2011/2012 Week 29 Issue 581

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Exeposé

AU cover-up over Belsher Monday 6 June 2011 Issue 581 www.exepose.com

Joe Johnston News Editor

THE University of Exeter has admitted that Josh Belsher, former Athletic Union President, resigned after “a financial irregularity” was discovered in AU charity funds.

A missing sum of money was discovered by AU staff whilst accounting for the funds raised by the Exeter AU Calendar 2010/11, a charitable initiative partly organised by Belsher.

The irregularity was first identified

by AU staff over two months ago in the third week of March. The University was first made aware of the irregularity on the 25 March, after which a full investigation was launched.

On Friday 3 June at 16:48 a University spokesman stated in an email to Exeposé: “Josh resigned after a financial irregularity was discovered, there was a full investigation and the University was satisfied there was no need to involve the police or other authorities.”

Belsher stated “personal reasons” when he resigned from his position on 1 April, commenting that he could not commit to his post full time because of a job opportunity in London. He said: “I was very sorry to leave earlier than originally planned but have thoroughly enjoyed my time there as a student and having the opportunity to represent the students as their Athletic Union President over the last year.” When confronted with the recent statement made by the University, Belsher left no comment.

“Josh resigned after a financial irregularity” University spokesman

The confession by the University is the result of a three week investigation by Exeposé into the circumstances surrounding Josh Belsher’s resignation. All questions regarding Belsher’s resignation had been effectively stonewalled by AU staff.

As stated in the previous issue of Ex-

Free

Photo: Henry White

eposé, Phil Attwell, Director of Sport, is quoted in a meeting held on 31 March by the AU Executive and Finance Committee as stating: “We should form a united front to respect Josh Belsher’s wishes for privacy.”

When recently asked why the student body was not informed of the discovery made by AU staff, Attwell replied: “We do not discuss the detail of HR issues in public.”

“We do not discuss the detail of HR issues in public” Phil Attwell, Director of Sports

Ruth Astle, Exeter AU Calendar 2010/11 Organiser, told Exeposé that she approached the AU to ask if they could help with the organisation of the charity fundraiser. She stated: “Josh said he would be happy to help, and that the AU could help with printing costs, getting sponsorship and general organisation.

“We then sold calendars, and gave all our money to Josh, as he said it could be kept safe. As we trusted him we kept no record of how much we gave him.

We had no idea that anything had gone wrong until we went to collect the money off him. We were told there had been an issue and that it would be sorted.”

Jonnie Beddall, Guild President, made the following statement concerning the discovery: “It is extremely disappointing to hear of financial irregularities in the Athletic Union, who we should note are a separate organisation to the Students’ Guild.

“I hope that as a student-led body, the Athletic Union are able to ensure absolute transparency to its members in a timely fashion in the future. Ultimately, the AU relies on the hard work, energy and trust of its members, and I have absolutely no doubt that next year’s President, Beth, will restore all of those.”

Alex Bordoli, VP Participation and Campuses, responded by saying: “The

Josh Belsher, former AU President, has not come forward to comment since the University confirmed financial irregularities fundraising work done by AU volunteers for the Naked Calendar this year was fantastic, and they were able to generate a significant sum of money for charity. I really hope that whatever irregularities

were uncovered by the AU investigation don’t put students off participating with, and buying copies of the calendar in future years.”

In March 2010 Belsher was accused

of three separate rule breaches in an election campaign marred by controversy.

Despite having his votes capped due to an Appeal Tribunal, Belsher won the AU Presidential candidacy by 376 votes.

2

Exeposé

The Exeter student newspaper

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

News

P 6-7

Exeposé reveals what the new refurbishment of the RAM and the Lemon grove will look like

Features

The Features Editors interview Frank Gardner OBE P 12 Lifestyle suggests places to visit outside Exeter this summer

Books

P 20

The Books Editors interview local author Ginny Baily about her new novel Africa Junction

Editors Ellie Busby & Henry White editors@exepose.com

Deputy Editors Rosie Scudder & Ellie Bothwell depeds@exepose.com

News Editors Joe Johnston & Hannah Sweet news@exepose.com

Features Editors Clare Mullins & Sam Lambert features@exepose.com

Lifestyle Editors Cyan Turan & Zoe Dickens lifestyle@exepose.com

Music Editors Andy Smith & Amy Weller music@exepose.com

Books Editors Tom Payne & Esmeralda Castrillo books@exepose.com

Screen Editors Tori Brazier & Luke Graham screen@exepose.com

Arts Editors Zoe Bulaitis & Laura Stevens arts@exepose.com

Video Games Editors Jess Leung & Alex Hawksworth-Brookes games@exepose.com

Sports Editors Rachel Bayne & Andy Williams sport@exepose.com

Photography Hannah Walker photography@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.

Exeposé

Aaron Porter fights for students

Joe Johnston & Hannah Sweet - news@exepose.com

Join the Exeposé News Facebook group Follow us on Twitter @ExeposeNews

Protest about Question Time on campus Rachel Bayne Sports Editor

P 10

Lifestyle

News

06 june 2011

TEN pensioners protested outside the Northcott against the lack of representation for the National Pensioner’s Convention on BBC’s Question Time.

Members of the NPC picketed on campus on Thursday 26 May - the same day that the program was filmed at the University of Exeter.

The pensioners protested against the BBC’s decision to not allow one of their representatives to go on to the

panel show, on a week when one of the top news stories was the poor treatment of the elderly in nursing homes.

Dot Gibson, National Pensioners Convention (NPC) general secretary argued at the protest that no other major section of society has been marginalized in this way: “Even fascists have all had a seat at the Question Time table - but not anyone who genuinely represents Britain’s 11 million pensioners.”

However, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Media Officer for the NPC, noted that the ongoing protest is not about ageism, but it is a matter of censorship:

“Our point is that the over 65s have a representative and they should be invited onto the show.”

The BBC denied claims that no pensioners’ representative had appeared on Question Time.

A spokesperson commented that: “As an adviser to the Government on the elderly, Dame Joan Bakewell joined the panel in 2009. Both the panel and audience are chosen to reflect all ages and backgrounds.”

The NPC protest itself was wellmannered and good-natured. Allan Edgcumbe, Head of Security at the

Naked bikers plan to ride against emissions Hannah Dale NAKED bike riders will be cycling Exeter’s streets on Saturday 11 June as an environmental protest against oil dependency and car culture.

This is the first time the World Naked Bike Ride has been held in Exeter.

It will form part of at least 12 rides taking place in the UK in the middle of June, and at least 70 rides across the world. The event will also celebrate five years of Exeter being a Cycle Demonstration Town.

Cyclists will gather at Duckes Marsh at ten o’clock to paint their bodies with the ride’s message. Participants will begin the cycle at 12 o’clock, cycling through Exe Bridges, Exeter High Street, and finally coming full circle, returning to Duckes Marsh an hour and forty five minutes later.

Maurice Spurway, organiser of the event and member of Exeter Friends of the Earth, told Exeposé: “I am passionate about cycling, because it is, without any doubt, the best way to get around a city. It is healthy, sociable, and virtually pollution free. Cycling is liberating, and fun.”

He stated that “Crucially, we have to increase cycling to about 40 per cent of all journeys to reach carbon reduction targets, and to provide resilience against peak oil shocks.”

Cyclists are campaigning to stop indecent exposure to vehicle emissions, and rediscover means of transport that are not oil dependent. Riding in the nude will symbolise the vulnerability of the cyclist in traffic.

Oli Ritchie, Green Society Sec-

University, commented that: “The protest happened in a very safe manner.”

Edgcumbe went on to say that the filming of Question Time on campus was more affected by a fire on the tracks at Tiverton, which meant that all the guests had to be rerouted from Taunton on a shuttle service.

The show included locals and Exeter students, although was only advertised by the University to students from the Politics Department.

Topics discussed included superinjunctions, Libya, the NHS and the price of alcohol.

Photo: Hannah Walker

retary, supports the event and said: “I think it is fantastic because the riders are not just drawing attention to a problem in a moany helpless fashion, they are also demonstrating a simple way in which we can all help to solve that problem – by cycling more and driving less.”

“I think it is a very positive way to remind people of the problems associated with an oil-dependent economy” Oli Ritchie, Green Society Secretary

He continued: “I think it is a very positive way to remind people of the problems associated with an oil-dependent economy.”

Spurway added, “We have had a lot of support, which has encouraged us.

Personally, this is my first Naked Bike Ride - it won’t be my last.”

The event currently has 146 attendees

New Community Garden Rebecca Smyth PLANS are under way to establish an Exeter Community Garden, a new Community Association, which will be based in a field on campus just beyond the Sports Park.

The aim of the project is to further the causes of sustainability and biodiversity in Exeter.

According to the association’s constitution, the garden is not merely “a physical space in which to grow food, plants and improve the habitat, but an interchange of knowledge and ideas”.

It is hoped that the multi-purpose garden will prove advantageous for students, staff and locals, and that skilled experts will be able to pass on their knowledge to the community on issues about sustainability.

Plans for the garden so far consist of a beehive to produce honey, an orchard of cider apple trees and raised beds, where other fruit and vegetables can grow.

The initiative will reap long-term benefits, as it is hoped that eventually the produce will be sold on campus, and used within Guild catering outlets.

Jonnie Beddall, the Guild President, is at the forefront of the project, and has described his excitement about the proposals: “There’s such a wealth of passion and experience from the Grounds Team here for the local environment - we need to make that accessible to everyone in Exeter.”

Geoff Pringle, Director of Campus Services, played a vital role in setting up the Community Garden, providing a £1,500 grant.

Pringle said: “I’m delighted that Campus Services are able to support this exciting and worthwhile project.

We look forward to working with the Guild and other community stakeholders to develop something that we can all be proud of. Community garden projects are growing in popularity across the UK. It’s great to be able to develop one on this beautiful campus.”

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Exeposé WEEK TWENTY Nine

Compulsory student alcohol workshops

Photo: Henry White

Arena is one of the clubs involved in the campaign against antisocial behaviour in Exeter along with Rococos and The Lemon Grove

The pilot workshops, which have each been attended by approximately ten people, are being run in conjunction with the prominent alcohol treatment charity Addaction and the organisers hope to continue them into the next academic year.

Rory Cunningham, the University’s Community Liaison Officer said: “The workshops have been very frank and open - students have been encouraged to think about their use of alcohol, and the consequences it can

have on their health, relationships, academic performance and career prospects.”

“The session I attended was a real eye-opener and wakeup call” Anonymous student

Cunningham declared the scheme a success and stated that the Univer-

sity is “Looking forward to investing in this important initiative in the new academic year”.

The response from attendees has also been extremely positive. One anonymous student said: “The session I attended was a real eye-opener and wake-up call. I did not realise the detrimental effects that a drunken night out and potential criminal record could have on my career. Having attended a session I’m really glad the University is carrying out this

Further details of cheating students revealed

Charlie Marchant Senior Reporter

FURTHER figures relating to cases of academic misconduct in the University reveal the years of study and nationalities of the students found guilty.

Exeposé previously reported that 129 Exeter students were found guilty of cheating in their exams last year, compared with 34 students found guilty in 2008/9 and the four students in 2007/8.

In 2009/10, a further 121 students were found guilty of plagiarism and collusion, making a total of 250

‘Welcome Week’ now ‘Freshers’ Week’ THE first week of the academic year will return to being named Freshers’ Week, after being referred to as Welcome Week since 2005.

In 2004, the week was briefly called Induction Week. Most universities in the country refer to the first week of term as Freshers’ Week, and the recent change reflects this trend.

Simon Dewhurst EXETER University has embarked on a new initiative designed to curb students’ misuse of alcohol.

Since February, monthly Alcohol Awareness Workshops have been introduced for students whose alcohol use has led to them committing antisocial or other risky behaviour.

The compulsory classes aim to educate people about the impact drinking excessively can have on their behaviour, health and wellbeing.

The workshops have covered a broad range of topics including the chemistry of alcohol and its effects on the body but have also given attendees the chance to share experiences and receive further advice.

News

students found guilty in cases of academic misconduct that year. This is a significant increase from the total 172 students in 2008/9 and 97 students in 2007/8.

“It’s unclear why international students should feature so prominently” University spokesman

Of the 250 students found guilty in 2009/10, 64 per cent were studying at undergraduate level (48 per cent Photo: Holly Geipel

of which were in their second year of study). Approximately 40 per cent of the 250 students were British, compared with almost 42 per cent Asian nationals and 8 per cent other Europeans.

In terms of nationality for exam cheating alone in 2009/10, of the 129 students found guilty: 60 per cent were Asian, 26 per cent British, ten per cent other European and the remaining four per cent from the Middle East and Gulf.

A University spokesman commented: “The rise in the number of international students found guilty of cheating in exams has to be seen in the context of many more international students

EWB Charity Abseil Josh Hughes

All money raised from the charity abseil went to EWB UK and New Build Uganda

coming to study at Exeter. However, we would like to see a big reduction in those figures. It’s unclear why international students should feature so prominently and all we can really do as a University is to redouble our efforts to make it clear what the rules are and the penalties for breaking them.”

Bertie Archer, VP Academic Affairs, commented on the statistics saying: “The University should provide additional support and opportunities for all students to ensure every student fully understands the rules, particularly where cultural or linguistic barriers need to be overcome.”

ENGINEERS Without Borders Exeter successfully staged a charity abseil down the car park of Princesshay shopping centre.

50 volunteers of all ages abseiled 100ft down the side of the multi-storey car park on Saturday 28 May in front of the general public and have so far raised £2500, which will be split between Engineers Without Borders and New Build Uganda.

The abseil, which was organised as part of the Engineers Without Borders UK outreach programme was a success for all those involved, with volunteers as young as eleven and as old as sixty-five completing the descent, to the delight and bemusement of passers-by, many of whom then decided to donate to the fundraising effort.

Holly Geipel, Event Organiser, said

the money raised would be used “To help train the next generation of developmental engineers and widen participation in the charity beyond the engineering community.”

She added: “It was so successful that we are now considering making this an annual event with the aim of an even more ambitious fundraising target.”

The two charities have been chosen with the aim of trying to improve the opportunities for studying engineering in developing countries.

Engineers Without Borders UK is an international development organisation, which aims to teach young people about how technology can help tackle poverty in the UK and around the world.

The other charity with whom the proceeds will be split, New Build Uganda, is aiming to raise enough funds to build three new classrooms for a remote primary school in the Mubende district of Uganda.

Extra refuse collections THE University has paid for a series of extra refuse collections across Exeter to help students to manage their waste as the academic year comes to an end.

The ‘Students on the Move’ project is a collaboration between the University, Exeter City Council and the Students’ Guild, and aims to prevent the build up of rubbish as students leave their accommodation on different days.

Student Community Wardens will help to coordinate the refuse collections, and special bin stickers will be delivered by the end of the week with full instructions.

Freshers’ Week app THIS year, a new Freshers’ Week app will be available to guide new students through their first few days at the University.

The app will deliver information directly to smartphones whilst students are on the move, helping them to find their way around, whilst also containing details of events and alerting them to the latest news.

Academic Services, Communications and Marketing and the Guild are jointly developing the app.

Sue Milward, Head of IT Innovation in Academic Services said: “I am delighted that three of our professional services are working closely together to deliver this app which will really help new students as they begin their Exeter journey.”

Anti-noise campaign THE number of complaints made to the University about student antisocial behaviour has decreased over the year, and it is hoped that this trend will continue.

Posters have been created with the slogan, ‘Think about it.’ Including those which ask, ‘What’s the difference between being smashed and smashing a wing mirror?’ and, ‘So you know your limits but do you know your neighbours?’.

These will be visible in participating clubs Arena, Rococos and the Lemon Grove, with t-shirts worn by staff and campaign messages transmitted on club display screens.

This is the first time that the Guild has collaborated with three clubs on issues of noise and antisocial behaviour.

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06 June 2011

News

Photo: Hannah Walker

National Student News

ACADEMICS from the University of Cambridge have joined those from the University of Oxford in calling for a ‘vote of no confidence’ against the Government’s handling of higher education.

The academics have signed a motion which could lead to a vote by many more academics at the University. Oxford academics are due to vote on their motion tomorrow.

Dr Jason Scott-Warren, a senior English lecturer at Cambridge, is one of those behind the Cambridge motion.

He said: “If Oxford and Cambridge and other academics across the country speak out against the changes, it’s possible that will force government to rethink.”

Scott-Warren added: “The policies seem to have been badly thoughtthrough and are unravelling as they proceed.”

A spokesman for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills said: “Our student and university finance reforms are fairer than the present system and affordable for the nation. Our reforms put students in the driving seat while putting universities on a sustainable footing for the future.”

Arts Week begins Cyan Turan Lifestyle Editor

Academics seek ‘no confidence’ vote

Online bookshop proposals Ellie Busby Editor THE University proposes to replace the current campus bookshop with an online alternative.

Plans for the new Forum Project presently do not include a bookshop. Instead the University will provide computer access for students to order books online, as well as a delivery and collection point for the service. These facilities will run in the new Forum Shop: ‘The Market Place’ .

Once students have used the new web ordering service, they will have the choice of whether they want their books sent to their home address, or delivered to the new Market Place where they will be stored for collection. The estimated turnaround period for this online book store is 48 hours.

The new services will be predominantly online, however there will be facilities on campus to sell core academic texts at the start of terms one and two

Construction nears end

for a month at both times.

Jilly Court, Deputy Director of Campus Services, said: “Although the teams involved recognise the anxiety based around the changes in the mode of delivery of this service; it is certain that the new service will continue to serve the needs of research and education without detriment to the student experience.”

She added: “We are very excited by the new retail zone in the Forum; The Market Place, which will deliver a whole new range of goods for the students and staff, one of which will be a focused book service to meet the needs of the academic community in the future.”

Tom Nicoll, second year English student, said: “It seems strange to have a physical shop on campus that only has computer terminals. Surely it is an all or nothing situation where we either have a bookshop or nothing at all. We all have access to computers and Amazon!”

ARTS Week 2011 will be taking place across campus from the 10-16 June.

The week-long festival, which has become a regular fixture of the University of Exeter’s events calendar, is described as a celebration of students’ contributions to the creative arts.

Arts Week, which has been running for a number of years, is hosted by the Students’ Guild and aims to provide students with a diverse range of activities, performances and workshops. These events are designed to enrich students’ university experience and enhance awareness of the arts across campus.

“A lot of events are free and a great way to soak up some culture in Exeter” Catherine Hayes, Arts Week Event Organiser

Catherine Hayes, one of the Event Organisers, said “Arts Week is beneficial to students because there are lots of chances to get involved and try something new. A lot of the events are free and a great way to soak up some culture in Exeter.”

Events include a ‘How to put on a Performance’ Workshop with EUTCo, concerts with the University’s Chamber and Symphony Orchestras and Photo: Hannah Walker

- World class Bioscience facilities complete - Library and accommodation works ongoing Thomas Read CONSTRUCTION of the University’s £275 million capital development programme - including the flagship Forum Project - is nearing completion.

The new University reception is due to open over the summer, with the majority of other projects set to be completed by the end of the year.

Refurbishment of the main library remains on track, with Level +1 set to formally open in mid-July, showcasing facilities including 30 PC cluster seats and a wide range of silent, individual, group and accessible study spaces.

Meanwhile, the subsequent closure of Level 0 means that book returns relocates to the service desk next to the basement entrance, whilst the IT helpdesk will move with other library services to Level -1.

Work also continues on new on-

campus student accommodation. The project at Birks Grange is on target for completion in September, whilst the first new blocks at Lafrowda are also set to be ready for occupation in time for the next academic year. The overall Lafrowda redevelopment is set to continue into 2012.

Elsewhere, world class Bioscience facilities have recently been handed over, with facilities within the renovated Geoffrey Pope building including aquaria and a fully-operational research suite. The building also includes an extended teaching laboratory, 130 desk spaces for postgraduates and a refurbished foyer with networked PCs and Wi-Fi access.

Finally, work on the Mood Disorders Research Centre project – which was suspended last autumn when the main contractor entered administration – has resumed, and is now scheduled for completion in November.

Exeposé

As the academic year comes to an end, campus developments continue to progress

a 48-hour film-making competition hosted by Film Studies Society. There is also a unique opportunity to see Daphne du Maurier’s archived manuscripts in the Research Commons.

“It’s a great opportunity to find like-minded people who are creative and keen”

Emma Vince, Co-editor of Razz My Berries magazine Many student societies are involved throughout the week. Emma Vince, Co-editor of creative arts magazine, Razz My Berries, said: “I think Arts Week will benefit the magazine, it’s a great opportunity to find likeminded people who are creative and keen. Arts Week benefits so many societies and their members because it helps students to realise what is available to them.”

Alex Bordoli, VP Participation and Campuses, commented: “It’s very important to the culture of the University, and a testament to the variety of talents that our students have, that Arts Week continues to run and is the success it is.

Bordoli added: “Students should come up to campus throughout the week as there will be a lot of good talent on show.”

Volunteer of the Year shortlist announced TWELVE students have been shortlisted from those nominated as Volunteer of the Year.

After a record number of nominations, the students were selected for the exceptional voluntary work they have done this year.

The shortlisted nominees are: Tristan Barclay, Toby Collison, Seb Descrettes, Mike Evans, Sam Grace, Becca Hunt, Nikita Jain, Gary McLachlan, Ollie Mulcock, Rachel Tait, Denitza Vidolova and Megan Wheatly.

