2012/13 Week 29 Issue 595

Sun, sex and seasides...

Feminine charms

LIFESTYLE PAGES 12 - 13

BOOKS PAGE 21

in fiction

Books look at the rise of contemporary women writers...

We take you though what’s hot, and what’s really not...

The University of Exeter’s Independent Student Newspaper

Since 1987

Wednesday 6 June 2012 • Issue 595 • www.exepose.com • Twitter: @Exepose • www.facebook.com/Exepose

Free Photo: The Students’ Guild

>> The 2011/12 Sabbatical Officers. From left to right: Nick Davis (Guild President), Emma Payne (VP Welfare & Community), James Eales (VP Academic Affairs) and James Fox (VP Participation & Campuses)

A Sabb state of affairs?

• Exeposé survey reveals a shocking 76% of students can’t name their Guild President • VP Academic Affairs highlights problem of the “unengaged student” Zoe Bulaitis Editor AN Exeposé survey has revealed that 68 per cent of students cannot name any of their Sabbatical officers.

Sabb, a shortened version of Sabbatical Officer, refers to the team of individuals who work for the students from within the Students’ Guild, with the exception of the AU President, who works for the University. However, 70 per cent of students did not recognize what the word Sabb meant, while 75 per cent of students do not know where they

would find the Sabbatical office.

The survey revealed that only 24 per cent of students were able to identify the elected Guild President Nick Davis.

Davis was the candidate most frequently recognized by the students in the survey, with Beth Hampson being the second most widely identified with just under 20 per cent.

However, 68 per cent of students were unable to name any of the outgoing Sabbatical officers, highlighting a lack of awareness amongst the student body at large. James Eales attributes the lack of awareness to the level of student involvement in the Guild. He

commented: “Most people who are committee members on societies, or who are academic reps will know who and what Sabbs are … the issue is more with an unengaged student who has limited contact with the Guild apart from going to the Lemmy and Ram. That’s not an issue, but makes it harder to communicate.”

James Fox commented: “Sabbs are vital for the infrastructure of the university because they are elected by the student body to represent them to the University and thus it means that the University ultimately has to listen to what they have to say”.

The fact that the Sabbs are separate

Inside News this issue: an Exeposé invesitgation uncovers the full cost of last month’s Royal visit PAGE 3

from the University is what makes them an important part of student representation.

68%

Number of students who could not name any of the outgoing Sabbatical Officers However, 11 per cent of students surveyed thought that the Sabbs worked directly for the University. The Students’ Guild is statistically one of the most successful in the country, having been

Comment: Students reflect on their Exeter experiences PAGES 6 - 7

shortlisted for the National Union of Students (NUS) Higher Education Students’ Union of the year award for a third consecutive year.

The percentage of students who vote for Sabbatical elections at the University is one of the highest in the United Kingdom. Last year saw 37.2 per cent of students choosing to vote in the Sabbatical Elections.

James Fox commented: “Exeter has the best election turnout in the country, but I think there is still room for improvement there because if people are CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Arts: All of this summer’s essential arts events PAGE 24

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6 june 2012 |

NEWS

News

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Beccy Smyth & Phil Thomas news@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé News

Shock verdict: media frenzy over convicted student Laura Johnson

Photo: Telegraph

E-mail: editors@exepose.com Call: (01392) 263513

Editorial team Deputy Editors Ben Murphie & Ellie Steafel depeds@exepose.com News Editors Beccy Smyth & Phil Thomas news@exepose.com

A University Spokesperson

Features Editors James Crouch & Megan Drewett features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Thomas Ling & Alex Tindall lifestyle@exepose.com Music Editors Callum McLean & Anthony Prodromou music@exepose.com

Books Editors Tom Bond & Emily Lunn books@exepose.com Arts Editors Clara Plackett & Emily Tanner arts@exepose.com Games Editors Marcus Beard & Jonathan Jenner games@exepose.com Sport Editors Will Kelleher & Mike Stanton sport@exepose.com Photography Joshua Irwandi photography@exepose.com Senior Proofreaders Elli Christie, Megan Furborough & William O’Rourke

Online www.EXEPOSE.com -COMING SOON-

@Exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exepose 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.

young lady”. Her barrister also maintained that Johnson’s actions were completely out of character and that she was unlikely to reoffend.

“We will now consider the outcome in order to determine the best way forward with regards to Laura’s studies at the University”

Editors Zoe Bulaitis & Tom Payne editors@exepose.com

Screen Editors Louis Doré & Owen Keating screen@exepose.com

Exeposé

Raj Kular AN Exeter University student, Laura Johnson, has been jailed for two years due to her involvement with looters during the London Riots in 2011.

The case has received an excess of media attention in the past number of weeks. Reports have focused on the unexpected nature of Johnson’s crimes,

in consideration of her academic and advantaged background.

Johnson, a 20-year old daughter of a millionaire and a student of English and Italian, was convicted last month of handling stolen goods and burglary.

She denied these charges, claiming she was acting under duress. She protested that she had been forced to chauffeur a group of looters around London and that the group looted shops and robbed

people. She was eventually arrested at a Comet store in Greenwich.

In response, the prosecution argued that there was an opportunity at a petrol station, which captured CCTV pictures of Johnson, when she could have called for help, but did not.

Johnson, a former grammar school pupil who achieved four A*s and nine As at GCSE, was described by her barrister as an “intelligent and articulate

Judge Patricia Lees noted that Johnson’s response to the arrival of the police was to put her foot on the car accelerator, despite an officer standing before the car. The judge told Johnson, along with another convicted male: “You both revealed a weaker side to your characters in taking advantage of an escalating situation.”

A University of Exeter spokesperson commented: “We will now consider the outcome in order to determine the best way forward with regards to Laura’s studies at the University.”

Though Johnson has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, she could be released from jail in seven months due to the time she has already spent on curfew.

Guild shortlisted as a top union for third time David Wilson THE STUDENTS’ GUILD has been shortlisted for the National Union of Students’ ‘Higher Education Students’ Union of the year’ award. This is the third consecutive year Exeter has been shortlisted, having won the award in 2010.

“We believe being nominated for three consecutive years is not only an incredible achievement but also very rare” Nick Davis, Guild President Nick Davis, Guild President, attributed the continued success Exeter is experiencing to its students and the active role they play in the University,

citing the 37.2 per cent voter turnout in sabbatical elections and the presence of over 170 active societies.

“Participation, engagement and communication are three key priorities that have placed the Guild in a strong position” A NUS Spokesperson He also expressed his pride and surprise at the announcement: “We believe being nominated for three consecutive years is not only an incredible achievement but also very rare and we really were not expecting to be nominated again this year. I can only express my thanks to everyone within the Guild and the student body who contributed and made this nomination happen.”

The NUS commented: “Participation, engagement and communication

are three key priorities that have placed University of Exeter Students’ Guild in a strong position.”

Exeter is up against the Students’ Unions of Sheffield, Sussex, Hull and Leeds for the honour. The winner will

be announced in July at the Unions 2012 Conference, which will be held in the University of Exeter’s newly opened Forum facility.

Photo: Josh Irwandi

Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

NEWS

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£79,075.79 Revealed: An Exeposé investigation uncovers the full cost of last month’s Royal visit...

Phil Thomas News Editor THE total cost of last month’s Royal visit amounted to more than £79,000, Exeposé can reveal.

The figures were obtained after a Freedom of Information request was submitted to the University.

The most expensive part of the visit was the lunch, which cost close to £17,000. Total catering costs amounted to £25,320.86, while unspecified ‘general costs’ amounted to over £11,000. The total cost equated to the equivalent of 52 maximum bursaries (£1,500).

Other costs, many amounting to thousands of pounds, included crowd control barriers, media costs (including photographers), and a £500 ‘Diamond Jubilee Gift’.

In total, design and print costs amounted to over £12,000 while £4,800 was spent on travel and accommodation costs.

Emma Payne, Vice President of Welfare and Community, said: “If the opening of the Forum wasn’t made into the special occasion that it was, I think students would have felt like they had waited all this time for nothing very special, so a magnificent opening was essential.

“A Royal Visit is also great publicity for Exeter and I think the day was hugely successful.”

“A Royal visit is great publicity for Exeter [...] I think the day was hugely successful” Emma Payne, VP Welfare and Community Some have been more critical of the cost of the Royal visit. Paul Staunton, a second year Biology student, said: “Seeing as for the majority of this year I have had five contact hours per week,

it is disgusting that the University can fork out such a large amount on this superficial event.”

Caroline Dominey, Records Manager at the University, has said: “The actual costs for the visit are still being finalised, the table includes the budget for the day and includes known costs to date. It is not expected to change significantly.”

Sarah Hoyle, of the University Press Office, has stressed that the income retrieved from media, publicity and acts of goodwill was “invaluable”: “The money for the visit and Forum opening came from general University funds.

Much of it was spent on improvements to buildings and grounds, which will continue to benefit students, staff and visitors. The visit generated invaluable positive publicity, including media coverage estimated to be worth in excess of £112,000.”

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the £48m Forum last month as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour.

Main totals in brief £25,320 £12,466 Total catering costs

Design and printing

£14,019

£4,100

£8,874

£4,794

Amount of ‘general costs’

Entertainment and stage hire

Media costs and Travel and photographers accommodation

Survey reveals widespread student apathy towards Sabbs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

not voting in the first place then it’s even harder to engage them in what the Sabbs are doing once they are in office.”

“In 2011 there were 9 candidates for the position of Guild President whilst the 2012 elections saw this number nearly halved” The lack of knowledge about the role of a Sabbatical Officer was the most common reason given for students

not wanting to run for the position themselves. 88 per cent of students stated that they would not consider running for a Sabbatical job.

This statistic is in accordance with the fewer number of people standing for such positions in the elections in recent years. In 2011 there were 9 candidates for the position of Guild President whilst the 2012 elections saw this number nearly halved, with 5 people standing for the role. Similarly in the AU, 2011 saw 5 candidates stand whilst in 2012 just two people ran for the position.

The seeming lack of understanding

between the enthusiastic Sabbatical Officers and the student body at large is surely one that needs to be addressed over the next year. Incoming Sabb officer Jonathan Bagnall commented: “The best way to engage with students is face-toface. Being seen and participating in campus activites as a Sabb I feel will enable me to get in contact with a wider range of students and get to hear what the students want in person”.

The new Sabb Forum offices provide a new location for the incoming Guild Sabbatical Officers. where they will be available to all students.

Student recognition of Sabbatical officers

Survey Results of 300 University of Exeter students

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6 june 2012 |

NEWS

Guild offers Alternative Graduation Ball

Photo: Josh Irwandi

Guardian Top Ten 1 Cambridge 2 Oxford 3 London School of Economics

4 St Andrews

Simon Dewhurst

5 Warwick FINAL year students have been offered a cheaper way to celebrate their time at Exeter in the form of the Alternative Graduation Ball.

The event, organised by the Exeter Students’ Guild, will take place on Saturday 21 July in the Lemon Grove, on the same night as the traditional Graduation Ball.

The night will include live music, DJ sets, food provided by Exeter’s HH Restaurant and a free champagne reception for those arriving before 9pm.

Students can vote for the theme of the night by commenting on the Guild’s Facebook page. Tickets for the event are £5 and are available on the Guild’s website.

Nick Davis, Guild President, commented: “The Alternative Graduation Ball is being put on to give our final year students who were unable to get a ticket to this year’s Graduation Ball a chance to celebrate with their peers.

“We hope to provide our students with an event that they can affiliate with and remember fondly for years to come.

I hope that our students appreciate the event and have an amazing night.”

However, some students have criticised the alternative event. Rachel Bayne, a third year English student, said: “I think it is laughable that the Guild think a night at the Lemmy is equivalent to a Graduation Ball.”

6 UCL 7 Durham 8 Lancaster 9 Bath

10 Exeter

Exeter reaches Top Ten Simon Dewhurst THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER has reached a ‘top ten’ position amongst UK Universities in the Guardian University Guide 2013.

The guide, which ranks 120 Universities based on a number of categories including expenditure on students and graduate employment rates, has placed Exeter in the position of tenth in its’ League Tables for the upcoming year.

Included in the guide are subjectspecific rankings, which detail how each university performs for each course that it teaches. The University of Exeter also reached the top ten in several of its subjects, such as Theology, which reached second

position, and English, which scored eighth position.

“Whilst league tables are not the only metric one should use to judge a university, it cannot be argued that student satisfaction and quality of experience feed into them greatly” Nick Davis, Guild President The Guild President, Nick Davies, said: “Whilst league tables are not the only metric one should use to judge a university, it cannot be argued that student satisfaction and quality of

experience feed into them greatly. In a year that has seen a lot of building work on campus which has caused some disruption, it is fantastic to see us retain our position as one of the best Universities in the country. This bodes well for students past, present and future and will open doors for our highly talented graduates.”

In 2012, Exeter reached the eleventh position, having previously been in the fourteenth position in 2011.

Felicity Heath, an undergraduate student, commented: “It is great to see the University improving its position year upon year. It makes me proud to be a student here.”

Exeter’s position in the league tables also now means that the University is ranked in the top one per cent of educational institutions globally.

Burglaries down 30% but police advise greater awareness

Helen Carrington Senior Reporter RECENT figures have shown a decrease in burglaries in the January to May period compared to last year.

In 2011, there were a total of 34 reported burglaries in the St James area, 26 of which were of properties. This year however, there have been only 24 reported burglaries, 15 of which were to properties, showing a 30 per cent decrease.

Many of these incidents have been a result of lax security, where doors and windows have been left open or unlocked, and on several occasions, a resident was present in the house during the incident. Around £11,500 of goods have been stolen or damaged, including laptops and mobile phones.

PC Alex Kennedy from the St James police team commented: “It is

encouraging to see incidents of burglary are reducing in St James. Student residences can still help police prevent them further, by taking simple steps to keep their property secure. Please keep front doors and windows locked, and high value items out of sight. Don’t make it easy for them!”

“Student residences can still help police prevent further burglaries, by taking simple steps to keep their property secure” PC Alex Kennedy Emma Payne, VP Welfare and Community, attributed the decrease to improved awareness in students, but also warned: “Do not become complacent, especially as it comes to the end of term and houses are making the most of the sun.”

Photo: Josh Irwandi

Exeposé

Unique Budget Scrutiny Group sets Guild apart THE BUDGET SCRUTINY GROUP (BGS) held a meeting in May, which was chaired by David Allen, University Registrar. During the meeting, University staff relayed the progress made with regards to the Guild’s priorities, which it highlighted in November 2011.

The BGS is an initiative unique to Exeter. It sets the Guild apart from other higher education institutions.

Nick Davis, Guild President, commented: “The BGS’ potential to create change for the betterment of the student experience is enormous. This year has seen a steady start but it will need a strong sabbatical teams in the future as well as a watchful eye from our student body to ensure our priorities are met.”

Street lighting to be discussed at public meeting Hannah Mawdsley THE citywide debate over street lighting in residential areas is growing as the neighbourhood group, the Exeter St James Forum, enters the discussion.

The Exeter St James Forum is a residents’ association, which aims to put residents in the driving seat.

The first annual general meeting will be held on 9 June, focusing in part on the issue of street lighting in the area. The meeting is public and open to all who wish to voice their views and will take place between 14:00 and 17:00 at St Sidwell’s School.

Devon County Council plans to switch off street lighting between 12:30 and 05:30 every night in predominantly residential areas, beginning in Autumn 2012.

Stefanie Metcalf, a Classics Masters student, said: “I’d like to attend the meeting. Street lighting is an important issue, particularly in light of the sexual assault that happened in December.”

STIs increase by 3% in one year in South West Adrien Book FIGURES released by the Health Protection Agency show that the number of sexually transmitted infections diagnosed has risen dramatically in the South West, with 34,658 new cases in 2011 alone.

According to the study, homosexuals and young adults aged between 20 and 34 years remain the groups most at risk.

Dr Isabel Oliver, South West Regional Director for the HPA, said: “The 2011 data are a matter of concern in young adult heterosexuals and gay men. We anticipated some increase in diagnoses due to improvements in testing in recent years, but not on the scale seen here. This data shows that too many people are putting themselves at risk of STIs and serious health problems by having unprotected sex. The rises in 2011 demonstrate that it is crucial the work to reduce STIs continues.”

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6 june 2012 |

COMMENT

Comment SEND US YOUR LETTERS: editors@exepose.com

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emerged as the most ‘democratic’ Students’ Guild in the country. After a year, 68 per cent of students are unable to name any of the elected officers.

So what does this say? It’s very easy to make the argument that most of the work is being done behind the scenes, and that the fact that students can’t recognised their officers is rather irrelevant.

Understandably, roles like VP Academic Affairs don’t require a great deal of liaison with students, but the same can’t be said for Participation and Campuses, Welfare and Guild President, Exeposé would like to stress that our editorial does not represent a personal attack on the officers – in fact, we would like to thank the officers for their dedication and passion over the past year.

However, our results invariably prove that officers should be far more prominent amongst their electorate.

The more pertinent question concerns whether or not our results reflect the need for more engagement with sabbatical officers, or the need to remedy widespread student apathy.

Movin’ on up FOR the past nine years, Exeposé has called Cornwall House, the oft-seen, odorous cousin of Exeter University buildings, its happy home.

