Liars
Mess
(Mute Records)
⋆⋆⋆⋆
The latest release from the Brooklyn-based three-piece band Liars recalls the London art-rockers These New Puritans's sterling second album Hidden, in which they swapped clever mid-naughties indie rock for a woodwind score laced with brash electronica. Mess is initially a dance album before veering off into abstraction and incoherence. Liars's effort is black, unfriendly and anarchic. Their lead singer Angus Andrew is somewhere between TNP's Jack Barnett and Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, except with an affected laziness to his voice that adds to the band's fuzzy, indistinct aesthetic. Heavily distorted minor guitar samples provide the bass to the dance tracks, while suspiciously similar samples provide the backing to several. There are plenty of tech and industrial elements: witness the pleasingly evil soft techno track Darkside, which adroitly blends psychedelia and sub-bass, while the opener Mask Maker deploys a keyboard part that hums like one of Giorgio Moroder's synths possessed by malevolent spirits atop a disturbing answering machine vocal sample. Mess is an interesting if bleak experiment in imagining 1980s synth-pop – and drowning it in darkness.
artslife@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
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If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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