Venue 396

ISSUE 396

Sappho and Sexuality A Neurodivergent’s Search for Herself via Books My Sister Speaks to Me: A Creative Writing Piece Fashion Week Season The Rise of Black Horror Protagonists Bake Off is Back! A Soundtrack to Romanticise the Autumnal Days And Many More...

editorials

arts

The Drifters Girl – A Review, Sappho and Sexuality.

from Venue’s co-editors

At the time of me sitting down to write my half of the editorials, last night Tee and I went to The Yard Coffee for a Gilmore Girls themed Cocktails and Collage. As we chatted happily sipping away at our Sookie’s Peach Sauce Margaritas, and the rain poured outside, we were in our perfect little autumnal bubble. With a playlist from the likes of The Cranberries and Carole King filling the room, we began to discuss – when was the last time we had taken the time out to do something creative? We were stumped. As summative season creeps up on us, I watch as my books, journal, and knitting projects collect dust. As a creative, it hurts my heart a little. So please take the time this semester to tend to the creative parts of yourself – making sure to unwind whether that’s through blowing the dust off your towering pile of books, cosying down with your favourite film, or even the occasional arts and craft evening with a friend x

- Millie Smith-Clare @millie.s.c | she/her As you can tell from Millie’s editorial, and our evening out, we are both lovers of this season and crafting. It was such a lovely time, and feeling inspired, we’ve vowed to make time to be creative more often! Another thing that we both love is baking, and we thought it would be nice to include an easy cookie recipe on the back page – perfect for a bonding session with your flatmates, or to share in your classes to make new friends! Within Venue we’ve got another issue filled with brilliant content – including a feature on ‘Sappho and Sexuality’, a Black History Month Reading List with a positive twist, a spotlight on Alexander McQueen’s creative director Sarah Jane Burton OBE, and the perfect soundtrack to romanticise the autumnal days. I hope that you are all feeling settled now – if you do need some extra support, please don’t be afraid to get in touch with Student Services. The Student Information Zone on The Street also stocks useful items, including period products, contraception, and emergency food x

- Tshequa Williams @lifeinateecup | she/her

books

Magic, Mysterious, or Madly Mundane: A Neurodivergent’s Search for Herself via Books, Can We Have a Nice Story, Please? Books to Celebrate Black History Month, What are our Editors Currently Reading?, The 2023 Booker Prize Shortlist is a-Paul-ing, Book Review: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo.

creative writing

October Moon, My Sister Speaks to Me, Alice in Wasteland, Punkins, The Equinox Ball. (This issue’s Creative Writing prompt was the mixture of autumnal cosiness and all things spooky).

fashion

Fashion Week Season, Spotlight on Sarah Jane Burton OBE, Sustainable Fashion Week: The Pro-Planet Alternative.

film

What makes a Scary Film?, SAG-AFTRA Strikes: What does this mean for writers?, The Rise of Black Horror Protagonists, Kenneth Branagh takes a horror twist in A Haunting in Venice.

Strictly Come Dancing: The Series So Far, Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary – A reflection on what has been, Bake Off is Back!, Why Inside No 9’s live episode doesn’t work on catch-up.

music

A Soundtrack to Romanticise the Autumnal Days, Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS: A Gen Z Pop-Rock Treat, Doja Cat: Has the rapper gone too far?

what’s on ISSUE 396 | TUESDAY 17TH OCTOBER 2023

Upcoming spooky events, a nostalgic Skool Disco, and things to watch around Norwich. Plus an easy and delicious recipe for chocolate chip cookies!

FRONT COVER CREDIT: The Met (Public Domain)

our section editors arts editor: Lily Glenn @lilyglenn1 | she/her

“Hi! I’m a second year English Literature Student. You’ll also find me as the Social Sec for the Creative Writing Society! I’m looking forward to reading your submissions”

arts editor: Sara Budzinska @_sarabudzinska_ | she/her

“I am a second year English Literature and Creative Writing student. As well as books, art and musicals, I love volleyball and swimming. I’m tremendously excited to work with some great writers and publish some amazing articles this year :))”

books editor: Sophie Handyside @maysbooks | she/her/they

“I’m Sophie May, a third year Literature and History student from the Southwest countryside. You will never find me without a coffee and a book! Contact me via Instagram (above) for recommendations, reviews, or a chat.”

creative writing editor: Will Muncer @will_writes_stuff | they/them “Hi I’m Will. I’m a third year Creative Writing and English Literature student who loves film, comics and audio dramas. After uni, I’d love to break into the comics industry!”

fashion editor: Caitlin Bennett she/her

“I’m Caitlin, a first year Natural Sciences student. I am very passionate about writing and enjoy conveying meaningful, creative stories. In a previous life, I delivered several babies, having began my journey at UEA on the midwifery course. I am excited to work with you on all the Fashion articles and news this year!”

film editor: Ore Adeyoola @ore.adeyoola | she/her

“Hi! I’m Ore, this year’s film editor :) I’m a third year Media Studies student who loves all things pop culture read more of my writing on my Instagram (above).”

tv editor: Lucy Potter @lucyclairepotter | she/her

“I’m Lucy, and I study Broadcast and Multimedia Journalism. I am also Head of Tech for Livewire1350, and a Publicity Secretary for UEA Ballet. Personally, I love writing about theatre, and of course TV - my favourite shows are Our Flag Means Death and Taskmaster!!”

music editor: Lily Taylor @lilypt27 | she/her

“I’m Lily and I’m a third year English Literature with Creative Writing Student. I’m a big music fan who is an avid gig-goer and loves playing guitar.”

arts

3 arts editors: Sara Budzinska & Lily Glenn

The Drifters Girl - A Review

PHOTO CREDIT: PRESS PHOTO - Johan Persson

By Sara Budzinska

launched into viewing this musical at the Norwich Theatre Royal without any previous knowledge of what The Drifters Girl was about, let alone who The Drifters themselves are. Yet even as someone who enjoys all kinds of music but wouldn’t refer to herself as an enthusiast of R&B I was still captivated by this heartfelt story, choreography and more. Please note that there will be some plot spoilers ahead. The lighting by Ben Cracknell made a massive impact on me across the entire production. Anthony Ward’s clever set design in which he uses four movable side panels, lined with what appear to be LEDs is an incredibly effective choice in helping to create different moods, highlight scene changes as well as emphasise travelling forwards and backwards in time. I was impressed with the fact that these LEDs can be partially lit, guiding the audience’s line of sight exactly to where the action is. Just a couple examples of this atmospheric lighting include welcoming violet hues at the start, followed by passionate reds and oranges, in addition to a cold clinical blue for the more sincere moments and bright warm yellows during the lively popular songs. However, one thing I did notice is that when the lighting is used to project words such as Atlanta Records or recording studio, they were barely bright enough to be legible. Although admittedly, it is unnecessary for these projected words to be visible because it

is easy to deduce where the scene is taking place from the dialogue and other elements of the set like the desks and microphones. I was a huge fan of the well inserted comedic relief moments, especially the sequence during which The Drifters wear pink feather headpieces while doing more flirting than dancing on the stage. Near the start of the production, when Faye (played by Carly Mercades Dyer) has to endure horrible pickup lines from Clyde McPhatter (played by Tarik Frimpong), Dalton Harris plays a hilarious gushing bargirl. His brilliant performance had the whole theatre laughing. Karen Bruce’s choreography is equally entrancing, and the actors must be commended for their ability to twirl and jump without a single hint of heavy breathing. That being said, I honestly really struggled to fully comprehend the names and identities of all the members of The Drifters. The actors are amazingly skilled in their ability to transform into a whole different persona with as little time as it takes to put on a different blazer, but this still inevitably results in a certain level of confusion for the audience. On the other hand, I would also argue that I didn’t feel the need to memorise all their names. It would have been impossible to squeeze in every character’s detailed back story so the decision to focus on the most impactful, or perhaps the most interesting, members

of The Drifters is sound. The identity of the main characters remains clear: Faye Treadwell and George Treadwell (played by Miles Anthony Daley). This is their love story as well as the story of their careers told for their daughter (played by Jaydah Bell-Ricketts). The ultimate highlight of the night is indeed Carly Mercades Dyer standing calmly on stage, effortlessly belting out notes with enough power to overshadow the orchestra. I sat with my jaw wide open marvelling at her unstrained voice and how easy she makes singing seem. However I was saddened when the focus of the performance shifted away from her character’s intelligence. I found myself longing for more of the witty and clever comments in the dialogue that attracted George to Faye in the beginning of the musical and started her on this journey in the first place. Nonetheless tears welled in my eyes when Dyer sang I Don’t Wanna Go on Without You / Stand by Me after George unexpectedly dies in the plot. This number concludes the previously joyous, easy-going mood and ends the first act. It is an excellent transition into act two which serves more and more poignant moments such as this. One such scene includes Rudy Lewis (played by Ashford Campbell) revealing his struggle with his sexual orientation which leads to an abuse of drugs and ultimately results in his death at the young age of 27. The song, >

arts

4 > In the Land of Make Believe tore through everyone’s hearts. This effect is amplified as Rudy’s lover, whom he had to leave behind in order to become a Drifter, joins in the song and welcomes Rudy to the afterlife. Their kiss took me completely by surprise in a very positive way. It was so incredibly compelling to see the culmination of their feelings presented so earnestly in the same way that heterosexual couples have been able to openly do in theatre for far longer. The actors stand on a backlit raised platform, their silhouettes holding hands. Slowly they move further away from the audience towards the light, cementing this as an absolutely soul crushing moment. To summarise, for a music or R&B lover I think this musical is a must-see. The Drifters lay down such a massive foundation

for a multitude of iconic music pieces and their evolution over time is particularly unique which makes the plot so interesting. But, even for anyone and everyone this is a wonderful production with both comedic and tender moments that make it worth watching. Many if not all stories from history deserve to be upheld, but especially The Drifters Girl.

