Venue - Issue 282 - 19 March 2013

VENUE Issue 282 Tuesday 19 March 2013

www.concrete-online.co.uk Music - Interview with Bastille front man Dan Smith, page 5.

Television - Review: Four New Crime Dramas, page 18-19.

Gaming - Big Returns: Sim City and Tomb Raider, page 22-23.

Photo: Virginie Lassarre

3

www.concrete-online.co.uk

VENUE CONTENTS

Tuesday 19 March 2013

ISSUE 282

concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk

Editor-in-Chief | Amy Adams Venue Editors | Rachael Lum and Matt Tidby Music | Editors | Hayden East and Sam Warner Music Contributors> Jack Enright, Aaron Toumazou, Charlie Mealings, Alex Flood, Danielle Hutley and Daisy Jones Film | Editors | Kieran Rogers and Andrew Wilkins Film Contributors> Joseph Holness, Holly Wade, Charlotte Flight, James Lillywhite, Bex White, Emma Holbrook, Joe Frost and Amelia Edwards Fashion | Editors | Jess Beech and Lucy Jobber Fashion Contributors> Becky Evans, Shelley Hazelwood, Imogen Steinberg, Ella Sharp, Gemma Carter, Rachael Lum, Jess Beech and Lucy Jobber Television | Editor | Ellissa Chilley Television Contributors> Adam Dawson, Jane Power, Lydia Tewkesbury and Matt Tidby Creative Writing | Editor | Matthew Mulcahy Creative Writing Contributors> James Sykes, Emily Fedorowycz and Marian Davidson Gaming | Editor | Oliver Balaam Gaming Contributors> Sam Emsley, Steph Gover and Joe Fitzsimmons Arts | Editor | Hatty Farnham Arts Contributors> Jack Coleman, Sophie Szynaka and Rachael Lum Competitions/Listings | Editor | Amelia Edwards

From the Editors Greetings and Salutations, Dear Reader!

Now that it’s Week 11, we’ve been bombarded by questions like “What happens after this?” and “Surely you must know what you want to do next?”. Well, we’re glad to inform you that we both have found employment. Rachael has secured a high-level position within an academy for training people in pirate-themed interrogation, whilst sinister television producers knocked on Matt’s door to ask him to star in a live-action re-make of Thunderbirds. He will be playing Lady Penelope. These things may or may not actually be happening. Stress-induced alternative futures are a lot more fun to consider right now.

We hope you’ve had a great semester, happy people of UEA. If you’d like to get involved in Concrete and Venue next year, applications for section editors are now open. For more information, check out concblog.wordpress.com.

We’ll be back after Easter. Don’t miss us too much.

Thanks for reading,

Rachael and Matt

Photo: Whye Tchien Khor

4

@music_concrete

www.concrete-online.co.uk

MUSIC

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

feature

BREAKING: MARCH

For the next in a monthly series, Jack Enright looks at three very different bands who are living proof that the British music scene is as vibrant as ever

As is now the yearly tradition, last month’s Brit awards have made our precious music scene feel like a very sad and lonely place. It is a common, and by now tiresome gripe, but once again awards and attention have been lavished upon artists who deserve neither, and in the face of such unremitting discouragement it wouldn’t be surprising to see the good ship of British music finally sink beneath the waves never to be seen again. But don’t worry, reader - Venue is here to show you that all is not lost.

Last month we were lucky enough to have a chat with Birmingham band Peace before their performance at the LCR - but while their rise to prominence has been well documented, there is a whole host of mostly overlooked Brummie talent following close on their heels. Foremost among them are the endlessly impressive Swim Deep (above, left), purveyors of a truly addictive brand of sun kissed surfrock that seems more at home on L.A. beaches than on grey Brummie concrete.

Dreamy, atmospheric, evocative - these are adjectives that get thrown around far too freely, but in the case of Swim Deep it seems entirely warranted. To date, the pick of their releases has been the irresistibly catchy Honey - three and half minutes of

sickly-sweet and unabashed indie-pop.

Lackadaisical guitar riffs gambol playfully over twinkling synths, engendering an air of happy-go-lucky abandon that you can’t help but nod your head to.

Their latest single, The Sea, is another true gem of a record, combining sleepy, sun-drenched guitar lines with tender vocal refrains to evoke an auditory paradise of sea and surf. What we can tell you for sure is that if you’ve ever watched Point Break and wished it was your life, then Swim Deep is your next favourite band.

Whereas Swim Deep tracks sound so laidback that they could have been recorded exclusively from a bed, Embers (above, right) are perhaps a band operating from under the opposite ideology. What distinguishes Embers from their peers is the hard-headed technical ambition of their music - every track aims impossibly high, and what’s more, they hit the target every time.

Take the sensational Hollow Cage - an epic seven minute, math-rock anthem that combines elements of shoegaze and psychedelia with soaring, seraphic vocal harmonies. The end result is an aural soundtrack of widescreen, panoramic majesty, the kind that had before seemed

the exclusive domain of Sigur Rós.

If you have a spare ten minutes this week, then make sure you check out the incredible live footage of the band performing from Gorton Monastery, an abandoned gothic church just outside Manchester. The combination of this otherworldly setting and the already spectacular music comes together to create something quite beautiful and has, quite frankly, set the music industry frothing at the mouth.

Embers could easily be labelled as stadium rock - but that would only tell half the story, because Embers are not playing stadiums, they are playing support slots in tiny Manchester venues. Indeed, they aren’t even signed yet - how they are forming a sound that is so impressively colossal without label funding is frankly astounding. Embers have recently been booked into the studio, working towards a new EP release sometime this spring - as far as we’re concerned, the state of your overdraft doesn’t matter; this release is undoubtedly going to be worth every penny.

Raucous post-punk outfit Idles have been turning heads in their native Bristol scene for a quite a while now, but with the release of their debut EP Welcome

midway through last year they have finally started attracting the wider attention they deserve. More than anything else, what marks this band out as special is the maturity of their sound - forget about a new band finding their feet, these guys have already come good right from the off.

Opener 26/27 is a menacing, bassdriven number, a track composed of dark, sharp-toothed guitar lines overlaid by Joe Talbot’s emotionally fraught vocals.

This last aspect is perhaps what makes this track so impressive - Talbot’s voice is choked and tight with emotion, lending the song an emotional clout you won’t find often. Standout track MEYDEI, however, marks a whole change in direction, full of jagged-edge guitar riffs and crashing cymbals. Gone is Talbot’s choked hesitancy, replaced with a hectic frenzy that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Death Grips album. Although details remain sketchy, Idles have a release scheduled for next month, and going on the evidence of Welcome, they are well worth keeping an eye on.

So there you have it - three bands with three very different sounds, but all living, breathing proof that Britain’s music scene remains in rude health.

MUSIC

19.03.2013 concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

interview BASTILLE

@music_concrete

5

Just days before reaching number one with his new album, Bad Blood, Aaron Toumazou sits down with frontman Dan Smith prior to his headline show at the Waterfont.

In just over a year, Bastille have advanced from a collection of several catchy tracks to two acclaimed mixtapes and a number one charting album. Humble frontman Dan Smith is more taken aback than anybody else, emerging from his tour bus with toothbrush in mouth and a slightly limper quiff than usual.

Scattered pockets of loyal fans have quickly grown into sold out tour venues and impending international debuts.

Their success is completely justified to their fans; they’re a band who have managed to find a place amongst masses without ever sacrificing their integrity.

Waiting with drummer Woody, who was first to rise, any potential for being starstruck was mellowed by a chat about Wayne’s World, and the realisation that the band are twice as grounded than anyone I know. When Dan was ready to see me he invited me into a dressing room in a comical doctor-patient gag, politely apologising for their bus driver’s slightly less harmonious rendition of Flaws in a shower in the next room.

Addressing how it felt to be in the charts, he explained how it was never anything that they ever sought after or

To

expected. The defining moment in the transition from a small band to where they are now was Reading Festival last year. “We’d expected to come out to a crowd of ten waiting to pelt piss-filled bottles at the stage but instead we performed to a crazy audience of over three-thousand who all knew the words.

It was a real eye opener.”

Reminiscing about the roots of my fandom; on hearing their cover of City High’s What Would You Do, Dan talked about the process of constructing the band’s cover tracks and mixtapes as “lots of happy accidents.” He adds: “We tried not to listen to the originals too much so a lot of our covers aren’t that faithful. We treat them like they’re our own songs, trying out things that were influenced by things we were listening to at the time. It was a fun opportunity to collaborate. Making the album wasn’t the most inclusive process. It was quite insulated. So doing the mixtapes was a nice opportunity to do things we probably wouldn’t do on our albums.

Yet.” We went on to talk about the band’s musical influences. “Bands like Simon

and Garfunkel and The Fugees is where my love for harmonies came from. I massively look up to people like Damon Albarn, Jack White and Kanye West who have lots of projects on the go and don’t feel the need to restrict themselves to one genre or band. It’s nice to be doing as much different stuff as possible, and I guess the one thing we looked for when we released the album is that it didn’t sound too much like one thing. We tried different kinds of production, some is electronic and some is quite stripped back, and some of it is really dense and epic. It’s an album which I think, if you heard it without the vocals you’d be quite surprised by the differences throughout.”

“I’ve started recording some new songs. The two things I really want to do is reflect the mix tape a bit more, trying to write in order so that it will flow but at the same time, I don’t want to be self-indulgent. I’m really interested to see if we can find a way to have the feel and flow of the mixtapes. The other thing is I’d like to push it more in either direction. I’d like there to be stuff that feels a lot more live and indie, and

other stuff that flows a lot further into electronic areas.”

Their musical divergences have seen them play a multitude of very different venues. “There’s been a lot of variety in terms of sizes. I don’t think I really have a preference. To be honest having people there who know the lyrics, who have come out specifically for us is amazing, if it’s two-thousand people or thirty. I really like the level we’re playing at the moment because I can still run into the crowd. I don’t really like the potential level of detachment there can be on a big stage.”

Imaginably; many of their fans might prefer that Bastille steer clear of the arena-tour status which their sound lends so much possibility to. Dan mentioned that “I can’t imagine anything that big but I also couldn’t imagine being number one in the charts so who knows.

I don’t want to get too carried away with bigger venues but I know we’ll have to.”

It’s hard to imagine that the band will compromise the epic sound that they’ve accomplished this year. They’re going on to great things, and it seems clear that they have a distinct direction in mind.

read more , head over to www. concrete - online . co . uk / bastille - interview

6

@music_concrete

FOALS LCR 8.3.13 Charlie Mealings It makes intuitive sense that when a bigname act plays venues that are smaller than the fame they’re enjoying, the interaction between act and attendees responds to the down-size in scenery.

Our beloved LCR is a rabbit hutch next to the theatres that Foals now frequent.

So with compliment to this creeping sense of non-realisation, they put on an immersive, dazzling spectacle.

Being on their album tour, the band are shrewd enough to open with the prelude from Holy Fire, and mischievous enough to stretch it out for all it is worth. As early as Antidotes, Foals had understood acutely that

www.concrete-online.co.uk

MUSIC

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

live review

their gratuitous intros allow them to engineer excruciating levels of suspense and anticipation, and this is what in turn allows them a mesmeric degree of coercive power over their live audiences.

