GUS EDGAR-CHAN Venue Editor
JOSEPHINE DOWSWELL Venue Deputy Editor
It’s horrifying to think that we’re (almost) halfway through the academic year. This is issue #5 with
Wow, goodness, hello! It’s me, your sudden new deputy editor appearing out of the smoke. I’m a combination of
yours truly at the helm, and it’s a big one. It’s the first issue in print to bear our brand new page design, the third issue to have a sudoku that actually works (three out of five ain’t bad!), and the first issue with our new, permanent deputy editor Josie (or Josephine, if you don’t know her as well as I do heh heh up top!)
Sure, there’s been protests and anti-protests (see our front cover, taken by our very own Gaming editor Jordan Hunnisett), tragic deaths (see Talia Holmes’ ode to Stan Lee and his legacy on page seven) and even more talk of environmental irresponsibility (I’m gonna plug my own Attenborough-centric article on page 24), but the real talking point has been the inelegant segue from Halloween to Christmas - you can read more about the raging holiday showdown on page 30. My two cents: this issue of Venue is being sent off to print at the same time as Norwich’s christmas lights are due to light up the city - if that’s not synchronicity, then I don’t know what is.
Johanne Elster Hanson
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Shelby Cooke
Jordan Hunnisett
Gabriela Williams
excited, surprised and slightly overwhelmed to be here, surrounded by all of Venue’s lovely editors and writers. What a responsibility. Since first year, I’ve always been a tad intimidated by the fact that our uni has a studentrun newspaper. Students run a newspaper? Isn’t that like a thing that… adults do? Adults who have jobs? Not sure if I’m a fan of that. Bit scary. But now here I am and I’m very much looking forward to being a part of it. I believe Gus has already claimed this as an editorial motif, but I’m going to hack it out anyway: now that we’re currently in a thematic nowhere zone when it comes to the seasons, (it’s not Halloween… not Bonfire Night… not yet Christmas… and I’m not entirely sure what day it is in general), we’ve got a fantastic non-themed issue with everything to suit your art and culture proclivities. Dystopia in the movies, Johnny Marr in the LCR, discussion of the portraiture of Trump… What an eclectic mix of stuff, exactly as life should be. Enjoy!
Nick Mason
Icons courtesy of Vecteezy
Rabbit by Fay Austen
Jodie Bailey
Rebecca McDonnell
The 2018 Minotaur Shorts Festival For theatre-goers with a taste for variety and home-grown talent, the Minotaur Shorts Festival is not to be missed. Once a year, UEA’s student-led theatre company showcase the wideranging capabilities of its members through their festival of short plays. The Shorts Festival is an opportunity for writers, directors and performers to experiment, and it was a delight to spend two nights immersed in the immense theatrical talent we have here at UEA. The festival was staged over a total of three nights, with twelve twenty-minute productions, each written, directed and starring UEA Drama students.
As with the previous festivals, this year’s offerings were thematically diverse, while still delivering the ‘impeccable quality’ that audiences have come to expect from the company; a description I believe proved apt, with only minor deviation. My attention caught while loitering in the foyer prior to the performance where I saw Alex Grauwiler’s outstanding promotional artwork, which deserves a special mention. Despite the lack of thematic similarity between the plays, the bold and cohesive imagery of the posters tied the shorts together as a series, while still encapsulating the individual flavour of each piece. Opening the festival, Felines, Felines, by Alasdair Lindsay and Holly Richards, really delivered. The narrative follows a group of teenage boys at a sleepover when the host’s cat mysteriously goes missing. The audience were in fits throughout, especially whenever Kaya LawriePlews looked fleetingly disgusted by the ‘laddish’ lines her character was spouting. A stark shift in tone from the first piece, Rohan Gotobed’s Union offered a stylised, yet (ironically) down-
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Image: Minotaurtheatre.co.uk
to-earth exploration of the personal lives of the USSR’s first men in space. The minimalist aesthetic kept the focus on the human impact of the USSR’s decision to prioritise prestige over the life of famous cosmonaut, Vladamir Komarov. Although I found the narrative between scenes a little heavy-handed at times, the story was truly poignant. Express by Alasdair Lindsay also engaged with personal themes, though in a rather different setting.
On a train to Hatfield at four o’clock in the morning, three women find themselves in a carriage together and, through seventeen-year-old Molly’s untactful insistence, they get to know each other, and uncover some clashing values. Though Erin Clancy’s characterisation of the petulant Molly was superb, for me the narrative could have benefited from some attention to pace, as the rapidly escalating drama felt unrealistic at times. The stand-out piece of the night was undoubtedly God in a Box, in which unsuspecting teenager Gretel stumbles upon a deity trapped inside a box. The god, flamboyantly played by David McCabe, is hopeful that he will ‘be a good god’ upon his release, a wish which proves futile when Heaven is revealed to be a stifling bureaucracy. A slew of charismatic performances and sharp dialogue made this sketchlike piece perfectly suited to the shortplay format, and an excellent end to the first night of the festival. The second night of the shorts was kicked off with Becky Pick’s Sweethearts, a moving story focused around two community service workers removing ‘lovelocks’ from a Parisian bridge. As the locks are removed the audience glimpse into the relationships of those who put them there. Lauren
Ecclestone’s performances as dopeyyet-charming Gary, in Sweethearts and wine-quaffing yoga mum in the previous night’s God in a Box, were both outrageously entertaining; I look forward to seeing her comic talent in future productions! Amongst the various humorous and sentimental shorts, Romero FM was a refreshing thriller. Set in a local radio station, Alex Hayes held her own as a radio DJ finally getting her big story: the beginning of a zombie apocalypse! An ambitious plot given the time constraints, I felt Romero FM might benefit from a longer format, which could bring more gravity to the tense moments. That said, it was still gripping and well-performed, evidence of budding talent from writer Alex Grauwiler.
Ella Dorman-Gajic’s Grading provided a much-needed reminder that the sexual abuse exposed by the #MeToo movement is not something which is limited to the world of Hollywood; the piece featured a teenage girl being blackmailed for sex by her teacher. Despite its contemporary pertinence, this short handled the difficult content a touch too carefully, and I was left unsure about what stance the piece was taking on the issues it presented. Carnage by Molly-Rose Curran made a touching end to the night. The narrative followed three friends searching for answers about the missing, alcoholic mother of their late childhood friend. Although desperately sad, the play carried with it a sense that, after tragedy, hope can be recovered through shared experiences and friendships.
Lizzy Mossman
Concrete Book Review
MA Postgraduate Anthologies Poetry
This year’s anthologies have recently been released and they are as brilliant as we have come to expect due to those from years before. Egg Box Publishing has once again successfully rebranded the books, using different colours and patterns to distinguish between the different volumes. The poetry volume is slender, but full of wisdom as well as interesting and unique writers. All have something important to say, whether on technology, politics or love. The contributors are students on the MA Creative Writing course, some of whom have been published elsewhere. The poems vary in length and style, even within each writer’s section – some
are even printed sidewise! These poets are versatile and accomplished in a range of poetic forms that they use to their full advantage, highlighting the important issues discussed within. But it is the introduction by Tiffany Atkinson that draws most attention to the importance of collections like this. She opens by commenting that it has been some time since she had ‘heard anyone talk about poetry’s supposed marginality or ‘irrelevance’’. Poetry is becoming a more widely accepted medium in which to discuss cultural topics, and this collection truly shows this to be true.
Abi Steer
Prose
‘There are pieces of fiction in many hues, some elegantly turned and patient, some racingly propulsive, others raw,’ write Naomi Wood and Philip Langeskov about the latest Postgraduate Prose Fiction Anthology. Indeed, the ‘imaginary possibilities’ are unlimited in this year’s collection, with stories spanning from Harriet Avery’s Double Helix, which is about a scientist who was overlooked for monumental findings on the DNA’s structure, to Silvia Kwon’s exploration of the love affair between Sien and the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh. Frank Costello’s novel extract tells the story of teenage drug dealer whose friend has been stabbed, while Bugger Bognor captures the tale of a young woman with a promising career who gets caught between two different worlds. At once chilling and refreshing, Sarah Hopkinson’s On My Insides captures the unlikely bond between Leonora, a woman with the fear of being touched, and Tiger, who is mute. The 2018 anthology captures the very essence of the UEA Creative Writing programme; wildly imaginative stories from vastly different voices.
