Max Mosley
Derby Day 2011
Concrete chats to the former FIA chief about Formula 1 and his recent court battle with The News of the World
Turn to page 24 for your guide to the sporting extravaganza
UEA’s independent student newspaper since 1992
Tuesday 15th March, 2011 • Issue 254 • Twitter: @Concrete_UEA
Is the Chaplaincy failing Hindus? • Motion in Union Council brings to light a lack of support for students of the Hindu faith • Concern over the suitability of the Chaplaincy as a multi-faith space David Murphy News Reporter
Hindu students at UEA have voiced their disappointment that the University does not accommodate their faith on campus. In a motion passed by members of the UEA Hindu Society at Union Council, the University has been criticised for not appearing to welcome students from a Hindu faith as readily as it does those from Christian and other Abrahamic faiths. It points out that there is no designated space on campus for the Hindu Society to store or worship a deity or light controlled �ires, all of which are important in Hinduism. The motion was backed by members of the UEA Buddhist Society who are unable to store a Buddha on campus. Venthan Mailoo, who proposed
the motion, has pointed out that he is concerned for incoming students. He told Concrete: “If a student is far away from home for the �irst time and doesn’t feel there is somewhere they can practice their faith they may be put off the University or suffer greater stress”. There is no designated place for Hindu worship in Norwich or even in East Anglia. Mr Mailoo told this reporter that those of Hindu faith in Norwich have to travel as far a�ield as Romford, Leicester and Birmingham to �ind a designated temple where they can pray as a group. While Hindu students are allowed to use the Chaplaincy, whose mission statement is to “enable all members of the University community, to explore their own beliefs”, students have to clear a large number of chairs before they can pray on the �loor. Continued on page 4
Harriet Jones
UEA Rugby teams face punishment James Hughes
News Reporter
UEA RFC has been banned from hosting the annual summer rugby sevens tournament as part of a structured punishment by the Union for damage caused to a local hotel. The much celebrated and anticipated event, held in early June, is one of the highlights of many students’ calendars, with crowds and players alike �locking to the tournament. It features a wide range of teams formed from societies and fair-weather rugby players, as well as being one of the main events for UEA alumni to meet and relive their university days. Typically, it has been the duty of the Men’s and Women’s Rugby clubs to host, however, the ban prevents them from entering and hosting the tournament altogether, rendering it cancelled unless an alternative is reached. This could potentially be a real cause for concern for the Union, as it will affect a far wider demographic than simply the parties in question.
The UEA Chaplaincy is designed to provide a place of worship for all faiths
Inside: Union Election Guide 2011 Meet the candidates for the forthcoming Union Elections
Continued on page 3
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Danny Collins
Deputy Editor: Chief Copy Editor: News Editors: Comment and Opinion Editor: International Editor: Features Editor:
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Turf Editor:
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Sports Editors: Chief Photographer: Deputy Chief Photographer: Advertising Manager: Distributor:
ISSUE 254
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Chris King Rob Schatten
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In this fortnight’s Concrete... News
3-8 9-11
Opinion Travel
12-13
Features
14-17
Lifestyle
18-20
Focsoc
21
International
22
Turf
23
Sport
24-28
...and Venue Fashion
4-5
Arts
6-7
Creative Writing TV
8 9-10
Wired
12-13
Film
14-17
Music
18-22
Listings
23
Competitions
24
Travel
12-13
Through the mountains of Vietnam
Greg Mann
Laura Smith Jean Wills
Rob Schatten
Contributors: Mark Shead, James Hughes, David Murphy, Tim Bates, Philip Thomas, Rachael Lum, Alex Mansell, Ant FirthClark, Stacey Knapp, Susanna Wood, Catherine Martin, Charlie Wallace, Fiona Howard, Joshua Resoun, Jack Brinded, Jeremy Dales, Lauren Razavi, Avani Shah, Georgie Adolpho-Couling, Lauren Cope, Rebecca Hazlewood, Drew Nicol, Christine O’Sullivan, Chris Leach, Tim Miller, Carmina Masoliver, Isabelle Carty, Beth Robertson, Tobias Martin, Sam Parry, Sam Tomkinson, Freddie Magee, Mark Roach, Chris Teale, Matt Scrafton
Jeremy Dales takes us on a trip through Vietnam aboard the Reunification Express
Features
14-17
The times they are a-changin’...
Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2011 Concrete. ISSN 13512773 Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Danny Collins. Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity as necessary. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper.
Proofreaders:
Charlie Christie, Ann Hartigan, Harry Slater, Amy Adams, Beth Wyatt
Lauren Razavi looks at the link between music and politics
No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the Editor, Danny Collins. Printed by Archant.
ISSUE 254
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Tuesday 15th March
Rise in cheating hits universities
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UEA Rugby stripped of 7s tournament • Rugby club cause £1,300 worth of damage to hotel at Christmas Ball. • Union questioned over severity of punishment, as popular tournament is cancelled. Continued from page 1
A report into cheating by The Daily Telegraph has revealed that cheating in UEA degrees has more than doubled. The survey reports that many leading UK universities witnessed a rise in cheating, with cases in UEA increasing from 119 incidents in 2005/6 to 241 in 2009/10. In the article, The Telegraph gives UEA a dishonourable mention, stating how some students in recent years have submitted ‘almost identical’ pieces of work as each other. It also highlights how the work of one student included whole sections copied from Wikipedia. In universities across the country, examples of plagiarism in essays and students buying prewritten essays on the internet have lead to the newspaper proclaiming a ‘cheating epidemic’. On his own admission however, the reporter acknowledges the potential inaccuracy of these statistics, as only ‘the most serious cases’ tend to be recorded, and some universities seem better at keeping track of cheating than others. Some are calling for harsher penalties as a result of the apparent increases across the country, as ‘only a handful of students’ were expelled for cheating. Mark Shead
UEA security clamp down on bike thieves UEA security are alerting students of the dangers of leaving their bikes unsecured, with 20 bikes being reported as stolen this academic year. 98.9% of bicycles stolen were secured with a cable lock, with UEA security recommending that students invest in a D lock to properly secure their bikes. These locks can be purchased from the Security Lodge. The police are also beginning a cycle campaign targeting cyclists who are not adhering to traffic laws and are putting themselves and others in danger.
The punishment is the result of a complaint made by the proprietors of the Maid’s Head Hotel after both the men’s and women’s teams hosted their Christmas ball there on 9th December and caused damage in the region of £1,300. The bill, which was sent to the Union, was settled personally by the clubs through contributions from all of their members within three days of receiving the bill. The men’s club President, Charlie Dower, stated: “I handed the money personally to the Maid’s Head Manager who thanked us for dealing with it so quickly and responsibly.” He added: “This obviously shows how much the members, both men and women care about the club”. Furthermore, the punishment for Men’s Rugby does not end with losing the right to host the 7s tournament, having been forced to choose one of the club’s teams to withdraw from their league for the rest of the season. Either the Trojans or the second team were those selected for sacrifice. The decision to suspend the Trojans, who are winning on average 100-0 each week in their Saturday league, would be a real blow to the progress of the team. The Trojans, along with UEA 1st XV and Women’s 1st XV are all on
The Men’s and Women’s Rugby Clubs at a previous social event
the brink of promotion in their respective leagues which would be a feat that the club has not achieved for years. However, the integrity of the club has remained intact, with teams still able to compete each week in the BUCS league which pits them against other university teams and maintains healthy rivalries. When questioned about the effect of the punishment, Communications Officer of the Union, Tom Dolton, seemed resolute and defended the action taken by the Student Officer Committee. He remarked that “the actions taken
[by the clubs] did not reflect well upon the University and the Union so we felt a greater punishment was required”. He was also asked whether the Union would look into alternative means to host the tournament, stating that “the matter is to be discussed further to see if the tournament can go ahead anyway”, but refused to give a definitive answer as to whether this would materialise. The final resolution came after both clubs embarked on a process of appeal for the initial punishment through the Union complaint process, which was upheld by the
Student Officer Committee. The original punishment would have meant that all three teams would have had to have withdrawn from their respective leagues. The decision was passed by the Management Committee on Thursday evening after concise reviewing of the “inappropriate behaviour” section of the committee contract. This section has been consulted only twice prior to this incident since its addition to the committee contract two years ago. James Hughes
Injured plumber wins damages from UEA Tim Bates
News Reporter
A local plumber has been awarded over five thousand pounds in compensation by UEA, after the Court of Appeals refused to uphold the University’s objections to an original court ruling. Last August, Norwich County Court heard how John Spalding, aged 65, had been forced to work in cramped, wet conditions, while fixing a leaking radiator in the University library. After two hours working underneath a fixed desk, Mr Spalding slipped on the bin bag he had been lying on as protection from the damp, and landed heavily, breaking three of his teeth and
severely cutting his face. The Court was told that, had the University supplied suitable anti-slip mats, or extra clothing, this would not have happened. Mr Spalding was eventually awarded £5,217, despite the Court finding him 50% at fault. The University immediately decided to appeal the decision, stating that they had ‘no legal duty’ to supply Mr Spalding with any extra equipment. However, Mr. Justice Spencer agreed with the original verdict, stating that it was the University’s responsibility to supply a waterproof mat, and that, if this had been followed, Mr Spalding would almost certainly have avoided his injuries.
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ISSUE 254
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Live Learn Campaign sees applicants for Open Day soar The University of East Anglia has announced that the number of students applying for Open Days has increased by over 50%, with around 9000 prospective students visiting the campus over three days. The University is crediting this to the success of the award-winning ‘Live Learn’ advertising campaign, produced by a local agency The Click. The striking design of the campaign aims to promote UEA as an institution believing in learning to live as well as living to learn, emphasising the importance of both academic and recreational life. Applications to UEA have markedly increased by 23%, a figure that is particularly impressive when compared to a national average of only 4%. Prospective students are increasingly hesitant towards higher education and applicants for entry in September 2012 face the additional pressures of changes to the tuition fees system; representatives from UEA have stressed the importance of explaining the benefits of university over other options. Philip Thomas
Hindus have nowhere to worship on campus Continued from page 1 The motion states that the Union believes the Chaplaincy “appears much more like a conventional Christian Church” than a true ‘multi-faith’ chapel. When this reporter attended one of Hindu Society’s weekly meetings, including an in-depth talk on an introduction to Hinduism, it became clear how members from the much wider community could use UEA as a hub for Hindu worship. Community and Students Rights Officer, Dan Youmans, has confirmed he is in talks with the Dean of Students and the Chaplaincy. He says that “students proposing the motion were clear that a whole range of situations might work” including using facilities apart from the Chaplaincy in the same way that Islamic students have a separate prayer room elsewhere on campus. No one from the Dean of Students Office or the Chaplaincy was available for comment at this time. David Murphy
concrete.news@uea.ac.uk
UEA lecturers set to strike over pension dispute • 84 UEA staff vote in support of strike • Industrial action planned for 22nd and 24th March Danny Collins
Editor
UEA lecturers and staff are expected to go on strike next week in response to a pension dispute, it has been announced. The action, which was backed in a ballot by UCU (University and College Union) members, will see a number of UEA staff join those from 63 universities nationwide in walking out on the March 22nd and 23rd. The ballot saw 156 UEA staff members vote, with 84 voting in favour of industrial action. The exact number of staff set to strike remains unknown. The dispute has arisen as a result of changes to the university Superannuation Scheme Pension Fund, and talks to avert the strike remain deadlocked as the proposed dates approach.
It is predicted that up to a million students nationwide will be affected by the action, which will be the first of its kind in five years. Speaking to Concrete, the University said of the proposed action: “This is a national dispute and universities have been engaged in protracted negotiations with the UCU over pension reform. “We are aware of possible action on March 22 and March 24 and regret any disruption it may cause to our students. Only a small minority of UEA staff have voted for strike action and the University will continue to function as normally as possible on the affected days.” The Union of UEA students displayed solidarity with the UCU, An official statement from the suggesting that the dispute was a Union said: “It is essential that the direct result of recent university Student Union supports those who budget cuts. are protesting in defence of higher
education. The Union will always stand by those who are defending education for current and future students.”
Medics bind together for injured teammate Tim Bates
News Reporter
A UEA Medics rugby game was interrupted twice last week, firstly to call an ambulance for one of its players, and then fifty minutes later, to help the ambulance off the field of play. Second-year trainee doctor, Hywel Rawlins, was injured in the away game to Holt, fracturing his leg in a slippery tackle. When he couldn’t be moved, he told the other players to continue the match in an adjacent field while he waited for the ambulance to arrive. When the ambulance eventually arrived, fifty minutes later, the game was stopped again as the teams helped Mr Rawlins into the ambulance, only to find that the vehicle had become stuck in the mud. The forwards from both the Medics team and Holt got together, to effectively scrum the vehicle back onto the road, where it was able to continue to the hospital without incident. Despite the long delay before the ambulance arrived, Mr Rawlins
wasn’t short of any medical expertise, as his team is entirely made up of fellow medical students, who tended to his injuries as best they could until help arrived. Duncan Watt, club captain of the UEA Medics team, said that the club were “not in any way disappointed in the ambulance
service. It was just one of those things”. A spokesperson for the ambulance service said they aimed to respond to 75% of ‘life threatening’ calls within eight minutes, and that they always work to dispatch their services as soon as possible.
Mr Rawlins, speaking from his bed in Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital, said: “I’m okay at the moment, just waiting for the swelling to go down so I can have the operation”. Holt went on to beat the diminished Medics side, winning the match by 29 points to 7.
Crouch, touch, pause, engage.....: UEA Medics Rugby help the ambulance from the field of play
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“Frankenfood” myth dispelled by new Agricultural MSc UEA have launched a new agricultural course, due to commence in September. The MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security will be the first of its kind in the UK to explore various agricultural techniques geared towards addressing the world food crisis. The introduction of this course will respond to the Foresight Report on Food and Farming Futures released this month, which claims that overhauling food production will ensure enough food to cater a population likely to grow by 50 per cent within the next 40 years. Taught by experts at the Centre for Contemporary Agriculture, this one-year degree will uncover the latest developments in irrigation, machinery and plant breeding, as well as dismiss the misconceptions of genetic modification. The leader of this course, Professor John Turner of UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, said: “Graduates of this exciting new course will be instrumental in applying the latest scientific methods to tackle this global challenge”. He went on to say that those who take the course “will be part of the solution”. Rachael Lum
Former Norwich City player graces LCR stage Former Norwich City star, Dion Dublin, appeared not on the pitch but on the stage to perform his other great passion that is music, and showcase a unique instrument of his own invention last week. Dublin and his band The Establishment are supporting Britpop 90s band Ocean Colour Scene, who recently appeared at UEA. The footballer turned musician has admitted his excitement at the chance to appear alongside Ocean Colour Scene, and the opportunity to play his six-sided electronic instrument personally dubbed ‘the Dube’. Dublin enjoyed a 20-year professional football career, which saw him play for Manchester United, Aston Villa and Celtic, before finishing his career with Norwich. Philip Thomas
LSE director quits over links with Libya
ISSUE 254 concrete.news@uea.ac.uk
• As protests continue in Libya, the director of the London School of Economics has left his post. Alex Mansell
News Reporter
The London School of Economics has been thrust into the spotlight of the Libyan revolution after details emerged linking the London university to Muammar Gaddafi’s crumbling regime. It has been revealed that the LSE had received £300,000 of a proposed £1.5million from a charitable wing of the regime, the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation. This financial donation was intended to be used on developing a research program on North Africa and to create a scholarship fund for underprivileged Libyans, of which the £300,000 in question has already been spent on. The breaking of this news prompted a protest by LSE students who were angered with their university being associated with Gaddafi’s regime in Libya. Around
150 students staged a protest outside the office of former LSE director, Sir Howard Davies, whilst 12 students managed to directly storm the office. The LSE responded by stating that is was reconsidering its financial ties with Libya “as a matter of urgency”. The aftermath of this incident and subsequent media backlash against the LSE, dubbed the ‘Libyan School of Economics’ by some tabloid newspapers, has been felt most by Sir Howard Davies who resigned from his post as LSE director on 3rd March. In a statement made by Davies, he admitted that “the reputation of the school is my responsibility and it has been damaged and I think that I need to take the responsibility for that”. While the LSE had been fostering a financial relationship with the Gaddafi regime, Davies had also been visiting Libya to advise the regime on how to manage its
The library of the London School of Economics
state sovereign wealth fund. Though Davies acted as an economic envoy for the British Government while working in Libya, he claims to have made “a grave personal error” in doing so. An unfortunate series of events for the LSE became even worse when evidence arose to suggest that Saif Gaddafi, son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, had plagiarised parts of his post-doctorate thesis while studying at the LSE from 2005. Varying claims have suggested
that Saif Gaddafi’s PHD contained unreferenced material, and that he received extensive help from Libyan academics. The LSE has since confirmed that it is investigating these allegations of plagiarism. In the wake of numerous accusations that have been damaging to the LSE’s public image, an independent inquiry has been announced to examine the relationship between the University and Libya, both financially and academically.
UEA student set to storm MTV
Ant Firth-Clark
News Reporter
UEA PhD student, Context MC, is to feature on MTV after his music video received over 10,000 YouTube hits within a week. Context has blessed venues nationwide with his dark, thoughtprovoking Dup-Hop sound; played alongside the likes of Shy FX, Friction and Rusko and has continuously seen support from radio stations such as BBC 1Xtra as well as being highly thought of in the blog sphere. Over the past few months, rewards for the last three-to-four years of hard work have been starting to pile up. The beginning of 2011 saw Context’s new single, Off With Their Heads, get debuted by 1xtra. Spending a month developing a music video of the track, which features Vertex of grime crew Marvell, he released the video on YouTube to receive 10,000 hits in the first week. Within 10 days of Context’s video being uploaded to YouTube, MTV
contacted the MC about wanting to discuss his video in their next acquisitions meeting and a week later they accepted his video to their roster and upped it on their website. In respect to his developments, Context had this to say: “To be honest, it’s the latest in a series of releases which have reassuringly exceeded my expectations. I never expected my debut EP which was made in my bedroom to be played so widely on BBC Radio 1, but it was, and I never expected a music video which I made myself for £100 to get playlisted by MTV, but it has. I think it goes to show that the music industry is not the horrible, evil place people seem to pretend it is.” As if this wasn’t enough for one of UEA’s own PhD students, he’s now been long-listed out of thousands of acts fighting to play Glastonbury’s main stage. With things moving so fast, who knows what else is waiting just around the corner for this hard working MC? As the man himself states: “I don’t play a game for the sake of playing it: I play it to win, so keep your eyes peeled”.
UEA PhD student, Context MC, is pioneering Dub-Hop on MTV
ISSUE 254
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Tuesday 15th March
Schoolhouse license looked into after complaints
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Go Global week hits campus • First Go Global week celebrates the multicultural community at UEA, bringing students together in a variety of ways. • International Party sees over a dozen societies display their talents in the LCR. Mia Wecker
News Reporter
Geraldine Morizet
Just six months after opening, The Schoolhouse bar on Earlham Road is to have its license looked into owing to complaints to the City Council about the antics of its intoxicated customers in the surrounding areas. The bar opened for business in September last year and targets the student market. Increasingly popular with students, their license is already under review after complaints from those living in the area. The complaints reported to the City Council specifically concerned the noise and “rowdy behaviour of intoxicated customers leaving the premises”. Residents have had until the 15th March to feedback any comments to the City Council’s licensing department and they will now be considering if the matter should be taken up further with the Licensing Committee. Mike Harris, the manager at the Schoolhouse, says he is confident they will “be okay” and said that there have been no complaints whatsoever since he took over the venue on the 3rd January. Dan Pirozzolo
Open meetings to be held after explosive Union Council A series of open meetings surrounding the role of the Women’s Officer are to be held after a contentious motion was brought to Union Council. The motion to look into creating a Gender Equality Officer was shrouded in controversy after a powerpoint presentation on the topic was sent to just male members of Union Council prior to the meeting.
For many years, the UEA Union of Students has hosted an annual International Party. This year however, they decided to extend the event into a whole week of international events celebrating UEA’s multicultural body of students. Go Global Week featured a variety of events, as well as deals on offer around campus, including performances in the square, free international food, special ‘Go Global’ themed menus in Vista and Zest, as well as photo galleries in the Hive displaying the best student snaps from all over the world. Go Global Week started off on Monday 7th March, with a Japanese workshop featuring free language and origami lessons, followed by UEA Careers Using Languages Day on Tuesday, where students could obtain information about how to use their language skills to travel and work abroad. Wednesday saw a Global Voices Session and the finale of the Globe Spotting Competition taking place in the Hive; but it was the much anticipated International Party that attracted the largest crowd,
featuring performances from over a dozen societies (Brunei Soc, Indian Soc, Afro-Caribbean Soc, to name but a few), as well as food stands offering free nibbles from around the world. Thursday was designated Global Careers Day, with a series of 30-minute seminars on various topics including ‘Why volunteer’ and ‘Using a recruitment agency’. This careers fair was followed by a screening of Samson and Delilah and a Bhangra Party in the Blue Bar. On Friday, students had a chance to learn some dance moves, with an Indian Dance Workshop and ballroom dancing lessons on offer during the Fairtrade Tea Party in the LCR; there were also career consulting sessions for Chinese students and a screening of the Romanian film Police, Adjective. Go Global Week concluded with a special International themed Quiz in the Blue Bar on Sunday. According to Emma Hume, a third-year DEV student and performer at the International Party, “the whole week was a huge success; I hope Go Global Week will continue next year”. Given the positive reception of Go Global Week 2011, there is a fair chance it will.
Harriet Jones
Harriet Jones
UEA NAM lecturer sings for science Susanna Wood
News Reporter
A UEA lecturer has been using unusual methods to raise awareness of neurological conditions. Steve Smith, who lectures in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, writes and sings songs that demonstrate his expert knowledge on the subject of conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, and Huntington’s Disease, and the impact they have on sufferers and their carers. A regular speaker at medical conferences, Smith is now being
asked to perform his songs alongside his more conventional methods. Smith explained: “The songs are true, though in some cases they might be inspired first by one particular individual or family, and then changed to protect identity and to include some aspects inspired by some other people.” “I haven’t got a good imagination for song writing,” he added. “I just put down stories as I experienced them or as someone I have nursed or their loved ones told me.” Despite the serious subject matter, Smith’s songs are often comical and light-hearted,
with one particularly arresting number containing the catchy chorus “Baby you can trust me, I’m a neuroscience nurse”. Other popular titles include the poignant “Who Cares for the Carer?” and “Immune”. Steve has performed at the Huntington’s Disease Association AGM in Telford, and at The European Huntington’s Association conference in Belgium. He has also serenaded conferences in Copenhagen, Spain and Toronto, when invited by the World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses (WFNN). Smith has expressed the hope that the songs will make difficult
conditions more accessible to people. “For people who haven’t any experience or knowledge of these conditions and how they can impact on a family, this is a chance to get to understand.” Alongside his blossoming singing career, Steve Smith is also planning a 5,000 mile motorbike ride across Europe. Joined by his two sons, he is hoping to raise money for charities such as Scope, MIND and the Huntingdon’s Disease Association. He has also written a book, Neuro Care Manual: A Guide to Neurology for Nurses & Family Carers, which will be published on March 15th.
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UEA students host science fair at Norwich Castle Norwich Castle Museum has hosted a fun science event for children in Norwich in conjunction with students from UEA. The ‘Look Who’s Talking’ event took place over Saturday March 12th and Sunday March 13th as part of National Science and Engineering Week 2011. The weekend featured many entertaining events for children of all ages, such as making optical illusions and the unusual activity of seeing how animals communicate through their poo. Other highlights included learning how bats communicate, how Morse code was used during the Second World War, how to make a cup and string telephone and how your nerves communicate with your heart. Youngsters in Norwich could see a telephone switchboard from the 1920s, discover how their eyes see and their ears hear, and win prizes by testing how fast they could react to sound. There was a ‘wild’ theme to many of the learning experiences. Children could make colourful animal t-shirts and learn about the hidden messages in a lion’s mane, a deer’s antlers or a peacock’s plumage from the many knowledgeable natural history curators at the museum. Students from UEA’s schools of Biological Sciences and Allied Health Professions helped organise the fun-filled family event in the Museum’s natural history galleries. David Murphy
Communications Officer narrowly avoids Libyan mission The recent meeting of Union Council nearly resulted in the Communications Officer, Tom Dolton, being sent to Libya in order to tell Colonel Gaddafi of the Union’s distaste for his actions. The original motion of solidarity was passed including the resolve: “To send Tom Dolton to Libya to tell Gaddafi what we think of him. Physically”. However, this resolve was later removed from the motion after the Communications Officer narrowly passed an emergency motion entitled “Tom doesn’t want to go on holiday”.
Diversity targets proposed • Diversity targets will be set for universities to justify charging full amount of £9,000. Stacey Knapp
News Reporter
Come 2012, English universities seeking to charge the maximum tuition fees of £9,000 per year, could face having to spend up to £900 of this income on university access for poorer students. The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) Director, Sir Martin Harris, believes that failure to meet the suggested level of financial support could lead to “poorer students feeling they cannot afford to go to university”. The OFFA 2012 guidelines have therefore encouraged universities which have a “low proportion of under-represented students,” or students from low income families, to pay at least 15% of any tuition
fees above £6000. The proposal also includes increased spending on bursaries and scholarships. Failure to meet these proposals means that OFFA can refuse to sign the next annual access agreement, preventing the universities from charging students anything above £6000 per year. The proposed targets for financial support set by OFFA are currently only a suggested, and not mandatory benchmark. According to Harris, the concern is that the perception of increased tuition fees and uncertain financial support may dissuade the poorer students from considering attending university. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that the access agreements would have a positive
David Willetts, the much-maligned Universities Minister
impact with high-achieving universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Exeter. The OFFA targets would encourage them to conform to the 15% target, therefore “dramatically increasing” the intake of poorer students. However, according to the 1994 Group of research universities, the targets are still subjective as they allow individual universities to prioritise funding and set their own measures. Despite this flexibility in financial support and fee charges, universities as a whole say they are dedicated to expanding admissions
and providing more equal opportunities, with the Russell Group spending up to £75 million a year on access projects. This commitment is only beneficial providing that not all universities charge the maximum £9000 fee, as it would lead to a lack of Government funding and support, directly impacting the universities and their ability to support poorer students. David Willetts, the Universities Minister, has emphasised a need for universities to improve accessibility in order to justify the full amount of £9,000 in fees.
