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UEA’s independent student newspaper since 1992 - Issue 257, Saturday 24th September 2011
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VC speaks out against visa cut Chris King Editor UEA Vice-Chancellor Edward Acton fears a potential fall in interest from international student applications, following government decisions taken earlier this year to eliminate the two year post-study work visa. Speaking exclusively to Concrete, Acton bemoaned the inclusion of international students in the coalition government’s efforts to reduce net migration into the United Kingdom. “Attempting to limit the number of international students essentially constitutes welcoming them in with one hand pushing them out with the other,” said the Vice-Chancellor. “University slots should be lifted out of this calculation; by all means look at flows of people coming to work, flows of people coming for family reasons, maybe the flows of nonuniversity students, but university students tend to leave when their visas run out.” During the UK Border Agency’s Consultation on Tier 4 Student Immigration rules, which took place during the winter, a number of measures had been proposed which could have resulted in a significant cutback in international numbers, and greater restrictions on international students once they were at British universities. Acton believes that the consultation in the winter had an effect on how British universities are viewed abroad. “The curfuffle around the conultation and very negative foreign reporting of the government’s proposals have had quite a bad effect. “In many countries we curtailed it and the effect hasn’t
been too bad, but I expect it to have an impact.” When asked whether he believed international students would be less likely to choose British universities, Acton said he believed there would be a marginal dip in applications. “This will occur especially at Masters level and especially from the Indian subcontinent, where a very important magnet was easy access to a period of working after you graduate. That has got tighter, and as a result the reporting of the consultation was the most negative in India.” UEA has made a clear committment to increasing the number of international students at the University, particularly with the INTO Building, where 800 students are housed to complete a pre-university year, which replaces the final year of study in their home countries. Therefore it is unsurprising that the international debate is one in which Acton has campaigned heavily. “My response to the government’s proposals was parliament-based, talking to key MPs. Many Liberal Democrat back-benchers were very sympathetic, as were most Conservative back-benchers,” said Acton. “We staged various press conferences, and I wrote a pamphlet on the issue. I spoke to the Home Office Immigration Minister, and had a few interesting discussions. This contributed towards a lot of these proposals being significantly altered in a favourable direction.” With a significant proportion of universities relying heavily on international student numbers, Acton’s concerns seem to mirror those being expressed at other
British institutions. “It worries me that the British government has very specific targets, that they will reduce net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands. Looking at the bigger picture, if Britain is looking like it doesn’t really want international students that would be very dangerous. We are keen to urge the government not to do it again.” In terms of the potential
financial impact of the government’s proposals, Acton had the following to say. “International students are an important part of the university system in this country, and if they get cut, the whole thing rocks financially. The UK Council for International Student Affairs has estimated that international student contribute £2.5 billion to the UK economy in fees alone.
Concrete explains the new hubs, and where to go for academic assistance
lifestyle, p17
Continued on page 3
Popstar Pixie Lott celebrates Graduation 2011 with her brother, Stephen
What type of student do you think you are? Find out with the Lifestyle Quiz
sport, p26
Canary Corner is back, celebrity Norwich City’s return to the big time
comment, p9
Can the News of the World be defended? Turn to our big debate to find out
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Student Jobs and Volunteering Fair 2011 Local organisations with part-time paid and voluntary opportunities, looking to recruit UEA students, will be on campus on Tuesday 4 October, at the annual Careers & Employability Student Jobs & Volunteering Fair. The Fair, which is being held in the Student Union LCR from 12.00 – 15.00, is an ideal opportunity for anyone looking to gain valuable work experience during their studies. You may be looking for paid work, but voluntary work is another rewarding option. It’s not only a way to add great material to your CV, but it can introduce you to the local area and new friends. It also offers you new and exciting experiences and the chance to give a lot back to the local community.
A word from the Editor
S
Hannah Britt Deputy Editor
o here it is, a new Concrete year. After a summer full of riots, a successful English sports team (unlike 2010 and most probably 2012), I’m sitting here writing my first piece as Editor. Concrete was an invaluable part of my experience at UEA; from writing every issue for News and Sport in my second year to last year’s shenanigans co-editing the Sports section, Concrete has been brilliant. There’s no better time to get involved than now, with even more opportunities to write
contributors News: Chris King, Simon Grinstead, Susanna Wood, James Dixon, Danny Collins, David Murphy Comment: Beth Wyatt, Jess Collett, Oliver Sanham, Harry Jones, Jack Brinded, Richard Law, Kieron Macmahon, Joshua Resoun Features: Alex Ross, Lauren Razavi, Fran Roberts Lifestyle: Eleanor Dayton, Freya Barry International: Isabelle Carty, Clement Chew Turf: Becky Hazlewood, Joey Innes-Hopkins Sport: Chris Teale, Oli Platt, Alex Ross, Matt Scrafton, Mike Tomkins, Lewis Dalton, Sam Tomkinson, Doug Patient
news
Editors: James Dixon and Susanna Wood Email: concrete.news@uea.ac.uk
Through either paid or voluntary work you will gain experience and transferable skills that will help your CV stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s for money, fresh skills, a challenge or ways to make a difference whilst finding new friends, come along to the annual Student Jobs & Volunteering Fair, on Tuesday 4 October. This popular fair is one of the not-to-be missed career events happening this autumn. Further details, about this and other careers events and services can be found at www.uea.ac.uk/careers. If you want some feedback on your CV or application before you apply, or you would like some career guidance, you can always visit Careers & Employability, found at the end of the walkway next to the Library, or call 01603 593452.
than ever before, thanks to our brilliant new website – www.concrete-online.co.uk. Don’t feel you don’t have enough writing experience, as we all had to start somewhere! With the journalism job market as difficult as it gets, Concrete provides an opportunity it’ll be hard to find anywhere else, and the website means that the worlds of live blogging, breaking news, and online writing are available to all students at UEA for the first time. We don’t exactly have a scarcity of sections, either. With seven in Concrete and another eight in our culture pull-out, ‘Venue’, you’ll definitely find something to your taste. It doesn’t end there, however. We are always looking for suggestions from you, the UEA
write for news So you think you can write? Fancy yourself as a bit of a reporter? Concrete News are looking for writers who have a good eye for a story, can spot an exclusive and don’t mind putting the effort in to get a good scoop. To get involved with News this year, come and visit our stand at SocMart, and sign up to attend our Big Meet. News Editors James Dixon and Susanna Wood will be running a “Write For News” workshop sometime in the first fortight, so follow and ‘like’ us on Twitter and Facebook to remain in the loop on what we’re up to here at Concrete HQ. You don’t need experience to write for Concrete, just enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved, so why not give it a go?
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students, as to what we should put in Concrete. After all, Concrete is your newspaper, and the voice on campus for UEA students, no matter whether they write for us or not. So come find us at Socmart, say hi, grab a copy of Concrete, sign up, and come along to our big meet where you’ll hear varyingly embarrassing speeches from our various section editors, as well as yours truly. With famous Concretians including The People’s Showbiz Editor Katie Hind, and founder of the Daily Mirror 3am Girls column Polly Graham, there’s no telling where UEA’s independent student newspaper will take you.
Chris King
news NORWICH
Literary Festival comes of age The 28th September sees the return of UEA’s feted International Literary Festival, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary. With a wide range of speakers including authors, scientists and historians, this anniversary season promises to be the most diverse yet. The festival is taking place at dates over the course of the Autumn semester, with novelist Wilbur Smith beginning the festival on the 28th. The first festival, in 1991, featured Salman Rushdie and Doris Lessing. Tickets are £6, with season tickets available for £42/£36 (concessions) and are available online and from the UEA box office.
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Students have been left in despair by the lack of private sector housing in Norwich. With house prices on the increase, more people in Norwich are renting rather than buying their houses, leaving arriving students in a difficult situation as they search for housing for this academic year. By 5pm on 22 September, there were only 6 rooms available on the Home Run list, leaving some students panicking about where they were going to live for the year. This problem has particularly affected international students, who can’t get accommodation when the Home Run list is released in January and often have to find a place to stay in Norwich whilst still abroad. Concrete spoke to one postgraduate international student, who came from India to study for an MSc in Computational Biology. The student spoke of the difficulty he faced in being accepted onto his Masters course on September 2nd, when postgraduates have a guaranteed accommodation deadline of July 31st. The student was pointed towards the Union’s advice centre, but admitted that if he was unable to locate accommodation quickly in the private sector he would
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RAG society climb Kilimanjaro Simon Grinstead News Reporter This Summer, 44 members of UEA's charitable Raise & Give society set off in a bid to climb the world's highest free-standing mountain - Mt. Kilimanjaro. Having each raised £2440 for development charity ChildReach International, the students left in June and July. On arriving in Tanzania, the two expeditions began with a visit to one of the charity's current projects - a new school in the Moshi region - to meet some the children influenced by the funds raised. The six day climb went through rainforest, alpine
Housing hiccups Susanna Wood News Reporter
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simply have to return home. Communications Officer of the Union of UEA Students, Matt Myles, was keen to emphasise that both Home Run and the UEA Accommodation Office have been working tirelessly to help students. He added: “I would also like to commend Hannah Evans for her efforts in finding these desperate students somewhere to live; she has been fantastic and many students have acknowledged this.” The Home Run website has had 2,000 hits a week, since clearing began in August. Evans, of the Union’s Home Run service said: “The Union has been doing its best to assist these students but the amount of private housing can’t meet demands. Subsequently, many international students have arrived at university with nowhere to live.” The University has said: “Students who aren’t guaranteed accommodation or who have missed application deadlines are advised to contact home run and keep in touch with the accommodation office. If a student is unfortunate enough not to secure accommodation by the time they arrive there is emergency accommodation available in Broad View Lodge.” If you have had any issues attaining your accommodation this year. Email concrete.news@ uea.ac.uk with your stories.
desert, volcanic rock and glaciers, culminating in a midnight ascent to the summit - 19,341 feet above sea level to watch the sun rise. After the climb, the majority of students took the option to extend the trip to 20 days, enjoying safaris and relaxing on the beaches of Zanzibar. The Kilimanjaro climb was just one of many events organised by the RAG society last year, contributing towards a massive fundraising total of £112,000 for the year and the 'Outstanding Achievement' and 'Volunteering Society of the Year' accolades at the Union Awards 2010/11. To get involved with RAG visit www.uearag.co.uk, or sign up at Socmart.
Continued from front page With the initial government proposal having been to rule that no prospective students could come to study in the UK without having language level B2, defined as a considerable, clear mastery of English. Whilst these proposals haven’t been adopted, they would have, in Acton’s words, “decimated Photo by Laura Smith
the flow of those coming into pre-university colleges detrimentally, and therefore decimated the numbers entering at degree level.” With UEA’s INTO Centre constituting the above, it is clear to see why the campaign has raged in Parliament against the proposals. Estimates put international fees at constituting between two and 14 per cent
of the income of 80 per cent of British universities. With the two-year work visa not impossible to get, but significantly harder, it remains to be seen whether UEA’s targets of increasing international intake year-onyear will be met, or whether the watered-down government proposals will have the feared impact after all.
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Ban on homosexual blood donation is lifted James Dixon News Editor A blanket ban on homosexuals donating blood will be lifted on 7th November 2011. This comes after 30 years of exclusion from donating due to fear of the spread of HIV and AIDS. The ban excluded any male who had experienced homosexual relations from donating blood for life, even if it was only one time. Whilst blood donation is not a human right, it can be seen as a moral responsibility which has led facets of society such as the NUS to oppose the ban with their Donation Not Discrimination campaign. The
NUS believes that a blanket ban for homosexuals “perpetuates the myth that AIDS is a gay disease” and that ‘selection criteria should not be based on sexual orientation, but on participation in high-risk behaviour’. The government ordered a scientific review of blood donation legislature by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO). As a result of their study, SaBTO recommended a change in policy to health ministers whereby homosexuals will be allowed to donate blood after a 12 month deferral period since their last engagement in sexual intercourse with another man.
A deferral period of one year is also in place for people who have sex with prostitutes, sex with intravenous drug users, sex in parts of the world where AIDS is common and also women who have sex with bisexual men. LGBT rights groups Stonewall has reacted positively to the repeal of the ban, with their Chief Executive, Ben Summerskill, labelling the move as a “step in the right direction.” Stonewall have raised questions as to the fairness of the new system, as they believe it still discriminates low risk homosexuals, such as those in longterm monogamous relationships. Summerskill states: “Stonewall will continue to push
for a donation system based on the real risks a potential donor poses”. The Union of UEA Students participated in the NUS Donation Not Discrimination during the previous academic year. UEA’s branch of the campaign was led by the then Ethical Officer, Danny Keillor. The campaign saw a drive in blood donations and featured t-shirts with ticks and crosses displaying who was able to donate blood and who was not. Imprinted on the t-shirts were the words “Donate for a gay mate”. The current LGBT Officer, Hayley Kearns, labelled the recent repeal as “baby steps” towards a fully equal service of blood donation.
UEA chews over new Hubba Bubba Susanna Wood News Editor The organisation of administration at the University has been dramatically altered in time for the new academic year. Replacing the Taught Programmes Offices and School Offices are the brand new ‘hubs’. Each school is assigned to one of four hubs from which they receive support for timetables, registration, module enrolment, student handbooks, coursework submission and course information. The hubs are located in the Edith Cavell building, the Elizabeth Fry building, the ZICER building and the Arts building and each houses a number of undergraduate and postgraduate schools. Designed to be spacious and student-friendly, the hubs are supposed to be places where staff and students alike, can congregate. The hubs are connected with the university’s integration project, a planned restructuring by the University to cuts in funding. The University has
stated that the previous method of administration for the faculties was unnecessarily complex and expensive, and the new structure should focus skills together to make the University work more effectively. Some have seen this new arrangement as a response to issues with timetables that occurred in the 2010-11 academic year. With the new system, timetabling will be centralised to avoid problems. One big change for students will be that coursework will no longer be handed in to their school office, but instead to their assigned hub. This is leading to some concern that coinciding deadlines will cause a backlog of students trying to hand in their work, but the hubs have been designed to handle a large amount of students efficiently. The University has been keen to reassure students that support from advisers and other academic staff will remain within the school of study, and that there are no changes to services provided by the Dean of Students’ Office, Finance Office or the Library.
Creative Writing duo make prestigious shortlist A pair of UEA graduates have made the exclusive BBC National Short Story Award shortlist which only features five writers in total. The award comes with a £15,000 prize and the winner will be announced
on 26 September. The two graduates featured are DW Wilson, a graduate of the 2010 Prose Fiction MA and Katherine Orr, a graduate of the 2007 Prose Fiction MA.
Photo by Laura Smith
THE BIG QUESTION Would you have paid £9,000 a year to study at UEA? “University is not worth £9000 a year ... £3225 is a fair contribution but asking £9000 will put lower income students off.” JAMES MCAVOY International Relations and Politics “Yes, because im going into a career that needs a degree. If I was going for a Science or Englsh type degree which doesnt typically end up in great pay then I probably wouldnt have.” ANDREW GRIMSON Accountancy 3rd Year “I would if it was my only option. I’d be pissed off, but a degree is a degree. It’s still a hell of a lot cheaper than the states...” GERALDINE MORIZET English & Philosophy, 2nd Year “I want to become a lawyer and I feel that I’ll be able to pay the money back if I become a lawyer so yes, of course I would pay 9,000 for that opportunity.” TOM HADDEN Law 2nd Year
Prospective Paralympian attains Sponsorship Prospective Paralympian, 18 year old Amy Conroy, has been granted free access to the Sports Park’s basketball courts; from which she can spend hours honing her chosen sport:Wheelchair Basketball. Amy aims to participate in
2012’s London Paralympics after already having competed in the U25 World Championships. She lost part of her left leg after a bout of cancer in 2006. Currently part of the Team GB team, she is aiming to maintain her place in the squad.
“Yes, but for that amount it might be an idea to change the contact hours for some subjects, 6 hours of contact time per week for £9000 is an awful lot!” ANNABEL COPE English Literature 3rd Year
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Have you ever wanted the opportunity to speak one to one with a professional working in the career sector you aspire to work in? This year sees the launch of the brand new Career Mentors Scheme, which is giving you the opportunity to do just that. The scheme is a fantastic opportunity for you to be linked with either a member of UEA’s alumni, or a local business man/woman. Not only will this allow you the opportunity to ask a business professional all about their industry, it is also a chance for you to be supported and guided as you start to develop your own employability skills. Once matched, as a Mentee you will be allowed to have at least six hours of contact time with your Mentor over six months. During this period, you will hopefully be able to meet your mentor in person at least once and perhaps even visit your Mentor’s place of work. This scheme is a real chance for you to learn from the people who have firsthand experience in the world of business. Of course, the Career Mentors Scheme is not just for those who know exactly what they want to do in the future. If you have no idea what you want to do after graduation yet, or, you feel overwhelmed by the options available this scheme is a great way to begin exploring the possibilities and understand more about all the different jobs available within each career sector. We are currently recruiting Mentees for the 2011/12 scheme, so if you would like to be mentored or just want more information on the Career Mentors Scheme then there are a number of ways you can get in touch. Come visit us in person at our stand at the Freshers Fair or Jobs Fair. Or, alternatively, come to one of the short lunch time information sessions we’re running. The details will be available via our Facebook page (Career Mentors Scheme : University of East Anglia) or you can e-mail us at careermentors@uea.ac.uk.
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UEA climbs the world rankings ladder Danny Collins News Reporter UEA has continued its ascent up the QS World University Rankings, placing 261st in the annual survey, released earlier this month. Such has been UEA’s improvement in the rankings, that since 2007 it has risen almost 100 places, from 356th to its current position. It proved to be a fruitful year for British universities as Cambridge consolidated its position at the top of the table, taking first place from Harvard
University, which had held the position for the previous six years. Oxford (5th), Imperial College (6th) and UCL (7th) were also included in the top ten, with 31 British universities named in the top 300. With the threat of reduced government funding and the emergence of a number of elite universities in the developing world, however, the list’s compiler warned that Britain’s institutions faced a daunting challenge to remain in such an esteemed position, amongst prestigious competitors.
UEA
Guest speaker to lecture on Japan’s future Prof. Katsuyuki Yakushiji, professor of social and international relations at Tokyo University, in Tokyo will be leading a lecture on Japan’s future six months on after experiencing the
recent enviromental disaster. The lecture will be held on 28 September and also commences the opening of UEA’s new Centre for Japanese Studies (CJS).
Neuro Nurse takes to the road for charity Susanna Wood News Editor A UEA lecturer has raised almost £800 for charity by completing a 5000 mile motorbike ride across Europe. Steve Smith, a lecturer in neurological conditions, currently studying for his PHD in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, completed the journey along with his two sons. The money raised is going to the Huntington’s Disease Association (HDA), with additional money raised by his sons going to Scope and MIND. The route, which took a month to complete, went from France across Eastern Europe and finished in Romania. Despite breakdowns, thunderstorms and a bout of food poisoning in Slovenia, Smith was ecstatic to have raised money for a worthwhile cause and to have spent some quality time with his sons. Smith added: “We saw some amazing things. My highlights were the Transfargasan Highway in Romania, which we’d seen
before on Top Gear, and the Gross Glockner pass, which is a high mountain pass in Austria.” Talking to Concrete, Smith explained why he chose to support to HDA: “It was back when I was caring for a small group of people with rare neurological conditions when I began to get worried that there was not enough information out there about Huntington’s disease. It’s a degenerative neurological disorder which often starts with psychiatric and cognitive problems, which can be really hard for the sufferer and also for their family.” Smith has been featured in Concrete before when he brought attention to neurological conditions by singing about them at medical conferences. When asked if he had any advice for people wanting to go on a similar trip, he urged students to “just do it … don’t let yourself be talked out of it. There are always a thousand reasons not to do something but if you feel the impulse to do it, you have to do it, or you’ll get to 90 and have regrets!”
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NORWICH
Who’s making a tweet of themselves?
Twitter addicts have been left perplexed by rather odd statements coming from the University’s “official” Twitter feed (@uniofeastanglia). With comments ranging widely from rude remarks about Norwich’s Marks and Spencer to excitement about the “amazing” rainbows over UEA this summer. The question is: who is this mysterious voice of UEA? WORLDWIDE
Hacking lacking
Concrete is disappointed to report that after a summer where news websites were being hacked left, right and centre, Concrete Online remained untouched. This may be due to there not being one. Regardless, www.concreteonline.co.uk is now up and running and ripe for hacking.
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University leaves students satisfied... again David Murphy News Writer The University of East Anglia has once again ranked highly in the National Student Survey. However, its low scores in areas such as feedback on work and IT resources show it still has room for improvement. The University welcomed the results which showed over 90 per cent of students agreed that their course was intellectually stimulating and that their tutors showed a deep understanding and enthusiasm for the subject. Meg Evans, Academic Officer for the Union of UEA Students, said ‘These scores are fantastic and once again, UEA has achieved high levels of student satisfaction’. Encouragingly, the latest results in satisfaction with feedback do show an improvement on last years
but they are still low. Only 65 per cent of students thought the feedback they received on work was prompt and even less felt that this feedback helped them clarify things they did not understand. Students voted for the Hungry for Feedback campaign as one of the Union’s Priority Campaigns last year. The University’s other weak area of the survey came in IT resources. Just 74 per cent of students said they could access general IT resources such as computers and printers when they needed to. The ‘techpocalypse’ which saw almost all of the University’s networked systems crash in December 2010, likely contributed to this poor mark and the Union wants to see contingency plans put into place if an event like it should happen again. Meg Evans said: “The University was widely criticised
for its slow response to the network failure last year and has looked to how the Union dealt with it in order to improve if such an event happens again.” The National Student
Survey is completed by final year students at most Higher and Further Education institutions across the UK. The full results for this year’s survey can be found at Unistats.com.
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New gymnastics centre springs into action New Dean for School of Science Chris King Editor A new gymnastics centre has opened at the Sportspark, transforming the facilities available to students. Opened to the public earlier this month, the centre cost £2.8 million to build and is located at the back of the Haydn Morris Hall, completed in 2009. Measuring 648 square metres, it is fully equipped to Olympic standard, with pits for vaulting, asymmetric bars, beams, tumble track, sprung floor area and floor level trampoline. Keith Nicholls, Director of the Sportspark, said of the development: “The new Gymnastics Centre will give UEA students a fantastic range of
Photo courtesy of the Sportspark
Susanna Wood News Editor
Opened in early September, the centre is fully-equipped to Olympic standard
exciting new opportunities. UEA Trampolining and Cheerleading clubs will be able to train there and we’ll have to wait to see if a new student gymnastics club is set up. “There will also be opportunities for students to
gain qualifications in coaching courses we hope to run, which will benefit their CVs and open new avenues of employment. Of course, those students studying sport and on PGCE courses will also have access to this brilliant facility.”