From Freshers’ Week onwards, in a move to rival the BBC’s Londonto-Salford landmark relocation, you will be able to find us in Devonshire House.

A lot has happened within these grey brick walls, and as we sit writing this issue’s editorial, we can’t help but get a little reflective. Our office in Cornwall House has seen a lot: nine editorial teams, hundreds of editorial meetings, a host of mostly dreadful music playlists, hours drafting puns for headlines and a great many late-

DEPUTY EDITORS

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeComment

It’s a Sabb Sabb situation...

THE Sabb Survey this week exposed the reality that many students know very little about those who represent them at a higher level within the University.

With over 67 per cent of students not being able to name their elected officers the question of student engagement is called into question. Our Student Guild is nationally recognized as one of the most successful, with nominations for awards and the highest turn out for elections with 37.2 per cent involvement.

However, the results of the survey show that the involvement of the majority of students is by no means fully realised. Just over a third of students voting makes Exeter the national best.

This statistic should be a great deal higher, and it is up to the students as much as the sabbatical officers to become more engaged.

Just over a year ago, last year’s sabbatical campaigns were a pervasive presence on campus. This year, election turnout broke records, and Exeter

EDITORS

night press days. In short, we’ll miss this place.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to wish all graduating students the very best of luck in the future.

We extend special thanks to the many graduating students who have edited, written and contributed in so many ways to Exeposé over the past three years. The paper has come a long way in a short time, and much of our progress comes as a direct result from their hard work.

To all those staying next year, we’ll see you in our new media hub.

To those leaving - goodbye, and good luck.

Exeposé would like to thank those who helped proof this issue Elli Christie, William O’Rourke, Megan Furborough, Ben Winsor, Calum Baker, Guy Janaway, Tom Nicoll and members of the Exeposé editorial team

Exeposé

Zoe Bulaitis & Tom Payne Ben Murphie & Ellie Steafel

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So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen goodbye...

The Class of 2012 share some of their Exeter memories, as they prepare to graduate and take their first steps towards a life off campus

Henry White FOR someone who, back in the hedonistic days of 2007, had no intention of going to university whatsoever, I can now reflect on what was probably the best change-of-mind I’ve ever had.

In a twist of irony, Exeter wasn’t my first choice of university but was the only institution to offer me a place.

Despite this, I arrived in 2009 full of determination to embrace university life, especially after two years of fulltime employment (something I have mixed feelings about returning to).

Although clichéd, being told to “make the most of it because it goes so fast” rings true. As well as everything I have done here, there are three times as many things still to do, and, if you’re reading this and haven’t yet joined that society you always meant to, or visited that place you wanted to, then do it, now! Before you know it, your time here will be up and you’ll no longer have the fantastic opportunities Exeter has on offer.

“I believe my degree course and many others are vastly overpriced, ... the University’s accommodation is also far too expensive, significantly exceeding student loan payments” Of course, it’s not all good. I still believe my degree course and many others are vastly overpriced, not to mention all

the extra costs then applied to students.

Although very nice, the University’s accommodation is also far too expensive, significantly exceeding student loan payments, and it doesn’t get much better off-campus either. I also resent the price of many sports and outdoor clubs. I was really interested in joining many but simply couldn’t afford to. It has been frustrating dealing with some of the bureaucracy too, or trying to achieve something and repeatedly facing obstructions. But I simply view all these as challenges and experiences which have helped me develop, and perhaps that is the crucial point anyway: you only get back from university what you put in.

“Would you rather leave Exeter with just your degree, or with great friends, great memories and knowing you played a part and made a difference in making Exeter the University it is?”

Through my work for the University and Guild as a photographer, or through my volunteering and work with Exeposé and the student media, I have been given unrivalled access and insight into university life and feel very privileged to have been a part of such a vibrant and dedicated community. It is this that I will remember and feel most proud of in the future.

Academia is, I would argue, the smallest element of being a student.

Yes, we come here to study, but we also come here to develop into adults, to make friends, discover our abilities, likes and dislikes. If you aren’t getting involved and taking part, then, quite frankly, you’re wasting your time and

are the only one who misses out.

“I feel very privileged to have had unrivalled access to university life and have been a part of such a vibrant and dedicated community” There’s far more to life than just studying and in years to come, whilst useful and interesting, I have no doubt that lectures on Foucault or Chaucer will seem insignificant in comparison to memories of climbing the Forum cranes, sprinting down the touch-line of St James’ Park and being given an ultimatum by a Metropolitan Police Riot Officer. These are the things that have made my time at university memorable.

Finally, this is the last piece I will ever have published in Exeposé. As Photography Editor and later as Editor I have been extremely lucky to be part of such a vibrant, dedicated and honest publication and I can only urge everyone to get involved in student life too.

The experiences and people I have met because of this paper are invaluable to me, but even if the student media isn’t for you, being in any society is highly rewarding. If you aren’t part of one, or if you rarely attend one, ask yourself this; would you rather leave Exeter with just your degree, or with great friends, great memories and knowing you played a part and made a difference in making Exeter the University it is?

And now? I am going to go and steal a small child’s ice cream to balance out this uncharacteristic diatribe of positivity.

Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

David Brake AS the first of my family ever to go to university, the pressures upon me to return successful were not overbearing but still an ever-present force. Indeed, as the first to drink from the holiest cup of education, it was predicted that upon graduation I would have achieved pure zen and eternal knowledge. This sadly has not happened. Instead, I know a fair bit about Neville Chamberlain – great guy – and can list the Prime Ministers of the 20th Century in chronological order. Ladies, form an orderly queue.

“The old cliché that university is not really about education holds true, as it really signals the next stage of our social evolution” However, the old cliché that university is not really about education holds true, as it really signals the next stage of our social evolution. Entering university as a teetotal asthmatic, aller-

Amy Weller I’M sure I’m not the only one who will admit that the degree part of my time at Exeter has only been one small part of a much larger experience. When I consider the three years I’ve had here, my thoughts are very unlikely to reflect upon the books I’ve studied, the seminars I’ve attended or, unsurprisingly, the essays I’ve written. Although I’m not undermining my degree, I shall be far more likely to end up reminiscing about the drunken nights in Arena, the fantastic people I’ve met, and the new experiences I’ve tackled.

Exeter itself has offered a relatively unique sense of community in a university city. A walk to Sainsbury’s will involve bumping into about seven people you know, your best mates live two minutes away and it’s a 5 minute stumble to the night life here. I don’t think I’ll ever live anywhere else that will offer this.

COMMENT

gic to wheat, cats, dogs, peanuts et. al, I was hopeful of a fresh start, yet, in first year I was willing to quit this show.

The shoe did not seem to fit. Low essay scores, far away accommodation and a poor social environment – it all seemed to point to stage left exit for me. It all seemed very much like It’s A Wonderful Life as I thought, “would anybody really miss me?” However, my saving grace, my Clarence if you will, came in the form of societies.

My early involvement with Exeposé and Campus Cinema made my time bearable, and heck, it bordered on the enjoyable. I made friends that have stayed with me till this very moment, and hopefully for many more years to come. Indeed over three years of being everything from a President to publicity officer in several great societies, I can freely admit how my time at Exeter has been really outstanding. So, as I enter the unemployment line, please remember to enjoy university in any form you can. It’s an expensive gift – don’t waste it.

A lot of people’s reactions upon hearing that I’m approaching graduation usually consist of a “wow you must be so excited!” or treat it as if I’ve accomplished some sort of grand achievement worthy of applause. Considering my entire social circle will now be getting degrees I don’t really view it of anything particularly noteworthy. I view it more of a rite of passage, admittedly a very privileged rite of passage, but it’s enabled me to pick up and master some of the essential skills required in life. I, like many, have changed a lot (and definitely for the better) and I often wonder whether without my time at Exeter, I would be who I am today which is quite a scary thought. My current feelings are more akin to mild terror; preparing myself for imminent money struggles, the soul destroying job hunt, many months of working for nothing, and moving away from my best friends back to my parent’s house where I will suddenly return to living according to their rules again. The prospect has little appeal.

However, the consoling fact is that I can genuinely say I’ve had the best three years of my life so far, and feel enriched by everything I’ve done in Exeter.

Tori Brazier IT is quite petrifying that in six weeks’ time my cohort will be graduating from Exeter, hugged by Floella and sped on our merry ways, degree in hand (or at least, dear God I hope so) The first thing I will reminisce about when crying into my pillow at home next year, several rejections down the line, and with no money in my account and laughable job prospects, is of all the fantastic opportunities that there are to just do ‘stuff’ at the University. From music to drama to writing to committees to academic representation (woop!) and a bar job, I’d like to think that I’ve done as

much as I could with the 163-odd hours that haven’t been taken up by lectures/ seminars every week, and it’s only a tiny snippet of what Exeter has to offer. I’m certainly not the only one either: many of my friends and fellow students have been getting well and truly stuck-in, leading to the common joke that we’re actually all just doing degrees in XTV or Rowing with a few pesky seminars in some subject or other getting in the way from time to time.

To be fair, I can’t really dismiss the actual academic work I’ve done here (every now and then) so quickly. I leave Exeter with my love for all things classical or literary encouraged further by modules involving old faithfuls like Shakespeare and Odysseus, as well as some new favourites too in the shape of Aphra Behn and that sly old dog Longus. I’ve been able to take advantage of the nifty Flexible Combined Honours

7

programme here too, meaning I got to stray into the Drama department for a term, and even if my choice of subjects mean that I just end up that mildly useful person on the pub quiz team or someone who can bombard you with the Greek and/or Latin roots to an assortment of words, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I can’t say that I’ve never found myself of a morning sitting in front of The Big Bang Theory re-runs whilst at university, but I think it’s been infrequent enough for me to have somewhat rejected the lazy student stereotype. I know I’ll miss all of the opportunities offered to students immensely next year when I’m a shrivelled-up unemployed person, so all I can say to those still lucky enough to be here is grab it whilst it’s hot! As well as being good to whack on the CV, you might find yourself having a good time too, doing something completely different.

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Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

Features FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeFeatures

Features

9

FEATURES EDITORS

James Crouch & Meg Drewett features@exepose.com

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Gay rights ripple through the Caribbean Sapphire Mason-Brown examines gay rights in the Caribbean in light of President Obama’s support THEY say that when the US sneezes, the world catches a cold. President Obama’s recent declaration of support for samesex marriage is one that caused stirs in many countries. US weekly magazine, Newsweek declared Obama “The First Gay President”. Meanwhile in the UK, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called on David Cameron to strive to fast-track marriage equality legislation.

The gay marriage discourse has extended to more unexpected places, including places where homosexuality itself is illegal.

Mere days after President Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage, protesters from Trinidad and Tobago lobbied outside the country’s parliament.

Their intent was to have sexual orientation, age and HIV\AIDs status included under the Equal Opportunities Bill. The notion of striving for equality on the basis of sexual orientation is a complex one in Trinidad and Tobago. How does one demand that they shouldn’t receive differential treatment on the basis of their sexual orientation when their sexual orientation can be the grounds for their imprisonment? Stemming from laws put in place during the colonial era, homosexual acts between men and women carry a sentence of 20 years in prison.

In a country where homosexuality is illegal, where equal rights for gays and lesbians in relation to work and offensive behaviour are still being fought for, one would assume that marriage equality isn’t a subject that would be explored for some time, However, despite the milestones yet to be reached, the country is waiting for the government to outline it’s

position on gay marriage with government minister Suruj Rambachan stating “It is a matter being discussed by the Government at the moment and I’m sure that sooner or later you will be provided by a policy decision on such matters.”

The discussion about LGBT rights in the Caribbean began much earlier on the island most associated with human rights violations of LGBT people, Jamaica. Described as “the most homophobic place on Earth”, Jamaica has seen the deaths of many LGBT activists, routine attacks on gay men and lesbians, kidnappings and “corrective” rape. It’s the individual cases that are most haunting, a father outing his son to his classmates and leaving the mob the deal with him, a group invading the home of a couple believed to be gay after telling them to leave their community.

“Described as ‘the most homophobic place on Earth’, Jamaica has seen the deaths of many LGBT activist” In response to these occurrences, many have shifted their gaze toward the media and the so-called “murder music” of particular Jamaican artists. Most notably, T.O.K’s ‘Chi Chi Man’, (chi chi man being a derogatory term for a gay man) states that not only homosexuals but also those who associate with homosexuals should be burned. Any argument that attempts to attribute societal problems to music, film or television tends to be incomplete, and the relationship between

Dissent in the Ranks

Meg Drewett, Features Editor, looks at the effects of dissent in student politics AT the end of last term, a challenge was issued to the political parties on campus to hold a cross party debate. This challenge was fulfilled on May 25th when Labour Students, Conservative Future and LibDem Soc met to discuss a series of issues in front of a student audience.

The event was a great success. With a good turnout considering the sunny weather, two members of each party took to the floor to fight their corner on issues

from the economy to political reform.

John Ashton and Joel Mason of LibDem Soc managed to make policy suggestions in a manner that their coalition representatives may wish to take note of. Conservative Future’s James Roberts and James Kirwood argued their views with zeal while Daniel Richards and Caitlin Edwards of Labour Students offered solid solutions to some entrenched problems.

The input of audience questions added to

“murder music” and homophobic hate is included here.

Like Trinidad and Tobago, the first laws prohibiting homosexual acts in Jamaica stemmed from the colonial laws pertaining to ‘buggery’ which were reiterated by Christian missionaries. As it stands now, Jamaica has more churches per square mile than anywhere else in the world, and any discussion about the morality of homosexuality will at some point allude to scripture. The explanation for the rampant homophobia that permeates Jamaican culture is multi-faceted and complex. What we do know is that there is overt homophobia present in Jamaican culture which is reflected by the media and which many attempt to legitimise using religion and the laws in place (male homosexuality carries a 10 year prison sentence).

For years the international community has called Jamaica out on LGBT rights, but for the most part, this has been met with no change. In 2008, when questioned in an interview with the BBC about the treatment of LGBT people, former prime minister Bruce Golding stated that, “Jamaica is not going to allow values to be imposed on it from the outside” before asserting gays could not serve in his cabinet. For there to be governmental change in Jamaica, this needs to stem from within the country. With the election of current Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, this seemed possible, the new leader saying that she would allow gays to serve in her cabinet also calling for the review of the country’s buggery law. When, if ever, this review will take place, is unknown.

One must remember that prior to his personal endorsement of gay marriage, President Obama furthered the advancement of gay rights in relation to policy; he extended federal benefits to same-sex partners, brought the hate crimes act into law, repealed ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ and

much more. What politicians believe and what they say they will do mean little without implementation; before we commend politicians in the Caribbean for the changes or reviews they claim they want to make, we must first see action that warrants this praise.

the lively debate and it was an event that the organisers assure us will be replicated again.

for young politicians to say what they think, rather than what they are expected to say.

But does dissent amongst youth branches of a party indicate bigger problems in party politics? Could the dissent in Exeter suggest that the central parties are losing touch with even their young supporters? This would certainly be a major problem. Stories of poor engagement in politics from the public are frequent enough without the addition of marginalized young party members as well. Young members of parties are relied upon to help in campaigns and bring in new blood to sustain the party.

If dissent in the ranks indicates isolation from party central, then we may be facing a situation where even fewer engage in politics. We are always hearing about the need for better engagement in poli-

tics and to improve political education. It may be that by not embracing the views of youth branches, political parties may be shooting themselves in the foot, so to speak.

Indeed, the need to improve people’s political education was an area on which all the speakers agreed upon on Friday, just one of several moments of consensus that emerged. This, I believe, offers some hope. What Friday proved is that there are a number of young people willing to stand up for what they believe in while being able to set aside differences at times to agree on what’s important for the country. Indeed, if the current politicians are out of touch, that may not be such a bad thing, as there are clearly a whole host of young politicians waiting to rise up and make the changes that need to be made. That is a hopeful prospect.

“Dissent within political parties is about as common as a long queue for Cheesy Tuesdays at Arena” But what is perhaps more important than the event itself, is what we can gather about the current state of student politics at the moment. Although all six speakers were representatives of their parties, all chose not to follow party line on certain topics. This is not particularly spectacular in itself. Dissent within political parties is about as common as a long queue for Cheesy Tuesdays at Arena, and a university branch is clearly an excellent

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6 JUNE 2012 |

Features

2012: A great spirit for a very British year?

Photo: theAtlantic

Sophie Duncan argues for a return to British patriotism in what looks to be a great year for the country BRITAIN has a great year ahead of her.

With the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games taking place, rarely will there ever be a greater cause to celebrate.

Yet the nation has taken its time to embrace patriotism. Around the Jubilee as well as the Olympics, scepticism has swarmed. With both events now all but upon us, it is time to dismiss the downsides, ignore the cynics and make the most of a summer that promises to display the very best that this country has to offer.

Many people are against the symbolism of the British monarchy and the amount of money being pumped into Jubilee festivities. Others say that given the economic circumstances, with the Eurozone crisis dominating news headlines and commentators bemoaning the effect it will have on Britain, the celebrations have come at an opportune time. In this regard the country is indeed in desperate need of a pick-me-up. However, the Diamond Jubilee should be treasured for far more significant reasons.

