes of Ian Dury, the Pistols, The Fall,
Crass, Two Tone acts, the Streets and
B-grade British television comedy. They
can burn like a potty-mouthed blowtorch
or take you down like some barrow-boy
nihilist. Few -- from British politicians to
posing rock singers -- are spared in these
spewing rants delivered with unremitting
venom. Sometimes this has the
emotional richness of a bedsit angry-
young-man drama from the ‘50s (reset in
modern Britain), and at others just broad
swipes, which miss as many targets as
they hit. However, hang on for the ride
and be rewarded.
Graham Reid
Justified: The Final Season
It’s kind of fitting that Elmore Leonard’s final
completed novel Rayland was devoted to a
character that may end up being his most
popular screen creation. As we’ve noted
before, Leonard’s 40-plus novels have never
been particularly well served by Hollywood
– honourable exceptions Get Shorty, Out Of
Sight andJackie Brown notwithstanding – but
with Justified , an adaptation of a relatively
minor Leonard novella entitled Fire InThe Hole,
they finally got it right (though the fact that he
served as Executive Producer
probably helped).
The first series in particular perfectly
captured his unique mix of laconic wit, lean but
ingenious plot lines, and colourful characters
who nearly always haVE at least one or two
redeeming features, even if they are stone
cold killers. Although subsequent series
never quite achieved the same lofty heights,
in Marshal Rayland Givens (Tim Olyphant)
and hillbilly crime king Boyd Crowder (the
wonderful Walton Goggins), Leonard helped
create two of the most charismatic law and
order adversaries the small screen
has ever seen.
Sadly, Leonard died in 2013, but you would
like to think he would have approved of how
things were wrapped up with this, the sixth
and final series. After the disappointing fifth
chapter, Justified was back to its best for
its swansong, with Givens closing in on his
nemesis thanks in the part to his new criminal
informant, Boyd’s lover Ava (Joelle Carter).
And this series also boasts two memorable
new villains in the shape of weed baron Avery
Markham (the great Sam Elliott) and his main
henchmanTyWalker (Garret Dillahunt), who
have their sights on taking over Harlan County.
Apparently, the makers of Justified had
toyed with the idea of a Sons Of Anarchy
crossover, with Raylan facing off against the
survivors of that show. As cool as that would
have been, it’s only right that Rayland, Boyd
and oo have received their own send-off – and
it’s not spoiling anything to say that there is still
plenty of scope for some Justified spin-offs.
John Ferguson