Quench NOVEMBER 2015
k c a b w o r h t
the 411 on everything you
thought you left behind
Issue 155
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C O N T E N T S
F E AT U R E S
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When I Grow Up...
FA S H I O N + B E AU T Y
22
Throwback Trends
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A/W 15 Style Edit: Menswear
I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies...
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Food For Thought
Molly Wyatt discusses the misconseptions surrounding anorexia.
C O LU M N I S T
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What’s the 4-1-1?
This month Maria asks whether things were better in the past. The answer: urgh, as if!
C U LT U R E
14
Past/Present
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Beautiful Descriptions
Beau Beakhouse discusses visions of the past.
Culture shares some of their favourite novel excerpts.
No buggin’ out- now’s your chance to wear 90s clothes not chosn for you by your parents!
VIDEO GAMES
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Tits in Tomb Raider
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Playstation Memories
Wanna look as bangin’ as the Backstreet Boys- fashion shows you how!
T R AV E L
28 32
Take me back...
Changing Places
MUSIC
39
Gettin’ Jiggy
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What Would Wolf Alice Do?
A look back at some albums that’ll have you dancing back in time.
Jamie Williamson gives us an answer.
Video Games relive their childhoods through memories of vintage games.
FILM + TV
50
Throwback Films
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Fetch Films
We share some fond memories of
Travel takes a look at the way locations have changed over the years.
Karla Pequenino asks whether unrealistic body images are acceptable in a fictional world.
Are directors stuck in the past? Harriet Thornley discusses.
Film & TV takes through some pretty fetch 90s teen movies.
FOOD + DRINK
61
Pumpkin Recipes
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Throwback Food
Relive the Halloween vibes with these pumpkin filled recipes
It’s primary school lunch break time here at
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Quench EDITOR Emily Giblett
EDITOR’S NOTE
editor@quenchmag.co.uk @QuenchMag
DEPUTY EDITOR Hollie Cambridge FEATURES Emily Jones
features@quenchmag.co.uk @Quench_Features
COLUMNIST Maria Mellor
@Maria_mellor
CULTURE Beau Beakhouse George Caulton
culture@quenchmag.co.uk @QuenchCulture
FASHION & BEAUTY fashion@quenchmag.co.uk Jamila Gandhi @QuenchFashion TRAVEL Alice Dent Lucy Pierce MUSIC Jack Glasscock Erin Gillespie James Ivory VIDEO GAMES Tom Morris Saman Izadyar
travel@quenchmag.co.uk @Quench_Travel music@quenchmag.co.uk @QuenchMusic
videogames@quenchmag.co.uk @QuenchGames
FILM & TV Eleanor Parkyn Sadia Pineda Hameed
filmtv@quenchmag.co.uk @QuenchFilm
FOOD & DRINK Zenn Wong Daisy Lane-Murley
food@quenchmag.co.uk @Quench_Food
HEAD OF DESIGN Olivia Thomas DESIGNERS Bryn Evans Eleanor Duffy Alyssa Alamillo Jasper Wilkins Sadia Pineda Hameed Georgia O’Brien CARTOONIST Naomi Brown
design@quenchmag.co.uk @MantaRayBryn @eleanordufffy @JaspyJames @piffspice
Nineties babies, noughties problems... The pressure of balancing uni work with other difficult tasks like eating properly, having a social life and remembering when to take the bins out often causes me to yearn for the days when my biggest mission was remembering to feed my Tamagotchi so it didn’t die again. Since Friends finished and Freddos got smaller and more expensive, it’s easy to look back on our childhoods with fond remembrance of the good old days. Though most of us only remember the best bits, we have put together this issue with ‘throwback’ in mind, to celebrate Wagon Wheels, Cheesestrings, and all things early 00s. As much as we wish we were actually 90’s kids because it’s fashionable at the moment, the truth is that most of us were under ten (some of us were under five) at the turn of the century. Far from the Sunny-D fuelled haze of Spice Girls music and wearing bandanas without shame that I wish was my childhood, most of my memories involve ill-advised threequarter-length cargo trousers and eating so many penguin biscuits that I didn’t have room for dinner. I still love penguin biscuits to be honest, so to some extent, life hasn’t changed that much.
Each section has worked together to incorporate the throwback theme into their content, which includes our first fashion shoot of the year. Special thanks to Jess Campbell, Abby Cotton and Olivia Thomas for doing an amazing job on it. This month we asked our contributors to write about beautiful descriptions from their favourite novels for the Culture section. It’s well worth a read for some pointers on what to buy a bookworm for Christmas. The music team have done a great job this month, with a reviews of the defining albums of the last century and an exclusive interview with alt-rock four piece Wolf Alice. We also headed to Sŵn Festival at the beginning of November, which we covered in our exclusive online-only magazine. Search ‘csmswn’ on Issuu or follow the link on our Facebook page to take a look. Though this month’s Quench is full of happy memories, it is important to spare a thought for those across Paris, Lebanon and the rest of the world who have been affected by the attacks that took place on November 13th. The thoughts of the Quench team are with everyone who lost their life on that day and also those who lost friends and loved ones.
@honeyandbrown
FASHION SHOOT CO-ORDINATORS Abby Cotton Jess Campbell SPECIAL THANKS TO Eleanor Parkyn and Jamila Gandhi for staying until the bitter end of proof-reading, Jess Campbell and Abby Cotton for doing an amazing job on the fashion shoot, Elaine Morgan, and our friends from Gair Rhydd, Xpress and CUTV who collaborated on coverage of Sŵn Festival.
- EMILY
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04/11/2015 22:07
FEATURES
WHEN I GROW UP... Our childhood career dreams usually consist of the totally achievable professional occupations of cowboy/ghost hunter/ *insert crazy job here title here*. But now we live in the real world, and as we embark through our degrees, our childhood plans often catch up with us. We’ve realised that being an adult is actually kind of hard. This month, Quench Features looks back with nostalgia at our childhood naivety and reminisces on the days where we were young, bright and full of hope. Now we’re stressed, broke and living in a world of graduate unemployment, and that dreaded question asked to us by so many of our family members, “What are you going to do when you finish your degree?”, has replaced previous childhood arrogance with a wave of pure fear and confusion for even the best of us. Have our dreams become our reality, or have we changed our tune a little bit?
Ballerina, pilot, actress, pop star, vet; now these are the types of things I imagine the average child would aspire to be when they grew up. But when I was younger, I wanted to be a Mushroom Picker. Yes, you read correctly; someone who picks mushrooms. That was how I wanted to fulfil my life. I do wonder why this was my dream job and I’m pretty sure I heard it listed as a career opportunity on a Cat in the Hat video, and for some reason it just spoke to me. I guess I’m just a fun-guy (sorry)! I don’t even like mushrooms. But long story short, Cardiff University didn’t offer a mushroom picking course or any other kind of fungi-collecting qualification. What a shame! Megan Sylvester
Nearly a month into studying English Literature at Cardiff University, things seem very far away from life as a child, even if home is only an hour down the M4. Unsurprisingly, a lot has changed since then, however my hopes of writing for magazines (or anyone who is prepared to listen) have remained a constant. I have never really strayed from the dream of writing for a publication (an aspiration likely to be conjured up by the countless replays of The Devil Wears Prada as a child). However, the nitty gritty reality of such a line of work is something which I have found increasingly daunting as I have grown up; particularly when the luxurious lifestyle of Carrie Bradshaw seems slightly less attainable on a student budget. Although the allure of the industry may have been what had initially ignited my interest in the field, the reality of the tough competition I face after leaving university is something which I find increasingly overwhelming. Taking one step closer to leaving the safe and secure bubble of education can sometimes feel like walking into the lions’ den. Whilst my course may be a touch more grammar than glamour, sometimes we have to get thrown in the deep end and hope for the best! Amy Finn
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FEATURES
Right now, as I slave over books and notes for my degree, I cannot help but wish I was living in a simpler time when my only worries were which colour hairband to wear or which flavour Fanta was the best. I did not think that at this age I’d have to be scouring the internet for work experience or worrying about getting a well-paid job. At the young age of 5, all I wanted to be was princess with a pretty tiara and a long dress. What 5-year-old doesn’t?! It wasn’t until I reached 11 that it occurred to me that I need to start giving people a serious answer when they ask me what I want to do when I grew up, so the first thing that came into my head was teaching. But then GCSE’s came around and I thought to myself; ‘damn, do I really want to be in education all my life?’ Hell no, would be the answer to that. Years within the educational structure has taught me that I’m ready to get out into the real world and pave my own way. What’s the worst that could happen…right? Emma Riches
Now like a lot of people my age named Tom, and indeed a lot of people not named Tom, I watched a lot of Thomas the Tank when I was little. There was a brief time where I wanted to be a train driver, not realizing how probably uninteresting such a job is if you work on a railway line with a good health and safety record (i.e. not the fictional one on the isle of Sodor). I was always quite boring though, and one thing I wanted to be for a while was a post office worker; specifically, that person who sits and puts stamps on your letters and parcels. I can’t remember now exactly why, but I think it was just because I wanted to improve my stamp collection, and I assumed that working in a post office, where all the stamps are coming in, would be the best place to get access to all the new stamps. It occurs to me now though that just as a McDonalds worker gets bored of chips, a stamp collection would surely lose its lustre once you realize just how plentiful stamps are in your job at the post office. Tom Morris
I’ve always had a deep devotion for English and writing, and as an enthusiastic, (arguably) over ambitious child, of course, that meant I was going to become an author. Maybe I was a bit more extravagant than I’ve given myself credit for. It’s perfectly acceptable to aim high, however when you’re a child that is amazed at almost everything you see, you don’t think about how much competition there is in the ‘real world’. Fast forward to present day, and I’m sure your ambitions have changed, much like mine did. Writing is something I have always been sure of, but finding a suitable career choice takes some time. You may still not know what you want to be when you ‘grow up’, but as long as you pursue something you are dedicated to, that’s all that counts.
When I was much younger, my dream future job was to be an actress performing in best-selling West End musicals. Isn’t it funny how as children our aspirations don’t revolve around qualifications, entry requirements, salaries or job security? We don’t even care whether we are even slightly capable of perusing such a career. No questions were ever asked about whether I could actually act/dance/sing to a West End standard (or whether I could do any of those things at all). I just knew I wanted to be an actress and that was the most I ever thought or did about it. It didn’t seem to occur to me that I had to be talented, or put any effort in. As is the case with most childhood crazy dream jobs; in our blissful naivety anything is possible just because we want it to be. But then I grew up, and I realised that talent was actually quite important in that line of work. I don’t have a definite future career in mind at the moment, and whilst my childhood love of musicals still remains, I am more than happy to keep that passion to singing along (badly) to Hairspray, Wicked and Les Mis songs in my bedroom…where no audiences are required. I think I’ll leave the West End to the professionals. Megan Potterton
Rachael Jeffries The Jedi were seen as a symbol of hope in dark times, interacting with new species, and protecting innocent people far and wide in an attempt to maintain the peace across the galaxy. Instantly, I thought, now here is a job I like the sound of. I was always good at sword fighting with my school friends with wooden sticks; surely that had to be enough to be an intergalactic space soldier? Also, I was certain that in my lifetime humans would have found a way to venture through hyperspace, travelling at the speed of light, fighting crime and keeping the social order; basically becoming heroes. Unfortunately, this wasn’t meant to be, as this level of technology has still not been reached, reducing me to suppress my clear Jedi skills and to carry out a degree in Geography and Planning. I think I’ll leave the fighting for peace and protecting the people to the Jedi’s until modern technology catches up with my wild childhood imagination. Abbie Connelly
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FEATURES
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“The effects of anorexia are glamorised by fashion, misunderstood by the media and surrounded with confusion.”
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FEATURES
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Molly Wyatt discusses the misunderstood and stigmaridden world of eating disorders from a personal perspective.
A seed planted behind the normalcy of everyday life and everyday thoughts, anorexia begins to grow, at first only developing into the areas where it goes blissfully unnoticed. Continually expanding, the illness has already taken a firm grip, yet remains hidden to the world. It takes residency inside your head, leaving very little room to find place for the other aspects in life; the branches continually sprouting into more complex fields and becoming your ultimate priority and focus. But by the time that people discover how poisonous this seed is, it has outgrown your head, branching out into a multitude of physical complications and other mental issues. It has gotten so out of hand, that by the time it is deemed an actual problem, when the physicalities of anorexia have accumulated to an undeniable degree, too often it will feel too late. Anorexia has weaved its intricate web; it will feel as though it has completely robbed you of your identity and your entire wellbeing. Too often anorexia is disregarded as a problem; left to culminate, until the physical issues are the evident, more ‘obvious’ issue and focus. This unfortunate ‘obvious’ issue tends to be an excessive weight loss. Anorexic and ‘skinny’ are frequently used synonymously, which perhaps unknown to many, can in fact feed an eating disorder; consuming you with thoughts of what you are not and what you must be. Furthermore, anorexia is not an adjective, something that particularly the media seem to be forgetting. Headlining female celebrities’ appearance on the front of a magazine as ‘anorexic’ is simply culminating all the misunderstandings of what Anorexia Nervosa actually is. In fact Anorexia Nervosa is an illness. It is an illness of the mind. Yes, a sufferer of anorexia will suffer physical consequences, the illness ultimately magnifies all self loathing and rather than internalising it completely, externalises it as an expression of how low one’s self worth
is. In other words, anorexia consumes the person from the inside out. But what needs to be made clear is that the illness is not as simple as ‘being severely underweight’ or ‘not eating’. The connotations that tend to lie with anorexia are constantly being construed and presumed; from personal experience many have assumed that those with anorexia simply choose not to eat anything at all. More so, aligned with this is the assumption that this ‘choice’ being made is either because we don’t like food or because there is a strong aspiration to be ‘skinny and beautiful’ like the models we see in magazines. And yes, in a world where we are incessantly bombarded with images that glorify the female form, there does exist a certain pressure to fit into the standardised body ideal that dazzles our
Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder and affects a staggering 725,000 people in the UK Instagram and Facebook feeds. And these images carry one message; that in today’s society, thin is beautiful. But the stigma that exists suggesting that anorexia is based on an overwhelming desire to attain a body synonymous to the likes of Isabelle Caro, is misplaced. And as fashion models get bonier, and triggering comments from female icons such as Kate Moss whirl through headlines and pro-anorexia sites, there is truth in the belief that the media has glamorised anorexia as a fashion statement. Let me tell you now, anorexics do eat. In fact, many eat a lot more than you may presume; it just may not be enough. However it is not as simple as that. The illness is wrapped around your brain, compressing your entire thought process. So, an anorexia sufferer may develop strict rules around food, food
timings, food amounts, and so on. Starvation and anorexia are very loosely used together, and indeed anorexia does tend to result in the body being starved of what it needs, but for those in recovery, or those not, sufferers do still eat. And with this standardized starvation anorexic image floating around means that the feelings of guilt and shame are magnified; usually making the normal and simple process of eating into a very secretive, obscured and anxiety ridden experience. Even the smallest of actions, for example taking an apple out of your bag and biting into it in front of friends, can cause major anxiety and panic. Alarm bells ring incessantly and unforgivingly in the mind; cunningly telling you that ‘they are seeing you eat, you can’t be ill if they can see you eat, you’re fine, in fact you are MORE than fine, you ate it so quickly and now you look greedy! You can’t possibly be anorexic!” Yes it is very strange. It is also a living nightmare. From getting up out of bed in the morning, to going to sleep at night, every single action is entwined and manipulated by these disconcerting thoughts and thus feeding the allconsuming illness as it continues to warp your worldview and your mind. The stigma that surrounds anorexia as a physical illness often results in professional diagnosis long after the illness manifests itself in the mind. And unfortunately, due to the nature of the illness; the shame, secrecy and denial that often overwhelms sufferers tends to accumulate to the point where hospitalisation is the only option. From May until September of 2015, I spent my time recovering from anorexia as an inpatient. I have always been aware that there are preconceived ideas about anorexia, but these last four months in hospital have opened my eyes to the fragmented, fractured framework in which anorexia sits amongst the NHS. I am truly grateful and fortunate to have been blessed with their services as it ultimately saved my life. However, whilst fighting an overwhelming personal battle, my eyes were opened to an array of gaping holes within the system. Cont. Page 10
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FEATURES Continued from Page 9...
I was first sent to a general psychiatric hospital in Cardiff where I was told I would be for just two weeks as I waited for a bed at a specialist eating disorder hospital in Marlborough, England. These two weeks turned into two months, and there was no denying that this hospital was out of its depth with me. This was an unsuitable environment for my recovery and nursing staff were ill-equipped to fully understand and treat my illness. Whilst under constant medical surveillance due to my physical condition, I soon began to comprehend the extent to which eating disorders are frequently separated from other mental illnesses. This echoes the lacking of knowledge, training and responsibility that a number of GP’s demonstrate. Patients are left feeling hopeless and often ‘not ill enough’ when being discounted as such, which can result in a downward spiral both mentally and physically; reverberating this silent cry for help. What seems to be somewhat lost is the amount of strength and willpower it takes for anybody suffering from anorexia, or any mental illness for the matter, to go to the doctor with their problem. It goes against everything that is culminating in the brain.
immediate intervention are not as likely. This is a serious problem that needs to be brought to the forefront of debates surrounding anorexia and its diagnosis. Overstretched specialists are forced to prioritise anorexic patients whilst NHS waiting lists of up to 3 years mean that those untreated face the possibility of spiralling further out of control. This spreads the message that a sufferer must get sicker, thinner, to be seen at all. Following my exams, I was essentially forced into hospital by the SHED team, but acknowledging and accepting of this as necessary, no section (being hospitalised against your own will) needed to occur. Yet there were no beds for me. My level of illness did not accumulate
can be avoided. In particular, early intervention needs to be emphasised in reducing the development or worsening of an eating disorder and increase chances of recovery. Of course a lot of these improvements cannot happen without more funding, meaning the lack of it can often mean that many turn to private therapy and treatment. Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder and affects a staggering 725,000 people in the UK. An inherent lack of understanding and support has had a detrimental effect on recovery rates; anorexia is an illness that remains in the shadows. Its damaging effects are glamorised in the fashion industry, misunderstood in the media, and shrouded with confusion under the very medical institutions that are supposed to offer vital care to so many who desperately need it. Bringing this misconstrued illness out of the dark, abolishing stigma, and simply speaking about it needs to occur, because anorexia is an immensely isolating and debilitating illness; these issues need to be brought to light and scrutinised, so that essential changes can take place.
NHS waiting lists of up to 3 years mean that those untreated face the possibility of spiralling further out of control. This spreads the message that a sufferer must get sicker, thinner, to be seen at all.
However, when reaching out for help when things began to get out of hand during my first year of university, my GP responded to me by saying; “I don’t really know anything about eating disorders so can’t really tell you what to do. Eating disorders aren’t my area so you’re best talking to somebody else.” To be told this is was not only extremely frustrating but also scary; if a medical professional cannot offer their expertise or support then how are eating disorders ever going to break out of the stigma of not being a legitimate illness? Fortunately for me, I was referred to SHED team (Service for High Risk Eating Disorders) where a sudden intervention to, at minimum, keep me on level as opposed to slipping further, was put into place. But to be referred to this service requires you to be within a certain threshold, below a certain BMI. In other words, if you’re not underweight enough, chances of
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into immediate specialised care because there exists only 6 beds for all Welsh eating disorder patients in the entirety of Wales. This undeniably pathetic, and feeble amount of beds means the inevitability of being on a waiting list in order to be admitted is unavoidable. From meeting fellow Welsh patients in hospital who are not from Cardiff and therefore not under the SHED services, it became clear that support within the community was extremely minimal. It is grimly unsurprising then, that between 2013 and 2014 there was an 8 percent rise in the number of inpatient admissions. The funding and focus on eating disorders in the UK and in Wales in particular, needs to be addressed. If more attention is directed to evolving and developing the community support for those suffering from an eating disorder then admissions into hospital
Molly Wyatt
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COLUMN
HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE
Maria
An examination of nostalgia.
