2010/11 Welcome Week by Exeposé

Exeposé is your free, student-run newspaper. Published fortnightly, you can pick up a copy from halls, libraries and Students’ Guild buildings. Welcome to Exeter: Comment, P 7

Exeposé

Welcome Week 2010 Issue 568 www.exepose.com

Free Photo: Henry White

The view between the library and Devonshire House as students return to Exeter in September. The Forum Project is due to be completed by December 2011.

£48m Forum Project gets underway Project to provide hub for student support services Part of a £275m investment in Streatham Campus

Ellie Busby News Editor

Building work for the £48m Forum Project has now officially begun in the centre of campus. This is just one of many projects involved in the £275m three year investment programme at the University. The Forum building will deliver retail and catering outlets, a 400

seat lecture theatre, a refurbished library, a landscaped piazza, and an increase in seminar rooms and student services will become available. It should be finished by the end of 2011. Since students left for their summer vacation, it is evident that the work has started in earnest on the Forum Project. Renovations have begun in and around the library. The entrance has been moved to the rear of the building, whilst the former entrance frontage and bridge have been demolished. Two large cranes have been installed onto the site, and work is already underway on the foundations for the new lecture theatre and auditorium. The refurbishment of the bottom floor of the library (level -1) is at the halfway

stage, and should be re-opened in January 2011. The services for students should not be greatly affected. However the library staff will increasingly operate in a new way, where they will patrol the floors offering help to students where they need it, in order to reduce the need for them to queue at a central point. The ReadyText service will still be available, but it will be located in the Amory building’s law library, and will remain there until the end of the project. Jo Cole, Communications Officer, told Exeposé: “Work has been progressing well on the Forum Project over the summer holidays with the contractors Sir Robert McAlpine making good progress. Everything is currently going to plan.”

Students seem concerned about the works taking place in the library and the effect it will have on their study. A second year history student said: “The library is such a central part to any student’s life. Most students spend a lot of time there studying, researching and revising. I am concerned that resources will be severely reduced and the noise from the building works will disturb my academic study over the next two crucial years.” The Forum Project team are working hard to make sure disturbance to students is kept to a minimum. Jo Cole said, “We have listened to feedback from users and are currently working to improve our signage to assist students on campus. This includes a ‘Library

Noise Check’ in the Main Library to help students plan if and when they may wish to use alternative places of study and alternative PC clusters.” There are many other building projects taking place on campus, including the construction of halls of residence in Lafrowda and Birks Grange, works on the Business School and the new complex for international students, the INTO project. These works have made access around campus even more complicated. There are currently around 800 construction staff working across the Streatham campus working hard to ensure the campus can provide excellent facilities for the 21st century.

Exeposé

The Exeter student newspaper

Exeposé, Cornwall House, St German’s Rd, Exeter, Devon, EX4 6TG (01392) 263513

Comment P 7 Welcome to Exeter, plus PGU President Gary McLachlan looks back on his Welcome Week experiences.

Lifestyle P 10-14 Warns you about the five freshers’ fiascos, and gives you the definitive guide to Exeter city centre’s pubs, shops and clubs: all you need is your compass. P 16-17

Music

Speaks to Johnny Flynn - the young Brit leading the nation’s folk revival.

Sport

P 26-8

Josh Belsher, the new AU President, explains to workings of Exeter sport, whilst Clare Mullins reviews a record-breaking Wimbledon summer. Editors Tristan Barclay & Andrew Waller editors@exepose.com

Deputy Editors Rachel Bayne & Jennifer Seymour depeds@exepose.com

News Editors Ellie Busby & Charlie Marchant news@exepose.com

Features Editors Columba Achilleos-Sarll & Anna-Marie Linnell features@exepose.com

Lifestyle Editors Laura Le Brocq & Clare Mullins lifestyle@exepose.com

Music Editors Ellie Bothwell & Ben Murphie music@exepose.com

Books Editors James Henderson & Jacob Moffatt books@exepose.com

Screen Editors Calum Baker & David Brake screen@exepose.com

Arts Editors Rosie Scudder & Ellie Steafel arts@exepose.com

Video Games Editors Steve O’Nion & Alice Scoble-Rees games@exepose.com

Sports Editors Alexander Cook & Andy Williams sport@exepose.com

Photography Editor Henry White photo@exepose.com

Advertising Stuart Smith S.C.G.Smith@exeter.ac.uk (01392) 722432 The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.

Welcome week 2010

News

Exeposé

Exeter Raggies scale Everest for Macmillan Cancer Support

Aaron

Ellie Busby & Charlie Marchant - news@exepose.com

Photo: Henry White

Campus Cinema recognised nationally

Jason Ham Senior reporter

FILM buffs in Exeter are celebrating after Campus Cinema was nominated to win a national award. The BFFS (British Federation of Film Societies) recognises the excellence of groups delivering film to communities across the country in their annual awards ceremony. Campus Cinema entered six categories, including best film programming and film society of the year. The group has been short-listed for at least one award. However, at the time of going to press it is not known for which category the society has been nominated. The criteria for nominations were an understanding of the society’s audience, encompassing their wants and needs with regards to film tastes, a steadfast commitment to providing best value for money for their paid membership and a community-oriented outlook and strategy. Campus Cinema, formerly known as CinSoc, faced financial hardship last year and were significantly in debt. However, changes made to its branding and programming won them ‘the most improved society’ at the society awards in June. Before heading to the ceremony Jamie McMeekin, former President of Campus Cinema, told Exeposé: “To be short-listed is recognition enough of Campus Cinema’s many

A happy ending for Campus Cinema’s 2009/10 committee illustrious accomplishments, and I couldn’t be more proud of this great society. “This is testament to the hard work and devotion invested by the 2009/10 committee which we are certain shall be continued - surpassed, even - by our successors.” Current Presidents David Brake

More league table success

Paul Williams

THE University of Exeter has once again been ranked in the top ten for student satisfaction. The league table, compiled by the National Student Survey, placed the University in sixth position once private universities were excluded. Exeter’s percentage score remains the same as last year at 90%.

Other league tables rank Exeter’s position slightly lower, but the place in the top ten seems fairly unanimous. Professor Janice Kay, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “It’s very good news to once again be rated in the top ten for student satisfaction.” This consistent performance comes as a reassurance after Exeter recently slipped out of the top ten in the Times Good Uni-

and Katherine Hyland added: “We face tough competition but we think we could win some awards for Campus Cinema. We’re very happy to be acknowledged for our efforts and achievements.” The ceremony took place after going to press at London’s Institut Français on Saturday September

18. Outgoing President Jamie and Vice-Presidents Oli Carey and Steph Richards attended, along with projectionist Nick Keen and current President David Brake. To find out which award Campus Cinema was nominated for, and whether they won, log onto http:// www.bffs.org.uk/awards

versity Guide 2010. Jonnie Beddall, Guild President, said: “Exeter’s special; it’s not like other Universities, and we know it.” Highlighting the “Exeter Experience” he continued: “The overwhelming pride most students identify with Exeter isn’t something you can easily put your finger on.” However, whether league table results are a deciding factor for students applying to the Univeristy is less clear. One first year student admitted: “I came to Exeter without

having looked at anything - league tables, jobs after graduation - anything. But I suppose it makes me proud.” Another student, due to start this year, said: “I chose Exeter because it has the best Arabic department in the country. I didn’t really look much further than that.” It remains to be seen how the £275 million investment programme for Streatham campus will affect future student satisfaction rankings. For now though, Exeter’s students can be satisfied with the top 10.

Exeposé Welcome week 2010 Photo: Henry White

Guild top in the country

Honoury degree

Deborah Meaden, best known for her role in BBC series ‘Dragons’ Den’, was awarded the honour by Floella Benjamin, Chancellor of the University. Meaden made her fortune by growing the family business, Exeterbased Weststar Holidays, before selling the firm for £33 million. Top lawyer Fiona Shackleton, Exeter University graduate and personal solicitor to Prince William and Prince Harry, will also receive the honour.

Guild initiatives recognised by NUS award

Changes to Sab roles following review

Hannah Sweet Senior reporter

EXETER STUDENTS’ GUILD has recently won two national awards. The Guild was awarded the NUS Higher Education Students’ Union of the Year at the start of summer, before going on to win a silver award in the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI). The Guild were confirmed as the UK’s best Students’ Union of the year at a ceremony in Coventry on Thursday July 1. Exeter Students’ Guild stood out from other unions due to its focus on student feedback. This was proven through extension of library opening hours and short term loans, the removal of exam charges for Business students and compensation for disrupted halls residents. Student consultation was also key to the review of the Guild Sabbatical roles. Jonnie Beddall, Guild President, told Exeposé: “Exeter won Higher Education Students’ Union of the

University full

“The team delivered for students.” Sun shines on the Exeter’s Student Guild.

Year award because of the blood, sweat and tears of the sabbatical team last year. In short, with Rich’s ‘baby’ - Exelets, Marte’s Chinese New Year and Taffy’s hugely impressive Teaching Awards, the team delivered for students.” The Guild joined the SUEI, an assessment model which helps student unions to improve their services and activities, back in May 2008. The initiative provides a framework for continuous improvement, and Exeter is one of just six out of 66 member universities to have gained a silver award for its progress.

When referring to the SUEI, Beddall said, “It’s been a ruthless process, but one that we needed. The Guild’s fundamentally changed its practice and organisation to better

“It’s been a ruthless process, but one that we needed.”

Jonnie Beddall, Guild President

serve students. The Senior Management Team have taken many bold decisions about the direction of the

Guild over the last few years, and achieving Silver SUEI is stark recognition of their incredible contribution to the Guild we have today.” It is thought that their effective strategies and student-focussed campaigns, which were created as part of the SUEI and recognised by the NUS, have led to real progress within the Guild. Beddall added: “It’s actually quite daunting for the team this year to emulate this achievement, but we’re confident we can better their record and make campus the dynamic place it should be.”

New charges for students involved in music

Ellie Busby News Editor

AN ANNUAL charge for music office facilities and services will be introduced this academic year. From this autumn students will be required to take out a basic membership for music, similar to the Sports Office model where all AU clubs that use the university facilities pay an annual charge. This new charge has become necessary in order to meet the demands of an ever-expanding music department. Additional income will be needed to service the facilities and provide students with quality services. Marion Wood, Director of Music, said, “The investment in the music programme has not kept pace with the demand for the services and facilities provided. There has been a fourfold increase in the number of students involved in Music.” The University recently invested £2m for new facilities in Kay House building. These new resources will consist of five large spaces, with various acoustics, lighting and stag-

News

ing setups, a 24hr soundproof band practice room, an extraordinary concert grand piano, a cabaret space, a traditional bar and an open mic stage. Kay House building will be finished by December 2010 and it will become available to students from January 2011. With the new building in place, the music department will have increased their facilities by more than fourfold so the annual fee will be required to ensure the new resources are maintained well and students get the best possible use from the building. With regards to Kay House, Marion Wood added, “We want to be able to provide expert guidance, keep facilities in good condition, provide a fair and dependable booking system, maintain instruments and replace damaged equipment. For this we need an increase in staffing hours to ensure we can provide a good service.” Chris Gardiner, second year music scholar, said, “I am happy to pay the annual fee, as I think Kay house will benefit the students greatly. I am looking forward to having more practice rooms and better facilities

available.” The present proposal is to charge £30 for a full year (roughly £10 a term.) This will be discounted

for the 2010/11 year to £25 (for a student paying termly) as the new building will not be ready in September.

The charges have been set to pay for the up-keep and improvement of services.

The University is one of the few UK institutions that decided not to enter the UCAS clearing process this year. Applications were closed off from UK candidates as the University had filled its quota of UK students who receive a government subsidy to study there. Clearing places were still available for overseas students. This is the first year that Exeter has filled all its available places for UK students due to its popularity amongst school-leavers.

Stig Exeter graduate It has been confirmed that Top Gear’s enigmatic racing driver is Ben Collins, a University of Exeter law graduate of 1997. It would seem that Collins is unlikely to return to television screens as the motoring show’s mysterious driver now that his identity has been unmasked so publicly. Lawyers have warned that secrecy was essential to his role in the programme. Over the series, there has been a great deal of speculation and suspicions that the Stig’s alter ego was Collins, but finally we can be sure that he is the man behind the helmet. Photo: Henry White

welcome week 2010

News

Photo: Exeter RAG

RAG takes on Everest for Macmillan Cancer Support Ross Pinnegar

Exeter students have trekked to the base camp at Mount Everest to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Starting in June, it took the 12 students from Exeter’s RAG a month to complete their expedition as they hiked to altitudes in excess of 17000 ft (5180 m). The students managed to raise over £12000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. At heights such as those reached by the RAG members, it can take several weeks to acclamatise. Altitude sickness often means that a third of a party will drop out before completing a trek. However, all of the Exeter team managed to complete the trip safely. Emma Payne, RAG Officer for 2010-11 and a member of the Everest team, said: “Climbing Everest with the team has been an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. It was challenging at times, especially battling the altitutude, but actually making it to base camp proved our hard work had paid off.” The event was organised by RAG International Event Co-ordinators Rose Bailey and Sam Johnson. The Everest team, all selected by interview, also arranged car boot sales, quizzes, and club nights in order to raise the money for the expedition to go ahead. The venture succeeded in providing one of the biggest donations for Macmillan in the South West for several years. After suffering a number of rigorous training sessions throughout last term, the team set off for Nepal, which is on the south eastern side of Everest. They arrived at Lukla Air-

port, also known as the Tenzing-Hillary Airport after the first two climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and then set off towards the base camp with their guide, Ram. The team’s final destination stands at an altitude of 17590 ft, a test for even the fittest of climbers, and the trek up took the team nine days to complete, travelling for a short period each day in order to acclimatise to the high altitude. Considerable care was taken in order for everyone to safely negotiate the ascent. As the expedition took place during the low (or monsoon) season, there were few others on the mountain, with an apparently rather sad looking base camp, identifiable only by a sign drawn onto a rock in felt tip pen. However, this did nothing to spoil the spectacular scenery that is in such abundance in the region. Although the climb didn’t quite take the Exeter team to the summit of Everest, which stands at a formidable 29029 ft, the gruelling 100 mile trek provided a challenging experience for the team. “The RAG international event is an opportunity for anyone to make some fantastic friends and to challenge themselves, whilst raising money and awareness for worthwhile causes,” Payne said. Information on next year’s RAG international event is available from the office in Cornwall House.

Raggies who made the trek Rose Bailey Sam Johnson Seb Descrettes Emma Payne Mike Emery Joe Postle

Chantalle Thomson James Mckeag Alex Robinson Jazz Wilson Jess Over George Miller

Exeposé

Exeter Raggies: when they were only half way up, they were neither up nor down.

A midsummer night’s ball Sophie Broom EXETER graduates celebrated their achievements in style this year at a lavish ball held in Westpoint Arena. Over 1800 students attended the event on July 17. Students were greeted with an array of amusements, including stilt walkers, a hog roast and a champagne tent. They were also able to enjoy themselves into the night at the ball’s very own fairground. The theme of this year’s ball, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was reflected both in the arena’s stylish decoration and in the creation of a secluded forest area. Official photographers were also on hand to provide graduates with the opportunity to take home some lasting memories of their final ball.

However, it was not just the ball’s attractions and decorations which made the night as the musical performance from Floella Benjamin, Chancellor of the University and Master of Ceremonies at the graduation, was considered a high point by many.

“It was a really great way to end the year.” Gemma Richens, FATO.

Gemma Richens, last year’s Finance Activities and Trading Officer (FATO), said: “It was a huge success, the theme worked really well and the venue looked incredible. The highlight for me was Floella Benjamin - people were astonished that she was greeting them on stage in the day and rocking the stage at night.” Campus building work had previously caused some issues when

deciding the location and organisation of the graduation ceremony itself, and therefore ball tickets were sold at a reduced cost as a gesture of gratitude to the students for their patience and support. Richens added: “As half the ticket price was funded, it was so nice to see so many people at the event having fun. It was a really great way to end the year.” Not only did the ball hail the success of the graduates’ academic achievements, but also lauded their fundraising legacy. The class of 2010, led by a student committee and the University’s Development and Alumni Relations Office, had chosen to raise funds for the refurbishment of the Ram Bar. The £1000 combined donation was presented to the Chancellor by Bertie Archer, VP Academic Affairs, prompting a storm of applause. Their efforts will be recognised in the newly-renovated Ram.

Exeposé is looking for writers Do you want to experience the world of student journalism?

Welcome Week events in the M&D Room:

We need writers to report the news, write our features, review the shows, and even take some pictures.

What is Exeposé? Tuesday 28, 12-1

Come and find us at:

Our Welcome Week events

The Activities Fair (the Squash)

Our office, behind the big blue doors in Cornwall House on Streatham Campus.

