Editorial
Issue #315 20th October As you’ve probably gathered from this week’s cover, Venue’s pretty geared up for Halloween. Given the amount of Halloween content we have, it only seemed fair to do some research into how Halloween came to be. It started around 2,000 years ago with the Celts, who celebrated Samhain on 31st October – a festival for warding off ghosts, involving bonfires and costumes. Following the invasion of the Romans, this festival was merged with Roman ones, combining with Feralia (a festival concerned with remembering the dead) and Pomona, a festival honouring the Roman goddess of fruit and trees – a likely beginning for today’s tradition of “bobbing” for apples. Yet the word Halloween itself has Christian origins, coming from All Hallows’ Eve which in turn comes from the Christian All Hallows’ Day on November 1st. Halloween passed through yet another set of hands when it was transported to the US, with Irish immigrants reviving old traditions of guising (dressing up) and reigniting the overall popularity of Halloween, which brings us to today, with events like the New York’s Village Halloween Parade, which spans over a mile long and attracts two million people each year.
Editors: concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk Ana Dukakis Joe Fitzsimmons Arts: concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk Brett Mottram Creative Writing: concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk Jay Stonestreet Fashion: concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk Lizz Gowens Leah Omonya Film: concrete.film@uea.ac.uk George Barker Melissa Haggar Gaming & Technology: concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk Tom Bedford Music: concrete.music@uea.ac.uk Freya Gibson Daniel Jeakins Televison: concrete.television@uea.ac.uk Hannah Ford
Art and Design: concrete.artdesign@uea.ac.uk Dougie Dodds Cover Art : Niamh Jones
It is interesting to view our modern approaches to Halloween through this lens of the past. At first glance the macabre paintings explored in arts, the Walking Dead review in TV, and the ominous theme of ‘what’s out there’ in creative writing seem far from the Halloween roots they once came from. Yet at the same time there is a palpable closeness to the themes that came before: a fascination with the unknown, an exploration of the morbid under the veil of the supernatural, the fantastical. Of course, it’s undeniable that there is a new commercial edge to Halloween – perhaps this is simply another stage in Halloween’s evolution, in which case it will be interesting to see where it goes next. Whatever the case, have a wonderful Halloween – because what other time of the year can you gorge yourself on candy and carve faces into pumpkins?
Since deciding trick-or-treating was no longer for me at around the age of ten, I cannot say that I have really given much attention to Halloween as a holiday. I lacked the artistic skill for costume parties, the courage for horror film marathons, and the friends for drunken mischief. Even since coming to university, I found that something always took priority over the celebration. Assessment deadlines or work shifts seemed to pop up at exactly the right time to distract me from making any plans. However, despite my disassociation, what I have so far taken from the stories and reminiscing of others, is that the point of Halloween is to make yourself scared. Tales of terror I have heard from associates over the years include: ‘ the chilling embarrassment of getting scared at The Village in front of your crush’, ‘the horrifying moment when you realise just how much candy you consumed in one night’, and ‘the terrifying realisation of what you woke up next to after a heavy night of themed cocktails’. All of these are, no doubt, enough to chill someone to the very core, but alas, they are not for me. However, as this year will mark the first year in my memory with ideal conditions for a night of celebration of the All Hallows’ Eve, I have begun to make my own plans. This Halloween, I plan to spend it alone, confined to my bedroom in the dark, considering the implications of my own existence as an insignificant blip in the grand narrative of the cosmos. I will imagine how forces beyond my own control or even comprehension shape the path of my entire life, and how, after I’m gone, these forces will remain unchanged despite all of my efforts. As the existential crisis of my own utter insignificance sets the mood, I will add to this the nightmarish realisation that, despite the insignificance of one solitary human life within the world, we are made irreplaceable by the connections that exist in our own life and the dependence and responsibilities that result from the bonds of friendship and love that have been formed by those around you. This combining revelation, that despite our utter powerlessness in our lives, we have the responsibility to carry on regardless out of an obligation to others, is sure to provide a tale that I’ll be telling for years to come. This Halloween, I advise you to sit in a darkened room and do the same. If this does not make your October holiday a fright to remember, I feel that nothing will.
3
Music La Femme - Witchcraft
The Eagles - Hotel California
A lesser-known but absolutely fantastic French band from Biarritz that has been recognized as one of the leading music groups of the French underground scene in the last years, La Femme delivers a freakish and surreal song with ‘Witchcraft’. Included in their 2013 debut album Psycho Tropical Berlin, as part of another track named ‘Amour Dans le Motu’ it stills gives a great sense of the band’s main strong points : a mix of 60s surf-rock, bizarre 1980s synths and psychedelic vocals. This melting pot of sounds and senses makes La Femme one of the greats, and they should definitely be looked into! (MG)
This song is an old one, but definitely worth a listen if you haven’t heard it before. ‘Hotel California’ tells the story of a guest’s trip to a creepy hotel, one from which you can ‘check out anytime you like/ but you can never leave’. The lyrics are brilliantly eerie, and also enjoyably witty (who doesn’t like alcohol related puns?) While the Eagles stated the song is about ‘the dark underbelly of the American dream’, the lyrics are fluid enough for various interpretations, and for an overall sense of foreboding to pervade. Combined with the sombre guitar that tails off into a glorious solo, this is a brilliant song to skulk around your house to, come Halloween. (Dan Gowens)
Wolf Alice – You’re A Germ Good news everyone, it’s almost Halloween! It’s the only day of the year where it’s acceptable to dress up in all manner of hilarious costumes and ask people for free sweets, and we at Venue think that this should be celebrated. With this in mind, Venue’s music playlist returns with a spooky theme, providing the perfect soundtrack to your Halloween preperation. Kavinsky (featuring Lovefoxxx) - Nightcall Kavinsky is a French house music artist whose work is often compared to 1980s electro-pop. Though that may sound skippy and fun, this acclaimed soundtrack accompaniment to the 2011 film Drive intertwines a dark, muffled male voice and a light, hopeful female’s spoken word to create a track that you will truly phase out to. Listen to it on your own, on the way home from the pub, when some good tunes are more than a necessity or blast it at a party for some dancing or couch crashing. (Muse Giacalone) The Cure – A Forest A classic 80s track by the timeless the Cure, (who have announced yet another North American tour) whose recurrent beat engages the listener almost instantly, takes us through ‘a forest’ and its symbolically enigmatic atmosphere. The lyrics follow a lost narrator ‘into the trees’ as he follows ‘her voice...in the dark’. In the end though, the poor fellow is ‘lost’ ‘all alone’ and ‘the girl was never there’, he was only ever ‘running towards nothing’. Though the undercurrent of the song is rather gloomy, the chilling ambience is even more compelling and gets you just as lost in ‘a forest’. (MG)
The DØ - Omen This French-Finnish indie pop duo have been getting a lot of recognition in France and across the globe in the past two years with the release of their most recent album Shake Shook Shaken in 2014. Omen is especially eerie, mixing a continuous keyboard line and harsh drums with mysterious female murmurs to create an alarming ode to witchcraft. There are no actual lyrics to accompany this track, but the distressed, alarming mutterings of Olivia Merilahti, the main vocalist, add to its thrill and liveliness. (MG) Massive Attack - Inertia Creeps Another classic, from the renowned English trip hop group Massive Attack first released in their 1998 album Mezzanine. The song tells of an unhealthy, destructive relationship and takes a frightful turn as the it progresses and ‘Inertia Creeps’. A slightly exotic air accompanies the track through the use of tambourines and bongos, giving it the refreshingly diverse blend that Massive Atack is known for initiating to the music world. The mass of sound effects, fuzzy guitars and percussions used alongside the singer, Robert Del Naja’s low murmurs makes this track a definitive Halloween out-of-body experience. (MG) Theodora - One Foot in the Grave A sprouting French electro music project, Theodora has proved itself with this chillingly entited track ‘One Foot in the Grave’. The rise of the song is haunting, the voices accumulating progressively before culminating into a strange but very catchy rhythm. ‘Well, I can say that we’re always learning, from the distress and loophole growing’, the singer proclaims, thus casting a disconcerting spell onto the listener, who truly is bathed in the deep vocals and heavy breaths near the end of the track. (MG)
The greatly talked about four-piece London-based alternative rock band Wolf Alice has released their debut album entitled My Love is Cool over the summer and have been on tour ever since. This track displays the straight out rock and roll, sometimes screamo tendencies of the band and is perfect for when your day is just not going right and some head banging is needed to get the stress out. (MG) Fifth Harmony – I’m in Love with a Monster When it comes to Halloween songs, this one’s a little more contemporary. Fifth Harmony’s ‘I’m in Love with a Monster’ has an old-school vibe, reminiscent of tracks like ‘Big Spender’. Its funky beats, killer harmonies and downright deadly bassline make it the perfect soundtrack for some good old Halloween fun. (Melissa Haggar) Vic Mizzy - The Addams Family theme song Ok, now you’re just downright lying if you say you haven’t sung along to this song at least once in your life. Undeniably catchy and full of random words sung by everyone’s favourite overbearing butler, Lurch, ‘the Addams Family theme song’ is classic Halloween fare complete with rhythmic finger snaps. (MH) The Mellomen, Paul Frees, Betty Taylor, Bill Lee & Thurl Ravenscroft – Grim Grinning Ghosts If you’ve never been on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland (or listened to any of the sing-a-longs) then first of all, I’m so sorry you’ve been deprived of this absolutely brilliant tune for so long. But now you get to revel in the madness that is ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts’, a ridiculously creepy song that you’ll soon find invading your everyday life. I dare you to try and not sing ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialise’ in your best falsetto, for the next week. (MH)
Deaf Havana - Kings Road Ghosts Whilst not literally dealing with the death of residents of their native Hunstanton, this highlight from their third album, Old Souls, deals with a diminishing local community and a the slow realization by returning locals that in this place dreams and aspirations are a futile endeavor. This cautionary tale of the life of an artist desperate to break free of their roots is guaranteed to add that terrifying edge to your Halloween party. (Jessie Hearts) Justin Bieber – Baby As we moved past childhood, our first fears came from situations in our own lives, rather than the horrors that lurked within our own imagination. One classic example of this is the fear of rejection, and the terror of a first date. Bieber’s visionary look at a pre-adolescent’s fears at being accepted by their social circle is an ideal reminder that fear is always relative to the life we live. As we change, we may outgrow some fears but new ones always come alone. What better to add to a Halloween playlist than a song that is literally horrifying to listen to? (JH) MS MR – Dark Doo Wop This song comes from MS MR’s album Secondhand Rapture. At the start Plapinger’s vocals creep in softly, with a balance between sweetness and edge that fits the song perfectly. In fact, it is this underlying sweetness that gives the lyrics their potency, as it is perhaps more unnerving to hear the words ‘the world is gonna burn, burn, burn, burn’ from a trance-like voice than if it were delivered in a dramatic scream. This understated style is mirrored in the gradual crescendo of the instrumentals, which builds up subtly to create a sense of impending destruction by the end of the song. Do the lyrics suggest some sort of catastrophic chaos lies waiting for all of us? Possibly. Is it worth listening to? Definitely. (DG)
4
Alice Mortimer
Live Review - Circa Waves & Clean Cut Kid
It’s a great time to be living in Norwich if you’re an indie-rock fan. In late September, the Wombats made a comeback to their now-grown fans who supported them back in their ‘Love, Loss and Desperation’ days, and in November, the Maccabees are set to grace our lovely LCR. Before Circa Waves arrive on the stage, a large crowd gathers for Clean Cut Kid, and the Liverpudlian four-piece provide an energetic warm-up to proceedings. Just as compotent as soaring pop hooks as the headline act, they’re certainly ones to watch out for in the near future. On 8th October, Circa Waves performed the first show of their UK tour at the Waterfront, and they did not disappoint. The first newto-the-industry indie band I’ve listened to in a long while, Circa Waves seemed to fill a gap in the market for traditional indierock music which seemed to disappear until more established bands such as the Wombats, Maccabees and Arctic Monkeys made comebacks. Rapidly building on their fan-base since tickets for their UK tour went on sale earlier this year, Radio 1 have invited them into their Live Lounge, played singles
such as ‘My Love’ on Track of the Day, and included them on their Big Weekend line up on the BBC Introducing Stage. Since then they’ve graced the stages of the UK’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and T in the Park. One of those bands who just sound like being young, their debut album ‘Young Chasers’ was the soundtrack to my summer. With upbeat optimism and a feel of youthfulness, T-shirt Weather kept me sane at a point where time seemed to be going too fast and the reality of the adult world and the entailing complications scared me. Circa Waves are down-to-earth. There’s nothing pretentious about them, and I feel their song ‘Best Years’ illustrates this perfectly with the lyric “I’m a twentysomething trying not to care”, which sums up the message of their album. The youthful energy of their album was definitely portrayed at their Waterfront gig. Opening with ‘Young Chasers’, the band went straight in with vigorous guitar playing, leaping all over the place in true indie-rock style.