Alex Bordoli, VP Participation and Campuses, said: “The longlisting process was incredibly difficult due to the quality and quantity of nominations submitted. I am so proud of the students of Exeter... reading the nominations was a delight!”

The judging panel will meet again this week to decide upon the two Highly Commended students and the overall Student of the Year.

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6

06 June 2011

News

Exeposé

Guild unveils new interiors for The Lemon

Hannah Sweet News Editor

THIS Summer will see the renovation of both The RAM bar and The Lemon Grove.

Both venues will benefit from a £400,000 investment; £200,000 from the Guild’s reserves matched by £200,000 from the University.

Work will begin this month and should be completed by September.

The refurbishment comes following a decline in the profits of the venues, as reported in the last issue of Exeposé.

It is thought that the Lemon Grove has lacked appeal for students to go early in the evening to socialise with friends. For this reason a major factor of the refurbishment is to change the Refectory space from what has been described as a ‘cold, stark school hall/disco style room’ to a ‘vibrant area’ with lots of large, comfortable booth seating and a raised seating area, to encourage people to begin their

night in the club.

Another key aim of the renovation is the ability to section off different areas, and it is also hoped that the changes will lead to a greater number of student organised nights.

Geoff Campbell, Guild Ents and Venues Manager, said: “A key point that Ents and the Bar team wanted from the refurbishment was the ability to section off the main room and create a smaller night club space (capacity of approximately 600) by combining the existing Refectory side and Bar side that can be used for new midweek club nights but also make it a less daunting space to fill when societies want to put on larger events or hold events of their own.”

Campbell added: “The Bars team are really looking forward to the refurbishment project and are confident that it will provide the launch pad for the Lemon Grove to cement its place as the leading student-only venue in Exeter.”

The Lemon Grove is utilising the space available in a bid to boost student numbers and encourage spending in the bar area

7

Exeposé WEEK TWENTY nine

News

Grove and The RAM Bar refurbishments

The RAM’s takings have dropped dramatically in the last four years but with its refurbishment, and completion of the Forum in December, it is hoped student numbers will increase to pre-construction levels

The RAM Bar will see a more radical change than the Lemon Grove.

The bar will be moved away from the front entrance to the back of the venue to prevent congestion near the doorway.

There are also plans to create separate areas, such as those for dining and an area for playing pool, and there will be a terraced seating area with tables and chairs outside.

Chris Young, Guild Bars Manager, said: “It became very apparent in the early stages of student consultation that the RAM holds a very special place amongst the hearts of the students of Exeter, both past and present.

“The new RAM will look to em-

phasise all the qualities of the traditional English pub that have seen such a rise in popularity over recent years.

“We will take great pleasure in providing a nightclub and pub that the students of Exeter can really be proud of” Chris Young, Guild Bars Manager

“On the back of the successful Devon Week in March 2011 we are looking

to promote local suppliers and produce wherever possible. Be it through our new menu which will launch in September or working with local beer suppliers to source the finest ales that the West Country has to offer.”

Young added: “The Bars team is really looking forward to the projects starting and cannot wait for the start of the next academic year, when we will take great pleasure in providing a nightclub and pub that the students of Exeter University can really be proud of.”

The RAM will close on Friday 10 June at midnight, and work will continue for approximately six weeks.

8

Comment Exeposé

THE Exeposé investigation, concerning Josh Belsher, former Athletic Union President, and financial irregularities within the AU, has shown a severe breakdown in communication between the staff and the student body.

Exeposé has repeatedly attempted to contact the AU over the last three weeks and have been met with vague, confusing and sometimes conflicting responses.

“Had the AU issued a statement earlier then conjecture may have been avoided”

As no press release was issued when Belsher chose to resign in April, speculation and rumour has been running rife due to the silence. Had the AU issued a statement earlier and dealt with the issues immediately, such conjecture may have been avoided. The

attempt to cover-up and dismiss the serious flaws within the AU’s financial system shows a disregard for the interests of Exeter students.

“Surely students have a right to know why the person they elected disappeared?”

Even if the AU wished to protect Belsher’s privacy, they still should have informed all students, especially sports club members, of his resignation and their response to it. Surely students have a right to know why the person they elected has disappeared?

It is a shame that Belsher was unable to comment with regards to the circumstances surrounding his resignation, as we had hoped he would be able to come forward to respond to the University’s most recent statement.

A new RAM and new Lemmy for a new year OVER the summer months, whilst we are all away working in apprenticeships, or for money, or simply relaxing on holiday, the Guild has planned for the student bars on campus to be fully refurbished.

The last refurbishment of the Lemon Grove took place in 2005, and

as you can see in the plans on pages 6 and 7 of News, the new designs will provide a new area for mixing and socialising.

The RAM Bar will also be redeveloped, providing students with a comfortable students’ bar where you can relax, or simply escape lectures.

THE University has opted to remove the on-campus bookshop, a facility that is vital to students, staff, academics, visitors and the public. This is a reliable and vital service that provides readily available books off the shelf, with friendly and committed staff providing support when needed.

From January 2012, when the Forum finally opens, this service will be eradicated from campus. Students will instead face a slow, cumbersome online ordering system which will

take at least 48 hours to deliver, not to mention potential postage delays, lost and wrong orders.

It is a step backward for a university that has spent so much time and money clawing its way back up league tables.

If you think we need a bookshop, cut out and sign the coupon on the front of this paper and post it in one of our collection boxes in Queen’s, Cornwall House or Peter Chalk. This campaign will end on 17 June.

Bookshop campaign

Thanks to all those who helped proof this issue:

James Crouch, Imogen Crookes, Fiona Lally, Kate Gray, Ellie Steafel, Tom Nicoll, David Brake, Sammy Brook, Imogen Sanders and members of the Exeposé Editorial Team

Editors: Ellie Busby & Henry White Deputy Editors: Ellie Bothwell & Rosie Scudder editors@exepose.com

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Where are our consumer rights?

The Exeter Student Newspaper

AU controversy

06 JUNE 2011 Exeposé

Oscar Coombe & Lisa-Marie Ward

Universities across the UK have fundamentally misunderstood student expectations. This has never been clearer to us than now, at the end of our second year studying Law at Exeter.

If substantial fees of £9k are charged, then essentially the student/university relationship becomes a consumer relationship. We’re buying a service and we demand quality, transparency and efficiency. Exeter University Law School does not provide this.

Obviously, we don’t mean we should all be able to buy a First Class Honours degree, that’s ridiculous as only 6 per cent of law students get a first nationally. All we want is the opportunity to be in that 6 per cent; that means good teaching, good resources, good administration and transparent marking systems. Unfortunately Exeter has not provided that this year. None of the core modules on the second year course were taught by a professor. Hardly any of the lecturers specialised in the fields they taught. One hadn’t studied the subject they were teaching beyond undergraduate level.

Another specifically told us they were only teaching the course because the University made it a condition of their employment. Lecturers were absent with impunity, not making any arrangements for making up lost time until

students demanded it. Courses were not finished; entire sections of the syllabus were ignored, or were not covered due to ‘time constraints’. It makes us wonder whether we even have a qualifying law degree.

“If we are treated as consumers, the University should expect us to behave as consumers” The administration has also been flawed. A sizeable portion of the second year population was left off the main mailing list and when the issue was raised, nothing was done to rectify it. As a result, these students were not informed of the module choice deadline until the day before. Some students also did not receive an invitation to a law seminar named ‘How to get a 2:1’. This in itself seems ridiculous. As an aspiring Top Ten University, Exeter should be focusing on helping us achieve

The challenge we face Jonnie Beddall Guild President

THE four years I’ve had at Exeter have been special. After three years as a student and one as President, here’s how I see the challenge we face.

Our opposition to higher fees was never that middle class kids like me had to pay more. I have no time for the parttime revolutionary middle-classes who play at being class warriors. It’s the right to study of those most able to learn but not to pay that needs fighting for. Please, no more rhetoric, let’s get serious about the scale of the challenge Exeter faces

regarding social mobility.

You do this by fighting for increased bursaries, more money spent on outreach work in deprived communities and by using contextual data in admissions. It’s this last area where our University is failing to make a bold statement about the kind of place Exeter is. We need to make far more extensive use of contextual data in admissions.

Increased tuition fees have dominated the year, but their significance will be felt in years from now. Demands for student bodies not to co-operate with universities and stage walkouts and occupations were blind to the workings of power both in Westminster and in universities.

As student numbers are capped by the Government, the only way to hit our social benchmarks is by allowing

grades at the top level, not encouraging us to limit ourselves and settle.

If we are treated as consumers, the University should expect us to behave as consumers. For continued poor service, we should be able to demand our money back. However, as students we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We want to ensure we receive the best education we can, so we need to point out where things are wrong.

But if we make too loud a fuss about our University’s flaws, its reputation is damaged and our degrees are devalued. With the state of the economy, and competition for jobs increasing, maintaining the University’s reputation is important to us too. An effective and transparent internal process of quality control is therefore, all we ask for. As it is at the moment, we would be extremely unhappy to pay £9k for a place at the University of Exeter.

Photo: Hannah Walker

students already admitted to pay upfront, taking them off the government loans books and freeing up space for students with lower grades but equal, if not more, aptitude to learn.

In short, Exeter is a special place, but if we grow further without tackling the elephant in the room, the University will be failing. You succeed by engaging, and I’m proud to have been part of a Guild that leads on the most important issues and doesn’t throw its toys out of the pram.

I love this place and have had a better four years here than I can say. But we all have too much to lose by ducking the big issues. In ten, 20 years, I want to say I was part of a University which put progressive values at its heart – we only have the opportunity to make that statement now. Please don’t lose it.

Exeposé WEEK TWENTY NINE

Comment

9

Module selection disappoints students The ranking system is ineffective Anonymous English student

I’M one of the unlucky students who didn’t get their first choice modules for next year. Three out of four isn’t bad, but when your lost module comes darn close to being your ‘dream’ module, it comes as something of a kick in the teeth.

Alas I will not be studying the wide and varied works of 19th century authors, but will instead be force-fed the turgid prose of Americans writing about homelands, dreams, discovery and terrorists.

Which, if you hadn’t already guessed, is something I frankly have no desire to do.

Credit where it’s due though. The course organisers have a fine method of duping unsuspecting students into consent. Apparently I wanted to do the module I was given – the selection system is good like that. It lets you rank three or four modules in order of preference,

and from there allows course organisers to presume, in a grand and gloriously flawed act of assumption, that you’d be happy studying any of those modules.

Of course, we know this is not always the case.

I get it though. Too many students going for a popular module, yes, there will be disappointments. But there shouldn’t be. It’s not as if they weren’t expecting such a vast intake of students for one module. There’s about as many of us as there were in September. And what’s more, each year undoubtedly tells the same story. Surely arrangements should have been made to employ more staff to facilitate the teaching of popular modules?

I for one was very much looking forward to being given the opportunity to specialise in my areas of interest. I am strongly against the idea that admin should be allowed to delimit the experi-

ence and academic freedom enjoyed by students. I feel that as I am investing a great deal in my education, I should be allowed to study what I want to study.

One also has to consider the consequences of missing out on a key module – how will it affect my learning in that all-important third year? Will it put me off my subject? For me, the answer to the second question is already a resounding ‘yes’.

Maybe I’m being a bit melodramatic, and perhaps I’ll come to love American literature, but the point still stands. In my experience, ‘academic freedom’ is something of a myth in the academy. I think it is necessary to upend the highly assumptive module selection system already in place and I also think that course organisers have failed to preempt the startlingly inevitable. If course satisfaction declines, can they blame us?

Getting your first choice of module should be guaranteed given the cost

Charlie Marchant Senior Reporter

“I am pleased to confirm your module selections have been confirmed.”

This is the generic email sent to inform students of their modules, whether 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th choice, but there’s a fine line as to whether students are “pleased” to receive their 3rd or lower choices.

Personally, if I’d even been given my 2nd choice modules I would have been devastated. Ranking five modules is compulsory for module application and forces students to list modules that they most likely don’t actually want to study; yet the University still is “pleased” to allocate them.

“Why are we being told we can’t study the modules we want at University?”

I realise that the University obvi-

Internet versus education Max Edwards Guild Councillor

A recent Exeposé article essentially acting as an obituary for the printed book was a particularly good example of how the internet gives us cause for concern.

It seems that the desire for more and more of our hobbies and lives to be rendered in pixels has spread to the University management, who appear to believe that a bookshop in the Forum would be a waste of space.

“The desire for more of our hobbies to be rendered in pixels has spread to the University management”

I had been led to believe that books were generally important in education. It seems to me to be the sign of a dystopia in the making when, as the University internet last went down, my first reaction was to check my email for updates on

the situation.

There has to be a point at which the human psychological ability to come to terms with technology simply cannot adapt to the speed at which it has begun to take over our lives. The terrifying, near psychotic levels of fandom for the pixilation of just about all aspects of our lives is worthy of a step back and some deep consideration.

Much like reality, from which it hopes to become indistinguishable, the internet is a broad school, so perhaps I am being quick to judge. However, a university whose student newspaper has to campaign to get its management to understand the necessity of a campus bookshop risks becoming a farce.

Online learning and ‘Wiki-lectualism’ can only go so far. The presence of a bookshop would reinforce a more traditional, tried and proven education.

Newer modes of teaching using online resources should be encouraged, but not at the expense of the old.

ously works hard to give students their top choices but a lot of people I know have been allocated 2nd and 3rd choice modules and are very upset about it – I consider myself very lucky to have got my 1st choices.

However, I shouldn’t have to feel lucky to have got what I want. Paying £3, 375 per year and, as an English student, taking only 4 modules per year (some of which are core), you expect to get the modules you want, whatever they may be.

At A Level there were no such issues, no “Oh, well that subject is

oversubscribed, so you’ll have to do this other subject instead.” So why are we being told we can’t study the modules we want at University?

“Undesirable module choices will lead to unmotivated students” Surely each department must be aware of which modules are most popular and should be able to accommodate for those requirements.

The variety of modules offered by the English department currently is

brilliant and expansive, but students shouldn’t be expected to sacrifice 1st choices to ensure such a range can be on offer.

The consequence of students being allocated their undesirable module choices will lead to unmotivated students who achieve lower than their academic capabilities and will negatively affect other students on the course because of their potential lack of enthusiasm and involvement in seminars.

Letters to the Editors

Send your letters to letters@exepose.com In response to: ‘Campus study space still inadequate’ Exeposé, On completion of the Forum Project, the number of study seats in the Main Library increases from 450 (pre-refurbishment) to 700, with an additional 150 seats available at exam time. This doubles the study seats available at precisely the time of year students need them most. The beauty of the design lies in its flexibility: we can increase seat numbers for exams, and the mix of quiet, silent and group spaces can be converted (say from group to quiet study) to suit the needs of our students at different times of the year. The recent move, welcomed by our students, to convert one of the new group study spaces for quiet revision study is a good example of this in practice and shows us how effective the bigger and brightened Main Library will be for all students.

This term, we quickly responded to demand to open Law Library 24/7 to extend study space at times we knew, from listening to students, it

would have most impact – out of core hours, especially early morning and at the weekend. The ‘alternative places of study’ map was designed to help students devise a study plan to suit them, with clear information about alternative spaces, opening hours and PC provision. This included the Research Commons which has a large quiet reading room ideal for laptop use with 56 study seats each with hard-wired data and power.

The article ‘Campus study space still inadequate’ (Joshua Hughes, 23 May 2011) gives a misleading view of the benefits the Main Library refurbishment will bring for students and this letter is intended simply to set the record straight.

Jessica Gardner Acting Assistant Director, Library In response to: ‘Exam errors cause fury’ Exeposé, As reported in the last issue of Exeposé, a number of complaints and

issues have been raised by students as a result of this year’s exams, particularly in relation to errors in examination papers but also with regard to invigilation. Delivering the very best possible student experience is our top priority and that includes ensuring that exams are conducted appropriately. A comprehensive review of each examination period is conducted after every session to identify improvements. With regard to exam paper errors, as soon as the examination period is completed, I will personally conduct an investigation into how each error came about. I want to be confident that every effort has been made to ensure that such errors do not happen again.

Dr Jonathan Barry Dean of the Faculty of Taught Programmes

10

Features

06 JUNE 2011 Exeposé

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Sam Lambert & Clare Mullins - features@exepose.com

INTERVIEW: From Exeter to Afghanistan

Sam Lambert and Clare Mullins, Features Editors, talk to Frank Gardner OBE about his travels THE taxi door slams shut and Frank Gardner OBE turns to look at us. “This is like being interviewed by detectives,” he says with a grin. After a full-to-capacity talk given at the Northcott, and a book signing queue that snakes round the theatre, we manage to squeeze an interview into a taxi ride and follow Frank onto the platform. Luckily for us, the award winning journalist is extremely amicable and our interview even continues onto the train before we have to jump off in fear of ending up in London Paddington.

Frank Gardner is a globe-trotting, widely admired journalist who graduated from Exeter in 1984 with a degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1995, after a nine year stint in investment banking, Frank became a journalist, joining BBC World. Since then he has been Gulf and Middle East correspondent and, post9/11, focused on covering the War on Terror.

“To be honest, I’ve never been interested in politics, but international current affairs. I know the two are similar but to me politics sort of smacks of Westminster.” Frank’s real loves – travel and journalism - quickly emerged during our chat: “It’s a real buzz to see your name in print.” Whilst at Exeter, he guiltily admits that, for a student paper, he “wrote this completely spoof article about a non-existent country, where they would drink ‘Pombay’ and get drunk on dug out canoes and stuff. Encouraging people to go to this country that didn’t exist.” Even as a teenager, Frank’s interest in current events influenced his travels: “Whilst staying with a friend in Bremen, we went out to a bar. While he was chatting up these girls, I was talking to them about nuclear disarmament. What a geek!

I should have been thinking of far more carnal things but instead I was saying, ‘But where does Germany stand?’ I was 18: it was very sad.”

“Our family was very nearly torn apart by what happened”

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 6 June 2004, Frank Gardner was shot by militants as he attempted to film in one of the city’s suburbs. Simon Cumbers, the camera man he was with, was killed and Frank was shot repeatedly and left partly paralysed. Despite now relying on a wheelchair to get around, Frank’s pace has hardly slowed - in between his work as Security Correspondent for the BBC, working as a journalist and spending time with his family, Frank has written two

books about his travels.

Still a keen traveller, Frank happily concedes that being in a wheelchair can even have its advantages when he’s travelling and reporting for the BBC: “It’s both good and bad. It’s bad in that there’s a lot of places I can’t go and things I can’t do. The positive side is that everybody wants to help, I present no threat to anybody in a wheel chair - I’m harmless.

Previously, I’ve been to places where I’m an object of suspicion or mistrust. Now, I’m an object of sympathy or of pity, if I’m blunt.”

When travelling, Frank has had to find ways round his disability. He tells us about an attachment to his wheel chair that turns it into a trike. “I took it to Afghanistan, I took it to Borneo, to Tuscany and it’s brilliant. I went travelling with a mate of mine in Cambodia, just two of us, with rucksacks; I slung it on the back here [points to the back of his wheelchair].

Cambodia was interesting; because of the land mines there were so many amputees and lots of people in wheelchairs.

It meant that when I was getting around Tonlé Sap, the people said: ‘No problem, we’ll do it.’ Four people just immediately lifted me up. I like places where people

Photo: Thomas Page

instantly see a solution.”

Frank is matter of fact about the incident that left him in a wheelchair. At the Northcott talk, he declined to speak in detail about the shooting, instead referring the audience to the first chapter of his book, Blood and Sand, where he describes the event. He admitted to his Dad being unable to read the account – Frank was conscious and in extreme pain throughout the ordeal.

“Our family was very nearly torn apart by what happened, even after I’d survived the gunshots. When I was in hospital, I got very, very sick with a chest infection from the feeding tube, and I nearly died of it. That was weeks after. So, you know, it was kind of hairy.

It wasn’t just the shooting, it was seven months of 14 operations, of having my stomach open for most of that time, just being prodded and poked and pulled and injected and cut open. My body was exhausted; it took me a year to recover from that.”

Frank has always been attracted to risk and he recalls with amusement of situations that would have no doubt horrified family members: “When I was 17 at school I did a terrible thing, I told my

parents I was staying with some mates in London but I bought a boat ticket to Holland, then went to Amsterdam and once I’d got there I thought: ‘Where shall I go now?’ I hitchhiked from there to Antwerp, just for the hell of it.”

Frank’s love of travel seems to have influenced him throughout his life and career. His latest book, Far Horizons, is dedicated to unusual journeys and he seems to be in his element telling tales of far-flung places and people. It is clear this passion is inherent: “If I’m honest, it’s partly because I’m an only child, fewer people to play with, wanting to go out there. I’ve had to make my own fun, to some extent.” His parents were diplomats: “My dad got posted to Holland.

Just the thrill of being in a foreign country when England was very much an island; I grew up in the 60s, there was no Eurostar and to live on the continent, where you could drive across a land border and be in Belgium or Germany, was really exciting.

That gave me the bug.”