Come and see the work we do

Meet the editors Wednesday 29, 1-2

News, Sport, Features and Photography

Meet the editors Thursday 30, 12-1

Lifestyle, Music, Books, Screen, Arts and Video Games

Find us at the Activities Fair (the Squash) in Cornwall House, or contact editors@exepose.com

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Exeposé welcome week 2010

Comment Tristan Barclay & Andrew Waller - editors@exepose.com

Exeposé

The Exeter Student Newspaper

Welcome to the University of Exeter Welcome to Exeter University from Exeposé, Exeter’s independent student paper. You’re joining a great university. Exeter is going through a transitional period at the moment: cosmetically, academically and socially, but it’s a seminal moment in the institution’s history and an exciting time to be a student here. The ongoing building works are a pain, particularly as Exeter was once the most beautiful campus in the country (some of us remember it.) The mud and disruption were the basis of many articles in Exeposé last year and undoubtedly will continue to be so this year. But despite this, the change is necessary for us to be able to compete as a higher education institution both nationally and internationally. Besides, most of you joining now should be benefiting from the brand-new facilities by the time you complete your degrees. It cannot have escaped your eyes that Exeter has been moving up the league tables in recent years. Happily, it also seems to be consolidating its newfound position near the top of the league tables. This can only be good news for us students as a higher league table position increases the credibility of an Exeter degree in the eyes of potential employers. Student satisfaction here is high and the University is filling its lecture theatres with ease. Whilst many higher education establishments saw budgets slashed after Government spending cuts last, Exeter saw its budget increase. It looks like Exeter is really developing into one of the

top higher education institutions in the country. Tuition fees are perhaps the most worrying topic for students at the moment. Lord Browne’s committee on funding for higher education is due to report soon and it looks likely that the cap is going to come off tuition fees which, for the majority of us, means an even larger amount of debt in the future. Exeposé will be keeping a close eye on this but, if you’re worried about funding, make sure your voice is heard. The NUS organised some pretty shabbily attended protests last year that seemed to attract few students and lots of rain. Please get involved. Exeposé is meant to represent the entire student community so please get in touch with your opinions. If your thoughts are brief and (preferably) amusing send us a letter. If you’ve got something more to say, get in touch with the relevant section editors and send us an article. Any questions, just ask. In the meantime, have a great Welcome Week as these really are going to be seven of the best days of your life. From the Athletic Union taster sessions and surf trips, to the RAG charity raids and acting workshops, there are events for everyone, and the evenings out with new hall mates are sure to be memorable, particularly if you let the Welcome Team keep you safe. Remember to keep reading for your fix of Exeter news and debate, and we hope that your time at Exeter is enhanced by the efforts of this newspaper.

Disclaimer: This Welcome Week edition of Exeposé was sent to press on Friday September 10. Whilst all care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of its content, please be aware that any changes in circumstances between this date and Welcome Week cannot be reflected in this newspaper. Thanks to those who helped proof this issue: Calum Baker, Alice Scoble-Rees, Henry White, Steve O’Nion, Laura Le Brocq, Anna-Marie Linnell, Ross Pinnegar, Isabel Stoddart, Jake Griffiths-Birnie and Joy Taylor

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A postgrad Welcome Week

A new student three times over, and still living the dream.

Gary McLachlan PGU President

I’ve been a ‘new’ student at three Welcome Weeks at Exeter – as an undergraduate, a Masters student and as a Research student, meaning I’ve been a ‘starting’ postgrad for twice as many – so what is a ‘welcome week’ to postgraduates? It’s probably not the lash and banter – been there, done that, threw up on the t-shirt... For postgraduates it’s more about meeting new friends who you can remember the next day; since most of us don’t get the readymade friends of hall or course, it’s a time to meet new people outside

our (often narrow) speciality and find common interests outside of academia. Even a year-long Masters course can last an eternity if you’ve noone to talk to – that was a mistake I made; having come back I figured I already knew everything, and didn’t need to take part – needless to say if I had that year over again I’d change that first week! If you don’t think the PGU is the place for you, there are always societies, sports or volunteering to keep you busy, and any of them will help you make contact with a world outside of journals and textbooks. The last Welcome Week doesn’t really count as ‘new’ of course –

as a part of the Welcome Team I spent most of my time organising what was going on rather than what most would think of as ‘participating’, but I still got to meet a lot of new people. If you’re new this year but coming back for Research afterwards then think about joining the Welcome Team when the time comes round early next year... Of the five Welcome Weeks I’ve been involved with, last year was the most fun (and the hardest work) – I think the one thing I have taken away from all the ‘welcomes’ I’ve had is that just the one is never enough! So, welcome to Exeter – see you on campus.

Don’t believe the Welcome Week myths This could be one of the best weeks of your life, so don’t let rumours spoil your fun.

Jennifer Seymour Deputy Editor

1.‘The daytimes are just for sleeping off a hangover’

Yes, you will need decent lie-ins what with all the partying, but don’t be tempted to waste away your days doing nothing. Before you know it there’ll be books to read and essays to write and you’ll wish you had spent your free time exploring Exeter, visiting Dawlish beach, or shopping in the city centre – remember, student loans don’t last forever so get out of your bedroom and enjoy the freedom.

2.‘Fresher’s flu is just a myth ’ Unfortunately, fresher’s flu does exist, and it is most likely to strike towards the end of Welcome Week. I seemed to be bed-ridden halfway through the second week with a high temperature, feeling very grateful to my hall mates as they nursed me back to good health. Stock up on plenty of Paracetamol and Lemsip in anticipation of fresher’s flu, force yourself to have a few early nights, and you’ll avoid the worst. Rest assured that it’s not as bad as everyone makes out, and be comforted in the knowledge that a bout of fresher’s flu will

sufficiently prepare your immune system for the slugs and slime that appear in your house in second year.

3.‘You should go to as many

taster sessions as possible during Welcome Week’ It is a misconception that Welcome Week is about attending as many taster sessions as you possibly can. Yes, taster sessions are a great way of figuring out whether you’d like to join a society, and also a good place to meet people, (particularly the Exeposé workshops...) But it’s equally important to spend your time bonding with your flatmates and settling into uni life, as this is what Welcome Week is all about. You’ll get a good feel for the societies at the Activities Fair (formerly known as the Squash), and you are able to join any society, even if you didn’t attend the taster session. Having said that, Welcome Week is a great opportunity to get stuck in and try out new and different things. It’s important to go along to the trials for sports clubs if you’re keen to play for the rest of the year, and you’ll be amazed at the variety of societies Exeter has to offer, but don’t panic if you miss out on something in Welcome Week -

there’s plenty of time to join in.

4.‘Exeter is just one big building site’

Exeter campus is undergoing a facelift, and at times it has us worrying it’ll be more of a Heidi Spencer plastic-surgery-mess-up than a subtle Jennifer Aniston nose job. But don’t forget that Exeter has some beautiful areas around campus that are well worth exploring. My favourite discoveries during Welcome Week were Lafrowda lake and Reed Hall. Take the time to hunt down the prettiest spots on campus for when you need a break.

5.‘Exeter is full of girls – there

are six girls and only three boys on my corridor!’ Girls, you may initially feel slightly worried about the ratio of girls to boys in your corridor or flat. But there is no need to feel concerned - as soon as the Baywatch theme tune comes on in Arena sometime during Welcome Week, you’ll realise just how many boys attend Exeter University. And just how many of them love to take off their shirts when the opportunities arise.

Features

welcome week 2010

Exeposé

Columba Achilleos-Sarll & Anna-Marie Linnell features@exepose.com

A dodgy bet on Easy Jet

Mary Henshall discusses the environmental impact of holidaying. It is October and Exeter is filling up with students again. We’re back from our travels and our gap years, refreshed, tanned and ready to get back into the lecture theatre. But whatever we have done this summer, nearly all of us will we have travelled in aeroplanes to our chosen destinations. Air travel has become so commonplace now that most of us don’t give it a second thought, the journey is probably one of the least exciting elements to a trip abroad. UK airports handle over 230 million passengers per year and this figure is expected to grow to over 450 million by 2030. Quite staggering, however you look at it. It is now reckoned that over half a million people are in the air somewhere in the world at any given time. Air travel is more accessible than ever before. When the first Comet jet aircraft crossed the Atlantic with fare-paying passengers on board in October 1958, the cheapest return ticket cost the equivalent of £2 750

today. Now we can make the same trip for less than a tenth of that price. This might seem an entirely natural progression, but the real revolution of air travel has been relatively recent. Package holidays and charter flights to Spain have been around since the late 1960s, but rock bottom prices and the boom in air travel did not hit the UK until the deregulation of airspace in the 1990s. Great, you might say, air travel makes the world more accessible and is useful for trade. Indeed, approximately a quarter of the UK’s international trade

(measured by value) is now moved by air. Over two million tonnes of freight travels by air every year in the UK, although you may be surprised to learn that Exeter Airport handles less than 100 tonnes of this cargo every year. The changes, however, have been so fast it’s frightening. As late as 1995,

the cheapest return ticket available between Brussels and Rome cost the equivalent of nearly £1 500. A ticket for the same journey today can be bought for under €30 using Ryanair. Ryanair itself has also been transformed in recent years: the company carried only 745 000 passengers in 1990, but by 2000 this had increased nearly tenfold to over seven million passengers. The budget airline expects to carry approximately 73.5 million passengers in 2010.

The changes are remarkable. But whether this cheap, universal air travel leads to a better world is another matter entirely. On one level the advantages are all too obvious: it’s great to fly somewhere new for a weekend, and different people and cultures can be brought together. But the price is also massive. Although disputed by the air-

A, B, C, as easy as dek, el ,do

Kate Davison looks at the world of alternative counting.

Our counting system is nigh on a worldwide phenomenon. It has been wielded as an instrument of certainty and has achieved a universality that cannot be claimed by any religion, form of government, principles of art, language or even alphabet. But it is not the only way. We group numbers in 10s and our system has 10 digits, 0 to 9. It is what is known as ‘base 10’. But if two extra digits are inserted between 9 and 10, we would have a ‘base 12’ system. The standard notation for these two ‘transdecimal digits’ is χ (dek) and ε (el), while, to avoid confusion, 10 is pronounced ‘do’. So, counting from 1 to 12 is now 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, χ, ε, 10. Upwards from ‘do’ we have ‘do one’ followed by ‘do two’ all the way up to ‘two do’ for the equivalent of 20. Welcome to a dozenal world. Hold on tight: we’re going in. Many a serious thinker has fallen for the charms of base 12 counting. An early standard bearer was Joshua

Jordaine who published Duodecimal Arithmetick in 1687. Today, there are dozenal societies on both sides of the pond, aspiring to the day when, by the power of its own brilliance, the dozenal has rendered the decimal obsolete. It is more than a counting system: it is a politico-mathematical cause. Battling for a dozenal future, they are militants against the tyranny of 10. So, why bother? Well frankly, in terms of factorisation, 12 wipes the floor with 10. It is divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6, while 10 can only offer a measly 2 and 5 - poor show. This factorisability (if they can make up counting, I can make up words) cleans up everything from fractions to times-tables no end. Just imagine a world where messy recurring decimals are a

thing of the past. A world in which a third of 10 is 4 and a quarter is 3. Tidy. It’s the stuff of dreams. Despite our philosophical fondness of change, sadly, it seems unlikely that the world will warm to dozenal counting. Adopting a new counting system would feel like scaling a near vertical learning curve and as we cling on there would be a good deal of inconvenience, to put it mildly. But these visionaries raise an interesting point. We have been so impressed by the lordly claims of maths as the only ‘exact science’ that few have thought to question its origins or its methods. How we count and understand quantity is as culturally determined as what we eat for

lines, the environmental impact of air flights is now widely acknowledged. Not only do plane flights emit a huge amount of carbon dioxide, but because the fumes are released at altitude their effect as a greenhouse gas is far more dangerous than those of other methods of transport. Other, hidden costs are more difficult to quantify. Many are associated with mass tourism; as widebodied jets carry increasing numbers of holiday makers across the world, cultural, economic and environmental damage has occurred on an unprecedented scale for some areas. Whilst tourism can bring more money into a country’s economy, the local population will rarely benefit to a proportionate extent. In the Spanish costas power outages and water shortages are inflicted on the local people to supply golf courses and swimming pools with energy. Local residents can often only secure menial, low paid or seasonal employment as the profits of tourism stream elsewhere. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in Hawaii, where the indigenous cultural heritage has been reduced to a few people dressing up in costume to perform tra-

ditional dances, while their ancient burial grounds are bulldozed to make way for apartments and hotels. Problems created by cheap air travel are not exclusive to foreign countries either. Exmouth and Torquay are not as popular as they once were with British holidaymakers, when more exotic resorts can be reached at relatively little financial expense for the consumer. British horticulture is also suffering; it is less well known, but the industry is in decline whilst companies use cheap air freight to import more products from overseas. And although controversy still rages over plans for additional runways at Heathrow and Stansted, because of the small levels of Air Passenger Duty, VAT exemption and levels of fuel tax, air travel actually makes a disproportionately small contribution to the Exchequer. So is air travel worth it? It is hard to ignore constant Facebook updates of friends’ exotic holiday locations, but in the long run it might be better to resist temptation. Why not head to Skegness for the weekend with a bottle of St Tropez instead – the tan may go streaky, but at least you’re saving the planet.

breakfast. Our decimal system derives from the convenience of fingers and thumbs. But what if we hadn’t stopped there? The Papuan people enumerate nostrils, eyes, nipples and belly buttons as part of their counting system, to culminate with the left testicle for 31, right testicle for 32 and for 33, the penis. Regrettably, researchers have been unable to ascertain whether women use the same system. This could become something of a can of worms; the world is full of other ways of counting. The Amazonian Munduruku tribe, having no need for specifics, use number words that translate as ‘fourish’ and ‘five-ish’. They have no words for anything more. One wonders how they package their eggs. The way we deal with numbers has also changed throughout history. A base 60 counting system, developed by the ancient Sumerians in the fourth millennium BCE, was embraced by the Babylonians, the Egyptians and the Greeks, and is why to this day we have sixty seconds in a minute and sixty minutes in an hour. Roman numerals were superseded in the Medieval period by the Hindu-Arabic numerals

we use today, and before some bright spark in seventh century India decided nothing was actually something there was no such thing as ‘0’. Knocking conventional maths off its pedestal is doubtless an unreasonable ambition. But if the reasonable man adapts himself to the world, then it is the unreasonable man who persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. All progress, therefore, depends on the unreasonable man. In defence of base 10 comes the cry of ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. But with this philosophy there would be no progress. If James Watt had put his feet up and uttered these words then we would still be ploughing fields with horses and relying on the wind to sweep us across the waves. Just because something works, doesn’t mean that it can’t work better. Just because we do something how it’s always been done, doesn’t mean that it can’t change. It is good to question the established order sometimes, and it is good to know there are exploratory spirits putting their minds to solving problems that most of us haven’t thought of yet. Unreasonable these dozenal sorts may be, but pointless they are not.

Exeposé welcome week 2010

Moustaches and monetary policy Tough justice

Anna-Marie Linnell, Features Editor, delves in to your wallet. The signs by the cashier tills warned what was to come months before it finally happened. An English landmark was getting changed, a national treasure was being knocked off and our precious currency was not only being altered, but invaded by the Scots too. Well, kind of. Actually there was not too much upset in July when the face of Edward Elgar was removed from the £20 note. The biggest problem for many wasn’t Elgar’s removal at all, rather his replacement with the face of Scotsman Adam Smith. If we overlook that the Adam Smith note was launched three years ago as part of a very gradual (non-threatening) replacement, and that Elgar has been dead since 1934, one might wonder along with readers of the Daily Mail: “Is anyone looking out for our [national] interest now”? (Fiale, Bristol). The general apathy over Elgar’s replacement could be explained by this: lots of people don’t know who he actually is. Although Elgar’s face is no doubt familiar - the one with the very large moustache who used to languish at the bot-

tom of a £20 note - a recent survey by Reader’s Digest found that nearly a third of people did not know Elgar was a composer. Three out of four did not know he was responsible for the music behind ‘Land of Hope and Glory.’ Perhaps the memory of Edward Elgar could be mightier yet. Yet beyond his impressive feats with facial hair, Elgar’s musical achievements were also startling. To impart what Google informed me: Elgar is known as a bit of a musical genius, and a British one at that. He was born in 1857, knighted in 1904 and appointed Master of the King’s Musick in 1924. Whilst Elgar’s popularity did fluctuate throughout his lifetime, he has remained a respected figure and even ranked 60th in the 2002 programme 100 Best Britons. High praise indeed. Since 1999 Elgar’s face has adorned the £20 note, along with other famous faces designed to reflect England’s greatest achievements. Social reformer Elizabeth Fry is on the £5 note, naturalist Charles Darwin can be spotted on the £10 and the first governor of the Bank of England, Sir John Houblon, is on the £50. Concerns have been voiced over representation of the Arts in the monetary hall-of-fame now Elgar’s name has been bumped off the list. Whilst it’s no doubt fair that every sector gets represented, if the Reader’s Digest survey is anything to go by then having his face on the British pound note does not seem to have improved Elgar’s artistic reputation. For Sir Houblon to adorn the £50 doesn’t seem

enough to boost the popularity of bankers, either. And a certain chap named William Shakespeare was also removed from the £20 note in 1999, but this does not seem to have dented his international credibility. Take a look at any exam syllabus if you disbelieve. The man-with-the-moustache might be missed from the £20 note, but there are probably better ways to celebrate his memory and the Arts as a whole. Quite frankly, any £20 I get is either (a) a wonderful dream, or (b) going to get spent immediately. At the same time as the Reading Festival, thousands of Radio 3 and Classic FM listeners camped down for classical musical festival Setanta, held in Dorset fields. It has been billed as the first such festival for classical music in England. Instead of putting Elgar’s face to the pound, to bring the music he devoted his life to into the mainstream eye could commemorate him in more lasting ways. As for the future of the pound note faces, they do say currency has been devalued. Maybe a picture of Katie Price would be more appropriate.

Gimme my money: Elgar’s likeness has been replaced by that of Scotsman Adam Smith’s on the nation’s £20 notes.

Clever cephalopod

He predicticed Germany’s eight World Cup games correctly; here are eight things you didn’t know about Paul the Octopus:

1. Paul currently lives at Aquarium Sea Life in Oberhausen, Germany

Octopus’ are considered the most intelligent of all invertebrates – high competition.

3. The Argentine newspaper, El Dia,

gave a recipe to turn Paul into Paella after the octopus correctly predicted Argentina’s loss to Germany.

Paul was born in Weymouth, England, before being taken to Germany. Reportedly.

Features

George Ayres asks: who watches the watchmen?

