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Good news; it’s not shit – something which, I think, was very much the collective worry when the news about this record came tumbling out.
In fact, ‘Gunga Din’, ‘Fame and Fortune’ and ‘Heart of the Matter’ could quite possibly be up there with their best. But neither Pete nor Carl are twentysomethings with the world (and paraphernalia) at their feet, and inevitably this shows in just how topheavy Anthems for Doomed Youth is. The last six tracks could disappear from my music library overnight and I would find it difficult to be annoyed.
But who cares? I guess? We’ve got to hear more Libertines than we thought was feasible until quite recently, and it feels completely genuine. I was born just a little too late to fully appreciate this group in all their addled glory, yet this album tells me exactly why a generation clasped them like they did, and why their appeal will survive many more to come.
Two men who pressured a 84-year-old dementia sufferer into handing over thousands of pounds after posing as workmen were sentenced to three years in prison at Sheffield Crown Court today.
Simon Collins (30) and Patrick Maughan (29) had earlier pleaded guilty to fraud.
Prosecutor Kevin Jones said Leslie Sheldon, of High Street, Laughton, was approached at home by Collins and his wife, who persuaded him that his driveway needed repaving at the cost of £1,400.
The following day, July 18 2014, Collins returned with accomplice Maughan and told Mr Sheldon the price had increased to £2,500 and with the cost of hiring a skip and JCB, the total price would be £7000.
The pair then drove Mr Sheldon to the branch of his bank in Dinnington and ordered him to withdraw £1,500.
After staff became suspicious, Collins and Maughan took him to Rotherham, where they managed to get £2,500. An attempt to then withdraw £2,500 at Darnall saw a bank manager intervene before the transaction was carried out.
Police were first alerted at Dinnington, and their vehicle was tracked down at Darnall. Collins was seen by a member of the public leaving his vehicle, and stuffing an envelope down his trousers.
Mr Jones said Maughan had 14 previous convictions, including dishonesty, theft and burglaries, dating back to 1998.
Collins had two previous convictions, which included robbery.
James Gould, defending Maughan, said he was sorry for the offence. His wife was expecting their first child, and he wanted to be reunited with his family.
James Baird, defending Collins, said Collins was of “limited intellect” and was regarded as being vulnerable to peer pressure.
Judge Peter Kelson QC described the men as “preying on one of the most vulnerable in society”, and ordered them to pay a victim surcharge upon release.
Council funding for the annual Tramlines music festival weekend hit a record low in 2014, it has been revealed.
Total Tramlines funding and costs by the council this year amounted to £12,264, around a tenth of the total contributed to the festival in 2011. The news comes as early bird tickets for next year’s festival, the seventh to be held, have gone on sale to the general public.
Sheffield City council previously announced they would stop directly contributing to the running of the event, which ceased to be free of charge in 2013, but still provide for policing and infrastructure in the city centre on the weekend.
Councillor Isobel Bowler, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure at Sheffield City Council, said: “Tramlines has always been a major part of our events calendar in Sheffield and we have worked with the event organisers and our partners from day one to ensure it is a success. “
“It was always the intention of Tramlines organisers to rely less and less on local authority support as the festival grew. “
Scott Williams, editor of music festival promotion site Efestivals, said that such cuts were part of a central government attack on community festivals under the banner of austerity, and that many similar events across the country have also been forced to find commercial sources of revenue.
From 2011 to 2014, funding on infrastructure fell from £101,300 to £2,264, and this year the council stopped paying running fees to the festival organisers altogether. Policing costs in 2014 amounted to £10,000, down from £12,000 the year before.
Headliners for this year’s Tramlines festival, which has taken place in Sheffield every year since its foundation in 2009, included Katy B, Public Enemy and The Cribs.
Five people have been arrested in connection with a series of house burglaries in Dronfield.
Police recorded five break-ins between September 9 and October 6, forcing a major crackdown operation in the town that involved plain clothes patrols and a stop-and-search programme.
Stolen property has been recovered, including electrical goods and garden equipment. There have been no further incidents since the beginning of the month.
PC Sally Horner from the Dronfield Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “We will continue to offer security advice and reassurance to help support our residents, and I would like to remind people that Dronfield still remains one of the lowest crime areas for burglary across the division.”
Two houses were burgled on Green Lane, and there was one attempted break-in on Salisbury Road. Another attempted break-in took place on Stubley Croft, Dronfield Woodhouse.
Graham Baxter, Labour councillor for Dronfield North, said he believed Dronfield had been targeted because it was an affluent area, and that it was a credit to the police force that such incidents were rare.
Crime rates in Dronfield are below the Derbyshire and national average.
Official crime prevention advice recommends that home owners ensure that windows and doors are kept locked, even when in the house.
benedict tetzlaff - deas.