PLAY NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON is not Welles GIG Sonic Youth CLUBS John Daly Don Williams DJ Marky THEATRE REVIEW A Christmas Carol The Girlfriend Experience (15) Running time: 77min Friday, December 4, 2009 metrolife 15 The Merry Gentleman (15) Running time: 97min What a year its been for John Daly. The Cork producers deep, sometimes woozy take on house music has won him fans all over the world. One of his most high-profile admirers, seminal New York DJ Francois K, released Dalys sublime Sea & Sky album on his Wave label, while the This Is A Lonely Beat single, issued on Drumpoet Community, was supported by everyone from Tobi Neumann to DJ Deep. Both releases are sure to feature in discerning end- of-year lists and the inclusion of his Birds track on Tama Sumos high- profile Panorama Bar mix is another big achievement for Daly. However, it would appear that the Corkonian cares little for hype and a lot about the impact his rhythms have on the dance floor. Get lost in this unassuming talents music tonight. Tonight, Hype, PoD, Harcourt Street D2, 11pm, 12. Not to be confused with the US country singer of the same name, Don Williams is the founder and owner of the Mojuba and A.R.T.less record labels, two of the most respected imprints in house and techno. Williams, who is based in Germany, is an advocate of classic Detroit techno and Chicago house, but earlier influences, including funk, jazz and even drumnbass are audible in his pristine productions. This varied production approach has seen Williams work released on big techno labels like Pure Plastic, Styrax Leaves and 100% Pure and regularly perform at the worlds best clubs. As such, its quite a coup for new night Tea to persuade him to spin at the intimate Mezz. Tonight, Tea, The Mezz, Twisted Pepper, Middle Abbey Street D1, 11pm, 10. Drumnbass may have originated as a London sound, but DJ Markys (pictured) contribution has helped it become a global phenomenon. Hailing from Brazil, he started to make music in the early 1990s. He led the charge when drumnbass exploded in Latin America a few years later, playing to over 5,000 people at his Toco residency. Bringing jazz and funk-influenced nuances and hip-hop style scratching to high-speed breaks, Marky performs internationally and plays all over Europe, the United States and Asia. His 2001 mix CD, Brazilian Job for Movement, was one of the biggest selling releases in the genre, and productions for Innerground and Spearhead confirm his status as one of the worlds greatest drumnbass DJs. Dont miss Breakology So Paulo style. Tonight, Breakology, Twisted Pepper, Middle Abbey Street D1, 11pm, 15. The recession comes crashing into focus in a new Irish film, from director Lisa Mulcahy (RTs The Clinic, On Home Ground), that struggles to escape its low budget shackles. Dave (Diarmuid Noyes) is a young dreamer hoping to find the perfect job but cant make it past the interview stage. Meanwhile, his pals are having little joy in love and life. Tom (Sam Corry) is browbeaten by his boss and girlfriend, while Vinny (Shaun Dunne) constantly bears the brunt of jokes from his construction site colleagues. A Dublin-set comedy- drama, Situations Vacant features some genuinely funny moments, such as a scene with an out-of- control forklift, and Corry and Noyes deliver heartfelt performances. But after the success of Once and Paranormal Activity, a low budget film is no longer an excuse for a sluggish pace, Portakabin-like locations, and a story that lurches as awkwardly as Irelands economic recovery. Unfortunately. Situations Vacant, like the hapless characters at its core, has few long-term prospects. Pavel Barter Situations Vacant (15A) Running time: 97min Miss Gs mystery more embarrassingly obvious than a pair of wobbly thighs under a gym slip, its a wonderfully indulgent treat for those with a thing for schoolgirl stories but may bore the pants off anyone else. LI-Z Oceans Eleven director Steven Soderbergh here revisits the low-key, low budget filming of his groundbreaking debut Sex, Lies And Videotape. Going for gritty authenticity, he casts real-life porn star Sasha Grey as a high-class escort who is interviewed by a journalist. Sadly wooden doesnt