In other words, Yannis can tinker on his own as long as he chooses before they even debate introducing a rhythm guitar or bassline, and in the meantime the rest of us won’t even breathe until instructed to. For those unconvinced it’s worth pointing out that the atmosphere for Spanish Sahara is so soft that fans further back actually feel compelled to speak in hushed tones as it begins. A little unnecessary, but somewhat contagious habit.

Conversely, when they want instigate a riot, all Smith and Philippakis have to do is start getting silly with the effects pedal and people start to demolish things. The prelude is a deliberate tease, but apart from the opener, the quintet have no intentions of messing about; Miami and My Number are delivered back to back within the first six tracks.

Total Life Forever and This Orient are disappointing omissions, but even the weaker numbers produce highlights. If you insisted on naming a weak track on Holy Fire, you might begrudging concede that Providence is a little unrefined and ropey. It’s the ninth track and the band just seem to hang up all their warm stringed sounds and elaborate, pretty riffs and let the drums drive the song, with some uncharacteristically coarse vocals from Yannis at the steering wheel. On record it seems starkly out of kilter with the rest of the album, but in the LCR it rivals Inhaler for energy, and Jack Bevan (the Foals’ drumwork not commonly noted as their premier asset) comes out of his shell to ignite the entire song.

Only their style of showmanship really catches you off guard. In front of larger crowds and at festivals particularly, Foals have an unbelievable stage presence and brilliant sense of theatre, so you would expect the reduction in scale to make for an

incredibly intimate performance.

Instead they feel bizarrely businesslike.

There are no breaks for beer, no banter between tracks or verbal introductions to new ones, only minimal pauses for retuning. In fact, Yannis barley speaks once throughout the entire gig. But no one cares. He is quite preoccupied trying to dismantle the LCR from the inside out, and everybody really wants him to succeed. He alone manages four separate stage-dives, on one occasion from atop of the main LCR amp stack downstage left.

There is nothing casual, nothing conversational or intimate about their concert, instead they just clinically assault their audience for two hours (musically and physically), then leave the stage without suggestion of an encore.

Most fans have probably received haircuts more affectionately performed upon them, medical examinations that were more tender and reciprocal. And they worship every savage, beautiful minute of it.

MUSIC

19.03.2013 concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

album reviews

@music_concrete

7

DAVID BOWIE THE NEXT DAY Alex Flood

When on his 66th birthday David Bowie shocked the world by announcing The Next Day, his first studio album in ten

BASTILLE BAD BLOOD Danielle Hutley

Not quite the new kids on the block, Bastille have been around in South London since 2010. Beginning as a solo project of vocalist Dan Smith, Bastille soon became a band and started releasing material in 2011, all leading up to this, their debut album.

Current single Pompeii kicks off the album as a catchy track, mixing world music styles with a current indie sound. It’s what we can expect from the remainder of the album: extremely versatile, chilled and relaxed, yet also feel-good, the perfect soundtrack for

years, many could have been forgiven for feeling apprehensive towards this return to public life. However, these worries should have been eased slightly by the revelations that The Next Day had been two years in the making and that Bowie had reformed his mercurial partnership with Tony Visconti, producer of highly acclaimed Bowie records Heroes and Scary Monsters from his Berlin era.

Whilst many saw this as a nostalgic attempt from Bowie to revert to success (now thirty years in the can), they could not have been more wrong.

The defamatory artwork of the Heroes cover highlights Bowie’s constant need to move forward, whilst building on previous art, and what fantastic art it is.

The Next Day bursts into life with squealing guitars and the abrasive vocals of a man with a message to deliver, declaring in a rousing chorus of “here

I am, not quite dying, my body left to rot in a hollow tree,” that he is back and here to stay.

This theme is continued as the album bounds along into Boss of Me, a New Orleans, gris-gris style romp, drenched in debauched saxophone lines, where Bowie is allowed to unveil his lesser known talent for the “golden clarinet” and drag us down with him to the depths of some dirty Jazz club.

However, Bowie fans left worried about his departure from the glamrock strut of Suffragette City and Moonage Dream should not be worried.

Favouring more ballad type tracks such as single Where Are We Now?, ethereal, organ-laden Love is Lost and the melancholic, suspense-ridden You Feel So Lonely You Could Die expose many album highlights.

Despite this, he proves he can still

rock it with standout track (You Will) Set the World on Fire, which contains a swaggering riff of the ilk of Rebel Rebel, before exploding into a rip-roaring solo and choir-backed chorus.

Bowie pays homage to persona Major Tom in the upbeat Dancing Out in Space, before speaking through the “voice of Valentine” in the rocky Valentine’s Day, proving he’s not quite done with his fascination of the alterego.

Ultimately, The Next Day displays an astounding array of emotions, with Bowie managing to create an interesting enough sound to once again regenerate his audience, but drawing sufficiently on his huge catalogue to keep the old-faithful enthralled. This latest record is not just a sweet swansong to an illustrious career, but a record of progression and meaning.

most occasions.

Things We Lost In The Fire opens with a slower, softer edge, creating a contrast to Pompeii, but quickly transforms into another classic indie track. A solid drum beat combined with harp-like sounds and a running piano motif adds for an interesting sound. With the use of such a wide range of instruments and various techniques, you can tell that this band have some serious musical expertise.

This is not just another mass produced album released for the money, musical elitism is certainly present.

Bad Blood the single was released in August 2012 displaying one of the more electro tracks of the album, but is interestingly mixed with a ska style offbeat, with drum ‘n’ bass vibes.Overjoyed follows, which was actually Bad Blood’s debut single. This is slower than any of the previous tracks and allows Smith to show off a much higher vocal range amongst a stripped down sound and synth choir backing vocals.

Oblivion is also one of the more ballad-type songs on the album, which yet again displays some beautifully high male vocals, similar to Bon Iver.

Unfortunately, the random electronic sounds in this piece are unnecessary and run the risk of ruining it.

Despite many tracks sounding similar on initial listens, numerous plays will make the album more memorable than expected. It’s a shame that summer won’t come sooner, because Bad Blood will be your ultimate summer soundtrack.

HURTS EXILE

followed. Exile takes a turn for the darker, with drums so hard they practically punch you in the face and retro synths that make insincere apologies on their behalf. Everything is shamelessly overstated, from the thunderous bass to the belting vocals.

The lyrics are glamorously sorrowful and riddled with proclamations of pain.

Blind begs: “Cut out my eyes, and leave me blind”, which is really going a bit far, considering it’s a song about seeing your ex move on. Towards the end of the album even the song titles are getting desperate, with Somebody to Die For. It’s bold and arrogant, but there’s something blisteringly satisfying about it.

Of course, they do overdo it a bit, and at times Exile sounds like Thom Yorke and Matt Bellamy somehow procreated through the medium of dubstep, which is really an image none of us need in our lives. But wade through the theatricals and pretention that moistens the earlier songs and you’ll reach dry land.

The album is an island chain of EDM: hyperbolic dance (Only You), heavy electronica (Mercy), Nine-Inch-Nailssexy (Cupid) and rock-ballad-gonetechno (The Road). Fortunately, it’s not all high-energy, high-octane drama: The Crow and Help slow everything down, giving the album some much-needed simplicity and grounding.

Yes, Exile does go from high to low like a hormonal teenager, and yes, it does take itself a bit seriously – but from Hurts, you really wouldn’t want anything less.

Daisy Jones

Hurts is a pretty accurate description of what you will feel upon listening to the boys’ second album, Exile. It’s a good kind of pain though, the kind of pain that only singing along to fraught emotional songs in your bedroom while imagining you’re in a moody music video can give you. (Come on, you know you’ve done it.)

The synthpop duo rocketed to fame in 2009 when their low-budget music video for Wonderful Life went viral, and their debut album Happiness – which, ironically, wasn’t very happy – soon

8

@Concrete_Film

STOKER (18) Dir. Park Chan-Wook 98mins Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode

Joseph Holness Upon the death of her father, the lives of India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) and her mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) are shaken by the sudden appearance of the mysterious Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode).

The talent behind Stoker is certainly interesting: it is based on a blacklisted screenplay by Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller and marks the English language debut of acclaimed director Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Thirst). For fans of Chan-Wook’s earlier Korean Language films, it is difficult to say whether or not Stoker would match up to the expectations that might be placed on this film. The way in which he expertly

www.concrete-online.co.uk

FILM

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

REVIEWS

creates an unsettling and evocative atmosphere throughout does indicate that he has not compromised what made his previous films so watchable; his artistry seems to have made it to America very much intact. Despite this, the narrative complexity of a film like Oldboy is nowhere to be found here, instead the plot seems to be sacrificed in favour of style and mood.

The performances are certainly strong, with Kidman suitably unstable and Wasikowska the sulky emotional teenager equally as good, but it’s Goode as the villain that proves to be strongest of the three, a menacing but soft presence that underpins the film. The real “star” of Stoker though is the tone. Whilst the acting is serviceable, Chan-Wook goes to great lengths to cultivate a mysterious and tense atmosphere. A technique that relegates its actors almost to pieces of scenery. As a result it is easy to feel that we only really get the illusion that they are interesting or three dimensional through

the director’s heavy stylisation; in the end you never feel that you’ve connected to any of the characters or even witnessed much in the way of humanity from them.

It seems to have become a right of passage for East-Asian directors to make the move to Hollywood after success in their native land, with the phenomenal success of two time Academy Award winning director Ang Lee and the financial success of John Woo in the last ten years indicating that it can potentially be the best route to go. With the release of fellow countryman Kim Ji-woon’s Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle The Last Stand, the eyes of many Asian directors are on them to see if this really does signal a new wave of Asian-American filmmaking.

It might be expected with this sort of background that Chan-Wook might have felt pressure to “Americanise” in order to make a more broadly accessible film, however, quite the opposite has occurred.

Instead it feels more art house than anything else he has made in his career

so far. Its sensibilities feel more European than anything else, comparisons have been made to Hitchcock, particularly his 1943 effort Shadow Of A Doubt, but the influence of Haneke or even Bergman can be glimpsed at times.

In all, Stoker is a strong first English language effort for a director that has already proven himself capable in the foreign market. Despite a sometimes heavy going style and thick layers of symbolism that can often be simply too unsubtle, there is much to like here. The pacing of the film’s one and a half hour runtime stops it from feeling too drawn out and concise enough to negate any claims of pretension and the performances in all are at least fun enough to keep you involved and engaged with what’s happening. Certainly worth watching if you want a nice creepy mysterious film to watch at the cinema, but those hoping for something more by a talented director, you may leave the cinema feeling somewhat disappointed.

FILM

19.03.2013 concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (12A) Dir. Sam Raimi

130mins

Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz

Holly Wade Recent cinema releases seem to be proving that updated fairy-tales are back in fashion. From Snow White and the Huntsman and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters to the upcoming Jack the Giant Slayer, the updating of childhood classics is clearly the new cinematic rage.

Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful, based on one of the many L. Frank Baum novels centred on the fantastical land, is an often predictable yet sentimental film that owes many of its allusions to its classic predecessor The Wizard of Oz. The story centres around Oscar (James Franco), a carnival magician, whose ethics and morals are almost non-existent as he bats from woman to woman and fakes his way into the hearts of citizens through his bogus magical illusions. After a tornado strikes Oscar and his hot air balloon, he is dragged from the monochromatic small squared screen of 1905 Kansas to the vibrant and colourful widescreen land of Oz, where he learns to focus on being a good man rather than a great one.

