Venue 341

Issue 341.

Editorial A note from the editor “You don’t have to go on a diet, or start going to the gym. Instead, you should grab a hot chocolate and snuggle up with Venue” -Tom Bedford

Deputy Editor

Fresher’s was hectic as ever. I attended more societies fayre’s than I ever thought possible, drank too much, slept too little, and played fruit ninja on a virtual reality console (the future is here, by the way, and it is amazing).

I’ve come to realise that Norwich is the most dangerous city in the world. Not for crime, health or natural disasters - it’s one of the safest in those regards. No, Norwich is a death trap for cyclists.

But I am glad it’s all over, because now I get to enjoy my all-time favourite season: autumn. I love everything about it, from the colours to the conkers to it still being warm enough to eat your lunch outside. If you have your coat on.

Perfect! (P.S. Check out our fashion section to find the perfect winter boots to go complete your autumn outfit – you’re welcome).

The problem is that Norwich drivers can’t drive. They’ll zig-zag along the widest roads, they’ll bomb around corners at full speed and completely disregard any sign that hasn’t already been mown down.

Autumn also means that we also get to have a beautiful autumnal front cover for this issue of Venue, so thank you to all the lovely photographers who sent us pictures. We were spoilt for choice.

The pedestrians can be a menace too. They’ll walk along the pedalways, spread out in gaggles of grannies or hordes of kids, taking up the whole path. One time a man walked down one, completely blocking me passing him. He stared me down as I got closer and closer, unflinching as I chickened out and crashed into the road to avoid hitting him. I swear to god he growled as I passed.

But the worst offenders are the other cyclists, the traitors. They cycle on the wrong side of the path. They take up twelve bike racks when they try to park. They cycle on the road when there is a cycle path, and the pavement when there isn’t. They disregard the rules of the road just as much as the motorists.

People think I spend so much time working on Venue because I love it. I do, but it’s also because I’m scared to go home.

Some people think that January is the time for new beginnings, but I think that’s actually October. You’re starting to settle in and find your feet, and you’ve got the whole year ahead of you. Also, because it’s not January you don’t have to go on a diet or start going to the gym.

Instead, you should grab a hot chocolate and snuggle up with Venue. We’ve covered everything culture from the late Tom Petty to Shia LaBeouf Playing tennis (check out our film section for that one) to black history month in our arts section.

So wrap up warm (but not too warm) and enjoy your autumn, the unofficial start the year.

Arts Editor - Mireia Molina Costa Film Editor - Gus Edgar Fashion Editor - Leah Marriott Creative Writing Editor - Saoirse Smith - Hogan

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-Kate Romain

Venue Editor Gaming Editor - Charlie Nicholson Television Editor - Dan Struthers Music Editor - Nick Mason Arts and Design Assitants - Yaiza Canopoli & Emily Mildren

Contents 10th October 2017

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Arts

Film

Fashion

Abi Steer and Sophie Bunce discuss the financial implications of studying an arts degree

Television editor Dan denounces mother! as “poor filmmaking”

Rosie Burgoyne tells us the best way to wear dungaree dresses in autumn

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Music

Gaming

Television

Tony Allen reviews the killers new album. Hint: it’s not so “wonderful, wonderful”

Gaming editor Charlie takes a lookback at Supermario world, the game that started it all...

Hattie Griffiths reviews the much anticipated new season of Rick and Morty

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Creative Writing

Features

Rebecca Allen explores the challenges of living in a shared house in her poetry

Deputy Editor Tom pays tribute to the late Tom Petty

Front and Back Cover Credit Beverly Anne Devakishen

concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk

03

Arts

Can we afford to be artists?

Arts Degrees. Let’s all just cut to the chase and admit that they are, essentially, the laughing stock of the degree world.

And honestly, why are we surprised? Any subject that considers seven hours a week contact time enough to award a degree has got to be missing something. But it’s not just our inability to commit to a full working day that pushes us so far behind the all-important science degrees, it’s the entire culture surrounding the Arts.

You see, on paper an Arts degree might look great. Plenty of those ‘transferable skills’ we hear so much about. You know, like analysing and reasoning and putting together constructive criticism. All the things that employers look for. But how many of us arts students can say we actually care about that?

It is my personal experience that most people who choose to go to university and choose to put themselves under so

much pressure and financial stress, do not intend to end up in a 9-5 office job a few streets away from where they grew up. For most of us the point in doing an arts degree is to be involved in the Arts in some way.

However, for a large percentage of the world, that just isn’t good enough. Even if we are to ignore all the people who believe that Arts related careers are a ‘soft option’, the issues surrounding potential careers still stand.

Whether you’re looking to go into Fine Art, Journalism, Drama, Music (the list goes on), it is exceptionally difficult to find a job. With Arts funding being cut all the time, not only are places and positions being narrowed, but the pay cheque too.

And in a world of raising house prices and falling stock markets, for too many people this will just be too much of a risk to take.

It is becoming more and more important

for young people to be financially stable, and unfortunately, the Arts just aren’t a way to do that in the current climate.

Better a boring office job than homeless.

The chances are that unless you’re really really lucky (as of course we’re all hoping we will be) you’ll be forced to take up several badly-paid, part-time jobs until youfinally cave and get a nice little office job.

The point is that the Arts are under appreciated, under-funded and oversubscribed. When haven’t they been?

Nobody has ever gone into an Arts degree without these worries hanging over their head, and nobody has gone into an Arts career certain that they’ll emerge successful.

But since when has that ever stopped us?

-Abi Steer

Art pays, you just need to find a job in it Money, money, money, it makes the world go round. It is the inescapable truth that Arts students have to face while weighing up if years of internships are worth getting the jobs they really want.

Career progression is one long ladder for everyone, but with government cuts to the Arts it feels like they are purposely trying to force students away from creative subjects. Kick them back down the ladder.

Putting hardships aside, it comes down to one question; does it pay to be an artist?

Literally, the answer is yes. It just depends on what kind of artist you are.

Television tells students poverty is inevitable as a creative. They watch Sex and the City and see Carrie buying Vogue instead of food. Then they put on an episode of Friends and see Joey unemployed for the majority of the 10 seasons, having to borrow money off of

Chandler. Of course students know none of this is real, these are fictional people living fictional lives. The characters could be earning monopoly money and it wouldn’t make a difference. Similarly, outside of a television screen, being an artist, at least a struggling one, doesn’t come with the benefit of cold hard cash.

This is because, unfortunately, demand and supply are used to dictate wages so some subjects are more employable , and that’s just that. The world is not fair, and skills aren’t valued for worth but how much other people, not always intelligent people, want them. But let’s not forget the existing demand for the arts. The domestic market value of the fashion industry is estimated at 66 billion pounds. No one can mock that kind of money. How is the cash concentrated?

Most likely in the pockets of both arts

and sciences graduates. Huge fashion houses need accounts as much as they need designers. Companies can’t exist without both. Therefore, saying there’s no money in Arts is simply untrue. If you’re an artist with a savings account and strong work ethic, there’s no reason why your life should be different to any other profession. It can pay to be an artist, just an artist with a job.

It’s not easy and not always fun, but no profession is. Government grants would help and money for value would be nice.

Though all we can really hope for is enough cash to tide us over. Then artists can keep working to climb up five more rungs on the ladder before we get kicked three back down. Just like everyone else.

-Sophie Bunce Image: Max Pixel

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Arts

#Film’sNotDead

It has been over forty years since the invention of the first digital camera back in 1975. Despite it being only 0.01 megapixels, it started a revolution; it began the age of digital photography.

Gone were the days of having to develop the film in a darkroom – instead, images were immediately stored to the memory of the camera, and photography became electronic, not chemical.

For my generation, many of our childhood memories will have been shot on film. I still remember running around aged seven with my disposable camera, taking blurry photographs of ducks with my finger over the lens in more shots than not, and waiting eagerly for my dad to get home with my newly developed photos for me to cram into the family photo albums.

The advances in modern technology make photography considerably faster and easier, and yet this generates a new argument. A typical roll of film only has about twenty-four exposures compared to the ten-thousand plus JPEGs you can store on a 32GB memory card, meaning that the work that goes in to getting a shot perfect on a film camera is not needed on a digital camera, you can simply take a dozen shots and pick the best one later.

This takes away the need to spend ages setting everything up, but some argue that this takes away the art and love that goes into traditional photography.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean film is outdated or that it’s been abandoned.

It’s still widely used by professional and amateur photographers, as the aesthetic it produces is unmistakeable, causing it to now be considered something of an art form. In recent years, cameras or apps boasting ‘vintage’ features have appeared on the market; the Fujifilm Instax camera, which produces small polaroid photographs is a favourite amongst the younger generation for whom film is a novelty. I’ve recently downloaded the RAD VHS app for my phone allowing me to play around with settings, making videos appear as if they were filmed on an old VHS camera, and there are new lenses that allow your digital camera to achieve the effects of film, such as the Emil Bush Glaukar lens set to be released next year.

I’m sure that there are many people out there that would love to talk about the superiority of film over digital, or vice versa, but the fact is that, like oils or acrylics or watercolours for painters, film and digital photography are simply different mediums – both unique, both beautiful, and both sticking around for a very long time.

-Isabelle Siddle

Nowadays, memories can be created as simply as pressing a button on our phones. In the last decade, phone camera technology has made enormous strides in terms of quality, with better lenses and image stabilisation, and whilst your phone might never be able to rival a DSLR camera, the fact that photographs on your phone can be shared in a matter of seconds means that photography has become more accessible than ever before.

Images: Emily Mildren

Mireia Molina Costa

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Arts

Black History Month and “the whitedominated publishing industry” Over the last couple of years, the importance of #ownvoices art has become more and more apparent. Growing up in the early 2000s, most of the available diverse literature and media, especially the more popular works, were created, produced, and presented by people outside of the marginalized group whose stories they told. Thus Twilight became the narrative of Native American mythology and white producers of TV shows were applauded for including the so-called token minority.

Nowadays, social media has permitted a rise of voices that tell their own stories: not only can black authors promote their work through Twitter and Facebook, but there is an incredible community of diverse book bloggers who review and promote literature by and for people of colour. This trend has been greatly criticised by white authors who feel offended—bloggers call out writers for bad representation, offensive tropes, and also the simple case of not including any diversity in their books at all. Fantasy stories set in worlds with elves, magicians, and dwarves often read distubingly white and straight, the excuse being that queer characters and characters of colour are not ‘realistic’. That is, in a world full of wizards.

But this culture is not just about pointing out the problematic cases, it is first and foremost about uplifting voices that would easily go unheard and get lost in a world that promotes and invests in a staggering amount of white artists and Image: Flickr, Kate Merriman

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leaves little to no space for #ownvoices literature.

These bloggers spend their days and nights browsing obscure Goodreads lists and reading everything and anything that looks promising, bringing forth review after review of books that deserve more attention than they get.

to connect with others who have spent their lives looking for those exact works, and to discuss issues that don’t seem to come up anywhere else.

Bringing up problematic tropes in everyday conversations can be intimidating and even dangerous for a lot of people, so having an online space to speak openly is an immense relief for many diverse book bloggers.

