Venue - Issue 275

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VENUE Issue 275

Tuesday 20th November 2012

Film - Preview: 2015- The Justice League and Star Wars VII, page 4.

TV - Don’t Panic: Looking back at sitcom classic, Dad’s Army, page 14.

Creative Writing - Your Submissions on the theme of Awareness, page 16.

Photo: Whye Tchien Khor

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VENUE

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CONTENTS

Tuesday 20 November 2012

ISSUE 275

concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk

Editor-in-Chief | Amy Adams Venue Editors | Rachael Lum and Matthew Tidby Film | Editors | Kieran Rogers and Andrew Wilkins Film Contributors> Ha Nguyen, Oliver Partington, Thomas High, Emma Holbrook, Emma Fozzard, Adam White, Rebecca Chapman and Rachael Lum Fashion | Editors | Jess Beech and Lucy Jobber Fashion Contributors> Bex White, Shelley Hazlewood and Emily-Claire Tucker Music | Editors | Hayden East and Sam Warner Music Contributors> George Hawes-Gatt, Maddie Russell, Melissa Taylor, Jack Enright, Elizabeth Jackson and Hayden East Television | Editor | Ellissa Chilley TV Contributors> Jack Parker, Dean Tucker, Romy Higgins and Shelley Hazlewood Creative Writing | Editor | Matthew Mulcahy Creative Writing Contributors> Chen Shun Xuan, Marguerite Christine, Mia Jones, Nicole Harmer, Thomas High and Rachael Lum Gaming | Editor | Oliver Balaam Gaming Contributors> Jake Strong Jones and Harry Frost Arts | Editor | Hatty Farnham Arts Contributors> Polly Lyall Grant, Holly McDede and Amy Cornwell Competitions and Listings | Editor | Amelia Edwards

From The Editors Greetings and Salutations, dear reader!

We are so incredibly ready for Christmas. The Office has been beautifully decorated to welcome in the season of fairy lights, present-giving and rampant consumerism, but as we drive deeper into production weekend madness and deadline paranoia, we will probably end up dressed as S Club 7 members on the roof of Union House, screaming Last Christmas

by Wham at the squirrels. Don’t ask us why.

However, on the plus side, Doctor Who is coming back. Let joy be unconfined.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Venue, ‘tis a bumper issue. Read and be merry.

Bah Humbug, Matt and Rachael

Photo: Holly Maunders

We could tell you about how exciting our lives have been for the last two weeks, but we didn’t want to make you cry.

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FILM

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk 20.11.2012

REVIEWS RUST AND BONE (12A)

Director: Jacques Audiard 120 mins Starring: Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts Jacques Audiard, director of critically acclaimed French prison drama A Prophet, is back with a story about giving affection in the darkest of times. Rust and Bone is a film that grasps the audience’s attention from beginning to end with breathtaking cinematography and flawless performances from its actors.

The film opens with a close-up of a child (later we discover his name is Sam), slowly mingled with long shots of a beach. The warmth of the sun transcends the screen.

Could this be just a fragment of the child’s dream? Or are these his memories flowing back to him, as he lies sleeping peacefully?

We don’t know for sure. But we do get to know his story, or part of it at least.

Sam and his dad, Ali (played by Matthias Schoenaerts), hitchhike a long way to stay at the house of Ali’s sister.

Here, we get to know Ali: practical,

egotistic, aggressive, and not too good with words. His background as a boxer leads him to a job at a nightclub, where he meets Stéphanie (the wonderful Marion Cotillard), a whale trainer. Initially superior and of strict contrast to Ali (she is elegant and, it would seem, somewhat of a socialite), it soon becomes apparent that she resembles her counterpart in many ways. Their similarities strike up an understanding between the pair, though without them really noticing at first.

Following this, it takes a severe accident involving Stéphanie to change both of their lives. The accident occurs during an ill-fated whale performance, as a rebellious orca shoots through the water and lands on Stéphanie’s platform. As she is flung into the water and silence becomes the only thing that can be heard, one thing is clear: the world that Stéphanie once

knew is lost forever. Audiard constructs a brilliant build-up to, and execution of, this moment, keeping the audience tense through every single frame. The scene is filmed from an unclear position, which highlights the unpredictability of the cause and consequence of the incident.

Lonely and lost, a random phone call to Ali gives Stéphanie the chance to go out and regain her self-confidence. The film treats the dark times of life as forcing people to come to terms with themselves.

As a man who lives to survive, Ali does not see Stéphanie’s new circumstance as a disadvantage, and begins to transform her outlook on life. Once a person who could only mark her existence on to the world through her job and social life, it is, ironically, only after the accident happens that Stéphanie gets to see the world as it really is.

Rust and Bone, beside the seamless direction of Jacques Audiard, could not achieve its soulful essence without cinematographer Stephane Fontaine (who has collaborated with Audiard since The Beat That My Heart Skipped) constructing the film’s endless beautiful scenes. The sun, a recurring factor, is filmed in utmost beauty, its warmth and light providing a sense of optimism.

As Rust and Bone draws to a close, it shows Sam coming together with his family once again - a happy ending marked by so many scars. It is a typical conclusion to an Audiard film: conflicted, heartbreaking and utterly brilliant. It is fair to say that fans and novices alike need no reassuring that the French auteur is still going strong.

Ha Nguyen

FILM

20.11.2012 concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

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CALL ME KUCHU (15)

“Kuchu” is the synonym for a member of the gay community in Uganda, a country where homosexuality is considered inherently evil and punishable by the three greatest powers: the government, the church and the media.

This award-winning documentary follows David Kato (the country’s first openly gay man) and other Kuchu’s as they fight against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill (also known as the “Kill the Gays” bill), something that would expand the laws to mean life imprisonment for gay activity, and the death penalty for “aggravated” homosexuality and for HIV positive men.

The film tries to balance this serious subject matter with moments of comic relief, where we see Kuchu’s flexing their sensuality, but like the heavy weight resting on their minds the film cannot help but return to the hardship they face.

It really is a film of sharing stories. Each works to prove that the Kuchu’s exist as a community, with the protagonists offering

Director: Rodney Ascher 102 mins Alongside the recent re-release of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 classic The Shining, Rodney Ascher has released a documentary exploring the theories of five Kubrick enthusiasts. In Room 237, he uses a masterfully interwoven series of clips from Kubrick’s films, as we are taken on an investigation into the chilling world of the Torrences’ stay at the Overlook Hotel.

Ascher presents five obsessive commentators who discuss the apparent discoveries to be found in the chilling realms of The Shining, with most of the theories giving rise to interesting and fascinating ideas. Where the casual viewer is likely to dismiss the Apollo 11 design on Danny’s jumper, these people see this as Kubrick’s confession of his involvement with the “faking” of the moon landing.

The director feeds the audience with more suspicious speculations, such as

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snippets of their troubled lives; as Naome says in one despairing moment, “What are we going to do?”

Kato, the key character here, is a fantastic orator and a truly vibrant central figure. This makes the great opposition he faces even more unlikeable, and ensures that the work the Kuchu’s are doing resonates with you on a more personal level.

Thus, the film ultimately turns into less of a recording of the injustice going on in Uganda and becomes more of a testament to the brilliant work of David Kato. It has rightly won awards at documentary film festivals and lesbian and gay film festivals, with its highest accolade being the Teddy award at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival.

As the film was only shown briefly in cinemas, it’s recommended you catch this one on DVD if you want to find out more about this highly important topic. It really shows the power of cinema in telling the stories of those that seem non-existent and truly keeps them alive. In Kato’s words: “They keep saying we are not here. But as of late, we are here.”

Director(s): Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall 90 mins

ROOM 237 (15)

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Megan Fozzard

one woman’s strange obsession with the window in Stuart Ullman’s office, and a claim that Kubrick’s face can be seen in the sky. There is clearly a sense of intelligent wit in Room 237, which Ascher intends to use to reach out to the audience as they absorb such questionable theories. Many of the concepts and notions explored do, however, pose a sense of credibility and are particularly thought-provoking, including the film’s association with the Native American genocide.

The visual presentation of the film is particularly impressive. Ascher’s style is captivating as his interlaced clips create a visual flair to complement the critical commentary. He delves into the world of The Shining by using title-cards in the true style of the film, and uses close attention to detail which embodies the undeniable fastidiousness in Kubrick’s work.

Room 237 provides an exceptional way of viewing The Shining and is one which will stay with its audience for a long time.

Rebecca Chapman

THE SHINING (18) Director: Stanley Kubrick 142 mins Returning to cinemas twenty-two years after its initial release, The Shining remains one of the most important and groundbreaking films in the horror canon. Stanley Kubrick’s grandiose masterpiece sparkles with blood-curdling wildness and fun genre iconography as the Torrance family take over a colossal hotel when it closes for the winter, only for Jack Nicholson’s alcoholic dad to experience a prolonged descent into madness.

Nicholson turns his roguish charm into something dangerous and deranged, delivering one of the greatest performances of the twentieth century in the process.

Shelley Duvall is equally as brilliant, transforming her stock ‘wife in peril’ character into a barrel of abject disbelief and anguish. Then there’s young Danny Lloyd, in his sole feature film, delivering a performance of unusual subtlety.

But it’s Kubrick who is the real star here;

lengthy tracking shots and provocative imagery create an immediate sense of isolation and despair. This is visceral psychological horror at its finest, personified by the infamous slow-motion explosion of blood flooding the hotel lobby. The camera remains mostly detached and static, ghoulish flashes of the grotesque are all the more powerful because they’re staring you right in the face, instead of being presented through flashy video game edits like so much modern horror. Everything is designed to rattle and screw around with the audience, from the multi-coloured patterns of the 1970s carpenting to the seemingly neverending garden maze, photographed from high above and resembling a kind of freaky circuit board.