W
e spend our childhood wanting to be ‘grown up’. We dream of jobs and husbands and the future with a naivety, only to step into adulthood wanting to go back. The word nostalgia stems from the greek words ‘nostos’, which can loosely be translated to ‘return home’, and ‘algos’ meaning ‘pain’. Nostalgia had its origins as a word to mean ‘homesickness’, which I think accurately describes our feelings for the longing we experience about our childhoods. I was born in 1996, on the fringe of ‘90s kid’ status. My childhood was defined by cheesestrings and tamagotchis, Sunny D and the Macarena. To this day, no matter what state I am in I will be the first one to jump onto the dance floor when the Cha-cha slide starts playing. There is a lighter side to nostalgia: you may purchase the new pokemon game to appease your inner child, or return to the location of a family holiday you particularly enjoyed. On the flip side, maybe it’s worth wondering why we feel such nostalgia. We are young adults inheriting the planet from the generation before us. We’re stepping into adulthood perhaps when none of us feel quite ready. We’re still eating cereal out of saucepans, changing our bedsheets as little as is humanly possible, and taking naps in the middle of the day. Times change and people change, and it can be shocking or upsetting to realise that what has happened is in the past, and as much as we try to revisit how we felt in years gone by we will never be able to relive it. Especially with university, your friends from home end up going to different ends of the country and come back as different people. Things may not fit as they should, and you end up wishing for days gone by. The fact is, it’s not going to happen. I like to think that nostalgia is
linked to what is referred to in How I Met Your Mother as ‘Graduation Goggles’ - when you leave a time in your life behind, you start to look upon it more favourably than you did when you were living it. Think of school: it was a prison-like place that you were forced to go to every single day, with stress, homework, terrible teachers and bullies. Yet, adults and parents still insist that your school-days are the best days of your life. The best parts of a time in the past are memorialised, while the bad bits are forgotten about. If we’re this nostalgic now, just imagine what we’ll be like when we retire? Living every day in the past can’t be a good thing. For now however, it seems that companies have clued in on the nostalgia our generation feels, as brands use it to make us buy stuff. Marketing for The Avengers, Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles targets adults as well as children. I recently made the mistake of buying a yellow plaid skirt from ebay with that classic outfit from ‘Clueless’ in mind, and while it did make me happy for the two seconds after paying for it, the musty-smelling skirt never fit and I never got to relive the glory days of the 90s. Social media even picks up on our need for nostalgia with Facebook’s recent feature of showing you things you posted in the past, or the app Time Hop’s ability to let you reminisce about things that happened just a couple of years ago. I’d personally rather not repost photos of myself from my gawky teenage years, but ‘Throwback Thursdays’ or even ‘Flashback Fridays’ are popular for the majority of millennials. The thing is, growing up was different for us. I remember when phones with coloured displays were the latest thing - almost like my grandfather would remember when colour television was brand new. For our generation, things have changed so quickly. It’s only been 8 years since the first iPhone came
Nostalgia: noun
sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past
out (can you believe that?!), and now we have smartwatches and Siri: it’s the stuff of futuristic sci-fi from the 60s. We’ve gone from having only five channels on the TV to gaining on-demand access to whatever programs or movies we like. Plus just think about how the internet has grown in our lifetimes! Technology moves so fast these days that the ‘past’ was actually just a couple of years ago, and us who have grown up with these quick developments have been found to experience nostalgia much more than anyone else. I love feeling nostalgic. It’s kind of a sad happiness that just makes you want to blast ‘Stacy’s Mom’ at top volume in your room while writing up
lecture notes, or watch hours worth of Friends episodes to re-live the 90s. I wouldn’t want to go back to school though just because I’m nostalgic for it, nor would I buy myself a brick phone because that’s what I was brought up with, but with this month’s Quench throwback, expect to find my diet consisting exclusively of fruit winders and lunchables while playing the ‘retro’ tracks on Mario Kart 8. Enjoying the little things is important, and a little noughties nostalgia can go a long way in our fast-paced university life.
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pper class Victoria England, The Roaring Twenties, 50’s Beat San Francisco and New York. Time periods that might be encapsulated within your mind in the form of an atmosphere or a series of unanalysed images that go together to create a picture of generations, of entire people’s lives. Take 50’s Beat San Francisco/New York. An image of Kerouac smoking, groups of writers drinking in jazz bars and around coffee tables, various stylised visions of the city of San Francisco at night, one book (The Subterraneans by Kerouac), one film (Kill Your Darlings) one poem (Ginsberg’s Howl) and a small amount of writing about The Beat Poets have gone together in my mind to create the images of many people and their lives across America and across the world. A similar process of mental association happens with almost everything. The vision you have of a particular unvisited city, of people you have seen but never met, even of films and books you have heard about, seen advertised but never actually watched or read. Film is one of the main mediums that does this. Large scales films are often set in designated periods: Prohibition Era America, The Wild West, various periods in the history of Paris. It presents cities and places in fashionable attractive ways. It turns a whole period of existence into a definable aesthetic. And once that has been done culture builds on itself. People like the aesthetic. It’s attractive and appealing and people want to be a part of it. On the negative side of the spectrum advertising plays with these vague associations of time and place. The use of time periods, styles, quotes, interpretations of past events and a general mining of the collective memory that has developed about a particular time. Watching a stream of adverts is like experiencing a filtered, madhouse version of the present day, and how we see the past. In a similar way people’s desire for a particular aesthetic can sell clothes and films and books, anything that can be advertised and associated with something just out of reach but tactile enough to imagine. The modern day is unique in the way it does this and the level to which it does this. It’s good at it. The present is more and more created out of the idealised images of the past, until there is barely a discernable difference. If you walk through a city, sit in a
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60’s designed café, walk streets constructed in varying eras, get food in a 50’s style American diner, wearing clothes that are almost direct copies of other times, watch a film set in post war New York, listen to songs that are covers of older covers of songs, the present appears either as a complete fiction or so completely linked in with the past that it cannot be extricated and defined. If it’s possible that an aesthetic can come to represent an entire age, is it possible that now, the current age, could at some point be designed as a desirable time and place to have existed in? It may have elements of truth in it, but it may also have almost no resemblance to everyday experience. These borderline fictions inhabit almost every thought. You have an idea about what your friends are like even though it’s filtered through your picture of them, you have an image of yourself, not necessarily true either, or at least highly changeable and multi-faceted, you have an image of what the world is like, which is most likely wrong if it could ever be looked at objectively and without a doubt is subject to change. But, like imagining how the next day will play out before it has happened, it doesn’t really matter if it’s wrong. The imaginative versions of things are just as much a part of reality as reality. Imagination comes out of reality, is created by it and goes into forming it. Imagination is of no less worth and is indiscernible from physical constructions , from actions. In the modern day we cannot really discern what is fact and what is fiction, for the most part there is no way of knowing. And it might not really matter. The visions you have of the past might actually be visions you have for the future. Things to be created rather than remembered. All there is to work with is imagination and using it in the best possible ways. That is the ultimate way to reach something, and to turn a fictional, imagined world into reality, even in the face of a crushing rationally focused environment trying to tell you its not worth bothering. It’s also a paradoxical way to get out of a glossy consumer world, believe your own fictions as capable of being created, and act on them, because your experience is as real as anything else.
Beau Beakhouse
CULTURE
r e l l i
THE
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STORY
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he proof of a good story, whether in film, television or theatre is always the way you feel about the characters come the finale. There have been endless occasions on which protagonists have met their fatal and dramatic deaths, with directors hoping for a weeping audience to mourn the tragedy, only to be met by the realization that no one in the audience really cares. Fortunately, this was not the case with Tomson and Kenwright’s production of ‘The Glenn Miller Story’. This musical, starring Tommy Steele, depicts the life of the American big band musician, Glenn Miller, following him in the search for his ‘sound’ as well as learning about the relationships he forms along the way. What makes this story so compelling is the still prevalent mystery of what became of Glenn Miller, whose plane disappeared during WWII. The audience therefore prepares themselves for a not-so-happy ending, although despite a few somber scenes, the mystery of his death is presented in a sad yet not overly sentimental way, simply in one that is certainly moving. Nevertheless, the energy and vibrancy that fills the preceding scenes assists in the productions main focus on celebrating his life rather than dwelling on its tragic end. Through the incredibly nostalgic music produced by Keith Strachan and conducted by Andrew Corcoran, paired with the gorgeous authentic costumes, the audience is transported back to the war time era. Classics such
as the jitterbug, performed by the onstage band, were certainly the musical’s highlights and created the feel good theme that had all the audience smiling. The small ensemble cast provided beautiful harmonies as well as huge amounts of energy within the great choreography by Olivier award winner Bill Dreamer. Special mention should certainly be given to Alex Tranter who stole the spotlight during ensemble numbers, sthough this is not to diminish the talent of any of the cast who together created a musical that far exceeded my expectations. The star of the show, Tommy Steele wowed the audience, as his 78 years of age seemed almost irrelevant. Despite the slight ‘elephant in the room’ that he was playing a character much younger and the consequential lack of chemistry between him and his leading lady (Sarah Soetaert), it was impossible to dislike Steele. The power and youthfulness of his voice made up for a lack of dancing, and his great charisma and talents as an entertainer helped him really make the role his own. Soetaert’s voice also wowed, with numbers such as ‘At Last’ highlighting a soulful and beautiful vocal ability. Such a talented cast, along with multiple successfully comedic moments and a feel-good theme that culminated in an audience sign-along, provided an evening of great entertainment and certainly a musical worth seeing. Amy Butler
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CULTURE
beautiful descriptions Often when reading a novel there are passages within it that stand out from the rest. Pages that need the corners folded over. Quench contributors choose their favourites.
‘Mam wasn’t going anywhere. She was going to nowhere, to nothing. Her face had fallen in, puckered and ash-white. Her thin fingers kneaded the sheets, working over them methodically. In Shell’s mind, Jesus got off the cross and walked off to the nearest bar. Mam’s face scrunched up, like a baby’s that’s about to cry. Then she died. Jesus drained off his glass of beer and went clean out of Shell’s life. Mrs McGrath put the mirror Mam had used for plucking her eyebrows up to her mouth and said, ‘She’s gone.’’ From A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd Published in 2006, just one year before the death of the author, A Swift Pure Cry details the turbulent life of a young Irish girl after the death of her mother. This scene occurs early in the novel when Shell recalls the events of her mother’s death. As the story continues, Shell becomes the mother figure of the novel in more ways than one, creating an emotional involvement with readers which will leave them reaching for the tissues.
‘The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make— was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.’ From Paper Towns by John Green John Green is a novelist from Indianapolis who became well-known through his hugely popular Youtube channel set up with his brother, ‘The Vlogbrothers’. Two of his novels have recently been made into popular films, including the book this quote is taken from, Paper Towns. Paper Towns is a coming of age story about a group of teenagers about to leave high school and go their separate ways to college. It’s a very optimistic and nostalgic story for me about friendship, growing up and learning about life. The quote is about the main character talking about his love interest. -Maia Thornton
-Emma riches ‘In those days there was no money to buy books. I borrowed books from the renewal library of Shakespeare and Company, which was the library and bookstore of Sylvia Beach at 12 rue de l’Odéon. On a cold windswept street, this was a warm and cheerful place with a big stove in winter, tables and shelves of books, new books in the window, and photographs on the wall of famous writers both dead and living.’ From A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway A Moveable Feast is a memoir written by Ernest Hemingway about his time in Paris in the 1920’s. He writes about his lifestyle there, a very popular period in literary and artistic history, still looked back on today as a kind of golden age of bohemian lifestyle. Here he describes the original Shakespeare and Company, a bookshop with a famed history. -Beau Beakhouse
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CULTURE ‘They went out past the young sentry, who paid the visitor no attention. The sun was shining and in spite of the cold there were a few bucks and does at silflay, keeping out of the wind as they nibbled the shoots of spring grass. It seemed to Hazel that he would not be needing his body anymore, so he left it lying on the edge of the ditch, but stopped for a moment to watch his rabbits and try to get used to the extraordinary feeling that strength and speed were flowing inexhaustibly out of him into their sleek young bodies and healthy senses.’ From Watership Down by Richard Adams Watership Down, by Richard Adams, is a novel encompassing themes of companionship, survival, and courage, and the passage above exists within these notions. Adams, inspired by his love for the environment, initially created this novel about a group of rabbits, as a means of providing his children some entertainment in the car, however it developed into a remarkable text, touching many hearts. He has said publically that Watership Down’s beauty comes from it being purely a story, and it is this novel’s ability to simply exist as a wonderful story, that gives it its strength.
‘The girl looks up at him again. Dark eyes narrow beneath her curls. The teacup on the desk begins to shake. Ripples disrupt the calm surface as cracks tremble across the glaze, and then it collapses in shards of flowered porcelain. Cold tea pools in the saucer and drips onto the floor, leaving sticky trails along the polished wood. The magician’s smile vanishes. He glances back at the desk with a frown, and the spilled tea begins seeping back up from the floor. The cracked and broken pieces stand and reform themselves around the liquid until the cup sits complete once more, soft swirls of steam rising into the air.’ From The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The Night Circus revolves around a travelling circus known as The Circus of Dreams. Uncannily fantastical and magical, there are events throughout the novel which stun and confound readers. In this enchanting passage, a magician from the circus comes across a girl with magical potential. -Emma Riches
-Victoria Rundle
‘Then, quite independently of all these literary preoccupations and in no way connected with them, suddenly a roof, a gleam of sunlight on a stone, the smell of a path would make me stop still, to enjoy the special pleasure that each of them gave me, and also because they appeared to be concealing, beyond what my eyes could see, something which they invited me to come and take but which despite all my efforts I never managed to discover.’ From In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust Marcel Proust’s most famous work In Search of Lost Time or In Remembrance of Things Past is a 3000 page novel which recounts the narrators past, triggered involuntarily by the eating of a madeleine dipped in tea. The scale and the quality of this novel is said by some to never have been matched, and Proust himself is often called a genius. After reading In Search of Lost Time it prompted Virginia Woolf to write ‘Well- what remains to be written after that?’. In this passage he describes a moment that stands out to him.
‘‘Time is more complex near the sea than in any other place, for in addition to the circling of the sun and the turning of the seasons, the waves beat out the passage of time on the rocks and the tides rise and fall as a great clepsydra.’ From Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat follows the winefuelled escapades of a group of paisanos after the Great War. In this striking description, the narrator muses over the way in which time seems to move on the coastal town of Monterey, California, in which the novel is set. -Sadia Pineda Hameed
-Beau Beakhouse
If you want to write for the Culture section of Quench, have ideas for articles, or have any questions email culture@quenchmag.co.uk
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CULTURE
AXED TOO SOON?
The Last Five Years
“Will you share your life with me? For the next ten minutes?” If there was one musical that was taken off Broadway much too soon, Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years is a serious contender. The phenomenal musical explores the peaks and troughs of relationships but in a rather peculiar, backwards way. The multitude of genres of music, captivating lyrics and authentic characterisation of leads Jamie and Cathy merely anticipates the tumultuous power of emotion, passion and disappointment in an average five year relationship. The only time the two ever actually come into any form of contact throughout the musical, is the wedding! (Strange, huh? There’s another twist, a huge twist but I don’t want to ruin everything!) With the stage being a clock ticking throughout the entirety of the musical, it creates a message that being committed to a relationship is an extremely important asset to every arena of life and that the audience should make every minute of their lives be worthwhile. Unfortunately, The Last Five Years only premiered for three months in Chicago, with it then moving to ‘Off- Broadway’. The Last Five Years embodies many life lessons which impact everyone’s life at some stage. From the happiness of the honeymoon period of the relationship to the depths of jealousy and anger that lead to the end of a relationship. For this very reason, The Last Five Years was taken off much too soon.
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In the world of musical theatre, it is hardly detective work to realise that musicals across the globe have an expiry date. Musicals that consist of an abundance of jazz hands, tits and teeth and pointless plot lines are pervading the stages of London and New York. Whilst everyone loves an eccentric, all dancing, all jazzy musical, what happens to those that have morals, stories and strong beliefs embedded inside them to actually make a societal comment or statement? Many musicals ranging from Blood Brothers to Parade are taken off and are unfortunately replaced by the ‘eccentrics’. Many musicals are taken off the stage of London and New York too soon, and are not given enough chance to allow the audience to appreciate the story, plot, characters and songs. For example, Les Miserables had an appalling reception and was criticised on a huge scale due to the same melodies and apparent lack of originality. Today, however, Les Miserables’ position as a musical is ever elevating and with a full house every performance and a huge blockbuster film, it seems that the reign of Les Mis continues as the longest running musical on London’s West End. However, not every musical can be The Phantom’s and the Les Miz’s of the theatre world, in fact very little actually proceed to surpass the test of time. But what about those musicals that weren’t given long enough? What about those that really were axed much too soon? Here are ten musicals that unfortunately did not stay on the shining stages of London West End and Broadway, but may have been appreciated and loved if they hadn’t been axed as quickly as they did. George Caulton @GeorgeCault
Parade “It’s hard to speak my heart, I’m not a man who wears his soul.”
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Have you ever been accused of doing something that you didn’t actually do? Have you ever been accused of killing someone? No? I kind of hoped not! Parade has only had the pleasure of embracing the stages of London for one year and has only had the privilege of being on Broadway for a small eighty- four performances. Jason Robert Brown’s production follows the 1913 story of Leo Frank who was wrongly accused of raping and murdering the innocent thirteen year old girl, Mary Phagan. Leo was captured by a lynching party who hung him from a tree for his apparent deeds as well as his transgressive behaviour in denying his Jewish faith. This musical is not for the faint hearted but contains a story that may have been forgotten about in America’s history. Parade has had much success after winning 10+ Drama Desk awards (1999) as well as a wealthy amount of Tony and Olivier awards in New York and London.
Rent “Five Hundred, Twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes, Five Hundred, Twenty Five Thousand moments so dear.” Similar to Blood Brothers and loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s universally popular opera La Bohème, Rent is one of those musicals that actively retells a social and medical tragedies in history - specifically the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s. Rent is a musical that envelopes light hearted comedy and humorous lyrics, but rather more crucially a musical about the devastating disease that killed and still continues to kill hundreds of people. Rent embraces and educates the audience on the AIDS epidemic in America which successfully recreates a period in history that created fragility towards and a great fear of homosexuals in society.
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Larson’s piece of theatre ran for approximately ten years and successfully won a Pulitzer Prize for outstanding performance as well as several prestigious tony awards to name just a few. Rent isn’t just a musical, it’s a prominent piece of history reformed through a form of art.
Sweeney Todd “Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd… Swing your razor wide, Sweeney! Hold it to the skies! Freely flows the blood of those who moralize!” Sweeney Todd has had an extremely love/ hate relationship with London’s theatres, after several finishes and revival performances, Sondheim’s murderous musical has never managed to glue itself to the doors of a theatre for more than one year! Surely this means it shouldn’t be worthy of a place in the top ten? I disagree. Sondheim’s incredibly dark, devious musical is like nothing else on Broadway or the West End. With an utterly brilliant plot line and musically epic characters such as Mrs Lovett, Sweeney Todd deserves fourth place. The lyrics and musical accompaniment such as “There’s a hole in the world like a great black pit and it’s filled with people who are full of shit and it goes by the name of London”.
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Minimalist setting and bland costumes allow for the promotion of ‘real’ acting. By ‘real’, facial expressions and skilful stage movement is bought to the forefront of this musical, which presents a radical difference to many musicals which exchange mesmerising acting ability for cheesy hand gestures, lyrics and gussy make up. Sweeney Todd is a celebration of the abnormal and should be embraced, rather than neglected by the best of London’s theatres.
Blood Brothers
CULTURE
“Tell me it’s not true, say it’s just a story, say it’s just a scene, say it’s just a dream.” What happens when twins are torn apart from each other? What happens when they lead different lives, have different families and are of a different class? Willy Russell’s universally emotional musical follows the story of Mrs Johnson and her twin boys, Eddie and Micky as she makes the heart wrenching decision to give away one of her twins due the economic climate. However, when an overwhelming force of nature brings the twins together, gradual destruction is inevitable and causes the demise of both Micky and Eddie in a devastating and highly emotional climax.
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Despite Blood Brothers having a successful run of 20+ years on London’s West End in theatres including the Phoenix Theatre, there is no reason why it should have been removed from London’s stages. Russell’s epic musical took four best musical awards and the Broadway version received a fantastic seven Tony nominations. The morals and beliefs of the class system, ways of thinking and beliefs embodied within the musical, are all factors that created history in the UK. Therefore, Blood Brothers can be seen as making a political, economic and social statement in order to abolish class systems and live in harmony, separate from societal differences.
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Ghost “Oh my love, my darling, I hunger for your touch.”