The University of East Anglia welcomes a new Dean to the Faculty of Science. Prof. Philip Gilmartin comes to UEA from Durham, where he was a professor in the school of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. He is taking over from Prof. David Richardson, who is staying on at the University as the proVice-Chancellor for research and knowledge transfer. Prof. Gilmartin is distinguished in the scientific world; specialising in gene regulation and flower development, he gained a personal chair in Plant Molecular Genetics in 1999 and in 2004
CarbonCrew makes an impact on UEA’s campus James Dixon News Editor UEA’s CarbonCrew will be holding an informal lunch on 28 September in the Thomas Paine Centre, 1.5. The aim of the lunch is to discuss CarbonCrew’s involvement with UEA’s campus and also to highlight the 2011 Green Impact Awards. CarbonCrew exists to assist UEA’s Sustainability Team in raising awareness of environmental issues that are relevant to UEA. CarbonCrew work via a system
called CReds, which stands for the Community Carbon Reduction Programme. This programme aims to reduce the UK’s current Carbon emissions by 60% by 2025. One CRed policy is an online pledge campaign where people pledge to make small but important lifestyle changes which will offload part of their carbon footprint. The idea is that people can make a number of subtle but high impact changes to their lives in order to help combat climate change. At the time of writing, the CarbonCrew’s pledge system has received 1400 pledges which have
helped reduce carbon emissions by 76.8795 tonnes. This, however, is nowhere near the desired figure, as the Low Carbon Innovation Centre state that “each year, about nine tonnes of CO2 is released for every person in the UK.” To achieve this 60% reduction, each person needs in the UK needs to reduce their carbon footprint by 5.4 tonnes. The Green Impact Awards is a scheme aimed at university student unions to “nurture, reward and celebrate environmental good-practice.” The awards work through universities meeting certain environmental criteria laid
out by Green Impact, which earns the university a number of points between one and ten depending on the value to the enviroment. There are four levels for the university to progress through: Working Towards Accreditation, Bronze, Silver and Gold. The union that achieves the highest Gold award will win the Green Impact Union of the Year Award. The lunch invites students to find out how they can make a difference to climate change and carbon emissions whilst at university. For more information, contact Matt Taylor on matt. taylor@uea.ac.uk.
Sainsbury Centre put forward for listing status James Dixon News Editor The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts has been put forward for listing by the 20th Century Society. The building was conceived by Norman Foster between 1974 and 1976; resulting in its opening in 1978. The building has evolved over the years due to a number of additions and enlargements made by Foster with the Crescent Wing, built in 1991, a visible example. The Centre houses a large range of artworks donated by Sir Robert and Lady Lisa Sainsbury with notable artists including Henry Moore and Francis Bacon.
Listed buildings are ones that have been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, offering them protection from demolishment, alteration and extension, thus preserving their future in a rapidly changing world. Paul Greenhalgh, Director of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, commented: “The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is housed on one of the most important Late Modern buildings in Europe – in the world – and so its listing is both logical, and a good thing. It is one of Norman Foster’s greatest buildings and one of his first works of public architecture. We are all immensely proud of it, and committed to keeping it in
pristine order”. The Twentieth Century Society, who submitted the application, was founded as The Thirties Society in 1979. The Society’s primary focus is the conservation of important buildings that represent innovative and ground breaking design during the
Twentieth Century. An application for listing is put forward to English Heritage, a public body of the government, who assess the building’s merits and subsequently advise the Secretary of State, who ultimately decides whether the building is listed.
became Pro-Dean for research in the faculty of Biological Sciences before moving to Durham. He said: “I am excited to have joined UEA in a leadership role where I will be able to contribute to the further development and promotion of research and the student experience within the Faculty of Science.”
New Dean of the School of Science, Professor Philip Gilmartin
PRINCE OF WALES ROAD
Mercy to reopen The University as a whole, eagerly anticipates the opening of Mercy Nightclub, which has been closed since the end of Spring semester 2011. The refurb is splitting the club in four, so that means there will now be four different sections for you to dance the night away in. COUNTRYWIDE
Measles poses a spotty threat The Health Protection Agency is warning that a greater number of students than ever may catch measles this year. Concrete therefore advises you to take care of yourself, get the vaccination, and don’t sleep with anyone who looks too spotty. SCOTLAND
St. Andrews to deepen students’ pockets The University of St Andrews has revealed that it will be charging £9,000 a year for non-Scottish students; 4 years in the University will now cost £36,000. So that’s maybe a tenth of what their most famous graduates’ wedding dress cost. Nice.
The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts stands proudly on a rolling hillside
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History: who cares? We do! Given the dearth of students studying History, and a perception that the subject is slightly moribund, Beth Wyatt defends her academic choice With many universities preferring to enlist students who’ve taken more academic A-Levels such as the humanities, as opposed to ‘softer’ options, you’d be forgiven for believing that the popularity of subjects such as history was assured. However, this summer’s exam results indicate a worrying decrease in history students. As a history undergraduate myself, it could be argued that I have a bias towards the discipline I love, however, I believe it is absolutely essential for everyone to learn about history. After all, what could be more important than studying the past? For a start, it’s fascinating to know what happened to
previous civilisations, how our ancestors lived, how they faced the obstacles of their time, and how they set us firmly on the road to modernisation. It is humbling to know that you, and your predecessors and ancestors, are just one small piece of an everexpanding picture. History gives you that warm sense of belonging, you learn where you are from.
“I believe it is absolutely essential for everyone to learn about history” There is an even better reason for delving into the past. We all know humans make mistakes, some greater than others, and the oft-said remedy for that is to
learn from them. Many horrifying events of the twentieth century posed questions of morality. The First World War, a bloodbath with no purpose or meaning; the Vietnam War, same answer on a smaller scale; the Holocaust, an unimaginable occurrence in which humans sank to their lowest depths. The world would be a far worse place if people failed to heed these warnings, but is there any hope when a substantial portion of children today, when asked, said that Adolf Hitler was a German football coach? We can only hope that schools work to reverse this ignorance, and restore this country’s passion for history.
A new semester, a new X-Factor As the new season of the X-Factor approaches, Jess Collett gives her opinion of the talent show It’s that time of year again folks. The most important time of the year. The time that changes your life irreparably and improves it for the better. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wish it’ll never end. I am, of course, referring to the return of the X-Factor. The plastic dream factory has returned to our screens, with all its exploitative goodness for us to feast upon. Yay! It’s time for rubbishy news headlines detailing how much the judges hate each other, talking to wronged contestants, wronged contestants ex-partners and that kid they kissed once at a party when they were twelve! It’s the gift that just keeps on giving. Well, until boot camp. You see, I only watch the auditions because for some reason, I have as of yet to be as entranced with the whole process of taking some raw ‘talent’ and melding into the perfectly marketable profit that melds perfectly with the modern concept of Christmas. Somehow,
I just don’t know why, I find the whole process a bit, dare I say it, fake and uninteresting? You may react with shock and horror, but I don’t actually care about the competition or the contestants. I know how the live shows are going to go; there’ll be an early favourite who won’t win, a band who get to the live final and actually get a career, some jokey act that has no hope of winning, and the actual winner who you won’t know in six months time. Add a steaming dollop of controversy, some predictable over-used phrases and you’ve got popular television. It’s a very predictable pattern.
“I find the whole process a bit...dare I say it...fake and unintersting” Truth is, I’m a heartless bItch and I don’t actually care about contestants. The contest isn’t about talent and it never has been.
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Editor: Joshua Resoun Email: concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk
It’s about entertainment and profitability, first and foremost. And exactly why should I care? It doesn’t affect my life and it sure as hell won’t affect the entrant’s life – until I recognise them working at our local HMV after their career has completely failed. (Hey, remember Leon Jackson? People actually bought his single!) If I am to watch some vacuous television, I don’t want to help people realise their dreams of five minutes of fame while paying £3 a minute. That’s why I watch the auditions - so I can laugh at people and feel a smug sense of self-satisfaction. While I may constantly doubt myself, at least know I haven’t sunk to their level. And isn’t that why we all watch X-Factor? We watch it because it’s the modern equivalent of a Victorian freak show, small wonder why it has a small amount of actual talent, and a large amount of silently (or vocally) judging strangers.
Your Comment. Your View. Your Paper.
Disagree with something said? Got an opinion you want heard? Want to voice a complaint? Email concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk
the riots: one month on
Oliver Sanham asks: “Can we really blame a rioter if rioting isn’t really a conscious decision?”
The riots: In figures • 1,715 - The total number of alleged rioters taken to court in the aftermath • 70% - Had previous convictions or cautions • £200+ million - The estimated cost to insurers • 30,000 - Estimated trading hours lost by retailers
It is said that riots are an act of a collective mind. According to the world of psychology, we lose our identity as we commit mass acts of aggression. Certainly an individual can be held responsible for the looting, burning or other mindless acts we saw this summer, but is that in any more than just a legal sense? Two looters were heard on BBC News declaring they were “taking back their taxes. The cost to the taxpayer for policing and compensation: £132 million. A flawed logic then, that this was some great Marxist struggle rather than anything more primal. Perhaps, in a moment of pent up anger, a single person decides to kick a bin. The idea of violence spreads fast because it is so compelling, and it is for this reason that it seems that the events of August were not a conscious reaction to cuts or unemployment, but rather symptomatic of a great national sickness: so many people have such little identity to lose, conditions are perfect for a mindless riot. The demographic of the collected rioters was overwhelmingly young working class males, precisely the kind of individual that suffers from a feeling of purposelessness. After all, one –in-five of them is unemployed and job opportunities are scarce in many regions. As a nation of people that often define ourselves by our work
(“And what do you do?”), what exactly do we make of ourselves when we have no output? The young male moving from the care of the mother to the care of the welfare state must make a marked transition, sometimes into a state of being in which one is merely sustained but not fulfilled. Sustainment comes from benefits or from a minimum wage; either way it is easy to feel disenchanted when you come to feel unvalued. So, we should not convict
“We cannot convincly suggest that every man and woman involved made a conscious decision to be bad that day” the people who were on our then-burning streets in a moral sense, even if we shall do so in a legal sense. Acts which are harmful to the livelihood and often to the health of the everyday man should not go unpunished, but we cannot convincingly suggest that every man and woman involved made a conscious decision to be bad that day. When you find yourself down on your luck, you will take whatever means you can to achieve the gratification suggested by better-paid lifestyles, especially when you find yourself in a collective rioting mass, collectively getting away with it, and collectively giving up identity.
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www.concrete-online.co.uk Saturday 24th September 2011 - Issue 257
THE BIG DEBATE
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In the wake of the closure of the News of the World, Concrete asks:
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Harry Jones
Were the journalists providing a public service despite the illegality of their actions? Or did they go too far in pursuing actions designed to meet their own ends?
Jack Brinded
It wasn’t phone-hacking that closed the News of the World after 168 years in print, but a giant national tantrum - spurred on by the scent of Rupert Murdoch’s blood in the water - that conflated scattered instances of illegality. The tipping point came in 2002 – and was later brought to public attention in 2011 – when murdered school girl Milly Dowler’s voicemail messages were hacked, listened to, and in some instances, deleted. Such egregious acts, at a time when the Dowler family were grieving for their daughter, can never be justified. Not only did the journalists involved seriously infringe upon the family’s privacy at an unimaginably difficult time, they also gave the Dowler’s false hope by making it seem as if Milly herself had been using the phone.
“These journalists never set out to destroy lives or knowingly rake over the voicemail messages of dead school girls” But to many people, the strikingly small number of “rogue” journalists engaged in phone-hacking were seen instead as an ever-encroaching army of grave-robbing bogeymen, listening in to every private conversation and intimate moment for the sheer fun of it. These journalists, seen as utterly reprehensible by the majority of the British public, never set out to destroy lives or knowingly rake over the voicemail messages of dead school girls. There was a little too much madness in the methods they used, but their intentions were always pure. Nevertheless, and because of regrettable instances such as this, it is very easy to understand why phone-hacking terrifies the public. But in reality, it isn’t that likely to happen to you or I, and it only happened on the occasions
when important information could be brought to light to either help catch Milly’s killer, or, at the very least, identify him. Lest we forget, the News of the World has a long and rich history of bringing the guilty to account. And let’s not pretend to care about the privacy of the affected celebrities, royals and politicians who made up the overwhelming majority of phone-hacking victims. Such people have built up lives and careers that are wholly co-dependent on their larger-than-life media personas. Indeed, for Hugh Grant to lead the charge as moral arbiter after being caught with his pants around his ankles, whilst still in a relationship with Elizabeth Hurley, is beyond ridiculous. If, unlike Hugh, you can separate yourself from the hysteria for a moment you can start to appreciate just how isolated these instances of gross professional misconduct were. And, as horrific and hurtful as their actions proved to be, the culpable and thoroughly overzealous journalists – who were nevertheless in a minority were only ever trying to do their job. Yet they were treated with only marginally more affection than a paedophile ring. Ironic, considering that the News of the World spearheaded a popular campaign that saw Sarah’s Law passed in the UK, greatly tightening child sex offence laws and police measures. And even as it emerged that Sarah Payne’s voicemail messages may have been hacked, the media campaigner and mother of 8-year-old Sarah wrote a letter of thanks in the final issue. As far as the loyal readers were concerned, the journalists and correspondents behind these exposés and undercover reports were doing a service to the Great British public. Through the regrettable medium of phonehacking, undercover reporting, snooping and digging, these journalists were able to inform, entertain, and protect for many, many years.
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Published from 1843 - 2011 Criculation of 2.5 million First phone hacking allegations emerged in 2006 Over 10 senior editors arrested Policemen bribes totalled £100,000 Over £250,000 compensation paid Phone hackings of grieving families, British soliders, celebrities, politicians and sports stars On-going investigations in a dozen countries
In a democracy, there are three supposedly sacred roles the press should fulfil: it should inform the electorate, hold people in power accountable and represent public views. If it fails to do that, it is damaging to the democratic process. Unfortunately, the economic motives of most newspapers seem to get in the way of this, as cheap scandal sells better than political scrutiny. Over the summer, the scandal that developed from the News of the World was the story on everyone’s lips as sordid revelations of treachery, betrayal and lies emerged. And, ironically, there was very little sex involved, for a scandal involving a Murdoch paper. The abuses actually uncovered were far more severe: police bribery and phone-hacking on a massive scale. Meanwhile, News of the World writer Paul McMullen, while staring coldly into the camera on Newsnight, claimed that all he’d ever done as a “journalist” (I use that term generously) was to try and tell the truth, and that phonehacking helped him to do that. This completely airbrushed what had really been uncovered by official investigations. The paper had paid bribes of up to £100,000 to up to five Met officers, as well as hacking the phones of a number of vulnerable individuals, including the murdered school girl Milly Dowler, victims of the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks, and deceased British soldiers. In effect, NotW was shown to be one of the biggest crime syndicates in the country. The victims were not powerful people, and it was in no way the public’s interest to defile the dead, yet McMullen went on to claim this was a necessary evil to catch politicians “with their trousers down, fiddling with their expenses.” They didn’t seem to be particularly interested in their former editor Andy Coulson’s
exploits, spinning a story about George Osborne’s past links to a drug-taking dominatrix, allegedly preventing severe damage to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s political career, before being invited into a cushy position at Downing Street.
“The victims were not powerful people - and it was in no way in the public’s interest to defile the dead. McMullen went on to claim hacking was a necessary evil to catch politicians” The News of the World did however pursue a personal vendetta against Scottish Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan. The problem was the News of the World disagreed with his politics, but couldn’t dent his popularity - he was elected to the Scottish Parliament for two consecutive terms - so they pursued him on an ad hominem basis instead, digging up adultery allegations. Now, in amongst this information, it becomes clear something is fundamentally wrong with the Murdoch press: they will pursue a man who tries to change the world like dogs on the trail of a fox, but they will move mountains to cover up a friend in a government’s misdemeanours. They pursued a frankly undemocratic agenda under the guise of “freedom of the press”, doing the very opposite of what any paper should do: they misinformed the public, they held the powerless to ransom and assisted the powerful, and I have an inkling it is not representative of the public’s view that murdered children and casualties of terrorism should be stalked by the Murdoch press. The News of the World is gone, closed to preserve News Corp’s empire. It should not be mourned.
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Why the sudden fuss?
Richard Law examines the cultural phenomenon that is the celebrity death. If, like me, you have feared for Apple’s finances during the recession you can now stop worrying; thankfully, the company has managed to monopolise the rock star death. But before we confirm Apple as the sole enemy, let us, to quote Mozza, paint a vulgar picture of the media. The death of celebrities has become a cultural phenomenon in its own right, as confusing and often disturbing as that of celebrity itself. The routine of the public ritual is recognisable to the point of cliché. The ritual culminates with the public – in genuine good grief - flocking to iTunes to download the latest digital shrine to the latest fallen star, shooting them back up the charts a final time.
“The commodification of death has the undesired effect: it takes away any of the glamour that attracted the audience’s interest to begin with. But more importantly, it takes away the humanity of the life in question” The only memorable interruption to the routine was an infamous instance in which the media had begun the procession before the body was even in the coffin. In 2009, OK! magazine released as its 666th edition a black border lined tribute to Jade Goody, purporting to contain her “final words”. This wouldn’t have been so deprecating had Goody not been alive to read her own obituary, dying just days later.
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Are we safer now? With 9/11’s anniversary having passed, Kieran McMahon asks: is the world a safer place? It is hard to believe that Iraq ever posed us a credible threat. Saddam, mad as he was, would surely have known that attacking Britain or the USA would have been the last thing he ever did while in power. The defeat of Saddam’s regime in 2003 took just 21 days and no WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) were found. Afghanistan is different, the Taliban are well documented to have co-operated with al-Qaeda before the war while no such link has been found for Iraq, and the removal of the Taliban has damaged the capability of al-Qaeda to launch attacks. The future of these countries, however, is so much in the balance that it’s impossible to know what will happen when our troops withdraw fully. The growth of counterterrorism is an easily measurable improvement to security, as The real question at stake here is does the media have its finger on the nation’s pulse or its purse? Perhaps as tragically inevitable as Amy Winehouse’s death was her inability to escape the tabloids’ posthumous hyperbolic ramblings (known in the real world as grovelling). One of the finest voices of her generation? No doubt. Hugely influential? No question. A genius? It’s getting slippy. It’s suspicious that these venerations are crafted by the same clutch of yellow-bellied journalists who spent a hefty portion of their pitiful careers harassing her whilst she was alive. That said it would be naive to suggest that these amoral journalists are not simply meeting the demands of a similarly amoral readership, who insist that the lives and indeed deaths of their fellow -but famous - primates become their property. But why? The crass commodification of death has the undesired effect: it takes away any of the glamour that attracted the audience’s interest to begin with. But, more importantly, it takes away the humanity of the life in question. If the media has its finger on the nation’s pulse, mine must be beating silently.
dozens of plots have been foiled and thousands arrested. Counterterrorism is better funded and prioritised, public security and transport safety are dramatically tightened and there can be little doubt that such vigilance make us safer. Herein a question lies, however, and that is who ‘us’ is. Is the world a safer place for non-whites and Muslims since 2001? Are you more likely to be discriminated against? To be intimidated, harassed, or even attacked? Just look at the case of Jean Charles de Menezes, who would surely not have died without anti-terror paranoia. Look at the increased possibility of arbitrary detention or detention without trial, wrongful arrests and over-zealous police operations. Perhaps as a nation we are safer from global terrorism, but some of us are more vulnerable to the heavy hand of our own government.
There is, of course, an enormous amount of speculation and hysteria surrounding September 11th, which ranges from the plausible to the absurd on both sides. What’s clear from any breakdown of events though, is that there was a chain of catastrophic failures and flukes
Is the European Union dead? With the looming crisis in Europe, Joshua Resoun discusses the chances of the EU breaking apart The Eurozone faces a debt crisis which threatens to end the European dream. Another bailout looms on the horizon for Greece, which requires £96billion in order to avoid defaulting on its national debt one month from now. The Eurozone countries along with the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank have promised loans to Greece on a set of strict conditions to achieve austerity and balance their budget. These are measures which make ours here in Britain seem warm and fuzzy in comparison. However, the danger lies in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel currently leads a coalition government in a country which is increasingly asking
itself the question: why should we bail them all out? The latest wave of elections has damaged Merkel badly, and if Germany was to decide that Greece - and the other debt-ridden countries of Spain, Italy and Ireland - are not worth saving, well, the Eurozone would be at an end. In the past, Greece has simply devalued its currency in order to stave off economic c r i s i s . However, with the Eurozone, and the adoption of the Euro, Greece no longer has this option as the Euro is controlled by the European Central Bank. This is where the difficulty lies. You cannot have a feasible economic union without having a strong, political union.
comment which allowed the hijackings to wreak such devastation. It was so shocking and has become so indelibly etched into the minds of those who witnessed it, that it will probably never happen again because it will never be unexpected again. People see bearded men getting onto planes, andyoung men with rucksacks on trains, in a way that they did not see them before. We live in a culture of suspicion and it is up to us as citizens to ensure that vigilance is not allowed to slide into prejudice.
Recently the ECB president, Jean-Claude Trichet, has called for a stronger political union to overcome this very problem. But with an ongoing economic crisis, and a growing feeling of Eurosceptism, political union seems unlikely. Despite the vice-president of the IMF, Min Zhu, warning that the current financial crisis is “the biggest concern Europe is facing”, I would not put money on the European Union breaking apart. The big hitters in the EU - Germany and France - seem unlikely to back down after investing so much time, energy, and money, into creating the supra-national organisation. Greece, along with the other failing economies across the poorer region of Southern Europe, will be forced to accept the strict regulations which accompny the bailout. The knock-on affects of the collapse of the euro, let alone the EU, would be catastrophic. Sure, Britain may lose some of that red tape if the EU were to collapse, but we would also lose a significant portion of our global influence. The EU is wounded, bleeding, and gasping for breath, but it is not dead.
