Feeder
Generation Freakshow
(Big Teeth Music)
***
Ever since rock 'n' roll began, British bands have been soaking up influences from across the Atlantic then pouring them out in a chart-friendly fashion. Feeder formed in Wales during the gloomy, grunge-dominated early 1990s and though the frontman Grant Nicholas considers himself "a pretty dark songwriter", the band prospered by lightening the tone. While remaining resolutely unfashionable, they have sold five million records. This eighth album continues their quest to bring elements of edgy rock to everyday people, as alongside the famously soaring choruses there are some abrasive sounds and moments of confessional angst from the singer. The record begins with an entertaining trio of upbeat anthems all featuring protagonists yearning for better lots, with Nicholas vowing to escape "all the way to the USA" on Idaho, to restart life and a lost romance. Idaho and the similarly lovelorn Tiny Minds are both replete with grinding, grunge-era guitars, the closest they get to a ballad. Sunrise channels a funkier transatlantic inspiration, rolling in on a Red Hot Chili Peppers groove before reverting to a regulation Feeder chorus, while the buzzsaw riffs of the title track hark back to the Smashing Pumpkins. That's arguably the album's weakest moment, however, an awkward attempt at cutting-edge social commentary that actually sounds more like Billy Joel's comical We Didn't Start the Fire. It's a rare departure from the familiar blueprint. Even Hey Johnny – a heartfelt lament almost certainly about the original drummer Jon Lee, who committed suicide in 2002 – barrels along at an exhilarating pace. Why change a winning formula?
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Schedule
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now