It is also important to remember that the whitedominated publishing industry dates back to the very beginning of capitalism and exploitation of black labour. In the words of Ta-Nehisi Coates, ‘the Dream rests on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies’. The socalled American Dream and everything that comes with it is only possible if someone is kept at the bottom, if someone is silenced and oppressed, used by someone else to build their wealth on.

The public has not only brought The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, a young adult novel about police brutality, to the top of the NY Times bestseller list, but came together to rid the same list of a book buying its way onto it, destroying another attempt at pushing a black artist out of a space that is dominated by middle-class white authors. It has created a place for people to discover books and media that represents them honestly and truthfully,

So if the publishing industry, art, literature and media become diverse, if they include more black voices and cease to be controlled by white people who utilise this segregation to help make their fortunes, what will happen to this ‘Dream’? That is why we need to continue to promote #ownvoices art and its creators—because if we stand by and let the people in power choose what we see and read, Black History Month will remain a quirky event, and it will never be natural, expected, to see a book by a black woman at the top of the NY Times.

-Yaiza Canopoli

Tom petty remembered

One of the most influential and ‘I first heard Refugee when I was rockin’ musicians of the 20th about 9 in a car with my family. To day it is a near perfect “Classic” Century, the late Tom Petty and this rock song: great vocal, great riff, great his music resonates with many, production, great performance. I’ve loved Petty’s work ever since and, in spite including UEA students. His of his success, he remains an underrated music is the soundtrack to songwriter in my eyes.’ - Adam Maric many memories. Here, we look Cleaver back at some of our ‘For me Learning to favourites.

Fly is a really inspirational

‘I watched the video for Runnin’ song, about escaping and Down a Dream when I was getting away from what you know. It could be seen as a kid, and it really captivated me with its bizarre, cartoony ways. Only really relevant to students, years later did I watch it and listen moving to university from far away.’ - Leslie Wilson to the music as well, and I feel it’s a really inspirational song.’ - Greg Duncan ‘Stop Dragging My Heart Around captured everything and every thought that goes through you as you go through life and failed relationships. I’ve seen Fleetwood Mac live 9 times and Tom Petty a couple of times but this year, after all this time, I finally got to see Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks perform together at Hyde Park, a dream I’d had for so many years finally fulfilled.’ - Debbie Rushen Lane

‘I first heard American Girl on Silence of the Lambs, one of my all time favourite films.

Catherine Martin sings along to it in her car just before she is taken by Buffalo Bill. I quickly downloaded it so I could sing along too. It would be one of the songs that would help get me through my A-level revision.’ ‘I did a road trip once through California and Free

Fallin’ was on our playlist.

It was the perfect song for the occasion, and every time I listen to the song it brings me back to those places and the things I felt at the time.’ - Tom Bedford

‘When I started learning to play guitar, I Won’t

Back Down was the

first song I tried to learn all the way through. While it’s quite a basic song, being able to play the guitar and sing it was an amazing feeling for a new musician.’ Tom Bedford

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons, Davidwbaker

Film

Court on camera: Borg vs. McEnroe

Borg vs McEnroe opens with a quote

by Andrei Agassi. ‘Every match’, he says, ‘is a life in miniature’. Its use is a very clear statement of intent and a potentially dangerous reference to make as, necessarily, the viewer is compelled to permanently scrutinise the film to see whether or not it’s able to confer any credibility onto the notion. It does a fine job, for the most part, but the aim is too ambitious. Inevitably it falls short.

Borg vs McEnroe takes place around the 1980 Wimbledon Championships, and the enormous media hype around the inevitable confrontation between

the two titular characters. In the red corner; Bjorn Borg, controlled and robotic on the court, restless and insecure in his private life, loved by the media and his fans as a true gentleman player. In the blue corner, the young John McEnroe, arrogant and aggressive, haughtily denying every close call that goes against him.

Both Sverrir Gudnason and Shia LaBeouf are commendably invested in their respective characters, and particular praise must go to the latter who succeeds in doing a lot with very little. It’s the film’s key problem: the imbalance between the stories of the men on both sides of the net and, indeed, it isn’t too much of a stretch to amend the title to Borg.

It’s just occurred to me that that is an unbearably dull title, so maybe that explains it.

Nevertheless, it’s a joy to watch Shia LaBeouf yelling at crowds and judges having clearly found a sporting personality to parallel his showbiz one. Stellan Skarsgaard also does good work in his capacity of compulsory Swede.

The film is redeemed by brilliantly shot tennis scenes, succeeding in the impossible task of making tennis interesting. Finally, though not unimportantly, it’s a particular pleasure to watch a sports movie with absolutely no idea of the outcome.

-Ed Whitbread

Illustration: Lucy Caradog

The Responsibility of Marketing Whilst 2017 continues to churn out endless sequels and big-budget franchise films, there hasn’t been a shortage of smaller, original works.

Two particularly prominent films are Darren Aronofsky’s mother! and Trey Edward Shults’ It Comes At Night.

Both films were sadly notable for their unfavourable audience ratings, with mother! famously receiving an F on CinemaScore.

I believe the marketing campaign played a crucial part in their critical kicking. Both campaigns were highly unconventional and arguably misleading as the trailers marketed the films as horrors rather than the thoughtful and atmospheric works they really are. Audiences didn’t get what they expected and they made their opinion known. But why should this be the case?

Effective marketing is arguably what the film industry lacks nowadays.

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We’re accustomed to practically seeing the entirety of the film in the trailer: many mainstream film trailers constantly ruin plot points and key sequences. Take Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for example. The first teaser trailer was released in July 2014 when the actual film was released in March 2016. That’s a year and a half in advance! Of course, this was to establish to audiences that the film was in the pipeline for those that didn’t know. Four subsequent trailers followed and increasingly with each trailer, meaty spoilers were revealed.

Whilst I regard the film to be a crazy invention only director Zack Snyder could have created, I did feel the sense of fatigue of having seen the film in the trailer.

When you go the cinema or watch a film at home for the first time, it should be a new experience. When the lights fade out and the opening titles begin to appear on-screen,

audiences should be on edge and freshly experiencing the narrative as it unfolds. You’ve got to respect both mother! and It Comes At Night for attempting to preserve this filmgoing experience. mother!’s campaign was vastly different (a very strong one in my opinion) with Aronofsky trying to withhold as much information as possible, including having an extended review embargo.

Furthermore, one must consider that both films are difficult to digest and require multiple viewings - an initial response to a film is very different from a genuine one. So what can we learn from this? Don’t take trailers for gospel and be open to the thought that a film might try and surprise you. We should be praising originality, not condemning it.

-Oscar D. Huckle

Film

The Kingsmen cross the pond Kingsman: The Golden Circle is the much-anticipated sequel to the 2014 spy-comedy sensation Kingsman: The Secret Service. It follows the exploits of London street-kid turned gentleman spy Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin (Taron Egerton) as he tries to uncover the identity of the mysterious Golden Circle and why they want to exterminate the world’s population.

‘Eggsy’ is helped along the way by fellow Kingsmen Merlin (Mark Strong) and Harry Hart (Colin Firth) who surprisingly survived being shot point-blank in the eye in the previous film. On top of this madness we are also introduced to a new spy organisation – Statesman.

They are the American version of Kingsman - instead of wearing suits they walk around in bootcut jeans and cowboy hats – and they also own a distillery of course.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle starts off ludicrously and the madness does not stop until the credits start rolling.

From more amputee assassins to robotic dogs and the questionability of ‘what happens at glasto stays at glasto’ the film does not take a minute to breathe, making its two and a half hour runtime fly by.

Not that this makes it a bad film - the franchise and its director (Matthew Vaughn) is known for their outrageous action scenes and crude comedy - but in The Golden

Circle it sometimes feels like they’re trying too hard and certain things may be a step too far.

Aside from this madness and excessive Americanism - which at times makes the film feel like a Western – The Golden Circle is incredibly funny, innovative and retains a lot of its British roots. This is symbolised hilariously by Elton John, who plays himself in what can only be described as one of the best roles of the film.

Director Matthew Vaughn has created a spy franchise that can rival with Bond.

-James Mortishire

Just a-mother! pretentious film Darren Aronofsky has a tendency to direct and write disturbing (Black Swan ), polarising ( The Fountain ) and controversial ( Requiem for Dream ) films, but mother! may just be the ultimate amalgamation of all of the above.

Jennifer Lawrence stars as a housebound wife and Javier Bardem as her playwright husband. They live in a solitary old house, and are visited by strangers who immediately take up residence. That’s pretty much the whole first act. While there is a sense of impending doom, it starts to become rather tedious as we follow the subservient Lawrence pottering around the house after the guests, with only more questions thrown at us.

As for the second act, without digging into spoiler territory, expect more repetition and absurdity with a faint glimmer of hope that everything will be explained. By the third act, this hope is extinguished. There’s no longer a narrative structure, instead just a bunch of things happening in quick succession with one of

the most jarring and unannounced cameos since Matt Damon popped up in Interstellar .

You can certainly tell that the script was written in five days, feeling more like a film student’s first experimental project than a genuinely intriguing psychological horror by a world-renowned director. Much has been made of the ‘F’ that mother! received on CinemaScore from the public, and while this has a lot to do with the mismarketing of the movie – selling it as a generic thriller – it may simply be that it just does not satisfy your average moviegoer.

When Aronofsky makes a film which he admits he wants an audience to talk about, you have to question how much of the film ends up being polarising for the sake of it.

Frustratingly, what Aronofsky wanted us to talk about - the allegorical meaning, which he explained in an interview instead of allowing people to interpret for themselves - is more interesting than anything in the film.

While the performances are fine –

Lawrence transforming from meek to hysterical throughout and Bardem providing a mysterious and sinister presence – being told exactly what the film means is incredibly patronising and ultimately feels like a very selfindulgent effort from Aronofsky.

While this wave of critical division seems to almost be working in mother! ’s favour, giving it some undeserved attention (after all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity) making a film with the intention of creating discussion by any means rather than seeking to make a good film is frankly poor filmmaking.

