Verge

VERGE UCC EXPRESS

INTERVIEWS

O EMPEROR LUCY SPRAGGAN REVIEWS

CASSANDRA THE DIRTIES

VOLUME II

TALKS TO

HOZIER ISSUE 5

UCC

EXPRESS

VERGE NOVEMBER

FORTNIGHTLY FAVOURITE 4 FILM & TELEVISION

Words: Ellen Desmond, Entertainment Editor “They fight, they bite, they bite and fight and bite…” we’ve all heard it, we’ve all seen it, why am I even bothering to bring it up you may ask.

Aside from the fact that The Simpsons has recently become some sort of very suddenly occurring, hipster iconography-thing(that I genuinely fail to understand) everything in entertainment reviews of the past few weeks seems to be about animals getting hurt. We grew up watching Itchy and Scratchy more or less ripping each other to smithereens. Tom pretty much had it out for Jerry too. It was all very funny, or so I’m told, as I was generally locked in a box under the stairs and not allowed to watch anything even mildly offensive towards animals. I’m pretty sure I’m still not allowed to watch Ren and Stimpy or Cow and Chicken.

And yet, when I killed my brother on the Nitendo 64 James Bond game it was something to be proud of (shoot them in the foot first because when they look down, you have time to end them properly).

Rob, our Film and TV editor, spoke at length in our last issue about “the Love/Hate cat” (her name is Cleo) and the public’s reaction to the gory scene. Cleo the cat has more or less reached the cat equivalent of diva-dom. Since then, Love/Hate has been put under the interrogator’s spot light once again in regards to a scene that showed two dogs covered in “blood”, with implications of an encouraged dog fight. It would appear that Stuart Carolan, the show’s writer, is trying to highlight animal abuse in much the same way that the show strives to depict the deep sadness at the heart of Ireland’s crime world. Ireland has more or less exploded with controversy because of it. This all seems fairly dramatic really, when people’s loved ones are being slashed and burned all over the world, on our real-life sides of the screen, with little thought spared for them. That said, I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch either of the controversial animal scenes and I am a big Love/Hate fan.

Before you think me the average wuss, I’ll have you know my favourite movie is Sweeney Todd. You can bake all the humans you want on my television screen, and yet I’m a vegetarian. I genuinely don’t flinch if you fictitiously slit everyone’s throats while singing catchy ballads. There’s just something about the innocence of animals that most humans can’t handle - interrupting it with anything other than cute, fluffy portrayals doesn’t go down well for a lot of viewers.

I might be the wrong person to discuss this topic, as I generally prefer cats to humans, but even I can see there’s something unbalanced about the public reactions to the Love/Hate scenes in question. We laughed at Itchy and Scratchy when we were kids, we still laugh at it now, but the second it’s a real animal, even acting animal, the mood changes.

So, why have we become so okay with hurting our own kind? Even real life scenes of children at gun point or piles of dead soldiers have become something I can forget just seconds later. One RSPCA add and I’m a mess. I ranted for days about how inappropriate it was when Ryan Tubridy “scared the living daylights” out of poor Cleo the cat when she appeared on the Late Late Show. Do I recall what awkward interactions he had with his fellow humans on that show? No. I’m actually enquiring as to why this is my, and the majority’s, outlook if anyone would be so kind as to inform me.

ARTS & LITERATURE

-Robert

@theCircleGuy

-Eoghan

@EoghanLyng

Tom Stoppard - Simply put, this man is a genius. His plays vary from the Shakespearian parody Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, to the kitchen sink drama of Dirty Linen and New Found Land, from the musical epiphany Rock n` Roll to the kitsch bawdiness of On The Razzle. Stoppard`s repertoire does not stop with theatre, however.

He has composed many brilliant radio plays, most recently he wrote an ode to the great Dark Side of The Moon. Casual readers will probably be more familiar with his film credits; he was involved with the writing of eighties classics Brazil and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, while receiving a well-deserved Academy Award for Shakepseare in Love in 1998. Stoppard himself started off as a journalist, earning a great amount of respect in the process.

A cunning linguist, a fine orator and an avant -garde expressionist, Tom Stoppard is someone to look out for!

MUSIC

-Meadhbh

@meadhbh_crowley

During the summer I became a huge fan of the movie Pitch Perfect. Now,as music editor, I can’t watch any TV or films without spending the majority of my time trying to guess the background music. So, having a film with music which isn’t being spoken over was amazing. I won’t spoil the film for you but to join the acapella group, Anna Kendrick’s character sings the Cup Song which is one of the best songs in the movie! If you don’t know it, it basically involves the song When I’m Gone with rhythmic accompaniment provided by a red party cup. I don’t think I can convey how great this song is in words so you’ll just have to YouTube it now!

GAMING

-Brian

EDITORIAL TEAM

Music Editor: Méadhbh Crowley

Arts & Literature Editor: Eoghan Lyng

Film & TV Editor: Robert O’ Sullivan

Gaming Editor: Brian Conmy

Design: Cathal O’ Gara

@aerach71

Getting in the horror mood, with the season that’s in it, I managed to get a few themed games on sale on the PSN. So needless to say I played twoHouse of the Dead games while lovingly remembering the amazing Uwe Boll monstrosity of a movie (which thoroughly deserved it’s less than €1 price point) and Infamous Festivals of Blood, which I played through in one day and instantly regretted when my bloodshot eyes stopped me from doing any college work. That’s my excuse, I’m sticking to it.

Bit- sized indies have been my wheelhouse for a while now. Speaking of which: The Stanley Parable is either the most charming thing I’ve played since Thomas was Alone or I just like having the illusion of intelligence that I get from a game with a British voiceover. It’s like he’s tonguing my ear…

@ellen_desmond

2 VERGE EDIT

2013

As you’ll see when you turn the page, this issue’s Film & TV section is dominated by indie films in honour of the Cork Film Festival. So in fitting with that theme…

I’m talking about Game of Thrones. As of writing, I’ve just finished Season 1, so I’ve just caught up to pop culture a bit. I must say, people were right about this show: Peter Dinklage is fantastic as Tyrion and Jack Gleeson is a right...unpleasant chap, as Joffrey. Winter is coming - I think. I’ll get back to you when I finish Seasons 2 and 3.

(No dogs were harmed during the filming of this editorial. The cat got sick and somebody shot a duck but that’s about it.)

Entertainment Editor: Ellen Desmond

5

David Coleman

CONTRIBUTOR LIST

Aoife Gleeson

Robbie Byrne

Martha Ewance

Ronan O’ Donavan

Fiona White

Audrey Ellard Walsh

Stephen P. Barry

O EMPEROR

LOU REED METAL 1 9 4 2 MACHINE -2013

Eoghan Lyng pays tribute to the recently deceased legend that is Lou Reed

U Rulers of Munster’s music scene for a reason

Words: Ellen Desmond

O

Emperor is, unarguably, among the most promising of young Irish bands on the scene right now. Their unique sound and the story-like quality of their songs have caught the attention of many, and their latest album Vitreous has not failed to impress. Paul Savage, lead singer of O Emperor, spoke to us ahead of their upcoming gig in Cyprus Avenue on the 28th of November.

Everything about O Emperor is different in a highly impressive way. From their name to their attitude, to their albums; O Emperor consists of a bunch of talented Irish lads who are truly one of a kind and who just keep getting better and better. The five piece band, formed by school friends in Waterford, later went on to study in Cork and it was here they set up Big Skin, a “DIY studio that was (literally) built from the ground up. ”Paul Savage highlighted that though the band hopes to go abroad more next summer, that there is still an enjoyment to playing in both their usual Cork and Waterford venues too. When tested on which county he prefers Savage protested “Oh well, I’d have to say Waterford or I’ll be lynched.” However, he did point out the atmosphere in Cork is always good for a gig.