The Drifters Girl ran at Norwich Theatre Royal from 19th-23rd September, however is continuing touring across the UK and Ireland into 2024 - check out their website www.thedriftersgirl.com for more information and tickets. PHOTO CREDIT: PIXABAY

Sappho and Sexuality By Lily Glenn

f I had the opportunity to travel back in time, I would find Sappho on the island of Lesbos, give her an aeroplane black box, and ask her to bury her poetry in it.

The infamous lyrical poet lived sometime around 650 BCE, around 300 years before historical accounts would become even vaguely reliable, and so most of our assumptions about her can only be gleaned from her poetry. Unfortunately, it is one of the most lamentable literary tragedies that the overwhelming majority of Sappho’s poetry is lost forever; ancient sources claim that she wrote nine volumes of poetry, however, only around 650 lines from these now survive. It is debated how many of the remaining fragments are completed poems, with the number ranging from one to nine. Consequently, the absence of much of her work and thus the lack of evidence about her, has created room for a breadth of different interpretations from what remains. As a lyrical poet, Sappho’s work was originally created to be sung to musical accompaniment, but I will refer to it as poetry, since we have no remaining scores. The majority of Sappho’s surviving work is centred around themes of love and desire and her writing on these subjects often provokes conversations about the intended speaker and addressee of her poetry. Perhaps some of the most significant critical debates about Sappho and her work lies in the ambiguity of the Ancient Greek language. The best example of this can be found in fragment 102, which can be translated as: Sweet mother, I cannot weave     Slender Aphrodite has overcome me with longing for a girl. The contention lies in the word ‘παῖδος’ which translations to ‘child’ and is notably ambiguous in gender. Because of this, translators often dispute which gender to assign to the word. Although we now celebrate Sappho as a lesbian icon, the idea that she was gay was not popularised until the Renaissance period. In fact, the earliest surviving account of Sappho, a Byzantine encyclopaedia called The Suda, proclaimed that she was married to a ‘Kerkylas of [the island of] Andros’. >

PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

arts > However, it has been suggested that this was a misunderstanding, and that her supposed husband’s name was originally a joke fabricated for a comedic play - his name is an obscene word for ‘penis’ and Andros can be translated as ‘man’. Meanwhile, a Hellenistic era play propagated the story that she died by throwing herself off the cliffs of the island of Leucadia because of her love for a ferryman named Phaon. Before she was associated with lesbianism, Sappho was affiliated with promiscuity; despite its connections with the island of Lesbos, the very word ‘lesbian’ did not even come into use until the mid 18th century. Prior to that, the verb ‘lesbiazein’ meant ‘to behave like someone from Lesbos’ in Ancient Greek, which was a vulgar euphemism for performing fellatio. The reception of Sappho and her work over the years has been a turbulent one: the Ancient Greek New Comedians turned her into a comedic burlesque character; early Christian zealots condemned her as blasphemous, with Pope Gregory VII ordering her work to be burned; to the LGBTQ+ community, she has become a figurehead of lesbianism. Personally, I believe it is indisputable that many of her surviving poems have strong sapphic undertones, though some scholars have argued that these are intended to be from the perspective of a man. One such poem is Fragment 31, translated by Anne Carson as: He seems to me equal to the gods that man Whoever he is who opposite you Sits and listens close    To your sweet speaking And lovely laughing - oh it Puts the heart in my chest on wings For when I look at you, even a moment, no speaking    Is left in me

5 And cold sweat holds me and shaking Grips me all, greener than grass I am and dead - or almost    I seem to me. Despite this, the difference between social norms and sexuality in Ancient Greece in comparison to the modern day, means that the use of anachronistic language often fails to consider the era and society that Sappho lived in. Although homosexuality in Classical Greece was very common and has been researched by modern scholars extensively, the contemporary cultural acceptance of same sex male relations was on the basis that they were almost always pederastic; otherwise, male homosexuality was by no means liberated. Female sexuality, meanwhile, was much less public, and of much less interest to scholars of the ancient world, who have paid very little attention to the subject up until the last half-century. Therefore, much of Sappho’s work is open to interpretation; although her sexuality cannot (and does not need to be) exclusively labelled, she remains an inspirational figure and subject of academic discussion in our modern society and the notoriety of Sappho’s work is a testament to her skill as a poet and her longevity as a powerful cultural symbol of the existence of some form of female queerness in the classical world. In his poem ‘Sappho’ (published 1851), the words of Alaric Alexander Watts still ring true: Though many an age hath passed away     Fair Sappho, since thy birth, Thy name, as a familiar sound,     Still lingers on the earth.

No: tongue breaks and thin Fire is racing under skin And in eyes no sight and drumming    Fills ears PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

books

books editor: Sophie Handyside

Magic, Mysterious, or Madly Mundane?

A Neurodivergent’s Search for Herself via Books.

PHOTO CREDIT: Credit PHOTO CREDIT: UNSPLASH

By Niamh Duncan

s a child, I was obsessed with Matilda. I watched the film on repeat, the musical soundtrack was always on in the car, and the audiobook of Roald Dahl’s classic sent me to sleep every night. I saw myself in that girl who understood the world through books. As I was beginning to research the possibility of my own autism, the Netflix movie musical came out, and many people began to recognise Matilda as a neurodivergent character. Interestingly, between the original stage musical and the Netflix film, the composer Tim Minchin’s own daughter was diagnosed with autism and has stated that this affected the character. While Matilda is a great figure to be aligned with, she also represents one of the main problems with neurodivergent representation. At the end of the book, she loses her magic powers, with the implication that she goes on to a normal adulthood. Where are the neurodivergent adults? As someone who still understands the world through books, I’ve tried to find out. Most of the neurodivergent representation I’ve read has been accidental. At the end of my first year at university, I began to research autism; I was feeling a bit lost, and I happened to borrow some books from a friend. One of these was Convenience Store Woman. I was excited. I’d heard good things about it, and the cover’s reviews promised an ‘irresistibly quirky’,‘intoxicating’, and ‘exhilaratingly weird’ read. I read

the whole thing in a day and it remains one of my most difficult reading experiences. The story follows Keiko, who works in a convenience store because of the scripted interactions, has never had a romantic relationship, and sees herself as ‘lacking’, stating that ‘unless [she is] cured, normal people will expurgate’ her. Within thirty pages I related intensely to her attempts to mirror others in social situations and had googled whether Keiko was autistic. I didn’t understand why everyone else had read this as a strange comedy.

I didn’t get what was funny about feeling broken. I still don’t.

university neurodivergence screening but also read a lot more. Michelle Galen’s novel Big Girl Small Town manages to capture the minutiae of sensory experiences and social difficulty, while painting a vivid picture of a tiny Irish town. Fern Brady’s autobiography explores the frustration of not having answers about your brain and taught me a lot about the science of mine. Next on my list is A Kind Of Spark, about an autistic girl starting secondary school. It’s exciting to see neurodivergence on the page, and it’s even better to see all of these messy, mundane, and most importantly different realities.

Another book in this pile was A Room Called Earth. This one proudly states on its blurb that it is by a ‘neurodiverse author’. The novel takes place over a 24hour period, within which the protagonist goes to a party and brings a man home. It was absolutely wonderful to read a character with such a sparkling yet relatable inner monologue, and the story contains one of the most compelling sex sequences I’ve ever read, exploring how overstimulation can impact intimacy. Compared to Convenience Store Woman, this story showed me parts of myself in a much more positive way, making me feel less alone rather than scared. I loved it so much that I’ve now bought my own copy! It’s been over a year since I read these two books, and I’ve not only done the

PHOTO CREDIT: UNSPLASH

books

Can We Have a Nice Story, Please? Books to Celebrate Black History Month

*TW: Mentions of Racism*

ave you noticed it? When searching for recommendations of books by black authors you are bombarded by images of white people holding up their copies of The Colour Purple, raving about how graphic and traumatic it was. Perhaps you followed a thread on the best texts with black representation and are met with the same 10 books, all published over 40 years ago with deeply heavy undertones of violence, racism, and abuse.