-Dan Struthers Illustration: Annie Tomkins

Gus Edgar

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Film

10 batshit films 1. Bikini Girls on Ice At some point a group of film executives must have been chatting. They want to make a horror film, but how to make the absolute lowest common denominator enjoy it? Thus ‘Bikini Girls on Ice’ was born, a film which I’m sorry to say I caught on tv. When the historians ask when the our civilization began to crumble, they will say it started here. -Ed Whitbread

2. Lost Highway A jazz musician’s life is destroyed when he is (wrongfully?) convicted for the murder of his wife.

His solution? To metamorphose into a teenage mechanic. As a teen in the suburbs he encounters a woman who looks like his wife, though now a mob wife and sporting blonde hair. - Caroline Worning

3. 24 Hour Party People

4. A Clockwork Orange

24 Hour Party People, a chaotic, drug-fuelled ode to rock n’ roll, deftly blends fiction with myth with reality as it charts the rise and fall of Manchester’s anarchic music scene throughout the 70s and 80s. Who even needs fourth walls or narrative continuity, anyway? It’d only slow it down.- Ed Brown

One cannot believe their glazzballs during Stanley Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’, (1971). Anthony Burgess’ disturbing and confounding lexis, used by Alex and his droogs, is coupled with Kubrick’s unsettling, dystopian vision. This creates a sensationally insane (banned in the UK for 25 years due to the ultraviolence shown), yet horrorshow experience. - Alex Caesari

Quentin Dupieux’s ‘Rubber’ is a self-proclaimed homage to ‘no reason.’ In it, a tire gains sentience and goes on an explosively psychokinetic rampage. Watched this looking for a ‘so bad, it’s good’ film and discovered a trippy absurdist ride that doesn’t want to say anything about ‘no reason’. Just enjoy it. - Joem Opina

Underground is an astonishing and potent injection of soviet surrealism, defying filmic conventions by seamlessly transitioning between genres. Each is effective - it switches from war to thriller to satire to tragic romance to fatherson drama and then back to war, while managing to be equally emotionally resonant at every stage. - Gus Edgar

5. Rubber

7. The Forbidden Room Guy Maddin’s The Forbidden Room is a cinephile’s ecstasy, a delirious traversal through everything that niche-cinema has to offer. Those offerings include a song about a man’s addiction to bottoms (The Final Derriere), and the memories of a moustache in its dying moments.It’s all nonsensical, unintelligible, fascinating stuff. - Gus Edgar

6. Underground

8. Enemy ‘Enemy’ is a criminally underlooked work by director Denis Villeneuve reteaming with Jake Gyllenhaal. Clearly inspired by Lynch and Kafka, ‘Enemy’ is an intense, throughly unconventional exploration into the theme of the Doppelgänger. It requires multiple rewatches to truly unpack and appreciate its confusing narrative. The ending alone is worthy of the batshit title! - Oscar D.Huckle

9. The Holy Mountain Jodorowsky lets loose his creative perversion in his magnum opus - a thrilling cosmic journey through the planets of the solar system and their human incarnations.

Once you’ve seen a half-bearded man spray milk into another man’s face from his nipple (that’s covered by a tiger mask, naturally), you’ve seen it all -Gus Edgar

10. City of Pirates Applying a deranged interpretation to the classic Peter Pan fable, City of Pirates is a twisted fairytale odyssey that’s impossible to make sense of. Featuring surrealist vistas, sunglasses-wearing skulls, teleporting volleyballs and ponderings on the cyclical nature of life, there certainly seems to be a point. Good luck finding it. - Gus Edgar

Illustration: Emily Mildren , Mountains: pixabay - Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Ship: Public Domain Images - Piotr Siedlecki, Saxophone: pixabay - alles, Bikini: pixabay - OpenClipart-Vectors.

10 concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

Fashion

Dungaree dressers are here to stay

Shop Savvy Clothes shops tend to pick on students at their most vulnerable, just after they’ve received their student loan. They offer us some fantastic deals and discounts, which are very tempting indeed! This can be great, but we often find ourselves almost buying a brand new wardrobe, when really we didn’t want or need anywhere near as much! To help avoid the temptation to get shopped out, I’ve devised a helpful guide in order to help you spend less and save where you can. After all, university is a place to experiment, especially with fasion!

at the start of term (when students still have a positive bank balance), stores will raise their discounts from anywhere between 20-50% for a few days, yay!

However, don’t use this an excuse to buy things you don’t need. Invest in a good quality coat/pair of shoes that you truly need while shops have the bigger discounts. Don’t wander aimlessly online popping every item you like into your basket. Plan what things you need and take advantage of the bigger discounts in this way!

One.

Online Shopping

Ebay

eBay is my first recommendation. It’s actually very simple to use whether you’re buying or selling items! You can purchase many items for a fraction of the price that they would have been originally. I have also managed to sell unwanted clothes on eBay. Even if you think no one will want it because you don’t like it anymore, one (wo)man’s trash is another’s treasure.

Two.

Charity Shopping

Are you thinking of relegating your denim dungarees and pinafore dresses to the back of your wardrobe when the autumn comes? If so, think again as we show you how to take this Summer staple into the colder months.

Layer up

It doesn’t take much to update your dungaree dress for Autumn, just pop a long sleeved t shirt underneath and you are good to go! Whether it’s a plain top with a high neckline or a classic striped tee, you can’t go wrong with a bit of layering.

Four.

If you just want ideas for places that are great for everyday clothes bargains, then Norwich is home to a huge Primark as well as all your favourite high street stores.

Online shopping generally tends to be my go to, with Missguided and Boohoo normally proving the cheapest items. If you’re scared to shop online, then most stores offer free returns within 30 days, so you always have time to change your mind, or even to give yourself a reality check when you realise you’ve spent all your student loan on clothes…

Try a sheer blouse

If you are willing to brave the cold, why not try mixing things up by wearing a sheer, patterned blouse underneath your denim dress. Fluted sleeves and frills are everywhere right now so make the most of the trend and give your outfit a vintage feel.

Go long

If dresses aren’t really your thing, long dungarees could be what you are missing!

Evoke some 2015 Taylor Swift vibes and go monochrome by layering long denim dungarees with a crop top and a classic red lip for a night out.

- Charlotte Manning

If it’s charity shopping you’re after then you’re in the right place. Norwich is home to a huge amount of these, it’s likely you’ll find one on every street! There’s many dotted across the city, and if you venture onto Magdalen street you’ll find even more. It’s worth spending a day or even an afternoon exploring the city to see what you might find hidden in the rails.

Add knitted tights and boots

Anything can be made autumnal if you just add tights and boots! Style plain black or cable knit tights with ankle boots for a practical and fashionable solution to dressing for the cold.

It’s all about cord

Three.

Discounts

In terms of discounts, Unidays is your best bet. They have a number of the big retailers on the app and website normally offering between 10-20% off your favourite stores all year round. Sometimes

Photo Credit: Rosie Burgoyne

Yes, Topshop may be selling the same red cord dungaree dresses that have graced their stores for the past few years but it just goes to show that people still love them! Switch things up by choosing a cord dress which will keep you warm and on trend with its perfectly autumnal shade of red.

- Rosie Burgoyne

11

concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

Fashion

Fall footwear

Fashion Horoscopes

Hearing leaves crunch under your feet in the autumn is arguably one of the best sounds of the year. There’s something Aries immensely satisfying about the sound, and unlike the debates about pumpkin spice, March 21 - April 19 you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who It’s getting colder, and winter boots are disagrees with the appeal of marching back in. Try pairing them with colourful across a spread of orange leaves in a pair or patterned tights for a more daring look. of great boots.

Taurus April 20 -May 20 Hat, scarf, and glove season is upon us. You’d be surprised at how a great matching hat and scarf combo can transform your look. Time to take a trip to accessorise.

Gemini May 21 - June 20

sturdy pair will last you a good time. Be prepared to invest a bit if you don’t want them to fall apart within in the first few months of wear, but equally keep an eye out in places like Shoe Zone and Zara.

- Emily Hawkins

What goes around comes around, and suede is back from what seems like a very brief hiatus. A few years ago, catwalks were stuffed with ‘suede squared’ outfits, but this autumn is less about jewel toned suede and more about natural tones like greys, browns, khaki and red in particular.

You can pick up some seasonally-apt burgundy suedette (because we are students, after all) Chelsea boots from New Look for under £30, or experiment with the material by opting for one of Topshop’s ankle boots with bow detailing.

It’s time to get daring Gemini. Wearing bold lips in the day is a great way to dress up a classic outfit. Try pairing them with bright nails to make the look that little bit edgier.

Glitzy footwear is having a moment, with glittery boots stomping across many, many Cancer catwalks at New York Fashion Week earlier in the season.

June 21 - July 22 Time for that daring haircut you’ve been mulling over? Fringe? Go for it! Top knot? Why not! Often, your hair is your High-street brands have best accessory. embraced glittery heeled boots for this season, which might not be the most Leo practical of footwear but if July 23 - August 22 done right are perfect for Neutrals are the way forward this week. Loft. Most brands have stuck Think beige, greys, and browns. Super to classic silver, but you can sophisticated and super demure. If you’re also find coloured boots if feeling a bit more daring, pair them with you look hard enough. Some one bright statement piece.

Venue recs are New Look’s magpie-esque Blue Glitter Virgo heeled boots and Primark’s August 23 - September 22 more subtle Black Star boots.

There’s no better time than the start of But if in doubt, October to treat yourself to a statement opt for a classic coat. Zara has a great selection this black leather boot. season, for both men and women.

They match almost everything and if you invest in a

12 concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

Image credits top to bottom: Pixabay, proctor, Pixabay

Fashion

DIY Hair Masks Autumn means cosy jumpers and stylish boots, the cold weather can also take a toll on your locks. These five home made masks are cheap to make, and will have your hair looking strong and healthy.

Dry Hair Start with coconut oil in liquid form.

Massage the oil into the lengths of your hair for an hour. To protect your clothes from any staining, use a towel or apply the mask in the bath/shower. Use your regular shampoo and conditioner to rinse out the coconut oil.

Oily Hair

Buy some honey and banana. Mash or blend banana. Add a small amount of honey to achieve a consistency similar to paste. Massage into the roots of your hair and bring the mask down to the lengths of your hair. Leave for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Curly Hair Use yoghurt, olive oil and honey. Combine ingredients into a bowl, apply to dry hair and leave in for 20 minutes.

Frizzy Hair Apply pure Argan Oil to the ends on wet or dry hair. Follow with your regular hair washing procedure to rinse out oil.

Damaged Hair Combine honey and coconut oil. It’s most effective on dry hair. Leave in for 15 minutes, use shampoo and conditioner to rinse out.

- Leah Marriott

Libra September 23 - October 22 The easiest way to make an outfit look put together is to make sure your bags match your shoes, and it’s time to treat yourself to both. Move away from your usual black, and try to find them in a brighter colour.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21

Treat yourself to an off the shoulder jumper. Super stylish, and super comfy.

Win.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21 Take inspiration from nature and go for Autumnal colours this week. Oranges, greens, and light browns look great on jumpers and coats, whilst reds and dark look great on bags and shoes.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19

You’ve worn out your LCR outfit and it’s time to treat yourself to something new.

Remember the golden rule: nice, but not too nice, because the last thing you want is blue VK on a fifty-pound top.

Aquarius January 20 - February 18 You don’t own enough tartan, Aquarius, and you’d be surprised how versatile it can be. Skirts, coats, shirts, or scarfs. Time to treat yourself this week!

Pisces February 19 - March 20 Yellow is your colour this week. It will help to lift your mood, and make you look bright and sunny when they sky is grey.

Perfect!

- Kate Romain

Image credits top to bottom: Picserver, Nick Youngson, Picserver, Nick Youngson, Wikimedia commons, Mschel, Creative Commons Zero - CC0.

Leah Marriott

13

Quiz-tory in the making The true test of the wisdom of a student is how well they do in pub quizes. Regardless of their academic record or how many lectures they’ve missed, placement in the results of a pub quiz is all-important. With that in mind, here is a map of all the important testing-grounds, as well as some advice to help make you the very best.