From the moment one hears the band’s unusual name, the fact is inescapable that this is a group who will have something original to offer. Savage came up with the intriguing name following “some kind of weird dream involving the cartoon Mr Benn, which is a really old 60s cartoon. I dunno how we know about it, none of us were born in the 60s but its cult enough stuff. I think the Emperor character is in Mr Benn…there’s some kind of relation to that [laughs].” But other than this, Savage claimed that the band really isn’t that “hippy” in their general creative approach.

“I guess a lot of [our music] has a cinematic kind of thing to it sometimes, we do get some inspiration from movies and books, particularly sci-fi, so it’s mostly more those kind of things.”

Their latest production, Vitreous, is an album that one could listen to forever and find yet another new impressive element every time. Vitreous is aptly named and is a sharp, fresh, splash of alternative music to an industry in which

it is all too easy to fall into repetition. The talented and approachable band members had apparently “joked about getting a kind of confused reaction from people [with Vitreous]” in its production stages. The end product being one they intended to “raise eyebrows” by juxtaposing certain sounds next to each other in intriguing ways to show a “more spontaneous, kinda bizarre character that’s there in the music” and bring that idea to the front more so than was done with their lusher, darker, first album, Hither Thither.

“Well I guess the title [Vitreous] means, a glass quality, like… transparent. But really we just kind of thought that some of the sounds were a bit abrasive and sharp like glass, sometimes and then there was a lot of layers to it, you know like looking through something and there being more of a kind of depth to it. Maybe like water or something. The whole word seemed to sum up a bit of the washy, bizarre sounds that were going on.”

When Savage spoke with Verge, he was just about to see Duke Special play Harry Nilsson’s songs in Cyprus Avenue and he pointed out the inspiration O Emperor has drawn from Nilsson.

“I guess if he was still alive it would be cool to duet with him, we’re big fans of his stuff and we’ve taken a couple of little tricks that he would do, songwriting tricks and production stuff songs and we’ve kind of used that in our own way. And I’ve heard that he used to be quite the good bit of craic, a session head…”

The future for O Emperor sees touring throughout the most part of next year, though Savage has given us his assurances that the band are already thinking of starting a new album.

shered with snarling guitars and a hatful of attitude, Reed`s band The Velvet Underground were the nastiest band of the sixties. Unafraid to record songs dealing with every topic from andrognity, to drug fuelled ballads, VU delivered their songs with the type of panache that The Rolling Stones steered clear of. Their first three records, The Velvet Underground and Nico, White Light/White Heat and The Velvet Underground pushed the boundaries of pop music and taboo subjects as much as they could. Aided by Sterling Morrison`s punishing guitar riffs and John Cale`s (and later, Doug Yule`s) classical idea of musicianship, Reed`s band were a musical tour de force.

Sadly, their output was disregarded at the time. Panned by the critics and largely ignored by the populous, the New Yorkers had very little success on the Billboard charts. Due to various reasons, Reed walked out of the band after their fourth record Loaded and commenced on a solo career.

By the time he made Transformer, Reed was on a credible and commercial high. Aided by the glam rock movement, Reed`s songs were revered by the likes of David Bowie, Roxy Music and The Stooges. His magnum opus, Berlin (1973) pushed the template for most rock and roll operas.

Thematically dark and musically ambitious, Berlin was the record that Pete Townshend failed to do with Quadrophenia.

Reed`s avant-garde sensibilities got the better of him, however. Metal Machine Head (1975) was an album that revolved entirely around austere guitar tunings and improvised playing, making for incredibly uncomfortable listening.

The album, rightfully, bombed and Reed`s career never quite flew again. It was not until the nineties where Reed was revered as a musical godfather to many of the alternative rock bands of the time.

If Reed never managed a career in commercial terms, then he surely must have been pleased by the footprint he left on modern music. It may be a stretch to state that Reed pioneered the glam rock movement of the nineteen seventies, but his gender bending theatrics were certainly a huge influence on David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Bryan Ferry, while his jangly staccatos were hugely imitated by The La`s, The Smiths, The Pixies and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Even more recent bands such as The Killers have admitted their debt to Reed; indeed, much of Hot Fuss seem like modern re workings of his seventies material.

His cover of Peter Gabriel`s Solsbury Hill might be the best description of the man you can find. Anarchic, avantgarde and, most of all, loud, the song is a perfect testament to a career that played spaced fifty years!

VERGE ENTERTAINMENT 3

s m l i F e i d In e r u t u F & t n e s e r P , t s a P

PAST: Tarantino, Rodriguez and Smith Three Indie Directors Who Took Hollywood By Storm

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While Tarantino was making Reservoir Dogs, another amateur by the name of Robert Rodriguez was shooting his Mexican action film, El Mariachi. The film was made on a staggeringly low budget of $7000, which he raised by participating in medical research studies. To cut costs Rodriguez shot, edited and scored the film himself, a habit he has retained since.

The success of El Mariachi brought him to the attention of Tarantino, who gave Rodriguez the opportunity to direct a few scenes of Pulp Fiction (all scenes where Tarantino acts are directed by Rodriguez).

In exchange, Tarantino guest starred in the sequel of El Mariachi, Desperado.

Rodriguez had officially made it, perhaps not to the same extent as Tarantino, but certainly more than most indie directors could hope for. Like Tarantino, his films pay homage to grindhouse cinema of the 70s.

However, where Tarantino elevates them to high art, Rodriguez has been content to simply recreate the sense of fun that these films offered (Planet Terror), even if he does sometimes retain their many flaws (This year’s Machete Kills).

To acquire the funds, Smith sold a large portion of his substantial comic book collection, used up ten credit cards with $2000 limits...

one surely needs no introduction. For several years, everyone in Hollywood was imitating the formula Tarantino invented, mostly without success, and to this day any new Tarantino film is automatically a cinematic event and a contender for awards. Not bad for someone who never went to film school.

4 VERGE FILM

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T

he early 90s were something of a landmark era in independent film.

The excesses of the 80s no longer felt relevant, and the Hollywood of the new decade needed to find a new style. It was around this time that America’s indie directors started to gain a new level of influence: It was three young, rebellious directors who arguably changed the cinema of the new decade.

Two of these remain favourites of modern film buffs, while one transcended the limits of indie cinema to become a mainstream Hollywood legend: This man was Quentin Tarantino. A video shop clerk who had seen way too many movies and decided he wanted to have a go. It all began in 1992 with crime drama Reservoir Dogs. Reservoir Dogs was to be a homemade affair until respected star Harvey Keitel became involved. The story, based around the build-up to and aftermath of a failed robbery, omits any footage of the robbery itself, but served as an early showcase for Tarantino’s sharp dialogue, cool soundtracks and darkly comic violence.

Two years later, and on a somewhat larger budget, Tarantino released Pulp Fiction. This

Words: David Coleman

Two years after Reservoir Dogs and El Mariachi, a guy who, again, worked in a shop, decided to make a movie about… a guy who worked in a shop. That guy was Kevin Smith, and that movie was Clerks.

While not quite as cheap as Rodriguez’s debut, it still only cost $27,000. It was

filmed in black and white because, being cheap and practical, it didn’t require as much lighting as colour. To acquire the funds, Smith sold a large portion of his substantial comic book collection, used up ten credit cards with $2000 limits, dipped into his college funds and spent insurance money awarded for a car he lost in a flood.