After the highly popular 1990 film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, the writer of Ghost made this stunning piece of film into a highly emotional and moving musical. The movie created a massive $505.7 million, sadly the same could not be said for the musical. Ghost premiered in Manchester and then shortly after moved to London’s Piccadilly theatre, but only remained there for one year with just five hundred performances. To those worrying about the all famous ‘Unchained Melody’ been taken from the score, never fear! It still remains but in a rather quirky, cleverly crafted, acoustic way. So for what reason was Ghost axed? Well, according to New York Times theatre critic, Charles Isherwood, “The show relies mostly on elaborate video imagery, modestly ingenious special effects and the familiarity of its ectoplasmic romance to entertain”. However, the video imagery of Sam literally walking through a door on stage creates a shocking sense of uncertainty for the audience and a feeling of ambiguity. The reason that Ghost was granted sixth place was due to its sensational light and set design and for aesthetic and technical reasons should have remained on London’s stages.
The Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee “Spell cow…Can I have a definition? It’s a Cow… Can you use it in a sentence? …Please spell cow.” Who would have thought that an elongated one acted musical would have persisted on Broadway for three years? Given the hilarious lyrics and comedic timing, I, for one think The Spelling Bee ought to have continued on Broadway for at least another five years. Rather peculiarly for a Broadway production, the play incorporates and encourages audience participation by inviting some audience members to be spellers throughout the entirety of the production creating a sense of improvisation embedded into a complex score and fast- paced musical.
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Do you fancy being put on the spot to spell simple words such as ‘Astrobleme’, ‘Hemidemisemiquaver’, and ‘Homunculus’? Yes? Then this may just be the musical for you. For the encouragement of a different production, The Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee left the stages of London and New York much too soon.
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Into the Woods “Into the Woods without delay be careful not to lose the way!”
The Martin Beck theatre, New York was sadly only blessed with two years of Sondheim’s famous musical Into the Woods to be performed upon its stage. This does not mean however, that the musical was stopped being performed world-wide, Paris and Puerto Rico to name just a few wanted some of the Brothers Grimm backwards, fairy tale magic in their most prestigious theatres too! Into the Woods fuses famous fairy tale stories together, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella, to name just a few, creating a highly comedic twist on the original adaptations of the universally known tales. The musical centres around a baker’s quest to find “a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold” in order to reverse the manipulative, evil Witches curse. This classic twist on the highly popular stories, provides a unique and interesting way to engage young children with the world of musical theatre and culture. By merging well known childhood characters together, light hearted comedy and a sinister twist, Into the Woods is a good starting ground to engage a new audience and for this reason was taken off too soon.
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Love Never Dies “Til’ I hear you sing, once more.”
Without a doubt, Andrew Lloyds Webber’s Phantom of the Opera is respectfully one of the greatest musicals of all time. The story of Christine Daae’s peculiar relationship with the Phantom, and his intoxicating love has reached its 30th year on the West End. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for sequel, Love Never Dies. After its massively critical reception in 2012, the musical only managed a short period of nine months in London’s Adelphi Theatre. With ticket sales lacking from the off set, the story and further development of characters Meg Giry, Christine and the Phantom are needed to continue Webber’s previous masterpiece. Webber himself claimed that “I really do not believe that you have to have seen Phantom of the Opera to understand Love Never Dies. I really don’t. But I hope if you see them together, if you wanted to see them back-to-back, that what you would get from them – from both of them – is the extension of where the story goes”. For this very reason Webber’s story of jealousy, unrequited love and passion is in need of a back story and an after story
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Something’s Afoot
“Something’s Afoot! And… the butler didn’t do it!” Something’s Afoot is a highly comedic, musical spoof of the typical Agatha Christie/ detective musical. The musical revolves around a group of very dissimilar people with contrasting outlooks on life being invited to the estate of the wealthy and highly renound, Lord Rancour. Except upon arrival they discover that Lord Rancour is dead! One guest and rather handily amateur detective, Miss Tweed investigates the murder accusing everyone as a suspect for the death of Lord Rancour. So move aside Miss Marple, Miss Tweed will uncover this nitty gritty murder mystery. Understandably, this does not sound much like a light hearted, comedy musical but the characters, plot and sudden deaths add to the comedic suspense of the murder mystery which contributes to its reasoning for being taken off Broadway much too soon. Despite it now being more popular on the stages of amateur dramatics, Something’s Afoot sadly closed on Broadway after only sixty one performances, thirteen of which were previews.
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FASHION+BEAU T Y
Throwback
ICONS OF THE PAST AUDREY HEPBURN Audrey Hepburn. Actress. Humanitarian. Fashion icon. Born in Brussels, Belgium, Audrey Hepburn began her legendary career when she played the lead role in Roman Holiday (1953) and is also renowned for her flawless act in My Fair Lady (1964). Other than in her successful acting career, Hepburn also became iconic in the eyes of fashion and beauty. Although introduced by Coco Chanel, some would argue that it was Audrey Hepburn who made the 'little black dress' a timeless classic. The actress also brought a new look to the 1950’s: a black turtleneck, black capri pants and black ballerina flats. It was a simple and elegant look that
women today have continued to emulate. The combination offered an effortless alternative to the heavy clothing and layered dresses that were popular at the time. In a role Truman Capote (author, Breakfast at Tiffany's) had envisioned for Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn accomplished possibly the most exquisite performance of her lifetime. Her role as New York call girl, Holly Golightly, was perhaps one of the most iconic of all time, especially in terms of fashion. Claiming to have the "jazziest role" of her career, Hepburn was the essence of high fashion style, sophistication and elegance. This was reflected through an iconic, instantly recognizable wardrobe: black sleeveless 1960’s style dresses, long, black satin gloves, tortoiseshell sunglasses and Tiffany pearls... Because of course, darling, "it's tacky to wear diamonds before you're forty." MEGAN SYLVESTER
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FASHION+BEAU T Y VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
KARL LAGERFELD The story of this ambitious icon began at the tender age of 14, when Lagerfeld moved from Germany to Paris, alone, to build a future in fashion. By 25, he was working for his second fashion house and showcasing his first collection. Despite his running start, his show was reportedly “booed by reporters”, and his second show at age 27 was seen as too revealing and described as “not couture”. In the face of criticism and a brick wall, Lagerfeld took a short hiatus from the industry; evidently that was the start of his rise to power. When designing for Tiziani and gaining recognition from stars including Elizabeth Taylor, saying he was back with a bang would be a great understatement. He began designing for Chloe and Fendi and by the 1980’s, had secured a place at the top of the business. He had revitalized Chanel, becoming the fashion house’s head designer; had launched his own label of “intellectual sexiness” and had become a socialite superstar in the press. With a career spanning over 6 decades, Karl Lagerfeld has had his collections mocked, has Vogue’s editors walk out of his show and has left controversy in his wake. Yet he is unstoppable. And he is sitting at the top of the fashion universe, a legend, ignoring anyone who ever told him he couldn’t make it. That’s how you become an icon. Gemma Thorne
COCO CHANEL From the iconic little black dress to the invention of the classic lady-suit, French fashion designer Coco Chanel has truly left her stamp on the fashion industry. Gabrielle Chanel began a career dipping in and out of the music scene – receiving her name ‘Coco’before beginning her fashion career in 1910; creating hats in a Paris boutique. It wasn’t long until her simplistic yet elegant style had taken over the nation. Only a few years later, Chanel was renowned for accessories, sportswear and of course her world famous fragrances. No.5 was her first success in 1922, the floral blend still being a worldwide success today. Her style incorporated both sophisticated simplicity and utmost comfort, all while still representing her classy self. The suit being one of her most iconic pieces, involved a collar-less jacket and pencil skirt, which was a game changer in the industry at the time. Gone were the days when women needed to wear corsets to look and feel beautiful. A highly determined soul, Chanel remained unaffected and stronger than ever especially during the Second World War, enticing customers back with her timeless and original masterpieces. Today the brand name is a worldwide phenomenon and why wouldn’t it be? With a strong appeal to shoppers old and young, brand loyal and newbies, there’s no doubt Coco Chanel will continue to reign and be irreplaceable. Gemma Gibson
Look up Vivienne Westwood in the fashion bible to find this icon synonymous with avantgarde and risqué. Once a primary school teacher, Westwood’s rise to fame during the 70’s in England is a story of unparalleled fortitude with unwavering faith. Rebranding the Sex Pistols in her iconic designs was simply her groundwork, before moving onto establishing punk as a permanent and normative part of modern society. Westwood blessed the punk rock movement with her early cutting edge concepts, making her desire to dictate overpower that to influence. From having male models sport fake breasts on her runway to infuriating Margaret Thatcher by imitating her on the front cover of a magazine; it’s no surprise why Westwood and her creations are considered the epitome of controversy in the industry. Plus if her pool of accolades includes Best British Fashion Designer, questioning her Witch and Pirate inspired collections is certainly no call for us to make. Be it stationery, home ware or jewellery, Vivienne’s signature prints have come a long way from her initial launch of her boutique store Let it Rock, retitled as Worlds End now. Today the success of the brand image is all due to Westwood’s willpower of never paying heed to the opinions of insignificant others, even if that does happen to be a prime minister. Vivienne Westwood truly started from the bottom and now she’s here, a rebel to look up to and her vision a legend. Jamila Gandhi
CALVIN KLEIN
GIANNI VERSACE The Greeks should be crediting the celebrity status of resident monster ‘Medusa’ to Gianni Versace’s idea of turning a myth into an iconic symbol, recognized worldwide as anything but a witch in disguise. At age 9, when a young Gianni made his first dress with assistance from dressmaker mother, his fate in fashion was sealed. One to ignore archetypes, Versace found joy in fusing normally uncomplimentary textures to create a ‘neocouture’ such as using laser technology to meld leather and rubber. A game changer in Italian fashion, Versace made headlines with his silver-mesh togas, refined bondage gear and polyvinyl baby-doll dresses, disregarding critics who classified them as ‘vulgar’. Milan soon became the headquarters to put on his one of a kind rock concerts AKA grand seasonal fashion shows where the model and celebrity appearances undoubtedly drew in media. Socially seen with the likes of Elton John, Naomi Campbell and Madonna, staging costumes for such popstars allowed Versace as a brand to emerge and cement its status as an empire that exudes sexuality and sensuality. After the untimely and tragic murder of the designer at age 50, the Versace Empire turned into a family dynasty. While sister and muse, Donatella Versace, stepped up as vice president of the brand, brother Santo Versace filled in the shoes for CEO. Nonetheless the trademark lives on, paying homage to a man of vigour and extraordinary Italian grandezza. Jamila Gandhi
Only an icon like Calvin Klein would be invigorated to be called out for the ‘Worst Marketing Campaign of 95’ by Forbes magazine and if you’ve scooped up the COTY award for 3 years running, there is no reason not to. The typical carefree childhood was of no appeal to Klein, using every spare moment to practice sketching designs and sewing, it was a given he would be the youngest graduate in fashion school history at 20 years. A New Yorker at heart, much of Calvin’s inspiration came from the fresh and unpretentious style of the city’s youth, leading to a brand that personified sophisticated yet understated all-American glamour. The luxury brand spared no market from its magic. When 15 year old model Brooke Shields was hired to promote the original designer jeans as sexy and practical, a denim frenzy was born and advertising revolutionized. Even boxers and briefs were marked by his classic logo. In favour of breaking the mould, Klein blurred the lines between sexes and designed masculine jockey shorts for women as well as brought out his unisex fragrance ‘CK One’. Conquering home décor and cosmetics sold exclusively in fine department store, Klein multiplied like the plague. From Europe to Asia to America, Calvin Klein is a global phenomenon and after meeting people unaware of his existence, who rather only know the brand, the man is content with his brand being everything. Jamila Gandhi
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FASHION+BEAU T Y
THROWBACK
THE BEST OF 90’s TRENDS Take a trip down memory lane and revisit + bring back the fashion scene of the nineties when stepping out of your house was the way forward in order to show off your OOTD! What a long way we’ve come! Caution: Abrupt nostalgia and ‘feelings’ may occur. Photography : Jess Campbell Stylist: Abby Cotton Models: Rosie Couch, Nathan Sutcliffe Words: Cara Bills and Jamila Gandhi
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Think 90s queen Kylie Minogue and Jordan from New Kids on the Block. Once labelled as the uniform of country bumpkins and crawling infants, the 90’s born overalls trend is now making a serious comeback on the fashion scene. From short styles to full length and vintage wash to floral, dungarees are dominating the high street in an assortment of playful varieties, particularly online stores such as ASOS and Boohoo. To gain serious style points with this trend, team with a white tee and a retro pair of jellies or Birkenstocks for a major 90’s throwback. Or look to the likes of Alexa Chung and Sarah Jessica Parker for celebrity fashion inspo. If you are one to avoid this trend for fear of entering ‘oompa loompa’ territory, look for high-waisted styles that give the illusion of longer legs, as well as a rocking pair of ankle boots or statement heels.
Dungarees
RIPPED JEANS
Born in the grunge era and sported by the likes of grunge artists Kurt Cobain and Salt ‘n’ Pepa, ripped jeans are back and they’re bigger than ever. Whether boyfriend or skinny, stonewashed or coloured denim, these distressed jeans have had a fashion revival, and their ‘wear to the ground’ quality exudes effortless cool. Popular amongst style savvy students and off duty models, ripped jeans have also taken centre stage in the catwalk shows for Diesel and Just Cavalli. The explanation? The beauty of this trend lies in its ability to be dressed up or down. Whether teamed with a working girl blouse and kitten heels or paired with your go-to trainers and a ‘rolled out of bed’ t-shirt, ripped jeans continue to rock the fashion world. The downside? A practically unquestionable string of ‘you know your jeans are ripped?’ related remarks.
FASHION+BEAU T Y
chokers
At age twelve, realization of the true meaning of chokers was far-fetched and too irrelevant to consider. Fast forward two decades later and although as adults we recognize the unpleasantness of the name, it remains secondary to our fond memories of Sabrina the Teenage Witch associated with it. The production of Gatsby-worthy beads to minimalist metallic cuffs only prove the versatility of the choker and how far it has come, floating the line of being a nod to the past and totally present. A symbol of anti-establishment then is now the perfect solution to up the neck game of yesteryears. Goth or not, slightly punk or not, bohemian empress or not – go ahead and challenge the choker stereotypes. The return of the choker was the showstopper at the A/W ‘15 catwalk as well as with Kylie Jenner, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus flaunting their new statement pieces; it’s safe to say this neck jewel is here to stay.
crop tops
This dare-to-bare trend is everywhere you turn and the 90’s phenomenon is set to work the fashion scene for many 3. years to come. In the earlier years of the decade, the crop top first appeared as a bustier and later went on to take the form of a babydoll shirt, as well as incorporating long sleeves and turtle necks. Popularized by Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and the likes, the crop top has since evolved and become the fashion staple of many girls’ wardrobe. Although this is a trend that comes with a tummy baring risk, there are a variety of styles to flatter a number of figures, whether you are looking to expose envy provoking abs or take a more subtle approach with the exposure of the midriff. If you are overly conscious of baring too much flesh, pair with highwaisted jeans and an oversized shirt for a good old 90’s fashion flashback.
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berry lips
If you were too young to get on the berrylicious bandwagon back in the 90’s, now’s your chance to swap up your red tones for the darker hues because this season berry is the new basic. Bold and brave, sporting a berry lip was normalized by the likes of Clara Bow in the ancient days of the 20’s and right then, an everlasting statement was made. Make the jump and replicate Gwen Stefani’s extra deep plum lip circa 1995 or keep it low-key by playing with sheer shades to see what best works for you. Go crimson, go matte, go ox-blood red, go glossy. Either way there are endless options to suit every skin tone, screaming a win-win to fangirls of the teenage witches in The Craft. The trend may come and go, but research statistics (agreement from the #girlpower @ Quench) prove it deserves a special space in your make up collection.
chunky flatforms
Breaking News: A tween dream come true for the short and tall alike, the sky high flatform sandals you once showed off at any given opportunity is now considered ‘glam-hideous’ by many. Reproduced from the cringe-worthy albeit classic thick sole and stretchy fabric that covered the top of the foot, the variety of their chunky children on offer now puts great pressure to choose ‘the one’. Whether you recall them as flatforms, creepers or the most inventive of them all; stretchy sandals, their existence has especially been appreciated by the musically talented from the Spice Girls in ’97 to Charlie XCX in 2013. Although no brand strayed away from his footwear craze, owning the Steve Madden version was potentially THE game changer to get that all-access pass to the sisterhood. *Cue our original remix: “If you wanna be my sista, you gotta get with the trends” with optional hair-flip & finger-snap*
PRODUCTS FEATURED 1. TOPSHOP Ripped Jeans RRP £45 2. TOPSHOP Short Dungarees RRP £38 3. RIVER ISLAND Black Like That Crop Top RRP £12 4. MAC Lipstick in Brave Red RRP £13
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SOCIAL
You’re sat in Starbucks, sheltering from that typical Welsh weather. You’ve got your drink in that festive red cup in front of you, and obviously before the first sip has been taken your phone is out and a picture is up on Instagram; hilariously misspelt name and all. Well this year Cardiff Volunteering is giving you the early Christmas gift of no longer feeling like a 2011 era hipster when you do this. By using the hashtag #RedCupCheer, you could help charity... kind of.
d e R # heer C p u C
From the 16th November to 6th December, by just tweeting your pictures using the handle @VolunteerCUSU and #RedCupCheer, you can help Cardiff Volunteering win a grant of up to £1000. If that isn’t your thing, then just search for Cardiff Volunteering on www.neighbourly.com and follow their project page. Cardiff Volunteering needs this grant to help fund future and ongoing projects that help vulnerable people, including children with disabilities. As a service run within Cardiff University Students’ Union,
it
relies
heavily
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student
support,
giving students a great opportunity to volunteer within the community. The amount of money Cardiff Volunteering
receives
from
the
Red
Cup
Grant
greatly depends on the amount you interact on Twitter and neighbourly.com- so get tweeting!
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FASION+ BEAU T Y
Photography : Jess Campbell Stylist: Abby Cotton Models: Louis Browne, Kieran Lewis, Tom Deane Words: Jamila Gandhi
A / W 1 5 ST Y L E E D I T
MENSWEAR
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FASHION+BEAU T Y 1.
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green
checked - in
Dark, forest, olive drab, military, fern, artichoke; thought you’d be limited with this trend? Think again. From runway to highway, no other colour was found to be more dominating than green on men this season. Not serving the army is a bygone excuse to not succumb to a shade this envious. With shades to complement every skin tone and ease of pairing it alongside neutrals, adding a piece of green will surely set the foundation of a contemporary wardrobe. And for the more daring, we encourage trying a pastel pistachio hue for a late summer and early autumnal ensemble.
Timeless and versatile, this season’s key print is taking over clothing rails and displays by storm and for good reason too. From checked shirts to legwear, accessories to outerwear, integrating this pattern instantly adds interest to any outfit, giving you full control of how much of a statement you want to create. Dig into your closet and work the magic of your favourite flannel or go all out and chase a catwalk look by rocking a slim tartan suit. Ultimately whether you prioritize comfort or style, in the words of Ice Cube; always check yo self before you wreck yo self!
leg room Although having unexpected, extra leg space in an airplane is a joy unbeatable, we’ll settle for our version of leg room; this season’s on – trend throwback piece, wide legged bottoms. Store away your beloved skinny denims and resist fetching your baggy denims! Think more along the lines of loose but smart and structured trousers, which will truly take you to cloud 9. If you’re interested in giving your legs some TLC and room to breathe, remember to balance proportions by having a snug fit top to avoid worst case scenario; looking like a clown.
shearling
Start getting your ABBA classics out because this trend is all about the golden age of rock. This key fabric made headlines for the A/W 14 season and is back as a beloved favourite, calling out to the rebels and the real gentlemen. Moving on from faux sheepskin, shearling is a promising choice for outerwear to keep warm with a variety of cuff and trim details to choose from, making selection the hardest bit. Seeing as this trend is here to stay, get on board with the designer’s choice of decade and try a classic shearling collared bomber that’ll take you right through to spring (and back in time to the 70’s!)