The Shining itself neatly parallels that maze. You may journey inside with a feeling of intense excitement, but you’re soon consumed by a sense of panic as you lose your way. As you hit a wall of absolute terror, you realise there’s no escape.

Adam White

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FILM

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk 20.11.2012

NEWS Del Toro lines up new projects; Skyfall breaks records; Branagh collects knighthood

Rachael Lum Put the Avengers and Justice League on hold: could an alternative superhero league be making its way to the silver screen?

Although still in its early stages, Guillermo del Toro has confirmed that there have been discussions revolving a Justice League Dark film, which would bring together the likes of John Constantine from Hellblazer and the Swamp Thing.

Not to be confused with the traditional Justice League (del Toro has denied being involved in that particular film, planned for 2015), Justice League Dark is the alternative take on a team of superheroes who possess occult abilities rather than “legendary” ones. Given his reputation, following his critically acclaimed Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth, it would seem that del Toro has met a perfect match in this off-beat DC Comic project.

The director also debunks the rumour that the film will be called Heaven Sent: “I am talking to DC and Warners about tackling the ‘Dark universe’ characters, but we’re not calling it [Heaven Sent]. I don’t know where this title came from,” he said

to the press. “We have a very concrete storyline that I’m proposing — but it’s still very, very early days.”

In the meantime he is taking on more projects than a normal man can handle, from Pinocchio to the ambiguous Pacific Rim, the latter of which will be released in July 2013.

With so many films planned, the development of Justice League Dark depends on how long he can keep maintain an interest amidst his hectic schedule.

In other good (and frankly, impressive) news, Skyfall rocketed to a US box office record of $87.8m (£55m) on its opening weekend, surpassing Quantum of Solace’s $67.5m (£42m) debut. This brings the worldwide figure to $518.6m (£326.5m).

At the rate Skyfall is steamrolling, it will not be long before it beats Casino Royale’s 2006 box office takings of $594m (£374.2m) and emerge as the highestgrossing Bond film in the spy series.

What makes this feat all the more sweet is Sir Roger Moore’s unreserved praise for the latest 007 instalment. In an interview with Vanity Fair he declared that Skyfall is “the best Bond film” and that “Daniel Craig

is, without a doubt, the Bond”.

Considering that Moore himself was voted the best Bond in the Academy Awards in 2004, his outstanding review is quite the honour.

Finally, director and actor Kenneth Branagh received his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace on 9 November, as a tribute to his charitable work in Northern Ireland and services to drama. The thespian knight now joins the

likes of Laurence Olivier, Patrick Stewart and Michael Caine in the pantheon of actors who have been knighted.

Branagh is well-known for directing superhero film Thor and, more recently, his role in the on-going series Wallander.

Throughout his career, he has won an Emmy and three BAFTAs; he has also been nominated for five Academy Awards and Golden Globes. His next film, Jack Ryan, is due to be released at the end of next year.

Is James Bond Racist? As the Skyfall fallout continues, Venue investigates issues of race in the Bond franchise Emma Holbrook As recent news reports suggest that Idris Elba, star of The Wire and BBC’s Luther, is in line to play 007 after Daniel Craig hangs up his licence to kill, the question of race in

relation to James Bond has become particularly pertinent.

Elba is not the first black man to be considered for the role, as Colin Salmon was reportedly in the running before Daniel Craig was chosen, but he is definitely receiving the most press attention. The fact that every incarnation of James Bond has been played by a white man is not inherently racist, but denying an actor the role on the basis of his ethnicity would be. Idris Elba, who undeniably has the talent, charm and grit to follow on from Craig, clearly does not match the description of 007 from the

source material. However, this was also the case for the Scottish, Irish, Australian and blond Bonds, rendering that argument rather obsolete.

Last year, Elba was interviewed about the prospect of becoming the next James Bond and he understandably highlighted that he did not want to just be known as “the black James Bond”. Unfortunately, it is beginning to look that way.

Contextually, Ian Fleming wrote the original James Bond novels in the 1950s and 60s, when xenophobia was widespread. To a modern reader, his books are obnoxiously racist and misogynistic, but after the series cemented itself as a British institution in the 1960s, many people continue to overlook its problematic elements.

However, just because James Bond was once racist, does not mean it needs to continue to be.

The franchise has undergone a vigorous and necessary shake up since the days of Sean Connery’s Bond, who once asked a latest conquest why

“Chinese girls taste different from all other girls” (before she – quite rightly – trapped him in a fold-up bed). The last three installments are notably different from their predecessors and although they still include foreign villains and exoticized women, they are not reliant upon ethnic caricatures in order to create memorable characters. The decision to cast Naomie Harris as Moneypenny in Skyfall was also a step in the right direction, both in terms of race and gender. Unlike previous incarnations, where Miss Moneypenny was a white secretary who lusted after Bond, Harris’ interpretation is involved in active duty and comes close to being portrayed as Bond’s equal.

There will undoubtedly be some flooding of the comment pages on the Daily Mail website, bemoaning that it is political correctness gone mad to cast a 007 who is not caucasian, but ethnicity should not have a bearing on the casting of James Bond when it no longer has a bearing on the character. Whilst a black James Bond in the 1960s would have perhaps been unrealistic considering issues of race and class in the UK at the time, the fact that the franchise is now set in the modern day facilitates countless re-imaginings of the story. The archetypal British hero needs to be reinvented for a 21st century audience, and that involves freeing him from the constraints of race.

FILM

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PREVIEW: 2015 THE JUSTICE LEAGUE With time ticking away, will the world be ready for justice?

Oliver Partington In a deleted scene from Pulp Fiction, Mia Wallace proposes that you’re either an Elvis fan or a Beatles fan. You can like both but you will always prefer one.

In the comic book world, you’re a Marvel fan or a DC fan, never quite both equally.

They produce some of the biggest superhero lines to date: Marvel created Spider-Man, The X-Men and The Avengers. DC were the brains behind Batman, Superman and The Justice League.

In recent years, the film industry really cottoned on to how much money could be reaped from the comic book industry and, as a result, Marvel did something very clever. By creating their own film studio and producing films based on their intellectual property themselves, they could essentially set up a cinematic universe.

Suddenly, Iron Man popping up in The Incredible Hulk wasn’t mere Easter egg fodder for the DVD crowd, it was sequel set-up.

Eventually, after careful plotting on

Marvel’s part and a lot of waiting on ours, they were able to release one of the first ever superhero team-ups: Avengers Assemble.

Now, all of a sudden, DC and their producing partner Warner Brothers have announced their very own superhero team-up film for 2015, The Justice League.

What was it that so grabbed D C ’s attention?

Was it The Avengers’ w i t t y, quirky script, courtesy of Joss Whedon? Was it the grand planning that went into the whole venture? Or was it that the film made just over one and a half billion dollars world-wide? I guess we’ll never know.

But, plowing forward with a Justice

League film right off the bat introduces a few problems that Marvel carefully avoided. There has already been a bit of a canon when it comes to DC/Warner films, the original Su p e r m a n films are some of the most highly regarded of the genre and very few can deny the quality of Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Nolan has already confirmed that we won’t be seeing his Batman in any Justice League film, which means Warner must reboot the character once again and within just two years of this year’s Dark Knight Rises. A new Superman is on his way in Man Of Steel, courtesy of Zach Snyder,

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a reboot of the 2006’s pretty-bad-but-notquite-as-bad-as-everyone-says Superman Returns.

Last year, Green Lantern was released, surely so he could be brought into a Justice League film? Well, no. No one saw the film and those who did asked for their money back, so it looks as though he will have to be rebooted as well; all so they can have a crack at what Marvel has done so successfully.

DC/Warner’s strength has always been in their solo hero efforts. Their partnership has brought us real classics; the first two Superman films alone earn them a place among the giants, long before the Tim Burton Batman films or the contemporary Chris Nolan series. However, they insist on trying to out do their opposite number.

Perhaps they’re just a tad jealous of a one and a half billion worldwide gross. Perhaps they need a new cash-cow franchise now that Harry Potter is over.

Here’s to 2015 and what appears to be an entirely rushed and illogical misstep from DC and Warner Brothers.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII “I have a bad feeling about this...”

Thomas High Like it or not - there’s going to be another Star Wars film, and it’s going to be produced

by Disney.

Lucasfilm, the film studio owned by George Lucas, was sold to Disney in late October in exchange for approximately $4 billion, plus 40 million stock shares, of which Lucas has promised to give a considerable amount to charity. With this trade off came the agreement that not one but three new Star Wars films would be produced under Disney, the first of which is targeted for release in 2015. Disney also confirmed to the media that its long-term plans were to release another Star Wars film every two or three years.

The exact nature of the new films remain shrouded in mystery. During a conference between Disney and the media, it was revealed that an “extensive and detailed” treatment of the new trilogy had been purchased alongside the rights to Lucasfilm, so despite not giving away any details it seems that Disney will not be starting from scratch. Several online sources have also confirmed that awardwinning screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) will pen Episode VII, and that George Lucas will remain on board as creative consultant.

Little news as to what we can expect in 2015 has of course led to avid speculation

among fans. In other media, known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe, there are plenty of potential tales for the new films to borrow.