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10. Highest Mountain in Antarctica 11. Winner of 1970 Football World Cup 12. Practitioner of modern economics 17. Winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2011 22. Chart topper with a sold out gig at UEA
1. A crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person 4. To degrade to the status of a mere object 5. Currency of Afghanistan 6. Collective noun for ant 7. Famous ecosystem between Tanzania and Kenya 9. Fastest production car 13. James Joyce epic 14. Symbol of Scotland 15. 2003 Academy award winner for best picture 16. Name for the internationally accepted civil calendar 18. Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 19. Number 92 on the periodic table 20. English model, actor and artist 21. 2008 X Factor winner 24. Venue of the World Snooker championship 23. Radio DJ and former UEA student 25. Presenter of the US X Factor 26. Most recent England cricket debutant 27. Singer of notorious song Heartbeats
Competition - WIN Bombay Bicycle Club tickets! Indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club are heading to the LCR on October 20th, and despite the gig being sold out we can offer 4 free tickets to those who manage to complete our inaugural crossword of the year. If you’re interested bring your completed crossword to the Concrete office by 5pm on Friday October 7th. Good luck!
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www.concrete-online.co.uk Saturday 24th September 2011 - Issue 257
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The wonders of Toronto Concrete Travel explores the natural and the manmade wonders of Canada’s largest city Even after an eleven and a half hour bus journey from New York and a tedious stop at the border, the drive along Lake Ontario and into the cluster of Toronto’s skyscrapers is certainly worth the wait. Sitting next to the glistening lake, Toronto seems to have everything. Suburban sprawl starts miles before you hit the imposing buildings that dominate the city centre, but whilst you speed past the Greater Toronto Area on your left hand side, the lake follows you all the way to your right. Eventually you hit the very centre of this vast city and its iconic marker, the CN Tower. Built as a communication and observation tower, the CN Tower was, for 34 years, the world’s tallest free-standing structure. It’s still an incredible building, dominating the Toronto skyline and offering tourists an unbeatable view of the city and beyond. A lightning fast lift with a glass-panelled floor whisks you up to the first observation point, 350m above the ground. In the day time the whole of Toronto is spread out below like a map and at night the twinkling lights of the city stretch out for miles into the darkness. Those with a daredevil spirit can go beyond the glass, walking around a ledge 116 storeys up whilst attached, of course, to a safety rail. Those who don’t fancy leaning backwards with nothing but an 1168ft fall between them and the ground can watch from various TV screens around the observation deck. Although the top of the CN Tower offers a bird’s eye view of the pitch below, grabbing a seat for a Blue Jays baseball game is the best way to experience America’s pastime. The Roger’s Centre is an impressive stadium, but unfortunately the resident baseball team is less so. Nevertheless tickets can be purchased for around $15, and all the paraphernalia of an American baseball game is on show, from vendors walking up and down the steps balancing hot dogs and cans of beer, to the cheerleaders who try to raise the atmosphere. The night is still young when the baseball games finish and Toronto has plenty of clubs and bars. In particular the appropriately-named Clubland
area has the highest density of nightclubs in North America and with three universities, Toronto’s clubs are always busy. Adelaide and Queen Streets are also loaded with pubs and clubs but places to party can also be found close to the harbour front, although these tend to be more expensive. Toronto is also home to a number of microbreweries and the best of these, the Steamwhistle brewery, can be toured for $8 including free samples and a gift. Remember that the drinking age in Ontario and in most of Canada is 19, compared to 21 across the border in the USA. Toronto’s biggest tourist attractions are mostly manmade, but Torontonians are lucky enough to live just an hour away from one of the wonders of the natural world – Niagara Falls. The most powerful waterfalls in North America attract 28m tourists a year and can be reached close up on the Maid of the Mist boat tour, which has been taking tourists into the storm of the Falls since 1846. Every passenger is handed a blue poncho to wear and once you pass the Horseshoe Falls you are thankful for it. The boats go right into the mist, drenching those on the top deck amidst the terrific noise of the Falls. Once safely back on dry land the rest of the town is open to be explored, but to avoid the crowd of tourists buying souvenirs it’s best to head to the tranquil town of Niagara-on-the-lake which has an abundance of ice cream shops. The Niagara peninsula is also famous for its vineyards which are known for producing one of the sweetest and most expensive wines in the world – ice wine. Tours of wineries are widely available and allow visitors to find out how ice wine is produced as well offering samples and winetasting events. Toronto’s wonders don’t stop at just the Tower and the Falls. The city brims with exciting things to see, from street festivals such as the annual Buskerfest to ice hockey which the city thrives on. From sky high towers that look like a pin stuck in the earth, to thundering waterfalls that are among the most spectacular natural sights in the world, Toronto really is wonderful.
Essential Toronto Population: 5.1 million Demonym: Torontonian Motto: “Diversity our strength” Where to stay? HI Toronto on Church Street is centrally located with the main shopping mall just a few streets away. They run an excellent range of excursions including a day trip to Niagara Falls, a ride up the CN Tower and city tour for CAD$75. Rooms from CAD$25. Getting around Toronto’s public transit system is the third largest in North America after New York and Mexico City. Subway and streetcar are the most popular way to get around but Toronto is also an easy city to walk around as well. When should I go? Toronto enjoys warm, humid summers in contrast to most of Canada but suffers perishing winter tempretures that can plummet to below zero degrees. Late spring and early autumn are considered by many to be the best times to visit as summer is the main tourist season. Top tip Visit Toronto’s islands. Like New York City, Toronto’s islands are secluded places to take a break from the bustling city. The views of the skyline make for a great photograph and the beaches are never crowded so you can be guaranteed a relaxing afternoon. Boats from the city are cheap and run regularly.
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Take a break from Norwich Cromer (23 miles north of Norwich; 55 minutes train £6.80) is a popular seaside town and is famous for its crabs caught by the local fishermen. Once a resort for rich Norwich families in the summertime, Cromer is still a beautiful place with a sandy beach and a pier. Cromer is home to the Royal Norfolk Golf course and also to the Amazona Zoo on the outskirts of the town. Great Yarmouth (20 miles east of Norwich; 33 minutes train £7.00) was for many years a major fishing port, but today relies on tourism. Somewhat gone to seed, The “Golden Mile” still has twelve amusement arcades and Yarmouth two piers that hold entertainment events as well as one of England’s largest markets. Cambridge (60 miles south-west of Norwich; 1 hour 15 mins train £14.60) is of course famous for its University, but take the time to try out the ever-popular activity
of Punting on the River Cam. The city is both beautiful and historic, and well worth a look for a weekend away. Sheringham (27 miles north of Norwich; 58 minutes train £7.00) is a small seaside town with a rich history of fishing . Known as the ‘Jewel of the Norfolk coast’ , Sheringham has a youth hostel which is a great base to explore the coastline. Amsterdam (246 miles driving and boat; approx 6 hours; Stenaline ferry £59 for a car, £34 for a foot pasenger; KLM flights from approx £100 return) is one of Norwich International Airport’s most prestigious destinations and also accessible from Harwich to the Hook of Holland are by air from Norwich International to Schiphol Airport. Perfect for a weekend city break or lads holiday, Amsterdam’s world-class nightlife is the biggest draw. Hire a bike to cycle along the canal
“Wish you were here?” “This picture was taken just a few days after the MLK memorial opened to the public in America’s capital. King now becomes the first African-American to be honoured with a memorial on the National Mall. The memorial is less than a 10 minute walk away from the Lincoln Memorial from which he gave his famous “I have a dream” speech in 1963. King’s memorial is based upon
his quote “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope” with a stone walkway to the memorial representing the mountain and the statue of King pictured representing the ‘stone of hope’. The memorial came at a huge expense, costing $120 million , but it is a fitting tribute and celebrates King’s abilities as an orator as well as an inspirational idol for many Americans.”
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Concrete Travel’s guide to
Norwich
By far the largest city for miles around, Norwich offers everything in abundance art, music, sport, history and shopping. Allegedly boasting a pub for every day of the year and a church for every Sunday, Norwich is the region’s hub.
Ancient cobbled streets lined with eclectic independent shops, bustling market squares next to impressive modern architecture, renovated churches showcasing the best arts entertainment in the region; Norwich seamlessly combines the medieval with the modern to form a vibrant, creative city.
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The city houses two cathedrals, but Norwich Cathedral is the more impressive. Built over 900 years ago, its spire stands at 96 metres and is one of the tallest in Britain. The cathedral also holds exhibitions and festivals throughout the year. Even if you don’t fancy going inside, the grounds are well worth a visit, even if it is just to relax on a Sunday afternoon.
Havanas Don’t want to go home yet? No worries, Havanas is always open after everywhere else has closed up and offers great cocktails until the birds start singing. Lola Lo’s Bringing the South Pacific to Norwich, Lola’s has been a popular favourite with students since its renovation. Watch out for the shark buckets though they’re lethal! Project Norwich’s newest nightclub is slightly outside of the gaggle of clubs surrounding Prince of Wales Road, but offers some of the biggest nights out, as well as Calvin Harris in October.
Situated in the UEA grounds is the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a world class public art museum whose collections span 5000 years of human creativity. As well as holding a host of talks and workshops, the centre has an ever-changing round of exhibitions that showcase art and artefacts from all over the world. Norwich’s newest and most stunning landmark is The Forum which houses the Millennium Library, BBC East studios and Fusion - Europe’s largest digital gallery. The building itself is jawdropping and a great place to meet friends for lunch, as it’s in the very centre of the city. Fusion is, in layman’s terms, a huge TV screen and holds many events throughout the year, putting Norwich at the forefront of digital technology.
pubs/clubs
shopping Chapelfield Norwich’s largest shopping centre with over 90 shops and restaurants. Major stores include House of Fraser, Apple, Hollister, Superdry and H&M. The Mall Norwich Brands and independent retailers on four levels. Norwich’s Vue cinema is also housed here. Shops include T.K. Maxx, Boots and New Look. For a less mainstream shopping experience, the Norwich Lanes are well worth a wander with 200 independent shops lined along cobbled streets and alleyways. St Benedict’s Street specialises in independent record shops
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restaurants
takeaways
Pedro’s Mexican Cantina Popular with couples and students with an excellent range of Mexican food and drink. Generous portions and a scenic setting in the middle of Chapelfield Gardens makes this one of Norwich’s most-loved.
Neptune Fish Bar The typical offerings of an independent takeaway but with excellent pizzas at decent prices.
Sweet Chilli Superb Thai food is served in this cosy establishment. Visit on Wednesdays to try the £10 Thai Tapas which will fill you up and give you an all round taste of Thai cuisine.
sightseeing in the city One of Norwich’s most prominent attractions, Norwich Castle is 900 years old but doesn’t look it thanks to extensive refurbishments and a modern museum that attracts visitors from around the world. Tours of the dungeons and battlements are available seven days a week and give a great view of the city from the top of the castle at 125 feet above street level. For those wanting a quick look around, the Castle offers £1 admission from one hour before closing every day.
Editor: Greg Lewry Email: concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk
Mercy Following extensive and lengthy refurbishment, former favourite Mercy is back on the Prince of Wales Road, ready to re-establish itself as Norwich’s premier club. Once a firm favourite with students, Mercy will do battle with Lola’s and Project to attract the UEA masses. The LCR UEA’s very own club, centrallylocated and hosting club nights every Saturday and Tuesday. Perhaps not for everyone, the LCR will either become your first-choice destination for nights out, or a place where, in occasional fits of nostalgia, you visit to rave to 90’s classics and the “current” chart-toppers. For those wanting a different type of night, the LCR is split into two parts. The best thing - you’ll always see someone you know.
and other places like Elm Hill house small businesses selling original gifts, vintage clothes and antiques. Norwich Market’s multicoloured roofs attract shoppers looking for fresh fish, meat and cheese as well as specialist items.
Rice and Spice Indian and Bangladeshi delivered fast. Plenty of dishes with special offers every Wednesday. Domino’s Pizza A bit obvious perhaps, but Domino’s do great student offers and hand out free pizza at the Freshers’ Fair, so don’t miss out!
sport Norwich City Football Club Two promotions in two seasons means that the Canaries are now in the highest level of English professional football. Accordingly ticket prices have risen and start at around £30.
Norwich Rugby Club Amateur rugby club who run four senior teams.
Norwich is also a top city for department stores with more major stores like Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer than anywhere outside of London. Jarrolds is the local department store.
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Editor: Lauren Razavi Email: concrete.features@uea.ac.uk
Identity Parade
With a new year upon us, Concrete’s Alex Ross takes a look at some of UEA and Norwich’s famous faces, and perhaps a couple you might not be expecting Norwich and Los Angeles don’t have a lot in common. While some of the city centre apartments are particularly glamorous, the city twinned with Koblenz and Novi Sad doesn’t have its own version of Beverley Hills. That isn’t to say that Norfolk’s largest city doesn’t boast a plethora of celebrities, ranging from the high-profile, nationwide stars to the moderately obscure, and many variations in between. UEA, meanwhile, has its own fairly impressive roster of famous faces, many of whom will have trodden the same paths, drank in the same bar (minus some cosmetic changes) and sat in the same lecture theatres as you.
Some tend to have negative perceptions of Norwich as a marginal, mostly rural city with not much going on. This is hardly fair, and it’s worth remembering as well that Norwich isn’t all about a football club which plays in yellow and green and a TV chef prone to rather embarrassing gaffes. The face perhaps most commonly associated with Norwich is that of Stephen Fry. Eminently intelligent, and a staple in intellectual comedy programming, he has been the host of QI since it began in 2003. His role as General Melchett in celebrated television series Blackadder set Fry on the path to fame and respect, and gained him
a place in the nation’s heart. Known for his passionate devotion to the city, Fry joined the board at Norwich City last year telling Concrete that “Norwich City is one of the truly great exemplars of a true community club.” He had a point. City, now a Premier League club, can proudly boast to have a man on their board who, whilst claiming to have “loathed all forms of sports” as a child, defends the city and the county at every turn. Whilst Fry is perhaps the most recognisable and charming faces of academia in the country, it’s fair to say that UEA can rival his intellectual prowess. Kazuo Ishiguro, Booker prize winner
for The Remains of the Day and author of novel-cum-blockbuster Never Let Me Go, is just one of a host of great authors to have passed through the prestigious Creative Writing MA course at the University. Rose Tremain, whose career has taken in an Orange Prize for best novel and a Whitbread Award, both studied and taught in the Creative Writing department. Speaking to Concrete last year, Tremain described her first enrollment at UEA as “incredibly exciting” and recalled that the experience at UEA was “something completely different”. She did, however, recommend that UEA students “burn effigies of the late Denys Ladsun for giving you such miserable buildings”. If, however, you really want to brag to your friends at clearly inferior universities, it might be worth bringing up Matt Smith, the current Dr Who. The fresh-faced, pointy-haired, time-travelling Dalek killer graduated from UEA with a degree in Drama and Creative Writing. And if you’re a budding actor holed up in the Drama Studio feeling the crippling weight of the world on your thespian shoulders, console yourself with the thought that John Rhys-Davies trod the
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same boards as you. Famous for playing Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Sallah in Indiana Jones, Rhys-Davies is a man with incredible potential during Movember and one of the first crop of UEA students in the 1960s. Away from epic trilogies, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson spent their first year at UEA skipping lessons and playing guitar in a punk rock band. Whitehouse then dropped out and lived in Hackney for a while. Whitehouse, famous for his collaborations with Harry Enfield and his lead role in The Fast Show, has been described by Jonny Depp as “the greatest actor of all time.” So skipping class and forming a punk band is not formally endorsed by this newspaper. But it did work for him. Of course, UEA fresher, you will be wondering how many famous sportsmen and women have passed through the doors of the Sportspark on the way to the World Cup or jogged past Norwich Cathedral in preparation for that Olympic Gold. How many of these superhuman athletes were once amongst our ranks? Well, none. But Jake Humphreys is from Norwich and he presents F1 on the BBC.
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The One That Got Away It may surprise you to know, but UEA was once home for a woman dubbed “Doctor Germ” by the United Nations, and was allegedly involved in Iraq’s unsuccessful program to develop chemical weapons, the much referred to “weapons of mass destruction.” Amidst all the upstanding citizens pictured above, Rihab Taha certainly stands out. She rose to prominence after being named in a 2003 British intelligence dossier, which was released to the public by then Prime Minister Tony Blair. The report suggested that Taha, who received her PhD in plant toxins from UEA in the School of Biological Sciences in 1984, played a key role in the manufacture of anthrax and other biological agents. In a report commissioned
by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in 1999, Taha was described as one of the world’s most dangerous women. So for those of you studying in the School of Biological Sciences, remember that many successful, law-abiding people have come though before you, but don’t forget Dr. Taha. Weapons inspectors who met her described Dr. Taha as “difficult and dour”, but it’s hard to believe that someone so close to Saddam Hussein, widely acknowledged by the Western media as the epitome of evil for this generation, couldn’t warrant a more damning assessment. After all, not everybody makes it onto the US list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqi officials.
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features
9/11: Ten Years On The attacks on the World Trade Center defined the decade and led to two separate wars. Ten years on, Lauren Razavi looks at how the world has changed This September marks the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the set of coordinated terrorist attacks which devastated in New York City and Washington DC on September 11, 2001. A tremendous number of people lost their lives that day; many others lost precious loved ones. The impact was far-reaching, beyond the confines of the two cities in which the attacks occurred, and even beyond the confines of the United States as a country. The world has changed in an unprecedented way over the past ten years, and in a lot of different respects, perhaps most notably in our perspective on the evil of terrorism Ten years later, terrorism remains a buzzword in politics and the media. Since September 11th, the United States has been defined almost as the antidote to global terrorism. Former President George W. Bush based his entire political direction around dealing what he readily
dubbed ‘the war on terror.’ Ten years on and this is a phrase the world is all too familiar with. Terrorism is, without a shadow of doubt, a political game changer. Equally, newspapers sell in significant numbers for their 9/11-based editorial every September, and more people than ever flock to the television to watch the now all-so familiar and shocking images of that day unfold again each year. This year even saw a Twitter trending topic start up wherein members of the public ‘reenacted’ the events of that tragic day through the social media forum. Needless to say this didn’t garner a lot of support, and was soon stopped. For the print, broadcast and online media internationally, 9/11 marks a ‘key date’ in the calendar year; special features and extra pages open up to allow readers to engage with this disturbing but somehow still fascinating piece of history.
Travel is another aspect of life that has been undeniably changed by terrorism. From public transport announcements that you must report any suspicious items to a member of staff, to the restrictions on the amount of liquid that can be taken onto a plane, you are reminded at every turn of the genuine, looming threat of terrorism in all its forms. It’s almost sad to imagine there will soon be a day when the new generation won’t remember the days when this wasn’t the case, but this demonstrates the overriding way in which the world has changed since terrorism publicly reared its ugly head in 2001. Undoubtedly, the most significant way in which life has changed since 9/11 is in terms of awareness. Almost anyone you speak to – no matter their age – will remember exactly what they were doing on September 11, 2001 when they heard the news
Norwich’s secret hideaways Fran Roberts takes Concrete on a tour featuring the hidden gems of Norwich culture Wander through the city centre and you’ll find a collection of chain stores, pubs, and eateries that can be found in most towns
around the country. Dig a little deeper though and you can unearth some true gems that may surprise you.
The Tea House in Wrights Court is one such find. This charming shop opened in April and while the rest of Elm Hill may stretch the average student budget, a pot of tea and a slice of homemade cake is less than a pint in many pubs across the city. The large selection of loose teas may seem a bit overwhelming to those who don’t care so long as it’s brown, but the guys running the place really know their stuff and are more than happy to recommend a brew depending on your mood. For something a little stronger than tea, look no further than Bedford Street, where two of the best venues in Norwich neighbour each other. First off is Frank’s Bar, a café bar with an extensive range of nibbles, board games, and whisky recommendation from The Whisky Shop. Next door, set back into a little yard,
of what was unfolding across the pond. Children are being raised to remember a tragedy they did not witness, in the same way that events such as Guy Fawkes Night and Remembrance Sunday are acknowledged by the public each year without question. With terrorism still presenting
such an important, unavoidable and current political and social issue all over the world today, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that ten years on, 9/11 is already part of our history, memorable in the same way as any World War and the tragedies they inflicted upon previous generations.
is Bedford’s. There are three areas to Bedford’s, the upstairs restaurant and bar, the crypt which is often used for gigs, and the outdoor area. When at Bedford’s, be sure to order a Spider, a legendary cocktail rumoured to contain eight different spirits! For those of you seeking more than liquid refreshment to revive you and relieve some stress, The Rub on Upper St. Giles offers several treatments, including a fully clothed seated Shiatsu backrub. The rubs can last for as little as ten minutes or as long as thirty, with prices rising accordingly. As an added bonus, there is no need to book in advance, you can just walk in for a rub. If you’d prefer to indulge fully, the treatment room offers various hour long sessions for just £30.
a good bet. Home to Rainbow Wholefoods, with Pulse restaurant located above it, this little corner of Norwich is heaven for vegetarians, vegans, and those with special dietary requirements. It also attracts a fair number of people eager to buy organic or keen to try new ingredients in their cooking. Another great organic food shop is The Green Grocers on Earlham Road, behind the CoOp. There are still some purists out there who prefer their music to come in solid rather than digital form. Soundclash on St. Benedicts is the perfect place for those wishing to escape to a world where the prices are right, the staff knowledgeable, and you can find something that interests you without having to fight your way through the latest pile of reality TV nonsense. Soundclash is also your one-stop place in the city for all your ticketing needs, with tickets available for gigs at both the LCR and the Waterfront, as well as further afield. The city is there for you to discover your own gems, happy exploring!
