Apocalypse Perth

‘Apocalypse Perth’ written by Kate Rice is a joint Blue Room and Always Working Artists production, showing at the Blue Room Studio, 53 James Street in Northbridge at 6.30 each evening until 8^th November. There are late shows on Friday and Saturday at 9.15 pm.

On this web site in January and February this year, an amateur production, ‘Rock Apocalypse’, received an unfavourable review. There then followed an assassination of every aspect of the show and its venue. The actors and crew tried in vain to raise sympathy and put forward their case, but the insults continued unabated.

On recently re-reading these forty, or so, postings I wondered how playwright Kate Rice (last play at the Blue Room was ‘The Mozart Factor’, which won much acclaim, and achieved several nominations in the Actors’ Equity Guild awards) could make any sense of such drivel, let alone construct an interesting script. I suppose that there are some books, e.g. Shakespeare and Pinter, which on reading for the first time have given the same belief, yet in the right hands turn out to be stunning.

Kate does not merely list the string of contributions to the web thread, but has blended them with interviews, great characterisation, and even a song. There is plenty of humour and several gasps as some of the claptrap written on the web, is performed face to face by the writers with the people that they have denigrated.

With a superb choice of four very different cast member who, under the direction of Jeremy Rice, give us about six characters each. Greg McNeill’s portrayals include Tim, the show’s director who abandoned the play two weeks from opening and then returned as a performer.  One of the leading performers, Kelly (Whitney Richards) emotionally explains her heartbreak as she sees her dream of an acting career drain rapidly away. The committee member in charge of catering (Vanessa Trengove) is even attacked for charging $1 for orange cordial.

One of the final comments was from one of the show’s musicians (Craig Williams) ‘one Powerball and we will put the show on again - properly!’ I for one would love to see this show and decide for myself whether all this heartbreak and mental torture was justified.

All trolls, and generally nasty people, should see this unusual play and so discover how what they think is ‘a little bit of fun’ can actually do to those concerned. I can recommend this show to the cast of ‘Rock Apocalypse’ to see that all of their hard work was not in vein.

Composer Ashley Gibson Greig decided upon quite a heavy, but very effective style of music, similar to the radio detective serial themes of the fifties such as ‘Dick Barton’. With only a black drape set, the lighting by Lucy Birkenshaw was required to take us from the homes of the show’s performers, to the rehearsal room, the stage and committee rooms. Most effective with the use of an unusual style and mix of lamps.

I must be honest, I expected something dull and trite, but this show covered many emotions and the cast did a brilliant job. A very well constructed script, delivered with power, emotion, and at times finely choreographed movement. Most enjoyable.

So how many people were in the audience? Is it attracting much of a crowd?

That doesn't answer the question. With all the argy-bargy going on, it'd be interesting to know if anyone is showing up to see the work, or if marketing efforts have been futile. Given you avoided the question, it sounds like the audience was rather small. If it was a full house, you would have said so.

Well, your question is a bit premature. (I just stopped myself from saying 'immature'.) Last night was a preview. We were more than half full. Tonight is the opening. You won't get in, it's sold out. People are booking ahead. Hope that satisfies the auditor in you. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

If you have questions about this production then there is a show for you. Every production in the current season at the Blue Room is having a "Meet The Artists" performance with a post show question and answer session. Apocalypse Perth is having their q and a on Tuesday 28th October at 6.30. If you want to be there then book soon as there are only 7 tickets left.

There were less than 15 empty seats. Encore I say, Encore!!

Red cordial Gordon, Red!!