Sadly, the acting often leaves a little to be desired but whether this follows Raimi’s intentions is unclear. Franco’s Wizard is a modern slime-ball with a somewhat creepy grin; Rachel Weisz seems to lack the pure evil her character needs to maintain; Michelle Williams as

www.concrete-online.co.uk Glinda is possibly even too virtuous and good; Mila Kunis’ transformation from naïve Theodora to the evil Wicked Witch of the West, who is quite literally green with jealousy, should be more dynamic but lacks substance.

The star performance of the film comes from Zach Braff whose roles as Frank, Oscar’s assistant, and Finley, the enthusiastic monkey, are both loveable and moving. Braff brings much needed light comic relief to the film whilst adding the moralistic element of true friendship, and in doing so makes sure the film is more than just another rehashed Oz. The style of the film is what really makes it, from Peter Deming’s incredible cinematography to its clever allusions to the original. The camera is constantly weaving in exploration of its new setting and for whole scenes at a time you really do feel like you are in the mystical land itself. For all those looking for nods to the original, there are clever references that foreshadow the sequel, with Theodora’s tears burning her face an indication of her later aversion to water, Oscar’s shout to a “cowardly” lion, and the use of scarecrows as a battle weapon.

The film is most definitely a slow burner and whilst its effects are magical it is all too often predictable. Oz owes a lot to its 1939 precursor but Disney will clearly be pleased with their latest effort as it earned a huge $80 million in its opening weekend and still seems strong.

Oz: The Great and Powerful is a feelgood fantasy film full of vibrancy, colour, sentimentality and references to the original, but unfortunately it lacks the charisma that made The Wizard of Oz such a timeless epic.

@Concrete_Film

SIDE EFFECTS (15) Dir. Steven Soderbergh

106mins

Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Charlotte Flight Steven Soderbergh’s swansong is a slick psychological thriller, packed with conniving twists and sinister turns. The story centres around Emily (Mara), whose husband Martin (Chattum) has just been released from jail for inside trading, and who must battle crippling depression to adjust to the change in her life and become the wife he wants her to be. She meets Dr Banks (Law), as she tries to curb her urges to harm herself through a number of different medications. The one she settles on leads to some unexpected side effects, sending her world into turmoil once more. It is then up to Banks to set everything straight.

Each performance is strong, with a stand out turn from Law who has not

MEA MAXIMA CULPA: SILENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD (15) Dir. Alex Gibney 106mins Starring: Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery

James Lillywhite Mea Maxima Culpa (translated as Silence in the House of God) could well be the most relevant film of the year. At the time of writing, black smoke is bellowing from the Vatican conclave as Cardinals from across the world gather to decide who will be the new worldwide leader of the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, in the US, the LA archdiocese has paid out $10 million to settle four separate cases of sexual abuse aimed at former Priest, Father Michael Baker. It is this contrast of tradition and scandal within the Catholic Church that Mea Maxima Culpa focuses upon, and it does so with some success.

From the first scene till the last, Mea Maxima Culpa is captivating and engaging storytelling. While dark, the subject matter is extremely interesting, especially when presented as a series of talking heads, making the documentary feel more personal and real. This sense of realism is vital, as the story would be easy to disregard as fiction. Starting in a Catholic school for the deaf in Milwaukee in the 1970s, Mea Maxima Culpa follows victims of sexual abuse as they attempt to come to terms with their experiences and challenge the establishment that they believe allowed this to happen. Director, writer and narrator Alex Gibney follows their plight, soon exposing a system of cover ups and denial in the church that

9

looked so alert for the best part of a decade. Rooney Mara is also reliably excellent, providing the right balance of subtlety and sincerity to derail the audience at every corner. Soderbergh’s direction is reliably superb, with an understated, murky visual style perfect for an unpredictable ride.

The key to a successful thriller is genuine surprises that take the audience in unexpected directions. Side Effects achieves this with ease. Each time a direction seems set the narrative changes gears, leaving the audience reeling, trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle.

This leads to a highly entertaining picture, allowing Soderbergh to leave us with a fist bump of respect rather than a loud bang. It was puzzling that he would make Side Effects his final film rather than last summer’s magnificent Magic Mike, yet this seems more appropriate.

For years Soderbergh has been reliable in providing output of strong, sturdy films that got the job done with little fuss.

Why bow out on anything different? leads all the way to the now former Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger. Using emotive talking heads and dramatic re-enactments, as well as more formal achieve footage, the documentary comes across as both personal and informative. While at times it slips into the realm of sensationalism (is it really necessary to mention that Mussolini created the Vatican as a state?) and while some re-enactments seem inappropriate, this personalised way of documenting the abuse grounds the film overall, making it extremely emotional for the watching audience.

However, it is in its presentation that Mea Maxima Culpa falls. While the story is doubtlessly fascinating, it is so far reaching that often it becomes confusing.

Interviews with people involved in the Milwaukee school are often spliced with talking heads of cardinals in Italy, making the audience lose track of where the film is. You start to feel that if Gibney had decided to just focus upon the school for the deaf it would have been far more effective. It certainly would have allowed a more subtle, focused work to emerge.

As it is, however, Mea Maxima Culpa is presented in a confusing and jumbled way, which often distracts from the story.

As a piece of investigative journalism, then, Mea Maxima Culpa is extremely successful. Interesting, scandalous and engaging, it challenges the audience to empathise with these poor victims on an extremely personal level. As a documentary, however, it fails. A confusing structure, combined with poor editing and a far too ambitious scale for a work of this size, it comes across as a subject that would have worked better as a television series rather than a feature film.

10 NEWS

@Concrete_Film

www.concrete-online.co.uk

FILM

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

Justice League rumours gain momentum; Luke, Han and Leia to return; Clerks III now underway

Emma Holbrook Despite the fact that Man of Steel is still three months away from release, the rumour mill has already prompted talk of a potential Justice League movie, with Christopher Nolan now at the helm. The project has been stuck in development hell for over five years, but Warner Bros. are naturally keen to emulate the recent success of Marvel’s The Avengers. Though the film would be markedly different in tone, it could serve as a platform for superheroes such as Wonder Woman and The Flash, who have remained relatively untouched

by Hollywood.

The conclusion to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy certainly left the door open for a spin-off and if Man of Steel is even half as good as the advanced reviews suggest, the Justice League could provide DC with the opportunity to finally compete cinematically with Marvel.

In keeping with the superhero theme, Avengers director Joss Whedon was recently asked to comment on the possibility of a stand-alone film for the Incredible Hulk, even though the Hulk franchise has already received two reboots in 10 years. Whedon remained rather noncommittal about the prospect of Mark Ruffalo donning the ever-expanding purple shorts in a solo

venture, but he did speculate as to why the big, not-so-friendly giant has failed to find his market yet: “Are you going to root for a protagonist who spends all his time trying to stop the reason you came to the movie from happening?”

Meanwhile, it appears the Force is strong with the Star Wars reboot, as George Lucas claims that Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are all on board and close to signing up for Episode VII. As of yet, the plot of the sequel trilogy is unclear

but Carrie Fisher seemed to have a few ideas of her own, joking that Princess Leia would probably be in an “intergalactic old folks’ home” by now. Considering Harrison Ford’s age when this project will eventually start filming, it may be necessary for Han Solo to trade his Millennium Falcon in for a mobility scooter.

And Hollywood’s preoccupation with sequels doesn’t stop there. Jay and Silent Bob are set to return as Kevin Smith has reportedly started writing the script for cult hit, Clerks III; whilst Danny Boyle, fresh off his Olympic ceremony success, is planning to bring Trainspotting’s sequel, Porno, to the silver screen.

Finally, cult TV show, Veronica Mars, has become living proof of the power of fandom, with fans funding a spin-off film via Kickstarter. Fans have been clamouring for a movie ever since the cult U.S. hit was prematurely axed six years ago and creator Rob Thomas has finally managed to make this a reality, striking a deal with Warner Bros. provided he raised $2 million through internet fundraising. Extraordinarily, the target was surpassed in less than 24 hours and subsequently, Kristen Bell will reprise her role as the plucky private detective in 2014.

being dubbed a “female Tony Stark”, their relationship looks set to be very entertaining, and most definitely full of sarcasm. Though the actors have been told to keep their mouths strictly shut on giving away too much information about their characters, the introduction of two successful and renowned actors in Hall and Pearce could be just what the storyline

needs to create an engaging film that can satisfy a worldwide audience.

From what the trailer suggests, and from the information the studio has let out, this is going to be different from the previous instalments of Iron Man (both directed by Jon Favreau), with more focus on Stark as a person, though there is a worry that this will mean less of the spectacular action and special effects we have seen in previous films. Of course, these elements will not be eliminated from the film, but with one of the limitations of Avengers Assemble being its overcrowded list of characters, and therefore the development of some of its heroes, the hope is that with only one main focus this will not be an issue with Iron Man 3.

The initial Iron Man films were extremely successful, not only in creating a character that everyone could love despite his arrogance, but launching Marvels massive Avengers endeavour and this next instalment is unlikely to disappoint. With so much hype around the film, and them keeping their cards so close to their chest, Iron Man 3 promises to be as enthralling as the Avengers, if not better. With the tagline “Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?” Iron Man 3 is bound to be exciting and a great start for the summer of blockbusters we have ahead of us in 2013.

PREVIEW: IRON MAN 3 Bex White

IRON MAN 3 (TBC)

Dir. Shane Black Released: 26th April 2013 Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle

Anyone that was near any form of media communication in the summer of 2012 will know of Avengers Assemble, a huge box office and critical success. Excitingly, 26 April 2013 sees Marvel’s latest instalment of their superhero line-up, the first since the days of Assemble, with Shane Black’s Iron Man 3. Eagerly awaited by many a comic book geek, and now with a fan base that has more than doubled in the past year, the question is whether Iron Man 3 will be able to continue on the Marvel glory amongst an upcoming summer of blockbuster films.

From what we know so far this film will see Tony Stark, post-Avengers, not having an easy ride. With his personal life in trouble, Stark is believed to be going off to find his enemies. It will also introduce Extremis, a new technological creation which affects how Stark’s famous Iron Man

suit works. Thus, Iron Man 3 will introduce a whole new side of Stark and his alter-ego, and new characters to go along with it.

As the “creators” of Extremis, both Rebecca Hall and Guy Pearce are added to the faithful Iron Man cast of Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle. These new additions could be perfect; with Rebecca Hall’s character

FILM

19.03.2013 concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

@Concrete_Film

TEARING US APART: THE (UN)DISPUTED GENIUS OF THE ROOM

11

To celebrate its recent showing at Cinema City, Venue pays tribute to the enduring legacy of the ultimate so-bad-it’s-good flick THE ROOM (18)

Dir. Tommy Wiseau Released: 2003 Starring: Tommy Wiseau, Greg Sestero, Juliette Danielle

Amelia Edwards The Room is one of the worst films ever made. It defies conventions of plot, character and common sense, fails to maintain any kind of consistency and is, in some ways, incredibly boring. It is also strangely fascinating. Ironically, this fascination comes from the number of ways in which it is awful. It’s not just your average terrible film; The Room ignores all sense of rationality to the extent that it has become brilliant, an unadulterated cult classic.

The driving force behind this titan of a bad film is Tommy Wiseau, its director, producer, writer and lead actor. The Room appears to have been a labour of love for Wiseau; he raised the money to make it himself – allegedly through importing leather jackets from Korea – after having written it as a play and a book, the latter for which he could find no publisher.