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H2T Neutrals
Breathe a sigh of relief as you can now sport your treasured black, white, tan and grey numbers with full support from high-end designers. As we enter the cold dark days of the year, it’s no surprise neutrals are back with a bang, this time head to toe outfits being the challenging addition. While black on black is an easy task, hues like beige have the risk of being boring which is when changing up the texture is key. Experiment your otherwise go-to choice for a mishmash of suede and leather, wool and cotton or denim and synthetics that make for an irresistible refreshing contrast.
PRODUCTS FEATURED 1. TOPMAN Miltary Overshirt £32 2. TOPMAN Camel Blanket Scarf £16 3. TOPMAN Khaki Bomber Jacket £50 4. TOPMAN Casual Check Shirt £32 5. TOPMAN Camel Faux Shearling Jacket £85
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e m e k a t back.childhood .. holidays British countryside Although I’ve always loved going abroad for holidays, some of my favourite holidays took place in the South West’s countryside caravan parks. As a family we would occasionally go to one of these sites for a few days. Despite the inevitable rain that hammered down in true Great British Summer style, our time spent here was always fantastic. We’d sit inside in the evenings with the electric fire, TV and a lovely cooked meal, after a day of country walks, visiting old towns, feeding and holding the park’s animals and playing in the lethal play area, which most definitely did not meet health and safety regulations! Family bonding was the reason these holidays became such an exciting prospect for me. We didn’t need water slides, 30 degree heat, or camel rides! We were all content enough just with each other, and with the countryside. Victoria Rundle
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Lapland Lapland, known for being “The European home of Santa Claus”, is so much more than a festive getaway. Staying in a log cabin here throughout the Christmas of 1999, there was something magical in the air. Quite literally, when we saw the Northern Lights! This Scandinavian resort is a place of escape, bringing out the best in all who pass through! Lapland is a place that embraces culture, family and friendship; whether this be feeding Santa’s reindeer, meeting Mrs Claus and her legendary husband or taking an infamous Husky ride through the wilderness. The snowy weather is an element that every child would love – tobogganing, thinking you’re the boy from ‘Walking in the Air’ making snowmen all day every day and even enjoying the entertainment when the aeroplane doors can’t open because icy weather has frozen them over! Lapland is an enchanting place where everyone’s inner-child becomes open to the world. It is where the real meaning of Christmas and family shine through. There is simply no other place like it. SOPHIIE BARNES
Antigua Our first long-haul flight, complete with kid’s meals: chocolate and packets of marshmallows. Films, real films playing in the seat ahead. A smooth landing into blistering heat, and the arrival at our place of serenity: a cool, white-tiled haven, with a cheerful maid laughing at our pale English skin. Curtains blowing open, French doors spread wide, we ran. Straight onto the beach, into a sea of purest crystal. Cue two weeks of snatching coconuts from the palm tree outside, dinners on wooden decking over a rustling creek, a big man who sold fresh pineapple juice on our neardeserted beach, and real shark teeth on a chain. A long, long wooden pier on which we could run and run before jumping into the endless expanse of sea. An ear infection from having my head underwater all day. A trip up Shirley Heights lookout to watch a sunset of one thousand colours, and hear a steel band of one thousand and one sounds. A gleaming white catamaran which took us far, far from our villa and onto Cade’s barrier reef. Antigua is not yet such a cliché as Thailand or Disney, but it should be. Alice Byron
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France
What do I remember about my childhood holidays? The mad panic to leave the house by 3am. All chaos did subside, however, when we got our first glimpse of the rolling French countryside that greeted us on the other side of the channel. I always remember the sunflowers - their presence dominates the landscape and the first glimpse of them on the approach to the destination is nearly as exciting as seeing the sea (nearly). French beaches can be so spectacular and the blazing sun beating down means there was endless fun to be had there by all the family. Thinking of those days in France takes me back to memories of blissful happiness and lot of laughter. When talking about France it would be a disservice not to mention the French markets. For me, they epitomise France, you can experience the local way of life so acutely there, and even as a small child the sense of community in those small market squares was beautiful. From decadent patisserie to exquisite art, the weekly market was something not to be missed. France still to this day is one of my favourite holidays, but maybe now coupled with some vino. Katie Ward
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Swanage Every Easter we packed our things and went down to a little caravan park in Swanage on the south coast of England. It’s on the Jurassic coast, so the beaches are really impressive and if we were lucky we’d find a fossil amongst the pebbles. There was always plenty of exploring to be done, from the skeletal, hilltop ruins of Corfe Castle, to the far more intact, albeit fire damaged, ruins of Lulworth Castle. Despite the (invariably) rainy weather we’d always get ice-cream in the most bizarre flavours. Apple crumble was my favourite, although once, (in a moment of great tragedy for 7 year old me) I dropped it and a seagull ate it. Swanage has its own steam railway and riding this was always my favourite bit of the week, partly because it felt like the Hogwarts Express but mainly because they always gave out free Easter eggs during the journey. At the end of the week, feeling like a billionaire, I’d spend my £2 pocket money in the 10p arcade machines before finishing with the best fish and chips ever from a little seafront shop. What more could you want? Rhiannon Hopley
Garfagnana, Italy When you think of holidays in Italy, it’s all too easy to be drawn to the cultural beauty of iconic cities such as Florence or Milan. But some of the country’s rural areas can also be amongst the most beautiful parts of the country. The Garfagnana is one such place, a mountainous agricultural centre, part of the Tuscan province of Lucca. To put things into a UK perspective, if the big Italian cities were London, the Garfagnana would be somewhere like Dartmoor; a secluded area best for people wanting to enjoy scenery and exploring. The Serchio River runs throughout the area, and some of the most popular activities include cycling, hiking and exploring the many different caves, ancient villages and spa towns. The food is also fantastic, offering all the Italian favourites with a particular emphasis on the local specialities of lentils and porcini mushrooms. You’ll need a car if you do want to travel a bit further out to more urban areas, but it is only just north of Lucca and Pisa, so there are plenty of opportunities for days out. The Garfagnana is as traditionally Italian as places come, but maybe not as you imagined it. Alec Evans
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CHANGING PLACES
Bristol
Clifton Suspension Bridge, SS Great Britain, Concorde: these are just some achievements that are nationally recognised as Bristolian. What is perhaps lesser known is the city’s shift from industrial manufacturing to a hub of cultural and creative activity. Bristol Harbourside has been regenerated over the past few decades, with additions such as the UK’s first media centre the Watershed and conversions of transit sheds and warehouses into spaces such as the Arnolfini art gallery and the M Shed museum. Further down the River Avon is Paintworks, a collection of industrial buildings transformed into a creative quarter of apartments, artist lofts, publication offices, cafés and bars. Imperial Tobacco’s former factory in Southville, which was left derelict for over a decade, has since been converted into a theatre. This helped to kick-start a revitalisation of the surrounding area with independent shops
A location evolves over time as the needs of its inhabitants change. Quench Travel explores changing places across the globe
and businesses opening up on adjoining North Street. Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival Upfest has further advanced the area’s development, which has been giving visitors the chance to watch graffiti artists from all over the world at work since 2008. And with more recent redevelopments such as the sunken roundabout the Bearpit, Bristol’s rejuvenation isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Sophie Ellis
Peru
Just fifteen years ago, the Peruvian Coast, the Andes and the Amazon were raw, and untouched. I could count the number of foreign tourists I saw on one hand. As time ticked by, roads started to improve, security in rural areas got better and the tourism industry started to grow slowly and steadily. But after 07/07/07, it all changed. The New Seven Wonders of the World were announced. Machu Picchu was elected as one of the ‘winners’. Quickly, my favourite place – Cuzco – was swarmed by tourists. Instead of a growth in museums, a vast number of bars started to appear. Lima was treaded over and ignored by the invasion of tourists eager to see Machu Picchu. Slowly but surely, however, the city has adapted to the swarm of tourists and has flourished into a beautiful modern LatinAmerican city.
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Marielle Wilkinson
T R AV E L
Thailand
Thailand’s popular and precious King Bhumibol Adulyade has transformed Thailand’s economy and is viewed by the majority as a divine, hard-working father to the Thai population. During the reformation from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, the status of the royal institute was at an all-time low. King Bhumibol was able to halt this decline and reinstate the monarchy as a powerful and fundamental asset to Thailand. His face to face style appearances in the provinces and numerous royal projects, particularly concerning Thailand’s essential agricultural development, has created a genuine and nurtured reverence from the Thai population. King Bhumibol’s ability to intervene in moments of political tension has resulted in finding non-violent resolutions accentuating the close bond between the Thai people and their monarchy. During his 69 year reign, King Bhumibol has seen his country through 17 constitutions and charters, multiple attempted military coups and even more prime ministers. He has done what few have managed, and formed a genuine friendship between the royals and the public, whilst shifting Thailand’s status from a third world country to a developing one.
Ellise Nicholls
Croatia
A mere twenty-four years ago Croatia had just declared its independence from SFR Yugoslavia. This new country had long been campaigning for increased autonomy from Yugoslavia, through events such as the Croatian Spring of 1971 in which organised demonstrations took place throughout the country. It was awarded ever increasing autonomy, but after the deteriorating political situation in the region following the death of Yugoslavia ruler Tito in 1980 Croatia increased its efforts towards gaining full independence, achieved in 1991. After numerous decades of Communist rule, Croatia was finally able to reconnect with the modern world and develop its services to become a desirable tourist destination. However tensions in the region developed into the Croatian War of Independence, lasting from 1991 to 1995. This significantly marred its efforts to modernise and attract tourists and investment. Croatia’s decisive victory meant it could rapidly develop and it was gradually accepted into the international community. Most recently was its acceptance into the EU in 2013. This rapid transformation earned Croatia the title of 18th most popular tourist destination in the world and it now receives an impressive 10 million visitors annually. Split and Dubrovnik especially are two of the country’s most desirable and popular destinations, with prices still relatively cheap and beautiful weather during the summer. Bethan Clark
Flores, Indonesia When I first visited Labuan Bajo in 2002 it was a relatively undeveloped village on the western tip of Flores, Indonesia, relying primarily on fishing to support its economy. The rough, unpaved roads, bare hotel rooms and sparsely located family run Indonesian restaurants were the norm for most of the island. However, upon my return a decade later, the little village was changed almost beyond recognition. Labuan Bajo in 2012 had become a bustling tourist destination, the gateway to Komodo and Rinca, the only islands where the famous Komodo Dragon may be found. The infrastructure of the area has improved vastly, and in 10 years, an almost non-existent restaurant industry has exploded, with one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to now nestled in the centre of the village. Tourism has allowed Labuan Bajo to catch up to the standards one would expect from a visit to Bali, though the eastern end of Flores remains much unchanged in the last 10 years. For anyone wanting a holiday to somewhere less commercial than Bali, with stunning views, creature comforts, and a reasonable price tag, Labuan Bajo is the place to go.
Grace hathaway
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T
he United States of America: it’s a huge country of which the UK could fit into roughly 38 times. It provides us with a diverse array of culture, people and languages and has given us some of the most impressive landmarks on the globe. Yet, so many states of such a grand country lie undiscovered and are home to some of the most breath-taking places on Earth, earning these states the title of ‘the real America’, I want to take you on a journey to discover it. The New England region on the northeast coast is a prime area of undiscovered natural beauty. Known as ‘New England’ for its former British colonised original states of America, it is made up of 6 of the 50 American states: New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island. Each of these states are politically and constitutionally different but all share the similarity of being out of the limelight. Whilst most tourists tend to flock to the famed cities of New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Chicago; the spots of New England lie untouched. The only city in this region that would even come close in terms of tourists is Boston, Massachusetts and even the remains undiscovered. Nestled into the North-East of the New England region sits New Hampshire. This state is home to some of the most striking and uninhabited places. Its local stars of the show feature the Black Bear, Moose and Mountain Lion which makes the state popular with animal lovers; yet for locals it’s just another day at home when a bear goes through your rubbish bins! It may only have a small coastline but New Hampshire’s ocean is also home to families of the Granite State
Whale. For some reason Brits are always taken aback by this, it’s almost as if we can’t believe that wild animals actually exist outside of the African continent. New Hampshire’s most northern point forms part of the resident border with neighbouring Canada but has plenty of famous residents of its own. A-listers are known to have holiday homes on Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Ossipee in the central area of the state, these include the likes of Adam Sandler and Jude Law. Water is a big part of New Hampshire life, offering tourists the option to float down the Saco River on rubber rings, with its rapids to take in its wildlife from the heart of the river. It is also home to Diana’s Bath, a collection of natural waterfalls and plunge pools. Many Americans tend to holiday in the state to escape from the city, swapping city life for the open-aired wilderness of New Hampshire. Famed for its starry night sky and claimed sightings of the Northern Lights, as Brits working in the state for a few months it can get a little misleading when there are places signposted with a English connection – such as, Manchester, Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter and Bedford. It also happens to be the only state in the US which is tax free in terms of its shopping. This sees people flying in from all over the country, and world, to grab the best deals on designer labels. The natural wonders of New Hampshire are also host to the White Mountains terrain which accounts for the most untouched region in the state. At the peak of this range stands the mighty Mount Washington. On a clear day, from the top of Washington you can see across to Canada and to the
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T R AV E L neighbouring state of Maine. This incredible mountain which can be hiked, driven up or approached by cog railway, also holds the record for having highest recorded wind speed in history, so it’s not for the fainthearted! Mount Chocorua also lies deep within the White Mountain range and many hike to its peak to watch the sun rise over New Hampshire. With the White Mountains as a spectacle themselves, it is no wonder that skiers from all over the world head to this region throughout winter. The fact that the New England region of America is widely undiscovered is what makes it so beautiful. Many tourists don’t even give it a chance and just want to jump on the first flight they can to one of the bigger cities further down the coast. New Hampshire’s showcase of natural beauty features its mountain and water regions, animal habitats and local culture are what make it original. Yes you may find snippets of these in other states but its rustic British feel is what ties it all together. America is not just the big concrete jungle that it is made out to be. Yes, visit the bigger cities like the ‘Big Apple’ - find yourself in rural US and you can finally say that you have discovered real America: one of the greatest nations on earth.
Sophie Barnes
Am er ica
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MUSIC
LIVE REVIEWS PEACE
The Great Hall Cardiff 03/10/15
LONELADY
Thelka Bristol 5/10/15
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Peace descend upon The Great Hall for what may be their last time before they’re hitting arenas.
“I’m just trying to change the world”, preaches Harry Koisser as they hit their first chorus of the night in Cardiff. Alongside his three clean-shaven, floppy-haired band members, the relatively ‘Great’ Hall feels tighter than usual, squeezed and ready to burst. Koisser’s vocal is faultless throughout. It oscillates between the growl of ‘I’m A Girl’ and the lachrymose croon of ‘Someday’, interchanging between the two with his own blend of insouciant charm. Despite the heavy touring schedule on the back of their second album, ‘Happy People’, Peace remain fun, relaxed and grateful for the turnout. Even with the mist of cool that surrounds their live show, Koisser et al have avoided a total dislocation from the crowd. On the contrary, in fact, they are as engaging and inclusive as ever. Perhaps it’s the more introspective dialogue of the new record that frames their set in a more transparent light, stripped of the fur and façade one may see at a Peace festival set. For instance, as Doug Castle’s
Lonelady arrives in Bristol and delivers a set of almighty stature.
The diminutive, androgynous figure of Julie Campbell, better known as Lonelady, feels out place or in the wrong time. This feeling of displacement is exacerbated by the space of the Thekla, a boat turned venue, placed near the centre of Bristol. Effectively forgetting the outside world, Campbell’s new wave indebted guitar-led dance-rock creates a space that could just as easily be located in the 1980s. A varied crowd warmly receives a set of new cuts from second album ‘Hinterland’ and older material from her debut ‘Nerve Up’, swaying along to hypnotic grooves and throwing some hacienda channeling shapes. It is perhaps no surprise that Campbell’s origins lie in Manchester and comparisons to New Order are justified. Shorter songs ‘Intuition’ and ‘Nerve Up’ offer sharp melodic bursts of precisely focused energy, Campbell’s jagged guitar coexisting next to a menagerie
guitar cuts out and the band are forced to play an impromptu rendition of ‘Toxic’ sans lead guitar, Koisser makes it seem natural and planned. Yet several nods from across the stage and half a song later, the frontman cuts in with, “Well that wasted enough time for Doug to sort his guitar out” and they’re straight into ‘Perfect Skin’. Equally, as Koisser slips Muse’s ‘Plug In Baby’ riff into the brooding and climactic drop of ‘1998’, his dry sense of humour and piquant allure are again showcased. Peace aren’t worried about being liked or afraid of being laughed at. They’re surfing on a paradox: Peace are cool because they’re not trying to be cool. It is a selfawareness that makes Peace so likeable, as the lyrics laced with irony indulge a setlist of solid, intelligent rock songs. Peace are growing with the size of their stages, and who knows if they can be contained. Seminal third album and a sold out date at the Motorpoint? Quite possibly.
Louis Browne @louis_browne
of synthesizers and sample pad beats. Whilst the sound Lonelady has forged wears its influences on its sleeve, it is still deeply characteristic, grooving without succumbing to swagger softened by Campbell’s melodic vocals. The instrumentation is tight and longer songs ebb and flow without ever becoming boring. The band really comes into its own on longer songs, mainly from the record dropped earlier this year. These pieces feel suited better to a live space than they do on record, let free they feel sprawling and expansive, full of potential energy ready to be let loose. The feeling is infectious and by the time ‘Groove It Out’ begins, the audience is doing just that. If Lonelady’s sound is reminiscent of late post-punk and early new wave then tonight provides a welcome escapism by glimpsing into the brightest and most uplifting facets of a scene that has aged exceedingly well. Oli Richards @ORichards93
MUSIC
FALL OUT BOY
Motorpoint Cardiff 07/10/15
There are two types of people in this world; those that love Fall Out Boy and liars.
Back for the second time in 18 months, Fall Out Boy’s loyal fans snake around the circumference of the Motorpoint as ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ rolls into Wales. Inside, opener Charley Marley prowls the stage, the British rapper initially falling flat before succeeding eventually with ‘Bad Things With Jamaicans’. US duo ‘Matt and Kim’ espouse a blend of Nintendo-style keyboards and frenetic drumming. ‘Matt’ proclaims them “partners in crime, and partners in sex”, while ‘Kim’ takes a crowd-walk encouraging people to join her in smacking her behind. Professor Green is an improvement, lacing his acerbic rap with well-placed vocals from his backing singer. ‘Read All About It’ hits the mark and is a good choice to bow out on. Arriving to the iconic ‘Sugar We’re Going Down’, FOB take the crowd somewhat by surprise. The confident swagger of ‘Irresistible’ shows how far they’ve come since then, Joe Trohman mimicking the brass line on distorted guitar, while Patrick Stump struts across the stage belting out the vocal. A handful of older tracks follow, giving the hardcore a chance to relive teenage angst, but the band seem
most at ease with post-hiatus material which constitutes half the set. Indeed, the raw power of new songs tonight is pleasantly surprising. The cleaner production of recent albums looks to have crafted songs with all the fat cut, which reach the back row of the Motorpoint with ease tonight. Fixing the cameras on their adoring fans during a triumphant rendition of ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’, Fall Out Boy deliver a truly transcendental moment. An ode to the band and their fans, both give their all; the euphoric chorus filling the vast arena. After a classic Pete Wentz motivational talk, the four-piece close out the set with ‘Centuries’, evolving from the studio recording into a titanic whirl of hairmetal riffing and circular vocals. An encore of career-saving ‘My Songs Know...’ is appropriately wreathed in fire, both from the impressive video screens and pyro on stage, before customary closer ‘Saturday’ allows Wentz to lean into the first few rows for a final embrace with his devoted congregation.