It wasn’t long before seemingly drunk Sam Rourk, the band’s bassist, was shirtless and downing a pint to the repetitive chants of ‘chug’ - the Liverpool lads were clearly loving the limelight after touring the U.S. I don’t know whether it’s the catchy choruses fading into softer and then gradually building guitar riffs, or the repetitive bridges, but something about Circa Waves’ music leaves you feeling refreshed by the end of the song. There was something about a venue full of people all singing to “it’s gonna be okay” at the end of T-Shirt Weather. Their encore consisted of three songs – the crowd got moving to the slightly rockier track of 101, the B-side to T-Shirt Weather, which due to my reliance on Spotify, I had to awkwardly pretend I knew the words to. My Love toned the atmosphere down ready for Kieran Shudall, lead vocals, to have some really bad banter about how they ‘don’t play that song any more’, after asking the crowd what final song they wanted to hear – of course, T-Shirt Weather, that tease. Circa Waves seemed to know exactly how to please a crowd, making you forget that
Music
you were only within the low ceilings of the Waterfront and not the big open fields of a festival. I enjoyed co-catching a sweaty hand towel but decided the memories of the gig alone were enough for me to give it up for the crazy girl in front who preceded to sniff it (rock ‘n roll). Predictions for the band? I think they’re only going to get better and better. The market for their style is massive, and the catchy optimism of their music is something that only works in their favour. Circa Waves have a straight-up fun, youthful and relatable sound, giving them massive appeal to a young audience, with a comingof-age theme not requiring lyrical brilliance but simply honesty. As we’ve seen with many other bands of the genre, Circa Waves need to make sure they tailor their sound to their aging audience and grow up alongside them – the key to maintaining a reliable fan-base. Music to fall in love to, music to fall out of love to, music to feel free to and music to have fun to – Circa Waves sound exactly how it feels to be young, and that’s exactly how indie-rock should be.
An Interview with Tove Styrke Jessica Frank-Keyes Jessica Frank-Keyes sat down with swedish singer songwriter Tove Styrke, who recently supported Years and Years at the LCR on 10th October. Was there anything new that inspired you about wanting to make this album? I would say that for once I really didn’t want to limit myself in any way. The songs are quite different from each other but the sound differs quite a lot throughout the album – which was intentional. I really wanted to not restrain myself when it came to the production. I wanted to always try and bring out the core and the feeling of the song to the fullest. So that’s sort of a theme, almost, not being thematic. What do you enjoy the most about creating music – the writing process or going off on tour and having people respond to what you’ve written? I really like the combination – I think that’s one of the best things about my job is that you get these two very different things. You get that touring life of travelling and meeting people – the hectic and very fun side of it all.
And then there’s also this isolation, going into your own little bubble and being on your own or with a few people and creating and writing and trying stuff while you’re away from the rest of the world. And I think it’s very nice to have those two things. Do you think this album is a better reflection of who you are and what you want to say with your music? Were there personal experiences that informed your writing? This album is very personal. That was what I set out to do, to write from a completely personal perspective, and actually it’s quite a scary thing to open up in that way and share what’s actually going on inside of your head. I wanted to take that step with this album. I use writing a lot as a therapeutic thing. I think it’s a great way to cope with certain feelings, like anger or frustration or sadness, to deal with them by figuring things out through writing. That was the process and that’s how all these topics end up in the songs. I felt like your album was quite – not political – but aware of the different pressures that people are under so if there
was something that you could change about society today what would that be? Of course it would be a lovely thing if you could wipe out every injustice, because that’s the thing that bothers me the most – and most people I’m sure – when things aren’t fair or they just aren’t equal, or just or okay. I think it is fun to talk about these issues in pop music because it’s something that I feel a lot of people can relate to, these big issues that everyone can understand and to me it’s a very natural thing to put into to my work. Do you feel that pop music can have a bigger role to play in dealing with issues in society that it’s given credit for? I think that pop music is playing a bigger role than it even is aware of. It’s such a huge part of people’s lives and it can really make a difference. You can really see certain things – it really shows what our society goes through. It reflects and tells us something, often in a very superficial way, but because of that it’s very visceral and enhanced. I think it’s really interesting. I always try to pin down the core of what it is that I want to communicate in a way that’s as simple as possible. That’s always
the game – or the fun part for me – simplifying things as much as possible. And that’s why I write pop songs as well because that’s the trick, to make it very accessible. That’s usually the process for me: a combination of that and trying to find interesting rhythms. You had your start in Swedish reality TV and I wondered – a lot of artists in this country who come from that background struggle to have legitimacy in the industry – was that something you struggled with? I didn’t struggle exactly, but if you come from that start, it’s a very different way to get into music because it’s really nothing about music. It’s a popularity competition and I think people who end up in those competitions often get it wrong by thinking that it means they’ve won anything if they win. The real struggle begins afterwards, that’s when you have to really show people that you can do something. And you have everybody’s eyes on you expecting something and it’s not easy to accomplish that with people watching you. Some people don’t like to talk about these things but I don’t mind – because I know it’s a really strange way to enter music – but to me it hasn’t been an issue.
5
Music An Interview with Newton Faulkner Dominic Clarke Venue catches up with Newton Faulkner ahead of the release of his new album, Human Love. (Clarke) So the big question I have to ask is, new haircut? (Faulkner) I don’t know how that’s become such a big deal but yes I have had a haircut, although I did have the same hair for a very long time! It was quite discintive... It’s a bit weird because I can feel the back of my head for the first time in about 16 years, so now I’m a little bit colder than I was. So your new album is called Human Love, why is it called that and are there any ongoing themes? Compared to album three (Write It On Your Skin) which, after I recorded it, I realised was all about however bad things are, they will get better, it was this weird positive, negative overlap thing. The fourth album (Studio Zoo) was quite depressing, which was me just being…honest. Then this album, I guess is just more openly thoughtful. There’s more just random thoughts, there’s no solid theme running through the whole thing. ‘Human Love’ was mine and my brother’s favourite track off the album, which is why we decided that should be the name of the album. Has anything in particular influenced the sound of the album and the step away from your older sound? I purposely made decisions to make it sound different, and at sessions I would consider ‘What would I have done?’, and then consider ‘What should I do now?’, and saying ‘I’ve never started a song like this, so let’s see what happens’. We then found ourselves writing in different styles such as rock week, slightly jazzier weeks, serious folky weeks and just exploring the writing process. The first single off the album is a Major Lazer cover, what influenced this decision? Well the decision was made by a large group of people from across the record label but I think it works really well in terms of the music video. It could not have been a better track and the association and the chance it provided to tap into someone else’s fan base was an amazing thing to be able to do.
“Newton Faulkner AnnArborTheArkNov202008”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia
The thing I found when I looked into what fans had been saying across social networks was that they really like the new tribal and
slightly more produced sound. So where did this tribal sound come from? The tribal sound goes on through the whole album, and it’s become part of the live show. We found some drum sounds and I found myself listening to lots of rhythms and melodies. We found ourselves going further into world music, and you can hear it in tracks like ‘Human Love’ which sounds rather Asian, whilst some of the beats are African and some of the chords are again quite Asian. In my opinion this has made Newton Faulkner again sound like something that isn’t out there, as you did when you first started out. Now we’ve seen a lot of singer songwriters enter the charts in the years following your debut, and you once again sound completely different to what else is out there. Was this a conscious decision? Well you don’t want to release an album that just fits in and we did some weird experiments on this, like ‘Human Love’ is just bizarre sounding. We found we could either make it really clean and sound like something from ‘Hand Built by Robots’ (Newton’s first album), or we could go past it and make it sound absolutely weird and filthy, which is what we did. I personally think the sound is a ‘Step In The Right Direction’… I love it when people say “it’s a step in the right direction”; it’s a track on the album that I’m really happy with it. That track’s definitely one of my favourites off the album, I love the whole mood of it. It has a weirdly understated chorus, like an anti-chorus and the whole thing is kind of tension based. If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be? Oh that’s a hard question… probably The Presidents of the United States of America or one of the bands I grew up with. I would love that, that would blow my mind! Their first album, you have to listen to it, it’s amazing, probably my favourite album of all time. Okay to wrap things up, if you could describe your new album in three words what would they be? Tribal, folk, pop? Is that about right? Human Love is released on October 20th, Newton Faulker will be playing Norwich Open on the same day!
6
Music Isobel Wright
Disclosure - Caracal London Grammar and Sam Smith appearing on the album, Disclosure brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence set the bar extremely high for a follow up album.
Disclosure have undoubtedly had outstanding influence on the music industry after combining house, dubstep, garage and bass, with a pinch of pop and underlying tones of Caribbean in their debut album Settle in 2013. Reaching platinum in the UK, it was revolutionary to the dance scene, and an extremely diverse album to say the least. With the likes of Jessie Ware, Eliza Doolittle,
Caracal was released earlier this month and at first listen, many were critical of the slower beats and their movement away from up-tempo dance, to a more relaxed vibe. However on further inspection, Disclosure have created some gems which everybody will soon be grooving to. Big names such as the Weeknd, Lorde and once again, Sam Smith collaborated with the Surrey boys; however it is the lesser known artists who steal the show. Gregory Porter, a definite favourite of the album adds soulful tones to the single ‘Holding on’, whereas Nao’s ‘Superego’ tilts towards the pop genre. A positive addition to the album saw Howard Lawrence taking to the vocals himself in ‘Echoes’, proving that Disclosure can also sing to the beats that
In a time where tropical house artists such as Kygo and pop artists like Bieber dominate the Top 40 charts, Caracal brings their familiar, signature beats, without attempting to conform to the current music trends. Furthermore, they do not rely on constant build ups and drops, something that much of the house genre is so reliant on. The listener is reassured by the electronic, bouncy tones that Disclosure are recognised by. You know what you are going to get from them and this is what makes the duo timeless, similar to the likes of Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx. We will always be able to rely on
Disclosure to bring us funky, diverse music that is easy on our ears, whether that is in a club, in the car, or as smooth undertones for around the house. Caracal has allowed Disclosure to expand its audience further past the younger, partying section of the population through the use of such diverse artists from many genres and an evolution of softer tones. Critics have seen this as a negative, branding Disclosure as “boring” in the wake of Settle. When listening to Caracal, one must be reminded that it must have been extreme ly challenging to create something which doesn’t copy Settle, but also lives up to it. Music is meant to be experimental, it is meant to come straight from the artist’s soul and it is not meant to be confined to expectations and this is exactly what Caracal has achieved.
“Caracaldisclosure” by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia
Chelsea Wolfe
Francesca Kritikos was transfixed.
Chelsea Wolfe, an LA based singer who balances between hellish hardcore and a delicate folk sound, released her album Abyss in August. I stumbled upon her music by chance – she was playing a show in my hometown of Chicago, and I decided to go. As I entered the venue, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Everyone seemed to be donned in black leather, studs, or heavy metal band t-shirts. But as soon as Wolfe embraced the stage, wrapped in a sleeveless flowing dress evocative of an ancient Greek muse, I
they create. Unlike any other artist, the brothers can successfully bring together contrasting artists onto one album, with different vocals making each track completely new, whilst their underlying electronics bring the entire album together.