When at Bedford’s, be sure to order a Spider, a legendary cocktail rumoured to contain eight different spirits!” For food, Labour in Vain Yard just off of Guildhall Hill is
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What type of student are you? Are you destined for a first or failure? Find out with our Lifestyle Quiz 1. What is your idea of the perfect student night? A: In the library doing extra reading B: Doing your required reading before heading to the LCR C: Pre-drinks in halls followed by a night exploring the clubs in Norwich D: Chilling in the kitchen at a house party
2. Would you ever miss a lecture? A: No! What a sin B: Only if it was necessary C: Lectures? What are they? D: I never intend to
3. What time of the day is your alarm set for? A: A: The crack of dawn so I can get a seat in the Library B: 9am ready for a productive day C: I’ve forgotten what mornings look like! D: I don’t own a clock
4. How many societies are you planning to join this year? A: I am going to concentrate on my studies this year B: Any that take my fancy, I can’t wait to get stuck in C: Cocktail society! D: I always plan to join a lot of things
5. When you hear “Norwich” you think... A: The place where I will study for the next three years B: The perfect city- so many interesting things to do. C: Party central D: I never really leave campus
6. Your student cuisine is? A: Fresh wild salmon; the perfect brain food! B: Something quick and tasty, I’m too busying with societies C: A burger from outside the LCR at 1am D: Whatever is left in the cupboard, usually dry cereal
7. Your bedroom walls are covered in:
A: My timetable, an academic calendar and a tasteful poster B: Movie/band posters and gig tickets C: Photos from my holiday in Kavos D: Some posters I’ve been given and whatever the last tenant left up
8. Your ideal partner is:
A: I’m already in a relationship, with someone as focused as I am B: Anyone with a good sense of humor and an interesting take on life C: Someone with a really good fake tan, so I can feel like it’s summer all year round D: Someone sweet who lives close by
Mostly A’s: FIRST CLASS STUDENT
Mostly B’s: PERFECT BALANCE
For you it’s all work and no play, studying comes first and you are passionate about your degree subject. Just like former UEA student and present Doctor Who, Matt Smith, you are determined, hard working and if you continue you will be heading straight to the top of your field. But university isn’t just about studying. Try and inject some fun into your routine, even if it is just for stress relief.
Your motto is “work hard and play hard.” You understand that University is about studying and relaxing, and have mastered the art of doing both! Greg James loved UEA because he struck the right balance between studying and getting involved in other aspects of university life, such as UEA’s radio station; Livewire.
Mostly C’s: PARTY ANIMAL
Mostly D’s: THE SLOTH
You are eager to embrace at least one aspect of university life; partying! You would do it all day, every day for the entirety of your degree. However, you need to remember that you are here to study and although it is great to let off some steam now and again, you still need to hit up the library sometimes too! Study hard and then party hard!
The word that sums you up is “chilled.” You are usually found soaking up the sun in the Square, or if it’s raining – in bed. People love being around you because of your easy-going attitude to life. You don’t seem to mind too much about anything and sometimes it seems like the academic side of university life just passes you by. Relaxing is important but don’t sleep away your time at university.
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SocMart and SportsMart: Spoilt for choice Eleanor Dayton Lifestyle Writer One of the best ways to make the most of your time at UEA is to get involved with the sports clubs and societies on offer. In the first week you’ll be invited to SocMart and SportsMart in the LCR, where you can choose from over 150 societies to join. It’ll be packed with hundreds of students desperate to sign up for their favourite sport or activity, so you won’t want to miss this. At SocMart you’ll find a huge range of different societies, including those related to your degree course, charity societies such as RAG (Raising and Giving) and KAOS (Kids Action Overseas) and numerous societies for all your eccentric hobbies and the simple pleasures in life. Anything you can think of will be here at Socmart, including the highly esteemed Cocktail Society, Glee Club and plenty more – you’ll be spoilt for choice. SportsMart is the place to sign up for your favourite sporting club. As well as the big clubs like UEA Football and Rugby, there are a variety of snow and water sports to get involved with. There are clubs to join that you wouldn’t even have thought of but that could become one of the best aspects of your university experience. You can even try your hand at a new sport such as korfball and compete against other students and universities. To join a sports society at UEA you will need to purchase a SAM insurance card, for £30 during SportsMart. SAM covers you for the whole year and gets you 20% off many drinks at the Union’s sports night, held in the Blue Bar on campus every Wednesday. It’s a great chance to celebrate or commiserate with your fellow teammates at a great price. If all this still doesn’t convince you to make the most of SocMart and SportsMart, then surely the number of freebies you’ll receive will do, including the ever-popular Domino’s Pizza and numerous sweets from different stalls. SocMart is on the 27th September 12pm until 7pm and Sportsmart is 11am to 4pm on the 28th.
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Lifestyle’s Freshers’ Guide Campus Tour: A mini selection of the best that campus has to offer The Sainsbury Centre: best for family An impressive collection of modern and world art, free exhibition entry to all UEA students and a decent selection of lunchtime treats (including incredible cream teas) make the Sainsbury Centre the place to spend time with any parents/ aunts/grandparents/under-age siblings who may pop up on
The perfect balance: Remember the academia
campus expecting entertainment over the year. The Sainsbury Centre is classy and cultured but cheap enough that you can afford to offer to pay and not be caught out if for some reason your guests
While having fun and getting to know as many people as possible is what Freshers W e e k is all about, m o s t people d o n ’ t choose to go to university to party. For many degree courses the first year doesn’t count but it is still worth trying your hardest and getting
into good habits because bad habits are hard to break. Stay on top of your reading and coursework by making sure to find the balance between work and play. The jump between A-level or equivalent study and studying at degree level can seem quite intimidating. The biggest change for most courses is a greater level of responsibility for your learning. Independent study requires self-motivation and good time management. Don’t panic if you find the adjustment hard. Take advantage of all the help offered to you. All students at UEA are assigned an academic advisor and many schools of study operate a buddy system to connect you with an older student who can share their experiences.
Welcome to your second home: housewarming tip
peanut butter and offer it to your housemates. The ensuing conversation will reveal a lot about the personalities of the people you will be sharing your kitchen with for the next years. You’ll discover who has a nut allergy, who is a fussy eater “I only eat x brand” and the crunchy vs smooth debate will get everyone talking. Peanut butter can be substituted for other controversial foods that everyone has an opinion about such as Marmite or Jaffa cakes. Give our icebreaker a try and watch the tension evaporate.
Lifestyle favourite because: It is far away from any of the places on campus where you might bump into a bad memory from the LCR
Café Direct: best coffee The best coffee selection on campus, as proven by our Lifestyle secret shopper last year. Settle down on the comfortable black sofas and choose from the standard selection of good quality Fairtrade coffees you’d expect from any self-respecting café. There’s a frothy flavourful
caffeine concoction to suit every sweet tooth, including the Mocha Bianca and Nutty Professor. Definitely worth a look.
Lifestyle favourite because Close enough to the lecture theatres to make a dash for coffee
The Lake: best for first dates Completely free and close to home the lake is the perfect place to take the potential someone special in your life. If you search hard enough you might even find the adored ponies that live on the side
of the lake furthest from the centre of campus. It’s the perfect setting for
Lifestyle favourite because This romantic setting turns awkward silences into intimate moments of contemplative quiet
The INTO Centre: best for food The white building next to the main entrance of campus that you walk, bus and bike past on a daily basis is also home to some of the tastiest food on campus. While primarily for international students the INTO Centre
cafeteria is open to all and is definitely worth a visit. Roasts overflowing with sides for £4.50 served until 4pm every Sunday, along with a great range of international inspired (and often Halal) food.
Lifestyle favourite because: Incredibly generous servings
Moving into a brand new home, indeed for most freshers a brand new city, can be a daunting experience and although you will probably have been told this a thousand times it doesn’t make it any less true – everyone is in the same boat. To make that first morning a little easier here is a handy icebreaker that can help you on
the way to turning a flat full of strangers into your second family.
THE PEANUT BUTTER ICEBREAKER Get out a jar of smooth, or if you are so inclined, crunchy,
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Hey Big Spender: money and budgeting Loans
The majority of students studying at university live off of them and while the triple figure sum that is deposited into your account at the beginning of every month may seem like a lot it can quickly d i s a p p e a r. Taking the time out to make a budget may seem like a lot of effort but knowing exactly how much you will need for essential expenses, like rent, each month early on in the semester means you know exactly how much money you have to play around with and can save you from getting into any tight spots. If you ever should be low on funds the interest free overdraft that is included with most student accounts can be a good tide over, while you pay the Employability Job Shop a visit. Work out a weekly budget to keep on track, only
eating pasta for the last few weeks of a semester because you have run out of
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Staying Safe: sex and the city While Norwich is a relatively safe city, it is still unwise to become complacent about basic safety precautions; only using licenced cabs and try to avoid walking alone late at night, especially if you have been
drinking heavily. The university provides 24 hour security services on campus, and encourage students and staff to get in contact with the security lodge if they have any concerns. The security lodge is situated near the SportsPark and the contact numbers are displayed prominently in ever flat kitchen on campus. If you have any serious concerns about your own immediate safety, or that of any one else, do not hesitate to call 999. Sexual health is another equally important area of personal safety. Anyone who has been through the British education system will have endured enough PHSE, ‘personal social health and economic’, lessons to know how to operate a condom and the potential consequences of not using one. Even if an alternative method of birth control is being used it is important to remember that only condoms
offer protection from sexually transmitted diseases. Pick them up for free at the Medical Centre all year round, carry a few with you and use them at the right times.
Beating fresher’s fl u money is not fun. Save money throughout the year by learning to cook, buying books second hand, flashing your student card whenever you’re on spending on the high street and taking advantage of all the charity and vintage shops around the city.
You’ve had a fantastic first week, have a host of new friends and tomorrow’s first Ultimate Frisbee meeting may well launch your future career. Then it happens: your throat starts to hurt, your head starts to pound, your temperature
soars and you lose the ability to get out of bed. Fresher’s Flu is as much a part of the university experience as losing a shoe to the LCR floor. Keep hydrated, eat healthily and get as much rest as possible and you will be back on your feet in no time. Fresher’s Flu, the diagnosis given to almost
any illness contracted by new students during the early weeks of university, is rarely even actually flu; however if your symptoms don’t improve after a week get an appointment at the Medical Centre just in case you are suffering from something more serious and need a hand speeding up the recovery.
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lifestyle
Speedy Six: quick and easy recipes Spot the
Forget pot noodles and beans on toast. These six step recipes are quick, easy to follow and much tastier!
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Brunch Omelette:
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
Bringing the Mediterranean to Norwich! • 2 packets of Golden savoury rice Red Onion, finely chopped • Chorizo Sausage • 2 chicken breasts, diced • A handful of prawns 1. Cook the rice in a large pan following the instructions on the back of the packet 2. In another pan fry the slices of Chorizo Sausage, keep stirring
3. Add the chicken and the diced red onion to the pan and cook until thoroughly cooked 4. Once rice is cooked add the prawns and cooked ingredients from the other pan 5. Heat for a few minutes, mixing all the ingredients together 6. Serve immediately
Tip: For extra flavour add peas!
Bomber
The healthy alternative to an English fry-up • • • •
2 eggs 2 rashers of grilled Bacon, chopped finely A handful of grated cheddar cheese Oil (for the pan)
1. Place the eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk. Pour a small amount of olive oil onto nonstick frying pan 2. Pour the egg mixture in to the heated pan 3. Ensure that you are cooking
all of the mixture by tilting the pan so that it all cooks 4. Once the mixture has cooked add the bacon and the cheddar cheese to one side of the pan 5. Fold the omelette in half and move to the centre of the pan 6. Cook until golden brown and ensure the cheese has melted and serve immediately
Tip: Cream cheese can be used as a sophisticated alternative to cheddar
Bombs away in snap attacks Freya Barry Lifestyle Writer Urban Dictionary defines ‘photobombing’ as the action of ‘dropping in on a photo unexpectedly’ or even more specifically: ‘The act where one or several persons ruin (sometimes improve) a photo by performing funny acts in the background which may include a dry gangbang, holding stick like objects up to your crotch or raising your clothing.’ This act, or indeed artistic movement whereby ordinary photos are transformed into pastiches revealing the complex nature of photography itself is one that requires timing, poise and guts. Capturing the exact likeness of a human being was once expensive and time consuming. Now we can take hundreds of photos, upload them onto the internet, and turn these significant
moments into mere commodities. A night out isn’t a night out unless it’s been recorded in perfect detail. From the first game of ring of fire played in halls to the last jägerbomb downed at graduation, nights out at university are all about the photos. But with so many standard snapshots of girls posed in cocktail dresses and boys breaking out the bass face in Lola Lo’s, we have begun to seek more from our photos and have become increasingly inventive at grabbing that brilliant image, that incandescent shot that illuminates what it means to feel young and alive. In this quest for the most poignant snaps that retain a high LOL factor, we have become increasingly creative. The art of ‘photo-bombing’ is a great example of this. See a group of people you know, or ideally don’t, posing for that special ‘start of the night’ or ‘barbeque by the
Photo-bombing trend explodes onto campus
Take up a new hobby this semester
lake’ photo? It is your duty - nay obligation - as a human being to at least form rabbit ears with your fingers behind their head or merely leap into frame at the last second pulling the kind of face that
induces annoyance from the photographer and the photographed but ultimately earns you their respect as a ‘photoLAD’ the more inappropriate the gesture the better.
Spotted any photobombing? Send your pictures to concrete. lifestyle@uea.ac.uk
try one today The RED STRIPE words and assosiated logos are trade marks. Š Diageo 2011
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Editor: Rachael Lum Email: concrete.international@uea.ac.uk
Finding that ‘home’ in Norwich Isabelle Carty International Writer Norwich presents a plethora of delights to students seeking distractions, the primary cure for homesickness. Whether it is in the form of fine dining, entertainment and attractions or night life, concerts and festivals, Norwich has something for everyone. Those new to the area will be delighted to find old favourites such as Pizza Hut and other common fast food chains as well as a vast variety of other enticing eateries among which international students may even find a little taste of home. Everything from Thai, Indian and Japanese food to Mexican tapas is represented in town. For those interested in
art and culture, there is an abundance of artistic hubs for students to explore. Indeed one need not travel far as the UEA campus itself boasts the fantastic Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. In the city centre, there are a host of theatres, cinemas, museums, arts venues and churches which cater equally to families, couples and singles of all ages. Bird-watching and fishing are popular pastimes in the district but for those less interested in nature, Norwich presents a complete shopping experience with a number of shopping centres, markets and chain stores as well as quaint side streets packed with small shops that sell one-of-a-kind items. In addition, the night life
Summer 2011 - it’s a riot Clement Chew International Writer The recent riots in England targeting major cities have led to the Malaysian Deputy Police Chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, claiming that these incidences warrant the crackdown on any street rallies or protests in Malaysia. He stated that the rioting and looting in British cities were “nightmares that we are fighting hard to avoid and prevent in Malaysia” and that protests “should always be avoided, as we will never know what it can turn into.”
“What happened in England and Malaysia are two completely different things” Malaysia possesses public order laws which require the approval of police permits for an aforementioned rally, regardless of the motives and political skewing of the parties. The police have full autonomy over these permits. They are able to approve or reject calls for rallies at their discretion. The Malaysian police came to prominence earlier this year for their harsh handling of a rally on the July 9th known as BERSIH
2.0, led by 62 NGOs which called for free and fair elections in the country. Tear gas, water cannons and baton charges formed a significant proportion of their tactics against a largely peaceful crowd. However, what happened in England and what happened in Malaysia are two completely different things. The Malaysian rally was pre-planned as long as
six months beforehand, in which preliminary route-planning and rally points were put on paper and submitted for approval. They were quickly rejected. The riots that occurred in the UK were a haphazard and immediate response to an alleged murder by the Metropolitan Police. It is clear from the subsequent upheavals that these riots were the result of bored youths
international is not to be missed with a vast number of possible activities ranging from clubbing and dancing the night away at the University’s own LCR to salsa dancing classes and karaoke. Every activity invites interaction allowing the rapid formation of new friendships
which will certainly enhance the experience of being away at university. No city could ever truly replace home but Norwich definitely has the charm and the appeal to keep even the most indifferent student entertained until it becomes a second home.
Concrete takes a look at a riot that may perhaps have escaped your attention - BERSIH 2.0 in Malaysia jumping onto the bandwagon. It was said from the earliest of preparatory stages that the BERSIH 2.0 rally would be a peaceful occurrence. Despite that, the Home Minister, Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, repeatedly branded the rally “illegal”, stating that the Registrar of Societies under the General Attorney had advised him to take such action. While the
direct impact of the London riots included buildings being set on fire, fatalities, injuries to police officers and citizens, and loss of businesses, the fact remains that no such events but the sudden heart attack of an activist had occurred in Malaysia. It is yet to be seen what the Malaysian police will do should another “peaceful” rally be announced in the near future.
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Editors: Rebecca Hazlewood Email: concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk
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Climbing the Sustainability Ladder UEA awarded a ‘first class’ in the University Green League after a drastic rise up the tables Becky Hazlewood Turf Editor UEA has secured its place in joint 8th position in the 2011 People and Planet Green League, a dramatic improvement from its 2010 placing in joint 43rd. The league table ranked 142 Universities from across the UK, assessing their Environmental and Ethical performance. Out of a possible 70 points, Nottingham Trent University achieved the highest overall score of 53.5, followed closely by the University of Gloucestershire who were just half a point behind. UEA shared 8th position with three other Universities, enjoying an overall score of 45.5. So how closely do the rankings reflect a university’s sustainability? The assessment looked at thirteen different criteria which were broadly split into two categories; Policy and Environmental Management and Policy Performance. The University scored exceptionally well on Environmental Policy, Environmental Management Staff, Auditing and Management
Systems, Ethical Investment and Staff and Student Engagement. Not so impressive were some of the performance scores, suggesting the university is not meeting all of its policy targets. Particularly noticeable were the scores for Water Consumption (0/6) and Sustainable Food (0.5/2). The University doesn’t currently use any ‘grey’ or rainwater, and has no publicly available sustainable food policy. According to the data used for the league table, the University hasn’t committed to using freerange eggs or sustainable fish. Another criticism was that menus on campus don’t change according to seasonal produce. Norfolk has an abundance of quality local produce and in light of Norwich’s reputation as a ‘foodie’ heaven this is perhaps a disappointing revelation, but possibly one that could be improved as part of the University’s sustainability drive over the coming year. Although the Green League may not be the first league table potential students consult when choosing a university, further improvements remain vital to fighting climate change and
maintaining a reputation as a green and responsible institution. People and Planet is a national organisation made up of university, college and school groups, as well as individuals, which works towards environmental protection, ending poverty and defending human rights. If you’re interested in getting involved in the green scene on campus, there are a number societies to get involved in. Look out for the Conservation and Wildlife society, ENV Soc and of
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The People and Planet Green League Table 2011 - Top 10 1. Nottingham Trent - 53.5 2. Gloucestershire - 53.0 3. Worcester - 50.0 4. Plymouth - 49.5 5. Bournemouth - 47.0 6. Greenwich - 47.0 7. Bath Spa - 46.0 8. UEA - 45.5 = Hertfordshire - 45.5 = Leeds Metropolitan - 45.5
The Zuckerman Institute for Connective Environmental Research scored well
Smart and Sexy. Not only will it save you money, it could also save the rainforest. Turf Reporter Joey Innes-Hopkins investigates PLA, a natural and renewable alternative to plastic, and are fully compostable. But it doesn’t stop there. Two weeks ago saw the launch of the Keep Cup at UEA, available across campus. Now for just £5 you can be the proud owner of a reusable, recyclable, transportable and good looking coffee cup. Plus you get a free cup of coffee when you purchase it and a 15p discount whenever you buy a hot beverage in your Keep Cup. Designed and manufactured in Australia, the Keep Cup is the first reusable cup that fits barista standards. It’s also freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe. They even claim you can poach an egg in it. These are just some of the new initiatives to be launched by UEA Catering, so look out for news of more exciting environmental developments in future issues!
turf sport
course People and Planet at Soc Mart on Tuesday.
Breaking news: the Keep Cup hits UEA The above news shows that UEA is clearly an environmentally aware place to be. What you might not know, however, is that the UEA Catering team has been hard at work coming up with new ideas to reduce our impact on the environment. Last year a total of 163,000 cups from The Blend ended up in landfill sites. With each cup taking 0.09 square feet of rainforest to make, that’s 14,670 sq. feet of rainforest thrown in the bin. That’s before adding in the cups sold in Cafe Direct, The Hive and other venues across campus. The Blend is making a concerted effort to reduce that amount of waste in the future. They have recently introduced a product from a company called Bare by Solo; new disposable cups which use a coating of
23 A word from Will Lacey
features lifestyle international
The environment is a great way of sorting out your ‘big picture interests.’ These are things that are important to us, but slightly beyond the scale of “which mealdeal do I choose today?” Many students I’ve met consider the environment “too big for them” and “too much work,” but happily vote for differing political parties based on who will pursue their views on law and order and the economy most effectively. The environment is a similar case, but doesn’t only come round once every election. In the same way that you wouldn’t have anyone litter in your room, not sorting the rubbish between recycling and landfill is essentially littering the whole of the UK. Equally, our fuel supplies won’t last forever, so for people to burn through crazy amounts of electricity needlessly puts our economic and fuel security under needless pressure. We all want low bills, and a nice countryside, with living wildlife. These aren’t things that can get done in a day, but they’re important and worth doing something about, alongside the laundry. With a bit of green awareness and a bit of effort in the little areas where collective action yields some good results, such as light switch-offs, common sense with water usage, and waste sorting, your big picture priorities can be served. You don’t have to be a government minister to have impressive priorities; after all, it’s my priority that while I do the things I love, I have nice surroundings to do them in. With a bit of forward thinking, the environmental cause puts these things within reach. For additional help, Student Switch-Off offer all kinds of extra goodies for being energy conscious in Halls, and will happily advise those in houses and flats outside of campus on how to get what you want by helping the environment.