Dillon Eastoe @DEastoe
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MUSIC
Son Joan
Son Joan is the gender-neutral alias of the Fleet based, solo musician and creator of ‘Menagerie Melodies’; an EP comprising of four grunge laden, psychedelic tracks. The EP itself is beautifully raw. The guitars have a warm, fuzzy and grungy tone to them; as does the brilliantly haunting vocal performance. But, there are also slow, rolling riffs in there too, as well as a fast paced, Johnny Cashesque flair on lead single, ‘Sucker Punch’. Bearing in mind this is all sitting atop a drum machine, it’s a hugely diverse sound. Their restricted line up is not a fashion statement, nor is it about punishingly challenging themselves musically, or worst of all, an ego-trip. It’s simply what felt natural, and it’s a blessing to see that. With the confidence to challenge and expand, Son Joan seems well equipped to tackle art in music on their own. For fans of: My Bloody Valentine, Johnny Cash. Download: ‘Sucker Punch’ Facebook: facebook.com/ sonjoanofficial Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/ son-joan @sonjoan_
Jurassic Pop Dinosaur Rock? Ok, we’ve heard it all now… “I think rock n roll is really funny when it’s serious”; a line from American pop punk band Bowling for Soup, yet they aren’t the only ones that have a seriously good time not taking themselves to seriously. Active since 2013, Jurassic Pop have made a name for themselves writing songs exclusively about the Steven Spielberg films, Jurassic Park. Whilst the lyrics of this extremely niche, yet instantly likeable band, are their main focal point it is not to say that the rest of their sound is lacking, quite the contrary. The base of their latest release ‘All That She Wants (Is Robert Muldoon)’ is made up of synths, flanged guitars and a hell of a lot of reverb, and although not quite prehistoric, it seems to take influence from the classic 60s sound of The Doors. With the release of their forthcoming EP imminent, Jurassic Pop are a band well worth checking out, guaranteed to be unlike anything you’ve ever herbivore (heard before).
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A solo artist from Fleet, doing it oh so right.
NEW
Bronze-Age Boats
Bronze-Age Boats are a four piece indie band from Bridgend, South Wales. They’ve got the formula for an indie rock band pretty much nailed; catchy, anthemic songs, strong riffs and unique, moody vocals from frontman Sion Edmonds, whose voice is reminiscent of Alex Turner, but definitely not a cheap rip-off. Paired with the sometimes Mumford and Sons-esque acoustics, it gives an altogether different feel. They are unsurprisingly gaining momentum locally, and always entertain with fun, energetic gigs. Songs like ‘Let’s Excavate’ and ‘No Lights’ on their debut EP ‘Counting Tides’ give the impression of a far more established group, which is exciting from such a young band. Their potential is outstanding and they’re on track for big things. This is the beginning for them, and with such a good start, For fans of: Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons. Download: ‘Let’s Excavate’ Facebook: facebook.com/ BronzeAgeBoats
NEWYDD
The Vryll
For Fans Of: The Doors, Steven Speilberg. Download: ‘All That She Wants (Is Robert Muldoon)’ Facebook - facebook.com/ yojurassicpop Song to listen to ‘All that she wants (is Robert Muldoon) Soundcloud: https:// soundcloud.com/fierce-pandarecords/jurassic-pop-allthat-she-wants-is-robertmuldoon
For fans of: The Floormen, The Verve, The Rolling Stones channeling Pink Floyd. (Contrived, but you try & compare this lot to anyone else and you’ll get me.) Download: ‘Air’ Facebook: facebook.com/ TheVryllSociety @TheVryllSociety
There’s a group of 5 lads who’ve been knocking about on every Liverpudlian’s radar for quite some time now. Their music has been intelligently crafted and honed by the late, great Alan Willis from Deltasonic Records, for a long enough time for them to now be released into Wales’ wider conscience. The Vryll Society, made up of Michael & Ryan Ellis, Lewis McGuinness, Lloyd Shearer & Benjamin Robinson, earned glowing reviews at festival slots this summer and followed it with the release of their hypeinducing first EP ‘Pangea’. The first track on the EP is ‘Air’, a liquid psych rock with Mike Ellis’ ethereal vocals floating above. The single requires immediate listening while eating your Heinz beans & pondering over your existence. You then need to get yourself to one of their much-hyped unstoppable gigs, during which there’s a 90% chance piss will be thrown on you and a 100% chance you won’t give a fuck. Do not miss their kaleidoscopic riffs, thundering rhythms & yet contrasting lyrical realisms, all in the same songs (yes, they’re that good.) We chatted to the band & reviewed their October Cardiff date online; so go, now & look!
MUSIC
THROWBACK
ALBUMS
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Following the phenomenal success of their track ‘Firestarter’, the Essex based band The Prodigy’s third album ‘The Fat of the Land’ was definitely worth the wait and so was the crazy journey that followed. Released in 1997, The Prodigy’s latest album was very different to their previous work. Their two previous albums had the repetitive rave sound which appealed to hardcore clubbers but with general reviews being mixed about their “kiddie rave” sound; until ‘The Fat of the Land’ exploded. This album launched the band into international success, leading the album to be number one in the UK and the US. Their sound changed from their previous rave sounds, into the category of Big Beat and electroindustrial. After their success from ‘Firestarter’, which for the first time featured vocals from Keith Flint, the 10 track album displayed less rave, more dance, simpler tracks. The punk-like vocals allowed another genre to become interested in the band and the short lyrics are catchy and work well with the amount of noise that accompanies the tracks. Each track sounds vastly different from the other with each song having its own distinguishable sound and character allowing the band to become influential and unforgettable. Their track ‘Diesel Power’ introduces a more hip-hop, rap vibe with the percussion carrying the song. The nine-minute long ‘Narayan’ and ‘Climbatize’ introduce a more chilled out sound but nevertheless still something to get up and dance to. It impacted it’s time drastically, especially ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ which, being the first track, opened the album and presented the audience its new sound and gained its cult following. Its controversial message of the repeated lyrics, “change my pitch up, smack my bitch up”, caused a stir due to its referencing to women, drugs and accompanied by its controversial music video (although it won two MTV music video awards) actually resulted in some shops taking the album down off the shelves. However tracks such as ‘Breathe’ and ‘Firestarter’ which feature aggressive and moody vocals and hardcore beats show why the band gained recognition and became a huge success. It is still to this day a must listen.
‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ – Arctic Monkeys
Cardiff has harboured big names since the 30s with Ivor Novello through to the 60s with Amen Corner, the 70s with Budgie, 80s with the Young Marble Giants and right through to present day with obvious names like the Manic Street Preachers, Tom Jones, Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics, Shirley Bassey, Catatonia, Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend and so on. We even had Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and other huge world wide names spend time here and play a few gigs. The thing is, music is in the DNA of our very ancient culture in Wales and it draws people from all over the world due to its mysticism and unique and weirdly positive spin on ‘happiness in misery’ akin to the American Blues. It’s why we’ve been a hub mostly for Rock. Budgie in particular are one of the earliest heavy metal bands and a seminal influence on music worldwide with their fast, heavy rock being played as early as 1971 and noted by many as among the heaviest metal of its day. The godfathers of the Welsh rock Scene. This leads to the present day. You can traverse the streets of Cardiff and find any number of acts in local venues and many of the music festivals we have around the country that all solemnise this rock and roll heritage. Wales has more in common with the Delta and Chicago Blues of old than many realise. Soul, groove and feeling rules our art. Especially recently has this reemerged. I’d argue that Cardiff especially has formed it’s own sound or ‘scene’ as many like to crown these kinds of things. For a while we hung onto the tail of the ever soaring soulless Indie pigeon but caught dead in flight and devoured by the infinite powerful rock Hawk it has been as we rediscover our heritage and get back to what really makes our music here great. The Welsh, keeping it real.
‘The Fat Of The Land’ – The Prodigy
HEROES
‘Disintergration’ – The Cure
WE’RE NO
Two years after their 1987 crossover hit ‘Just Like Heaven’ propelled the Cure to arena status worldwide, Robert Smith and co released ‘Disintegration’, channelling the frontman’s LSD-addled melancholia into their most sprawling album to date. Opener ‘Plainsong’ is a luscious cascade of synthesizers and guitars which shower the senses for 3 minutes before Smith’s lovelorn vocals float in through a wash of reverb, complete with the usual morose content “and it’s so cold, it’s like the cold if you were dead, and you smiled for a second”. ‘Pictures of You’ is an iconic yardstick of the albums style and scope, a shimmering 7-minute epic featuring Smith’s now trademark 7-string bass guitar and peerless vocals. The album’s influence is far-reaching; with the bass riffs recognisable on Kings of Leon records (see ‘Closedown’) and the chiming guitar sounds adopted by Gaslight Anthem’s Alex Rosamilia some of the more tell-tale examples of mimicry. The biggest pop moment (and home to Smith’s most straightforward lyrics) is ‘Lovesong’, trundling along on a rolling Simon Gallup bassline and featuring one of the Cure’s best solos. That the band’s most successful song stateside comes from their most ambitious album speaks volumes of the Cure’s stature at the time. The creepy ‘Lullaby’ (spooky keyboards over lyrics about being eaten in one’s sleep) and groovy ‘Fascination Street’ (hitting clubs and smashing a few too many ‘vodka and cranberries’) are the last nuggets of relief before the final stretch where Smith’s depression becomes inescapable. The hopelessness of the words flows flawlessly with brooding arrangements to flesh the final few songs out into over 30 minutes of overwhelming sorrow. The effect of experiencing the whole piece can be debilitating but is an undeniable sensation. Not only is this record to thank for South Park’s classic ‘Robert Smith vs Mecha Streisand’ fight scene (Smith does his own lines), it is also one that has influenced countless artist’s sonic approach for years afterwards.
Released in 2006, The Arctic Monkeys ticked all the right boxes with this 13-track album, which became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history. Quoted as being “one of the best rock albums of the decade”, the English band stormed to success with two UK number ones and they have shown no sign of slowing down. Their sound is undeniably catchy with the frontman and lead singer Alex Turner’s clear vocals and lyrics appealing to all. Their tracks describe night outs clubbing, whether it be trying to pull, trying to get a taxi home, arguing with bouncers or describing the sad side of love. The topics that feature in the songs relate to everyone, which definitely helped their success. The flawless guitar hooks, the edgy raspy vocals and the steady but racing drums all add to make the album very real and comfortable to listen to. The album is mostly high tempo, something you could sing and dance to but with slower tracks such as ‘Mardy Bum’ and ‘Riot Van’ which contains Turner’s slow rasping vocals and the accompanying quiet guitar, showing how the band can bring the tempo down and give more variety. Their more lively tracks occasionally blend into one, but nevertheless they are all unique. ‘Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But...’ has some of the best guitar playing within the whole album, although ‘The View From The Afternoon’ challenges this with its constant change in tune. ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ is a crowd favourite; the second number one for the band has to be their catchiest and most real song, with the theme being centred on prostitutes. The whole song is precise and the slower parts are perfectly executed with the end guitar riff satisfyingly ending the tune. ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ as their first UK number one shows how their success is well deserved as are the many awards that they have received. Still to this day The Arctic Monkeys are a favourite.
MUSIC
BEACH FATIGUE -
Led Zeppelin are a band that clearly defy boundaries. its legendary status. This and its longevity are perhaps enough when in contention for ‘Best Album Ever’. Led Zeppelin never really recaptured, in later attempts, what they had succeeded so well in here. However, although it’s pretty certain that although the majority of us reading this won’t have been alive and kicking during the musical hedonism of the early 1970s, jeez, does this record make us wish we were.
‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ – The Beatles
‘Led Zeppelin IV’ – Led Zeppelin
Many will tell you that ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ is the best rock album ever made and will give plenty of justification as to why that is the case. Besides the somewhat subjective view that each track on this record provides pure ecstasy of listening, statistically, Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth studio album still remains one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Led Zeppelin encompasses all that we have come to associate with the emergence of heavy metal during the 1970s; strong rhythms and distortion, guitar solos and machismo. Brash opener ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Rock and Roll’ which follows, reiterate that straight away. Yet, what makes this record so great is that it stretches beyond Led Zeppelin’s previous ventures in terms of genre and dimension. ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ is a metal record thrown into a concoction that contains a bit of blues and a bit of rock and roll, with old-English folk and the occult mixed in too for good measure. Brilliantly comprised and with the right amount of subtlety, it all just falls perfectly into place. Robert Plant’s dynamic vocals are best utilised during the folkloreish, ‘The Battle Of Evermore’ and in the urgency of ‘Four Sticks’, both of which are pivotal moments on the record. The anthemic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ sits perfectly between the two. An angelic and heart-stopping arrangement, this seminal number defined by Page’s double neck guitar is a poetic composition of lasting quality. I defy anyone who says ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is overrated. If you haven’t reached heavenly heights by the time the song has ended, you’re doing something wrong. Led Zeppelin IV’ essentially invented heavy rock and in doing so solidified
When somebody mentions the sixties, it is almost impossible for John, Paul, George and Ringo not to spring to mind. The Beatles without a doubt defined that era, and it didn’t take long for Beatlemania to spread globally. It could be argued that it never left at all; ask any British person their favourite track by the Fab Four and not only will it be hard for them to choose just one, it will open up a treasure chest of memories for humankind as they relish in the wonder that was sixties rock, pop and roll. Arguably the most influential and outstanding Beatles album is their eighth effort: 1967’s ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. It’s regarded by many of those savvy in the music industry as a ‘concept album’, basically meaning that the record was created under a conception where the music and lyrics were generated and constructed to underwrite a unified story. In terms of creativity (which Lennon and McCartney had a lot of), this album really takes the top spot. From the perplexingly catchy opening title track, which dissolves into worldwide favourite ‘Little Help from My Friends’ so effortlessly, to the jazzy, funky bass in ‘Getting Better’ and the bitter sadness that the vocal in ‘She’s Leaving Home’ brings; it is unarguable that the skill involved in producing this masterpiece is paramount. For many people, ‘Sgt Pepper’s’ itself is an album that represents something in their life; be emotions, feelings or memories. The Beatles’ varied style of music in this record so typically embodies what it meant to be young and liberal in the sixties, and this even continues in the present day. Words By Rachael Hutchings and Alannah Williams
I lived in Cardiff whilst in University from 2009-2012 and during this time I discovered tons of great bands and people from the scene. Our first gig in Cardiff was as part of Music Geek Monthly’s Christmas party! Music Geek Monthly, which was run by Andrew Jones, aided us in discovering a lot of bands, local or not. Self-stylised, like a book club but with music. The group would meet on a monthly basis and listen through a list of songs from an album released that month, and the group would vote to see which album they would like to claim as their album of the month, which would then be listened to and discussed at the next meeting. The attendees and organisers were and are a great bunch of people and are all enthusiastic about music. You’ll see the same faces at all the cool gigs, and more often than not they also attended MGMonthly too. Sadly the event has now stopped running but hopefully it will return someday. We’ve since gone on to play most venues in the city and were lucky enough to play Swn Festival in 2013 which gave us a great receptive audience and opportunities to release music and play more great gigs. We feel that Swn Festival is something bands in the surrounding area should aim to play, and we’re looking forward to returning to the festival in November. I was lucky to live in Cardiff during the period of Truckers of Husk’s album release where some of the gigs they played during this time were outrageously good; including their infamous set at The Globe which concluded with the drums being reconstructed in the audience and a bag of flour being poured all over them and members of the audience, like myself. I believe you can still see flour on the ceiling today. That gig will stay with me forever.
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MUSIC
BRISTOL CITY FESTIVAL
In:Motion is one of Bristol’s biggest electronic music events and Shelbie Holmes went down to see what was up. Motion nightclub in Bristol is an The stars of BBC 3’s mockumentary incredibly unique warehouse venue ‘People Just Do Nothing’ must have that boasts a colossal 2500 person done some of that ‘submarinal capacity, providing an ideal site for advertising’ they talked about as large-scale electronic music events. The they attracted a particularly raucous spaciously eerie matrix of rooms within audience to the stage hosted by the warehouse then serve as a perfect Champagne Steam Rooms. MC backdrop for the In:Motion series; a Grindah and Co managed to please collection of well curated live shows the sea of glitter-covered shufflers with that run from October 2015 - January their finest old school garage and drum 2016 that are headlined by the likes of ‘n’ bass headline act, riling them up Bonobo, Annie Mac and many others. and readying them for the sets of Big The renovated skate park Narstie (who ironically was a big crowd was brought alive by In:Motion on pleaser), DJ Maximum and last but not the 2nd October as the launch party least Preditah. hosted by West London Pirate radio In the adjoining room Lobster legends Kurupt FM commenced. The Boy labelled artists Mak & Pasteman bright and aboriginally decorated impressed partiers as they baldy cobbled courtyard where thousands bobbed behind their decks, setting the queued shook tone for producer Hugh as house music Pescod’s prime time reverberated slot. Bristol born Hugh “wouldn’t the from the venue, Pescod aka Redlight prospect of such certainly seemed right welcoming an amazing line up at home as he dropped the crowd leave you feeling some certified bangers with echoes of mingling like the cat that from his debut album basslines got the cream?” ‘X colour’. This highlythat further anticipated compilation intensified their is released on 13th pre-rave jitters. November and available for pre-order These jitters were soon now. This album contains an eclectic alleviated and replaced by excitement mix of accredited singles such as as they entered into the warehouse ‘Goldteeth’ and new releases including – wouldn’t the prospect of such an ‘Threshold’ featuring Melisa Whiskey amazing line up leave you feeling which he has recently remixed himself. like the cat that got the cream? The This room was then finished off by outstanding selection of acts spanned multi-genre playing Mele and talented across a full eight hours and were Mella dee. carefully categorised into four rooms, Whilst the launch party which between them managed to play arguably had the biggest line-up that such a variety of genres (from grime to Motion nightclub has seen this year it garage to house to dancehall to funk) is clear that the following In:Motion that any individuals musical tastes events are unmissable . To book tickets could be satisfied at any one time. for these upcoming nights visit www.bristolinmotion.com. - Shelbie Holmes
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As previewed by our very own Jack Boyce in last month’s issue, here he is again to tell you what actually went down. Bristol’s Simple Things festival, now in its fifth year, has solidified itself as the quintessential music festival within Bristol with its diverse acts, excellent selection and layout of venues and many, many sightings of Big Jeff. Opening on the Friday was post-rock legends Godspeed You! Black Emperor, with the organisers seemingly outdoing themselves by booking a band with such grand allure and an almost opera-esque scale of production. Supporting act Dead Rat Orchestra were the huge surprise of the night, as they brought their dreary, Arabic influenced folk to the amassing crowd. By the end of their set, Colston Hall was almost full with dazed onlookers, with one guy, hands on head, exclaiming “Oh my god!” as he left. Colston Hall continued as the hub of the festival the next day, with four stages altogether: the Main Hall, The Lantern, The Foyer and The Terrace. The Main Hall hosted the biggest acts of the day; Bristol’s cult favourites Maximum Joy played their first show in over 25 years and Battles delivered a worthy closing set with their unique brand of math-rock, but the set of the day has to go to Londonbased, Savages. A hard-hitting set was complemented by lead singer Jehnny Beth’s antics, as she crowd-surfed several times while still flawlessly delivering a powerful performance. The Lantern, Colston Hall’s smaller stage that is situated next to the main hall, hosted a plethora of darker, angrier artists to tempt in those who prefer moshing to dancing. The first band to open the Lantern, Sex Swing, put on a strange, yet can’ttake-your-eyes-off-it performance that meshed saxophones, psychedelia and punk expertly. The Foyer also
provided an opportunity for the lesser-known bands to showcase their talents. Situated in the foyer of Colston Hall (hence the name), the location was optimal for filling the venue with music before attendees went off to bigger stages, and many sets ended up having a fairly large amount of people sticking around. Khruangbin, a Texas band who, in their own words, play ‘Thai-Funk”, along with Daisuke Tanabe, a Japanese producer who blends hip-hop, electronica and jazz, both drew big crowds that packed into the small space. Away from Colston Hall, the 02 Academy hosted Seattle group Chastity Belt, who took cues from other all-girl punk bands like SleaterKinney, delivering witty one-liners and chit-chat about subjects like Sex In The City between angst-filled songs. Legendary punk band Wire brought in the older crowd further into the night, and put on a tight, energetic performance despite their formative years. After midnight, attention drew away from the larger venues onto the more underground spaces. The Firestation, aptly named as it’s, well, an abandoned fire station, drew the largest afterhours crowd for Dean Blunt. While it wasn’t the easiest set to enjoy – high velocity strobing and distorted bass made many people turn away while covering their eyes and ears - the audience lapped up the set. While it wasn’t the traditional high-point at the end of a festival, it was quite poetic in making sure that Simple Things keeps it place on the ‘not a traditional festival’ list. - Jack Boyce
MUSIC
What Would Wolf Alice Do? Jamie Williamson sat down and had a chat with Wolf Alice ahead of the first stop on their headline UK tour. What a year it’s been.