There are storylines and characters from books and graphic novels which many fans have expressed interest in seeing adapted to the big screen. There has also been much discussion as to who should direct and be cast, and whether any of the actors from the original trilogy would agree to reprise their roles. In particular, rumours are abound that Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher (formerly Han Solo and Princess Leia respectively), are interested in the project, while directors as far flung as Kick Ass’ Matthew Vaughn and indie outsider Colin Trevorrow are touted to helm

the poisoned chalice. Whatever the outcome, it seems impossible for Disney to satisfy everybody.

Those who defend the transfer and production of new Star Wars films argue that Disney has met fan expectations so far with its previous acquisitions, notably The Muppets

and Marvel (The Avengers, in particular, was one of the highest grossing films ever). The key difference though, is that prior to Disney buying these particular franchises, nobody was saying that there should not be any more. The same cannot be said for Star Wars. Its attempts to remain fresh in people’s minds after Revenge of the Sith, the final

installment of the prequel trilogy in 2005, were met with negative reviews almost unanimously. Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2008, the re-release of The Phantom Menace in 3D earlier this year, and the BluRay release of the original trilogy featuring new edits and changes have all been condemned to some extent. The general consensus appears to be that Star Wars should be laid to rest: any addons or changes made after Revenge of the Sith are typically regarded as unnecessary or counter-productive. So, with this in mind, why is Episode VII even being produced at all?

In an interview conducted between Lucas and executive of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy, Lucas said “I’m doing this so that the films have a longer life, and that more fans and people can enjoy them in the future”. There seems to be a fear that without making more, or without rereleasing or editing the previous films, Star Wars is simply going to fade into obscurity.

It is hard to see where George Lucas is coming from, given that the franchise is now well established as a classic. It is equally hard to imagine it disappearing from public consciousness just because there won’t be any more films. But, of course, there remains the elephant in the room, perhaps the true, cynical reason behind this shocking venture: Star Wars is a guaranteed moneymaker.

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FASHION @conc_fashion

SMOKIN’ Pugs In any costume.

Disney Princesses dresses for Harrods Versace is a valid excuse to act like a kid again.

Novelty Christmas jumpers It’s never too early for something so snuggly.

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concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk 20.11.2012

Budget Buying Shelley Hazlewood Shopping on a student budget can be a nightmare, that amazing dress vs. eating next week, sound familiar? Wishing it into your wardrobe never works either.

The key is knowing your budget and sticking to it! Having the latest dress will never be worth not eating. Once you’ve established your budget get to know your wardrobe, work out your style, and find out what is missing from it.

Once you’ve figured this out invest in your key wardrobe pieces. These are your go to items that never seem to go out of fashion. Don’t be afraid to spend a bit on these items as you will wear them all the time! Also keep these in mind and create all of your outfits around them.

Stay trend ‘savvy’, know what is in this season and work out what styles are likely to stay. Reading fashion blogs will help you with this! Some styles will never go out of fashion (think florals and pastels in spring and a military winter coat.) Again, invest in these – it’s all about how many times you wear the

outfit in relation to the price.

Don’t spend too much on items that will be ‘out’ next season, head to Primark for these. Or alternatively go online; places like Misguided and Fashion Union tend to do great copies at a good price. Check out the shops attached to your favourite fashion blogs they will often sell this seasons pieces at a discounted rate. Trawl through e-Bay too, there’s always a good bargain on there, although be wary of getting into bidding wars and always keep a maximum price in mind.

Accessories are always worth investing in as these will completely change an outfit, meaning you can wear an outfit multiple times and it will still look different.

Learning how to sew will also be useful. Changing or adding detail to your existing clothes can give them a new lease of life. Changing the buttons on your coat for example will give it a whole new look.

Never be afraid to DIY! There are

loads of YouTube tutorials for just about everything. Check out Company magazine too; they always have a great DIY section.

When out shopping keep your wardrobe in mind and ask yourself these three important questions: • Will it go with my existing wardrobe? (This will save you spending more money on completing the outfit.)

• Do I really like this? ( If you’re unsure, leave it – you can always go back later) • Will I wear it more than once? (If this is unlikely is it really worth buying it even if it is a bargain?)

Finally always have a browse through the sale section and always ask if they do student discount as you will save yourself a lot of money in the long run!

Also keep an eye out for special student shopping events or extra discount weeks.

Shopping is a bit like an essay, research and planning are key, this way you can have an amazing wardrobe and still afford rent and food!

Patch it up!

Emily- Claire Tucker shows us how to customise t-shirts

CHOKIN’ Fingerless gloves Looking like a hobo is not chic.

Jesus rings Surely just too far?

Misogynist Christmas adverts Sorry Asda, Mums don’t always do it all...

It’s been a long and cruel two months since Student Finance bestowed our loans upon us, and the majority of students are starting to fear checking their bank balance. It’s pretty widely acknowledged that the less money you have, the more you desperately need non-essential items, pretty clothes in particular. Below are the instructions needed to put a fancy patterned pocket onto a plain t-shirt, so save yourself some money and keep yourself off Facebook for an hour and give this a go.

You will need: a plain t-shirt, a piece of patterned fabric, at least six inches by six inches, needle and thread, scissors, pins, an iron, a pen that will come out in the wash (a Biro is perfect) 1. Give both the t-shirt and fabric for the pocket an iron; a smooth surface is so much easier to work with. If the fabric for the pocket is in a big piece, cut out a smaller piece, no smaller than six inches square, which will become the pocket on the t-shirt.

2. Very carefully draw out a pocket shape onto the patterned fabric, following the measurements in the diagram. Once this shape is outlined, draw another identical shape within the outline already drawn out, measuring half an inch inwards from all sides of the shape already drawn.

3. Cut the pocket out, cutting around the largest outline, rather than the inner outline. Once you have a rather large pocket shape, with the outline of a smaller one inside it, make a small cut on each corner of the shape, joining the outside line to the inside line.

4. Fold the pocket so that it is the size of the smaller outline, with the line of the larger outline tucked behind it. Iron the edges of the shape to keep the edges straight and flat, as well as easier to sew.

5. Sew the top edge of the pocket, joining the folded down side to the front of the pocket, it should start to look fairly pocket-like, which will be reassuring.

6. Carefully pin the pocket into a position you like on the t-shirt, take some time to do this, as a slightly wonky pocket can be very frustrating.

7. Sew down the sides and along the bottom of the pocket, making sure that you sew through both the front of the pocket and the folded under side, otherwise the pocket will unfold and go a funny blob shape the first time you wash it. The smaller your stitches are the longer the t-shirt will stay stitched together!

Once you have mastered the basic technique of making extra pockets, any fabric or item of clothing is at your disposal. Silk scarves like the one used in the t-shirt pictured, give a particularly nice effect, although are slightly fiddly to sew. Plain pockets on patterned t-shirts, or pockets on an Oxford shirt also look really good, and don’t forget that practice makes perfect, so don’t be too sad if your first attempt at this isn’t fit for the catwalk.

FASHION

20.11.2012 concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

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Charity Shop Challenge

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Model: Catty Incisa Stylist: Catty Incisa, Photographer: Chloe Hashemi, Location: Campus Grounds

We set one fashion writer the challenge of finding two charity shop outfits for £10...

10 Top Tips to Charity Shop Chic by Bex White 1. Look at the labels on the clothes What might seem an amazing top, could be one previously from Primark, which already worn isn’t going to last much longer. Look for brands and labels which were worth a bit more brand new so they last.

2. Don’t judge each item from first look It may look out of style, but think about it, maybe combined with something you already own it will look bang on trend.

3. Be creative It’s not like buying something brand new from a high street store; you won’t feel bad about cutting off those sleeves or sticking some gems onto that old shirt. The smallest bit of customising can give an item new life.

4. Don’t just go for the obvious shops We all know about Oxfam and British Heart Foundation, but try a local hospice one or a smaller

charity. Not only is it likely to be cheaper but you can know your money is making a big difference locally.

5. Take a friend This applies to any shopping but a friend’s advice can go a long way. What you believe to be a cool vintage top may in fact make you look 10 years older. Plus you can have great fun dressing up in ridiculous outfits.

6. Think fancy dress A lot of charity shops become second home to those once worn, sometimes brand new, Halloween costumes.

Instead of heading straight to Primark for a plain white T-shirt try looking in charity shops where your money will probably find you something much better quality.

7. Search through the racks It may seem obvious but take the time to really go through the rails. Just like high street sales the best items are often found at the back.

8. Don’t stop at the clothes Charity shops are just as good for shoes and jewellery.

The shoes are often barely worn (if they’re in a poor condition they don’t try and resell them) and as for jewellery, it’s often a minefield of unique items you could never find elsewhere.

9. Get to know the staff The staff will be more than happy to help you find something if you want something specific and if you get to know them well enough over several visits then they may start putting things aside they may think would be right for you.

10. Volunteer Volunteering for your local charity is both fantastic for your CV and your wardrobe, it also means that you’re more likely to find the bargains before they hit the shelves!

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MUSIC

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk 20.11.2012

live reviews

LUCY ROSE Arts Centre 11.11.12 George Hawes-Gatt In this extraordinary and rather peculiar venue, 300 people are lucky enough to witness a fantastic performance by an artist that seems to go from strength to strength. With support from the equally impressive London-based singersongwriter Pete Roe, the crowd knows they are in for a special night.

Lucy Rose emerges to a rapture of applause for what will be her last solo gig in Norwich this year. She begins with the song First, a slow acoustic ballad that gives the perfect vibe for the auditorium (contrary to the pre-show music played over the speakers). It is a wonderful way to introduce her set: just her and her acoustic guitar before being joined by the rest of the band towards the end of the song. The crowd watches on in admiration as she follows this by the ever popular singles Red Face and Lines, where ex-Razorlight guitarist Bjorn Agren comes to the fore on electric guitar.