Saw the show and promised one of the performers I would beat him to a comment, and seeing as he is online now (damn my penchant for late night Northbridge snacking) here goes. See this show. Those of you who know me are familiar with my disdain for all things on stage in Perth. I really liked this show. Weird, huh? The writing was clever, thoughtful, and deconstructed the forum posts perfectly. The self-reflexivity of the opening was a brilliant ploy- I felt that Kate Rice had said "this is true, and I am as much a part of it as the characters you see", and that feeling echoed throughout the piece. The structure of the show, clearly problematic in any verbatim theatre, was just so strong that I barely remembered I knew the conclusion. And how nice that it all fit into a solid hour with no room for waste. I thought that the challenge for the director would be to translate the timbre of a forum post into a stage conversation. We celebrate the "liveness" of theatre, and an internet forum is inimical to this notion. Jeremy Rice cajoles with a bare stage, threatens with community-hall stacks of chairs, outright horrifies with the trappings of talking-heads dialogue, and summarily dismisses all those ideas immediately. The movements of the actors, the sparing execution of direct address, the simple yet elegant choices in lighting textures, and the astonishing pace (so often lacking in Perth productions) are a testament to what good directors should do with already good text. More not-for-kiddies stuff again soon please Mr. Rice. All the performers were strong. The energy of the cast should be bottled and distributed as a tonic for Perth's professional acting elite. I heard every word, and we all know what that studio can be like. Intentions were clear, consistent and unpretentious. Despite the pace of the show the cast's timing was excellent. Particular praise for Craig Williams and Whitney Richads, both of you were attentive to every detail of movement and emotion. Your performances were very gracious also in the way they gave so much to the other two members of the cast. Vanessa Trengove is a natural and I hope to see a lot more of her (move out of the sticks!), and once Greg McNeill got on a roll there was no stopping him. Though I detected a few first-five-minute nerves from all of you, I was nonetheless completely engaged, and could tell you were too. I had very few criticisms of the production and gave them to the director at the bar, which is where they will stay. Apocalypse Perth is not only great theatre, it is what great theatre should be: a celebration of representation, difference of opinion, and subversion of societal norms. Don't miss it.

I saw the show tonight. For those of you who like to make comments on the website about shows you have seen, go and see it and make a comment. For those of you who like to make comments on the website about shows you haven't seen , make an exception, go and see this one and then make a comment. For those of you who like clever,well paced, well scripted, well directed theatre, go and see it and make a comment. For those of you who are trolls ( I learned something new tonight!) go and see it and make a comment under your own name for a change. For those of you who thought this couldn't work, go and see it and make a comment then. It does work, it is clever, it is funny, it is beautifully produced, the actors are uniformly excellent, the show certainly leaves you thinking and I for one applaud Kate and everyone involved for creating a piece of theatre that everyone in community theatre should go and see before they even contemplate writing a post on here about any show ever again! And before you ask, it was a full and very appreciative audience, the cordial ( red and green ) was free, the air conditioning wasn't a problem and no I am not in any way connected with this production. Kerri

Gordon wrote: >> I can recommend this show to the cast of ‘Rock Apocalypse’ to see that all of their hard work was not in vein. Not in vein? Well, that's because there was "poison running through my veins"..! And the colour of the cordial? Interesting that it obviously evoked a visual image, so that someone else felt they needed to post to correct you....yet at no time during the actual show do we mention any colour..! That's the power of theatre...the words and physical gestures suggest images in the minds of the audience which are greater than the sum of its parts. Thanks to all who have come and enjoyed it and commented so far. It's a pleasure to perform and I'm interested to hear how different people react. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

It's good to see something positive coming from an originally dismal production. Sorry...just trolling :)

I wonder if any of the money will be channelled back into the original theatre group?

Do any Blue Room productions turn a profit? Hasn't the production company already channelled money back to the contributors to the forum? Are you a member of the original theatre group?

What money?

Most Blue Room shows pull about $6000 to be shared between the cast and crew. Some pull up to $12,000.

Can you name a Blue Room show this year which netted $6,000.00? They may gross that amount (if they're lucky) but nett that sum?

Thanks for that Murray. You beat me to the clarification of the above. Many comments on this website make me smile. : )