Wiseau himself is mesmerising – his accent is intriguing, apparently a mix between New Orleans and French, but not one which appears anywhere else.

His looks too, are by no means those of a typical lead male and, as its poster art shows, he can look pretty terrifying.

Wiseau plays Johnny, a banker whose fiancée Lisa suddenly takes a dislike to him, deciding to cheat on him with his best friend Mark. Meanwhile a variety of subplots begin and tail off without resolve.

Lisa’s mother definitely has breast cancer, but Lisa just tells her to rest and then goes on talking about her own problems; a young friend of the couple gets threatened by his drug dealer, with few consequences; more friends sneak into their flat to have sex without explanation, or without any impact on the film whatsoever. All the characters in the film are peculiar in that they have no fixed motivation, and come out with some very odd lines and standpoints. For example, when Lisa lies to her mother about Johnny getting drunk and hitting her, the parent’s response is simply, “Johnny doesn’t drink.”

By far the most weird and intriguing, however, is the films mise en scène. Like the majority of the film, the main factor that makes its intricate details bizarre is that many of them seem to have been put in on a whim, with no reasoning whatsoever. Further irregularities include a framed picture of a spoon in Johnny’s living room, an image which has inspired cinema-goers to throw plastic spoons at the screen. Frankly, there are too many baffling details to count, too many odd character decisions and plot flaws to describe.

What makes The Room so compelling is Wiseau’s complete inability to create a film – instead what he has created is a combination between a piece of GCSElevel drama with all the strange ideas which might be found crammed into an ill-conceived short story, or a fever dream.

Captivating and repelling in equal measure, it is hilarious in its lack of conception, but should certainly be enjoyed in company, even if you’re celebrating its flaws.

THE ROOM: 5 IMMORTAL MOMENTS

Joe Frost 1. THE DYING MOM

A little while into the film, Claudette (mother to female protagonist, Lisa) reveals that she is dying, in possibly the calmest and most concise way that anyone ever has: “I got the results of the test back - I definitely have breast cancer.” This “emotional” plot point is never resolved or revisited in any way. Perhaps the true genius of art is in its ambiguities…

2.

FOOTBALL…IN TUXES

Throughout the film Johnny (Wiseau) sporadically throws around an American football. At one point Johnny and his friends Mark, Denny and Peter, decide to throw a football around while - for vague, wedding reasons - dressed in tuxedos.

Wiseau is often asked in interviews about the recurring football scenes of the film and defends these with the simple answer that throwing a football around with friends is “fun.”

3. “LEAVE YOUR STUPID COMMENTS IN YOUR POCKET!”

For whatever reason it seemed a good idea at the time, Wiseau wrote this line

for supporting actor Greg Sestero to say to a random character who catches Johnny’s best friend Mark (Sestero) and girlfriend Lisa together. Not much can be said about this except that it is one of the strangest but most amazing put downs ever used. You have to hope that Wiseau uses this phrase himself when challenged by critics.

“CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP” 4. Another weird delight: the

ridiculously immature impersonation of a bird/ chicken/ only-God-knows-what, which the characters rib each other with, even in what are meant to be very serious and dramatic confrontations.

5. *SPOILER ALERT*

JOHNNY’S DEATH

This is possibly the best scene in the film, and certainly the best to watch in a theatre littered with spoons. Johnny shoots himself in the head (of course, in slow motion) because he is, admittedly, fed up with this world. Better still, Mark and Lisa find his body motionless in a pool of blood, which prompts Lisa to ask twice (!): “Is he dead?” Brilliant.

12

@Venue_UEA

www.concrete-online.co.uk

VENUE SPECIAL

concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

INTERVIEW: STEVE COOGAN

In Norwich to film the biggest comedy film of 2013, Sidonie Chaffer-Melly catches up with one of the leading voices in British comedy.

It’s a grey Thursday afternoon, and we’re sitting in a private room above a pub in the centre of town. The Alan Partridge’s Radio Norwich van has been circling the market followed by a hoard of enthusiastic fans trying to get a glimpse of the man himself. However, he is in fact sitting across the table from us, clad in Partridge’s beige leather jacket.

We’ve managed to secure ten minutes with Steve Coogan in a break in filming, and we intend to get as much as possible out of the man who brought one of the country’s favourite characters to life.

After first bursting through our airwaves on Radio 4 in the early nineties, the growth of Alan Partridge has been almost unstoppable.

The brainchild of Steve Coogan and Armando Ianucci, he has moved from strength to strength through his own sitcom and various spin off shows. It’s almost inevitable that he was set to hit the big screen sooner or later. “It’s an idea we’ve talked about for years and a lot of things have to come together before you can decide to do that.

You have to try and get a script together and lots of other things at the same.”

The film is co-written by Ianucci (of The Thick of It fame) and directed by Father Ted and Little Britain’s Declan Lowney. “Eventually we talked about it too much and we thought we ought to get on with it so we committed to a time slot. It makes everyone come together and focus and get the film done.”

Partridge is noted as being one of Norwich’s most famous exports (despite Coogan himself being from Manchester), and the film sees him make a return to Norfolk. There have been rumours of high-speed car chases being filmed through Norwich city centre, and he’s been spotted hanging out on Cromer pier. With such a large fan base, it’s not surprising that they’ve found it hard to keep their locations under wraps: “For the first few days nobody knew we were there so we didn’t have any crowds at all, and then we were in the newspapers and people became aware of it and decided to show up.”

“It actually helps us a lot because we needed crowds for the end game of the film where there’s lots of people supposed to be supporting them, so the people who turned out we’re able to include in the film. It’s all been very positive and supportive, so we’re very pleased with how it turned out.”

After graduating from Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre, Coogan began his career doing stand up and voice-overs. He hit the mainstream with the creation of Partridge, before moving on to a successful acting career both here and in America.

After winning the Perrier Award for best show at the

Edinburgh Fringe in 1992, he’s won various awards including British Comedy Awards, BAFTA’s, The South Bank Show award for comedy before being voted second in a list of the Top 100 People In Comedy last year.

“Its not an exact science. I didn’t get it right at

first, you have to experiment and try to find your own voice really. Comedy tends to be written best in pairs. You need to find someone that you click with, a symbiotic relationship. But finding that person is the crucial thing, for some people it’s someone slightly different but together you work well.

“In terms of comedy itself, there are no rules.

You can do very big comedy, broad comedy, surreal comedy, naturalistic comedy, there’s all kinds of

“I think unless you’re a brilliant actor, just acting is not enough. It’s so hard to make a living in this profession, you have to be able to do something else as well. Writing’s probably a better job than being an actor.” comedy. Trying to avoid clichés is important.”

Having made the progression from comedian through to actor and writer, Coogan forayed into producing after setting up Baby Cow Productions with writing partner Henry Normal in 1999. Together they’ve worked on shows such as The Mighty Boosh and Gavin and Stacey.

“Being a producer means that you understand the

process. It needs to be done more efficiently. You pick these things up as you go along. It can all seem very complex when you’re young but you realise that as long as you’re studious and pay attention then you can get to grips with things that seem unattainable.

“I think unless you’re a brilliant actor, just acting is not enough. It’s so hard to make a living in this profession, you have to be able to do something else as well. Writing’s probably a better job than being an actor.

You get an understanding, whereas sometimes writers can overwrite and don’t give the actor an opportunity to express themselves. You learn not to overwrite, to be over explicit.”

Coogan himself has moved away from comedy in recent years to focus on his acting career. His first big part came with Michael Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People, playing Factory Records’ Tony Wilson. He’s recently teamed up with Winterbottom to play 80s porn king Paul Raymond in a biopic of his life, The Look of Love. He’s enjoyed other successes in The Trip and A Cock and Bull Story, which he starred in with occasional comedy partner Rob Brydon. However, he doesn’t see BBC himself getting back into comedy any time soon.

“I don’t really watch comedy, I watch documentaries.

I think there’s a lot of comedy around. There’s a lot of stuff that’s ho-hum. There’s occasional things that are a bit interesting but it’s lost a lot of edge and a lot of spikeyness.

“It’s interesting comparing it to alternative comedy 20 years ago, it was very underground, it had a kind of punk feel to it and now it feels very coopted by commerce. It gets homogenised into a kind of amorphous, tasteless soup. I don’t think there’s comedy today – most comedy today – that’s any more edgy than comedy was in the 1970’s frankly. I think there’s just a lot of it. Because of the proliferation of channels there a big demand for it so the quality goes down and it’s about quantity.

“Stuart Lee I think is fantastic and I’ll watch his stuff forever because he has a real authentic, strong voice. I like Family Guy, that makes me laugh.

“You get some dirths and then rich periods I suppose. It’s like a career choice now, a lot of people in comedy are interested in just being famous rather than being good at comedy. They don’t really have the opportunity to have any core beliefs, or any kind of real vision; it tends to just be about being on telly. It’s very commercialised now.”

On this rather glum outlook we’re told we have one more question (any future plans for Alan?) to which he assures us that there won’t be anything from Partridge for a while, and we’re rushed off.

VENUE SPECIAL 19.03.2013 concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Norwich: a fine city

@Venue_UEA

13

It’s not just partridge - Venue takes a look at the hidden cultural history of Norwich.

Matt Tidby Whilst a key joke of the Alan Partridge franchise is his mockable small-town thinking, Norwich does, in fact, have a rich and diverse cultural heritage. In the modern era, the city regularly welcomes film production teams, with the last few years seeing Norwich Cathedral playing host to an angry giant in Jack the Giant Killer and the quaint Elm Hill bringing to life the vibrant imagination of Neil Gaiman.

Furthermore, UEA has played it’s part, with the Creative Writing MA producing writers of the calibre of Ian McEwan, John Boyne and Kazuo Ishiguro.

Such alumni mean that the city continues to attract artistic attention, highlighted by the awarding of the status of UNESCO City of Literature last year. But what have been the hidden highlights of Norwich’s cultural history?

As you may have seen from the window of a nightclub-bound taxi, at the top of Prince of Wales Road sits one of the most overt examples of Norwich’s cultural past. Anglia Television, once a regional production arm of ITV now home to local news broadcaster ITV Anglia, regularly produced television for a mass audience throughout the mid to late 20th century. Shows such as Sale of the Century reached audiences of 20 million, opening with the iconic catchphrase, “...and now, from Norwich, it’s the quiz of the week!”, whilst dramas such as Tales of the Unexpected, based on the works of Roald Dahl and filmed in studios on Magdalen Street, gained noteriety for unexpected sinister twists. Whilst any large-scale television production in Norwich was phased out across the 1990s, this fine tradition is continued by the newly founded Mustard TV, a local news channel set to hit Freeview later this year.

Today, a meal out in Norwich could involve somewhere quiet and candle-lit on St. Benedicts Street,

or maybe the Nandos on Red Lion Street, opposite Debenhams? Well, before our very own sticky-floored LCR became Norwich’s premiere music venue, the cellar beneath what was then the Orford Arms played host to the likes of David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton. The venue was a favourite with acts looking to try out new shows and line-ups before heading on larger tours, with, at its peak, an atmosphere apparently similar to the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool. Sadly, the Orford Arms did not remain as enduringly successful as some of the acts it welcomed, and by 1974, had closed. Mourn that loss the next time you end up queuing to get into Tao. Furthermore, as much as David Bowie is impressive, even older guests have caused the Angel Inn, of Gentleman’s Walk, an establishment of “monsters, freaks and marvels”, in 1685 played host to a pair of elephants as part of a show for guests, whilst the Horse Barracks Inn briefly had a pet baboon, which had been bought back from the Boer War by the landlord, until it went mad and had to be shot by a local cavalry officer. As a city for a quirky night out on the tiles, it has always been a cultural landscape to fuel the imagination.