Assembling Your Squad Would Frodo have destroyed the Ring without the Fellowship? Will Jon Snow destroy the White Walkers without his buddies? Is a singer without a backing band any good? No. To win you need the perfect team - a crafted blend of talents and skills. To be exact, you need these four types:

The Mainstreamer Someone who knows what’s new and what’s hip. They know the new singles from the new popstars, the new films and TV shows, and all celebrity facts.

The Politician

The person that knows all about the present and past political landscape of the UK, with a smattering of global events just in case.

The Sportsy

A surprisingly detailed knowledge of all facets of sport, both modern and old, players and events, and a broad range of trivia, will help in basically every quiz.

The Dad

Many quizzes have rounds dedicated to old culture, like 70s musicians or 80s films, so your friend who knows a strange amount about these topics will come in handy. For the rest of the rounds, they can be the one buying the drinks.

Bob’s Big Quiz

UEA LCR - Free Entry Every Sunday, 7.30pm Bob’s Big Quiz is a staple of UEA life. Unlike other quizzes the questions are written with students in mind, meaning that answering them isn’t completely impossible. With amazing prizes, some really fun themed rounds, and pre- and post-quiz entertainment, you can’t miss Bob’s Big Quiz. What else have you got going on every Sunday evening?

Images: Illustrations - Lucy Caradog; Quill & beer mug- pixabay, Clker-Free-Vector-Images / 29611 images. Map: Google Maps.

Aussie Jack’s Flamin’ Fat Cat Tap Quiz

Fat Cat Brewery Tap - £1 entry Every other Wednesday, 8pm The Fat Cat is a great place for local beers, and you’ll want them to help in this quiz. With huge team sizes permitted and entry to the quiz giving you a discount on chips and a drink, this quiz seems good for a group night out. You’ll need it, since The Fat Cat is rather far out of the city.

Cinema City Film Quiz Quiz Night at The Belle Vue

Every Tuesday, 8.30pm The Belle Vue is your typical English pub, and as such has a typical English pub quiz.

Although it promises to be a challenging quiz for most students, this also means the payoff is greater too.

Cinema City - £1 entry Every other Sunday, 7.30pm Film experts, this is the quiz for you.

Hosted in the city’s best independent cinema, and with each week haing a special round dedicated to film series or aspects of films, this quiz promises to be great for those who love film.

Cinema tickets are a potential reward too, marking one of the most interesting

prizes to a quiz.

Brendos Big Quiz

Quiz Night

The Garden House - £1 entry Every Monday, 8.30pm Located in the heart of the Golden Triangle, The Garden House is a great student pub. It doubles as an arena for students to gather for a generalknowledge-off, with a weekly theme to boot. The prize pot can get very large, so if you need a quick way to pay off your

overdraft this is it.

The Rumsey Wells - £1 entry Every Tuesday The Rumsey Wells is in central Norwich, making this pub quiz great if you are trying to assemble a rag-tag squad. And if you also like eating while you quiz you’re in luck, as The Rumsey Wells runs a range of Pieminister pies.

Naming your Team

The hardest part of a quiz is thinking of a team name. It needs to be funny, with a great pun, but also relevant to the event and your squad.

However, if you can’t think of any, here are our best: Let’s Get Quizzical Quizzy Rascal Quizteama Aguilera The Quizzly Bears Quiz in my Pants Harry and the Quizzards Norfolk and Chance (say this out loud)

-Tom Bedford

Music

Enter Shikari new album packs a punch The new album from rock/punk/electro/ hardcore (take your pick) mavericks Enter Shikari has really caused sparks to fly. The album signals an unexpected, if not overly drastic, new direction for the band. After the release of the two singles from this album, “Live Outside” and “Rabble Rouser”, the rest of the album could have gone in any direction. Whilst “Live Outside” showcased rich harmonies and an uplifting chorus, “Rabble Rouser” gave us heavier, more grime-orientated tune. This being said, both songs were certainly not as heavy as previous release “Hoodwinker”, but they were definitely still very Shikari.

The album is far more melodic and less meaty in terms of physical noise, but in emotional weight, The Spark packs a brutal punch. Tracks like the emotive “Airfield” and “An Ode To Lost Jigsaw Pieces” initially begin slow and calm, but

crescendo into great roars that will easily blast the roofs off some of the largest venues Shikari have ever played this November. This crescendo seems to be a metaphor for the band’s new direction.

The Spark, unlike previous albums, is much less an amalgam of political rage than a consolidation of those feelings into hope. The theme of this album is moving forward, finding solutions to problems rather than just railing against them.

“Take My Country Back” exemplifies this, and it is refreshing to still have Shikari’s trademark rawness, but just presented in a different light.

A lot of old fans will dislike this more synth-centred turn the band has taken, but this certainly makes The Spark more accessible than previous albums. As such an important political voice on the alternative music scene, The Spark will help old and new fans alike make sense of

these tumultuous times, as well as giving them some much-needed respite.

“When the wind’s against you just remember this insight/ That’s the optimal condition for birds to take flight”

-Rachel Grice

Wonderful, Wonderful is anything but The Killers’ fifth album, their first since 2012’s Battleborn, contains all the raw ingredients that made the band legends, but lacks the spark of originality necessary to give them another genre-defining indie-rock LP. Unlike many other bands who set the agenda for the genre’s mid-noughties explosion, The Killers are now more popular than ever, and it is that fact that makes much of this album so frustrating.

Wonderful, Wonderful does have its high points, like the peppy, incisively written “Run for Cover” and the vivid, nostalgic “Tyson vs Douglas”. The Killers do The 1975 better than The 1975 do The 1975 with lead single “The Man”, a pure pop song.

But for every excellent track like moody “The Calling”, with raw guitars, thumping synths and prefaced by a short Bible reading from Woody Harrelson, there are the very average likes of the title

16 concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

track, which justifies no greater adjectival description than ‘dull’ and “Some Kind of Love”, which makes four-and-a-half minutes feel like about twenty, being saved only by a beautiful Mark Stoermer bass line. “Out of My Mind” desperately tries to be an edgy electropop anthem but is just boring. You spend the last minute of the aptly titled “Rut” just wishing it would finish.

On final track “Have All the Songs Been Written”, Brandon Flowers attempts some more introspection to conclude his most personal set of lyrics to date but ends up sounding like a bad Dire Straits tribute.

Sadly, much of the time, Wonderful, Wonderful feels anything but: bland, formulaic, and with as many misses as hits.

-Tony Allen

Music

Bush at the Waterfront: “it’s good to be back home” a combination of Rossdale’s rasping voice, Robin Goodridge’s forceful drumming, and lead guitarist Chris Traynor and bassist Corey Britz in perfect sync. “Little Things” underlines the band’s grunge roots, Rossdale grabbing the microphone, vaulting the barrier and finishing the song amid a sea of sweaty, shouting fans. In contrast, the band’s stripped back rendition of megahit “Glycerine” creates a tangible connection between band and fans as the crowd project Rossdale’s own words back to him.

Three-piece act RavenEye explode onto the stage whilst their

lively blues-influenced rock “Come With Me” blares out of the amps as singer and guitarist Oli Brown claims it’s “good to be back home.” Drummer Adam Breeze encourages the crowd into chanting at the start of “Hey Hey Yeah”, and Brown’s energetic leaps from the drum kit are followed by himself and bassist Aaron Spiers making their way through the crowd with Brown balanced on Spiers’ shoulders.

The members of Bush stride onstage as lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale’s friendly greeting is met with enthusiastic cheers. Opener “Everything Zen” is a fan favourite,

The reason so many people identify with Bush’s music is a simple one: these songs are the soundtrack to their life, from a band whose music means just as much to them now as when they first heard their music. The overwhelming feeling within the venue is one of appreciation and gratitude on both sides, emphasised when at the close of the show, Rossdale comes down to hug and hold hands with their fans - the people who made their dreams possible.

Ultimately, Bush’s live show successfully combines fierceness and vulnerability with an instantly recognisable and very human quality – the raw emotion the audience here tonight have felt, identified with, and found an outlet for.

-Frances Butler

The importance of being well-scored Often, we barely notice them. Sometimes, the odd track moves us enough to search for its source online. Then there’s that one film. That one film where the soundtrack surpasses the content of the actual film itself, or at the very least completely enhances your experience of the feature.

Picture a film with no sound. Well, the sound of people talking, maybe. But imagine watching a film with absolutely no music.

Sure, there are avant-garde arthouse films where silence is prized as a more insightful storytelling tool than sound (probably), but I want you to envisage an action scene, for example, in the latest blockbuster, where the hunky good guy is battling the baddie for some forgettable reason. Without music, this sort of scene may look a little bit daft, and would probably be replaced with more athletic grunts and snorts than a Wimbledon final. Music, or even the lack of it, is integral to cinema.

Some classic films in the last decade are carried by their original soundtrack. The Nice Guys, Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Django Unchained are ones that immediately come to mind. The

more orchestral scores to movies also deserve a listen. Being John Malkovich, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Amelie are all-time personal favourites with incredible tracks, always great to listen to when struggling through an essay or trying to sleep. There are some songs that just by listening to them, transport you to a specific scene in a film. Midnight Cowboy and “Everybody’s Talkin”, for example.

Or, more recently, Guardians of the Galaxy with “Come and Get Your Love”.

Films themselves are insanely good. Honestly, even terrible ones.

There’s even an entire society dedicated to the debatable genre of bad films at UEA. Music? Music can be transformational, turning an abysmal film into one worth watching again and again, and then again with your friends.

-Hattie Griffiths Image: Wikimedia Commons, Christopher Johnson

17

Nick Mason

Music

Move, shake and play with Marmozets “I’ve just had a sip of a quadruple espresso with a splash of milk. And, well, headache already.” Jack Bottomley greets me with what could just be a metaphor for his band, Marmozets; hyperactive, eclectic, and held together with the right splash of poppy hooks. After two years in the aether the band have returned with a new single, ‘Play’, a tour and the promise of a new album. Concrete took the opportunity to catch up with British rock’s most elusive band.

Concrete: In 2015, you guys were Reading main stage, touring heavily and then stopped suddenly. How did it feel stopping from that craziness suddenly?

Jack: Well it was an accidental break.

Becca had to get her knees sorted out, went in and got an operation and physio and put everything on hold. We had one tour booked and had to cancel that tour and started writing after Christmas. It was a difficult time, we had a bunch of ideas but there were songs that just weren’t there for us. I think it was writing ‘Play’ that started off this sound and direction for us and we then wrote the album in about a month.

J: It’s always a bit weird, but it went as well as it could have gone. We had people looking at each other afterwards and looking impressed. We were nervous obviously, but everyone was on board with it and kind of excited.

“I’ve just has a sip of quadruple espresso with a splash of milk and have a headache already” C: You’re touring next month with a date at Norwich, are you excited to bring the music to a wider audience?

J: Touring, for us, is the best part of the band. We love doing gigs and it’s all we want to do. Norwich has always been close to our hearts, the MacIntyres come from near Norwich. The last tour we did was the most enjoyable we’ve done and, having had a break, we want it more now.

