Latest news with #GeorgeClarke
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
The vending machine and robots helping farm in Harbury survive
A vending machine, offering fresh milk direct to customers, has helped a farm in Warwickshire diversify and survive, the owners say. George and Heather Clarke run a herd of more than 100 cows at Chesterton House Farm in Harbury near Leamington offer non-homogenised pasteurised milk from their Milk Shed - along with a selection of coffees and have also been deployed at the site, in an effort to cut down work for the farmers. The diversification scheme was "just another revenue stream," said Mr Clarke. "Most of the milk goes to a milk buyer," he said, "but as much as we can is sold through the milk machine.""We have people come from Daventry and there's a group comes from Dudley" for their milk, added Mrs Clarke. "It's also helped bridge a gap in the village - it's not just a smelly farm - it does actually produce quite a high-value product," Mr Clarke added. Two robots, named after their children Martha and Ralph, are also being used to work more efficiently. "As the cows eat they tend to nose the food away from the feed fence and they can't reach it," explained Mr Clarke. "So this robot comes out every hour, every 45 minutes and just pushes the food back in for them so they can reach it again. "It works really well, it saves my back having to push it all in with a fork". Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hindustan Times
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Beauty in the beast: Sanjoy Narayan writes on the joys of Deafheaven's sonic paradox
I'll admit it upfront: I'm not typically drawn to the thunderous chaos of metal. This might seem odd coming from someone who has lived for decades in Finland, a country that produces more metal bands per capita than almost anywhere else on earth. While my Nordic compatriots have given the world Nightwish, Children of Bodom and countless other such legends, the genre's reputation for unrelenting aggression has always felt more like an endurance test than musical enjoyment. So, some years ago, when a friend insisted I try a genre called blackgaze, I was sceptical. Then I heard Deafheaven's Sunbather (2013), and suddenly everything I thought I knew about heavy metal was turned upside-down. Deafheaven, a San Francisco band that emerged in 2010, has just released its sixth album, Lonely People with Power, which makes this a good time to examine how they became one of the most fascinating paradoxes in contemporary music. Their latest, released on March 28 via Roadrunner Records, marks what critics are calling a triumphant return to their blackgaze roots, after 2021's more shoegaze-leaning Infinite Granite. (Shoegaze is a genre in which the sounds of different instruments and vocals are dreamily blurred; blackgaze blends this with elements of black metal, an even more aggressive sub-genre of heavy metal.) What makes Deafheaven so compelling is not just their technical prowess — though Kerry McCoy's guitar work is genuinely breathtaking — but also the genius with which they reconcile two seemingly incompatible musical universes. On the one hand, there are black metal's foundational elements: George Clarke's raw, screamed vocals that sound like they're being torn from his throat while he is tortured; Daniel Tracy's punishing blast beats; and those signature tremolo-picked guitars that create walls of beautiful aggression. On the other, there is the dreamy shoegaze world in which melody drifts like smoke, and emotions wash over one in gentle waves. The band's genius lies in understanding that both genres are fundamentally about creating overwhelming emotional experiences. Black metal seeks to overwhelm through intensity; shoegaze through immersion. Deafheaven has found a sweet spot where the two approaches converge, creating music that can be simultaneously punishing and beautiful, often within the same song. Lonely People with Power showcases this duality between its tracks too. Magnolia and Revelator deliver the riff-heavy aggression metalheads crave. Heathen and The Garden Route incorporate cleaner vocals and the signature dreamy soundscapes that made albums such as Sunbather so revolutionary. This is music that demands one's attention and rewards it with layers of melody that reveal themselves gradually. It feels something like watching a sunrise after a storm. The album benefits from the creative tensions within the band too. While vocalist Clarke and guitarist McCoy remain the core songwriting partnership, guitarist Shiv Mehra's influence shouldn't be underestimated. Mehra, who also fronts the side project Heaven's Club alongside drummer Daniel Tracy, brings in additional melodic sensibilities that help link Deafheaven's more experimental impulses with their metal foundation. Heaven's Club, incidentally, offers a fascinating glimpse into Mehra's creative range; their sound leans more toward indie rock and dreampop, indicating how these musicians think beyond genre boundaries. What drew me to Deafheaven initially weren't their metal credentials but their emotional honesty. When Sunbather became the best-reviewed album of 2013 on Metacritic — a remarkable achievement for any metal album — it wasn't because they had perfected some technical formula. It was because they had found a way to make extreme music feel genuinely cathartic rather than merely aggressively confrontational. The album dealt with themes of isolation, depression and transcendence with a sophistication that was beyond typical metal tropes. This emotional complexity continues in Lonely People with Power, where