Walking home from his job as a newspaper seller, Ian Tomlinson was an innocent bystander at last year’s London G20 protests. He paid for the journey with his life. Found collapsed on the street and later pronounced dead, it soon emerged that minutes before his death a policeman had forcefully pushed him to the ground. The incident was caught on tape and rapidly spread worldwide via the internet. Two separate postmortem examinations of Mr Tomlinson have reached the verdict that he died of internal bleeding consistent with his fall, yet in a staggering decision on July 22 the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) announced that no charges would be brought against PC Simon Harwood, the policeman who pushed Tomlinson minutes before his death. The decision of the CPS has baffled as many people as it has angered. The main reason the CPS gave for dismissing the case was on account of ‘conflicting medical opinions’, making it impossible for a court to reach a verdict on the case. In a rather pathetic nutshell: because one of the three post mortem examinations done on Tomlinson reached the verdict of death by natural causes, whilst the other two reached the verdict of internal bleeding, the CPS decided that nothing further could be done on the case. That Freddy Patel, the pathologist who conducted the first postmortem and the source of ‘medical confusion’, faced a disciplinary hearing at the time for incompetence in 26 separate cases was ignored in a move of painful apathy. Since then, he has been judged unfit to practice. One wonders whether the CPS would have overlooked such evidence if a policeman had been pushed over by a member of the public, rather than the other way round. To give up before the search for justice had begun would just not have been an option. Even if we leave aside the medical debate and deny any link between the policeman who pushed Tomlinson to the ground and his death just minutes later, a grave injustice has still been done. If manslaughter charges cannot be considered, at the very least the policeman

who pushed Tomlinson should face assault charges. This, however, will not be the case. Too much time has now passed since the G20 events to push for common assault charges. Such allegations need to be brought forward within six months of the incident. The CPS has taken a bewildering 16 months to get to this stage. Keir Starmer, QC Director of Public Prosecutions, has stated that his department acted: “as quickly as was consistent with a thorough and careful review of the evidence.” Yet in the majority of cases this takes no longer than 36 hours; even in extreme cases it should take only a matter of weeks. With direct video evidence, PC Harwood could have been arrested and assault charges brought forward in a matter of hours or days. Instead the meagre measure of justice likely to be given is internal disciplinary charges, even though the Independent Police Complaints Commission has recommended that PC Harwood should face prosecution. This has been an agonising and drawn-out case, where justice has been prevented through ‘medical confusion’, rules on charge dates and delayed CPS action. It seems that the CPS just did not wan’t, and

One wonders whether the CPS would have overlooked such evidence if a policeman had been pushed

would not let, the case go to court. History seems to support such an argument: in the past 50 years, not a single British Policeman has been found responsible for the death of a member of the public. At the G20 protests alone there were 296 complaints about police brutality and there have been 83 investigations, but not a single prosecution. With five years now passed since the murder of innocent electrician, Charles De Menzies, on the London Underground and still no public prosecutions, it seems that in modern Britain all citizens are equal before the law except those who are the force behind it.

5. The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has attacked Paul. Ahmadinejad said the octopus is a symbol of: “Western propaganda and superstition.”

6. Paul made predictions by eating one mussel from a possible two boxes placed in his tank. Each box bore the flag of the competing countries for each game. Whichever team’s mussel Paul ate first was declared the winner. 7.

Paul has now retired. His owners declared that he would make no more predictions.

8. Paul doesn’t manage to get it right all the time: in 2008 the octopus predicted that Germany would beat Spain in the European Championship. Spain won 1-0. He seems to have recognised the flag.

Lifestyle

Laura Le Brocq & Clare Mullins - lifestyle@exepose.com

Five Freshers Fiascos

welcome week 2010

The definitive guide to Exeter’s best bits P 13

to not be overwhelmed by university life. Trying to fit in too many things will exhaust you and you won’t be making the most of your first week.

Pollyanna Cotterill discusses the do-s and don’t-s of Welcome Week. 1. Do – meet your flatmates as soon way to relax over some drinks at the recommend the Cathedral Green at 4. Do – go to the Activities Fair. This as you are settled into your room. The worst thing you can do is to hide away in your room on the first night, (I did this myself but found that many of my flatmates were hiding in their rooms too), I know it is tempting but the sooner you step out of the shelter of your room you’ll find it is really good to meet other people who are just as nervous as you are. I met the people who are now my closest friends on the first day in halls.

(Once you have met your flatmates) Do – go out in Exeter together. I know that going out may not be for everybody but it is a really good

Firehouse or the Impy – two of my favourite pubs. For the more hardcore Fresher, try Timepiece on the Wednesday or Friday of your first week as they promise to be a blast. Exploring the city in the daytime is really important for all Freshers too as you will be living in and around the city for at least the next three years of your life. The town centre is full of all the top high street shops and the Princesshay shopping centre (alongside the High Street) boasts the largest shops such as Cult, Topshop and HMV which are definitely worth a visit. If you want a convenient place to sit and grab some lunch, I highly

the bottom of the High Street, it is beautiful. Alternatively, if it is raining – which is very likely in the first term – although I may sound prematurely old, Debenhams has spectacular views of the Cathedral from the warmth of the top floor café.

3. Don’t – feel you have to go to all or even most of the activities in the booklet in your welcome pack, pick a few that you are genuinely interested in and commit to going to them. That way, you get to go to what you want, meet new people whilst continuing to settle into your flat and spend time with your flatmates. It is important

A Room Of One’s Own Rachel Rietz gets personal with your property. It can be hard to make a student property more inviting, depending, of course, on the calibre of the property. No one likes to live in an ugly, unwelcoming environment, and a homely abode is far more conducive to studying and socialising than a house where poisonous spores are sprouting in the bathroom (I should know, having lived in such a property last year). So if your house excels in shabbiness but is distinctly lacking in the chic, here are a few simple tips to make it a more welcoming environment:

1. Throws. Can be acquired at mini-

mal cost (Primark have some cheap, inoffensive, cosy fleeces), and simultaneously disguise and beautify. So if your landlord has left you with a sofa and chair suite that looks like it belongs in a retirement home (again, I speak from experience), hide the offending items with a throw or two. In addition to beautifying furniture, throws are vital during the winter to ward off the cold. They are equally invaluable in the bedroom.

would probably snigger at fairy lights, but they make a place much more inviting. And should you have any overnight visitors, the soft lighting is far more flattering than the harsh overhead lighting offered in many student properties…

3. Photos and posters. Whether it’s a photo collage or a few floral prints, pictures undeniably enhance the aesthetics of a room. You don’t need to

is the best event of the whole week and is an absolute must. Like the activities booklet, pick a few societies that you are really interested in and join them, don’t join too many or you will be wasting your money and you will feel guilty for not going to the societies you have joined. It may take a few weeks to settle into your societies and you may even consider leaving them, but persevere and I’m sure you will learn to love your societies and meet some people who are very like you.

5. Most importantly, don’t think about giving up on university life

distribute many throughout a room, just a few should suffice to break the austerity of blank walls and bare room.

Storage boxes. For slobs everywhere, storage boxes offer a useful solution. Even if you’re just transferring the mess, it will still look far better than leaving your possessions strewn around the room. If you’re not a slob, attractive storage boxes still enhance the appearance of a room and invest it with a little more individuality.

in the first week. This is common amongst Freshers and is closely associated with homesickness. At a risk of sounding like a parent, remember to phone home at least once during Fresher’s Week, it will make you and your parents feel a little more at ease. Obviously moving away from home is a big shock to the system as many of you will not have lived away from home before but it does get easier as the days go by. Also, learning to eat properly is very important as I found that I used so much energy in the hype of the first week – you can only eat so many takeaways. Try to sleep well a couple of times during the week too otherwise you will feel really awful (trust me). Throw yourself into university life, try everything, go everywhere, meet lots of new people;. Though it may not feel like it at first, it will be the best time of your life.

5. Rugs. Maybe not the most obvious choice of item, but if you’re living in an older property where the carpets are marred by marks and stains, a rug can s e r v e as useful camouflage. My personal preference is for sheepskin, as it looks and feels warm and inviting, but any rug will do.

2. Fairy lights. I know most men

Squeals for Heels

Hannah Metcalfe warns of the dangers of removing your heels on a night out.

YET another night set to paint the town red. As a girl, you have spent time doing your hair, ensuring your make-up is just right and you’ve picked out a jaw-dropping outfit to make sure Welcome Week is what you planned it to be. Now here is the vital part of this whole charade: while the boys grab the same pair of shoes they have done all week, the girls delve into the wardrobe to present yet another pair of impressive heels. Generalisations and stereotypes aside, this certainly was the case for my university experience. Not being blessed with never-ending legs, heels were the essential ingredient for accentuating my look on a night out. With first year halls located

Exeposé

so close to the city centre, and one eye focused on the rapidly dwindling student loan, as Freshers we brushed aside taxis and instead chose to skip and sing our way down the streets of Exeter towards the clubs. While our alcohol cushion may have served us well on our way there, enabling us to forget all about our sky scraping heels, after a few more vodka shots and maybe a bit too much abuse of the Rococo Thursday night cocktail deal, those heels that wowed at the beginning of the night are starting to look and feel a little less appealing. When the end of the night draws near and it’s time

to consider getting home, the idea of walking back in those once adored ‘beauties’ is not even worth considering, so rather than being sensible and calling a taxi to take you home in a flash, you leave the club barefoot and heels in hand. Girls, we all know that feeling of taking heels off and the instant relief of flattening the foot on safe solid ground. But is that ground really so safe?

Joking aside, walking home barefoot really isn’t a smart idea, and realistically if we were completely sober we just wouldn’t do it, as our fellow clubbers have littered the ground with kebab leftovers, broken beer bottles and other unsavoury substances. After months of being guilty of this I ultimately got my comeuppance. Outside a club, just moments after freeing my feet from the restraints of my clubbing heels, I stood on a shard of glass. A shard of glass – surely not a big deal? Could it not just be removed with tweezers? The answer is sadly no. I ended up with a night in hospital, an operation involving general anaesthetic, and forget high heels; I was left with a band-

aged foot which would only fit one of those sexy blue cushion hospital shoes. Unfortunately for me, I know that once the alcohol flows and the night gets going, the safety of our feet soon becomes forgotten. However, there is an alternative, which allows us to enjoy high heels and a hospital-free walk home; fold-up flats. These act as a comfortable yet stylish solution when your heels have really let you down. Some are pricey but others are pretty reasonable and really are worth investigating, as they could save you a lot of pain, inconvenience and embarrassment when you have to explain to a medical team why you have glass in your feet!

Exeposé welcome week 2010

We Built This City on Rock and Sand Stephanie Marston spends a luxury summer in the United Arab Emirates.

The New Yas Marina Racetrack in Abu Dhabi.

Sex and the City 2 has certainly divided opinion, but I paid particular attention when it hit the big screen this summer. Not because I enjoyed blatant product placement and an odd Liza Minnelli performance, but because it was based around the city that I visited this summer: Abu Dhabi. Whatever your take on the latest Sex and the City movie, its luxurious picture of the United Arab Emirates is seemingly not far from the truth. The Middle-East country has undergone massive regeneration over the past 20 years to become a notoriously fashionable location that is fast becoming a favourite with celebrities and footballers; David Beckham was said to have purchased a holiday home in Dubai on the man-made Palm Islands which took five years to create and can apparently be seen from space. So naturally you can understand that one of my first requests was to visit here. Though we had no success in spotting the Beckhams, we did get

Lifestyle

Campus Style

A view from inside the Emirates Palace.

to visit the stunning Atlantis Hotel which boasts a massive aquarium and luxury rooms that can cost up to £12,000 a night. The Atlantis is just one of the many luxurious hotels in the UAE. The Burj Al Arab in Dubai has been unofficially classed as the only 7-star hotel in the world, with rooms starting at $1000 a night. About an hour’s drive away from Dubai is the country’s capital Abu Dhabi, the home of the luxurious Emirates Palace. The palace has its own separate entrance for royalty and special visitors, its own collection of supercars outside, and nearly everything inside is furnished with gold, bathroom taps and harp included. The service is second to none as all the hotels we visited offered valet parking and staff ready to open your car doors to help you out immediately. The malls in the UAE were another impressive sight. One in Dubai had an indoor ski slope and another in Abu Dhabi had a weather

changing ceiling that could have come straight out of a Harry Potter novel. Getting between the malls and around Abu Dhabi in general was incredibly cheap, despite its large size, as oil is a major source of revenue for the country; the student inside me was thrilled to find out that getting a taxi for a 15 minute journey would cost as little as £2. With such luxury surroundings, impressive developments, and dedicated staff throughout my stay, it became hard not to feel important in Abu Dhabi. However, like SATC’s Carrie, I began to wonder how long the country could continue this current lifestyle. The country prides itself on its opulence and constant regeneration, most recently demonstrated by the new Yas Marina Formula One racetrack, yet such extreme spending in these troubled economic times seems confusing. Furthermore, such developments cost the environment. The UAE seems to pay complete

disregard to environmental issues. There are very high levels of waste, few recycling opportunities, and a strong reliance on oil as a solution for anything, apparently even flattening the greens on golf courses! My fortnight in Abu Dhabi gave me an exciting insight into how the other half might live and I would definitely recommend visiting the UAE if you have the opportunity. For students there is cheap taxi fare, a big food culture and plenty of sightseeing to be done. however, it can be expensive to fly and find accommodation there, you do have to be 21 to go into clubs, and there is not really a drinking culture. It is fair to say though that the country is quickly establishing itself as one of the most exclusive locations and the recent completion of the tallest building in the world is a fitting emblem of its prominence in the global arena. Despite the recession, there is an overwhelming feeling that the United Arab Emirates will not only survive, but thrive.

Theofanis Exadalofylos, Postgraduate Politics student, spotted sporting Autumn’s elbow patch trend.

Gift Voucher Competition To celebrate the start of the Autumn term (and the sound of those student loan pennies finally dropping into your account), Topman are offering an increased student discount of 20% online and instore. This promotion runs from September 10th to October 12th 2010, so make the most of it while it lasts! As well as the 20% discount Topman have offered us a

£200 gift voucher to give away in our competition. To be in with a chance of winning simply email us describing your greatest fashion faux-pas in no more than 50

words. Emails should be sent to lifestyle@ exepose.com no later than Monday October 4th, and we will notify the winner by email. The more funny and original the better!

Ellie Bothwell, second year English student, cites Alexa Chung as her style inspiration. Her coat and bag are from the Real McCoy in Exeter.

Nominations: 27/09–08/10 Voting online: 11/10–15/10

Arts Rep NUS Delegates Mature Students’ Rep EMSA Social Secretary First Year Guild Councillor Postgraduate Guild Councillor Senior Deputy Elections Officer

Want to represent your fellow students? Interested in standing for election? For more information, visit our website at:-

exeterguild.org/elections/

Exeposé welcome week 2010

Lifestyle

Lifestyle’s bespoke guide to your city centre

For a Sunday Afternoon…

By Clare Mullins Lifestyle Editor

Head down to Boston Tea Party (12) and indulge in the all day breakfast or one of their expansive range of cakes. The café is a great place to read the paper, do some coursework or just relax. The cosy sofas, local artwork and good coffee make it one of the best cafés in Exeter.

For Vintage Chic…

Continue along the High Street untill you find The Real McCoy (18), a shop that specialises in retro fashion and fancy dress. Whether it’s a top hat you need or an 80’s leather jacket, they’ll have the answer. Further down the road you can also find Otto Retro (20), another great place for vintage finds.

For the Best Pizza…

The pizza served at The Old Firehouse (6) is a late night treat that has to be eaten to be believed. This pub in the centre of Exeter is renowned for its real ale, cheap prices and friendly atmosphere. It’s very popular so make your way there early to guarantee a seat.

For Nights Out…

Whatever you’re looking for in your night out, Exeter clubs can cater for it. Rococo (16), Mosaic (15) and Arena (1) have a great mix of current hits and cheesy tunes. Cavern (11) serves up a

more indie mix with regular live bands. Timepiece (7), with its split level club, also has a great range of music and lots of cheap drinks.

For Green Spaces…

If the sun is shining and you find yourself craving some outdoor air, try grabbing a patch of grass on the Cathedral green (13). The Cathedral is inspiring and it’s a great place to people

watch. Alternatively, head over to Northernhay Gardens, behind Central Station, for a pretty, peaceful spot to while away the hours.

For Exploration…

For the more adventurous, why not head down to the Quayside. Follow the signs to the Double Locks (21) and you’ll find an excellent pub with a huge garden and canal side position.