Are texts on racial trauma all that white people have to show for in their readings? There is endless space to do better. In a recent study conducted by Publishers Weekly, Jessica Aragon found that only 10% of book deals by Penguin were with black authors, and all but one genre (picture book) had a white author majority of over 70%. While it is essential that books highlight the realities of racism, the lack of romance, fantasy, and even sci-fi and mystery novels in online recommendations merely underpins the need for greater representation in the publishing industry. So read Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, while celebrating black love, joy and adventure in: Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, a stunning contemporary following the spark of love between two young black creatives in the heart of London. Intertwining connection through hiphop and rap music, while highlighting

By Sophie Handyside the need for more black artists in creative sectors, Nelson presents a sultry, yet intimate reality of falling in love in the big city. Try Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World by Bolu Babalola for beautiful love stories retold. Reimagining Greek myths and tales from the Middle East, with a key focus on West African folktales, Candice Carty Williams remarks that “so rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or as artfully” as Love in Colour. Greatly overshadowed by white men who peaked in the 1990s, the fantasy genre notably lacks diverse representation. Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray, Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, and The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winters are all filled with action-packed YA adventure and supplement that taste for epic quests and characters. Poetry? The 17-Year-Old & The Gay Bar by Danez Smith is filled with yearning and “the hunger of wanting to chase everything you can with your mouth first, to see if you’ll live to regret it, later.” For more queer black stories, This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron and The Unbroken by C.L Clark sprinkle sapphic romance with fantasy, while All Boys Aren’t Blue is George M Johnson’s deeply personal memoir on growing up black and queer. For an indie friend-to-lovers, check out Natasha Bishop’s Here We Found Our Home, her debut novel on lost love found again in the sporting world. Happy Black History Month, and happy reading!

PHOTO CREDIT: UNSPLASH

What Are Our Editors Currently Reading? Millie is Currently Reading: Fried Green Tomatos at The Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg This text weaves through the past and present spanning from 1920s-1980s Alabama. The past focuses on Idgie and Ruth who run the Whistle Stop Café, and are very clearly queer-coded. I’m using the novel and its film counterpart to discuss the erasure of queer characters for my dissertation.

Tee is Currently Reading: Ulysses by James Joyce This is a book whose reputation precedes it; the great modernist novel renowned for being one of the hardest books in the English language to read. It’s complex and dense, interlaced with inner monologues and thousands of allusions, mainly to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Homer’s Odyssey. Only for the bravest (or, for those like me reading it for their course.)

books

The 2023 Booker Prize Shortlist is a-Paul-ing. By Ella Joliffe The Booker Prize is an acknowledgment of Britain and Ireland’s finest literature from across the two nations. A winner is reaped every year by a panel of avid readers, seeking out new stories and names to be remembered in the literary canon. This year’s nominees make for an interesting collection; their novels take the judging panel to the streets of Lagos, to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. This year’s shortlist has seen the highest number of Irish writers being nominated, The Bee Sting by Paul Murray illuminates the struggles of an Irish family clinging onto one other during financial strain. The emergence of an Irish voice would almost make one be tempted to call the award ‘inclusive’. However, it falls short of the oldest failure of our society—limited efforts towards giving women a voice in literary spheres.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNSPLASH

Two women have been selected, and make up a third of the six nominees: Study for Obedience: A Novel by Sarah Bernstein and Western Lane by Chetna Maroo. Maroo’s

debut novel picks up with the reader in the wake of a mother’s funeral. Her daughter Gopi, along with two other siblings, is left in the care of her father. The novel discusses family tensions and the friction that comes with generations going beyond those who have come before them. Maroo and her novel are symbolic of the pains taken to push the female voice out into a wider sphere; whether it be Gopi’s Squash ambitions or Maroo’s literary goals, both women face barriers. Bernstein’s publication compliments this strenuous dynamic, launching itself into the conversation of gender and blame. She unpicks attacks on minority groups and how we go about pointing the finger at each other whenever there has been an injustice. Both women contribute greatly to the literary canon, using their novels to carry forward essential voices.

Book Review: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

nsurprisingly for a literature student, I seem to spend half of my life in Waterstones. I had bought so many books that I had £10 credit on my Waterstones Plus card, and I wanted to make sure that I spent it on something good. It was my girlfriend who suggested Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 to me. She had recently read it and loved it, so we searched the shelves until we found a copy. I took it up to the woman at the till, who smiled and said,

“This book will make you very angry.” She was not wrong. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 focuses on a South Korean woman who questions the endless misogyny she faces in a patriarchal society. The story develops chronologically as Kim Jiyoung documents the stages of her life, from a childhood in which her younger brother is favourited by her parents, to a motherhood in which she is deemed lazy by passing male strangers on the streets. Portrayed by author Cho Nam-Joo as an ambitious, independent woman, it is difficult to see Kim Jiyoung forced into a life she does not want, simply because

By Lily Taylor of her gender. Yet, it is an important narrative, especially when misogyny and sexism remain an everyday issue today. Korea still remains low-ranking in global indexes of gender equality, with incidents of physical and sexual violence against women still being frequent. Furthermore, the 2022 South Korean presidential race resulted in the election of Yoon Sukyeol, who has threatened to abolish the Ministry of Family and Gender Equality. As a South Korean woman herself, Cho NamJoo has previously said that the book reflects her own experiences, as similarly to Kim Jiyoung, she had to quit her job after giving birth. The book took her only two months to write, which according to her is because “Kim Jiyoung’s life isn’t much different from the one I have lived.” No wonder this book is an international bestseller. Cho Nam-Joo’s approach to feminism is powerful and unapologetic, a form of rebellion we need more of in today’s world.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNSPLASH

creative writing

creative writing editor: Will Muncer

October Moon

PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH

By Millie Smith-Clare the last October moon as their 23:51 – A tap of a silver teaspoon With confidant, the pair strolled through

against the stained mug tore into the silent air of the kitchen. He placed down the mug, wiping his mouth of the last drop of tea.

An accidental cup of tea sat beside his. A skin of congealed milk began to form on the surface – acting as an unkind reminder of what had been lost. With a gentle shake of his head, he picked up the untouched mug walking it over to the kitchen sink. As he ran the mug under the lukewarm water, he studied his hand’s age spots. He wished he could wash them away, as easy as cleansing a tea-stained mug. A spider crept past a dog’s water bowl, filled with inches of dust.

23:59 – With an urgency he unlocked

the back door. His focus was on a patch

of raised dirt beside the apple tree at the bottom of the garden. Nothing. Wringing his wrists, he began to head back to the house. An apple playfully knocked into the back of his heel. Behind him was a small dog rolling around in a pile of leaves. But rather than a coat of fur, the dog was made of pure bone.

the town. Rows of carved pumpkin’s tea lights softened out into crisp embers. The skeleton dog began to emptily bark at a skeletal cat cleansing itself on a brick wall. The cat hissed, swiping at the dog, who retreated to the safety of its owner’s shadow.

“Hues of purple and orange began to break up the night’s sky, creating a welcoming November patchwork.”

Hours floated by as they walked further into the night. A murmur of a distant Halloween party was carried by the wind. On the outskirts of the town, a hill overlooked the townscape. The dog bounded up to the top, patiently waiting for its owner. The elderly man shakily inhaled, stopping halfway up the hill. The skeleton dog tilted its head, looking back at its owner. With a rattle of bones, the dog made its way down the hill, brushing into its owner’s legs. Together, they climbed. Hues of purple and orange began to break up the night’s sky, creating a welcoming November patchwork. The man bent down petting the cool bones curled up against his feet. As they made their way down the hill, visions of a young man with a terrier strode fifteen steps ahead, “Until next year, old friend.”

PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH

creative writing

My Sister Speaks to Me

By Ellie Dharamraj

*cw: violence, disturbing images*

y sister says Mummy killed her, But I don’t know what that means. She told me when she brushed my hair; She said she’s buried near the trees. My sister says Mummy choked her And shoved a pillow in her face. My bed has pretty, silky ones, I put them nicely in their place. My sister says that Daddy helped After he found Mummy crying there. When I cry, she will always kiss it, And bring me my teddy bear.

My sister said they cut her up As though she were a cake. Mummy sometimes lets me have a slice But she says sugar keeps me awake.

Questions make my Mummy angry; I think my Daddy swore. My Mummy sends me off to bed. I left her crying on the floor.

My sister said they lied about it And told our aunts she went away. Sometimes I see Mummy wipe a tear, And sometimes I hear her pray.