When Ellie Roswell and Joff Oddie started Wolf Alice as an acoustic act back in 2010, no one, not even the pair themselves could have predicted where it would take them. 5 years later they have evolved into an electric indie rock 4 piece with tinges of post-grunge hanging from every note, and an adoring audience hanging on their every word. Built off the back of a number of successful singles and their well received EPs, ‘Creatures Song’ and ‘Blush’, the band’s debut album, ‘My Love is Cool’, released to favourable critical reception and an unexpected level of sales, shooting to number 2 in the charts; almost unheard of for a band without a major label backing them up. In the wake of this the band have set off on a whirlwind tour of Britain with Drenge. It’s their first headline tour since they became the major player in the UK indie rock scene. First stop was the O2 Academy in Bristol where Quench was on hand to have a few words with the band before their gig. It is easy when describing Wolf Alice to fall back into the safe world of clichés, using terms like “shoegaze” and “pop sensibilities”, but that isn’t just a label that Joel Amey, the band’s drummer, would reject, “We have pop it’s one he would ridicule. “We have pop sensibilities sensibilities stuff, but I and stuff, but I and think that’s very abstract… every guitar think that’s very band from The Velvet Underground abstract” onwards liked pop, people try and throw that in like, ooh they like pop music that’s weird, but it’s not really, everyone likes pop”. People often draw attention to the band’s female vocalist, Ellie Roswell, as the reason for the band’s ability to stand out from its rivals, but the band think that female influenced rock is nothing new. “I think there’s been loads of female rock bands. Over history, there’s been Kim Deal, The Slits, everyone involved in Riot Grrrl, Dana, there is loads, countless even too many to name… but maybe it isn’t the most well represented in the genre right now, which is a shame”, says the band’s guitarist, Joff Odie. The band’s rocking debut catapulting to the dizzying heights of number 2 in the charts was a surprise for all, not least the members of the band. “We thought maybe if it was a good week we might get to top ten or something like that, but you know we never even saw ourselves as a contender for a top 5”, Joff recalls, and Joel chimes in, “It’s not being self deprecating, it’s just if you look you just don’t see bands on independent labels in the charts”.
After a set from Made Violent that won over an originally ambivalent crowd, and a performance from Drenge that would have stolen the show if followed by anything else, the main event rolled round. The band took their place on stage to an incredible ovation from an adoring crowd, the “We love you Ellie” chants that would become a fixture of the night began before she even had a chance to speak. The set was minimalist in its design, seven flashbulbs sat at regular intervals in front of the band’s album cover backdrop shrouded in mist. The crowd were energetic and captivated, twitching and moving with every one of Ellie’s movements. Wolf Alice rolled through their album like a sine wave, moving back and forth between the raucous high energy of songs like ‘You’re A Germ’, and their slower quieter numbers like ‘Turn To Dust’. When drummer Joel took over the microphone for the band’s soft-spoken ballad, ‘Swallowtail’, the audience crooned every word, and swayed in place, moving in perfect unison like a rolling wave across the 02 Academy’s floor. The energy in the room reached fever pitch with the flash popping crescendo that was the band’s “We thought maybe if performance of ‘Your it was a good week we before Loves Germ’ might get to top ten or disappeared the band off stage. The break gave something like that, no respite to the crowd’s but you know we never chords as a hoarse vocal loud, “Wolf even saw ourselves as a A-Lice”, chant broke contender for a top 5” out amongst them. The audience didn’t have long to wait as they quickly came back on to give their audience the encore they deserved, ripping through their final three songs. This wasn’t a performance of a generic indie rock band. Loud, fast, and full of energy, the band were definitely on their best form for this one. Joff and Theo controlled the crowd well, urging them upwards with their infectious energy and performance. The incredible display from Ellie had the crowd completely under her spell, an effect that was strengthened further by two backup vocalists who joined the band for a select few songs. It would be easy to see this tour as a victory lap for the band having made it to number 3. Now is as a good a time as any to rest on your laurels, but instead it felt like a statement of intent. The band put on a gig that showed their chart placement was no fluke but exactly what they deserve as the rolling boulder of momentum they have become keeps moving forward.
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VIDEO GAMES
editor's pick:
My First Game Tom and Saman delve back into the realms of time to recall the first games they ever played (and we forced them to share their baby photos)
CRASH BANDICOOT 3: WARPED Despite having absolutely zero dialogue, Crash Bandicoot as a character had so much influence over five year old me. The only reason I wasn’t double jumping everywhere was because it’s literally impossible outside of the world of video games but fortunately I could still do Crash’s iconic victory dance every time I did something remotely successful. My parents tell me that I even attempted to attack them by spinning around like a tornado from time to time. As you can tell, I was a pretty normal child. I entered the Crash Bandicoot hype at its peak with the third instalment in the series so the formula was perfectly refined when I got my hands on it. Like all great platformers Crash 3 is easy to pick up and play with minimal gaming experience but takes time and skill to truly master. The bottom line is that it was fun to play, despite not bringing anything truly innovative to the table. Same old platforming gameplay: jump on the heads of various goons in order to be rid of them. Things got truly interesting when you finished all five levels in a zone and had to face the wonderfully varied boss characters. You have Tiny Tiger, a not so tiny beast who tries to jump on you with a trident and releases hordes of lions after you. Dingodile, the most stereotypically Australian mutant you will ever meet, who tries to roast you with a flamethrower and threatens innocent penguins. Doctor N. Tropy, Doctor N. Gin and Doctor Neo Cortex are the final three bosses and as you can see still represent the best puns ever created in a videogame. You felt a true sense of achievement after defeating the bosses as you unlocked swanky new power ups after each one. My personal favourite being none other than the Bazooka. If you’ve never played a Crash Bandicoot game then I don’t think we can be friends, and I’m not gonna sugar coat it… you have really missed out. I can’t imagine a childhood without the huge debate regarding what Aku-Aku (arguably the best power up in a videogame ever) actually says when you pick him up. HULBOOGA! @SamanIzadyar
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SPOT GOES TO HOLLYWOOD You’re all about to look at me like I’m absolutely mental, but the first game I have any real memory of playing is Spot Goes to Hollywood for Sega Saturn. The Saturn came out in 1994 when I was -2. My cousin just gave me his because he got a nice new gaming PC in the early noughties. In the years of PS2 crushing Xbox and GameCube, the Saturn was terribly antiquated. I also didn’t have a memory card for it, so I was never able to get very far- except in Spot, where a beaten level generated a massive “grid code”, that you could enter next time you played to skip that far into the game. The retro-ness of entering codes to access levels is one of the reasons I’m enjoying Mario Maker so much at the moment. Spot Goes to Hollywood also featured isometric graphics, which is something that is very nineties. I mean, aside from the fact that the main character is literally the spot from the 7-Up logo (though the drink did not appear in this instalment of the short lived Spot series- even if the game does start with a vending machine based cutscene) who wears “rad” sunglasses. You may be thinking, hang on, SimCity 4 which you chose for ed’s choice a while back was isometric too, Thomas. Do you have a yearning for the return of this frankly awful way of presenting computer game graphics? To you, dear reader, I say get lost, for isometric graphics also brought us Super Mario RPG, and where would the world be without that? Saturn was a very underpowered console for its generation, when it was supposed to be competing with PS1 and N64and how many people have heard of those, compared to the Saturn? Even amongst other Sega consoles, it’s barely spoken about. An isometric view suited the system, so it could show off how it lacked an analogue stick and instead had an eight way d-pad (seriously, Sega, you were just digging your own grave here), and also hid away the fact that it couldn’t properly render 3D by obscuring it behind fancy new-age sprites. It may not be a terribly interesting first game, but I enjoyed it, and it alongside other Saturn efforts like Cyber Speedway and Tomb Raider got me by until I finally got my own console, the original DS, which of course I loved more than life itself. @TomVerse
NAUGHTY
VVI IDDEEOO GGAAMMEESS
DOG
through the decades With over 30 years of legendary titles to their name, Oliver Leigh holds the magnifying glass up to Naughty Dog, one of PlayStation’s
Naughty Dog for many is a titan within the gaming industry, synonymous with critically acclaimed titles such as Crash Bandicoot through to Uncharted. However, the legend of Naughty Dog was forged in humility and determination. Originally founded in 1984 as ‘Jam Software’ by Andrew Scott Gavin and Jason Rubin, Naughty Dog consisted solely of the founders developing low budget games for the Apple II such as a skiing simulator shockingly named ‘Ski Crazed’. This was the duo’s first foray into the gaming world, later purchased for two hundred and fifty dollars and published by Baudville. As time went on the two severed their ties with the publisher and rebranded themselves as Naughty Dog in 1989, going on to develop games such as Rings of Power for the Sega Genesis and Way of the Warrior for the 3DO. With their continued but relatively staggered success, Universal Studios signed them. When the contract was finalised Naughty Dog materialised a plan to create a three dimensional platforming game codenamed ‘Sonic’s Ass’, as the player view was usually focused on the rear of the character. In 1994, after fourteen months of development, Crash Bandicoot was presented to Sony Computer Entertainment who promptly signed for and published the game, ushering an age where Bandicoot reigned supreme and inadvertently becoming the de facto mascot of PlayStation. The game became an instant success going on to sell 6.8 million copies, making it one of the highest selling titles for the PlayStation. After the monumental success of Crash Bandicoot and the huge transition to the PlayStation 2, the pressure was on Naughty Dog to meet the expectations of Sony and indeed the fans. This challenge was to be contested with the Jak & Daxter series. Released in 2001, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy received critical acclaim and went on to sell over two million copies by 2007. Naughty Dog had advanced along with the technological leap and this was reflected in its move away from creating sole missions, but present the player with a world of which they could explore. Non – playable characters had their own mini cut scenes and the world was vibrant in colour and rich in life. The number of staff grew and employees had to become more specialised. One member would focus on the lighting whereas another would
focus on animating the characters, marking the first drastic change within the history of the studio. Despite the success of Jak & Daxter, the pressure proved too much for Jason and Andy, thus they withdrew from Naughty Dog. The following sequels within the Jak & Daxter trilogy saw Naughty Dog distance themselves from the light atmosphere of The Precursor Legacy, and step into a nihilistic futuristic dystopia complete with a Grand Theft Auto feel. As a Naughty Dog staple, both games received positive reviews. However, as the company developed, so too did their artistic direction and opinion of what should be included in their games. Another console generation later, the PlayStation 3 saw the team at Naughty Dog push their capacity for crafting high quality games pushed further as they came to grasps with new technology. The development of their new title Uncharted (2007) proved even more troublesome as they shifted from the heavily stylized visuals of their previous titles, and instead focused on a more realistic and cinematic game. As they struggled to develop Uncharted, a sense of attrition developed within the studio and staff morale hit an all-time low. Naughty Dog was seemingly a sinking ship and those who had lost hope were abandoning their post. Luckily the figure heads managed to refocus the development team and ship Uncharted with critics singing unanimous praises about the high production level, from the musical score through to the graphics drawing comparisons between the production level of the game and those found in high end films. The adversity that plagued the development of Uncharted only proved to spur the team at Naughty Dog to strive for even grander heights, ultimately resulting in Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3 further blurring the line between Hollywood cinematics and superb gameplay. Through hardship and determination the palette of Naughty Dog has grown ever bolder and grittier over the years. From the dystopian vibes of the latter Jak instalments through to the Uncharted series, the natural evolution of Naughty Dog pointed to something great. This great work can be found in the 2013 release of The Last of Us, the studios first mature game which blended all of its gaming development expertise into a narrative driven experience. The game proved to be successful on a scale that not even they could have predicted, selling over eight million copies in fourteen months and winning over 240 game of the year awards. From humble beginnings to a status that can be matched only by an elite few. The legacy of Naughty Dog may be legendary, but it was a legacy that was strived for relentlessly. Oliver Leigh
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VIDEO GAMES
LOOKING REAL
IN
IMAGINARY WORLDS
Do have
video “the
game right”
unrealistic?
characters to
Avatars
look might
be toys in fictional worlds, but there is growing evidence that perfect bodies and oversexualisation
in
games
can
lead to unhealthy obsessions.
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VIDEO GAMES
Whether you’re into video games or not, it is obvious that most characters seem to have bodies that are ‘out of this world’. Male avatars tend to have an impossibly muscular physique and narrow hips, while female characters have large breasts and a “Barbie-doll” waist to hip ratio. Several studies on the effects of media argue that one of the major issues with these designs is that impressionable gamers are developing a skewed image of the human physique. The problem affects both genders. Researchers at Kansas State University claim that 15 minutes of viewing extreme body images in games is enough to give both males and females a negative impression of themselves. The website Bulimia.com goes further and suggests that many gamers develop low self-confidence and struggle with eating and excessive exercise disorders in attempt to look like the characters they play and admire. Women in the gaming world On the other hand, dress code issues seem to be reserved for the female avatars. The InvestiGaming website’s report on Gender and Games claims that almost half of female characters (41%) have outfits that show off unnecessary amounts of skin, such as their midrif and upper legs. In the world of video games, breast plates that sufficiently cover a female characters breasts seem irrelevant and armour appears to serve the sole purpose of showcasing the female physique. This only happens to 4% of male characters. In addition, when paused, female avatars tend to fall back into poses that showcase their body, instead of adopting protective stances. This can have a negative impact on the way male players view women as exposing men to games where female characters are sexually objectified might encourage them to act inappropriately to women in social situations and view them as mere sex objects. Fighting back People are becoming more aware of this situation and want to correct the gap between fiction and reality. Bulimia.com, which offers support against eating disorders, published an article in August reimagining female video game characters with average body types. The redesigns reflect the average western body type and want to alert people to how video game characters are not real and should not be used as a form of comparison. The website based their designs on the average American weight and height data available online at the Centre for Control and Disease Prevention (CDP). Even professional athletes cannot match some avatars’ strong muscular bodies and miniscule waists. The artists responsible for the edits claim the changes made to the original characters are subtle, but obvious. In the original publication they state: “In these images, unfeasible waistlines expand and arms and legs grow wider. Perhaps the changes are especially noticeable since most of these characters are so scarcely dressed.” The Hawkeye Initiative An unneccessary lack of clothing also plagues heroines from other entertainment mediums. In
the comic book world, The Hawkeye Initiative pokes fun at the treatment of female superheroes in relation to male characters. Their Tumblr page presents the Marvel character Hawkeye in clothes and poses typically used by female characters. By putting a male character in a female position it is clear that many artists draw female heroes in weird poses that are not only physically impossible, but uncomfortable, and sexually provocative. The site says its intent is to draw attention to how deformed and hypersexualized women are in comic books. The project is also getting attention from gamers. One of the data scientists responsible for Hawken, a multiplayer combat game, was inspired by The Hawkeye Initiative to design a male-centric poster that copied one that she felt was demeaning towards women.
By putting a male character in a female position it is clear that many artists draw female heroes in weird poses that are not only physically impossible, but uncomfortable, and sexually provocative. Who’s doing it right? On the other hand, not all woman in the gaming world are portrayed as sex objects. Some video game characters do present an alternative to the norm and it is important to reference this. Zayra from Overwatch avoids many of the typical traps female game characters fall victim to. She is a regular tank character, who happens to be a woman. Her armour seems to serve the purpose of protecting her, instead of being purely designed to show off cleavage. Clementine from The Walking Dead was introduced as one of main non-playable characters of the adventure video game based on the comic book. Due to her popularity, the second season of the game features Clementine as the lead character. The 8-year-old girl from Atlanta is an example of a great video game protagonist that is strong and interesting in an unconventional way. Clementine is a well-done character who seems real. Aveline de Grandpré from Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation is the first female assassin protagonist in the series. She is an African-French Assassin in the end of the French and Indian War, in 18th century
New Orleans. As one of the few black female game characters, Aveline is impossible to ignore. In addition, she is a well written multidimensional character. Aveline is not only an assassin, but a woman, a daughter and a person of mixed heritage trying to find her place in 18th century society. Rochelle from Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the four playable survivors in the game. Her motherly nature and sweetness distinguishes her from most “tough” action character and makes her a breath of fresh air in the gaming world. Despite her softer personality, she knows how to fight and maintains a realistic attitude about the zombie apocalypse. These four characters are good examples of diverse video game characters. However, they are still a minority. End note: The issue with “real women” and “real men” It is important to end this analysis by saying that even though video game and comic book characters’ bodies look unrealistic and oversexualized, headlines such as “What Lara Croft/ Kratos would look like as a REAL woman/man” do not help. All women are real women, just like all men are real men. We should not villify other body-types. Thinner, athletic people should not feel like they are abnormal. Erik Kain, who writes for Forbes about entertainment and technology, points out that projects that glorify ‘normal’ body types might give the wrong idea: “Just as troublesome [as making people aspire to unrealistic bodies] is the idea that young girls (or boys) shouldn’t aspire to being fit and healthy because it’s ‘unrealistic’. The idea is defended by the vice president of Blizzard Entertainment. The head of the American video game developer was quoted by the MCV (Market for Computer & Video Games) website saying “I think we’re clearly in an age where gaming is for everybody. We build games for everybody. We want everyone to come and play. Increasingly, people want to feel represented, from all walks of life, boys and girls, everybody.” Yet, video games do need to offer more variety as the great majority of characters do not portray bodies that we see in our day to day life. Above all, people have to acknowledge that video game characters and comic book superheroes are fictional. Comparison is futile, but we have to continue demanding more diversity and equal standards for both men and women.
Karla Pequenino @KarlaPeq There is still much room for debate. Must video game characters look, act and dress like “real people”? What do real people look like? Tweet us what you think @QuenchGames
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VIDEO GAMES
playstation memories Quench Games lead you on a trip down memory lane with full DualShock compatibility to celebrate 20 years of PlayStation
The Guncon
Final Fantasy 7 For me, Final Fantasy 7 is the game that springs to mind when the PlayStation is mentioned. I remember my father bringing it home for himself and telling me how it would be too complicated for me. He eventually lost interest, preferring to spend his time roaming the atmospheric locales of the Resident Evil series. While he was away, I popped that plastic lid open and chucked in Final Fantasy 7. I stared in awe at the opening cinematic - the camera swooping around and bringing the city of Midgar to life. The opening ‘bombing mission’ segment remains one of my favourite parts to play, with the drumbeat from Nobuo Uematsu’s incredible score pushing you on through the waves of ShinRa soldiers. As much as I loved the game, sometimes it was too much for young Alex to cope with. Unable to beat the Demon’s Gate boss in the Temple of the Ancients, I took the disc out and threw it against the wall, shattering it into pieces. Filled with regret, I spent the next few weeks begging my parents to buy another copy. The begging was worth it though, as Final Fantasy 7 was the game that kick-started my love for storytelling in gaming, and directed me towards other RPG masterpieces the PlayStation has housed over the years. Alex Willcox
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The PS1 had two different light guns, the “Justifier” by Konami and Namco’s “GunCon”. Annoyingly games were usually compatible with one gun but not the other. The GunCon was a replica of Namco’s arcade gun, and due to its arcade perfect ports, it quickly became the more popular option. There are many classic GunCon games. The ridiculously cheesy ‘Time Crisis’ remains one of the best PlayStation games of all time, partly due to the tight gameplay which rewarded quick thinking and calm shooting rather than the usual “shoot everything that moves” tactics of most similar games. Mindful of the US backlash against gun games after the Columbine massacre. ‘Rescue shot’ was a non-violent game where you fired acorns at enemies to protect a cute dog as he wandered randomly into danger at every step. If you liked the Teletubbies as a kid but felt that episodes would be improved if you could open fire on Tinky-Winky then this surprisingly innovative take on the genre is for you. Arguably the best gun game of all is found in Die Hard Trilogy, which lets you shoot your way through the entire plot of Die Hard 2 and is therefore the greatest thing to ever happen to humanity ever by default. Rolan O’Lorcain
Monster Hunter PSP If you owned a PSP and played it often, you’ve probably heard of Monster Hunter. Capcom’s monster-slaying RPG is still going strong today, however on less graphically impressive Nintendo consoles (shame). It all started on the PlayStation 2 back in 2004, followed by Monster Hunter: Freedom developed for the PSP in 2006. There are now seven titles in the series, so you could say people like the franchise. Monster Hunter has similarities to many other Japanese titles such as Phantasy Star, Shadow of The Colossus, and Dragon’s Dogma- a few of those use features inspired by the Monster Hunter serieswhich came out before them. Creating a character, deciding on what type of weapon you want to use, preparing your monster traps and finally going off to arenas to defeat said monsters is simply satisfying. It can be a very punishing game; I must have spent dozens of hours trying to slay one of the boss monsters to unlock new monster quests, but the game was so rewarding with completion that I couldn’t help but keep going at it. I wanted to fight new and interesting monsters, I wanted to craft new armour and upgrade my weapons of slaughter, and I wanted more Felyne companions! I feel a sudden urge to charge up my PSP and kill some Yian Kut-Kus now… Alex Jones
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater I didn’t understand the true gravitas of what a videogame could accomplish until I was able to sway my parents into purchasing me a copy of MGS3 for the PS2. A game with such tight gameplay, and a story that would keep you hanging on every word, it’s no wonder it was a benchmark in an already illustrious franchise. But the memory that will always stick out for me in this time of childlike fervour and wonder would have to be the boss fight against The End. As Naked Snake, a soldier who has already faced a number of dangerous foes (including a man who can manipulate bees), you are pitted against this ancient sniper in an epic duel spanning multiple regions in the Sokrovenno rainforest. The End is a tremendous enemy who takes pleasure in punishing you for each mistake you make, but utilizing stealth in this arduous fight helped me take down one of the most memorable enemies in any game to date. Alternatively you can just wait a week in real time until he actually dies of old age. Metal Gear Solid’s unorthodox humour strikes again! Elis Doyle
VIDEO GAMES
the review:
The Amnesia creators’ latest horror game once again has you suffering from amnesia. Alex Jones does the dirty work for us.