Welcome week 2010

Lifestyle

Stuck for something to do in Welcome Week? Exeposé picks the best (and most important) of the events Saturday September 25

Sunday September 26

10am-5pm Registration: Peter Chalk Centre

1pm-8pm International student welcome desk: Lemon Grove, Cornwall House

10am-8pm International student welcome desk: Lemon Grove, Cornwall House

4pm-6pm Anglican chaplaincy: St. Luke’s Chapel

7pm-11pm PGU/Community Relations, The Exeter Quiz: Clydesdale House

7pm-12am Live music: Cross Keys 9pm-2am First Lemmy: Cornwall House

Finding things at the Activities Fair

7pm-late Bowling: the Quay 10pm-late CA: Timepiece

Exeposé

Monday September 27

Tuesday September 28

Wednesday September 29

8.30am-12pm Gliding taster session: Peter Chalk bus stop

10am-12pm ArtSoc face painting: JCR, Devonshire House

9.50am onwards Climbing Haytor trip: Peter Chalk

9am-3pm Information Fair: Lemon Grove, Cornwall House

12pm-1pm What is Exeposé?: M&D Room, Devonshire House

11am-3pm Volunteer fair: Refectory, Cornwall House

11am-3pm Xpression FM outside broadcast: Ram beer garden

1pm-3pm Cheerleading: Streatham Sports Hall

11am-4pm LGBTQ arts and crafts lunch: Queen’s building

1pm-3pm RAG scavenger hunt: Cornwall House

11am-5pm Exom motorcycle tours: From main library

9pm-11.30pm Campus Cinema presents Scott Pilgrim vs the World: M&D Room, Devonshire House

12pm-2pm Meddle in the Media & Meet the editors: M&D Room, Devonshire House

2pm-3pm International students’ escorted shopping trip: Peter Chalk 2pm-4pm XTV acting workshop: Freddie Mercury, Cornwall House 8pm - late RAG school disco: Lemon Grove, Cornwall House

7pm-11pm Crealy World of Adventures trip: Rennes Drive

12pm-2pm EMSA lunch: Long Lounge, Devonshire House. 8pm-late RAG cocktails: Mama Stone’s

Northcott Theatre Music societies Arts societies

Cornwall House Media RAG CA International Students’ Council EMSA PGU LGBTQ Recreational societies

Devonshire House Subject-based societies Queen’s Building International societies Faith-based societies Cultural societies

Thursday September 30

Friday October 1

Saturday October 2

Sunday October 3

All Week

11am-1pm EUTCo improvisation spotlight: JCR, Devonshire House

10am-4pm Music questions, answers and cake: Knightley, Streatham Campus

9am-6.30pm Waterski & wakeboard day trip: Peter Chalk Centre

9am-5pm Documentation checks: Peter Chalk Centre

11am-2pm Meet the OTC: Lemon Grove, Cornwall House

2pm-3pm International students’ campus tour: Peter Chalk Centre

11am-4pm Amnesty beach trip: Cornwall House

10am-4pm Activities Fair (the Squash) Sign up to all the societies and sports clubs that the university has to offer: Streatham Campus

12pm-2pm University singers: Knightley. 1pm-5pm RAG/CA volleyball tournament: St. Luke’s Quad

3pm-5pm Red Coat ghost tour: Peter Chalk Centre 7pm-8.30pm Spanish cheese & wine: Mosaic

7pm-9pm DanceSport salsa night: Streatham sports hall

7pm-late PGU welcome party: Amber Room

7pm-late Ice-skating disco: Rennes Drive

9pm-late Saturday RAG TLC: Timepiece, London, Cornwall House

12pm onwards CA 5-a-side: Streatham rubber crumb

11am-12.30pm Anglican chaplaincy prayer & praise: St. Luke’s Chapel

12pm-3pm Snowsports bbq: Ram & Cross Keys

6.30pm-9pm Campus Cinema presents The Brothers Bloom: M&D Room, Devonshire House

2pm-4.30pm PGU explores Exeter Peter Chalk Centre

7.30pm-9pm St. Luke’s quiz night: Cross Keys

9pm-late Lemmy, Cornwall House

7.30pm-late Xmedia Online social: Ram

9am-5pm UniCard collection: Peter Chalk Centre 10am-5pm The Big Think Yurt - relax with the Welcome Team: Queen’s Drive 10am-6pm International students’ welcome lounge: Queen’s building 12pm-4pm Ram beer garden bbq: Ram beer garden Various times Canoe club taster sessions: the Quay

SATURDAY 25 SEPT 2010 ISSUE 28

WELCOME TO EXETER Guild President // Jonnie Beddall

ou really couldn’t have made a better choice. Everyone knows we’re an academic heavyweight, but it’s the social experience here that nowhere else compares with. Exeter is special – with more students taking part in sport, societies and Guild elections than anywhere else in the country. It’s my job as Guild President to make sure you get the best of it. The best social life, and most engaging experiences are all at your fingertips. Starting something new is always trial and error, especially if it’s your first year. You’ll make plenty of mistakes but never be afraid to pick yourself up, dust off and start something new – everyone’s different and that’s why life here’s so special. The slate’s wiped clean and you can do things in your own style. The Sabbatical team, elected by students last year in record numbers, are based on the top floor of Devonshire House, but you’ll see me out every night making the most of what we have here – see me around, give me a shout… One last thing,

“ make plenty

corridor/bloc in the ﬁrst week, unless there’s a real connection. 2. Drink. Get some water down you – no one likes to go home early down to a rookie with one drink too many. 3. Lectures. Don’t skip them – you’re at University, you’re clearly not too cool for school.

You’ll

of mistakes but never be afraid to pick

WHO AM I?

yourself up, dust off and start some-

”

thing new.

don’t think ‘I’ll do it next year.’ Have an itch? Scratch it. P.S. 3 pieces of advice, sometimes learned the hard way: 1. Sex. Don’t sleep with anyone on your

VP Academic Affairs // Bertie Archer

FEELING HOMESICK? VP Welfare & Community // Chris Hardy

“that everyone Remember

you meet during Welcome Week is in the

’m the Welfare and Community Ofﬁcer this year and I’m really excited to get stuck in. Basically, my job is pretty much what it says on the tin. If you have any issues at all relating to your welfare, then you can contact me at any point during your studies. Whether you’re from Surrey on a threeyear undergrad, or from China on a oneyear Masters, I’m here to support you. With regard to the ‘Community’ part of my role, I’m here to help students and local residents live together happily. If you want to talk about anything, then I’m here to listen, and to point you in the right direction of any of the many support services that the University and the Students’ Guild have on offer. Moreover, I

same position as you.

”

Tell us about your Welcome Week, or anything else you have on your mind, because X is changing. Email your thoughts to: communications@ guild.ex.ac.uk

have approximately 2,000 condoms sitting in our ofﬁce, with which I would really appreciate some help in getting rid of. It’s just not a healthy amount of contraceptives to have under the control of one person; there’s only so many balloons you can make before you get bored… Many people come to University with a lot of preconceptions about what their Welcome Week is going to be like. It might seem like there’s a lot of pressure on you to drink huge amounts of alcohol. I’m not here to tell you that drinking is bad or wrong, but what I would say is that you don’t have to let ridiculous amounts of alcohol ruin your night out with your new mates. Waking up in your own (or someone else’s) vomit is bloody annoying. So don’t let the good times go bad. If you were to ask me for one piece of advice – which I know you didn’t but here goes anyway – I’d say that you should always remember that everyone you meet during Welcome Week is in the same position as you. They’re probably feeling a bit nervous, and maybe a little homesick, and it’s OK to feel those things! But above all, they want to make friends – if they didn’t, they wouldn’t have come to Welcome Week. So go and introduce yourself to anyone and everyone you can; some of the people you meet this week will be friends for the rest of your life.

n short: anything to do with your degree and getting a job afterwards, I’m your guy. I represent you to the University in all academic matters, support the course representative system, the Postgraduate Union and work with the colleges to ensure you have the best experience possible. I also collaborate with the employment services to make sure that the best help is on hand for all of your queries on life after studenthood. I take seriously any suggestions to do with your education, and would love to hear your thoughts, so the Guild can campaign for real improvements to your learning and teaching. If you feel strongly about making sure that students get the best from Exeter, you can become a course representative, a group that has gone from strength to strength, and make a difference all year round. So here are some top tips from Bertie, your education guru, for the year 2010-2011: Ask anything and everything, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know as long as you ﬁnd out. Take part in things that will give you experience and beef up your CV. If you work hard throughout your degree it means that whatever happens you can walk across the stage towards a beaming Floella – Chancellor of the University – and feel proud of yourself.

EQUALITY

Equality and Diversity Ofﬁcer // Adam Southall

ello there folks, I am Adam, and I am your Equality & Diversity Ofﬁcer. But, what is this? Equality & Diversity is a new role this year, holding responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Policy and heading the Equality & Diversity Committee, a new body that facilitates the work of the student representatives. I passionately believe that everyone should be able to engage and become involved with all aspects of university life, unhindered by the fear or suffering of discrimination. I believe that if you want to try something at university, no one should hold you back. Furthermore, the Students’ Guild is committed to equal opportunities for all, seeking to encourage a community in which everybody can contribute as fully as possible without fear of discrimination. This is the bedrock of our Equal Opportunities Policy. I exist not only to promote and implement this policy, but also to address any issues you may have regarding equal

opportunities, whether you have any concerns, or you feel that you have suffered discrimination whilst here in Exeter. Equality & Diversity Committee meets to plan diversity campaigns and events and to discuss issues raised by student representatives, of which there are seven, each holding their own separate brief. These are Gender Equality, Students Abroad, Disabled Students, Racial Equality, Student Parents, Mental Health and Mature Students. The Mature Students’ Representative will be elected during the autumn elections. If you’d like to run, nominations open on Monday 27th September and close on Friday 8th October. For more information visit exeterguild.org/elections If you have any questions regarding my role, about the Guild’s Equal Opportunities Policy, a complaint or have any suggestions for events or campaigns you’d like to see on campus this year, please drop me an email at equalityofﬁcer@guild. ex.ac.uk. Enjoy this year in Exeter.

THE PGU

PG Ofﬁcer // Gary McLachlan here to “support postgrads throughout their time as students, so remember we’re here

”

for you.

STUDYING SEAGULLS

VP Participation & Campuses // Alex Bordoli

The “Students’

ome of the happiest students I know, the ones who really enjoyed and got the most of their time at Exeter, were the ones that got more involved with student life. My degree lead me down a path of studying seagulls, and although immensely enjoyable *cough* I am so happy that I have left my student days with more to that to my name. This is a wonderful time to mix with such a variety of people and experiences and to be honest there are only so many opportunities in life for you to walk into town dressed as an Oompa Loompa without being judged. My role this year is to harass all you lovely student types into participating in student life as much as possible. The Students’ Guild hosts a great array of opportunities, medias, societies, volunteering, part time work, democracy, councils, running in elections and much more. Non-fresh please remember these are for you as much as the young’uns... never too late to join the Knit Soc! I’m also here to provide a link between the campuses, making sure that the same opportunities are available at St.Lukes our beautiful satellite campus out in town. I’m normally very approachable (except in the mornings) so please if you feel free to harass me, work mobile 07500 977

Guild hosts a great array of opportunities, medias, societies, volunteering, part time work, democracy, running in 288 (that’s probably a bad idea publishing that), email guildparticipation@ex.ac.uk or ﬁnd me wondering about. Enjoy Welcome Week, do everything.

elections and

”

much more

t the start of a new Academic year it’s hard to know where to begin. Especially since while many of the Taught Masters students are new to Exeter, some are not, and most Research students haven’t been away other than for research purposes, so mention of the ‘summer holidays’ seems inappropriate at best. Much of the ‘filler’ material to my summer has of course been planning how to run the PGU this year – and I’m almost certain that none of you want to hear about sub-committee formations and reporting structures (I think my committee are sick of it already), which leaves me the conundrum of how to involve all of you in what we’ve done so far. Well, first off – there are elections and not just the Autumn round, and the Residences, but also the Representative posts for the Postgraduate Union committee; Taught, Research, International and St. Luke’s, as well as organisations like RAG who are looking this year for their first PREPS (Postgraduate Reps). In amongst all the posts available there must be something that’s just right for you, if you’re of the mindset to get right in there and help other postgraduate students; so don’t just think about it – do it! Secondly – there are the Welcome Week events that everyone’s running, and of course the continual social events we run throughout the year – the highlight being the Graduation Ball in January where everyone (yes, everyone!) is welcome to come and help the winter graduands celebrate in style. Thirdly and perhaps most importantly – we’re here to support postgraduates; just this week we’ve taken the first vital steps toward supporting a new Qualitative Research Forum, which you can find out about on our website… A start-up project driven by postgraduate students, that we’re committed to helping succeed. Finally, we’re making a lot more use of the website this year – a redirect works from the pgu.ex.ac.uk address, so we’re easy to find, and all the latest news and information we get will go online to help keep you in touch.

THE ACTIVITIES FAIR

Map of the locations of Societies, Afﬁliates, AU Clubs and the Trade Fair… QUEEN’S BUILDING Afro-Carribean Society, Amnesty International, Arabic Society, Asian Society, Balkan, Basque, Be The Change, Bright Futures Exeter, Carrot & Cake, Catholic Society, Chartered Financial Analysts, Channel Islands Soc., Chocolate Soc., Conservative Future, Countryside Soc., Chinese Students Scholas Association, Debating Society, E.C.U., Erasmus Student Network, Exeter Capital Group, Engineers Without Borders, Exeter Entrepreneurs, Exeter Labour Students, Exeter Model United Nations, Freedom Soc., Friends of Palestine, Gender Equality Soc., Green Society, Hispanic, Hong Kong Soc., International Soc., Irish Soc., Islamic Society, Japanese Society, Jewish Society, Kazakhstan Soc., Knit Soc., Kurdish Society, Latin American Soc., Liberal Democrat Soc., Malaysian Soc., Meditation Soc., Methodist and Anglican Soc., NOOMA, Pagan Circle Soc., Philosophy Soc., Politics Soc., Portuguese Soc., Racial Equality Society, Russian Society, Science Fiction, Secular Society, Sikh Soc., Socialist Students, SPEAK, Stitch, Stop AIDS, Thai Society, Tolkien Soc., Turkish Society, UNICEF, Vietnamese Society, Welsh Society, West Papua Society, Wine Society, Ski Club.

PETER CHALK CENTRE The Trade Fair in the Peter Chalk Centre is an opportunity to get loads of freebies, and is one of the highlights of Welcome Week.

SPORTS CENTRE A short trip up the hill to the Sports Centre gives you the opportunity to join one of the 48 AU Clubs, ranging from football to fencing. There’s something for everyone.

NORTHCOTT THEATRE ExTunes, Director of Music’s Ofﬁce, A Capella, Beats & Bass, Brass Ensemble, Campus Bands, Chamber Orchestra, Change Ringing Society, Clarinet, Concert Band,

petelrk chatre cen

Folk Soc., Jazz Band, Soul Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Singers, World Music Choir, Art Soc., Creative Writing Society, Exeter University Theatre Company, Footlights, Gilbert & Sullivan, Theatre With Teeth, Lit. Soc., Photo Soc., Razz My Berries, Theatre Goers.

DEVONSHIRE HOUSE Arabic and Islamic Studies, Archaeology Society, Bio Soc., Bracton Law Society, Business & Economics, Classics Society, European Law Society, Film Studies Society, French Soc., Geography Soc., German Soc., History Soc., IT & Business, Italian Soc., Math Soc., Med Soc., Physics Soc., Psy Soc., Theology Soc., wild Soc., X-Eng., Finance and Investment Soc., X-Rated.

11a to m 4pm

Sunday 3 Oct. 11 am to 4 pm. All across campus.

CORNWALL HOUSE Body Soc., Breakin’ Soc., Brewing Soc., Campus Cinema, Cheerleading, Chess Society, Croquet Society, Dancesport, Darts Soc., EXOM – Exeter Students on Motorcycles, Exeter Chiefs Rugby Supporters, Expedition Soc., Freshers Off Campus, Kenpo, Kung Fu, LINKS, Mind Your Head, Motor Soc., OTC, Out Of Doors Soc., Poker Soc., Pole Dancing, Real Ale Alliance, Rounders Soc., Scouts & Guides Exeter, Skate & Board, Ski Club, Sky-Diving, Social Runners, Uni Dance, RAG, CA, Exeposé, XTV, Xmedia Online, Xpression FM, The Exeter Award, Forum Project, Alumni Ofﬁce, Student Switch Off, NUS, LGBTQ, Postgraduate Union, Exeter Mature Students Association, International Students Council.

trade fair 2010

0 £5

f ir! t i Fa ve ke rs Sa tic he al es nu Fr an the an at on uy b u

The Old

Firehouse ndlelit pub, Student friendly, 3-storey ca d huge late serving homemade meals an y breakfast. night pizza’s in a basket… all da ales fresh Devon farm ciders and local from the cask. FRIDAYS SATURDAYS SUNDAYS MONDAY

. Live acoustic/surf rock bands Live Jazz night. e The Roast Lunch / STUDENT liv g. musicians in the evenin Crazy quiz

Free wi-fi access / Courtyard / good coffee OPEN from 12 mid-day to late in the morning. LISTED in the national good beer guide TIMES ONLINE voted Old Firehouse No.1 student pub in Exeter, 2008.

But thanks to you don't have to worry about bus fares.

............................................

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Unlimited student bus travel from

under £1* per day! Visit www.buymyunirider.com SOUTH WEST *Based on £250.00 Annual Unirider ticket cost for 257 days

Music

welcome week 2010 Exeposé

Ellie Bothwell & Ben Murphie music@exepose.com

INTERVIEW

A refreshing approach: Johnny Flynn’s take on mainstream culture

Ben Murphie, Music Editor, speaks to the man at the heart of the folk revival.

It has been a busy year for Johnny Flynn. Tours with Mumford and Sons as well as playing at America’s famed SXSW festival have given way to the recording and releasing of hotly anticipated second album Been Listening, described by the BBC as “deserving considerable acclaim,” and resigned by NME as “hayseed fakery.” WE walked into a slightly bemused Flynn inside the iron hull of Thekla, the hollowed -out hulk resting in Bristol’s Mud Dock that is home to some of the city’s most eclectic gigs and club nights and will tonight see Johnny Flynn and his backing band The Sussex Wit peddle their earnest folk songs both port and starboard. For his latest effort Flynn was in the studio with producer Ryan Hadlock, famed for steering the recordings of indie hipsters such as Gossip and The Strokes. “His enthusiasm and energy is quite infec-

Live review

Pendulum @ Plymouth Pavilions, May 30 2010. There is a growing feeling that Pendulum have arrived. Drum ‘n’ bass has made brief forays into the charts before, but no outfit has cemented its place in mainstream musical culture like Pendulum

tious,” says Flynn and reflects how a good artist producer-collaboration is like a friendship: “We did the first record together and by the time we did the second the level of communication was really good and fluid... when you make a new friend, you don’t quite always know what you are talking about at first, then after a few years you don’t have to say as much.”