This love of adventure will no doubt resonate with many students. Gap years are our chance to take time out and explore the world before, or even after, we enter further education. “I took a gap year and I would recommend it to anybody, definitely, if you can afford to do it. I started out with InterRail; it’s brilliant. It’s not just about the journey; it’s about the people you meet on the way. I know that’s a real cliché but you end up in a compartment with somebody from, I don’t know, Trieste to Rome and you make spontaneous friends and just have a giggle about things. For me, the thrill of just being able to cross borders and go from one side of Europe to another; I went when I was 18 down from Victoria to Morocco and then all the way around to Istanbul where I caught food poisoning and ended up in a Greek hospital.”

Money worries are often prevalent when travelling as a student. Frank, in his typically matter-of-fact manner, quickly tells us his solution: “I‘ve got an inbuilt mechanism that I am always really worried about running out of money. The best travelling, though, is more time than money. It’s a good idea to do a bit of work. I worked in a Greek restaurant in La Placa and it was horrible; they made me dress in these tight black trousers with a medallion and a shirt. I don’t have a hairy chest, but I had to stop people outside and say ‘Hello madam, hello sir, some very nice music for you!’ That’s what I had to do, and I was rubbish at it.”

At this point, the station fills with automated announcements. He mused over

these sounds and the loss of the woman with the thick West Country accent who used to welcome travellers into St David’s. “You hear that little ‘bing bing bing’?

It used to be that you could only hear that sound in French railway stations. To me, that was the sound of adventure. That was travelling south, changing at the Gare du Nord, heading down to Spain and North Africa. It’s amazing how just a little thing like that can set you off.”

As many parts of the world have become more technologically advanced and the ability to visit places improves we asked him what he would advise to avoid being caught in a pure tourist trap. Like any well travelled person he can easily recall such situations: “I was in Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat complex, this bit where the roots were growing over the temple – it’s Angelina Jolie, Tomb raider stuff. You think ‘Wow, this is amazing!” Then this Korean tour group turn up in a coach, a guide with a mega phone shouting at them in Korean, and it totally ruined it.

30 people, all in yellow sun visors, and I just thought, ‘God’. First of all, I’d hate to be in that large a group. And secondly, I really didn’t thank them for ruining the vibe.”

“While he was chatting up the girls, I was talking to them about nuclear disarmament. What a geek! ”

He recommends travelling with another person of the same sex and marks large groups as a mistake. When speaking of the big groups of backpackers he has encountered over the years he seems bemused: “How can you possibly enjoy it? You’re just not experiencing anything.

You’re taking a great chunk of your country and transporting it somewhere else.”

As the train pulls in and we head for Frank’s carriage he insists that we continue the interview. This is a brilliant example of the kind of person that he is, and how he comes across as when you meet him; humble, down to earth and always getting the maximum out of any situation.

As we board the train with him he turns to us and asks: “Any final questions?” It seems only apt after our conversation and our surrounding so we simply ask him: “What’s your favourite train journey?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Wadi Halfa to Khartoum.”

Follow Frank on twitter @frankrgardner

Exeposé WEEK TWENTY NINE

11

Is a nuclear-free Europe on the horizon?

Hannah Rogers asks whether the abandonment of nuclear power in Europe is premature

THE earthquake which struck Japan on 11 March this year and the ensuing damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant has triggered debate as to the future of Europe’s use of nuclear energy. Germany and Switzerland have already announced their intention to phase out the use of nuclear power within the next few decades. Should we consider the Japanese catastrophe a timely reminder, as a Greenpeace slogan hung from Germany’s Brandenburg Gate warned, that every day of nuclear power usage is one too many?

Germany’s coalition Government under Chancellor Angela Merkel had planned to extend the life of the country’s reactors, but following the crisis in Japan these plans have been abandoned and all nuclear plants are scheduled for closure by 2022. Switzerland, whose plant at Beznau is the oldest in the world still in operation, aims to see the last nuclear power station close in 2034. These moves for closure follow protests across Europe calling for

a decisive move away from reliance upon nuclear power. But with almost a quarter of Germany’s energy and 40 per cent of Swiss power being derived from nuclear plants, is the decision to renounce nuclear energy premature?

“With almost a quarter of Germany’s energy and 40% of Swiss power being derived from nuclear plants, is the decision to renounce nuclear energy premature?”

Last October, the Government in the UK approved plans for eight new nuclear plants to be built in England and Wales. Plans for the construction of these plants have now been suspended until September, with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate

Change, Chris Huhne, urging an investigation into the Japanese accident to see what can be learned from the disaster. The hiatus might, perhaps, provide an opportunity to review the pros and cons of our troubled relationship with nuclear energy.

As of 2006, nuclear power plants provided just less than 20 per cent of the UK’s energy, with fossil fuels still providing the majority in the form of gas and coal. Perhaps surprisingly, oil only contributes 1.3 per cent of the UK’s total energy supply, according to a BBC special report, and its price instability and the dependence on politically unstable regions make it an unsuitable long-term solution.

The distinct advantage of nuclear power is that the CO2 emissions are minimal, an important consideration in light of Britain’s commitment to cut emissions to 66 per cent of the 1990 levels by 2020. But many argue that there are alternatives which should be explored and developed before recourse to nuclear power, a potentially hazardous source of energy.

Solar power is doomed to be unreliable and limited in the UK for the foreseeable future, and the usefulness of wind farms and hydroelectric dams is constrained by the availability of suitable locations. The Government’s projection that “road and rail will be largely de-carbonised” by 2050 seems optimistic even if the plan to lower the threshold of the congestion charge to cars producing 80g/km of carbon dioxide could induce people to exchange their vehicle for a hybrid.

If we are equally serious about cutting emissions and extricating ourselves from nuclear power, it is going to take a sustained and concerted effort in numerous fields to make it happen.

Politicians: best served grilled

Features

Torness, in Scotland, was one of the last Nuclear Power Stations to be built in the UK

Investment in tidal and wave energy is a “significant untapped source” according to a Government spokesperson, and, as an island, Britain has an extensive coastline that could perhaps be investigated for the suitability of such a project.

“Construction on eight new nuclear plants in the UK has now been suspended until September” However, and putting the immediate impact on the environment aside for a moment, the comparatively clean alternatives of wind and wave energy, which should be the UK’s chief sources of green energy, are maybe not as environmentally friendly as we would like to think.

Axel Kleidon of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry controversially announced in a recent pub-

lication of New Scientist, that our increasing use of wind and wave farms could affect Earth’s energy balance and “inevitably leave an imprint on the atmosphere” by ‘extracting’ energy from global tides and climate systems.

Whilst the implications of Kleidon’s research are by no means unanimously accepted, his comments do draw attention to our limited knowledge about the impact of ‘renewable’ energy alternatives, and perhaps partially explain the slowness with which they seem to be adopted.

The tragedy of Fukushima has rekindled the debate about energy and environment, but until it is accepted in all quarters of society that compromises and challenges to our lifestyle are inevitable, and until the money and time becomes available to pursue vital research and investment in the field of energy alternatives, nuclear power is going to remain with us. Our best hope for the near future is to invest in making it as safe and reliable as possible.

In light of the recent barbecue at Downing Street, Maddie Soper offers an alternative perspective

MAINTAINING the right image at a political barbecue is a tricky business.

What if you singe your shirt cuffs? Or spill sauce on your tie? Or worse still, what if you make some terrible gaffe about how much better the Texan was with barbecue tongs?

“Definitely play it safe by cooking it medium rare: somewhere in the middle so hopefully you can please everyone a little bit”

But when it comes to the politicians’ food of choice, the possibilities are endless. For Obama, it has to be steak. Tasteful in more ways than one, screams masculinity and, of course, so patriotically American (because no other countries have cows). Definitely play it safe by cooking it medium rare: somewhere in the middle so you can hopefully please everyone a little bit. But then

unfortunately end up not really pleasing anyone at all.

Cameron would have put himself in charge of the burgers. The burgers like to think of themselves as the most important staple of the barbecue event, but then they never quite live up to the heights of the steak. Possibly because the embellishments of cheese, onions and mustard can never quite mask what’s really lurking underneath. Probably because they were on offer and the actual meat content is rather low.

Clegg, poor bloke, probably manning the ketchup. Something meant to complement the main event whilst being careful never to overshadow . Somehow it always ends up getting in the way or making a mess of it. He may be allowed to branch out to the HP Sauce and Salad Cream later if he behaves himself and doesn’t lose too many more local elections. The instant coffee afterwards comes under his command also: freezedried and no substitute for the real thing, leaving a somewhat sour taste in the mouth when you remember how appealing the Gold Blend looked in its packag-

ing.

Ed Miliband must have brought the tomato and mozzarella salad, having the advantages of being both red and slightly bland. Yet people always seem to come back for more. Ed Balls might have had the same idea, but unfortunately not the vast Trade Union support base to make the dish a reality. The Green Party probably favoured vegetable kebabs, the most underappreciated barbecue food.

You know they’re good for you and will be much more beneficial in the long run, but you can never quite bring yourself to take them that seriously.

The Independents are amenable folk – they don’t really mind what’s on the barbecuing agenda so long as it doesn’t negatively affect their local hospital’s potential closure. They probably brought their own individual meals, since they’re trying to change the fundamental prin-

ciple of the overall system, one seat at a time. Samantha and Michelle most likely spent their time gossiping in the corner, sharing techniques on how best to stop their husbands going to war every other week and the best way to remove ketchup stains.

With the food reduced to leftovers, each guest can look forward to the summer ahead, full of more culinary delights.

Photograph: AFP

12

Lifestyle

06 JUNE 2011

Exeposé

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Zoe Dickens & Cyan Turan - lifestyle@exepose.com

Outside the campus bubble Be inspired by three Lifestyle writers’ top tips for summer activities in Exeter and beyond Photo: Henry White

Jennifer Seymour explores Hardy

HARDY country, West Dorset. Home to all things Thomas Hardy: from his birthplace and later residence to memorial statues and museums, Hardy country invites you to delve deeper into the author’s life and work. As a self-confessed Hardy enthusiast determined to broaden my South Western horizons, I set off to Dorset, Devon’s neighbouring county, for an unveiling of Hardy history.

First stop: Hardy’s birthplace, a woodland cottage in Higher Bockhampton now owned by the National Trust. Born here in 1840, Hardy spent the majority of his first 22 years in this idyllic thatched cottage.

The ground floor parlour and office recreate a nineteenth-century family living space and upstairs you step into Hardy’s bedroom, in which he composed his first five novels, including Under the Greenwood Tree. The original manuscripts and photographs on display in the upstairs rooms ensure that they feel authentic, protecting and preserving Hardy’s spirit.

Five minutes towards Dorchester is Max Gate, the house where Hardy and his first wife Emma settled in 1885. Here Hardy wrote his most successful novels, including Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure.

It is currently owned by the National Trust and inhabited by a PhD student who is researching Hardy and helping to restore the house as a faithful representation of Hardy’s home. Understandably the restoration process is slow; only a few rooms have been transformed into authentic 19th century reconstructions.

The curator of Hardy’s birthplace has turned to Max Gate, with the intention of breathing excitement and authenticity into the property, which is promising, considering the cottage’s successful preservation.

However, Max Gate cannot fulfil its potential without adequate resources, which

The view over Salcombe harbour from the top of the village

the National Trust struggles to provide.

Max Gate has been given an ultimatum: if it does not bring in sufficient visitors this summer, the property will have to close.

The property managers aim to make Hardy country as relevant as Shakespeare or Brontë country, and this is certainly possible considering the delights of the Hardy trail, the historical gems of Dorchester and the beautiful properties once owned

by Hardy himself. Yet to reach this goal Hardy country needs visitors and for this reason, alongside its beauty and insight, Hardy country warrants a visit now more than ever.

Cyan Turan, Lifestyle Editor, goes Ape IF you’ve ever dreamt of imitating our furry ancestors, then Go Ape is the activity for you. The outdoor, tree-top adventure experience situated in Haldon Forest Park is roughly a 20-minute drive from Exeter.

I, in my enviable capacity of ‘Chief Gorilla’, took seven other regular ‘Gorillas’ for a birthday outing with a difference: hours of adrenalin-fuelled fun and not a Jagerbomb in sight.

With 27 sites around the country, the Go Ape philosophy seems to be harness up, and run wild across swinging bridges, down hurtling zipwires and through tunnels, all suspended a fair few metres above the forest floor. The Haldon trail is 775 metres long, comprising five sections of tree-apparatus, of varying difficulty.

After half an hour of training on section one, we were let loose on section two, which stood before us in all of its ricketybridged, Tarzan-swinging glory. For the braver among us, it was a thrilling escape from the standard student routine, and even the more fainthearted were won over in the end.

Given that we were only proverbial apes for the afternoon, it felt slightly unnatural flinging oneself from a wooden plinth at the top of a tree with only a cord

A Fond Farewell to Exeter

between you and certain death. But I suppose that’s all part of the fun.

As students of a university which sits beside a city, we forget that we are in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

Once the initial fear of the first zipwire is over, the remaining three allow for spectacular views of the scenery in and around Haldon Forest.

The course combines a unique and hilarious activity in keeping with its enchanting setting. As we reached the final sections of the adventure, the course got more difficult. The final tarzan swing left many of us quivering with genuine fear.

We departed with plenty of photos which will stand as testament to both mine and others’ inability to swing between ropesuspended metal hoops with dignity.

Go Ape is not cheap at £30 per ‘Gorilla’, but makes for a truly memorable outing. The satisfied smiles that emerged throughout the course definitely proved that there can be more to student socialising than another night in Arena.

Ellie Walker-Arnott revisits her favourite Exeter memories one last time SO, after three years, nine semesters, and more deadlines than we’d care to remember, for us third years the university experience is almost over. But before we pack up our belongings, burn our course notes and throw our graduation hats in the air, we’ve got a few weeks of studenthood left. This beautiful little city has seen us through the good and the bad so appreciate your last moments with it.

Visit Exeter’s most well loved establishments: eat at Boston Tea Party, have a Firehouse pizza (there is nowhere else you can eat so well in the company of

a stuffed crow), visit Book Cycle and shop at the Real McCoy. To feel like a proper Devonian, you should probably treat yourself to a cream tea and drink a pint or two of cider as well.

Conform to the Exeter stereotype and spend one full day on campus: mooch around campus in flip-flops and your pyjama bottoms. Though it is unrecognisable from the university that welcomed us as timid freshers three years ago it will always have a special place in our hearts, Forum Project and all.

While you’re there, visit the Guild Shop.

If you’ve been secretly eyeing up a pair of Exeter flip-flops or a frisbee, give in.

If you don’t do it now you never will.

Go to Arena as many times as you can bear: where else can you dance like an idiot, scream along to Buck Rogers and publically strip to the Baywatch theme tune? I know it’s small, a little bit smelly, and unreasonably expensive past 11pm, but trust me, you’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Take a final trip to the Lemmy: it’s even worse than Arena and for some inexplicable reason most nights spent within its echoey walls end in tears,

but it’s our student night club and we should try and love it in spite of its flaws.

Have a school-themed night out: I’m pretty sure dressing up as a school girl is no longer acceptable outside the protective walls of university.

Crack out your student card: 22 July we’ll have to relinquish our student discount so if you think about it, spending the rest of your overdraft in Topshop is really just good sense!

Get horrifically drunk on Sunday night: once we start working 9-5 (well, we can dream) Sunday night booze-

Zoe Dickens, Lifestyle Editor, on alternative festivals IF you’re less Tinie Tempah and Magnetic Man and more Tennyson and Michelin stars then look no further. Here’s our round-up of the best UK food, culture and literature festivals happening this summer.

The Times Cheltenham Science Festival, Essex, 7-12 June: Cheltenham is renowned for the various music and literature festivals it holds each year but the science festival is something a little different. This year includes talks like ‘The Maths of Death’ and ‘Exploring the Autistic Mind’ delivered by distinguished scientists, such as, Roger Highfield (Editor, New Scientist) and Radio 4’s Quentin Cooper. This year the BBC will also be funding a ‘Science Zone’ run by the production teams of their science programmes including ‘Bang Goes The Theory’. Not to be missed!

The Field to Fork Show, Hampshire, 30-31 July: Held in the grounds of organic, biodynamic farm, Laverstoke Park, this food festival features everything from chef demonstrations and lectures to speciality food markets and artisan baking workshops. It is also the host of the British BBQ Championships and, with culinary heavyweights Henry Harris and Tristan Welch taking to the coals, burnt sausages are bound to become a thing of the past!

Brighton Comedy Festival, East Sussex, 7-22 October: Whilst it may not have the kudos of the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Comedy Festival is still sure to deliver a programme of brilliant comedians who will provide you with many a laugh. This year sees the likes of Jack Whitehall, Ed Byrne, Sarah Millican and many others who regularly find their way to our favourite comedy panels taking to the stage.

A sure fire giggle for stand-up aficionados.

ups are a no-no.

Embrace your cravings: if you fancy eating cheese and Nutella on toast for your dinner, don’t worry. Yes, it is disgusting, but your housemates won’t judge you half as much as your parents will.

Fight the urge to clean the bathroom: it’s okay. We students are supposed to live in our own filth and there will come a time in the all too near future when keeping your slowly moulding tea cups beside the toilet is frowned upon. Similarly, when it comes to washing up, from now until we graduate, rinsing is just fine.

Exeposé week twenty NINE

13

“What happened when...

I was asked to spare some change”

I’D like to begin this article with a disclaimer: what follows is not an attempt to trivialise the plight of the homeless. I have simply decided to demonstrate to you, dear reader, that I am inept even in the most straightforward of situations; that of giving money to those less fortunate than ourselves.

My first tale takes place a few years ago when I was in London and asked for some spare change by a man huddled in blankets and with a voice suggesting he used gravel for mouthwash.

“I had just told a homeless man in the middle of winter to have a good night.

What the bloody hell was I thinking?”

I will admit that I do not usually give money to the homeless as I was always told by the adults in my life that many homeless people will simply spend your money on drugs and booze. Much better, my elders would say, to buy them food or a hot drink.

With this in mind, I went into the nearest Co-Op and bought him back a sandwich. A nice one too - bacon, lettuce and tomato. As I departed, feeling very pleased at my act of generosity, I felt something glance off my shoulder and the words “I don’t want your fucking bread!” shouted at me. Charming.

The experience of having a BLT chucked at you is not an agreeable one.

Nor is it particularly nice when a complete stranger swears at you. Suffice to say, such an encounter left me with OUR roving photographer and Lifestyle team bring you the best style on campus!

Lifestyle’s columnist, Dan Orton, faces a moral dilemma

very little desire to ever help a homeless person again. Does that make me a bad human being? I’m sure some of you will think yes but naturally I disagree. It’s not like I don’t want to help the homeless at all: I am a huge supporter of the homeless charity Shelter and have been since I was 17.

Charities like this rely on the public’s donations and support to lobby the government and campaign for better conditions for those who find themselves homeless. It is to these charities I give my spare change because, let’s be honest, you can be a damn sight surer that it will do some good that way than any 20p you may chuck at a homeless person.

Of course, there is another, somewhat embarrassing reason I don’t give money to the homeless directly and that is down to the fact that I can be a little socially awkward at times. In late December last year I found myself walking through Exeter town centre on my way to a party when a homeless man said, “Alright mate, have you got any spare change?” I apologised and said I did not and then something very strange happened. He said “Well thanks anyway, have a good night” and I said, without thinking, “Yes, you too.” What!?

I had just told a homeless man, sat by the cab rank on Sidwell Street in the middle of winter, to have a good night.

What the bloody hell was I thinking? But, there was more to come; in an attempt to defuse the situation I decided the best thing to do would be to laugh it off.

LAUGH IT OFF!?? So now, not only had I just told a homeless man to have a good night, I’d then laughed at him too.

I might as well have gone over to him,

kicked him in the face and run off with what little change he had. This was bad.

Worse even than the time I said to some friends that Bruno was a stupid name for a man, much better suited for a dog - only for one friend to then say indignantly that her dad’s name was Bruno.

More awkward still than the time I punched my primary school headmaster in the balls at a school disco (entirely by accident of course.) My face now contorted in an expression of pure horror and shame, I did what any other blabbering idiot would do in such a scenario…ran.

I will admit that I was not very proud of myself for that short exchange but in my defence I challenge anyone not to say “you too” when someone tells you to have “a good night”. It’s just polite. Anyway, from my experiences with the homeless I can offer a few nuggets of advice.

“I might as well have kicked him in the face and run off with the money” There are better ways your money can be used to help them than if you just gave a few pennies to the occasional homeless person that asks.

I know that sounds cruel but it’s true.

Furthermore, don’t ever stop in Sidwell Street. Period. Finally, if you do decide to get a homeless person a sandwich; ask what fillings they like first.

You see the more I think about it now, the more I reckon that chap in London wasn’t being ungrateful for the bacon sandwich, he was just a vegetarian.

Lifestyle

Your Problems Solved

Uncle Matthieu and Aunty Amelia are here to help “Dear Lifestyle, I’m a first year living in halls and I’m having problems with the girl who lives in the room next to me. We used to be really good friends, but over the last few months we just don’t seem to be getting on any more. We haven’t had a big argument or anything but we just seem to get on each other’s nerves all the time. This wouldn’t be so bad but we’re living together (with three other girls) next year and I don’t think I can go on like this for another year. Please help!’