We really hope our excitement comes across.

C: You toured ‘The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets’ heavily, are you

“Norwich has always been close to our hearts” C: Your new songs have this huge, lively and fast, almost mainstage sound. Was that intentional or just came about from writing songs like “Play”?

J: The sound is naturally massive due to working with Gill. He sort of worked with it and, bang, it sounded massive.

Live, we’ve sounded heavier anyway so it wasn’t necessarily intentional but we’re glad of it.

C: How do you think the new songs have been received?

18 concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

Image: Flickr, Alexandra Wat

hoping to go all in with it again?

J: Definitely. Next year is going to be really busy and we’ve got a new single coming out soon, the October tour and something before Christmas. We’ll be touring heavily next year and can’t wait.

C: You guys have come a long way from the early days as a math-rock band, is that a song you’d want to return to at some time in the future?

J: The weird time signatures were never intentional, we were kind of impatient with riffs. We would just say “that sounds better, faster” and would work out the time signature later. But we definitely want to go back to that and we’re partial to a bit of 7/4 or 6/4. This one is rock bangers though and we’ve come to it really organically.

-Nick Mason

Editor’s Pick Julien Baker -Appointments The lead single from the Tennessee singersongwriter’s upcoming sophomore album, Turn Out The Lights, is an ethereal lesson is beauty. Self-deprecating and harrowing, “Appointments” is an emotional suckerpunch.

OCTOBER IN HEARTS WAKE

+ ALASTORIA Tue 3rd • 19.30 • WFS £11.50

TOM MCRAE

+ LOWRI EVANS Wed 4th • 19.30 • WFS £19.50

BELINDA CARLISLE

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE

+ GURANFOE + ORGANISMS Mon 16th • 19.30 • WFS £10.00

GARY NUMAN

+ JAYCE LEWIS Tue 17th • 18.30 • LCR £29.50

THE ALARM

+ DAVE SHARP Wed 18th • 19.30 • WF £22.50

HEAVEN ON EARTH 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR + GABE LOPEZ Wed 4th • 19.30 • LCR £32.50

THE SOUNDS OF BLACK UHURU

LIVING COLOUR

STRANGE BONES

+ STONE BROKEN Wed 4th • 19.30 • WF £18.50

PERFORMED BY MYKAL ROSE Thu 19th • 19.30 • WF £17.50 + BEAST WITH A GUN + KAMENSKO Thu 19th • 19.30 • WFS £8.00

PLAYAZ - HYPE B2B HAZARD JUSTIN CURRIE & THE PALL (SHOWCASE) - RUMBLE BEARERS 23RD BIRTHDAY + LES JOHNSON AND ME Fri 6th • 22.00 • LCR £16.50

THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS

+ BAD TOUCH Fri 6th • 18.00 • WF £18.50

DIRTY DC (AC/DC TRIBUTE) + LIMEHOUSE LIZZIE

Fri 20th • 18.30 • WF £22.00

DODGY (ACOUSTIC)

+ I SAID GOODBYE Fri 20th • 18.30 • WFS £15.00

BRITISH SEA POWER

Fri 21st • 18.30 • WF £16.00

STEVE RODGERS

KISS GB (DRESSED TO KILL) VS THE GUNS N ROSES EXPERIENCE

SCOUTING FOR GIRLS

HENDRIX TRIBUTE - PURPLE JIMI + BLACK SABBATH TRIBUTE - FOREVER SABBATH

30TH ANNIVERSARY TWENTY FOUR HOUR PARTY PEOPLE - GREATEST HITS TOUR + JOHN DASILVA Thu 23rd • 19.30 • LCR £29.50

Sat 4th • 18.00 • WF £14.00

Sat 4th • 18.30 • WFS £12.00

OH WONDER

+ JAYMES YOUNG Sun 5th • 19.00 • LCR £15.00

PINS

Mon 20th • 19.30 • WF £22.50

HAPPY MONDAYS

JAWS

Thu 23rd • 19.30 • WF £10.00

COCKNEY REJECTS

‘ORIGINAL LINE-UP’ Fri 24th • 18.30 • WFS £19.50

+ YASSASSIN Mon 6th • 19.30 • WFS £9.00

THE METEORS

KING PARROT

FUTURE ISLANDS

Wed 25th • 18.30 • WFS £17.50

+ PAIN PENITENTIARY + THICKET OF Thu 26th • 19.00 • LCR £22.50 ANTLERS Tue 7th • 19.30 • WFS £8.50

SLEAFORD MODS

Wed 8th • 19.30 • LCR £18.50

THE JB CONSPIRACY

+ TREE HOUSE FIRE Wed 8th • 19.30 • WFS £10.00

CRADLE OF FILTH

DECEMBER

NELLY

+ SIR THE BAPTIST Fri 1st • 18.30 • LCR £27.50

T’PAU “CHINA IN YOUR HAND - 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR” + SCARLET Fri 1st • 18.30 • WF £27.00

Mon 23rd • 19.30 • WFS £10.00

+ SAVAGE MESSIAH Thu 9th • 19.30 • WF £18.50

+ SALTFEN + KING WILLIAM STREET + BLUE MEAN EYES Sat 7th • 18.30 • WFS £6.00

WIRE

WILDWOOD KIN

Thu 9th • 19.30 • WFS £11.00

+ MOLLIE MARRIOTT Fri 1st • 18.30 • WFS £14.00

LOYLE CARNER

THE PIGEON DETECTIVES

THE REZILLOS

WAIT FOR ME (10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR) + LITTLE COMETS Wed 25th • 19.30 • LCR £18.00

+ RAMPTON DISCO + SMART ALEX + HOTWIRED Fri 10th • 18.30 • WFS £16.00

THE DIVINE COMEDY

PALE WAVES

Sat 11th • 19.00 • WF £22.50

Sat 7th • 18.00 • WF £15.00

GAFFA TAPE SANDY

+ REBEL KLEFF Sun 8th • 19.00 • LCR £17.50

FRANK IERO AND THE PATIENCE

DAVE HAUSE & THE MERMAID + THE HOMELESS GOSPEL CHOIR + PACESHIFTERS Mon 9th • 19.00 • WF £17.00

BILLIE MARTEN

+ LAURA GOLDTHORP Mon 9th • 19.30 • WFS £7.00

SISQO WITH DRU HILL + GINUWINE

Tues 10th • 18.30 • LCR £28.00

BROKEN WITT REBELS

+ SONIA LEIGH + THE DOVE & BOWEVIL BAND Wed 11th • 19.30 • WFS £10.00

NECK DEEP

+ AS IT IS + REAL FRIENDS + WOES Wed 11th • 19.30 • LCR £22.50

THE SLACKERS

+ MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP Thu 12th • 19.30 • WFS £15.00

STARSAILOR

Fri 13th • 18.30 • WF £19.50

STELLIFY

Tue 24th • 19.30 • WFS £14.50

BIG COUNTRY

NOTHING BUT THIEVES

JW JONES

AJ TRACEY

VON HERTZEN BROTHERS

Thu 26th • 19.30 • LCR £22.50 Thu 26th • 19.30 • WFS £12.50 Fri 27th • 18.30 • WF £15.00

TIGERCUB

+ JULY TALK + DARIA Tue 14th • 18.30 • LCR £18.50

+ WALKWAY Tue 14th • 19.30 • WFS £15.00

Fri 27th • 18.30 • WFS £7.50

THE CADILLAC THREE + BROTHERS OSBORNE KONVICT KARTEL WITH Wed 15th • 19.30 • LCR £18.50 AKON, TRE CARTER, OG BOO DIRTY, TONE TONE AN LFC EVENING WITH Sat 28th • 18.30 • LCR £28.00 MCMAHON-WHELANMCDERMOTT-KENNEDY Wed 15th • 19.30 • WF STANDARD MELTDOWN HALLOWEEN £10.00, VIP £30.00 SPOOKTACULAR + VOID Sat 28th • 22.00 • WF £4.50 AS LIONS + GREYHAVEN CC SMUGGLERS Wed 15th • 19.30 • WFS £8.00 + ALL OUR EXES LIVE IN TEXAS Sun 29th • 19.00 • WFS £10.00

DECLAN MCKENNA

Mon 30th • 19.30 • WF £10.00

NOVEMBER

STATUS QUO AQUOSTIC

NAZARETH

ESKIMO DANCE

Fri 17th • 18.30 • WF £25.00

THE VISIONS TOUR Fri 3rd • 18.30 • WF £16.00

FT. LOUIS BERRY, ELIZA AND THE BEAR, CLEAN CUT KID, THE NIGHT THE RUTS DC CAFÉ + WILL JOSEPH COOK + MORE + GUESTS Sun 15th • 15.30 • WF £15.00 Fri 3rd • 18.30 • WFS £16.00

FOR FULL LISTINGS & TO BOOK TICKETS GO TO

UEATICKETBOOKINGS.CO.UK

Tue 6th • 19.30 • LCR £17.50

ROLAND GIFT OF FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS Tue 6th • 19.30 • WF £22.50

FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES

Wed 7th • 19.30 • LCR £16.50

PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT

PERFORMING ‘SUBSTANCE’ BY JOY DIVISION & NEW ORDER Wed 7th • 19.30 • WF £22.50

EDDIE & THE HOT RODS Thu 8th • 18.30 • WFS £17.50

SLADE

Sat 14th • 18.30 • LCR £24.00

AKALA

J HUS

WOLF ALICE

Fri 17th • 19.00 • WFS £5.00

+ BLOGHAUS DJ’S Thu 2nd • 19.30 • WF £15.00 FT WILEY, BUGZY MALONE, GHETTS AND MORE Fri 3rd • 12.00 • LCR £20.00

Tue 5th • 19.30 • WFS £10.00

YOUNG STATES

+ SUNFLOWER BEAN + SUPERFOOD Fri 17th • 18.30 • LCR £19.00

Thu 2nd • 19.00 • LCR £16.50

+ BLACKFOOT GYPSIES Sun 3rd • 19.00 • LCR £27.50

THIS IS MANCHESTER FEATURING THE CLONE ROSES, THE SMITHS LTD AND TRANSMISSION (JOY DIVISION TRIBUTE)

+ FRASER CHURCHILL + RICHARD MALONE Thu 16th • 19.30 • LCR £45.00

SUPER HANS

CUB FEST

10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR Sat 2nd • 18.30 • WF £14.50

DANNY BRYANT

W.A.S.P

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING + PALACE

Sat 14th • 18.30 • WFS £17.50

UK FOO FIGHTERS THE DARKNESS

+ UPRISING Sat 11th • 18.30 • WFS £12.00

SWITCHFOOT

JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET

Sat 2nd • 18.30 •--- LCR £30.00

A FOREIGNERS JOURNEY

Wed 25th • 19.30 • WFS £6.00

A TRIBUTE TO IAN BROWN Fri 13th • 18.30 • WFS £12.50

+ SPECIAL GUESTS Sat 14th • 18.00 • WF £23.50

BAD TOUCH

THE TUBES FEATURING FEE WAYBILL AIRBOURNE

+ PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS + THE WILD Sat 18th • 18.30 • LCR £21.00

FOREVER AMY

Sat 18th • 18.30 • WF £22.50

ROACHFORD

Sat 18th • 18.30 • WFS £16.00

Fri 9th • 18.00 • WFS £17.50

Thu 10th • 19.00 • WF £23.50

JORDAN ALLEN

Fri 11th • 19.30 • WF £6.00

DIRTY THRILLS, RENEGADE 12 AND BLUE NATION Sun 13th • 19.00 • WFS £10.00

UK SUBS

+ LONDON CALLING (CLASH TRIBUTE) Tue 15th • 18.30 • WFS £16.00

POUT OF THE DEVIL

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CONCRETE

001

Gaming

Overwatch: a late bloomer’s perspective Heroes assemble! The call sent out across the entirety of the gaming world by Blizzard Entertainment May last year. Since then, Overwatch exploded with all the similar success Team Fortress 2 experienced before it, drawing in fans from all over via the allure of competitive matches and the range of characters available. This begs the question of why anyone would resist this wave of momentum and popularity.