I’m a trapped soul, tortured by the torments of nature’s will, with no power to fight back. Stranded hundreds of miles below the surface, surrounded by the haunting sounds of dying machines and distant whale calls. It feels cold; there are no signs of life at Pathos-II and my only company is my trusty Omnitool. Welcome to SOMA. From the creators of the infamous Amnesia series and Penumbra games, Frictional Games have created yet again another quality first-person horror game. The same people who made you terrified of water monsters have placed you in the middle of the ocean, kind of funny that isn’t it? Instead of crawling through castle dungeons and stinky morgues, in SOMA you have an entirely different world to survive. This one consists of flickering light, Alien-esque corridors and the pitch black abyss of the ocean. It feels surprisingly fresh; although many people are likely to compare SOMA to the Bioshock series, these are very different games. We can all agree that Bioshock was more action than horror, but SOMA is all horror with a hint of puzzle solving. The story behind SOMA is definitely one of the most interesting and thoughtprovoking plots I’ve ever encountered in a video game. Questions about humanity and what makes us human arise and often leave you staggered and thinking. Many life changing decisions are made throughout the game and are left entirely to the player to decide what they believe to be right and wrong.
I experienced regret and guilt with the decisions I made, and as the story progressed I wasn’t entirely sure that what the protagonist was doing was right, but it felt like the honest choice I would have made in the protagonist’s shoes. I won’t go on to spoiler anything from the story because that’s what makes this game special, but I can outline the basics. You play as slowly recovering, post-car crash Simon Jarrett who lives in a not-so-clean apartment in Toronto, Canada. Simon has been in contact with a brain consultant of sorts called Dr. Munshi (weird name), who says he wants to give Simon’s head a good scan in order to help with the trauma. Events unfold and you wake up in a very dark, eerie room, alone and hundreds of miles deep under the ocean. Why you’re there is only part of the mystery; there are a number of mysteries waiting to be discovered in Pathos-II’s underwater stations. My final note about the story is definitely push through to the end, you may get scared and give up before then, but keep persevering and you will be rewarded with exceptional storytelling. It made me emotional, and not many games can do that. In terms of gameplay you’ll find a very similar format to that of Amnesia; cat and mouse chases, hiding behind tables and peaking around creepy, shady corners for monsters. If you’ve played Amnesia then you’ll feel pretty comfortable being thrown into this latest instalment. The monster encounters are varied: I don’t remember ever seeing the
SOMA same monster twice in my play through, which makes you consider all options before approaching each challenge. However, one downside I found was that most monsters required you not to look at them because that would attract their attention, and therefore I must have spent over an hour facing walls and waiting (crying, more like) for them to go away. It became systematic for me and less scary each time I did it which killed the atmosphere to an extent. Thankfully SOMA throws in a few jump scares here and there to keep you on edge. Some of the final underwater moments are extremely creepy and fast-paced which had me on the verge of my seat with nerves. The separation of downtime and action time is nicely paced for the occasional breather yet never too long that you drift into boredom. Exploring each room of the underwater stations will give you an insight into the events that transpired prior to your arrival at Pathos-II, and it’s genuinely interesting. For the average gamer SOMA will offer about 10-12 hours of gameplay which makes it approximately the same length as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and A Machine for Pigs. The price may feel a bit steep at £22.99, so I recommend that anyone who isn’t a fan of Amnesia or horror games but wants to check it out to hold out until a sale. With solid gameplay mechanics and an intriguing yet severely sinister storyline SOMA provides a great horror package just in time for dark winter nights spent hiding indoors.
PROS
Solid Gameplay Mechanics
Superb and Creepy Storyline
Beautifully illustrated dystopian world
Freedom of Choice
CONS
Monster Evasion becomes repetetive
9/10 Reviewed on PC by @alexwelsh95
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FILM + TV
THROWBACK FILMS
As Quench goes back in time, Harriet Thornley discusses why directors are doing the same
Modern directors are certainly no strangers to the 20th century. Wartime films, for example, have always been a popular genre for exploration, but it seems that lately the focus has turned to the latter half of the 1900s. Recent years have seen an increasing number of these “throwback films” as directors look for inspiration in the later decades. Maybe the simple reason for this heightened attention is nostalgia, both for the director and their audience, as the period is within their own living memory? Or perhaps the purpose is more serious, to highlight contemporary issues such as racism and sexism? Is there an element of “learning from the past” in these types of films or are they simply for the enjoyment of an audience? Such “throwback films” set in the 1950s/1960s seem to be split into two defined groups; those of rose-tinted nostalgia and those portraying a harsh reality. Grease, arguably the quintessential Fifties teenage film falls into the former category, as does the later Sixties-set comedy from Richard Curtis, The Boat That Rocked. Both are lighthearted in tone and comically exaggerated, caricature versions of their decades, serving to promote sunny reminiscence entirely and lacking solemnity. Though they are enjoyable, both, to an extent, forgo realism in the creation of this idealised and hyper-optimistic world. By contrast, their counterparts, in the form
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of films like Revolutionary Road, Hairspray and The Help, address the harsh reality of contemporary political and social issues, namely civil rights. Sam Mendes’ film adaption of Revolutionary Road illustrates the sense of entrapment many experienced in the so-called “Tranquilized Fifties”, focusing particularly on gender repression through the character of April Wheeler. It presents the negative consequences of this controlled existence, a pointed counter to the American Dream ideal. However, critics have noted that the film is ignorant of social issues collectively, representing only the selective problems of white, middle-class Americans, when the most forefront issue of the period was that of racial oppression. The prominence of this theme in many Sixtiesset “throwback” films crucially indicates a further purpose of such works; to highlight injustices unacknowledged or conveniently overlook at the time they occurred. Both Hairspray and The Help portray worlds and characters largely ignorant of the inequality they perpetrate, something which appears obvious to the film’s modern-day
audience. Watching the two films with the benefit of hindsight, they are not nostalgic but instead eye-opening. This being said, neither film is entirely serious or completely focused on racial conflicts alone. The two are, in part, both uplifting and positive in their resolutions. Hairspray, similarly to Grease, presents an exaggerated, musical version of its decade, capturing the energy of the “Swinging Sixties” in a mix of lively characters, bright costumes and big hair, with an infectious soundtrack to boot. Meanwhile, Tate Taylor’s adaptation of The Help is understated by comparison, in the visual presentation of the 1960s, with muted pastel tones and “white picket fence” streets. The film is positive in its portrayal of female solidarity and the heartwarming relationship
FILM + TV between the maids and the children they care for, whilst simultaneously providing an unusual perspective unseen in works of the decade itself, which cause an audience to reevaluate their views of daily life in this period. It’s also frequently amusing – need I mention the chocolate pie incident? Moving into the Seventies, many “throwback films” adopt a heavy musical focus, not necessarily as traditional musicals, but focusing their attention on the growing music culture, particularly rock, the development of the “cult of celebrity” and the effect of this environment on individuals. The biographical The Runaways is a ‘cautionary tale’, portraying an almost entirely negative view of its setting, particularly from the perspective of Dakota Fanning’s character, Cherrie Currie. The effect of the film as a biography is twofold; firstly, any sense of nostalgia is limited by the existence of the characters in life, leaving less room for personal interpretation. Secondly, the sense of realism is increased, contributing to the shock factor of certain scenes, as the audience is uncomfortably aware they are not entirely fictional. Complete accuracy would, of course, be near-impossible - Joan Jett labeled the film a “parallel narrative”, stating it was certainly not “fact for fact”. The films I immediately associate with the Eighties are those of John Hughes, namely classics such as The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink and although not “throwback films” they are worth mentioning for comparison purposes. The majority are “coming-ofage” stories and though usually addressing issues such as high school politics, status quo or class division, they invariably end
happily, with some form of lesson having been learnt. Such films are highly stylised, the filmic version of what was actually worn/ said/done at the time; although my parents assure me some of the questionable clothing choices are unfortunately accurate, and they are American, arguably making them more difficult for a British audience to connect with. By contrast, the film adaption of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, a definite “throwback”, is relatable. Set in a boys grammar school in Sheffield, it is an infinitely more realistic portrayal of secondary school, relevant not only to the 1980s but to the present day. The eclectic mix of characters, though primarily male, allows the film to appeal to a wider audience, both adults for whom the experience is nostalgic and current teenagers, particularly A-Level students, many of whom can identify something of their own personality in at least one
character, but are also empathetic to the experience of university applications. The film itself poses many questions about the education system, as well as the value of learning outside of a classroom and it cannot be said to reach a wholly positive conclusion. However, it is successful in creating a sense of nostalgia, though perhaps not so rose-tinted. This, ultimately, is the goal of most “throwback films” set in the decades discussed; however accurate they may or may not be, such films do remain based upon some shred of truth, making them relatable to their audience.
“light-hearted in tone and comically exaggerated, caricature versions of their decades, serving to promote sunny reminiscence entirely and lacking solemnity” 51
FILM + TV
R
emakes and reboots appear to be everywhere nowadays, and are typically very successful; though they are also the source of a lot of controversy. Are remakes and reboots simply cash grabs ruining the sanctity of childhood classics, or do they bring something unique to the art of filmmaking? Reboots of classic characters is something that is fairly inevitable – no one would call the BBC’s Sherlock, or the American show Elementary “remakes” of old Sherlock Holmes movies; and although we might feel we are in superhero overload, there have been 4 different Batmen in my lifetime and few of them would be called “remakes”. Anybody who enjoys the Dark Night, Sherlock, or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (and I assume I’ve caught most people with them), can’t argue that the act of making new content with the same characters is inherently bad. Sure, we’ve seen some terrible remakes. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was eyewatering, Godzilla embarrassing, and despite the acclaim of 2005’s Pride and Prejudice, Colin Firth was better. And in some cases, the accusation of remakes being a pointless money making scheme seems justified – Disney’s live action remake of Cinderella, and upcoming remakes of every other animated classic it has ever produced, are good examples of this. Bad remakes are best described by Matt Reeves (Director of Let Me In, a remake of Swedish success Let The Right One In), who says they “usually fall into two categories: one is the soulless retread, which is where you by-the-numbers follow the original, and the second runs roughshod over it, using some sort of notion from the original movie but literally violating everything that the original movie was about”. The former category might be exemplified by 2010’s Karate Kid or Russell Brand’s horrible remake of Arthur. The second is more of a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory scenario where a big star giggles and grins his way through a childhood classic, trampling everything in his wake. However, remakes are not all bad, and truly excellent ones can achieve many positive things. The Cohen Brother’s True Grit was excellent in and of itself, but also brought the classic Western to a new audience, who had probably never even glanced at their dad’s John Wayne collection before. The same could be said of many remakes and reboots
– they are simply bringing a beloved story or character to a new generation. Even in the worst-case scenario, when a reboot or remake is a legitimate disgrace, it can encourage certain movie goers to take a second (or first) look at the original and raise overall awareness. A second benefit of Hollywood remakes is that they can and do actually improve films. Ocean’s Eleven was a campy, silly movie from the sixties which was turned on its head into a classic of the heist genre in its remake. Also it is important to remember that not all old movies were made at the right time. War of the Worlds, while far from the best Spielberg movie ever, suited today’s CGI and special effects much more than it did the papier mâché aliens it was originally awarded, and deserved the chance to be made with the same exciting action as played out in our imaginations reading it. (However, as I say, that wasn’t a great movie, and if anyone wants to try again, they have approval from me). Finally, remakes can offer a chance to right the wrongs of old Hollywood. Annie and Ghostbusters are movies I know only from cultural references, so the remakes offer me, and younger people, the chance to experience the magic but with a more representative cast. lotlines are not sacred and the old white men who originally portrayed them aren’t either. - Aislinn McDonagh
REMAKES AND REBOOTS 52
WHAT TO WATCH WHEN... 1. You realise you have a 9am the next morning: Drag Me to Hell While you're there, why not ask Satan why he even invented 9am's? 2. Someone keeps stealing your milk from the fridge: Poltergeist It's time to bring out the passive aggressive post-it notes 3. You keep burning everything you cook: Hunger Games Catching Fire Not sure how you managed to burn cereal, but impressive nevertheless 4. You get off with someone from Cardiff Met at the club: Romeo + Juliet - "Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again" 5. You hit your overdraft: The World's End - Watch Simon Pegg do the pub crawl you can no longer afford
A
s of late there has been a noticeable shift in the movie-going experience. In an era governed by the multiplex and the growing dominance of digital entertainment, the pop-up cinema has emerged. The experience provided by these events allows the audience to see classic or cult films in unique environments, which usually have a thematic link to the films screened. Over the past couple of years companies such as Luna Cinema, Rooftop Film Club and Darkened Rooms have all been met with enthusiasm and high demand by film fans eager to breathe life into classics by transforming their viewing into an event. I spoke to Tom Betts of Darkened Rooms about the company, the phenomena of pop-up cinema and the Cardiff film community. Darkened Rooms began in February 2012 with a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining at the Angel Hotel. Initially founded out of a discussion between friends about the potential for an exciting screening project in Cardiff, it later developed into a company after the overwhelming success of their first event. An amalgamation of graphic designers, Chapter Arts and other members of the film industry lead to the realisation of these discussions and the creation of a new pillar in the Cardiff film community. The process behind the creation of pop-up cinema events is an interesting one. For the most part it appears to be a case of the chicken or the egg. I asked Tom about his approach to running screenings and whether he chooses the film first or the venue. He said, ‘It can be both, and it has changed a little bit over time. Probably more film first…There are films that I love that I haven’t found somewhere for yet but I am determined to find one. Generally it’s the film but sometimes you have the idea together.’ Over the years Darkened Rooms have shown an eclectic array of films ranging from Bottle Rocket to, as most recently shown, The Wolfman and The Haunting. Many of the films can often be categorised as being of the horror
FILM + TV
DARKENED ROOMS
genre or at the very least leaning towards it, although this is not always the case. There appears to be something about the horror genre that is inherently theatrical which makes it an obvious choice for such an event. Examples of this can be seen in the screening of Dracula in Cardiff Castle, The Fly in Techniquest and Bride of Frankenstein at Castell Coch. After mentioning this to Tom he said, ‘Horror films tend to be set in one specific limited place more often. So it’s in a creepy hotel or a castle or a shopping mall and so it’s easier to find those matches…It’s a combination, there’s more horror movies where you can do the sort of screening we do. Whereas a romantic comedy, the location is New York City. Having said that, I really enjoyed the nonHorror screenings we’ve done like the New York night where we showed Manhattan.’ As well as showing popular classics Darkened Rooms have hosted screenings of lesser known cult films. They have shown the Charlie Chaplin film City Lights, Night of the Demon and Bill Murray’s Quick Change. When questioned about a possible agenda in the films chosen Tom responded, ‘I’m all for doing popular films, like The Shining, Alien and Dracula are all really big hitters and you know people will like them. It’s really exciting and gratifying if you introduce people to a film... Hopefully if people have been to several of our previous events they’ll trust our taste.’ After speaking to Tom and attending some of the events held by Darkened Rooms it’s clear to see that pop-up cinema is a thriving part of film industry. By taking people out of the uniform design of the multiplex theatre and placing them in unique and exciting locations, pop-up cinema has rejuvenated the old classics and movie-goers alike. With its increasing popularity nationwide Cardiff is lucky to have a home-grown company hosting regular events in the city; some of which will be taking place in November for the BFI season of love. Make sure not to miss what promises to be a series of interesting films in, as always, interesting locations. - Jordan Watkins
Jordan Watkins speaks to Tom Betts of Darkened Rooms about the rise and appeal of pop-up cinema - because the only way to watch Dracula is in Cardiff Castle at night. 53
spotlight
FILM + TV
QUENTINTARANTINO
This issue, Quench Film and TV spotlight director Quentin Tarantino, the king of cult classics. 54
Of all the people you know, 1 in 3 of them will have a Pulp Fiction poster stuck up on their bedroom wall (a fabricated but probably true statistic). Exhaustive and memorable dialogue about cheeseburgers and Madonna set in contrast with his trademark graphic violence and action sequences have proven to be a winning formula for Quentin Tarantino; all of his films have become instant cult hits. These are often pastiche of his favourite genres, from Blaxploitation and French New Wave to Spaghetti Westerns and even Anime. The result? Some of the most recognisable and hyper-stylistic films which are, simply put, bad-ass.Tarantino's energetic filmmaking style is best defined visually. Mexican stand-offs and gory torture scenes are muddled with dancing and extensive pop culture references, and established trademark shots include POV's from the trunks and hoods of cars or dead bodies. These are exactly the type of absurdist elements in his films that show development upon his influences, transforming them into his own unique aesthetic and style. Even the director himself believes in his own
significance, proudly stating to the New York Times in 1997 that 'every third script out there is described as Tarantino-esque.' Well, as long as he's happy. Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Emma Riches If you like films about gangsters and guns, you’ll love Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. The 1992 motion picture captures the events of a simple jewel heist gone wrong. Tarantino creates an anonymous gang of criminals identified by colours instead of names which provides some comic relief amongst business discussions and chaotic shoot outs. However, this anonymity produces problems for the gang who start to suspect that one of them sold them out to the police. Like all of Tarantino’s films, the story isn’t told in chronological order. Instead, audiences are launched into the middle of the action from the outset of the film and discover the intricacies of the jewel heist as the film progresses. Reservoir Dogs is the perfect
FILM + TV
gangster film with Lawrence Tierney as no nonsense gangster boss Joe Cabot and the iconic Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink. As with all action films there are a lot of guns, shootouts and an unexpected amount of death. Tarantino reveals both the business and violent side of the American gangster world and keeps audiences on their toes to create a brilliant cinematic experience for the older and more action loving film goer. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Dimana Markova Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American black comedy crime film that combines the lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits in four tales of violence and redemption. The narrative is presented out of chronological order and even though there are a total of seven narrative sequences at the end they connect and intersect in various ways. The initial inspiration was the three-part horror anthology film Black Sabbath (1963). Tarantino explained that he wanted to do what novelists get the chance to do, but filmmakers don’t: telling three separate stories, having characters float in and out with different weights depending on the story. He also had in mind to combine “all the oldest chestnuts that you've ever seen when it comes to crime stories—the oldest stories in the book.” The film was a massive success and it had a lot of awards to prove it – some of them are Best picture, Best director, Best Screenplay by the National Society of film critics, National board of review, Los Angeles film critics associations and more. Later on it won a Golden Globe, seven Oscars, BAFTA Award for best screenplay and many more. Pulp fiction quickly came to be regarded as one of the most significant films of its era. Jackie Brown (1997) - Oliver Leigh A previous criminal past has left Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) down in the dumps, or more precisely, cash strapped whilst working
for a budget airline as a stewardess. In order to make ends meet she agrees to smuggle drugs and undisclosed cash for arms dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) and is almost immediately arrested after the opening credits. Stuck between the heavy hand of the law and her somewhat psychopathic employer, she attempts to deceive the two sides and escape with the ill-gotten loot, aided by her bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forester). If you are a fan of Quentin Tarantino then Jackie Brown is essential viewing as it smoothly blends staple elements of his auteuristic style such as his use of dark humour, coupled with a tasteful amount of violence and smooth and catchy sound tracks into a cinematic cocktail guaranteed to please the senses. However if there can only be one criticism gleamed from this film, it is that at times the pacing of the film can drag as the characters rarely have anything interesting to say to one another. Leading to some of the more humorous events which occur later within the film feel somewhat like a reward for completing ‘x’ amount of minutes. Kill Bill (2003) - Manni Adam Kill Bill, a four hour long epic tale of revenge decidedly released as two volumes (a wise financial decision by Harvey Weinstein) follows an ex-assassin known as The Bride (Uma Thurman) as she enacts her revenge on a group of killers code-named The Vipers for their involvement in the massacre of her wedding party and her attempted murder. We follow her throughout her interactions and battles with assassins; including a leader of the Yakuza (Lucy Lui), a now homemaker (Vivica A. Fox), a one-eyed vixen (Darryl Hannah), and a strip club bouncer (Michael Masden). During this grand vengeful tale she collects information and skills needed to kill Bill (David Carradine), her ex-master and leader of The Vipers who personally put the bullet in her. The two volumes are also divided into chapters; picking up on Tarantino’s love for non-linear storylines, these chapters were not shown in chronological order. Despite the
violence depicted in the movie, a great deal of artistry is visible in the highly choreographed fight scenes. Tarantino has a wonderful way of engulfing you in ultimate scenes of violence often ending with beautifully laid out shots revealing the carnage left behind, with each scene draped over an eclectic soundtrack that perfectly complements that shots on screen. Kill Bill is considered one of Tarantino’s finest works, having one of his largest opening weekends in his career to date. With mesmerising storytelling and deliciously vicious fighting scenes, Tarantino’s previous 5 year hiatus from the big screen appeared to have been worth it. In this movie, Tarantino pays homage to the great kung-fu movies and spaghetti westerns that inspired him to enter the industry. Kill Bill is pure unadulterated catharsis, a bloody and beautiful cinematic masterpiece that exudes everything Tarantino is: a true lover of film. Django Unchained (2012) - Kitty Weale Django Unchained is a highly stylised version of a classic spaghetti western, which tackles the ethical issue of the 1850s American slave trade whilst boasting a bold, bloody and daring plot which is so completely over-thetop you can’t help but watch. We follow the character of Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a dentist turned bounty hunter, who buys the freedom of Django (Jamie Foxx) with the intent to make him his deputy. Instead, he is drawn into helping Django free his wife who is under the control of Calvin J Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a ruthless and morally bankrupt plantation owner. However it isn’t all doom and gloom – there’s also plenty of humour within the film; particularly a very funny scene involving a wannabe-Ku Klux Klan lynch mob and their poorly made hoods (which also featured Jonah Hill if you need any more persuasion). Accompanying the already critically acclaimed cast is a melting pot of famous names; Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington and even a cameo from Tarantino himself. However, as entertaining as Django Unchained is you do find yourself tired after the 2 hour 45 minute running time, that is not to say that a long running time is a bad thing - if the story can stretch over the time and still be interesting, but Django Unchained doesn’t seem to be able to carry the running time. It can come across as over-used and repetitive at times; Tarantino could’ve cut it down to two hours and the quality wouldn’t have been harmed. It is another strong, hilarious and horrific Tarantino thriller, and, if you don’t fall under the weight of the running time, it really is a brilliant film.