The monarchy stands at the forefront of British society. Through being distinctly- albeit not entirely- separated from politics, so too it is exempt from the fickle, incriminating judgements surrounding Westminster. Whereas public trust in politicians runs thin, in the monarch Britons have an immovable model whose role as upstanding figurehead is assured and forever reliable. Of

Exeposé

this there is no better illustration than Queen Elizabeth II who, though having undergone periods of modest popularitymost notably in the aftermath of Diana’s death, has ruled impeccably for 60 years.

Our Queen has more than met the expectations of a British monarch, demonstrating dedication to her subjects and a faultless public conduct that all too often goes unacknowledged.

“With the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games taking place, rarely will there ever be a greater cause to celebrate” The fact that we still have a monarch by no means renders us unique. The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Spain all have constitutional monarchies of their own. But are any of them as distinctive, as evocative or as renowned as ours? We are the envy of the Americans, who are positively infatuated by our royals. And so they should be. Last year’s royal wedding injected a new lease of life into the monarchy and William, Katherine and Harry represent its future. Their ever-growing popularity is an exciting prospect. We should endeavour to match the admiration of those who aren’t lucky enough to have a monarchy with our own pride, as our royals

are proving to be as cherished as ever.

So too should we be proud come July, when the Olympic Games arrive on British soil. London will become the first city to officially host the modern games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and 1948. But since the capital was awarded the 2012 Olympics in 2005, public reaction has been decidedly mixed. It has, unsurprisingly, served as ammunition for the time-honoured British tradition of putting a dampener on everything. Be it the amount of money invested in the games, the false promise of a legacy, insufficient public transport, unfair ticket allocation or an uninspiring logo, no stone of pessimism has been left unturned. Yet recent events would seem to suggest that the winds of

perception are changing. The Olympic Torch has been, and continues to be, met with notable enthusiasm. One can only hope that this is an indication of the nation’s mounting excitement, that when the games are underway the overriding mood will be one of genuine enjoyment and, above all, pride.

“The monarchy’s role as upstanding figurehead is assured and forever reliable” After all, even the meekest of sports fans cannot deny that besides athletic talent, the Olympic Games showcase

such values as dedication, humility and compassion. What an honour it therefore is that Britain is to host the event.

And alongside the coming together of nations, we should not be ashamed to revel in the greatness of our own. In our high street stores we have seen what can only be described as an invasion of quintessentially British goods. Likewise, the British public finally appears to be waking from its apathetic slumber and pulling out all the stops to celebrate the Jubilee. This summer, all eyes will be on Britain. So cue the patriotism, and long may it continue.

We should take the time to celebrate something which so many others envy, and which therefore enhances our reputation.

Floating Facebook: an absolute flop?

Photo: profit.ndtv

Robert Wilcox looks at the impact of Facebook’s IPO and asks what it means for the social networking giant OVER the past ten years the way friends stay in touch over the Internet has become big business. Take Facebook, which last week was valued at $100 billion in its Initial Public Offering (IPO). That’s bigger than the likes of Disney and the car maker Ford to name but a few. That also values the 500 million regular users at $200 each.

So is it worth such a vast amount of money, and what does the future of social networking have in store?

Never before have the origins of one company been documented in so much detail as Facebook. There’s been the film The Social Network, countless biographies of Mark Zuckerberg and a daily flow of news reports. As anyone who has watched The Social Network will know, credit for some of the original ideas behind Facebook is a hotly contested issue. The Winklevoss twins claim Zuckerberg misled them into helping him, they later settled in court.

The wealth accumulated by Mark Zuckerberg and co. leaves many people asking the same question: ‘Could I do the same?’ Given the number of social networks now around, this is easier said than done. Pinterest and Google+ have however been recent success stories, combining a new take on social

networking with a lot of advertising.

Along with these success stories are an equal number of failures; the most well known being MySpace and Bebo who have lost out to Facebook’s rise.

The main reason people think Facebook is worth so much money is its advertising power. All the information Mark Zuckerberg and his colleagues know about us allows for very specific advertising. For example, a bike shop in Exeter will pay a lot to advertise to people who live in Exeter and have listed cycling as one of their sports.

This also presents a challenge- some users resent their information being used in this way and are closing their accounts.

“The wealth accummulated

by Mark Zuckerberg and co. leaves many people asking the same question: ‘Could I do the same?’”

The financial scale of social networking is truly staggering. The recent IPO could have a significant impact on the world’s ninth largest economy, California, as Facebook along with many

of its employees are based there. They will soon be paying up to $2 billion in taxes which will significantly alter the state’s finances- and all this from a single website started in a university bedroom only a few years ago.

Many people however currently think the technology industry represents a bubble which at some point will burst. This happened in the 1990s when billions of dollars was lost from Internet companies in a few days as confidence in their profitability vanished. Facebook profits from persuading people to click on adverts on their site. Tough enough when people are desperate to check they haven’t been tagged in any embarrassing photos from the night before, even harder when more and more people are checking Facebook on a tiny phone screen with no room for adverts. This may be why Facebook’s share price has already fallen after a weeks trading.

It is certainly true that right now, social networking is a burgeoning industry that looks set to continue expanding for at least a little while longer. Yet there are also signs that this will not continue forever. We wait to see what a bursting of the Internet bubble means for the rest of the economy.

Give the thumbs up to a prize every Friday.

We’re celebrating every Friday by giving away the latest in gadgets and technology, and even bundles of cash!

To be in with a chance of winning each and every week simply Like our Facebook page and register for your ticket. And why not share with friends too, and look forward to every weekend with Endsleigh Fantime Friday. facebook.com/endsleigh twitter@endsleigh Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. This can be checked on the FSA Register by visiting its website at www.fsa.gov.uk. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited.

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6 june 2012 |

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeLStyle

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LIFESTYLE EDITORS

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Undertaking #TheSocialExperiment What happened when a social media junkie and a Facebook fearful swapped places for the week?

Joe Johnston SINCE Facebook made the permanent transition to Timeline, demanding ever more of your personal life - weight loss, home improvements and new glasses are now ‘life events’ - Henry White and I have been discussing what it would be like to live your life according to social media. The only person I know who tweets as much as Henry is Stephen Fry. I, on the other hand, am only a casual user. Recently we decided to swap our lifestyles. Henry gave up all social media for one week and I committed my life to it, posting and tweeting all that I could just to see what happens.

“Are the profiles we create on Facebook and Twitter nothing more than projections of an idealised self ?”

On Day One I posted thirty-nine times. Immediately I found it difficult to come up with interesting posts every half-hour. I wanted to avoid ‘Just ate a bagel’ or ‘Taking a shower!’ posts as much as possible, so I would spend most of my time scanning the web for interesting articles to share. What came as a surprise is the amount of people who approached me - on and off line - to say how they have either blocked me on their News Feed, may delete me as a ‘Friend’, or were otherwise just sick of my incessant posting. Fair enough, I thought. An overactive profile that floods other people’s News Feeds is a little like an overbearing friend who won’t let anyone else speak during conversation.

Days Two and Three were more

enjoyable as I relaxed into the social media lifestyle, posting many - perhaps too many - articles, videos and pictures. Often I would find myself thinking about how we live in an age of voluntary relinquishment of personal information. If an invasive government demanded all the information Facebook does there would be riots in the streets, but instead we hap-

pily give it up for free to a corporation we barely know. On Day Four I was struck by a virus and for the rest of the week I was in bed. Suddenly I was off the grid and my posting came to an abrupt end. I didn’t feel like posting pictures any more, not of me with a fever and a cup of Lemsip.

This experiment led me to ask the question: are the profiles we create on Facebook and Twitter nothing more than projections of an idealised self?

We only upload the best pictures of ourselves enjoying the best parts of our lives, but we discard the ones we feel aren’t quite ‘us’. Social media offers control of our public image, and this has its benefits when it comes to privacy, but we risk becoming nothing more than personal brands.

Henry White IRONICALLY, before I attended university, I didn’t use social media much (does MSN count?). In fact, I held Facebook in contempt, MySpace was a faded, laughable teenage memory and Twitter wasn’t part of my lexicon. But, within the first

few days of Welcome Week, Facebook had become the ubiquitous source of information and “add me” jumped around campus like contagious Tourette’s.

Three years later, it seems everything at University depends on Facebook.

Even the Guild and the University

management have succumbed and incorporate the site as a service to reach students, something I was initially a big supporter of.

However, I have become increasingly irritated by social media and its pervasive, monstrous nature. I would even say Zuckerberg is the digital Frankenstein. When challenged to spend a week away from Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Flickr et al, I was quite excited by the prospect. Not least to prove those who doubted I could go without it wrong.

As it happens, it was very easy to click ‘log out’ and completely stop using Facebook and Twitter. Within the first few days, I realised just how little the former matters.

The spam, the invitations, the constant stream of inane information about people I barely know, the pressure to ‘perform’ an online presence, all blissfully dissipated into reality.

After a couple of days, Facebook evasion was the norm and I began wondering what it was that had drawn me and 800 million others to it in the first place.

It would appear, in actuality, that Facebook is trivial. We really don’t need it. It exists to occupy us when we have nothing to do, time I imagine used to be spent reading newspapers. As I had always suspected, myself, and probably many others, simply use it through boredom or procrastination. It can be useful for communicating but is certainly not the best method and, I suspect, most users

are more concerned about their own profile, timeline and appearance on the site, rather than anyone else’s.

Unlike Facebook, Twitter, with its focus on ‘news’ (I generally follow news sources, organisations, politicians etc. rather than the vacuous celebs) and lack of emphasis on ‘profiles’ was slightly harder to ignore. The myriad of random links and stories which appear on my feed are usually useful or interesting. However, there exist plenty of other ways to gather information and I quickly reverted to more traditional methods, even picking up that newspaper.

“It was very easy to click ‘log out’ and completely stop using Facebook” Essentially, Twitter makes information-gathering and sharing easier, and I did miss this aspect of it. I will continue to recommend it as a great resource, a digital ‘signpost’, vastly superior to Facebook. And what of the blogs, Flickr and other sites I was avoiding? I forget I have accounts with these anyway.

Ultimately, this experiment has confirmed what I already suspected: social media is here to stay, but isn’t important or essential. It is just another means of doing what society has always done and beyond university/ student life, I don’t think it has much significance. As students, we rely on social media as a means to an end, but that is all. After university, I will happily neglect it for days and weeks at a time, and I suspect many others will too, as ‘normal’ life engulfs us.

But what if they switch the internet off? Society would definitely collapse.

Crowd-sourced design: a new era?

Adrien Book tells us how social media is changing the fashion industry for the better CREATED in 2002, Modcloth.com has been presenting vintage fans with hundreds of unique and stylish designs from all over the western hemisphere ever since.

“Modcloth has found a way to democratize the fashion industry” The company has had huge success in the past few years (mostly in the US); amongst other achievements, its Chief Creative Officer Susan Gregg-

Koger ranked 2nd in the 30 Under 30: America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs in 2009, and the company itself was awarded 2nd place for best fast growing company by Inc. Magazine’s in 2010.

These achievements though, however impressive, do not rock the foundation of fashion. Modcloth’s first private collection, however, does. ‘Make the Cut: Premiere Collection’, comprises 10 original designs, 7 of which were crowd-sourced from the online retailer’s own customer base. Modcloth fielded more than 1,900 submissions, 90 of which were then put to a

vote on Facebook.

What makes this so extraordinary you ask? Well, it seems to me that Modcloth has found a way to democratize the fashion industry, long renowned for the difficulty encountered by new designers to find space to exist in between the main players, as well as for big houses’ totalitarian approach to setting trends.

Of course, this would not have been possible a few years ago, but with the accelerated blossom of social medias, it has become possible to gather designs from aspiring designers all over the world and let the world (or at least the

part of it which is on Facebook) decide which ones are worthy of our attention.

Therefore market research gets done all by itself and the majority gets a say as to what they want to wear in the future.

I really hope that ModCloth will be seen as a precursor, and that websites offering to manufacture aspiring designer’s ideas

will soon blossom all over the web. And if Louis Vuitton and Prada loses some of their hypnotizing grip on us in the process, I’m sure they’ll find some comfort in the stock exchange.

Fashion should be social, not financial.

Social media helped free whole countries and revolutionized the world’s political equilibrium: revolutionizing my wardrobe shouldn’t be a problem.

Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

lifestyle

Life’s a beach!

The eternal pessimist.

The worst thing about ... clubbing

Giverny Masso gives the low down on the best post-exam beaches to visit

Exmouth

ALTHOUGH Exmouth town alone is nothing special, its conveniently close, big and sandy beach makes it a worthwhile visit for any student.

It was a shame that there was some litter in the sea and on the sand, but despite this the beach had a pleasant atmosphere. I would highly recommend ‘The Grove’ pub, which has fantastic food, a beautiful garden area and stunning seafront views. Buying an ice cream from one of the multiple surrounding stalls is also a must!

If you plan this excursion with a

group of friends a day in advance, a cheap and fun eating option would be to take a disposable BBQ or a picnic and share the cost. Essential items you may forget include plastic cups and plates, as well something to turn the meat on the BBQ. If you also remember to bring a ball or Frisbee and a few drinks then Exmouth beach is bound to be a great day out with a group of friends.

COST: £3.90 off-peak return from Exeter St. Davids TRAVEL TIME: 30 mins

Lifestyle’s columnist, Helen Carrington, gives her view on drinking games, club queuing and that strange Arena aroma...

FOR some reason you just don’t deserve the title ‘student’ unless you spend at least one night a week drinking bleach disguised as basics supermarket vodka, queuing grumpily in the cold, then dancing to appalling music while trying to avoid the unwanted attentions of the drunk man dancing like Elvis behind you.

I’m not entirely sure why this is such a ‘classic’ student pastime, particularly in the first few weeks of what is already a fairly daunting experience. Upon arriving in Fresher’s Week, the idea of spending the first evening unable to communicate with your future flatmates because of the blasting music and inebriation of everyone in the building seems a fairly irrational way of making new friends to me. But call me a killjoy if you will, as it happens I quite enjoy clubbing, as long as I’m willing to overlook the many flaws of this student tradition.

“I have no desire to drink gravy, whisky and pear cider out of a saucepan”

Sidmouth

SIDMOUTH BEACH, situated on the famous Jurassic coast, is a stunning visit. Sidmouth town is catered to tourists without losing a touch of local charm, making it the perfect Devon cultural experience.

The clean beach is mainly stony, meaning it is unsuitable for sunbathing. However, there are fantastic opportunities for walking or admiring the views and the majestic red cliffs.

The town itself is also very picturesque. Many local cafés offer cream teas, and I would particularly recommend “The Dairy Shop” on Church Street. This joint shop and café sells local products and serves delicious homemade lunches, hot meals, cakes

and snacks.

For anyone with a sweet tooth ‘Rolly’s Fudge Parlour’ on Fore Street is an essential visit. It offers fresh, homemade fudge of both traditional and intriguing flavours, including clotted cream, salt, and lemon meringue.

I would recommend Sidmouth as more of a day out with visiting family members than with friends, although the timeless beach and charismatic seaside town will not fail to impress anyone COST: £6.50 return bus ticket from Exeter bus station, bays 2A, B and C TRAVEL TIME: 45 mins in good traffic

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Getting ready to go out is actually one of my favourite parts of the process, but here I’m aware I’m predominantly representative of my gender in this respect. It’s acceptable for a guy to simply put on a different top for a night out, while we poor girls try on and reject

every outfit we possess before settling inevitably on the first one we selected.

I don’t know why I say poor- we love it. We then proceed to completely disregard the weather, ignore the warm jacket hanging in our wardrobe, strap those miniature traffic cones onto our feet, and venture out the door in the equivalent of beachwear. After all, a single drink will help us re-find our alcohol jackets.

One thing that does irritate me profusely is the insanity of queuing systems at clubs. At Arena, the only way to be guaranteed entry, (apart from buying tickets in advance which I disapprove of on a moral principle. Spontaneity is a beautiful concept that should be rewarded and not punished), is to pay your outrageously high fee for entry around lunchtime, have your arm branded semi-permanently with a stamp of a completely illegible word (it could read ‘CONVICT’ for all I know), then return home to get ready, spend time with your flatmates and play those wonderful drinking games before returning several days later to enjoy your actual night out.

Granted, I’m sometimes fairly reluctant to partake in these insipid games that tradition demands begin every night.

I have many issues with these ridiculous routines, not least that if I have spent money on a slightly less disgusting bottle of wine than usual, I dislike being forced to give any of it away or mix it with someone else’s bottle of voddy just

because the Queen of Spades demands that I do so. Furthermore, I have no desire to drink gravy, whisky and pear cider out of a saucepan, and while ‘Never Have I Ever’ is mildly entertaining in Fresher’s Week, after two years living together, you really don’t have that many secrets, and if for any bizarre reason I particularly wanted to know how many sexual partners my flatmate has had, I’d probably just ask them. But most of all, drinking games are pointless. Being pointed at and demanded that I ‘drink five’ means absolutely nothing. If I want to drink at that moment I will, and whatever scientific method you suggest I use to estimate five drinks, I will take very little notice of, and will drink however much I feel that I would like to drink. If someone points at me and commands me to strip, dance on the table and down a bottle of vodka, will I do it? No. Pointless.

But unquestionably, the worst part of clubbing is the smell. I know the smell of Arena (and to be honest, all clubs), with its acidic tequila, spilled puddles of sugary alcopops, lingering reek of vomit and overpowering stench of body odour mingled with stilton, is a common topic of complaint, and even- dare I say it?familiar nostalgia. But every time I enter those doors, it makes me wonder once again why I would pay to subject myself to it. And if I’m honest, I still don’t really know.