The film was shot in 21 days in the very shop he worked, after working hours. Its story is of a day in the life of a frustrated slacker clerk dealing with his rebellious best friend, his feelings for both his ex and current girlfriends, two infamous drug dealers and a host of irritating customers.

And he wasn’t even supposed to be there today! More dialogue-heavy than anything Tarantino has ever done, Clerks gained some notoriety early on when it became the first and only movie in American censorship history to receive the NC17 rating for language content alone (the number 37 has a very special significance).

Like the protagonist, Smith’s film very nearly wasn’t supposed to be here today, as it took a chance encounter that made Smith submit the film to Sundance, where it was a surprise hit. Smith became one of the icons of cult cinema, and he’s now one of the icons of the podcasting world.

With festival season well underway (and two being held here in Cork), now is the time of the year when indie cinema shines.

Amateur directors have a chance to have their modest works shown alongside those of more established ones, all hoping for their shot at success. Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Smith stand as examples to all aspiring filmmakers, men who not only found success in Hollywood, but changed the way it made movies forever.

PRESENT:

The Dirties Words: Robert O Sullivan

W

e live in an interesting time. It’s been nearly 15 years since the anniversary of the Columbine Massacre, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and1 teacher and injured 21 others, before committing suicide.

Nearly 15 years since this tragic event, a group of Canadian filmmakers have tackled the subject.

The Dirties tells the story of two highschool nerds, Matt and Owen, who are being bullied by a gang called “The Dirties.”

The boys decide to make a film for a class, about them hunting down all the bad guys in their school, which is then censored by their teacher. The boys then decide to make the film for real, although one of them wants to go further than the other. It’s a grisly subject indeed, which is why it’s so weird and surprising for it to be funny. Very funny. The film has a constant honest humour, which doesn’t come from jokes and one liners, but from the main characters’ likeability. If you haven’t caught how astounding a statement that is, let me reiterate that: The main characters, who (spoilers) commit a massacre, are insanely likeable.

The audience cannot but feel sorry for these kids. This film shows how easily bullying can affect peoples’ mental health, to the point that the thought of such an act does not faze them.

I’m not going to even try and say that I found this film on my own. The film is being distributed by indie maverick Kevin Smith. In a story that reflects his own directing debut, The Dirties was shown at Slamdance (the indie film festival that plays at the same time as place as Sundance), and chance intervened. A friend of Smith’s hap-

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we put a lot of ourselves into it

FUTURE: ‘I don’t actually have a film yet’ GLORIA Robert O’Sullivan speaks with PhD student Nicholas O’Riordan about his upcoming film Gloria

pened to attend a screening of the film at Slamdance, and insisted he watch it. Smith, intending to only watch a few minutes, watched the entire film in one sitting, unable to turn it off. When watching it myself, I intentionally set the goal of not doing this, as it would stink of hackneyed writing in this article...but I did the same exact thing.

I sat down at 1am to check the technical visual and sound quality of the film, and I watched the entire thing.

The film uses the mockumentary/foundfootage style that’s becoming increasingly popular in the world of indie cinema, but not in a generic “Blair Witch way”. The directors shot in a cinema verité-esque way, driven by practicality and budget: the main characters are called Matt and Owen, as are the actors themselves. They did this so they didn’t ruin a take by using their real name rather than a character’s name. They also went out and filmed things, with no real place for them in the film. The opening scene is such an example, where the two guys bump into two young kids who are also making a film. This was not planned.

After finishing the film, the filmmakers had to track down the kids to get permission to put them in the movie.

It is strange comparing the Indie cinema world to Hollywood. Hollywood films have a higher budget, more technical skills available to them, and yet are less creative.

Indie films have small budgets, a small pool of talent to choose from, and tend to create moments of genuine creativity. This is especially astounding when you remember that if an indie film fails, the director fails. If Matt Johnson, director of The Dirties, went out to film these random bits and somehow came back with absolutely nothing, he’s done. That is the beauty of indie films.

People like Matt Johnson ignore what they probably shouldn’t to create something as wonderful as The Dirties.

T

he future is bright for Irish indie films. The industry in Ireland is getting more recognition, and education of the art of film is on the rise, emphasised by the recent introduction of a BA in Film here in UCC. Cork recently hosted its own indie festival, nevermind the long-running Cork Film Festival that celebrates its 58th year this year.

When I came up with the idea for this article, I wanted to put a UCC spin on it.

Nicholas O’Riordan is a PhD student in UCC, who is in the process of making his own short film, Gloria. No stranger to directing, Nicholas got his start directing plays for UCC Dramat, and he had already made a short film with the UCC Film Society called Stockhome.

Gloria is in post-production at the moment, and I initially wanted to know about the content of the film, get a sneak preview of it, but I found that the story of the making of the film was as interesting as the film itself. Gloria is cinema verité in the extreme. With a very bare bones script, the director had four months of rehearsals and script development with actors Charlie Kelly & Róisín Kelly before any camera rolled.

Gloria is a film about a relationship, and all the moments that make it up. “A lot of our own experiences with relationships went into the film. I worked closely with Charlie [Kelly] when developing the script, and we put a lot of ourselves into it.” When it came to the actual shooting of the film, a lot of the script had yet to be written. Mr.O’Riordan said his experience directing plays was crucial to this, as he was more willing to let the story and performances develop as they were doing it. He went the very interesting route of developing the characters before anything else, letting the world grow organically around them “I [Nicholas] don’t actually have a film yet. Gloria is going to be about 8 minutes in length, and I have

It can be stressful, especially when you’re trying to balance the film and your PhD at the same time! around 2 hours of footage in all. I’ve made around 20 different films. The cut I have at the moment opens with one scene, which in the final film could be the closing scene.

There’s one scene where Charlie’s character gets into a fight, which we spent a lot of time setting up and shooting, and it probably won’t even make it into the final film.

It can be stressful, especially when you’re trying to balance the film and your PhD at the same time!”

While this style of filmmaking is fascinating, and philosophically speaking rather magnificent, it has its problems. One of the most important things in films is the score.

“I like to edit to music as well, edit the video to the beats in the songs. Thankfully, I had a wonderful composer in Athos Tsiopani. I gave him an idea of what I wanted, what

moods it would match etc. It wasn’t an easy job, but he did it spectacularly.” Although cinema verité often means a very small crew (typically, the director and the actors), Nicholas said he owes a lot to his crew. “It was hugely different to making a movie with FilmSoc. When I made Stockhome, the cast and crew were essentially just my friends. With Gloria, I had a professional Director of Photography (Jason Keane), a fantastic producer (Ger Browne) and an amazing sound guy in Hugo Parvéry. I owe a lot to them. For me, the process of making a film has to be as enjoyable as watching a film, or else what’s the point?”

Unlike a lot of student directors, or indie directors in general, Nicholas doesn’t prefer to write his scripts. “I prefer directing something that’s been written already.

When I directed Stockhome, my friend Robert Buckley came to me with the idea and said he really wanted to do it. Then we developed it together. Gloria, similarly, came from one of Robert’s ideas. As I’ve said, it’s more about the making and directing of a film for me.”

So what’s next for this student filmmaker? “After we finish Gloria, we’ll tour it around the various film festivals, maybe do a few local screenings. I’d really love to direct a few music videos, I think it’d be great fun, and very interesting. Saying that, my career is in film. I really want to do for Cork what Lenny Abrahamson does for Dublin. He has a really interesting point of view on the country, and uses a rather European style of filmmaking, excellently treading the line of watch-ability and depth.”

If you want to keep up with Nicholas on the production of Gloria and his future plans, you can follow him on Twitter @NicholasOR. His first film, Stockhome, is on Youtube! Youtube.com/UCCFilmSoc, or just search for Stockhome (not Stockholm)

VERGE FILM 5

Hozier: An Introduction

How did you come to creating your own studio at home?