begin to cover Grays performance, while Soderberghs methodical, almost clinical approach to his subject squeezes the film of any emotion. Ann Lee Michael Keatons non-merry directorial debut sees him reprise his old Batman persona: i.e. much brooding on rooftops in self-adoring close up. Hes Frank, a hit man saved from suicide by an ever- appealing Kelly Macdonald, a lonely stranger fleeing from a troubled marriage. Bleak as it is confused, this unlikely redemption tales not a total turkey, even if its realised with all the lightness of touch of a man playing piano in concrete gloves. LI-Z The hoTTesT TickeTs in Town We have two pairs of tickets to see ALICIA KEYS May 21, 2010 at The O2, 6.30pm For a chance to win, e-mail your answer to the question below to life@metroireland.ie by noon today with Hot Tickets in the subject line. With your answer please include your name, address and a number where you can be contacted between 1pm and 3pm. One entry per person; entrants must be 18+. Q. In 2008, Keys duetted with which musician for the Quantum Of Solace theme tune? A Jack White B Josh Homme The winners of yesterdays tickets to see Pavement are: Dan McGee & Natalie Milne Almost every year The Gate Theatre plumps for A Christmas Carol, Dickens dependable if well-worn tale of sin and redemption as its yuletide offering. Its not exactly a bold choice but its one thats pretty much guaranteed to instil a warm, fuzzy feeling among all but the most cynical especially in a production as accomplished as this. Its Christmas Eve in Victorian London and curmudgeonly money lender Ebenezer Scrooge (Barry McGovern) isnt exactly oozing festive cheer. He forces his assistant Bob Cratchit (Michael James Ford) to make do with the heat from a single coal, and gives short shrift to two charity workers when they arrive seeking alms hardly surprising when you consider Scrooges attitude to the poor stops just short of kill em all. But when the ghost of his late business partner appears in shackles with an important message, Scrooges journey from heartless penny-pincher to loving orphan- hugger begins. Director Alan Stanford doesnt take any risks with John Mortimers straight-up adaptation of a classic text but the pleasure of A Christmas Carol lies in its old-fashioned storytelling. McGovern is a fine Scrooge all withering looks and skewering bah humbugs while Stephen Brennan has good fun as a twinkle-toed Ghost Of Christmas Past, a mincing Christmas Present and a grim-reaper- like Christmas Yet To Come. Theres no shortage of cute waifs ambling about Bruno Schwengls attractive stage and the crutch-reliant Tiny Tim remains as heart-melting as ever. Daragh Reddin Until Jan 23, Gate Theatre, 1 Cavendish Row D1, times & prices vary. Tel: (01) 874 4045. www.gatetheatre.ie Post-punk legends Sonic Youth have spent their career veering between migraine-inducing anti-music and indie- disco friendly guitar pop. Happily, the New Yorkers are currently in one of their approachable phases. Over their past few albums, the fivesome, led by too- cool-for-school husband and wife Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, seem to have been at pains to win over the casual listener with albums that, for all their ferocity, are, underneath it all, catchy. Still, thats not to say they are in any danger of selling out (anyone under the age of 25 might want to ask an older sibling what that phrase actually means). While The Pixies are reduced to serving up reheated helpings of a 20-year-old album and the marrow-chilling monetization of Kurt Cobain proceeds apace (he turns up as a digitized zombie in the latest Guitar Hero movie), Sonic Youth continue to press onwards and upwards especially in the live realm where they walk an always interesting line between ground-breaking and indulgent. En route to the All Tomorrows Parties indie shmindie love-in in the UK, they stop off at Vicar Street for their first Irish headline date in over a decade. Bring ear-plugs and expect to have your horizons expanded. Eamon de Paor Sun, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street D8, 7.30pm, 42.50 to 48.50. Tel: (01) 454 6656. www.sonicyouth.com index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html