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www.concrete-online.co.uk Saturday 24th September 2011 - Issue 257
Sudoku Easy
Editor: Sam Tomkinson Email: concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk
Intermediate
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Word Wheel U
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It couldn’t be easier. Find your way from the left to the middle on the first maze, and left to right on the second
sport Editor’s Column Ever since they happened, the whole country has felt the effect of the summer’s riots, particularly in badly hit areas of London. One of the lesser effects that the disturbances caused was an impact on the world of sport. While this may not be the most important or pressing issue surrounding the events in August, it certainly affected many people’s enjoyment of part of the summer. It has also raised some interesting questions for the future, particularly with the 2012 London Olympics being less than a year away. For some, these riots bring into question whether this country is fit to host the self-styled “Greatest Show on Earth.” They suggest that the police and security forces can no longer guarantee the safety of spectators, athletes and the international media that will descend on our nation’s capital next year. Chinese state-run television has even suggested that Britain is unfit to host the 30th Games, due in part to its refusal to control the social media that played such a leading role in the riots spreading. This is despite similar accusations being levelled at the Chinese before the 2008 Olympics after they raised security to almost unparalleled levels. This raises the obvious question: should we still host the Olympics next year? Perhaps the best answer comes from the British Olympic Association’s director of communications Darryl Seibel, who told Sky Sports News during the riots: “We need a reason to come together”. London needs to show these rioters and looters that their actions will not be rewarded. Yes, our security was breached, and our police were uncertain about what to do. However, we have been waiting since 1948 for another chance to host the Olympic Games, and we absolutely cannot let those difficult few days instigated by a minority ruin what has been nearly seven years of planning. Chris Teale
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Editors: Matt Scrafton and Chris Teale Email: concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk
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Baseball look forward to new challenges Sports Correspondent Oli Platt assesses the new opportunities for one of UEA’s most successful sports clubs New challenges await the UEA Blue Sox in the 2011/12 season as the baseball club look to regain their status as national champions. For the first time the Blue Sox will test themselves against non-university competition, as part of a new combined league featuring both university and British Baseball Federation sides. The Nottingham Rebels and the Birmingham Maple Leafs join university outfits Oxford Kings, Imperial College Falcons and Nottingham Thieves alongside UEA in the new league, with weekend tournaments and fixtures planned between October and March. “We are very excited about the new league format this year, and are looking to play a number of fixtures and tournaments, and these usually take the form of a weekend away at the host club,” explained the club’s President, Sam Rounce. “Such is the number of tournaments through the year that we try and give a good percentage of our players a chance at playing competitive baseball against other universities and teams,
particularly if those people regularly attend training and are enthusiastic about the sport.” UEA will also compete in the British Universities’ Baseball Association Fall Cup. The weekend tournament pits the country’s top university teams against each other, with the Blue Sox emerging as champions in 2009. The club are keen to recruit new players for the season ahead and welcome players of all abilities and experience, male or female. “UEA Baseball club has enjoyed a great deal of success over the years, and this is down largely to people coming along who have previously never played the sport before,” continued Rounce. “We also have a good number of socials throughout the year, and we pride ourselves on having an excellent team spirit.” The Blue Sox train three times a week, in Hall 1 of the Sportspark on Mondays between 3pm-4.20pm, and at Colney Lane on Wednesdays and Fridays between 1pm-4pm. Prospective new players will be able to find
Radcliffe snubbed by rule change Alex Ross Sports Correspondent British distance runner Paula Radcliffe has been stripped of her World Record of 2:15.25, set in the 2003 London Marathon, due to a rule change from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Radcliffe, 37, saw her record denied following a rule change which states that only records set in all-female events can be considered world records, with Radcliffe’s effort being considered a world best. Talking to World Sport, Radcliffe branded the changes “unfair” and claimed that the new stipulations would make the system “messy.” “In my two mixed races it was not my decision to have male runners with me, but that of the
race organisers. In each case I very consciously ran alongside them rather than ever behind,” said Radcliffe. The changes, announced by the IAAF in South Korea recently, do mean that Radcliffe’s time of 2:17.42, set during the 2005 London Marathon, is now the world record. The Association of International Marathons and World Major Marathons released a joint statement on Wednesday disputing the change, claiming “the current situation where the fastest time is not now recognised as a record is confusing and unfair and does not respect the history of our sport.” Radcliffe has recently stated that without the “carrot” of the 2012 Olympics, she would have ended her career, which began at a national level in 1986 aged just 12 years old.
the club at SportsMart, on Wednesday 28th, and can learn
more through Facebook.
Interested in getting involved with Concrete Sport? /concretesportuea @concretesportuea Are you a big sports fan? A keen follower of football? Perhaps you prefer rugby? Or maybe you have a penchant for more peculiar sports, like korfball or ultimate frisbee? Moreover, is writing something that interests you and you’d like to take more seriously? Maybe you’re looking at taking up a career in journalism, or you just enjoy putting pen to paper (or words on screen) and would like to help us out with a few articles here at Concrete Sport. Don’t worry: you don’t need
any previous experience or qualifications. All you need is an interest in sport, an enthusiasm to write and to be willing to meet deadlines. If this is something that interests you, then don’t hesitate to contact us at Concrete Sport by sending us an email at concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk or concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can follow us @concretesport on Twitter, or ‘Like’ our page on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/ concretesportuea to keep up-todate with all the latest on UEA sports clubs and Norwich City FC. Matt Scrafton Chris Teale
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www.concrete-online.co.uk Saturday 24th September 2011 - Issue 257
facebook.com/concretesportuea @concretesport
concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk
sport
Canary Corner Hockey look to stick it to opponents by Matt Scrafton Norwich City have begun life back in the Premier League in steady fashion with a respectable five points from five games, leaving them sitting content in mid-table. City earned their first Premier League victory of the season last weekend thanks to a dogged display away to top flight stalwarts Bolton Wanderers. Summer signings Anthony Pilkington and Bradley Johnson found the net for the visitors in the first half, when it seemed as if Norwich would cruise to their first Premier League away victory for 17 years. Conversely, the visitors conceded their fifth consecutive penalty of the season midway through the second half, which was converted by Martin Petrov, and struggled to hold on despite the home side being reduced to 10 men following Ivan Klasnic’s needless dismissal. The final half hour of the match saw both sides come close on several occasions, but the Norwich faithful were left buoyant at the final whistle, with the game
finishing 2-1 to the Premier League newcomers. Paul Lambert’s men have acclimatised well to the demands of England’s top flight. However, the Canaries stalled somewhat with two draws in their opening couple of fixtures.
“Following on from two successive promotions, Paul Lambert’s men have acclimatised well o the demands of England’s top flight”
UEA Hockey Club are looking forward to another season of success in both the BUCS and Norfolk Hockey Association league, where they have men’s and women’s teams competing on a regular basis during the week. This year, the men’s BUCS side will be competing in Midlands Division 2A, while the women will be in Midlands Division 3B, and they play against other university sides every Wednesday afternoon. In addition, the men have four teams and the women three competing in the Norfolk Hockey Association, with games being played on a Saturday afternoon
City battled to a point away at Wigan on the opening day of the season, failing to emulate the 4-1 victory of Blackpool on the opening day of last season. The East Anglian outfit will also be frustrated with games against Stoke and West Brom, where they failed to pick up vital victories. Nevertheless, Lambert will be hoping that his side do not share the same fate that Blackpool suffered and find themselves back in the Championship next season.
throughout the academic year. Last season, the men’s BUCS side were particularly impressive in gaining promotion from Midlands Division 3B after defeating the University of Bedford 4-0 in their final game of the season. In all they won 11 games, and were unfortunate to lose on 3-1 penalties to the University of Essex in Derby Day 2011. Meanwhile, the women’s BUCS team were relegated from Midlands Division 2B, but made up for some of the pain of relegation by winning their tie on Derby Day by a score of 2-1 in a very hard-fought match. At the same time, UEA are well represented in the Norfolk Hockey Association leagues,
with their various teams travelling across the region on a weekly basis, meaning that there are a number of opportunities for as many people as possible to play hockey for UEA. Both teams train twice a week. The men’s training is from 8.30-10pm on a Monday and 5-7pm on a Friday. The women train at 7-8.30pm and 7-9pm, also on a Monday and Friday respectively. Look out for the club’s stall at Sportsmart, but if you would like more information, you can email either lewis.wilkins@ uea.ac.uk for the men and sophie.simpson@uea.ac.uk for the ladies, or just turn up to a training session.
England all but assured of Euro 2012 qualification missed an open goal, spared
Sports correspondent Mike Tomkins looks at how England England's blushes. That leaves fared in the recent qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales “If England’s victory in Sofia seemed straight England edged closer to the Euro the score sheet was Gary Cahill forward, they were to 2012 finals with back-to-back wins who looked to stake a claim for a find the challenge of over Bulgaria and Wales. Despite regular starting place. Wales a few days later a England picking up maximum If England's victory in Sofia lot harder” points, both matches saw seemed straight forward, they contrasting performances from Capello's men. England resumed qualification with relative ease, a comfortable 3-0 win over Bulgaria. Capello, who gave opportunity to the likes of Chris Smalling, saw his side control the game throughout with Bulgaria offering little in response. Wayne Rooney replicated his club form for his country in grabbing a brace, while a less familiar name on
were to find the challenge of Wales a few days later a lot harder. A solitary goal from Ashley Young gave England the points but it was Wales who were the more admirable of the two. England struggled to break down a stubborn Welsh side who clearly were performing a lot better than their FIFA ranking suggests. Only the inaccuracy of Wales' striker Rob Earnshaw who somehow
England at the top of the group which they have all but won,
needing only a point from their final game to ensure qualification. Elsewhere, the usual qualifying suspects seem to be winning their groups with relative ease. The Netherlands helped themselves 11 against minnows San Marino, whilst Spain and Germany both maintained their 100 per cent records. Scotland's slim hopes of reaching the playoffs suffered a blow with defeat to the Czech
Republic. However Republic of Ireland kept in touch of Russia at the top of Group B.
How it stands Group C 1 Italy P8 22pts 2 Serbia P8 14pts 3 Estonia P9 13pts 4 Slovenia P9 11pts 5 N. Ireland P8 9pts 6 Faroe Isles P10 4pts Group G 1 England P7 17pts 2 Montenegro P6 11pts 3 Switzerland P6 8pts 4 Bulgaria P7 5pts 5 Wales P6 3pts Group I 1 Spain P6 18pts 2 Czech Republic P6 10pts 3 Scotland P6 8pts 4 Lithuania P7 5pts 5 Liechtenstein P7 4pts
sport
concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk
So You Think You Know Lacrosse?
Lewis Dalton Sports Correspondent With the brutality of American football, the speed of ice hockey and the skill of basketball, this is lacrosse.
First played by the American Indians, lacrosse began life in the fifth century as part of a ceremonial ritual to give thanks to ‘the creator’. Its role in the community, along with this spiritual involvement, was to allow young warriors to prove
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themselves and for opposing tribes to settle scores without directly going to war. Up to a thousand men would play on a pitch that was sometimes miles long. Nowadays, lacrosse enjoys a reputation as one of the fastest growing sports in America, with college lacrosse players often moving into the National Lacrosse League or Major League Lacrosse. It is played between two teams of ten players: a goalkeeper; three defenders who wield six foot sticks; three midfielders and three attackers, using three-and-a-half foot sticks. Played with a rubber ball, the aim is, like most team sports, to get the ball in the goal. However, with lacrosse being a full contact sport for men (noncontact for women), a crease around the goal which attacking players can’t enter and the rule that there must always be at least three players in each half, not including the goalkeeper, this isn’t the easiest of tasks. Players have to think fast, as well as being nimble and brave. However, at UEA, there is
www.concrete-online.co.uk Saturday 24th September 2011 - Issue 257
more to lacrosse than simply the sport. Socials are a very regular occurrence, with the men’s and women’s teams going out together, meaning making friends could not be easier. Both men’s and women’s teams have a mixture of players, from those who haven’t played before, to those who are quite experienced, meaning people new to the game are able to learn from those around them. In essence, all are welcome. Practice is at the Colney Lane playing fields from 1-4pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, for both men and women (games against other universities are played on Wednesdays in the BUCS league). There is also an hour-long training session on Thursday evenings from 5-7pm. However, everyone meets up to half an hour before training starts, before moving down to the fields. Lacrosse is a high pace, intense sport, whose popularity is growing fast in popularity in the UK, so feel free to find us on Facebook and get in touch or come to training.
Djokovic’s dominance continues in New York
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England enjoy Indian summer Sam Tomkinson Sports Correspondent Having previously written how this summer would be a test for England’s finest cricketers, it is hard not to state that it was in fact the polar opposite. Spare a thought for the avid Indian spectators, who had to witness their side being savagely torn apart by England’s ruthless and incessant drive to become the world’s number one ranked test side. England can largely put their rise down to a finely tuned and highly efficient bowling unit. Andy Flower’s side have developed an impressive depth of fast bowling options who rotate into the side with consummate ease. Add the best spinner in the world, in Graeme Swann, and there is no doubt as to the reason why India only reached 300 once. India’s bowling display was lethargic and lacked potency; their main strike bowler could hardly reach speeds of 80mph
Favourites Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams stunned as Djokovic and Stosur take the honours at Flushing Meadows Doug Patient Sports Correspondent For the fourth and final grand slam of the year, New York took centre stage from 29th August to 12th September. As in recent years at the US Open, rain caused much disruption to the schedule. For the fourth year running the tournament was to be extended an extra day, the two weeks culminating in a breath-
taking victory for the irrefutable form-man of the year, Novak Djokovic. He beat last year’s winner, Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1 in a reversal of the 2010 Final result. In the women’s final, ninth seed Samantha Stosur remarkably beat veteran Serena Williams, 6-2 6-3, to win her maiden grand slam. The match was soured by a series of outbursts towards the umpire from Williams, herself winner of 13 grand slams. This
was triggered by Eva Asderaki’s decision that Williams caused an intentional hindrance when shouting in celebration, before her opponent had a chance to return the ball. Williams was later fined $2,000. As always, Andy Murray was carrying the weight of British expectation. Once again it was heartbreak for the British number
one as he lost 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, against second seed Nadal. It is the third time this year that Murray has lost to Nadal in the semi finals of a grand slam, a painfully familiar story as the Scot continues to seek his first major victory. The brilliant world number one Djokovic, however, remains the man to beat as the 2011 tennis season nears its end.
Injuries to key players, especially Zaheer Khan, did not help their cause but one would expect cricket’s largest nation to be able to provide adequate cover. This, however, takes the shine off what was an impressive batting display by all English batsmen, especially Ian Bell, who continues to grow as a test match player, though question marks still remain over his involvement in the one-day side. The One Day Internationals (ODIs) have also exemplified the gap in confidence between the two sides. This England outfit has demonstrated the ability to win games, something that has eluded England teams of the past (circa 2003 World Cup versus Australia). England may have won the series but this new breed of Indian batsman look like potential world beaters, their only problem is finding pace bowlers who can match the standard set.
WELCOME TO YOUR UNION!
DEMOCRACY & REPRESENTATION
YOUR UNION
SHOPS
ENTERTAINMENT
ADVICE CENTRE & HOME RUN
ACTIVITIES
UEASTUDENT.COM
DEMOCRACY & REPRESENTATION S
Represent: Be a Faculty Convenor, Course Rep, Council Rep, Halls Rep or a Community Rep. Last year there were 399 active representatives, and this year we need more!
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Vote in elections, polls and referenda, and help campaign for them! If you want to change anything to do with your life as a student, we can speak as one big voice.
SHOPS We run four shops: The UFO, for your weekly shop; the Travel Shop, to book tickets for all kinds of travel; the Post Office, for sending your letters and currency exchange; the Paper Shop, for your newspapers, stationery & make-up. Last year our shops saved students over
£2,200,000…seriously!
Hello, welcome to your Students’ Union! You are automatically a member when you enrol on a UEA course, and we are run by students for students. You’ve just started here, and you should know this: these will be the best years of your life. We will try our best to make sure of that! This page is a broad overview of what your Union does. Browse it. Browse it until you know everything. And when you know everything, browse it again. Twice! We are here to make your time at UEA amazing, so tell us if we can do more to help you enjoy your time here. Have a great Welcome Week!
Facebook: ‘Union Of UEA Students’
Twitter: @UnionUEA
ADVICE CENTRE & HOME RUN
The Union’s Advice Centre should be your first port of call when you have a problem – whether it’s about your course, your house, or you just want some free condoms. The Advice Centre has over 8800 visitors a year. The Union’s Advisors are expert at helping out when you have academic issues – In 2009/10 66% of academic appeals submitted by students with assistance from the Advice Centre were upheld, compared to 28% from students who went it alone. The Union’s Home Run service provides you with a list of accredited landlords each year. Last year we provided nearly 2500 bed spaces for students - our landlords charge no fees meaning that we saved students over £125,000. Our Landlords have to adhere to a set of minimum standards. Last year Home Run filled 99% of the bed spaces it advertised for students - so make sure you look out for the list in January
ACTIVITIES
The Union runs clubs (for sports) societies (for everything else) and volunteering projects. Whether you like playing football or knitting, we have a club and society for you – and if we don’t you can start one up yourselves! Last year we had 1020 committee members running 170 clubs & societies – for students. Our sports clubs spent 99,983 days playing sport, & travelled 41,382 miles to fixtures last year. We rewarded 112 volunteers in our first year of accreditation and this year our target is 500. If you’re volunteering within the Union or outside, make sure you pick up a volunteering logbook and get accredited!
ENTERTAINMENT
If you don’t like something, or if you have some great ideas or suggestions, or if you just want to say “well done”, then we want to hear from you! This is YOUR Union - everything we do is for you, so we need to know what you’re thinking. Wherever you see these monkeys, leave us a comment!
Last year we hosted over 2090 hours of events, so there are lots of fun things to do here: enjoy our gigs, comedy and club nights at the LCR and the Waterfront; hang out in the Union Pub and the Hive; and watch great films at our Film Club…have fun!
This year we’ll be trying to speak to more of you than ever before, so that the changes we make are truly the changes you want!
Union of University of East Anglia Students (UUEAS) is a registered charity England and Wales no 1139778
Got a camera? Want an opportunity to use it? This semester Venue’s front cover will showcase student’s photographs on the theme of ‘Fall’ Email your image, your name and some words describing the photo, to concrete.photographers@uea.ac.uk by November 4th. (Photos will need to be portrait) The winning image will be printed on November 8th and the photographer will recieve two gig tickets.
issue 257 | 24/09/2011
VENUE
Concrete’s fortnightly culture pullout
music | talk to local band The Brownies | p. 8 fashion | asks whether sex sells? | p. 10-11 film | review tinker tailor soldier spy | p.14
4P AM ED D B M - F NE A R SD ID A C AY Y K
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VENUE CONTENTS
ssue 257 | 24.09.2011 ditor-in-Chief | Chris King | concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk
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enue Editor | Alex Throssell | concrete.event.uea.ac.uk Nina Simone sung “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good” and my sentiments are much the same. It’s now my third year writing for Concrete and I still find myself excited at the prospect of coming into the office; blind naivete, perhaps, but nevertheless these custardy walls have managed to draw me back once again. Despite the office staying the same, even with the obvious need for some new computers, the Concrete family is mostly new this year. After the upheaval of graduation only a few remain from the heady days of 2010; the old names have been replaced by fresh faces and a whole horde of freshers are expected to join the team after SocMart. The pullout itself has undertaken a bit of a metamorphosis too, but I won’t bore you with the details, I’ll just assure you that on the basis of this issue it’s going to be a cracking year. So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, welcome to Venue...
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk | Editors | Alex Ross & Jordan Bright Music Contributors> Barney Horner, Alex Ross, Jordan Bright, Georgios Hadjimichael. concrete.wired@uea.ac.uk | Editor | Josh Mott Wired Contributors> Josh Mott, Tom Mott, Andrew Wilkins. concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk | Editors | Hannah Britt & Milly Sampson Fashion Contributors> Hannah Britt, Milly Sampson. concrete.film@uea.ac.uk | Editors | James Burrough & Anna Eastick Film Contributors> Annie Rhodes, Joanna O’Connor, Tom White, Kieran Field, Coelis Witcher, Elizabeth Poole, James Collins, Samantha Rogers, James Bearclaw. concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk | Editor | Emma Webb Arts Contributors> Charis Turner, David Murphy, Sophie Witts. concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk | Editor | Ella Chappell Creative Writing Contributors> Emma Webb. concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk | Editor | Sam Tomkinson Listing Contributors> Sam Tomkinson.
Alex
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Taking Back Sunday UEA - LCR 30.08.2011
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n the 10 years between their sprawling, rasping debut and this year’s self-titled fourth album a lot has changed for Taking Back Sunday. Three line-up changes, as many gold-certified records, enough testosterone to finally grow some stubble and Long Island’s own have reformed with their classic line up. Yet, for some reason, their fan base has remained the same age. It might go some way to explaining the tempered reaction afforded to Aberdeen’s The Xcerts. Two albums of powerful, passionate post-hardcore don’t seem to have translated to the predominantly prepubescent female crowd. But a set lifted from 2010’s excellent Scatterbrain and an energy that belies their heavy touring schedule
should mean that by the time they conclude their tour with Manchester Orchestra this year, their stock will have risen significantly. The crowd swells to the front, the anticipation is palpable and as the lights go out a near-sold out LCR goes briefly ape shit before groaning and thinking “isn’t that the old drummer from Lostprophets?” Yes it is. Ilan Rubin, in jeans so skinny that circulation to his legs must have been an issue, has a guitar slung round his neck and a slew of new songs. Sadly The New Regime sound, at best, like a fifth-rate Tame Impala and at worst a second-rate Wolfmother. There’s no doubt that Rubin is a talented musician, he’s every bit the frontman and is a fine guitarist, but the songs lack the strength and depth to
alleviate the disappointment of their arrival. When Taking Back Sunday do take the stage to the huge sound of new track El Paso, there’s not a soul in the sober, teenage room that doubts it was worth the wait. From there on it’s one classic after another. Make Damn Sure bleeds into You Know How I Do and the LCR is so damn hot it’s hard to breath. Adam Lazarra, assuming his regular pose of southern baptist Elvis sex symbol, is nothing short of enthralling. John Nolan, the vocalist and guitarist reinstated after 10 years, grins from ear to ear from beginning to end, clearly feeling like he’s back where he belongs and the addition of Straylight Run’s Existentialism on Prom Night works perfectly, Lazarra’s voice sounding every bit
as urgent as it did ten years ago. Nolan and Cooper play songs from the interim years; Liar and 180 by Summer are particular highlights, as if they were theirs all along and in many ways it feels like they were. For all the years of trying to replace Nolan in particular, TBS only ever really stumbled upon quite good impersonators of their original members. It’s fitting then that they should end with There’s No “I” in Team from 2001s Tell All Your Friends, Nolan’s shattered voice blaring out the refrain. By the time the dust has settled, Venue’s voice is as tired as anyone’s in the LCR, whether they’re legally allowed to buy Red Bull or not. Alex Ross
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“Security 1 to Security 2.” It’s 3pm, searing heat and three people with belts round their ankles have just walked past. At least one of them is female. “No, it’s Jimmy. Yer, these two fellers wanna know where that press thing is. No? Alright, thanks mate.” Whilst Venue holds out hope for a free bar and fears the directions given to the press entrance are actually directions back down the A11, Aaron Delahunty is walking onto the sprawling Norfolk Spectacular stage. The closer we get, the more he sounds like an immature and impossibly puerile Plan B. By the time we’ve located the well-concealed press entrance and passed through bowels of the backstage VIP area, we see Delahunty looking like a 17th-century Kray twin who received a gift voucher to a piercing parlour for his birthday. At least he sets the tone for the endless stream of X-Factor semi-finalists dominating the day (Delahunty, apparently, was in Futureproof, voted out in the 3rd X-Factor Live show in season 4. He had failed to make the competitive stages solo.) There is no free bar. Delahunty introduces his final song by thanking the people most important to him – “Big up Norfolk Spectacular, big up Kiss FM and big up HTC, you get me.” There is no free bar. “You’ll need to speak to Ian for that.” It seemed only fair to take pictures of this event, but apparently Ian is our only portal to the magical world of the press pit, our wardrobe to Narnia. It appears that the intricate web of highly skilled security at the Norfolk Spectacular is in place purely to stop anybody from reporting on it. Ian must be some sort of lynchpin in this operation; a talisman of sorts. Ian says it would be much easier to take pictures on the Arena stage, the Spectacular’s answer to an alternative arena. The lone security guard on the Arena stage does not know who Ian is. Without a free bar we console ourselves with an ostrich burger
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Firearms, an Empty Abattoir and Eliza Doolittle: Alex Ross’ day at the Norfolk Spectacular and settle in to watch Adele Swallow on the Arena Stage, a charming and talented singer who’s been on the Norwich scene for a while. Seven other people have settled in to do the same; beyond that the cavernous abattoir that we find ourselves penned into is empty. To Swallow’s credit, she holds her set together well while maintaining a bemused smile that says she knew this would be shit all along. But let’s not get bogged down in such frivolous and fleeting things as music or quality. Today is not about that. Today is about Fulham white-boy Example asking where “all the fucking nutjobs are at” and getting a response from 12,000 pre-pubescent girls. It’s about the man in a jumpsuit with a bottle of ASDA cider in his hand proudly proclaiming “I fuckin’ pissed meself.” It’s about the RAF recruitment tent set up next to the main stage using a weapons display as its main selling point (NB: Venue trusts very few people with firearms. None of them are in this field.) It is best demonstrated by Alexandra Burke (Remember her? She’s the one that’s not Leona Lewis or the kid who used to be in Emmerdale.) Taking to the stage with only a backing track and two particularly swarthy looking dancers is ambitious, but when you’re singing covers, it really is just karaoke. Yes, she unnecessarily tears apart Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and, following Example’s example, asks the young crowd if they “want some more of that” in reference to her male dancers. But, in truth: the stage, the set, the songs and the atmosphere are all just a bit empty. There are now over 500 festivals in the UK and, as ever, some just plain old fell through this year. So whilst the Beacons Festival and Northern Lights dish out refunds to disappointed music fans, mediocre pop events sponsored by major corporations will grow and grow. See you next year at the News International Clear Channel Vodafone Norfolk Spectacular. There will be a bigger weapons display. There will be no free bar.