The album’s opening song, ‘Carrion Flowers’, was one of the first songs performed at the show. It begins with abrasive guitar distortion, later counterbalanced by Wolfe’s smooth, sultry voice. Many of her songs seem to follow this eerily gorgeous pattern of dancing between the demonic and angelic. Other songs such as ‘Maw’ are silkily soft and hazy throughout, with Wolfe languidly singing, ‘I’ve been waiting / in this silence / while you’re sleeping.’ It is Wolfe’s ability to create a natural dichotomy between the rough and the gentle that makes Abyss so appealing – listening to ‘Maw’, I could fall asleep just as the anonymous lover she despairingly addresses has. However, harsher songs such as ‘Dragged Out’, loaded with grungy wails reminiscent of Alice in Chains, could easily keep me up at night. Other standout tracks are ‘Iron Moon’, a clanging yet catchy symphony of heavy guitar juxtaposed beautifully with Wolfe poetically whispering, ‘We bear no fruit,
no flowers, no life / and we get sick, but never die’. My friend attending the concert with me called Wolfe ‘a goth Lana Del Rey,’ a surprisingly apt descriptor for the seductively troubled songstress. In ‘Crazy Love’, Wolfe becomes almost completely folk, her wistful vocals surrounded by scratchy guitar. However, the mysterious, shadowy noises in the background are a reminder that while Wolfe sounds dreamy, her world is full of nightmares. It wouldn’t be characteristic of her to finish a song without adding a dose of unnerving paranoia. ‘Simple Death’, haunted by a hazy hip-hop beat, seems slightly out of place on the album paired with her quiet, breathy voice singing, ‘Lost and alone in confusion / I’m screaming / but I can’t wake up’. Wolfe has revealed that she suffers from sleep paralysis and that the condition is an inspiration for her music. Though she is admirably committed to her aesthetic of nightmarish hellscapes, the song suffers from an auditory perspective.
The album culminates with ‘The Abyss’, a disturbing American Horror Storyesque elegy to agony and imprisonment: ‘When I move it pulls me closer / when I swim it drags me under.’ The song is a masterpiece in its own right, littered with discordant piano key clinks and melancholic violin that both tempt listeners and warn them of traveling further into Wolfe’s mental abyss. When the song is over, reality doesn’t quite seem the same – the mark of a brilliantly unsettling piece. Abyss is a triumph for Wolfe. There are almost no missteps, and the line she’s tiptoeing across between hardcore and folk music is more of a tightrope. With Abyss, she she proves she can walk it with confidence and grace. Her UK tour kicks off with a show on 22nd November in London – promisingly, it is already sold out.
“Chelsea Wolfe Abyss album cover” by Source (WP:NFCC#4). Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia
7
Fashion Halloween: How To
Quick Costumes for a student budget
Laura Barker Halloween is just two weeks away, which means it’s time to start planning the perfect costume. But after blowing your costume budget at the Red Bar and with coursework time coming up, most people don’t have the time or money for their dream costume. Never fear! Below, we’ve rounded up some clever costume ideas that won’t break the bank or take more than twenty minutes to put together. Walter White from Breaking Bad One of the most iconic scenes from this hit drama comes from the first episode, when Walter faces down a cop car while pantless. Simply tuck half of your shirt into the boxers, draw on a mustache with brown marker, and strike a menacing pose. What you’ll need: A long-sleeved green shirt A pair of white briefs Round-rimmed glasses Optional: a plastic bag filled with blue rock candy
Zombie
Grecian God/Goddess
Most people leave monster make-up to the professionals, but rotting skin is surprisingly easy. Generously dab non-toxic glue onto your face or arms, and press on crumpled-up bits of tissue while the glue is still wet. Once that has dried, put on a layer of foundation that is a few shades paler than you are to get the pasty zombie look. Use grey eye shadow around the eye (don’t worry about being precise here, zombies aren’t known for looking well put-together). For the costume, cut up an old shirt and pair of jeans with scissors. Add some scars with red lipstick or lip liner, and you’re ready to freak out your flat- mates!
Instead of paying upwards of forty quid for a nylon dress you’ll wear once, try draping a white bed sheet over your shoulder. Cinch it with a gold-colored belt and pile on all the golden bracelets you own. What you’ll need: One bed sheet Gold-colored belt Gold bangles Gold necklace
What you’ll need: Fake blood Non-toxic glue & tissue
Daniel Hollister, Flickr.
Autumn Jackets
The Ins and Outs of Autumnal Outwear Melissa Haggar With the blistering autumn winds creeping in and the cold crisp mornings becoming an ever more prominent feature, now is the perfect time to stock up on some new jackets. If you’re stuck for inspiration for your new autumn wardrobe, or if you’re struggling to part with that old hoodie you’ve had since high school, then never fear, we have some solutions for you. Capes Easy to slip on, comfortable, cosy, and available in a variety of colours and styles (tartan can look particularly season appropriate), the cape could be your answer to your jacket conundrum. Capes look best paired with slim-line jeans or with bare legs (if you’re brave enough!) and boots for that autumnal look. Beware though. Your arms may get chilly (perhaps wear with a long sleeve), it can be difficult to balance an over the shoulder bag and if you get a size too big you can look like you have stepped out in a duvet.
Blazer If it’s just a little bit chilly, a blazer could be your way to go. The great thing about blazers is that they can be structured, fitted and even casual, like the boyfriend fit. Blazers can instantly make an outfit look smarter, so are a great choice if you want to create a more stylish edge to your outfit, whilst remaining comfortable and elegant. Pair with a turtle-neck jumper or top, a sheer shirt or blouse and you’re good to go. The only downside is depending on the fabric it can be quite impractical to wear. Unless you layer with another jacket on top, or multiple layers underneath, you may struggle to keep warm. Gilet [fur or fringe] Autumn is by far the season of the gilet. Faux fur gilets are definitely bang on trend, and they have the benefit of being cosy and can add another texture to your overall look. A tonal fur or feather-look gilet looks best paired with a simple colour top (black, white, beige, camel),
especially if the gilet is multi-coloured or a statement piece. The fringed gilet is also another option, and these often come in interesting fabrics like suede. The problem with gilets in general is the lack of sleeves, as it does a great job of keeping your core warm but not much else. Also, if it starts raining and you’ve forgotten your umbrella, be prepared to fuse into a giant, damp, fluffy mess. Bomber Jacket If you are looking for something simpler, the bomber jacket might be the right fit. If you like something with a unique touch, get one with a fur collar or embroidered detailing (there’s also some that come in suede; you’ve been warned). Bomber jackets are essentially the equivalent of a fancy hoodie. With handy pockets, comfortable lining and still possessing a little bit of shine that says “I put at least 2% more effort than usual into getting ready”, the bomber jacket is the suitable alternative. No risk of getting your arms
cold here. The only negative is if you are quite tall, the bomber jacket can sit at an awkward angle and look a little odd. The opposite goes for if you are a little short, it might look more like a tunic.
UnsplashPixabay
8
Fashion Costume Makeup Made Easy
From Gore To Glitter - a How To on Easy Halloween Makeup
Elley West You know that autumn is just around the corner when all the bloggers you follow start blabbing about vampy lips and dark nail polishes, but the real highlight of autumn for the makeup junkie is Halloween. Now is the time to show off all your blending, your contouring, painting, and your liquid liner precision. So we’ve put together some ideas and some really easy tricks to elevate your costume from freak to chic. Guts and gore Once we learnt that most of the gore in horror films is made from latex and cotton wool, we found them a lot less scary! Seriously, cotton wool is a wonderful wound-maker. Most of the gory scars and scabs you will see on films are made from shredded cotton. It’s light and easy to attach, and once mixed with blood and pigments, it looks very realistic. All you’ll need is some fake blood and some glue to adhere it to your skin. Spirit gum, or the much easier to get eyelash glue, works great. Mash up your cotton wool into the shape you want, glue it to yourself and paint with blood, then layer and texturize as you want, and blend the edges with foundation to make a seamless scar. Easy Evil Eyeliner Special FX sound a little too much for you?
This is a look for the low-maintenance ghoul. If you’re tight on time and looking to do something a bit subtler, turn your eyeliner into bat wings. Draw your usual wing, then extend it far out. To find the perfect line, make a line from your nostril to the end of your eyebrow and follow it from the end of your eye. Then, draw four triangles coming diagonally down from your first wing. Connect the points with curving lines- think an umbrella- and fill in the blank space. Ta-dah, bat wing liner! Extend it down into your inner-corner for a cat-eye / bat-eye.
the lid, extending all the way up to meet your brows. Then line your eyes, taking the liner deep into the inner corner, and then winging away to meet your eyebrow tip again. But this time, draw diagonally down, following the curve of your eyebrow, and mark out a triangle that connects back to your lower lashline. If you are an eyeliner graduate, you could try some further detail along the lower lashline, a curve or a teardrop, think Flaka from Orange Is The New Black.
YouTube is a young zombie’s best friend If you plan on diving into prosthetic makeup severed-head first, you might want to do a quick browse of YouTube. There’s a really good community of cosplayers and costume designers on there that show some really complex styles of SFX and latex work. If you’ve got an idea in mind, chances are you’ll find some kind of help, or you might even get frighteningly inspired.
Mermaid Scales are Easy People, stand by your glitter. This makeup tip is an oldie but remains really effective. All you need to make scales on your face are some fishnet tights and colour. Spread the fishnet material over where you want scales, maybe around your hair line of cheek-bones to turn you into a mutant, and then take eyeshadow or paint and apply it over the tights. This will create the dappled lines of scales in one easy swoop. Fish for dinner, anyone? The OG Queen Of Makeup If you want glamour, look no further for inspiration than Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. Two old queens in one. For the look from the film, press bold blue eyeshadow all over
Images :Roseneath Machube
Vancouver Film School, Flickr
Campus Catwalk
Commentary: Lizz Gowens and Leah Omonya Name: Amy Year: First Studying: English Literature We are just loving Amy’s autumnal camel coat which seem to be a real wardrobe staple this season. The simple duster jacket style goes seemlessly with Amy’s tan satchel and black ankle boots - another autumn staple. Ripped jeans, a near essential part of student clothing, also plays a big part in Amy’s outfit, giving her structured camel coat a more casual, carefree, vibe.
Name: Yana Year: First Studying: Society, Culture & Media You can never go wrong with a chucky knit and skinnies, they are a staple of the student wardrobe and for very good reason. This go-to combo is both weather appropriate and chic. Yana’s outfit features a variety of textures, from the rugged denim of the ripped jeans to the softer looking fabric of the oversizesd knit and fluffy Uggs, which creates a really well put together layered ensemble.
Name: Joanna Year: Third Studying: Mathematics Scarves are great for accessorising and fun tartan prints are a great way to give a sleek outfit a delightful pop of colour - which is exactly what is needed as the weather starts getting more dreary. The rich aubergine pencil skirt adds a slightly more bold element to Joanna’s outfit, complementing the reds and blues in her scarf perfectly. Camels are clearly popular staple colours this season as as all three of our models are sporting the colour.