It’s surprisingly easy these days, and requires very little equipment for the type of work I was doing. I used a mac book pro, an interface, midi input and a decent mic in an attic. I sat down with Rob Kirwan afterwards and the rest (retracking and mixing) was done in Exchequer Studios in Dublin. From my side, it’s not that complex. The track Cherry Wine for example, all audio is just taken from the one microphone on site.

Music Editor Méadhbh Crowley talks to Ireland’s brightest new singer songwriter, Hozier: singer of songs, teller of tales.

H CELEB PLAYLISt This week’s playlist comes from Royseven’s Eammon Barrett Dumb Disco Ideas- Holy Ghost!

What I Might Do (Kolombo Rmix) - Ben Pearce Pacha (Do You Want It Right Now) - Framewerk vs Gat Décor Doin’ Ya Thang- Olive $ Cruel Summer (Original Mix) - Grass Is Greener, Samsara Brothers Changing of The Seasons (Monsieur Adi Remix)- Two Door Cinema Club Reflektor- Arcade Fire All My Friends- LCD Soundsystem Feeling For You (Original Mix) - Sugarhill Lost In Music (Dimitri From Paris Remix)- Sister Sledge Listen to this playlist at : http://spoti.fi/18N6vqI

ozier has been making a lot of noise lately with the release of his debut EP Take Me To Church. Having dropped out of the prestigious Trinity music course to start his music career, it’s seems like he has broken into the industry with a successful bang and now even has his own studio in his attic. Hozier has taken the music world by storm in little or no time and all; he is definitely one to watch.

nor can I play an orchestral instrument, so I first joined Trinity orchestra to take part in their performances of contemporary rock and pop music.

They always need vocal soloists for that type thing and I seemed to fit the bill.

You started your interest in music at a young I had studied alongside much of that age, who influenced you the most when you community and continued with them were young? after I left. Some of the most fun I’ve The earliest influences would have been ever had.

Chicago blues players like John Lee Hooker Why exactly did you drop out of the and Howlin’ Wolf, then Delta players like course in Trinity?

Skip James. In my young teens I discovered There are a few reasons; at the time I Tom Waits, who had a huge impact on me at had the opportunity to do demos for the time. Nina Simone is also an artist I have Universal Ireland. The recordings been in awe of since a very early age. conflicted with an exam time table and Then in your later years you moved on to I opted to do the demos. But the main studying music in Trinity and joined the reason is that I felt four years studying prestigious orchestra there, what exactly there wouldn’t bring me any closer to drew you to an orchestra which has been what I wanted to do, which was write known for perfectionism and rigidity? and perform music. I was very sad to Their previous projects had been very leave but kept close with everyone I interesting. I was never a classical player, studied with.

The subject of your songs differs dramatically from first world problems to geopolitics, where does the inspiration come from to write such songs?

I wouldn’t usually plan it out that way. It’s whatever just feels right, for the most part. It’s worth pointing out though that many first world problems are often geopolitical; certainly some of the more legitimate ones. The songs are fleshed out and grown over time from some simple core sentiment. At that core of it, I just try to keep it honest, whether the song comes from a place of hatred or love. Then it follows its own logic and the characters their own motives.

Your new single Take Me To Church has become very popular on the Irish air waves, how has the success affected you?

I’m really not sure yet. I get text messages all the time from friends saying they’re listening to it on the radio, but oddly enough, I’ve never heard it played. It is wonderful to read tweets or messages of people saying they love the song, though I feel I’m better off not thinking too much about it. I’d rather not get too distracted, there’s a lot more work to do as far as I’m concerned, this was a debut release after all.

Lorde’s Pure Heroin Is Absolutely Addictive Words: Robbie Byrne

S i n g l e o f t h e We e k Cheating –John Newman Although the subject matter of the song isn’t the most uplifting, the musical accompaniment is quite the opposite, making it a bit of a feel good song. For those who like Maverick Saber and a bit of Imelda May, then you will love this song.

A l b u m o f t h e We e k Prism- Katy Perry After the roaring success of her previous album Teenage Dream, you would think that it would be difficult to top that but Katy has done just that. With tracks such as Roar, Dark Horse and Walking on Air, the album doesn’t disappoint and is well worth a download.

A r t i s t o f t h e We e k CHER Recently, the legend that is Cher released her 25thalbum at the grand age of 67. For decades she has given us hit after hit, had a residency in Vegas and has had more outfit changes than every Westlife convert put together. Nearing her 70s she confirmed that she will have atleast one more tour before she retires for good.

6 VERGE MUSIC

J

ust cast yourself back to when you were sixteen; it’s a bewildering time of hormones, alcohol, mistakes and school pressure, nevermind having to deal with the burden of an international recording contract. So can Lorde (Ella Yelich-O’Conner), a seemingly vulnerable sixteen-year old, craft a cohesive collection of music that stands apart from the plethora of teenstar offerings that currently flood the airwaves?

Originally appearing on Lorde’s own Soundcloud account, Pure Heroine’s lead single Royals needs little introduction.

It opens with Lorde’s now trademark warm, growling croon before breaking into an erratic, almost subconscious bridge “Gold teeth/ grey goose/ tripping in the bathroom”. Royals culminates its chorus’ soaring melody where elaborate Queen-like arpeggiated harmonies meld harmoniously with the subject matter, “That kind of lux is just not for us/ we crave a different kind of buzz”. Lorde recently said that she had a sneaking suspicion that Royals “might do alright”, perhaps the understatement of the year.

One major issue with modern pop music is the unfounded theory that more is in fact more, and crucially the more sounds that are heaped into your

average three-minute mediocre radio tune, the more airplay it will receive.

Pure Heroine turns this trend on its head. Production, courtesy of fellow New Zealander Joel Little replicates a simplistic minimal style which was first seen on work by Jamie xx and James Blake. However, unlike the sterile minimalistic style of The XX and the

sometimes abstract nature of Blake, Pure Heroine has an intoxicatingly warm, relaxed but unsettling tone, ensuring the record is utterly enthralling. From the disturbing detuned vocal distortion of Team to the soothing synthesizers of 400 Lux, Little’s production is exemplary throughout, immaculately encapsulating the intended target of every track.

Though Joel Little’s immaculate production is an utter delight, Lorde’s way with melody and more importantly, her lyricism is truly breathtaking.

Yelich-O’Conner welcomes us into her defenseless bubble, the world of an insanely talented sixteen year old who not only has the usual problems and thrills of the average sixteen year old but also the uneasy knowledge that her talent has the potential to destroy her life. In Tennis Court her inexperience comes to the fore, “Pretty soon I’ll be getting on my first plane/ getting pumped up on the little things I bought”. On the post-dubstep gloom of Ribs, the banality of her family life is juxtaposed with her seemingly mature view of past relationships, “Mom and Dad let me stay home/ we’re reeling through the midnight streets/ and I’ve never felt so alone”. However, it is the minimal beat of Still Sane in which Lorde ultimately reflects on her role in the music industry and her unwillingness to accept fame, “All work and no play/ let me count the bruises”.

Pure Heroine is a fascinating piece of art. Not only does it frequently flirt with sonic perfection, it is the opening up of a tract to the soul of an artist, tracing her vulnerability, worries and thrills in the hours leading up to her impending doom as a famed artist. Pure Heroine? I’m addicted.

Also on the EP you perform the majority of the instruments and also the vocals and backing vocals, did this make it a longer process and were you happier with the end result?