Plans in place for “Greater Norwich” Catherine Martin
News Reporter
Norwich could soon be known as “Greater Norwich,” following plans made to build 37,000 new homes in and around the city and a mixed residential and commercial development in Trowse. Planning inspectors have approved blueprints that map out a strategy for 37,000 homes to be built between Norwich and a national park at the Broads. This would create up to 27,000 new jobs, and would pave the way for developments like the eco-town at Rackheath, the Long Stratton bypass, and the Norwich northern distributor road. This approval is not set in stone, and with council elections on May 5th in Norwich, Broadland, and South Norfolk, voters could let their local politicians know what they think of the plans. Supporters believe this growth would create jobs and homes in a “properly phased way,” and would ensure the area is not vulnerable to developers making speculative applications. Critics say that this plan would install a new town the size of Thetford between Norwich and the Broads, which is not economically
viable. James Frost, director of Norfolk Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, who is against the growth plan, points out that “with 37,000 homes, you are talking about 100,000 people to address a genuine housing need of 5,250. It doesn’t add up.” Furthermore, 37,000 new houses would make Norwich a city the size of Nottingham, “which nobody really wants,” according to Frost. He calls the plan a “highlevel political ambition”. The plans for the residential/ commercial development in Trowse are not nearly as big in comparison. The £100m scheme would have almost 700 new homes built plus a new marina on the River Wensum, with road, pedestrian and cycle bridges over the rivers Wensum and Yare. An environmental report on the site found that schools in the area could cope with larger numbers of pupils and the current transport infrastructure could accommodate extra traffic. The report says that this development is “strategically important [for Norwich] in terms of employment, housing and sustainable regeneration”. These plans are a key element of the development
Lizzie Margereson Norwich could undergo developments that would make it the size of Nottingham
strategy for Norwich, which is the redevelopment of vacant and underused land in the built-up area. The area is one of the last major brownfield sites in the city. In light
of this, Chris Leeming a director of Lanpro Services, the planning consultants who have led the design of the development project, said: “people accept development will occur there”.
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Tuesday 15th March
COMMENT AND OPINION 9
The lessons of the Middle East What do the revolutions across the Middle East and Northern Africa tells us about the human pursuit of freedom? Charlie Wallace questions the nature of Western intervention and asks what the past few weeks can teach us about Iraq. Charlie Wallace
What we are seeing now across the Middle East, in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and in many other places is fantastic; as one protestor said ‘the fear has gone’. They want, to quote Blackadder, ‘peace, freedom, and a few less fat bastards eating all the pies’. This is the natural way for a country to gain freedom, and I get the feeling that, if we hadn’t invaded Iraq, now would have been the time when the Iraqis would have overthrown Saddam of their own volition. But I do feel conflicted on this issue. There have been many moments in history when I’ve wished that rather than sit idly by we’d intervened, for example, the genocide in Rwanda. Saddam Hussein was a twisted and evil person who shouldn’t have been allowed near sharp objects, let alone the controls of a country. But was it really for us to go in and oust him for them? Were we really the people to for the job? We’ve seen Gaddafi’s personality cult collapse around his ears, so could this not have happened with Saddam? I would, in fact, be in favour of committing troops to Libya; now they’ve started this themselves we can help, in a purely ancillary role, under their command. The British owe it to them to undo the damage done by Blair selling ‘crowd control’ equipment to Gadaffi. If the Libyans
were in control it would be their war. But when we are at the fore, things can backfire. We’ve seen the photos of Abu Ghraib and other such atrocities. I can never forget a photograph I saw in a newspaper of a small child sitting in a pool of blood screaming hysterically because his parents and sister had just been shot in front of him; some marines had mistaken them for terrorists.
“Saddam Hussein was a twisted and evil person who shouldn’t have been allowed near sharp objects, let alone the controls to a country.”
It is this kind of thing that perpetuates anger and hatred, and no matter how well-reasoned your argument that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who needed to be taken down, it will be these images that will survive in people’s minds. I was discussing this with some people when someone posited that what I’m saying ‘pre-supposes that the invasion and subsequent selfdemocratisation by the Iraqi people didn’t contribute to the momentum of democracy in the Middle East’. Possibly. I also realise that this is a massively complicated issue, and that there is a strong argument that lack of investment and an after-plan were the real causes of the mess Iraq now finds itself in. But I just can’t help getting the feeling...
Sexual harassment: are women the only victims? Fiona Howard
March 8th saw the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, a celebration of women’s equality and their political and socio-economic achievements. On the surface, it’s the sort of raise your glass and a pat on the back festivity that suggests
the equal footing accorded to men and women in the collective consciousness of the 21st century mind. For anyone using the facilities in the Union, however, these kinds of values seem to have gone down the drain. Girls may have noticed the new posters in the Union House bathrooms outlining a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment and the importance of speaking out when these instances occur. While this campaign might be
a well-intentioned attempt to make girls feel safer when going out, it ultimately raises questions about gender equality at the University. It is true, there is nothing more disconcerting than unwanted attention on a night out, and sexual harassment should never be accepted in any circumstance. However, by only being displayed in the women’s bathrooms, and not the men’s, these new posters enforce an outmoded culture of victimization of women; that
sexual assault is a female problem only. Men may not as often be subjected to sexual harassment, but it certainly happens, and the lack of posters in the gents undermines those instances. This is the type of behaviour that propagates a culture of silence among victimized men, compounding inequality and risking both sexes’ safety. In the wake of a 100-year fight for equality, shouldn’t both sexes be encouraged to make their voices heard at equal volume?
Charlie Sheen: still bi-winning? James Dixon
Charlie Sheen’s celebrity status has recently dulled and lost its shine due to his very public mental breakdown. Sheen’s demise was typified by his 36-hour cocaine bender which was spent in the company of five prostitutes. After subsequently being sacked from Two and a Half Men, Sheen has gone on to vent his bizarre frustrations through viral videos and crazed public displays. Some of Sheen’s antics have been quite humorous and have garnered a large amount of attention from the media who have been eager to document every further step he takes towards self destruction.
“The viewer and the media are laughing at Sheen rather than with him.”
Sheen’s videos run under the banner of ‘Sheen’s Korner’, and allow him a platform to voice his opinions. One video, titled ‘Torpedoes of Truth’, featured a gaunt and strung out Sheen venting incoherently about “trolls”, his autobiography titled Apocalypse Me, and ‘trees’ in a comedic fashion, with Sheen stating at one point his desire to “marry a tree”. He has developed a catchphrase which simply involves him shouting “winning!” All of these actions are amusing to witness, but the viewer and the media are laughing at Sheen rather than with him. The media have been quick to openly laugh at Sheen’s downfall and have shied away from the serious psychological issues that he is displaying. He requires a therapist and a break from the spotlight rather than being splashed over the cover of many a celebrity gossip magazine. Unfortunately, he only serves to worsen his predicament by fuelling the media with his viral videos. Sheen’s torpedoes are only serving to quicken the sinking of his career.
The views in Comment and Opinion represent those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of Concrete
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The Inconvenient Truth
concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk
With the end in sight for some students, final deadlines and exams will be greeted with the scary prospect of ‘the next step’. But what is in store for future graduates? Emma Parrott looks at the murky world of job applications
Emma Parrott Today, I am going to mention the unmentionable. It is one of those horrible niggling thoughts, one that may occur to you every now and then, but one, for the most part, we don’t like to mention. Yet, I reckon I’m not alone in saying it is a thought that is increasingly distracting. So, here it goes. The question is: was coming to university a foolish decision? This is in no way a criticism of any part of my university experience. I have found my lecturers to be inspirational, teaching has been insightful and challenging, the nights out and friends have been lifechanging and the opportunities I have been given have been eyeopening. I will leave UEA a more enlightened, intelligent and confident individual. Yet, with my final deadline just two months away, and with the haze of beer funnels, pizza takeaways, Mercy Thursdays, seminar readings and essaywriting beginning to clear, I’m forced to start looking to the future. I suppose I can’t spend the rest of my life thinking that waking up in time for Jeremy Kyle is an early start. The truth is we are all at university because we are, in whatever way, talented and smart individuals. You wouldn’t be here otherwise. Everyone knows a student who they think ‘came to university for the sake of it’ - but it is rare for anyone to believe that they are themselves that individual. Chances are that most of us have good qualifications previous to coming here and have little reason to believe that, once armed with a good degree, life should prove too difficult. Bloody hell, if Janet StreetPorter can become editor of The Independent on Sunday then surely there’s hope for us all... So yes, the first half a dozen rejection emails stung slightly. Then a few months later the
realisation that another half a dozen applications were never even answered panicked me somewhat. You see, the rational part of you knows this is rejection but the optimist likes to think they will eventually get back to you. Soon enough you give in, feeling embarrassed you even tried to apply for paid jobs, and look to the work experience route. It soon becomes clear that about 90% of work experience placements are unpaid, and more won’t even pay your travel expenses beyond zones 1-6 on the London Underground; I would be paying to go to work for free. Ouch. Still, you need the experience, so you take the two hours or so needed to fill in application forms. Here’s a heads up: the first rejection you get from an unpaid position is the low point. Your ego’s battered. You ring your mum to moan about how skint and unemployable you are. But the optimism remains, so you continue applying. Twenty applications on and the realisation hits you: for every one of us, there are thousands more, all with equally good degrees, equal enthusiasm and, often, better experience. You ring your nan, who asks why you haven’t emailed David Cameron directly and asked for a job. But you stay positive, right? That is, until I got a phone call this week from my grandparents, calling to say that my cousin, who is refusing to go to university because she is scared of the debt, has been accepted on a four year NHS course during which she will be paid to train to be a paramedic. Her boyfriend is joining the army. They will both be on fairly good wages, straight from college, aged 18. My boyfriend and I will have a combined debt of about £55,000. A helpful online tool informs me that on a salary of £30,000, it would take me just 16 years to pay off my debt. Awesome. Especially given that I’m currently struggling to get a £0,000 salary job. I don’t really doubt that my decision to go to university was the right one. But, gosh, with graduate unemployment at a 15year high, my faith is certainly being tested right now.
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Tuesday 15th March
The Big Society or the Big Cover-up?
Is The Big Society a neat way of covering up governmental spending cuts or a return to the neighbourly Britain of yesteryear? Joshua Resoun and Jack Brinded look at the arguments involved and ask what is The Big Society really all about?
The Big Idea behind the headlines Joshua Resoun
“We do need a social recovery to mend the broken society, and to me, that’s what the Big Society is all about.” The words of Prime Minister David Cameron have been quoted dozens of times over the last few months. Headlines of the Big Society have hit newspaper after newspaper, and although the Big Society may be Cameron’s mission, what exactly is the Big Society? Well, for Cameron, the Big Society is all about giving power back to the people, getting them to take more responsibility for their own communities, rather than relying on the government to do
everything for them. For me though, the Big Society is more than a simple ‘Big Idea’. For me, it is about examining and revising the relationship between private and public, between government and community. This relationship in recent years has seen the balance tipped towards the public sectors and towards governmental power. This idea of revising the relationship between the various strands of society makes perfect sense. For example, if a local neighbourhood complained of litter in their local park, why not form a group to clean up the park, rather than simply wait on the Government to clean it up? This is what the Big Society is all about, at least in part. Cameron wants to ferment a “volunteer culture” amongst the
British people, which is certainly desirable. Although making deep cuts to the volunteer sector will certainly impede on the Big Society’s growth, the ends are certainly justified by the means. A further problem of the Big Society is the public’s perception of the Big Society itself. Some see it as a mere rhetorical cover for the cuts, others see it as cover for a new Conservative-led privatisation drive. Arguments can be made for both these perceptions, but what is usually brushed under the rug is the good that can come from the Big Society. A prime example, and one which received very little media attention, is a new pilot scheme which was launched back in September 2010. This pilot scheme aims at using private investment to cut reoffending rates. It’s currently
being tried at Peterborough Prison on inmates who have been given sentences of less than a year. Prisoners of this nature cost the taxpayer £50,000 a year, yet this scheme – if successful – hopes to save the public £10 for every £1 that is invested in this way. The scheme sees investors place £5m into various rehabilitation programmes, and if the reoffending rates are cut sufficiently, the investors receive £8m, equal to a 7.5 per cent return if this was in the commercial bond market. We can only hope that schemes such as this are successful, especially if the Government hopes to cut public expenditure sufficiently. Cameron’s “mission” did not begin since becoming Prime Minister - he’s been ranting
on about this for years. The Sustainable Communities Act of 2007, pushed through with Conservative support, was but one of many first steps Cameron has acted upon to see his vision of a Big Society fulfilled. The Conservative tradition of self-help is evident throughout the Big Society, or the one Big Idea, that if successful, may be able to solve a variety of problems facing Britain. If people feel that they have a genuine stake in the community, which they themselves can contribute to, either through donations, a few hours of volunteering here and there, then people are less likely to, for lack of a better phrase, be a nuisance. No matter how you may perceive the Big Society, I would say that it’s not only admirable, but desirable.
the council-workers soon to be jobless; amongst the crowd were volunteers and charity workers who David Cameron pretends to be empowering with his campaign of lethal cuts. I think they understand perfectly well what the Big Society stands for. Between 2008/09 the total Government funding of voluntary organisations was £12.8bn - an indispensable chunk of the sector’s income. New Philanthropy Capital currently estimates the sector’s income is being slashed by up to £5.1bn. Such a reduction will decimate grassroots voluntary projects that help society’s most vulnerable, not encourage them. At that level this type of money is the difference
between dignity and suffering, life or death. If further proof were needed
richest in Britain, presented us a nightmare vision of what is to come from the Conservative Party’s snake-oil salesmen when it announced plans to create a by-law to ban the free provision of food. As well as making it impossible for volunteer soup kitchens to function, the Council also proposes to make it an offence to sleep rough in Westminster, while butchering the funding for local hostel projects by £5m. Put simply, they would like to outlaw homelessness. This shows us that ideological Tory cuts - which the Big Society is used to excuse - will enable the wealthy to cleanse their streets of the poor, attacking local voluntary services they rely on in the hope that they are forced to leave. That’s
no Big Society, that’s economic apartheid. This is why it’s so important that we turn out in London on Saturday March 26th. The mass demonstration taking place will step up the fight for a better, more caring society; one based upon the needs of the people, not the profits of the few, where each and every man woman and child has the right to a decent and dignified life. The Union of UEA Students will be providing free transport to what promises to be a momentous event, and tickets are available from the box-office. With the rest of the country set to struggle for a brighter future, we can’t allow our fellow students to go underrepresented.
The true face of the Big Society? Jack Brinded Recently it’s been claimed by Conservative-apologists that we mud-bloods have simply misunderstood the Big Society. Of course, they fail to mention that after the austerity cuts really hit, voluntarily distributing the pro-cuts propaganda on the Government’s behalf will be practically the last surviving strand of the third sector. Before 9am on Valentine’s Day, 400 people braved the cold to stand strong against the Tory-led Norfolk County Council’s austerity budget. They were not only
that the Big Society is essentially a lie, last week the Tory-run Westminster Council, one of the
This is our fight too.
Read something here that’s got your blood boiling? Need to get it off your chest? Email concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk and we will get your voice heard
12
TRAVEL
Strolling through Strasbourg’s streets Lauren Razavi takes a walk around a clustered and creaking city, straddling the Rhine. Caught between France and Germany it now finds itself the cultural capital of a reinvented continent. Strasbourg is often said to represent the ultimate European city, and it’s easy to understand why. Blending together French and German culture, its borders were shifted back and forth periodically during the warfare of the twentieth century. It might be assumed that such a place would have developed a disjointed cultural identity, but Strasbourg is quite free from all of that. The only thing that gives away the city’s tumultuous past is its street names, crossed quite inconsistently between the French and German languages. It’s easy to see, however, the significance of Strasbourg in Europe as a whole. Home to both the European Court of Human Rights and the European Parliament, the city seems rich with a concern for Europe’s state of affairs. Yet
“The region of Alsace-Lorraine seems to have mastered the art of living wonderfully.”
everyday life here is approached with the casual, unassuming stance that travellers have come to expect from continental Europeans over the years. Mothers play, teach and speak to their children as they move through the antiquated metropolis, laid-back and seemingly quite unconcerned about life. Service in restaurants and shops here is
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reassuringly – but not irritatingly – unhurried. The region of AlsaceLorraine seems to have mastered the art of living wonderfully. The port of Strasbourg is the second largest on the River Rhine, and the whole of Strasbourg’s city centre is encompassed by a ring of water. There’s a tangible watery theme throughout the city, and this setup makes for some beautiful and unique-looking bridges with interesting tales of creation behind them. Touring the city by boat, then, is an incredibly rewarding start to any trip to Strasbourg; from the beauty of the Old Town to the bizarre splendour of the modern European Parliament buildings, it seems the best way to experience this distinctive place is from the water. The Strasbourg locals are known as Alsatians (named after the region of Alsace-Lorraine), notably and rather amusingly the same name awarded to German Shepherd dogs to spite the Germans after World War I. They’re largely friendly and cooperative, particularly in comparison to their Parisian counterparts, who too often seem adverse to hearing foreign attempts to speak their language. The Alsatians are prepared to listen, wait, respond and correct; sparking up conversations is easy, and the best places to eat and things to do will frequently be revealed during spontaneous conversations with the locals. The University of Strasbourg
Tuesday 15th March
Tropical Thai trek Avani Shah Travel Writer
is currently the biggest university in France, a fact which seems to account for the myriad of trendy hangouts displayed on streets all over the European cultural capital. The University welcomes a variety of French, German and other international students each year, reminding us of the mixing of cultures that has historically taken place here, and indeed advancing this tradition in a modern and positive way. Perhaps it is the noticeable Alsatian bridging of cultures which makes the locals so pleasantly open to foreign attempts to communicate and make friends. The French have a verb, flâner, which translates roughly as ‘to wander around aimlessly’. In Strasbourg, to flâner is actually one of the most rewarding things to do; you’ll find yourself face to face with ghastly modern structures made of glass one moment and quaint, beautiful half-timbered townhouses the next. You’ll find yourself tracing the scope of the river right around the city’s centre and then losing yourself in the quintessentially European backstreets of cobbled stone. Towering over most of the city is Strasbourg’s magnificent Gothic cathedral, one of the most famous sights for travellers to see here. Located in the Old Town and surrounded by Medieval-style streets and squares, the cathedral area really sets the tone for the typically French landscape of Strasbourg’s centre. It’s certainly easy to see why this magical place has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in recent years. The typical touches of France are readily available in Strasbourg; a bakery on every street corner, generous outside seating for a cigarette and a cappuccino, beautiful bohemian hipsters roaming the landscape. It’s not just these elements that make the place so enchanting however; it’s also the additions that only Strasbourg can provide.
Six weeks spent living out of a rucksack, no space for hair straighteners, a climate where make-up melts off and only four pairs of shoes – what could be worse? Try arriving in Chiang Mai, Thailand, after a twelve hour bus journey, to gallivant through the rainforest for days on end. Instead of indulging in retail therapy at the Sunday Walking Market, or visiting the incredible architecture in a city of temples, this writer was heading for the jungle. On the journey, the wonderfully named tour guide, Good, occasionally stopped to point out various creeping greenery. You can sniff at spices, blow through grass
whistles and bite into ‘fruit’ which makes your mouth explode with the heat. If you’re not sweating already, you definitely will be now, the jungle spinning around you. Never will the prospect of sleep be so exciting –even if it’s in a Lahu bamboo hut, propped awkwardly on a hillside, where a shower means a hose from a barrel of river water and a bed is a mat beneath a mosquito net. You can laze around an idyllic campfire, eating freshly made food and learning Thai pop songs late into the night. As the trek goes on the trees no longer seem so daunting, but provide much needed shade. Swimming in waterfalls can be the perfect way to cool down, too. The swing in your stride, however, may falter as you walk into the next jungle camp, your residence for the night. Once the sun sets, there’s no electricity to switch on. You’ll have to bite the bullet, pray you don’t stumble into the muddy toilet hole, and distract yourself with a round of songs and games until morning finally arrives. It’s all worth it though - and luckily massages in Thailand come cheap!
Holkham’s golden sands Georgie Adolpho-Couling Travel writer
Thankfully, the chance of digging out your snow boots at this time of the year has significantly decreased, but our sun still can’t decide whether to shine or hide cowardly behind a raincloud. So when its haphazard appearances leave you daydreaming about the summer, satisfy your need for sun sea and sand with a trip to Holkham beach - Norfolk’s very own version of the Bahamas! Enjoy a scenic drive through coastal villages like Cley and Stiffkey, or hop on a train to Cromer and catch the coast hopping bus service for as little as four pounds. A sandy boardwalk shaded by soaring pine trees will lead you onto an infinite stretch of golden sand, framed by a forested backdrop. The sense of space is overwhelming as you look out over the playful dunes to the frothy blue waters. Walk for miles along the shoreline in utter tranquillity, or sit with a picnic and enjoy the sound of the waves. When you’re not shaded from the busy world on one of
Britain’s most beautiful beaches, take a look around Holkham Hall, a stunning eighteenth century country house, or stroll around the sweeping park that surrounds it for a chance to feed the local deer population. For a taste of something authentic, The Rose Garden Cafe offers a unique range of homemade produce and takes its name very seriously, boasting a
beautiful rose garden, delicious rose lemonade and charmingly decorated china. Situated close to the beach, it is an ideal place to finish a day trip. If words aren’t enough and you need a bit of visual persuasion, make sure to catch Holkham beach in all its glory as Gwyneth Paltrow gets Norfolk sand between her toes in the closing scene of Shakespeare in Love.
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Tuesday 15th March
Christmas Onboard the Reunification Express
Jeremy Dales boards Vietnam’s Reunification Express to journey through a land that sparkles of throbbing hearts, perfumed waterways and sleeping dragons.
C
hristmas Eve in Hanoi was always going to be a noisy affair. The Vietnamese have a great love of fireworks, and throughout the narrow streets of the Old Town there was the continual crackle of small arms fire as strings of bangers sparked and jumped around on the pavements, filling the air with blue smoke. By 6pm it seemed as if the entire city was on the move, as an endless buzzing ribbon of two-wheeled traffic unfurled around Hoan Kiem Lake. Crossing the road in Vietnam requires a certain technique – you need to adopt a zen-like fatalism and shuffle out into the stream of oncoming traffic which will then, in theory at least, flow around you. The city is rich in French colonial architecture, with the elegant facades of government buildings overlooking wide, treelined boulevards, and you can sit in a café over croissants and superb Vietnamese coffee as you watch the world go by. As the capital city it has a reputation for being sleepier and more austere than Ho Chi Minh City in the south, which everyone still calls Saigon, and indeed the Socialist iconography is more abundant in Hanoi; this is after all still a Communist country, complete with Hammer and Sickle flags and stirring billboards depicting a heroic workforce building the country together. You can visit the Hoa Loa Prison, known as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’, where captured US pilots were held during the Vietnam War, and a trip to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum
is a popular excursion for locals and tourists alike; each weekend crowds of Vietnamese queue up to shuffle past the embalmed figure of the former Viet Cong leader and founding father of modern Vietnam. Despite this tangible history, Vietnam has moved on, and with a booming economy and a large section of the population born since the war ended in 1975, the past, as the saying goes, is another country. The aptly titled Reunification Express is the train which traverses the length of Vietnam, taking around 40 hours to cover the 1,750km between Hanoi and Saigon. A warm rain was falling at the ‘Ga’ (from the French ‘Gare’ for station), and with three blasts of the hooter the train slid slowly along the platform and everyone rushed to board. The carriage for ‘Soft Sleeper’ had four berths per compartment, and there was a samovar at the end of the corridor with hot water to make tea or noodles. The train began to move, and soon we were rattling through the night, heading south. We passed small shacks that lined the edge of the tracks, and the moon hung low in the sky, reflecting off the distant paddy fields and silvering the water. Hue saw some of the fiercest fighting in the Vietnam War – which the Vietnamese call the American War – and the Imperial City still bears the scars. Bullet holes pockmark the walls of ancient pagodas and there are large sections of clear ground where you can discern fragments of masonry and sometimes shrapnel lying
amongst the undergrowth. The North Vietnamese hung on to the citadel for four long weeks in 1968, fending off repeated assaults by US troops, in a battle which was later portrayed in Kubrick’s film, Full Metal Jacket. Today, nearly 40 years later, tourists amble around the site, past ornate courtyards and reconstructed temples, clutching guidebooks and ice creams.
“We set off into the misty morning, gliding past jungle-clad hills serrated like a dragon’s spine, along the slow, green river.”