Well...not quite that much. But yes, I can name that tune... Spontaneous Insanity's 'This Is Your Life (Sort Of)' was a pretty good money spinner for us. (It was actually last year, but within 12 months). Four of us in the cast plus a tech, and my share was a bit over $1500. We had covered our costs, which was a little bit of T-shirt printing, a box of cheap props, and some very efficient marketing. Of course, the reason we made money was because there was NO rehearsal. Being an improv show, we might have spent half an hour in nutting out the format, tops. No rehearsal meant no petrol spent, no parking fees, no lines to learn so nothing stopping us from getting other work. And it helped that we had many audience members return to see the show 2 or 3 times, so we totally filled every night of the season in the main theatre. No personal outlay meant it was a net profit. Unfortunately, you are correct to imply that most shows would never manage this. Earlier last year in 'The Mozart Faction', I made substantially less. The fact that the show had bigger overheads and a crew of about 13 meant that there wasn't a big return to any individual, even though that show, too, sold out most of its performances and added shows. When I factor in my time spent rehearsing, my travel costs, the opportunity cost (turning down other weekend jobs because I had rehearsals and lines to learn), I most probably lost money. Which is okay, because I didn't do either of those shows to become rich. I did them to become famous! They were bloody good shows which were well acclaimed and totally worth doing even if it cost me to participate. As is this one. The bit I don't quite get in this thread are those with the underlying presumption that Apocalypse Perth is raking in the money, and somehow owes everybody else on this website part of those takings? On what grounds? The reality is: everyone who's intellectual property was used signed a contract and got standard recompense. (In my opinion, the Rice's may have been too generous in some instances; but it's clear that they value intellectual property and have strong principles.) They have also guaranteed the cast a payment up front, which is also rather generous. They will end up bearing all of the risk. We're in the smaller venue, so even if we do sell out, there's not a big margin for any profit. Cast of four, tech operator, lighting designer, musician, set painter, marketing and overheads all dip their hand in and thin out anything they are likely to split between them. The rest of us, with this payment in hand, then deduct the usual amounts for time spent rehearsing (I've taken time off other work, which I'll have to make up), travel and parking, and extra expenses like having to eat out a lot (I haven't been free to do any grocery shopping for a few weeks!). To the people (or more likely the person who keeps posting under different names) ...who maybe feels miffed that their contribution wasn't used...and keeps insisting that we split the proceeds with them, I give you this offer: You can share with me, equally, any net takings I am likely to make from this show. Of course as I estimate I am already in the red, and as far as this production is concerned, will probably remain so...that means you already owe me - at least a couple of meals. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

At 50% capacity you make around the $5,000 to $6,000 mark. Do the math.

You're doing the math but not the economics. Murray just explained to you: you're talking gross income but ignoring all cost involved. So you "make" a lot less.

I think the point is that the Rice's could possibly be turning a profit out of a miserable situation that really affected a theatre and perhaps, as a sign of goodwill, some money should go back into that theatre,

>>I think the point is that the Rice's could possibly be turning a profit out of a miserable situation that really affected a theatre and perhaps, as a sign of goodwill, some money should go back into that theatre, I think you'll find the theatre in question was never as badly affected as you all seem to think, and THAT is the point! So much of what you have all read here online is people speculating and making stuff up! That's exactly what happened to them in the first place...very few of us know anything first hand about the actual production; but we all know about the embellished fiction that got created when every man and his dog made up an opinion about it. That's what this new play is about: what you read online is unverifiable and could just as easily have been made up by creative/bored/mischievous people...just as much is now being made up about THIS play. We've had very positive responses from those who have seen it, including five or six people from the original theatre group. And the most fascinating collection of objections and concerns put forward by people who evidently got all their information from what others have been making up here. I think most people have got it by now (although some obviously haven't) that these objections are perfect fodder for us, that it all supports our point, that it justifies why the play was created in the first place, that it's good publicity, and that it's perfectly in character for me to be arguing with you about it all the time! Also, it's somewhat amusing, entertaining, and ironic, going from some of the posts on what seems to be a tongue-in-cheek thread elsewhere (who would call themselves 'disemvoweled', anyway?) The theatre you're so concerned about has invited us to perform in their venue at the Padbury Community Hall tonight, as a sign of their goodwill toward US! Come along and see it. The only way you can vindicate your lame argument about us all making heaps of profit is if you each bring along 20 friends, pack the place out, and then we WILL make some money and the theatre group will get rich on the profits from selling you cordial! Cheers, Crg ~<8>-/====\---------

Shelley wrote: I think the point is that the Rice's could possibly be turning a profit out of a miserable situation that really affected a theatre and perhaps, as a sign of goodwill, some money should go back into that theatre, - Let me get this straight, as I seem to be misunuderstanding something. Are you saying that the Rices should compensate the Joondalup theatre group for doing a horrendeous production. Because if that's true, someone should inform Mike Myers that he is eligable for a payout for making "The Love Guru". I wish I had seen the production, but being in India, it's really not an option. From what I can discern from the reviews above, they have created a very interesting discussion in the genre (can you call it such?) of verbatim. They should be congratulated for attempting something original and intriguing and succeeding at it. I encourage all those cyber-sceptics out there to purchase a ticket, watch the show and contribute to this thread, instead of needless negativity.