Oddly enough I think it made the process much faster. I didn’t need to explain to anyone how I felt the backing vocals should sound or feel.

There is a slowdown in that I took my time trying out different lines and fiddling with drum programming, but ultimately I was never happier with a finished group of songs. I had certainly never felt like I had gotten as close to what was in my head.

How to become a HEADLINE ACT DJ Fiona White, tell us all we need to know to break into the music industry Fancy headlining at Tomorrowlandor singing in front of thousands in Wembley Arena, but are currently up to your neck in essays and assignments, group projects and societies? Most people keep this as a dream but others don’t. I have been catching up with DJs, producers, musicians and Radio DJs to see what their top advice is to wannabe superstars.

Q. Rob Kirwan who has worked with Depeche Mode and PJ Harvey mixed the tracks, what was it like working with him?

Go to the clubs/venues. Managers generally won’t accept demos or CVs from people they don’t know. When you’re there, make sure you hand them your professionally made business card! Also, go to lots of different clubs to feel and hear how other DJs manipulate a crowd using different techniques and genres.

Working with Rob was great. We went about finishing the tracks in a way that was natural and in no way pedantic. Sort of a ‘if it sounds good, do it’ type thing. As the songs were arranged before entering studio with him, I didn’t have to worry about losing anything I was already happy with. It was a case of him making the songs sound as good as possible. He did an amazing job.

Stick at it, there’s no right or wrong way to write a song but it takes a while to get comfortable with what you write, and move on from it.

Define for yourself what it is about. Other artists that you admire- your ultimate aim is to be one of their peers.

Hozier’s EP Take Me To Church is out now and he will play a sold out show at the Pavillion on the 21st of Decemeber.

Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are all very viable means of getting your tracks / mixes / demos heard. Sign up, start recording, share and be heard.

Connect with people. Like most things, it’s not all about what you know but who you know.

Enter competitions. Enter EVERYTHING! It’s a good way to meet people in the industry, to get practicing,toraiseyourprofileandtoplayinvenues that you would otherwise only dream about.

Be polite and friendly. You never know who is going to be there. People like working with people that they like. Get your smile and handshake on.

Trust your gut instinct. People focus on getting a residency/contract straight away but in the beginning it’s better to get one gig in a few different places so you can figure out which crowd you are most suited to, which staff you get on best with etc. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a residency where you don’t look forward to going to work or you are losing control of “brand You”.

While everybody wants to play ‘their own stuff’, it’s important to gain experience in all areas and most clubs/venues will have a ‘brief’ or a blacklist that you will need to agree with if you want to continue playing there and in other places, (you’d be surprised at how many other clubs/venues are in the same chain as the one you are playing in).

Do it your way. Everyone has their own story and very rarely are there two that are the same.

The only thing every person in the Entertainment industry that I know has in common is that they got up off their arses, plagued managers of clubs to take a chance, didn’t quit when they got disheartened or had a bad night, kept the focus and trust the process!

Always be prepared. You may turn up to do one type of gig and be asked to do a completely different genre.

Q. Do you have any advice for the aspiring musicians of UCC?

Listen to different genres! Other genres will inform your set much more than knowing ALL of one.

“ Wo k e u p , b l a m e d i t o n t h e Vo d k a ” Brian Conmy chats with song writing star, Lucy Spraggan

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am not generally an X Factor fanatic.

I watched the earlier seasons with disinterest and maybe caught a few episodes per season since but when the show finally comes to a whimpering finish I won’t mourn its passing. Some of the acts the show has produced have perhaps proved the entire endeavour worthwhile, in particular One Direction’s rise to global fame, but so many people pass through the show to be quickly forgotten. Sometimes even the winners.

One act though, has stood out to me since she first appeared on the X Factor stage in 2012. When Lucy Spraggan initially stood in front of the audience, nervously, she didn’t seem at all different from any other contestant. Quickly though, she told the judges she would be singing her own original song and playing accompaniment by herself, on guitar. That’s when she launched into her song Last Night, or Beer Fear as it’s now commonly known. Never, in my opinion, has any contestant of the show ever appeared so bubbly and so appreciative of the applause and positive feedback while stile appearing so prepared to be a star based on the merit of their originality.

When Lucy’s manager connected her to me via phone call I think I felt perhaps only slightly less nervous than Lucy did herself when she stood on that stage for

the first time. After establishing that our phone connection was less than ideal and exchanging greetings, I enquired if it would be ok to ask about her time on X Factor or if she was she sick of being quizzed on the topic. I was quickly told that it was open for discussion and was a “pleasant experience”. We quickly recounted Lucy’s time on the show, from making it through auditions with strong reactions to her original songs and then making it past boot camp to the live shows. She got through to week 4 before missing a week due to illness. On week 5 while still ill, Lucy bowed out of the show considering it too unfair to keep being put through without performing. Despite having had to leave early she rates the experience as beneficial. Apart from it being “cool”, it acts as a platform to launch into a career in a difficult to break record industry.

What differentiates Lucy, both on The X Factor and now, from her contemporaries is her style. Singing original songs on a live TV talent show isn’t particularly common but what’s more is the content of these songs. In Last Night, Tea and Toast and Mountains, just some of the original songs performed in her time on X Factor, there’s a narrative running throughout the songs that, while personal, remains relatable. Lucy attributes this to her influences like “Don McLean, Kirsty

MacCaoll, Morrisey, old school singersongwriters who found it important to put a message out there.”

Even though she hasn’t been able to watch the show this year, Lucy still encourages people who want to break into the music industry to attempt to do it the way she did, “it’s pretty much the only way that I would say that people should go on it really because that’s how you get to be an artist, writing your own stuff and singing your own songs, that’s what I’d encourage people to do rather than doing what everyone else does”.

This advice seems most poignant now after the launch of her new album Join the Club is hitting the charts in the UK and Ireland as well as doing impressively well on iTunes. Featuring some of the songs previously mentioned, the album is personal and apparently reflective of Lucy’s experiences; experiences she is glad to share. A particular example of this, are a trio of songs on the album that tell the story of a real-life failed relationship. The songs encompass the stages of the relationship, including its end, when asked she admitted about playing the trio “it’s not hard as such, when I wrote them they were more difficult to play because they’re obviously so personal but once you’ve kinda got over everything… you know that you might be able to offer someone else out there a hand”

When we spoke Lucy had just finished her second location of a month long tour promoting the new album.

The tour finishes with a number of gigs in Ireland, with Lucy playing Cork’s own Pavilion on Nov. 15th. When asked what was next I was assured that a new album was being incubated with new songs being worked on at the moment.

She couldn’t promise one would be premiered in Cork but we can always hope. Join the Club is available now from iTunes and all good record shops, don’t forget to pick up tickets to her Pavilion gig for less than €12.

VERGE MUSIC 7

S T R A T I L &

Literary Interview: Arts & Literature Editor Eoghan Lyng spoke to Andrew Haworth of Self Publish Books.ie, Cork`s own prestigious publishing company.

What is your background in publishing?

Prior to working for selfpublishbooks.ie I worked for a small publishing house in Cork but saw a great opportunity with this company[Selfpublishbooks.ie]. I learned my trade while completing a BA in History and Economics and then an MA in Historical Research specialising in US Foreign Policy, all in UCC of course.

be a good thing, but not always. You may not agree with the suggestions and with some publishing houses you have to do what they say. If you go with selfpublishbooks.ie, it is completely your decision.