“When you see how radio plugging works you get quite cynical”

Yet as Flynn points out, the music industry is very much a game that has to be played and an institution where good records don’t necessarily translate into revenue or acclaim. This attitude is nowhere more apparent than at industry conventions such as the SXSW festival in Texas where, particularly since the discovery of Jack and Meg White playing a small stage, record company A&R men flock to find “the next big thing.” Flynn says how it’s “all types of diverse shows and audiences...it’s like a whole career in a week.” And how: “You have to do seem to have at the moment. Today the band’s new album Immersion went straight to number one on the UK’s official album chart, and this gig feels like a homecoming party for a group that played a DJ set here to about 30 people a few years ago. The crowd is a pretty good crosssection of the new Pendulum fanbase. There is of course a contingent of hardcore ravers who

this schtick with record executives... we played seven or eight shows [where] some ... are corporate things that you have to do because they pay you to go.” Of recent radio success in the UK he says, “when you see how radio plugging works you get quite cynical.” He is referring to the fact that Zane Lowe named ‘Kentucky Pill’ from Been Listening his “hottest record in the world” on his Radio 1 show. “There’s somebody trying really hard and calling up the producer all week so they can get it on that slot,” Flynn says. “I try not to be too interested in that because I feel like it makes it into a race that could be won ... I don’t really feel that way about music and I don’t really listen to

Radio 1,” yet he offers the compromise: “as long as we get to carry on doing what we do and that includes being played on the radio occasionally...that’s good.” It has been a good year for music like Flynn’s as friends and touring partners Mumford and Sons confidently bestride the British charts whilst Laura Marling released her latest I Speak Because I Can to great acclaim. For someone who is often lumped together with artists such as these, Johnny Flynn is not desperate for the comparison.

have known this lot since time immemorial, but with them are a mass of UV-daubed teeny boppers, children as young as five or six, some grizzled-looking veterans (who were probably around when both the drum and the bass were invented) and a man in a black morph suit wearing nothing except a trilby. Ominous. Liverpool-based dance sensation Sub Focus is some support act, and the man does his reputation as

one of the best up-and-coming DJs in Britain no harm as he tears into a stunning 40 minute set. Effortlessly swinging between drum ‘n’ bass, dubstep and house, he has the crowd in a state of controlled pandemonium, or in the case of the massive ‘Rock It’, uncontrolled pandemonium. His set finishes all too quickly, but Sub Focus has definitely won himself a few new fans tonight. When Pendulum take to the stage, the crowd hits the roof. There’s a lot of love for the dancerockers in this room and they don’t disappoint, blasting into a breathless rendition of ‘Witchcraft’ off the new album. They keep up this intensity through the next few songs (including the fantastic ‘Granite’), though ‘Showdown’ feels a bit flat, mostly because of levelling problems with Welsh riff merchant Perry ap Gwynedd’s guitar, which is a bit too quiet all night. Nevertheless, the standard gets flung back up into the stratosphere as the band pro-

“It’s quite easy for people to put music that uses some of the same instru-

ments into the same bracket,” he muses. “I’m not sure that there’s that much that ties it all together... everybody’s doing different things.” Yet fans of Marling can look forward to her duet on album track ‘The Water’. Chosen as Flynn “thought that her voice would be a really good balance...the stillness that she has when she sings was right for the song.” The rest of the album features a melee of stringed and brass instruments, many played by Flynn himself. “I like writing on other instruments because it forces you into a different kind of melodic frequency,” he says. “I have a limited way of playing those instruments but that helps me... it’s nice that each instrument prompts a different approach.” Whilst NME may not be a fan of Johnny Flynn, it cannot be denied that his new album produces some of the most exciting songs in a genre that he may or may not wish to be a part of. Whilst the mainstream success of groups such as Mumford and Sons has yet to find him, he admits “I’m not really influenced by those bands.” Johnny Flynn is playing the Exeter Phoenix on Sunday December 12. ‘Been Listening’ is out now on Transgressive Records.

duce an absolutely devastating version of ‘Slam’, complete with a few cheeky break-beats from new drummer Kevin Sawka, who clearly knows his stuff and does a great job filling the enormous shoes of the brilliant beat guru Paul Kodish. Despite a technical hitch at the start, the classic ‘Propane Nightmares’ shows off Aussie frontman Rob Swire’s impressive voice and gets everyone singing along, the extras from Skins by this point going thoroughly mental. MC Ben Mount, a bit of an oddity when you watch YouTube videos of Pendulum gigs, is in his element here, his catchphrase “somebody SCREAM!” never failing to get a reaction. Other highlights include the bouncy house stylings of ‘Fasten Your Seatbelts’ and the epic ‘Hold Your Colour’, which draws the band’s set to a close. It has been a truly exhilarating experience, and everyone in the crowd knows they have been watching a band at the very top of their game. Watch out... Pendulum are back with a vengeance. Andrew Henley

Exeposé welcome week 2010

Music

Ellie Bothwell, Music Editor gives you a run down of Exeter’s finest music venues. Timepiece

Mama Stone’s

Located in the heart of the city, Timepiece is one of Exeter’s most popular venues, with a clockfilled pub downstairs and nightclub upstairs, not to mention its legendary burger stall in the garden outside. There are themed club nights every day of the week, from cheese to salsa, from to crunk, to indie, and also live music nights, with artists from in and around Exeter and Campus. Wednesday night is student night, run by students for students, and proceeds go to support student societies.

Owned by Wendy Joseph, mother of Joss Stone, Mama Stone’s is a great venue for live music, with a mixture of Acoustic, Soul and Jazz music from local and national artists every night of the week. “Southern Style” food is served from 5pm, and the relaxed atmosphere and hand-painted interior makes this one of Exeter’s coolest venues. It is also host to Exeter University’s very own Beat Roots, a monthly night of music, poetry, comedy and rap.

Exeter Phoenix At the end of Gandy Street, the Phoenix is Exeter ’s main space for the arts. Its programme includes a variety of dance, theatre, art, spoken word, film and, of course, music, This year, expect music performances from Frightened Rabbit, Johnny Flynn and Neville Staple from The Specials.

Old Fire House A student favourite, this cosy three-floored pub has a wonderful atmosphere. After 9pm you can order their famous stone-baked pizzas. On Thursdays music is brought to you by a Spanish Flamenco guitarist, Friday is live acoustic night, Saturday presents us with jazz and world music, and Sunday night is open mic night, where University musicians and comedians have a chance to perform.

Amber Rooms Amber Rooms is a vibrant candle-lit cocktail bar, with a great atmosphere. Live music every Monday night, and DJs playing funk and disco on Thursday and Saturday nights. From Sunday to Thursday cocktails are only £3.95.

The Lemon Grove

Exeter University’s very own student nightclub, The Lemmy is situated in Cornwall House on Streatham Campus. There is a student club night every Saturday, with music brought to you by an Exeter student DJ, and live music from national artists throughout the year. This term sees Example, Frank Turner and Bowling for Soup all play our stand-out student venue. Cavern Club With Indie, Punk, Drum & Bass, and Reggae club nights, as well as live music, Cavern Club is Exeter’s alternative music venue and prides itself on being a platform for new underground bands. Recently the Cavern has hosted shows by La Roux, Glasvegas and The Futureheads.

Books

Welcome week 2010

Exeposé

James Henderson & Jacob Moffatt - books@exepose.com

REVIEW

Imperial Bedrooms by Brett Easton Ellis ISBN: 0330449761

A quarter of a century after the publication of his seminal youth classic, Less Than Zero, Bret Easton Ellis has returned to familiar territory in

the highly-anticipated Imperial Bedrooms. A now middle-aged Clay is returns to the site of his adolescence having spent time in New York pursuing his career as a screenwriter. Ellis places him at the forefront of a flashy/brazen/meretricious-yet morally-bereft Los Angeles and reintroduces us to the familiar faces of Blair, Trent, Rip and Julian. Amidst old acquaintances and a disheartening setting, Ellis crafts a dark narrative intertwining Clay’s return with the murder of a young actor whilst he is being stalked by a mysterious figure. This return to Los Angeles allows Ellis to pursue how familiar characters have fared over the years but also provides an environment for intertextuality. With age it seems that

Clay’s narcissism and meticulous nature have evolved to a degree akin to that of American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman. There is a definite degree of maturity to the novel in Ellis’s decision to lay the foundations for a murder mystery alongside Clay’s problems with his old friends, whether it be the familiar conflict with Blair or his troubled relationship with Rain Turner, a young actress who is trying to break into Hollywood. The corrupt urban environment and murder mystery serve as apt qualities that have drawn comparisons with the work of Raymond Chandler. Of course, Ellis has taken his own spin on the Noir genre and has laced it with his stylish signatures of pop culture references and savage imagery. His attention to sex and violence

is characterised in a chapter where Clay instigates a barrage of abuse upon a pair of young actors that once more would seem at home in American Psycho. If you were looking for a straight -up sequel to Less Than Zero, you won’t find it in Imperial Bedrooms. The troubled youth of Ellis’s first novel can be seen in parts but it tends not to dwell on them, rather focusing on a more mature narrative surrounding Clay’s personal issues and the murder. Imperial Bedrooms lightly remembers the voice of the young, rich and the hopeless that was so wonderfully portrayed in Less Than Zero but, through the characters’ incapacity to grow, it discards said memories via the impartiality that has come with middle-aged wealth and careers

in the film industry. Overall, Imperial Bedrooms feels like being reunited with an old friend; it conjures up fond memories of setting and personality and even if there have been some alterations in appearance, you are still able to see a familiar individual that hasn’t changed underneath. However, in quintessential Ellis fashion, this fondness is replaced with dire pessimism that has characterised his work for 25 years, consolidating his position as one of the great contemporary American writers.

FEATURE

Brett Easton Ellis: The American Psycho in London Jacob Moffatt, Books Editor, sits in as Brett Easton Ellis launches his latest novel, Imperial Bedrooms

The crowd filling the Queen Elizabeth Hall tonight is surprisingly eclectic. There are a fair number of students and twenty-somethings, which is to be expected, but amongst them are married couples and somewhat ironically more than a few City types. All of them are here to see Bret Easton Ellis launch his newest book, Imperial Bedrooms. The book is the sequel to his celebrated début, Less Than Zero, and the proceedings are conducted by the literary editor of The Financial Times. Ellis’s demeanour has a brilliant ‘All-American’ flavour to it and throughout the interview he is supremely confident and effortlessly charming. Whilst to some degree his childish facetiousness is part of his public persona, or at least seems so, he manages to seem fairly genuine and, if nothing else, he is genuinely funny. Although the interview does not run completely smoothly and the clumsy nature of some of the questioning would lead you to believe our maestro is not the most well informed Bret Easton Ellis enthusiast in the building; we are given a number of insights into his novels past and present. In talking about Imperial Bedrooms, Ellis gives

the impression that the book is not a sequel in the traditional sense, more a revisiting. The origins of the new novel lie in Ellis’s preparations for the largely autobiographical Lunar Park. The author re-read his earlier works as research and over the next 12 months he tells us that he began to muse on Clay’s fate since they parted some two decades ago. Ellis prefers to work in anecdotes than to discuss the minutiae of his books; he admits to being a slow worker and to having to adjust to life in LA after moving back from New York, but dodges questions about the Noir nature of the new book or influence of Raymond Chandler, though he denies neither. Though not eager to talk at any length about his books, he is happy enough to answer numerous questions on American Psycho, on losing publishers over it, defending its violence and elements of misogyny. It’s fairly clear that to this day, he is still very pleased with the book, but in accordance with his Californian sensibilities, he is happy for it to be attacked and disliked. Perhaps the most interesting revelation he makes about it is that, Lunar Park excepted, it is probably his most autobiographical piece of fiction. He remarks about having lived a life akin to Patrick Bateman’s when he first settled in New York, less murderous perhaps but equally self-interested, materialistic and in some senses as hollow. There is no doubt, however, that what Ellis enjoys most about evenings like tonight is the opportunity

NICK JONES

Exeposé Welcome week 2010

CONDENSED CLASSIC The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. ISBN: 038549081X

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is feminist dystopian novel written in 1985. It won the 1985 Governor General’s Award and the first Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1987, and it was nominated for the 1986 Nebula Award, the 1986 Booker Prize, and the 1987 Prometheus Award. It is an essential read for modern life; a searing tale of oppression, fear, longing and love, it explores the extremes of emotions and questions what it means to be

a woman. Set in the near future, in a totalitarian theocracy which has overthrown the United States government, The Handmaid’s Tale explores themes of women in subjugation and the various means by which they gain agency. The Handmaid’s Tale tells the story of Ofwarren, a young woman who could not escape, will never know what happened to her family and who is given a new role in a new society. As a woman of childbearing age, in a world with rapidly-falling fertility levels, she is condemned to be passed from man to man desperately trying to bear a child and fully aware of the fatal consequences if she cannot prove her worth to the state. The questions the novel proposes to the reader in this tantalising thriller are how will she survive? Can she survive? And who can she trust to help her escape? This novel cries out to the 21st Century as a warning of what the lives we live now could lead to; it is filled with the paradoxes we face in the news everyday and makes

us question how safe we truly are. The power of this amazingly evocative novel lies in its basis in truth. While researching and formulating her ideas for The Handmaid’s Tale Atwood collected articles from newspapers; articles that relate to the main themes of the book, such as fertility levels, women’s rights and details of totalitarian regimes and then placed each situation in its extreme. Out of this matrix of fears came the setting for the novel’s action: Gilead, which is meant to represent America despite Atwood’s Canadian identity. America was chosen, Atwood claims, because it is a nation where you could imagine such extremes taking place. Not only is this novel fascinating in terms of plot, it is exquisitely written. Like many of Atwood’s novels, the narrative does not follow a chronological order, making great use of flash backs and diary style entries. This brilliant structural device uses dramatic irony in such a way that you often know details before the character. It also makes the reader engage more fully with the

text as you are situated in a superior position to the characters, allowing you to piece together the information yourself, making the narrative’s revelations more dramatic. The characters are also beautifully formed, rounded and real. You cannot help but feel as they feel, a fact that makes this novel even more enjoyable and a very personal experience. It is the personal nature of this novel that makes it a piece of literature that will last and last. Every person this writer has encountered has had a completely different reaction to it, as each person who reads it will find their counterpart trapped somewhere in the dystopia of Gilead. Described as a feminist dystopian novel, this may suggest that it is intended for a purely female audience. Although the majority of characters are female, it is a novel both genders can enjoy because it addresses not solely female issues but human nature as a whole. Certainly reading this novel as a 21st Century female you are made to reflect on

to entertain. He delights in giving a full review of MTV’s The Hills, which we are reliably informed lost its soul with the departure of Lauren Conrad. The author ’s more approachable

and even playful side is best entertained by the Question and Answer session that follows the interview where Ellis is able to broker easy laughs in light-heartedly teasing his questioners and

eventually hijacking the session, declaring “two more questions? No no, I’ll decide when we’re done”. The evening ends with him declining to answer a fairly mundane question about cinema adaptations, to yet further laughs; but in reality the aim of tonight is not to answer questions about the books or garner some deep under-

REVIEW

“Ellis is able to broker easy laughs in lightheartedly teasing his questioners and eventually hijacking the session”

standing of the author ’s methods, it is to go some way to bridging the gap between writer and audience. In that sense tonight has been a success. Ellis has avoided much of this type of event in the last five or six years and in doing so the few media appearances he may have given an impression of arrogance and narcissism. He still embodies all of these characteristics of course, but now, for those who attended tonight, in a much more personable way.

City of Thieves by David Benioff. ISBN: 0340977396

Caught out with nothing to read in a small village in Europe recently, City of Thieves was one of the few English books in the only bookshop in town. Fortunately it turned out to be the perfect holiday read, a coming-of-age tale with a riveting plot and great characters that provide frequent and unexpected laughs in an otherwise bleak setting – that of war-strewn Russia. The book begins with an excerpt from the author’s life – relating to a moment when he turned to his grandfather for inspiration for his next novel. His grandfather, having apparently never spoken of his war experiences up to this point, starts to tell the story of his survival, how he, ‘killed two Germans before he was eighteen’. Thus begins the story of Lev, an awkward Jewish teenage boy trapped in Leningrad during the German siege in WWII. Caught looting by the NKVD, and thrown into a cell, he meets Kolya, a cocky but charm-

Books

how lucky we are to have the rights and freedoms we do, as Ofwarren addresses how transient and fragile that freedom is. However, men too do not escape in the novel and are best represented in the character of Nick, a male counterpart to our heroine who provides a male view on the entire situation. He is mysterious and complex and a constant source of intrigue throughout. The Handmaid’s Tale is in all good conscience unmissable. The passion of the author for her subject screams from every page and the continuous twists and turns means it is impossible to walk away from. Intellectually stimulating and also extremely enjoyable, Atwood’s individual style alone compels the reader onward. A must-read for anyone who, enjoyed Orwell’s 1984, is interested in dystopian literature or wants to try something different. The Handmaid’s Tale is a tremendous achievement and a chilling and exhilarating read. A feminist dystopia it certainly is. A feminist rant? No. CAROLINE CANT

ing Red Army deserter. In a strange turn of events, they are allowed to live if they manage within the week to retrieve a dozen eggs in a starving blockaded city. This task leads them behind enemy lines, and exposes them to some of the most brutal aspects of the siege, but the novel manages to avoid becoming depressing thanks in part to Lev’s self-deprecating and humorous narration. His, at times inappropriate, interior monologue creates a touching juxtaposition with his surroundings, as does Kolya’s relentless energy and one-track mind. Both characters are immensely likeable – the type you come to care for – perhaps their only flaw is that they’re somewhat stereotypical. However, the unlikely pairing of the handsome and foolhardy soldier and more insecure and cautious teenager works well in context and their journey through the freezing Russian winter of 1941 is page-turning whilst retaining overall historical accuracy. Benioff succeeds in bringing the era alive with encounters with a whole cast of interesting ‘reallife’ characters of the period; from cannibals and partisans to fanatical chess-playing Nazis, all of which makes for an exhilarating and enjoyable read.

EMERALD MAXWELL

Screen

Welcome week 2010

Exeposé

Calum Baker & David Brake screen@exepose.com

Competitions

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Searchlight, we have 5 sets of TSHIRTS AND BUMPER STICKERS to promote the newly-released comedy Cyrus (review on opposite page). Want a set? Answer us this: In which film did Jonah Hill star with Russell Brand earlier this year?

Once again, we have THREE PAIRS of FREE TICKETS to any ODEON screening you choose. If you’d like your two tickets, just answer this question:

Rainbow Cinema Michelle Powell discusses the treatment of alternative sexualities on film.