9
Television The Dead Return Once Agaiu
Fighting enemies both dead and alive inThe Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead Fiona Sangster The Walking Dead is one of TV’s most popular shows; even if you’ve never seen it, it’s likely you know at least one person who loves Daryl. There’s something about a zombie apocalypse that has millions of viewers coming back every week, but if Halloween shows us anything, it’s that sometimes people love to be scared. The Walking Dead (TWD) certainly delivers on this, such as in season five, when we saw a man being eaten in a revolving door. Finally, our fears were confirmed: revolving doors really are evil. The show’s popularity has led to one of American television’s favourite things: a spin off. Fear The Walking Dead (FTWD), the most creative title ever to hit the small screen, began 23rd August. Set in LA, the opposite side of the country and with fewer annoying accents as TWD’s Georgia, FTWD is the beginner’s guide to the zombie apocalypse. The new show follows Nick, a drug addicted teen, and his family: his sister Alicia, his step-father Travis, and his mother Madison, who makes some of the worst decisions you will ever witness. This show is not for the
gore-loving viewer of the original show. This show is for those who care about whether or not Nick will get clean, whether Travis and Madison will make it in this crazy world, whether Alicia will get to college and live her ambiguous dream. There aren’t walkers around every corner in FTWD. Yet. TWD is clearly a show about the aftermath of a horrific zombie, or “walker”, apocalypse. The whole of the US is infected, civilisation has fallen, people are killing for food, etcetera. But its prequel is the beginning, showing the population’s disbelief at a virus which makes people come back from the dead. In this way the show lends itself to heaps of dramatic irony: “this will all blow over”, “it’s not like it’s the apocalypse”, and other such exclamations. TWD cannot wink to the audience in this way after it’s killed most of its original cast. One of the great things about TWD is its reality. Take Daryl’s brother Merle for one, a horrible racist who sided with the bad guys from day one. These people exist; just because it’s the apocalypse, doesn’t mean everyone is going to love each other. TWD
shows not just fighting between humans and zombies, but humans with humans, and the terrible lengths we will go for survival. We’ve seen cannibalism, sacrifice, and worse, as society breaks down. This pessimistic perspective is also present in the spin-off. While considerably less violent, FTWD is full of twists and surprises that will make you fairly embarrassed to be a human being. So far, FTWD includes no references to TWD, and as of yet, it doesn’t even give us any clues to how the whole crisis began, and may end up being a Eugene-esque cop out. What it does show is a family trying to survive when people are eating each other and rioting outside their door. There is romance and heartbreak and sibling bonding, meaning the show feels like a family drama -with zombies. For TWD fans, it’s an interesting look into the origins of the virus, and another zombie fix. For new viewers, it’s a straightforward plot with plenty of conspiracy and no prior knowledge required. Now the first season of FTWD has finished, the sixth season of TWD has just begun.
This premiere has been highly anticipated due to the shock ending of season five; no spoilers, but there was a big sword involved. We saw Rick starting to become hostile towards those around him, and honestly quite scary, something the show hasn’t really gone into since he literally bit someone’s throat out a few seasons ago. Morgan’s question of “Rick?” in the finale upon seeing him kill while drenched in blood, as well as Rick’s “do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” in the season six trailer, bring in questions about Rick’s changing identity. Has he become unrecognisable, or finally crossed a moral line he cannot come back from? Perhaps Rick will now replace the Walkers as the real threat to the group. This season has the potential to be scarier than any other; two groups of our favourite characters, both wanting what’s right, fighting for nothing more than safety and using the walker-plagued terrain to do it in. So who is the real enemy in this world the walking dead? Or ourselves? A scary thought - just in time for Halloween.
Ana Dukakis Dougie Dodds
10
Television TV's Race Problem The representation issue still affecting TV in 2015
Joey Levenson Actress Viola Davis recently became the first black woman to ever win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her incredible turn in How to Get Away With Murder; an accomplishment which, sadly, took 62 years. In her subsequent acceptance speech, Davis took Hollywood by the throat and didn’t let go: “ You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there” she said, holding her gaze sturdy at the camera. She was ver y defiantly letting us all know the harsh reality for ethnic minorities in Hollywood. Whether or not you are interested in such an issue, it cannot be denied that Davis is correct. With TV, there’s perhaps more of an acute problem with representation. Film is debatably a whole other ball game, where the world seems to move at a much different pace, and reality is conjured up in a warped dimension where cheap audience
appeal
seems
to
take
precedence.
But TV representation matters. These are the shows you tune in to day in and day out. These people become par t of your life; they invade your home, they take up your discussions, they give you an addiction. Arguably, not enough is being done to represent minorities on screen. Back in the 90s, we had smashhit shows such as Friends, Seinfield, The West Wing, etc., all of which were casted entirely with white, heterosexual people. Now, you may ask: what’s the problem? In the literal sense, it is not being white or heterosexual which is the problem. It is instead the idea that Hollywood is selling this as the ‘norm’. According to these shows, minorities are simply a punch line who live on the fringes of society ready to ser ve white people at any time necessar y. But as we know, this isn’t tr ue.
Creating a show that features an allwhite cast (plus a rare token character) is unsustainable. There is an arguably ingrained institutionalised racism here; does Hollywood tr uly believe that white people are exclusively the best at acting? Now, here in our current decade, things have arguably progressed. We are seeing more representation on TV, but still not nearly enough. It is worr ying to think that Hollywood still believes now, in the 21st centur y, you can make a show set in a modern city, and have it only about white people. This is not what the vie wing audience want to see, nor is it in anyway realistic. For example, here at UEA, we know that it is totally ludicrous to think all the students are white. So why does TV think it’s okay?
isn’t to deny the fantastic shows with great LGBT+ and female representation), we are able to see that it’s really not that difficult to do.
If we look at shows which have celebrated representation and diversity (and for the sake of Black Histor y Month, I’ll use examples of ethnic representation, but that
Time and time again, it is proven audiences respond to representation. The American show Empire, where the main cast are entirely AfricanAmerican, was the most viewed scripted drama in Nor th America last year, on top of having the fastest growing vie wership in television histor y.
Luther, for example, was a hit television series in the UK, and starred the captivating Black-British actor Idris Elba as the lead, who many are now suggesting could be the next James Bond. His race was never explicitly mentioned nor used to ser ve in a stor yline whatsoever. Luther was black, but that isn’t where it ended for the development of his character, which is unlike most black characters on TV today. He was a complex anti-hero, with a fractured backstor y and a genius intellect above all else, which calls into question why more shows can’t follow suit.
Perhaps these figures tell us it’s now time for Hollywood (and Britain alike) to star t creating more shows with roles that are available to ethnic minorities. I can assure you that casting an ethnic minority as your next ‘angstriddled action man’ or ‘manic pixie dream girl’ will not make a difference to the quality of your TV show. It is impor tant to examine who is tr uly suffering here. There are crops of talented young (and old) actors who are being denied job oppor tunities simply because of their ‘unmarketable’ race. It’s nonsensical. I’m white, and tr uthfully, I’m growing tired of seeing my own race mass-represented on TV. I want ne w and more vibrant stories from cultures that I other wise would not be exposed to if it not for TVs. I want to see exciting and explosive stories with characters who don’t all look the same, who represent the world I live in, and the people I know to be tr ue.
Ana Dukakis
Whilst Viola Davis’ ground breaking win the other week was something to celebrate, let’s hope that as time goes on and on, the moniker of being ‘ The first African-American to ever win…’ disappears once and for all.
11
Television The End of an Era An emotional farewell to Downton Abbey
Katie Broadbent The sixth and final series of Downton Abbey is well underway, bringing the Crawleys into the mid nineteentwenties. 1925 was a year of great change politically, (the introduction of the ‘Administration of Estates Act’ and the return of the ‘Gold Standard’) and technologically (the first use of TV transmission and hairdryers). It seems appropriate that the final season feels like a farewell for the characters too; a departure from the old traditional class system in the early twentieth century. Despite change being widely accepted today, the last series highlights the stubbornness against change in any form, particularly with the growing independence and ascendancy of women. Just within the first three episodes, we have witnessed Carson turn his nose up at the thought of Mrs Hughes not wanting to sexually engage with him once married, the farmer abhor at the idea of Lady Mary being the agent (“it’s a changing world…”) and even sweet Lady Edith being shunned for taking over as publisher for her beloved
Gregson’s
magazine,
“The
Sketch.”
Yet, with this revolted ideology comes retort, and much of it (especially from Lady Mary). Edith shows us her rebellion by working (as hard, if not harder than a man) until the early hours of the morning to edit a magazine cover in time for its printing, Mrs Hughes addresses Carson and finally gets the wedding of her dreams, and even Daisy, the once timid mouse of downstairs, sparks outrage in her outburst at the thought of her fatherin-law being turfed out of his house. Viewers should not be discouraged in thinking the series is full of patriarchal dispute though. One great changing event, which all viewers have welcomed with open arms, was the marriage of Carson and Mrs Hughes. Despite only being given the last eight minutes of airtime, and a relatively uneventful wedding (after all the shocking promiscuity which was discussed in episode one), the audience were finally able to
celebrate their wedding, which really was; “about Charles Carson and Elsie Hughes. And not this glorious house.” That’s not all. Once again, Mr Bates has melted the hearts of fans in his assurance to Anna over the disstress of her miscarriage; saying, “To me, we are one person and that person can’t have children.” All deliciously romantic, yet viewers cannot help but be angered by yet another saddening tale for the married couple. Let us just hope that Fellowes will write these two a happily ever after, as, even Mary, the branded “heartless” Crawley, shows her empathetic side: “Anna, no woman living has been put through more of an emotional wringer than you.” On a final and happy note though, the end of episode three saw (yet another) return of Tom Branson who came back from Boston after leaving to find himself and discovering that there really is no better place than home (well, the Crawley household). Either way, hopefully this will be the final time he decides to
uproot and travel on his never-ending journey of self-discovery, and stay happy or content with the Crawleys’, or as they are to him now, “family.” Whatever the conclussion for these characters by the end of the series, no one can argue that the growth of each individual has been inconsequential. Downton Abbey has been entertaining us for five years now, educated us on historical matters, satirised the ideals of the upper-class, and even had us weeping over the death of a dog (forever will Isis remain in our hearts…and the opening credits of the show). So all we can say to Julian Fellowes is congratulations for creating a delightfully pleasurable drama and understanding when to call it a day. Leaving the characters, with all their quirky and individual ways, to live in our memories for years to come.
Flickr - See-ming Lee
12
Creative Writing “Halloween looms somewhere on the horizon and the skies are darkening all around us. This issue, I asked our creative writers to think on the question ‘what’s out there?’ in their pieces, and the responses were anything but dull; from the Wizard of Oz to a series of neglected text messages floating around in cyberspace”. -Jay Stonestreet, Creative Writing editor.
Green and Gold Green and gold, cut and stuck horizontal with space lights fanning a spread of filters into the speckled reach until the surface flinches the great rocky gears crouch a lethargic arthritic revolve. I am home but home keeps turning it’s hard to pretend that nothing changes at all friends get closer and i’m not as tall. My letters can’t share to you the pain and the chill of home’s lost thrill Only the iced bowling ball of a planet
and the mother’s final try shift the telegrammer’s set panic And while the harvester jitters across the silver plain among the planted towers and hung sent from the sky He thinks to himself why – home’s changed a lot since I left the air is different, there’s no dust. Dearest Ma, ha! yes you have won You have yourself a happy son. But the pen ink runs out and he cannot carry on. A slow setting in of panic, and running doubt.
Hugo Douglas-Deane
No Place Like Home Dorothy clicked her shoes: once, twice, thrice, wishing to return home. A thousand ages descended upon her, returning her to dusty Kansas. Where was her sepia dreamland? She was greeted by an indifferent city. Foreign faces with copper brown tans, chatter in twisted tongues. Air-heated like the expressions of the people. The moon appears, the orchestra begins. Ten hundred thousand insects rub their wings together, for an endless night of noise. Dorothy stood lost in the land she knew so well. How long had she been gone? Oz made Kansas seem lost, a dustbowl desert, yielding loneliness. The Witch of the North sprawled across Hooters billboards. Where was her lion-hearted friend, her man in tin armour to save her from this world? Ruby red slippers now myth, replaced with thrift-shop jelly shoes. Somewhere over the rainbow, lies lost 1939.