You want to turn your character insane halfway through the book? Your decision. You want to include a sex scene? Your decision. Not only is the content of the book your decision, but so is the design. You decide what cover you would like on your book, you decide where a chapter should start and end, how the bibliography should be -if you include one at all. Also, most publishers must now try to make a large profit from every book that is published, so they are more interested in the books that will sell thousands of copies. If you take the example of a local history book, the chances are is that it will only be interesting to people in the local area. Publishers will unlikely take it on if it will only sell 100-200 copies. The self-publishing option is perfect in this context.

Does Self Publish Books have a particular niche or genre that they push for in particular or are you open to the publication of works of any genre?

Selfpublishbooks.ie is open to writers of all standards, ages, genres and types as long as you hold the copyright for the work.

Whether you want to publish your PHD thesis, a collection of your poetry, a novel you think could be a bestseller, your own version of Fifty Shades of Grey, you can use Does it suit every type of writer? selfpublishbooks.ie.

This freedom is not suitable to every writer, of May I ask, what are the benefits in self course, but it is for many. The level of control that you have over the book is the main advantage to publishing?

If you go down the normal publishing route, the going down the self-publish route. There is no publisher and the people that work on the book need for an agent, no need to send your book off will always have a say. Now, that can sometimes to all the publishers and hope for a positive reply.

Have many famous writers selfpublished their own works?

Yes. Stephen King, John Grisham and Mark Twain are self-published authors.

In July, Senator John Gilroy published a book using our services called A Cry in the Morning – The Global Search for Sanotic Koniste and was launched by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Leinster House on July 18th.

How is Cork resurging at the moment?

Has there been an increase of Cork based writers in recent years?

The literacy scene in Cork is doing very well at the moment. Events such as the West Cork Literary Festival and the weekly O’Bheal poetry readings have added greatly to writing community.

UCC is also a great help with the high quality of English graduates that emerge each year.

Any further comments?

We are always looking for new writers.

Both old and young are welcome to get in touch to discuss your book and the options that we have available.

T h e Tu r n o f T h e S c r e w : C o r k A r t s T h e a t r e

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Words: Ronan O`Donovan

Chloe O'Reilly is the Governess in Cabal Theatre Company's production of Henry James' spooky tale 8 VERGE ARTS & LITERATURE

his piece, performed by local actors using a script which has had much professional success while acted by American troupes, is based on an adaptation of a much older English ghost story. The entire piece is a very interesting psychological story. A one hour and fifteen minute piece, it ran without intermission.

Like so many mystery stories, the play is driven by secrets. The heroine comes into the house where she will be looking after the children, and feels she must tread lightly, based both on the cryptic comments of her distant employer and the social conventions of the time. However, with the chilling certainty that something hidden is going on, all the arch comments and vague references suddenly become more ominous: for example, someone is referred to as having “gone away”, only for this to later be revealed as a euphemism for having died. As the number of apparent secrets rises, the sanity of the heroine starts to slip, as she hurtles to the play's fearful midnight climax.

There were only two actors on stage: one who plays the heroine, and a second who plays every other character imaginable, ranging from employer to child to fellow caregiver to the narrator, before providing the sound effects.

The two actors gave admirable performances.

Chloe O'Reilly, playing the governess heroine, has an impressive range, and is by any measure the star of the play, she truly deserves to be on stage for the entire length of the play. However, her co-star, Emmet O'Riabhaigh, arguably had the harder job, as he had to reliably switch between four different modes of body language and accent across the play, in order to support her narrative.

As the play was always either a monologue or a duologue, this was not a problem, though it was interesting to watch the second actor swap between his roles. In keeping with the almost Brechtian nature of the play, there were little props or set dressing, and almost no sound – any necessary sound effects are produced vocally by the second actor, lending an extremely deliberate and chilling air to the proceedings, making the level of deliberate decision behind the sounds seem much greater than if they had used sound equipment. However, the play made excellent use of lighting to describe the environment, easing transitions between scenes and locations. Any additional set-dressing that the scene demands is projected onto the back wall of the stage.

Children were also very important to the play. The lead points out early on that children seem to only want to be loved and protected, but this is regarded as flawed, and the play eventually underlines the fact that it is difficult to predict the actions of someone you regard as less capable than yourself when they preform acts and plans you cannot predict. This is exemplified by a scene of a governess and a child challenging each other with riddles, with the governess struggling to keep up with the child. A psychologically enthralling play, the audience remained blissfully ambivalent to many of the central themes. Even at the end of the play, the audience still do not know the answer to the question the play proposes: is she interacting with the supernatural, or having a nervous breakdown? In all, the play is a fine piece of drama and a welcome addition to anyone's Hallowe'en or mid-term plans!

Cassandra: S t r i v e T h e a t r e Words: Eoghan Lyng

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assandra is Strive Theatre`s second production, following their debut in January 2013. Where their first production The Rooftops of Paris was very much rooted in plot and characterisation, Cassandra is much more based on physical theatre and ornate visuals. Director Hanan Sheedy provides a stylish production, slick in its performance, steamy in its chemistry. Viscerally and visually ambitious, the play was a refreshing break away from the rigidness of everyday plot based dramas.

Certainly, the three cast members were physically able for such demanding theatrical roles. Elaine Malone and Jay Moloney both gave very fine performances, displaying the correct amount of acerbic wit and emotional depth when needed. But it was Katie Melia who really shone throughout the play. Bringing with her a youthful, infectious energy, Melia stole most of the scenes she appeared in. All three looked perfectly at home in this post modernistic piece; a commendation that should be recognised if nothing else.

But Cassandra is a director`s play, not an actor`s one. The play was a visual tour de force, containing an ornate set and an elongated emphasis on the props at hand. Other visual highlights included a brilliant use of shadow theatrics (in which the actors in question created dinosaurs, Gods and other assorted characters out of their hands behind a veiled screen). The props in question were well utilised, they were used for compositional purposes, as the hammer, calculator and rope signified social and political categorisation.

These metaphorical objects seemed Orwellian in their nature and it was refreshing to see props in usage for more than decorative purposes.

The musical accompaniment to the piece was almost spectacular in its performance. The four musicians sat corner stage to the performers providing a display of music that intensified the more dramatic scenes of the play. Like August Stringberg`s The Ghost Sonata, music and piece held hand in hand with one

another. It is easy for modern audiences to overlook the importance of music in this day and age, but when used successfully, compositional music can take a play to a completely different level. Credit must be given to Conor Clancy for his compositional prowess and credit must be given to Sheehy for allowing such artistic freedom.

The play, however, was not entirely perfect.

There were some narrative strands that needed tweaking. Visually the play was excellent, but compositionally some of the scenes seemed too dogmatic in their approach to educative systems. The metaphorical nuances the piece utilised were great, but there were points that the play seemed focused on ramming political concepts down the throats of its audience. Certainly, the scene in which a teacher in question gives the titular character a digression for questioning their teaching methods seemed a little too melodramatic; the Irish educative sectors may need some criticism, yes, but not to that exaggerated level!

But some minor plot tweaking, the play stood head and shoulders over many other student productions.

Aesthetically beautiful and thematically strong, the play had many moving moments. The final scene, in particular, was particularly succulent. A paean to the loss of innocence, the scene emphasised the magic of nostalgia. Though the actors on stage portrayed monsters, the scene seemed strangely poignant, even human. A great final scene, it encapsulated all the major themes of the production.

Cassandra had the type of daringness that transcended from basic theatre into something greater; true art. Some stylistic plot problems not withstanding, the play was slick and polished, accounting for a great follow up to The Rooftops of Paris. The future looks bright for the Strive Theatre Company.

Landscape and Irish Identity: Crawford Gallery Words: Martha Ewance

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riting as someone with English and German heritage, I have always had a heightened interest in Irish identity. I have often meditated on what it is about Ireland and its identity that I love so much. The on-going exhibition in the Crawford Gallery inspired me to consider how Irish landscape contributes to, influences and is influenced by the idea of an ever-changing Irish identity.