....those amateur/community theatres that are lucky enough to have their own premises and pay a peppercorn rent are actually in a better space to make money from a show than these small professional productions at The Blue Room. For example, I was involved in a Christmas show in a rural theatre going back some 4 years ago. We sold out the show pretty much every night, took an absolute poultice of money over the bar, and by the time it was over we had made enough money to consider extensions to the building. Why? Overheads were low in relation to the takings. There was bugger all constuction required on stage - just standard flats, no expensive props, cast provided pretty much own costuming, no rent on the building, no payment required for script as it was written by one of the cast. It was pretty much power and water as regards costs. Oh, and we kept 100% of the profit from the bar - very important How can this be achieved? IT WAS AN AMATEUR PRODUCTION (and we kept the profits from the bar). Apocalypse Perth is a professional production and Kate's cast and crew are perfectly entitled to an appopriation of any profits. They act for a living. I think it's rich to suggest that the contributors to the website deserve payment ahead of the performers in the play. If Kate decides to contribute any of her "share of the profits" to the forum's contributors, that's her choice. Let's examine that for a second. Who does she start with? Who is most deserving? Not the theatre company - the forum itself was made up of many people, most of whom had nothing to do with the theatre company itself. Besides - whose to say they didn't make a profit from the original play despite it's alleged shortcomings? Why should they rank ahead of the people who contributed to the thread? So.....does Kate pay the biggest share to those who contributed the most posts? Perhaps she should contribute most to those who showed they could spell and provide reasoned argument - a reward for good behaviour if you like. If she rewards those she's been able to identify, isn't that unfair to those who posted anonymously and can't be tracked down? I have the solution - Kate, put all your "earnings" from Apocalypse Perth into a trust account and the various contributors can apply for gratis payments if they are able to truly be identified. Okay, I'm not trying to start a flame war here - just providing a rebuttal of those of you who think the theatre company is being wronged in some way. There's a simpler way of viewing this. GRADS is doing "A Laughing Matter" at present. Should a share of the profit go to the descendants of David Garrick and Samuel Johnson? I think not

Is it morally right to make a profit out of someone else's misery?

Is it morally right to create something uplifting, inspiring, intelligent, creative, entertaining and admirable out of someone else's feeble efforts to stir up the website and get noticed...? To quote one of my character's quotes, "We don't do it for the money, we do it for the love of it". See the show, love it, and you too shall profit by it. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

Titanic. Biggest shipping tragedy of the 20th century. Biggest movie box office takings of the 20th Century Fox corporation. Schindler's List. Definitely about misery. Definitely made a profit. Was Speilberg being morally right with the content treatment? Shakespeare: leading dramatist of the King's Players...a company that turned a profit. Popular works that depict someone else's misery - Hamlet, Lear, Othello, Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, all of the Histories, etc etc etc etc Comedy = Tragedy + Timing http://www.movingpicturesmagazine.com/Default.aspx?DN=aa252e59-5ff6-4845-8713-e0892f69872e

I'm not sure which of these many many threads to post this on so this will do. I hope that someone reads it. I am in Adelaide, I read the original thread with the sort of revolted fascination that attracts one to a car crash. I have followed all the subsequent threads with great interest. I have refrained from commenting as I did not see the original production and had no vested interest at all. Please, can I read the script. I am fascinated. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

It's not the JETS theatre company who are miserable...we went out with many of them last night to have drinks, after the show in Padbury. It is certain contributors to these threads that are miserable. Or just sad. Is it morally right to make a success out of their misery? (more to the point, is it morally right for them to be miserable over our success?) It's a moral argument, so you'll have to be the judge. To do that, you'll have to first determine whether it IS a success or not. Come and see it. If you believe that we ought to share our success with the miserable contributors, get them to apply in person (at one of our shows) and identify themselves ... as a miserable contributor with a morals problem. We'll give them as much of our sympathy as we can afford. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

Just out of interest: is this a professional or an amateur production and what did Kate Rice tell people when she paid them for their postings and/or interviewed them?