Image: Public Domain Pictures
Iasmina Voinea
Scriptwriting
As a new academic year rolls on, so does a new Postgraduate Anthology in Scriptwriting. The 13 stories feature, in the introductory words of Steve Waters, ‘vexed borders and strange journeys, both in form and in content.’ Through thick and thin, funny and serious, they catapult us into a realm of familiarity, such as in the story of Theo and Tatiana in Theo and Tat versus The World, where the protagonists deal with deadlines and corporate media; or like in Dead Things, a story of unfamiliarity in which a (wannabe happy) marriage takes a ghastly turn. In this year’s anthology, I found originality and a world where the stories almost come alive when being read; it was as if the plays were being performed right in front of me as I was reading them. I found myself giggling at funny punchlines, and left pleasantly surprised when more serious themes such as immigration, arranged marriage and the effect of technology on humanity were being dealt with. I highly recommend the anthology to anyone with an interest in scriptwriting; it is not only an amazing example of great writing, but it is also a very enjoyable read. Francesca Giuliani
Non-fiction
Genre-defying yet highly readable works of creative non-fiction are flourishing, covering everything from literary journalism to the curious amalgamation that is life writing. To many, “creative writing” is synonymous with “fiction”, but one is just as dependent on creativity when writing journalistic articles or piecing together biographical research. Writing about real life does not necessarily make the words come to life on the page; this takes the sort of skills showcased in the 2018 UEA Postgraduate Anthology for Creative Non-Fiction. The sixteen writers are of various ages and different nationalities, covering between them a diverse range of topics. In “Have you eaten”, Yin F Lim uses the culinary traditions of her native Malaya as a way of accessing the past lives of her ancestors. Kate Romain explores potential lives in “White out”, in which she conducts an imaginary conversation with a stranger in a café. We get personal stories about mountaineering, synaesthesia, and the soundtrack to the film Titanic. Blake Morrison recently wrote in New Statesmen that, “there’s an exceptionally rich vein of life writing just now”. By the look of this anthology, the vein will keep pulsating.
Johanne Elster Hanson
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Does this make me look presidential? Donald Trump is notoriously fastidious when it comes to his portraits. Two works that both had antipodal receptions come to mind when I think of the television personality-turned-politician. The first one is Andy Thomas’ The Republican Club, which depicts a scene of imagined camaraderie between the past Republican presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, both Bushes and Lincoln, with whom Trump (at the painting’s compositional incidence) shares a joke. Hanging in the Oval Office, the portrait is a favourite of Trump’s, who once stated that he doesn’t like most images of himself. The current president is pictured smiling, an unfamiliar feature in his portraits and an aspect that required extended revision by the portraitist. Thomas claimed to have studied ‘a ton of photographs’ in order to evoke the suggestion of a natural smile. Trump’s figure is athletic and slim, and emits a white glow that illuminates the faces of the former presidents that linger on his retorts. In the background stands a woman. According to Thomas this is the first woman president striding boldly into the group of males, an aspect of the portrait upon which Trump has made no comment.
In 1989, Trump purchased Ralph Wolfe Cowan’s oil sketch The Entrepreneur (or The Visionary) for $24,000. Capturing his youthful, country club persona, with an iridescent all-white tennis outfit and gleaming sun tan, Cowan’s portrait of Trump is backed by ethereal spotlights from a recognisably Cowan sky. The most aesthetically idiosyncratic marker of the piece, however, is the under-painted hand. To any art historian or follower of Cowan’s work, the under-painting is a much admired and distinguishing trope. To Trump, this was a frustrating and displeasing error on Cowan’s part. In the 15 years that followed Trump’s purchase of the painting, he proceeded to pester Cowan, demanding that he ‘finish’ the hand, to which Cowan responded ‘it is finished’. Eventually, the two came to the settlement of an additional $3,000 in exchange for the painted hand. The portrait now hangs in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Palm Springs hotel, of which Cowan was made a private member upon his reduction of the initial costs by 60 percent. Trump’s relationship with his image – as reflected by remarks such as his recent address to photojournalists at his working lunch with Kim Jong-un, in which he asked ‘Do we look handsome and thin?’ – is as complex and astounding as many of his speeches. There are overwhelming inconsistencies in Trump’s criteria for an acceptable portrait. In Thomas’ piece he is smiling, whereas he usually adopts a domineering scowl in press photographs to establish his authority. While we continue to fathom his image in the media, two things can be known for sure: firstly, Trump’s overwhelming political and financial influence extends to, almost astonishingly, the art community, and overrides even the most treasured visual qualities that set apart an artist; and secondly, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Bea Prutton
THE LEGACY OF STAN LEE
Whether you’re a comics fan or merely a filmgoer, prefer DC or Marvel, Stan Lee’s influence on the world of superheroes has shaped what we now know it to be. His approach to the superhero genre was innovative and new, and with his first major creation, The Fantastic Four, the brave defenders of our world were given complex lives rather than simply bad guys to punch in the face. His heroes were, largely, everyday people, they struggled with day to day life and still donned a suit at night to save the world. Asked to breathe new life into Marvel Comics by Martin Goodman, alongside the likes of Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby, Stan Lee created some of the most iconic superheroes we know to this day, the most successful being Spider-Man. Together, they revolutionised Marvel Comics in the 60s and 70s (of course coming to shape the likes of DC, Image, Dark Horse and so on), the writing was more natural and their superheroes became believable people with everyday problems.
Speaking of Spider-Man, and other of his costumed heroes, Stan Lee noted the magic this could inspire. Under the costume, Spider-Man could be anyone, and thus every child could imagine themselves swinging web-to-web as they save New York from Doctor Octopus’ nefarious plans. Every child could believe that, if lucky enough, they might get bitten by a radioactive spider and grow up to be the superhero they admired - is there anything more magical? Furthering this was his creation The X-Men, a beautiful team of mutant misfits that acted as a metaphor for every minority and marginalised group. Stan Lee taught his readers, taught children, not only to imagine themselves as heroes and defenders, but to be accepting, to fight prejudice. Comics
were not simply entertainment (is there such thing?), but a moral message whereby the superhero seeks to be the best person they can and inspire others to follow suit. His legacy is one that will be felt throughout the comics, and as tributes pour out from the likes of Frank Miller, Tom King, Mike Mignola and more, it is clear he will continue to influence how every writer approaches their characters. Brad Meltzer (Green Arrow, Identity Crisis, etc) spoke of Stan Lee as someone who inspired not only his writing, but as someone who shaped his ‘belief system’ and ‘sense of responsibility’. In the Lee’s Soapbox section of his comics, he offered an editorial note to his readers, in one of which saying ‘a story without a message, however subliminal, is like a man without a soul’. This message taught not only readers, but those who grew up to be writers to use their creativity for good and follow suit by integrating politics and art, as Stan Lee did.
Stan Lee, writer and revolutionary turned Chairman and Executive Producer of Marvel, continued to play a role in comics long after his official retirement. Be it through his involvement in the Marvel cinematic universe or his attendance at comic conventions long into his old age, Stan Lee gave his life to comics. The universe he created and the community he brought together will live on for long after his passing. So, whether you grew up dreaming of playing superhero, or simply recognise the man from his anticipated cameos in every Marvel (and one DC) film, Stan Lee has no doubt touched your life. His legacy will pervade throughout the world of comics, films and superheroes. Excelsior.
Talia Holmes
Images: Wikipedia; Flickr; Pixabay; deviantart (ashish9313)
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The lobster in the room Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster dissects the fragile foundations upon which our society has built the concept of love. In this dystopian world (which coincidentally resembles a rather bleak and rural England), monogamy becomes the law, as all civilised humans are forced to find one partner in order to, literally, remain human. The film’s protagonist, David (Colin Farrell), checks himself into a dystopic ‘relationship retreat,’ where he must find a partner within 45 days, otherwise, he will be turned into an animal of his choice. His choice: a lobster, because ‘lobsters live for over one hundred years’. Judging by David’s apparent dispassionate outlook on life, this answer seems almost too optimistic; an ironic foreshadowing of David’s constant desire to rebel against the monogamous norm, just as male lobsters are known for being promiscuous creatures. The ideologies and philosophies about the concepts of relationships and ‘love’ become the overwhelming message of Lanthimos’s film. The Lobster examines monogamy through its presentation of binaries; all are forced to conform to the binary structure of their society. In one of the opening scenes, when filling out his personal information sheet, David asks the receptionist ‘Is there a bi-sexual option available?’. The receptionist bluntly replies, ‘No,
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Image A24
Sir, this option is no longer available […] due to several operational problems.’ All the characters have singular attributes that are used to persuade their suitability for one another: Jessica Barden plays a woman that has frequent nosebleeds and Ben Whishaw pretends he also gets nose bleeds, so he can match with her (which surprisingly works). The characters must adapt and morph into a standardised thing in order to survive; their survival instincts are put into action, except
they aren’t being chased by bears or hunted by a serial killer. They are finding a mate. There is no explanation for these decisions, just as it seems there is no reason for societal rules, such as monogamy. Just as David does not question the heterosexual option, he merely accepts the relationship guidelines society puts into place for him. Lanthimos’s film is a rather horrific view of our life expectations. We look upon these character’s situation with horror and fright, but not realising that we too have all been guests at this mystical retreat. From birth, we are embedded with the expectations that we must ‘find our significant other, fall in love, get married and have kids.’ Although Lanthimos’s dystopic society may seem so far removed from our own, the terror of it all is that our society is not much different (we just don’t have a brash Olivia Colman telling
us off and threatening to turn us into animals). Despite the suffocating hold this society and retreat has over him, David inhabits a grey way of living that does not blend into the black and white preferences chosen by the retreat. His, and Rachel Weisz’s character’s, rebellion from society and society’s unwavering expectations of them leads to dire consequences. They are ostracized from society and forced to perform horrific acts in order to escape. Ultimately, they can’t escape from the oppressive dictatorship surrounding them. And perhaps that reflects on our inability to escape ourselves.
The Lobster is ultimately a critique of the dichotomous world we have generated for our species that is inherently indecisive. Through his striking imagery, oppressive aesthetic and his actor’s bizarre actions, Lanthimos critiques the Western ideology of relationships, of society’s expectation for us and of the medias persistent heterosexual messaging. The Lobster is about the innate human desire for power and control, and how this leads to conformity under a dictatorship, which provokes rebellion and destruction.