ANYONE who has ever politely inquired whether or not I enjoyed a particular film will probably inform you that I am inclined to be a little on the critical side at times. But when it comes to the portrayal of alternative sexualities in Hollywood, I’m inclined to become a little more serious. All right, I’m bored quite easily. I didn’t like Casino Royale. I wasn’t scared of The Grudge. I think Christian Bale is incredibly overrated and that Cate Blanchett is the consummate fox – and I am well aware that these opinions aren’t exactly common. And I must recognise that my own dissatisfaction

with the portrayal of queerness in Hollywood is not a reflection of a greater dissatisfaction in the Queer community. But nonetheless, problems exist. It’s not that there’s a shortage of Queer cinema. A quick Google search provides enough to last you until the end of time. The problem is that Queer cinema is just that – it has its own category, and, as such, tends to fall outside the mainstream. It is estimated that about four to 10% of the

population are otherwise than heterosexual. So why do so few films feature Queer characters and relationships? Why is there no Fun with Dick and Wayne? No When Carrie Met Sally? Why are we still forced to tolerate abominable stereotyping from films like Lesbian Vampire Killers and Ghost Writer (look it up if you dare...)? Over the years, there’s been something of a history of groundbreaking Queer movies. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for example, or the more recent Brokeback Mountain. With this in mind, it is hardly fair to suggest that there is no effort made by the film industry to include the LGBTQ community – but for some reason, none of these groundbreaking films have the necessary momentum to propel those of alternative sexualities into the mainstream. Then, of course, there’s the often catastrophically bad portrayal of gay and lesbian characters. The coiffed, limp-wristed hairdressers, the bitchy best friends, the crewcut bulldykes, the oversexed cheerleaders. Need I go on? Disappointment came recently from the film The Kids Are All Right, a film that failed less in its delivery than in satisfying its own promise. The film portrays a lesbian couple raising two children from the same anonymous sperm donor. The film shows the aftermath of this man’s reentry into their lives. So far, so good. The lesbian couple are lovingly and realistically portrayed. They and

their children have a normal (even boring) family dynamic. I dared to get excited. But then, somewhere along the line, it flinches. It pussies out (if you’ll pardon the expression) and succumbs to the damaging stereotype that all a homosexual woman really needs is a good bit of beasting with a hot-blooded male. Pass the bucket, please. I won’t deny my deep and undying dissatisfaction with the current lack of Queer Hollywood, but I will concede that what we have right now is the beginning of something new and big and potentially exciting. The LGBTQ community, having got its foot in the door, now needs to convince the world that this foot is not wearing a spangled heel or a Doc Marten. Hollywood is still failing to meet the demands of a large portion of society. I suppose my grievance with the portrayal of alternative sexualities in cinema is that the film industry still hasn’t cottoned on to the fact that the LGBTQ community are just as boring as everybody else. We watch just as much television, eat just as many crap takeaways, and work just as many dull jobs. So why can’t there be more boring Queer films? I don’t promise to enjoy them, but I might as well feel disillusioned and cheated by films portraying a variety of sexual identities as by films portraying only one. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m looking forward to falling asleep in the cinema during the first ever lesbian Western.

kaban and since then has had a film out almost every year. Films like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, A Christmas Carol and The Book of Eli. He has also lent his voice to several video games and has four films due for release next year. The success of such a franchise has given British actors worldwide recognition and demand. Gone are the days when a British actor must appear in a Hollywood SFX orgy playing the villain if they want to make it big. The gorgeous and talented Carey Mulligan for instance has managed to make a name for herself both here and abroad thanks to her outstanding performance as Jenny in An Education. She won a BAFTA for Best Actress (over Meryl Streep) which has led to more high-profile roles (e.g. Wall Street 2). No massive Hollywood shoot-em-up got her to this stage; just an intelligently-written, beautifully-shot and wonderfully-

acted British film. Similarly, Tom Hardy has been quietly working on several low-budget British films, giving phenomenal turns in Bronson, Scenes of a Sexual Nature and Sky 1’s The Take. His international breakthrough has finally arrived, it seems, in the much-hyped Inception also starring fellow Brits Michael Caine and Pete Postlethwaite.

we may see a decline in Brit-centric films. Beloved and talented actors such as James McAvoy, Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt owe some, if not all, of their success to UKFC funding for films they starred in and it would be a great shame to see the next wave of young British talent lose that lifeline and have to compete with the almost impenetrable Hollywood. This would lead to an even bigger shame, as it may herald a whole new line of villainous Englishmen out to take over the world unless the likes of Matt Damon can stop them. This cannot happen, not when Brits are now breaking that mould. The British film industry may not be as glamorous as Hollywood but it provides well-written, well-directed and well-acted movies: so long live British acting talent and long live the British film industry. At least for the sake of Tom Hardy’s career.

Which historical figure most deserves a Hollywood makeover?

All answers to be emailed to: screen@exepose.com

Rule Britannia?

Dan Orton questions whether the British really are coming. HOLLYWOOD films just aren’t what they used to be. Too often of late those big-wig producers in Tinseltown have been churning out big-budget action flicks with no discernible script or direction and simply hoping that if they stick a couple of big names on the poster it will be a roaring success. Clash of the Titans was a mess; Knight and Day, with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, was a massive box office flop ($20.5m in its opening weekend) - but not as big a flop as the $3m-costing Uma Thurman flick Motherhood, which earned £88 on its UK opening weekend (meaning, if my maths is correct, roughly 11 people saw it). Other Hollywood disasters this year include the criti-

cally-slammed Kevin Smith film Cop Out and Jonah Hex (a cowboy with the ability to resurrect the dead - no, I can’t think why it sunk either). Coincidentally, both those last films were made by Warner Bros. Thank goodness then that over on our side of the pond, British actors and filmmakers are showing their American counterparts how it’s done. Britishmade films like 44 Inch Chest, The Disappearance of Alice Creed and even the Nanny McPhee sequel were all critically acclaimed. The success of such films, and others, means that the world is now taking the British film industry seriously and, in turn, our wonderfully talented British actors are thriving. The Harry Potter films also help. They have an entirely British cast, many of whom have seen waning careers catapult post-Potter. Gary Oldman for example had not acted for over a year before Prisoner of Az-

“Beloved and talented actors owe their success to the UKFC”

It would seem, then, like the perfect time for Britain to take Hollywood’s crown as the home of aweinspiring filmmaking, yet the industry of course has hit a bit of a rut of late, not least in the form of the UK Film Council’s abolition, meaning

Exeposé Welcome wEEK 2010

Salt

Dir: Phillip Noyce (12A) 100mins Cast: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber

The Expendables

Dir: Sylvester Stallone (15)103mins

The Human Centipede

Cast: Jason Statham, Jet Li et al.

Dir: Tom Six Cast: Dieter Laser

IN the post-Bourne action flick world, it’s increasingly hard to produce an individual action film. Director Noyce isn’t concerned by that problem though, and makes sure that Salt plays to its strengths without really breaking new ground. With Evelyn Salt (Jolie)’s motives and innocence never made explicit, it’s up to Jolie to really flesh her character out. Indeed Jolie is one of the film’s major strengths, effortlessly making Salt a character we can never quite understand but who always interests. Noyce’s strong direction, too, ensures steady action and tension meaning that whilst Salt never captures the emotional pull of some of its contemporaries, it signifies the start of what will likely be an entertaining franchise.

IT’S an 80s fanboy dream-cast but not quite the film they’d be hoping for. All those with memories of Rambo and Predator will be thrilled by the mental finale, but the first twothirds of this film fall flat. Attempts to garner a larger audience means the film has been censored to a 15 certificate therefore neutering the unadulterated madness we all came to see. Cast do everything required of them – say their lines and beat the shit out of bad guys. Dolph Lundgren earns credit for his brilliant deadpan madness. Pic is buoyed by the cast’s sense of enjoyment, enjoying the banal dialogue and clunky direction. It’s just a shame that The Expendables doesn’t go all the way to 11 on the insanity scale.

SO. You’re in a foreign country, driving to a remote party late at night. No one knows you’re out. Your car breaks down. You’re stranded, with no mobile signal. On finding a house, you’re greeted by a menacing skeletal man who literally answers the door with ‘are you... alone?’ You decide to mince gracefully inside and accept a strangely bitter drink. Sound like you? Then I suggest you avoid this pic - its grittily realistic portrayal of human behaviour will probably terrify you. Everyone else: still avoid it, it’s crap. A pointless, steaming pile of bathos - ludicrously-plotted, poorly-shot, appallingly-acted and, actually, quite boring. Watching it is like being force-fed the waste products of director Six’s warped imagination.

STEPHEN O’NION VIDEO GAMES EDITOR

DAVID BRAKE SCREEN EDITOR

LIZZY QUINLAN

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Dir: Edgar Wright Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman (12A)112mins

IF you want to know what this film is, listen to opening-credits track ‘We Are Sex Bob-omb’ by Scott Pilgrim (Cera)’s fictitious band. Done? Good. Note the bandname - named in honour of a Mario enemy; note the riotous, exuberant lo-fi noise; note the hipster credentials in having a song actually written by Beck. This movie is kinetic, frenetic and yet somehow pulled together by its story and themes, which deal largely with the sort of teen romance issues we’re all only half-grown-out-of. Requisite summary of

story: Scott Pilgrim is a shy 22-yearold who plays bass in a slightly mediocre band. Upon meeting, and somehow dating, the beautiful Ramona Flowers (Winstead), he finds he must battle her Seven Evil Exes to the death in order to stay with her. This surreal premise actually makes a certain kind of logical sense in the world of the film,

which is a fantastical collage of video game and manga styles. As Wright puts

(18)92mins

it, it’s “the trials of young love as a visual metaphor.” Indeed, it’s not all chaos and cartoon coin-winning. Poor Scott, who finds it so hard to talk to Ramona, is horrified to discover her exes include a rock star, an action star, a successful record producer and twins. As Ex #4 (Mae Whitman) breathes her last after an insane death-gasm (literally le petit mort), she shrieks ‘you’ll never make her feel this good!’ Ouch. The very idea of a League of Evil Exes says a lot about insecurity in relationships: the idea of having to be better than the guy or girl before... but do I make it sound deep? It’s not really - it’s very clever and very relatable but the script unfortunately doesn’t live up to Wright’s astounding direction. And what assured direction it is. Wright, the British indie-type turned, here, Hollywood A-lister,

Cyrus

Dir: Jay & Mark Duplass (15) 91mins

Cast: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill

SET in 1930s Depression-ridden America, Claudette Colbert plays the spoilt-yet-headstrong heiress Ellie Andrews, who has married a man her father disapproves of. Following an argument, she jumps from his yacht and attempts to get to New York with a bus ticket and only four dollars in her pocket. On the bus, she encounters cynical, down-to-earth reporter Peter Warne (Gable), who joins her on this crosscountry roadtrip to document her story. Both cannot stand one another, are from different social spheres, yet somehow end up falling for each other.

I know what you’re thinking: we’ve heard this before. A very simple plot indeed, re-told again and again to the extent that it has now become a cliché: a loathing relationship between strangers blossoming into love. Even the actors themselves did not have faith in Frank Capra’s little road film, assuming it would flop. How wrong they were. The screwball comedy was a huge success and became the first film to win the ‘Big Five’ at the Academy Awards (Best Actor, Actress, Director, Picture, and Screenplay). Only two other films have achieved this to date: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Silence of the Lambs (1990). Capra took this so-called clichéd narrative structure and transformed it into a witty, sharp romantic comedy with intangible charm, fuelled by the sizzling

chemistry and bantering interaction between Gable and Colbert. Their comic timing is superb, notably in the famous ‘hitch-hiking’ scene and the scene in which a shirtless Gable allegedly caused a major decline in the sales of men’s vests. Gable is a true leading man, encapsulating pure masculinity (arguably difficult to find in many current Hollywood A-listers). He masters one-liners and successfully plays this droll, arrogant yet sincere man who unexpectedly finds the girl he’s been looking for, even if she does “drive him crazy.” Colbert plays a haughty character, that could easily have been unlikeable, with profound sensitivity and humour. She is naive and inexperienced, but never fragile, even managing to put Gable’s character in his place - proving that “the limb is mightier than the

reviews

I ALWAYS find myself rooting for John C. Reilly. Here’s good reason why. Here, the ever-likeable lug plays John, a lonely divorcee who meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) and begins to date her. She’s perfect; there’s just a big problem in the form of her overprotective grown-up son Cyrus (Hill). The pic has been marketed as a zany battle-of-wills between the two men but in reality plays out as something more slight, with a lot of the dialogue low-key and improvised. Whilst unexpected and so interesting, as 90 minutes play out at a slower pace than anticipated, it seems a few of the middle scenes could have been amped up in terms of John-vs-Cyrus comedy. That said, the final 15 minutes are acted to perfection - a late scene between Tomei and Hill

really shows off the more serious themes in the film. The older leads are excellent as always, but it is Hill, still in the shadow of Judd Apatow flicks, who really shines for the first time.

seems to have perfected a formula. First Shaun of the Dead; then Hot Fuzz; now Scott Pilgrim, which is certainly as parodic as his other films. Here, rather than cinematic genres, Wright tackles the touchstones of post-90s geekdom: games, anime and indie rock, all covering up what is, at heart, a mumbly slacker movie (think Wes Anderson etc.).

boy’ venture Youth in Revolt, packs a real punch for the first time; while even better, frequently scene-stealing support comes from Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick and a wonderfully jockish Chris Evans - all of whom would surely seem lost against all the action but somehow retain strong, absolutely hilarious, voices throughout. Really, then, while the film may not move its viewers - and possibly won’t appeal to anyone over 35 - it’s certainly an impressive achievement in putting a picture together: the editing, the visuals, the sheer breathless motion of events; everything about this is absolutely fantastic and definitely a movie worth the ticket price.

“We are Sex Bobomb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff! 1-2-3-4!”

The actors, too, are game - excuse the pun - against all the visual madness. Cera, after recent ‘bad-

Classic Films #4: It Happened One Night (1934) Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert (U) 92mins

Screen

thumb” by flagging down a car with a show of leg. Subtle yet hilarious.

“If you’re nursing any silly notion that I’m interested in you, forget it.”

It is very hard to find a romantic comedy these days that comes even close to what Frank Capra, his cast and his crew brought to this underrated gem. Even though it was made 76 years ago, this film holds up and is incredibly entertaining with energetic, genuine performances. The audience is kept in suspense, wondering whether or not Ellie will still want to return to her husband or if she and Peter will finally bring “the

CALUM BAKER SCREEN EDITOR

walls of Jericho” crashing down.

MELISSA BARRETT

Arts

Welcome week 2010

Exeposé

Rosie Scudder & Ellie Steafel - arts@exepose.com

Exhibition review

Exeposé finds that beauty sometimes is skin deep

Rosie Scudder & Ellie Steafel, Arts Editors, visit London’s ‘Skin’ exhibition and interview contributors Gemma Anderson and Melissa Smith about their experiences.

Walking down Euston Road towards London’s Wellcome Collection we had little idea of what to expect from their new exhibition intriguingly entitled ‘Skin’. Other than spending yet another typically British ‘summer’ fretting over non-existent tans, neither of us had given much thought to our skin. However, this exhibition confronted our complacency, forcing us to look further than aesthetics and examine our own skin as an organ.

“After just half an hour considering ‘Skin’, we were amazed, touched and sometimes repulsed”

On walking into the space, we were immediately struck by the design of the exhibition hall. Muslin hung from the ceiling and provided not only makeshift walls but also a canvas on which a textual guide to the exhibition could be found. This tactile and imperfect material enveloped the exhibition hall, creating an isolated world in which visitors could commit themselves to exploring ‘Skin’. The pieces ranged from the beautiful to the shockingly graphic. Samples of diseased human skin lay in clinical glass cabinets, whilst the walls displayed intricate sketches and innovative photography. Moving image also played an important role throughout the experience, as cartoons and magnified scientific film provided yet another media, and therefore perspective, on the same theme. After just half an hour considering ‘Skin’ we were amazed, touched and sometimes repulsed by what we had seen. One piece which particularly represents the exhibition’s focus is a trio of photographs by Heather Barnett entitled Examination. At first glance, the photographs capture intimate moments of human contact. However, the piece holds a deeper

medical relevance as each photograph in fact depicts a recognised physical examination. This piece successfully blurs the distinction between the sensual and the scientific, a juxtaposition which runs throughout ‘Skin’.

“Other than spending another summer fretting over tans, neither of us had given much thought to our skin”

At the end of the exhibition you are led into a separate section entitled Skin Lab. This section of ‘Skin’ feels far more clinical and modern, as visitors are invited to examine specimens under microscopes and engage interactively with the exhibition. The work of Gemma Anderson provides the main feature of the Skin Lab. Her copper plate etchings portray Melissa Smith, a patient taking part in a new skin research programme. Melissa suffers from Epidermolyisis Bullosa, a rare skin disease caused by a lack of the connective proteins that hold the layers of skin together. The slightest friction or trauma (such as clothing seams rubbing, or turning over in bed) causes the skin to lift, either into large blisters capable of spreading instantly across the skin, or to lift completely, leaving a raw wound akin to a second or third degree burn. In these beautiful etchings, Anderson conveys the unique physical appearance of Melissa’s skin whilst incorporating her personal reality of living with E.B. In the main etching, Anderson constructs Melissa’s body from hundreds of butterflies, not only an artistic statement but a nod to E.B. itself, butterflies being a noted symbol of the disease due to the fragility of sufferers’ skin. The portraits take on further scientific resonance through the outline of syringes, delicately hidden amongst the butterflies. The interplay between these organic creatures and the scientific instruments means that whilst we consider the natural beauty of Anderson’s portrait, we are constantly

reminded of the medical intervention which Melissa deals with every day. When asked what place her work has within ‘Skin’, Anderson stated that she found Melissa’s individuality very inspiring and it was this that led her towards the creation of a piece which holds “a very personal insight into skin, which works in the context of the whole exhibition [...] I think it relates back to the old lithographs and etchings of skin diseases in the show, but re-

aspect of the portrait, Anderson revealed that, “after talking to Melissa, I realised that I really wanted her voice to come across. Talking to her made me appreciate how lucky I am to have ‘normal’ skin, but I also saw how Melissa’s wonderful outlook on life is partly shaped by her disease. I was very inspired by her strength and humour [...] I hope the art will excite people’s imaginations and help them to see this skin disease in a new light.”

mains contemporary and represents elements of Melissa’s life with E.B. in today’s world.” Accompanying the portraits is an audio interview with Melissa, where she discusses with Anderson her experiences of living with a skin condition. For visitors who are unfamiliar with E.B., the addition of the audio was both informative and inspiring. The experience of viewing a piece of artwork whilst listening to a discussion between subject and artist greatly enriched the artwork

After visiting ‘Skin’, we were lucky enough to speak to Melissa herself and were able to find out her thoughts on participating in the exhibition. “I’ve always had a ‘different’ view of my skin, and I’ve never related to the butterfly skin analogy, because something as destructive as E.B. cannot be conventionally beautiful. But through working with Gemma, I became able to see the beauty in my skin. My skin isn’t all that I am, but it is inevitably part of my identity, and now I feel much more able to embrace that concept, and to be proud of what my skin says about me: I can cope, I can be happy, I can be a work of art.” When asked what she hoped visitors to the exhibition would take away with them, Melissa insisted “there is always beauty in a person’s skin, if only others make the effort to see it.” A sentiment which resonates powerfully throughout this extraordinary exhibition.