Her vocals are simply outstanding, putting the audience into a trance-like state. Highlights include Scar and Middle of the Bed, that sandwich a new song; but despite having some tuning problems nothing is taken away from a spectacular performance. She shows a particular willingness to interact with the crowd, sharing some rather amusing anecdotes

MYSTERY JETS The Waterfront 9.11.12 Maddie Russell Mystery Jets are a cracking live band.

The Waterfront show doesn’t sell out.

But it doesn’t matter. The Radlands tour has seen Blaine Harrison et al travel the country, performing to crowds of dedicated fans.

The first support is Lily Rose Cooper (née Allen)’s new favourite, singersong writer Tom Odell. With his piano melodies and soft vocals, he is terribly

Callum Pawlett Howell

about how she was stuck in the graveyard outside the venue as the back door was locked, likening the experience to the hit 90s game show ‘The Crystal Maze’, whilst exchanging some light-hearted banter in between songs.

She has the whole crowd bobbing their

heads and screaming in unison towards the end of the set with Bikes, before coming back out to perform Don’t You Worry and Be Alright as an encore. It is a performance that oozes confidence and shows so much promise for the 23-yearold who seems to appeal to a variety of

people, whether it be mothers with their teenage daughters, university students or middle-aged couples.

If you ever have an opportunity to see this wonderful artist in concert, then do so, as the live experience adds so much more to what is a great debut album.

lovely, but not quite rock ‘n’ roll enough.

He’s not quite what you would expect for a support for Mystery Jets. After the initial gentle notes though, there is a raw quality to his voice which gives him a bit more of an edge; the 70s tones he’s channelling begin to really take shape.

Next up are Kettering-based Temples.

With their helmets of backcombed hair and painfully indie get-up, it’s rare to see a group of people who look so inescapably like a band. Thankfully they also sound like a band, and a pretty decent one. Temples sound very familiar; they are a Beatles-esque, Coral circa 2007 psychedelic nod to the summer of love.

Breaking out the twelve string guitar for their final song these boys clearly mean business (or just want to be George

Harrison).

Strangely, Mystery Jets seem to attract the sort of crowd who scream after (and sometimes during) every song. With an audience consisting of around 50% teenage girls, there is an awful lot of screaming.

The boys come out to Flakes and the reception is strong. The set is rich with big tracks, and it sounds as though everyone knows all the lyrics. Serotonin, Greatest Hits, Young Love follow in quick succession.

Mystery Jets have only been around since 2004, but have some truly cracking songs. The set just isn’t long enough for all the best ones but encompasses a lot of favourites, as well as a substantial chunk of 2012’s Radlands.

The cheeky cover of Paul McCartney and Wings’ Jet may go over the heads of some of the younger audience members as Blaine asks “does anyone like Wings?”

At least four people did. Others might have thought it was just a bit of a narcissistic chant.

The encore doesn’t disappoint. Our Blaine returns to stage to rhythmic tale Half In Love With Elizabeth before telling us we might know the lyrics to the next one, maybe we could sing the first verse for him? The room explodes into a Norwich’s finest rendition of Two Doors Down. The effect is heart-warming but its best that Blaine takes over again.

It’s all over too soon as the final chords of Alice Springs fade out. But it is fantastic while it lasts.

MUSIC

20.11.2012 concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

album reviews

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GREEN DAY ¡DOS!

Green Day’s ¡Dos! is the second instalment in their 2012 album triptych. Though the band have ditched the “Rock-opera” style that worked very well on American Idiot and not so well on 21st Century Breakdown, the album trilogy idea is still quite experimental; clearly the guys from California have no intention of ceasing to produce artistic album masterpieces.

Sadly, the music doesn’t quite live up to the band’s grand intentions.

The album opens with See You Tonight, a track pretty acoustic and harmonious for Green Day. In the tradition they established in American Idiot, See You Tonight erupts into the second track, Fuck Time. This epitomises everything you’d expect from the band: thrashing chords and Billie Joe’s nasal yells.

However, the psychotic laughter and the woman having too much of a good time

in the background camp things up to an unnecessary extent. Like all excellent bands that have been around the block, Green Day have become a poor man’s parody of themselves.

The song writing throughout ¡Dos! seems to lack inspiration. Whilst there is nothing technically wrong with Stop When The Red Light Flashes, Baby Eyes or Wild One, everything just seems a bit bland. The band is missing that vital, edgy, ‘your opinion of us is irrelevant’ vibe which defined their earlier work.

Lazybones seems to offer up a sprinkling of this, but perhaps only because it plays with the theme of stoner’s ennui so prevalent in Dookie.

Makeout Party contains just about enough of the Green Day energy which fans have come to love and expect.

However, the song’s title and many

references to “playing chicken” and “kissing you ‘til your lips are bleeding” seems like a cringe-worthy attempt to regain some lost, rebellious youth. Even their fans are too old for this.

The slower Nightlife goes relatively well until the introduction of Lady Cobra from US band, The Mystic Knights of the Cobra. Her seductive, purring rapping is really quite off-putting and confirms that hip hop is not Green Day’s forte.

Perhaps the best track on the album is Amy, slower and with a much appreciated greater depth of lyrics. Rumoured to be written about the late Amy Winehouse, the track features a tenderness reminiscent of Time Of Your Life.

All in all, the main fault of ¡Dos! lies in its mediocrity; after the success of American Idiot, the bar has been set pretty damn high.

CRYSTAL CASTLES III

to the mix, resulting in an aural melting pot of computer-based dystopia. When the Toronto synth-punks coupled this uniquely brutal sound with even more brutal live performances, the music industry wasn’t just interested, it was frothing at the mouth.

Whilst those early demos were a searing concoction of frenzied Gameboy glitches and visceral shrieks, III is a record where such concerted intensity takes a back seat.

Having already established their reputation for carnage, now it seems that the duo are out to showcase their skill in creating truly atmospheric electropop. Nowhere is this displayed more clearly than on Affection, where Glass’s angelic vocals are wreathed in euphoric, Chemical Brothers-esque synths.

Yes, there a certainly lows (Sad Eyes is more trashy Euro-disco than cutting edge EDM); but the duo’s penchant for innovation means that there are definitely a lot more highs. Pounding bass-groover Kerosene is intriguing in that it manages to be both soothing and invigorating, whilst the thrilling Insulin sounds more like a colossal battle in space between the war-machines of the future than anything a laptop should be able to produce. If Kath’s standing as one of electronic music’s foremost movers and shakers was ever in doubt, then this record surely puts this right.

Crystal Castles have never had a problem making harsh, sharp-edges electro - what they prove with III is that they can tone it down a notch as well.

AEROSMITH MUSIC FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION!

signature sounds.

Despite this, the album drifts away from the raucous energy of Tyler’s vocals on previous albums towards an almost half-hearted rehash of what Aerosmith is supposed to sound like, which is perhaps expected given the band’s tumultuous recent history littered with feuds and threatened breakups.

There are some stand-out songs on the album which are catchy and onpoint, whilst staying true to Tyler’s gravelly vocals and strong guitar riffs courtesy of Joe Perry. Out Go The Lights and Legendary Child are two nicely riff-overlapped examples, as well as the ‘90s-sounding bonus track Sunny Side of Love and the uplifting We All Fall Down and ballad What Could Have Been.

However, these are drowned out by a misguided approach later in the album, which veers into irrelevance and at worst mediocrity. At times the substance of the songs becomes muddled, with hollow echoes of past tracks or a lack of creative lyrics as in the lacklustre chorus on Lover A Lot. The absense of clear direction and conviction is apparent, with unexpected appearances from Johnny Depp on Freedom Fighter and Carrie Underwood on Can’t Stop Loving You. Although the songs sound better with each listen, this album would gel much better if scaled-down to a six-track EP. Fans should purchase carefully if they don’t want to endure the disappointment of listening to the wavering, unfulfilled potential of Music from Another Dinemsion!’s weaker tracks.

Melissa Taylor

Jack Enright

Crystal Castles broke out from obscurity back in 2005 off the back of some pretty vicious online releases. The term ‘vicious’ is not an exaggeration by the way – it would probably be fair to say that if computers could dream, then these tracks would be the sound of their nightmares.

Ethan Kath brought the raucous, 8-bit electro destruction whilst Alice Glass added her unsettling scream-vocals

Elizabeth Jackson

Aerosmith’s fifteenth studio album and first all-new release since 2001, Music from Another Dimension!, is a chocolatebox mix of strong classic rock tracks and latterly weaker forays.

Opening with the debauched LUV XXX and the chugging bass of Oh Yeah, fans would be forgiven for expecting the album to deliver a whole host of future classics and vignettes of the band’s

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MUSIC 20.11.2012

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Venue talks to Peter Hook

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13

In an exclusive interview, Hayden East chats to former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook ahead of his performance of the seminal Unknown Pleasures with The Light.

Peter Hook is nothing if not honest.

Ahead of his visit to Norwich, where he’ll be performing the landmark Joy Division record Unknown Pleasures in full – promised to be “a real balls out, rocky set” – the former Joy Division/New Order bassist talks openly about the experiences that inform his latest book, Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division – a refreshingly raw account of his life in one of post-punk’s most influential bands.

Of course, just like his book, Hook’s upcoming live shows with The Light are equally a celebration as much as a commemoration. Many consider New Order a singles band, whereas Joy Division’s limited output requires start-to-finish listens. Hook explains what makes playing a record such as Unknown Pleasures live in its entirety so rewarding: “it means you get to play some fantastic tracks that were a little bit overlooked back when the band was touring and so are still a bit overlooked today. For example, I love playing songs like Candidate or I Remember Nothing from Unknown Pleasures.”