the band tackles trauma, love and existential questioning across 12 tracks that feel both intimate and epic. The album's hour-long runtime might seem daunting, but the band's dynamic range keeps one engaged; they know when to push and when to pull back, when to attack and when to caress. For newcomers to Deafheaven's catalogue, three albums serve as essential entry points. Start with Sunbather, which remains their masterpiece and the album that essentially defined blackgaze for a generation. Its opening track Dream House is a perfect seven-minute encapsulation of everything that makes the band special. Next, try New Bermuda (2015), which refined the band's approach, while adding more traditional metal elements. Finally, turn to Infinite Granite (2021), where they largely abandon screamed vocals for clean singing, proving they are not bound by any one template. Deafheaven remains polarising: metal purists sometimes dismiss them as too accessible, while mainstream audiences can still find them too abrasive. Perhaps that's precisely why they matter. In an era of increasing genre-fragmentation, they have created something genuinely new by largely rejecting such boundaries. They have shown that metal can be beautiful without losing its power, and that beauty can be intense and yet gentle. Lonely People with Power is evidence that Deafheaven continues to evolve while staying true to their core vision. It is an album that works whether one is a long-time metalhead or someone like me who stumbled into this world through curiosity rather than allegiance. In a musical landscape often divided between the brutal and the beautiful, Deafheaven offers a reminder that the most powerful art can emerge from an embrace of two extremes. The happy black-metal band, as they are sometimes called, has once again proven that contradiction can be the most honest form of expression. (To write in with feedback, email
ABC News
12-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations: Trailer
George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations Lifestyle Home Improvement Inspiring Watch Trailer Article share options Share this on Facebook Twitter Send this by Email Copy link WhatsApp Messenger How do you turn a building that was never intended for domestic use into a welcoming home? In this uplifting series, George Clarke breathes new life into industrial, commercial and agri-cultural buildings.
ABC News
12-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations: S1 Episode 1 Saint Columb Major
George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations SERIES 1 Lifestyle Home Improvement Inspiring Watch Article share options Share this on Facebook Twitter Send this by Email Copy link WhatsApp Messenger How do you turn a building that was never intended for domestic use into a welcoming home? In this uplifting series, George Clarke breathes new life into industrial, commercial and agri-cultural buildings.
Scottish Sun
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Twix ad BANNED from TV after being branded ‘dangerous'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN ad for chocolate bar Twix that was branded 'dangerous' has been BANNED from TV. The advertisement depicts a car chase between two identical caramel coloured vehicles - ending with one sandwiched on the other like a Twix. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 A Twix advert has been banned after being branded "dangerous" Credit: Getty 4 A watchdog said the ad "must not appear again in its current form." Credit: BBC 4 The advert featured two caramel coloured cars sandwiched together Credit: TWIX However, five complaints have been made against the clip, saying that it highlighted dangerous driving and was irresponsible. Mars-Wrigley, who own the Twix brand, highlighted that the advert featured a "cinematic presentation". They continued by saying it took place in a "world that was absurd, fantastical and removed from reality" This view was echoed by Clearcast, the non-governmental organisation that approves adverts prior to broadcast. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the ad "condoned unsafe driving" and "must not appear again" in its current iteration. Although the ASA acknowledged the fantastical aspect of the ad, it stated the video's first half showed driving "that appeared likely to breach the legal requirements of the Highway Code". The watchdog said there was an "emphasis on speed", in addition to "fast paced beat and music" in the car chase and "visible skid marks" left on the road. Mars defended the advert, having said both cars were shot "driving at lawful speeds and any emulation would only reflect the legal and safe driving presented." The final scene showed a Twix bar falling through the sunroofs of the two still attached cars. This was also accompanied by the tagline "two is more than one". Original '90s TV ad for N64 game Super Mario 64 now worth thousands Clearcast told the ASA that the advert's style made it clear that it was not meant to be emulated, nor did it suggest "safe driving was boring". The ASA's ruling concluded: "We told Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK Ltd not to condone or encourage irresponsible driving that was likely to breach the legal requirements of the Highway Code in their ads." It's not the first time that a TV ad has been banned from screens. TV architect George Clarke was paid by Scottish Power to star in their television advert. It was taken off air by the Advertising Standards Agency for breaching their guidlines. The watchdog said it misled viewers into thinking they were watching George's Channel 4 hit Amazing Spaces.