Alan Partridge may be a creation that will last long in the national imagination of Norwich and Norfolk, but not only is it a modern cultural city that far transcends the backwards tropes satirised by Coogan’s comic creation, but also has a richly diverse cultural landscape within its recent and distant past.

Honours such as the UNESCO City of Literature are emblematic not of a city undergoing a dramatic cultural transformation, but of a place that is finally being recognised for its impressive, fun cultural heritage. There. A proud localist rant worthy of Mr. Partridge himself.

norwich-pubs-breweries.co.uk

A Different Kind of Club: The Orford Arms, in its swinging 1960s heyday.

Eastern Daily Press

Scaring a Generation: Anglia Television’s slightly scary hit drama.

Coming Soon: Norwich Cathedral in Jack the Giant Killer.

14

@conc_fashion

www.concrete-online.co.uk

19.03.2013

concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

KAOS FASHION SHOW 2013

Mango New Look Swimwear Indian Society fashion House of Fraser Occasionwear Crew Warehouse Africa’s Pride Retreat Vintage New Look Ann Summers

House

- Ark

of Fraser

Crew clothing along with a great other range of lines made for a great evening of fun and awesome fashion! This line showed a set of clothes fit for anyone participating in sailing or yachting, but also these outfits can be worn just for day to day activities! From stripey jumpers to snuggly gilets these guys owned the runway; powering down the catwalk the models showed a funky dance routine to display their style. Boys sported chinos and boat shoes where girls rocked skinny jeans and knitted jumpers thrown over shoulders. This style is for the clean cut fashionista and smart young man!

Becky Evans

New Look Swimwear Us ladies will be looking hot on the beach thanks to the brilliant New Look swimwear range. Key trends this season include nautical style, cute vintage florals, neon brights, hints of mono chrome, lashings of anything girly and the big hit this season; screen printing. The star piece in this collection was a screen printed lion cut out swimsuit. The cut out style is here to stay, along with the standard string bikini and vintage feminine shapes with skirt bottoms.

Clothes wise, pastels, sharp tailoring, body con and monochrome are all set to be big hits. The dip hem and punk rock style has survived the season and so to have statement necklaces – the brighter and bigger the better!

Men’s key styles for the summer are the sporty look, surfer style, street “gangster” style and printed tees.

All in all New Look is set to be bang on trend this season, with affordable prices, who can say no!

Shelley Hazlewood

Photos: Jess Beech & Ga Chun Yau

Crew

Retreat Vintage

Ark Clothing

I modelled for Retreat Vintage and wore a bright pink dress with a tight pencil skirt and peplum detail. I look so serious in all the photos as I was desperately concentrating on not falling off the runway! The adrenaline rush as I walked onto the stage was crazy as I could barely see how many people were out there and could hear lots of shouting and whooping. My favourite outfit was Robyn’s 50s style blue and white dress worn with white gloves which was smart enough to wear to an event but cute enough for daywear. I would really recommend modelling for the show as it was great fun to be involved and all the money raised goes to a fantastic cause.

Set to a booming, high energy soundtrack, ARK’s show was fun, exhilarating and eclectic. The ARK staples were there: camo jackets, leather skirts and killer hells, all adorned with metal studs. But for this line ARK mixed things up a bit, a bright pink satchel bag stole attention, and a pastel midi dress kept things sophisticated. For the boys: ARK went 90s. From the denim bomber to the jock-style baseball jacket, the 90s are big.

This season expect something a little different from the usual indie ARK attire, turn back the clock, class things up a bit and go big with colour.

Imogen Steinberg

@conc_fashion

Ann Summers

Mango

KAOS Fashion Show Running Order -

concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

FASHION

Ella Sharp

15

Warehouse

The unveiling of the Ann Summer’s collection was certainly one of the most anticipated of the night, and it did not disappoint. Seductively shielding their bodies with feathers the models removed them to reveal glamorous lingerie ranging from Basques to bras. Known for its risqué reputation the pieces certainly added to it with “barelythere” lace and suggestive sheer panelling. From naughty-butnice nudes to sensual scarlet and shocking pinks the colour palette of the collection had something for everyone. The combination of satin and suspenders created a collection that was provocative, sexy and most definitely one hundred percent irresistible.

Warehouse had more of an understated elegance compared to the other collections. Most of the collection focused on neutral whites and the outfits were matched with statement gold jeweller y or a tailored contrast jacket, making them perfect for casual wear or putting on a spot of chic for a formal occasion. Some of the pieces that stood out were the dress with a floral lace top and plain skirt, as well as the fitted, panel lace bonded dress.

Another lovely number was the black maxi dress complete with flowy mesh skirt paired with a black jacket and classic black heels.

Gemma Carter

Rachael Lum

16

@conc_fashion

FASHION

www.concrete-online.co.uk

concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

KAOS 2013 - UEA’S FINEST Best dance moves!

Best pout!

Most Glamorous outfit!

Oiliest Man of the Night!

Most colourful outfit!

KAOS: THE DANCERS

UEA Afro-Carribean Society

Photos: Jess Beech & Ga Chun Yau

UEA Indian Society

UEA Tap Society

FASHION

19.03.2013 concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

@conc_fashion

Norwich Fashion Week

Norwich Lanes Show - Friday 8th March

Photos: Jess Beech and Lizzy Margereson.

The Launch Show - Thursday 7th March

17

Jess Beech Norwich Fashion Week swung into action last Thursday, with an incredible launch fashion show.

For one night only, The Forum was transformed into a fashion mecca to rival the main fashion weeks, boasting a huge catwalk and drinks reception.

The shows main emphasis was upon promoting local fashion retailers.

It covered great brands including Vanilla, Love Couture and Ethika. For me, the stand out collection had to be from Norwich based boutique Nola.

All of the garments were a beautiful, colourful mixture of vintage and eastern influences.

The models provided a perfect base for the clothes, with voluminous,

Lucy Jobber bouncy girls and striking 60’s style eye make-up.

For the men, the best styled show was Jarrolds. It can be difficult to have fun with tailoring, but they showcased eclectic smart casual wear.

The addition of brightly coloured socks, colour pop bow ties and even flip fops gave the clothes a cheeky edge.

All of the models were local, and had been selected through recent auditions. For many it was their first time on the catwalk and they all walked very professionally.

It was a fabulous show, and I’m sure the high standard will be kept up all week.

On Friday 8th March, an eclectic mix of international brands and local boutiques situated in the Norwich Lanes took to the Norwich Arts Centre in a spectacular catwalk fashion show, sponsored by YouTube beauty gurus PixiWoo. The show displayed a wide variety of collections from Love Couture, Philip Browne, Dogfish and its female counterpart Catfish and vintage stores, Prim and Goldfinches. The models hair was set by local stylists from Flint and The Egg, situated in Lowergate Lane. The show also featured up-cycled and tailored collections from first and second year fashion students from Norwich University of Arts.

The top picks from the show were a range of white fleeced jumpers with contrast

sleeves, paired with casual black leggings and hi-tops. The sweater collection was designed by up and coming British fashion designer and runner-up in Styled to Rock, Heidi. Prim Vintage raised a big reaction with its long, flowing rainbow maxi dress and Goldfinch’s ballerina-esque dress with full net skirt stood out against the more traditional vintage wear. The most distinguished menswear collection from Vivienne Westwood featured a heavy punk theme, complete with bondage trousers and those infamous Sex Pistol slogan tees.

The Norwich Lanes fashion show was the perfect chance to showcase local talent and boutiques, and successfully kicked off the second night of Norwich Fashion Week with a bang.

Fashion Mash-Up - Thursday 14th March Lucy Jobber The finale show of Norwich Fashion week culminated in a mash-up of fashion, music and dancing at the Norwich Playhouse.

The show kicked off with Jake Morrell, a talented folk-pop artist who shone out in the intimate venue. His second track commenced the fashion cat-walk with Retreat Vintage showing off a preppy 90’s collection, complete with Converse in every shade. Musical acts were interspersed with dance routines from Knightshift Dance Company who showed off the Rock Collection, a mixture of gothic

corset dresses and bright pop skinny jeans paired with slogan tees. Singer Nina Baker was paired with a ballet dancer dressed in local Norwich designer Jane Kenning’s “Alice in Wonderland” print dress and later Vintage Deli, who exhibited a multitude of top knot messy buns and flowing vintage maxi skirts. The final musical act to play was Lettie, an artist with a talent for the electric keyboard and strong LadyHawk-esque vocals. The evening also showcased collections from John Lewis, Catfish and local menswear designers, Dogfish and Sevenwolves.

18

Broadchurch

www.concrete-online.co.uk

TELEVISION

Arresting our Attention

concrete.television@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

Venue interrogates a new array of television detectives

Wickedness in the West Country in ITV’s danish-influenced tale of a community in turmoil

Matt Tidby

The first headline act in ITV’s recent homely, middle-class-man-of-the-people rebrand, Broadchurch takes the channel’s solid reputation for crime drama, puts a moody filter on it and fires it, harpoonlike, at the middle market audience that so merrily pissed themselves with joy over the likes of Wallander and The Killing. From the well-worn pen of Chris Chibnall (Law and Order: UK, Torchwood), the first of the eight-part series introduces us to the titular town by the sea; a close, rural community at the height of the tourist season, which, when the body of an 11-year-old boy is found on the beach, is assaulted by a variety of plagues, including grief, guilt, bastard journalists, dramatic looking and gratuitous slow-motion.

At the centre of this community, and the drama itself, are the put-upon detective pairing of brooding DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and local girl DC Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), who float about all the agreeable summer scenery looking over-dressed and unhappy. Unfortunately, Tennant seems uncomfortable and miscast in the lead role- Hardy is a mirthless, miserable man, haunted and self-involved. The

Mayday

otherwise strong script disavows the former Doctor Who star’s reputation and capacity for playing the heroic, romantic lead. As such, he wanders through the programme fulfilling the necessary quota of Scandinavian bleakness and

little else. Fingers crossed that his relationship with Colman’s empathetic Ellie Miller peels back the layers to reveal something warmer. Indeed, Olivia Colman is brilliant as the quiet heart of the programme, leading a stellar cast that

do a very capable job of portraying the agony and dislocation of a sudden, tragic death. The drama is well-constructed; the pace is deliberately glacial, allowing an atmosphere to build through which carefully placed moments of drama cut.

Whether such a style will be able to remain consistently engaging over eight episodes is doubtful, but the mystery itself is so intelligently built that the viewer may find themselves persisting through the endless shots of David Tennant frowning at the sea just to find out “whodunit”.

However, despite strong writing and good performances, the repeated references to the scarcity of violent crime in a town full of (often slightly iffy) westcountry accents, Broadchurch somewhat uncomfortably brings to mind Edgar Wright’s bloodthirsty cop parody Hot Fuzz, which doesn’t help the viewer take it all that seriously. This may, admittedly, be a minority concern; with a final figure of 9.1 million viewers watching Episode One, it looks like Broadchurch has been overwhelmingly, and probably deservedly, successful in its mission to tell a compelling story and relaunch ITV in style.

Five nights of dangerous drama - worth watching or a waste of time?