There’s also a sense that this is a necessary move. He adds: “I feel it demands a lot of concentration not only from us lot in the band but also from the audience in a way. I like how people can lose themselves listening to the LP being performed live, even though they know what exact song is coming up next. It’s quite a powerful thing.”

Yet Hook’s foray into his musical back-catalogue never feels like your run-of-the-mill band reformation, or an opportunity to capitalise on his work’s uncompromising relevancy. Speaking on the origins of The Light, his touring band, he reveals that their first performance – also an Unknown Pleasures set – was originally a one-off gig “to celebrate Ian [Curtis]’s life after 30 years in aid of the Keith Bennett appeal and the ‘Mind the Mental Health’ charity’”.

This sparked worldwide interest, sending the band to Australia, Brazil, Mexico and Japan.

To

However, Hook openly admits that “there was quite a backlash to this decision, mainly from people on the internet, and it did put me off playing in the UK.” Now, revitalised by new management, their recent UK shows in May and June proved that there was still a demand.

It’s unsurprising that such a demand still exists. Although Joy Division were only together for a short period of time, fans have retained a strong relationship with the songs. “I think it’s a real compliment to the musicianship of Ian, Barney, Steve and I, and to the chemistry we had together at the time.” Indeed, there’s often a Romanticism attached to the late 70s/early 80s post-punk movement, particularly in Manchester. Hook asserts that it’s down to such pivotal characters as manager Rob Gretton, Tony Wilson, Martin Hannett, and Peter Saville: “It’s amazing to think that all those different yet strong and creative characters all met and helped to forge the scene”.

“Ian really was a normal, down to earth, lovely guy ... the fact that he has been immortalised could be seen as a good thing.”

When asked whether such Romanticism is alive in today’s musical climate, he responds: “Times have definitely changed a lot since then. I really do think it is extremely different now for young bands than it was for us back then, partly because the wider music scene has become so saturated with more and more X-Factor crap. You really do have to just stick at it and believe in yourself ”.

read the full interview with Peter Hook,

go online to www.concrete-online.co.uk/ peter-hook

Indeed, Hook and his old band members experienced this firsthand.

Rather candidly, Hook reveals that “[Joy Division] were actually only professional for around six months – if you can call professional being paid seven quid a week!” This candidness is echoed throughout his book, reinvigorating the long-told story of Joy Division. Recent years have seen an influx of biographical work out on the band – a documentary, the biopic Control, and Deborah Curtis’ biography Touching From A Distance to name a few – though Hook’s own perspective supposes that there is more to the story to be told.

Elaborating on the process, he explained: “it felt like the right time to release the book as I had been involving myself in everything to do with Joy Division again after years of mostly ignoring it all when [I was] in New Order. I released the Hacienda book in 2009 [The Hacienda: How Not To Run A Club], and I was surprised at how well it did really. So I have to say I was spurred on by the success of that as well.”

In the book Hook expresses his initial dislike of Unknown Pleasures, so it’s interesting to track his perspective on the record as time has progressed. “When Barney and I first heard Unknown Pleasures and heard the sound that our producer Martin Hannett had given us, it’s true that we really were not happy” he affirms.

“We wanted it to sound like The Sex Pistols or The Clash – really loud and brash and in your face – and obviously the record doesn’t sound like that, thank God! Looking back, I realise just how wrong we were and I really appreciate the work that Martin did … what he gave us with that sound was like a gift, in that the album would still sound great over 30 years on from its release. He was a genius.”

Speaking on his approach to such classic songs after changes to performing partners and a developed audience, he says: “I am conscious of the fact that the overwhelming majority of people at the gigs have not seen Joy Division live, and so because they only have the records to go by, me and the lads do try to stay faithful to the records, right down to the little noises and nuances such as the sound of the lift at Strawberry Studios at the start of Insight. Over

time the lads in the band have become a real tight unit and they are making the songs sound great to my ear.”

Perhaps what’s most interesting about Hook’s latest book is his presentation of late band mate Ian Curtis, whose life is often attached with mystery and stereotypes of the tortured artist. Hook argues that this wasn’t necessarily the case. “He was always there to pick us up, he was always the one who would grab you by the scruff of the neck and say ‘come on, we can do it!’”

“At the end of the day it’s just three fat old blokes arguing like kids, but I’m not going to stand by and let them get away with how they acted.”

Would Ian have felt comfortable with the way he’s been immortalised today? “That’s a tough question”, he says, “and one to which we will never really know the answer. Ian really was a normal, down to earth, lovely guy. However, he had so much going on in his life at such a young age – a marriage, a child, a mistress, an illness, a rock group – that it was extremely difficult for him. In a way the fact that he has been immortalised could be seen as a good thing because it means he will live on forever, not only through his words and music but in the hearts of new generations of people, which is a wonderful thought.”

However, the ongoing legal disputes between Peter and his New Order bandmates run the risk of eclipsing the Romanticism that makes Ian Curtis and his legacy such an enigma. Does the release of the long-awaited

Lost Sirens outtakes album hint at any form of reconciliation? Not likely, as Hook explains: “It should have been released ages ago, and finally it looks like people can hear it and we can close that chapter.”

Quick to dispel the abundance of rumours surfacing around New Order’s intense breakdown, he adds: “I’ve seen a lot of people saying that the delay in getting it out was down to me … but this could not be further from the truth. The delay was due to the record company taking ages with the business side at their end. But no, despite of this, there is absolutely no sign of a reconciliation between us.”

He goes on to say: “if anything, it is further away than it has ever been. We are locked in a legal dispute as – contrary to what people might think – I am not trying to stop them playing...I am taking issue with the way they handled the business side of their alleged ‘ re f o r m a t i o n’ .

To be honest, I think the slanging match

is getting a bit ridiculous now, but it shows no sign of ending. Just look at Barney’s recent interview where he accuses

me of ‘opening the gates to hell’ or something to that effect. At the end of the day it’s just three fat old blokes arguing like kids, but I’m not going to stand by and let them get away with

how they acted in terms of “getting New Order back”, as in my view it was disgusting.”

Despite this, Hook acknowledges that playing in Joy Division “is a feeling that I never again managed to capture again”. Nonetheless, both Hook’s book and shows demonstrate a passion that reflects his status as one of the most innovative bassists of all time. Indeed, like Joy Division before, Peter Hook and The Light are taking charge of these memories, trying to recreate the feeling he describes as “a car that all four of us were pushing in the same direction”.

Peter Hook and The Light will be playing Unknown Pleasures in full at The Waterfront on November 21st.

His new book, Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division is out now.

14 Dean Tucker

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TELEVISION concrete.television@uea.ac.uk 20.10.2012

DON’T PANIC

this week venue looks at why DAD’S ARMY is still such a sitcom classic

Last week saw the sad news that comedy actor Clive Dunn had passed away at the grand age of 92 - an all round funny man with even a Christmas number one under his belt, but he was most well known as the man who played Lance-Corporal Jones in the classic BBC sitcom Dad’s Army. The show ran from 1968 to 1977 and became so popular that it even spawned a film in

1971, and is still regularly hailed as one of the best sitcoms of all time.

Set during World War Two, the show followed the exploits of the WalmingtonOn-Sea home guard tasked with protecting the country from German invasion. They were a group of loveable, bumbling but ultimately courageous old men lead by the pompous Captain

Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) with the assistance of the gentle Sergeant Wilson (John Le Mesurier). Characters included mummy’s boy Pike (Ian Lavender), the youngest of the platoon normally at the end of Mainwaring’s “You Stupid Boy” catchphrase; Frazer (John Laurie) famed for shouting “We’re all doomed!” when things went wrong (every episode); Godfrey (Arnold Ridley) who would ask to be excused at the most inappropriate moments; Walker (James Beck), also a young member of the platoon, who would wheel and deal to get what he wants. Last but not least there was Jones, more often than not at the forefront of the show’s slapstick moments, always enthusiastically shouting “Don’t panic!” whenever things got out of hand.

Although Jones was one of the eldest of the platoon, Dunn was only 48 when he first played him. It is a credit to writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft that they created not one but an ensemble of memorable characters.

The series was aware of its setting, most episodes would feature the platoon training and preparing for a German invasion, often with hilarious

consequences. In a few episodes they would come face to face with the enemy, the most famous being “The Deadly Attachment” where they are tasked with holding a German U-Boat crew and ordering them fish and chips. Some episodes could be quite poignant, one seeing Jones, Frazer and Mainwaring facing the situation of stopping a German invasion, Mainwaring saying “Probably will be the end of us, but we’re ready for that aren’t we men?” with the others simply saying “Yes sir”.

Dad’s Army is a sitcom whose roots in the no-swearing, inoffensive era of British Comedy mean that the verbal and visual humour continues to be enjoyed by the whole family to this day. Despite ending 35 years ago it is still repeated Saturday nights on BBC Two. It is a tribute to Clive Dunn, the other superb actors and the wonderful writers that, unlike many other comedies, Dad’s Army’s legacy will undoubtedly live on for many years to come. So, if you’re bored with The X Factor this Saturday, why not switch over and enjoy a good comedy treat from the old days, you won’t be disappointed.

DARA O BRIAIN’S SCIENCE CLUB

HESTON’S FANTASTICAL FOOD

Did you know that 50% of our DNA is identical to that of a banana? Or that exercise can actually change your genes?