Sex-on-the-Exe

An anonymous student finds himself in a very sticky situation THEY say you never forget your first time. My God, how I wish I could. I had always been the shy type, never the kind of guy to make a move on a girl or even ask her out on a date. Yet, something about coming to Exeter as a fresher gave me some newfound confidence. I don’t know, maybe it was the fresh, Devon air, or the abundance of blonde hair and pert breasts around these parts – I must have a chance with at least one of them.

It was about my fifth week of lectures, a cool October morning, when I finally rustled up the courage to talk a girl I had become infatuated with. I had seen her in one of my first lectures, and her radiance became engrained in my mind (which was helpful when rustling my jimmies in the shower – if you catch my drift!)

“H-hey”, I said. She looked up and smiled at me. I almost bust a nut on the spot, but luckily I managed to keep lil’ nipper somewhere between a semi and a three-quarter. “D-do you want to um...”

I pause. “Err...” I can’t get it out. Sweat is dripping from my hands and I start to feel my pockets moistening.

I won’t bore you with the details of organising the date, but later that night I found myself sitting down to dinner with a beautiful girl, and after a few drinks we were both at ease. As she finished her plate, she excused herself to go to the toilet. I wasn’t even close to finishing my bolognese, but I’m not one to waste and so while she was away, I stored my spaghetti in my blazer pockets and some in my fedora. I wasn’t planning to wear my fedora later – that would look silly.

As the gentleman I am, I walked her back to her place (walking on the outside of her, next to the road, as mother taught). When it came time to bid her adieu, she softly said the words “do you want to come in?”. I was shocked. All I could do was nod as she led me up to her bedroom.

I wish I could tell you how this beauty looked when she was disrobed. However, the spicy habanero burrito I had consumed earlier that day before was making me feel exetremly nauseous. My vision blurred and I could hardly notice the warm sludge dripping down my leg.

I fell to my knees as the spiced pork and

pico-de-gallo combination made its way back up through my body and onto her floor. Wiping my hands across the warm vomit was a futile attempt to clean it up and I think only made things worse.

My rectum had now been fully opened and the flow of excrement was unstoppable. I lay on the floor, surrounded by my own foul fluids, and now spaghetti was beginning to seep out of my pockets and into her carpet. “I’m.. S-sorry. I have.. Money. I give.. you.” I didn’t quite hear her response. Somewhere between ejecting out of every orifice, my hearing had been dampened. But, I knew I had to leave.

I crawled down her stairs as quick as I could. In my rush I had even left my trademark fedora behind. Out of her house, I ran sobbing as fast as I ever have in my life back to my flat, leaving behind a trail of tears of spaghetti.

Sure, the night didn’t go exactly as planned. My dignity took some severe hits and I lost my trademark fedora (it’s kind of my thing!) But, hey, I was a night I’ll never forget. At least I’ve lost my virginity.

You will benefit from: Accesss to Ram and Lemon Grove, Special food & drink discounts in The RAM and Lemon Grove whenever you visit the campus, Access to online clothing score, Able to sign up to societies Attend events throughout the year

exeterguild.com/alumni

Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

Music

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Music

15

MUSIC EDITORS

Callum McLean & Anthony Prodromou music@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Music

Breaking camp: 2012’s festival survivors Facing a year marked by a Glasto hiatus, those pesky Olympics and a series of cancellations, Exeposé Music looks ahead to an unusual festival season and talks to the artists and organisers involved...

New kids on the Bloc Callum McLean, Music Editor talks to Alex Benson about Snoop Dogg, the new location and MS Stubnitzx

IN an industry that puts out a handful of camping events in idyllic pastoral locations every weekend for months every summer, it’s the festivals that break the mould which stand out, and Bloc is right at the helm.

“We started out setting up parties at pig farms in Norfolk” explains

founding organizer Alex Benson, “then moved on to club nights in Brighton that got bigger and bigger…until we’d do a night on a Friday on the seafront and then have everybody come back to our house…but as we all know, after three days people, like fish, begin to smell.” Moving them all out of their

kitchen into a ‘run down holiday park’ back in Norfolk, the festival moved through its beloved location at Butlins in Minehead before its manifestation this year in the London Pleasure Gardens.

Although Alex admits the process has had a “rig-it-yourself” feel, he’s

well aware of what Bloc’s new home will bring to the weekend. “It’s also going to be really good locating Bloc within that industrial music feel and having that harsh techno sound actually in a post-industrial landscape.” The London Pleasure Gardens includes the monolithic Millenium Mills building, as well as MS Stubnitz, a 541-tonne Communist deep-sea-fishing vessel converted into an audiovisual art installation, rigged with two venues in its hull for Bloc: ‘we’re gonna be smashing it up’ adds Alex.

This is all exciting enough as it is before considering the weekend’s unfathomable line-up, including Flying Lotus, Amon Tobin and the legendary Orbital. But it’s also probably the only place you’ll ever see Snoop Dogg on the same bill as minimalist composer Steve Reich, probably owing to the organisers’ determined eclecticism and personal devotion to artist selection: ‘They both make music, they’re both alive in the early part of the 21st century – when you look at it like that they may as well be the same being. It all

comes down to our record collections’.

Since day one when they arranged the bill by laying out their favourite records on their living room floor (‘we thought, “we’ll have Kool Keith on Friday Night, then a bit of techno on the Saturday”’), Bloc’s line-ups have been success stories of joining the dots.

‘Who cares whether they ‘fit’ – they fit on my CD shelf.’ Alex concludes.

What this ultimately allows is a concentration on what matters. “People like to play Bloc; the crowd knows their stuff and artists have a great time when they come and play here. People just turn up and do their thing”. As an inner-city weekender, the exclusion of camping (“no one likes that stuff anyway”, Alex dismisses) keeps this focus. “I think it’s going to be good for London to have something on that Sonar model”, he enthuses, and it’s hard to deny the fact that Bloc looks to dominate the festival season with an unbeatable set of artists in such an idiosyncratic, hyper-atmospheric locale.

And no need to worry about bog roll and tent pegs.

6th-7th July Alex’s highlight: Riche Hawtin Headliners: Snoop Dogg, James Blake & more Location: London Pleasure Gardens Damage: £99 weekend ticket

Bass pleasures; getting Glade Anthony Prodromou, Music Editor talks to genre-phobic knob-twiddler Boddika about sunrise raves, and looks ahead to the most diverse, narcotic dance festival in the UK FOR any fans of electronic music, Glade Festival – the bassy love child of Glastonbury – tucked away in deepest darkest Norfolk, is a must this year.

If you mix some of the best, boundary-pushing producers and DJs in the world with a fantastic set of diverse stages and equally beautiful soundsystems (there are sub-woofers under the floor of one of them) and a 24-hour licence, crazy things are going to happen. Add to that the Pyro-mid stage, a colossal obelisk-tent burnt down ceremonially at the end of the festivities, and you have rave-tastic madness supreme.

Its non-commercial ethos as well as a line-up incorporating all kinds of electronic tastes, means that it manages to successfully avoid the kind of pretentious this-club-is-full-of-middleaged-men-head-nodding-in-anoraks feel that often characterises dance mu-

sic events have. Glade is all about the non-stop partying.

Exeposé Music managed to catch up with one of the biggest and most exciting names at Glade, the veteran hero of anything with bass: Boddika. Continuing to come out with release after

“It’s magical watching thousands of people dancing to electronic music as the sun comes up” huge release, he recently co-produced with the one and only Joy Orbison (a collaboration he hinted at as continuing for ‘the foreseeable future’) on Dun Dun/Prone whilst now continuing to work on developing his own Nonplus Records label, as well as working with Swamp81 and Sunklo.

“I’ve heard lots of good things

about Glade in the past…I’m really looking forward to finding out for myself what it’s all about”, he enthuses.

When you know someone as eminent as Boddika is excited for Glade, you know it’s probably about time you got your tickets. “It’s magical watching thousands of people dancing to electronic music as the sun comes up”.

Hordes dancing in the sunrise could only be made better by Boddika’s distinctive brand of hardware-heavy, organic-sounding electronic music. ‘I would get bored within minutes just sitting in front of one computer screen’ he explains about his devotion to outboard equipment. ‘It’s everything, it’s just how I work and always have done’.

It’s this kind of originality and individuality that has made Glade one of the UK’s premier dance festivals. Be sure to catch Boddika amongst the ridiculously fantastic line up later this June.

14th-17th June Headliners: Rusko, Vitalic, Pretty Lights & more

Location: Houghton Hall, Norfolk

Damage: £145 weekend or £150 student + bus

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MUSIC

Exeposé

Give it some Leeway Exeposé Music and Bonnie Stephensmith talk to Lee Denny about starting Leefest from his back garden IN 2006 sixteen-year-old Lee Denny was forbidden from having a house party while his parents were on holiday. So, logically, he decided to host a festival... in the garden. The profits went to charity and its success convinced Lee’s parents, who did find out, to allow Leefest another year in the garden in 2007.

From these meagre beginnings the rapid growth of this festival has been tracked annually by the increase in portaloos!

Now in its seventh year, Leefest has maintained its lively atmosphere and incredibly altruistic ethos and taken up residence on a farm in Surrey.

When discussing the possibility of up-scaling the event further Lee divulged that their ethos had been to “see how it goes”. He explained “we want to stick to a very organic growth.

We don’t want to push and pull it in directions it maybe doesn’t want to go. So, if it feels right for the festival to grow a little bit over the course of the next few years it will.” This idea of organic progression contributed to Leefest winning the Best Grassroots Festival Award in 2009. Of course,

organising a non-profit event of this size is challenging. Lee admitted “team organisation is quite difficult sometimes because we’re all volunteers and we just do it for fun” and listed the objections of the council, who “don’t want anything fun to happen”, and financial worries as the other main issues they’d faced.

However, these challenges have not spoiled Leefest organisers’ vision of, as Lee put it, “trying to take the festival back to a more true to art celebration of music and a celebration of these artists creating.” Leefest maintains an “everybody’s equal” ethos of opportunity, “blending the famous and the unknown” up-and-coming bands, rather than leaving the latter “in the shadows” of the larger names.

Though Leefest is not modelled on one particular festival, Lee personally thinks “it’s Glastonbury’s eclectic nature we want, on a smaller scale”, admiring the variety of cultures and art forms that the super-festival brings together.

Another key element of Leefest is their focus on young people. Last year Lee was interviewed on BBC News at

ten just after they’d filmed the London riots kicking off. This demonstrated a “pure contrast on the BBC - kids destroy the country and kids create music and arts celebration entirely altruistically”.

During our interview Lee encouraged

students to begin similar enterprises, emphasising that at university they have a “wealth of people around them who are keen, excited and want to start getting real life experience” so they should just “bring those people together

and start doing something.” Lee’s altruistic, proactive outlook is mirrored in the efforts of his team of volunteers and thus we can expect this year’s festival to be as full of innovation, fun and community spirit as ever.

29th-30th Jun Lee’s highlight: Bastille Headliners: Mystery Jets, Ghostpoet, Slow Club & more Location: Bromley, South London Damage: £57 weekend

Get on my farm!

Callum McLean, Music Editor chews the fat on Farm Festival with its founding organiser Peter Vernon

SIMILAR in many ways to Leefest, Farm Festival offers a weekend of music for a meagre ticket price with all proceeds going to the following year’s organisation and the surplus to charity, in their case Practical Action. Peter Vernon, the festival’s key organiser, tells us how an event like Farmfest could be made into a reality, and how to survive in the modern festival market.

“It all started when my son drove across the Sahara desert” (as any good story should). “He saw a lot of poverty and all sorts, and from that the idea sprung up to start the festival”. Practical Action became involved and the notfor-profit ethos became foundational to Farmfest, as did its commitment to local produce and community involvement.

“Importantly for us we hope that we’ve got a reputation for value for money and for organic food and drink - our cider comes from apples grown in a community orchard three miles from the site.” A key example of how the festival

manages to keep costs low and support their charity, such a partnership involves a double donation to different causes and minimises the price for a pint.

However, it’s clear that it is less simple than this. “Anyone can do it.

We’ve done it slowly over the years. But don’t expect to make any money” Peter responds dryly when we ask how to go about organising something from such a base level. “We could extend the festival across for days and charge a higher ticket price” but that’s what differentiates Farmfest from the Festival Republic behemoth; “we don’t charge for parking, nor for camping, nor green tax etc. etc.… all these nice scams rake in quite a bit of money. We’re valued [for this]. We get people coming back year after year - half of our sales are repeats, many of them over three or four years. It’s a matter of offering something new.”

Along these lines Peter is also keen to highlight that such an ethos gives to small festivals in the modern market

27th-28th Jul Peter’s highlight: Bastille Headliners: The Boy Least Likely To, Appleblim & more

Readers recommend

Our contributors highlight the festive staples they’ll be returning to this year, through cess-pits and ceilidhs.

Reading, 24th-26th Aug Traditionally a rock festival, Reading has always carried a ‘bad boy image’. Festival goers attend not just for the music, which now spans from Rock to Dance, but for the atmosphere.

Reading has never been for the fainthearted, especially with last night frolics which include gas canister explosions, demolition of the cess-pit toilets and the ritual of burning tents. However, in the past two years, security has been

tightened, making the festival safer but slightly more boring. The Nazi state security which has been implemented within the past two years, as well as sub-standard line-ups could attribute to the failure to sell out in 2011. However, Reading is trying to counteract this through a solid line up this year, which includes the messiah of Reading Festival, Dave Grohl headlining the mainstage on the Sunday with Foo Fighters.

SOPHIE PARKER

Green Man, 17th-19th Aug SINCE its birth in 2003 as a mere 300-capacity one-day festival, the ethically-minded Green Man has gained considerable momentum to become one of the UK’s biggest folk festivals. Last year the main stage, with its backdrop dominated by the towering Brecon Beacons, attracted the likes of Laura Marling, Bellowhead and Fleet Foxes.

However, the onslaught of the new-folkies is not all the valleys have to offer. This year promises the bluesy tones of Van Morrison, the Sound of 2012 Michael Kiwanuka and the likes of Mr Scuff and James Blake to keep you going through the night. And

another great advantage: new, up and coming talent. Such a small proportion of music consumption is now paid for that “bands use festivals as an income stream – they want more money upfront.

The modern paradox is that that’s allowed small festivals to be able to offer lots of bands that might be up and coming because if those bands don’t charge too much you’re able to say to them, well, you’ve got loads of talent, we’ll put you on”. Therein lies the value of such a conscious, grassroots event.

“We do have a bit of a reputation for spotting bands that are up and coming: we had Friendly Fires play in 2007, Wild Beasts in 2009 and there was a band that I really liked before they got famous and they were Florence + The Machine, but then they played the Introducing stage at Glastonbury, and then suddenly we couldn’t afford them!”

If these acts are anything to go on then we can expect great things from 2012’s Farm Festival.

Location: Bruton, Somerset Damage: £40 weekend

despite its four music stages, there is plenty more to keep you on your toes.

If you fancy a laugh then the Comedy Tent will provide more than a few giggles, the science-themed Einstein’s Garden will keep you occupied with art, music and hands-on activities, and the Literature Tent offers poetry readings, interviews and discussions.

With the true festival spirit paraded through the ceilidhs, secret performances and the night long bonfire on the final night, the Green Man Festival is definitely one to hit before it’s success transforms it to a mud fight of the swarming masses in years to come.

IZZY CAPEL-TIMMS

Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

Fortnightly Picks

MUSIC

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Do Slow Club need to speed up?

Ellie Bothwell finds out that the previously ‘twee’ folk-indie group pack a mature, meaty punch live, hot on the heels of their latest album Paradise. Intense maybe, but are they as much fun as they used to be?

4 June EUSO Concert Exeter Cathedral 5 June Keane Bristol O2 Academy 7 June Kate Nash Thekla, Bristol 8th June Our House The Cavern sees the launch of a brand new house night, featuring Exeter’s best DJs in what is sure to be an ace addition to those who want to stray off the beaten track of Exeter’s nightlife.

12 June NOFX Bristol O2 Academy 15 June Indie Night vs. Disco Sucks Cavern 25 June Andrew Bird Trinity Centre, Bristol

IMMEDIATELY launching into ‘Where I’m Waking’, Slow Club opened with the boisterous and enticing sounds characteristic of their latest album Paradise. Rebecca Taylor’s vocals soared over the intimate crowd, thundering drums built up in the background and an electric guitar jangled throughout. In short, Exeter was greeted with a surprisingly firm handshake from a band whose first effort was almost unanimously reviewed as ‘twee’.

Slow Club’s gradual evolution from the quaint folk-indie girl/boy duo of their debut to the more muscular, and, at times, more sorrowful, current incarnation is aided by the addition of two new band members on bass and drums, who enable a richer and more layered live sound.

Uncanny Valley - Rising Lovely number here from mysterious Oakland duo Uncanny Rising. Ethereal vocals over catchy synths. http://bit.ly/KWFxRg

“The set proved that Slow Club are still youthful and jubilant, but just a tad meatier” their idiosyncratic playfulness. The set proved that Slow Club are still youthful and jubilant, but just a tad meatier. Even softer tracks such as ‘Never Look Back’ were darker and more thoughtful than the whimsical ballad equivalents on their

THE FIRING RANGE

Freebie of the Fortnight We trawl through the interwebs so you don’t have to...