Why would anyone avoid playing this game? Well, in my case, it was simply out of spite of that popularity; it’s the same reason I never watched Avengers until last year: pure stubbornness in the face of popularity and general agreement of how incredible something was.

However, when a free trial ran from 22nd of September to the 26th I had a copy bought by the 24th. Why? Because as always in these situations, the thing you avoid for whatever reason turns out to be entertaining as hell. This is an endorsement for a game which doesn’t need endorsing, by a stubborn person who didn’t know what he was missing, for the people who still don’t know what they’re missing.

My major concern on approaching Overwatch was its association to the MOBA genre. Titles like League of Legends and SMITE have largely formed my perception of MOBAs, from the skill required to play, to the, shall we say, verbose members of their communities.

Add the frequent mentioning of ranked matches, and I firmly believed Overwatch to be a game beyond my level as a player not interested in competitive gameplay.

This level of wrong cannot be quantified as the game smoothly introduces you to the gameplay with the character Soldier:76, whose abilities and weaponry are most similar to the conventional first person shooter game, then transitioning from the tutorial into matches with AI opponents to test what you’ve learned.

With this as a solid foundation from Image: Wikimedia by Blizzard Entertainment

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which to explore, you can use training mode to try out each character, learn their various abilities and find a nice selection who you feel comfortable with for online play. The game ensures you as the player don’t feel out of your depth, allowing you a chance to learn how to play the game, unlike pushy childhood friends who would force you to play the game they had already mastered, using you as a glorified punching bag.

On the subject of characters, another huge positive to Overwatch is its colourful cast, each with memorable distinct personalities and abilities. This design and style served as the most powerful attraction to me as each time I saw the characters there was a twinge of regret in me for never playing. It says something when a company making a game which can basically be summed up as ‘kill the other team’ takes such care and effort in making every option feel unique in some way. They didn’t need to write a lore to the world, and yet if you go online you can find hours of reading and watching material from comics to animated shorts to immerse yourself in. It’s a story which frankly has no bearing on the gameplay

itself.

I could go into detail on the lore, but to avoid making my editor cry it can be summed up thusly: global robot uprising gets stopped by quirky anime-esque heroes who are forced into hiding by public outrage, but now return to action to protect the greater good! My only criticism is more of an unfulfilled wish – that being for a TV series or feature film in this setting with these characters.

Fortunately, the must-watch character shorts provide some relief for that desire.

The game itself can be split between a variety of modes revolving around escorting/stopping a payload, capturing/defending locations, or simply trying to eliminate the opposing team. You might think this feels a bit limited compared to other games with their ever-expanding list of match types, but the feel and polish of Overwatch makes each round feel fun and exciting, with small things like ‘play of the game’ at the end providing extra incentive to show your skill as a player. Additionally, every unlockable is cosmetic, meaning there is no unfairness between new and experienced players, or those who choose to use microtransactions.

Simply put, Overwatch is a phenomenal game. Whether you want to master a new competitive challenge with your friends, explore an engaging narrative, or just play a few casual matches without fear of a toxic community, Overwatch can cater for you. If you’re already a player you know this is true, but if (like I did) you have your doubts, you should pick it up as soon as you can. Whether you’re a PC, PlayStation or Xbox player, just remember one thing: the world needs heroes.

-Vince Gaffney

Gaming

Rebirth of a rockstar?

Rockstar Games barely needs introducing. As the developers of Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne and the hit Grand Theft Auto series, they are the most influential and important icons in British game development.

Rockstar North (then DMA Design) began in 1987 by developing a long line of mostly unsuccessful games, although a standout is the still-popular Lemmings franchise. But when in 1997 Grand Theft Auto became a phenomenal hit, the company became anovernight sensation. They followed the game up with a number of sequels, some still remembered fondly such as Grand Theft Auto III or San Andreas.

Other notable games from Rockstar North include Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire, and although no games have come close to touching GTA’s success, most of Rockstar’s games receive critical and culture accolades.

And then the word ‘success’ was redefined when, in 2013, Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto 5.

September 17th didn’t just see the biggest game release of all time, it saw arguably the biggest entertainment release of all time. They made more money and saw more sales than most films, a then-unheard-of feat and an

indication of the growing mainstream appeal of video games.

That was four years ago, and since then Rockstar have released…nothing.

Previously they’d release a game each year, but 2014-2017 were sad years for Rockstar fans. Of course, this wasn’t because the staff of the company mysteriously vanished, or spent their time lying in baths of money, but because of Grand Theft Auto 5’s multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online.

The microtransaction element of the game, which enables players to quickly buy things like cars, apartments and guns, rather than grind through the game to earn the in-game money, became incredibly popular, and made Rockstar an unspecified (but likely huge) amount of money. The great revenue stream from this made Rockstar unwilling to take the development teams away from creating additional content for the online mode, and so the various promised singleplayer additions to Grand Theft Auto 5 were forgotten.

But it seems the teams were doing something, as recently a trailer to Red Dead Redemption 2 made its way to

the internet. Rockstar is back, and many people are very excited. Although GTA5 must be an incredibly hard act to follow, it’s good that Rockstar are trying.

However, there are questions people aren’t asking. Although no online mode has been mentioned there will surely be one, after so much money was made in the previous one, and that really brings in to contention other parts of the game. Although the word is never used due to affinity for the game, marketing for GTA5 contained many lies, regarding the single-player DLC and the plausibility of playing online without paying money. People will be far less forgiving a second time around, and so if RDR2 pulls some dodgy tricks by focusing too much on paid microtransactions again, the game could become poorer as a result.

Given, this is a cynical attitude, and it could become a new classic. Yet with a company’s natural disposition for money-making (and the frankly weak marketing for RDR2 so far) it’s possible that the game is a milestone for Rockstar in the wrong way.

-Tom Bedford

Image: Wikimedia, Rockstar Games

Charlie Nicholson

21

Gaming

Looking back at Super Mario Land The void is a beautiful thing. The more I engage in the humdrum regularities of life’s to-ing, fro-ing and woeing as I tarry inexorably into the complex realms of adulthood, the stronger the allure of a few moments of vacuous bliss transpires to become. It’s not a bad thing; I’m still a complicated person. I’m a multi-tiered blood-cake of fears, joys and intolerances, and I’d imagine you are too. Unless you’re reading this as an absolutely new born baby, in which case, kudos.

But there’s a value to be had in simplicity, and for my platformer-mechanised thumbs, none hit the mark quite like Super Mario Land.

It’s difficult to imagine the game’s release, just because it depicted a still rather adolescent Mario. The ‘Mario IP’ wasn’t really set in stone yet, allowing Nintendo to try on a few different hats (relevant reference intended) before settling with the now-prolific, peppy plumber. He even pursues Princess Daisy here, rather than his regular beloved, Peach.

In that way, you could play Super Mario Land without it really feeling like a Mario game, and as such, the adventure feels as fresh to me now as it did upon my first encounter with its mustachioed protagonist.

This was one of the only Mario games not produced by Shigeru Miyamoto.

That title instead rested with his mentor, Gunpei Yokoi. Manager of Nintendo’s oldest developer – R&D 1 – and daddy of the D-Pad, a possible reason for Super Mario Land’s enduring freshness was Yokoi’s technological perspective. He approached Mario Land’s production aiming to use dying technology in a creative way, and perhaps as a result, there’s still an incredible youth to Mario’s monochromatic exploits today.

Of course, simple platforming and sidescrolling formed the game’s core.

22 concrete.gaming@uea.ac.uk

But with inspiration drawn from arcade shooter Gradius, Super Mario Land implemented different styles in the form of two scrolling shooter levels, switching up the difficulty to mark crucial narrative moments. Mario also left his weighty fireballs at home, instead able to propel powerballs that could bounce off of scenery to attack enemies and collect coins. If you angled yourself correctly.

More than a mere gimmick, Yokoi introduced an elegance to level progression that had never been seen before, allowing an alternation between platforming and puzzling so fluid it made speedrunning delicious. On top of that, racking up extra lives by collecting coins eased the tension caused by the inability to save-game.

Super Mario Bros. had you stomping about repetitive Mushroom Kingdoms, needling the same cheery blue sky and vibrant pipework time and again. And that was okay; I never played Super Mario Bros. for the ground-breaking visuals. But if Bros.’s world was Vanilla, Super Mario Land’s was Neapolitan.

In terms of visual capacity, NES trumped Game Boy, but even considering the portable’s algae-coloured limitations, Super Mario Land offered greater variety, flair and humour than Bros. had, often through world design alone. Mario sprinted through ancient Egypt, China, even Atlantis; taking on pharaoh Lions, aquatic overlords and sentient Moai statues. An undersea robotic invasion even joined the opposing roster. A far cry from the Goomba/Koopa ubiquity.

Although for me, Mario had always been about hopping about coin-gathering like a capitalistic rabbit (Rabbid, even), Super Mario Land’s many realms made it an adventure. The odyssey was incredibly potent within the game’s ancient depictions, and as such, they communicated a powerful sense of plot

without thrusting a narrative right under the player’s nose.

When I finally reached Daisy (that is, the Daisy that doesn’t experience some Kafka-esque transmogrification), it didn’t just feel like a victory because the levels were challenging. It was a victory because I’d travelled all these mystical lands of odd beasts to reach her. Old romanticism doesn’t always die hard.

Super Mario Land stood as a lesson in minimalism when the Game Boy first launched, and it still stands as one today, even if its mother console has retreated into antiquity. This simplistic platforming odyssey integrated mystical locations with a charming sense of humour, communicating a wibbly-wobbly narrative whose meaning could be shaped by the player. It broke conventions, and it’s one of the weirdest, boldest and most beguiling Mario games because of it.

If there’s anything I wish I hadn’t received from Super Mario Land, however, it’s my inescapable paranoia that women I like will irreversibly turn into locust beasts.

Of course, before I realised that that isn’t a feasible thing that can happen.

That’s not a feasible thing that can happen, is it?

-Charlie Nicholson

Image: Mario! by KenTheArtHog

Television

Rick and Morty season three: slow and steady wins the race

They’ve battled dream-hopping creatures, sentient robotic dogs and even themselves.