My sister said to not be scared. I don’t know what she means. I hear Mummy’s footsteps in the hall. She says I’ll be buried near the trees.

My sister said it was long ago, Many years before I was born. My Mummy said I never had one So I have no need to mourn.

“She said she’s buried near the trees” PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH

Alice in Wasteland By Michael Baker

lice was beginning to grow very bored of sitting in the nuclear wasteland with her sister and of having nothing to shoot. Once or twice, she had peeped over to the bandit her sister was aiming at, but he was not her target. ‘And what is the use of a .50 Cal anti-material rifle’, thought Alice, ‘without the proper heavily armoured target to eliminate?’ So she wondered (as best she could, for the toxic fog filtrating through her gas mask made her feel very dizzy and stupid), whether the pleasure of seeing the blood splatter against the wall would be worth the effort of getting up and changing position when suddenly a White Rad-freak covered in pulsing pink eyes ran close by her. There was nothing so very dangerous in that; nor did Alice think it so mission critical to hear the mewling, bloodied mutant scream to itself, “I’m late, so late! Intruder! Get the boss to safety!” (When she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she should have put a fist-sized round in the creature’s brain then and there, but at the time it seemed quite natural to stay quiet); but when the Rad-freak actually pulled a plasma pistol out of a fleshy pocket at it’s thigh, and pointed it at her, Alice started to her feet and threw herself

behind cover. It flashed across her mind that she had never seen a Rad-freak that could talk, or one with a plasma pistol. With burning curiosity, she pointed her wrist towards it and shot a tracking myte from her gauntlet into the monster’s ruined hide. Fortunately, she was just in time to see the radar screen on her suit’s forearm flicker into life, marking the creature as it scrambled into a large freak-burrow just beyond the raider camp’s walls. She hadn’t noticed that. In another moment Alice went after it, never once considering how in the world she was going to get out again. The freakburrow went straight on like a tunnel for some way, dripping with freak-shit and matted with half-eaten corpses, then dipped suddenly down – so suddenly that Alice had to activate the climbing spikes in her boots and stab her feet into the wall to slow her descent. Either the cavern was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to flick on her night-vision goggles and take out her side-arm, loading the massive hand cannon with incendiary rounds. Radiation had the annoying effect of giving Rad-freaks varying levels of regenerative abilities, but that only meant that they burned for longer. She looked to the sides of the walls, and

noticed there were glints of gunmetal grey hidden beneath the layers of grime and dirt; here and there she saw signs that this tunnel had originally been a military bunker, used in the years before the Desolation. She took note of a sign as it flashed past her: “ORDINANCE MATERIALS”.

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creative writing Punkins

he pumpkin patch, once a classroom of children quietly working away, is now an overcrowded assembly hall, youngsters on their feet waving both hands in their desperate enthusiasm. We’re the teachers tending to each one. Daddy and Nanny cut the stalks and lift them into the trailer while Grandad eases the Grey Ferguson along as we work through them. The heftiest brutes are prioritised but, from the mayhem, I manage to rescue a tiny Jack O’ Lantern pumpkin. It’s dark green but, tenderly brushing the mud from it and examining it further, I spy the first healthy tinges of orange forming at its cheeks. I cradle it, sitting crosslegged in the trailer, as we head back to the roadside stall.

By Hannah Jones Carefully, I position my pumpkin near the price sign while Daddy unloads the rest. A gentleman pauses on the pavement, looking at my pumpkin, my filthy mittens encasing it, then my face. “You’ve been busy!” he says. “We’re selling punkins!” I beam. He beams back, crouching down. “Which one do you reckon I should have then?” I’m experienced at this; off with the ‘charm’ cap and on with the ‘businesswoman’ cap. Here we go. “Well, these ones are called Jackie Lantern punkins…”

“Well, these ones are called Jackie Lantern punkins...” PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH

The Equinox Ball

he forest whispered warm, damp stories on the harvest breeze, Woven into my mind, I cast the fantasies across my consciousness with a subtle smile, The air was full of the incandescent mist of old enchantments, My head resting on the dry plentiful earth, the ochre and burnt sunset leaves lay, Bottle green cloak laid out underneath me, hands interlocked on my chest, The symphonies of the fairies dance in the air, sweet tuneful melodies meet my ear, Like white noise of the forest, like a wind chime dancing, Trees harbour mushrooms and rough mosses, truffles hidden in the ground below, The sky begins to glow as the dusk sunset colours echo against the bare limbs of the trees, On the air bonfire embers glisten like fire-born snow, Smell the ashes, burnt smoke, ready for the feast and show, The leaves crunch as I ascend from my afternoon delights, Squirrels run across my track, burrowing and following their much-trodden paths, The fruits of the trees fall for their needs, and the ground protects the plunder, As the sky darkens the bonfire lights up the forest,

By Caitlin Bennett

In the centre of the village, the wood lodge cabins encircle, Shadows thrown onto their faces, jerky shapes jolt about in the dark, Our coven. Apple cider being brewed, the cauldrons black from soot, Once copper and glowing, now seasoned with much needing to be cooked, The dwarves are busy lumbering enough logs for the winter, Pass them along, stack them high, but don’t stop heaving the shanty. Equinox tells us there is much to deliver, The children are playing chase within all of the dither, Warned to stay in sight, because of the monsters and ghouls who haunt near, The stars are quite upon us, the fall moon due to be risen, The broomsticks are varnished, the sunflowers bunched, Crows are on the eaves, wolves out for hunt, Black cats adorn the cottages’ steps, and the gatherers come back from their travels, With nightshade and berries, working pomades and jellies, potions aplenty, and apothecaries ready, Fresh loaves are laid out, last of the fruits, roasted vegetables in ceramic dishes,

The cauldrons bubble, and the children laugh, as the moon blesses the sky with riches, She peers her head within our view, and as with every year this is our cue, The dwarves down pickaxe, the witches down broom, In the distance the wolves howl, the journeys conclude, They turn around with their bounty, homeward bound they descend, Cider is drawn and reed instruments strike tune, No musicians needed of course, just the mandolin and bassoon, All the company I need is just myself, you and the moon.

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fashion

fashion editor: Caitlin Bennett

Fashion Week Season

By Tshequa Williams n the fashion world, September can only mean one thing – fashion week season.

Across the capitals, the latest talents in fashion design showcased their collections for Spring/Summer 2024, setting the tone for the new year’s trends and styles. The street style of fashion week audiences often become a spectacle themselves, providing inspiration for the coming season’s vibe. With Paris Fashion Week concluding this year’s SS24 shows, I thought it might be a good idea to spotlight some of the shows and presentations to see what the biggest inspirations for next year’s styles will be.

New York September

Fashion

Week

7th-13th

This year’s NYFW saw the return of Ralph Lauren, who have been absent from the runway since 2019.

As is standard for a Ralph Lauren show, denim was a key feature, but reimagined with florals, embroidery and embellishments to bring an opulent delicateness to the heavier weight of denim. Draped fabrics, chiffon and tulle, along with the added glamour of gold and metallics, ran throughout the collection. The show concluding with a look which

really represents the craft of fashion design – a leather macramé gown with a gold fringe, which according to Harper’s Bazaar, took “15 specialized embroiderers […] over 800 hours of cutting, weaving, and knotting the leather fringe”. In terms of accessories and beauty, ribbons tied into hair, graphic liner, pearlescent eyeshadow, dewy skin, and rhinestones brought glitz and threads of colour to the runways. When you imagine the first rays of sunshine dancing over morning dew, after the long winter, the fresh, shimmery makeup will be a beautiful, fresh trend for the spring.

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London Fashion September

Week

15th-19th

Being my hometown and having been to the event myself in the past, LFW is always the event in the fashion calendar which I look forward to the most. Though I don’t have the word count to go through all my favourite looks, here’s a couple of insights into what went down. >

Vogue World: London – 14th September London Fashion Week began with Vogue World: London, taking place at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, to celebrate the “very best of British culture” and raise money for the arts after the pandemic’s hard blow on the industry. The event is Vogue’s second, taking place in New York last year to mark the publication’s 130th anniversary. The evening included talent from opera, theatre, film and music, with performances from Stormzy, James McAvoy and FKA twigs, and finished with a runway show of the best of the Autumn/Winter 2023 collections.

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fashion

> Molly Goddard took inspiration from Victorian nightwear and vintage undergarments, featuring ruffles, lace, and techniques used in traditional underwear making – used in deconstructed underwear-as-outerwear pieces. Burberry took over Bond Street tube station to rebrand it as ‘Burberry Street’ as part of their campaign.

Their show focused heavily on the signature Burberry trench coat, restyling it with different cuts and styles. Burberry’s bright new signature colour ‘Knight Blue’ was featured throughout the show, subtly in the check of the trenches, or taking a more standout approach as the main feature in some of the looks.