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now
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Edinburgh wednesday 9th dec - sunday 13th dec
Come and explore Edinburgh with Give it a Go! A beautiful picturesque city perfect to visit at Christmas. Photo: Magnus Hagdorn
Trip includes: 3 nights award-winning hotel accommodation, executive coach travel.
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Don’t rush. A housemate is for a year, not just for fresher’s week
There are plenty of student houses in Cardiff so take time to decide who you want to live with and look at a variety of houses. F ind out how much you will need to pay upfront Letting agencies and landlords may charge administration fees when you have chosen a house. These are usually non-refundable and the amounts vary. Beware of promises If the landlord or letting agency makes promises (e.g new furniture, redecoration), make sure this is written into the tenancy contract. But beware...if this promise isn’t met it doesn’t mean you can automatically get out of the contract. Tenancy Documents are legal contracts Read through the contract carefully and seek advice from Student Advice before you sign. After signing, you can’t just change your mind. When you sign as a group, you all become legally responsible for paying the rent and keeping to the contract. If you have signed a contract and are worried, visit Student Advice. Check that your deposit is protected Your landlord or letting agency must protect your deposit within 30 days of receiving it and tell the tenants which protection scheme is being used (including any reference numbers). If you don’t receive this information within 30 days, contact Student Advice.
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FILM + TV
before there were mean girls Film & TV takes a look back at the 90s, where the girls were a little meaner
I
f evil takes a human form in Regina George, then the girls of the 90’s teen clique films are on a whole other level of being in cahoots with the devil himself. The films, Heathers (1989, (close enough to 90’s), The Craft (1996) and Jawbreaker (1999), all follow a similar storyline of a new girl joining a clique and becoming the meanest girl, before realising it isn’t quite their thing and tearing down the groups’ social standing. All very Mean Girls, right? But there’s quite a difference between these three films and the likes of Mean Girls; in Mean Girls the bitchiness is confined to clique drama and those who have been personally victimised by Regina George- in these films, if the Queen Bee doesn’t like you, you’ll probably end up dead by the start of school tomorrow. There ain’t no cake filled with rainbows and smiles here: The first of the mean girl films, Heathers, follows ‘The Heathers’ clique; three girls with the same name, and one girl called Veronica. This key difference sets them apart- with Veronica being established as the ‘good’ one with morals. However, this doesn’t stop her and new boyfriend JD from killing off half of her peers and covering it up as a spate of suicides. The self-involved students do not suspect a thing, seeing the ‘suicides’ as just an excuse to have a day off school. Like the later released Jawbreaker, Heathers takes place in a bright colourful world that heavily contradicts the dark themes that its black comedy deals with, revealing how girl world isn’t quite as ‘peachy keen’ as it appears on the surface. Jawbreaker, a film that often receives negative reviews, is like a dream mix of Heathers and Mean Girls. Firmly set in that awkward 90s period in which absolutely no one ever wore a bra, this film features equal amounts of catfights and homicide, as a prank gone wrong leads to social outcast, Fern Mayo, being transformed into the new ‘it’ girl. Instead of a touching speech accompanied by the sharing of the Spring Fling Queen crown, the prom at the end of Jawbreaker ends with head bitch in charge Courtney being more or less stoned by corsages as she attempts to run away from her crimes. Not quite so Mean Girls...
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“ in these films, if the Queen Bee doesn’t like you, you’ll probably end up dead by the start of school tomorrow”
SHE D OESN ’ T E V EN GO HERE ! illustration by bryn evans
The Craft, featuring a group of girls who violate every uniform code possible to dress in a style dark enough to match their souls, differs slightly from this. They are by no means the popular girls that rule the school, but they do very much have power; while not a popular clique, they are in fact part of a coven. While not focussing too much on the high school popularity contest, and despite the witchy themes, The Craft still provides a pretty convincing portrayal of teen girls; with an abundance of emotional scenes, tantrums and the promise of revenge. Like Mean Girls, the downfall for all of these cliques lies in the inclusion of their latest recruit who takes over the top spot and then challenges their terrible ways. It seems that these three films portray ‘girl world’ in a much more realistic way than other teen clique films such as Clueless, where Cher is just too nice to be that popular- in reality she would probably have been a bitch, and this is what makes Heathers, Jawbreaker and The Craft seem more convincing. Although to make it clear, I am by no means suggesting that girls tend to go around casually murdering each other. - Eleanor Parkyn
FILM + TV
DRINKS ON SCREEN Film & TV provides you with an excuse to get drunk - as if you needed one Martini- James Bond “Shaken not stirred” If JB had ordered this heavily customised martini in any normal bar, he may have been shot just for being so annoying: 60ml gin 20ml vodka 10ml lillet blanc
Cosmopolitans- Sex and the City “So what are we going to do? Sit around bars, sipping Cosmos and sleeping with strangers when we’re eighty?” You may not be able to get as many men as Carrie Bradshaw, but you sure can get as drunk as her: 40ml vodka 25ml triple sec 50ml cranberry juice 25ml lime juice
Screwdrivers- Jackie Brown “Why don’t you be a good hostess...and hook a brother up a screwdriver?” Stay classy with last night’s pre-drink leftovers: Double vodka Orange juice
White Russian- Big Lebowski “Careful man, there’s a beverage here.” Not keen on White Russians? Well that’s just, like, your opinion, man: 50ml vodka 25ml coffee liqueur 25ml single cream
Long Island Iced TeaCruel Intentions “This sure doesn’t taste like an iced tea.” “It’s from Long Island.” Disclaimer - You may end up doing something you’ll regret in the morning: A shot each of: tequila, gin, vodka, light rum, triple sec Lemon and lime juice Top up with cola
Bloody Mary- Portlandia “What the hell is this? Pickles? Pickles in a Bloody Mary? Where’s the celery? This is not proper bartending. This is bullshit.” Prepare yourself for 9am lectures with the ultimate hangover cure that your nan swears by: 40ml vodka 75ml tomato juice 10ml lemon juice 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce 6 drops Tabasco sauce Teaspoon black pepper Celery stick (essential)
Vodka- Bridget Jones’ Diary “I choose vodka” When the alcohol cupboard is looking a little empty, and you can’t make anything fancy, you know what to turn to...
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FOOD + DRINK
DELIVEROO REVIEW
D
eliveroo: a food delivery service which enables you to order high quality restaurant food to your door in as little as 30 minutes. Simply enter your postcode and preferred time to eat, and an extensive list of local eateries will appear before you. In Cardiff, some of these include; ASK Italian, Las Iguanus, Bagel and Burger Kitchen, Svago and Apple Jacks. I was lucky enough to receive a voucher from Deliveroo to try out this service, and decided to go for a lobster spaghetti dish from Carluccios, which was exquisite. The service itself however was not as satisfactory. Although the online process was quick and easy, with an expected arrival time of 35 minutes, the delivery driver seemed to get confused with locations. This caused me to take part in a wild goose chase around the Students Union, much to my rumbling stomachs dismay. Finally after multiple phone calls and the realisation that he was on a motorcycle we were united, (my food and I). Fortunately my dish was still hot and I was ready to dig in until another obstacle crossed my path; there was no cutlery. Deliveroo can only assume that one orders their food to be eaten in the comfort of their own home, which, except for this instance, I have always done in the past. So again I had to inconveniently venture through the Students Union in search of tableware, delaying my supper for even longer. Ultimately, I cannot complain about the food here, or in fact the service overall; it is merely the lack of cutlery and napkins that I find greatly disappointing. This particular experience with Deliveroo left me feeling slightly disgruntled, but I can’t decide whether this is down to my lack of organisation. All in all, Deliveroo is a marvellous idea and the logistics of it mean that you live up to being a lazy student and still enjoy great food!
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Daisie Lane
“The delivery driver seemed to get confused with locations. This caused me to take part in a wild goose chase around the Students Union, much to my rumbling stomach’s dismay.”
FOOD + DRINK Pumpkin/Butter Nut Squash Risotto
There are few things more comforting than a fresh, warm risotto, and this one with its pumpkin or butternut flavour is sure to satisfy. Cook this up and imagine being by the fire at home whilst eating for best results. - Daisie Lane Ingredients:
We’re deep into autumn now, and with that comes an abundance of squashes. Whether you’re a member of Pumpkin Party or the Band of Butternut, here are a few recipes to get you right in the autumn feels. Easy pumpkin soup Along with the passing of Halloween, you might find a stray pumpkin or two in your flat (or reduced in Tesco). Here are a few recipes that will help you make the most of this delightfully orange autmnal fruit. - Zenn Wong Ingredients: 30g butter 2 onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic 700g pumpkin, deseeded, peeled and cubed 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock Salt Black pepper
Method: 1) Heat oven to 180C/160C. 2) Chop up the pumpkin or squash into cubes and put it on a baking tray, drizzle over some oil, then roast for 30 mins. 3) While the pumpkin is roasting, crush the garlic and then cut up the spring onion. 4) Next Heat oil with the butter in your pan over a medium heat , then add the spring onions and garlic. - Once the onions are soft add the rice and cumin and stir well.
1 small pumpkin or butternut squash 2 garlic cloves 8 spring onions 1 tbsp olive oil (plus a drizzle for the pumpkin) 25g butter 200g risotto rice 2 tsp ground cumin 1l hot vegetable stock, (and an extra splash if needed) 50g grated parmesan A handful of coriander
5) Now add half a cup of the stock, and stir frequently until it has all disappeared into the rice. Carry on adding stock a little at a time, until you have used it all up.
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Method:
(yields 20)
Pumpkin is beginning to dominate the food world. Forget cold, dark mornings and crunchy leaves, this is the true sign of autumn’s arrival, apparently. So make sure you make these cupcakes flavoured with pumpkin and autumn spices topped with creamy cinnamon frosting. Teeny, weeny fondant pumpkin toppers optional but adorable. - Teri Howells
6) Once the rice is soft gently stir in the grated cheese, chopped coriander and roasted pumpkin.
1) Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and spices into a bowl and mix. 2) In a separate bowl, mix the sugars and oil until combined. Beat in the eggs and add the pumpkin and the vanilla. Mix well. 3) Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix until just combined. 4) Fill each case to 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. 5) Whilst cooling, prepare the frosting. Beat the butter and the cream cheese together and gradually the icing sugar and cinnamon until you reach your desired consistency.
Method: 1) Over medium heat, melt butter in a large saucepan. Cook onion and garlic in butter for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. 2) Add pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. 3) Add stock, cover and wait till boiling. 4) Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until pumpkin is soft. Stir occassionally. 5) Puree with a hand blender until smooth (or slightly chunky, depending on what you prefer). 6) Add salt and pepper to taste, and put back on the hob to reheat if required. 7) Ladle soup into bowls and top with finely grated Parmesan cheese or a drizzle of olive oil to serve.
Ingredients: 225g self-raising flour, sifted 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 120ml vegetable oil 200g granulated sugar 100g brown s ugar 175g pumpkin puree 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp mixed spice 150g butter, softened 75g cream cheese 250g cups icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp cinnamon
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FOOD + DRINK
BEER FEST UK IN
CARDIFF
Quench Food & Drink paid a visit to a German beer festival hitting Cardiff this autumn.
B
eerfest UK brought their Germanthemed beer festival to Cardiff from the 8th to 11th October this year. Sponsored by German brewery Bitburger as well as British brewery-cumpub business Admans, the festival aimed to emulate the well-loved Bavarian tradition of serving copius amounts of real German ale, accompanied by traditional German songs and dances and quintessentially German food such as Würstl (sausages) and Brezen (pretzels). Upon entering the tent on Roald Dahl Plas, we were greeted by servers in Lederhosen and Dirndl (traditional Bavarian attire for men and women respectively), who brought us to our seats after we had purchased our drink tokens at the counter. We were pleasantly surprised by the fact that there was table service for drinks, especially since the beers were served in steins, massive German beer glasses that held two pints each. There were only two beers on offer at the festival, which was slightly disappointing, though we were given samples of each to help us with our decision. The first variant was the Benediktiner Weissbier, a 5.4% ABV traditional wheat beer from the German state of Bavaria, and the second was Birburger Pils, a 4.8% ABV Pilsner beer from the RhinelandPalatinate, Germany. We both decided on the Weissbeer and were impressed with our choice. Described on the Beerfest UK website as having a “potpourri of aromas [combining] strong caramel notes, with hints of honey and fruits, chief among them bananas and raisins”, this was a classic Bavarian wheat beer, from its cloudy
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amber-orange appearance to its creamy head. The medium-bodied beer was dense and malty, with a well-balanced combination of slight fruitiness and bitterness. We both agreed it was a really refreshing drink that went along well with the currywurst and bratwurst we bought from the little food stall in the tent. The currywurst and bratwurst were made on the spot, which was great, but which resulted in having to wait a bit for your food. Fortunately, we were there on a Thursday evening so there was never really a queue for food. Quality-wise, they were good, but nothing to write home about, and were served with what seemed like caramelised onion chutney – perhaps not the most authentically German – as well as bog standard bread rolls heated up on the grill. Our main complaint of the night was the music that was playing in the tent – a truly bizarre mish-mash of traditional German folk and house music played at an increasingly loud volume through the night, along with some One Direction thrown in at the end. Weird. All in all, we did enjoy ourselves that evening as it provided us with an alternative environment to drink in as well as an alternative drink, compared to the usual drink-till-you-can’t-drink-no-more sessions fuelled by – let’s face it – toxic-tasting alcohol. It was a refreshing experience to actually be able to consider the taste and texture of our drinks, and enjoy them at our own pace. - Zenn Wong
“All in all, we did enjoy ourselves that evening as it provided us with an alternative environment to drink in as well as an alternative drink, compared to the usual drink-till-you-can’tdrink-no-more sessions fuelled by – let’s face it – toxic-tasting alcohol.”
FOOD + DRINK
A
great debate that was often disputed in my primary school was the greatest and grandest packed lunch snack. Often the talk of the playground and staff room, the majestic Kelloggs Fruit Winder is still a much desired favourite and my personal winner of this discussion. A quote from Mumsnet even claims that, “My kids have been hassling me for weeks to buy them one as apparently everyone has them in their lunchbox, which I find hard to believe.” Mumsnet user Sandyballs better believe it, because Fruit Winders remain fabulous. Coming individually in the flavours strawberry, apple and blackcurrant, they offer a delicious strip of real fruit, rolled up into a little package. Once unrolled, they are peeled away from their paper strip and are fascinating to eat, due to their sticky and stretchy texture. As well as being a wonderful alternative to a mini Milky Way or Haribo packet in your break time, it offers you an outlet to express your creativity by sculpting the Winder into any shape you wish. Or to be greedy and gobble it all straight away. The good news is the Fruit Winders are still going strong to this day. Tescos are even selling Doubles Fruit Winders which consist of two flavoured stripes, such as apple AND strawberry. Amazing. - Eleanor Duffy
I used to avoid Cheesestrings at all costs when in primary school, and even now I’d only consider eating one if it became illegal not to. Much like the development of the commercial Internet from military technology, we undoubtedly have the sports-shoe industry to thank for the creation of the Cheesestring; the snack bearing a near identical resemblance to the polymer that keeps the rubber sole and inner shoe lining glued together in most Reebok trainers. Yet it was from these humble beginnings that one of the defining tastes of the early noughties arose, even if that taste constituted of little more than a very mild cheese-like sensation wrapped in a wet flannel, eaten through a plastic shopping bag. Even so many of my school friends seemed to love them, the Cheesestring being a lunchtime staple, yet despite such popularity they very rarely shared them, and for this I am very grateful. Until recently I can’t say I encountered these frightening cheesy appendages all that often during my teenage years. In fact it was only after seeing somebody eating one in a Co-Op car park, fibrous “cheese” flapping in the wind like animal fur caught in a barbed-wire fence, that I was actually reminded of their existence at all.
#THROWBACK
FOODS
We all have our weaknesses when it comes to #throwback Food and Drinks. Certain tastes and smells trigger our nostalgia for a time gone by in primary school lunchrooms and neighbourhood playgrounds, be it our evergreen love affair with Wagon Wheels or our longstanding beef with cheesestrings. Here are a few of our contributors’ favourite (or un-favourite) memories. Wagon Wheels. A circular chocolate biscuit containing fluffy marshmallow and if you’re lucky enough, even some jam. If you’ve never tried one of these delicacies you have never truly lived. Seriously, how bad was your childhood? Wagon Wheels are better than bread, whoever invented these (Mr Wagon and Mrs Wheel) overwhelmingly tasty snacks deserves an island dedicated solely to their greatness. Perhaps like a giant Wagon Wheel statue with jam pouring out of it into pool of marshmallow. We can dream. The famous Wagon Wheel brought joy amongst children of all ages; essentially bringing them all together in the form of one milk cocoa circle. Those were the days. Wagon Wheels haven’t disappeared yet, although their shelf appearance has become more of a rarity. If you look hard enough you’re sure to find one of the best chocolate snacks around. Go on, re-live your childhood! - Alex Welsh
I left the scene in a hurry. - James Griffiths
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Price of a Freddo
mortgage
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pock et money chilled
miffed
Public Outrage
batshit