Amelia Nashe SOUNDS like a tricky situation for everyone concerned but by no means irresolvable. The worst thing you could possibly do would be to sit tight and assume things will fix themselves. So let’s not go for that…instead, I suggest that you think back to when you first became friends with her and try to pinpoint exactly why you used to get on so well. If these things haven’t changed, use them now to try to actively recapture your friendship and overcome the irritation. For instance, if you both love chick flicks, suggest to her that you rent one etc. ‘Pro-active’ is the word you want to have in mind here.

Hopefully she’ll feel that she also needs to make an effort and may stop being annoying in the process. If the worst comes to the worst it’s not the end of the world.

As you said, there will be five of you in this house and, as you’ll have learnt this year in halls, living with someone does not mean you have to be their best friend!

Campus Style [Centre] Name: Ellie Herbert Studying: Geography, 3rd year.

What are your summer plans?

“Going to Spain and Morocco.”

Name: Tom Loake Studying: Geography, 3rd year.

What are your summer plans?

“I’m playing at Beach Break with my band, Soiree for the Buskers.”

Name: Laura Wilkinson Studying: Geography, 3rd year.

What are your summer plans?

“Working at a festival.”

[Left] Name: Ryan Barrell Studying: Middle Eastern Studies, 1st year.

What are your summer plans?

“I’m going to Vietnam and Reading Festival.”

Name: Lucy Liu Studying: Maths, 1st year.

What are your summer plans?

“I’m going to Greece and maybe to Bestival.”

[Right] Name: Chloe Studying: Accounting and Finance, 3rd year.

What are your summer plans?

I’m going back to China and perhaps doing an internship.”

Matthieu Perry THIS sort of problem does happen between people living together, especially those living in halls where you are crammed into a building with not enough space. Maybe you’ve had exams and are really stressed and that’s why you feel this way. Try to find a time where you are both free to discuss what is on each of your minds and take criticism positively.

The end of the exams are here so go out and get re-acquainted. Spend some quality time together, go on a day trip or try some hobby or activity before you go home for the holidays.

Remember that the summer is coming up which will give you at least three months off from each other.

When you come back next year, treat it as a fresh start. You will be living in different surroundings and maybe all you really need is a break from living together and you’ll be able to come back to Exeter in a better mood.

14

Music

06 JUNE 2011 Exeposé

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Upcoming

Festival previews

8/6 - Jiggerypipery, Exeter Phoenix

Amy Weller and Andy Smith, Music Editors look at the hottest festivals of the summer

Latitude 14-17 July 9/6 - Kitty, Daisy and Henham Park, Suffolk Lewis, £170

Cavern Club

12/6 - Silver Tree Summer’s Night, Rougemont Gardens 13/6 - The Pierces, Thekla, Bristol 15/6 - Carmina Burana, Northcott Theatre 23/6 - The Coral, O2 Academy, Bristol Featured Event:

Silver Tree Summer’s Night Rougemont Gardens Sunday 12 June 6.30 - 10.30pm An evening of music in the picturesque leafy setting of Rougemont Gardens in the heart of Exeter city centre.

A fine lineup of musicians and performers including: Signs of Life (celebratory acoustic roots), Billy Bottle and the Multiple (new music cabaret from Teignmouth), Glorious Chorus (acclaimed Totnes performance choir), Moussa Kouyate (Bristol based Master Kora player), Just4Funk (energetic SW breakdance crew) and Elfic (circus sensation). Enjoy a drink under the trees and listen to an original programme of worldly sounds, stories and songs.

YEAR by year Latitude’s line up grows stronger as it continues to prove itself as one the best indie and alternative festivals. This year’s Latitude is featuring an exciting mix of some of the best indie talent, both new and old.

With acts such as Hurts, The Cribs, Bombay Bicycle Club, Foals, Everything Everything, Lykke Li, The Naked and Famous, The Vaccines and Carl Barat it’s set to be a brilliant three days of music. Furthermore, the festival is delivering some of the most promising rising stars of the indie circuit including talents such as Gold Panda, James Vincent McMorrow, Caribou, Chapel Club, Glasvegas, Seasick Steve, Villagers, Cloud Control, Crystal Fighters and Trophy Wife.

This year brings an interesting choice of headliners, Suede, Paolo Nutini and The National will all be fronting the main stage, demonstrating the festival’s diverse approach to music and

Creamfields 26-28 August Daresbusy, Cheshire £60-£230 CREAMFIELDS has established itself as “the crown jewel of dance festivals” after winning the 2010 UK Festival Award for Best Dance Event. It continues to be in the Top 5 festivals in the UK alongside the likes of Glastonbury, V Festival and Reading and has become the most popular and renowned open air electronic music festival in the world.

This year the line-up is headed by several festival exclusives including Chemical Brothers, Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta and Armin Van Buuren. Other big names include Scratch Perverts playing in ‘That Mixmag Thing’ Silent Disco on the Friday night, Magnetic Man, Katy B, Annie Mac, Example, Calvin Harris and Jaguar Skillz. However, this festival is not just about the big names but about bringing together genre breaking pioneers from across the DJ and live music spectrum.

Ticket prices vary hugely from a £60 one day ticket to a £230 Hospitality three day ticket which allows access to the Event Arena, the Hospitality Arena and VIP Camping. The Standard two and three day camping tickets are of a good value at £115 and £135 respectively considering the festivals top status.

its avoidance of the mainstream. All of these acts will be playing across a variety of musical arenas ranging in size, ensuring that Latitude-goers have the option to experience truly intimate sets or crash around in a mosh pit of a vast crowd.

However, Latitude is certainly not just about the music. In fact, it is well known for its Comedy Arena, which is being headlined this year by Alan Carr, Marcus Brigstocke and the Never Mind the Buzzcocks crew. The festival also provides platforms for some of the best theatre and dance performances, along with Film and Literary arenas, illustrating Latitude as a celebrator of diverse cultural experience.

Having attended this festival for the last two years, I can definitely say that Latitude is a fantastic festival offering the perfect summer atmosphere.

If, like me, you find the prospect of the much larger festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading a little bit daunting then Latitude is pretty much perfect.

With an extremely chilled out vibe and a smaller site, it’s unlikely you’ll ever come back to your tent and discover it has been set on fire by excitable teens.

With a capacity of 50,000 people it is almost half the size of Reading and Leeds and V Festival; it means no competing with manic crowds but enough people to give a great festival vibe. Creamfields looks like it is going to have another great year and with further plans to increase capacity visit now to get a top festival with an intimate setting.

Tickets available from: www.creamfields.com GEMMA WEBB

This isn’t to say that Latitude is by any means quiet; the party goes on well into the night in their Faraway Forest with a range of DJ acts dotted around amongst the trees. A must for any indie fan.

Tickets available from: www.latitudefestival.co.uk

2000 Trees 14-16 July Upcote Farm, Gloucestershire

Eden Sessions 23 June - 12 July Eden Project, Cornwall

AS one of the smaller festivals of the summer with a capacity of around 3000, 2000 Trees is one of the more intimate indie and alternative festivals this summer. Headlining the main stage are the relatively well-known Dan Le Sac v Scroobius Pip and The King Blues, as well as heroes of the underground alternative scene Frightened Rabbit. These acts, who are more used to playing to larger festival crowds, will most likely illuminate the stage of such a small festival, promising a truly memorable live show. The festival’s smaller stages see hardcore bands such as And So I Watch You From Afar and Your Demise, as well as Southern blues rockers Kill It Kid. With its underground line-up, 2000 Trees seems the perfect festival for discovering new and emerging artists, while still being able to see the big-name headliners. In its intimate countryside setting, this is the perfect festival for having a good time with your mates, and not getting lost in the crowds.

Tickets available from: www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk

EDEN SESSIONS is a truly unique series of one-day events spanning across several dates in June and July held in the spectacular setting of the Eden Project. The unusual environment will be providing space for a diverse mix of fantastic performers. Headliners include Fleet Foxes, The Flaming Lips, Primal Scream, Pendulum and Brandon Flowers. What’s more these headliners are being accompanied by a strong set of equally exciting support acts such as The Mystery Jets, The Horrors, The Go! Team, Villagers and Badly Drawn Boy who will be adding to the session’s musical calibre.

The principle behind the Eden Sessions is to raise awareness of climate change and the environment through the festival atmosphere these one-day events offer. These events are renowned for evoking a truly magical atmosphere provided by the subversive setting of giant biomes filled with tropical plants in the lush location of Cornwall.

Tickets available from: www. edenproject.com/sessions

15

Exeposé week TWENTY NINE

Music

festival previews Bestival 8-11 September Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight £170.50

CLOSING the festival season, Bestival boasts one of the largest and most eclectic line-ups of the festival circuit to see off a strong year for festivals. Headlined by legends The Cure, in their only UK festival date this summer, along with drum and bass superstars Pendulum and the blues-tinged music of PJ Harvey, the festival has an exciting line-up, which

looks set to be the biggest way to end the summer. The bill also hosts hip-hop heroes Public Enemy, Kelis, the ‘Queen of R&B’, and the upcoming club star Katy B. This selection of alternative hip-hop artists allows for something a little different alongside the more indie and rock line-ups of other festivals, which is refreshing to see at such a large festival.

Aside from the billing, Bestival is famed for being one of the most atmospherically exciting festivals to attend, winning the title of Best Major Festival at the Festival Awards last year. From the excessive and colourful decoration across the festival site to the annual fan-

cy dress theme (which is adhered to religiously by many at the festival), Bestival has the mentality that all festivals should have: ‘Let’s have fun!’

While the Isle of Wight may seem quite a way to go, it’s easily accessible by ferry, the tickets for which are not too expensive if booked early enough, and the picturesque location makes the festival all the more unique. The mixture of genres and the quirky vibe of this festival make Bestival one of the most attractive summer parties of 2011.

Tickets available from: www.bestival.net

V Festival 20-21 August Chelmsford & Staffordshire V FESTIVAL is arguably one of the biggest and most famous festivals on the summer festival scene, often hosting one of the best line-ups of the summer; and this year is no different. Headlined by Eminem, Rihanna and Arctic Monkeys, some of the world’s biggest acts, this promises to be an event not to be missed. Alongside these huge headliners are other current chart favourites such as Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah and Jessie J. This line-up gleams with eclectic pop and R&B like no other, offering what can only be described as a truly ‘pop music’ bill.

Being a relatively young festival compared to other equally sized festivals, V Festival has established itself well, advertising a fun filled weekend, truly encapsulating the vibe of summertime festivals.

The settings of Weston and Hyland Park (the line-up swapping between the two over the weekend) provide picturesque country estates, the perfect setting for a weekend of sun, friends and, most importantly, music.

So if you are looking for a bigger, more mainstream festival, with more

acts you’ve heard of than most other events this summer, V Festival would be a fitting way to spend an August weekend.

Tickets available from: www.vfestival.com

Live Review Roger Waters The O2 Arena, London May 17 RELEASED in 1979, The Wall proved that Pink Floyd were one of the few groups that punk couldn’t knock down.

Even though the album’s full on message of separation and isolation wasn’t made to inspire record sales, it was what Pink Floyd’s main writer at the time, Roger Waters, wanted to write about, and if you didn’t like it, he genuinely couldn’t care less. Fortunately though, he didn’t have to, as it flew up to number one in the Billboard charts, staying there for 15 weeks, and was then in the top five for six months. Millions are still sold every year.

“Unbelievable visual effects, including 35-49ft puppets, a 40ft high wall and an inflatable pig” So The Wall was a successful album, that much is given, and it’s popularity was helped by the film Pink Floyd’s The Wall starring Bob Geldof, but also by the colossal stage performance that was created around the concept album. This involved unbelievable visual effects, including 35-49ft puppets, a 40ft high wall spanning the entire length of the stage and a massive

inflatable pig floating out above the audience. This was all in the early ‘80s and it just blew away the audiences, doped and sober alike.

Roger Waters left Pink Floyd after their next album, taking the rights to The Wall with him, and he has performed it a couple of times here and there. Now, however, he has got together a huge tour, taking the original concepts and props, enlarging them when they need enlarging and adding to them when they need adding to. Part of his tour was six dates at the London O2 Arena, one of which featured the original Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason as well.

As it’s a concept album, the order of the songs are exactly the same as the albums, with the interval when Disc One would have finished, but there were some musical alterations, a couple of extended guitar solos and the like. The set up was also very similar to before; the wall was built up for the first half of the gig, intentionally separating and isolating you from some of the action in the second half and catastrophically falling down in the penultimate track to ‘expose’ Pink. There were the original puppets, some planes, fireworks and the stunning cartoon films of Gerald Scarfe, which he drew specifically for the music and were used in the film as well. These films were projected onto a huge screen above the wall, where various other clips were shown in relation to the music. All of this made for a brilliantly intense performance, with Roger Waters playing his parts

as either himself the entertainer or the dictator Pink very well. He chatted with the crowd, explaining a couple of songs or talking about the show, and even apologised to the audience for his hostile manner back in the Pink Floyd era which was surprising.

All of this was fantastic, and would have made for a four star gig that I would remember well, but Waters had another trick up his sleeve that I wasn’t expecting, really heightening

the power of the performance. The wall itself was used throughout the show incredibly inventively, with each brick projected onto and expanding on the screen above to create the biggest cinema I’ve every seen. The variety and imagination of these projections were so impressive, really involving the audience, bringing them into the paranoia and pain of Pink’s existence. The wall was simply indescribable, it took me about three different YouTube videos

to show my friend its full force, and even then she hadn’t seen it all. The entire gig was such a fantastic event and a real joy for anyone who also likes the music, if a little political sometimes.

There were such wonderful dramatics with genuine emotion and force - it’s definitely worth a see.

JOE PLATONOFF

16

Music

06 JUNE 2011

Exeposé

classic album review Definitely Maybe Oasis Released 30 August 1994 Creation

NOEL GALLAGHER knew he would never write an album as good as Definitely Maybe again. Eight years after its initial release, Oasis’ chief songwriter and one of Britain’s most influential musicians admitted: “You can’t write rock and roll when you’re my age - I’d be faking it”. Wealth and fame tamper with, rather than make, rock and roll.

Definitely Maybe was written on the dole. It’s not about being a success; it’s about wanting to be. It’s with the sheer energy and attitude of the songs that Oasis broke onto the scene, kickstarted the real ‘90s and made an entire generation “mad fer it.”

“There’s still everything to gain” When it was released, the album became the fastest selling debut in British history, selling 86,000 copies in its first week. In this album, the band’s collaborative formula is at its most pure: Noel Gallagher writes the songs and Liam sings them. The album contains some of Liam Gallagher’s best vocal work, especially in the ache of ‘Live Forever’. Only in his early twen-

ties at the time, his voice is notably higher than in some of their later work, but personally, I always preferred the whine to the growl. Love it or hate it, the raw confrontation gives the listener the impression he’s singling you out from the crowd. He doesn’t care how your garden grows. Has the morning rain ever soaked you to the bone?

1994 in music Muse form (releasing their first album five years later) 1 February - Green Day release their album Dookie triggering a punk revival

“The songs fuse booze, fags and lasagne, with a desire to live forever” Whilst the album shot to number one in the UK Album Charts and is still regarded as one of the most powerful debut albums of all time, it is the only Oasis album pre-Dig Out Your Soul never to have had a number one commercial single. Arguably, what makes Definitely Maybe such a stand-alone album is the quality of the songs that were never released as singles, guaranteed from the first rush of electric guitar in the opening track ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’. The pairing of the Gallagher vocals on tracks such as ‘Slide Away’, with the harshness of Liam’s voice set against the softer, more haunting, backing vocals of Noel, is one of the most majestic and unique elements of the album.

The anthem-like rhythm of songs such as ‘Live Forever’ or ‘Slide Away’ is combined with the more bouncy gui-

1 March - Nirvana perform their last concert in Munich 30 March - Pink Floyd begin their last world tour before their breakup 8 April - Kurt Cobain is found dead 25 April - Blur release their first album Parklife which goes straight to number one in the UK

tar lines and simplistic lyrics of ‘Up in the Sky’ and ‘Digsy’s Dinner’: “What a life it would be, if you could come to mine for tea...” The disarming optimism of the album reiterates Noel’s belief that songs can only be authentic when there’s still everything to gain.

Lyrically, they fuse booze, fags and unemployment (and lasagne) with an unconquerable self-belief and desire to live forever.

Definitely Maybe kicked the Brit-

album review Nine Types of Light TV on the Radio THE aura of cosmic wisdom that has always distinguished TV on the Radio, that air of viewing things in a light hitherto invisible to others, is due partly to their lyrical inclination toward science fiction, partly to the unhinged edge to the brilliant vocals of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, and partly to the futuristic quality of their music. It is also, however, a product of their use of a language that it is quite uniquely their own, and of their instinctive mastery of timing and suspense.

Such mastery, which enables them to take a song places it never seemed it could go, gives rise to the overarching impression that they know something we do not – which, musically, of course, they do – and is readily evident in ‘Second Song’, the opening track from the Brooklyn band’s fourth

ish music scene back into action. Its adrenalin-fuelled optimism challenged the American Grunge invasion of the early nineties, and was a fundamental part of the Britpop movement. The album has since earned itself widespread critical acclaim and a place in almost every ‘Greatest Album’ list this century. And it proves that Oasis did in fact exist before ‘Wonderwall’.

May - Wet Wet Wet goes to number one with ‘Love is All Around’ for 15 weeks 10 May - Tupac Shakur serves a 15 day prison sentence for attack 23 August - Jeff Buckley releases his only full length studio album Grace December - Boyzone make their debut into the UK singles chart

JAMES DE SOUZA

SINGLE review studio album. It features, for instance, a wonderfully orchestrated transition from verse to chorus, facilitated by a series of ingeniously deployed “Ooohs”. Thus a seemingly innocuous melody builds into a rousing chorus fuelled by irradiating horns and led

by Adebimpe’s rallying falsetto cry: “Every lover on a mission, shift your known position into the light.” No one else I can think of would come up with a line anything quite like this, while few consistently come up with lines this good; neither can I think of a more charming directive. ‘No Future Shock’ is perhaps the best song on the album, repeatedly swelling into a chaotic and climatic array of frenzied sound – the guitar in particular is excellent – before contracting into the stripped-down, post-coital refrain of ‘Do the No Future Shock’, which is ultimately accompanied by a triumphant flurry of titillating horns. Further, it’s an intelligene 21st century response to both sociologist Alvin Toffler’s 1970

book Future Shock, and Curtis Mayfield’s 1973 single of the same name.

Elsewhere, ‘New Cannonball Blues’ is also very good, making for an interesting counterpart to Alex Turner’s recent ‘Piledriver Waltz’, and almost living up to its own name to a similarly brilliant extent. Single ‘Anytime Will Do’, meanwhile, deserves a mention for Adebimpe’s use of the word “caldera” to describe the object of his unrequited love: a lovely touch.

In spite, however, of their lyrical prowess, and in spite of the sonic intricacy and consummate construction of its songs, Nine Types of Light is lacking, on the whole, in melodies and harmonies of a comparable quality.

They are there, but to a lesser extent than one would hope. Certain songs – ‘You’ and ‘Caffeinated Consciousness’ in particular – thus veer dangerously close to the realm of the musically mundane, while others fail to transcend the admittedly pleasant heights of the sublime.

TV on the Radio’s previous efforts have rewarded repeated listening, and this one, too, is a pleasure to explore.

In comparison, however, it yields disappointingly little – which is nonetheless a lot – making it perhaps their least illuminating record to date.

BILLY WILSON

The Lazy Song Bruno Mars WOW, this Bruno Mars character, he’s really quite the pop trailblazer isn’t he? He appears out of nowhere telling girls how they’re beautiful just the way are and how he’d catch a grenade for them, and then we find out he’s the cowriter behind colossal hits like Cee-Lo Green’s ‘Forget You’ and Travie McCoy’s ‘Billionaire’. Is there nothing this man can’t do?

“He appears out of nowhere telling girls how they’re beautiful just the way they are” Clearly not, as he’s only gone and produced a stunning post-modern parody of the very music he made his name with. Just look at the title! ‘The Lazy Song’! Surely that can only be a parody? See, the half-arsed guitar playing in the song isn’t lazy, it’s ironic. It might sound like the type of chirpy summer hit that inevitably appears around this time of year with its whistles and harmonised “whoo-hoos” in the chorus, but no, it’s all done to subvert the genre.

I mean look at the lyrics; on his lazy day Mars is going to “turn the TV on, throw my hand in my pants” and then later on “meet a really nice girl, have some really nice sex.” He’s obviously

attacking the brainless lyrics that define much of modern pop, just like music mockery experts The Lonely Island.

And then there’s the video. He’s got four men in monkey masks and sunglasses to bob their heads and dance with him! And at the end of the video they all drop their pants and rave with him! For some reason…Pure genius.

Oh, you mean it’s not an intentional parody? This is meant to be serious?

Well that’s just lazy.

TOM BOND

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Screen

06 JUNE 2011 Exeposé

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NEWSREEL

DEAR readers, we want to take a moment to remember actor Jeff Conaway, who died recently, aged 60, from pneumonia and after battling alcohol and drug addiction for many years. He was most famous for playing Kenickie in the musical hit, Grease.

In other news, there’s been a whole plethora of trailers recently released, such as new comedy 50/50 from Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, the duo behind Superbad, and a series of ‘faked’ trailers for The Muppets: yes, they’re back, and this time they’ve brought Amy Adams and Jason Segel (who has also written it) along for the ride! The trailer for the remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has also been leaked and looks promising, despite the editor’s attempt to make it ‘kewl’ by adding the tagline: “The feel bad movie of the year.”