This state had long been left to the story books. To be born here is to die here; isolation is the real killer. Not a friend in all three million, as stray as cats and dogs that roam the street. The derelict American Dream that stands haunted in the dusty window pane. Auntie Em long since gone, vanished in the twister. The scarecrow hung in the corn field is not your friend. You can turn to Wendy, Papa John, Ronald McDonald. They’ll see you don’t lose your way. Drown your sorrows in Blue Ribbon that once held up your hair so beautifully. Send Munchkins through metal detectors, hope they get something out of today because today is the same as tomorrow. This isn’t Kansas, Dorothy. Not as you know it. Now try and look for yesterday in tomorrow.
Amber Donovan
Hope You're Having Fun 14/09/15 18.26 - Hi! It’s me, sorry about calling you the other night, was so weird of me, hahaha. How are you anyway? How is Sheffield? X 16/09/15 12.10 - Yo bud! How are you doing?! Hope it’s all going well with the new job, missing you loads x 17/09/15 08.07 - I just tripped over running for the bus. Hit the ground hard. Mud stain on jeans. Knee and pride both wounded. Am texting you so I don’t have to look at anyone. 19.10 - I missssssssssss you! Talk to me… 19/09/15 23.22 - Talk to me bud! 20/09/15 16.47 - Where are you?! 16.49 -Is this still your number? 21/09/15 18.20 - I have checked with Izzy, she says this is still your number…? 24/09/15 20.39 – Rob brought in pictures of his new motorcycle today –motorcycle. Rob. From Accounts Payable. Cannot belieeeeeve you weren’t there to take the piss with me. I hope you’re having fun up there! 25/09/15 00.56 - Ok so you don’t want to talk to me, I guess? Which is fine! Like, bit weird because I’m kind of really good at conversations and you know that obviously because we used to have them all the time-remember that one about the cats? That was a good one. So I’m just a bit confused, I guess..? About why you don’t want to talk. To me. 26/09/15 11.15 - Like you’re probably sooooooo busy though! And meeting new people can be really overwhelming. It’s ok if you are struggling. That is it, isn’t it? It’s a bit shit up there. Maybe you’re having a really terrible time there and you’re really embarrassed that you went because what’s there isn’t any better than what’s here and maybe it’s not as good even because
like maybe there’s nothing that good anywhere and all the fun stuff to do has been done by other people already and actually all there is anywhere is just talk and words and clocks and that cat conversation was actually really good. And I think that maybe when you left you accidentally packed a bell jar in your suitcase and all the air up there tastes so sour you can’t breathe and so you’ve had to get an inhaler and that only leaves one hand free to text and then you run the risk of accidentally sending a sticker or something so best not take that risk, I can understand that. You could always call me though? Just put me on speaker or something? Because I just feel like clearly you’re going through something right now and you’re looking for something and that’s why you left, to look for it there, in Sheffield but like just hear me out because what if it’s me, like maybe, and I know that sounds stupid because I’m not what you look for in a girl or a woman or whatever but MAYBE that’s why you haven’t found it?!!! That would make sense, wouldn’t it? In a funny way, it would. Like, how funny would that be, if I was it? So funny. So so funny, haha. So, I’m just saying like if you’re not texting me back because you got there and stuff was different but you weren’t, you were just you but there instead of here, it’s ok because I’m still me here, like a bit less maybe, like when you write something in pencil and rub it out but you can still see it even if you don’t want to, it’s still there and I’m still here so just talk to me, please. 11.25 - Also you’re probably snowed under with work, I know what that’s like, haha! 11.27 - (It’s Maggie by the way! In case you lost your contacts.) 12.18 - Anyway I won’t text you again until you want to talk. Hope you’re having fun! 29.09.15 12.33 - OMG, ROB GOT HIS EAR PIERCED!!
Tatum O’Leary
14
Creative Writing A Bench Sat On By Nobody a bench sat on by nobody but the mist Evening is neither leaving nor becoming, believing day neither seeing nor night dreaming of deceiving.
our umbilical convex, and let us in ourselves be red less dust undressed by the addressee-irreality, a bee hung weightless in wing beating thought.
You seem to only grasp at wrung halves when shone fat on by the aloe moon, you run to find stone meaning
let us forget doors and their habit of running away, and summon of ourselves our own opening to shadeless effluence
less than what could be imagined behind your senseless eyes’ surprise feeling: reasoning, is not what brings season to pass,
it is not what’s out there but what is here within what you touch, and never know to be there,
it’s an euthanising clasp, an idea glanced to stone. not breath anymore but word shards
to hear in the flit of blind air, the stare of the century asleep to the unanswerable conundrum of its heart
behind the lives of a glass-blower’s cast, imagination’s sand seer of silent sirens left like accents clung to the moods in dunes Carlo Saio of existence. In this and in that in this, flits a patient painter who feels the centre soul as its porous ceiling. He says release perceiving outward what is not within
The Trip He fell back, balancing his upper-body weight against the chair. His face was masked with a stretching smile, without teeth, marking a set of lines near his eyes and at the corners of his mouth. They traced across his expression like a topographic map. From my view across from him, he seemed in a trance, a great pleasure land from which the rest of us were banned. Then, in one great hit, he crashed forward in-between his knees, his hands crunched about his neck, the fingers lovingly stroking his collar bone. He laughed over and over, loudly, but not rudely. It was like a great sexual laugh. Slight, sleek and it made me shiver, almost just as longingly. Though this state lasted for a while longer, it was not to be for the entire night. Soon, his gaze became disturbed, from side to side, as he shook his head in distress. Lost, he looked up, stretched out his legs and began kicking outward into the space that seperated us. He appeared saddened, very suddenly, and angry like he couldn’t understand the state he was in. This supposition revealed itself true. He whispered, with heavy breath: “I can’t remember anything... what is it... am I inside?” We sat around him, as we had for the last couple of hours of his ride. This was the moment we had feared would arrive. The girl touched his hand, hoping to calm the torment, but was rejected. He didn’t even look at her, or anyone. His eyes were glued to the ceiling, staring at the lamp that hovered above.
young, I, I … am …” He began to stutter and the sweat made him seem feverish. The couple were too busy playing with each other to remark anything. The older man was leaning against the kitchen door, judging our congregation. Only the little boy and I remained in front of the sickman as the girl was sobbing softly, her hand resting on his leg. I turned to the boy below me, in his wheelchair. He smiled, like a friend would, a little unsure, a little frightened, a little critical. I stood up, walked to the man and set my knees heavily on the floor in front of him. I felt the eyes around me, I sensed the gazes deep in my back. I dove in and embraced him and held him firmly, hugging a body that felt like an animal: wet, startled and fuming. The battle began. He kicked my legs away, as a child would in a fit, and tried forcing his arms out of my embrace. I held tight. Kept him close. I would not break this salvation. It lasted another five minutes until he screached with such intensity that I felt his chest shake. He reminded me of those sick soldiers before they died. That one last pull before they knew they must finish. It made me think of the height of a symphony, the rising of many instruments together into a great, vast peak. He extended his body out and then let go of his stress. It had ended. He breathed stiffly and slouched about his chair again, just as he had done after the first hit. I slumped onto the floor and exhaled. The others encircled us. I almost expected applause. What had I just tamed?
He whispered, this time to himself : “I am
Muse Giacolone
Illustrator , Charlotte West
15
Arts Most Terrifying Art Lucinda Swain
A dark commonplace-book of the literature, visual art and music which send shivers down our spines
With Halloween fast approaching we delve into the scarefest realms of Carrie, Freddy Krueger and Count Dracula. Our deep fascination with fright has been evident throughout our evolution. Considering what is the most terrifying art out there, we come across some truly spine-tingling, hair-raising pieces. There’s something about horror, whether it be movies or their soundtracks. Literature encourages our imagination to run wild, or maybe it’s that old survival instinct kicking in, as our hearts pump faster, with senses heightened and escape routes quickly evaluated, when we find ourselves in threatening situations. Halloween is a time when we scare ourselves with movie staples such as The Amityville Horror, The Changeling, Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity. But is it just movies that give us monster-filled nightmares? One line of literature can sum up a whole book and reduce the reader to tears or set their nerves on edge, giving them a sense of unease. Marcus Sedgwick illustrates this perfectly as he writes in Revolver: ‘Even the dead tell stories’ conjuring up all kinds of unsettling images. The vivid imagery of Gillian Flynn: ‘I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it’. Again this conjures a most alarming image that directly affects the reader. Fredric Brown’s short story, Knock, delivers a cold shudder with two sentences: ‘The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door’. Truman Capote, In Cold Blood: ‘I thought that Mr. Clutter was a very nice gentleman. I thought so right up to the moment that I cut his throat.’ JK Rowling, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: ‘Wandless, helpless, Pettigrew’s
pupils dilated in terror. His eyes had slid from Harry’s face to something else. His own silver fingers were moving inexorably toward his own throat. And lastly I can’t leave out Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: ‘I started from my sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed: when, by the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window shutters, I beheld the wretch — the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me.’ All equally off-putting. Some honourable mentions: Stephen King’s The Shining: ‘Wendy? Darling? Light, of my life. I’m not gonna hurt ya. I’m just going to bash your brains in’. The gatekeeper’s finality in Franz Kafka’s The Trial: ‘No one else could ever be admitted here, since this gate was made only for you. I am now going to shut it.’ And John Steinbeck’s East of Eden: ‘When I was half-grown I made a man kill himself.’ Artists have sought for centuries to create works that give viewers an intense experience, summoning emotions and hyperawareness. The underlying neurological mechanisms creating these responses are the subject of great fascination. Recreating a feeling or attempting to capture the terrifying essence an artist is trying to express, is a much desired skill. Some pieces are more successful in producing a perturbed and uneasy response. Among the most creepy and off-putting pieces: Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens. A horrific depiction of infanticide, which was ordered by King Herod to prevent the prophesied new King of the Jews from assuming the throne. Diomedes Being Eaten by His Horses by French symbolist painter, Gustave Moreau, illustrates the dramatic
climax from the eigth labour of Hercules, showing four flesh-eating horses belonging to King Diomedes feasting on the king’s body after he was defeated in battle. A truly disturbing painting by Austrian author Otto Rapp, Deterioration of Mind over Matter, shows a decomposing human skull on a devilish birdcage with a man lying lifeless at the base. Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya tells the Greek mythological story, of the father of the Gods devouring his own flesh and blood, to guarantee that no other being would be more powerful than him. It has a deeply disturbing quality. Paul Rubens also painted this narrative although quite differently from Goya (and much earlier). Goya illustrates a terrible creature biting the head off a grown man. Ruben’s painting is of a ruthless murderer absorbed in the consuming of his own baby. Ripping at the child’s chest, this cannibalistic image is nauseating. Music can be stimulating, at other times overstimulating and invasive. Music is scientifically proven to have both mental and physical effects, affecting our heart rate, pulse rate and blood pressure. So when music is creepy and foreboding it can lead to an overexcited imagination running wild. Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre, is one such piece. The story of Death, a violinist encouraging the dead to rise again to dance to an ominous tune on Halloween, is truly disconcerting. John Williams’, two note ‘masterpiece,’ the Jaws soundtrack, gives a strong sense of unease and foreboding. Hector Berlioz’s Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath from Symphonie Fantastique uses orchestral effects to craft the scene of a meeting of witches. Violinists using the backs of their bows to create the sounds of a bubbling cauldron, a funeral
bell with outbursts of unsettling laughter. Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho soundtrack is just terrifying, telling us when to jump and scream. Jerry Goldsmith’s attempt to make The Twilight Zone soundtrack as scary as possible truly succeeded. Theme songs also can be utterly unnerving: The Exorcist, Halloween and Candyman soundtracks being perfect examples. Nothing screams serial killer more than The Nightmare on Elm Street’s theme tune. And Children of The Corn is just as creepy as it was when it first released, resulting in a lifelong fear of cornfields. Rosemary’s Baby’s soundtrack is notoriously creepy, with it generally being acclaimed as one of the major factors to the effectiveness of the film. Of course the Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? soundtracks have a respectable mention for scaring a whole generation of kids. The Greek Philosopher Aristotle believed that people were attracted to chilling stories and violent plays because it gave them a ‘chance to purge their negative emotions’, a process he termed catharsis, using this method of ‘release’ to expel any pent up feelings of aggression. However, recent research has ascertained quite the opposite with a correlation between watching horror films and a noticeable reduction of fearfulness. So here’s hoping this year’s Halloween viewings live up to the standards that have gone before and still remain suitably scary. Happy Halloween! N.B. Lucinda has also recently been in touch with the quasi-paranormal - see her interview on Concrete Online with the ‘modern-day Sherlock Holmes’, Colin Cloud!