Adam Dawson

Every so often a crime drama comes along that looks like it could be exceptional.

From the adverts, Mayday looked it could one of those. It would stand out from the crowd of murder mysteries that cling to TV like a piece of particularly sticky chewing gum on the bottom of your shoe.

So yes, hopes were high when going into the first episode. Then they lowered. Then they were killed in a way that belongs on one of those shows.

Aired over five consecutive nights, Mayday told the story of a community in the aftermath of the disappearance of Hatty Sutton. Obviously she was beautiful yet quirky, like these young murder victims tend to be. All of the characters come from a holding pen of stock suspects – the abusive and distant father, the socially outcast boy, the one who’s as mad as a hatter, and the rich and powerful businessman. An in-depth look at each of them in turn would have worked better than forcing them to spout clichéd lines we’ve all heard a hundred times before and shoehorning them to interact in frankly bizarre ways.

Airing it over five nights was a clever move by the Beeb, it kept the mystery and

tension fresh. There’s no doubt that if it was a weekly series everyone would have lost interest and found another crime show to watch while Mayday was on. The mystery doesn’t really progress anywhere until the big reveal, and it takes forever to get there too. The things they want to keep you in suspense over are painfully obvious to anyone who’s seen even ten minutes of the show, but they keep your curiosity alive enough to watch the next one.

Mayday bites off more of the plot biscuit than it can chew. The murder is wrapped up disappointingly especially considering the five hours of life spent waiting for it to happen, though the final few episodes were watched out of pure boredom and a sprinkling of curiosity. Other plot points that were far more interesting than the murder weren’t wrapped up at all, they were left to our imagination. And a lot of what was imagined to be the outcome was so much better than what actually happened. The most interesting plot point was the hints at the occult, but again this was left painfully unfulfilled.

The biggest let down in Mayday was its unfulfilled potential. It looked so good,

and started out pretty strongly only to reduce itself to a car crash in the final few episodes. You can catch up with them all

on iPlayer at the minute, but I wouldn’t bother if I was you. You won’t lose sleep over missing it.

TELEVISION

19.03.2013 concrete.television@uea.ac.uk

Lightfields Jane Power

Three different eras deal with the real and unreal fallout of one terrible crime

Airing on Wednesday nights, ITV’s Lightfields is a supernatural drama that explores the effects of a tragedy across three time periods. The show is set on the Suffolk coast, and switches between 1944, 1975 and 2012, creating links between each time period through shared characters and a consistent location.

It is in the 1944 scenes that ITV’s strengths in historical drama really shine, with costuming and set design a particular highlight. The characters are engaging here, effectively driving forward the mystery of a barn fire that results in a girl’s death. The victim’s friend Eve, portrayed

by Dakota Blue Richards, is particularly notable, flirting with both innocence and possessiveness in a way that allows her to connect with an audience without eliminating her from the suspect list, which that includes a soap-like line up of an boyfriends, friends, and siblings.

If in the 1944 setting Lightfields feels like a typical mystery drama, the 1975 sequences move into a more psychological territory. Eve’s little sister Vivien, played

by Lucy Cohu, returns to the house as an adult and is plagued by whispers and visions, and suspected of suffering mental health issues by her husband. The

Shetland

Lydia Tewkesbury

www.concrete-online.co.uk

time period is not as effectively reflected here. Though the costuming, music and set design reflect the seventies, somehow there is a more modern feeling, perhaps due to lack of a distinctive aesthetic difference between this time period and the 2012 one as there is in the slight yellow light filter of 1944. However, it is in these sequences that Lighfields most successfully produces scares. The creep of Vivien following a whispered voice counting to twenty is particularly tense and a vision of fire leads to a sinister sense of unreliability in everything we are seeing.

It is in the 2012 scenes where the supernatural element of the show finally comes into play, with the appearance of a ghost in reflections and a more overt sense of the paranormal. Unfortunately it is also this setting that is weakest, having more generic and less interesting characters, with the exception of Pip, the brother of the barn fire’s victim. The father and son story in particular seems superfluous.

However, with three episodes left it may be that the importance of this era is simply not yet apparent.

Overall, Lightfelds is an ambitious drama with an effective mystery that raises enough questions to maintain interest.

The show is permeated with a sense of anxiety and guilt, and while actual horror is rare, what is included is successful.

While this is by no means an edgy show

19

that defies convention and genre, it is a solid programme that begins to hint at something that has the potential to become much more adventurous.

The BBC transport us to the windswept wilds of Scotland for a new murder mystery

Scotland is brilliant- beautiful accents and dramatic mountains, so a murder show set on the Shetland Islands is an exciting prospect. What could be so bad when it’s all narrated by in Scottish?

The main problem with TV murder mysteries should be fairly obvious when perusing these pages. Namely, their ridiculous regularity. Most of the time you could turn on any channel on any day of the week and see a corpse sprawled across a field, complete with frowning police officer hovering. This obviously means a hell of a lot of duds, and the quality bar has been set by the likes of Sherlock (spotting Emma Chan, AKA tea pot girl from “The Blind Banker” was

like seeing an old friend), so needless to say, this particular genre can struggle to impress in comparison.

At the beginning of the episode we see Mima Wilson, an old woman, clattering about the house alone in the remote Scottish countryside. She stares at old photographs and reminisces while outside the wind howls. Then she gets shot. Who would shoot an old woman?

Was it the Haldene’s drunken son? Was it the archetypical property developing local business man, or (gasp) Mima’s own son, whose whereabouts on the night in question are mysteriously unaccounted for? Enter DI Jimmy Perez, played by Douglass Henshall (Remember when he

used to chase dinosaurs in Primeval?) being his usual charming (miserable) self. It’s tough not to be a pedant over the make-up of these lead characters; they need a good back story, and Jimmy, unfortunately, does not deliver.

Throughout Shetland, the only real question we are led to was the location of his wife (Primeval flashbacks again) who turned out to be dead and not worth the amount of build up this revelation was given. Waiting until almost the end of the episode didn’t make the inevitable explanatory conversation any less clunky.

None of his inadequacies however could quite match up to that of his DC, Alison ‘Tosh’ Macintosh. Her character

was totally pointless. She pukes, never solves anything and states the obvious, constantly. Among many gems, ‘Tosh’ teaches us that the appropriate answer to the question “why do you wear braces?” is a convoluted and unasked for tale of her recent dumping, that is referred to awkwardly and annoyingly on several occasions.

However, that’s not to say you shouldn’t watch Shetland. It would make fun viewing with a few willing participants; trying to guess the murderer in a group is much more fun than doing it alone, and the plot arc has the potential to be provide some engaging drama. It’s no Sherlock, but then it’s not trying to be.

21

CREATIVE WRITING

19.03.2013 concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

themed submissions

Panic!

Deadlines

Coffee

By Emily Fedorowycz

Washing not done, room’s a tip

Dead and soulless

Holding on but your losing grip

Encased in the earth, when you’re

Of the sanity, vanity

Six feet under, and steadily falling, when

Crawling up

Day is thunder, no time for a warning

In the back of your eyes, like it’s

The tick, the tock, is readily drawing

Drawing up

You

All the still silent cries, when you’re

Down

Helpless, hopeless,

To the palm of your hands.

Buried in work, ‘til you’re

Review: ‘Dear Boy’ by Emily Berry

By James Sykes I know that a lot of people who don’t already like poetry might see this and think “poetry review – yawn – skip”, but hold yo’ horses, I wouldn’t write about a book if it wasn’t worth writing about. There’s a lot of great poetry being written and published both online and in print right now and Emily Berry’s debut collection Dear Boy is one particularly worthy of your time. Loosely structured around a broken relationship that keeps cropping up throughout the book, Berry also manages to include several character portraits, various experiments in form, and a general sense of 21st century confusion that I suspect many readers will identify with: “We have nearly run out of eras/I don’t know what to do” she writes in Nothing Sets My Heart Aflame, a poem about searching for meaning in this day and age, concluding that “My crisis is relatively universal”.

There’s a certain flippancy about many of these poems – “Sometimes we sit up in bed comparing moans. Mine are always loudest” – and it makes them all the more fun, while also betraying something of where their true importance lies. Language is used as an escape or a cover for something – the real thing Berry is writing about. A lot of the time it is as if these poems do not want to dwell on anything for too long in case some deep revelation arrives, and so bound off in another direction,

in reality or fiction, to escape and continue in their linguistic athleticism.

The way that love and relationships are filtered through these poems are also worthy of note. Berry often subverts typically poetic imagery, such as in Love Bird which ends with the poignant “I called it names I starved it till my ribs were a grand birdcage/Lover,/Love was no bird”, or in The Numbers Game, where the speaker keeps trying to list how it feels “when a person we love is taken off ”, but ends up with only sputtering fragments of language before the interruption “It might be better not to make any other suggestions”.

She also self-consciously admits in the final piece Bad New Government “I am writing my first political poem which is also (always) about my love for you”, love depicted as an all-pervasive force which keeps resurfacing.

This intertwining of ideas gives the collection a natural feeling of unity and fluidity – these pieces rarely look ‘crafted’, but more as if they simply arrived, or are dashing breathlessly past, bombarding the reader with great and often amusing lines – “you can buy non-sequiturs in bundles now/from international supermarkets”. Dear Boy is a brilliant first book from a promising writer, possessing a terrific amount of energy and poetic technique and managing to be perceptive, funny and very moving.

By Marian Davidson

She is sitting in the cafe, looking at him.

They are both fully clothed and no one is laughing.

“More coffee?” he asks.

“No thanks, I’ve had my fill.”

She hopes he’s taken notice of all the other people. She grips the edge of her chair, aware of how her bare skin sticks to the plastic, carving grooves into the back of her thighs. He watches her coolly and takes a sip of his latte. She doesn’t know what she’ll do when it comes to closing time. Her hands feel clammy and she wipes them on the front of her shorts. She can smell the butter going rancid in the heat on the table next door. A fly brushes past a hair on her face and leaves her ear tingling. She can taste his breath on her tongue, sweet and bitter and nauseous.

One of the waitresses is putting up a new poster: one of those fair-trade ones, of a man sorting coffee beans somewhere she knows she’ll never visit. The coffee man’s smile is unnatural and she wonders what he was really thinking when the photo was taken.

When she looks back she notices he still has a fleck of blood on his white shirt. It’s only small: maybe it would look harmless to anyone who noticed.

“Look at the time,” he says. “We best be on our way.”

He tips back his head and lets the dark sediment drain towards his mouth.

She doesn’t know if she can get up even if she tried; her thighs seem to have fused to the chair. Behind him someone starts up the coffee grinder.

Next issue, we’re looking for work on the theme of

Endings & Beginnings Submit all writing by

Tuesday 16 April

concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

Virginie Lassarre

22

@Concrete_Gaming

www.concrete-online.co.uk

GAMING

concrete.gaming@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

Review: Tomb Raider

Sam Emsley

It has been in development for almost five years but the Tomb Raider reboot is finally here. Gone are the days of Lara swan-diving about exotic locales with her dual pistols held tirelessly at a perfect, improbable right-angle. Indeed the series has adopted a complete makeover in what is one of the best reboots in recent memory.

Steph Gover

MindSnacks are a series of iOS games that teach languages using nine bite-sized mini-

The best reboots shake off the old baggage of previous titles and provide a brand new beginning for the series, something that this prequel achieves admirably. We join a young Lara Croft as she embarks on an archaeological expedition to the Dragon’s Triangle, a mystical island south of Japan. Chaos ensues as it transpires that strange and mystical forces are at work controlling the island. The island setting also facilitates some stunning visuals, affording huge landscapes for the player to admire and traverse. The smaller details such as Lara’s character model also show clear care and precision.

