MAGAZINE: June / July 2011 Issue Of Rip It Up In Stores Now

The new issue of Rip It Up is a huge movie special and includes a visit to The Hangover: Part 2 set in Bangkok, where we get up close and personal with the wolf pack.

Plus there's stories on the new Transformers, X-Men, Green Lantern, and Super 8 films. Also look for features on the Arctic Monkeys, Manchester Orchestra, Lonely Island, Jon Toogood’s new supergroup – The Adults, Liam Finn, Friendly Fires, Katy B plus heaps more!

Subscribe to Rip It Up now and get a free CD AND be in to win a Sony ipod/iphone dock.
 

THE HANGOVER: PART 2
When The Hangover arrived in 2009 it blew everyone away. Following three guys trying to find their missing buddy after a wild bachelor party in Las Vegas, it wasn’t just any comedy. It got nominated for a BAFTA, won a Golden Globe for Best Film and made the AFI top 10 of the year list. It went on to become the world’s highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time. When I heard they were doing The Hangover Part II, I was a little worried - thinking there was no way they could top the original. When I discovered they were filming the movie in Bangkok, those concerns almost completely evaporated. I’ve had holidays in the Thai capital, and it’s just as crazy and wild as you think it is. Setting The Hangover sequel there is a match made in heaven.
Read the full feature by Dan Rutledge in the June / July 2011 issue of Rip It Up. Out now.

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA
“I think even people who’ve heard our first two albums won’t see this coming”, proclaims Andy Hull, Manchester Orchestra’s songwriting guru, matter-of-factly - moments before strolling on stage in London to showcase the band’s electrifying new album Simple Math. He could be right, because Simple Math is a brave, bold departure from their previous two albums - I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child and Mean Everything To Nothing - both musically and lyrically, with the thoughts, feelings and revelations Hull unveils on it. That’s because it explores the inner demons and personal turmoil that have plagued him since he escaped Atlanta, Georgia, for a life on the road, only to find himself perched under the spotlight.
Read the full feature by Des Sampson in the June / July 2011 issue of Rip It Up. Out now.

JON TOOGOOD / THE ADULTS
When I caught up with Shihad singer Jon Toogood a few months ago, he was a man on a mission. The task at hand? To finish recording and mastering his first ever solo project, which goes under the moniker of The Adults. The Melbourne-based vocalist, who is living temporarily with the Skeptics’ bass player and producer Nick Roughan in his sprawling Mount Albert, Auckland home, is beyond stoked with what has been achieved, and fair chomping at the bit to get his new baby heard. After 22 years at the helm of New Zealand’s most loved rock band, Toogood has built up a treasure trove of musical connections which, lucky for us, have now collided, resulting in one hell of a project.
Read the full feature by Helene Ravlich in the June / July 2011 issue of Rip It Up. Out now.

XMEN: FIRST CLASS
Having made small appearances on television and in films - including a part in Band of Brothers, which also starred his X-Men: First Class co-star Michael Fassbender - James McAvoy’s break came in 2003 when he was cast in a key role in Stephen Fry’s Bright Young Things, based on the 1930 novel Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh. His performance led to a role in the original cast of Paul Abbott’s hit urban drama series Shameless for British broadcaster Channel 4, for which McAvoy drew stellar reviews. The same year, he played disabled maverick Rory O’Shea in Inside I’m Dancing, and the brother of Paul Bettany’s professional tennis player Peter Colt in the comedy/drama Wimbledon.
Read the full feature by Joe Utichi in the June / July 2011 issue of Rip It Up. Out now.

FRIENDLY FIRES
Singer Ed MacFarlene has just returned from an American promotional tour of Pala, the latest release from his band, Friendly Fires, which involved a jaunt to South by Southwest and an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show. Apparently the album went down a treat, although meeting the session musicians in the Fallon band was MacFarlene’s ultimate highlight. “We got offered the Jimmy Fallon thing really late and it felt like an opportunity we didn’t want to miss. I wanted to go because a couple of members of the house band are my heroes, and I wanted to meet them. It was probably one of the best TV shows we’ve played on. The whole thing just flew by and it felt like it happened in 10 seconds”, MacFarlene tells me animatedly, speaking with the same momentum he has lent to Pala.
Read the full feature by Courtney Sanders in the June / July 2011 issue of Rip It Up. Out now.

LONELY ISLAND
After winning an Emmy for their Saturday Night Live sanctioned single ‘Dick In A Box’, comedy trio Lonely Island are back with a new album, and a few questions for us as well. Akiva, Jorma and Andy have known each other since they were just tweens. 20 years on, they might still be working their way through puberty, but it’s certainly not holding them back. Having won the 2007 Emmy for Original Music and Lyrics for their groundbreaking hit ‘Dick In A Box’ featuring Justin Timberlake, they can also claim status as a Grammy nominated band, and are, simply put, one of the best looking trios to break since 3T. I met with them in New York to herald the release of their second album, Turtleneck & Chain, which features collaborations with everyone from Nicki Minaj to Snoop Dogg to Michael Bolton.
Read the full feature by Sarah Illingworth in the June / July 2011 issue of Rip It Up. Out now.

LIAM FINN
After globetrotting around the planet with bands like Pearl Jam, Wilco and The Black Keys, Liam Finn has fashioned a new album that explores a new sound - and recording process. Liam Finn knew what he wanted to accomplish with FOMO, the soon to be released follow up to the New Zealand creative powerhouse's 2008 breakout solo album I'll Be Lighting. He wanted to be challenged and to challenge his audience, and, clocking in at just 36 minutes, the raw and exuberant FOMO does just that.
Read the full feature by Helene Ravlich in the June / July 2011 issue of Rip It Up. Out now.