Paris Fashion Week - 25th September - 3rd October PFW is where all of the big fashion houses showcase their collections, so the coverage is always huge. I wanted to focus on Sarah Burton’s last collection for Alexander McQueen, after 26 years at the house. In her departing note, Burton revealed the collection was “inspired by female anatomy, Queen Elizabeth I, the blood red rose and Magdalena Abakanowicz”, featuring stunning anatomical prints and stitches, interlaced with bold bloody florals and aggressive cuts in the fabrics. A stunning end to this era of Alexander McQueen.

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Spotlight on Sarah Jane Burton OBE

By Jasmin Knock

ecently, we saw the end of Paris Fashion Week, during which we were able to witness one of the most emotional collections of the event from Alexander McQueen. After 26 years of service, Alexander McQueen’s Creative Director Sarah Jane Burton presented her final collection, after it was announced in September 2023 that she would be leaving the designer fashion house. Alexander McQueen’s collections have been designed by Sarah Jane Burton since May 2010, when she was named as the new Creative Director, following the death of Alexander McQueen a few months earlier. Sarah Jane Burton first joined the fashion house in 1997, following her graduation. Three years later she was appointed as the ‘Head of Womenswear’, giving her the opportunity to design dresses for high profile women such as Lady Gaga and Gwyneth Paltrow. Notably, one of her most important and career defining moments was her work in creating and designing the wedding dress of Kate Middleton for her marriage to Prince William, on the 29th April 2011. Burton’s work with Kate Middleton and other members of the Royal family contributed to the changing vision of Alexander McQueen, to one that was quintessentially luxury, feminine and British. It was this work that saw Burton appointed as an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) in the Queen’s 2012 birthday honours list, for her service to the British fashion industry.

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Sarah Jane Burton’s designs and collections for Alexander McQueen have changed and developed the fashion >

fashion

14 > industry, with the brand moving from its ‘vivid’, ‘cinematic’ and somewhat controversial designs under McQueen, to a much gentler, feminine and more traditional vision under Burton. Like McQueen, Burton’s designs focused on creating a sense of identity, and regularly took influence from British heritages. This can be seen in her Autumn/Winter collection in 2020, which focused on juxtaposing rigid corsets and harnesses, and soft folklore, inspired by Welsh heritage and culture. Some of the designs in this collection included a number of tulle fantasy dresses and a 4,500-patchwork squared coat. Sarah Jane Burton’s final Spring/Summer 2024 collection for Alexander McQueen, was heavily designed with a dedication to the legacy of McQueen, with many of the designs giving an iconic resemblance to those he had created and designed in the early 2000’s.

Many of pieces of the collection were cut with precision and were noticeably focused on making the female body fierce and aggressive. This is something that Alexander McQueen himself had always served in his shows, with tight-cut corsets to show the female shape. In Burton’s final show, there were also numerous nods to the use of bright red colourful illustrations, something the McQueen had frequently used in his shows, namely in his 2011 collection. From Sarah Jane Burton’s work, it would be impossible to overlook the representation of female empowerment, both from her position as Creative Director, but also from her designs, honouring the legacy of McQueen. Both Alexander and Sarah have changed the industry by empowering the female body, doing so by exhibiting a striking combination of gothic femininity and rigid masculine designs. I hope that we will continue to see this continuing empowerment of femininity through her successor, Seán McGirr.

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Sustainable Fashion Week: The Pro-Planet Alternative

By Caitlin Bennett

ou may have heard of fashion weeks in New York or Paris, but have you heard of the ‘greener, cleaner and fairer’ fashion week, which is ran by a small non-profit company with a list of planet and people friendly pledges and goals? Here’s all you need to know about Sustainable Fashion Week. Sustainable Fashion Week is a show backed by the company A Single Thread, which works to positively benefit the community and the planet, striving to help reverse the damage of the fashion industry. Their goals and pledges are easy to back when you read the shocking facts section on their website, revealing that “39,000 tonnes of clothing each year ends up in the Atacama Desert, 30-50% of all clothing purchased online is returned, [of which only] 50% of returned clothing ever gets resold, and 73% of big brands don’t disclose information about their approach to living wages for their supply chain workers”.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, with online searches for ‘sustainable fashion’ tripling between 2016 and 2019, with 65% of people wanting to know how to mend their clothing and care for their clothes to make them last longer. (Sources cited at www. sustainablefashionweek.uk.) Increased awareness and conversation for sustainable fashion is clearly helping push the fashion industry in the right direction, with people feeling empowered

by organisations like these, so it feels more believable that our individual actions can make a collective difference. They hold a fashion week of their own, with it’s ‘A Single Thread’s Sustainable Fashion Week’, whose sole purpose is to educate, communicate and empower people. This year it took place between September 25th and October 8th online, across the UK, and internationally. Their goals this year were, and are, to promote reworking and purchasing second hand, the programme being jam packed with clothes swaps, pre-loved sales, refurbishing workshops (like sewing, dyeing and pattern-cutting, and empowering talks. Our closest hub to us at the UEA is in London, so if you’re interested for next year, make sure to check online to see if you can get involved with their events. In the London Hub section of the programme there were inspiring ideas for reworking old t-shirts and making them into tote bags, pillowcases, headbands or cutting them up, to crochet with. To engage with the company throughout the year, they have a newsletter which is open to subscriptions, to stay in the loop with their initiatives and achievements. Details of how to contact them, how to donate, or to see all of the facts and stats in this article, visit their website www.sustainablefashionweek.uk.

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film

film editor: Ore Adeyoola

What makes a Scary Film?

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By Lizzie Bray

ince my teenage years, there has always been a thrill at the prospect of watching horror films. A universal experience of sneaking into an over-18 film at the cinema or pleading with your friends’ parents to rent a film at a sleepover. It is a tradition of the seasonal; to celebrate all things spooky, to divulge yourself in the ambiance. The jump scares, the watching-throughyour-fingertips, to the suspenseful yet aggravating, “why would they go in the attic?!”, and the, “of course they would fall over” comments. Paired with bowls of toffee popcorn and pumpkin-flavoured sweet treats, nothing can beat a solid, good horror film. Even the one’s in the “so bad, its good” category (favourites include, the Final Destination series, The Grudge, and Saw). The classics of Nightmare on Elm Street and The Shining are arguably an easy watch. They’re classics for a reason. Do they still send shivers down my spine? Yes, but they hold rank as more of an enjoyable watch. The iconic red and black striped jumper with the claw of Freddy Kreuger, the expressionless Michael Myers mask, to the Chucky Child’s Play theme tune and the blue dresses of the Grady Twins;

they are cornerstones of the horror genre and legendary parts of pop culture.

Most of these films which dominate the genre, flirt between the line of reality and the supernatural. To help yourself sleep at night, you convince yourself to be a sceptic and rationalise the events are impossible. They may have you question the what-ifs but horror films under this bracket are always a far stretch from day-to-day terrors.

The likelihood of a possessed ginger doll in dungarees set on murdering me? Slim. A shapeshifting Clown terrorises the children of my hometown? Improbable.

scratch the perfect-horror-movie-itch. This cocktail is beautifully rendered in: Us, Get Out, and Coraline. Focusing on the latter – albeit an animation, Coraline is without a doubt wasted if you only acknowledge it simply as a children’s film. There is a surface level of great naivety to the genuinely terrifying underbelly of Coraline. The amount of detail and easter eggs, even the elements of using stop motion, this film is severely undervalued.

Psychological thrillers like Don’t Worry Darling teeter more on the edge of terrifying. The possibility of forcefully being put into a simulation by your unhinged boyfriend is not outside the realm of possibility. What with VR and the obsession of escapism via video games, it is justifiable. However, if said unhinged boyfriend is Harry Styles... less so. Some horror films have found a small oasis where the supernatural and reality can survive, creating the ultimate WTF moment. A film like Hereditary is a great watch for this exact reason. A slow build but scenes like the car with Alef Wolff and Milly Shapiro’s characters and the second half with any scene including Toni Collette… if you know, you know. But this still doesn’t reach my top three. There is a certain element that simply doesn’t

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film

SAG-AFTRA Strikes: What does this mean for writers? By Will Muncer The new three-year contract has achieved almost all of the original aims of the strike, with guaranteed pay increases, fairer streaming residuals and protection from AI exploitation. Under the new agreement, streaming services will be expected to pay bonuses for content that does well on their platforma policy safeguarded from abuse by the promise of access to accurate streaming numbers. Also, writers who work in “Writer’s Rooms” are now guaranteed fairer compensation and terms of employment.

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fter one hundred and forty-eight days at the picket line, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) have ended their strike, having come to a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). This move comes after negotiations between the organisations resumed on September 20th, leading to an official end to the strike a week later on the 27th. While the contract has not yet been ratified by a union vote, the boards of both WGA East and West have voted unanimously to recommend the new agreement. In the meantime, writers have been allowed to continue work under the terms of a tentative contract.