Colin Cloud (Illustrator, Lucinda Swain)
16
Arts UEA Literary Festival: Jonathan Franzen A review of one of the highlights of UEA’s autumn literary festival so far Daniel Box The second event of the twenty-fourth Arthur Miller Centre International Autumn Literary Festival once again brought Chris Bigsby together with those at the forefront of modern literature. This time we welcomed Pulitzer Prize finalist Jonathan Franzen, author of The Corrections and Freedom, under the now probably legendary roof of Lecture Theatre 1. As this was Franzen’s third visit to UEA, the usual questions about upbringing were skipped for the most part. The focus quickly turned to his latest projects, The Kraus Project and Purity, both influenced by different extents to Franzen’s experiences in Berlin. The Kraus Project is a translation of Kraus’s essays, saturated with footnotes
and Franzen’s unique style of commentary. Karl Kraus, a 20th century Austrian journalist who ‘devoted himself with fanatical care to the German language’ and to undoing the damage he perceived journalism to have done to it. Contrasting strongly with Franzen’s own belief of ‘Freedom of the Press’, as well as the fact that he ‘always wanted to do a book with footnotes’ as he found it ‘physiologically enabling that it was just a footnote’, Franzen struggled on with the project, finally publishing the immense work in 2013, despite the fact that he found Kraus ‘untranslatable’ and had to leave it ‘for 25 years’.
a slightly cynical yet bitterly amusing image of the modern world. With the shadow of the fall of the Berlin Wall looming in the background, Franzen stays true to his goal of ‘any time you have adult, human interactions, it’s never going to be clean’.
Purity, which was released in September, traverses the globe in following a debt ridden girl’s desperate hunt for the truth behind her origins, portraying
The discussion changed focus, with Jonathan Franzen providing us with insight into his writing process. Franzen said that he believes that ‘the
Within the constraints of fiction, Franzen tries to emphasise the fact that ‘it is the novelist’s job…to present to the world as it is’, through being ‘at pains’ with his work in order to ‘not forget the bad stuff ’ from days gone by. Its daring and rather brutal approach to modern life creates a rich, and strangely enthralling entity.
Alumnus Novel: Who Wants a Rewind? Brett Motram
character has to come first… and that’s the real work’, placing characterisation at the heart of his novels, and letting the plot evolve from there. Furthermore, Franzen said that ‘research is about one thing. It’s about making a space so you can make things up’. Franzen also seemed to not particularly enjoy doing research, claiming that ‘ideally research is only fact checking’, though he did find it ‘fun to do some of the East German research’ for Purity. So as the second week of the Literary Festival draws to a close, it’s become apparent that this year’s event has got off to a fantastic start. Jonathan Franzen, flickr.com With five more weeks of events to go this semester, Upcoming at UEA Literary Festival this year’s Literary Festival is on track to be the best yet. Richard Dawkins : October 21st Amit Chaudhuri: November 11th David Mitchell: November 18th
Magnificent Obsessions at the Sainsbury Centre Brett Motram
Born in Romford, Neil Milton graduated from UEA with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. He is currently a trainee teacher, but writing is his ‘perennial love’. Aside from work as a teacher he has previously worked on various websites, dance music magazines, fashion and comedy articles, as well as writing poetry (recently having work featured in the anthology Homeland published by United Press) as well as prose. He has also acted in Shakespeare productions (as well as a Natwest advert), presented radio in Norwich and Romford, and had pictures exhibited in several galleries.
ing in life. Out one evening with her best friend Lauren, events take a turn for the worse, thanks to an encounter with a shady character in a baseball cap.
Who Wants a Rewind? is Neil’s debut novella, aimed at young adults. The press release describes it thus: ‘Starting in a nightclub during one of Michelle’s shifts, we are spun back to 1997, as she recalls the fateful night when she finds her call-
Something to check out!
Displaying a variety of objects from cigarette cases decorated with designs based on Soviet space dogs, to gas masks, to Indian and Japanese art, to carved model mice, to antique books, to bird-headed weasels, this exhibit is a real feast for the eyes and imagination. These are also coupled with examples of the artists’ key work, offering a fascinating parallel between their work and these objects that influenced it.
For more information, see Neil’s website: www.neilmilton.webs.com.
Originally curated and organised by Barbican Centre, London, it is now available for viewing at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts until January 24th 2016.
‘Before she knows it, Michelle finds herself in the local police station in serious trouble. How did she get there? And who is to blame? What will the consequences be? Charting the ensuing days, the novella is a cautionary tale about the perils of substance abuse, and petty crime; friendship and family loyalty; miscegenation and death, set against the backdrop of Essex suburban life.’
Magnificent obsessions is an exhibition that considers the artist as the collector. The exhibition offers viewers a glimpse at the personal collections that have been kept by some of the greatest artists of the 20th century such as Andy Warhol, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Damien Hirst.
For more information and online ticket bookings visit the Sainsbury Centre website – and don’t forget that students only have to pay £4 for admission instead of the general £12! Below: glass eyes from the collection of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sainsbury Centre.
17
Gaming & Technology How To Game On The Cheap
Console Yourself- Gaming At Uni Can Be Cheaper Than You Think Alex Melbourne Gaming is an expensive hobby (one look at the price tags in your local Game store will tell you that) but, despite calls from numerous managing directors of the vast publishing companies, somehow game prices have continued to rise. This can be difficult if your choice is between Halo 5 and lunch for the next two weeks. It’s not necessary to play the most recent releases.
University is a great place to discover new things and video games have a deep, and rich history outside of the obsession with open-world, rpg, action games.
age, but they contain what made the game so popular. Why spend £39.99 on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided when you can spend £4.99 and play the original?
Try to avoid looking at the latest titles with hungry eyes. Instead it’s very worthwhile trying to find copies of early games in the series. These are often slightly more raw, and clearly show their
Consoles depreciate in value amazingly quickly after each new generation but the quality of games don’t. Go back two, or three, generations, and you’ll be surprised at the price of pre-owned games that you missed the first time round. If you are able to look past a polygon cap of about eleven, and a complete disregard for the importance of anti-aliasing, there are many gems from previous generations that provide enjoyable or thought provoking experiences.
Evan Amos, Wikipedia
Stores like C.E.X will have abundant libraries of previous generation games, often at miniscule prices, so you can always get your console fix there. Steam has a mind-blowing collection of older games, and Steam sales will always be a great way to get games cheap. The sales are sometimes organised by publisher, and it isn’t a rare sight to see older games in franchises discounted much cheaper than their newer counterparts. GOG. com, standing for Good Old Games, also
catalouge older games, however these are not always as cheap as Steam sales. It is difficult to not get swept up in the hype of the so called “triple-A” industry but it’s really important to maintain perspective. Older consoles require no internet connection, still work if you’ve got the disk, and allow you to move at your own pace through the world. So, go buff up on your video game history while you struggle to fit those three little red, white, and yellow connectors into your HDMI port. And if you can’t sink a 100 hours into the original Deus Ex, or explore all of “Whispering Rocks Summer Camp” in Psychonauts then I’ll be coming round to have words.
Fun FactThe most expensive widely available console was the Philips CD-i (pictured), which was at launch in 1991 $700- that's around $1200 now!
Jumping Scary or Subtley Spooky The place of horror games in the medium
Phillipa Croft Horror games are big business. W hile this may not have a lways been true, it certainly is now. However, ‘ horror’ as a genre of games doesn’t exist quite in the same way as it does with blockbuster f ilms, with the industr y tending to split into t wo dif ferent camps. The f irst of these camps is the one where gamers expect to be spooked. Games such as Five nights at Freddy’s, Dying Light and Until Dawn have made their name on the YouTube gaming circle, and have in many ways built their own advertising campaign of f the back of YouTubers such as Pewdiepie featuring gameplay on their channel. These games are of ten f illed with ver y sinister and chilling plot lines, as well as the tried and tested use of sharp shock s which feature in a large number of Holly wood horror f ilms. These games do have a unique element to
them besides the obvious tension which you get from watching a scar y f ilm, the sense of atmosphere is so rich thank s to common techniques used like limiting the player’s f ield of vision and reducing the lighting to squint inducing levels. This has an ultimate result of leaving gamers sha k ing like a lea f when so much as a bird f lutters past the window. The other group of games are the ones with particularly t wisted plot lines, but don’t go out of their way to scare the player, but more frea k them out. Games such as Sta lker, Hatred, Teleglitch and the Fa llout franchise. Games like these var y quite greatly; some will have moments of sheer panic inducing terror where you simply throw a ll caution to the wind, such as the soul crushing moment in Bioshock one, where you run across a Big Daddy with only 5 bullets for your revolver and
next to no plasmids, and others such as Metro 2033 where the ta le of what happened to cause the population to hid underground is littered throughout the in-game world, producing an immersive but horrif ic background stor y. Game publishers and console manufacturers are not blind to the selling points of this market. A few months back, industr y rumors were circulating that Xbox were look ing to acquire the intellectua l propert y of Silent Hills from Konami, the developers of Meta l Gear Solid 5, in order to bring a big propert y to Xbox as an exclusive in the hope of getting one over Playstation. W hilst it would appear that this dea l has fa llen through, it shows how seriously companies ta ke these franchises.
W hilst these games may not be for ever yone, it is undeniable that they have cemented themselves as a sta lwart genre, with a dedicated fan base, and enough diversit y of titles to ensure that they will still be on our wishlist for years to come.
Fun FactYoutuber Pewdiepie - who creates most of his content from recording his reaction to horror games, made over $7 Million in 2014.
18
Gaming & Technology Terminator: Self-Servation Because Not All Technology Is Great Tom Bedford Using a self-service checkout till is nothing short of an art form. Like all art forms, there are people who are born with natural talent, those who feel the rhythm of the self-service checkout routine thrumming through their veins. For everyone else this square of space lying before the exit stretches out like a cold noman’s land – yet not all hope is lost. Even if you don’t possess natural talent, you can still improve considerably with practice! And to help you with this process, here is a step-by-step guide to make sure your checkout experience is a sure-fire success. The first thing to take into account are the items you are going to bag. Self-service tills pick up heavier items more easily than light ones, so if you can, try to avoid lighter objects. Do you really need those stock cubes or that awkwardly wrapped snack bar? If you’re using the self-service checkout, the answer is no. Instead of these lighter, fiddly items, go for foods that are heavier. Of course, you don’t want to go out of your way to satisfy the qualms of these bizarre machines (what exactly would you do with four bags of selfraising flour anyway), but this would be a good time to stock up on loaves of bread, and maybe indulge in that pack of frozen cheesecakes you were contemplating
buying. Bonus points if you go for items that are square, stackable shapes. Life is too short to be spent contorting objects in front of a merciless machine, desperately trying to attain recognition. If I could only take back the time I’ve lost mindlessly twisting baguettes in front of those scanners… alas, for me it’s too late. Hopefully you will learn from my mistake. Now that you’ve carefully chosen your items, it is time to approach the self-service till. Approach the front confidently, as if you know exactly what you are doing – it has yet to be scientifically proven, but there may be the slight possibility that these machines can smell fear. Before you put your bag down, announce your intentions to deposit containers – you don’t want to startle your till with unexpected items. Only once you have been granted permission can you place your basket down. Also note that it must be ‘basket’, not ‘baskets’: while not placing anything down will confuse the till, placing too much will overwhelm it. And the last thing you need on your bagging adventure is an overwhelmed machine. With the stage set the actual scanning can begin. This brings about the first
scanning dilemma: which direction do you point the barcode? Do you direct it to the front panel, or try for the one below? The correct answer is actually ‘none of them’: you must simply revolve the item continuously, around and around until the till decides it feels like scanning your item. This should be quickened by the careful curating of items you undertook earlier, but sadly there is no guarantee. Sometimes these machines have off-days, or simply don’t like the type of pizza you’ve decided to purchase. Be patient, eventually they will cave. Once you have got the item scanned you have only a few precious moments to place your item in the bagging area. To get an idea of the bagging prowess you should strive towards, check out Indiana Jones, the best self-service bagger there ever was. You can see him in action in Raiders of the Lost Ark, switching golden idols and bags of sand with a swiftness most shoppers can only dream of. This is approximately the speed at which you’ll need to bag your item, before the familiar alarm starts urging you to ‘please bag your item’, at which point your handler will have to salvage the situation. Don’t get too carried away though, lest you want to provoke the accusatory remark: ‘unfamiliar item in
the bagging area’ – balance, here, is key. With everything scanned, the end is in sight. Just remember not to insert any money until prompted to do so, as the machine may simply take this as a tip and not put it towards your bill. Thus this process is not unlike the bagging step, as you must do so with precise timing: too fast and your money is lost, too slow and a silent alarm goes off to indicate you are shoplifting. As stated before, balance is key. After payment, grab your items as quickly as you can; the last thing you need after this intense shopping experience is a sarcastically delivered request to ‘please take your items’. Exit the shop with a resounding sense of satisfaction and relief. Or, alternatively, you could just approach a cashier.