Cage The Elphant Norwich Arts Cenre 03/09/11 After a two year absence, Kentucky garage rocksmiths Cage The Elephant finally returned to our fair city of Norwich, loaded with the dazzling new tracks and rough melodies that have had critics waxing lyrical over their sophomore album Thank You, Happy Birthday. The quintet bounced enthusiastically onto the Arts Centre stage and after a short introduction immediately launched into the old favourite In One Ear, with frontman Matt Shultz’ swishing blonde hair and tireless bopping as manic as pre-car insurance Iggy
Photo by Alex Ross
Pop. His band mates behind him were more static, keeping the frenzied moshers at the front happy with their relentless swathes of bass and potent guitar licks. The set transpired to be a delectable mixture of new and old material. Whether it was the better singles from Thank You… like Shake Me Down and Aberdeen, or the chanted verses of their most popular track Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked from the eponymous debut of summer 2008, each was delivered with the same unflaggingly wild passion. Their foot stomping anthems were received with suitably crazed dancing by the boisterous audience, who were eager for that brand of upbeat rock’n’roll after the clashing mess of local warm-up band, Khan. Indeed the band themselves desperately
beckoned for those at the front to jump onto the stage but, with the exception of a few deliriously happy young teenagers, the Norwich crowd proved too polite to oblige, preferring to maintain their dignity. Unfortunately, there did appear to be some gremlins in the mixing, as Shultz’ voice was often drowned out by the drone of powerful chords and feedback as they tried to fill the high ceiling of the old church venue, which was a shame considering their lyrics are worth way more than the average NME lauded band. But that foible aside, the real charm of the American band was their visual energy which they provided by the vivacious bucket load, as they consistently do at every outing. Barney Horner
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CD Reviews
Girls Father, Son, Holy Ghost
The notion of the difficult second album is an enduring concept, but one which Girls have skilfully overcome to produce their second album Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Following on from their debut Album and the Broken Dreams Club EP, the San Francisco based band have expanded their sound without losing what initially attracted numerous fans and critical praise. What initially started out as the duo of Christopher Owens and Chet “JR” White has been expanded into a full band set up, with the addition of John Anderson on guitar, Darren Weiss on drums and Dan Eisenberg on piano. Despite these additions Father, Son, Holy Ghost maintains a sense of continuity in Girls’ work, in fact a number of the songs predate Album (lead single Vomit was the fourth song Owens ever wrote). This continuity is not solely related to the material of Girls however. In reality, a cross-section of Americana is offered: elements of stateside soul, country, folk, gospel and rock are fused to produce something that is recognisable in its influence, yet original. While the religious title of the record doesn’t reflect on its content, there remains an intensely spiritual aspect to it.
A focus on Owens’ time in the religious cult the Children of God may be slipping into the realm of the cliche, but it clearly remains a seminal period in his life. Lyrically FSHG is startlingly personal, while intricately detailing emotions that resonate with everyone. Constructing an album cover out of its lyrics in sequence may seem a copout, in fact it is apt. The album functions almost like a stream of consciousness, explained by the process that Owens writes his songs: ‘if a song is three minutes long, it should take me three minutes to write it’. However, although there may be some self-gratification in the length of songs, most noticeably in Forgiveness, there is more than enough to prevent it from becoming tiresome. While Girls is most certainly a vehicle for Owens, he is not without considerable help: Doug Boehm’s production is masterfully crafted and many of Anderson’ guitar solos are truly inspired. As a whole the thunder and lightning nature of FSHG, in the manner of the Pixies et al, effectively sinks one in the initial depths of Owens’ despair and subsequently raises you with an enduring sense of hope, a belief in something better.
Girls have hardly broken convention with Father, Son, Holy Ghost, but it undoubtedly represents a complete mastery of their craft. A perfect balance has been found between two contrasts, the raw quality of Album and the sumptuous production of the Broken Dreams Club EP, to give this record both beauty and earnestness. Christopher Owens’ true talent as an artist is revealed to be his ability to embellish upon universal hopes and fears; yet all the while making everything feel deeply personal to the listener. Father, Son, Holy Ghost is unrivalled in this: its ability to awaken our fears of rejection and pain, while allowing us to take solace in the fact that we share them with someone else- we are not alone as we might think. So, although love may not be so flawless as the idealised version pop-culture has filled our heads with, at least it is real. Father, Son, Holy Ghost opens with the dream, “I know you’re out there/You might be around the corner”, and concludes with the sobering truth, “I went and found the modern world/But I miss the way life was when you were my girl.” Jordan Bright
SuperHeavy SuperHeavy
Red Hot Chili Peppers I’m With You
Nothing’s really been the same for the Red Hot Chili Peppers since their Greatest Hits collection. Those difficult but brilliant years of chaos and heroin have faded, and now, on their tenth offering, just when they needed a little spark of magic, the iconic John Fruiscante has left the band. So it’s quite a shock listening to album opener Monarchy of Roses because, even if it is just for four minutes, RHCP are back. Properly back. Good God, it’s like By The Way meets Californication with balls and melody. There’s a brief sense that they’ve recaptured that urgency and shimmering brilliance that seemed to desert them some time around 2003. Sadly, rather than use this momentum, RHCP slam on the breaks and before you’ve had the chance to sink into I’m With You, you’re dragged head first into the forced, posturing proto-cock-rap of Factory of Faith. All that promise and all that hope dissolves into a sense that you’re just listening to some
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blokes sing about getting old. And from there, I’m With You never really recovers. Sure, there are moments of greatness on Brendan’s Death Song and some worthy experimentation on Happiness Loves Company, but three good tracks do not a great album make. Josh Klinghoffer, Fruiscante’s solo collaborator and apparent replacement, does bring something new to the table, even if he does at times rely too heavily on his predecessor’s vocal stylings. Flea’s bass is, of course, righteous, but Kleidis’ vocals often struggle to distinguish themselves from banality. It’s a shame that RHCP passed up an opportunity to make the album they so could have, it’s just worth praying that they haven’t left it too late to make one more classic because I’m With You smacks all too often of a band over the hump. Alex Ross
Supergroups set you up for a fall. The idea, which starts out as an admirable vision of unity, is too often obscured by creative differences, arrogance and a lack of chemistry: supergroups entail super-egos. With the formation of SuperHeavy the question is raised once again: can the the obvious pitfalls be overcome? Well no, not really. A group consisting of Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, composer A.R. Rahman and Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart sounds like a dream come true, and it is, be it a forgettable one. The album isn’t so terrible that it merits comparisons with The Muppets but neither does it exhibit the collective skill of its creators. What start out as a number of interesting ideas on songs such as Beautiful People and One Day One Night are quickly lost. Seeing Mick Jagger become a pink-suited parody of himself in the video for lead single Miracle Worker may be entertaining but watching the now tattooed Jagger alongside
break-dancers quickly becomes a surreal experience. Separately the contributions of each member, while short of their creative peaks, are at least admirable. The real problem is that the contrasting styles just do not gel, a sentiment painfully evident in the title track. A mix of rock guitar and reggae beats, which breaks down into Urdu vocals, is intriguing, but ultimately baffling. Joss Stone’s claim that “We’re going to rock yoselves and take no prisoners” remains unfulfilled, no matter how hard SuperHeavy try. Ultimately, the efforts of Jagger and co. have fallen way short of the mark, but they certainly offer entertainment even if the form that it takes was unintentional: creating a formula that will never work well, where their collective influences are thrust together, not fused. Jordan Bright
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Ed Sheeran + If you asked a group of people if they had heard of Ed Sheeran this time last year, there would probably have been a big silence, a few shaking heads, and one embarrassingly eager fan boy who has been in love with him since he heard his cover of a Nizlopi song on YouTube about two years ago. If you asked the same question today, you would most likely get a crowd of applause and a punch in the face for asking such a stupid question. Now Sheeran has released his debut major label record and it’s a showcase of honesty and charm.
Venue Interviews
The Xcerts
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CD Reviews The album opens with the high-charting The A Team and the sound jumps from a mixture of sweet, acoustic sensitivity to quick fire sing-talking over rapid sudden strums, to create a beautiful piece of loveliness. Sheeran’s lyrics are narrative and wonderfully uncomplicated; he tells us he really enjoys smoking (a lot) and making love (just as much), and that he once “watched Shrek 12 times but never owned the blu-ray/True say.” We end up leaving feeling like we know him and that he is our friend. It’s a pleasant surprise when Sheeran pulls something rather unexpected out of the bag. On Give Me Love, the listener is welcomed by strings and taken somewhere altogether new. He switches his vocal style with ease, but then somewhat uncomfortably leaves us alone with him screaming “GIVE ME LOVE… LOVE ME!” until he finds a gospel choir who are more than happy to bring him back on track. Though not to everyone’s taste, + provides something for most, with You Need Me and The City satisfying a more thrill seeking audience, whilst This and Kiss Me appease those who want to see Ed at his most vulnerable. The most charming moments in songs like U.N.I or Lego House, which are each three and a bit minutes are succintly brilliant. Altogether, + is a great debut, and at only 20, we are left excited to see which direction Ed Sheeran will delve into next. We can only hope he carries on singing honestly and that he never dyes his hair.
One Direction What Makes You Beautiful [Single]
Georgios Hadjimichael
“Go back to the mall that spawned you” said Bill Hicks of Tiffany’s position in the Billboard Charts in 1992. 20 years later and reality TV has thrown up another collection of unchallenging white boys from the bowels of Jack Wills for us to feast our ears on. Put to one side that the guitar riff (this is a generous term) is lifted shamelessly from Summer Loving and it’s difficult not to get angry at whichever monster thought that the world had sinned to such an extent that it deserved this. Nuclear proliferation, global warming and Thatcher don’t even come close to the requisite levels of evil that should bring this retribution. Singing (this is also a generous term) that the girl in question “Don’t need makeup/To cover up” because “Being the way that you are is enough” is a nice sentiment, but it’s shattered by the heavily made up teenage girls inexplicably driving around in the video. There’s not even the kind of camp quality that makes you keep watching Rebecca Black’s Friday like a horror movie. It’s just so easily forgotten that even during this review, this reporter has had to consult Wikipedia three times to remember the name of the band. It seems unlikely that their career will last long enough to end up with a residency on a cruise or a regular place at G-A-Y so it might be worth sending in an application to work on the shop floor at Hollister in advance. Alex Ross
Minutes before they went on stage at the LCR, Alex Ross sat down with The Xcerts to discuss touring, recording and musical space... How’s the tour been so far? Murray: Great. It’s only been a few days with TBS then we’re playing a few shows with Young Guns. Pretty much as soon as we finish up with them we’re going straight out with Manchester Orchestra. Do you feel like you gain something from touring with experienced bands like that? M: Absolutely. With every record you make, you learn something new about writing and recording and every time you tour you pick something up. I think with TBS it’s just that they’re such nice guys backstage. It’s a way of carrying yourself and treating eachother even when touring gets stressful. Mike Sapone produced your most recent album, Scatterbrain, how was that? M: Yeah it was amazing. We were the first non-American band to be produced by him which was a big honour. He produces everything in his house so we just flew out there and recorded. It was pretty surreal.
What does he bring to a record? M: He makes drums sound so good. He always has. Tom: The drums on Scatterbrain just sounded brilliant which is great for me! M: I think that’s something that really came through as well. That idea of a rhythm section leaving the guitar some space is a lot easier when the drums sound great. We were listening to records we really loved and that was something we picked up that we hadn’t been able to channel before. If you listen to something like In Utero, there’s a lot of space for the guitars without everything falling apart J: Surfer Rosa, too M: Yeah the Pixies are another band that do that really well. It’s something that we’ve only really started picking up now. People are always ready to say that you’re a Scottish band rather than just a band, but with bands like Frightened Rabbit and Twin Atlantic breaking out, is that something
that bothers you? J: To be mentioned alongside bands like that is just an honour in itself. M:I think what’s stranger is being labelled a ‘young band’. We always seem to get that tag but we’re not that young! Bands like Bombay Bicycle Club seem to get that too and they’ve just released their third album. But it can be a double-edged sword being from Scotland. When we did our first interview with Kerrang, Jordan said something very quickly about how he liked Biffy Clyro and their sub-headline ended up as ‘Xcerts: We Want to do a Biffy’. That was strange. Do you think being from Scotland does influence you in a unique way? M: For us biggest thing for us is the work ethic. My dad has been getting up at 4am to go to work for as long as I can remember. We used to come back from nights out in Aberdeen and he’d be getting up. We really try to bring that out in the way we work.
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The Brownies: Interviewed By Jordan Bright
et’s be honest, virtually all of us here at the UEA are completely ignorant of what Norwich has to offer in terms of local music. Sure you've been to gigs, but how many haven't taken place at the LCR, Waterfront or Arts Centre? Answer: too few, if any. What's that I hear you say? “But the Norwich music scene is non-existent, I'd much rather just see Bombay Bicycle Club for the third time this year!” How wrong you are. If what follows doesn't convince you to at least experience something local, Venue has a shovel that just might. It's always tempting to stick to the confines of the familiar, but perhaps it's time to broaden your outlook a little. The Brownies are one of the better known Norwich-based bands. A four-piece consisting of Sophie Little (vocals), Maxie Gedge (guitar), Stevie Gedge (bass) and Mike Sheils (drums). Having released their latest Finger EP in May, they emerged from a semi-hiatus to play the Norwich Arts Centre on the 1st September. The last time we covered you in Venue was when you played way back in January, what have you been up to since then? Sophie: As a foursome we've all been working on other things. Maxie: Me, Sophie and Stevie are in another band called Brothers (alongside Rosie and Ellie from Fever Fever) and Mike is in another band called Dinosaur Pile-Up. So we're doing our own stuff. With The Brownies... the release came out, but we haven't really done much with it. I did the artwork for it. S: It's been on our minds though, which is why we've decided to do a gig which is being put on by Gravy. So where are you currently, material wise? S: A lot of our older stuff, that was on our album (Our Knife, Your Back), has been laid to rest for now. Our sound has really changed as well, which I suppose is expected. M: We have two new songs which we've recorded. One of them we've only played live at our last gig (at The Marquee in January). I just think this next gig is going to be really selfindulgent. I know you started up Gravy (a record company, zine, gig promoter and PR company). How did this come about? What was the motivation behind it? M: It was a actually part of my degree. I was doing a course called Visual Studies at the Norwich University College of the Arts and I thought I'd start up a zine. We'd already been quite involved in the Norwich music scene for a couple of years. I'd also written for Outline Magazine as well, so I just thought I'd put it all together. S: We talked loads of times about starting a record label. We thought we could do it well: do it justice, give bands what we wanted but felt we weren't getting. A term I didn't understand, but I do now, is musical collective.
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The Brownies (l/r) Maxie, Stevie, Sophie and Mike It’s just a group of us and we all have exactly the same ethic when it comes to music. How would you describe the state of the Norwich music scene at the moment? How does it compare to other places? M: You get somewhere like Leeds and every single band is given huge exposure, just because it the Leeds music scene. I don’t know what it is about Norwich, maybe it just has a bad reputation as a city. S: I think it’s because it’s out of the way and not seen as very cool unless you’re actually in Norwich. M: With the music scene in Norwich as well, a lot of the bands are influenced by each other. It’s quite alternative music compared to Leeds (which we know because Mike’s involved with it through Dinosaur Pile-Up), a lot of the bands are more commercial. S: There’s quite a female presence as well. When we’ve been on tour we’ve realised it’s not always like that. M: I just don’t think Norwich has that misconception of rock as solely a macho thing. We always seem to turn these interviews into something about feminist issues (laughs). Where would be a good place to start for a student looking to get more involved in local music? M: Norwich Sound & Vision is happening in September. It’s not only Norwich bands playing, but because it’s a convention, for students it would be an ideal platform-
everyone will be networking. S: I present BBC Introducing in Norfolk, which is a radio show that broadcast every Friday night- but they also put out a monthly onlinemagazine, and put on gigs and sessions. That would be a perfect point to start if you were new to Norwich; all you would have to is listen back to it. There’s a whole variety of acts and they’re all from Norfolk. Which local bands would you recommend that are coming through? M: Khan, Brothers; we’re just going to say our friends. S: There’s also Context MC, who’s a UEA student. M: I like Death of Death of Discotheque S: Charlie Blue and the Colours M: Tawny Owl and the Birds of Prey: we’re putting them on as part of Sound & Vision on the 29th September. Where can you see bands like this play, and what’s the easiest way to hear about them? S: It’s mainly the St. Benedict’s area: the Arts Centre and The Bicycle Shop have a lot of good bands play at them. M: A lot of people are putting on shows at Olives. I think a massive problem with Norwich at the moment is the lack of venues. S: It’s all about the PA systems and the space. There needs to be a few better venues in the city centre. There are so many bands and so much live music, but not really enough venues to accommodate them. If you’re an
acoustic act though, its a different story. M: There are places like The Waterfront but they are too big and too expensive for the smaller, underground bands. S: If you go somewhere like we used to, the Take 5 Crypt (next to Cinema City), it’s too underground. You have such a small capacity that you can’t sell as many tickets as you’d like. M: A good place to find out when and where gigs are happening is norwichmusic.com Looking at promoters as well like Wombat Wombat, Twee Off!, Gravy, Soapbox. You can sign up to all of their mailing lists. What’s in the works for all of the members of the Brownies? S: We’re occupied with other things at the moment. In a nice way it’s on the back-burner and it’s quite exciting not knowing what is going to happen. M: We’ve never been in this position where we can just play the gigs that we want to. I think this [gig] is pretty a much one-off rarity. S: I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t gig again, as the Brownies, for like...years. We’re such good friends that I think we’re comfortable enough to say we don’t want to do this at the moment, but we don’t have to say we’re broken up. That’s why it’s so special [the show at the Arts Centre]. M: Mike’s doing really exciting stuff with Dinosaur Pile-Up, and we’re doing really exciting stuff with Brothers.
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CREATIVE WRITING
The New Queen, Part One - A Short Story by Emma Webb
y late afternoon the Duchess had already been dragged, screaming and struggling, away from the servants, whom she had caught washing black drapes and linens in preparation for the King’s death. On any other day imagining the death of the King would be treason, but his demise had become more than something to be imagined – it was in the cupboards, under the floorboards, hanging in the air like clouds of old dust. Once widowed, the Duchess would expect arrangements to have been made for her mourning, but she had already torn down three pairs of black drapes from the hall windows before being chased from the room. The sun was not quite setting over the castle but the sky had turned from royal blue to grey, the sealing down of light as a harsh chill settled on the shoulders of the King’s household. At the time of year everyone had hoped for a gold and rose sunset, the mingling of colour like flushed cheeks on bronzed skin. But it did not happen today. Servants walked briskly from place to place, speaking in hushed voices, and searching desperately for the Princess. The Princess had been wandering around the castle grounds for some time. At the first sign of her mother’s hysteria she had escaped out into the gardens and hid behind various foliage from the stewards she knew were searching for her. Her father had taken her to his rose gardens when she was much younger; he had taught her how to pick a rose without pricking her finger on the thorns, and also, how one should not pick roses at all because it wasn’t fair to the gardeners to had to plant them. Never one for quick decisions,
the King had ordered plantations of both red and white roses outside, as he never wanted to choose between the colours, and never wanted to be without roses. The Princess knew this. She would be taken to see him eventually; he would want her to bring him something to make him happy again, and maybe if he was happy, he would get better. She stared blankly at the petals, deceptively beautiful and soft. Red. Or white. She dithered like a bee for a moment or two, making slight movements between the two and leaning to smell them slightly, although there was little difference. Red reminded her of blood, and she considered perhaps he wouldn’t like that so much. White then, like the Duchess’ dress in the portraits of their wedding day. The Princess had gazed at them often, trying to imagine herself in a dress like that in pictures all over the castle walls. She found that she couldn’t. “Your Highness,” panted a small voice from behind her. The Princess turned sharply and narrowed her little eyes at the steward. It was the important one; she couldn’t remember his name but he seemed almost always flushed, and nervous. The Princess sighed sharply and pulled a white rose from the bush at her side, the way her father had taught her. The thorn pricked her finger and it instantly started to bleed. “Your Highness, I think we ought…” began the steward, but the Princess marched off in the direction of the castle without listening, leaving the steward trailing behind her, tripping over his own feet in an effort to catch up with her. The Princess strode towards the main staircase, not wanting to
be led somewhere she could find herself by this blundering fool. They passed two or three of the apprentice gardeners, frantically pulling at needles and green thread and stitching leaves back onto the old oak tree by the main doors. Dozens of rough, emerald leaves were scattered all over the ground as if the branches had been vigorously shaken, and try as they might the gardeners seemed to be getting nowhere with the exercise. They bickered senselessly and dropped almost everything they held in their shaking hands. The Princess lifted her nose and strode past, stepping over shards of smashed terracotta plant pots and the shattered remains of the Duchess’ beloved glass figure of a cat as she did so. Such a mess. She hoped it would be gone by the time she returned. At the foot of the stairs the Princess heard a fighting scream and a dull thud – a chair perhaps, hitting the wooden floor. Four small padded feet skipped from the room; the Duchess’ new kitten, to replace the decrepit old feline that had died the week before, not quite adjusted yet to the workings of the household. The Princess often thought she saw it smile politely at her. The kitten, at least, knew its place; she felt perhaps she could tolerate it more than any of the others. Once she had been almost certain it had winked at her from across the pond – but of course, there was always the chance it was simply blinking. Disappointing, but nevertheless. The kitten dashed across the Princess’ path and slid its tiny body through the jarred door that led to the King’s room. The Princess picked up her chin and marched in after it.