Most excitingly, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit movies have been given the official titles of An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again respectively, with the first due out on 14 December 2012.

Finally, make sure you check out Campus Cinema during Arts Week as there will be a free screening of the Disney spectacular, Up, on 12 June.

All that’s left to be said now is we hope that you all have a lovely Summer and to hear from you again with reviews and articles next year!

COMPETITION

This week we are once again offering THREE PAIRS of FREE TICKETS to the Odeon. To be in with a chance of winning, simply contact the Exeposé Screen Facebook Group by Friday 17 June with the subject: SUMMER!

Scripted reality: the nation’s downfall?

Cyan Turan, Lifestyle Editor, discusses the popularity of ‘faked’ Reality TV...

SOMETHING new is afoot in the wacky world of reality TV. When Big Brother stopped being interesting, TV producers realised that the ordinary lives of ordinary people no longer fascinated the British viewing public, and thus the deliberately-staged-reality-TV-show was born.

As most students will inform you, the genre’s main proponents are The Only Way Is Essex and its classier relative, Made In Chelsea. TOWIE is, for anyone watching outside Essex, an unmissable opportunity to laugh at the trashy lives of people who think that sticking plastic jewels to your genitals is the last word in seduction. As the programme’s epilogue tells us, these are ‘real people’ whose lives have been semi-scripted for our viewing pleasure. And what harm is there in that? Reality TV is about entertainment, and when mundanity fails to entertain, the hilarious lifestyles of an artificial community will do just fine for me.

There is an air of snobbery pervading the act of watching an episode of TOWIE, and the funniest moments are often those in which the characters reason with unbelievable stupidity. When beautician Amy Childs concludes that the capital of India is Pakistan, or promoter Joey Essex explains that shoes

look better when you buy them two sizes too small, I remember that it’s the combination of staging and reality that makes me laugh, and for that I am grateful.

TOWIE has just concluded its second season and jetted off for a break in Marbella, but Made In Chelsea has begun its first season, cashing-in on this in-between-genre. However, whilst TOWIE was a hit from the outset, MiC is modelled on the lives of rich, privately educated London socialites and is having problems finding its comfort zone.

Its characters are not empathetic, and it’s not that funny, but as we get to know these ‘characters’, we come to enjoy their exaggerated quirks. Something tells me that the MiC love-triangle of Spencer, Caggie and Funda is going to become addictive viewing on the same scale as the TOWIE version involving Mark, Lauren and Sam, and Ollie’s exuberant Union Jack outfits never fail to raise a smile.

The joy of these shows is not derived from trying to discern between fact and fiction, but from the hilarity that ensues when stereotypes are enhanced. I predict that the success of this new genre of television will continue to grow because people are simply not interesting enough on their own. We are increasingly hungry for the extreme and the outrageous and, with a little help from our friends in TV production, real people can be as entertaining as we demand them to be.

Stephen O’Nion reviews Jersey Shore ‘homage’ Geordie Shore...

THE UK version of the global phenomenon Jersey Shore has finally hit our eager nation, giving us the Tyneside-based Geordie Shore. Already four lovable lads and lasses are set up in their house on the shore, ready to show us... well, very little actually. For fans of the US version, fear not, the aims stay the same: gym, tan, booze, vomit and, by the end of episode one, fighting. Skins has nothing on the realism of youth in Geordie Shore, and though it’s enough to send Daily Mail readers frothing with rage, there’s something voyeuristic about watching it; it’s like a travelling Victorian exhibition.

There are a few problems with the translation of the show from the Jersey to the Geordie shore however, namely the ‘dialogue’. Geordie Shore is not a show built for export, and even subtitles can’t convey some of the more subtle pearls of wisdom from housemates such as Jay and his rather enlightening definition of a “fanny rat” (it’s a lad after all the fanny if you’re interested). The amount of slang is enough to warrant subtitles for English speakers alone, let alone anyone with a coherent grasp of language. So when Gaz says: “That’s a crackin’ bet to be fair like” we’re as lost as each other.

What matters is the show’s own definition and uniqueness. Yes, there is a distinct lack of censoring, both for nudity and for swearing, but also there’s a certain struggle to define it as its own show. Thankfully, the gang offer their own idioms that I can’t imagine coming from their US counterparts, such as Gaz’s belief that Veet is the best invention in the world, or Sophie’s opinion that spooning takes the title (because it “turns to forking”). Hell, I don’t know who to believe, but by God if I’m not hooked to find out.

“The show is enough to send Daily Mail readers frothing with rage”

Geordie Shore will not garner fans from those who shy away from reality TV shows but it will keep the attention of the fans of the original, as MTV’s 330, 000 viewers for the first episode testify. Thing is, when faced with characters like Gaz (who apparently has a secret weapon the size of a Sky remote), Holly (who may be from Middlesbrough, but does follow the Geordie lifestyle of “go out and get pissed” and not care about what people think about you), and James (whose morning routine is to get a “pump on”), there’s a certain new perspective to take from it. I’ll definitely be watching, and after a few drinks, or heavy blows to the head, so should you.

Films to see before you graduate: The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)

Director: Peter Greenaway Cast: Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, Hugh Fraser (15) 103mins

IT is always exceedingly gladdening to stumble across a piece of enigmatic, carefully crafted cinema. A film which actually requires the full concentration of the viewer and compels a re-watch to unravel the different threads of the plot and its subtle symbolism: such a film, say, as Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract.

Set in the 17th Century during the rule of William of Orange, The Draughtsman’s Contract is a strange

blend of Machiavellian subterfuge, pastoral English countryside interspersed by quirky and slightly puzzling touches. Within the grounds of a landed estate, self-assured and rather arrogant draughtsman, Mr Neville (Higgins), is commissioned for 12 drawings of the grounds by the lady of the property, Mrs Herbert (Suzman), while her husband is away. A contract is drawn up between the two in which ‘his pleasures’ are to be gratified by her in addition to financial payment. However, when unexpected items appear in the scenery and it seems there is more to Mr Herbert’s absence than initially thought, what has been said and done, however unassuming, gains new significance. Characters

from the haughty, facetious Mr Talmann (Fraser), his elegant and elusive wife Mrs Talmann (Anne-Louise Lambert), Mr Noyes the estate manager (Neil Cunningham) and Mr Seymour (David Gant) shift from innocent spectators to suspects and accomplices as the most refined of murder mysteries ensues.

Cut from its original length of over four hours there is more than a little left unresolved, such as the naked living statue that makes frequent comic appearances. The plot, thick with infidelities, stratagems and jest, occurs amongst the backdrop of blue-skied, lush, leafy gardens and is juxtaposed with the domestic running of the household. The costumes are as striking as

many a period drama, enormous wigs, corsets, hats; the music a reworking of Purcell, tying the peaceful grassy views to the impropriety going on in its midst.

For the most part, the film is shot whilst still allowing one to admire the characters’ witticisms and double-entendres, hear the scandal and be privy to their private moments.

The Draughtsman’s Contract is altogether something a little different and most certainly worth a watch before you graduate. With its pervading sense of ambiguity and premise of deception here is a film that is likely to have you re-assessing what you’ve just seen long after the credits roll.

SAMMY BROOK

Exeposé WEEK TWENTY NINE

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The Tree of Life bears the fruits of success Emelyne Burkhard, our Cannes reporter, previews the winner of the Palme d’Or...

AFTER taking the prize for Best Director at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival for Days of Heaven, the acclaimed American film director, screenwriter and producer, Terrence Malick, triumphed again at the 2011 Festival. With a career spanning over four decades, cinema’s mystery man, who rarely even gives interviews and avoided the red carpet attention at Cannes this year, was still in fact present in the Palais Grand Theatre

Lumière for the premiere of his film The Tree of Life, which won the Palme d’Or. Set in 1950’s suburban America, The Tree of Life, a gritty drama centred on a child’s confrontation with life, loss, love and hope, has been perfectly described as ‘a moving odyssey through time and memory’ (USA Today). Jack’s journey through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years, as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father, is set against a backdrop of man’s search for the meaning of life, of nature and of faith. Brad Pitt (Jack’s father) and Sean Penn (Jack as an adult) strongly but sensitively portray the love and tension in the father-

The Hangover: Part II

son relationship that is to leave Jack as a lost soul in the modern world. This, hand in hand with Malick’s writing, direction and clever cinematography with a bias on the nature of life and the natural world, makes The Tree of Life a worthy winner of the esteemed award among many fans and critics, and evidently amongst the 2011 jury.

Malick’s art, and no doubt the star studded cast and hard work of the whole production team, carried his film to the top this year at Cannes. Perhaps his isolation from the hype of the industry, with the singular vision of a poet and his focus on the art itself, makes him and his film as successful as they are.

Admittedly the media probably would have liked this silent personality to have been present at the press conference before the film’s premiere, and the same goes for the dinner jacketed photographers patiently lining the red carpet before each evening’s film in competition. Nonetheless, I guess this only awards Malick more respect as a producer as he left the limelight to his cast, including the much-anticipated arrival of Brad Pitt arm in arm with the beautiful Angelina Jolie. In any case, brushing shoulders with Jude Law at the closing film’s after party was definitely my Palme d’Or moment at the end of two weeks of long hard work!

I­­ DECIDED to write this review of the Hangover Part II while hungover, to, y’know, create a sense of irony.

The trailer told me that it was going to be the same storyline, just set in Bangkok, and that could have worked.

In fact it opens identically, with Phil (Cooper) talking to Doug’s wife about how they’ve screwed up, then doing a flashback to a week earlier; I thought okay, this may be ironic, drawing attention to the fact it’s ripping its own movie off, but then… it doesn’t. It’s exactly the same: the same jokes and story hooks, seemingly believing the audience won’t notice, or remember, the first damn

movie.

This time, Stu (Helms) is getting married to a girl in Thailand, so he and his pals go on a bachelor party around Bangkok. When they wake up with massive hangovers, they’ve lost her little brother, and so must go on a wacky adventure to find him…

I liked the first movie. It was clever, funny, and it was informed by its setting. The city of Las Vegas drove the story, introducing characters and situations you’d only get there. It mocked and celebrated what could be achieved in the city, like a less depressing version of Fear and Loathing. Here, the story could be set anywhere. The culture of Bangkok doesn’t affect the story at all, except for introducing homophobic and midly xenophobic jokes about Ladyboys and Shaolin Monks, and the characters are entirely random, like the

Russian drug dealers who turn up for contrived reasons.

The few new jokes in the movie are insultingly stupid or trivial, raising only a small smile; apparently gay sex and transvestites are considered amusing… how original. The jokes are awkwardly shoved in, without flowing naturally from the story or situation, like Stu’s musical interlude, and are delivered lazily by the cast.

Occasionally, you see glimpses of how good this could have been, with some very funny humour (such as Galifianakis’s flashback to the night before), but it’s a disappointing movie, a cynical attempt at making easy money, with zero respect for its audience. Don’t waste your money.

THE long-delayed second episode of XTV’s sitcom about students is almost finished and ready to be released, so XTV gave me an exclusive preview.

Having never watched an XTV production, I was remarkably surprised by the high quality, with well-shot scenes and great audio. But, a sitcom lives or dies on its writing and directing, and here UniVerse does deliver.

The show is heavily influenced by the comedy style of The Inbetweeners and Ricky Gervais, which is not a bad thing, but your mileage may vary. While not as painfully awkward as those two shows, it successfully caricatures the student experience. The episode shows two seminars attended by main characters, Chris and George. George, the timid Law student, offends everyone in his seminar

through his off-hand comments, and the scene perfectly lampoons the ‘politically correct’ sensibilities of opinionated students from a variety of backgrounds, with some brilliant performances from the supporting cast, who each explode in anger at George for his mistakes.

We are more sympathetic to George, compared to Chris, whose abrasive personality brings his problems onto himself. Chris, who acts like a younger, slimmer Gervais, is delightfully unlikeable, and gets wound up by his seminar classmates, after he makes spiteful comments and lies about his sexual prowess. I enjoyed this scene particularly because you can empathize with that awkward experience of going to a seminar for the first time, where you don’t know anyone, but everyone else seems to know each other.

Dan Orton’s appearance as a pompous professor was another highlight.

The episode sadly dips in its third act, as George and Chris meet their dopey sidekick/housemate Lambert (an amalgamation of Jay and Neil from The Inbetweeners). George and Chris try to annoy Lambert about his terrible CV, yet, while the jokes are good, the scene is too long and doesn’t feel like a real pub, compared to the more realistic seminars.

Overall, Uni-Verse was great fun to watch, with great writing, acting and direction and I can’t wait for episode three.

Director: Todd Phillips Cast: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms (15) 102mins

LUKE GRAHAM SCREEN EDITOR

XTV Preview: Uni-Verse 2: The Seminars of Doom

Watch Uni-Verse on X-Media Online using: http://tinyurl.com/43lc42x

LUKE GRAHAM SCREEN EDITOR

Screen

What I’ve been watching: Torchwood

ALREADY hooked on the new series of Doctor Who, I thought I would give the spin-off show a try. What did I find? A show with all the aliens of Doctor Who but stuck on Earth and equipped only with scavenged equipment. It was never going to be as good.

The producers must have been acutely aware of this, and I wonder if the show tried too hard. Torchwood certainly featured enough exciting villains to try and compensate, but it became a little ridiculous. I thought it was stupid in Doctor Who when the devil was sucked into a black hole that was made before time began, but the Doctor just flew out in his TARDIS because Time Lords “practically invented them.” At least he was a timetravelling alien with super technology.

Torchwood, on the other hand, took down Abaddon the Devourer by overdosing him with life from the “all you can eat buffet” that is the immortal Captain Jack Harkness. And if that wasn’t unbelievable enough, operative Owen Harper, having been shot and reanimated with an alien glove, was

able to defeat the Grim Reaper himself because a walking corpse just can’t be killed.

The show had the potential, and in many cases it was really good. I loved the suspense and excitement in the fivepart ‘Children of Earth’ sequence where it looked like Torchwood would fall apart. I also loved the hilarious idea in the second episode when an alien came to Earth to feed off orgasmic energy created from the “greatest sex in the universe.”

Torchwood certainly tried to pitch itself as a Doctor Who show for adults, and yet I think I preferred the children’s TV spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.

This was not because Torchwood was ridiculous (which was an issue), but because it lacked the same sparkle and energy. Still, all said and done, I enjoyed the series enough to watch every single episode, and I will carry on watching it when the new series comes out in partnership with Starz entertainment.

JONATHAN MINTER

X-Men: First Class Director: Matthew Vaughan Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon (12A) 132mins

AFTER The Last Stand and Origins I found I had lost faith in the X-Men franchise. I was therefore excited by the proposed prequel, which promised to look into the complex past of two of the most interesting characters in the series; Xavier and Magneto (McAvoy and Fassbender respectively). Then it went a bit wrong. An awful, cheap looking string of posters were released online, news that Vaughan wasn’t even directing parts of the film and that the final edit still had not been completed just weeks before the release date worried me. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be the glorious return to form I had hoped.

How wrong I was.

The main thing that made this movie so good was that it surpassed the previous X-Men films in terms of story and characterisation. The original trilogy focused on a lot of action and explosions and with such a large cast had trouble defining anyone to any real extent. First Class is a more thoughtful film and delves deep into the character’s psyches (especially those from the original films) allowing for much needed understanding of their motives in the later films. Leading on from this are the wonderful references made to the originals which will ensure multiple viewings to catch them all, and various in-jokes to keep die hard fans happy (Xavier’s hair is a good one). Speaking of fans, this is a film you can enjoy without having seen the first three (although obviously you won’t experience the same knowing

smiles and nods that the former will).

The performances of McAvoy and Fassbender are exceptional; whilst they very sensibly don’t attempt to do impressions of Sirs Stewart and McKellen, they also don’t play totally different people; you can entirely believe that these young men will turn into the incarnations we see in the later series.

Special mention must also go to Bacon’s Bond style villain, Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as The Beast. The introduction of new characters such as Emma Frost, Azazel and Havoc also provides the inevitable sequels with a whole wealth of comic book story lines to cover.

The only issues really lie in the fact that this film craps on some of the established continuity from the originals and Fassbender becomes more Irish as the film progresses (part of his mutation perhaps?). Overall though, a first class film. Pun most definitely intended.

DAN ORTON

20

Books

06 june 2011

Exeposé

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Esmeralda Castrillo & Tom Payne - books@exepose.com

“Write and keep writing...”

Tom Payne and Esmeralda Castrillo, Books Editors, talk to Ginny Baily, Exeter’s very own debut novelist and author

Exeposé: How would you describe Africa Junction to readers unaware of your work?

Ginny: It’s a ‘novel in stories’ set in West Africa and Devon, in which several African stories - a Senegalese girl who is ‘trafficked’, a Welsh teenager travelling to Timbuktu with her boyfriend, the civil war in Liberia – shed light on the anguish of Adele, a single mother with one son, who needs to revisit her African childhood to make sense of her present life in Exeter.

Exeposé: In Africa Junction, you demonstrate a clear understanding of, and affection for, Africa and its people.

What is the significance of cultural difference in your work, and what do you hope readers can learn from it?

Ginny: Cultural difference works on lots of different levels in the book.

There is, for example, the fresh perspective that looking at ourselves, our own culture and way of interacting with or viewing the world with a stranger’s eyes can give. It’s a way of upending preconceived notions and calling into question assumptions, prejudice, stereotypes.

Cultural difference or ‘foreignness’ in the book also has both a humanizing and an ‘exoticizing’ effect - two sides of the same coin. On the one side it allows me to give a human face, voice, name to some of those harrowing African stories, so that it makes, say, an African boy setting sail in a rickety boat for Europe less foreign to us, not just a number or a statistic but someone like us. On the other side, it serves to ‘exoticize’ characters and reveal extra dimensions to them.

My character Adele, who has come to seem very drab to herself

feATURE

High romance and heavy plotting. It’s all too much for Alex Hawksworth-Brooks, Video Games Editor

I CANNOT stand Jane Eyre. I understand that saying such a thing possibly puts me at risk of incurring mass literary wrath, being labelled a philistine and forced out of town by an intellectual mob, armed to the teeth with hardback classics and sharpened nibs, but I’ll take my chances. Of course, it would be unfair of me simply to say ‘I hate Jane Eyre and that’s that, now come join me in a modern Bonfire of the Vanities’. So, take pause from your spluttering, indignant rage and allow me to explain.

I’ll admit it; my aversion originated from the inevitable encounter with such a work in the A level arena. I survived,

and stuck in a rut becomes exotic and other when transported to Africa. There is also some scope for humour in the cultural gap – misunderstandings about how others operate.

sary parts away (and a surprisingly large amount turns out to be unnecessary!) to reveal the essential thing that lies inside.

So, Cormac McCarthy for his pared-

Exeposé: What are you reading now? And which authors, living or dead, have most influenced you?

Ginny: I have just started reading David Grossman’s To the End of the Land and already I love it. I heard him being interviewed and knew I had to read it. He is able to present one of the thorniest, most complex of world ‘issues’ – the Middle East – in all its complexity and ambivalence and humanity.

Different authors influence me at different times and for different reasons. Writing seems like sculpting to me – I produce a solid mass of words and then I carve it down, scrape the unneces-

and subsequently returned to my former foe, hoping that, when approached on my own terms, it would make an enjoyable read.

Sadly, I found it still to be the same unbearable, concrete-thick prose I remembered. I know that such literary classics were written for a different time, and maybe it’s my own failing that I can’t sustain myself for thirty pages about how the moonlight serenaded night’s cold embrace with the garden path, but I find the lack of any substance suffocating. I feel bogged down even recalling those morbid passages about the brooding, forlorn moorland, which offered no relief from the ominous, granite sky. At least with D. H. Lawrence the chance of stumbling across a phallic reference was always there to keep me slogging through the pages.

There’s only so much purple prose one can take before their brain bruises and turns a similar colour. I personally

down prose, Penelope Fitzgerald for her oblique way of creeping up on the quirky truth of a thing, Alice Munro for the observation and detail… I could go on (and on).

The novel I’m writing now is set in Italy so I’m revisiting some of the novels I read when I was doing my first degree (which was in French and Italian) to rekindle a feel for it all.

Exeposé: Many writers would describe themselves as either a “character” writer or a “plot” writer.

Which are you, and what do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

Ginny: Can I be a bit of both? In the case of Africa Junction, I had an idea for a ‘story’, then the characters sort of emerged to enact the story and then they became flesh and pushed the story in a different direction. So, probably more character-driven, yes.

There’s this distracting little beastie who sits on my shoulder telling me all the other things I should be doing instead of writing. Sometimes, quite loudly, he shouts at me that I have nothing to say and, even if I did, wouldn’t know how

do not care about every single scratch and stain on every single piece of cutlery on Mr Rochester’s dining table, nor do I care about his floppy hair.

“There’s only so much purple prose one can take before the brain turns a similar colour”

All of this would be bearable if the characters weren’t so dreadful. Jane is a self-effacing wallflower who is less interesting than watching a coma victim wait for beige paint to dry. Rochester is a grumpy misogynist largely constructed from Charlotte Brontë’s own fantasies. The entire novel is based around the premise that Jane and Rochester should be together, despite there being no grounds for why a complete arse and a plain, monochrome woman constitute such a perfect match.