Fun FactAccording to the BBC, 48% of Britons think self-service tills are a 'nightmare'
Streaming- Go With The Flow Matthew Biggs
Is The Relentless Progress Of Technology Healthy For The Music Industry?
The facts are now so lamented it has become nauseating to hear how much music consumption has altered throughout the 20th and 21st century, a topic of conversation one’s dad makes at the dinner table when mutual familial interests grow sparse. But I feel we need to set the scene, so this is exactly how I will begin.
With the iPod and the encoded format of iTunes downloads, Apple established quite the monopoly on music consumption. Few have felt comfortable giving up the music they acquired in the early 2000s to change the hardware required to play it. Change is no new thing. And likewise, streaming will soon be replaced. In the meantime, we
The pattern is simple- it all becomes obsolete. Gramophones and radios replaced household pianos. TVs encroached on radios which are now almost exclusively relegated to the realms of rush hour traffic jams. Vinyl records replaced shellac discs. Cassettes came in various forms and they were all rendered irrelevant by the short lifespan of the CD. The CD was scratched by the MP3 but shattered by the iPod. And the iPod has been regenerated every year since, its sales only diminished in light of our beloved smartphones. Spotify
cannot fight the current, and our concerns for the wellbeing of artists in this most recent medium are not exclusive to it. The problem of the just payment of artists for their work is a problem of our unregulated economy, and not implicit in the way we listen to said artists. A new wave is upon us once more. Many no longer download at all; now we stream. Each change was inevitable, the hypothetical father concludes. Yet many a nostalgic finds great pleasure in the obscure LP/ EPs from before they were born. The little conservative inside me hastens to admit that he himself fears that with each of these changes something unique about the particular medium was lost, and I think there is a sentimental value to these relics. Pieces of art and history reside in those silent, gorgeous sleeves you might find at the bottom of barging bin in Soundclash record store, and as I stream a half-arsedly selected YouTube playlist while I write, I am constantly bombarded with ads. To this end, we might well have to conclude that
the concept album is MIA in music’s latest endeavour. But while one artistic form might be in decay, others may now flourish in its place. For better or for worse, I cannot content myself listening only to the eras I never experienced. I live today, and wish to experience music as such. In fact my desire for the new is insatiable and to feed it, I must only stream. On the internet, I can discover it all without even sitting up in bed. There I can hear the world over, for free. Every artist with a laptop can be heard. That, for me, is something worth listening to.
Fun FactThe first working sound recording device was invented by Thomas Edison in 1887, called the phonograph.
19
Film Patrick Hughes Everyone remembers reading Shakespeare at school and each of us will have had varying experiences (mainly terrible experiences, right?). Learning about men in tights speaking a language nobody understands whilst a teacher tells you that this is the most important literary work since, well, ever. However, presented in the right way Shakespeare can meet all of the hype and beyond. When asking ‘is that another Shakespeare adaptation I see before me?’, don’t be afraid; be excited, because the answer is yes and it comes starring the delightful Michael Fassbender, Elizabeth Debicki and Marion Cotillard. The difficulty of making a Shakespeare play into a film is that everybody already knows the story. The points of drama have been covered in classrooms and theatres across the country for decades. We know who is going to die and who is going to betray whom. In order to captivate a cinematic audience
Macbeth a Shakespeare film must be vibrant, wellshot and exciting. From the haunting battle at the start to the landscape shots of Scotland at the end, Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth is just that. Throughout the movie there is an uneasy relationship with space and time. It is a film that keeps in the past but manages to stay modern at the same time. This is helped by the witches’ omnipotent figures showing up when and where they are needed, guiding the plot of the movie. The most impressive part of Macbeth, aside from the performances, is how aesthetically pleasing the film is. If it was not for all the bloodshed then it would certainly be a positive infomercial for Visit Scotland. The mountainous beauty of the North sulks in the background of each scene creating and expressing the tension and unease that shadows the piece. From Macbeth’s relatively noble beginnings to his descent into madness, the picture guides us seamlessly through a word of ambition,
betrayal and death. There is one fatal flaw of Macbeth though: the lack of Lady Macbeth. Whilst it is important to throw a new light on a retold story, downplaying the aforementioned character was a large mistake. Lady Macbeth should be at the heart of the piece, in the engine room of Macbeth’s decision making. In the movie she plays a slightly lesser role; Macbeth himself is a character who can often be found looking off into the distance, suffering from major posttraumatic stress and it is at these times that the screen screams out for his partner’s presence. Overall, this is a movie with great ambition; Macbeth shows that Shakespeare can truly be slick, stylish and interesting. The big screen gives the story a new gravitas and despite its setting the film propels the story towards the modern day. This new offering
Yes
+Slick and stylish
+Great
battle scenes
-Not
enough Lady Macbeth With Fassbender and Elizabeth Debicki stealing the show, Macbeth is a crisp, stylish take on a Shakespearian classic. From start to finish it is intriguing, ambient and beautiful to watch.
The Martian Andreas Hadjivassiliou The opening credits to Ridley Scott’s The Martian are oddly self-referential. We’re presented with an image of Mars (not sure why) over which pieces of the titular letters slowly fade away. It seems deliberately designed to evoke the opening of Alien (in which the letters of the title appear piece by piece over images of the vast emptiness of space). It’s an interesting reference to make in a film of such a different tone but it works. Therefore, rather than making us wish we were watching past work, the reference reminds us just how great a director of sci-fi Scott still is. Adapted from the novel by Andy Weir, the film centres on Mark Watney (Matt Damon), an astronaut and botanist left for dead by his crew after a storm forces them to abandon their mission. Stranded alone on Mars, he must survive for four years until help can reach him. Watney’s key survival weapon is his sense of humour, and we come to know it well through a series of
vlogs he records to keep himself sane. It never seems forced, and any risk that Watney’s constant wisecracking might remove some of the tension is mitigated by Scott’s direction. He complements the vlogs with shots from far, far above the planet’s surface; Watney’s base is a white speck among the red. He never lets us forget how alone Watney really is, and as a result his task never seems anything short of impossible. Cinematically tricky text communications with his crew and NASA are handled by having characters read messages aloud. On Earth, this is ‘explained’ by having one character read Watney’s responses to the room. On Mars, Watney seems to read aloud for comfort. Both work surprisingly well. Add to this the fact that Matt Damon both suits and plays the role perfectly, and all of martian scenes work beautifully. There is, however, a bit of a quality disparity between the scenes set on
Mars and those on Earth. The problem isn’t with the cast; they’re an impressive ensemble and no-one falls short. It’s the writing. On Earth we have a group of clever people being clever, which would be fine if it weren’t for the large amount of plot they have to work their way through. Constant decisions about how to save Watney, how much they can spend saving Watney, and whether it’s worth risking everything to save Watney, leaves every Earthdwelling character with almost no breathing room. Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig and Chiwetel Ejiofor all feel a little under-served. This continuous problem solving also leads to far too many ‘lightbulb’ moments, in which characters pause mid-sentence, drop their jaws and rush out of the room with a line about having figured it all out.
Yes
+Scenes on Mars are Spectacular
-Scenes on Earth are not
-Lightbulb Moments
The Martian is a return to form for Ridley Scott: flawed but truly cinematic and often brilliant.
It’s a shame, but not a great enough shame to detract significantly from what is a truly enjoyable sci-fi film. Illustration, Meghan Ellisw
20
Film Laura Schmidt Regression has the potential to be an alarming thriller that deals with the heavy topic of both implanted memories and the satanic ritual hysteria that swept the US 30 years ago. The film starts with Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) investigating a sexual abuse case in small town Minnesota that spirals into Satanic ritual abuse. The theme of mass hysteria can be utilized well, but here, it is poorly handled and somehow satanic rituals are made dull by the end. Comparatively, the Crimson Peak trailer is more gripping in three minutes than the entirety of Regression. Now, if you are considering seeing Regression
Rosie Trott Nancy Meyer’s Comedy, The Intern, stars Robert De Niro as the retired but lively Ben who becomes an intern at an up-and-coming online clothing company, run by the eccentric Jules (Anne Hathaway). Jules is at first sceptical about his placement, but soon comes to depend on him through various work and family related dramas. The film is driven primarily by its characters, both Ben and Jules being incredibly endearing. We also see the contrast of a conventional, old fashioned man working for a modern, successful woman. This change is refreshing, and there is never any suggestion that Ben is uncomfortable; at one point he proclaims himself a feminist. Meyer reveals a lot about how society treats working mothers, a term Jules rightly suggests is outdated and sexist. It also more subtly
Alex Morrison Denis Villeneuve has shown his mantle in the past for injecting gritty thrills with a wonderful aesthetic. Sicario carries on this path, showing the war against drugs through the eyes of an inexperienced FBI agent, giving it the dark edge the director is known for. The story is layered and deep, and you’re constantly questioning the motives of the heroes whilst wondering about the larger cause they’re playing for. Additionally, the cinematography by Roger Deakins is astounding, particularly with the scenes at the end taking place at night; the use of night-vision cameras bring a realistic atmosphere to the proceedings that manages to invoke aspects of Zero Dark Thirty.
Regression because of Emma Watson it is still not worth it. Watson’s talent is wasted; She speaks a total of about ten words on screen, and spends most of the time crying. Hawke is put to even less use. His character is weighed down by the inordinate amount of cats and Christian crosses haphazardly thrown around on the screen and he spends most of the time sitting in a chair waiting for something to happen, which it never does. The entire plot is about hysteria and false memories, none of which are real. The ending is by far the most unfavorable part of this movie, featuring a problematic
scenario involving sexual abuse. The entire film is incredibly dismissive when dealing with victims of abuse and the ‘plot twist’ ending does nothing to help address this, especially considering the victim-blaming society we live in. The film seems to promote a problematic view of rape culture throughout. The whole construction of the film is shoddy and seems content to settle for cheap thrills and plot turns, instead of aiming for actual substance. This is unfortunate considering its great potential. The film is gorgeously shot, but it is not a great drama nor a great thriller, and the script is in desperate need of edits.
No
-Uneventful -Dull -Questionable
Despite its talented cast, Regression unfolds as a pitifully lazy encounter that only offers viewers problematic themes, an uneven script, and a corny plot.