They’re probably topics that your biology teacher droned on about at school while you were busy passing notes to your mates and texting under the table. However, comedian Dara O Briain has now joined the ranks of Brian Cox and David Attenborough to give you a science show that you’ll actually want to pay attention to.

Don’t be under the illusion, though, that just because O Briain is a comedian that Science Club can’t deal with hard hitting topics too. Indeed, one of the more interesting segments explored how successful the Human Genome Project – an attempt to document the entire genetic material of humans – really was, and how the scientists involved essentially conned

Heston is back with his usual crazy plans to reintroduce the magic and wonder to food, all done through channelling Willy Wonka and childhood regression.

Episode one focused on the most important meal of the day: breakfast. He was working towards his aim of setting up a breakfast train, a la orient express, where commuters would sit and eat their breakfast on the way to work and perhaps interact with each other. (Commuters interacting?!

Yes you did read that right!)

On the menu was the world’s largest egg and soldiers, containing no egg... Giant shredded wheat packed full of the tastes (and sounds) of our favourite childhood cereals, and finally the good ol’ British fry up, though nothing was as it seemed.

Sounds exciting, no? Unfortunately you’re left feeling more than a little underwhelmed and the slow paced nature

Romy Higgins

politicians into paying for the whole thing.

Science Club does seem to have the potential to become one of the most popular factual shows on TV, with interesting and memorable pieces that are dumbed down just enough that we can understand the ideas and impress our mates with the trivia afterwards. One word of caution, though: it shouldn’t try to be too cool. With the set looking like a trendy New York loft and frequent jokes to counteract the actual science, there is a risk that this show could become too much of a comedy and drive away the audience that actually wants to be informed.

If it carries on the way it started, though, they’re on to a winner.The show airs Tuesday’s at 9pm on BBC Two or catch up on iPlayer.

Shelley Hazlewood

of the show makes it drag. In that respect perhaps, Heston’s Fantastical Food was up to standard of the usual Channel Four documentary. Same boring format, just a slightly different topic.

There were a few wow moments and even a few laughs, but they were too few and far between to make much difference.

Most of the episode was spent walking the viewer through the science and psychology of his breakfast concept. There were insights into Heston’s mind and exploration of the psychology behind certain smells and sounds.

This is certainly not a show where you will gain cookery skills or be able to try out the recipes. If, however, you love the science behind food combined with the craziness of Willy Wonka this will be right up your street! Tune in Tuesday’s at 9pm or catch up on 4oD now.

TELEVISION 20.11.2012 concrete.television@uea.ac.uk

Jack Parker After the two opening episodes of Harry & Paul Series 4, the amazing Harry Enfield and ex-UEA boy Paul Whitehouse were perhaps deserving of an unusually cutting critique of their BAFTA award winning sketch show. That was before the third episode. The pair makes a true return to previous form with characters returning such as “Jonny et Bing”; their parody of European comedians, and “Charles and Sheridan”, the fantastically wordy and highly busy upper class surgeons.

True, the opening two episodes were missing a lot of the duo’s trademark comedy value. They seemed to have roughly three characters solely dependent on Whitehouse’s ability to be completely indecipherable, which although amusing, was feeling somewhat repetitive. Also, another pair of new, awful characters revolving around two 1950s busy-body working class women struggled to keep the audience wanting to even watch the show, let alone laugh.

Smuggled within the abysmal displays from these weeks was some stellar material such as excellent parodies of The Killing, and

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HARRY & PAUL series return Curb Your Enthusiasm. Unfortunately, these were not enough to save the entire episode.

Also, reoccurring characters such as “I Saw You Coming” and “Parking Patewayo” feel as if the comedy duo are slowly running out of ideas, and are exhausting what they know the audience love. Their idea of having minor royals who don’t understand “common” life is also just about bearable. A nice idea, and in keeping with their poking fun at stereotypes and ridiculing social norms, yet it feels lacking in development; and perhaps even just an exposition of a personal hatred.

Episode three shows a true turn around however, from an excellent mocking of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and two famous portrayals of George Smiley, to the “When Life Was Simpler” sketches, which show a man asking a stranger to marry him, and because it is “When Life Was Simpler”, she agrees whole-heartedly. There’s even a wonderfully pleasant re-appearance of Charlie Higson, a former UEA graduate, as Bunny in the “Are They a Queer?” sketches, where two old boys document which celebrities they believe to be “a queer”.

Obviously, being the third episode, Harry and Paul have massive scope to bring this sketch show back up to their BAFTA standard, and hopefully, secure the shows future in an increasingly unpredictable

15 environment for the sketch show, and TV comedy in general. All previous episodes are available on iPlayer, and the remaining few will be screened on BBC 2, every Sunday at 10pm.

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CREATIVE WRITING

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concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk 20.11.2012

themed submissions

awareness Poetry

Images in Time

Daybreak

Remnants

Under the remnants of the sunshine, The tussock in colours of black and yellow Was veiling the authentic pseudo-words.

A sorcerer sat crossed-legged on a cattail hassock And reckoned my life on his fingers As if a vulture pecked at skin and flesh That was torn and gaped open gradually.

Those adherents who were obedient to that wizard Spread out pairs of damp and icy hands As the worms converting to the Lord.

Taking a magic mirror, the wolves’ fangs And the foxes’ fawning smiles Merged to form the intoxications in mind.

As the clouds descended, I watched you greedily swallow up the darkness, consuming the shadows, picking the twilight from your teeth.

You spat out the bones and I tumbled, life a blazing to the end of the sky line and smiled as I cheekily peeped over the edge and glared at your consuming beckoning eye.

I know I should be putting you away, away into an attic lost with time, and lose the visions I still have: each day appeased by cryptic smiles and bells that chime when you should fondly tell me you are mine.

And with your pen shall illustrate my hopes that dribble from my words into each lineour happiness in curls and twirls and slopes that gleam and dream in tinted rhyme and art, because I know I should put you aside then box my wishful thoughts, and box my heart that never to you nor to me confide.

So while I’ll never know what’s truth or play, I know I should be putting you away.

By Chen Shun Xuan

The bronze mirror with carved patterns Of water chestnut flowers Was broadcasting the eccentricities and languors Of a vagabond’s posture and attitude.

He raised head and leant on the mast Of a leaf boat obliquely, While the bewailing and tenderness of the moon As a wheel made of ice glided opposite.

Those benighted “Saprophytic insects” Swallowed the spell on that robe’s neck readily.

After enduring their fill of being soaked in humiliation, The briskness and elegance between frames in sequence Emitted the indistinct sighs of the wanderer.

Those turbid creatures regarded having a dig At the alleged that pariah’s despair Before the dawn of the next day As diversions like releasing lust, Ridiculing the extravagant man who dallied limited time For verdant massif and graceful rivers, Extended the originally set intervals In the transmigration of universal human arbitrarily And hesitated over his orientation Without steering the rudder.

Witchcrafts will not betray The undeniable underground concealment Of the other mirror.

You might as well ascend to heaven And become an immortal with an insane and unrestrained state From precipitous ridges As spend money to purchase the fake impressions And be given a spirit tablet for the deceased As an extra present.

Flies were striking recklessly; Bees had to gather nectar mechanically.

How could they bathe themselves In that traveller’s inner brightness?

By Nicole Harmer

Aware

By Mia Jones

I wonder if she’s aware of me, Completely in her vision, Waving my hands in front of her big blue eyes As she watches intently, imitating, laughing.

By Rachael Lum

Dawn

By Marguerite Christine

I wonder if she’s aware of my significance, Mother, Guardian, Protector.

No one else she needs more than I, To help her survive through summer and winter.

Her lips lingering millimeters from yours, Aching to close the gap.

Her breath tickling your chin so timidly, Waiting to be snatched away.

Her eyes burning, dilated, seeing more of you Than you willingly expose.

Tension.

I wonder if she’s aware of her family, With their constant ogling, cooing and aww-ing.

As sometimes she smiles, but sometimes she cries Ambivalent towards their affection.

You pull her in, pull her close, hold her there.

Every inch of you is touching, Tingling.

Anticipating.

I wonder if she’s aware of her father, His absence, constant neglect and without remorse.

I wonder if her tears appear because she knows what he’s doing, And it hurts her too much to bear.

And so together you understand that love Is a true possibility.

If not for now, not for this her and him, Then for later, another.

Aware.

I wonder if she’s aware of my struggles, My worries, debts and arguments.

Can she process the reasoning for the wet on my face, Just like the one I often see on hers?

I wonder if she’s aware of our fights, When she’s alone in her cot late at night.

Is she able to hear the growls, slaps and screams, And understand where this is all going?

I wonder if she’s aware of her future, As I am praying it won’t come.

Will she fall in love? Not make the mistakes that I have?

Well my clean slate, please stay clean for me forever.

Next Issue

We are looking for work on the theme of

‘Winter’

Please submit all writing by Tuesday 27th November

CREATIVE WRITING

20.11.2012 concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

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themed submissions

awareness Flash Fiction

Back There

By Thomas High

You find it strange how the roads around here always seem to be deserted. Here you are, not a ten minute walk away from the centre of town and yet not another soul has passed you by since you turned onto this street. You pull your jacket close to your body and sniff: you realise your nose is numb with cold and walk faster, looking up at the featureless night sky. It is going to rain soon.

The wait for the next bus is half an hour and you’re too cheap to pay for a taxi. You bet yourself you can walk it. The buildings around here are old, older than your great grandmother. They have wooden beams and rickety single pane windows, huge heavy doors and all the lights are off. Who lives in houses like these?