But in the much-anticipated final episode of season three, Rick and Morty face their most lethal enemy yet: the government of the United States of America.

To the non-watcher of Rick and Morty, the entire plot of the show must sound absolutely bonkers. Who could have imagined that such critical success could come from a show with a vaguely Back to the Future-esque set-up, and a series of off-beat adventures complimented by a main character with a bitter, nihilistic sense of humour. The show, however, is a welcome break from the surreal nature of what our everyday lives have become, particularly in this unusual Western political climate. Creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland seem to agree, appearing to make a pretty obvious comment about the dangerous fragility of modern-day world leaders in our reality.

With the aid of shrink rays, zombified pyjama-clad ninja kids, satellite controlled guns and an invisible SWAT team, the President spends a large portion of the episode essentially attempting to use all of the bizarre technology at his disposal

to take Rick and Morty’s arrogance down a peg. After overhearing that Rick considers himself and Morty to be glorified “ghostbusters”, cleaning up after the government, and his comments on how the President “orders drone strikes to cope with his insecurity”, a vendetta is formed against the duo. Throughout the episode the President discovers that Rick and Morty have been pretty much the only barrier between Earth and total intergalactic chaos, having portrayed themselves as ‘ambassadors’ for the planet.

The two proceed to piss off the President further by finding a solution to a number of worldwide crises, including solving the Israel/Palestine conflict with a drawn up ‘Pretty Obvious if you Think about it’ accord. I won’t spoil the conclusion for you, but let’s just say that it leaves a comfortably wide set up for a new series; including a much-needed cameo from Mr Poopy Butthole.

The reception of this latest series seems mixed at best; or perhaps I spend too much time reading about what men with large keyboards and even larger egos think when the show finally used female writers in the early episodes of the season. Admittedly, the first couple of

episodes in the third season did come off as mildly disappointing, due perhaps to their tendency towards exposition rather than an enjoyably daft plot. Luckily for viewers, the series has picked up the pace since then, especially with what will surely be considered one of the best episodes in the show’s history; The Ricklantis Mixup. The episode featured a full cast of interdimensional Ricks and Mortys, and the complex, corrupt Capitalist society that the neglected grandsons and grandads have all built for themselves.

The season three finale of Rick and Morty is overall a credit to the series. It comprises of whack galactic adventure, Beth’s latest existential crisis, Jerry’s clumsy charm as a deadbeat dad, and the new badass Morty that has really dominated this latest season. And as for the future of the show?

In Beth’s own wise words, “in many ways things will be like season one – but more streamlined”. I can’t wait.

- Hattie Griffiths Illustration: Caroline Worning

23

concrete.television@uea.ac.uk

Television

In my unpopular opinion: Stranger Things is the most overrated show on Netflix

Stranger Things Season two may have won the hearts of Netflix viewers, but when you strip away the 80s nostalgia and references it smothers itself in, does it really hold up?

Yes, everyone loves the 80s – it appeals to those who have lived through it, allowing them to experience the nostalgia factor, and it also speaks to everyone else who simply enjoys the music, films and bizarre look of the time – specifically the loud outfits and even louder hair. But how much of the appeal of the show leans on this, and subsequently messes with our emotions through its reliance on this magical period? While Stranger Things wears its pop culture heart on its sleeve, borrowing from the wonderful Spielberg, the horror of John Carpenter and the kids-riding-on-bikes-in-a-suburbanneighbourhood-ness of Stephen King, it is essentially just clinging to the tailbacks of these geniuses. 75% of the series is reliant on these big nudges to the audience, reminding them how great the 80’s really was – with a Star Wars reference here, an X-Men comic being passed around there and a cheeky Evil Dead poster in the background.

While this may sound extremely cynical, when you take away the 80s backdrop – a time period which has been done to death on TV and film – what really makes

Stranger Things special? Your answer will most likely be the child actors, and this is indeed the other 25% of the show’s magic: hiring child actors who don’t sound like they’re reading off a script while acting like normal human kids on camera. However, surely we should expect decent child actors considering they are the heart of the show. People seem to forget that there are actually good child actors among the shockingly awful, look at Haley Joel Osment’s Oscar nominated performance in The Sixth Sense. While the performances are good in Stranger Things, they aren’t exactly equal to this performance, so next time someone says “weren’t the kids in Stranger Things good?”, simply reply “well you obviously haven’t seen Haley Joel Osment’s powerhouse Oscar nominated turn in M. Night Shyamalan’s 1999 supernatural horror-thriller film The Sixth Sense.

Exactly”.

Now, a question. Without mentioning the 80s setting (which allowed the writers to rip off other original ideas) or the good child actors (I reiterate: good, not great) – what makes Stranger Things so original/good? The story is fairly slow and rather predictable as you watch events unfold over eight 45 minute episodes, a narrative which feels like it could make a much more entertaining and concise two-hour film instead. The characters are

24 concrete.television@uea.ac.uk

fairly two-dimensional such as Winona Ryder’s one note performance as frantic, wide-eyed mother, Joyce Byers, who sadly falls into ‘annoying and slightly hysterical mother’ territory most of the time. However, praise must go to David Harbour’s tortured alcoholic police chief, Jim Hopper, a character who sounds more like a cliché on paper, but who Harbour allows us to sympathise with and care for throughout the series.

Having said this, I do think Stranger Things is a good TV show and has provided some genuinely memorable moments of television. Who can forget the image of the truck hovering metres above the children, or indeed any scene with Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven and her telekinetic powers. What I don’t understand is why everyone is proclaiming this sci-fi-horror series as the jewel in Netflix’s crown. Is it just me or is Stranger Things one of the most overhyped shows on TV at the moment? So, next time you recommend this series to one of your mates, just think about how strongly you praise it, as sometimes overhyping a TV series can be the biggest crime you can commit.

- Dan Struthers Image: Wikimedia, Lowtrucks

Television

Jack and Michael Whitehall, the new Netflix double act?

Jack Whitehall has been gracing our screens for nearly 10 years now, starting off with his break-out hosting gig on Celebrity Big Brother’s Big Mouth (little known bit of trivia). He started stand-up straight out of college when he was 17, and since then has appeared in the likes of Fresh Meat, Bad Education and is as a regular on A League of Their Own. Now, he returns to a time period before all of his success occurred, as he takes his 77 year-old-father, Michael Whitehall, with him on a gap yahhh, a 5-week one at that, which he was never able to experience himself, in his new Netflix original series.

Whitehall takes his dad to some traditional gap year spots in South East Asia: Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Having originally intending to stay in a hostel,

Michael quickly vetoes the idea, the two instead start off their authentic gap year trip in a 5 star hotel in Thailand, wearing suits and feasting on steak dinners.

Proclaimed ‘posh folks’, this is a style that sticks with them throughout the weeks.

Michael Whitehall is not only the father of Jack; he has been appearing on our screens for some time, playing an agent representing the likes of Colin Firth and Judi Dench, and coming back to sit in front of the cameras with his son in the talk show Backchat. The two co-authored a book which was released in 2014 – an autobiography entitled Him & Me. We are frequently reminded throughout all of this that Michael sent his son away to boarding school at the age of 8 (something Jack clearly hasn’t forgiven him for) which leads to constant – but usually light-hearted – bickering.

When speaking to the Guardian, Jack said that he considers his father to be one of the funniest people he knows, and the humour really carries well on screen. Jack and Michael as a duo create a really interesting dynamic a n d provide s o m e w i t t y commentary throughout the series, despite the fact that Michael makes a reference to Norfolk being “full of slightly odd people”. Come on now, UEA, put the pitchforks down!

Interestingly, the two occasionally spend time apart in the series – such as Jack getting a massage on a beach in Thailand (really universitystudent-esque there, Jack) and

Michael checking into a rather expensive hotel simply to use the “facilities”. But it’s when they’re together and both trying to please the other that their relationship really shines through. One particularly touching moment is when they are gifted a luk thep (“child angel”) doll by their Thai guide in a bid to help them bond. The luk thep, said to be a doll which brings luck and fortune, is christened Winston and accompanies them throughout the rest of their journey around South East Asia.

Whether this aided or hindered their relationship is a discussion for another article…

At times the dialogue and banter between the two does feel extremely scripted, Jack often setting Michael up for his rather controversial opinion on a certain food, lifestyle or group of people. However, this occasionally forced humour will be familiar to you if you watch Whitehall along with James Corden, Jaime Redknapp and Freddie Flintoff on A League of Their Own with its lad-ish banter and their relentless set-ups for each other’s jokes. While the humour is less lad-ish in this, it still relies heavily on Jack’s posh silliness and Michael’s ultraconservative views - and the rift between the two that this difference of opinion causes.

Overall, while the whole taking-yourparents-on-a-road-trip scenario is becoming a little overdone, Jack and Michael are a real duo that make this a hilarious mini-series which you can watch very easily with your own parents.

I, for one, think that it would be great fun to take my father on a ‘gap yahhh’ trip to a foreign country, and if I ever did, at least I have two pretty good predecessors to follow.

- Hannah Brown

Image: Wikimedia, Walterlan Papetti

25

Dan Struthers

Norwich s Biggest Night 22.30-03.00 Every Saturday Drinks // Double Vodka & Red Bull // £4 VK // 2 for £4 Jungbomb // £2.50 + specials every week

Tickets // £5 (stbf) advance via www.uea.su // £6 on the door

In The LCR // The A-List Residents - Will Momentum Playing the biggest Chart // Pop // Dance

In The Hive // A-Xtra Residents - Upesh // DJ KAV Playing the best in RnB // Hip Hop // Grime

In Blue Bar // Play-List Resident - DJ Mediate Playing UK Bass // House // Garage // Drum & Bass

The A List Norwich s Biggest Night #ALIST ST T

22.30-03.00 Every Saturday

C. writing

Geek There is a Quidditch player standing outside the Sportspark. Immediately my fingers itch to take a flyer. Those digits belong to the primary school boy who read the first four Harry Potter books, but then stopped during the fifth one because Umbridge was becoming far too grating.

‘I am a fresher,’ I think. ‘I can do anything I want.’

‘You are also alone, a virgin, and a geek all throughout secondary school,’ my other voice reminds me. ‘I see where your eyes are glancing towards, Simon, but I think you should have gone for the Sports Fayre tomorrow. That’ll be carving a new path for you.’

‘I am not a geek!’ I think.

‘What line comes after “Our babies will be both smart and beautiful?”’ my other voice asks.

I groan and roll my eyes.

‘Yes, I am a Big Bang Theory fanatic,’ I think. ‘But what’s wrong with looking at—’ ‘Alright, fine, do whatever you want,’ my other voice says. ‘Just know you’ll be attracting the wrong sort of crowd if that’s the only kind of society you attend.

No one’s gonna go after a geek, you know.’

I walk in, and find myself taken in by the stream of students going through the reception, past a climbing wall (‘Think of your vertigo,’ my other voice reminds me), then down a corridor, into— Oh. My. God. I walk with the student current into a massive sports hall, with blue plastic padding covering the floor.