The plot drags along at the pace of a snail crawling the wrong way down an airport travelator. Jane whines a lot about how hard it is to be so plain and unloved, whilst Rochester gallivants knowingly with upper class women.

Things occasionally get interesting for about five minutes when Bertha Mason comes down from the attic, before Jane abandons Rochester and spends a while being plain and unloved somewhere else. She then returns (courtesy of the unforgivable plot mechanic that is the ‘Unsettling Vision’) and allows the novel to reach a dreadfully contrived ending. Rochester is reduced to a blind, semi-charred mis-

to say it. Shutting the beastie up is the hardest thing.

Exeposé: Did writing come very naturally to you or was your development as a writer more systematic?

Ginny: I did the Creative Writing MA here at Exeter and it was very useful for me. It allowed me to test and develop my ability to write and to try out different writing genres. It helped me get over a kind of apologetic self-consciousness that I think dogs so many would-be writers and take myself seriously enough as a writer to go on and write the novel.

Exeposé: You co-edit Riptide, a journal of short stories. How important is the short story genre and why should it be promoted?

Ginny: There’s a big push at the moment to promote and re-ignite interest in the short story genre, which has fallen a bit out of fashion in the UK, and I really hope it’s successful because short stories have an important place.

Exeposé: What advice would you give to aspiring writers? We think a lot of people are insecure about writing because they feel that their voices and ideas aren’t worth sharing.

Ginny: Write and keep writing. Show your work to sympathetic others and get some feedback. Spend some time researching possible publication outlets for your work. Only send a piece of work off when it’s as good as you can make it.

Tie up the destructive beast of insecurity, gag him and lock him in a box.

anthrope, who finally marries Jane after she discovers her noble lineage (and probably because he knows he can’t do much better anymore).

Some convention-defying romance we have there.

So there you have it; my thoughts on a classic – hardly cutting edge literary criticism. Maybe I’m just another barbarous thrall, too warped by modern culture to appreciate the nuances of 19th century literature. At the very least, rest assured that I’m not suggesting we replace Austen with Nuts Magazine. Whatever my thoughts about Charlotte Brontë and Jane Eyre, they are part of our literary heritage and, I have to admit, it’s not as bad as Twilight.

21

Exeposé week TWENTY nine

Reviews

Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel ISBN: 0007230184

MY personal guilty pleasure is historical novels, full of sex, scandal, intrigue and incredible characters that are, sometimes unbelievably, based on historical fact.

Any fans of the BBC series The Tudors will understand exactly what I mean. So imagine my surprise to pick up Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and discover a genuinely well written book.

In fact, the writing is superb; Mantel’s writing is sumptuous and descriptive, yet manages not to lose the plot or the reader. The novel follows the life of Thomas Cromwell from his abused childhood through his years of service to Wolsey, to his own rise to power. The majority of the novel is set during the English Reformation, and Cromwell’s unsentimental views on the religious conflict add a level of dry humour that is unusual in a novel of this type. The novel is effectively a description of the Tudor world, its characters, customs and absurdities, through the eyes of Cromwell.

The figure of Cromwell is generally

Wetlands

Charlotte Roche ISBN: 0007296703

EVERYONE has that friend who never holds back on any detail, who graphically describes things you really did not need to know, the sort of thing that you wouldn’t want to hear when eating. Well forget that friend, because compared to Roche’s character Helen in Wetlands I can assure you they’re about as innocent as an episode of Blue Peter.

In hospital, recovering after a rather intimate operation involving shaving certain places, 18-year-old Helen is bored and begins to describe her sexual desires, her personal hygiene or apparent lack of, and her anatomy. Described

by The Times as a literary phenomenon, Roche has written a book which is cer-

depicted negatively in historical novels and productions, and his rise to power in Henry VIII’s government is usually suggested to be a result of blackmail, bribery and disregard of social rules.

But Mantel opens the novel with a blank canvas of a man, and the story of his own personal tragedies inclines the reader to sympathise and even admire him. It becomes clear immediately that he is a political genius, and even his enemies are quick to admit this. The beautiful detail of his family life, his grief at the loss of his wife and his love and concern for his children show an ambitious man attempting to navigate a court where ‘man is wolf to man’ without losing his humanity.

It is almost as if Cromwell is so skilled in diplomacy that he succeeds in hiding his personality even from the reader, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions about him. However, in a world where heritage, upbringing and connections are everything, the reader cannot help but admire Cromwell as a hero who succeeds despite his lowly birth, rough childhood and service to the fallen Wolsey. I finished the 650 pages yearning for more, an undeniable achievement for any author, and it left me with no doubt that the novel deservedly won the Man Booker Prize.

HELEN CARRINGTON tainly graphic. Very graphic. It has been said that people have been known to faint whilst reading this book, and honestly that is not surprising.

There is some poignancy to the book - Helen’s parents are divorced and she is hoping that by being in hospital they will come to visit her together and be reunited. However it can be said that it is the vileness of the book that keeps the reader engaged. Wetlands falls down slightly in not having more of a plot.

Despite its faults it can be said that this really is one of those books, as clichéd as it sounds, that you can’t put down.

You don’t want to put it down because you want to know how far Roche will go, and guys, I promise you, you will never look at girls in the same way. emily gray

Great House Nicole Krauss

ISBN: 0393079988 Orange Prize Shortlist 2011

RECENTLY shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011, Great House

by American writer Nicole Krauss is a beautiful and deeply moving exploration of love, loss and memory. Krauss’ prose flows effortlessly through the lives and memories of four different narrators, all linked in some way by the existence, or indeed the absence, of a large and imposing writing desk, that “stood alone: mute and uncomprehending.”

The novel masterfully takes the reader on a journey both through time and across the world, posing compelling and thought-provoking questions about what it means to love somebody, what it means to

The Bedroom of the Mister’s Wife

Philip Hensher ISBN: 0007180195

WHEN your module list recommends reading your tutor’s texts, in the generic manner of: ‘Students may also find their tutors’books useful,’it tends to be ignored.

A book of short stories that revolves around the revealing and concealing of characters’ desires, Philip Hensher’s The Bedroom of the Mister’s Wife depicts a peculiar array of individuals and situations.

Hensher’s stories play on idiosyncrasies of humankind to develop characters that are believable and, as is often difficult to do, fascinating. One such distinctive character is Vera (White Goods), a Cambridge landlady who has named her

be alone, and the relationships between parent and child, life and death: “the refusal to teach a child to walk, only to watch him walk away from her.”

One night, a writer living in New York meets a Chilean poet, who bequeaths to her his “tremendous desk”, before he soon departs, and is never seen by her again. Years later, a young Israeli woman contacts the writer asking for the desk. The ensuing story journeys through decades to London and Jerusalem, exposing the fragility of human life, the transience of love and parenthood, and the strength of memory. The desk is removed from its physicality as an object, an item of furniture, and transposes to a soaring representation of the human spirit; definitely an unforgettable read.

The writing is so haunting that at times I found myself stopping to reread

sentences and often whole pages to further think about the sheer magnitude of the claims each narrator makes about life, for such is their mesmerising importance that they cannot be skipped over without a great deal of thought. Great House is a novel that leaves you thinking about its characters and its messages long after you have put it down. As I was reading, I found myself craving a definitive conclusion to the meticulously drawn out labyrinth of lives and experiences that Krauss creates, and so I read on, entranced. The conclusion is delivered only in the final few pages of the book, an exceptional ending, but not in the style that you would expect, and I think that herein lies its captivating intelligence.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking novels that you wouldn’t like to forget in a hurry. It evokes deeply moving questions that force you to stop and think whilst you are reading, and to anyone who wants to be captivated by a magnificent narrative style that whilst at times may appear very confusing, it is quite simply a pleasure to read. I will definitely be picking this up again some day, contrary to my habits of rarely reading a book twice; Great House is definitely not one to be missed.

fridge “Stalin’s daughter” and who keeps a “pot of raspberry jam – not a very delicious sort, but a sort that was pink with chemicals and not fruit” to stir into her tea.

Upon reaching the end of the collection, the story that stands out the most - mainly for its uncanny activities – is To Feed The Night. A husband and wife find themselves struggling to get onto the property ladder and by chance meet an elusive estate agent, Mr Bell, who sets them up with properties that are incredibly good value for money. However, Mr Bell seems to just appear out of nowhere and no one except the husband is able to locate his estate agency. This strange figure then drives the husband to extremes because of desires that at the beginning he didn’t even know he had.

Yet most of the character’s desires

revealed in the collection are not pursued. Bruno (A Geographer) finds a note in his pocket that leads him to a man in a hospital bed and a potential for love, from which he walks away. Similarly, in Two Cities, a worker announces: “I like to be fucked,” at the dinner table of her boss and his wife. After the revelation of her desire for her boss, he rejects the potential escape route from his mundane marriage and suburban life.

In all the stories, it seems that within the turning of a few pages, the reader goes from a sense of knowing everything to knowing nothing. What is concealed is unexpectedly revealed and reminds the reader of the opportunities that occur in life, whether we write them off without a second thought or not. anonymous

EPILOGUE... reviews of essential literary classics

Frankenstein Mary Shelley (1818)

SAY the word Frankenstein to your friends and images are conjured up of botched horror movie attempts of men with nails through their necks or some ill-made Halloween outfits. Yet, these are in such juxtaposition to the sophistication of the gothic masterpiece by Mary Shelley.

Frankenstein is a tale of a scientific inventor, Victor Frankenstein, who constructs a creature from corpses dug up in the dead of night. When this creature is given the “spark of being”, Frankenstein is so repulsed by the aesthetics of his progeny that he breaks down and the creature escapes to seek his own way in society. Following countless brutal rejections and spurning from mankind

the monster decides to seek revenge and begins an annihilation of Frankenstein’s loved ones unless Frankenstein accepts his parental responsibility and does his “duty”.

“Frankenstein raises issues about what constitutes being a human” What makes Frankenstein a read that is worth returning to again and again are the questions and issues raised about what constitutes being a human and consequently being able to be included in society. And therefore what compromises this said civilised ‘society’ that has the scientific intelligence and ability to create life, but also to generate such misery

for those that are cast out from it. Given that the novel is just shy of 200 pages, it is a tribute to Shelley’s eloquent and concise style that allows such fundamental queries to be explored and deliberated in such a short space.

It is a story that makes you reconsider the position of scientific advancement that continues without impediment or even consideration of the morality of one’s actions. As it was written during a time of great scientific discoveries, startlingly relevant parallels can be drawn with today’s contentious news issues of cloning and stem cell research. Shelley demonstrates the horrific flip side to such scientific ambition by showing it run amok.

Shelley’s treatment of such an established issue of ‘us’ and ‘them’ and by leading the reader to have pathos and

Books

loathing for both sides of the schism, makes this book a brilliant work of the gothic genre. The macabre nature of the tale with its twists and palimpsest style generate a novel that will challenge your mentality towards those usually exiled from society, scientific advancement and the responsibility of humans towards others. This summer, give the trashy misinterpretations a miss and read a truly chilling work that still shocks 200 years later.

LaURA STEVENS ARTS EDITOR

charlotte mullen

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06 june 2011 Exeposé

Arts

Join the Exeposé Art Facebook group

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Zoe Bulaitis & Laura Stevens - arts@exepose.com

First class advice from alumni

Zoe Bulaitis and Laura Stevens, Arts Editors talk to John O’Farrell and Felix Barrett to reveal two different post-graduation paths John O’Farrell, all round comedy success story; writer, novelist and broadcaster

Exeposé: What did you study at Exeter, and did it impact upon your career?

John: I studied Combined Honours English and Drama – though to be honest the Drama tended to take over and the English was a desperate catch-up in the last month before my finals. It was a wonderful opportunity to consider some of the greatest works of literature in the English language – and then read the Brodie’s notes on them. In terms of preparing me for a life in humorous writing, well the Drama course I was on was quite earnest, so my tendency towards jokes was probably a little destructive.

Felix Barrett, artistic director of immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, set up in 2000, has risen to global acclaim Exeposé: You studied drama here at Exeter; how did your studies influence your future career?

Felix: Massively. It is the best drama department in the country.

They encourage you to experiment, encourage you to fail and to make your own mistakes in a safe environment by pushing boundaries. Without the course I wouldn’t be where I am now as Punchdrunk was born out of a third year directing module. I am where I am, purely because of Exeter.

“Punchdrunk was born out of a third year module; I am where I am, purely because of Exeter” E: Did any particular teachers stand out for you?

F: Yes, Jane Milling and Steven Hodge, they were both passionate and supportive. Jane Milling was especially influential as she took me

E: Where was your favourite place to have fun in Exeter?

J: There were a lot of nightclubs down at the Quay, and Timepiece in town, but I took several years to learn that it was okay not to want to dance.

E: Were you a First Class student or more of a crazy Party Animal?

J: If my degree had been in home-brewing I would have got a first, but I had a great time pursuing the social side of being a student. I ended up with a mediocre 2:2 but looking back I got involved in politics, writing and even performing a bit of comedy – so I found out what I wanted to do and that for me was the real value of being a student.

“It was at Exeter that I learnt that crucial lesson: don’t drink four pints at Double Locks then walk home along the dark canal”

E: Ever suffered from Writer’s Block?

J: I have good days and bad days, but there is so much basic craft involved, that there is always something you can be doing to improve a piece of writing.

Playing Minesweeper mainly.

But I only ended up writing my two history books because at the time I didn’t

for my interview and after that I knew that Exeter would be the place for me.

E: Where was your favourite hang out?

F: Timepiece on a Thursday night and the D&B night there on Friday was pretty crazy.

E: Did you know that you wanted to set up your own theatre company during University?

F: No! Completely not. It was only after my third year show did I think I could create my own company. You don’t need a major game plan, you just need to produce work.

E: For students wanting to start up their own theatre company, what would you advise, both at University and after?

F: The best advice was given to me by a photographer during my year out as a TV runner where I was working 17 hour days: “Lots of people talk about making work, stop hypothesising, don’t just talk about it, make it, make it, make it!” It will grow organically from there. You need to take the momentum from University with you, take all the pressure from your finals with you and use it as a catalyst.

E: If you had dinner with anyone in the Arts world, dead or alive, who and why, and what would you eat?

F: Danny Elfman as I am desperate to work with him! It would be dinner in a little shack in the middle of the woods, big enough for the two of us, a couple of miles into thick forestry, similar to Hansel and Gretel and everything we ate would be miniature.

“Don’t just talk about making work, stop hypothesising; get making, making, making” E: Your company is very concerned with the role of the audience, can you explain a bit more about this?

F: I realised when at Exeter doing my drama degree that I didn’t actually like going to the theatre! It was too conventional, too formulaic, my brain switched off before it had even begun. I wanted to create a state of threat before the play had begun so the brain is much more ready to receive it, creating a sense of danger.

E: What’s next for Punchdrunk, where do you want to go?

F: Experimenting with different fields, especially how the real and fictional worlds collide. Everyday life can put you inside a performance. The

feel I had a good enough idea for a novel, so I suppose the big ideas don’t always turn up when you need them.

E: What advice would you give to students leaving University wanting to make a living from writing?

J: I suppose I would say don’t be too ambitious to start with. Writing a screenplay with a cast of thousands is setting yourself up for failure. Much better to try writing a speculative script for Casualty or a small play you can stage yourself.

You get better just from doing it and exposing your stuff to readers or an audience. If satirical comedy is your thing, you are welcome to submit stuff to the satirical website I run: NewsBiscuit.

E: What was the most important thing you took from your time in Exeter?

J: I suppose it was at Exeter that I learnt that crucial lesson: don’t have four pints at the Double Locks and then attempt to walk home beside the canal in the dark. I was not a student whom any of my contemponew plan is Punchdrunk Travel where you’re given a date, time and locker at an airport and told to bring three days worth of luggage. The performance begins from when you get off that plane, you don’t know the language or who t h e actors are so

raries would particularly remember. My housemates were all in bands or starring in plays or whatever; I was just in the background building up the seething resentment that would motivate me for the next thirty years.

“There is always something you can be doing to improve a piece of writing. Mainly I’ve found it to be playing Minesweeper” E: Is there any hope for Exeter graduates?

J: Nope – none at all. You should have done Business Studies at Slough Technical College. But just in case I am wrong, I would say that if you have any secret ambition don’t just wait for someone to magically discover your genius. Get out there and start doing what you want to do now – university is when you find who you really are.

anyone you walk past could be part of the performance, you’d be living inside a show for three days.

23

Exeposé week twenty nine

Arts

MUSICAL review Spring Awakening @ Northcott Theatre 17 - 21 May IT’S a pretty difficult task to live up to the voice of Lea Michele. The actress, known for playing Rachel on Glee, shot to fame in the Broadway production of Spring Awakening, and so the cast of this touring musical begin with an extremely heavy burden. Nevertheless, as a long-time fan of the musical and a massive sceptic, ­ prone to rants at the slightest bum note, I was impressed.

“Living up to the huge voice of Rachel from Glee (Lea Michele) is an extremely heavy burden” I found myself completely entranced by the wonderful, complementary harmonies, the way the cast worked together to create a choral effect rather than individual voices, and the acting talents of these – some only recently graduated – rising stars. The songs were excellently performed, both musically and emotionally, with each song effortlessly woven into the performance. The band, although small,

with two guitars, a drum set and a couple of synths, did their job well. I found at times that I would have preferred a violin, as with the original, as the bass guitar felt too heavy with some of the quieter, sorrowful songs – but with the size of the stage and the performance, perhaps a scaled-down band was more appropriate.

The props were sparse, but used in innovative and clever ways. Although it took a little bit of imagination to see brick blocks as trees, it was all they could do with the small stage.

The swings, portraying innocence and childhood, are a genius addition to the background and the story, just as the tree in the background symbolized loss of innocence as the characters, one by one, tied a memento to its branches.

Although this performance was almost without fault, and it has been possibly one of the most well-done adaptations I have ever seen, I must say that the interpretations of two characters left a little more to be desired. Firstly, Melchior, played by Jonathan Eiø, came across as more of a singer than an actor. As a result, his songs stood out separately from the story, without the intricacy of emotion they deserved, and his acting was a little wooden.

Likewise, Jill Armour, although an excellent actress, played Ilse with little subtlety, which I believed necessary

“Whilst the props were sparse, they were used in innovative ways, although seeing the brick blocks as trees required a bit of imagination!”

Despite this, I would honestly recommend this to anyone. The songs are suitably chilling; the story as relevant today as it was 120 years ago. The actors are, for the most part, suitably well-cast, and their voices are all pitchperfect, creating wonderful movement and emotion. This is a performance that goes above and beyond what you know and think about musicals.

KATE GRAY

THEATRE review The Beauty Queen of Leenane @ BikeShed Theatre 24 -28 May AT the beginning of the play, it would seem that the audience is in for a conventional domestic comedy. 70 year old Mag verbally jousts with her hostile daughter, Maureen, over everyday issues in a cottage in Connemara. Yet, it becomes apparent that the comedy only temporally conceals the truth beneath the surface; a life of entrapment, surveillance and violence.

Playwright Martin M c Donagh effectively fuses both comedic flourishes

and scenes of high drama. He entertains the audience with his use of black humour and amusing banal conversations, yet he is also able to deeply shock them with his depiction of domestic abuse and torture.

McDonagh portrays a world of dysfunctional relationships which lead the characters to mental illness and death. They are trapped in the monotonous cycle of life, demonstrated through the repetition of conversations and actions throughout the play. McDonagh also offers a powerful critique of contemporary Ireland.

From references to Ireland's economic depression and festering promises of the American Dream, Ireland is the prison of loneliness and boredom, where to be happy is to escape it.

McDonagh's ideas were effectively portrayed in the Café Theatre's production recently performed at the Bike Shed. Jenny Goode, director, drew the audience in with her realistic portrayal of domestic life, which was supported with an authentic set of an old fashioned cottage. Within this intimate space, the level stage allowed the performance to take place inches from the front row, breaking down the fourth wall, allowing the audience a glimpse behind closed doors.

The audience is the interloper in their

Photo: Northcott Theatre

to portray an abused, confused and lost girl, thrust into adult situations before her time. Instead, she came across as eccentric, comedic and overly bubbly, which jarred with what the audience had learnt of her. This affected the way she sang, leaving an impression somewhat at odds with the lyrics of ‘Blue Wind’ and ‘The Song of Purple Summer’, two wistful, contemplative and sad songs, which instead sounded more spirited and naive.

interview home, just like the character of Pato who is treated as a threatening invader by Mag.

“Ireland is a prison of loneliness and boredom where happiness is found only in escape”

The cast successfully brought the action to life with their ability to portray the deep dramatic tension at the root of the script, whilst still providing humour.

Mary Pickard, as Mag Folan, created a sinister portrayal of a protective and interfering mother, whilst Jan Gould, as her daughter, Maureen Folan, shifted between sanity and mental instability. Steve Carroll as Pato Dooley, Maureen’s love interest, gave a great performance with a moving monologue full of hope in a seemingly hopeless world. These excellent performances actively engaged the audience, as well as the exciting twists and turns of the plot.

Ultimately, the audience were left feeling almost haunted by the performance, especially by the conclusive image of Maureen slowly rocking in her chair, listening to a chilling Irish song, and staring blankly into space.