‘Two Cousins’, their most successful release to date, was performed with a generous helping of gusto; recent single ‘The Dog’ was even more rollicking live, and ‘If We’re Still Alive’ showcased rockier vibrations alongside

Exeposé Music unleash the public on the fortnight’s new releases. Who will be left standing?

*

Icon (ft. Bebe Black) Benga

SKREAM’s partner in grime Benga returns to Katy B-style femme-fortifying, straddling West Country lass Bebe Black’s polished put-downs with gargantuan clubstep claps, jungle shuffles and syncopated blips and bloops. Just like his best A-list production before this it swaggers triumphantly in the daylight, unashamedly follow-

ing all the soars and bounds that Benga and Skream have given to dance-infused pop music on permanent loan. Expect boat shoes and hi-tops alike to intermittently shark and skank all over the Arena carpet to this one – while it’s pouring out of the speakers no one will mind either way.

CALLUM MCLEAN MUSIC EDITOR

debut.

Yet, as well as showcasing tracks from Paradise, the band also played a handful of songs from their debut album Yeah So. Renditions of ‘Our Most Brilliant Friends’ and ‘Giving Up On Love’ were jovial and fun, and warmly received by the somewhat rowdy crowd.

With Charles Watson’s vocals suffering slightly from a sore throat, Rebecca’s powerful and rich tones carried the harmonies, presenting a vocal talent that can only be fully appreciated live.

Her interactions with the unruly and occasionally obnoxious crowd also displayed her as a masterful front woman: assertive, yet also charming and entertaining. In between their more earnest and intense songs, she proved

that whilst the subject matter of their music can be serious, they do not take themselves too seriously.

“Their subject manner can be serious, but they never take themselves too seriously” Finally, Charles and Rebecca treated the crowd to an intimate acoustic version of ‘Hackney Marsh’ performed at the very front of the stage. With a surprise saxophone instrumental from bassist Steve Black hiding at the back of the venue, it was a beautiful finish that demonstrated exactly the kind of delightful charm and fun Slow Club are all about.

Feel The Love Rudimental ft. John Newman

Princess of China Coldplay ft. Rihanna

AS the sun finally begins to shine, this Hackney based quartet have released what is arguably the radio anthem of the summer. Guest John Newman provides soulful vocals that soar over the wobble of the drum and bass chorus, whilst jazzy trumpets in the breakdown show the extent of the group’s myriad influences. Ultimately though, it’s let down by some lazy synths and slightly one-dimensional sound, meaning that its ‘big drops’ get tiresome quickly.

The single is probably worth it for the excellent deep house remix from Scuba though!

THE majority of Coldplay fans will undoubtedly have raised their eyebrows somewhat, upon hearing the band had paired up with another artist in their newest album, let alone someone as prominent as Rihanna. Does the song ‘Princess of China’ signify a shift in the band’s direction? Whatever the back story, this collaboration is certainly imbued with the distinct celestial synths normally associated with Rihanna, and Chris Martin manages to reinforce the song with his recognisable vocal style to create a surprisingly satisfying song.

NICK PEDDLE

ELLIOT LANG

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6 JUNe 2012 |

Screen

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Newsreel Haneke wins Palme d’Or with Amour

SCREEN EDITORS

Louis Doré & Owen Keating screen@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Screen

Spotlight: Sir Ridley Scott Screen Editors Owen Keating and Louis Doré profile the iconic director and review his latest blockbuster, Prometheus

Ridley Scott is desperate to include Harrison Ford in his forthcoming Blade Runner sequel, saying “I’ve got to have him in [the sequel] somewhere. That’d be amusing.” Ford was reported to have been in talks over the sequel last year, although only with regards to a cameo role. Ford played replicant hunter Rick Deckard in the 1982 original, which is widely considered to be one of the best sci-fi films ever made.

Bradley Cooper to adapt sniper novel Star of the Hangover series and Limitless Bradley Cooper has picked his new production company’s first project. American Sniper is an adaptation of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s autobiography, which details Kyle’s experiences while representing the USA in combat. Kyle held the record for the most sniper kills by any US serviceman. Cooper will not only coproduce the film, but is also likely to star in it.

Reviews

Your thoughts on animated caper The Pirates!

Winning the second Palme D’Or of his career, Michael Haneke’s new film, Amour, was an early favourite and was met widely with positive critical acclaim. The story is of an elderly couple whose relationship is threatened by a stroke

Blade Runner sequel to feature Ford?

Exeposé

One of Aardman’s finest efforts; every scene is layered with humour, attention to detail and the filmmaker’s love for their craft. Superb.

CHRIS DAVIES CHANCES are, you’ve seen at least one of Ridley Scott’s films. The Tyneside-born director has created generation-defining masterpieces that not only make us question what happens around us, but also transports us to previously unimaginable worlds.

Sir Ridley first achieved international recognition with Alien, the 1979 sci-fi film that started Sigourney Weaver on the path to science fiction stardom. His dystopian pedigree was further improved with Blade Runner, which, despite an initially poor reception, has become hugely influential.

The film is now considered genre-defining, as well as being credited with popularising ‘cyberpunk’.

Throughout his career, Scott has rarely taken the safe option, and his films tend to polarise opinion. Lesserknown works, like Legend (1985) and A Good Year (2006), may have struggled at the box office, but are still seen by many as ‘cult’ films which are more worthwhile than their net profits may suggest.

Many know him for his more recent successes; Gladiator (2000) is an astonishing reinvigoration of the ‘swords and sandals’ genre, whilst Black Hawk Down (2002) is utterly compelling in its shocking realism.

He followed this up with American Gangster (2007), which, although initially hampered by administrative difficulties, enjoyed box office success.

All in all, Sir Ridley Scott can only be considered one of the greatest directors of our time. His films are compelling, rich and stylistically very striking. His works get to the heart of the human condition, resonating with audiences across any demographic you’d care to mention.

Given Scott’s sci-fi pedigree and the extraordinary hype that surrounded the film’s release, Prometheus promised to be the suspense-smothered thriller of the summer. The film follows the eponymous myth’s theme, as a group of scientists, financed by a conglomerate, voyage to the ends of the universe to discover humanity’s origins.

From exquisite opening vistas to gorgeously intricate cellular CGI, Scott’s cinematography is astonishing.

Precise camerawork immerses you in the world of the film, moving from beautiful landscapes to blood-spattered operating theatres with ease. Add to this a haunting soundtrack and an atmosphere choked with suspense and drama, and the stage is set for the prequel the Alien series deserves.

However, much like the scientists’

mission, the film stutters and ultimately fails in its execution. The plot ambles along fuzzily, with no real explanation given for all the gore. And there’s a lot of gore. Viewing the film is a visceral, shudder-inducing experience with a disappointing payoff. The characters’ motives are largely unexplained, and when they are, it’s genuinely hard to empathise. The film’s shortcomings are aptly summarised by the fact that the most compelling character is David (Fassbender), a soulless Machiavellian android.

Given the inadequacies of the script, Idris Elba and Noomi Rapace make valiant efforts to humanise otherwise wooden characters. Elba offsets typical clichés with wit and verve, while Rapace portrays protagonist Elizabeth Shaw as courageous, convincing and wilfully idealistic.

Prometheus’s ambition is its own undoing; the plot skims too many concepts to convincingly investigate any of them, and is only partially saved by some strong performances and an intoxicating atmosphere. Like the scientists’ initial findings, this film flatters to deceive.

Brilliantly funny, especially enjoyed David Tennant as the voice of Charles Darwin! Immediately wanted to watch the film again as there is so much in an Aardman film to take in; hilarious for all the ages.

HANNAH BROWN Sword-sharp wit, gripping storyline, excellent animation and more celebrity voices than you can shake a parrot at.

Endearing for both adults and children alike.

MADDIE SOPER I thought it was brilliant. Genuinely funny in a sweet and innocent way. And that’s from someone who normally hates animation. Particularly loved the little song from ol’ Flight of the Conchords SAM EIGELAAR A laugh-out-loud adventure complete with swashbuckling shenanigans, a dodo named Polly, a monkey with flashcards, and a motley crew of bumbling but good-hearted pirates.

CAMMI MOTLEY

Films to see before you graduate: Fight Club Fight Club Director: David Fincher Cast: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham-Carter (18) 139mins THE first rule of Fight Club is that you never talk about Fight Club. Even if you were to talk about it, you’d struggle to adequately describe it; you’ve never seen anything like this.

Ed Norton is our Narrator, a man who can’t sleep and who barely lives.

Buying out of catalogues and eating out of takeaway cartons, inbetween shifts at a job he detests, his life is the dictionary definition of dull. His only

release is trawling self-help seminars, exorcising his demons on the weak and the broken. However, he loses even this simple pleasure when the deliciously sadistic Marla (Helena Bonham-Carter) comes onto the scene, stealing his own predatory thunder.

Enter Tyler Durden, the man you wish you were. Brad Pitt spits charisma with every broken tooth and anti-establishment speech, persuading the Narrator and the audience into the underground world of brutal aggression and primal anger as an alternative type of therapy. Men fight men for the visceral thrill of it, the excitement of fist thudding into mouth. Everything goes swimmingly for a while, camaraderie

and brutality living in bizarre harmony, until Marla turns up as Tyler’s lover.

Even this does not particularly disturb the Narrator, until Fight Club evolves into an organisation far more terrifying than the bareknuckle boxing arena it was.

Our narrator is thrown into a battle far more ferocious than any fight he’s been in before, playing a terrorists’s game of chess against a seemingly unbeatable opponent.

Fight Club is the life you’ll never have, but the experience that on some primal level, you’ve always wanted. Join the club.

LOUIS DORÉ SCREEN EDITOR

Fight Club: it’s absolutely pectacular.

Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

SCREEN

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Don’t forget your sunscreen! Summer Scorchers Robert J Harris juggles spectacle and substance in big budget summer flicks THE first signs of summer are finally upon us. The sky is clear, the beaches inviting and the weather is set to be fantastic. Surely there is no better a time to sit for hours in a dark, airconditioned movie theatre and enjoy the latest blockbusters from our good friends in Hollywood.

No other period in the film calendar seems to create such division as that of the summer blockbuster. Many critics have come to see it merely as the time when creativity and originality is thrown out the window in favour of loud noises, special effects and lacklustre scripts – an unyielding entertainment colossus that flattens smaller gems beneath huge budgets and relentless advertising campaigns. Over the years, Michael Bay’s series of Transformers movies has essentially come to embody a brash summer flick almost to the point of parody, a franchise which spits out rigidly formulaic instalments which are panned by the critics yet still manage to gross record-breaking profits, choosing spectacle over substance.

Most of the time, it is not the actual content of the film that can make summer movies seem derivative and irritating, but simply what they represent. In 2011, nine out of the top ten highestgrossing films of the year were sequels, the majority coming out in the summer period. Not only were three of those franchises in the top ten a decade ago but the tenth film, Thor, was based on

The Dark Knight Rises

The Bourne Legacy

TOM HARDY faces the near impossible challenge of creating a villain as chilling as Heath Ledger’s Joker, and by the looks of the trailer, he may have managed it. The Batman series looks like it will be returning with more than a bang, as the CGI geeks have truly outdone themselves with some absolutely breathtaking destruction at the hands of Bane, the intimidating mastermind terrorist leader and Batman’s new nemesis.

You can expect to see Christian Bale return to form as the oh-so-serious caped crusader in need of a strepsil, with Anne Hathaway providing a charismatic foil as the femme fatale, Catwoman.

Throw in the charming class of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a supporting role, and this potent concoction seems set to wow audiences. If Nolan can pick up where he left off with The Dark Knight, he should deliver the film of the summer.

IN a massive revamp of the series, Jeremy Renner plays Aaron Cross, a CIA agent trained in a super-secret programme based on the now defunct Project Treadstone, the project that created Jason Bourne. Unsurprisingly like his predecessor, Cross goes AWOL, and is pursued by the CIA. Several characters from the original trilogy reappear (including Pam Landy and Noah Vosen), in tandem with an influx of new faces, including a thoroughly shady Ed Norton.

The film is guaranteed to be brutal and fast paced, with an excellent spy hunting conspiratorial narrative, and hopefully executed without the super shaky handy-cam of The Bourne Ultimatum. Renner is certainly talented enough, and ripped enough, to replace Damon; hopefully we’ll have a new hero. Tony Gilroy, the writer of all the Bourne films thus far, is also directing. I for one am a huge fan of the series and I’m very excited to see what Gilroy and Renner bring to The Bourne Legacy.

Released 20th July

the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It is unfortunate to say that the innovative engine of Hollywood has stuttered over the years, studios choosing the financial safety of established franchises instead of daring to take a chance.

“It is unfortunate to say that the innovative engine of Hollywood has stuttered over the years” I certainly do not want to present summer blockbusters as nothing but a bloated collection of special effects and expensive action scenes as some disgruntled critics may lead you to believe. On the contrary, this summer’s

offerings should without doubt be getting you excited. After kicking things off in style, Avengers Assemble was quite rightly a hit. Sure it wasn’t an original concept, but the writing and action complimented each other so effortlessly that its origins soon became irrelevant.

Regardless of whether a summer blockbuster is original or not, we must still recognise that the whole concept is a cultural phenomenon with no parallel. Each film is a result of mass coordination of every field in the industry, ranging from designers to caterers, actors to animal trainers, created for a market of millions around the world.

Despite their frequent faults, we should be in no rush to dismiss what summer has to offer.

TV Review: The Apprentice DESPITE my disdain for reality TV, pitying those hooked to The Voice and feeling morally superior to anyone who whispers the words “Britain’s Got Talent” I find myself inexorably hooked as Alan Sugar shouts choice phrases such as “If I wanted a friend, I’d buy a dog!” across his boardroom. As the final of The Apprentice draws closer, you’re likely to find me screaming at the TV, welling up as Lord Sugar crowns his newest protégé.

There is not just one single factor that makes The Apprentice fantastic.

Firstly, there are the candidates; sixteen wonderfully arrogant business people plucked from anonymity by the BBC. As always, they are simultaneously intelligent enough to be an Apprentice, but ridiculous enough to declare themselves the ‘killer whale’ of the business world, or ask if people in Edinburgh will ‘speak a purely Scottish language.’ While this series seemed initially to have few engaging competitors, now that we’re just

Your guide to the summer films guaranteeed to stop you tanning for an hour or two

days away from the final I’ve already choked up when the wrong team lost week eight’s ‘Street Art’ task, and felt awfully pleased when sleazy Stephen Brady finally got the boot.

“I find myself inexorably hooked as Alan Sugar shouts choice phrases such as ‘If I wanted a friend, I’d buy a dog!’”

There are also the weekly tasks, designed to exploit strengths and weaknesses. This year we’ve had tasks to highlight the best sellers, demonstrate creativity, and some which just made the candidates look a bit daft. My favourite was the fitness task, which featured previously straight-laced candidate Azhar demonstrating provocative eighties workout moves and market trader Adam

running around declaring that he was ‘The Choreographer.’ It later transpired that Adam thought that choreographers ‘made sure everyone knew what they were doing,’ and didn’t know what the word meant. Priceless.

Furthermore, Lord Sugar, Nick and Karen, whose facial expressions and dry comments cause hilarity throughout, are unforgettable. As I watch Karen squirm at each embarassing decision and Nick’s forehead furrow at each avoidable error, the candidates seem more ridiculous than ever, but also just a little more human.

So after about twelve weeks The Apprentice is almost over. My favourite has changed regularly throughout (for now I’m supporting Tom) yet ultimately, I don’t really care who wins. The Apprentice isn’t about that one candidate who is finally hired, it’s really about the fifteen fired along the way, the fools they made of themselves and the classic moments of television they provided.

EMILY TANNER ARTS EDITOR

LOUIS DORÉ SCREEN EDITOR

A Fantastic Fear of Everything Released 8th June

IT’S hard not to like Simon Pegg. In this creepy comedy, he plays Jack, a children’s author turned crime writer turned paranoid wreck with an irrational fear of being murdered. Suddenly thrown a lifeline by his agent, his script being picked up by Hollywood should be his big opportunity. However, everything goes horribly wrong, and Jack must confront his deepest and most irrational fears.

OWEN KEATING SCREEN EDITOR

Ted

Released 1st August SETH McFARLANE is best known for slightly politicised bawdy humour, slapstick comedy, and animated talking animals. In Ted, he combines all three in a riotous, and probably deeply offensive romp through one man’s inability to abandon his childhood toy. John (Mark Wahlberg) is a man who wishes his teddy would come to life, and when it does, Ted is born. Cue lots of swearing, some very snazzy CGI, and a bear grinding on a supermarket checkout. Sounds great.

OWEN KEATING SCREEN EDITOR

Released 15th August

HUGH BLACKSTAFFE

The Amazing Spider-Man Released 3rd July

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN sees the return of one of Hollywood’s most lucrative film franchises. Andrew Garfield stars as high-school outsider Peter Parker, and his spandex-clad alterego, Spiderman.

In contrast to the previous three films, the plot of this new instalment centres on Parker’s attempts to unravel the mystery of his own past and his parents’ disappearance. The discovery of his father’s old briefcase eventually leads Peter on a journey of discovery, via his high-school sweetheart, ably played by Emma Stone.