As it was such a hot-button issue, it is surprising that the AMPTP conceded to so many of the WGA’s demands around the use of Artificial Intelligence. Production companies are not allowed to pressure writers into using AI as part of their writing practice, nor can they use AI to undermine writer’s credits. Despite WGA’s historic victory, it should be noted that not all current Hollywood labour disputes have been resolved. SAG-AFTRA remains on strike: meaning a number of high-profile projects remain disrupted. However, more and more production companies have agreed to interim contracts with the union and have been allowed to continue production, putting further pressure on the AMPTP to concede to the union’s demands.

The Rise of Black Horror Protagonists By Ore Adeyoola

“If he was black he would never do that”, “Horror movies with black people would be five minutes long”. Growing up, I heard statements like this and many more following the same lighthearted sentiment when watching horror films with my black family and friends. We would cringe as we watched a group of white teenagers mess with a Ouija board – lacking the same superstition and weariness of dark powers we grew up on. Although there have been a few mainstream classic Black horror movies such as Night of the Living Dead that have remained culturally relevant for decades, I was not raised on such films. I’ve had a very western and white outlook on horror. That was, until 2017 when Jordan Peele’s Get Out was released internationally.

I finally saw the appeal in horror.

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Ghosts don’t scare me. Demons, and psychopathic killers do, but their depictions in horror always felt so far-fetched. The cunning psychological horror of Peele’s Get Out affected me in a way difficult to put in words. To this day, I still can’t watch the film without a deep, sinking feeling when Chris begs for his girlfriend Rose to give him his keys. Jordan Peele’s genius and impact in the black horror scene is undeniable. Get Out, Us and Nope are all thought-provoking, genre shaking horror/thriller films. Horror as a genre is plagued with uninspired, trite films that are overrun with tired tropes. Jordan Peele aided in the wave of ‘smart’ horror. It’s impossible to overstate how

important it was that he put black characters at the forefront of this. Black horror film historian Tananarive Due told Nerdist that Jordan Peele’s Get Out taught profit-driven Hollywood studios that black people also enjoy good horror and that white audiences will watch horror films centred around black characters. Its impact is so strong that he runs a class about the film in UCLA. The aftermath of Get Out is that black creatives and creatives of all other backgrounds are no longer discouraged to centre their horror stories around people of colour. We’ve reached a point of change so pivotal that films like horror-comedy The Blackening can poke fun at older horror tropes, like the black character always dying first. Horror enables filmmakers to tell complex stories through allegories and symbolism, making it a surprisingly useful tool for social commentary. Films like Ma and Antebellum, do this to varying degrees of success, so it makes sense that complicated issues like systemic racism and cultural appropriation find a fit in horror. The horror landscape after the work of Jordan Peele proves to me what black film enjoyers have known for a long time – when black people are working behind the scenes, our stories are told in authentic, creative ways. From psychological horror to more classic horror like Talk to Me, it’s so refreshing to see a change in the thought of who can lead a horror film and what changes it entails.

film

Kenneth Branagh takes a Horror Twist in A Haunting in Venice By Will Bale

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or dedicated fans, A Haunting in Venice is a strange name for a Hercule Poirot film. It is not the name of an Agatha Christie novel, though it adapted her 1969 story Hallowe’en Party. Even then, it is only inspired in the vaguest of terms: the novel does not even take place in Venice, nor does its murder play out in any similar way. With its title, however,

A Haunting in Venice has made two things clear: a continued commitment to the bewitching settings that have elevated this series, and the unique horror spin that defines this entry specifically. Atmosphere comes above all else in this instalment; the moonlit streets of Venice lie drenched in rain as Poirot is pressured into joining a séance by mystery author Adriane Oliver, played by Tina Fey – who replaces Bouc as the detective’s sidekick. There, Poirot’s logical attitude to the world around him is combatted tirelessly by the inexplicable interventions of the supernatural and the committing of a murder – the abundance of Dutch angles throughout conveys this unsettled approach, Poirot questioning his beliefs just as he did his morals in Murder on the Orient Express.

Much like Peter Ustinov before him, Kenneth Branagh has carved a unique adaptation of the Poirot character, divorced from Christie’s original.

Fans of previous adaptations (at least the one I have spoken to) may be dismayed by Poirot’s surprisingly open reception to superstition, though the breakthrough in his dismissal contributes well to the film’s dialogue surrounding death, our reactions to it, and of the metaphysical.

Its commitment to atmosphere and introspection has recaptured my love for Orient Express in a way Death on the Nile could not. I look forward to the film’s home release, where I expect I will find an excuse to watch it a dozen more times.

The creative control allowed by Branagh’s loose adaptation works often to the film’s benefit: where the weightless action set pieces of Orient Express feel unnecessary upon both first and fifth viewing, the fights of Venice feel genuine, driven by the high tensions between the suspects and framed by the film’s unstable angles. The same can lessso be said for the film’s use of horror: while some may find genuine frights allowing some suspension of disbelief, others will find great humour in the film’s strange use of at least one parrot jump scare and one woman in what is best described as a Sadako cosplay, evoking a reaction similar to that of 80s B movies. It should be noted that Venice is not a horror film and should not be interpreted solely as much. For myself, the spooky atmosphere was surprisingly successful, the illusion only shattered by the laughs of the horror fanatic three seats to my left in a comic reminder of why one should go to the cinema alone. While Venice is far from perfect, certainly maintaining the weakest cast of its trilogy, it is perhaps the most charming of Branagh’s Poirot to date.

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tv editor: Lucy Potter

Strictly Come Dancing: The Series So Far

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By Matthew Stothard Another Autumn and another series of Strictly Come Dancing (seriously though, can you believe it’s Series 21!). There are few things that have been as much as a constant in my life as Strictly – my family watched it back when The X Factor was the more popular choice. It was even one of the first things I wrote about for Concrete! So as a long-time viewer, here’s my thoughts on the latest series so far!

A few other stand-out moments from the series so far include Layton Williams and Nikita’s Quickstep from Week 2 (my favourite dance and done so well!), Angela and Carlos’ Jive (also from Week 2), and basically anything from Angela Rippon! One lower point though would have to be Shirley giving the first ten of the series to Eddie Kadi and Karen’s Couple’s Choice. It was pretty good, but a 10? Really??

Firstly, who’s taken an early lead? Well, my top pick at the moment would be Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach and Vito. Ellie has probably been the most consistent contestant so far, scoring 29 in Week 1 for an impressive Jive, and following this up with an equally solid Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz.

Anyway, looking ahead to the Final and it’s genuinely hard to predict who will last the distance. There’s often an obvious winner, someone who immediately captures the public imagination, but that doesn’t seem to have been the case this year. The closest I guess would be Angela Rippon, who I could see making the final. If I were to pick three others to join her now, I would probably guess Ellie, Angela Scanlon and maybe Bobby Brazier. I could equally see a route for Layton, although I do worry about the (unwarranted) public criticism of his dance background. Really though, at this stage, it’s anyone’s game!

As for my favourite dance so far, that would have to be Angela Scanlon and Carlos’s Charleston to Who’s Got the Pain from Damn Yankees in Movie Week. It really felt like a quintessential Charleston, with an excellent performance, strong sense of humour and brilliant swivel – even Craig was impressed! If we’re talking about favourite dances though, another shout out must also go to Les Dennis and Nancy’s Samba from Week 2 – he may have been eliminated, but I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at a Strictly performance!

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Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary – A Reflection On What Has Been By Millie Smith-Clare I was raised a Doctor Who child. I bought the magazines, DVDs, even annuals. Although my interest in the show strayed somewhere between Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker’s instalments, I often find myself going back to the earlier seasons when I need a bit of comfort.

The minute New Who landed on Netflix, my sister and I dedicated entire days bingewatching the 2008 Doctor, Donna season – their platonic and comedic chemistry was just off the charts. With our personal favourites being Silence in the Library, Midnight, and Turn Left.

The announcement of Russell T Davies returning to write three instalments for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, with the return of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate reprising her fan-favourite role as companion Donna Noble, sent the Who fanbase into overdrive.

I sob every time at the episode Journey’s End, as Donna pleads Tennant’s Doctor to not erase her memories of travelling in time and space with him. Over Season Four, the audience watch her character shape from a temp completely dissatisfied with her life, to the most important women in the universe. In an instant, she is sent straight back to exactly the same place she started. It all just felt so unbelievably cruel.

Although technically I grew up on Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor, Tennant’s performance as the 10th Doctor will always hold that special place in my heart. His Doctor was so troubled, complexed. My heart breaks every time I watch his regeneration scene as he desperately cries, “I don’t want to go.” Ouch.