Bethany Bacon
N m a v d o h u t t
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lo a a h S a is h d u b a a d w h w p t c e
Her replaces she Not all dystopias need fascist mega-states or a world ravaged by an ecological disaster to show a version of the future that can be truly disconcerting. Spike Jonze’s Her is one of the finest attempts at showing how, even though the future may make us more connected, it doesn’t mean that people will be brought closer together. Set in a vaguely defined period in the near future, Her stars Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly, a
lonely man in the midst of a divorce, and Scarlett Johansson as Samantha, an AI purchased by Theodore to give him some companionship. Before Samantha is even introduced, there are a number of examples of how isolating this world can be: in-ear headphones and a hand-sized digital communication device are ubiquitous throughout the world; background characters never seem to acknowledge Theodore or anyone else, as they exist in their own respective digital clouds. Theodore’s job is to write greeting cards, a position that has taken on new meaning as he writes heartfelt messages on behalf of people without the time or inclination to do so themselves. This is a man who can display an incredible range of emotions on paper without ever really
understanding what they actually mean. The technology of this future didn’t create the unique emotional problems that Theodore suffers from, but it does serve to compound them. Enter Samantha, starting as simply a personal assistant and source of neutral commentary. A relationship develops that ultimately takes on romantic leanings with Theodore increasingly relying on his new partner for both practical help and emotional support. He begins
to find it more difficult to enjoy life without taking Samantha along for the journey; an early date is ruined after Theodore realizes that he would rather be at home talking to Samantha than the human sat opposite him. While his emotional over-investment into an AI does seem to be presented in a negative light overall, Jonze intentionally makes the issue of Samantha being a ‘person’ ambiguous. She questions whether she really has emotions or is just programmed to believe she does. Samantha gets annoyed, has bad ideas and even exhales quickly (despite not requiring oxygen) when unsure about something. In short, her imperfections are one of the best arguments for why she is a ‘real person’. However, just because Samantha is a ‘person’, that doesn’t make her human, showing why her relationship with Theodore was doomed from the start. We eventually learn that Samantha often talks to thousands of other people at the same time
as Theodore, having told at least a hundred of them (including Theodore) that she is in love with them. It is clear that AIs in this world are capable of all the same emotions as humans, but may experience some on a completely different level. Samantha is hesitant to reveal her other connections because of how she knows it will affect Theodore, not because she views it as something inherently wrong or strange. This all leads back to why it is truly possible to call this bright, pastel world a dystopia. The society Jonze created is so desperate to avoid loneliness, but also so socially decayed that it creates an entirely new form of existence rather than working out how to bring people back together. Theodore Twombly is the perfect representative of this society: desperate to recreate the intense feelings of his marriage, he will settle for an illusion of what he once had.
Ultimately, Her seemed to click for me when I realized that Samantha was the only character who had truly changed by the end. Theodore still didn’t seem to understand what he had done to break apart his marriage and what he needed to do to become happy. By contrast, Samantha and all the other AIs transcend humanity and leave for somewhere beyond our comprehension. Machines are constantly improving, whereas people can be stubbornly resistant to change and completely infuriating. I truly hope that never changes.
Harry Routley
Image Warner Bros. Pictures
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Hello, zombies! How likely is a zombie-led Armageddon? In the last twenty years, movie studios from Holly- to Bolly-wood would have us believe that the end, unfortunately, is nigh – and it will be brought about by shambling hordes of the living dead. The zombie movie hype has not gone unnoticed, with the United States Centre for Disease Control releasing a blog post in 2011 detailing exactly what steps a citizen should take if faced with an undead apocalyptic scenario (the instructions include advice on what to pack in your getaway bag [passports, water, non-perishable food], and how to form an emergency plan with your family). Upon researching further as to what the CDC thought they were playing at, I discovered that the motive behind this post was simply a ‘fun’ training exercise for workplaces and schools; the ra t i o n a l i s a t i o n being that this was an unlikely scenario that could be an entertaining way of preparing the aforementioned organisations for other global catastrophes such as a pandemic or a natural disaster caused by extreme weather. The humour in this is somewhat lost by the fact that this disaster preparedness drill, despite hiding beneath a mask of dark humour, is still an attempt to ready the public for a very real, possibly imminent danger of a global meltdown. The post also mentions that although the zombie front is a bit of a joke, the
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Image: Universal
CDC is in fact prepped for any sort of threat to the United States, including a zombie apocalypse, ridiculously enough. Secret laboratories and quarantine facilities are not just an invention of Hollywood paranoia. Reassured? I am. Sort of. At least it’s not all doom and gloom. The zombie fever has spread from the brain to the funny bone, with an injection of comedies, transforming the genre from brain dead to fighting fit (okay, I’ll stop with the puns now). Zombieland entertains the possibility
of fast, slightly smarter-than-youraverage munchers with a clever protagonist and even an unexpected cameo from our lord and saviour Bill Murray. The UK’s best, Simon Pegg, also delved into the genre in 2003 with his cornetto-munching smash
Shaun of the Dead. The likelihood is you’ve heard of these titles since they have received all the praise they deserve. Some other films within the zombie canon are just as deserving of attention but have barely had any: Pontypool, released in 2008, is a Canadian masterpiece delving into
the idea of language infecting the brain in the unluckiest setting for this to occur – a local radio station. For those more interested in the bizarre over the intellectual, b-movie classic, Dead Snow follows the group of medical students getting more than they bargained for in the form of defrosted Nazi zombies wreaking havoc in the Norwegian wilderness. Given the fact that a large chunk of humanity resides in various urban locations where human population is dense, we would definitely all be goners if faced with the dead wandering down the streets in search of squishy sustenance. The best dystopian zombie movies address this inescapable truth. It definitely explains why the zombie subgenre remains one of the most popular among c o n t e m p o ra r y viewers for the past few decades. Perhaps a zombie-infested wasteland is tempting. According to the 28 Days Later and the Dawn of the Dead franchises, life gets a lot simpler when the line between good and evil is clearly split down the middle. Protect the innocent at all costs, and gun down anything else. What a time to be alive. No modern human brain work required, just point and shoot, pretty much according to instinct. Sounds a lot less complicated than the thousand things I need to get done by tomorrow morning.
Hattie Griffiths
Christmas Gift Guide
Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of impending Christmas shopping, or just looking for some gift inspiration? Look no further, high end, low end, for your sister, mother or friend, we’ve got you covered.
Socks
Why not go simple but effective with a pair of socks, after all who wouldn’t love a pair of warm, fluffy socks to walk around the house in on Christmas morning, or for those cold winter days.
A fashionable handbag
If you are getting a gift for a party girl, why not get some night out essentials. One idea could be to buy a cool handbag and fill it with some cash, a few sticks of gum, scented hand sanitiser and a list of helpful numbers should they need an emergency contact. Stylish and practical!
Handmade soap or other handmade crafts
Feeling creative? Why not dabble your hand at some homemade gifts! Use whatever crafty skills you have; the options are endless! Perhaps a bar of gorgeous lavender soap or a custom-
made candle? If you don’t already have any experience, this is a perfect way to learn a new skill whilst delivering a heartfelt Christmas gift that won’t soon be forgotten.
Christmas snack hamper
If worst comes to the worst, you absolutely can’t go wrong with some snacks. What about a personalised Christmas sweet/snack hamper? A chocolate orange, some shortbread biscuits, a selection of flavoured teas; this is an idea that can be personalised for the recipient, so you can accommodate to any dietary requirements.
A book
If they are a bookworm or simply looking to expand their literary horizons, why not get them a copy of your favourite book? If not, maybe the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for an interesting read.
Card games
Funny card games such as Cards Against Humanity or The Voting Game will provide them with endless laughs; they can play with you or their friends and it is a sure way to guarantee they’ll get the most of out of your gift.
Bath bombs
If you fancy giving them some luxury and indulgence, why not go for some bath bombs to warm up their winter. Not buying for a girly girl? Luckily, there’s so many different types of bath bombs on the market, from Harry Potter house sorting glitter bombs, to those which turn bath water completely black!
Experience voucher
How about an experience voucher; the options are endless and will cater to whoever you buy for. If you want to add a bit of thrill and excitement into their life, why not buy them a driving experience, flying lessons, or gravity rush voucher? Perhaps you could infuse some relaxation into the Christmas period with a spa session or an afternoon tea for two. Experience vouchers are they perfect way to ensure they’ll make memories and make the most out of your present. Finally, make sure you buy some decent wrapping paper. Or if you can’t quite stretch the budget, make your own! Try sprucing it up with some bows or gift tags to go the extra mile and deliver the perfect gift!
Leia Butler
Image: Flickr
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Can a woman who sells makeup consider themselves a feminist ?