ELLIE BUSBY EDITOR

We caught up with the BikeShed Theatre’s Anna Johnson, Press and Marketing Manager and Fin Irwin, Co-Director, for an Exeter alumni view on theatre in Exeter: Exeposé: How did your University experience help you get into your current job?

Anna: At Exeter I learnt that there is much more to drama than being an actress! There is directing, set design, producing, I realised that I wanted to be the one making things happen.

Fin: A degree opens up a world of opportunities.

E: What advice would you give to students wanting to get into the theatre industry?

A: Network massively! You need to put yourself out there and be proactive. Opportunities only come along every once in a while.

E: What do you think of the ACE cuts to the Northcott?

F: I’m sad to hear it’s having trouble, I worked in the bar while I was a student, and I have a lot of respect for them. Exeter doesn’t need just one 66 seat theatre, it needs a theatre culture, a viable Friday and Saturday night option.

E: How do you describe the Bikeshed Theatre?

F: A fringe venue, and an underground cocktail bar! We are the only producing theatre in Exeter – we run six in-house shows every year. We promote new writing as half of our in-house shows are written by unknown playwrights.

E: How can students get involved at the Bikeshed?

F: Come and have a cocktail! Hang out, volunteer and get involved. There are front of house opportunities and we try hard to support graduate and student companies. We are a professional theatre but we are definitely open to talking to people! The other thing you can obviously do is come and see shows, we have reasonable student tickets for all our shows – costing £7. Bridging the gap between student campus and the city would be great – this definitely isn’t a usual student hangout, but it is unique and you won’t find anywhere else like it in Exeter.

E: What’s the best thing about Exeter?

A: The countryside – so many students miss out on just how beautiful places around Exeter are. See Topsham, it’s a lovely place. Also the Northbridge Inn is an unsung gem of a pub.

24

06 june 2011 Exeposé

Arts

student Theatre review

The Relationship Status @ M&D Rooms 20-21 May

THE Relationship Status, a production based upon the work of Mike Leigh, concluded with its final showing on Saturday night to a full audience. Directed by Ryan Stanley, and produced

by Fiona Steed, the play set out to give an interesting insight into the student world and the challenge of pure honest love in the modern generation defined

by Facebook, drinking and promiscuous sex.

Whilst I am not entirely sure it completely fulfilled its aim, with a vast majority of the play being typified by awkward silences, which at times were funny but were occasionally unrealistic, it did provide an entertaining snapshot of a quite dark and at times heavy storyline. Mike Leigh’s work is credited for its use of improvisation and The Relationship Status was a brilliant example of how improvisation can work to build realistic characters. The cast worked extremely well to create the tension necessary to generate conflict, and whilst some characters were exaggerated slightly, there was a sense of realism that provoked the audience to immerse themselves into the, on the most part, believable situation.

Credit to Jago Alexander for his

fascinating portrayal of a manipulative sociopath and to Caroline Cook for a very convincing representation of a girl in desperate need of some form of love. Imogen Gartside also, whilst not having as much of a prolonged role as the others, worked very nicely as an engaging catalyst for the storyline and provided the most realistic character of the cast.

The play concluded with relatively happy connotations with a bond between two of the cohabiting students being strengthened, although it would have been nice to see Caroline’s character, Katie, receive the loving attention she desires and deserves. Perhaps this added to the realism of the play suggesting that life can be unfair.

Overall a very interesting production with solid performances provided by the entire cast.

SCOTT COXON

Creative Writing Corner Fool to be in such a carriage Of metal wheels and skin sticky seats.

While the world illuminates in green, I journey, journey on repeat.

Rolling past the exits to the levels, Seeing only flickers of a form, I long to capture back the day, And feel again the morning warmth.

A girl upfront is clutching at a cream cone It’s slipping from the present to the floor.

A simple thing that’s gone too soon, Just as minds and muscles thaw.

Watch as she departs to tunnels Of ascending steps that lead to light, To moments that eclipse the moon, And surpass the secret kiss of night.

By Rachel Samuel

ART ATTACK

Editors’ Top 10 1. Arts Week

Arts 10-16 June Campus Wide

2. Blasted

Play 9-10 June Exeter Barnfield Theatre

3. Honour

Musical Theatre 9 June Roborough Studio

WE asked students what they thought of Henri Matisse’s ‘The Snail’.

Andrew Kidd: This is quite simply exquisite work. The jarring mixture of shapes and colours imply a sense of dislocation in a fast-paced modern world, in which the snail (perhaps a representation of the aged Matisse) is unable to keep up.

Steph Eastwood: I like the colours and the shapes but it looks pretty simple to create!

Richard Graham: The abstract ‘snail’ demonstrates a separation between understanding and the everyday. However, Matisse’s vision of chaos is not pessimistic, his primitivism shows joy removed from meaning.

STUDENT THEATRE review Closer @ M&D Room 26-28 May EUTCO’s Closer had high expectations to live up to. The play, a bittersweet tale of love, sex, truth and betrayal focuses on the intertwining relationships between Alice, Daniel, Anna and Larry. It is a difficult task to accomplish a fluid, cohesive and engaging performance with just four characters, but the exemplary writing from Patrick Marber and fantastic performances from the cast made for a funny, beautiful and captivating performance.

Amy Burkhalter particularly stood out as Alice Ayres, encapsulating the absolute vulnerability and indifference that characterises Alice. The chemistry between Bradshaw and Burkhalter was electric; their spark carried their relationship throughout. Bradshaw’s stage presence was significant, he commanded the attention of the audience with his clean delivery and impressive, intense emotional control.

The infamous stripper scene was brilliantly choreographed, with dancers in each of the windows of the M&D rooms re-creating a London strip club as the audience re-entered the space after the interval. Surely a difficult scene to play, Burkhalter was the epitome of sexy, whilst Vafakis’ comic timing was

beautiful.

In Anna’s break-up scene with Larry, Frost exposed Anna’s internal helplessness. Her powerful and emotional delivery was realistic. Her last scene with Alice in the gallery was a significant feat for Frost- she managed to depict the paradigm of an older woman undermined by ‘someone younger’ beautifully.

George Vafakis played Larry fantastically- his consistent comedy was a welcome light relief to the darker side of the prose. George injected a more human element into Larry, making him an amiable character, and possibly a favourite of the audience. Perhaps the only fault in his characterisation is that the fundamental darker aspect was slightly lost in the comedy. Nonetheless, he made Larry his own.

“The infamous stripper scene was incongruous in the M&D rooms, yet brilliantly choreographed”

Overall the acting was extremely professional; faced with a potentially very awkward fire alarm interlude. Despite this impromptu interval, the cast did not let this faze them and delivered a fantastic performance, a testament to Chantelle Davidson’s direction, worthy of the overwhelming final applause.

CAT SARSFIELD

4. Company

Musical Theatre 8-11 June M & D Room

5. Recipe Exchange Art 14 May - 9 July SpaceX Gallery

6. Marcel Dinahet Art 27 May - 9 July Exeter Phoenix

7. Mark Watson Comedy 7 June Exeter Phoenix

8. Circus Britannia Play 31 May - 18 June BikeShed Theatre

9. Art Soc Show Art 10 June Queens Building

10. Razz My

Berries- Meet and Greet Creative 13 June JCR Devonshire House

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26

Video Games Alex Hawksworth-Brookes & Jessica Leung - games@exepose.com

06 JUNE 2011

Exeposé

Join the Exeposé Video Games Facebook group Follow us on Twitter @ExeposeVG

Once Upon a Time in 16-bit

An insight into the world of Video Game narratives: Matthieu Perry tells the tale...

method is the creation of a large landscape, in which the character can spend at least a few minutes travelling from one place to another to continue the story. An example is Red Dead Redemption, where I felt that half of the game involved watching long cut scenes and the other half was spent riding my horse around an incredibly big map, wishing that the monotony could be broken by my demise at the claws of an angry cougar.

TWENTY years ago, people lived in an era where they could plug their 16-bit consoles into their televisions and be introduced to a game by a short cut scene involving the escapades of pixelated cartoon characters speaking in poorly translated English (“all your base are belong to us” springs immediately to mind). These were the days when cut scenes and storylines were short and simple, launching the player into a game within a matter of minutes.

“Developers use heavy, sophisticated narrative as a way of padding out a game” But as games have developed and become more sophisticated, so have the narratives and story telling devices.

Characters became more life-like, the storage space on disks became larger, allowing for more complicated games.

More complex games called for more complex storylines: simple dialogue written on a two-dimensional landscape evolved into cinematic style cut-scenes, some of which lasted for substantial amounts of time.

However, game narration isn’t sole-

RETRO

Shadow the Hedgehog: Sega; Gamecube/PS2/ Xbox 18 November 2005 EXPLOSIONS, lasers, screams, blood, green goo and flashing lights. The game starts with a bang as Black Doom’s alien force invades the planet, slaughtering anyone and everyone they find. You are Shadow, a genetically engineered renegade hedgehog with an insane amount of power, a strange fetish for rings and a long line of terrible catchphrases at the ready.

The fate of the world rests in your hands.

You can either help Eggman with his plans to turn the world into one massive theme park, aid

“You feel as though you are trapped inside

ly limited to being used in cut-scenes.

Designers are increasingly using other, more sophisticated methods of creating a story. Sporting games, for example, are a genre not traditionally associated with containing heavy narrative in between moments of gameplay. In fact, ten years ago, the only thing close to a story you could expect came from your team winning a league or championship. Now, however, the ‘Career Mode’ has emerged, tempting you to play for several teams, over several seasons, until you realise that you have not shaved for a week and that the game year is

the president in saving the planet, serve Black Doom and enslave the human race, or you can stick your middle finger up and go on a rampage. It’s your choice.

One of the best aspects about the game is that you determine how it progresses. Whilst most RPGs give you the option to be good or bad, Shadow is different in the way the level progression completely changes depending on whether you were heroic or evil in the previous level. In total, there are 326 different ways to complete the game, each with a unique level progression sequence.

However, there are some hilarious pitfalls. The only way to get to the level called “GUN Fortress” is by either firing the massive inter-planetary Ark Cannon at the White House (where you see the president and his escape pod getting vaporised) or by manually blowing the escape pod up at close range. Either way, the president and his escape pod arrive at the GUN fortress in the next level, completely unharmed. Still, you get to kill him twice. Other amusing aspects include Black Doom’s body odour (so bad it causes paralysis) and the “Cosmic Fall” level where the game will keep shouting “Find da computer room” for all eternity (fantastic for annoying younger brothers).

2053.

This has worked for many sports games by adding a more lifelike dimension to the experience, whilst extending the longevity of games in a positive and engaging way. I wish the same could be said about some of the other methods used.

It is often obvious that developers use heavy, sophisticated narrative as a way of padding out a game and making the experience seem greater and more immersive than it actually is. Often a rushed, run-of-the-mill sequel will follow a couple of years later. One familiar

Despite being a Sonic game, Shadow has been called one of the most “violent and mature Sonic games made.”

It is pretty much the only game which doesn’t follow Sonic himself. If you want to, you can even kill Sonic himself at the end! Imagine a Sonic game, but with guns, fists, fire, cars, motorbikes and samurai swords. And if these aren’t enough, then you can always rip up a street sign and use it to whack your enemies with. jonathan minter

In films and books, padding the story with extra narration and overly fine details is usually counter-productive and leads to bad critical reception (Lord of the Rings is a classic example.) Games, however, can get away with some of it by making cut-scenes interactive, allowing storytelling to combine with gameplay. In some cases, such techniques can be overdone to a point where a lot of the gameplay has been squeezed out in favour of added storyline. Call of Duty: Black Ops has a very linear single player game and storyline: you feel as though you are trapped inside a film where the writers had already planned

PREVIEW

Gears of War 3: Epic Games; 360 WITH the Halo trilogy coming to an end, the focus now falls on another award-winning franchise to satisfy Xbox 360 customers. The Gears of War series concludes with the third and final installment in September with Marcus Fenix and the Gears pouring their efforts into stopping a new enemy: the Lambent with Locust foes also making a return. Having played the multiplayer beta, the game is shaping up to provide Gears fans with the most interactive, involving game to date.

Graphically, the game looks better than any previous game in the series.

Warriors appear more detailed than ever, whether playing as the Gears or Locust fighters. Weapon sets are fully customizable on loadout too – so if you’d be better suited to a close-distance firefight, you can choose

out your fate. Compare this experience with the online multiplayer where, all of a sudden, you are free and able to run around the confines of a map with other players, experiencing the game as you wish.

Overall, extended narration in games has both positive and negative impacts on how we experience gameplay. The crisp, well-produced cut-scenes have added complexity and depth, but may leave some players wondering if they had put a DVD in their console accidentally. Whatever the storyline, the narration should not compensate for, or interfere with, the gameplay: good storytelling is only one aspect of video games.

to wield sawnoff shotguns; if you’re a distance shooter, best pick the assault rifle. As is customary with Gears, much is made of hiding behind cover, and a simple tap on the controller sees your character leap behind the nearest wall they can find. With fully interactive scenery (in one level, shooting the giant scoreboard hanging from the centre of the stadium sees it fall to the floor, flattening anyone under it), Gears ensures that no two games will be the same.

Playing Team Deathmatch also yielded successful new game properties. Instead of battling to reach a certain number of kills, the focus turns instead on your own team – beginning with a certain number of respawns for your own team, the game rewards tactical shooting far more; no longer can charging in gung-ho suffice with such focus on self-preservation. With other modes such as Capture the Leader, coupled with Microsoft’s announcement that Gears’ multiplayer mode will run off dedicated servers, Gears of War 3 looks like delivering a multiplayer truly focussed on teamwork – no loose cannons accommodated. Now, let’s hope the epic single-player lives up to the previous games too.

Jonathan Williams

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Exeposé week twenty NINE

Video Games

What time is it? Summer time!

How will you survive for three months without us? Sit in the sun with Exeposé Video Games!

A Gamer’s Summer Survival Guide Can’t make it to L.A? AH, summertime. When the livin’ is easy, the fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high, amongst other such pseudo-poetic nonsensical crap. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and everyone’s excitedly getting ready for a glorious holiday to rememb-…Ugh. I’m joking, obviously. I hate summer. Frankly it could be a 50°C heat-wave out there, complete with a host of oiled-up Abercrombie models playing strip volleyball on every corner, and I’d STILL rather sit sweating in a darkened pit of my own filth gaming for 14 hours than set foot outdoors. Summer’s a terrible time for gamers. The very idea of having to leave the house and expose our pasty monitor tans to all humanity is a horrific one at the best of times, let alone when set to a backdrop of sun-kissed summer frolicking.

We have games to play, virtual friends to take bowling, crimes to solve. It’s a nightmare.

Obviously, the main problem here is the sudden annoying obligation to interact with the rest of the human race.

With exams done and the weather benevolent, all previous excuses become void. People start genuinely expecting you to… go out, and DO THINGS with them. Like talk. Or ‘shop’. And sadly, this is real life. You can’t just kidnap them, mutate them beyond recognition in the plastic surgery machine then forcibly imprison them in a 1x1m2 room, like you did that meddlesome social worker on the Sims. Nope, you actually have to pretend you’re a functioning human being, not play games for a month and leave the house. THE HORROR. Fear not, though. Exeposé Video-

games is here to help. Below is a brief crash course in feigning social skills to help you bridge the gap until it rains again and we can all get back to our true calling.

Right, you see those things on the front of people’s heads? That’s called a face; you may recognise them from L.A. Noire. Should any of your cretinous peers attempt to engage you in conversation this summer, simply watch their ‘face’ closely. If at any point during their prattling stream of inanity they stop and look at you expectantly, just smile, nod, and laugh. Unless, of course, they look solemn. In which case say ‘mmmm’ and pretend you care. If they asked you a question, run.

SORTED. See you all on the other side…

Lizzy Quinlan Photo: Hannah Walker

Fear not! We’ve got E3 covered

MONDAY 6 June is almost upon us, and with it this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the biggest event in the gaming calendar. Held in Los Angeles, and featuring demonstrations from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, E3 never fails to set the Internet ablaze with a wide range of rumours, conspiracies and outright bizarre fantasies. Here are a few of the things we expect to see.

Microsoft: It’s been a quiet year for Microsoft so far, with a dearth of decent Kinect games and barely any noteworthy exclusives (except for Gears of War 3).

Despite plenty of speculation, there has been little official word from Microsoft about what can be expected at E3, but it is likely that a lot of new Kinect games will be on display, including the greatly anticipated Star Wars Kinect. Some Halo news is likely, although whether it takes the form of a whole new game or a remake of the original Combat Evolved remains to be seen. It’s almost a certainty that there’ll be no word on a successor for the Xbox 360, with Microsoft probably choosing to focus on building a strong lineup of games.

Nintendo:

Who’s to say that gaming is reserved for indoors? Jessica Leung demonstrates a seasonal alternative

2011 is shaping up to be a massive year for Nintendo who, having already launched their latest handheld, the 3DS, look almost certain to announce and showcase their next console, codenamed Project Café. Always original in their design and ambition, the Japanese giants are sure to reveal something

spectacular. Combine this with more details on upcoming Zelda and Mario games, along with details on future releases for the 3DS and Nintendo might just steal the show.

Sony: E3 will probably be difficult for Sony who, despite having a strong games lineup, will still be reeling from the Playstation Network downtime and the ensuing fiasco. The Expo will therefore be an invaluable opportunity for Sony to both apologise for the inconvenience, whilst reinforcing their message that the Playstation 3 is still a strong competitor.

Online problems aside, however, Sony have plenty to shout about this year; the revealing of their new handheld console is bound to be impressive whilst more information on exclusive titles Infamous 2, Resistance 3 and Unchartered 3 is sure to please the crowds. A strong performance in June could ensure that the ‘Year of the Playstation’ is remembered as such.

Alex Hawksworth-Brookes Video Games Editor

Luke Graham, Screen Editor, returns to life’s simpler pleasures HAVING finished my exams, I found myself wondering how I should spend my summer of gaming. I’d played Monster Hunter Tri to death, and there’s little else on the Wii of interest to me. I contemplated getting a DS and the new Pokemon game, but I remembered how much of a time sink that can be. After strolling through the Steam archives, buying and playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the original Fallout from 1998, I found my little laptop insufficient to play newer games.

I also lacked the funds for a shiny Xbox 360 and PS3.

“I dig out my retro console, simply called ‘a bicycle’”

Now sitting in my pyjamas at two in the afternoon, killing what must be the hundredth big dinosaur in Monster Hunter, and fed up of hoping for the 3 per cent chance drop of an item I needed to make a slightly better sword, I could

feel my limbs atrophying. I decided what I really needed to get into was something older, more… retro.

I went out to my garage, to dig out my retro console, simply called ‘a bicycle’. My ‘bike’ was quite old and a tad rusty, but it still seemed to function.

What’s great about The Bike, this centuries old gaming console, is that it started off way ahead of the current gaming generation. Much like the Xbox’s Kinect, the main gimmick of the bike is that you are the controller, but you’re also the game engine, and the processor, and even the power supply. Yep, there’s no need for plugs, or HD cables with this beauty. This thing was trying to keep people healthy long before Wiifit came along. And even before the PS3 tried to push 3D graphics, the visuals produced by The Bike were as realistic as possible.

Unfortunately, I only own one game for The Bike: Luke Graham’s Road Cycle: 2011. The game updates itself every year, introducing new en-

vironments, levels and difficulty. In the game, you have to get from Point A to Point B using either the fastest, safest, or easiest route possible. This game difficulty is far worse than anything from the ‘Nintendo-hard’ era, as you only get a single life, with no option to continue

or even re-start. Thankfully, I’m pretty good at the game and haven’t died yet.

The game is an MMORPG, with hundreds of other players cycling around the town, trying to avoid the in-game opponents of cars, pedestrians and traffic lights, all of which intend to impede your progress and slow you down.

The game is fun, especially when the in-game weather is sunny, but it involves way too much grinding, with only one skill to improve, which is “cycling.” As your cycling skill levels up, you can cycle for longer and faster, producing quicker times. As I haven’t played The Bike in ages, it was frustrating to see all the higher level players who zoomed past me on their fancy, top of the range machines.

The controls are simple, with only a few inputs. You hold the controller, known as “handlebars”, which you twist left and right, like the PS3 six-axis, in order to steer. Sadly, the shoulder buttons don’t shoot any rockets or guns, but instead are “brakes” which slow the bike

down. Instead of joysticks, your thumb operates a small bell, which sends a ‘Ping’ out to other players. While doing this, your feet spin ‘pedals’, which accelerate The Bike.

“The game is fun especially when the weather is sunny” I would recommend this console to everyone. After the first few hours of grind, you get into a great groove where you are going really fast, feeling the air through your hair. Sadly, it can leave you soaking with sweat, but no worse then a stressful session of CoD multiplayer. It’s a great way to spend your time in the summer, and I’m planning on investing in the game’s sequel, Luke Graham’s Country Cycle, which promises to feature more picturesque visuals as you cycle along rivers and through beautiful green forests…

06 june 2011 Exeposé

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Video Games

review

review

L.A. Noire: Team Bondi, Rockstar; PS3/360; 20 May 2011

GIVEN the nature of newspapers I have a limited word count to try and review what will definitely be a lot of people’s game of the year. L.A. Noire is remarkable.

