Music

Why Taylor Swift’s Red is the Perfect Autumn Album

by Louise Collins

There are songs which are ‘summer anthems’ and then there are albums – usually Christmas ones – which are on repeat throughout winter months. But do people associate music with spring or autumn? Not so much. Unless, of course, you’re a Taylor Swift fan. Taylor’s music is cleverly crafted to fit certain aesthetics, and to mirror specific moments of her life. It makes sense, therefore, that her albums are associated with different seasons. Take Red – it’s a perfect autumnal album. And I’ll tell you why.

In her rerelease announcement, Taylor describes Red as “resembl[ing] a heartbroken person” and her return to the studio “like trying on pieces of a new life”. What is autumn if not a chance to say goodbye, and start again? Spring is associated with new life, nature’s revival. But autumn is a fresh start for people – it’s the return to school, the chance to reflect over summer and find ways to change and grow, or follow newfound interests. Many of Red’s songs follow this pattern – The Lucky One highlights new identities in new towns, like a new high school, Everything Has Changed and Begin Again tell the story of new beginnings and new love.

There are multiple mentions of autumn throughout the album - “like the colours in autumn” (Red), “autumn leaves falling down” (All Too Well) - but there’s also the more subtle aesthetic references, such as the colour red, scarves, and plaid. Taylor perfectly creates the aesthetic of autumn – the photos having shades of red, a mixture of warm and cool filters, the bowler hats, the use of shadows. To further the autumnal feel, Red was originally released in October 2012, and is set to be rereleased this November.

These next months, I’ll be channelling autumn vibes and playing Red on my record player, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Red (Taylor’s Version).

Photo: Unsplash

What’s happening in Norwich this year?

By elizabeth woor

Norwich has a vibrant history of showcasing musical talent of all genres. Whether you’re looking to experience an intimate gig featuring up and coming bands, or are wanting to hear some worldfamous performers, Norwich has something to offer. Luckily, this year is no exception and local venues are hosting an incredible array of musicians from around the world.

Just around the corner is Wildpaths festival - a multi-venue music festival situated right in the heart of Norwich. Between the 14th – 17th of October, over 200 acts will perform across 20 stages. Felt like you missed out on seeing live music during the pandemic? Well, this might just be the perfect cure. With headliners this year including Sports Team, Biig Piig and Palace, it’s definitely not one to miss. There are even late-night DJ sets for all of you who never want the party to end.

“local venues are hosting an incredible array of musicians from around the world.”

Another festival to keep an eye out for in the latter half of the academic year is the Norfolk and Norwich festival, which will be celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2022. Although the festival doesn’t solely focus on music, they put on an impressive showcase of talent. Earlier this year they actually collaborated with Wildpaths to host the likes of Poppy Ajudha and Moses Boyd. Make sure to keep an eye out for more details.

Of course, UEA’s own LCR is also set to bring in some big names this year. With something for everybody, acts include Wolf Alice, Oh Wonder and Architects. Especially if you’re on campus, why not take a look at what the LCR has to offer? World class acts are literally playing right on your doorstep.

If somehow none of the above has caught your attention, then perhaps the Waterfront or Voodoo Daddys Showroom will have what you’re looking for. I personally recommend Voodoo Daddys for a night of great music, drinks and pizza.

The Norwich music scene has so much to offer. Why not make this year the one where you get involved?

A Conversation With Echo & The Bunnymen Guitarist Will Sergeant

By Tom manning

Echo and the Bunnymen are one of the most important but also one of the most overlooked post punk voices of the 80s. If you haven’t heard of them, your parents certainly will. Originally comprising of frontman Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant, and bassist Les Pattison, the band released their first album four decades ago and since then have established a remarkable catalogue.

I had the opportunity to interview guitarist Will Sergeant to talk about everything from the early days of Echo and the Bunnymen, his new found love for jazz music and the prospect of returning back to live shows. Calling me from his home in Merseyside, the first thing I can’t help noticing about Will is just how friendly and open he is. The band are re-releasing their first four albums on 180 gram vinyl, with a number of limited edition versions too, just over four decades after the release of their debut Crocodiles.

Speaking on the reissue of these vinyl’s, which is set to be released on the 22nd October, Will said that, “I’ve gotta say that had nothing to do with us! That was more to do with the label than anything else, I didn’t really know much about it but I’m a big vinyl fan so it’s always nice seeing the albums getting reissued. I’m not really big on first editions and all that crap.”

“We were pushing each other about on the ice and to think one wrong move we would have fallen off the edge!”