Productions at The Blue Room are either fully paid or profit-share. APOCALYPSE PERTH is profit-share. Because of this, Blue Room productions are eligible for the Actors Equity Benevolent Guild Theatre Awards; amateur productions are not eligible for these awards. We told contributors that we were producing a show at The Blue Room with professional actors. All contributors signed a contract based on the Australian Writers' Guild general release deed. On a different thread I posted that if any contributor has concerns, please contact us: Jeremy: 0409 988 728 jeremy@alwaysworkingartists.com.au The Blue Room and Always Working Artists present APOCALYPSE PERTH 6.30pm Tue-Sat until 8 Nov The Blue Room Studio. Bookings: (08) 9227 7005 http://www.blueroom.org.au/blueroomseasons/apocalypseperth http://alwaysworkingartists.blogspot.com/

I hear some contributors were left believing it was an amateur production with you saying "we're not going to make any money out of this".

Well we all know some contributors are pretty thick. It's about time you stopped hearing their crap and paid attention to what's already been said here.

I was involved in the original production and had a number of conversations with Kate while she was collecting material. As she has said, everyone who contributed (whether they wanted to be named or remain anonymous) signed a contract, which clearly explained everything. If some people chose not to read their contract before they signed it, it's not Kates fault. I don't really see how it's of any concern to anyone else how much people got paid for their contributions, what was in the contracts, what was said prior to the interviews, and what Always Working Artists will use any profits for. To my knowledge, most of the those involved in Rock Apocalypse were happy to talk to Kate in group interviews and on an individual level knowing there would be no financial gain. Prior to the interviews, Kate informed us of her ideas for the show and what the material she gained would be used for. Pretty much the only thing she couldn't tell us was the script, as the whole point of the discussions with cast and crew was to try to establish that. As for giving something back to the theatre, are you aware that Jeremy held free acting workshops prior to the auditions? Workshops that were attended by members of the theatre in order to strengthen their audition pieces and gain some more knowledge and technique. I don't know Jeremy, and only know Kate from the few times that I have spoken with her. But from what I have seen, they have both conducted themselves in a kind and professional manner and appear to be genuinely interested in those involved. I'm sorry, I just don't understand why so many people not involved in either of the productions think its their business to know what is happening behind the scenes. If there is half as much drama on stage as there is off, I am very much looking forward to seeing the show on Tuesday.

There's a difference between running into a profit ("making money out of this") and an amateur show. Honestly, if all the people are so curious about how the show is operating financially, then do yourself a favour and actually contact the people involved: they have left their details so you can. Free halloween shadow puppet pattern at Puppets in Melbourne

hey buddha ask the catholic church that question

Spielberg didn't make a cent from Schindler's List - he gave it all away to Holocaust-related charities. Which is just a point about Schindler's List. Anyone who holds up Schindler's List, about the Holocaust, and Apocalypse Perth, about a play, and sees a similarity, probably needs their head examined. And also slapped.

Okay bad example, Slap me. What about Victor Hugo, writing 'Les Miserables' then. Or John Hurt in 'The Elephant Man'. Or the film Gallipoli. Or the play 'Away' which is about a boy who has leukeamia and families breaking up and a boy who died in Vietnam. The similarity was there are lots of examples of a miserable situation being taken by creative people and turned into profitable entertainment.

My favourite quote from the artshub review is the opening: "For one hour of theatre, Apocalypse Perth has a lot going for it. Vitality, humour and a fast-paced, thought-provoking script are all elements of its success. But the very idea behind the play is fresh and fascinating." (Lisette Kaleveld Arts Hub Monday, October 27, 2008) Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

What costs? If you are part of the Blue Room development program your only costs are your set and publicity, which the Blue Room give you $1000 or $1500 for.

Only sets and publicty? No costumes? Walter Pennypinch must think that all Blue Room shows are performed nude. Or is that The Bakery?