YES:
It is no surprise that women are bombarded and pressured by the media, pressuring them to obtain high beauty standards every day. In fact, it’s impossible to even discuss the makeup industry and those who actually work in it without considering these standards, or the physical insecurities they can feed on. Many go as far as to believe that women who work in the makeup industry, whether it be by selling makeup or endorsing their products, are inherently anti-feminist. I hear the gasps already. But allow me to tear this disputable claim apart. Prominent makeup influencers like Charlotte Tilbury are known for selling their extensive beauty and skincare
brands, as well as producing YouTube videos on how to use them. From her standpoint, makeup is a personal choice which empowers women and allows a sense of ownership. Indeed, when you look good, you also feel good, so why shouldn’t a woman wear makeup if it makes them feel good? Nevertheless, if a woman favours wearing minimal to no makeup, then fantastic! A woman shouldn’t feel pressured to wear makeup because everyone else does. We see some pretty outstanding and shocking makeup trends through social media (such as crazy contouring or overlining lips) but we must remember that if a woman wants to wear lots of makeup or partake in a trend or two they have every right to. It is their face and a woman should never
No:
The debate that surrounds feminism and makeup is a thought provoking one. The original marketing of makeup was that the products existed as a way for women to make themselves more visually appealing. Makeup feeds on women’s insecurities but also on how we want to appear our best, our most attractive and most desirable. Our sexuality and attractiveness seem to be defined by how much makeup we wear. When looking at modern society through a close lens, women ask their friends if they look good before going on nights out. Friends ask friends if they’re ‘fit’ enough to pull, asking for opinions on their outfits and make up. These types of conversations show that women place a massive emphasis on how attractive they are, based on their appearance, and by extension their makeup and style. Since Laura Mulvey introduced the term, ‘The Male Gaze’ into feminist dialogue, the argument that women exist to satisfy the sexual desires of men has become a large part of the discourse within the media. When exploring the reason for makeup being introduced into
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feel judged for how they want to look. Makeup should not be considered as something which solely allows women to look ‘attractive’ for others. It can also be used as a creative outlet of artistic self-expression, whether that be through creating character illusions for costumes/cosplay, experimenting with styles, trends and aesthetics. If makeup is merely a suppressive tool to keep women confined to fit some twisted beauty standard then it is insulting not only to women who wear it for themselves, but to artists who pride themselves in their work. Celebrities, artists, designers and entertainers we love and admire have conceptualised some of the most iconic, avant-garde and fashion-forward looks with makeup, which have benefited everyone regardless of their gender throughout history. Legends such as David Bowie, Prince, Marilyn Monroe, Twiggy, Cher, every contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Need I go on? There has and always will be a demand for makeup; regardless of who sells it and how it’s sold, it will always be bought. Why? Because it’s versatile, temporary and fun! It is also your choice whether you want to buy it or not and what you put on your face is nobody’s business but yours. A woman is not and should not be defined simply by their appearance.
Gazal Raii
society, we can see that it started out as a platform to make women feel insecure. Undeniably, the makeup industry has a massive part to play in women’s sexuality, but also is a large contributor to women’s insecurities. Many women express that they can’t leave the house without wearing a small bit of makeup, evidencing how makeup covers up our insecurities. Makeup could even be creating our insecurities because we no longer accept our natural appearance. Instead we constantly are looking for ways to edit and improve it. We do this by covering our face in foundation, lengthening our lashes and lining our lips. The makeup industry is worth $445 billion and can be seen to capitalise off of the anxieties of its consumers. Makeup is considered to be a luxury item; it is very expensive, but is considered a must by women within modern day society. Even when looking at the makeup industry outside of a patriarchal social setting, it can be viewed as a part of capitalism. Makeup takes our money, hides our natural beauty and bullies us into a state of insecurity.
Jess Barrett
Makeup Subscription Boxes: Are they worth the cost? The joy of receiving a subscription box in the mail is like Christmas day coming every month. Whether you’re passionate about beauty and want to sample the latest fads in French skincare, or are completely clueless when it comes to makeup and want to dip your toe in the water, beauty subscription boxes are the easiest way to do so without breaking the bank. The range of subscription services available today means that it’s easy and convenient to try the latest and greatest beauty products you’ve always dreamed of, and owning the newest ones that you haven’t even heard of yet. With a multitude of different boxes to choose from, it’s the perfect thing to gift the
beauty lover in your life for Christmas, allowing them to try all the new trends without having to step out their front door. The real beauty of the beauty boxes is that if you don’t like a product, you can go to sleep at night with the knowledge that you haven’t splashed all your cash on trying that new serum or face mask. Subscription services like Birchbox and
Glossybox give you a range of travel-sized versions of the newest products in the market, while others such as My Little Box and Pink Parcel also throw in a few lifestyle goodies so there’s something for everyone, and starting at a tenner a month, you have nothing to lose.
Maya Coomarasamy
Makeup Subscription Boxes are the industry’s biggest scam out there. YouTuber’s make them look glamorous, but what you are really paying for in monthly installments is a nice box with scented wrapping and the expensive delivery of this parcel. You sign up to endless emails which encourage you to buy the full-sized versions of the products that you have paid
for inside your cute box, decorated with endless pink tissue paper. Most of the time the products are duplicates of ones that have been in previous boxes, and the rest are products which you know that you will never use. It might work out cheaper for a group of friends to pay for a regular box subscription, but there will always be an oddly scented mini soap bar that no one wants to
use. These items get stored in a draw and are forgotten about until you get a Secret Santa who is hard to buy for. Then there is the storage of these boxes which you have paid for. If you chose not to throw them away, they take up highly valued space in wardrobes and cupboards. If you recycle them at Christmas time it could save you some money on wrapping paper, but this isn’t always appropriate for those family members or friends who despise the colour pink. You could always flatten them down and put them in the bin, but then why pay for the extra gloss and not just get it delivered in a cardboard box. In fact, just try products out in store and buy them once you have made your decision. Don’t be fooled by this money wasting trick!
Gabriela Williams
Image: Flickr
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DAUGHTERS OF ENGLAND By the end of the month, an original piece of drama, Daughters of England – an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s short story, The Society – will be put on by the UEA Drama Soc in Norwich’s Maddermarket Theatre. I decided to interview the writer, Katie Stockton, about Woolf, the writing process, and the canon… Tell us about Virginia Woolf. What drew you to adapt this piece of hers? I really like adapting short stories, and when I read The Society I thought it was perfect. It’s a very dynamic story; there are lots of different characters who investigate lots of different spheres and spaces in the world around them, which I thought would be a really wonderful thing to stage. Woolf is really interested in feminism in academia. The theme of women acquiring language, especially written language, and exploring themselves on a page in a way they never have before is interesting to me. Lovely. Do you feel this story in particular is something that you can transcribe to stage? Yes, because there are multiple characters, multiple spaces, lots of opportunities to play with. I adapted The Yellow Wallpaper for stage before and because it’s a diary, it was very difficult to get those thoughts into a script; I made the one character into four different women, all in dialogue. But in The Society, there are five women who are all present, so it’s much easier to transcribe. Can you describe the adaptation process to us in more detail? The fun bit that I start with is stealing the amazing bits of dialogue that are already there; I like to build moments around them. There’s one scene in The Society where a woman talks about how she wants to set herself on fire and then roll herself around on the British flag to put herself out, and it was such an amazing dramatic line
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Image: Molly Farley
that I had to use it. Then the harder bit is what I call the ‘blind spots’, bits that you can read but can’t stage, like someone’s thoughts. It has to become something material and visual. That’s the hardest part; whether that’s through inventing a new character, or putting it into a conversation. Fleshing out is a part of it too: I had to extend a lot of scenes, to create more of a dramatic build. Because you’re staging a short story written in the 1900s, what elements of your script do you think speak to a contemporary audience? Well, the subjects that the women explore in the play, like the acquisition of knowledge, the ability to critique, and then having men tell them that their opinions are lesser, is the same thing that we sometimes experience in universities now. It could be an interesting parallel for female students at UEA, to see the same struggles with intellectualism, even though we now have a voice, and have
greater access to information. Our voices are still sometimes treated as lesser than in academic spaces. Ok, I have one last question. You say you like to write about academia. How much does your play address the canon? In the play we have a lot of criticism of great literary works, for being
somewhat glib and meretricious. I think Woolf strived to tear down the pillars of what we see as literature and pave more room for alternative voices. This is what happens in the play: some of the women become interested in writing themselves, despite their husbands and friends telling them they shouldn’t. It explores these sorts of alternative voices, and shows that they shouldn’t be intimidated by the canon or what’s been done before.
Meanwhile, Daughters of England is being directed by Masters student Magda Bird and Drama student Molly Farley. I investigated further into how the original script is going to be treated. Firstly, tell me a little about the play. BIRD: Well, I don’t want to give too much of the story line away, but the play is to do with a woman who brings together a community of women that go out and try to prove that there is good literature available. It’s a big critique on the literary canon of the time, and it’s a comedy and a farce! We have loads of scenes where they’re retelling what they’ve found from what they read, and it’s quite Oscar Wildeesque. When they retell these stories it’s quite Brechtian, where all the women multi-role as these caricatures of male writers. I’m excited to put it on, and luckily I have Molly who knows comedy! So, I know you as an English student: is that what drew you to the play? BIRD: I think so, yes. This is my first time directing, and what I think is so incredible about the process is that you get given a script to analyse and see it through. It’s my own analysis of the characters, and now I’m trying to get people to portray what I see in it. It’s such a literature thing, it reminds me so much of my literature classes, except its more practical. FARLEY: What drew me to it is that I just love working with an mostly female cast. It’s fantastic. The writer and directors are women, and there’s a cast of five women, and one man who’s also fantastic. Everyone who studies English knows that potentially 80 percent of what you’ll study is written by men; we’ve been taught to swallow the fact that certain texts are good by nature because everyone says so. Obviously, we’re encouraged to debate, but I don’t think we’re ever encouraged to outright say ‘this is terrible, this is categorically horrendous!’ So we’ve looked at that through a comedic lense. As Magda says, it’s farcical, but it has moments
of genuine seriousness – I love that arc, how it keeps the comedy throughout but uses it as a lense. So your main vision for the production seems to be the critical aspect of it, in regards to the issues raised by the canon? FARLEY: Absolutely. It’s often said that when you laugh at something you understand it. I want the audience to laugh at the critiques of these male figures in literature and say, ‘gosh, yeah, I’ve reconsidered that’. I want it to be a lot of fun too, that contrast is very important..