Somebody shouts in the distance. Part of the night life and no concern of yours. You persevere into the night and expect the rest of your walk to be a silent one. And then you hear another voice. A whisper.

You weren’t able to catch what was said, but somebody definitely said it. There is a reply. Barely audible and completely illegible, but a voice speaking in language nevertheless. One would usually dismiss the voices and keep walking, if they weren’t speaking here where the nights are always silent and lonely. Curiosity grabs you, and you stop, turning in the direction of the voices.

Then, the voices stop too. They know you were listening.

The conversation came from behind an old wooden gate.

It’s about your height, and there’s a handle outside and no lock, so if you wanted to you could push it open and go inside. There aren’t any holes through which either side could see onto the other. It is, however, still a gate: one which you can assume must only open from the inside. It is built right into a wall which separates two lifeless houses, whatever is on the other side must only be accessible from one or both of those. The wood is black with grit and ash, twisted and knotted, and hints of green moss decorate its frame. The gate does not look as if it has been used for a very, very long time.

No other sound comes from behind the old gate. And you do not move from where you are standing. Perhaps your subconscious did pick up on the nature of the conversation back there. Maybe even just one word. But you feel compelled to walk away. You do not look back, and when you are finally at the end of the street, the conversation may strike up again.

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GAMING

20.11.2012 concrete.gaming@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Review: Halo 4

@Concrete_Gaming

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Jake Strong Jones

343 Industries has quite a name to live up to. A brand new studio built

by Microsoft in order to develop the newest instalment of the Halo franchise; they introduce new characters and

races, re-imagining Bungie’s vision and expanding their universe in the process.

Working closely with sci-fi author Greg Bear, 343 continue the themes and ideas of the original trilogy while embarking on their own ‘Reclaimer’ trilogy. Their reverence for the Halo universe is visible throughout the campaign, a graphically rich world that responds to the player beautifully.

Jumping across vast swathes of space, the scope of the new trilogy is wide from the outset but 343 also succeed in exploring the intimate relationship between Cortana and Master Chief.

No space opera is complete without its score, and the soundtrack for this game is no let down. Featuring nods to earlier games, the music was recorded at Abbey Road studios and compliments the atmosphere in-game, helping players lose themselves among the awe inspiring spires, mechanical and organic vistas they pass.

One notable absence is the firefight mode, in which players make a stand against endless hordes of enemies.

This has been a staple of the later Halo

games and will be sorely missed. It has been replaced by spartan ops, a free ongoing series of video shorts and coop missions. So far the episodes have been varied and enjoyable but they lack the infinite replayability of firefight.

The Halo 4 campaign revolves around a hollow alien planet called Requiem, introducing imaginative new enemies and an inspiring storyline, pulled off thanks to its emotive characters and the snappy dialogue. Though occasionally hammy, the campaign is engaging and, complimented by the landscapes, each one artistry in motion. Every frame is beautiful in itself and the environments suggests an enormous scale, well beyond what the game already shows you. That isn’t to say that the path is a short one; in fact, this may be the broadest and boldest Halo game to date.

Online there are a few notable differences. The personalised load-outs allow players to customise their starting weapons and abilities. This addition results in greater variation between players who adapt to suit their own play styles, and adapt further for each

map the games are played in. There is always concern that some abilities will be unbalanced but it seems that no abilities are over powered enough to become ubiquitously chosen.

The ability of every player to sprint has also had a pronounced impact: speeding up matches as players dash straight to the action but also allowing players to overreach, rushing headlong into combat and giving the other team free points. There is also the addition of score-streak rewards, allowing for players to further vary their approach by calling in new weapons and armour abilities on the go. All in all, this is a faster, more responsive and more customisable multiplayer experience than any previous Halo game.

343 have really pulled it off, and though they have abandoned some staples of previous titles, they have added to every aspect they kept and developed many that were lacking before. Halo hasn’t been this exciting since its debut and it’s exciting to think where this new trilogy will go from here.

Review: Assassin’s Creed 3 Harry Frost

America. Land of the free, the home of the brave and now home to the assassins.

Set during a faithfully rendered depiction of the civil war, players control Connor,

a young assassin bent on stopping the destruction of his Native American tribe and in doing so putting an end to a fair few Templars. Over in the 21st century series protagonist Desmond is warned that the end is nigh and that Connor’s memories hold the key to preventing the apocalypse. Once more unto the past then, in an attempt to find another piece of Eden and hopefully to prevent the destruction of the world.

With a heavy narrative focus the game’s opening is unexpectedly linear, a controlled space utilised by the developers to demonstrate their vastly improved facial animation and overall graphical fidelity. It might take up to four hours before players experience the complete freedom they’ve come to expect from the series but the groundwork laid in the opening hours pays its dividends later on in the story.

The gameplay follows a similar pattern to its predecessor seamlessly mixing stealth, parkour and fluid combat. Of course there have been a few notable updates to this system. It’s no longer possible to counter your way through

waves of enemies; they’re more aggressive, smarter and deadly. The introduction of basic firearms also complicates combat systems, keeping Connor on his toes.

Overall new combat systems require players to think tactically but this makes victory much more rewarding as well as making battles more intense.

The parkour system has also been adapted to suit the new forest environment, allowing you to scale mountains and leap smoothly across the tree tops. Still there are points where game leave you stuck between a rock and a hard place but it’s a substantial improvement on previous entries. The system works exceptionally well in city spaces and running across rooftops and through the streets is a joy.

There have been some intelligent additions to the stealth systems as well. Connor contextually reacts to his environment, creeping through tall grass and subtly assassinating people from around corners. These improvements make Connor feel more like a master of assassination and less like clumsy thug.

Another major addition is naval

combat, which proves to be a lot of fun with spectacular and methodical battles.

The ships are relatively easy to control but paying attention to wind direction is crucial. Splintering hulls, flaming sails and collapsing masts give a sense of real danger when two galleons go toe to toe.

Co-op also makes its series debut in the form of wolf pack mode. It’s a race against time to kill a wave of enemies.

Players are then given more time and more targets. It’s good fun but with the time limit encouraging reckless abandon rather than elegant murder, it fails to capture the essence of the series. The usual array of multiplayer modes also return, providing some more entertainment once you have exhausted the single player.

There are a few glitches in the game, particularly when riding your horse but on the whole this is an enthralling and enjoyable adventure. With iconic characters such as George Washington and Charles Lee, Assassin’s Creed III provides a morally ambiguous story and gameplay that will encapsulate the player and keep them hooked for a long time.

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@concrete_arts

www.concrete-online.co.uk

ARTS

concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk 20.11.2012

REVIEW: THOMAS HOUSEAGO AT THE SCVA

Polly Lyall Grant Artist Joeseph Plaskett once said that Cubism was striving to present aspects of the form outside of the entirety of the form. Houseago has been likened to the Cubists and it is hard not to apply this principle when presented with his sculptures. “Where the Wild Things Are” certainly demonstrates this; each sculpture seems to act out motion whilst staying grounded. Each possesses a bold structure, geometric lines and overpowering bulk.

Upon entering the main doors at the Sainsbury Centre, looming over the viewer stands the most impressive of Houseago’s sculptures, “Lumpy Figure.”

With its large ovular head, and bronze structure formed to look like crevices which mimic armour, the sculpture seems to move toward the viewer like it is part of an army. With its hand positioned behind its back, it appears in its stance to be protesting back out

of the gallery space.

Other works can be found at one end of the café, grouped together to devise meaning; all represent abstracted bodies. A plaster sculpture shows a section of the body which has moulded breasts, rolls of sculpted skin, highly formed legs and feet covered with jute to look like bandage. Its head is missing and the plaster forms an empty hole where it would be.

One could take the view that the pieces look unfinished. “Astronaut I”, for example, is made from a mixture of materials. Its head is made from cardboard, its torso bare and lined with pencil create a body collage.

The abstract pieces all seem to work together to suggest the body is an unfinished entity. It is the mixture of raw materials from hemp to iron which make them complete. The sculptures flow into the garden at the back of the

Sainsbury Centre where they stand at a distance from one another and allow the viewer to look at them as separate forms. This landscape suits the sculptures best, due to the “wild” in the exhibition title. Houseago clearly takes inspiration from many of the artists featured in the permanent collection here. There is something powerfully grotesque in Houseago’s works, similar to that of Francis Bacon’s paintings of human torture. Giacometti’s post war “Standing Woman” with her moulded features in an audacious stance is also a comparison. The face shapes which Houseago creates can be likened to the style of Picasso’s female faces and his “Moon Mask” certainly mimics the style of African figures. If the sculptures were smaller in size, they would definitely not be seen amiss the world art collection.

But for now, each sculpture boldly stands alone.

Rhian Poole

REVIEW: THE CRUCIBLE

UEA Drama Society Holly Wade

Elizabeth Margereson

Talk on campus this week has been centred around UEA Drama Soc’s production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, staged in the UEA Drama Studio. The Studio foyer was full to the brim on opening night, everyone eagerly anticipating what was in store.

It seems highly appropriate that the play happens to be staged amid the real life controversy of situations David Cameron has been describing as a “witch-hunt”. Of course, the word

gained popularity from its references in The Crucible.

The set can only be described as intimidating; walking into the room it was bare save for a small cauldron in the middle of the stage. The stark white of the studio added a haunting edge to the atmosphere.

The play, as expected, was extremely intense for its entirety, giving the audience no room for escape. The storyline is rather harrowing; based

around the real life events of the Salem witch trials in which a group of young girls under “pretence” make claims that women in their villages are witches that associate with the devil.