Okay, I'll admit it. Walter Pennypinch is right. We perform this show in our underwear so we don't have to pay for a costume budget. We sing a capella so we don't have to pay any musicians. We never actually wrote anything down, so technically we didn't even use a writer. I walk around at work arguing with people all day, so basically THEY are paying me to 'rehearse' for free. (It's not like there's a script I had to learn or anything!). The Blue Room gave us the venue, the equipment, and ALL of our advertising budget for free, and DON'T take a cut of the door, so every dollar paid for a ticket is going straight into our pockets making us very very rich. They also generously ALLOW us to take all the profit from behind the bar. There was no need to EARN or compete for this right by creating a worthy submission, a budget and an artistic treatment, because hey, they just give them away to anyone for free, right? We used our huge professional influence to extort FREE labour from the lighting designer, the composer, the tech operator, and the set decorator, on threat of them never working in this town again. The contracts that were given to the hapless contributors from the internet had very-very-very-very fine-print clauses which gave us a loophole freeing us from ever needing to give them a cent, allowing us free access to the balance of their superannuation funds, and guaranteeing us 17% of their future children's earnings...! The little excursion to the Padbury community hall DIDN'T earn us bugger-all because they DIDN'T charge us the $50/hour rate or make us hire and install our own lighting and sound equipment; we EASILY packed the place to the rafters; we DIDN'T give away the cordial for free; and the gear, petrol and transport to lug it all was GIVEN to us by a passing philanthropist. Grant actually pays me to contribute here, why do you think I'm online all the time? So yes, you might think you are correct to guess that we are all paying off our second mortgages and yachts from the profits we are exploiting from this show. But here's where I have to correct you. Unfortunately 'Always Working Artists' are NOT going to recoup their costs from this show, and in fact have had to force their kids into child-labour contracts with dodgy advertising companies...because Greg, Whitney, Vanessa and I are PROFESSIONAL! Most of us have interstate agents negotiating our contracts, we have the industrial might of the hugely-powerful Actor's Union fighting for our exorbitant wage rates, we demand full-star treatment, glossy magazine exposure, personal trainers and masseurs, luxury trailers, unlimited supply of caviar, champagne and mangoes, and dressing rooms with hot and cold running showgirls. Both Greg and I can both command thousands of dollars for a single 30-second radio commercial...so imagine the fee we are each charging for a full 60 minutes of spoken dialogue! While I believe I may have heard that some people may actually entertain the notion of 'giving back to the community', 'sharing the wealth', and 'recognising those who've helped you along the way', I can safely say that I have NO intention of doing anything of the sort! I pay NO attention to anything that goes on in the amateur world around me, I actively oppose being generous or assisting others to learn and grow, and I refuse to even consider that anyone else may deserve to get the breaks I myself have had. Isn't it enough that I grace you with my hefty and awesome talent? If I had my way, I wouldn't even let you come and see the performance...you're not worthy. If it wasn't for some legal loophole in the Blue Room agreement...I'll have to get my team of lawyers to put a stop to that! I think it's a shame that the amateur community at large has no idea, and mostly assumes that we are doing this 'for the love of it', or because the project 'has merit'. What, did you think we might be doing this to demonstrate the power of creativity over petty negativity? To celebrate and share our skill and love of producing interesting theatre? To merely entertain?? Thankfully a few of you obviously know better, have seen through the glam and sham, and have exposed this seedy operation for what it really is, an exercise in ripping off all the community theatres in the world, squeezing every ill-gained drop of money and blood from the poor innocent contributors to these forums, thumbing our noses at all and sundry who actually care about theatre arts, riding off into the sunset to our villas overlooking the Riviera and laughing derisively over our shoulders at you poor, poor hopeless fools who complain. Well, at least that last bit of the sentence for me is definitely true. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

Dude, We get the picture. It's well written, performed, lighted yadda yadda. we're all coming to see it. So's how about ya just shut up for a bit and let us decide for ourselves? The constant self-promotion is starting to wear a teensey wee bit thin....

Is this a musical and can somone else NOT craig williams reply please in 25 words or less?

No it’s not a musical But Williams is a silly fool To write about himself unstoppingly Thinking that his show we’ll see He should stop!

Thanks! Been waiting for the magic words to release me from the spell...or rather, been testing this as an experiment to see when someone would tell me to stop. You're the one. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

Don't stop now. It's just getting interesting. besides only about 8 more posts and this thread will have more replies than Rock Apocalypse