It’s sometimes easy to forget that when ChocoPro began, there was no feeling (at least as a fan) that this would be a long-term thing. At the time, we thought COVID would be over sooner rather than later, and Emi Sakura throwing a live show on YouTube to highlight Baliyan Akki vs Minoru Suzuki felt like a fun way to pass the day. Those first few shows had no unique identity or distinguishing features but came across as Gatoh Move without the fans and with added squats. However, as it became clear COVID wasn’t going anywhere, ChocoPro began to search for what made it unique. And while they went through a few ideas (Mei Suruga’s arts and crafts period was a personal favourite), they eventually settled on the formula that exists to this day. And the key to finding that formula? Yuna Mizumori vs Emi Sakura.
Continue reading “Yuna Mizumori: Finding ChocoPro’s Identity”Nodoka Tenma: My Favourite
I don’t trust people whose favourite wrestlers win all the time. I’m not saying you can’t like them. I love Miyu Yamashita and Takumi Iroha, but if they’re your absolute favourite? Nah, that’s sus. That leads me to also assume you’re the sort who decided late in life to support Man City, Real Madrid or Celtic because you believe football is about winning lots of trophies and not the pain and suffering of watching some useless bastards fail to kick a fucking ball around. We all know the type, right?
Continue reading “Nodoka Tenma: My Favourite”The Listening Booth – HEALTH, At The Gates and Single Mothers
Hello my lovelies, welcome to The Listening Booth. After all the new releases last week, we’ve got a mixed bag this time around with one from the present and two from the past. Although, I have seen both of the bands from the past live in the last couple weeks, and can confirm that rumours of their demise are greatly exaggerated. The albums are from back yonder, but the bands themselves are not. Anyway, let’s stop wanging on about it and get on with, well, wanging on about it!
Continue reading “The Listening Booth – HEALTH, At The Gates and Single Mothers”The Listening Booth – Mastiff, Spielbergs and Press Club
Hello friends, welcome to the Listening Booth where, this week, we are firmly rooted in 2019. Yup, we’re not even taking a trip to Seattle as we instead focus on three albums that have been birthed into the world in the last month. From the brutality of Mastiff to the soaring anthems of Press Club, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Continue reading “The Listening Booth – Mastiff, Spielbergs and Press Club”The Listening Booth – Puppy, 7 Year Bitch and King 810
Hello friends, it’s Friday which means you can plug in your headphones and get ready for another stint in The Listening Booth. This week we dive into a duo of debut albums, one from 2019 and one from 1992, before I finish up by talking about King 810 who, if you haven’t heard, really like guns. Sound like fun? Well, read on.
Continue reading “The Listening Booth – Puppy, 7 Year Bitch and King 810”The Listening Booth – FEVER 333, Blackouts and Pedro The Lion
Hello, and welcome to perhaps the most interesting Listening Booth yet. I have checked out a lot of music this week, but the albums I have chosen to talk about all captured my imagination for very different reasons. With that in mind, I’m going to stop blabbering and let you get on with hearing about it. Have fun.
Continue reading “The Listening Booth – FEVER 333, Blackouts and Pedro The Lion”The Listening Booth – Agnes Obel, Malfunkshun and Louise Distras
Hello friends, welcome to The Listening Booth. Pull up a chair, get comfy and grab a beer if you want one. Just don’t expect me to pay for it. This is my weekly dive into the music I’ve been listening to and, as I’m hoping will be the norm, it’s an eclectic mix of the old and the new, the loud and the quiet, the grungey and the clean. The only connecting factor? That I find it interesting (although not necessarily good). Right, let’s see what I’ve been up to.
Continue reading “The Listening Booth – Agnes Obel, Malfunkshun and Louise Distras”Wrestling Deserves A Chance To Tell Its Stories
At its best, wrestling is a perfect blend of physical excellence and inspired storytelling. It weaves two separate art forms together to create something that thrills and engages at the same time. It can survive with only one of them. PWG usually jettisons stories in the name of in-ring action while WWE is more focused on telling Vince’s tales than putting on five-star matches (even if it is often done poorly). However, at its peak, the two blend to create magic.
Continue reading “Wrestling Deserves A Chance To Tell Its Stories”
New Japan And The Art Of Subtlety
The world of wrestling is one that the phrase over the top isn’t quite big enough for. It’s bright, shiny and packed with characters that would be mocked if you wrote them into any other universe. Take a second and try to imagine explaining Juice Robinson to someone who isn’t in the know? More than one person has compared it to drag, and while I can’t claim to be an expert, on the surface, the similarities are evident.
The Young Bucks – Are They The GOAT?
Has any tag team ever generated as much conversation as The Young Bucks? For some, they are an example of what wrestling can be. Two men who without the help of WWE have created an empire for themselves. An empire that allows them to live outside the machine while travelling the world putting on a show. To others, they are the worst of modern-day pro-wrestling. Spot monkeys who destroy a business that was once built on hard men doing hard things. If you’re looking for that take, then you’re reading the wrong article.