Abigail Williams was played by Bethany Down, with just the right ounce of evil instigation, and John Proctor’s brooding silence made his violent and aggressive outbursts all the more felt, as he tried to make the Court understand the lies of the unstable

young girl he had once had an affair with. Luckily, Jamie Heath’s Giles Corey was a source of comic relief for the audience, breaking the intensity up nicely.

Overall, the Drama Soc production was very enjoyable and following the comedy of The Taming of the Shrew it certainly continued their high success rate. Director Cameron Tucker, and indeed the entire cast, can be extremely proud of themselves.

ARTS

20.11.2012 concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

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@concrete_arts

INTERVIEW: Amy Cornwell talks to the directors of UEA’s third year drama production Jane Eyre The University of East Anglia’s third year Drama students are proud to present a unique two-part adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre this December.

Reinventing the traditional “period drama”, this large ensemble cast brings together original music, dance and a brand new script to produce a chillingly dark adaptation of the classic tale. Each volume – although half of a whole – stands apart to show different aspects of Jane’s journey; creating two new plays, unmissable whether viewed together or alone.

for the students, something they remember as more than just a play.

What should the audience expect from this interpretation of Jane Eyre?

S: We wanted the challenge of using the ensemble between two shows, rather than having a separation. Instead of the play just being an experience for the audience, we wanted it to be one for the company as well; something they could take away and remember for a long time.

Venue: What inspired you to put on Jane Eyre?

H: July! Nerves come and go like a rollercoaster. There’s been a lot of prep as there are a lot of different needs; for example the emotional needs of the students. This is the only assisted show during the drama degree programme where there is any reasonable display to the public of what we are really about.

H: We want people to be on the edge of their seats. We have tried to create an experimential play, where the audience enter Jane’s world, where they feel her fear and her sadness. We wanted to create and enter world of that period without it becoming traditional, romanticised or sentimental by bringing back the harsh reality, a far cry from the contained adaptations of BBC. The novel was considered so controversial at the time, we wanted to ask how to instil the same shock in a society that is now desensitised to the harsh reality Jane would have had to face.

Sophie Vaughn: We wanted to do something vast that would take on the whole of the year.

Holly Maples: I was really keen with the idea of verbatim theatre working from a novel; I’d recently seen Gatz by Elevator Repair Service and realised the richness of experience in terms of research and getting into the role of the novel. This way we could make it ours instead of just taking a play which had already been done a thousand times before. Third year production is special; it should be a journey

When do the nerves set in in the run up to the production?

S: It’s sometimes felt like we’re free falling, and it will feel like that again; if there is a bad rehearsal or bad run, then the doubt kicks in again. But that always happens.

H: Nerves are a good thing – if we didn’t care, it wouldn’t be good!

After 24 years in London, Bill Kenwright’s adaption of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is making one final round around England, and last week it graced little Norwich. For those unfamiliar with the longest running musical in the West End’s history, Blood Brothers has basically two morals. Firstly, don’t sell your kid, secondly, don’t, by any means, be poor.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Johnstone, played

by X-factor finalist Niki Evans, has gotten pregnant with twins and the father has run away. She is too poor to resist the rich, slightly evil and baby-greedy Mrs. Lyons, who buys Edward (Matthew Collyer) from her. What follows is a story line that’s black and white. The story is told comically, beautifully and tragically.

The narrator of the story, played by Wet Wet Wet frontman and music legend Marti Pellow, creeps around throughout, looking like a cool, hip stalker. He foreshadows death all the while, singing, “Now y’know the devil’s got your number/Y’know he’s

gonna find you/Y’know he’s right behind you!” Edward and his brother can’t seem to stay away from each other and eventually form a friendship as doomed as Romeo and Juliet’s love life. In this fast paced, don’tblink musical, childhood friend Linda (Olivia Sloyan) emerges from her 7-yearold self into the picturesque long-legged, short-skirt wearing heart throb. And when both brothers fall in love with her, it’s pretty much over.

Soon the musical’s end returns right where it began: dead bodies on the ground.

Somehow, the audience is still surprised, so shocked that the audience actually burst into nervous, shocked giggles before going full-on sniffling. As if to mend their hearts, the cast concludes the play with Tell Me It’s Not True, singing “Say it’s just a scene...From an old movie of years ago...

From an old movie of Marilyn Monroe!”

And it plays out like a movie. But the cast are so emotionally invested, and play the characters so well, that it is easy to forget.

The show will run from the 4th-8th December. Follow the journey of its creation from page to stage at the website www.janeeyreproduction.com, follow the production on Twitter @JaneEyreProd or like on Facebook at facebook.com/ JaneEyreProduction.

S: Yes – you hit the ground running and you can never stop. When you’re coming from a novel you are given so much of the inner life of the characters.

REVIEW : BLOOD BROTHERS AT THEATRE ROYAL Holly McDede

you have to strip it back so it’s not too much for the audience but you still get to keep the quality of the novel.

Jane Eyre is a difficult text to perform, especially due to its length; do you enjoy the challenge?

H: In plays I love finding the sub text and the inner thoughts of people. With the novel it’s given to you already and you have so much richness to pull from. Obviously

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Issy Witcomb

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COMPETITIONS

www.concrete-online.co.uk

concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk 20.11.2012 1

2

across

2. Arthur Miller play, The -------- (8) 4. Capital of Australia (8) 7. Symbol of Amnesty International (6) 8. Plated mammal (9) 9. General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (2,7) 12. World’s tallest trees (8) 15. Country with the world’s poorest president (7) 16. UK Energy Secretary (surname) (5) 17. Cards used to read the future (5)

3 4

5

6 7

8 9

down

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1. David’s sculptor (12) 3. Birmingham shopping centre (8) 5. Once promoted for its health benefits, now discouraged (7) 6. Creature that produces milk (6) 10. Island to the south of India (3,5) 11. To drink noisily (5) 13. Hindu Festival of Lights (6) 14. Drink - Can be black, green, white or fruity (3)

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THE VENUE COMPETITION

WIN A BLUETOOTH/FM TRANSMITTER WITH THE

The RAC, the car breakdown cover specialists, have kindly provided us with a Bluetooth/ FM transmitter, worth £39.99, so you can enjoy music from your iPhone, iPod Touch, Samsung Galaxy S or other bluetooth enabled phone playing through your car stereo.

HOW TO WIN Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Before Monday 3rd December, we will post/tweet the codeword BREAKDOWN and the first student to LIKE or RE-TWEET and reply “RECOVER” will win this device.

/concretenewspaper Concrete_UEA

The RAC are online at: www.rac.co.uk @RAC_breakdown

LISTINGS

20.11.2012 concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

20 November - 3 December

Tuesday 20 November Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls Price £18 Advance 6.30pm UEA LCR Silent Disco feat VJs Price £3.50 10pm-1.30am UEA LCR Sonic Boom Six @ The Waterfront Studio Price £8 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront

Wednesday 21 November Adam Ant & The Good, The Mad and The Lovely Posse Price £25 Advance 7.30pm UEA LCR Peter Hook and The Light perform “Unknown Pleasures” - A Joy Division Celebration Price £20 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront

Thursday 22 November Royal Republic + Kopek @ The Waterfront Studio Price £7.50 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront

Crystal Castles Price £16 Advance 7.30pm UEA LCR

Friday 23 November

It’s All About The Kids presented by Norwich Scooter Collective Price £10 Advance 8pm The Waterfront

Saturday 24 November Buckcherry Price £15 Advance 6.30pm The Waterfront Meltdown + Wraith Price £4.50/£3.50 NUS Sold on Door 10pm The Waterfront Leather Face, Southport and Vanilla Pod Price £8 7pm The Marquee

Sunday 25 November The Doors Alive Price £12/£10 NUS Advance 7pm The Waterfront TRC w/Polar @ The Waterfront Studio Price £7 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront

The Business, Ziplock, Hotwired Price £10 7pm The Marquee Monday 26 November Alabama 3 w/Jar Family Price £18 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront

Tuesday 27 November Radio 1’s Greg James Price £3.50 Advance 10pm UEA LCR

Wednesday 28 November The Blockheads - 35th Anniversary Tour w/Jack Pout and The Dirt Level Price £17.50 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront Adam Moss + DJBB + DJ Lewis Player + Bill Downs - Fundraiser for VSO Price £5 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront Thursday 29 November Whole Lotta Led Price £11/£9.50 NUS Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront

Friday 30 November The Damned w/ The Dickies Price £18 Advance 7.30pm UEA LCR Color £9/£8 NUS Advance 10pm The Waterfront

Photo: Holly Maunders

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Saturday 1 December The Idiot Bastard Band (Feat. Ade Edmondson, Phill Jupitus, Rowland Rivron, Neil Innes) Price £20 Advance 7pm UEA LCR The A List Price £4.50 Advance 10.30pm-3am UEA LCR Meltdown + Rawkus Price £4.50/£3.50 NUS Sold on Door 10pm The Waterfront Random Hand, Counting Coins, Chairman of the Bored Price £5 7pm The Marquee

Sunday 2 December Magnum plus Special Guests Trillium Price £19.50 7pm The Waterfront Anti Vigilante, Tyrannosaurus Alan, Clay Pigeon and Future Sound of Music Price £4 The Marquee Monday 3 December Thin Lizzy Farewell Tour Price £26 Advance 7pm UEA LCR Sam And The Womp w/ Crystal Bats @ The Waterfront Studio Price £8 Advance 7.30pm The Waterfront

G MIN O C S I WINTER next time

in

VENUE

Photo: Callum Pawlett Howell