I give a brief smile at one of the two women standing by the door as she hands me a flyer. Mr Brightside blares out from two loudspeakers, between which I see two DJs sitting at a desk, ‘LIVEWIRE’

written on a red banner above their heads.

I move to the edge of the hall, away from smiling faces handing out flyers and fingers putting stickers onto backs of leaflets, and I look down at the list of… good grief, 185 societies! I see ‘Video Games’ and ‘Geek’ and ‘Assassins’, and my eyes light up.

‘Look elsewhere, lad.’

That infernal voice. I look for ones I wouldn’t usually think of doing.

‘Perfect! Now go up to those people.’

‘What?’

‘Go up to them! Or are you scared?’

‘I’m scared. You know me well enough by now.’

‘Wimp.’

All of me except for that one single voice in my head is itching to go after the gaming societies, and maybe even Showchoir. I look up the stall number for the latter, and head towards it.

‘You can’t sing!’ my other voice screams.

I stop.

‘Gotcha. You like singing, but you don’t think you can. I know you well enough, Simon.’

In my head, I’m only a few switches away from screaming out in pain.

‘This is all part of coming to uni, isn’t it, Simon. Carving out a new path. Not resurrecting an old one, when everyone mocked you for going down it. I’m just trying to protect you, Simon, alright? I’m not your enemy here.’

discovering myself all throughout secondary school, and not just during sixth form.’

‘You weren’t a geek during sixth form,’ ‘No, but I was still into Big Bang Theory. I never stopped being a geek, though. And I don’t intend to give up on that now.’

I look towards the Showchoir stall.

‘Remember when she said…’

‘Yeah, yeah, I know, someone once told me that if I ever sang with her while in the Oracle shopping centre, she’d jump off the balcony and plummet straight to her death. Get over yourself, Other Voice.

I think I should learn to love the parts of me that I let go of, not just the parts of me that I want to explore further.

‘Maybe that’s my new identity. One where I don’t give a damn what other people think of me, since I’m in a society, or two or three, where we are all the same person; where we don’t think differently, because we all think the same about where we are, what we do, and who we are.’

‘You think you’re going to silence me with a rousing speech?’

‘No. I think what I’m going to do is what I’m going to choose to do,’ I say, ‘regardless of what you think. I appreciate you trying to protect me, but frankly right now, I don’t need you.’ And with that, I head for the Showchoir stall.

- Tom Cascarini

‘Well,’ I mutter, ‘What’s wrong with revisiting an old path? I’m sure I was Image: Wikipedia Commons, Tokyoship

concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

27

C. writing

I Can Hear You When You’re Shagging I can hear you when you’re shagging, I can hear you when you’re sad, I can hear you when you’re chatting, I can hear you when you’re mad.

I can hear you when you’re shitting, I can hear you on the phone, I can hear you when you’re singing

Tiger The war ended today. Blackened the chimney.

Painted the door a Rothschild red and let the cat out to sit on the wall. Back into the study - from here I can just see his paws stretch. They rest and curl, feverish in old familiar surroundings. The feline prisoner once under sentence of indoor play, the arrival of his reprieve is met with bird-like mews. I sit deeper into the chair, letting the cat out of sight and the pages into my lap. Through the pane of scrubbed-out tar, I catch the last of him, tail and paw, leap like a tiger to the garden’s edge. He pauses a moment as if to turn back. Maybe to see a nod in affirmation- ‘onwards cat! It’s all yours now.’ The trees hoard in jungle-like packs but as cat descends the leaves appear to peel, forming a small opening in the humid wreath of growth. The tunnel of dark greens, forged of blue moss riddled rocks and wet, showed the glimmer of the river set in the staircase of peat. His tail just whips the grass, beating through the ozone and the flies. I wait - for him to crawl up the garden shelf, retreat to the nest of puddled blankets, to the full food-bowl but his silhouette drops. He disappears, aboard an uncompromising pursuit. He is racing the trees, dashing through the pebbled brook, away, to banks old and different and so she quells the papers, sits deeper in the chair and reaches for the pen.

When you think you’re home alone.

Oh how I love these wafer thin white walls, Oh how I love them so much more than halls.

As yet I wouldn’t change a thing, But let’s see how we feel come Spring.

- Rebecca Allen

- Freya Scott Broomfield

The Meta Image The jingle written beneath the carpenter’s sign.

There’s one image you remember from each job you’ve had.

An absent minded, gazing away image.

Ivy clasping the drainpipe on the side of the Co-op.

My first job was coffee.

My meta image was a clock.

All the baristas’ image was probably that clock.

Simple and grey, with gold hints if you moved your head around.

Black hands and numbers visible from across the floor and the corridor of the arcade.

It took me two months to realise it told the time.

It was just the object I glared at as I stood at the till.

Flat white, extra hot, extra shot, coffee in first.

Circular clock in the travel agents.

I only realised it was in their shop when I left to go abroad.

For maps and their cut-price currency exchange.

And that clock. I still want to smash that clock.

-Chris Martin

Image: Pixabay

28 concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

C. writing

Berlin: From Thursday Night To Friday Morning His name was Hans and he gave me red wine. The apartment was pristinely clean, mostly white with a few loud splatters of red paintings. The white sofa did not have a blanket draped over its arm, nor did any cushion nestle in its corners. Dimly lit, it was a space occupied mostly by the quiet yet pervasive personality of the short pale man who owned it. He was forty-two and his name was Hans.

Underfoot the bleached floorboards were smooth and silently hard, stripped of colour or dust. Though unquestionably expensive, the room did not attest to its wealth – it offered instead the mild grandeur of an innate sense of style. My fascinated wanderings were shortened by Hans’ interjection, “Oh no, not there! Not to my bedroom, please. Out of bounds.”

He ushered me back into the living room, where a red record player observed our proceedings from a dark yellow corner. I sank deeper into the sofa, its plush whiteness softened by the wine radiating through my bloodstream, as we discussed where I should go that evening. The place to be, he assured me, was Bassy’s cowboy bar. ***** I was among my people. At the bar stood two men in long dark red gowns, their sequins glittering in muttered flashes beneath the shadowy lights; seated along the wall, men watched the excited crowd, their t-shirts bulging over hard balloons of hairy muscle; boys at the bar were prowling for alcohol. We may have been wearing clothes but every man in the room had been undressed by someone else’s eyes.

Four steps led down into the dancefloor, to the pantheon of twirling men suspended in bursts of coloured light. Somewhere in this red flashing darkness I found JJ. Vodka has erased any perception of when this occurred, and no memory exists of what greetings were imparted. (He later informed me that I was more than polite.) I do not remember what our activities were in that hot, raucous vice-pit, but I reportedly did not wear a shirt for much of the evening. This is not unbelievable.

I do not remember leaving at 05:30. I do not remember the thirty-minute commute to his flat. I do, however, have a very clear memory of the events that transpired thereafter (the details of which shall be excised for the sake of propriety).

He was twenty-four, his skin made of silk and miracles. No tailor, couturier or dressmaker could ever dream of possessing a fabric so fine or flawless as the pink sea pulled across the high crested waves of this boy’s chest, hard and toned and hairless. Every part of his body was toughened by exercise and every inch of it was bewitchingly smooth. He was a boy made of hot pink silk.

His face was resplendent in youth and constructed of that rare quality of beauty reserved for Grecian sculpture. Short wavy curls of chestnut hair perched at the top of his forehead and kissed the back of his head. He had thick dark eyebrows, held incuriously over large brown eyes so dark as to be almost black. Far and deep into those eyes does one fall, and what splendours await the journey’s end.

He fell asleep in my arms, drowsy with sex and cannabis. My head nestled into his hair as I combed his curls with my fingers, whispering thanks to whatever god had led me along this sublime path lined with liquor and satin. The soft, regular hiss of JJ’s breath felt like a feather brushed across the back of my hands. I spread my palm over the firm grooves of his abdominals and held him tight against me, inhaling the warm odour of sweat, smoke and seduction.

I did not sleep for I was already dreaming. ***** He made me tea and scrambled eggs at noon, the day already festering in his small cluttered flat. It was bright and cloudless. As the textures of my reality tingled with the promise of a hangover, JJ stood at the stove in his boxers like a diamond eclipsing the sun. The darkness of his eyes had sunk into the skin above his cheeks, small pools of lost sleep. His expressions were quieter and tinted with weariness, his hair a sparkling wave of brown cotton deformed by my hands.

I wrote my name on a piece of paper before I left, and have heard nothing since.

- Liam Heitman-Rice

Image: Dreamstime, Anton Kubalik

29

Saoirse Smith-Hogan

w

Who could you be?

UEA has a bredth of famous creative allumni - we’ve reached the furthest corners of the arts worlds and all the spaces in between.. You may realise that the world of culture is a lot more UEA-dominated than you thought.

Ian McEwan Ian McEwan would likely not be the hugely acclaimed writer he is without first getting a Master’s in Literature from here. He is one of the poster boys of UEA’s Literature programme, with many bestselling books.

Gareth Malone Gareth Malone

Jack Davenport

You all know him as Doctor Who, and then from roles in Terminator Genysis, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. You may not know him as the former UEA student who studied Drama and Creative Writing.

The Choirmaster didn’t actually study Music but actually Drama.

Instead, he forged himself a whole new career as an amateur chorus master TV-presenter - and if a UEA graduate can make that a successful career, they can do anything!

Joanna Coles

Gurinder Chadha

Of mixed heritage, Gurinder Chadha is a hugely important filmmaker due to her focus on the experiences of Indians in the UK. You probably know her best from Bend it like Beckham or Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

Another powerful figure, Sir Colin Callender was, until rather recently, the President of HBO Films. An important producer in his own right, he’s currently working as the producer for the Harry Potter play.

Paul Whitehouse

Matt Smith

Joanna Coles isn’t as well-known a name as the previous names, but you know her work. As the Editor-In-Chief of both Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, she is one of the most powerful names in the publishing industry.

You’ve definitely seen something he’s in. Starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the first Kingsmen film, and many other successful projects, he graduated with a Film and English Literature Degree.

Sir Colin Callender

Matt Smith

Greg James

If you’ve been paying attention to what the previous notiable alumni studied, you can probably guess that Greg James studied Drama here. We can only assume that’s what makes his famous drivetime show on BBC 1 so popular.

Half of the popular comedy duo Harry & Paul, Paul Whitehouse came to UEA and started his career in our own halls. As well as his comedy sketch shows, he’s in films like Alice in Wonderland and Corpse Bride.

Kazuo Ishiguro

Perhaps one of the most well-known alumni of our university, Kazuo Ishiguro is a writer famous particularly for Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day, two popular and adapted novels shaped by his experiences in the UK.

-Tom Bedford

Image credits, starting top-left and going counter-clockwise: Wikimedia Commons - Thesupermat; Wikimedia Commons - Barry Knight, Wikimedia Commons - alotofmillion; Geograph - Richard Cooke; Vimeo - hamyard; Wikimedia Commons - Kubik; Wikimedia Commons - See Li; Flickr Actualitte; Wikimedia Commons - PEN American Center; Wikimedia Commons - Gage Skidmore

E V E R Y f r i d ay the waterfront