Facing fierce competition from many a blockbuster this summer, as well as battling cynicism about commercial interests over creative ones, this latest Spidey film still boasts a stellar cast, including the likes of Martin Sheen and Sally Field, and looks set to satisfy fans of the comic books in a way that the previous instalments did not.

PATRICK TAYLOR

As Hot As... the hot or nots of this week’s film news MICHAEL BAY - The Transformers team have this week paid out $18.5million dollars to an injured extra. Gabriella Cedillo, 24 was struck by a stray wire whilst fleeing from debris.

Tyler Durden

JAVIER KRAHE - Spanish artist Krahe faces a jail term for re-releasing a film detailing how to cook Jesus Christ. The satirical skit, first released in 1978, has led to renewed calls for his arrest. Krahe has threatened to go into exile if he is actually charged.

ROBERT PATTINSON - Vampire heartthrob “RPattz” isn’t having an amazing week; after his new film Cosmopolis received decidedly mixed reviews at Cannes, he revealed that he didn’t enjoy the Twilight series. That makes two of us, Rob.

BAZ LURHMANN - Never understated, Lurhmann has finally released the trailer for The Great Gatsby. Featuring a blistering soundtrack and rapid cuts, the trailer hints at a world of depravity, glitz, and 1920’s glamour.

PAUL BRANNIGAN - A year ago, Brannigan was a young offender with no prospects. This month, he’s the talk of Cannes, having starred in Ken Loach’s The Angel’s Share with Scarlett Johansson. A meteoric rise.

Tyler Durden

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Exeposé

| Week twenty-NINE

B ooks

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeBooks

Books Playlist We take a look at the shortlist for the Orange Prize which was won

by Madeline Miller this year

BOOKS BOOKS EDITORS

Tom Bond & Emily Lunn books@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Books

Finally first place for the second sex?

Have women finally broken through the paper ceiling to claim literary dominance?

Cartoon: Calum Baker

1. Madeline Miller - The Song of

Achilles Joanna Trollope, Chair of Judges said “This is a more than worthy winner — original, passionate, inventive and uplifting. Homer would be proud of her.” Bringing to life Greece in the age of heroes, this novel dramatises the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper — despite the displeasure of Achilles’s mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.

2. Ann Patchett - State of Wonder Exotic and intriguing, the Brazilian Rio Negro provides the setting for a tale of mystery and science. A lab researcher is sent to check on a research project, deep in the rainforest, but a curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns.

The judges called it “an extraordinary novel of science and adventure handled with equally extraordinary grace and lightness and wit.”

3. Cynthia Ozick - Foreign Bodies

This transatlantic tale sees Bea Nightingale flee her brief marriage and entangle herself in her family’s troubles in Paris, hurting those she tries to help.

The judges said: “This novel is so fresh, and so sophisticated, in its clear eyed look at family dynamics, and so exquisitely written — we were charmed by it.”

4. Georgina Harding - Painter of Silence It is Romania, in the 1950s and the discovery of a deaf and mute man outside her hospital brings the past back into relief for young nurse Safta. Their shared past explores love, war and the march of Communism in a “deceptively quiet book, which grows in effect and strength as it goes on. The writing is beautiful.”

5. Anne Enright - The Forgotten Waltz This book is a memory: a recollection of the bewildering speed of attraction, the irreparable slip into longing. Affairs in the Dublin suburbs made blank by bliss and denial have been replaced by the stillness and vertigo of the falling snow.

The judges called it “a modern tale of unromantic adultery and a compelling, believable, lyrical read.”

21

YES

young adults, are being read by men, women and children alike. The first book of the trilogy has been adapted into a wildly popular film, and Collins is now worth almost £8,000,000. Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, has a similar story. Though seemingly aimed at teenage girls, the gripping story meant I finished all four books in about a week.

The next time someone lambasts Twilight, throw the fact that it’s sold over 120 million copies worldwide back at them.

And then the big one: Harry Potter,

by J.K. Rowling, is the best-selling series of books in history. It has made its author one of the richest people in the world, selling over 400 million copies.

How can anyone look down on female writers when a woman is responsible for the most popular story ever told? It might not be studied for its literary merit but it surely deserves to be studied to find out what makes it popular amongst such a diversity of people. Rowling’s

story has reached an audience spanning age, gender and race that so far, no man has come close to equalling. I can’t see it happening any time soon, either.

How can anyone consider female writers inferior when they are consistently responsible for stories that the whole world wants to read? Perhaps, due to the seemingly eternal shadow of patriarchy, the literary canon will always be dominated by men. But in a modern world of equal opportunity, it is women that are writing for men and women from all walks of life, creating imaginative worlds that everyone longs to be part of. I’ll finish with something that might illustrate how ridiculous this debate is nowadays. I adored the Farseer trilogy and it was only after reading them that I found out that the author, Robin Hobb, was a woman. And do you know what?

It didn’t make a blind bit of difference.

Jon Jenner Games Editor

NO

recent decades but good women writers still lag behind. Most male writers appear to never actively think of their gender when they write, simply having an assumption that what they write will appeal to all, and if it does not, this is an issue with the reader rather than the writing. By lacking this confidence female writers make their reader much more likely to question their right to authorship and therefore the quality of the writing. This anxiety is reflected in the neutral naming of J.K. Rowling and Lionel Shriver for example, who clearly felt when publishing that men had more to be proud of and less to hide.

Therefore, I think that the singling out that the Orange Prize does is actually more harmful than helpful, making women believe they need extra help to win prizes. Instead I believe Orange is making the right decision by ending their sponsorship this year, as the

prize is unnecessary and simply holds women back from achieving literary equality. Women such as A.S. Byatt, Arundhati Roy and Margaret Atwood are increasingly winning the Booker prize, and Carol Ann Duffy is Poet Laureate, showing that women are more equal than they have ever been before.

Men hold the past firmly in their grasp, and so I will agree, for now, that male writers are better but the future seems a different boat with teenage readers being influenced by three powerful female writers; Suzanne Collins, Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling. To be honest though, despite male fiction being so brilliant, I’d prefer to feel free to draw on the great masters of literature to create something new rather than being weighed down by the glory of my own gender.

IT’S 2012 people. Surely even the concept of a gender divide in writing is bordering on insanity. Yet apparently, there are still people – even Nobel prizewinning people – that consider women’s writing to be inferior to men’s. Before I patiently explain how ridiculous this is, I’d like to refer to last issue’s debate on whether texts have to be considered somehow “literary” to be worth reading. Plenty of people have argued that the Brontë sisters wrote better than any man, that Shelley was a genius, that Austen was essentially a literary deity. But as the last issue discussed, writing and reading are far broader than that, and female writers have new heroes. Collins. Meyer. Rowling.

Take the latest behemoth of fiction, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins who is now the best-selling Kindle author of all time. Her books, written for

THE Orange Prize, suggests that women’s writing should remain in a separate category, a type of minority reading. By sectioning off women writers the idea is created that an audience of ‘women readers’ exists that can only cope with experiences and interests similar to their own. This is what prevents female writers from being recognised as equal to men and stops many from even trying, validating the belief that male writers are better.

It is impossible not to argue that male writers present a greater variety of experience with examples ranging from Jack Kerouac to Ernest Hemingway and Kazuo Ishiguro in the twentieth century alone. Admittedly this range probably does arise from a greater access to education, travel and independence which has only begun to level out in

Elli Christie

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6 june 2012 |

books

Book your place at the best literary festivals!

Exeposé

Festivals aren’t just for music, drugs and clowns. Emily Lunn, Books Editor, looks at what the best book festivals have to offer AS summer approaches, the festival season is nearly upon us. For many people this means tramping around in the mud at Glastonbury, but whilst I enjoy a good music festival as much as anyone else, I’d like to draw your attention to a sometimes more overlooked type of festival: the literature festival.

I was introduced to the Hay Festival at a young age, and this festival in particular has fuelled my love for books.

Watching Benjamin Zephaniah bound across a stage, dreadlocks flying, energetically performing his work, really gave me a different understanding of poetry. So if you’ve got time to spare this summer, consider a visit to a festival, and like me, enjoy sitting in the sun relaxing with a good book.

The biggest and best literary festival in the country, the Telegraph Hay Festival (31st May-10th June, Hay-on-Wye, Wales) is the perfect place to indulge your literary tastebuds, with a huge variety of events, all set just outside “the town of books.” Hay itself is teeming with second-hand book shops, including

Fifty Shades of Grey E.L.James Arrow ISBN: 0099579936 DESCRIBED as “Mommy Porn” and “Twilight for Grown-Ups,” the first book in E.L. James’ Fifty Shades trilogy had its auspicious beginnings as Twilight fan fiction. No one seems to have spotted the irony that one is all about no sex, whereas the other is practically dripping it.

With 50 pages of ‘plot’ and 450 pages of sex, Fifty Shades of Grey follows “unworldly and innocent” Anastasia Steele as she interviews reclusive entrepreneur Christian Grey for the student paper.

Naturally, he is devastatingly attractive and deeply intimidating, yet apparently won over by Ana’s ‘charming’ clumsiness (she’s also got the whole “Who me?

But I’m so plain!” thing going on).

This clichéd premise continues with Christian tracking Ana down (obviously he’s a millionaire with stalkerish tendencies and too much free time on his hands) to ask her on a date. After she starts to fall for him, our heroine uncovers the unfortunate truth: that Christian is in fact, as both tedious characters like to repeatedly

Fever Pitch Nick Hornby Penguin ISBN: 0241950198 LITERATURE and football are responsible for some of life’s best moments, yet the combination of the two usually ends up doing an injustice to them both.

Most efforts lean too heavily on the football side, making a dry read for those not concerned with the revolution that was Dutch Total Football. On the other hand, novels like David Peace’s The Damned Utd, pushed too hard for a story making Brian Clough’s stream of consciousness feel fabricated and forced.

Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch is widely regarded as the book about football for those who don’t like football, and with

an old castle owned by the rather eccentric bibliophile Richard Booth, the selfproclaimed “King of Hay.” This year is the 25th anniversary of the festival, and promises to be as varied as ever. It merges literature with theatre, arts and politics, and boasts internationally acclaimed speakers such as Desmond Tutu (in 2009), providing something for everyone. www.hayfestival.com

Beyond The Border: Wales International Storytelling Festival (29 June-1 July, St Donats Castle, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales) aims to promote storytelling as an art form for everyone to enjoy, and celebrates world myth and legend through a range of skilled writers and artists. This year’s highlight is a celebration of 200 years of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. www.beyondtheborder.com

remind the reader, “fifty shades of fucked up” and only interested in a dominant/ submissive sexual relationship rather than the whole flowers-chocolates-andchats standard affair. He even has a fullyequipped playroom, or as Ana likes to call it, displaying her annoying tendency to relate everything in her life to literature, “the Red Room of Pain.”

mentions of both Ana’s “Subconscious” and “Inner Goddess” though, it’s surprising that the girl can let go for long enough to experience as many “shattering” orgasms as she does. If you simply want to get your rocks off then by all means buy this book, but even then you may find James’ tired writing style and techniques suffocating - she includes email conversations between the couple (how 2001) as well as the lengthy dom/ sub contract… with revisits!

For sheer erotic balls I’ll give this two, but Exeposé writers had just best think on this when they go to interview that enigmatic entrepreneur…

“If you simply want to get your rocks off then by all means buy this book” So, about the sex: clearly a constant issue for Fifty Shades of Grey is that of personal taste - if you’re not really keen on a barrage of sex in your novels, or indeed a barrage of whipping, spanking and dominating/submitting in your sex, then this probably isn’t the book for you. The sheer quantity also means that you become desensitised to it, especially because Ana seemingly has her mind blown in exactly the same way at every climax. With the onslaught of good reason. Although the fastidious football details remain, they are used sparingly and self-deprecatingly, with Hornby aware of his own obsessive behaviour. Exams are neglected, birthdays missed, and girlfriends are lost, all in the name of standing in the cold to watch an underwhelming Arsenal team embarrass themselves throughout the 70s and 80s.

Therein lies the cutting humour of the novel, and what gives it its accessibility.

Hornby provides a hilarious assessment of himself as an obsessive using football to fill deep psychological holes in his life. For Hornby, football provides solace from the challenges of class, masculinity, and rejection, and this need for peace and acceptance is something writers have been exploring since the start.

For a footballing reader, the smells, sights and experiences are all beautifully

Tori Brazier

and humorously treated, with no trace of regret. The sense of hatred and anger one experiences having invested time, money, and emotion into your team, only to be rewarded with them losing to ignominious opposition, is something that all sporting fans will have felt. By the same token, Hornby’s description of the good times captures the ecstasy perfectly.

Fever Pitch, then, is the quintessential footballing novel, but with a universal theme that will leave all writers envious. The treatment of so many themes that appeal to what makes us human is truly astounding. But then, so was Michael Thomas’s goal against Liverpool in 1989, so it’s all relative.

BEN WINSOR ONLINE MUSIC EDITOR

Another festival for international literature is the World Literature Festival (18-22 June, Norwich), which although smaller, hosts a variety of events, debates and readings from the likes of Jeanette Winterson, Michael Ondaatje, and Nobel Laureate J. M. Coetzee. Some events are free, the others range from £5-£15. www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides Fourth Estate ISBN: 0007441304 JEFFREY EUGENIDES returns with his third novel in eighteen years, and the follow-up to Pulitzer Prize-winning Middlesex, in 1980s post-varsity novel The Marriage Plot. There is a reason it takes this man an average of nine years to write a novel, and believe me: they are worth the wait.

The Marriage Plot unravels the complicated love triangle of Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell and follows them as they graduate from university and face the daunting prospect of the rest of their lives. Sound familiar? .

For existing Eugenides fans, the novel is brimming with all the vividly accurate settings, empathetic characterisation and wit readers have come to expect from him. The most immediate difference here is that the narrative is not a form of first person, but an omniscient narrator, albeit one fully capable of divulging the characters’ intentions.

It delves with such clarity into each of the protagonists’ thoughts and personal histories that not one of the three seems more captivating than the others, and all seem unnervingly real. You could

If you have a liking for a specific kind of literature, there is probably a festival to suit you too, such as the Immrama Lismore Festival of Travel Writing (7-10 June County Waterford, Ireland), which includes book launches, travel writers (such as Tony Wheeler, cofounder of Lonely Planet) narrating their experiences, and a writing workshop.

For anyone further north, the Borders Book Festival (14-17 June, Melrose, Scotland) is one of Scotland’s premier literary events. A large festival, it has a good variety of events, and this year includes Chris Brookmyre, Isla Blair, William Boyd, Mark Beaumont and Iain Banks. Event prices range from £7-£11. www.bordersbookfestival.org There are plenty of other literature festivals about if none of these take your fancy, or you could enjoy a smaller dose, such as at the music festival Latitude.

Whatever your choice, I hope you manage to enjoy some festival time in the sunshine with a book, or at least soaking up the atmosphere in a deckchair, eating a suitably large ice cream. be forgiven for thinking Eugenides has simply met everyone you’ve ever known, but just like Austen or George Eliot – the authors Madeleine so admires – Eugenides has an acute understanding of human nature and as such, his characters are sparklingly palpable.

“Eugenides has an acute understanding of human nature and his characters are sparklingly palpable” There has been a certain evolution in style; if The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex embodied the pangs of adolescence and the complicated transitional stage of teenage years, The Marriage Plot is the subsequent phase: the journey into adulthood. The characters travel the world, find God, find jobs and copulate. That’s right, Eugenides does sex scenes, and they are in no way scrimping on the necessary details.

To say that this novel lacks the historical scope and originality of Middlesex would be an unfair comparison.

The Marriage Plot has its own agenda: to bring the titular literary form into the present day, which it does with panache. Roll on the next nine years.

Jessamy queree

Any Last Words?

We asked: what book will define your time at university?

ZOE BULAITIS: For me it’s Paradise Lost, as it is the only book to repeatedly put me to sleep! Never has a book so sleepy been written, I’ll never finish it through the yawns!

CALUM BAKER: André Breton’s Nadja, one of the first novels from when I still had time to pleasure-read during termtime - it still reminds me of that first-ever term when Uni was a blast of mad excitement.

BEN MURPHIE: I’ve just re-read On the Road by Kerouac. I first absorbed it when I was a young tearaway teen, so it reminded me of how I felt being 17 and made me realise how much more mature I am now.

CLARA PLACKETT: Nabokov’s Pale Fire was a real let down for me after Lolita, and I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about it for a while...I’m still confused and frustrated!

Arts around campus 2nd - 9th June

24

6 JUNE 2012 |

ARTS

Arts

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeArts

Summer Arts Diary

Exeposé

ARTS EDITORS

Clara Plackett & Emily Tanner arts@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Arts

Here comes the sun...

As the term draws to a close the Exeposé Arts guide you through the best ways to spend your summer

Festivals Latitude Festival @ Henham Park, Suffolk 12-15 July Edinburgh Fringe @ Various Venues, Edinburgh 3-27 August Nova Festival @ Bignor Park, Sussex 5-8 July Ignite Festival @ Various Venues, Exeter 25 June - 7 July

Events Cultural Olympiad @ Various Venues, Nationwide A Little Night Music @ Reed Hall: 4-7 June

Exhibitions Picasso @ Tate Britain until 15 July Oliver Flexman @ Phoenix: 20 July - 31 August Alex Katz @ Tate St Ives: until 23 September

BBC Proms Royal Albert Hall, London 11 July-8 September 2012 I KNOW what you’re thinking: Last Night of the Proms and The Royal Albert Hall, the Proms aren’t arts, they’re music. Right?