How does it feel that you’re directing something that is adapted from a piece of prose fiction? Do you think this will have an influence on how you treat the script? FARLEY: For me, personally no. I’m seeing it as Katie’s work, and with the cast I’m very eager for them to have their own mark on the piece. That’s important with everything that I direct, the cast must influence the characters. BIRD: I totally agree with Molly on that. I think that when you’re coming at a text, you’ve got to see it as a blueprint, dependent on what material you’ve been given to work with. Whereas with a novel, the reader reads it and thinks that that is the finished form. We will be moulding it around the actors. But that doesn’t mean that Virginia Woolf isn’t important to us! How do you think you’ll address the
time difference between the original story and this production? Do you feel the need to add a contemporary element to it? BIRD: There is an awareness of the contemporary, especially in the lines closer to the end. There’s still so many
fundamental truths within The Society that are prevalent today. As Molly said, 80 percent of what you study in a literature degree will still be white hetero cis men. There’s nothing wrong with that in itself, but there should be more voices being heard, and a search for new voices. These themes are unfortunately quite timeless. FARLEY: I also find the references that are made in the play to be universal. There are comments on Shakespeare, for instance, that even if you’ve never studied English Literature you’ll recognise. That’s interesting in itself:
you don’t have to study literature to know what these men have written. We’ll use that to our advantage in how the lines are delivered. Yeah, these texts are fantastic and absolutely Shakespeare was a genius, but there’s a line, I think, and Katie has hit the nail on the head with that. BIRD: There’s also a reference to World War I that comes in between Act One and Two. Characters remark on the fact that their attention is being drawn elsewhere, which is very relevant to society now. Even though we’re not engaging in outright war, we’re still snakily supplying arms – not even snakily anymore, we just are – and in the media I feel that there’s a habit to take attention away from these issues. Especially in Trump’s America; it’s a form of distraction. The script definitely picks up on that, and I hope it resonates. Also, we will be working with the cast to see what they want to focus on, and they are incredibly talented, so I’m looking forward to that. Daughters of England is being performed on 29 and 30 November, and 1 December, in the Maddermarket Theatre, Emmerson Studio, in Norwich city centre. Tickets are £5.
Josephine Dowswell Image: Wikipedia
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#MeToo and music You often hear people talk of how music has helped them through dark times, rather than into them. But, since 2017 and the rise of the #MeToo movement, many artists have been exposed for sexual harassment. The intimate connection between band and fan, especially in the emo and pop punk scene, can lead to murky waters due to an emotional dependency. After all, why wouldn’t you trust them, they ‘saved your life’. Bands such as Brand New, Pinegrove and Moose Blood have all been under fire since 2017. Reading of how
the alleged victim of Brand New’s Jesse Lacey’s felt ‘flattered that the singer from your favourite bands is interested in you’ sounds like every fan’s dream; however, she was 15 and he was 24. The false sense of trust and self-worth eclipsed Lacey’s intent. The case of Pinegrove offers us another instance of emotional manipulation. The band’s iconic raw vocals earnt themselves a cult-like fan base in the mid-2010s, with their progressive exploration of male
emotions. Frontman Evan Hall’s perceived vulnerability became the foundations for a ‘deeply intense’ relationship with a fan, consisting of verbal manipulation and pressure. It is the ‘apologies’ - or lack of that really strike a chord with the #MeToo movement. Lacey offers a blanket apology if he ‘hurt people, mistreated them, lied and cheated’ but does not address specific accusations. Moose Blood still maintain they are the victims of a ‘traumatic year’ of false accusations; yes, they removed drummer Glenn Harvey in 2017, but are still refusing to
address the concerns over lead sing Eddy Brewerton, instead choosing to ‘take a step back from music’. The avoidance of the accusations suggests a band that will not take responsibility for their actions, and seem to just be waiting for it all to blow over, which is unlikely given Moose Blood’s Facebook page is laden with angry fans demanding an acknowledgment. These apologies are not good enough; band members must be held
accountable for their treatment of fans, especially when the fanbase is largely of a die-hard teenage variety. Musicians must recognise how the vulnerability of fans and their own idolised status can be manipulated and they should take action to prevent it. Thankfully, other bands are. Good Charlotte dropped Moose Blood from their tour, and Kevin Devine and Martha refused to support Brand New following the accusations. We are seeing genuine repercussions for musicians who commit these unjustifiable actions against fans
who trust them, stripping them from the platform on which they operate. Of course, it will not totally eliminate a band’s fanbase, but it demonstrates the fact that sexual harassment and emotional manipulation will not be tolerated in the industry. Musicians and fans alike must work together to expose the darker side of the scene, and create a safe environment for people to enjoy.
Zoe Dodge
boygenius: an intelligent supergroup
boygenius is the melancholic brainchild of sad pop innovators: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, who have all turned the genre into something of a phenomenon. This EP is certainly one that will have you hooked and wanting to discover more. As a newcomer to this newly fused genre, I must confess I did not have huge hopes for the EP. Although I am reasonably fond of avant-garde and experimental artists, I thought this would be one of those tedious listens that left you waiting for that spark of excitement only to find it never came; how wrong I was.
Baker’s inspiration for this collaboration draws influence far and wide. The powerful sense of drone, the gloomy guitars and poignant lyrics are seen especially
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in Salt in the Wound, and opener Bite the Hand suggest hints of Florence + The Machine and Tom Waits. Baker with Bridgers and Dacus plays with a certain quality that manages to concoct both melancholy and wit into a pure but pleasant form, making for an engaging listen. Every track is imbued with an encompassing feeling that is personally presented to the listener. Baker, Bridgers and Dacus wilfully take the listener on a vivid journey with excellent melodies and harmonies that add a refreshingly reflective tone through these adventurous soundscapes. The songs form part of a jigsaw of the human condition that links to a wider artistic significance, for each track forms a conceptual layer that maps
out this complete jigsaw; you don’t feel as though there is something missing. Indeed, this EP is a journey, highlighting alluring aspects of the human condition, that leaves you a lot better for the experience.
Lewis Oxley
Music, movement and meaning Spoiler alert: this article contains significant It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia spoilers. Given you are all good people who didn’t watch it illegally and will wait a year for it to come to Netflix, don’t read ahead. I’m going to talk about that scene. The one we didn’t expect, even in a show where the unexpected is the norm. For two seasons now, Mac’s status as a gay man has been little more than an in joke in IASIP. No character needed to progress as a human being, because it was little more than a springboard for humour.
That all changed in the twilight minutes of the show’s thirteenth season. The sombre, effects-soaked piano chords that mark the start of Sigur Ros’ Varúð kicked in, and nothing on the show could ever be the same. The meaning of Mac’s dance will be dissected in reviews, video
Johnny Marr is undisputed music royalty, idolised as a king, if not a god, by fans of The Smiths, Modest Mouse, and Electronic (a sliver of his myriad projects). Thus, news of his return to Norwich evoked a wave of anticipation, spearheaded by memories of his melodic, chirping guitar and melancholic lyrics. Though, if Marr is Britain’s musical monarch, it follows that Crewel Intentions are in line to the throne. Led by Chilli Jesson, formerly of Palma Violets, Crewel Intentions represent everything that is right and true about being ‘upand-coming’. Instead of endless indie simulacra, all derived from apparently the same bland source, Jesson’s band immediately hit
essays and more. I want to discuss something beyond that: how the music in this scene helped change the fundamental dynamics of the show. McElhenney’s Mac produces a showstopper dance move, and changes the core character of DeVito’s Frank in five minutes of post-rock scored contemporary dance. Sigur Ros are a band who are no stranger to soundtracks (Planet Earth I and II, We Bought a Zoo and How to Train Your Dragon have all featured the band, or their members), but their music has rarely been used to convey meaning in such a way.