The Intern critiques views of pensioners, who are often thought of, to put it crudely, as dead weight. However, De Niro shows both in character and as an actor, that he still has a lot to give. Unfortunately, Jules is portrayed as unique in her success and complexity. Other women come off as catty stereotypes or are underwritten, such as Fiona, who is presented only as a love interest for Ben. Although Meyer shows one strongly written woman, she doesn’t develop others enough to show that women as a whole are professionally capable and emotionally complex. Similarly, the way that Jules’ husband is portrayed feels less like a new portrayal of the modern stay at home dad, but more of the needy housewife stereotype projected onto a man.
Another shortcoming of the film is that jokes centring round Ben’s age are forced and predictable, especially in regards to technology. The more sexual jokes tread the line of funny and uncomfortable and at times sadly fall into the latter. However, most of the jokes hit well, and the comic relationship between Ben and the other interns adds light humour that nicely juxtaposes some of the more serious scenes. Although a long way from perfect, with some misplaced jokes and lacking characterization, The Intern has enough genuinely funny and emotional moments to redeem it. Its refreshingly feminist stance, the inclusion of two unconventional yet endearing characters, and their undeniable dynamic relationship make for an enjoyable film. Perfect if you are looking for a film to make you laugh but also to pull on your heartstrings.
Yes
+Hilarious
characters +Bold feminist views -Predictable plot
A refreshing and easy to watch film, that gives you more to think about.
Sicario Driving Sicario over the edge is the performances from our three main characters. Emily Blunt brings a sense of vulnerability to Kate Marcer, the FBI agent in over her head and trying to comprehend the dark world of the Cartels. She is a surrogate for the audience, exposing, and coming to terms with, the horrors of her mission and the immoral actions of her colleagues. At the same time she must also be strong enough to engage in the action thrown at her, serving to make the character a well-rounded lead. Josh Brolin brings his usual gruff charm to the role as the head of the operation, but stealing the show is Benicio Del Toro. A man of few
words but many actions, he is the one who most accentuates the mysterious qualities of Sicario, as you constantly wonder what his character is working towards. This pays off in spades as the film enters its darkest moments in the conclusion; a confrontation between him and a cartel worker with personal ties summarises the grit of the piece and shows the dangerous nature of the character. It is these elements which help to make Sicario more than a standard thriller, the actors reacting well to the grit that the plot throws at them, while bringing a humanising aspect to the soulcrushing drama that unfolds around them.
Yes
+Thrilling +Engaging
Sicario takes what could have been a routine thriller and injects it with life with fantastic performances and a visceral edge to the whole affair.
21
Film Natalie Froome
Underrepresentation in Hollywood
It’s 2015, and this Black History month it seems appropriate to celebrate how far social justice has come as a movement in terms of race, sexuality and gender. In the past few decades campaigns have been launched, laws have been passed and attitudes have slowly changed. But there’s still a long way to go. One industry that still seems to have a massive problem with representation is the film industry, and Hollywood in particular. This is perhaps most obvious when it comes to awards season, and especially the Oscars. In the awards’ 87 year history, only 31 statues have been handed to an African American; this is incredibly poor, considering over 2,700 awards have been presented in total during this period. Other non-white actors and film professionals are also drastically under-represented here, and it’s a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. When the names of the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards were released many took to twitter to voice their concern at the
Ben Pincent
lack of diversity among candidates. The hashtag #Oscarssowhite became a worldwide trend that was generating over 95,000 tweets an hour when it started. The awards were dubbed the ‘whitest in 19 years,’ and also received their lowest TV ratings since 2009, partially due to a viewing boycott organised on social media. Many perceived that Selma, one of the biggest hits of 2014 and a film about the civil rights struggle and directed by a black woman, had been snubbed in the acting and directing categories. Things had looked promising at the 2014 awards, when 12 Years a Slave picked up best director and best supporting actress. It was a small victory that many thought could be a breakthrough and lead to wider change in the straight-white-male dominated Hollywood. However, in terms of Academy Awards, this change is bound to be slow due to the makeup of voters. According to an investigation conducted by
the LA Times, only 6% of voters are from non-white backgrounds, 77% of all voters were male and around 55% were over 60. With this composition, it’s not surprising that the films awarded Oscars often don’t match the demographic make-up of the US. Another place where Hollywood’s race issue is prevalent is in the casting department. Even when scripts come through with a non-white character, casting directors have a tendency to ignore ethnicity. Granted, a character’s ethnicity does not have to match the script and the best actors should be given roles, but it’s highly suspicious that this seems to work consistently in favour of white actors. The idea of a black James Bond caused a stir on the internet when it was suggested that Idris Elba was to be given the part after Daniel Craig. Yet no-one seems to be kicking up much of a fuss about Rooney Mara playing Tiger Lily (a Native American) in the upcoming family movie Pan or how the entire cast of Exodus: Gods and Kings didn’t appear to contain a
single Egyptian person. ‘White-washing’ is systematic in Hollywood, even in films that are supposed to have an uplifting message about equality such as Stonewall. The 2015 film about the riots that sparked the gay rights movement came under fire from LGBT activists; it showed the fight being led by gay white men, when black transgender women were really the first to fight back. You may be thinking: why does it matter? Films are about escapism; they don’t reflect real life and are purely for entertainment. But what we watch on the screen has an enormous effect on our perceptions of ourselves and society as a whole. If non-white children grow up watching films where none of the characters look like them, and those that do are stereotyped or minor roles, where are their role models? Who do young non-white actors and film-makers have to aspire to be like? In the interests of cohesion and, above all else, fairness, Hollywood has to become more open to talent from all demographics.
Black History Month: Films to Watch
When Hollywood deals with black history, it tends to over simplify the message into nothing more than ‘racism is bad’, and overlook the subtleties of the characters involved or miss out certain facets of the struggle. However, recently Hollywood has started to address the history of African American’s in a more balanced and positive light, acknowledging the complex issues surrounding these subjects, condemning the atrocities and celebrating the triumphs. I am loath to say that Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (2012) ‘celebrates’ black history, as it deals with a topic no one wants to celebrate. I appreciate the level of detail in the way that McQueen
presents society during slavery and the way that it permeated every facet of political, economic and social life. The performances and writing imbue each character with a level of subtlety which makes them more sympathetic and/or terrifying depending on which side of the issue they stand on. Civil rights leaders have also had the Hollywood treatment, most recently Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma (2014). Selma deals with Martin Luther King Jr. the man, rather than the civil rights leader, lending a depth to his character and makes his struggle that much more poignant. Malcom X got his own movie in X directed by Spike Lee in 1992, starring
Denzel Washington, who was famously snubbed by the academy. But slavery and civil rights are not the only two things in black history. Many key figures in the public sphere, whether they be athletes or artists or public servants, have had their stories told, lending a multiplicity of perspectives on the key issues surrounding black people at the time. 42’s (Brian Helgeland, 2012) story of the first black baseball player during World War II, Dreamgirls (Bill Condon, 2006) and Ray (Taylor Hackford, 2004) deal with the prejudice of the mainstream white culture during the late 1960s, through biopic and fiction (though these films could also fall prey to
oversimplification). There have been films set in present day that still deal with the same issues of race relations. Dear White People (Justin Simien, 2014), for instance, carries on the traditions of directors like Spike Lee and John Singleton, which deal with black issues of the day. These films deal with racial prejudice, misrepresentation and cultural absorption with a level of wit and Sophistication that shows us that the story of black history is far from over. These films remind us that issues of race still exist; they have not gone away just because a predominantly white Hollywood has finally started to make positive films about important black figures. Illustrator, Ana Dukakis
22
Film Head to Head: Halloween Edition Our writers pitch you their ultimate Halloween character
Wednesday Addams
The Pale Man
Hannibal Lecter
Dracula
Melissa Haggar
Alex Morrison
Gabriela Garcia-Huff
Charlotte Gaines
Black aesthetic? Check. Plaited pigtails? Check. Pale skin and a general disdain for anything normal? Double-check. A twist on the happy, sweet little girl that most parents dream of, Wednesday Addams loves the macabre, guillotines, chaos and of course, the Bermuda Triangle. She is creepy in every sense of the word, and Christina Ricci (who portrays her in the 1991 and 1993 films) nails her role as the character, delivering a morbid performance with deadpan wit and expert timing. Wednesday is of course aided by her gruesomely gothic family, and whilst she may only be one piece of the Addams Family, she is the character everyone can’t help but adore – even if she’s liable to hook you up to an electric chair.
Guillermo Del Toro has a knack for creating fearsome creatures, and this creature from his magnum opus Pan’s Labyrinth is a prime example of his morbid imagination. Looking like a mixture of Gill-Man from Creature of the Black Lagoon and an Eldritch Abomination from Lovecraftian lore, prolific creature suit actor Doug Jones creates an almost whimsical personality to this monster that eats people who attempt to steal from his feast. His most prominent features are his eyes on his hands, seen when Ofelia steals grapes from him and arouses him from his slumber. This is a disturbing creature that could only come from Del Toro’s mind.
The idea of cannibalism delves deep into the darkest parts of human taboos. Cannibalism in the horror film genre, when it is done well, will easily leave one tossing and turning through the night. Hannibal Lecter, referring specifically to Anthony Hopkin’s portrayal in Silence of the Lambs, accomplishes that and so much more in his mere 16 minutes of screen time. He is not just some brutish, slasher villain, hiding in alleys and killing in the dark of night; but rather, a cold, calculating and incredibly intelligent mastermind who understands human nature and the art of manipulation better than anyone.
Count Dracula is an icon of the silver screen, having been portrayed in over 270 films by some of the greatest actors ever, including Sir Christopher Lee and Gary Oldman. He is the seminal horror film villain, having terrified audiences since his first screen appearance in the controversial 1922 film Nosferatu. Stoker’s creation is the undisputed Godfather of all literary and cinematic vampires: an ancient blood-sucking being with shape-shifting abilities, incredible strength and hypnotic powers who, thankfully, doesn’t sparkle in the sunlight. Dracula is the greatest horror movie character of all time, with his Hollywood longevity and numerous incarnations establishing him as the archetypal cinematic Gothic villain: passionate, powerful and peculiar.
Illustrator, Lucinda Swain
Carrie
Jack Torrance
Freddy Krueger
Edward Scissor Hands
Joey Levenson
Benedetta Mancusi
Jay Slayton-Joslin
Amy Lee
When we first think of horror characters, Carrie is not who immediately comes to mind. But she embodies everything about the archetypal ‘horror’ character: an outsider, a being of the supernatural, a twisted mind, and one full of vengeance. We all have that iconic image of the prom queen draped in blood, etched in to our minds thanks to Brian De Palma’s film adaption of Stephen King’s original novel. Whilst many may look to the psychotic men of horror movies for typical Halloween-esque villains, it’s truly Carrie, someone who we can see ourselves in, one way or another, that remains the most frightening.
An axe, a bathroom door, a reference to a fairy-tale: Goosebumps. In that moment Jack Nicholson realised that his “here’s Johnny” face was going to be printed on several t-shirts. A face that is probably still appearing in Shelley Duvall’s dreams. I wouldn’t totally blame Jack though. I mean, she didn’t let him finish his sentence. At the very least, that’s rude. Yes, he treated her badly, but with a lovely smile and sweet nicknames. After all, all work and no play would be enough to drive anybody insane. Especially writers.
A glove with covered with knives that can only attack you in your dreams, perhaps isn’t the most terrifying thought. How about when it’s weilded by the spirirt of a vengeful killer? Maybe he can’t hurt you in our reality, but sleep is inevitable and then you’ll slip into his... By the time anyone believes you’re having much more than a nightmare, you can’t stay awake any longer. The son of 1,000 maniacs gets you.
With his pale face, hollow eyes, messy hair and scissors for hands, it seems unlikely that this naïve man-child could be the hero of a popular romantic fantasy film. With his gothic aesthetic, trust only Tim Burton to create a film with a Frankenstein-esque protagonist that is so visually creepy yet undeniable lovable, and whose ending is so utterly heartbreaking. Johnny Depp does an outstanding job to turn this “unfinished artificial man” into an iconic Halloween character. Underneath it all, Edward Scissorhands represents your everyday teen: an underdog who wants to get the girl and just wants to fit in.
23