To the south of Hue lie the tombs of the Imperial Emperors, and the best way to see them is to take a dragonboat along the Perfume River. We set off into the misty morning, gliding past jungleclad hills serrated like a dragon’s spine, along the slow, green river. At the Thien Mu pagoda there is the slightly incongruous sight of a small Austin car parked in a garage with offerings of flowers and incense laid before it. The car belonged
to Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist monk who committed suicide by setting himself alight in an act of self-immolation in 1963. When his body was recovered, our guide told us solemnly, they found that his heart was intact and still beating, unscathed by the flames. As we left the pagoda she turned to face the car, pressed her hands together and bowed her head in prayer. The railway runs south alongside Highway One, the route that became known as ‘The Street Without Joy’ after successive battles were fought along its length during the war. Hue lies near the old DMZ - the euphemistic ‘Demilitarized Zone’ - but little evidence remains; the foliage has swallowed up the hilltop landing strips and grown over the bunkers. The trees here are all saplings, none more than 30 years old, a legacy of the Agent Orange that was used as a defoliant. Small figures waded knee-deep in mud behind water buffalo in scenes from a Chinese watercolour, and a man stood fishing in a pond that was perfectly circular, formed by a bomb crater. At times the railway comes within sight of the coast, and in the distance the ocean rolled away into an amnesiac expanse of blankness. This region is the border between the old North and South Vietnam and yet feels part of neither; a bizarre mountain hinterland swallowed up in the mist. South of Da Nang lies the town of Hoi An, the narrow streets lined with traditional Chinese
architecture, layered pagoda roofs sheltering kitsch dragons. The Old Town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and there are several historical sites to visit, such as the Japanese Covered Bridge or the Chinese Meeting Halls, entry to which is done by a coupon system, with one ticket giving access to five sites. Hoi An is famed for the number of clothes shops with tailors offering made-tomeasure clothes - they’ll do a suit for you in 24 hours, and one shop window was decorated with faded photocopies of a 1980s British high street catalogue, with long-haired men in stonewashed jeans. In the road outside, flocks of girls cycled primly along wearing white ao dai pyjamas, gliding across teeming intersections like exotic birds of paradise. At night on the waterfront the heady scent of incense drifts from a small shrine. Boats moored beneath the palm trees have eyes painted on the prows, and sway like gently nodding dragons. During the full moon, small candles are placed in paper lanterns and are floated down the Thu Bon river, their reflections spilling outwards in ripples of light across the water as they are carried along. One by one they became smaller, some overturning and sinking abruptly as a wave caught them, some being swept serenely downstream, spinning in the current until they were no bigger than a firefly winking in the darkness, and then they were gone.
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14 FEATURES
POLITICAL PLAYLIST John Lennon – Imagine Frank Turner – Love, Ire & Song Billy Bragg – O Freedom Tori Amos – Yo George Frank Turner – Sons of Liberty The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter The Black-Eyed Peas – Where Is The Love Bob Marley – Redemption Song U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday Woody Guthrie – This Land Is Your Land Bob Dylan – The Times (They Are A-Changing) Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit
Louder than bombs? The power of music has the ability to influence politics, as Lauren Razavi finds out.
T
he melding of politics and music is not a new concept. As far back as recorded history goes, music – in one form or another – has been a pivotal form of self-expression and creativity, and this has often been the case in a political context. Where in recent years we have seen a huge increase in political apathy, we have seen no such increase in musical apathy. If anything, more and more musicmakers are able to engage with more and more people through a range of new technologies and events. Political protest and political expression have an energetic life in our contemporary societies, and perhaps quite an unexpected life, actually. Modern protest singers like Billy Bragg and Frank Turner sing songs about the loss of liberties, sticking their finger up to ‘the man’ and celebrating individualism through the medium
of music. And they do it to sellout audiences of all ages, in venues throughout the UK. Music and politics share many of the same goals – highlighting problems in communities, social injustice and issues of everyday life. Both are mediums of bringing things that are important to people to the attention of a wider audience. Traditionally, of course, the genre of music that has historically been used most to convey political messages is folk. The genre, which has been defined as “music transmitted by the mouths of the lower classes” has been tremendously influential throughout history, and particularly in the “second folk revival” of the later 20th century which featured artists such as The Watersons, Martin Carthy and Bob Dylan playing important roles in its re-emergence. These days, we’re seeing another revival of folk music, and one of the most
“Let’s be honest, a lot of people would be more likely to listen to their favourite musician talk about the importance of voting than David Cameron or Nick Clegg.”
important contemporaries is folkrocker Frank Turner, whose music often seems to centre on political themes. Armed with first class honours in a history degree from LSE, the title track of Frank Turner’s 2008 album Love, Ire & Song, proclaims “that the values and ideals for which many had fought and died, had been killed off in the committees and left to die by the wayside”. Vibrant political messages run through the veins of his music, perhaps showing that music is a much more effective means of conveying a political message than politics is these days. 53-year-old musician Billy Bragg has even gone so far as to write a book about politics entitled The Progressive Patriot. The book centres on an exploration of English national identity, arguing that English socialism can reclaim the ‘patriotism’ that is traditionally associated with right-wing politics in the UK. An outspoken opponent
of fascism, racism, bigotry, sexism and homophobia, as well as a supporter of multi-racial Britain and a defender of liberal freedoms, Billy Bragg has caused quite a ruckus in his embrace of the connections between politics and music. “O freedom, what liberties are taken in thy name,” Bragg sings on his 2008 album, aptly titled Mr. Love and Justice. Bragg has written articles for The Guardian for a number of years and is often a target of the British National Party, who disagree with many of his views concerning a multicultural Great Britain. Over in the US, it seems people have noticed the connection between politics and music, and have had the initiative to engage and exploit this for the good of the country, and for the good of democracy. Founded in 1990 and engaged fully during the 2008 US presidential election, Rock the Vote is an American organisation which
“Music and politics share many of the same goals highlighting problems in communities, social injustices and issues of everyday life.”
uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every US election. The nonprofit, non-partisan organisation claims to give young people the tools to identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect their lives, and leverage their power in the political process. Through its alliance with MTV, Rock the Vote has received the support of a range of major-label musicians in the US including Maroon 5, Sheryl Crow, Rage Against The Machine, The Black-Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Green Day and many more. The idea, nevertheless, is an admirable one: engage young people through the mediums that matter to them. Let’s be honest, a lot of people would be more likely to listen to their favourite musician talk about the importance of voting than David Cameron or Nick Clegg.
“Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” – Jimi Hendrix “Music is the voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“My generation’s apathy. I’m disgusted with it. I’m disgusted with my own apathy too, for being spineless and not always standing up against racism, sexism and all those other -isms the counterculture has been whining about for years.” - Kurt Cobain “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” - Plato
16 FEATURES
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concrete.features@uea.ac.uk
Beating the student-blues With exams fast approaching and the overdraft limit looming increasingly large, Lauren Cope suggests the best ways to stay on-top of things (primarily food and alcohol)
L
azy, drunk and trouble-free is how most adults would describe the student lifestyle, assuming it to be without stress. While for some this might be true, there are two main problems that plague every student’s life. Money worries are undoubtedly the first. At this time in the year, half way through the spring semester, student loans are running low, overdrafts are running high and stress levels are creeping up alongside them. Food is one of the main culprits whether you’re a ready-meal fan or more adventurous with your cuisine, constantly having to buy ingredients and kitchen staples can easily raise costs. Being organised can help: plan your meals in advance and do a shop online of exactly what you need so you’re not tempted to impulse buy. Delivery is quick, and with the wide choice of supermarkets (Asda is particularly cheap), it is the smartest way to make sure
you have everything. Convenient but costly takeaways are the easiest way to sink further into your overdraft. Whether it’s down to pure laziness, or coming in late after a night out drunk and hungry, a Dominos or a Mr. Pizza seems like the best option. Once in a while this is inevitable but with two or three nights out a week, most students end up spending more than they realise on the odd drunken kebab. Prepare something in advance and leave it in the fridge so when you get in you are less tempted to splurge. You’ll get some stick from your mates but think about the extra money you’ll have by the end of the semester for the last few nights out. Nights out in general are expensive for students, especially with something happening most nights of the week. Making sure you go out on a student night is a must, as is knowing of any drinks offers happening at the time. Pure offer £1 drinks on a Thursday
“Make sure you have your campus card with you at all times - it doubles up as a student discount card, getting you discounts on things from clothes to food to alcohol. Guard it with your life!”
night; Lola-Lo’s offer £1 Jaegerbombs on a Wednesday night, and most clubs offer discounted entry when a valid student card is shown. Attending society socials is always a cheap night out. With reduced entry and free alcohol, that alone should convince you to get more involved with societies! For shopping generally, make sure you have your campus card with you at all times - it doubles up as a student discount card, getting you discounts on things from clothes to food. Guard it with your life! The second stress in student lives is the current threat of looming exams. Exam timetables coming out so late means that, especially for first years, exam dates are a mystery until late into the semester, which can make it hard to get your mind into ‘revision-mode’. There are ways of dealing with this. It may have been drilled into students since secondary school, but knowing your ‘learning style’ is invaluable. If you learn visually,
get highlighters out and posters up early. If you’re getting stressed with revising, take a break and have a drink (preferably not alcohol, but whatever works…) and wait a while – you won’t learn anything by cramming in as much as possible. Just take your time and start early regardless. It never hurts to be prepared. If you feel that anything is getting too much, there is a lot of help available to all students. It’s always best to get help if you need it. The Union Advice Centre can provide help and support for lots of different problems: getting help with finances, employment, academic and housing problems can all be sorted out in complete confidence. Similarly, UEA Employability can help you develop your job skills, such as writing a CV and attending interviews. Also, the Dean of Students Office are more than happy to help with all sorts of problems you may encounter. If all else fails, the Union Bar is probably the best bet!
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An uncertain future Rebecca Hazlewood examines the impact of the Japanese earthquake and asks if we will ever be able to defend ourselves against the force of nature?
his week, Japan �inds itself in the midst of a national crisis and at the mercy of Mother Nature, following an earthquake 8000 times stronger than the one that devastated Christchurch just weeks ago. The �ifth largest earthquake worldwide in the last hundred years has thrown the whole island chain eight feet from its original geographical location. The earthquake, which shook the city of Sendai for over two minutes, measured 8.8-9 on the Richter scale, and struck with more explosive force than the world’s largest nuclear test in USSR. Arguably more terrifying than the earthquake itself was the devastation caused by a tsunami more powerful and destructive than any in living memory. Ten metre high waves hit Japan’s densely populated coastline at estimated speeds of 500 miles per hour. It is dif�icult to comprehend a worse outcome with our television screens being inundated with images of cars and houses being swept away like toys. Ten thousand people are feared dead, 300,000 are living in shelters, and millions are living with no basic survival provisions in the form of water, food or electricity. Crops, buildings, livelihoods and the infrastructure much of the population is reliant upon
have been destroyed. Four nuclear power stations shut down automatically and other power plants burst into �lames, leaving 5.5 million people without power. The situation may only get worse as Japan prepares itself for the possibility of another earthquake exceeding magnitude seven in the next three days.
“The situation may only get worse as Japan prepares itself for the possibility of another earthquake”
The terrible events of the weekend act as a chilling reminder of the power of nature. Sitting above the con�luence of �ive tectonic plates, Japan is accustomed to regular earthquakes. For decades Japan has had a system of education, campaigning and awareness to prepare its people for such eventualities. Buildings have been designed to be earthquake resistant, and government warning systems are in place. Even with such levels of technological and economic commitment, Japan has been devastated by its strongest earthquake since the 1860s. The epicentre was so close to the coast that at best there was only �ive to ten minutes to warn people to get to higher ground before the
tsunami hit. As for preventing the problems faced by Japan’s nuclear industry, doubts have crept into the minds of an already sceptical general public as to the safety of nuclear power stations. The way in which Japan is struggling to control the buildup of pressure and meltdown of nuclear reactors will give weight to arguments backing renewable and non-nuclear forms of energy to compensate for the inevitable shortage in the future. This has already resonated internationally as 50,000 protestors took to the streets of Germany on Saturday in anti nuclear protests. The possibility of such an event hitting lesser developed countries with little economic and infrastructural ability to cope with such mass destruction is a disturbing thought. Of course, natural disasters are frequent occurrences in the developing world, but the level of destruction in Japan illustrates our vulnerability and inability to prepare for and deal with events of such magnitude. As global temperatures increase, predictions in sea level rise and increased frequency of extreme weather also seem inevitable. The question remains whether we will ever achieve the insight and technological capabilities to defend ourselves against nature.
COULD YOU BE A CONCRETE SECTION EDITOR? If you will still be a student at UEA next year and fancy taking on a bigger role in the paper, you might want to think about becoming a section editor. The positions available for next year are:
• Listings Editor • Competitions Editor
• Deputy Editor & Focsoc (combined) • News Editor * Comment and Opinion Editor • Features Editor • Lifestyle Editor • Travel Editor • Turf Editor • International Editor • Sports Editor
You can apply for more than one position, though if you do you should make your preferences clear (e.g. Arts 1st, Sport 2nd). You can also make joint applications, but this should be made clear in your application. To apply, you should email the editor a short blurb, no more than 400 words, explaining why you think you would be good at the job.
• • • • • • • •
Venue Editor Fashion Editor Arts Editor Creative Writing Editor Wired Editor TV Editor Music Editor Film Editor
Editor
• Chief Copy Editor • Chief Photographer
The deadline is 12pm on Friday 10th April. Being a section editor requires you to: • Commission articles. • Ensure that they are in on time. • Sub-edit them for spelling, grammar
and punctuation. • Lay them up on the page using InDesign and Photoshop, in which you will be given training. • Be available to your writers to answer any questions and help them get involved with the section.
If you would like more details on any of the positions or the application process, please do not hesitate to contact the editor, Danny Collins, on concrete.editor@ uea.ac.uk, or by visiting the Concrete office. Alternatively, a Q&A session will take place in the Concrete office on Thursday 31st March.
18 LIFESTYLE
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concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk
Is NOS the laughing matter it appears to be?
Concrete examines the prominent nature of ‘NOS’ or Nitrous Oxide on UEA’s campus and aims to shine an illuminating light on the issue Drew Nicol
Lifestyle writer
As many of you will know if you attended any of the major festivals last summer, the new popular face of recreational drug culture is Nitrous Oxide (NOS) or laughing gas. This drug is taken by directly inhaling the gas from N2O canisters using devices such as whipped cream dispensers. Although laughing gas itself is not new, its use as a recreational drug is, and its popularity has spread from the festival camping ground to universities all over the country. This is due to the fact that the N2O canisters are legal and easily purchased due to its other, more innocent uses. This is similar to the Mephedrone, or, ‘Meow Meow’, craze which caught the attention of the media and public authorities last year after it was revealed to be passing itself off legally as plant food. Drug users are using increasingly inventive ways to pass off otherwise very potent and intoxicating drugs in a legal form. This has blurred the lines between safe and dangerous substances. It has created a grey area in which drug users can operate safe from the authorities. Many students are also finding themselves confused about whether the drug they are being offered is still as harmful in legal form and whether usual standards apply. Concrete spoke to a UEA student
who has tried NOS on a number of occasions. What was clear from the answers given by the student is that NOS seems to have been given a reputation as a safer drug than other common narcotics. This seems to stem from the relevantly short ‘buzz’ time as well as the apparent lack of side effects. The legality of laughing gas has also added to this image of it being different and more accepted than other drugs such as cannabis. The interviewee stated: ‘how bad can it be if it’s legal?’ When the interviewee was asked how the drug felt, he replied: “If you do it properly you get a sort of buzzy and calm feeling through your body and it’s almost like standing next to a really big speaker. If you take it when music is playing you can really feel the bass...it’s weird, but it only lasts like less than a minute”. He was also asked why he took it. He stated that “it’s better than other drugs because you don’t have to worry about side effects or bad trips
“...people think its safer and it doesn’t have any of the negative stigmas”
or anything... and it’s cheap”. Finally, the interviewee was asked why ‘NOS’ had become more common than other drugs such as cannabis or cocaine?’ He believed that it was “probably because people think it’s
Clive Cares
Dear Clive, I have nearly maxed out my overdraft with a month of the semester left, do you think a student credit card would be a good idea? 2nd year Politics Student
Clive says: Talking to a financial advisor at the bank may help. They may suggest raising your overdraft limit for a short period of time until your financial situation improves. Credit cards of any kind may
lead to more long term financial problems. Another option may be an employment agency that may provide some employment to help you through this difficult time. Whatever you decide, good luck and take care.
Dear Clive,
I’m thinking of whisking away my girlfriend for a romantic weekend for her birthday over Easter but haven’t got enough money to take her abroad, where would you suggest? 3rd Year Maths student
safer and it doesn’t have any of the negative stigmas. I’ve seen people who would never try weed do it because it they know it won’t ruin their night. Plus how bad can it be if it’s legal?” However, what must be remembered is that regardless how safe it appears, inhaling NOS is still drug abuse and if administered in its pure form, without supplemental
oxygen, it can cause hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in the blood). This can cause headaches, brain damage, or in extreme cases, death through suffocation. A link could be made with the comment by the interviewee that students otherwise adverse to drugs were willing to try NOS, and the status of cannabis as a ‘gateway drug’. It could be deduced that the similar effects of NOS and cannabis,
i.e. a calming effect, seems to lull people into a confidence to try it. The idea of the calming, mellow effect is more inviting to first time drug users, than the more daunting effects of other party drugs such as ecstasy or cocaine. NOS has the potential to take over, or at least join Cannabis as a ‘gateway drug’ which will give students a taste of the drug culture which may prompt them to try more potent narcotics.
UEA’s favourite bus driver, Clive Ashcroft, answers your questions and worries
Email Clive your concerns anonymously to clivecaresconcrete@ gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook: Clive Cares
Clive says: May I suggest a nice weekend in the countryside with very tranquil surroundings? Some coach companies do very good deals and they may also provide a hotel of your choice for this very special weekend. May I also suggest a nice bunch of flowers. I hope you both have a very nice and romantic weekend. I hope I have been some help, enjoy yourselves and take care.
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Tuesday 15th March
The finer foods of Nowruz, Persian New Year To celebrate the Persian New Year, Nowruz, Lauren Razavi shares two traditional dishes usually included in the annual festivities
Sabzi polo va mahi (fish served with herbs and rice)
Bite-sized baklava
Sabzi polo va mahi is a perfect way to test out your rice making skills, something that is of great importance in Iranian cuisine. The white fish can be substituted with the cheaper alternative to cod if you’d prefer. Serves 6-7. For the rice: • • • • • • • • •
3 cups basmati rice ½ cup chives 2 cups dill 1 clove of fresh garlic, crushed 2 ½ cups flat-leaf parsley 2 cups chopped coriander ¾ cup butter 1 tsp ground saffron, dissolved in 4 tsp hot water 1 tbsp salt
Ingredients:
For the fish: • • • • •
1 large white fish (around 2 ½ lbs), cleaned and scaled 6 tsp butter 1 ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 1 tsp turmeric
1. Using a colander, wash the rice several times in warm water and then leave it to soak in a large bowl. Ensure the water covers the rice completely. 2. Fill a large pan with water, adding approximately 1 tbsp of salt before bringing it to the boil. 3. Drain the rice, add it to the
pan and boil it for 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
4. Drain the rice and mix one cup of it with the saffron water. Chop the herbs finely.
5. Add a generous spoonful of butter to the bottom of a new pan and then add a layer of plain rice followed by a layer of herbs until you run out of both. 6. Finish with one final layer of the saffron rice and another generous spoonful of butter.
7. Cover and steam on a low heat for approximately 10 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the fish with salt, pepper and turmeric; brown it on both sides in butter in a frying pan or on a skillet. 9. Finally, lay the fish on the top of the rice and leave for a few minutes. The rice on the bottom of the pan will create crispy fried rice and the flavour of the herbs will be absorbed into the fish, giving beautiful flavour.
Making lifestyle choices in relation to sex: celibacy Fiona Howard Lifestyle writer
Sex is great. From Cosmopolitan to GQ the health benefits of it as a fun extracurricular activity have been lauded; so why would you voluntarily give it up? Being young is all about experimentation, and there’s no better time than university to spread your sexual wings. So, the choice to be celibate when there’s a virtual smorgasbord of depravity available may seem strange. But with the rich and famous from Lady Gaga to the beloved Stephen Fry practicing nookie-free stints, it’s becoming
en vogue. Instead of jumping in the sack, why not consider the benefits of being celibate? There are many reasons to be celibate, the most obvious being it puts you at far less risk to all those nasty STDs rife amongst students. For this writer, though, it boils down to empowerment. The ability to pick who you sleep with without judgment is one of the wonderful things about moving away from home. It’s far easier to let your urges get the better of you, but the discipline to say no gives you the power, building self-confidence. What’s more, it gives you time to evaluate, building your relationships on
more than just lust. Remember, when you were young and just a touch was electrifying? There is a reason why foreplay is so good; think of celibacy like that. Most people have had that awkward hook up culminating in you both furtively averting your eyes in the Hive. Another benefit of celibacy is avoiding that. Taking a break also gives you a chance to get to know your own sexuality that much better; what turns you on and what turns you off. As a lifetime choice, celibacy might be a bit much. For a short period, however, it could be the greatest thing you do… or not, as the case may be.
• 16 sheets filo pastry • 200g unsalted butter, melted • 4 cups ground almonds • 3 cups icing sugar • 2 tsp ground cardamom • 1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup boiling water • ½ cup chopped pistachios 1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Melt the butter and use a brush to grease the bottom of a 2/3 inch deep baking tin. 3. Put a layer of filo pastry over the bottom and brush this with butter. Repeat until there are four layers of buttered pastry. 4. Mix the almonds, cardamom and
icing sugar and spread the mixture over the pastry, pressing it down with the back of a spoon. 5. Add another four sheets of buttered pastry.
6. Cut into squares. Pour the remaining butter over the pastry.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes before increasing the temperature to 200°C for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.
8. Mix the pinches of cardamom with the sugary water and let it cool. 9. Remove from baking tray from the oven and pour the sugary water / syrup over the top of the baklava. 10. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts and then allow to cool.
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concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk
Novel breast milk ice cream displays Lady Gaga’s frosty side Christine O’Sullivan Lifestyle writer
A tiny Covent Garden ice-cream parlour owner, Matt O’Conner, has combined ice cream and breast milk. Their new flavour, Baby Gaga, was first served two weeks ago, consisting of breast milk with vanilla pods and lemon zest. Lady Gaga’s lawyers are threatening to sue this London ice cream parlour as they believe the ice cream is “aurally, visually and conceptually similar to Lady Gaga,” demanding its name is changed or face court action. Despite Lady Gaga having pushed the boundaries of taste and decency, including the memorable outfit made entirely from raw meat, she claims this product to be “nausea-inducing” and “detrimental” to her image. The shop paid women £15 for 10 ounces of breast milk before Westminster council seized its supply last week after complaints from two members of the public, leading the ice cream to be tested for viral infections. The shop owner insists that “every possible precaution” was taken over the recipe.
The Icecreamists Limited voluntarily agreed not to make or sell any more breast milk ice cream while it is being tested and screened for viruses and other impurities. They chose the name as the word ‘gaga’ is often of the first discernible phrases to come from a baby’s mouth. Surely the name gaga cannot be copyrighted? Lady Gaga has admitted that her name was taken from the Queen song Radio Gaga so should she really be accusing another of copying?
“The shop paid women £15 for 10 ounces of breast milk”
This leads to the ethics of breast milk ice cream. Is it right to pay women for their breast milk? Should breast milk ice cream be sold? Some people believe human body products should not be exploited as food; others believe it is not much different to cow’s milk, echoing the views of the milk donor, Victoria Hiley, saying: “we’ve become estranged from our own mammal-hood and
recoil from breast milk while we drink cows’ milk without a thought”. And, of course for vegans, this argument revolves around not believing that any animal’s milk should be turned into ice cream.
It will remain a controversial subject and as of the 10th March, Westminster Council has said the product is safe for human consumption. So, would you try Baby Gaga, the breast milk ice cream?
Could you edit Concrete? Applications are invited for the position of Concrete Editor for the period September 2011 to May 2012.
The position is only open to current students at the University of East Anglia, is a full-time paid position, and may be taken as a year out during a degree or directly after graduation.
The successful applicant need not have previously been involved in the production of Concrete, but must be able to demonstrate the following: • Excellent grammar and editing skills. • Team leadership and management qualities. • Good organisation and time-keeping. • An understanding of the needs and structure of the Concrete society. • Knowledge of Adobe InDesign CS4 and Photoshop CS4. • A keen eye for design and mistakes.
Students interested in applying for the role of Concrete Editor should submit a CV with covering letter, a proposal that outlines any changes they would make to the newspaper (no longer than 1000 words), and a completed application form (available from the Concrete Office). Applicants are also expected to produce one computer-designed page of Concrete that incorporates any future creative ideas for the newspaper (applicants will be given full access to the Concrete Office’s design software). All applications should be sent to the current Editor, Danny Collins, by emailing concrete. editor@uea.ac.uk. The closing date for applications is 3pm on Thursday 31st March.
If you would like to know more about the role of Editor, or have any questions concerning your application, there will be a Q&A session in the Concrete Office on Monday 21st March at 1pm. If you are unable to attend this session, applicants should email concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk, or visit the Concrete Office during working hours.
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Pole position for UEA dancers Carmina Masoliver UEA Pole Dancing
(Clockwise from top left) Sarah Chandler, Hannah Cox, Joanna Vanot, Kayte McCann, Maria Alambritis, Charlotte Silver, Carmina Masoliver-Marlow, Polly Robey, Stephanie Palmer.
Saturday 19th November saw the UEA Pole Dancing Club travel in the early hours on a mini-bus to Kent University. Taking place was the first Inter-University Pole Fitness Competition, ran by ‘Pole For U aNd I’ with winning poles as prizes in each category provided by ‘X-Pole’. The categories included Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced, Men’s and Doubles. The club at UEA was only founded in 2007, but with over 50 active members already, it is growing fast. However, it currently only has female members and aims to expand upon this. UEA competed in all categories apart from Men’s. Each individual competing deserves recognition and praise for their part in the day. Louisa Sa gave an amazing routine as a Beginner (having only started in September) , showing great courage and independence. Stephanie Palmer performed a beautiful routine in the Intermediates, and Sarah Chandler braved the Advance category; whilst others showed staccato tricks and spins, she entertained the crowd with a fluid dance. Finally, the club was proud to bring home First Place for the Doubles category with Carmina Masoliver-Marlow and Charlotte Silver. Although there was only one other
Stephanie Palmer Intermediates.
performs
in
the
act in this category, they were against some advanced competition with the mixed sex pair. With this win, the club hope to continue to expand and show everyone the beauty, grace and, most importantly, enjoyment of pole dancing at UEA.