The collection of work features an array of different landscape settings dispelling the myth that Ireland consists only of green field and bogs. John Malachy Kavanagh’s The Cockle Pickers beautifully illustrates the expanse of Irish shorelines on a classically Irish weather day that seems both grey and bright at the same time. Two lone cockle pickers are meandering down the beach. They could be father and son, mother and daughter, friends or neighbours.

The relationship is unknown yet one gets the sense they are relaxed in each others company. The occupation of cockle picking seems to present itself favourably as an opportunity for chat. It is undoubtedly a feature of Irish identity the warmth and humour conveyed through story.

Another stand out piece from the exhibition is James Arthur O’ Connor’s Moonlight Scene. It deeply impressed me with its sense of romance. The frequent personification of Ireland as female particularly through the Aisling poems perhaps bolsters the idea that Ireland is a nation of romantic aspiration be it political or social. Countless Irish artists and writers have illustrated this. O’ Connor shows us that the Irish landscape is just as central to poetics and romanticism as the poppy fields of Italy or the vineyards of France.

Just as our identity changes, facets of our cultural identity are lost over time. Two artists who express this sense of loss so beautifully are Harry Scully in Timoleague Abbey at Sunset and Edith Somerville in A Holy Place of the Druids, Grave of a Chieftan.

Painting in the 1800’s after the Act of Union seemed to cement Ireland’s status as a British colony for eternity. The English were stifling the very essence of what it was to be Irish, stamping it out. Castles where Irish Kings had ruled the Irish, an Irish speaking people, entertained a learned, Gaelic court that wrote lyrical poetry played beautiful harp music and danced with a feeling and enthusiasm few

other national dances successfully emulate now lay in ruin. Many were now inhabited by English Magistrates or simply decaying. Timoleague Abbey has all the majesty of a wronged yet silent and wise old King and while Somerville’s painting alludes strongly to the idea that this noble Gaelic tradition has in fact died altogether.

Both Somerville and Yeats were highly influenced by the idea that it was in the West of Ireland, the poorest, farming, Irish-speaking region where the essence of Irish spirit originates.

Jack B. Yeats’ Returning from the Bathe is very different in style from the other largely romanticist paintings. This dramatic oil painting captures movement in way that the other paintings have not managed to. The brush stokes evoke the crashing of waves, the craggy, jutting nature of the rocks. Both artists are aware the astounding barren beauty of the West stands out as the most striking landscape the country has to offer. I believe that even today the West is where the Irishness of the past is still clung onto through traditional music, continuance of the old ways such as butter-making and weaving and most of all through the Gaeltacht areas in Connemara.

I do not generally go to art exhibitions. In fact, this is the first one I have been to in a very long time and yet I am now resolving to go to more. Art can prompt you to think in ways that literature cannot and I absolutely recommend this exhibition for those who are interested in identity, landscape and what it all means.

VERGE ARTS & LITERATURE 9

Would You Like a Pre-Order With That?

Words: Stephen P. Barry

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lright, I’m going to open this with an itty-bitty disclaimer. I pre-order games…a lot. Seriously, you have no idea how many things I have reserved at my local GameStop for this coming holiday season, and then some in the post-Christmas rush of releases (I’m eyeing you up Watchdogs and inFamous: Second Son). It’s actually quite sad, and I am going to be quite the broke college student. So, if I decide to complain about pre-orders in any way over the course of the next seven-hundred or so words, take it with a grain of salt. I’m still going to rush to GameStop when the next game I’m going to drool over is announced regardless of the points that are made in this article.

Pre-orders are a concept that came about due to the scarcity of popular items in retail stores. The best example of this today is GameStop, where most people reading this will have regularly pre-ordered their most anticipated upcoming titles. Essentially, this is proposed as a win-win situation for both the customer, and the retailer. The customer is guaranteed a copy on launch day or up to forty-eight hours post-release, and the retailer can ensure and estimate future sales.

So, in business terms, the retailer can make very important revenue projections, and my mother can make sure she has my brother’s Buccaneer Edition of Assassin’s Creed IV: BlackFlag for Christmas. Simple! Now, I

sound like I’m singing the system’s praises, but the truth is, it has many caveats.

It has been said in the past, and it is even said now; the pre-order system’s major function is to generate hype. A sterling example of this can be seen right before our eyes right now, with the upcoming launch of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. The consoles were announced in February and May respectively, and pre-orders have been exponentially increasing ever since.

If you pre-ordered today, you wouldn’t get a console until mid-February! While one might think that this fact would deter more pre-orders, it has only bolstered them. An illusion of scarcity, even if it doesn’t apply to the consoles above, is the consumer’s biggest fear. The thought that there is a premium, amazing product that we can afford but can’t have can be sickening for some. And so, pre-orders continue to rise, at least until people realise that they’re buying something so they can get the chance to buy something else.

Another issue with the current pre-order culture, and one that is widely debated across the internet on a regular basis, is the concept of a Pre-Order Bonus. You might have come across these when pre-ordering the likes of Call of Duty, Battlefield or maybe even any game dependent on the store. These bonuses can range from digital content to supplement the game, or physical novelty items such as keychains or miniature prop replicas. While the novelty items are all well and good, there

is concern that the digital content received can dilute the experience. Even worse are the bonuses that allow for experience boosts and such in multiplayer functionalities. This causes uproar in gaming communities, and result in various shots being fired across message boards. I’m still getting stitches removed from my last ‘pay-to-win’ bullet wound.

Clearly, there are two sides to the harrowing tale of Pre-Order Culture. It’s great for businesses; it generates hype, sales and even competition! However, is it good for us consumers? Is it good for the gaming community as a whole? My answer would be a hesitant maybe not. Sure, it can net us loads of pretty aesthetic items, but it can also damage our experiences. Do we really need that experience boost to enjoy our games?

Should we fall for the illusion of scarcity that pre-order culture creates? The answer is a pretty obvious no. However, with the dawn of the GameStop era, we as gaming consumers feel the ever-present need to preorder the next big thing; for fear that we might miss out. So will it stop? Probably not until we reach the full-digital era, and even then, we are seeing increasing levels of digital pre-orders on services like the PSN or Steam. All we can do is sit and watch to see what happens next, and wait to see if our consumption trends have created a monster.

Now shhhh, I’m unboxing my Batman: Arkham Origins Collector’s Edition- that I pre-ordered four months ago.

N00b Gaming Words: Audrey Ellard Walsh

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rish eSports startup n00b Gaming is set to host Ireland’s first professional eSports event next month. Founded in March this year, the Cork based company has seen a dramatic rise in interest, leading to the decision to monetise through this offline event. N00b c0n will be a two day event including exhibits, casual gaming and four pay-in tournaments.

For founder Paul Allen, a duty manager with Voxpro, the concept of facilitating Irish eSports is something he always envisioned but had never imagined it would take off to the level it has.

“It just something I messed around with in the evenings after work, I didn’t think it was actually going to become a full on company.

Once we started to see numbers we started to build plans behind it.”

The site has over 2500 members and is growing. From initially running 32 to 64 player knock-out tournaments, they now run large leagues, with 400 games played in last month’s tournament. Paul expects 1000 players to take part in November’s convention.

“We have a three year plan. This convention is going to turn into another one which will be obviously much bigger. This is a test really and we’ll be running a bigger one up in Dublin sometime next year.”