To be continued next issue ...
SPOTLIGHT
Q&A with UEA writers. This week - Jennifer Grey What are you studying?
English literature with creative writing – predictably, considering this is a creative writing page.
What’s your favourite word?
“Daemon” which is old-spell for “demon” but is far more satisfying to look at, if pronounced the same. Also “spiderwise”, but I think I made that one up (I use it in everyday conversation until other people believe it’s real) and “beresk”, which is a mixture of “beserk’”and “bereft” that my Mam made up. Made up words are more fun.
How do you defeat writer’s block?
I tell myself I can’t sleep, eat or leave the house until I’ve written a certain amount of words. It’s surprising how motivational this is.
What inspires you?
Books, philosophy and penguins. Also, being told “you can’t do that”, “your ambitions are unrealistic” and “poetry is dead”.
Who are your favourite writers?
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Bulgakov, Andre Kurkov, George Szirtes, Vasko Popa and Angela Carter. With a complete lack of all pretension.
Poems on the theme of
NEXT WEEK
‘beginnings’. Please email your submissions to concrete.creativewriting@ uea.ac.uk by 5th October
To Kindle or not to Kindle?
Not to Kindle. If I drop my book in the bath, I don’t want it to be the last bath I ever take.
Do you prefer handwriting or typing? Typing. It means I can read it the next day.
Where do you write?
Sat in the middle of the living room floor. I need noise and company and victims to entrap into reading my work. Well, someone has to.
Read Jennifer’s poetry at the Creative Writing blog on www.concrete-online.co.uk
FASHION The
24.09.2011
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fewer the clothes the better?
The transformation of ‘sex’ in the fashion industry
The Hotlist London Fashion Week Special
Smokin’ Olivia Palmero. The woman everyone wanted to be at LFW.
Block Colours. As bright as possible please.
Maxi Skirts. Fear not, you won’t be needing to throw yours out for a while yet.
Chokin’
“Sex”, a term feared, revelled in, censored and enjoyed by many. Celebrated in some cultures, taboo in others, yet there’s no denying that in the 21st century it has crept into most corners of western culture, and it sells. It was more than inevitable then that it was going to make its way into the UK fashion industry, worth around £21bn a year! Fashion is influenced and involved in music, television, and other quadrants of everyday life. The rise of popular shows such as Secret Diaries of A Call Girl presents sex in a glamorous light, as Belle De Jour dances inside our televisions in beautiful lingerie and sophisticated, expensive dresses. Whilst this inspires us to dress well on the outside and underside, the evolving trend indicates much more than just sexy underwear. The rise of the glamour model has swiftly moved from the likes of Jordon (main focus: cleavage) to the A-lister Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley (all curves, pout and long tan legs). This summer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has covered the front page of Elle magazine, won a Glamour award, and even featured in Transformers 3. The glamour model look and lifestyle is now something to be aspired to, and with Victoria Secret hitting the UK in 2012 there is a clear move away from high street sex stores such as Ann Summers, usually noted as “trashy’” It is sex as something glamorous that sells now, associated with beautiful
What
Anoraks. Always unfashionable, no matter how hard they try
undergarments and sophistication, and yet there is another side to this whole trend. The catwalk fetish trend screamed old school burlesque clubs and a hint towards the taboo side of sex, it’s exciting. The A/W ‘11 catwalks produced everything to transform the women of today into expert seductresses. Black was the clear-cut colour of choice, with additions of lace, fishnet and intricate corsetry. Fabrics of choice evidently had to be leather and PVC, with softer additions of crushed velvet on tight panelled dresses and there was even a nod to bondage in straps and harnesses. Kate Moss even graced the catwalk of Louis Vuitton, cigarette in hand, cementing the rebellious nature of the fetish-inspired collection. Whilst a little too far for some, the trend is simple enough to wear in high street terms of leather dresses, and stockings peeking out beneath winter skirts. Sex in television and music clearly sells, and now fashion is focusing on every flipside of it. Whilst debates rage over issues of lingerie for young children, high end designers are clearly into the fetish trend in a big way. Agent Provocateur alone is a clear indication of the luxury of sex and lingerie, and now we’re talking outerwear too. Just please don’t go overboard, there’s only so much we can cope with at our 9am lecture. Milly Sampson
do the people behind Name: Milly Sampson Section: fashion editor Style: made her shorts from her childhood jeans
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Concrete
wear to create the magic?
Introducing Concrete’s new editor...
Name: Alex Throssell Section: Venue editor Style: Steals clothes from unsuspecting grandparents
Clown Couture. If Meadham Kirchhoff had their way, we would all dress like this. Just say “no” kids.
Tavi Gevinson. She’s 15. She’s a fashion blogger. She’s a nightmare.
Name: Hannah Britt Section: deputy editor and fashion editor Style: too cheap to buy a new pair, washed her shoes four times after
Name: Chris King Section: editor in chief Style: Accessoring with a can of Dr Pepper
Name: Alex Ross Section: music editor Style: wishes he was born in the 1940s, with a dash of dressed up hillbilly chic
Greg Mann Photography
There’s
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Greg Mann Photography
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no boob-envy in India
The quest for perfection is out of control, it’s time to escape
P
icture the scene. You’re in Lola’s. It’s Wednesday. The DJ has just finished playing that song which goes, “to the window, to the wall, til’ the sweat drops down my balls...” Your friend is in front of you, grinding on a boy she barely knows. Rihanna comes on and she begins mouthing, “sticks and stones may break my bones but whips and chains excite me,” seductively towards him. He doesn’t notice. He’s not looking at her face. Sound familiar? I thought so… As I write this, I am sat cross legged on the floor of a rooftop café in Varanassi, India. A bead of sweat swells at the base of my neck, gathering momentum down my back until it hits and soaks into the top of my trousers. The pen feels slippery in my hand.
I am drinking a coffee which tastes like soil and there is grime embedded in every single one of my pores. There is mud (I say mud, although it is actually more likely to be poo - in India there is a saying: “if in doubt it’s probably poo”) ingrained in my shoes. I smell. It feels amazing. There is no point in wearing makeup here in Varanassi, as it is so humid that it would slide down your face the moment you flip flop out of the door. Due to the holiness of the city, there is also no point in wearing anything but drab baggy clothes. Loose is a must. Tourists and locals alike are a potpourri of drudge colours. Everyone is equally drab. As a result, there is no boob envy in Varanassi. There is no worry about washboard abs, no stress about
the cellulite on your thighs. It is refreshing. In the western world, we are constantly bombarded with images of perfection. Without even realising it, we are groomed towards selfimprovement. We moisturise. We pluck. We push up. We suck in. Our crusade towards flawlessness is never ending. It is exhausting. Sometimes we are in danger of wearing so much makeup, that we lose the definition of our actual faces. A friend of mine has been with her boyfriend for over two years and yet she has never let him see her without foundation. This is an improvement; it took her a year to lose the mascara, the blusher, the concealer, the…list goes on. Another friend has a figure which you would happily swap your entire collection
of Kurt Geiger’s for. However, the crazy girl pads her bra so much that her double A’s look more like double D’s. God knows what she puts down there; chicken fillets, tissues, socks, guinea pigs… it’s quite a feat of engineering, believe me. Now, I am not deluded. I am aware that I would not be able to rock up to Lola’s in baggy trousers caked in cow poo. I would probably be refused entry even if I plucked up the confidence to leave my house sans makeup. There is a time and a place to be in a state of “disgusting skank”. But we should remember the beauty in it from time to time.
Hannah Britt
WIRED
24.09.2011
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The Rundown to Christmas
T
Gears of War 3
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he third and final instalment of Xbox 360 blockbuster, Gears of War places Marcus Fenix on the planet Sera, eighteen months after the fall of Jacinto, the survivors move to the island of Vectes to rebuild. Soon however, the Imulsion infected Lambent began to emerge from the ground.
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he dry months of the summer are over everybody, the final quarter of the year is here and boy what a quarter it is shaping up to be. Almost every week running up to Christmas there is a big release in the gaming world. This year has not been spectacular for games so far with the big releases coming in the form of Portal 2, L.A Noire and the lacklustre Nintendo 3DS. This generation of consoles is starting to show their age and the release timetable is starting to slow down (or even come to a stop with regards to a Wii). One should not despair though, this autumn and holiday season is looking to be one of the most promising for this console generation. The summer gaming drought’s ending was marked with the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution at the end of August and what a great game it was to bring us all in from the wonderful British summer outside and back into our living rooms/bedrooms to return to the recluse world of video games. Since then we have seen the release of Resistance 3 for the Playstation 3, Space Marine, Dead Island, and the annual selection of various EA Sports games. This selection already is top notch and in a weak year these would be the top releases.
This year however is different. On 20th September Microsoft unleashed their main first party title, Gear of War 3, one of the most pre ordered games of all time. The other big release in September is Fifa 12 which will undoubtedly sell in huge quantities as it does every year. October is possibly one of the greatest release months in history. On 7th October Dark Souls and Rage are released, both are highly anticipated and both are shaping up to potential game of the year contenders. Forza 4 for the Xbox 360, Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3 all roll in at weekly intervals towards the end of October. There is too much choice! Five days after Battlefield 3 is released we have Uncharted 3, again a probable game of the year nominee. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Super Mario 3DS, and Halo: Anniversary Edition are all titles that are released through the month of November. Zelda: Skyward Sword also appears finally on the 18th November as the last big release for the Wii. The release machine slows down slightly in December but still there are plenty of triple A titles. Mario Kart 7 is due for early December as Nintendo
formulate their make or break 3DS Christmas push. Finally, as if one did not have enough to keep occupied over the Christmas break the highly anticipated MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is set for a 31st December release. What a line up! The only problem with it though is that there is no way one could play all of these games; there are just too many. This begs the question: why release them all in the last four months of the year? Why not spread them out slightly over the spring and summer months? However, it does mean that games from this Q4 will be played long into next year. Josh Mott
Soon Marcus learns a secret that forces him on journey to save humanity from the brink of extinction...again. EPIC Games have added some great new features to the gameplay. For instance four-player co-op has been introduced for the first time in the series. The player primarily plays as Marcus Fenix, although at several points throughout the game other characters become available. There are several new playable characters including three women; Samantha Byrne,
Anya Stroud and Queen Myrrah. The other new playable characters include Jace Stratton and Griffin, the leader of a group of human survivors called the Stranded. Canadian rapper Drake voices Jace, while hip-hop star Ice-T is the voice Griffin. Aside from new COG characters there are also several new Locust enemies, including the Savage Grenadier, the Digger Boomer and the Kantus Knight. Moreover, there are also new weapons such as the retro lancer,
similar to the ordinary lancer but with a blade bayonet attachment and a slower rate of fire, the digger launcher, a gun that launches small digging creatures through the ground that explode and the one shot, a heavy sniper rifle that kills enemies in a single shot. In addition to the new weaponry comes a fully controllable mech suit, called a silverback, which is available for use in certain parts of the game, armed with a machine gun and rocket launcher. When it comes to multiplayer in Gears 3, EPIC have also been very busy. Additions include ‘beast mode’ which is similar to ‘horde mode’ but instead of battling the Locusts, the player instead attacks COG, starting with weaker creatures such as wretches and tickers. Players are able to upgrade their character to a stronger class of Locust by collection tokens from fallen enemies. ‘Horde mode’ is also featured once again but it is far more strategic than in Gears 2. Players can now choose an area as their command post and earn cash from kills which can be used to build defences around it, fences, turrets and yes, the Silverback mech suit. In addition to this online runs on dedicated servers due to multiple issues that plagued multiplayer in Gears of War 2. Additionally, players can earn awards based on their performance and unlock several different character variants such as new executions and weapon skins. The gameplay is as solid as ever and the additions made by the team at EPIC have polished and strengthened the title immensely. Tom Mott
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the
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Retro column: F-Zero X (1998)
Wire In...SEPTEMBER
Driver San Francisco is released. Developers hope the game’s new and unique game mechanics will spark a resurgence in the franchise which has lost its way over the last few installations.
want, shared with the people you care about, made easy.” Microsoft have been looking for a better integration of gaming, especially casual gaming, into their PCs and tablets. This of course comes after the huge success of Apple’s App Store.
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Microsoft gives out wave of bans for users’ “illegitimately accessing Xbox Live content”.
Dead Island released. The game is on the cusp of greatness but fails to live up to the hype generated by its superb trailer. Warhammer 40k: Space Marine released allowing players into the Warhammer 40K universe to chainsaw their way through the Ork hordes. The release time seems slightly odd as Space Marine finds itself up against Gears of War 3 and both games have an extremely similar style.
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Tokyo Game Show begins. Organisers have decided to scale down the show substantially with a greater focus on smaller games including trading card games. The shrinking of this show over the past five years is a clear example of the Japanese gaming industry taking a back seat to the US. Xbox Live is coming to Windows 8. Microsoft gave out an official press statement saying; “Bringing Xbox LIVE to Windows 8 is part of our vision to bring you all the entertainment you
Codemasters to close Bodycount studio. The studio stated that they want a greater focus on their racing games (DIRT). The closure is not surprising after Bodycount’s pour critical reception and lacklustre sales. Max Payne 3 debut trailer released.
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Released in 1998 during the peak of the Nintendo 64’s global dominance, F-Zero X stands out as a masterpiece in the science fiction, high-speed racing genre. Players assumed the control of 30 playable characters, some human, some alien and some a mixture of the two but all with their own unique handling, weight and speed. F-Zero X was the third entry by Japanese company EAD in the F-Zero franchise and marked the first time the game series featured 3D graphics that would have
the screen, Nintendo developers were forced to limit the graphicial output in order to keep the game functioning at 60 frames per second. However these problems become minor issues when your vehicle is reaching speeds of over 1000 km/h. Races consisted of the stereotypical three lap system as players were forced to squeeze past their 30 opponents in a bid to claim first place. After completing the first lap, players unlocked the ability to use their so-called ‘boost power’ to make themselves go even
surely left gamers of the late 90s in absolute hysterics. What mostly stands out about this Nintendo classic is its euphoric soundtrack, a collection of over 40 guitar shredding tunes that complement the high speeds of the vehicles like bread and butter. These unforgettable tunes and the sheer experience of the onscreen racing firmly asserted the game’s status as one of a kind. Players would be thrown into races against 30 other onscreen opponents in a high speed showdown that covered a variety of fluorescent and everchanging landscapes. In order to provide gamers with such a high level of intensity on
faster along the track, but at the price of draining their own energy levels. Too many collisions with obstacles and other drivers resulted in players coming to an untimely end in a fiery inferno. But that danger, combined with such extraordinary speed limits kept players glued to their controllers in 1998, and is what keeps this game so much fun even 13 years after its release. This game is definitely worth a revisit any time and puts the efforts of the Italian plumber Mario and his little go kart to absolute shame. Andrew Wilkins
EA release Battlefield 3 blowout at TGS. It has to be said that Modern Warfare 3 is being out hyped by Battlefield 3. Xbox TV launching this Christmas season. Microsoft claim to be in talks with “dozens or hundreds of video providers and streamers.” The application will utilize Bing and the Kinect.
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Gears of War 3 released to rave reviews. Developer Crytek are working on the Homefront sequel. Hopefully it should be better than the first title as it is listed for a Q4 2014 release, so they have plenty of time to get it right.
Appy Corner: Tiny Tower Labelled by many as one of the most addictive games on the App Store. In Tiny Tower the player takes control of their own tower block. The aim of the game is simply to build as many floors as possible. Players have the choice of building retail, creative, food, recreational, and service floors. In order to staff these, one also has to build apartment buildings. But the fun does not end here. Players have to keep each floor stocked in order to gain money, and in turn the money allows players to buy more floors and restock existing ones. The other currency in the game is the Tower Bux. Bux can buy new elevators, outfits for your ‘Bitizens’, as well as many other interesting but unnecessary things. This game is not really one that will hold your attention for hours on end. All players really have to do is restock their floors, build new ones and then leave their stock to sell and the Bux to pile up. Other than that, the only thing to do is lift people up and down the elevator and the fun wears thin very fast. In terms of art style, Tiny Tower has an eight bit look to it which adds to its casual nature. There are no multiplayer features
WIRED
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apart from being able to see your friend’s towers on the Apple Game Centre. For anyone who is a fan of The Sims or various Tycoon games Tiny Tower is a must buy. In fact you do not even have to buy it because it is free and therefore there is no reason not to have a go!
Essential - Gaming & Technology feeds @extralife: Scott Johnson is the founder of the Frogpants Studios’ podcast empire and is one of the most respected internet personalities. From his feed you can accesses various shows from the network, including the superb App Slappy and Final Score. @Kotaku: One of the best sources on the internet for video game news and speculation. Kotaku has more of a personal approach to journalism than many of the other big gaming sites. @cinemassacre: Another highly respected and recognisable internet personality, James Rolfe’s twitter feed allows quick access to the great shows that Cinemassacre has to offer. See Angry Video Game Nerd and Monster Madness for a taste.
@michaelpachter: One of the best analysts of the gaming and technology industries. Pachter gives great insights into the industry as well as interesting predictions for the future. @ncroal: One of the most down to earth members of the video game community, frequently appearing on Gametrailers.com’s Bonus Round, Croal gives interesting and often edgy insight into the industry. @therealcliffyb: Cliff Bleszinski is the head designer on the Gears of War team. His tweets are especially passionate, although do often come across as a bit arrogant. Despite this he is always worth a read. @wired_uea: Get up to date technology and gaming news direct to your Twitter feed with Wired UEA. Also links to the Wired Tumbler blog section to see what is going on in the UEA gaming community.
FILM Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Director: Tomas Alfredson
Country: United Kingdom Starring: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hurt
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n a time when huge explosions and pointless 3D effects are the norm in mainstream cinema, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy comes as a breath of fresh air, albeit a very cold one. The first film adaptation of John Le Carré’s 1974 spy novel, directed by the Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson, is an atmospheric and gripping thriller that plunges you into the murky world of Cold War espionage. Aided by the beautifully bleak cinematography of Hoyte Van Hoytema, the muted tones and autumnal shades of 1970s London come into crisp focus, whilst the stunning attention to detail really evokes the period. The story focuses on George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a retired spy, and his quest to unearth a Soviet mole from within the inner circle of the British Secret Intelligence Service, known as “The Circus”. The plot is incredibly complex and intricate and can become confusing at times, but the characters within it are so intriguing and well acted (the cast reads like a dream, starring some of Britain’s finest actors) that you become utterly engrossed by them. Gary Oldman, an actor with an intense and often manic style of acting, which has seen
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him play a lot of troubled characters in the past, excels in a leading role that has brought him to the attention of the wider public. His restrained and nuanced performance as Smiley is a wonderful example of “less is more”. Oldman reigns in the fury to create a character whose emotions seethe beneath a cool exterior, making the rare moments of intensity even more effective when he shows them. The camera is ever watchful, panning along to follow the characters, and zooming in through slates in a blind to peer in on secret conversations, taking a voyeuristic view of a dark and hidden world. In one scene, reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Rear Window, we witness a character watching the various events through the windows of the flat opposite him; the audience become spies along with the characters. Such a well made film deserves to be a success, but at just over two hours in length, it requires a lot of concentration from the viewer to keep up with the twists and turns of the plot. However, the mood and atmosphere immerses you from the very beginning, and the moments of drama and suspense that shiver up through the smoke are well worth the wait. Annie Rhodes
30 Minutes Or Less
The Skin I Live In
Visually poetic but with the brutality of a Hammer Horror, Pedro Almodovar’s recent art-house flick focuses on pop culture’s current obsession with outward beauty and the identity it can convey. Antonio Banderas delivers a performance that is brooding yet chillingly indifferent, playing a psychopathic surgeon involved in a medical project so horrific it will have you diving for the off switch. Described as ‘Kafkaesque’, the narrative employs an engaging script and follows a trajectory in which normality is subverted and the unbelievable becomes acceptable. Maximum brownie points are deserved for the cinematography, which employs the optical lyricism of sleek shots and the
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juxtaposing of rich reds against the fragility of fleshy tones. Lighting is also a key part of each scene, where shadows are thrown across the contours of the set, as if it too were a body with skin. Echoing horror movies of the 1950s, the film voices society’s impending fear of the scientific coupled with the unknown. Although we are treated to shots of laboratories, scary looking instruments and all other things scifi, it pushes genre conventions by refusing to rely on gore to get a cheap scare. If you like fast paced psychological thrillers, (and men frolicking in tiger onesies) this one’s for you. Joanna O’Connor
30 Minutes Or Less is Zombieland director, Ruben Fleischer’s latest offering, and is in the same teen comedy ballpark. The plot focuses around Nick, (Jesse Eisenberg) a 20-something with a dead end job as a pizza boy. However, his mundane pizza delivery life is rudely interrupted when Dwayne (Danny McBride) straps a bomb to Nick’s chest, and forces him to rob a bank, so that he can afford to pay an assassin to kill his father, allowing him to live out his dream of owning a tanning salon. Whilst ridiculous and occasionally tenuous, the plot never fails to entertain. Eisenberg gives a solid, if predictable, performance in a familiar role that doesn’t
stretch his acting talents like The Social Network. The humour is, for the most part, crude and unoriginal, with many jokes seemingly lifted straight from the American Pie School of Comedy. Viewers should expect a lot of sexual innuendo but there are some truly comic gems buried in the script. Overall, whilst 30 Minutes Or Less shamelessly uses every comic cliché in the book, it has enough laughs to make it an enjoyable enough viewing for any comedy fan.