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Around The World in 7 days
concrete.international@uea.ac.uk
This issue, in conjunction with UEA’s annual International Party, Concrete International looks into the colours of the Caribbean while celebrating the Persian New Year.
Happy Norwuz!
International Party 2011 Rachael Lum
International Writer
For most international students, it was a night that called out to them each year. In accordance with the Union’s Go Global Week, the International Party made its annual comeback with its gastronomic delicacies and dazzling performances from all around the world. With the collaboration of the various clubs and societies in the university, it is widely regarded as the most unique event at UEA. What other event on campus brings together a collage of cultures with traditional costumes, food and music? The evening started with the crowd gathering around the food booths in the LCR. There was a selection of traditional food from different countries prepared by UEA’s international students, from the Welsh cakes, ‘kuihs’ (mini cakes) by the Bruneian and Malaysian societies as well as Hellenic snacks to the savoury cuisines such as spiced rice and noodle dishes. Featuring the best of both the Eastern and Western world, the food tasting was a stimulating adventure for the students’ taste buds. Not surprisingly, the food ran out within Harriet Jones
an hour. The highlight of the night was the societies’ performances, a vibrant showcase of the different cultures and rhythmic beats. Some of the many performances included were the classical dance routines of the Indonesian Society and the upbeat ones by the Afro-Caribbean Society, the dombra (traditional Kazakh instrument) recital, the energetic Capoeira, Jamnesty and rounded off with the Indian Society’s performances. Students could also have their photos taken professionally for a reasonable cost, whether it is to remember the beautiful traditional attires by or for personal reasons. At the end of it, all the colourful societies merged to form a mosaic in the world disco, where students could party all night to the same musical beats. Although there was less club participation than the previous year, the International Party 2011 served its purpose of celebrating the university’s cultural diversity by introducing a myriad of flavours to the tongue as well as musical traditions from all over the world. Definitely an LCR night that is out of the ordinary and no less interesting than it is every year.
Lauren Razavi
International Writer
Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year and roughly translated as “The New Day”, has been celebrated in Iran and various other parts of Asia for several thousand years. This year the festival falls on Sunday 20th March, a day before the Spring Equinox – the ‘official’ beginning of spring according to a range of ancient nature-worshipping pagan religions. Like many cultures and religions, Persians have always celebrated the turning of the seasons, paying particular attention to autumn and spring. The beginning of the New Year is celebrated with feasts, spring cleaning and family gatherings in the Persian culture. The beautiful Nowruz table is perhaps the most important aspect
of the festival, holding symbols that represent prosperity, health, life, love, purity and luck for the year ahead. Traditionally, seven different foods are displayed on the Nowruz table, each beginning with ‘S’ in Farsi (the Persian language). Garlic (sir) is a symbol of health and well-being; coins (sekkeh) stand for wealth; apple (sib) represents happiness; hyacinth (sonbol) signifies success; wheat or lentils (sabzeh) corresponds with greenness and peace; oleaster (senjed) indicates a wish for friendship, and wheat germ pudding (samanu) signals sweetness. Other items commonly found on a Nowruz table include vinegar (serkeh), sumac berries (somaq) and clocks (sa'at). Also included on a Nowruz table is a copy of the Koran, elevated a level above the other items on the table as a sign of graciousness, a
mirror representing purity and goodness, and coloured eggs which encourage fertility and productivity in the coming year. Goldfish are usually included too, living in a crystal bowl for the duration of the festival, and indicating liveliness and dynamism. Nowruz celebrations can be traced back to Ancient Iran, and even get a mention in a lot of prehistoric Iranian mythology. With increasing Western interest in the Middle East and its politics, culture and religion, Nowruz is one of the most interesting and important celebrations of the Persian calendar, and one most Westerners will find fascinating. If you’re interested in creating your own Nowruz celebration, you’ll find two traditional Iranian recipes for Nowruz in the food section of this issue of Concrete.
Carnivals of the Caribbean Isabelle Carty
International Writer
When many people think of the Caribbean they cannot help but envision sparkling blue seas, palmfringed white sand beaches and the golden sun. It has long been the playground of the rich and famous with its luxurious high-end resorts and relaxed atmosphere. However, the Caribbean is much more than this. With its tropical forests, exotic wildlife, verdant plantations, hypnotic rhythms, delicious cuisines and a plethora of activities, the Caribbean instantly becomes the ultimate holiday paradise. Each island has its own distinct colour and flavour which when blended together generates an almost perfect multifaceted atmosphere to savour and enjoy and this is never
more evident than during carnival season. As the season rapidly approaches, the Caribbean beckons with its celebratory vibes. Vibrant colours, dancing in the streets and carnival parades with troops of all ages are enough to make carnival something everyone must experience at least once in their lives. There are many carnivals to explore from Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica to Trinidad’s legendary Port of Spain Carnival – the parties go from sunrise to sunset and then the evening entertainment begins! There are a whole host of activities to occupy your time from boat races and beach barbecues to talent shows, pageants, balls, concerts and of course dancing in the streets. Yet there is also an aspect of art, culture and folklore that becomes prominent during carnival. It is a
time to re-explore each island’s history and its rich culture and traditions. Costumes worn by parade participants and dancers were historically believed to bring good fortune and to calm or ward off angry spirits. Immense amounts of hard work, creativity, energy and patience are put into these costumes, shows and organised events for the whole island to enjoy. Each island’s carnival is different but the atmosphere is just as infectious no matter where you are. For days and sometimes weeks, the people of the Caribbean express themselves socially and artistically and are more than happy to share the experience with visitors from all over the world. Everyone, including the spectators, is a part of the celebrations and carnival becomes not only an enjoyable event but a way to celebrate life.
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Are the EU playing dirty? • Chris Leach reports on the EU vote on the decision to start importing oil from the Tar Sands oil extraction in Alberta, Canada Chris Leach
Turf Reporter
The EU and the Canadian Government are involved in talks surrounding a possible trade agreement that would boost Britain’s involvement in the world’s most environmentally destructive project: the tar sands oil extraction in Canada. A deal, if agreed, would enable the passive flow of dirty unconventional oil to feed into the lucrative markets associated with the EU. Some are heralding it as undisturbed access to the resources of Canada. The proposal for a Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was originally launched back in May 2009 to enhance the flow of goods between the two areas. The proposal has the potential to undermine the stricter tar sands regulation in Canada and stronger climate policies in Europe. Recent negotiations hit a major setback following several leaked documents that suggested Canada
was on the verge of pulling out of the agreement if Europe maintained its environmental clause for oil imports. The intended Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) orders all EU fuel suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint of fuels by 6% by 2020. The drive to clean up Europe has been met by huge criticism from Canadian officials, who say the directive would constrict a possible future market for tar sands. Canada’s minister for international trade, Peter Van Loan, denied reports outlining the scrapping of the deal by emphasising that the issue of an EU fuel directive will be addressed separately. The vast tar sands span an area the size of England across the great wilderness of Northern Alberta. Extracting the oil requires huge quantities of hot water, deforestation of pristine boreal forestry and forceful removal of native communities, not to mention that one barrel of crude oil is needed to produce every two barrels from the sands. This puts Alberta’s oil as one of the most environmentally and
socially damaging projects and it is consequently referred to as ‘dirty oil’. So are the EU playing dirty? What is being sacrificed because of our daily dependence on oil? Why is the EU and Canada so ready to become dirty oil pimps? It comes at a time when human energy is being used to move away from the stranglehold this finite energy resource has over us and propel humankind into an era of green, sustainable technology. The question is whether this is a glimpse into our future or in the name of progress, is it taking two steps back? One minister highlighted: “The EU should send a clear signal now that it is serious about its climate commitment and about the decarbonisation of transport fuel”. The negotiations are said to be in their final stages with a decision expected to be announced later this year. The questions that should be on everyone’s lips are: ”who stands to gain the most with this trade agreement, and will green technology win the day?”
Environmentally destructive: the Tar Sands in Canada
Undercover coppers damage environmental movement Tim Miller
Turf Reporter
From activist to officer: Mark Kennedy’s disguise is exposed
Over the last two months the media has been flooded with reports of undercover police officers in the environmental movement. Particular attention has been drawn to the case of Mark Kennedy, who spent seven years deeply entrenched in activist groups, going as far as having sex and forming close relationships with those he was observing. The story goes further than this, however: Kennedy could be described as an agent provocateur. He faced charges of attempted arson in Berlin, attacked Irish police officer at an EU summit and helped train other activists in less benign activities. The environmental movement against anthropogenic global warming is largely peaceful, and if Kennedy’s job was to monitor violent activists it is reasonable to assume that this could be achieved without taking such a forward role: Kennedy has been described as “indispensable” to activist circles.
The three cases of uncovered police officers reveal attitudes towards political dissent in its many forms. It is important first to highlight the reason why activists undertake mass protests, direct action and other political activities. Issues such as climate change and air pollution are largely left out of the political agenda; they are not typical bread and butter issues that will rake in the votes, they conflict with corporate interests and in the current socio-economic system there is no real financial incentive to deal with them. This is why people choose to exercise less orthodox political actions – to raise awareness of issues and to pressure the privileged few who are within the political arena. Environmental movements show the agenda setting present in the Government, but the use of undercover police officers asks deeper questions: Do the powers that be wish to discredit these issues to the public? The role of Kennedy as an agent provocateur suggests an effort
to further crush environmental movements, by allowing the media to paint them in a more negative light. What is even more shocking is that even after Kennedy was discovered, the attack on a movement that has global common interests in mind continued. The police suggested that Kennedy’s promiscuity was necessary in order for him to “fit in” in activist circles – apparently promiscuity is a way of life for activists on the left of the political spectrum. What is encouraging is the fact that activists involved in non-violent disobedience are increasingly found innocent or given less serious charges on the premise that they are motivated by the desire to defend the interests of humanity and safeguard our fragile, indispensable and only planet. Cameron’s “greenest government ever” must remove the environmental movement from their spying priorities if they are to even attempt a trace of accountability in regard to the most serious threats to humanity ever faced.
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Concrete’s Guide to Derby Day 2011 University of East Anglia, Norwich, 23rd March 2011 - Order of Play 10am
11am 12pm
1pm
2pm
3pm 4pm 5pm
Barnham Broom golf course - Golf LCR - Boxing (scheduled to last all day) Sportspark - Men’s Tennis (1st and 2nd teams, Tennis courts from 10am); Taekwando (Dance Hall); Trampolining, Fencing (both Hall 3 at 10.20) Colney Fields - American Football (American Football pitch at 11.30) Sportspark - Men’s Volleyball (Hall 2 at 11.20)
Colney Fields - Men’s Lacrosse (Lacrosse pitch); Men’s Football 2nd XI (Football pitch 3 at 12.30) Sportspark - Women’s Basketball (Hall 1); Swimming (Pool); Table Tennis (Martial Arts room); Men’s Squash (Squash courts); Netball (1st and 2nd teams, Tennis courts from 12pm); Men’s Hockey (Astro 1); Badminton (Hall 3 at 12.20); Athletics (Track from 12.30) Colney Fields - Women’s Rugby (Rugby pitch 1); Women’s Football (Football pitch 1 at 1.30) Easton College - Horse Riding and Dressage Sportspark - Climbing (Climbing Wall); Ultimate Frisbee (Astro 2); Women’s Volleyball (Hall 2 at 1.40) Blue Bar - Pool Colney Fields - Women’s Lacrosse (Lacrosse pitch) Congregation Hall - Dance Squad Sportspark - Men’s Basketball (Hall 1); Women’s Hockey (Astro 1); Women’s Squash (Squash courts at 2.30) Whittingham Norwich Rowing Club - Rowing Colney Fields - Men’s Football 1st XI (Football pitch 2) Sportspark - Triathlon (Track from 3.30, Pool from 4pm)
Congregation Hall - Cheerleading Sportspark - Women’s Tennis (Tennis courts)
Highlights at the Sportspark Men’s Tennis I and II: 10am Men’s Volleyball: 11.20am Women’s Basketball: 12pm Men’s Hockey: 12pm Athletics: 12.30pm Men’s Basketball: 2pm Chris King
Highlights at Colney Fields American Football: 11.30am Men’s Lacrosse: 12pm Women’s Rugby: 1pm Women’s Football: 1.30pm Men’s Football I: 3pm Men’s Rugby I: 5pm
Chris King
Colney Fields - Men’s Rugby 1st XI (Rugby pitch 2)
Greg Mann Greg Mann
Greg Mann
ISSUE 254
BUCS Results WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH 2011
BUCS LEAGUE Golf UEA 1
Netball Nottingham 4
4-2
Notts Trent 1
60-17
UEA 2
BUCS CONFERENCE CUP SEMI-FINALS Badminton Nottingham W1 8-0
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Tuesday 15th March
UEA W1
Coming up this week at UEA: It promises to be another action-packed week at the Sportspark this week with seven teams in action, including Rugby M1 (Colney, starts 2pm) and Badminton W1 (Barclays Arena, 1pm). Hockey M1 and W1 are playing back to back on the Astro pitches from 1pm.
THE INDEX
We’re running a comparative table of UEA’s sports teams as listed on the BUCS website, www.bucs.org. uk. The table compares the various teams UEA �ields in university sports. Win percentage (furthest-right column) is the primary means of sorting the teams.
- BUCS Matches Women’s Rugby
Beth Robertson reports on UEA ladies reaching BUCS Midlands Cup Final Coventry Women’s I UEA Women’s Rugby I
0 131
UEA Women’s Rugby eased through to the BUCS Midlands Conference Cup Final courtesy of an unbelievable 131-0 thumping of Coventry. Having achieved such an incredible result away from home, Women’s Rugby are just one game away from winning their league, bringing the highest-ranked side in The Concrete Index even closer to a dream double triumph. Coventry’s decision to use only twelve players was bound to cause complications but UEA were determined not to let it hinder their game plan, and accordingly scored a try within ten minutes through Lottie Vale. The hosts attempted to �ight back but UEA’s defence proved too strong, and regaining possession of the ball led to a swift succession of tries, the majority of these expertly converted by �ly half Nic Kaciubskyj. Multiple tries were also scored by Vale, Kaciubskyj, full-back Rebecca Hone and wingers Stephanie Creasey and Rachel Scott, before the game was stopped after 65 minutes, due to the visitors’ unquestionable dominance, with the score standing at 131-0. UEA now face Leicester in the BUCS Midlands Conference Cup Final on 23rd March, hoping to achieve their second triumph in the space of a few weeks as they take on Nottingham II once again next week in the �inal league game of the season. President Kiki Oyemhen is con�ident in the team’s success, commenting yesterday: “We’re going to bring back that trophy.”
Water Polo
Women’s Tennis
Sports correspondent Tobias Martin reflects on Women’s Tennis’ defeat in the BUCS Cup Semi-Final and looks back at an entertaining cup run Birmingham Women’s II 12 UEA Women’s Tennis I 0
UEA Women’s Tennis took part in arguably the biggest game in the club’s history, travelling to Birmingham for the BUCS Cup Semi-Final. Despite a mixed set of results in the league, the ladies have enjoyed an impressive run in the cup. They faced a strong Birmingham squad, against whom UEA have already lost in the league this season. Initially the match was threatened by heavy rain - due to the fact that Birmingham only had outdoor courts - but soon the clouds cleared and the sun came out. The tie got under way with Kelsey Essex, an exchange student from Melbourne, making her debut as the top seed. However, it was not an ideal �irst appearance, as she succumbed to a very strong Birmingham
Sam Parry
A season to remember: UEA only narrowly missed out in the BUCS National Semi-Finals
Sam Parry recaps UEA Water Polo’s season and looks forward to a BUCS Cup Final appearance and a season in next year’s Premiership to look forward to UEA Men’s Water Polo team travelled to Bath University to take part in the BUCS National Semi-Finals. The team entered the competition boasting an undefeated record for the season within their BUCS league, and had high expectations of performing well. Opposing the men were the strong teams of UCL, Plymouth and Bath. The team started very strongly with a con�ident victory over UCL. UEA got the goal scoring underway, and a competitive �irst quarter saw the teams match each other goal for goal, with the score at 3-3 after the �irst seven minutes. Early into the second quarter UEA were awarded a 5m penalty which captain Sam Parry duly put
player in straight sets. This result was unfortunately a sign of things to come with BUCS captain Olive Merrill and Suzanne Rowley both losing tough matches. Emily Ward - also making her debut as the fourth seed after not playing for over a year - put in a very good performance but was just edged out in a close encounter. Going into the doubles it was important to try and keep the score respectable, however Merrill and Rowley went down 6-2, 6-4 and Essex and Ward lost 6-2, 6-3. Despite being a disappointing end to the season it was a strong performance against an excellent Birmingham side, and a far larger tennis club. This season has been Women’s Tennis’ most successful for �ive years, a mid-table �inish and BUCS Cup Semi-Final appearance undoubtedly a fantastic achievement.
away. Some excellent work in pit attack by Andrew Kinch was rewarded with several sendings out, to which UEA took advantage, increasing their lead to 7-5 before the �inal whistle. Due to unfortunate scheduling, UEA were immediately required to take to the pool against hosts and favourites Bath. With a smaller than usual squad, the team were unable to effectively rotate players, and their fatigue became apparent as Bath recorded a 2-20 victory. The tournament culminated in a thrilling winner-takes-all match between UEA and Plymouth, with a coveted place in National Finals up for grabs. A refreshed UEA came
soaring out of the blocks with an early goal from Liam Barry and a couple of break away goals from Sam Parry. Some excellent work in defence suppressed the Plymouth attacks, putting UEA 4-1 up at the end of the �irst quarter. A tighter second quarter saw both teams score a goal apiece, setting up the prospect of an exciting �inal half with UEA leading 5-2. Momentum changed within the game following an exclusion against UEA, resulting in a goal to Plymouth, who were subsequently able to score twice more, bringing the scores level entering into the �inal seven minutes. The team unfortunately conceded again following a rebounded shot, and were unable to recover, eventually losing 6-8 and missing out on a spot in this year’s National Finals. UEA now look to build on their experiences leading into the U-Polo national �inals later this year, and competing at the highest level of BUCS next season.
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U:EA
Table Tennis counting on St. Andrews Freddie Magee
Sports Correspondent
Update: East Anglia Sam Tomkinson
Sports Correspondent
Norwich City moved into the Championship promotion places following a late 3-1 victory over Bristol City. Grant Holt netted an early penalty for the Canaries after Wes Hoolahan had been felled in the second minute, before City were stunned when the visitors equalised in the 65th minute through Albert Adomah. Typically, however, Norwich kept playing until the end, netting the winner in the 89th minute courtesy of an incredible piece of skill from Henri Lansbury. Andrew Surman then capitalised on an error in stoppage time to make it 3-1, a scoreline which better reflected the balance of play.
City now lie second, three points clear of Swansea City and seven behind QPR, hoping to consolidate their position with victory against Hull City. Prior to this the Canaries dropped two points at home to Preston North End - winless in 2011 - after former Canary Chris Brown had given the visitors the lead. Top scorer Holt equalised b e f o r e Hoolahan’s audacious chipped penalty was easily s a v e d , much to the chagrin of manager Paul Lambert.
Following on from this the Canaries faced Leicester City, forcing countless saves from Foxes stopper Ricardo and eventually securing a 3-2 victory courtesy of strikes from Holt, Hoolahan and Aaron Wilbraham (left). A visit to the Cardiff City Stadium was always going to be tough for Ipswich Town. Indeed this was the case as the Bluebirds dominated the first half, having a goal disallowed. However after the break a Jimmy Bullard-inspired Town secured a fine 2-0 win, their fifth in a row over Cardiff. Bullard opened the scoring with a spectacular strike from distance before his free kick
was deflected past Stephen Bywater four minutes from time. Manager Paul Jewell later acknowledged the contribution of ‘keeper Marton Fulop, stating: “He kept us in the game.” Reading – on a five match unbeaten run – were the visitors to Portman Road and with Bullard unavailable Town fell to a 3-1 defeat, their eighth at home this season. The visitors settled the result with two goals in the last five minutes, before Connor Wickham’s stoppage-time strike. Leeds United provided an even tougher test for the Tractor Boys at Elland Road, but the visitors were able to grind out a hard-fought 0-0 draw, thanks in no small part to Fulop (left). Watford are next up for Ipswich, who recently resigned former winger Kieron Dyer from West Ham United on a onemonth loan deal.
The long journey to Leeds proved futile as UEA Table Tennis lost out in a tight play-off encounter. Searching for a victory that would see them promoted to the BUCS Premiership, UEA narrowly missed out, losing 9-8. With captain Sam Collins still injured, the team remained unchanged from the lineup which had beaten St. Andrews in the first play-off game two weeks ago. The visitors were on the back foot early on as Leeds claimed the first two points, Kit Lo and Johnny Bispham both unlucky to lose. Tony Zeqiri and Matt Haynes managed to turn things around, however, with victories in their respective matches to level the scores after the first round. Both teams then traded blows to leave the match finely poised at 8-8 with only the doubles to play. Haynes and Zeqiri stepped up to the table but saw their challenge fall just short as Leeds claimed the vital 17th point. If UEA are to be promoted then they must hope that St Andrews come up with the goods against Leeds when they meet on Wednesday.
newspaper stories about his private life, which emerged in 2008 whilst Mosley was still President of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobiles (FIA), world motorsport’s governing body.
Now in the process of applying to the European Court of Human Rights to bring about a change in UK privacy laws, Mosley took the time to speak to Concrete Sport Editors Chris King and Rob Schatten
following a recent lecture at UEA, about his career in motorsport and the specifics of his case, amongst other topics. Picking up a notable theme of his lecture, Concrete asked Mosley whether he believed the British press was too powerful, and not sufficiently accountable. “I don’t believe the press as a whole is, but I do believe that the Murdoch group is,” he responded. “It has been demonstrated frequently that they enjoy excessive influence over parliament and the government.” During the lecture Mosley made a point of defining the conflict between dislosure in the public interest and an individual’s right to privacy: “I think that it can sometimes be very clear, one way or the other. Parliamentary expenses, in my way of thinking, were absolutely clearly in the public interest. A married couple having sex in their own bedroom isn’t anybody’s business.” When questioned on whether aspects of certain cases can bring them into the public interest, as with Mosley’s case, which was deemed by the media to be as such due to his background and the nature of
his actions, Mosley responded: “This can be true, particularly if the incident itself is not something the public need to know, but its effect on what the person concerned does is.” On the issue of certain actions causing offence, Mosley was frank in his dismissal of such arguments: “Whether it offends people doesn’t come into it because by definition it’s in private. Fortunately it wasn’t my thing, but when I was in my twenties you could go to prison for life in England for sodomy. It’s unbelievable now, to think, but that was just forty-fifty years ago. “I think the essential test is whether it took place in private and between consenting adults, that’s it, and if this is the case, it’s their business. Unless they’re damaging each other to the point where they become a burden on the health system or something but that’s a bit way out.” Asked whether he believed he could win his case at the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg, Mosley said: “I hope we will, but the Germans have a saying: in front of the courts and on the high seas you’re in the hands of the Lord, it’s completely unpredictable.”
Max Mosley defends his corner
D
espite a long career at the highest level of Formula One, Max Mosley is perhaps not a name commonly associated with sport. Rather, his reputation has been tainted by scandalous
David Kirkham
Campaigner: Max Mosley (talking to UEA Vice Chancellor Edward Acton) is fighting for a change in privacy laws
ISSUE 254
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Tuesday 15th March
Football promoted after table-topping thriller Mark Roach
Sports Correspondent
UEA Men’s Football I Bedford Men’s I
1 0
UEA Men’s Football I have been crowned BUCS Midlands Division 2B champions following a hardfought 1-0 win away at Bedford I. Having �inished with 23 points from 10 matches, UEA can still be matched by Cambridge if they win their remaining four games, but UEA will still win the title due to head-to-head results. It was a solid �inal display from the visitors in what was an even contest played out on the hard and dry Bedford pitch. Both sides started brightly, each attempting to string passes together on the uneven surface, Bedford relying on some last ditch tackling to prevent UEA taking the lead. After going in level at the break, UEA continually pressed the home side, forcing a succession of defensive errors and weak clearances. Opportunities began to mount up for UEA as striker Chuka Obi shot
wide and Matt Howard volleyed over whilst one-on-one. In the end it took exceptional work-rate from Nick Heap to create the game’s only goal, as he drove down the right and played in Howard to �inish from six yards, putting UEA in front with �ive minutes remaining. Despite intense pressure the yellows continued to defend well and the back four - who had been excellent throughout - held tight to seal the three points and league title. After a lengthy wait for a divisional title for UEA Men’s I, this team’s triumph is a testament to their hard work and dedication throughout the season, which has lead to this tremendous achievement. President Michael Stead commented: “For the effort that everyone at the club has put in this season, the league is the least we deserve. A winning mentality is something that we said we wanted to instill at the start of the season and the league title is testament to that. “It’s great to be part of this
winning team, and I know everyone is excited about the possibility of winning the local Saturday league and the Junior Cup �inal at Carrow
Road at the beginning of April.” He continued: “The level of commitment shown by the team - and as a club amongst the other
teams too - has been brilliant this season and having secured two trophies already, we still have a good chance of winning another three.”