Wrong. Over the past few years, the BBC Proms have branched out and now encompass a wider range of arts than ever before. There are now weekly “Proms Plus Late” evening events with poetry readings and “Proms Plus Literary” lectures in the afternoon taken by poets and authors. These are

Latitude Festival Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk 12-15 July 2012 SITUATED in sunny Suffolk, surrounded by beautiful scenery and featuring the famous multi-coloured sheep, Latitude Festival is in its seventh, and possibly its most exciting year.

Do not let yourself be persuaded that the impressive music line-up, with brilliant headliners Bon Iver, Elbow and Laura Marling, is the only reason to desire a ticket, however. As Latitude declares on its own summery posters: “It’s more than just a music festival”.

In fact, it is one of the strongest arts festivals in Europe.

The Comedy Arena will host acts as high profile as ever with famous comedians including Jack Dee, Tim Minchin, Reginald D Hunter, Shappi Khorsandi, Greg Davies and so many fascinating and usually focus on how the two arts feed into each other, showing how literature can both inspire and be inspired by music. Well worth a visit if you are interested in these two arts.

The music Proms themselves are also broadening and becoming more varied. They now have concerts for jazz, musicals and world music as well as family proms such as the Wallace & Gromit prom on the 29 July. Bet you weren’t expecting a Wallace & Gromit prom now, were you! It’s not all Bach and Beethoven, you know.

Some people are often deterred by the Proms because they think they are too pretentious and expensive, but

others inevitably reeling in the crowds.

Quirkier and lesser known but still brilliant is the Cabaret Arena, with sketch shows, Edinburgh previews and general comic genius that no Arts fan would really want to miss. As well as the Literary Arena, there is also the Literary Salon, providing theatrical installations and holding discussions and interactive classes for an alternative festival experience.

“‘It’s more than just a music festival.’ In fact, it is one of the the strongest Arts festivals in Europe” As if this wasn’t enough, there is a whole arena dedicated to performance poetry too, and poets such as the prolific Benjamin Zephaniah and John Cooper Clarke, “the godfather of British performance poetry” will be taking to the stage. For lovers of visual art, the truth is far from it. When Robert Newman created the Proms, his aim was to make music more accessible to the general public with popular programmes and cheap tickets. In keeping with this tradition, the cost for a gallery or promenading ticket is currently fixed at a bargain price of £5. Simply turn up early and queue on the day. It couldn’t be easier! This year’s season runs every day from the 11 July to the 8 September, giving you plenty of time to make a visit.

So go on, give it a go, you can’t go wrong for a fiver.

JONATHAN MINTER

Latitude’s newly established Contemporary Art Award and Exhibition will also be held in the Iris Gallery, set in the idyllic woods. A £10,000 prize is awarded to the artist who represents the contemporary, invigorating art world at its finest, so the standard of work on show is sure to be very high.

Thankfully, dance is not neglected either, and The Waterfront Stage will create the picturesque image its name suggests, with productions from Sadler’s Wells taking place, as well as Matthew Bourne’s renowned ‘Spitfire’, a comic celebration of male vanity.

On top of all this theatre, more can be in The Faraway Forest, Theatre Arena, and by the lake, and with productions from companies as diverse as The National Theatre, C!RCA and Hotel Medea some exceptional shows are set to take place.

At just £170, with four days of camping included in the price, Latitude

is a steal. At no other festival could you stumble out of some raucous theatre at midnight to hear some soothing poetry before bed and wake up for some ballet in the morning. It’s the best option

“At no other festival could you stumble out of some raucous theatre at midnight and wake up for some ballet in the morning” for people who want to have a great time at a vibrant festival, see and hear different things, and avoid getting their tent set on fire on the last night.

You’re encouraged to ‘go green’ and can even take the ‘Tour de Latitude’, by cycling to Latitude whilst raising money for the Kenyan Orphan Project.

Most enriching weekend of the year?

I think so.

CLARA PLACKETT ARTS EDITOR

Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

Simon Amstell: ‘Numb’ Northcott Theatre 25 May (National Tour ends 9 June) STANDING in front of the sold out Northcott Theatre, Simon Amstell announces, in his adorably awkward manner, that his latest show ‘Numb’, was born out of his inability to feel connected to other people. It sounds far more like the next hour or so will be a therapy session before an audience of hundreds rather than a stand-up comedy show, but instead what ‘Numb’ does beautifully is to subtly blend philosophical ponderings with hilarious anecdotes, leaving you feeling as though you’ve really thought about the important things in life; but also had a brilliant time.

“What ‘Numb’ does beautifully is to subtly blend philosophical ponderings with hilarious anecdotes”

ARTS in a little bit of obligatory audience banter before launching into his exposing and emotional but, more than anything, amusing act. From tales of a Peruvian retreat in which he stripped naked in the rain and danced to Michael Jackson to the sad story of his latest break up, Amstell truly does lay himself bare on the stage before us all.

One of the most memorable moments was a joke early on in the set which told of his experiences alone on holiday in Amsterdam, culminating in the announcement that the comic’s fellow nude swimmers had no idea they had been joined by a ‘horny sex-pest’.

But throughout it is clearly not just a physical connection with others for which Amstell ardently searches but a truly emotional one.

As we hear of his father’s response to

his last break up and the connection he felt to a masseuse at a health spa, we get the sense that, more than anything else in life, Simon just wants to be loved.

It is not, however, as self-absorbed a show as it may sound. Intentionally or not, Amstell is talking to us all. He is dealing with the universal themes of loneliness and the desire of every human to connect with someone else and in turn he is able to connect to many of the people in the room. The press release for the show declares that Simon ‘again attempts to heal himself in public,’ and in many respects this could not be more accurate. Yet what ‘Numb’ in fact does is to attempt to reach out and heal us all. It may be Amstell’s own private therapy session but it’s also ours too.

(does it represent earth, limbo or somewhere else entirely?), ‘Made in Heaven’ follows a young girl, the daughter of the prison chief, who, perhaps in act of teenage rebellion, helps several prisoners escape. This leads to various encounters between the girl and the island’s inhabitants, including the escapees, a tyrannical nun attempting to leave the island on a power boat, and even a mermaid. I still can’t decide if the play occurs over a single night or several months, or whether it’s all just the girl’s imagination, a memory or a dream.

Yet it is not the narrative details that matter, but the thematic details.

The central theme seems

ocean while dressed as the Virgin Mary, before pulling off her robes and performing a samba in a short red dress.

EMILY TANNER ARTS EDITOR

Taking to the stage - after warm up comic Daniel Simonsen had entertained with jokes about cats and dressing up as a giant tooth - Amstell looks as awkward as ever, politely asking how we all are and engaging

Made in Heaven Northcott Theatre 23 May WRITER, director and choreographer Mark Bruce’s new piece of dance-theatre, ‘Made in Heaven’, is certainly an intriguing beast. It is essentially a collage: a jumble of dance styles, music and imagery that raises several questions about life, identity and religion, but provides few answers.

Dance theatre, with its focus on movement over straightforward narrative, is inherently symbolic and metaphorical, and so any story it contains is vague and open to interpretation, and this is certainly true of ‘Made in Heaven’, which has only a few lines of dialogue during its whole 80 minute running time.

Set on an island prison

to be conflict, specifically between the girl’s awakening sexuality and her religion, which is most obvious from the final scene, where the girl leaves the island by walking across the

“It is essentially a collage; a jumble of dance styles, music and imagery which raise several questions about life, identity and religion, but provide few answers.”

Conflict is also represented through the dance styles and music choices. Ballet is performed to classical music, while later scenes feature contemporary dance and tracks by The Kills and Queens of the Stone Age. From my limited experience, the dancing seemed to be fantastic, with choreography that effectively created tension, fear and even arousal. However, the piece does not take itself too seriously: film references are sprinkled throughout for humour and to alleviate tension, the best example of which is when a character begins to drown and is eaten by a puppet of a great white shark.

Overall, it was a thoroughly engaging piece by a cast and director who are clearly at the top of their various fields, despite leaving me thoroughly perplexed.

LUKE GRAHAM

A Little Night Music Reed Hall Ballroom 4-7 June ARTS Week (2-8 June) is a chance for the musical and theatrical societies of Exeter to showcase their talent. Exams are over, the sun will hopefully still be shining, so finish the year relaxing at a variety of events, such as ‘A Little Night Music,’ the latest offering from Footlights, a student musical theatre society.

Footlights produce two shows a year, and their summer production is following on from the success of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie,’ which they performed in the Northcott Theatre in January.

“Musical and theatrical societies thrive in Exeter, yet they are sometimes overlooked” ‘A Little Night Music’ is a musical by Stephen Sondheim, based on the romantic lives of several couples.

The marriage of Fredrik Egerman (Ed Johnson) and Anne (Katie Thomas) is threatened when Fredrik chances upon his old flame, Desiree Armfeldt (Antonia Vickers). A weekend party in the country, hosted by Madame Armfeldt (Rosamund Frost), is complicated by an unexpected arrival, which entangles the other characters in the romantic turmoil.

As the night comes to an end, the romances are resolved, thought not without some drama. The action of the play is complimented by the Liebeslieder singers, a band of singers who provide a musical commentary, much like a Greek

25

chorus.

I was able to watch one of the rehearsals, and even at this point the humour and energy of the cast was clear.

It is a challenging production for Footlights to tackle, but the expertise of the Musical Director Naomi Shaddick, (who also directed their winter production), and the guidance of the Director Rosie Frecker (assistant producer for ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’) promises a professional production.

“The dedication of the team will result in a production that will allow Footlights to continue from strength to strength.”provide few answers.”

The dedication of the team behind the scenes, the band, and the theatrical and musical talent of the cast will no doubt result in an entertaining production that will allow Footlights to continue from strength to strength.

Musical and theatrical societies thrive in Exeter, yet they are sometimes overlooked. Exeter is on the university map for sports, but it is time it was appreciated for the arts too. There is a huge variety of shows and concerts on offer in Arts Week, so show your support, as this show promises to entertain.

The performances will be held in the appropriate setting of Reed Hall’s ballroom, 4-7 June, 7.30pm. Tickets will be £8 on the door, or reservations can be made by email.

EMILY LUNN BOOKS EDITOR

Art Attack This week’s Art Attack is Pablo Picasso’s ‘Mediterranean Landscape’.

Is this the perfect summer scene?

TOM BOND: It evokes the chaos of a

blisteringly hot day where everything becomes a bit other-worldly but at the same time the colours feel a bit too simple and cold. I’m a bit indifferent to Picasso.

MEGAN FURBOROUGH: The use of colour in this scene instantly reminds me of somewhere in the Mediterranean, -

the jarring straight lines make me want to explore and see what’s behind them.

KATE GRAY: I don’t think I’d survive a holiday to this place without being impaled. I highly doubt this was painted for a holiday brochure though.

ZOE BULAITIS: The colours are so

summery but I would swap those hot looking houses for a beach and a cocktail if it were the perfect summer vision!!

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Exeposé

| Week twenty-nine

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GAMES

27

GAMES EDITORS

Marcus Beard & Jonathan Jenner games@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Games

Pills and Payneful shirts

Robert J Harris reviews the third instalment of Rockstar’s dark, story-driven shooter Max Payne 3 Rockstar Games Xbox 360/PS3 Out Now AFTER a decade of waiting, everyone’s favourite pill-popping misanthrope has dived back onto our screens in style – a style that his new gaudy Hawaiian shirt may not immediately suggest. There’s some stiff competition for the third-person shooter crown, and if not for some flaws, Rockstar’s latest effort would surely have been king.

Payne has seen better days. Stumbling through his apartment, he stops to serve himself a drink, disgusted at what he’s become. He picks up a picture of his dead family, pausing for a moment before throwing it against the wall. Now, press Start. All this happens before even reaching the main menu, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to wager that it you’re in for a gritty tale of pain and sorrow. After moving to Brazil to take up a new job as a bodyguard for a wealthy and powerful family, Max is soon embroiled in a scheme that is bigger, darker and more treacherous than anything he has ever encountered.

“He picks up a picture of his dead family, pausing for a moment before throwing it against the wall. Now, press Start” The story, if not a little predictable, succeeds in pulling you into the world of Max Payne, producing interesting characters, memorable scenes and robust voice acting. However, the dialogue, whilst delivered strongly, occasionally comes off as unnecessarily cheesy and out of place, almost to the

History of E3 We are not all lucky enough to make the trip to E3 in Los Angeles, but here is a brief history of the Electronic Entertainment Expo: the gaming Mecca...

The very first E3 started in style with demos of Sony’s entrance into the hardware competition with the Playstation and Nintendo’s soon-to-be renamed ‘Ultra64’ system

1993

point where you wonder if the game is intentionally lampooning itself.

The series staple, the action, is a bit of a complicated area. The shooting is fluent and rewarding and arguably uses one of the finest aiming mechanics around. When you are in full flow, be it during one of the spectacular set-pieces or leaping in slow-motion through the air, popping headshots as a whole room of bad guys crumple to the floor, it is gameplay at its finest. Unfortunately, the slightest snag on the scenery when diving will tear you out of bullet-time, leaving you painfully exposed. On top of this, enemies soon become bullet-sponges requiring several headshots to kill, often creating more frustration than genuine challenge. On these occasions you are forced to hang back and take cover, a shame given

“The shooting is fluent and rewarding and arguably uses one of the finest aiming mechanics around. When you are in full flow, it is gameplay at its finest” how getting up close and personal is what made the prior instalments so fun.

When the faults begin to grate, you will soon be put at ease. Max justifying his addictive need for painkillers to himself when picking them up to heat of battle is but one small detail that helps make it all the more believable and engaging. The presentation is exquisitely put together, cinematics merge painlessly with gameplay, and the environments, be it a dazzling nightclub or a murky favela, are expertly polished. Max Payne may not be perfect, but it’s still a damn good ride.

Robert j harris

The beloved, yet often forgotten Dreamcast was featured, prepping to be launched for the coolest release date ever – 9/9/99. Nintendo unveiled ‘Dolphin’, which went on to become the Gamecube

1999

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6 june 2012 |

GAMES

Ghost Recon Ubisoft Xbox 360/PS3/PC Out Now IN today’s gaming market, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier comes as a breath of fresh air. Whilst most other shooters fall over themselves competing for the ‘most restrictive’, ‘most linear’ and ‘most like a Michael Bay film’ awards, Future Soldier neatly sidesteps the pitfalls of the genre. Almost. The game is at its best when it offers the player freedom and choice. Before you start a mission you are given almost free reign over which weapons and equipment your soldier will be armed with. This is very important thanks to the Gunsmith mode.

Each of the 52 guns in the game can be heavily modified with your own choice of magazine, trigger, optics, under-barrel and more in order to suit the needs of the mission. With over 20 million combinations you’re certain to find a weapon which matches your play style. Gunsmith is available in each of the three modes but you have to unlock the attachments separately in each one.

Play this!

POP Methodology: Experiment One WHAT IS IT? An over-ractive mess of pixelated videos, addictive minigames and abstract puzzles.

It’s hard to call this a ‘game’ in the traditional sense, but Rob Lach’s ‘Experiment One’ is an eclectic mix of digital art that you won’t want to miss.

WHERE DO I GET IT? roblach.com Pay little as $1, or decide to pay more for bonuses like a soundtrack, or even real physical stickers!

In online multiplayer this is done by ranking up your characters. Instead of one persistent progression Future Solider requires you to rank up each class separately. The choices you make are far more impactful than in other shooters as each class has unique sets of abilities, weapons and equipment.

For example, it is only the Scout that has access to optical camouflage whilst the Engineer is the only class able to create suppressive fire. The depth of the levelling system and uniqueness of the different classes gives Future Soldier an edge over its competitors, although its variety of maps and modes does fall a bit short of expectations.

“With over 20 million combinations you’re certain to find a weapon which matches your play style” It is the game’s single player campaign that really shines. Whilst the first couple of missions tend to hold your hand a bit too much, the latter part of the game simply presents you with a situation and leaves it up to you to find a solution. The game’s stealth sec-

tions in particular require real thought and planning - mindless run-and-gunning will end only in mission failure.

The game also keeps you interested with varied level design. Each mission brings in new game mechanics by adding more gadgets such as the drone which can be used to scout out enemy positions and disable equipment with a sonic burst. Unfortunately, Future Soldier really falls d o w n on the occasions it does attempt to be cinematic. In some parts of the campaign, the computer takes over character movement and you are left with very poor on-rails sections. It’s supposed to be dramatic and exciting but it simply comes off as frustrating. Lack of split-screen co-op is also hugely disappointing. Instead the campaign can only be played in co-op with friends online.

Split-screen co-op is limited to a survival mode that is easily the weakest part of the game.

Overall, Future Soldier excels at

offering a wealth of content mixed with gameplay that is satisfyingly varied and has a decent amount of depth.

Unfortunately, it is really let down by the lack of split-screen options and some poor design decisions that could very easily have been avoided.

Exeposé

Sandbox What do you want to see at E3 2012?

ADAM KOZIOL

WILL HAYMAKER: “Dishonoured gameplay footage. I think it’s going to be amazing.