Here’s to hoping that Tennant’s Doctor and Tate’s Donna have some well-deserved happiness in store for them on November 23rd! PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Bake Off is Back! By Tshequa Williams

he start of autumn can only mean one thing: the return of The Great British Bake Off to our Tuesday evenings on Channel 4. Although the weather at the moment isn’t really providing the cosy vibes, by the time 8pm rolls around, it’s just cool enough to grab a cup of tea and find out what judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood have chosen to stump the bakers with this week.

challenges seem to be a bit more sensible in comparison to last year’s, which felt harshly judged, too difficult and time restricted for an amateur baking show – but also very savoury with tacos, spring rolls and pizzas.

Season 14 welcomes Alison Hammond as cohost alongside Noel Fielding, replacing Matt Lucas. So far, I feel like Hammond fits well into the format, and I’m hoping that as she settles a bit more into the role, her humorous and bubbly personality will shine through and have us in stitches. Hammond has already provided the nation with many great TV moments in her work on This Morning – such as when she accidentally pushed a man into the Albert Dock, or when she couldn’t stop laughing as she got stuck on a door knob in a caravan. In her time as a contestant in the Bake Off tent for Stand Up To Cancer, she lost the oven door, and made a biscuit police station which Paul Hollywood described as “a little bit like a five-year-old’s been given a load of biscuits to cut out”. In

terms

the

actual

show,

the

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The show was also heavily criticised for cultural appropriation in their ‘Mexican Week’, with sombreros, maracas and tacos – portraying an unrepresentative idea of Mexican cuisine and culture. So far, this year’s challenges have kept things simply baking, including a vertical layer cake, the classic GBBO opening title chocolate and raspberry cake, and an animal-shaped cake for week one, and marshmallow biscuits, custard creams and an ‘illusion biscuit display’ of their favourite meal (slightly odd) for week two. These challenges (apart from that last one) seem to be more on par with what we all want to watch – contestants trying their best at baking something we might be able to attempt, but to a level of perfection most couldn’t achieve at home. It works best when the bakers are challenged with perfecting the basics, rather than having to fiddle around preparing 29 ingredients for some spring rolls. At the time of writing, we have already said goodbye to two contestants, but the remaining 10 are lovely, if not a little too good at baking for things to be running this smoothly by week 3. Still, this year has been a joy to watch so far – so happy watching and baking!

Why Inside No 9’s Live Episode Doesn’t Work on Catch-Up By Lucy Potter

I’m not the biggest fan of the horror genre. I get scared far too easily for most horror films and TV shows. I especially don’t like jumpscares, though I’m usually okay with gore and the more graphic side of things. This is why I surprised myself by enjoying Inside No. 9, the black comedy series created by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. Each episode tells a different story, utilising different horror and comedy tropes to entice the audience into its twisting narratives. Most notably, almost every episode features an unexpected plot twist. Back in 2018, at the end of the show’s fourth series, the writers announced that they would create a special episode, which would be broadcast live on the night of Halloween. It was later moved to Sunday 28th October, to accommodate BBC Two’s schedules. The episode was titled “Dead Line”, which at first appeared to tell a regular story akin to the other episodes. However, as the episode played out, it became apparent that there was something else interfering with the broadcast. Now, I was lucky enough to not watch the episode when it was originally broadcast; I was fortunately too young at the time. I have since watched it after growing fond of the earlier episodes. As ground-breaking as its live format may have been, perhaps it’s just not my type of programming. Instead of the witty, thought-out horror and plot twists of the other, more preferable episodes, this one favours rather cheap jumpscares and haunting faces.

I can draw comparisons with what I think is the pinnacle of Inside No 9’s cunning: “Sardines”, the very first episode. The way the narrative unfolds in this is so particular and brilliant, brought to life by the mismatched celebrity cast. Being the first episode, it introduces the themes of the series perfectly, and the twist at the end is so unexpected it sets the course for the show. Of course with a live episode, the format will be different and therefore the narrative will develop in a different way. And Pemberton and Shearsmith definitely took advantage of the live format, which helped with the initial shock factor. And I mustn’t neglect that this was also a Halloween episode, which in itself promises a much scarier performance for the audience, which I admit is not usually my kind of thing. I shouldn’t ignore the many positive parts of this episode too. It is one of the most highly commended episodes of the show, and fans at the time praised its groundbreaking style. The way that the plot twists are woven into the narrative is incredibly well-thought out. Pemberton and Shearsmith draw upon the conventions of live television, and use them to break the audience’s expectations. One major element of the episode is that it appears to all go wrong, which turns out to be part of the narrative. Within the first ten minutes, the show is riddled with technical difficulties, which at the time were very believable for the audience: around 20% of the audience reportedly stopped watching before the issues were revealed to be intentional. These cutaways

to the BBC Two continuity announcer help to push the plot forwards, which actually centres around the idea of the television studio being haunted. Other elements of live TV are also played with in the episode, with Pemberton and Shearsmith watching the broadcast in their dressing room, and Shearsmith sending out a Tweet during the show. At the time of broadcast, this would have tricked audiences and immersed them more into the narrative as it played out. However, when watching this episode without the context of a live broadcast: the authentic continuity announcer at the start, the ability to follow along and discuss the show as it happens in real time on social media; the impact of the plot falls rather short. It leaves a more bare bones narrative for the audience to unpick, instead of incorporating all the elements that the original audience had to play with, meaning that we are now left with a carcass of what once was with the episode. Despite these faults, I did enjoy the wit of Shearsmith and Pemberton’s writing, and upon researching the history of the broadcast, the episode became far more interesting. Although “Dead Line” still has all the horror of its original showing, it remains a relic of the past, something that can never be experienced like it was back in October 2018.

PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH

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music editor: Lily Taylor

A soundtrack to romanticise the autumnal days

PHOTO CREDIT: ADOBE SPARK PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH

By Millie Smith-Clare I love autumn – a pretty basic statement I know. However, the minute the long September nights draw to a peaceful end, I begin to embody autumn. I drown myself in every possible essence of the season – painting my nails dark cherry red, digging out my chunky knit jumpers, and settling into the early nights with my yearly autumnal comfort watch, When Harry Met Sally. Whether you are going on a stroll around campus, having a cosy day in baking or studying in a café – to further embody and welcome the autumn months, a soundtrack is absolutely the perfect way to get you in the spirit. And if autumn had the ability to be encapsulated in music, the songs mentioned in this article are the perfect contenders. To start off with – why not grab a pair of headphones, and go for an autumnal walk to help romanticise the colder days. The first two songs I have selected evoke the feeling of watching the first signs of the changing autumn landscape. Iron & Wine’s Autumn Town Leaves gentle folk nature aligns perfectly with taking a walk through the woods watching the crisp orange leaves drop from the towering trees. Most of Hozier’s music sounds like autumn to me, his beautiful lyricism is earthy, often singing about nature in his deep yet gentle tones. Released this year, Unknown / Nth feels like picking

blackberries from a hedgerow – watching as the berries stain your fingertips in deep purple. With the sky often containing the same shade of grey this time of year, running daily errands whether that’s around campus or in the city can often feel drab or mundane – so why not spice it up with some main character energy. As mentioned previously, I am an absolute sucker for When Harry Met Sally. The film’s soundtrack is dripping with Smooth Jazz from the likes of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Although not featured on the soundtrack, Stormy Weather by Etta James neatly continues the atmosphere of making you feel as if you’ve stepped straight out of a Nora Ephron romcom. The staple sapphic autumn anthem we fell in love in october by girl in red will also help in creating the soundtrack to your own individual indie Coming-of-Age film as you dart about campus. Autumn is the perfect time to dive into the Dark Academia aesthetic. Studying with piles of books in the library or with a black americano in a coffee shop window can be heightened with a fitting playlist. Florence Welch’s lyrical poetry is abundant with feelings of Dark Academia, which is particularly present in Florence + the Machine’s most recent 2022 album Dance Fever. Drawing upon mythology, the Gothic, Medieval history,

and art – Dance Fever was inspired by a 1518 plague which caused citizens in Strasbourg to erratically dance. The first single from the album, King, conjures up the much needed Gothic atmosphere for October.

“Unknown / Nth feels like picking blackberries from a hedgerow – watching as the berries stain your fingertips in deep purple.” Alongside the arrival of colder months, is the arrival of frequently rainy days – and what a perfect excuse for a cosy day in with scented candles or an autumnal baking session. Aptly named Apple Pie, Lizzie McAlpine’s song feels like drinking a warming cup of tea as you wait for something to slowly bake in the oven. Golden Brown by The Stranglers also embraces the mellow sentiments of autumn, which makes the perfect listening as you curl up by the window watching the rain pour. Whether you welcome October with open arms or a groan, romanticising your days with an autumnal playlist is a lovely way to ease into the season.