As we were on the topic of records, I couldn’t resist asking Will how many he owned himself (I mentioned I had a meagre collection touching 50). “Yeah, I’ve probably got a few thousand. You can still get some good bargains if you know where to look, charity shops I’ve found to be pretty good with that…I’ve recently been getting into jazz. Miles Davis and the like…there’s so much of it to get into, it’s brilliant.”

The bands first four albums are perfect examples of The Bunnymen’s unique approach to post punk incorporating elements of psychedelic music too. The album artwork reflects the bands early music. Photographer Brian Griffin and designer Martyn Atkins were involved in each of their first four albums which creates a continuity to the atmospheric theme of each cover. “Yeah well we all had a part to play in them. We wanted something quite psychedelic as that’s what we’d been called at the time. With the first one being in nature, in the woods and then Griffins brought a light to give it that effect.

“When it came to Heaven and Hell we decided to head down to the beach and Griffins brought a bag of whitebait with him and threw it around us so the seagulls would come down. He made us stand facing away from the camera which was pretty unorthodox at the time with 80s album covers.”

Will then paused to recall an anecdote of their time in Iceland as the band took photos for their third album Porcupine. “Then we went to Iceland. For the shot we did we were on this about four-foot ledge wearing the complete wrong clothes and shoes. We were pushing each other about on the ice and to think one wrong move we would have fallen off the edge!”

While I had the opportunity to talk to Will, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to ask him about the bands unique sound. “At the time, post punk gave us that space to be different. I couldn’t really play the guitar but with the music we were making I learned what sounded good and didn’t and stuck to that. I’m not sure if we knew it was special but we wanted to create classic albums, that’s something we knew we

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

wanted to do.”

The band are back on tour early next year playing here at the LCR on the 11th February. I asked Will how he felt about going back to touring after Covid, “daunting. Quite daunting. 2019 was the last time we properly performed live and my fingers are so soft now. You know when you play, they get really hard but now they’re as soft as a baby’s bum.”

Earlier this year, Will released his first memoir which details his life growing up in Merseyside and the early beginnings of The Bunnymen. Talking about the book he said that he “would normally write 3000 words a day sometimes more sometimes less. I started writing the book in 2019 so while it didn’t really come about because of the whole covid thing it did give me the time to write it and concentrate on it.”

Looking towards the future, Will mentioned that another memoir is in the works as well as some more music from Echo and The Bunnymen in the coming years. from his second album Zeros, which this tour supports. Zeros is rich with 70s nostalgia and influence - The Key To Life on Earth, Be an Astronaut and Daniel, You’re Still A Child defined by rich guitar riffs, groovy baselines and piano pieces. The LCR was filled with scattered light from giant disco balls, particularly beautiful in slower songs like Emily, but nothing was brighter than the joy on all the dancing faces. The glitter-clad McKenna’s lyrics often critique society, everything from mental health, transphobia, police brutality and the failures of the Government (Listen to Your Friends particularly relevant with recent cuts to Universal Credit). For our generation, however, screaming out the words to protest songs with deceptive rhythms is increasingly familiar. This isn’t the only time I’ve seen Declan perform this year, being there at Latitude Festival for his (and many other artist’s) first dive back into live music since the pandemic started – both times I’ve been impressed by the charisma and energy he brought to the stage. His latest single My House was released back in July 2021, meaning it’s unlikely that we’ll see anything new from Declan for a while - but if you can catch a show at some point, you won’t be disappointed.

Declan McKenna at the LCR

By Tshequa Williams

Navigating the live music scene in the pandemic has been difficult for artists and fans alike. Cancellations, rescheduling, lockdowns and, in Declan McKenna’s case, false positive tests, have put many plans up in the air. Despite a few days of uncertainty whether the gig could happen, the Nick Raynes LCR came alive in the presence of Declan McKenna’s ever energetic, exhilarating performance. Support came from CMAT, also known as Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, an Irish indie-pop singer whose satirical songs reflect on the emotional roller-coaster of life. The most memorable moment of her set for me was I Wanna Be a Cowboy Baby, a note on feeling trapped by loneliness and wanting to be as free as the people in the Vine it’s referencing. Regardless, her nostalgic, country-esque melodies were enough to ease the crowd into the night. As the band walked on to The Beatles’ With a Little Help from my Friends, the room was buzzing with excitement, beginning the set with Beautiful Faces. McKenna played a mixture of material – well-loved classics from his debut album What Do You Think About the Car? including Make Me Your Queen, Isombard and Brazil, as well as songs Photo: Tshequa Williams