ALEX PHELPS: “Elder Scrolls VI... It’s not too soon, right?”

JON JENNER: “Something decent for the PS Vita to justify me buying the bastard thing.”

ALEX TINDALL: “Booth babes!”

KATE GRAY: “Nerds in costume!”

HUGH BLACKSTAFFE: “New Splinter Cell... so help me if I don’t see something I’ll *suppressed gunshot* Each week Exeposé Games asks Facebook and Twitter to get creative. Look out for our question next week!

Thirst for blood!

Jon Jenner, Games Editor, has been throwing grenades down memory lane...

EXAMS are done, and after a horrific bout of sunburn I’m looking forward to spending the summer months indoors playing games. There are loads of exciting releases about right now.

Tons of new games to try. But instead, I’ve been playing a game that hasn’t really changed since its first instalment 17 years ago. For the past fortnight, I’ve been playing Worms.

Move over Max Payne, get out of town Ghost Recon, apparently all I’m interested in is a gameplay experience I’ve been enjoying since I was seven. My four little worms do their absolute best to ruthlessly murder every other worm on the map, as they always have done and always will do. Playing online and laughing with my best friends through a headset isn’t that different from sitting round the computer with my dad and little sister. But in the early hours of this morning, finding myself still playing, I got a little philosophical. Why am I playing this game? The answer, I have since decided, is because I am the most nostalgic gamer in the world.

Every time I hit someone into the

Half-Life 2 announced by Gabe Newell. Nine years later, we’re still waiting for the third expansion pack.

The first Halo 2 demo is featured. People go batshit crazy.

2003

water with a baseball bat, every time I unintentionally blow myself up, every time a worm squeaks “revenge!” I’m filled with the same childish joy I had the first time I played it. I’m fairly sure I’m playing just for that feeling; I don’t want something new, I want something I’ve already had, something I know I love. Is it because it’s a timeless gameplay experience I can continually enjoy? A deep psychological fear of becoming an adult and a wish for an everlasting childhood? I’d rather not know.

I can’t be the only person who feels like this. Nostalgia is an integral part of gaming. We get older and the games we play change, but the thrill we get from them doesn’t. And sometimes, there’s a desire to recreate the initial thrill perfectly – to play a game achingly old that still gives you the buzz you got from playing it for the first time. It’s the reason I’m playing Worms, the reason that my flat play the original Crash Team Racing rather than Forza. I’ll play something new eventually… but for now I’ve got Holy Hand Grenades to throw. Hallelujah.

New generation of consoles debuted. PS3 with the ‘boomerang’ controller, Nintendo’s ‘Revolution’ with no controller, and astoundingly Microsoft unveil the Xbox 360 without looking insane.

2005

“

Electronic Entertainment Expo becomes the ‘E3 Media and Business Summit’, with only gaming professionals as invitees for two years.

Nothing much happens, noone really cares.

2007

?

2012

See Sandbox for our readers’ hopes for E3 this year!

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6 JUNE 2012 |

SPORT

Exeposé

Euro 2012: Football isn’t coming home...again

Supporting England at the European Championships? Will Kelleher, Sports Editor, tells you why you shouldn’t ANOTHER summer, another football tournament complete with all the stars that Europe has to offer. Spain, winners of the Euro 2008 and The 2010 World Cup, are hoping to grace the stage with a fluent passing game, Germany, as always, will be there or thereabouts, France and Italy will be looking to improve on their recent tournament football and Holland continue the search for that elusive first international trophy. There will be a few surprises along the way, much incident and excitement, but one thing is certain; England will not come home with the trophy, we will not play well, and we will arrive back home with our tails between our legs once more.

“England are completely over-hyped, over-rated and completely over-backed at major tournaments” Unpatriotic you say? Absolutely!

But with good reason. In my short life I have watched quite a lot of sport and have been surprised many times (Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League Final comeback in Istanbul, the 2005 Ashes, Man City’s dramatic clinching of this season’s title). I have also come to realise that, however surprising the

game may be at times, some things rarely change. England are completely over-hyped, over-rated and overlybacked at major tournaments. I urge you all to put away that St. George’s flag you have draped in the window or is fluttering optimistically from your car, don’t get excited when Terry Venables starts singing on the TV, don’t believe it when the Sun tell you such tripe as ‘maybe this time’. It will all end in tears.

To be perfectly honest I would think a safer bet would be that we will not make it out of the group stage. We have to get past a rejuvenated France, Sweden (who we haven’t beaten competitively since the 1960s) and the home nation, Ukraine.

I can picture it now; a giltedge chance falling to one of our average strikers to beat France going agonisingly close... if only Rooney wasn’t suspended. A woefully inept showing against a resurgent Sweden, will follow, who equalise after a John Terry defensive mishap...why did we not take Micah Richards? And finally an unconvincing draw versus the hosts... where was the penetration in midfield?

I actually do not have many qualms with Roy Hodgson leading the country in the Euros. Not because of his apparent, “vast experience of international and European football”,

Photo: Getty Images

where he failed to make any mark at two headline clubs, Inter Milan and Liverpool, nor because he seems a sensible bloke. I genuinely think it does not matter who manages England, we will still underachieve.

“We pride ourselves on high tempo, get-stuck-in football that is utterly unsuited to the hot conditions at tournaments” Summer tournament football is not built for the English game. We pride ourselves on high tempo, get-stuck-in football which is utterly unsuited to the hot conditions at tournaments. Our grassroots system requires a complete overhaul; something that the FA are currently trying to address, with smaller goals and small sided, ball-control rewarding games, but probably will not have any meaningful affect for 20 years.

We have a media culture that is so intense that anyone who is half-decent becomes a national hero and anyone who misses a penalty is branded a villain. The media are fickle. We all, for some reason, seem to love Beckham now but in 1998, after his antics in France ‘Ten Brave Lions, One Stupid

Boy’ was the tabloid headline. The media create a fear culture amongst the players and once they have experienced failure and castigation that’s it. No real desire to play for your country, no matter how much they say it is “the highest honour”.

So do not support England. They will fail. Remember how fun Euro 2008 was without us? We have no divine right to be considered to win any tournament. On the world stage our league is the best and our national team is distinctly average. I have been sucked in to supporting England too many times already, always feeling

disappointed come late June.

If you want to watch this summer, great, enjoy the games, I certainly will, but support Ireland instead. You will have much more fun without the stresses of England and who knows they might be the surprise package!

It is very telling of English football how accurate Mike Bassett: England Manager is. Watch that and laugh when all the incidents happen in real life. Oh, apart from when “Bassett’s All-sorts” reach the semi-finals!

Have a good summer. Don’t expect too much. Come on Ireland! Englandprove me wrong to end 46 years of hurt.

EULCC achieves victory over Southampton Photo: EULCC

Ladies’ Cricket

Jessica Rippin

60 seconds with...

EULCC Club Capitan

AFTER starting the season with 11 games, re-arranged, rained-off or cancelled; Exeter University Ladies Cricket Club finally got their season under way on Sunday May 13 with a comprehensive victory over Southampton.

With a week of torrential rain the Topsham groundsmen, had done a fantastic job to keep the wicket dry, outfield flood free and had even enticed the sun out to play. In what has become somewhat of a tradition now, captain Jess Rippin lost the toss and Southampton elected to field first.

Exeter openers Hannah Clark and Cat Hollinghurst got Exeter off to a brilliant start with Clark quickly reaching 61 playing some excellent positive shots over the top. Cricket scholars Emily Robinson and Phoebe Graham continued to build on this strong start with Robinson playing a fundamental support role throughout the innings before being dismissed for 45.

Graham powered her way to a superb 69, displaying the flair and control which has recently seen her selected for England Super 4’s. Lottie Miles, returning from major knee surgery, showed promising signs that she is quickly returning to her best, with a confident 37, alongside Lorna Browne who played a blistering innings ending on 86 not out, guiding

Lottie Miles EULCC

What is your usual prematch preparation?

Cup of coffee and chocolate.

Best sporting moment?

Playing for the first time at Lords as a fresher.

Exeter to a total of 341 off 50 overs.

After a delightful tea, Exeter continued to dominate in the field and their bowlers displayed good control with ball in hand, in windy conditions.

Graham and Browne opened the bowling with great attack, regularly beating the edge of the bat. From the start Southampton showed little intention of seriously chasing the target set by Exeter, opting for a frustratingly defensive attitude throughout their innings.

“Southampton showed little intention of chasing the target”

However, the opening partnership was eventually broken with an excellent catch by keeper Clark off a sharp delivery

by Graham. A change of bowling attack brought a further flurry of wickets, with Rippin collecting two, bowling well in partnership with Abi Davis. The depth of Exeter’s bowling attack was evident on the day with Katy Dennis, Robinson and Miles all taking a wicket a piece.

A brilliant late spell by Beejal Patel also resulted in two well-earned wickets as Southampton stumbled to a final total of 181 all out after 45 overs, handing Exeter a 160 run win.

Exeter meet Southampton again and Brighton in their next two matches in a bid to make the BUCS semis once more.

Jessica Rippin EULCC Club Capitan

What is your usual pre-match preparation?

I lay my kit out the night before a game. Or rendition of Heather Small’s ‘Proud’ as well.

Best sporting moment?

Beating Loughborough Lords.

at

Most embarrassing sporting moment?

Being completely dispatched by my county coach the day before a game.

Most embarrassing sporting moment?

Chasing a ball to boundary and stacking it over the covers on the other side of the rope in a county match.

Sporting Hero?

Caroline Atkins - there is no better role model in women’s cricket.

Sporting Hero?

Freddie Flintoff, with Emily Robinson a close second.

Funniest sledge?

After taking the first wicket, “come on then, let’s whip through the tail!”

Funniest sledge?

Singing JLS’ ‘One Shot’ to a batsman.

Exeposé

| Week twenty-NINE

Men’s Cricket controversially washed out of the BUCS cup Men’s Cricket

Chris Perrins and Will Munford EUMCC

THIS BUCS season Exeter University Cricket’s 4th and 3rd XI Club have won their respective leagues and further to this, the 2nd XI have finished second in a strong BUCS 1A division, a fine achievement.

Sadly due to bad weather, however, there has been a lack of cricket for the 1st XI. Also due to the early season poor weather, BUCS decided that they would scrap the league results from this season and there would be no promotion or relegation. As an added blow to the two Exeter sides that won their leagues it was also confirmed that they would not be playing knock out cricket despite qualifying fairly.

“BUCS decided to scrap the league results and there would be no promotion or relegation” Again, due to the weather BUCS ruled the majority of the leagues had not played enough games and therefore qualification for the Trophy knockout would be based on last years standings.

Despite the BUCS ruling negatively affecting some of the university sides, it meant the 2nd XI, after performing well last year, went through to the knock outs.

In the first round they were awarded a walk over against Portsmouth whose shock at being through to the knockouts despite finishing 6th in their league lead them to be unable to put a side out.

The EUMCC’s 2nds however fell short after losing to UWIC in the second round of the knock outs, despite beating them earlier in the season. However, there were some stand out efforts from this latest performance; next year’s club captain Richard Croney (42) combined with seasoned veteran ‘Scuba’ Steve Miles (38 not out) to put on a 90 run partnership getting Exeter out of a grubby situation to set an under par 185.

Unfortunately this was knocked off by UWIC with 8 wickets to spare bringing a disappointing end to the season’s knockout stage.

The 3rdXI; although having been denied BUCS knock out cricket by what was widely considered to be a perplexing decision by the organisers; were a dominant force in the western 2B league. The season began with a strong bowling performance against Southampton 2nd XI in which S. Drain impressed taking 6 wickets and, despite a wobble, Exeter knocked off the small total set of 113 with 4 wickets left thanks to the cool head of O’ Strong and the wily old fox Tom Culhane.

After gaining a walk over against Southampton’s 3s due to them not being able to fulfil a team the next game was against Plymouth 1s. A comfortable performance after a strong finish with the bat by ‘Mr Cricket’ Matt Nicholls

Swimming

Anne-Marie Clifford Reporter

Exeter University Swimming Club had another successful Varsity this year at Pyramids Swimming and Leisure Centre on Saturday March 17.

All money raised on the day through ticket sales, a cake sale and a terrific raffle, went towards CRY – Cardiac Risk for the Young.

Past swimmers from EUSC also joined swimmers from Bath, Portsmouth and Southampton

“Exeter won the ‘duel of the pool’, narrowly beating Team Bath- the reigning varsity champions” Exeter B team also performed well, losing out to Portsmouth to gain 4th place but beating Southampton and the Exeter legends, who took home 5th

Crossword

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No. 35 by Raucous

and ‘Boom Boom’ Will Munford Exeter finished on 198-7.

A fine batting innings was polished off by a clinical bowling performance

by Q. Jamal and rest of the attack to bowl out Plymouth for 139.

“A dominant 50 by the hard hitting Sensecall followed.

His ability to take apart bowling was clear to see” The season’s only blemish came against Bath which, although frustrating, spurred the team on for their final league game against Bristol 2s. This saw a powerful batting display which started in typical fashion with ‘the beast’ Owain Phillips going hard early on and getting the team off to a flying start. This was followed up by a dominant 50 by the hard hitting fresher Will Sensecall whose ability to take apart bowling attacks was clear throughout the season.

The innings was finished off well by a returning G Tidbury to leave Exeter on 253 all out. A confident spin bowling performance from John Terry and Dave Child did for a Bristol side that never seemed at the races, bowling the opposition out for 170.

A great season for those that played, but there will always be thoughts of what could have been for this 3rd XI side.

Varsity goes swimmingly for EUSC

Universities, who all proved tough competition for Exeter’s A and B team, but the Exeter A team managed to win the “duel of the pool”, narrowly beating Team Bath – the reigning Varsity champions.

SPORT

Photo: EUSC

and 6th place respectively. The natural competition between teams was left at the pool as Bath and Portsmouth swimmers were shown a good time afterwards by EUSC. The club’s new President Rachel Laurence commented “It was great to have all the team together and supporting each other, with everybody getting a chance to swim. Everyone had lots of fun and it is overwhelming how much money we have raised for such a great charity”.

Overall, the day proved to be unforgettable, and all of EUSC are already looking forward to next year’s Varsity.

Across

Down

1. Lessen stress (anag.) (12) 6. Boxing (8) 8. Answer to 3. Down plus one (3) 11. Strategic (8) 13. Destroy (4) 14. Cake (6) 15. Tabernacle (6) 16. Amphibian salamander (4) 17. Commitment (8) 18. Beer (3) 20. Casino game (8) 24. The King (5,7)

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WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE 2012 |

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University triumph at Rowing Varsity Photos: Josh Irwandi

Rowing

Duncan Head

EUBC Media and Publicity Officer IN the evening sunshine of Exeter’s Quayside, Exeter City Rowing Club and Exeter University Boat Club took to the water to battle it out over a short course of 400m. The event, the first of its kind in Exeter, attracted hundreds of spectators with the Pimms’ Timepiece tent helping to sweeten the occasion.

Apart from the races the entertainment consisted of a rowing challenge, raffle and Exeter alumnus Tom Rendell providing a highly amusing commentary. The event was a roaring success with 50 per cent of the Pimm’s

tent’s takings going towards the RAG London to Istanbul cycle, in aid of Help for Heroes, and it was a great excuse for students to relax with some Pimm’s in the sun.

Split into two divisions, the racing was to be a best of three, head-to-head series. Beginning with the Women’s single sculls, Exeter City took a narrow victory, after a spirited late charge from Women’s Captain Liv Mockett.

However, their celebrations were to be short lived after a strong performance from Emma Townsend and Abi Watson in the women’s double sculls put the Exeter City rowing club to the sword.

Unfortunately for the Exeter City double, in the second race, steering miscalculations resulted in a clash with the wall, leading to a spectacular capsize.

After a period of struggle, both girls climbed back into the boat and were able to carry on.

Next, the men took the stage. The men’s quad, steered by President David Rogal, got a strong start and maintained the lead through the finish, with Exeter City putting in a late push but still losing by 5 feet. In the second race, the City Quad pushed harder but still lost by three feet. The tally was now standing 2-1 in the University’s favour. In the final race of the first session and moving over to sweep oar, the Exeter University coxed four took a commanding lead from the first six strokes, a lead never to be surrendered as they cruised to victory in both races. For the University boat, it was a good chance to get some one-toone side-by-side races before Women’s

Henley in mid July.

After a brief pause, the racing restarted with the men’s coxed four facing off against their city opponents. Once again, the University proved too strong for City, winning by two lengths in both races. Following this, the men’s double added some excitement to on-water events, with two closely fought races which were both won, marginally, by the University. By this point, the University had won the overall event, but still had the women’s quad, men’s single scull and novice women’s eight to go.

Exeter City won both the women’s quad and men’s single scull, albeit narrowly, making the overall score 5-3 with one event to go. The novice women’s eight rose to the occasion, ripping a length and clear water over

their opponents on both occasions, giving the crowds a final cheer before the end of the event.

“The Uni got a strong start and maintained the lead through the finish, with City losing by five feet” The event was a great success, with hundreds of students taking the opportunity to dress up and enjoy themselves. Exeter University head off to the Metropolitan regatta this weekend.

2012 is turning out to be a fantastic year for Exeter University rowing, and the inaugural varsity event will no doubt be repeated next summer.