“‘There is always beauty in a person’s skin, if only others make the effort to see it’”

itself and indeed our understanding of an individual’s atypical experience of skin. When asked how important she deemed this audio

Exeposé welcome week 2010

Arts

Exhibition review Steve McCurry @ Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, July 2 2010. On the evening of a very hot and humid July 2, I took my seat along with 100 others in a tightly-packed, featureless room somewhere in the cavernous depths of Birmingham’s Museum and Art Gallery. I was there for a presentation and retrospective look at Photographer Steve McCurry’s work. The talk was to celebrate the launch of his first and only UK exhibition, spanning the past 30 years of his illustrious career. Successful Photographers have the privilege of being world famous and completely anonymous at the same time, taking iconic images that are seen by millions, and yet remaining almost invisible themselves. Steve McCurry is no exception. Born in the U.S, he began studying Film at university in the 1960s but quickly turned to photography: “I found photography more spontaneous than film, you don’t need a crew and post production, you can just step outside and start.” He began working for a local newspaper before travelling to India for two years. Whilst there the U.S.S.R. invaded Afghanistan and he took a gamble and crossed the border to join the Mujahedeen in their campaign against the Soviets. Dressed as a tribal Afghan, the films he smuggled out by sewing them into his clothes

were critically acclaimed and acted as a springboard for his career, ultimately winning him the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad.

McCurry has been travelling ever since and for the past 30 years has covered numerous conflicts and cultures, from the First Gulf War to Cambodia. His method is simple: “The best pictures are unscripted. Get up early, usually before sunrise, and just walk around and immerse yourself. The story is paramount.” This

lyptic flames and smoke that blacken the sky and desert sands. When asked how he stays emotionally detached he explains “You become numb to it, it’s simply a matter of remembering life goes on, no matter what, in the same way a surgeon must carry on if a patient dies. I often go to Buddhist nations as a way of escaping my chaotic other life, they are so relaxed and such a contrast.” This peacefulness is captured in hundreds of images from the East. “Sometimes you can’t get to a scene in time, so you go back ‘till it works, maybe it takes hours, sometimes up to ten days.” On other occasions, as with his most famous image ‘Afghan Girl’ everything is just right, creating one of the most iconic images of the 1980s Afghanistan War. Although mainly working in

the East, McCurry has worked in his homeland too. “L.A is the most boring city in the world! For a street photographer anyway, everyone drives! There’s nobody walking about!” Whilst living in New York, he photographed the events of September 11, 2001. Shortly after this, McCurry was sent back to Kabul, a city still gripped by war and one which launched his career 20 years previously. Steve McCurry’s Retrospective is in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery until October 17 2010 and is his first and only UK exhibition. Over 80 large-scale prints of his captivating, powerful images, spanning his entire career, are on display in a walk-around exhibition open Monday to Saturday. HENRY WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

BAllet review

is all evident in his work, notable for striking portraits with strong colours. McCurry explains he isn’t specifically a colour photographer; he just tries to eliminate distracting colours so that the focus is simple and straightforward, on the subject and nothing else. Having made many trips to the Far East and India for National Geographic, and as part of Magnum Photos (of which he became a Member in 1986), he tries to avoid clichéd images. “Famous bits of architecture are a challenge because they’ve been photographed a million times before…the trick is to go outside, away from it all and see what is around the place.” In a bitterly poignant series of images, McCurry talks his way through his assignment in Kuwait and the (first) Gulf War, during which the retreating Iraqi Army ignited the Persian Gulf oil wells. His images capture total ecological destruction as millions of barrels worth of oil was either burned or spilled into the ocean. His images of charred human corpses are almost overshadowed by the apoca-

Bolshoi Company @ Royal Opera House - Covent Garden, August 2 & 7 2010. The story of the Bolshoi Ballet can be traced through Russia’s rich history. Founded in 1776, it was the first permanent theatre company to be established in Moscow. The Bolshoi Company has remained integral in Russia, despite the turbulent period following the October Revolution in 1917, where the place of the arts was questioned within a Socialist state. Although reorganised, the company became the nucleus of Russian society. This summer, the Bolshoi Ballet returned to the Royal Opera House to showcase a selection of classical favourites from George Balanchine to Marius Petipa.

“Storytelling and passion; strong partnerships and heartfelt performances”

Danced by principles Nikolai Tsiskaridze and Maria Alexandrova, the Bolshoi’s reconstruction of Le Corsaire dazzled with Petipa’s intricate, fast-paced and audiencepleasing choreography. However, when such a renowned company visit it is not so much the technical abilities of gifted dancers which are scrutinised, but rather the storytelling and passion which arise from strong partnerships and heartfelt performances. This

was evident in the principle couple Alexdrova and Tsiskaridze. Alexandrova’s clarity of movement and impeccable technique was clearly impressive. Her sharp neat turns and faultless petit allegro (at a speed which would challenge Usain Bolt) thrilled the audience. However, her dancing and indeed the partnership lacked an inner depth. Don Quixote, choreographed by Marius Petipa with Alexander Gorsky also lacked an organic partnership between the principles Mikhail Lobukhin and Marianna Ryzhkina. Lobukhin, with his lean and beautifully agile physique, had an arrogant flair which at times compromised his own dancing and relationship with Ryzhkina. His ferocious attack of the complex solo sequences often left his landings something to be desired whilst slightly clipping the phrasing. This unsure and daring performance by Lobukhin also affected his partnership with Ryzhkina. In the last act, the audience waited in anticipation for Lobukhin to catch Gorsky in mid air, as if they were performing a circus trick. Despite this critique, the Bolshoi’s exceptionally talented company did not fail to take her international audience away from the monotony of London living into a world of fantasy, showmanship and acrobatics. Ballet, in the 21st Century is more than simply an art; it displays an athleticism which places the body in positions only a gifted few can truly master. COLUMBA ACHILLEOS-SARLL FEATURES EDITOR

Editors’ Top 10

1. Steve McCurry

- Retrospective

Exhibition Jun 26 - Oct 17 Birmingham Museum

2. Exeter

Contemporary Open 2010 Exhibition Sept 16 - Nov 3 Exeter Phoenix

3. A Midsummer

Night’s Dream Shakespeare Sept 20 - Oct 2 Bikeshed Theatre, Exeter

4. The Importance

of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde Sept 28 - Oct 2 Barnfield Theatre, Exeter

5. In for a Penny

Improvised Theatre Sept 29 Exeter Phoenix

6. Uncut Poets:

Kelvin Corcoran Poetry Sept 30 Exeter Phoenix

7. Paul Rooney:

Bellevue

Exhibition Oct 2 - Nov 27 Spacex

The Magic Flute Mozart’s Opera Oct 5 - 23 Bikeshed Theatre

9. Twelfth Night Shakespeare Oct 5 - 9 Northcott Theatre, Exeter

10. Jongleurs

Comedy Club Comedy night Oct 8 Barnfield Theatre, Exeter

Video Games

Welcome Week 2010

Exeposé

Steve O’Nion & Alice Scoble-Rees - games@exepose.com

NEws

Welcome to this, the Welcome Week issue of the Video Games section! We may be small, but dammit, we’re mighty. And much like Lord Kitchener, or perhaps even Uncle Sam, we need YOU! We’re always looking for writers to push us to newer and greater heights, because you are the wind beneath this section’s wings and other hackneyed metaphors, and it’s thanks to our reviewers and feature writers that we don’t end up missing deadlines every press day and weeping, huddled in a foetal position in the corner. What I’m trying to say here is that if you’ve got an interest in video games then why not consider writing for us? You get the chance to a) see your name in print, and b) get free review copies of games before they officially hit the shelves, so come and see us at the squash or have a chat at our Meet the Editors day! Anyhow, pimping ourselves out aside, for this issue we were asked to theme the section around E3, and we’ve taken to it with a vengeance to showcase what our writers can do! But here’s some other snippets of news from the time of going to press that you might find interesting – for example that Hollywood is courting the idea of a Half Life movie! But apparently the pitches so far have been so terrible that Valve is rejecting all comers. Better no movie at all than one that horribly twists the canon. Meanwhile, since, in early August, Halo Reach was hacked and leaked to a number of torrent sites, there are now rumours that it’s being sold under the counter by some retailers before the official release date. Images of full retail copies of the game are appearing online, and Microsoft, despite announcing they’re ‘aggressively investigating’ the original leaks, are keeping quiet about this further development. Personally I say good luck to them; Halo hasn’t impressed me since... well ever. Finally, we’d like to register our support for Glen McCracken, who is bravely attempting to reach level 70 on Modern Warfare: 2 pacifist style - that is, without killing anyone. So far he’s pretty on track, using only riot sheilds - he says special grenades are ‘too risky’- and in an average Demolition game he gets 1000 points. He also dies about 15 times, and his total personal death toll is well into the hundreds. If you want to follow Glen’s admirable challenge you can look him up on PSN, where he plays under the appropriate ID ‘mr_no_kills’. Best of luck to you, Glen!

Feature

Play it cool, fanboys...

Alice Scoble-Rees, Video Games editors,

reports on E3 and a new kind of gaming warfare. Another year, another Electronic Entertainment Expo. But now that E3 has come and gone, I am left to examine a new development I wasn’t expecting: Gaming Gang Warfare. I had never watched E3 with somebody before - my friends from my schooldays are all unashamedly cool fashionista types – and so I was looking forward to sitting down with my new nerdy pal Jamie to stream it live and squeel about it together. Cracks started to appear quickly in this vision, however, as some days before the event we found ourselves discussing which ‘team’ we would each be ‘supporting’. Jamie is very much a Nintendo fanboy; I, since being presented with the still-credible PS2 aged 12, am in the opposing Camp Sony. From that point onwards Jamie and I were not friends, but bitter rivals, picking apart each side’s predicted E3 line-up and previous releases, culminating in insults which grew more and more personal, and

use of the pronouns ‘us’ and ‘you’. I may or may not have questioned Link’s sexuality. Had it gone on much longer we would have ended up advancing down a street at each other, he in blue, I in red, both clicking rhythmically and threatening to shiv each other’s relatives. The day itself came. We sat in tense silence, a buffer of friends between us that did nothing to deflect the baleful glares. Jamie shrieked

“We would have ended up threatening to shiv each other’s relatives.”

like a girl as Kirby’s Epic Yarn was unveiled, declaring it “The most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!” and flailed triumphantly at me as the shiny 3DS was touted by Satoru Iwata, who Jamie also considers adorable. I took solace in the technical difficulties Nintendo experienced whilst showcasing the new Zelda, Skyward Sword (who could have seen a new Zelda title coming?), and the fact that Reggie FilsAime looked increasingly like an android unable to inject real human joy into the script he was reading.

During the Sony conference Jamie kept pulling faces at me – snack foods were used as projectiles – though Sony’s confidence was encouraging, and the news that Portal 2 is confirmed for the PS3 was heartening, as well as the new 3D capabilities (ignoring that you have to buy a 3D TV and glasses at huge expense.) This could not, however, distract from Sony Move. Yes kids, for just 50 quid you too can own a Wiimote knockoff that looks like some kind of sinister sex toy! Seriously, search for ‘Sony Move’ online and tell me if you find a picture where they manage to make that thing look good, because I swear it’s impossible. Happily, though I conceded to Jamie that Nintendo had won E3 once again, we reunited in our general disappointment. None of the companies were offering much new in terms of games, just reboots of old favourites or yet more sequels to successful titles. Sony and Microsoft seem to be merely scrabbling desperately to keep up with Nintendo and fighting it out for second place, rather than making headway into new areas. Ah yes, Microsoft. Sorry to all you who’d come to the knife fight bedecked in Xbox green, but what

started out as ‘Project Natal’, so full of promise and hope for the next

“I may or may not have questioned Link’s sexuality.”

generation of gaming, birthed as Kinect, the gaming equivalent of the difficult second album: not as good as everyone hoped. Nice try Microsoft, but waving a big mechanical elephant in our faces and getting an Asian girl to stroke a virtual tiger doesn’t distract from the fact that it’s clearly going to be difficult to use in practice. And then it’ll break and you won’t want to replace it. After a bit they just gave up and pushed Peter Molyneux to the front to mumble about Fable III and its ‘great British sense of humour’ rather than any actual game features. Well played, Pete. Well played... It was at this point that Jamie and I truly came together as compatriots again, safe in the knowledge that whatever the failings of our own sides, and however much blood we may draw during the turf wars of E3s yet to come, we still can’t fail as badly as Microsoft did this year.

Exeposé welcome week 2010

preview

review

Vanquish: Platinum Games; Sega, 360/PS3. October 2010 Despite being scheduled for an October release, most people probably haven’t heard of Vanquish, a fast-paced third-person shooter developed by Platinum Games (most probably known for the development of Bayonetta) and published by Sega. The plot is highly unoriginal; a secret agent clad in a robotic battlesuit aids the American Government in stopping a Russian plot to annihilate the US with a massive laser on board a spacestation. This may sound like pretty predictable stuff, but Vanquish presents some interesting gameplay ideas. Most notable is the approach to damage; many of the games scenes will involve going up against seemingly insurmountable odds, with almost impregnable walls of bullets, rockets and missiles flying towards the player. Vanquish is very much about damage limitation; avoiding as many hits as possible to limit damage and reacting quickly when the health metre is almost empty. The suit that Sam, the protagonist, wears allows him to dodge, dive and leap across the battlefield, at the risk of overheating. Cover plays an important role in providing a brief respite from almost continuous damage, but the emphasis here is on momentum; keep moving forward or else your back-up will be de-

preview

Rage: id Software; Bethesda, 360/PS3/PC/ Mac. September 2011 It seems somewhat easy to get excited by sequels. They are so familiar, so warm and fuzzy. “Oh, look, it’s Donkey Kong, my old childhood friend, off to scamper around once again!” we purr. “The cake is a lie, but Portal 2 isn’t,” we wisecrack towards no one in particular. “Squee! More Fallout!” we... squee. But there is something about the future which is so incredible. The best of it often isn’t the familiar. Because of this, when you look to a trustworthy team, with

Portal 2: Valve; Valve Corporation, 360/PS3/ PC/Mac. February 2011

stroyed, leaving you cornered. Vanquish rewards aggressive play, and has been designed to be fast-paced, with spectacular set piece battles. The graphics look pretty good,

“Vanquish rewards aggressive play”

with some spectacular boss battle scenarios with a decidedly overthe-top Japanese feel to them. A

a history of greatness, and believe they will bring out something incredible, you can feel a rush of excitement for something that is not a sequel. Something new, that makes you feel just like you do whenever Joss Whedon announces anything, or Ben & Jerry develop a new flavour. Rage gives me that feeling. It is a post-apocalyptic shooter mixed in with a racer, but that sentence doesn’t matter. It has guns, and vehicles, and an open world to wander about in. I am a fan of all three of those things, but they are just the foundation of the game. I don’t know anything yet of how it’ll feel, of its soul. It doesn’t really have one yet. It is a bundle of potential and promise, and that is something to be truly excited

recent trailer shows Sam squaring off against a gigantic robotic crab. If this magnitude of encounters can be replicated across the entire game and the controls hold up, then Vanquish might just stand a chance against the barrage of high-profile hits scheduled for this Autumn. It won’t be long before we can find out, and a demo available for download in September will enable people to decide early what they think of the game. Alex Hawksworth-Brookes for. Because sometimes you need to trust that while knowing little, you should let your heart run away. Then you can get excited

“It has guns, and vehicles, and an open world to wander about in.”

over the drip-feeding of small details – over the possibilities. This is the game ID software have been working on the last four-ish years. The team with more accolades than the world’s most renowned brain surgeon, if he were also a prize winning bull-fighter and Man Brooker prize winner. ID software are famous for Doom, and Quake. They have a commitment to the stunning, and this is the game they are putting their all into. And it looks wonderful. When people this talented are working this hard on something, you are right to feel a slight tingle. From what we have seen so far, it looks incredible. So far, ID have been teasing, only showing glimpses. But just knowing it is coming, makes me disappointed I don’t live in the future. Iain Dawson

Portal 2. I mean Portal...2. Just wow. Having bought the 360 release of The Orange Box mainly for Team Fortress 2, having never played Half-Life, Portal seemed to be just something that came with it, like the mini-games in any Rockstar game. Little did I know that this tiny little game would be the diamond in the rough. I know it’s heresy of some sort to criticise Valve, but I’m not sold on Half-Life: sure Ravenholm was amazing but that was pretty much it so far as I’m concerned, and of course TF2 seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth as far as consoles are concerned, leaving Portal to represent Valve on my 360 and seriously...wow. Portal is just outstanding in every sense: characterisation, gameplay, replayability, graphics and, in a certain sense, multiplayer. The only bad part of Portal is the incessant ‘THE CAKE IS A LIE’ references festooning the internet. Even typing that made me shudder... I feel I should mention the ‘multiplayer’ side of Portal. When I first played Portal, I essentially had some sort of command centre advising me: in the form of my friend Ben shrieking possible portal locations and physics facts. Portal