While she’s impressively rendered, Lara’s character arc is unfortunately questionable, sometime even incomprehensible. She is turned from a naive and innocent archaeologist to a cold-blooded killer in the space of a single scene and it just isn’t believable. While she’s visibly traumatised in cut-scenes she’s a remorseless, experience point earning killer in gameplay segments and the narrative dissonance is jarring.

Luckily, the gameplay is so engaging that you’ll soon forget this small non sequitur and be ready to barbarically dispatch some crazed interlopers with calculated aplomb.

The gameplay itself is fantastic, but it is so clearly influenced by Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed that you’d be forgiven for thinking that at any moment you’ll be pulled out of the animus. The free-running

aspects are all too obviously copied and there’s even an Eagle Vision equivalent to help Lara locate objectives and interactive objects. This imitation doesn’t necessarily detract from the game as it is implemented well and has its own interesting features that add more depth, but the similarities are just too apparent. Aside from this, the combat system works seamlessly and the ability to customise weapons as well as reward yourself with new abilities through tiered levelling varies the gameplay throughout.

Perhaps the worst aspect of the game is the quick time events, especially those that litter the game’s first hour. The QTEs are ubiquitous and range from tapping a button to open a container, to full on combat sequences with special enemies.

But the problem arises in the longer sequences, for which players are given literally no instructions as to what to do.

One sequence in particular does not tell you what button to press, so you end up watching the cut-scene fifty times before you’ve figured out what it is you have to do, at which point you’re just about ready to give up on life, let alone the game itself.

Forgiving some design flaws and moments of poor storytelling, Tomb Raider is definitely worth picking up for players who fondly remember the previous titles and want to see just what modern game design can do for the Tomb Raider franchise.

Review: MindSnacks games, mostly centred around adorable, cartoon animals. The game strives to be both educational and genuinely entertaining and, incredibly, manages both. Players will rarely feel like they’re studying and there’s so much variety that if players don’t get on with one mini-game, they’re sure to love another.

Initially, there’s one lesson free, so players can try it out and there’ll be no loss if they’re dissatisfied. If they are hooked, then £2.99 will get them 50 lessons, which gives the opportunity to learn lots more vocabulary.

Thankfully, MindSnacks are universal apps, so once owned on one iOS device, it’s free on another.

Throughout the game, progressively more difficult mini-games are slowly unlocked as XP is gained by successfully completing older ones. Each lesson contains a mixture of mini-games to help memorise groups of words on a particular topic such as numbers, body parts, weather etc. Every now and then, MindSnacks throws in words from

previous topics to really reinforce the player’s knowledge. The mini-games are short and last around 30-90 seconds which means that it is perfect for on the go learning.

The best mini-game is probably Word Birds. In this game, the English words appears at the top of the screen while birds appear on a branch below, holding letters.

Players have to tap the letters in the correct order to spell out the translation. This is great as it makes sure you’re actually learning the words rather than simply recognising them.

Although we tested MindSnacks: Spanish, there are many languages to choose from, including French, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Chinese Mandarin. Along with languages, MindSnacks also has games that focus on other subjects such as kids’ vocabulary, with Geography and Math versions launching soon.

Unfortunately the app exclusively teaches nouns associated with each topic and there are no lessons that teach grammar, sentence

structure or verbs. This means that the app is more suitable as a companion to other forms of teaching, or for users who wish to retain and broaden their vocabulary in a language they already have experience in, as opposed to those wishing to learn from scratch.

Despite this, MindSnacks is highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn a language or increase their recognition of foreign nouns. On a proudly international campus such as UEA, with such fantastic language tutoring available locally, MindSnacks makes a fantastic companion.

GAMING

19.03.2013 concrete.gaming@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

Review: SimCity

@Concrete_Gaming

23

Sam Emsley

In what was possibly the most shambolic and controversial game launch of all time, the new SimCity has finally been released, over a decade since the last instalment, SimCity 4. The game promises new multiplayer options, city designs and a renewed focus upon social interaction, encouraging players to work with friends in the same region. Unfortunately, due to terrible server infrastructure, foresight and generally negligent design, SimCity feels

like more of a regression than anything new.

This said, players will find themselves coming back to this game in spite of its many faults because, unfortunately, there’s just nothing else like it. The game will seduce and rob you of hours and days while you organise and design your own metropolitan utopia. From the satisfying click of a building plopping into place to its primary coloured information maps, every inch of SimCity is engineered to induce exploitative endorphin rushes of triumph. If it charged by the hour you’d start working nights to afford it. I wish I was kidding.

Specialisation options add a level of depth while facilitating region interaction which is great for replay value, as well as for the trading options that arise from this. When the cities are fully built they do look spectacular and will not visually disappoint.

However, after you’ve built a couple of, cities some glaring faults become devastatingly apparent. The in-game economy is an indecipherable mess. It is hard to ascertain whether it is poorly implemented, or is fundamentally broken; it might even be a misjudged communist allegory, who knows. Cities simply produce whatever they can and try to export it. Sometimes produce sells and sometimes it inexplicable piles up in storage.

The GlassBox engine also has glaring

issues. Sims will go to work at the nearest possible vacant job, regardless of what it is, and then go to sleep in the nearest possible house, regardless of who’s it is. The promise was made of the engine simulating each individual Sim, yet only a simulacrum of this effect is afforded to players. All of this faux simulation comes at a cost, a crippling reduction in city plot size. As a result it’s hard not to feel short changed, players will undoubtedly give up on their cities with alarming ease.

The always-online issues are also rampant throughout the game. Currently servers are completely, embarrassingly unreliable. A hiccup at launch was to be expected, but weeks of constant updates and downtime have resulted in no visible improvements. The issues have been so ghastly that basic functions like sped-up time have been temporarily removed from the game, meaning that the founding hours of your city will be an arduous process.

The gameplay has some issues, but is, at its core, brilliantly devised and addictive. It is the regressive, reductive and consumer-hostile nature of the always-online model that ruins the game.

The plethora of bugs and poor design can make the game difficult to play, but the inherent flawed online model is something that makes the game more of a liability to own than anything close to an enjoyable experience. SimCity is an enormous missed opportunity.

Humble Bundle Joe Fitzsimmons

Video game distribution models are changing rapidly. With Steam, the App store and other digital services, it has never been easier for independents to reach a larger audience. The problem with this model though, is visibility. To this end, indie developers have teamed up to create

game bundles.

The idea is simple. Various developers contribute to a bundle, which is then sold to the customer directly online, with proceeds divided among each developer and often charities.

One near ubiquitous aspect of this business model is the ‘pay what you want’ concept, where customers are free to decide exactly what they want to pay for the games. Incentives are often given to encourage higher donations, but customers are never cut off from content based on their choice. The benefits then, are shared, as the consumer gets a stack of content at a fraction of the market price, and developers are able to get their name out there and possibly secure future fans who will anticipate their next release.

The most famous of these bundle companies is the Humble Indie Bundle, who recently finished their second Mojam,

a game jam featuring famous developers Mojang, who raised over $400,000. The idea of the game jam is much like a music jam. A small group of developers come together, and attempt to create a playable product within a short space of time. This interesting approach to development often results in unique and sometimes bizarre creations. End results of Mojam 2 include Mojang’s Nuclear Pizza War, a shooter taking place on a giant pizza floating in space, and Endless Nuclear Kittens.

Recently, Humble Indie Bundle tried something different, with the THQ bundle offering a variety of big-budget games, including Red Faction: Armageddon and Saints Row: The Third. In hindsight, this was the last hurrah of a company in financial chaos, but for customers at the time, it was the greatest value bundle yet, selling more than 800,000 copies.

With this growth though, has come a

backlash from the indie community. Sites like thefreebundle.com offer games they claim to be from ‘real’ indie developers, in many cases giving them away free. They claim that in doing so they stay true to the roots of the bundle concept, generating exposure for small developers, whilst other companies grow, offering bigger titles from larger developers. Many have criticized this move as an example of the elitist, “indie-er than thou” attitude in the community.

Whether the concept of the indie bundle is a viable business model remains to be seen. Is it possible that any profitable game company can stay true to its roots, or will they inevitably grow too big and greedy? In the mean time though, for cash strapped students, sites like humblebundle.com are a godsend, offering hours of innovative entertainment for a tiny, negotiable price.

24

@concrete_arts

www.concrete-online.co.uk

ARTS

concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

ART HISTORY: ROY LICHTENSTEIN Venue looks back on his iconic career

Sophie Szynaka Roy Lichtenstein was an American painter, sculptor, printmaker and decorative artist. His paintings based on the motifs and procedures of comic strips, commercial printing and popular newspaper advertisements made him a leading figure of American Pop Art. Born on the 28 October 1923, he first studied art in 1939 at the Art Students League in New York, and then completed a Masters in Fine Arts in 1949.

Lichtenstein was particularly inspired by one of his teachers, Hoyt L. Sherman, who was interested in the psychology of perception and advocated that the act of representing something should be

separated from how we experience it in everyday life.

In the 1960’s that Lichtenstein began to enjoy fame, not only in America but also worldwide. In 1961, Lichtenstein’s work was exhibited in New York’s Leo Castelli gallery alongside the likes of Andy Warhol. This was soon followed by a oneman show where the show sold out and influential collectors bought the entire collection before the show even opened.

In 1964, Lichtenstein became the first American to exhibit at the Tate Gallery in London and it is thus fitting that the Tate Modern are currently presenting a Lichtenstein retrospective exhibition. In

1967 Lichtenstein’s first solo exhibition in Europe was held at museums in London, Bern, Amsterdam and Hannover.

All his images were carefully painted by hand with his individual style of BenDay dots and black contour lines that were filled in with bold primary colours.

Critical reception during his career was mixed. Life magazine questioned in a 1964 headline: “Is he the worst artist in America?” His tongue-in-cheek work may have deeply unsettled and infuriated those who believe that art should have some high or noble purpose and was a strong contrast to the seriousness promoted by the dominant Abstract Expressionism

movement.

His later work revisited some themes he had explored in earlier works, namely reproducing masterpieces by famous artists in his recognizable style.

However, he also began new projects that included making films and exploring new thematic ideas. He died of pneumonia in New York on the 29 September 1997.

During his lifetime and afterwards Lichtenstein’s work has been recognized from institutions across the world. Whilst some may view his work as soulless, Lichtenstein was and remains undeniably influential in the 21st century to pop art and culture of society.

REVIEW:

THE FIRST MODERNS AND ART NOUVEAU EXHIBITION AT THE SCVA Jack Coleman This exhibition brings together works from many of the artists involved with conception of the Art Nouveau movement. Like the Pre-Raphaelites before them, their influence covered many branches of the decorative and fine arts, from ornaments to furniture and paintings. This collection concentrates on the development of the movement; from finding inspiration in free natural forms to regular geometric shapes.

The movement itself originated in Britain and France in the 1890’s but quickly spread throughout Europe and America during the turn of the century and First World War. The first display holds a magnificent array of glassware showing the variety of shapes, colours and styles that could be achieved with the new age of mass production. The

most successful designer and producer of glass was Emile Galle, whose work is on display. After studying Botany he took over his father’s glass and ceramic company in France, allowing him to forge these two interests together.