Mark Roach
Champions: President Michael Stead said the club has a “good chance” of adding to their two trophies won so far
• Sport Editors Chris King and Rob Schatten talk to former FIA President Max Mosley, subject to unrelenting tabloid pressure after a video of him indulging in an ‘private’ sex party with several prostitutes emerged in 2008, and nearly cost him his position in F1
- A career snapshot • Son of Sir Oswald Mosley, who was leader of the British Union of Fascists (1932-1940), before his imprisonment • Founded racing car constructor March Engineering in 1970, before becoming involved with FOCA (Formula One Constructors Association) and drafting the seminal �irst Concorde Agreement in 1981, resolving F1’s ongoing con�lict between drivers and constructors - Formula One -
Moving on to Formula One, Concrete asked Mosley what he thought was his greatest achievement in the sport. He replied: “Getting a grip on safety, which was extremely dif�icult until 1994 because nobody believed that anything needed to be done. Then at San Marino we had three lifethreatening injuries and the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and [threetime World Champion] Ayrton Senna. “This enabled me to begin serious scienti�ic research. For instance the helmet Massa was wearing last year took �ive years to develop, but if we hadn’t done it he would have been
Pippa Artus
• Took up the FIA Presidency in 1993, remaining for sixteen years and overseeing a number of safety innovations, including the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) • Had his career threatened after videos emerged of him taking part in an S&M orgy with alleged Nazi connotations, which attracted opprobrium due to his father’s association with fascism • Managed to survive a vote of no-con�idence, but stepped down a year later in favour of chosen successor Jean Todt
killed. There are de�initely a number of drivers walking around now who wouldn’t have been.” When asked the reasoning behind his decision to stay on in 2005, having previously made clear his intention to step down, Mosley stated: “I had identi�ied Jean Todt as my successor and agreed with him that I would step down in 2005. However he was offered a contract to become CEO of the whole of Ferrari, so we agreed a deal whereby I was free to stop at any time. I would probably have stopped in 2007, but then the McLaren affair happened.” On the cancellation of this season’s opener at Bahrain, Mosley offered the following view: “Bernie
Ecclestone and Todt have both been criticised for not immediately cancelling but I think they probably did the right thing. Having said this I don’t think they were as clever about it as they could have been.” Mosley said of the current state of affairs in Formula One: “The fundamental problem is that F1 is still too expensive, and it’s very dif�icult for teams to make a pro�it. If the independent teams don’t do this the sport will collapse. You can’t rely on car companies, who come in when they want and leave when they want – you can only rely on people who make a living from it.” “Had we not introduced engine restrictions in 2004, as Williams
Criticism: Mosley alluded to the excessive power of the Murdoch press
F1’s Patrick Head pointed out, teams would still be using 200 engines a season, whereas last season it was 20. This is what has enabled teams to become pro�itable. It was around this time that Frank Williams and I had a wonderful conversation. He said: “I’ve been changing my engine on a Saturday night for the last forty years”, and I joked: “You’ve joined the ‘we’ve always done it that way’ school of management.” You just can’t run an operation like that.” As a parting question, Concrete
asked Mosley for an ideal de�inition of his professional legacy, to which he replied: “In motorsport it would be road safety. We tried to use Formula One to make a huge difference, particularly through Euro NCAP, which has literally saved thousands of lives. When you sit down in the armchair you want to think you’ve achieved something, and to feel that there are a lot of people walking around now who wouldn’t be makes all the seven in the morning departures worthwhile.”
sport
Derby Day 2011 Concrete Sport presents the definitive guide to UEA’s biggest annual sporting extravaganza
Update: East Anglia Sam Tomkinson recaps another impressive fortnight for both Norwich City and Ipswich Town in the Championship
Netball win game of the year • UEA Netball on course for promotion following a dramatic last-gasp winner which saw them edge arguably the game of the season Chris Teale
Sports Correspondent
UEA Netball I Norhampton I
Piling on the pressure: UEA put a dent in Northampton’s promotion hopes and continued their own push for a title
face of yet more handling and passing errors from the visitors, surging into a huge 23-9 lead. Northampton were unable to cope with UEA’s tireless approach to rebounding, which saw them essentially nullify the visitors’ attacking threat. At the halfway stage UEA held a commanding 23-13 lead, having allowed their opponents to reduce the arrears slightly. Northampton finally broke into their stride in the third quarter, demonstrating a vast improvement and greater fluidity in attack to score three early goals. With UEA 25-18 ahead, the visitors began to sense a comeback, but the hosts responded quickly to this possibility, regaining their shooting form to ensure a 29-25 lead at the end of the third quarter. In undoubtedly the most frenetic period of the match, the fourth quarter saw both sides trade goals aplenty, with possession very evenly matched. Northampton fought back superbly to level the scores at 32 apiece, with the game turning into a battle of nerve and temperament. With the scores tied at 37 all, it was going to take something special to determine the winner, and this was exactly what UEA produced, hitting a last-gasp winner in the dying moments of the game to snatch victory in what was an incredible fourth quarter. UEA’s tremendous win sees them keep up the pace at the top of Midlands Conference 3B Division, as they look to keep up the pressure on Cambridge II in pursuit of promotion.
good stead for the upcoming Eights Heads. Conditions can be fairly gruesome (with race cancellations due to sinkings surprisingly regular) but the team were lucky to have relatively benign waters on race day. For the men it was their inaugural race as an eight this year and both crews had their first chance to assess themselves against crews from some of the top rowing universities,
The men’s crews also went to the BUCS head race at Peterborough and both the 8+ and 4+ pre-qualified for the BUCS regatta at the end of April, coming 5th and 6th in the intermediate category. Overall these were very encouraging results against some stiff competition in difficult conditions, and they indicate that UEABC is well placed to enjoy a highly successful season.
Laura Smith
38 37
UEA Netball I came through 3837 in a pulsating game against Northampton I thanks to a last-gasp goal in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. The home side were looking to continue their good form – which has seen them top Midlands Conference Division 3B - and extend their lead over Cambridge II with a game in hand on their title rivals. Northampton were sure to present a stiff test, however, as they began the weekend third in the league - just three points behind the lead pair. UEA jumped into an early lead after a quick start, but Northampton quickly pulled a couple of goals back to reduce the deficit. The hosts then moved to capitalise and assert their dominance as errors crept into Northampton’s passing, and pulled 9-6 ahead, a lead they held until the end of the first quarter. The second quarter continued in a similar vein, the UEA defence continuing to intercept passes, whilst the attackers took their chances well. The home side dominated possession for vast periods at a time, and were soon able to make their advantage pay, exhibiting smart finishing and counter-attacking. UEA were able to press home their advantage even further in the
UEA Boat Club bridge troubled waters Matt Scrafton
Sports Correspondent
UEABC senior crews took part in the Quintin Head meet on the tidal part of the Thames in central London in late January. It was an event that offered the club a perfect opportunity to practice on part of the 7km course that is raced annually by Oxford and Cambridge, and will stand them in
including Cambridge, Durham, Bristol and the big London clubs. The men went off 45th and had a strong race, overtaking several crews to finish 20th overall out of 78 crews, and a close second in their division despite being pushed into slack water towards the finish due to multiple crews attempting to overtake one another. The women also had a good race, battling through a nasty headwind
that struck as they rounded one of the large bends. They overtook two crews racing in a division above them and finished third in their division by 0.3 seconds to a team that finished well inside the top hundred crews during last year’s campaign. Had they not comically mistaken the position of the finish line and stopped racing just a fraction too early, they may have done even better!
GAMES: 2011
NEW REM LP
THE BIG REVIEW
full report from
our verdict
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this year’s gdc
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And now, some uncensored and deeply self-indulgent words from the editor... We’ve been having a little bit of a spring clean...
So we were in the LCR, and a kind stranger came over and whispered something in our ear. Turns out we’ve been wearing pretty much the same outfit since mid-September. Awkward. We hope you like our snazzy new look. Don’t worry, it extends further than turning this page blue, and the content is just as great as always. Maybe even a little better...
Editor-in-Chief>Danny Collins| concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Venue Editor>Duncan Vicat-Brown| concrete.event@uea.ac.uk Deputy Venue Editor>Fiona Howard
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk| Fashion Editor>Kat Jones Deputy Fashion Editor>Hannah Britt Fashion Contributors>Kat Jones, Melissa Rushworth, Hannah Britt, Anna Smith
concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk| Arts Editor>Liz Jackson Arts Contributors>Emma Webb, Rebecca Hazlewood, Matthew Morton, Catherine Morpeth
Have a week!
n a c n Du
Apologies to SIMON PARTRIDGE, who took last issue’s fantastic cover photo and who we incorrectly credited as Greg Mann. The next round is on us mate! Big thanks to HARRIET JONES for our fantastic cover for this issue, taken at Sunday’s Wombats gig. Look out for a full review in Venue Issue 255, out March 30th!
concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk| Creative Writing Editor>Robert Van Egghen Creative Writing Contributors> Matt Mulcahy
concrete.tvdigital@uea.ac.uk| Television Editor>Tasha Golley Television Contributors>Helen Jones, Sherie Harkom, Natalie Stephenson, Tom Theedom, Matt Tidby, Helen Eaton
concrete.wired@uea.ac.uk| Wired Editor>Vaughn Highfield Wired Contributors>Josh Mott, Mehul Samani, DJ Turner, Emma Garrett, William Moran,
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk| Film Editor>Paul Martin
Deputy Film Editor>Catherine Watts
Film Contributors>Lorna Pontefract, Tom Graves, Helen Jones, Beth Davison, Beth Hulett, James Burrough, Joseph Mead, Steph McKenna, Anna Eastick, Sarraounia Christianson, Tom McInnes
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk| Music Editors>Alec Plowman & Alex Throssell Music Contributors> Alex Throssell, Chalice Cox-Hynd, Alex Ross, Jordan Bright, Sean Purdy, Harriet Jones, James Sykes, David murphy, Emily Prichard, Alec Plowman
concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk| Listings Editor>Georgina Wade Listings Contributors>Georgina Wade
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FASHION
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
I Love London Fashion Week
So here we have it: Venue’s lowdown on London Fashion Week. We were lucky enough to have fashion dedicated writers as our own little spies popping up in various events, poised with notebooks and cameras to bring you first hand observations from the catwalks. As always with the city fashion weeks, be it London, Paris, or Milan, there are many dramas which either are unveiled subtly or there are the jaw dropping shocks that explode. In this issue we try to give you a little piece of everything that happened: be sure to book your tickets early for next season’s shebang!.
What made the Papers? by kat jones
1.
John Galliano made Paris Fashion Week memorable for all the wrong reasons when he was arrested for shouting antiSemetic slurs whilst on a drunken night out. He has since been fired from Dior. It is rumoured that he will be replaced by Stefano Pilati.
Fans of the late Alexander McQueen were treated to a sneaky peek of an exhibition called ‘Savage Beauty’ which will run in New York later this year. Lucky A-list Londoners were invited to The Ritz for a preview of the exhibition to celebrate London Fashion Week.
2.
London Fashion Weekend Having showcased some of the world’s biggest designers during London Fashion Week, Somerset House maintained the glitz and glamour by hosting London Fashion Weekend, taking full advantage of that well trodden catwalk. Opening the show was ‘Swan Vesta’, a Black Swan inspired collection that captivated the
3. What do men really carry in their bags? It is humbling to know that Way Perry, designer of Man About Town, won’t leave home without a Spiderman notebook and a Lego key ring.
audience in its theatrical transcendance from soft pastels and wavy silhouettes, to dark and more wild melodramatic pieces. The show stealer had to be William Tempest’s Pink Lobster Devore Dress, and with contributions from the likes of Rodarte and Jasper Garvida, the show was enthralling from start to finish. Closing the show was the much talked
Famous Faces On The Front Row Never is there a more important time to dress to impress than during London Fashion Week.
Rocked It
Shocked It
Fashion’s Power Couple We wonder what Philip Green and Anna Wintour talked about on the front row...
4. Weighty debate. As ever, with every single show or event relating to fashion, there are many column inches taken up regarding the size of the skinny minis on the catwalk. I ask why does this not happen with menswear? No-one ever suggests including bulky rugby players or guys with cuddly “beer-bellies” to save being prejudice to all men.
about designer Mark Fast, who combined lycra and tassels in a way that Cher would be proud of. However, hardly reminiscent of Turn back time the cut-out, body hugging array of dresses created a sexy, wild, 70s sister theme, with the models flowing seductively down the runway. Melissa Rushworth
Clemence Posey, Alexa Chung and Gillian Anderson show their fellow celebrities how it’s done...
...Kate Bosworth, Jaime Winstone and Paloma Faith on the other hand did not fare so well. What were they thinking?!
Fashion 05
Issue 254 15th March 2011
Autumn/Winter 2011 Trendwatch Inner Animal
Many designers turned to other species for inspiration of their new line. Fur, feathers, sequinned skin prints, leather, birdcages, woodland creations, taxidermy – think Wind in the Willows for A/W 2011.
From the catwalk...
...to the High Street... River Island £29
Zara £19.99
Topshop £25
...to the extreme!
For Folks Sake
While we do love to celebrate Great Britishness, especially in the collection by Vivienne Westward, there was on influx on bright colours, prints, sculptural headdresses, alluding to Russian dolls and aboriginal pattern.
From the catwalk...
...to the High Street... FCUK £62
So Long, John by Hannah Britt
John Galliano, Dior’s creative director, left a bad taste in fashion’s mouth this month when he was filmed slurring antisemetic abuse after a boozy night out in Paris. Now, if you stood on a bin outside Lola Lo’s after one too many Jagerbombs and yelled, “I love Hitler” to the wind, you may get some cheesy chips thrown at you but that’s probably about it. However, Galliano got his rant on at La Perle in Paris, and in Paris it is against the law. Making anti-Semetic comments in France can lead to a six month jail sentence, as well as a hefty fine. When questioned, Galliano defended himself by saying that he wasn’t intending to be antiSemetic. Hold on a minute there John, did you or did you not say, “I love Hitler” and shout at an innocent Jewish couple, “People like you would be dead. Your forefathers would all be fucking gassed”? Oh yes, that’s right, you did. That’s about as anti-Semetic as you can get. Bellend.
After his arrest, the designer was promptly suspended from Dior and then fired. The events deeply shocked the fashion world and while model Jessica Stam defended her friend stating “Everybody makes mistakes”, others were not quite so forgiving. In a statement released on Tuesday evening in Los Angeles, Natalie Portman said: “I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano’s comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these stillexisting prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful”. Galliano has been at the creative helm of Dior since 1996 and has produced some stunning collections. It is such a shame that his sparkling career has come to an end in such a negative way. So, as the dust settles on the catwalks, it is safe to say that this year’s Milan Fashion
Week will certainly not fade from memory any time soon. However, sadly it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
My London Fashion Weekend by Anna Smith
Topshop £130
Miss Selfridge £28
...to the extreme!
Imagine yourself as a five year old stood in the middle of an old fashioned sweet shop. Every inch of the walls are affixed with shelves groaning under the weight of hundreds of jars filled with a vast array of technicolour sweets. Imagine your little five year old mind going into overdrive over the pure excitement of the sugar rush and you are just about half way there to understanding how this writer felt at London Fashion Week. At the close of LFW, London Fashion Weekend opens in the beautiful surroundings of Somerset House. It’s a chance to dress up, drink free champagne, watch a catwalk show and shop, shop, shop. With over 100 designer brands and huge discounts perhaps you can now understand the child in a sweet shop analogy. This reporter just couldn’t resist buying a fabulous – yes, fabulous – eel skin handbag
by Makki and a pair of Michael Lewis boots for only £70, an absolute steal seeing as this particular pair retailed at £700 and considering Lewis has created footwear for Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford and Versace. The highlight was getting to see a selection of designers send examples of their S/S 11 collection down the catwalk. It gave us an idea of the trends that we will be seeing this summer, including Black Swan inspiration, Colour Blocking and a stunning knitwear collection by Mark Fast. Whilst the majority of the time designer is inaccessible to those of us on a student budget, London Fashion Weekend is a great opportunity to get a taster of what the fashion world has to offer. A fantastic time was had, just like that imaginary 5 year old in a sweet shop. Make sure to get your tickets next year, we will.
ARTS
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk
Theatre - Theatre Royal - Goodnight Mister Tom
The appearance of Goodnight Mister Tom at Norwich Theatre Royal is the debut production for brand new children’s theatre company, The Children’s Touring Partnership, which takes gifted youngsters on the road to showcase young dramatic talent. Consisting of three performance dates (and three pairs of William’s and Zach’s, one per night), Goodnight Mister Tom had already enjoyed
sell-out performances in Wycombe and Suffolk before bringing the show to Norwich. The novel, by Michelle Magorian, has enjoyed consistent popularity since its publication in 1981, and the BBC TV adaptation starring John Thaw has made the story a timeless family classic. This new adaptation by David Wood remains faithful to Magorian’s plot, but makes the story
appear made for the stage. With spectacularly undemanding costume, props and staging, Wood presents the simplicity of ‘40s country life, interspersed with the use of World War II visual memorabilia and recordings of the Prime Minister’s announcements from the war itself. A masterpiece of doubled stage separated Willie’s country experiences from the horrors of war-torn London, by a drawbridge. As well as lively characters and witty dialogue, the audience also enjoyed polished renditions of Gracie Fields’ ‘Wish Me Luck (As You Wave Me Goodbye)’ and ‘(There’ll Be Bluebirds) Over The White Cliffs of Dover’, which contributed enormously to the wartime atmosphere. Stage veteran Oliver Ford Davies mastered the art of the cantankerous and ageing Tom Oakley, bringing humour and poignant emotion in seamless transition. The show shines with superb casting throughout, not just from the exceptionally talented young boys in lead roles, but also those responsible for the country animals, brought to life with imaginative and humorous puppetry. Laura Cubitt was outstanding as the puppeteer performing Mister Tom’s beloved collie, Sammy. Many in supporting roles doubled up on characters to give life to cheerful country folk - from chain-smoking village
doctors to by-the-book wardens - and truly captured the spirit of the fierce and fighting Londoners, experiencing terror and loss. Six young members of the chorus are all local to Norwich and in attendance at theatre schools here. Whatever their age, fans of Goodnight Mister Tom could not possibly be disappointed with anything in this charming production. Filled with humour and emotion in equal measure, endearing childish innocence and wartime loss and friendship, this is expertly written and beautifully executed family entertainment. A cast of some new faces, some old hands, and an amazing fabric collie, this is a show with life far beyond the arranged tour dates. It appears the future of British theatre may be very bright indeed. Emma Webb
Theatre - Theatre Royal - Richard Alston Dance Company The world famous Richard Alston Dance Company performed at the Theatre Royal last week in a series of captivating dances which stunned the audience with their fluidity, grace, and innovative style. The company of just ten performers, including two dancers undertaking apprenticeships from the London Contemporary Dance School, performed three dances: ‘Lie of the Land’, ‘Out of the Strong’ and ‘Roughcut’. The latter two were choreographed by Richard Alston himself, and the first, which made the 2010 Pendulum Critics Circle Award shortlist, was choreographed by Martin Lawrance who, since dancing with Alston early on in his career, has restaged several of Alston’s choreographies. The first dance piece was set to Ned Rorem’s String Quartet No.4; the constantly changing music created uncertainty and tension, with the dancers movements being riveting and unpredictable. Following this was ‘Out of the Strong’ set to Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No.6, a beautiful masterpiece which was written after a gruelling period of the composer’s life, when the political situation of the time in Russia led to the composer becoming highly criticised. Trapped and fearing for his life, Prokofiev was forced to write works such as the cantata ‘Hail Stalin’. The sonata carries elements of the turmoil
and rage experienced by the composer, as well as reflections on happier times. The pianist performed the sonata on stage with the dancers, providing a highly varied accompaniment as they danced through the emotions the music evoked in varying assemblages of quartets, duets and quintets. This piece had more of a balletic feel, differing slightly from the contemporary movements of the other two pieces. Completely contrasting, ‘Roughcut’ used the minimalist backdrop of Steve Reich’s ‘Counterpoint for Clarinet and tape’ (1986) and ‘Electric Counterpoint for guitar and tape’ (1987). Alston describes it as “a dance about vitality” allowing the dancers to “relax with a laid-back cool”. The contemporary dance style was both fascinating and alluring to watch. The dancers talents were showcased throughout the three dances in a series of seemingly supernatural movements, displaying the utmost control and flexibility; lightning speed contrasted with slow and sustained moments as limbs were stretched and contorted to remarkable angles, whilst the varying musical styles and the exceptional piano performance provided further variety and interest. The RADC regularly return to Norwich to perform at the Theatre Royal, usually once a year. Rebecca Hazlewood
Arts
Issue 254 15th March 2011
07
Literature - UEA Literary Festival - Alice Oswald For a reporter to attempt to comment objectively on an art-form is difficult enough, but a poetry reading in particular can seem downright futile. Instead, what is often the case is that it is possible to objectively cover the subjectivity of art and the people involved; something Alice Oswald’s evening at the UEA Literary Festival excelled at. Alice Oswald, she professes, isn’t a Nature Poet. She is “not into Landscape poetry” in the Wordsworthian sense and she finds being marginalised into the expanding category of ‘Eco-Poetry’ “uncomfortable”. Is she alone then? Forging a new poeticism out of the darkness of bland contemporaries, never wishing to be labelled as anything but ‘Alice Oswald’? In this reporter’s view, certainly not. However, though not revolutionary in her poetry, her form and ideals seem to follow a strikingly similar – and most likely intentional - mimesis with the relationship of her verse and the world; herein lies the most intriguing port of call for reportage.