By now many of you will have heard the hype around L.A. Noire; even before its release the details being dripfed were exciting. Now that it has hit the shelves it defies being put into a neat genre box. The closest I can give you is that L.A. Noire is an open-ended detective game with elements of a free roaming shooter. It’s refreshingly story driven, but you direct your own story. I have made different arrests to my friend Conor, yet we are both adamant that we got the right man.

The crime solving angle makes up the meat of L.A. Noire, where you play as Cole Phelps, an honest cop in a corrupt city, and take him from humble beginnings as a patrolman through turns as a detective in Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson. As Cole you must gather clues from crime scenes, interview suspects, figure out who is lying and then challenge them with the evidence you have found (spoiler: lots of people are lying). This isn’t just about figuring out where stories don’t add up, however. Oh no. Not with MotionScan.

Exeposé Video Games asks ‘What Will YOU Be Playing This Summer?’

Let us know on Facebook and Twitter Tom Wilson: ‘I’ll most likely be avoiding my massive backlog of single-player games. Failing that, Half Life 2’ Henry White: ‘Portal 2 because I’m stubborn and can’t let physics defeat me’ Ali Moss: ‘Battlefield 3 because the Russians and terrorists need to be stopped, and I’m the only one that can do it’ Alice Scotcher: ‘After spending all of last night watching my housemate play it, L.A. Noire’ David Rees: ‘Worms: Armageddon or Super Smash Bros because, in both cases, cute pink things must be destroyed with a hilarious variety of weapons’ Becky Evans: ‘Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja 5 and Assassin’s Creed 2’ Jessica Leung: ‘Nintendogs because shouting ‘sit!’ at a fake dog is just too satisfying’ Mike Evans: ‘Fallout: New Vegas because I need something to get addicted to’

MotionScan is a new technology that, as far as I can tell, is similar to how Andy Serkis was graphically mapped to be Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Essentially an actor has their performance captured on cameras from 32 angles, to get as many details as possible. Nobody you speak to in L.A. Noire is a CPU puppet with a voice actor; they’re actors giving a full performance. Cole is played by Aaron Staton – and many of his fellow cast from acclaimed TV series Mad Men join him – and when he interviews suspects you have to watch their faces to read often nuanced expressions.

This attention to detail runs through the whole game. Car radios play music contemporary to the ‘40s and the original game score is beautifully sinister jazz. Style and colouring harks back to early movies, but for those after the full noire experience there is a black and white option. The painstakingly reconstructed post-war L.A. is a dizzyingly huge map that smacks of developer Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series – though unlike GTA you can’t shoot a hooker/run over civilians whenever you like. Cole is, after all, a good cop, and if I have one real complaint about L.A. Noire it’s that he is sometimes a bit too uptight and shouty for me to really fall in love with being him.

Despite Cole’s zealous love of justice, however, L.A. Noire is a near perfect game that still takes my breath away. It’s a big innovative step on the road to games being all that they can be, and I can’t think of a reason why you shouldn’t get it.

9.5/10 Alice Scoble -Rees

Review

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings: CD Projekt RED, Namco Bandai; PC; 17 May 2011

IN an age of casual role playing games, The Witcher 2 manages to rise above the mass of easy competitors to deliver a deep yet accessible experience. Players assume the role of Geralt, a scarred and weary Witcher (a professional monster hunter) who is not interested in politics but keeps getting dragged into the middle of major events. Over the course of the game, players level up, gaining new abilities and powerful items. The combat is hard to get used to at first, whilst the targeting can be frustrating. However, once mastered, it is incredibly fun and looks awesome.

“The developers have created a world that cannot be fully experienced in one playthrough”

Combat revolves around swordsmanship, alchemy and magic. Players have access to all three disciplines but will only be able to specialise completely in one over a single game. At first, mixing

together blocks, spells, traps and potions is necessary for survival, but later in the game certain abilities become overpowered, meaning that less thought is required. This can make the game after Chapter One relatively easy except for some stand out boss fights.

There is an in-depth tool crafting and potion making system that for the most part works but means that you have to carry around lots of ingredients; which fill up your inventory and it’s difficult to know what you can drop.

The Witcher 2 is one of the most beautiful games ever made, featuring a rich world brimming with lore and interesting characters. Conversations are a big part of The Witcher 2 and, whilst the faces are quite expressionless, the superb voice acting makes up for this.

Each chapter is located in a unique environment; from the Prologue’s castle to a swamp, a dwarven stronghold and an ancient elven city later in the game.

At the end of Chapter One, players make a huge decision that affects the location in Chapter Two and how the rest of the game unfolds. This is one of many examples of the developer’s dedication to creating a world

Brink: Splash Damage, Bethesda Softworks; PS3/360/ PC; 13 May 2011

A LOT of hype surrounded Brink in the build up to its release; its promotional website contained a basket of juicy taster videos, which demonstrated its smooth graphics, novel movement system, sci-fi civil war storyline and (supposedly) revolutionary and unconventional FPS gameplay.

Here is what you can expect: Brink is an unconventional shooter; there is no direct focus on taking out other players, K/D ratios or simply having an all out frag-fest as you might enjoy in CoD or Halo. Instead, the gameplay revolves around completing objectives with your team. The developers have implemented a lot of core and, importantly, both good and enjoyable elements from their Enemy Territory projects. The result is class-levelling, team-based, multiplayer goodness. With Bethesda Softworks spicing this mix up with some RPGesque character and weapon customisation you should be all set with a great multiplayer game.

The unfortunate thing is that Brink seems to be a strictly multiplayer game.

The single player campaign is a runthrough of the multiplayer maps (of which there are 8), played with ‘bots instead of people. The AI is OK at best; they do a good job defending against you, whilst your teammates seem more concerned with achieving secondary objectives, leaving you alone to slide and vault your way through a hail of bullets.

that cannot fully be experienced in one playthrough.

The Witcher 2 comes very close to achieving perfection but falls just short.

Chapter Three and the Epilogue are very brief compared to the other portions of the game. Quite soon into Chapter Three it feels like you are being

The storyline is pointless and barely intelligible: ‘complete X task for the good of humanity’ translates to ‘complete the objective to win the session whilst screaming in frustration at your monitor’. The plot’s only purpose seems to be to add a thin sense of context to the action.

The movement system ‘SMART - Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain’ works adequately, allowing you to use one button to clamber, scurry and parkour to wherever you’re looking.

Sometimes, however, the system feels clumsy and quickly becomes a novelty; your movement in the game is restricted by the emphasis on completing certain objectives, the locations of which encourage linearity. Also, the learning curve may as well be a vertical line, which makes the first couple of levels frustrating.

“The storyline is pointless and barely intelligible” Aside from these bumpy areas there are the foundations for a solid multiplayer experience in Brink. There have been issues with lag, graphics and glitches - some huge problem areas severely detracting from any multiplayer game. The saving grace is an exclusive multiplayer focus; you can be sure that patches from developers, along with mods, will mean that in a few months Brink will be a polished and balanced online game. Just stay away from the offline experience.

5/10

Matthew Bevan

funnelled towards the climax, hardly giving you time to use or assemble the new loot you acquire. It’s still very fun and is more focused on story-telling, but given the depth of the other chapters it felt like a bit of a letdown. Another problem is that the tutorial doesn’t explain all the mechanics of the game very well, leaving you confused about how some of the elements in the game work.

Overall The Witcher 2 is great; multiple playthroughs are required to see everything. Future free DLC and expansion packs will ensure that people keep playing The Witcher 2 for a long time.

9/10

Athanasios Skarlatos

06 JUNE 2011

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Sport

Men’s Cricket Varsity

Cambridge 261-9, Exeter all out for 47 Mens Cricket

Antonia Hawken Cambridge MCCU thumped Exeter MCC 1st XI in this year’s hotly awaited cricket varsity.

Exeter faced a strong challenge from an impressive Cambridge side that managed 261-9 and went on to take Exeter for 47 all out from 23 overs.

Exeter won the toss and decided to put the visitors into bat on a pitch that appeared to contain a little moisture.

The Cambridge side, aware that they faced an opposition desperate to reclaim lost glory on their home turf, after having recently lost to Loughborough, responded quickly by putting runs on the board. The home side were clearly unwilling to take such a beating, and turned to opening bowlers Richard Stevens, 35-3 with two maidens, and Joe Barr, who found some rhythm leading to four wickets falling in quick succession. This breathed confidence into the Exeter team and left Cambridge 78-4 after 20 overs and the game was there for the taking.

However, the batting side put on a hundred partnership for the next wicket and showed their true class. The visitors

managed a comfortable total of 261 for 9 from 50 overs, causing Exeter to reconsider their tactics as they faced the daunting prospect of besting the Cambridge score.

The opening pair for Exeter, Robbie Williams and Nick Seager started with a boundary from the first ball and it was very much game on. However, that confidence was short lived as they managed only nine runs before Williams was out for an LBW. Unfortunately for the home side they appeared to have left their game plan in the changing rooms as they were all out for just 47 runs from 23 overs.

Despite giving Exeter a forceful beating, the Cambridge MCCU captain was gracious in victory, commenting on how successfully the day had gone, how pleased he was with his side and how impressed he was with the UniSportOnline setup, making university sport much more accessible and enjoyable.

Exeter’s Director of Cricket, Julian Wyatt, commented that sport is challenging at all times, and despite this defeat, he remains hopeful for the rest of the season. He also pointed out that Cambridge had been very humble in victory, which is a rare trait in sport nowadays.

Exeposé

Ladies Cricket Varsity: M

UniSportOnline provides first online broadcast of student sports match THE Varsity also saw one giant leap for student sport journalism with UniSportOnline’s first ever live online broadcast.

Alongside XTV, Student Photographer, Rich Maskey, worked with UniSportOnline to create the first live broadcast of a university sport match in the UK.

Within the first 20 minutes of the broadcast, the site achieved over 200 views, with 30 constant observers, going on to an impressive total of 500 viewers of a match in the height of the exam season.

The coverage was undertaken by student journalists, Antonia Hawken and Tristan Barclay who provided a live Twitter feed for the match, alongside pitch-side interviews and general cricketing banter.

Ladies Cricket

Rachel Bayne Sports Editor

EULCC fought bravely in their match against the renowned MCC women’s team from Lords, which featured England International, Caroline Atkins.

In the team’s very first club day on Wednesday 1 June, EULCC lost by 66 runs, which unfortunately ended their winning streak at Topsham this season.

MCC set a daunting total of 237-5, where they had a second wicket partnership of 87 runs, with Atkins scoring 55, and Hubbard just missing out on a century with a terrific score of 99. After a slow start Exeter finished on 171 all out from 37 overs, with Clare Thomas powering through to an impressive total of 66 runs.

MCC started strongly, with their top-order batswomen making 123-2

after 25 overs played. Exeter put an end to Atkins’ and Hubbard’s partnership in the 26th over, after some impressive bowling stumped Atkins out, with MCC on 141-3. Hubbard went on to score quickly; with her batting prowess testing Exeter’s bowling team. EULCC tested MCC with some fast paced bowling, but it was unfortunately no match for Hubbard’s shots, which sent the ball spinning down mid wicket. MCC continued to push EULCC to the limit, with a lovely offside stroke down to the boundary which set MCC on course to 150-3 after 28 overs.

EULCC changed their tact to slower, spin bowling in the 29th over, which saw a high, mis-timed shot just brush the fingers of an Exeter fielder, who nearly caught Hubbard out. After a near shock to their middle order, MCC drove onwards, dealt with the spin bowling, and powered through a

wicket appeal at the end of the over.

With only ten overs to go, MCC kept up their impressive run-rate. Nerves were starting to get the better of Exeter, with fielding errors and missed wicket opportunities in the last overs.

A switch in fielding tactics saw a resurgence in EULCC’s fortunes, with strong catching and a brilliant dive in the slips to stop a boundary late on.

The 4th wicket came in the penultimate over, with a fine catch in the slips which saw a change in batswomen for the final over. EULCC nearly caught another MCC player out straight afterwards when a high, swooping dive nearly caught the new batter out for a duck. In the last over, EULCC’s legspinner push nearly caught the new batter out for a duck. In the last over, EULCC’s leg-spinner pushed MCC to the limit, and the Exeter women were duly rewarded with a 5th wicket right before tea-time.

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Exeposé week TWENTY NINE

Crossword

CC: 237-5, EULCC: 171

No. 21 by Clare Mullins

Sport

Photo: Josh Irwandi

Across 1. Co-founder of Wikipedia (5, 5) 6. Between noon and midnight (2) 8. Sonic the Hedgehog’s brother (5) 9. The common link between Bear Grylls, David Cameron and Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall (7) 10. Bronx based baseball team (3) 11. Rooibos, Assam or Oolong (3) 13. U.S. State (5) 16. Not suitable (13) 18. Lemon [anag] (5) 20. American Agency for criminal investigation and Law enforcement (3) 22. Navigation system (3) 23. Unacceptable male swimwear (7) 24. Follower of a religion that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s (5) 25. Contraction of a possessive determiner, used when referring the addressee’s mother [slang] (2) 26. Hangover cure (6, 4

Down 1. Perilous board game (7) 2. Village visited by O’Bama (9) 3. Essential summer accessory (5) 4. Exeter Nightclub (5) 5. Bacteria named after GermanAustrian scientist Theodor Escherich (1, 4) 7. & 21. Group famous for In the Summertime (5, 5) 12. Book of the Old Testament (4) 14. The inability to feel pain (9) 15. Not including - as far as (2, 2) 17. Street name for methylenedioxymethamphetamine (7) 18. Type of pea (5) 19. Spanish Tennis player (5) 20. Musical genre epitomised by Saturday Night Fever (5)

Karting top ten success EULCC started their innings slowly, scoring only nine runs from their first five overs. Exeter faced an impressive MCC bowling team, who along with conservative fielding tactics pushed EULCC to play defensively from the start. Walker managed three wickets for 19 runs, and Wilmott, spinner, took four wickets off 21 runs, and from the start, they made it difficult for Exeter to get going in the batting department.

EULCC’s second wicket came in the 11th over, after one of their toporder batswomen was stumped out, with Exeter on 15-2. Exeter continued to brave the MCC onslaught, making another 15 runs before two more wickets fell in quick succession in the 15th over. One batswoman went out for no runs after an unlucky stoke on the last ball of the over. It looked like Exeter were facing an up-hill challenge, with only 30 runs after 15 overs and

another 208 runs needed from the last 25, leaving them with an astonishingly difficult run rate of 8.32 runs needed per over.

Exeter never gave up though, and in the face of adversity, pushed on and on, with Thomas powering through in the middle order. Clare Thomas showed style and finesse with the bat, sending solid strokes to the boundary rope against a dwindling bowling attack. Her surge pushed MCC bowler, Greenwood, to one wicket for 58 runs from only four overs. By the 20th over, Jess’ form peaked, with Exeter on 574, needing 181 runs to win from the second half of the innings.

Captain Jessica Rippin put up a good stand alongside Thomas, but was stumped out in the 21st over. Her wicket luckily only slowed down the team’s momentum momentarily, with the team continuing to manipulate the gaps in MCC’s field. EULCC scored

five boundaries down mid-wicket, punishing MCC’s defensive fielding strategies. However, another wicket fell for Exeter, leaving them on 124-6.

EULCC charged on nonetheless, batting bravely and making it to 153-6 after 28 overs. Then the wickets started to fall, with Exeter all out for 171 after 37 overs.

Lottie Miles, Publicity Officer, commented after the game: “It was fantastic to have the MCC come down to Exeter to play our side, and although we didn’t perform as well as we might, they gave us a good, tough game. We all enjoyed playing against some very talented players including England’s Caroline Atkins and Exeter University exile, Tash Miles, which is great preparation for our semi-final against Leeds Met on the 8 June.”

Motorsport

Nick Seymour

Exeter University’s karting A team has achieved 9th place out of 59 teams in the annual British Universities Charting Championship. The result marks the highest finish for a karting team for the university, coming 27th last year.

The championship was hotly contested throughout with two teams battling to the last round at Whilton Mill in Northamptonshire. Bath’s A team beat Loughborough to the title, scoring three round wins to two, whilst Exeter’s Will Priest was able to achieve the university’s first race win. The series ran across nine competitive rounds including the Clay Pigeon circuit in Somerset and Teesside in Middlesbrough, featuring the most powerful arrive and drive karts in the UK and drivers who have competed in national and European motorsports.

Consistent scoring in the final round at Whilton Mill pushed Exeter’s team from 14th to 9th whilst Exeter’s B team was able to achieve a solid 38th, up two places from the previous year.

Russell Endean captained the teams, racing alongside Will Priest, Nick Smith and Wilhelm Wrede in the A team. The B’s were made up by James Pitt, Oliver Springate, Chris Anderson, Alex Clunies-Ross and Tom Bollands.

The achievement could mark a rise in Exeter’s fortunes in the BUKC, with Motorsoc aiming to achieve another great result in next year’s championship. Those interested in getting involved in next year’s championship can sign up to Motorsoc at the Freshers’ Activities Fair in October. Congratulations once again to the A and B teams for a fantastic result.

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monday 06 june 2011 Exeposé

Sport

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Rachel Bayne & Andy Williams - sport@exepose.com

RAC dominate the field

Photo: Hannah Walker

POLO

Rachel Bayne & Alice Etchells

EXETER University Polo Club took on the well-known Royal Agricultural College’s Polo Club in their annual Varsity Competition on Friday, 27 May. EUPC fought hard against a far stronger side in the match in Cirencester, but, unfortunately lost out, with the RAC winning in both the novice and open events.

“Lucy and Liv worked well against an onslaught from the RAC, but went on to lose the novice event 7-5”

American Football

Will Budge

A HEROIC twenty-seven man effort from the Exeter Demons vanquished the BNU Buccaneers from the BUAFL Challenge Trophy Playoffs. The Demons played a hard-fought game to end up 40-27 winners away to BNU. The tone of the game was set early on with Exeter scoring on their opening drive and Toby BurgessSmith delivering a shuddering hit on a BNU player on the subsequent kick off. Cody Yellowlees-Bound opened the scoring for Exeter and other scores were added by Fin Brown, who ran in two touchdowns, Josh Amis, and Si Eves, who received two passes from Brown for touchdowns.

“The one-dimensional nature of BNU’s offence helped Exeter gain the edge in the offensive slug-fest; BNU only attempted four passes all day”

The RAC won 7-5 in the novice event, but were pushed to the limit in the open event, where the game ended at 7-5.5 after a hard-fought match by the Exeter riders.

The novice team was first up against the RAC, and they were made up of Bruins, Watson, Mallach and Rafid Fatani. The novices were faced with an extremely strong start from the RAC, whose riders charged out of the blocks to win 5-0 in the first chukka. Undeterred, Exeter came back from behind in the second chukka, with two of the players, Lucy Watson and Liv Mallach, in particular, controlling the play.

Lucy and Liv worked well against an onslaught from the RAC riders, scoring five goals between them, but ended up losing by two points, with the final score at 7-5.

The open team played next, and faced an even stronger RAC side. Due to the ability of the RAC riders, Exeter University were given a one and a half goal lead from the start, with the umpire enforcing a handicap on the RAC side.

In Polo, the stronger team often receives a handicap that is relative to the ability of their side in order to allow freer and more even play in the match.

“Exeter were pushed to the limit in the open, losing 7-5.5” Exeter’s open team were made up of the Polo Club’s captain, Alice Etchells, Amelia Pemberton, Leon Allen and Miguel Soto. Leon Allen, an exExeter University student came back to the play this year’s varsity game. Allen played strongly throughout and showed great leadership, bringing the whole team together against a very tough op-

Demons destroy Buccaneers

position.

Exeter managed to keep their two goal lead in the first chukka, but were pushed to the limits in the second, with the RAC beating them by 7-5.5.

Alice Etchells, Polo Club Captain was really pleased with the success of the varsity this year, as the day went really smoothly and the whole team

was encouraged by EUPC’s brave performance.

Alice told Exeposé after the match how proud she was of the club, which has gone from being a small member of the AU to having five successful varsity matches on the calendar for next season.

Etchells said: “It was really nice to

see so much support behind the club this season.”

EUPC also competed in the Summer Nationals on Saturday 4 June at Offchurch Bury’s Polo Club in Warwickshire.

The Demons’ defence came up against the most unconventional offense that it had seen to date against BNU, who relied heavily on misdirection and sheer numbers to overwhelm their opponents. However, Exeter stood strong and only allowed two big gains to the BNU offence, both of which resulted in touchdowns.

The one-dimensional nature of BNU’s offence helped Exeter gain the edge in the offensive slug-fest; BNU only attempted four passes all day and completed just one for a short gain.

Exeter’s offense was more balanced and managed to move the ball well with Yellowlees-Bound running well both up and downhill. Si Eves had a standout game at the tight end catching two touchdowns, the second of which involved catching the ball heading towards the sideline and managing to turn the corner and beat a tackler before having enough pace to make the end zone. James Sancto also contributed greatly, slotting over all four points after attempts.

Overall, the twenty seven players who turned up earned a great deal of respect and made Exeter’s first venture into the playoffs a winning one. After the game, Head Coach Ian Chown said: “It’s inspirational how such a group of young men has come together as a team.” This game also marked a record broken by Amis and Budge, who have both started seventeen games (every game since joining the club in 2009) for the Exeter Demons, the most starts of any player.