It was this new curiosity in natural science that gave the movement its fuel for inspiration. With the Evolution of Species already published and new types of plants coming back from all corners of the empire, these artists and designers sought to represent and regularise this new world in their work.

There are some original sketches by the artist Alphonse Mucha displayed. They depict stylised representations of leaves and vines but they also seem incredibly refreshing and organic, mainly because of his skill, but also

because of the aesthetic qualities that can be found from such common and untamed life forms.

Naturalism soon gave way to geometric forms, which are most clearly demonstrated in the furniture displayed in the exhibition.

All signs of plants and insects are gone and all that is left, are the bold symmetrical designs of the wood. Although the rich and expressive style of Art Nouveau disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, the artists who bought life to it, inspired the next generation.

This exhibition clearly demonstrates the progression the movement experienced; from exciting and experimental works in naturalism to the clean bold styles that came to define the stylish first half of the 20th century.

Callum Pawlett-Howell

ARTS

19.03.2013 concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

REVIEW: THE SWORD IN THE STONE

@concrete_arts

25

Rachael Lum UEA Drama and Chamber Orchestra Anglia celebrate Benjamin Britten’s centenary year by setting his incidental music to The Sword in the Stone, a magical re-imagining of King Arthur’s boyhood.

The storyline is familiar if you’ve read T.H. White’s novel of the same title, or watched the Disney animated film: Sir Ector’s ward, nicknamed Wart, (Lucy Mangan) meets a dotty wizard, Merlyn, (Anna Chessher) who becomes his tutor. Unbeknown to Wart, Merlyn is molding him for a greater destiny. In the meantime, Wart’s relationship with his half-brother, Kay, (Charlie Field) falters as the play progresses.

Featured through episodic quests, Wart learns about leadership through his transformation into creatures such as

Photo: Holly Maples

a fish, hawk and badger, as well as his encounters with Robin Hood’s gang and King Pellinore.

In fact, there are so many characters, particularly the talking animals, that majority of the cast take turns playing multiple roles. It is nonetheless easy to distinguish them from one another. The costumes are detailed and varied, while their imitations of animal behaviors were convincing, such as adding that little extra shuffling to bring Archimedes the owl (Imogen Taylor) to life.

Beautifully designed with strips of dark cloths and fairy lights that hang down the walls, the stage is turned into an enchanted realm. It even makes use of the trap door on stage, serving as both a prison base and where the Lady of the

Lake appears with the famous sword.

This atmosphere of fantasy is heightened by the splendid accompaniment of UEA’s orchestra-inresidence, conducted by Sharon Choa.

Throughout the play, we get to hear the whole of Britten’s score as he had written for the 1939 BBC production. It is interesting therefore to see how a radio play could be translated onto stage.

Some brilliantly played out scenes include Merlyn’s descriptions of his vision to Sir Ector (Robert Henderson) which was promptly acted out, and Wart’s meeting with soldier-like birds. The play is otherwise at its core lighthearted, which is most apparent during the duel between Merlyn and Madam Mim (Grace Church).

Director Holly Maple’s signature use of cloths as a dramatic technique provides refreshing visual interpretations, from the body of the snake to the surface of a river. In a crucial scene, the cast balance the sword with the tensions of the cloth to create an imaginary rock to signify the convergence of all the seemingly random tutoring that would turn boy into king.

At some point the play felt long due to the unconventional lack of an intermission; however, this is minor given the generally notable performance.

The Sword in the Stone effectively blends theatre and music in the dramatization of King Arthur’s childhood, an excellent way of paying homage to Britten and doing justice to an Arthurian legend.

26

LISTINGS

www.concrete-online.co.uk

concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk 19.03.2013

Fairs and Markets

happening this fortnight Little Vintage Lover Fair World Village Market Dragon Hall Gentleman’s Walk Saturday 23 March

The ever-popular Little Vintage Lover Fair returns to Dragon Hall on Saturday 23 March with an exciting new addition.

A mini cinema area will be set up in the ancient hall’s 14th century undercroft where fashion film clips from the 1940s onwards will be shown throughout the day. Visitors can use the films, from the British Pathé film archives, as inspiration for their own authentic vintage look or just soak up the nostalgia as they are transported back to former ages of glamour.

Hosted within the magnificent medieval surroundings of Dragon Hall this is the most atmospheric vintage fair in the eastern region. It is the perfect place to pick up some beautiful and unique vintage outfits and accessories.

There is also a wide range of collectables, accessories and textiles, costume jewellery, kitchenalia and homewares, small furniture etc from circa 1920’s to 1980’s.

Created and hosted by former catwalk model and singer/songwriter Zoe Durrant, the fairs have a unique atmosphere. As well as all the stalls, delicious tea and cakes - baked by Zoe herself - will be served on evocative vintage teaware.

DJ Jazzlord who specialises in music from the 50s, 60s and 70s will be spinning a selection of jazz, rhythm & blues, ska, soul and funk to create the perfect retro ambience.

Little Vintage Lover Fair is the perfect opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre and find unique treasures .

Dragon Hall is an outstanding medieval trading hall which operates as a heritage museum.

The fair will take place from 10am4pm. For more information, visit www.littlevintageloverfair.co.uk or search for Little Vintage Lover Fair on facebook.

Friday 29 March - Monday 1 April The colourful World Village market returns to Norwich this Easter weekend promising a fabulous range of quality gift ideas and mouth-watering goodies from across the globe.

The event will feature exotic world cooking, homemade, healthy and traceable foods together with original arts, crafts, clothing, jewellery, accessories and original ideas.

From hot French crepes, rich cheeses and Columbian gourmet coffees to German BBQ and plump Greek Olives, this unique festival-style street market promises an eclectic range of foods for visitors to enjoy.

The event, supported by Norwich City Council, will take place in Gentleman’s Walk from Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April and will also feature ethically traded, handmade, eco–friendly arts, crafts, clothing, accessories and ideas from across the globe including Turkish scarves and trinkets, Indian dresses, jackets and shawls and sequined flip-flops and bags from Bali.

This will be the third year that the World Village Market has filled the slot in the Norwich events diary for Easter.

Visitors will be entertained with live music by classical violinist, Andrew Hubbard.

For more information on the World Village Market, visit: www.marketsquaregroup.com.

LISTINGS

19.03.2013 concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk

27

www.concrete-online.co.uk

19 March -2 April

Club Nights

Live Music Simon McBride Price £12.50 8pm Norwich Arts Centre

19 March

Dreams Music presents….MAIA @ The Bicycle Shop Price £5 8pm The Bicycle Shop

23 March Spring Offensive + Olympians + Heart of a Dog Price £6 8pm Norwich Arts Centre Kodaline Price £10 8pm Norwich Arts Centre

20 March Theme Park w/Chateaux @ WF Studio Price £8 7.30pm The Waterfront

25 March The Stranglers w/The Godfathers Price £23 7.30pm UEA LCR

Stiff Little Fingers w/The Men They Couldnt Hang and Ed Tudor Pole Price £17 7.30pm The Waterfront

Guy Davis Price £12/£10 Concessions 8pm Norwich Arts Centre

21 March Clannad w/ Brian Kennedy @UEA Price £25 7.30pm UEA LCR The Selecter Price £15 7.30pm The Waterfront 22 March Killawatts presents Narkotek, Seno b2b Weser, The Freestylers Price £10 10pm The Waterfront Courtney Pine Price £24.50 8pm The Playhouse

Eels w/Nicole Atkins Price£23.50 7.30pm UEA LCR

26 March

Martin Harley Band plus support from Marc O'Reilly Price £12.50 7.30pm The Waterfront Heymoonshaker / Ash Woolnough @ The Bicycle Shop Price £8 7.30pm The Bicycle Shop 27 March Freyr + Breaking Through Focus + T-Bone and the Horn + The Upgrade Charity Gig Price £5

Action Man vs Barbie LCR Price £3.50 10pm UEA LCR

7.30pm The Waterfront The Travelling Band Price £7.50 8pm Norwich Arts Centre Culture feat. Kenyatta Price £10 8pm Norwich Arts Centre

28 March

29 March Sensi-Jam - Sensi-Tize & Bassjam Present Congo Natty Price £8 10pm The Waterfront 30 March Kings and Crows EP launch plus special guests @ Waterfront Studio Price £5 7pm The Waterfront David Ford Price £12.50 8pm Norwich Arts Centre

19 March

20 March Go Global Party Price £4.50/£5.50 + £1 donation to charity 7.30pm UEA LCR Last Chance A-List Price £4.50 10pm UEA LCR

23 March

Meltdown w/Iron Maiden Promos + Exile Price £4.50/£3.50 NUS 10pm The Waterfront Meltdown + Wraith Price £4.50/£3.50 NUS 10pm The Waterfront

30 March

Miscellaneous 20 March

2 April The Misfits presented by Metal Lust Price £17.50 7.30pm The Waterfront The Little Unsaid + Cate Ferris @ The Bicycle Shop Price £5 7.30pm The Bicycle Shop

Stand Up Poetry Club presents Mark Grist Price £7/£5 Concessions 8pm Norwich Arts Centre GOT SOMETHING TO TELL UEA ABOUT? If you’ve got a Society or on-campus event that you’d like to share, get in touch: concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk

theatre and comedy Patrick Monahan Price £12/£10 Concessions 8pm Norwich Arts Centre

21 March

23 March Gilbert and Sullivan Abridged Price £18.50/£16.50 Concessions 7.30pm The Playhouse

The Trench £10/£8 Concessions 7.30pm The Playhouse

26 March

28 March Robin Ince: The Importance of Being Interested Price £13/£11 Concessions 8pm The Playhouse Photo: Whye Tchien Khor

COMPETITIONS concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk

www.concrete-online.co.uk

19.03.2013

the venue crossword across

2

3 4

1. Recently released EA Games disaster (7) 5. British islands contested by Argentina (9) 7. Painter of the Sistine Chapel (13) 9. Small Hawaiian guitar (7) 10. Legendary sunken island (8) 13. Supercontinent (7) 15. Large African bird (7) 16. Snowstorm (8) 17. Fish, sometimes dangerous (5)

5 6 7

8

9

down

10

1. World’s most expensive spice (7) 2. Famous moustachioed plumber (5) 3. Earth’s natural satellite (4) 4. Titular name of Arthur Wellesley (10) 5. Saint who created the nativity scene (7) 6. Complex Novel turned Complex Film (5,5) 8. Condiment represented by NaCl (4) 11. Author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (5) 12. Former leader of Venezuela (6) 14. Werewolves’ Bane (6)

11 12 14

13

16

17

WIN ENTRY TO NORWICH’S BIGGEST CLUB EVENT WIN 2 tickets for you and a friend - KISS FM’s KISSTORY event that is coming to NORWICH MERCY XS on Friday, 29th March!

All you need to do is submit your Favourite KISSTORY track with your name and contact number to Union House Reception by Monday 25th March.

Ticket winners will be announced online on Twitter (@ Concrete_UEA) and on our Facebook page.

Names will be on the STUDENT RADIO WINNERS GUEST LIST at the door.

Name Email address Contact number Friends Name 1

1

Age

Age

Will this be you’re first Kisstory - Y/N Favourite Kisstory track….

These details are strictly for marketing purposes only and will not affect your entry to the event. Your details will not be supplied to a 3rd party.

Event is strictly 18+, ID required. Dress code: smart casual.

15