Theatre - UEA - Bad Girls For the Drama Society, taking on the musical Bad Girls was a bold move, but definitely a risk worth taking. Set in the wing of a female prison, within the first five minutes the audience is gripped into an enticing, tough and very funny production. Based on the ITV show Bad Girls, created by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, the development of each individual character expands into an amusing yet emotional story. The songs ranged from full cast dance numbers to soft laments. Both the choreography and lyrics for songs about the sexual frustration of the inmates and the satisfaction of the sleazy Prison officer Jim Fenner brought extensive laughter from the audience. The production begins with each main character introducing their background story, explaining the reasons for their crimes through subtle comedy. As the story unfolds, the new inmate Rachel is subject to Fenner’s passions, leading to her subsequent suicide. This leads to an uprising from the prisoners who start a riot. With Helen Stewart losing her job at the prison, the inmates work together to finally put an end to the cruelty of Fenner, bringing all the prisoners closer in a cheesy but enjoyable ending. On top of all the drama, an off-limits relationship develops between Helen and the charming inmate Nikki Wade. The stupid yet manipulative Mrs Hollanby was portrayed excellently. The actress was not
afraid to go all out as she danced around the stage pulling some hilarious facial expressions. The arrival of the audacious Yvonne was a brilliant event in itself, as from her first step on the stage she had the audience in fits of laughter. She stole the show with her sly witty remarks, extensive vocal range and highly amusing dancing. The stage layout was efficient, which allowed for swift scene changes. The stage and the orchestra were divided by a prison railing. The orchestra easily complemented the voices of the actors, despite occasionally drowning them out. Luckily it was infrequent and barely noticeable as the musical kept everyone on the edge of his or her seats. The second half opened with an intense number sung beautifully by the religious shoplifter Crystal as she grieves the death of the new girl Rachel. It was a strong introduction to the second half as the audience was drawn away from the comic aspects of the musical to be exposed to the power of Bad Girls’ underlying themes. With a perfect balance of comedy and drama, the entire musical had the audience enthralled. It was a meticulously executed production, an enjoyable, uplifting musical and definitely worth watching. The UEA Drama Society did a fantastic job. Catherine Morpeth
Alice Oswald studied Classics at New College, Oxford but, perhaps at her mother’s occupational behest, went on to become a gardener at Chelsea Physic Garden and now lives with husband and playwright Peter Oswald and three children in Devon. Tuesday evening consisted of an introduction by George Szirtes, a reading of several poems by Oswald, chat-show style conversation with her, questions from the audience and more readings by the poet from her longer work Dart (2002) to finish. It is reassuringly easy to see that every aspect of Oswald’s life feeds directly and openly into her poetry: she talks about the “happy resistance” of toiling with a rake in the same breath as explaining the mythology of Tithonus and the bounty of the Devonshire countryside; there is happily no question of a deception concerning content. Poetically, Oswald remarks she is “very interested in interruption”, shies away from free verse, stating it is “less free” than the sonnets and ballads she writes in equal measure, and uses an expansive
arsenal of similes, classic metaphors, lilting half-rhymes and staccato rhythms. These features however, can be explored at a reader’s discretion – what is important to report is the evening itself, in particular the shifts of unity and discrepancy between the written words of a poet and the oratory style of that poet. A surreal theatrical experience then! The words on the page are Oswald’s and the voice is certainly hers; both possess equal identity and yet the conduit between art and life – for that is a poetry reading – shivers and wanes as the audience attempts to match falling cadences with natural content and a faltering voice with the weight of a classic allusion. Wonderfully then, once thrown upon the audience, this wavering connection falls, as mentioned above, mimetically back to Oswald’s own relation to her art, and to the person giving flight to voice and word. A highly engrossing evening giving audience to a highly absorbing person and poet. Matthew Morton
CREATIVE WRITING
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk
Elephant in the Room They sat in awkward silence, eager to avoid the obvious question. The meal had long ago been finished and their plates cleared away. While it may have been customary for the group to retire to the drawing room at this point, they had remained fastened to their seats. The maid, a delightfully robust German lady by the name of Hildegard, had decided at some point that she should take her leave; no one cared. The party in question consisted of four men and their wives. The hosts were Mr and Mrs Fairfax, an ancient couple who, between them, had only ever worked around fourteen days in their lives. Mr Fairfax was the elder of the two and the wearer of a magnificent moustache. In simpler times he had been tipped as the next big name in English philosophy, though nothing ever came of it. Mrs Greene coughed loudly, causing all to turn and stare directly at her in an accusatory manner, as if she had committed some dreadful faux pas. She was alarmed by the sudden interest of the others, especially since her husband was glaring just as intently as the rest. He looked at her as if to say ‘Shush!’ and she turned her head, ashamed. The Greenes were younger than the Fairfaxes, though not by much. Mrs Greene was a shy and retiring woman who never really had very much to say; social discourse was thus left to her husband, a loquacious public speaker. The short brunette was perplexed by talk of polo and horseracing, confused during discussions on the Countryside Alliance, and downright befuddled whenever the words ‘robin’, ‘hood’, ‘tax’ and ‘travesty’ were strung together in a sentence. The other two couples were the Davilows and the Davilows, who had caused quite a stir upon first pairing up all those years ago. Mr Davilow and Mr Davilow were twins, as were Mrs Davilow and Mrs Davilow, which had caused no end of confusion on the wedding day (it was a joint ceremony) and even more confusion on the wedding night, which was unpleasant for all concerned until Mr Davilow, an aggressive negotiator, cross-examined the other Davilows to discover which one was his wife. While Mr Davilow and Mrs Davilow were always meek, Mr Davilow and Mrs Davilow were known for their adventurousness, yet all four sat now in stony silence, refusing to acknowledge the problem right in front of their faces. And it was a BIG problem. Mr Fairfax could not be bothered to deal with it, Mrs Fairfax was tired of picking up after her husband and so was waiting for him to sort it out, Mr Greene was not quite sure how to talk the problem away, Mrs Greene had absolutely no idea what was going on, and Mr Davilow, Mrs Davilow, Mr Davilow and Mrs Davilow were waiting for the right moment for Mr Davilow to take charge of the situation. Once they had all calmed down and stopped staring at Mrs Greene, Mr Fairfax leaned back in his chair, looked round at the others, and slowly cleared his throat. The rest took this to mean it was best to leave it. Mrs Fairfax clawed the tablecloth so intensely her knuckles went bone-white. Mr Fairfax took no
notice. between them, the majority of the party had been looking toward Mr Fairfax for advice, who ignored their silent pleas. her knuckles went bone-white. Mr Fairfax took no notice. Thirty-four minutes later, without a word having been passed between them, the majority of the party had been looking toward Mr Fairfax for advice, who ignored their silent pleas. Without warning, the ancient grandfather clock in the west corner burst into life, blaring out dings and dongs like nobody’s business. The whole party was startled but managed to restrain themselves, apart from Mrs Greene, who proceeded to scream in terror, not stopping until Mr Greene grabbed hold of her shirtcollar and yelled at her to be quiet. The shock of her husband speaking so violently to her culled her into submission. The stunned shriek of Mrs Greene meant the complication became far more serious. Where the others had done their utmost to ignore the very large issue standing quietly in the corner, the issue no longer wished to ignore them, and trumpeted loudly. No one was sure when they had first noticed the elephant, which through the silence had kept itself occupied by looking around, leaning forward to examine carefully the contents of a trophy cabinet, but it had become increasingly difficult to ignore. The big grey bulk now turned its cumbersome head towards him and narrowed its eyes suspiciously. Mr Greene looked to his wife for support, only to see a flood of tears streaming down her face. He thought it was safer to turn back to the elephant. The next time the old clock chimed, the group had collectively decided, via a series of understanding nods, that they were to continue the dinner party as if they had never seen the huge African mammal standing uncomfortably close to the table. The reason for this was that Mr Fairfax had realised that if the elephant did not feel at all awkward, then neither should they. As he had only dealt with elephants previously for their ivory, his exact thought process was something to do with his annoyance that he had not spent six years of his life shooting those wrinkly bastards to be outsmarted by one now. The elephant had a slightly different thought process, mainly revolving around grass, water and these strange people that avoided looking at him. The conversation around the table swiftly moved through various topics, supplied by Mrs Fairfax, until the company had almost forgotten the uninvited animal’s existence, apart from when they were interrupted by blaring trumpet calls. The elephant did not make noise for any particular reason; he just liked that the little people sitting down flinched dramatically whenever he opened his mouth. Mrs Greene in particular was becoming increasingly terrified, only able to control her involuntary shaking for fear of her husband’s disapproval. Mrs Fairfax and the two Mrs Davilows, in contrast, were annoyed more than anything else, with Mrs Fairfax wondering why such a creature had to suddenly appear at her party of all places. Mr
Creative Writing Events Tuesday 15th March Norwich Poetry Club featuring Caroline Bird Norwich Poetry Club is back with a very special reading from Caroline Bird. Featuring support from Faber New Poet Tom Warner, Hannah Walker and Martin Figura. From 7:30pm sharp at The Bicycle Shop, St Benedict’s Street. Tickets are £5
Sunday 20th March - Vocal Invention Featuring readings from three extraordinary poets in George Szirtes, Andrew McDonnell and Agnes Lehockzy. From 8pm sharp , also in The Handle Bar downstairs in The Bicycle Shop on St Benedict’s Street. Tickets are £5
Monday 21st March - Word of Mouth presents Steve Larkin and Tim Wells Experienced spoken word performers Tim Wells and Steve Larkin perform at Word of Mouth, with support from Martin Figura and Alex Iamb. Compered by Amy Wragg. From 8pm at Norwich Arts Centre. Tickets are £5. Cafe/ bar is available.
Tuesday 29th March - Sadie Jones at UEA Spring Literary Festival Winner of Costa First Novel award, Sadie Jones will be appearing at the UEA Spring Literary Festival reading from her new emotionally-charged novel Small Wars. From 7pm in LT1. Tickets are £6. The event is hosted by Andrew Cowan.
Greene did not really mind the mammoth’s presence, looking on the bright side, it would certainly act as a great anecdote in the future. Mr Davilow was worried his inaction would adversely affect his reputation. The elephant, taking all of this in with his yellow-brown eyes, decided it would be amusing to up his game, and so began taking an active part in the dinner conversation. While Mr Greene was in a middle of a diatribe concerning immigration, the grey trunk wormed its way down and slurped up a glass of chardonnay that no one had touched. Mr Greene broke off, momentarily surprised, but decided to carry on before the elephant started to think it could do whatever it liked. Unfortunately for Mrs Fairfax, Mr Greene had not resumed fast enough. The chardonnay burst from the trunk’s hold, flying across the table, every single droplet landing on the hostess. Mrs Fairfax screamed with a combination of indignation, rage, annoyance, upset and resignation. The elephant trumpeted victoriously and continued to terrorise the party as the night went on, knocking bottles of wine over and flinging cutlery off the table, occasionally slapping the guests with his trunk. Mrs Greene had a nervous breakdown not long after, leading Mr Greene to begin a series of lectures entitled ‘Why you should stand up to a problem, not ignore it’; Mr Fairfax stayed at home while Mrs Fairfax took his gun and went to the zoo, eventually receiving a number of years in prison for attempted poaching; Mr and Mrs Davilow spent the rest of their lives examining elephants in various habitats in a vain attempt to determine how one could be teleported halfway around the world; and Mr and Mrs Davilow received postcards from their siblings. The elephant was never seen again. Matt Mulcahy
NEXT ISSUE The theme for the next issue is: ‘Unexpected’ Please email your submissions to concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk by 23rd March
TV
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.tvdigital@uea.ac.uk
PRIMETIME>Jamie’s Dream School Channel 4, Wednesday, 9pm
Jamie’s Dream School is yet another programme where Jamie Oliver plays the hero but this time his heroics have nothing to do with his food. Half of today’s kids leave school with less than the required GCSEs to allow them to continue onto further education and this is something Jamie wants to change. He takes over a school using 20 teenagers who have flunked their GCSEs to be his students, along with some of the most famous and respected people from the subject fields to be their teachers, for example Simon Callow teaching English and Rolf Harris teaching art. The hope is that these teachers being able to teach what they want how they want will be able to inspire the teens to give education another go. One major flaw of this programme is that the kids have absolutely no idea who many of these ‘teachers’ are, so there is no reason why they would listen to them any more than they did their real
teachers. The students are typically unruly, immature, and uninterested, and given that none of these teachers have any idea about how to deal with kids the classes are rather uncomfortable to watch. This inexperience with children shines through when David Starkey, filling the role of history teacher, insults a boy in the class because of his weight without any provocation. It’s a shocking moment and his behaviour causes a rift between him, Jamie and the headmaster. It seems as if things are going to go to pot before the show has even properly begun. However what Jamie is trying to do should be commended as it is tackling an important issue, whether or not it will work we can only wait and see, the teens seem like hopeless cases, but we may end up being surprised Helen Jones
REALITY>Hotter Than My Daughter BBC Three, Tuesday, 8.30pm
This February, reality show Hotter Than My Daughter returned for a second series. So what can we expect this time? ‘Hotness Heaven’ is still the place to be to grab your makeover and the experts are on hand to change the appearance of both mum and daughter. Gone are the hotpants that mum nicked for a night out and that shapeless hoody that the daughter is so keen to wear as Liz MClarnon is on hand to turn both into respectable human beings. Having done so well the first time around it is clear that this BBC 3 show is now receiving proper funding; there is more screen-time for the pair who are up for the makeovers and the host wastes no time in plucking the nation’s heartstrings in support for the daughter. With more interaction guaranteed between Liz and the disastrous duo there is plenty for the enthusiastic voyeur to enjoy. Gone is the room full of photos of famous
CAST ASIDE?
With the BBC giving Outcasts the boot from primetime,Venue takes a closer look at the BBC and whether the channel has given up on new innovative drama... Outcasts follows the colonisation of a new planet with a big cast that includes Spooks’ Hermione Norris and Ugly Betty’s Eric Mabius. For one thing, original sci-fi is seldom seen on the BBC one and two, especially with something so highly conceptual. The first episode enticed 4.5 million viewers, so the concept (and advertising) was certainly seen as attractive to audiences. From there is where it went downhill, slowly dropping 2 million pairs of eyes until it was moved to Sunday and since then it’s dropped further from there.
It has to be mentioned that it clashed with My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and that is no mean feat for anything, unfortunately. With no backup plan, the 9pm Monday slot has been replaced by a mix of shows such as Motorway Cops and Waking the Dead. Beyond Outcasts, the BBC have been working hard at getting new drama off the ground. There is a very long list of new shows on their website which includes The Crimson Petal and White and Stolen. They are, of course, dominated by adaptations and period pieces yet surprisingly also include a little sci-fi. Touch, in which the vengeful dead
walk the Earth and a geeky character has to stop them, is however going to be on BBC3. All the new programmes will be refreshing but it may be that BBC1 shies away from such fantastical things in the near future. It appears that the BBC high quality production of Outcasts wasn’t enough for viewers to return to the show each week. Such a short series of 8 episodes may have prevented the audience figures from stabilising, so perhaps the BBC were right in their choice. They certainly have plenty more fish available in the BBC sea. Natalie Stephenson
women and their mums, instead a glam catwalk divided in the middle lets both mum and daughter stride confidently towards the camera and the awaiting audience. Instead of gawking at the mum’s dress sense, the viewer is drawn into feeling sympathetic for the daughter who not only has to put up with mum’s breasts spilling onto the dance floor but also has to deal with major insecurities about her own looks. In this respect this revamped show is fantastic for drawing out the ‘inner woman’, something that can be achieved through a critical public jury, amazing makeovers and heart-to-heart chats with Liz. With this successful revamp of the show it seems likely that it will be back for a third run in the near future. So, if you want to take your mum on this show be sure that you are up for a good counselling session as well as a sexy new look... Sherie Harkcom
10
Issue 254 15th March 2011
TV
COPS AND ROBBERS This issue, we put our favourite crime shows on trial.
Law and Order: UK
Life On Mars
ITV1, Monday, 9pm
Series 1&2, Currently Available on DVD
We can all breathe a sigh of relief: Law & Order: UK is back on our screens for series four. The crime genre is saturated with American shows and glossy American settings, so having the fantastic Law & Order: UK compete with them is a joy. OK, so it is a spin-off from the US original, and yes, it does recycle previous storylines from its now defunct parent series, but if it ain’t broke, then why fix it? The new series kicked off on March 10th in glorious fashion, with a story of a murdered ex-Premiership footballer with links with a notorious gangster, Rob Marsh, and the only witness able to put him behind bars being threatened by Marsh’s men. Sound a little clichéd? Perhaps, but this is where L&O: UK shines brightest. It is very much a product of Dick Wolf
(creator of Law and Order) as it sticks with the facts, the legal action, and dialogue to tell the story - no shoot-outs or high speed car chases here. The show retains its British sense of humour, whilst never straying into camp, keeps the mood serious and challenging without ever being depressing, and the casting of light entertainer Bradley Walsh continues to be an absolute revelation. It is very reassuringly British, and never has London ever looked better on the small screen than when captured by the on-location shooting here. It is a treasure that should, and will hopefully, be appreciated for many years to come, and one that makes you proud to be British. Tom Theedom
Life on Mars will be fondly remembered as one of, if not the, greatest police drama of the first decade of the 21st century. The series starred John Simm (Doctor Who, State of Play) as Sam Tyler, a modernday DCI who wakes up in the sepia toned, smoked stained world of Manchester, 1973, under the maverick and somewhat beergoggled eyes of DCI Gene Hunt, played with gusto by the terrific Philip Glenister (Cranford). The greatest achievement of Life on Mars was that it was never less than entertaining; every episode is a fantastic piece of television. With intelligent scripts, sharp direction, and a puerile panoply of quotable lines from the acid tongue of DCI Hunt. Moreover, the fantastical element of the show’s premise sets it apart from the majority of police
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Now in its eleventh series, there can be little doubt that CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is one of the classic crime shows of the last decade. Although there have been many changes within the last few years, it is clear that the winning CSI formula is unlikely to become redundant any time soon. Set in Las Vegas, the show provides an in-depth look at the inner workings of ‘sin city’, with some of the most talked about storylines in crime television. Whether it’s the Quentin Tarantino directed ‘Grave Danger’ episodes, or Justin Bieber’s recent appearance, CSI always
manages to give the audience something that cannot be found elsewhere; this, combined with an alternative aesthetic style to other crime shows, is what sets CSI apart. It has regularly been suggested that the loss of so many of the core characters, such as Gil Grissom, Warrick Brown and Sara Sidle, has radically altered the quality of the show. However, the introduction of Dr. Raymond Langston (played by Laurence Fishburne) in the middle of series nine has served more than adequately to fill the gap left by Gil Grissom. Helen Eaton
dramas: it allows Sam Tyler to be the modern eyes observing the widespread procedural malpractice in the British police and the broader cultural prejudices of the 1970’s, in turn enabling the audience to ask questions about the positive and negative aspects of our society’s past. “The greatest achievement of Life on Mars is that it was never short of entertaining; every episode is a fantastic piece of television” Through this unique format, over two series Life on Mars re-defined what police drama could be in the 21st century, and as such it is vital viewing for fans of the genre, and television in general. Matt Tidby
WIRED
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.wired@uea.ac.uk
Game Developers Conference Plants vs Zombies Taking place in San Francisco between 28th February - 4th March, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) is the largest annual gathering of game developers; consisting of an expo, lectures and award ceremonies, such as the Game Developers Choice Awards and the Independent Games Festival. Industry round tables are prevalent as well. This year’s conference has not had any huge reveals of new games or hardware, but already announced titles such as Dead Island, the NGP (Sony’s next generation handheld) and Battlefield 3 have had a lot of significant coverage. For Halo fans, possibly the biggest news of GDC is the development of a new game series by Bungie software. One of the new games will be the first non-Halo title the studio has worked on since joining Microsoft to release Halo: Combat Evolved. It will be a “massive multiplayer online action game,” said Bungie’s lead network engineer David Aldridge. More information has also been released about the NGP. The new console is said to be able to produce PlayStation 3 quality graphics. As the GDC is a developers conference, it made sense that Sony would try and flaunt the capabilities of the NGP. A tech demo of Uncharted Portable, which will be a game on the NGP, was held. However, Sony was quick to emphasise that this was just a tech demo and not actual gameplay. The graphics were absolutely stunning for a portable console and the touch screen capabilities, although a little out of place with Uncharted, looked promising. With the Nintendo 3DS launch closing in on March 25th, there was a strong showing of software on display. Titles such as Super Street fighter IV 3D Edition and Kid Icarus Uprising, as well as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS, which is a remake of the Nintendo 64 classic that many see as one of the greatest games of all time. A 3DS Super Mario game was also announced, although not very many details were given; four screen shots were shown, giving way to speculation on whether Mario would return to the Mushroom Kingdom or continue in a Super Mario Galaxy type world. The logo for the new title also had a tail akin to Super Mario 3. Let the speculation begin! Well, until E3 at least. Other notable news from the GDC
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Issue 254 15th March 2011
includes Dead Island, which brought the gaming world to its knees with its harrowing trailer a couple of weeks ago. From the gameplay trailers it looks to be more of a Dead Rising type of zombie game with a focus on body count rather than a Resident Evil style zombie encounter with more emphasis on story and survival. Some may see this as disappointing after the very emotionally charged trailer. More information was given about Batman: Arkham City too. Story details containing a list of new and returning characters, including Cat Woman and Two Face, as well as the news that Arkham City will be five times bigger than Arkham Asylum and that there will be no multiplayer. Battlefield 3 was given an autumn release date and visually spectacular single player gameplay was shown. Battlefield 3s announcement as a Q4 release has sparked the question whether it will be able to challenge Modern Warfare 3s place as the first person shooter everyone plays this autumn. With no multiplayer being shown, traditionally DICE’s strongest area, gamers will have to wait and see. To summarise the other main news Resistance 3 multiplayer was shown as was Gears of War 3 multiplayer. Guild Wars 2 was demoed and there was a new trailer revealed for Zelda: Skyward Sword on the Wii as well as many others. Along with gaming announcements and demos, the GDC also has the Game Developers Choice Awards, which are voted for by game developers. The big winner was Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption collecting four awards, including Game of the Year and Best Developed game. The other notable winner was the sandbox building game Minecraft receiving three awards including the Innovation Award. Minecraft was also awarded the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival Awards, impressive for a game which is still technically in development. Overall, there was a lot of good news and announcements during the conference. However, GDC is a developer conference geared more towards developers meeting, sharing ideas and recruiting rather than catering to the video gaming press. For that we will have to wait for the industry’s main showcase at E3 in June. Josh Mott
Format: PS3, 360, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod touch Release: Out Now RRP: £39.99 A hoard of zombies is gathering to attack your house; human nature dictates you must defend it, but how? Reach for your rifle? Wave a chainsaw? Toss unwanted records? No, these have all been done. Popcap Games have a new, and dare I say it, more satisfying answer: plants. It’s what we’ve been waiting for, a game that lets you strategically place vegetation with which to halt an impressive variety of zombies from ‘eating your brain’. This really is all there is to it, but with 48 impressive and amusing plants and 26 similarly clever types of zombie, the game offers enough depth and variety to easily take you through its 50 rounds. These are split into five levels, each of which offer a different obstacle restricting your plant use and forcing you to constantly change your strategy. None of this, though, captures the essence of the game; it quickly speeds up, making you plant at a speed that reminds you that your subconscious is smarter and faster than your conscious mind could dream of being. The screen will fill with countless projectiles
9/10
and your ears will be flooded with zombie taunts and the sound of the plants working to destroy them. As the name of the game suggests, it doesn’t take itself too seriously; between rounds you receive amusing letters from zombies warning you of their arrival, and throughout the game you can buy useful upgrades and you can read descriptions of every plant and zombie including tiny but genuinely funny back stories. With the console edition of the game comes co-op and multiplayer, which add a tremendous amount of value to the game. Competitive modes are genuinely fun in their own right, whilst playing through the main game with a friend adds another element and is well worth doing. Controlling the game with an analogue stick is surprisingly intuitive, though the omission of Move support is somewhat baffling. This is a game that demands to be played, and, with the additions, there has never been a better time to find out how much grin-inducing-fun a gardening game with a twist of the undead can be. Mehul Samani
On the Pulse Sunday February 27th -3Ds launched in Japan and sold out. 400,000 units gobbled up in less than a day! Monday February 28th -Ninja Gaiden 3 releases a tantalising teaser. -PS3s now face a 10-day European embargo due to LG winning a lawsuit. Tuesday March 1st -Panasonic cancel their MMO-enabled handheld ‘Jungle’ Wednesday March 2nd - Battlefield 3 gets a gameplay trailer. -Brand new Mario game confirmed for 3DS. No details revealed bar a suggestive logo. -Apple unveil the iPad 2. Appears to be less exciting than its competitors. Thursday March 3rd -Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike map pack hits PS3 -Sony detail how NGP will use flash cards to sell their triple A titles in stores. Friday March 4th -Gears of War 3 Beta kicks off for 360 Bulletstorm owners April 18th. -Halo developer Bungie Games announces that its next title will be an MMO
Sunday March 6th - 3DS version of Ocarina of Time will include Master Quest! Monday March 7th -American McGee’s Alice gets a sequel and its trailer was released today. Alice: Madness Returns. -Crystal Dynamics announce that a new Tomb Raider film is in the pipelines. Tuesday March 8th -Modern Warfare 2 gets its PS3 patch, fixes hacking problems supposedly. -Guitar Hero: WoR gets its post closure DLC. Wednesday March 9th -Unreal unveils the ‘Samaritan’ tech demo showing the Unreal 3 engine pushed to its absolute limit - it looks unbelievably good. -Kinect becomes the fastest selling consumer electronics device; God help us all. Thursday March 10th -Latest PS3 update seems to have re-secured the system from hackers. For now. -Sony gets its injunction on European PS3’s lifted. For Now. -Ape Escape Move is on its westward way!
Http://
iPad 2: All tableted out?
Fun links to pass the time between socialising and learning.
There was a buzz of excitement in the air last week as Apple unveiled their iPad 2. Perhaps not so much a buzz as a low drone. Less than a year since the release of the first iPad, it seems a little too soon to be getting excited about a slightly newer, slightly thinner, slightly lighter model. CEO Steve Jobs’s surprise appearance at the launch, despite being on medical leave, demonstrates that Apple clearly felt there was something special about the new version of the iPad. Reviews seem to be generally full of praise and are impressed with Apple’s show of strength. From its experience with multiple versions of the iPod, Apple all but knows that the iPad 2 will sell. Whilst some customers may see it cynically as an attempt to introduce a new, updated product into the market when in fact the differences are miniscule and in the main cosmetic, the vast majority will not see past the shiny new back or exchangeable coloured covers. Many people will feel much safer in buying the second instead of the first model of the iPad since it implies bugs and other issues have been worked out. Whether there are m a j o r
Wired Concrete UEA Anyone who’s anyone on the internet has a blog, and Tumblr is becoming increasingly popular. Wired now has itself a Tumblr, and it’s an ideal way to keep on top of the latest and greatest news for games, tech and all things internet. Give us a follow if you’re a member, and if not, get on board! www.wired-concreteuea.tumblr.com Charlie Sheen Soundboard Ever felt like you had Tiger Blood and were born winning? Maybe your favourite drug is Charlie-Sheen or perhaps you, too, just wish you could be a madman who’s career is spiralling out of control. This soundboard can’t turn you into the machete-wielding actor from Two and a Half Men, but it sure can let you have all the Sheen based fun you could ever want. http://www.spearhead-entertainment.com/ storage/charliesheen.swf Online Gamers Anonymous Ever feel that you play too many games? Would you say you’re addicted? Never sure how long you spend playing a game? Is your heart racing as you flee from danger in a game? Basically, you’re addicted to games if you play a game and literally feel any reaction to it. Online Gamers Anonymous is here to help, or to provide you with hours of hilarious ‘self help’ entertainment.
differences between the first iPad and the second is irrelevant. If there are, then these changes can hardly have been new innovations between April 2010 and the manufacturing of the iPad 2. Anything included in the new iPad could surely have been built into the first version, adding credence to the cynical interpretation of the unveiling. If there are no major differences, clearly the iPad 2 is intended in part to convince those who have not yet purchased an iPad that, since they will be getting more for their money than before, they surely want to choose to buy one now. Like Mr Jobs’s appearance on stage at the unveiling in San Francisco, the iPad 2 is more of a symbolic statement than a revolutionary new step. It serves as a reminder to any potential competitors that Apple have no intention of letting themselves be caught. The issue cannot be whether or not there
was a need for improvement in such a new product but rather how long Apple could afford to rely on the first incarnation of the iPad to compete against an ever-growing number of rivals. They are not only market leaders, they also created the market and they are designing the route it will take in the future. They cannot afford to get complacent or allow their competitors too much time to get comfortable in their picture of what they think they are up against. To those unconvinced by the entire tablet endeavour, the iPad 2 is a symbol of longevity and the intention of Apple to continue innovating and updating the product until it is as popular as the iPod. To those technophiles who like to stay so far ahead of the crowd that they could never buy into the first generation of a product it is a simple prod in the side to say, ‘Now, you can buy yourself an iPad.’ Emma Garrett
http://www.olganon.org/
Tweet This!
Some of the best, most interesting or just downright funny people tweeting right now! @GetPregnant If you or someone you love is struggling to get pregnant, read this for great tips. They got babies, they got tips for making babies (including some interesting positions with video links), they got random stories about stolen babies. They got everything you need to know about growing your very own little people, so get following and get pregnant. @funeralplanning You don’t want to be figuring out what you need for a funeral when your loved one has already died. Be prepared by following funeralplanning. @Simon-Dalley Between bouts of depression and blood clots, this aspiring football manager is determined to lead Man Utd to success. He also enjoys House, ice-cream and gay nights at Norwich’s very own Waterfront. Follow if you’re looking for a fun guy to enjoy life with – he puts the dix back in Helen Rix. DJ Turner
You Groupie!