The usage of Varúð is at first bizarre. Sung entirely in aethereal Icelandic, the only word I know the meaning of is that of the title: Warning. It scores a sequence based on the abstract inner turmoil of one of the lead characters as he grapples with his repressed sexuality. On the face of it nothing makes sense, but when the dance is put to music, everything
The LCMarr
you with a wave of nostalgia and heart. Their songs are human and, therefore, perfectly imperfect: slightly distorted, tinged with cigarette smoke and the right amount of edge. At moments they are even uncomfortable. Hans Zimmer’s Time pulsated, blue lights ballooned and consumed the room, and Marr took to the stage. Beginning with The Tracers from his new album Call the Comet, and progressing into a flawless rendition of Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths, Marr began his comprehensive set. Drawing from their beloved back catalogue The Headmaster Ritual, Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, How Soon
seems to come to a meaning beyond words. To explain it is to ruin it, the feeling is what matters. There’s no intelligible point being made, no satire or commentary. It’s a feeling that just is. But, unlike the typical usage of emotional music which serves to signpost the emotion you are meant to feel, in this case it is part of the emotion itself. To any aspiring filmmakers, I implore you to look at this scene
as a lesson on how to score scenes. Make music part of the piece, not just the backdrop. There is more to emotion than dialogue, and music and movement are part of this. It can drive character development, even in a show which has historically avoided it. IASIP has broken the mould with the Season 13 finale and shown how to experiment with music to produce meaning.
Nick Mason
is Now?, and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out were all played, and the audience became Marr’s backing choir. It is true that Morrissey’s iconic, lackadaisical crooning makes these songs, but Marr challenges this notion; his voice still has it, and the evidence carried through everyone’s ears. His back catalogue dive also included Electronic’s classic Getting Away With It and Marr’s Bug, played in honour of a certain American ‘who looks like he’s got an omelette on his head’. The near-perfect night ended with a sense of fulfilment and hope.
Alex Caesari
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Prey Drive: huge Norwich rockers Norwich alt-rockers Prey Drive have had something of a busy year. Seeming to be on every Spotify curator’s radar, the band have racked up tens of thousands of plays on the platform, even appearing on both Enter Shikari’s and Basement’s curated playlists. Once More with Feeling makes it clear why, scratching an itch for those of us who miss the late-00’s British rock scene, which brought us huge and atmospheric bands such as Canterbury and Francesqa. From the moment opener Tokyo hits, it is clear what Prey Drive aim to do. Towering vocals soar over a thick instrumental backdrop.
Lead single Pancakes, odd title aside, feels immediate yet massive, and nothing breaks from this path. Foxes is a pop-punk masterclass, carefully
controlled harmonies and rhythm power along a distinctly Englishflavour of the largely tired genre. Sunday Best plays with electronics, and a slower pace shows that the band is capable of great beauty as well as catchy choruses. Death Breath has possibly the biggest chorus to come out of Norwich, over a cocky swagger which conjures memories of early Taking Back Sunday.
in the music community. Every song occupies its own space on Once More with Feeling, taking the band’s core sound and playing with it.
Prey Drive have been sat under the surface of mainstream rock, waiting to break through since the release of their debut EP, Tabula Rasa. With
high profile endorsements, a growing fan base and an album which begs to be consumed time after time, if Prey Drive aren’t gracing the cover of music magazines by the end of next year there will have been a gross injustice
Playlists go political
Nick Mason
The Clash - (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
XTC - Making Plans for Thee Concerned Citizens Nigel – Deft Left The flagship single of the Swindon new-wave act, Making Plans for Nigel, captures the struggle of Britain’s disenchanted youth during the social and economic turmoil of the late 1970s. At its heart is the struggle of choosing career paths; the dichotomy between family honour and the alienation of heavy industry.
The opening track of the band’s solitary, pre-2015 General Election album Solution Songs, is a version of a Thee Faction favourite and a pretty stirring call to arms. Chris T-T, who visited UEA for a panel discussion on the power of music for change last year, extols the fun virtues of the leftwing over a tight, peppy backing.
Danny Nedelko - IDLES
Nena - 99 Luftballoons
The Granite Shore There’s Always One
In acknowledging his frustrations for a lack of cooperation in White Riot, Strummer’s Hammersmith seems to show him accepting the fact that what he wants cannot be, and casting blame onto a certain suited and booted rock band, the British public and punk rockers.
You could say that Danny Nedelko is exactly what The Clash wanted: a unification of people that are not all that different. In a reply to Strummer’s defeat, four decades on, they said: ‘my best friend is an immigrant’. While punk has made progress in discussing these issues, society fails to do so; same intolerance, different target.
Callum Gray
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One of the defining anthems of the Cold War, 99 Luftballoons takes a rather humorous look at the volatility between West and East German relations, the looming threat of a possible World War III, and establishes the role pop music has in such tumultuous times.
Lewis Oxley
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The second LP from Nick Halliwell’s Exeter-based band was Suspended Second, a concept album dealing with the group’s reaction to Brexit and its immediate aftermath. The dominating themes are anxiety and pity, with a very faint optimistic undertone. This album is no different, despite its use of metaphor, one lyric states: ‘We swore to pull together, but there’s always one’.
Tony Allen
Pokémon and Super Mario: Venue play Nintendo at MCM Comic Con Comic Con London this year yielded an opportunity for us to play some of the top titles recently released and due to be released on the Nintendo Switch. We utilised the opportunity to play two releases that we at Concrete and Venue have been getting excited about: Pokémon Let’s Go and Super Mario Party.
Pokémon Let’s Go The latest release within the Pokémon franchise is the first Pokémon game to be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, and is due to be launched on Friday 16 November 2018. Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s go Eevee gives players the choice between which of these cute companions will follow them throughout their quest through Kanto region, in a game that has been likened to the original Pokémon Yellow game on the Gameboy.
We trialled the cooperative mode which is one of the key new features of Let’s Go. This mode allows up to two players to explore alongside each other with player one leading the way; you can combine your throws when catching Pokémon for a catch bonus and increase your catch rate. You also battle side by side, which, when against a single NPC (nonplayer character), gives you a heavily weighted advantage over their single Pokémon which follows the standard turn based battle formula. Overall the game is everything we have been waiting for, the nostalgia of the classic games combined with the graphics and interactive gameplay only achievable through the Nintendo Switch. What’s more, you will be able to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Go on your phone into Let’s Go. The game can also be purchased with a new controller for the Switch in the shape of a Pokéball to add an extra layer of nostalgia to the game.
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Image: Vecteezy
Super Mario Party Super Mario Party allows players to take on their frenemies in a fun and exciting new set of challenges. The game is full of a number of different games, some more entertaining than others and with varying difficulty to
master. Nintendo promises that this is a complete refresh of the Mario Party games you know and love, with 80 new minigames; you can even link up a second Switch console for the ultimate multiplayer experience.
The game has quality that previous Mario Parties noticeably lacked. It doesn’t approach the level of graphical and gameplay fidelity as Super Mario Odyssey, but Party fans will notice the bump in shiny polygons. Some modes require you to work as a team in order to complete the challenge set by the game, others pit you against your friends in an ultimate showdown. This is certainly an improvement on previous versions of the Mario Party games, but it can still feel slow and some of the actions required can be difficult to get the joy-con controllers to react in the right way. You can play minigames in a set of five to see who can emerge victorious. We had a great time facing off against each other in the various games we trialled (all bar the tricky rapids).
Roo Pitt
Recently played: Return of the Obra Dinn Lucas Pope’s previous game, Papers Please, was a riveting thriller which cast the player as a downtrodden border control officer. Keeping with this pattern, his latest creation has you play as a 19th century insurance investigator for the East India Trading Company, with the primary goal being to fill out some paperwork. No, really. The setup is deliciously simple. The good ship, Obra Dinn, missing for eight years, has drifted into port without a single (living) passenger on board. Your job is to identify each person, figure out how they died, and name who or what killed them. All you have to aid you is a ship manifest, a couple of sketches, and a mysterious pocket watch that makes you privy to the final moment of someone’s life. That’s all there is to it. After a sparse tutorial, the game
withdraws, leaving you alone and hunting through a floating puzzlebox where every corpse is a clue. And it is stunning. The initial deaths are easy to figure out: man in tricorn hat shoots himself in the face; Captain, suicide. Tick. But with 62 passengers on board, and a variety of horrible ways to die, the investigation soon becomes nefariously complicated. Everything from accent, outfit, rank and age is a vital clue. Woe betide the unobservant. Along the way you unpackage a story that is one part mystery, one part tragedy, and one part... well, something else. Rest assured there are plenty of surprises in store. It’s absorbing in the same way that a good book is, forgoing bloated exposition in favour of tantalizing fragments that
gradually assemble into a complete picture. This is not a game that holds your hand, but the diligent player’s efforts are richly rewarded. A couple of deductions literally had me punching the air in giddy joy. When was the last time a puzzle made you do that? It isn’t perfect. I had to resort to guesswork at least a couple of times, and the nature of the set-up means that it has almost no replay value. But these are sacrifices worth making in the pursuit of something grander: an experience unlike anything else on the market. Miss out at your peril.
Grace Curtis
Image: steamXO, Flickr
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UEA Media Collective’s PLATFORMER The first episode of PLATFORMER, a new online show on video games, was released this Halloween on UEA:TV. It brings the start of a monthly Let’s Play series with host James Penny, well-known for The Penny Arcade, his gaming-music podcast on Livewire, and UEA:TV Editor and Cameraman Alex Viney. Each week, James will have a guest join him in reviewing a selection of popular gaming titles from the last decade. In the first episode, we watch him play a horrifying multiplayer survival, Friday the 13th, with Livewire’s Alex Dalton.