Retro

Tetris: Alexey Pajitnov; various publishers/platforms. 1984

Let me open by saying that Tetris is so much more than the ‘arcade game’ label forced upon it by detractors. There are some video games still around these days that your average gamer simply takes for granted. Perhaps it’s an old classic so frequentlycopied to the point of trite staleness that everyone has an opinion on the original without really having experienced it the way our forefathers did; perhaps it just seems a bit lame, something for the remedials, beloved by embarrassing parents and ‘hip’ drama teachers. Well, Tetris is a bit of both. And boy, does it deliver. The story is a simple one: you play an unnamed construction worker whose claustrophobic best friend lies at the bottom of a mine shaft. As the shaft fills up with floating bricks, you must use your brick-manipulating powers to prevent them from building up too much, thereby helping your friend until, at the end of each level, the appropriate rescue services can arrive. On a fundamental level, it’s really a primitive – yet seminal – form of RPG. Always somehow more knowing than its contemporaries Pong and Asteroids, Tetris seems to mock the player

Video Games

became, for me, a game requiring both a Spotter and Shooter. When I heard that Portal 2 would feature ‘proper’ multiplayer...well, the noise I made was something a guy shouldn’t really admit to. When I heard that there was a Portal 2 demo video on YouTube I swear I started hyperventilating. After zooming to an internet source, and typing the magic words “Portal 2” I saw 15 minutes worth of possibly the most awesome game ever made. The new physics devices look phenomenal, the ‘paints’ ramp gameplay into whole new levels of awesome, coupled with increased difficulty. The characterisation is as good as ever, with a new character who, get this, has a British voice and is NOT evil! (ed: now revealed to be voiced by Stephen Merchant, no less!) Not only is Valve pioneering some fantastic new physics, it is also aiding the cause of the non-villainous British voice actor. Rambling and gushing aside, Portal 2 will be fantastic. As it is a fullpriced release, Valve have promised that its size and length will match the price, something that Portal fans probably swooned over. I personally nominate Portal 2 for Best in Show, Most Wanted and whatever other awards can be thrust in its direction. In a show full of fake Star Wars demonstrations and same-y shooters and racers, Portal 2 stands alone in a little booth reserved for the truly original. james smith in its constant barrage of bricks, each of which, maddeningly, has a different shape and forces the player to use their understanding of basic, logical tessellation in order to succeed. Its use of geometry is an intelligent nod to its bit/byte-based origins which allows it to transcend and surpass its modern equivalents. Was Portal ever this metafictional? By having no onscreen characters, the game forces the player to become the main character, thereby making the emotional connection that much more real and potent. It becomes poignant when we lose a level, because we ourselves have lost, in the same manner as one would lose a family member or beloved pet. And yet somehow we keep coming back, such is the applaudable complexity of the game’s narrative structure and ever-changing gameplay. How many other games can make it so hard to get a goddamn straight? It is testament to Tetris’ staying-power all these decades later that no one has yet discovered a formula to work it out. In short, Tetris is a thrilling game about friendship and the fragility of life itself. But more importantly it’s a lot of fun to play. So next time you see Tetris on the shelf in Game, Game Station or Ned’s Games Bognor Regis, don’t sniff, snort or smirk. It won’t be a social ‘brick’ around your leg. Give it a go. Let it into your life. Take it around the ‘block’ a few times. You may find it ‘fits in’ nicely with your life. Calum Baker, Screen Editor

welcome WEEK 2010

Sport

INterview Sport asks Josh Belsher, AU President, about the Athletic Union

of Exeter students are met and that the Athletic Union is improving the student experience at Exeter. The President works closely with the Sports Office to create and act upon an effective sports strategy to give students the best opportunities available at all levels, from elite to social sport. The role also involves maintaining communications and collaborating with the University and School Sports Coordinators to promote sports participation and provision for the students. Finally, the AU President supports and coordinates University of Exeter sports events (e.g. Varsity events, AU Dinner).

JB, your new AUP What are the AU and the AU Executive? The Athletic Union, or the ‘AU’, is the organisation responsible for administrating all aspects of Sports Club activity at the University of Exeter, which includes competitive fixtures, recreational pursuits and local, regional, national and international competition. The AU Executive Committee is a student-elected body responsible for representing the views of all students to the Athletic Union. What is the role of the AU President? The AU President is the elected student representative responsible for ensuring that the sporting needs

The varsity matches

What is BUCS? British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national organisation for higher education sport in the UK. What is intra-mural sport and how can I get involved? Intra-Mural sport is sport for all. It’s a great way for a group of students from halls, subjects or just a group of friends to take part in regular sport while at university. It’s all about having fun in a friendly environment and getting people to take part in sport. You don’t need to have played before, so if you want to try something new, everyone is welcome. For more information, go to the AU website at www.ex.ac.uk/ au where there are more details and entry forms.

Town vs. Gown: Exeter’s Tom Watson in action at last year’s football varsity. This year’s takes place on Wednesday October 6 Many of Exeter’s Athletic Union clubs now host annual varsity matches, which act as the showpiece events in the Green Machine’s sporting calendar. At these varsity matches, Exeter teams generally play either rival universities in point-scoring BUCS fixtures, or local professional sides in one-off friendlies. The biggest matches are hosted at Exeter’s various stadia, such as Exeter City’s St. James’s Park (football), Exeter Chiefs’ Sandy Park (rugby) and the County Ground (cricket), with other matches taking place on the Streatham sports park. Tickets are sold through clubmen and clubwomen on campus.

Societies also put on special events throughout the year, such as the widely popular Stop Aids dodgeball tournament and the International Society’s football world cup.

Clubs support each other at varsity matches, so make sure you keep an eye open in Welcome Week to pick up your tickets for these unmissable fixtures.

Wednesday October 6

Wednesday November 10

Football Varsity @ St. James’s Park Exeter 1st vs. Exeter City FC

Rugby Varsity @ Sandy Park Exeter 1st vs. Bath 1st

KO: 7.30pm Tickets: £4 in advance/£5 on the door

KO: 7.30pm Tickets: £6 - includes coach to stadium

Cricket and hockey varsity matches are planned for Term 3. Basketball, tennis and badminton matches are all in the pipeline.

What World Cup?

club career on the international stage in a script that could have been written in Hollywood. It’s a shame the script was from Titanic; Messi sank without trace. Kaka, Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were others to go the same way. The French endured a campaign about which it would be kinder to say nothing.

International Football

Sian Davies

Dubbed the most anti-climactic World Cup in recent memory, football’s pin-up tournament failed to ignite the excitement and wonder that many anticipated when the likes of Messi, Kaka and Rooney turned up on Africa’s shores. A colourful and energetic opening ceremony on a blue-skied Johannesburg afternoon was evidently not enough to set the tone for a tournament ultimately characterised by inhibited play or, in Holland’s case, just plain foul play. Thank heavens for Spain and Germany, then. The latter’s performance against England - over the line or not - was a necessary and welcome reminder that the principles of attractive, attacking football have not been completely thrown out of the modern game. Ozil and Muller stole the show

Exeposé

“Attractive and successful, Spain deserved their triumph”

On top of the world: Spain came through a gritty final to lift the trophy whilst Klose enhanced his already imperious World Cup rcord in a match that rendered preposterous England’s pre-tournament dreams of glory. And then there was Spain. Any team that can lose its opening game yet recover when the pressure is re-

ally on, leave the likes of Fabregas and Torres amongst its substitutes, and defeat Holland in the final without lowering themselves to their opponents’ malevolent tactics is a fine team indeed. Attractive and successful, Spain deserved their triumph.

A feature of every tournament is the star that crashes and burns. Ronaldo in ’98, Zidane in ’02 and Ronaldinho in ’06. But this year we were spoilt for choice. Messi, under the wing of World Cup icon Maradona, was perfectly placed to emulate a magisterial

And so, whether it was due to the prevalence of big star no-shows, the lack of a back-and-forth 4-3 thriller or the life-draining sight of seeing Emile Heskey in an international football shirt, one could not help but feel slightly let down by the occasion. Next up, Brazil in four years’ time. Surely the home of samba football, dancing crowds and screaming commentators won’t fail to deliver the tournament that we’ll all be hoping for. Whatever happens, though, no vuvuzelas. Please.

Exeposé weLcome week

Sport

Intra-Mural Football

Matt Richards tells all on intra-mural football

With the new football league season firmly underway attention turns to the one transfer window that remains open; Exeter’s IntraMural league. With the kick-off to the new campaign fast approaching, captains and players of the three divisions will no doubt be turning their attention to recruiting a squad that will see them through all the celebrations, near-misses and stinging deflections off a frost-bitten thigh that the competition has to

“Penetrating the tight defence of the Bracton Law Society”

offer. For the Cranston Pickles FC, the 2009/2010 season delivered all of the above in abundance, as a well-fought challenge for the title on the pitches of Duckes Meadow was coupled

Continued from page 28. Sadly this is not the first controversy involving Pakistan and England. During their tour of England in 2006 the Pakistan team was accused of tampering with the match ball which resulted in Pakistan forfeiting the test match. Similarly match fixing is not a new phenomenon in the cricketing world. The most serious case prior to this was that of South Africa captain Hansie Cronje who confessed to receiving several payments in order to alter the outcome of test and one day international matches during the period 1996-2000. He was banned for life from all forms of cricket before sadly dying in a plane crash in 2002. Many members of the cricketing community, notably former England captain Michael Vaughn, have called

with the ‘good skills’ on show at Friday night training. Having been forced into a managerial role through a lingering injury, club captain Matt Richards, alongside team nutritionist Ali Simm (yet to be seen awake without a pack of Doritios), made extensive use of the BSc Sports-Science approved Lees & Wyatt warm-up method each Friday to equip the team for the next weather-permitting fixture. Tactical pearls of wisdom and prematch motivational speeches from the gaffer, peaking at “Alright boys, we haven’t got a proper keeper this week, Nick is in goal, so defensively the rule is no shots”, were coupled with on-the-field instructions to ‘squeeze’, ‘go home’ and ‘find feet’ to guide the team through each game. In terms of results, the Pickles earned some successes against some of the big names in the league, penetrating the tight defence of the Bracton Law Society to seal victory and fighting to the death in a remarkable recovery against

for a similar punishment for those involved and the Pakistan Cricket Board has said it will implement lifelong bans on those found guilty.

“Integrity and sportsmanship: the backbone of the game”

However strong the punishment may be, it still calls into question why money can override the sense of integrity and sportsmanship that forms, or perhaps now formed, the backbone of the game. Maybe the formation of Twenty20 and the IPL which has injected millions and millions of dollars into the game has caused some of the veneer to fade off the surface of the game, revealing a vulnerable core, susceptible to those who wish to tarnish cricket’s reputation for good.

Bizarrely named, and even more bizarrely skilled: Cranston Pickle, the consumate intra-mural football team. MedSoc FC. Despite losing a titledeciding match to the well worthy champions Cleveland Steamers, the Pickles preserved some dignity in their season in the game which every team wants to win; the clash with the EUAFC, this year represented by the 6th. In front of a capacity crowd of eight supporters and a Gladiator’s foam finger, the Pickles and the 6th shared a score draw in a wellspirited match, seeing the fewest

number of free kicks ever awarded in a self-refereed football game. With the official season ended by three own goals in a cup defeat, the Pickles celebrated the end of their twelfth season with their predecessors in the annual ‘Old Boys Game’ and a presentation at Buffet City. Outgoing third years Westoby, Green, SPR and Doolan picked up the top awards; with special mention going to

fans’ favourite and Kazakhstan international Daniyar Bokanov, whilst defender Penguinho finished more courses in 20 minutes than Tads had chances all season. At the end of the day, 2009/10 was a great season for the team, and as the Intra-Mural transfer window opens for business, players of all abilities are invited to join them for “…and another!”

The trials: get selected for Exeter’s teams Sports’ guide to the Welcome Week trials and tasters Monday 27

10am-12pm: Men’s cricket, Streatham sports park 10.30am-12pm: Men’s tennis Streatham sports park 11am-12pm: Women’s football Streatham sports park 12pm-1.30pm: Women’s tennis Streatham sports park 12pm-2pm: Men’s rugby league Streatham sports park 3pm-5pm: Athletics, Exeter Arena 5pm-8pm: Men’s rugby union Walkabout

Tuesday 28

Thursday 30

Wednesday 29

Friday 1

9am-5pm: Surf trip, Peter Chalk Centre, then Polzeath, Cornwall 10am-12pm: Women’s lacrosse Streatham sports park 12pm-4pm: Riding, Streatham sports park

10am-12pm: Men’s basketball, Streatham sports park 10am-12pm: Table tennis, Streatham sports park 11am-4.30pm: Sailing, Streatham sports park, then the Quay

11am-12pm: Rowing, Cornwall House 11am-3pm: Volleyball, Streatham sports park 12pm-2pm: Men’s football Streatham sports park 12pm-2pm: Squash, Streatham sports park 12pm-2pm: Men’s rugby union, Duckes Meadow

12pm-2pm: Volleyball, Streatham sports park 2pm-4pm: Badminton, Streatham sports park 2pm-4pm: Cycling, Cornwall House 2pm-4pm: Women’s hockey, Streatham sports park 3pm-5pm: Water polo, Cornwall House pool

Welcome Week 2010

Sport

The joys of intra-mural football on Exeter’s Duckes Meadow

Alexander Cook & Andy Williams - sport@exepose.com

Game, set, marathon match

Clare Mullins watches history in the making on a lazy afternoon at Wimbledon.

“Well that was a waste of your time wasn’t it”: Isner consoles Mahut after their record breaking match. How do you know when the rather long tennis match you’re stuck watching becomes a headline worthy event? Is it when the man next to you decides it’s worth missing the train home for? Is it when Tim Henman has to stand on a chair to get a decent view? Or is it when an old school friend rings you up to tell you you’ve just appeared on the BBC? This summer, on one of the hottest days of the tournament, a normal match at Wimbledon became the longest ever played and entered the history books as a marathon of endurance. When my friends and I arrived at court 18 the Isner versus Mahut match was already reaching its closing stages, or so we thought. Jamie Murray, the elder brother of the British number one, was due to play next so we settled in between the Ameri-

can and French fans and waited. The score was already 11-11 in the final set. The lady I sat down next to kept looking at her watch wanting to go to lunch; her husband reassured her it wouldn’t go on much longer. Wrong. Very, very wrong. Those watching couldn’t quite believe it. The umpire would announce the score with a wry smile, the players themselves could only shake their heads and when the score reached 50-50 spontaneous applause broke out. The two men even managed to outlive the court technology; at 47-47 the scoreboard gave up. The match was excruciating to watch, a marathon of missed chances and fatigue. Isner, with his height and power, delivered ace after ace against a Frenchman who just kept coming back. As each game ended you reas-

Puzzles

Pub Quiz

1. Who was known as the ‘Teflon President’? 2. Who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird? 3. Which American rockstar released Bat Out Of Hell in October 1977? 4. Which rugby coach resigned following last season’s ‘Bloodgate’ scandal? 5. Which cathedral has the longest uninterupted vaulted ceiling in England?

Easy

SUDOKU

Exeposé

sured yourself the next (please, lord, let it be the next one) would be it. I don’t know what it was like for those watching on TV (I imagine the commentator must have run out of dull facts within the first few hours) but from the stands it was gripping. You could see the players’ exhaustion on their faces and feel their frustration as games melted into one other. As the light faded it became clear the match was going to move into its third day. The chants of ‘Allez Nico!’ and ‘Come on John’ became slightly hysterical only to be replaced, as play as halted, by yells of, ‘We want more!’ The strange thing was that, even after seven hours, we really did. The next day, after 11 hours 5 mins and 183 games, when facing his fifth match point John Isner finally claimed victory. I was knackered just watching.

P 27

Now that’s just not cricket International Cricket

Andy Williams Sports Editor

Cricket is a game of tradition, sportsmanship and fair play. If there is one place on earth that encompasses all of the above, it is Lord’s Cricket Ground. Test cricket here is the pinnacle of any player’s career, a moment to be savoured yet more importantly respected. Or so we thought. Allegations of spot betting (placing large amounts of money on the smallest instances, for example bowling no-balls) and now the far more severe match fixing have spread like wildfire across the tabloids due to an investigation by a News of the World reporter. Three players including the captain of the Pakistan national side have been suspended from all forms of the game pending investigation. Salman Butt and seam bowlers Mohamed Asif and 18 year old Mohammed Amir, touted as one of the brightest young stars of the game, are the players under investigation over spot betting whilst an unnamed fourth player is under investigation over the far more serious charge of match fixing. The man at the centre of the spot betting scam, London business man Mazhar Majeed, was paid by a News of the World reporter posing as a potential client to arrange the bowling of three no-balls, all of which were then bowled. He claimed to have a group of seven players whom he could call. Pakistan players Kamram Akmal and Yaseer Hameed were also questioned but have since been released without further investigation. The report was pub-

The numbers 1 to 9 should appear in each row, each column, and each 3x3 box.

Medium

Hard

lished on the Sunday of the final test at Lords where Pakistan had gone from being in an incredibly strong position with England at 102-7 to bowling them out for 446 after Stuart Broad and Jonathan Trott put on over 300 runs for the ninth wicket partnership. It was also in this first innings that both Mohamed Asif and Mohammed Amir bowled no-balls after seemingly conferring with Butt beforehand. At the time commentators remarked about how Butt did not make any attacking field changes in an attempt to break the ninth wicket partnership. They also picked up on how far over the line Amir’s no-ball was which , as predicted, was delivered on the third ball of the tenth over. All of the events were caught on Sky Sports. England went on to win the test match by an innings and 225 runs after Pakistan were bowled out for 74 and 147. These revelations are even more worrying due to a run of what was initially thought to be very poor form but now could be down to foul play by the Pakistan team, who have only passed 300 runs once in their last six tests and were bowled out for 80 runs or less three times in the series. All of these matches contained countless dropped catches and poor fielding. Continued on page 27.

1.Ronald Reagan 2. Harper Lee 3. Meat Loaf 4. Dean Richards 5. Exeter