10 VERGE GAMING

The Noob Gaming team. From left: Chris Dalton, Stephen Sharpe, Paul Allen (CEO and founder), Kevin Sanderson (COO), Alex Hanley and Daniel Healy With no background in business, Paul is been supported by a number of vehicles. Voxpro his employers are keen to offer mentoring and business development advice. N00b gaming’s start-up funds come from a Bank of Ireland loan and they have garnered support for n00b c0n from companies such as Microsoft and Ozone Gaming Gear.

N00b gaming foresee having their loan repaid through next month’s convention and have bigger plans for next year.

“Next year we’re looking at running three events, aiming at having 6000 people per event. For that we’re looking at setting up an office, bringing in about ten employees and running the website and everything through the office, building the business structure around the live events and online platform”.

As Ireland’s only eSports company, N00b gaming has naturally attracted a large domestic following, but the site is accessed by international players

too. Paul estimates that 60% of hits are Irish and 40% come from all over the world. He also draws on international expertise, working with people pro-bono for live streaming and event organising who live in Canada, Italy, South Korea and Eastern Europe.

ESports is a multibillion dollar industry, with professional players and commentators earning a living online and attending offline conventions. Countries such the USA, South Korea, Sweden, Japan and are among those that have embraced it but until now, there has been no dedicated company for it in Ireland.

As Paul says, despite 7 of the top 10 gaming companies in the world being based here, the eSports factor has been missing to date. N00b gaming will allow a space for Irish gaming companies to develop and promote their own brands.

Rather than have Irish gamers go abroad for their gaming needs, primarily to the UK, Paul says that they are working to centralise gaming in Ireland by enticing people from abroad.

N00b c0n takes place on the 16th and 17th of November 2013 in Unit 2, Half Moon Street in Cork’s city centre. Tickets will be available from www.n00bgaming.com or on the day.

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To B e o r t o P l a y ?

hen you play a game there’s two ways you interact with the main character. Either you seem them as you, and being your avatar into the world, or they’re their own character, separate from you, and you controlling them is an equivalent to looking into their psyche. So I would like to beg the question: which of these methods has provided us with the better stories.

Usually we laud games that contain choices, since being able to craft our own personal stories is a unique aspect of the medium. We like feeling like our choices matter.

This means we often prefer games which allow us to use a character as an avatar to inhabit the world presented by the game. Games like The Walking Dead allow us to explore what kind of morality we would follow in the face of an apocalypse. It allows us to create unique relationships and feel the ramifications of our actions in a very tangible way.

Mass Effect 2 is another fantastic example of this, with the personal relationships you decide to forge with each character shaping every aspect of the outcome of the final mission. These relationships are central to Mass Effect and you might notice when you describe the game that you said “I romanced Garrus” or Miranda, or whatever, instead of saying Shepard did it. Shepard is an extension of you. Feeling like your actions matter in this world is half the appeal and why you become so invested in the story.

Unfortunately this didn’t carry through to Mass Effect 3, with the endgame feeling like it barrels along with your input having no effect, leaving many feeling cheated.

There’s nothing worse than a game that gives you choices but then makes them feel irrelevant or obsolete. Pretending you are an active participant while rendering you merely a spectator feels dishonest. Take the recent Beyond: Two Souls as an example. Given the time-jumping nature of the pacing, with you randomly visiting periods in Jodie’s life in non-chronological order, the choices that you make

are usually pointless, having no effect on the story. The game lets you chose how to act as Jodie and how to interact with people but it all feels shallow. While near the end of the story the game begins to present you with choices that affect the story’s outcome, it’s too little too late for most.

Heavy Rain it is not.

In linear games that don’t offer us choices the main character is usually not us. By playing them we are offered a window into their psyche, but we do not become them. This offers a fantastic method of storytelling that choice based games often can’t present: cognitive dissonance (meaning you have to carry out actions that you don’t believe in or agree with). Take The Last of Us for example. I won’t spoil the end here, but you are forced to carry out the wishes of the main character, Joel, which you probably don’t agree with or find reprehensible. While not being allowed to control the outcome as you wish might be seen as a detractor in other games (See: Mass Effect 3) here it creates one of the most powerful and affecting endings ever in a video game.

The same can be said of Spec Ops: The Line, in which you play a marine who carries out increasingly atrocious acts of war. His spiralling morality, and the part that you play in it, are deeply affecting. The lesson is twofold, with the game excellently showcasing a character’s slow descent into madness while simultaneously questioning the player’s view of war and violence.

So, which is better for storytelling? The answer, of course, is it all depends on how you wield it. Both can be used to great effect if implemented in the right way and they can produce stories that are compelling in radically different ways, while deeply affecting how you interact and connect with the world of the game. So next time you’re playing a game, in order to fully appreciate the story the creators are try to tell you, ask yourself the question: Is this a character or is it me?

Aoife Gleeson questions who you become when you play

Let’s Talk Let’s Plays Gaming editor Brian Conmy considers the new gaming phenomenon of Let’s Plays

W

ith the advent of the digital age, the face of communications has changed utterly. While we all know how mobile phones, the internet and a number of other technologies have affected our lives, the ways they are affecting gaming culture and the lives of gamers is ever evolving. A fairly recent phenomena finally becoming a discussion point for the general gaming media: Let’s Plays.

If you haven’t already heard of Youtubers like Kikoskia, Tobuscus, Pewdiepie or an amazing array of other personalities self-described Let’s Players generally record themselves playing a video game and talking over their experiences for the audience.

Some channels focus on certain types of let’s plays, horror games, classics, speed runs, Minecraft builds or a number of other variations on the central theme of playing an often single player game for an audience.

As silly as this may seem, I’m not even a fan of any particular personalities myself, these people can often command huge audiences. Pewdiepie whose channel has a large number of horror game videos has over 1.5 million Youtube subscribers for example.

Now you may wonder why any of this matters. It seems the general gaming industry thought this too until lately. Some Let’s Players now receive advanced copies of game for use on their videos,

just like professional game reviewers from sites like IGN or Destructoid. Interestingly, in many instances the non-professional Let’s Players reach a wider audience than these well-established sites. While these sites often focus on written reviews while also needing to focus on news and other goings on in the industry, Let’s Players are much less burdened and only need to worry about maximising their views on a given video.

Retrospectively the success of the indie darling Minecraft has been attributed to Let’s Plays. In that particular example this especially makes sense due to the difficultly of explaining Minecraft to the uninitiated. However show someone what you can do in that game, give them the basics in an easy to understand visual way and Minecraft is an ideal game for anyone to try, hardcore or casual.

With this fact in mind more and more developers,

publishers and game creators are trying to tap into this huge potential advertising stream. Especially the horror genre benefits from this medium of advertising, like Minecraft these games benefit from visual advertising often too expensive or difficult to manage from studios with smaller budgets where the horror genre now lives.

The field of Let’s Plays is not one without issue though. There will always be difficulty in breaking through as a Let’s Player, especially in finding ways to monetise it in a way few manage to actually achieve.

Legal issues have also began to arise, in particular in whether or not showing games in the way these content creators are infringes on the copyright of the game creators. Nintendo recently began forays into stopping Let’s Plays of their games on Youtube, much to the furore of the gaming community who can see no reason why Nintendo would attempt to stop what is essentially free and direct advertising. Whether this was down to poor communication between the legal and marketing departments is hard to say but it’s certainly how it seems, unless Nintendo is far more out of touch as a corporation than anyone could have thought.

The evolution of Let’s Plays is an interesting one that is sure to create more issues and opportunities in the future. If you haven’t already checked them out then why not try now. You may find a personality you like or a game you’ve never heard of, in the end it seems this makes the entire endeavour worthwhile for the players and the viewers.

VERGE GAMING 11

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