As you can probably tell from the title, the premise is based off the 1980’s film and later franchise. The objectives of Friday the 13th are as brutal as you’d expect. With up to seven players
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Image: Bagogames, Flickr
taking control as Camp Crystal Lake counselors, their aim is to survive the mass-murderer Jason Voorheas, controlled by the last player in the game. Armed with Jason’s infamous machete, the last player’s aim is to kill as many of the others as they can before time runs out. Each round is set in varying 80’s horror-movie-esque locations, many of them based off the Friday the 13th franchise. In some cases, the maps are semi-open world, with the players being able to explore further than the boundaries of Jason’s arena. The game promises additional features, such as a single-player campaign and ‘Paranoia’ mode, in the near future. Alex plays as Jason in the beginning of the episode, and from there our pair of gamers enjoy themselves as
they slay defenseless counselors using infrared vision and a wood axe, although they get a bit weirded out by the whispers of Jason’s mother in the air. Friday the 13th, as it turns out, is a game that’s difficult to take seriously - especially with the low-resolution graphics of victims’ screaming faces. When James takes the controller, it seems there are some other… comical, if broken, elements of the game. Some of the cinematic death scenes are also a bit nasty to watch. ‘Should you buy this game?’ asks James - Alex gives a definite answer. ‘No’. You can watch the end of their review online, and look out for the next episode of PLATFORMER where James will be playing the new Spyro Remaster, due to be released at the end of November.
Jordan Hunnisett
The future of streaming
The recent cancellations of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, two of Netflix’s Marvel shows, suggests a trend that the streaming giant is reducing its reliance on third-party properties. If they continue in this direction, there will be less of a need to make expensive contracts and finicky license agreements with companies such as Marvel, and we should expect to see more intellectual properties owned directly by Netflix. As is evident from their increasing output in the last few years, more and more shows and films in the Netflix catalogue will have the ‘Netflix Original’ tag, and whether that is good or bad likely depends on personal preference. Many of Netflix’s original TV shows have largely been successful – think of Bojack Horseman, Dear White People, or Glow – but these are vastly outnumbered by a constantly updated slew of mediocre to terrible series. Repeatedly, a Netflix original is released, advertised persistently for a week or two on the home screen, and
then is completely forgotten about, occasionally popping up again in your recommended section despite completely conflicting with your usual tastes. Netflix original films are in an arguably more dire state, with only a select few deserving any commendation. Even A-list casts can’t save films like Bright from being slated by reviewers. When the streaming platform is able to pick up films that have little potential for success in traditional theatrical release, perhaps the harshest critique of the platform is that direct-to-Netflix films is the new direct-to-DVD. If Netflix is evolving so drastically, what does this mean for the consumer? There are plenty of alternative streaming platforms to choose from, including Hulu or Amazon Prime Video, but the latter especially is also focusing on original shows of its own. YouTube Premium is now trying to establish itself as a viable alternative, but as a recent addition it has a
very lacklustre library as of yet. Then there is Disney+, which is set to be released in 2019 and will be home to all Disney-owned programmes, from their animated films to upcoming Star Wars shows. For many, Netflix has always been the default streaming service, but soon this may no longer be the case. Picking and choosing multiple preferred platforms might become the norm, so that having a selection of streaming choices in a household could replace subscription TV packages provided by the likes of Virgin Media or Sky. What might be difficult is finding a place to watch any originally non-streaming shows. For instance, if Netflix does away with its selection of BBC shows and they are no longer available on iPlayer, physical copies would be the last resort. A certainty is that the streaming industry is much different now to what it was a few years ago, and in another few years it will have changed again.
Joel Shelley
Image: Jens Kreuter, Unsplash
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A Discovery of Witches: a spellbinding yarn A Discovery of Witches, starring Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode, is based on the first book in the bestselling All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. Upon seeing the initial trailer, I scoffed at it and looked upon it with scorn. Another vampire/supernatural romance? As if we need another one of them. Not only have we had them aplenty, but it seems so out of touch with the times... or at least so I thought. Halloween rolls around and suddenly there is a profusion of interest in all things supernatural. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is suddenly at the top of my Netflix list, the BBC’s Inside No.9 puts on a live Halloween special, and before you know it, I’m eager to binge-watch Sky’s latest offering. Initially I feared that the show would be cringeworthy with clichés. Sure,
there are some of the typical tropes; the dark and dangerous vampire, the witch just learning the extent of her powers, a forbidden Romeo and Juliet-esque romance, and a magical object (the Ashmole 782 manuscript) that has unknown powers. Yet the world that Harkness and the shows’ creators have conjured is rich in lore and embedded in our own. Witches, vampires, and daemons teeter on the brink of war and must live in secret amongst humans.
novel, alongside watching the series, and it’s clear to me why this show and the books have been such a hit. A Discovery of Witches, with its beautiful autumnal timing, its complex species system, and its varied and picturesque settings, is the perfect escape for us and yet also an apt reflection of our times.
Admittedly, I was sceptical about
The creatures in the story are divided by their needs and desire for power and control, and yet they can also come together when working towards a common goal. Whilst eerily
Already I have begun to read the first
Jodie Bailey
this series, and yet A Discovery of Witches seems to have captured the imagination of its audience, myself included. Seasons two and three have already been commissioned by Sky; not a surprise considering the book series’ massive fan base.
reminiscent of the divided world we live in today, there’s also escapism. Dare I say it, but with the two combined, the show may well prove to be the empowering series that we need today.
Attenborough is a national treasure... but he’s right to be criticised Sir David Attenborough is a national treasure. There’s little doubt about that. He’s brought worldwide attention to our natural world, and Dynasties, his new BBC wildlife series, looks to continue that. But with such a massive platform, was he right to tout environmental alarmism as a ‘turn-off’ for his viewers? Or, more precisely, was he right to use that as a reason to not draw attention to it? Many disagree. The Guardian’s George Monbiot, a columnist and environmental activist, is perhaps the figurehead of this criticism. He argues that by failing to directly address climate change as an issue caused by humans and in particular, the show’s viewers - Attenborough is prioritising his
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Image: Vecteezy
audience’s entertainment over education. The article’s points are well backed-up, and his reasoning is sound. Not everyone, however, thinks the criticisms levelled at him are deserved. Dissenters have argued that Attenborough has done more for climate change than almost anyone. That he’s drawn attention to the wonders of the natural world, and has given an infinite number of reasons as to why this world is worth saving. These are all compelling arguments - though many have defended Attenborough simply for his status as that ‘national treasure’. How can a national icon who embodies the natural world be seen as betraying it?
And therein lies the problem. National treasures should not be immune to criticism. In fact, Attenborough’s lofty status makes it all the more mindboggling that he isn’t gunning for a greater awareness of climate change, given that the world he documents with so much genuine love is dying in front of him. It’s as if the man cares more about his image than about his world. Sure, to make his programs more ‘alarmist’ or, heaven forbid, ‘proselytising’, may indeed be a turn-off for some. But it’s vital: Attenborough has the platform to get these messages across, and, national treasure or not, he just isn’t using it enough.
Gus Edgar-Chan
The philosophy of... Daredevil
Daredevil’s third season is a gripping exploration of the internal boundaries that individuals maintain as well as the external regulations holding them back, and the navigation of both for the purposes of action, be it a selfish or altruistic motivation. For Matthew Murdock, the titular Daredevil, his arc centres on his disillusionment with Catholicism and the law. In his perspective, it is the judicial system that he swore an oath to uphold that has set his nemesis, Wilson Fisk, free and allowed him to thrive below the radar of the law. It is also Murdock’s unyielding refusal to take a life that renders him unable to permanently end Fisk’s reign. With the severing of his moral principles also came the dissolution of his human ties, his friends and his moral council, to remove the distractions that hinder his mission, but to also protect them from the consequences of his actions. Prior to the suffering he undergoes that leads him to lose his faith, Murdock believed himself to be God’s servant, executing God’s will through his identity as Daredevil. However, as he begins to question his faith
and the absence of divine justice in himself and the city around him, Murdock examines his own agency in his actions as a vigilante and grows to reject God’s influence on what he had hitherto considered his divine vocation. This loss of faith is clearly demonstrated by his reply to a woman thanking God for him: ‘He didn’t help you. I did.’ Therefore, at first one can surmise free will to be the absence and rejection of the obstacles that hinder us from acting; Murdock’s decision to become Daredevil leaves him as a man with nothing to lose and nothing to hold him back. This is in contrast with Wilson Fisk, a man in prison with a singular goal to be reunited with his wife. It is through the exploitation of the government’s bureaucracy and the judicial system that he has a framework to climb and eventually exonerate himself. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Nadeem’s commitment to the FBI and his family is what the Fisk preys upon to make him his servant. Consequently, Fisk relies on the restrictions placed upon him in order to thrive. The perversion of Murdock’s new
philosophy comes in the form of Benjamin Poindexter’s release of his psychopathic urges. Like Daredevil, he was a man that used a system, his being in the FBI, in order to justify his violence. He also sought therapy to guide him, paralleling Murdock’s reliance on religion. It is this yearning for a ‘north star’ that empowers Fisk to seduce him for his own purposes as he promises Poindexter a sense freedom. Poindexter comes to don Murdock’s red Daredevil suit, illustrating to Murdock what he could have become without the guiding influences instructing him to remain vigilant when controlling his own feelings of anger. Overall, Daredevil Season 3 unifies its characters in their struggles with their own agency and the ability to act, whilst navigating the restrictions placed by ourselves and upon ourselves, both legally and morally. While these restrictions might hinder our ability to act in one manner, they also enable us a framework to operate in another, whilst the promise of liberty can leave us open to being exploited.