Here’s one of the choice facebook groups doing rounds at the moment! HOW TO DO PHONE SEX! WE CAN LEARN HERE! LET’S ENJOY The name is self-explanatory. Amateur, transgender, hot, informative, private, confused, arousing. These are just a few of the key words used to describe this very open group, which aims to “get your girl wetter than a monsoon.” Despite having no remaining admins, the group caters for all kinds of phone sex fetishes. Although there is nothing they don’t know that you don’t already know, there may even be a few surprises in store. Feel free to share tips and ticks or just sit back and observe the wonders that this group puts out on offer. However you have been warned, this isn’t for the faint of heart and or those who can’t handle sexual repertoire. In the end, there is something here for everyone, including 385 very horny members for your own amusement. DJ Turner
Cheap and Cheerful
inSSIDer
DroidShooting
inSSIDer is a neat little program that scans the area around your computer for WiFi networks. Any OS can do that, but won’t provide the same level of detail. Besides the relative Signal Strength and s e c u r i t y of each network, inSSIDer shows what channel each network’s router is using, unlike Windows. Given the proliferation of WiFi devices, channel pollution might just be the reason your connection is slow. Besides this, inSSIDer presents more information in a more simplistic manner than Windows does, and is often more responsive than Windows 7’s network connection manager in the notification tray. If you’re having trouble with your WiFi connection, try this program before you try changing ISP!
DroidShooting is a great example of an augmented reality game available for Android-based devices. The concept is simplistic: the user ‘aims’ the phone’s camera ahead of them, three dimensional droids fly around and tapping the screen shoots a laser that destroys them. Notably, as the droids circle around, you are driven to physically turn and track them looking at the world through the phone’s screen, leading the players to look amazingly funny to watch. This is only a game, but it’s a great example of how augmented reality can lead users to do things they never expected with their devices, and there are more practical applications available.
h t t p : / / w w w. m e t a g e e k . n e t / p r o d u c t s / inssider/
Available on Andoid Marketplace William Moran
FILM
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
The Adjustment Bureau Director: George Nolfi Release Date: 4/3/11 “You don’t have free will; you have the appearance of free will’. With these words, Adjustment Bureau worker Thompson obliterates the last thing young congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) thinks he knows about his own existence. David truly believed that it was chance that brought himself and the beautiful ballet dancer Elise (Emily Blunt) together in the men’s bathroom as he was preparing for his speech during the race for Senator. But an accidental slip by the Adjustment Bureau leads to David being exposed to their world and all of their
pre-prepared plans for his destiny. He quickly learns that these men in suits, the Powers of Fate, will drag him and Elise apart just as fast as they have thrown them together,. David is left with a decision to make: accept the predestined plan set out for him or fight to do the impossible and change his own destiny. His quest leads him on an endless chase through New York City as he struggles to control a world he no longer fully understands. The Adjustment Bureau is an adaptation from science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick’s short story ‘Adjustment Team’ and is the directional debut for Bourne Ultimatum screenwriter
Rango
Director: Gore Verbinski Release Date:4/3/11
The premise of Rango is that it’s an animated family film in the style of a Western (albeit with desert critters in place of humans) whose biggest selling point is Johnny Depp voicing an animated chameleon. At first glance nothing about this seems exceptional, however, this is deceptive, as Rango proves to be an eclectic, original and welldesigned film filled with charming characters that entertains totally and is hilarious to boot. Bearing in mind that this is not a Pixar or even a Dreamworks production but rather a collaborative effort between Industrial Light
George Nolfi. With this film, Nolfi has managed to create a fast-paced, twisting thriller which still maintains a light-hearted romantic
supposedly being the cause for Universal’s choice to push back the release date of The Adjustment Bureau’s from September
undertone throughout. The light-heartedness may surprise audiences due to the inevitable comparisons to the recent thriller Inception (the release of Inception
to March). However, this less serious approach to the philosophical theme provides a refreshing change within the sci-fi genre, which has so thoroughly explored
Fair Game
& Magic, Blind Wink, GK Films and Nickelodeon Movies, the animation, visual style and sound design are phenomenal. The humour appeals as much to adults as to children (although it is worth noting that it is a PG and there are some deaths which may upset younger children) and the narrative, while playing off some classic Western tropes, feels fresh and engaging. In fact the references to a dizzyingly wide range of other films (from Chinatown to A Fistful of Dollars) and genres suggest that it was made with an adult audience in mind from the outset. All in all an accomplished, enchanting film.
Tom Graves
Director: Doug Liman Release Date: 11/3/11
Based on true events, political thriller Fair Game tells the story of CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) and her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn) and their struggle to clear their names of allegations of treason. When George Bush makes an announcement, based only on a speculative intelligence leak, that Iraq are building nuclear weapons Joe Wilson feels he must tell the country the truth, putting his wife and family at risk. It is an interesting story and is well played out on screen. Watts plays the role brilliantly shifting between acting the calculated CIA
agent at work and the wife and mother at home. Penn plays Joe as being slightly callous and pig-headed, making it hard to feel much sympathy for him, but adding an interesting dynamic to their relationship. One failing of this film was the erratic camera work, which works perfectly for action films, (for example director Doug Liman has also used the style in the Bourne films), but in a political drama, it does not. The excessive camera movement opposed with the stillness of the actors on screen created a horrible, sickening motion, and due to this much of it was physically difficult to watch. Unfortunately this ruined an otherwise good film. Helen Jones
such ideas in recent years. The romance between Elise and David should appear contrived due to the old Hollywood favourite of the instantaneous connection upon their first meeting but it is given an amusing and believable take through the undeniable onscreen chemistry between Damon and Blunt. Both give great performances; D a m o n clearly enjoying the role of the bad boy of politics and Blunt using intelligent, snappy lines to keep her from becoming the forgettable romantic interest. However, she does seem to struggle to maintain a constant accent, beginning the film with a New York twang before switching back to her British
mother tongue. By keeping focus tightly on the romance Nolfi ensures that the viewer does not get bogged down in long-winded explanations of who and what are the Adjustment Bureau. This means that we are kept guessing throughout the film and are held in suspense right up to the penultimate moment. The only issue audiences may have with this film is its conclusive moment which, while satisfying, could be argued to indulge too heavily in romanticised ideals. Overall, though, it’s a smart, action-packed watch which will have you mulling over its ideas of fate and destiny for days after. Lorna Pontefract
Unknown
Dir: Jaume Collet-Serra Release Date: 4/3/11
The first half hour of Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown is basically an extension of the trailer. Liam Neeson is Martin Harris (or is he?) a biologist arriving in Berlin for an important summit who is left with a fuzzy memory and seemingly no identity after a freak car accident. As things go from bad to worse Neeson gets to practice his ‘politely bewildered’ face for roughly two hours and the audience may well be left wondering whether this film is worth their time, let alone the ticket price. Harris pieces together the fragments of his life with nothing seeming to add up.
Why are leather clad heavies dogging his every footstep? Why is he surprisingly adept at defending himself? And what is his wife not telling him? If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s basically The Bourne Identity but not as well written or nearly as well directed. It’s not all bad however and during the last hour things do seem to improve, very slightly. There are twists and turns aplenty and Neeson is convincing and likeable as the lead; if he hadn’t already done something remarkably similar during last year’s Taken, perhaps this film wouldn’t seem so tired.
Beth Davison
Film 1 5
Issue 254 15th March 2011
Ironclad
Hall Pass
Dir: Bobby Farrelly Release Date: 11/3/11 Hall Pass is the latest film release by the Farrelly brothers, who previously gave us movies such as There’s something about Mary and Dumb and Dumber, but unfortunately Hall Pass doesn’t compare. Hall Pass stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis who play the roles of two married men who are granted a week’s ‘pass’ from marriage, with freedom to live out their sexual dreams without consequences. But they’re less than impressed when their wives (Fischer and Applegate) are also tempted to let loose. With a short running time of a mere 98 minutes, it’s got enough humorous lines scattered through it to keep
the audience’s attention, and the casting choices hold the film together. The onscreen chemistry between Wilson and Sudeikis is believable and provides some of the best moments. Yet the funniest scenes were all shown in the trailers and it made the rest of the film drag – the audience merely left waiting for the next punch line that they saw through the advertising. Finally, a lot of the humour is just plain crude and embarrassing. Overall there seems to be no other way to describe Hall Pass apart from to say that it is average. The funny moments in the film make it worth seeing but ultimately it is predictable and forgettable.
Beth Hulett
Director Jonathan English Release Date: 4/3/11 Having been forced by rebel barons to sign the Magna Carta, King John (Paul Giamatti) acquires the service of Danish mercenaries to help him violently reclaim his country. Baron Albany (Brian Cox) and his small group of warriors, defend the strategically important Rochester Castle from the King’s mercenaries in an attempt to foil his plans. Ironclad tells the story of a minority battling courageously for freedom against an overwhelming adversary, a familiar premise in Hollywood, from Zulu to The Lord of the Rings, yet the film manages to compensate for its overused storyline, and successfully distinguishes itself
from earlier films. Its graphic imagery presents a gritty and entertaining depiction of a violent and brutal past, where men were cleaved in two in the frantic chaos of battle. Ironclad eventually succumbs to Hollywood tendencies, featuring slow motion battle sequences, and the relationship between Isabel and Marshall reaches its predictable climax, but none of these detract from Ironclad’s crude sincerity. Like Baron Albany, who declares to King John, “You are no more a King than the boil on my arse”, the film is brutally honest, immensely vulgar, and hilariously graphic, and for those reasons it is definitely worth seeing.
James Burrough
Battle:Los Angeles
Take every alien invasion movie cliché, stick them in a blender and throw the resulting mess at the screen, and what you’ll get will probably be a lot like Battle: Los Angeles. Apparently the movie is based on an expected air raid that never happened during World War II, but somewhere along the line an idea with interesting potential turned into a bloated, by-the-numbers action flick. There was some hope for this story of U.S. Marines battling aliens in war-torn LA: the visual effects are solid, there’s plenty of noise and action for the popcorn
movie fans to enjoy, and leading man Aaron Eckhart does his best with what he has to work with (a far cry from his role in The Dark Knight). Sadly, that amounts to flat dialogue, cardboard characters and a predictable, paper-thin story that struggles to sustain itself over the film’s modest running time. Other than Eckhart’s own character, the cast - and even most of the action scenes - fail to interest. By the end, even diehard shoot-’em-up fans will be fidgeting in their seats waiting for the film to end. If you want some alien action, you’re better off rummaging around the bargain bins where this one belongs. Joseph Mead
noises. Is she cuckoo as the title of the film ironically suggests? Is she being manipulated by the professor for some kind of experiment, or by her insipid sister, or waster boyfriend? Although competently played Fraser’s character lacks depth. We never know why she is so traumatised and she seems to be in a thick fog of confusion which never truly clears. Comedy actress Tamsin Greig who plays another researcher in the lab is woefully underused in a role so periphery it may as well
not be in the film. The cinematography is beautiful in places, with the bleakness of the film mostly coming across in closely shot frames as opposed to the acting. This is an attempt to create a clever thriller which leaves space for viewer interpretation, but all that is left are gaping plot holes and unanswered questions. Despite being an intriguing claustrophobic and unnerving watch Cuckoo is above all downright confusing. Sarraounia Christianson
Dir: Jonathan Liebesman Release Date: 11/3/11
DVD RELEASES Cuckoo
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dir: Thor Freudenthal Release Date: 7/2/11
Middle school is a nightmare. Thrown to the bottom of the scholastic food chain and forced to occupy that horrendously awkward space between child and teenager, the numerous booby-traps of day-to-day education are enough to leave anyone with a wealth of material for the psychiatrists chair in years to come. For Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), any hope of survival rests on claiming a title in that coming-of-age institution, the Yearbook. Unfortunately,
Dir: Richard Bracewell Release Date: 28/2/11
Greg’s potential as ‘Class Joker’ or ‘Best Dressed’ is hindered by the family and friends around him, and he soon determines he will have to cut loose if he is ever going to make it out with a scrap of remaining dignity. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, adapted from American author Jeff Kinney’s novel of the same name, contains the perfect comic formula for young viewers, complete with cooties, tormenting older brothers and a plenitude of gross-out gags.
Robert Capron steals the show as Greg’s best friend Rowley, a plump kid with an embarrassing bowl haircut and a talking belly button as a friend. Whilst not exactly striking in its originality, Diary is executed with surprisingly fresh colour and wit as Greg blunders through a list of schemes in the hope of saving his reputation. An assured hit for the kids, with enough to keep the rest of the family mildly amused. Steph McKenna
‘This is uncomfortable, isn’t it?’, Cuckoo’s creepy Professor Greengrass (Richard E. Grant) aptly states. Set in London, this psychological thriller focuses on Polly (Laura Fraser), a star pupil who Grant is becoming obsessed with. She is a student researcher based in a hospital who appears to be in the throes of a breakdown following an unexplained trauma. Fraser’s character spends most of the film looking disturbed wandering in and out of the shadows in her gloomy flat, hearing voices and strange
Issue 254 15th March 2011
16 Film
Talking Movies
Two part films: Preserving art or cashing in? James Burrough investigates Of all the recent Hollywood trends– be it the introduction of 3D cinema, or the surge of comic book adaptations attempting to replicate the success of Iron Man and The Dark Knight - there is one, which has struck many as particularly greedy and unimaginative, and that is the considerable number of twopart novel adaptations hitting cinema screens this year. With Twilight: Breaking Dawn and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, as well as Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s, The Hobbit, all expected to be released in two parts, it seems that the splitting of books is becoming a favoured strategy in Hollywood to utilize the popularity of some novels. Summit Entertainment and Warner Bros maintain that the decision to produce two films from Breaking Dawn and The Deathly Hallows was made to satisfy the fans of the books, by allowing the directors more freedom to explore the dense novels. However, the many discontented filmgoers
are unconvinced that the chance for double profit did not also make a significant contribution to these decisions. The potential profit of adapting a novel into multiple films was not realised until New Line Cinema bravely agreed to fund Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings as a trilogy. Other studios were reluctant to offer the ambitious project funding, insisting that he compact the thousand-page epic into one single film. New Line’s trilogy went on to make $2 billion worldwide. It is therefore unlikely that
studios hesitated when Jackson walked into their offices requesting funding for his two-part adaptation of the comparatively tiny prequel, The Hobbit. Despite the critical acclaim of The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, review site, Rotten Tomatoes remarked that the film “can’t help but feel like the prelude it is”. As a two-part film contains only a single narrative arc, the first part will be unable to offer the narrative closure or significant character development that audiences expect from a film, its main function is to build
up anticipation for the concluding instalment. Part 1 will always be inferior to its successor. Up until now the onebook/one-film ratio has provided both commercial and critical success for the Twilight and Harry Potter franchises. The Goblet of Fire and The Half Blood Prince were both successfully adapted into single films when their corresponding books were equally as lengthy as The Deathly Hallows. Yet now that the end of these successful franchises approaches sight, the studios decide that the final books are too complex to be interpreted as single films - coincidently delaying the series’ conclusions for another year. With the success of The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which made $330 million in its opening weekend, and the expected success of Part 2, it seems inevitable that studios are going to continue producing multiple films from popular books, whether it is necessary or not.
Up and Coming
Dungeons & Dragons & Doobies: Tom McInnes gets medieval on Your Highness and quite a few asses We literally just got it! It’s like: Your Highness. It’s a pun! Like you’d address a monarch as “your highness”, but also like “your high-ness” – as in, how high you are! And it works on both levels, because Your Highness is a stoner-comedy set in The Dark Ages! Yes! YES! So, an evil wizard busts Prince James Franco’s brideto-be away (“with magic… motherfucker”). Franco is understandably annoyed, and sets off on a quest to retrieve her. He must, however, bring his foolish, lay-about brother (Danny McBride) with him. Natalie Portman turns up along the way to kick some ass grrrl-style and wear a chainmail thong. Oh, and Zooey Deschanel is in it, assumedly doing something a little off-beat and kooky.
The twist is that all the characters speak in contemporary stoner patois – which is just magical when passed through the filter of shaky Shakespearian accents. It’s Lord of the Rings meets Cheech & Chong – now there’s a ‘high’-concept pitch (you can try out some of your own puns at home). The three-and-a-half minute restricted trailer is bloody brilliant, and gives a pretty good indication as to the sheer scale of the production – all dragons a-blazing and swashes being well-and-truly buckled. Franco’s phenomenally crap English accent is reminiscent of Kevin Costner’s turn in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (opening line: “this is English courage”, spoken like a true
Californian). McBride is textbook Club Shakespeare, which makes lines about handling your high and the ramifications of anal sex with future princesses all the more gleeful. Most promising of all is the prospect of Danny McBride finally getting the screen time he deserves. He’s stolen the show in pretty much every project he’s been involved in thus far, and this could very well be the flick that catapults him into the Seth Rogen / Jim Carrey A-list-comic-actor stratosphere. Added to which, it seems Franco can do no wrong these days, and Portman’s always a good watch (both performancewise and, ya know, aesthetically). Given the critical and
commercial success of the team’s last picture – ballsto-the-wall action-stonerbuddy-comedy Pineapple Express – and the still
somewhat untapped comic potential of Danny McBride in a leading role, there’s no reason this shouldn’t be the breakout comedy hit of the
year. In fact, it kind-of has to be, as it cost $150 million to make. You could say the stakes are ‘high’.
Issue 254 15th March 2011
Film 17
The Popcorn Chart Feeling a bit tender from the night before? Anna Eastick provides the perfect film remedies.
The Hangover (2009) Can’t remember the night before? Is it all a bit hazy? Let The Hangover refresh your memory. This comedy is centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken adventures in Las Vegas, so when morning comes they must retrace their steps in order to find him. As you relate to characters going through similar antics to those you’ve experienced, you can find solace in the fact that your hangover definitely isn’t as bad as theirs. Let’s just say there’s a baby, a tiger and a chicken involved. The banter between these friends adds a brilliant sense of hilarity to get you laughing rather than reaching for a bucket. You’ll sympathize with them
as they suffer the hangover from hell while trying to pick up the pieces of the night before, and soon you won’t be feeling so sorry for yourself.
up dramatically more than you ever did. This British rom-com follows the diary of a woman desperately trying to find love whilst battling
conquer her troubles. After a night coming home alone, this film will give you hope. Hope that one day, you will find your Mr Darcy, just like Bridget Jones, and that he will like you, just as you are.
Toy Story (1995)
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) Didn’t pull last night? Feeling a little insecure? Never fear for Bridget Jones is here, and you can guarantee she’ll mess
the everyday worries of a job, family and friends. Watch Bridget as she comically tries to win the hearts of two potential heartthrobs and truly, utterly embarrasses herself at every opportunity. It’ll have you cringing on your sofa as you watch her try to
Still can’t make it out of bed at 2pm? Don’t worry, because you’ve got a friend in Toy Story. Hey, if your hangover continues past the first film, you have a movie trilogy of these fine animated friends to keep you company. Watch the toys come to life, as a young boy Andy gets a new edition to his collection, Buzz Lightyear. Andy’s old and most cherished toy Woody is now consumed with jealousy and dislikes the new model, but when both toys get lost, they must depend upon each other on an adventure to find a way back home. As you
watch their friendship form upon screen, you can only feel warm and fuzzy inside. Oh yes, Toy story is like a comfort blanket of childhood nostalgia that will cure even the most stubborn of hangovers.
Liar, Liar (1997) Said something drunkenly you shouldn’t have last night? Are those words leaving a bitter taste in your mouth in the morning? Never mind,
watch Liar, Liar and you’ll soon have no regrets. This film follows a fast-track, deceitful lawyer Fletcher (Jim Carrey) who becomes suddenly unable to lie at the request of his son’s birthday wish. Watch the hilarity that unfolds upon screen, as Fletcher is forced to say exactly what is on his mind. This film exposes Jim Carrey’s comedic genius at its very best, and if he can’t pull you through your hangover, my God no-one can.
MUSIC
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
GIG REPORTS The Streets: UEA LCR: 28/02/2011
Photo by Huckle26 Gracing the cover of The Streets final album is a rather stark image of a grade II listed building that many UEA students call home, and just about discernable through the shady, angular terraces and the red lights stands Mike Skinner in the middle of it all; defiant, yet accepting. The Streets have had a funny old relationship with our campus over the last decade; raucous after parties, numerous performances, live recordings and now this artwork all confirm our suspicions that Mike has a special affinity with Norwich, one that has endured all of his changes as an artist and it’s perhaps fitting then that the performance tonight mimics his change in temperament.
Everyone who has turned up knows that the show the band are going to perform will be a slick mix of cult classics and best sellers, and they know it is going to be brilliant, yet the atmosphere is an odd mix of melancholy and palpable excitement. Rather predictably the setlist leans more towards the comparatively unpopular new material, but the old bangers are still there in abundance. ‘Don’t Mug Yourself’ is as rousing as ever, the double time knees-up at the end of ‘Lets Push Things Forward’ is frankly incendiary and by the time ‘Fit But You Know It’/‘Going Through Hell’ spin in the encore the whole place is going mad. There seemed to be hint of resignation,
and perhaps even sadness behind a few of these renditions though and indeed it’s during the slower numbers where Mike really reminds us of his departure. Of course ‘Dry Your Eyes’ sparks the flicker of the most lighters, but for those who listened carefully, it’s the heartfelt performance of ‘Never Went To Church’ that is most masterful. Mike sings every word with unfaltering precision, with no witty jibes ever likely to interrupt the elegy to his lost father. Now a thirty something married man and a dad himself, it seems amazing that Mike has kept up the geezer act for so long, yet banter with the punters, a few on-stage gags and some serious shapes are thrown all night long. By
the end of the night the crowd had lost all its inhibitions and Mike seemed ready to go. With the mutual feeling that we had all just witnessed something special, silence fell to the room as Mike took to his pedestal to deliver his final messages. He probably does the same routine every night but tonight his thanks for all of the support over the years seem more relevant than ever and almost brings a tear to the eye. Just like that then The Streets were gone, and Michael Geoffrey Skinner, king of the British urban scene for so long, had stood down from his throne. Alex Throssell & Chalice Cox-Hynd
Darwin Deez: The Waterfront: 01/03/2011 Six months after this reviewer first witnessed Darwin Deez’s all singing, all dancing, gloriously moustached show, the New Yorker and his travelling band of hipsters are back on our fair shores. With no new album and not even a leaked song flitting about the Internet, like a compromising video of Kim Kardashian, the only explanation can be that Deez’s eponymous debut has found a wider audience. About time too as, unlike many of the indie records that hit Venue’s desk, it still sounds as fresh and enthralling as it did on first listen. The fundamentals remain the same; perfectly choreographed dancing and curious hip-hop/opera boombox breakdowns still break the set up. What’s more, Deez himself still looks like a man so totally overwhelmed by the reception he’s given that he only really speaks when engaging in an awkward joke with his band. But that’s not to say that witnessing this for a second time isn’t worth every damn penny. The Waterfront is the perfect venue for him; just small enough to remain intimate and just large enough to hold the new wave of fans, and despite not holding back on the
better known singles like ‘Radar Detector’ and ‘Up in the Clouds’, it’s tracks like ‘Bomb Song’ and ‘Bad Day’ that are the best received tonight. All this aside though, it’s on his encore that Deez really comes out of his shell. An unexpectedly beautiful solo cover of The Weepies’ ‘Nobody Knows Me At All’ takes everybody by surprise and certainly allays any fears that he will struggle to progress musically. The wave of silence that greets it is a combination of shock and reverence, and is a perfect twist in a set that at times threatens to fall into novelty. Set closer ‘Constellations’ is, of course, sung back so loud that Deez can hardly hear himself, meaning that he leaves the second verse to the crowd. When he realises that people are still singing the first verse, he looks understandably embarrassed and a little shy in correcting his adoring public, providing a fitting end to his set. If Deez really is going to keep going and keep growing, his next step is going to be brilliant to watch and how he deals with it may be even more fascinating. Anybody fancy an indie ‘In Utero’? Alex Ross
Photo by Huckle26
Music 19
Issue 254 15th March 2011
GIG REPORTS In the credit crunch crisis of 2011, homelessness is more of an issue than ever. Unfortunately, Jordan Bright has been one of the victims left without a permanent abode. He’s made the best of it though, taking up residencies in several of Norwich’s most prominent music venues (well, given the frequency of his reviews, that’s the conclusion that we’ve drawn). We get content, he gets a warm floor to sleep on. Win, win. Inlay: Norwich Arts Centre: 23/02/2011
Photo by Geraldine Morizet An evening of British folk music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but a packed Arts Centre was entertained by a performance from Inlay who turned out to be captivating, magical and utterly charming. The band, who recently won the Livewire Unsigned event in UEA’s Blue Bar, opened with an accomplished number that highlighted their musical prowess and
skillfully crafted songwriting. Comprising of a violinist, guitarist, banjoist and accordionist/ percussionist, the Norwich based quartet played a series of sets that were divided according to the individual that arranged it, which helped create a varied performance. Although traditional folk formed the core theme of their repertoire, elements as diverse
as sea shanties and country music were present; producing a sound reminiscent of the banquet halls of the middle ages, seaside inns and Tolkien’s Shire. Although lyrics were few and far between this only served to highlight the skill in which the varied array of instruments were manipulated. The end result captured both the imagination and respect
of the audience; if Inlay fail to gain wider attention it won’t be through lack of talent. They were both poignant and aesthetically elegant; an effect that was aided in no small part by the striking setting of the Arts Centre itself. Ultimately, although folk may not be the most commercial of genres, it certainly proved entertaining on the night.