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Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS: A Gen Z Pop-Rock Treat

PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH

By Matthew Stothard When I first heard vampire, the first single from Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album GUTS, back in June, I thought it was objectively the best song of the year so far. The artistry behind it – the clever lyrics, complex composition, and punchy instrumentation – seemed to me beyond compare. Then in August bad idea right? was released, and this was when I became really excited! It draws on similar vibes to SOUR’s brutal, one of my favourite songs from that album, but with a strong dose of humour injected into it. The lyrics are impressively witty, with the line ‘I’m sure I’ve seen much hotter men/But I really can’t remember when’ particularly making me laugh on first listen! Couple that with an excellent beat, a fun poprock energy and a killer guitar solo, and I had a new favourite song! That status didn’t last long though, as the release of GUTS brought a whole wave of songs to overtake it! Starting with allamerican bitch, which contrasts blissful acoustic verses with an attitude-laden rocky chorus and bridge, it is clear that this is an album which combines serious messages (this song focusing on the expectations on women in society) with a fun musical time! A particular highlight of the song is the screams in the bridge – playful, honest and setting the tone for the frustration to come. After the singles (and a quick mention

to the transition between all-american bitch and bad idea right? which is sublime) comes lacy, which is different to everything else on the album and is one of its highlights. Relaxed in its tempo with stunning hits of production, it lyrically presents the theme of jealousy in a really interesting way, almost as a love song with a strong scornful undertone. It is followed by ballad of a homeschooled girl, which despite me not being homeschooled or a girl, is certainly the song I most relate to on the record (when she shouted ‘I know I know’ she did not need to call me out like that!). The next two songs are probably the most heart-wrenching. making the bed looks at the realisation you might be responsible for the problems in your life, with a specific focus on the consequences of fame for Olivia. This is followed by logical, which explores the idea that love can blind you to the worst of relationships, hence ‘love is never logical.’ The lyrics in this song are particularly strong, with the bridge being shocking in its frankness and concluding on the ultimate tragedy that, much like in making the bed, the narrator had the power to escape but didn’t use it. Then come my two most listened tracks. get him back!, the album’s third single, lifts the mood straight back up with a nostalgic, anthemic sound and lots more funny moments. Following this is

my favourite song on the album, love is embarrassing. With its driving beat, bouncy rhythm and fun vocal inflections, it explores the universal reality that love is actually pretty embarrassing, all over a chorus melody which is frankly genius.

“The artistry behind it the clever lyrics, complex composition, and punchy instrumentation - seemed to me beyond compare.” GUTS rounds out with the grudge, pretty isn’t pretty and teenage dream, which are probably my least favourite songs on the record but are still undeniably very strong album tracks. Olivia Rodrigo is the quintessential Gen Z songwriter. She is honest, selfreflective and recognizes her faults whilst also acknowledging she doesn’t always fix them. She then balances this with humour to comment on the highs and lows in her life. GUTS is a truly excellent album which reflects all these qualities through some outstanding songwriting.

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Doja Cat: Has the rapper gone too far? releasing Hot Pink, Doja was a certified pop superstar. Every song on the tracklist had an accompanying TikTok trend and the album got a lot of people through the scary days of the COVID-19 lockdown. This period saw Doja enter another round of controversies. Her online presence came back to bite when fans found her on TinyChat using racial slurs in an online room full of white men. When the clips surfaced I got deep second-hand embarrassment, watching my idol flaunt lingerie for a bunch of inches on a lonely corner of the internet. The jokes she was making in this chat room are straight out of the controversial online message board 4chan, which has a worrying comfortability with shock and offence as a form of comedy.

By Ore Adeyoola

Doja has since claimed all her music before Scarlet were cash-grabs and cheap pop. At the same time, she erected a clear barrier between herself and her fans, openly stating on Twitter/X that she didn’t “love” them. This series of events caused Doja to lose hundreds of thousands of followers in a matter of days. Although it makes sense that Doja can’t necessarily “love” the PHOTO CREDITS: UNSPLASH millions of people who listen to her music, the brutal way she delivered the message turned many fans away.

I have a complicated relationship with Doja Cat. I have been listening to her music for five years now, and her talent is undeniable. I loved watching someone so in touch with internet culture and her fans come up and find mainstream success. Naturally, when Doja first started entering controversies I was one of her biggest defenders. I wanted to believe in her, admittedly I felt like I knew her. The personal relationship that developed between her and her fans lured me into a false sense of closeness- her weekly Instagram lives felt like an intimate FaceTime call, and not the one-way parasocial relationship it was. Over the past six months - coinciding with the chaotic rollout of her fourth studio album Scarlet - I have entered disillusionment. Doja Cat is a complicated, flawed individual - she is human after all but her antics have now reached a peak of absurdity that I can no longer support or defend in good conscience. Doja started making music at the young age of seventeen. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that she made some controversial choices in her early career. So when Doja Cat blew up overnight in 2018 with her viral sensation Mooo! These controversies were quickly swept aside and forgotten. This is when I became a solid fan. Doja. Her effortlessly fun and catchy music resonated with a fifteen-year-old me. As a nerdy black girl who spent a lot of her time online, it was cool seeing a celebrity everyone loved being into the same things I was and referencing memes from the same circles I frequented. She didn’t remain my secret for long. After

“I wanted to believe in her, admittedly I felt like I knew her.” On the 7th of October, 2023, Doja posted a selfie wearing Sam Hyde merch. Sam Hyde is a ‘comedian’ with fascist views. It is not an exaggeration to call him a neo-Nazi. As a person of half-African, half-Jewish descent it is confusing why she would endorse such a character, but unfortunately, it’s not necessarily surprising. Doja dances the line between what is ‘edgy humour’ and what is flat-out offensive. She associates far too closely with dodgy characters like her boyfriend, J. Cyrus. This internet troll turned popstar can’t seem to separate her public self from her online self and as the lines blur, the true nature of her beliefs begin to be revealed.

w/c oct 23 The Black Parade: 00s Emo Anthems Halloween Party - 27th October, THE BRICKMAKERS For lovers of old school emo bands such as My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Pierce The Veil, and more, the UK’s biggest emo night (but Halloween edition) is returning to Norwich. Spooky A-List - 28th October, THE LCR If you want an extra excuse to dress up, or can’t make it to the LCR on the 31st, this Spooky A-List is for you! PHOTO CREDIT: TSHEQUA WILLIAMS

w/c oct 15

Skool Disco - 17th October, THE LCR Re-live the nostalgia of a classic school disco. Tickets available on the SU website! Ballet Black: Pioneers - 20th October, NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL Blends classical ballet, music and poetry, inspired by Nina Simone and Adrienne Rich. Tilted Women - 22nd October, NORWICH ARTS CENTRE Discussions of the representations of women in art, Mythology and literature. Pay what you can!

w/c oct 30 Halloween at The LCR - 31st October, THE LCR Dress up for a spooky, thrilling evening this Halloween! UEA Burlesque Society: Trick or Tease - 31st October, NORWICH ARTS CENTRE 18+ show full of ‘devilish fun’! QUIZ: The Coughing Major Millionaire Scandal 31st Oct - 4th November, NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL £5 off tickets for under 25’s (on certain performances only).

w/c nov 6

Sports Night - 8th November, The LCR Sports Night is back every Wednesday for members of a sports society (or for mates of someone who is). Autumn Lights Fireworks - 11th November, NORFOLK SHOWGROUND The safest and most responsible way to enjoy fireworks is at a public event like this one. Featuring a DJ, funfair, street food, and of course, fireworks! Tickets are £12.50, although a little further out of the city, so you will have to drive in.

chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients: • 125g cold unsalted butter • 100g light brown sugar • 75g white granulated sugar • 300g chocolate chunks (any type!) • 300g plain flour • 1.5 tsp baking powder • 0.5 tsp of bicarbonate of soda • a pinch of salt • 1 large egg • 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

1. In a bowl, break up the butter a little, and add both sugars. Mix until it forms into little nuggets. 2. Add the chocolate chips and mix only until combined (do not whip). 3. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, mix (again just until combined - should be in a breadcrumb texture) 4. Add the eggs (and vanilla if using), pre-whisked so that the mixture isn’t mixed too much. Combine until it comes together as a dough. 5. Portion around 120g per cookie, simply patting the cookies into 9-12 loosely combined balls. 6. Freeze for around an hour, then bake straight onto a preheated baking tray at 180ºc fan / 200ºC for 15-18 minutes until slightly golden (they will be squishy still). 7. Once out, leave them to cool on the tray for around 20-30 minutes (they’ll keep on cooking). Enjoy! If you leave them in the freezer, they can also be cooked from frozen - so you can eat cookies on demand! Just cook for an extra few minutes. (adapted from recipes from Cupcake Jemma and Jane’s Patisserie)

what’s on

PHOTO CREDIT: THE MET, PUBLIC DOMAIN