Tom White
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FILM
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Jane Eyre
After numerous adaptations, it is surprising how contemporary the latest version of this Brontë classic feels. The story charts the life of Jane Eyre, from her beginnings as an orphaned child shunned by her aunt, as she matures into an independent young woman. Working as governess under the mysterious Mr. Rochester, she falls deeply in love. However, Jane is tested when he reveals a dark secret locked away at Thornfield Hall. The film itself is visually stunning. Cary Fukunaga captures the natural beauty of the countryside setting whilst creating a dark, eerie atmosphere that you’d expect from a gothic romance. Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender are exceptional as Jane and Rochester. Their relationship is utterly believable, touching at times and intense throughout. Wasikowska delivers a perfectly understated performance that carries the film and Fassbender is a perfect Rochester: convincing, attractive and charismatic. The supporting cast are also superb. Not a surprise with the likes of Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax, adding some warmth and humour to the film. There are some plot elements which seem rather rushed and underdeveloped in comparison to the novel but, saying that, it is an excellent adaptation; beautiful to look at and finely acted. Kieran Field
Slackers Club For those of you who don’t know, once a month, E4 and Picturehouse Cinemas team up and do something rather lovely for us frugal, film-loving students. In a campaign dubbed The Slackers Club, any NUS card holder is eligible to attend a completely free showing of a yet-to-be-released film every month. Most recently, Slackers members were treated to a showing of the hilarious Troll Hunter, adding to the high calibre of previous freebies including the critically acclaimed Submarine, the romantic drama Never Let Me Go, as well as action-comedy Scott Pilgrim v.s the World. But if you missed all that, never fear! October promises something completely new and undoubtedly very exciting. In order to attend the latest previews, simply present your student card in any Picturehouse Cinema (that’s Cinema City for us Norwich folk!) Doing so will get you your very own membership card with which you are able to book a seat for the latest screening. Seats will go on a first-comefirst-served basis so remember to book in advance to secure tickets for you and your friends. So as soon as the next film is announced be sure to hurry on down to Cinema City and grab a seat. Happy slacking! James Collins
Fright Night
Friends With Benefits
This Craig Gillespie feature, a remake of a forgotten 1980s surprise box office hit, revolves around your average lovable geek Charley (Anton Yelchin) who encounters the tough task of convincing his mother that their new next door neighbour Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire before she falls for his bad-boy charms. Unusually for a horror-comedy, Gillespie manages to avoid average and overused clichés and doesn’t fall into the common trap of being neither humorous nor hair-raising. Instead Gillespie has brilliantly walked the line between the incredibly tense and the hilarious. The cast frequently throw around some brilliant one-liners and Christopher MintzPlasse, who takes a small supporting role, delivers as usual, being fabulously funny as the hopeless geek whom Charley is desperately trying to ditch. The standout star of the film is perhaps David Tenant, who delivers a brilliant and quirky performance as the drunkard, vampire-hunting magician Peter Vincent. Having jumped onto this summer’s 3D blockbuster bandwagon, tickets cost that little bit extra for what seems a very unnecessary feature, unless you are endlessly amused by a few splatters of blood coming your way. Whilst Farrell does look incredibly alluring in 3D, it might be best to wait for the DVD. Coelis Witcher
Director Will Gluck hits all the right notes with this hilariously raunchy rom-com. The film opens with GQ Magazine headhunter Jamie (Mila Kunis) picking Dylan (Justin Timberlake) up from the airport, and trying to persuade him that life in the Big Apple is much more interesting than in Los Angeles. Cue unsubtly hints about how ‘emotionally damaged’ they are following previous break-ups, and the pair are soon fumbling between the sheets. The film’s much talked about sex scenes are incredibly graphic, so viewing partners should be selected wisely. Having said this, it is noble that the film refuses to shy away from their frequent frolics, and these scenes are side-splitting to watch. Gluck skilfully adds extra emotion to the film, giving a rare glimpse into how Jamie and Dylan’s actions affect their families. With the film’s main premise following Jamie and Dylan’s ambition to prove that friends can have sex without complications, it does not take a genius to work out that their experiment is going to fail. Sound familiar? No Strings Attached used this concept earlier this year, yet this film undoubtedly does it better. Although the film is hardly ground-breaking, Friends with Benefits is a likeable, feel-good film that is worth a watch. Elizabeth Poole
Where to find them:
Book your tickets online at: www.picturehouses.co.uk
FILM now that the
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24.09.2011
Harry Potter
Talking Movies
franchise has come to an end,
or over a decade, the name Harry Potter has been travelling around the globe. In 1997, J. K. Rowling finally convinced Bloomsberg to publish her saga about the 11-yearold-boy wizard. The story opened up a world of magic and mystery into the lives of adults and children alike. In 2001, the first novel was purchased by Warner Bros, bringing an adaptation to our screens. Thousands of fans and thousands of people unfamiliar with the book entered cinemas across the globe where they watched this magical world erupt before their eyes. For many it was only the beginning of a decade long series, which has ended in a total of eight films. This summer brought about the end of an
“The story opened up a world of magic and mystery into the lives of adults and children alike.”
www.concrete-online.co.uk
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SAMANTHA ROGERS reflects on what the final instalment meant to fans
things light. It has everything the book had tried to get across and it can therefore be considered a complete success. It may have been this success that allowed so many fans to finally say goodbye to the series. This saga has been one of a kind for this generation. With its ending comes an unfamiliar territory to most, as the question
era, or so many people would argue. For many the Harry Potter series has been a large part of their lives and so this summer may have been an emotional one. And so it is lucky that the final instalment in the series, The Deathly Hallows: Part Two, was such a brilliant success. Naturally, the box office was hit by a storm on the 15th July, as fans from across the globe queued up to watch the last film of such
an extravagant series. It is therefore good that the film itself did not disappoint. With the journey taking a turn and focussing more intensely on Harry Potter, audiences were able to travel with him as he fought against Voldemort for the very last time. The film has moments for everyone, from action seeping out of pores, to tragic scenes that break the heart, and comedic moments to keep
“Audiences were able to travel with Harry as he fought against Voldermort for the very last time.” is asked: what comes next? Certainly, people across the world are keeping their eye out for the next series to grab their hearts and lives the way Harry Potter did. Twilight has attempted it and The Hunger Games is just around the corner, but can these really live up to the expectations that Harry Potter has left behind? Only time will tell.
The Popcorn Chart top
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Spanning a period almost as epic as its content, the screen adaptation came to a close with what was arguably the most competent offering of the series. Action-packed yet peppered with emotional beats conducted by some of the better acting in the saga, The Deathly Hallows managed to drag Harry Potter out of its comfortable “suitably fun” zone and give the series the send-off it deserved. Although, in the long run, it is difficult to assess what our generation will remember most: Neville Longbottom’s stealing of the show or the laughable “are-they-adults?-orare-they-just-very-tired?” closing sequence at King’s Cross.
Super 8 Geek-icon J.J Abrams participated his two cents to the summer box office with his nostalgia-infused homage to Spielberg, Super 8 (gracefully produced by the man himself) with a “destructive-yet-not-inherently-evil” alien vs. nerdy kids showdown. Only, unlike some of the fanciest affairs this summer, Abrams succeeded in keeping the visuals and the antagonist from being the priority above all else, choosing to focus on obtaining great
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summer films of
performances (notably out of Elle Fanning) and an emotionally-engaging story narrated by likeable characters, as well as the odd dramatic cliché, necessary to fuel any competent summer blockbuster.
Fast Five As far as enormous doses of unrestrained testosterone go, Fast Five successfully hit the top of the box office by delivering some of the most fun you could expect from a cocktail of post-modernist critique, poetic landscapes and humble performances. That’s not strictly true. In fact, Fast Five’s action is as over-the-top as that previous statement was incorrect (read: completely). Vin Diesel drives his cast through a succession of brainless, and unabashedly enjoyable set pieces, customarily packed with various sizes of explosions and flashy cars.
2011
Strictly for manly men with muscles (and excitable teens)!
Bridesmaids Summer 2011 proved a gift for every extreme of the gender spectrum when Bridesmaids hit the deck. Essentially a female response to The Hangover, the movie’s greatness revolves around the comedy chops of a top-notch Kristen Wiig and a colourful palette of female co-stars who bring enough to the table to make up for some of the more low-brow, gross-out moments. While Apatow’s R-rated comedies previously kept its protagonists social outcasts of sorts, rarely venturing outwards of male issues, Bridesmaids bravely explored new territory by being undoubtedly feminine, yet inducing laughs from every member of the species.
and enough geeky inside jokes to please the most elitist member of the lowest denominator. Fassbender and McAvoy’s effortless chemistry only ever overshadowed by the adolescent shenanigans of some of the more youthful characters. James Bearclaw
X-Men: First Class
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Out of the seemingly endless list of Marvel’s current roster of bankable superheroes, only Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class really cut it with its submarine-lifting antics and a gigantic cast of sickeningly beautiful people complaining about being outcasts. However, viewers who were ready for anything after the debacle that was X-Men: The Last Stand, were greeted by a powerful punch of cinematic showmanship
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24.09.2011
lassic
Charis Turner some
of
the
gives great
ARTS
www.concrete-online.co.uk
us
American Movies
her
American
thoughts
on
classics
that
have fuelled pop culture and informed our lives
W
hen confronted with the idea of classic American movies, I thought of The Godfather, The Graduate, quotes from Rocky, Marilyn Monroe and posters from films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s; aspects of which can be seen everywhere, whether it be on an episode of MTV Cribs or in the poster sale on campus. I’d heard a lot about The Godfather but was not very optimistic when deciding to watch it. I genuinely believed there was
“American cinema has been an influential part of most of our lives. I think may of us can admit that we owe it a lot.” no way I’d be able to watch it the whole way through. Somehow after nearly three hours I was watching the heroic Marine son transform into the new Don, quoting his father: “I’ll give him an offer he can’t refuse.” I was instantly hooked. I finally understood why the theme, dialogue and icons of this film have become cultural touchstones in society: seeing is believing! The Graduate is another film that came to mind. An old favourite, a narrative of the transition from a clueless and innocent adolescent into an adult is a story that most viewers can relate to. A seemingly driven young graduate who is seduced by the irrevocably alluring wife of his father’s colleague, Mrs Robinson, pushing thoughts of the future out of his head as he gets trapped in a seemingly never-ending affair of debauched, secret meetings. This comes to an abrupt end when he begins dating
her daughter Elaine. Ironically the intention he has of pushing her away on their first date is the reason he falls in love with her. A twisted love story that has an eerie backdrop of secrecy and seduction without the unnecessary dramatics, The Graduate makes for a classic and undeniably iconic film. The Graduate allows viewers to see all aspects of the characters personality alongside raw emotion as it would be seen in real life through the contrast of the two main female characters; the manipulative and foxy Mrs. Robinson who seduces the clueless Benjamin at the start, with the notorious question, “Would you like me to seduce you?” Later, the viewer almost pities her when it becomes clear that her forced marriage has sentenced her to a life of inescapable loneliness. Then there is her daughter, the young, trusting Elaine Robinson, who shows her naivete and innocence in the first date scene, changing the whole plot of the film by causing the viewers to understand how Benjamin’s loving and almost protective feelings for her gradually develop. The Graduate has a truly
original plot and explosive ending, leaving the viewers wondering with Benjamin and Elaine’s crushing “What now?” expression, allowing for a gripping love story and a starting point for many films that followed. Some classic American films have brought out such emotion in their viewers that it has meant the movies have extended their fame beyond the screen, to become a fashion symbol or a trend that lives on way beyond the popularity of that film. The classic Audrey Hepburn poster for Breakfast at Tiffany’s is more widely known than the meaning or plot of the film itself at. Before I started this article I would have found it hard to say which film Robert De Niro’s “You talkin’ to me?” quote was from (Taxi Driver), although I’ve heard people say it repeatedly. To me, the real classics are those you can watch over and over at different parts of your life and every time you watch them they have a new meaning to you; E.T as a child is a scary, exciting film about a friendly alien. Adult viewers see a lonely Elliot who finds a friend in E.T, making the final farewell scene even more moving. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was the first full-length animation that Disney produced in 1937, but has remained a
favourite to children and a classic to adults for all this time. Whether it is the infamous The Godfather, an icon or line from your favourite movie, or simply a scene from an old Disney film, American cinema has been an influential part of most of our lives. I think many of us can admit that we owe it a lot.
VENUE STATS Highest Grossing Films in the US 1. Avatar ($760m) 2. Titanic ($600m) 3. The Dark Knight ($553m) 4. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope ($460m) 5. Shrek 2 ($436m) 6. E.T: The Extra Terrestrial ($434m) 7. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace ($431m) 8. Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest ($423m) 9. Toy Story 3 ($414m) 10. Spider-Man ($403m)
ARTS
24.09.2011
www.concrete-online.co.uk
Friday Night Lights - H.G. Bissinger
M
ost people in the UK are bewildered when they see the spectacle of American football on a television screen. A sport which involves teams of more than 50 heavily armoured players running for five seconds before stopping for a minute, all the while surrounded by thousands of screaming fans, cheerleaders and brass bands, is simultaneously awe inspiring and laughable. Somehow, H. G. Bissinger commits this maddening energy to the page and reveals that when compared with the swirling storm of the players’ lives, what we see on the field is a peaceful place. Friday Night Lights is H. G. Bissingers’ record of a year in the late 1980s spent in the small oil drilling town of Odessa, Texas; home to the Permian Panthers. Biassinger’s 17-yearold players might easily slip into obscurity in any other country. Here they are held up as the last surviving symbol of the town’s great achievements back in the days when Texas was the only place a decent man could get his oil from. Taking pride of place in front of each player’s house is a sign letting the whole world know where the likes of star running back Boobie Miles and team captain Brian Chavez live. Bissinger has a talent for describing
This Week... In Arts History Concrete Arts wishes Stephen King a Happy Birthday!
the players’ movements so that, while the intricacies may be murky to those uninitiated in football, a relative novice can picture the plays as if they were there under the blaring lights themselves. He moves elegantly from the frantic action of the football field to the unchanging turmoil around it. Racial segregation, the boom and bust of Texas’ oil industry and America’s skewed opinions on education and sporting legacy all play out. At one point a court hearing is held to determine the grade of Gary Edwards in Algebra II. The court room is packed and frothing because he is a star player for the championship contender team Dallas Carter and this grade determines whether he is eligible to continue playing. If he had been a concert pianist or ballet dancer, the room would have been empty. Bissinger’s greatest achievement is to create empathy for players without sacrificing any of his factual, journalistic integrity. He never glosses over offensive lineman Jerrod McDougal’s casual racism or Boobie Miles’ brash egotism. But when the former embraces his mother and cries after a hard-fought loss or the latter is callously relegated to the bench because he’s no longer a star player, we
S
eptember 21st marks the birthday of one of the most prolific writers in living memory. With forty nine published novels, nine short story collections and over one hundred film accreditations to his name, at sixty five Stephen King is both a lesson in productivity and a securely lodged pop cultural phenomenon. Born in 1947 King was raised by his mother alone, his father having left to ‘buy cigarettes’ when King was two years old and failing to return. His lucrative literary bent became evident at an early age, as he wrote and sold stories to classmates based on various films he had seen in Elementary school. Though discovered and forced to return his profits by his teachers, King continued to write and was first independently published at eighteen with I Was a Teenage Grave Robber. After graduating from the University of Maine with a B.A in English, King initially took to teaching, publishing his short stories in men’s magazines in order to make ends meet. Indeed, it was not until the publication of Carrie in 1974 that King was enabled to resign from his teaching job and take up writing as a full time profession. The novel today remains one of King’s most simultaneously popular and notorious works. Described by King as having a “surprising power to hurt and horrify”, it is currently one of the most frequently banned books in United States schools, a fact con sidered by some to be something of an approbation of the effectiveness of King’s writing ability. Publishing success followed and has stayed with King throughout his career. The Shining, King’s third published novel released
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H.G. Bissinger, journalist and author of Friday Night Lights forgive their flaws thanks in part to Bissinger’s brutally honest writing style. In his own words, Bissinger uses “the clear eyes of a journalist” and, thanks to them, Friday Night Lights is still held in contempt by many in Odessa. Do not read this book to try and learn the game or feel uplifted because it does not deliver there. What it does portray is how the sport can bring out the best, and the worst, from those who live their lives around it. David Murphy in 1977, and the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film adaption are both considered classics of the horror genre, Kubrick’s adaption named the scariest film of all time by Channel Four. Adaptions of King’s work have since produced. Some of the most critically and commercially acclaimed films of all time, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile both consistently listed as some of the best loved films of the last two decades. King suffered his own personal horror in 1999 when he was struck from behind by a minivan; his resulting injuries caused him to announce his retirement in 2002, but has since resumed writing. His body of work is so extensive that it is near impossible to concisely summarise, and one that shows little sign of being complete. Sophie Witts
Stephen King’s infamous It, brought to life on screen by Tommy Lee Wallace in 1990
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24.09.2011
LISTINGS
www.concrete-online.co.uk
September/October 2011
Sunday 25th
Monday 26th
Tuesday 27th
Wednesday 28th
Thursday 29th
Lee Nelson’s Well New Tour (8:00pm) Price: £22.50 Norwich Arts Centre
Richmond Fontaine + Laura Gibson (8:00pm) Price: £13.00 Norwich Arts Centre
Welcome T-Shirt Party UEA LCR (10pm-2am)
Zane Lowe (10pm-2am) UEA LCR
Welcome Icebreaker UEA LCR (9pm-1am)
Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint Presentation (8:00pm) Price: £15.00 SOLD OUT The Playhouse
Emmy the Great (8:00pm) Price: £12.50 Norwich Arts Centre
Rise To Remain (8:00pm) Price: £8.00 Norwich Arts Centre
Adam Kay (from Amateur Transplants) & “PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON AS SEEN ON PENN AND TELLER: FOOL US’’ (7-10pm) Price: £7.50 UEA LCR
BBC Music VideoFestival FUSION @ FORUM
Slow Club (7:30pm) Price: £10.00 - £10.21 Waterfront
Norwich Sound & Vision 2011 (29.09 - 01.10) Price: £40.00 - £80.00 Norwich Arts Centre
Glenn Miller Orchestra Theatre Royal (5pm) Price: £5.50-£18.50
Pendulum DJ Set UEA LCR (10pm-2am)
Friday 30th
Saturday 1st
Sunday 2nd
Monday 3rd
Tuesday 4th
Jack Whitehall: Let’s Not Speak of This Again (30.09 - 01.10) SOLD OUT The Playhouse
Welcome Party (9pm-2am) UEA LCR
Kids In Glass Houses (7:00pm) Price: £13.00 UEA LCR
Benjamin Francis Leftwich (8:00pm) Price: £8.00 Norwich Arts Centre
Gail Jones (6:30pm) Price: £6.00 Literary Festival Lecture Theatre 1
Friend or Foe (4-5.10) (10:30am / 1:00pm) The Playhouse
Enter Shikari (7:30pm) Price: £17.00 SOLD OUT UEA LCR
Esben & The Witch + Beth Jeans Houghton presented by Norwich Sound & Vision (8:00pm) Price: £8.00 Norwich Arts Centre
DELS + Sargasso Trio presented by Norwich Sound and Vision (8:00pm) Price: £8.00 Norwich Arts Centre
Various Cruelties @ The Waterfront Studio (7:00pm) Price: £6.00 Waterfront
Fiddlesticks (2:30pm) Price: £5.00 £7.00 Norwich Puppet Theatre
UEA Symphony Orchestra and Choir auditions email musicevents@uea.ac.uk
Fenech-Soler (7:30pm) Price: £8.00 Waterfront
Wednesday 5th
Thursday 6th
Friday 7th
Saturday 8th
Monday 10th
Antigone by Sophocles / The Girl Who Looked Like Me by Katrina Raine (6-7.10) (7:30pm) Price: £4.00 £6.00 UEA Drama Studio
BUG#8: The Evolution of Music Video (8:00pm) Price: £9.50 £14.50 The Playhouse
The Norwich Ukulele Festival presented by SoapBox (5:00pm) Price: £8.00 Norwich Arts Centre
Adam Hills (8:00pm) Price: £12.00 The Playhouse
Bombay Bicycle Club (7:30pm) Price: £15.00 Waterfront
wombatwombat’s Peel Day celebrations featuring Victorian English Gentlemans Club (8:00pm) Price: £7.00 Norwich Arts Centre
The A List (10:30pm) Price: £4.50 UEA LCR
Atongo Zimba (8:30pm) Price: £8.00 £10.00 Norwich Arts Centre
The Barlights (7:00pm) Price: £6.00 The Waterfront
Forever The Sickest Kids (7:30pm) Price: £11.00 Waterfront
Some Upcoming
13 Oct: Emerge NME Radar Tour ft. Wolf Gang + S.C.U.M + DZ Deathray’s (7:30pm) £9
Highlights At
15 Oct: Skepta + Tempa T (7:00pm) £9
The Waterfront
16 Oct: The Pierces (7:00pm) £13.50
21 Oct: Charlie Simpson (6.30pm) £12.50
12 Nov: Tinchy Stryder (6.30-10pm) £12.50
23 Nov: Yuck (7:30pm) £9
6 Nov: Scroobius Pip (7:00pm) £9
13 Nov: Turin Brakes (7.00pm) £18
28 Nov: Mariachi El Bronx (7:30pm) £12
9 Nov: Maverick Sabre (7:30pm) £10.50
15 Nov: Guillemots (7:30pm) £15
29 Nov: DJ Fresh (7:30pm) £12.50
NEW VANILLA SMIRNOFF
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MIX IT WITH COLA
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