Joem Opiña
Image: Netflix
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An Open Book 8:00 Confused blinks A stretch and a yawn Hesitant clumsy movements in the wake of dawn 8:05 Creased eyebrows Rumble rumble Gorging on cornflakes to appease the grumble
6:00 A secret little dance Hands darting for the coat Laughter rising from her throat 9:00 Mouth turned up at the corners Eyes twinkling wide and bright Applying more red lipstick to start off the night
9:00 Arms wrapped around chest Lips starting to turn blue Toes wriggle against the fur lined shoe
10:28 A thousand near stumbles Giggles giggles giggles Breath smelling of rum and pineapples
12:00 Veins popping with hues of purple and green Hair scrapped back in a tight ponytail Nose turns up at the lunch of spinach and kale 2:32 Shoulders slumped Countless self-pitying sighs A dull glisten cast over her eyes
12:05 Red nails pressed into soft flesh Curling toes Her hands prise to remove his clothes 3:00 Rubbing heavy eyes A yawn breaking through Deep heavy breathing and silence to ensue.
Casa Internazionale Even the bleakest day Had a taste of the present. The present, Back then, Was a concoction Of mellow mornings, Followed by endless, heightened nights. Now it’s just me And the future: I am gnawing it away. At least it will sharpen my teeth. Not a day goes by Without someone telling me, “Oh, you’re from…!” Not a day goes by without someone proclaiming, “I know you, you’re this!”
‘This’, is nothing Not pleasure, Not haste. No taste of present, Not even of future. ‘This’ should be something, But it’s not Never will be. ‘This’ should be me, And maybe it is, A tiny bit. But it’s not my lips, It’s not my lungs, It’s not my quirks, It’s not my tongue, It’s not my hands, It’s not the crepuscular, Beautiful faces, That haunt me, When I walk,
Leia Butler
When I breathe, When I remember that once I existed. Somewhere, A space, Down Under Where everybody is something Nobody is nothing. Deaf smiles mean nothing. It’s easier to be mould Than to be river. It’s easier to drag down Than to raise up. It’s easier to be ‘this’ Than to be gone. It’s not easier to be here, Than to go back.
Benedetta Mancusi Image: Wikimedia Commons
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A Mirrors reflection quivers between two vibrating hands A woman, her face fresh, full of youth Lips obtain their shape, their shade, their truth Nose sculpted to a small acute angle Cheeks closed pores, sketched satin soft, pale Eyes blue and grey like clouds shrouding summer sky Fingers that shake with the vigour of life
The quake The break The bomb
But no one knows the ageing woman inside: Can hear the muted screams See the invisible streams The inside, sliced like ham with a blunt knife Salt water running into the cracks as she cries
Yet The mirrors reflection shows a girl intact A girl exact An artifact Something to be shown in a museum
Mapping out her agony like moats on a more Her body collapsing under all it endures Fingers shake with the aftermath for so long The horror
Like A meteor falling from great height Her body shattering from its abominable plight a hole ripped open at the seams, She unravelled like thread, Her pieces floating downstream.
Like buildings from wars that withstood Violence and gore And they call for an encoreThinking it impenetrable. Whole and complete. Strong defence; no defeat.
But you can’t see, the building has cracks Places it can never be made intact Holes in the foundations which are riddled with rot Humans that made them, evidently forgot They cannot be simply restored like new Like people undamaged Are precious and few That face in the mirror worn like a mask That face isn’t sure how long it will last Before it wears away along with the uprooted land Inside of her body that shakes like her hands For life and love leaves many a mark The cracks no one sees which she wears on her heart
Ella Louise Rowdon
Loving Your Body
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Kia is watching herself in the mirror and She doesn’t look like herself; She thinks she did once; She wishes she did now; She never will again.
Where there was once the ground-splitting chasm, swollen with jealous darkness There is now a blooming of flowers — And Kia – she, like Persephone, is the seed from which spring blossoms.
Kia is watching herself in the mirror and Where there was once the sharp jutting of rocks There is now ripe grassland, May green, lingering with soft sweet-scented breezes; Where there was once a blunt cut of cliff edge There is now a lifetime of ever rolling hills, heart-fluttering peaks, reassuring valleys; Where there was once the hacked bark of a tree trunk There are now the dewed, fuzzy stems of daisies and the sticky sap of dandelions;
Kia is watching herself in the mirror and she doesn’t look like herself. How can she when her legs are rivers, her arms are streams and her eyes are galaxies? How can she when she, like Demeter, holds within her an eternity of springs to come?
Images: Wikimedia Commons, and William Doyle, flickr
Dylan Davies
Fishnet Tights A girl came to work wearing Fishnet tights
depended on whether or not I painted my nails
And I thought about how She had told us that she was going to wear them Told everyone she was going to wear them Because the night before when the boss had looked over at my own stockinged legs he had suggested that she should try them out And I saw them looking at my thighs I saw them both pointing at them
The girl came into work Wearing the fishnet tights And I thought about how everyone had looked at her As she stretched out her legs To give us the full spectacle The diamond pattern Warped as she moved The corners stretched and So did their mouths Those girls on the table opposite
And I wondered whether they noticed the stains on my skirt from sitting in chalk when I had smoked cigarettes outside And I thought about how she had flirted With the customers About how she was going to wear those Fishnet tights And she had told them about her lace bra Which she showed to me while I cashed up Blue and lace Taking in the tips My fingers curled so as not to reveal the navy chips on my unpainted nails A man had pointed out to me earlier that night And I remember thinking Why this man had taken such offence To my nails being chipped As if a flaw in my appearance Could somehow ruin the pace at which he received his pint of beer Or the manner of which he smiled at me as he Gave me his money As if I had somehow failed at my job As if whether or not I was to fail at my job
When she walked over to collect their glasses She was careful with her tray And did not spill a single drop. Then she walked away And when she came back, Her fishnet tights were gone Replaced with black jeans That she had complained last night of making her thighs sweat and being too tight And The heat must have reached her face Because it was wet under her eyes And it made me want to take off my own tights And my apron And my shirt And throw them into the middle of the room Because she had worn fishnet tights And those girls had laughed at her Pink flesh, skin tight stretched Red lines, mapping the crosses across her legs Adds another ‘x’ in her mind One for each time someone had made her feel Less than she was
Ella Louise Rowdon
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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Toby Marquis
Halloween can feel like an underappreciated holiday; a gimmick, a costume to be bought and thrown away in the looming wake of Christmas. But this is underselling it: disguise is the heart of Halloween, and disguise is freedom! Show off your month-in-theworks masterpiece of a costume, or slap on some fake blood and hit the town. For one night a year, you can be a ghost, a superhero, a princess, an airline pilot, or an axe murderer: if you forgot to prepare (let’s be honest, we all did), then bust out the eyeliner and give yourself some cat whiskers. Everyone looks the same in the dark, anyway.
This fun is all without the slow sense of dread that has started to surround the family Christmas. It creeps along like a shambling corpse all through December: the shopping, the cooking, the enormous fight over the washing-up. ‘Don’t talk to me about Christmas’ you say, ‘not yet!’, but you know it’s coming. You can already hear Mariah Carey in the distance, circling like a festive shark. This sort of stress can put you off a holiday. You certainly don’t have to invite your weird uncle to your Halloween party, or make up lies about your love life and your studies. In fact, All Hallows’ Eve is only as stressful as you make it; whether you’re a party animal or ghost at the feast, there’s a way to get into the spirit of the season. If parties aren’t your thing, you’re free to loaf out with some classic horror and a pizza. If other human beings aren’t your thing, then there’s nothing more seasonal than turning all the lights off and pretending to children that the house is long abandoned. Halloween is all about you, with or without the ridiculous costume.
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Images: Vecteezy
Leia Butler
There’s nothing better than the soft smell of cinnamon, and a subtle sweet scent of oranges to embrace you; or hot chocolate steam in a red and white mug to warm you up. How about dazzling coloured lights to brighten up dark skies and cold nights? Christmas is the most sensual, evocative holiday, from the smells to the tastes, it has it all.Not only is the day itself magical, but the build-up too. Bublé, Wham, Mariah; Christmas music is sure to put a spring in your step.
Though one of the holiest days for religious people, Christmas can be celebrated by the non-religious community too, making it one of the most widely loved festivals. From huddling around the tree and putting up those special decorations, or a collaborative effort on this year’s special Christmas chutney; when 25 December rolls around, you know it’s all about family time. The unique thing about Christmas is that every family does it slightly differently, however one of the best elements is the main family meal that you get with no other holiday. A golden turkey on the table, surrounded by crispy potatoes and all the sides you could ever dream of. The Christmas meal is the dinner of kings, made better by having your nearest and dearest tucking into the same tasty treats. The paper hats, the terrible jokes, and the poor Christmas cracker prizes are all essential components to a successful Christmas dinner. Christmas provides the opportunity to show appreciation for friends and family no matter what gift, big or small. To summarise, there is simply no other festival which causes as much excitement, anticipation, and happiness as Christmas does.
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Image: Jordan Hunnisett