The Go! Team: Waterfront: 23/02/2011 The Go! Team have always excelled as a live band, and their performance at The Waterfront only served to compound this fact. Despite a four year break from recording they have constantly toured with past material; resulting in a tight, energetic set that showcased the very best of their work. Proceedings were kicked off with support from Banjo Or Freakout: a London based trio who release their debut album this week. Heavily featuring swooning guitars they can be placed in the same cult as White Lies and Chapel Club; bands who are effectively trying, and failing, to replicate the sound of Joy Division. The Go! Team opened with track ‘T.O.R.N.A.D.O.’ which, as one of their worst, was hardly a wise decision. However, the band quickly gathered momentum playing fan favourites ‘Huddle Formation’ and ‘Grip Like A Vice’ from their first and second albums respectively. Lead singer Ninja’s interaction with the crowd, coupled with the band’s infectious energy soon pushed the performance to a higher level. Their set list sounded far edgier, largely due to the crunchier guitar rhythms, with the refined precision of their studio recordings sacrificed for clear garage-rock overtones; the end
result was an alternative, intriguing sound. They continued to knock out tunes with consummate ease, with members frequently switching instruments to keep things fresh. The band were clearly humbled by the level of support and their rapport with the crowd was evident; not many acts can so easily encourage attempts to “head butt the ceiling” as The Go! Team did. They certainly produced the goods, although their new material compared unfavourably with past standout tracks such as ‘Ladyflash’ and ‘The Power Is On’. As the night wore on it became ever more apparent that The Go! Team sound hardly varied, and while it’s a formula that works it caused the gig to peter out with a whimper, not end with a bang. The very essence of the band was summed up when Ninja questioned the crowd: “Who’s new to The Go! Team?”, two people raised their hands in reply, whereas when followed with, “Who’s been with us since the beginning?”, a sea of hands were lifted. Essentially while the group find no difficulty in satisfying existing fans, the decline in the quality and innovation of their material sees them unlikely to gain more. Still, their bass player looks a bit like Christian Bale, so they’ve got that going for them.
Photo by Spencer Wirth-Davis
Issue 254 15th March 2011
20 Music
GIG REPORTS Yuck: Norwich Arts Centre: 26/02/2011 In the flesh Yuck are a pretty languid bunch; the unnervingly bird-like Max Bloom lopes about the stage swinging his guitar on the occasional off-beat, Mariko Doi hides behind her impressive fringe, and Jonny Rogoff perches behind a transparent drum kit, revelling in the awesomeness of his voluminous afro. In fact the hair of Yuck is definitely worth a mention; there’s an impressive array of barnets on show, spanning the entire hair spectrum, from thinning tuftiness (apologies to Daniel Blumberg) across wiry tangles and thick fringes, ending up at the aforementioned incredible ‘fro. The hair isn’t the only thing that’s brilliant about Yuck though; their set at the Arts Centre is incredible. Kicking off with the single ‘Holing Out’, Yuck are on a mission tonight. Unlike a lot of bands, they let the music do the talking; the banter between tracks is awkward and insipid, but endearingly so. Blumberg has an unidentified liquid thrown over him at one point; cue a mumbled “please don’t do that…if something goes wrong, or I get electrocuted and die…erm it’s your fault I guess”. Photo by Nigel D. Nudds
With noise on the sheer scale that Yuck achieve, witty rapport isn’t really needed; the foursome make walls of epic, fuzzy guitar, with piercing riffs a-plenty. ‘Get Away’ and ‘The Wall’ are thudding, dusty diamonds; perfect pop with just the right lack of polish. They’re not just good at noisiness though; some of the better tracks start off as relatively constrained, tender melodies, before building into more raucous, riff-based affairs; ‘Suicide Policeman’ is gorgeously restrained and ‘Shook Down’ starts off in a similar manner, but has a guitar solo at the end that couldn’t be much more euphoric. Yuck’s real talent lies in their ability to balance the two positives against each other; their final track, ‘Rubber’, is literally incredible. Slowly building from discordant strumming into what can only be described as a sort of mental fuzzy thrashing, it perfectly demonstrates the underlying ability behind Yuck; their ability to balance the echoing guitar riffs and solos against melancholic vocals and solid, restrained drum patterns, then just when a track is becoming predictable, collapsing it all into a beautiful, perfect, hazy mess. Sean Purdy
Bearsuit: Norwich Arts Centre: 07/03/2011 A mix of Belle and Sebastian, Metronomy and Crystal Castles, Norwich’s own Bearsuit’ launched their brand new album The Phantom Forest at the Arts Centre last week. With an art-rock, punk pop style the five-piece group showcased a colourful performance, with electronic twists and turns alongside a hell of a lot of uninterrupted energy. The 12-track long album spontaneously puts forward a bold new sound for the band, who have swapped violins, flutes and horns for funky synths, fierce guitars and infectious beats in the light of an impressive line-up change. The album’s a bit of a roller coaster to say the least; exciting, addictive, and more than a little over the top. Eclectic in taste, moving from an upbeat disco track, to a screaming indie tune, the band constantly take risks, and throw out the unexpected. And why not? Formed in 2001, it is safe to say Bearsuit’s doing pretty bloody well, having previously played at various leading festivals including Latitude, Bestival, The Great Escape and Offset, as well as several abroad such as SXSW, Emmaboda (Sweden) and CMJ in New York, where they were voted ‘Best Breakthrough Act’ in a New York Times poll. “We’re so chuffed with the new album,” said bassist Charlene Katuwawala. “It’s fantastic when you have an idea of what you want it to be and then it comes to fruition and more.” Hands down, the band can safely and proudly say they don’t care what people think. Being very much their own, Bearsuit seem willing to adjust to whatever genre or style they like, as long as it gets people dancing.
Words and Photography by Harriet Jones
Music 21
Issue 254 15th March 2011
CD REVIEWS R.E.M: Collapse Into Now
15 studio albums into their career and you would think R.E.M. would be out of ideas, getting tired, or just plain giving up. Collapse Into Now, their most recent offering, however, shows the exact opposite. If anything, the band appears admirably reinvigorated; a process
that began on their previous album Accelerate, a fast-rocking half hour of songs kept concise and immediate. Although Collapse into Now is a little longer, that element of concision is still present. Many of the songs are around the 3 minute mark, and the catchy pop rock
number ‘That Someone is You’ clocks in at around one and a half minutes. Despite this, there are a few longer songs, and the album is all the better for it, giving the listener time to breathe. ‘Walk it Back’ is a slow piano ballad with Michael Stipe’s vocals at the forefront; as emotive as they ever were on big hits such as ‘Everybody Hurts’. The almost 6 minute long album-closer ‘ Blue’ sees the band at their most experimental for some time, featuring Patti Smith’s soaring, haunting vocals over rambling spoken-word lyrics. Other contributors to the album include Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, and Peaches, with the guitar work of Lenny Kaye on the trashy, silly glam rock-fest ‘Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter’. The overall feel of this album is one of hope, looking to the future and letting go of the past, evident in many of the lyrics. Opener ‘Discoverer’ sees Stipe hollering “It was what it was, let’s all get on with it, NOW!” whilst the sentimental ‘Eels’, reminiscent of ‘Every Day is Yours to Win’ (like a hug, in song form, featuring the return of the mandolin) contains the line “I cannot tell a lie, it’s not all cherry pie, but it’s all there waiting for you”. R.E.M., despite having been going for some thirty years now, have plenty of life left in them yet, and
The Vaccines: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? Well to be honest, what we all expected from The Vaccines is pretty much what we got. As mysterious and enticing as the album title may be, the band can’t really escape that, to those who judge music based on band names alone, they are just another ‘The’ band, and recently all that conjures are memories of sub-par mid-noughties indie acts striving to be as cutting-edge as Iggy Pop. This claim isn’t strictly unfounded in this case, as the group are very open about their musical heritage, but The Vaccines self-confessed classic pop is a very long way away from such desperate deference. Yes, they are a four piece, most of them can sing, two of them play guitar, one bass and one drums, but if everyone turned their nose up at every band who stuck to this tried and tested method then The Beatles may as well have given up because snotty little hipsters would have slated them because they would have preferred a drum machine at the back of the stage (to be fair, Ringo would probably have been happy just getting talked to at band practice, even if it was just to tell him he was being replaced with a primitive computer which was essentially no better than one of those cymbal clapping monkeys.) Anyway...is it worthy of criticism that The Vaccines didn’t rely on fancy Macs and MicroKorgs to make their album? Of course
it fucking isn’t. Rock ‘n’ roll has been guitar based for years, and its still as relevant as ever. Where the Londoners really succeed though, more than some of their contemporaries, is from the quality of their song writing. They champion the music and let it do what it wants; be that the 1 min 24 secs of the driving ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’, the 1 min 38 secs of Ramones inspired ‘Norgaard’ or even the more contemplative ‘Wetsuit’ and ‘Family Friend’ which push 4 and 6 minutes respectively. Ultimately it is the shorter, sharper direct tracks which are going to be most appealing though. ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ is a 21st Century remake of the romantic anthems of the 50s and captures the ideas of youth in a way that manages to avoid cliché and sounds, more than anything, genuine. ‘If You Wanna’ and ‘A Lack of Understanding’ also feature top notch lyricism, and ‘Blow It Up’s chorus is so soaring that even those with the hardest of souls will be punctured by Justin Young’s vocal display. All of you, who will come into the album with reckless abandon and without the benefit of an interview with the band, might just be surprised at how varied and how competent this album is. Here at Venue we weren’t, but that’s not to say that what we expected is anything other than brilliant. Alex Throssell
this album stands up tall and proud against the popular highly acclaimed efforts of the past, such as Automatic for the People and Out of Time. Fast-rocker ‘All the Best’ features the line “Let’s show the kids how to do it fine”, and that says it all really. A lot of new bands could learn a thing or two from them. James Sykes
Issue 254 15th March 2011
22 Music
CD REVIEWS Dropkick Murphys: Going Out In Style Four years after The Meanest of Times, it’s easy to be alarmed when Irish punk band Dropkick Murphys say they are making a concept album. But the concept behind Going Out in Style, telling the story of Cornelius Larkin and his life of war and heavy drinking, thankfully doesn’t detract from some of the fantastic songs on their latest album even if it isn’t full of them. The album opens in classic Murphys style as the rousing ‘Hang ‘Em High’ rolls in on a pounding drumbeat and into a brash guitar with plenty of bagpipes, an instrument that dominates much of the album. Lyrically, the track is a strong battle anthem and an easy sing along chorus will definitely prove a crowd pleaser at gigs in the future. “An honourable death for you would be too nice, I’d like to savour the moment and kill you twice” is a personal favourite across all of the Dropkick’s song writing. The title track is a party song Murphy’s style much like one of their best songs, ‘(F) lannigan’s Ball’, from their last album. It lulls you in with a soulful, wistful intro, which is replaced soon enough with an account of friends and drunken exploits that make you smile as you hear them. The album does have moments of reverence and seriousness but these just don’t cause you to sit up and take note in
Norman Palm: Shore To Shore
“I wanna see you naaaaaked...” If you’ve never had a feeble German earnestly implore you to take off your clothes, you might want to try a trip to Havana’s. Alternatively, pick up a copy of Norman Palm’s sophomore release, Shore to Shore and experience this bizarre phenomenon in the comfort of your own home. Sadly, the extreme awkwardness of Palm’s ‘romantic’ crooning is not restricted to second track, ‘Smile’ - a formulaic and borderline sinister ballad which negates any off-beat appeal the rest of the album might carry. Using a blend of acoustic guitars, ukuleles and choral samples swimming above ebbing synths and electronic beats,
the same way the type of songs you know and love the Dropkick Murphys for. ‘Broken Hymns’ is a sombre account of a soldier’s loneliness and death out on the battlefield. While it is a tragically heartfelt song lyrically, and the mandolin adds much needed variety, it simply doesn’t have the appeal of songs like ‘Take ‘Em Down’ which have that essential Dropkick Murphys quality; you need to be able to sing along to them when your half cut. If one thing can be said for the album it’s that it has held on to the Irish charm that helps differentiate Dropkick Murphys from much of the other modern punk available today. While many casual fans will love Al Barr for his work as lead vocalist, its Tim Brennan, Jeff DaRosa and Scruffy Wallace who make the Murphys stand out with some very skilful work on accordions, mandolins and bagpipes. This gives the album some good depth but doesn’t quite make up for it missing standout tracks that older albums have had. If you’re a Dropkick Murphys fan you won’t be disappointed. If you want to get into the band, you’re better off hearing them at their best on The Warriors Code. David Murphy
DeLorean Drivers: DeLorean Drivers
Palm creates a nonchalant aural evocation of his hipster hometown, Berlin. However, with a pipe of his reedy voice, Palm destroys any possibility of closing one’s eyes and slipping into a lo-fi Deutsche daydream. With a criminal taste for elongating syllables, Herr Palm gives Christina Aguilera a run for her money in the warbling stakes, rendering lyrics unintelligible and listeners wincing. It’s a shame as Palm’s musical prowess is undeniable when one considers the pulsing, brooding landscape of synths forming the background of single ‘Easy’. Quietly euphoric yet reassuring, it could have proved a masterpiece of indie electro with addition of suitable vocals. After gaining much attention back in 2009 for his pared down reworking of eighties hits ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, Palm has clearly honed his brand of DIY ambient pop to a progressive and intriguing state. A curious mix of the sublime and the inconsequential, Shore to Shore gives a tantalising glimpse of what could have been. The disappointment lies in realising its status as a tour de force of easy listening electro hidden beneath weak vocals and questionable lyricism. Nice try, Norman, but no one will be getting naked for this damp squib of an album. Emily Prichard
If you’re going to call your band DeLorean Drivers, you’ve got a lot to live up to. Indeed, the name brings the promise of the kind of 88 mph retro rock and roll that’s somewhere between the best moments of ‘Sports’ by Huey Lewis and The News and the looped sound of Dr. Emmett Brown shouting “Great Scott” into a megaphone, processed through a Marshall stack… or maybe that’s just this writer… Anyway, DD as Venue is now calling them aren’t going to breaking the time barrier any time soon; their self titled debut album seldom stops the speedometer from going over 50. A bit like the Scissor Sisters, but without the hooks and the high camp, DD’s synth driven pomp makes for a fine background listen, but it never really takes off to scale the dizzy heights that Anna Matronic and co. reached on their debut. Tracks like ‘Dancing With My Sister’s Boyfriend’ and ‘The Girl With The Fire in Her Hands’ may well find
their way onto chart radio in the near future, but whether or not they’ll be sticking around remains to be seen. The songs merge together as the album progresses and the record lacks the overall cohesion needed to make it a synth pop gem. It’s sometimes too ambient for its own good, and that muddieness is ultimately the disc’s biggest flaw. DD aren’t a band racing forward at the speed of light, but coasting steadily in third gear. Like Marty McFly in Back To The Future, if DD can’t find a way to repair the flux-capacitor of musical invention, they’re probably going to get left behind in the past. Alec Plowman
LISTINGS
Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk
YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN NORWICH March
Saturday 26th * Celebrate the Summer with MTV - Mercy (half price entry with flyer before midnight) * Meltdown + Wraith - March Hare’s Mad Hatter’s Party! - The Waterfront - 10pm (£3.50-£4.40) * The Other One + Elektricity - LCR - 10pm (£4.50) * Roddy Woomble - Norwich Arts Centre 8pm (£12-£14)
Wednesday 16th * Levellers present ‘Levelling The Land Live’ (Plus special guests The Wonder Stuff) - LCR - SOLD OUT * The Mariner’s Children + Coco’s Lovers Norwich Arts Centre - 8pm (£6)
Thursday 17th * Film - Winters Bone - LT1 - 7:30pm (£2.80) * St Patrick’s Day LCR - LCR - 10pm (£4.50 adv.) * St Patrick’s Day Poppadaddys - Lola Lo 10pm (free entry on guestlist)
Friday 18th * Funked Up Warehouse Sessions : Sandy Rivera - LCR - 10pm (£10-£12) * Film - The Social Network - LT1 - 7:30pm * Red Nose Day at Lola Lo - Kissing Booth 8pm (free entry before 10pm)
Emma Stone plays the “good girl gone bad” in the 2010 Rom-Com Easy A, showing this fortnight at UEA
Sunday 20th
Wednesday 23rd
* KAOS Charity Fashion Show 2011 - LCR 7pm (£4 adv - ALL proceeds go to charity)
* Submotion Orchestra - Norwich Arts Centre - 8pm (£6)
Monday 21st
Thursday 24th
* The Stranglers + Wilco Johnson- LCR 7:30pm (£23)
* The Levi Roots Experience - LCR 7:30pm (£4.50-£8.50) * Film - Red - LT1 - 7:30pm (£2.80)
Tuesday 22nd
Saturday 19th * 999 Emergency Services for Red Nose Day Mercy (half price entry with fancy dress) * We’re Going On A Bear Hunt - The Playhouse - (£8.50-£10)
Sunday 27th
* Skool Daze - LCR - 10:30pm (£3.50) * Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella - Theatre Royal (showing until 26th) - 2:30pm/7:30pm daily (£6.50-£34) * The Screwtape Letters - The Playhouse 7:30pm (£9-£10)
Friday 25th * Film - Easy A - LT1 - 7:30pm (£2.80) * Music @ One - UEA Chamber Choir - The Assembly House - 1pm (£4) * Idiots of Ants - LCR - 7:30pm (£5-£7.50)
KAOS Fashion Show 2011 For those of you who love all things beautiful, the time has come to take your seats and warmly welcome one of the biggest events on the UEA LCR calendar, the annual charity KAOS Fashion Show. Every year, KAOS organise and run this large scale event, and never fail to make it a success. KAOS, which stands for Kids Action Overseas, was originally created in the University of Leeds with one of its founding members joining the UEA and wishing to establish a society within our University. It has grown from a small group of Medical students calling the group MEDSIN to being a fully-fledged UEA society, and the amazing organisation that is KAOS. KAOS seeks to raise awareness of global injustices, with particular focus on the inequalities in the health and education of children in under-privileged societies. The aim of this organization is to help develop sustainable community development projects, and do this by providing educational materials for schools,
basic healthcare supplies for rural medical clinics and water-pumps for communities, with the money raised. By organizing fundraisers such as the fashion show, KAOS can organize student-led projects which send individuals across the world to help change children’s lives forever. One of the ways in which KAOS seek to raise this money is with the annual UEA fashion show, held at the LCR. This event promises to be bigger and better than ever before, boasting over 100 models – the vast majority of which being our very own UEA students – modelling a wide range of high street brands and local independent retailers including House of Fraser, Blue Jeans Co, Revolutionz and Re:Treat Vintage to name only a few, it is set to be a raging success. Amber Woodcock, Lead Model Coordinator said “Lot of students are involved in the show from all sorts of courses; from arts to politics, all years and backgrounds, even INTO students. Not only is this show for
charity, it also allows students from every kind of background to come together for a common cause”. Not only will there be the fashion show itself, but there will also be a range of stalls and entertainment throughout the night including a samba funk band, authentic African dancing and belly dancers, cash prizes, a bar, and refreshments such as Matt Cakes and Taste of Punjab. Solely organized, choreographed and run by UEA student, and with one hundred percent of proceeds going to charity, it truly is a remarkable feat. This event will almost certainly sell out in advance as it did last year, with crowds exceeding 1000 and over £2000 raised. This year, KAOS are hoping to increase that figure in order to funds trips to Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Tickets are on sale now from the Union Box Office or from any of the KAOS reps, so Venue hopes to see you all there!
Georgina Wade
* Norfolk Schools Project - Gianni Schicchi Theatre Royal - 2pm
Monday 28th * Machinedrum presented by Spectro - Norwich Arts Centre - 8pm (£6)
Event of the Fortnight * The annual student run KAOS Fashion Show on Sunday 20th of March. Beautiful clothes, amazing music, cakes, stalls and lots of topless men and skantly-clad women. Not only that, but every penny raised goes to charity! Need any more convincing? Venue certainly doesn’t.
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Issue 254 15th March 2011 concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk
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1: Disorderly (6) 4: Rik Mayall sitcom (6) 9: Percussion instruments (7) 10: Cancelled out (7) 11: Malevolent, mythological being (5) 12: Containing nothing (5) 14: To permit (5) 15: Mistake (5) 17: Slated wooden box (5) 18: Hot tub (7) 20: Very young infant (7) 21: Scandinavian country (6) 22: Worshipped (6)
1: Messy nature (6) 2:Recall (8) 3: Gain knowledge (5) 5: Developed beyond (7) 6: Bunch of feathers (4) 7: First weekday (6) 8: Incomprehensible; amazing (11) 13: Illicit lover (8) 14: US state (7) 15: Issue an injunction, veto (6) 16: Inclined at an angle (6) 17: Intimidated (5) 19: Alternative spelling of ‘tsar’ (4)
WIN To be in with a chance of winning tickets to see a DJ set from the biggest electronic band about, Pendulum, at the LCR on Thursday March 31st, just answer this simple question and bring it to the Concrete office by Friday March 25th. Pendulum were founded in: A. London, UK B. Perth, Australia C. New York, USA D. Sydney, Australia Name: E-mail: Mobile: Long time punk rockers, The Stranglers, will be putting their stamp on the LCR on Monday March 21st. Best known for their ode to heroin, Golden Brown, you’d be a fool to miss seeing such musical icons. To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, all you have to do is bring your completed crossword to the Concrete office by 3 pm on Friday March 18th. Name: E-mail: Mobile:
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Issue 255 31st March 2011
26 Music
RADIOHEAD: NO SURPRISES? A Think Piece by Alec Plowman, Alex Ross and Alex Throssell
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hen Thom Yorke and co. announced, seemingly out of the blue, that their latest album The King Of Limbs would be released via the band’s website back in February, the online community was set ablaze with news reports, speculation and general salivation at the prospect. That in itself is hardly surprising. Radiohead are a massive band with a devoted worldwide following, whose 20 year career has seen them produce a veritable plethora of hit albums. What’s more, given their long standing commitment to the kind of anti-consumerist ideology championed by the ilk of Naomi Klein (of whom the band are self-confessed fans), it seems perfectly logical that Radiohead would release their latest record, as they did with its predecessor (In Rainbows); without the input of a record label and without the self-propagated mass media saturation that typically accompanies an impending major album. Radiohead’s promotion of The King Of Limbs prior to the album’s release was limited to two posts on their official website. The first, a banner displaying the words “Thank You For Waiting”, was posted on Febraury 14th, and redirected fans to an orders page for the new record. The second, a message from guitarist Ed O’ Brien posted two days later, simply read: “It’s Friday...It’s almost the weekend...It’s a full moon... You can download The King Of Limbs now if you so wish! Thank you good people for waiting...Have a great weekend wherever you are...!” One titbit on the band’s website, and within the hour, every major online news outlet has an article on the impending Radiohead release. A black and white video of Thom Yorke dancing to the record’s lead single, Lotus Flower, appears
on the band’s official YouTube channel on February 16th. It receives 3 million hits within the space of a day. Music magazines across the globe stop press to update their front pages. Yorke et al do not appear on David Letterman, Graham Norton or Zane Lowe. In fact, but for Johnny Greenwood giving a short interview on BBC 6 Music, the band maintains a near complete media blackout throughout this period. March 25th and Radiohead announce that The Universal Sigh, a newspaper accompanying The King Of Limbs record, will be distributed for free from newsstands in key locations across the globe on Monday 28th. This will be a different paper from the one that the group have included in the deluxe edition of The King Of Limbs, which has by now been dubbed “the world’s first newspaper album.” R a d i o h e a d producing their own anti-Pravda smacks of the kind of elusive promotion that appeals to their devoted and seemingly secret society of fans. It’s counter marketing; the kind of move that makes a certain faction of No Logo devotees go weak at the knees. It will also, no doubt, make messrs Yorke, Greenwood and O’ Brien a mint in real wage. 20 years in the game and Radiohead know how to play their market. So well, in fact, that it doesn’t even look like they’re trying. Without the visibility of the press cogs turning, the band has developed the kind of media hype machine that Simon Cowell would bludgeon Cheryl Cole to death with his own shoes for. The kind of hip meets slightly un-hip 20-30something males for whom the internet is an umbilical cord of information, irreverence and torrentfuelled back catalogue bingeing; well, they
live for this kind of shit. It’s the sense that they’re in on something, like a club for slightly maladjusted boys with record players who have finally found their purpose. In media studies terms, they call it complete-ism. The term relates to ownership and is a principle fostered in fan communities, whereby members must collect everything that their chosen artist-come-deity has ever produced. Radiohead might have read No Logo, but Thom also apparently has rather wellthumbed copies of the Media Studies Reader and How To Create A Cult Music Following in 20 Easy Steps on his nightstand. The band has managed to bypass the pitfalls of mass media propagation, injecting their products straight into the artery that is their hardcore elite. After all, why coerce Joe
Bloggs into spending £7.99 on a download of your latest effort when ‘Little Jimmy Superfan’ would happily shell out £36 on The King Of Limbs Deluxe ‘Newspaper Album’, £50 on the inevitable stadium tour ticket, £20 on
the hand-woven t-shirt made from recycled bottles and an ungodly amount on the Japanese-exclusive remix disc of the album that was made by all of Thom Yorke’s ‘kooky’ DJ friends. And without a record label, most of that £106+ goes straight back into the small but tight organisation that the band have built around themselves. It might be a brilliant example of post-millennial music distribution, but it’s also a ruthlessly efficient business model. That’s something the band will never have to admit to when probed on talk shows, because they’ve established a system whereby they don’t need to appear on them in the first place. Right now, you the reader think we are the kind of petty minded fans that smashed up all their records when Metallica ‘sold out’ by trying to sue Napster. Well, guess what, we fucking well are. But that’s beside the point. As it happens we still love Thom and the gang (hell, you didn’t think that we were excluding ourselves from that maladjusted boys comment, did you?), and like you,
the prospect of a King Of Limbs tour is filling our hearts with glee and our overdrafts with a deep sense of foreboding. It’s just that, as much as we want to embrace the deep sense of belonging that comes from indoctrination into the cult, we’ve got a sneaking suspicion that everything isn’t in its right place. Ironically, for an article about Radiohead, it’s the words of Noel Gallagher that resonate best. So, “please don’t put your life in the hands of a rock ‘n’ roll band, and throw it all away…